The property cell of Mumbai crime branch busted an interstate car theft racket and recovered three stolen cars, collectively worth Rs9 lakh, from Gujarat. While two people were arrested around 10 days ago, the third arrest was made on Sunday.

According to officers, the gang used to steal cars and would change the registration number and sell them in Gujarat, where these vehicles were used to deliver liquor illegally from Daman and Diu. The vehicles were also used to transport drugs, said officers.

They also claimed that they have solved other cases of vehicle thefts registered at Virar and Mira Road police stations and the process of recovering cars stolen from those areas is on.

The accused have been identified as Wadala (East) residents Nafis Shaukat Ali Khan, 23, and Mohammad Tafsir Mohammad Shaikh, 22, and Gujarat resident Rumil Dipakbhai Soni, 30.

The police said Khan used to steal vehicles from areas where CCTV cameras are not installed. He used to hand over the stolen vehicles to Shaikh outside Mumbai check naka. Shaikh would drive the car to Navsari in Gujarat and then hand it over to Soni, who sell it to locals in Gujarat. After selling the vehicles, they distributed the amount among themselves, said police inspector Kedari Pawar from the property cell.

Among the recovered cars, the first, which is around Rs3 lakh, was stolen on October 10 from Ghatkopar. The second car, worth Rs4 lakh, was stolen from October 28 from Santacruz and the third vehicle (worth Rs1.9 lakh) was stolen on November 13 from Bangur Nagar. The accused had allegedly stolen another car from Ghatkopar before the lockdown and the police are trying to trace where they had sold it, added the officer.

After complaints of the car thefts emerged, the property cell checked the records of gangs and individuals who have cases of vehicle thefts against them in the city, and discovered about Khan. He was traced to Wadala and during inquiry, he revealed the names of Shaikh and Soni. Around 10 days ago, a police team visited Gujarat and recovered the three cars after arresting Soni, added Pawar.
While Premier Brian Pallister urged Manitobans to stay home over the holidays, his chief civil servant travelled outside the province to spend Christmas at his former home in Ottawa.

While Premier Brian Pallister urged Manitobans to stay home over the holidays, his chief civil servant travelled outside the province to spend Christmas at his former home in Ottawa.

Pallisters staff confirmed Sunday that David McLaughlin spent the last two weeks of December working "from his immediate familys home in Ontario."

"The assertion that the Clerk of Executive Council was on vacation is false and it would be grossly inaccurate for such a narrative to be propagated," Pallisters communications chief, Blake Robert, said in an email, responding to Free Press questions about McLaughlins travel.

The governments admission comes at a time when the premier, his cabinet and public health officials are pleading with Manitobans to avoid travel and stay home.

Before and during the holidays, the government implored Manitobans to stay put with its #StayAtHomeMB campaign.

However, McLaughlin, who was Pallisters campaign manager in the 2016 and 2019 general elections before being hired last May as Manitobas chief bureaucrat, was apparently given the green light to travel.

As well, given his status as a government official, he was not required to self-quarantine for two weeks upon his return from Ontario, meeting with Pallister at the legislative building on Saturday, according to sources.

In recent days, politicians of virtually all political stripes in Canada have got in hot water for travelling abroad during the holidays.

Ontarios Tory finance minister, Rod Phillips, was forced to resign his cabinet post after news broke that he vacationed in the Caribbean island of St. Barts.

Albertas municipal affairs minister, Tracy Allard, was sharply criticized for taking a family vacation in Hawaii last month.

And, Manitoba NDP MP Niki Ashton was stripped of her critics roles after travelling to Greece to visit an ailing family member.

Robert, the premiers director of media relations and issues management, stressed that McLaughlin was on the job while away in Ontario.

"The Clerk returned to his immediate familys home in Ontario and, for the last two weeks of December, was working remotely  just as thousands of Manitobans have been for months," he wrote. "The work of government does not stop over the holidays. The Clerk was actively participating in virtual meetings, conference calls, or working on Government of Manitoba business from his home daily."

Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said it is hypocritical for a top government official to travel outside the province to be with family members when the government is requiring Manitobans not to mingle with persons outside their home during the code red restrictions.

"While everybody else has been told, Dont even see your grandmother, dont see your family on Christmas day, you have people getting on a plane and going to see their family for weeks," he said.

"(It) was supposed to be all hands on deck, and you have the senior most civil servant in the entire province taking off back to Ottawa to be back with his family at Christmas," Lamont said.

Lamont also questioned the fact McLaughlin was away at a time when the province was putting the finishing touches on plans for the massive roll-out of the immunization of Manitobans for COVID-19.

"It smacks a little bit of abandoning his post during a time of emergency," he said.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has recalled the support provided by the Trump administration to Ukraine.

"The U.S. has to approach Russia the same way we approach Communist China: distrust and verify," Pompeo posted on Twitter.

Overall, according to Pompeo, since 2017, the Trump administration has imposed sanctions on more than 365 Russian targets in response to Russias destabilizing and aggressive actions in Ukraine and throughout Europe."

The Secretary of State also recalled his trip to Ukraine, where he met with wounded soldiers. "When I visited a Kyiv military hospital to meet brave Ukrainian freedom fighters, one of them ripped the patch off his uniform and gave it to me," he wrote.

In addition, Pompeo recalled that they "took action on lots of fronts with Russia, including religious freedom. I made sure the U.S. supported international recognition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, helped the Metropolitan escape Russian influence."

To prove the confrontation with Russia, Pompeo cited another fact: "Huge step forward: I issued the Crimea Declaration, which reversed the ban on lethal military assistance to Ukraine. Obama wouldn't send freedom fighters weapons. We did."

As reported, President-elect Joe Biden announced his intention to appoint Antony Blinken as Secretary of State.

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Police are appealing for witnesses after thieves stole thousands of pounds worth of tools and vehicles from a Surrey farm.

The burglary happened on a farm in Farnham on Wednesday 30 December around 10pm to 1am the following morning.

The items stolen were: One green Honda 420 quad bike; one green Kawasaki quad bike; one Kawasaki scramble bike; two chainsaws, one strimmer and one toolbox.

Surrey Police said in a statement: "We are appealing for witnesses after a farm in Farnham was broken into and thousands of pounds worth of tools and vehicles taken.

"Have you seen any of these vehicles or tools for sale recently? Were you driving through Farnham overnight, particularly in the Folly Hill area?

We are appealing for witnesses after a farm in Farnham was broken into and thousands of pounds worth of tools and vehicles taken: https://t.co/THvMkiUCdz pic.twitter.com/ehSG8T0OtR  Surrey Police (@SurreyPolice) December 31, 2020

"If you saw or heard anything, or have any CCTV or dashcam footage that might assist with our investigation, please contact us quoting PR/45200136989."

Latest figures show that rural crime cost the UK 54m in 2019, an increase of almost 9 percent on the previous year.

The rises were driven by organised gangs targeting high-value tractors, quad bikes and other farm vehicles, according to NFU Mutual.
After a snow and ice-filled start to the year for Northern Ireland, conditions are set to thaw this week while Arctic conditions will remain in parts of England.

According to the Met Office, today is expected to remain dry and sunny with light winds for much of the day after temperatures had dipped to around -2C overnight.

The odd shower is still possible by afternoon with a maximum temperature of 4C.

Sunny spells with the chance of the odd shower are forecast in the east tomorrow while it will be dry and sunny on Wednesday.

Rain, sleet and snow is expected overnight into Thursday before clearing to showers later.

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Yesterday, the Met Office issued a Yellow Weather warning for snow and ice in north west England and parts of Scotland.

More Arctic weather is expected this week in eastern parts of England, with the Met Office explaining the chill in the air is due to high pressure to the north of the UK, which is dragging air from the east.

The cold easterly winds will develop next week, bringing wintry showers - particularly around eastern parts of England - bringing with it a risk of hazardous freezing fog, frost and ice.

Meteorologist Alex Burkill said: "Obviously it's very cold and it's going to stay cold through this week.

"Whilst there will be some wintry hazards around, it's not really until the end of the week until we see any significant snow."

Download the Belfast Telegraph App Get quick and easy access to the latest Northern Ireland news, sport, business and opinion with the Belfast Telegraph App.

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In 2020, Ukraine's trade deficit more than halved compared to 2019.

"Usually we estimate exports in US dollars. [Ukraines] exports for the whole year [2020] amounted to $49.32 billion, down 1.70% compared to 2019. In a crisis year, this figure is quite good. The fact that the trade deficit has more than halved is especially positive," Taras Kachka, Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine - Trade Representative of Ukraine, posted on Facebook.

He added that the trade deficit decreased from $10.22 billion in 2019 to $4.9 billion by the end of 2020.

Kachka noted that exports from Ukraine in 2020 amounted to UAH 1 trillion 330 billion, up 2.84% compared to 2019.

The deputy minister also drew attention to the dynamics of December, when Ukraines exports totaled $4.88 billion, exceeding the figures of the previous month by $150 million and the figures of December 2019  by $760 million.

"The secret of the December figures is quite simple as metal and ore prices are soaring across the globe. Exports for the 72nd group in December amounted to $715 million (compared to $572 million in November and $522 million in December 2019)," Kachka added.

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Former Baywatch star has been a long-term proponent of Assange during his legal battle against extradition

Ms Anderson, 53, was rumoured to be dating Assange in 2017 and has shared messages of support online

Assange, 49, won his legal battle against US authorities who wanted to put him on trial over spying charges

His lawyers will return to the Old Bailey on Wednesday for a bail application, when he could be freed from jail

But is thought to be unlikely because US officials have declared intent to appeal decision to block extradition

Judge Vanessa Baraitser said that Assange was a severe suicide risk and he would not be protected at US jail

If you need help visit Samaritans.org or phone 116 123

Pamela Anderson has said the fight is not over after a British judge ruled WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the US to face spying charges.

The former Baywatch star, 53, has been a long-term vocal supporter of Assange during his legal battles with the US government over the publication of thousands of classified documents in 2010 and 2011.

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The judge blocked the request because of concerns over Mr Assange's mental health and risk of suicide if he were to be extradited to the US.

After the latest development, the ex-Playboy Model shared a picture of a sunrise at the beach on social media and wrote: 'A special sunrise for my dear friend #JulianAssange - (not to be extradited) stay tuned, the fight is not over - but, a hopeful moment to breathe in - I can only imagine Julian (in court, still in that mask), taking that breath.. #humanrights #freespeech #pardonassange.'

This is just the latest show of support for Assange by Pamela Anderson.

Earlier this month, she published a photo of herself in a white bikini holding a sign saying 'Bring Julian Assange Home Australia' as well as a clothed photo with a sign that read: 'I am Julian Assange', on Monday afternoon.

Former Baywatch start Pamela Anderson has shared a message of support for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after a British judge ruled he could not be extradited to the US over concerns for his mental health and fears he may commit suicide

The former Playboy model posted a photo of herself on Twitter in December, 2020, in a bikini and holding a sign calling on US President Donald Trump to pardon Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in the remaining weeks of his premiership

Anderson was rumoured to have dated the now 49-year-old Assange, an Australian national, when he was living at London's Ecuadorian Embassy from 2012-2019, to avoid a rape allegation charge in Sweden, as well as espionage charges in the US.

Assange, who has been in Belmarsh high-security prison in London for 19 months, while he has been fighting extradition to the US, is wanted over the publication of classified documents in 2010 and 2011.

He is said to have plotted with defense analyst Chelsea Manning to crack an encrypted password on US Department of Defence computers.

If convicted, he faces a possible penalty of 175 years in jail.

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Anderson and Assange's unlikely 'special relationship' started when they were introduced by fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood, sparking speculation over the nature of their friendship over the years.

She was photographed visiting him multiple times during his seven-year stint at the Ecuadorian Embassy, bringing him vegan cheeseburgers as well as publishing messages about him on her blog claiming he was just 'trying to help' and should not be 'illegally detained'.'

Pamela Anderson wore a 'freedom of speech' shawl to visit WikiLeaks founder Assange in Belmarsh prison in May 2019

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In a poem in 2017, she wrote: 'My relationship with Julian - it's no secret. He is one of my favorite people and he might be the most famous, most politicized refugee of our time.'

After his arrest in April 2019 the mother of two visited him in Belmarsh prison and said in a statement afterwards that she 'loved' him.

She added that the WikiLeaks founder has been 'cut off from everybody', including his children, and does not have access to any information.

'He does not deserve to be in a super max prison. He has never committed a violent act, he's an innocent person', she said.

She added: 'He's a good man, he's an incredible person, I love him and I can't imagine what he's been going through,' Anderson said.

She previously called him 'world's most innocent man' and posted a photo of a handwritten message on Twitter signed by herself and British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood.

Anderson, who starred on Baywatch, also posted a second photo in December, calling for Assange to be freed. The model was rumoured to be dating him in 2017 and has previously described him as 'an incredible person' and said that she loves him

US officials said they were left 'extremely disappointed' over the decision by District Judge Vanessa Baraitser.

The sensational ruling at the Old Bailey in London this morning raises the prospect that the 48-year-old WikiLeaks founder could be freed this week - and, in a further development, Mexico have now offered him political asylum.

Australia-born Assange won his high-profile legal battle against US officials who wanted to put him on trial for conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law by releasing confidential cables.

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A US Justice Department spokesman said today: 'While we are extremely disappointed in the court's ultimate decision, we are gratified that the United States prevailed on every point of law raised.'

The department pointed to Assange's claims he had been exercising free speech rights and that the US was pursuing a political vendetta, adding: 'We will continue to seek Mr Assange's extradition to the United States.'

Meanwhile, Mexico offered political asylum to Mr Assange this afternoon. The country's president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said: 'I'm going to ask the foreign minister to carry out the relevant procedures to request that the UK government releases Mr Assange and that Mexico offers him political asylum.'

He said Mexico would ensure 'that whoever receives asylum does not intervene or interfere in the political affairs of any country.'

The country has previously offered political asylum to high-profile international figures such as former Bolivian president Evo Morales.

Today in court in London, Assange, sat in a blue suit with crossed legs, wiped his brow after the decision was announced, while his fiancee, Stella Moris - with whom he has two young sons - wept.

Ms Moris, who fell in love with Assange while she was his lawyer, said outside the Old Bailey: 'Today is a victory for Julian. Today's victory is a first step towards justice in this case.'

She also issued a direct appeal to Donald Trump, which references President Ronald Reagan's 1987 appeal to Soviet lead Mikhail Gorbachev to 'tear down' the Berlin Wall.

'Mr President tear down these prison walls,' she said. 'Let our little boys have their father. Free Julian. Free the press.'

Assange's defence team, including celebrity barrister Jennifer Robinson, will return to the Old Bailey on Wednesday for a bail application. If they are successful, he could be a free man immediately afterwards.

However, this is thought to be unlikely given the US government's intent to appeal. They have 14 days to state their grounds, during which time Assange will stay on remand at HMP Belmarsh in south-west London.

Had Assange been convicted in the US, he would have been held in isolation at the notorious Supermax jail in Colorado, which has been described by a former warden as a 'clean version of hell' and a 'fate worse than death'.

Judge Vanessa Baraitser said there was an 'unmanageable high risk' of Assange taking his own life if he was housed amid the grim conditions as she revealed he has autism, Asperger's and a severe depressive disorder.

She accepted the evidence of medical experts who revealed that Assange had spoken openly about suicide while in Belmarsh and had prepared for it by writing a will. A razor blade was also found in his cell.

Julian Assange has won his legal battle against US officials who wanted to put him on trial for helping hack government computers and violating an espionage law by releasing confidential cables. He is sketched at the Old Bailey today

Assange's supporters cheered and hugged outside the court after the judge revealed she was blocking Assange's extradition

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's partner, Stella Moris, speaks to the media outside the Old Bailey in London today

Assange's fiancee Stella Moris, at court today, has said that sending her lover to the US would be an 'unthinkable travesty'

Assange, 49, faces an 18-count indictment, alleging a plot to hack computers and a conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information

Assange's supporters were overjoyed at the decision not to extradite him to the United States but expressed dismay that the ruling was made on health grounds rather than in defence of freedom of expression.

'Today is a victory for Julian': Assange's partner Stella Moris hails verdict Ms Moris, who fell in love with Assange while she was his lawyer, said outside the Old Bailey: 'I had hoped today would be the day Julian would come home. Today is not that day but that day will come soon. 'As long as Julian has to endure suffering in isolation as an unconvicted prisoner at Belmarsh prison, as long as our children continue to be robbed of their father's love and affection, we cannot celebrate. 'We will celebrate the day he comes home. 'Today is a victory for Julian. Today's victory is a first step towards justice in this case. 'On behalf of Julian and myself, I want to thank the millions of people around the world and the institutions that are already calling for this persecution to end. 'I ask you all to shout louder, you lobby harder, until he is free. I call on everyone else to come together to defend Julian's rights; not just Julian's rights, they are your rights too. Julian's freedom is coupled to all our freedoms and our freedoms are lost in the blink of an eye. 'I call on insiders to come forward to expose the full extent of the misconduct that has led to Julian's imprisonment. And I call on the president of the United States to end this now. 'Mr President, tear down these prison walls. Let our little boys have their father. Free Julian, free the press, free us all.'

The activist has been backed by a raft of celebrities including Pamela Anderson, artist Al Weiwei and designer Dame Vivienne Westwood.

Assange's mother, Christine urged the US not to appeal, saying her son had suffered enough.

She tweeted: 'UK Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled against extraditing my son Julian to the US on medical grounds.

'US prosecutors state they will appeal. I implore Pres Trump & Pres elect Biden to order them to stand down. The decade long process was the punishment. He has suffered enough.'

Conservative MP David Davis said: 'Good news Julian Assange's extradition has been blocked. Extradition treaties should not be used for political prosecutions.'

Jeremy Corbyn, whose brother, Piers, was outside the Old Bailey today, said: 'Good news that the extradition of Julian Assange has been refused - my congratulations to him and his legal team. Extradition would be an attack on press freedom.

'And it is alarming that the judge has accepted US government arguments threatening freedom of speech and freedom to publish. There remains much at stake in his case, which is being observed by so many around the world. Assange should be released.'

The decision was also welcomed by other Labour MPs, including Richard Burgon and the former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott.

Mr Burgon said: 'It is entirely right that Julian Assange will not be extradited to the US. Julian Assange would have been extradited because, as a journalist, he dared to expose US war crimes.

'Any extradition would have been an unprecedented attack on press freedom.'

Ms Abbott called the decision an 'excellent ruling by the British judge'. She added: 'Congratulations to all the dogged campaigners on Assange's behalf.'

But the journalist Glenn Greenwald added a note of caution, saying the judge had endorsed most of the arguments put forward by the US in favour of extradition - including dismissing the idea that it was an attack on freedom of speech.

He said: 'This wasn't a victory for press freedom. Quite the contrary: the judge made clear she believed there are grounds to prosecute Assange in connection with the 2010 publication. It was, instead, an indictment of the insanely oppressive US prison system for security 'threats.'

Meanwhile, Edward Snowden - the whistleblower who worked with Wikileaks and is currently living in Russia after leaking U.S. surveillance secrets - called for an end to the proceedings, tweeting: 'Let this be the end of it.'

Amnesty International tweeted: 'We welcome the fact that Julian Assange will not be sent to the USA, but this does not absolve the UK from having engaged in this politically-motivated process at the behest of the USA and putting media freedom and freedom of expression on trial.'

Assange supporters celebrating outside court today after he was spared from being sent for trial in the United States

Piers Corbyn (left) outside the Old Bailey today alongside a crowd of pro-Assange protesters

How Assange is being defended by celebrity lawyer Jennifer Robinson - while judge overseeing case extradited Sarkozy fraud suspect Jennifer Robinson, a key member of Assange's defence team, is the go-to barrister for the rich and famous, most recently walking hand in hand with actress Amber Heard in her showdown against her ex-husband Johnny Depp in his acrimonious libel trial. She counts the Hollywood elite among her inner circle, travelling to George and Amal Clooney's wedding on a speedboat with actor Bill Murray. A self-confessed Kyle Minogue fan, who has 'nothing in her fridge but Champagne' , the human rights lawyer once set headlines alight after she was spotted canoodling with Jeremy Corbyn's former spin doctor, Seumas Milne. Australian human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson (left) with Assange's partner Stella Moris (right) at an earlier Old Bailey hearing Ms Robinson and Mr Milne - a then-married father-of-two - were photographed in a passionate embrace on the terrace of the Courthouse hotel in East London in 2017. The 39-year-old, who came from humble beginnings in Australia, has been known to use her social media as an outlet to criticise the Tories on their human rights record and tweet support for Corbyn. Less is known about Vanessa Baraitser, the district judge overseeing Assange's case. She appears to be a specialist in extradition cases and last year gave the go ahead for an associate of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy to be returned to France for trial. Alexandre Djouhri, who was arrested at Heathrow last year after arriving on a flight from his Swiss home, and is accused by French prosecutors of nine offences relating to money laundering and corruption. These are alleged to have been committed in circumstances connected to Mr Sarkozy's 2007 presidential campaign. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser delivering her verdict today

Judge Baraitser ruled that Assange risked being held under Special Administrative Measures (Sams), which would have seen him in solitary confinement with limited access to family and only two phone calls per month.

She said: 'Faced with the conditions of near total isolation without the protective factors which limited his risk at HMP Belmarsh, I am satisfied the procedures described by the US will not prevent Mr Assange from finding a way to commit suicide and for this reason I have decided extradition would be oppressive by reason of mental harm and I order his discharge.

'Despite his lighter spirit at times, he's a depressed and sometimes despairing man who is genuinely fearful of his future. He represents an unmanageable high risk of suicide, both in Belmarsh and the US.'

She revealed that in 1991 Mr Assange had tried to take his own life and that there was a history of depression in the family.

His maternal grandmother and uncle both died by suicide, and Assange phoned the Samaritans most nights while in jail.

Australian-born Assange had been charged under the US's 1917 Espionage Act for conspiring with Chelsea Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst, to hack into a Pentagon computer network and publish secret documents related to 'national defence.'

The WikiLeaks founder faced a total of 18 charges and was also accused of putting the lives of US informants at risk by publishing the material.

Assange has been locked in a bitter dispute with US authorities since July 2010 when WikiLeaks started publishing hundreds of thousands of classified US military and political documents from the Afghan and Iraq wars.

As US officials pursued him through the British courts, in June 2012, Assange entered the Ecuadorian embassy, requesting political asylum, which was granted two months later.

Assange remained holed up at the embassy until April 2019 when Ecuador revoked his asylum status, leading to his arrest and kickstarting a legal battle that culminated in today's judgment.

During his time in the embassy, the WikiLeaks founder fathered two children with his partner Stella Morris.

For the past 19 months, Assange has been held at Belmarsh top security jail.

He first appeared at the Old Bailey last February, but the case was pushed back because of the coronavirus pandemic.

If Assange had stood trial in the US, he faced a possible 175 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

The controversial WikiLeaks founder has attracted a number of high-profile supporters including Pamela Anderson and Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel, who visited him at the Ecuadorian embassy.

Others to have lent their support include the artist Al Weiwei and designer Dame Vivienne Westwood.

Assange was represented at his Old Bailey trial last year by eminent lawyer Jennifer Robinson.

The court head extraordinary details of the lengths US authorities were prepared to go to ensure that Assange stood trial in the country.

This included hiring a US security contractor to bug Assange's meetings in the Ecuadorian embassy and even a possible kidnap or poison plot to end the stalemate.

Judge Baraitser heard that if convicted, Assange faced the prospect of being held in a Supermax ADX facility in Colorado, where convicted terrorist Abu Hamza has been housed under Sams in solitary confinement.

Psychiatrists for the defence said Assange had suffered from severe depression and was a high suicide risk.

But lawyers for the US Government claimed that the prospect of Assange being held under Sams was 'speculative' and the sentence was likely to be much lower.

Chelsea Manning had been sentenced to 35 years over her role in leaking classified material but was given clemency after seven years.

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However, she was jailed again for contempt in 2019 and fined for refusing to testify in court about Assange.

Stella Moris, the mother of Julian Assange's children, Max and Gabriel (pictured left and right) this weekend said Britain 'would no longer be a haven for free speech' if he was extradited
Dispelling the rumours that Reliance Industries Limited is placed to benefit from the three farm reform laws passed by the central government, the conglomerate on Monday said it has no plans of entering the contract or the corporate farming business, and it has never bought agricultural land for corporate farming or contract farming and had no plans to do so in the future as well.

In a statement, RIL said it does not purchase food grains directly from farmers, and its suppliers buy from farmers only at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) level. It also clarified that it had never entered into any long-term procurement contracts at low prices, or sought that its suppliers buy from farmers at less than remunerative prices.

Reliance and its affiliates fully share and support the aspiration of Indian farmers to get a fair and profitable price on a predictable basis for what they produce with exemplary hard work, innovation and dedication. Indeed we shall insist on our suppliers to strictly abide by the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism, and/or any other mechanism for remunerative price for farm produce, as may be determined and implemented by the government, the company said.

The Mukesh Ambani-led company categorically stated its position that neither Reliance nor any of its subsidies, had purchased any agricultural land, directly or indirectly, anywhere in India, for the purpose of corporate or contract farming. We have absolutely no plans to do so, it added.

RIL further said it had filed a writ petition in Punjab and Haryana High Court against vandalism of its communication towers, and said some vested interests and business rivals were behind the vandalism. RIL urged the High Court to issue a suitable order to help protect its employees and property from vandalism.

As many as 1,500 mobile towers and telecom gear owned by RILs Jio have been damaged in Punjab in recent weeks, allegedly by farmers protesting against the new agricultural legislations. In November, some groups of farmers had shut down Reliance Fresh stores in parts of Punjab. This came amid resentment among some farmers that the new laws will pave the way for corporate exploitation.

Thousands of farmers, especially from Punjab and Haryana, have been staging a sit-in protest along Delhi's borders. The protest started on November 26. The farmers are demanding a complete rollback of the new farm reform laws and a guarantee on the MSP system being retained.

Multiple rounds of talks between the Centre and the farmers union leaders have ended in a stalemate. Protesting farmers fear that the new agricultural reform laws will dismantle the MSP system and corporatise farming. However, the Centre has maintained that these reforms will benefit farmers.

Disclosure: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd which publishes Moneycontrol.
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Armenia MOD: Soldier killed during shootings from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha

Russian MP: Azerbaijani leadership interested in Armenia acting PM's victory in snap elections

Armenia MOD reports shooting from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha border section

Armenia opposition MP: Authorities promised to separate business from politics, but they're failing to fulfill promise

There will be post-election processes if authorities try to rig voting, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

CNN: Putin and Biden will meet on June 15-16 in Geneva

Latin America has the highest poverty rate in 20 years

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia applying to CSTO: No one will help you if you do nothing to solve your problems

Armenia ruling Civil Contract Party presents list of first 10 candidates ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Armenia acting justice minister discusses broad range of cooperation issues with top CoE official

Armenia former President Kocharyan: This guilt, this criminal article is on these authorities

Man survives after spending 17 days in desert

Azerbaijan continues course towards systematic extermination of Armenian heritage in Shushi

Armenia Syunik Province ex-governor: Azerbaijani soldiers advanced along length of border two days ago

Newly appointed Ambassador of Montenegro presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Its about bringing Karabakh issue back to right to self-determination, says Armenia ex-President Kocharyan

Iran FM to arrive in Armenia

Ara Aivazian and Austrian counterpart hold phone talks, focus on Azeri army's infiltration into Armenia's territory

Kocharyan: Elect todays political team if you are ready to live squatting

Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 30 million

2nd President Kocharyan on Armenia Security Council chief: Do you take that person seriously?

"Key" to settlement of Karabakh conflict cant be in one place, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Texas may permit carrying of pistols without special permission

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia acting PM Pashinyan's high popularity rating: We will wear it down to the root

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Election bloc format must be workable in some logical sense

Attorney: Political persecution against Robert Kocharyan is becoming more noticeable during election campaign

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: We must do everything so that our domestic politics is not dictated by Azerbaijan

Armenian acting defense minister meets Russian peacekeeping mission chief

Congress predicts US nuclear spending to reach $ 634 billion by 2030

Russian MP: The effectiveness of military cooperation with Armenia depends on Yerevan as well

Delimitation now may create some problems in Karabakh negotiation process, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan on relations with 3rd President Sargsyan: We go our own way they go their own

Judge adjourns hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM for 3 weeks

Court hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM

2nd President Kocharyan: Armenia must show that it will not be subjected to such pressures

Kocharyan: You may find yourself in stupid situations if you come to negotiations without any baggage

Armenia Investigative Committee: Criminal case opened into soldiers death

157 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

EU helps UN World Food Programme provide humanitarian assistance for conflict-affected people in Armenia

Yerevan municipal council convenes regular session

Armenia legislature speaker on situation at Syunik Province: CSTO still has procedures

Blinken arrives on his first official visit to Israel

World oil prices going up

Provincial hall issues statement on Tavush section of Armenia border with Azerbaijan

MFA statement: Azerbaijan continues to use Armenian POWs as political hostages

Newspaper: There are last-minute changes on Armenia ruling party electoral list

Armenia parliament starts regular sessions

Newspaper: Armenia 3rd President Sargsyan intensively engaged in election campaign

EU leaders call for ban on Belarus airlines flights to their countries

Quake hits Georgia, also felt in Armenia

2nd President Kocharyan: Process of obtaining Armenia citizenship shall be simplified, shall take only few months

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Appointments in army were not based on knowledge but on loyalty

Robert Kocharyan: Armenia must not go back to the past and stay there, just like the incumbent authorities did

Armenia 2nd President on recent Karabakh war, consequences and the signed document

Armenia 2nd President: Current authorities don't have remorse, aren't conscious and patriotic

Armenia 2nd President on black PR and management system in the country
A mother was shocked to find a 'nasty' note on her car that slammed her for using a pram-only spot despite having a baby.

The mother-of-three dropped off her husband and three children - including her one-year-old child - at the entrance of a shopping centre.

She then parked her car but was shocked to find a horrible note under her tyre once she returned to the vehicle.

A mother-of-threee dropped her husband and three children, one of whom is a one-year-old baby, off at the entrance of a shopping centre. She then park her car and returned to find this 'nasty note' (pictured)

'YOU SHOULD NOT PARK HERE. YOU GOT NO PRAM OR BABY WITH YOU, YOU FAT PIECE OF S***,' the note read.

The mother said said 'some people are so harsh and nasty'.

'This needs to be read by the person who wrote this and put it under my tyre,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'Yes, I'm a mother of three and my youngest baby is one years old. Yes, I have a double pram in my car! Yes, I have two baby car seats in my car.

'The point is, don't jump to conclusions if you don't see me push a pram or hold a baby as I dropped my husband off at the entrance with the kids while I went and found a car spot.

'People are so nasty and quick to judge.

'I hope whoever wrote this note gets their facts right before they judge anyone.'
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PHOENIX  Arizona health officials reported a big jump in coronavirus pandemic numbers on Sunday, including a record daily high of more than 17,200 new confirmed cases  a number they say could be partially inflated by a lag in reporting during the holiday weekend.

Just 7% of hospital beds were available statewide and 61% of intensive care unit beds were occupied by 1,081 patients fighting the virus, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Department spokesman Steve Elliott told the Arizona Republic the jump in daily cases could be due to a reporting lag as well as the spread of the virus during Christmas gatherings.

The single-day total of 17,234 new confirmed cases topped the previous daily record of 12,314 set Dec. 8.

Arizona is among U.S. states with the highest numbers of coronavirus cases. The AZfamily group of Phoenix television stations, noted the more than 200,000 new cases COVID-19 reported in December was double the number of cases reported for the month of November.

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The statewide overall tally of known cases since the pandemic began was 556,384. The death toll stands at 9,061.

The number of infections is thought to be higher than reported because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.

The crush of COVID-19 patients has caused some Phoenix and Tucson-area hospitals to suspend elective surgeries and turn away ambulance patients or transfers from other hospitals, while still accepting walk-patients needing emergency care.

Hospital officials have discussed triage protocols that the state could order to decide which patients gets access to limited resources.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Niger Prime Minister Brigi Rafini travelled to two villages close to the border with Mali on Sunday, after officials said more than 100 people were killed by suspected militants. The villages of Tchombangou and Zaroumdareye were attacked on Saturday after locals killed two of their fighters, according to the country's interior minister. Niger has endured several attacks by Islamic extremists, including the Nigeria-based Boko Haram, and fighters linked to the Islamic State group and al-Qaida.

Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have been displaced, despite the presence of thousands of regional and international troops. While jihadists in the region pose a growing threat, the West African country is expected to see its first democratic transition of power since independence from France in 1960. Some 7.4 million Nigeriens were registered to vote on 27 December to elect the successor to President Mahamadou Issoufou, who has served two terms and is stepping down.

According to results announced on Saturday, a second round will be needed after none of the 28 candidates won a majority.Former Foreign Minister Mohamed Bazoum of the ruling party will face off with former President Mahamane Ousmane on February 21.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Aquis Exchange Plc, Londons second-biggest venue for trading European shares, has seen almost all of this business shift into the European Union on the first trading day since Brexit.

Chief Executive Officer Alasdair Haynes told Bloomberg TV on Monday that 99.6% of its European share trading moved to its parallel venue in Paris.

Europe has clearly won the battle for its own share trading, he said. The shift is a spectacular own goal as Britain is now losing its very strong position in trading of European equities in London, he said.

The City of London lost its rights to access the single market on December 31 and the EU has not permitted investors inside the bloc to trade shares in companies such as Airbus SE and BNP Paribas SA from the UK.

Haynes said he is pessimistic about the EU granting trading rights through the equivalence process, citing Switzerlands troubles on the same issue in 2019. After Boris Johnson struck a Brexit trade deal on December 24, the two sides outlined a March deadline for a memorandum of understanding around the regulation of financial services, a key driver of the UK economy.

The talk of equivalence being granted in the next few months is in dreamland, said Haynes. It will take years if ever to get equivalence.

Britain will change its rules to attract issuers and investors to the U.K. market but wont necessarily enable EU share trading in London, according to Haynes.

This horse has bolted so far its now in a different stable, he said. To get it back you have to do something pretty revolutionary.

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She confirmed her romance with surf lifesaver Matt Poole four months ago, and the couple have been inseparable ever since.

And on Monday, Tammy Hembrow, 26, ramped up the PDA with her hunky beau as the lovebirds enjoyed a beach day together on the Gold Coast.

The genetically blessed pair embraced in the ocean, as Matt cheekily grabbed the influencer's pert derriere and planted a kiss on her plump pout.

So in love! Tammy Hembrow ramped up the PDA with her new boyfriend, Matt Poole, as the couple enjoyed a beach day together on the Gold Coast on Monday

'Divine love,' Tammy captioned the video shared to Instagram, in which she wore nothing but a tiny string bikini.

Matt, meanwhile, showed off his ripped abs and tattooed arms as he playfully groped the mother of two in a pair of boardshorts.

Matt and the Saski Collection founder confirmed their romance four months ago when they went Instagram official during a holiday.

Get a room: The genetically blessed pair embraced in the ocean, as Matt cheekily grabbed the influencer's pert derriere and planted a kiss on her plump pout

Spotted: The couple's romantic display comes after Matt made his debut on Tammy's YouTube channel in September

The couple's romantic display comes after Matt made his debut on Tammy's YouTube channel in September.

The pair, who met in Bali last year, also revealed who'd said 'I love you' first.

'I did. I am obsessed,' Matt said, before Tammy explained how he had confessed his feelings after they'd 'had a little fight' on holiday in the Whitsundays in September.

Aww! Matt also seems to be getting on wonderfully with Wolf and Saskia, the children Tammy shares with her ex-partner Reece Hawkins

'We had a little fight over nothing, and then when he was trying to make up with me and apologise, he told me he loved me,' she said with a smile.

Matt also seems to be getting on wonderfully with Wolf and Saskia, the children Tammy shares with her ex-partner Reece Hawkins.

Reece is currently expecting another child with his wife, London Goheen.
Social Democratic Party (PSD) chairman Marcel Ciolacu claims that, in the first week of government, the new power has already "fooled Romanians five times," and after the elections, everything that was promised became "aggression", according to AGERPRES.

"In the first week of government, the new power has already fooled Romanians five times! After the elections, everything that was promised became aggression! The Right's Government is making fun of 5 million retirees. Last year, PNL [National Liberal Party] gave pensioners an increase of only 14 per cent before the elections and promised to increase their pensions by the difference of up to 40 per cent in 2021. Citu's reality is that pensions will not increase until September, with a tiny percentage, which does not cover price increases for food, medicine and utilities. They lied to you, they fooled you," Ciolacu wrote on Facebook on Monday.

He added that the government "impoverishes" 5.5 million employees.

"The incomes of public sector workers are freezing this year. In the private sector, there is no mention of the USR [Save Romania Union]'s promise "Zero Taxes on the minimum wage"! There will be taxes, and the minimum salary increases by only 2 lei per day, an amount that does not even cover protection masks. More than 1.4 million employees are being sent back into extreme poverty, left to starve. They have lied to you, they have fooled you! The Right's Government is humiliating more than 215,000 teachers. In the last year, they have said teachers' salaries will be increased, the law will be observed and money will be provided in the budget. In August, the lie was exposed: education was no longer a priority, increases were postponed. Today I come and tell you that in 2021 teachers' salaries will not go up," said the PSD leader.

Ciolacu also claims that the Government "condemns Romanian SMEs and entrepreneurs" and "tramples on Justice."

This article will be updated throughout the week with coronavirus case counts and other need-to-know information about the pandemic in San Antonio.

Shattering records: San Antonio officials reported 3,002 new cases Sunday  by far the most in one day.

The Texas Department of State Health Services announced Sunday that 234 vaccine providers across the state, including 28 vaccination hubs including San Antonio, will receive thousands of coronavirus vaccine doses this week, as local officials and providers have pleaded for additional doses to keep up with high demand.

January 9

COVID-19 updates: The 1,399 hospitalized coronavirus patients reported Saturday set the record for the most coronavirus hospitalizations in Bexar County for the seventh day in a row, accounting for 34.4 percent of total patients Saturday.

The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District reported one death and 1,301 new coronavirus cases Saturday  222 more than Friday  bringing the citys cumulative case count to 130,447.

January 8

COVID-19 updates: Metro Health reported 1,079 new coronavirus cases and five new deaths Friday.

The seven-day average of new cases is at 1,550 per day, only slightly lower than Wednesdays record of 1,568. Almost 1,400 COVID patients are being treated in San Antonio hospitals, including 388 in intensive care units and 216 patients on ventilators.

January 7

COVID-19 updates: For the third day in a row Thursday, San Antonio set new records for the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 and for the number of people newly admitted to city hospitals to be treated for the disease caused by the coronavirus. City and county officials for weeks have been warning that local hospitals will soon become overwhelmed if hospitalizations continue to increase at the current rate. Officials reported 1,170 new local cases Thursday and nine new deaths.

Contagious strain in Texas: The first case of the second strain of COVID-19 was confirmed in Harris County on Thursday, the first in the state of Texas.A man in his 30s tested positive for the B.1.1.7 variant of the strain, which originated in the United Kingdom. The variant is said to be more contagious than the original strain.

January 6

COVID-19 updates: A day after San Antonio reported a record number of COVID-19 cases, the city again surpassed another troubling milestone: the number of hospital beds filled with COVID-19 patients.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg also reported 2,097 cases, a grim sign that the virus rampant spread shows no sign of slowing. There have now been 126,867 cases reported in Bexar County since the start of the pandemic.

Its very dangerous out there with regard to the transmission of COVID-19, Nirenberg said.

January 5

COVID-19 updates: The number of COVID-19 patients in local hospitals grew to 1,318 Tuesday  surpassing the peak reached in mid-July amid the summer surge of the virus. At the time, hospitalizations peaked at 1,267 on July 13. The San Antonio region added a record 2,152 new cases of the virus  shattering a record set only two days previous on Sunday when 1,997 new cases were reported. Five more people have died of the virus, officials reported Tuesday.

COVID-19 delayed abortions in Texas: When Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a ban on elective surgeries that also included abortions affecting stats in the state. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin found that during the ban, the number of abortions in Texas declined 38 percent in April 2020  from 4,608 to 2,856  compared to the same time the previous year. Meanwhile, the number of Texas residents receiving care at out-of-state facilities reviewed in the study increased from 157 in February 2020 to 947 in April 2020. The study also examined second-trimester abortions and found a 61 percent jump after the order expired.

COVID-19 variant spread in U.S.: Experts say the COVID-19 variant that makes the illness more contagious has reached at least three states in the U.S. and they are unsure how far it has spread.

January 4

COVID-19 updates: The positivity rate, which measures the portion of tests that identify active infections, rose sharply Monday to 23.2 percent, up 4 percentage points since last week and nearly 9 points in the past two weeks. Officials reported 1,057 new cases on Monday, and the city has averaged 1,259 new cases a day in the past week.

Texas experiences troubling number of COVID-19 cases: For the second time in the new year, the number of Texans hospitalized with COVID-19 is higher than it has ever been. Texas reported 12,563 people in hospitals with the disease, 82 more than the previous high mark set on New Year's Day.

January 3

A new, grim record: Sundays 1,997 new cases shattered the previous record of 1,717, set Dec. 22, and helped raise San Antonios case total since March to 121,591. Officials also added 239 backlogged cases from more than two weeks ago.Texas has hit a new record high for COVID-19 hospitalizations as a surge in the disease caused by the coronavirus continued to strain state medical resources following holiday travel and gatherings.
A British chef facing trial for the savage Costa del Sol murder of a 'gentle giant' Irish holidaymaker has been found dead in his jail cell.

Prison warders discovered Leigh Anthony Gardiner lying lifeless on his bed with shoelaces he is thought to have used to strangle himself with round his neck.

The 51-year-old was put on suicide watch after his June 2019 arrest for the murder of John Pender at an Irish pub in the popular resort of Fuengirola.

Prison warders discovered Leigh Anthony Gardiner lying lifeless on his bed with shoelaces he is thought to have used to strangle himself with round his neck. Above, Gardiner pictured in 2019

The 51-year-old was put on suicide watch after his June 2019 arrest for the murder of John Pender at an Irish pub in the popular resort of Fuengirola. File image of arrest above

Acupuncturist dad-of-two John, from Shankill in south Co Dublin, was attacked with two broken bottles after asking his alleged killer to stop pestering his charity boss wife Caroline McGuigan and the partner of a pal he was with.

Gardiner, a chef at a well-known Costa del Sol hotel resort, was being held at Alhaurin de la Torre prison near Malaga ahead of his trial.

Two investigations are now underway, an internal prison probe and a second led by police in conjunction with a local court.

Well-placed sources said the death was being treated as suicide and there was nothing at this stage pointing to foul play.

The dead Brit was discovered inside his cell at Alhaurin de la Torre's Module Five last Wednesday morning.

The insider said: 'He was found lifeless on his bed after failing to respond to morning roll-call.

'He had been dead for several hours and nothing could be done to save him.'

Another added: 'The death is still being investigated but everything is pointing towards suicide.

'He had shoelaces knotted round his neck and he had left a note saying he was sorry to his family.'

Other sources confirmed Gardiner had been taken off suicide watch after being placed under an intensive monitoring programme when he initially arrived at the maximum-security prison.

Expat dad-of-two Gardiner was arrested in the early hours of June 21 2019 after allegedly attacking Mr Pender with two broken bottles while he was using the loo at the Pogs Old Irish Rock Pub

Prison workers' association TAMPM said in a statement, identifying the dead man only by his initials: 'We regret to have to confirm the death of an inmate in Module Five of Alhaurin de la Torre Prison.

'The 51-year-old foreigner L.A.G was discovered dead in his cell during morning roll call on December 30.

'Prison workers found him lying lifeless on his bed when they opened the cell.

'He appeared to have died several hours earlier and nothing could be done to save him.

'Evidence found at the scene, such as shoelaces tied around his neck, appeared to indicate it wasn't a natural death but investigations by the relevant professionals are underway.

A Spanish Prison Service source added: 'The separate judicial and internal Prison Service investigations are ongoing and there won't be any official comment on the possible cause of death at this stage.'

Expat dad-of-two Gardiner was arrested in the early hours of June 21 2019 after allegedly attacking Mr Pender with two broken bottles while he was using the loo at the Pogs Old Irish Rock Pub.

Police said at the time the Irishman was targeted after politely asking the suspect to stop bothering his wife and the partner of a friend he was with.

Witnesses told detectives the dead man was attacked with two broken beer bottles as he was relieving himself and had no chance to defend himself as he was stabbed several times in the neck and body.

One of the blows is believed to have severed his jugular vein.

Police who happened to be passing by the pub where the crime occurred tried to save the tourist's life but he bled to death in front of them.

He was on holiday with his wife Caroline McGuigan, founder of charity Suicide or Survive, and their two children Conor, then 21, and 18-year-old Amy who were not in the pub at the time.

Mr Pender, a qualified acupuncturist who trained in China, was on the board of his wife's charity.

A source close to the probe revealed hours after the murder the suspect had no criminal record in Spain and was a chef at a well-known Costa del Sol hotel resort and was on his own for a few days because his wife and kids had gone on a foreign holiday.

Police said at the time the Irishman was targeted after politely asking the suspect to stop bothering his wife and the partner of a friend he was with

A neighbour of the dead man in Shankill described Mr Pender as a 'fantastic, friendly man and a gentle giant.'

The neighbour said: 'He'd do anything for you. If the weather was bad, he would often knock in here to see if I needed anything in the shop.'

Mr Pender's wife described Gardiner as 'a coward' at the celebration of his life nearly 18 months ago at Fitzpatrick Hotel in Killiney.

Caroline McGuigan added: 'John never feared death because he said life is for living.

'If you said 'Why John? He would say, 'why not?'

'He would say every morning, 'I got to wake up' and in the evening he would say, 'I got a day.*

Family friend Rob Carley, host of the two-hour celebration, said: 'John didn't have an angry bone in his body.

'He was a pacifist, he'd walk away from trouble.'
In a sharp rebuke, China has asked the United States to stop interfering with its internal affairs and judicial sovereignty on Hong Kong-related issues, Chinese state media Xinhua reported.

In a press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said China is a country ruled by law and anyone who violates it must be punished.

The spokesperson remarks come after US Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo reacted on the sentencing of 10 Hong Kongers who have been detained in China after they tried to flee to Taiwan.

Pompeo lambasted the Chinese Communist Party for the treatment to a group of 12 pro-democracy protestors who tried to flee Taiwan in wake of Beijings imposition of the draconian National Security Law, called for China to immediately release the ten Hong Kong activists.

Out of 12, 10 individuals were sentenced from seven months to three years in prison by a Shenzhen court on Wednesday. The remaining two are underage passengers and were handed over to Hong Kong police, as reported by South China Morning Post.

China is a country ruled by law and everyone should comply with the law. Anyone who violates the law must be punished, Hua said.

She said the Chinese judicial authorities handle cases according to law and the United States has no right to interfere, urging the US side to stop slandering and smearing China.

The European Union, Canada and the UK have expressed concerns over the fairness of the trial.

Canada expresses deep concern over the secret trial involving the Shenzhen 12. We urge Chinese authorities to conduct trials in accordance with due process and judicial transparency in line with international Human Rights norms and standards, the Canadian Governments foreign policy handle wrote on Twitter.

Meanwhile, London said that the defendants were tried in secret and were denied access to lawyers of their choosing.

We are deeply concerned that members of the Shenzhen 12 were tried in secret today, having been given just three days notice of their trial. Diplomats from Britain and a number of other countries, tried to attend the court proceedings but were denied entry, said UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in a statement on Monday.

The European Union on Tuesday slammed Beijing for human rights violations against 10 political activists from Hong Kong who tried to escape to Taiwan, urging authorities to ensure a fair trial and called for an immediate release of the Shenzen 12.

In 2020, many of the worlds top scientists centered their attention on the new coronavirus. Their efforts provided valuable information about the virus and led to new vaccines to fight it.

But there were other big scientific developments in 2020, as well. Here is a look back at some of the notable science stories we covered during the past year.

Plastic-eating bacteria

European researchers identified a new bacterium that feeds on polyurethane, a kind of plastic that is difficult to recycle or destroy.

The team, from Germanys Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research, said the discovery could help reduce a flood of hard-to-recycle plastics filling up the worlds landfills and polluting oceans.

Many polyurethane-based products can release dangerous chemicals into the environment. But the researchers found that the bacterium can produce enzymes to break down the material.

Unlivable heat by 2070

Researchers from the United States, China and Europe warned that in just 50 years, as many as 3.5 billion people could be facing near-unlivable heat.

A study suggests the extreme heat would result from rising world temperatures linked to human-caused climate change. The exact number of people at risk will depend on whether pollutant levels can be reduced and how quickly the world population will grow.

Under the worst-case predictions for population growth and carbon pollution, the study estimates about 3.5 billion people could be living in extremely hot areas by 2070. That would be one-third of the worlds projected population.

Cloud seeding to produce snow

Scientists said they used new measuring methods to confirm that cloud seeding can produce snowfall under the right conditions. Cloud seeding involves injecting various substances into clouds to produce rain, snow or ice that falls to the ground.

American researchers announced they had used radar and other instruments to measure snowfall levels during experiments carried out in the state of Idaho.

The researchers said that, in several cases, cloud seeding operations measurably increased snowfall across targeted areas.

In some cases, the seeding created new snowfall where no natural snow existed. One cloud seeding operation resulted in precipitation that produced snowfall for about 67 minutes.

Neowise comet

A comet called Neowise provided excellent light shows for people across the world.

Comets are solar system objects made up of ice, rock and dust. Scientists estimated Neowise was about 5 kilometers across. It was the brightest comet to appear above the Northern Hemisphere in 25 years.

Social media users in many countries posted images they captured of the comet as it lit up the sky over their heads.

3D map of universe

Scientists released the largest three-dimensional, or 3D map of the universe ever created.

The 20-year project aims to map the universe using data collected from a telescope in the American state of New Mexico. Researchers said the 3D map produced measurements of more than two million galaxies and quasars. Quasars are defined as bright galaxies lit up by material falling onto a central supermassive black hole.

Worlds oldest known animal

Scientists said in May they had discovered what is believed to be the oldest-known land animal. Remains of the millipede-like creature were found in Scotland.

Researchers said the small, fossilized creature is estimated to be about 425 million years old. It may have helped lead the way for the many animals that would later live on land.

While the creature is the earliest land animal known from a fossil, soil worms are believed to have lived before them  possibly 450 million years ago.

Zeptosecond measured for first time

German scientists announced they had measured the smallest unit of time ever recorded - a zeptosecond. A zeptosecond is one trillionth of a billionth of a second.

Researchers made the discovery while studying how long it took a photon  a particle of light  to cross a hydrogen molecule. They said the photon crossed the molecule in about 247 zeptoseconds. This is the shortest timespan that has been successfully measured to date, the team said in a statement.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, and visit our Facebook page.

Quiz - New Scientific Discoveries Made in 2020 Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

__________________________________________________

Words in This Story

recycle  v. to reuse something that has been used before often in another way

enzyme  n. a chemical substance produced by living cells that makes particular chemical reactions happen in animals and plants

precipitation  n. rain or snow falling to the ground

three-dimensional  adj. appearing to have length, depth and width

galaxy  n. a large group of stars from the same universe

millipede  n. a small creature that is like an insect and that has a long, thin body with many legs

fossilized  adj. having been changed into a fossil. A fossil is something (such as a leaf, skeleton, or footprint) that is from a plant or animal that lived in ancient times

unit  n. a single thing or a separate part of something larger

timespan  n. a period of time within which something happens, or a period between two events
A PROLIFIC thief with more than 400 convictions stole a backpack with rent money from a foreign student who had just arrived in Ireland, a court heard.

Catherine Lambert (46) was jailed for eight months when she admitted the latest series of theft charges.

Describing her record as "appalling", Judge Flann Brennan said the accused had taken considerable amounts of money and some of the offences were committed while she was on bail.

Dublin District Court heard Lambert, of no fixed address, was in Supermacs on O'Connell Street on November 9, 2018, when she approached a Brazilian student.

The woman had left her bag on the ground and Lambert bent down and grabbed it.

The backpack and its contents were worth just under 3,000 and included the victim's passport and 2,800 in cash for an apartment.

The victim had just arrived in Ireland, Garda Sergeant Zita Woods said.

Lambert also admitted other crimes including stealing women's bags while they were out socialising in Dublin city centre.

On September 6, a woman's handbag with her phone, house keys and bank card was stolen in South William Street.

The bank card was used in various shops.

On September 25, another woman was having a meal with a friend in a restaurant on the same street when Lambert stole her bag and contents worth 850.

The handbag was later found discarded in a bin but the debit card was used three times over the course of a number of minutes to make purchases in shops.

Lambert was identified from CCTV footage of these transactions.

The accused had a total of 431 prior convictions, the last of which was in May this year.

She had been remanded in custody since she was arrested in September.

Lambert had been stealing to fund a chronic drug addiction, which she was now trying to deal with in prison, her solicitor said.

She could offer no other excuse and there was no chance of compensation.

Judge Brennan said he had "enormous sympathy" for Lambert's plight but she had an appalling record, the offences were serious and he could not ignore the effect on the victims.

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Syracuse, N.Y.  The trend toward transforming vacant, historic buildings into upscale apartments is growing on the citys North Side.

James Stevens bought the three-story building at 701-703 N. Salina St. in 2015 for $93,000 and is completing the construction of three apartments on its upper two floors.

He plans to live in the two-bedroom apartment on the third floor, which includes a mezzanine level and an outdoor terrace with views of the North Side, the lakefront and downtown. The two one-bedroom apartments on the second floor are already leased. The tenants are expected to move later this month.

The apartments feature granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.

The building also contains 1,700 square feet of commercial space on the first floor, where the buildings original storefront has been restored. No tenant has been signed up for the commercial space yet.

Located on the northwest corner of North Salina and East Division streets, the building was last occupied by the Union Smoke Shop before becoming vacant about 10 years before Stevens bought it.

Stevens is pretty certain the building was built in 1869 because a wooden stud he found while demolishing an interior wall had this handwritten on it: Henry Wirges, Syracuse New York builder 1869.

A large fire heavily damaged four buildings a few doors away on the same block in August 2018. Stevens building was not damaged by the flames, but some of the water firefighters used to put out the blaze landed on the roof of his building, causing quite a bit of damage when it leaked through the roof and into the building.

And the building had another big problem.

I couldnt keep the pigeons out, he said. There were pigeons everywhere.

Stevens previously lived in Nettleton Commons, a former shoe factory on nearby East Willow Street. He said he developed a love of old buildings like the Nettleton and decided to try his hand at redeveloping one.

I ran past the building a lot and I always wanted to rehab it, so I bought it, he said.

The project is the first renovation undertaken by Stevens. I literally did all the demo myself, he said.

The projects general contractor was R.F. Esposito Inc. and its architect was Bruce King.

Obtaining financing for the rehab took time, but the work got underway early this year. Stevens said he has spent more than $1 million on the project. Onondaga County provided a $60,000 Save the Rain grant for the installation of a porous parking lot.

Turning the upper floors of old and underutilized buildings into upscale apartments has become a big trend downtown and has occurred to a lesser degree on the North Side. There are a lot more buildings on the Northside where that could happen, and Stevens sees the trend growing in that section of the city.

I feel we have this wonderful stretch that you cant duplicate anywhere else, he said.

Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact him anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148
GRAND RONDE, Ore.  Oregon State Police has released a sketch depicting a child whose remains were found on Oregon state park lands in Lincoln County earlier this month.

On December 10, investigators were summoned to the H.B. Van Duzer Forest State Scenic Corridor  a heavily wooded state park along Highway 18 near the northeastern edge of Lincoln County  for a death investigation.

Due to the terrain, OSP detectives were helped by Search and Rescue members from Lincoln County. Investigators found the remains of a young girl, but she could not be identified.

After looking over the body, the Oregon State Medical Examiner's Office estimated that the girl was between 6.5 and 10 years old. She was between 3'10" and 4'6" tall, and had long dark brown or black hair. The child's race or ethnic origin is unknown as of yet, but OSP said that DNA analysis is underway.

"Due to the condition of the remains she had likely been deceased at least 30 days before she was discovered," OSP said.

OSP released an approximation sketch of the child on January 4, which was made with assistance from the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.

Anyone with information that could help identify the child is asked to call 800-442-0776 or *OSP (*677).
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After a brutal year that left many gyms breathless, Californias fitness industry is pedaling frantically to stay in place.

Indoor gyms were closed in the Bay Area and most of California last month, but the state decided that outdoor fitness was an essential business. Thats different from Marchs shelter-in-place orders, which closed all fitness operations and even some parks, and a contrast to outdoor dining, which is now banned as coronavirus cases spike  perhaps a reflection of the fact that people must remove masks to eat.

People rely on fitness for their physical and mental health. Its a critical service, an essential service, said Don Dickerson, vice president of Fitness SF, which has eight Bay Area locations including three open outdoors. You cant expect people to be locked in their homes for over a year.

Some fitness operators have been able to maintain a smattering of business through outdoor gyms, though executives say its far more challenging financially compared with the old days of densely packed indoor workouts.

San Ramons 24 Hour Fitness exited bankruptcy last week after closing around 130 gyms in the past year. It has outdoor gyms open in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties.

The additional equipment, permits and health measures can add up to tens of thousands of dollars in additional costs at each club, said Karl Sanft, chief operating officer of 24 Hour Fitness.

Its not designed to make money. At best its a break-even operation, he said, but that supports jobs.

Some gyms close at 5:30 as darkness falls, far earlier than what was normal indoors, and must contend with winter rain.

Dickerson said outdoor fitness is a major expense for Fitness SF and not sustainable long-term by itself.

Its helping us tread water. Were definitely losing money on it, he said. At the same time, its keeping some of our employees employed and members engaged.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

Fitness SF has outdoor gyms open in South of Market at 1001 Brannan St. and next to the Transbay transit center, as well as one in Corte Madera.

The city has allowed outdoor gyms with a capacity of 12 people, all in masks and socially distanced. Personal trainers must stay 12 feet from anyone doing cardio or weight training; otherwise they can be 6 feet away.

Fitness SF has endured hundreds of layoffs this year and exhausted a Paycheck Protection Program loan. The latest federal stimulus revived the loan program, but Dickerson awaits details and isnt sure the company will apply again. He said government aid hasnt been adequate.

We feel like our industrys been forgotten. Its been one of the most damaged and impacted industries in the country, he said.

The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, the major fitness industry group, said 15% of U.S. fitness centers closed permanently as of Sept. 30 based on payment processing data, and up to 25% could have closed by the end of 2020.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

The mass closure of gyms has sparked a legal fight. The California Fitness Alliance, which represents 300 businesses, sued California in September in an effort to allow gyms to reopen indoors. The suit alleged that Los Angeles officials closed gyms without providing evidence that they cause coronavirus spread.

During a hearing last week, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge denied the states motion to dismiss the lawsuit. The Fitness Alliance plans to seek depositions and evidence from the state to justify the closures, said Scott Street, an attorney for the alliance and partner at Musick Peeler & Garrett LLP.

Interactive Vaccine Tracker: Latest developments Detailed information about the coronavirus vaccines as it becomes available.

Overall, this was a major win for the California Fitness Alliance and a big step forward in our efforts to prove that the states indefinite shutdown of indoor fitness establishments was arbitrary and exceeded the governments authority under the law, he said.

Californias attorney generals office referred a request for comment on the case to the Department of Public Health and governors office, which declined to comment.

Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, chair of UCSFs Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, said outdoor fitness is safer than indoor fitness when it comes to preventing coronavirus spread, though theres still concern over heavy breathing from workouts. She said that more research is needed regarding the safety of working out inside, and gyms ventilation systems can vary widely.

A recent study backed by the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association said that there was no evidence of COVID-19 spread in gyms, but research and health experts told the Washington Post that the data is flawed and appears to be skewed in favor of gyms.

Whenever gyms are allowed to open, owners are hopeful that members will return, eager to take classes and mingle with their fellow fitness enthusiasts when its safe to do so.

I think its going to come back. I think the community aspect is more critical and more relevant than ever, Dickerson said.

But for now, the industry faces a difficult winter.

Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf
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A 20-year-old man was killed and his friend is struggling for life after a speeding truck hit their motorcycle and drove off on RK Road near Cheema Chowk on Sunday.

The deceased, Ranjan Kumar, was a resident of Giaspura. His injured friend was identified as Pitambar Kumar.

Complainant Sanjay Singh told the police that his son, Ranjan, and his friend, Pitambar, were on their way to Cheema Chowk on his motorcycle. When they reached near the PSPCL power grid, a truck hit their motorcycle and sped away.

Onlookers rushed the duo to a nearby hospital, but his son succumbed to his injuries. Pitambar is stated to be a critical condition due to his grievous injuries.

Assistant sub-inspector Anil Kumar, who is investigating the case, said an FIR under Sections 279 (rash driving), 304-A (causing death by negligence), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the Indian Penal Code had been lodged against the unidentified truck driver at the Moti Nagar police station. Police are scanning CCTV cameras near the accident spot to trace him.
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This week: Pitkin Countys front line workers are eligible for the COVID19 vaccine, but can your employer require you to get vaccinated? Also a look at the two back-to-back worldwide ski events Aspen is hosting beginning March 10. Host Alycin Bektesh is joined by Madeleine Osberger, Erica 
BROOKLYN  Patrick Dragon, a deputy fire chief and retired Connecticut State Police trooper who was among the first on the scene at the Sandy Hook shooting, died Saturday night after what those who knew him described as a valiant battle with COVID-19.

In a statement on behalf of Dragons family, Michele Hearn said relatives are heartbroken beyond words after Dragons death.

We are grateful for the blessing to have been able to gather together as a family to give him our love and support, Hearn said. We love you, Patrick and will hold you close in our hearts every hour of every day.

Connecticut State Police said Dragon served at Troop D in Danielson before retiring on Feb. 1, 2018. Over the years, he served in many roles, including as a first responder to the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012, state police said.

Dragon died at Hartford Hospital, a news release from the agency said.

Dragon was most recently the deputy chief of the East Brooklyn Fire Department. In a statement, the department said Dragon was a dedicated member for 34 years who worked his way up the ranks.

We cannot express how deeply he will be missed and wish to extend our deepest condolences to the Dragon family, the fire department said.

Brooklyns Mortlake Fire Company said Dragon set a great example when it came to serving our community and giving back. He gave so much more than most even realize and would not ever even expect a thank you. Patrick will leave a void in the fire service in Brooklyn and beyond that will be tough to fill.

State police said Dragon entered the State Police Training Academy in January 1998. In addition to serving in Danielson, Dragon was also a resident state trooper in Sterling, as a detective in the agencys Eastern District Major Crime Squad and as a detective in the Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit, the news release said.

Dragon was remembered as a friend to all who met him by members of the Foster Police Department in Rhode Island where he was once a dispatcher.

There are not enough words to describe the kind of person that Patrick was, the department said in a statement.

A memorial service is being planned for the spring, due to COVID-19 restrictions, state police said.
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CALGARY, AB, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - (TSX: CP) (NYSE: CP) will release its fourth-quarter 2020 financial and operating results after the market close on Jan. 27, 2021.

CP will discuss its results with the financial community in a conference call beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. MT) on Jan. 27, 2021.

Conference Call Access

Toronto participants dial in number: 1-647-427-7450

Operator assisted toll free dial in number: 1-888-231-8191

Callers should dial in 10 minutes prior to the call.

Webcast

We encourage you to access the webcast and presentation material in the Investors section of CP's website at investor.cpr.ca

A replay of the fourth-quarter conference call will be available by phone through to Feb. 3, 2021 at 416-849-0833 or toll free 1-855-859-2056, password 6346098.

About Canadian Pacific

Canadian Pacific is a transcontinental railway in Canada and the United States with direct links to major ports on the west and east coasts. CP provides North American customers a competitive rail service with access to key markets in every corner of the globe. CP is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit cpr.ca to see the rail advantages of CP. CP-IR

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Western Australia will consider closing its borders to all states if the coronavirus outbreaks in NSW and Victoria spread elsewhere, Premier Mark McGowan says.

With WA already closed off to those two states, the premier says there are no plans for more hard border closures at this stage.

But he says the state government will not hesitate to act to protect local residents.

Western Australia's Premier Mark McGowan (pictured) said shutting borders stops the virus spreading

Pictured: passengers from Melbourne arrive at Perth Airport on December 8 after the border reopened for the first time in months

'Obviously, if there were outbreaks across other states, or if we saw continuing spread from New South Wales or Victoria into other states we'd need to look at that,' Mr McGowan said on Monday.

'So, if we have to bring back a hard border to all the states we would do that if there was spread into other states that necessitated that outcome.

'Putting up borders to stop the spread of the virus works.

'If we need to put up the border to protect the welfare, health and economy of Western Australia we will.'

Airport staff disinfect the Perth Airport terminal escalators on December 8. Western Australia will shut its border to all jurisdictions if the Covid outbreak spreads out of NSW and Victoria

Ground zero: BWS at Berala, in Sydney's southwest, is at the centre of the latest Covid cluster

WA is not taking any chances so close to a vaccine and will close its borders if the virus spreads to other jurisdictions. Pictured: Passenger arriving at Perth Airport on November 14

WA was the last state to lift all its border restrictions towards the end of 2020.

It reimposed border closures with NSW and Victoria after the government revised their status to medium risk in response to the latest virus case clusters in Sydney and Melbourne.

Only people granted exemptions are still allowed to enter, while West Australians returning home will be required to quarantine for 14 days.

Any Victorians who arrived in WA between December 21 and New Year's Day, ahead of the border closure, are also required to self-isolate for two weeks from when they first entered the state.
The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) invite workers, students, youth and World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) readers to attend an online public lecture on Sunday January 10 at 4 pm [Sri Lankan time].

The lecture to be given by an IYSSE speaker will be based on the WSWS article on the 200th anniversary of Friedrich Engels' birth by International Committee of the Fourth International secretary Peter Schwarz.

Sri Lanka webinar notice

Engels, who together with Karl Marx fought to establish scientific socialism, wrote a number of brilliant and invaluable books and essays and played a leading role in the First and Second Internationals. Two hundred years since his birth, Engels lifelong work has burning contemporary relevance.

The capitalist profit system and the nation-state system upon which it is based is historically obsolete and threatens the very existence of humanity as demonstrated by the world wars, fascistic cruelties and economic crises mankind confronted during the twentieth century. The bankrupt and reactionary nature of capitalism stands exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the murderous response of governments internationally that have placed profits of the few over the lives of millions.

The pandemic has deepened the crisis of capitalism, thrown mankind into a new stage of wars and revolutions, and once again revealed the correctness of Marxism and the burning need for socialist internationalism. The historical materialist analysis of Marx and Engels disclosed that the conditions for social revolutions are created by the inevitable contradiction between the development of productive forces and the existing relations of production.

The critical historical task posed before the international working class in the revolutionary struggles that lie ahead is the arming of workers, youth, students and serious intellectuals with the scientific method and perspective of Marxism.

We urge workers, youth and students to register here for the forthcoming lecture and to fully participate with questions and comments in this important event.
ALBANY  Two incarcerated people died of COVID-19 at Coxsackie Correctional Facility in Greene County over the weekend, bringing the coronavirus death toll in state prisons to six over the last three weeks.

As a congregate setting where it's more difficult to socially distance, prison populations are at increased risk for the spread of COVID-19. New York's death rate for its prison population has also soared past the national average, which in September, before the current surge, was calculated at 46-per-100,000. Johns Hopkins University and University of Wisconsin researchers found that the overall death rate for federal and state prisons is 39 deaths per 100,000  lower than the states results.

Advocates described the situation as a worsening "nightmare" that is going unaddressed by the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision or the state's political leaders. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has been the target of ire from criminal justice activists throughout much of the year, much of it for his use of his clemency powers.

But while clemency has been granted to less than 50 individuals this year, including 20 from last month, about 3,500 people in total have been granted early release from New York prisons. The state's prison population remains above 30,000.

We cant really depend on the Department of Corrections to deal with this thing as a health crisis, we just cant. And unfortunately we cant depend on the governor to intervene with his executive clemency powers, so where do we go to in advocating for incarcerated peoples lives and healths? said Jose Saldana, director of Release Aging People from Prison, or RAPP.

RAPP, the Parole Preparation Project and the #HALTsolitary Campaign jointly released a statement with the news of the two additional deaths. The three groups called for passage of three bills by the state Legislature when it convenes in the coming weeks: the Elder Parole bill, Fair and Timely Parole Act, and the HALT Solitary Confinement Act.

The first would guarantee parole hearings for elderly incarcerated people who have been behind bars for at at least 15 years. The second shifts the standard by which parole commissioners decide who should be released from behind bars, a step that activists believe would make the process less punitive and less racist. And the third limits the use of solitary confinement to 15 days, a step that would end current practices in New York prisons that the United Nations considers to be torture.

Department of Corrections and Community Supervision spokesman Thomas Mailey emailed a list of steps taken by DOCCS to slow the spread of COVID-19. Its full prison population was tested in November, a new program recently began for random testing of inmates and there's rapid testing for staff in hotspot areas. Intake for state prisons from county jails was also suspended last month due to surging cases, Mailey said. He also touted findings from The Marshall Project that New York's infection rate in prisons is lower than most other states.

"Every facet of the states response to the COVID-19 outbreak has been guided by facts, scientific data, and the guidance of public health experts at NYS DOH and the CDC, and the work of DOCCS to protect the safety of New Yorks corrections staff and incarcerated population is no different. DOCCS is currently following all NYS DOH guidelines regarding congregate settings at each of its facilities," Mailey said.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 23:33:37|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN -- South Korean oil tanker Hankuk Chemi was seized on Monday by Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the Gulf over "repeated violations" of environmental protocols, semi-official news agency Fars reported.

"The tanker, departing from the Saudi port of Al-Jubail, was seized when sailing in the Gulf by the Zulfiqar fleet in the first Naval District of the IRGC for repeated violations of marine environmental laws," the IRGC said in a statement. (Iran-South Korea-Seizure)

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BISHKEK -- Eleven people were injured following an explosion of a gas cylinder in Kyrgyzstan, the press service of the country's Health Ministry reported Monday.

At about 3:00 p.m. local time (0900 GMT), a gas cylinder exploded in a fast food cafe in Kyzyl-Adyr village of northern Kyrgyzstan's Talas Oblast, which led to a fire. The fire was localized half an hour later and completely extinguished near 5:00 p.m. local time, according to the country's Emergencies Ministry. (Kyrgyzstan-Explosion-Gas Cylinder)

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LONDON -- Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Monday announced a fresh lockdown in the British region from midnight, ordering people to stay at home until the end of January amid "very serious" coronavirus concerns.

Sturgeon made the announcement after the Scottish parliament, known as Holyrood, was recalled to discuss further measures due to "a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases" causing "very serious concerns." (UK-COVID-19)

- - - -

YAOUNDE -- At least three civilians were killed and one other wounded when Boko Haram militants raided a village in Cameroon's Far North region early Monday, according to sources.

The militants attacked Kaliari-Nguetchewe, a village in the Mayo-Moskota division of the region, killing three men and injuring a woman, villagers told local reporters. (Cameroon-Boko Haram) Enditem
More than 270,000 patients in Northern Ireland may be entitled to private healthcare paid for by the Government if a landmark legal case succeeds, it can be revealed

More than 270,000 patients in Northern Ireland may be entitled to private healthcare paid for by the Government if a landmark legal case succeeds, it can be revealed.

Health officials are due in the High Court this week to face accusations they are failing to provide an effective service in relation to Northern Ireland's hospital waiting list crisis.

The case is being brought by two patients - May Kitchen, who paid for cataract surgery to save her sight after being told she would wait 42 months for the operation on the health service, and Eileen Wilson, who has suspected multiple sclerosis and has been waiting three and a half years for a hospital appointment to confirm the diagnosis.

A hearing to seek leave for a judicial review into the experiences of the two women is scheduled to take place at the High Court on Thursday.

Ciaran O'Hare, the solicitor representing both women, said the case could "open the floodgates" for hundreds of thousands of patients languishing on hospital waiting lists. The case, which has the backing of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, argues that the women's "human rights have been breached through the excessive delays" endured by patients in Northern Ireland.

Ms Kitchen and Ms Wilson are challenging failings by the health service to provide effective medical services in Northern Ireland and to provide people on waiting lists with effective access to treatment outside the region.

Mr O'Hare, from McIvor Farrell Solicitors Ltd, said: "I believe that if the court provides my clients with the desired declarations, this will have systemic ramifications for all those people in Northern Ireland currently suffering on terribly long waiting lists. If the court makes a declaration that the current situation is unlawful, that puts severe pressure on the Department of Health and trusts to sort this out.

"It could potentially open the floodgates to anyone who has been waiting over a period of time, so they are entitled to access healthcare outside of Northern Ireland or through the independent sector.

"In short, my clients hope that their cases will bring about positive change to what is a broken and unacceptable health care system."

While the case does not specify an acceptable waiting time for treatment, it does refer to the disparity in service between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

In England, health trusts are fined if a patient waits longer than a year for an appointment. As a result, it is normal practice for health trusts to send patients to other hospitals when an appointment cannot be offered within a year.

In Northern Ireland, Department of Health targets state that no patient should wait longer than 52 weeks for inpatient or outpatient appointments, or longer than 26 weeks for a diagnostic test.

However, health trusts here are not subject to financial penalties when they fail to meet targets.

There are currently more than 201,000 people in Northern Ireland waiting longer than a year for inpatient treatment or a first hospital appointment, and almost 72,000 more people waiting longer than 26 weeks for a diagnostic test, meaning trusts may have to offer them alternative appointments or treatment if the judicial review is successful.

Mr O'Hare said this would involve either sending patients outside Northern Ireland or referring them to private clinics, with the health service picking up the cost.

"My clients hope that by obtaining the desired declarations from the court, the respondents will immediately resume to contract out work to private healthcare providers," he said.

The Department of Health said it cannot comment on ongoing legal cases.

Download the Belfast Telegraph App Get quick and easy access to the latest Northern Ireland news, sport, business and opinion with the Belfast Telegraph App.

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Since November 23, 2020, specialists from the International Mine Action Center of the Russian Ministry of Defense have clearedin Nagorno-Karabakh [Artsakh]414.6 hectares of land, 160.3 km of roads, 617 buildingsincluding 22 social facilitiesfrom unexploded ordnances, and 18,925 unexploded ordnances were found and diffused, according to the Russian Defense Ministry statement.

"The return of citizens to their permanent residence is being ensured, humanitarian aid is being provided, civil infrastructure facilities are being restored. In one day, Russian peacekeepers have ensured 99 refugees safe return from the territory of the RA [Republic of Armenia] to Nagorno-Karabakh. Ever since November 14, 2020, 47,287 people have returned to their permanent residence in Nagorno-Karabakh," the statement also said.

In total, Russian military doctors have assisted 1,091 people, including 135 children, in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Russian peacekeepers, together with the Red Cross and the Nagorno-Karabakh State Service for Emergency Situations, are continuing to search for the bodies of those killed in the recent hostilities in the area.

And ever since the hotline was launched, 562 requests for information on missing persons were received.

To note, on November 9, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a joint statement on a complete cessation of hostilitieswhich Azerbaijan had launched on September 27in and around Artsakh. Accordingly, Russian peacekeepers are deployed in the region to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire and the cessation of hostilities.
Ali Abbas Zafar, who has made several Salman Khan starrers like Tiger Zinda Hai and Sultan, surprised followers on Instagram by announcing that he is married. The filmmaker tied the knot in a private ceremony and shared a glimpse of his big day on social media.

He shared a photo on Instagram that shows him holding the hands of his bride, wearing beautiful traditional outfits, and simply wrote, "Bismillah." Ali's close friend actress Katrina Kaif, who has collaborated with him on several films, wrote, "Congratulations to you both." Her Bharat co-star Sunil Grover expressed him excitement, writing, "Congratulationssssssssss!!!!"

Actors Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor also commented on the photo. Take a look:

The photo came a day before the trailer launch of Ali's first web series, Tandav. The political thriller stars Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover, among others, and will stream on Amazon Prime Video from January 15. Apart from creating and directing the series, Tandav is also part produced by Ali.

Ali started his career in the film industry as an assistant director. He made his directorial and screenwriting debut with the romantic comedy Mere Brother Ki Dulhan in 2011. He has directed hit films such as Sultan, Tiger Zinda Hai and Bharat. He turned producer last year with Khaali Peeli starring Ananya Panday and Ishaan Khatter.
A total of 73,537 people in 220 inoculation venues across Beijing have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in two days since the city began administering the jab among specific groups of people with higher infection risks on Friday.

No serious side effects have been observed among the vaccine receivers, Gao Xiaojun, a spokesperson for the municipal health commission told a press briefing Sunday.

The inoculation currently mainly covers nine groups of people aged 18 to 59 in Beijing. These include frontline customs inspectors of imported cold-chain goods and personnel working in the overseas and domestic transportation sector.

A female staffer at a vaccination point in Beijing's Xicheng District was found waiting for recipients at 7 a.m. Sunday.

"I'm responsible for ID verification and registration before they get the vaccine," said the woman with face and hands turned red due to the cold. "Here we mainly serve practitioners in cold-chain and catering industries. Everyone queued up in an orderly way and fully understood and supported our work."

"Our company informed us of nine possible contraindications to receive the vaccine. Since I have none of them I came without hesitation," said Xie Fei, who works at a Walmart store in the district.

"The injection was administered in minutes and I have been observed for half an hour. Currently I don't have any discomfort," said Xie, who came with about 30 colleagues. "I'm frequently exposed to imported cold-chain food at work, and the COVID-19 vaccination not only protects me but also customers."

People receiving the jab will have the information updated on Beijing's health code app, Gao noted, adding that those who have urgent plans to travel overseas can apply for COVID-19 inoculation at the community service center.

After the vaccines receive market approval, authorities in Beijing will start vaccination for other groups on a reservation basis, said Gao at an earlier press conference.

China announced Thursday that it had granted conditional marketing authorization to its first self-developed COVID-19 vaccine. The inactivated vaccine got approval from the National Medical Products Administration. It was developed by the Beijing Biological Products Institute Co. Ltd. under the China National Biotec Group, affiliated with Sinopharm.
Nine more people who have tested positive for coronavirus in the country have been found to be infected with the new mutated strain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

With this, the number of people infected with the new UK virus in India has reached 38.

Also Read | A year on, China is shaking up the world

Of the 38 cases of the mutated strain of Covid-19, 10 have been detected at NIMHANS in Bengaluru, eight in NCDC Delhi, five in National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune, three in CCMB Hyderabad, 11 in Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) New Delhi, and one case at NIBMG Kalyani.

View Full Image A total of 38 samples have been found to be positive with the new UK variant genome.

As of 1 January, the number of such cases in India was 29. The Union Ministry of Health has started comprehensive contact tracing for co-travellers, family contacts and others to curtail the spread of this mutated variant of the killer virus.

The samples of all returnees from the UK found positive in the RT-PCR test will be genome sequenced by a consortium of 10 government labs.

The positive samples are being tested at 10 INSACOG labs -- NIBMG Kolkata, ILS Bhubaneswar, NIV Pune, NCCS Pune, CCMB Hyderabad, CDFD Hyderabad, InSTEM Bengaluru, NIMHANS Bengaluru, IGIB Delhi, NCDC Delhi -- for genome sequencing.

"All these persons have been kept in single room isolation in designated Health Care facilities by respective State Governments. Their close contacts have also been put under quarantine. Comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others. Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on," the health ministry said in a statement.

The situation is under careful watch and regular advice is being provided to the states for enhanced surveillance, containment, testing and dispatch of samples to INSACOG labs, it added.

The presence of the new UK virus has already been reported by Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore so far.

As per the Indian government data, around 33,000 passengers disembarked at various airports from the UK between 25 November to 23 December midnight.

All these UK returnees are being tracked and subjected by states and Union Territories to RT-PCR tests.

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By Florence Tan SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices edged lower on Monday, the first day of 2021 trading, ahead of a meeting of OPEC and allied producers to discuss output levels for February with fears for first-half demand seeping into the market as the coronavirus pandemic lingers. Brent crude for March was at $51.76 a barrel, down 4 cents or 0.08%, by 0038 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for February fell 9 cents, or 0.2%, to $48.43 a barrel. Mohammad Barkindo, Secretary General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), said on Sunday that ...
AAP's Punjab unit co-incharge Raghav Chadha on Monday compared Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar to British General Reginald Dyer, a day after the state police fired teargas shells on a group of farmers protesting the Centre's new farm laws. Haryana Police on Sunday evening fired teargas canisters to thwart a march of a group of agitating farmers towards Delhi at Masani barrage in Rewari district.

"I was reminded of April 13, 1919, when General Dyer ordered opening fire on innocent group of people who had congregated at Jallianwala Bagh,"Chadha said. "Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is ordering the use of tear gas, open firing and lathicharge on our farmer brothers who are only fighting for their rights. I believe his actions can only be compared to those of the ruthless General Dyer," Chadha said, referring to the officer held responsible for the massacre. He further claimed that the governments of BJP-ruled states are treating farmers like the "enemy of the state". "The shocking visuals of our farmer brothers being attacked with teargas and water cannons made it appear as if this was an India-Pakistan war," Chadha said.

Talking about the ongoing farmers' movement, where each meeting between the farm unions and the Centre is reaching a stalemate, Chadha said the farmers have been fighting for their rights at Singhu and Tikri borders for 40 days now. "More than 50 of our farmer brothers have died, have given the supreme sacrifice, while fighting for their rights for more than a month. I appeal to the Narendra Modi government to not make this a battle of prestige or ego," he said.
A Taliban intelligence operative has been arrested in Afghanistan's Balkh province, army spokesman said on Monday.
US: 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine found in watermelons

Tesla owners will be paid $ 16,000 each due to slow charging

Advisor to Armenia Prosecutor General provides details about incident with Armenian soldier killed in Verin Shorzha

Banksy's painting of punk Lenin sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 960,000

CSTO Deputy Secretary-General: Escalation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border requires undertaking of urgent measures

Catholicos of All Armenians receives newly appointed Ambassador of Japan

Australia closing its embassy in Kabul for security reasons

Biden to discuss issues related to Belarus and Ukraine with Putin

Armenian acting FM meets with ambassadors of CSTO member states accredited to Armenia

Armenia Ombudsman presents human rights protection in post-war period to CoE Programmes Directorate General

Germany is investigating Google's position in market

France: Sanctions against Belarus will continue

Armenia opposition party MP: Azerbaijan is a terrorist state, negotiations can't be led with such a country

US to reopen its Consulate General in Jerusalem

EU expects to receive over 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine by end of September

Armenian MFA strongly condemns Azerbaijan's blatant armed encroachment on Armenia's sovereign territory

UN still awaits strong evidence that Dubai ruler's daughter is alive

Opposition Bright Armenia Party urges Government to immediately address UN Security Council

Armen Sarkissian receives Russia Ambassador to Armenia

Armenia President, France Ambassador discuss situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border

Overchuk: We hope unblocking of links between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a success

Armenia police officer commits suicide, criminal case launched

Armenia Environmental Protection and Mining Inspection Body has new deputy heads

Zarif, Aliyev discuss railway routes connecting Iran, Azerbaijan and Armenia

EU leaders agree to donate at least 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to poor countries

Armenian serviceman Mher Hovhannisyan fires gunshot at his head, criminal case launched

Soldier who died in Armenia's Verin Shorzha was son of ARF-D member, father of 2

Blinken promises to continue close consultations with Israel on Iran

Armen Sarkissian: Armenia's relevant state institutions need to take the tightest measures

Armenian soldier commits suicide, opposition speaks on tense situation on border, 25.05.21 digest

Yerevan man's body found at Tatul Krpeyan Park

Armenia MOD: Reports about Armenian soldiers being injured in Sisian section of border not confirmed

EU summit calls for rarly implementation of vaccination certificates

Parliament of the Netherlands adopts resolution, EU must demand that Azerbaijan pull out troops from Armenia

Kremlin: Russian and US presidents to meet in Geneva on June 16

Spokesperson of community council of Armenia's Sisian: Men got enlisted and climbed to military posts

Bright Armenia Party: We are not satisfied with CSTO response

EU leaders urge council to review internal border guidelines by mid-June

Armenia MOD: Fixed-term serviceman receives lethal firearm injury in head area

Dollar still stable in Armenia

Armenian Catholic Catholicos-Patriarch passes away

Kathimerini: US seeks to increase military presence in Greece due to doubts about Turkey's reliability

US Congress members call on Biden to suspend all military assistance to Azerbaijan

Armenia acting economy minister receives Montenegro's newly appointed Ambassador

Armenia MOD: Soldier killed during shootings from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha

Russian MP: Azerbaijani leadership interested in Armenia acting PM's victory in snap elections

Armenia MOD reports shooting from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha border section

Armenia opposition MP: Authorities promised to separate business from politics, but they're failing to fulfill promise

There will be post-election processes if authorities try to rig voting, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

CNN: Putin and Biden will meet on June 15-16 in Geneva

Latin America has the highest poverty rate in 20 years

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia applying to CSTO: No one will help you if you do nothing to solve your problems

Armenia ruling Civil Contract Party presents list of first 10 candidates ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Armenia acting justice minister discusses broad range of cooperation issues with top CoE official

Armenia former President Kocharyan: This guilt, this criminal article is on these authorities

Man survives after spending 17 days in desert

Azerbaijan continues course towards systematic extermination of Armenian heritage in Shushi

Armenia Syunik Province ex-governor: Azerbaijani soldiers advanced along length of border two days ago

Newly appointed Ambassador of Montenegro presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Its about bringing Karabakh issue back to right to self-determination, says Armenia ex-President Kocharyan

Iran FM to arrive in Armenia

Ara Aivazian and Austrian counterpart hold phone talks, focus on Azeri army's infiltration into Armenia's territory

Kocharyan: Elect todays political team if you are ready to live squatting

Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 30 million

2nd President Kocharyan on Armenia Security Council chief: Do you take that person seriously?

"Key" to settlement of Karabakh conflict cant be in one place, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Texas may permit carrying of pistols without special permission

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia acting PM Pashinyan's high popularity rating: We will wear it down to the root

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Election bloc format must be workable in some logical sense

Attorney: Political persecution against Robert Kocharyan is becoming more noticeable during election campaign

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: We must do everything so that our domestic politics is not dictated by Azerbaijan

Armenian acting defense minister meets Russian peacekeeping mission chief

Congress predicts US nuclear spending to reach $ 634 billion by 2030

Russian MP: The effectiveness of military cooperation with Armenia depends on Yerevan as well

Delimitation now may create some problems in Karabakh negotiation process, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan on relations with 3rd President Sargsyan: We go our own way they go their own

Judge adjourns hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM for 3 weeks

Court hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM

2nd President Kocharyan: Armenia must show that it will not be subjected to such pressures

Kocharyan: You may find yourself in stupid situations if you come to negotiations without any baggage

Armenia Investigative Committee: Criminal case opened into soldiers death

157 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

EU helps UN World Food Programme provide humanitarian assistance for conflict-affected people in Armenia

Yerevan municipal council convenes regular session

Armenia legislature speaker on situation at Syunik Province: CSTO still has procedures

Blinken arrives on his first official visit to Israel

World oil prices going up

Provincial hall issues statement on Tavush section of Armenia border with Azerbaijan

MFA statement: Azerbaijan continues to use Armenian POWs as political hostages

Newspaper: There are last-minute changes on Armenia ruling party electoral list

Armenia parliament starts regular sessions

Newspaper: Armenia 3rd President Sargsyan intensively engaged in election campaign

EU leaders call for ban on Belarus airlines flights to their countries

Quake hits Georgia, also felt in Armenia

2nd President Kocharyan: Process of obtaining Armenia citizenship shall be simplified, shall take only few months

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Appointments in army were not based on knowledge but on loyalty

Robert Kocharyan: Armenia must not go back to the past and stay there, just like the incumbent authorities did

Armenia 2nd President on recent Karabakh war, consequences and the signed document

Armenia 2nd President: Current authorities don't have remorse, aren't conscious and patriotic

Armenia 2nd President on black PR and management system in the country
A contract has already been signed for the construction of Mark VI boats for Ukraine.

U.S.-made Island-class patrol boats will arrive in Ukraine in the first half of 2021.

That's according to Oleksiy Neizhapapa, Commander of the Naval Forces of Ukraine, RFE/RL's Ukrainian service reports.

Read alsoUkraine has confident position on Russia's violation of int'l maritime law in Kerch Strait case  MFA"We expect to get the Islands in the upcoming first half of the year, and that by the end of 2021 they will have acquired all capabilities  then we will have a division of five boats of this class. At the moment, the boats are undergoing the relevant maintenance and additional arming in the U.S., and as early as January our Ukrainian crews will be leaving for Baltimore, where they will complete additional onboard training," Neizhpapa said.

He added that a deal has already been signed for the construction of the American Mark VI boats for Ukraine.

"We hope that in the next two years (that is, by the end of 2022) the first batch will reach the Ukrainian Navy. We have already fully decided on the weapons systems that will be installed both on the Mark VIs and on the Islands," Neizhpapa said.

Read alsoU.S. plans to hand over to Ukraine Navy another three Island-class patrol boats in 2021He recalled preliminary negotiations with the UK on the construction of eight missile boats for the Ukrainian Navy.

"We hope to receive feedback from our British colleagues in January, and then the timing and other details will become clearer," the Navy commander added.

U.S. boats for Ukraine Navy

The U.S. Coast Guard handed the first boats to the Ukrainian Navy at a naval base in Baltimore (Maryland, USA) on September 27, 2018. After the transfer, the patrol boats were assigned registration numbers and names  Sloviansk (P190) and Starobelsk (P191). On October 21, 2019, patrol boats were delivered to Odesa.

On November 13, 2019, in Odesa, the Island-class P190 Sloviansk and P191 Starobelsk patrol boats, which the United States transferred to Ukraine as part of its military assistance package, as well as the Oleksandr Okhrimenko search and rescue vessel, were accepted for service with the Ukraine Navy.

The United States is set to transfer several more Island-class boats to Ukraine in 2021.

Reporting by UNIAN
Reese Witherspoon has thanked the customers who have 'supported' Draper James 'this past year'.

The Legally Blonde star took to Instagram over the weekend to post a picture of her clothing line's store in Nashville, Tennessee, as she reflected on 2020.

The 44-year-old actress captioned the snap of the storefront: 'This happy store makes me smile. Thank you to all of you who have shopped and supported @draperjames this past year!! If you're driving through #Nashville and spot our blue and white awnings, come on in and say hello!'

She loves Nashville: Reese Witherspoon has thanked the customers who have 'supported' Draper James 'this past year'. The Legally Blonde star took to Instagram over the weekend to post a picture of her clothing line's store in Nashville, Tennessee, as she reflected on 2020

A fresh smile for 2021: Here Reese is seen in one of her Draper James dresses

This comes after the city was bombed.

In the days before he detonated a bomb in downtown Nashville on Christmas, Anthony Quinn Warner changed his life in ways that suggest he never intended to survive the blast that killed him and wounded three other people.

Warner, 63, gave away his car, telling the recipient that he had cancer. A month before the bombing, he signed a document that transferred his longtime home in a Nashville suburb to a California woman for nothing in return. The computer consultant told an employer that he was retiring.

Say hi y'all: The 44-year-old actress captioned the snap of the storefront: 'This happy store makes me smile. Thank you to all of you who have shopped and supported @draperjames this past year!! If you're driving through #Nashville and spot our blue and white awnings, come on in and say hello!'

But he did't leave behind a clear digital footprint or any other obvious clues to explain why he set off the explosion in his parked recreational vehicle or played a message warning people to flee before it damaged dozens of buildings and knocked out cellphone service in the area.

While investigators tried to piece together a possible motive for the attack, a neighbor recalled a recent conversation with Warner that seemed ominous only in hindsight.

Rick Laude told The Associated Press on Monday that he saw Warner standing at his mailbox less than a week before Christmas and pulled over in his car to talk. After asking how Warners elderly mother was doing, Laude said he casually asked him, 'Is Santa going to bring you anything good for Christmas?'

They look so much alike: The Big Little Lies star with her daughter Ava, a college student

Warner smiled and said, 'Oh, yeah, Nashville and the world is never going to forget me,' Laude recalled.

In 2016, Reese's store was named the best shop in Tennessee.

The Wild star took to Instagram at the time to announce Southern Living magazine readers had named the flagship store as the best in Tennessee and the second best in the South.

She wrote: 'Thank you @southernlivingmag and your incredible readers for voting @draperjames the #1 store in Tennessee and 2nd store in the South! So honored! #SouthsBest #SouthernPride (sic)'

A store owner: The blonde beauty was thrilled when she opened the first store in Nashville

And the magazine also took to their account on the photo-sharing site to announce the news.

They shared: 'In case you missed it, our readers named @draperjames the best store in Tennessee!

'To celebrate, @reesewitherspoon has a special discount just for you. Follow the link in our profile for all the details. #SouthsBest.'

The blonde beauty was thrilled when she opened the first store in Nashville.

With her family: The blonde is married to talent agent Jim Toth; seen with all three kids, Ava, Deacon and Tennessee

Of her decision to open the flagship there, she said: 'I grew up in Nashville and it's been such a direct inspiration for the brand. It just felt like the right place for our flagship.'

While Draper James chief executive officer Andrea Hyde added: 'There's a lot of shared references. We have a genuine story and such a large megaphone. Reese is a world-class storyteller. To bring this all to one place and tell the story in one building is wonderful.

'We'll open one to two stores a year for the next five years ... Reese has such a wide reach. Customers have asked for bridal, shoes and swimwear. We're only 21 weeks old. It will all come in time.'
Arizona News

Phoenix, Arizona - Governor Doug Ducey extended an Executive Order to attract additional hospital staffing, boost existing medical staff and provide clarity on liability protections available to health care professionals serving on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis.

We are fully committed to protecting Arizonas health care heroes, said Governor Ducey. The extension of the Good Samaritan order will help maintain staffing levels in our hospitals and ensure our medical professionals are protected when acting in good faith in emergency situations. We will continue to work with health care partners to provide support where its needed.



The order provides clarity on the protections available to health care professionals treating patients during the COVID-19 health emergency, while also protecting patients against negligence or reckless misconduct. The Governor issued the first Good Samaritan Executive Order on April 9 and renewed it on June 25. Todays order extends it to March 31, 2021.



Today's Executive Order provides clarity on the civil liability protections afforded to the following who act in good faith:
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 16:36:17|Editor: huaxia

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TIRIN KOT, Afghanistan, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Five militants were killed as clash erupted in Gizab district of Afghanistan's southern Uruzgan province on Sunday, said an army statement released here Monday.

The clash, according to the statement, flared up after a group of Taliban militants were planing to attack security checkpoints in Gizab and the soldiers in pre-emptive action stormed the militants killing five on the spot and injuring four others.

Two hideouts of the militants and their weapon cache had also been destroyed, the statement asserted.

Taliban militants who are active in parts of the relatively troubled Uruzgan province have not commented. Enditem
In the early summer of 55 BC Julius Caesar had already begun his conquest of Gaul three years earlier. At that time the eastern border of the new provinces was located on the Rhine. The Germanic tribes on the eastern side of the river launched incursions to the west under the protection provided by this natural border.

But on the other side of the river there were also tribes allied with Rome, like the Ubians. They offered Caesar ships for the legions to cross the river and attack the Germanic tribes.

The Ubians, too, who from all the nations beyond the Rhine, had sent ambassadors to Caesar and formed an alliance and given hostages, earnestly begged to bring them help, because they were gravely oppressed by the Suebi; or, if other matters prevented him, let him at least transport his army up the Rhine '; that this would be enough for their present help and their hope for the future; () They promised a large number of ships to transport the army. Julius Caesar, Comments on the Gallic War IV.16

Caesar's Rhine Bridge, by John Soane (1814)

However, Caesar rejected the offer and decided to build a bridge instead. In doing so, he would demonstrate not only his support for the Ubian allies, but also Rome's ability to carry the war whenever it wished across the border. Also, as he wrote, that he considered ships unsafe, this was more consistent with his own dignity and that of the Roman people.

Caesar, for the reasons I have mentioned, had resolved to cross the Rhine; but not to cross it in ships that he did not consider sufficiently safe, nor did he consider consistent with his own dignity or that of the Roman people. Therefore, although he had the greatest difficulty in forming a bridge, due to the breadth, speed and depth of the river, he felt that he should try it himself, or that his army should not be led in any other way. Julius Caesar, Comments on the Gallic War IV.17

The construction was carried out between present-day Andernach and Neuwied, downstream from Koblenz, an area where the depth of the river would be up to 9 meters. Watchtowers were erected on both banks to protect the entrances, and piles and barriers were placed upriver as a measure of protection against attacks and debris carried by the current.

Caesar's 40,000 soldiers built the bridge in just 10 days on double wooden piles that were driven into the riverbed, dropping a huge and heavy stone on them as a mace. The construction system ensured that the greater the flow, the harder the bridge was held together.

Illustration of Caesars Rhine Bridge from History of Rome, and of the Roman people, from its origin to the invasion of the barbarians" (1883)

Two foot-and-a-half thick logs pointed at the bottom, and as long as the river was deep, were locked together with two feet of separation; these were inserted and fitted with devices into the river, and were driven with mallets, not perpendicularly like posts, but inclined and stretched out towards the river current. Then further down, at a distance of forty feet, he would set in front of the first two others locked in the same way and struck against the force and current of the river. Both, in addition, were kept firmly separated by beams two feet thick (the space occupied by the junction of the piles), placed at their ends between two brackets on each side, and consequently that these were in different directions and fixed on opposite sides to each other, so great was the force of the work, Julius Caesar, Comments on the Gallic War IV.17

It is not known who was the engineer responsible for this new bridge construction technique, which had never been used before. Cicero suggests in a letter that his name was Mumarra, although we cannot rule out the possibility that it was Marcus Vitruvius Polio (the architect who was the author of the famous Ten Books of Architecture ), who was meeting Caesar. It is estimated that the length of this bridge could have been between 140 and 400 meters, and its width between 7 and 9 meters.

Once it was finished, Caesar crossed with his troops to the other bank, where the Ubians were waiting for him. Then he learned that the tribes of the Sicambrians and the Suevi had withdrawn to the East, in anticipation of his arrival. Not being able to present a battle and after destroying some villages, Caesar decided to turn around, cross again the bridge and knock it down behind him. It had lasted 18 days.

A scale model of Caesars Rhine Bridge at The Museo Della Civilta Romana in Rome. Photo: MrJennings/Flickr

Two years later history repeated itself. Near the place where the first bridge had been and about 2 kilometers to the north (possibly next to the current Urmitz), Caesar built a second, although this time he did not elaborate on the details.

Having decided on these matters, he began to build a bridge a little higher than the place where he had earlier transported his army. Once the plan is known and established, the work is carried out in a few days due to the great effort of the soldiers. Having left a strong guard on the bridge on the side of the Trier, so that no commotion would occur between them, he led the rest of the forces and the cavalry. Julius Caesar, Comments on the Gallic War VI.9

As before, the Suebi, seeing what was coming their way, retreated to the East again, abandoning their villages and hiding in the forests. Caesar returned to Gaul and again destroyed the bridge. Only this time he only knocked down the end that touched the eastern shore, erecting defense towers to protect the rest of the bridge.

In order not to completely free the barbarians from the fear of their return, and in order to delay his warriors, having driven back his army, he broke, over a distance of 200 feet, the far end of the bridge, which connected him to the Ubian shore, and at the end of the bridge he erected four-story towers, and placed a guard of twelve cohorts for the purpose of defending the bridge, and reinforced the place with considerable fortifications. Julius Caesar, Commentary on the Gallic War VI.29

Reconstruction of a Roman pile driver, used to build the Rhine bridge at Ehrenbreitstein Fortress in Koblenz, Germany. Photo: Holger Weinandt/Wikimedia Commons

Caesar's strategy produced the desired effect. It demonstrated the power of Rome and her ability to cross the Rhine at will at any time. Thus Julius Caesar secured the borders of Gaul, and for several centuries the Germans refrained from crossing them.

It also allowed the Roman colonization of the Rhine Valley, where permanent bridges would later be built in Castra Vetera (Xanten), Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (Colonia), Confluentes (Coblenz) and Moguntiacum (Mainz).

Archaeological excavations carried out in the late 19th century in the Andernach-Neuwied area found remains of pilings in the Rhine (their analysis in the 20th century showed that they had been cut down in the middle of the 1st century BC), which may belong to Caesar's bridges, although the place of its location has never been able to be determined exactly.

Possible location of Caesars Rhine Bridge. Photo: Ekem/Wikimedia Commons

As for the Ubians, in 39 BC Marco Vipsanio Agrippa finally transferred them to the west bank of the Rhine in payment their longstanding loyalty, as they had been asking for a long time, fearing reprisals from neighboring tribes. They remained loyal to Rome throughout its history, eventually mixing with the Franks who gave rise to new kingdoms in Gaul during the Middle Ages.

This article was originally published in La Brujula Verde. It has been translated from Spanish and republished with permission.
Monday, 04 January 2021 11:31:58 (GMT+3) | Istanbul

In the January-November period last year, Colombia exported 111,921 mt of ferronickel, down 7.7 percent, with a value of $384.29 million, falling by 17.1 percent, both year on year, as announced by the Colombian National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE). In November, Colombian ferronickel exports amounted to 11,264 mt, rising by 372.5 percent, and were worth $43.91 million, increasing by 259.0 percent, both year on year.

In the first 11 months of last year, Colombias iron and steel export volume totaled 156,510 mt, falling by 12.8 percent, with a value of $461.84 million, down by 22.3 percent, both on year-on-year basis. In November, Colombian iron and steel exports amounted to 13,651 mt, up by 47 percent, and were worth $49.62 million, increasing by 101.2 percent, both compared to the same month of 2019.
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Oregons COVID-19 relief fund that earmarked millions for black residents and business owners has been halted due to lawsuits led by one Mexican-American and two white business owners who allege racial discrimination.

The state of Oregon had set aside $62milion of its $1.4billion federal pandemic relief money to help its black business owners, community organizers and residents going through hardship after data suggested coronavirus disproportionately infected and killed black people.

However, the remaining $8.8million is on hold as the relief fund faces legal challenges  and the litigation could take years.

The first lawsuit came from the white owner of logging company Great Northern Resources, which is based in the city of John Day.

It was later joined by Walter Leja, the 62-year-old white owner of Dynamic Service Fire and Security, a small electrical services company in Salem.

Maria Garcia, the Mexican American owner of Revolucion Coffee House in Portland, has filed one of two lawsuits against Oregon for discrimination for earmarking $62milion of its $1.4billion federal pandemic relief money to help black business owners and residents

She owns Revolucion Coffee House in Portland, Oregon (above)

Leja said that hes on the verge of laying off employees if he doesn't receive relief money soon.

He said that an earlier loan of about $20,000 from the Paycheck Protection Program was enough to cover payroll for about two months.

'Its discriminatory,' he said on the fund to the New York Times.

'Its locking up a bunch of funds that can only be used by black businesses when theres a ton of other businesses out there that need access to those funds. Its not a white or black thing. Its an everybody thing,' he said.

Great Northern Resources said they expected to lose $200,000 this year because of the pandemic's recession.

'The pandemics harm to Great Northern should qualify it to compete in any government-aid program for businesses that have been affected by Covid-19. And yet the company is ineligible to receive a grant from the Fund because its owner is not black,' Great Northern Resources said in its complaint according to OregonLive.

The second lawsuit is led by the Maria Garcia, the Mexican American owner of Revolucion Coffee House in Portland, who also claims discrimination.

That lawsuit is underwritten by the Center for Individual Rights, a nonprofit law firm that advocates for limited government.

'This lawsuit is not anti-black or anti-Latino,' Garcia wrote on social media. 'This is not a fight about who is more or less qualified, but a kitchen for our elected officials that the state has to be involved in all its decisions and provide equal opportunities to use the money.'

Edward Blum is a white conservative activist whose organization Project on Fair Representation is underwriting Great Northern Resources' lawsuit.

'It is like, in the employment arena, going to apply for a job and seeing a sign on the employment office that reads, "No Asians need apply,"' he said.

'Your race and your ethnicity should not be used to help you or harm you in your lifes endeavors,' he added.

He has also led efforts to challenge race-based admissions policy at universities including a case at Harvard.

When the Oregon Cares Fund was first voted on in June, there were questions about the funds legality in allocating funds specifically for its black population. The decision was made because data from across the country showed the pandemic disproportionately affected the black population. State senator Lew Frederick (center at podium), who is black, said: 'It was finally being honest: This is who needs this support right now'

When the Oregon Cares Fund was first voted on in June, there were questions about the funds legality.

The Oregon Legislatures Emergency Boards counsel office warned at the time that setting aside funds for one race could be considered unconstitutional.

But Gov. Kate Brown and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum backed the fund and promised to defend it.

State senator Lew Frederick, who is black, said: 'It was finally being honest: This is who needs this support right now.'

Black salon owner Joy Mack, from Portland, said shes struggled to keep her business afloat amid the pandemic and the aid from the state helped her tremendously.

In the early days of the pandemic when her business started to suffer, she applied for a forgivable federal government loan and was turned down because she had about $5,000 in tax debt.

Later she was able to get a $5,000 grant from the city and a $10,000 disaster loan from the federal government and took out lines of credit.

Marlena Right (left), a housekeeper at the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, thanks a nurse for her COVID-19 vaccination on December 16 in Portland, Oregon

As of December 31 Oregon has recorded more than 113,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 1,400 deaths. Healthcare workers at the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center receive COVID-19 vaccinations on December 16

Eventually she received a grant from the Oregon Cares Fund. She hasnt said how much, but says it saved her from closing down under the weight of tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

'Honestly that is what just helped us get over that COVID hump,' she said to the Times.

Though Congress has extended the deadline to the end of the year for states to spend their CARES Act funds or return the remainder to the government, some worry that the money could be lost as legal battles drag on.

In Oregon black residents make up about two percent of the states population.

'As a state, as a country, it is unusual for us to provide adequate resources to black people. For some folks, its shocking, its distasteful,' Nkenge Harmon Johnson, the president and chief executive of the Urban League of Portland, said.

The dispute comes amid the nations long battle over affirmative action and the Black Lives Matter movement that spread across the country this summer.

However, Supreme Court rulings have established over the past decades that race-based policies are only constitutional if they achieve a compelling governmental interest.

For example, the court has allowed race to be used as a factor in college admissions to achieve student diversity.

However, the statistics of the pandemic weight heavy on the controversy.

Todays economic and health disparities stem from past policies and practices, some of which were historically and explicitly racist, as per social scientists. That contributes, in part, to why black people and people of color are so severely impacted by the virus. Many of them work essential jobs or dont have access to proper medical care.

Supporters of the fund argue that the $62million accounted for 4.5 percent of what the state received, which left plenty for non-black residents.

Further other aspects of COVID-19 related funds were tailored to other racial and ethnic groups such as a $10million fund by the sate that largely benefits undocumented Latino immigrants and one created by Portland officials to aid a district of predominantly Asian-owned businesses.

A Stanford University study found that the number of black business owners nationwide dropped by 41 percent from Februry to April amid the pandemic. The number of business owners among Latinos plunged 32 percent, Asians 26 percent, and white 17 percent.

State Rep. Janelle Bynum defends the Oregon Cares Fund saying, without it itll perpetuate the disparities black residents face.

'Without that intentionality, without them actually caring that the money flows through our communities, theyll never have to do anything to change the status quo. Im not okay with that,' she said.

As of December 31 Oregon has recorded more than 113,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 1,400 deaths.
The torrent of announcements, press releases and gubernatorial statements on economic development keeps coming: companies expanding, companies arriving, jobs being created, tax revenue being increased-- all, we're told, because of carefully crafted economic development programs and the wise use of tax dollars to encourage business investment.Skeptics have always questioned the job-creation statistics in this gush of press releases and reports, and now there is at least one piece of evidence suggesting that the skeptics are right. A new article in the Journal of Regional Science--written by Todd Gabe of the University of Maine and David Kraybill of Ohio State University-- takes a critical look at the effect of one state-level economic development program.Gabe and Kraybill did a statistical analysis of 366 Ohio companies-- existing companies, not new companies--that expanded between 1993 and 1995. Some of them received financial assistance from the state economic development program; some did not. And the results are both remarkable and remarkably clear: Providing financial incentives to existing businesses makes little difference in creating jobs. In fact, based on a regression analysis, the two professors found that, on average, businesses accepting financial assistance created fewer jobs than they would have created if they had not accepted financial assistance.This is not news that economic development professionals want to hear, of course, and the study has been roundly criticized by state officials. But Kraybill says he also has heard from a number of economic development people who don't like the incentive game and are reassured by evidence that subsidies don't matter much. And that's not surprising, either, because the study highlighted another unfortunate reality in the economic development business: the tremendous pressure to justify one's existence by pumping up job-creation numbers.Gabe and Kraybill not only looked at the number of jobs actually created but also compared that with the number of jobs estimated at the time the business expansion was announced. What they found was telling. The businesses that did not accept economic development incentives announced expansions averaging 45 workers--and hit the target exactly. But the businesses accepting incentives announced expansions averaging 91 workers--and expanded by only 51 workers. In other words, the businesses taking state money announced much more ambitious plans to add workers but came in at about the same level as the businesses that didn't take state money.This is a finding that ought to send a chill down the back of every state economic development director, because it calls into question all those job-creation numbers contained in all those press releases and gubernatorial announcements and thick state reports on economic growth. Whenever State X or Governor Y announces that the state has created 10,000 or 40,000 or 100,000 jobs, those numbers are usually based on the announced estimates--not actual results.At a time when state budget directors are looking for every dollar they can, we're beginning to see big fights over whether economic development programs are vital to restoring economic health or expendable because they don't do anything. In California, for example, the Trade, Technology and Commerce Agency has taken a 70 percent budget cut, and most economic development functions have been transferred to a tiny research section of the governor's office. There's also talk of demoting it from a Cabinet-level department. This kind of battle will go on in statehouses across the nation this year and next. Placing job creation numbers in serious question is likely to empower the budget directors in their search for more items to redline.Gabe and Kraybill are careful to clarify that their study dealt only with Ohio, and only with expansions of existing businesses--not new businesses that have been lured to a state through economic development incentives. The results might be different in other states and might have been different for new businesses. But their conclusions certainly fit into a long line of research suggesting that money--whether financial incentives or tax breaks--is not the most important factor in determining where businesses locate and whether they expand.Availability of labor, quality of life, proximity to certain pieces of big-ticket infrastructure such as airports--all these things matter far more than money. But they are much more difficult to quantify and much less fun for politicians to deal with. In politics, pork is a currency that everybody understands, and a well-respected measurement of whether or not you are "delivering" for your constituents. Based on Gabe and Kraybill's study, however, it would behoove our governors to focus less on delivering pork directly to the factory owners, and more on putting the pork into labor training, infrastructure and the other things that businesses really need to thrive.
FORD NAMES ANDREW FRICK AS HEAD OF SALES FOR U.S. AND CANADA; MARK LANEVE CAPS SUCCESSFUL TENURE AT FORD

DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 4, 2020  Ford Motor Company today announced that Andrew Frick has been appointed vice president, Sales, U.S. and Canada, effective today. He is succeeding Mark LaNeve, who has elected to depart Ford after an accomplished career as a senior marketing and sales leader in order to pursue the next chapter of his professional life.

Frick, 47, most recently served as director, U.S. sales, driving positive results in sales and market share. A 25-year company veteran, he also has extensive experience across both Ford and Lincoln brands in regional roles in the U.S., Asia Pacific, the Caribbean and Central America.

In this new role, Frick will become an officer of the company and assume responsibility for sales, customer care and dealer relations for the Ford brand in the U.S. and Canada. Frick holds a masters degree in business administration from the University of Michigan and a bachelors degree in marketing from Villanova University. He will report to Kumar Galhotra, president, Ford Americas and IMG.

Andrew brings deep product knowledge, a passion for customers, excellent dealer relations and a proven track record of results to the critical role of leading the sales organization in our largest market, Galhotra said. His leadership will be critical as Ford continues to turn around its automotive operations, especially with exciting new products and ever-improving quality, modernizing all aspects of the company and disrupting our conventional automotive businesses to better serve customers.

LaNeve, 61, is capping a nearly four-decade career of global sales and marketing leadership in the automotive industry, having held a number of leadership roles at General Motors and Volvo Cars in North America. LaNeve came to Ford in 2015 after leading the companys marketing and advertising agency, Global Team Blue, where he was chief operating officer since August 2012. Prior to that, LaNeve was the CEO of Volvo Cars of N.A., general manager of the Cadillac brand, then vice president, sales, service and marketing, at GM, followed by a three-year tenure as CMO and head of agency relationships at Allstate Insurance Company.

Mark LaNeve has been a tireless advocate for customers and dealers and helped lead Ford over the last six years, to improved dealer relations and record sales of F-Series pickups, while improving the retail experience, Galhotra said. In this extraordinary year, Mark and his team did a great job of safeguarding dealers and customers as well as increasing market share. He leaves a strong foundation from which to build on and take the Ford brand to new levels for customers and dealers.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification; mobility solutions, including self-driving services; and connected services. Ford employs approximately 187,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit corporate.ford.com.
Police said a 59-year-old St. Louis-area resident died in the shooting, but few details were released because officers were involved in the shooting. The Missouri State Highway Patrol will investigate the shooting.
Don Baker, the beloved township businessman and bane to local dentists, has died.

The 89-year-old owner of The Candy House in The Woodlands had battled COVID-19 in recent weeks before his death. He had been celebrated in recent months after the stores struggles lead to an outpouring of support from the community and dedicated customers.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Viral Facebook post leads to candy store crush in The Woodlands

Baker, a military veteran and well-known community icon in The Woodlands, had a whirlwind two months at the end of 2020 after a dismal Halloween shopping season due to the COVID-19 pandemic left the candy store struggling.

A viral post on social media made by a customer saved the day, though, leading to hundreds of customers flooding his store each week in November, waiting in long lines for hours and snapping up sweet treats and the stores signature flavored popcorn.

In the weeks that followed, Baker was treated to a new floor installed for free by a local business, Texas Engineered Roofing, and was also honored by The Woodlands Township Board of Directors, receiving a proclamation of his impact on the community during a Dec. 2 meeting.

Attempts to reach Bakers family were unsuccessful and the business was closed Monday.

Township Director Ann Snyder said she was in communication with Bakers family after his death and said his life of devotion to the community will not be forgotten.

Donald Baker was a true gift to The Woodlands. He was one of those rare individuals that had a heart of gold always finding the good in people. Baker epitomized the spirit of small businesses as well as The Woodlands and was humbled by the incredible support he and his wife recently received by so many, Snyder said. We will miss him, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Township board Chairman Gordy Bunch said he was very saddened to learn of the of the death of Baker, whom he called The Woodlands Candyman.

Im glad that we were able to acknowledge Dons contribution to our country and community during last months board meeting, Bunch said. The community rallied to help his candy store out last fall and I know he left us knowing he was loved by his hometown. He will be missed.

One long-time local resident, Charles Mihle, has known Baker for more than 27 years from his first days of operating the Candy House in the Village of Panther Creek. Mihles two daughters visited the store regularly and Mihle first met Baker when buying the stores signature cheese popcorn. The two often discussed world affairs and politics in addition to the finer points of caramel coated popcorn.

Mihle said he was concerned in December after it was revealed that Baker had contracted the novel coronavirus. He had spoken to him in the days before Christmas and said Baker sounded good.

Ive known Don since we moved here 27 years ago when he had his shop in the Panther Creek Shopping Center where the yogurt store is now. Though we disagreed politically, we had many a good conversations about all issues, political and otherwise. Don is an exceptional individual, Mihle said. I spoke to him just before Christmas, I called him at the hospital and he said he was in good spirits and his lungs were clearing. He was just always a neat guy.

Selling sweets

Baker and his wife Barbara owned The Candy House, a 1,000-square foot specialty sweet treat store located at 27160 Glen Loch Drive. The store was first opened in a different location in Panther Creek on March 1, 1989, and the couple was planning to celebrate 22 years at the stores current location in July 2021.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Woodlands business donates new floor to Candy House

In a November interview, Baker said he is the only employee on most days, with occasional help from his family during busy seasons of October and December. The shop is very popular with people of all ages who come for bubble gum, chocolate treats and the specialty  in-house made caramel and cheesy popcorn. Baker had long dabbled in flavored popcorn, operating a different store in Willis that sold the specialty as far back as the 1970s, Mihle noted.

The Candy House, while wildly popular with candy lovers of all ages, was an technological outlier compared to most businesses in 2020.

Baker had no internet connection in the store and accepted payment for candies in either cash or via credit card. The business still has a 1990s-era credit card approval device that connects to a telephone land-line, a process that can take several minutes and is foreign to many customers under the age of 25.

A popular spot for school children, adults and others hankering for a hunk of sugar-coated goodness, the store had some hard times in recent years, notably a sour experience in 2019 after burglars broke into the store and did extensive damage.

Township Director Bruce Rieser said he was saddened to hear of Bakers death.

He has been a fixture in our community for many years and he will be missed, Rieser said. I am glad that we were able to honor him last month for his many years of service to the community and as a veteran.

Mihle said over the years, he developed a bond with Baker over his daughters visits as well as his not-so-secret trips to feed his flavored popcorn fixation.

He was just full of good cheer. He lived a good life and he always had good stories, Mihle recalled. I would go to the store and when customers would leave, wed talk as long as 30 minutes and he would have some fascinating tale to tell.

jeff.forward@chron.com
Germany and Denmark are looking into the possibility of delaying administering a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from BioNTech and Pfizer to make scarce supplies go further, after a similar move by Britain last week.

In Berlin, the health ministry is seeking the view of an independent vaccination commission on whether to delay a second shot beyond a 42-day maximum now foreseen, according to a one-page document seen by Reuters on Monday.

The update, dated Sunday, follows widespread criticism over the weekend of Health Minister Jens Spahn - including from his conservative political allies - that Germany has failed to procure enough vaccine and has been too slow to ramp up its nationwide inoculation campaign.

Britain's move to delay administering a second dose of the BioNTech/Pfizer shot has been welcomed by a number of German health experts and comes as governments try to provide protection against coronavirus to as many people as possible by giving them one shot as soon as possible and delaying a second.

"In view of the current scarcity of vaccines and the very high numbers of infections and hospitalisations (in Germany), a strategy in which as many people as possible are vaccinated as early as possible is more effective," said Leif-Erik Sander, head of the vaccine research team at Berlin's Charite hospital.

According to the latest daily update from the Robert Koch Institute, Germany has vaccinated around 239,000 people since starting its campaign on Dec. 27 - well short of the 1.3 million doses that were delivered by the end of 2020.

By way of comparison, Britain has administered more than a million COVID-19 vaccines so far, more than the rest of Europe put together, Health Minister Matt Hancock said on Monday.

Time Gap

Danish health authorities are also looking into the possibility of extending the time gap between vaccine shots.

The director of the State Serum Institute, which deals with infectious diseases, said it would closely monitor how the situation develops in Britain. The health ministry is considering a 3-6 week interval, newspaper Ekstra Bladet reported, citing sources.

As of Monday, a total of 46,975 Danes had received the first Pfizer-BioNTech shot, mostly health workers and the elderly.

While a longer interval between shots has not been tested in the companies' clinical trials, some scientists said it was a sensible plan given the extraordinary circumstances.

Other points in the German health ministry document include recommending that an extra, sixth dose be drawn from vials of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine - a practice the companies say is feasible with the right needle and syringe and has been allowed in several countries.

European Union approval for a vaccine from Moderna, expected this week, should add another 1.5 million doses of supply in the coming weeks, the document added.

In total, Germany, which has around 83 million people, should get 50 million doses of the Moderna shot this year under EU-wide procurement contracts.

Regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine approved last week by Britain, the German Health Ministry said the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) rolling review was proceeding at "high pressure".

"The goal is, as soon as possible, to decide on the way forward and on the scope of approval" for the AstraZeneca vaccine, the document said.

Short link:


India has formally approved the emergency use of two vaccines against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) as it prepares for one of the worlds biggest drives and plans to inoculate some 300 million people on a priority list this year. Drugs Controller General of India VG Somani gave the green light for the emergency-use of two coronavirus vaccines, one developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and the other by local company Bharat Biotech. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it a decisive turning point.

Serum Institute of India (SII) is producing the vaccine Covishield developed by Oxford University and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. It has got permission for restricted use in an emergency situation subject to certain regulatory conditions. The ongoing clinical trial within the country by the firm will continue.

Also read | Centre draws plan for vaccine roll-out

Bharat Biotech has developed a whole virion inactivated Covaxin in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Virology (Pune). The Subject Expert Committee has reviewed the data on safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine and recommended for grant of permission for restricted use in an emergency situation in the public interest as an abundant precaution, in clinical trial mode, to have more options for vaccinations, especially in case of infection by mutant strains. The clinical trial ongoing within the country by the firm will continue, Somani said on Sunday.

Here are some of the other vaccines candidates in the country:

1. ZyCoV-D: Zydus Cadilas vaccine is being made on the DNA platform and is named ZyCoV-D. Cadila has collaborated with the Department of Biotechnology for this. DCGI has given its approval to the Ahmedabad-based drug firm to initiate Phase III clinical trials of its Covid-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D.

2. Sputnik V: This is a vaccine developed by Russias Gamaleya Institute. Dr Reddys Laboratories is conducting phases 2 and 3 clinical trials of Russian vaccine Sputnik V, while Biological E is conducting phase 1 trial of its indigenously developed vaccine candidate. Russia said on November 24 last year that its Sputnik V vaccine was 91.4% effective based on interim late-stage trial results. It started vaccinations in August and has inoculated more than 100,000 people so far. India plans to make 300 million doses of Sputnik V this year.

Also read | Cong, BJP trade barbs over Indian vaccines DCGI nod

3. NVX-Cov 2373: NVX-COV-2373 is being developed by Serum Institute of India in collaboration with American company NovaVax. Phase 3 trial under consideration.

4. Biological E Limited vaccine: Biological E Ltd plans to start large late-stage trials of its potential Covid-19 vaccine candidate in April this year. The Hyderabad-based privately held company had said in November it had started early-stage and mid-stage human trials of its vaccine candidate, being developed in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and US-based Dynavax Technologies Corp, and expects results by February.

5. HGCO19: The novel mRNA vaccine candidate, HGCO19, has been developed by Pune-based Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, and supported with a seed grant under the Ind-CEPI mission of the department of biotechnology of the Union ministry of science and technology. Gennova has worked in collaboration with US HDT Biotech Corporation to develop the mRNA vaccine candidate. Gennova will start the phase 1 clinical trial of its indigenous vaccine candidate with the enrolment of 120 participants starting from early January, Mint reported in December last year.

Also read | 2 vaccines a result proactive approach, says DG-ICMR

6. Bharat Biotechs second vaccine: Another vaccine is being developed by Bharat Biotech International Ltd in collaboration with Thomas Jefferson University, US, which is at the pre-clinical stages.

7. Aurobindo Pharma vaccine: Aurobindo Pharma Ltd has announced its own Covid-19 vaccine development programme through its US subsidiary Auro Vaccines. That vaccine, which uses recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (RVSV) vector platform, is being developed by Profectus BioSciences. This vaccine is still in the pre-clinical phase. Aurobindo Pharma has said it would also make and sell US-based COVAXXs Covid-19 vaccine candidate for supply in India and to the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) under a licensing deal.
Last Thursdays forced resignation of Rod Phillips, the finance minister in Ontarios hard-right Progressive Conservative government, demonstrated in equal measure the ruling elites disdain towards the population and its hypocrisy over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The affair has blown a mile-wide hole in the Canadian ruling class claims, amplified by the mainstream media and the trade unions, that were all in this together.

Premier Doug Ford was forced to accept Phillips resignation after it became public that the finance minister spent over two weeks holidaying at a luxury resort for the ultra-wealthy in the Caribbean. This at the same time as his government was calling on everyone to stay at home during the holiday season to combat the virus spread, and had to introduce new COVID-19 lockdown measures.

Phillips, the former CEO of Shepell.fgi and chair of Postmedia, flew with his wife on December 13 to St. Barts, where the most expensive villas rent for $50,000 per night. The Phillips family reportedly settled for a more humble abode at just over $1,100 per night.

Rod Phillips, the now ex-Ontario finance minister (Wikipedia)

During his vacation, Phillips continued to tweet pictures of himself visiting small businesses in Ontario, and a Christmas Eve video in which he posed against a wintry background while praising the work of frontline health care workers during the pandemic.

The widespread public outrage at Phillips behaviour is more than justified. During the 18 days he was living it up in St. Barts, Ontario recorded well over 40,000 new COVID-19 cases. Between December 13 and December 31, the day Phillips flew back to Toronto and tendered his resignation, 2,237 people died from the coronavirus across Canada according to official figures.

But it must be stressed, Phillips actions are not an example of individual misjudgment, as he and all the media talking heads are claiming. Rather, it is an expression of the ruling class contempt for the lives of working people amid the greatest health and social crisis in a century. As the World Socialist Web Site wrote in August, under conditions where the stock markets are up, and the super-rich can purchase virtually instant COVID-19 tests privately and travel in comfort and safety on their own chartered jets, life has never been so good. The coronavirus, we noted, is a poor persons disease.

This applies fully to Phillips and his ilk in Canada. The countrys 40 billionaires have gained over $50 billion in wealth since the beginning of the pandemic. Major corporations, meanwhile, have used government bailout funds to pay for lavish shareholder payouts and executive bonuses even as they lay off workers and slash their hours. The vast transfer of wealth that has occurred was overseen by the Trudeau Liberal government, which funnelled over $650 billion to the banks and financial oligarchy almost overnight last March. (See: Canadas pandemic wage subsidy: a slush fund for wealthy shareholders and corporate executives)

On the other side of the social divide, as of September 2020, one in seven Canadiansmore than 5 million peoplewas experiencing food insecurity, i.e. lacked the resources to obtain three proper meals a day. According to the Bank of Canada employment among low-wage earners has dropped 20 percent since the beginning of the pandemic.

If there is anything more contemptible than Phillips behaviour, it is Fords efforts to distance himself from the scandal and pose as an ally of working people outraged at his former finance ministers extravagance. This is a fraud on many levels. First, Ford has acknowledged that he was aware of Phillips luxury vacation in the sun around two weeks before the story broke. Yet he did not order his minister home, let alone discipline him. Only after Philips luxury vacation was publicly exposed did Ford, himself a multi-millionaire businessman, feign anger and wring his hands over Phillips letting down the people of Ontario.

More fundamentally, Phillips flagrant flouting of the Ford governments own public health recommendations and regulation is of a piece with the governments criminal disregard for the well-being and lives of working people. Like their counterparts across Canada and internationally, Ontarios Conservative government has prioritized corporate profits over workers lives throughout the pandemic.

After coming to power in 2018, the Ford government went on an austerity spree, cutting billions from health care, education and social services. This included gutting inspections of long-term care facilities and massive cuts to the public health agencies that have been in the forefront of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. These policies directly contributed to the catastrophic impact of the virus on the provinces care-home residents, more than 2,700 of whom have perished from COVID-19.

During both the first and second waves of the pandemic, the Ford government implemented lockdowns with huge loopholes designed to ensure most manufacturing and industrial operations remained open and at full throttle. As a result, infection rates have surged in workplaces and working-class neighbourhoods.

Last spring, Ontarios initial lockdown included exemptions for at least 73 types of businesses deemed essential, including auto assembly plants and jacuzzi manufacturers. So as to ensure Ontario is open for business, to use one of Fords favourite expressions, the government has barred public health authorities from releasing details of the locations of workplace COVID-19 outbreaks, even when there have been dozens of infections.

Daily infections are now more than double what they were at the peak of the first wave of the pandemic last spring, yet the second lockdown, announced by Ford on December 21, allows an even greater number of businesses to remain open . (See: The working conditions are hell  Ontario allows COVID-19 to run rampant through workplaces )

The Ford governments push to reopen schools has likewise proved disastrous. Ignoring the warnings of medical experts, the government ordered all elementary and secondary schools to reopen for in-class instruction after the summer holidays with virtually no health and safety precautions. This reckless move was seen as essential by the ruling elite, including the federal Liberal government, because it meant parents could be freed from childcare responsibilities and forced to return to work to generate profits for big business. If the government was able to impose this policy despite widespread apprehension and opposition among teachers and parents, it was above all due to the education trade unions, which rejected all job action as illegal. The result was that in October and November, schools were one of the main sources of COVID-19 infection in Ontario and Canada.

While the Ford governments policies have led to misery and death for workers and their families, large sections of the Canadian ruling elite have welcomed them for protecting the economy, i.e. corporate profits and the accumulation of wealth by the super-rich. The Toronto Star and other traditionally Liberal-aligned commentators have touted Fords supposedly responsible response to the pandemic, favourably contrasting the actions of Ontarios right-wing populist premier and one-time Trump-enthusiast with the fascist-minded US presidents ruinous mishandling of COVID-19.

The promotion of Ford is a key element in the Canadian bourgeoisies preposterous claim that all Canadians pulled together in response to COVID-19, setting aside political quarrels for the common good, and that this proves the superiority of Canadian society and governance over the dysfunction to the south.

The trade union bureaucracy, in addition to its key role in enforcing the back-to-work campaign, has provided much of the ideological cement for this reactionary Canadian nationalist propaganda drive. The Canadian Labour Congress, the countrys largest union federation, claims in a banner atop the front page of its website, In Canada, weve weathered the pandemic by sticking together and supporting each other.

The Rod Phillips scandal has exposed the grim reality behind this bogus propaganda campaign: Canada, no less than the other major capitalist powers, is riven by explosive class divisions and dominated by a bloated financial elite that is utterly indifferent to the health and lives of working people. Any genuine plan to combat the pandemic must be based on the independent political mobilization of the working class to enforce a shutdown of all nonessential production with full pay for all workers until the pandemic is brought under control and to secure the investment of tens of billions of additional dollars in the chronically underfunded public health care system. The financial resources needed to pay for such a program are available in abundance, but they must be seized from the super-rich oligarchy and redirected to meet social needs.
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 13:37:35|Editor: huaxia

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NIAMEY -- At least 100 civilians were killed and around 20 others wounded on Saturday by attackers in two villages in western Tillabery region in Niger, close to the border with Mali, Nigerien Prime Minister Brigi Rafini said on Sunday.

"We lost 70 people in Tchombangou, while around 30 people were murdered in the village Zaroumdareye," said Brigi Rafini, who travelled to the two villages a day after the attack. (Niger-Attack-Death)

- - - -

TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Monday that the government is planning to declare another state of emergency for Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures as COVID-19 cases surge in these areas.

Speaking at the first press conference of 2021, Suga said the country aims to start COVID-19 vaccination by late February. (Japan-COVID-19-State of Emergency)

- - - -

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China stands ready to work with Argentina to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

China attaches great importance to bilateral ties, Xi said in a recent exchange of letters with Argentine President Alberto Fernandez, urging concerted efforts to sustain and deepen the development of the China-Argentina comprehensive strategic partnership. (China-Argentina-Relations)

- - - -

TRIPOLI -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Sunday said that 79 illegal migrants have been rescued and 8 others went missing off Libyan coast.

"IOM staff are providing emergency assistance to 79 migrants returned to Libya by the coast guard today," the UN body tweeted. (Libya-Coast-Migrants) Enditem
CSE: VYGR

OTCQB: VYGVF

Borse Frankfurt: UCD2

Management will present at the SNN Network Canada Virtual Conference, Noble Capital Small and Microcap Investor Conference and the A.G.P. Virtual Emerging Growth Technology Conference

NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Voyager Digital Ltd. ("Voyager" or the "Company") (CSE: VYGR) (OTCQB: VYGVF) (FRA: UCD2), a publicly-traded, licensed crypto-asset broker that provides investors with a turnkey solution to trade crypto assets, today announced that its CEO and Co-founder, Steve Ehrlich, will present and be available to meet with investors at the following upcoming investor conferences:

Date Presentation Time (EST) Registration Link

SNN Network Canada Virtual Conference Jan. 7 1:00 PM Register

Noble Capital Markets Seventeenth Annual Small & Microcap Investor Conference Jan. 19-20 TBD Register

A.G.P. Virtual Emerging Growth Technology Conference Feb 4 1x1s Information

Management will provide an overview of the Company's business during each presentation as well as progress updates. The Company will also be available for one-on-one meetings with investors who are registered to attend the conferences.

"Voyager is excited to update investors with our recent progress," said Steve Ehrlich, Co-founder and CEO of Voyager. "Our platform is seeing unprecedented growth as digital assets are increasingly utilized by the mainstream for investment and payment processing. We recently announced our assets under management have surpassed $200 million, up from $5 million just a year ago. This speaks to the strength of Voyager's easy-to-use trading platform, which enables investors to trade commission-free on 55 digital assets."

If you are an institutional investor and would like to attend the Company's presentation, please click on the above links to register for each individual conference.

For more information on Voyager Digital, please visit https://www.investvoyager.com . The Voyager app is available for Android and iPhone .

About Voyager Digital Ltd.

Voyager Digital Ltd. is a crypto-asset broker that provides retail and institutional investors with a turnkey solution to trade crypto assets. Voyager offers customers best execution and safe custody on a wide choice of popular crypto-assets. Voyager was founded by established Wall Street and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who teamed to bring a better, more transparent and cost-efficient alternative for trading crypto-assets to the marketplace. Please visit us at https://www.investvoyager.com for more information and to review the latest Corporate Presentation.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this press release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information: The forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this release and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise it to reflect new events or circumstances. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

SOURCE Voyager Digital (Canada) Ltd.
BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- China's Chang'e-5 probe retrieved about 1,731 grams of samples from the moon. It has been much anticipated just how these would be used for research.

Researchers have set up special storage facilities, constructed laboratories for sample processing and analysis, and developed detailed operating procedures to ensure that lunar samples are not contaminated as far as possible and that the research results are reliable.

The samples will be first analyzed non-destructively, said Xiao Long, a researcher at the China University of Geosciences. He told the Science and Technology Daily that this analysis could indicate the condition of the samples.

A method for non-destructive analysis is to obtain the samples' element composition and content information. Researchers do this by analyzing the wavelength and intensity of the characteristic fluorescence X-rays generated by different sample elements, said Zhao Yuyan with Jilin University.

Researchers also implement microanalysis to use them as sparingly as possible. The allowable amount of the samples under test is usually only about one percent of the constant, with a weight of about 1 to 15 milligrams.

Given the preciousness of lunar samples, it is necessary to further improve the sensitivity and resolution of the instruments, and develop new technologies and methods, said Zhao.

By analyzing the samples, scientists can correct the previous mathematical models for estimating the surface age of celestial bodies. They can also provide significant references for humans to understand the geological evolution of the moon.

Chang'e-5 is one of the most complicated and challenging missions in China's aerospace history. It is also the world's first moon-sample mission in more than 40 years.

The Chang'e-5 probe, comprising an orbiter, a lander, an ascender, and a returner, launched on Nov. 24. The return capsule landed in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the early hours of Dec. 17, bringing back the moon samples. Enditem

[ Editor: SRQ ]
BEIJING, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- China has issued a plan to build a globally influential science and technology innovation community in the Yangtze River Delta.

Efforts will be made to enhance the regional collaborative innovation capability of the Yangtze River Delta and build the region into one for original innovation and high and advanced industries, striving for turning the region into an influential science and technology innovation community in the world.

A modern and internationalized sci-tech innovation community is expected to be completed by 2025, and it is expected to become a world-leading sci-tech innovation community by 2035, the plan says.

In building the Yangtze River Delta sci-tech innovation community, full play will be given to the leading role of Shanghai as an innovation center and efforts will be made to strengthen innovative advantages of other regions in the delta area and enhance innovation cooperation, the plan says.

The plan proposes joint efforts on building high-level innovation bases and key sci-tech infrastructure clusters, as well as collaborations on basic research, applied basic research and core technologies for key fields.

The Yangtze River Delta is one of the country's most economically active, open and innovative regions, and produces about one-fourth of the national GDP.

[ Editor: WPY ]


remaining of

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The Government will make a decision on whether schools will reopen on Wednesday, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has said.

He said that as of now Nphet has not made any recommendations that schools should remain closed and the current plan is they will reopen on January 11.

Minister Donnelly said he understand that parents, staff and students want clarity but that these are big calls to be made that impact peoples lives.

Read More

"We know from the first lockdown it had a big impact on children, particularly children from lower income areas, he said on RTE Radio 1s News at One.

We have to allow the experts time they need to examine the latest developments.

There are ongoing conversations obviously across government and as you were just reporting there the stakeholders are meeting today with the Minister (Norma Foley) and the public health teams.

However, I think it is reasonable to assume the government on Wednesday morning will make a decision on this.

He added: We want to strike a balance between giving the schools, parents and students as much time as possible and making sure were making the decision with the most up to date advice.

Earlier today, Minister for Children Roderic OGorman said that the Government is hoping to avoid a "large-scale" shutdown of schools.

However, he said that closures will be kept under review.

He told RTE's Morning Ireland: "The advice from Nphet is that schools are safe to open.

"The Government took a decision last week, that in light of the particularly high levels of Covid, we want to make a sustained effort to reduce movement this week and as such the reopening of schools was postponed.

"That situation is under constant review. We have always expressed the view that we want to keep childcare facilities and schools open.

"The long shutdown of schools at the beginning was not good for children."

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Online Editors
Weber-Morgan Health and Weber State Open COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic

January 4, 2021

OGDEN, Utah  The COVID-19 vaccine rollout for Weber and Morgan counties gets underway Jan. 5 at the Dee Events Center on the campus of Weber State University.

Healthcare workers in non-hospital settings (medical, dental, EMS) are the first priority group to participate in the invitation-only clinics. Similar clinics will continue each week as Utahs public health system works its way through a timeline for distribution to high-risk groups. Weber-Morgan Health Department receives a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines each week and will distribute them as quickly as they arrive. For more information on the timeline see coronavirus.utah.gov/vaccine.

The health department received its first shipment of the vaccine on Monday, Dec. 28 and began vaccinating staff, volunteers and emergency responders who will work at the clinics.

We are excited to finally turn this important corner in our communitys response to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Brian Bennion, executive director of the Weber-Morgan Health Department. As your local health department, we are prepared to oversee this operation until there is enough vaccine to serve everyone who wants and needs it. There are many moving parts that go into protecting our community from this new virus, and we couldnt do it without our community partners.

Weber-Morgan Health Department employees, volunteers from the Weber-Morgan Medical Reserve Corps, Ogden City Fire, Weber Fire District and Weber State University will staff the weekly clinics.

Weber State University is pleased to have the volunteers, staff and facility at the Dee Events Center to help support our community in distributing this life-saving vaccine," said Dane LeBlanc, WSU director of public safety. "We have a long-standing relationship with Weber Morgan Health, which allows us to work together quickly and efficiently when there is a need.

Area hospitals have already begun vaccinating their frontline staff and private contractors will assist in vaccinating employees of long-term care facilities and employees in the Ogden, Weber and Morgan School districts. Once these frontline workers are vaccinated, the focus of the COVID-19 campaign will turn to Utahns over age 75 and others with health conditions as determined by the states timeline of distribution.

Bennion credited Weber State University for making it possible to build the capacity to serve residents in Weber and Morgan counties.

We are so grateful to have Weber State University in our backyard, Bennion said. They have made their facility and staff available to us and have been active participants in keeping this community safe throughout this pandemic.

University President Brad Mortensen said the Ogden area has a history of coming together to help each other in times of need. Historical news accounts detail how residents rallied in 1918 to protect the community and care for soldiers who brought the Spanish Influenza virus with them as they returned home from World War I. According to a 50-year retrospective in the Ogden Standard-Examiner, schools closed, residents wore masks and Ogden High School was slated to become a makeshift hospital.

Without the sacrifices that have been undertaken time and again from our community, Weber State University would not be the university it is today,"Mortensen said. "One of our core themes is to reciprocate that support back to our community. It only makes sense during a worldwide pandemic that we would assist Weber-Morgan Health and our larger community in any way possible.

For more information about Weber-Morgan Health, visit webermorganhealth.org

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
California hospitals continue to buckle under the strain of a flood of COVID-19 patients in critical care requiring hospitalization. The state remains the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States. Only last week it the milestone of 2 million cases, is quickly approaching 2.25 million cases. Deaths have surpassed 25,000 in the richest and most populous state in the country. Every day deaths continue to break one-day records, with 440 deaths on Tuesday, more than half of which are from Los Angeles County.

On Wednesday evening California Governor Gavin Newsom confirmed that the UK variant of the virus has been found in a 30-year-old man with no history of travel in the states southern San Diego county, implying wide community spread.

Registered nurse Leslie Clark, right, collects a nasal swab sample from a mans as administrative worker Sander Edmondson works on his computer at a COVID-19 testing site in Los Angeles, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

According to Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly, the states hospitals have begun diverting ambulances and making decisions about rationing care. On Tuesday, he reported that more than 95% of Los Angeles hospitals have diverted ambulances in the last 24 hours. Throughout the regions of Southern California and the agricultural San Joaquin Valley, ICU capacity remains at zero percent.

Meanwhile healthcare staff are pleading for help. A video by Gayana Chuklansev, an intensive care nurse in Los Angeles, went viral on Tiktok and has been viewed 1.5 million times as of Wednesday. Chuklansev explains through tears, We have no ventilators for patients. We have no sedating medications. Patients are dying like flies... Were full. Were at max capacity. We have no resources. We have no staff. Our doctors cant even intubate because they have like 40 patients each.

Physically I am exhausted, an Anaheim nurse told the World Socialist Web Site. Last Monday we had a Code Blue and two intubations. I have six ICU patients in my unit because our ICU is full. Some days, Im so busy Im completely numb to hunger, thirst, bathroom. I dont realize until the end, 14-16 hours later, that I havent stopped to take care of any of that. I dont feel anything.

Emotionally, its so taxing. We lost a 43-year-old two weeks ago with five kids and a pregnant wife. Then we found out that the wife had miscarried and also contracted COVID-19. We intubated her, while her husband of 20+ years sat in the bed next to her crying. I held his hand and promised wed do everything we could to help her. My last memory of him was me rolling her past him to ICU. She died a couple days later.

Every single day, Im calling family to tell them their loved one has died or just got intubated. Saturday I had a Code Blue and intubation at the same time. ICU was too busy to show up so we were completely on our own. We came out of those, and an hour or two later, I had two more patients crashing.

We have also lost people at our hospital, one of our housekeepers just last Wednesday. He was the happiest guy. Hed sing and dance randomly. One of the last things he said before we intubated him was, I really dont want to die. Im not ready. It just breaks my heart.

We all feel like were failing our patients, doctors included. Were doing everything we can, but its not enough. Were overloaded and feel our care is suffering. Its a struggle to accept that we just cant do everything. We hate to lose patients, for families to lose them.

Sandra, a Riverside California nurse whose name has been changed to protect her identity, works at Riverside Community Health owned by healthcare giant Hospital Corporation of America. I am code blue nurse, I go to all the emergencies. I only see the sickest of the sick. I cant get to them all, there are just so many.

In Riverside county, our ICU is at zero capacity. We are converting our cafeteria, we are all taking on more than we safely can. There will be another surge on top of what we are experiencing right now. There are so many nurses leaving because their mental well-being cannot handle it. We went into this profession because we want to help people, not watch them die.

We have a refrigerator truck outside my hospital. On my worst day, I had six patients die. I have been a nurse for 8 years. I am a code blue nurse, a critical care nurse and Ive seen more death than all my previous years combined. All our patents on high flow, so our oxygen is not performing and its the worst possible time.

As of Sunday at least five hospitals in Los Angeles County were forced to declare an internal disaster. Dr. Christina Ghaly, the Countys Health Services director, stated the aging infrastructure that pumps oxygen to patient rooms is unable to handle the flow, resulting in hospitals turning away patients. Because of that high flow through the pipes, sometimes its freezing in the pipes, and obviously if it freezes, then you cant have good flow of oxygen, Ghaly said.

However, the state Democratic Party is intent on keeping businesses and schools open. Yesterday California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a $2 billion dollar plan to open schools by mid-February, essentially using funding shortfalls to pry open the schools by offering up to $450 to $750 per student if they commit to reopening. Even while forcing schools to reopen, Newsom has ordered over 60 refrigeration trucks to line up outside area hospitals to hold the bodies of the dead, as well as tens of thousands of body bags.

Can you imagine exposing yourself to 30 families at one time? Sandra said. Articles and studies have shown that children have shown a higher viral load. Our ICU is at zero capacity. Meanwhile I am in the hospital and a mother of three kids was crying to me worried about her children. She ended up dying on Christmas Eve. Its unconscionable they are even considering opening the schools.

The conditions in hospitals are producing deep opposition among healthcare workers, which the unions are doing everything to divert and suppress. Just before Christmas, nurses at three Southern California hospitals in Riverside and Los Angeles Counties voted by 92% in favor strike action, which was set to begin on December 24th.

However, the SEIU announced over the weekend it had reached a historic deal and that the strike was averted at HCA hospitals, celebrating along with state and county officials. They are pushing through a contract this week without allowing nurses the time to study it in an attempt to cut off actions that could quickly spread past the health care industry.

To break out of the straitjacket of the SEIU, the Socialist Equality Party is campaigning to build rank-and-file safety committees to prepare for a political general strike, to demand immediate closures of schools and non-essential businesses, with wages guaranteed through supplemental unemployment, and the commitment of massive resources to public health, including a rapid rollout of the vaccine. This requires the independent mobilization of the working class, in opposition to both the capitalist parties and corporate agents in the trade unions.

We need to join with teachers to call a general strike, hold government officials accountable, and demand relief in our hospitals, Sandra said. There are four million nurses. Imagine the force we would have if we joined with teachers. We are the workers that run the world.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management proposed on New Years Eve returning grazing rights to Hammond Ranches for 10 years, citing among other reasons their extensive historic use of the allotments and what the federal agency characterized as their past proper use of rangeland resources.

The proposal immediately drew harsh criticism from environmental advocates, who blasted it as a last-minute maneuver before President Donald Trump leaves office.

Giving the permit to the Hammonds shows a flagrant disregard for the rule of law ... and is clearly a political move rather than a responsible allocation of public lands, said Erik Molvar, executive director of Western Watersheds Project. There is a documented history of permit violations, criminal convictions, and overgrazing of allotments as recently as 2019.

In December 2019, U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon of Portland revoked the eastern Oregon grazing permit for Hammond Ranches Inc. after finding that a renewal order by former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke in early 2019 was an abuse of discretion.

The renewal followed President Donald Trumps pardon of the Hammonds in July 2018. Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son, Steven Hammond, had been convicted of arson and were serving out five-year mandatory minimum sentences for setting fire to public land where they had grazing rights. Both were convicted of setting a fire in 2001, and the son was convicted of setting a second fire in 2006.

When they walked out of prison, Dwight Hammond had served two years and nine months in prison and his son had served three years and four months. In 2015, the Hammonds also paid $400,000 to settle a civil suit brought by the government to recoup damages caused by the fires.

Simon ruled that neither Zinke nor the Bureau of Land Management made a finding as required that the Hammonds were in substantial compliance' with federal grazing regulations or had a satisfactory history of performance. The judge said the Hammonds could reapply for a new permit and go through the proper process to obtain one.

Simons ruling came after three environmental advocacy groups -- Western Watersheds Project, the Center for Biological Diversity and WildEarth Guardians -- sued the Interior secretary and the Bureau of Land Management. The advocacy groups argued that Zinke acted as if he were above the law' by failing to consider the Hammonds unsatisfactory record or do proper environmental reviews before ordering the renewal of the grazing permit.

The Hammonds reapplied for a permit, but were competing with three others who sought grazing rights to the same federal parcels held by the family for decades, according to Tara Thissell, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Land Managements Burns office.

The land bureau conducted an environmental assessment and has proposed granting a 10-year permit to Hammond Ranches.

In its proposal, the land bureau noted that Hammond Ranches owns or manages the majority of the private property located within the federal land allotments and holds the water rights associated with the spring that feeds the pipeline currently within one of the main allotments. The spring, if developed as proposed, would provide off-stream water that would help pull livestock from wetlands, benefiting ecological conditions, the land bureau said.

Without access to water, and with water sources other than the pipeline being limited, the Hammond Allotment would be difficult for an outside operator to properly utilize, the agencys proposal says. No other applicants would be able to create this off-stream water source. No other applicant possesses the history on these grazing allotments.

The proposal would allow for livestock grazing on four allotments known as the Hammond, Mud Creek, Hardie Summer and Hammond FFR allotments. The parcels of land are about 60 miles south of Burns, near the town of Frenchglen, at the foot of Steens Mountain.

The BLM is authorizing grazing in all allotments; this return of grazing will help reduce fine fuel accumulation and address concerns over increased fire risk as well as social and economic concerns, the proposal says.

The land bureau provides 15 days for anyone to challenge the proposed grazing permit. If theres no challenge, the proposed permit will be issued, according to the bureau.

The environmental advocacy groups plan to challenge the permit again.

The land bureaus action on the last day of 2020 is reminiscent of Secretary Ryan Zinkes decision to give the Hammonds permits on his very last day in office on January 2, 2019, said Sarah McMillan, conservation director for WildEarth Guardians.

That decision was unlawful and rightly overturned by the courts. With one foot out the door, the Trump Administration is trying, again, to allow these bad-actor permittees to run roughshod over public lands.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

Subscribe to Facebook page
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang speaks at a conference of the Canada China Business Council in Montreal on Sept. 23, 2016. (Clement Sabourin/AFP via Getty Images)

The Ties Between Beijing and Canadas Elite and Powerful

Commentary

The following is a revised version of a previous column.

For decades, high-level Canadian leaders, well-connected elites, and powerful corporations have pushed for closer ties between Canada and China.

These closer links have benefited a narrow group of individuals and corporations, while the average Canadian has borne the brunt of the adverse consequences, such as weakened national security and job loss.

The Chinese regime has an ambition to become the worlds number one global power, scholars Clive Hamilton and Mareike Ohlberg write in their 2020 book Hidden Hand. Its implementation strategy, they say, is to target elites in the West so that they either welcome Chinas dominance or accede to its inevitability, rendering resistance futile.

Canada is one of the countries Beijing has targeted for elite capture for decades. Were seeing the results of this now, as Ottawa continues to dally in responding to Beijings hostilities as the regime holds Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor hostage, blocks Canadian imports, persecutes Chinese people, and creates instability on the world stage.

Setting a Course

In 1970, the government of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau became one of the first Western governments to establish diplomatic relations with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as the ruler of China. Canadas recognition of the regime paved the way for other Western countries to follow suit and for the CCP to join international bodies such as the United Nations.

Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau shakes hands with CCP Chairman Mao Zedong in Beijing on Oct.13, 1973. (CP Photo)

Establishing relations with communist China and bringing it into the United Nations was one of Trudeaus primary foreign policy objectives after he became prime minister in 1968.

While on a visit to Moscow to attend a propaganda conference in 1952, long before becoming prime minister, Trudeau, then a political activist from Quebec, reportedly told the wife of the U.S. charge daffaires that he was a communist and a Catholic and had come to Moscow to criticize the United States and praise the Soviet Union, according to the 2013 book The Truth About Trudeau by Bob Plamondon.

Referring to the episode, columnist and author Mark Milke wrote in Macleans that Trudeau may not have actually been a communist in 1952 but his remarks revealed an inclination even then to skip over the brutality of communist countries.

Trudeau had travelled to China in 1949 as a young man, and again in 1960 on a trip sponsored by the regime. He chronicled the latter trip with co-author Jacques Hebert in their book, Two Innocents in Red China.

During their visit, the two witnessed scenes of one of the darkest periods of the communist regime, the Great Leap Forward, as noted in an article in The Globe and Mail. During this period, lasting from 1958 to 1962, Chairman Mao Zedong wanted to quickly bring industrialization to China and forced farmers to produce steel rather than crops, with those deemed not complying facing torture and even death. The Great Leap Forward led to a devastating famine that killed tens of millions of people.

In their book, however, Trudeau and Hebert write, We are convinced that we are witnessing the beginning of an industrial revolution.

During his official visit to China as prime minister in 1973, where he met with Mao and Premier Zhou Enlai, Trudeau praised the regime for its governance, saying the system it had developed in comparison with all previous Chinese social systems, is striving to provide human dignity and equality of opportunity for the Chinese people.

Trudeaus comment came at a time when Mao was in the middle of his disastrous and bloody Cultural Revolution, which resulted in an estimated death toll ranging from hundreds of thousands to 20 million, with millions of Chinese suffering from torture and humiliation, seizure of property, and the destruction of the economy and traditional culture.

At Beijings insistence, Trudeau refused to issue permits to allow Taiwan to take part in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, even though the team was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). To refuse entry to a country recognized by the IOC was unprecedented and met with strong objections by the United States.

Trudeaus admiration for the CCP had long-term implications and set in motion decades of China-appeasing policies.

In 2013, when his son Justin Trudeau, then the leader of the Liberal Party and seeking to become the next prime minister, was asked which country he admired most, he said: Theres a level of admiration I actually have for China. Their basic dictatorship is actually allowing them to turn their economy around on a dime.

Corporate Ties

Behind some of the most aggressive lobbying efforts for stronger Canada-China ties is a handful of big corporations with extensive business operations in China.

The Montreal-based Power Corporation, a multibillion-dollar financial services company, has been described as the premier gatekeeper of [Canadas] formal relations with China by author Jonathan Manthorpe in his 2019 book, Claws of the Panda.

In 1968, the company came under the control of Paul Desmarais Sr. and was run by his sons Paul Jr. and Andre, who served as co-CEOs until 2019, when they announced they were stepping down from their roles as CEOs but staying on as chairman and deputy chairman respectively.

Paul Desmarais Sr, chairman of the executive committee of Power Corporation, walks to the companys annual meeting in Montreal on May 9, 2008. (The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes)

Some of Canadas most influential people have links to Power Corp., including four former prime ministers.

Former prime minister Jean Chretiens daughter is married to Andre Desmarais. Chretien, Pierre Trudeau, and former prime minister Brian Mulroney all served as advisory board members of Power Corp. after leaving office. Former prime minister Paul Martin was president of one of the companys subsidiaries, Canada Steamship Lines, and later bought it with a partner in the 1980s.

In 2019, Chretien said Canadas justice minister should use his authority to stop the extradition of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested in Vancouver in December 2018 on a U.S. extradition request. Mulroney advised that Chretien and Andre Desmarais be sent to China on behalf of Canada to negotiate the release of Kovrig and Spavor, who were arrested by Beijing in retaliation for Mengs arrest. In a reversal of position, Mulroney said in June 2020 that he regrets making the suggestion, telling the Globe that Canada should rethink its relations with China.

Several other prominent Canadian politicians, including former cabinet ministers, have also worked for Power Corp.

Another influential executive at the company was Maurice Strong, who later worked as the under-secretary-general of the United Nations. Strong is the nephew of prominent pro-communist reporter Anna Louise Strong. According to the Epoch Times series How the Spectre of Communism Is Ruling Our World, Maurice Strong was deeply influenced by his aunt and described himself as a socialist in ideology and a capitalist in methodology.

After retirement, Strong moved to Beijing, where he lived for the rest of his life. In a 2010 interview with the Guardian, he said he still maintained some co-operation with the United Nations in particular to China and that region.

Power Corp. is a founding member of the Canada China Business Council (CCBC), which was spearheaded by Paul Desmarais Sr. The business mogul once remarked that Mao was one of the four historical figures he respected most.

Canada China Business Council

The CCBC advocates for strong relations with China and has counted among its ranks former politicians or individuals who went on to become politicians.

Paul Desmarais Sr. was the founding chair of CCBC. His son Andre is an honorary chair of the organization, and the current chair is Andres son, Olivier.

CCBC, formerly called the Canada China Trade Council, was founded in 1978. It lists eight major Canadian corporations and the Chinese state-owned company CITIC as founding members.

Andre Desmarais and Paul Desmarais Jr., then-co-CEOs of Power Corporation who have since retired, before the start of their companys annual meeting in Toronto on May 14, 2019. (The Canadian Press/Chris Young)

Half of the Canadian founding membersnamely Power Corp., BMO Financial Group, Bombardier, and SNC-Lavalinare based in Montreal. The others are Barrick Gold Corp., Export Development Canada, Manulife Financial, and Sun Life Financial, the latter based in Montreal until 1978.

The book Claws of the Panda says the founding CCBC members became a persuasive lobby for enhanced relations with China, for which the benefits of trade were held to be of paramount concern.

The Canada-China business community has strong links with a once-powerful Chinese official, Bo Xilai.

Bo was a rising star of the CCP until he was removed from his post as Party chief of the megacity of Chongqing after a scandal involving Chongqing official Wang Lijun. Wang gave the American Consulate in Chengdu accounts of the involvement of Bo and Bos wife, Gu Kailai, in the murder of a British businessman.

Bo was part of a faction loyal to former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin, a rival of current leader Xi Jinping. According to some accounts, Bo and some other officials in Jiangs faction had been plotting to overthrow Xi, and this was one of the main reasons Bo was removed from power.

Both Bo and wife Gu were heavily involved inand profiting fromthe state-sanctioned harvesting of organs from Falun Dafa prisoners of conscience.

Chretien once called Bo an old friend, and Sergio Marchi, who is a former Liberal trade minister and a past CCBC president, called Bo one of our key bridges, according to The Globe and Mail.

The relationship between Bo and Canadas business community is rooted in the close ties he had with the Desmarais family.

The Globe reported last year that Bos son, Bo Guagua, works for Power Corp. But the ties go all the way back to the time of Paul Desmarais Sr. and Bo Xilais father. According to the Globe, Bos father, Bo Yibo, at that time vice premier of the CCP, visited Paul Desmarais Sr. in the 1970s while en route to Washington to lay the groundwork for U.S. President Richard Nixons trip to China.

Shortly after Bo became Chinas commerce minister in 2004, Power Corp. was one of the first foreign companies receiving designation to buy and sell yuan-denominated shares on Chinese stock exchanges, the Globe notes.

CITIC-Power Corp. Ties

CITIC Group Corporationthe CCBCs only China-based founding memberis one of the Chinese entities with which Power Corp. has deep ties. The company is a state-owned investment company established to bring in foreign investment to China.

It was founded with the personal approval of Deng Xiaoping, the paramount leader of the Chinese regime after Maos death. Its founder, Rong Yiren, later a vice president of the Peoples Republic of China, was known as the red capitalist.

CITIC has a reputation for having links to the Chinese military and Chinas espionage apparatus.

Two men chat next to the offices of CITIC Pacific in Hong Kong on April 8, 2009. (Philippe Lopez/AFP via Getty Images)

Wang Jun, who was at one time the chairman of CITIC, was also at the same time in charge of Poly Group, a Chinese state-owned enterprise formed as a manufacturing arm of the Peoples Liberation Army. Wang was at the centre of a donation scandal in the United States in the 1990s, when Arkansas restaurateur and Democratic Party donor Yah Lin Charlie Trie used his influence to secure a meeting between Wang and then-president Bill Clinton in 1996. At the time of the meeting, Wangs Poly company was under investigation for illegal arms trading in the United States. Representatives of the company were charged with arms smuggling into the United States a few months after the meeting.

Clinton later said he shouldnt have met with Wang, and the US$640,000 amount donated by Trie to the Democratic National Convention, as well as $460,000 raised for Clintons legal defence, were returned amid questions about the source of the funds and allegations of Chinas role in the affair.

A leaked 1997 joint report by the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) accused CITIC of the same influence-peddling tactics in Canada.

CITIC has repeated the gesture [as it did in the United States] by contributing through its Canadian subsidiaries to Canadian political parties, the report said.

The 2019 book Chinese Spies, by veteran French journalist Roger Faligot, says the leadership of CITIC is known to harbour within its ranks a large number of Chinese secret agents.

According to Hidden Hand, Paul Desmarais Sr. was the main force behind bringing CITIC into the CCBC, and thus into the most senior levels of Canadas business elite.

Andre Desmarais was a board member of CITIC Pacific, a subsidiary of CITIC, from 1997 to 2014. During this period, Power Corp. bought stakes in CITIC Pacific.

Power Corp. also has 13.9 percent ownership in China Asset Management, an affiliate of CITIC. Mackenzie Financial Corporation, an indirect subsidiary of Power Corp., has a 13.9 percent stake in China Asset Management as well.

CITIC has included many CCP princelingschildren of Party leadersin its leadership ranks, including Wang Jun, the son of one of the CCPs eight elders, and Bo Xicheng, the brother of Bo Xilai and son of Bo Yibo, one of the Partys most senior political figures.

Paul Desmarais Sr. and Andre first met Rong during a business mission to China at the invitation of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, according to La Presse. Before Power Corp. bought a stake in CITIC, the Desmarais-Rong relationship had resulted in another joint venture in 1986: an investment in a pulp mill in British Columbia.

Expanding the Relationship

Former prime minister Mulroney, who has provided professional services to Power Corp. on different occasions, also sat on the board of CITIC after leaving office. According to a Globe article, Paul Desmarais Sr. was one of Mulroneys two main mentors as a young man. Power Corp. regularly used Mulroney as a labour lawyer.

Former prime mininster Brian Mulroney (L) greets Paul Desmarais Jr., then chairman and co-chief executive officer of Power Corporation of Canada, during an event in Mulroneys honour in Montreal on May 9, 2019. (The Canadian press/Graham Hughes)

According to the 2014 book Engaging China, after a 1986 official visit to China as prime minister, Mulroney wrote, Much remains to be done in expanding the relationship, but persistent work by successive Canadian prime ministers, principally Pierre Trudeau, is clearly paying off.

Following the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, when much of the Western world shunned diplomatic ties with Beijing, Mulroney told Zhu Rongji, Chinas vice premier at the time, that Canada would be prepared to fully engage with China in the years ahead but would need to be cautious because of Canadians concerns about human rights.

Mulroney played a key role in forging a partnership between Desmarais and entrepreneur Peter Munk to invest in gold deposits in China in 1994, a year after the end of his prime ministership. During a trip to China, Munk was impressed that Mulroney was able to arrange a dinner with Zhu Rongji, then head of Chinas central bank, without whom they wouldnt be able to get access to Chinas gold deposits.

This is a good example of how Brian [Mulroney] uses his connections and contacts and turns them into international business opportunities for the companies hes involved with, Munk told the Globe.

Pro-Beijing Turn

Under the leadership of Chretien, Canada became much more pro-Beijing.

Chretien once told the Chinese state-owned news network CGTN that he visited China many, many times when he was prime minister.

For the 10 years as the prime minister, I met the president of China 17 times, so I was close to China, Chretien said.

Prime Minister Jean Chretien meets with Chinese leader Jiang Zemin before their bilateral talks in Shanghai on Oct. 20, 2001. (AP Photo/Andrew Wong, Pool)

The Chinese leader during Chretiens tenure was Jiang Zemin, who came to power following the Tiananmen Square massacre, as the previous leader, Zhao Ziyang, was deemed too sympathetic to the protest movement. Jiang went on to launch a brutal campaign of persecution against the traditional meditation discipline Falun Dafa in 1999.

After the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, Chretien was one of the first world leaders to bring China out of isolation, rebooting relations with Beijing after the West had shunned the regime for its killing of unarmed protesters.

Chretien made a trade visit to China in 1994, bringing along premiers, foreign affairs officials, and some 400 business executives. The delegation signed $9 billion in trade deals while in China.

Ahead of the trip, Chretien and other officials said they would be using the visit to discuss the issue of human rights. But that issue was put aside, a Macleans article noted.

We do not practise megaphone diplomacy, but we do not practise doormat diplomacy either, a senior Foreign Affairs Department official told Macleans at the time.

The article said the closest Chretien came to discussing the issue was in a meeting with Chinese premier Li Peng.

Chretien raised the issue so briefly that a Chinese foreign affairs ministry official later insisted it had not come up at all, and Nova Scotia Premier John Savage, who was at the meeting, did not initially recall any mention of the subject, the article said.

The approach of sidelining human rights in favour of business interests has been far too common a theme among many political leaders.

During a trip to China in 2014, then-Liberal Quebec premier Philippe Couillard said he would not be bringing up the issue of human rights, saying, you have to listen to the point of view of your hosts on these questions.

After leading another delegation to China in 2018, during which he signed 40 agreements worth $262 million, Couillard said he didnt want to defeat the purpose of the mission with misguided comments. He said others shouldnt dictate to China how they govern themselves internally.

Then-Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard attends a signing ceremony between Canadian companies and their Chinese counterparts in Beijing on Oct. 29, 2014. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Former Progressive Conservative deputy prime minister Jean Charest, who was premier of Quebec from 2003 to 2012, criticized the Harper government in 2014 for not pursuing trade ties more aggressively with China.

Charest is now providing consulting services to Huawei to help the company in Mengs extradition case and in its bid to be involved in Canadas 5G network. The former premier, as well as Eddie Goldenberg, former senior political adviser to Chretien, were among several Canadian politicians whose names were in a dossier of key Canadian influencers Beijing provided to Huawei to advance its interests in Canada, according to the Globe, which obtained a copy of the dossier.

During Chretiens tenure, Canada withdrew its support for a U.N. resolution censuring China for human rights abuses in 1997. Instead, any talk of human rights was reserved for private meetings, where Chinese representatives simply brushed off the issue.

The year 1997 was also a key year for Power Corp.s foray into CITIC, as that was when it acquired a significant stake in the companys subsidiary CITIC Pacific and when Andre Desmarais became a board member of the subsidiary.

Chretien also supported Chinas admission to the World Trade Organization, which was instrumental in enriching the regimes coffers.

Martin, who succeeded Chretien as prime minister, maintained his predecessors China policy. During a 2005 trip by Chinese leader Hu Jintao to Canada, Martin and Hu agreed to build a strategic partnership between the two countries.

Some of the biggest orders for Martins shipbuilding business before he became prime minister came from China. According to an article published in The Walrus, in 1995 his Canada Steamship Lines company commissioned three new self-unloader vessels from the Chinese state-owned Jiangnan shipyards.

Resuming Close Ties

When Stephen Harper became prime minister in 2006, there was a considerable change in Canadas China policy, with Harper more vocally calling out Beijings human rights violations. He also refused to go to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which angered the CCP.

However, in the later years of his tenure, his government began to ease its tone on China.

Manthorpe writes in Claws of the Panda that behind this warming up in tone was a major lobby operation mounted using the CCPs agents of influence in business and academia to get the Harper government to change its attitude toward China.

After the Liberal Party won the 2015 federal election, it almost immediately began a policy of seeking closer ties with China. The government also spent money on public relations initiatives to warm Canadians toward closer Canada-China ties.

Trudeau visited China in 2016 and 2017, pursuing preliminary talks toward a free trade agreement, despite a $50 billion imbalance in trade between the two countries in Chinas favour. The talks failed in 2017 due to the Chinese side not wanting to entertain Trudeaus request to consider progressive values in the deal.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is greeted by Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the G20 Leaders Summit in Hangzhou, China, on Sept. 4, 2016. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

The same year, Canada committed hundreds of millions of dollars in investment in Beijings prestige-building initiative, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, meant to rival other multilateral development banks such as the World Bank.

Despite a clause in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) preventing member countries from forming free trade deals with non-market economiesa clear reference to ChinaTrudeau said in 2018 that Ottawa intends to pursue deeper trade ties with the Chinese communist regime.

The Liberal government was criticized by the opposition and U.S. politicians for allowing the takeover of two security-sensitive high-tech companies by Chinese companies. One was Norsat, a Vancouver-based satellite communications firm, and the other was ITF Technologies, a Montreal-based laser technology company.

In 2016, Trudeaus attendance at cash-for-access events became a source of controversy after it was revealed that some of the guests had ties to Beijing. One guest was Zhang Bin, an adviser to the Chinese regime. The event was held at the mansion of Benson Wong, president of the Toronto Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Attendance cost $1,500 per person. Zhang and a partner, donated $1 million to the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation and the University of Montreal Faculty of Law, where Pierre Trudeau had taught.

The Liberal government has been consistently soft on China. At one point, Ottawa was even considering an extradition treaty with Beijing.

Human rights and national security concerns aside, close economic ties and inclusion of a regime that doesnt play by the rules in global organizations may have benefited some corporations and individuals, but it hasnt been to the benefit of Canadians.

A 2017 report by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards found that between 2001 and 2011, Canada lost 150,000170,000 jobs due to increased Chinese imports. Another report in the same year by the Broadbent Institute said Canada has lost close to 550,000 manufacturing jobs since 2000, around the time that China was brought into the World Trade Organizationa move Chretien was a proponent of.

Ottawas tone on China has seemingly become more direct of late, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently calling out Beijing for its coercive diplomacy. But this has yet to be backed up by any concrete actionsand thats what Canadians want, according to a poll by Ekos Research in November. The poll showed that 83 percent of respondents said Canada should stand up to China to uphold Canadian values of respect for human rights and the rule of law.

A man holds a placard calling for China to release Canadian detainees Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig outside a court hearing for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at the B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver on March 6, 2019. (Lindsey Wasson/Reuters)

It created an uproar when internal government documents made public in early December showed that Global Affairs had pushed for the Canadian military to maintain training exercises with Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) in early 2019, shortly after China arrested Kovrig and Spavor. The pushback by Global Affairs occurred following a decision by the Canadian military to cancel winter training with the PLA due to security concerns raised by the United States. The move demonstrated Ottawas flawed thinking that the communist regime can be a trusted partner.

The Liberal government also still hasnt ruled out using Huawei equipment in Canadas 5G networks, despite security concerns from the intelligence community and the United States, which has warned that it would limit intelligence sharing with Canada if it allowed Huawei to participate in the countrys 5G. A poll in May 2020 by Research Co. showed that 75 percent of Canadians dont want Huawei equipment in Canadas 5G.

According to scholar Hamilton, untangling the Chinese regimes influence in Canada would be a 10-year struggle, as the influence of the CCP runs very deep in Canadian institutions.

If our leaders want to seriously put the interests of Canadians first rather than those of a few among the elite, they should make the effort to start todayand achieve it much sooner than 10 years.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Dubai Airports, operator of Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC), and GMR Hyderabad (GMR-HYD) have joined forces to create a Covid-19 vaccine distribution corridor.

Home to 88 global airlines including Dubai's flagship carrier Emirates, and 12 international and 400 local and regional freight forwarders, Dubai Airports with its interlinked cargo facilities at DXB and DWC and in partnership with dnata cargo, the airport service provider in Dubai, the HYD-DXB vaccine corridor will provide capacity to seamlessly handle up to 300 tonnes of vaccines per day.

The announcement follows the formalisation of an agreement recently after months of preparations by the two entities to design and create a seamless end-to-end logistics solution. The HYD-DXB vaccine corridor connects major vaccine manufacturers in India with markets around the world via Dubai's state-of-the-art cargo hub.

"A major surge in demand for the efficient, safe and reliable global distribution of high volumes of Covid-19 vaccines is expected in the coming months and as the world's preeminent hub of choice, we wanted to be ready to respond to and accommodate that demand. Our partnership with GMR-Hyderabad is timed perfectly just as the global race to develop the vaccines enters the final stage. This corridor is the result of our proactive strategy to be ready with innovative, collaborative and agile shipping solutions for the industry," said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

SGK Kishore, Executive Director  South & Chief Innovation Officer, GMR Airports, said, "As the world embarks on an unprecedented vaccination drive to combat Covid-19, our collaboration with Dubai Airports in the form of an exclusive vaccine air freight corridor - HYDXB-VAXCOR will play a key role in enabling seamless, safe and efficient shipment of Covid-19 vaccines to and from Hyderabad, the pharma capital of South Asia."

"We are excited to join forces with Dubai and Hyderabad Airports to ensure safe and efficient transportation of the Covid-19 vaccine across the region and beyond. Over the past few years, we've significantly invested in state-of-the-art facilities and the latest technologies to enhance our pharma handling capabilities. Our advanced infrastructure enables us to deliver the highest level of service and safety for our partners and their customers in this unique project," said Gary Chapman, President of dnata.

"Emirates SkyCargo is delighted to support the vaccine distribution corridor initiative between Dubai and Hyderabad Airports which will greatly facilitate the rapid and secure transportation of Covid-19 vaccines from Hyderabad to Dubai and beyond. Hyderabad is an important station for us in terms of pharma transportation and is part of our international Pharma Corridors initiative for enhanced cool chain protection for pharmaceuticals. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we have continued to transport important volumes of temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical cargo from Hyderabad and the region. Emirates SkyCargo provides robust flight connectivity to Hyderabad with more than 10 weekly flights on our widebody Boeing 777 aircraft. Together with our charter capability, we are well positioned to transport the Covid-19 vaccines from Hyderabad to our hub in Dubai where we have extensive EU GDP certified infrastructure for pharma, including a dedicated airside hub to store and distribute Covid-19 vaccines before transporting them onwards to the rest of the world including emerging markets," said Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo.

Dubai Airports and GMR-Hyderabad offer a great combination of opportunity and solution. Hyderabad is the world's emerging vaccine capital with five major vaccine producers in its vicinity, while Dubai, with its advanced aviation and logistics infrastructure, geocentric location and superior global network, is perfectly positioned as the gateway and distribution hub to efficiently deliver the vaccines to hundreds of cities across Europe, Africa, the Americas and the Middle East. - TradeArabia News Service
Chinese officials raid home Bible study, detain preacher and 5 worshipers

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Officials in Chinas Taiyuan city raided a house church, confiscated Christian books, and detained the preacher and five members during a Bible study, according to a report.

Nearly 40 officials descended on the home of An Yankui, the preacher of Xuncheng Church in the capital of Shanxi province, on Wednesday evening, about one-and-a-half months after a separate raid on his home, according to the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern.

The officials restricted the movement of the church members who were studying the Bible, confiscated the choir robes and books, and apprehended the preacher and five women, ICC said.

The officials didnt detain Ans wife, Yao Conya, as she had to take care of their children.

The officials released the five female detainees around midnight on New Years Eve, but An is being held in administrative detention for 15 days.

The heavily persecuted Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu planted the Xuncheng Church.

Xuncheng, which is being targeted possibly due to its association with the ERCC, was earlier raided on Nov. 15 and received a disbandment notice from the police.

China has more than 60 million Christians, at least half of whom worship in unregistered or illegal underground churches. China is ranked as one of the worst countries in the world when it comes to the persecution of Christians, according to Open Doors USAs World Watch List.

Gina Goh, ICCs regional manager for Southeast Asia, previously said that at a time when religion in China has to submit itself to the control of the Chinese Communist Party and President Xi Jinping, its no longer a surprise that a house church is seen as an enemy of the state and clamped down upon.

Chinas blindness to its violation of religious freedom needs to be continuously exposed so that Beijing knows it cannot get away with performing these evil acts, Goh said.

Earlier, China Aid reported that Li Chunze, the leader of a house church in Panlong District in the city of Kunming, was detained from Nov. 16 to Nov. 21 after Changqing police raided his house and accused the fellowship he attended of disturbing the order of public places.

The staff from the district religious affairs bureau said that it is illegal for believers to participate in religious activities at a venue not approved by the government, a local believer was quoted as saying.

According to a November 2020 report from the Pew Research Center, restrictions on religion in China have risen to a record level. Researchers found that China continues to have the highest score on the Government Restrictions Index out of all 198 countries and territories in the study.
Microsoft is Celebrating 20 Years of Xbox and Halo With New Merch and more
Pennsylvania reported 3,226 new COVID-19 cases and 66 new deaths on Monday. While the numbers are low compared to the surge that began in early December, they reflect a holiday period of less testing and processing of results.

The new deaths bring Pennsylvanias total to 16,361, while the new cases bring the states total to 665,097 confirmed and probable infections, according to data available from the Pennsylvania Department of Health as of late Monday morning.

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Dr. Rachel Levine planned to discuss the COVID-19 situation at a public briefing shortly before noon Monday.

Last week, Gov. Tom Wolf said Pennsylvanias tactics to slow spread of COVID-19 were working, allowing a set of restrictions on restaurants, some other businesses and school activities to expire on Monday.

As of the beginning of the week, Pennsylvania remained in the top five states for the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19.

On Monday morning, 5,630 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, according to the state health department.

Still, Pennsylvania was faring better than some states: its 14-day daily average of hospitalizations had fallen to about 5,880 people, down from from more than 6,100 in late December.

As of early Monday 1,149 of Pennsylvanias hospitalized COVID-19 patients were in intensive care, with the state reporting that 4,674 intensive care beds remained available across the state.

Numerous states and regions are doing worse.

Nationally, nearly 126,000 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Sunday, the highest number so far, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that hospitals were seriously stressed in numerous states including Texas and California. Some hospitals were using tactics including housing some COVID-19 patients who needed oxygen in emergency rooms and devoting all intensive care beds to the sickest COVID-19 patients, with all other critically-ill patients housed in different units. Some small and rural hospitals, lacking capacity to care for their sickest COVID-19 patients, were transferring them to far-off urban hospitals, but enduring long waits until beds became available.

The humanitarian group Samaritans Purse planned to open on Monday a 30-bed field hospital in western North Carolina to help five small hospitals straining to handle COVID-19 cases, according to The News and Observer in Raleigh.
Almost 10,000 motorists caught speeding on Northern Ireland's roads in the past three years avoided punishment because of a loophole in the law.

Drivers walked away from fines worth at least 597,300 because they could not be traced by the PSNI.

Non-UK residents, who fail to pay a 60 fixed penalty notice for speeding, cannot be summoned to a court in Northern Ireland.

A total of 9,751 were caught speeding by the NI Road Safety Partnership in the three years to last April, while a further 204 were detected running a red light.

On average, nine motorists per day went unpunished.

In one case, a vehicle registered in the Irish Republic was detected travelling at 116mph on the A6 Glenshane Road.

The details emerged after a Freedom of Information request by this newspaper.

A total of 167 fatalities were recorded on Northern Ireland roads between 2018 and 2020 - 55 in 2018, 56 in 2019 and 56 in 2020.

Road Safe NI chair Davy Jackson urged politicians at Stormont and the Dail to come together to close the loophole in regulations.

"We understand this is not a policing matter and it is something that would need to be a legislative change," he said.

"It is something we would be very disappointed in if people feel they can come up here and speed. Not everyone will be doing it intentionally but some people would feel they could get away with it.

"We're very disappointed in those figures and a lot of collisions happen in the border areas which would worry us more that those people are getting out of those offences.

"We would just encourage everyone to slow down and adhere to all the rules of the road."

Policing Board member and Alliance MLA John Blair pledged to raise the matter at the next board meeting.

"These figures are a matter of concern and it's something that the PSNI and the Policing Board should jointly give serious and urgent attention to," he added.

"It fits with our support for the current police road safety campaign which is being conducted in the public interest and all of these matters should be looked at in this regard."

Inspector Rosie Leech from the PSNI's Roads Policing team said that speeding fines can be levied in two ways.

Uniformed officers can issue an Endorsable Fixed Penalty Notice (EFPNs) - the endorsement of penalty points on a driving licence with a 60 fine, or through detection by Road Safety Cameras.

However, if the detection is made by a speed camera, the Fixed Penalty Processing Centre (FPPC) will issue a Notice of Intended Prosecution to the registered owner who must provide the details of who was driving the vehicle at the time of the offence, to the FPPC.

"Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) have to be paid in full at the Courts and Tribunals Service Fixed Penalty Office either in person or by post at which time, driving licences must also be handed in so that they can be endorsed," she added.

"The Courts and Tribunals Service Fixed Penalty Office only deals with the payment of FPNs issued in the north and the endorsement of driving licences.

"If a foreign driver decides not to pay the FPN, there is currently no mechanism to permit lawful postal service of a summons thereby bringing them before a Northern Ireland court."

Inspector Leech added that FPNs may be issued to drivers who do not hold a Northern Ireland driving licence.
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Image Source: NHS

The United Kingdom has begun rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, four days after it gave the nod to the jab.

Brian Pincker, an 82-year-old dialysis patient, was the first person to receive the dose by the chief nurse at Oxford University Hospital.

According to the Associated Press, Pincker said he was very pleased to receive the dose and was looking forward to celebrating his 49th anniversary with his wife Shirley.

On December 2, the UK became the first country to authorise the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use. It has since then been rolling out the doses to healthcare workers nursing home residents and staff.

Now with the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine also in use, it will strengthen the UK's fight against the coronavirus.

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

In comparison to the Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine, Oxford-AstraZeneca's shots are cheaper and easier to store.

How does the UK plan to distribute the doses?

For now, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will be administered at a small number of hospitals for the first few days so authorities can watch out for any adverse reactions.

According to the National Health Service (NHS), the UK also plans to launch hundreds of new vaccination sites at both hospitals as well as local doctors' offices.

The UK is in the middle of an acute outbreak, recording more than 50,000 new infections a day over the past six days.

On January 3, the country reported another 54,990 cases and 454 virus-related deaths to take its confirmed pandemic death toll total to 75,024.

India, too, had on January 3 granted emergency authorization to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine along with that for Bharat Biotech.

--With inputs from Associated Press
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 00:26:35|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- The death toll in a roof collapse at a crematorium in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday rose to 23, and nearly 20 others were injured, some of them seriously, local police confirmed with Xinhua over the phone.

The accident took place when the roof of a recently constructed structure collapsed at a crematorium in the state's Muradnagar area of Ghaziabad district, near Delhi.

"The structure was constructed nearly three months ago. It seems inferior quality of construction material was used in building it," India Today TV quoted a local man as saying.

The victims were attending the last rites of a dead man when the structure came crashing on them. Most of the dead belonged to the family of the dead man.

The roof reportedly collapsed amidst heavy rains during the day.

Rescue work has completed, and the injured were admitted to a local government hospital.

State Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced a compensation of 200,000 Indian Rupees (about 2,730 U.S. dollars) to the families of each of the deceased. He also directed the local administration officials to prepare a detailed report on the reasons of the accident.

Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the mishap, and prayed for a speedy recovery of the injured. Enditem
Families of three alleged militants, killed in an encounter with security forces at Parimpora on the outskirts of the city last week, on Monday demanded the return of their bodies and a fair investigation into the incident. According to security forces, Ajaz Maqbool Ganai, Zubair Ahmad Lone and Athar Mushtaq Wani were killed in an encounter on December 31. Police said while they were not listed as terrorists in their records, two of them had radical thoughts.

Holding placards that read "we want justice" and "stop killing innocents", the relatives of the slain youths held a protest demonstration on Residency Road here, demanding that their bodies be handed over to them so that they can perform their last rites. The families also demanded a fair investigation into the incident, which they allege was a fake encounter.

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah were among several mainstream politicians who called for returning the bodies to their families.

The leaders cited claims of their families that the three were innocent, though police had said they were radicalised and two of them had links with the Lashkar-e Taiba. Abdullah said the encounter should be probed in a fair and transparent manner.

"It is very important that the probe into this encounter be concluded at the earliest. Only a fair & transparent probe, already promised by @manojsinha_ , will satisfy the families who have lost their loved ones who they insist were innocent," he tweeted. The former chief minister said the union territory administration should, in the interim, hand over the bodies to their families.

"The LG has promised a fair & speedy probe into this encounter when @JKNC_ Lok sabha member @masoodi_hasnain spoke to him about it recently. In the interim we hope the LG will order the handing over of the bodies to the families," he added. Speaking in the same vein, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the Centre and the Union Territory administration should review the policy of not handing over the bodies of those killed in encounters with security forces.

The former chief minister claimed that during her tenure at the helm, she was also told not to return the bodies of the slain militants. "I refused it as it is against humanity and our religious beliefs," she said.

She claimed that it was not even clear if those killed were militants and urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to intervene. "How long are you going to enforce the peace at gunpoint? How are you going to win the hearts of the people here, " she added.

Earlier, a social activist and lawyer from Rafiabad area of Baramulla district, Advocate Inayat, joined the PDP. He was welcomed into the party by Mehbooba Mufti.
The Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College (NSCBMC) has called for applications in a prescribed format from eligible and interested candidates, male and female, for filling Two Ninety (290) vacancies to the post of Staff Nurse through direct recruitment to be posted at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, India on a fulltime basis. The application process towards the same started on December 29, 2020 and closes on January 20, 2021.

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Staff Nurse Organisation Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College (NSCBMC) Educational Qualification Passed 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry and Biology and possess a B.Sc in Nursing Experience Freshers can apply Job Responsibilities null Skills Required Desirable Job Location Jabalpur Salary Scale Rs. 10,000 per month Industry Medical College/Education Application Start Date December 29, 2020 Application End Date January 20, 2021

NSCBMC Recruitment 2021: Age Criteria And Fees

Candidates interested in applying for NSCBMC Staff Nurse Jobs 2021 through NSCBMC Recruitment 2021 must have attained 18 years of age and not have exceeded 40 years of age, with relaxation (upper age limit) up to 45 years for SC/ST/OBC/Women etc. categories as specified in the NSCBMC Recruitment 2021 Notification.

Candidates must pay a prescribed amount of Rs. 1,000 (Gen/UR) and Rs. 800 (SC/ ST/OBC/PWD) respectively as application fee for NSCBMC Staff Nurse Jobs 2021 under NSCBMC Recruitment 2021 through RTGS SBI Medical College as stated in the NSCBMC Recruitment 2021 Notification given at the end of the article.

Also Read: CSIR Recruitment 2021 For 21 Scientist And Technologist Posts, E-mail Applications Before February 15

NSCBMC Recruitment 2021: NSCBMC Staff Nurse Vacancy

Gender No. Of Vacancies Female 232 Male 58 Total 290

NSCBMC Recruitment 2021: Education And Eligibility

Desirous candidates applying for NSCBMC Staff Nurse Jobs 2021 through NSCBMC Recruitment 2021 must have passed 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry and Biology and possess a B.Sc in Nursing from a recognised University/Institution as detailed in the NSCBMC Recruitment 2021 Notification.

NSCBMC Recruitment 2021: Selection And Pay

The selection of candidates as NSCBMC Staff Nurse Jobs 2021 through NSCBMC Recruitment 2021 will be done through Shortlisting, Written Test/Interview and Certificate Verification as notified in the NSCBMC Recruitment Notification 2021.

Candidates selected to NSCBMC Staff Nurse Jobs 2021 through NSCBMC Recruitment 2021 will be paid an emolument of Rs. 10,000 per month as stated in the NSCBMC Recruitment Notification 2021.

Also Read: BHEL Recruitment 2021 For 120 Trade Apprentices Post, Register Online On NAPS Portal Before January 16

NSCBMC Recruitment 2021: How To Apply

Candidates applying for NSCBMC Staff Nurse Jobs 2021 through NSCBMC Recruitment 2021 must fill the application form in a prescribed format attached with the NSCBMC Recruitment Notification 2021 and send the same to the address concerned on or before January 20, 2021.

Download NSCBMC Recruitment 2021 Notification PDF for Staff Nurse posts
New Delhi:

A delegation of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) on Monday demanded fresh medical test of the women who had alleged that they were rapedby a gang of robbers on the Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh.

The AIDWA delegation led by its Delhi unit president Maimoona Mollah visited Jewar to meet the women. The AIDWA is the women's wing of the CPI(M).

Armed robbers had on May 25 struck a group of eight persons travelling to Bulandshahr in a vehicle on the Yamuna Expressway, shooting dead a man and looting cash and jewellery.

Four women, who were travelling in the car along with as many men, alleged that they were raped at gunpoint after they tried to resist the robbery bid.

ALSO READ: Another UP shocker: Six criminals loot family on Jewar-Bulandshahr highway; four women allegedly raped, one killed



"We found that the police, administration and media reports are downplaying the horrendous incident...Such reports have only helped to derail the case," Mollah said in a statement.

She said the women were in deep trauma and needed immediate medical support.

"A medical board need to be constituted so that repeat medical examination could be conducted to bring out the truth," she said.

The Greater Noida police and medical officials had earlier maintained that no sexual assault was confirmed in the preliminary medical examination of the victims.

The AIDWA delegation also met the wife of the man who was killed by the robbers, and demanded the Uttar Pradesh government take care of her son's education.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Suspect Mytrez Deunte Woolen, 21, of Marshall, has been booked into the Smith County Jail on $3,500,000 bond

A suspect is in custody after a pastor was shot dead with his own gun on Sunday morning.

The tragedy occurred after a car chase by the suspect who hid from Texas police in a church overnight and then wrestled the weapon off the pastor before firing it.

The victim, 62-year-old Pastor Mark McWilliams, ultimately died from his injuries and several others were injured at the Starrville Methodist Church near Winona. A second person was also wounded in the shooting.

Sgt. Larry Christian of the Smith County Sheriff's office said deputies were called to the church to respond to the shooting around 9:20am.

The shooter, 21-year-old Mytrez Deunte Woolen, who had a gunshot wound to the hand, is now in custody and charged with aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and capital murder.

He has been booked into the Smith County Jail on $3,500,000 bond.

It's believed he had been involved in a car chase the previous night.

Pictured: Mytrez Deunte Woolen, 21, of Marshall, Texas, is taken into custody in Harrison, Texas

Woolen received a gunshot wound to his hand as he was being arrested by police in Texas

Woolen fled on foot after the tire in his car blew before reportedly hiding in the toilets of the church where he was discovered.

The Smith County Sheriff, Larry Smith, declined to say why authorities had been searching for the man. Authorities had been using dogs and drones to search for the man late on Saturday night in woods near Winona, according to KLTV.

On Sunday afternoon, Smith explained that the incident began after police in Lindale received calls about the suspect on Saturday evening, but were unable to find his vehicle.

Deputies saw the vehicle later on and a pursuit began around 7:30pm on Saturday. Woolen was said to have been pointing his gun out of the sunroof of the car.

The suspect continued driving and police gave chase for around 20 miles before Woolen ultimately careened into a front yard of the church and ran away.

Smith said the suspect disappeared into the woods and a fruitless search lasting several hours began.

Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith speaks to the media on Sunday to explain what happened

The Smith County Sheriff's Office investigates a fatal shooting incident at the Starville Methodist Church in Winona, Texas, on Sunday morning. A suspect who fled has been arrested, said the sheriff's office

An officer had been searching around the church area until 10.30pm along with a drone and K-9 unit but the suspect was not found, however it is now believed he likely entered the church about 2:30am and remained there until the Sunday morning's confrontation at 9: 30am.

The armed pastor is said to have then opened the door to the toilet stall the following morning, finding Woolen together with the church's red bank bag. The two are said to have become involved in a struggle.

Woolen is thought to have disarmed McWilliams before shooting and killing him.

Sheriff Smith says Woolen shot at the pastor's wife, Rosemary, but missed. However, she did sustain a shoulder injury from a fall while running away.

He then stole the pastor's car and headed onto the Interstate where he drove at speeds of up to 120mph before being caught in Harrison County with a gunshot wound to his hand.

He was known to law enforcement and was a suspect in a previous drive-by shooting.

It's believed Woolen had been involved in a car chase the previous night before being found hiding in the church's toilets by the pastor on Sunday morning

The armed pastor is thought to have discovered Woolen, pictured, in the toilets of the church. The two become involved in an altercation and Woolen is thought to have disarmed the pastor before shooting and killing him

Authorities had been using dogs and drones to search for the man late Saturday in woods near Winona. An officer had been around the church area until 10.30pm but the suspect was not found. He had been hiding inside the church until Sunday morning when he was discovered

Sgt. Christian said there were no services going on when the shooting took place.

Woolen appears to have taken shelter in the church out of convenience and there's nothing to indicate the shooting was motivated by religious animus, the sheriff said.

'I don't think it's going to be any kind of hate motivation or anything,' Christian said.

Governor Greg Abbott sent his condolences.

'Our hearts are with the victims and the families of those killed or injured in this terrible tragedy,' Abbott said. 'I am grateful for the law enforcement officers who apprehended the suspect, and I ask Texans to join Cecilia and me in praying for those affected by this horrific shooting. The State of Texas is working closely with first responders and local officials to ensure that justice is served and that the Starrville community has the resources it needs during this time.'

Numerous state troopers and sheriff's deputies could be seen outside the church, which was cordoned off with yellow tape late Sunday morning.

Winona is a small town about 100 miles east of Dallas. Starrville Methodist was built in 1853, according to the Texas State Historical Association.

Woolen was wanted after he had been spotted pointing a shot gun out of the sunroof of his car

Woolen appears to have taken shelter in the church out of convenience and there's nothing to indicate the shooting was motivated by religious animus
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 12:33:43|Editor: huaxia

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by Xinhua Writer Cao Kai

NAIROBI, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi leaves Beijing on Monday for his official visit to Africa, carrying on a tradition of 31 years that a Chinese foreign minister begins a year of overseas tours in Africa.

In spite of the raging COVID-19 pandemic across the continent, Wang will visit Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Botswana, Tanzania and Seychelles, highlighting the great importance China attaches to its relations with Africa and demonstrating their enduring friendship in weal and woe.

Dominating the year of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has left the world lasting scars both in disastrous mortality and economic loss, yet the once-in-a-century epidemic also witnessed China-Africa brotherhood strengthened in their joint efforts to fight the virus.

During the most difficult time in China's fight against the coronavirus last year, more than 50 African leaders sent messages of condolences and valuable support to China. After COVID-19 broke out in Africa, China took the lead in providing Africa with a large amount of anti-epidemic materials and sending medical teams to 15 African countries.

China has been adhering to the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith in its policy toward Africa. In 2020, China has started to help the construction of the Headquarters of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ahead of schedule, honoring its commitment made at the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against COVID-19.

On the economic front, China signed debt service suspension agreements with 12 African countries and reduced or waived the interest-free loans of 15 African nations due at the end of 2020, becoming the biggest helper in terms of relieving African debt among the Group of 20.

China and Africa -- the largest developing country and the largest developing continent, have always adhered to the principle of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation on the basis of equality and respect, setting a good example for South-South cooperation.

The year of 2020, which marks the 20th anniversary of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), has opened a new era of political mutual trust and comprehensive cooperation between the two sides.

In the past two decades, Africa has built more than 6,000 km of railways, 6,000 km of roads, nearly 20 ports and more than 80 major power facilities within the framework of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the "ten cooperation plans" and the "eight initiatives" proposed by China.

Also during that period, two-way trade has increased 20 times, and China's direct investment in Africa has increased 100 times, helping to draw Africa into an upward trajectory to prosperity.

China-Africa cooperation, especially under the BRI, has offered the developing continent a real "China opportunity." Furthermore, China and the African Union have recently signed an agreement to promote the BRI in Africa, which will effectively synergize the initiative with Africa's Agenda 2063, a blueprint for transforming Africa into a global powerhouse of the future.

In 2021, challenges remain ahead, yet beams of hope will light up the future. Trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) that covers more than 1.2 billion people started on Friday, a landmark for Africa's transformation and development, also providing a golden opportunity for China and Africa to tap into their economic potentials.

For the new year, China and Africa have set clear targets in their cooperation roadmap. Senegal will cochair this year's FOCAC meetings. China will work with Africa on the three priority areas of vaccine cooperation, economic recovery and transformative development.

Unfolding the new year, Wang's visit is not only passing on a tradition but also demonstrating China's resolution to strengthen bonds with Africa and boost confidence in African countries' future development.

Bringing China's support and experience in fighting the pandemic and poverty, Wang's visit will also enhance African countries' confidence and efforts in their own fights against similar difficulties, inject new vitality into China-Africa cooperation and bring their relations to new heights. Enditem
In brief: Its incredible just how far self-driving technology has come in the last decade. To give you an idea of what todays vehicles can do, watch the video above of a Tesla Model 3 equipped with the companys Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature complete a trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles with almost no intervention from the human behind the wheel.

Tesla enthusiast Whole Mars Catalog (WMC) posted a time-lapse clip of the 380-mile journey compressed into 15 minutes.

The only apparent intervention came when the car crossed into LA and a piece of debris popped up suddenly after a car moved out of the way. WMC wrote that I couldnt wait to see if FSD would avoid it and had to make sure to move over myself. Additionally, the battery wasnt fully charged, so there were two charging stops during the trip.

There was also a moment where the car exhibited some unusual behavior around San Franciscos Market Street when it moved into an adjacent lane. WMC writes that while most people would have taken manual control at this point, they watched closely for any danger but never intervened.

Price change is pushed to Thursday next week. Applies only to US for now. One week clock will start in other countries as beta is released. FSD monthly rental will also be available sometime next year.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 22, 2020

Offering more features and autonomy compared to Autopilot, Teslas limited FSD beta started rolling out in October. It can change lanes, park, and drive itself to owners in certain areas. Elon Musk says, based on his own experience, that FSD is able to navigate complicated series of intersections and narrow roads.

The scenario of a world filled with cars driving themselves as we sit in the passenger seats watching TV is still a long way off, but being able to drive hundreds of miles between cities is a major step toward a self-driving future.
NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OUTFRONT Media Inc. (NYSE: OUT) announced today that Jeremy Male, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, is scheduled to present at the Citi 2021 Global TMT West Virtual Conference on Thursday, January 7, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. A live and replay audio webcast will be available on the investor relations section of the Company's website at www.OUTFRONTmedia.com.

About OUTFRONT Media Inc.

OUTFRONT leverages the power of technology, location and creativity to connect brands with consumers outside of their homes through one of the largest and most diverse sets of billboard, transit, and mobile assets in North America. Through its technology platform, OUTFRONT will fundamentally change the ways advertisers engage audiences on-the-go.

Contacts:

Investors

Media Gregory Lundberg

Courtney Richards Senior Vice President, Investor Relations

PR & Events Specialist (212) 297-6441

(646) 876-9404 [email protected]

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SOURCE OUTFRONT Media Inc.

Related Links

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Consultations on the renewal of the Association Agreement with the European Union are an important task in Ukraine's relations with the EU this year, according to Deputy Head of the President's Office Ihor Zhovkva.

He wrote this in an article for the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia (Mirror Weekly) newspaper.

"The most important tasks in relations with the EU for 2021 include the launch of consultations on the renewal of the Association Agreement, as well as the signing of a common aviation area agreement in early 2021," he said.

He added that at the end of the first quarter of 2021, an expert mission from the European Commission will be able to provide its conclusions on Ukraine's readiness to conclude an Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products, and Ukraine will begin to implement the relevant recommendations.

According to him, in 2021 it is also a priority to start a substantive dialogue with the EU on Ukraine's involvement in the implementation of the European Green Deal.

In the field of relations with NATO, Zhovkva said it was necessary to make the most of the status of Ukraine's enhanced opportunities partner so as to bring the country closer to its membership in the Alliance.

"We are waiting for the reaction of our partners to the relevant proposals made by the President to the NATO Secretary General. We will make every effort to ensure a full-fledged meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission is held at a high level in 2021," Zhovkva said.

He also added that the key task in 2021 is to ensure Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic goals are taken into account in the decisions of NATO leaders at the next NATO summit.

op
The heads of Korea's top four conglomerates are seen ahead of a New Year's meeting of business leaders and representatives from various fields, hosted by President Moon Jae-in in Seoul on Jan. 2, 2020. Third from left is SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, followed by LG Group chief Koo Kwang-mo, Chung Eui-sun, then executive vice chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, and Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong. Yonhap



By Kim Yoo-chul



Hyundai Motor Group's aggressive push to float an all-new vehicle production platform  E-GMP  looks set to boost share prices of Samsung SDI, SK Innovation (SKI) and LG Chem as the country's top-three battery producers are set to supply each of their tailored products for the vehicle.



According to local reports, Samsung SDI and SKI could be chosen as the primary battery suppliers for Hyundai's dedicated electric vehicle E-GMP platform. If the deal is completed, then this would mark the opening of the "strategic collaboration" between Hyundai Motor Group and Samsung in the futuristic EV business.



Samsung SDI ended with 671,000 won, up 6.85 percent from the previous trading session, Monday. SKI soared 21.58 percent to end at 231,000 won per ordinary share, while LG Chem spiked 7.89 percent at 889,000 won, according to the data by the Korea Exchange (KRX), the country's main bourse operator.



Since last year, Hyundai Motor has been on track to develop its new E-GMP platform with the hope that the platform would underpin the forthcoming Hyundai, Kia and Genesis models. Vehicles based on this platform will offer over 500 kilometers range per charge. Hyundai earlier said all of its three such vehicle models have up to 23 EVs planned for release by 2025.



Battery makers estimate the total monetary value to be a whopping 25 trillion won based on Hyundai's shift to adopt its first bespoke EV architecture and the fact that the item is set to underpin vehicles of varying sizes from sedans, hatchbacks to SUVs.



"But it is very unlikely for Hyundai to choose one single company as its E-GMP battery supplier because of high package volume. That means Hyundai is set to diversify its battery sourcing channel. With LG Energy Solution, SKI is also set to win contracts from Hyundai because SKI has volume strengths and is one of the few battery manufacturers that can guarantee on-time delivery and competitive pricing," one official familiar with the issue said, Monday, adding Samsung SDI would possibly be the other beneficiary.



Earlier, Hyundai chose SKI as the first-notch battery supplier of its E-GMP architecture for the Ioniq-5, followed by LG Energy Solution and China's CATL as the second-notch suppliers for the Ioniq-6, the deal amount of which was 10 trillion won and 16 trillion won, each round.



Regarding the specifics, senior Samsung SDI executives declined to comment as the company normally doesn't do so on issues that are client-related. LG Energy Solution also declined to elaborate.



Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong met with Hyundai Chairman Chung Euisun, then Hyundai EVC, two times last year. The meetings raised the possibility that the two conglomerates may expand their businesses focusing on vehicle semiconductors and batteries, two segments the firm hasn't explored before.



One interesting point is that Hyundai's E-GMP initiatives would help battery materials providers such as Dongwha Enterprise because top battery pack manufacturers have to procure necessary components from battery parts suppliers. Dongwha has been maintaining a solid partnership with SDI and SKI after it acquired a lithium-ion battery materials supplier, now named Dongwha Electrolyte.


Contributing columnist Jose Gaspar is a news anchor/reporter for Telemundo Bakersfield and KGET. Email him at elcompa29@gmail.com. The views expressed here are his own.
If a legislator does test positive for COVID-19, he or she will have to disclose that to leadership, which will then do contact tracing and follow CDC guidelines, Huston said. It will be up to the legislator to publicly disclose that he or she tested positive, he said.
Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who covered the coronavirus outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan earlier this year, was convicted of picking quarrels and provoking trouble on December 28 and sentenced to four years in prison. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has strongly condemned Beijings attempt to quash critical voices while calling on Chinese authorities to overturn the verdict and release Zhang immediately.

Police stand at the entrance of the Shanghai Pudong New District People's Court, where Zhang Zhan is set for trial, in Shanghai on December 28, 2020. Credit: Leo Ramirez/AFP.

Zhang, 37, was found guilty of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, a broadly defined charge often levelled by the authorities against those who are critical of the Chinese Communist Party, the BBC and other news outlets reported

Tight security was in place outside the court on December 28 and journalists were kept away by law enforcement personnel, reported AFP . Her lawyer, Zhang Keke, said Zhang was in poor health and attended the trial in a wheelchair, according to South Morning China Post .

The former lawyer went to Wuhan, the city where the first COVID-19 cases were reported in China, in February to report on the outbreak. She was arrested in May and was later transferred to detention in Shanghai. Zhang went on a hunger strike and was force-fed through a tube, the Guardian said.

When in Wuhan, Zhang used streaming videos and social media posts to try to break stories that were kept from the public by government officials. She interviewed local people and filmed a hospital crowded with patients during the citys lockdown.

Zhang was indicted in November, and the authorities accused her of spreading false information through online platforms.. The indictment document also noted that Zhang had speculated on the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan while giving interviews to foreign news organisations.

This is not the first time Zhang has been punished for crossing Beijings red line. In 2019, she was detained for two months after she shared and wrote articles related to Hong Kongs pro-democracy protest movement, reports said.

Beijing has ramped up its efforts to clamp down on citizen journalists for their coverage of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan during its early stages. Chen Qiushi, Li Zehua , and Fang Bin have all either been detained or placed under state supervision. Zhang is reportedly the first among them to have been handed jail time.

The IFJ said: The IFJstrongly condemns Beijings attempt to quash critical voices and calls on the Chinese authorities to overturn the verdict and release Zhang Zhanimmediately.

The IFJ also calls on Beijing to drop the charges against Jimmy Lai and cease using the security law to suppress free speech.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 17:57:59|Editor: huaxia

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COLOMBO, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka has spent around 570,000 U.S. dollars on COVID-19 precautionary measures in schools around the country, state media reported here Monday.

Minister of Education G.L. Peiris was quoted in state-owned Daily News saying that sets of equipment have been provided to schools in order to protect the health of children ahead of classes restarting in the new year.

Minister Peiris said that schools would be reopened in isolated areas on Jan. 11 following consultation with health officials. He said that teachers and ministry officials will meet between Jan. 4 to 11 to discuss the implementation of health and safety protocols. Enditem
The writer is based in South India for the past 40 years. He writes on India, China, Tibet and Indo-French relations.

Has Beijing succeeded in intimidating India with its brazen info warfare?

It has obviously not been a bad year for China: Hua Chunying, its foreign ministry spokesperson, described 2020 as a fantastic year It has obviously not been a bad year for China: Hua Chunying, its foreign ministry spokesperson, described 2020 as a fantastic year (Image:AP)

At the beginning of the year, it is customary to look at the past 12 months and try to draw conclusions about the past years happenings.

2020 will undoubtedly remain as an awful year, not only for India, but also for humanity at large, and only one country (or more correctly, one regime) is behind this planet-wide misery: China and its ruling Communist Party.

It has obviously not been a bad year for China: Hua Chunying, its foreign ministry spokesperson, described 2020 as a fantastic year.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) team will soon travel to Wuhan to investigate the origins of Covid-19, but will they find any clues? In an interview with the BBC, Prof. Shi Zhengli (the bat woman) who has been associated with the P4 French lab in Wuhan, recently denounced unsubstantiated claims that the coronavirus leaked from her laboratory.

But even without speaking of Wuhan, when the BBC team tried to visit the remote district of Tongguan, in Yunnan, to enquire about Prof. Shis fieldwork, they could not reach the place: Plainclothes police officers and other officials in unmarked cars followed us for miles along the narrow, bumpy roads, stopping when we did, backtracking with us when we were forced to turn around. We found obstacles in our way, including a broken-down lorry, which locals confirmed had been placed across the road a few minutes before we arrived.

The fact remains that many whistleblowers have now disappeared, and it will be difficult to prove anything as the lab has been cleaned of all traces of mishaps.

Even the conservative National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) of France admitted that the origin of SARS-CoV-2 is being seriously questioned.

In an interview, eminent CNRS virologist Etienne Decroly discussed the various hypotheses, including that of an accidental leak from a laboratory.

When asked if the virus could have escaped from a laboratory, the professor said: The hypothesis cannot be ruled out, given that SARS-CoV, which emerged in 2003, has escaped from laboratory experiments at least four times.

One factor which has been ignored (or conveniently forgotten): the Chinese authorities gave the control of the top secret lab in Wuhan to the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) when the world was still unaware of the coming pandemic. The high technology transferred to China was done under the garb of Sino-French advanced scientific collaboration; the top secret label ensures that nobody is allowed to seriously inquire into why France left the project after 2017.

However, we know at the end of January 2020, a Chinese PLA general took over the civilian institute in Wuhan  Maj. Gen. Chen Wei, a researcher at the Military Medical Research Institute of the Academy of Military Sciences, became the laboratory in charge; by March 2020, the lady general claimed to have found the first vaccine against the virus. All this raises many serious questions which very few are ready to discuss openly.

In February already, a group of Chinese scholars led by Botao Xiao of the South China University of Technology wrote a paper for the Natural Science Foundation of China; it dealt with the possible origins of 2019-nCoV coronavirus.

After searching around the seafood market in Wuhan, said to be the epicentre of the outbreak, they identified two laboratories conducting research on bat coronavirus. The first one, the Wuhan Centre for Disease Control & Prevention, is located 280 meters from the market where the virus is supposed to have emerged. The scientists found that surgery was performed on the caged animals and the tissue samples were collected for DNA and RNA extraction and sequencing. The tissue samples and contaminated trashes were a source of pathogens. It was not proof, but a strong lead.

The second laboratory, the Wuhan Institute of Virology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is located 15 km from the seafood market; this is the French lab taken over by Maj. Gen. Chen Wei.

Prof. Xiao and his colleagues concluded: In addition to origins of natural recombination and intermediate host, the killer coronavirus probably originated from a laboratory in Wuhan. The safety level may need to be reinforced in high-risk bio-hazardous laboratories. That study quickly disappeared from the Internet.

It was in these circumstances that China decided to teach India a lesson.

From all available information today, Gen. Zhao Zongqi, the commander of the Western Theatre Command (WTC) facing India, managed to convince President Xi Jinping, who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission, that China could advance in a few areas in Ladakh at little cost for Beijing.

Gen. Zhao had already masterminded the 2017 Doklam incident. In May, the PLA began to move in Ladakh, but it soon turned into a misadventure for Beijing; the Chinese generals had not planned for New Delhis strong reaction.

The good news is that on December 18, Gen. Zhao has been replaced by a rather unknown officer who has never set foot in the WTC; and he has no experience of the Indian border. Its too early to say what it means for the future negotiations in Ladakh, but it probably indicates that Beijing will be more flexible. If so, this is certainly a good thing for India as Gen. Zhao was the main hardliner.

Retrospectively, what Mr Xi has achieved in 2020?

The virus has made the world acutely aware of the dark sides of China; the image of the totalitarian party wont improve in 2021.

Today President Xi finds himself in a lose-lose situation, as he realises he cant bully India in Ladakh. Will the Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi Road Gen. Zhao tried to stop be shelved by India? The answer is no. Will India drop its suzerainty claims over Gilgit-Baltistan? No!

Gen. Zhao will certainly not get a seat in the Central Military Commission as he expected. Has China gained strategic advantages in Ladakh? Hardly. In August, the ridges in southern Pangong Tso, on the Kailash range, were lost to the PLA.

Has Beijing succeeded in intimidating India with its brazen info warfare? Absolutely not. Has Mr Xis prestige been enhanced after Ladakh? Certainly not. Instead, it showed the PLAs limitations facing a determined adversary. Economically too, Beijing lost a lot, especially with India (and several other countries) banning a number of Chinese apps and the decision to not award big contracts to China.

One could add many issues to the list. All this makes me think 2021 will an annus horribilis for China and its new Great Helmsman. It would only be justice.
After wrapping up The Bachelorette on Dec. 22, ABC is ushering in its latest new franchise lead, Matt James, for The Bachelor with a history-making season.

James was announced as the lead in an unprecedented manner  many months before hed even film  and he kept the secret locked tight, not even telling his own mom until the live broadcast announcement. The announcement itself is definitely one of the lesser incredible ways that James is changing up the franchise for the first time.

Matt James | Craig Sjodin via Getty Images

Hes a Black man

For the first time ever in The Bachelor franchise (25 seasons), the person whos looking for love is a Black man. The show has recently faced much criticism for lacking in diversity in front of and behind the camera. And amidst the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, ABC decided to announce in June  via a Good Morning America interview  that James would take the role in lieu of going on Clare Crawleys season of The Bachelorette.

In response to whether being cast as the first Black lead on The Bachelor points to lasting change in the franchise on GMA, James said: I think its a step in the right direction. He continued, This is hopefully the first of many Black men to be in the position that Im at now.

He hasnt been a contestant on the show

Typically, The Bachelor lead is picked due to being a frontrunner and fan-favorite from a prior season as a contestant on The Bachelorette. And while some recent leads announcements have been shocking  often due to being a few years removed from being a contestant  the audience has never even seen James on any iteration of the show before. Prior to James announcement as The Bachelor, he was supposed to be a contestant on Crawleys season, but after the news broke, his plans clearly changed.

From the audiences perspective, this is fascinating. Since James has never been on the show before, his narrative as the lead will be completely new to all. He wont have a built-in narrative thats connected to a prior lead, and audiences will have to get to know him alongside the women on the show.

However, even though James hasnt appeared on any of The Bachelor franchise shows, he is known to some of the audience due to being former contestant Tyler Camerons BFF, as well as former Bachelorette Hannah Browns. People have gotten to know James a little bit due to his social media presence, but thats nothing compared to the intimate look that reality television tends to curate of its talent.

The entire season will take place at a Pennsylvania resort

The Bachelor | Craig Sjodin via Getty Images

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, James season avoided all domestic and international travel and was filmed entirely at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Pennsylvania. Just like Crawleys season  which then turned into Tayshia Adams season  the shows romantic dates will all take place within the confines of the resorts area due to safety concerns. However, instead of experiencing the dry heat of La Quinta, California  where the most recent season of The Bachelorette took place  James contestants got to film in the beautiful Pennsylvania fall weather surrounded by snow.

Despite the lack of travel, if Crawley and Adams go at The Bachelorette taught us anything, its that the producers and crew of this franchise can make a dramatic and sizzling season even without the romantic backdrop of worldly cities. And regardless, the excitement of James being the first Black male lead as well as someone completely new to the franchise should be more than enough to springboard this season into the audiences must-watch list for January.

The Bachelor premiere airs on Jan. 4 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

RELATED: The Bachelor: Chris Harrison Teases Matt James Cast Will Include a Familiar Face
Researchers have found a novel way to identify heat-stressed corals, which could help scientists pinpoint the coral species that need protection from warming ocean waters linked to climate change, according to a Rutgers-led study.

"This is similar to a blood test to assess human health," said senior author Debashish Bhattacharya, a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. "We can assess coral health by measuring the metabolites (chemicals created for metabolism) they produce and, ultimately, identify the best interventions to ensure reef health. Coral bleaching from warming waters is an ongoing worldwide ecological disaster. Therefore, we need to develop sensitive diagnostic indicators that can be used to monitor reef health before the visible onset of bleaching to allow time for preemptive conservation efforts."

Coral reefs provide habitat, nursery and spawning grounds for fish, food for about 500 million people along with their livelihoods, and coastline protection from storms and erosion. But global climate change threatens corals by warming ocean waters, resulting in coral bleaching and disease. Other threats to corals include sea-level rise, a more acidic ocean, unsustainable fishing, damage from vessels, invasive species, marine debris and tropical cyclones, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The study, published in the journal Science Advances, examined how Hawaiian stony corals respond to heat stress, with a goal of identifying chemical (metabolite) indicators of stress. Heat stress can lead to the loss of algae that live in symbiosis with corals, resulting in a white appearance (bleaching) and, potentially, the loss of reefs.

YouTube video: How to build a Coral Hospital

Scientists subjected the heat-resistant Montipora capitata and heat-sensitive Pocillopora acuta coral species to several weeks of warm seawater in tanks at the Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology. Then they analyzed the metabolites produced and compared them with other corals not subjected to heat stress.

"Our work, for the first time, identified a variety of novel and known metabolites that may be used as diagnostic indicators for heat stress in wild coral before or in the early stages of bleaching," Bhattacharya said.

The scientists are validating their coral diagnosis results in a much larger study and the results look promising. The scientists are also developing a "coral hospital" featuring a new lab-on-a-chip device, which could check coral health in the field via metabolite and protein indicators.

###

The coral hospital work is in collaboration with Rutgers School of Engineering Professor Mehdi Javanmard and Xiaoyang Su, an assistant professor at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and director of the Rutgers Metabolomics Shared Resource at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Rutgers co-lead authors for the Hawaii study include doctoral student Amanda Williams and Eric N. Chiles, research teaching specialist at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Other Rutgers co-authors include Jananan S. Pathmanathan, a post-doctoral associate, and Professor Su. Researchers at the University of Rhode Island and Stanford University contributed to the study.
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By Damali Mukhaye and Kelvin Atuhairwe

Local leaders in Kisoro District have begged president Museveni to pardon their son Kale Kayihura, the former Inspector General of Police.

The local leaders led by the district chairman Abel Basimana have literally gone on their knees and asked President Museveni to forgive Gen Kayihura like he has done for many others.

Basimana says Kayihura was a great NRM mobiliser in Kisoro and so his absence from the vote hunting scene this time is likely to affect the partys votes in the district.

The leaders made the plea as the NRM presidential candidate, Museveni was meeting party leaders in the District ahead of next weeks elections.

Meanwhile, while campaigning in the same district earlier last month, other presidential candidates including FDCs Patrick Amuriat and NUPs Robert Kyayulanyi promised to re-appoint Kayihura if voted into power.
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There will be an extended period of remote learning for schools in Northern Ireland, the Executive has said.

In a statement on Monday night, the Executive said the Education Minister Peter Weir would bring forward a paper on the issue on Tuesday.

The Executive also agreed that it will move to put staying at home into regulations and a paper will be brought to the Executive tomorrow setting out the detail, including restrictions on travel, a spokesperson said.

"The Executive will consider further advice from the Department of Health setting out the public health situation and future implications, and Ministers will update the Assembly on Wednesday on the decisions they reach at tomorrows meeting," they added.

It's after a meeting between ministers on Monday evening to discuss the introduction of further lockdown measures to stem the spread of Covid-19.

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said what was agreed would be formalised on Tuesday.

Earlier on Monday evening, Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave a televised address at 8pm in which he set out new emergency measures to control the spread of coronavirus in England.

All schools in England are to move to remote learning only as part of the new measures announced by Mr Johnson.

On social media, deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill confirmed post-meeting that remote learning will be extended here, while there will be legal backing to the stay-at-home message. No decision is believed to have been taken on exams.

In addition to the restrictions already in place....Remote learning will be extended. Stay at home will be put in to regulation. Travel will be revisited. Education & Health Minister to bring detail of proposals to meeting of Exec tomorrow to include recommendations on exams  Michelle OaNeill (@moneillsf) January 4, 2021

It comes as Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride said the health service here is likely to come under "extreme pressure" in the coming weeks due to the impact of the rise in cases in Covid-19 Northern Ireland.

Speaking to the BBC, Dr McBride said the current surge is due to a combination of factors, including the relaxation of restrictions pre-Christmas, the time of year and intergenerational mixing.

He said the "deeply troubling figures" are set to "work [their] way through admissions to hospitals, admissions to intensive care and sadly, deaths."

But he said advisors "don't yet think the new variant is playing a significant part", adding it is not yet the dominant strain.

"We can't undo the contribution of the Christmas period or the relaxations but what we can do is all act to make sure the situation doesn't get worse and that includes working to make sure this variant doesn't become established here.

Earlier on Monday, the Department of Health said a further 12 people have died in Northern Ireland after contracting coronavirus.

The death toll, according to the department, is now 1,366.

Ten deaths occurred between 10am on January 3 and 10am January 4, with one person passing away outside of the reporting period.

Another 1,801 people have tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of infections to 79,873 since reporting began.

There are 513 Covid patients in hospital in Northern Ireland, with 39 in intensive care. Twenty-nine patients are ventilated.

Hospital occupancy is 99% and there are 119 active outbreaks in care homes.

Read More

Read More

Here's how Monday unfolded:

Belfast Telegraph
When the House of Representatives opened its session today, the invocation was delivered by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, who I take it has been ordained as a minister. This is his conclusion, in which he invokes the monotheistic God Brahma, if I am hearing it right. (I know it makes no sense, but that is not the point for now.) Cleaver concludesI kid you not!with Amen and Awomen. I guess this is part of Nancy Pelosis new, gender-free House rules:

LOL! The derangement knows no end! The House Democrats end prayer with Amen (uttered at the end of a prayer or hymn, meaning so be it..) and add Awomen (which is not a word) to be more inclusive pic.twitter.com/GvGZqQhcLj  Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) January 3, 2021



I have been wondering for a while whether Americans are simply too dumb to sustain a democracy. Consider this a small data point bearing on that question.
Clashes have occurred in the southern province of Daraa between the 8th Brigade and the Air Force Intelligence and a number of arrests have taken place reports Etihad Press.

Forces from the 8th Brigade in the pro-Russian Fifth Corps attacked, on Saturday noon, an Air Force Intelligence checkpoint on the Damascus  Daraa highway, and arrested a number of the militants and confiscated their weapons for several hours before releasing them.

Clashes took place when a group from the Air Force Intelligence Division arrived to support the checkpoints members. The clashes lasted for half an hour, before the 8th Brigade fighters left the area. There was no information about casualties, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

On Dec. 26, 2019, Daraa witnessed tension as a result of a dispute between two groups affiliated with the Damascus government in Daraa al-Balad.

In mid-December, members of the 8th Brigade of the Fifth Corps, affiliated with Russia, raided a house in the town of Samad in the Daraa countryside, arresting a man after his return from Lebanon, where he had been staying for years.

Members of the Air Force Intelligence Division, stationed in the town of Dael, also arrested a young man and took him to an unknown location.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
The number of new coronavirus cases across Russia grew by 24,150 in the past 24 hours, which is the lowest figure since November 25, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told journalists on Sunday.

The overall number of infections has amounted to 3,236,787, it said. The growth does not exceed 0.8% in relative terms, it said.

The lowest pace of growth in coronavirus cases was reported in the Tuva Region, the Nenets autonomous region (0.1%) and in the Jewish autonomous region (0.4%).

As many as 3,738 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in St. Petersburg in the past 24 hours. Another 1,539 COVID-19 cases were reported in the Moscow region, 483 - in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, 404 - in the Sverdlovsk Region and 391 - in the Rostov Region.

As many as 559,399 people continue medical treatment across Russia as of now.
Meanwhile, satellite data from MarineTraffic.com showed the MT Hankuk Chemi off the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on Monday afternoon, with no explanation as to the abrupt change in the vessels path. It had been traveling from a petrochemicals facility in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. The vessel had been carrying an unknown chemical shipment, according to data-analysis firm Refinitiv.


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Libra, the digital currency announced by Facebook last year, is getting a new name. Libra will now be Diem.

The new name will reenforce the currency project's independence, according to a statement released Tuesday by the Libra Association, which is also changing its name. From now on it will be the Diem Association.

"What's the best way to get people to think about a product differently?" asked Josh Crandall, CEO and co-founder of NetPop Research. "Change the name."

He maintained the name change is Facebook's way to create a blank slate for the currency.

"The Libra rollout was rife with conflicts between partners and positioning statements that roiled the industry," he explained to TechNewsWorld. "They had to bury that history however they could and changing the name was the fastest means to an end."

The currency also came under fire from the U.S. government. "The Treasury Department has expressed very serious concerns that Libra could be misused by money launderers and terrorist financiers," Secretary Steve Mnuchin told reporters at a White House press conference held around the time of the Libra launch.

Turning Over New Leaf

"They're trying to turn over a new leaf -- fresh face, fresh name," observed Avivah Litan, a security and privacy analyst at Gartner.

"They're trying to disassociate from the past, when they had trouble with regulators who saw Libra as a Facebook attempt to dominate the financial world," she told TechNewsWorld.

"Branding and marketing can make a difference," she added, "but astute financial regulators aren't going to change their mind about anything just because of a name change."

Facebook has done a great job of enlisting members from outside organizations to serve on the council governing its digital currency, maintained Graeme Moore, head of tokenization at Polymath, maker of a solution for creating, issuing, and managing tokens on the blockchain.

"But whether Libra or Diem, many will still think there is an outsized influence from Facebook," he told TechNewsWorld.

"On the flip side," he added, "many people don't even know Instagram or WhatsApp is owned by Facebook, so for those individuals, I don't think Libra versus Diem makes a difference."

Looking Under the Covers

Martha Bennett, a vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, explained that regulators are concerned that Facebook's global reach could create risk issues for the financial markets if Diem were broadly adopted.

"But the people who have the power to influence where this goes are not going to be fooled by a name change," she told TechNewsWorld.

She noted that this isn't the first name change in the Facebook currency scheme. Calibra, the name of the digital wallet used in conjunction with Libra, was rebranded in May as Novi.

"So what?" she asked. "It is still a wholly-owned subsidiary of Facebook."

By the same token, she continued, "It doesn't matter whether it's called the Libra Association or the Diem Association because, from a technology development perspective, Facebook remains in the driver's seat."

"What really matters -- and what both regulators and lawmakers will be looking for -- is what's under the covers. It doesn't matter what you call it," she said.

Facebook, through spokesperson Lauren Dickson, referred our request for a comment for this story to the Diem Association. The Association did not respond to a separate request for comment made by TechNewsWorld.

Appeasing Regulators

Since launching its currency scheme in June 2019, Facebook has had to give its scheme a makeover.

In April, it announced a scaled-back version of its original plan to be the center of a new global financial system with Facebook in the role of a central bank and Wall Street. The new system is a payment network similar to PayPal, with digital coins tied to a local currency.

In the original scheme, Libra was going to be backed by a "basket" of global currencies. While there will still be a variety of Diem supported by multiple currencies, its role in the system will be less prominent.

"The April revision is a much, much, much reduced version of the original proposal," Bennett said. "What they're gearing up for now is just a digital version of the U.S. dollar."

The scaled back Facebook currency scheme also seems to have calmed the qualms of regulators.

"Many of the concerns raised by regulators and politicians seemed like feigned outrage," asserted Moore.

"From my perspective, the primary concern was Libra being backed by a basket of currencies rather than only the U.S. dollar," he said. "Libra has altered their initial plans to now have Libra backed by only U.S. dollars, and their imminent launch shows this has satisfied regulators."

"Imminent" could be as soon as January, according to some reports.

Issues In D.C.

Facebook's scheme may also benefit from a change in administrations in Washington.

"Gary Gensler and other members of the Biden team aren't afraid of cryptocurrencies," Litan said.

"They're not going to have this knee-jerk negative reaction any time they hear the word cryptocurrency," she continued.

She acknowledged that the new administration may have issues with Facebook, but "they 'get it' a lot more than the last one did" when it comes to cryptocurrencies.

"The last administration talked about how cryptocurrency was used for money laundering, when, in fact, it's easier to stop money laundering on blockchain than in banks because the money movement is transparent," she explained.

"They made comments that showed a fundamental lack of understanding that you don't see with the Biden team," she added.

However, Moore maintained that Trump officials like Mnuchin, Jay Clayton, Hester "Crypto Mom" Peirce have done an excellent job in blockchain regulation.

"There haven't been any overly regressive or detrimental policies that could have stifled innovation," he said.

He added, though, that Mnuchin's recent comments on regulation involving self-hosted wallets could tarnish what has been an otherwise straightforward, beneficial approach digital money.

With well over 1,000 digital currencies in existence, one might ask, "Do we really need another one?" Moore says yes.

"Fast money, secure money, private money, money backed by gold, money backed by dollars, money for specific use cases, and more," he observed. "It's not that we 'need' another cryptocurrency. It's that humans love to innovate and create, and this design space is incredibly exciting to the world's most enterprising people."

John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.


Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 22:24:19|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday strongly condemned the attacks on Saturday by "unidentified gunmen" on two villages in Tillabery region in western Niger, close to the border with Mali.

In a statement, the secretary-general expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved families and the people and government of Niger and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

The UN chief expressed the confidence that the Nigerien authorities would spare no effort in identifying and swiftly bringing the perpetrators to justice.

"The secretary-general reaffirms the solidarity and support of the United Nations to the government and people of Niger in their fight against terrorism, violent extremism and organized crime," said the statement.

Around 100 people were reportedly killed in the villages of Tchombangou and Zaroumbareye in western Niger, the latest in a string of civilian massacres.

The attacks occurred Saturday just as first-round presidential results were announced two days earlier. Enditem
Get tested and isolate for two weeks regardless of result

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Get tested and isolate until negative result

Anytime Fitness at Avalon Beach on December 11 , 17, 7 and November 23 all day

Anytime Fitness at Belrose on December 11 between 9:45am to 11:30am, December 18 between 9:30am to 11:30am, December 14 between 9:30am to 11:30am, December 12 between 9:30am to 11:30am, December 9 between 9:30am to 11:30am, December 6 between 9:30am to 11:30am and December 7 between 9:30am to 11:30am

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Balmain Post Office on December 22 between 3:30pm to 4pm

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Bass Hill Plaza on December 28 between 11am to 2pm

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on December 11 between 12pm to 6pm

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Charlie & Franks in St Leonards on December 16 between 9am to 10am

Chullora Fish Market on December 23 between 6.40am and 7.10am

Coffee Club Stockland at Shellharbour on December 17 between 11am to 12pm and December 27 between 11am to 12pm

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Get tested and self-isolate until they receive further advice from NSW Health

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Watch for symptoms and get tested if they appear

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Culture Kings in Mid-City Centre, Sydney CBD, on December 28 between 1pm-2pm

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Figtree Grove Shopping Centre in Figtree

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Fresh Delights Cafe, Belrose Super Centre on December 17 9am to 10am - Monitor for symptoms

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Hungry Ghost Cafe in Avalon Beach on December 13 and 15 between 9:30am to 11am both days

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QVB Level 3 Santa Photos, Sydney on December 23 between 10:15am to 11am

Reading Cinema Auburn on December 30, all day

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Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club in Newport on December 16 between 4:30pm to 6pm

RSL Club in Avalon Beach on December 13 between 8.30pm to 9.15pm

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The Swallowed Anchor in Wollongong on December 27 between 11:30am to 12:45pm

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Warriewood Square Nails on December 15 between 3:30pm to 4:30pm

Warriewood Valley Playground Rocket, Park on December 17 between 10:15am to 12:30pm

Westfield Bondi Junction on December 15 between 1pm and 2.30pm and December 19 between 10am to 1pm

Westfield Warringah Mall, Brookvale on December 15 between 12:15pm to 2:45pm and December 16 between 10:40am to 1:40pm and December 19 between 1:30pm to 2:30pm

Westpoint Blacktown on December 28 between 2.40pm  3.20pm

Wollongong Central on December 23 - between 3:30pm to 4pm

Woolworths in Avalon on December 12 between 12pm to 12.15pm, December 13 between 12pm and 5pm, December 14 between 7pm to 7:30pm December 15 between 5pm to 5:30pm and 7pm to 7:30pm

Woolworths in Berala at any time, all day between December 20 and December 31

Woolworths Metro in Cronulla on December 16 between 11am to 12pm

Woolworths Lidcombe on December 31 between 12.15pm to 3.45pm

Woolworths Strathfield Plaza in Strathfield on December 20 between 9am-9.10am

1 Bligh St, Sydney on December 17 between 10:30am to 10:50am

7 Eleven, Greenacre on December 26 from 4.30pm to 5pm

Green Farm Meat Halal Wentworthville: December 30 between 12.10pm and 12.15pm

Uduya Supermarket, Wentworthville: December 30 between 6.30pm and 6.35pm, January 3 between 6.30pm and 6.40pm and January 4 between 6.30pm and 6.35pm.

Ambeys Big Apple, Wentworthville: January 1 between 5.30pm and 5.40pm and January 2 between 8.45pm and 8.50pm

Sri Lakshmi Supermarket, Wentworthville: January 1, between 5.40pm and 5.45pm

Swagath Biryani House, Wentworthville: January 4 between 6.40pm and 6.50pm





Cases on public transport routes

Get tested and self-isolate for 14 days regardless of the result

Bus Route B1-2, December 16, between 4:31pm to 5:25pm from Wynyard Station Stand B to Warriewood BLine, Pittwater Road

Get tested immediately and self-isolate until you receive a negative result

Bus Route B1-1, December 16, between 6:53am to 7:41am, from Warriewood BLine, Pittwater Road to Wynyard Station Stand B

Bus Route 273, December 16, between 7:10am to 8am, from Jamieson Square, Forestville to QVB (Queen Victoria Building), Sydney

Bus Route 304, December 16, between 7:46am to 8:11am, from Bourke Street (opposite Lachlan Street) Rosebery to Martin Place Station Stand C

Bus Route M52, December 16, between 8:24am to 9:06am, from Ryde, St Charles Primary School to Elizabeth St, Sydney, Martin Place Station, Stand C

Bus Route 27, December 16, between 5:25pm to 6:28pm, from QVB (Queen Victoria Building), Sydney to Austlink Business Park, Belrose

Bus Route M52, December 16, between 6:12pm to 6:55pm, from Elizabeth Street, Sydney, Martin Place Station, Stand C to Ryde, St Charles Primary School

Bus Route 304, December 17, between 8:05am to 8:30am from Bourke Street (opposite Lachlan Street) Rosebery to Martin Place Station Stand C

Bus Route M52, December 17, between 8:25am to 8:59am, from Ryde, St Charles Primary School to Elizabeth St, Sydney, Martin Place Station, Stand C

Bus Route 199-49, December 17, between 11am to 11.25am, from Barrenjoey Road opp George Street to Barrenjoey Rd opp Village Park

Bus Route B1-2, December 17, between 4.15pm to 5.15pm, from Wynyard Station, Carrington Street, Stand B to Mona Vale BLine, Barrenjoey Road

Bus Route 188X-2, December 17, between 5.20pm to 5.40pm, from Mona Vale BLine, Barrenjoey Road to Barrenjoey Rd after George Street

Ferry Palm Beach to Wagstaffe, December 16, between 6:15pm to 6:35pm

Train T1 North Shore Line Central to Artarmon, December 16, between 7:12am to 7:35am

Monitor for symptoms and if symptoms occur, get tested

Bus Route 431, December 20, between 10:48am to 11:02am, from Castlereagh Street before Bathurst Street to Glebe Public School, Glebe Point Road

Bus Route 325, December 20, between 4:31pm to 4:41pm, from Town Hall Station, Park Street, Stand G to Bayswater Road before New Beach Rd

Bus Route 324, December 20, between 10:33am to 10:45am, from New South Head Road opp New Beach Road to Town Hall Station, Park Steet, Stand J

Train T3 Bankstown Line Erskineville to Central, December 16, between 7:03am to 7:12am

Train T1 North Shore Line Waitara to Wynyard, December 16, between 8:16am to 9:05am

Train T1 North Shore Line North Sydney to Wynyard, December 16 between 1pm to 1.09pm

Train T1 North Shore Line Wynyard to Waitara, December 16, between 4:52pm to 5:31pm

Train T1 North Shore Line Waitara to Wynyard, December 17, between 8:17am to 9:01am

Train T1 North Shore Line Wynyard to Waitara, December 17, between 6:40pm to 7:22pm

Bus Route 333, December 21, between 7.30pm to 7.45pm, between Bondi Junction Station to Bondi Beach, Campbell Parade, Stand C

Train Redfern via Town Hall to Bondi Junction, December 21, between 7pm to 7.30pm

Train Bondi Junction via Town Hall to Redfern, December 22, between 10.05am to 10.35am

Bus Route 333, December 22, between 9.45am to 10am from Bondi Beach, Campbell Parade, Stand A to Bondi Junction Station

Bus Route 333, December 23, between 9am to 10am from Bondi Beach, Campbell Parade, Stand A to Taylor Square, Oxford Street, Stand A

Bus Route 333, December 23, between 10.40am to 11.30am from Taylor Square, Oxford Street, Stand D to Bondi Beach, Campbell Parade, Stand C

Bus Route 724, December 30, between 12.02pm - 12.14pm, departing Blacktown Station, Stand F

Bus Route 400, December 30, between 6.07am to 6.18am, from Sydney Airport Terminal 1, Internation to Westfield Eastgarderns, Bunnerong Road

Bus Route 400, January 1, between 6.19am to 6.28am from Macot Station, Coward Street, Stand to Westfield Eastgardens, Bunnerong Road, Stand A

Bus Route 420, January 1, between 10.46am to 11am, from Westfield Eastgardens, Lower Level, Stand B to Mascot Station, Coward Street, Stand B

Train T1 Western Line from Strathfield to Blacktown on December 30 between 11.33am to 11.58am

Train T1 Western Line from Blacktown to Strathfield on December 30 between 6.43pm to 7.24pm

Train T9 from Burwood to Mortdale on December 30 between 9.29pm to 10.16pm

T8 Airport and South Line from Macquarie Fields to Mascot on December 30 between 5.08am to 5.51am

T8 Airport and South Line from Mascot to Macquarie Fields on December 30 between 2pm to 2.47pm

T8 Airport and South Line from Macquarie Fields to Mascot on January 1 between 5.22am to 6.17am

T8 Airport and South Line from Mascot to Macquarie Fields on January 1 between 11.03am to 11.47am.

Light rail from Mascot to Macquarie Fields on January 1 between 11.03am to 11.47am

Updated advice

Bus Route B1-1, December 17, between 11.30am to 12.36pm from Mona Vale BLine, Barrenjoey Road to Wynyard Station, York Street, Stand M. If you were on the bus at this time and date for 30 minutes or more, get tested immediately and self-isolate for 14 days regardless of the result; for less than 30 minutes, get tested immediately and self-isolate until you receive a negative result

Bus Route B1-1, December 17, between 4:15pm to 5:15pm, from Wynyard Station, Carrington Street, Stand B to Mona Vale BLine, Barrenjoey Road. If you were on the bus at this time and date for 30 minutes or more, get testted immediately and self-isolate for 14 days regardless of the result; for less than 30 minutes, get tested immediately and self-isolate until you receive a negative result
New Delhi: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MohFW) on Monday (January 4, 2021) said that a total of 38 samples have been found to be positive with the new COVID-19 UK variant genome across India.

According to MoHFW, there are 10 cases in Bengaluru's NIMHANS, 3 in CCMB (Hyderabad), 5 in NIV (Pune), 11 in IGIB (Delhi), 8 in NCDC (New Delhi) and 1 in NCBG (Kolkata).

The MoHFW said that the NCBS, InSTEM, Bengaluru, CDFD Hyderabad, ILS Bhubaneswar, and NCCS Pune have so far found no UK mutant virus.

The positive samples are being tested at 10 INSACOG labs (NIBMG Kolkata, ILS Bhubaneswar, NIV Pune, NCCS Pune, CCMB Hyderabad, CDFD Hyderabad, InSTEM Bengaluru, NIMHANS Bengaluru, IGIB Delhi, NCDC Delhi) for genome sequencing.

"All these persons have been kept in single room isolation in designated Health Care facilities by respective State Governments. Their close contacts have also been put under quarantine. Comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others. Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on," said the Union Health Ministry.

They added that the situation is under careful watch and regular advice is being provided to the States for enhanced surveillance, containment, testing & dispatch of samples to INSACOG labs.

Earlier on January 2, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) stated that India became the first country in the world to successfully isolate and culture the new, mutated strain of the novel coronavirus.

UK-variant of the virus, with all signature changes, is now successfully isolated and cultured at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) from the clinical specimens collected from UK-returnees, the apex medical body shared on microblogging site Twitter.

This is to be noted that apart from India, the new strain has been reported in several countries including Denmark, Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore.

Meanwhile, as a precautionary measure, the aviation ministry has partially restricted the operations of flights between India and the UK.

Flights from India to the UK can commence from January 6, while operations from the UK to India will begin on January 8. The ministry has also issued a set of guidelines for passengers from the UK. All passengers will have to submit a self-declaration form on the online portal of Delhi Airport (www.newdelhiairport.in) and need to carry a negative report of the RT-PCR test conducted within 72 hours prior to undertaking the journey.
House Democrats today presented a rules package giving the Ethics Committee a year to recommend how it will deal with members who disseminate false and unverified content on social media.

Why it matters: The Democrat-led Rules Committee changed its rules package after Republicans claimed an original proposal to make it an ethics violation for disseminating so-called deepfakes would infringe on their First Amendment rights. The package was being voted on today.

The backstory: Last year, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) posted a manipulated photo on Twitter purporting to show President Obama shaking hands with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Obama and Rouhani never met in person.

The real photo was taken in 2011, and it showed Obama shaking hands with then-Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

President Trump also shared a fake video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Facebook and Twitter purporting to show her slurring her words during a news conference.

Republicans publicly criticized the rule after House Democrats delivered a progressive rules package to launch the 117th Congress packed with ways to advance diversity and inclusion.

For the first time, it proposed a rule making it an ethics violation for members to disseminate unverified content. That rule was tweaked after the GOP complaints.

Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, the top Republican on the Rules Committee, said in a statement issued Saturday the rule was "rife with the possibility of abuse and likely to be enforced in a way that creates a double standard between the majority and minority."

And during a speech to present Nancy Pelosi as speaker Sunday night, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy chimed in with his own critique.

They would penalize any member who shares news or views that liberals and their allies in the media deem 'fake,'" McCarthy said. "They actually make it an ethics violation  which is usually reserved for such unbecoming conduct as bribery and corruption."

What theyre saying: House Rules Committee Chair Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) said in prepared remarks: Ill note that we initially planned to go even further  amending our Code of Conduct with this rules package  but we heard some of our colleagues concerns. We agreed to take a little more time to get the language just right.

Editor's note: This post has been corrected to reflect that the manipulated photo Gosar posted on Twitter was of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (not Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani).
In the early 2000s, Mark Scott had been working for the city of Beverly Hills for 20 years -- 14 of them as city manager. Thanks to the opulence of the town, it was the kind of place where a budding manager could learn the business minus the typical city problems. But eventually the absence of serious issues started to get to Scott. During his tenure, he had watched neighboring Los Angeles endure dramatic civil and social unrest. Meanwhile, in Beverly Hills, luxury merchants and developers were bending over backward to do business. In 2003, the towns Rodeo Drive Committee announced that the glassware company Baccarat was displaying $1 million worth of crystal chandeliers along the famous roads median. It all triggered something in Scott, and he decided he needed a change. Or, really, a challenge.He couldnt have picked a more opposite place for his next chapter. Scott landed in Spartanburg, S.C., a former mill town divided almost evenly between white and black residents. About one-quarter of the town lived in poverty. Scott started working on ways to bring life to depressed places, overseeing a revitalized town square, new public housing, and new parks and grocery stores in historically segregated neighborhoods. He learned how to finance new projects out of nothing, he says, a skill he hadnt needed in Beverly Hills.But as it turns out, the move to Spartanburg was only the beginning of what became Scotts quest for new problems to solve. He returned to California, and in a relatively short time has been manager of four cities: Culver City, Fresno, Burbank and now San Bernardino, which is in the process of exiting municipal bankruptcy. In making those moves, Scott has come to see himself as a troubleshooter. Im almost a little bit addicted to the excitement of going to a new city and creating those new relationships, he says. Ive done it now six times. When you go into that new organization, theres a dynamic you go through establishing that new rapport and new trust.The popular perception of a city manager is of someone who devotes his career to one or two local governments. But some city managers just cant sit still for that long. They are attracted to places with problems and are willing -- even compelled -- to take to the road every few years in search of a new test of their skills.Restless city managers have been around for the full century that the job has existed. But these days, the fiscal challenges that many localities are facing has created a new set of opportunities for those who want to keep moving. These people are as diverse as the cities they flock to. They are drawn to different kinds of challenges. But they are inextricably linked by two things: a discontent with the status quo and a fascination with the next impossible riddle. They arent administrators in the conventional sense. They are problem solvers.Jerry Newfarmer, a longtime city manager and consultant, notes there is a distinction between managers who tend to be curious about how government works and those who get their satisfaction from simply operating it well. You have lots of people who are good administrators, he says. Thats different from people who feel its really important to figure out how organizations can work better. Mobile managers, he says, belong in the second category.I dont want to jump into something just for the sake of the exercise, says Oakland City Administrator Sabrina Landreth. Its whether or not my skill set for that time and place is going be effective. For Landreth, that has meant some unexpected and seemingly unlikely moves. In 2013, she left a job as budget director in Oakland to become manager of Emeryville, a municipality that was no larger than some of Oaklands neighborhoods. Emeryville was a former industrial waste site that had transformed itself into a retail and biotech center, thanks largely to funding from a state-financed redevelopment agency. Its daytime population of 40,000 was four times its resident population. It was in the midst of trying to establish itself as a bonafide city with parks, schools and other services when the Great Recession hit.In the aftermath, the state of California eliminated its redevelopment agencies. Emeryville suddenly lost half its budget and went on life support. Other managers would have seen it as a place to avoid. But Landreth saw an opportunity, one enticing enough for her to take a huge step down in local scale. That job wouldnt have been interesting to me a year earlier, she says. But for me there was now this ultimate challenge. Come in, stabilize the budget and help them go through that identity crisis.The experience of Landreth and Scott in transitioning to a vastly different jurisdiction is fairly common among mobile managers. Terrence Moore, who has managed cities in Florida, New Mexico, West Virginia and now Georgia (and was the first African-American manager in two of them), says hes drawn to wherever the next big economic development challenge is -- not necessarily cities that are similar. Todd Hileman, who has managed cities in Arizona, Illinois and Texas, says he purposely seeks out cities that are different from one another. No two organizations are the same, he says. Every place has its own heartbeat, its own challenges.Adjusting to a new civic culture while leaving your own imprint is a challenge in itself. It typically involves a lot of listening at first. But mobile managers enjoy the benefit of having done this kind of transition a time or two and in different types of places. It allows them to bring in experiences that the new governments wouldnt otherwise be exposed to. Thats the case with Sharon Subadan, who is the manager of Albany, a city of about 75,000 in largely rural southwest Georgia. Subadan came up through county government in major metropolitan areas -- first, affluent Montgomery County, Md., outside of Washington, D.C., then Hillsborough County, Fla., home to Tampa and more than 1 million residents. She was drawn to Albany for the socioeconomic challenges it presented: It is in the center of a region struggling with joblessness and population loss. One-third of the city lives in poverty. Albany was also going through a dramatic reorganization that left the city manager in charge of public utilities, as well as more conventional duties.Subadan admits she was attracted to the slower pace of life Albany offered -- including a reasonable commute after living in traffic-clogged regions. But when she got there, she found her expectations for the pace of city government were vastly different than those of her new colleagues. Patience is not my virtue, she says. They dont move here the way they do in D.C. or Tampa. In her first six months, she pushed through or started more than a dozen projects, including a city rebranding campaign, the purchase of properties for government and private business use, and a deal with the local Boys and Girls Club to co-manage a new city recreation facility and splash park. She spearheaded a project to offer Albanys high-speed Internet service to businesses outside city limits.Its a pace that struck some of Subadans Albany colleagues as breakneck speed, and it has likely taught some of them valuable lessons. But Subadan is trying to speed it up even more. The slower pace in Albany may be cultural, in her view, but it isnt always consistent with the most effective governance. It leads to some missed opportunities, she says. We spend so long on a single project, leaving Projects Two and Three on the backburner.For managers who stay on the move, arrival in a new city brings on the exciting uncertainty of plotting a new course. Leaving tends to feel somewhat like graduation day. When the fires are put out, the wreckage is cleared and the rebuilding is underway, it is time to consider other places. Sometimes the reasons are personal. The declining health of Scotts father, for instance, pulled him back to California from South Carolina. But more often, its just that matters have settled down and they feel the itch to stir things up elsewhere.Following a couple of stabilizing years in Emeryville, Landreth was persuaded to go back to Oakland because it was in the midst of a management crisis. She even took over as administrative police chief there for a year after the city cycled through three chiefs in nine days. Scott, after seeing San Bernardino through the hardest part of its bankruptcy and getting a new city charter in place, says hes ready to find his next project. Hileman, who helped rebuild the management team in Avondale, Ariz., after a scandal involving the arrest of the former city manager, says he knew it was time to go when it felt like the place was running on autopilot.Moore, who has overseen major projects in every city hes managed, including two new city halls and the upgrading of municipal airports, is drawn to new places that need economic development help. These positions often have a certain shelf life, if you will, he says. My goal is to keep moving forward.
Mekong Migration Network statement on the Outbreak of COVID-19 among Migrant Workers in Samut Sakhon

January 04,2021 | Source: MMN

The recent spike in coronavirus (Covid-19) infections recorded in and around Samut Sakhon is alarming to the Mekong Migration Network (MMN) on multiple levels. We are particularly concerned about the potential negative impact of Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-chas remark that this latest flare up is primarily due to illegal immigrants who have brought much grief to the country. This follows the earlier comment by the Minister of Public Health, Anutin Charnvirakul that the source is likely migrant workers.



Rather than seeking a scapegoat, the current outbreak, centred on Samut Sakhons Central Shrimp Market, brings into sharp focus the disproportionate impact that the pandemic is having on the livelihood and health of Thailands much maligned migrant workers. The seafood industry in Samut Sakhon, like elsewhere in Thailand, is hugely dependent on the low paid labour of migrants from Myanmar and Cambodia who live and work in conditions where physical distancing and recommended hygiene measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 are largely absent. In recent research conducted by MMN member, The Raks Thai Foundation, which included respondents from Samut Sakhons seafood industry, migrants reported that very few employers imposed social distancing rules, provided PPE, checked temperatures before work, or used a rota system to limit the number of staff in the workplace at any one time.



The current outbreak is a product of the heightened risks faced by migrants due to their precarious working conditions and marginalisation from wider Thai society. MMN takes the view that Covid-19 preventative measures will only be successful if all of Thailands diverse migrant communities are engaged in the response, and are treated fairly without discrimination. It is counterproductive to point the finger at migrants or scapegoat them as the source of the outbreak, since the current public health emergency requires collective action that is only possible when no one is left behind. Migrants are also fearful of being locked down or quarantined in cramped, overcrowded conditions.



It should be noted that many of the current difficulties containing the outbreak within the migrant community are rooted in a lack of coherence in policies that impact the lives of migrants. Although many Thai policies in the field of social protection are relatively progressive in their treatment of migrants, implementation is often hamstrung by restrictive immigration policies that treat migrants as temporary workers. This in the face of the reality that a great many migrant workers have lived for years, if not decades, in Thailand and consider it their permanent home.



To tackle the current outbreak in Samut Sakhon, public health must be prioritised, and migrants must be assured that test, trace, and treatment for Covid-19 will be carried out at arms length from the immigration authorities. Without a firewall between immigration enforcement and the Covid-19 response, migrants will be fearful of any contact with the authorities. Such an outcome will have serious implications for the Ministry of Public Healths ability to control the outbreak. We commend the words of Samut Sakhon Vice Governor Surasak Phonyangsong in remarking that Myanmar migrant workers are also human beings who deserve to be treated with humanity regardless of their immigration status.



Recommendations



In light of the above challenges, MMN calls on the relevant authorities to implement the following recommendations as a matter of urgency:



1. For the Ministry of Health to publicly announce and put in place measures to ensure that all migrants in Thailand, regardless of their immigration status, can access free public healthcare in relation to the diagnosis and treatment of Covid-19.



2. For the relevant Thai authorities to publicly announce that a persons immigration status will not be checked when they approach healthcare service providers for a test or treatment for Covid-19 and that all personal data will be treated in the strictest of confidence with an undertaking that immigration enforcement action will not be pursued against those who come forward.



3. For the Ministry of Public Health to ensure that all migrants in Thailand are accommodated, free of charge, in appropriate quarantine facilities where such action is deemed necessary.



4. For the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Labour, and Ministry of Public Health to urgently work towards a cohesive social protection package that catches all migrants, regardless of their immigration status, before they fall into destitution as a result of the health and economic impact of the pandemic.



5. For the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Labour to pass special measures to facilitate the extension of visas and work permits, and provide amnesty to those who have fallen out of the system.



6. For the Ministry of Labour to strictly enforce Covid-19 safety measures in all workplaces, and that employers provide their employees with protective equipment such as masks and alco gels for free.



7. For the Ministry of Labour to ensure that all employees, including migrant workers, receive paid sick leave during any quarantine and/or treatment period.



8. For the relevant authorities in Thailand and countries of origin to work together towards a public health and humanitarian response for border crossers, with efforts geared towards encouraging regular migration channels by providing affordable quarantine and health check measures at border entry points.



9. For the relevant authorities in Thailand and countries of origin to mount a far-reaching coordinated public information campaign aimed at migrants to inform them of important matters relating to the Covid-19 pandemic in appropriate migrant languages. Such information must include: preventative measures to stop the spread of Covid-19; what to do and how to contact the health authorities in the event of falling ill; immigration updates, including information on border closures; how to social distance and self-isolate; quarantine requirements; and relief measures available for migrants in case of sudden loss of income.



10. For the relevant authorities in Thailand and countries of origin to provide accurate information about the pandemic to the general public, and take a clear stance against any stigmatisation and discrimination against migrant communities.





For all the above, MMN urges the governments of countries of origin to actively reach out to their nationals, and closely coordinate with the relevant Thai authorities as well as NGOs to ensure that timely support is provided to all those who are in urgent need.



Moreover, we reiterate our repeated calls for the Association of South East Asian Nations, ASEAN, to work in unity and provide a coordinate response regarding the movement of people in ways that will reduce the potential of virus spreading events while maintaining the dignity and rights of migrants. We emphasize once again the urgent need for portability of social protection in the region.



ABOUT THE MEKONG MIGRATION NETWORK



Founded in 2003, the Mekong Migration Network (MMN) is a sub-regional network of civil society organisations and research institutes working towards the protection and promotion of the rights of migrants and their families in the Greater Mekong Sub-region. MMNs areas of joint action include collaborative research, advocacy, capacity building and networking. MMN members operate in both countries of origin and destination, have unique expertise in the field, and are in close contact with migrant workers at a grassroots level. For more information on MMN, please visit MMNs webpage at: www.mekongmigration.org

 2021  Mekong Migration Network

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Danish health officials said Monday the country would space out the two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by up to six weeks, allowing more people to receive a first injection.

The new recommendations are both for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which the country has already started administering, and the vaccine candidate developed by Moderna which is in the process of being approved by the EU.

"So far we have said that there should be three to four weeks between each injection, but you can easily wait up to six weeks," director of the Danish Health Authority Soren Brostrom told broadcaster TV2.

The amended guideline follows the announcement by the UK to extend the interval between the two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines used in Britain by up to 12 weeks.

"This way, we will be able to vaccinate more people now," Mr Brostrom added, stressing that this guidelines were based on documentation submitted by laboratories.

In the country of 5.8 million people, nearly 47,000 people, including Queen Margrethe II, have received a first dose of the vaccine since the immunisation campaign began on 27 December.

Initially, the country plans to vaccinate residents of retirement homes, then the vulnerable over 65s and frontline healthcare workers.

In late December, to curb a rise in cases and hospitalisations, Denmark extended a slew of restrictive measures until January 17.

These include the closure of shops, except for pharmacies and food shops, as well as schools and universities, cultural venues, bars, cafes and restaurantsexcept for take-away meals.

Since the start of the pandemic, Denmark has recorded 171,434 cases and 1,389 deaths, but the country also worried about cases of the new variant of the virus recently discovered in the UK, which according to the British authorities is up to 74 percent more contagious.

"In short, it requires us to do even more to keep the infection under control," Denmark's health minister Magnus Heunicke said in a post on Facebook.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
With the new university year just weeks away from getting underway, millions of students across Australia will be sitting down with their laptops and looking to get on top of their finances.

And while the cost of living is not cheap in Australia, there are many 'hacks' you can adopt in order to save up your valuable and hard-earned cash.

From consulting and changing your phone plan to ensure you're on the cheapest deal to signing up for every rewards program around, FEMAIL reveals the five easy changes to make that will help your bank balance in 2021.

FEMAIL reveals the five easy changes to make that will help your bank balance in 2021, including switching your phone provider to gomo (stock image)

1. Change your phone plan

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If you're one of the millions of Aussies paying as much as $29 for your pre-paid phone bill right now, you need to think again.

gomo is a new low-cost subscription mobile brand that allows you to pay for exactly what you want from your mobile phone provider, while ditching all the other stuff you really don't need.

The 'Good to Go' mobile subscription is a brilliant idea for anyone who feels their mobile phone bill is too high. With the online Summer SIM sale in full swing you can get six months of phone service for just $60.

To take advantage of this offer, you'll have to be quick.

Simply purchase your first monthly subscription for $10 ($15 off) online before January 10 2021.

Then, activate your service before February 28 2021 and pay for the first consecutive three months, before you receive the next three for free.

This great value package includes 18GB of data, up to 200GB of data rollover when you maintain an active subscription, unlimited standard national calls and texts and unlimited international calls to standard numbers in 15 different destinations.

Possible total saving = $138 over 12 months

2. Sign up to beneficial rewards programs

The second thing you could do to save money over the course of the next year is sign up to every rewards program going.

Whether it's for your supermarket, favourite clothes shop or cafe, lots of stores have bonus joining deals - and they will also reward you with $10 off or a free gift when it's your birthday.

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Make sure you use your rewards programs and loyalty cards as much as possible when out and about to reap all the benefits.

Just don't fall victim to any spending traps that might entice you through marketing emails and promotions.

Weigh up anything you're about to buy by thinking is the cost worth the amount of time you had to work to earn that money.

Possible total saving = $150+ over 12 months

Being a savvy grocery shopper can go a long way to saving you decent money, so make sure you pick up the weekly catalogues and browse the supermarket websites (stock image)

3. Keep an eye out for supermarket specials

Being a savvy grocery shopper can go a long way to saving you decent money.

So make sure you pick up the weekly catalogues and browse the supermarket websites so you know all the best deals.

A little-known comparison app called Unocart can help you slash hundreds off your grocery bills - whether you shop from Aldi, Coles, Woolworths or IGA.

The easy-to-use platform - which is available for download on your phone - allows consumers to find the best prices found in every aisle, including popular items, fresh meats, fruits and vegetables and many more.

You can search for a particular product you want to buy - and scroll through the screen to find the best value from each store.

Possible total saving = $500+ over 12 months

One of the single biggest ways you can save money this year is by meal prepping from home and avoiding cafe-bought lunches each and every day (stock image)

4. Meal prep as often as possible

One of the single biggest ways you can save money this year is by meal prepping from home and avoiding cafe-bought lunches each and every day.

Sydney financial advisor Canna Campbell told FEMAIL that the average person spends around $10 per day on their lunch, and this goes up to $15 if you are buying coffee or a snack.

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By bringing your own lunch to lectures or seminars each day, you'll save at least $50 per week - which adds up to a cool $2,600 over the course of the year.

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The President's remarks were posted on his official Twitter account on Sunday, in an indirect response to a statement by an Iranian military commander about supporting Lebanon with missiles to confront Israel, reports Xinhua news agency.

Beirut, Jan 4 (IANS) Lebanese President Michel Aoun said that the country has no partner in preserving its independence and sovereignty over its borders and land.

"The Lebanese have no partner in preserving the independence of their homeland, its sovereignty over its borders, its land, and its freedom of decision," Aoun said.

Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, the chief of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps of Iran, told Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV on January 2 that "all the missile capabilities that Gaza and Lebanon possess were achieved through Iran's support".

The statement sparked negative reactions among a number of Lebanese politicians.

The Christian Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), which was founded by Aoun and led by his son-in-law Gebran Bassil, affirmed the right of the Lebanese to defend their sovereignty, land and wealth in the face of any aggression.

FPM, which is allied with the Hezbollah, said in a statement that "the Lebanese are concerned with preserving Lebanon's freedom, decision, sovereignty and independence".

The statement added that "the resistance that the Lebanese practice in defence of their land must always serve this goal, and any support that Lebanon receives should not be conditional on relinquishing national sovereignty or engaging in what they have no interest in".

Hussein Al-Wajeh, the advisor to the newly appointed Prime Minister and leader of the Sunni Future Movement Saad Hariri, said that "the Lebanese will not pay prices on behalf of Iran".

--IANS

ksk/
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I owe a humble and sincere apology to President Donald J. Trump.

He was right all along.

There HAS been absolutely appalling corruption surrounding the 2020 US Election.

In fact, it's so bad that the perpetrator may now face serious criminal charges.

There's just one problem for the man in the White House who's been screaming about the corruption: the perpetrator of it is President Donald J. Trump.

I've watched with increasing dismay at the way Trump's thrown his toys out of the stroller since losing the Election, whining and bleating in a way that would embarrass even the most spoiled of babies.

But that dismay turned to genuine horror and fury when the Washington Post dropped their bombshell leaked tape yesterday in which he can be heard trying to put the arm on Georgia's secretary of state Brad Raffensperger and governor Brian Kemp like some mafia mob boss.

Dismay turned to genuine horror and fury when the Washington Post dropped their bombshell leaked tape yesterday in which he can be heard trying to put the arm on Georgia's secretary of state Brad Raffensperger and governor Brian Kemp like some mafia mob boss

In the shocking hour-long phone call, Trump told Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger: 'So look. All I want to do is this  I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state. the people of Georgia are angry, the people in the country are angry there's nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, that you've recalculated'

The phone call is a blatant attempt by the current President of the United States to make two elected officials (including Gov. Brian Kemp, pictured) commit a deliberate fraud on the American people

In the shocking hour-long conversation, 'Don Trumpone' can be heard threatening, cajoling and pleading the two Republican officials to do whatever they can to overturn the election result in Georgia.

The nadir of the explosive and incredibly damaging exchanges is the moment when Trump says: 'So look. All I want to do is this  I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state. the people of Georgia are angry, the people in the country are angry there's nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, that you've recalculated.'

Actually, there's everything wrong with saying that.

Let's be very clear: this is a blatant attempt by the current President of the United States to make two elected officials commit a deliberate fraud on the American people.

Trump is therefore breaking the law, in the most brazen way imaginable.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris called it 'the voice of desperation' and a 'bald-faced, bold abuse of power by the president'  and she's absolutely right.

Legal experts agree.

'The president asked, in no uncertain terms, the secretary of state to invent votes, to create votes that were not there,' Anthony Michael Kreis, a professor at the Georgia State University College of Law, told Politico. 'Not only did he ask for that in terms of just overturning the specific margin that Joe Biden won by, but then said we needed one additional vote to secure victory in Georgia.'

Andrew Weissman, a veteran attorney who spent 20 years with the Department of Justice, tweeted: 'Trump's statement shows he knows what the law is and he is doing precisely what it forbids: seeking to cause submission of false election results, and threatening folks to do that to book. Federal and state crimes.'

There are therefore solid legal grounds for Trump to now be impeached for his actions, as many Democrats are suggesting.

In the shocking hour-long conversation, 'Don Trumpone' can be heard threatening, cajoling and pleading the two Republican officials to do whatever they can to overturn the election result in Georgia

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said: 'I absolutely think it's an impeachable offense and if it was up to me, there would be articles on the floor quite quickly. He is attacking our very election.'

Yes, he is, and it's an absolute disgrace.

Trump's behaviour since he lost has been absolutely pathetic and made America the laughing stock of the world.

But his behaviour in this phone call goes way beyond a temper tantrum or something to laugh about.

Legendary reporter Carl Bernstein, who with Bob Woodward helped bring down Richard Nixon in the Watergate scandal  also exposed by the Washington Post  said this was 'far worse' and called the tape 'the ultimate smoking gun.'

Bernstein said it shows what Trump 'is willing to do to undermine the electoral system and illegally, improperly, and immorally try to instigate a coup.'

He added: 'In any other presidency, this tape would be evidence enough to result in the impeachment of the President of the United States, his conviction in the Senate of the United States, and really an immediate call by the members of Congress  including of his own party  that he resign immediately.

'That's really what we ought to be hearing at the moment.'

I totally concur.

Trump has triggered a national emergency with his outrageous criminal conduct.

What's needed right now is Republicans to stop colluding with their corrupt leader like snivelling mob under-bosses - and stand up to him.

That's what ultimately brought down Nixon; when his own party turned on him, sickened by the way he had demeaned the office of the presidency.

But where are any similar Republican principled heroes today?

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris called it 'the voice of desperation' and a 'bald-faced, bold abuse of power by the president'  and she's absolutely right

Instead of growing a pair and telling Trump where to stick his absurd and now law-breaking nonsense, 12 Republican senators are planning to oppose the counting of certified electoral votes on Wednesday.

The Dirty Dozen are led by Ted Cruz, who in 2016 called Trump a 'snivelling coward, a 'pathological liar' and 'utterly amoral.'

They're not stupid people so they know that for all his incessant bluster and bullsh*t since losing the election, Trump has produced zero evidence of the supposed widespread voter fraud he claims robbed him of victory.

He hasn't produced any, because there isn't any.

If there was, he'd have shown us by now.

Instead, all Trump has shown us is what a terrible loser he is, and now, just how far he is prepared to go to try to overturn the result of a free, fair and democratic election.

Yet still numerous senior Republicans are prepared to hitch themselves to the Trump wagon as it careers into the abyss of ignominy and criminality.

When people warned a few months ago that Donald Trump would refuse to accept the result and might even launch a coup to keep himself in power, I ridiculed the very notion of such a scenario.

I was wrong.

Trump's proven all his most ardent critics right with his appalling assault on US democracy and now he's been caught on tape directly threatening elected officials and urging them to fix the result by breaking the law.

Carl Bernstein's correct when he says this is worse than Watergate.

President Donald J. Trump is now imperilling the very foundations of American democracy and he must be stopped.

It's time for leading Republicans to remind themselves that that their first duty is to the American people, say 'ENOUGH!' and whack their boss.
Press Release

January 4, 2021 Pangilinan: Prioritize agri growth in 2021, Bayanihan 3 GROWTH of the agriculture sector despite numerous setbacks in 2020 should convince the administration to give it priority especially in the proposed Bayanihan 3, said Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan on Monday. "We're very heartened to hear that the agri sector is on track to meet their projected 1% growth despite the pandemic and back-to-back-to-back typhoons and flooding. Gulugod ng bansa ang agrikultura. Tatlong beses isang araw natin kailangan ang magsasaka. Kaya't kailangang tutukan ang kapakanan ng mga nagpapakain sa atin, lalo na sa panahon ng pandemya at iba pang sakuna," Pangilinan said. Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William Dar on January 3 said that the agriculture sector registered positive contributions to the economy because "no matter what happens, people must eat." DA earlier projected a 2% growth for agri end of 2020, but was later on revised to 1% given the Covid-19 pandemic. Agriculture growth for 2019 was 0.7%. "We want to focus on social protection for farmers once the Senate starts deliberations on Bayanihan 3. All the previous discussions on agri budget revolved around rice sufficiency. That is already well-funded. Ang kailangan ngayon ay maramdaman ito direkta ng mga magsasaka, ibigay na direkta sa ating mga magsasaka," Pangilinan said. The P485 billion Bayanihan 3, filed by Senator Ralph Recto last December 14, aims to cushion the impact of an economic downturn given the Covid-19 pandemic and to address the urgent needs of the areas affected by the typhoons. "We have to increase the capacity of our farmers. To do that, we need more post-harvest facilities. Farmers lack the capacity to dry their own palay. They lack capacity to access the market. Ang mga post-harvest facilities na ito ay income-enhancing projects dahil ibig sabihin hindi na nila kailangan pang magrenta o dumaan sa middleman. Mapupunta ang pera sa ating mga magsasaka at madadagdagan ang kanilang kita," Pangilinan said. "Protect our farmers. Konti lang ang increase ng budget ng agri for 2021, so we hope they can be given stimulus under Bayanihan 3," he said. Earlier, Pangilinan called for the government to also prioritize "frontliner farmers" in the Covid vaccination plan. The Senate is expected to convene the Committee of the Whole in January to look into the country's Covid vaccination game plan. Senate resumes session on January 18.
Amid a row over renaming Aurangabad Sambhajinagar, the Shiv Sena on Monday said that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should question Congress on its opposition to the renaming of the city in Marathwada region, which is due for civic polls soon. Sena leader and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said his partys stand on renaming Aurangabad Sambhajinagar has been clear for three decades.

Senas partner in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government Congress is opposed to the move to rechristen the city saying that instead of emotional issues, the party should focus on matters concerned with peoples livelihood and development during elections.

Also Read: Women farmers start Maharashtras first rural home kitchen in Ahmednagar

BJP, Congress, [Samajwadi Party legislator] Abu Azmi, AIMIM, all the political parties in the country know what is Shiv Senas stand on renaming Aurangabad Sambhajinagar. Hinduhriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray had renamed it 30 years ago; now the government has to give its stamp which will happen, Raut said while speaking to media on Monday.

Raut added that the renaming should have happened under the previous BJP-led government. If BJP is really worried about renaming Aurangabad then they should question the parties that are opposing it, rather than question the Shiv Sena, he said. Instead of questioning us, BJP should ask Congress why it is against the proposal. This is not a political fight. They should convince AIMIM as well.

The Congress opposition to the renaming is being looked at as another flashpoint among the ruling MVA allies. However, the Sena has dismissed speculation that the matter could cause a rift and affect the stability of the state government.

In an attack on BJP, the Sena Rajya Sabha MP asked why the BJP-led central government not cleared a proposal to rename Aurangabad airport after Chhatrapati Sambhaji. The proposal to rename Aurangabad airport as Dharmavir Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj International Airport was sent to Centre nearly a year ago. BJP should go to Delhi and ask the government why this proposal has not been cleared, he said.

Chhatrapati Sambhaji was a son of Chhatrapati Shivaji, who was killed in the custody of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

In June 1995, the Auranagabad municipal corporation, which has been run by the Shiv Sena for over three decades now, had passed a resolution recommending a change in name of the city. While successive governments failed to bring about a conclusive end to the issue, the Devendra Fadnavis-led state government, too, did not change the name.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 05:56:43|Editor: huaxia

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ALGIERS, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Two armed militants and one soldier were killed on Sunday in a counterterrorism operation in northwest Algeria, the Algerian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The statement said that in the second day of a search operation, "the army forces eliminated two terrorists, while one soldier was killed on Sunday afternoon."

A counterterrorism unit launched a search operation from Saturday to track down a group of "terrorists" in the dense forests of Messelmoun in the mountains of Tipaza province, some 65 km west of Algiers, capital of Algeria.

The Defense Ministry announced that "four terrorists were shot dead and two soldiers were killed" in the first day of the operation on Saturday. Enditem
A woman has gone blind in one eye and had chunks of her skin peel off after suffering a horrific reaction to antibiotics in Turkey.

Cilem Kelleci, 31, went to the Gazi State Hospital in Ilkadim district of the Turkish city of Samsun complaining of a urinary tract infection in February last year.

She made it clear to doctors that she was allergic to antibiotics, but claimed that they gave her an antibiotic treatment anyway.

Cilem Kelleci, 31, went to the Gazi State Hospital in Ilkadim district of the Turkish city of Samsun complaining of a urinary tract infection in February last year

She made it clear to doctors that she was allergic to antibiotics, but claimed that they gave her an antibiotic treatment anyway

A short while later she was unable to see and felt huge lumps of skin falling off her body as a result of an allergic reaction that almost proved fatal.

She said: 'At one point, they told me that they were going to have to remove my right eye.'

She was then transferred to a private hospital where she has been told they need 9,100 to save her right eye and that if she leaves it too long it will be too late.

A short while later she was unable to see and felt huge lumps of skin falling off her body as a result of an allergic reaction that almost proved fatal

She said: 'At one point, they told me that they were going to have to remove my right eye'

The last 10 months have been a nightmare for her, and she has been told that every day that goes past without treatment will make it more likely that her sight will never be regained

She currently has only 20% usage of her left eye.

She added: 'I am 31-years-old and I'm terrified that I will become a prisoner of the darkness.'

The last 10 months have been a nightmare for her, and she has been told that every day that goes past without treatment will make it more likely that her sight will never be regained.

She is planning to sue the hospital, but says she can't wait until the outcome because even if they get the money it may well be too late.
NEW DELHI: North India is likely to witness an intense wet spell till Tuesday (January 5), with fairly widespread precipitation accompanied with thunderstorm, lightning and hailstorm at isolated places, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

After the wet spell, fresh northerly-northwesterly winds are likely to set in over the plains of northwest India, causing "cold wave to severe cold wave conditions" at isolated places in Punjab, Haryana and north Rajasthan from January 7 onwards, the IMD said.

As per the IMD, these favourable meteorological features are likely to persist till January 5 and continue to cause a moderate to intense wet spell with a fairly widespread to widespread precipitation accompanied with thunderstorm, lightning and hailstorm at isolated places over northwest India till the night of January 5.

Fresh snowfall occurred in Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir, where road and air links were snapped with the rest of the country. The weatherman issued predicted heavy to very heavy rains and snowfall in Himachal Pradesh on January 4 and issued a Yellow alert. It predicted rain in the plains and lower hills till January 5 and rain, and snowfall in middle and higher hills of the state till January 6.

Further, it issued 'Orange' warning of heavy rain and snowfall in the middle and higher hills on January 5.

The Met centre issues colour-coded warnings to alert the public ahead of severe or hazardous weather which has the potential to cause "damage, widespread disruption and/or danger to life".

After the wet spell, fresh northerly-northwesterly winds are likely to set in over the plains of northwest India, causing "cold wave to severe cold wave conditions" at isolated places in Punjab, Haryana and north Rajasthan from January 7 onwards, the IMD said.

On Sunday, heavy rains lashed Delhi where the minimum temperature settled at 9.9 degrees Celsius, while the maximum settled at 15.8 degrees Celsius. The Safdarjung observatory, which provides official figures for the city, recorded 14.8 mm rainfall at 5.30 pm, while the Palam weather station recorded 5.3 mm and Lodhi Road recorded 18.6 mm rainfall. Heavy rain also led to waterlogging in many parts of the national capital.
By Devjyot Ghoshal and Manoj Kumar

SINGHU, India (Reuters) - In a standoff between farmers from India's northern breadbasket and the government that has convulsed the country, the farmers have a 21st-century ally: a handful of supporters scattered around the world running a Twitter handle.

The farmers have paralysed some traffic in and out of New Delhi, protesting recent agriculture laws that they fear could eventually eliminate government-guaranteed minimum prices for their crops.

But the demonstrators, many of them from the Sikh religious minority, say they are also battling a social media campaign by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP brands some of the protesters as separatists from the giant multi-ethnic nation, a charge the demonstrators call disinformation.

Bhavjit Singh became energised for the battle in November from his bedroom in Ludhiana in the agricultural heartland state of Punjab, where he watched with dismay the online attacks on the farmers.

With a few friends, the information technology professional launched the @Tractor2twitr Twitter account in late November. The following month he journeyed to the focal protest site on a main highway connecting Haryana state and Delhi, the territory that includes the capital.

Thousands there have jammed the road for kilometres with tractors, trailers and tents, sleeping in makeshift hovels and cooking in ramshackle kitchens.

Singh, 38, joined the protesters with two smartphones.

"We will intensify our campaign because we are getting organised and getting more support now," Singh told Reuters, speaking near the noisy protest site where open kitchens dished out midmorning snacks. "Our war of perception, the war of messaging is going in the right direction."

The account, with more than 23,000 followers, promotes its message by pushing one hashtag a day. One day recently, #FarmersDyingModiEnjoying, pushed by @Tractor2twitr, was among the top hashtags on Indian Twitter - battling #ModiWithFarmers.

Story continues

Thirteen thousand kilometres (8,000 miles) away in Houston, Texas, Baljinder Singh is part of the core group that helps run the account.

The BJP "were targeting us, so we felt we had to answer them back," the owner of a couple of 7-Eleven stores in the United States told Reuters. "We are all the sons and daughters of farmers."

Baljinder and Bhavjit Singh, who share a common Sikh family name, are not related.

@Tractor2twitr has been joined in recent weeks by a union group called the Farmers Unity Front (Kisan Ekta Morcha), setting up accounts on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp and Snapchat, staffed by 50 volunteers, that have surged to hundreds of thousands of followers.

'MANIPULATED MEDIA'

The farmers demand Modi repeal the three farm laws, enacted in September, which they say could make them vulnerable to retail giants like Walmart Inc and India's Reliance Industries.

The government says the laws, which let growers bypass government-regulated wholesale markets and sell directly to buyers, are a reform that gives farmers more options. It has sought to assure the farmers that the guaranteed-pricing system will not be dismantled.

As the farmers were trooping toward Delhi late in 2020, a wave of misinformation began spreading online, said Rajneil Kamath, publisher of fact-checking website Newschecker.

Old, unrelated images and videos - including some from demonstrations outside India calling for an independent Sikh homeland - were passed off as representing the farmers, Kamath said.

In December, Twitter flagged a tweet by the head of the BJP's vast social media team, Amit Malviya, as "manipulated media," saying a video he posted showing an elderly protestor narrowly avoiding a police beating had been misleadingly edited.

BJP spokesman Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga says the party has been legitimately highlighting that people other than farmers, including Sikh separatists, had potentially infiltrated the protests.

"We believe some people are trying to hijack the movement," Bagga said.

At the protest site, Ammy Gill, a 25-year-old lyricist from Punjab, divides his time helping out at community kitchens and chronicling the protests on social media.

"The objective of our social media messages is to counter the trolls and the campaign against farmers," Gill said.

"We are not here for a picnic."

(Reporting by Devjyot Ghoshal and Manoj Kumar in New Delhi; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and William Mallard)
Amid rising tension in the Persian Gulf in US President Donald Trumps final weeks in office, Iran announced on Monday that it has ramped up enrichment of uranium, while the navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized a South Korean-flagged tanker.

The two moves come just after the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 3, 2020, killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani in a US strike in Baghdad.

Government spokesman Ali Rabiee told state-run Mehr News that the country has resumed enriching uranium up to 20%. Iran was previously enriching below 5%. The enrichment will take place at Fordow, which is an underground uranium enrichment facility. Under the 2015 nuclear deal  officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)  Fordow was to be converted from an enrichment center to a nuclear, physics and technology center. No enrichment would be allowed at Fordow until 2031 under the JCPOA.

According to Rabiee, the enrichment decision was taken in line with parliaments passing of the Strategic Actions to Remove Sanctions bill. The double emergency bill was passed in December and designed to realize the rights lost of the Iranian people after other countries failed to implement their parts of the nuclear deal.

Meanwhile, Iranian media announced a South Korean tanker was seized due to violating environmental protocols. The tanker had left Saudi Arabia and was headed to Bombay, India, according to the statement released by the IRGC. The tanker was carrying 7,200 tons of ethanol. The crew members on the ships are nationals from South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar. The tanker is being kept in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.

Not discussed in the Iranian media reports is the financial dispute between Iran and South Korea. According to the head of Irans Central Bank Abdolnaser Hemmati, South Korean banks have blocked billions of dollars of Iranian money due to US sanctions. Iran and South Korea have been in negotiations to resolve this and find a way to get Iran the money it has in South Korean banks, but according to Hemmati US Treasury under Trump has not been cooperative on the matter.

With the anniversary of the assassination of former Quds Force commander Soleimani tensions in the region were extremely high. While the anniversary passed without incident, Trump ordered the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier to remain in the Persian Gulf. The United States had previously also sent B-52 bombers into the region. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had previously said that the United States was looking for a pretext to start a war.

The major dispute between the United States and Iran started over the nuclear program in 2018 when Trump exited the JCPOA and called for a new deal. The United States reapplied sanctions on Iran, seriously damaging their economy by making it extremely difficult to sell their oil. While the other members of the JCPOA remained in the deal, Iran began taking incremental steps away from it. Iran has claimed all the steps they have taken can be easily reversed if President-elect Joe Biden reenters the agreement.
BEREA, Ohio -- With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Berea Community Outreach became the go-to resource for increasing numbers of Berea residents.

BCO was one of the first projects started by Mayor Cyril Kleem when he took office in 2008. He saw it as reaching out to those in the shadows of the community, the ones that are often forgotten, he said.

Living up to its motto -- lending a hand, making a difference -- Berea Community Outreach now encompasses a long list of programs, from a food pantry and Dinner to Your Door to grass cutting and snowplowing for seniors and the disabled.

Natalie Guzzo, Berea Community Outreach coordinator, said requests for services have mushroomed in the past year. At the same time, weve been getting a tremendous amount of donations since COVID, she said.

When the first stimulus checks were mailed, many residents dropped off the funds at BCO.

They told me they didnt need the money. We could put it to better use, Guzzo said.

Local corporations have helped, too. Giant Eagle has donated bakery, food, soap, toilet paper and other supplies worth more than $30,000. Guzzo said the grocery store also gave BCO clients Halloween bags and decorations.

Heinens regularly drops off bread and bakery items worth more than $10,000 over the year.

One of BCOs major programs is the Backpack Program for students at Grindstone Elementary School and Berea-Midpark High School who might need nutritious food over the weekend. Credit First National Association, based in Brook Park, has donated all of the food items for the Backpack Program.

The association also gave $10,000 for Christmas gifts and school supplies for BCO clients. The Backpack Program serves 55 students. School supplies were given to 65 students.

Individuals, service organizations such as Berea Kiwanis and Berea Rotary, churches, school groups and other non-profits donate cash, time and talent to make sure programs run smoothly.

Dinner to Your Door delivers hot meals to 42 seniors, shut-ins and disabled residents in Berea, Brook Park and Middleburg Heights. The meals are provided by a catering service and delivered by volunteers.

About 180 families are served by the Food Pantry, which is open every Thursday.

Easter and Thanksgiving meals were delivered to 100 residents at Quarrytown. Children were given Easter baskets.

For Christmas, 110 children received gifts through BCO.

BCO volunteers raked leaves for 75 seniors in November.

BCO also supports the Active Senior Network and the Veterans Outreach Office.

BCO works with the police department and other agencies to help those with mental health issues and those who may need housing assistance.

All of this is accomplished as a non-profit. BCO has raised more than $800,000 in cash and donations to support its programs. Program costs are supported 100 percent by donations. No tax dollars are used. BCO relies on the generosity of the community to continue helping our neighbors.

Berea is such a great community because of our sense of family, and its that sense of family that we rely on to support Berea Community Outreach, Kleem said.

To support Berea Community Outreach, make checks payable to BCO and mail to 535 Wyleswood Drive, Berea, OH 44017. You also can donate on the city website, https://cityofberea.org/274/Berea-Community-Outreach.

Non-perishable food items can be dropped off weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Its best to call first, at 440-826-4891.

BCO is headquartered at the former Smith School, 535 Wyleswood Drive.
As some students prepare to return to in-person learning after winter break, one Massachusetts school is offering COVID testing to all students and staff.

Following winter break, testing sites will be available throughout the city for all Salem Public School students and staff, the schools website stated.

Currently, Salem Public Schools are offering hybrid learning, although students are remote this week. A longer remote option is also available for those who need it.

The testing is free and available to all Salem Public School students and staff members. Although, anyone who tested positive for COVID in the previous 60 days is not eligible to participate, the school said.

It is a saliva-based PCR testing, which means those taking the test cannot eat or drink anything 30 minutes prior to testing.

We look forward to welcoming all students back to school tomorrow! Remember that ALL students will be REMOTE this week... Posted by Salem Public Schools on Sunday, January 3, 2021

Last month, rapid COVID testing began at 134 Massachusetts schools for students and teachers who got symptoms while at school.

Eligible schools had to be providing some form of in-person learning and had to meet six criteria, including that staff administering the tests are trained and the ability to meet Department of Public Health reporting requirements.

Parents must consent before a test is administered to students. Symptoms that may lead to the use of a rapid test include a fever, cough, shortness of breath and new loss of taste or smell.

Two Massachusetts schools under the Archdiocese of Boston began offering weekly COVID tests earlier this year. As of November, none had come back positive.

Its just a huge extra level of security for us to know the health of each of our classrooms and our overall community, Patrick Boyden, principal at St. Peter School in Cambridge, said. So, its been going really smoothly.

The free COVID tests at Salem Public School are being offering Monday Jan. 4, Tuesday Jan. 5 and Wednesday Jan. 6.

Students can test at any of the testing sites, the school said. Results will be available on Friday.

Related Content:
An elderly man has been disembowelled and trampled to death by an elephant in Kenya.

Charles Mutisya, 73, was working on his farm last week when the animal impaled him its tusks.

Officials suspect the elephant made its way to Mr Mutsiya's farm in Makueni County from the nearby Tsavo East National Park.

Wildlife authorities in Kenya shoot up to 120 problem elephants each year.

'Police from Mtito Andei police station and Kenya Wildlife Services rangers visited the scene of the incident and found the body having visible injuries with intestines hanging outside the stomach,' Makueni County Police Commander Joseph Ole Naipeyan told Kenya News Agency on Wednesday.

The man's body was taken to Makindu Hospital for an autopsy.

Officers and rangers carried out patrols of the surrounding area following the killing.

While many in the West have deep affection for the animals, they strike fear into the hearts of the farmers who live in rural Kenya.

Not only are they incredibly dangerous if they attack, but they decimate crops, marauding through fields and consuming hectares of food.

Poor farmers, forced to work land in elephant territory, can lose their livelihoods in just hours if a herd passes through.

Wildlife authorities in Kenya shoot up to 120 problem elephants each year.

In the last century, African elephant populations have declined from 3 to 5 million to 470,000 to 690,000.
Photo: (Photo : Unsplash/Toa Heftiba)

Chubbier parents are assumed to be better parents by most people, according to a study. The research team found that people perceive parents with less body muscle and fat percentage are more likely to become better at parenting. In contrast, skinnier parents tend to show less parenting abilities.

Evolutionary Psychological Science published a study that proves why. According to the study, people perceive that men and women who have a higher level of body fat are able to parent kids better than their skinnier counterparts.

Evolutionary Social Psychology Lab director and University of Mississippi associate professor Donald Sacco explained what his team found out during the study. He said that their study focused on how the facial and bodily cues communicate information about producing high quality children.

Babies need protection and investment from parents

Sacco explained that babies are vulnerable and need a lot of protection from their parents. He said that they came up with the idea on how bodily cues could inform inferences regarding the ability to parent children better.

READ: Older Women Who Move More Could Reduce Risk of Heart Failure, Study Proves

He and his team let 831 subjects view computer-generated bodies of both sexes that have different dimensions. Then, they let them answer 36 questions about their perception on parental qualities.

Low fat, high muscle linked to lower parenting ability

The study suggests that low body fat men with higher muscularity were linked independently as those with low parenting ability. People also perceived women with low body fat as that with low parenting abilities.

On the other hand, the subjects linked a higher fat percentage in women to have more parenting abilities. Study author Sacco told PsyPost that people believe that a person with a higher body fat percentage has more positive parenting abilities.

ALSO READ: Rewatching Your Favorite Shows Benefits Mental Health, Study Proves

He also said that what a person finds sexy and attractive with the opposite sex is not linked to a good parent. However, the study has limitations as the team only took public university students as their subjects.

Breast size not linked to better parenting abilities

What surprised Sacco and his team was that breast size was not linked to better parenting abilities. He said that people may perceive breasts more for mating rather than for parenting. The lead author also said that they plan to include a broader age-range in the future for a more generalized result.

READ MORE: Loneliness in Youth Affects Long-Term Mental Health, Study Proves

The research team noted how essential studying people is in regard to knowing their abilities as parents. Sacco believes that because parental investment is essential to the survival of offspring, people need to study more of it. He said that an essential research consideration is by increasing people's understanding of the different cues people perceive to prove one's parenting abilities.

READ NEXT: Biggest Pandemic Parenting Questions Answered by Experts
When Joe Biden becomes president Jan. 20, he will face an unprecedented number of crises. An unabated global pandemic. An unequal and fragile economy on the verge of recession. A climate rapidly worsening. A generational fight for racial justice.

All are potentially existential challenges. But it will be impossible to make progress on any of these problems without addressing perhaps the most profound crisis the new administration will face  the crisis in democracy itself.

A fight for the survival of democracy requires a solution that may seem laughable, but is completely necessary. The new president needs to appoint a democracy czar.

This crisis in democracy has not been caused solely by the autocratic tendencies of President Donald Trump, and will not go away when he leaves office. Over the last several decades, the American people have become increasingly distrustful of a system of governance they feel has produced more cronyism than results. Fewer than 20% of Americans trust the federal government to do the right thing, a historic low, and fewer than 30% of young people even think democracy is the best form of governance.

And despite an election that was free and fair, historically high levels of polarization remain, stimulated by a Republican Party that has put winning above democracy, meaning tens of millions still wrongfully believe Biden was not rightfully elected president.

The democratic backsliding and erosion is not just an American trend. Across the world, democracy is at the precipice. Wholesale change, wrought by automation of the economy and societal demographics, provokes fear. Societies question whether democracy can actually work. And across the world, leaders from Hungary to Thailand to the United States have been taking advantage.

So if the president-elect wants to have any chance of succeeding in his ambitious policy agenda, he must make restoring democracy an urgent priority. And to help spur this critical rebuilding project, he should put a single person in charge as soon as hes inaugurated.

Yes, the term democracy czar is oxymoronic. But the appointment of John Kerry as climate czar demonstrates the potential for such an approach. Kerrys role, while sitting on the National Security Council, will be to coordinate the administrations response to the climate crisis across multiple agencies.

Whereas some have called for a whole new Department of Democracy, a democracy czar would push the interdepartmental prioritization of democracy essential to restoring trust in the American public and across the world.

This official could start by following through on the democracy summit Biden promised in the campaign, bringing together countries to focus on fighting corruption, defeating authoritarianism and promoting human rights. A similar, but domestic, summit could include civil rights and voting organizations, educators and civic engagement groups.

The federal government can encourage citizen involvement. Last year saw an unprecedented amount of citizen action  not only record turnout for the election but the furthering of social movements like the Movement for Black Lives. A democracy czar could make sure these movements build durable power by helping inform and guide federal policy.

Stacey Abrams, who has received deserved plaudits for her work organizing and protecting the vote in Georgia, could build on this success at the national level. Deval Patrick built a strong record of civic engagement as governor of Massachusetts, and his brief 2020 presidential campaign explicitly promoted a democracy agenda.

Many of Bidens policy proposals focus on outcomes. None will be sustainable without a robust democracy that ensures Americans of all stripes feel the government truly cares about them and listens to their opinions.

No person can solve all of these challenges. But in an unprecedented moment, innovative solutions are required. A democracy czar would show the Biden administrations commitment  not only to solving for the challenges of today, but to making sure the American democratic experiment continues into the future.
ITHACA, N.Y. - From an observatory high above Chile's Atacama Desert, astronomers have taken a new look at the oldest light in the universe.

Their observations, plus a bit of cosmic geometry, suggest that the universe is 13.77 billion years old - give or take 40 million years. A Cornell University researcher co-authored one of two papers about the findings, which add a fresh twist to an ongoing debate in the astrophysics community.

The new estimate, using data gathered at the National Science Foundation's Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT), matches the one provided by the standard model of the universe, as well as measurements of the same light made by the European Space Agency's Planck satellite, which measured remnants of the Big Bang from 2009 to '13.

The research was published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics.

The lead author of "The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: A Measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background Power Spectra at 98 and 150 GHz" is Steve Choi, NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow at the Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, in the College of Arts and Sciences.

In 2019, a research team measuring the movements of galaxies calculated that the universe is hundreds of millions of years younger than the Planck team predicted. That discrepancy suggested a new model for the universe might be needed and sparked concerns that one of the sets of measurements might be incorrect.

"Now we've come up with an answer where Planck and ACT agree," said Simone Aiola, a researcher at the Flatiron Institute's Center for Computational Astrophysics and first author of one of two papers. "It speaks to the fact that these difficult measurements are reliable."

###
This is a simple story of Soviet espionage, an Australian aircraft carrier and what a Qantas navigator saw out of the aircraft window one sunny morning at the height of the Cold War.

Jed Hartman from Killarney Heights, now aged 91, says when interrogated by the Royal Australian Navy about the following events in April 1961 he was asked not to talk to the press.

He has two reasons to talk now. First, he has had extensive heart surgery and faces more operations in the new year. "If I die, the whole story goes with me," he says.

Former navigator Jed Hartman, aged 90, who spotted a Russian warship in Australian waters during the Cold War in 1961. Credit:Ben Rushton

Secondly, having stumbled in November across a story in the Herald about declassified ASIO secret files, he believes he now understands more fully the significance of what he saw. The report said Australian naval intelligence had warned there was "evidence of a Soviet submarine operating in South Australian waters" at the time of major missile firings at the Weapons Research Establishment in Woomera, north of Adelaide.
Bengaluru, Jan 4 : Karnataka health minister, K. Sudhakar on Monday said that the Home department and Bengaluru Civic Body are yet to track 75 passengers who returned from England after the new strain of Covid virus was detected two weeks ago.

Sudhakar told reporters that he was in touch with the home department and Bengaluru Civic Body authorities concerned to keep track of those 75 UK returnees who are missing since the campaign to detect, trace and treat was launched 10 days ago.

"This needs meticulous investigation and detection. They (Home and Bengaluru Civic Body) authorities need more time. The Government was trying to help these 75 returnees, they need to understand this," he explained.

Answering to a question, the minister said that of these 75 returnees three returnees have submitted addresses of their country of origin while remaining 72 returnees have given their overseas cell number, as a result of this, the authorities are finding it difficult to locate them.

"We have approached immigration authorities and they too have given details whatever we had sought. But most of these details furnished by these missing passengers are incomplete. We cannot term this as immigration authorities' mistake, but our people are working hard to track all of those missing," he said.

The minister claimed that only 10 are infected with a new variant virus so far in the state. "It is not big number given the number of people who disembarked in the last one month," he said He added that so far the total number of Covid positive among UK returnees reached 48 and of these 34 are those who returned from the UK while 14 are their primary or secondary contacts who tested Covid positive. "But the new strain of virus is found only in 10 among these 48 cases," he said.

"All of them are undergoing treatment and are without any serious health condition. They will recover soon," he said in response to a question.

"Their swab samples are sent to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (Nimhans) for carrying out genome sequencing tests and 10 among them were confirmed to be infected by the new variant of the virus," he explained.

It may be worth noting here, a total of 5068 passengers returned to the state from England since November 25 to December 31 in two flights-Air India and British Airways.

"Of these 5068 passengers, 4238 passengers landed in Bengaluru from December 9 to December 31 and among those landed 810 are from other states. Karnataka health and home departments took steps to inform their counterparts concerned of those states," the minister had stated on Friday
A series of incidents of vandalization of Hindu temples in different parts of Andhra Pradesh is gaining a lot of attention and protests. There have been four incidents of vandalism of Hindu deities over the last one week.

A series of incidents of vandalization of Hindu temples in different parts of Andhra Pradesh is gaining a lot of attention and protests. On December 28, the idol of Lord Rama was found desecrated at the 400-year-old Ramatirtham temple in Vizianagaram district. Following that, two more incidents of damage to idols were reported in Vijayawada on Sunday. These incidents taking place across the state are bringing a lot of criticism to the Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy and his government.

The opposition, YSR Congress party openly accused the Telugu Desam Party of involvement in the incidents. The political altercation over the matter increased on Saturday, as the TDP president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu visiting the 400-year-old Ramatirtham temple in Vizianagaram district.

Naidu described CM Jagan as a betrayer of Hindus. He also said that in the last 18 months of YSRC regime, there had been 127 incidents of attacks on temples and desecration of idols, hurting the sentiments of Hindu devotees, but not a single culprit was punished till date.

Also read: China revises defence law to bolster Xi Jinpings military powers

Unidentified persons allegedly damaged an idol of Goddess Sita Devi at Sri Sita Ramachandra Swamy temple, near Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) in the city. People noticed the desecrated idol at the temple on Sunday. the idol of Ketu was vandalized at a Sivalayam at Vuyyuru in the outskirts on the very same day. Including theses incidents, there have been a total number of four vandalizations across the state in the last week.

The police are yet to confirm whether there is any conspiracy behind these incidents. Over the last week, the government of the state has been faced with a lot of pressure following the incidents. The BJP and the Janasena have called for the Chalo Ramateerdham on January 5.

In order to prevent further attacks from taking place, the state government has taken geo-taged all places of worship and increased the security around them. The DGP has also requested people to inform the police in case of any suspicious activity, as some people are trying to create communal rifts and tensions by perpetrating such violence.

Also read: India gets Covaxin & Covishield vaccines; 50 mn doses ready
82-year-old Brian Pinker receives the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from nurse Sam Foster at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, England, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. Pinker, a retired maintenance manager received the first injection of the new vaccine developed by between Oxford University and drug giant AstraZeneca. (Steve Parsons/Pool Photo via AP)

The drive to vanquish the coronavirus gained ground Monday when Britain introduced another COVID-19 vaccine and the first people inoculated in the U.S. began rolling up their sleeves for their second and final dose.

Authorities in France and elsewhere in Europe, meanwhile, came under fire for slow rollouts and delays.

Helen Cordova, an intensive care nurse, got her second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center along with other doctors and nurses, the prescribed three weeks after they received their first shot at the start of the U.S. vaccination campaign.

"I'm really excited because that means I'm just that much closer to having the immunity and being a little safer when I come to work and, you know, just being around my family," Cordova said.

As of Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that nearly 4.6 million shots have been dispensed in the U.S., after a slow and uneven start to the campaign, marked by a confusion, a multitude of logistical hurdle and a patchwork of approaches by state and local governments.

Over the weekend, U.S. government officials reported that vaccinations had accelerated significantly, with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious-disease expert, saying 1.5 million shots were administered in 72 hours, or about 500,000 per day.

Britain, meanwhile, became the first nation to start using the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, ramping up its nationwide inoculation campaign amid soaring infection rates blamed on a new and seemingly more contagious variant of the virus.

Brian Pinker, an 82-year-old dialysis patient, received the first shot at Oxford University Hospital, saying in a statement: "I can now really look forward to celebrating my 48th wedding anniversary."

Britain's vaccination program began Dec. 8 with the shot developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.

The country has recorded more than 50,000 new coronavirus infections a day over the past six days, and deaths have climbed past 75,000, one of the worst tolls in Europe.

Chief nurse nurse Sam Foster holds a vial of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, England, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. England's National Health Service says a retired maintenance manager has received the first injection of the new vaccine developed by between Oxford University and drug giant AstraZeneca. Dialysis patient Brian Pinker became the very first person to be vaccinated by the chief nurse at Oxford University Hospital. (Steve Parsons/Pool Photo via AP)

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a wave of near-lockdowns the weekend before Christmas and warned on Monday that "tough, tough" weeks lie ahead and that tighter restrictions are coming soon: "If you look at the numbers, there's no question we will have to take tougher measures."

Israel appears to be among the world leaders in the vaccination campaign, inoculating over 1 million people, or roughly 12% of its population, in just over two weeks. The effort has been boosted by a high-quality, centralized health system and the country's small size and concentrated population.

Elsewhere, France's cautious approach appears to have backfired, leaving just a few hundred people vaccinated after the first week and rekindling anger over the government's handling of the pandemic.

The slow rollout has been blamed on mismanagement, staffing shortages over the holidays and a complex consent policy designed to accommodate vaccine skepticism among the French.

"It's a state scandal," Jean Rottner, president of the Grand-Est region of eastern France, said on France-2 television. "Getting vaccinated is becoming more complicated than buying a car."

Health Minister Olivier Veran promised that by the end of Monday, several thousand people will have been vaccinated, with the tempo picking up through the week. But that would still leave France well behind its neighbors.

French media broadcast charts comparing vaccine figures in various countries: In France, a nation of 67 million people, just 516 people were vaccinated in the first six days, according to the French Health Ministry. Germany's first-week total surpassed 200,000, and Italy's was over 100,000. Millions have been vaccinated in the U.S. and China.

The European Union likewise faced growing criticism about the slow rollout of COVID-19 shots across the 27-nation bloc of 450 million inhabitants.

EU Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said the main problem "is an issue of production capacity, an issue that everybody is facing."

The EU has sealed six vaccine contracts with a variety of manufacturers. But only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved for use so far across the EU. The EU's drug regulators are expected to decide on Wednesday whether to recommend authorizing the Moderna vaccine.

A health worker takes a nasal swab sample of a man to test for COVID-19 in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. India on Sunday authorized two COVID-19 vaccines, paving the way for a huge inoculation program to stem the coronavirus pandemic in the world's second most populous country. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Aspects of Britain's vaccination plans have also spurred controversy.

British health authorities want to give the first dose to as many people as possible right away, rather than holding vaccine in reserve to ensure recipients get their second shot on time a few weeks later. The plan requires stretching out the time between doses to as much as 12 weeks.

While two doses are required to fully protect against COVID-19, one dose still offers a high level of protection.

In the U.S., Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar dismissed such a strategy, saying on ABC's "Good Morning America" that the scientific data "just isn't there" to support that approach.

The U.S. has been holding back large amounts of vaccine for fear of manufacturing delays that could hold up the required second dose.

Fauci acknowledged over the weekend that "we are not where we want to be" when it comes to the vaccination drive, but he expressed optimism that the momentum will pick up by mid-January. He said President-elect Joe Biden's goal of vaccinating 100 million people in his first 100 days in office is "realistic."

On Sunday, India, the world's second-most populous country, authorized its first two COVID-19 vaccinesthe Oxford-AstraZeneca one and another developed by an Indian company. The move paves the way for a huge inoculation program in the desperately poor nation of 1.4 billion people.

India has confirmed more than 10.3 million cases of the virus, second in the world behind the U.S. It also has reported about 150,000 deaths.

Neither of the approved vaccines requires the ultra-cold storage that some others do. Instead, they can be kept in refrigerators, making them easier to handle in less developed parts of the world.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The Daily Beast

Theo WargoCNN boss Jeff Zucker on Tuesday addressed network staffers concerns over the revelations that primetime star host Chris Cuomo advised his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on how to respond to the multiple sexual harassment allegations against him.During a Tuesday afternoon town-hall meeting with staff, Zucker claimed he understood the unease over Cuomos conduct, saying in no uncertain terms that it was a mistake for the primetime star to participate in strategy calls advising his politically powerful brother.He did cross a line, Zucker said.Last week, The Washington Post reported that Cuomo joined strategy calls helping plan his powerful brothers rebuttals to mounting allegations that he harassed multiple women and made some female staffers feel uncomfortable. According to multiple sources who were present on one meeting, the CNN host even mentioned invoking cancel culture as a way to combat the claims.The CNN boss said he personally voiced his displeasure to Cuomo, and that he had considered the options for how to handle the star hosts unfolding scandal. Ultimately, Zucker said that rather than suspending Cuomo, the network decided the host should have to go on-air and personally apologize to his viewers.And so during his 9 p.m. ET broadcast, Cuomo declared that it will never happen again and insisted he knows where the line is.In a statement following the Post bombshell last week, CNN admitted it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governors staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward. The network added that Cuomo would not be disciplined further.But the top anchors decision to secretly participate in the strategy calls assisting his embattled brother has, indeed, irked numerous network staffers. CNN insiders who spoke with The Daily Beast this week expressed frustration with the networks handling of the incident, saying Cuomo should have faced more serious consequences.Im very disappointed in the network, said one current on-air personality. I think some disciplinary action, at a minimum, was required in this situation. The source added, As a woman who works here, I feel a little let down, to be honest.Staff were particularly interested in Tuesdays town hall following one of the more eventful weeks for the network following a high-profile sale and the departure of one noteworthy on-air contributor.During the call, Zucker said that Rick Santorum was given an opportunity to apologize for what the CNN boss referred to as the ex-senators inappropriate and racist comments about Native Americans, but because he refused to do so, the network ultimately fired the conservative pundit.And elsewhere in Tuesdays town hall, Zucker downplayed the impact of AT&Ts decision to merge WarnerMedia, CNNs parent company, with Discovery. Asked about whether CNN could be spun off as part of the deal, the network chief said he did not think that was in the cards.And when pressed on his own future at the network, Zucker said he plans to have conversations with the right people very soon.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
The Midland County Health Department on Monday is asking people age 75 and older to call 2-1-1 to be placed on a list for when coronavirus vaccines become available, said Fred Yanoski, Midland County Department of Public Health director/health officer.

He said efforts between the health department and MidMichigan Health to immunize priority health care workers are nearly complete, and the department is ready to move into 1B, which includes the 75-plus population in addition to essential workers including law enforcement and teachers. Vaccinations should begin sometime later this month.

The health department received 200 more doses of the Moderna vaccine last week and is expected another 200 doses this week.

Once the vaccine is available, people age 75 and older on the list will be contacted and either given information on how to schedule their vaccinations online or be assisted by staff on how to schedule an appointment. The health department plans to offer drive-through clinics.

"We understand everyone is not dependent on the internet so we will make provisions for every group to be notified when it's their time," Yanoski said.

The next group, 1C, includes the 65-74 age group, which Yanoski estimates will be ready for vaccines in late winter/early spring. People in that age group also will be prompted to call 2-1-1 to be placed on a list and when vaccinations are available, they will be contacted, helped with scheduling and notified of clinic dates.

"The common consensus is by the middle of summer anyone who wants a vaccine will be able to have it," Yanoski said. "But that's just guess at this point."

Yanoski said the vaccination partnership between pharmacies Walgreens and CVS and the Centers for Disease Control has started locally in nursing homes and assisted care facilities.

The health department will share information on when specific age groups should call 2-1-1 on its website at https://co.midland.mi.us/HealthDepartment.aspx as well as through media outlets, including the Midland Daily News.

The following information from the Midland County Health Department pertains to state and federal guidelines for who gets vaccinated when. These groups are being divided between MidMichigan Health, the Midland County Health Department and the CDC partnership with local pharmacies for vaccination of staff and residents of long-term care facilities.

PHASE 1A: Paid and unpaid persons serving in healthcare settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials and are unable to work from home as well as residents in long term care facilities.

1A Priority One: Keep critical health care infrastructure open and functioning (i.e., hospitals, critical care units, and emergency medical response systems) through vaccination of staff who perform direct patient care and work in critical areas including:

Group A: Emergency medical service providers, including medical first responders

Group B: General medical floor

Group C: Emergency department

Group D: Intensive care units

1A Priority Two: Prevent outbreaks and protect residents in long-term care facilities.

Group A: Vaccinate workers who have direct contact with large number of vulnerable residents. This would include staff who come in and out of the buildings; skilled nursing facility staff; psychiatric hospital staff; homes for aged staff; adult foster care centers staff; assisted living facility staff; home health care workers caring for high risk clients with large patient loads (e.g. people with a tracheostomy/ventilator at home)

Group B: Vaccinate vulnerable residents in long-term care facilities; skilled nursing facility residents; psychiatric hospital patients; homes for aged residents; adult foster care centers residents; assisted living facility residents

1A Priority Three: Keep necessary health care infrastructure functioning.

Group A: Vaccinate workers with direct patient contact who conduct high risk procedures (e.g., dentists, endoscopy, dialysis).

Group B: Vaccinate other workers who have direct patient contact, including outpatient, urgent care, ambulatory care, and home health care.

Group C: Vaccinate workers who have indirect patient contact with specialized skills critical to health care system functioning (e.g. hospital and public health laboratories, pharmacy).

PHASE 1B: Adults 75 years and older (a group of about 21 million), and front-line essential workers (a group of about 30 million.

PHASE 1C: Adults aged 65-74 years (a group of about 32 million), adults aged 16-64 years with high-risk medical conditions (a group of about 110 million), and essential workers who did not qualify for inclusion in Phase 1b (a group of about 57 million).

PHASE 2 is a mass vaccination campaign for all individuals 16 years and older.
A family who survived a horrific machete attack in their own home has told how they have been forced to buy pitchforks for their own protection - as police still haven't arrested the thugs responsible.

David 'Gramsey' Joyce and his son Christopher say they have bought pitchforks for protection in the event of another attack on their home.

"Until the ones responsible are arrested and put behind bars, we will not feel safe in this house," said David's wife Lizzie, who was struck a number of times during the attack.

"The fact the PSNI know who they are, and still haven't got a European Arrest Warrant, will make these people think they can do this again and get away with it.

Read More

"If they come through the door again, at least we'll have something to fight them off with this time."

Lizzy also told this week how the PSNI's failure to deliver justice for the family has had a horrific impact on her own personal health.

"This happened all the way back in September 2019," she said.

"We were promised at the time that the police would move quickly  but it has been one let down after another ever since.

"The police told us at the time they were going to get a European Arrest Warrant and gave us the impression they'd have them up here before a judge within a matter of weeks.

Blade

"Now it's well over a year later and we were told recently they still don't have that warrant."

During the horror attack on November 16 2019, Lizzy suffered a number of wounds to her leg after a gang burst into her home and struck her with a machete.

Her baby grandson John was also targeted and was only saved when his aunt, brave teenager Geraldine Maughan, threw herself between the tot and the blade.

Expand Close 14-year-old machete victim Geraldine Maughan / Facebook

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Whatsapp 14-year-old machete victim Geraldine Maughan

Geraldine was sliced open six times as she used her body to shield her godson.

Police believe the men who burst into their home were searching for baby John's grandfather 'Gramsey' Joyce.

Gramsey, who has a fearsome reputation as a bare knuckle boxer, was in a house nearby and raced to his family's aid after hearing the screams but the attackers had fled.

Horrifically, the attack was taped on a mobile phone by one of the thugs present and later sent to Geraldine as she recovered from her injuries in hospital.

Geraldine later told the Sunday World how she believed she was going to die after her lung was cut open during the vile attack. But she said: "He's my godson and I love him. I couldn't let them hurt him even though they were hitting me."

Geraldine also recalled how, as the blows from the machete rained down on her, she "looked up over my shoulder and I could see one of the men standing over me". "I was screaming for help," she added.

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Whatsapp Geraldine with baby John

"And then he started laughing at me, laughing like the devil, and he just wouldn't stop. I thought they were going to kill me and then they were going to kill baby John and then my cousin."

Speaking this week, Lizzie said the last two Christmases since the attack happened have been a nightmare for the family to get through.

"The Christmas after it happened I was out one day buying presents and I had a panic attack," she said.

"But this Christmas in a way was a bigger struggle because these people are still out there and as time goes by it seems less and less likely they are going to be arrested.

Read More

"That's a hard thing to deal with  knowing the PSNI know who these men are and that so far they have done nothing to bring them to justice.

"I have been diagnosed with PTSD, I barely sleep for fear they'll come in again on top of the children and I have lost weight and suffer from anxiety.

"I have a sick husband here to care for (Gramsey was treated for throat cancer) who is also worried about protecting his family and looking after us.

"What happened in this house was attempted murder and the PSNI need to treat it that way."

Expand Close Bernard and John Joyce / Facebook

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Whatsapp Bernard and John Joyce

One bright point in 2020 for the family came earlier this month when two men were sentenced in the Republic for online death threats against Christy and Gramsey.

Bernard Joyce and John Joyce, with addresses in Blackberry Lane, Athlone were each given five-year suspended sentences at Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court for the online death threats.

"We are grateful to the gardai," Lizzy continued.

In a statement to the Sunday World after we previously contacted them in relation to the family's concerns, Detective Inspector Michael Winters of the PSNI said: "Our enquiries are ongoing into this incident.

"Suspects have been identified and will be spoken to by officers in due course and the family will be kept informed of all developments in the case."

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Sunday World
A former British diplomat who played a key role in setting up the United Nations peacekeeping force has died aged 101.

Sir Brian Urquhart died at his Tyringham, Massachusetts, home on Saturday, his family said. His specific cause of death was not immediately clear.

Born in Dorset in 1919, Urquhart joined the British Army at the outset of WWII.

After almost dying when his parachute failed to open during a practice drop in 1942, Urquhart moved to the intelligence services, where he rose to the rank of major.

After the war, he served as a member of the British staff on the Executive Committee of the Preparatory Commission of the United Nations, which established the framework for creating the UN.

He was the second person hired by the organisation following its founding in 1945.

Urquhart became a personal assistant to the first secretary-general, Trygve Lie, in 1946 and moved with his boss to New York, where he remained for the rest of his life.

In a career spanning four decades, Urquhart served as principal adviser to five secretary-generals, directed 13 peacekeeping operations and recruited some 10,000 troops from 23 countries.

He was instrumental in the UN's first peacekeeping mission and led the body's operation in Congo from 1960-64, describing the missions as armies without enemies, only difficult clients.

Current UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, on Sunday paid tribute to Urquhart, whose imprint on the body he said "was as profound as that of anyone in the organisations history.

Mr Guterres added: "As an aide to secretary-general, Dag Hammarskjold, he helped to define the UNs scope of action in addressing armed conflict and other global challenges.

"And as a close associate of Ralph Bunche, the renowned UN official and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Sir Brian helped to establish and then propel international peacekeeping into wide-ranging use.

Following his retirement, Urquhart joined the Ford Foundation and wrote books and frequent commentaries for the New York Review of Books and other publications.

His books include a 1987 autobiography, A Life in Peace and War, as well as books on UN leaders and operations.

Urquhart is survived by his wife, five children, a stepson, 14 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Additional reporting by Press Association
Concerns over new coronavirus cases in Sydney and Melbourne look unlikely to prompt an accelerated approval and rollout of vaccines in Australia, with the local regulator still waiting on further data from AstraZeneca about its vaccine.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca product is the only vaccine set to be made in Australia at this stage, with biotechnology giant CSL set to produce 50 million doses this year, subject to approvals.

AstraZeneca has said it can roll out millions of doses of vaccine for Britons "very rapidly". Credit:University of Oxford

AstraZeneca has long hoped for approvals and rollout across the globe by the end of January, however, neither the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) nor AstraZeneca have confirmed when they expect the process to be completed.

The product was approved for use in the UK on December 30.
Ever since the slow rollout of the vaccine begun, there has been steady criticism of the EUs vaccine purchase strategy. Too few doses were secured too late. Other countries strategies have been more radical and thus more successful. Vaccinations in Luxembourg should be much further ahead, says Annick Goerens.

Israel has now given the vaccine to more than one million people in the space of just two weeks. By the end of March, the vast majority of its 9.3 million inhabitants will be immunised. Luxembourg, with just 630,000 residents, is lagging far behind, because we failed to acquire vaccines ourselves.

The Luxembourgish government relied exclusively on the European Union for its supply of coronavirus vaccines, unlike other countries which secured additional doses alongside the EU scheme. One has to ask why. Germany did it. The authorities did not solely count on the EU, which, lets not forget, failed to enact common policies when it came to travelling, border closures and other restrictions. The same EU idly stood by when member states outbid each other for face masks and PPE while there was a significant shortage thereof at the start of the pandemic.

Staggeringly, our Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel, made the decision not to purchase additional doses alongside the orders placed by the EU on behalf of Luxembourg  and he did so knowing first-hand that the EU has been prone to bureaucratic hiccups. According to our sources, cabinet was split on this decision. Some ministers repeatedly recommended to the PM to place orders for additional vaccines. He did no such thing.

Der Spiegel recently reported how BioNTech bosses were bewildered as to why the EU did not order more of their vaccine. Even more so given when it became clear relatively early on that the BioNTech vaccine had very promising trial results. According to the German newspaper, the US government acquired 600 million doses of their vaccine in July, whereas the EU only ordered 300 million  in November. Brussels even turned down BioNTechs offer to secure another 500 million doses. Der Spiegel reports that the French government is directly responsible for this decision. Instead, the EU diversified their portfolio and placed orders with several suppliers, some of which are now severely behind schedule like the French pharma giant Sanofi. Their vaccine will be available in late 2021 at the earliest; Brussels has ordered 300 million doses.

The EU has been heavily criticised for their vaccine strategy and I find rightly so. There would have been no downside to having ordered too much vaccine from each supplier. The extra stock could have been given to developing countries which naturally could not compete in the race for a vaccine with our capitalist market economies.

As always, it is down to money. In early December, Belgian secretary of state, Eva de Bleeker, accidentally released the undisclosed prices of each vaccine on Twitter. This has since been corroborated by Reuters. Accordingly, the EU is paying 15 per dose for the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine, $18  roughly 15  for the Moderna one, 8 for the Sanofi serum (which will be available in late 2021 only) and just 2 for the AstraZeneca vaccine which has also not been approved in the EU yet.

Luxembourg could have been the forerunner of the EUs vaccination efforts and immunised its entire population already. Yet, the government did precious little. The vaccination campaign is just slowly getting underway due to a shortage of vaccine, which was excruciatingly predictable.
At the risk of labouring a theme, let's acknowledge that this time of year is associated with new beginnings  the sort that reach fruition in September. The 17th of September, to be precise. This is the nation's most common birthday, the statisticians confirmed some years ago, a reflection of the bountiful opportunities of Australia's long holiday season.

I'm guessing you can see where this is going. Or not going, as it happens. Demographers and Treasury predict Australias fertility rate, already at a record low of 1.69 babies per woman in 2019-20, will drop further this year and next before a lacklustre recovery.

September 17 is the nation's most common birthday, reflecting our summer holiday period. Credit:iStock

The subject of falling birth rates is like a void people fill with whatever anxieties or political agendas float their boat. That's not to say any particular explanation for our shrinking families is wrong, though some are more evidenced-based than others. It's simply that the cacophony of voices can be bewildering.

From what I can tell, two trends are undeniably at work; one long-term and one short. The long-term trend is that since the advent of the pill in 1961, women have been having children later in life and having fewer of them. This epic social shift is expected to continue driving down fertility rates even after COVID-19 which, like the GFC, the Spanish flu epidemic and the Great Depression, is an upheaval likely to cause many people to put their baby plans on hold in the short term.
I just saw Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, on the news telling everyone in his most concerned face look that theres a new strain of coronavirus thats hit California and theyre basically going to have to close everything. So this weekend you can expect to find Gavin Newsom and medical personnel partying with no masks on and sitting six inches away from each other. So its good to be a Democrat, because you dont have to abide by the rules that you make for everybody else. You can continue to get a paycheck every day so you dont feel the pain of losing your income the entire time that youre making other people stay at home. Great job, Democrats.
January 04 : After wrapping Thalaivi, actress Kangana Ranaut has plunged into the production of her forthcoming action thriller Dhaakad and the makers have roped-in Japanese cinematographer Tetsuo Nagata who is based in France.

Kangana Ranaut took to her social media profile and confirmed the news. She shared, For #Dhaakad we have legendary french director of photography Tetsuo Nagata, his academy award winning work like La Vie en Rose has been an inspiration for whole world. Along with highly acclaimed international action crew @RazyGhai hoping to make world class spy thriller

For #Dhaakad we have legendary french director of photography Tetsuo Nagata , his academy award winning work like La Vie en Rose has been an inspiration for whole world. Along with highly acclaimed international action crew @RazyGhai hoping to make world class spy triller  pic.twitter.com/zSA0wBSMck  Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) January 4, 2021

Nagata who is a Cesar award-winning cinematographer will be serving as the director of photography (DOP) for Ranaut starrer 'Dhaakad.' Some of his works can be seen in films like 'La Vie En Rose,' 'Paris,' 'Narco' among others.

The film is being helmed by Razneesh Ghai and is being produced by Sohail Maklai.

Apart from Dhaakad and Thalaivi, actress Kangana is also prepping for her role in forthcoming patriotic drama Tejas.

Ranaut would be portraying the role of an IAF pilot. The IAF was the first of the armed forces in the country to induct women in combat roles in 2016. The film takes inspiration from this landmark event.

Helmed by Sarvesh Mewara and bankrolled by Ronnie Screwvala, the film is scheduled to release in April 2021.
Assessing the situation in J&K and predicting anything for the period beyond has to take into consideration a number of domains. Each of these can be a spoiler, while success is only gained by the cumulative whole achieved by them (Representational Image:AP)

A fairly severe winter of 2019-20 was followed by the Covid-19 pandemic and thereafter by a higher-than-expected active operational environment in Jammu and Kashmir in 2020. The year ended on a positive note with the successful conduct of the District Development Council (DDC) elections.

Assessing the situation in J&K and predicting anything for the period beyond has to take into consideration a number of domains. Each of these can be a spoiler, while success is only gained by the cumulative whole achieved by them. One domain which can exclusively claim to be a factor of success or failure is the degree to which Pakistans capability to sponsor the proxy hybrid conflict moves up or down on the scale.

2020 was a work in progress to provide continuity to the decisions taken on August 5, 2019 involving the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution and the creation of the new administrative units. While no one can claim that Kashmiris wholeheartedly accepted the decisions no one can also claim that turbulence of the 2009-10 kind hit Kashmir. The pandemic may have helped the authorities to some extent, but the control of the state was effective. There were no bandhs or separatist calls, and the overground worker networks could be effectively tackled and largely neutralised.

With clandestine finances in circulation at a comparative low (but by no means down and out), the wherewithal to conduct terror operations and attract passion-driven youth certainly took a hit. The Nagrota encounter towards the end of the year had recoveries of 10 rifles from four terrorists, proving it was an attempt to beat the strict vigil of the counter-infiltration grid at the Kashmir LoC and the non-availability of military wherewithal. There was an upsurge of drug-related activity; due to the absence of finances drugs appeared to have become the new currency. Intelligence in counter-terror operations improved to a great extent due to the Covid-linked lockdown; there was no imposed curfew except under local conditions brought on by terrorist presence. Safe houses were reduced in numbers, forcing terrorist groups to be larger and less frequent in movement, thus aiding intelligence sources. Success in the security domain was gained in many other sub-domains. The efforts to activate and expand the footprint of terrorist activity from South to North Kashmir failed. This was largely due to the absence of leadership and the inability to infiltrate potential leaders from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. With successful infiltration at an all-time low, North Kashmir had minimum encounters. The quantum of recruitment of fresh terrorists also came down. A contributing factor for this was the decision to prevent public funerals of even local terrorists; the decision on foreign terrorists had been taken in 2017. In the absence of experienced leadership, the terror groups could not launch campaign-style programmes such as those executed earlier, which involved the abduction and killing of policemen, soldiers on leave and their families, as was done in 2018-19.

When a proxy conflict has been quite effectively neutralized, the sponsors usually plan an action which can deliver an out of proportion effect, locally, regionally and internationally. That happened with Pulwama on February 14, 2019. The terror groups have probably been under pressure for such an action, but the effectiveness of the counter-terror grid has prevented this. It is just one or two failings on the part of the intelligence services or security forces which can facilitate such success for the terrorists. This is a feasibility which cannot be ruled out. An Indian strategic response to such an act can be expected. It need not be anything conventional or in the same mould as the surgical strikes of 2016 and Balakot 2019. In light of the altered LAC situation in Ladakh, a more holistic response catering for conflict progression on different fronts will have to be catered for, and no doubt has already been wargamed.

What have the DDC elections really achieved? They have created hope and an opportunity for political empowerment at the grassroots level. However, with a mandate fractured on religious and regional lines, there is yet much more work to be done if the true benefits have to be reaped. With the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) hankering on the rollback of Article 370 and having won nine of the 10 DDCs in the Valley, not much may change politically. The Assembly elections are likely to be held after the delimitation exercise, in about two years. If the BJP seriously wishes to make inroads into the Valley, it has this two-year window in which the services of Jammu can be utilised far more positively. The Jammu to Srinagar connect is more intense than is usually presumed. Second, the PAGD is popular by default and if it remains united it will be difficult to wrest Kashmir from it unless the BJP can get its act together and reach out to the people in a more energetic way, and with a more acceptable agenda. Intense political activity is likely in 2021, as opposed to 2020. It is in such situations that the security domain gets compromised and adversaries can find a chink.

I foresee a splurge of resources being deployed in J&K, but the real challenge remains corruption, planning and the ability to execute. One of the smartest things to do at this time will be to bring bureaucrats of proven credentials from different cadres and states and let them run Kashmirs administration under the lieutenant governor's directions. The return of normality in the post-pandemic period will be the greatest facilitator for a change in mindsets; past symbols of perceived coercion such as the Internet and mobile connectivity must return in ample measure, with the counters to security also well established.

The suggestions made in certain quarters from time to time to begin the withdrawal of the Army from the counter-terror grid must be shelved. We must remember that situations like the present one are temporary. We have made such mistakes in the past too. Its an old adage that the absence of violence is not normalcy. If we are in a hurry to strengthen the conventional capability at the Line of Actual Control and the LoC with Pakistan, lets not weaken ourselves everywhere. The Armys presence acts as a glue all across Kashmir. With its people-friendly capability being very high, its proactive involvement in the integration strategy must be more formally factored in.
This Dec. 2, 2020, file photo shows the Slack app icon being displayed on a computer screen in Tokyo. Slack suffered a global outage Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, during the first day back to work for most people after the New Year's holiday. Users reported service was down in the U.S., Asia, Latin America Europe, and India. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

Slack, the messaging service used by millions of people for work and school, suffered a global outage on Monday, the first day back for most people returning from the New Year's holiday.

It's the latest tech glitch to show how disruptive technical difficulties can be when millions of people are depending on just a few services to work and go to school from home during the pandemic.

The company stopped releasing its daily user count after topping 12 million last year.

"Our team is currently investigating and we're sorry for any troubles this may be causing," Slack said in a prepared Google went down briefly in December, with people in several countries briefly unable to access their Gmail accounts, watch YouTube videos or get to their online documents during an outage Monday. In August, Zoom went down briefly just as many students were beginning the school year at home. And in September, Microsoft services had an outage that lasted for five hours.

More complaints rolled in as the sun hit the West coast and there were still outages four hours after it began in New York City.

The outage comes about a month after Salesforce.com said it would acquire Slack for $27.7 billion. The companies hope to be better able to compete against Microsoft, which is a threat to both of them.

Slack is being acquired by Salesforce.com for $27.7 billion. The deal is aimed at giving the two companies a better shot at competing against longtime industry powerhouse Microsoft.

Microsoft Teams is a direct competitor to Slack and it is a software giant that competes with Salesforce.

Explore further Microsoft resolves major Monday outage after five hours

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
London: Britain's packed hospitals are three weeks away from being overwhelmed as a mutated coronavirus strain fuels a record-breaking surge in cases and triggers a third national lockdown.

Fending off claims the government had not acted fast or decisively enough to combat Europe's deadly second wave, Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday night said the United Kingdom "faced a pivotal moment" and the coming weeks would be "the hardest yet" in the pandemic.

"Our hospitals are under more pressure from COVID than at any time since the start of the pandemic," he said.

"In England alone, the number of COVID patients in hospitals has increased by nearly a third in the past week to almost 27,000 and that number is 40 per cent higher than the first peak in April."
By Richard Wolff

January 03, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - The spectacle of political leaders disconnected from basic social realities survived Trumps defeat. He and his GOP had shown little grasp of the two great crises of 2020: the crash of capitalism and the COVID-19 pandemic. Trumps resulting political defeat did not reconnect them. The Biden Democrats already show they learned little from Trumps loss; disconnection governs them too.

A basic social reality of the United States is its capitalist economic system that organizes enterprises internally into a small minority (employers) dominating the majority (employees), with markets to distribute resources and products. Like capitalisms everywhere, the U.S. version crashes recurringly. Variously called crises, recessions, or depressions, they have happened, on average, every four to seven years throughout capitalisms history. With three in this centurys first 20 years (dot-com in 2000, subprime mortgage in 2008, and COVID-19 in 2020), the United States illustrates that four-to-seven-year schedule. The 2020 crash is second only to the Great Depression of the 1930s in its social impact. That fact alone demands major policy interventions on the scale, at least, of what was done then (including the creation of Social Security, federal unemployment insurance, the first minimum wage, and the creation of millions of federal jobs). Moreover, the 1930s were not simultaneously a time of deadly viral pandemic. Given the uniquely immense challenge of 2020s two crises, no remotely adequate policies were undertaken nor even contemplated by Trump, Biden, Republican or Democratic establishments. They just dont get it.

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The COVID-19 pandemic replicates past viral outbreaks: from the deadly 1918 influenza pandemic to recent SARS, MERS, and Ebola outbreaks. Coping with them requires having ready (or quickly acquiring) adequate supplies of tests, masks, ventilators, hospital facilities, and trained personnel. Where supplies of these essential resources were left mostly to the private capitalist sector, fatal failure resulted. It was not privately profitable (and far too risky) to produce, stockpile, and maintain these supplies for years until a pandemic enabled them to be sold. Private capitalists chose other more profitable and/or less risky investments. Private capitalism, as many had forewarned, was unreliable for protecting public health.

Of course, the government could have intervened to offset private capitalisms failure to safeguard public health. It could have purchased tests, masks, and ventilators as fast as private capitalists produced them at prices profitable for those capitalists. The government could then have stockpiled them at taxpayers expense for use when the next dangerous virus threatened. In fact, the U.S. government already does that, but not for public health. It buys and stockpiles missiles, warships, and tanks from private capitalists because profit-driven capitalists would not stockpile them. In the United States, Republican and Democratic establishments promote the governments full socialization of military costs as patriotism while they demonize and block an equivalent socialization of public health costs as socialism.

Inadequate preparation for COVID-19 was followed by failure to contain it. Trump and the GOP never considered, let alone implemented, massive government intervention. Many other countries did, mobilizing private and public resources effectively against COVID-19. Crude laissez-faire ideology plus corrupt political calculation drove Trump and the GOP. As to the pandemics effects, they just did not get it.

Either a capitalist crash or the COVID-19 pandemic alone would have been a critical challenge for the United States. Having both occur together, a staggering combination, requires just what Trump did not and Biden is not doing: a similarly unprecedented government response. Thus, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are not even trying for an adequately large stimulus. Their joint product promises to be a prime example of too little, too late. Neither party leadership advanced policies enlarging upon what worked well in the 1930s: a massive federal jobs program to end unemployment, a Green New Deal, and a national system of COVID-19 testing, tracking, and treatment in additionally constructed hospitals and clinics. Nothing suggests Bidens centrist Cabinet sees the magnitude of the need. They just dont get it.

For both Republican and Democratic establishments, political strategies are similar. Each endorses, privileges, and supports private capitalism. Each blames the other party for negative results that flow from the social dominance of private capitalism. Neither dares blame private capitalism for social problems like unemployment and pandemic casualties. Instead, each has its preferred set of scapegoats to blame. Republicans blame immigrants, foreign trading partners (especially China), non-whites, pro-abortion rights activists, mainstream media, liberals, and socialists. Democrats blame Russia and Russians, China, gun enthusiasts, white supremacists and racists, Fox News, and Trump and his supporters.

A solution would be a genuinely level political playing field. It would include a new political party that criticizes and opposes the capitalist system because of its responsibility for critical social problems. It would break the political monopoly run by Republicans and Democrats just as many economic monopolies have ended in the nations past. Todays crises, inequalities, divisions, and the sufferings of so many deserve no less. Yet the political monopolists want to keep their control.

They just dont get it.

Richard D. Wolff is Professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he taught economics from 1973 to 2008. He is currently a Visiting Professor in the Graduate Program in International Affairs of the New School University, New York City.

Earlier he taught economics at Yale University (1967-1969) and at the City College of the City University of New York (1969-1973). In 1994, he was a Visiting Professor of Economics at the University of Paris (France), I (Sorbonne). Wolff was also regular lecturer at the Brecht Forum in New York City.
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Pakistan: One day fishing permit fee: Fishermen, anglers urge minister to review

January 04,2021 | Source: Business Recorder

Fishermen and anglers of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Sunday urged Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to take notice of increased fee of one day fishing permit to Rs 1,000 terming it only leisure time sport and a safe activity during COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier the fee was to Rs 300 on the directives of Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Hamza Shafqaat, they said. Mohammad Saqlain, a professional angler told APP that despite repeated requests to the officials concerned to review the decision no one paid heed. The fishing permit fee was increased to Rs 1,000 a couple of months back after a summary approved by the Minister for Interior Brig Ejaz Ahmed Shah (retd).



He added that prior to summary approval, a unilateral increase in fishing fee was made by the Fisheries Department. However, after reservations and concerns of anglers and citizens the Deputy Commissioner reduced the fee to Rs 300. The department was charging Rs 1,000 per permit which was unjust and a kind of discouragement of the healthy activity, he remarked. He urged the authorities concerned to review their decision and revive the previous fee of fishing permit.



Saqib Aftab, another angler frequently visiting the Rawal Dam said fishing or angling was a leisure time sport but increase in fishing permit fee had made it difficult for middle-class to afford it. Aftab urged the Interior Minister and authorities concerned to reduce the fee to make the facility equally accessible to all, adding, This pandemic is the first of its kind we have observed that had totally changed our lives. We need to come out of its trauma and fear where activities like fishing are one of the few safe things to do while adhering to safety guidelines.
On January 4, Bharat Biotech Chairman Krishna Ella stated that it is unfair to accuse the company of inexperience, as the company has experience in manufacturing vaccines in emergency situations when efficacy data is not available. He also mentioned that the Covaxin's efficacy data will be released by March 2021.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the world's biggest vaccination drive against COVID-19 is set to begin in India, a day after the drugs regulator approved two vaccines for restricted emergency use. He also lauded the scientists and technicians for the 'Made in India' vaccines, saying that the country is proud of them.
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Only 352 people have been vaccinated against covid in France - compared to more than a million in Britain - after the EU botched its ordering system.

Emmanuel Macron is coming under fire for the slow roll-out which he is reported to have been incandescent about behind closed doors, calling the delays 'unworthy' of the French people.

The EU lagged weeks behind Britain and the US, only giving approval to the Pfizer jab on December 21, and since then the bloc has secured just 300 million doses for a population of 446 million.

But the slow French start can't all be blamed on the Brussels bureaucracy. Germany has managed 200,000 doses, Italy 80,000 and Poland 50,000, while Mr Macron scrambles to avoid a national scandal.

Emmanuel Macron (pictured at a climate summit earlier this month) is coming under fire for the slow roll-out which he is reported to have been incandescent about behind closed doors, calling the delays 'unworthy' of the French people

Chief nurse nurse Sam Foster holds a vial of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, southwest England on January 4, 2021. Britain is leading its European rivals in rolling out vaccines for covid

As of today France has managed to give out 352 vaccines, it lags behind Germany which has managed 200,000 and Britain which has immunised more than a million already (this graph shows figures for France as of Jan. 1)

Mr Macron in his New Year address to the nation had already pledged there would be no 'unjustifiable delays' in the rollout of the vaccination, but the Journal du Dimanche newspaper reported Sunday that he has been scathing in private about the speed of progress.

EUROPEAN COUNTRIES REPORTING THE MOST CASES AND DEATHS CASES PER DAY UNITED KINGDOM: 52,348 RUSSIA: 26,648 GERMANY: 18,424 ITALY: 15,393 FRANCE: 13,720 DEATHS PER DAY GERMANY: 669 UNITED KINGDOM: 610 RUSSIA: 533 ITALY: 487 FRANCE: 327 *Latest 7-day average reported Advertisement

A pace at the level of 'a family stroll' was not 'worthy of the moment nor of the French,' the newspaper, seen as close to the Elysee Palace, quoted Mr Macron as saying.

'I am at war in the morning, noon, evening and night,' the president, who recently himself recovered from Covid-19 infection, said according to the report. 'I expect the same commitment from all. This won't do. It must change quickly and firmly.'

The deputy president of the far-right National Rally (RN), Jordan Bardella, said that France had become the 'laughing stock of the world.'

'We vaccinated in a week the same number that the Germans vaccinated in 30 minutes. It's shameful,' he told RTL television.

Jean Rottner, the head of France's Grand Est region and member of the right-wing Republicans (LR) party said: 'The French need clarity and firm messages from a government that knows where it is going. It is not giving this impression.'

Mr Rottner called it 'a government scandal.'

According to the French health ministry just 352 have received the jab.

The government had begun the vaccination drive by targeting residents of care homes, a laborious process given that consent is required from each patient.

However in an apparent change of tack in the face of the pressure, Health Minister Olivier Veran announced that health workers aged over 50 could be vaccinated starting Monday.

Elisabeth Bouvet, head of the technical committee on vaccines for the French health authority, said the strategy would remain the same but 'probably must accelerate.'

'We must not exaggerate: we started vaccinating just a week ago, we cannot call this a disaster,' she told France Inter radio.

The EU so far has approved only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, while a vaccine developed by France's Sanofi and Britain's GSK is only going to be ready later in the year due to delays.

French President Emmanuel Macron on December 17 attending a video conference a round table for the National Humanitarian Conference (NHC) at the Foreign Ministry in Paris after he tested positive for the virus

But the government has vehemently denied it is holding out for a homegrown French vaccine to become available.

'I think that the Moderna vaccine ought to arrive this week,' Dominique Le Guludec, head of the Haute Autorite de Sante (HAS), told BFM TV, adding that France wanted more information on the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab.

The United States authorised Moderna's vaccine on December 19, Canada did so on December 23 and the EU's watchdog is expected to approve it this week.

Britain is also expected to give its approval to the Moderna jab imminently.

France has the seventh-highest COVID-19 casualty toll in the world, with more than 65,000 deaths.

The European Commission is in discussions with Pfizer and BioNTech about the possibility of ordering more doses of their COVID-19 vaccine, in addition to the 300 million shots already covered under an existing contract, a spokesman said on Monday.

'The Commission is checking whether there is a way to add additional doses to those for which we already have a deal,' the spokesman said.
Mexico on Monday offered political asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, after a British judge blocked his extradition to the United States to face espionage charges

Mexico City, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Jan, 2021 ) :Mexico on Monday offered political asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, after a British judge blocked his extradition to the United States to face espionage charges.

"I'm going to ask the foreign minister to carry out the relevant procedures to request that the UK government releases Mr. Assange and that Mexico offers him political asylum," President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters.

He said Mexico would ensure "that whoever receives asylum does not intervene or interfere in the political affairs of any country." This Latin American country has previously offered political asylum to high-profile international figures such as former Bolivian president Evo Morales.

Assange is wanted on 18 charges in the United States relating to the 2010 release by WikiLeaks of 500,000 secret files detailing aspects of military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.

If convicted in the US, the 49-year-old Australian publisher faces up to 175 years in jail.

British District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said Monday that Assange's actions in leaking secret documents went "well beyond" that of a journalist, and he would have been "well aware" of the dangers the leak posed.

But facing the "harsh conditions" likely in the US jail system, Assange's mental health would deteriorate, "causing him to commit suicide" with the determination of a person with autism spectrum disorder, she ruled, siding with a diagnosis by psychologists.
Social media flooded with tributes and calls for justice after news about the rape-slay of a 23-year-old Filipina flight attendant surfaced.

On Monday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) filed charges of provisional rape with homicide against 11 people for the death of the flight attendant who died following a New Year's Eve party with her friends at a hotel room.

The victim was identified as Christine Angelica Dacera, a flight attendant for the Philippine Airlines (PAL) and hailed from the City of General Santos in the Philippines.

According to Philippine news outlet, The Inquirer, Dacera was found unconscious in an empty bathtub inside the hotel room where the New Year's Eve party with some of her friends took place.

She was declared dead later on after she was rushed to the hospital.

In a statement by Col. Harold Depositar, Chief of Makati City Police, the charge of provisional rape and homicide was filed against the 11 individuals who were with the victim at the time of her death. They were reportedly occupying two hotel rooms adjacent to each other in Makati city for the said New Year's party.

Moreover, Depositar clarified that the charges were only provisional since the office of the prosecutor is still awaiting the results of the toxicology report and autopsy findings on the victim. He further added that the said reports will be submitted by the Makati City police on Tuesday.

In addition, the police chief stated that out of the 11 suspects, only three have surfaced to face the charges while the other eight have made themselves scarce and are yet to show up.

In a report by The Daily Star, it was stated that Depositar noted that only three of the 11 suspects were friends with the victim and the others at the party were strangers to Dacera. He, however, stressed that everyone present at the party with Dacera.

Read also: Nashville Bomber Mails Writings Promoting Conspiracy Theories Before Blast

When asked about the basis of the charges of rape with homicide, the police chief stated that the initial assessment of the victim showed lacerations on her genitalia, as well as traces of sperm in the area.

He also noted that the victim also sustained contusions, bruises, and even scratches on her legs and arms.

While the initial cause of the 23-year-old's death was an aneurysm, which was thought to be natural, the police claim that there were several contributing factors that lead to her demise.

The Makati City Police was informed of Dacera's death by the Makati Medica Center where she was rushed on New Year's Day. A hotel staff alongside three of Dacera's friends were the ones who brought her to the hospital after finding her lying unconscious in the bathtub, The Sun reported.

Following the release of the news about Dacera's rape-slay case, social media erupted with people fuming with anger and calling for justice on Dacera's death.

Hashtags #JusticeforChristineDacera, #ProtectDrunkGirls, #StopVictimBlaming, and RAPE is RAPE trended on Twitter from Monday night until early Tuesday morning, Philippine Time, as people discuss the brutality of the crime on social media.

Related article: Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's Former Partner, Has Been Denied Bail Again

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The ambulance service was called to the scene

Police and the ambulance service have been called to the scene of a crash between a scrambler and a car on Monday evening.

Two males were injured in the crash on the Andersonstown Road in west Belfast shortly before 5.30pm.

One was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital by ambulance for his injuries after treatment at the scene. Police said two were treated in hospital for their injuries.

A spokesperson for the ambulance service said an emergency crew was dispatched after they received the call, along with a second crew by car.

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In what many Texans would consider a long overdue move, lawmakers are lobbying to add the 1997 movie "Selena" to the National Film Registry.

Gregory Nava's hit film portraying the life and tragic death of Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla has been nominated for inclusion in the Library of Congress, according to Nicole Acevedo with NBC News.

SELENA RADIO 24/7: Selena continues to rule the airwaves in new Houston radio station

In a letter to the Librarian of Congress, Texas congressman Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) has been at the forefront with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in ramping up efforts to "eradicate the film industry's continued exclusion of Latinos," according to Acevedo.

"For too long U.S. Latinx filmmakers contribution to the film industry have been overlooked and underrepresented. Our community is important and growing and our stories need to be told," Nava said in a statement, according to Acevedo.

According to a recent study by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, only 4.9 percent of speaking roles among films in 2019 were played by Latino actors.

Additionally, 44 out of 100 top-rated movies had no Hispanic/Latino speaking charactersan all-time high for underrepresentation, according to the study.

One of the first of its kind, Jennifer Lopez's portrayal of the eponymous Selena highlighted Latino contributions to American popular music and elevated a story centered around a Mexican] American family.

The film also touched on important cultural identity themes faced by Mexican Americans across the world. Abraham Quintanilla, played by Edward James Olmos, explains to his daughter Selena and son A.B. how they have to be twice as perfect to receive the recognition white Americans do, which is a scene many Latinos can relate to.

"Selena is an American icon and she's so celebrated within the Latino community," Castro told Acevedo. "I think part of the affirmation of that was, not only the success of the film, but also the recent success of the television series."

Over the course of 2021, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus will be identifying additional films highlighting the "American Latino experience" to add to the Library of Congress, according to Acevedo.
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Monday he will not get the vaccine against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) administered, saying those who fall under the priority groups should get the preference.

I have decided that I will not get vaccinated for now. First it should be administered to others. My turn should come afterwards. We have to work to ensure that priority groups are administered with the vaccine, Chouhan said, according to news agency ANI.

The comment by the senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came a day after Drugs Controller General of India VG Somani gave approval for the emergency-use of two coronavirus vaccines, one developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and the other by local company Bharat Biotech.

Soon after the approval of the two vaccines, Congress leaders Anand Sharma, Shashi Tharoor and Jairam Ramesh, on Sunday raised concerns over the grant of approval to Bharat Biotechs Covid-19 vaccine for restricted use, saying it is premature and can prove dangerous.

The leaders then drew flak from Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and senior BJP leader JP Nadda who said the opposition led by the Congress is filled with anger, ridicule and disdain.

In a tweet, Puri said, Our in-house cynics M/s Jairam, Tharoor & Akhilesh are behaving true to form. They first questioned the valour of our soldiers & are now unhappy that the two vaccines to get DCGI nod are made in India. Clearly, they are on a quest for permanent political marginalization.

Jairam Ramesh retorted, So says the in-house Goebbels-cum-Albert Speer. Both Goebbels and Speer were close allies of German dictator Hitler.

Tharoor, a Congress MP and former Union minister, also countered Puri, saying he had never questioned the valour of our soldiers. I would be happy and proud if more Indian vaccines are approved  but only after a full 3-phase trial confirms they are safe & effective. Short-circuiting the process is unprecedented, inadvisable & risks lives
As part of its Social Housing Scheme, the Buhari administration will construct 300,000 houses under the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) f...

As part of its Social Housing Scheme, the Buhari administration will construct 300,000 houses under the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) for low income earning Nigerians.

A statement on Sunday by presidential spokesman, Laolu Akande, disclosed that cement manufacturers have agreed with the federal government to charge a discount price.

During his inspection of the completed model houses in Dei Dei at the weekend, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo affirmed that it was possible to deliver decent and affordable accommodation to Nigerians.

After seeing the prototypes of the one-bedroom and two-bedroom bungalows, Osinabjo said he was satisfied with the cost and quality of the design.

He thanked cement manufacturers for their contribution to the success of the housing programme.

They have agreed to give cement for this project at a considerable discount which is a very helpful thing to do. We really commend and thank them, it is a very patriotic thing on their part.

Anybody who is earning N30,000 a month and is ready to spend a third of that amount will be able to afford one of these houses. What I have seen so far, there is a one-bedroom unit and there is a two-bedroom unit, both coming under N2 million.

Osinbajo expressed hope that the government will be able to replicate the project not just in Abuja but all over the country.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 4)  President Rodrigo Duterte supports the calls to postpone the increase in member contributions to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Bong Go said on Sunday.

"Base sa usapan namin ni Pangulong Duterte, sang-ayon naman po siya na ipagpaliban pansamantala muna ang pagtaas sa rates ng contributions ng PhilHealth habang may pandemya pa tayong kinakaharap," he said in a statement.

[Translation: Based on our conversations. he agrees on the need to temporarily suspend the increase in PhilHealth contributions during the pandemic.]

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Monday said the hike will push through as stipulated in the Universal Health Care Law.

"Batas ito. Ang kinakailangan po siguro rito ay magkaroon ng amyenda ang batas para mapagbigyan po ang kanilang nais na i-defer o i-delay ang imposition o implementation of premium contributions rate," he said in a media forum.

[Translation: This is the law. The law needs to be amended if they want to defer or delay its implementation.]

Go, who is chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, said the President is aware a legislation is necessary to postpone the increase. He added that Duterte is also ready to approve a budget augmentation to help keep afloat the state insurer, which has been riddled with fraud allegations.

"Kung may kailangang aprubahan na dagdag na pondo mula gobyerno para hindi maantala ang serbisyo ng PhilHealth, pipirmahan niya ito pagkatapos mapag-aralan ng mabuti," he said.

[Translation: If the government needs to allocate additional funds to ensure PhilHealth's service will not be affected, he will review it and sign it.]

Senator Imee Marcos, meanwhile, filed Senate Bill No. 1966 that seeks to suspend the increase in PhilHealths premium rate contributions because it will only impose an additional burden to contributors during this period of overwhelming economic and financial difficulty.

On the other hand, Anakalusugan Party-list Representative Michael Defensor, vice-chairman of the House Committee on Health, said his proposed six-month delay will not negatively affect PhilHealth. He also said Congress could pass a joint resolution asking for the six-month deferment if necessary.

"Our rough estimate is that PhilHealth will be postponing less than P500 million worth of incremental premiums on an annual basis from direct contributors... The P500 million is a drop in the bucket for PhilHealth," he said.

State-run PhilHealth announced it will collect higher monthly premiums starting January 1. Those who have a monthly basic salary of 10,000 and below shall have a fixed contribution of 350 a month. Those earning 70,000 and higher per month will pay a fixed rate of 2,450 monthly. PhilHealth contributions are split equally between workers and their employees. However, those who are self-paying members, professional practitioners, and migrant workers will have to shoulder the amount in full.

The agency said higher contributions will assure enough funding for additional medical benefits and subsidies and will support various reforms under the Republic Act No. 11223 or Universal Health Care Law.

Go and other senators have criticized the contribution hike and sought for deferment. Senator Richard Gordon said PhilHealth should first clean its ranks and rehabilitate its programs before even considering adding to the public's burden, especially at a time when the agency and its former officials are facing complaints due to alleged fraudulent schemes. He urged PhilHealth Chief Dante Gierran to explore other strategies than what he is currently doing to fix the agency, saying he is not satisfied with the official's current solution to PhilHealth's deep-rooted problems.

"Im sorry to say to my friend, you cannot go business as usual," he told CNN Philippines' The Source on Monday. "If youre really serious with your job, hahalukayin mo yan [You will dig deep], youll warn everybody youll catch them, youll put the full force of the law behind it."

The state health insurer has been tarnished with corruption allegations in recent years. In August, then president and chief executive officer Ricardo Morales stepped down in the wake of revelations by a whisteblower employee of various illegal schemes in PhilHealth. The anomalies have reportedly depleted the agency's funds by 15 billion.

The National Bureau of Investigation has filed a complaint with the Ombudsman against Morales and other PhilHealth officials.

In 2019, PhilHealth figured in a ghost dialysis scheme, where dialysis centers were able to claim payments for patients even if they have not availed of the service or are already dead.
New Delhi, Jan 4 : The Supreme Court will hear next week a plea seeking directions to the Uttarakhand government and the Environment Ministry to take immediate measures to prevent forest fires in the hill state and also protect wildlife and birds from the fires.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian first told petitioner Rituparn Uniyal to move the High Court concerned. "You have prayed for relief with regard to Uttarakhand. You go to the high court there," the bench told the petitioner.

The petitioner, however, submitted before the apex court that in 2016, the High Court had passed directions on the issue related to forest fire, and there is an appeal pending against this order in the apex court.

After a brief hearing, the bench said it will take up the plea next week. The plea has argued that forest fires occur regularly in Uttarakhand and every year, it damages the forest ecosystem, diversity of flora and fauna and economic wealth, and thus, sought a direction to the authorities to develop policy to prevent forest fires in the state.

The plea also sought the entire animal kingdom, including avian and aquatic, should be declared legal entities, and they should have duties and liabilities of a living person.

"It is the need of the hour that the concept of legal/juristic personality needs a wide interpretation so as to include in it the whole ecosystem with both biotic and abiotic components of environment. In Hindu mythology, every animal is associated with god. Animals breathe like us and have emotions, intelligence, culture, language, memory and co-operation." The petitioner had also contended that forests are socially and environmentally inter-linked with the people in the hilly areas and play important role in the economic welfare and development of the region.
By the end of 2020, Greenville County managed to spend or allocate nearly all of the $91 million in coronavirus relief money the federal government gave to South Carolinas largest county, sending millions to meet needs in the community and to keep the lights on for families and businesses.

The county was in a race against time to finish distributing millions of CARES Act money to small businesses, nonprofits, local government agencies and medical providers before a Dec. 30 deadline.

With a month remaining the county still had about $40 million to distribute. A bevy of activity in early December left the county with about $1.8 million left in its account, according to emailed spending briefings given to members of County Council.

In the end, the county received an extension as part of the governments most recent coronavirus relief package that gives the county another year to spend the money.

In the last month, the county set aside nearly $19 million for its own needs, though it was unclear late last week how that money would be used. In September, the county designated $7.5 million for expenses incurred by its emergency services and emergency operations center. In all, the county kept $28 million for itself.

Some of that may go to fulfill grant requests from hospitality businesses that were still being evaluated late last week, County Administrator Joe Kernell told council members.

The amount of money the county poured into the community in such a short time period was staggering. Millions at a time was sent to programs far and wide, for mental health needs, socially-distanced bus shelters, childcare support, food distribution and more.

The county doled out millions in grants to hundreds of businesses and nonprofit organizations to help the community recoup coronavirus-related expenses. Some grants have allowed businesses to keep employees on staff. Others helped pay for food, rent and utilities for thousands of residents who were laid off and fell behind on bills.

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Greenville County, by virtue of its population, was the only government entity in South Carolina other than the state itself to receive its own allocation of funds to distribute from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed in March.

The county divided its distribution into categories. Initially it set aside $75 million for small businesses within the county to claim for coronavirus-related expenses, though the money couldnt be used to offset revenue losses or to pay employees. After far fewer businesses applied than county leaders anticipated and nonprofit leaders asked for more money to meet direct needs, the county changed course.

Of all categories the county designated for funding, the largest amount went to public and community health. Nearly $38 million was given for variety of community needs, including $2 million for utility assistance through the United Way of Greenville County, $6 million to Greenville County Schools for its ongoing food distribution program, $2.7 million for a school-age childcare program, and more than $6.2 million for mental health programs

Millions more went to Prisma and Bon Secours St. Francis health systems for vaccine distribution programs and coronavirus expenses, and to meet capital needs of coronavirus patients.

The county distributed $15.7 million to small businesses throughout the county to reimburse coronavirus-related expenses. More than 1,500 businesses received grants up to the maximum $10,000.

In addition, the county opened up a grant program specific to the hospitality industry that so far has paid out nearly $1.4 million.

The county also sent $4 million for rent and housing assistance to the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority, and it gave $300,000 to the Greenville Housing Authority for assistance to landlords.

Nearly $1.5 million went to cities within the county. Another $2.5 million went to county-related agencies like The Phoenix Center, the library system and sanitation, while $307,000 went to the countys special purpose districts.
Conservative political activist Lyle Shelton says a social media post about his weekend run was "in the nature of Australian larrikinism" and blames "online trolls" for creating a wave of reaction that prompted Queensland police to question him over a potential border restriction breach.

Mr Shelton, former managing director and chief of staff of the Australian Christian Lobby, posted on his Facebook and Twitter accounts on Saturday night that he had done a "sneaky run across the border and back" and "avoided the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] virus police" in the process.

Lyle Shelton - a former Queensland Senate candidate for the Australian Conservatives party - has been cleared by police of any wrongdoing. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

He was referring to his Saturday run from Coolangatta on the Gold Coast, around Point Danger on the interstate border, and into Tweed Heads in NSW, before coming back.

The Queensland Police Service Twitter account responded on Sunday night, saying they were "aware of this tweet and making further enquiries". Mr Shelton has since been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Amelia Gray Hamlin has been enjoying a vacation with her boyfriend Scott Disick this month in Mexico.

And on Monday the daughter of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin delighted her Instagram followers when she posted a bikini pinup image.

The 19-year-old brunette bombshell stood outside a stone-accented shower as she lifted one leg while in a black two piece that made the most of her cover girl curves. In her caption she wrote, 'Miss you already,' suggested Scott may have already flown home.

Model pose: Amelia Gray Hamlin has been enjoying a vacation with her boyfriend Scott Disick this month in Mexico. And on Monday the daughter of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin delighted her Instagram followers when she posted a bikini pinup image

Over the weekend she was also seen laying on her side when by a swimming pool, and before that the sister of blonde beauty Delilah Belle shared a shot of her bottom.

Click here to resize this module

Last month Hamlin slammed criticism of her romance with Scott Disick.

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The model took to Instagram Stories to rubbish recent criticism of their burgeoning relationship, and in particular, the 18-year age gap between herself and Scott, 37.

On her own? The 19-year-old brunette bombshell stood outside a stone accented shower as she lifted one leg while in a black two piece that made the most of her cover girl curves. In her caption she wrote, 'Miss you already,' suggested Scott may have already flown home

Amelia - who is the daughter of actor Harry Hamlin and actress Lisa Rinna - wrote: 'ppl r extra weird and judgemental these days.. people can embrace themselves however they feel fit for them at that moment in time.

'people grow. people learn to love themselves more and more (sic)'

Amelia recently started dating Scott following his split from Sofia Richie earlier this year.

Swim session: Over the weekend she was also seen laying on her side when by a swimming pool

She sure has a sense of style: The beauty added a silk scarf to her head and oversizes shades as she wore a gold necklace

However, their romance - and the age gap, in particular - has attracted some criticism.

A source recently insisted that neither Amelia nor Scott are not 'looking for anything serious' at the moment.

The reality star - who has Mason, 11, Penelope, eight, and Reign, six, with Kourtney Kardashian - loves being with Amelia, but their romance is said to be fairly casual for the time being.

The source said: 'He is enjoying her company. She doesn't spend time with the kids at all and Scott only sees her on his days off from his kids.'

Back story: And before that the sister of blonde beauty Delilah Belle shared a shot of her bottom

Her love: The cover girl, center, with her beau Disick, who has kids with Kourtney Kardashian and broke up with Sofia Richie in 2020

Meanwhile, in December Sofia suggested she'd outgrown her relationship with Scott.

The 22-year-old model wrote a cryptic post about love on her Instagram Stories.

Sofia said: 'Sometimes we outgrow people we used to know and become different people. When this growth happens, some take our changes personally. Not because they have anything against us but because they do not recognize the person that we are now (sic)'

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Sofia also suggested that she's changed significantly over recent years.

She wrote: 'You're not responsible for people's assumptions about you. You're also not obliged to remain the person people remember you to be.'
The situation as U.S. forces leave Afghanistan looks dire for the thousands of interpreters and their families that helped our troops. Read more
Warren Kirk's photographs are at once evocative yet mysterious. The Melbourne photographer doesn't provide any detail about his subjects, except the name of the suburb in which they were shot. He's happy to let the images do the story-telling.

"I'm attracted to things that tell a story in some way," he says. "They've got an age on them, they're a bit shabby or rusted; there's a history. It can just be a shopfront or a building or somebody in their living space... It's still story-telling, it's not connecting every dot."

Abbotsford. Credit:Warren Kirk

Kirk has used the shutdown to sift through his archive of more than 20,000 images shot between 1986 and the mid '90s, selecting 1400, and culling the rest. He has created a new book using the unpublished images, which he has laid out, complete with potential pairings for facing pages.

"It always seemed a Herculean task, with all these boxes sitting there but I really enjoyed it," he says. "I discovered images I have no memory of taking, don't even know where that was. Some images that I have photographed in recent times, I had shot back then.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 4)  President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered to delay the increase in PhilHealth contributions.

In his weekly address, Duterte said, "May I suggest to the PhilHealth chairman, si Dante Gierran...huwag muna ngayon. No increase in contributions. I will look for the money to fill it up."

[Translation: May I suggest to the PhilHealth chairman, to Dante Gierran...not now. No increase in contributions. I will look for the money to fill it up.]

Duterte said it was the government's job to make people's lives easier "at this time."

Earlier, Senator Bong Go said the President's move was due to the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Pina defer na muna ni PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte) ang increase sa PhilHealth... Pandemic tayo ngayon, trabaho ng government humanap ng paraan and to make easy for the people," Go said.

[Translation: The President has deferred the increase in PhilHealth (contributions)... We are in a pandemic; it is the government's job to find ways to make it easy for the people.]

Go did not say when the order would become effective, as well as other details about the order.

PhilHealth has also yet to give a statement on the matter.

Earlier, the senator revealed the President was backing the call for the hike's deferment, and was open to approving a budget augmentation to help keep afloat the state insurer, which has been riddled with fraud allegations.

"Kung may kailangang aprubahan na dagdag na pondo mula gobyerno para hindi maantala ang serbisyo ng PhilHealth, pipirmahan niya ito pagkatapos mapag-aralan nang mabuti," he said.

[Translation: If the government needs to allocate additional funds to ensure PhilHealth's services will not be affected, he will review it and sign it.]

On Sunday, Anakalusugan Party-list Representative Mike Defensor, vice-chairman of the House Committee on Health, said his proposed six-month delay will not negatively affect PhilHealth. He also said Congress could pass a joint resolution asking for the six-month deferment if necessary.

"Our rough estimate is that PhilHealth will be postponing less than 500 million worth of incremental premiums on an annual basis from direct contributors... The 500 million is a drop in the bucket for PhilHealth," he said.

Meanwhile, Senator Imee Marcos has filed Senate Bill 1966, seeking to suspend the increase in PhilHealth contributions.

In an interview with CNN Philippines on Monday, PhilHealth Spokesperson Rey Balena said they had no authority to change the law, and would leave such a move to Congress.

"Batid na batid ng PhilHealth, at lubos na nauunawaan po ng ahensiya ang kasalukuyang situation ng marami nating kababayan, at yung sitwasyon ng maraming negosyo. Ngunit...wala sa kapangyarihan ng PhilHealth na hindi po ipatupad ang itinatadhana ng batas," he told Newsroom Ngayon. "Wala tayong authority para hindi ito iimplement."

[Translation: PhilHealth knows and understands the current situation of the people as well as of many businesses. But it is not within our power to stop implementing what the law dictates. We do not have the authority to stop this from being implemented.]

In December, PhilHealth explained the increase is meant to "ensure sufficient funding for the health care of its 110 million members as mandated by Republic Act No. 11223 or the Universal Health Care Law."

The premium rate will be increased to 3.50% from the current 3.00%.

"The premium adjustment is provided for in Section 10 of the UHC Law and its implementing rules and regulations, the guidelines of which are contained in Circular 2020-005 published by PhilHealth on March 5, 2020," said PhilHealth.

Starting Jan.1, those who have a monthly basic salary of 10,000 and below should have a fixed contribution of 350 a month. Those earning 70,000 and higher per month would pay a fixed rate of 2,450 monthly.

This is a developing story.

Chandigarh, Jan 4 : Vindicating the Punjab government's stance on the investigations into the 2015 sacrilege incidents, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to hand over all case diaries and papers related to the cases to the Punjab Police within a month.

Terming the high court directions as an endorsement of the state government's stand on the issue, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday said it was high time the CBI listened to the courts and handed the case files back to the state so that the perpetrators of the crimes could be brought to justice.

His government had been fighting the CBI 'high-handedness' for more than two years, but the agency had failed to heed the various directions and orders of the courts in this time, he said.

Asserting his commitment to bring the cases to their logical conclusion, the Chief Minister said the central agency should respect the verdict of the judiciary and stop overreaching the courts at the behest of its political masters.

The high court's directions came during a hearing on the plea of one of the accused, Sukhjinder Singh, in the 2015 Faridkot sacrilege incidents, challenging the investigation being undertaken by a Special Investigating Team (SIT) of the Punjab Police on the ground that the CBI is already seized of the investigation.

The High Court rejected Sukhjinder's plea and asked the CBI to hand over all relevant documents and material in the sacrilege cases to the Punjab Police.

It further directed the Punjab Police to consider the material handed over by the CBI and file a supplementary challan in the case, for consideration by the trial court.

The trial court may then notice to the accused, if thought fit, the judges further said.

The CBI has been scuttling the SIT probe since the state government withdrew its consent for the probe by the central agency in 2018.

The CBI has been persistently refusing to handover the case files back to state, and in September 2019, went so far as to constitute a new investigative team.

The SIT, it may be recalled, had been constituted by the Amarinder Singh-led state government in September 2018, after the Vidhan Sabha passed a resolution withdrawing consent to the CBI to investigate the cases, noting lack of progress in the investigation.

This decision was challenged before the Punjab and Haryana High Court and was upheld by a judgment passed on January 25, 2019.

Despite this, the CBI did not handover the case diaries and papers relating to the sacrilege cases to the Punjab Police. Instead, the CBI proceeded to file a closure report before the CBI Court in July 2019.

Thereafter, the CBI requested the CBI court to keep the closure report in abeyance and sought permission to investigate the case further.

CBI's appeal challenging the 2019 judgment of the Punjab and Haryana High Court was dismissed by the Supreme Court in February 2020.

Even after the dismissal of the appeal, the CBI did not handover the case papers to the Punjab Police.

A Special Investigation Team was constituted by the Punjab Police to independently investigate into the sacrilege matters. The SIT filed a chargesheet before the trial court in Faridkot in July 2020, which was challenged by Sukhjinder Singh.

The incidents of sacrilege occurred between June to October 2015 following theft of the sacred Guru Granth Sahib from a gurdwara in Burj Jawaharsinghwala in Faridkot and discovery of torn pages from the holy book in Bargari in Faridkot.

They caused widespread discontent and outrage amongst members of the Sikh community.

These incidents led to large-scale protests and agitations in October 2015. The retaliatory action taken by the police led to injuries and death of two persons.

In 2015, the Akali Dal government had transferred investigation of the sacrilege incidents to the CBI.
A memory haunts Christina Fuhrman: the image of her toddler Pearl lying pale and listless in a hospital bed, tethered to an IV to keep her hydrated as she struggled against a superbug infection.

"She survived by the grace of God," Fuhrman said of the illness that struck her oldest child in this central Missouri city almost five years ago. "She could've gone septic fast. Her condition was near critical."

Pearl was fighting Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, a type of antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as a superbug. A growing body of research shows that overuse and misuse of antibiotics in children's hospitals  which health experts and patients say should know better  helps fuel these dangerous bacteria that attack adults and, increasingly, children. Doctors worry that the covid pandemic will only lead to more overprescribing.

A study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases in January found that 1 in 4 children given antibiotics in U.S. children's hospitals are prescribed the drugs inappropriately  the wrong types, or for too long, or when they're not necessary.

Dr. Jason Newland, a pediatrics professor at Washington University in St. Louis who co-authored the study, said that's likely an underestimate because the research involved 32 children's hospitals already working together on proper antibiotic use. Newland said the nation's 250-plus children's hospitals need to do better.

"It's irresponsible," Fuhrman added. Coupled with parents begging for antibiotics in pediatricians' offices, it's "just creating a monster."

Using antibiotics when they're not needed is a long-standing problem, and the pandemic "has thrown a little bit of gas on the fire," said Dr. Mark Schleiss, a pediatrics professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

Although fears of covid-19 mean fewer parents are taking their children to doctors' offices and some have skipped routine visits for their kids, children are still getting antibiotics through telemedicine visits that don't allow for in-person exams. And research shows more than 5,000 children infected with the coronavirus were hospitalized between late May and late September. If symptoms point toward a bacterial infection on top of the coronavirus, Schleiss said, doctors sometimes prescribe antibiotics, which don't work on viruses, until tests rule out bacteria.

At the same time, Newland said, the demands of caring for covid patients take time away from what are known as "stewardship" programs aimed at measuring and improving how antibiotics are prescribed. Often such efforts involve continuing education courses for health care professionals on how to use antibiotics safely, but the pandemic has made those more difficult to host.

"There's no doubt: We've seen some extra use of antibiotics," Newland said. "The impact of the pandemic on antibiotic use will be significant."

Habits drive superbug growth

Antibiotic resistance occurs through random mutation and natural selection. Those bacteria most susceptible to an antibiotic die quickly, but surviving germs can pass on resistant features, then spread. The process is driven by prescribing habits that lead to high levels of antibiotic use.

A March study in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology found that the rates of antibiotic use on patients at 51 children's hospitals ranged from 22% to 52%. Some of those medications treated actual bacterial infections, but others were given in hopes of preventing infections or when doctors didn't know what was causing a problem.

"I hear a lot about antibiotic use for the 'just in case' scenarios," said Dr. Joshua Watson, director of the antimicrobial stewardship program at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio. "We underestimate the downsides."

Newland said each specialty in medicine has its own culture around antibiotic use. Many surgeons, for example, routinely use antibiotics to prevent infection after operations.

Outside of hospitals, doctors have long been criticized for prescribing antibiotics too often for ailments such as ear infections, which can sometimes go away on their own or can be caused by viruses that antibiotics won't counter.

Dr. Shannon Ross, an associate professor of pediatrics and microbiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said not all doctors have been taught how to use antibiotics correctly.

"Many of us don't realize we're doing it," she said of overuse. "It's sort of not knowing what you're doing until someone tells you."

All this drives the growth of numerous superbugs in the very population served by these hospitals. Numerous studies, including one published in the Journal of Pediatrics in March, cite the rise among kids of C. diff, which causes gastrointestinal problems. A 2017 study in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society found that cases of a certain type of multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae rose 700% in American children in just eight years. And a steady stream of research points to the stubborn prevalence in kids of the better-known MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Superbug infections can be extremely difficult  and sometimes impossible  to treat. Doctors often must turn to strong medicines with side effects or give drugs intravenously.

"It's getting more and more worrisome," Ross said. "We have had patients we have not been able to treat because we've had no antibiotics available" that could kill the germs.

Doctors say the world is nearing a "post-antibiotic era," when antibiotics no longer work and common infections can kill.

A monster unleashed

Superbugs spawned by antibiotic overuse put everyone at risk.

Like her daughter, Fuhrman also suffered through a C. diff infection, getting sick after taking antibiotics following a root canal in 2012. While killing harmful germs, antibiotics can also destroy those that protect against infection. Fuhrman cycled in and out of the hospital for months. When she finally got better, she tried to avoid using antibiotics and never gave them to her daughter.

Thats because antibiotics affect your microbiome by wiping out bad germs and the good germs that protect your body against infections.

Pearl's first symptoms of C. diff arose about three years later, at around 20 months old. Fuhrman noticed her daughter was having lots of bowel movements. The mom eventually found pus and blood in her daughter's stools. One day, Pearl was so pale and weak that Fuhrman took her to the emergency room. She was discharged, then spiked a fever and returned to the hospital.

Doctors treated Pearl with Flagyl, a broad-spectrum antibiotic. But two days after the last dose, she went downhill. The infection had returned. She recovered only after going to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for a fecal microbiota transplantation, in which she received healthy donor stool from her dad through a colonoscopy.

Since her family's ordeal, Fuhrman has been trying to raise awareness of superbugs and antibiotic overuse. She serves on the board of the Peggy Lillis Foundation, a C. diff education and advocacy organization, and has testified before a presidential advisory committee in Washington, D.C., about superbugs and antibiotic stewardship.

In March, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services began requiring all hospitals to document that they have antibiotic stewardship programs.

One approach, Schleiss said, is to restrict antibiotics by "saving our most magic bullets for the most desperate situations." Another is to stop antibiotics at, say, 72 hours, after reassessing whether patients need them. Meanwhile, doctors are calling for more research into antibiotic use in children.

Fuhrman said hospitals must do all they can to stop superbug infections. The stakes are enormous, she said, pointing toward Pearl, now a 7-year-old first grader who likes to wear a pink hair bow and paint her tiny fingernails a rainbow of pastel colors.

"Antibiotics are great, but they have to be used wisely," Fuhrman said. "The problem of superbugs is here. It's in our backyard now, and it's just getting worse."
Madhya Pradesh cabinet clears Religious Freedom Bill 2020

The Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Saturday approved the draft Religious Freedom Bill 2020, which seeks to ensure religious freedom for all and criminalise forced conversions through marriage or any other fraudulent means.

As per the bill, forcing someone to abandon their religion and accept a new faith will attract 1 to 5 years of imprisonment and a minimum fine of Rs25,000. The draft bill was approved at a meeting chaired by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

MP home minister Narottam Mishra told reporters that the jail term will be between two to ten years for a forced religious conversion of any minor.

Under the new MP Freedom of Religion Bill 2020, forced conversion of a minor, woman or a person from Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, would draw a minimum jail term of 2-10 years with a minimum penalty of Rs50,000, Mishra said.

The bill provides for prison term of up to 10 years and fine of Rs1 lakh for forced conversion through marriage or by any other fraudulent means, he said.

Attempting mass religious conversion (of two or more persons) will attract imprisonment of five to 10 years and a fine of at least Rs100,000.

A provision is also being made that those willing to convert on their own need to apply before the district administration two months prior, Mishra added.

The new law will replace the existing Madhya Pradesh Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam, 1968, law.

"This bill will replace the Religious Freedom Act of 1968 (after the approval by the state Assembly)," he said, adding that any marriage solemnised only for the purpose of converting a person will be considered null and void under the provisions of this proposed legislation.

He claimed that once enforced, this will be the most stringent law in the country against religious conversion carried out by fraudulent means, allurement or threat.

After the approval by the cabinet, the bill will now be presented in the state Assembly.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, meanwhile, warned mafia elements in the state that he will bury them 10 feet deep if they don't leave the state.

"Leave Madhya Pradesh, otherwise I will bury you 10 feet deep into the ground and your whereabouts will not be known," he said, warning mafia and others involved in illegal activities.

Chouhan was speaking at a Good Governance Day event, organised to mark the birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Good governance, which means a regime where people don't face any trouble, is prevailing in MP now, Chouhan said.

Speaking at the event in Babai in Hoshangabad district ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's online interaction with farmers nationwide, Chouhan said he won't spare anyone who indulges in unlawful activities.
WASHINGTON  The Pentagon said on Sunday that it had ordered the aircraft carrier Nimitz to remain in the Middle East because of Iranian threats against President Trump and other American officials, just three days after sending the warship home as a signal to de-escalate rising tensions with Tehran.

The acting secretary of the defense, Christopher C. Miller, abruptly reversed his previous order to redeploy the Nimitz, which he had done over the objections of his top military advisers. The military had for weeks been engaged in a muscle-flexing strategy aimed at deterring Iran from attacking American personnel in the Persian Gulf.

Due to the recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President Trump and other U.S. government officials, I have ordered the U.S.S. Nimitz to halt its routine redeployment, Mr. Miller said in a statement on Sunday night.

United States intelligence agencies have assessed for months that Iran is seeking to target senior American military officers and civilian leaders to avenge the death of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, the commander of Irans elite Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, in an American drone strike one year ago.
The ruling Trinamool Congress will bring a resolution at the West Bengal legislative assembly against the three contentious farm bills, party supremo and chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday.

We would hold the assembly session for one or two days and there we would bring a resolution to withdraw the farm bills. We would try so that the resolution is passed unanimously. I know the BJP will not support it. But I expect other parties would support, Banerjee said.

Banerjee had earlier lent her support to the farmers and had even sent a team of MPs to meet the protesting farmers at Singhu border. Over the phone, she even spoke to farmers protesting in Delhi against the Centres new agriculture laws.

Meanwhile, the tussle between the centre and the state over release of funds under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi program to farmers in West Bengal continued.

Also read: Farm laws wont be repealed, govt tells farmers; next round of talks on Jan 8

Banerjee alleged that the centre is depriving the farmers of West Bengal by not sending funds under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi program.

Under the scheme, an income support of Rs 6,000 per year in three equal instalments is provided to small and marginal farmer families having combined landholding or ownership of up to 2 hectares.

I had urged the centre to send the money to the state government so that we could distribute it to the farmers. But they want to send it directly bypassing the state. I called the Union agriculture minister a few days ago and asked him why the centre does not believe in the state government, she said.

Earlier, the BJP had hit out at the TMC after the Calcutta High Court had directed the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India to perform an audit of the distribution of relief materials and compensation in the aftermath of cyclone Amphan that hit West Bengal in May last year. Alleged nepotism and malpractice by the TMC panchayat leaders involved in the distribution of compensation had turned into an issue in poll-bound West Bengal. The state had later moved the Supreme Court against the order.

BJP leaders had earlier alleged that the Mamata Banerjee administration was not allowing the centre to send funds directly to farmers as it would prevent the state and TMC leaders from siphoning off money.

On November 6, the centre had informed the Mamata Banerjee administration that around 21.7 lakh farmers from West Bengal had enrolled themselves for the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi program in the union governments portal and that the state government was yet to complete the verification process.

I want the farmers to get the funds and so we have already written to the Union government to share the details of the farmers who have enrolled themselves, so that the state can start the verification process, said Banerjee.

BJP leaders in the state have hit back saying that the CM was presenting things in a wrong manner.

The Centre had repeatedly asked the state to provide the names of farmers and their bank accounts. The state didnt send. Union home minister, during his visit to the state, had said that if the state sends the data, the Centre would immediately release the funds. The centre had sent funds after cyclone Amphan had hit the state. What happened to that money? said Jaiprakash Majumdar, BJPs state vice president.
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Schools have reported three times more possible Covid outbreaks than hospitals since October, official figures show as Boris Johnson today prepared to shut all classrooms until next month.

Public Health England reports reveal 26 per cent of investigated Covid infection clusters  2,722 out of 10,000  were linked to nurseries, primaries, secondaries and universities over the 12 weeks to the end of December. For comparison, only eight per cent  or 816  were traced back to hospitals over the same time period.

When schools were closed in the fourth week of December for Christmas, however, only 10 per cent of clusters were linked to academic institutions. Some were still linked to them even though schools were closed because it can take a week for someone who is infected to develop symptoms.

The figures, based on 'acute respiratory incidents' with confirmed cases of coronavirus, suggest schools  which remained open under November's lockdown  may fuel England's spiralling infection rate, which has almost trebled in a month because of the rapid spread of a highly-infectious mutation.

They raise questions over why ministers sat on their hands instead of closing schools, when they were prepared to shut down the economically-crippled hospitality sector, despite pubs and restaurants being blamed for fewer than 5 per cent of Covid outbreaks investigated by PHE.

PHE chiefs define 'acute respiratory incidents' as situations where at least two suspected or confirmed cases of a virus within seven days of each other are traced to the 'same setting'. This means one outbreak in a setting like a prison may, in reality, be linked to more than 500 infections, while 50 clusters in schools may be traced back to only 100 cases. Officials do not reveal the full breakdown of cases and say making comparisons is tough because there are thousands more schools than hospitals, for example.

Of the 900-plus outbreaks under investigation across England in PHE's surveillance study this week, only 672 had at least one confirmed case of Covid. And of all the clusters reported to health bosses since the start of October, 10,250 have had at least one positive coronavirus test.

It comes as the Prime Minister prepares to address the nation in a press conference at 8pm tonight, after he put England on notice to face tougher restrictions in the coming days.

Ministers ordered primary school children across the country, except in London, to return to the classroom today, but have delayed the return of secondary school pupils until next week. There are fears that this timetable will be scrapped in the face of rocketing coronavirus cases and hospital admissions.

Britain has recorded more than 50,000 new Covid-19 infections every day for the past week, with health bosses today declaring the highest-ever daily figure of 58,784. Department of Health bosses also announced 407 more deaths.

Schools have been behind 26.5 per cent - or 2,722 out of 10,000 - outbreaks of Covid-19 since October, prompting warnings they could be the driving force behind England's second wave. An outbreak is defined as when two or more cases of coronavirus are linked to the same setting

Infection rates are also high among 10 to 19 year olds, Public Health England data reveals, although this fell over the holidays

Covid-19 clusters linked to schools dropped during the holidays (Week 52 on the graph which is from December 22 to 29). But some outbreaks were still linked to educational institutions over this time because it can take a week for symptoms to appear

The number of Covid-19 clusters in hospitals is lower than that reported in schools, Public Health England data shows

WHERE WERE COVID-19 OUTBREAKS SINCE OCTOBER? Setting Care home School Workplace Hospital Restaurant/pub Prison Other Outbreaks 3,326 2,722 1,782 816 168 38 1,398 % of total 32.5% 26.6% 17.4% 8% 1.6% 0.4% 13.6% The above are the number of Covid-19 outbreaks between weeks 40 and 52 (October to the end of December), as reported by Public Health England. An outbreak is when two or more cases are linked to a particular setting Advertisement

Combining data from PHE reports on infections over the past three months reveals only care homes  where residents are more vulnerable to the virus  accounted for a higher number of outbreaks than schools.

As much as 32.5 per cent of clusters  or 3,326  were traced back to homes.

Workplaces, including offices and factories, accounted for the third highest number of clusters at 17.4 per cent, or 1,782 cases.

Prisons had the lowest number of the seven settings included in PHE's analysis at 0.4 per cent.

Other settings made up 13.6 per cent of outbreaks. PHE does not explain what settings count as 'other'.

A spokesman for PHE said a 'significant number' of the Covid outbreaks they report turn out not to be outbreaks after they are investigated. But they could not put a number on how many fall into each category.

They added that they did not recommend comparing the number of Covid outbreaks by settings because the likelihood of each reporting them varies.

Schools may be more likely to report an outbreak when there isn't one, they said, while other settings are less likely to take the same approach.

'All suspected outbreaks are further investigated by the Health Protection Teams (HPTs) in liaison with local partners and a significant proportion do not meet the criteria of a confirmed outbreak,' they added.

Ministers have faced a difficult juggling act over whether to keep schools open and pupils behind their desks.

On the one hand, scientists say ordering heads to bolt their doors is bound to stifle the spread of the virus in the community  because it will cut contact between people.

It will also protect teachers from becoming infected with the virus and, if they are in a higher risk category, potentially being hospitalised by the symptoms.

But experts have also warned shutting schools again would seriously damage the grades and life chances of children.

Children also have a 'tiny' risk of dying or becoming seriously ill if they catch the virus, meaning parents are not putting them at risk if they send them back to the classroom.

Analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found those under 15 have a one-in-3.5million risk of dying from Covid, and are more likely to be struck by lightening.

Professor Lawrence Young, an expert in viral infections at Warwick Medical School, told MailOnline it may make more sense for ministers to close schools to drive down the transmission rate.

He said: 'People are very confused about the impact of the different tiers, and the debacle around schools, and I think that alongside the mounting impact of infections we're seeing does make you wonder whether what may be better would be a national lockdown for a month.

'The big worry at the moment is the mounting number of cases. We know that's going to translate in 10 to 14 days into more hospitalisations.

'It's a perfect storm at the moment with the new variant which is clearly more infectious, and with the pressure on hospitals and the NHS.'

But Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia, said he was 'not convinced' closing schools would actually drive down infections  unless it was done alongside other harsher measures.

'It will slow the increase, but I don't know if it will be good enough to stop it,' he told MailOnline. 'Yes, it will have a benefit but by itself without the vaccine it's unlikely to be sufficient to actually suppress the virus.'

He said he was concerned children would still meet up if schools were closed, making the restrictions ineffective at stopping the spread of the virus while damaging their education.

'If they're still meeting up in each other's houses or behind their parents backs that will certainly undermine any benefit,' Professor Hunter said.

'It's the number you meet, whether it's indoors or outdoors, how close and how long you spend with them and so on.'

He added data from the US suggested closing schools had a low impact there because youngsters continued to meet in public places.

Above are the number of Covid-19 outbreaks in care homes, left, and in the workplace, right, since July. Care homes accounted for the most outbreaks followed by schools and then workplaces

Covid-19 outbreaks as recorded in prisons, left, and restaurants and pubs, right. Ministers didn't close schools when they accounted for 26 per cent of all outbreaks, but closed pubs when they accounted for barely two per cent

The Government kept schools open during the November lockdown but experts fear this led to an increase in the number of cases reported in the country before the shutdown was over.

Department of Health data shows they began rising again on November 30, when cases rose from an average of 14,502 to 14,652. This suggests lockdown measures failed to suppress the virus because it can take up to a week for someone who is infected to develop symptoms and then get tested.

Boris Johnson will address the nation at 8pm tonight. He is pictured above today on a visit to a hospital in London

It comes after primary schools were ordered to welcome back students for the spring term today, despite calls from all of Britain's teaching unions for classroom teaching to be 'paused' until staff are vaccinated.

In a joint statement the leaders of the GMB, NAHT, NASUWT, NEU, UNISON and Unite unions have said they want 'an immediate nationwide move to remote education for all pupils in primary, secondary and special schools and colleges'.

On a visit to a London hospital to see the rollout of the new Oxford University/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, Mr Johnson hinted that secondaries may shut for longer when closures are reviewed before January 18 - and insisted the risk to teachers from Covid was no greater than to anyone else working during the pandemic.

'We will have to look very hard at what we do with secondary schools later in the month. Closing primary schools is, for all of us, a last resort. That's why we are looking at everything else we can possibly do to avoid that. I would stress schools are safe and the risk to kids is very, very small', he said.

The Prime Minister added: 'The risk to teachers, and of course we will do everything we can to protect teachers, but the risk to teachers is no greater than it is to anyone else. The reasons for wanting to keep schools open I think are very, very powerful.'

Hours later it emerged that Mr Johnson is set to unveil a brutal new national lockdown tonight in a desperate bid to keep the mutant coronavirus at bay while vaccines are rolled out.

All schools in London are closed today along with the majority of Covid-19 hotspots in Essex, Kent, East Sussex, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire after a Department for Education diktat last week. But headteachers told to remain open in areas such as in Surrey, Gloucestershire, Newcastle, Norfolk, Liverpool, County Durham, West Sussex, Sheffield, Wolverhampton, Leeds and Lancashire have shut down anyway.

There is growing rumours that the Government will soon cave in and close all schools in yet another embarrassing U-turn for Education Secretary Gavin Williamson as the NEU union said that 6,000 primary schools still open today have been told formally by staff that it is 'unsafe' to come into work, leaving parents with an anxious wait to hear if their school will be next to shut.

Closing schools will consign millions of children to 'sub-standard' online learning experts say can 'set back' children years, especially those from working class families while Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman has warned schools not to 'furlough' children by shutting down again.

Parents took to social media this morning describing their anxiety at trying to care for their children at home at the 11th hour while trying to hold down a full time job with many slamming the decision by schools to close unilaterally as 'staggering'.

Northfield St Nicholas Primary Academy in Lowestoft, Suffolk, announced it was closing on Facebook with parent Rebecca Kane venting: 'Nice finding this out via a friend at 8.30pm.... no email or text to let us know. CAN'T say I'm surprised.'

Other parents in all parts of the country said they are fearful for their children because for many homeschooling in the first lockdown last year amounted to 'here do your times tables' and 'no actual teaching'.
Russia and Kazakhstan have sought another increase in oil output during a meeting of OPEC+ as other members express concern about global energy demand amid the rapid spread of a new strain of the coronavirus.

OPEC and allied producers including Russia, a grouping known as OPEC+, decided at a meeting in December 2020 to raise their total output by 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) in January, anticipating a boost in demand, and agreed to meet every month to review production.

At the latest meeting on January 4, Russia and Kazakhstan urged another output increase in February while Iraq, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates recommended holding production steady, Reuters reported, citing two unidentified sources.

Saudi Arabia's energy minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, said that OPEC+ should be cautious about further production increases as the new variant of coronavirus is unpredictable. Britain was expected to announce a new lockdown in England as the new variant spreads in its southern regions.

Saudi Arabia is the de facto leader of OPEC and its disagreement with Russia in March over oil output quotas caused the largest one-day drop in prices in decades.

After a weeks-long standoff between Moscow and Riyadh, OPEC+ producers agreed in mid April to cut 9.7 million bpd, or about a tenth of global production, as the rapid spread of the coronavirus caused record demand destruction.

OPEC+ have since increased production several times as global demand slowly rebounded and prices moved above $50 a barrel. The January increase has now reduced the existing cuts to 7.2 million bpd.

Bjornar Tonhaugen, the head of oil markets at research firm Rystad Energy, said in a note to clients on January 4 that another production increase before the May driving season would hurt prices.

However, he said that Russia may not want to lose face and capitulate so easily and that OPEC+ members may be in for some lengthy negotiations.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and RBC
Panaji, Jan 4 : Announcing severing of ties with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), former Deputy Chief Minister and Goa Forward Party (GFP) President Vijai Sardesai on Monday claimed that the NDA no longer exists and there is no such national coalition headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Sardesai, who served as a cabinet minister in former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar-led coalition government, and as the Deputy Chief Minister in the current Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant-led cabinet, said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has had a recent track record of breaking up ties with its coalition partners.

"There is no such thing as NDA now... events in the recent past have proven that. For instance, the BJP runs a coalition government with the Janata Dal (United) in Bihar, they have destroyed the JD(U) in Arunachal Pradesh. There is no such thing as a national coalition which is headed by Prime Minister Modi. It is just one-party rule," Sardesai told the media.

Sardesai has been critical of the BJP-led coalition government after he was dropped from the cabinet by current Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in July 2019.

Sardesai had however, continued to claim that he was part of the NDA.

Sardesai's continued links to the NDA had proven to be an impediment vis-a-vis his party's efforts to forge an alliance with the opposition Congress.

However, Sardesai on Monday said as the NDA has ceased to exist, there was no question of the Goa Forward Party leaving the national alliance.

"So by and large, the NDA does not exist. There is nothing about leaving the NDA," he added.

"I happen to be one of the most fierce critics of the current BJP government... If I was anywhere connected to them (NDA), I would have praised them in some way. I do not praise the central leadership nor do I praise the current regime. For us it was Manohar Parrikar. Since Parrikar is no more alive, our political ties with the BJP are dead. That's it," Sardesai said.
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The Butt family, which owns the San Antonio-based grocery chain H-E-B, is among the wealthiest in the U.S., according to a ranking by Forbes.

On Dec. 17, the business magazine listed the family at No. 15 out of 50 families in its 2020 ranking of the richest families in America. The last time Forbes complied this ranking was in June 2016. At that time, the Butt family was the 23rd wealthiest family in the U.S.
Boris Johnson secures UK parliament approves for Brexit trade deal

Britain on Wednesday cleared the final hurdle to separation from the European Union with lawmakers approving Prime Minister Boris Johnsons post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union.

Britain will be lone European country to remain out of the 27-member bloc beginning the New Year and EU and Britain now look to to begin a new chapter of relations as the divorce comes into effect.

Parliaments approval of the deal that Britain and the European Union signed on Thursday last week and the British parliament will finalise its implementation, ending over four years of negotiation and safeguarding nearly a $1 trillion of annual trade.

Both sides said it was a chance to begin a new chapter in a relationship forged as Europe rebuilt after World War Two, but which has often seen Britain as a reluctant participant in ever-tighter political and economic integration.

Johnson, in a specially convened sitting of parliament, said he hoped to work hand in glove with the EU when its interests aligned, using Britains new-found sovereignty to reshape the British economy.

Brexit is not an end but a beginning, Johnson said. The responsibility now rests with all of us to make the best use of the powers that we regain, the tools that weve taken back into our hands.

Parliaments lower house voted 521 to 73 in favour of the deal. The upper house of parliament now debates the bill and it should become law around midnight.

The deal has been criticised on several fronts since it was agreed on 24 December. The opposition Labour Party say it is too thin and doesnt protect trade in services, fishermen rage that Johnson has sold out their interests, and Northern Irelands status remains subject to much uncertainty.

Nevertheless, Johnson has won the support of his partys hardline Brexiteers - delivering a break with the EU four years after 2016 voting to leave.
ALBANY, N.Y.  New York, the onetime center of the pandemic, faced a growing crisis on Monday over the lagging pace of coronavirus vaccinations, as deaths continue to rise in the second wave and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo came under mounting pressure to overhaul the process.

The small number of vaccine recipients is particularly striking in New York City, where roughly 110,000 people  in a city of more than eight million  have received the first of two doses necessary to help prevent serious cases of the disease. That is about a quarter of the total number received by the city.

The concern over vaccinations in New York echoes problems reported during a sluggish rollout across the nation, and comes as a man in his 60s became the states first confirmed case of a more contagious variant of the virus. The man was recovering, but Mr. Cuomo said early indications were that the case  in the northern city of Saratoga Springs  was evidence of community spread.

I think it is much more widespread than people know, Mr. Cuomo said.

The confirmation of the variant in New York could complicate the planned inoculation of some 19.5 million residents, with criticism beginning to mount over the rollout. On Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio called on the Cuomo administration to allow the inoculation of a broader array of essential workers and New Yorkers who are 75 and older.

TipRanks

Lets talk about risk, reward, and pennies. The three are related, of course. Theres no reward in the stock market without taking on some risk  and penny stocks offer investors an optimum combination of both. The pennies are the lowest cost stocks on the public markets, typically priced below $5 per share. At such a low share price, even a small gain  a share price increase of mere pennies  can quickly translate into a high-percentage return. However, there is a but here. The critics point out that there could be a reason for the bargain price tag, whether it be poor fundamentals or overpowering headwinds. So, how are investors supposed to determine which penny stocks are poised to make it big? Following the activity of the investing titans is one strategy. Enter Israel Izzy Englander, who is widely known for his impressive stock picking abilities. Englander expressed interest in the stock market since he was young, and in 1989, co-founded hedge fund Millennium Management with Ronald Shear. Using a broad range of strategies involving a variety of predominantly liquid asset classes, Englander was able to take the $35 million the fund was started with and turn it into a $45+ billion Wall Street behemoth. With an estimated net worth of $9.6 billion in 2021, its no wonder Wall Street focus locks in on the guru when he makes a move. Taking all of this into consideration, we used TipRanks database to take a closer look at two penny stocks Englander snapped up recently. The platform revealed that both Buy-rated tickers have earned the support of some members of the analyst community as well. T2 Biosystems (TTOO) Well start in the healthcare industry, where T2 Biosystems is working to revolutionize diagnostics. The company offers diagnosticians and medical labs a range of devices based on its T2 Magnetic Resonance (T2MR) tech to quickly and accurately diagnosis a variety of septic illnesses. As the company notes, sepsis claims more lives annually than AIDS, breast cancer, and prostate cancer combined. Rapid and accurate diagnosis is the key for patient survival, and this is the niche that T2 aims to fill. The companys technology enables diagnostic blood tests with results available in a matter of hours, compared to the 1 to 5 days currently taken by most medical lab tests. Available testing products include the T2Bacteria Panel and the T2Candida panel, which are the only FDA-approved blood tests for septic agents that do not need to wait for a blood culture. A T2SARS-CoV-2 Panel is also available, using upper respiratory samples. T2 has an active product pipeline, with rapid diagnostic tests on the drawing board for a variety of illnesses. Upcoming products include the T2Cauris panel and the T2Resistance panel. These testing products are currently designated for research use only (ROU) in the US. The T2Lyme panel, which will allow for faster diagnosis of the difficult-to-determine Lyme disease, is at an earlier stage of the development. All of T2s products operate on the same T2Dx instrument, allowing for interchangeability in the lab environment. The device offers a simple user interface, and operates with just 4ml of whole blood. T2 boasts that its device is in use in more than 200 hospitals worldwide. In the first quarter of 2021, T2 saw top-line revenue grow by 173% year-over-year, to $7 million. This was driven by a 345% yoy increase in product revenue, to $4.7 million. Sepsis test utilization in the US rose by 85% yoy in the quarter, showing increasing acceptance of the device and technology. Izzy Englander is among those that have high hopes for this healthcare name. In Q1, Englander's Millennium picked up over 1.36 million shares of TTOO stock, now valued at $1.5 million. This increased Englanders stake in the company to 2.68 million shares, with a market value of $2.9 million. 5-star analyst Charles Duncan, of Canaccord, also counts himself as a fan. Duncan gives TTOO shares a Buy rating along with a $3.50 price target. This target conveys his confidence in TTOO's ability to soar 212% higher in the next twelve months. (To watch Duncan's track record, click here) T2s +345% Y/Y product revenue growth is a positive datapoint for the company's post-pandemic commercial strategy, which is being supported by a scaling to just under 10 direct sales reps in Q1. We view the acquisitions of Cepheid, BioFire, GenMark, and Luminex as validation that the hospital lab is an attractive industry segment, given clinicians (and patients) desire to shift away from centralized testing strategies to a more decentralized approach. With these four companies off the table, T2 should benefit from scarcity value. Separately, a more aggressive approach towards commercial execution should marry well with rising awareness around antimicrobial resistance and sepsis, in a post-pandemic environment that prioritizes infectious disease diagnostics," Duncan noted. It turns out that other analysts also have high hopes. With 4 Buys and a single Hold, the word on the Street is that this stock, which currently going for $1.10 apiece, is a Strong Buy. In addition, the $2.83 average price target puts the upside potential at 156%. (See TTOO stock analysis on TipRanks) Sesen Bio (SESN) The second stock were looking at, Sesen Bio, is a pharmaceutical company. Sesen works in the cancer treatment segment, developing antibody-drug conjugate therapies. The program takes a fusion protein approach, tethering tumor-targeting antibodies to cytotoxic proteins. The result is a single protein molecule that kills cancer cells with minimal toxic effects on the body  and that generates a complementary response from the patients natural immune system. Sesens pipeline currently includes one drug candidate, vicineum, which is under investigation on several tracks concurrently. The main track, which has completed clinical trials and initiated the submission process of the biologic license application (BLA), is for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. The BLA was accepted for filing by the FDA this past February, and the company is on track for potential approval on August 18, 2021. European approval of vicineum for bladder cancer treatment is expected early in 2022. The companys other pipeline projects are at earlier stages. Vicineum is under investigation as a treatment for head and neck cancers, and is in Phase 2 trials. Other investigative tracks remain at pre-clinical stages. Clinical-stage biopharma companies are always highly speculative, and in this case, Englander did not mind speculating. In Q1, his firm bought 987,926 shares of SESN, increasing its stake in the company by 156%. Englanders holding in Sesen is now valued at $2.9 million. Weighing in on SESN for H.C. Wainwright, 5-star analyst Swayampakula Ramakanth sees an opportunity as well. "Given the favorable risk/benefit profile of Vicineum demonstrated in the Phase 3 VISTA study, we believe the drug has a high likelihood to receive regulatory approvals from the FDA and EMA. Sesen is actively preparing for the potential launch of Vicineum. The company has selected Syneos, a leading contract sales organization, as a partnerto build and manage a 35-people sales force to target approximately 2,000 high prescribers of BCG. We expect the drug to be commercially available immediately upon approval. We project Vicineum to achieve risk-adjusted sales of $516M by 2030E, growing from $9M in 2021E," Ramakanth opined. Ramakanths comments support his Buy rating on the stock, as does his $8 price target. At current valuations, that target implies an upside potential of 170% for the next 12 months. (To watch Ramakanths track record, click here) Sometimes, the penny stocks can slide under the radar; this one has attracted only two recent analyst reviews. Both agree, however, that this is a stock to buy, making the Moderate Buy consensus unanimous. The shares are priced at $2.94 with a $7.50 average price target that suggests an upside of 155% in the coming year. (See SESN stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for penny stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
SPRINGFIELD - After conducting a national search Square One has named Dawn Forbes DiStefano as the new president and chief executive officer of the agency.

Forbes DiStefano will replace Joan Kagan, who retired in August after 17 years with the agency and a 45-year career in human services.

Just as we pride ourselves on developing the leaders of tomorrow through our own programs and services, I am privileged to have experienced the leadership of Joan Kagan, DiStefano said. It is an honor for me to continue to navigate the path that Joan and those before her have paved.

Following a 25-year career with the YWCA of Western Massachusetts, DiStefano joined the Square One team in January 2016 to lead the agencys grant research, grant writing, and program-compliance efforts. She was promoted to chief finance and grants officer, where she added oversight of the agencys financial team to her list of responsibilities.

In 2019, she was promoted to executive vice president where she took on oversight of the agencys early-education and care programs and family-support services, and management of operations, including transportation, food service, and information technology.

My 25 years at the YWCA really focused around work with adult women, while our work here at Square One always surrounds a child, she said. Children are just so full of hope, and optimism and resiliency and as an adult its infectious. Im looking forward to maintaining the legacy that Square One has of keeping children at the core of everything we do.

DiStefano said she hopes to provide opportunities to children that will affect their lives in a positive way and lead them towards learning and career opportunities later in life.

I want to ensure that they have not only high quality learning, but also to ensure the sustainability of their learning so that they will be able to accept opportunities that are presented to them and will in turn strengthen our community, she said. " If we invest early and focus on our little learners before they run into any substantial challenges in life it benefits our whole community.

Peter Testori, chairman of Square Ones board of directors, said they received 60 applications from across the country.

Not surprisingly, Dawn rose to the top of the list. Her breadth and depth of experience in the non-profit sector, her outstanding reputation throughout the Commonwealth, and her extensive knowledge of Square Ones programs, services, and staff make her the ideal person to continue to build on the success of Joan Kagans leadership, he said.

Kagan continues to serve as an advisor to the leadership team during the transition.

There is no one better suited for this role than Dawn, Kagan said. Square One has an amazing history of responding to the changing needs of our community through our programs, services and partnerships. I have every confidence that Dawns great determination, passion for serving children and families, and the tremendous respect that she has earned will allow her to continue that legacy.

DiStefano received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and her masters degree in public administration and nonprofit management from Westfield State University. She resides in West Springfield with her husband and two children.

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ARDMORE, Pa., Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Eric Lambregts, current Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Logic Factory, announced during the company's end of year meeting that he, as well as Robert de Laat, current Chief Finance Officer (CFO), will step down from their current capacities from the Board of TLF in the first half of 2021. Per January 1, 2021, Marjolijn te Velthuis, currently the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of TLF, will advance into the CEO position and Mark Crouse, current Delivery Director, will take over as COO. Roel van den Broek will remain on the Board as the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO).

After a journey of almost 15 years, the two founders of The Logic Factory have decided it is the right time to shift their position from an executive Board position to a non-executive position. This exciting announcement comes at the tail end of what has been an interesting year for all in the supply chain industry and is poised to launch The Logic Factory into a new era under the direction of this experienced team.

Marjolijn joined The Logic Factory in 2018 after a decade long tenure with DELMIA of Dassault Systemes, formerly Quintiq, where she served as the Vice President of their EMEA operations. Since her time on the Board of The Logic Factory as COO, Marjolijn implemented numerous operational excellence initiatives that allowed the delivery teams to better focus their expertise toward customer satisfaction and increasing delivery effectiveness. The depth of her industry knowledge coupled with her management style allowed for a solid foundation with which the organization could thrive.

Mark Crouse joined The Logic Factory in the beginning of 2020 after working for DELMIA of Dassault Systemes, formerly Quintiq, for almost a decade as the Senior Director, Americas. Mark was brought on for his wealth of knowledge in all components of the Quintiq Applications and industries. In his short time as Delivery Director, he has been an invaluable asset to the Board as they navigated the abrupt new challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mark will bring a North-American perspective to the Board as The Logic Factory continues to see rapid growth of their continental American customer base.

As Eric will leave his role as the current CEO, he will be transitioning into a more customer and solutions-focused role as the new Chief Solutions Officer (CSO). This newly established role is designed to fully engage the expertise that Eric has of DELMIA within the applications used by our customers. Eric's expansive knowledge and ability to think outside of the box to deliver compelling solutions for even the most complex of puzzles, is unmatched in the industry.

"My transition from CEO to the new CSO position allows me to strip away the operational aspects of my role to fully focus my time on doing what I am truly passionate about in this industry... solving the most complex puzzles for our customers. These challenges are what enticed me to pursue a career in developing supply chain solutions over 25 years ago, and that excitement has never diminished. While my time as CEO was wonderful, Marjolijn is uniquely capable of leading TLF into the next realm of top tier software implementation companies. Marjolijn, Mark, and Roel are the best our sector has to offer. I am fully confident that with this new Board in place, the company that I started almost 15 years ago will continue to grow and be a leader of our industry. I am thrilled to see where we are going to be in five years." ~ Eric Lambregts

Under the guidance of this new leadership The Logic Factory continues to fulfill it's mission, "To help our customers make lasting performance improvements and to build a great company that offers fun work to great people"; and ambition "The Logic Factory is to be the best partner for our customers, delivering high-end planning, scheduling, optimization, support and hosting services."

About The Logic Factory

As a Platinum Dassault Systemes DELMIA implementation partner, The Logic Factory offers complete project management, business and implementation consultancy as well as development expertise in implementing DELMIA Supply Chain Planning and Optimization Software (SCP&O) applications. TLF offers its customers utilizing a DELMIA SCP&O application a flexible, fully integrated range of software maintenance, support, control, and hosting services. Service levels are fully customizable and can include anything from corrective maintenance and incident management to regular preventive check-ups and proactive system management.

The Logic Factory specializes in developing solutions for customers in various industries such as logistics, manufacturing, maritime and aviation. Headquartered in The Netherlands, The Logic Factory also has offices in the USA, the UK and India. For more information visits thelogicfactory.com.

Media Contact:

Maggie Bradley

+1 267.228.2041

[email protected]

SOURCE The Logic Factory
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Health experts in the Kingdom of Bahrain and around the world have warned that its not going to be a light switch back to normalcy even if a COVID-19 vaccine is already available to the public. In fact, they recommend people to still wear masks or cloth face covering and practise social distancing, among other important precautionary measures, even after getting the vaccine.

Obviously, with a vaccine now available to citizens and residents at 27 health centres across Bahrain, some people may feel much more confident about not getting the virus. However health experts recommend to people to not abandon all public health measures just because they have been vaccinated. Those fundamentals include: wearing of face masks, maintaining physical distance, avoiding large crowds, doing more outdoor activities and washing hands frequently.

In addition, the protective effect of a vaccine may take at least one month, if not slightly longer, according to health experts. Therefore, for the foreseeable future, the Kingdom will really need to continue its mitigation measures, including wearing masks. Many people have strong feelings about vaccines and may not even take them, which will impact the general population from being immune to COVID-19 and prolong the threat of the pandemic.

Indeed, this is the reason why you should wear a mask. Properly wearing a mask can help keep you safe while navigating the pandemic. While you should continue to wash your hands, cover your coughs and sneezes, avoid touching your face and follow social distancing rules, wearing a mask is an additional step you should also take to stay safe. As weve learned throughout this pandemic, the most common way COVID-19 spread is through person-to-person contact.

When an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks, they produce respiratory droplets that can travel about six feet and can land in the mouths or noses of those nearby. COVID-19 can also be spread by people who dont know they have the virus since they arent experiencing any symptoms. Because of this, health professionals recommend wearing masks or cloth face coverings to help slow the spread of the virus. In these circumstances, a mask can add an extra layer of protection.

While wearing a mask may not keep you from getting COVID-19, it can help lower the odds. If youre sick, a mask can help keep your germs from infecting others. If youre healthy, a mask can help keep respiratory droplets from someone who is sick from landing in your nose and mouth. While we cant quantify how effective it is to wear a mask, we do know it offers some protection while not wearing one offers none.

In short, we are all at the lowest risk when everyone wears a mask. And remember, social distancing and hand washing are still very important safety precautions too that everyone should follow in addition to facial protection. Studies show that even a distance of three feet significantly decreases the spread of the coronavirus from one person to another. At six feet, the risk decreases even further, at nine feet even further than that.

A 55-year-old man was allegedly hacked to death by his neighbour for being in a relationship with the latters second wife. The mans genitals were also chopped off.

According to the police, the incident took place in Gopalganj district late Sunday evening.

Sub-divisional police officer Naresh Paswan said that the neighbour and his two wives were arrested.

Police said that late Sunday, the victim came to the neighbours house to meet his wife. The neighbours family caught him and hacked him to death. They also chopped his genitals.

Also Read: Educational institutions in Bihar evoke lukewarm response on Day 1 of reopening

The matter came to light when he did not return home. His wife lodged a complaint against five persons, including the neighbour, suspecting that her husband might have been abducted in a land dispute-related matter.

Early Monday, police visited the neighbours house and found the body.

In another incident, Sitamarhi police recovered the body of a 17-year-old boy, who had gone missing on January 2, from the bank of Manushyamara river on Monday. The boys genitals had been cut off as revealed by the post-mortem report.

SHO of the Belsand police station Rakesh Kumar said that the body also bore an injury on the head. As per the complaint filed by the boys father, the boy had gone to a nearby village on Saturday evening, but did not come back.

The SHO said that police recovered a knife, wrist watch and an iron rod from the spot. Four suspects were detained for interrogation. A case has been registered under Section 302 of the IPC against unknown persons.

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EDMONTON - Aurora Cannabis Inc. says it experienced a "cybersecurity incident" over the holidays.

Cannabis seedlings at the new Aurora Cannabis grow facility are seen in Montreal, Friday, Nov. 24, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

EDMONTON - Aurora Cannabis Inc. says it experienced a "cybersecurity incident" over the holidays.

The Edmonton-based cannabis producer says the incident took place on Dec. 25, but did not share what data was involved or how it was accessed.

Spokeswoman Michelle Lefler says in an email to The Canadian Press that as soon as Aurora learned of the incident, it took immediate steps to mitigate it.

She says Aurora is following all security protocols and consulting with security experts.

Lefler says Auroras patient systems were not compromised and the companys network of operations is unaffected.

Statistics Canada says one-fifth of Canadian businesses were affected by cybersecurity incidents in 2019, the most recently available data.

Almost half of those attacks were linked to large businesses, 29 per cent at medium-sized companies and 18 per cent at small businesses.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 4, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:ACB)
Schools reopened in Kenya on Monday, with over 15 million students expected to return to their classrooms, most for the first time since they closed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Students in some years returned to school in October to prepare for exams, but on Monday the bulk of the nation's students went back to school, following a Kenyan government directive that all schools should reopen on 4 January.

Kenya is the last country in East Africa to reopen its schools, and head teachers have been advised to admit students from all years, and to follow anti-COVID health protocols.This is proving to be challenging, with many schools overwhelmed by the number of students arriving.Students who returned in October were able to spread out among classrooms.

But school heads say they don't have enough rooms to accommodate the January influx, with some classes having over 80 students, making social distancing virtually impossible.

At Daima Primary School in the northeast of Nairobi, head teacher Waweru Francis said classes were already full, with some new admissions yet to be processed.

He said the smallest classroom currently has over 82 pupils, many more than the recommended amount of about 20-30.

The reopening of schools comes as COVID-19 infections are on the rise across Africa.

(IMAGE CREDITS:AP)

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
A political slugfest has started after the country's drugs regulator DCGI on Sunday approved Bharat Biotech's 'Covaxin' for restricted emergency use against coronavirus with several Congress leaders raising questions over DCGI's decision to allow the restricted use of Covaxin without the completion of its phase 3 trials.

Bihar Congress leader and MLA Ajeet Sharma on Monday (January 4) sparked any political row by demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take the first vaccine shot in order to instil confidence in the minds of the people of the country.

Ajeet Sharma said that PM Modi must emulate Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President-elect Joe Biden, who took the vaccine shot publicly to earn the confidence of the people and take the first vaccine shot.

Sharma also demanded that besides PM Modi some other senior BJP leaders should also take vaccine shots first.

"We are delighted to have got two vaccines in the new year but there is also doubt among people about this. In order to remove this doubt, head of state in Russia and America have won people's confidence by taking the first vaccine shot, I believe that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the senior-most BJP leader should win the trust of the people by taking the first vaccine shot," Ajit Sharma said.

Ajeet Sharma also slammed the BJP for trying to take credit of the vaccines developed by Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech. He added that the BJP leaders must not forget that Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech, which have prepared the vaccine, were established during Congress regime and the party should also get credit for the development of these vaccines.

"After the vaccine approval, the BJP is celebrating but the Congress should also get due credit because it was during the Congress tenure that these two companies, which have prepared the coronavirus vaccine were set up," Ajeet Sharma said.
While New Jersey is on pace for a double-digit drop in overall crime in 2020, violent crimes surged in some areas during the coronavirus pandemic, breaking records and bucking years of violent crime declines.

As of Nov. 30, 2020, New Jersey police departments reported 149,501 cases of murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft - the seven crimes tracked by the FBI for statistical comparison. Thats down from 171,954 such crimes at the same time a year earlier, New Jersey State Police statistics show.

The 13% drop is largely attributed to major decreases in the three nonviolent crimes of burglary, larceny (theft) and auto theft, which coincides with pandemic lockdowns and stay-at-home orders earlier in the year.

With more people in their home during quarantines, burglaries dropped nationwide, as did shoplifting thefts when businesses closed as well, a Council on Criminal Justice report on COVID-19s effect on crime shows.

For example, residential Bergen County had 90 burglaries for every 100,000 residents in 2019. As of Sept. 30, 2020, the rate had dropped to 58.

Violent crime, however, soared in urban areas and cities. Overall, New Jersey homicides had increased 23% as of Nov. 30, 2020.

Its been a very challenging year, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said.

In addition to dealing with the pandemic, police have had to deal with an increase in shootings and homicides, Onofri said. A task force in his office investigates homicides in Trenton, which recorded a record 40 killings in 2020.

Homicides were higher in Paterson, Jersey City and Elizabeth, which had seven in all of 2019. As of Sept. 30, 2020, the city had 11 killings. Plainfield, which had three homicides in 2019, had six as of Sept. 30 as well.

I think this is one of those years, when you look at all of the numbers together, itll give a false sense of security, Onofri said. You have to look at the violent crime numbers.

In Camden and Newark, though, police leaders saw successes in the crime numbers.

Camden, as of Dec. 20, 2020, was on pace for a 14% drop in overall crime, though there was a slight uptick in violent crimes - from 1,113 to 1,156. The city had 22 homicides, down from 24, and the number of people wounded in shootings was down from 103 victims in 2019 to 96 in 2020.

Camden County Police Chief Joe Wysocki said detectives solved 90% of the citys homicides - which he called astonishing.

He called 2020 arguably the toughest period in modern history for law enforcement to operate in every city across the country.

That said, the source of our progress is a direct result of the people we serve on a daily basis, they have been the backbone for our department and will always be our greatest asset as we continue to provide stability and guardianship throughout Camden, Wysocki said.

Camden County Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli called 2020 a perfect storm for law enforcement, with skyrocketing unemployment rate, remote learning for students and widespread civil unrest.

I couldnt be more proud of the work that was done by our officers during this very difficult year, said Cappelli, the freeholder board policing liaison.

In Newark, Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose, a former city cop and chief, said 2020 started out well - the states largest city had just two homicides in three months.

In 35 years of policing in this city, Ive never even seen that, Ambrose said.

But when the violence started to spike as coronavirus cases mounted, and lockdowns sent many people into their homes, Newark officers held the line, he said.

They continued on their multi-year plan of focusing on violent crimes, Ambrose said.

We target the worst of the worst, he said.

As of Dec, 27, 2020, Newark had 51 homicides - the same amount in 2019. And the city is also on target for a 6% drop in overall crime, anchored by a 25% decrease in burglaries and a 37% drop in robberies.

Newark officers seized almost 500 firearms in 2020, and did not fire a single shot in any of those arrests. And they should be commended for that, Ambrose said.

However, shootings are up, about 25%, and Ambrose said the city experienced 60 incidents in which two or more people were wounded. That alarms me, he said.

Ambrose said that cities will continue to have to make adjustments to policing with the public health, social and economic pressures of the coronavirus pandemic mounting.

The virus is here, its a way of life, and we have to keep our strategies going, as well as enforce [coronavirus] orders too, Ambrose said. We just have to keep going.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com.

Joining Mr. Ferryman in the SBA Division are Kerry Borosh, Vice President & Business Development Officer; Dhruva Patel, Vice President & Underwriter; Dawn Giorgi-Nethercott, Assistant Vice President & Loan Closer; and Lakisha Grant, Loan Closer. Freedom's new SBA Lending team has a demonstrated track record together of meeting the needs of small businesses customers and originating new clients to growth fee-based revenue through sale of government guaranteed portion of SBA loans and interest and servicing income from an SBA unguaranteed loan portfolio. Loan products have included SBA 7(a), SBA 7(a) ITL, USDA B&I and 504 Wholesale loans.

"We are very fortunate to have a SBA banking executive join our team with such diverse and broad experience in small business lending. Under Kevin's leadership and with the expertise of the other experienced members joining our SBA team, Freedom Bank will be able to build on the notable success the bank had in 2020 in executing government programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Main Street Lending Program (MSLP). We continue that momentum with our new SBA lending business that will meet the needs of Freedom's clients in the DC Region, as well as, originate new clients throughout the East Coast," said Joe Thomas, President and CEO.

Kevin Ferryman added "I am excited to join Freedom Bank and embark on this new chapter that will expand the bank's offerings to more fully serve the business community during a period where small businesses are struggling due to COVID-19 and challenged to get the funding they need due to consolidation within the community banking industry and as some institutions move to limit traditional SBA lending. Freedom Bank has a meaningful opportunity to fill that void and come to the aid of small businesses at a time when the capital is most needed," continued Mr. Ferryman.

Mr. Ferryman was most recently Senior Vice President and Director of SBA Lending at Patriot Bank in Connecticut where he built a successful SBA program. Prior to this, Mr. Ferryman worked at Citizens Bank as Senior Vice President and SBA Director responsible for managing all aspects of their SBA lending. He has also held various roles at Capital One Bank and JPMorgan Chase Bank where he developed his leadership and credit skills, and continually surpassed individual and team production goals. Mr. Ferryman earned his BS in Banking and Finance from St. John's University and MBA in Banking and Finance from Hofstra University.

About Freedom Bank

Freedom Bank (OTCQX: FDVA) is a next-generation community bank, headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, offering commercial banking, personal banking, and mortgage banking solutions using banker expertise and innovative technology to build lead relationships with clients. Focusing on businesses, real estate owners, and professionals in the Northern Virginia/DC metro area, Freedom Bank concentrates on key industry verticals to deliver unique, sector-specific solutions to help clients meet their goals and realize their dreams. Freedom Bank had total assets of $752 million on September 30, 2020 and locations in Fairfax, Vienna, Reston, and Chantilly and a mortgage division also headquartered in Chantilly. For information about Freedom Bank, visit our website at www.freedom.bank.

Contact:

Joseph J. Thomas

President & Chief Executive Officer

Phone: 703-667-4161

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Freedom Bank of Virginia
We are pleased to work with ICAST to expand on our effort to provide energy efficiency options that will have meaningful impact for our customers in the District of Columbia, said Nathanael Gillespie, Pepcos manager of customer solutions. This new program will provide support to low-income multif

ICAST (International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise, today announced that it has been awarded a contract to implement Pepco's energy efficiency program for low-income multifamily housing.

The Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco), an energy company based out of Washington DC, has awarded ICAST a three-year contract to implement its new energy efficiency program for low-income multifamily housing in the District of Columbia. ICAST will focus on deep retrofit measures, such as energy-efficient heat-pump HVAC and hot water upgrades, to maximize savings. Income-qualified properties with three or more apartments can receive Pepco's cash incentives for energy-saving products installed throughout the property, including common areas and inside residents' units.

We are pleased to work with ICAST to expand on our effort to provide energy efficiency options that will have meaningful impact for our customers in the District of Columbia, said Nathanael Gillespie, Pepcos manager of customer solutions. This new program will provide support to low-income multifamily housing owners who may be struggling during these challenging times.

ICAST's success with implementing similar programs for energy companies such as Berkshire Hathaway Energy and Ameren, combined with its nationally recognized one-stop shop service model that offers multifamily clients a host of services from property assessment to staff training to access to financing, made ICAST a natural fit for Pepco's program. The hassle-free approach ensures property owners and managers receive the best possible incentive for their energy efficiency upgrades with the least amount of effort.

"By participating in the Pepco Multifamily Low-Income Energy Efficiency Program, our Multifamily clients can increase the value of their property while reducing their operating costs during these trying times," according to Ravi Malhotra, ICAST's founder and President. "Their collaboration with this program will make their properties safer, more affordable, and comfortable for their low-income residents."

The program will launch on January 1, 2021 and will be ICAST's first energy efficiency program on the East coast. It represents another step in ICAST's efforts to expand its solutions to benefit under-represented and low-income communities nationally.

About ICAST

ICAST (icastusa.org) is a 501c3 nonprofit with a long history of designing and launching programs that meaningfully impact low-income underserved communities while advancing access to clean energy, affordable housing, and local jobs.
Scotland will be plunged back into a national coronavirus lockdown from midnight this evening, Nicola Sturgeon announced this afternoon.

The SNP leader said the new crackdown, lasting all of January, will include a legally enforceable stay-at-home rule.

Exercise and essential journeys will be the only reasons why people will be allowed to leave their homes.

The planned reopening of schools on January 18 is also being pushed back to February 1 at the earliest while workers are being instructed to work from home wherever possible.

Rules on outdoor gatherings will be tightened to allow a maximum of just two people from two households to meet.

Meanwhile, places of worship will be closed from this Friday but weddings and funerals will still be allowed to go ahead.

A maximum of 20 people will be allowed to attend funeral services and a maximum of five people will be allowed to attend weddings.

Ms Sturgeon said the tough new curbs are necessary because of the 'steeply rising' rate of infections north of the border as she warned the lockdown could be extended beyond January if necessary.

The measures effectively mean a return to the restrictions seen during the first UK-wide lockdown which was imposed at the end of March last year.

All of mainland Scotland is already placed in the highest tier of Covid-19 rules but infection numbers have prompted Ms Sturgeon to take more drastic action after 2,464 new cases were announced yesterday.

The move by Ms Sturgeon will inevitably prompt speculation that England could also soon return to a state of lockdown, with Boris Johnson due to address the nation this evening.

Boris Johnson to address the nation tonight at 8pm Boris Johnson will unveil new measures to tackle the mutant coronavirus in an address to the nation tonight amid calls for a national lockdown. The PM is set to make a televised statement on the 'next steps' in the crisis at 8pm, with Parliament being recalled on Wednesday. Announcing the dramatic move, a No10 spokesman said: 'The spread of the new variant of COVID-19 has led to rapidly escalating case numbers across the country. 'The Prime Minister is clear that further steps must now be taken to arrest this rise and to protect the NHS and save lives. He will set those out this evening.' Earlier, ex-health secretary Jeremy Hunt joined demands for an immediate national lockdown with schools and borders shut and a ban on all household mixing. Mr Hunt warned that mutant Covid has put the NHS under 'off the scale' pressure compared to normal winters and the government 'cannot afford to wait' even one more day. Mr Johnson confirmed this morning that 'tougher' measures were coming - but hinted he might stick with the Tier system in England rather than taking a blanket approach. Advertisement

On another grim day of coronavirus chaos:

Matt Hancock said he is 'incredibly worried' about a new South African variant of coronavirus that experts fear might not be caught by the current crop of vaccines;

Brian Pinker, an 82-year-old retired maintenance manager from Oxford, has become the first to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine outside of trials;

Teaching unions launched a concerted bid to shut down all classrooms despite Boris Johnson's plea to stay open, leaving millions of parents to begin homeschooling their children for at least a fortnight with often only a few hours' notice;

The latest data show a 33 per cent rise in the number of confirmed coronavirus patients in hospital in England between Christmas Day and January 2.

Ms Sturgeon set out the terms of the new lockdown in an address to a recalled Scottish Parliament.

It is just the fifth time ever that Holyrood has been recalled from holiday and the second time within the last four weeks after it sat on December 31 to consider Mr Johnson's Brexit trade deal with the EU.

She said the situation facing Scotland is 'extremely serious' and that the spread of a mutant variant of the disease had struck a 'massive blow'.

She warned Scotland is seeing a 'steeply rising trend of infections' and she is 'more concerned about the situation we face now than I have been at any time since March last year'.

She said: I can confirm now in summary that we have decided to introduce from midnight tonight for the duration of January a legal requirement to stay at home, except for essential purposes.

This is similar to the lockdown of March last year.

All of mainland Scotland is currently in Protection Level 4 - the highest tier in the Scottish government's coronavirus rules system.

Level 4 restrictions ban separate households from mixing inside homes while a maximum of six people from two separate households are allowed to meet outdoors.

All pubs and restaurants in level 4 areas have had to close apart from for takeaways and all non-essential shops have had to shut.

Matt Hancock says he is 'incredibly worried' about super-infectious South African coronavirus mutation Matt Hancock today revealed he is 'incredibly worried' about the highly-infectious South African coronavirus mutation which top experts fear could scupper Britain's vaccine roll-out. The Health Secretary warned the variant  which has already been identified in the UK  posed a 'very, very significant problem'. His comments came after one of the Government's coronavirus advisers yesterday claimed there was a 'big question mark' over whether any of the current wave of jabs could protect against the mutant strain. Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, argued the South African variant was more concerning than the Kent one because it has 'pretty substantial changes in the structure of the protein', meaning vaccines could fail to work. Covid vaccines  including the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford University/AstraZeneca jabs currently being rolled out across Britain  work by training the body to spot the virus's spike protein. If the spike mutates so much that it becomes unrecognisable then it could render vaccines useless or make them less potent. However, the current vaccines are believed to be effective against the Kent strain which is causing a massive spike in cases across the UK. Advertisement

Ms Sturgeon said the rise of the more infectious strain of the disease meant that 'the current level 4 measures may not be sufficient to bring the R number back below 1'.

She said that as a result the country must accept a 'return for a period to a situation much closer to the lockdown of last March'.

Ms Sturgeon said the new lockdown rules 'will be in place for the whole of January' and the Scottish Government will keep them 'closely under review'.

But she said she 'can't at this stage rule out having to keep them in place longer, nor rule out making further changes'.

'Nothing about the current situation is easy,' she told MSPs.

Ms Sturgeon said the main plank of the latest lockdown strategy is to advise everyone to stay at home as much as possible.

'That is the single best way of staying safe,' she said.

'We consider that this stay at home message and advice is now so important that from tomorrow it will become law, just as it was in the lockdown last year.

'This means it will only be permissible to leave home for an essential purpose. This will include, for example, caring responsibilities, essential shopping, exercise and being part of an extended household.

'In addition, anyone who is able to work from home must do so. It will only be a reasonable excuse to leave your home to go to work if that work cannot be done from home.'

Ms Sturgeon said the frequency of outdoor exercise will not be limited but outdoor gathering rules will be tightened.

'As of now, up to six people from two households are able to meet outdoors,' she said.

'Given the greater transmissibility of this new variant we consider it necessary to restrict that further.

'From tomorrow a maximum of two people from up to two households will be able to meet outdoors.

Nicola Sturgeon, pictured in a visit to Western General Hospital in Edinburgh in December, said the latest lockdown in Scotland will last for the whole of January

Ms Sturgeon's announcement of a new lockdown for Scotland will inevitably prompt speculation about whether Boris Johnson will follow suit in England

Catching Covid DOES make you immune to symptomatic reinfection for at least 6 months, study suggests People who have previously caught Covid-19 are immune to developing symptoms if they come into contact with the coronavirus again, a study suggests. Researchers scrutinised data from more than 11,000 healthcare workers at Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals (NUTH) NHS Foundation Trust. Staff were encouraged to get a Covid-19 test if they developed any symptoms and others were recruited to take antibody tests to gauge disease prevalence. Of these, more than 1,000 either had coronavirus antibodies or tested positive via a PCR swab between 10 March and July 6 2020, during the UK's first wave of the virus. The researchers specifically focused on how many of the 1,038 hospital staff who had been infected previously went on to develop symptoms and test positive during the autumn second wave, defined as being between July 7 to November 20. Only 128 such people reported developing coronavirus-like symptoms in this window but none of them tested positive for Covid-19. Advertisement

'Children aged 11 and under will not be counted in that limit and they will also be able to play outdoors in larger groups including in organised gatherings.'

The Scottish First Minister said existing travel rules will continue as she urged everyone to 'stay as close to home as possible' and reiterated that no one is allowed to travel into or out of Scotland unless it is for an essential reason.

Ms Sturgeon said it was a matter of 'real regret' that places of worship will have to close from this Friday.

'I know how devastating restrictions like these ones are and I give an assurance that we will not keep them in place for any longer than is absolutely necessary,' she added.

On the issue of schools, Ms Sturgeon said the aim is to resume face-to-face learning from February 1 and that the return date will be reviewed in the middle of January.

Vulnerable children and the children of key workers will still be able to attend school in person.

'There is no doubt at all that of all the difficult decisions we have had to take today this was the most difficult of all and its impact is of course the most severe,' she said.

Ms Sturgeon likened the current situation to a running race between the mutant variant of the disease and the UK's vaccination efforts.

She said she hoped the lockdown will give the vaccine the 'time it needs to get ahead and ultimately win this race'.

'I know that the next few weeks will be incredibly difficult and I am sorry to ask for further sacrifices after nine long months of them but these sacrifices are necessary,' she argued.

'The difference between now and last March is that with the help of vaccines we now have confidence that these sacrifices will pave the way to brighter days ahead.'

It came as the UK Government today began its roll-out of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine.

In the biggest UK mass vaccination drive ever, half a million doses of the jab will be made available for vulnerable people this week with 'tens of millions' promised by April.

AstraZeneca has previously suggested up to two million doses a week could be ready by mid-January.

But Andrew Hayward, professor of infectious diseases epidemiology at University College London and a member of the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, said it could take longer to hit that number.

He told Good Morning Britain today: 'Due to capacity issues it may be we don't get to those levels until February for example. The earlier we can vaccinate people the better and the sooner will be able to control this.'

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'This is a pivotal moment in our fight against this awful virus and I hope it provides renewed hope to everybody that the end of this pandemic is in sight.'
(Newser)  A 16-year-old boy has been charged in connection to the killing of Hayden Harris, an Army corporal stationed at New Yorks Fort Drum who was found shot to death in New Jersey last month, NBC News reports. Also charged with felony murder and weapons charges is Jamaal Mellish, 23, an Army private out of Fort Drum. Firefighters in Byram Township discovered the body of Harris, 20, on Dec. 19 when they saw blood on a road during a holiday Santa ride event. "The top of the snow was stained with what appeared to be blood," Byram authorities said in a statement, per NBC. "During a search of the disturbed area in the snow, the victims body was found approximately 200 yards into the wooded area mostly buried under snow."

story continues below

Prosecutors have said that Mellish and Harris met to exchange the latters Chevrolet Silverado for a Ford Mustang, per the New Jersey Herald, and a dispute may be why Mellish abducted Harris in the pickup and drove him more than 300 miles to Brooklyn and then some 50 miles further across state lines into Byram. The charged 16-year-old also was in the truck, authorities say. Mellish was being held in military custody in Oneida County, N.Y., per the Army Times. The unidentified teen was being held in a juvenile detention facility. (Read more murder stories.)
(Natural News) A new book by Pope Francis praises the BLM protests that took place over the death of George Floyd, and at the same time chastises protests against coronavirus lockdown measures.

(Article republished from Infowars.com)

In his new book, Let Us Dream, Francis essentially sanctifies the riots over Floyd, saying, Abuse is a gross violation of human dignity that we cannot allow and which we must continue to struggle against.

Covid lockdowns, however, are evidently not a violation of human dignity, according to The Holy See, who proceeds to slam protests against government-imposed coronavirus restrictions, arguing misled demonstrators carry on as if measures that governments must impose for the good of their people constitute some kind of political assault on autonomy or personal freedom!

Youll never find such people protesting the death of George Floyd, or joining a demonstration because there are shantytowns where children lack water or education, the pope states. They turned into a cultural battle what was in truth an effort to ensure the protection of life.

Elsewhere in the book, the Pontiff slams news outlets that poked holes in the coronavirus narrative, claiming they used this crisis to persuade people that foreigners are to blame, that the coronavirus is little more than a little bout of flu, and that restrictions necessary for peoples protection amount to an unjust demand of an interfering state.

There are politicians who peddle these narratives for their own gain, he also writes, adding, But they could not succeed without some media creating and spreading them.

According to the New York Post, Pope Francis also claims he identifies with coronavirus patients because of lung problems he once had.

In the book, Francis said he could relate to COVID-19 patients fighting for their lives because of his own health ordeal that resulted in part of his lung being removed when he was a student in Buenos Aires 63 years ago.

I know from experience the feeling of those who are sick with coronavirus, struggling to breathe as they are attached to a ventilator, he said, adding that health ordeal made him feel as if he was hanging between life and death.

For months I didnt know who I was, if I would live or die, even the doctors didnt know. I remember hugging my mother one day and asking her if I was about to die.

The book appears to be further testament to the Bishop of Romes leftist political leanings, following a statement before the United Nations in September in which he attacked the private ownership of firearms.

We need to dismantle the perverse logic that links personal and national security to the possession of weaponry, the pope said during the UNs 75th anniversary. This logic serves only to increase the profits of the arms industry, while fostering a climate of distrust and fear between persons and peoples.

Read more at: Infowars.com
Since its founding in 2009, RENEW has become one of the nation's top independent specialized operations and maintenance companies ("ISP"). Known for providing the highest quality technical services support to the wind power industry, RENEW has grown rapidly, developing an international customer base of premier OEMs, developers, and asset owners over the past decade. RENEW operates locations throughout the U.S. to support the growing installed base of wind energy assets. Now as part of Takkion, the RENEW brands will remain intact and the company's experienced management team will continue to lead the O&M business.

The RENEW business will complement Takkion's leading logistics and transportation services companies: Transportation Partners and Logistics ("TP&L") and Global Specialized Services ("GSS"), both led by President and COO Jim Orr. With the addition of RENEW, the Company can provide the market with a comprehensive solution for managing the complex logistics, supply chain, transportation management, operations and maintenance of wind and solar energy infrastructure.

"The combined businesses and leadership team enables us to offer an unparalleled experience and expertise to the renewable energy services market and to continue to expand our premier services," said Orr, who will lead the wind segment, including RENEW.

"We are excited to join forces with Takkion and TP&L," said Jim Mikel, President of RENEW. "The combination is a highly strategic decision that brings together the unique strengths of the great company that we have built, with the deep resources of Takkion and TP&L to deliver best-in-class solutions to our customers across North America."

Scott Prince, Chief Executive Officer of Takkion, added, "RENEW's extensive wind power operations and maintenance services, its deep engineering and R&D talent, and its unique remanufacturing capabilities complement Takkion's capabilities and position us for market leadership. As the premier provider in logistics, supply chain, transportation management, and O&M solutions for renewable energy and energy transformation infrastructure, the innovation and value the combined Company can now bring to customers is unmatched, with increased services, enhanced safety, and the best team in the industry."

John Bookout and Scott Browning of Apollo's Natural Resources Private Equity business added, "We are excited to welcome RENEW into TP&L and Takkion. The RENEW team has built a market leading O&M platform serving diverse customers in the renewable energy industry. We at Apollo look forward to supporting the next phase of growth for the combined platform, with expanded capabilities to better serve customers as the energy transition accelerates. This transaction extends our support of renewable energy development and leverages our historical expertise across resource sustainability."

Vinson & Elkins LLP acted as legal counsel to Takkion in this transaction. Cascadia Capital LLC acted as financial advisor and Frederickson and Byron, P.A. acted as legal counsel to RENEW.

ABOUT TAKKION

Fort Worth, Texas-based Takkion is the nation's premier logistics, transportation, supply chain, and operations and maintenance solutions platform for the dynamic needs of the renewable energy, critical infrastructure, and power generation industries. The Takkion team combines the recognized expertise of Transportation Partners and Logistics ("TP&L"), Global Specialized Services ("GSS"), and Renew Energy ("RENEW") to deliver comprehensive solutions for our customers. With expertise managing energy resources and optimizing asset performance, Takkion is proud to be a vital partner for America's energy transformation. For more information, visit www.takkion.com.

ABOUT APOLLO

Apollo is a leading global alternative investment manager with offices in New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, Houston, Bethesda, London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Delhi, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo. Apollo had assets under management of approximately $433 billion as of September 30, 2020 in credit, private equity and real assets funds invested across a core group of nine industries where Apollo has considerable knowledge and resources. For more information about Apollo, please visit www.apollo.com.

Media Contacts:

Claire Armstrong, 817-546-8322

[email protected]

Whitney Neve, 817-862-7746

[email protected]

SOURCE Takkion Holdings LLC
US President Donald Trump on Sunday was recorded on call by Georgias secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, putting pressure on the state secretary and his legal counsel to overturn Joe Bidens victory in the state.

The conversation was mainly between Donald Trump and Raffensperger, Georgias secretary of state, but Trump campaign individuals like Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, and attorney Cleta Mitchell were also present, as was Ryan Germany, Raffenspergers counsel.

Trump gave a glimpse of how his campaign is arriving at voter fraud numbers

One of Trump campaigns associates who was part of the call told the state secretary that the campaign came to know dead people voted in the elections through newspaper obituaries. We took the name, birth year, we have certain information available to us, we have asked your office for the records that you have. Same name and same birth year who have died. To make records available to us.she said . 4,502 voters who voted but were not the voter registration list, dead people voted, Trump added. Raffensperger resisted this claim, The data you have is wrong. The actual number is 2, he responded. Later, towards the end of the phone call Trumps lawyer once again pushed for access to the states database but Raffensperger and his legal counsels refused to entertain their request, invoking that state data is protected by law.

The state secretary stood his ground against Trump, defended the election results

Raffensperger pushed back against Trump and insisted Bidens win in Georgia was fair. Responding to Trumps voter fraud numbers, he said: Well, Mr President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong. Trump kept alluding to a video where an individual (whose name was bleeped out) was seen committing voter fraud. Raffensperger resisted his claims commenting I think it is very unfortunate that Rudy Giuliani and his people sliced and diced the video. His counsel also denied the Trump campaign access to the states data for cross-verification purposes, continuously insisting that all data is protected by law.

Trump said Raffensperger he might face a criminal investigation

Trump intimidated Raffensperger and his legal counsel by warning about a criminal investigation, the Associated Press reported. You know what they did and youre not reporting it, Trump said. You know, thats a criminal offence. And you know, you cant let that happen. Thats a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer. Thats a big risk. Trump also commented that even though Raffensperger is Republican his state did not have an accurate election, unfoundedly claiming the election was off by hundreds of thousands of votes, reported Reuters. Adding a moment later that he only needs enough votes to flip the state, Flipping the state is a great testament to our country he added. He also accused Georgia officials of certifying a faulty election. Towards the end of the phone call Trump could also be heard telling Raffensperger that the only people who like what he has done(defended the election results) are the ones who will never vote for him.

Donald Trump told Raffensperger his actions will lead to Republicans losing the Georgia runoff

Trump told Raffensperger that if he did not act by Tuesday he would be harming the chances of Georgia Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in this weeks runoff elections, which is set to determine whether the Democrats or the Republicans control the Senate, reported AFP. Referring to the runoffs in the call, Trump said, Its going to have a big impact on Tuesday if you guys dont get it straightened out fast. He further added that people hate the states government and secretary of state, both Republicans and they are not going to vote in Tuesdays election, because of what has been done to their President.

Its not social media its Trump Media

Donald Trump and his legal team once again brought up the issue of shredding of ballots. When one of Raffenspergers associates tried cautioning him against videos circulating on social media, reported Blomberg. Trump commented that he gets his information from Trump media not social media. Mr. President the problem you have with social media, is that people can say anything they want, said the associate, No this isnt social media, this is Trump media  Trump commented, adding that he does not care about social media.
A staff member checks the packaging quality of COVID-19 inactivated vaccine products at a packaging plant of the Beijing Biological Products Institute Co., Ltd. in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 25, 2020. A Chinese inactivated vaccine shows 79.34 percent efficacy against COVID-19, according to the interim results of the phase-3 clinical trials unveiled by its developer Wednesday. The inactivated vaccine is developed by the Beijing Biological Products Institute Co., Ltd. under the China National Biotec Group (CNBG), which is affiliated with Sinopharm. After a two-dose inoculation procedure, the vaccine receivers all produced high titers of antibodies, and the seroconversion rate of neutralizing antibodies reached 99.52 percent. The results meet the requirements of technical standards of the World Health Organization and the standards stipulated by China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). The company has submitted an application to the NMPA for conditioned market approval. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese inactivated vaccine shows 79.34 percent efficacy against COVID-19, according to the interim results of the phase-3 clinical trials unveiled by its developer Wednesday.

The inactivated vaccine is developed by the Beijing Biological Products Institute Co., Ltd. under the China National Biotec Group (CNBG), which is affiliated with Sinopharm.

After a two-dose inoculation procedure, the vaccine receivers all produced high titers of antibodies, and the seroconversion rate of neutralizing antibodies reached 99.52 percent.

The results meet the requirements of technical standards of the World Health Organization and the standards stipulated by China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA).

The company has submitted an application to the NMPA for conditioned market approval.

China has adopted five technological approaches in developing COVID-19 vaccines, with 15 vaccines entering clinical trials, of which five are undergoing phase-3 clinical trials.

To protect high-risk groups, China approved the emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines in June. China has already conducted nearly 1 million emergency inoculations, which were given on a voluntary, informed basis and in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.

Inactivated vaccines for emergency use include two inactivated vaccines developed by the CNBG and one by Sinovac Biotech. They have all entered international phase-3 clinical trials.

About 75,000 people overseas have been enrolled in the phase-3 trials of the three vaccines, with 150,000 doses inoculated. "Study results have shown no serious safety threats," Zheng Zhongwei, an official with the National Health Commission (NHC), said in a press conference earlier this month.

Some of the Chinese vaccine developers have just obtained enough samples for the interim analysis of phase-3 clinical trials and are submitting related materials to the NMPA, Zheng has said, adding that only vaccines meeting certain standards will be allowed to enter the market.

Next, with COVID-19 vaccines officially approved to enter the market or the yield of vaccines improving steadily, China will put more vaccines into use, inoculating the eligible population as widely as possible, Cui Gang, an official with NHC's disease control department, has said.

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[ Editor: WPY ]
Until then, it is unclear just how much the new rule will bind the hands of Mr. Bidens intended E.P.A. administrator, Michael S. Regan. The measure includes a provision that allows the administrator to exempt studies, on a case-by-case basis, from the rule. The final measure acknowledges that there could be some cases in which complying with the rule could be impracticable, like in the use of older studies in which data is not easily available.

The rule going into effect also only sets public-data requirements for dose-response studies  that is, studies that measure how much an increase of exposure to a chemical or pollutant increases the risk of harm to human health. Previous versions of the regulation applied to a wider array of studies.

Had the transparency rule been in effect already, several people said, the E.P.A. could not have made the case to regulate mercury releases from power plants because it could not have shown that the heavy metal impairs brain development. Nor could the agency have successfully linked cloudy drinking water to higher rates of gastrointestinal illnesses, and then imposed more rigorous clean water standards.

Already, the Trump administration has used the policy to reject an agency finding that chlorpyrifos, a pesticide, causes serious health problems.

Trump administration officials have not offered examples of policies that they say were wrongly enacted based on studies that did not make underlying data available. But academic and industry opponents of regulation have argued the change will make the E.P.A. more rigorous in its decision-making.

Environmental groups assailed the rule as the culmination of a decades-long strategy to undermine science that took off in the tobacco wars of the 1990s and continued as a way to raise doubts about the research upholding pollution rules.
Credit: Shutterstock

Picture the scene. Swimming off Scotland's west coast during a summer holiday you notice a large dark shark nearly 10 meters long headed towards you. A prominent triangular dorsal fin cuts the surface, the powerful rhythmically beating tail driving it silently through the cloudy green depths. You're transfixed by a cavernous mouth large enough to swallow a seal.

Musing this may be your last swim, it might be surprising to learn this leviathan of the deep is a harmless yet endangered gentle giant. It has little interest in humans, focusing on some unseen bounty of the warmer summer waters: zooplankton, the tiny creatures found near the surface of the ocean.

This is the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus), once common off western Europe, feeding on the annual plankton bonanza of the European shelf.

Our recent study suggests holidaymakers and basking sharks have much in common. They make temporary forays into these higher latitudes, traveling familiar routes with extended family, feeding on local fare at well-known places visited on previous trips.

Areas supporting high densities of zooplankton are like tourist traps, drawing basking sharks from across the Atlantic in late spring and summer. Hundreds converge in inshore surface waters on the Scottish west coast, Ireland and Isle of Man.

Once hunted for its oily liver across all oceans, basking sharks in the the north-east Atlantic were primarily targeted, with more than 80,000 slaughtered in the second half of the 20th century. This earned the world's second biggest fish (after the whale shark) a place on the International Union for Conservation of Natures Red List. A critical indicator of biodiversity, this catalog of species under threat of global extinction makes depressing reading.

Saving our sharks

Conservation management of the basking shark demands knowledge of its ecology and movement patterns. These slow-swimming coastal predators easily traverse the equator and ocean basins, moving from one legislative domain to another. Identifying important feeding sites and routes popular for annual migrations can therefore help countries enact effective protection.

Difficult to track and observe, satellite tagging has revealed shark movements, showing use of the ocean throughout a year. One study suggests that basking sharks have an attachment to particular areas, returning annually to feeding sites, a behavior known as seasonal site fidelity.

Such localities are candidates for protection, designated Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and ensure sharks remain undisturbed during sensitive and important life stages. But tagging informs us mainly about individual movements, leaving crucial conservation questions unanswered.

Our study focused on developing genetic markers to identify individuals and establish their migration routes, population connectivity and size. We also wanted to explore basking sharks' genetic diversityan indicator of a species' ability to future proof against environmental change, and kinship of feeding clusters.

But developing tools removed only one obstacle. Another was lack of routine DNA sampling of basking shark groups. A breakthrough came when, in desperation, we discovered skin mucus from a tail swipe against a boat was a DNA source. Routine swabbing of basking shark groupsquickly and with minimal disturbanceprovided genetic profiles of more than 400 individuals and a snapshot of those traveling together.

This register identified individuals arriving at summer feeding sites, revealing that sharks were re-sighted within seasons and again in later years, sometimes around the same date at sampling locations only kilometers apart. This supports findings of basking sharks repeatedly visiting feeding sites in the recently designated Sea of the Hebrides MPA. Ominously, our study also indicates the Irish Sea is an important migration routean area of increasing human activity.

The distinctive dorsal fin of a basking shark off the coast of Scotland. Credit: Lilian Lieber, Author provided

Family ties

We expected the roaming and mixing of cosmopolitan, filter-feeders that live long lives to erode genetic differences between populations. But regular sampling of feeding groups revealed basking sharks off the coast of Ireland in spring (perhaps having wintered near the US) were genetically distinct from north-east Atlantic populations. This differentiation was explained when genetic snapshots made up family albums.

We found that basking shark groups consist of related individuals, indicating a tendency to travel prescribed seasonal migration routes as extended family parties. It would seem the family that feeds together, stays together.

Cetaceans often travel as kin groups, perhaps facilitating learning of migration routes and encouraging cooperative behaviors. This could mean that basking shark groups also exhibit complex behaviors. Certainly, they don't fit the lone shark stereotype.

Until our study, the perception was that they moved into warmer waters from widespread locations, sniffing out a plankton meal, collecting as groups of unrelated individualslike gourmands headed into the city, chancing on finding a good restaurant by smell.

Now it looks like basking sharks carry "road maps" of gourmet venues, taking the family along. Perhaps traveling together allows young kin to learn accurate navigation, and maybe many noses are better at sniffing out a meal of densely packed zooplankton.

Conservation biologists fret about genetic variation of threatened species. Large marine creatures have low rates of reproduction and consist of small populations. This means they accumulate genetic variation more slowly than the tiny, populous, rapidly reproducing plankton they eat. That lack of evolutionary currency slows responses to environmental change. In an important conservation milestone, our genetic estimates suggest a north-east Atlantic basking shark population not exceeding 10,000 individuals.

Worse still, most variation is distributed amongst families, so loss of kin groups erodes genetic variation rapidlyas when basking sharks were hunted, and as occurs now during accidental bycatch, when fishing vessels trap unwanted marine creatures in their nets.

Such population size and structure, coupled with tendencies to frequent inshore feeding areas earmarked for development of marine renewables such as windfarms, may not produce a happy outcome without intelligent management of such environments. When it comes to basking shark conservation we have to remember that in a rapidly changing world, family matters.

Explore further Family matters for world's second biggest fish

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent out an email to lawmakers asking them to stay socially distant on the House floor, after they failed to do so on day one of the new Congress.

On Sunday, Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican, challenged the seating of delegations from swing states - to make a point to his GOP colleagues that if they had problems with the presidential results they should also be concerned down-ticket - which forced House members to cast a vote.

'The unexpected intervention yesterday evening relating to not seating Members from states subject to an Electoral count challenge resulted in Members ignoring the Floor procedures that were established to keep Members safe,' Pelosi wrote in her note. 'The intervention was not an invitation to gather on the Floor.'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent out a note to lawmakers Monday after they didn't practice social distancing properly on Sunday, the first day of the new Congress

Pelosi asked lawmakers to wear masks at all times, respect social distancing and limit the number of people on the House floor

Lawmakers gathered on the House floor Sunday in Washington, prompting Pelosi to send out a note Monday telling them to keep socially distant

Some Republican lawmakers have refused to wear masks consistently like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (right) of Georgia

On Sunday lawmakers huddled together and some didn't wear masks properly, with their noses hanging out

House members hug on the floor Sunday. Pelosi has since sent out a note telling them to practice social distancing

She told lawmakers that when Congressional staff asks them to leave the floor 'it is not a suggestion.'

'It is a direction, in the interest in keeping the Congress healthy and intact,' she said.

She told House members that they must wear masks at all times, respect social distancing and be mindful about how many members are on the floor.

Members of Congress were eligible to get the coronavirus vaccine, however lawmakers have yet to receive their second shot - and some members refused to take the vaccine ahead of medical workers.

Masking has also been an issue on Capitol Hill with some Republican lawmakers refusing to wear masks consistently.

Freshman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was told by House floor staff to put her mask on and refused, observed Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman on Sunday.

He said this led to a 'shouting match' between Democratic and Republican staff.

Greene was spotted wearing a black mask with white lettering that said 'TRUMP WON' for portions of her first day as a House member.

Greene later tweeted that Pelosi 'changed the COVID rules because she is desperate to cling to the gavel.'

'No one can attack me about masks, when Pelosi is sending Democrats with positive COVID tests to vote for her for speaker,' Greene tweeted.

Greene was referring to Rep. Gwen Moore's participation in Sunday's swearing-in ceremony and vote for speaker, which Pelosi won for the fourth time.

Moore announced on December 28 she tested positive for COVID-19. On Sunday, she told a reporter that she had already quarantined for two weeks and that a doctor said it was safe for her to attend the swearing-in.

Overall, 108 members of Congress have been quarantined, tested positive for COVID-19 or came into contact with a COVID-positive person, according to GovTrack.us.
Owais Durrani does not have a job, a predicament that would have been almost unthinkable for a doctor with his skills a year ago.

At University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, where he is training in emergency medicine, Durrani has treated hundreds of covid-19 patients. He has dosed them with steroids, given them oxygen and carefully turned them onto their bellies to relieve respiratory distress.

"We have been seeing really, really sick people," he said. He had firsthand experience with the novel coronavirus, too - he caught it in March and recovered after a few feverish days.

Despite all that, the 29-year-old doctor cannot find a company in his hometown of Houston ready to hire him when he graduates next year. Durrani has searched since the summer, "getting on calls with recruiters and hospitals and whatnot," he said. "And I haven't locked anything down."

Like him, many in this class of emergency medicine physicians - young doctors, called residents, who are training in this specialty - are struggling to find full-time employment, even while they work on the front lines treating covid-19 patients.

The dearth of jobs is the result of a domino effect: Many people stayed away from hospital emergency rooms this past year, wary of contracting the virus. As patient numbers dropped, emergency departments brought in less money. As a result, cash-strapped employers stopped recruiting new doctors.

"We're putting our own lives at risk, our family's lives at risk," said emergency medicine physician R.J. Sontag, the president of the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association. "We're in, frankly, a financially precarious position with a ton of debt and limited income. And the fact of the matter is that employers just aren't hiring."

The pandemic exposed many perplexing vulnerabilities in the American medical system - as varied as critical staffing shortages of nurses and inadequate stocks of protective equipment. This is another one. Fewer places can afford newly minted emergency medicine doctors during a crisis in which it would seem they should be in high demand.

"Calling it a paradox is exactly right," said Janis Orlowski, the chief health-care officer at the Association of American Medical Colleges. "There's a need for more physicians. And yet we find ourselves in this situation."

New contracts have vanished with the "significant shortfall" in hospital and physician practice dollars, she said. The result is that after four years of medical school and up to four years of residency, some new doctors have no place to go.

"It's by far the tightest job market in emergency medicine that I've ever seen," said Mark Reiter, the chief executive of the consulting group Emergency Excellence and director of the emergency medicine residency program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Nashville. By his conservative estimate, at least a quarter of residents are having trouble finding work.

About 2,500 new emergency medicine doctors enter the workforce each year, Sontag said. They do so heavily in debt, he said, with half of them owing more than $200,000 in school loans, and one-fourth owing over $300,000.

Many of the newest crop have had contracts altered, if not rescinded. "I have a good friend who signed a contract, bought a home, moved his wife across the country," Sontag said, "and then he lost his contract after he'd already moved."

The Emergency Medicine Residents' Association does not have a tally of how many members are without jobs. But a survey from the American College of Emergency Physicians found that 20% of emergency medicine group practices laid off doctors this year, almost one-third furloughed them and more than half cut hours or wages.

"What we're watching now is frightening for the residents," said Mark Rosenberg, the American College of Emergency Physicians' president.

Sontag, who attended the UT Health San Antonio residency program, said that only one of 12 final-year residents there has secured a job. In a typical year, all of them would have contracts by now.

- - -

It wasn't unusual for Angela Cai, a physician in her final year of residency at SUNY Downstate's Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, to treat patients with strokes. But one man stood out - because he had waited nearly a day last April to call an ambulance.

"If people come in with strokes very early, ideally within three hours, there are some treatments you can offer to reverse the symptoms," she said. "But that was totally out of the question for him. He wasn't able to walk."

She asked the man why he had delayed. "He said he was watching everything on the news and he was afraid," she said.

That fear of catching the coronavirus fueled a sharp drop in visits to emergency departments. They plummeted by 40% in March and April, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's surveillance program, and children were kept away at even greater levels.

Although emergency departments in coronavirus hot zones are gateways to a flood of covid-19 patients, those zones have been distributed unevenly in time and space. Even in virus hotspots, Reiter pointed out, the pandemic can congest emergency rooms - some patients with covid-19 are kept in emergency department beds, which reduces capacity and causes waiting room delays.

The number of emergency department patients overall is 15% below last year's levels, Reiter said.

"In the thick of it, I definitely wasn't thinking about my job," Cai said. "I didn't really make the connection between how this unprecedented drop in [emergency department] volume would affect my job market." Cai is still finalizing her plans for what she will do after graduation.

- - -

Before the coronavirus, new emergency medicine doctors could expect to receive multiple offers in the last year of their residency programs.

"The residents had their pick of where they wanted to go," Rosenberg said. If a particular hospital didn't need more emergency staff, it was often the case another one nearby did.

Hospitals, outside of academic centers, rarely hire emergency doctors outright. Most medical centers instead have contracts with physician provider groups. Those can be small, doctor-run companies, or large corporations, backed by private-equity firms, that employ thousands of doctors who work at hundreds of hospitals.

More than half of the emergency doctors in the United States are employed by investment-firm-owned companies, Reiter said, and those companies have generally been "more aggressive" when cutting back doctors' hours amid the pandemic.

In the past, recruiters representing employers flocked to residency programs, offering salary advances or to pay moving expenses.

"Residency-trained emergency medicine doctors, for a couple of decades, have had the golden ticket," said Michael Belkin, a vice president at the physician-recruiting firm Merritt Hawkins. "They could call their shots; they could demand high dollars."

Since 2008, the number of emergency doctors in the United States has grown from 40,000 to almost 50,000; there are fewer of these specialists per person, though, particularly at rural hospitals. In that same period, the number of doctors enrolled in emergency residency programs grew from about 4,500 to nearly 8,000.

That growth has also increased the competition for jobs, Reiter said.

One doctor in a Midwestern city, a recent graduate of an emergency residency program who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid potential career harm, described a fraught path to employment: Last fall, several clinician groups offered the doctor a job. The physician decided to join a small, doctor-run firm.

In the late spring, the emergency department where the doctor was completing a residency began to cut back shifts as non-covid-19 patients stopped coming. The doctor received a call from the new employer, expecting to hear the company was reducing hours, too.

Instead, the firm withdrew the job offer, exercising a 90-day termination clause in the contract. The doctor asked the other groups, whose offers the physician had declined in the fall, for work. None hired the doctor, who has more than $300,000 of student debt.

The doctor found a temporary position at a hospital where, during the first wave of the pandemic, few people visited the emergency department. Now, though, that city is experiencing a surge in patients from the pandemic.

"The acuity of illness has gone up quite a bit in the past few months, particularly with respiratory complaints related to the coronavirus," the doctor said. "Our census within the hospitals has skyrocketed to pretty much 100% capacity." Amid this rise, the original firm agreed to hire the doctor to begin early this year.

Some residents have opted to apply for emergency medicine fellowships, which provide additional expertise in toxicology, ultrasounds, wilderness medicine or other subjects at academic centers.

"All fellowships have become more competitive this year," Sontag said. Opting for a fellowship also has financial consequences; the pay in a fellowship is closer to a resident's salary - an average of about $59,000 - than it is to a full-time attending physician's salary, an amount in the six figures.

- - -

U.S. hospitals - many of them operating on thin margins before the pandemic - lost $50 billion per month in the period from March through June, not including government relief money, according to an estimate by the American Hospital Association. A drop in emergency patients was not the only factor. Scheduled and elective surgeries, previously consistent revenue streams, were canceled. Health-care providers also had to spend money on protective gear and ventilators.

"Cash conservation is probably key for most of these places," said Kayla Cline, an expert in hospital finances at Texas A&M University.

Congress offered $175 billion of financial relief to the health-care system as part of the massive coronavirus aid packages passed earlier last year. But "often the money didn't trickle down as it was intended" to practice groups that employ physicians, Sontag said. At least $1.5 billion of interest-free loans went to hospitals and staffing companies owned by well-funded investment firms, according to a Bloomberg News analysis.

One consequence of the pandemic, though, may work to the advantage of new doctors seeking jobs: Some emergency medicine doctors are retiring sooner than they otherwise might have.

The crisis has made a difficult job more challenging. "There's a lot of depression, PTSD, suicide and the like," Rosenberg said. "And a couple of things that people like to do after a long shift - maybe go out for a beer, hug a friend, cry on a shoulder - we can't do any of them now."

Doctors who work in emergency departments are more susceptible to burnout than average physicians. "There's only so much trauma and so much - I don't know how else to say it, but - patient loss that one can handle," Belkin said.

Orlowski said that when elective surgeries were allowed to resume over the summer, with the drop in coronavirus cases, doctors told her "things were just going gangbusters." She predicted that patients will similarly return to emergency departments as vaccines against the novel coronavirus become more widely available.

But the job market's recovery could be slow.

"It's going to take hospitals two, three, four years to get beyond the financial problems that will occur from this year," Orlowski said. Until that happens, she said, she expects employers to be more conservative in hiring.
Ahead of the seventh round of talks between the government and farmer unions over agriculture reform laws, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday said that he is hoping for a "positive outcome". Speaking to media as he left for Vigyan Bhawan, the Agriculture Minister said that all the issues will be discussed.

'I am hopeful': Agriculture Minister

"All the issues will be discussed today. I am hopeful that we will find a positive solution today. Every time I think that we will find a solution and with that hope, I go to negotiate with the farmers," Narendra Singh Tomar said.

Meanwhile, Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) Spokesperson Rakesh Tikait visited a temple in Delhi before the scheduled talks.

Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait goes to a temple in Delhi before yet another round of talks with the government on farm laws pic.twitter.com/KcNjHWUXTh  Smita Prakash (@smitaprakash) January 4, 2021

"I went to the temple because I fast on Mondays. Prayed for good sense (sadhbuddhi) for the government. We want that PM should not make incorrect statements. We also want live telecast of the talks, let all see that we haven't agreed to any pointers government has put," Tikait said.

READ | CPI(M) neta claims ailing Sourav Ganguly was 'used and pressurized by political elements'

READ | Chinese billionaire Jack Ma missing? Speculation rife amid Xi's crackdown on Alibaba boss

'Clause by Clause' discussion with farmers again

ANI sources in the government said that with two demands of farmers' unions -- Repeal of the three farm laws and legalisation of Minimum Support Price (MSP) -- left unresolved, the Centre is likely to discuss farm laws clause by clause as it did initially before the MSP issue. The exercise was done by the government earlier to understand the objections of farmers against the laws.

"While the government is ready to work with farmers on the issue of MSP, it needs to ask farmers about their demand for the repeal of three farm laws. MSP will be relevant only when the government can discuss laws with farmers and convince them of these being in their well-being," stated the source.

Sources in the know of the matter also informed that the unions too, have differences on the priority of these demands. "There are few who believe if MSP is legalised, laws can be discussed. However, there are also those who only talk of the repeal of these laws," stated the source. It is also informed that the government is willing to work on MSP only when unions give up the demand for the repeal of these laws.

After five rounds of inconclusive talks, the government and 40 farmer unions reached some common ground during the sixth round of negotiations on December 30 to resolve protesting farmers' concerns over the rise in power tariff and penalties for stubble burning.

READ | Subramanian Swamy slams Congress for questioning DCGI approval to Bharat Biotech's Covaxin

READ | Chinese firm to build 5.6 km Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor stretch; eligible as per ADB rules

There is much excitement about the anticipated launch of 5G (fifth-generation) telecom services in India, but the governments spectrum pricing strategy may be a damper. While the evolving ancillary segments are working on the backbone infrastructure for the 5G roll-out following Reliance Industries Ltd chairman Mukesh Ambanis assurance that Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd will launch 5G wireless service in the second half of 2021, experts said India is, however, not 100% ready.

Telecom equipment manufacturers such as Sterlite Technologies Ltd (STL) said India has been developing 5G infrastructure, but a pan-India roll out will require improving the device, spectrum, wireless and fibre optic ecosystem. India has the capability of rolling out 5G as we have been building the infrastructure for some years now. However, for a countrywide end-to-end deployment, India is not 100% ready At STL, we will start commercial deployment of open-RAN (open radio access) that is required for 5G by the second half of 2021, said Anand Agarwal, group chief executive, STL.

Experts said stressed financials of Bharti Airtel Ltd and Vodafone Idea Ltd (Vi) could discourage them to participate in the 5G launch, especially in view of the costs involving fiberization and the pricing of spectrum. Airtel and Vi are sitting on massive debts but continue to offer among the lowest tariffs in the world. The telcos have also repeatedly called for affordable spectrum.

Analysts said the airwaves auction in March may see limited participation from Airtel and Vi due to high reserve prices. Jio, however, is likely to buy spectrum in the 700 megahertz (MHz) band, which is best suited for 5G services.

Meanwhile, phone makers have also started producing 5G devices. Faisal Kawoosa, founder, techARC, said that India imported nearly two million 5G smartphones in 2020. While most of these were in ultra-premium range, this year, any new smartphone priced above 30,000 should support 5G, Kawoosa said, adding that 7-9% of all smartphones sold in India in 2021 are likely to support 5G, making it nearly four times of the imports.

The primary impact of 5G roll-out will be on the commercial ecosystem and many companies are readying to meet that demand. According to Agarwal, global supply chains have already matured and are 5G-ready, which makes it easier to import raw material.
South Carolina approached 300,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus on Monday.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported Saturday's data on Monday, a recurring delay caused by the holiday.

Over the past few weeks, the state has continued to log high numbers of new COVID-19 cases each day, now regularly surpassing 3,000.

The percentage of tests returning a positive result for the virus has also increased, indicating widespread community transmission of COVID-19. For Saturday's numbers, out of 10,481 tests, 33.3 percent were positive for the coronavirus.

The increasing case numbers have spurred some branches of the Charleston County Public Library to suspend in-person services and return to curbside only.

Library staff said on Monday the Main Library at 68 Calhoun St., the Mount Pleasant Regional branch at 1133 Mathis Ferry Road and the Wando Mount Pleasant branch at 1400 Carolina Park Blvd. are open only for curbside services.

The change comes due to the recent rise in COVID-19 numbers and the related closures those three branches have experienced due to exposure, executive director Angela Craig said in a news release.

Statewide numbers

New cases reported: 3,492, which is 2,110 percent higher than the 158 tallied on March 31, the day Gov. Henry McMaster ordered nonessential businesses to close.

Total cases in S.C.: 299,685, plus 25,787 probable cases

New deaths reported: 15

Total deaths in S.C.: 5,056 confirmed, 428 probable

Total tests in S.C.: 3,797,802

Hospitalized patients: 2,155

Percent of positive tests, seven-day average: 31 percent. Five percent of tests or fewer returning positive results is a good sign the virus spread is slowing, researchers say.

Sign up for our new health newsletter The best of health, hospital and science coverage in South Carolina, delivered to your inbox weekly. Email

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Hardest-hit areas

The top South Carolina counties for new coronavirus cases as of Saturday were Greenville, 555; Spartanburg, 370; and Richland, 289.

What about tri-county?

For Saturday's report, Charleston County had 140 new cases; Berkeley, 74; and Dorchester, 42.

Deaths

Of the 15 new deaths reported as of Saturday, one was a patient aged 18 to 34, three were patients aged 35 to 64, and the rest were aged 65 and older.

They lived in Aiken, Barnwell, Beaufort, Chesterfield, Greenville, Lancaster, Lexington, Orangeburg and Spartanburg counties.

Hospitalizations

Of the 2,155 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Monday, 419 were in intensive care and 215 were on ventilators.

What do experts say?

Authorities continue to urge South Carolinians to take precautions, such as wearing masks or other face coverings, social distancing and frequently washing hands.

They also urge anyone who believes theyve been exposed to the virus or who is developing symptoms to get tested. Those out in the community or not able to socially distance should get tested monthly, DHEC advised.

Go to scdhec.gov/findatest to find a testing site in your area.
Halsey. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Celebrities love a good side hustle, though some are more successful than others.

These 15 celebrities turned their experiences in the makeup chair into their own businesses by creating their own makeup and beauty brands.

Halsey recently launched her own makeup brand, About-Face.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Halsey, Jennifer Lopez, Lauren Conrad, and Selena Gomez are just some of the most recent celebrities who have released their own makeup brands.

But they're not the first famous faces to get into the beauty game. We've rounded up a list of 15 celebrities who have successfully made their way into the cosmetics industry.

Keep scrolling to learn more about these glamorous side hustles.

After teasing fans about her many plans for 2021, Halsey released her own cosmetics brand, About-Face.

Halsey in 2019. Speed Media/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Halsey confirmed the brand on Instagram in January, explaining that she has done her own makeup for red carpets, performances, and music videos for years now. "[Makeup] is one of my greatest loves, but I have always stood firm in the belief that makeup is about feeling cool  not looking perfect. I have worked tirelessly on this for years with an incredible team and i hope you feel my DNA all over it. PLUS it's vegan and cruelty free," she wrote.

About-Face cosmetics are currently available to preorder, and the brand offers eye shadow, highlighter, lipstick, and more.

Jennifer Lopez revealed she is starting her own makeup and skincare line, JLo Beauty.

Jennifer Lopez in 2020. Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

In August, the "Hustlers" star posted a typically beautiful selfie with the caption, "Sunset glow... #JLoBeauty coming soon," confirming that her brand is on its way after she filed a patent for it in December 2019.

As Page Six reported, the patent revealed there will be cosmetics as part of the line, but it seems to be focused on skincare, with "moisturizers, cleansers, soaps, gels, lotions, serums, masks and both face and body creams" all on the patent. At the moment, JLo Beauty offers eye cream, serum, masks, and tinted moisturizer.

Story continues

Lauren Conrad announced her makeup brand, Lauren Conrad Beauty, in August.

Lauren Conrad attends Kohl's LC Lauren Conrad Redesigned Denim Event. Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Kohl's

Conrad has explored many different business ventures since leaving "The Hills. She's the author of nine books, both fiction and non-fiction, and runs an entire lifestyle line, LC Lauren Conrad. She also co-founded the fair trade online marketplace, The Little Market.

In 2020, she revealed her plans to add another hyphen to her long list of titles: makeup mogul. Conrad posted on Instagram, "I'm very excited to announce @laurenconradbeauty! This collection has been years in the making, and now I can FINALLY share it with everyone." She added that all products are "clean, environmentally friendly, ethically sourced, cruelty-free, and vegan."

The entire first collection is available to purchase now: liquid highlighter, liquid eyeliner, lipstick, lip and cheek tint, and lip gloss.

Selena Gomez's brand Rare Beauty hit shelves in September.

Selena Gomez. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Gomez's latest endeavor is Rare Beauty, which is only available on its website or Sephora. Insider's Amanda Krause reviewed every product in the brand's collection, and called it "one of the best celebrity collections I've ever tried."

Krause also reported that the brand will pledge $100 million over the next 10 years to help "increase access to mental-health services, with a focus on underserved communities," and Rare Beauty has pledged 1% of all annual sales to its Rare Impact Fund.

Part of Gywneth Paltrow's Goop empire is the beauty brand, Goop Beauty.

Goop CEO Gwyneth Paltrow speaks onstage at In Goop Health Summit. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for goop

Paltrow founded Goop in 2008 as an email newsletter. Over a decade later, it's become her main focus, and has led to an e-commerce shop, a podcast, a Netflix reality show, pop-up shows, health summits, and a print magazine ... plus, more than a little controversy.

While Goop's online store sells all types of brands, there's also the in-house Goop Beauty brand. It offers face and eye creams, exfoliators, serum, face peels, a face massage roller, and more.

Posh Spice herself has her own beauty and makeup brand, Victoria Beckham Beauty.

Victoria Beckham. David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images

Beckham, already a prolific pop star and designer, added makeup and beauty products to her empire in September 2019 with Victoria Beckham Beauty.

The beauty products are, like everything Beckham does, are on the pricier side, with a primer/moisturizer hybrid costing $145 or a $210 serum. However, some of the makeup isn't as expensive, with $28 eyeliner or a $56 eyeshadow palette.

Fenty Beauty is named after Rihanna's last name.

Rihanna attends the Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Anniversary Event. Caroline McCredie/Getty Images for Fenty Beauty by Rihanna

Part of what has made Rihanna the richest female musician in the world is Fenty Beauty. She earned rave reviews for her inclusive foundation and concealer lines, which dropped with 40 and 50 shades, respectively.

It was even named "invention of the year" in 2017 by Time magazine.

Millie Bobby Brown launched a skincare and makeup line, Florence by Mills.

Millie Bobby Brown meets with fans to celebrate the launch of her new beauty brand, florence by mills. Dave Benett/Getty Images for Beach House Group

Brown announced Florence in August 2019 on Instagram, calling it the love of her life and revealing that she'd kept it secret for two years.

The brand is named after her great-grandmother, and it offers dozens of products, including masks, face mist, brow gel, concealer, and face wash.

Lady Gaga announced her beauty brand, Haus Laboratories, which will be available exclusively on Amazon.

Lady Gaga celebrates the launch of Haus Laboratories. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Haus Laboratories

Gaga fans had been anticipating this announcement for a while, but the "A Star Is Born" actress finally confirmed in 2019 that her makeup line, Haus Laboratories, has products currently available to order.

The products are available to ship from its website or Amazon.

Iman created an inclusive makeup line specifically for people of color, Iman Cosmetics.

Iman. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Inclusion is still an issue in the cosmetics industry, with plenty of brands still getting criticized for not having a wide enough range of foundation shades.

That's why Iman is such a trailblazer in the community. She started Iman Cosmetics back in 1994, and it's specifically made for people of color. The brand offers 16 foundation shades, which might not sound like a lot, but when compared to larger lines that dedicate three to four shades towards darker tones, it's a game changer.

Her line offers much more than foundation though. It essentially has anything you could ever need.

Kylie Jenner has seen incredible success with Kylie Cosmetics.

Kylie Jenner visits Houston Ulta Beauty to promote the exclusive launch of Kylie Cosmetics. Rick Kern/Getty Images for Ulta Beauty

Part of what made Jenner the "youngest self-made billionaire" (a claim that was later reported to be exaggerated) was Kylie Cosmetics' $360 million valuation.

The most famous part of Jenner's makeup line is, of course, her lip kits, but Kylie Cosmetics sells more than that. The brand also offers eyeshadow, highlighter, eyeliner, and more.

Her sister, Kim Kardashian West, has also gotten into the beauty game with KKW Beauty.

Kim Kardashian attends KKW Beauty launch at ULTA Beauty. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for ULTA Beauty /KKW Beauty

KKW Beauty is just one of Kardashian West's ventures. She also has a fragrance line, Skims solutionwear, and her app.

KKW Beauty offers similar products to her sister Kylie's brand, and the two often collaborate with KKW x Kylie limited edition products.

Part of Jessica Alba's multimillion-dollar Honest Company is the makeup and beauty line.

Jessica Alba, founder and Chief Creative Officer of The Honest Company, attends the Honest Beauty Launch. Paul Zimmerman/Getty Images

The Honest Company was founded in 2011 as a way for new parents to get their hands on baby and cleaning products that were completely non-toxic, with products like baby wipes and diapers.

Now, Alba's brand has expanded to include makeup and beauty products. According to its website, some of the bestsellers are its liquid lipsticks, facial oil, liquid eyeliner, and mascara.

Even Meghan Markle's makeup artist swears by one of Honest's products, the "Magic Balm," which he told Insider he applies to collarbones, eyelids, and lips.

Flower Beauty is Drew Barrymore's completely cruelty-free beauty brand.

Drew Barrymore stopped by a Walmart to check out her exclusive line of FLOWER products. Wesley Hitt/Getty Images for Walmart

When Barrymore founded Flower Beauty in 2013, it was originally only available at Walmart. She told Business Insider in 2016 that she's "been in a makeup chair since I was 6 years old and had the fortune of working with the icons of the beauty industry."

Flower grew even more in 2018 when the brand partnered with Ulta. Now, her cruelty-free line includes makeup products like eyeshadow palettes, mascara, and blush, accessories like brushes, blenders, and makeup bags, and a fragrance line.

Miranda Kerr is the founder and CEO of skincare and beauty company Kora Organics.

Miranda Kerr with KORA Organics products. Courtesy of KORA Organics

Kerr is one of the most famous models in the world, so her pivot to skincare and beauty isn't a huge stretch.

She founded Kora in 2009 after spending 18 months "studying nutrition and health psychology" at a university in her native Australia. A decade later, Kora is still going strong and is now sold in the US at Sephora. The products range from face mists, toners, and serums, to lip tint, to aromatherapy.

Read the original article on Insider


Country's population falls for 1st time in 2020



By Jun Ji-hye



Korea's population is predicted to drop by half to less than 25 million by 2060 accompanied by a growing number of elderly people, resulting in decreases in the number of those able to fill jobs and serve in the military, according to a forecast by the Korea Economic Research Institute.



This was backed up by the latest census figures released by the Ministry of Interior and Safety, Sunday, which showed that dramatic population changes have already begun as in 2020 the nation's population fell year-on-year for the first time, with deaths surpassing births.



The ministry's data showed that Korea had a population of 51,829,023 as of Dec. 31, 2020, down 20,838 from a year earlier. This marked the first time that the country's population has fallen since 1962 when the country implemented its resident registration system.



Ministry officials attributed the population decline to a record low number of births  the country reported 275,815 births in 2020, down 10.7 percent from the previous year; while 307,764 people died, a 3.1 percent increase year-on-year.



"The drop in the total birthrate is accelerating, requiring fundamental changes in relevant government policies," a ministry official said.



The number of births here, which had been in the 400,000 range for 15 years, decreased to below 400,000 in 2017 and to below 300,000 in 2020.







People in Delhi woke up to another foggy morning on Monday with a thin layer of fog engulfed parts of the national capital, reducing the visibility here.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the minimum temperature in Delhi today will be 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature will be 18 degrees Celsius.

The national capital, which witnessed rains over the weekend, is expected to receive more rains and thunderstorms today and tomorrow too, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

A local out on an early morning walk at India Gate said: "It is really cold and foggy today."

A tourist on a holiday in the city said: "We arrived in Delhi from Agra for a vacation and the weather here is amazing. It is cold and foggy but we are enjoying it."

According to the IMD, there is no significant change in minimum temperatures over plains of northwest, central and west India during three to four days and a gradual fall by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius over parts of northwest India thereafter.

"No significant change in minimum temperatures over most parts of East India during next the 24 hours and a rise by 2-3 degrees Celsius during subsequent three days," the added.

Apart from Delhi, shallow to moderate fog in isolated pockets over Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim, Jharkhand, Assam and Meghalaya and Mizoram and Tripura are also expected during the next two days, the stated. Cold Day Conditions very likely in isolated pockets over Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi.Meanwhile, has also predicted rainfall for Rajasthan today.

(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 Daily Beast

Theo WargoCNN boss Jeff Zucker on Tuesday addressed network staffers concerns over the revelations that primetime star host Chris Cuomo advised his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on how to respond to the multiple sexual harassment allegations against him.During a Tuesday afternoon town-hall meeting with staff, Zucker claimed he understood the unease over Cuomos conduct, saying in no uncertain terms that it was a mistake for the primetime star to participate in strategy calls advising his politically powerful brother.He did cross a line, Zucker said.Last week, The Washington Post reported that Cuomo joined strategy calls helping plan his powerful brothers rebuttals to mounting allegations that he harassed multiple women and made some female staffers feel uncomfortable. According to multiple sources who were present on one meeting, the CNN host even mentioned invoking cancel culture as a way to combat the claims.The CNN boss said he personally voiced his displeasure to Cuomo, and that he had considered the options for how to handle the star hosts unfolding scandal. Ultimately, Zucker said that rather than suspending Cuomo, the network decided the host should have to go on-air and personally apologize to his viewers.And so during his 9 p.m. ET broadcast, Cuomo declared that it will never happen again and insisted he knows where the line is.In a statement following the Post bombshell last week, CNN admitted it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governors staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward. The network added that Cuomo would not be disciplined further.But the top anchors decision to secretly participate in the strategy calls assisting his embattled brother has, indeed, irked numerous network staffers. CNN insiders who spoke with The Daily Beast this week expressed frustration with the networks handling of the incident, saying Cuomo should have faced more serious consequences.Im very disappointed in the network, said one current on-air personality. I think some disciplinary action, at a minimum, was required in this situation. The source added, As a woman who works here, I feel a little let down, to be honest.Staff were particularly interested in Tuesdays town hall following one of the more eventful weeks for the network following a high-profile sale and the departure of one noteworthy on-air contributor.During the call, Zucker said that Rick Santorum was given an opportunity to apologize for what the CNN boss referred to as the ex-senators inappropriate and racist comments about Native Americans, but because he refused to do so, the network ultimately fired the conservative pundit.And elsewhere in Tuesdays town hall, Zucker downplayed the impact of AT&Ts decision to merge WarnerMedia, CNNs parent company, with Discovery. Asked about whether CNN could be spun off as part of the deal, the network chief said he did not think that was in the cards.And when pressed on his own future at the network, Zucker said he plans to have conversations with the right people very soon.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
(Newser)  Her disappearance from a Malaysian resortand the subsequent discovery of her body in the junglemade international headlines. Now a court in Malaysia has decided not to open a criminal inquiry into the death of 15-year-old Nora Quoirin from London, ruling that she most likely "died by misadventure," reports Vice. The family of the Irish-French teen isn't buying it. Coverage:

Judge: Upon hearing all evidence, I rule that there was no one involved in the death of Nora Anne Quoirin, declared Judge Maimoonah Aid on Monday in a video court session. For me to speculate and presume the involvement of a third party without any proof would be a breach of my duty. Therefore the inquiry is hereby closed. The 24-day inquest included testimony from nearly 50 witnesses, notes the Irish Times.

story continues below

The case: Nora disappeared in the night from her family's resort in Seremban in 2019, per the Guardian. She had a disorder called holoprosencephaly that affects brain development, and her parents insist there is no way she had the mental or physical wherewithal to vanish on her own. A massive search ensued, and her unclothed body was found nine days later in the jungle, roughly a mile from the resort.

Nora disappeared in the night from her family's resort in Seremban in 2019, per the Guardian. She had a disorder called holoprosencephaly that affects brain development, and her parents insist there is no way she had the mental or physical wherewithal to vanish on her own. A massive search ensued, and her unclothed body was found nine days later in the jungle, roughly a mile from the resort. Family's view: Parents Meabh and Sebastien Quoirin say they are "utterly disappointed" in the decision, per the BBC. They laid out a number of reasons why they think their daughter was abducted. For one thing, her body showed a "lack of physical damage" one would expect to see if she had been surviving in the jungle for more than a week. Plus, no dogs were able to pick up her scent during the search, which they don't think makes sense if she were walking on her own. They generally accused police of a shoddy initial investigation.

Parents Meabh and Sebastien Quoirin say they are "utterly disappointed" in the decision, per the BBC. They laid out a number of reasons why they think their daughter was abducted. For one thing, her body showed a "lack of physical damage" one would expect to see if she had been surviving in the jungle for more than a week. Plus, no dogs were able to pick up her scent during the search, which they don't think makes sense if she were walking on her own. They generally accused police of a shoddy initial investigation. 'Unique legacy:' Nora's neurological disorder affected her balance and mobility, and her parents say it's unlikely she could have opened a large chalet window by herself and walked away. We believe we have fought not just for Nora but in honor of all the special needs children in this world who deserve our most committed support and the most careful application of justice," the family says in a statement. This is Noras unique legacy and we will never let it go.

Nora's neurological disorder affected her balance and mobility, and her parents say it's unlikely she could have opened a large chalet window by herself and walked away. We believe we have fought not just for Nora but in honor of all the special needs children in this world who deserve our most committed support and the most careful application of justice," the family says in a statement. This is Noras unique legacy and we will never let it go. Opposing view: While the family insists somebody snatched Nora from their chalet, the judge embraced a different theorythat she left of her own accord and got lost in the jungle, per CNN. "It was more probable than not that she had died of misadventure," said the judge. An autopsy suggested that Nora died of starvation and stress.

(Read more Malaysia stories.)
updated Technology companies in the United States (US) have benefitted greatly from the pandemic. Users are spending more time on their products than ever before, while stock prices are hitting record highs. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos alone has seen his net worth rise by over $70 billion in the last year. While this may seem like a continuation of the last decade of success, Silicon Valley is facing intense political headwinds that could completely overturn the way their businesses work.

With the familiar, moderate approach of the incoming Joe Biden administration, it might seem like technology companies can rest easy. But the days of regulators prioritising innovation over compliance may be over. The mood and context have completely changed, and the traditionally warm relationship between the Democratic Party and Big Tech is on the verge of becoming much more contentious. The political scrutiny that WhatsApp has faced for spreading fake news, mob violence and enabling surveillance may seem small compared to whats coming next.

Here are seven reasons why Silicon Valley is in for a rough time over the next four years. One, self regulation has failed. Perhaps the most valuable asset that the technology industry had was a cultural permission from the public to try new things. People have put up with companies cutting corners in the hope of improving on the status quo. But with YouTube recommending extremist content, Twitter getting mired in a geopolitical back-and-forth over borders, and Google accused of adopting anti-competitive practices with their payment services, the benefits of the trade-off are becoming less clear. Instead of arguing over whether there should be rules, were now arguing over who should make the rules and how tough they should be.

Two, trust is broken. Witness how Mark Zuckerberg has gone from a national icon to a universal target of scorn and suspicion. A decade of lofty rhetoric about an open and connected world now falls flat, and a large section of the public sees Facebook as a data-hungry corporation that evades accountability and keeps its users addicted to its products.

Three, the backlash is bipartisan. One of the few things that both Democrats and Republicans agree on nowadays is that the technology industry has become too powerful. Whether it is Amazon decimating small businesses or Instagram sapping the attention of the countrys youth, its hard not to see an imbalance of power. There is growing consensus that allowing a small group of billionaires so much control over speech can be damaging for society.

Four, scrutiny is increasing inside Silicon Valley. Google used to promise to do no evil; now it appears to be suppressing anyone who suggests it may be doing harm. A recent controversy over the removal of Timnit Gebru, a well-known Google artificial intelligence ethics researcher, shows how bad this has become. Gebru co-authored a paper that warned about the societal risks of using a machine-learning approach the company commonly employs and was subsequently removed from her position in a cloud of controversy. This has caused a massive backlash within Google.

Five, the entire Democratic Party has moved to the Left. Its not common to find outspoken Trump supporters in Silicon Valleys rank and file. The Valleys predominantly liberal population  along with the rest of the Democratic Party  has moved to the Left on key issues such as workers rights, wealth disparities, immigration, justice, and policing.

Six, the public has a better understanding of techs dark side. For a long time, the benefits offered by smartphones, slick software, and constant connection were so obvious that any costs seemed negligible in comparison. Across the world, weve all seen our actions online lead to intrusive ads that follow us on Google and Facebook; weve all seen main-street businesses shut down through their inability to compete with e-commerce platforms massive logistical and economic advantages, including the tax and regulatory favours theyve been able to buy.

Seven, the future of labour and inequality is at stake. Few issues animate the Democratic voter base as much today as keeping corporate power in check and obstructing tax avoidance by the rich. With their enormous concentration of wealth, poor treatment of workers, and rampant arrogance, these tensions are moving at a much faster pace than expected.

Tomorrows rising political stars across the globe are going to make their name standing up to Big Tech. Expect to see politicians run on reigning in companies or advocating for features to be adopted. Ambitious lawyers will push the bounds of anti-trust law, and the CEOs we used to look up to will soon become be blamed for issues they are responsible for, and many they are not. India might still be enamoured with Silicon Valley, but in the US, the honeymoon has come to an end.

Vivek Wadhwa is a distinguished fellow at Harvard Law Schools Labor and Worklife Program and co-author of From Incremental to Exponential: How Large Companies Can See the Future and Rethink Innovation. Tarun Wadhwa is the founder and CEO of Day One Insights and a visiting fellow at Emory Universitys Department of Political Science

The views expressed are personal

Mark Winema / Getty Images

Two 18-year-olds were shot while driving in Pleasanton late Saturday night in what police described as an apparently targeted attack.

Pleasanton police officers said they encountered the pair after responding at 11:08 p.m. to reports of several shot fired near Stoneridge Drive and Gibraltar Drive. While officers were in the area, the California Highway Patrol was contacted by two people pulled over on eastbound Interstate 580 at Hacienda Drive who reported being shot and needing medical attention, according to the Pleasanton Police Department.
Zydus Cadila has received the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) nod to begin phase-3 clinical trials of coronavirus vaccine -- ZyCoV-D -- in around 30,000 volunteers. The vaccine was found safe, immunogenic and well-tolerated in phase-1 and phase-2 clinical trials.

The phase-2 trials of Zydus Cadila's coronavirus vaccine had been conducted in around 1,000 healthy adults. These trials comprised dose-escalation, multi-centric, randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled study, according to the Gujarat-based pharma major.

The trial results have been reviewed by an independent data safety monitoring board (DSMB). These reports were later submitted to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for safety outcome updates.

On Zy-CovD being approved for the third-stage trials, Zydus Group chief Pankaj R Patel said, "We are reaching a critical milestone in our vaccine development programme and towards our goal of helping people fight the pandemic with an indigenously discovered, safe and efficacious vaccine."

Patel stated that the launch of phase-3 trials will determine the efficacy of the vaccine in preventing coronavirus. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan also tweeted about the vaccine, saying 'it is safe'.





Meanwhile, the DCGI has given emergency use authorisation to SII-AstraZeneca's Covishield and Bharat Biotech-ICMR's Covaxin. Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla has said his company will providde the Indian government with an initial supply of 100 million doses. He said the government wants to ensure "the most vulnerable people of the country get it first - I fully endorse and support their decision."

Also read: Covaxin may be more effective against UK strain: ICMR chief

Also read: Serum Institute to meet local demand for COVID vaccine for next 2 months before exporting

Also read: Harsh Vardhan backs Bharat Biotech's 'Covaxin' as opposition questions its efficacy
25 years ago: First atoms of antimatter created

Walter Oelert, who led the team of scientists that first synthesized atoms of antimatter

On January 4, 1996, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) announced that a team of German and Italian scientists created the first complete atoms of antimatter, in an experiment carried out the previous September. Results were not made public until an independent check confirmed the findings. Professor Walter Oelert and an international team from Julich IKP-KFA, Erlangen-Nuernberg University, GSI Darmstadt and Genoa University succeeded for the first time in history in synthesizing atoms of antimatter from their constituent antiparticles.

Antimatter was predicted in 1928 and first discovered in 1932 from a new symmetry discovered in the laws of nature. Physicists had long been able to create the antiparticles of electrons and protons for brief periods of time in high-energy particle accelerators. These antiparticles have the same mass and other characteristics as the particles to which they correspond, but the opposite electric charge. The dominance of matter over antimatter in the universe shows this symmetry is not perfect, a situation that makes detailed study of antimatter of immense significance not just for physics but also for cosmology.

It was not until 1995 that researchers were able to combine the antiparticles of the electron, a positively charged electron or positron, and the antiparticle of the proton, the negatively charged antiproton, to create a stable atom of antimatter, antihydrogen.

According to the European researchers, 11 atoms of antihydrogen, consisting of a single positron orbiting a nucleus of one antiproton, were detected during the three-week-long experiment, in which antiprotons were created at high energies and bombarded atoms of the inert gas xenon.

While the atoms of antimatter were believed to be internally stable, they only existed for 40 billionths of a second before colliding with atoms of ordinary matter and being annihilated. Part of the challenge which made the experiment difficult was that antiparticles do not exist naturally on earth, but had to be created in the laboratory.

The formation of these atoms could not be directly detectedtheir existence had to be inferred from studying the byproducts of their destruction. The creation of antimatter at CERN opened the door to the systematic exploration of antihydrogen and other antimatter atoms by physicists and laboratories around the world, research which continues to the present.

50 years ago: US plans forced resettlement of 2million-3 million Vietnamese peasants

An alleged NLF prisoner placed in a stress position by US soldiers, 1967.

On January 10, 1971 the United States and its puppet government in South Vietnam announced a plan to forcibly remove as many as 3 million Vietnamese peasants who lived in the northern regions of South Vietnam and resettle them over 500 miles to the south, closer to the capital in Saigon. The plan would have been the largest migration in Vietnamese history.

The official reason given for the resettlement plan was to find a more permanent home for refugees. The northern regions were among the poorest in Vietnam and had been ravaged by the war. But the areas where the governments planned to move the peasants to the south had also been devastated, often by US led search and destroy missions that targeted entire villages for destruction when suspected of harboring support for the National Liberation Front (NLF).

The South Vietnamese Minister of Social Welfare, Dr. Phieu Nguon Tran, claimed that the plan had been on the table for years, but had been delayed over fears that it would appear to be a tactical retreat. Only now do we feel that we can go ahead with the plan, he said. Before this time political observers watching the peace talks in Paris would have seen the move as a preparation for handing the area to the North Vietnamese.

In reality, the plan was an attack on the entire population of the northern regions where there was great political support for North Vietnam and the National Liberation Front (NLF). The Nixon administration hoped that by uprooting and moving millions of these peasants closer to Saigon they would cut off their connections to the North and be more easily subdued. The proposed forced exodus was a desperate bid to shore up the crumbling American position a decade into an imperialist war that had killed well over 1 million. It was consonant with a war that had coined such phrases as destroying the village in order to save it.

Significantly, the area to be evacuated was the same as that targeted for the use of nuclear weapons at earlier stages in the war, when the Pentagon discussed the possibility of sealing off the border between the North and South, either through irradiation or direct nuclear blasts.

By March, when preparations for the resettlement were slated to begin, the US and Saigon governments announced that the plan would be scrapped. It had become clear that the forced exodus would only erode the minimal support that the Saigon government maintained and drive more of the population to support the NLF.

75 years ago: Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann escapes from US detention camp

Adolf Eichmann in 1942

On January 5, 1946, Adolf Eichmann, one of the key organizers of the Nazi regimes genocidal final solution to murder all of Europes Jews, escaped a detention camp run by the US military in Oberdachstetten, a municipality in Germanys Bavarian region. The war criminal would remain at large for another 14 years.

Eichmann had been captured in the wake of the Allied defeat of Nazi Germany in May 1945. Over the following months, he was held in a number of facilities established for the imprisonment of former officers of the notorious Schutzstaffel (SS) paramilitary. Eichmann used forged papers providing him with the false name of Otto Eckmann. The former Nazi leader carried out his escape from a work detail after a tip-off that his real identity was about to be exposed.

Eichmann had played a central role in the organization of the Wannsee Conference of January 1942, at which the Nazis planned their mass murder of European Jewry. He was responsible for the deportation of Jews throughout occupied Eastern Europe to German death camps, where 6 million were murdered. The Nuremberg trials, which began in November 1945, would hear evidence of Eichmanns centrality to the genocide, and his glee over the mass killings.

Following his escape, Eichmann adopted the name Otto Heninger, and traveled about in Germany to avoid recapture. He worked in the forestry sector, before settling in the Lower Saxon town of Altensalzkoth. In 1948, Eichmann received false identity papers arranged by Bishop Alois Hudal, a Catholic official and Nazi supporter. These enabled him to travel in 1950 to Argentina on an International Committee of the Red Cross humanitarian passport.

Eichmann was one of many former Nazi leaders smuggled out of Germany along the ratline involving the Catholic Church, sections of the German state apparatus and the anti-communist dictatorships in South America. He would only be captured in 1960 by a daring raid of Mossad, Israels national intelligence agency, before being placed on trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Jerusalem. He was convicted and executed on June 1, 1962.

100 years: Greek and Turkish troops clash in Asia Minor

Greek machine gun crew in Greco-Turkish War

On January 6, 1921, Greek and Turkish forces fought in what has come to be known as the First Battle of Inonu. The battle marked a turning point in the Greco-Turkish War, a part of a wider war known in Turkey as the Turkish War of Liberation.

The battle began when Greek troops attacked formations of the newly organized regular army of the Turkish nationalists led by Ismet Pasha at the railway station near the village of Inonu in Central Anatolia. Under foggy conditions, the Turkish troops withdrew before the better armed Greeks and were forced to fight a rebellion in their own ranks. Over the next few days, the Turks dug in and were reinforced. Greek forces were not able to keep up the attack because of poor supply lines and retreated.

As a result of the battle, the Turkish nationalists led by Kemal Ataturk proved the viability of a national army (the Army of the Grand National Assembly) as opposed to irregular forces. World opinion began to shift toward the recognition of Ataturks forces, particularly the French and Italian governments, who increasingly viewed the Greek forces as British proxies opposed to their own imperialist interests. Ataturk concluded a treaty with Soviet Russia in 1921.

In Greece, the inconclusive battle weakened support for the Greek presence in Turkey. The government of Eleftherios Venizelos, the architect of the close alliance with British imperialism, had already been thrown into crisis after King Alexander died of sepsis from a monkey bite in October. Venizelos and his Liberal Party were routed in the elections in November.

Venizelos had attached Greece to the Allied imperialist powers and entered World War I on their side in 1917 on the promise of a concession of territories of the Ottoman Empire. Greek troops had been in Turkey since 1919, largely playing a support role for French and British troops but attempting to control areas of Turkey with large ethnic Greek populations, such as the city of Smyrna.

By 1922 the Greeks were forced to withdraw from Turkey, which sparked a military uprising in Greece, the Revolution of 11 September. Both countries conducted a population exchangeof Orthodox Christians in Turkey and Muslims in Greecethat constituted one of the first major episodes of ethnic cleansing in the 20th century.
Lucas Evans (3) and his mother Gill, from Lucan, play in the snow in Glencree in Glencree, Co Wicklow. Photo: Damien Eagers

We can cling on to that Christmas feeling for a little longer with the potential for more snow later this week.

Met Eireann has forecast possible snow for Thursday and Friday and sub-zero temperatures throughout the week.

Motorists will have to exercise caution as roads will become more prone to ice as temperatures drop.

But the nation's children will delight in the potential for more chances to build snowmen as they enjoy an extended school holiday.

Yesterday youngsters made the most of the snow that fell in the Dublin and Wicklow mountains.

Today will start off with frosty and icy conditions that will melt away for dry weather and sunshine.

But some showers could turn to sleet and snow on higher ground and it will be cold with maximum temperatures of just 4C.

Forecaster Gavin Gallagher told the Irish Independent: It is going to be cold, much colder than average.

Itll be 3C or 4C colder than average temperatures and below freeing each night.

There will be wintry showers in the east, a mix of rain, hail and sleet, and theres already been a little snow on the Dublin and Wicklow mountains.

Temperatures will drop to below zero each night this week while daytime temperatures will struggle to reach 1C-5C.

Tomorrow will see isolated rain and sleet showers at coastal areas. However, some areas will catch a little sunshine too.

Daytime temperatures will be around 2C and will drop to -3C at night.

By Wednesday we will again see a dry day with isolated showers but it will remain cold.

Met Eireann said there will be an afternoon temperature of just 1C or 2C, even with some sunshine.

Thursday and Friday could see some snow.





Irish Independent
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El Paso, Pueblo and Denver-metro counties were among 33 counties in Colorado to move from level "red" to "orange" on the state's COVID-19 dial
This morning was EXCEPTIONALLY busy at the courthouse amid a struggle for power betwixt local political worldviews.



The news . .

Longstanding politico Dan Tarwater regained the Legislative Chair position.



However, his victory was not without complications.



Brief aside . . .

Jackson County government needs to upgrade its streaming tech amid the era of COVID. Their antiquated system locks out viewers who must endure an overly complicated sign-in process to witness GOVERNMENT MEETINGS. A simple Youtube or even a Facebook livestream would be far easier to navigate.

And so, with help from KICK-ASS TKC TIPSTERS, here's a quick recap . . .



Despite his recent health troubles and a noticeable absence from many meetings. Progressive Legislator Jalen Anderson lost his bid for the chairmanship.



Behind the scenes . . .



Legislator Crystal Williams was pushing this power play and insiders believe she's setting up a challenge against Jackson County Exec Frank White. A friendly, equally progressive chair would have helped her quite a bit.



In an exceptionally strategic move, 2nd District Legislator Ron Finley proved to be the deciding vote and also won the Vice Chair spot.



Embittered over the rejection of her progressive power play, Crystal was a lone vote against Legislator's Finley's win.



And so . . .

What we really witnessed today was a pragmatic, establishment victory over progressive activist politicos.

Crystal & Co. talk a great game but in terms of street level progress for constituents their record has always been flimsy. Politicos who need to deliver more than tweets to constituents are correct to be skeptical of her promises.



Like it or not, Legislator Finley & Freedom, Inc. deserve credit for garnering leverage over policy and resources rather than joining forces with the Crystal Williams and her social media protest faction.



Developing . . .
Appointment

4 January 2021

Hilton has appointed Samir Avasthi as cluster commercial director for Hampton by Hilton, Canopy by Hilton, Curio Collection (all in the Al Seef area) and DoubleTree by Hilton in Business Bay.

He brings 16 years of experience in hotel sales, revenue, marketing and operational leadership experience to the role. He arrived in the UAE in September 2020, following spells leading Hilton's International sales office in India until 2015 and general manager at DoubleTree by Hilton Gurgaon, where he oversaw the tripling of revenue. Hilton says Avasthi was chosen to lead the commercial affairs of Al Seef Hilton cluster along with the Business Bay hotel for his versatile and skilled sales and marketing background and experience in developing, strategising and improving sales for hotels.

Fuel enriched to that level is not sufficient to produce a bomb, but it is close. Getting from current levels to 20 percent is far more difficult than going from that level to the 90 percent purity that is traditionally used for bomb-grade fuel.

Fordow is Irans newest nuclear facility, and is embedded deep inside a mountain at a well-protected base of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Successfully striking it would require repeated attacks with the largest bunker-busting bomb in the American arsenal.

The decision to bolster uranium enrichment, while not a surprise, was officially reached after the assassination in November of Irans top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, long identified by American and Israeli intelligence services as the guiding figure behind a covert effort to design an atomic warhead.

It also coincides with the first anniversary of the assassination of a revered military commander, Qassim Suleimani, in a United States missile strike.

In a short statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel accused Iran of continuing to act on its intention to develop a military nuclear program.

Israel will not allow Iran to manufacture nuclear weapons, Mr. Netanyahu said.

The European Union on Monday said that Irans decision to increase uranium enrichment would be considerable departure from commitments made in 2015.

Peter Stano, a spokesman for the bloc, said Brussels would wait until a briefing from the director of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency expected later on Monday before deciding what action to take. France, Britain and Germany are all signatories to the 2015 accord.
(Natural News) More new evidence has emerged to show that Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic are tied at the hip, sharing the same corporate address at an offshore location in Barbados.

An open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysis compiled by CD Media shows that Dominion and Smartmatic, both of which claim to have no affiliation with each other, do, in fact, share the same business registration in the same building on Rendezvous Road.

An offshore leaks database graph depicts the location and individuals involved, showing precisely how these companies are tied and who runs them. It also demonstrates the extent of the voter fraud operation that the two companies facilitated.

What we now know is that Dominion sent election data via illegal modems to five separate countries on election night. One of these locations was Frankfurt, Germany, which saw a 30 percent spike in traffic after election day.

The White House also has in its possession extensive evidence of foreign interference in the Nov. 3 election. Nevada Secretary of State Barbara K. Cegavskes office sent voter information to Pakistani intelligence, for instance, which was used to thwart the results.

Staple Street Partners owns Dominion, it has also been revealed. And Dominion, based out of Toronto, last year entered into a security agreement with HSBC Bank, assigning all intellectual property and assets, including trademarks, patents and software, to the company.

Back in October, Swiss bank UBS Securities, which is now majority-owned by communist China, awarded $400 million to Staple Street.

Disturbingly, Staple Street CEO and Chairman of the Board Hootan Yaghoobzadeh, who previously worked at the Carlyle Group and Cerberus Capital Management, was a close former associate of both Saddam Hussein and the Saudi Bin Laden Group.

To keep up with the latest news about the fraudulent 2020 election, be sure to bookmark Trump.news.

Dominions SSL email certificate the same one used for its secure HTTP connections

Recognizing that Dominion is part of all these entities, as well as tied to Smartmatic, it is nothing short of concerning that the companys voting machines were transmitting and receiving data overseas on election night.

There is now definitive proof that Dominion was sending data to its headquarters both in Toronto and in Serbia, as well as to other offshore locations such as Frankfurt.

Evidence has also emerged to show that Dominions SSL certificate, registered on July 24, 2019, was used multiple times from locations ranging from the United States to Canada to Serbia.

CD Media has published images  you can see them at this link  showing that Dominion voting machines were, in fact, connected to foreign systems around the world during the election.

The SSL certificate used by Dominion for its email server, by the way, is the very same one that the company uses for its secure HTTP connections.

Dominion Voting Systems were created for the sole purpose of committing election fraud

As for the transmission of election data to foreign countries, it is important to point out that once such data leaves our borders, it instantly becomes outside of our control.

The fact that Dominion machines were programmed to do this proves that the company and partners like Smartmatic are owned, or at least heavily controlled, by foreign agents, countries and interests.

The forensic report prepared by experts found that the Dominion Voting System is intentionally and purposefully designed with inherent errors to create systemic fraud and influence election results,' CD Media reports.

Part of this intentional fraud involves generating an enormously high number of ballot errors, the latest evidence shows. The results is a bulk adjudication of ballots with no oversight, transparency or audit trail, facilitating an unobstructed path to a fraudulent election outcome.

Besides their connectivity to the internet, which is illegal, Dominion machines are wrought with unacceptable and unlawful vulnerabilities. This means there is probable cause to discover evidence of fraud and other malicious actions, a report found.

Other Dominion partners such as Electronic Systems & Software, Hart Inter Civic, Clarity Election Night Reporting, Edison Research, Sequoia and Scytl, among others, are also implicated in said fraud as they all played a role in the attempted election heist.

There is probable cause to find these systems bear the same crucial code features and defects that allowed the same outside and foreign interference in our election, in which there is probable cause to find votes were in fact altered and manipulated contrary to the will of the voters, CD Media further explains.

Iran is also now said to have played a role in orchestrating the sham. Multiple expert witnesses and cyber experts claim to have identified foreign interference from Iran and other countries prior to the Nov. 3 election. These attacks persisted for several week after the election.

Heres the tragic truth: Our constitutional republic and the rule of law no longer exist, wrote one CD Media commenter about the situation.

Therefore facts and evidence no longer matter. From the Supreme Court on down, the ruling has already been made. Biden is President-elect, meaning, Obamas 3rd term will commence in January. Sydney Powell and General Flynn are now being denigrated and considered illegal, even by most Republicans. Judicial Watch will be shunned and silenced.

This same commenter, unconvinced that there is any further recourse, further added that whoever wins the Georgia Senate runoff election is irrelevant because Mitch McConnell has already ensured that the fix is in.

Attorney Sidney Powell is working hard to get to the bottom of the 2020 election fraud situation. You can support her efforts by checking out her website.

Sources for this article include:

CreativeDestructionMedia.com

NaturalNews.com

CreativeDestructionMedia.com
January 04, 2021





COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the economy and the healthcare system, but there have been some revelations to emerge from the pandemic, including new strategies to improve patient care using more personalized healthcare deliveryand technology.







Skylight Health is committed to revolutionizing patient care in the United States, simultaneously improving the quality of care while lowering patient costs. Skylight Health is one of the largest multi-disciplinary healthcare services in North America, providing a broad range of clinical services under one roof. They also have combined in-person patient care and virtual care, using telemedicine when appropriate to substantially lower costs to patients.

As a result, Skylight Health brings the focus back to the well-being of the patient. No matter whether the patient has health insurance, has paid for subscription care services, or is uninsured or underinsured, Skylight Heath gives patents one, affordable healthcare resources to meet their needs.

Skylight Health Pioneers Hybrid Model for Better Patient Care

Skylight Health is pioneering new healthcare strategies that combine in-person and remote patient care, making medical care less costly and more convenient while bring the focus back to the patient.

Their innovative model delivers healthcare services viainsurable fee-for-service care through contracts with Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial payers. Skylight Health operates a health network of more than 30 clinics in 14 states that includes multi-disciplinary clinics for services such as primary care, allied health, and laboratory and diagnostic testing. The company also offers telemedicine and remote monitoring services for uninsured and underinsured patients with limited access to urgent care to help control costs.

In an official statement released at the end of November, Prad Sekar, Chief Executive Officer of Skylight Health Group said, For the past 25 years, my co-founder Kash Qureshi and I have built successful and profitable healthcare operations. We are now on a path to becoming one of the largest multi-specialty healthcare system in the US. By providing a broad range of services that are not traditionally found under one clinic group, we are able to provide services both physically and virtually and we do so at a substantially lower cost to the patient. We bring the focus back to the patient. Whether it is providing insurable services to patients with insurance or subscription services for the uninsured or underinsured, patients are able to have greater accessibility and greater affordability in an otherwise fragmented and complex industry.

Fee-for-care providers typically offer services such as same-day and longer appointments, delivery services, and around-the-clock telephone and email access to doctors. Consumers are willing to pay a little extra to get personalized service, using Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRAs) to help pay for services. And 97% of patients say doctors take a personal interest in their health, which is 33% higher than patients using conventional care.

By adopting a care model that embraces both office visits and virtual consultations, Skylight Health can offer better, customized patient care that is affordable and encourages patients to contact their care provider whenever necessary.

Overcoming Barriers to Healthcare

The Skylight Health hybrid care model is designed to combat the rising aversion to doctor visits and the ongoing shortage of physicians.

The rising cost of healthcare is keeping 22% of Americans away from doctors. In 2018 the United States spent $3.6 trillion or an average of $11,000 per person on healthcare. The population continues to age,and the cost of care continues to increase. Health insurance costs also continue to rise. In 2015 the average cost of health insurance premiums rose 5%for families and 3% for individuals, and covered employees contributed 29% of the cost of family health insurance and 18% of the cost of single coverage.

There also are fewer doctors, making it more difficult to get healthcare when its needed. According to JAMA Internal Medicine, the number of Americans with a primary care physician fell to 75% as of 2015, and a 2019 poll conducted by NPR (News - Alert) , the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health showed that one in four people living in rural areas couldnt get needed care. The AAMC predicts that there will be a shortage of 122,000 physicians by 2032.

By offering both regional clinics and telemedicine support, Skylight Health makes care readily available as well as more affordable. A survey report by Sykes (News - Alert) found that with the COVID-19 pandemic, 60% of Americans say they are more likely to use telehealth services, particularly since it keeps them out of the doctors office.

Simplifying the Complex Care System

The growth of new business models in healthcare also is being driven by the growing complexity of the American healthcare system.

According to a 2019 study by Bancrate, only 6% of Americans are satisfied with the current American healthcare system. This group includes those who have health insurance through their employer, who have no pressing need for medical care and those for whom access to careand out-of-pocket costs are not a concern.

Also, the U.S. healthcare system is one of the most complex in the world with 5,965 different healthcare insurance providers. There also are a multitude of government programs including the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, the Indian Health Service, Medicaid, Medicare, Prescription Assistance Program (SPAP), the Military Health System, the Veterans Health Administration, the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, and the Childrens Health Insurance Program, just to name a few. And there are multiple forms of private healthcare coverage including HRAs, FSAs, and health savings accounts. Research shows that fewer than half of Americans have a proper understanding of how to deal with the U.S. healthcare bureaucracy.

Skylight Health Group simplifies healthcare by providing primary care physicians and specialists in pain management, OB/GYN, cardiology, dermatology, allergies, and other disciplines under one umbrella. Skylight Health accepts all forms of insurance and works with patients to be sure they have the coverage that makes sense for their needs. They also work with uninsured patients who need reliable urgent care, and for those seeking comprehensive care, Skylight helps them find coverage.

The lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic will have a lasting impact on how we administer and manage healthcare in the United States.Skylight Health is applying many of those lessons to create a multi-disciplinary approach to affordable healthcare and making it available through regional offices or via telemedicine. Its the best of the latest healthcare practices and technologies combined with a multi-disciplinary practice that puts the needs of the patient first.
Exclusive: More Than 432,000 Votes Removed From Trump in Pennsylvania, Data Scientists Say

Pennsylvania election data show that over 432,000 votes were removed from President Donald Trump during the November election, data scientists say.

According to an analysis by the Data Integrity Group, obtained exclusively by The Epoch Times, votes for Trumpfrom both Election Day and mail-in ballotswere removed from the totals in at least 15 counties.

Time-series election data show Trumps votes decrementing in various counties at numerous time points, instead of increasing as would be expected under normal circumstances.

The group said Election Day vote removals happened during the vote tabulation process in at least 15 counties, including Lehigh, Chester, Allegheny, Armstrong, Westmoreland, Northampton, Delaware, Montgomery, Lackawanna, Dauphin, Pike, Carbon, Washington, Erie, and Luzerne.

Meanwhile, absentee vote removals occurred in Allegheny, Chester, and Lehigh counties.

A total of at least 432,116 votes213,707 Election Day votes and 218,409 absentee voteswere removed.

There were vote movements across all candidates. However, we did not see the same type of negative decrements to any of the [other] candidates that we saw with President Trumps tallies, and they happened repeatedly with no explanation, Lynda McLaughlin, a member of the group, told The Epoch Times.

The Pennsylvania Secretary of States office didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

Pennsylvania data show Trumps votes decrementing at various time points in Allegheny County (L) and Chester County (R), the Data Integrity Group says. (Screenshot)

The Data Integrity Group is a group of scientists, engineers, and machine learning experts who have been working together to check whether there was a manipulation of data in the 2020 general election.

The groups lineup of data scientists includes Justin Mealey and Dave Lobue.

Mealey is a nine-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, where he worked as an electronic warfare technician, cryptologic technician, and Arabic linguist. He worked at the NSA as a mission manager for Levant/North Africa and later worked as a CIA contractor at the National Counter-Terrorism Center.

Lobue has 12 years of experience in data science and machine learning across financial services, telecommunications, and research consulting industries. He currently specializes in artificial intelligence applications.

Data scientists from the group have analyzed the election data for several states, including Arizona and Georgia.

In their analysis of Georgias election data, the group said it found that more than 30,000 votes had been removed from Trumps tally, and another 12,173 votes were switched to Democrat Joe Biden.

While the group didnt identify any state official, county official, or related voting machine manufacturers related to alleged wrongdoing, it urged the state to authorize forensic audits to uphold election integrity, and stated that its irresponsible to certify the results before the alleged errors and anomalies are explained.

The bottom line is the errors were made. Data confirms these errors and it shouldnt matter if they were machine or human, theyre still errors and deserve a second review and thorough analysis with forensic audits to find the answers, the group said.

Pennsylvanias electors cast their votes for Biden and Kamala Harris as president-elect and vice president-elect on Dec. 14, 2020.

State-certified results show Biden won the Keystone State by 80,555 votes.

Edison Concedes One Vote-Switching Error

During the vote tabulation process, the results, which are commonly known as tabulated results, are sent to the secretary of states office. The data is then also shared with the media via Edison Research.

Errors could be made in several steps in the election result reporting process.

Though its unclear what caused the errors that were flagged by the Data Integrity Group, Edison Research did concede that a reporting error happened separately.

In a widely circulated video clip of CNNs live election night broadcast, 19,958 votes were seen being switched from Trump to Biden in 30 seconds.

Rob Farman, executive vice president at Edison, said that the switching stemmed from a brief reporting error from Edison Research.

He told The Associated Press that a state feed from Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, first showed the correct values of 24,233 votes for Trump and 4,275 for Biden, but a team member had mistakenly entered them backward4,275 for Trump and 24,233 for Biden.

Farman said the companys quality control team discovered the error and corrected it that night.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its Georgia chapter (CAIR-Georgia) today call on Georgia State Attorney General Chris Carr to open a criminal investigation into reports that on Saturday, President Trump attempted to pressure Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes" to change the results of the now thrice-certified November presidential election - otherwise possibly be guilty of a "criminal offense."

SEE: https://apnews.com/article/trump-raffensperger-phone-call-georgia-d503c8b4e58f7cd648fbf9a746131ec9

CAIR, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, is also calling on all members of Congress to respect the results of the national presidential election and certify in a joint-session President-elect Joe Biden's 306 to 232 electoral college victory  following reports that Senator Ted Cruz and a dozen other Republican lawmakers plan to voice objections to the results of the electoral college certification process.

"The President is soliciting election fraud by pressuring the Secretary of State to change the election results. This is a textbook definition of election fraud and it's a crime. We've had multiple recounts and an audit," said CAIR Georgia Executive Director Abdullah Jaber. "Our elected officials and poll workers followed the process by diligently counting and recounting more than 5 million votes and the election was determined by the Secretary of State to be fair and accurate."

Jaber added: "Undermining institutional forbearance, the president continues to threaten and erode democratic norms with his actions further polarize our communities. The people of Georgia have voted, the results are clear, and we demand our Representatives to respect and uphold the results"

"Trump's brazen abuse of power and possibly illegal attempt to alter the outcome of the presidential election in Georgia merits a state criminal investigation," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad. "On Wednesday, Congress must certify the results of the Electoral College and turn a new page for the country. It's time we start ignoring the nation's sorest and saddest loser, soon to be former President Trump."

BACKGROUND:

As reported over the weekend by the Washington Post and Associated Press (AP), a tape has emerged of Trump on an hour-long call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his legal counsel, Ryan Germany, threatening them with a "criminal offense" to find thousands of ballots in Fulton County, where Trump repeated debunked claims that ballots in his favor had been destroyed and voter fraud occurred.

During the recorded conversation on the tape, Trump demanded:

"All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state. And flipping the state is a great testament to our country."

Trump went on to threaten both Raffensperger and Germany saying they could be criminally liable if they failed to find thousands of ballots in Fulton County, stating:

"The ballots are corrupt, and you are going to find they are, which is totally illegal. It's it's more illegal for you than it is for them because you know what they did, and you are not reporting it. That's the thing, that's a criminal offense and that's a big risk to you and Ryan."

CAIR notes after three official Georgia state election voter ballot counts and re-counts and a state law enforcement investigation, it was determined that the election was clean and fair without any sign of voter fraud.

CAIR-Georgia, the Georgia Muslim Voter Project (GAMVP), IMAN Atlanta, and several Georgia mosques recently announced the formation of Muslims for Georgia  a non-partisan coalition dedicated to maximizing turnout among the state's registered Muslim voters in the upcoming Senate run-off election and future elections.

Georgia is home to an estimated 150,000 American Muslims, including at least 71,000 registered Muslim voters. In the run-up to the November general election, CAIR-Georgia and the Georgia Muslim Voter Project launched the "CAIR 2 Vote" initiative, which helped lead to record-breaking numbers in the Georgia voter turnout.

SEE: https://muslims.vote/

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La mision de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprension del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

CONTACT: CAIR-Georgia Executive Director Abdullah Jaber, 678-631-9697, [email protected] ; CAIR-Georgia Legal and Policy Director Murtaza Khwaja, 404-432-8847, [email protected] ; CAIR Director of Government Affairs Department Robert S. McCaw, 202-999-8292, [email protected] ; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

Related Links

http://www.cair.com


An undated photo of Nora Quoirin, a teenaged girl from London who died in Malaysia in Aug. 2019. (Courtesy of LBT Global/Family of Nora Quoirin)

Malaysian Court Rules UK Teen Nora Quoirin Died of Misadventure as Family Dispute Ruling

A Malaysian court on Monday ruled that a teenage girl from London, found dead in a jungle after she went missing from a holiday resort, likely died of misadventure.

Nora Quoirins family said that they were utterly disappointed with the verdict of the inquest.

The 15-year-old girl with special needs was found missing from Sora Housea guest house at a resort near Seremban, 39 miles south of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Aug. 4, 2019the morning after she arrived with her family.

Her unclothed body was found in the jungle on Aug. 13. After a postmortem examination, Malaysian police said that she died from upper gastrointestinal bleeding caused by starvation and stress, and that no foul play was involved in her disappearance or death.

According to The Associated Press, police believe Quoirin climbed out through an open window in the living room of the cottage.

At Seremban Coroners Court on Monday, Coroner Maimoonah Aid ruled that according to available evidence and testimonies, no one was involved in Quoirins death.

It is more probable than not that she died by misadventure, i.e. that she had gone out of the Sora House on her own and subsequently got lost in the abandoned oil palm plantation, Aid said in her verdict.

For me to speculate and presume of action and involvement of third party without any proved fact would be a breach of my duty, she added.

The Quoirin family, who had asked the coroner to return an open verdict, said they were utterly disappointed by the coroners verdict of misadventure.

An undated photo of Nora Quoirin, a teenaged girl from London who died in Malaysia in August 2019. (Courtesy of LBT Global/Family of Nora Quoirin)

In a statement released through LBT Globala charity that provides support to families of people who went missing overseasthe Quoirin family said that evidence presented in court had confirmed their belief that Quoirin was abducted.

The verdict focused exclusively on physical evidence and physical mobilitywhich we believe, presents a very incomplete/select theory on how Nora came about her death, the statement reads.

Quoirin was born with holoprosencephaly, a brain defect that made it difficult for her to learn, or to maintain balance and coordination.

The family pointed to an opened window, with unidentified foreign prints found on the outside, that has not and cannot be, explained by any other means, as possible evidence of abduction as Nora had neither the cognitive, nor physical means to leave our chalet by the window.

The statement also said that although no signs of struggle or sexual assault were found on Quoirins body, the possibility of non-violent sexual assault remains, due to her highly submissive nature and the loss of DNA evidence, including that which was due to the time lapse between Noras death and her being found, her exposure to the elements, and the fact that she was found in water.

The fact that hundreds of volunteers, police, K9 dogs, special forces unit, and drones couldnt locate the disabled girl for nine days, and the lack of major physical damage on her body despite her inability to handle the unfamiliar and complex terrain, also reinforced the familys belief that the girl was abducted.

The Coroner made mention several times of her inability to rule on certain points due to not knowing Nora enough. It is indeed our view that to know Nora would be to know that she was simply incapable of hiding in undergrowth, climbing out a window and/or making her way out of a fenced resort in the darkness unclothed (all of which were presented today as probable theory), the statement reads.

Before returning her verdict, the coroner read a statement from a doctor involved in the postmortem examination, which said that the doctor still agrees that foul play is possible, but the evidence couldnt be found through the postmortem examination.

Quoirins family said they still believe an open verdict is the only appropriate verdict and that they wanted to ensure Quoirins story was fully expressed.

Matthew Searle MBE, chief executive of LBT Global, said that the charity will continue to support the family as they move forward.

Venus Upadhayaya, Samuel Allegri, Jack Phillips, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Kondratiuk has noted "diverse, multivariate, and non-standard" forms and methods Russia applies.

The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (SZRU) sees political destabilization as one of the dimensions shaping up Russia's hybrid aggression targeting Ukraine, says the agency's chief, Valeriy Kondratiuk.

"We are observing the attempts by Russia's secret services to carry out special operations aimed at sowing discord in Ukrainian society and undermining the foundations of Ukrainian statehood," Kondratiuk said, according to the SZRU press service.

"They bid on systematically compromising the Ukrainian national idea and Western civilizational choice, as well as claiming 'the artificial nature of Ukrainian identity and state' (recently, this discourse has been imposed on us both externally and internally). Moscow is actively manipulating the factor of the temporarily occupied territories, trying to play the people of Ukraine and the "Kyiv authorities" off against each other, claiming that the latter allegedly betrayed election promises regarding the long-awaited peace in Donbas," the statement reads.

The top spy underlined Russia's political goal, which is "to destabilize socio-political life to an extent that would allow the Kremlin to raise the issue of the need for 'humanitarian assistance' and choke Ukraine with its 'fraternal' embrace.

"In fact, these are attempts to incite in our country a 'war of all against all' and to conduct against this background an operation involving political sabotage and/or violence to topple the country's government in the medium term," said Kondratiuk.

The intelligence chief noted "diverse, multivariate, and non-standard" forms and methods Russia applies.

Read alsoUkraine's top intelligence official talks Russian threats in media domain"Acts of provocation, the use of agents of influence, terror, and political assassinations are frequent 'branded tools', which has been repeatedly confirmed both in Ukraine (assassinations of intelligence operative M. Shapoval and Russian politician D. Voronenkov in Kyiv, counterintelligence operative O. Kharaberiush in Mariupol, etc.) and beyond.

Among last year's incidents of such nature, Kondratiuk noted assassinations in Germany and Austria (targeting Russian political immigrants Zelimkhan Hangoshvili  in Berlin and Mamihan Umarov  on the outskirts of Vienna), "which once again makes the civilized world wonder whether Russia has become a sponsor of terrorism."

Reporting by UNIAN
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Migrants: 55 intercepted off Cyprus, transferred to island

(ANSAmed) - ROME, JANUARY 4 - A boat with 55 migrants on board was intercepted off the coast of Cyprus last night, State broadcaster Rik said in a report quoted by international media.



The migrants, including 14 minors, were transferred to the port of the tourist destination of Agia Napa and they will be tested for coronavirus. According to authorities, the group set off from Syria or Lebanon.(ANSAmed). (ANSA).




International

60 militants killed in Afghanistan

Kabul, Jan 3 (IANS) | Publish Date: 1/3/2021 12:16:07 PM IST

At least 60 militants have been killed and several others injured in clashes and airstrikes in Afghanistans restive Helmand province, the army said on Sunday.

On Saturday, Taliban shadow district chief of Helmand, Mullah Shafiullah alias Mawlawi Nazim, and his five associated were killed in airstrikes in surrounding areas of the province, Xinhua news agency quoted the Afghan Armys Miwand 215 Corps as saying in a statement.

In addition, 54 Taliban militants had been killed and eight others wounded during separate airstrikes and clashes with the army in Sorgodar and Bushran, on outskirts of provincial capital Lashkar Gah, as well as Naway-i-Barakzai, Garmser and Nad Ali districts from early Friday to Saturday morning, the Defence Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Those among the killed militants were a Taliban divisional commander Abdul Salaam and three militants bomb experts, the statement read.

Eight Talibans control and command centres, weapons, vehicles and several rounds of guided rockets were destroyed during the airstrikes, according to the statement.

Helmand province, notorious for poppy growing, is a known Taliban stronghold.

The militant group is yet to make comments on the development.
New Delhi:

NASA Mission to SUN: US space agency NASA is going to do the impossible in 2018 as it has plans to launch its first mission that will reach the atmosphere of the Sun. If NASA succeeds in the mission, it will become the first space agency in the world to send a daring mission to the heat spewing celestial body.



NASA will be making a major announcement about the mission Sun on May 31 at an event to be held at the University of Chicagos William Eckhardt Research Center Auditorium at 11 am EDT (8.30 pm IST). NASAs television and website will live stream the ebent.



About Solar Probe Plus spacecraft:

The mission is named Solar Probe Plus and is scheduled to be launched in the summer of 2018. NASA will send a spacecraft that will study the outer atmosphere of the Sun. It will make critical observations providing answers to questions such as how stars work. Physicists, scientists have been trying to decode such questions for years.



The Solar Probe Plus spacecraft, which will be the first to face extreme heat and radiation, will reach the orbit within four million miles of the surface of the Sun.



The data sent will improve forecasts of major space weather events that not only impact life on Earth, but also man-made satellites and astronauts in Space.

What NASA says about the Solar Probe Plus spacecraft:



The surface temperature of the Sun is only about 5,500 degrees Celsius, however, the atmosphere above it is nearly two million degrees Celsius according to NASA. The Solar Probe Plus probe will also try to find out what makes the atmosphere of Sun so hot.

Placed in orbit within four million miles of the suns surface, and facing heat and radiation unlike any spacecraft in history, the spacecraft will explore the suns outer atmosphere and make critical observations that will answer decades-old questions about the physics of how stars work, said NASA.

The resulting data will improve forecasts of major space weather events that impact life on Earth, as well as satellites and astronauts in space.

NASAs mission 2022:

ALSO READ | 'Psyche': NASA to launch its robotic space craft to a unique metal asteroid in 2022



NASAs robotic spacecraft to a unique metal asteroid Psyche will now be launched in 2022, a year ahead of the original schedule. Psyche is an asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, made almost entirely of nickel-iron metal.



This spacecraft is part of NASAs discovery programme which is a series of lower-cost, highly focused robotic space missions that are exploring the solar system.

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
PARIS/MILAN: Shareholders in Fiat Chrysler (FCA) and Peugeot owner PSA gave their blessing on Monday to a $52 billion mega-merger, one of the last steps towards creating Stellantis, the worlds fourth largest automaker.

With annual production of around 8 million vehicles worldwide and revenues of more than 165 billion euros ($203 billion), Stellantis is expected to play a key role in the auto industrys jump into the new era of electrification.

Stellantis will have 14 brands, from FCAs Fiat, Maserati and U.S.-focused Jeep, Dodge and Ram to PSAs traditionally Europe-focused Peugeot, Citroen, Opel and DS.

At two separate extraordinary shareholder meetings, held virtually due to the pandemic, investors in each group backed the merger with approval rates above 99% of votes cast.

We are ready for this merger," PSA Chief Executive and Stellantis future CEO Carlos Tavares said, adding that the date for the closure of the deal would be announced shortly. He said the deal had now passed all regulatory tests.

Tavares will have to revive the carmakers fortunes in China, rationalise a sprawling global empire and address massive overcapacity, as well as focus like rivals on creating cleaner cars.

FCA Chairman John Elkann, the future chairman of Stellantis, said the new automaker would play a leading role as the next decade redefines mobility".

And FCA CEO Mike Manley - who will head Stellantis key north American operations - said 40% of the expected synergies form the merger - projected at more than 5 billion euros, will come from convergence of platforms and powertrains and from optimising R&D investments.

Manley said 35% of synergies would be driven by savings on purchases, while another 7% would come from savings on sales operations and general expenses.

The remainder of the synergies are expected from the optimization of other functions including logistics, supply chain, quality and after-market operations, he added.

FCA and PSA pledged not to close any plants after the merger.

($1 = 0.8140 euros)

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 National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) asked the General Prosecutor's Office to notify President Klaus Iohannis for the start of the criminal investigation of the former Minister of Environment, Waters and Forests Costel Alexe - currently president of the Iasi County Council - for bribe-taking and inciting embezzlement.

According to a DNA release, the request of the anti-corruption authority for the start of probing against Costel Alexe is grounded on the existence of a reasonable suspicion that between March and April 2020 he has directly claimed from the manager of a steel plant various metal sheet products in exchange for him accomplishing his duties relating to the free allocation to the respective plant of greenhouse gas emission certificates and monitoring the measures taken by the company to close a non-compliant landfill.

According to the investigators, the respective undue benefits in amount of 22 tons (worth approximately 103,000 lei) were allegedly received on April 23, 2020 and July 7, 2020 at the working point of a company managed by a relative of Alexe.

DNA states that its request to the General Prosecutor's Office is accompanied by the report of the anti-corruption prosecutors and ten volumes with copies of the criminal investigation file.
Here's how material shortages are hitting home construction

"It's not just that prices are going up; it's how quickly they're going up and nothing's coming down," said CEO of the PA Builders Association.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
The San Lorenzo Valley Water District is kicking off the new year with three new members on its Board of Directors, the utility announced.

Gail Mahood and Tina Marie were elected to the five-member board in November and were sworn in Dec. 7, and Mark Smolley was appointed and sworn in Dec. 16.

Mahood, a geology professor at Stanford University who has served on the university's budget and strategic planning group, the Land Building Committee, and the Faculty Senate, has served on the San Lorenzo Valley Water District Engineering Committee since 2019. Mahood's expertise lies in the effects of geology and climate change on the hydrology and biology of watersheds, as well as groundwater issues, geological hazards, and water quality.

Marie, a University of California at Santa Cruz and University of Sydney graduate, is an environmentalist scientist with experience working with the California State Water Board and the city of Richmond. Prior to her election to the board, Marie was a frequent San Lorenzo Valley Water District meeting attendee and a member of the community group Friends of the San Lorenzo Valley Water.

Smolley, a Penn State Univeristy graduate and state-licensed geologist, is a Felton resident who has participated with the San Lorenzo Valley Water District Engineering Committee for the past two years and has six years of experience as a board member for San Jose nonprofit Rebuilding Together. Additionally, Smolley served as the utilities construction project manager at Apple Inc.'s campus from 2015 to 2018, after serving in a similar a capacity for the University of California at San Francisco.

The three new directors replace outgoing directors Richard Moran, Lewis Farris and Steven Swan for the new year.

The San Lorenzo Valley Water District recognized and thanked the departing board members for their work in leading the District through the CZU Lightning Complex wildfires.

The district continues to host events and meetings online, with the next Board of Directors meeting being held Thursday. Meeting details can be found on the district's website at https://www.slvwd.com/home/events/7316.

Copyright  2021 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
In an unprecedented critique of a sitting president, all of the 10 living former secretaries of defensefrom five administrations, Democratic and Republicanhave warned that the time for challenging the 2020 election results has passed, that ordering the U.S. armed forces to resolve disputes would be dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional, and that those who issue or execute such orders would be accountable and possibly face criminal penalties for the grave consequences of their actions on our republic.

The statement, released Sunday night as a Washington Post op-ed, indicates that not only left-leaning conspiracy theorists but several top denizens of the national security establishment are concerned President Donald Trump might try to take drastic actioneven military actionto reverse his clear loss to Joe Biden and extend his grip on power.

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None of the 10 signatories believe Trump could successfully pull off a coup, according to two former officials involved in the statement. Theyre convinced the Joint Chiefs of Staff would disobey any such effort as an unlawful order. However, senior officers inside the Pentagon, who are said to be alarmed by Trumps recent behavior, have told some of the former secretaries that they greatly appreciate the statements message.

Subscribe to the Slatest newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time.

The former secretaries were moved to sign the op-ed by three factors: the remark last month by retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trumps former (and recently pardoned) national security adviser, that Trump could declare martial law and order the military to supervise a do-over of the election; Trumps own increasingly erratic and desperate behavior in trying to reverse the election through dubious legal means (and the statement was written before the notorious phone call on Saturday with Georgias secretary of state); and the refusal of top Pentagon officials to cooperate with President-elect Bidens transition team.

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The cessation of cooperation in mid-December is what set off the alarm bells that led to the drafting of the op-ed, according to one former official involved in the process. In one section of the statement, the secretaries note that, during a transition, the Pentagons current top officials are bound by oath, law and precedent to facilitate the entry into office of the incoming administration and to refrain from any political actions that undermine the results of the election or hinder the success of the new team. Shortly after the election, Trump fired the Pentagons top officials and replaced them with loyalists, some of them unqualified ideologues. Some have worriedthough the op-ed doesnt say so explicitlythat these short-termers, who are closely tethered to Trump, are not only obstructing Bidens transition but might also be planning some acts of ultimate desperation in Trumps final days.

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Politico reports (and my own sources confirm) that the idea to write the op-ed was conceived by Dick Cheney, who was President George H.W. Bushs defense secretary a decade before he became George W. Bushs vice president. Cheney enlisted Eric Edelman, a former undersecretary of defense for the younger Bush, to draft the letter. Eliot Cohen, another former Bush official and a highly regarded strategist, also reportedly added touches to the note, as did Cheney. Edelman and Cohen were vocal members of the #NeverTrump movement of former GOP officials who vowed never to work for Trump.

The Post op-ed was signed by defense secretaries for Presidents Bush the elder (Cheney), Bill Clinton (William Perry, William Cohen), Bush the younger (Donald Rumsfeld, Robert Gates), Barack Obama (Gates, Chuck Hagel, Leon Panetta, Ashton Carter), and Trump himself (James Mattis, Mark Esper).

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Charles Stevenson, professor at Johns Hopkins University and author of SecDef: The Nearly Impossible Job of Secretary of Defense, said in an email that never before have so many former Pentagon chiefs signed a joint statement of any sort. And whats surprising, he added, is that its not just on we like a strong defense. Its on politics and democracyrealms where such officials, and especially former generals such as Mattis, would rather not roam.

The difference in this case, which makes all the difference in the world, is that the former secretaries are warning their successors not to engage in electoral politicsand they are concerned about not just the status of this election but the future of democracy.
U.S. Army soldiers retrieve their duffel bags after they returned home from a 9-month deployment to Afghanistan at Fort Drum, New York, December 10, 2020. /Getty

Editor's note: Andrew Korybko is a Moscow-based American political analyst. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.

U.S. media outlet Axios claimed in an exclusive report on December 30, 2020, that American officials briefed outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump about a supposed plot by China to offer bounties to non-state actors for carrying out attacks against U.S. servicemen in Afghanistan. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin condemned the accusation the day after as "completely nonsense and completely fake news", but it's still worthwhile analyzing this manufactured scandal in order to better understand its relevance to U.S. domestic politics.

China is being scapegoated for the U.S. failures in Afghanistan, just like Russia was last summer. Back then, some observers wondered whether those similar fake news accusations were being spread in order to derail Trump's planned draw-down of American troops from that country. His decision remains controversial among some members of his country's political and military elite who fear that it'll create a power vacuum that could be exploited by ISIS and other terrorist groups even though many Americans support an end to this "endless war."

It should also be pointed out that some forces don't have sincere motives for retaining the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. It was widely reported in late 2018 that Erik Prince, the founder of the infamous but now-defunct private military company Blackwater, wanted Trump to privatize the conflict by contracting his services under a different name. There were concerns that he cared more about the approximately $1 trillion in rare earth minerals there than anything else.

Afghan security forces take control of three districts in Badakhshan province northeastern Afghanistan from the Taliban, September 11, 2019. /Getty

It can't be known for sure, but some U.S. political and military officials might also hope to profit from their country's prolonged military presence in Afghanistan by exploiting it as a means to defend private companies interested in extracting those resources. It's also noteworthy that these false claims about China circulated just prior to the Senate overriding Trump's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2021, which contains a controversial stipulation that de facto delays the President's planned draw-down from Afghanistan.

The legislation makes the funding of U.S. troop reductions from Afghanistan, Germany, and the Republic of Korea dependent on the submission of lengthy reports from the Department of Defense. In practice, this means that President-elect Joe Biden will inherit the war in Afghanistan, potentially giving him the opportunity to further prolong it on whatever pretext his incoming administration might believe is the most publicly plausible. The Taliban is no longer considered much of a threat after recent peace talks, so China might be the new bogeyman.

There are members of America's permanent military, intelligence, and diplomatic bureaucracies (deep state) who are obsessed with attempting to "contain" China. They hope to box Biden into continuing his predecessor's most aggressive policies in this respect. With this in mind, the fake news about Chinese bounties in Afghanistan might be intended to kill several birds with one stone, so to speak. If successful, it would prolong the U.S. war in Afghanistan on an anti-Chinese pretext for the purpose of extracting its rare earth minerals.

Biden also doesn't have much of an incentive to continue Trump's planned draw-down from Afghanistan anyhow since indefinitely delaying it - if not potentially reversing it through another Obama-era "surge" - would ruin what's perhaps the most praiseworthy aspect of his predecessor's international legacy. Nevertheless, even if he ultimately ends up doing that, he shouldn't justify it in new cold war-like terms as a signal against China in response to the recent fake news report about its so-called "bounties".

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in remarks published on January 2, 2021, that his country's relationship with America is at a "new crossroads" after the "unprecedented difficulty" of the past few years. It would be a pity if Biden submitted to those who want to sabotage this historic opportunity in the event that he gives credence to Axios's false claims. China shouldn't be scapegoated for the U.S. failures in Afghanistan.
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She recently revealed she lost one stone in just six weeks.

And Amber Gill continued to flaunt her figure as she showcased her sensational curves in a green bikini while in Dubai on Sunday.

The Love Island star, 23, posed up a storm as she hit the beach in her slinky two-piece and worked all her angles for the camera.

Sizzling: Amber Gill looked sensational as she flaunt her figure in a green bikini while enjoying her trip to Dubai on Sunday

Amber sizzled in her plunging green bikini top from brand IttyBittyBikinis which also boasted a ruched detail around the cups and criss cross detail.

She donned a matching pair of sage string-tie bottoms which sat high on her hips to accentuate her toned pins and held onto her locks as she posed for the snap.

The beauty, who is launching her fitness platform Amber Flexx on Monday, went makeup-free for her sunning session in the UAE.

Amber also shared another picture to Instagram Stories on Sunday, putting on a very busty display in a plunging leopard print bikini top

Busty: The Love Island star, 23, also showcased her ample assets as she slipped into another slinky bikini and snapped a sizzling mirror selfie

It comes after Amber wowed fans when she posted a before and after bikini shot following her weight loss on Saturday, saying her fitness overhaul has also helped her mental health and psoriasis.

The beauty looked amazing as she showcased the results of her hard work in a pink bikini, which she posted alongside a picture of her in purple taken earlier in 2020.

Amber admitted she 'can't believe' how far she has come since she began eating healthier and exercising, and has also noted an improvement to her skin and hair, which she believes has 'helped clear her psoriasis'.

Hard work: It comes after Amber revealed her incredible body transformation (right) after losing one stone in just six weeks on Saturday (pictured left before weight loss)

She wrote: 'I took these pictures for accountability as sometimes it's not easy to keep going (especially in lockdown) and it's good to see how far you have come physically and I can't believe it.

'When I started working out and eating right again I didn't realise the effect it would have on my whole life not just my mental health.

'My skin my hair everything started improving I'm pretty sure it even helped clear my psoriasis. And honestly I feel so much better for it.'

Psoriasis is a skin disorder that causes skin cells to multiply up to 10 times faster than normal.

Fighting fit: The star looked amazing as she compared snaps of herself before (left) and after

Happy and healthy: Amber admitted that she 'can't believe' how far she has come and has also noted an improvement to her skin and hair, which she believes has 'helped clear her psoriasis'

This makes the skin build up into bumpy red patches covered with white scales. They can grow anywhere, but most appear on the scalp, elbows, knees, and lower back.

Last month the star told how she feels 'much better within myself', while also stating that she didn't intend to lose so much weight after previously gaining 17lb during lockdown.

Explaining her weight loss, Amber wrote: 'Guys look at this I lost my lockdown weight! I'm so proud of my little transformation. I didn't really intend on losing a load of weight just wanted to start feeling better.'

Transformation: Amber had also taken to Instagram on Monday to show off the first before and after snaps of her body transformation, as she posed in a yellow bikini

'I'm so proud': Amber certainly looked a lot happier within herself after overhauling her lifestyle, after previously gaining 17lb during lockdown

She continued: 'By no means do I think I was 'fat', but I wasn't being as healthy and mindful as usual and right now I feel so much better within myself.

'I used to think that line 'lose a stone in 6 weeks' was all lies, but that's exactly what I did. And a little bit extra.'

In November, the former beautician also said she'd been receiving online abuse about her appearance after putting on weight.

Admitting she was left 'shocked' by her heavier figure, Amber shared her support to others who had gone through the same experience.
Sen. Warren Heaps Praise After 200 Google Workers Form Union

Hundreds of workers at Google parent company Alphabet have formed a union, the group announced, saying it signed union cards with the Communications Workers of America and formed the Alphabet Workers Union.

The move is significant because only a small number of tech firms such as Kickstarter and Glitch have recently unionized.

On Nov. 1, 2018, at 11:10 a.m., some 20,000 Google employees, along with employees of Waymo, Verily and other Alphabet companies, stopped working and walked off the job in cities around the world, said the union organizers in a New York Times article. It came after the company had paid tens of millions of dollars to two executives who had been accused of sexual misconduct toward our co-workers, staying silent about the alleged abuse and letting them walk away with no consequences, they said in an opinion article with the New York Times.

For too long, big tech companies like @Google have undermined workers right to organize. Im proud to stand in solidarity with Google workers in MA and across the country who are joining @CWAUnion for fair pay and working conditions. Im in this fight with you all the way, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said in response to the Alphabet employees forming a union.

The union, according to the opinion article, is going to be open for workers at Google and Alphabet subsidiaries like YouTube.

The firm in 2018 also received blowback for proposing to operate a new search engine in China, where the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) employs ubiquitous controls over what people can search and reach. According to reports at the time, Google employees quit over the matter.

For far too long, thousands of us at Googleand other subsidiaries of Alphabet, Googles parent companyhave had our workplace concerns dismissed by executives. Our bosses have collaborated with repressive governments around the world, the two employeesParul Koul and Chewy Shawwrote Monday for the NY Times.

According to the pair, about 226 Google employees so far have signed union cards.

Later in the piece, Shaw and Koul noted that Google used to have the motto, Dont be evil, which it later abandoned.

We will live by that motto, they said. Alphabet is a powerful company, responsible for vast swaths of the internet. It is used by billions of people across the world. It has a responsibility to prioritize the public good. It has a responsibility to its thousands of workers and billions of users to make the world a better place.

In a statement to news outlets, Kara Silverstein, an Alphabet spokeswoman, said the company supports workers rights. She did not elaborate on the employees forming a union.

Weve always worked hard to create a supportive and rewarding workplace for our workforce. Of course, our employees have protected labor rights that we support. But as weve always done, well continue engaging directly with all our employees, Silverstein said in the statement.

Alphabet has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 15:35:45|Editor: huaxia

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XI'AN, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- More than 35,000 tourists visited the renowned Terracotta Warriors in northwest China's Shaanxi Province during the three-day New Year holiday, local authorities said on Monday.

A total of 35,583 people visited the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum in Xi'an, the provincial capital, to catch a glimpse of the famous army of Terracotta Warriors during the holiday that ended on Sunday.

Under COVID-19 prevention and control efforts, tourists were required to book tickets online, with the number of daily visits capped at 75 percent of the museum's full capacity.

The museum also provides digital exhibitions of the Terracotta Warriors on its official website and WeChat account.

Discovered in 1974, the army of Terracotta Warriors was built by Emperor Qinshihuang of the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.-207 B.C.), who unified China for the first time. Enditem
A judge has ruled that a heart attack victim who is critically ill should be allowed to die following a legal battle between his wife and his mother.

The patient, a middle-aged man identified only as 'RS' due to an anonymity order, suffered a cardiac arrest in November last year, during which his heart stopped for at least 45 minutes, causing 'severe and irreversible' brain damage.

On December 15, a judge ruled that it was 'not in RS's best interests' to have his life sustained through medical treatment, including nutrition and hydration, and that 'such treatment could be lawfully discontinued'.

Mr Justice Cohen said that RS should be provided with palliative care to make sure he 'retained the greatest dignity and suffered the least discomfort until such time as his life comes to an end'.

The University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust is now permitted to withdraw life-sustaining treatment to RS, as of 4 pm on January 7, the Court of Protection has decided.

The application to bring RS's life to an end was supported by his wife, but opposed by his mother, who lives in Poland, as well as his two sisters and niece.

RS's mother, whose name cannot be published under the court order, said she was 'devastated' over the ruling, saying that British authorities are trying to bring in 'euthanasia by a back door.'

The applicant, a middle-aged man identified only as 'RS' due to an anonymity order, suffered a cardiac arrest on November 6 last year, during which his heart stopped for at least 45 minutes, causing ' severe and irreversible' brain damage (stock image)

RS had not been responsive to stimuli of any sort following the cardiac arrest, although he did spontaneously open and move his eyes but without fixing or tracking, the court heard.

He showed no characteristic features of discomfort or distress to stimuli which would be painful to a feeling person.

'It was self-evident that RS lacked capacity to make any decision for himself,' the judge said in his ruling.

'The focus of disagreement was on what RS's views would be if he was able to make a decision in his current predicament.

'His birth family said that his strong Catholic faith would mean that the sanctity of life would triumph over all other considerations.

'His wife said that from her conversations with him she can say with certainty that he would never have wanted to have been kept alive if he could not be helped and he would not have ever wanted to be a burden.

'His present state was causing great distress to his wife and their children, as it would be to him if he could feel it or express it.

'I accepted RS's wife's evidence of his views, especially against the background of what was a significant estrangement between RS and his birth family to the extent that his only relatives in this country, that is his niece and her family, had not seen him for at least 9 years.'

The birth family's case had relied on videos taken during a Hospital visit on Christmas day, and the opinion of a consultant neurologist, Rev. Dr Patrick Pullicino, to argue that RS's condition had improved since the court's original decision.

'It was self-evident that RS lacked capacity to make any decision for himself,' the judge said in his ruling (stock image)

Dr Pullicino told the Court that the man had a 50% chance of eventually recovering from his brain injury so as to be independent within his house, Christian Concern said in a press release.

The judge initially imposed reporting restrictions prohibiting any mention of Poland as RS's country of origin, but changed his mind and lifted the ban on Friday 1 January 2021.

Mr Justice Cohen also rejected the evidence of Rev. Dr Pullicino, who is an ordained Catholic priest as well as a consultant neurologist.

The judge said he 'did not find Dr Pullicino a satisfactory witness' and that he was 'concerned' about Dr Pullicino's 'level of objectivity'.

He refused the family's request for permission to arrange for an examination of RS by Dr Pullicino or another neurologist.

RS's mother, whose name cannot be published under the court order, said: 'I am devastated that the British authorities have decided to dehydrate my son to death.

'I want to take my son back to his own country, where I would be allowed to care for him.

'What the British authorities are trying to do to my son is euthanasia by a back door.'
In a New Years Day tragedy, nine people, including seven children, died in a head-on collision on State Route 33 near the San Joaquin Valley town of Coalinga (Fresno County), the California Highway Patrol said.

The children, ages 6 to 15, were riding in a Ford F-150 driven by an adult headed northbound on State Route 33 Friday at about 8 p.m. The car was struck by a Dodge Journey traveling in the opposite direction, CHP Capt. Kevin Clays said at a news conference Saturday in Coalinga.
W ikiLeaks founder Julian Assanges extradition to the US to face hacking and espionage charges has been blocked by a judge over fears he would kill himself inside an American prison.

The 49-year-old campaigner spent almost seven years living inside the Ecuadorian embassy in Knightsbridge over fears he would be shipped to America over the notorious leak of around 250,000 diplomatic cables and confidential US documents.

He has been detained at maximum security HMP Belmarsh for the last 20 months while waging a battle against extradition, arguing he would face persecution and an unfair trial in the US.

Today, District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that Assange should not be extradited by the UK, finding that he is depressed and may take his own life in the isolation of a US high security prison.

I am satisfied Mr Assange has the intellect and determination to circumvent suicide prevention measures, she ruled, saying the US processes wold not prevent Mr Assange from finding a way to commit suicide.

I have decided extradition would be oppressive by reason of Mr Assanges mental health.

The US government immediately announced it would appeal against todays bombshell ruling, with Assange facing the possibility of remaining in prison until the legal process is over.

A bail application hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday.

The ruling on Monday delivered a fresh blow to the beleaguered President Donald Trump who has aggressively pursued Assange and Wikileaks.

PA

Judge Baraitser concluded Assange has been either severely or moderately clinically depressed while held in Belmarsh, and he has developed ways of hiding his state of mind from prison guards.

Mr Assange faces the bleak prospect of severely restrictive detention conditions designed to remove physical contact and reduce social interaction and contact with the outside world to a bare minimum. He faces these prospects as someone with a diagnosis of clinical depression and persistent thoughts of suicide, she said.

He has already made suicidal plansand taken steps to plan for his death including by preparing a will and requesting absolution from the Catholic priest who attends the prison.

The judge also cited the death in a US prison of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein as evidence of how an inmate determined to take their own life cannot necessarily be stopped.

PA

The mammoth case against Assange dates back to 2010 and 2011, when WikiLeaks orchestrated the publication of a series of articles in major newspapers including The Guardian and the New York Times.

Among the disclosures was the collateral murder video of American soldiers firing on a crowd from a helicopter, laughing as they targeted unarmed civilians, including two Reuters journalists.

WikiLeaks also helped to uncovered thousands of previously unreported deaths of civilians in the Afghan war, as well as the rendition and detention in CIA black sites of prisoners on their way to Guantanamo Bay.

International law experts lined up at the Old Bailey extradition hearing to hail the leaks as vital in holding the US government to account for its foreign policies.

The US insisted its pursuit of Assange was based on the decision to publish unredacted versions of the classified documents, arguing key intelligence sources had been endangered when they were named.

AP

But Assange argued that the names had already been revealed by others, and that he had personally made significant efforts to alert the US authorities when he realised sources may be compromised.

Judge Baraitser, in her ruling, found Assanges alleged activities, including working with US army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to leak the documents, took him outside any role of investigative journalism.

She said the UK could trust that Assange  if sent to America  would face a fair trial that would comply with the US constitution, but blocked the extradition over the mental health concerns.

Assange has garnered celebrity fans during his decade-long legal fight, including fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood, actress Pamela Anderson, and rapper MIA.

It was revealed last year how Assange secretly fathered two children with partner Stella Moris while he was living in the Ecuadorian embassy.

Ms Moris broke down in tears in court today as the decision was announced, while US non-profit Freedom of the Press Foundation reacted by saying the decision was a huge relief to anyone who cares about the rights of journalists.

Australian-born Assange was jailed for 50 weeks in May 2019 for breaching his bail in 2012, when he was originally wanted for extradition to Sweden on sexual assault allegations but instead sought asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy.

After serving the sentence, he continued to be detained at Belmarsh prison to await the outcome of extradition proceedings.
HAZLETON  Fire in a vacant home at Fourth and Seybert streets forced at least 17 people from a neighboring house and apartment building to flee into the freezing cold early Sunday morning.

The empty duplex at 566-568 Seybert St. sustained heavy damage and will need to be torn down, city Fire Chief Donald Leshko said. Previously, city code officers filed citations against the property.

Fire reached an apartment house at 562-564 and a single home at 570 Seybert St., both of which can be repaired, Leshko said.

He said 12 people lived in apartments at 562-564 Seybert St. and six resided at 570 Seybert St.

Lisa Landis, spokesperson for the American Red Cross in Harrisburg, said the agency is assisting 17 people, 11 adults and six children who were displaced.

While each family has different needs, Landis said the Red Cross typically provides a motel room or other shelter, food, clothing and meets immediate needs, which might include medicine or pet care. After one to two days, the Red Cross helps families make a plan for recovering from the fire, Landis said.

When firefighters from all city stations arrived at 2:20 a.m., heavy fire burned in the rear and side of the duplex and had spread to structures on either side, Leshko said.

During the next four hours and 20 minutes, firefighters did excellent work, Leshko said, to save the buildings on either side of the duplex.

The duplex is perhaps a few feet apart from the apartment house at 562-564 Seybert, but its roof touches the roof of 570 Seybert St.

Juan Rosario owns 562-564 Seybert St., a three-story apartment house, and talked with an electrician about repairing damage and reconnecting power on Sunday afternoon. He said his tenants were staying with relatives, and he hoped they could return by evening.

Rosario said the interior of the apartments were OK. The exterior with undamaged siding and shutters and brightly painted steps contrasted with the blackened roofline of the vacant house next door.

At the vacant house, glass was gone and siding charred around windows through which flames burst during the worst of the fire.

Volunteer firefighters from Hazle Twp. and McAdoo assisted, while West Hazleton firefighters stood by for the city.

The citys Streets Department dealt with icing while crews from PPL and UGI utilities also assisted.

One firefighter hurt his ankle after jumping off a ladder, Leshko said.

State police and the fire department are trying to determine what caused the fire, he said.

City code officers cited the home at 566-568 for violations dating back to 2016. On Feb. 14, 2018, the city filed 17 citations alleging violations pertaining to unsafe conditions, rubbish, sidewalks, roofing, windows and other topics. All violations were listed as inactive and awaiting pleas on the states judicial website.

Luzerne County records say taxes of $2,314 are delinquent on the property from 2019.
UW in the News

State, national and international media frequently feature the University of Wyoming and members of its community in stories. Here is a summary of some of the recent coverage:

UW economist Rob Godby discussed with The Casper Star-Tribune (CS-T) what it means for the Powder River Basin now that Peabody Energy is refinancing its debt. Godby says the refinancing package helps Peabody Energy avoid financial catastrophe. In a related article published in The Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Godby discussed Wyomings coal future.

The CS-T reported that UW faculty members Tara Righetti and Kris Koski recently published a comparative study on carbon dioxide use and storage technologies across the country. They collaborated with West Virginia University researchers and the United States Energy Association to prepare the study for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Jane Crayton, UW Coe Library makerspace coordinator, discussed with The Wyoming Tribune Eagle MakeHER, a Wyoming Afterschool Alliance-sponsored program that engages girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. UW Trustee Michelle Sullivan, the alliances director, also was interviewed for the article.

The Deseret News cited a UW GPS study as one side effect of how the pandemic has seen the rise of the number of residents heading to the backcountry. Over three winters, UWs study implied that the more backcountry skiers enter high-alpine bighorn sheep habitat, the more bighorn sheep keep moving, taxing their precious winter reserves.

Growing Resilience, a community-based research project led by UW Associate Professor Christine Porter, studies how food insecurity is affecting the health of Native people on the Wind River Indian Reservation. Wyoming Public Radio featured the program.

The Modern West, a Wyoming Public Media podcast, also interviewed Porter for a similar piece in which she discussed food shortage in the United States. She said people do not generally starve for lack of food, but they will suffer from malnutrition or undernutrition, and live under chronic stress of being unsure if they will have enough or enough of the right kinds of food.

UW Senior Lecturer Nikki Baldwin is hosting a new educational podcast, titled Voices from the Village. Sheridan Media published UWs release on the podcast sponsored by the Wyoming Early Childhood Professional Learning Collaborative.

Wyoming Public Media spoke with UW Associate Professor Shane Murphy about his teams research into wildfires and how the fires affect the climate.

UW graduate student Brittany Brito discussed with The CS-T her research into the pocket gopher, the only mammal that can only be found in Wyoming.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle featured Wyomings recent laws that have paved the way to bring the nations first digital asset bank to Wyoming. Steve Lupien, the director of UWs new Center for Blockchain and Digital Innovation, was interviewed for the article.

UW Extensions nutrition and food safety team and ACRES Student Farm collaborated on a project to offer a food preservation video series, The Scottsbluff Star-Herald reported.

Sheridan Media published UWs release noting that UW Assistant Professor Michael Taylor received a Faculty Early Career Development Program Award from the National Science Foundation to study biology through organic chemistry.

The Sheridan County Commission granted UWs School of Energy Resources an application for a carbon ore, rare earth element and critical minerals project in the Powder River Basin, reported Sheridan Media.

Oil City News published UWs release announcing that the university recently purchased the Mountain View Medical Park building and property for $8.4 million. The Laramie medical facility will be used to administer COVID-19 vaccines and house UW medical programs.
QUINCY, Calif.  A Sunday afternoon pursuit involving the California Highway Patrol (CHP) ended in the arrest of an Oregon man.

It all started Sunday, January 3, 2021, just after 1 p.m., the Quincy CHP said it received calls of a reckless driver in a Suzuki Grand Vitara. Officers learned the suspect vehicle matched the description of a vehicle earlier pursued by Susanville CHP units in which the vehicle attempted to ram both patrol cars during the pursuit, according to the CHP.

Quincy CHP Officers said they located the suspect vehicle traveling westbound Highway 70, near the town of Beckwourth. Officers attempted to stop the driver, however, the suspect drove off, continuing westbound on Highway 70 west of Grizzly Road.

A spike strip was deployed by CHP Officers and successfully flattened two of the suspect's vehicles tires. But the suspect continued to drive westbound Highway 70 through the city of Portola.

The pursuing units utilized the Pursuit Immobilization Technique (PIT) to disable the suspect vehicle. The PIT maneuver caused the suspect vehicle to spin, leave the roadway, and slowly roll over, coming to rest on its wheels on the north shoulder of Highway 70 east of Delleker Drive, said the CHP.

Authorities attempted to remove the suspect from the vehicle. But as officers attempted to take control of the suspect, he accelerated the vehicle toward another officer, who was able to safely move out of the way.

The suspect vehicle came to a stop and officers removed the suspect who was taken into custody without further incident. The suspect sustained minor injuries as a result of the legal intervention PIT maneuver and was transported to the Plumas District Hospital.

Authorities identified the suspect, identified as Randy Lay, of Christmas Valley, Oregon, was placed under arrest for suspicion of assault on a peace officer, felony evading, DUI, resisting arrest, and possession of a controlled substance, according to the CHP. Lay was booked into the Plumas County Jail without further incident.
A local court on Monday rejected a plea filed by the Maharashtra Academy of Engineering and Educational Research MAEERs MIT seeking stay on removal of debris by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) used for the unauthorised development of road at Vetal Tekdi, according to the PMC law officer.

Civil judge junior division AB Tahsildar rejected MITs application thus giving a green signal to the PMC to continue its work of clearing the debris and demolishing the kuccha road that was being built by the college at Vetal Tekdi.

Lawyer for PMC Sanjay Murkute said, Today the court rejected the application for temporary injunction sought by MIT. The only remedy available to the plaintiff (MIT) is an appeal under section 47 of the MRTP act to the state government and therefore the plaintiff cannot be permitted to ride two horses at a time. On this background, the order of status-quo which was granted earlier by the court is vacated and as of date, theres no order stay on the action as per section 53 of the MRTP act. The copy of the order is awaited.

According to Murkute, PMC had submitted in the court on MITs application for temporary injunction on the very ground that no development of any kind of whatsoever nature is permissible on the lands included within the Hill Top Hill Slope Zone (HTHS) is permissible under the relevant statutory provisions and the provisions of the Development Control and Promotion Regulations, 2017 (DCPR2017).

On 22 December 2020, the court heard both sides and further directed the counsels to submit written notes of argument.

Manjusha Idhate, chief law officer, PMC, We welcome the decision of the court. We will not allow any development in the green zone.

After repeated attempts to contact MIT, there was no response from the administration.

On November 19, 2020, the PMC served a stop-work notice to the Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT), citing unauthorized work on the hill slope at survey no 123 in Kothrud whereas the MIT denied reports that any norms are being flouted while carrying out the work.

Following the campaign by residents which within 48 hours managed to get more than 30,000 signatures for a petition for saving the Vetal Tekdi, which is also marked by PMC as a draft heritage site, PMC issued strict instructions to MIT officials to excavate the internal road, as well as clear the debris collected nearby housing societies.

A stop-work notice was issued to MIT citing unauthorized work on the hill slope at survey number 123 in Kothrud, and following which the PMC had dug up the road being constructed and ordered the institute to clear the debris within two days.
226 Google engineers and employees announced the creation of the Alphabet Workers Union on Monday, the first to be formed at a major tech company

This union will focus on employee activism in the wake of protests and criticism over the company's deals with the government and sexual misconduct cases

Parul Koul and Chewy Shaw have been named as the the executive chair and the vice chair of the union

'Right now, a few wealthy executives define what the company produces, how its workers are treated. This isnt the company we want to work for,' they said

In 2018 thousands of workers signed a petition to protest Googles contract with the Department of Defense called Project Maven, which was later terminated

In 2018, 20,000 workers staged a walkout to protest the companys handling of sexual misconduct; afterwards Google ended its practice of forced arbitration

More than 225 Google engineers and other employees announced the creation of a union on Monday, marking the first to be formed at a major technology company.

The announcement comes after years of escalating tensions between staffers and management at the tech giant based in Mountain View, California.

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The Alphabet Workers Union, which refers to Googles parent company, registered itself with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), which represents workers in telecommunications and media sectors in the US and Canada.

This union will focus on employee activism in the wake of staffer walk-outs, protests, petitions and criticism over the company's deals with the government, antitrust lawsuits, and handling of sexual misconduct.

More than 225 Google engineers and other employees announced the creation of the Alphabet Workers Union on Monday, marking the first union to be formed at a major technology company

So far among Alphabet's 120,000 workers, 226 Google employees have signed union cards. The group is open to all Alphabet staffers from coders to food servers, bus driver and cleaners, as well as temps, vendors and contractors.

The union will have an elected leadership and members will pay dues.

'For far too long, thousands of us at Google  and other subsidiaries of Alphabet, Googles parent company  have had our workplace concerns dismissed by executives,' Parul Koul and Chewy Shaw, the executive chair and the vice chair of the Alphabet Workers Union, said in a New York Times piece published Monday.

'Our bosses have collaborated with repressive governments around the world. They have developed artificial intelligence technology for use by the Department of Defense and profited from ads by a hate group. They have failed to make the changes necessary to meaningfully address our retention issues with people of color,' they added.

Google workers have a history of collective action and protests against the companys actions.

Click here to resize this module

In 2018, thousands of workers signed a petition to protest Googles contract with the Department of Defense called Project Maven, that would help track individuals captured in drone video footage. Google later conceded and the contract was terminated.

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That same year 20,000 workers staged a walkout to protest the companys handling of sexual misconduct and afterwards Google announced it would end its practice of forced arbitration.

That protest came after Google paid tens of millions of dollars to two executives who had been accused of sexual misconduct towards co-workers and stayed quiet about the alleged abuse.

Most recently, Googles management has been slammed for dismissing Timnit Gebru, a top artificial intelligence researcher who was one of the few women of color in the field. Thousands of Google employees signed a petition to protest her dismissal.

She said she was fired for being critical of large-scale AI models and of the company's existing diversity and inclusion efforts.

A view of a Google employee walk out in San Francisco protesting the male-dominated culture at the company and management's handling of sexual misconduct cases on November 1, 2018. One person held a sign that said 'Don't Be Evil', which was Google's old motto

The Google sexual harassment walk out pictured on November 1, 2018 in New York

A Google employee holds a sign that says 'Not Ok Google, #DontBeEvil' during the November 2018 'women's walkout' to protest the company's handling of sexual harassment cases in Mountain View, California

Google employee Coleen Elliot addresses the crowd at the Boulder Colorado Google Campus denouncing how the company handles sexual harassment cases on November 1, 2018

On top of that Google is facing at least three antitrust lawsuits including one filed in October by the Department of Justice alleging the tech giant unlawfully eliminated competition by reaching deals with phone makers Apple and Samsung to be the default search engine on their devices.

The company is facing antitrust issues regarding their dominance in web search, digital advertising and smartphone software.

In 2019, the CWA filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging workers at Google were fired for taking collective action. In December the agency accused Google of illegally firing, interrogating and surveilling activist employees, but Google denied any wrongdoing.

The development of the union was kept secret for about a year and their leaders were elected last month.

'This is historic  the first union at a major tech company by and for all tech workers,' Dylan Baker, a Google software engineer said in a statement.

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'We will elect representatives, we will make decisions democratically, we will pay dues, and we will hire skilled organizers to ensure all workers at Google know they can work with us if they actually want to see their company reflect their values,' he added.

Most recently, Googles management has been slammed for dismissing Timnit Gebru, a top artificial intelligence researcher who was one of the few women of color in the field. Thousands of Google employees signed a petition to protest her dismissal. She said she was fired for being critical of large-scale AI models and of the company's existing diversity and inclusion efforts

Koul and Shaw wrote in the Monday article that at Google 'discrimination and harassment continue.'

'Alphabet continues to crack down on those who dare to speak out, and keep workers from speaking on sensitive and publicly important topics, like antitrust and monopoly power... Each time workers organize to demand change, Alphabets executives make token promises, doing the bare minimum in the hopes of placating workers,' they said.

The union says that it will live by the motto Google used to hold  'Dont be evil.'

'Right now, a few wealthy executives define what the company produces and how its workers are treated. This isnt the company we want to work for. We care deeply about what we build and what its used for. We are responsible for the technology we bring into the world. And we recognize that its implications reach far beyond the walls of Alphabet,' Koul and Shaw said.

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DailyMail.com has reached out to Google for comment on the formation of the union.
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American soldiers and marines are encountering serious medical problems with the weight of combat equipment they have to carry in combat. More so than in Iraq, U.S. troops in Afghanistan are fighting on foot. And not on the plains of Iraq, but the hills of Afghanistan. The air is, literally, thinner (less oxygen) in much of Afghanistan, which is at the same altitude as Denver, Colorado where the thin air is a known problem for visitors.

Most of the casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan have been non-combat. Accidents, disease and stress (physical and mental) problems had, during the eight years of most intensive combat, accounted for 81 percent of those troops flown out so they could get more advanced care. There are about ten of these evacuations for every soldier killed (combat or non-combat). Only 19 percent of those "medical evacuations" were for combat injuries. Military hospitals in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as back in the United States) find that the vast majority of combat zone casualties are not there because of combat injuries.

While not caused by combat, a lot of the "non-combat" injuries were the result of combat operations. For example, ten percent of those evacuated had musculoskeletal injuries. Thats because infantry carry more weight, sometimes nearly 50 kg (a hundred pounds or more), frequently. This is the heaviest load any troops in a combat zone have to carry. Back and muscle problems are common.

The army and marine brass tried to reduce the weight of gear, usually to no more than 41 kg (90 pounds) their troops carried into battle. Of late, lighter armor, boots and other equipment reduced the load by about nine kg (20 pounds). Local commanders were allowed to delete more weight, depending on circumstances. But that still meant combat troops running up those hills while wearing 20 kg (44 pounds) of stuff. It hasnt been enough.

These troops are in great physical shape, which means they have the energy, muscle and determination to push themselves beyond their limits. For that reason, medics are finding themselves treating a lot of musculoskeletal problems. Knee and back problems abound, often causing much pain, especially the back spasms. It's worse for guys who are on their second or third trip to Afghanistan.

Because of all this, a lot more infantry are retiring on partial disability, and spend the rest of their lives limping around, or in constant pain. This doesn't show up in the casualty reports. But go to a veterans gathering on November 11 or Memorial Day in ten or twenty years, and you'll be able to pick out the infantry vets from Afghanistan.

The army found that even when there was not a lot of combat, which is more physically stressful than any peacetime training, there were still a lot of musculoskeletal problems. These are now called MSKIs (Noncombat musculoskeletal injuries) because they also develop in peacetime and troops who suffered such problems while in combat find that they have MSKI after being treated, released and returned to duty. Currently MSKI accounts for 60 percent of limited duty days soldiers receive to aid in recovery. At any given time, four percent of active-duty soldiers are unable to deploy overseas for medical reasons. MSKI is a key factor for 65 percent of troops who are deemed temporarily unfit for overseas duty. MSKI is a major factor with 90 percent of new recruits being discharged after less than a year of service for not being able to continue in service. Some 30 percent of medical evacuations from the combat zone are for MSKI.

Finding a solution for this problem now involves constant experiments with new types of exercises that can reduce vulnerability to MSKI. Some exercises have been found useful but no collection of physical training techniques has been found to make a major difference. That will only come when a way is found to reduce the weight the troops carry in combat.
The number of New Jersey school districts with all-remote learning has increased as students return from winter break and the state continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic, according to figures Gov. Phil Murphy released Monday.

There are 339 districts starting 2021 remotely  an increase of 18 all-remote districts from Dec. 21, Murphy said during his latest coronavirus briefing in Trenton.

Meanwhile, only 77 school districts are returning with full in-person instruction (down from 82 on Dec. 21), and 348 are returning with a hybrid of in-person or remote instruction (down from 362).

Another 47 districts are using some combination of in-person, hybrid, or all-remote across multiple buildings  one more than Dec. 21.

To our students starting back today  whether in-person or remote  I wish you a terrific second half of the school year, Murphy said. And to all our educators and school officials, I send the same to you and thank you for all you are doing day-in and day-out to keep our kids learning in the best and safest possible environment.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

In addition, Murphy said the state has made progress in closing the digital divide between students who have computer equipment to learn from home. As of Dec. 21, the governor said, 94% of the states initial divide from the summer had been bridged and there will be updated numbers by Wednesday.

Most of the remaining gap has been due to shipping delays, and we hope with the passage of Christmas that those lags are being mitigated, Murphy said.

There have been 108 in-school coronavirus outbreaks in New Jersey involving 546 students, teachers and staff since the school year began in late August, according to the states COVID-19 dashboard.

Those numbers do not include students or staff believed to have been infected outside school or cases that cant be confirmed as in-school outbreaks.

While those numbers rise every week, Murphy has said the school outbreak statistics remain below what state officials were expecting when schools reopened for in-person classes.

New Jersey defines school outbreaks as cases where contact tracers determined two or more students or school staff caught or transmitted COVID-19 in the classroom or during academic activities at school.

Ten months after New Jersey announced its first COVID-19 case, the state on Monday reported 2,292 more positive PCR coronavirus tests and another 38 confirmed deaths. The state revealed for the first time a total of 50,838 positive rapid tests since the antigen tests started being administered.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com.
Vietnams ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020 has officially concluded, with the country successfully leading the association through a challenging year and continuing to promote its role in the region and seize new opportunities.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the ASEAN Chair 2020, presided over the 15th East Asia Summit via video conference from Hanoi

The comprehensive success of the year prompted further success in the Partys multilateral external policy.

Throughout the year, under the theme Cohesive & Responsive, ASEAN member countries reached consensus on measures to respond to challenges, including those brought about by COVID-19.

ASEAN foreign ministers held online meetings in early February, when the pandemic broke out, to ensure that all member countries shared a common view.

A joint statement was issued identifying nine priorities in cooperation, including the strengthening of coordination to ensure readiness to respond to COVID-9 and actively share information on pandemic developments.

ASEAN economic and defence ministers also released a joint statement on partnership in fighting the pandemic, while an ASEAN military medical centre was also set up.

Before the World Health Organisation (WHO) officially declared a pandemic in March, Vietnam, as ASEAN Chair, issued a statement on ASEANs response to COVID-19 and held several meetings to address the situation.

It also worked to enhance cooperation between the bloc and partners as well as international organisations to improve pandemic control.

The 15th East Asia Summit was held in online format

ASEAN Secretary General Lim Lock Hoi lauded the coordination between member countries as well as the role of Vietnam in dealing with challenges, including those from COVID-19.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Thailand, Don Pramudwinai, said the online Special ASEAN Summit and the Special ASEAN Plus Three Summit on COVID-19 were promptly convened in mid-April, followed by a number of online ministerial meetings between ASEAN and external partners. These high-level engagements not only demonstrated the strong political will of ASEAN and its external partners to work together but also testified to the convening power of ASEAN, he said.

Thanks to the joint efforts of member countries over subsequent months, ASEAN leaders adopted a number of initiatives to tackle the risks from the pandemic at the 37th ASEAN Summit, including the launch of the ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund, the ASEAN Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies (RRMS) for Public Health Emergencies, the ASEAN Strategic Framework for Public Health Emergencies, the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework (ACRF), the ASEAN Center for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED), and the Declaration on an ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement Framework.

The pandemic also pushed ASEAN to speed up the introduction of a single-window mechanism and the acceptance of an e-CO (electronic certificate of origin) to avoid interruptions to trade. The first protocol amending the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) became effective in September, accepting e-signatures and e-stamps. The ASEAN Customs Transit System (ACTS) was launched in November to facilitate the cross-border transit of goods. Businesses can look forward to saving time and money and having improved connectivity in moving goods via land across the six Participating Member States (PMS): Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

A network was also established to counter the spread of fake news within ASEAN.

COVID-19 was considered a test of ASEANs capacity for recovery and the leadership of Vietnam as its Chair.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chaired the 15th East Asia Summit via video conference from Hanoi (Photo: VNA)

Hundreds of annual ASEAN meetings were moved online, with 550 meetings held during the year and 20 summits, including the 36th and 37th Summits and 70 ministerial meetings. The switch was made swiftly and efficiently, to ensure that agendas were fulfilled across all three fronts - politics-security-defence, economy, and culture and society.

As many as 80 documents, the record number, were approved, with a focus on building the ASEAN Community, promoting the mid-term review of the ASEAN Community Blueprint 2025, reviewing the ASEAN Charter, and building an ASEAN Community Post-2025 Vision.

The joint effort of the entire bloc in dealing with COVID-19 was another highlight of Vietnams chairmanship in 2020, with a spirit of leaving no one behind.

Meanwhile, the central role and position of ASEAN in the region and the world was bolstered, while regional connectivity was strengthened with the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in November.

In sum, 2020 was a momentous year with complex challenges, especially COVID-19. Under Vietnams Chairmanship, ASEAN has been able to deal with them effectively and continues to strengthen community-building in a Cohesive & Responsive spirit so that ASEAN is better prepared for any uncertainties in the future./.VNA

How Vietnam has lead ASEAN in a year of turbulence ASEAN has been going through this year difficulties in a cohesive and responsive manner largely thanks to Vietnams leadership.
Philomena Kelly (nee Farrell), Kinkillue, Abbeylara, Longford

The death occurred, peacefully at home surrounded by her family, on Monday, January 4 of Philomena Kelly (nee Farrell), Kinkillue, Abbeylara, Longford. Beloved wife of Hughie and dear mother of Vanessa and Hugh. Sadly missed by her loving family, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, grandchildren, sisters, brothers, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives, and a large circle of friends and neighbours. May She Rest in Peace.

Removal on Wednesday, January 6, to St Bernards Church, Abbeylara for Funeral Mass at 11am. Burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. Funeral cortege will leave Philomenas home at 10.45 am on route to St Bernards Church for anybody who wishes to stand along the route as a mark of respect.

Due to the current H.S.E. and Government Covid-19 guidelines, the house will be strictly private, please. The Funeral Mass will be limited to 10 people. The family thank you for your cooperation at this sad time.

For those who would have liked to attend but cant due to the restrictions, please leave a message for the family in the condolence section on RIP.ie.

James Nally, formerly of Corner House, Ballymahon, Longford



The death occurred, peacefully, in Spain following a long illness bravely borne, on Wednesday, December 30 of James Nally, formerly of Corner House, Ballymahon, Longford. eloved and loving father of Annabel and Julian. James will be sadly missed by his son-in-law Simon and granddaughter Beth, his devoted sisters Jacqueline and Miriam, brothers Tom, Hugh, Niall, Ronnie (recently deceased), Paul and Louis, and his extended family and friends. Rest in Peace.

Cremation has taken place in Spain. A memorial Mass will be held in Ballymahon when restrictions permit. Those who would like to sympathize can do so by clicking on the condolences link on RIP.ie

Bernadette (Bernie) Harte (nee Quinn), Roxboro, Derrane, Roscommon / Roscommon Town, Roscommon / Longford Town, Longford



The death occurred, peacefully, in the devoted care of the staff at Roscommon University Hospital, on Sunday, January 3 of Bernadette (Bernie) Harte (nee Quinn), Roxboro, Derrane, Roscommon and formerly of Longford town and Ardnanagh, Roscommon town. Beloved wife of Eddie and much loved mother to Karen, Aisling and Marie. She will be very sadly missed by her family, grandson Theo, Aislings partner Dominik, her brothers and sisters, Maretti, Peter, Pat, Tony, Michael, Kevin, James, Willie, Edel and Adrian, nieces, nephews, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, relatives, neighbours and many good friends. May Bernie rest in peace.

Please note that in an effort to follow government guidelines and with the support and agreement of the family, Bernies funeral will take place privately for family only. Her funeral cortege will depart from her home in Roxboro on Tuesday morning, January 5 at 10.30am (via The Walk and Castle Street) arriving at the Sacred Heart Church, Roscommon for Mass of the Resurrection at 11am. Following Mass the cortege will proceed to St Comans Cemetery (via Ardnanagh and Circular Road). For those wishing to offer their sympathies, we suggest using the online condolence link on RIP.ie. The Harte and Quinn families very much appreciate your support at this time.

Please note that Bernies funeral Mass will be broadcast in the Roscommon town area on the Parish Radio 105.9 FM and can also be viewed live on Tuesday, January 5 at 11am by CLICKING HERE.

Paul Keenan. Empor, Ballynacargy, Westmeath / Edgeworthstown, Longford



The death occurred, peacefully) at St. James' Hospital, Dublin, surrounded by his loving family, on Friday, January 1 of Paul Keenan, Empor, Ballynacargy, Co Westmeath and formerly of Barne, Edgeworthstown, Co Longford. Predeceased by his father Frank, sisters Margo and Patricia and his recently deceased mother-in-law Annie. Deeply regretted by his loving wife Carmel, sons Peter and Troy, his mother Bridie, sister Maura, brothers Kevin and Noel, brother-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunt Anna-May, neighbours, relatives and friends. May he rest in peace.

In accordance with Government guidelines a private reposing will take place at his home. Remains will arrive at St. Matthew's Church, Empor on Monday, January 4 for 11am private funeral Mass with burial afterwards in Milltown cemetery. The funeral Mass can be viewed live on https://youtu.be/8BgUAwoyu3Q

Those wishing to send messages of condolences to the family can do so in the Condolence Book section on RIP.ie.Family flowers only. Donations if desired to Oesophageal Cancer Fund.

Paul Briody, Howth, Dublin / Kilcogy, Cavan



The death occurred, suddenly and unexpectedly, on Monday, December 28 of Paul Anthony Briody, Kinsealy, Co Dublin and formerly Clonlohan, Kilcogy, Co. Cavan and Howth, Co Dublin. Son of the late Michael and Katie Briody. Husband of Anne and beloved father of Bill, David, Stephen (predeceased) and Jenny. Proud grandfather of Daniel and Erin. Very sadly missed by his partner June, his daughter in law Pamela, his brothers and sisters, Tom, Michael, Mary, Eddie, Sean, Gerrard, Brendan, Patricia, Pauline and Antone, brothers and sisters in law, nieces and nephews, extended family and many friends. May He Rest in Peace.

Due to Government advice regarding public gatherings, a private family Funeral Service will take place. To those who would have liked to attend the funeral, but due to current restrictions cannot, please leave your condolences on RIP.ie or send on condolences by the traditional manner. Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, to the RNLI Lifeboats.

A live stream of Paul's Funeral Mass can be viewed on Wednesday, January 6 at 11.30am on the following link: https://www.churchservices.tv/howth

The above link is provided and managed by an independent streaming company. The Funeral Home accepts no responsibility for its functionality or any interruption to a live transmission.

Jill Cowan, Shannow, Ballinagh, Cavan

The death occurred, peacefully, following a short illness, on Monday, December 28 of Jill Cowan, Nova Ves 6, Lesany, Netvoice, 25744, Czech Republic and formerly of Shannow, Ballinagh, Co Cavan. Dearly beloved partner and best friend of Martin, adored mother of Mia and Finn. Very deeply regretted by her heartbroken parents, Edwin and Margaret, brothers Nigel (Fiona), Alan (Diane) sister Lynn and partner Michael. Remembered with love by her partner, daughter, son, parents, brothers, sister and her partner, sisters in law, nephews, nieces, uncles, aunt, cousins, relatives, neighbours, and many friends.

Family home strictly private please. Funeral arrangements later. Safe in the arms of Jesus

If you wish to have a death notice published on www.longfordleader.ie you can email it to newsroom@longfordleader.ie

And if you wish to submit an obituary for publication in the Longford Leader, you can submit it along with a photograph of the deceased to newsroom@longfordleader.ie
If you reckon PSNI stations are among the safest locations in Northern Ireland think again.

More than 40 thefts have occurred there over the past five years with just five leading to charges being brought.

Four of these prosecutions were successful, resulting in separate sentences of four months in prison, one month in jail, a three-month suspended sentence, and 80 hours of community service.

The remaining 38 thefts - details of which were provided to Sunday Life following a Freedom of Information request - saw no action taken.

Among the items stolen since October 2015 were cash, clothing, computers, mobile phones, tools, perfume and electrical equipment.

The most sinister was that of 17 rounds of live ammunition taken from Antrim PSNI station, which did not result in a prosecution.

A wallet containing bank cards was also removed in another incident at the station, with 500 illegally withdrawn from the cardholder's account.

Among the more bizarre things stolen were an RUC commemorative plaque, a paintbrush, and an energy drink.

The police base that saw the most thefts was Antrim with nine incidents, closely followed by Musgrave Street in Belfast with seven.

In it's FOI response to this newspaper, the PSNI said: "The details provided are based on all recorded burglary, robbery or theft offences where property has been classified as 'stolen' from a PSNI station or vehicle, for the period October 2015 to September 2020.

"All property details are listed regardless of who owns the property (i.e. not all property stolen will be police property)."

Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie described the theft of 17 live rounds of ammunition from Antrim PSNI station as "concerning".

He said: "It is important to find out if these rounds are unaccounted for or stolen.

"Either way it's concerning, especially if they have shown up during police searches or have been linked to criminal activity.

"The last thing that anyone needs is police-issue bullets falling into the hands of criminals."

Several high-profile court cases against serving PSNI officers involving allegations of theft from stations have came before the courts in recent years

In 2016 Bryan Thomas Stronge had an 18-month prison sentence suspended for two years after pleading guilty to stealing more than 50,000 of warrant money lodged in a safe at Tennent Street station in Belfast.

The Crown Court heard how the then 54-year-old treated the cash like his personal bank account and used it for his own benefit.

Despite paying back the money in full Stronge, a cop from 1987, lost his job, his full police pension and a 100,000 guaranteed lump sum on his retirement which was two years away.

Another well-publicised court case involving allegations of theft against a PSNI officer saw Yvonne Forte cleared of stealing cash from evidential exhibits.

The 41-year-old, who was based at Knocknagoney PSNI station in east Belfast, wept when allegations of misconduct in public office were withdrawn at Belfast Crown Court in 2018.

Ms Forte was also found not guilty of four counts of theft of 3,254 from evidential exhibits, whilst a serving police constable, over a period from September 2009 to July 2014.
Rhea Chakraborty, the girlfriend of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, and her brother Showik Chakraborty marked their attendance at the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) office in Mumbai on Monday. As per the conditions of her bail, she must report before the agency on the first Monday of every month, for six months.

In videos being shared online, Rhea was seen entering the NCB office with Showik on Monday morning. She told the paparazzi stationed outside that their father, Indrajit Chakraborty, was also with them.

Sushant died on June 14, and Rhea has been accused by his family of abetment of suicide and embezzlement of his funds, among other things. She was arrested on a drugs-related charge in the case and spent nearly a month in Byculla jail before being released on bail. Showik was also arrested for procurement of drugs and was jailed for almost three months.

Recently, in an interview with SpotboyE, filmmaker Rumi Jaffery revealed that Rhea will resume work soon. He also talked about his recent meeting with her and said that she had become very withdrawn and quiet.

It has been a traumatic year for her. Of course, the year was bad for everyone. But in her case, it was a trauma on another level. Can you imagine any girl from a well-to-do middle class family spending a month in jail? It has crushed her morale completely, Rumi said.

Also read: Karanvir Bohra says his baby girls little hands stole his heart, Teejay Sidhu jokes one day shell steal your credit cards

Last week, Rheas lawyer Satish Maneshinde urged the Central Bureau of Investigation to make its findings in the Sushant death case public. She was arrested in a bogus case with no evidence by NCB. She was harassed by various agencies and remained in custody for almost a month till the Bombay High Court released her on bail, he said.

Rhea will be seen next in the film Chehre, which also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Emraan Hashmi, Krystle DSouza and Siddhanth Kapoor.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

ott:10
Phalanx Mechatronics LLP was launched in Pune, India in 2020 with a mission to provide innovators, designers, students and hobbyists with high performance, reliable FDM 3D printing systems, materials and services. They also manufacture and supply CNC routers for prototyping using soft materials such as wood and aluminum. The companys broad range of capabilities include bespoke manufacturing of special purpose machines (SPM) for a variety of applications such as leakage 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-03 22:00:18|Editor: huaxia

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URUMQI, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- A record number of 9,679 inbound and outbound China-Europe freight trains passed through northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in 2020, according to China Railway Urumqi Group Co. Ltd.

The number of trains traveling through Alataw Pass reached 5,027 in 2020, up 41.8 percent year on year, while those through Horgos Port totaled 4,652, up 37 percent year on year.

Sources with the company said a large quantity of goods previously transported to Europe via air and sea shifted to the China-Europe freight train last year.

Local railway authorities expanded the capacity of the Alataw Pass and th Horgos Port and optimized the operation of production in 2020. Through better coordination among railway, customs, border control authorities as well as Kazak authorities, the time a train needed to pass the border was reduced to less than one hour from 10 hours, the sources said.

Currently, 22 lines run through Alataw Pass, reaching 13 countries including Germany and Poland, and 16 lines travel through Horgos Port to over 10 countries including Uzbekistan. Enditem
A bold, bald-faced abuse of power, according to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Hard to conceive of a more anti-democratic and anti-conservative act, says senior Republican Paul Ryan.

Its all true. Donald Trumps various and intensifying attempts to overturn the result of the November presidential election are all those things and more. We may have become inured to such things, but calling up a state election official in Georgia and threatening them is a new low, a Mariana Trench level of low, even from this guy.

It is also great news. For it suggests that Trump may well now be living in a fantasy federal republic of his own, a world where he is still the president, was responsible for the Covid vaccine, and has done more for Black Americans than any president maybe, including Abraham Lincoln. It also demonstrates just how unhinged and dangerous he can be. Over the past few days he has destroyed his chances of a comeback in 2024, however improbable that might have been.

As the British Labour Party has frequently demonstrated, the key to losing the next election is to refuse to accept the lessons of the last one. Because, it should hardly need pointing out, unless you accept you lost the last one and are willing to learn from your mistakes, you will be poorly prepared to recover.

So it now is with Trump. If the only reason he thinks he lost is because of some vast fraud, then why change anything else? Why, for example, appeal to the suburban female voters who switched to the Democrats this time round? Or to any sections of society who felt threatened by your words and actions? Or to commentators and opinion-formers  some in your own party and many who worked for you  who came to the conclusion that you were unfit for office? Why bother to change if you think you won?

And so Trump will present to the American people between now and 2024 the same nutty cocktail of prejudice, conspiracy theories and infantile insecurity that proved so unappetising last November. Sure, itll appeal to the base  but the base is not enough.

Indeed its worse for Trump, and America, now than it was in November. Because the huge irony now is that it is Trump himself who is trying to steal the election, to rig the results and to find precisely 11,780 votes in Fulton County, Georgia. Look! The presidents the thief!

Before Trump lost bigly in November, no one could be sure how far hed go to violate the constitution and the will of the people. Would he try to drive the car over the cliff? Now they do know  and whod want to to let him back into the driving seat? Even conservative Republicans must have come to the conclusion that neither they nor the bureaucracy could restrain Trump from continually attempting to grab absolute power in a slow coup detat by Twitter.

Another irony: it is Trump who is a Republican in name only, and in reality a rogue elephant. Hes the radical revolutionary, contemptuous of the constitution and democracy. He wants to establish a family dynasty, a hereditary monarchy. Lets just say moderate opinion has not been won over in recent weeks.

If Joe Biden is sensible, he will spend the next four years proving Trump wrong about his wild predictions. It wont be that hard. He will not turn the US into a Venezuela-style socialist nightmare. He will not surrender to Iran, but prevent them developing nuclear weapons. He will not abandon Israel. He wont do what Beijing wants. He wont tear down every statue.

After four years of sleepy Joe, America should be a calmer country, one more at ease with itself, that has come through Covid and past the worst of recent racial tensions (stoked so much by Trump). The economy should be improving, and Americas alliances renewed, so that she can better confront her enemies, not least Putins Russia, so strangely ignored and indulged by Trump.

Why would anyone want Trump back?
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President Donald Trump is set to address the "Stop The Steal" protesters who will gather at the White House Ellipse on Wednesday, January 6, in an effort to stop Congress' certification of former Vice President Joseph Biden into the presidency.

"I will be there. Historic day!" Trump posted in his Twitter account Sunday along with a link to Women For America First Executive Director Kylie Jane Kremer's post on the said event.

I will be there. Historic day! https://t.co/k6LStsWpfy  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2021

Kremer's post includes a video inviting people to "be a part of history" and to "join the march", which is expected to be "the biggest event in Washington DC history". It also directs people to "RSVP @ TrumpMarch.com" and to "come at 9AM" on Wednesday.

According to a report by Breitbart, Women for America First is the official host of the event that will happen in the President's Lawn otherwise known as the White House Ellipse.

Trump will be addressing the "Stop The Steal" protesters at around 11 a.m. with members of the GOP and the Trump Campaign, such as Georgia Representative Vernon Jones, Attorney Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump, Jr., Attorney Kimberly Guilfoyle, Boris Ephsteyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Roger Stone, Benny Johnson, Scott Presler, Bernie Kerik, and Ali Alexander. Other organizations attending as part of the speakers include Woman for Trump Co-Founder Amy Kremer, American Tea Party Consultant Katrina Pierson, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and Diamond and Silk, as per Breitbart.

Breitbart adds in its report that after Trump's address at 11 a.m., the protesters will move to the U.S. Capitol so that they will be there at exactly the same time, which is at 1 p.m., the new Congress will consider certification of the electoral college results.

Potomac Local News said that Trump's supporters have actually planned simultaneous "Stop The Steal" rallies on Wednesday. Besides the one convening in the White House, there will be others already convening in the U.S. Capitol prior to the protesters arrival at 1 p.m. Another rally will be held at the Supreme Court. But all are united against the election fraud that resulted to Biden's sudden big lead against Trump.

The rallies are to coincide with the move of Republican legislators against the electoral votes. A dozen senators and more than 100 members of the House of Representatives, as per Potomac Local News, are "planning to object the votes."

These include Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, Oklahoma Senator James Lankford, Montana Senator Steve Daines, Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, and Indiana Senator Mike Braun, Wyoming Senator-Elect Cynthia Lummis, Kansas Senator-Elect Roger Marshall, Tennessee Senator-Elect Bill Hagerty, and Alabama Senator-Elect Tommy Tuberville.

All 11 Republican senators came out with a joint statement last Saturday "in advance of the Electoral College certification process on January 6, 2021".

"Accordingly, we intend to vote on January 6 to reject the electors from disputed states as not 'regularly given' and 'lawfully certified' (the statutory requisite), unless and until that emergency 10-day audit is completed," the senators said in the statement.

The senators are actually calling for an emergency recount of all ballots in the U.S. over the course of 10 days, Potomac Local News reported.


By Juliet Nalwooga

Police in Rukungiri district are investigating circumstances under which a 22 yrs old woman was speared.

It is alleged that while at her home with her two children, the deceased, a one Rachael Namara 22, from Rushaya village, Bwambara subcounty was out of the blue attacked by a suspect only identified as Abel with a spear.

Namaras neighbor, a one Prossy Kyarimpa made an alarm after finding her intestines wide open.

Kigezi region police spokesperson Elly Maate says the deceased who was wounded around the stomach has succumbed to the injuries at Nyakibale hospital where she was rushed by her husband, Denis Tugumisirize for treatment.

The suspect is still on the run.
BARC develops Ruthenium 106 Plaque therapy for eye cancer treatment

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) Mumbai has developed the first indigenous Ruthenium 106 Plaque for treatment of eye cancer or Ocular Tumours. The handling of plaque is very convenient for the surgeon and it has been acknowledged to be at par with the international standards.

The Department of Atomic Energy entered into collaboration with Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi for developing the Ruthenium 106 therapy for treatment of eye cancer. AIIMS, New Delhi also effectively used the therapy for the treatment of a patient with Choroidal Hemangioma, for the first time, in September 2020.

Chairman-cum-Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), K N Vyas had, in October last year, held detailed discussions with MoS in charge of Atomic Energy Dr Jitendra Singh regarding the feasibility of developing this regimen of Ophthalmic patches by the Department of Atomic Energy.

According to Dr Atul Kumar, Professor and Head of Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS New Delhi, so far the BARC plaques made in India through the Department of Atomic Energy have been used for seven cases for ocular cancer, out of which two were Retinoblastoma, two were Choroidal Melanoma, two Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia (OSSN) and one case of Choroidal Hemangioma. The Plaque handling is very much Surgeon-friendly and the preliminary results are very satisfactory, according to him, says an official release.

Commenting on this breakthrough, Dr Jitendra Singh said, in the last five years or so, the Department of Atomic Energy has sought to further diversify its activities and applications for the benefit of common citizens. Developing indegenous Plaque Brachytherapy for eye cancer patients is also one such latest initiative in the area of medical management. This treatment modality has provided a simpler and cost-effective option for the patients, he added.

The minister also informed that the Boroah Cancer Hospital in Guwahati, Assam has been co-opted with the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital, Mumbai which functions under the aegis of the Department of Atomic Energy. The North Eastern Regions first ever DM and Mch Super Speciality courses in Oncology/Cancer have also been started in this institute, he said.

The Department of Atomic Energy is also contributing in other areas like, for example, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is developing Bullet Proof Jackets for security personnel and in the agricultural sector, radiation techniques to extend shelf life of vegetable and food products are being applied.
Covid has broken out of Sydney's hotel quarantine system four times in the past month as a top health official warns of a worrying surge in infected travellers from overseas.

Both of the city's major clusters, in Berala to the south-west and Avalon on the Northern Beaches, are believed to be linked to failures in the system which had largely kept Australia Covid-free for months.

The evidence is most clear with the Berala cluster, where authorities have identified a quarantine transport driver as Patient Zero. Officials said he was infected - despite wearing protective equipment - by a family who had returned to Australia from overseas.

The driver then unknowingly infected a colleague, who visited the Berala BWS bottle shop while asymptomatic. A BWS staff member was infected, leading to a second bottle shop worker to catch the highly infectious virus.

Ground zero: BWS at Berala, in Sydney's south-west, is at the centre of the latest Covid cluster - sparked by a patient transport driver unknowingly infected a colleague, who then visited the store when they were suffering no symptoms

Hotel quarantine transport workers wear personal protective equipment (this instance is in Melbourne, above). NSW Health hasn't specified what equipment the bus driver linked to the BWS outbreak was given

The employees were at the shop each day between December 22 and December 31, sparking fears of a mass outbreak, given more than a thousand customers visited the store on Christmas Eve alone, but that did not occur.

The virus has apparently escaped quarantine in Sydney three further times.

Another driver, a Sydney Ground Transport employee who ferried around air crew from the airport to their hotel, tested positive on December 16.

Contact tracers said the Avalon cluster strain appeared to be similar to a virus variant detected in a quarantined American traveller who tested positive last month.

However, just how the virus spread to Avalon - sparking 148 cases, many contracted at local pubs - remains unknown. 'We may never find a link back,' NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said.

A cleaner at Darling Harbour's Novotel quarantine hotel tested positive to the virus on December 2. She has not been linked to any further cases.

NSW has introduced a mask mandate for indoor environments, including public transport and shops, after outbreaks in Berala and Avalon

SYDNEY'S FOUR HOTEL QUARANTINE BREACHES 1. Berala cluster: Quarantine driver is infected while ferrying a family to their hotel. Inadvertently spreads the virus to a colleague, who visited BWS bottle shop on December 20, sparking cluster 2. Avalon cluster: American traveller tests positive to virus in hotel quarantine in early December. Virus strain in northern beaches is similar to her case, unclear how it got there 3. Sydney Ground Transport driver is infected while ferrying air crew. Tests positive December 16 4. Novotel quarantine hotel cleaner is infected on December 2. No further cases Advertisement

Why is this happening?

Infectious diseases experts have long warned the hotel quarantine system is not foolproof.

In an interview with Daily Mail Australia just before Christmas, World Health Organisation adviser Professor Mary-Louise McLaws said the hotel quarantine system was past its used-by date.

The University of New South Wales infectious diseases experts said many hotels lack appropriate air flow and suggested that quarantine facilities should be shifted out of built-up cities to regional sites.

'We are seeing more infections in our returning travellers, and whilst we regret any transmission event, we need to learn from it,' Dr Chant said.

New South Wales takes about half of the country's hotel quarantine load. Seven new cases were reported in hotel quarantine on Monday alone.

Just two new cases were linked to the Berala cluster on Monday. Neither case was reported in the figures to 8pm Sunday, with the state reporting zero new cases after 22,000 tests.

Authorities said Sydney's test numbers must increase in order for experts to have confidence they are catching most cases.

New South Wales has conducted 4.4 million tests since the pandemic arrived, with a positive test percentage of 0.11 per cent.

Mutated, more infectious strains running rampant in the United Kingdom and South Africa remain a cause for concern. The UK strain was first detected in Australia in early December. Neither has been linked to the Berala or Avalon outbreaks.
An earthquake of magnitude 6.8 struck off the coast of south-central Chile on Sunday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said, but Chilean officials immediately discarded the risk of a tsunami.

There were no initial reports of damage immediately following the quake.

The strong tremor took place at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), EMSC said, and about 163 km (100 miles) west-northwest of Valdivia in the Pacific Ocean.

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The Nagol is Back! VTOs guide to this years Nagol, plus where to stay and play in south, central and north Pentecost.
[January 04, 2021] Protective Closes Transaction to Acquire Revolos, Adds Complementary Product Portfolio to Asset Protection Division

Protective Life Corporation (Protective), a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Inc. (TSE:8750), announced today it completed the transaction to acquire the Revolos family of companies. Revolos offers a suite of finance and insurance products, including vehicle service contracts, guaranteed asset protection (GAP) coverage and ancillary products serving the automotive, recreational vehicle and powersports industries. The transaction was announced on September 25, 2020. "The closing of this transaction marks another milestone for Protective and an exciting new chapter in the growth of the Asset Protection Division," said Richard J. Bielen, Protective's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are excited about the opportunity to expand our market reach and deliver valuable solutions to more customers by adding Revolos' complementary product portfolio and distribution channels to our current business lines." "Both Revolos and Protective have built strong organizations with a focus on meeting the needs of agents and dealers," added Scott Karchunas, President of Protective's Asset Protection Division. "We are excited to welcome the Revolos team members to the Protctive family-together we can continue growing and protecting more customers."



Protective Asset Protection has been providing F&I solutions to the automotive industry for over 55 years. Its programs include, among others, extended service contracts, GAP and ancillary products to protect consumers' investments in automobiles, recreational vehicles, watercraft and powersports vehicles. Protective Asset Protection also offers a robust portfolio of dealer participation programs, training and technology solutions through a network of general agents as well as a direct sales force. Revolos is a diversified, full-service F&I provider that offers a suite of products that complement Protective's existing portfolio and distribution channels. This is the fifth acquisition completed since Protective became part of Dai-ichi in 2015. Dai-ichi considers Protective to be its North American growth platform and continues to aim for further expansion in the region, through both acquisitions and organic growth in Protective's retail sales.

Maynard, Cooper & Gale, P.C. acted as external legal counsel for Protective in this transaction. Reed Smith LLP acted as external legal counsel for Revolos in this transaction. Houlihan Lokey acted as Financial Advisor to Revolos in this transaction. About Protective Life Corporation Protective Life Corporation (Protective) provides financial services through the production, distribution and administration of insurance and investment products throughout the U.S. Protective traces its roots to its flagship company, Protective Life Insurance Company - founded in 1907. Throughout its more than 110-year history, Protective's growth and success can be largely attributed to its ongoing commitment to serving people and doing the right thing - for its employees, distributors, and most importantly, its customers. Protective's home office is located in Birmingham, Alabama, and its 3,000+ employees work across the United States. As of September 30, 2020, Protective had assets of approximately $125 billion. Protective Life Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Inc. (TSE:8750). For more information about Protective, please visit?www.Protective.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005187/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Ghaziabad, Jan 5 : Ghaziabad police have arrested the absconding corporator accused in cemetery mishap in a midnight hunt on Monday.

The police informed IANS that the accused, Ajay Tyagi, was arrested after a day-long search at all the anticipated places of his hiding. He was found hiding at one of such spots in Muradnagar, a police official said.

"After 36 hours of search, we have arrested all the accused. Their statements have been recorded and further probe is being carried," said Kalanidhi Naithani, SSP, Ghaziabad.

The police had also arrested three officials from the Municipal Corporation of Muradnagar earlier on Monday named the case for involvement in the unfortunate incident.

The incident was reported on Sunday morning where around 50 people, who had come to attend last rites of a fruit-seller, took shelter under the newly-built roof, to save themselves from getting drenched from the rain. However, minutes later, the roof collapsed and all of them got trapped inside its debris.

25 of them died on the spot while around 20 sustained injuries. The officials said that eight of them got severly injured in the incident and were admitted to the hospital.

The police had lodged an FIR and named four people as accused including Tyagi and the officials from Muradnagar Municipal Corporation on Sunday night. While the officials including executive officer Niharika Singh, junior engineer Chandra Pal, and supervisor Ashish were arrested on Monday morning, Tyagi was at large. His phone was switched off and his family members were unaware about his whereabouts, the police said.

Tyagi also carried a prize money of Rs 25,000 after the police announced it on his head since he was not being traced then.

The charges in the FIR leveled against the accused involve sections 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 337 (Causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety), 338 (Causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 409 (Criminal breach of trust by public servant) and 427 (Mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the IPC.
France should receive its first deliveries of Modernas coronavirus vaccine this week, the head of the medical regulator said on Monday, as the government comes under fire for being too slow with its vaccine rollout.

France, which has a strong anti-vaccination movement, started its inoculation campaign at the end of December, as did many other European countries.

But it has only vaccinated hundreds since then, versus tens of thousands in Germany and more a million in Britain, which on Monday became the first country to roll out the Oxford/AstraZeneca shot.

I think that the Moderna vaccine ought to arrive this week, Dominique Le Guludec, head of the Haute Autorite de Sante (HAS), told BFM TV, adding that France wanted more information on the AstraZeneca shot.

The United States authorised Modernas vaccine on Dec. 19, Canada did so on Dec. 23 and the EUs watchdog is expected to approve it this week.

Epidemiologist and government scientific adviser Arnaud Fontanet told France Info radio that France needed to speed up its vaccine rollout and that the spread of the virus in France was too high for the government to ease restrictions.

France has the seventh-highest COVID-19 casualty toll in the world, with more than 65,000 deaths.

President Emmanuel Macron said in his New Years Eve speech that everyone in France should be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine if they wanted it.
Authorities have released the names of three of four people killed in Birmingham and Tarrant over the weekend.

The Jefferson County Coroners Office on Monday identified the victims as: Carl Joseph Miserendino III, 35; Cevon Deshun Gibbs, 19; and Brian Keith Fleming, 52. The name of the fourth victim is being withheld pending notification of his family.

Miserendino, a financial advisor who just last week moved to the Crestwood area from Birmingham, was found dead Friday night. An Inglenook resident arrived home to find the victim dead on the side of a home in the 4000 block of 40th Avenue North.

On Saturday morning, a man was found dead in Linn Park. Coroners officials said he was a 56-year-old Asian male who was homeless. Authorities have not said how he was killed.

Gibbs was shot to death about 6 p.m. Sunday on Elizabeth Avenue in Tarrant. Authorities said he was believed to be in a vehicle when he was shot. A woman and a child in the vehicle with him were not injured. He was taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 7:16 p.m.

Fleming was found unresponsive on a sidewalk in the 2100 block of Warrior Road in western Birmingham. Birmingham police Officer Truman Fitzgerald said West Precinct officers responded to the area on a report of a person down. After that call came in, several citizens began calling 911, reporting that they heard gunshots fired in the area,' he said.

Officers located the male victim on the ground just outside the parking lot of an apartment complex. He appeared to have been shot and was pronounced dead on the scene by Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service.

No arrests have been announced in any of the slayings. In all of Jefferson County, there have been four homicides in three days. The number of homicides in the city of Birmingham and throughout Jefferson County jumped in 2020, with the city seeing the highest number of killings in 25 years.

Birmingham ended the year with 122 homicides. Of those, 15 were deemed justifiable and one accidental and therefore are not deemed criminal. The department only has to submit criminal homicides  106  to the FBI for its year-end tally. In a city with a population estimated at roughly 209,000, that was almost six murders per every 10,000 residents.

There were 183 homicides in all of Jefferson County in 2020, including the 122 in Birmingham.

Anyone with information in the Birmingham cases is asked to call Birmingham police at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
A group of 226 engineers and other Google workers have formed a union, according to an article and opinion piece in the New York Times. Called the Alphabet Workers Union, it is affiliated with the Communications Workers of America and was organized in secret over the last year or so.

We are joining together  temps, vendors, contractors, and full-time employees  to create a unified worker voice, wrote Parul Koul and Chewy Shaw, the executive chair and vice chair of the Alphabet Workers Union. We want Alphabet to be a company where workers have a meaningful say in decisions that affect us and the societies we live in.

The union represents a small minority of the companys 260,000 strong employee and contractor workforce. However, unlike traditional unions, the new group wont just do contract negotiations, but advocate for a more just work environment. Our union will work to ensure that workers know what theyre working on, and can do their work at a fair wage, without fear of abuse, retaliation or discrimination, Koul and Shaw wrote.

The Alphabet Workers Union will be open to all Alphabet workers, regardless of classification, they said, adding that half of Googles workers are temps, vendor and contractors who often receive lower salaries, fewer benefits and have less stability. They are also more likely to be Black or brown  a segregated employment system that keeps half of the companys work force in second-class roles. Our union will seek to undo this grave inequity, according to the group.

When Google went public in 2004, it said it would be a company that does good things for the world even if we forgo some short-term gains. Its motto used to be Dont be evil.

Silicon Valley companies like Google and Uber have resisted tech industry unionization, saying they prefer to deal with employees on an individual basis. Google has been accused of by several former employees of retaliation over union activities, while the company said they violated data security policies. Last month, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) accused Google of illegally firing two workers who took part in labor organizing activities.

The new union noted that Google employee organization has provoked changes in the past. Google dropped its plans for the Project Maven AI Pentagon program and censored Chinese search engine Project Dragonfly after employees walked out. More recently, the company faced heat for the firing of ethical artificial intelligence researcher Timnit Gebru. That provoked a backlash among employees and a demand for changes, along with pressure from lawmakers to address the situation.

In response to the news, Google director of people operations Kara Silverstein gave the following statement to the NYT: Weve always worked hard to create a supportive and rewarding workplace for our work force. Of course, our employees have protected labor rights that we support. But as weve always done, well continue engaging directly with all our employees.
Bangladesh: Water withdrawal would not harm Halda: minister

January 04,2021 | Source: New Age BD

Local government minister Md Tajul Islam on Saturday said that withdrawal of water from the river Halda for supplying drinking water to the under-construction Bangabandhu Industrial City at Mirsharai in Chattogram would not be harmful. Referring to Institute of Water Modelings study, Tajul at a programme in the port city said that supplying 14 crore litres of water daily from the river Halda to the economic zone would not affect fish-breeding in the river.



There is no scope of spreading confusion regarding the proposed water treatment on the Halda though the river does not get any water from the upstream during the winter rather receive water from the Kaptai Lake, which is enough for operating the treatment plant, he said. But the economic zone, he said, would create jobs for 30 lakh people and would change the economic activities of Chattogram and its neighbouring districts.



So nobody should create controversy regarding the water treatment plant rather should work together in the greater interest of continuing the development works, said Tajul while inaugurating an LED bulb distribution programme. China donated Bangladesh government 13 lakh LED lights for popularising the cheap-electricity consuming bulbs among the people of Bangladesh, LGRD ministry officials said. Fisheries ministry, water resources ministry, the River conservation Commission, the Department of Environment and independent researchers, however, expressed concern over the water treatment project initiated by the Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Authority at a Tk 3,500 crore for supplying water to Bangabandhu Industrial City. They demanded a review of the plan and proper feasibility study in this regard, and recommended alternative, arguing the water plant would impact Haldas unique ecosystem that helps carps and other fishes spawn.
A Covid-19 digital sign is seen on Dee Why beachfront in Sydney, Australia on Dec. 19, 2020. (Lee Hulsman/Getty Images)

Avalon Cluster Could Cost Australian Economy $3.2 Billion: KPMG

Financial advisory firm KPMG has warned that the lockdown in the Sydney northern beaches suburb of Avalon could cost $3.2 billion due to the loss of working hours in December.

This is despite the New South Wales (NSW) state government taking a more restrained approach to CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus (novel coronavirus) restrictions than in its neighbouring state, Victoria.

KPMG chief economist Brendan Rynne told News Corps The Australian on Sunday that while the NSW government was doing an excellent job in containing the outbreak, he believed the lockdowns adversely affected the economy regardless.

Unfortunately, that pressure brings with it an economic cost as it directly and quickly hits the supply side, and the longer it goes on, it then transfers to demand via confidence, Rynne said.

KPMG based its analysis on estimating how the lockdown would affect the number of hours worked and how Australias Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would be influenced by the increase in restrictions, including social distancing and reimposed domestic border controls.

Rynne estimated that the Avalon outbreak and subsequent preventive measures meant 34 million fewer hours were worked in December than the average. This indicated the real GDP had fallen by $3.2 billion.

Rynne also noted that the effects on the economy from the lockdown would reach into January, he estimated.

According to figures released in December by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Australian economy rose 3.3 percent during the September quarter. The increase came after a significant loss in the June quarter which saw the GDP fall 6.4 percent.

Australian Gross Domestic Product Figures 2020 (Source Australian Bureau of Statistics, December 2020)

When asked about the Avalon lockdown, federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Dec. 18 that Australians need to think about the economic impact that closures and lockdowns have on the economy and people lives.

Frydenberg said that the Australian economy had seen real momentum with 90,000 new jobs being created during November 2020. He noted that 84,000 of them were full-time employment.

Weve seen two million fewer Australian workers on JobKeeper in October compared to the month prior in September, Frydenberg said.

But he said that while the data showed positive signs, the road to economic recovery would be challenging.

All of that data is very positive, but the future is challenging, and we know that next year will be another hard year and the road to recovery is going to be long and pretty bumpy as well, he said.

New South Wales and Victoria are currently experiencing outbreaks of COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP virus. This has caused the states to close their borders and forced Victorians returning home from Christmas holidays to apply for a permit to return home.

Natgas February Nymex contracts jumped 3.5% Monday morning due to colder weather trends and increased heating demand forecasted for the next ten days.

Bespoke Weather Services said since last week, weather models have shifted "materially colder" for parts of the US through mid-January.

"While the 15-day period as a whole remains solidly warmer than normal, we have chipped away at a good deal of the warmth, and it is important, in our view, to note that the colder changes are focused over the next eight to 10 days," Bespoke said. "This signals risk that models toward mid-month and beyond could again be too warm."

US Temapture deviations through mid-month show large swaths of the country, at times, will record colder than average temperatures.

Colder temperatures will increase energy demand to heat a structure, shown in the chart below:

With colder weather ahead, Refinitiv data estimates natgas demand, including exports, would rise from 121.1 billion cubic feet per day this week to 126.1 billion cubic feet per day next week.

By Zerohedge.com

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Health Minster Stephen Donnelly said there were ongoing conversations across government (Julien Behal/PA)

Irelands Health Minister has said it is likely that a decision on whether to reopen schools will be made on Wednesday.

The Government made the decision to postpone to reopening of schools following the Christmas break until next Monday, January 11.

But with the HSE predicting that case numbers will reach more than 7,000 this week, speculation persists that schools will remain shut for longer.

On Monday, the Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan said the because of the high levels of community transmission, he was concerned about the ongoing provision of key services such as schools.

He said: The situation were in now in terms of widespread transmission and extremely high rates of transmission, those high rates now represent a risk to all of those objectives.

I think it is reasonable to assume that government on Wednesday morning will make a decision on this. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly

Earlier on Monday, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said that public health officials had not made a recommendation to keep schools closed, but that discussion on the issue are ongoing.

He told RTEs News at One: We have to allow the experts time they need to examine the latest evidence.

The Cabinet meets on Wednesday night but again on Thursday. We have to wait until Wednesday or Thursday before theres a decision in relation to this.

There are ongoing conversations obviously across government, and with the public health team.

However, I think it is reasonable to assume that government on Wednesday morning will make a decision on this.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald spoke to the Taoiseach on Monday to raise concerns about the safety of reopening schools.

She said it was not realistic to expect them to reopen as planned on January 11.

In a tweet, Ms McDonald said clarity was needed and that it was Imperative that plan to safely open is produced.

Spoke with Taoiseach to raise growing concern on safe return to school & childcare - return next Monday is not realistic. Imperative that plan to safely open is produced. Clarity needed. Also pressed again for govt to #PayStudentNursesandMidwives who are on the Frontline #COVID19  Mary Lou McDonald (@MaryLouMcDonald) January 4, 2021

Mr Donnelly acknowledged that parents, teachers and students need clarity on the issue as soon as possible.

He said: Now I understand, Im a dad myself, Ive got three young children. Im in the same position as a lot of people listening right now.

I understand people need clarity. Parents want clarity, students want clarity, teachers and principals, obviously, they want clarity and they want as much notice as possible.

That is right and proper that they would seek those things.

These are big calls that have a major impact on peoples lives and we know from the first lockdown and make a big impact on the children, particularly children from lower-income areas.

He added: We need to make the decision based on the most up-to-date information we have, and as you appreciate and your listeners will appreciate, its a rapidly evolving situation.

So yes, we want to strike a balance between giving the schools and the parents and the students as much time as possible, and making sure that were making the decision with the most up-to-date advice.

Earlier on Monday, Childrens Minister Roderic OGorman said the Government wants to avoid a large-scale shutdown of schools, but that closures are being kept under review.

Mr OGorman said the long shutdown of schools at the beginning of the pandemic was not good for children.

He added that health guidance from the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) states that childcare settings and schools are safe.

The levels of incidence of Covid in schools and creches have been low compared to other sectors of society Children's Minister Roderic O'Gorman

Mr OGorman said the decision was taken to reduce movement this week.

The public health guidance has always been that childcare settings are safe and that continues to be the public health guidance, he told RTE Morning Ireland.

They are safe because of the huge work that childcare providers and professionals have undertaken since the reopening to make sure the various health measures for creches and childcare facilities are implemented.

The levels of incidence of Covid in schools and creches have been low compared to other sectors of society.

The advice from Nphet is that schools are safe to open. The Government took a decision last week, that in light of the particularly high levels of Covid, we want to make a sustained effort to reduce movement this week and as such the reopening of schools was postponed.

That situation is under constant review. We have always expressed the view that we want to keep childcare facilities and schools open.

Download the Belfast Telegraph App Get quick and easy access to the latest Northern Ireland news, sport, business and opinion with the Belfast Telegraph App.

PA
Khartoum, Jan 4 : Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia have agreed to suspend the tripartite talks over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) built on the Nile River, for one week.

The three countries announced the decision in a joint communique issued following a video meeting on Sunday in presence of the African Union (AU) experts and the international observers, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The meeting adopted a proposal by Sudan to devote this week for bilateral meetings among the three countries and the team of experts and observers," the communique said.

It added that South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor, who chaired the meeting, demanded that the meetings should focus on determining the points of agreement and difference among the three countries, provided that the tripartite meetings are to resume on January 10.

The communique further said that the three countries reviewed during the meeting their positions regarding possibility of reaching a formula that would allow resumption of the talks in light of the positive development with the African experts presenting a memorandum of agreement for the three countries.

Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia have been negotiating under the AU over technical and legal issues related to the filling and operation of the GERD.

Ethiopia, which started building the GERD in 2011, expects to produce more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity from the project.

But Egypt and Sudan, downstream Nile Basin countries that rely on the river for fresh water, are concerned that the dam might affect their water resources.

Over the past few years, tripartite talks on the rules of filling and operating the GERD have been fruitless, including those hosted by Washington and recently by the AU.
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DENVER  Prices are at record highs. Supplies of mountain homes for sale have never been lower. Across Colorados high country, resort community real estate sales have set records since July. Through October, the total real estate sales from six Colorado resort counties are nearly $1 billion greater than all sales last year.

Its Biblical, George Harvey, who has been selling real estate in Telluride for 37 years, said as he described the sales volume in San Miguel County for the last half of 2020.

Sales in Telluride and Mountain Village, which are on pace to surpass $1 billion in sales for the first time ever, are fear-and-safety purchasing, he said.

With inventory at the lowest amount hes ever seen in Telluride and Mountain Village and prices climbing, the scene mirrors the irrationality of 2007, which preceded a collapse and record foreclosures. This time, any correction will be driven by a lack of homes left to sell, Harvey said.

ADVERTISEMENTSkip



................................................................

I was just on a 30-broker Zoom meeting this morning. All from Telluride. And we all said this: We are going to do less business in the next one to two years. Not because of demand, but because we dont have enough product left to sell, Harvey said.

Back in 2007, when mountain real estate was humming with sky-high prices in a frenzied market, high country buyers and brokers assumed national problems would not reach isolated resort communities. But the economic collapse, triggered by suspect lending, did reach the mountains, and the real estate market withered in the Great Recession right along with urban markets.

Once again the mountain market is raging. But there are signs that indicate this time around could be different. There arent any sketchy financial schemes propping up lending. The pandemic is shifting priorities as a wave of largely urban residents moves to Colorados high country. The newcomers are scooping up primary homes, not just vacation getaways, and they are moving in.

People were playing with funny money in 07, said Gil Fancher, the co-owner of the Vail Real Estate Center. Now we are seeing people buying because they want to change their life. I do not see us falling off a cliff any time soon.

 Urban migration hits the high country

Growing waves of urban buyers are scouring the mountains. They started poking around in June and July and swarmed in the fall. September sales volume in Pitkin County, for example, was up 458% from September 2019. October in Eagle County saw sales climb 230% from the previous year. Routt Countys October was up 122%. San Miguel Countys October was up 131%.

The new buyers  mostly from Denver as well as big cities in Texas, California and Florida  are able to work from home and are maybe not as keen on city life as they once were. And they like bigger homes that have office space and room for large families to not just gather, but live.

Mountain real estate markets do not always follow the trajectory of metro Denver. But this year, they are. The Colorado Association of Realtors reported the 12 months up to October showed the greatest price appreciation for Denver homes  up 21.3%  ever tracked by the association.

The robust home market is reflected nationally as well, as mortgage rates hover near historic lows. Since cratering in May, sales of existing homes climbed every month through October compared with the previous year. The National Association of Realtors reported in October that national home sales volume was peaking along with record-high prices and all-time lows in the supply of homes for sale. But the association fretted over peak prices for building materials, like lumber, suggesting that a lack of new homes could sustain the spike in home prices.

Pitkin County, home to Aspen and long the champion of staggering home prices, recorded 268 sales over $2 million this year through September. The number of deals for homes worth $10 million or more is up four times over the same period last year. Through September, sales volume reached $2.4 billion, up more than 30% over all of 2019s sales.

The last three months of 2019 real estates sales in Pitkin County reached $509 million. If the pace continues, the county will log sales near or greater than $3 billion in 2020, making not just the largest year ever for Aspen-area real estate but the largest year-over-year increase.

Aspen broker Chris Klug calls it the great COVID migration.

Theres no question Aspen Snowmass and the entire Roaring Fork Valley real estate market benefited from the urban exodus, said Klug, a former Olympic snowboarder whose Klug Properties sold $206 million in real estate so far in 2020, more than double the goal he set in January. Remember this is with virtually no activity for two months in the spring. We were just hoping and praying all spring that wed have a summer selling season. A switch got flipped at the end of June and its been all hands on deck ever since.

Eagle County logged 297 sales of properties for more than $2 million through October. That includes 62 sales of homes for more than $5 million, totaling $607.6 million. The sales this year in Vail Village, where there are three properties for sale priced higher than $30 million, include four homes for more than $20 million and the valleys highest-ever sale of a $57.25 million Vail home to Boulder biotech entrepreneur Kevin Ness. Total sales in Eagle County through October reached $2.6 billion, eclipsing last years record finish.

Ted Steers, Fanchers partner at the boutique Vail Real Estate Center, said hes seeing a mix of longtime vacationers, existing owners moving up to larger homes and newcomers buying properties around Vail.

They are moving assets into something more fun, Steers said, describing buyers who have recently sold their companies. Theyve worked hard for a long time and they see this is the time to move into the mountain house.

 Low inventory driving the market

The 2007 real estate frenzy in the high country was driven by a lot of investors who had access to loans that were not well vetted. Brokers are not seeing that type of buyer this time. Most buyers are moving in, said Jon Wade, with the The Steamboat Group.

And when the mountain real estate market started to slip as the country slid into a recession in 2008 and 2009, early warning signs could be seen in growing inventories of homes for sale and fewer buyers.

The opposite is happening right now.

We could have our inventory grow by three times, four times, even five times and we would just be back at March or the year before, Wade said. This is unprecedented.

In Telluride, where the supply of homes for sale is at historic lows, the only hope for more homes hitting the market is not coming from builders, but from owners who bought more than a decade ago during the last downturn, said longtime Telluride broker Harvey. Those folks got really good deals and its likely the value of their high-country home has doubled. If they cash out, that could open up opportunities for a new wave of buyers, Harvey said.

Steamboat Springs isnt seeing many locals selling. And as the pandemic shuffles work scenarios and allows more people to work remotely, the Routt County resort town is seeing more location-neutral workers shopping for homes.

The demographics of buyers in counties nearer to metro Denver is shifting, too. Eagle, Grand, Routt and Summit counties have the highest percentage of Front Range buyers in 2020 on record.

Sales in Routt County through October have already eclipsed last years record year and homes prices are at all-time highs. According to Land Titles breakdown, 25% of the 1,435 purchases in Routt County through October were Front Range buyers, up from recent years.

Even for a city like Denver, which is a really nice city, right, a lot of the people want the hell out of there, Wade said. I hear it almost every day. Somebody told me that yesterday. And he lives in Cherry Creek, which is not a bad place to be.

Wade said buyers are undeterred by climbing prices because they are buying with assets that have appreciated just as much.

These are not necessarily new trends in Colorados resort real estate market. For years, buyers have flocked, spending big on homes in the mountains, citing lifestyle changes, access to the outdoors and a shift from urban or suburban settings.

The pandemic has just accelerated things that have already been happening for years, Wade said. Being here makes sense to more people now, for the same reasons everyone has always wanted to be here.
A missing Florida man has been found dead in a park as the search for his girlfriend continues after they disappeared in suspicious circumstances.

Police confirmed the body of Trodarius Rainey, 26, was found in a wooded part of Lake Jesup Park on Saturday morning.

The 26 year old was found eight miles away from where his car was discovered abandoned on New Year's Eve.

He was last seen the night before with his girlfriend Tiffany Nicole Church, 35, who is still missing.

The body of Trodarius Rainey, 26, (left)was found in a wooded area in Lake Jesup Park, Florida on Saturday and police are still trying to find his girlfriend Tiffany Nicole Church, 35 (right)

The 26 year old was found eight miles away from where his car was discovered abandoned on New Year's Eve

Following the discovery of his body, Rainey's death is now being investigated as a homicide.

Rainey's 2021 black Toyota Camry, with Florida tag JKMN34, was discovered early on December 31 at 1980 Cameron Avenue, Sanford.

Police say evidence found within the vehicle indicate the couple's disappearance is suspicious and Church is considered to be endangered.

The search for the 35-year-old woman continues and the Seminole County Sheriff's Office put a out a plea to the public for any information as to her whereabouts.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Seminole County Sheriff's Office or Crimeline at (800)423-TIPS.
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Sunday approved Oxford Covid-19 vaccine Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute, and Covaxin developed by Bharat Biotech for restricted emergency use in the country.

With India gearing up to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine, the Union Health Ministry has released a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the vaccines. Through the FAQs the government gave answers to several queries of the citizens with regards to the vaccine, its side-effects and who will be administered the vaccine on a priority basis.

Following are the set of FAQs released by the Health Ministry

Is a COVID-19 vaccine scheduled anytime soon?

Government has identified high-risk groups to be vaccinated on priority.

 The first group includes healthcare and frontline workers,

 The second group will be persons over 50 years and persons with co-morbid conditions

 Subsequently, the vaccine will be made available to all others in need.

Is it mandatory to take the vaccine?

Vaccination for Covid-19 is voluntary. However, it is advisable to receive the complete schedule of Covid-19 vaccine for protecting self against this disease and also to limit the spread of this disease to the close contacts including family members, friends, relatives and co-workers.

Is it necessary for a COVID-19 recovered person to take the vaccine?

Yes, it is advisable to receive complete schedule of Covid vaccine irrespective of past history of infection with COVID-19 as it will help in developing a strong immune response.

Can a person with Covid-19 (confirmed or suspected) infection be vaccinated?

Infected individuals should defer vaccination for 14 days after symptoms resolution as they may increase the risk of spreading the virus to others at the vaccination site.

Will the vaccine introduced in India be as effective as those in other countries?

Yes. The Covid-19 vaccine introduced in India will be as effective as any vaccine developed by other countries as various phases of vaccine trials are undertaken to ensure its safety and efficacy.

How will I know if I am eligible for vaccination?

Eligible beneficiaries will be informed through their registered mobile number regarding the health facility for vaccination and its scheduled time.

What documents are required for registration of eligible beneficiary?

Any of the below-mentioned ID with Photo may be produced at the time of registration:

Aadhaar/Driving Licence/Voter ID/PAN Card/Passport/Job Card/Pension document

Health Insurance Smart Card issued under the scheme of Ministry of Labour

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) Job Card

Official identity cards issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs

Passbooks issued by Bank/Post Office

Service ID issued to employees by Central/ State Govt./ Public Limited Companies

What about the possible side-effects from COVID-19 vaccine?

Covid vaccine will be introduced only when the safety is proven. As is true for other vaccines, the common side effects in some individuals could be mild fever, pain, etc. at the site of injection. States have been asked to start making arrangements to deal with any Covid-19 vaccine-related side-effects.

Can Those taking medicines for Cancer, Diabetes take the COVID-19 vaccine?

Yes. Persons with one or more of these comorbid conditions are considered high risk category. They need to get COVID-19 vaccination.

Will the family of healthcare providers/frontline workers be given the vaccine?

Due to the limited vaccine supply in the initial phase, it will be first provided to people in priority groups. In subsequent phases, the vaccine will be made available to all others in need.

How many doses of the vaccine would have to be taken and at what interval?

Two doses of vaccine, 28 days apart, need to be taken by an individual to complete the vaccination schedule.

The Serum Institute of India's Covishield vaccine, which has got approval from the country's drug regulator, will be commercially available at  1,000 per dose if the government allows sale in retail, company chief Adar Poonawalla has said.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause

By Long Island Published: January 04 2021

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has announced that the Countys landmark Subwatersheds Wastewater Plan (SWP) has become the first countywide watershed plan in New York State history

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has announced that the Countys landmark Subwatersheds Wastewater Plan (SWP) has become the first countywide watershed plan in New York State history to be approved by New York State as a Nine Elements Watershed Plan. The Countys long-term water quality plan is the first countywide watershed plan to receive State approval and is only the third 9E Watershed Plan approved statewide. As a result of the designation, applications for grant funding under New York States Water Quality Improvement Program (WQIP) will receive additional points during the application review and scoring process, increasing the likelihood of a project being awarded State grant funds.

The fight to reverse decades of nitrogen pollution from outdated cesspools and septic systems has created a unity of purpose among scientists, business leaders, environmentalists, the building trades and organized labor. The Subwatersheds Wastewater Plan provides policy makers with the information needed to make decisions based on sound science. said County Executive Bellone. The approval of the Subwatersheds Wastewater Plan as a NYSDEC 9E Watersheds Plan will ensure the findings of the Plan are considered in competitive grant applications for New York State water quality grant programs, ultimately increasing the likelihood that State grant funds will be awarded for the restoration of our waters. The approval continues to demonstrate the strong partnership that Suffolk County maintains with the Office of the Governor and the NYSDEC. Suffolk County thanks New York State for its unwavering support toward reclaiming our water.

The Subwatersheds Wastewater Plan was the result of a rigorous and transparent three year process that built upon input from technical experts, government officials and a wide variety of non-government stakeholders, said Dr. Pigott, Commissioner, Suffolk County Department of Health Services. The Plan provides the first science-based roadmap to address nitrogen pollution in Suffolk County since the 1978 208 Study. New York States designation of the Plan as the first countywide 9E Watersheds Plan further validates the hard work, dedication, and science that went into this tremendous effort. Suffolk County thanks Governor Cuomo and the DEC for theirs continued support of efforts to improve water quality in Suffolk County.

Suffolk County should take great pride in this water quality accomplishment, said James Tierney, Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The Countys 9E Plan is the first of its kind, as it addresses nitrogen pollution throughout an entire county. No other county has completed such a plan. DEC intends to employ Suffolk Countys groundbreaking 9E Plan as an example for others.

Suffolk County went above and beyond the significant requirements for a 9E Plan, Deputy Commissioner Tierney noted For example, Suffolk County undertook a great deal of stakeholder engagement -getting citizens apprised of progress and involving them in the formulation of actions to improve water quality. The County understood that public acceptance and action is critical for ultimate 9E program success. Moreover, as nitrogen pollution is a problem will not be solved by a limited set of actions, the County adopted a well-thought adaptive management approach to help ensure effective plan revisions and implementation over the long-term. Suffolk County also recognized in the plan that it will take many years of commitment and focused financial solutions to sustain such a large-scale pollution reduction program.

The SWP was developed in response to overwhelming evidence that nitrogen from onsite wastewater systems is resulting in significant water quality degradation throughout the County. In 2014, a team of experts assigned by IBM to assess the lack of sewers as part of the companys Smarter Cities Challenge program, urged the county to develop a long-term plan to expand the use of active wastewater treatment infrastructure. A holistic wastewater strategy was also recommended in the countys 2015 Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan, which documented continuing and steady degradation of water quality due mostly to legacy septic systems. In 2015, New York State announced creation of the Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP), a multi-jurisdictional partnership focused on making meaningful reductions in nitrogen across Long Island. Development of the SWP directly responds to these recommendations and satisfies a major milestone in the LINAP Scope.

Over the past several decades, Suffolk Countys groundwater and surface water quality have been plagued by elevated and increasing levels of nitrogen loading into the environment. While all sources of water pollution are concerning, nitrogen from cesspools and septic systems has been the most widespread and least well addressed of the regions growing list of pollutants. Excess nitrogen from cesspools and septic systems has been linked to harmful algal blooms, hypoxia and fish kills, and contributed to the collapse of Suffolk Countys hard clam populations, which once supported a multi-million-dollar industry that accounted for over 6,000 jobs. The harmful effects ultimately destabilize wetlands, aquatic vegetation and ecosystems, impairing coastal resiliency.

Because approximately 74 percent of Suffolk County remains unsewered, individual residences and businesses rely primarily on antiquated onsite wastewater disposal systems, which are not designed to remove nitrogen. There are approximately 380,000 existing cesspools and septic systems in the county. After 1973, newly installed systems were required to include both septic tanks and leaching pools. The Plan notes, however, that more than 253,000 of the existing systems were built before 1973, and are simply cesspools, which essentially serve as injection wells that direct contaminants towards groundwater. The groundwater in Suffolk County is part of a sole-source aquifer that provides the regions drinking water but is also the primary source of nitrogen contamination to streams and bays. The SWP, along with five other independent scientific studies published in the last decade, have identified nitrogen from onsite wastewater systems as the single largest source of nitrogen pollution to the water resources of the County, including about 70 percent of the nitrogen input to local bays.

The SWP is the first science-based study ever to delineate more than 190 individual watershed areas in Suffolk County, establish goals for reducing nitrogen inputs into each area, and to establish a recommended roadmap for how to address nitrogen emanating from the 380,000 antiquated sanitary systems. While sewer connections make sense in select geographic areas, a fundamental conclusion and recommendation in the SWP is that the use of I/A OWTS represents the most cost effective means to reduce nitrogen from wastewater sources in most areas of the County. The SWP also estimates that nitrogen from onsite wastewater sources may increase an additional 20 percent if the county continues to use the existing antiquated wastewater disposal systems, making the use of I/A OWTS for new construction paramount to restoring and protecting water quality throughout the county.

If the full recommendations of the SWP are enacted, it is projected that the trend of worsening water quality will be arrested and reversed within 10 years. The Draft SWP was released in August 2019 and was subject to a two month public comment period. A revised SWP incorporating public comments, and comments received by the Suffolk County Council on Environmental Quality, was posted in February 2020 and the Final SWP incorporating minor revisions to satisfy the requirements of the 9E Watershed Plan program was published in July 2020. Release of the Plan was welcomed with unprecedented support by a broad and diverse group of stakeholders, including scientists and academics, business leaders, environmentalists, labor organizations and the building trades.

Christopher J. Gobler, Ph.D., Endowed Chair of Coastal Ecology and Conservation School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and Director, New York State Center for Clean Water Technology at Stony Brook University, said, The strength of this plan is the incredibly strong and sound science on which it is based. The County has taken what may be the largest and most comprehensive water quality data set generated by any county in the country and has generated a robust, comprehensive, and forward-thinking plan to restore Suffolk Countys most vital resource: Its drinking water and surface waters. While I have spent my career documenting the degradation of Long Islands fisheries and aquatic habitats, it is inspiring to finally see a plan designed and implemented that will reverse course on decades of negative trajectories. The citizens of Suffolk County will reap the benefits of this plan for decades to come.

Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said, This report is the most comprehensive, meaningful watershed study in the history of Long Island. It doesnt just identify and characterize the problem, it sets forth an ambitious plan to solve the problem. The lack of infrastructure to treat sewage is making our island polluted and unsustainable. We now have the roadmap to restoring surface water quality within ten years of implementing wastewater treatment upgrades. The report provides a path to reverse the damage and ensure our waterways are healthy. Kudos to Suffolk County Executive Bellone for supporting and advancing this critical effort.

John R. Durso, President, Long Island Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, said, The Long Island Federation of Labor applauds the comprehensive strategies advanced by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone to address wastewater issues, a central concern for county residents. Guaranteeing the availability of clean drinking water and maintaining the viability of our coastlines will have major economic as well as environmental benefits. Creating a permanent funding stream to expand sewer districts and install advanced water treatment systems will create hundreds of jobs and allow for meaningful economic development in local communities.

On October 6, 2020, the Suffolk County Legislature unanimously approved a bill for revisions to Article 6 of the Suffolk County Sanitary Code implementing two of the primary recommendations of the SWP. The proposed sanitary code changes were also unanimously approved by the Suffolk County Board of Health on October 21, 2020 and include a requirement for the use of I/A OWTS for all new construction as well as changes to the requirements for small STPs referred to as Appendix A Modified Sewage Disposal Systems. Changes to the requirements for Appendix A systems will increase the flexibility of their use in Suffolk County, particularly in locations where siting advanced wastewater treatment can be difficult, such as downtown hamlets. Both sanitary code amendments were fundamental early action recommendations of the SWP and represent the most significant change in County wastewater disposal requirements since 1973. The bill was backed by a wide-range of interest groups with extraordinary and overwhelming support.

You do not get to a unanimous vote on the Suffolk County Legislature on an issue of this importance easily, said County Executive Steven Bellone. That does not happen accidentally. Its because of the extraordinary work that has taken place to get us to this point.

John Cameron, Chairman of the Long Island Regional Planning Council, said, Of prime importance for Suffolk County, indeed for all Long Island, is water quality. The countys code amendments, rooted in rigorous science, will help to protect and restore surface water and groundwater quality alike while addressing the critical need for affordable housing. Given the economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, these changes are particularly welcome since they will provide a much-needed boost to the economy of downtown business districts. These amendments are essential to the implementation of the countys Subwatersheds Wastewater Plan and to achieving the goals and vision identified by the Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP). As a LINAP partner, we thank Suffolk County for its continued leadership in aggressively addressing the regions nitrogen pollution problem.

Kevin McDonald, Conservation Policy Advisor for The Nature Conservancys Long Island Chapter, said, Requiring new home construction and major renovation projects to install clean water septic systems is a win-win for our communities and economy. Preventing nitrogen pollution from contaminating our drinking water and waterways will help to lower the overall cost of cleaning up Long Islands waters over the long term. With demand for these new technologies already increasing, the Legislatures approval of Introductory Resolution 1643 will encourage manufacturers to continue investing in Long Island and help to create even more good paying jobs.

NYSDEC 9E Watershed Plans are consistent with the EPAs framework to develop watershed-based plans. EPAs framework consists of nine key elements. The elements are intended to ensure that the contributing causes and sources of nonpoint source pollution are identified, that key stakeholders are involved in the planning process and that restoration and protection strategies are identified that will address the water quality concerns. An overview of EPAs framework is in Nine Minimum Elements to be included in a Watershed Plan document (PDF). 9E plans use adaptive management, have strong implementation sections, are effective plans for restoration or protection, and projects identified in 9E plans are eligible for federal and state funding. Applications submitted to DECs Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) grant program that identify projects from a 9E watershed plan receive higher points. More information can be found on 9E Watershed Plans here.
Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

You might catch a local celebrity at Miller's Cafe today if you go at the right time. Mayor Sylvester Turner is heading there for a burger after a weekend protest outside the restaurant.

Protesters marched outside of Miller's Cafe on Shepherd Drive over the weekend, upset with the restaurant enforcing mask-wearing indoors. A video shows people marching outside of the cafe with flags, chanting, "Boycott Miller's," ABC 13's T.J. Parker reports.
Scott Morrison phoned Daniel Andrews on Monday night to persuade him to let people who have visited regional New South Wales back into Victoria.

The premier shut the state's border to the whole of NSW on New Year's Day due to a coronavirus outbreak in Sydney, leaving tens of thousands of residents who went away for Christmas unable to get home.

Mr Morrison called Mr Andrews, who is on a week of leave, and urged him to relax his hard border.

Police officers patrol and check for entry permits to Victoria at a border checkpoint on December 29

Mr Morrison said there was no virus in regional NSW so Victoria has no reason to keep the border closed to people who have not been to Greater Sydney.

'The wastewater testing had no positive results for Covid outside the Greater Sydney metropolitan region and other hotspot areas like Wollongong,' he told 3AW radio on Tuesday morning.

'It's the same situation as rural and regional Victoria and Melbourne. So there is an opportunity to work through those issues, and we will provide what support we can for a better pathway home for Victorians.'

Mr Morrison did not reveal if Mr Andrews was receptive to his plea.

Victorians stuck interstate include a stranded family with a disabled child and another with special needs.

More than 2,300 applications have been made for exemptions to cross the NSW border after it slammed shut on Friday night, with only 175 processed on Sunday.

Testing commander Jeroen Weimar said medical exemptions are being processed quickly but others are taking 24 to 48 hours.

Former federal Labor leader Bill Shorten has revealed a family stuck on the NSW south coast contacted him in a bid to speed up their border exemption.

'I've been dealing with a constituent of mine,' Mr Shorten told Nine's Today.

Mr Morrison (left) called Mr Andrews (right), who is on a week of leave, and urged him to relax his hard border

'Her and her husband they've got a disabled child and another child with special needs.

'Far better to have this child, this 11-year-old, looked (after) at home, rather than stuck in south coast NSW.'

The former federal opposition leader said he would be 'hitting the phones' on Tuesday to ensure their exemption was sorted out.

He said the exemption system 'doesn't seem to be working the way it should' and implored Victoria's health department to speed up the assessment process.

'Let's just get it done quickly,' Mr Shorten said.

'A whole lot of Victorians on holiday (have been) caught off guard, no chance to sort this out.

'We need now the administrative follow-up to help make sure people are not stranded in some really tough circumstances, like the lady I'm talking about.'

Victoria recorded three new locally acquired coronavirus infections on Tuesday. Pictured: Melburnians wear face masks as they walk on Sunday

On Tuesday Victoria recorded three new locally acquired coronavirus infections as thousands of residents are plunged into self-isolation.

Health authorities are confident the Black Rock coronavirus cluster is on a 'very positive trajectory' after it climbed to 24 cases on Monday.

The three new cases reported on Tuesday came after 32,544 coronavirus tests were conducted across the state.

It is not yet known if the new infections are linked to the Black Rock outbreak - which was initially connected to the Buffalo Smile Thai restaurant.

There was also one Covid-19 case reported in a returned traveller in hotel quarantine.

The state's number of active cases stands at 38.

Melbourne's cluster is linked to a mystery outbreak on Sydney's northern beaches which emerged on 16 December and numbers 148 cases.

With AAP

India will not allow the export of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for several months, the head of Serum Institute of India, which has been contracted to make 1 billion doses of the vaccine for developing nations, said Sunday.

With rich nations reserving most of the vaccines that will be made this year, Serum Institute the world's largest vaccine manufacturer is likely to make most of the inoculations for developing countries. The ban on exports, however, means that poorer nations will probably have to wait a few months before receiving their first shots.

The vaccine was granted emergency authorization by the Indian regulator on Sunday, but on the condition that Serum Institute doesnt export the shots to ensure that vulnerable populations in India are protected, Adar Poonawalla, the companys CEO, said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.

He said that the company also has been barred from selling the vaccine on the private market.

We can only give (the vaccines) to the government of India at the moment, Poonawalla said, adding the decision was also made to prevent hoarding.

As a result, he said, the export of vaccines for COVAX the ambitious initiative created to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines set up by the World Health Organization, vaccines alliance GAVI and CEPI, a global coalition to fight epidemics wont begin until March or April.

Poonawalla said that Serum Institute was in the process of signing a larger contract with COVAX for 300 million-400 million doses of the vaccine. That is apart from two existing orders of 100 million doses each for the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, and another one from Novovax. He said the deal would be finalized in the coming weeks.

He said the first 100 million doses of the vaccine were being sold to the Indian government at a special price of 200 rupees ($2.74) per dose, after which prices would be higher. The vaccine will be sold on the private market at 1,000 rupees ($13.68) per dose. He said vaccines could be delivered to Indian states where they were needed within seven to 10 days of the company finalizing a deal with Indias government.

Poonawalla said his company was planning to give 200 million to 300 million doses of the vaccine to COVAX by December 2021. He acknowledged that the company would have to balance distribution of vaccines between India and COVAX.

We cant vaccinate everybody right now. We can prioritize, he said.

Serum Institute is also negotiating bilateral agreements with individual countries including Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Morocco, Poonawalla said. So that at least the most vulnerable in the states of our country or in other parts of other countries are taken care off, he said.

Poonawalla said that even if all the plans by different global vaccine manufacturers were to succeed, he still anticipates a global shortage for coronavirus vaccines over the next year.
There was a socially distanced audience of 250 people there, said Staunton. And what struck me was peoples delight in just being in a place together safely. But reacting. [I was thinking] weve done it on the telly, we dont need to do it in the theater. But my God was I wrong. The audience was just so grateful and appreciative, and just sort of wallowing, if you like, in each others company.
U.S. National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger is reiterating the theory that COVID-19 leaked from a Chinese government-run lab in Wuhan.

Pottinger made that claim in a recent Zoom meeting with British officials, according to a New York Post report.

Pottinger, a famous critic of Beijing, said that there is a growing evidence that the lab is likely the most credible source of the pandemic.

The security official stated the theory as the European Union made a new investment deal with China last week over protests from Pottinger.

The incoming Biden administration has also shown hesitance about the said investment. Pottinger is one of the first U.S. officials to raise alarms about the origins of the virus last year

He has reportedly suspected since the early days of the outbreak that the coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab.

Pottinger then ordered U.S. intelligence agencies to search for evidence to support its unsubstantiated theory that it originated in a government-run laboratory, as reported by The New York Times.

Related story: Experts Suggest Novel Coronavirus Originated From Lab in Wuhan



Was COVID-19 man-made?

Meanwhile, a Chinese virologist said that she did some of the earliest research on COVID-19.

The said virologist then claimed that COVID-19 was man-made and that the Chinese government covered up its dangers.

However, Western medical experts have refuted the theory. The World Health Organization has been investigating the source of the virus since the first case was reported last year.

Patient Zero has not been found. Pottinger went on to accuse that the WHO investigation is a ruse in the recent call with British officials.

The Trump administration has blamed China for the pandemic ever since it started. In part, this is to deflect criticism about the administration's alleged downplaying of the crisis in the country.

Anthony Ruggiero, a National Security official, said in one videoconference that the CIA was unable to get any theory of the virus' origin.

Former Tony Party leader official said that Beijing's hesitance to allow journalist visit the lab has increased suspicions that it was indeed the base ground of the virus.

"The truth is there are people who have been in those labs who maintain that this is the case," Iain Duncan Smith was quoted on a Daily Mail report.

Smith said that they do not know what they have been doing in that laboratory. Critics also fear that the probe will be a whitewash with China's influence on the WHO.

Pottinger said that MPs around the world have a moral role to play in exposing the WHO investigating the COVID-19 case as a Potemkin case.

Pottinger was referring to the fake villages created in the Crimea in the 18th Century for the purpose of convincing visiting Russian Empress Catherine the Great that the region was in good condition.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Security official went on to say that every establishment figures in Beijing have openly dismissed the wet market story.

Related story: How Deadly Is COVID-19? Researchers May Have Finally Found An Answer




There were a total of 222,798 wildfires across Brazil in 2020, the highest number since 2010, according to the Brazilian space agency, INPE

The number of wildfires in Brazil increased 12.7 percent last year to a decade-high, according to official figures likely to add to pressure on President Jair Bolsonaro's government over the destruction of the Amazon rainforest.

There were a total of 222,798 wildfires across Brazil in 2020, the highest number since 2010, according to the Brazilian space agency, INPE.

That included more than 103,000 fires in the Brazilian Amazon, an annual increase of nearly 16 percent, said INPE, which uses satellite images to track fires and deforestation.

It also included more than 22,000 fires in Brazil's share of the Pantanal, the world's largest wetlands, which were devastated last year by an annual increase of more than 120 percent.

The Amazon and Pantanal are two of Earth's most valuable ecosystems.

The Amazon, the world's biggest rainforest, is considered vital to curbing climate change because of the carbon dioxide it absorbs from the atmosphere.

About 60 percent of the rainforest is in Brazil.

The Pantanal, further south, is a paradise of biodiversity that stretches from Brazil into Bolivia and Paraguay.

Nearly a quarter of the Brazilian Pantanal was devastated by fires last year, amid the region's worst drought in nearly half a century.

Images of charred landscapes strewn with animal carcasses shocked the world, drawing criticism of Bolsonaro's government for failing to stop the destruction.

Burnt areas of the Amazon rainforest, near Boca do Acre, Brazil, in 2019the number of wildfires in Brazil increased 12.7 percent in 2020

Bolsonaro, a far-right climate change skeptic, also faces attacks over the sharp rise in Amazon deforestation on his watch.

Activists say his push to open protected Amazon lands to agribusiness and mining and his government's funding cuts for environmental protection programs are fueling the destruction.

Deforestation wiped out an area larger than Jamaica in the Brazilian Amazon in the year to August, a 12-year high, according to the space agency's PRODES monitoring program.

Experts say the fires in the Amazon are mostly set by people clearing land for farming and ranching.

The number of fires in the Brazilian Amazon had already risen by 48.7 percent in 2019, Bolsonaro's first year in office, triggering global outcry.

Explore further Fires triple in Brazil's Pantanal wetlands in 2020

 2021 AFP
The first Americans inoculated against COVID-19 began rolling up their sleeves for their second and final dose Monday, while Britain introduced another vaccine on the same day it imposed a new nationwide lockdown against the rapidly surging virus.

New York State, meanwhile, announced its first known case of the new and seemingly more contagious variant, detected in a man in his 60s in Saratoga Springs. Colorado, California and Florida previously reported infections involving the mutant version that has been circulating in England.

The emergence of the variant has added even more urgency to the worldwide race to vaccinate people against the scourge.

In Southern California, intensive care nurse Helen Cordova got her second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center along with other doctors and nurses, who bared their arms the prescribed three weeks after they received their first shot. The second round of shots began in various locations around the country as the U.S. death toll surpassed 352,000.

Im really excited because that means Im just that much closer to having the immunity and being a little safer when I come to work and, you know, just being around my family, Cordova said.

Over the weekend, U.S. government officials reported that vaccinations had accelerated significantly. As of Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said nearly 4.6 million shots had been dispensed in the U.S., after a slow and uneven start to the campaign, marked by confusion, logistical hurdles and a patchwork of approaches by state and local authorities.

 READ MORE: Vaccinations are ramping up in a glimmer of hope, Dr. Anthony Fauci says

Britain, meanwhile, became the first nation to start using the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, ramping up its nationwide inoculation campaign amid soaring infection rates blamed on the new variant. Britains vaccination program began Dec. 8 with the shot developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.

Brian Pinker, an 82-year-old dialysis patient, received the first Oxford-AstraZeneca shot at Oxford University Hospital, saying in a statement: I can now really look forward to celebrating my 48th wedding anniversary.

The rollout came the same day Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new lockdown for England until at least mid-February. Britain has recorded more than 50,000 new coronavirus infections a day over the past six days, and deaths have climbed past 75,000, one of the worst tolls in Europe.

Schools and colleges will generally be closed for face-to-face instruction. Nonessential stores and services like hairdressers will be shut down, and restaurants can offer only takeout.

As I speak to you tonight, our hospitals are under more pressure from COVID than at any time since the start of the pandemic, Johnson said.

Elsewhere around the world, France and other parts of Europe have come under fire over slow vaccine rollouts and delays.

Frances cautious approach appears to have backfired, leaving just a few hundred people vaccinated after the first week and rekindling anger over the governments handling of the pandemic. The slow rollout has been blamed on mismanagement, staffing shortages over the holidays and a complex consent policy designed to accommodate vaccine skepticism among the French.

Its a state scandal, Jean Rottner, president of the Grand-Est region of eastern France, said on France-2 television. Getting vaccinated is becoming more complicated than buying a car.

Health Minister Olivier Veran promised that by the end of Monday, several thousand people would be vaccinated, with the tempo picking up through the week. But that would still leave France well behind its neighbors.

French media broadcast charts comparing vaccine figures in various countries: In France, a nation of 67 million people, just 516 people were vaccinated in the first six days, according to the French Health Ministry. Germanys first-week total surpassed 200,000, and Italys was over 100,000. Millions have been vaccinated in the U.S. and China.

The European Union likewise faced growing criticism about the slow rollout of COVID-19 shots across the 27-nation bloc of 450 million inhabitants. EU Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said the main problem is an issue of production capacity, an issue that everybody is facing.

The EU has sealed six vaccine contracts with a variety of manufacturers. But only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved for use so far across the EU. The EUs drug regulators are expected to decide on Wednesday whether to recommend authorizing the Moderna vaccine.

In the U.S., Dr. Mysheika Roberts, health commissioner in Columbus, Ohio, said demand has been lower than expected among the people given top priority for the vaccine. For example, the citys 2,000 emergency medical workers are all eligible, but the health department has vaccinated only 850 of them.

She said some people were hesitant to get the vaccine and wanted to see how others handled it. The vaccine also arrived the week of Christmas, and a lot of people were on vacation and didnt want to be bothered during the holiday, she said.

I think we all assumed that people would want this vaccine so badly, that when it became available, people would just come get it, Roberts said.

Roberts noted there has been no effective mass marketing campaign explaining why people should get vaccinated.

From the president on down, so many people have been touting the fact that were going to have a vaccine and get this vaccine out. But so many of those same people who were talking about it now have gone silent, she said. That could help if those same people would be more vocal about it.

Elsewhere around the globe, Israel appears to be among the world leaders in the vaccination campaign, inoculating over 1 million people, or roughly 12% of its population, in just over two weeks. The effort has been boosted by a high-quality, centralized health system and the countrys small size and concentrated population.

On Sunday, India, the worlds second-most populous country, authorized its first two COVID-19 vaccines  the Oxford-AstraZeneca one and another developed by an Indian company. The move paves the way for a huge inoculation program in the desperately poor nation of 1.4 billion people.

India has confirmed more than 10.3 million cases of the virus, second in the world behind the U.S. It also has reported about 150,000 deaths.
Iran has seized a South Korean-flagged oil tanker in the Persian Gulf over environmental concerns, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Monday amid mounting tensions with Washington over Tehrans nuclear activities.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency published photos of the vessel, identified as the Hankuk Chemi, which the outlet said was transporting 7,200 tons of ethanol before the IRGC's naval forces intercepted it at 10 a.m. local time Monday.

The South Korean tanker was stopped in the waters of the Persian Gulf [for] environmental pollution and after neglecting warnings, the IRGC Navy said in a statement, accusing the vessel of violating environmental protocols repeatedly since departing from the Saudi port of Al Jubail.

The Hankuk Chemi was then escorted to Irans southern port city of Bandar Abbas for further action, the statement said. Iranian authorities also arrested the vessels crew, which included members from South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar.

South Koreas Foreign Ministry called on Monday for the tankers immediate release and said anti-piracy forces had been sent to the area.

The defense ministry immediately dispatched the Cheonghae unit to waters near the Strait of Hormuz shortly after receiving a report on the situation of Iran's seizure of our commercial vessel, the ministry said in a statement.

Ties between Tehran and Seoul are strained over $7 billion in Iranian assets currently held up in South Korean banks due to US sanctions. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said a high-ranking South Korean official will visit Tehran later this week to discuss the frozen funds, Al Jazeera reports.

We hope this trip would be an end to the slowness of this process, Khatibzadeh said Monday.

The Donald Trump administration reimposed tough economic sanctions on Iran in 2018 after abandoning the landmark nuclear deal struck between Iran, the United States and other world powers in 2015. President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to rejoin the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, if Iran returns to strict compliance.

Tehran, which insists its nuclear program is used only for peaceful purposes, has gradually breached its obligations since Washingtons exit from the deal. On Monday, Iran said it resumed 20% uranium enrichment at its underground Fordow facility near the city of Qom.

The move follows the passage of legislation in Irans hard-liner parliament last month that called for increasing uranium enrichment in retaliation for the suspected Israeli-orchestrated assassination of one of Irans top nuclear scientists in November.
I wrote here about the latest police shooting in Minneapolis, which took place on Wednesday night. Multiple police vehicles pulled over a young man named Dolal Idd, who was on probation for firearms violations, and officers told him to get out of his car. Instead, he tried to drive away. When blocked, he opened fire on the police and, it appears from video footage, narrowly missed one of them. The police returned fire and Idd was killed. You can see the whole thing at the link on a body cam video that has already been released.

Demonstrators gathered on the night of the incident and blocked off a street for several blocks while building a bonfire in the middle of the road. I am not aware of any riots over the last few nights, which most likely reflects the weather rather than any sensible evaluation of the incident by potential rioters.

On Friday, the Somali newspaper in the Twin Cities, Sahan Journal, published an article on Idds death that can fairly be described as delusional. It began with an incendiary account of the fact that some hours after the shooting, police officers executed a search warrant at the home of Idds parents. Presumably this had something to do with the cause of Idds apprehension, which has not yet been made public, although there have been references to a weapons investigation.

But that isnt the worst of it. The Sahan account is willfully vague, if not misleading, on what happened Wednesday night:

The incident began when officers with the Minneapolis Police Departments Community Engagement Team conducted a traffic stop involving Dolal at a Holiday gas station on E. 36th Street and Cedar Avenue S. in south Minneapolis. The police characterized the stop as part of a weapons [sic] investigation. Dolal had some run-ins with the law, including traffic offenses, possession of a pistol without permit, and firing a gun in the basement of the his parents home.

The last paragraph amends the original version of the Sahan Journal article, which quoted Idds father to the fact that in the past, Dolal had only minor legal issues involving traffic violations. In fact, he was on probation for his 2018 weapons violations. At that time, his mother said that he was barred from their home because he scares the children.

Late Thursday afternoon, police released a 27-second clip of body cam footage captured at the scene. The officer wearing the body cam (who has yet to be named) identifies himself as a police officer and yells hands up. With gun raised, he approached the white car Dolal was driving with a female passenger. The officer curses as what may be a gunshot goes off, and then starts firing. Other officers join in, sending a barrage of bullets into the car.

It was obviously a gunshot. Idd fired first, and the officers had no choice but to return fire. But if you are a Somali living in the Twin Cities, this basic fact is obscured. The Journal then quotes multiple sources who are critical of the police, including City Councilman Jeremiah Ellison:

Im frustrated that the police dont seem to have any strategy to preserve life during a tense situation, Ellison told Sahan Journal. Im concerned that any Black person with a gun seems especially vulnerable to being killed by police. And Im troubled by the knee-jerk escalations our police have to any and all demonstrations against them.

This is downright sinister. Ellison doesnt offer a strategy to preserve life when a criminal suspect opens fire on police officers. I dont think there is one. And Ellisons observation that any Black person with a gun seems especially vulnerable to being killed by police is bizarre. That observation is true when the black person not only has a gun, but, as in this case, uses it to try to kill police officers. If a suspect does that, he can expect knee-jerk escalation, which evidently means he will be shot at by officers who probably are more skilled with firearms than he is.

Of course, we hear from the usual community activists, including unindicted co-conspirator CAIR:

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) has called for an investigation of the fatal police shooting of Dolal. We must see all the videos and we demand justice for Dolal Idd, said Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR-MN. We also are outraged after learning [of] the terrifying home raid that could have resulted in tragedy.

I have no idea what justice for Dolal Idd might mean. Something other than police officers defending themselves, evidently.

Abdirahman Warsame, the co-founder of Generation Hope, a nonprofit organization formed by youth whove lost friends to drug overdoses, said he knew Dolal and was saddened by the loss of his friend. He acknowledged Dolals previous run-ins with the law, but noted that he was trying to change his life. For them to take him is just evil, Abdirahman said of the Minneapolis police. Who are you to take somebody elses life, [when] they are trying to do better for themselves, to do better for their family?

When a criminal suspects shoots at you, it is evil to shoot back? That actually is the narrative that the Left peddles. Maybe someone out there believes it. We live in strange times.

The killing of Dolal makes me feel unsafe, Abdirahman added. It makes me feel confused. The same people that are here to serve and protect are the same people that are killing your own people.

Activists would prefer that criminals run rampant in their own communities, committing crimes and perpetrating violence with no effort by law enforcement to combat them. This is why activists speak for few minority residents of the Twin Cities, or anywhere else.

The Dolal Idd case is a clear-cut instance of police acting in self-defense, protecting themselves against an armed criminal suspect who has opened fire on them. No sensible person, having watched the body cam video, would disagree. And yet, members of the local Somali community are being misled by outlets like the Sahan Journal, which pretends that the most significant aspect of the Idd case is the fact that police officers executed a search warrant, and pretends further that law enforcement is somehow to blame in Idds death.

Meanwhile, Branco drew this cartoon for Alpha News:
Property case: IT sleuths at Robert Vadras office to record statement

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 04: The sleuths of the Income Tax department are at the office of Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in connection with an illegal property case.

The team will record his statement. Vadra is being investigated in a case involving properties worth 12 million pounds in London that allegedly belongs to him. He has been questioned in the case which was filed in 2018 by the Enforcement Directorate.

2021 Ahead: India Inc seeks single income tax structure instead of dual structure

Farmer Protest: What did Agricultural minister say on the 7th round of talks|Oneindia News

In 2015, the agency had registered a case of money laundering against Vadra's firm. It as said that Skylight Hospitality had acquired land meant for rehabilitation of poor villagers in Rajasthan's Bikaner. It was alleged that Vadra had bought 69.55 hectares of land at a cheaper rate and sold it to Allegenery Finalease for Rs 5.15 crore through illegal transactions.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, January 4, 2021, 15:25 [IST]
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGGI) on Monday granted permission to Serum Institute of India (SII) to manufacture its COVID-19 vaccine 'Covishield'. The approval for manufacture of the vaccine was granted after the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine Covishield for restricted emergency use on Sunday. The Pune-based SII had applied to theD CGI for the emergency use of their vaccine on December 7. The company is manufacturing the vaccine developed by Oxford University and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. Over 50 million doses of Covishield vaccine, worth Rs 2000 crore, have been stockpiled by SII.

Crucially, the document states that the vaccine is for active immunisation of individuals who are 18+ years-old. The second dose should be administered between 4-6 weeks of the first, though it can be administered up to 12 weeks later as well.

READ | Prashant Bhushan Won't Accept DCGI Nod To Covaxin; Wants PM & Bharat Biotech To Try First

Two different prices for the vaccine

SII CEO Adar Poonawalla, while giving an interview with Associated Press announced the prices of Covishield and disclosed that his company has fixed two different prices for the vaccine. He said that the first 100 million doses of the vaccine were being sold to the Indian government at a special price of 200 rupees per dose, after which prices would be higher. The vaccine will be sold on the private market at 1,000 rupees per dose. He said vaccines could be delivered to different states where they were needed within seven to 10 days of the company finalizing a deal with the government.

READ | Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine May Become The First To Get DCGI Nod For Emergency Use

Poonawalla also stated that the Serum Institute is negotiating bilateral agreements with individual countries including Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Morocco, so that at least the most vulnerable in the states of our country or in other parts of other countries are taken care off.

On Sunday, Poonawalla had expressed his delight about the approval for the vaccine and assured that it 'safe, effective' and had also announced that it will roll out in the coming weeks.

READ | Serum Institute Of India To Launch Country's First Domestically-produced Pneumonia Vaccine

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had congratulated the scientists & innovators of Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India (SII) and hailed the approval of the vaccine as a 'decisive turning point' to strengthen a spirited fight against the coronavirus pandemic and congratulated India getting its first vaccine.

On Saturday, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had said the vaccines would be given free of cost to priority groups in the first phase.

READ | Key Meet At DCGI On Pfizer, Serum & Covaxin's Vaccines; 64 Diplomats Visit Bharat Biotech

(With agency inputs)
President Donald Trump cataloged a series of false conspiracy theories during an hourlong call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Saturday in which he sought to overturn the state's election results, and they were familiar to anyone following the far fringes of the internet.

Trump floated fragments of several baseless conspiracy theories that were primarily pushed by QAnon followers over the last two months, including a widely debunked theory about voting machines from Dominion Voting Systems.

The wide-ranging slew of theories, spawned on extremist forums like 4chan, were repeatedly referred to by Trump as rumors that are trending on the internet. He claimed they were reasons Raffensperger should re-examine it [the election] with people that want to find answers.

And while Trump has embraced conspiracy theories for much of his tenure as president, Saturday's call offered a look at just how much he is now relying on some of the most outlandish theories from obscure corners of the internet to make his case for election fraud.

"Trump manages to distill down to a 10-minute monologue what would take the average person years to pull together, said Joan Donovan, research director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Donovan noted that many of the baseless claims floated by the president have been embraced in recent weeks by pro-Trump media.

Everything from fakes, forgeries and machine hacking to collusion across parties, it's all laid out in detail with rapid fluidity, Donovan said, noting the conspiracy theories laid out in the call are very popular on right-wing media like Parler and Newsmax.

Trump pulled together all the major talking points, Donovan said.

'You know, the internet?'

While his claims were wide-ranging, Trump focused in particular on a conspiracy theory that alleges that Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman, working in the State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta, produced thousands of fake ballots from a suitcase that somehow swung the vote to President-elect Joe Biden.

Story continues

The theory was debunked weeks ago by state election officials, who called the baseless claims ridiculous, explaining that the full surveillance video showed workers packing official absentee ballot carriers with valid, uncounted ballots in anticipation of going home for the evening and unpacking the same carrier when they were told to stay.

During the call, Trump suggested that a major water main break had made this caper possible.

And while NBC News reported on Election Day that a burst pipe delayed ballot counting at the arena on Election Day, it happened hours before the cases were packed and unpacked late in the night.

And lets be clear. There was no water main break, voting system manager Gabriel Sterling said in early December. He said a urinal had created a little slow leak in the arena.

The debunking did little to deter ardently pro-Trump websites like The Gateway Pundit, which continued pushing the claims through a selectively edited video, and QAnon followers, who harassed Freeman and her daughter.

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Last month, a false rumor was pushed by QAnon accounts that Freeman had been arrested. Though nothing of the kind happened, the rumor spread quickly through far-right fringe communities, and Trump brought it up in the call with Raffensperger.

She's known all over the internet, Brad. She's known all over, Trump said.

Trump came back to Freeman18 times on the one-hour call, referring to her as a professional vote scammer and a hustler.

You know, the internet? Trump asked at one point. You know what was trending on the internet? 'Wheres Ruby?' Because they thought shed be in jail. 'Wheres Ruby?' Its crazy. Its crazy," Trump said.

Despite Trumps familiarity, the #WheresRuby hashtag was hardly trending on Twitter, racking up just a few hundred tweets and retweets in December, mostly from QAnon and ultra-conservative activist accounts, according to an NBC News analysis.

In reality, Freeman runs a mall kiosk and a small online business that sells handbags and other womens accessories. She could not be reached for comment.

In addition to made-up claims of fraudulent votes, Trump falsely claimed that Fulton County had destroyed ballots and inaccurately characterized a consent decree between the state and national Democrats that standardized the process of verifying a voters identity through signature matching.

Then the other thing they said is in Fulton County and other areas. And this may or may not because this just came up this morning, that they are burning their ballots, that they are shredding ballots, Trump said during the call.

Later, he added, It doesnt pass the smell test, because we hear theyre shredding thousands and thousands of ballots.

Theres no evidence of ballots being shredded or burned in Fulton County.

Cobb County did shred some paper materials  including privacy envelopes, outdated email printouts and Post-It notes. County officials there were falsely accused of shredding ballots on social media and during a recent Georgia state Senate subcommittee hearing.

Everything of consequence, including the ballots, absentee ballot applications with signatures, and anything else used in the count or re-tally remains on file, Elections Director Janine Eveler said in a statement.

Trump also falsely claimed that Georgia officials had signed a totally unconstitutional agreement with Democrat Stacey Abrams that barred election officials from checking signature matches and allowed people who arent election officials to collect ballots.

This is inaccurate on all fronts: Georgia, in a settlement agreement with the state and national Democrats, agreed to standardize signature matching across the state ahead of the 2020 election. Signatures are still checked twice: first on absentee ballot applications when voters request a ballot, and then again on the envelope of received ballots.

Abrams, the voting rights advocate who narrowly lost a bid for governor in 2018, was not a party to this agreement, nor did the agreement allow ballot collection  something Republicans including Trump refer to as ballot harvesting.

Harvesting is still illegal in the state of Georgia. And that settlement agreement did not change that one iota, Raffensperger told Trump.

'Im sure, Mr. President'

The president at times did not seem to have a full grasp of the conspiracy theories he brought up. After Raffenspergers general counsel, Ryan Germany, rebuffed Trump's claim about Dominion Voting Systems, Trump said the company is moving fast to get rid of their machinery by removing inner parts of the machines. Germany denied that.

While it is unclear what inner parts of the machines Trump referred to, the Dominion conspiracy theory has developed an elaborate mythology on pro-Trump forums like 4chan and 8kun since the election.

The Dominion conspiracy theory has been primarily pushed by prominent QAnon influencers, including pro-Trump lawyers Sidney Powell and L. Lin Wood, as well as Ron Watkins, the administrator of the 8kun internet forum that hosts the creator of the QAnon conspiracy theory. Watkins has appeared as a voting machine expert in segments about Dominion on One America News Network despite having no experience with voting machines. Trump has retweeted the segments several times. Watkins rumors about Dominion voting systems are largely pulled from other posts on the extremist websites 4chan and 8kun.

Denver Riggleman, a Republican and former congressman from Virginia who has been speaking out about the hold QAnon has over some GOP members, said the phone call is an example of a feedback loop wherein the president is feeding disinformation to millions, then having that disinfo parroted back as a rationale for objecting to the results of the election.

The ideas are all very specific to QAnon and other conspiracy theories, Riggleman said. This sounded like an argument between a teenager caught on 8Chan and the parent who finds him in the basement. You can hear a lot of silence and sighs from the Georgia team.

During the call, Germany repeatedly attempted to fact-check Trumps internet rumors, at which point the president quickly moved onto other conspiracy theories about shredding ballots.

No, Dominion has not moved any machinery out of Fulton County, Germany told Trump.

But have they moved the inner parts of the machines and replaced them with other parts? Trump asked.

No, Germany replied.

Are you sure, Ryan? Trump asked.

I'm sure, Germany said. I'm sure, Mr. President.

'This is Trump media'

Raffensperger also tried to push back against the presidents conspiracy theories, reminding the president that rumors on social media are not always true.

Mr. President, the problem you have with social media, they, people, can say anything, Raffensperger said.

Oh, this isnt social media. This is Trump media. Its not social media, Trump replied.

The description was apt, Donovan said.

"The invocation of Trump media really says it all, she said. Social media, cable news, talk radio, it's all under his influence. He can break news, create stories, intimidate his party, all from the bully pulpit of Trump media.

Its not clear whether hell wield the same sort of power after Jan. 20.

Once he leaves the White House, so goes that kind of sway, Donovan said.

Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 14:11:38|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI -- India's COVID-19 tally rose to 10,340,469 on Monday as 16,504 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, said the latest data from the federal health ministry.

According to the data, the death toll mounted to 149,649 as 214 COVID-19 patients died since Sunday morning. (India-COVID-19)

- - - -

SUVA -- Fijian Permanent Secretary for the Health Ministry James Fong said Monday that two COVID-19 vaccines have requirements that are within Fiji's cold chain capacity and they are able to store drugs in it for the island nation's use.

Fong said the ministry has the ability to store Moderna and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines. (Fiji-Vaccine-Cold Chain)

- - - -

TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Monday that the government is planning to declare another state of emergency for Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures as COVID-19 cases surge in these areas.

Speaking at the first press conference of 2021, Suga said that the government could make the decision as early as this week. (Japan-State of Emergency)

- - - -

YANGON -- Myanmar President U Win Myint on Monday called for a constitution which is the foundation of the establishment of the future democratic federal union complying with democratic principles and standards, the actual situation of the country and the emerging federal union system.

Speaking on the occasion of the 73rd Anniversary of Independence Day, U Win Myint stressed that it is important for all ethnic nationals to help each other in close friendship, to have compassion and empathy, to discuss and negotiate, to be free from suspicion, to have mutual respect, understanding and trust as well as unity in establishing the democratic federal union. (Myanmar-President-Independence)

- - - -

SYDNEY -- Several large bushfires threatened lives and homes in the state of Western Australia (WA) on Monday, with warnings issued for state capital Perth.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) issued warnings for the Spectacles, Orelia, Medina, Naval Base, Postans, Kwinana Beach and Hope Valley in the city of Kwinana. (Australia-Bushfires) Enditem
A new variant of the coronavirus that has taken hold in some parts of the United Kingdom (UK) has scientists scrambling to uncover its implications on the pandemic. Early signs indicate it may be capable of spreading faster by being better at how it infects people. A large epidemiological analysis by Imperial College London and others showed there was a significantly larger share of infections of the new strain among those found with the virus in people under the age of 20. While this is still an early assessment, and more studies are underway, it could potentially prolong Covid-19s impact on children, who have not been the face of the crisis but have suffered in equal measure as among some of the worst-hit groups. The virus has arrested their educational as well as socio-emotional development as they are forced indoors to avoid a virus that can debilitate older member of their families, even if it doesnt impact them directly.

According to Unicef, over 460 million children have been unable to access remote learning tools last year. The harms extend to their health too. Disruptions in health services in lower- and middle-income countries could contribute an additional two million under-five deaths.

These costs are rarely the most visible talking points. But these must be kept in mind as the new variant forces countries such as the UK to once again close schools. India must do everything it can to not be forced to take a similar step when it plans to finally reopen schools. We must make the best use of vaccines and containment efforts not just to save lives, but also stop the mounting costs to our younger generation.
The Daily Beast

Theo WargoCNN boss Jeff Zucker on Tuesday addressed network staffers concerns over the revelations that primetime star host Chris Cuomo advised his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on how to respond to the multiple sexual harassment allegations against him.During a Tuesday afternoon town-hall meeting with staff, Zucker claimed he understood the unease over Cuomos conduct, saying in no uncertain terms that it was a mistake for the primetime star to participate in strategy calls advising his politically powerful brother.He did cross a line, Zucker said.Last week, The Washington Post reported that Cuomo joined strategy calls helping plan his powerful brothers rebuttals to mounting allegations that he harassed multiple women and made some female staffers feel uncomfortable. According to multiple sources who were present on one meeting, the CNN host even mentioned invoking cancel culture as a way to combat the claims.The CNN boss said he personally voiced his displeasure to Cuomo, and that he had considered the options for how to handle the star hosts unfolding scandal. Ultimately, Zucker said that rather than suspending Cuomo, the network decided the host should have to go on-air and personally apologize to his viewers.And so during his 9 p.m. ET broadcast, Cuomo declared that it will never happen again and insisted he knows where the line is.In a statement following the Post bombshell last week, CNN admitted it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governors staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward. The network added that Cuomo would not be disciplined further.But the top anchors decision to secretly participate in the strategy calls assisting his embattled brother has, indeed, irked numerous network staffers. CNN insiders who spoke with The Daily Beast this week expressed frustration with the networks handling of the incident, saying Cuomo should have faced more serious consequences.Im very disappointed in the network, said one current on-air personality. I think some disciplinary action, at a minimum, was required in this situation. The source added, As a woman who works here, I feel a little let down, to be honest.Staff were particularly interested in Tuesdays town hall following one of the more eventful weeks for the network following a high-profile sale and the departure of one noteworthy on-air contributor.During the call, Zucker said that Rick Santorum was given an opportunity to apologize for what the CNN boss referred to as the ex-senators inappropriate and racist comments about Native Americans, but because he refused to do so, the network ultimately fired the conservative pundit.And elsewhere in Tuesdays town hall, Zucker downplayed the impact of AT&Ts decision to merge WarnerMedia, CNNs parent company, with Discovery. Asked about whether CNN could be spun off as part of the deal, the network chief said he did not think that was in the cards.And when pressed on his own future at the network, Zucker said he plans to have conversations with the right people very soon.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
Even though 11.4 million doses of the approved Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines had been distributed across the United States by Monday morning, just 2.1 million had made it into the arms of high-risk Americans.

That's far too slow a pace, said one official charged with spearheading the vaccination of Americans.

"We agree that that number is lower than what we hoped for," Moncef Slaoui, scientific adviser of Operation Warp Speed, the federal effort to accelerate vaccine development and distribution, said at a Wednesday news briefing, The New York Times reported. "We know that it should be better," he said, "and we're working hard to make it better."

Already by Wednesday, the number of distributed doses had risen to 14 million, and the 2.1 million vaccination tallycompiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventioncould be somewhat low. At a separate news briefing held Wednesday, the CDC announced the number of Americans who'd gotten the first dose of vaccine stood at 2.6 million, the Times said.

Still, even that number is a far cry from an earlier prediction federal officials had made that 20 million people would have gotten a dose of vaccine by the end of December.

Just why delays are happening is unclear.

Speaking at the "Warp Speed" news briefing, logistics coordinator Gen. Gustave Perna cited possible reasons as the holiday season, winter weather and lags in reporting as possible factors slowing delivery. According to the Times, he said that health care facilities are still learning how to store the vaccines at super-low temperatures, and many states are setting aside doses for use at long-term care facilities, an effort that's expected to take several months.

Right now, most shots are being given at hospitals, clinics and nursing homes, but Perna and Slaoui agreed that the pace of vaccination should pick up considerably once doses are given out by the major pharmacy chains.

"What we should be looking at is the rate of acceleration over the coming weeks," Slaoui said, "and I hope it will be in the right direction."

President-Elect Joe Biden has been critical of the slow pace of vaccine deployment. Speaking Tuesday in Wilmington, Del., he said that at current rates, "it's going to take years, not months," to vaccinate the entire U.S. population.

Biden is vowing that upon taking office on Jan. 20, he will he activate a law known as the Defense Production Act to "order private industry to accelerate the making of the materials needed for the vaccines as well as protective gear."

But the Trump administration has already taken that step to speed up vaccine manufacturing, the Times noted, so it's unclear how Biden's plan will differ. Biden has pledged to administer 100 million vaccine dosesenough to provide 50 million people with the two doses needed for protectionwithin the first 100 days of his presidency.

"This is going to be the greatest operational challenge we've ever faced as a nation," Biden said, "but we're going to get it done."

New coronavirus variant now spotted in California, Colorado

California announced the nation's second case of the new and more contagious variant of the coronavirus, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

In an online conference with Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the infection was found in Southern California.

"I don't think Californians should think that this is odd. It's to be expected," Fauci said.

The announcement came a day after the first case was reported in Colorado.

Experts believe the new variant is probably already spreading elsewhere in the United States.

"The virus is becoming more fit, and we're like a deer in the headlights," Dr. Eric Topol, head of Scripps Research Translational Institute, told the AP.

Topol said that the United States does less genetic sequencing of virus to discover variants than other nations, and thus was probably slow to detect this new mutation.

Other states, including California, Massachusetts and Delaware, are analyzing suspicious virus samples for the variant, Dr. Greg Armstrong, who directs genetic sequencing at the CDC, told the AP.

No evidence has been found that this variant is more deadly or causes more severe illness, and scientists are saying that the vaccines will be effective against it. But a faster-spreading virus could swamp hospitals with seriously ill patients.

Researchers estimate the variant is 50% to 70% more contagious, Dr. Eric France, Colorado's chief medical officer, told the AP.

"Instead of only making two or three other people sick, you might actually spread it to four or five people," France said. "That means we'll have more cases in our communities. Those number of cases will rise quickly and, of course, with more cases come more hospitalizations."

The rapid spread of the new variant within Britain has caused a virtual shutdown there, with many countries banning or restricting flights from the United Kingdom. Many scientists in the United States had assumed that the novel variant was already circulating among Americans.

Another COVID-19 vaccine enters final trials

In other news, vaccine maker Novavax, along with federal health researchers, announced Monday that a phase 3 trial will begin on the safety and effectiveness of another COVID-19 vaccinethe fifth shot to reach this final stage of development.

"We've come this far, this fast, but we need to get to the finish line," Dr. Francis Collins, director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), said in an NIH statement.

Novavax will enroll 30,000 people from 115 testing sites across the United States and Mexico, and testing is already underway in Britain. The vaccinewhich right now is known as NVX-CoV2373comes in two doses and is designed to enhance the body's immune response to the coronavirus' distinctive spike protein.

The Novavax shot is somewhat different from approved vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, in that it manufactures its own antigens that mimic the coronavirus' spike protein. However, these antigens "cannot replicate and cannot cause COVID-19," the NIH said in the statement.

If phase 3 trials prove the Novavax vaccine to be safe and effective, the shot has one big advantage over the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines: It needs only standard refrigeration, not the freezing or ultra-cold temperature storage required by the first two vaccines.

According to CBS News, two other pharmaceutical companies, Johnson & Johnson's Janssen and AstraZeneca, also have phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trials underway in the United States.

A global scourge

By Thursday, the U.S. coronavirus case count passed 19.7 million while the death toll neared 343,000, according to a Times tally. On Thursday, the top five states for coronavirus infections were: California with nearly 2.3 million cases; Texas with almost 1.8 million cases; Florida with 1.3 million cases; New York with almost 964,000 cases; and Illinois with nearly 958,000 cases.

Curbing the spread of the coronavirus in the rest of the world remains challenging.

In India, the coronavirus case count was over 10.2 million on Thursday, a Johns Hopkins University tally showed. Brazil had over 7.6 million cases and close to 194,000 deaths as of Thursday, the Hopkins tally showed.

Worldwide, the number of reported infections neared 83 million on Thursday, with more than 1.8 million deaths recorded, according to the Hopkins tally.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

More information: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the new The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the new coronavirus

Copyright  2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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A man was accidentally shot and killed at a Peaky Blinders fancy dress party in France after one guest brought a loaded rifle as part of his costume.

The party on New Year's Eve ended in tragedy when one of the guests accidentally fired the hunting rifle, hitting Thomas Bernabe, aged 27, in the chest.

The party of former high school friends aged mainly in their late 20s was held at a remote house in Monbazillac in Dordogne, southern France.

The party on New Year's Eve ended in tragedy when one of the guests accidentally fired the hunting rifle, hitting Thomas Bernabe, aged 27, in the chest. Bernabe is pictured above

The party of former high school friends aged mainly in their late 20s was held at a remote house in Monbazillac in Dordogne, southern France

The event's fancy dress theme was based on the hit Netflix drama Peaky Blinders starring Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy.

The series follows the exploits of the Shelby crime family in the direct aftermath of the First World War.

The man was shot by another guest, also aged 27, inside a garage while people were smoking outside, just hours before midnight.

Emergency services were called to the party at about 9.30pm on New Year's Eve and arrived to find the man had been shot in the chest.

Paramedics were unable to save him and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man who fired the gun has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and faces up to five years behind bars.

The hunting rifle belonged to his father, according to local media reports.

Police said several of the guests had brought guns with them to the fancy dress party.

Police are treating the incident as an accidental shooting, according to local media reports.

The event's fancy dress theme was based on the hit Netflix drama Peaky Blinders starring Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy

Bergerac prosecutor Odile de Fritsch told AFP: 'About 20 people born between 1991 and 1993, all former high school friends, gathered Thursday in an isolated house for a fancy dress party inspired by this British television series, which features gangsters in three-piece costumes and caps.

'At around 9:30pm, a shot was fired from a weapon brought by a guest.'

Bernabe' was an only child and the pain of his parents, who live in the small town of Saint-Nexans, has been described as 'excruciating'.

The 27-year-old worked as a communications manager for CBO Group, which specialises in motorcycles, and his colleagues have paid tribute to him as a 'jovial and generous person', according to a report in local news outlet Le Petit Bleu.

According to the publication, four guns had been brought to the party and were being used to recreate Peaky Blinders scenes for a photoshoot.

The weapon that inflicted the fatal injury was reportedly thought not to have been loaded.

The weapon was old and had reportedly not been cleaned or used in a long time.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 3)  The Department of Foreign Affairs repatriated a total of 327,511 overseas Filipinos in 2020.

In a press release on Sunday, the DFA said 70.7% are land-based workers from at least 90 countries, while 29.3% are seafarers from over 150 vessels.

It also listed a breakdown of regions in which the repatriates "travelled or transited through," with the Middle East accounting for the biggest share at 69.89%. Meanwhile, Asia and the Pacific had 11.26%; the Americas had 9.46%; the Europe had 8.83%; and Africa had 0.57%.

The department first mounted a COVID-19 repatriation flight on February 9, 2020 to bring home 30 Filipinos residing in Wuhan, China which was then the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. It has since organized several flights to bring home more Filipino nationals, many of whom have lost their jobs due to the global health crisis.

The DFA said it has seen the highest number of repatriated overseas Filipinos in December last year, with 51,770 returning to the country.

Besides workers displaced by the global pandemic, other repatriates include victims of human trafficking, unaccompanied minor children and senior citizens, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Arriola noted.

As we start a new year, the DFA remains committed to its assistance-to-nationals mandate and renews its promise to bring home every Filipino who wishes to come home, she said.
AI Is The New Weapon In The Cyber Arms Race

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing field of technology with potentially significant implications for national security with the United States and other nations actively developing AI applications for a range of military functions.

Indeed, AI promises to change the face of future warfare as it becomes absorbed into autonomous weapons systems and being increasingly used to manage military operations. It has already been incorporated into military operations in Iraq and Syria.

Research is underway for AI to be applied in the fields of intelligence collection and analysis, logistics, cyber operations, information operations, command and control, as well as a variety of autonomous vehicles and the US military is already integrating AI systems into combat via an initiative called Project Maven, which has used AI algorithms to identify insurgent targets in Iraq and Syria.

These investments are the early stages of an AI arms race, similar to the nuclear arms race of the 20th century and this type of military escalation poses a threat to all humanity. Nevertheless, the development of military AI is accelerating and right now AI is now being deployed on multiple military applications, mainly to conduct predictive analysis at a scale beyond human means.

Hackers are continuously devising new techniques, adapting the latest technology innovations including machine learning and artificial intelligence to devise more destructive forms of attack. Indeed, AI promises to become the next major weapon in the cyber arms race. As companies move to the cloud to gain scale and efficiency and integrated new channels and touch points to make it easier for their customers and suppliers to do business with them, they have also created more potential points of entry for cyber attacks.

The trend of allowing employees to bring their own laptops, smartphones and other digital devices to the office or use to work remotely serves to increase the threat surface.

According to the McAfee Labs 2019 Threats Predictions Report, hackers will increasingly turn to AI to help them evade detection and automate their target selection. Companies will have no choice but to begin adopting AI defenses to counter these cyber-criminals. This escalation reflects the sheer volume of data and transactions in modern life. In businesses like financial services and healthcare it is not humanly possible to examine every transaction for anomalies that might signal cyber snooping.

AI can also be used to continually monitor and allocate levels of access to a networks multitude of legitimate users.

Because cyber attackers have stealth on their side, organisations might need dozens of experts to counter only a handful of attackers. AI can help even the odds, scoping out the potential permutations of vulnerabilities.

Chief Information Officers advise boards on the growing cyber security threats and although AI programs cannot presently replace experienced cyber security professionals, AI technology can make security staff smarter, more vigilant and more responsive.

Organizations like the US Department of Defense and the space agency NASA, as well as governments around the world are implementing AI-based tools to address the cyber threat and many experts believe that AI will have a significant impact on warfare and it will transform how war happens in the future.

West Point Modern War Inst: US Congress Research Service: FutureofLife Inst: Fortuna's Corner: Gen. John Allen:

You Might Also Read:

The Emerging Domain Of Cyber War:
SHENZHEN, China, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CIMC Enric Holdings Limited ("CIMC Enric" or "the Company", SEHK stock code: 3899.HK), announced that its subsidiary Zhangjiagang CIMC Sanctum Cryogenic Equipment Co., Ltd ("CIMC Sanctum") recently started R&D of liquid nitrogen biological containers for long-term cryogenic storage of vaccines, stem cells, plasma, semen, embryos and various tissues and organs for the needs of the biomedical industry.

The liquid nitrogen biological container will be designed based on the GB14174 "large-caliber liquid nitrogen container" standard. Upon successful development, the equipment will adopt advanced technologies such as high vacuum multilayer insulation, electronic temperature control, and liquid nitrogen dispersion to make the intelligent cooling and constant temperature process uniform and stable. It is expected that the product will provide immersion storage and vapor phase storage in two ways, providing users with a fully automatic, safe and reliable cryogenic liquid nitrogen storage system.

The equipment is specifically developed for cryogenic storage of biological samples. In the future, the finished equipment is expected to have many outstanding features including small size, large storage as well as superior temperature uniformity and stability. The equipment will have advanced temperature and liquid level monitoring, an alarm system and a remote monitoring program that can be connected to the Internet. The equipment body will be made of high-quality stainless steel with its own moving and braking device. It will support full-opening and has large opening for sample storage. The equipment is designed with lowest-possible liquid nitrogen consumption for large sample storage capacity and better cost savings per unit sample.

It is worth noting that when the equipment is stored in the gas phase, the temperature difference in the entire storage area will not exceed 10C, and the minimum temperature at the top of the design freezer shelf can reach -190C, which will perfectly fit the temperature requirement of 20C to -80C for the current COVID-19 vaccine developed by global pharmaceutical companies. The equipment can also effectively meet the cryogenic storage requirements of various biological samples by most drug distribution companies, hospitals, pharmacies, disease control centers, testing centers, biopharmaceutical companies, scientific research institutes and other institutions. The equipment will provide a strong protection for future scientific research, disease diagnosis and treatment.

Mr. Yang Xiaohu, General Manager and Executive Director of CIMC Enric, commented, "The mass production of domestic and foreign vaccines is just around the corner, but the cold chain storage and transportation of vaccines is still one of the challenges that countries need to overcome together. As the industry leader, the Company has rich experience and advanced technology in the field of cryogenic storage, transportation and smart temperature control. The Company also sees the demand for biomedical cryogenic storage equipment derived from the epidemic and has begun to increase related R&D investment with the vision to establish a more complete vaccine cold chain storage and transportation system."

Mr. Xu Zhiquan, General Manager and Director of CIMC Sanctum emphasized, "As CIMC Enric's backbone subsidiary specialized in cryogenic equipment manufacturing, CIMC Sanctum has powerful R&D institutes including a National Post-Doctoral Scientific Research Workstation, the Technology Centre of Jiangsu Province, and the Cryogenic Storage and Transport Equipment Engineering Technology Research Centre of Jiangsu Province. Cryogenic vaccine storage containers and the Company's current cryogenic storage and transportation equipment share similar technologies. CIMC Sanctum has the ability and strength to develop cryogenic storage equipment for biomedical products. Biomedical cryogenic storage equipment is the infrastructure of the medical testing centers. The outbreak of COVID-19 has revealed the huge gap in related equipment. The Company's new deployment is to meet with the urgent needs of China and the world to transform the testing capabilities and cryogenic storage of the new COVID-19 vaccine, to explore the huge potential of biomedical cryogenic storage industry and generating more diversified income."

About CIMC Enric Holdings Limited

CIMC ENRIC Holdings Limited is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, engineering and sales, as well as provision of technical maintenance services for, a wide range of transportation, storage and processing equipment used in the clean energy, chemical & environmental, liquid food industries. The company has set up a comprehensive marketing network with global coverage. After nearly ten years of steady development, the company is now the world's top player in both production and sales of ISO liquid tanks as well as high pressure gas storage and transportation equipment, and China's top player in cryogenic facilities, with regard to the production and sales volumes of CNG, LNG and LPG energy storage and transportation equipment. For further information, please visit: http://www.enricgroup.com/en/

About Zhangjiagang CIMC Sanctum Cryogenic Equipment Co., Ltd

CIMC Sanctum, a subsidiary of CIMC Enric, is a leading cryogenic equipment manufacturer and system solution provider, headquartered in Zhangjiagang City, Jiangsu Province. It is engaged in design, production, sales and related technical services of cryogenic storage tanks, lorry tankers, tank containers and cryogenic cylinders for hazardous chemical substance such as liquid oxygen, liquid nitrogen, liquid argon, liquid carbon dioxide and liquefied natural gas (LNG). It also undertakes construction as general contractor for cryogenic engineering projects such as LNG/L-CNG refueling stations, LNG gasification stations, flat bottom tanks, cluster tanks, spherical tanks, refuelling for ships, transportation and fuel gas supply system. The equipment manufactured by CIMC Sanctum have won a number of national awards. The company has been widely recognized by well-known clients both in China and abroad for its advanced technology, excellent quality and outstanding after-sales service. For further information, please visit http://www.sdy-cn.com/Home.html.

SOURCE CIMC
A DUP MP and SDLP MP have joined forces to accuse the government of suppressing a report on compensation for victims of Libyan-sponsored IRA terrorism.

Following years of campaigning, an independent report was commissioned by the government to ask how frozen Libyan assets worth billions in the UK might be used to compensate victims of IRA violence in the 1980s and 1990s.

Former Charity Commission chairman William Shawcross submitted the report last March but it has not been made public.

Yesterday's Sunday Telegraph published a letter from a group of cross-party MPs, including the DUP's Ian Paisley and SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, demanding its immediate publication.

In 2019, it was reported the UK Government has collected 17m in tax on 12bn of frozen Libyan assets hoarded by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in the UK.

The former Libyan dictator had supplied the Provisional IRA with Semtex and funding, with victims calling for some of the money to be used as compensation.

In May last year, Foreign Office minister James Cleverly told MPs the report had been submitted and that ministers "will consider the report in detail once the current need to focus on the Covid-19 crisis has abated".

Three months later, then Foreign Office Minister Baroness Sugg told peers that "Government ministers will consider the report in detail in due course, including whether to publish any elements of it".

The letter from the MPs - also signed by Conservative Andrew Rosindell, Labour's Conor McGinn and Liberal Democrat Sarah Olney - calls for answers.

It read: "Mr Shawcross's report has been with the Government for many months and nothing has come of it. The minister responsible for it will not publish it and the contents remain secret. This is not good enough."

It added that victims across the UK who had suffered from the hands of the IRA, from weapons and explosives supplied by Gaddafi, remain without justice and were being denied access to the recommendations made by Mr Shawcross.

"What is the Government hiding? What has Mr Shawcross proposed for the victims? Has the Government any intention of making good on the promises made that victims of Libyan-sponsored terror will receive justice before it's too late?

"Today we call on the Government to publish the Shawcross report without further delay and help bring this matter of compensation to a conclusion."

A Docklands Victims Association spokesperson told the Belfast Telegraph that they had met with Mr Shawcross last year.

Two people were killed and over 100 injured when an IRA bomb went off in the Docklands area of London in 1996.

"He appeared to genuinely understand the pain the victims have gone through waiting for compensation that has resulted in victims taking their own lives," the spokesperson said.

"However, I feel absolutely appalled with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who appointed Mr Shawcross to help us, as he is now denying us access to this report. The victims and their families are completely devastated as this treatment is intolerable".

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman said: "We are taking this work forward. Ministers are carefully considering the complex issues captured in Mr Shawcross's internal report, giving due respect to the victims."

Mr Shawcross told the Sunday Telegraph that he had submitted the report to the Foreign Secretary last March, but declined to make any further comment.

Download the Belfast Telegraph App Get quick and easy access to the latest Northern Ireland news, sport, business and opinion with the Belfast Telegraph App.

Belfast Telegraph
Judge Vanessa Baraitser today ruled against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's extradition to the United States arguing it would be oppressive by reason of Assanges mental health. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its UK and Australian affiliates, the NUJ and the MEAA welcome the decision and are urging the authorities to immediately release him.

Supporters of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange celebrate outside the Old Bailey court in central London after a judge ruled that Assange should not be extradited to the United States. Credit: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP

The judge argued Assange suffers from depression and that there is a high risk of suicide. If extradited, she considered it likely the US would send him to prison under special administrative measures (SAMs) and wouldnt prevent Assange from committing suicide. Therefore, she considered his extradition unfair.

Faced with the conditions of near total isolation without the protective factors which limited his risk at HMP Belmarsh, I am satisfied the procedures described by the US will not prevent Mr Assange from finding a way to commit suicide and for this reason I have decided extradition would be oppressive by reason of mental harm and I order his discharge, judge Baraitser said.

The American government has now 15 days to appeal the decision.

"The IFJ welcomes the judges decision not to extradite Assange because of the risk the extradition would pose to his health and well-being. However we are disappointed that that the judge appears not to adequately address the threat to media freedom his extradition would have posed in today's ruling. For years the IFJ and all its affiliates, particularly in the UK, Australia and the USA, have been reminding people that the detention of Julian Assange is contrary to international law and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Furthermore, Julian Assange's health has deteriorated dramatically since his imprisonment in April 2019 and the Covid-19 virus in his prison poses a serious threat to the survival of our colleague, holder of the IFJ International Press Card. It is time for the US to drop its attempts to extradite him", said IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger.

A long fight against Assange's extradition

The 49-year-old, father of two, sought refuge at the Ecuadorian embassy in London for seven years has already spent 16 months at Belmarsh top security jail.

He has been indicted in the United States under the Espionage Act for WikiLeaks 2010-11 publications of the Iraq War Logs, the Afghan War Diaries, and State Department cables.

If convicted, Assange would face 175 years in prison. He is accused by the Americans of encouraging whistleblower Chelsea Manning in 2010 to break into the government's computer system to provide information containing clear evidence of war crimes, including the publication of the video Collateral murders. The video showed, via an onboard camera on a US Apache helicopter in Iraq, the deliberate shooting on 12 July 2007 in Baghdad of civilians by the US military. At least 18 people were killed in the incident, including two journalists from the Reuters agency.



Both the IFJ and its British and Australian affiliates, the NUJ and the MEAA, have repeatedly highlighted the risks to journalism posed by Assange's threatened extradition. Todays ruling avoids a terrible precedent for the potential prosecution of any journalist who published material in similar circumstances.

The IFJ raised Assange's case at the United Nations and joined over 40 press freedom, human rights and privacy groups to call on the UK government to release Mr. Assange without further delay and block his extradition to the US.
Brash New York lawyer Burt Pugach shot to infamy in the late 1950s when he hired goons to viciously blind his young lover with lye for ending their affair.

In an equally sensational sequel, he left prison 14 years later and persuaded his disfigured victim, Linda Riss, to marry him.

It should probably come as no surprise, therefore, that Pugach's death on Christmas Eve has triggered a fresh intrigue every bit as perplexing as the couple's warped love story.

DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal that the 93-year-old, whose wife died seven years ago, has left his $15 million estate to an attractive female 'caregiver' nearly half his age.

But already the funds have been frozen by a judge after friends and former colleagues accused Shamin 'Sheila' Frawley of coercing Pugach into changing his will after he suffered a stroke.

Explosive court documents obtained by this website go so far as alleging that married Frawley, 52, then withdrew food and medicine from her ailing 'patient' until he died.

New York lawyer Burt Pugach died aged 93 on Christmas Eve, DailyMail.com can disclose. Pugach shot to infamy in the late 1950s when he hired goons to blind his young lover Linda Riss with lye for ending their affair, yet married her 14 years later (pictured together)

It should probably come as no surprise, therefore, that Pugach's death on Christmas Eve has triggered a fresh intrigue every bit as perplexing as the couple's warped love story

DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal that Pugach has left his $15 million estate to attractive female 'caregiver' Shamin 'Sheila' Frawley (pictured), 52. But the funds were frozen by a judge after friends and ex colleagues accused Frawley of coercing Pugach into changing his will after he suffered a stroke

Pugach revised his will at least five times after Linda succumbed to heart failure in 2013, gifting differing amounts to friends, but always leaving the bulk of the money to a foundation for the visually impaired set up in his late wife's honor.

The foundation was left with nothing, however, when the will was updated for the final time in October, several months after Pugach went to live in Flushing with Frawley and her husband William, 55.

'Burt lived his entire life for Linda. I cannot imagine that under any circumstances, as incapacitated as he was, that he would even think to cut out the foundation,' their attorney, Peter S. Thomas, told DailyMail.com about the allegations made in recently filed court documents.

'Sheila cared for him to a point, and she was going to be left a substantial sum of money, about $5 million.

'But apparently that was not enough for Sheila. So less than three months before he died, she had his will changed. What they did to this man was absolutely disgusting.'

This week three of Pugach's oldest friends  all beneficiaries under previous versions of the will - obtained a temporary injunction to stop Frawley withdrawing the $15m.

And in January they will go before a judge to demand the latest will is torn up, citing Frawley's 'undue influence' over the rich widower.

Frawley hung up on a reporter and did not respond to further messages asking for comment.

Adding to the intrigue, the mother-of-two filed for uncontested divorce in October  the same month the will was changed  according to court entries seen by DailyMail.com.

Thomas claims it was all part of the plot to claim Pugach's money.

The foundation was left with nothing, however, when the will was updated for the final time in October, several months after Pugach went to live in Flushing with Frawley and her husband William, 55 (pictured together)

This week three of Pugach's oldest friends  all beneficiaries under previous versions of the will - obtained a temporary injunction to stop Frawley withdrawing the $15m. Adding to the intrigue, the mother-of-two filed for uncontested divorce in October  the same month the will was changed  according to paperwork seen by DailyMail.com

Pugach is said to have become 'enchanted' with Frawley, her husband, and their daughters, developing a friendship with her after striking up conversation inside a Queens deli in 2016.

'In March, when Burt went into Sheila's house and was paralyzed, he still had the idea he would get better and eventually move out, Thomas said.

'She convinced Burt to swing more than $15m from the estate to her in a new will drafted by a new attorney.'

DailyMail.com put a list of Thomas's allegations to Steven Bracco, the lawyer responsible for the updated October 2020 will, but he did not respond.

Pugach was married to another woman when he first crossed paths with Linda Riss, a 22-year-old secretary from the Bronx who bore more than a passing resemblance to a young Elizabeth Taylor.

A successful older man with a nightclub and a private plane, he wined and dined her until she grew impatient with his failed promises to divorce his first wife.

When Linda broke off the relationship and got engaged to another man Pugach warned her: 'If I can't have you, no one else will have you, and when I get through with you no one else will want you.'

True to his word he hired three thugs in 1959 who splashed her with lye, though he later claimed in interviews that he merely asked them to beat her up.

Pugach was married to another woman when he first crossed paths with Linda Riss, a 22-year-old secretary from the Bronx who bore more than a passing resemblance to a young Elizabeth Taylor

When Linda broke off the relationship and got engaged to another man Pugach warned her: 'If I can't have you, no one else will have you, and when I get through with you no one else will want you'

True to his word he hired three thugs in 1959 who splashed her with lye, though he later claimed in interviews that he merely asked them to beat her up. The abrasive chemical, commonly used in alkaline drain cleaners, left Linda blind in one eye and nearly blind in the other, and she hid her injuries behind oversized, dark sunglasses for the rest of her life

Her decision 14 years later to marry Pugach when he finished his sentence  by then divorced and disbarred because of his felony conviction - dumbfounded friends and family while gripping the media. Pictured: The couple in 1974

'We loved each other more than any other couple could have,' Pugach wept in a New York Times interview after his wife's death. 'Ours was a storybook romance'

The abrasive chemical, commonly used in alkaline drain cleaners, left Linda blind in one eye and nearly blind in the other, and she hid her injuries behind oversized, dark sunglasses for the rest of her life.

Her decision 14 years later to marry Pugach when he finished his sentence  by then divorced and disbarred because of his felony conviction - dumbfounded friends and family while gripping the media.

Against all odds, their second act lasted for 39 years and became the subject of numerous articles, a book and the 2007 documentary, Crazy Love

Against all odds, their second act lasted for 39 years and became the subject of numerous articles, a book and the 2007 documentary, Crazy Love.

'We loved each other more than any other couple could have,' Pugach wept in a New York Times interview after his wife's death. 'Ours was a storybook romance.'

According to the new suit, Pugach made millions on stocks and always intended the bulk of it to go to the Burton and Linda Pugach Charitable Foundation, 'a foundation the deceased had created in honor of his late wife Linda Pugach, whom he loved dearly and wanted to honor after his passing.'

But in a sworn affidavit, attorney Peter Gordon, who helped draw up previous versions of Pugach's will, said that the beneficiaries suddenly changed after he suffered a stroke and was paralyzed down the left side of his body.

'He did not return to his home, an apartment in Rego Park where he and Linda had resided for more than 40 years and instead resided in the first floor of Sheila's home,' stated Gordon, who hired Pugach as a paralegal after he was disbarred.

Gordon said he noticed during visits to Frawley's home that his associate of three decades was 'susceptible to undue influence in that he was isolated from his friends' and dependent on her for his meals, medication and personal hygiene. 'He would refer to Sheila as Mommy', Gordon added.

Gordon and his wife Maris - both plaintiffs in the case - say they were due to receive $1m from Pugach's estate, while Frawley was in line for $5m - until her share was dramatically increased.

'I have learned after his passing that during the period of Burt's confinement, March 2020 through to his demise, approximately $15m was pledged to relatives and friends of Sheila,' Gordon stated.

Gordon said he noticed during visits to Frawley's home that his associate of three decades was 'susceptible to undue influence in that he was isolated from his friends' and dependent on her for his meals, medication and personal hygiene. 'He would refer to Sheila as Mommy', Gordon added

'Unfortunately $5m was not enough for her and she was not finished until she had received all the money.'

The third plaintiff, longtime friend Samuel Jacobowitz, claims he lost out on his $5m share when Pugach's will changed.

'I had visited Mr Pugach on at least 50 occasions since he lived at the home of Sheila where it appeared he was cared for and all his needs were being met until she stopped. Stopped feeding him and took his life. Claiming that was Burt's wishes.

'This all occurred after all the changes in the beneficiaries and a new will was prepared and executed sometime in October 2020,' Jacobowitz wrote in his affidavit.

New York State Supreme Court Judge Joseph Risi granted the friends a temporary injunction ahead of a January 13 court hearing. Their suit demands $15m in damages.

TD Ameritrade, Charles Schwab, JP Morgan, TD Bank and Merrill Lynch are all listed as defendants in the case because they hold Pugach's money.


This is the horrifying moment a mouse scrambles across the floor at Heathrow Airport.

The 12-second video sees the rodent emerge from underneath chairs at Costa Coffee opposite International Arrivals at London's Heathrow Airport.

The footage shows the tiny mouse scamper across the floor of the empty coffee shop on Christmas Day.

An anonymous man filmed the footage while he was waiting for his flight to Copenhagen, Denmark.

The 12-second video sees the rodent emerge from underneath chairs at Costa Coffee opposite International Arrivals at London's Heathrow Airport on Christmas Day

The mouse runs in the opposite direction as the man comments: 'Welcome to Heathrow Airport.'

The man then pans the camera around the coffee shop which shows people waiting while music is overheard in the background.

Speaking about the footage, he said: 'The place was overrun with mice, I must have counted a family of at least 10 whilst drinking my coffee and eating my panini.

The footage shows the tiny mouse scamper across the floor of the empty coffee shop before it runs in the opposite direction as the man comments: 'Welcome to Heathrow Airport'

The man then pans the camera around the coffee shop which shows people waiting for relatives while music is overheard in the background

'I informed the staff at Costa Coffee and they told me that they were aware and it was an issue for the airport to resolve.

'The airport was a little busy due to the flight issues and it being Christmas Day. I was flying to Copenhagen, Denmark.'

A Heathrow spokesman said: 'We apologise for this unwelcome visitor to our terminal.

'Our facilities team have been made aware of this and have taken appropriate action.'

MailOnline has contacted Costa Coffee for comment.
Seoul, Jan 4 : Seventeen more American soldiers and six civilians tested positive for the novel coronavirus upon their arrival in South Korea, the US Forces Korea (USFK) said on Monday.

In a statement, it said that the 23 USFK-affiliated individuals arrived in South Korea between December 16 and 31, 2020, reports Xinhua news agency.

Eight service members and one dependent arrived at the Osan Air Base on US government-chartered flights on December 16, 21 and 29, 2020.

The Osan Air Base is located in Pyeongtaek, 70 km south of Seoul.

Nine service members, three dependents, a contractor and one retiree arrived at the Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on international commercial flights on December 16, 19, 21, 27, 28, 29 and 31, 2020.

The infected patients have been transferred to designated isolation facilities at the US Army Garrison Humphreys and Osan Air Base, both of which are located in Pyeongtaek, the USFK statement added.

The total number of infections among the USFK-affiliated personnel rose to 509, according to Yonhap news agency.

On Monday, South Korea reported 1,020 new cases, raising the total number of infections to 64,264.

The daily caseload rose above 1,000 in three days, hovering above 100 for 58 days since November 8, 2020.
An NRL star has vented his fury and publicly pleaded for help after he was ordered into hotel quarantine in Victoria, which he compared to as similar to prison conditions.

Canberra Raiders halfback George Williams and his partner Charlotte Lewis are holed up in a Melbourne hotel for 14 days isolation after flying in from the nation's capital on Monday.

The couple had no idea until they arrived in Melbourne of their fate after they spent two days in Batemans Bay on the New South Wales south coast last week.

Victoria has closed its borders to NSW as both states battle fresh coronavirus outbreaks.

NRL star George Williams and his partner Charlotte Lewis spent two days in Batemans Bay last week, which has landed them in hotel quarantine after flying to Melbourne on Monday. They're pictured enjoying a night at the fair in Batemans Bay last week

The couple had gone on holiday to Batemans Bay from December 28 to December 30, before travelling to the ACT with the intention of flying back to Melbourne on January 3.

The England-born NRL star, 26, explained the couple checked several times with the Canberra airport beforehand and were informed they were fine to fly back to Victoria.

He took to social media to express his outrage at the situation, which he urged everyone to share.

Williams also uploaded photos of his detention notice and distraught partner in distress while sitting on her luggage.

'As we landed in Victoria, the rules had now changed literally within an hour of leaving so we had to go straight into mandatory hotel quarantine for two weeks,' Williams posted.

'The detention notice states interstate hot or red zone arrivals, which Batemans Bay or ACT is neither so thats false.

'This is something we and other ACT travellers was not aware of and there are many in the same situation as on the same Virgin Australia flight who cant understand this at all, again the airline at Canberra Airport that told us we was safe to travel without any restrictions.'

The state closed its borders to NSW on New Year's Eve as the state battled a fresh Covid outbreak, with any travellers returning after 11.59pm on January 1 required to enter hotel quarantine.

The NRL star and his partner (pictured) were unaware they would have to go into hotel quarantine when they arrived in Melbourne on Monday

George Williams and his partner Charlotte (pictured on Christmas Day) have been forced into quarantine

Williams also shared an insight into their first night of hotel quarantine, where he described the conditions as similar to prison.

'The rooms are very small with a window you cannot open meaning fresh air is unavailable to us for two weeks,' he posted.

'We are not even allowed to leave the room?! Sorry but criminals all get one hour a day fresh air or out of their cell. HOW IS THIS FAIR? This is wrong. Help!'

He ended the lengthy post with the hashtag #freeus.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has offered to personally intervene in the matter, the Canberra Times reported.

More than 170 NSW returned travellers have been detained in Victorian hotel quarantine since NSW was declared as a red zone.

The star pictured in action for the Canberra Raiders in July 2020 as they played their round nine NRL match with Melbourne Storm
The request to "find" votes and a veiled reference to criminal liability could violate statutes aimed at guarding against the solicitation of election fraud, legal experts say.

U.S. President Donald Trump pushed Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" votes to overturn the election results after his loss to President-elect Joe Biden, according to an audio recording of a phone call obtained by CNN and first reported by the Washington Post.

In excerpts of the stunning one-hour phone call Saturday, Trump lambasted his fellow Republican for refusing to falsely say that he won the election in Georgia and repeatedly touted baseless claims of election fraud, CNN wrote.

"The people of Georgia are angry, the people of the country are angry. And there's nothing wrong with saying that, you know, um, that you've recalculated," Trump said in one part of the call.

Raffensperger responded, "Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong."

In another part, Trump said, "So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state."

Read alsoTrump pardons Manafort, known in Ukraine for working with Yanukovych team"You should want to have an accurate election. And you're a Republican," Trump said at one point.

"We believe that we do have an accurate election," Raffensperger said in response, to which Trump replied, "No, no you don't. ... Not even close. You're off by hundreds of thousands of votes."

The audio recording was reported by the Post several hours after Trump said on Twitter that he had spoken to Raffensperger on the phone in an attempt to convince him to look into unfounded conspiracy theories about the vote in November. According to Trump, Raffensperger refused to do so. In response, Raffensperger cryptically delivered a strong message to the President on Sunday.

"Respectfully, President Trump: What you're saying is not true. The truth will come out," the tweet read.

As per Politico, legal experts say the combination of Trumps request to "find" a specific number of votes  just enough to put him ahead of Biden  and his veiled reference to criminal liability for Raffensperger and his aides could violate federal and state statutes aimed at guarding against the solicitation of election fraud.

Raffensperger, a Republican and a Trump supporter, has consistently turned back Trump's claims of voter fraud in Georgia. He has overseen three different recounts of the vote and conducted several other reviews of the process. He recently tasked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation with conducting an audit of the signature match system in Cobb County that determined the system was 99.9% accurate and revealed no evidence of fraud.

Reporting by UNIAN

[January 04, 2021] Crestbridge Acquires Ovation Fund Services

Crestbridge, the agile alternative for private equity and real estate administration solutions, has completed the acquisition of New Jersey based Ovation Fund Services. Ovation is a provider of fund administration, accounting and reporting services to US domestic private equity and real estate funds. The acquisition complements Crestbridge's core service offering in both asset classes. The acquisition which was first announced late last year substantially expands both Crestbridge's presence in the US, where it already has an office in New York, and its multi-jurisdiction proposition to its client base. The new office complements Crestbridge's existing network of offices in London, Luxembourg, Bahrain, the Cayman Islands, New York and Jersey, providing access to its international team of experts for its North American institutional clients. Commenting on the new office, Paul Perris, Chief Commercial Officer of the Crestbridge Group said: "We're delighted to welcome Ovation into the Crestbridge Group. This acquisition demonstrates our strategic ambition o expand our focus on becoming the agile alternative for private equity and real estate administration solutions globally."



Scot commented: "Joining forces with and being part of the successful Crestbridge Group is an exciting new chapter for us here at Ovation that will allow us to offer an expanded service offering and wider breadth of services to our clients." The office is based in Morristown, New Jersey, and will initially be focused on providing additional services to US domestic funds and connecting existing clients and intermediaries with Group offices.

Ends. Notes to editors We are a leading global administration, management & corporate governance solutions business.

We provide a broad range of outsourced fiduciary, administrative, accounting and compliance services globally - our expertise spans services, asset classes and jurisdictions. Since 1998, we have been putting our insight and experience to work for clients who include leading corporations, sovereign wealth funds, investor groups, asset managers and ultra-high net worth families.

Crestbridge employs over 350 people and has seven international offices: London, Luxembourg, New Jersey, New York, Bahrain, Cayman and Jersey.

For our regulatory information please see here for more details. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005368/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]




Haiti - News : Zapping





An officer of the PNH kidnapped

On the morning of Sunday January 3, Officer Wilner Seraphin of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) was kidnapped on Street Pavee in Port-au-Prince by unidentified individuals.



Crime of passion

Sherley Monfort, 20, died on the night of December 31 to January 1 in Canape-Vert (Port-au-Prince) following serious knife wounds made by her friend when she had just told him that she was leaving him ...



The gasoline arrived late

The tanker loaded with 165,000 barrels of gasoline hoped for Thursday, December 31 https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-32651-icihaiti-fuel-bmpad-invites-the-population-to-keep-calm.html has finally arrived Saturday January 2, information confirmed by the Office for Monetization of Development Assistance Programs (BMPAD). The fuel was being unloaded on Sunday in Varreux and according to the Monetization Office, all arrangements are being made to facilitate the supply of service stations as soon as possible. In the meantime, the fuel shortage, which does not speak its name, is forcing some motorists to buy fuel on the parallel market at prices of up to 750 Goudes per gallon...



Launch of the PNH Central Hospital

This Monday will take place the launch of the Central Hospital of the National Police (HCPN) located on the national road #1, at the level of Bon-repos, in the presence among others of the members of the Superior Council of the National Police (CSPN) and the High Command of the Haitian National Police. See also : https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-30341-icihaiti-politic-site-inspection-tour.html



Honor and merit to journalist Johnny Ferdinand

Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe awarded a plaque of honor and merit to RTVC journalist Johnny Ferdinand last week for "his professionalism and his sense of humor in presenting the news." Jouthe took the opportunity to salute the courage, commitment, professionalism and sense of duty of press workers who often carry out their work in difficult conditions.



Concreting at Morne Bedeyen

President Moise recently visited the progress of the works at Morne Bedeyen, also called Morne Chien, where more than 110 linear meters of concreting have already been carried out and 1.7km of earthworks have been prepared to receive the concrete.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Isolated thunderstorms in the morning. Skies will become partly cloudy later in the day. High 86F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low 57F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph.
Jabariya Jodi actor Sidharth Malhotra has been spending his vacation in the Maldives and has also been sharing glimpses of his fun time there. The actor recently shared one of his amazing moments from his trip for all his fans online. Sidharth Malhotra also stated his feelings in his post as to how he was enjoying in the Maldives. Lets have a look at Sidharth Malhotras Instagram to see what he posted.

Sidharth is 'happy by the sea'

Actor Sidharth Malhotra took to his social media handle to give a sneak peek into his vacation yet again at the Maldives where he can be seen having a great time around the sea. In his latest post, the actor shared a clip of himself in which he can be seen taking a refreshing dip in the sea with a delightful expression on his face. In his caption, he wrote, happy by the sea which stated how thrilled he was to enjoy the sea.

As Sidharth has already been sharing glimpses of his Maldives trip, all his fans had been eagerly waiting for more of his fun moments to be seen on his social media handle. When the actor posted this clip on Instagram, all his fans took to the comments section to state how mesmerizing he looked in his video. Many of them mentioned how cute he looked in the clip while others just kept drooling over his style. Some of them also teased the actor and asked who was capturing his video. Lets take a look at what the fans commented on Sidharth Malhotras latest post.

Also Read Disha Patani Gives Glimpse Of Maldives Vacation, Tiger Shroff Highlights 'bad Hair'

Also Read Ananya Panday And Ishaan Khatter Welcome 2021 In Maldives; Rumoured Couple Share Pictures

Sidharth Malhotra's vacation in the Maldives

As Sidharth Malhotras photos and videos on his Instagram handle always receive immense love from the fans, one of his latest posts was also loaded with love when he shared it. He shared this clip on his Instagram and wished all his fans a happy new year. He can be seen jumping in the water while winking to all his fans and stated in the caption how he cannot wait to jump into 2021. He later wished everyone a healthy and prosperous year ahead with peace and happiness.

Also Read Ananya Panday & Ishaan Khatter's Maldives Vacay Was All About Having Fun; See Pics

Also Read Kiara Advani Shares Her Maldives Vacation Routine, Shares Stunning Pictures

Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.
The Convention Peoples Party (CPP), on Friday, commended the nations stakeholders for ensuring peace and progress in the country in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Election 2020; Ghana is still standing as a united nation.



Dr Onsy Kwame Nkrumah, CPP First Vice-Chairman who gave the commendation in a New Year message to the Ghana News Agency in Accra saluted Ghanaians for their immense contributions towards peace and stability.



He also acknowledged the sense of patriotism exhibited by large number of people and love for God the Almighty whose benevolence had kept the country safe and united in all the difficult times that it had passed through in the year 2020.

He noted that the resilience and tenacity of victory especially in the awful era of the global COVID-19 pandemic which threatened the survival of humanity; we are collectively moving forward, backward never as a nation.



He commended the Government and especially President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for prudent measures taken to protect the people of Ghana against the ravages of COVID-19 and however urged government to renew efforts towards winning the fight against Coronavirus, which was the greatest enemy of Ghana and the global community.



He called on all and sundry to cooperate with the government and adhere to the directives to respect the protocols of COVID-19, adding, So that together we can win the war against this enemy of humanity.



He also congratulated all the stakeholders of Ghanas democracy for the peace and stability after a difficult election.

When the eyes of the world were watching out for a possible explosion and disaster as has been the case in other countries, we put off the fire and allowed democracy to shine again in our country, he said.



Dr Nkrumah extended a special congratulations to Former President John Dramani Mahama, Election 2020 Presidential Candidate, National Democratic Congress for heeding the advice of the nation to seek redress in the law court for an election that he believes was not fair to him as a contestant.



The CPP Vice Chairman added this is the way for democracy and that Former President Mahama and NDCs decision which had precedence in the country was a mark of mature statesmanship.



He also commended other Political Parties and their leadership for holding the mantle of democracy high especially during Election 2020; we all seek to govern the country for growth and development through different ideological and economic paradigm.



We must work together irrespective of our political differences in the broader interest of the people of Ghana for accelerated development. In 2021 Political Leaders must do away with personal interest and put the nation first.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 15:20:46|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China stands ready to work with Argentina to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

China attaches great importance to bilateral ties, Xi said in a recent exchange of letters with Argentine President Alberto Fernandez, urging concerted efforts to sustain and deepen the development of the China-Argentina comprehensive strategic partnership.

Xi noted that since Fernandez took office, they have talked over phone and had multiple exchanges of letters, and have reached important consensuses on deepening bilateral relations and strengthening cooperation in areas such as battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic is a severe test for the whole world, Xi said, adding that in the face of the disease, the two nations have stood together and helped each other, and their traditional friendship has been further elevated in the joint battle.

China, he said, stands ready to strengthen cooperation with Argentina in research, development and application of COVID-19 vaccines, and will continue to provide as much support and assistance as its capacity allows for Argentina's fight against the pandemic.

For his part, Fernandez spoke highly of the development of bilateral relations and China's achievements in containing the pandemic, and thanked China for supporting Argentina's fight against COVID-19.

Facing the impact of COVID-19, countries should show solidarity, as well as mutual respect and support, and commit themselves to building a community with a shared future for mankind, a notion put forward by Xi, he said.

The Argentine president noted that China has accomplished its poverty alleviation target as scheduled and scored remarkable achievements in science and technology, bringing benefits for the Chinese people and the world at large.

He also said that both Argentina and China uphold multilateralism, support inter-state dialogues, and strengthen regional dialogues, so as to achieve harmonious development.

The Belt and Road Initiative is conducive to deepening connectivity and mutual understanding between the two countries, Fernandez said, adding that his country stands ready to strengthen cooperation with China in areas including vaccines, and to jointly push for greater development of their comprehensive strategic partnership. Enditem
DC National Guard Activated to Help Support Police During Pro-Trump Protests

More than 300 District of Columbia National Guardsmen will be in Washington this week to help support police officers patrolling protests scheduled by supporters of President Donald Trump.

We have received confirmation that the D.C. National Guard will be assisting the Metropolitan Police Department, beginning tomorrow through the life cycle of this event, Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee III told reporters at a press conference on Jan. 4.

National Guard personnel will be assisting police officers from Jan. 5 to 7 with crowd management and traffic control, freeing officers to focus on anyone whos intent on instigating, agitating, or participating in violence in our city, he added.

Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, revealed shed requested National Guard help in a Dec. 31 letter to District of Columbia National Guard Commanding General William Walker.

Bowser said guardsmen wouldnt be armed and wouldnt be involved in domestic surveillance, searches, or seizures of Americans.

The DC National Guard said in a statement that 340 personnel were activated. Members will support the citys government by providing crowd control at several Metro stations and assist police with street closures at multiple intersections to provide safety in and around pedestrian areas.

Our main mission is augmenting select traffic control points and metro stations identified by police, Walker said.

Pro-Trump ralliers plan on gathering in Washington this week to protest during the counting of electoral votes. The main locations police expect people to gather are the U.S. Capitol, Freedom Plaza, and the Ellipse near the White House.

Bowser noted that two pro-Trump protests late last year devolved into violence. In both instances, most violence appeared to be perpetrated by left-wing agitators, but pro-Trump ralliers, including members of the conservative Proud Boys group, were filmed brawling as well.

With respect to any particular group, it really doesnt matter to me which group or which individuals, what we are particularly focused on is individuals that are engaged in violent behavior, whoever they might be, Contee said.

Pamela Smith, a deputy chief with the U.S. Park Police, told reporters that officers will not tolerate any sense of violence. The park police will be working with D.C. police officers, she said.

Intelligence that authorities have obtained suggests the size of the crowd will be bigger than the protests that took place in November and December 2020.

Washington police officers stand guard near Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington on Dec. 12, 2020. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Enrique Tarrio, head of the Proud Boys, said on Parler recently that members would be in Washington on Jan. 6 but wouldnt be wearing their traditional black and yellow outfits.

We will be incognito and we will spread across downtown DC in smaller teams, he wrote.

Tarrio was later arrested and told not to attend protests this week.

The Harrington Hotel, where Proud Boys members often stay and congregate, announced last month that it will be closed Jan. 4 to Jan. 6.

Other groups linked to violence at previous protests, including Black Lives Matter, plan to turn out this week. Refuse Fascism called on people to go to the city, saying the protests must not go unopposed.

Bowser on Jan. 3 asked Washingtonians and those who live in the region to avoid the downtown area on both Jan. 5 and Jan. 6. People shouldnt engage with demonstrators who come to our city seeking confrontation, and we will do what we must to ensure all who attend remain peaceful, she said.

People are allowed to protest in Washington but authorities wont allow them to incite violence, Bowser said on Jan. 4.

Contee said signs have been posted around the city emphasizing that its illegal to possess firearms on the U.S. Capitol grounds and in National Park Service areas; the District of Columbia also doesnt recognize concealed carry permits issued by other jurisdictions. Authorities have seen indications that some people plan on carrying guns when they travel to Washington this week.

In response, Metropolitan police officers are going to work to quickly identify and arrest them.

The U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that it has comprehensive security plans in place and we continuously monitor and assess new and emerging threats, with the overall goal of keeping those within the Capitol Complex safe and secure.
The Donald Trump administration has been the toughest on Russia in comparison with the previous U.S. administrations, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

"No Administration has been as tough on Russia as we have. Period. Full stop. Look at the facts," Pompeo wrote on his Twitter page on Sunday.

Former Vice President Joe Biden won the presidential election on November 3, 2020. In keeping with tradition, the inauguration will be held on Wednesday January 20, in front of the US Capitol in Washington DC.
A police officer in the United States assisted two women, who were caught stealing groceries at a shop, by buying them Christmas dinner. According to the Somerset Police Department, officer Matt Lima responded to a call of ongoing shoplifting at a Stop & Shop outlet on 815 Grand Army Highway on December 20 last month. When Lima reached the scene, he was informed by an associate that the two women with two young children did not scan all of their groceries and then put them into shopping bags at the self-checkout kiosks. Lima decided to not press charges against the two suspects after he discovered the women were struggling to make their ends meet and stole just groceries because they wanted to provide Christmas dinner for their children.

Read: Lion Tamarian Reunited With Mama By Good Samaritan, Netizens Adore 'look Of Gratitude'

"The two children with the women reminded me of my kids, so I had to help them out," Officer Lima said in a statement. "I would like to personally commend Officer Lima for his actions. His actions exemplify what it means to protect and serve the members of our community. When faced with a difficult situation in which a family was trying to provide a meal for their kids, he made the generous decision to not press charges and instead ensured that they would have a Christmas dinner they could enjoy," Chief George McNeil said.

Read: Muzaffarnagar Police Play Good Samaritan For Abandoned Child

Buys them $250 worth of gift cards

The associate reportedly printed the transaction receipt and noticed numerous items the two women took were missing. The women were subsequently asked to return inside with their items while Somerset Police was informed about the alleged shoplifting. Officer Lima responded to the call, and upon reaching the shop he discovered the two women fell upon hard times and attempted to take additional groceries they did not have enough money to pay for so they could provide a Christmas dinner for the two young children.

Read: Good News: Woman Feeds Infant Monkeys With Milk Bottles, Delightful Video 'brings Smile'

This melted officer Lima's heart, who not only decided to let go of the two women without any charges but also bought them gift cards worth $250 with his own money so they would be able to purchase groceries for their Christmas dinner at another Stop & Shop location. Officer Lima served the two women Notice Not To Trespass forms and informed the associate that he would not be pressing criminal charges as all the missing items on their receipt were groceries.

Read: HP Police Rescues Over 300 Tourists Stranded Near Atal Tunnel After Snowfall

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The cousins are among a large number of Uyghur professionals taught vocational skills in the centers.

Two Uyghurs in the iron trade who expanded their business to Kazakhstan in recent years have been detained in an internment camp in northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) where they are being taught culinary skills, according to fellow traders.

Cousins Akbar Yusup, 48, and Abdusalam Abduwali, 38, went missing in 2017 after returning from Kazakhstan to their homes in Ghulja (in Chinese, Yining)the seat of Ili Kazakh (Yili Hasake) Autonomous Prefecture and the XUARs third largest citytheir relatives in the neighboring Central Asian nation recently told RFAs Uyghur Service.

After making inquiries, RFA learned from a Kazakhstan-based trader that Abduwali had been detained on Dec. 26, 2018 and Yusup on April 4, 2019. However, the trader was unable to determine why they had been held by authorities or where they were detained.

They say theyre in camps, said the trader, speaking on condition of anonymity. The younger one, he has shops for his business. He had an iron company.

Authorities in the XUAR are believed to have held up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in a vast network of internment camps since early 2017. Chinese officials have said the camps are centers for vocational training, but reporting by RFA and other media outlets shows that detainees are mostly held against their will in cramped and unsanitary conditions, where they are forced to endure inhumane treatment and political indoctrination.

According to the trader, the fathers of Yusup and Abduwali were both long-time blacksmiths and iron workers in Ghulja. The cousins learned the trade from their fathers but focused their business activities on building iron fences.

A movement in Uyghur architecture and home design in Ghulja in recent years helped their business achieve rapid success and growth, the trader said. Their work also found a market in Kazakhstan, where they began doing business after 2010.

The cousins did business between China and Kazakhstan for a number of years with no trouble, but had their first run-in with the authorities in 2017 when police called them back to Ghulja, which they agreed to do because they believed they had done nothing wrong.

They went through [the border checkpoint at Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefectures] Korgas (Huocheng) county, the trader said. It was April [2017] and [authorities] took them in as they entered the country.

Abduwali and Yusup had black hoods placed over their heads at the checkpoint and were taken away, according to the trader. They were released after a week of interrogations, but then were detained separately in December 2018 and April 2019, he said.

Learning culinary skills

According to information listed on their identification cards, which RFA was able to obtain copies of, Yusup is a resident of the No. 11 apartment complex on Ghuljas Xinhua Road, while Abduwali lives at the No. 19 apartment complex on Baht Road.

RFA called community offices and police stations in these jurisdictions seeking information about the cousins. One officer at the station on Xinhua Road told RFA he was unaware of the situation, but a second officer at the same station confirmed he had worked on the case of the two cousins.

The officer, who also declined to provide his name, said that six months ago, the two had been moved to the Yengiyer camp in Ghulja, where they eat, do activities, and learn Chinese. He said that the cousins are being held on the third floor of one of the buildings in the complex but was unable to provide information on the reason for their detention.

An employee at a government office in Ghulja told RFA that the cousins had been moved between three places in the county, including the Yengiyer, Boz, and Yamachang camps. She said that they had been held in Boz for six or seven months as well, without providing details about their detention in Yamachang.

In Yengiyer, the cousins had learned culinary skills, she said, including cooking and baking.

[The center] brought them to a point where they can cook [professionally]  I know of several cooks who stayed there for six or seven months. Those people who can really learn things are able to get it. I see this as a large-scale attempt to meet needs, something fruitful that theyve really benefited from.

The employee said she did not know when the cousins studies would conclude.

Amid growing international scrutiny of the extralegal penal system the Chinese government refers to as voluntary vocational centers, reports suggest that Uyghurs are being transferred from internment camps to forced labor situations.

RFAs investigations have revealed that a large number of gainfully employed scholars and specialized workers have been sent to detention for reeducation. New evidence has also found that a number of experienced businesspeople engaged in trade have also been detained in the camps.

Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by the Uyghur Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-03 23:47:54|Editor: huaxia

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Demonstrators attend a rally to mourn the death of the Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and deputy chief of Iraq's paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in al-Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq, on Jan. 3, 2021. Iraqi leaders on Sunday called for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq on the first anniversary of a U.S. drone strike that killed two senior commanders of Shiite militias. (Xinhua)

BAGHDAD, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi leaders on Sunday called for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq on the first anniversary of a U.S. drone strike that killed two senior commanders of Shiite militias.

During a rally of thousands of supporters of Hashd Shaabi forces at al-Tahrir Square in downtown Baghdad, Hadi al-Ameri, head of Iran-backed Badr Organization, told the demonstrators "the government must abide by its pledges to remove all foreign forces, especially the U.S. forces, according to a timetable."

"The stability of the region depends on the stability of Iraq, and the latter can only be stabilized with the departure of all foreign forces from its lands," al-Ameri said during the rally to mourn the death of the Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and deputy chief of Iraq's paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Falih al-Fayadh, head of the Hashd Shaabi forces, told the rally that the retaliation for the killing of the two Shiite leaders will be through "implementation of the decision of the Iraqi Council of Representatives (parliament) to remove the U.S. forces."

Iraq's full sovereignty and withdrawal of the U.S. forces are "a matter that cannot be compromised," said al-Fayadh during the rally of Hashd Shaabi supporters, who chanted "revenge" and "no to America."

Many demonstrators raised Iraqi flags, posters of Soleimani and al-Muhandis, and held banners saying "the will of free peoples is stronger than the U.S. aggression."

The rally was held under tight security measures, as the security forces deployed throughout the capital in the past few days blocked many main roads in the city, which was expected to witness demonstrations condemning the assassination.

The U.S. drone strike on Jan. 3, 2020 caused an escalation of tensions between Iran and the United States in the region.

The airstrike prompted the Iraqi parliament to pass a resolution requesting the government to end the presence of foreign forces in the country.
National accounting and consulting enterprise Novogradac elevated George Barlow and Rob Bryant of the Dover, Ohio, office; Chris Key of the Atlanta office; Brent Parker of the Long Beach, Calif., office; and Lindsey Sutton of the Austin, Texas, office to partner. Novogradac, which specializes in affordable housing, community development, historic preservation and renewable energy, has 67 partners in more than 25 cities nationwide.

I am excited to announce that Brent, Chris, George, Lindsey and Rob have been promoted to partner, said Michael J. Novogradac, managing partner of Novogradac. Each partner brings with them a wealth of knowledge that will help Novogradac continue to serve its growing clientele.

Barlow specializes in new markets tax credits (NMTCs), historic tax credits (HTCs), renewable energy tax credits (RETCs), the opportunity zones (OZ) incentive and other state tax credits and incentives. He has consulted on more than 400 tax credit transactions with cumulative development financing exceeding $5 billion. He works with real estate developers, community development entities, syndicators, lenders and investors on the complex structuring, financing and syndication of NMTC, HTC, RETC and OZ transactions. He also advises on tax and regulatory matters in addition to providing traditional audit, cost certifications and tax services. Barlow earned a bachelors degree in accounting and masters degree in accounting from Kent State University. He is licensed as a certified public accountant in Ohio.

Bryant specializes in consulting services for NMTC, RETC, HTC and OZ transactions. Bryant has provided consulting and financial modeling services for more than 450 transactions, exceeding $11 billion in NMTC allocation, including numerous twinned structures using HTCs and RETCs and stacked structures combining state and federal NMTCs. He also has experience with financial statement audits, tax return preparation, final cost certification audits, cost segregation studies and transaction document review services. He earned a bachelors degree in accounting from Kent State University. He is licensed as a certified public accountant in Ohio.

Key has extensive experience in developer consulting with an emphasis in real estate partnership audit, taxation, final cost certification audits, development period special purpose attest engagements and consulting. He is experienced in affordable housing transactions, specializes in the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC), and has extensive experience in performing LIHTC property compliance testing. Key has worked extensively with equity sponsors specializing in equity fund audit and tax consulting, as well as auditing requirements of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and seminars on affordable housing industry topics. Key received his bachelors degree in accounting from Anderson University in South Carolina and is a member of the Georgia Society of CPAs. He is licensed in Georgia as a certified public accountant.

Parker is experienced in affordable housing and community development, nonprofit organizations and public housing authorities, historic rehabilitation, and renewable energy, with a particular focus on the LIHTC, investments in qualified opportunity funds, RETCs, NMTC and HTC communities. In addition to providing various consulting and forecasting services, Parker leads extensive tax planning and tax return preparation engagements for a wide variety of clientele and works extensively on financial statement audits, reviews and agreed-upon procedures engagements. In response to growing demand, Parker has become a frequent presenter on OZ panels and workshops in several states. He is also a contributor to the Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits and leads professional development training efforts on various complex taxation concepts. Parker received a bachelors degree in accounting from the University of Southern California and is a certified public accountant in California.

Sutton works in the Government Consulting and Valuation Advisory Services group of Novogradac and has more than 10 years of professional experience and extensive knowledge in market analysis and valuation of multifamily properties in the affordable housing world. She has performed various types of multifamily analyses, feasibility studies, rent comparability studies, partnership valuations and appraisals for residential and commercial developments funded by LIHTCs and HUD, as well as the U.S. Department of Agricultural Rural Development and conventional developers. She also specializes in consulting for syndicators, developers and lending agencies with extensive experience for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Sutton has extensive knowledge of the HUD Rental Assistance Demonstration program and has provided appraisal and other various consulting services under this program. Sutton also provides consulting services including various model building for mixed-use and multifamily assets. Sutton received her bachelors degree in finance from Texas State University. She is a certified general appraiser and licensed in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Colorado, Georgia and Washington and is currently a candidate for designation.

About Novogradac

Novogradac, which has been in business for more than 30 years, has grown to more than 650 employees and partners with offices in more than 25 cities. Tax, audit and consulting specialty practice areas for Novogradac include affordable housing, OZs, community development, historic rehabilitation and renewable energy.

For additional information on Novogradacs personnel and areas of expertise, visit http://www.novoco.com or call (415) 356-8000. Learn more about these partners at https://www.novoco.com/partners.
Some supermassive black holes at the centre of galaxies may actually be wormholes that link two distant parts of the universe together, astrophysicists suggest.

In his Theory of General Relativity, Albert Einstein predicted the existence of wormholes, which connect two points in space or time, but they have yet to be discovered.

Now experts from the Central Astronomical Observatory in Russia believe the 'black holes' at the centre of some very bright galaxies (known as the active galactic nuclei or AGNs) could be the entrances to these wormholes.

While these wormholes are theoretically 'traversable', meaning spacecraft could travel through them, they are surrounded by intense radiation, meaning humans would be unlikely to survive the journey, even in the most rugged of spacecraft.

Some galaxies have an 'active galactic nuclei' at their centre - a supermassive black hole like phenomenon with twin jets of matter spouting from the accretion disc poles

Wormholes and black holes are very similar, in that they are both extremely dense and possess extraordinarily strong gravitational pulls for bodies their size.

The difference is that nothing can come out of a black hole after crossing its 'event horizon', whereas any body entering the mouth of a wormhole would theoretically emerge from its other 'mouth' somewhere else in the universe.

The researchers reasoned that matter entering one mouth of a wormhole could potentially collide with matter entering the other mouth of the wormhole at the same time.

This collision would result in spheres of plasma expanding out of both mouths of the wormhole at the speed of light, and at temperatures of about 18 trillion degrees Fahrenheit.

At such heat, the plasma would also produce gamma rays with energies of 68 million electronvolts, allowing some NASA observatories - such as the Fermi space telescope - to detect the explosion.

The nearest AGN is in the constellation Centaurus A which is about 13 million light years from the Earth in the constellation of Centaurus (pictured)

The new study, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, examined the type of energy and radiation produced by AGNs.

The nearest AGN is in the galaxy Centaurus A, which is about 13 million light years from Earth in the constellation of Centaurus.

AGNs are typically surrounded by rings of plasma known as accretion discs and can emit powerful jets of radiation from their poles.

The jets of energy produced by accretion discs are nowhere near as hot as the jets that would be emitted from collisions within wormholes.

However, the researchers suggest that, if they were to find what appeared to be an AGN that was emitting spherical high-energy gamma rays, then it may not be an AGN at all but the entrance to a wormhole.

The Russian team believe that these AGN are wormholes to another part of the universe and they can be detected by watching for extremely hot and intense bursts of energy caused by matter from both sides of the wormhole colliding inside the throat

The researchers go further, suggesting these wormholes are likely to be 'traversable', meaning spacecraft could theoretically travel through them.

'It should be understood that we know very little about the internal structure of wormholes and moreover, we do not even know for sure whether they exist at all,' study author Mikhail Piotrovich told Motherboard.

If humans were ever to travel to these distant galactic cores, they would open a new avenue of potential spaceflight or even a way to travel in time, he said.

However, they are surrounded by intense radiation, and the nearest one is 13 million light years away, so it is unlikely any human will be able to use one to travel the universe any time soon.

The findings have been published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Society.
A Mumbai sessions court on Monday sentenced underworld don Chhota Rajan and three others to two years in jail in connection with a 2015 extortion case.

The former D-Company member is already serving a life sentence inside a high security cell in Delhis Tihar jail after he was convicted under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on charges of murder, attempt to murder, extortion and criminal conspiracy.

In the present case, Rajan was accused of threatening a Panvel builder named Nandu Wajekar, and trying to extort Rs 26 crores from him. The builder had purchased land in Pune in 2015, and as part of the sale, a commission of Rs 2 crore was given to an agent named Parmanand Thakkar.

Thakkar, however, demanded more money as commission which Wajekar refused to give. According to the investigative agencies, Thakkar approached Chhota Rajan, who sent his men to Wajekar's office and demanded Rs 26 crores. The underworld dons men had also threatened to kill the builder.

Rajan was handed over to the Indian authorities in October 2015, after he was deported from Indonesia against a red corner notice issued by the Interpol.

Rajendra S Nikhalje, popularly known as Chhota Rajan, has also been convicted for the murder of journalist J. Dey in 2011. Rajan, who had started working for Dawood Ibrahim in 1984, parted ways with Ibrahim following the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai (then Bombay).

We wanted to create unity across our healthcare brands HCPro, DecisionHealth, and HealthLeaders as our clients continue to leverage solutions from all three.

HCPro is proud to unveil a new logo accompanied by the tagline Putting Knowledge to Work, reinforcing the companys mission to support healthcare facilities throughout every stage of the revenue cycle, from frontline staff to executive leadership development. HCPro provides the latest healthcare regulatory information through its industry-leading publications, continuing education, training, and workflow tools, resulting in measurable performance and financial improvements.

Chief Product Officer David Cella says, Over the past year, healthcare facilities have been at the epicenter of change as we continue to navigate this healthcare crisis. Our team of industry experts have doubled down on their commitment to providing timely, digestible knowledge that healthcare professionals can use to inform their daily decisions.

HCPro specializes in serving healthcare professionals in the areas of accreditation, clinical documentation, coding, compliance, credentialing, billing and denials, medical staff affairs, record management, quality/patient safety, and more.

Sub-brands DecisionHealth and HealthLeaders receive subsequent updates to their logos to further align the family of healthcare brands.

CEO Dan Oswald says, We wanted to create unity across our healthcare brands HCPro, DecisionHealth, and HealthLeaders as our clients continue to leverage solutions from all three. As we work to support healthcare organizations across all settings, we want that experience to look as streamlined as it feels for our clients.

DecisionHealth services post-acute care organizations including home health agencies and medical practice facilities by providing the latest news, analysis, and regulatory guidance on Medicare coding and reimbursement, benchmarks, payments, and HIPAA compliance.

HealthLeaders is a multi-platform media company dedicated to serving over 300,000 healthcare executives and professionals by offering an extensive and integrated series of leadership publications, products, research, and events devoted to the business of healthcare.

Vice President Rafael Cardoso says, We have always been proud to serve healthcare leaders, and the developments of 2020 have only reinforced our teams passion for providing information, intelligence, analysis, and executive communities to help elevate the business of healthcare, drive innovation, improve care delivery, and inspire collaboration across the care continuum for a better today and tomorrow.

The logo updates are part of a larger branding initiative from parent company Simplify Compliance LLC, serving businesses across a wide range of industries including human capital management, leadership development, healthcare, and telecommunications.

Oswald adds, The aesthetic updates to our family of brands not only creates consistency and continuity across the markets we serve, theyre also an exciting way for us to kick off the New Year with fresh perspective and renewed enthusiasm.

###

About HCPro

For over 34 years, HCPro has specialized in providing the latest healthcare regulatory information through industry-leading publications, continuing education, online coding platforms, instructor-led training, events, consulting services, and more to deliver consistent training, achieve compliance, and maximize workflow efficiencies, resulting in measurable performance and financial improvements. Visit http://www.hcpro.com/.

About DecisionHealth

DecisionHealth is the industrys leading source for home health agencies and medical practice facilities to receive the latest news, analysis, and regulatory guidance on Medicare coding and reimbursement, benchmarks, payments, and HIPAA compliance through its flagship publications as well as a wide selection of coding books, educational events, and online tools. Visit http://www.decisionhealth.com.

About HealthLeaders

HealthLeaders is a multi-platform media company dedicated to meeting the business information needs of healthcare executives and professionals. It offers an extensive and integrated series of leadership publications, products, research, and events devoted to the business of healthcare. Visit https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/.
[January 04, 2021] CAES Appoints Sean Daily as Chief Financial Officer

Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions (CAES), a leading provider of mission critical electronic solutions for aerospace and defense, today announced the appointment of Sean Daily as the company's chief financial officer. He will also serve as a member of the CAES Board of Directors. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005690/en/ Sean Daily, Chief Financial Officer, CAES (Photo: Business Wire) "We are excited to welcome Sean to the CAES team," said Mike Kahn, president and CEO, Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions. "Sean is a great addition to the company, bringing a broad range of financial management expertise as well as business management responsibilitis to CAES. His achievements and strong background in the aerospace and defense industry, finance, and business operations will be extremely beneficial as we continue to grow and strengthen our performance to our customers."



Sean has held numerous leadership roles in finance at Lockheed Martin (News - Alert) and served most recently as Vice President, Finance and Business Operations for LM Space. There, he led a diverse team of 730 finance professionals and was responsible for financial management, pricing, program finance and control, contract negotiation and financial administration for government and commercial programs. "CAES is recognized as a leader in advanced electronics for the aerospace and defense industry and known for its technology innovation," said Sean Daily, chief financial officer. "I am excited to join the CAES team and to help advance the company as it enters its next frontier."

Sean received a Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Tech in finance. He holds his Series 7, Series 66 and Colorado Health and Life Insurance Licenses. Sean also has experience as a franchise owner of fitness studios in Colorado. About Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions (CAES) CAES is the largest provider of analog and radiation hardened technology for the United States aerospace and defense industry. With a broad portfolio of off-the-shelf and customized RF, microwave and high reliability microelectronic products and subsystems, CAES offers a complete range of solutions for the entire signal chain from aperture to digital conversion. www.cobhamaes.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005690/en/

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Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/04/2021 -- A new business intelligence report released by AMA Research with title "Global Crime Insurance Industry Market Report-Development Trends, Threats, Opportunities and Competitive Landscape in 2020" is designed covering micro level of analysis by manufacturers and key business segments. The Global Crime Insurance Market survey analysis offers energetic visions to conclude and study market size, market hopes, and competitive surroundings. The research is derived through primary and secondary statistics sources and it comprises both qualitative and quantitative detailing.

Major Players in This Report Include

Chubb (United States), AXA (France), Aon (United Kingdom), AIG (United States), Aviva (United Kingdom), Zurich Insurance (Switzerland), Founder Shield (United States), Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company (United States), Morris & Reynolds Insurance (United States) and Allianz SE (Germany).

The covid19 pandemic has affected on Global Crime Insurance market. It may result unpredictable fall in sales in early of 2020. Latest research shows Global Crime Insurance market will see revolutionary growth in decade to hit big revenues in future. Download our free sample report and keep yourself up-to-date with available business opportunity.

Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @ : https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/108012-global-crime-insurance-market

Keep yourself up-to-date with latest market trends and changing dynamics due to COVID Impact and Economic Slowdown globally. Maintain a competitive edge by sizing up with available business opportunity in Global Crime Insurance Market various segments and emerging territory.

Brief Overview on Global Crime Insurance

Crime insurance helps organizations to reduce vulnerability to direct losses stemming from theft and other kinds of fraud. This insurance policy provides commercial and governmental entities. This insurance policy provides protection from financial losses related to fraud, dishonest employees, and others.

Restraints

- Slowdown in Economy

Opportunities

- Development in New Accounting Standards and Regulations Signify a Performance Improvement Opportunity

The Global Crime Insurance Market segments and Market Data Break Down are illuminated below:

Type (Business Crime Insurance, Commercial Crime Insurance), Application (Individuals, Small & Medium-sized Enterprises, Large Enterprises), Sales Channels (Insurance Agents/Brokers, Direct Response, Banks, Digital, Others), Services (Theft Cover, Fraud Cover, Forgery Cover, Kidnapping Cover)



Region Included are: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Oceania, South America, Middle East & Africa

Country Level Break-Up: United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Germany, United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Turkey, Russia, France, Poland, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Australia and New Zealand etc.



Enquire for customization in Report @: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/enquiry-before-buy/108012-global-crime-insurance-market



Strategic Points Covered in Table of Content of Global Crime Insurance Market:

Chapter 1: Global Crime Insurance Market Overview

Chapter 2: Global Crime Insurance Market Share and Market Overview

Chapter 3: Global Crime Insurance Market Manufacturers/Players Analysis

3.1 Market Concentration Rate

3.2 Competition Scenario: BCG Matrix [Relative Market Share v/s Revenue Growth Rate]

3.3 Heat Map Analysis

3.4 FPNV Positioning Matrix

3.5 Comparative Market Share Analysis by Players (2018-2019) Rank, [% Market Share, Market Revenue]

3.6 Company Profile - Business Distribution by Region, Interview Record, Business Profile, Product/Service Specification, Price, Revenue and Gross profit 2017-2019

3.7 Price Benchmarking (2017-2019)

Chapter 4: Global Crime Insurance Market Segmentation (Country Level Breakdown) (2014-2025)

- North America: United States, Canada, and Mexico.

- South & Central America: Argentina, Chile, and Brazil.

- Middle East & Africa: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, Egypt and South Africa.

- Europe: United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland and Russia.

- Asia-Pacific: India, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia.

Chapter 5: Global Crime Insurance Market Breakdown by Segments (Type (Sports, Music & Other Live Shows, Movies), Application (Desktop, Mobile), Event Country (Domestic, International), Cost Structure (Free, Paid))

5.1 Global Crime Insurance Market Segmentation (Product Type) Market Size 2014-2025

5.2 Different Global Crime Insurance Price Analysis by Product Type (2014-2025)

5.3 Global Crime Insurance Market Segmentation (Product Type) Analysis

5.4 Global Crime Insurance Market by Application/End users Market Size 2014-2025

5.5 Global Crime Insurance Market Segmentation (other segments) Analysis

Chapter 6: Methodology/Research Approach, Data Source, Disclaimer

Data Sources & Methodology



The primary sources involves the industry experts from the Global Crime Insurance Market including the management organizations, processing organizations, analytics service providers of the industry's value chain. All primary sources were interviewed to gather and authenticate qualitative & quantitative information and determine the future prospects.



In the extensive primary research process undertaken for this study, the primary sources  Postal Surveys, telephone, Online & Face-to-Face Survey were considered to obtain and verify both qualitative and quantitative aspects of this research study. When it comes to secondary sources Company's Annual reports, press Releases, Websites, Investor Presentation, Conference Call transcripts, Webinar, Journals, Regulators, National Customs and Industry Associations were given primary weight-age.



Get More Information: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/reports/108012-global-crime-insurance-market



What benefits does AMA research studies provides?

- Supporting company financial and cash flow planning

- Latest industry influencing trends and development scenario

- Open up New Markets

- To Seize powerful market opportunities

- Key decision in planning and to further expand market share

- Identify Key Business Segments, Market proposition & Gap Analysis

- Assisting in allocating marketing investments



Definitively, this report will give you an unmistakable perspective on every single reality of the market without a need to allude to some other research report or an information source. Our report will give all of you the realities about the past, present, and eventual fate of the concerned Market.



Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.



About Advance Market Analytics

Advance Market Analytics is Global leaders of Market Research Industry provides the quantified B2B research to Fortune 500 companies on high growth emerging opportunities which will impact more than 80% of worldwide companies' revenues.



Our Analyst is tracking high growth study with detailed statistical and in-depth analysis of market trends & dynamics that provide a complete overview of the industry. We follow an extensive research methodology coupled with critical insights related industry factors and market forces to generate the best value for our clients. We Provides reliable primary and secondary data sources, our analysts and consultants derive informative and usable data suited for our clients business needs. The research study enable clients to meet varied market objectives a from global footprint expansion to supply chain optimization and from competitor profiling to M&As.
Workforce

Judge halts enforcement of diversity training crackdown on contractors

A federal judge in a California district court blocked parts of President Donald Trump's executive order on diversity and inclusion training that apply to federal contractors and grant recipients.

The September executive order targeted "divisive concepts" that it labelled as "offensive and anti-American" in workforce diversity and inclusion trainings provided to federal employees, military service members, federal contractors and grant recipients. It's garnered backlash from civil rights groups, business and tech groups while creating a chilling effect in diversity training both in and out of government.

U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman wrote in her Dec. 22 decision that the government's argument that the order was in the public interest was a "gross mischaracterization" of the diversity training plaintiffs offered and "an insult to their work of addressing discrimination and injustice towards historically underserved communities."

The plaintiffs of the lawsuit, filed at the beginning of November, are nonprofits and consultants that serve people in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and people living with HIV.

Under the terms of the order and related guidance, contractors and grant recipients had faced suspension, debarment and federal grants being withheld if they failed to comply.

The plaintiffs argued the order violated their free speech rights by requiring them to censor or cease trainings on the threat of debarment from contracting or not receiving federal grants. They also challenged the constitutionality of the executive order on the grounds of due process, arguing that it was too vague to outline what speech is outlawed.

In her injunction, Freeman stated that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in overturning the executive order on First Amendment grounds.

The preliminary injunction also blocked a phone and email "hotline" that was created for people to report training materials to the Labor Department's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. It had been the subject of concerns in the past because it didn't distinguish between reports of violations from training participants and the actual training curriculum in question.

A call to the hotline revealed that the order is being put into effect. An outgoing message states in part, "In compliance with a December 22, 2020 court order, OFCCP is no longer accepting complaints on this hotline."

This isn't the only lawsuit the executive order has faced. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund, National Urban League and the National Fair Housing Alliance also have requested an injunction to block the order in a lawsuit filed in October. On Dec. 29, the Labor Department filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
Law360 Pulse tracks the issues, trends and challenges that shape todays leading firms and legal departments, with in-depth coverage on important topics that can give organizations a competitive edge, such as new technologies, diversity and inclusion programs, alternate fee options, and more."

LexisNexis today unveiled Law360 Pulse, a new business of law news service. Law360 Pulse combines the award-winning journalism and research of Law360 with powerful data and analytics from Lexis+ to deliver unparalleled business of law coverage, timely insights and industry intelligence that help law firms and legal departments succeed. The new offering complements Law360s industry-leading practice of law coverage, giving legal professionals a single best source for comprehensive legal news.

Law360 Pulse keeps lawyers on top of industry issues and trends, such as leadership and lateral moves, finances, compensation, technology, government policy, regulations, ethics and more. With in-depth focus on large and mid-market firms, in-house counsel, courts and litigation, and local coverage in nine states, readers can customize their Law360 Pulse news feed by selecting the content thats of most interest, signing up for daily newsletters and setting alerts to stay better informed.

Law360 is already the legal industrys daily must read source for news and content across a broad spectrum of practice areas. The addition of Law360 Pulse to that platform gives readers a single destination for all of their business and practice of law news, said Sean Fitzpatrick, CEO, LexisNexis North America. Law360 Pulse also connects directly to source documents available in Lexis and Lexis+, integrating the days news and feature content directly into the attorneys workflow.

In addition to 24/7 breaking legal news and in-depth features on business of law issues, Law360 Pulse will release a series of insightful surveys, rankings and reports on law firm practices and industry trends to keep law firms and legal departments better informed. The first report, titled Physical Space in a Pandemic: How Law Firms are Adapting, was issued today alongside a broader series on how COVID-19 has impacted the business of law. Future content will include compensation data, attorney satisfaction, and surveys on managing partners and summer associates.

Law360 Pulse tracks the issues, trends and challenges that shape todays leading firms and legal departments, with in-depth coverage on important topics that can give organizations a competitive edge, such as new technologies, diversity and inclusion programs, alternate fee options, and more, said Rachel Travers, Vice President & General Manager, Law360. Our exclusive Surveys & Rankings section will provide readers with critical insights and intelligence that can be used to inform business decisions.

At launch, Law360 Pulse will feature new business of law content spanning 14 topics and geographic regions, including:



Modern Lawyer: Covering large law firm finances, leadership and lateral moves, compensation, government regulation, legal tech, legal ethics and disruption in the market.

Mid-Law: Covering similar business of law topics from the perspective of regional and midmarket firms.

In-House: Topics span executive moves, legal ops, technology, government policy, court developments and other forces reshaping how in-house lawyers do business.

Courts: Covering the biggest news out of the courts, including major lawsuits and decisions, SCOTUS and other judiciary news, and policy changes that impact litigators.

Daily Litigation: A sampling of federal and state litigation news from across the country, including complaints and decisions in notable cases such as class actions and MDL bellwethers.

State-Specific Coverage: Focused business of law news from nine states, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas. Additional state coverage will be added to the platform in the future.

Law360 Pulse will continue evolving to keep ahead of the changing needs of its readers. In addition to expanded news and feature content, future enhancements will include insights derived from LexisNexiss industry-leading analytics tools. Articles will integrate data visualizations and analytics from authoritative sources such as Lex Machina and CourtLink to help readers anticipate opportunities and uncover trends and patterns that affect their practice.

Starting today, LexisNexis will be offering legal professionals complimentary access to Law360 Pulse for a limited time. For more information about Law360 Pulse, and to start a free trial, please visit http://www.law360.com/pulse.

About LexisNexis Legal & Professional

LexisNexis Legal & Professional is a leading global provider of legal, regulatory and business information and analytics that help customers increase productivity, improve decision-making and outcomes, and advance the rule of law around the world. As a digital pioneer, the company was the first to bring legal and business information online with its Lexis and Nexis services. LexisNexis Legal & Professional, which serves customers in more than 150 countries with 10,600 employees worldwide, is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers.

About Law360

Law360, a LexisNexis company, is a one-stop source for legal news and in-depth analysis, with up-to-the-minute coverage of litigation, regulation and enforcement, legislation, executive orders, administrative hearings, corporate deal-making, and more across dozens of practice areas, industries, and jurisdictions. With a unique blend of cutting-edge technology and journalistic expertise, Law360 delivers the intelligence legal and business professionals need to remain experts and get ahead of the curve. Visit http://www.law360.com to find out what more than 1.5 million readers at top law firms, Fortune 1000 companies, and key government agencies already know.
New Delhi: As the COVID-19 vaccines are around the corner, the Central government has come up with answers to several Frequently Asked Questions. The answers to the questions on coronavirus vaccine were addressed by AIIMS Delhi Director Dr Randeep Guleria.

Check out what he said:

Is COVID-19 vaccine scheduled anytime soon?

Vaccine trials are under different stages of finalisation. Many of the vaccines are in their Phase-3 trials and they are almost complete. Once regulatory clearances are given by the regulatory authorities, the Centre is all geared up to launch these COVID-19 vaccines.

Will the COVID-19 vaccine be given to everyone simultaneously?

This will depend on its availability on vaccines and the government had selected priority groups who will be vaccinated based on risk factors.

The first group includes healthcare and frontline workers, while the second group will be people over 50 years and people under 50 years with co-morbid conditions.

Is it mandatory to take the COVID-19 vaccine?

The vaccine for COVID-19 is voluntary. However, it is advisable to take the complete COVID-19 vaccine schedule to protect self and family members, friends, relatives and co-workers.

Will the COVID-19 vaccine be safe as it is being tested and introduced in a short span of time?

The vaccine will be introduced in the country only after the regulatory bodies clear it based on its safety and efficacy. "Safety is the most important factor and all standard precautions as have been followed in the past for the approval of the vaccine, will be followed as far as this vaccine is concerned," said Dr Guleria.

Will the COVID-19 vaccine introduced in India be as effective as the ones introduced in other countries?



The COVID-19 vaccine introduced in India will be as effective as any vaccine developed by other countries. Various phases of vaccine trials are undertaken to ensure its safety and efficacy.

How will one know if he/she is eligible for COVID-19 vaccination?

The eligible beneficiaries will be informed through their registered mobile number regarding the health facility where the vaccine will be provided and its scheduled time. This will be done to avoid any inconvenience in registration and vaccination of beneficiaries.

Can a person get the COVID-19 vaccine without registration with the Health Department?



Registration of beneficiary is mandatory for vaccination for COVID-19. Only after registration, the information on the session site and time will be shared with the beneficiary.

What documents are required for registration of eligible beneficiary?



Any of the documents with a photo mentioned below may be produced at the time of registration:

- Driving license, Health Insurance Smart Card issued under the scheme of the Ministry of Labour, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) Job Card.

- Official identity cards issued by MPs/MLAs/MLCs.



- PAN card, Passbooks issued by Banks/Post Office, Passport, Pension documents.

- Service ID cards issued by the Central or State government and public limited companies or Voter ID cards.


Belgian authorities said Monday that COVID-19 infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths were all decreasing, as the country moved to tighten restrictions on incoming travelers.

"Infection figures are decreasing quite quickly but we should remain careful, as it is a holiday period so people might be getting tested less," said Yves Van Laethem, a spokesperson at Belgium's COVID-19 crisis center.

"But we also have a decrease in hospital admissions and deaths," he added.

Belgium's average daily infection rate over the past week was 2,171, a 15% decrease on the previous week.

At 160 per day, hospital admissions had gone down by 11%. Deaths were down by 13%, at 84.6 per day.

Officials stressed that every effort must be made to keep numbers down.

People are still not allowed more than one guest at home, bars and restaurants remain closed, and a 10pm curfew will stay in place over New Year's Eve.

Since Friday, most incoming travelers to Belgium have had to show a negative coronavirus test upon entry.

"We must avoid importing new infections, we must avoid new infection chains. People entering our country or coming back must be careful," said crisis center spokesperson Antoine Iseux.s

Belgium has been hard hit by the pandemic, reporting nearly 639,000 confirmed cases and 19,200 deaths.

(Image Credit: AP)

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Virus has escaped hotel quarantine four times since the beginning of December

Sydney's two Covid clusters are both believed to be linked to quarantine lapses

Epidemiologist called for ban on overseas flights until hotel workers vaccinated

A leading epidemiologist has called for a ban on Australians returning home from overseas until all hotel quarantine workers are vaccinated against coronavirus.

Dr Tony Blakely, from the University of Melbourne, said halting international arrivals would prevent the mutant strain of the virus that has been wreaking havoc in the UK from entering Australia.

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His comments come as NSW health authorities scramble to contain the state's latest outbreak, which is believed to have escaped from Sydney's hotel quarantine system.

A leading epidemiologist has called for a ban on Australians returning home from overseas until all hotel quarantine workers are vaccinated against coronavirus (Pictured: Passengers at Sydney International Airport arriving after flying in from Auckland, New Zealand)

Healthcare workers are seen with a luggage trolley outside of a hotel quarantine facility at Novotel Hotel South Warf in Melbourne

Staff members line up to enter the hotel quarantine facility at Novotel Hotel South Wharf in Melbourne

Dr Blakely told the Herald Sun there was a case for closing the borders until all quarantine workers are immunised as an outbreak of the new strain would be harder to control.

The Federal Government expects vaccinations to roll out in March after approvals are processed but it may take months before all hotel workers are immunised.

The rollout of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine in Australia is now facing a delay after a bungle with paperwork.

There has been a delay in delivering essential data to the Morrison Government, meaning the vaccine may not be ready for the public by March, as expected.

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AstraZeneca, which is being made in Melbourne by CSL, won't be granted provisional registration by the Therapeutic Goods Administration until next month, the Daily Telegraph reports.

'The TGA is expecting further data from AstraZeneca in regard to their COVID-19 vaccine in late January 2021,' an administration spokeswoman said.

The vaccine rollout isn't expected to be approved by the government until the end of March, due to obstacles surrounding paperwork.

But Australians have been reassured medical experts have their 'finger on the pulse' of coronavirus vaccine development, despite no timeframe being put in place for the rollout.

A Victorian police officer stands guard at a hotel quarantine facility at Novotel Hotel South Wharf in Melbourne

A member of the Australian Defence Force speaks to a Victorian police officer outside a hotel quarantine facility at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Melbourne

Passengers are seen disembarking a SkyBus and entering a quarantine facility at Melbourne's Pan Pacific hotel

Both of Sydney's major clusters, in Berala to the south-west and Avalon on the Northern Beaches, are believed to be linked to failures in the quarantine system.

The evidence is clearest with the Berala cluster, where authorities have identified a quarantine transport driver as patient zero.

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Officials said he was infected - despite wearing protective equipment - by a family who had returned to Australia from overseas.

The driver then unknowingly infected a colleague, who visited the Berala BWS bottle shop while asymptomatic. A BWS staff member was infected, leading to a second bottle shop worker catching the highly infectious virus.

The employees were at the shop each day between December 22 and December 31, sparking fears of a mass outbreak, given more than a thousand customers visited the store on Christmas Eve alone.

The new virus strain ravaging the United Kingdom has 17 mutations, largely to the spike protein, which is how the virus penetrates cells. British authorities believe the strain can be transmitted from person-to-person more easily than previous strains

AstraZeneca, which is being made in Melbourne by CSL, won't be granted provisional registration by the Therapeutic Goods Administration until next month

The virus has apparently escaped quarantine in Sydney three more times.

Another driver, a Sydney Ground Transport employee who ferried around air crew from the airport to their hotel, tested positive on December 16.

Contact tracers said the Avalon cluster strain appeared to be similar to a virus variant detected in a quarantined American traveller who tested positive last month.

However, just how the virus spread to Avalon - sparking 148 cases, many contracted at local pubs - remains unknown. 'We may never find a link back,' NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said.

A cleaner at Darling Harbour's Novotel quarantine hotel tested positive to the virus on December 2. She has not been linked to any further cases.

Fears have been raised over what could happen if the mutant strain managed to escape quarantine.

The mutant virus was first detected in Australia in a traveller from the United Kingdom in late November.

The mutant virus strain has been contained to hotel quarantine in Sydney so far. Above, testing queues

A second case was reported in the state's hotel quarantine system - which takes in more than half of the travelling population - on December 7.

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Both patients tested positive to the virus early in their 14 day quarantine period.

Thirteen European countries and nations including Canada, India, Israel and Iran have each banned travel from the UK in the wake of a highly infectious virus surge in England's south-east.

SYDNEY'S FOUR HOTEL QUARANTINE BREACHES 1. Berala cluster: Quarantine driver is infected while ferrying a family to their hotel. Inadvertently spreads the virus to a colleague, who visited BWS bottle shop on December 20, sparking cluster 2. Avalon cluster: American traveller tests positive to virus in hotel quarantine in early December. Virus strain in northern beaches is similar to her case, unclear how it got there 3. Sydney Ground Transport driver is infected while ferrying air crew. Tests positive December 16 4. Novotel quarantine hotel cleaner is infected on December 2. No further cases

British authorities cancelled Christmas gatherings amid claims the strain ravaging England's south-east is up to 70 per cent more transmissible than 'normal' Covid.

Mr Morrison said the Australian government wasn't planning to follow the lead of other countries by closing the door on UK return travellers.

'We have no plans to go down the path of (banning UK flights),' Mr Morrison told reporters at Parliament House.

Health Minister Greg Hunt has pointed to the country's hotel quarantine system as its first line of defence against the more virulent strain, and one which other countries don't have.

The new strain has 17 mutations, mostly in its spike protein, which experts said could possibly provide it with its incredibly infectious nature.

But there is no evidence the mutated virus causes a more severe form of disease and doctors, including Australia's chief health officer, have expressed skepticism about the British Government's claims.

'The strain circulating especially in the southeast of England at the moment has particular mutations related to the spike protein, important because it is the way the virus gets into the cells,' Dr Paul Kelly said.

'There is no definite evidence that this is a significant change.' Other experts have pointed out the virus's spread in England occurred during a period of relaxed restrictions and the depths of winter.

Amid concerns, the CEO of BioNTech - the joint manufacturer with Pfizer of the first vaccine against Covid - has said he is confident the jab will be effective against the virus variant.

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Ugur Sahin told Germany's Bild TV the company will investigate the mutation but he viewed the matter with a 'degree of soberness'.
Hong Kong will complete an e-booking system for Covid-19 vaccine inoculations this month and is in talks with other countries to allow the records to be used for travel, local media including Hong Kong Economic Times reported.

The electronic-registration system will record when and which type of vaccine a person/citizen has received and will remind the user when to receive a second shot, Secretary for Innovation and Technology Alfred Sit was cited as saying in a radio interview.

Hong Kong has already reached agreements with Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE, AstraZeneca Plc and Chinas Sinovac Biotech Ltd. to acquire 22.5 million potential doses of vaccines, and is seeking a further 7.5 million. The government has said residents will be able to choose which type they receive, though the details are yet to be announced.

The Hong Kong government appointed a committee to approve the emergency use of the vaccines, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said last week, signaling the city is moving closer to authorizing the candidates.

Separately, Radio Television Hong Kong reported Saturday that Tony Ko, chief executive of the citys Hospital Authority, said the organization is considering testing all of its medical staff regularly for coronavirus.

Hong Kong does not require all residents to screen for the virus but issued mandatory testing orders to tenants of 44 buildings where cases were found in the past 14 days.

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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Youre a father, Devon Murray! The Harry Potter star welcomed his first child with Shannon McCaffrey Quinn on Saturday, January 2.

Read article

Yesterday 2/1/21 my life changed forever, he wrote on Instagram on Sunday, January 3, along with a pic of a celebratory cupcake and card. Shannon delivered our beautiful little boy Cooper Michael Murray weighing 6lbs 10oz. Both are doing amazing now after a very long labour and a scary few minutes at the end. It still hasnt sunk in just yet that we have our very own little boy. I cant wait to make the most amazing memories with Shannon and Cooper as we begin our little family. Im so amazed by Shannon and she is now my Hero. Im so proud of her for everything she has gone through. I cant wait to have you both home. Its so hard having to leave you both. I will love you both forever until my last breathe.

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The actor, 31, who is best known for playing Seamus Finnigan in the popular franchise, revealed his girlfriends pregnancy in July, writing via Instagram: Baby Murray. 14th of January 2021. Thank you all so much for the kind messages. Were both over the moon and so excited about meeting him/her.

Courtesy of Devon Murray/Instagram

Read article

The Ireland natives former costars showed their support for the social media upload at the time. Aww congratulations Dev!! Evanna Lynch wrote, while Scarlett Hefner commented, Congratulations Dev!! So exciting.

Murray has been dating Quinn since 2018, calling her the best girlfriend ever the following year in an Instagram birthday tribute.

I cant wait to go on more life adventures with you @smccaffreyquinn, the Angelas Ashes star gushed in 2019. I hope you have a great day. Love you.

He isnt the first member of the Harry Potter cast to become a father. Us Weekly confirmed in May that Rupert Grint and his girlfriend, Georgia Groome, had welcomed their baby girl.

Read article

In 2016, Murray candidly shared his depression battle with his followers, tweeting about his former suicidal thoughts in honor of World Mental Health Day.

Ive been battling depression in silence for ten years & only recently spoke about it and has made a huge difference #worldmentalhealthday, he tweeted at the time. I had suicidal thoughts this year and that was the kick up the arse that I needed! Open up, talk to people. If you suspect a friend or family member is suffering in silence #ReachOut to them. Let them know you care #worldmentalhealthday.

After receiving support from followers and celebrities alike for his honesty, Murray went on to write, Im so happy that from me opening up it helped so many of you find the strength to. We are all loved and cared about by those around us #talk. Im also so thankful for all the kind messages of support yesterday. So much love for you all.
Days after Mumbai-based standup comedian Munawar Faruqui and four others were arrested after a complaint from Eklavya Gaur, son of Indore-4 BJP MLA Malini Gaur, alleged that he insulted religious sentiments of Hindus, the police have said that there is no video evidence showing him making such remarks.

Theres no evidence against him for insulting Hindu deities or Union Minister Amit Shah, Indore Town Inspector (Tukaganj Police Station) Kamlesh Sharma told The Indian Express, adding that Faruqui has been booked as an organiser.

Indore police arrested Faruqui and his four associates based on Gaurs allegations on Friday. He is serial offender and often cracks defamatory jokes on Hindu gods and goddesses, Gaur told media outside the police station on the day of the comedians arrest. When I heard about Munawars show, I bought a ticket and went to see it. As expected, he was insulting Hindu deities and also mocked Home Minister Amit Shah by dragging his name with Godhra riots," he added.

Faruqui and his associates Edvin Anthony, Prakhar Vyas, Priyam Vyas and Nalin Yadav have been booked under IPC Sections 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 298 (uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person), 269 (Whoever unlawfully or negligently does any act which is, and which he knows or has reason to believe to be, likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life), 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).

Meanwhile, a disturbing video has gone viral where Faruqui is seen on stage, explaining himself and his content. In the footage, he can be seen referring to his old videos where he cracked jokes on Islam and that his content had never had the intention to provoke Hindu sentiments. Gaur too can be seen on the stage, even though he later stormed off.

Celebrated comedians, including Varun Grover, Vir Das, Kaneez Surkha, Agrima Joshua, Rahul Subramaniam and Rohan Joshi, rallied behind Faruqui in support.

On Sunday, a woman claiming to be part of the audience on the day of his arrest, Jenosha Agnes, recollected the event on Instagram, explaining how "few people with political connections rushed to the stage and snatched the mic". As Munawar arrived on the stage, few people with political connections rushed to the stage, snatched the mic and began saying hamare religious sentiments hurt hue hai Godhra kand per joke kiya Hamare devi devta ka mazak udaya Islam pe joke q nahi karta hai.

Munawar politely clarified that he never had the intention to hurt anyone. He handled the situation very well and they backed off, she said. A few minutes later, a crowd entered the hall and the organisers backed out. Then police arrived and arrested Faruqui and others. No derogatory remarks were made by Munawar Faruqui at the Indore show, she said.

Meanwhile, Faruquis lawyer Asad Warsi said that the legal team will file for bail on Monday. We are pleading there is no such evidence of offences against any of them.
The tangled tale of President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election took a new turn this weekend.

A group of 11 Republican senators led by Texas Senator Ted Cruz announced plans Saturday to object to the certification of the Electoral College on Jan. 6. It's a Trump loyalty-litmus test like none other, and approximately 140 of House Republicans are expected to join their Senate colleagues in objecting to the Electoral College votes, according to Forbes' Andrew Solender.

While these moves were being telegraphed, a recording of a potentially incriminating phone call between President Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was released by several major American news outlets Sunday. Trump's demands on the call have been characterized as "impeachable" by leading Democrats, according to The Hill's Cristina Marcos.

The president is overheard urging Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes" that would put him in the lead over President-elect Joe Biden in Georgia, according to the Washington Post's Amy Gardner.

In an interview with Chron, University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus discussed the likelihood of Trump's most recent efforts affecting the election's outcome.

Chron: Did Trump actually break the law in his call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger?

Rottinghaus: It has the potential to violate both state and federal laws when it comes to pressuring officials on election-related matters. It's hard to know definitively how the state or federal officials might treat thiscollecting evidence of indicting a public official. The statutes require a very clear statement from the person that they are pressuring that there has to be some consequence. It's hard to know how the officials might treat an ex-president given the nature of the office and given the nature of the president.

Do you think this scandal over Trump's call will derail his effort to overturn the election?

I've been looking at scandals and how they affect presidential popularity and survival in office. Scandals in recent years have had a very little effect on politicians. A decade ago, it might have been a debilitating scandal. We also know executive officials typically survive in office. It's hard to get an incumbent president out of office through scandal. The president has shown himself to be a survivor politically. Trump is like political Teflon.

Prominent lawmakers like Illinois Senator Dick Durbin and New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are calling Trump's call an "impeachable offense." Is it too late to impeach President Trump now?

Generally speaking, it's never too late to impeach a president, but obviously there are firm deadlines approaching that the chambers would have to meet to schedule such an endeavor. Usually an impeachment takes a while because it requires a formal investigation, hearings and the actual process of impeaching the president. There's time technically, but it might be a challenge to squeeze all that in before the president leaves office.

Do you ultimately think that Trump's bid to overturn the election on January 6 stands any chance of succeeding?

I think it will be a lot of show, fireworks, but ultimately it will not have any effect on the bottom line. These politicians are for political reasons pursuing this line of attack. Even though it won't change the outcome, it has political legs. They are going to hope to ride it to the next election.

Do you think Vice President Mike Pence will support Trump's bid to overturn the election?

I don't believe at this point that the Vice President sees himself as a centerpiece to overturning the election. He seemed to be reluctant to join in efforts to engage in activity to manipulate the Electoral College vote. But it's unknown at this point, since the political pressure is pretty strong. The likelihood is that they will certify the votes. You'll see that happen a couple of hours after the discussion begins. It will ultimately go to Biden again. I can't imagine that any debate at this point would lead to any conclusion other than the one that would lead to certifying the electors of each state.
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New Delhi, Jan 4 (UNI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be visiting Sri Lanka from fifth to seventh January, aiming at strengthening the cordial relations between two nations.

"At the invitation of the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka Dinesh Gunawardena, the External Affairs Minister will pay an official visit to Sri Lanka from 5-7 January 2021, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement, here on Monday.

He will hold discussions with his counterpart and Sri Lankas leadership on the entire gamut of bilateral relations, it added.

This will be the first foreign visit by the Minister in 2021, and also the first by a foreign dignitary to Sri Lanka in the New Year.

As such, it signifies the priority both countries attach to strengthening their close and cordial relations in all spheres of mutual interest, the statement further added.

UNI ASH/VT GK 1621
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A woman in a remote town in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been showing symptoms of hemorrhagic fever, which scientists fear may be a sign of a new deadly virus, termed Disease X, which could be as contagious as Covid-19 virus but have Ebola's fatality rate of 50-90 per cent.

Disease X, where the X stands for unexpected, has been termed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as hypothetical for now. But the woman in Ingende has been tested for many diseases, including Ebola, but they have all come out negative. Scientists now fear this could be that deadly virus, one of many that could emerge from the African tropical rainforests.

We are now in a world where new pathogens will come out. And that is what constitutes a threat for humanity, Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum, the scientist who helped discover the Ebola virus in 1976 told CNN, adding that these new viruses could be much deadlier than Covid-19.

The scientist has warned of many animal-based viruses or those viruses that can jump the species barrier and infect humans. He said that Covid-19 is among those diseases, along with rabies and yellow fever.

Muyembe leads the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa, backed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and WHO. These labs are where early detection of new diseases takes place.

If a pathogen emerged from Africa, it will take time to spread all over the world. So, if this virus is detected early  like in my institution here  there will be opportunity for Europe [and the rest of the world] to develop new strategies to fight these new pathogens, he is quoted as saying in a report.

Coronavirus has impacted over 85 million people worldwide and killed over 1.8 million. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is suspected to originate from bats.
Vaccines are now being administered in Illinois to health care workers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities. Hospitals and health departments are overseeing vaccination of health care workers, and the Kane County Health Department said it was working this week on vaccination clinics for health care workers who are not affiliated with hospitals and others in the first priority group. CVS Health and Walgreens, working through a federal contract, are administering shots at long-term care facilities.
Washington DC has activated the US National Guard ahead of pro-Trump protests in the capital this week.

According to reports on Monday, troops were activated in the United States capital two days prior to the protest, which is due to take place on Wednesday. The decision was made by mayor Muriel Bowser.

Congress, on the same day as the pro-Trump march, will vote to confirm Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential race, and Mr Trump as the loser in the process.

The US president, who has continued to deny his election defeat to Mr Biden despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, said last week that the protest would be BIG.

It is due to take place in the Presidents Park, outside the White House.

Thousands are expected to descend on Washington DC for the event, which has been advertised by the Trump campaign as the March to Save America Rally".

In a letter the District of Columbias Commanding General for the National Guard (DCNG), William J Walker, Ms Bowser cited two previous pro-Trump marches in Washington DC that turned into clashes between protesters and police.

As a result, District Government request DC National Guard (DCNG) to support, as these demonstrations will follow similar events on 14 November, 2020, and December 12, 2020, which resulted in a large influx of participants, violence and criminal activity, she wrote.

It comes after two months of false allegations of election fraud pushed by the president and his allies in the Republican party, some of whom have also refused to acknowledge Mr Biden as president-elect, while citing baseless claims of election fraud.

At least 12 Republican senators have announced that they will vote against Mr Bidens confirmation on Wednesday, when the march takes place, although the last-minute challenge is unlikely to stop the proceedings, which will be overseen by vice president Mike Pence.

Washington DCs police department had already announced on Thursday that there would be street closures across the city on both Tuesday and Wednesday, as a matter of public safety. There are permits for demonstrations on both days.

Ms Bowser asked that National Guard members do not carry weapons on patrol on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Members of the National Guard are also due to patrol Washington DC during the inauguration of Mr Biden on 20 January, when thousands will police the capital.
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UK Prime Minister Imposes National Lockdown in England Over New CCP Virus Variant

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday imposed a nationwide lockdown in England to combat a new variant of the CCP virus, with all schools being shut down until February.

I completely understand the inconvenience and distress this change will cause millions of people and parents up and down the country, Johnson said in a televised address. The problem isnt that schools are unsafe for children, he said, adding that the problem is that schools may act as vectors of transmission, causing the virus to spread between households.

The prime minister said that schools will be closed until mid-February and the public will be required to stay home. Only essential stores will remain open until Feb. 15 at the earliest.

Johnson said that students are not expected to return until at least the end of February.

Some researchers have found that schoolchildren are not driving transmission of the virus.

The weeks ahead will be the hardest yet but I really do believe that we are entering the last phase of the struggle, Johnson said, adding that the countrys National Health Service capacity may be overwhelmed in 21 days.

Officials on Monday said that more than 58,000 cases of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, were reported. More than 75,000 people in the United Kingdom have died from the virus, according to UK officials.

Johnson blamed the new lockdown on the variant of the virus that officials have said is more contagious.

With most of the country already under extreme measures, its clear that we need to do more together to bring this new variant under control, Johnson remarked. We must therefore go into a national lockdown, which is tough enough to contain this variant. That means the government is once again instructing you to stay at home.

Moving a few hours ahead of Johnson, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon imposed the most stringent lockdown for Scotland since last spring.

The government in Wales said all schools and colleges there should move to online learning until Jan. 18.

The UK strain of the virus has been detected by officials in the United States and other countries. Officials in Colorado last month said they discovered the first case of a patient with the variant in a small town south of Denver.

Meanwhile, Britains Health Secretary Matt Hancock said a COVID-19 strain that was recently identified in South Africa may pose an even greater problem than the UK variant.

Im incredibly worried about the South African variant, and thats why we took the action that we did to restrict all flights from South Africa, Hancock told the BBC. This is a very, very significant problemand its even more of a problem than the U.K. new variant, he said.

Reuters contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON  Citing what they call an impeachable offense, Democrats in Congress plan to censure President Donald Trump after he asked Georgias top election official to find enough votes to win the state, days before Congress is set to certify the results of the 2020 election.

On Monday, Connecticuts entire House delegation, along with over 90 House Democrats, signed onto a resolution to censure Trump for his call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger over the weekend.

Trump asked Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes  enough for him to overturn President-elect Joe Bidens win in the state. He also insisted, without evidence, that he won the state, contrary to the findings of multiple recounts that uncovered no significant fraud or errors. Raffensperger, a Republican, rebutted Trumps allegations and declined to change Georgias election results.

U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4, called Trumps call impeachable conduct and said he supports efforts to censure the president, the highest form of rebuke Congress can give short of adopting articles of impeachment.

Given the fact that were 16 days away from a new inauguration, given the fact that impeachment is a terribly serious thing, were just, as a logistical matter, not going to be able to impeach, he said Monday.

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, accused Trump of trying to get state election officials to try to commit fraud.

It would appear that the president doesnt know any bounds when it comes to overturning the results of the election, DeLauro said.

U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-1, called Trumps actions shameful, criminal, and un-American.

Trump continued his allegations of election fraud on Twitter Monday, again without citing any evidence. He did not address the call for a censure nor did the White House make any statements. Trump was scheduled to speak at a rally in Georgia Monday night.

U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Georgia, is leading the House effort to censure Trump and planned to formally introduce a resolution Monday afternoon. Its unclear if or when the House might vote on the resolution. Only four presidents have been officially censured.

Democrats also held a call Monday morning to craft their strategy to oppose the efforts of some Republicans to prevent certification of the 2020 election results by Congress on Wednesday.

Individual lawmakers can object to Congress's approval of the vote. The decision by some GOP members to do so has divided the Republican party on the eve of two Georgia run-off elections Tuesday that will decide control of the U.S. Senate.

Over 140 House Republicans and at least 13 GOP senators have said they plan to object Wednesday to certifying the Nov. 3 election results.

A vocal Trump ally, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said she would object because she believes there are serious questions about how the 2020 election was conducted.

Tens of millions of Americans are rightly concerned that the 2020 election featured unprecedented voting irregularities, unconstitutional overreach by unelected state officials and judges ignoring state election laws, and a fundamental lack of ballot integrity and security, she said.

In a joint statement, 11 senators said they want to establish a commission to conduct an audit of election results in disputed states and will object to certification unless an audit is conducted beforehand. Vice President Mike Pence has also supported the objecting lawmakers.

But other Republicans rebuked their colleagues saying they were undermining faith in American elections.

U.S. Rep. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., called it bad for the country and bad for the party.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said, The courts and state legislatures have all honored their duty to hear legal allegations and have found nothing to warrant overturning the results.

GOP objections are not expected to alter Trumps impending exit from the White House this month. The Democratic-majority House plans to vote down the GOP objections and Democratic lawmakers from the states in question plan to make speeches in defense of their states election integrity, Himes said.

In the Saturday call, Trump indirectly threatened Raffensperger with criminal consequences if he did not comply. He also continued unsubstantiated allegations of widespread voter fraud.

There is no question that the presidents call with the Georgia officials is impeachable conduct. Its like the Ukraine phone call, but much worse because its not aid to Ukraine thats at stake, its our very democracy thats at stake, Himes said.

Trump was impeached in 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction of justice by the House, but the Senate voted to acquit him of those charges. The charges stemmed from a phone call between Trump and the president of Ukraine in which Trump appeared to threaten to withhold military aid to the country in order to secure an investigation into the family of President-elect Joe Biden, among other actions.

Joe Lieberman, Connecticuts former U.S. senator whom Trump once considered appointing as his FBI director, called Trumps call to Georgia reckless, irresponsible and possibly illegal on CNN.

If President Trump was in the middle of his term, I have no doubt that this call and a tape of it would be the basis of another attempt to impeach him, for conducting, carrying out behavior that is not worthy of our American presidency, he said.

Trump sounded exactly like a mob boss and potentially committing crimes, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said on Twitter.

Gov. Ned Lamont said the call was shocking and Unlike anything  Im a student of history  Ive seen in 200 plus years of presidential history.

Some legal experts have concluded that Trump may have broken federal and Georgia election laws, which prohibit solicitation of election fraud and depriving residents of a fair election.

emilie.munson@hearstdc.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson
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The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) on January 3 granted permission for restricted emergency use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University and Bharat Biotech Covid-19 vaccines. The approval was based on the recommendations of the Subject Expert Committee (SEC), which reviewed the data on safety and immunogenicity of the two vaccines.

Approval of the Bharat Biotech Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin, which is still undergoing phase-3 clinical trials, has raised some questions. Bharat Biotech has developed Covaxin in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, from where they received the virus seed strains.

The DCGI said Bharat Biotech has generated safety and immunogenicity data in various animal species such as mice, rats, rabbits, Syrian hamsters, and also conducted challenge studies on non-human primates (Rhesus macaques).

The regulator added that the Phase I and Phase II clinical trials were conducted on approximately 800 subjects and the results have demonstrated that the vaccine is safe and provides a robust immune response. The Phase III efficacy trial was initiated in India on 25,800 volunteers and till date, 22,500 participants have been vaccinated across the country and the vaccine has been found to be safe as per the data available till date. To be sure, there is no clarity on whether there is data from phase-3 to meet the criteria for an interim analysis on the vaccines efficacy

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 DCGI said Covaxin was approved in public interest as an abundant precaution, in clinical trial mode, to have more options for vaccinations, especially in cases of infection by mutant strains. The clinical trial ongoing within the country by the firm will continue. Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, said the Covaxin approval is a Monitored Approval with strict follow-ups and a rolling review.The regulator has said that the approval is in clinical trial mode but there isnt any clarity from the DCGI on this front. If an experimental vaccine is given to people, there should be informed consent explaining the potential risks and benefits of the vaccine, post-vaccination follow-up and in case there is any serious adverse reaction the recipient may become eligible for compensation. Oversight and ethics committees will also come into the picture. Dr Randeep Guleria, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), told News18 that any person who develops side-effects after being administered Covaxin will be eligible for compensation. An official statement from the DCGI is needed to clear the air on this.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which has collaborated with Bharat Biotech for the vaccine, said Covaxin has the potential to mount resistance against new mutants of SARS-CoV-2. The whole virion-inactivated vaccine, in theory, is likely to be effective against mutating strains compared to vaccines targeting spike proteins.

Bharat Biotech said Covaxin has shown long-term persistence of immune responses to multiple viral proteins, as opposed to only the spike protein, and has demonstrated a broad-spectrum neutralising capability with heterologous SARS-CoV2 strains, thus potentially reducing or eliminating escape mutants. No data has been shared by the regulator or the company to support this claim.
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Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Partly cloudy early with thunderstorms becoming likely during the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 88F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm during the evening, then some lingering showers still possible overnight. Low 57F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
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BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan's Central Election Commission (BShK) has launched a probe after an NGO reported that residents in one district said they were threatened with violence if they didn't vote for Sadyr Japarov in the upcoming early presidential poll.

The BShK said it was acting on a report by the group Jalpy Ish (Common Case) over recent alleged voter intimidation in the Kara-Suu district in the southern Osh region.

The report said young men went house to house telling people to vote for Japarov on January 10, threatening them with violence if they didn't.

The BShK also said that it had informed the Central Asian state's Interior Ministry and the Prosecutor-General's Office about the incident.

There's been no comment from Japarov on the allegations.

The early presidential election was called following a political crisis triggered by mass protests in early October over the outcome of parliamentary elections that led to the resignation of the government and prompted President Sooronbai Jeenbekov to step down.

Japarov, who during the October turmoil was released from prison where he was serving a sentence for kidnapping a political rival, was elected prime minister by lawmakers and took over presidential powers following Jeenbekov's resignation.

In mid-November, Japarov suspended his duties as acting president and prime minister to become eligible to seek the presidency as Kyrgyz law does not allow anyone serving as president in an interim capacity to run in an election for the post.

Seventeen candidates have been registered to run in the January 10 vote.
Foreign investors remain interested in Vietnams private hospital chains

A consortium led by GIC, Singapores sovereign wealth fund, has recently announced an investment of $203.1 million for a minority stake in VMC Holding Business Investment JSC (VMC), a subsidiary of the largest private enterprise Vingroup JSC.

VMC is the parent of private hospital developer and operator of Vinmec. The new funds will be used to expand Vinmecs medical and clinic network.

Following the transaction, Vingroup will remain the controlling shareholder of VMC. Meanwhile, GIC will receive a share of VMC's income proportionate with its equity interest, whilst Vingroup will continue to re-invest all income into the business, in line with the groups existing commitment that its investment in healthcare will remain non-profit.

The tie-up between Vinmec and GIC is aimed at pursuing operational excellence as well as leveraging GICs extensive expertise and investments in the healthcare sector globally, including GICs partnership with Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings Inc. in the Philippines since 2014.

GICs investment in the Vingroup medical unit is a testament to the attractiveness of Vietnams private healthcare sector. According to data by the Ministry of Health, Vietnam has 250 private hospitals, accounting for 17 per cent of the total 1,400 hospitals nationwide. Since the beginning of 2011, the number of hospital beds in private hospital have tripled but only made up 5.6 per cent of the total hospital beds in Vietnam. The Ministry of Health estimated that only 7 per cent of Vietnamese used private-sector health services. The government is now welcoming international firms to help shoulder the burden of the overrun public hospitals.

In November, Nhi Dong 315, a Vietnamese tech-enabled healthcare services company, closed its pre-Series A financing from a consortium of international investors from Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Europe. This was Nhi Dong 315s first external funding since opening its first clinic in June 2019, as reported by BusinessNewsAsia.

Nhi Dong 315 is running a paediatric clinic chain  each with an embedded and fully-licensed pharmacy. The proceeds will be spent on its expansion to stablish itself as the leading provider of affordable and accessible paediatric care to the growing middle class of Vietnam.

The company will also invest in its technology suite, which today includes a patient-facing mobile booking app and proprietary electronic health record (EHR) system.

Since its inception, Nhi Dong 315 has performed over 65,000 patient examinations. As a mass premium healthcare services provider, the company plans to operate at least one clinic in each district of Ho Chi Minh City and, afterwards, expand further into other major cities and provinces across the country.

In August, VinaCapital also invested in Thu Cuc International General Hospital (TCI) by purchasing a 30 per cent stake for $26.7 million. TCI was established in 2011 in one of most populated and rapidly developing areas of Hanoi by Nguyen Thu Cuc, who in 1996 became the first woman to launch and operate a private healthcare company in Northern Vietnam. By working with some of Vietnams most experienced and leading doctors, Cuc quickly established TCI as a trusted destination for high-quality services at affordable prices in the fields of obstetrics and gynaecology, oncology, and offering comprehensive health checks.

Nguyen Thu Cuc, founder and chairwoman of TCI said that Vietnams private healthcare sector has tremendous potential. There is a growing demand for high-quality healthcare due to the countrys large population and rising affluent class. However, the current healthcare system has yet to catch up with the evolving needs. Specifically, Vietnamese people spend around $2 billion on overseas healthcare each year. Meanwhile, there are abundant resources for the local healthcare industry such as a pool of top-notch doctors. Thus, there needs to be more investment to exploit the potential of this field.

In February, British Real Capital London also launched the $156 million Hong Anh Medical Campus project in Ho Chi Minh City. The facility is a state-of-the-art healthcare system incorporating a 462-bed hospital, a medical training centre, a network of general practice clinics and pharmacies, and senior residencies and nursing homes, adding much-needed facilities and services to Vietnams healthcare system. The project is divided into four stages, with the final phase expected to be completed by 2030.

Andy Ho, chief investment officer of VinaCapital cited BMIs data showing that healthcare spending will grow to $22.7 billion in 2021, recording a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 12.5 per cent from 2017 to 2021 (data by BMI). As Vietnams middle class continues to expand, consumers are seeking greater access to private medical services, thereby relieving the burden on the public health sector. Thus, there is ample room for Vietnams healthcare sector, making it attractive for investors.
Tommy Douglas is surrounded by supporters as he arrives at the Palace Theatre to address an NDP rally in Hamilton, Ont., on June 11, 1968. (The Canadian Press)

Canadas Dire Trajectory

Commentary

Canada is in crisis, but the pandemic is only the tip of the spear.

Not long ago, Canadians were strong and free and proud of their history. Immigrants armed with faith, freedom, family, and industry overcame a vast geography and harsh climate to establish a flourishing and prosperous nation. Unfortunately, these pillars of Canadian greatness have been undermined for decades; without a reversal, the future is bleak.

My own familys story highlights what post-Confederation Canada was all about. My great-great-grandfather, John Thomas Harding, left England and settled in Adamsville, Quebec, in 1895. In 1907, he found land in southern Saskatchewan and walked over 100 kilometres to Moose Jaw to file for the land title. Two years later, the 50-year-old returned with his wife and two youngest children to homestead. They built their house out of the ground itself in an area without trees or roads, whose only landmarks were the surveyors stakes.

The landscape was vast and the government small. Post-Confederation Canada lasted five decades with few levies, save for municipal property taxes and import duties. People made it by their own hard work, the co-operation of their friends and families, the hope and morals inspired by a predominantly Christian faith, and the assurance that what they earned was theirs to spend, save, or give as they pleased.

This kind of arrangement has been, and always will be, a great formula for success, and our history proved it. Canada blossomed as millions of people poured into a land of opportunity. By 1911, innumerable family farms made Saskatchewan the nations third most populous province after just five years of existence.

During World War I, when Canada turned 50, things began to change. The Income Tax War Act of 1917 brought the first levies on earnings, and sales taxes soon followed in 1920. The Bolshevik Revolution installed communism in Russia, but its diluted form of socialism was slow to gain ground in the West. When the first old age pension was introduced in 1927 it offered up to $20 per month, but only to British subjects in need who were 70 years of age or older and had resided in Canada for at least 20 years.

The Regina Manifesto, signed in 1933 during the Great Depression, was the Great Reset of its day. The document said it aimed to replace the present capitalist system with a new social order and promised that economic planning will supersede unregulated private enterprise and competition in a Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF).

In 1944, Tommy Douglas, the first leader of the New Democratic Party, was elected premier under the CCF banner to lead the first socialist government in North America. He introduced 76 pieces of legislation in his first term, created numerous Crown corporations, and scared private enterprise out of the province. The oil industry fled to Alberta and boomed while Saskatchewan stagnated for 70 years. At least Douglas was committed to balanced budgets, something that delayed implementation of public medicare until 1960.

In the 1960s, some leftist intellectuals envisioned that the West could be buried under the weight of its own social programs. Cultural Marxists launched critical theory to attack Western institutions, including Christianity, the traditional family, and sexual mores. As Pierre Trudeau led Canada into its post-Centennial era, he aided both of those visions with his policies.

In 1969, with a single piece of legislation, Trudeau legalized abortion and created no-fault divorce. In 1974, he stopped interest-free borrowing from the Bank of Canada. The burden of interest payments drove deficits deeper. By the 19951996, the government debt-to-GDP ratio had reached 68.4 percent. The crisis led to a 20-year reprieve during which both Liberal and Conservative governments reined in taxation and spending.

The reprieve ended when Justin Trudeau was elected on a platform of running deficits. He has cast off restraint ever since.

For example, the Harper Conservatives delayed the age of eligibility for Old Age Security (OAS) from 65 to 67, a change slated for the mid-2020s so that Canadians could adjust their retirement plans. Trudeau reversed that decision.

While the Guaranteed Income Supplement is more analogous to the old age pension of the 1920s, OAS is an entitlement program divorced from justifiable need. This $40 billion annual expenditureset to cost twice as much by 2030currently pays seniors up to $615.37 per month and only gets clawed back for recipients who make $77,580 or more in net income for the year.

In the past few years, Canada has increasingly taken an axe to its own roots. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission condemned Canada, the most multi-ethnic country in world history, as a racist society from its inception until now. Some statues of the Father of Confederation, John A. Macdonald, have been removed. Former cabinet minister Stockwell Day was fired as a commentator by our public broadcaster for saying Canada was not systemically racist. And, in a strange twist on Canadian heritage, broadcaster Don Cherry was fired on Remembrance Day 2019 for calling on immigrants to wear poppies.

The recent pandemic response has incurred as much public debt as either world war and done more to destroy the faith, family, freedom, and industry of Canadians than any virus ever could. Representative democracy has collapsed under the dictates of public health officials, isolating elderly care home residents from their families, suspending worship gatherings, tracking and restricting peoples movements, and killing private industry. Meanwhile, nearly all government employees have kept their jobs and generous benefits, as their bosses flaunt excessive spending as a virtue.

Much more could be written about Canadas cultural and fiscal erosion, especially the precipitous decline of recent years. The trajectory is clear and dire. Without a renewed emphasis on faith, freedom, family, and industry, the Canadian story will turn from triumph to tragedy.

Lee Harding is a journalist and think tank researcher based in Saskatchewan.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Dickeys Legit. Texas. Barbecue. Arrives In Singapore

80-year-old barbecue franchise Dickeys Barbecue Pit inks new development deal to continue international growth into country of Singapore

Dallas, TX, Dec. 30, 2020 // GLOBE NEWSWIRE // - This February, world-famous barbecue franchise Dickeys Barbecue Pit will open their first Singapore location in the city-island-nations Central Business District.

The family-owned restaurant franchise signed a development agreement with Mavin and Jasmin Singh, Owner/Operators of the franchise group Texas Smoker PTE. LTD to bring Dickeys authentic, Texas-style barbecue for the first time to the area.

The new Southeast Asian location will open as a ghost kitchen outpost for the barbecue brand in the retail facility known as the Cross Street Exchange.

I came to the United States specifically to visit Dickeys in 2019 and was impressed with the systems and process in place. As COVID-19 became very real in Singapore, Jim Perkins reached out to me to further discuss plans, but with the option of a virtual kitchen. Singapore is built for food delivery and I look forward to using this venture to grow into traditional restaurants, said Mavin Singh Owner/Operator of Texas Smoker PTE. LTD.

Despite a global pandemic, this latest announcement comes as the fifth installment of international franchise expansion deals inked by the Dallas-based barbecue concept this year alone following the development agreements for the countries of Australia, Japan, Myanmar and the Philippines.

Its an honor to have Mavin and Jasmin join the Dickeys family and help bring our unique Texas-style cuisine to their country. Their partnership demonstrates the trend were seeing with so many other new prospects, which is that folks are looking to invest with established brands that offer models flexible enough to thrive in any place or environment, said Laura Rea Dickey CEO of Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.

Dickeys other international flagships include in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Egypt, Pakistan, Brazil and Republic of Georgia.

SOURCE Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.

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Brad Raffensperger lamented Monday that he still hasn't received an apology from Senator David Perdue for the death threats his wife received after he asked the Georgia secretary of state to step down in November.

While appearing on Fox News on Monday, Raffensperger deflected when asked about Perdue calling him 'disgusting' for releasing a damaging call between himself and President Donald Trump.

'Senator Perdue still owes my wife an apology for all the death threats she got after he asked for my resignation,' Raffensperger said.

He complained: 'I have not heard one peep from that man since. If he wants to call me, face to face, man to man, I'll talk to him, off the record. But he hasn't done that.'

The Fox News host told Raffensperger that it 'feels like this is a grudge' between himself and the president and himself and Perdue.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (center) told Fox News on Monday that Senator David Perdue (right) has still not apologized to his wife after calls from the senator for him to resign triggered a slew of threatening messages

Perdue called for Raffensperger to resign in the midst of recounting presidential ballots in Georgia. Soon after, Raffensperger's wife Tricia (pictured) started receiving threatening messages from mostly Republicans

Perdue and fellow Georgia Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler called for Raffensperger to step down as secretary of state following the presidential election in November as Trump insisted he wasn't doing enough to combat voter fraud and Democratic 'cheating' in the state.

The duo issued a joint statement just days after the presidential election calling for his resignation.

Raffensperger immediately dismissed their calls as 'laughable.'

'Let me start by saying that is not going to happen,' he said at the time.

Raffensperger said in mid November that his wife, Tricia, started receiving threatening text messages about the state's recount of its votes, which was ongoing at the time.

He said that the threats were coming from mostly Republicans  his own party.

'You better not botch this recount,' one text message read. 'Your life depends on it.'

Another said: 'Your husband deserves to face a firing squad.'

The inhouse fighting among Republicans comes as the party continues to tear itself apart over the 2020 presidential election.

There are those who stand with Trump, backing him on all claims  no matter how far fetched  of a 'rigged' election riddle with widespread fraud. Others within the party are pushing back, including Raffensperger.

Trump and Raffensperger spoke on the phone Saturday for an hour regarding the election results in Georgia, which Joe Biden won by less than 12,000 votes.

Audio of the call was leaked on Sunday, depicting a desperate Trump begging, threatening and flattering Raffensperger while pleading with him to 'find 11,780' votes for him in the state to overturn Biden's victory there.

It was revealed Monday that Raffensperger was the one who leaked the call.

He downplayed the severity of some of the comments made by the president during their, at times, rambling conversations.

During an interview with ABC's 'Good Morning America' on Monday, Raffensperger claimed Trump just has 'bad data.'

'He did most of the talking. We did most of the listening,' Raffensperger said of the call with the president. 'But I did want to make my points that the data that he has is just plain wrong.'

'He had hundreds and hundreds of people he said that were dead that voted. We found two, that's an example of just  he has bad data,' he continued.

'Did you feel the pressure when he said 'find' the votes?' ABC host George Stephanopoulos pressed the Georgia Republican.

'No,' Raffensperger said. 'We have to follow the process, follow the law. Everything we've done for the last 12 months follows the constitution of the State of Georgia, follows the United States Constitution, follows state law.'
Republicans are angry. They know the election was stolen. They want retribution. They want consequences for Democrats' endless crimes. They want payback for the mountain of dung Democrats have flung on President Trump and the United States' Constitution.

Rank-and-file Republicans want no more "Mr. Nice Guy." No more "going along to get along." No more too cultivated, too genteel, too reserved, too polite to protest. They want reversal, re-election, and revenge.

Buyer's remorse abounds.

After all the high drama and hysterics surrounding Trump's Supreme Court picks, they have failed. They have failed the warriors who fought for their ascendancy to the court, and they have failed to uphold the tenets of the Constitution, consequently allowing rampant illegalities and election fraud.

Buyer's remorse abounds.

The usual suspects are at it again. Toomey, who isn't running for the Senate for another term, is tsk-tsking; knife-in-the-back Romney bellows; Murkowski bows out; McConnell congratulates Biden; McCain's wealthy widow who benefited from the fame and fortune Republicans bestowed on her late husband has ungratefully changed political parties, and McCarthy and Scalise have said nothing.

Obviously, things are afoot. The Democrats are unusually silent as they plot their dastardly deeds. The indestructible tone-deaf Speaker Pelosi has already signaled she will emasculate the House Republican minority's powers. The minority of which she speaks has grown under her leadership and is barely a minority. But that's only a detail.

President Trump abruptly cut short his Palm Beach vacation, skedaddling back to the White House, thereby missing his annual big ticket New Year's Eve party. Concomitantly, Pence canceled his January 6 scheduled trip to Israel.

On that day, Wednesday January 6, the world's focus will be on Congress, then possibly on Vice President Pence. If called, will he, or won't he?

The various angles have been discussed. President Jefferson's precedent, the 12th Amendment, alternate electors, plenary session, and/or a ten-day audit of the contested states' votes, as urged by Senator Ted Cruz. The congressional Republican ranks, agreeing to contest the rigged election, are growing rapidly.

Vice President Pence is a conservative's conservative, sort of. He will not have lunch alone with a woman not his wife (smart). He is religious, well spoken, and endlessly well mannered and seemingly decent. But he is also a seasoned, experienced politician and faithful sidekick whose boss is a behavioral and verbal extreme opposite. Pence has steadfastly maintained that Trump has the inalienable right to investigate election fraud. Pence has yet to maintain what he has the right to do or is willing to do.

What Pence decides to do, or not do, will outline America's next four years and potentially her long-term future.

Not only this presidency may be in his hands.

Violence aside, if Pence is the ultimate decider, his political future is also on the line. Ted Cruz has previously run for president. He is bold, brilliant, and outspoken. And he has helped define this judicial fight, as well as lent credibility to the upcoming battle of electors. Surely, Pence feels not only the momentous pressure of battle, but also the pressure of political competition.

Should Pence, if needed, cave, his presidential political future is over. If he wages war, even if defeated, the 2024 candidacy is probably his.

Caricature by Donkey Hotey (cropped). CC BY-SA 2.0 license.
The K-9 filmed being punched by its handler has been removed from the officer's home and "placed in the care of a third party," the Vacaville Police Department said.

Last week, Vacaville police launched an investigation into one of their own after video surfaced on Facebook of an officer punching his K-9 partner during a training exercise.

A short clip posted on Facebook last Monday shows an officer with the dog pinned between his legs near a warehouse on Vaca Valley Parkway. At one point, he reaches back and strikes the dog. According to witness Robert Palomino, the officer punched the dog repeatedly before he caught the incident on camera.

"I heard a dog crying, when I looked, the officer was punching the dog over and over and got shocked about it," Palomino wrote. "... Im sure he saw me, he stopped beating the dog when he saw me and went behind those trailers in the video."

The department said the dog has "been removed from the care of his handler" and was examined by a vet. According to police the dog showed "no sign of distress or injury."

The Vacaville Police Department is now investigating the incident, which it says occurred during training. They are not identifying the officer or dog involved.

"We understand how disturbing the video appears to many who view it and the range of emotions it creates. What the video doesnt show is the moments prior, when the canine became aggressive towards his handler," the department said in a statement. "We want to assure the public this incident is being evaluated in its entirety and will be investigated appropriately."

A third party trainer will be brought in "during the evaluation process of the incident" and the dog will be in the care of a third party during the investigation.

The San Francisco SPCA issued a statement Friday condemning the video, calling it "animal abuse."

"The San Francisco SPCA, being a leader in dog behavior and training, would like the public to know that physically threatening or harming an animal is never acceptable, regardless of the animal's behavior," the organization said.
Black holes are chunks of space from which nothing, no stuff, nor even light can escape, making them invisible by definition. Yet, we know today that they are real, for sure. And for sure is why Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez were awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in physics. Black holes were fancied even in the 18th century. English clergyman scholar John Michell and French polymath Pierre-Simon Laplace derived the correct formula between size and mass needed to trap light, using simple Newtonian physics. Consider this: Unless something launches at 40,000 kms/hour from earth, it will fall back and not be able to escape into outer space. If the earth were squeezed, this escape velocity would become higher. Squeeze it to the size of a marble, and even light, travelling at a billion km/hour would not escape  the earth would become a black hole!

But unsurprisingly such invisible objects were hard to find. Fast forward to 1915. Einstein discovered a novel way to understand gravity  that anything with mass curves the space around it, more the mass, more the curvature. Other particles with mass that approach it move because of this curvature. Karl Schwarzschild then derived a direct consequence of Einsteins theory that was uncannily identical to the mass-size relationship for a black hole a la Michell and Laplace. With Chandrasekhar paving the way, Oppenheimer of atomic-bomb fame argued that black holes could form by the collapse of dead stars. Mathematically, however, the curvature of space at collapse became infinite, which was disquieting. Even Einstein was unconvinced, and black holes were relegated to being mere mathematical constructs.

The scene transformed in the 60s with the discovery of quasars, extraordinarily distant pinpoints that each spewed more light than the sum total from the billions of stars in our Milky Way or Andromeda. No star clusters nor exploding stars in concert could fit the bill. Only matter swirling into black holes as heavy as a million Suns, thereby heated to humungous temperatures, could explain quasars. So black holes quasars had to be.

The quasar discovery impelled Penrose, a mathematical physicist, to apply his extraordinary geometric intuition to rescue black holes from the land of mathematical artefacts.

He showed that the complete collapse of dead stars to infinite curvature was inevitable, and that the spherical surface of black holes a la Schwarzschild and Oppenheimer, constituted a horizon of no return through which the star proceeded to final collapse. Inside this horizon, all directions led to the future with no turning back, until an end of time at the centre of the black hole. Although new physics was admittedly needed to fully grapple with this end of time, because the horizon shielded the central infinity from the observer, the deep disquiet with black holes had ended.

To be sure, however, stars whizzing around a black hole had to be actually seen. In the 90s Genzel and his team used infrared light to penetrate the dust shroud around the most promising arena, viz., the heart of our Milky Way. A giant black hole was highly likely. But earths atmosphere makes stars twinkle, and dance around annoyingly on telescope sensors. The resultant blurring confounds measurements of their speeds. Ghez used the enormous Keck Telescope which could gather lots of light in short exposures, and beat the dancing around, to obtain irrefutable evidence for a black hole. Years on, both teams leapt forward with adaptive optics that corrected twinkling in real time. They got precise elliptical orbits of the stars in the heart of our Milky Way. For sure, a black hole four million times heavier than our Sun sits there  the richly deserved prize-winning discovery.

Right after the announcement, much media comment ensued about Ghez being only the fourth woman to win the physics Nobel. If physics were indeed the most objective discipline that it prides itself to be, and if it indeed recognises seekers of truth based purely on the merits of their argument, then the laureates gender would be irrelevant. Unfortunately however, as data show, the physics meritocracy is flawed. Also, while the first woman physicist laureate was Maria Skodowska Curie (1903), the next waited six decades (Maria Goeppert-Mayer, 1963) and the third, another 55 years (Donna Strickland, 2018). Many more have been denied the prize despite their transformational discoveries (Lise Meitner, Chien-Shiung Wu, Vera Rubin, Jocelyn Bell, and Indias Bibha Choudhuri, to name just five). Ghez said, I grew up hearing the word No all the time. You are a girl, you cant do it no way you can getinto CalTech  ironic but so typical of women physicists experiences worldwide. Little wonder that Ghez dedicated her PhD dissertation in 1993 to all the women scientists I have known. Physicists need to internalise that being allowed to follow ones passion at taxpayers expense is a privilege.

All accomplishments are a consequence of that privilege, and from that follows the responsibility to correct the injustices. That responsibility is not a pressure, but an honour and opportunity to build a healthier professional climate. That two women in two years got the physics Nobel is doubtless heartening and perhaps a harbinger. But does it symbolise a tipping point? Will the profession un-gender itself in the new decade?

Prajval Shastri is an astrophysicist from Bengaluru whose core research interest is the empirical investigation of giant black holes that are found in the centres of distant galaxies

The views expressed are personal

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is urging residents in Black and Hispanic communities across New York to get a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine when it becomes available, dispelling mistrust with the government, based in part the nations infamous Tuskegee Experiment.

Now, I am not a doctor, but Ive spoken to all the experts around the globe and they say the vaccine is safe and smart to take, Cuomo said in a pre-recorded message that aired Sunday during a virtual service held by Harlems Abyssinian Baptist Church.

He addressed the Tuskegee Experiment, in which the U.S. Public Health Service enrolled hundreds of African-American men in Alabama infected with syphilis  many of whom where sharecroppers who never had been to a doctor  to study the full progression of the disease, over the course of about 40 years. They provided no effective care  despite Penicillin becoming available in the 1940s  in order to track the diseases progression until an autopsy could be performed. In the 1960s, PHS officials formed a committee to review the study, but opted to continue so autopsies could be performed and analyzed.

But Cuomo said this vaccine is different, as health experts have warned that between 70% and 90% of New Yorkers would have to take it in order for everyone to be safe.

Cuomo also cited a difficulty residents in impoverished neighborhoods have had in finding COVID-19 testing, and similar concerns in regard to being vaccinated. To help in that process, he announced mobile, pop-up vaccination sites at public housing authorities, churches and community centers.

To help in that effort, a task force is being led by Attorney General Letitia James, National Urban League president and CEO Marc Morial, Secretary of State Rossana Rosado and Healthfirst president & CEO Pat Wang.

I will not take the vaccine until the vaccine is available for my group in Black, Hispanic, and poor communities around the state, Cuomo said.

Data released earlier in the year by the Centers for Disease Control showed a disproportionate ration of Black residents on Staten Island becoming infected with the virus, as opposed to white residents.
The sensational murder case that took place in the parking lot of the Roane County Courthouse in Kingston on August 5, 2005 contains a close similarity to the famous criminal couple of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow who terrorized the Central United States during 1931  1934.

The Hyattes pled guilty to the murder of Tennessee Correction Officer Wayne Cotton Morgan and received sentences of life without parole.

Bonnie and Clyde were gunned down by a large group of Texas Rangers headed by ex-ranger Frank Hamer on May 23, 1934 on a rural road in Bienville Parrish, Louisiana.

The 2005 shooting received nationwide publicity and was referred to as the Kingston courthouse shooting.

At approximately 10:00 a.m. George Hyatte pled guilty to a charge of armed robbery and was being placed in a van to be transported back to prison when his wife, Jennifer, who was a spectator, pulled a pistol and started shooting. She fatally killed Officer Morgan and wounded Tennessee Correction Officer Larry Porky Harris but Jennifer was also wounded in the backside by one of the officers.

Both Jennifer and George fled the scene and were later captured at an Americas Best Value Inn motel in Columbus, Ohio.

After being transported back to Tennessee, Jennifer on September 17, 2007 entered a plea of life without parole which allowed her to escape the death penalty.

One of the conditions to her sentence was that she agreed to testify against her husband which could have led to a legal issue as to the validity of such a plea.

However, George did not fight the charges against him and also received a life without parole sentence.

Prior to being returned to Tennessee Jennifer while incarcerated in the Columbus jail started writing her life story which she titled A Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde and had completed 34 pages before it was confiscated by jailers and was turned over to the prosecution along with some letters to family and friends.

Although initial efforts by the news media to obtain the story were unsuccessful after the couple pled guilty the document became a public record and could be disclosed.

The Knoxville News Sentinel obtained a copy released by the District Attorneys office pursuant to a freedom of information request.

In April 2009 a series of articles by reporter Scott Barker of the Knoxville paper reported the contents of Jennifers aborted manuscript and her letter to describe her unhappy life of alcohol and drug abuse, unplanned pregnancies, sexual activities with older men, broken marriages, sexual molestation and involvement in criminal activity, although she had no record of convictions.

The bizarre writing including a description of the effect that the sale of a horse named Weaver by her aunt had on her. She described the horse as her best friend.

Other disappointments included finding her intended husband in the arms of another woman the night before the wedding when she was 18 and three months pregnant.

Somehow Jennifer got a job as a licensed practical nurse at Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville but was fired because of her relationship with George which included sneaking food into the prison to him.

Nevertheless they were married in a prison service in May 2005 while he was serving a lengthy sentence.

Three months later Jennifer would shoot Officer Morgan. She described the two days her and George were on the run prior to their capture in Columbus, Ohio as the best of her life.

The funeral for Cotton Morgan was attended by over 1000 persons including 200 uniformed officers and Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen.

Wayne Cotton Morgan, a decorated Vietnam veteran was buried with full military honors.

The route to the Morgan County Correctional Complex is now designated as 541 Wayne Cotton Morgan Drive in his memory.

* * *

Jerry Summers



(If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com)
Task order protests continue steady rise

The use of task order contracts have grown steadily over the last decade and if you doubt that just look at the growth of bid protests involving task orders.

In its annual bid protest report, the Government Accountability Office said it closed 417 protests involving task orders during fiscal year 2020, out of a total of 2,137 closed cases.

In fiscal 2010, there were 189 protests involving task orders, more than double over 10 years. The number of overall protests during that time hasnt changed significantly with 2,226 protests in fiscal 2010.

GAO didnt begin hearing task order protests until 2008, when Congress gave them jurisdiction. In fiscal 2008, GAO heard 87 protests. That number roughly doubled to 168 in fiscal 2009.

Heres a breakdown of task order protests:

2020 -- 417

2019 -- 373

2018 -- 356

2017 -- 256

2016 -- 375

2015 -- 335

2014 -- 292

2013 -- 259

2012 -- Not reported

2011 -- 147

2010 -- 189

2009 -- 168

2008 -- 87

I gathered these numbers by looking through the annual reports that GAO files with Congress.

Cases filed with GAO have dropped for nearly four years in a row. Fiscal 2020 was down 2 percent from fiscal 2019, which was down 16 percent from fiscal 2018.

Fiscal 2018 had a very slight increase of less than 1 percent from fiscal 2017, which had a 7 percent drop from fiscal 2016.

Fiscal 2016 at 6-percent growth comes at the tail end of several years of steady growth starting in fiscal 2007. Starting that year, there was a steady increase in the number of filings with GAO. Several years there was double digit growth, including 20 percent in fiscal 2009.

The only exception to 10 years of growth was fiscal 2013, which saw a 2 percent decrease in filings at GAO.

GAO also tracks both the sustain rate -- the percentage of cases where GAO rules in favor of the protester -- and what GAO calls the effectiveness rate. GAO defines effectiveness rate as the percentage of protesters who get some sort of relief from the agency. This includes decisions sustaining the protest but also when the agency takes a corrective action.

But I have to note that a corrective action doesnt automatically translate into a contract win for the protester. Generally, it is just a second shot at the contract.

For fiscal 2020, the sustain rate was 15 percent, up from 13 percent the year before.

The effectiveness rate was 51 percent, up from 44 percent the year before. This is the first time the effectiveness rate has been over 50 percent since GAO first reported the rate in fiscal 2001.

Each year, GAO reports the most common reasons protests are sustained. There are few surprises here. The top reason is an unreasonable technical evaluation, followed by a flawed solicitation. Unreasonable cost or price evaluation was the third most common reason, and unreasonable past performance evaluation was fourth.

Footnotes in GAO decisions always hold some interesting tidbits and this report is no different. For each of the most common reasons for a sustained protest, GAO footnoted an example of a decision from the past year. Those are worth a read.

It seems that protests have cooled down since their peak several years ago. Why that is, Im not sure. Perhaps agencies have gotten better at designing their solicitations as well as how they conduct their debriefings. Many companies have told us that poor debriefings are a reason they file protests  they want to learn more about why they lost.

But whether they are up or down, protests remain a useful tool for companies as they compete for contracts and task orders and that is very unlikely to change in the future.
The Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) mine in Panna district will not be closed, Chief Minister said on Sunday taking cognizance of public concern about the closure of Asia's only diamond mine.

"The mine in Panna district will not be closed and all necessary aspects of keeping it functioning will be considered," assured the Chief Minister in a meeting.

Member of Parliament from Khajuraho and State President of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), VD Sharma along with Brijendra Pratap Singh Chauhan Member of Legislative Assembly from Panna held a meeting with the Chief Minister at his residence on Sunday evening.

The Ministers told the CM that the mine plays an important role in the employment of people who live in the areas located nearby.

Area Director of Panna Tiger Reserve, Uttam Kumar Sharma has issued a letter to the general manager of the mine project directing the closure of the excavation work from January 1, 2021.

(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.)
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
The Queen has marked the 75th anniversary of Womans Hour by wishing the BBC Radio 4 show continued success in your important work as a friend, guide and advocate to women everywhere.

The head of state  who is thought to be a fan of the programme  sent her good wishes to all those involved in the long-running and popular show in a message.

It came as broadcaster Emma Barnett began her first day as Womans Hour presenter, taking over from Jane Garvey and Dame Jenni Murray, who both left last year.

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Barnett told listeners: May I say, as your new presenter of Womans Hour, it is an absolute pleasure to be with you, thank you for having me.

And Im greatly looking forward to getting to know you and doing this together, because I cant do it without you.

Reading the Queens message, Barnett said: As you celebrate your 75th year, it is with great pleasure that I send my best wishes to the listeners and all those associated with Womans Hour.

During this time, you have witnessed and played a significant part in the evolving role of women across society, both here and around the world.

In this notable anniversary year, I wish you continued success in your important work as a friend, guide and advocate to women everywhere.

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The broadcaster said the programme had approached the Queen as one of the most influential and well-known women in the world to see if she wanted to mark the 75th anniversary of the show with a message.

Barnett added: And she is someone who, in this very strange, unsettling and, quite frankly, deeply upsetting time, that millions have been tuning into to hear the words of, and she doesnt send messages very often.

During the show The Beatles song Here Comes The Sun, specially recorded for the show by former Spice Girl Mel C, was played.

Actress Imelda Staunton, who will play the Queen in Netflix series The Crown, was also interviewed during the programme.

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Staunton said the Queen might be an original Spice Girl as she likened the monarch to the girl group.

She added: The aspect thats most important about her is her ability to just be there and be solid for everyone at all times.

Also interviewed was the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian dual national who has been detained in prison in Iran since 2016 over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government.

Richard Ratcliffe said she is counting down the days until her release from prison and actually at the moment is OK.

He added: Probably, as you say, shes got nine weeks to go until the end of her sentence officially at the moment, although theres a second court case hanging over her.

But for her, shes focusing on the hope and so counting down the days.

Hopefully this will not drag on for years more, as perhaps her husband fears.

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Former Treasury aide Sonia Khan, who was marched out of Downing Street by armed police after being sacked by Dominic Cummings, was also interviewed by Barnett.

She said she was never given a reason for her dismissal after she was fired as a special adviser to then chancellor Sajid Javid in August 2019.

I was called in for a meeting that I wasnt expecting, and then I think much of that has been reported in the media rightly or wrongly, so I dont want to get sort of too into that, she said.

Ms Khan added: I remember at that time feeling quite strongly that if Im not given a reason and if theres a chance that this can happen again, it sets a really bad standard and a precedent.

Especially for a lot of the advisers who were coming into that Government who were really young at the time, so I felt like I had a real responsibility to them.

And thatas a wrap. Huge thank you if you were able to join us. Thank to her Majesty @RoyalFamily for this note to mark @BBCWomansHour turning 75. To @MelanieCmusic for the most beautiful Here Comes the Sun. Imelda Staunton - the next queen. It was quite the start #bbcwomanshour pic.twitter.com/81Q4sAtbM8  Emma Barnett (@Emmabarnett) January 4, 2021

After the show, Barnett shared a thank you message on Twitter, writing: And thats a wrap. Huge thank you if you were able to join us. Thank to her Majesty @RoyalFamily for this note to mark @BBCWomansHour turning 75. To @MelanieCmusic for the most beautiful Here Comes the Sun. Imelda Staunton  the next queen. It was quite the start #bbcwomanshour.

On Monday, Naga Munchetty took over from Barnett as the host of BBC Radio 5 Lives mid-morning programme.

She said she was absolutely delighted to be making her debut on the show.

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A geosciences team led by the University of South Florida (USF) has developed a new way to reconstruct the sizes of volcanic eruptions that occurred thousands of years ago, creating a first-of-its kind tool that can aid scientists in understanding past explosive eruptions that shaped the earth and improve the way of estimating hazards of future eruptions.

The advanced numerical model the USF team developed allows scientists to reconstruct eruption rates through time by estimating the dimensions of the umbrella clouds that contribute to the accumulation of vast deposits of volcanic ash. The research is published in the new edition of the Nature Journal, Communications, Earth and Environment.

The research, which was used to decipher the 2,500-year-old eruption of a volcano in Ecuador, was led by USF doctoral candidate Robert Constantinescu in collaboration with USF colleagues Research Associate Laura Connor, Professor Chuck Connor, Associate Professor Sylvain Charbonnier, doctoral alum Alain Volentik and other members of an international team. USF's Volcanology Group is one of the world's leading centers of volcano science and hazard assessment.

When large explosive eruptions occur, they form laterally spreading umbrella clouds into the stratosphere, facilitating the transport of fine-grained ash over hundreds of miles that settles and covers large swaths of land.

Current technology allows scientists to observe ash clouds. However, past eruptions are characterized based on the geological interpretation of their tephra deposits - the pieces and fragments of rock ejected into the air by an erupting volcano. By estimating the erupted volume and mass, plume height, umbrella cloud dimensions and other characteristics, the scientists are able to understand and characterize the volcanic eruptions, therefore improving the forecast of future events.

Using a series of field techniques combined with statistical and numerical modeling, volcanologists extract information from the deposits in order to characterize and classify an eruption on one of the most commonly used scales, the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI). Until now, the most sought-after information is the eruption column height and the total erupted mass or volume, Constantinescu said.

But over time, deposits erode and can provide an uncertain picture of older eruptions. Also, current models have been limited in that they assume all volcanic eruptions created mostly vertical plumes, Constantinescu said, and don't account for large explosive eruptions that form laterally spreading umbrella ash clouds.

The USF team's work shows that it is the dimensions of the umbrella clouds that is the telling factor in reconstructing past large explosive eruptions.

"The better we can reconstruct the nature of past eruptions from deposit data, the better we can anticipate potential hazards associated with future explosive eruptions," the team wrote in the new journal article.

The researchers propose updating the VEI scale with the umbrella cloud dimensions, which can now be easily estimated using the mathematical models they've developed.

The researchers applied their model to the tephra deposit of the eruption of Pululagua, a now dormant volcano about 50 miles north of the capital city of Quito. Ecuador is considered one of the world's most hazardous countries for volcanoes. The volcano last erupted an estimated 2,500 years ago and the area is now a geobotanical reserve renowned for its biodiversity and lush green landscape.

There are about 1,500 potentially active volcanoes worldwide, in addition to those that lurk beneath the world's oceans. In 2020, there were at least 67 confirmed eruptions from 63 different volcanoes, according to the Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program. "If in modern times the umbrella clouds of large eruptions are easily observed, we now have the ability to estimate the umbrella clouds of past eruptions," Constantinescu said. "Our numerical model enables us to better characterize past volcanic eruptions and inform models for future hazard assessment."

###

The USF team was joined in the research by Aurelian Hopulele-Gligor of Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Costanza Bonadonna of the University of Geneva; and Jan M. Lindsay of the University of Auckland. The research was funded in part by the National Science Foundation.
JAKS power plant in Hai Duong province began first-unit operations in November

According to JAKS third-quarter unaudited results for the period ending September 30, 2020, its construction division contributed revenues of RM66.4 million ($16.45 million) and profit before tax of RM8.7 million ($2.16 million). In addition, its Vietnamese engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) works contributed to 82 per cent of the divisions revenue compared to 79 per cent in the preceding years corresponding quarter.

JAKS revenue for the third quarter reached a total of RM213.4 million ($52.86 million) in which Vietnamese assets contributed a majority of the figure at RM155.1 million ($38.4 million), and the remainder coming from Malaysia.

At the end of the last fiscal year JAKS achieved a significant milestone in breaching the RM1 billion ($247.7 million) mark in revenues, 59.8 per cent higher on-year.

The construction division was the largest contributor to the groups revenue with RM1.03 billion ($255.1 million), whilst its profit before tax was RM162 million ($40.1 million). Out of these, the Vietnam EPC contract contributed revenues amounting to RM817.6 million ($202.5 million) and a profit before tax of RM191 million ($47.3 million).

The groups 1,200MW build-operate-transfer (BOT) power plant in the northern province of Hai Duong is its first foray in Vietnam, taking the form of a joint development with China Power Engineering Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

Construction of the facility began in 2016, with Golden Keen Holdings, a wholly-owned subsidiary of JAKS, also securing a $454.5 million EPC contract for the plant.

The first unit of JAKS Hai Duong commenced operations at the end of November, with the second unit scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2020.

It is expected to generate recurrent concession earnings from power generation from next year onwards to cover the depletion in revenue after completion of the EPC construction works there, according to JAKS.

The facility has allegedly caused sleepless nights for those living next to the coal-fired plant, with VIR discussing the situation with affected local people last month. Some claimed that thick dust emanating from the power plant was continuously covering nearby streets, trees, and homes.

JAKS has yet to provide a comment on the situation.

JAKS was initially engaged in water supply and infrastructure construction projects, along with supply and trading of building materials and steel-related products. The company subsequently expanded into property development of mixed residential and commercial development with strategically-located schemes in the Malaysian city of Petaling Jaya. Since then, the group has diversified into power generation and other large-scale infrastructure projects, such as that seen in Hai Duong.
A small private plane crashed into a Michigan home Saturday, killing a businessman, wife, and son on board.

Three people are dead in the private plane crash that started a fire in the Lyon Township home. However, the family of five living in the Detroit suburb escaped without receiving any injuries, the Business Insider reported. According to the news reports, the family's cat living in the Michigan home where the plane crashed died.

The Michigan family had been sitting in the living room and about to watch a movie. They go to the kitchen to grab snacks when the plane crashes into the living room after a moment; they told local NBC affiliate WDIV.

The Home Builders Association of Southeastern Michigan on Facebook identified the former president of the Detroit area's home builders association, David S. Compo, his wife Michelle, and son Dawson, were identified as the deceased passengers by the

Compo had flown to Canton, Georgia with his family on December 29 and was en route back to the metro Detroit area, as per the Homebuilders Association. Less than a mile south of where the family crashed, they supposedly will land at the Oakland Airport.

Read also: 'Deadly Collision' Footage Shows F-35B Jet Clip Wings With Refueling Plane and Crashing to the Ground

The businessman owned the small private plane

A single-engine Piper PA-24 plane crashed into the Michigan home before 4:00 in the afternoon ET, Federal Aviation The Detroit News reported. According to FAA records, the private plane was registered to Aircom LLC, which shares a Novi, Michigan address with Compo's company, Compo Builders.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigate the cause of the crash and release further details as they come in, The Detroit News says.

In 2020, David Compo was elected as the president of the Home Builders Association of Southeastern Michigan. Just days before the crash, Compo left the post on New Year's Eve. Hour Detroit reported that Compo was awarded Developer of the Year and Builder of the Year. Compo Builders worked on over 1,000 homes and remodeled projects. David was also the owner of a real estate brokerage firm, Compo Brokerage.

A home and a neighbor were damaged due to the crash

The home where the private plane crashed catches fire, the Oakland County, Michigan Sheriff's Office said. Although residents made it to leave the house, fatalities are believed to be the occupants and the private plane pilot, as per the sheriff's office.

USA Today via MSN reported that neighbors told The (Detroit) Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, they immediately went to the house after the crash and helped the victims to escape the area

Extensive damage caused the home due to the crash and fire. The private plane was on the ground projected and covered the home with a tarp. Meanwhile, a neighboring house was also affected.

Multiple agencies responded to the incident, and authorities asked people to stay away from the area.

A neighbor told CNN affiliate WDIV that there were concerns that similar incidents could happen because of the area's proximity to Oakland/Southwest Airport. According to CNN, Chase Southwick, a resident nearby the airport, said, "I've got two siblings who are under 2 years old, and they were upstairs sleeping; they were taking naps ... You worry like could this happen to us, because these planes fly low over here all the time.

Read also: Pilot Dies in Plane Crash that Explodes in a Residential Street in California

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The night began like many at Boorda Hall, a five-story barracks at Naval Station Great Lakes, the Navys premier training base on the shore of Lake Michigan in Illinois.

Somebody announced a party, and the hard drinking and beer pong began. A 21-year-old Marine lance corporal, so drunk on rum and Mountain Dew she was slurring her words, went to look for Kyle Antonacci, a Navy seaman shed been dating off and on. Antonacci soon texted his friend Mike Pineda to help him deal with her.

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Both men had sex with her that night. But what distinguished May 8, 2009, from dozens of other party nights in the barracks  what turned it into a mystery that investigators still are trying to unravel  was what happened afterward.

PHOTOS: Navy rape case unravels

Pineda, a seaman from Barstow, Calif., training as a Navy SEAL, spent three months in jail for sexual assault. Antonacci, a 22-year-old ordnance disposal trainee from Long Island, N.Y., was threatened with prosecution. The case didnt go far: Antonaccis body was found hanging in a closet, his nose bleeding, his face and back bruised.

The armed forces face a skyrocketing number of sexual assault cases. This investigation in particular  involving dozens of witnesses, lie detector tests and forensic exams  points up the difficulty of pursuing such prosecutions in the barracks, where drinking and sex often go hand in hand.

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Witnesses, their memories clouded by alcohol, told stories that omitted key details. Antonacci admitted lying. The Navy told Antonaccis parents that he was a troubled young man who had taken his own life. But the parents never believed it, and neither did Pineda.

For years, the parents and Pineda, 31, have tried to prove that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service hid the truth to conceal its own bungled rape investigation. And they are not alone. The former Lake County coroner says he was denied access to key evidence and pressured to call the February 2010 death a suicide. He now believes Antonacci was murdered.

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They used him as a pawn in a game to win a case, and somebody needs to answer for that, Pineda said.

***

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Antonacci was popular in the barracks  breezy and funny in a New York-tough kind of way. The lance corporal who alleged the rape was the same: fun-loving and friendly. She and Antonacci had had casual sex on a few occasions; with Pineda, her acquaintance was platonic. Shed gone to his room a few times to watch TV and have dinner. (The woman is unnamed because The Times does not identify alleged victims in sexual assault cases.)

Antonacci said the woman had come on to him in his room that night. When Pineda arrived, Antonacci left. The woman told police she was so drunk that she lay down on the bed and blacked out, and the next thing she knew, Pineda was on top of her, having sex. Pineda said she was drunk, but fully awake. After they had sex and he got up to leave, he said, she called him back and demanded a kiss. This didnt happen, Pineda said she told him.

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Antonacci told authorities he returned and found the woman naked in his bed. She began to cry and told him she didnt want to with Pineda. Later that night, she would angrily tell police shed been sexually assaulted. Pineda was charged with aggravated sexual assault by substantial incapacitation, meaning she had been too drunk to say yes.

Antonacci initially told authorities that he had left the woman lying on the bed, and heard Pineda lock the door as he left. But he told friends he later had come to believe the woman hadnt been unconscious at all. He said he thought she had lied about the assault because she was in love with him and didnt want him to think she had willingly had sex with his friend.

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Furious at hearing this, the woman came to his room at 4:30 in the morning, warning him not to change his story, Antonacci said in a report to police. Minutes later, a Marine Corps friend of hers wielding a knife issued an even more belligerent warning, his report said. A large X was carved into the door of his room. Navy authorities moved Antonacci to another room when he requested protection.

He was scared.... He literally didnt know what to do, said his sister, Karissa Phillip, who got frequent calls from her brother during those weeks.

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At Pinedas court-martial in November 2009, Antonacci revealed neither his doubts about the womans story nor the fact that hed had sex with her that night, too. The jury found Pineda guilty, and Antonacci rushed up to his friend as he was being led to a military police van in shackles. He seemed stricken.

I just looked at him and I said, Its not your fault, man, Pineda recalled. And he fell to his knees and started crying.

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After that, friends and family say, Antonacci was guilt-ridden. He said, I know he didnt do it. He knew this girl was lying, and he said he would do anything he could to help his friend get out of jail, Phillip recalled.

Two months after the court-martial, Antonacci admitted to a friend that he had had sex with the woman before Pineda even arrived; the friend reported it. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service, or NCIS, warned Antonacci that he now faced possible sexual assault charges as well.

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In a bid to clear himself, and perhaps trap the woman in a perjury charge, Antonacci agreed to act as an NCIS informant, secretly recording two calls to her. He needed her to tell authorities they had consensual sex, he told her in one of the calls, or he could end up in jail with Pineda.

Im not pushing you against the wall, he said. Its just, Im ... young, and Im ... scared.

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Antonacci left the NCIS office at 5 p.m. An hour later, he arrived at the door of a friend, Seaman Travis Canner. Antonacci said the conversation with the woman hadnt gone well.

Theyre going to come after me now.... My life is over, Canner recalled him saying.

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About half an hour later, Canner decided to check on his friend. When he walked in, the television was blaring. Canner found his friend hanging from a belt in his closet, resting on his knees.

Navy investigators said Antonacci had searched on his computer for easiest way to commit suicide and military I hate my life. Co-workers said he had talked about killing himself.

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But his mother, Lisa Antonacci, and his father had doubts. Why was their sons body so bruised? Why did the closet where he was found hanging seem largely undisturbed? The pictures in the room were broken, as if there was a fight, she said.

The family hired James Culp, a civilian military lawyer who had handled some of the highest-profile war crimes cases out of Iraq. Culp discovered that nearly half of the photos taken at Antonaccis autopsy  including all those of his back  had disappeared from the coroners computer, a fact attributed to a computer glitch.

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He began looking into Antonaccis report about the purported threat from the Marine, who had admitted going to Antonaccis room in the middle of the night to discuss the case but denied threatening him.

Why didnt the marks on Antonaccis neck look like a hanging? In July 2010, the family decided to exhume the body and asked celebrity pathologist Michael Baden to examine it.

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Photos taken then showed small, dark marks on the back and ribs  marks Baden dismissed, but which Culp was convinced resembled stun gun burns. The exam also revealed that the hyoid  a small bone in the neck that can indicate whether someone was hanged or strangled  was missing, though the original pathologist reported hed examined it and found it intact.

Still, the $10,000 exhumation and autopsy failed to produce the conclusive proof that Culp and the Antonaccis were looking for, and four days later, Culp, who had also taken on Pinedas appeal, was checked into a hospital for stress.

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But he was soon back on the case, tracking down Antonaccis next-door neighbor who, Navy investigators said in their investigative summary, had heard nothing the night he died. That wasnt true, she told Culp; she had clearly told the NCIS she heard three very loud thumps coming from his room.

In January of this year, Culp and Pineda gathered several law enforcement officers at a small veterinary clinic in Texas and subjected a pig to a million volts from the kind of stun gun they believed had been used on Antonacci  producing burns similar to the marks on Antonaccis back.

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By then, they had persuaded former Lake County Coroner Richard Keller, who had originally ruled the death undetermined, to look at the new material theyd assembled. Keller, almost to their surprise, agreed with them. In a new statement, he said he now believes with a reasonable degree of certainty that the death was a homicide.

But his opinion now carries no legal weight  he was forced to resign his post and suspended from practicing medicine for at least five years after pleading guilty to felony charges related to an overdose death at a clinic he ran.

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So Culp and Pineda have been trying to persuade others to pick up the investigation. The Illinois State Police in February forwarded the case to the new coroner. Chief Deputy Coroner Orlando Portillo said Thursday the new review, because of the extent of the evidence involved, was expected to take at least six months. The Navys death review board has just concluded its own inquiry, and the report will be released soon.

PHOTOS: Navy rape case unravels

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Pineda is living now in Arizona. An appeals court reversed his conviction in 2011, ruling that there was evidence the woman hadnt told the truth and that Pineda might have thought she consented. The Navy declined to retry the case, and Pineda won an honorable discharge and back pay. Still, he said he wants the Navy to answer for what he and Antonacci went through.

You think that I am going to just throw my hands up in the air after I know everything that you guys did to ... me and my friends? Pineda wrote in an email to an NCIS agent in November. Hey, the Navy just gave me my back pay and every  cent is going to be spent chasing you and your murdering friends down like dogs.

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Not long after, Pineda was contacted by an NCIS agent: A new criminal investigation had been opened, he was told, looking into whether he had made threats against the military.

kim.murphy@latimes.com
UK district judge Vanessa Baraitser will deliver on Monday her verdict on whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can be extradited to the United States, where he could face up to 175 years in jail for the publication of classified information on the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as thousands of US diplomatic cables between 2010 and 2011.

Assange's extradition trial ended at London's Old Bailey court on October 1 after his defense team spent four weeks trying to prove that Assange was being indicted for political reasons.

Also Read | A year on, China is shaking up the world

Although the judge presiding the hearing will hand over her verdict on his extradition on Monday morning at London's Old Bailey courthouse, UK Home Office Minister Priti Patel will have the final say in case Baraitser grants the request filed by the US.

It is also expected that the losing side will file for an appeal, so the extradition hearings will probably continue for months, even years, to come.

The US Department of Justice is seeking the extradition of Assange on 17 espionage charges and on one count of computer misuse, which carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.

The whistleblower has been held in a UK maximum security prison since he was arrested at the Ecuadorean embassy in London in April 2019, and sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for jumping bail back in 2012. Although he served the whole sentence a long time ago, the UK court has refused to release him until the extradition case is over. (ANI/Sputnik)

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Tata Consultancy Services has been honored with the CIO100 Special Award for Business Transformers, for progressive initiatives that leverage next-gen technology to reimagine its business.

The CIO100 Special Awards, IDG India's annual award program recognizes and honors organizations and their CIOs, who have successfully transformed their businesses by leveraging data center infrastructure, managed services and next-gen technologies for today and the future.

TCS won the award, recognizing its digital transformation initiatives this year, including its Secure Borderless Workspaces (SBWS) operating model, its digital talent platform, and AI-led solution for timely financial book closure.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
COSA TV kicked off its 2021 broadcasts with a look back at the 2020 harness racing season.

The talk down memory lane began with trainer Ron Burke, who spoke of his current operation along with praise for the team of Ed and Ashleigh Hensley with their care over Scarlett Hanover.

Were probably pushing close to 350 now, maybe 400 [horses] including the broodmares," Burke said. "Thats been the bigger thing this year, the last couple years; branching out to being a breeding operation. I think we have 27 mares in foal this year, which probably three years ago we had like three or four. But with the advent of [Sweet] Lou being a good sire, and [Southwind] Frank looks like hes going to do good and we have a couple new siresAll Bets [Off] is in Canada. Weve tried to support our own horses and thats made it a little bit different.

In Canadathank God for Eddy Hensley. He bailed us out," Burke also said. "Without him, we wouldve had a disaster. You cant get them in there, we cant come with them, then we were going to try taking them back and forth, but in the end most of them we just ended up leaving with Eddyand he did a wonderful job. The one unlucky thing of getting eliminated, Scarlett Hanover wouldve been easily the OBrien winner. And thats something we havent doneturning over charge of a horsebut we had to and Eddy did a wonderful job."

First Burke and COSA hosts Greg Blanchard and Mark McKelvie spoke on the 2020 Maple Leaf Trot, where Burke's star mare Atlanta rebounded following a break in the Armbro Flight to win in a stake-record-equaling 1:50.4.

Watching it live I thought we were a winner probably from the half," Burke said. "But even now, watching the tape, Im like how did we win? Like, Manchego had seven [lengths] on us. But maybe she wasnt as sharp and our mare was really good that night. It was neat for herI love racing the girls against the boys. It gives an added touch to the win when you can do it."

That same night, team Burke scored a 43-1 upset in the Canadian Pacing Derby when driver James MacDonald uncorked longshot Dorsoduro Hanover down the centre of the track off a fast pace, giving the reinsman back-to-back titles in the free-for-all pacing event.

The race went nowhere near how we thought it was going to go," Burke said. "We really thought that, somehow, Backstreet Shadow was either going to land on the lead or in the two-hole, and it was not going to be to the half in :52 and being first up going into it. Then at that point I thought our only shot was This Is The Plan because he was close enough. He really couldnt get shoved through until late, and by the time he did I was like whos this coming? and I was like holy hell, thats ours too. That was probably the most exciting win for us in the year for me it was. I remember because I was sitting in here in this office and you start screaming because youre pumped. You dont swoop fields in those kinds of races very often.

In a segment recorded earlier in the day, Greg Blanchard spoke with driver Andrew McCarthy on his season, whichdespite the racing shutdownwas his second-best year in purse earnings and another season where the Australian native bagged over 200 wins.

The year really started off gangbusters," McCarthy said. "I had a lot of really good horses in the right classes, and obviously having Ramona Hill definitely boosted the year as well. I definitely finished off a little slower than I started but I couldnt be happier with the year I had."

When his peer Yannick Gingras made the journey across the border in September to camp at Woodbine Mohawk Park for the Grand Circuit meeting, McCarthy later followed. Going north mainly to drive Ramona Hill in her stakes engagements, McCarthy caught two other live drives in the month of stakes. The first was Chestnut Hill, who weaved through traffic in the stretch and snuck by to a 60-1 victory in the Canadian Trotting Classic.

Its hard to start and stop any kind of horse, but I really had to stop him there midstretch," said McCarthy, who had to alter course in the stretch when 1-5 favourite Ready For Moni began to gallop. "It mightve looked like it cost more of my momentum than he did on the replay, but I had to jerk him around a little bit. And for him to stay on gait after doing all of that, hes definitely a nice horse.

It was a matter of just a couple of inches there between getting our wheels hooked or not," McCarthy also said. "I definitely got very lucky, and had it been the other way were both professionals; we wouldve got out of it no problem. Everybody was telling me how great of a drive it wasI cant really take too much credit for it being a great drive. It was more of a lucky drive."

McCarthy then landed the seat behind Venerate, the colt by Love You for the team of Andy and Julie Miller, in the inaugural Mohawk Million. A patient drive by McCarthy paid off in the stretch as the colt edged by the filly Donna Soprano to win by a measured half length.

I think I got more excited watching that replay than in that race," McCarthy said. "I pretty much drove that race like it was a qualifier, just want to put a nice line on this horse. With the 10-hole, that was the way I had to go into it. And it worked outI kept talking to him around the last turn and through the stretch, telling him were good, were good, were good. Hes definitely a top-class horse, and I think hell be a force to be reckoned with this summer. Once Andy [Miller] gets his gait figured out a little bit, I think hes got a hell of a lot of improvement in him.

The Hensleys enjoyed a breakout season on the Ontario stakes scene with thanks to their Burke connections, who sent north some yearlings for the two to train including Scarlett Hanover.

It was really exciting for us," Ashleigh Hensley said. "We started out the year with only six horsesusually we have 10 or 11 of our own ones. So we were down on horses, and then when we got these three babies that was really exciting for us. Then the way Scarlett turned out, it was like a dream because she was like taking care of an older horse. She just did everything right and everything we asked.

Scarlett Hanover scored wins in the Battle Of The Belles, an Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Gold prelim, a division of the Champlain and her elimination of the Shes A Great Lady before the incident which placed her from first in the Shes A Great Lady final to ninth.

Whenever she won, we were kind of excited so we went to the winners circle," Ed Hensley said. "We didnt know there was an inquiry or anything. McCarthy came up to me and said oh well I hope they dont put the inquiry up. Then they showed it on the replay, and it looked kind of bad, but there was no inquiry. So we took our picture and everything was going good, then when I got ready to get interviewed the inquiry came up. So we had to sweat out the inquiry and it didnt work out; they ended up taking us down. The one good thing was I wasnt driving her so I didnt have to take the heat, but it was very disappointing."

However Scarlett Hanover rebounded from the disqualification to win the OSS Super Final in a dominant-though-narrow fashion of a head decision over Voelz Delight.

"[That race] didnt go nothing like I was hoping," Ed Hensley said. "I used her way harder than I wanted to. I kind of wanted to float out of there, and we went a little faster than I wanted to. She just outgritted [Voelz Delight].

It was very emotional for me," Ashleigh Hensley said. "I was just so happy for Scarlett and for Ed and everybody, Mark Weaver and Ron Burkeall of the owners. We felt really bad about the last performance, so it was really exciting just to bounce back and have everything go good. It was just really emotional. She put her whole heart out there."

The year also proved fruitful for Ontario native Doug McNair, who expanded his driving obligations following the racing shutdown and in doing so eked the top spot in the national dash title with 289 wins on the year10 more than runner-up Brett MacDonaldas well as earning a spot as a finalist for the O'Brien Driver of the Year.

It's been a crazy year for everybody I think. To have a successful year again and to be nominated for an OBrien Award again is a great thrill. I got off to a pretty good start to the year at Woodbine, that was the only track I was going to. Once COVID hit and we sat around for two or three months, it was kind of painful. So when we got back racing, they said they were starting afternoon racing at Hanover and I hadnt been up there in five or six years. I figured Id go up there for the first week or two and I ended up going for the whole year. Its a lot of fun going up thereIm from up there. To be driving horses up there was different but it was a lot of fun."

And on the dash title, McNair said Maybe by November, October, I saw I was still ahead, and Brett was racing seven days a week [while] I was only going four days a week at Mohawk. So I decided to go to London one day a week to see if I could hold him off and it worked out.

Among the highlights of McNair's year was driving Exploit for trainer Tony Alagna to a 34-1 win in the Metro Pace, giving McNair his first win in the event. The drive also came after McNair failed to make the final with Pirate Hanover, who went on a violent break in his elimination at the top of the stretch when a piece of equipment broke.

When I moved [Exploit] over, [I] just felt him accelerating for me," McNair said. "I figured hed get a little tired late on me, but just the trip we worked out we couldnt have asked for a better trip. Halfway down the lane I thought I had a really good shot."

Last year also became a breakout year for driver Scott Young. The 28-year-old reinsman, who won his 1,000th race back in January, emerged from the shutdown with opportunities which culminated into the biggest win of his career on Sept. 12, when Luc Blais trainee On A Streak held on by a nose in the William Wellwood Memorial.

I was really worried after the two months we missed," Young said. "[They] were two months of, what I guess youd call cement, whether I was going to stay at Mohawk or whether Id have to go back to Georgian and Grand River. I didnt know what to do, because I had no work at the B tracks but I didnt have any stakes horses qualifying in the spring. I kind of wrote the year off, [but] the work continued and it couldnt have been any better.

I was fortunate enough [that] two years before or the year before I was driving all of Lucs horses on the smaller tracks," Young also said. "And I was doing obviously very, very goodLucs horses are ready to race when they come. I have a pretty strong relationship with Bobby [McClure], so he was helping me with Luc a little bit, making me the other guy I guess. It was one of those scenarios where if they needed me I was going to be wherever they wanted. It just worked out that the two-year-olds were qualifying that year, and I think they actually landed together. I was there and Luc asked if I wanted to go with the other colt.

Young, who has well immersed himself among the Ontario driving colony, had glowing support and congratulations upon nabbing the biggest victory of his life.

When I came back to the drivers room afterwards, like eight or nine [guys] maybe more were sitting all outside. When I walked through, none of them said anythingthey all pretended like they were looking down at their phones and not paying attention," Young said. "So when I walked by them, I said oh you guys are so funny then they all started freaking out and high fiving me and stuff, so it was pretty good.

The replay of COSA's 2020 Year In Review can be found in its entirety below:
RICHMOND (BCN)

Longtime Port of Richmond executive director Jim Matzorkis, 68, died at his Oakland home on Dec. 20 from complications due to a COVID-19 infection. He held his post at the port for 18 years and was just 11 days shy of retiring when he died.

Richmond Mayor Tom Butt said Matzorkis' premier accomplishment as port executive director was completing the Honda Port of Entry project in 2010, which expanded and improved the port's existing automobile and processing facilities.

Matzorkis was born Dec. 11, 1952, in Chicago to the late Gus and Frances Matzorkis, and the family moved to California during his childhood. He married his high school sweetheart, Beverly.

He loved his ancestral homeland, Greece, and took his family on many trips to Crete, Greece, to stay connected with his relatives there. He was a tequila aficionado and loved to travel in Mexico. He also had a love for music and worked for a concert promoter, Bill Graham Productions, in his early career during which time he forged many enduring lifelong friendships.

"Jim had a colorful career in his younger days that he liked to tell stories about," Mayor Tom Butt wrote in an email tribute. "He worked security as a roadie in the rock and roll industry."

Matzorkis is survived by his wife of 39 years, Beverly; daughters Melanie and Ileana; sisters JoAnn and Stacie; brother Nick; and brother-in-law Bob; as well as many nieces and nephews.

He wanted to be buried in Cleveland near his parents and other relatives. There will be a private graveside service at St. Theodosius Cemetery. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Donations may be sent to the Cretan Club of Cleveland, 3853 W 168th St, Cleveland, OH 44111.

Copyright  2021 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
HOUSTON, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Max Midstream and the Calhoun Port Authority today announced that with the recent passage of the Water Resources and Development Act by Congress that expansion of the Calhoun Port will begin in 2021. The national legislation included language pursued by both Max and the CPA that authorizes the deepening and widening of the port.

"This is another great step forward for Texas energy and for markets around the world seeking Texas crude," said Max Midstream CEO Todd Edwards. "Now that Congress has approved the deepening and widening of the Calhoun Port, Max Midstream will expedite the process by financing the expansion directly. By early 2023 the deepening and widening will be complete and 20 million barrels per month will be shipped out of the port." The preliminary engineering and design work is already underway. Once the widening and deepening project is complete, Edwards added, Aframax and Suezmax ships will also be able to load at the Port, making it a viable option for any exporter seeking a port other than Houston or Corpus Christi.

In addition, Max also announced that it reached an agreement with Phillips 66 to connect the Gray Oak pipeline to the Calhoun Port. This will allow Permian and Eagle Ford basin crudes to export via the Port as well.

Earlier in 2020, Max Midstream and the Calhoun Port Authority reached an agreement on a public/private partnership, in which Max Midstream will invest $360 million to finance the deepening and widening of the Port by 2023. In the interim, Max Midstream has secured its own lightering zone to perform reverse lightering to export crude onto larger ships. Max Midstream will initially load Panamax ships and will reverse lighter to larger ships in its lightering zone. Once the widening and deepening project is complete, Aframax and Suezmax ships will also be able to load at the Port, making it a viable option for any exporter seeking a non-congested port connected to both the Eagle Ford and the Permian other than Houston or Corpus Christi.

For more information about Max Midstream, visit www.maxmidstream.com

SOURCE Max Midstream

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Frankfort, KY (40601)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms in the morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High near 80F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Dr Alex George has taken to social media to urge Boris Johnson to meet with him to discuss mental health education in schools.

The Love Island star, 30, has used his social media to candidly speak about mental health issues since his brother Llyr tragically took his own life in July last year.

And Dr Alex penned a letter to the Prime Minister on Instagram on Sunday, urging him to give more value to 'support for emotional and mental wellbeing' in schools.

'Let's talk': Dr Alex George has taken to social media to urge Boris Johnson to meet with him to discuss mental health education in schools

He shared a snap of himself holding a handwritten banner reading 'Boris let's talk #mentalhealthmatters' alongside his lengthy caption.

The reality TV star said he has spent 'months' researching and speaking to charities and believes that mental wellbeing needs to be treated with the 'same importance as core subjects such as Maths and English'.

He explained that the issue has only become 'more important' due to the effects of the Covid-19 crisis, saying that each loss of life to suicide is 'potentially preventable'.

Alex urged his 1.5million followers to share his call for action and tag Boris Johnson and Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, who he also requested to meet with.

Tragic: The Love Island star, 30, has used his social media to candidly speak about mental health issues since his brother Llyr took his own life aged 19 in July last year

Call for action: Dr Alex penned a letter to the Prime Minister on Instagram on Sunday, urging him to give more value to 'support for emotional and mental wellbeing' in schools

His lengthy caption read: 'DEAR BORIS JOHNSON,

'Our children have a right to receive quality mental health education and support that adequately prepares them for the world in which we live.

'I have spent the last few months speaking with mental health charities, teachers, parents and education leads and we all agree that things need to change.

'From my discussions and research, I believe there are clear areas that we can and must improve on.

'Education and support for emotional and mental wellbeing needs to be treated with the same importance as core subjects such as Maths and English.

Mental health: The reality TV star said he spent 'months' researching and believes mental health needs to be given the 'same importance as core subjects such as Maths and English'

'This has never been more important': He said the issue has only become 'more important' due to the Covid-19 crisis, saying that each loss of life to suicide is 'potentially preventable'

'Happy and well supported children are much more likely to enjoy and engage in education and become well rounded adults and more able to cope with the pressures of modern life.

'This has never been more important, especially with the effects of the pandemic.

'Too many lives are lost each year to suicide, each one of them a potentially preventable loss of life. How many more lives must we lose before we act?

'I would like to meet with yourself and Secretary of State for Education @gavinwilliamson.mp to discuss the changes which I propose. I look forward to hearing from you, Dr Alex George.

'Please tag @borisjohnsonuk and share to make this happen'

And the famous doctor did not stop there, as he also shared a flood of posts on his Instagram stories urging his followers to help him 'act'.

Anger: Alex also fumed in all caps that 'our children have a right to mental health education', arguing that 'they deserve better' as he vowed he would not give up

Support: The A&E doctor also shared driven reactions from his fans, including teachers and practitioners, who argued that 'not enough' was being done to 'protect mental health'

After revealing his post had become much bigger than he expected, he said that he will be appearing on ITV's Lorraine on Monday morning to discuss the vital issue.

Speaking about his brother's death, he wrote: 'I might not be able to help my brother. But I can help other children and young adults, with your help. Together.'

He added: 'I have been quiet until now. Gathering information. Speaking to experts. Understanding the issue. Now it's time to act. Please help me.'

Alex also fumed in all caps that 'our children have a right to mental health education', arguing that 'they deserve better' as he vowed he would not give up.

He also shared driven reactions from his fans, including teachers and practitioners, who argued that 'not enough' was being done to 'protect mental health'.

Progress! After revealing his post had become much bigger than he expected, he said that he will be appearing on ITV's Lorraine on Monday morning to discuss the vital issue

Overwhelming reaction: The TV star, who works in A&E at London's Lewisham Hospital, also posted an array of messages continuing to thank his followers for all of their support

The doctor, who works in A&E at London's Lewisham Hospital, also posted an array of messages continuing to thank his followers for all of their support.

His comments come after he endured his first Christmas without his brother Llyr, who tragically committed suicide, aged 19 in July last year.

Alex confirmed his brother's passing on social media in July, describing him as 'the kindest and most caring soul'.

Earlier this month, Dr Alex returned for a new series of his podcast The Waiting Room, and opened with a tribute to Llyr, who died in July.

'I've been going through the hardest time in my personal life after loosing my brother Llyr to mental health in July,' Alex told listeners. 'He was only 19 with a career in medicine ahead of him.

Family: The Love Island star's brother tragically passed away in July aged 19 and was just weeks away from getting into medical school and following in Alex's footsteps

'I was so so proud of him. I miss him so much and he is always in my thoughts.'

Alex used the opportunity to advise others in similar circumstances.

'To anyone who is struggling please reach out and ask for help. There is always hope of a better day.'

Alex recalled what someone 'very very wise' told him after his brother passed away.

'Life throws us into the deep end at times but with the help of family and friends we overcome even the most seemingly surmountable of challenges. Just know you are never alone.'

Grieving: Earlier this month, Dr Alex returned for a new series of his podcast The Waiting Room, and opened with a tribute to Llyr, who died in July

Reflecting on the grieving process, Alex added: 'Grief is an ongoing process and I'll never get over losing Llyr, but i want to continue doing the things that are important to me.'

A&E doctor Alex - who shot to fame on Love Island 2018 - was debuting the fourth series of the podcast after a trying year.

He's been treating Covid-19 patients at Lewisham Hospital in London and sharing his experiences with the nation in his role as a TV medic.

If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.
WASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, the Ohio Republican who is one of President Donald Trumps most loyal supporters and is backing the effort to undo the 2020 election results, is in line to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, according to reports.

Jordan is expected to receive the medal, the nations highest civilian honor, sometime next week, although plans have not been finalized, The Washington Post reports. U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes of California, also a loyal ally to the president, will receive the award on Monday, Jan. 4, CNN reports.

Both Jordan and Nunes were fierce defenders of the president during Trumps impeachment early in 2020. The New York Times reports both Jordan and Nunes helped look for unflattering information about those investigating the president. They often worked with the White House to publicize attacks against investigators, including the U.S. Department of Justice, the Times reports.

The medal usually is awarded to recognize exceptional contributions to national security, world peace or cultural and other significant endeavors, the Times reports.

Jordan is among a group of dozens of Republican representatives who plan on Wednesday to challenge Congress certification of the Electoral College results confirming Joe Bidens presidential election victory. Experts say the challenge has little chance of succeeding.
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"Under the terms of the proposed agreement, deliveries would begin in May 2021," it added.

In a press release last Thursday, Moderna confirmed that it agreed with the Korean government to provide 40 million doses of its vaccine to "support the government's aim of providing vaccines to the public as soon as possible."

Shipments of coronavirus vaccines from U.S. biotech giant Moderna will not begin until May, and others will start coming even later.

The government earlier tried to fudge the issue by saying only the vaccines would come "in the second quarter" of the year but didn't say whether that meant April 1 or June 30.

Forty million doses are enough for 20 million people at two doses a head. President Moon Jae-in negotiated to double the amount from the original contract by video call with Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel and brought the delivery date forward from the third quarter to the second.

The Moderna vaccine has not been approved for use in Korea yet, but the company pledged to work with Korean "regulators to pursue the necessary approvals prior to distribution."

The Korean government "has moved very swiftly to get this done in the face of the pandemic," Bancel said in the press release. "We believe this supply agreement is an important step towards building a long-lasting future collaboration" with Korea.

The government has also signed agreements for enough vaccines from AstraZeneca for 10 million people and Janssen doses for 6 million people in the first and second quarter.

Once approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the AstraZeneca vaccines could be the first to be administered from February, starting with medical professionals and elderly people.

The first shipment of Pfizer vaccines for another 10 million people will not arrive until the third quarter.

The government is still holding negotiations with COVAX Facility, a global mechanism for equitable distribution of vaccines, with an eye to getting more vaccines in the first quarter.
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DENVER  Colorado has significantly lowered its state prison population in the past year, but analysts expect the number of inmates will increase again.

The state said the inmate population has declined 16.4% since February, down to about 16,000 people from around 20,000 in recent years, The Denver Post reported Saturday.

The vacancy rate in state prisons increased from 1% in February to 25% in November.

The prison population peaked at 23,000 inmates in 2009, and the state expects the population to reach a record 25,000 in 2025.

The state projects the population figure will fall to 15,767 in 2021 before rising to close to 17,000 by 2023, nonpartisan legislative economist Elizabeth Ramey told the state Joint Budget Committee.

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Contributing factors to the decrease include the release of prisoners deemed to be low-risk and a 2019 bill to reduce penalties on drug possession charges.

The early effects of the reduction bill, which became law, coincided with the arrival of coronavirus in Colorado.

The state reported district court drug felony case filings were down 61.7% in 11 months, a far greater decline than reported for filings related to property crime, violent crime and all others.
Texas Teen Becomes Youngest Person to Graduate From UH, Already Enrolled in Masters Program

A 17-year-old girl from Kingwood, Texas, is making headlines for graduating with a bachelors degree and certification, and pursuing her masters degree, all before most teenagers have graduated high school.

After graduating with her bachelors in psychology this year, Salenah Cartier has become the youngest person to graduate from the University of Houston. She graduated high school at 14 and earned her psychology degree in just two and a half years. She also graduated with a certification in corporate entrepreneurship from the C.T. Bauer College of Business.

This month, Cartier is moving on to pursue her masters through the UH College of Education.

Salenah Cartier graduated from the University of Houston in 2020. (Courtesy of Salenah Cartier)

I know that this is only the beginning of my journey, Cartier told KHOU-11 on Dec. 28, 2020. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to pursue higher education, and I am even more grateful for the opportunity to inspire others.

It wasnt an easy journey, though. Cartier explained that she didnt qualify for financial aid, so she had to pay for most of her education on her own.

During my first semester of college, I was only able to afford the costs of two classes, and I was not able to afford all of the required textbooks, she said.

So, she worked hard, reselling textbooks and tutoring students to save enough money to attend full time classes. This tutoring was also what led Cartier to realize she wanted to pursue education.

Just 17 years old, Salenah Cartier poses at her graduation from the University of Houston. (Courtesy of Salenah Cartier)

This year, tackling remote learning due to the pandemic, Cartier still managed to push through her coursework and graduate.

Believe and invest in yourself, and I guarantee that everything else will align, she said. Thats advice to take with you throughout life.

She added that her support system played a huge role in helping her achieve her goals.

Salenah Cartier earned her associates degree in biology from Lone Star College-Kingwood at age 16. (Courtesy of Salenah Cartier)

I am grateful for all of my advisors and professors, as they have helped me grow into the independent knowledge seeker that I am today, she said. I know that without the support of family, friends, and faculty members, this would not have been possible.

Mayor Sylvester Turner publicly congratulated Cartier on Twitter, commenting that the 17-year-olds future is bright and I wish her the best.

Cartier doesnt intend to stop at a masters degree. She also plans to pursue a doctorate in cognitive and developmental neuroscience, and even has ambitions to become the president of the United States one day.

We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com
You are here: Arts

Larry King, a talk show host and former CNN interviewer, was diagnosed with COVID-19, according to CNN.

Saturday's report cited sources close to the family, saying the 87-year-old King had been undergoing intensive treatment for over a week at the Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Reportedly, strict COVID-19 protocols at Cedars-Sinai had prevented King's three sons from visiting him. But they are in constant contact with the hospital and doctors.

Besides Type 2 diabetes, King has also faced some other medical issues over the years, such as heart attacks, angina and lung cancer.

King hosted CNN's "Larry King Live" for over two and a half decades and retired in 2010 after clocking in at more than 6,000 episodes.

In 2012, Forbes reported that King and Carlos Slim, Mexican telecommunications billionaire, co-founded Ora TV, with King hosting the channel's flagship, Larry King Now.
KALAMAZOO, MI  The pioneers of Michigan recreational marijuana are closing the books on their first year of legal sales after staggered government approvals allowed pot shops to open in some places and banned them in other communities.

A dozen recreational cannabis shops opened their doors in Kalamazoo County in 2020, and several others are planning to join the party soon.

The opening of the first recreational store in the area, KKind in Kalamazoo Township, happened in March after the coronavirus had already arrived in the state. Cannabis stores were allowed to remain open under the governors restrictions, but have faced requirements meant to keep people safe from the virus, such as reduced occupancy limits.

Related: Michigans recreational marijuana industry celebrates birthday after incredible first year

For many shops, the restrictions meant embracing curbside service and delivery options.

Despite the pandemic, the first year of recreational sales at Cannamazoo far outpaced what the shop was selling previously to medical marijuana customers, owner Adam Tucker told MLive. The store began selling to adult-use customers in Kalamazoo in 2020.

Entrepreneur Adam Tucker at Cannamazoo in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. The business, like some others in the cannabis sector, started out as a medical marijuana dispensary, and has evolved to include adult use sales. Emil Lippe | MLive.com

Sales increased by about 400% in the time since the business began selling to all people 21 and over, and not just those with medical cannabis cards, Tucker said. The growing number of stores in the area has not been a issue for Cannamazoo he said.

We havent really seen a difference because the real competition to the legal market is the black market, Tucker said.

Cannamazoo opened the medical side of its business in June 2019, and began selling to adult-use, or recreational, customers in 2020.

The switch from medical to recreational is not unique to the business. Every licensed medical marijuana facility in the area now also sells in the recreational market.

The city of Kalamazoos delayed action to allow adult use shops while ironing out a social equity component meant that the businesses could not open until after June, when the city approved the pot shops. In some communities in the state where local regulations were put in place earlier, recreational sales began as early as December 2019.

All recreational shops in Kalamazoo, including the second location of Cannamazoo near Western Michigan Universitys campus, had to wait until after June 1 to open. The business West Main location was open for a period of months before it closed, mostly due to factors such as COVID-19, Tucker said, and changes to the student population in Kalamazoo during the pandemic.

After the first year of legal adult use sales of cannabis in Kalamazoo, 12 recreational shops are now licensed for adult-use marijuana sales in Kalamazoo County:

Cannamazoo, 4500 W KL Ave., Kalamazoo (closed)

Cannamazoo, 2233 N. Burdick Street, Kalamazoo Township

Compassionate Care By Design, 4126 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo

Compassionate Care By Design, 401 N. Sage Street, Kalamazoo

Doja, 4203 E Center, Portage

Exclusive Kalamazoo, 937 Foster, Kalamazoo

Herbology, 1986 S. Sprinkle Road, Kalamazoo

KKind, 521 E. Mosel Ave., Suite A, Kalamazoo Township

Lake Effect, 8314 Portage Road, Portage

Lume Cannabis Co., 3406 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo

Mint Cannabis, 730 E Cork, Kalamazoo

The Refinery, 3650 Alvan Road, Kalamazoo

Even more shops are planning to open in the area in the future, including:

Gage, 2712 Portage Street

SKYMINT, 8542 Shaver Road

Redbud Roots Lab, 218 E. Stockbridge Avenue

The names of the marijuana shops include a mix of local brands and others, like Lume, that have a presence across the state.

As the number of businesses increases, brands are taking slightly different paths to differentiate themselves, keying on product offerings, pricing and marketing to connect with customers.

A "Cannabis in a new light" billboard outside of Lume Cannabis Co. in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This is the first Lume Cannabis Co. store in Michigan they will be opening several locations across Michigan in the coming months. The Kalamazoo location is located at 3406 Stadium Dr. Joel Bissell

In May, Lume launched a line of branded cartridges along the spectrum from Indica to Sativa types of cannabis strains. They have names like Dream, an Indica meant to help you fall asleep, and Move, a Sativa strain the company says helps you go out and get going. The companys Kalamazoo location, now one of about a dozen across the state, opened in June.

Its clear to me that cannabis is becoming more and more normalized each day as people begin to understand its benefits, said Lume Cannabis Company Chief Marketing Officer John Gregory. We see ourselves as a big part of this cultural shift and will continue to lead by doing things the right way.

While there is certainly more local competition than when Lume first opened in Kalamazoo, the business has not seen a negative impact on sales, Gregory said.

All the shops strive to balance quality products with prices that will help them find their place in the growing market.

Tucker said customers care about the price point, and mentioned quality of the product and efficiency as other important elements. Cannamazoo, like some others, is working toward a goal of full vertical integration with growing, processing and retail operations all under the same company umbrella.

Tucker said the industry has been able to operate despite the impacts of COVD-19, thought he said the second Cannamazoo location is closed and currently for sale. The reason for the closure was related to student population on campus and COVID-19, he said.

Some in the industry are feeling beat up, Tucker said, noting how much work time and resources it takes to get to the stage of opening and running a successful business.

But at the same time, all of us are saying this is the most fun weve ever had, Tucker said. There is no other industry that we could be doing what were doing.

The work is fun and rewarding, he said.

When it comes to selecting products, Tucker said it is about constantly get feedback from customers about what they want. The shops are working to make the best buys they can, while working to stay on top of emerging trends.

Different business models and styles are represented in the emerging local cannabis market. Some brands favor using the word cannabis to describe their offerings, while others take an approach that embraces long-held nicknames for the plant, as seen on billboards that read REC WEED near the Sprinkle Road interchange of I-94 and elsewhere.

Businesses range from the Kalamazoo County-based KKIND, Cannamazoo and Lake Effect, to others coming in from outside the community, such as the vertically integrated and fresh-sounding SKYMINT.

SKYMINT is expected to open in Portage in early 2021, CEO and co-founder Jeff Radway said.

Were happy to be part of an exploding market, Radway said, calling it an incredible economic bright spot for Michigan.

Our industry grew from just under $7 million in sales statewide in December 2019 to over $54 million last month, and we just celebrated our best sales day ever on Black Friday, he said.

SKYMINT operates 11 cannabis stores around the state, nine of which are licensed for recreational sales, he said.

The SKYMINT team is made up of more than 350 experts and enthusiasts that are passionate about the craft of cannabis, Radway said, and the brand works to bring excellent customer service, inspiring store design and experience and the states best selection of premium cannabis products.

The new Skymint cannabis shop opening in the coming months at 8542 Shaver Rd in Portage, Michigan.Joel Bissell | MLive.com

What is happening in Michigan is a factor in the larger, national conversation about cannabis, Radway said, and how it relates to the criminal justice system.

We have seen outstanding growth for our industry over the past year, and that momentum has translated nationally as evidenced by the ongoing conversation regarding the federal decriminalization of cannabis, he said. That trajectory is critical to growing our economy and to getting justice for so many who are being punished for nonviolent crimes under outdated and defunct cannabis prohibition laws.

Radway said the company provides jobs with benefits like a 401K retirement match, and rewarding work.

Happy people make happy plants, he said.

Gage Provisioning Center will open in the coming months, the cannabis shop is located at 2712 Portage St. in Kalamazoo, Michigan. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com)Joel Bissell | MLive.com

Several marijuana grow businesses have also set up shop in Kalamazoo.

Harbor Farmz and Seven Point Supply are new grow operations, both with new facilities built, at the Davis Creek business park, which the city had tried unsuccessfully for years to attract developers to.

Cannamazoo, which was fueled in part by caregiver products for much of 2020, is now shifting to bring those growers inside under the roof of a larger grow space, and working toward the goal of establishing the name as a product thats sought after on at other stores, Tucker said.

We look at retail as the last piece to really expand on, but we want to make it as a processor as it grow and be on the shelves of multiple dispensaries across the state, Tucker said.

He looks to the success of some of Kalamazoos craft beer businesses as inspiration for the kind of brand he is trying to create in cannabis.

Bells and One Well  those are my inspiration for creating a brand that will make it on the market, Tucker said.

Recreational sales in Kalamazoo County center around the city of Kalamazoo as well as Portage and nearby Kalamazoo Township where adult-use marijuana businesses are currently allowed.

Meanwhile, 18 local municipalities have opted out completely, meaning no cannabis businesses are allowed there, according to the state of Michigan: Alamo Township, Village of Augusta, Brady Township, Charleston Township, Climax Township, Comstock Charter Township, Cooper Charter Township, Galesburg, Oshtemo Charter Township, Parchment, Pavilion Township, Prairie Ronde Township, Richland Township, Ross Township, Schoolcraft Township, Village of Schoolcraft, Texas Charter Township and the village of Vicksburg.

Still left in limbo is the status of designated consumption lounges in Kalamazoo. The city decided not to include consumption lounges in their plans, citing the coronavirus restrictions.

Read more:

Marijuana and Muslim religion clash as 2nd dispensary slips into Michigan town

Marijuana does a body good, says owner of new recreational pot shop

Recreational marijuana shop opens between Kalamazoo and South Haven




Video by Lee Min-young, Kim Kang-min



For almost a year, world has been fighting a battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, a truly unprecedented, once-in-a-century health crisis, and while many countries hoped they were past the worst, many, including South Korea, are now grappling with new outbreaks.



However, in an attempt to create COVID-19 vaccines and end this health crisis there has been an incredible level of cooperation and rapid mobilization in the biotech world on a global scale.



The Korea Times sat down with Francis Van Parys, commercial vice president of Cytiva Asia Pacific, to learn more about how the scientific community is responding to the pandemic and the great demand for COVID-19 vaccines from around the world.



Cytiva is the world's leading provider of technologies and equipment for bio-manufacturers, helping them to produce treatments quickly and efficiently. Cytiva is currently teaming up with numerous biotech companies including biotech giants in Korea to expedite COVID-19 vaccine development and manufacturing.





Below is the full transcript of the interview with Francis Van Parys, who joined us on the third episode of our series of interviews with CEOs and top executives of global companies.





Q. For our viewers to better understand what your company does to enhance global health, could you tell us what Cytiva actually does to support the development of protein-based therapeutics and future treatment?



: So we are a start-to-finish bioprocessing provider so we essentially provide them with manufacturing solutions. If you kind of simplify and compare to what you do in a kitchen, in fact we sell the pots, the pans and the ingredients for the soup so essentially it's a combination of hardware and raw materials that are being used in the process to ultimately develop a protein-based drug. Protein-based drugs are biological drugs with a biological function as opposed to chemical drugs. They're typically more efficient, more impactful than typical chemical drugs and so they require a complex manufacturing system and developing system and so Cytiva is there to support the research and development as well as the manufacturing of those therapies.



Q. South Korea has some of the world's most innovative biopharma companies today. What does investing in the Korean market and supporting the growth of the industry here really mean for Cytiva?



: Well, remarkably Korea is our third biggest market globally so the innovation, the academic power, the scale that's happening here in Korea is unprecedented. We have some of the biggest infrastructure for manufacturing of biological drugs based in Korea. We have some of the biggest biosimilar product producers based in Korea and so we've been working with them for multiple years, more than decade. The concentration of the manufacturing scale in Korea is very important which is one of the reasons why we have a consultancy center based in Song-do which ultimately helps both large companies as well as starting bio-techs as well as academic partners with scale-up services, process development services, training center.

Our mission today with these companies is to enable them with further productivity so they can manufacture at lower cost and therefore provide more access to more patients for these drugs as well as provide additional infrastructure as they are continuing to expand and expanding their production capacity and we are honored and privileged to be part of that ecosystem.



Q. South Korean biotech companies such as Samsung Biologics, Celltrion and Seegene are also part of your extensive list of clients. What are the crucial technologies that Cytiva provides for these companies that enable them to efficiently develop healthcare products?



: Seegene is another example of a diagnostic company where we are the tools providers so we provide components which then are used in diagnostic tests. In this case, most recently for COVID-19. What it actually means to them is not necessarily purely the manufacturing scale. It's also how we help them drive productivity, drive their costs down, do more with less so minimize the usage of raw materials, optimize and introduce new technologies that help them produce faster, lower doses and therefore you know giving access to a broader scale of patients.



Q. So as a global life sciences leader in development and manufacturing, how is your company specifically responding to today's pandemic?



: Large players in every continent have asked us to accelerate the production of some of those critical raw materials which they need and we have responded to that. We are also adding shifts around the manufacturing facilities around the world including in Asia but also in the U.S. We are expanding by adding new production lines and we're looking at doing further investments which we haven't announced yet but adding more manufacturing capacity to ensure that the ongoing demand for vaccine manufacturing which will likely go into 2022, we anticipate, to ensure that we are ready for it. In fact, we've hired globally about 1,700 people over the last five months and that's on a total of 7,000 so you can see the scale at which we are doing this.

And that's happening across the industry at the same time. The logistics providers are doing the same. People like FedEx, UPS, DHL are investing to ensure the cold chain is there to be distributing those vaccines. The pharmaceutical companies are looking for additional capacity for those that are not manufacturing COVID-19 treatments to ensure that they can use the excess capacity for COVID-19 applications so I think it's happening across the industry, creative solutions and that's coming together into what will be an unprecedented delivery of vaccines that we haven't seen before.



Q. Cytiva has also partnered with various companies in the Asia Pacific region recently to combat COVID-19 and facilitate vaccine development. Can you tell us more about these collaborative efforts?



: Well, you mentioned the word collaboration and I think that's a really important one because the challenge that we are facing, no single institution or private company or government can face this alone and so collaborations are absolutely critical. With Takara Bio, a company in Japan, we've looked to improve their manufacturing process so that they can manufacture in more doses and also go to market faster.

In Korea, we have a number of examples where we are the tools provider for diagnostic tests. We're working with some of the major players here as well to develop their monoclonal antibody for therapeutics for COVID-19.

So we have a diverse set of collaborations which we play different roles in different stages of the development of the drug and you know that keeps us very busy at the moment.



Q. You have mentioned before that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought together the scientific community across the world so can you tell us about the effect that the pandemic has had on the scientific community worldwide and in Korea?



: I think we have not seen an effort of this scale before and if you think about the challenges that are involved with developing a vaccine starting from understanding the disease, understanding the biological mechanisms that are involved with treating it or providing a vaccine for it then studying the efficacy, the safety of that drug, looking at what manufacturing process we need, making it robust, ensuring there is a supply chain behind that manufacturing process and then later on the distribution. That whole set of challenges requires a lot of different stakeholders to collaborate in a way that has never been needed and never been possible to this extent. To develop a therapeutic and vaccine program for things like Ebola it took about 40 years for 300 programs to be active. It took about five months for a thousand programs to be active for COVID-19. So just in terms of scale, it's unprecedented for sure. It shows that the scientific community can do amazing things when the need is high. It shows that the innovation is at the sky high level at the moment and that's very promising for the overall healthcare ecosystem and the healthcare industry.



Q. There are more than five billion vaccine doses in advanced orders. Sounds pretty sizable. So what challenges are you seeing in fulfilling this demand?



: There's logistical challenges. There's obviously the infrastructure of the pharmaceutical companies which is insufficient. There's the supply of the raw materials which is somewhat insufficient and so there are challenges at every step of the way. Will we have sufficient vaccines available to serve the needs? Most likely. Depends on the number of programs that will be approved but I think the industry is doing a heroic job in terms of getting to the number of doses that we need.



Q. Since the COVID-19 outbreak global demand for South Korea's medical products, for example the COVID-19 test kits, has soared and local drug makers are also speeding up vaccine development. Is Cytiva looking for further collaboration with South Korean biotech companies?



: Yes, absolutely. So we are supporting various programs. We are actually involved in most of the active programs in South Korea in various forms. So I mentioned already being a tools provider to some of the diagnostic tests including people like Bionote or Seegene. We are involved in the manufacturing of the therapeutic that Celltrion is developing in terms of the raw materials that they use to do so for clinical trials at the moment but that's progressing quite well. We're enabling other players to manufacture some of the global vaccines so you may be aware some of the U.S.-based vaccines are also being manufactured in different locations around the world by partners of that pharmaceutical company and so where that is the case we enabled that as well. There's a number of biotech companies that are doing their own development of vaccine candidates and therapeutic candidates and we are helping them with scale-up developments and research services.



Q. South Korea has received praise across the globe for its proactive and thorough response to the pandemic early on. What are some steps the Korean government can take to continue this positive momentum as the pandemic continues?



: They've done a terrific job they also recently announced the purchase of 40 million doses of vaccine which shows that the Korean government is acting with determination and very swiftly to ensure the population has access to the vaccine. It's now to the companies to deliver those and they have an efficient distribution system for the population to have access to those vaccines. I have no doubt whatsoever that will be organized in a highly efficient and organized manner. Clearly the strategy is working while the economic impact is actually minimal so I think we should be considering ourselves very lucky to be in this country and be able to benefit from going through a challenging situation in a very well managed manner.



Q. What can we expect to see from Cytiva in the next five years especially in Korea?



In our industry, innovation is very fast. We talked about that before, we need to stay current with new therapies that are being developed and so as a solution provider and a manufacturing enabler we need to continue to invest in technologies. You know, one of the key elements of our future is to grow with biotech. There's so much innovation happening at the biotech community that we feel we need to be very close to them and so in order to help them with scale-up services, training personnel. I mean, one of the biggest limiting factors in the industry is we don't have enough professionals that can actually work in this industry so training is a big thing and with that we look with a very positive mind toward the future and we're optimistic about where we'll be in five years from now.




It will be coupled with seasonal flu cases.

Ukrainian Health Minister Maksym Stepanov says that the number of COVID-19 patients will surge after the holiday season in Ukraine.

He announced this at an intercom meeting chaired by the president, according to the presidential press service.

Read alsoDaily COVID-19 cases hit three-month low Jan 4

In recent weeks, the number of COVID-19 patients in Ukraine has been decreasing and the number of the recovered is on the rise.

At the same time, the minister says there is a likelihood of an increase in the number of patients with COVID-19 after the New Year holidays. In addition, the incidence of seasonal flu cases is expected to be on the rise.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said in turn that 22,802 people were in hospital as of January 4, whereas there were 28,000-29,000 on the average five weeks before.

In turn, Stepanov noted that a decrease in the incidence of pneumonia cases was also observed in the country. Over the past week, 19,500 pneumonia cases were recorded, while, for example, they numbered almost 39,000 from November 9 to November 15.

In this regard, President Volodymyr Zelensky instructed the relevant agencies to comprehensively analyze the dynamics of the incidence of COVID-19 after the New Year celebrations.

Coronavirus in Ukraine: Update

According to the Health Ministry, over 4,100 people were diagnosed with coronavirus in Ukraine in the past day as of January 4.

Last week, 47,877 COVID-19 patients were confirmed in Ukraine. Their number was 59,381 the week before last.

Health Minister Stepanov explained that decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases confirmed over the past week by the holiday period when people used to visit doctors less frequently.

Reporting by UNIAN
A teachers' union has called for all schools in Northern Ireland to stay shut until February at the earliest.

The NASUWT has said they agree with their counterparts in England that schools are "unsafe" and should stay closed, at least until the current lockdown ends.

Union official Justin McCamphill said he was "very disappointed" with First Minister Arlene Foster's proposal that remote learning should only be for a short period.

Mr McCamphill told the Belfast Telegraph that "blended learning", as he described it, "needs to continue for as long as is necessary".

Read More

"We are calling on the Executive to review their position in relation to primary schools and to extend blended learning for them, at least until the end of January," he said.

"Our schools are not safe. With the massively increased number of Covid infections it's inevitable that coronavirus is going to spread within schools when they reopen therefore it's important that caution is applied."

He added: "The First Minister, the Education Minister and the Executive need to be guided by the science on this.

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"We are calling for blended learning for all school children except for the vulnerable and the children of key workers, to continue for the foreseeable future."

Mrs Foster said remote learning for school children should only be for a short period.

Speaking on the Andrew Marr show on the BBC, she also expressed concern about the life chances of young people during the pandemic. Primary pupils are to be taught remotely for the week from Monday until Friday, January 8 as the spread of coronavirus surges.

Read More

But Mr McCamphill said all schools need to be closed until February to coincide with the current lockdown.

"There are two aspects to closing schools," he said. "There's the transmission that occurs in schools but then there's the associated transmission, such as children travelling on buses and parents dropping children off.

"If we want the lockdown to be effective, and if we want to get Covid under control, we must take all the necessary steps otherwise our health system won't be able to cope."

Mr McCamphill said he was disappointed after Mrs Foster told the BBC that keeping children in school was a priority.

The DUP leader said: "We will do all that we can to keep pupils in school. We do recognise that with this new mutant version of Covid-19 there are difficulties and it transmits among younger people, and we have to take that into consideration."

However, Mr McCamphill said the DUP need to start listening to the scientific advice and acting on it.

His comments come after all four teaching unions in England said it was "unsafe" for schools to reopen and called for their closure for the next two weeks.

But Boris Johnson said parents should send primary-age children back to schools that are open this week. The Prime Minister also said he has "no doubt" that classrooms are safe and that the risk to young people was "very, very small".

Mr Johnson told the Marr Show: "Schools are safe. It is very, very important to stress that.

"I would advise all parents thinking about want to do, look at where your area is, overwhelmingly you'll be in a part of the country where primary schools tomorrow will be open."

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland nursery schools leaders have urged Mr Weir to treat them the same as their primary and secondary school counterparts.

In a letter, the North and South Belfast Nursery Schools Principals Group urged him "to hear the voices from the sector working on the ground in these unprecedented times".

They added: "We urge you to apply the same safety measures around delayed opening for primary school to all nurseries and preschools, thus enabling them to offer the same essential care for key workers and vulnerable children, to minimise contact and the spread of the virus."
On January 6, 2021, everyone needs to listen to the evidence as an American. No party affiliations, no ideology. Be an American.

The event is political, but it should not be partisan. Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, and there is mounting evidence this election was neither free nor fair.

No one is trying to overturn a valid election. If a massive fraud occurred, we are trying to prevent the actual loser from being sworn in as president. The most dangerous thing for our democracy would be to do absolutely nothing in the face of the evidence presented to date.

If Biden was fraudulently elected, the American people will find out. People are unhappy. Since Biden did not really campaign, no one really knows what he is going to do when in office. His V.P. selection implies that he will launch one of the most radical agendas in American history.

As he starts to push America to the far left, Americans will unite in increasing numbers around investigating the election. This is no longer a conservative/Republican issue. American patriots of all persuasions are concerned, and these Americans will continue the quest for the truth. If no one in the justice system is looking for election fraud, should we be surprised that no one found it?

American citizens/patriots (not anyone in the justice system) have already discovered:

The Hunter Biden emails implicating the Bidens as a criminal enterprise. Video recordings of the after-hours ballot-counting in Georgia. Dead people voting. Non-residents voting. People voting more than once. Voters registered with addresses that are actually vacant lots. Voters registered with addresses that are actually commercial buildings. Voters registered with addresses that are actually casinos. Recounts that could not reproduce the election night totals, and local officials forced to certify election results from Nov 3. Multiple absentee ballots per voter delivered to the same address. People showing up to vote and told they had to vote with a provisional ballot because someone had already voted in their name. Midnight ballot drops in multiple cities. Voting machine that changed Trump votes to Biden. Voting machines connected to the internet during the election. More votes than people in certain areas. Statistical models are showing improbable numbers of people voted in many jurisdictions.

And the list goes on...

If there was ballot fraud, what will happen when America's citizens determine the truth and the lies?

The result will be a true constitutional crisis: An illegally elected President sworn in and supported by a corrupt Congress that ignored the evidence. Do we want to be governed by people who crave only power and the continuation of that power through any means necessary?

Demand the congressional delegation from your state do their duty and listen to the evidence as Americans and decide the next steps based on that evidence. Continue the search for the truth. If the justice system is failing us, the people must continue to investigate this election. The "elites" fear an informed populace. Please keep up with the citizens who are turning up actual evidence. We have to increase awareness of what is happening.

We need to demand changes in the election process. We are the most technically advanced nation in the world, and we cannot figure out how to properly run an auditable election? I refuse to believe that. If there is fraud, it is because partisans allowed it. Vote out all involved in establishing the procedures and processes that allowed this fraud. If we want change, We the People have to make the change happen.

Maker S. Mark (a pseudonym) is an active manager with 30 years experience in asking questions and solving problems in business I.T. and operations.

Image: AnthonyTPope.
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The death of a teenager in the Twinbrook area of west Belfast is not being treated as suspicious, police have said.

A PSNI investigation was launched after the body of a male teenager was recovered from a river in the early hours of Saturday morning.

A 19-year-old arrested on suspicion of "assault occasioning actual bodily harm" has been released pending further enquiries.

On Sunday evening, police added that a post mortem examination had been carried out and that they were now awaiting the results of toxicology and further test results.

It is understood that the family of west Belfast teenager Conor Kerr have been informed.

Police had issued a missing persons appeal on New Year's Day after he was last seen the previous evening at around 8pm in the Summerhill Road area while wearing navy Adidas bottoms, a navy Adidas jumper, grey coat and a white cap.

It's reported that his body was discovered on a river bank beside St Colm's High School in the Summerhill area of Twinbrook, close to his home in Jasmine Corner.

A family notice described the teenager as the dearly beloved son of Conor and Danielle as well as the much loved brother of Caoimhe and Lee.

Due to the current Covid-19 restrictions in place the house and funeral are to remain strictly private.

West Belfast MLA Orlaithi Flynn said: "The discovery of the body of a teenager in Twinbrook is a shock to the local community. A police investigation into the incident are underway and should be allowed to continue unhindered.

"My sympathies are with the family, friends and loved ones of the young man who has died at this time. Anyone with information on the incident should bring it forward to the PSNI."

Sinn Fein councillor Daniel Baker added: "I am heartbroken by the news of a child being found dead in Twinbrook.

"My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."

Download the Belfast Telegraph App Get quick and easy access to the latest Northern Ireland news, sport, business and opinion with the Belfast Telegraph App.

Belfast Telegraph
Police have arrested three including a junior engineer and a supervisor after twenty-five people were killed and 17 injured when the roof of a shelter at a cremation ground in Uttar Pradesh's Muradnagar collapsed on Sunday.

The incident occurred when several people had taken shelter under the recently constructed structure while it rained. The dead, all of them men, were mostly relatives or neighbours of Jai Ram, who was being cremated at that time, officials said.

Police have registered an FIR against Junior Engineer Chandrapal, supervisor Ashish, EO Niharika Singh, contractor Ajay Tyagi and others. The FIR has been registered under Sections 304, 337, 338, 427 and 409 at the Muradnagar Police Station.

Rescue workers yesterday sifted through the building's rubble for hours to ensure that more victims were not trapped there. The local people were the first to arrive at the cremation ground in Muradnagar's Ukhlarsi village in Ghaziabad district, adjoining the national capital.

Police followed by a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) unit also then reached the spot, pulling out the dead and the injured from the debris. "As many as 24 people have died and 17 others have been injured in the incident," District Magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey said. At least 18 of them had been identified by the evening.

PM Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the deaths. "I express my condolences to the near and dear ones of those who lost their lives in this accident, and also hope for a quick recovery of the injured," Modi tweeted in Hindi.

Adityanath announced Rs 2 lakh as financial relief for the families of each man killed. The chief minister also directed Meerut's Divisional Commissioner and Additional Director General of the police zone to submit a report on the incident.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf countries are expected to sign an agreement on Tuesday toward ending a diplomatic crisis in the Gulf after 3 years.

The big picture: A Saudi-led coalition severed ties with Qatar in 2017 and closed their airspace and sea routes to Qatari planes and vessels, citing Qatar's alleged support for terror groups and relations with Iran. In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been under pressure from the Trump administration to end the dispute.

The U.S. maintains close ties with both Qatar and its rivals, but the Trump administration's past several attempts to reconcile the parties have been unsuccessful.

Both Gulf countries see the signing of the agreement as a gesture to the Trump administration and part of their effort to clean the table to prepare for the incoming Biden administration.

Jared Kushner mediated between the parties and traveled to Saudi Arabia to participate in the signing during this week's Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit.

The latest: Ahead of the signing of the agreement, the Kuwaiti foreign minister announced that Saudi Arabia and Qatar would open their land, air and sea borders starting on Monday night.

Driving the news: Kushner traveled to the GCC summit in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia, with White House envoy Avi Berkowitz and adviser Brian Hook, who helped negotiate the agreement.

The summit will be the first time the Emir of Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani will visit Saudi Arabia since the crisis erupted in 2017. The leaders of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Kuwait will also attend.

The leaders are going to sign an agreement that includes three confidence-building measures: Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain will lift the air and sea blockade of Qatar; Qatar will withdraw all lawsuits against its three Gulf neighbors; and all parties will stop their media campaigns against each other.

Behind the scenes: The deal was reached in principle during Kushners last visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar several weeks ago, where he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sheikh Tamim. Kushner has close relationships with both leaders.

U.S. officials say that after meeting the Saudi crown prince, Kushner traveled to Qatar's capital Doha with Hook while leaving close aides Berkowitz and Adam Boehler behind in Saudi Arabia. The two mediated talks between the Saudis and the Qataris over the phone in real time until a draft deal was reached.

In the last few weeks, final discussions were held with the Saudis and the Qataris to ensure both sides were committed to the understandings that were reached, the officials told me.

The White House also lobbied the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt  all three of which have reservations about the agreement, as they view Qatar in a negative light and do not believe the Qataris are sincere.

The deal almost fell apart on Sunday when a last-minute miscommunication created new tensions between the Saudis and the Qataris, sources briefed on the matter told me.

Kushner and his team were supposed to leave on Sunday afternoon but postponed their trip. A source told me Kushner and his team were forced to negotiate with the Saudis and the Qataris into the night on Sunday until a solution was found. They left Washington en route to Saudi Arabia early Monday morning.

What they're saying: A senior diplomat from one of the Gulf countries told me the agreement is a step in the right direction and includes some positive developments  but it does not mark the end of the Gulf rift.

Some of the issues were solved, but the root causes for the rift  bad personal relationships between the leaders and big policy differences on Iran, Turkey and the Muslim Brotherhood  are still there," the diplomat told me.

The bottom line: The agreement, which will be signed on Tuesday, would be a last-minute achievement for Kushner and the Trump administration before President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20.
Britons were warned last night they 'should expect more enforcement' from police under the new lockdown.

John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, predicted there would be more fines handed out and less tolerance from officers as there are 'no excuses' for not knowing the rules this time.

But he also warned police could be cast as 'villains of the pandemic' as they bear the brunt of the public's lockdown fatigue and frustration.

People caught breaking Covid lockdown laws face initial fines of 200, potentially doubling for each subsequent breach.

Mr Apter said the record number of fines handed out on New Year's Eve demonstrated that increasing numbers of young people were prepared to break the rules.

Britons were warned last night they 'should expect more enforcement' from police under the new lockdown

John Apter (pictured), chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, predicted there would be more fines handed out and less tolerance from officers as there are 'no excuses' for not knowing the rules this time

Hundreds of partygoers were slapped with fines of up to 10,000.

Mr Apter said, after almost a year of enforcing Covid restrictions, many officers are 'knackered' and forces are under pressure due to rising sickness levels. In some areas, absence levels have risen to 15 per cent.

He added of the lockdown: 'It will be easier for police to have one consistent rule for people to follow across the whole country, which means it is easier for people to understand and comply with what is expected of them. People should expect to see more enforcement as a consequence because there really are no excuses for not knowing the rules this time.

But he also warned police could be cast as 'villains of the pandemic' as they bear the brunt of the public's lockdown fatigue and frustration

. Mr Apter said the record number of fines handed out on New Year's Eve demonstrated that increasing numbers of young people were prepared to break the rules

'But, where it is different from March is we now have a hardcore element who are against the rules. We have anti-lockdown, anti-vaccine protests to deal with and... crime levels have increased from March.

'The majority of the public will do what is expected of them, but I think there is a real issue over virus and lockdown fatigue. There is a real frustration and the police often deal with the sharp end of that as people are angry when challenged.' He added: 'More and more people are dying and we have to play our part in bringing infection rates under control.

'The public will expect the police to act against those wilfully breaking the rules and putting others at risk.'

Mr Apter also called for police to get priority for Covid-19 vaccines.
[January 04, 2021] Paycor received commitments for $270M in new investment led by Neuberger Berman and QIA and accompanied by other new investors

CINCINNATI and NEW YORK, Jan. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Paycor, a leading provider of SaaS Payroll and Human Capital Management (HCM) software, today announced that it has received commitments for $270 million in new investment co-led by Neuberger Berman, on behalf of certain funds for which it serves as investment adviser, and Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and accompanied by other new investors including ClearBridge Investments, Franklin Templeton, Leumi Partners, and Teca Partners.

Paycor is a trusted partner to more than 40,000 medium and small-sized businesses. Known for delivering modern, intuitive recruiting, HR and payroll solutions, Paycor partners with businesses to optimize the management of their most valuable asset  their people. The partnership of these new investors with Paycor speaks to the momentum we have achieved as a leader in HCM and the opportunities we see ahead, said Raul Villar, Jr., Paycors Chief Executive Officer. This allows Paycor to accelerate our strategy of serving our customers with industry-leading technology and expertise. Jason Wright, Partner at Apax Partners, said, Cloud HCM / Payroll is a large, growing market with evolving customer needs. Paycors next-generation, integrated suite of solutions is at the forefront of this evolution. In the last three years, Paycor has undergone a substantial transformation, investing in its product, go-to-market strategy, and management team, while continuing to scale the business. We welcome Neuberger Berman, QIA, ClearBridge Investments, Franklin Templeton, Leumi Partners and Teca Partners as additional investors to support the companys growth strategy. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC acted as Sole Placement Agent on the financing. Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal advisor to Paycor. This press release is for informational purposes only and shall not constitute, or form a part of, an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securties.



About Paycor

Paycor creates HR software for leaders who want to make a difference. Our Human Capital Management (HCM) platform modernizes every aspect of people management, from the way you recruit, onboard and develop people, to the way you pay and retain them. But what really sets us apart is our focus on business leaders. For 30 years, weve been listening to and partnering with leaders, so we know what they need: HR technology that saves time, powerful analytics that provide actionable insights and dedicated support from HR experts. Thats why more than 40,000 medium & small businesses trust Paycor to help them solve problems and achieve their goals. About Apax Partners LLP

Apax Partners is a leading global private equity advisory firm. Over its more than 40-year history, Apax Partners has raised and advised funds with aggregate commitments of approximately $50 billion. The Apax Funds invest in companies across four global sectors of Tech & Telco, Services, Healthcare and Consumer. These funds provide long-term equity financing to build and strengthen world-class companies.

About Neuberger Berman

Neuberger Berman, founded in 1939, is a private, independent, employee-owned investment manager. The firm manages a range of strategiesincluding equity, fixed income, quantitative and multi-asset class, private equity, real estate and hedge fundson behalf of institutions, advisors and individual investors globally. With offices in 24 countries, Neuberger Bermans diverse team has over 2,300 professionals. For seven consecutive years, the company has been named first or second in Pensions & Investments Best Places to Work in Money Management survey (among those with 1,000 employees or more). In 2020, the PRI named Neuberger Berman a Leader, a designation awarded to fewer than 1% of investment firms for excellence in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices. The PRI also awarded Neuberger Berman an A+ in every eligible category for our approach to ESG integration across asset classes. The firm manages $374 billion in client assets as of September 30, 2020. For more information, please visit our website at www.nb.com. About QIA

Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar. QIA was founded in 2005 to invest and manage the state reserve funds. QIA is among the largest and most active sovereign wealth funds globally. QIA invests across a wide range of asset classes and regions as well as in partnership with leading institutions around the world to build a global and diversified investment portfolio with a long-term perspective that can deliver sustainable returns and contribute to the prosperity of the State of Qatar. Media contacts For Paycor

Katy Bunn | +1 513.307.6392 | KBunn@paycor.com

Marta Debski | +1 810 956 4501 | paycor@offleashpr.com For Apax Partners

Katarina Sallerfors | +44 207 872 6526 | katarina.sallerfors@apax.com

Kekst CNC | +1 212 521 4854 | todd.fogarty@kekstcnc.com



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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

EV

NHTSA

SUV

According to documents filed with the, the Mando Corporation of Opelika, Alabama, informed General Motors in October 2020 of brake calipers that may fracture during high-pressure operation. The preliminary investigation can be summarized as improper treatment of the caliper iron prior to casting the component.Happily, however, the issue is confined to a single production lot that was fitted to 464 examples of the Bolt. General Motors isnt aware of any incident related to the condition, but nevertheless, the Detroit-based automaker had to call back these vehicles over safety concerns. Containment efforts were also made, and affected owners will be treated to new calipers free of charge because their vehicles are still under warranty.The recall is scheduled to begin on February 5th, when affected owners will be notified of the issue through first-class mail. The vehicles involved were built between October 5th and October 21st, but if youre not sure when yours was produced, you can always run the VIN on thelook-up tool.Penned by Stuart Noris and revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2016, the Bolt EV for the 2021 model year will set you back $36,500 before destination charge, options, and potential savings. Even though the sticker price is relatively high in comparison to that of a pickup truck or, the Golden Bowtie doesnt offer fast charging as standard. Whats worse, the entry-level Model 3 has four more miles of range than the electric hatch.For the 2022 redesign of the Bolt EV, dont expect Chevrolet to improve too much in this area, either. The reason the mid-cycle refresh wont get a larger battery is the all-new BEV3 vehicle architecture that underpins the GMC Hummer EV and big boys such as the Cadillac Lyriq and Celestiq.
BROOK PARK, Ohio -- A customer at Bob Evans, 13050 Brookpark Road, started trouble with a waitress, a cashier and a restaurant manager over politics and mask wearing Dec. 18. The incident was reported at about 2:45 p.m.

The restaurants general manager said he heard the customer, a 61-year-old man, arguing with the waitress. Then he saw the waitress throw a stapler at the customer. The manager asked the waitress to leave the restaurant before police arrived.

The customer told police that he had been talking about politics, the military and COVID-19 with a woman at the next table when the waitress walked by and, using vulgar language, voiced her opinion.

The customer said that when he walked to the counter to pay his bill, the waitress scolded him for not wearing a mask. The customer said he accidentally knocked over a bottle of hand sanitizer, at which time the waitress threw the stapler at him. He was not injured.

The diner with whom the customer was discussing politics backed his story.

However, the waitress later told police that the customer and the woman at the next table were using profanities while conversing loudly about politics. A manager had asked the customer to lower his voice and clean up his language. The customer called the manager a stupid female dog. The manager walked away to report what had happened to the general manager.

The customer then went to the cash register, continuing to yell profanities. The cashier asked the man to wear a mask and offered him one. The customer threw the mask back at the cashier.

The waitress asked the man to wear a mask, and this time he did, while continuing to curse at both the cashier and waitress. Then the customer threw the bottle of hand sanitizer at the waitress, who responded by throwing the stapler.

The manager and cashier backed the waitress story. The manager added that the customer took her picture at one point. The cashier said the man, in addition to throwing the hand sanitizer, had also tried to toss a register scanner at the waitress.

Police watched the security video, which showed the customer at the counter without a mask. When the cashier handed him a mask, he tossed it back at her. The waitress arrived at the counter, the customer threw the hand sanitizer at her, and she threw the stapler.

The customer told police he wanted to file charges against the waitress. A prosecutor reviewed the incident and said no charges will be filed.

Read more from the News Sun.
In much the same way that Breakfast at Tiffany's is just a sad, kinda racist story about an old hooker. Today we're greeted with another reality check . . .



TIFFANY & CO CALLS IT QUITS ON COUNTRY CLUB PLAZA!!!



Here's the word dutifully stolen quoted from another blog . . .



The Kansas City community has welcomed Tiffany & Co. since our arrival at Country Club Plaza. As of January 31, 2021, we will be closing this store location. We thank our clients for their loyal support. ...



They directed customers to Tiffany.com, as well as to their closest brick-and-mortar store in St. Louis, but declined further comment.

Pretty sure that last line is just a slap in the face to KCMO civic pride after local politicos basically sanctioned "mostly peaceful" protest son The Plaza.



Developing . . .


It took 50 years for Intel to be run by an accountant and those 50 years have seen its fortunes rise and fall like a yo-yo.

Now, despite it being the No.1 chip company with annual revenues topping $75 billion at a gross margin of 50%+, it is seen as falling.

It is seen that way because its process technology has fallen behind TSMCs.

So, to Daniel Loeb, an activist investor said to have a near $1bn stake in Intel, the answer is simple  give up manufacturing.

Click here to read more ...




She's been enjoying Hawaii's tropical climate in recent days with her new boyfriend Brian Austin Green.

And Sharna Burgess seems to have been filled with cheer as she reflect on a difficult 2020 on Instagram while looking forward to the new year.

The 35-year-old Dancing With The Stars pro paired her lengthy caption about entering the new year with 'love' with a gorgeous closeup of her beaming ear-to-ear.

New love: Sharna Burgess, 35, shared an optimistic view of 2021 on New Year's Day and said she would 'move forward' with 'love' as she vacations in Hawaii with Brian Austin Green, 47

Sharna had the ocean to her back in the sunny photo, which left the blonde beauty squinting.

In her lengthy caption, she described 2020 as 'equal parts devastating and incredible.'

'When what I have been practicing and preaching finally just became what is,' she said of the past year. 'I feel more myself, more settled, more focused, more clear than I think I ever have. More connected to me than I ever have.'

She also wore that she was 'finally ready' for things she had been 'manifesting for a long time.

Best foot forward: 'I choose to react with kindness, respect, understanding, optimism, positivity, wholehearted gratitude and above all else, love,' she wrote of starting out the new year; seen in 2019

Budding romance: She and Brian have only been dating for a few weeks, following his May split from his wife of 10 years Megan Fox; pictured in November 2019

Although she was optimistic about the upcoming year, she had trouble squaring her belief that everything happens for a reason with the 'bushfires, pandemics, war, record homelessness, record deaths, locust swarms' that had happened in 2020, along with the death of Kobe Bryant.

Sharna urged her 864,000 followers to remember that, 'We cannot change what we cannot control, so we must focus on how we act and react to the world around us.

'I choose to react with kindness, respect, understanding, optimism, positivity, wholehearted gratitude and above all else, love,' she continued. 'Love for myself, love for my people, and love for even those who havent got it for me... yet ;).'

The Australian dancer ended her post by saying she didn't have a New Year's resolution aside from sharing love in 2021 'and hopefully inspir[ing] some people along the way.'

She ended the post with a reference to Jumanji to push her fans to take 2021 more seriously.

'Now all thats left to say is this... scream it loudly with me... JUMANJI! Lets get the f*** up out of this game & into 2021.'

Leading the way: The Australian dancer ended her post by saying she didn't have a New Year's resolution aside from sharing love in 2021 'and hopefully inspir[ing] some people along the way'

Stunning: The Dancing With The Stars pro shared a pristine view of the ocean from her Hawaiian retreat on Sunday

Sharna has already been practicing her non-resolution to love more in 2021, as she's been getting close to Brian.

His New Year's Day post featured similar sentiments to hers: 'Lets all find the connection to love and togetherness again :).'

The 47-year-old Beverly Hills, 90210 star has been dating widely since his split with his wife Megan Fox in May after a decade of marriage.

Sharna and Brian have been staying at the same resort in Hawaii where he married the actress in 2010, the Four Seasons Hualalai on Hawaii's Big Island.

The new couple haven't shared photos of each other on their Instagram accounts yet, but they haven't bothered to disguise that they're in the same location.

Place of significane: Sharna and Brian have been staying at the same resort in Hawaii where he married Megan in 2010, the Four Seasons Hualalai on Hawaii's Big Island

Not subtle: The two haven't appeared in each other's photos, but they haven't disguised that they're in the same location

In December, Sharna teased that she was dating Brian without naming him to Us Weekly, though the two didn't keep it secret for long.

'Its been really awesome,' she gushed. 'I actually am not on the market anymore. But its very new and very, you know, its dating, essentially. No one's calling us a relationship yet.

'How funny would it be if I actually found the love of my life during a pandemic?' she mused. 'Im looking for that soulmate stuff  that thing where that something inside you recognizes that something inside them.'
Former CNRP Vice President Mu Sochua is certain to miss her trial on January 14 for incitement and conspiracy charges after the Cambodian government has not issued her a visa and COVID-19-related flight cancelations have complicated her planned return.

The former party vice president had announced a plan to return this week but posted on Facebook that she had to delay her flight because the airline canceled the flight. She said that she would now take a flight on January 16 from Los Angeles, U.S., and arrive in Cambodia on January 17 at 05:35 p.m.

A major obstacle to Mu Sochuas return is the cancelation of her Cambodian passport in 2019, which means she will require a visa on her American passport before departure.

But, the Cambodian consulate in Massachusetts, U.S., and the embassy in Washington D.C. had not responded to her visa application, she said.

I have not received any visa as of now, Mu Sochua said Monday morning. I did attempt to apply for Visa K but the consulate in Lowell [in the U.S.] has not responded whether I would obtain one.

I think you should refer this question to Hun Sens government but I have completed what I am required to.

Sochua said she was planning to return with less than ten former party members. Government and Cambodian Peoples Party officials have said that former CNRP members are free to return to Cambodia but have not addressed the governments attempts to proactively block these efforts.

The Cambodian government canceled passports for 39 former CNRP members during their last attempt to return to the country in late 2019. The dissolved party said this was a violation of their constitutional right to return to the country and has called for the reinstatement of passports.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Koy Kuong, at the time, told RFA Khmer that the cancelation of passports was done because former CNRP members had fled legal responsibility in Cambodia and urged them to return.

The former party vice president said she was aware of the risks of her returning to Cambodia, but said she had a right to come back.

Even if I am arrested, I am ready for it but please respect my constitutional rights as a Cambodian citizen to due process, as a defendant with the opportunity and right to present myself before the court to defend my case, she said.

This K-class visa is reserved for those of Cambodian descent who hold a foreign passport, according to a sub-decree on visa issuance put into effect in 2016, adding that applicants can either apply online or on arrival in Cambodia. Visa K holders can stay in Cambodia until their passport expires.

New COVID-19 restrictions discontinued the visa-on-arrival and electronic visa application processes, requiring applicants to make an in-person application at Cambodian embassies or consulates before boarding a flight.

Mu Sochua had previously attempted to join former party president Sam Rainsy in a planned return in November 2019, but airlines were ordered by the Hun Sen government to not ferry them into Cambodia.

Sin Chansereyvutha, a spokesperson for the State Secretariat for Civil Aviation, said that the government had not placed any restrictions this time around.

There is no such instruction to airlines to not allow [Mu Sochua] to board; there is no such ban, Sin Chansereyvutha said. But how can she possibly enter Cambodia because I heard that she wasnt issued a visa.

Phnom Penh International Airport Director Sao Wathana said Mu Sochua would not be allowed to board any flight to Cambodia without a valid visa.

As a general process, the airline company will not allow boarding [without a visa] and they would deny check-in because they will only allow people with visas, Wathana said.

Interior Ministry Spokesperson Khieu Sopheak declined to comment and Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Koy Kuong could not be reached on Monday.

The Interior Ministrys Deputy General Director of Immigration, Keo Vanthan, said that if Mu Sochua set foot in Cambodia illegally, relevant legal action would be taken against her.

As a matter of fact, anyone entering Cambodia illegally will be dealt with legal measures, regardless if they are Mu Sochua or whoever, said Vanthan.

In 2019, Sam Rainsy and supporters wanted to enter Cambodia through the Poipet border crossing but the opposition leader was allegedly not allowed to board a flight to Bangkok, Thailand, due to the ban on his entry into Cambodia. He and other former CNRP members spent a few days in Malaysia but were unable to return to Cambodia.

Mu Sochua and some of her colleagues were attempting to return for a massive trial against more than 130 former CNRP members and supporters that will be held this year. Around 40 individuals, including Mu Sochua and Sam Rainsy, will be tried on January 14, whereas the remaining face trial on March 4.
With the number of migratory birds dying at the Pong Dam wetland in Himachal Pradeshs Kangra district on the rise for a week, the ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Disease has confirmed H5N1 virus as the cause of the fatalities.

More than, 2,400 birds of different species have been found dead at Pong Lake over the past week. Over 600 of them died on Monday. The reports of samples sent to laboratories are expected on Tuesday.

Preliminary results of five samples of Bar Headed Goose received for avian influenza testing at High-Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal have tested positive for the H5N1 virus, says a communication by the NIHSAD.

The wildlife officials at Dharamshala, also confirmed the report on condition of anonymity.

Wildlife authorities had sent 17 samples to Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, and five samples to the High-Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL), Bhopal, to ascertain the cause of death. Earlier, the initial sample reports received from Veterinary Lab, Palampur and Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Jalandhar also pointed out flu- like symptoms.

Kangra deputy commissioner Rakesh Kumar Prajapati, who chaired a meeting with wildlife authorities to take stock of the situation said that Pong Lake area was already shut for activities like grazing, fishing, and tourism.

As a precautionary measure, sale of poultry products and fish has been also banned in Fatehpur, Dehra, Jawali and Indora subdivisions, said Prajapati.

The DC said that the samples were also being collected from poultry farms in the area and people have been told stop grazing and farming activities in peripheral areas.

BAR-HEADED GEESE WORST HIT

Most of the fatalities are being seen among bar-headed geese, the worlds highest-flying birds that migrate from far-off Siberia and Mongolia. Birds from other species such as the common teal, shoveler, river tern and black-headed gull were also found dead.

The Kangra district administration has banned all kind of activities, including fishing, grazing and boating, in 1-km area of the lake. The next 9-km area has been declared a surveillance zone.

The divisional forest officer (wildlife), headquarters, Devinder Singh Dadhwal, who has experience working in Pong Wetland, said that never have such a large number of bird deaths been reported from the area. If it turns out to be avian flu, it would be for the first time in Pong Wetland, he said adding that the wildlife sanctuaries and zoos in the region have also been put on alert.

The Pong Dam Wetland  an international Ramsar site  hosts more than 1 lakh migratory birds of 100 species that fly thousands of kilometres from Mongolia, Siberia, trans-Himalayan region and Central Asia in winter every year.

ANNUAL BIRD CENSUS MAY BE SUSPENDED

The wildlife authorities may have to suspend the annual avian count conducted in Pong wetland if the situation is not under control.

The three-day mega exercise is conducted in January and February.

The Pong Dam Lake, constructed on the Beas river in 1960, was declared a bird sanctuary in 1983 and given the status of the wetland of national importance in 1994. In 2002, it got the status of a Ramsar site.

Last winter, 1.15 lakh birds of 114 species were spotted on the wetland. The bar-headed geese are most plentiful in Pong.

Other prominent avian visitors include the northern pintail, Eurasian coot, common teal, common pochard, northern shoveler, the great cormorant, Eurasian pigeon and the ruddy shelduck.

The fortnightly census conducted on December 15, 2020, recorded around 57,000 migratory birds. Since 1988, as many as 425 bird species have been sighted in Pong wetland.
Source: Reuters

How often are defense budgets tied to what you can say on Facebook and Twitter? And how often are relief payments during a pandemic tied to social media laws? US President Donald Trump and others in the ruling Republican Party have an obscure but vital internet law in their crosshairs, and want to abolish it at any cost. The law in question is pivotal to the internet as we know it, but changes may be needed. Moneycontrol breaks down the issue and explains what is at stake for each party.

Firstly, what is Section 230?

Section 230 is part of the Communications Decency Act, 1996. The Act itself was originally meant to regulate pornography online- criminalising distributing porn to minors and regulating and defining obscene or indecent content.

Section 230 - added later on - was aimed at providing immunity to websites hosting user generated content, and in essence, does not hold the platforms legally accountable for content on their platform. It says, No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.

Okay. Why is this important?

This 26-word piece of legislation has defined the internet and social media era. It is part of why Facebook is one of the worlds biggest companies; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and others host an outsized portion of the worlds conversations and culture- and are not liable for its misuse as per this law.

This is crucial because the dark side of social media- spreading misinformation, propaganda, hate, bigotry, and even selling arms, illegal items, child porn and more- have become apparent in recent years. The unabated growth of social media as a business, and as a part of life- has also thrown spotlight on why it needs to be regulated. Section 230 protects these Facebook, Twitter and others from being liable for possibly harmful content on their platforms.

Why is Trump angry?

Trump and Republicans are of the view that liberal leaning social networks amplify conservative views more than they should, and Republican views are unfairly targeted or clamped down upon by social media firms. And, while Trump has long wanted Facebook and Twitter to be regulated, his ire is increased because Twitter actively classified his tweets as misinformation and hid it behind a warning when Trump kept claiming he won the 2020 US Presidential Elections, although all reliable results showed otherwise. He wants Section 230 repealed.

So, what has Trump said, or done?

Section 230, which is a liability shielding gift from the U.S. to Big Tech (the only companies in America that have it - corporate welfare!), is a serious threat to our National Security & Election Integrity. Our Country can never be safe & secure if we allow it to stand he tweeted.

In the next tweet he also threatened to veto the National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA), a $740 million bill that allocates military funds every year. He followed up on that threat on December 24, and vetoed the bill.

What else?

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, on December 30, introduced a new bill- linking $2000 payouts as part of the pandemic relief package to repealing Section 230. The $2000 payout has been in the works for a while, with both parties working on it, and Trump leaning towards approving it, but his grumblings about Section 230 take new significance when defense budgets and pandemic relief for ordinary citizens are linked to this law.

Does Trump have a point?

On social media needing more regulation, yes. Thats something everything across the political spectrum has agreed with in the last few years. With the number of scandals on fake news, data breaches, antitrust, election manipulation, inciting violence and societal angst, it's hard to argue otherwise.

But, a ban on Section 230 goes against the freedom of speech the US and many democracies value, and puts many businesses in danger overnight.

The Wall Street Journal says, We need to re-evaluate Section 230 in light of todays very different internet. But, there is one thing we shouldnt re-evaluate: the provisions role in supporting and nurturing an open and free marketplace of ideas.

So, what needs to change?

Many argue that self regulation by the industry- by players coming together to form applicable laws- is a workable option. But, it is essential that the solution involves Big Tech, small and medium internet businesses, and the government. Because in an effort to regulate Big Tech, the ripple effect on small business could be harmful.

For example?

Section 230 covers the internet at large. So it applies to a travel aggregator, restaurant website and food delivery firms as much as anyone else. Can TripAdvisor be held accountable for one misleading review from a customer?

If website owners are held liable for everything that appears on their platforms, they will have to create systems for reviewing and editing all posted content before it goes up. This is an impossible task. At best it would create an environment that allows only the most limited and inoffensive speech. At worst it would force operators to shut down many social-media sites and drastically limit the ability of private citizens to express views online, WSJ says.

How does this impact India?

The internet in many ways is one giant blob because everyone across countries is on it, and therefore, regulation in one country is often mirrored by many. For ,instance, in 2016, the European Union introduced the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)- a landmark in regulating internet privacy and how much user data companies can connect.

Many other countries rolled out laws with similar provisions, and today almost every website you visit-across countries- will explicitly ask your permission to accept cookies- which helps companies track a user on the internet. This is because of GDPR.

The outcome of Section 230 could have a serious impact on how India makes its own internet and social media laws. Our digital laws are still in their early days and generally regulation does not keep pace with innovation and technology- which is why antitrust and regulation become big issues once tech companies are themselves big.
Adventurers from a local bushwalking group had hoped to spend 'a lazy day' trekking, swimming and floating down a canyon.

Instead, Saturday ended tragedy with the deaths of two of the group's most recent members killed by a freak whirlpool - its second tragedy in just a few months.

Tributes continue to pour in for NSW Police Senior Constable and cancer survivor Kelly Foster, 39, who drowned.

She had tried to rescue a Chinese student, 24, who was sucked into a whirlpool at the Wollangambe Canyon, on Mount Wilson in the Blue Mountains.

The hero police officer dived into the raging waters after seeing the young woman's inflatable lilo be sucked in by the whirlpool, tipping her off into the water.

But as Senior Constable Foster tried to pull the woman out, she too was sucked in by the powerful waters and disappeared underwater before both women's bodies were found by police divers the next day.

Gavin Morom (left) uploaded this happy photo with his long-term partner NSW Police Senior Constable Kelly Foster (right) after she died on Saturday

Shattered police colleagues stationed at Lithgow have recommended Senior Constable Foster be considered for a posthumous bravery commendation.

Earlier in the day, Senior Constable Foster and her long-term partner Gavin Morom trekked the 2.5km from Mount Wilson to the Wollangambe River with other members from the Upper Blue Mountains Bushwalking Club.

The club lost had already lost another member after he fell off a cliff in September.

Mr Morom uploaded a loving tribute to his partner on Monday night by replacing his Facebook profile photo, which has been inundated with tributes and condolence messages.

The new photo shows the couple snuggled up together enjoying the outdoors in snowy conditions.

The couple bonded over their mutual love of adventuring and regularly went camping, hiking and on mountain bike rides throughout Australia

'There are no words. A beautiful person and we are thinking of you,' one friend commented.

Another added: 'That's a good one to hold onto, it shows a super happy couple.'

Senior Constable Foster and the unnamed international student who lived in Chiswick as among the newest members of the Upper Blue Mountains Bushwalking Club, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The club describes canyons on its website as 'breathtaking places, beautiful, exciting and at the same time dangerous'.

'This is a Blue Mountains classic! Come and join us on a lazy day floating or swimming down the Wollangambe at Mt Wilson,' the club posted in the lead up to Saturday's ill-fated trek.

'There are long swims and rock scrambling below magnificent cliff walls. No abseils or ropes are involved. The day ends with a steep climb out and return to Mt Wilson.'

Senior Constable Kelly Foster (left) drowned while trying to save an international student who became stuck in raging waters in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, on Saturday. Senior Constable Foster had trekked to the picturesque spot with her boyfriend Gavin Morom (right)

Previous member Roy Barlow, 65, fell to his death in the Wolgan Valley on September 2, according to a fatal incident report published by the Australian Canyoning Association on Facebook.

The report described Mr Barlow as a popular and respected member of the Blue Mountains canyoning community who was experienced in setting and leading abseils.

Earlier on Saturday, Mr Morom posted about their trek on Strava, a popular adventurer at fitness social media app.

The couple bonded over their shared love of adventuring regularly went hiking, camping and on mountain bike rides throughout Australia.

The Blue Mountains, where Mr Morom grew up, was a regular visit for the pair in 2020, taking his 4WD on camping or day trips during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Senior Constable Foster only recently returned to the NSW Police Force after overcoming breast cancer and was stationed at Lithgow Police Station.

The heroic policewoman had no hesitation before she dived in to try to save the woman from the raging waters, with other witnesses then throwing a rope into the creek in a bid to save her.

Acting Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said she always 'put the needs of others before her own'.

Senior Constable Kelly Foster, 39, joined the NSW Police Force in 2010 and Acting NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said she always 'put the needs of others before her own'

'It's a very sad time for the NSW Police Force and Kelly's death is a loss to the whole community,' Acting Commissioner Lanyon said in a statement.

'To hear reports that Kelly was trying to help another woman when she died demonstrates her commitment to the community she served and the ability to put the needs of others before her own.

'Kelly was a highly regarded and dedicated officer who will be sorely missed by colleagues across the force.

'Her policing career was put on hold when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, however, her strength to survive this and return to work is another testament to her strength and resilience.

Mr Morom (right) had posted about his trek with Senior Constable Foster (left) on adventurers social media app Strava on Saturday. The policewoman only recently returned to the job after overcoming breast cancer

An international student, 24, was among a group swimming on inflatable lilos at the popular Wollangambe Canyon (pictured) when she was sucked into the whirlpool. Her body was recovered on Sunday, along with Senior Constable Foster's

'Above all, Kelly was a kind and loving daughter, sister and partner.'

The international student was among a group swimming in the picturesque spot when she was swept up in the water.

Police and ambulance crews rushed to the scene about 2.30pm but the pair were lost beneath the surface.

A search for their bodies resumed on Sunday morning, after it was suspended about 6pm on Saturday because of poor weather.

Members of Senior Constable Foster's family came to the canyon to witness the search in the desperate hope she would be found alive.

One fellow policewoman who joined the force at the same time as Senior Constable Foster remembered her as a 'selfless and compassionate' person.

Emergency services rushed to the scene after the alarm was raised about 2.30pm on Saturday, but poor weather conditions meant a search had to be called off about 6pm. When it resumed on Sunday the bodies of the two women were located by NSW Police divers

Eight other members of the group who the international student was with were uninjured

It's believed both women were canyoning in water only that can only be reached after hours of hiking through rough terrain

'RIP my old Academy mate. Always a selfless and compassionate individual. You will now be remembered as a hero. I will treasure the memories of our good times in Goulburn,' a former colleague wrote.

The canyon is believed to have been flooded due to recent heavy rainfall.

The other members of the group were uninjured and were assisted by police officers and paramedics.

A report will now be prepared for the coroner.

NSW Parks and Wildlife has since closed Wollangambe Canyon until further notice.

'Recent heavy rains have caused water levels to rise and conditions in the canyon to change. A dangerous whirlpool has formed midway through the canyon,' a statement read.
Havas Media India in collaboration with Innocean Worldwide and The Viral Fever (TVF) has rolled out a digital-first smart campaign for Hyundais Grand i10 NIOS.

Keeping up with the brands communication strategy, Hyundai drives the comeback of Indias popular family web series The Aam Aadmi Family Vacation Special, a TVF Originals by The Timeliners. Being the first family web show, it breaks away from the oh-so-dramatic and cliche TV daily soaps and lends a fresh take into the modern Indian family, its aspirations and hardships that is well-portrayed by the characters in a simple yet realistic manner, giving it a new-age perspective.

The 3-part series unfolds the story of a middle-class Indian family, the everyday conflicts they face and their journey into buying the familys first car. The show not only seamlessly integrates the brands messaging and its features but also highlights the comfort, convenience and flexibility of owning a 4-wheeler for a commoner and urges the audience to take progressive steps by making smart choices in todays dynamic new-age world.

The campaign will be amplified through various in-show integrations, social media engagements, contests and more.

Tarun Garg, Director - Sales & Marketing, Hyundai Motor India, As an innovative brand Hyundai is always looking for platforms to connect with our audiences in the most unique ways. This collaboration is an example of Hyundais commitment to create stronger connections with our customers and be a part of their daily experiences. The Aam Aadmi Family perfectly weaves in the brands ideology of Smart Cars for Smart Indians. We truly believe that the Grand NIOS with its segment leading features and technology is the perfect choice for the smart millennial customers.

Vivek Srivastava, Joint MD, Innocean Worldwide India said, With the dominance of the digital screen in the engagement matrix of brands with consumers, the content-based integrations have become an integral part of communication outreach. Its effortless, unobtrusive yet impactful in seeding the soft and hard aspects. This initiative with TVF for Grand i10 Nios is a living testimony to this new strategic normal. The Aam Aadmi Family series not only helps us embed our clients message in the digital milieu, plus it does so in a very relatable family context.

Mohit Joshi, CEO, Havas Media Group India said, At Havas Media, our endeavour is to provide meaningful experiences and build meaningful brands by capitalizing on the most meaningful media. The Aam Aadmi Family show by TVF perfectly captures the reflection of our society, showcasing the real-life conflicts which not only makes it an earthly watching experience for the audience but also strikes the right chord with Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS TG. Every character in the show has created a special connection with the audience allowing the brand to seamlessly integrate its brand promise and drive brand affinity. We are excited about this collaboration with TVF in driving the shared endeavour for Hyundai and we look forward to scaling new heights with many more meaningful offerings.

Credits:

Client: Hyundai Motor India Ltd.

Creative agency: Innocean Worldwide India

Media agency: Havas Media India

Content partner: The Viral Fever (TVF), The Timeliners
Afghanistan has let off the 10 Chinese nationals caught on 10 December for operating a terror cell in the capital city of Kabul and allowed them to leave the country, people familiar with the matter said on Monday. The 10 members of the module were flown out of the country in a plane arranged by the Chinese government.

Hindustan Times had reported the detention of the 10 Chinese nationals by Afghanistans National Directorate of Security (NDS) for being part of an espionage module on 25 December. Afghanistan had offered to pardon the 10 Chinese nationals on the condition that Beijing apologise for deploying the 10 persons including at least one woman, believed to be linked to Chinas spy agency, Ministry of State Security.

The terms of the release of the 10 Chinese spies is not known.

Diplomats and security officials in Kabul, however, confirmed to Hindustan Times that the 10 had been allowed to board a chartered aircraft that flew them out of the country on Saturday after clearance from President Ashraf Ghani. The 10-member module, evacuated after 23 days in detention, had not been formally charged.

President Ghani, who had been briefed about the detentions when Afghanistans intelligence agency made the arrests beginning 10 December, had tasked First Vice President Amrullah Saleh, a former NDS chief who is credited with resurrecting the Afghan intelligence agency, to handle the case.

As expected, Amrullah Saleh who releases pointers from his security briefings on his Facebook page, had put out what appeared to be a cryptic denial of the arrest of the Chinese nationals on 27 December.

No foreign citizen has been arrested in an effort operation in the Khairkhaneh area. The arrested are the palmadis that are under the scope. A number of them have been arrested on suspicion of being involved in kidnapping and assassination, Afghanistans First Vice President said.

Also Read: Chinas spies, India and the 2013 paper by NSA Ajit Doval that saw it coming

Amrullah Saleh had earlier conveyed Kabuls offer to release the 10 spies to Chinas envoy Wang Yu if Beijing submits a formal apology that admits to the violation of international norms and a betrayal of Kabuls trust. Ambassador Wang Yu is learnt to have insisted at this meeting that Kabul does not declare the detentions. An investigative report by an Australian newspaper in mid-December had already spotlighted how Chinese communist party members had infiltrated some of the worlds powerful and influential agencies, including the consulates of Western nations and security agencies.

There has been no statement by the Chinese foreign ministry on the espionage module busted in Kabul.

A senior diplomat in Kabul had earlier told Hindustan Times that at least two of the 10 Chinese nationals - Li Yangyang and Sha Hung - were in contact with the Haqqani Network, the terrorist group that doubles as the sword arm of the Taliban. Sha Hung used to run a restaurant in Kabuls Shirpur while Li Yangyang was learnt to have been operating for the Chinese Intelligence since July-August.

The NDS team had seized arms, ammunition and Ketamine powder, a recreational drug , from Li Yangyangs house in the western Kabul neighbourhood of Kart-e-Char when the first round of raids were carried out on 10 December.

The Afghan security establishment believes the 10 detainees were creating a fake East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) module in Afghanistan to entrap ETIM operatives in Afghanistan.

ETIM is a small Islamic separatist group alleged to be active in Xinjiang province, home to Chinas ethnic minority Uighur Muslims. Its founder Hasan Mahsum, an Uyghur from Xinjiangs Kashgar region, was shot dead in 2003 by Pakistani soldiers. Islamabad has been playing along with China that has been accused of running camps in Xinjiang region, where more than 1 million people are held in camps.

Rights groups say China uses the ETIM threat as an excuse to impose restrictions on Uyghurs and discredit human rights activists outside China. The United States last month revoked the terror tag slapped on ETIM although the group continues to be designated by the UN Security Council.

Supersolids are fluid and solid at the same time. Physicists from Innsbruck and Geneva have for the first time investigated what happens when such a state is brought out of balance. They discovered a soft form of a solid of high interest for science. Credit: IQOQI Innsbruck/Harald Ritsch

Supersolids are materials that are fluid and solid at the same time. Physicists from Innsbruck and Geneva have for the first time investigated what happens when such a state is brought out of balance. They discovered a soft form of a solid of great interest for science. As the researchers led by Francesca Ferlaino and Thierry Giamarchi report in Nature Physics, they were also able to reverse the process and restore supersolidity.

Last year, more than fifty years after initial theoretical proposals, researchers in Pisa, Stuttgart and Innsbruck independently succeeded for the first time in creating so-called supersolids using ultracold quantum gases of highly magnetic lanthanide atoms. This state of matter is, in a sense, solid and liquid at the same time. "Due to quantum effects, a very cold gas of atoms can spontaneously develop both a crystalline order of a solid crystal and particle flow like a superfluid quantum liquid, i.e. a fluid able to flow without any friction," explains Francesca Ferlaino from the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Department of Experimental Physics at the University of Innsbruck. "Much simplified, a dipolar supersolid can be imagined as a chain of quantum droplets which communicate with each other via a superfluid background bath," says Thierry Giamarchi, theoretical physicist from the University of Geneva.

Surprisingly reversible

In Nature Physics, the researchers now report how such a supersolid state reacts if the superfluid bath between the droplets is drained by control of the external magnetic field. "We were able to show that without the bath the droplets quickly lose knowledge about each other and start to behave like small independent quantum systemsthey dephase. The supersolid turns into a normal solid," says Maximilian Sohmen from Francecsa Ferlaino's team. "This 'solid,' however, is still soft, it can wobble and support many collective excitations, called phonons," adds Philipp Ilzhofer from the Innsbruck team. "This makes this state a very interesting but complex subject of study with strong connections to solid-state physics and other fields."

Maybe surprisingly, the Innsbruck physicists were also able to reverse this dephasing process: When they replenished the background bath, the droplets renewed their communication by particle tunneling and re-established supersolidity.

Explore further Quantum gas turns supersolid

More information: Phase coherence in out-of-equilibrium supersolid states of ultracold dipolar atoms, Nature Physics (2021). www.nature.com/articles/s41567-020-01100-3 Journal information: Nature Physics Phase coherence in out-of-equilibrium supersolid states of ultracold dipolar atoms,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41567-020-01100-3
Houston ISD trustees kicked off their long-delayed search for a permanent leader Monday, choosing three superintendent search firms to interview later this week.

The initial move comes as the states largest district seeks to fill a position that Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan has held since March 2018, when Richard Carranza abruptly left to lead New York City public schools. HISDs search has been delayed because of the looming threat of state sanctions, a state order that temporarily halted the first search and lingering uncertainty about the trustees ability to hire a quality candidate, among other issues.

Trustees are scheduled to reconvene Wednesday and possibly Thursday to select from the three firms: Austin-based JG Consulting; Illinois-based Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates; and Nebraska-based McPherson & Jacobson. Board members opted against interviewing GR Recruiting and the Texas Association of School Boards Executive Search Services.

I prefer to interview three and give those three more time with us, Trustee Dani Hernandez said.

HISD trustees have not released a proposed timeline for completing the search. School boards typically take multiple months to choose a lone finalist.

HISD board members are taking their second swing at replacing Carranza, whose departure preceded cascading leadership issues in the district. Trustees conducted a six-month search in late 2018 and early 2019, but state-appointed conservator Doris Delaney ordered board members to suspend their work as they closed in on naming a lone finalist.

Delaney did not elaborate on her reasons for suspending the search, but her order came as HISD remained under the threat of severe sanctions tied to chronically low academic performance at Wheatley High School and a state investigation into allegations of misconduct by several trustees.

Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath ultimately decided in November 2019 to strip power from all nine elected HISD trustees and replace them with an appointed board. However, his plans remain in limbo after a Travis County judge issued a temporary injunction stopping the boards ouster last January and an appellate court upheld it last week. The Texas Education Agency has said it plans to appeal the rulings to the Texas Supreme Court.

The injunction did not explicitly say HISD trustees could resume the superintendent search, leading to uncertainty about the boards authority. However, trustees are interpreting the injunction as giving them the power to restart their search, and TEA officials have not moved to halt the effort.

Because of the turmoil, its been hard to know what has been the long-term vision (for HISD), Trustee Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca said in November. This process will help provide space to hear that, as well as the vision of others, as we do whats best for kids.

HISD trustees hired Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates to assist their first search to replace Carranza. The agency held public meetings seeking community input and helped trustees with evaluating candidates, among other tasks.

Lathan has not commented on whether she will apply for the job permanently. Trustees voted 6-3 in November against naming her the districts long-term leader, holding the referendum moments before they decided to resume the search. Some board members who opposed her candidacy argued the district should conduct a nationwide search before choosing Carranzas replacement.

jacob.carpenter@chron.com
Srinagar, Jan 4 (UNI) The Kashmir valley remained cut off from the rest of the country for the second consecutive day on Monday following closure of the 270-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway due to snowfall, landslides, shooting stone and mudslide at several places.

Meanwhile, the national highway, the only road connecting Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh with Kashmir valley, the historic 86-km-long Mughal road and Anantnag- Sampthan Kishtwar road have been closed for winter months due to snowfall and slipery road conditions.

Traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway was suspended on Sunday due to fresh snowfall on both sides of the Jawahar tunnel, Shaitan Nallah and Banihal, a traffic police official told UNI today. About three feet of snow has accumulated in the Kashmir side of the tunnel while two feet of snow has accumulated in the Jammu side of the tunnel.

The official informed that there was fresh snowfall till late last night on both sides of the tunnel.

However, he said, rain triggered landslides, shooting stones and mudslides at several places on the highway, the only road linking Kashmir valley with the rest of the country.

However, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO), responsible for maintenance of the road, have put into service sophisticated machines and men to clear the landslides and shooting stones. However the official warned that there is a prediction for more snow and rain on the highway during the next few days which could again disrupted the traffic movement.

Meanwhile, large number of vehicles, including those carrying essentials, are stranded at different places on the highway. Once the road is put through, the stranded vehicles will be allowed to move before which fresh traffic would not be allowed, he said adding stranded vehicles between Jawahar tunnel and Banihal will be allowed first to move towards Jammu.

Stranded passengers told UNI over phone from Banihal that locals opened their houses for them. There are about 400 passengers, including women and children besides elders at Banihal.

Local residents provided accommodation, food and other facilities to stranded passengers. The stranded passengers demanded that they should be allowed to use new Banihal-Qazigund tunnel to reach Kashmir. However, the tunnel is likely to be dedicated to people in March.

The national highway connecting UT Ladakh with Kashmir has been closed for winter months by the authorities due to accumulation of heavy snow and slippery road conditions.

The Anantnag-Sampathan road and Mughal road connecting south Kashmir with Rajouri, Poonch and Kishtwar in Jammu region have also been closed for winter months due to accumulation of heavy snow on theseroads.

UNI BAS RKM
The vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca vaccine will be rolled out from Monday in the UK. Several other countries will follow in the coming weeks.

Here's the science behind the jab:

 How does the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine work?

The vaccine  called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19  uses a harmless, weakened version of a common virus which causes a cold in chimpanzees.

Researchers have already used this technology to produce vaccines against a number of pathogens including flu, Zika and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers).

The virus is genetically modified so that it is impossible for it to grow in humans.

Scientists have transferred the genetic instructions for coronaviruss specific spike protein  which it needs to invade cells  to the vaccine.

When the vaccine enters cells inside the body, it uses this genetic code to produce the surface spike protein of the coronavirus.

This induces an immune response, priming the immune system to attack coronavirus if it infects the body.

 How effective is it?

Phase 3 trial data showed the jab was 70.4% effective on average across two different dose regimes and possibly up to 90% when one half dose is given followed by a further full dose.

 What dosing regime has the regulator recommended?

The MHRA has recommended over 18s should receive two doses to be administered with an interval of between four and 12 weeks.

 Does it differ from Pfizer and Modernas vaccine?

Yes. The jabs from Pfizer and Moderna are messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines.

(PA Graphics)

Conventional vaccines are produced using weakened forms of the virus, but mRNAs use only the viruss genetic code.

An mRNA vaccine is injected into the body where it enters cells and tells them to create antigens.

These antigens are recognised by the immune system and prepare it to fight coronavirus.

No actual virus is needed to create an mRNA vaccine. This means the rate at which the vaccine can be produced is accelerated.

Read More India approves Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and local jab

 What about antibodies and T-cells?

The Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines have been shown to provoke both an antibody and T-cell response.

Antibodies are proteins that bind to the bodys foreign invaders and tell the immune system it needs to take action.

T-cells are a type of white blood cell which hunt down infected cells in the body and destroy them.

Nearly all effective vaccines induce both an antibody and a T-cell response.

A study on the AstraZeneca vaccine found that levels of T-cells peaked 14 days after vaccination, while antibody levels peaked after 28 days.

 Can the Oxford vaccine be manufactured to scale?

Yes. The UK Government has secured 100 million doses of the Oxford University and AstraZeneca vaccine as part of its contract, enough for most of the population.

(PA Graphics)

The head of the UK's Vaccine Taskforce, Kate Bingham, has said she is confident it can be produced at scale and AstraZeneca said it aims to provide millions of doses to the UK in the first quarter of 2021.

 Can this vaccine help the elderly?

There have been concerns that a Covid-19 vaccine will not work as well on elderly people, much like the annual flu jab.

Earlier data from the Oxford University and AstraZeneca vaccine trial suggests that there has been similar immune responses among younger and older adults, with Moderna reporting the same.

In a statement earlier this year on its phase two data, Oxford University said its data marked a key milestone, with the vaccine inducing strong immune responses in all adult groups.
(Alliance News) - Foresight Solar Fund Ltd on Monday said it has acquired a 98.5 megawatt portfolio of three subsidy-free greenfield solar assets in Spain.

The Jersey-based fund, which is focused on ground-based solar photovoltaic assets in the UK and internationally, said it expects the total transaction costs once construction is completed to be EUR72 million, which includes EUR15 million for development rights. Construction is due to begin in summer 2021, with operations aiming to commence in June 2022.

Foresight Solar said the acquisition of the development rights has been funded using its revolving credit facilities. Following this acquisition, the company's portfolio will comprise 58 assets in the UK, Australia and Spain, with an installed capacity of 994 MW once fully operational.

Chair Alex Ohlsson said: "This acquisition builds on the company's recent first investment in Spain and represents a meaningful step forward for the company's international diversification and its increased presence in the subsidy-free solar market. The ability of the investment manager to secure such an attractive investment opportunity for Foresight Solar once again demonstrates the benefit of its significant regional presence across Europe."

Foresight Solar bought its first European asset, the 26.1 megawatts Virgen del Carmen asset in Huelva, Spain, in September 2020. The asset will benefit from a long-term power purchase agreement entered with Shell Energy Europe Ltd, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell PLC, for the sale of electricity under a fixed price until 2030.

Shares in Foresight Solar were largely flat at 102.52 pence each in London on Monday morning.

By Zoe Wickens; zoewickens@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
The Daily Beast

Theo WargoCNN boss Jeff Zucker on Tuesday addressed network staffers concerns over the revelations that primetime star host Chris Cuomo advised his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on how to respond to the multiple sexual harassment allegations against him.During a Tuesday afternoon town-hall meeting with staff, Zucker claimed he understood the unease over Cuomos conduct, saying in no uncertain terms that it was a mistake for the primetime star to participate in strategy calls advising his politically powerful brother.He did cross a line, Zucker said.Last week, The Washington Post reported that Cuomo joined strategy calls helping plan his powerful brothers rebuttals to mounting allegations that he harassed multiple women and made some female staffers feel uncomfortable. According to multiple sources who were present on one meeting, the CNN host even mentioned invoking cancel culture as a way to combat the claims.The CNN boss said he personally voiced his displeasure to Cuomo, and that he had considered the options for how to handle the star hosts unfolding scandal. Ultimately, Zucker said that rather than suspending Cuomo, the network decided the host should have to go on-air and personally apologize to his viewers.And so during his 9 p.m. ET broadcast, Cuomo declared that it will never happen again and insisted he knows where the line is.In a statement following the Post bombshell last week, CNN admitted it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governors staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward. The network added that Cuomo would not be disciplined further.But the top anchors decision to secretly participate in the strategy calls assisting his embattled brother has, indeed, irked numerous network staffers. CNN insiders who spoke with The Daily Beast this week expressed frustration with the networks handling of the incident, saying Cuomo should have faced more serious consequences.Im very disappointed in the network, said one current on-air personality. I think some disciplinary action, at a minimum, was required in this situation. The source added, As a woman who works here, I feel a little let down, to be honest.Staff were particularly interested in Tuesdays town hall following one of the more eventful weeks for the network following a high-profile sale and the departure of one noteworthy on-air contributor.During the call, Zucker said that Rick Santorum was given an opportunity to apologize for what the CNN boss referred to as the ex-senators inappropriate and racist comments about Native Americans, but because he refused to do so, the network ultimately fired the conservative pundit.And elsewhere in Tuesdays town hall, Zucker downplayed the impact of AT&Ts decision to merge WarnerMedia, CNNs parent company, with Discovery. Asked about whether CNN could be spun off as part of the deal, the network chief said he did not think that was in the cards.And when pressed on his own future at the network, Zucker said he plans to have conversations with the right people very soon.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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Johnson: UK to Announce Tougher CCP Virus Restrictions

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday that the UK will announce even tougher restrictions to stem the spread of the CCP virus that has killed tens of thousands and ravaged the countrys economy.

Johnson told ITV News that though the effects of current tier four restrictions are still unclear, the signs are that amid surging cases, more stringent rules will be needed to bring down infection rates.

If you look at the numbers, theres no question that we are going to have to take tougher measures and we will be announcing those in due course, he said.

Most of the country has been under the highest tier four stay-at-home level of the governments system of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus curbs since many areas were moved up from lower tiers on Dec. 31.

People walk past a bus stop with a government message about the CCP virus tier four restrictions urging people to stay at home, in London on Dec. 29, 2020. (Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images)

It followed the reduction to Christmas Day-only of a previously announced concession that rules be relaxed across the whole of the UK for families and friends to meet for five days over the festive period.

Much hope has been pinned on vaccines as a way out of restrictions. On Monday the UK government began rolling out the AstraZeneca vaccine against a rising tide of infections that seemingly hasnt been slowed by any of the previous lockdown measures.

The governments scientific advisers attribute the current uptick in cases to the spread in the southeast of a new variant, which several preliminary studies suggest is transmitted up to 70 percent more quickly, and which Health Secretary Matt Hancock described on Dec. 21 as the worst news of the pandemic.

South African Variant

The situation was further aggravated by the detection of two cases in the UK of an even more virulent strain that emerged in South Africa. Flights from the African nation to the UK were subsequently banned.

Though Hancock said he was very worried about the new South African variant, he downplayed its direct impact on the UK.

Thankfully there isnt evidence of very much spread of the South African variant here. Weve seen two cases but we havent seen any further cases since then, he told ITV news.

However, he said that weve got to keep an eagle eye on this one because it is even harder to deal with than the UK variant.

The weekly average death toll from the virus has risen by 24 percent in the last week to 454 per day, and the number of cases has risen by 47 percent, according to the UKs latest official data. Hospital admissions for the CCP virus have risen by 20 percent over the same week.

Simon Veazey contributed to this report.
A 37-year-old man was allegedly stabbed to death in his apartment in south Delhi and his wife was lying unconscious, the police informed.

The police received a PCR call from the landlord that his tenants were not opening their door. At the same time, the police also found a post on Facebook in which a woman had shared information about her husbands murder.

Acting on the complaint, the Delhi Police reached Chattarpur Extension on Saturday, where the deceased, Chirag, was found in stabbed condition on the floor and his wife Renuka was lying unconscious on the bed.

The deceased Chirag Sharma was declared dead by the doctors, while Renuka is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital.

The couple did not have any child. From the initial inquiry, it was found that there were differences between them.

A case under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered.

The police said that on inquiry it was revealed that the couple had been living at the apartment since 2013 and worked at an insurance company.

Further investigation is underway.
India to kick-start Covid-19 vaccination drive with SII vaccine

India kicked off a nationwide vaccination drive against the new corona virus with the expert panel on Friday granting Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for the Oxford-AstraZenica vaccine being manufactured in India by Serum Institute of India (SII) and the health authorities following it up with a nationwide dry run of the vaccination dive on Saturday in select districts across the country.

The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) which met on Friday to decide on the Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) request of new corona virus vaccines decided to give conditional nod for the Oxford-AstraZenica vaccine being manufactured in India by Serum Institute of India (SII).

The committee asked Bharat Biotech to speed up recruitment for its phase 3 clinical trials and return with more data.

Pfizer and BioNTech had requested for more time to produce data and their application wasn't considered on Friday.

The expert panel is reported to have recommended that the prescribed dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine be administered in two doses at a gap of 4 to 6 weeks. It's not clear yet what dosage has been given approval.

A version of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine  already approved for use in UK  is being produced by the SII, it is called Covishield and is likely to be the first to be rolled out in India, according to reports.

The Oxford vaccine is also affordable and easier to store.

SII has been asked to provide more safety and efficacy data from all its global trials as Phase three clinical trial data on Oxford vaccine from the UK and Brazil had thrown up differing efficacies based on dosages given.

Indias drug control authority had also hinted on 31 December that a Covid vaccine may be approved soon. Probably we will have a happy New Year with something in hand. That is what I can hint at, Drugs Controller General Dr VG Somani said during a webinar.

Meanwhile, there are more vaccines in the running for emergency use. An IANS report said India currently has eight Covid-19 vaccine candidates, including three indigenous vaccines, under different stages of clinical trials, which could be ready for authorisation within months.

The objective of the dry run was to assess operational feasibility in the use of the vaccine in actual field environment, test the effectiveness of the linkages and identify the challenges and find the way forward prior to actual implementation, a press release by the government stated.

It will also focus on difficult terrains and regions with poor logistical support.

The government release also mentions that around 96,000 vaccinators have been trained for the eventual administering of the vaccine across states.

The dry run in the states of Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, and Gujarat, was concluded on 29 December with all the partaking states expressing satisfaction regarding the operational approach and the aid of IT platforms to ensure smooth operations.
The scientist, who discovered Ebola over four decades ago, has warned humanity faces an unknown number of new and potentially fatal viruses emerging from African tropical rainforests even as a woman showing symptoms of hemorrhagic fever in a remote town in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has sparked fears of new deadly pathogens.

According to CNN, the woman in Ingende was tested for several diseases, including Ebola, but they all came out as negative. It sparked fears her illness may have been caused by so-called Disease X, a new unexpected pathogen that could spread as rapidly as the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) but has Ebolas fatality rate of 50 to 90%. The patient showing symptoms that looked like Ebola has recovered since then.

Also read | Scientists focus on bats for clues to prevent next pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said Disease X, where X stands for unexpected, is hypothetical for now, an outbreak that scientists and public health experts fear could lead to serious disease around the world if and when it occurs.

Also Watch l Warning signs of pandemic were there: Dr Guleria at #HTLS2020

We are now in a world where new pathogens will come out. And thats what constitutes a threat for humanity, Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum, who helped discover the Ebola virus in 1976, said while speaking to CNN. When asked if any new disease could be more apocalyptic than Covid-19, he said: Yes, yes, I think so.

Also read | A year of trials: Controversies, pitfalls AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 vaccine faced

Muyembe, according to CNN, has warned many more zoonotic diseases, or those that jump from animals to humans, could arise. Covid-19 is among those diseases, along with yellow fever and rabies, thought to have emerged from an unknown reservoir or the term used to indicate a virus natural host in the animal kingdom.

Also read | Future pandemics could be deadlier, warns study

Muyembe runs the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) in Kinshasa, which is supported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and WHO and its labs are the worlds early warning system for new outbreaks of known diseases like Ebola, and -- perhaps more importantly -- for those illnesses scientists are yet to discover. If a pathogen emerged from Africa it will take time to spread all over the world. So, if this virus is detected early -- like in my institution here -- there will be opportunity for Europe [and the rest of the world] to develop new strategies to fight these new pathogens, Muyembe told CNN.

SARS-CoV-2, which causes the coronavirus disease, is suspected to have originated in China and possibly from bats. Experts have largely attributed the outbreak of zoonotic diseases to the deforestation which sees animals natural habitats disappear.

The coronavirus disease has affected 85 million people, of which 1,843,143 have died, across the world, according to Johns Hopkins Universitys Covid-19 tracker. India, the second worst-hit country after the United States, has 10,340,469 infections and its death toll stands at 149,649.
Aerial crews have dropped more than 75,000 litres of fire retardant in the area to help land crews holding off the fire front. There are up to 13 aircraft dispatched. "Speeds of 3-4km/h are extremely challenging to contain," DFES deputy incident controller Andy Duckworth said. "We are treating this extremely seriously." Easterly and north-easterly winds are expected to fan the flames on Wednesday when the mercury is set to reach 37C. The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting extremely hot and dry conditions going into next week, which only fuels the unpredictability of a fire threat.

Bureau spokesman Neil Bennett said easterly winds would usually last a day or two because of the presence of a high-pressure system moving through the Bight. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video However, this time the high was particularly slow-moving, resulting in easterly winds lasting longer. The fire is uncontained and uncontrolled. Warning areas

Residents in Oceans Farms Estate, Seaview Park and surrounding areas, in parts of Regans Ford, Red Gully, Cowalla, Moore River National Park, Nilgen, Mimegarra, Karakin and Orange Springs have been issued an emergency warning advising them they are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. A watch and act alert is also in place for parts of Wedge Island. People camping in the areas are urged to not attempt to leave south but leave and relocate to a safer place by heading north on Indian Ocean Drive. Burning embers are likely to start spot fires up to 100 metres ahead of the fire, and there is a lot of ash and dust blowing over the fire ground. "If you cannot leave, you need to get ready to shelter in your home," DFES advised. "Go to a room in your home away from the fire front and make sure you can easily escape.

"Choose a room with two exits and water such as a kitchen or laundry." The bushfire is approaching Lancelin and surrounds. Credit:DFES Roads have been closed including Indian Ocean Drive from K.W Road to Wedge Island Road, K.W Road (east of Indian Ocean Drive), Minegarra Road from Brand Highway, and Orange Springs Road West from Brand Highway, and from the intersection of Sappers Road, Nabaroo Road and Cowalla Road to Nine Mile Swamp Road. There are vehicle checkpoints in the area, including on Wedge Island Road, Lancelin Road, K.W Road, Cowalla Bridge and Orange Spring Roads. Access to Lancelin via Lancelin Road has been closed and there is no access north of Lancelin on Indian Ocean Drive but those leaving Lancelin can do so in a southerly direction.

Oceans Farms resident Amanda Solarino was on her way to Mindarie to buy a generator on Monday evening when she got the text message telling her and her partner to evacuate. She rushed back to Lancelin to pick up a friend's horse float before driving back to Ocean Farms to rescue her horse, chickens and goats. The blaze started on Saturday and has burned through more than 7200 hectares. Credit:Evan Collins In a daze, she managed to fit the four goats and four chickens inside regular cars and drove back to Lancelin, where she sought shelter at her in-laws' home. Ms Solarino, who has managed to house the horse in the backyard and the goats in the garage, said the flames got up to 8 kilometres from their home, but she said she wasn't worried.

"More pissed off. My boyfriend and I work at the Endeavour Tavern and we have been so busy since Christmas, we are so tired we hardly have the energy to cope with it all," she said. Loading In town, Lancelin Lodge owner Karen Stokke opened the doors of the hostel to families fleeing the blaze and farm workers stuck with nowhere to go. "It is so emotionally draining for families that are being affected. We will do everything we can to help them out and make things feel safer for them and less stressful," Ms Stokke said. Ms Stokke urged anyone in need of safe accommodation to call the lodge instead of booking online.

Wedge Island concerns Unexploded ordnance from the old Lancelin bombing range surrounding the suburb of Wedge Island, which is directly on the fire's path, is a major concern for firefighters. The winds are causing spot fires to ignite within 100 metres of the blaze. Credit:Nikki Woods Mr Duckworth said the ordnance prevented ground crews from accessing the area to battle the fire, which was quickly moving towards the suburb fanned by gusty winds. While he was confident the ammunition would not explode, he said it would be "extremely dangerous" for the flames to reach the area.

"There's a lot of bush around there and we are limited in our ability to fight the fire, we can use our aircraft to do it but not much else," he said. "We are not confident we can pull [the fire front] up before it reached Wedge Island by any means, that is why we are urging those residents to pay particular attention to the warnings." Strong easterly winds, hot temperatures set to continue The Bureau of Meteorology is also predicting extremely hot and dry conditions going into next week, which are expected to fuel the unpredictability of a fire threat. DFES Deputy Commissioner Craig Waters said climate change had caused fires to burn with the same intensity into the evenings, whereas before firefighters would get a lull or reprieve with cooling conditions.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo disclosed a number of sanctions targets from Russia during the presidency of Donald Trump.

"Since 2017, Trump administration has imposed sanctions on 365+ Russian targets in response to Russias destabilizing and aggressive actions in Ukraine and throughout Europe," he wrote on his Twitter page on Sunday.

Pompeo also said the Trump administration has been the toughest on Russia in comparison with the previous U.S. administrations.
John Miller, the deputy commissioner of the Police Departments intelligence bureau, said at a news briefing on Monday that the appearance of the materials in the car was concerning enough that the departments bomb squad treated it as an bomb.

When you looked into the back of the car, you could see a tank  a gas tank  that had wires coming out of it, he said. He added that investigators were eventually able to determine it was not an explosive device, but based on their expertise, it appeared to be.

Mr. Miller called the materials a hoax device and said investigators were operating under the theory that the car had been left where it was, in the state that it was in, with the intention of causing panic.

Police interest in Mr. Shenker was first reported by NBC News.

The law enforcement official said that police officers who were patrolling the area had first encountered Mr. Shenker and another man in the parking garage around 5 a.m. on Monday. The two men told the police their car had broken down and they intended to get help fixing it. After a brief conversation, the officers left.

But the police returned to the parking garage after a 911 caller reported the car was blocking the ramp and said it looked suspicious. When they arrived, they found Mr. Shenker and the other man had left, the cars windows had been blocked with cardboard and a butane canister, surrounded by wires and cords, had been left on the cars trunk.

They also found a husky dog sitting calmly in the back seat of the car.

After his arrest last week, Mr. Shenker was charged with misdemeanor counts of arson and criminal mischief in Manhattan, court records show. His next court date was scheduled for March 3. A spokeswoman for New York County Defender Services, which is representing him in the matter, declined to comment.

When the potential bomb was reported, helicopters circled overhead and officials blocked off and redirected traffic on streets where more than 20 emergency vehicles were parked. Dozens of police and fire officials were gathered outside the mall and near the parking garage.
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  Despite some closures due to the pandemic and price increases, Colorado state parks recorded a nearly 23% increase in visitors in 2020, with some data from November and December still yet to be logged.

The 18.3 million visitors state parks have reported so far were up from the 14.8 million total in 2019, The Gazette reported Friday.

The record figure is about 53% higher than the agencys 2013-14 fiscal year, when 11.9 million visitors were counted at the 41 state parks.

At Castlewood Canyon, there were a total of 263,744 visitors through November, up more than 56% from a then-record 2017.

Lake Pueblo recorded the most visitors with a record 2.7 million people registered from January through October.

The states other most popular parks were Chatfield, which logged 2.1 million visitors through October, and Cherry Creek State Park, which is expected to log over 2 million visitors for the first time in its history.

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UK Alert Level jointly raised from 4 to 5  as Wales is in Alert Level 4 restrictions

This article is old - Published: Monday, Jan 4th, 2021

The UK has jointly moved from Alert Level 4 to 5 due to a material risk of the NHS in several areas being overwhelmed over the next 21 days, in a statement cosigned by Wales Chief Medical Officer.

The change in Alert Level is different from the Alert Level that Wales is in since the publication of the traffic light system in December.

In a statement at 6:05 PM the Chief Medical Officers of the UK said, Following advice from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and in the light of the most recent data, the four UK Chief Medical Officers and NHS England Medical Director recommend that the UK Alert Level should move from Level 4 to Level 5.

Many parts of the health systems in the four nations are already under immense pressure. There are currently very high rates of community transmission, with substantial numbers of COVID patients in hospitals and in intensive care. Cases are rising almost everywhere, in much of the country driven by the new more transmissible variant. We are not confident that the NHS can handle a further sustained rise in cases and without further action there is a material risk of the NHS in several areas being overwhelmed over the next 21 days.





Although the NHS is under immense pressure, significant changes have been made so people can still receive lifesaving treatment. It is absolutely critical that people still come forward for emergency care. If you require non-urgent medical attention, please contact your GP or call NHS111.

The statement was signed by the Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Dr Frank Atherton , Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, Dr Gregor Smith, Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland, Dr Michael McBride and NHS England, National Medical Director Professor Stephen Powis.

Wales is already in a stay at home Level 4 lockdown, and it has not been stated what further action could be taken in Wales.

Although named the same, the change in alert level announced this evening is not the same alert levels that signify the restriction measures in Wales, where we are under Alert Level 4 restrictions  and was made public in December via the below traffic light system:

Back in December we pointed out to the First Minister that Technical Advisory Group documents state the importance of the simplicity of messaging, and asked why there is a reluctance to call the restriction based alert levels tiers as used elsewhere, and if they are not the same thing, what the difference is.

Mr Drakeford said back then: I dont know if that is a particularly significant point, we called it a traffic light system earlier in the year, it is still a traffic light system but with one additional alert level, which is beyond the red level that we are in now.

Im not sure that the titles will make a great deal of difference on our ability to get people to understand them.

More positively there is a fifth alert level referenced in the Welsh Government restrictions document from December which will hopefully be used sooner rather than later: a future without restrictions to our daily lives  what we could call alert level zero.
Images of density at the final time of the simulation run for B = 5.44103G. Credit: JIAO Chengliang

Dr. JIAO Chengliang from Yunnan Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, collaborating with Prof. XUE Li's group from Xiamen University, performed three-dimensional (3-D) simulations of the accretion flow in the progenitor of Tycho's supernova, which helps identifying the physical properties of the accretion process.

The study was published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on Nov. 27.

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) plays an important role in astrophysics, especially in cosmology and galactic chemical evolution. SNe Ia can be triggered by a carbon-oxygen white dwarf (CO WD) accreting sufficient material from a non-degenerate companion star, i.e. the single-degenerate (SD) model.

Tycho's supernova (SN) is a famous SN. Recent observations of its remnant suggests that the SN ejecta should have evolved in a bubble blown by a latitude-dependent wind, yet how this wind is formed is still not very clear.

The researchers studied the wind structure in different situations. They found that when the magnetic field in the accreted material was negligible, outflowing wind was concentrated near the equatorial plane. When the magnetic field had energy equipartition with internal energy, polar wind was comparable with the equatorial wind.

A carefully chosen magnetic field between the above two cases can roughly reproduce the latitude-dependent wind required to form the peculiar periphery of Tycho's SN remnant. This magnetic field may contain the tangled magnetic field in the accreted material obtained from the surface of the companion star, as well as contributions from the WD.

The study reveals the importance of magnetic field in the progenitor of Tycho's SN. It also provides a new source of mass-loss, other than the mass-loss caused by hydrogen and helium flashes on the WD surface, which are often considered in binary evolution researches.

The mass-loss ratio is extremely large (above 90 percent) in the simulation, yet it is consistent with researches in accretion physics, and this outflow only lasts for a limited time before the SN explosion, so it does not handicap the mass accumulation of the WD much.

More information: Li Xue et al. Three-dimensional simulations of accretion flow in the progenitor of Tycho's supernova, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2020). Li Xue et al. Three-dimensional simulations of accretion flow in the progenitor of Tycho's supernova,(2020). DOI: 10.1093/mnras/staa3696
WASHINGTON - Coronavirus vaccinations are off to a sluggish start across the greater Washington region, with a small fraction of allotted doses being administered in the past three weeks.

Delays in reporting may make the problem look worse than it is, officials said.

In Maryland, less than one-quarter of the state's initial batch of 273,875 vaccines has been used, according to state data released Monday. About one-fifth of Virginia's allotment of 451,075 doses had been administered as of Monday, according to state figures.

In the District of Columbia, about 17,000 of 40,075 delivered doses have been administered. But city officials said 58% of health-care providers are reporting their vaccine administrations to the city's immunization information system. Totals will not be accurate until providers learn how to use the system correctly and consistently, D.C. officials said.

Similarly, Virginia health officials said hitches with the state's new immunization reporting database are making the reported numbers lag behind actual vaccinations. And in Maryland, the sluggish rollout can partly be attributed to slow reporting from hospitals and pharmacies, such as Walgreens and CVS, charged with inoculating residents of long-term care facilities.

Maryland officials said they belatedly learned that one hospital had not logged more than 2,000 vaccinations, while federal guidelines allow pharmacies to wait as long as 72 hours before reporting inoculations.

Those issues are compounding what has proved to be a complicated process of delivering the highly anticipated vaccinations.

"This is the most extensive public vaccination campaign in modern history, and every state in the country is working through similar logistical challenges," Alena Yarmosky, a spokeswoman for Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said in an email. "Our main hiccups right now are around data reporting."

Yarmosky said the state expects "a significant increase in administered doses over the next week." She said Northam, a Democrat, will highlight additional steps at a Wednesday news conference.

Michael Ricci, a spokesman for Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, echoed those sentiments on Twitter: "Yes, it's a bit of a slow takeoff, as we anticipated it would be. We expect the ramp up to continue this week, especially from our hospitals and local health departments."

Front-line medical workers, paramedics, and nursing home residents and employees are included in the first-wave vaccinations. Ricci said Maryland will offer more details Tuesday on when high-risk and older residents outside nursing homes would be eligible for vaccinations.

In Maryland, the Washington suburbs have vaccinated the smallest percentage of their population. The capital region, defined by the state as Montgomery, Prince George's, Charles and Frederick counties, has vaccinated 0.58% of residents, less than half the state average of 1.09%.

The Baltimore metropolitan area and the Eastern Shore have vaccinated 1.28% and 1.5%, respectively.

Maryland's coronavirus test positivity rate has risen two percentage points in the past two weeks, to 9.47% on Monday. Hogan said the spike prompted him to open a special enrollment period that allows the uninsured to sign up for Medicaid or subsidized private policies sold on the Maryland Health Exchange through mid-March.

The greater Washington region reported 6,394 new coronavirus infections Monday. That included 140 new cases and three deaths in D.C.; 2,483 cases and 33 deaths in Maryland; and 3,771 cases and eight deaths in Virginia.

The rolling seven-day average of new infections in the region hit 7,363 on Monday, setting a record, while the average number of daily deaths attributed to the virus stood at 84, one short of the high mark of 85 recorded Saturday.

D.C. officials on Monday announced target dates to begin vaccinating those outside of the first priority group.

The prospect of valuable doses going to waste has haunted providers in the region. A pharmacist at the Giant Foods store in D.C. was anxious that several doses of the vaccine were about to go to waste, so she began scrambling to find people to give them to.

David MacMillan, a law school student, happened to be shopping at the store with a friend when the pharmacist flagged the two down, according to MacMillan's TikTok video.

Some first responders had missed their appointments, and their doses otherwise would have been thrown away.

MacMillan and his friend agreed to get vaccinated. "Talk about a great way to start 2021!!" MacMillan wrote in the video.

The pharmacist who administered the doses to MacMillan and his friend was following guidance from the D.C. Department of Health, said Felis Andrade, a spokesman for Giant Foods. "The Moderna vaccine is valuable and lifesaving, and we are happy to have not wasted it and given this couple each a dose," Andrade wrote in a statement.

In Virginia, health officials announced that Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will join Northam and other leaders for an online event Friday.

It's part of a series of weekly sessions called "Facts & Faith Fridays," created by the director of the Massey Cancer Center at Virginia Commonwealth University and aimed at African American clergy "to address the disparate impact the pandemic has had on the Black community," according to a news release from the Virginia Department of Health.

- - -

The Washington Post's Lola Fadulu and Rebecca Tan contributed to this report.
The family of Kashmiri separatist Aasiya Andrabi, who is being held in a jail for anti-state activities, appealed on Monday to the United Nations for help in securing her release.

Ahmad bin Qasim, the son of Andrabi, who heads an Islamic women's group in Kashmir, was joined by Pakistan human rights minister Shireen Mazari in issuing the appeal during a rare news conference in Pakistan's capital Islamabad.

Andrabi and two other activists, Sofi Fahmeeda and Nahida Nasreen, were charged by Delhi court last month for allegedly waging war against India, sedition and conspiracy to commit acts of terror in the country.

On Monday, her son who is studying in Pakistan and Mazari criticized India for "committing human rights violations in Kashmir" and asked human rights organizations to work for Andrabi's release and the "release of other women jailed in India". Qasim said his mother suffers from asthma and in need of medical care.

Qasim's father, Ashiq Hussain Faktoo, was a Kashmiri separatist rebel commander and was convicted of murder in the death of a human rights activist in Kashmir.

Pakistan wants India to drop charges against Andrabi and her husband and release them.

Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations and have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. Relations between the two countries have been further strained since August 2019, when India revoked Jammu and Kashmir's semi-autonomous status and divided it into two federally governed territories.

India has an estimated 700,000 soldiers in Kashmir, fighting nearly a dozen rebel groups since 1989. More than 68,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in the conflict.
NASA has agreed to help develop space technology and utilise scientific experience to 'transform and bolster' the future of agriculture.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening its partnership with NASA.

Researchers will explore gaps of importance to the agricultural community that could be addressed through innovative Earth observation systems and technologies developed over the next decade.

As weve seen over the past 100 years, increasing innovation in agriculture is limitless, said US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.

This partnership between USDA and NASA will bring together the best research, science, and technology we have to offer to help produce more food to feed the growing world.

"We are continuing an already great collaborative effort to utilise space-based technologies across sectors and into agriculture.

The partnership will benefit a variety of Earth and space-based goals, including activities in support of NASAs Artemis program, which will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon.

Meanwhile, plant-related research on the International Space Station may lead to new ways to improve agriculture, protect the environment, and contribute to better human health.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine explained that the global farming industry could be transformed in 'ways we cant even imagine today'.

Microgravity research can unlock secrets in a wide variety of fields, and Im particularly excited about our agencys potential impact on next-generation agricultural techniques," he said.
The defining characteristic of this new version of the creative class may not be where it lives, but its ability to live anywhere it wants. Put differently, people move to certain cities in search of better-paying jobs, but its now possible to earn high (if not the highest) salaries from almost anywhere. That has been true in certain smaller cities in recent years (Austin and Denver in the United States, for example, and Manchester and Leeds in Britain). To a lesser extent, it has also been true for people who chose not to live in cities at all.

There were more specific signs that the office market was headed for a crisis. While employers were fighting over talent, many employees found traditional offices lacking. In 2019, Leesman, a firm that measures employee experiences, analyzed how the workplace affects employee productivity, pride and enjoyment. Drawing on 719,000 respondents in 4,771 workplaces worldwide, Leesman found that nearly 40 percent of employees felt their workplace did not enable them to work productively.

Then the pandemic forced many employees to reassess their preferences. Multiple surveys have found that many are happy to continue to work remotely and would move, if given the chance. Still, this data tells us little about the post-Covid world. Those who thrived initially might burn out if they stayed home for a more extended period. Those who struggled might do much better once theyve mastered new tools, once they have access to alternative spaces near home, or once children, housemates and partners are back in school or at work. At the same time, the technologies that allow us to work, learn and socialize remotely will only get better.

Covid-era market data also offers mixed signals. Landlords and brokers are quick to point out that companies like Google and Facebook signed new leases during the pandemic. But these companies hire thousands of new employees every quarter and plan their expansion many quarters or years in advance. Even companies that arent in growth mode have yet to make up their mind about the new normal. Instead, many are renewing their existing leases for a shorter period until market conditions become clearer. Data from JLL, a real estate consultancy, shows that renewals as a share of leasing activity have jumped to 51 percent from 29 percent pre-Covid, and that leases are becoming shorter.

It seems safe to say that total demand for offices will diminish to a moderate degree. The bigger changes will be in how total demand is reshuffled and what office providers will have to do to remain competitive. Most office activity will not move to homes or to the cloud. Instead, it is likely to be redistributed within and between cities, with a variety of new employment areas popping up and saving many people the trouble of simultaneous commuting to a central business district.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/04/2021 -- A new business intelligence report released by HTF MI with title "Global Newspaper Publishing Market Report 2020 by Key Players, Types, Applications, Countries, Market Size, Forecast to 2026 (Based on 2020 COVID-19 Worldwide Spread)" is designed covering micro level of analysis by manufacturers and key business segments. The Global Newspaper Publishing Market survey analysis offers energetic visions to conclude and study market size, market hopes, and competitive surroundings. The research is derived through primary and secondary statistics sources and it comprises both qualitative and quantitative detailing. Some of the key players profiled in the study are Gannett, Daily Mail and General Trust, Trinity Mirror, Telegraaf Media Groep, Mecom Group, Seven West Media, Schibsted, Axel Springer, News, Johnston Press, APN News and Media, Torstar, RCS Media Group, The McClatchy, Postmedia Network Canada, Dogan Yayin Holding, Lee Enterprises, Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso, Tamedia, Sanoma, Fairfax Media, The New York Times & Singapore Press Holdings.



What's keeping Gannett, Daily Mail and General Trust, Trinity Mirror, Telegraaf Media Groep, Mecom Group, Seven West Media, Schibsted, Axel Springer, News, Johnston Press, APN News and Media, Torstar, RCS Media Group, The McClatchy, Postmedia Network Canada, Dogan Yayin Holding, Lee Enterprises, Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso, Tamedia, Sanoma, Fairfax Media, The New York Times & Singapore Press Holdings Ahead in the Market? Benchmark yourself with the strategic moves and findings recently released by HTF MI



Get Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @ : https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/3006867-global-newspaper-publishing-market-report-2020-by-key-players-types-applications-countries-market-size-forecast-to-2026



Market Overview of Global Newspaper Publishing

If you are involved in the Global Newspaper Publishing industry or aim to be, then this study will provide you inclusive point of view. It's vital you keep your market knowledge up to date segmented by Applications [Paper & Digital], Product Types [, General News & Specific Aspects] and major players. If you have a different set of players/manufacturers according to geography or needs regional or country segmented reports we can provide customization according to your requirement.



This study mainly helps understand which market segments or Region or Country they should focus in coming years to channelize their efforts and investments to maximize growth and profitability. The report presents the market competitive landscape and a consistent in depth analysis of the major vendor/key players in the market along with impact of economic slowdown due to COVID.



Furthermore, the years considered for the study are as follows:

Historical year  2014-2019

Base year  2019

Forecast period**  2020 to 2026 [** unless otherwise stated]



**Moreover, it will also include the opportunities available in micro markets for stakeholders to invest, detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product services of key players.



Enquire for customization in Report @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/3006867-global-newspaper-publishing-market-report-2020-by-key-players-types-applications-countries-market-size-forecast-to-2026



The titled segments and sub-section of the market are illuminated below:

The Study Explore the Product Types of Newspaper Publishing Market: , General News & Specific Aspects



Key Applications/end-users of Global Newspaper Publishing Market: Paper & Digital



Top Players in the Market are: Gannett, Daily Mail and General Trust, Trinity Mirror, Telegraaf Media Groep, Mecom Group, Seven West Media, Schibsted, Axel Springer, News, Johnston Press, APN News and Media, Torstar, RCS Media Group, The McClatchy, Postmedia Network Canada, Dogan Yayin Holding, Lee Enterprises, Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso, Tamedia, Sanoma, Fairfax Media, The New York Times & Singapore Press Holdings



Region Included are: North America (Covered in Chapter 6 and 13), United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe (Covered in Chapter 7 and 13), Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Others, Asia-Pacific (Covered in Chapter 8 and 13), China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Southeast Asia, Others, Middle East and Africa (Covered in Chapter 9 and 13), Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Others, South America (Covered in Chapter 10 and 13), Brazil, Argentina, Columbia, Chile & Others



Important Features that are under offering & key highlights of the report:

 Detailed overview of Newspaper Publishing market

 Changing market dynamics of the industry

 In-depth market segmentation by Type, Application etc

 Historical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and value

 Recent industry trends and developments

 Competitive landscape of Newspaper Publishing market

 Strategies of key players and product offerings

 Potential and niche segments/regions exhibiting promising growth

 A neutral perspective towards Newspaper Publishing market performance

 Market players information to sustain and enhance their footprint



Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/3006867-global-newspaper-publishing-market-report-2020-by-key-players-types-applications-countries-market-size-forecast-to-2026



Major Highlights of TOC:

Chapter One: Global Newspaper Publishing Market Industry Overview

1.1 Newspaper Publishing Industry

1.1.1 Overview

1.1.2 Products of Major Companies

1.2 Newspaper Publishing Market Segment

1.2.1 Industry Chain

1.2.2 Consumer Distribution

1.3 Price & Cost Overview



Chapter Two: Global Newspaper Publishing Market Demand

2.1 Segment Overview

2.1.1 APPLICATION 1

2.1.2 APPLICATION 2

2.1.3 Other

2.2 Global Newspaper Publishing Market Size by Demand

2.3 Global Newspaper Publishing Market Forecast by Demand



Chapter Three: Global Newspaper Publishing Market by Type

3.1 By Type

3.1.1 TYPE 1

3.1.2 TYPE 2

3.2 Newspaper Publishing Market Size by Type

3.3 Newspaper Publishing Market Forecast by Type



Chapter Four: Major Region of Newspaper Publishing Market

4.1 Global Newspaper Publishing Sales

4.2 Global Newspaper Publishing Revenue & market share



Chapter Five: Major Companies List



Chapter Six: Conclusion



Complete Purchase of Latest Version Global Newspaper Publishing Market Study with COVID-19 Impact Analysis @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=3006867



Key questions answered

- What impact does COVID-19 have made on Global Newspaper Publishing Market Growth & Sizing?

- Who are the Leading key players and what are their Key Business plans in the Global Newspaper Publishing market?

- What are the key concerns of the five forces analysis of the Global Newspaper Publishing market?

- What are different prospects and threats faced by the dealers in the Global Newspaper Publishing market?

- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?



Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.
Mamata to join hands with BJP again in case of hung assembly in Bengal: Sitaram Yechury

Yechury raises suspicion over EC decision to put on hold poll to RS seats in Kerala

Decision to bring in new faces in LDF cabinet taken in CPI(M)'s long term interest: Sitaram Yechury

Don't want TMC in anti-BJP grouping because of strong anti- incumbency against it: Sitaram Yechury

India

oi-Deepika S

Kolkata, Jan 04: The CPI(M)'s prime objective is to defeat BJP in the upcoming West Bengal polls but in the pursuit of this it doesn't want to take along the TMC because of strong anti-incumbency sentiment prevailing against Mamata Banerjee government which would drive people away from us, its General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Monday.

Besides, the people are well aware of the TMC's track record in the last 20 years when it had alliance with the saffron party and its leaders served as ministers in the BJP- led NDA coalition, Yechury said.

Yechury, who was addressing media after attending the party state committee meeting here, said the Marxists will have poll understanding with the Congress and traditonal allies like the other Left parties and non-Left allies like NCP and RJD in Bengal elections.

'The anti-incumbency sentiment against the TMC government runs so deep and so large that any unity of all the anti-BJP forces will only help the BJP more. It will be counter productive.

'People have great anger against the TMC. Aligning with Trinamool will therefore only turn people against us and help the BJP,' the Communist Party of India(Marxist) leader said.

Further elaborating on the issue, Yechury said,'Everyone knows the TMC track record in the last 20 years as how it entered into alliances with the BJP and even served as ministers in the NDA cabinet'.

Alternative policies needed to foil BJP, TMC efforts to turn Bengal polls bipolar event: Yechury

He said the BJP and the TMC are trying to turn the approaching elections in Bengal as bipolar event, but the forces opposed to them would 'rupture' this.

'Our objective is to defeat the BJP and isolate the TMC.

Give alternatives to people on the issues of their livelihood, focussing on the plank of job, food, health and education,' he said.

'The issue is whether lives of the people can be bettered after polls. On that issue, there is no solution from either the BJP or the TMC,' he said.

Farmers agitation against agri laws, demand for proper procurement price for paddy and the issues of migrant labourers would be the dominant narratives in the polls, the CPI(M) leader said.

The CPI(M) and the Congress, which have agreed to an alliance, are in the process of a seat sharing arrangement for the West Bengal assembly elections.

'Preliminary discussions have taken place with the Congrees and seat adjustment process is on,' Yechury said.

To a question if the Congress has asked for 120-140 seats in the polls, Yechury said 'seat adjustment process is on.

But, there is no such demand from Congress.' Elections to the 294-member Bengal assembly is due in April-May this year.

He blamed the centre for the farmers agitation against the new agri laws.

Yechury said though the TMC is protesting against the centre on the new agri legislations, but the fact is that the farmers are not getting minimum support price of their produce under TMC regime in West Bengal as well.

The CPI(M)-led Left Front which included CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc ruled Bengal for 34 years from 1977 and 2011.

Mamata Banerjee had demolished the left bastion in the state in 2011 and since then she is on the chief ministerial chair.

The CPI(M) and its allies slide continue in the state politics and they failed to win even a single seat in Bengal in 2019 general elections. The Congress managed two seats.

The BJP has replaced the CPI(M) and the Congress as principal opponent to Trinamool Congrerss in Bengal winning 18 out of total 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state, only four less than the TMC's tally of 22.

Since then the saffron party is making all efforts to win the coming state polls and form its government in Bengal.

On the issue of DCGI giving nod to vaccines for using in India's drive against COVID-19, Yechury said 'India has a healthy tradition of providing safe scientifically sound vaccination to people as largest vaccine producer.

'The scientific basis and universal access - there cannot be any compromise on that...In order to be in hurry there shouldn't be any compromise on safe and scientific trials.'

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, January 4, 2021, 21:13 [IST]
CHICAGO, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Schools across the country are poised to return to in-person learning come early 2021. Standard class sizes have traditionally been determined by the ratio of students to instructional staff. Existing schools were built with this type of capacity in mind, without the additional caveat of requiring a 6-foot distance between each student and faculty member.

Safety is at the forefront of Phase 2 and per the CDC that includes installing sneeze guards and partitions where you cannot space 6 feet apart. A cough can travel as fast as 50 mph and a sneeze up to 100 mph expelling droplets far beyond the mere protection of a mask. Acrylic sneeze guards and plexiglass dividers can intercept COVID-19 respiratory droplets, re-enforce social distancing requirements and act as a complement to additional safety precautions in place.

"The cost to implement additional safety measures far outweigh the cost that mis-education can have on a student unable to return to the classroom, or a business that cannot reopen for customers," said Wright. "Those unprepared will likely suffer additional setbacks that can result in re-closures, or the deaths of more businesses. We have the materials and the know-how. We're here to help people move forward. We've seen the failed attempts of schools, nursing homes and businesses that re-opened without appropriate measures in place, only to suffer outbreaks and re-closures. These PPE items can help to stop transmission and foster progress."

Courtney Wright, CEO and Owner of Gemini Builds It! & Showcase Acrylics, utilized her company's 40-plus years of expertise in custom enclosures to pivot during the pandemic, offering PPE products to businesses, schools and institutions across the US including Henrico County, VA, the largest school district in the country, as well as grocery chains Whole Foods and Costco, to implement safety enclosures. Their plexiglass sneeze guards and protective shields are in stock or can be custom designed for spaces to ensure the safety of employees, students and customers, without invading the overall aesthetic. Wright urges schools to act on safety preparations so they are not left behind.

SOURCE Gemini Builds It!
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
(Alliance News) - Gulf Keystone Petroleum Ltd on Monday said it appointed Jon Harris as chief executive officer, effective from January 18.

Harris will have a period of handover with Jon Ferrier who, as previously announced, will retire on January 31.

The operator and producer in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq said Harris has over 30 years' experience in the oil & gas industry and joins Gulf Keystone Petroleum from South African chemicals firm Sasol Ltd, where he was executive vice president of Upstream.

Prior to this, he spent 25 years with BG Group in various international roles, including executive vice president of Technical and general manager of Production Operations, as well as senior management assignments in the US, Trinidad & Tobago, and Egypt.

"Jon is an experienced executive who brings a wealth of highly relevant project delivery, asset management, production operations and technical experience within the sector to the management team and to the board," said Chair Jaap Huijskes.

"On behalf of the Company, I would like to again thank Jon Ferrier for his outstanding commitment and contributions since joining Gulf Keystone in 2015," added Huijskes.

Gulf Keystone Petroleum shares were trading 5.4% higher in London on Monday at 128.96 pence each.

By Evelina Grecenko; evelinagrecenko@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Natural News) A year before the presidential election, several news outlets reported on politically relevant disinformation running rampant on Facebook, and its quite clear that this helped lay the groundwork for the election theft we are seeing now.

In November 2019, outlets such as Vice and the Daily Mail reported that fake political posts had been viewed more than 158 million times on Facebook so far that year, with a tsunami of disinformation hitting the social media site. And unlike in the 2016 presidential election, the fake news wasnt coming from Russia  it was coming from the U.S.

The posts made a broad range of claims about players across the political spectrum, according to a report compiled by the group Avaaz. They said that the more than 158 million estimated views of these posts were enough to reach every registered voter in the country at least once.

The posts were reportedly a mix of memes, photos taken out of context, and articles from so-called fringe websites.

Avaaz Campaign Director Fadi Quran said: Every American who cares about free and fair elections in 2020, including the candidates and political parties, should be sounding the alarm about Facebooks fake news problem.

Quran added: This is a company that can easily reach every voter in this country, and their tools are accelerating a wave of political lies that leaves us less informed and more polarized.

They added that the number of people who viewed those fake news stories was more than double those who viewed the official Facebook pages for the Republican and Democratic Party that year. Nearly all of it, not surprisingly, was negative.

Anything that goes against their liberal worldview is fake news that must be censored

And while there is no question that Facebook is a poor source of news no matter how you look at it, all of this talk about the fake news on the platform ultimately served to make it far easier for Facebook and other social media platforms to influence the election.

It allowed them to censor conservative figures and websites as part of their quest to correct their fake news problem. This proved especially useful when the New York Post published their bombshell report about the Biden familys corruption. The story exposed how Joe Biden did indeed meet with an adviser to the Burisma board while serving as vice president, something he has denied, and exposed a variety of misdeeds carried out by his son, Hunter.

Internal documents from Facebook showed that they intentionally restricted the storys distribution, according to the Guardian. It was not a move based on an algorithm, but a deliberate act done manually by moderators at Facebook. Their Policy Communications Director, Andy Stone, even admitted they would be reducing its distribution. An internal policy says the platform will remove any unverified rumors that may lead to harm, violence or voter interference. Twitter, by the way, locked the Post out of its account following the publication of the story.

However, its worth noting that no one disputed the veracity of the New York Posts story  not even Hunter Biden himself. The story explained where they got the information, and a Senate committee received files from the same source, so there really was no reason to block it. But it was all too easy for them to shout Fake news! and try to stop the public from seeing it.

These moves served to protect Biden from a big political scandal at a crucial moment during the run-up to the election, prompting Donald Trump Jr. to tweet: Big Tech is openly trying to rig this election for Biden & should be held accountable immediately.

Then, when a group with more than 350,000 members called Stop the Steal was set up to discuss the rampant voter fraud that took place in the elections, Facebook removed it from its platform in under 24 hours for allegedly affecting real-world events in an unapproved manner.

Tech giants like Facebook and Twitter essentially rigged the election in Bidens favor, and they started putting the pieces in place long before Americans went to the polls this year.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

Vice.com

NaturalNews.com

NYPost.com
Starting Jan. 1, drivers violating Idahos hands-free device, distracted driving law risked getting a citation.

The law has been in effect since July 1, but Idaho State Police troopers have been issuing warnings to drivers about the dangers of distracted driving. Since July, there have been more than 700 warnings issued, according to a news release, Idaho News 6 reported.

The first offense is a $75 fine. Get caught twice in three years and face a $150 fine. The third and subsequent offenses in three years means a $300 fine and could also result in a 90 day suspension of a license.

There is nothing on your screen that is worth your life or the life of another, said Lt. Chris Weadick. ISP and our local law enforcement agencies are committed to keeping Idaho roads safe. The goal is to change driving behavior and save lives, and we urge all drivers to pay attention when they are behind the wheel.

Troopers say they have seen more drivers using Bluetooth and other hands-free device options, but more education is needed.

According to the Idaho Transportation Office of Highway Safety, 241 people were killed in Idaho in crashes attributed to distracted driving between 2014 and 2018.

The hands-free device law requires electronic devices to be in hands-free mode while driving, including when stopped at a red light or stop sign. Drivers are only allowed to touch devices to activate the hands-free mode and are not allowed to hold or support any electronic device, according to the law.

The law states if a driver receives two distracted driving violations in three years, insurance companies can consider those violations when establishing rates.

The first offense is a $75 fine. Get caught twice in three years and face a $150 fine. The third and subsequent offenses in three years means a $300 fine and could also result in a 90 day suspension of a license.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Carriers Personal Auto
President Donald Trump ridiculed those who would stand in the way of his effort to overturn the election results as part of a 'surrender caucus'  in his latest dash of public pressure seeking to sway the electoral count.

The president fired off a series of tweets seeking to sway Congress, which meets on Wednesday, despite the leak of an explosive hour-long phone call where he sought to pressure the Georgia secretary of state to 'find' 11,780 votes that would ensure his victory in the state.

The official, Brad Raffensperger, said Monday he has 'been fighting a rumor whack-a-mole,' after repeatedly resisting Trump's pressure-tactics during the call.

The action will soon move to Congress, which meets in joint session on Wednesday to count the results of the Electoral College, where Democrat Joe Biden won 306 to 232.

Trump's push to overturn Biden's victory has brought a schism in the GOP, with 11 Republican senators led by Ted Cruz joining Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley in saying they will challenge results.

That brought forceful blowback from both Trump critics and even some typical Trump allies within the GOP, notably Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton who late Sunday said he would not join the dozen, and attacking their move as un-conservative.

That prompted Trump to lash out at him and other Republicans - who also included former speaker Paul Ryan, who had excoriated the move.

'The 'Surrender Caucus' within the Republican Party will go down in infamy as weak and ineffective 'guardians' of our Nation, who were willing to accept the certification of fraudulent presidential numbers!' Trump wrote.

Trump tried to label those who won't seek to overturn the election as the 'Surrender Caucus'

Trump touted his Monday night speech and gave a warning to those who would appose his last-ditch effort

Trump tweeted approvingly about Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)

President Trump singled out Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, who said he won't go along with election challenges, in a tweet and warned Republicans 'NEVER FORGET'

Trump's Dirty Dozen Senator Josh Hawley - Missouri - has already said he will object The Cruz faction Senator Ted Cruz - Texas Senator Ron Johnson - Wisconsin Senator James Lankford - Oklahoma Senator Steve Daines - Montana Senator John Kennedy - Louisiana Senator Marsha Blackburn - Tennessee Senator Mike Braun - Indiana Senator-elect Cynthia Lummis - Wyoming Senator-elect Tommy Tuberville - Alabama Senator-elect Bill Hagerty - Tennessee Senator-elect Roger Marshall - Kansas *Senators-elect will be sworn in as senators on Sunday January 3, and will be eligible to vote on January 6 Advertisement

Twitter flagged Trump's claim about election fraud as 'disputed.' It has yet to stand up in court. His claims that he won Georgia by 'half a million votes' was not born out by successive state recounts.

Trump followed up with an implied threat against those who might cross him  specifically mentioning Cotton.

'How can you certify an election when the numbers being certified are verifiably WRONG,' he wrote. 'You will see the real numbers tonight during my speech, but especially on JANUARY 6th. @SenTomCotton Republicans have pluses & minuses, but one thing is sure, THEY NEVER FORGET!'

Congress meets on Wednesday 6. Trump flies Monday night to Georgia, where he promised to repeat his claims of election fraud  which Raffensperger tweeted in response to Trump Sunday were 'not true.'

Cotton said in a statement he posted on Sunday night: 'I'm grateful for what the president accomplished over the past four years, which is why I campaigned vigorously for his reelection.

'But objecting to certified electoral votes won't give him a second termit will only embolden those Democrats who want to erode further our system of constitutional government.'

His statement co-mingled his objections to the tactics of GOP loyalists  which other opponents warned would give Congress rather than the people the power to choose the president  in statements supporting Trump and some of his charges.

'I share the concerns of many Arkansans about irregularities in the presidential election, especially in states that rushed through election-law changes to relax standards for voting-by-mail.

'I also share their disappointment with the election results. I therefore support a commission to study the last election and propose reforms to protect the integrity of our elections.'

Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) has forcefully condemned Trump's effort to overturn the results

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., came out publicly early to say he would challenge electors from states Trump lost

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) led a group of senators writing to say they would challenge the election results, despite Trump defeating him in 2016 and insulting his wife

But Cotton added that states, not Congress, are entrusted to oversee elections and it would be a dangerous precedent for Congress to overturn the results of the November vote.

'I will not oppose the counting of certified electoral votes on January 6,' Cotton wrote.

A bipartisan group of ten senators went further in a weekend statement.

'The 2020 election is over,' wrote the group, which included Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Mitt Romney of Utah.

They said attempts to cast doubt on Biden's victory are 'contrary to the clearly expressed will of the American people and only serve to undermine Americans confidence in the already determined election results.'

Ohio GOP Sen. Rob Portman said in a statement Monday he will not go along with the challenge.

'The Constitution created a system for electing the President through the Electoral College that ensures the people and the states hold the power, not Congress, he said. I cannot support allowing Congress to thwart the will of the voters.

Former House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican who sits on the board of Fox Corporation, said in a rare statement that 'Bidens victory is entirely legitimate.'

Ryan said efforts to cast doubt on Biden's win 'strike at the foundation of our republic.'

The third ranking House Republican, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, issued a lengthy memo blasting the congressional overturn effort saying it would 'set an exceptionally dangerous precedent.'

'The scheme by members of Congress to reject the certification of the presidential election makes a mockery of our system and who we are as Americans,' wrote Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.

Cotton has now joined other Republicans Ben Sasse, Roy Blunt and Mitt Romney who have also spoken out against their party members challenging the election.

Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska warned such challenges are a 'dangerous ploy' threatening the nation's civic norms.

'I will not be participating in a project to overturn the election,' Sasse wrote, calling it a dangerous ploy.'

The blowback came after a dozen Republicans said before the release of the explosive Trump tape they would contest the election.

Texas Sen. Cruz was joined in the statement by Senators Ron Johnson, James Lankford, Steve Daines, John Kennedy, Marsha Blackburn, Mike Braun, along with Cynthia Lummis, Tommy Tuberville, Bill Hagerty, and Roger Marshall, all of whom will be sworn in as senators on Sunday in the new Congress.

In a statement, Cruz and the other senators said they intend to vote to reject electors from swing states that have been at the center of President Trump's unproven assertions of election fraud and will call for the establishment of a commission to investigate claims of fraud on an emergency basis.

'We intend to vote on January 6 to reject the electors from disputed states as not `regularly given and `lawfully certified (the statutory requisite), unless and until that emergency 10-day audit is completed,' they wrote in the statement.
A day after the North Delhi Municipal Corporation demolished the Hanuman temple in Chandni Chowk on the directions of the Delhi high court, there was heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces in the area.

The political blame game over the issue also intensified with the AAP and the BJP stepping up the attack on each other, and the Congress accusing the two parties of demolishing the temple.

Several shops remained closed in the area during the first half of the day when a protest march was taken out by a group against the temples demolition. Locals said police have cordoned off the area around the temple site.

The temple was removed early Sunday morning following court orders for the Chandni Chowk redevelopment work--- which involves a plan to decongested and pedestrianise the heritage market along the 1.5-km road between Red Fort and Fatehpuri Masjid -- being executed by Shahjahanbad Redevelopment Corporation.

As several right-wing organisations have given a call for protests at the temple site in Chandni Chowk on Tuesday, senior police officers said Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel will be deployed in the neighbourhood to maintain law and order.

Officials said that since no public gathering or protests are allowed in Delhi due to the Covid-19 pandemic, no more than five persons will be allowed to assemble in the vicinity of the demolition site on Tuesday.

We will not stop any individual from visiting the place but groups will not be allowed near the site. No protests will be allowed. If anyone violates or attempts to violate the guidelines, we will take action as per law, said a senior police officer, who did not want to be named, saying it was sensitive matter.

The police placed four layers of iron barricades and deployed nearly 200 personnel so that people did not march towards the site in groups. Similar security arrangements will be in place on Tuesday as well. The number of personnel may be increased, if required, the officer cited above said.

Pradeep Gupta, president of chemical traders association in the market, said, Only shop owners and residents who live near the demolition site are allowed entry in the area, which has been cordoned-off. There is heavy police and para-military deployment in the area.

Traders in the market opened their shops after 1pm. After police assured traders of their safety, traders opened their shop, though a little late, said Sanjay Bhargava, president of Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal.

Parties spar over the issue

The Aam Aadmi Party said the BJP-ruled North MCD demolished the temple in a suspicious manner, choosing 4am as the time to demolish the structure. The party also demanded action against the leaders responsible for demolition. Senior AAP leader Durgesh Pathak said, The BJP-ruled municipal corporation first razed the ancient Hanuman temple at Chandni Chowk and is now accusing the AAP to escape public anger over this heinous crime. The BJP demolished the temple with the help of Delhi police when everybody was asleep. Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta and other top leaders of the BJP are directly responsible for demolition of the ancient Hanuman temple. The AAP demands stringent action against these leaders for committing such a heinous crime.

Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta said Gupta he, along with senior BJP leaders, will meet Delhi lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal and request him to get the temple constructed in Chandni Chowk.

He said, The Delhi governments religious committee is headed by Satyendar Jain and if he wanted, he could have resolved the matter in the committee itself. But he did not do so at the behest of the CM. During CMs visit last year to assess the progress of the development work, various stakeholders and BJP leaders gave him a memorandum requesting to include the temple in the redevelopment project. But he ignored it.

The Congress blamed both the AAP and the BJP for temple demolition. Delhi Congress chief Anil Chaudhary said, AAP and BJP are indulging in cheap publicity stunts. The North corporation and the Delhi government have admitted in the court that the temple is an encroachment. According to the procedure, if a temple or any other religious structure has to be removed for a development project, then they are allotted alternate place for relocation.
A Queensland mariner has questioned the state's quarantine exemption processes after his crew sailed for 18 days from Vietnam to Cairns without stopping and still had to complete 14 days of mandatory hotel quarantine.

Townsville prawn fisherman John Thomas said his son and three other family members travelled as a maritime crew to Da Nang in Vietnam in October to collect their brand new 30-metre prawn trawler, planned to replace the family's older vessel as their primary income source.

The prawn trawler Johgar owned by John Thomas and family.

Having completed mandatory quarantine in Vietnam, costing them thousands of dollars, the crew worked on the vessel to get it finalised for its trip home.

Vietnam has had consistently low coronavirus cases for months, recording its first locally-acquired case on December 1 and swiftly suspending international commercial flights in response. It currently has 114 active cases.
Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) in Maharashtra's Pune district has signed an MoU with the Development Programme (UNDP) to co-create "India's first" Social Impact Bond (SIB), officials said on Monday.

This type of bond lays down outcome-based targets to be achieved at the start of the contract, an official release said, adding that, in a first, a government body will act as the 'outcome funder' in a bond contrary to convention.

Under the SIB unique investment tool, the PCMC administration will only have to bear the costs of a public welfare project associated with the bond if the pre-defined project targets are fulfilled, the civic body.

"This type of bond lays down outcome-based targets to be achieved at the start of the contract. This feature allows for tracking the progress of the outcomes, thus ensuring transparency for investors. The mechanism also ensures that funds are used effectively and efficiently towards the project," the release said.

The PCMC further said the SIB will support the civic body in improving healthcare services for its citizens, especially with respect to the pandemic while incurring minimum investment risks.

"This is the first time that a government body will act as the 'Outcome Funder' in a bond, whereas traditionally most government-funded public projects require large and early investments by the government with a substantial gestation period of outcomes and involve various kinds of risks," it said.

The introduction of the SIB will attract more investors from public and private sectors to fund public welfare projects and thus help to meet the investment deficit currently hindering India's roadmap to SDGs.

"The social impact bond places PCMC at the forefront of adopting innovative mechanisms to drive social development, specifically in the healthcare sector, which is the cornerstone of our urban planning.

"This is in line with our vision of making Pimpri- Chinchwad the most livable city in India by 2030," PCMC Commissioner Shravan Hardikar said in a statement.

PCMC is currently operating more than 30 primary, secondary and tertiary level healthcare facilities with an aggregate 1,500-bed capacity. These facilities have been crucial in addressing the health crisis duringthe pandemic.

"The SIB will allow PCMC to not only upgrade the infrastructure but also build the capacity of its staff and establish protocols that can support higher quality healthcare," said the release.
S Korea expands ban on social gatherings nationwide

The extended social-distancing rules imposed on Seoul and neighbouring areas include curbs on churches, restaurants, cafes, ski resorts and other venues. File photo: AFP

South Korea has expanded a ban on private gatherings larger than four people to the whole country, and extended unprecedented social distancing rules in greater Seoul as the number of daily cases bounced back to more than 1,000 in four days.



South Korea has been experiencing a prolonged surge in infections during the latest wave, which has led to a sharp increase in deaths.



The country reported 1,020 new coronavirus cases as of Sunday midnight, bringing the total to 64,264 infections, with 981 deaths, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).



Only 657 cases reported over the weekend. A health official had said that the recent third wave of infections is being contained.



The extended social-distancing rules imposed on Seoul and neighbouring areas include curbs on churches, restaurants, cafes, ski resorts and other venues.



More than 60 percent of the cases are from Seoul, Gyeonggi province and city of Incheon, with mass cluster outbreaks centred around nursing homes and prisons.



Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun called for an all-out effort to prepare for the country's vaccination programme.



"The KDCA should perfectly ready for the entire process the moment the vaccine arrives - the distribution, storage, inoculation and follow-ups," Chung told a government meeting.



He also called on the related health, safety and transport ministries to help speed up the process so to not face the sorts of problems seen in the United States and some countries in Europe.



The country plans to start vaccinations in February, with health workers and vulnerable people first in line, but the government has been criticised for that schedule in light of vaccinations under way in the United States and European Union. (Reuters)
When pressed on the matter by President Trump in a debate, Joe Biden boasted that five former heads of the CIA said that the story was a bunch of garbage. A couple of days earlier, dozens of former intelligence officials had signed a statement that asserted the news had all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation: We want to emphasize that we do not know if the emails, provided to the New York Post by President Trumps personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, are genuine or not and that we do not have evidence of Russian involvement, the statement read, just that our experience makes us deeply suspicious that the Russian government played a significant role in this case.

Bush administration speechwriter and Atlantic editor David Frum claimed on Twitter that The story could not have been more obviously fake if it had been wearing dollar-store spectacles and attached plastic mustache. Weeks after the FBI investigation of Hunter Biden was confirmed, Wikipedia still labels their entry on the matter as a conspiracy theory. Thus, in spite of emails, photographs, and video-recorded evidence to the contrary, any claim that the Bidens did anything improper (let alone wrong or illegal) was deemed baseless.

And yet here we are, with outlets like Politico and the New York Times reacting to the newly confirmed evidence of an investigation as though they had just caught wind of the story. Given their craven, politically-motivated annihilation of the story back in October, one wonders: what other baseless claims that pose a threat to the lefts agenda might the media be lying about? The only thing that met with more journalistic skepticism than the Hunter Biden story were the claims that significant ballot fraud marred the presidential election.

Since November, the most obnoxious interlocutors I have encountered are the ones who claim to be devotees of evidence-based reasoning and rational thoughteven while they sanctimoniously insist that you concede that there is no evidence of fraud in this election. As with Bidens corruption, no rational person could claim that there is no evidence. First, there has never been a modern American election where there was no fraud, so the question isnt really whether or not there was fraud, but how much fraud occurred. Secondly, in the case of this election, we have already documented more fraud than has been exposed in any other American presidential election.

The evidence-based reasoners are right about one thing though: there is not yet definitive evidence that Trump actually won the election. But there is enormous evidence that fraudulent means were undertaken to ensure that he did not. Those claiming that allegations of fraud are baseless insist that there is no compelling evidence of these claims. Of course, compelling is a fairly subjective term: we can reasonably disagree what evidence is compelling. Although the word evidence might seem more concrete, even the definition of that term now seems up for grabs. This new instability is a troubling indicator of a knowledge crisis that threatens our democracy: in light of the constantly shifting standards for the verification of claims, we can no longer agree on the basic facts of our shared reality. Until we find that agreement, the prospects for any productive democratic deliberation are nil, let alone the prospects for healing.

A MOUNTAIN WITHOUT A BASE: CONSIDERING THE EVIDENCE

Most people understand intuitively that there are different forms of evidence. There is statistical evidence, anecdotal evidence, historical evidence, circumstantial evidence, definitive evidence, and more. Further, there is an overlap between these kinds of evidence. Statistical evidence, for example, can be combined with historical evidence: when a statistical anomaly is detected, that anomaly is that much more compelling if it is anomalous in comparison to other sets of data, both contemporary and from the past.

Rational observers must acknowledge that each of these different forms of evidence vary in terms of how reliable and definitive they are in establishing a truth. Circumstantial evidence alone cannot serve as a sufficient indicator of truth: coincidences happen, and statistically improbable outcomes do, in fact, occur (somebody is winning those Powerball jackpots). But when it accompanies other forms of evidence, circumstantial evidence makes a contested claim more plausible. For example, if eye-witness testimony of ballot manipulation coincides with a historically-anomalous number of mail-in ballots with no selections in down-ballot races (a common indicator of fraud), then charges of misconduct become stronger due to this confluence of circumstantial, historical, and statistical pieces of evidence.

Each individual piece of evidence cannot be understood independently from the larger body of evidence: indicators that might be insignificant on their own might nevertheless contribute to a compelling portrait of evidence in aggregate. The irrational rush to entirely dismiss the possibility of any election fraud is enabled by an adamantine unwillingness to see the forest among so many trees. No recent American presidential election has come anywhere close to the number of process and tallying anomalies that have been reported in 2020. This discrepancy itself serves as an anecdotal indicator that justifies suspicion toward the results. With that in mind, it is worth reconsidering the claims of fraud in this election.

We have seen security footage of poll watchers being asked to leave in Georgia, after which the remaining officials pull containers of ballots out from under a table and begin counting after others were told counting would stop for the night. Another video shows a surreptitious hand-off of what looks to be a flash drive among poll workers. No one can claim that this is not an unusual circumstance to occur in a battleground state late in the night of a presidential election. In most criminal cases, video recordings are generally considered a highly compelling form of evidence.

Yet now, the media and Biden supporters tell us the videos are missing context and prove nothing. To an extent, that is correct: those ballots could be legal and there are rational, possible explanations for the actions captured on video. But no one has offered such an explanation that they can substantiate. Instead, the burden of evidence seems to be placed on only one side of the dispute.

If the video isnt proof of procedural violations or fraud, then, what evidence would be required to prove that claim? It seems those who claim the allegations are baseless would require video footage that not only catches these poll workers in the act, but that would also show them verbally describing their actions and their malicious intent. Or, perhaps it would convince the skeptics if using the video we could definitively ascertain exactly which ballots were in those boxes, examine them, and prove that they were cast by ineligible voters or that they were inadmissible on other grounds. The problem is that these forms of compelling evidence are entirely implausible in themselves.

Typically, people dont record themselves talking about committing a felony as they commit the crime. As for identifying which were the ballots in question, the progressive erosion of any safeguards or record-keeping on the chain of custody in the process of manual vote-counting ensures that any viable reconstruction of how the final tally was reached is impossible. Without required secrecy envelopes for ballots, with signatures not required or ignored, with mailed ballots allowed to be counted when arriving after the day of the election, with observers removed from the process, and with no other way to determine the chain of custody for mail-in ballots, the very means of producing compelling evidence of fraud have been systematically annihilated by the procedural changes for elections across the country.

These changes have been accumulating for a decade or more, but the pandemic was used to justify a flood of sweeping changes in the months before the electionmodifications that conventional wisdom says plainly advantage Democratic candidates in battleground states, as late-arriving mail-in ballots tend to skew toward Democratic candidates.

Given that the compelling evidence that would convince those who insist these fraud allegations are baseless is basically impossible to produce, we are left with circumstantial indicators of the crime. Beyond Georgia, there is a mountain of other forms of evidence from multiple battleground statesanomalous statistical evidence, comparative historical evidence, evidence in sworn testimony from witnesses to the fraud, and anecdotal evidence. Many of these pieces of evidence are compelling on their own, and yet, even taken cumulatively, we are told the claims that there was any malfeasance in the election is a baseless conspiracy theory.

These are the contours of what has become a knowledge crisis in American discourse. The elites of our society pretend that President Trumps lies have undermined public trust in the media, and they claim that our radical incredulity is a threat to democracy. This is more gaslighting. The media itself has created this crisis. What counts as knowledge, news, evidence, and proof are now totally dependent on the usefulness of reality in advancing the objectives of the cultural left. When a certain fact is useless for that project, its status as fact is either denied, mocked, or ignored.

NEWS REPORTING AND THE CULTIVATION OF UNCERTAINTY

Traditionally, journalism has been motivated by a burning curiosity among the reporters who pursue the news. Today, they demonize the curiosity of those with whom they disagree in order to avoid the difficult task of explaining how the accusations are baseless in spite of so many indicators of fraud. Thus, unverified opposition research in the form of the Steele dossier can circulate on the news as if it is unquestionably true and serve as sufficient evidence to open an FBI investigation, but physical evidence of Biden family corruption is immediately (without any further investigation) dismissed as so plainly fraudulent that news related to the topic will not even be allowed to circulate.

We are told to trust the science on the effectiveness of wearing masks, even as cultural elites systematically ignore biological realities when it comes to activist claims regarding transgenderism. Catastrophic, anthropogenic climate change is enshrined as settled science, even as the abortion lobby continues to deny the life of a fetus with a heartbeat, reducing it to a clump of cells. When it comes to the climate, scientific reality is supposed to be the primary determinant of public policy; in regard to abortion, scientific reality is reduced to merely one more perspective which makes no particular demand on policy-making.

Fantastical accusations that Brett Kavanaugh was a serial rapist justified a thousand columns and a circus masquerading as a confirmation process. Meanwhile, much better-corroborated allegations that Joe Biden digitally penetrated a woman against her will are studiously ignored or attacked. In the former case (where the accusations decreased the prospects of a conservative appointment to the bench), the mere existence of an accusation was proof of misconduct. In the latter (where the accusations might stymie the prospects of a Democratic presidential candidate), the accusations were found to be lacking the requisite evidence for serious consideration.

Journalists lectured the nation about the vulnerability of the American voting system to interference in 2016, only to insist, four years later, that any assertions related to domestic election interference are patently ridiculous. (All this, to say nothing of the fact that the medias unending effort to manufacture and influence public opinion is a form of domestic election interference in itself.) And yet the field of journalism continues to celebrate itself for being uncompromising defenders of truth.

These manipulations have cost the country enormously. The very institution that Americans have historically relied on to seek and convey the facts about political life has become a non-stop psy-op aimed at advancing a particular ideology. And, when that objective requires distortion or ignorance of reality, most journalists are perfectly happy to comply.

Ultimately, people no longer know what to believe, which means that they also dont know what not to believe. Only when our shared notion of reality is in radical flux could theories as ludicrous as Pizzagate and QAnon take hold. And while the cultural left maintains that these sorts of conspiracies are a threat to their interests, the truth is the opposite. The left benefits from this sort of fantastical reasoning; it provides support for their refrain that their opponents are cognitively damaged. Further, it undermines any conservative claims to truth that oppose the lefts account of reality: hyping the most outlandish theories on the right justifies the mocking dismissal of even well-supported, plausible assertions.

The medias efforts to curate the information available to the public would be easy to circumvent, if those efforts were undertaken by the media alone. But the mass media is only one branch of a much more expansive coalition of powerful actors working to implement a reimagining of public life in the western world. This project is advanced through a coordinated effort by the elite segment of our societiespeople in the media, the technology industry, academia, public education, government, Hollywood and the culture industry, and corporate boardrooms.

In short, the publics confusion regarding what is true is the product of a purposeful effort by the great institutional powers of our society. When uncertainty, skepticism, and disbelief reign, there are fewer true believers. The resolute commitment of true believers to a cause is a prerequisite for any successful revolution. Thus, the pervasive uncertainty of many Americans works to diminish the prospects for organized, grassroots resistance to the elite consolidation of power in this nation.

THE FALSE EQUIVALENCE OF EVIDENCE, PROOF, AND TRUTH

In the medias gaslighting about the (il)legitimacy of Election 2020, we can discern one of their most inventive ploys for cultivating this knowledge crisis: the false conflation of evidence, proof, and truth. These are three discrete concepts, but they are increasingly treated as one by the major media outlets. For example, there can be substantial evidence for a claim that is nevertheless unproven; then, there exist truths for which there is neither evidence nor proof. Even more torturous is the fact that there are some things that are proven (with evidence), that are nevertheless false. But the left recognizes none of these distinctions. They falsely maintain that there is no evidence for claims of election fraud, when what they mean is that there is no proof that fraud produced a false outcome.

Needless to say, the erroneous conflation of these concepts is used to undermine claims of truth that are undesirable for the lefts agenda. Their conflation is also used to advance proofs for claims that the left would like to be true, despite the fact that they actually only have circumstantial evidence.

Consider how Russian Collusion circulated for years as a proven truth, even though there existed only the barest, biased indications of its possibility.



Consider how one womans uncorroborated assertion that she was pinned to a bed 30 years ago by a future Supreme Court nomineeon a date and in a place that she could not recallwas sufficient to upend the entire Constitutionally-mandated process for confirming a justice to the highest court. Similar examples of this rhetorical misdirection by the left are legion.

Our knowledge crisis is a deliberately manufactured means to undermine public confidence in a shared sense of what is real, as a means to minimize the prospect of organized opposition to the new order that our elites are working to install. This crisis demands that each of us rely on our own perceptionsperhaps more than we ever have.

Doing so takes courage, especially given that saying what you saw (when it undermines the Narrative), ensures you are denigrated as a sub-rational lunatic who traffics in baseless conspiracy theories. Let the talking heads talk. But the concerns about the legitimacy of this election are anything but baseless. Evidence abounds. They are counting that our cowardice and shame will be sufficient to make us deny those facts. If we will not testify to that evidence openly, then it might as well not exist. We cannot be cowards and we cant be ashamed. Speakand speak in the knowledge that the only baseless claim is the one that says it is baseless to assert the truth that this election can never be construed as free and fair.
Tree snake found in woman's car after she had come back from shopping

The snake was curled up on the dashboard before it slithered into the air vents

Snake catcher had to 'tickle' the snake to remove it from the tight space

A woman has bought a little more than what she bargained for, coming back from the shops to find a snake curled up in her car.

Jess came back to her car after shopping at an IGA in Noosa, Brisbane, to find a common tree snake slithering over her dashboard on Saturday.

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The two-foot snake was caught by professional snake catcher Matt George, who posted a photo of the reptile to his Facebook page.

A lady finds a common tree snake on her dashboard before the serpent slithers into the air vent

'Gee wiz I hope your Saturday was less stressful than a lady in Noosa's was,' he wrote.

Viewers on social media said that they would happily abandon the car after that discovery.

'Time to buy a new car!!', one viewer commented on the post.

'Don't you love Australia!', another wrote.

'I would calmly pull over and abandon the car on the side of the road,' a third wrote.

Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 owner Stuart McKenzie told Daily Mail Australia that by the time Mr George got to the car, the snake had already slithered into the air vents.

The owner of the Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7, Stuart McKenzie (pictured), has said that the snake was relocated to nearby bush land. Pictured: Mr McKenzie with a large brown snake he caught last year

Click here to resize this module

'The snake had the upper hand,' Mr McKenzie said. 'It (the situation) was very delicate.'

'We had to give it a bit of a tickle to encourage it out (before catching it).'

Mr McKenzie said snakes in tight positions, like this, often need to be given 'a bit of a tickle' or a scratch with the hook to coax them out.

He receives 10-15 calls to remove snakes a day with an additional 10 phones from concerned residents who want to identify a snake they've found.

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The tree snake was relocated to nearby bushland.
The Indian National Flag will be installed at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) stakeout on Monday as the country begins its two-year tenure as a non-permanent member of the apex UN body during a special ceremony on January 4, the first official working day of 2021. Flags of four other new incoming non-permanent members will also be installed. Along with India, the incoming UNSC members are Norway, Kenya, Ireland and Mexico. They will join non-permanent members Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Vietnam and the five permanent members China, France, Russia, the UK and the US.

READ | French Ambassador Welcomes India's Return To UNSC, Supports 'permanent Membership'

India will be the UNSC President in August 2021

Indias Permanent Representative to the UN, T S Tirumurti will install the Tricolour and is expected to briefly address the ceremony. India will be the UNSC President in August 2021 and will preside over the Council again for a month in 2022. The presidency of the Council is held by each of the members in turn for one month. The tradition of the flag installation ceremony was introduced by Kazakhstan in 2018.

READ | As India Returns To UNSC For 8th Tenure, MEA Shares 'glimpses From Past 7 Innings'

Like the changing of the guards, it is the changing of flags from outgoing to the new elected members. This solemn ceremony serves the purpose of affirming and respecting the new members with the recognition they deserve, Kazakhstans former Permanent Representative to the UN Kairat Umarov had said during the 2019 ceremony. "The ceremony was confirmed by all 15 UNSC members to become an annual tradition of the Security Council," Umarov added.

READ | India & UK Hold Bilateral Consultations On UNSC Issues; Focus On Strengthening Ties

On December 30, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had shared glimpses from the past when India took part in the conferences. Terming the video as the Highlights from Indias past tenures at the UNSC, the black and white images dated back to 1950-51 when India presided over the adoptions of Resolutions, calling for the cessation of hostilities during Korean War and assistance for Korea, as the president of the UNSC.

As India returns to the @UN Security Council for its 8th tenure (2021-2022) on 1 January 2021, here are glimpses of the previous seven innings of #IndiainUNSC pic.twitter.com/REDYRNoRUX  Anurag Srivastava (@MEAIndia) December 30, 2020

On December 31, French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain welcomed Indias eighth tenure at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for two years starting from January 1, 2021. In a statement shattered on Twitter, Lenain not only said that France welcomes India but also vouched for India to get a permanent seat in the agency. French Ambassador to India also expressed eagerness to work alongside India to counter the challenges including terrorism.

READ | India-Norway Hold Bilateral Talks; Focus On Reformed Multilateralism & Counter-terrorism

(With PTI Inputs)
Safaricom paused its 5G network launch plans to instead focus on converting 2G and 3G customers, to its 4G network which it previously pledged to boost coverage to 100% in Kenya.

Business Daily reported, Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom CEO, said there are no immediate plans to launch 5G services as there is still so much headroom for us to exploit and fully utilise 4G before we go into 5G.

The chief executive added the operator tested 5G in Kenya and will continue discussions with the government on spectrum. However, in terms of immediacy, we are not intending at this stage to go big on 5G in the near term, added Ndegwa.

The operator announced in November its plans to cover the entire population of Kenya with its4G services, by ramping up capital expenditure by 25.5%.

On the back of its upgraded 4G network, Safaricom planned to sell new digital products in the health, agriculture, and education sectors, with a focus on MSMEs and SMEs.
Starting a business in Karnataka has become easier as investors will not require multiple clearances in the first three years.

Land reforms in the state will also simplify the land acquisition process for new setups.

The corporate establishment process in the south western Indian state of Karnataka has just become easier with new reforms introduced following the amendment of the Karnataka Industrial (Facilitation) Act earlier this year.

Businesses planning to relocate to India or planning fresh investment into the country, should note Karnatakas recent spate of business reforms. These reforms include land reforms, labor reforms, auto-renewal of various licenses and clearances, and a central inspection system.

Easing compliance during the initial establishment period

The state government launched an affidavit-based approval system (ABAS) on December 21, 2020, which will allow investors to set up a business in Karnataka without requiring multiple clearances for the first three years of establishment.

This will definitely ease doing business in the state, a renowned hub for IT, IT-enabled services, and manufacturing. It also eases the compliance process during the critical investment period.

On June 25, the Karnataka State Cabinet decided to amend the Karnataka Industrial (Facilitation) Act, 2002, to enable entrepreneurs to establish industries in allocated land areas in specific districts  without waiting for multiple clearances and approvals from multiple state departments and regulatory agencies. The amendment would allow investors fast-track their project execution, reduce costs involved, install necessary machinery without delays, and commence production activity.

Eligibility

The reform applies to all types of private business operations  small, medium, and large-scale units.

However, to be eligible, investors need to secure clearance from the State High Level Clearance Committee (SHLCC) headed by the Chief Minister or the State Single Window Clearance Committee (SSWCC).

Land reforms enable direct purchase of agricultural land for industrial purposes

Also, in June, the Karnataka government amended Section 109 of the Karnataka Land Reforms Act. This relates to the acquisition of agricultural land for industrial purposes.

The Land Reforms Act thus paves the way for private businesses and industrial setups to purchase agricultural land directly from farmers. Previously, all agricultural land purchases allowed only via the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board and this was subject to strict conditions.

Land acquisition is notoriously difficult in India for this precise reason, which makes this a landmark reform in Karnataka and immediately boosts its prospects for investors.

For more information and advice for foreign investors on doing business in India, please feel free to email us at india@dezshira.com.
On Saturday, Sen. Ted Cruz led eleven Republican senators and senators-elect declaring their intention to vote against certification of President-elect Joe Bidens Electoral College victory. On the same day, President Trump pressed Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger to help overturn election results in his favor; on Sunday afternoon, the Washington Post broke the story, along with audio from the phone call.

The Posts news-breaking was laudable, and the storys content was appalling, if not surprising (a theme of the Trump presidency to the bitter end). Trumps willingness to undermine the electoral process is dangerous and consequential, though whether he himself will face consequences this close to the end of his term is very much in question.

The country has cast its vote. For all of his lies and machinations, Trump lost, and, in a few weeks, he will leave office. But Republican senators willing to vote against a legitimate election result will remain. In a splintered and hobbling media system in which valuable reporting is devastatingly unlikely to change many minds about the president, how will the press cover those leaders who will hold office beyond Trumps tenure? And how will Republican officialswho will hold office beyond Trumps tenurerespond to the Posts damning scoop?

The answer could come down, in part, to the nations increasingly ailing local-news ecosystem. There are many reasons local news matters, one being the democratic function of local political reporting, with its hyper-specific attention to the ways in which elected officials represent their constituents. While national outlets cover political figures for a national audience, local outlets cover political figures for the specific audience with the most investment inand potential influence overtheir behavior. Millions of Americans might applaud Ted Cruzs actions; millions more might decry them. But only Texans can vote for him.

Of the largest newspapers covering states represented by senators who will vote against certifying Bidens win, some succeeded in providing crucial context; others failed. On the plus side, the Baton Rouge Advocate wrote on Saturday that Louisiana Republican U.S. Sen. John Kennedy said Saturday he would join an effort to refuse certifying electors from six states, in hopes of denying the presidency to the elections winner, Joe Biden. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel led with a similar note about Sen. Ron Johnsons participation in the effort despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud. But as of Sunday night, the Knoxville News Sentinel, the largest paper in Tennessee, had published nothing online about Marsha Blackburns or Bill Hagertys decision to vote against certification of Bidens win. The Indianapolis Star, writing about Sen. Mike Braun, called claims of voter fraud false or unverified, but not until the fifth paragraph of the story. The Oklahoman (home to Sen. James Lankford) dipped its toe into both-sides-ism, including Lankfords own statements before quoting an opponent who called them gibberish. The editorial boards of the Billings Gazette (Steve Daines) and the Kansas City Star (Josh Hawley) convened to condemn the motions of their state senators as extreme, unjustified, and desperateand dangerous, respectively.

As we spend the coming days watching how Republicans respond to the Posts reporting, best to keep one eye on local outlets and consider their role in maintaining an ever-tenuous democracy.

Sign up for CJR 's daily email

Below, more on Trump and the future of political reporting:

The whole call: In addition to its reporting on the January 2 phone call between President Trump and Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger, the Washington Post published the full recording of the hour-long conversation (which also included White House chief of staff Mark Meadows).

Political reporting, post-Trump: For the New York Times , Ben Smith reported on a new political journalism startup called Punchbowl , which will publish three daily newsletters. It was founded by three former Politico reporters, who, Smith writes, are betting that theres a large, paying audience of readers more interested in how power works in America than in journalists views on how it ought to work. And for The Atlantic, McKay Coppins considered the media in a post-Trump world . Tragedy and disaster have always been the stuff that journalism careers are made of, Coppins writes. As the story draws to an end, the reporters who got famous fighting with Trump are facing a question: What do we do now? Yamiche Alcindor from PBS told Coppins that though White House coverage might get more wonky, the Biden administration will still have plenty of important questions to address on topics like pandemic aid, climate change, and family separation at the border.

Other notable stories you might have missed:

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Lauren Harris is a freelance journalist. She writes CJR's weekly newsletter for the Journalism Crisis Project. Follow her on Twitter @LHarrisWrites.
The government is in the process to launch seaplane services on several routes, including Delhi-Ayodhya, in collaboration with the airline operators, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said on Monday. The development follows the launch of a seaplane service between Kevadia and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31, 2020.

The seaplane services to facilitate faster and hassle-free travel across the country will prove to be a game-changer, it said. "Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) is initiating the process of commencing operations of the Seaplane services, on the select routes, under a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) framework through prospective airline operators," an official statement said.

The project execution and implementation would be through Sagarmala Development Company Ltd (SDCL), which is under the administrative control of the ministry.

Also Read: With India's first seaplane ride, PM Modi sets vision for 106 waterways

Several destinations are envisaged for seaplane operations, it said.

"The proposed Origin-Destination pairs under Hub and Spoke model include various islands of Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep, Guwahati Riverfront & Umranso Reservoir in Assam, Yamuna Riverfront / Delhi (as Hub) to Ayodhaya, Tehri, Srinagar (Uttrakhand), Chandigarh and many other tourist places...," the statement said.

It added that to run more such services in coastal areas or proximity to water bodies, SDCL is keen to associate with interested scheduled/non-scheduled airline operators.

The joint development and operation of "Sagarmala Seaplane Services (SSPS)" will be undertaken by forming a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with Sagarmala Development Company Limited (SDCL), it said.

To provide connectivity and easier accessibility to remote locations, SDCL is exploring plans to leverage the potential of the vast coastline and numerous water bodies/rivers across India by commencing seaplane operations.

Also Read: India's first seaplane service to start in Gujarat soon; check out ticket price and other details

The seaplane will utilise the nearby water bodies for take-off and landing and thus connect those places in a much economical way as conventional airport infrastructure like runways and terminal buildings are not required for seaplane operations, the statement said.

The seaplane services will be a game-changer, providing a supplementary means of faster and comfortable transportation across the nation, the statement said. Apart from providing air connectivity to various remote religious/tourist places, it will boost tourism for domestic and international holidaymakers, it added.

It will save travel time and stimulate localised short distance travelling, especially in the hilly regions or across the rivers/lakes, etc. In addition to the infrastructural enhancements at the places of operations, it will enormously boost tourism and business activities, the ministry added.

Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Mansukh Mandaviya said the initiation of seaplane operations aligns with the vision of Prime Minister Modi to improve connectivity across the nation and make India an attractive destination for tourists.

By providing air connectivity to numerous remote, religious/tourist places and unexplored locations near the water bodies will make the journey easier, he said.

It will generate employment opportunities and stimulate tourism in these new locations, which will consequently contribute to the country's GDP in the long run, the statement added.

Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
After The Washington Post on Sunday published an extraordinary phone call between President Donald Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, R, many observers shared one question: Did Trump break the law?

During that hour-long call on Saturday, Trump urged Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to overturn his defeat and threatened him with vague legal consequences, seemingly encouraging his fellow Republican to fix the election results.

As the sole Democrat on Georgia's state election board on Sunday urged Raffensperger to investigate the president over the call, some lawyers and legal scholars say Trump's actions indeed appeared to violate both state and federal criminal statutes.

On social media, much of the conversation among legal observers and Trump critics revolved around a federal statute, 52 U.S. Code 20511, that makes it a crime to "knowingly and willfully" deprive or defraud a state's residents of a free or fair election - or to attempt to do so.

Eric Holder, the former attorney general under President Barack Obama, shared the text of that statute on Twitter on Sunday. "As you listen to the tape consider this federal criminal statute," Holder wrote.

The question, according to Justin Levitt, a law professor at Loyola Marymount University, is whether Trump was "knowingly and willfully" pressuring Raffensperger to count nonexistent votes when he told the GOP official, "I just want to find 11,780 votes."

Washington Post photo by Bill O'Leary

In other words: Does Trump actually believe that 11,780 ballots in his favor were cast but not counted?

Considering that two recounts, an audit and several judges have upheld President-elect Joe Biden's win in Georgia, Levitt said it is clear Trump was not actually pushing for an "honest tally" of the votes.

"Either the president was engaged in the commission of a felony," he said, "or he has lost his hold on reality such that he can no longer distinguish fact from the fictions he has been fed."

Michael R. Bromwich, a former Justice Department inspector general, put it more bluntly on Twitter: "His best defense would be insanity."

Since 52 U.S. Code 20511 was adopted as part of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, it has been used sparingly by federal prosecutors. It was used in 2005 to go after Milwaukee grandmother Kimberly Prude, who voted illegally in the city while still on probation. But Levitt said there is no precedent to use it against someone of Trump's stature.

Other legal scholars said that Trump possibly violated 18 U.S. Code 241, which makes it illegal to participate in a conspiracy against people exercising their civil rights. That longstanding statute has been used frequently to prosecute acts of voter intimidation, especially those committed by the Ku Klux Klan against Black voters.

But charging Trump under that code would require prosecutors to show that someone else on the phone call was also aiding and abetting a scheme, Levitt said.

Additionally, Trump's apparent threat of criminal consequences if Raffensperger failed to act could be seen as an attempt at extortion, The Post reported.

On the state level, Trump's call could also have violated a Georgia statute.

Leigh Ann Webster, a criminal defense attorney in Atlanta, told The Post that in Georgia, Trump could run afoul of a state law that makes it illegal to cause someone else to partake in election fraud - by soliciting, requesting, or commanding it.

That's the same statute cited on Sunday by David J. Worley, the Georgia election board member who asked Raffensperger to investigate Trump. In his email to the GOP official, Worley said that "probable cause" may exist to find violations of that law.

"It's a crime to solicit election fraud, and asking the secretary to change the votes is a textbook definition of election fraud," Worley said in an interview with The Post.

The argument may be more straightforward compared to a potential federal case. Under the Georgia statute, Webster said the crime would be merely asking someone else to partake in one of several forms of election fraud, including interfering with the secretary of state's handling of an election.

But because such matters at the state level have rarely been interpreted in court, "none of this is bulletproof," she said.

And whether Trump broke federal state law, it's a different question of whether any prosecutor would try to charge him.

Until Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20, legal scholars say there is virtually no chance of federal charges being filed. Besides the short time frame, Levitt said, the Justice Department maintains a long-standing principle that a federal prosecutor may not prosecute a sitting president.

No such principle exists once a commander in chief is out of office. Yet under a Biden administration juggling a bevy of competing priorities, going after Trump in the courts could be a politically fraught choice.

Trevor Potter, a Republican and former Federal Election Commission chairman who was appointed by President George H.W. Bush, told the New York Times "there is a good argument" that Trump had been pushing for a fraudulent vote count during the call.

"But even if the Biden Justice Department thinks they have a good case, is that how they want to start off the Biden presidency?" he said. "That is a policy decision."

- - -

The Washington Post's Amy Gardner contributed to this report.
Planned Parenthood, the nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care worldwide and staunch supporter of abortion, pressured politicians to make abortion legal in Argentina according to a report by Live Action.

Live Action stressed that this would not be possible without the "funding and efforts from the largest abortion chain in the world: Planned Parenthood." It also cited a post made by the International Planned Parenthood Federation Western Hemisphere Region that "made sure to pat itself" after Argentina legalized abortion up to the 14th week of pregnancy despite strong opposition against it.

"IPPFWHR has nurtured an ecosystem of feminist organizations and activists for more than 15 years that contributed to make today possible," the group said in their website.

"IPPFWHR directly supports seven partners in Argentina, who in turn sub-grant funds to 20 other grassroots organizations from around the country. They have been coalescing around shared activities, such as advocating with policymakers and ensuring strong communications in favor of abortion rights stayed prominent in the public discourse. They're also actively planning how to best support the implementation of the new law," they elaborated.

The homepage of the IPPFWHR website actually celebrates the decision as it announced, "Argentina becomes largest Latin American Country to legalize abortion!"

"This is a historic moment for our region, our incredible partners in Argentina, and the countless activists and organizers who formed "the green wave" to advocate relentlessly for the rights of women and girls," the website read.

The group said they "are hopeful that this historic victory will have a ripple effect across the region, which is home to some of the most draconian abortion laws in the world". It cited The Lancet study that showed that one in four of the 6.4 million abortions in Latin America each year were deemed safe.

It enticed "steadfast supporters of reproductive rights" to wear green in "solidarity with women and girls in Argentina" to celebrate the victory that was the legalization of abortion as their victory, too.

Live Action said that this is not the first time Planned Parenthood and its like have pressured the legalization of abortion in Argentina despite the pro-life beliefs of its people. The said attempts failed in the face of mass protests from Argentinians who were largely pro-life and were lead by Catholics and Evangelicals.

A precursor to the legalization of abortion, as per Live Action, was the public announcement made by Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez to do so by year end. This was supported by a bill Fernandez introduced to Congress, which was the one approved and legalized a month after.

Fernandez actually lauded the decision in his Twitter account stating that they are now "a better society that broadens rights for women and guarantees public health"

Christianity Daily previously reported that the "new law will allow conscientious objection for health professionals who refuse to participate in abortion except in cases when the mother's life is in danger or when there is a great risk to her health", during which "the patient to other medical professionals or hospitals".
Paris, Jan 4 : In yet another grim milestone in one of the hardest hit European countries, France's overall coronavirus death toll has surpassed the 65,000 mark, while the total caseload increased to more that 2.7 million, according to the Health Ministry.

On Sunday, the Ministry registered 116 new fatalities, increasing the nationwide death toll to 65,164, Xinhua news agency reported.

The caseload went up to 2,712,975 after 12,489 new infections were also recorded on Sunday.

Cold weather, gatherings during year-end holidays, return to school scheduled for Monday and emergence of virus variants are the main worrying factors, Director General of Health Jerome Salomon said in an interview on Sunday with weekly newspaper Journal du Dimanche.

The return to class of the pupils who might have travelled with their families across the country will lead to a mixing of people, which "can reshuffle the cards of the epidemiological situation", said Salomon.

"The trend is already worrying" with an incidence rate "on the rise again after a fairly long plateau," a gradual increase in the number of cases since the beginning of December and significant hospital figures which "remain at a high level", he added.

France has detected coronavirus variants first found in Britain and South Africa, he noted, saying that it was also a worrying factor because the variants are "not necessarily more dangerous but clearly more contagious".

Calling on the French to redouble their vigilance, Salomon reiterated that the government's objective is to "get through winter to achieve vaccine efficacy".

In 15 departments where the pandemic indicators are worse than the national average, mostly in the northeast and southeast border areas, the nation-wide curfew from 8.p.m. to 6 a.m. has been brought forward by two hours since Friday.

A week after the vaccination rollout, only hundreds of French, all elderly in nursing homes as they belong to the top priority group under the government's program, have received their first dose.

Local channel BFM TV deplored that the pace was too slow compared to some other European countries where tens of thousands of inhabitants have already been vaccinated.

Facing growing criticism, the government has pledged to accelerate the campaign.

Minister of health Olivier Veran indicated that caregivers over the age of 50 will be able to be vaccinated as of Monday "in centres already having vaccines", Veran said the first vaccination centres will open in towns "before the beginning of February" to "start vaccinating people aged 75 and over, then 65 and over".
A transcript of President Donald Trump's call with Brad Raffensperger is shown below, via the Washington Post:

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows: Okay. Alright. Mr. President, everyone is on the line. This is Mark Meadows, the chief of staff. Just so we all are aware. On the line is secretary of state and two other individuals. Jordan and Mr. Germany with him. You also have the attorneys that represent the president, Kurt and Alex and Cleta Mitchell  who is not the attorney of record but has been involved  myself and then the president. So Mr. President, Ill turn it over to you.

President Donald Trump: Okay, thank you very much. Hello Brad and Ryan and everybody. We appreciate the time and the call. So weve spent a lot of time on this, and if we could just go over some of the numbers, I think its pretty clear that we won. We won very substantially in Georgia. You even see it by rally size, frankly. Wed be getting 25-30,000 people a rally, and the competition would get less than 100 people. And it never made sense.

But we have a number of things. We have at least 2 or 3  anywhere from 250 to 300,000 ballots were dropped mysteriously into the rolls. Much of that had to do with Fulton County, which hasnt been checked. We think that if you check the signatures  a real check of the signatures going back in Fulton County  youll find at least a couple of hundred thousand of forged signatures of people who have been forged. And we are quite sure thats going to happen.

Another tremendous number. Were going to have an accurate number over the next two days with certified accountants. But an accurate number will be given, but its in the 50s of thousands  and thats people that went to vote and they were told they cant vote because theyve already been voted for. And its a very sad thing. They walked out complaining. But the numbers large. Well have it for you. But its much more than the number of 11,779 thats  the current margin is only 11,779. Brad, I think you agree with that, right? Thats something I think everyone  at least thats a number that everyone agrees on.

But thats the difference in the votes. But weve had hundreds of thousands of ballots that were able to actually  well get you a pretty accurate number. You dont need much of a number because the number that in theory I lost by, the margin would be 11,779. But you also have a substantial numbers of people, thousands and thousands, who went to the voting place on November 3, were told they couldnt vote, were told they couldnt vote because a ballot had been put on their name. And you know thats very, very, very, very sad.

We had, I believe its about 4,502 voters who voted but who werent on the voter registration list, so its 4,502 who voted, but they werent on the voter registration roll, which they had to be. You had 18,325 vacant address voters. The address was vacant, and theyre not allowed to be counted. Thats 18,325.

Smaller number  you had 904 who only voted where they had just a P.O.  a post office box number  and they had a post office box number, and thats not allowed. We had at least 18,000  thats on tape, we had them counted very painstakingly  18,000 voters having to do with [name]. Shes a vote scammer, a professional vote scammer and hustler [name]. That was the tape thats been shown all over the world that makes everybody look bad, you, me and everybody else.

Where they got  number one they said very clearly and its been reported that they said there was a major water main break. Everybody fled the area. And then they came back, [name] and her daughter and a few people. There were no Republican poll watchers. Actually, there were no Democrat poll watchers, I guess they were them. But there were no Democrats, either, and there was no law enforcement. Late in the morning, early in the morning, they went to the table with the black robe and the black shield, and they pulled out the votes. Those votes were put there a number of hours before  the table was put there  I think it was, Brad, you would know, it was probably eight hours or seven hours before, and then it was stuffed with votes.

They werent in an official voter box; they were in what looked to be suitcases or trunks, suitcases, but they werent in voter boxes. The minimum number it could be because we watched it, and they watched it certified in slow motion instant replay if you can believe it, but slow motion, and it was magnified many times over, and the minimum it was 18,000 ballots, all for Biden.

You had out-of-state voters. They voted in Georgia, but they were from out of state, of 4,925. You had absentee ballots sent to vacant, they were absentee ballots sent to vacant addresses. They had nothing on them about addresses, thats 2,326.

And you had dropboxes, which is very bad. You had dropboxes that were picked up. We have photographs, and we have affidavits from many people.

I dont know if you saw the hearings, but you have dropboxes where the box was picked up but not delivered for three days. So all sorts of things could have happened to that box, including, you know, putting in the votes that you wanted. So there were many infractions, and the bottom line is, many, many times the 11,779 margin that they said we lost by  we had vast, I mean the state is in turmoil over this.

And I know you would like to get to the bottom of it, although I saw you on television today, and you said that you found nothing wrong. I mean, you know, and I didnt lose the state, Brad. People have been saying that it was the highest vote ever. There was no way. A lot of the political people said that theres no way they beat me. And they beat me. They beat me in the . . . As you know, every single state, we won every state. We won every statehouse in the country. We held the Senate, which is shocking to people, although well see what happens tomorrow or in a few days.

And we won the House, but we won every single statehouse, and we won Congress, which was supposed to lose 15 seats, and they gained, I think 16 or 17 or something. I think theres a now difference of five. There was supposed to be a difference substantially more. But politicians in every state, but politicians in Georgia have given affidavits and are going to that, that there was no way that they beat me in the election, that the people came out, in fact, they were expecting to lose, and then they ended up winning by a lot because of the coattails. And they said theres no way, that theyve done many polls prior to the election, that there was no way that they won.

Ballots were dropped in massive numbers. And were trying to get to those numbers and we will have them.

Theyll take a period of time. Certified. But but theyre massive numbers. And far greater than the 11,779.

The other thing, dead people. So dead people voted, and I think the number is close to 5,000 people. And they went to obituaries. They went to all sorts of methods to come up with an accurate number, and a minimum is close to about 5,000 voters.

The bottom line is, when you add it all up and then you start adding, you know, 300,000 fake ballots. Then the other thing they said is in Fulton County and other areas. And this may or may not be true . . . this just came up this morning, that they are burning their ballots, that they are shredding, shredding ballots and removing equipment. Theyre changing the equipment on the Dominion machines and, you know, thats not legal.

And they supposedly shredded I think they said 300 pounds of, 3,000 pounds of ballots. And that just came to us as a report today. And it is a very sad situation.

But Brad, if you took the minimum numbers where many, many times above the 11,779, and many of those numbers are certified, or they will be certified, but they are certified. And those are numbers that are there, that exist. And that beat the margin of loss, they beat it, I mean, by a lot, and people should be happy to have an accurate count instead of an election where theres turmoil.

I mean theres turmoil in Georgia and other places. Youre not the only one, I mean, we have other states that I believe will be flipping to us very shortly. And this is something that  you know, as an example, I think it in Detroit, I think theres a section, a good section of your state actually, which were not sure so were not going to report it yet. But in Detroit, we had, I think it was, 139 percent of the people voted. Thats not too good.

In Pennsylvania, they had well over 200,000 more votes than they had people voting. And that doesnt play too well, and the legislature there is, which is Republican, is extremely activist and angry. I mean, there were other things also that were almost as bad as that. But they had as an example, in Michigan, a tremendous number of dead people that voted. I think it was, I think, Mark, it was 18,000. Some unbelievably high number, much higher than yours, you were in the 4-5,000 category.

And that was checked out laboriously by going through, by going through the obituary columns in the newspapers.

So I guess with all of it being said, Brad, the bottom line, and provisional ballots, again, you know, youll have to tell me about the provisional ballots, but we have a lot of people that were complaining that they werent able to vote because they were already voted for. These are great people.

And, you know, they were shellshocked. I dont know if you call that provisional ballots. In some states, we had a lot of provisional ballot situations where people were given a provisional ballot because when they walked in on November 3 and they were already voted for.

So thats it. I mean, we have many, many times the number of votes necessary to win the state. And we won the state, and we won it very substantially and easily, and were getting, we have, much of this is a very certified, far more certified than we need. But were getting additional numbers certified, too. And were getting pictures of dropboxes being delivered and delivered late. Delivered three days later, in some cases, plus we have many affidavits to that effect.

Meadows: So, Mr. President, if I might be able to jump in, and Ill give Brad a chance. Mr. Secretary, obviously there is, there are allegations where we believe that not every vote or fair vote and legal vote was counted, and thats at odds with the representation from the secretary of states office.

What Im hopeful for is there some way that we can, we can find some kind of agreement to look at this a little bit more fully? You know the president mentioned Fulton County.

But in some of these areas where there seems to be a difference of where the facts seem to lead, and so Mr. Secretary, I was hopeful that, you know, in the spirit of cooperation and compromise, is there something that we can at least have a discussion to look at some of these allegations to find a path forward thats less litigious?

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger: Well, I listened to what the president has just said. President Trump, weve had several lawsuits, and weve had to respond in court to the lawsuits and the contentions. We dont agree that you have won. And we dont  I didnt agree about the 200,000 number that youd mentioned. Ill go through that point by point.

What we have done is we gave our state Senate about one and a half hours of our time going through the election issue by issue and then on the state House, the government affairs committee, we gave them about two and a half hours of our time, going back point by point on all the issues of contention. And then just a few days ago, we met with our U.S. congressmen, Republican congressmen, and we gave them about two hours of our time talking about this past election. Going back, primarily what youve talked about here focused in on primarily, I believe, is the absentee ballot process. I dont believe that youre really questioning the Dominion machines. Because we did a hand re-tally, a 100 percent re-tally of all the ballots, and compared them to what the machines said and came up with virtually the same result. Then we did the recount, and we got virtually the same result. So I guess we can probably take that off the table.

I dont think theres an issue about that.

Trump: Well, Brad. Not that theres not an issue, because we have a big issue with Dominion in other states and perhaps in yours. But we havent felt we needed to go there. And just to, you know, maybe put a little different spin on what Mark is saying, Mark Meadows, yeah wed like to go further, but we dont really need to. We have all the votes we need.

You know, we won the state. If you took, these are the most minimal numbers, the numbers that I gave you, those are numbers that are certified, your absentee ballots sent to vacant addresses, your out-of-state voters, 4,925. You know when you add them up, its many more times, its many times the 11,779 number. So we could go through, we have not gone through your Dominion. So we cant give them blessing. I mean, in other states, we think we found tremendous corruption with Dominion machines, but well have to see.

But we only lost the state by that number, 11,000 votes, and 779. So with that being said, with just what we have, with just what we have, were giving you minimal, minimal numbers. Were doing the most conservative numbers possible; were many times, many, many times above the margin. And so we dont really have to, Mark, I dont think we have to go through . . .

Meadows: Right

Trump: Because whats the difference between winning the election by two votes and winning it by half a million votes. I think I probably did win it by half a million. You know, one of the things that happened, Brad, is we have other people coming in now from Alabama and from South Carolina and from other states, and theyre saying its impossible for you to have lost Georgia. We won. You know in Alabama, we set a record, got the highest vote ever. In Georgia, we set a record with a massive amount of votes. And they say its not possible to have lost Georgia.

And I could tell you by our rallies. I could tell you by the rally Im having on Monday night, the place, they already have lines of people standing out front waiting. Its just not possible to have lost Georgia. Its not possible. When I heard it was close, I said theres no way. But they dropped a lot of votes in there late at night. You know that, Brad. And thats what we are working on very, very stringently. But regardless of those votes, with all of it being said, we lost by essentially 11,000 votes, and we have many more votes already calculated and certified, too.

And so I just dont know, you know, Mark, I dont know whats the purpose. I wont give Dominion a pass because we found too many bad things. But we dont need Dominion or anything else. We have won this election in Georgia based on all of this. And theres nothing wrong with saying that, Brad. You know, I mean, having the correct  the people of Georgia are angry. And these numbers are going to be repeated on Monday night. Along with others that were going to have by that time, which are much more substantial even. And the people of Georgia are angry, the people of the country are angry. And theres nothing wrong with saying that, you know, that youve recalculated. Because the 2,236 in absentee ballots. I mean, theyre all exact numbers that were done by accounting firms, law firms, etc. And even if you cut em in half, cut em in half and cut em in half again, its more votes than we need.

Raffensperger: Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is the data you have is wrong. We talked to the congressmen, and they were surprised.

But they  I guess there was a person named Mr. Braynard who came to these meetings and presented data, and he said that there was dead people, I believe it was upward of 5,000. The actual number were two. Two. Two people that were dead that voted. So thats wrong.

Trump: Well, Cleta, how do you respond to that? Maybe you tell me?

Trump attorney Cleta Mitchell: Well, I would say, Mr. Secretary, one of the things that we have requested and what we said was, if you look, if you read our petition, it said that we took the names and birth years, and we had certain information available to us. We have asked from your office for records that only you have, and so we said there is a universe of people who have the same name and same birth year and died.

But we dont have the records that you have. And one of the things that we have been suggesting formally and informally for weeks now is for you to make available to us the records that would be necessary 

Trump: But, Cleta, even before you do that, and not even including that, thats why I hardly even included that number, although in one state, we have a tremendous amount of dead people. So I dont know  Im sure we do in Georgia, too. Im sure we do in Georgia, too.

But were so far ahead. Were so far ahead of these numbers, even the phony ballots of [name] , known scammer. You know the Internet? You know what was trending on the Internet? Wheres [name]? Because they thought shed be in jail. Wheres [name]? Its crazy, its crazy. That was. The minimum number is 18,000 for [name] , but they think its probably about 56,000, but the minimum number is 18,000 on the [name] night where she ran back in there when everybody was gone and stuffed, she stuffed the ballot boxes. Lets face it, Brad, I mean. They did it in slow motion replay magnified, right? She stuffed the ballot boxes. They were stuffed like nobody has ever seen them stuffed before.

So theres a term for it when its a machine instead of a ballot box, but she stuffed the machine. She stuffed the ballot. Each ballot went three times, they were showing: Heres ballot No 1. Here it is a second time, third time, next ballot.

I mean, look. Brad. We have a new tape that were going to release. Its devastating. And by the way, that one event, that one event is much more than the 11,000 votes that were talking about. Its, you know, that one event was a disaster. And its just, you know, but it was, it was something, it cant be disputed. And again, we have a version that you havent seen, but its magnified. Its magnified, and you can see everything. For some reason, they put it in three times, each ballot, and I dont know why. I dont know why three times. Why not five times, right? Go ahead.

Raffensperger: Youre talking about the State Farm video. And I think its extremely unfortunate that Rudy Giuliani or his people, they sliced and diced that video and took it out of context. The next day, we brought in WSB-TV, and we let them show, see the full run of tape, and what youll see, the events that transpired are nowhere near what was projected by, you know 

Trump: But where were the poll watchers, Brad? There were no poll watchers there. There were no Democrats or Republicans. There was no security there.

It was late in the evening, late in the, early in the morning, and there was nobody else in the room. Where were the poll watchers, and why did they say a water main broke, which they did and which was reported in the newspapers? They said they left. They ran out because of a water main break, and there was no water main. There was nothing. There was no break. There was no water main break. But were, if you take out everything, where were the Republican poll watchers, even where were the Democrat pollwatchers, because there were none.

And then you say, well, they left their station, you know, if you look at the tape, and this was, this was reviewed by professional police and detectives and other people, when they left in a rush, everybody left in a rush because of the water main, but everybody left in a rush. These people left their station.

When they came back, they didnt go to their station. They went to the apron, wrapped around the table, under which were thousands and thousands of ballots in a box that was not an official or a sealed box. And then they took those. They went back to a different station. So if they would have come back, they would have walked to their station, and they would have continued to work. But they couldnt do even that because thats illegal, because they had no Republican pollwatchers. And remember, her reputation is  shes known all over the Internet, Brad. Shes known all over.

Im telling you, Wheres [name]  was one of the hot items . . . [name] They knew her. Wheres [name]? So Brad, there can be no justification for that. And I, you know, I give everybody the benefit of the doubt. But that was  and Brad, why did they put the votes in three times? You know, they put em in three times.

Raffensperger: Mr. President, they did not put that. We did an audit of that, and we proved conclusively that they were not scanned three times.

Trump: Where was everybody else at that late time in the morning? Where was everybody? Where were the Republicans? Where were the security guards? Were the people that were there just a little while before when everyone ran out of the room. How come we had no security in the room. Why did they run to the bottom of the table? Why do they run there and just open the skirt and rip out the votes. I mean, Brad. And they were sitting there, I think for five hours or something like that, the votes.

Raffensperger: Mr. President, well send you the link from WSB.

Trump: I dont care about the link. I dont need it. Brad, I have a much better 

Mitchell: I will tell you. Ive seen the tape. The full tape. So has Alex. Weve watched it. And what we saw and what weve confirmed in the timing is that they made everybody leave  we have sworn affidavits saying that. And then they began to process ballots. And our estimate is that there were roughly 18,000 ballots. We dont know that. If you know that . . .

Trump: It was 18,000 ballots, but they used each one three times.

Mitchell: Well, I dont know about that.

Trump: I do think we had ours magnified out.

Mitchell: Ive watched the entire tape.

Trump: Nobody can make a case for that, Brad. Nobody. I mean, look, youd have to be a child to think anything other than that. Just a child.

Mitchell: How many ballots, Mr. Secretary, are you saying were processed then?

Raffensperger: We had GBI . . . investigate that.

Germany: We had our  this is Ryan Germany. We had our law enforcement officers talk to everyone who was, who was there after that event came to light. GBI was with them as well as FBI agents.

Trump: Well, theres no way they could  then theyre incompetent. Theyre either dishonest or incompetent, okay?

Mitchell: Well, what did they find?

Trump: Theres only two answers, dishonesty or incompetence. Theres just no way. Look. Theres no way. And on the other thing, I said too, there is no way. I mean, theres no way that these things could have been, you know, you have all these different people that voted, but they dont live in Georgia anymore. What was that number, Cleta? That was a pretty good number, too.

Mitchell: The number who have registered out of state after they moved from Georgia. And so they had a date when they moved from Georgia, they registered to vote out of state, and then its like 4,500, I dont have that number right in front of me.

Trump: And then they came back in, and they voted.

Mitchell: And voted. Yeah.

Trump: I thought that was a large number, though. It was in the 20s.

Ryan Germany, Raffensberger's General Counsel: Weve been going through each of those as well, and those numbers that we got, that Ms. Mitchell was just saying, theyre not accurate. Every one weve been through are people that lived in Georgia, moved to a different state, but then moved back to Georgia legitimately. And in many cases 

Trump: How may people do that? They moved out, and then they said, Ah, to hell with it, Ill move back. You know, it doesnt sound like a very normal . . . you mean, they moved out, and what, they missed it so much that they wanted to move back in? Its crazy.

Germany: They moved back in years ago. This was not like something just before the election. So theres something about that data that, its just not accurate.

Trump: Well, I dont know, all I know is that it is certified. And they moved out of Georgia, and they voted. It didnt say they moved back in, Cleta, did it?

Mitchell: No, but I mean, were looking at the voter registration. Again, if you have additional records, weve been asking for that, but you havent shared any of that with us. You just keep saying you investigated the allegations.

Trump: Cleta, a lot of it you dont need to be shared. I mean, to be honest, they should share it. They should share it because you want to get to an honest election.

I won this election by hundreds of thousands of votes. Theres no way I lost Georgia. Theres no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes. Im just going by small numbers, when you add them up, theyre many times the 11,000. But I won that state by hundreds of thousands of votes.

Do you think its possible that they shredded ballots in Fulton County? Because thats what the rumor is. And also that Dominion took out machines. That Dominion is really moving fast to get rid of their, uh, machinery.

Do you know anything about that? Because thats illegal, right?

Germany: This is Ryan Germany. No, Dominion has not moved any machinery out of Fulton County.

Trump: But have they moved the inner parts of the machines and replaced them with other parts?

Germany: No.

Trump: Are you sure, Ryan?

Germany: Im sure. Im sure, Mr. President.

Trump: What about, what about the ballots. The shredding of the ballots. Have they been shredding ballots?

Germany: The only investigation that we have into that  they have not been shredding any ballots. There was an issue in Cobb County where they were doing normal office shredding, getting rid of old stuff, and we investigated that. But this stuff from, you know, from you know past elections.

Trump: It doesnt pass the smell test because we hear theyre shredding thousands and thousands of ballots, and now what theyre saying, Oh, were just cleaning up the office. You know.

Raffensperger: Mr. President, the problem you have with social media, they  people can say anything.

Trump: Oh this isnt social media. This is Trump media. Its not social media. Its really not; its not social media. I dont care about social media. I couldnt care less. Social media is Big Tech. Big Tech is on your side, you know. I dont even know why you have a side because you should want to have an accurate election. And youre a Republican.

Raffensperger: We believe that we do have an accurate election.

Trump: No, no you dont. No, no you dont. You dont have. Not even close. Youre off by hundreds of thousands of votes. And just on the small numbers, youre off on these numbers, and these numbers cant be just  well, why wont?  Okay. So you sent us into Cobb County for signature verification, right? You sent us into Cobb County, which we didnt want to go into. And you said it would be open to the public. So we had our experts there, they werent allowed into the room. But we didnt want Cobb County. We wanted Fulton County. And you wouldnt give it to us. Now, why arent we doing signature  and why cant it be open to the public?

And why cant we have professionals do it instead of rank amateurs who will never find anything and dont want to find anything? They dont want to find, you know they dont want to find anything. Someday youll tell me the reason why, because I dont understand your reasoning, but someday youll tell me the reason why. But why dont you want to find?

Germany: Mr. President, we chose Cobb County 

Trump: Why dont you want to find . . . What?

Germany: Sorry, go ahead.

Trump: So why did you do Cobb County? We didnt even request  we requested Fulton County, not Cobb County. Go ahead, please. Go ahead.

Germany: We chose Cobb County because that was the only county where theres been any evidence submitted that the signature verification was not properly done.

Trump: No, but I told you. Were not, were not saying that.

Mitchell: We did say that.

Trump: Fulton County. Look. Stacey, in my opinion, Stacey is as dishonest as they come. She has outplayed you . . . at everything. She got you to sign a totally unconstitutional agreement, which is a disastrous agreement. You cant check signatures. I cant imagine youre allowed to do harvesting, I guess, in that agreement. That agreement is a disaster for this country. But she got you somehow to sign that thing, and she has outsmarted you at every step.

And I hate to imagine whats going to happen on Monday or Tuesday, but its very scary to people. You know, when the ballots flow in out of nowhere. Its very scary to people. That consent decree is a disaster. Its a disaster. A very good lawyer who examined it said theyve never seen anything like it.

Raffensperger: Harvesting is still illegal in the state of Georgia. And that settlement agreement did not change that one iota.

Trump: Its not a settlement agreement, its a consent decree. It even says consent decree on it, doesnt it? It uses the term consent decree. It doesnt say settlement agreement. Its a consent decree. Its a disaster.

Raffensperger: Its a settlement agreement.

Trump: Whats written on top of it?

Raffensperger: Ryan?

Germany: I dont have it in front of me, but it was not entered by the court, its not a court order.

Trump: But Ryan, its called a consent decree, is that right? On the paper. Is that right?

Germany: I dont. I dont. I dont believe so, but I dont have it in front of me.

Trump: Okay, whatever, its a disaster. Its a disaster. Look. Heres the problem. We can go through signature verification, and well find hundreds of thousands of signatures, if you let us do it. And the only way you can do it, as you know, is to go to the past. But you didnt do that in Cobb County. You just looked at one page compared to another. The only way you can do a signature verification is go from the one that signed it on November whatever. Recently. And compare it to two years ago, four years ago, six years ago, you know, or even one. And youll find that you have many different signatures. But in Fulton, where they dumped ballots, you will find that you have many that arent even signed and you have many that are forgeries.

Okay, you know that. You know that. You have no doubt about that. And you will find you will be at 11,779 within minutes because Fulton County is totally corrupt, and so is she totally corrupt.

And theyre going around playing you and laughing at you behind your back, Brad, whether you know it or not, theyre laughing at you. And youve taken a state thats a Republican state, and youve made it almost impossible for a Republican to win because of cheating, because they cheated like nobodys ever cheated before. And I dont care how long it takes me, you know, were going to have other states coming forward  pretty good.

But I wont . . . this is never . . . this is . . . We have some incredible talent said theyve never seen anything . . . Now the problem is they need more time for the big numbers. But theyre very substantial numbers. But I think youre going to fine that they  by the way, a little information  I think youre going to find that they are shredding ballots because they have to get rid of the ballots because the ballots are unsigned. The ballots are corrupt, and theyre brand new, and they dont have seals, and theres a whole thing with the ballots. But the ballots are corrupt.

And you are going to find that they are  which is totally illegal  it is more illegal for you than it is for them because, you know, what they did and youre not reporting it. Thats a criminal, thats a criminal offense. And you cant let that happen. Thats a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer. And thats a big risk. But they are shredding ballots, in my opinion, based on what Ive heard. And they are removing machinery, and theyre moving it as fast as they can, both of which are criminal finds. And you cant let it happen, and you are letting it happen. You know, I mean, Im notifying you that youre letting it happen. So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have because we won the state.

And flipping the state is a great testament to our country because, you know, this is  its a testament that they can admit to a mistake or whatever you want to call it. If it was a mistake, I dont know. A lot of people think it wasnt a mistake. It was much more criminal than that. But its a big problem in Georgia, and its not a problem thats going away. I mean, you know, its not a problem thats going away.

Germany: This is Ryan. Were looking into every one of those things that you mentioned.

Trump: Good. But if you find it, youve got to say it, Ryan.

Germany: . . . Let me tell you what we are seeing. What were seeing is not at all what youre describing. These are investigators from our office, these are investigators from GBI, and theyre looking, and theyre good. And thats not what theyre seeing. And well keep looking, at all these things.

Trump: Well, you better check on the ballots because they are shredding ballots, Ryan. Im just telling you, Ryan. Theyre shredding ballots. And you should look at that very carefully. Because thats so illegal. You know, you may not even believe it because its so bad. But theyre shredding ballots because they think were going to eventually get there . . . because well eventually get into Fulton. In my opinion, its never too late. . . . So, thats the story. Look, we need only 11,000 votes. We have are far more than that as it stands now. Well have more and more. And . . . do you have provisional ballots at all, Brad? Provisional ballots?

Raffensperger: Provisional ballots are allowed by state law.

Trump: Sure, but I mean, are they counted, or did you just hold them back because they, you know, in other words, how many provisional ballots do you have in the state?

Raffensperger: Well get you that number.

Trump: Because most of them are made out to the name Trump. Because these are people that were scammed when they came in. And we have thousands of people that have testified or that want to testify. When they came in, they were proudly going to vote on November 3. And they were told, Im sorry, youve already been voted for, youve already voted. The women, men started screaming, No. I proudly voted till November 3. They said, Im sorry, but youve already been voted for, and you have a ballot. And these people are beside themselves. So they went out, and they filled in a provisional ballot, putting the name Trump on it.

And what about that batch of military ballots that came in. And even though I won the military by a lot, it was 100 percent Trump. I mean 100 percent Biden. Do you know about that? A large group of ballots came in, I think it was to Fulton County, and they just happened to be 100 percent for Trump  for Biden  even though Trump won the military by a lot, you know, a tremendous amount. But these ballots were 100 percent for Biden. And do you know about that? A very substantial number came in, all for Biden. Does anybody know about it?

Mitchell: I know about it, but 

Trump: Okay, Cleta, Im not asking you, Cleta, honestly. Im asking Brad. Do you know about the military ballots that we have confirmed now. Do you know about the military ballots that came in that were 100 percent, I mean 100 percent, for Biden. Do you know about that?

Germany: I dont know about that. I do know that we have, when military ballots come in, its not just military, its also military and overseas citizens. The military part of that does generally go Republican. The overseas citizen part of it generally goes very Democrat. This was a mix of em.

Trump: No, but this was. Thats okay. But I got like 78 percent of the military. These ballots were all for . . . They didnt tell me overseas. Could be overseas, too, but I get votes overseas, too, Ryan, in all fairness. No they came in, a large batch came in, and it was, quote, 100 percent for Biden. And that is criminal. You know, thats criminal. Okay. Thats another criminal, thats another of the many criminal events, many criminal events here.

I dont know, look, Brad. I got to get . . . I have to find 12,000 votes, and I have them times a lot. And therefore, I won the state. Thats before we go to the next step, which is in the process of right now. You know, and I watched you this morning, and you said, well, there was no criminality.

But I mean all of this stuff is very dangerous stuff. When you talk about no criminality, I think its very dangerous for you to say that.

I just, I just dont know why you dont want to have the votes counted as they are. Like even you when you went and did that check. And I was surprised because, you know . . . And we found a few thousand votes that were against me. I was actually surprised because the way that check was done, all youre doing, you know, recertifying existing votes and, you know, and you were given votes and you just counted them up, and you still found 3,000 that were bad. So that was sort of surprising that it came down to three or five, I dont know. Still a lot of votes. But you have to go back to check from past years with respect to signatures. And if you check with Fulton County, youll have hundreds of thousands because they dumped ballots into Fulton County and the other county next to it.

So what are we going to do here, folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break. You know, we have that in spades already. Or we can keep it going, but thats not fair to the voters of Georgia because theyre going to see what happened, and theyre going to see what happened. I mean, Ill, Ill take on anybody you want with regard to [name] and her lovely daughter, a very lovely young lady, Im sure. But, but [name] . . . I will take on anybody you want. And the minimum, there were 18,000 ballots, but they used them three times. So thats, you know, a lot of votes. And they were all to Biden, by the way, thats the other thing we didnt say. You know, [name] , the one thing I forgot to say, which was the most important. You know that every single ballot she did went to Biden. You know that, right? Do you know that, by the way, Brad?

Every single ballot that she did through the machines at early, early in the morning went to Biden. Did you know that, Ryan?

Germany: Thats not accurate, Mr. President.

Trump: Huh. What is accurate?

Germany: The numbers that we are showing are accurate.

Trump: No, about [name] . About early in the morning, Ryan. Where the woman took, you know, when the whole gang took the stuff from under the table, right? Do you know, do you know who those ballots, do you know who they were made out to, do you know who they were voting for?

Germany: No, not specifically.

Trump: Did you ever check?

Germany: We did what I described to you earlier 

Trump: No no no  did you ever check the ballots that were scanned by [name] , a known political operative, balloteer? Did ever check who those votes were for?

Germany: We looked into that situation that you described.

Trump: No, they were 100 percent for Biden. 100 percent. There wasnt a Trump vote in the whole group. Why dont you want to find this, Ryan? Whats wrong with you? I heard your lawyer is very difficult, actually, but Im sure youre a good lawyer. You have a nice last name.

But, but Im just curious, why wouldnt, why do you keep fighting this thing? It just doesnt make sense. Were way over the 17,779, right? Were way over that number, and just if you took just [name] , were over that number by five, five or six times when you multiply that times three.

And every single ballot went to Biden, and you didnt know that, but now you know it. So tell me, Brad, what are we going to do? We won the election, and its not fair to take it away from us like this. And its going to be very costly in many ways. And I think you have to say that youre going to reexamine it, and you can reexamine it, but reexamine it with people that want to find answers, not people that dont want to find answers. For instance, Im hearing Ryan that hes probably, Im sure a great lawyer and everything, but hes making statements about those ballots that he doesnt know. But hes making them with such  he did make them with surety. But now I think hes less sure because the answer is, they all went to Biden, and that alone wins us the election by a lot. You know, so.

Raffensperger: Mr. President, you have people that submit information, and we have our people that submit information. And then it comes before the court, and the court then has to make a determination. We have to stand by our numbers. We believe our numbers are right.

Trump: Why do you say that, though? I dont know. I mean, sure, we can play this game with the courts, but why do you say that? First of all, they dont even assign us a judge. They dont even assign us a judge. But why wouldnt you . . . Hey Brad, why wouldnt you want to check out [name] ? And why wouldnt you want to say, hey, if in fact, President Trump is right about that, then he wins the state of Georgia, just that one incident alone without going through hundreds of thousands of dropped ballots. You just say, you stick by, I mean Ive been watching you, you know, you dont care about anything. Your numbers are right. But your numbers arent right. Theyre really wrong, and theyre really wrong, Brad. And I know this phone call is going nowhere other than, other than ultimately, you know  Look, ultimately, I win, okay? Because you guys are so wrong. And you treated this. You treated the population of Georgia so badly. You, between you and your governor, who is down at 21, he was down 21 points. And like a schmuck, I endorsed him, and he got elected, but I will tell you, he is a disaster.

The people are so angry in Georgia, I cant imagine hes ever getting elected again, Ill tell you that much right now. But why wouldnt you want to find the right answer, Brad, instead of keep saying that the numbers are right? Cause those numbers are so wrong?

Mitchell: Mr. Secretary, Mr. President, one of the things that we have been, Alex can talk about this, we talked about it, and I dont know whether the information has been conveyed to your office, but I think what the president is saying, and what weve been trying to do is to say, look, the court is not acting on our petition. They havent even assigned a judge. But the people of Georgia and the people of America have a right to know the answers. And you have data and records that we dont have access to.

And you can keep telling us and making public statement that you investigated this and nothing to see here. But we dont know about that. All we know is what you tell us. What I dont understand is why wouldnt it be in everyones best interest to try to get to the bottom, compare the numbers, you know, if you say, because . . . to try to be able to get to the truth because we dont have any way of confirming what youre telling us. You tell us that you had an investigation at the State Farm Arena. I dont have any report. Ive never seen a report of investigation. I dont know that is. Ive been pretty involved in this, and I dont know. And thats just one of 25 categories. And it doesnt even. And as I, as the president said, we havent even gotten into the Dominion issue. Thats not part of our case. Its not part of, we just didnt feel as though we had any to be able to develop 

Trump: No, we do have a way, but I dont want to get into it. We found a way . . . excuse me, but we dont need it because were only down 11,000 votes, so we dont even need it. I personally think theyre corrupt as hell. But we dont need that. All we have to do, Cleta, is find 11,000-plus votes. So we dont need that. Im not looking to shake up the whole world. We won Georgia easily. We won it by hundreds of thousands of votes. But if you go by basic, simple numbers, we won it easily, easily. So were not giving Dominion a pass on the record. We dont need Dominion because we have so many other votes that we dont need to prove it any more than we already have.

Trump attorney Kurt Hilbert: Mr. President and Cleta, this is Kurt Hilbert, if I might interject for a moment. Ryan, I would like to suggest that just four categories that have already been mentioned by the president that have actually hard numbers of 24,149 votes that were counted illegally. That in and of itself is sufficient to change the results or place the outcome in doubt. We would like to sit down with your office, and we can do it through purposes of compromise and just like this phone call, just to deal with that limited category of votes. And if you are able to establish that our numbers are not accurate, then fine. However, we believe that they are accurate. Weve had now three to four separate experts looking at these numbers.

Trump: Certified accountants looked at them.

Hilbert: Correct. And this is just based on USPS data and your own secretary of state data. So thats what we would entreat and ask you to do, to sit down with us in a compromise and settlements proceeding and actually go through the registered voter IDs and the registrations. And if you can convince us that 24,149 is inaccurate, then fine. But we tend to believe that is, you know, obviously more than 11,779. Thats sufficient to change the results entirely in and of itself. So what would you say to that, Mr. Germany?

Germany: Im happy to get with our lawyers, and well set that up. That number is not accurate. And I think we can show you, for all the ones weve looked at, why its not. And so if that would be helpful, Im happy to get with our lawyers and set that up with you guys.

Trump: Well, let me ask you, Kurt, you think that is an accurate number. That was based on the information given to you by the secretary of states department, right?

Hilbert: That is correct. That information is the minimum, most conservative data based upon the USPS data and the secretary of states office data that has been made publicly available. We do not have the internal numbers from the secretary of state. Yet we have asked for it six times. I sent a letter over to . . . several times requesting this information, and its been rebuffed every single time. So it stands to reason that if the information is not forthcoming, theres something to hide. Thats the problem that we have.

Germany: Well, thats not the case, sir. There are things that you guys are entitled to get. And theres things that under law, we are not allowed to give out.

Trump: Well, you have to. Well, under law, youre not allowed to give faulty election results, okay? Youre not allowed to do that. And thats what you done. This is a faulty election result. And honestly, this should go very fast. You should meet tomorrow because you have a big election coming up, and because of what youve done to the president  you know, the people of Georgia know that this was a scam  and because of what youve done to the president, a lot of people arent going out to vote. And a lot of Republicans are going to vote negative because they hate what you did to the president. Okay? They hate it. And theyre going to vote. And you would be respected. Really respected, if this thing could be straightened out before the election. You have a big election coming up on Tuesday. And I think that it is really is important that you meet tomorrow and work out on these numbers. Because I know, Brad, that if you think were right, I think youre going to say, and Im not looking to blame anybody, Im just saying, you know, and, you know, under new counts, and under new views, of the election results, we won the election. You know? Its very simple. We won the election. As the governors of major states and the surrounding states said, there is no way you lost Georgia. As the Georgia politicians say, there is no way you lost Georgia. Nobody. Everyone knows I won it by hundreds of thousands of votes. But Ill tell you its going to have a big impact on Tuesday if you guys dont get this thing straightened out fast.

Meadows: Mr. President, this is Mark. It sounds like weve got two different sides agreeing that we can look at those areas, and I assume that we can do that within the next 24 to 48 hours, to go ahead and get that reconciled so that we can look at the two claims and making sure that we get the access to the secretary of states data to either validate or invalidate the claims that have been made. Is that correct?

Germany: No, thats not what I said. Im happy to have our lawyers sit down with Kurt and the lawyers on that side and explain to him, hey, heres, based on what weve looked at so far, heres how we know this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong.

Meadows: So what youre saying, Ryan, let me let me make sure . . . so what youre saying is you really dont want to give access to the data. You just want to make another case on why the lawsuit is wrong?

Germany: I dont think we can give access to data thats protected by law. But we can sit down with them and say 

Trump: But youre allowed to have a phony election? Youre allowed to have a phony election, right?

Germany: No, sir.

Trump: When are you going to do signature counts, when are you going to do signature verification on Fulton County, which you said you were going to do, and now all of a sudden, youre not doing it. When are you doing that?

Germany: We are going to do that. Weve announced 

Hilbert: To get to this issue of the personal information and privacy issue, is it possible that the secretary of state could deputize the lawyers for the president so that we could access that information and private information without you having any kind of violation?

Trump: Well, I dont want to know who it is. You guys can do it very confidentially. You can sign a confidentiality agreement. Thats okay. I dont need to know names. But on this stuff that were talking about, we got all that information from the secretary of state.

Meadows: Yeah. So let me let me recommend, Ryan, if you and Kurt will get together, you know, when we get off of this phone call, if you could get together and work out a plan to address some of what weve got with your attorneys where we can we can actually look at the data. For example, Mr. Secretary, I can you say they were only two dead people who would vote. I can promise you there are more than that. And that may be what your investigation shows, but I can promise you there are more than that. But at the same time, I think its important that we go ahead and move expeditiously to try to do this and resolve it as quickly as we possibly can. And if thats the good next step. Hopefully we can, we can finish this phone call and go ahead and agree that the two of you will get together immediately.

Trump: Well, why dont my lawyers show you where you got the information. It will show the secretary of state, and you dont even have to look at any names. We dont want names. We dont care. But we got that information from you. And Stacey Abrams is laughing about you. Shes going around saying these guys are dumber than a rock. What shes done to this party is unbelievable, I tell you. And I only ran against her once. And that was with a guy named Brian Kemp, and I beat her. And if I didnt run, Brian wouldnt have had even a shot, either in the general or in the primary. He was dead, dead as a doornail. He never thought he had a shot at either one of them. What a schmuck I was. But thats the way it is. Thats the way it is. I would like you . . . for the attorneys . . . Id like you to perhaps meet with Ryan, ideally tomorrow, because I think we should come to a resolution of this before the election. Otherwise youre going to have people just not voting. They dont want to vote. They hate the state, they hate the governor, and they hate the secretary of state. I will tell you that right now. The only people that like you are people that will never vote for you. You know that, Brad, right? They like you, you know, they like you. They cant believe what they found. They want more people like you. So, look, can you get together tomorrow? And, Brad, we just want the truth. Its simple.

And everyones going to look very good if the truth comes out. Its okay. It takes a little while, but let the truth come out. And the real truth is, I won by 400,000 votes. At least. Thats the real truth. But we dont need 400,000 votes. We need less than 2,000 votes. And are you guys able to meet tomorrow, Ryan?

Germany: Ill get with Chris, the lawyer whos representing us in the case, and see when he can get together with Kurt.

Raffensperger: Ryan will be in touch with the other attorney on this call, Mr. Meadows. Thank you, President Trump, for your time.

Trump: Okay, thank you, Brad. Thank you, Ryan. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you very much. Bye.
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The Centre is working on measures to deal with the stress in the corporate sector once the suspension of the bankruptcy proceedings against defaulters expires on 24 March. The corporate affairs ministry has also not ruled out extending the suspension of bankruptcy proceedings against defaults that occurred during the pandemic and is likely to assess the situation in early March before taking a final call.

The ministry is also considering raising the capacity of bankruptcy courts to deal with the rise in petitions, said a government official on the condition of anonymity.

Extending the suspension of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) would require another Bill to be tabled in Parliament or the issuance of an ordinance as the law at present allows its suspension only up to one year, the official said.

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Act, 2020, which was notified in September, barred fresh bankruptcy action for a year starting 25 March 2020. The defaults during this period will never be placed before a tribunal.

The ministry is also preparing to ensure that the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) meets its bench strength of 63 members from the existing 44 members. Work is on to hire the rest. Most of them would be stationed in metro cities, it said.

Experts have expressed fears of a wave of bankruptcy petitions once the suspension of IBC proceedings against defaults during covid-19 ends. The NCLT continues to hear cases where defaults occurred prior to 25 March.

A section of experts has questioned the continuation of the ban, while others are of the opinion that at least shareholders of distressed firms should be allowed to voluntarily invoke IBC if they see merit in a resolution process.

The government should go back to the drawing board and redraw the vision and roadmap for IBC for three-four years, said Sumant Batra, managing partner of the law firm Kesar Dass B. and Associates. We need changes in the code not only to plug the gaps that were exposed from past functioning, but also to address the changed geopolitical and economic realities of the world. It is a harsh reality that there are not many investors with resolution plans for stressed assets. IBC needs to be infused with fresh energy and momentum with the backing of the highest political leadership to play a meaningful role, Batra said.

Extending the IBC suspension can also be an option with some criteria instead of a blanket suspension, said Daizy Chawla, senior partner of the law firm Singh and Associates .

The Centres priority is to save viable businesses till there is sufficient investor appetite for stressed assets as lifting the ban could be a death warrant for both unviable and viable businesses in the absence of bidders.

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Former officer with the Belarusian spec-ops forces has sent recordings made in 2012 to Brussels for further investigation.

Leaked audio recordings alleging the involvement of the Belarusian top security leadership in the elimination of political opponents, including the assassination in a car blast of journalist Pavel Sheremet, were released on Monday, January 4.

Former officer with the Belarusian spec-ops forces Igor Makar has sent to Brussels the recordings made in April 2012 so that they could be investigated, as reported on the Nexta Live Telegram channel.

Read alsoSheremet murder trial: Court leaves Antonenko behind barsOn the tapes, ex-KGB head in Belarus Vadim Zaitsev, together with the two officers with the Alpha anti-terrorist special squad, allegedly discusses ways of eliminating President Alexander Lukashenko's opponents "crowing" in Germany.

In the recording, journalist Pavel Sheremet's name is mentioned among others.

"Let's plant some stuff so that this f*ucking rat so that no one's able to stitch his arms and legs together," says a voice purportedly belonging to Vadim Zaitsev.

Makar attached to the letter the KGB files showing that Sheremet had been closely surveilled. They contain information about the journalist's car and address in Moscow, his contacts and phone numbers.

Sheremet murder case: Background

The journalist was assassinated in a car blast in the center of Kyiv on the morning of July 20, 2016.

On December 12, 2019, police said they suspected five persons of complicity in the crime: former Donbas war volunteer and musician Andrii Antonenko, army volunteer and pediatric surgeon Yulia Kuzmenko (nom de guerre "Lysa," or "Fox"), nurse with a paratrooper unit Yana Duhar, and a family couple of army volunteers Inna Hryshchenko ("Puma"), and Vladyslav Hryshchenko ("Bucha"). Law enforcers claim that the goal of Sheremet's assassination was to destabilize the social and political situation in Ukraine. Antonenko, Kuzmenko and Duhar were notified of suspicion on December 12, 2019.

Ukrainian investigative journalists with the Slidstvo.info project said they had found the forensic analysis report used in the probe into the murder of Sheremet far from being unambiguous, while evidence presented by the police was not convincing. What is more, many Ukrainian activists consider the proof collected by the investigators to be insufficient.

On August 25, 2020, all three defendants demanded in court that their case be heard by the jury. Holub, the chair of the panel of judges, said that since they all were facing life imprisonment, the Criminal Code allows such cases to be heard by a jury, which consists of two professional judges and three members of the jury.

On September 28, the prosecutor in the Sheremet case read out the indictment to Antonenko, Kuzmenko and Duhar in Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky district court.

On the same day, the prosecutor read out the indictment in the case.

On October 21, Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky District Court ruled to extend the preventive measures against Antonenko and Kuzmenko, as well as the obligations laid on Duhar until December 19.

On December 17, Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky District Court ruled to further hold Antonenko in custody.

Reporting by UNIAN
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While the world has its eyes on vaccines to stop the spread of coronavirus, therapeutics are still necessary to treat hospitalized patients. One of these treatments, remdesivir, is the first and only antiviral agent of its kind that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved so far for COVID-19.

Research at the University of Cincinnati, however, contends that this antiviral drug is being used too indiscriminately when treating patients hospitalized with the virus. The study is published in the journal Fundamental & Clinical Pharmacology.

The FDA approved remdesivir, marketed as Veklury, for emergency use authorization in May 2020 to treat COVID-19 and granted full approval for treatment in October 2020. The World Health Organization came out in November 2020 with a conditional recommendation advising against its use entirely citing: "More research is needed, especially to provide higher certainty of evidence for specific groups of patients."

In the UC study, lead author Bingfang Yan, a pharmaceutical scientist, and his UC graduate students Yue Shen and William Eades, found that the drug permanently stops the activity of an enzyme called CES-2, which is found in the intestine, liver and kidney and is needed for the breakdown of many medications.

This enzyme normally breaks down and activates medicines in certain antivirals or inactivates other medicines such in certain anticoagulants." Bingfang Yan, Study Lead Author and Pharmaceutical Scientist, Professor at the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati

On the other hand, he says this breakdown increases the toxicity of many more medications such as with heart medicines and anticancer drugs.

An antiviral is a drug against viruses and an anticoagulant is a drug that hinders the clotting of blood. What further complicates the issue, Yan says, is that when delivered through an IV, remdesivir does not treat the virus unless the body has additional specific enzymes, which are not found in all patients. It can also cause other antiviral drugs, such as those used for HIV/AIDs and hepatitis C, to not work properly.

Remdesivir is only administered through the veins in a hospital setting, with the FDA typically recommending a dose of once a day, for approximately 10 days, and "intravenous injection of remdesivir can cause safety concerns because of high initial concentrations of the drug in the system," says Yan, noting, "If physicians use it, they have to use it with caution."

He adds, "Clearly, the treatment should be used for the right patients and in the proper dosages with care when used in combination with other medications."

This is not the first time such an incident has been reported. Back in March, effigies representing coronavirus were also burned in Mumbai. Children take photographs of an effigy depicting the coronavirus, that was burned during a ritual known as "Holika Dahan", which is part of Holi festival celebrations, at a residential area in Mumbai, India, March 9, 2020. REUTERS/Hemanshi Kamani<br />
GBP/USD Analysis

Cable opened the week of 28th December  the last week of 2020  at 1.3544 and spent most of the day in downward price action as Mondays official coronavirus update recorded 41,385 new cases across the U.K. The pair tested 1.3450 from 16:00 to 23:00 UTC and closed the day at 1.3464. During the rest of the trading week which closed early on Thursday, 31st December, GBP/USD was in the rising phase.

The pair bounced up slightly to 1.3500 on Tuesday, 29th December, and was trading around the mark most of the day, closing at 1.3497. On Wednesday, 30th December, the pair recorded most of the weeks growth, having risen from 1.3497 to 1.3615. From 00:00 to 02:00 UTC, the pair rose to 1.3540, and from 1.3533 to 1.3607 between 08:00 and 11:00 UTC. The welcome news of the U.K. parliaments approval of the Brexit plan added to cables buying stimulus. On Thursday, 31 December the market closed early due to New Years Eve. GBP/USD closed the last week of 2020 at 1.3656.

Image: GBP/USD exchange rate chart

The happy resolution to the hard-going Brexit trade deal negotiations has certainly lift much of the selling pressure behind GBP/USD. Therefore, the new target for GBP/USD in the first quarter of 2021 will be the 1.4236 weekly resistance level set in spring 2018. The main negative impetus for the pound is presently coming from the COVID-19 disease. On 30th Wednesday, 30th December, the AstraZeneca anti-COVID-19 vaccine was approved for use in the U.K. In case it shows good results and a long-lasting immunity, it will play a crucial role in the U.K.s economic recovery.

In the week of 4th January 2021, GBP/USD traders should pay attention to American Manufacturing PMI on Tuesday, 5th January, and Services PMI and PMI Composite on Wednesday, 6th January, and Nonfarm Payrolls on Friday, 8th January. All of these will provide statistics for December 2020.

GBP/EUR Analysis

GBP/EUR opened the week of 28th December at 1.1156. The pair plunged substantially on Monday, briefly trading at around 1.1000. Opening at 1.1019 on Tuesday, 29th December, GBP/EUR was trending sideways throughout the whole day and closed at 1.1016.

The announcement of the approval of AstraZenecas anti-COVID-19 vaccine for mainstream use in the U.K. along with its parliaments ratification of the Brexit plan gave GBP/EUR another substantial upside impetus on Wednesday, 20th December. The pair was trending sideways from Tuesdays close until 07:00 UTC. Then a gradual ascendency began and lasted until 12:00 UTC, briefly taking the GBP/EUR trading pair to above 1.1090. Having spent the rest of the day trending sideways, the pair closed Wednesday at 1.1082.

On Thursday, 31st December, another bull ride took place. From 07:00 to 11:00 UTC, the pair rose to 1.1140, then it rose to 1.1195 in a second upswing between 14:00 and 20:00 UTC. Finally, the pair finished the week at 1.1183.

Image: GBP/EUR exchange rate chart

The GBP/EUR trading pair looks very hectic on the time span of the four two weeks, but there seems a new bullish trend forming on the daily timeframe. The 1.1250 daily resistance level is within reach and may be attained on Monday, 4th January. Considering the currently dominant buying sentiment in the GBP/EUR, it may break above the level soon. If that happens, more bullish price action will be the likeliest scenario.

In the week of 4th January, GBP/EUR traders should pay attention to eurozones CPI for December and retail sales for November on Thursday, 7th January.
RADNOR, Pa., Jan. 03, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP reminds Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE: QSR) (Restaurant Brands) investors that a securities fraud class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Restaurant Brands on behalf of those who purchased or otherwise acquired Restaurant Brands common stock between April 29, 2019, and October 28, 2019, inclusive (the Class Period).



Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Restaurant Brands common stock during the Class Period may, no later than February 19, 2021 , seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class. For additional information or to learn how to participate in this litigation please click: https://www.ktmc.com/restaurant-brands-international-inc-securities-class-action?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=restaurant_brands

Restaurant Brands is a Canadian corporation and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the worlds largest restaurant chains with over 27,000 Tim Hortons, Burger King, and Popeyes restaurants in more than 100 countries and U.S. territories. On April 24, 2018, Restaurant Brands announced a new strategy designed to improve performance within its Tim Hortons brand. Specifically, the Winning Together Plan would focus on three key pillars: restaurant experience; product excellence; and brand communications. Then, on March 20, 2019, Restaurant Brands announced Tims Rewards  a new loyalty program for Tim Hortons customers in Canada. Under the Tims Rewards program, customers would be eligible for a free hot brewed coffee, hot tea, or baked good after every seventh paid visit to a participating Tim Hortons restaurant. On April 10, 2019, Restaurant Brands announced that it was expanding the Tims Rewards program to include customers in the United States.

The Class Period commences on April 29, 2019, when Restaurant Brands filed its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019 with the SEC. Among other things, Restaurant Brands reported 0.5% system-wide year-over-year sales growth for Tim Hortons on system-wide sales of $1.547 billion. The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, the defendants repeatedly touted the implementation and execution of Restaurant Brands Winning Together Plan and Tims Rewards loyalty program. On the heels of Restaurant Brands touting the benefits of these initiatives, the company completed two stock offerings on or about August 12, 2019, and September 5, 2019, collectively resulting in proceeds of approximately $3 billion to insiders.

However, on October 29, 2019, the truth about Restaurant Brands execution of its Winning Together Plan and Tims Rewards loyalty program was revealed when the company announced disappointing financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019. Among other things, Restaurant Brands reported a 0.1% system-wide year-over-year sales decline for Tim Hortonsrepresenting a 1.4% same-store sales declineon system-wide sales of $1.774 billion. Following this news, the price of Restaurant Brands common stock declined $2.59 per share, or approximately 4%, from a close of $68.45 per share on October 25, 2019, to close at $64.86 per share on October 28, 2019.

The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, the defendants misrepresented and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Restaurant Brands Winning Together Plan was failing to generate substantial, sustainable improvement within the Tim Hortons brand; (2) the Tims Rewards loyalty program was not generating sustainable revenue growth as increased customer traffic was not offsetting promotional discounting; and (3) as a result, the defendants statements about Restaurant Brands business, operations, and prospects lacked a reasonable basis.

If you wish to discuss this securities fraud class action lawsuit or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests with respect to this litigation, please contact Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP (James Maro, Jr., Esq. or Adrienne Bell, Esq.) at (844) 887-9500 (toll free) or (610) 6677706, or via e-mail at info@ktmc.com .

Restaurant Brands investors may, no later than February 19, 2021 , seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP, or other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed as a lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class members claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff.

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country involving securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duties and other violations of state and federal law. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP is a driving force behind corporate governance reform, and has recovered billions of dollars on behalf of institutional and individual investors from the United States and around the world. The firm represents investors, consumers and whistleblowers (private citizens who report fraudulent practices against the government and share in the recovery of government dollars). For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP, please visit www.ktmc.com.

CONTACT:

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP

James Maro, Jr., Esq.

Adrienne Bell, Esq.

280 King of Prussia Road

Radnor, PA 19087

(844) 887-9500 (toll free)

(610) 667-7706

info@ktmc.com
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has criticised the government for giving the nod to Bharat Biotech's Covid vaccine without phase-3 trials.

Tharoor said, "This is all we are saying. Of course, we will be proud if the vaccine turns out to work effectively. But offering it before phase-3 clinical trials have proven its efficacy is a violation of every scientific protocol and unheard of in the world. Jingoism is no substitute for common sense."

Earlier on Sunday, Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) V.G. Somani announced that Bharat Biotech's 'Covaxin' has been approved for "restricted use in emergency situations". The approval has also been given to Serum Institute of India's 'Covishield' vaccine.

Tharoor added, "But the Health Minister saying 'it's more likely to work' and 'it's likely to have similar protective efficacy reported for others' is not reassuring. 'Likely' can only be 'certain' after phase-3 clinical trials."

The Subject Expert Committee of the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation had recommended restricted use of Covaxin "in emergency situations in public interest as an abundant precaution, in clinical trial mode, specially in the context of infection by mutant strains".

Officials say that it will be used as backup in case of a spike in cases.

Covaxin has to be administered in two doses and can be stored at 2-8 degree Celsius. This is a major relief for India which has the second highest number of infections in the world after the US.

Bharat Biotech has made India's first indigenous vaccine for coronavirus. The inactivated virus vaccine has been developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV).

"Covaxin has generated excellent safety data with robust immune responses to multiple viral proteins that persist," Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director of the pharmaceutical company said following the approval.
Mumbai, Jan 4 : Actress Kangana Ranaut on Monday welcomed award-winning international cinematographer Tetsuo Nagata into the team of her upcoming action film Dhaakad.

The actress hopes to make a world class spy thriller along with the "highly acclaimed international action crew". Japanese origin French cinematographer Nagata is known for his work in films such as La Vie en Rose (2007), Splice (2009), and the 2006 release Paris, je t'aime.

"For #Dhaakad we have legendary french director of photography Tetsuo Nagata, his academy award winning work like 'La Vie en Rose' has been an inspiration for (the) whole world. Along with highly acclaimed international action crew @RazyGhai hoping to make world class spy thriller," Kangana tweeted on Monday.

She also shared pictures featuring her with the team of the Razneesh Ghai directorial that casts her as a spy.

Earlier, Kangana had hosted a special brunch for the crew of the film, to mark the beginning of the new year. She shared a video on her verified Twitter account where she can be seen decorating her house for the party.

The actress recently returned to Mumbai after shooting for her upcoming release Thalaivi in Hyderabad and spending time in hometown Manali.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Following Houston's record voter turnout in November, Texas is still managing to make history from the 2020 election.

TEXAS VOTER TURNOUT: This Houstonian is making voting better in Harris County

Fort Bend made strides in the election, by not only electing its first female African American county attorney, but also electing Eric Faganthe county's first African American sheriff in over a century.

Fagan won a close race against Precinct 4 Constable Trevor Nehls, drawing 53 percent of the votes. Fagan served as a Houston police officer for over 30 years and has a masters degree in Juvenile Forensic Psychology.

The sheriff's election in Fort Bend County made history, as the county hadn't had a Black sheriff since the 1800s. Walter Moses Burton, was the first Black sheriff in Fort Bend, and was the first Black sheriff in the United States at the time, according to KHOU.

Burton was hired to be the Fort Bend County sheriff four years after the Civil War, and due to the continued racial unrest of the time, Burton had to hire a white deputy to handle all arrests of white suspects, as reported by Zach Despart at the Houston Chronicle.

The ceremony was held at the Fort Bend Church, and a number of elected officials were in attendance at Fagan's swearing in ceremony, including Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Descendants of Walter Moses Burton also attended the event.

While Fagan winning the election is notable, it only goes to show that there is plenty of work to be done.

Fagan plans to hit the ground running in his new position, and wants to target crimes like domestic violence and mental illness.
Prashant Kumar, CEO of Yes Bank

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Private sector lender Yes Bank said on January 4 its total loans grew by 1.3 percent in the December quarter to Rs1,69,050 crore from Rs 1,66,923 crore in the September quarter.

Gross retail disbursements in the quarter stood at Rs 7,563 crore, up 109 per cent compared with Rs 3,764 crore in the September quarter, Yes Bank said in a quarterly update to exchanges.

Deposits, over a quarter-on-quarter basis grew by 7.7 per cent to Rs 1,46,233 crore from Rs 1,35,815 crore in the year ago quarter. Further, certificate of deposits (CDs) grew by 1.9 per cent to Rs 7,395 crore from Rs 7,259 crore in the preceding quarter.

Cheaper CASA (current, savings account) deposits grew by 12.6 per cent to Rs 37,973 crore from Rs 33713 crore over the quarter while the proportion of total CASA deposits to total deposits grew to 27.4 per cent in the December quarter from Rs26.2 per cent in the previous quarter.

Credit to deposit ratio in the December quarter stood at 115.6 per cent as compared with 122.9 per cent in the previous quarter. Liquidity coverage ratio, a key financial indicator, stood at 115.5 per cent compared with 107.3 per cent in the previous quarter.

Yes Bank was rescued by a clutch of financial institutions in March 2020 after the bank plunged into a crisis following financial failure. The rescue was led by State Bank of India as per a reconstruction scheme formulated by the Reserve Bank of India in consultation with the government.
As illegal entry and exit is a threat to the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic, border soldiers across the country are making efforts to prevent illegal entrance, especially before the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Border guards of Huu Nghi Border Gate Station detected a group of people attempting to enter the country illegally and arrested five people on December 30.  VNA/VNS Photo Quang Duy

With a 277km border with China, the northern province of Ha Giang has the most illegal entry and exit activities in the country.

Colonel Luu Duc Hung, an official from Ha Giang Province Border Guard, said COVID-19 prevention work would be harder prior to Tet because illegal immigrants tend to increase.

Border guards have strengthened inspections and maintained 59 checkpoints and 17 mobile teams comprising 425 staff to work around the clock.

Campaigns have been launched to encourage people to comply with the Governments regulations on COVID-19 prevention.

Head of Xin Cai Border Guard Station in Meo Vac District Ta Tan Hoang said they have handled 840 unlawful immigrant cases involving 6,746 people since the outbreak of COVID-19.

It is likely that there will be an increase in illegal immigration from China to Vietnam for the Tet holiday, he said.

Major Mua Mi Cay, a political officer at the station, said despite facing hardships and poor living conditions, soldiers on the front lines always showed strong determination and will only return home after the pandemic ends.

All officers and soldiers of the station have decided to stay at the station during the Tet holidays, he was quoted by Nhan dan (People) newspaper as saying.

Prevention measures against COVID-19 are also being deployed in the northern province of Cao Bang.

Colonel Luc Van Tiep from Cao Bang Border Guard Command said border guards in coordination with local authorities have tightened control over immigration.

Local residents are encouraged to inform border guards as soon as they detected illegal migrants or individuals involved in unlawful immigrant activities.

Border guards in the province said they have prevented about 8,300 illegal immigrants since the beginning of the year. Criminal proceedings have been initiated against 36 people who arranged for people enter the country illegally.

The northern province of Quang Ninh is also reportedly taking action against illegal immigration.

Le Hong Van, head of Mong Cai City Police, told Vietnam News Agency that in addition to setting up 39 stations at important positions, the city has implemented disease prevention measures on the basis of promoting the role and responsibility of the party committee, residential groups, commune police, self-governing groups in villages and neighbourhoods.

In 2020, local police handled 207 cases involving foreigners, including many cases related to illegal entry and residence, he said.

The Peoples Committee of the south-eastern province of Binh Phuoc, which has more than 260km of border, has ordered relevant agencies to tighten management along the border as one of the important tasks in COVID-19 prevention and control efforts.

The province has kept 62 stations and 11 mobile COVID-19 control stations open 24 hours a day.

Mekong Delta provinces of Dong Thap, An Giang, Kien Giang and Vinh Long which share a border with Cambodia have simultaneously tightened control of people moving across the border. More control stations have been established to prevent illegal entry.

With a 50.5km long borderline with Cambodia, border guards, police and militia in Dong Thap Province have been present at 14 checkpoints to do their duties.

Lieutenant Phan Thanh The from Cau Muong Border Station in Dong Thap Provinces Hong Ngu District said he had been on duty since the pandemic broke out in early 2020 in spite of feeling homesick.

Day and night we take turns patrolling, both on land and waterways. Everyone is aware that they have to fulfil the assigned tasks, especially the prevention and fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, to protect people and also to protect ourselves and our families, he said.

According to the Border Guard High Command, illegal border entries have been rising recently in Vietnam.

The first day of 2021 saw 180 undocumented immigrants detected. Of these, 162 people entered the country via the China-Vietnam border and the rest via the Vietnam-Cambodia border.

As of December 28, the border guards have dealt with 32,679 illegal immigrants.

Suspects have adopted new tricks such as hiding in vehicles transporting goods; using social networks and mobile phones to collude or arrange for people to enter the country unlawfully, making the job of border guards more difficult.

At an online meeting held between the Government and localities last Tuesday, Minister of Public Security To Lam admitted that hundreds of people illegally enter the country each day, putting increasing pressure on local police forces.

According to the official, more than 70,000 Vietnamese people have been brought home from abroad on repatriation flights organised by the government so far this year.

The number of immigrants is expected to rise ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday which is just a month away, he said.

"The life of Vietnamese people in virus-hit areas abroad is very difficult so many of them want to return home, especially during the Tet holiday, Lam said.

A large number of Vietnamese people based in China and Cambodia will attempt to cross the border and enter the country in the near future, making it vital to strengthen border management, he said.

Earlier, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc called on all citizens to report illegal immigrants and stay vigilant about such entries as they may pose risks of COVID-19 infection.

Cases entering Vietnam illegally must be strongly denounced, he said. VNS

Camera systems installed to help detect illegal border trespassing Camera systems have been installed along the border line to monitor and detect illegal trespassing amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Major General Le Quang Dao, Vice Commander and Chief of Staff of the Border Guard High Command, has revealed. Talking to Vietnam News Agency, Dao said the border guards have adopted a series of measures to intensify monitoring and inspections in border areas to prevent illegal crossings which can cause an outbreak of the disease. The force has performed the task of disease prevention well, thus contributing to containing the spread of the pandemic in the country, he said. The Vietnamese Border Guard is monitoring around 5,000 kilometres of land borders, and over 3,000 kilometres of maritime border. Rough terrain and severe weather conditions make it difficult for border management. Currently the border guards have maintained 1,600 stations along the border of the country. They have also coordinated with relevant forces of other countries. According to Dao, from now to the Lunar New Year which falls in mid-February, the weather will be quite favourable for the development of diseases. A lot of Vietnamese people want to return home on this occasion. Many would try to enter Vietnam illegally to avoid being quarantined. He said the risk of an outbreak of the disease is high due to the fact that people are still complacent on COVID-19. He said the border force will tighten control over the entry and exits in border areas from now to the the end of the Lunar New Year. The Ministry of Defence has directed the military-run Viettel Group to coordinate with the Border Guard High Command in installing the modern camera systems along border areas, which help reduce the number of personnel on duty, he said. VNS

Border guards contribute to COVID-19 fight Secretary of the Party Committee and Political Commissar of the Vietnam Border Guard Command Do Danh Vuong talks about COVID-19 prevention and control measures in border areas.
Heritage Minister Malcolm Noonan says a new Wildlife Crime Unit will be based within the National Parks and Wildlife Service and will be set up this year with a core staff of five or six people.

"There's significant training involved with conservation rangers, around gathering a book of evidence, around liaising with the gardai, protecting the crime scene, all of that, so we'd have a standardised approach to investigating wildlife crime."

He said there had been a significant number of events in recent years, citing the recent shooting dead of a buzzard in Co Laois, as well as other incidents involving the poisoning of raptors, persecuting badgers, and the capturing of birds.

He has also proposed setting up a new Conservation Corps to train and pay people to remove invasive plant species, as part of efforts to tackle the climate and biodiversity emergency.

The Green Party TD also wants to encourage more people to become "citizen scientists" who plant trees and test river water quality. He has also pledged to establish a new Wildlife Crime Unit this year to help gardai investigate animal cruelty.

In an interview with the Sunday Independent, Mr Noonan painted a stark picture of the biodiversity emergency facing the country.

"We're facing effectively a mass extinction of species," he said.

"Invertebrates, fish, mammals, plant species, pretty much everything is in decline. There is very little that is not under threat.

"In Ireland we have a significant problem as well because the fate of species lies around the quality of habitats. In that regard it's around having a land use strategy that is fit for purpose, that takes on farm interests but also ensures farming and nature can work hand in hand."

A new five-year biodiversity action plan will be published by the Government in the coming months.

Mr Noonan wants people to involve themselves in initiatives like TidyTowns and also projects like planting trees and taking water quality samples from rivers.

A Conservation Corps could be established within the National Parks and Wildlife Service, where people would be trained and paid for the removal of invasive species, he said, citing a "real problem" with Himalayan balsam and rhododendron in areas like Connemara and Killarney National Park.

Mr Noonan has also proposed setting up an all-island biodiversity data agency to record species like Daubenton's bats, that feed off the river surface.

"I would have spent the guts of 14 or 15 years just as an amateur recorder, a bat detector and a torch standing by the riverbank," he said.









Mr Noonan also called for an overhaul of the greyhound racing industry, arguing that while funding cannot be shut off there needs to be a review into its viability.

He said money had compromised the sport, and added: "If it has a future it should have some grounding back in its origins and perhaps that may be its future. So perhaps I would like to see either a commission or something to investigate its future viability."

Sunday Independent
Iran has begun enriching uranium to 20 per cent purity, its most significant breach yet of the 2015 accord that placed limits on its nuclear technology programme.

Irans hardline Revolutionary Guard on Monday also seized control of a South Korean oil tanker in the Persian Gulf that it claimed had repeatedly violated environmental protocols, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The moves coincide with escalating tensions between Iran and the United States a year on from the US assassination of former Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani.

Taken together, Irans latest measures suggest it is responding to US pressure during the final weeks of Donald Trumps administration with its own counter-manoeuvres, part of a longstanding doctrine of matching American escalations that has been repeatedly described by senior Iranian officials.

But analysts say Iran is also attempting to strengthen its position ahead of possible talks with the incoming administration of Joe Biden.

Iran wants to deter a potential strike by the US, said Thomas Juneau, a Middle East specialist at the University of Ottawa and a former Canadian defence department analyst. It needs to signal that its able to act. At the same time, Iran is putting its pieces in place to maximise its position with the Biden administration when it comes into office. It is under massive pressure from the US and its needs to build up assets that it trades away.

Iranian government spokesperson Ali Rabiei said that Tehran had begun increasing enrichment to levels beyond the five per cent threshold necessary for fuelling power reactors at its underground mountain facility in Fordow, which was itself supposed to be mothballed under the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal abandoned by Mr Trump in 2018.

Iran has been steadily expanding its nuclear programme beyond the limits set by the JCPOA in response to an aggressive campaign of US sanctions that have damaged its economy.

We resumed 20 per cent enrichment, as legislated by our parliament, Irans foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, wrote on Twitter. Our remedial action conforms fully with [the] JCPOA, after years of non-compliance by several other JCPOA participants. Our measures are fully reversible upon FULL compliance by ALL.

Uranium enriched to 20 per cent is not enough to fuel a bomb, which requires purity levels of 80 percent or higher. While enriching uranium is a technically complicated and difficult process, enriching to higher levels is much easier once the initial stages have been mastered, according to physicists.

This is a significant escalation, said Kelsey Davenport, director of nuclear non-proliferation at the Arms Control Association, a Washington think tank and advocacy group. Enriching to 20 per cent constitutes about 90 per cent of the necessary work to produce weapons-grade uranium. Twenty per cent poses a more serious proliferation risk, and stockpiling material at this level will begin to reduce Irans breakout time more quickly.

Mr Rabiei said the International Atomic Energy Agency had been notified of Irans decision. If verified by inspectors, Irans move will complicate any efforts by Mr Bidens administration to re-enter the deal once he takes office on 20 January, as well as an ongoing attempt to keep the JCPOA alive by its other signatories, including the United Kingdom, Germany and France.

Iran has not produced 20 per cent enriched uranium since 2013, when it halted under the terms of an interim nuclear deal that preceded the JCPOA. It eventually agreed to trade away its 300kg stockpile of enriched uranium to Russia, which along with China was also a signatory to the deal that Mr Trump abandoned and his allies have tried to sabotage.

The decision to restart production of 20 per cent enriched nuclear fuel comes just weeks after the assassination of military scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, deemed the father of Irans nuclear programme, in a hit that Tehran claims was carried out by Israel.

Iran has vowed to retaliate in a number of ways for the killing, including ramping up dormant sections of its nuclear programme. While Irans nuclear moves amount to exercises in signalling that can be quickly reversed when Mr Biden takes office and potentially removes sanctions, there is the danger that its actions could be misinterpreted by others, said Mr Juneau.

As much as it wants to avoid confrontation, the signals it sends might be misperceived as provocation by the Trump administration, he said.

On Tuesday, Irans armed forces are scheduled to begin a massive two-day combat-drone exercise over the deserts of the central province of Semnan.

Iran Nuclear

Tensions between the US and Iran have escalated in recent weeks. On Sunday, the US military announced it was reversing a decision to remove a battleship group led by the USS Nimitz from the Persian Gulf, citing threats against US officials, which may have included comments by Irans president, Hassan Rouhani, that Mr Trump would end up like Saddam Hussein, who was executed by hanging in 2006.

Due to the recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President Trump and other US government officials, I have ordered the USS Nimitz to halt its routine redeployment, the acting US defence secretary, Chris Miller, said in a statement late on Sunday. No one should doubt the resolve of the United States of America.

The Hankuk Chemi, the giant tanker ship seized by the Revolutionary Guard, was loaded with 7,200 tonnes of ethanol and had left the port of Al-Jubeil in Saudi Arabia for South Korea, before docking at Irans Bandar Abbas port, pending judicial proceedings, Iranian news agencies reported.

Mr Biden and members of his incoming team have said they are eager to re-enter the JCPOA while also negotiating other aspects of what they describe as Irans disruptive behaviour in the region, including its support for armed groups and its missile programme. But a bill passed by Iranian lawmakers in recent days could bar any talks with the US on any topic other than its nuclear programme.

While Iran has been transparent about its intent to increase its enrichment levels and allowed inspectors to observe the process, the move risks undermining a restoration of the JCPOA.

I think this is part of Irans campaign to pressure the US back into the JCPOA and deliver on sanctions relief, said Ms Davenport. What Im concerned about is that Iran is miscalibrating its leverage. Europeans warned against Iran taking this step, and their patience is wearing thin.
Nigerian scientists have spent the holiday season in laboratories doing genetic sequencing to learn more about the country's COVID-19 variant, as cases increase in the country. Virologist Sunday Omilabu says the information he gathers about the variant will help battle the spread of the disease in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with 196 million people. Nigeria has confirmed 86,576 COVID-19 cases, including 1,278 deaths, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The variants discovered in the UK and South Africa, they are distantly different from the variants discovered in Nigeria, said Omilabu, who said it is not unusual for viruses to mutate and cause variants.

Nigeria is seeing more infections of COVID-19 but it is not yet certain if that is from the variant, said Omilambu, the Director of the Center for Human and Zoonotic Virology at the Lagos University College of Medicine and Teaching Hospital. What we could say clinically is that we have more people coming down with severe signs and symptoms", he said, describing how one person can spread the disease to four or five family members, which is a higher rate of transmission than had been recorded earlier.

That shows us that something is happening. Theres a surge so we are recording that but we are yet to sequence any of those isolates, to determine if the increased transmissions are caused by the variant, said Omilabu.

As lab work is being done to learn more about the variant, Nigerians should remain vigilant to avoid spreading the virus, he said. People still go and party. They still go to the club and without putting on face masks, he said. We talk of social distancing, people are not respecting that", he added. With COVID-19 variants emerging in Nigeria and South Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Africa needs to do more genetic sequencing, such as what Omilabu is doing.

The new variants have emerged as COVID-19 infections are on the rise in the 47 African countries, nearly reaching the peak the continent saw in July, the WHO said. In the past 28 days, 10 countries - Algeria, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda have reported the highest number of new cases, accounting for 90% of all the infections in Africa, the WHO said.

(Image Credits: AP)

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
There is a common perception that hiring a car whilst on holiday is complicated and expensive.

Thats where Pegasus Rent A Car can help, and not just for those who would like to rent a car whilst on holiday, but for those of you who live here too.

Fethiye office

Dalaman office

With offices in Fethiye, Dalaman and Antalya and great prices on all car groups, including economy cars, family cars, automatic cars and minibuses (many of them new), as well as helpful English speaking personnel, you can be sure you will receive the best car rental experience.

Why pay more to other companies when you can book with Pegasus?

Daily rental for a petrol/manual car during May 2021 is only 15

Airport Transfers





Pegasus also offer hassle free, reliable airport transfers at great prices. Visit their website to send an enquiry.

The advantages of renting a car

Whilst there are many organised excursions available in Turkey, there are many advantages to hiring a car whilst you are here on holiday, the biggest of which is you are free to go where you want, when you want  you can just get up and go.

Rent a car from Pegasus and go wherever the fancy takes you!

The captivating Lake Salda

Oludeniz  off the beaten track

Visit the snow covered peaks at Krkpnar

Discover Turkey

Turkey is a vast country, with a dramatic, varied landscape and steeped in history. There is so much to see and do, its an absolute certainty that youll want to fit in as much exploring as possible. Many historical sites and places of interest are within driving distance of your chosen resort.

To make it easier to decide how best to spend your stay in Turkey, heres a selection of places to visit to make your holiday one to remember.

Dalyan

Boat trips up and down the Dalyan Delta overlooked by the Lycian Rock Tombs

An hours drive away from Fethiye, the relatively unspoiled, attractive town of Dalyan lies along the shores of the Dalyan Delta linking Koycegiz Lake to the sea.

Every day throughout the summer, boat trips leave the quayside to cruise to the famous Iztuzu Beach, nesting ground of the Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta Caretta) or to Lake Koycegiz and the Sultaniye hot springs and mud baths.

Kas

Kas is a delightful harbour town with its whitewashed Ottoman houses and cobbled streets. There are several Lycian tombs scattered among the streets, the only vestiges remaining of ancient Antiphellus which thrived for the 6th century BC to the Byzantine era. The towns appeal doesnt lie in its beaches  the local bays are small and pebbly  but in its excellent array of shops, restaurants and bars.

Call in at Patara Beach, an 18km-long sandy beach that is one of Turkeys best. The harbourside town of Kalkan is also with a stop along the way.

Patara Beach

Kalkan Harbour

Ephesus

Library of Celsus, Ephesus, Turkey. | by Tanya.K.

Famous throughout history for its Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the great and sacred city of Ephesus lay in ruins until the early 20thcentury. Now it is one of the most extensive archaeological sites in the world.

Pamukkale and Hieropolis

Pamukkale. Photograph courtesy of mybestplace.com

One of the natural wonders of Turkey is the thermal spa of Pamukkale . Pamukkale is fed by a mineral-rich freshwater spring, emanating from a higher plateau. As the waters have spilled over the plateau edge over the centuries, they have deposited their minerais into a seam of limestone several meters thick, creating a travertine waterfall.

Visible from far accross the surrounding countryside, its stalactites give the appearance of newly fallen snow.

The Turks named this rare geological feature Pamukkale, which means cotton castle.

Hieropolis. Photograph courtesy of Denizli.org

The site is also the location of the ancient spa of Hieropolis (which means holy city), built there by the Romans to dominate the the spring waters and harness their reputed religious and mystical qualities. While not in the same league as Ephesus, they do merit some exploration.

Izmir

Izmir: Pearl of the Aegean. Photo Credit: Turkey Home

Turkeys third-largest city, Izmir, has been an important Aegean port since ancient times, when it was known as the Greek city of Smyrna; its seafront is as fetching and lively as any in the world. The citys rich and fascinating heritage reflects the fact that it has been the home of Greeks, Armenians, Jews, Levantines and Turks over the centuries. Today, the city still enjoys its small but culturally colorful Jewish and Levantine communities  and its unique and delicious cuisine attests to this. Despite its monumental history, Izmir and its delightful sea towns are among the must see places during the summer. If you want to enjoy sun, sea and the sand, you should definitely add Izmir to your holiday-route.

Cappadocia

The fairy chimneys of Cappadocia. Photograph courtesy of The Penn Stater Magazine.

A days travel away from the coast, Cappadocia is a region not to be missed. Its a landscape of astonishing beauty, shaped by wind and water into hundreds of tall columns called fairy chimneys. The area also became a refuge for early Christians, who carved hundreds of frescoed churches into the soft rock of the pillars and surrounding hills. These now form one of the most important collections or early Christian and Byzantine art in the world, recognized by Unesco as a World Heritage Site.

Driving Tips

Traffic drives on the right in Turkey.

The speed limit on most double-lane roads in Turkey is 90km/h. In cities and on some rural roads, the speed limit is usually 50km/h and on motorways it is 120km/h. Traffic police often carry out spot checks and on-the-spot fines are levied if you are speeding.

Make sure you carry your driving license and passport with you at all times.

Turkish road signs conform to international standards with the standard signs. Its worth making sure you know some of the most important road signs e.g. Dur means stop, Dikkat means watch out!.

And finally

Drive slowly and enjoy the scenery. After all, thats why you hired a car.

Enquiries and bookings

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info@rentacarpegasus.com

Call or WhatsApp: 00 90 506 167 6167



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City approves first reading of temporary medical marijuana ordinance

With state officials still putting together the oversight rules for medical marijuana establishments, local governments need temporary ordinances.
Woman With Vitiligo Was Mocked, but Became a Model, Urges: It Doesnt Matter What They Think

A woman with a rare skin condition causing patchy, irregular skin pigmentation is being hailed for speaking out about her experience on Instagram.

Iomikoe Johnson, of Baytown, Texas, owns her own cosmetics line, Perfectly Painted Cosmetics. The business owner is also a model, and she has a skin condition called vitiligo.

Vitiligo causes irregular skin pigmentation loss; white patches appear in different places in stark contrast against darker skin areas. Its even more noticeable for Johnson, who is black.

The cause of this progressive condition is unknown, though according to Medline, it may be linked to autoimmune health and isnt all that uncommon throughout the world.

When Johnson was diagnosed with the condition at age 25, she says the way people treated her began to change drastically.

They look at me weird when Im out and about, she told The Epoch Times. They stare, they point, and say mean things to me.

She says shes been called a spotted N-word, asked if she has mud on her face, and asked if she was severely burned at one time.

Worse, some people question her race altogether, claiming she isnt African American, or accusing her of wearing blackface or whiteface.

They say Im the definition of what mixed race is, Johnson explained. Ive even had a group Photoshop my picture and tell people not to take the vaccine because it is turning white people black.

She added that these events made her realize that society has been brainwashed when it comes to standards of beauty, and said people dont realize how the words they use can really affect someones self-esteem.

But Johnson also highlighted how important it is to love yourself no matter what anyone else says.

It doesnt matter what they think, she stressed. It only matters what I feel about myself. Its my self-esteem and I choose to love me the way I was created  Being beautiful isnt whats on the outside, but whats on the inside.

Eventually, Johnsons experience led her to speak out on Instagram.

She says her race has constantly been a topic for debate. She wants people to realize thatalthough it should seem obviousvitiligo has no bearing on race. Its literally skin deep.

The model has shared close-up photos of her face. Both cheeks are dark brown, and most of her nose. Meanwhile, the areas surrounding her eyes and mouth, and most of her forehead, are pale pink.

Its not contagious, it doesnt hurt me in any way, she said. Im not ashamed of who I am or how my skin looks. She adds that shes proud of how far shes come in overcoming her fear of not being accepted by others.

She received words of affirmation from Instagrammers who found her words inspiring.

I find this beautifully unique, said one user.

So pretty, wrote another.

Johnson added that she is on a personal mission to inspire and empower others and that she intends to follow her purpose no matter what anyone says.

She added that its her personal mission to educate others and spread positivity, peace, and love.

Johnson isnt the first person with vitiligo to catch the medias attention. Michael Jackson was rumored to have lived with it himself.

The famous model Chantelle Brown-Young also has the skin condition and was even featured in Vogue Magazine.

Adds Johnson, I want people to know that I am a human being. I am a woman, I am a mother, I am a wife, I am a business owner. I am somebody and I matter.

For those who live with the same condition, or with judgment over their appearance, Johnson says to focus on living your life in positivity, not consumed with self-negativity.

They can do anything they set their mind to, she says. Live life to the fullest and [refuse to] allow people to steal their joy  Set an example for others. Be kind and God will take you places you never thought you could go.

We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
The 2020 election campaign manager of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Peter Mac Manu, has denied saying the December 7, 2020, general elections were rigged.



In a disclaimer, he stated a post on social media claiming that he admitted the elections last year were rigged, was fake.



The recent elections were free and fair and have been confirmed by both CSOs and credible international observers. Ghanaians have decided on Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the President of Ghana, he said.



Below is his disclaimer



DISCLAIMER



Hon. Peter Mac Manu, writes



My attention has been drawn to a post on social media that I have conceded that the recent elections were rigged. I want to state clearly without mincing words that, I have not made such remarks. Anyone who reads it should disregard it because its fake and a figment of someones imagination.



The recent elections were free and fair and have been confirmed by both CSOs and credible international observers. Ghanaians have decided on Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the President of Ghana. And we do not have time to waste with time wasters.



Mr. Peter Mac Manu

Campaign Manager,

New Patriotic Party

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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LONDON : A British judge ruled on Monday that WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange should not be extradited to the United States to face charges of breaking a spying law and conspiring to obtain secret U.S. documents by hacking government computers.

U.S. authorities accuse Australian-born Assange, 49, of 18 counts relating to Wikileaks release of vast troves of confidential U.S. military records and diplomatic cables which they said had put lives in danger.

His lawyers had argued the entire prosecution was politically-motivated, powered by U.S. President Donald Trump and that his extradition posed a severe threat to the work of journalists.

At a hearing at London's Old Bailey, Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected nearly all his legal team's arguments but said she could not extradite him as there was a real risk he would commit suicide and ordered his discharge.

"Faced with conditions of near total isolation ... I am satisfied that the procedures (outline by U.S. authorities) will not prevent Mr. Assange from finding a way to commit suicide," she said.

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The Muslim League is wary and on its toes with several youth bodies urging Asaduddin Owaisi to launch his party in Kerala, which has 26 per cent Muslim population. The AIMIM has recently tasted success in the Bihar assembly elections, winning five seats. The party is also involved in intense negotiations with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for the upcoming assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.

Though League leaders say Owaisis brand of politics wont sell in Kerala, they are cautious about his possible entry at a time when another minority, Christians, appeared to have moved to the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) camp against the Muslim consolidation. The recent local body election hints towards it.

League leaders said the ruling CPI(M) played a dirty communal card to shore up the support of Christians, who constitute 18 per cent of the population, and a section of the majority community to tilt the balance in its favour. An article written by a League leader in party mouthpiece Chandrika lauding the takeover of Hagia Sophia, a 1500-old Orthodox Christian cathedral in Turkey, and love jihad bogey were used extensively to influence them, they said.

In Kerala, the League has been enjoying the support of the community for more than four decades and political observers often attribute its presence to peaceful communal co-existence in the state. But there is a strong feeling in the community recently that League MPs had shown little regard in reflecting Muslim sentiment in Parliament during discussion on vital issues like Ram temple, Citizenship (Amendment) Act(CAA), triple talaq, among others.

Many organisations which nurse extreme views have started a campaign against the League citing these issues. Cut-outs of Owaisi had appeared at many places in north Kerala after Parliament debates on temple and CAA. But League leaders dubbed it a futile whisper campaign and felt fascination for Owaisi was only an emotional reaction from a miniscule section of youth.

The Muslim League has a strong presence in Kerala for many decades and nobody can weaken its base. Earlier also many outfits with extreme views tried to hijack our plank but failed. Owaisis brand of politics is not suitable for Kerala, said League senior leader PK Kunhalikutty MP, who is planning to return to state politics after a brief sojourn in Delhi. The party had announced its decision to field the Malappuram MP in assembly elections due in four months.

He said the situation of the community in north and south India was totally different. In Kerala there is no ghettoisation and people from community enjoy an equal footing and status in all spheres. Their rights and privileges are protected strongly. People are educated and informed which acts as a bulwark against hatred or extremist views here, he said.

Since coalition politics was experimented in Kerala by the late Congress leader K Karunakaran in the late 1970s, the League has been in the Congress camp. Unlike its northern counterpart, in Kerala the League is known for its moderate face. Its late leader E Ahamed was twice the minister of state for external affairs in former prime minister Manmohan Singhs cabinet. Many young leaders now want the League to take a strong position in the light of campaign carried out by Sangh Parivar and Communists and ensure a pan-India presence. Though the party has units in many states, it is mainly confined to Kerala and other southern states, they feel.

Owaisi cant make any impact in other southern states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu where the community is more focused and socially developed. In the last two-three decades, the community gave much importance to education so unlike north India, its members cant be swayed easily on emotional issues, said Ashraf Kadakkal, an Islamic historian and author.

However, even as IUML was apprehensive of MIMs possible foray, the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party said it had no plans to enter the southern state. While Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi could not be reached, a party leader who did not want to be identified said the MIM had no plans to contest elections in Kerala.

Right from the beginning, Owaisi saab has been making it clear that the party wont foray into at least three states - Kerala, Assam and Kashmir. We have been standing by it. Our party doesnt have any base in Kerala and so theres no chance of us contesting the elections, the MIM leader said.
Kajol On Tribhanga: "I Am Very Excited For The Audience To See This Film And Hope It Will Resonate With People Of All Ages"

Actor Renuka Shahane, who is looking forward to the release of her film "Tribhanga: Tedhi Medhi Crazy", on Monday said the Netflix film explores dysfunctional family dynamics through three "fascinating" women of different generations and personalities. The film, which derives its title from an Odissi dance pose, is described as a heartwarming storyline that looks at the importance of family in everyday lives. Also written by Shahane, the film stars Tanvi Azmi as matriarch Nayan, a critically acclaimed Marathi litterateur; Kajol as her daughter Anu, a renowned classical dancer and actor; and granddaughter Masha played by Mithila Palkar.

Shahane, a well-known face in both cinema and television, said the beautiful yet asymmetrical Tribhanga dance pose has been used as a metaphor to represent the women in this film "who have their own quirks and idiosyncrasies, and yet are fascinating, beautiful and vibrant".

"I believe that women who make unconventional life choices and women with a wide range of personalities need to be represented in films. The idea for this film came from my experience of meeting someone who had a very acrimonious relationship with her mother, unlike my relationship with mine," the actor-director said in a statement. "I wanted to capture the dysfunctional family dynamics when the core, the relationship with the mother, is shaky and unstable. I added three different generations to better reflect the intergenerational perspective in looking at the same event in three different ways," she added.

Kajol, who is making her digital debut with the film, said "Tribhanga" is a celebration of women and all their beautiful imperfections. "We need to embrace these imperfections and live on our own terms, just the way Nayan, Anu, and Masha do in this film. My character is outspoken and opinionated much like how the audience knows me, yet is completely different. As a mother I can vouch that there are challenges that women face daily as the smallest of things we do affect our children. Motherhood is a minefield of emotions captured extremely well by Renuka. I am very excited for the audience to see this film and hope it will resonate with people of all ages," she added.

Azmi said her character Nayan might be the oldest in the family, but her ideals are not. "... she is constantly challenging the normal, ahead of its time. In essence, 'Tribhanga' showcases the twisted journeys of three women who are related but could not be more different. Renuka has beautifully and sensitively captured the intergenerational family dynamics and their struggles."

Though she is the youngest, Palkar said, her character Masha is the "calming force among the three women". "It has been such an enriching experience being a part of this film and working alongside stalwarts like Tanvi ma'am, Kajol ma'am and Renuka tai. 'Tribhanga' beautifully encapsulates the unconventional life choices of three women and how they deal with every situation that comes their way," she added.

The family drama also stars Kunaal Roy Kapur, Kanwaljeet Singh, Manav Gohil and Vaibhav Tatwawaadi. Backed by Kajol's husband, actor-producer Ajay Devgn, in collaboration with Bannijay Asia and Siddharth P Malhotra's Alchemy Films, "Tribhanga" is slated to start streaming from January 15.
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A group of anti-mask protesters temporarily shuttered a Trader Joe's in Fresno.

Although scientific evidence  and guidance from local, state and federal officials  support the importance of mask-wearing to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, "Burn the Mask" protesters blocked the entrance of the grocery store on Saturday afternoon. As a result, the store chose to close early. It was not closed by police, as some on social media erroneously claimed.

Video posted to social media shows one protester reading a prepared list of reasons why Trader Joe's, a private business, must serve him despite his refusal to wear a mask. As he argues close up and maskless with a masked Trader Joe's employee, he's cheered on by a group of supporters, many filming on their phones. The protesters then begin writing down the names of the employees based on their name tags. The man claims they will be "legally prosecuted" for barring them from entering the store, to which an employee says, "Alright" as he closes the door on them.

The man cites the 1964 Civil Rights Act as evidence he is being discriminated against, a common talking point for anti-maskers. Title II of the act reads: "All persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation, as defined in this section, without discrimination or segregation on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin."

Requiring a mask during a global health crisis does not violate any part of this act, most legal experts say, as the mask mandate applies to all people universally rather than targeting specific individuals.

Despite frequent claims by anti-maskers that mask-wearing violates their civil liberties, there is little constitutional basis for this. Mask mandates likely do not violate the First Amendment because wearing a mask does not inhibit one's ability to freely express themselves. In addition, private companies are allowed to enforce myriad rules, such as the requirement to wear shoes or shirts, to enter their stores. And courts have ruled as recently as last year that individuals do not have the right to ignore public health requirements.

A suit filed in Florida last year claiming the mask mandate inhibits "personal liberty and constitutional rights" was roundly shot down by a judge.

"No constitutional right is infringed by the Mask Ordinances mandate  and that the requirement to wear such a covering has a clear rational basis based on the protection of public health," the court ruled.

"Constitutional rights and the ideals of limited government do not  allow (citizens) to wholly shirk their social obligation to their fellow Americans or to society as a whole," it added. " After all, we do not have a constitutional right to infect others."

The lead protester can be seen on video saying he intends to file suit with the Department of Justice against the Fresno Trader Joe's, and he asks "witnesses" to help him.

"We're also filing a notice against the other guy, I don't know his last name," he says in reference to an employee who spoke to him earlier.

The Fresno Police Department confirmed to the Fresno Bee that police did respond to reports of a disturbance but no arrests were made.
For Bay of Plenty tourist attraction Te Puia, the need to keep innovating in 2021 has never been more important.

In 2020, international tourism was hammered by the impacts of COVID-19.

For Te Puia, that meant the loss of the international tourism market, which made up the majority of their business.

Now reliant on the domestic tourism market, Te Puia has changed their focus to better appeal to Kiwis and as of January 5, officially launches a new tourist experience that will see it open its doors for a brand-new night experience.

Geyser By Night - Te Puia Light Trails is a new encounter being offered by Te Puia, revealing Rotoruas geothermal wonderland under night skies as part of a multi-sensory adventure that cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world.

Te Puia CEO Tim Cossar says 2020 had brought some hurdles for the tourism industry, especially with the loss of the international tourism market, but it was important to have something to look forward to in 2021.

Te Puia is positive about the future and we believe Geyser by Night - Te Puia Light Trails provides a unique experience that New Zealanders will want to be part of."

Tim says the idea for Geyser by Night - Te Puia Light Trails came about due to a need for even more innovative late-night experiences to be available in Rotorua.

Geyser by Night - Te Puia Light Trails is an experience that can not be offered anywhere else in the world, making it ideal for date night or for an even bigger or special surprise milestone to remember.

Te Puia, which spans 70 hectares within Te Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley, is an iconic tourist attraction that has brought the world to Rotorua and New Zealand through its mud pools, hot springs, silica formations and the largest erupting geyser in the Southern Hemisphere Pohutu.

It's also home to the native kiwi bird and the national schools of Maori wood carving, weaving, stone and bone carving.

For more than 100 years these taonga (treasures) have been shared with visitors but before now, the Geyser by Night - Te Puia Light Trail has never been opened to visitors at night.

Geyser by Night - Te Puia Light Trails will run seven-days a week with two departures every night and will tell the true love story of the valley that only Pohutu and the natural wonders around her have been exposed to.

A guide will help visitors navigate their way through the trail, which will be lit up by the moon, the stars and special lighting that will showcase untouched ground and iridescent pools while also complementing the unique and engaging love stories of the valley.

Along the trail guests will visit Pohutu as she rumbles in the darkness as well as Waikite Geyser, which was once the "crown jewel" of Te Whakarewarewa Valley but hasn't erupted since 1969.

Tim says this trail would bring life and light back to Waikite once again.

Visitors will not only gain access to a part of the valley that has never been opened up to the public at night before, they will also be part of a unique cooking experience that will allow them to enjoy a dessert cooked in a cooking pool and a hot chocolate served under the stars.

We are looking forward to hosting more New Zealanders and sharing our untold love stories from the valley as well as our love for our geothermal landscape and our Maori culture.

It is a full sensory experience, making it a walk to remember - and having it on your doorstep is something special.

For more information and for bookings, go to www.tepuia.com
A trade pact with 14 other Asian nations. A pledge to join other countries in reducing carbon emissions to fight global warming. Now, an investment agreement with the European Union.

Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, has in recent weeks made deals and pledges that he hopes will position his country as an indispensable global leader, even after its handling of the coronavirus and increased belligerence at home and abroad have damaged its international standing.

In doing so, he has underlined how difficult it will be for President-elect Joe Biden to forge a united front with allies against Chinas authoritarian policies and trade practices, a central focus of the new administrations plan to compete with Beijing and check its rising power. The image of Xi joining Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, President Emmanuel Macron of France and other European leaders in a conference call Wednesday to seal the deal with the European Union also amounted to a stinging rebuke of the Trump administrations efforts to isolate Chinas Communist Party state.

The deals show the leverage Xi has because of the strength of the Chinese economy, which is the fastest-growing among major nations as the world continues to struggle with the pandemic.

Noah Barkin, a China expert in Berlin with the Rhodium Group, called the investment agreement in particular a geopolitical coup for China. Chinese companies already enjoyed greater access to European markets  a core complaint in Europe  so they won only modest openings in manufacturing and the growing market for renewable energies. The real achievement for China is diplomatic.

China had to make only modest concessions to overcome increasingly vocal concerns about Chinas harshest policies, including the crackdown on Hong Kong and the mass detentions and forced labor of Uighurs in Xinjiang, the western Chinese region.

China agreed, at least on paper, to loosen many of the restrictions imposed on European companies working in China, open up China to European banks and observe international standards on forced labor. The question is whether the pledges can be enforced.

To Chinas critics, Xis moves have been tactical  even cynical. Yet they have also proved successful to a degree that seemed impossible only a few months ago, when several European countries became more outspoken in opposing China.

It would be wrong to see these Chinese concessions as a significant shift in policy, Barkin said. Over the past year, we have seen the party tighten its grip over the economy, double down on state-owned enterprises and launch a new push for self-reliance. That is the direction of policy that Xi has mapped out, and it would be naive to believe that this deal will change that.

Instead, China has demonstrated once again that it pays little or no diplomatic cost for abuses that violate European values. The Europeans finalized the investment agreement, for example, a day after the European Union publicly criticized the harsh prison sentence handed down to a Chinese lawyer who reported on the initial coronavirus outbreak in the city of Wuhan.

Australia faced a similar trade-off in November when it signed up for the Asian trade pact, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, even as China waged a campaign of economic coercion against the country.

Chinas vast economic and diplomatic influence, especially at this time of global crisis, means that countries feel they have little choice but to engage with it, regardless of their unease over the character of Xis hard-line rule. The Asian trade pact, for example, while limited in scope, covers more of humanity  2.2 billion people  than any previous one.

The values we all cherish in our Sunday sermons must be adhered to if we are not to fall victim to a new systemic rival, said Reinhard Butikofer, a German member of the European Parliament who has spoken out against the European investment agreement with China.

I think the understanding is increasing, he added, but how to respond is not yet clear.

Chinas overtures will not end the anger over its repressive policies, including its documented use of forced labor. They could mollify Chinas critics, though, by using the lure of commercial profit in a country whose economy has rebounded from the pandemic more robustly than others have.

That would also undercut Biden, who already must overcome four years of frustration in Europe over President Donald Trumps go-it-alone approach as he confronts Chinas actions at home and abroad.

I think now is a very good window for us, said Wang Huiyao, president of the Center for China and Globalization, a think tank in Beijing. He said China could serve as a model and as a partner in cooperation, and suggested that Europe could play a moderating role between China and the United States.

Everyone has seen Chinas resilience, its vitality, tenacity and its stability, especially through its fight against the epidemic, he said.

Xi, of course, has not acknowledged that any of Chinas policies have eroded global trust. Nor have officials signaled any reconsideration of its core policies.

The countrys Wolf Warrior diplomacy, named after a pair of jingoistic action movies, shows no sign of relenting. Australia still faces Chinas wrath, as does Canada over the detention of the chief financial officer of Chinese technology giant Huawei at the behest of the United States.

I think they have a selective approach to mending their image, said Minxin Pei, a professor at Claremont McKenna College in California.

Over the long term, it remains to be seen how significantly Chinas pacts and pledges will improve its international image, which plummeted this past year because of its obfuscation over the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan.

A survey by the Pew Research Center in October found that in 14 economically advanced countries, unfavorable attitudes toward China had reached their highest levels in more than a decade. A median of 78% of those surveyed said they had little or no confidence that Xi would do the right thing in world affairs. (One upside for Xi: 89% felt the same way about Trump.)

Chinas economic recovery has nonetheless given Xi a diplomatic opening, and he has seized it. Xis pledges to accelerate Chinas reduction of carbon emissions, which he began making in September, have won international plaudits, even if the government has yet to detail how it will wean itself from coal and other heavily polluting industries.

Around the same time, Xi showed renewed interest in wrapping up discussions for the European investment agreement, which had been dragging on for seven years. Only months before, a deal seemed all but dead amid rising animosity toward China in Europe. Real differences exist, and we wont paper over them, Charles Michel, president of the European Council, said in September.

A breakthrough came after the U.S. presidential election. Trump showed disdain for Americas traditional allies in Europe and Asia, but Biden has pledged to galvanize a coalition to confront the economic, diplomatic and military challenges that China poses.

China clearly foresaw the potential threat.

Only two weeks after the election, China joined the 14 other Asian nations in signing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. In early December, after phone calls with Merkel and Macron, Xi pushed to finish the investment agreement with the Europeans.

The prospect raised alarm, both in Europe and in the United States. Bidens incoming national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, took to Twitter to hint strongly that Europe should first wait for consultations with the new administration  to no avail.

Critics said the deal would bind Europes economy even more closely with Chinas, helping Beijing expand its economic might and deflect external pressure to open up its party-state-driven economy.

They said the agreement failed to do enough to address Chinas abuses of human rights, including labor rights. The promise that negotiators extracted from China on that issue  to make continued and sustained efforts to ratify two international conventions on forced labor  assumes China will act in good faith. China, critics were quick to point out, has not kept all the promises it made when it joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.

The investment agreement must be ratified by the European Parliament before it can take effect, and it faces signification opposition that could derail it. For now, Chinese officials have celebrated a deal that Xi called balanced, high-standard and mutually beneficial.

The Chinese leadership is concerned about a trans-Atlantic front, a multinational front, against it, and it is willing to make, I think, tactical concessions to bring the Europeans on board, Barkin of the Rhodium Group said. Theyve been very smart about this.

By Steven Lee Myers. Claire Fu contributed research.

c.2021 The New York Times Company
President Trump, in an hourlong telephone call with Georgias Republican secretary of state, repeated a number of false and misleading claims about election results in the state that have been circulating on social media. Heres a fact check.

What Mr. Trump Said

Then it was stuffed with votes. They werent in an official voter box, they were in what looked to be suitcases or trunks, suitcases but they werent in voter boxes. The minimum number it could be because we watched it and they watched it certified in slow motion instant replay if you can believe it, but it had slow motion and it was magnified many times over, and the minimum it was 18,000 ballots, all for Biden.

False. Mr. Trump was most likely referring to debunked claims that a water leak at a vote counting location in Fulton County forced an evacuation and made it possible for trunks full of ballots to be rolled in. Election officials have said and surveillance videos show that this did not happen.

A water leak caused a delay for about two hours in vote counting at the State Farm Arena, but no ballots or equipment were damaged. Georgias chief election investigator, Frances Watson, testified that a review of the entire security footage revealed that there were no mystery ballots that were brought in from an unknown location and hidden under tables.
US-supported airstrikes against the Taliban in southeastern Afghanistan violate the Doha peace deal and will lead to a response, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Monday

KABUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th January, 2021) US-supported airstrikes against the Taliban in southeastern Afghanistan violate the Doha peace deal and will lead to a response, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Monday.

Earlier in the day, airstrikes in the eastern province of Nangarhar left 13 Taliban killed, including a leader figure who was recently released as part of a US-brokered deal between the radical group and the Afghan government.

"American forces have carried out repeated airstrikes against the Mujahidin of Islamic Emirate in Nangarhar and Helmand provinces over the past few days, and operations have also been launched by domestic forces in Kandahar province's Arghandab district which is receiving American air support," Mujahid said in a statement.

According to the spokesman, the airstrikes were conducted in non-military zones.

He also cited US Secretary Mike Pompeo as acknowledging that no attacks had been carried out against US forces after the signing of the agreement.

"The Islamic Emirate again warns that if airstrikes and operations in Kandahar are not immediately halted or if airstrikes and operations continue against Mujahideen in violation of the agreement annexes, the Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate will be forced to respond seriously and all responsibility shall fall squarely on American shoulders," the statement read.

Last February, the Taliban and the Afghan government reached a landmark agreement, mediated by the United States in the Qatari capital of Doha, paving the way for peace talks. Among other things, the deal committed the Taliban to reducing violence and releasing 1,000 captive government affiliates, while Kabul committed to releasing 5,000 Taliban prisoners.
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Boris Johnson's expected new national lockdown for England is likely to send the cost of the furlough scheme through the 50billion barrier.

Official figures showed that the job retention scheme (JRS) reached 46.4billion before Christmas.

The HMRC statistics show there was a sharp upturn in payouts following November's lockdown and December's ratcheting up of restrictions in the South East and London.

It means that another four-week closure of England's businesses - which is already happening in Scotland - will push the figure past the landmark number.

It is likely to reignite concern about the impact of the ongoing pandemic on the economy - and the lives of everyday Britons.

It came as union leaders demanded that parents be paid to stay at home while schools are closed.

Boris Johnson is set to unveil a brutal new national lockdown tonight in a desperate bid to keep the mutant coronavirus at bay while vaccines are rolled out - after the UK racked up another record high cases.

The PM is set to make a televised statement on the 'next steps' in the crisis at 8pm, with Parliament being recalled on Wednesday.

MailOnline understands England is facing blanket restrictions similar to those imposed during the first lockdown last spring, with fears they will have to last for months until the most vulnerable get jabs.

Schools are set to be shut to all but vulnerable children and the offspring of key workers, but outdoor exercise will still be allowed.

The PM is set to make a televised statement on the 'next steps' in the crisis at 8pm, with Parliament being recalled on Wednesday

How much does the furlough scheme cost? The Treasury estimates costs of a billion pounds a month for every million workers on the furlough scheme. The Bank of England has said it expects 5.5million people to be furloughed, suggesting a bill of approximately 5.5billion a month. The Resolution Foundation think-tank says the monthly cost could be even higher at 6.2billion a month. Advertisement

Employers can help workers through the crisis and give them a financial lifeline by offering them furlough, the TUC said.

And self-employed working parents should have automatic access to the self-employed income support scheme, otherwise they could find themselves falling into serious financial difficulty and debt.

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: 'The health and safety of school staff, children and parents and the wider community must come first. This Government has failed to keep school staff safe in their workplaces.

'With many schools closed, many families will be frantically trying to find a way to balance their work and childcare commitments.

'Without further action, many will have no choice but to cut their hours or take unpaid leave from work. This will lead to further hardship and will hit mums and single parents hardest.

'Employers must do the right thing and furlough mums and dads who can't work because of childcare responsibilities. And the Government should give all parents the right to work flexibly plus 10 days' paid parental leave each year.'

A Government spokesman said: 'We encourage both employers and employees to be as flexible as possible during this difficult time, to support colleagues with childcare responsibilities.

'That includes providing flexible working and home-working arrangements, as well as considering requests from parents to be furloughed, which is at the employer's discretion.'

Mr Sunak dramatically extended the furlough scheme in November, buyt only to the end of March.

Last month he updated it and said the huge bailout will now continue until the end of April to give businesses 'certainty', while firms will be able to access emergency loans until the end of March.

Workers are able to get furlough at 80 per cent of their usual wages, up to a ceiling of 2,500 a month, with employers only having to contribute national insurance and pension costs.

Grants for the self-employed will be paid at 80 per cent of average previous profits for November to January, rather than 40 per cent.

Figures released before Christmas showed that the UK economy grew by 16 per cent between July and September after coronavirus lockdown rules were eased - but GDP was still almost nine per cent below where it was at the end of 2019.

The 16 per cent increase in the third quarter of the year represents the largest quarterly expansion in the UK economy ever recorded by the Office for National Statistics since records began in 1955.

The latest ONS data reveals there was a cumulative fall in GDP in the first half of 2020 of 21.2 per cent as the national shutdown from March hammered UK PLC.

The British economy shrunk by three per cent in the first quarter between January and March as the nation felt the first effects of the pandemic before then plummeting by 18.8 per cent in the second quarter as draconian curbs hit hard.

Despite the massive bounce back in the third quarter, the ONS said that UK GDP was still 8.6 per cent below where it was before the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Government borrowing remains at record levels as the UK's national debt continues to climb above 2trillion, with debt now at its highest level since 1962.
Enablers are among the main reasons why it is extremely hard to fight sexual harassment. It is these enablers who play a major role in creating a culture where sexual harassment is normalised and where it is extremely easy for the perpetrator to continue his behaviour unchecked.

In September 2020, we came across the shocking news of two senior gurus of Bhopals Dhrupad Sansthan being accused of sexual harassment by a group of students. Two years ago, the #MeToo movement had disrupted the normally serene musical existence of the sabhas in Chennai. Now, sexual harassment charges [in the classical arts sphere] have travelled north.

On 15 December, a complaint of sexual harassment was registered at the Chanakyapuri Police Station against a guru from the prestigious Kathak Kendra, the National Institute of Kathak Dance. The police arrested the accused the very next day. While the director of the Kathak Kendra claimed that the police acted before he could, the Kendras parent body  the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the National Academy of Performing Arts  has stayed silent on these developments.

Students the world over aspire to join the Kathak Kendra  the Bolshoi of Kathak  and be trained by its renowned gurus. While internally there have been whispers of all not being well at the Kendra, thanks to the grip of patriarchy and a culture of silence, no one has raised their voice, let alone pressed charges. Dancers bodies are expected to be docile and pliant, and most live up to those expectations. A conservatory type scenario expects increased docility as they have to produce efficiency, normalisation and standardisation of dance aesthetics. Those who were unable to stay silent, for any reason, including when sexually intimidated or harassed, may well have been shown the door.

The complainant in this most recent case is a 23-year-old student, who is aware of her rights and willing to assert them. However, it could not have been easy to call out the alleged perpetrator  her pakhawaj guru at the Kendra, where she has been a student for 11 years. At the Kendra, dancers learn and are tested on allied arts as well. The complainant had been training under this particular guru for two years. The allegations against him range from offensive acts like unwanted touch to egregious sexual misconduct, involving sexual assault.

I spoke with Asiya Shervani, an interpersonal ethics advisor, who has extensive experience in organisational culture, policies and practices, specifically prevention and remediation of sexual and gender-based misconduct. She highlighted the long-term adverse impact of what we have normalised as low-grade indignities and everyday sexism that a woman is expected to take in her stride. Women who are exposed to such behaviour, especially from a person in authority whom they are expected to trust or obey, are likely to develop low self-esteem physical ailments like sleep disorders, panic attacks and/or psychological disorders like PTSD, depression, anxiety and chronic stress, noted Shervani.

Read on Firstpost: Thoughts on a conversation on sexual harassment in the arts, and making sense of traumas buried in the past

When the complainant informed the director of the Kendra about the alleged misconduct, he said he was unavailable to meet her. This response seems surprising since this alleged harassment had happened on government property, at a government-run institute of which he is in charge. The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 is a strong law enacted after long deliberations in Parliament. What then were the director thoughts? In any case, the complainant still sent him an email informing him of what had transpired, and then went to the police. As mentioned previously, when the guru was arrested, the director said it was before he had a chance to act.

The chance for directors to act, according to the law, is not after a complaint has come in, but way before. Shervani, who advises boards and the senior management of several institutions (governmental and non-governmental), associations, collectives and organisations (for profit and not-for-profit), observed that management and heads of learning centers are responsible for creating a psychologically safe environment for all, especially students. It is their job to take all possible reasonable steps to remove conditions which make power-play, sexism, sexual and gender-based harassment possible. They are responsible for ensuring that they take preventive measures and eradicate mindsets and behaviours, which are abusive, regressive, feudal and patriarchal.

The Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act places the accountability unambiguously on managements and employers. They should be taking action before sexual harassment happens, and if despite their sincere, genuine and continuous preventive work, sexual harassment is still reported, they are liable to take immediate and appropriate action, which would mean that the internal committee must conduct a thorough and detailed investigation, added Shervani. When are these committees to be formed? I asked. These committees should have been formed in 2013, when the new law was enacted! she said. [The committees] should be fully trained and functional and ready to conduct an investigation as and when needed.

Its honourable that the director has said he will cooperate with the police (which, as per law, he is duty-bound to do). However, it has to be pointed out that by not having a trained internal committee in place, and by not creating awareness about sexual harassment and its various forms, and by not putting in place a credible, trained prevention and redressal committee, the director of Kathak Kendra as well as the directors/head of institutions of other such art centers have failed in fulfilling their legal responsibilities.

Talking about institutional failures, one is compelled to ask how the Kathak Kendra views its two responsibilities of prevention on the one hand, and redressal on the other. We know from reports about the Dhrupad Sansthan case that the internal committee was set up post facto and flouted rules. The committees should be fully functional whether or not there is a complaint. They should not be formed after a complaint is made. How can a committee formed in a hurry, without following the rules laid down by law, be expected to provide any justice? The presiding officer of the committee has to be a senior woman from the organisation and it is mandatory to have an external third party member, a practitioner in organisational sexual harassment. Asiya Shervani, who fulfils this role in many institutions, explains that the committee needs to be trained on not only investigation procedures, but psychological, ethical and sociological aspects that need to be considered when analysing a sexual harassment complaint. The best organisations are investing time and effort in deep work.

Even unstructured, geographically dispersed and temporary organisations such as film festivals, events, art exhibitions and projects reach out to consultants like Shervani for awareness workshops and for help with forming project-based complaint committees which can oversee any complaint and pre-empt/prevent sexual misconduct. Those who are sincere will find ways to comply with the letter and the spirit of the 2013 Act, whereas those who want to find ways to avoid challenging the status quo, will make excuses. Ive come across both kinds of people. Fortunately the youth are aware of their rights and the days of those who make excuses and those who enable sexual misconduct are numbered. #MeToo has given women a vocabulary to describe the specificities of their experiences as well as the confidence to speak their truth, said Shervani.

In just the sketchy details regarding this most recent case that have emerged in the public domain, there is so much which is deeply disturbing and which, to be truthful, we are not hearing for the first time. Sexual Harassment as defined in the 2013 Act as well as IPC (Section 356A) includes not only physical advances but sexual innuendoes, unwanted compliments, demand or requests for sexual favours, showing or disseminating pornography or objectionable images, and pointedly lewd gestures. Do perpetrators absorb anything from the discourse around sexual harassment in the arts? Do they know about all these rules and yet decide to break them because they view themselves as above the law?

Shervani confirmed my thinking that a sense of entitlement and an exaggerated self-importance are traits that are common to many perpetrators in cases she has investigated. She emphasised, however, that there are contextual factors at play as well. Sexual harassment rarely occurs in vacuum. It needs a support system, and enablers  those who turn away, refuse to speak up, and continue supporting perpetrators in targeting victims and retaliating against those who raise their voice.

Enablers are among the main reasons why it is extremely hard to fight sexual harassment. It is these enablers who play a major role in creating a culture where sexual harassment is normalised and where it is extremely easy for the perpetrator to continue his behaviour unchecked. Shervani asserted that all those managements who fail to form redressal/grievance committees, who refuse to organise awareness workshops and deny a safe environment to women and other vulnerable team members, are enablers of sexual harassment. They are the ones who need to be called out. As long as they exist and as long as they continue to have zipped mouths, we cannot get rid of perpetrators. Perpetrators would not survive a day if there were no enablers. I want each survivor to know that its not only the harasser who wronged them  each silent spectator is also a perpetrator.

The complainant in the most recent Kathak Kendra case has shown unusual courage in speaking up. It is important for all those who are stakeholders in the future of our magnificent and unparalleled arts, to stand up with her to offer her the encouragement and support she needs. Its about time that we learn to place the blame where it belongs, Shervani concluded, on the person who harasses, the systems that allow it, people who enable and justify it or turn their face away from it or retaliate and vilify those who decide to address it.

Arshiya Sethi, PhD, is a scholar and commentator on the classical arts. Follow her work on her website.
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Partly cloudy early with thunderstorms becoming likely during the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 88F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm during the evening, then some lingering showers still possible overnight. Low 57F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Fresh community transmission of COVID-19 and a requirement for office workers to wear masks all day at their desks have thrown into doubt next week's planned return of tens of thousands of employees to Melbourne's CBD.

Major employers say they are now taking a cautious approach, and the government is reviewing plans to allow up to 50 per cent of private sector workers back into the office from Monday.

ANZ  which employs about 11,000 people in the city  is reviewing the timing of its plans to bring workers back, amid changing rules about the use of masks and the return of community transmission of coronavirus in Victoria.

The government will review plans to allow up to 50 per cent of private sector office workers to return to the CBD from Monday, but most companies are taking a cautious approach anyway.

Offices in the private sector were set to be able to return to 50 per cent capacity from next week under relaxed restrictions announced by Premier Daniel Andrews last month. At the time, Melbourne lord mayor Sally Capp said the increased caps for offices would provide a "major boost" to the Victorian economy.
Pilot Report is a collection of flying experiences sent by our readers and readopted as article for this website. If you are interested in sharing your memories and stories with us please contact us HERE.

By Roberto Sardo

Back in the 80s and 90s the ItAF flight schools were based on the SIAI 260, as the Initial basic propeller trainer, used for the initial selection of the students and some currency activity (average 40 Hours) during the arch of 3.5 years Academy time. Following, after the Academy, started the Initial jet training with the Aer-Macchi 326 (and Macchi 339 after the year 1981) at the Flight School of Lecce (at the southern tip of Puglia, the heel of Italian peninsula ). The program (some 130 flight hours) included Visual Flight and Aerobatics, 2 and 4 ship Formation, Instrumental flight, Navigation and VFR/IFR Night Flying. With the advent of Macchi 339 CD (mid 90s), this program was implemented with low level navigation, Basic Fighting Maneuvers and Inflight refueling activity, in order to provide the students the full Air Force Pilot wings. Before the nineties, the students that were successful were sent to Amendola AFB (South Eastern Italy, near the spur of the peninsula), where the training followed on the Fiat G-91T. The switch between the easy handling and forgiving Macchi and the swept wing G91 (Gina) was a real trauma. The plane was incredibly sensitive and responsive on the controls, especially on the roll. You could detect the newbies from the waggling take off, aka Ginas rock. After the Initial transition, the program was centered on day and night Visual and Instrumental flight and cross country navigation. Then, aerobatics, 2 and 4 ship formation, including aerobatic formation training. The students that passed the first phase (average 90 hours) were awarded with the Air Force Pilot Wings (Pilota Militare) and divided between Support lines (transport or rotary wing) or Fighters. The latter continued with the Lead In training (pre-operational, about 30 hours) and were instructed in Air to Air combat and Air to Ground attack, Basic Fighting Maneuvers, Low Level Navigation (1,000ft), Tactical formation. At the end the pilots were sent to G91R/Y units, Tornado units (previous the TTTE endorsement at RAF Cottesmore, UK) or to the F104 Operational Conversion Unit located in Grosseto (southern Tuscany). This was the dream of most of the pilots, since the plane was the top performing aircraft, for speed and climb performances.

The tale is centered on one of the many night flying sorties with a 2 ship formation from Amendola AFB. When possible, the instructors, all with a previous experience from operational fighter units, were introducing (when applicable, according with the students performance) a collegiate atmosphere, masked as a grumpy behavior.

Historical note: At Foggia airfield, main city nearby Amendola, in 1918 were flight-trained as many as 700 US Army Air Corp pilots, led by Fiorello La Guardia. These pilots, named I Foggiani, flew the Caproni bombers side by side with the Italian pilots during the last months of WW1.

Amendola AB was enlarged in Dec 1943 by the engineers of the 15th AF in order to host two B17s Heavy Bomber Groups (97th and 2nd BG) during the last two years of WW2.

Beyond Amendola, in the time span Dec 1943  May 1945, the Foggia province plains hosted as many as 15 combat airfields, most of them were temporary wartime facilities, quickly constructed with pierced-steel planking (PSP) runways and parking areas, with tents used for personnel quarters and a few wooden buildings used for operations.

Max, this is the advanced training, these kids will go to the squadrons from here, what we miss to teach them could soon kill them. I was talking with the sad memory of the many funerals of friends and colleagues who died in accidents when we were at the Wing He wasnt convinced, until finally he came back from the first instructional flight. In the equipment room of the building we saw returning in order: the helmet, flying across the room; the gloves, the kneepad and a chorus of unpublished blasphemies, which aroused the attention of all those present, followed by Max himself. I took him aside, while he was still raving this bastard, this criminal, this beast Max, who the hell are you mad at? The student  he wanted to kill me  you cant understand that he made it up  but this one is crazy! Max, werent you the one with the understanding ? Whats that got to do with it, but this one is suicidal ! He was 20 knots below speed, in base turn, and ripped on the controls  stuff that would kill us both ! So began the journey for my friend Max as a flight instructor

A short time later, as the training course progresses, a new cycle of night flights begins, which rekindles the poetry of soaring above black carpets, quilted with lights as far as the eye can see, under a cloak of stars. Max and I are in the same flight and, after an accurate briefing to the students on the instrumental departure, on the night formation and on the emergency procedures, we start the preparation in the equipment room, with the addition of signal flashlights to the normal equipment. In the shuttle van the lights are kept dimmed, as well as we avoid fixing intense light sources, which could limit the adaptation of the eyes to night vision.

A greeting in front of the aircraft, getting out of the vehicle, reminding the radio channel 14 with the tower for the initial check in. The crew chief is waiting for us, who is following us in the dim light of the torch. The flight line lay behind us in the half-light, while the first planes are starting, with the red anti-collision and the green and red lights flashing on the wing tips. We get on board and I tie myself automatically, while the ground crew helps the student, in the front seat, with the light of his torch. As soon as the battery spreads the electrons along the wires, the panel comes alive with soft red lights and the Interphone carries the voices directly into the helmet. With the ignition sequence, the G-91 quickly becomes a purring cat in the parking lot.

Radio check, last checks, ready to taxi. Other crews arrive at the next aircraft, ready to begin their controls. Free to the right, free to the left, throttle, left brake, and with a 90 generous turn the 91 starts swinging towards the taxiway, marked by electric purple lights. Theres no nosewheel steering, so the direction is maintained with an accurate brake action. Maintaining the taxiing distance of two taxiway lights, we can see just in front of us the white tail light and the fractional luminescence of the turbine, which contains the flame of the combustion chambers. We arrive at the holding point. Engine test, Viola Lead, canopy locked, line up. Two locked and we enter the runway. In front of us stretch the converging runway-edge lights. Max takes the left, we take the right wing position. The leader switches off the red anti-collision and dims the intensity of the position lights. Engine up, controls as required.

Through the reflection of the runway lights on the Plexiglas, I see Maxs head suddenly bow forward and the nose of his plane rise up and snap forward, under the 5,000 lbs thrust of the Bristol Orpheus. The short gap closes immediately and the good student regains his position, next to the green light. In a moment the leaders nose rises and I can feel ours following in parallel. The left hand is resting at the base of the throttle, to perceive every movement and to be ready to intervene, as the right hand remains open, near and around the stick grip, without interfering, but ready to correct any errors the formation flight does not allow many margins of error and you cannot be distracted for an instant. The aircraft is full of fuel, including the sub-wing tanks, so it is a bit inert to the engine, maintaining the characteristic nervous reaction on the three axes. In a moment we see the doors of the Leaders landing gear open and, without removing the hand from the throttle, with the tip of my index finger I can feel the landing gear lever rising. Then, with the back of the little finger I feel the flaps lever moving forward, and the controls are repeated by voice by the trainee.

All right, we havent lost our position Checking the ADF, Max has correctly intercepted the radial 290, climbing outbound along the runway centerline. We maintain 300 kts, the oscillations around the reference points are within limits, the student is first-class and has mastered the formation techniques. I start joking, to break the tension, taking back the nickname monkey that I had given him since the first flights, claiming that if he could take off solo, even monkeys could have learned to fly! Well done, monkey, hold tight this position The pupil, according to a well-established lug, replied back with a Whuo-whuo imitating the language of gorillas We cross the 5,000 feet, the black carpet stretches as far as the eye can see and joins the sky, in a single dark vault The ascent continues smoothly, when I hear an increase in wind noise on the canopy structure a glance at the instruments and I notice that the VVI (variometer) speed has decreased quite a lot, while the anemometer indicated airspeed is increasing 380400420 Kts.. What the is he up to? Monkey, bite the wing, lets see what theyre making up

Suddenly Max wingtip starts to rise sharply and, to hold the position, I feel the control bar receding and the pressure of the Gs increasing on my butt. No he cant do that Monkey give a full throttle, step positive on his wing the black silhouette of the 91, drawn against the ground lights, has gained a very steep attitude, the variometer is full scale climbing, at 6000 ft/min, the altimeter is winding rapidly, passing over 12,000 and the anemometer has lost its boldness and is descending rapidly if it had to be a barrel roll, he should have started rotating already, if it had to be a whifferdill, he should have started tilting already, so The anemometer is rapidly dropping below 200 and were not yet at the peak NO not a loop, please! Were fueled up like cows Dont touch anything! Whoah.! The anemometers dropping below 100 Now, lets go ballistic hold on tight!

Have you ever felt the sensation of being at zero speed, upside down, at night, close to another plane in the same conditions, with the controls completely inert? No? Well, too bad, its a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Max, diverge to the left if you can. Im keeping a line of diverging rudder to the right, I guess Max is doing the same on the other side, because the trajectories are starting to separate a little bit the engine is humming smoothly, the instruments are not hesitating, the aerodynamic noise for an instant is magically silent as the belts cling to our shoulders for a moment and the dust from the floor flies to our faces, the nose plunges abruptly into the black and the lights that shine above the transparent roof, above our heads, suddenly start flowing down through the windscreen The anemometer comes back to life and the speed slowly increases again the noise of the air starts to rumble again, the controls start to bite the air and Monkey youre lucky its yours, bite the wing! Donato, thats the students name, immediately resumes his position, while the nose plunges plumb into black and the only reference is again the tip of the leaders wing with the speed quickly exceeding 300 350 400 the Gs start squeezing on the seat, the 91 gets nervous at the controls and every tiny movement of the stick has to be dosed accurately finally we close the loop, 480 Kts and the nose pointing slightly up again, to resume the standard instrumental climb With relief we reach the assigned flight level, and start the navigation after about twenty minutes the leader calls the change of position. Monkey, switch the Anticollision off and set the lights on dim-steady.

.. Now Ill take the controls, we complete the tour around Amendolas CTR. After having called the wingman a couple of transformations to the left and right, I ask for a zone to go down visual I start a wide whifferdill, checking the mirror out of the corner of my eye, in order to make sure that the other pupil is not to be outdone and does not start a dance I finish the soft whifferdill, continue the rotation and start a very wide barrel roll In the Indian ink black the lights start to rotate around the glass dome the front seat shields my view at 12 oclock, thus I adjust myself on the seat, for looking through the side windows of the windshield, which deform the images and create a series of reflections dancing on the Plexiglas I finish the roll, with the pupil still holding steady his position Monkey, if you dont f**k up before the end of the course, you two end up as fighter pilots Whooh. I call the air brakes, after one second, I move the cursor back on top of the throttle, and the air seems to get rough, and the feeling of deceleration makes us lean on the seat belts. The No.2 makes a small bump, but stays in position. Very good. We perform the visual entry into the landing pattern, initial position, 3 break, the runway lights draw a long rectangle, 1700 feet below us. After the split up, in the downwind portion, the runway disappears and we can only guess the taxiways and spot the airport visual beacon with its white and green flashes. Next to it, theres the runway head, flaps down, landing gear, keep flying still straight, then into the base turn, check speed, gear and flaps check, slope, speed Viola No. 1 on base, gear locked, touch and go for close pattern

Monkey do it right, I cant see shit from behind! One of my first night flights in the back seat, performing a no flaps, which foresees a path much flatter than normal, I had urged the trainee to power up and stay higher in the glide slope, as we were exaggeratedly low, but  the evil one had taken me by surprise, reducing the power to idle. Not even my prompt reaction on throttle and stick had prevented the plane from sinking, just enough to lick the ground with a wheel, 100 m before the beginning of the asphalt, skimming one of the lights of the pine tree no damages, but it could have been a big trouble Monkey does it right, and after a couple of touch-and-gos, we go for a full stop. Max doesnt mention the wicked maneuver at the de-briefing, nor do I bring it up in front of the students. Soon later, at the Club, I walk up to him and Bobe I almost crapped my pants

Eh.. Max, did you realize now, that 91 can be a family man we were full loaded with fuel what the f**k are you making up? Either you pull it all the way to the top, or you just lose your energy and find yourself hanging on a ballistic curve In a formation its not the best! From that great pilot he learned his lesson and with the G-91 he didnt mess a loop anymore

On the other hand, an insane idea flashed through our heads After a chat with one of our senior radar controller, we came up with a prank to wake up the young radar controllers one of the night training procedures requires, instead of a visual recovery, the approach assisted by the base radar. To do this, the operator provides instructions to align the aircraft (or the formation) on the runway centerline at around 20 miles and, during the approach, provides all instructions for the checks (undercarriage and flaps, start descent). Once the parameters and trajectories are stabilized, the controller will guide the aircraft with the radar along an ideal path, providing the headings and glide path instructions by radio to bring the wheels into contact with the runway.

In the first phase of alignment, between 20 and 10 miles, pilots must stabilize altitude and speed parameters to be ready for the final phase. And right here, on the Margherita di Savoia salt marshes, we arrived well aligned with the track at 2000 altitude but, instead of the expected 190 Kts, at 480! As soon as the rookie controller, worried about the incredible speed of the traces, started warning to reduce the speed, we pulled the stick for a loop On the radar screen, with its two-dimensional presentation (and at the time with no altitude indication), the traces suddenly slowed down, and then, in our upside down position, suddenly reversed their direction, almost as if the planes had shifted backwards Such maneuvers are only possible to a UFO! In the descending phase, the air brake was opened, so that in the inbound track the airspeed was slowed down in order to perform the gear checks!! Viola, youre lined up, keep heading 295. Would you check your speed? Amendola, Viola, 195 Kts stabilized we lied shamelessly Viola, I see your traces approaching very fast, check again your speed  At this point we pulled the sticks and the looping started Viola, your traces have stopped, check again your speed! The controllers voice was at this point really frantic and we, as real bastards, insisted: Amendola, we see a bright object next to us, moving in circular trajectories The controller went from agitated to panic: Viola, confirm sighting of unidentified object? Yes Amendola, we do confirm red flashing lights ahhh! wait a minute, lets proceed with the identification and after a moment of terrifying silence: Amendola, Viola, we have recognized the unidentified object as the wingman, who doesnt hold his position tight The rest of the procedure was with laughing tears in the eyes, as the old controller buddies too were bent in two, in the radar room of course the UFO was bathed in rivers of sparkling wine at the club, at the end of the flights and at official Unit mess events!

About Brigadier General Roberto Sardo

Roberto Sardo, born Jan 2nd 1958, is a retired Ita AF pilot. Grown up in the province of Treviso (Venice region), at 17 he started flying at the local Aeroclub and following, in 1977, was admitted to attend the Italian Air Force Academy. After graduating as an Air Force pilot as a 2LT, in 1983 he was assigned to the 28th Recce Squadron, on the F 104G Starfighter, based at Villafranca (Verona)AFB. From 1986 through 1989, as a Captain, he was appointed as a Fiat G-91T Flight Instructor at Amendola AFB (south Italy) and then re- assigned to the 28th Sqn on the Recce F 104G, on which he logged about 1,100 hours. Starting from 1993, the Unit was converted on the Italian-brasilian fighter AMX.

After commanding the 28th Squadron, as a Lt.Col, was commanded to the Air Staff in Rome first, then Vicenza Opr Command, where he led the planning and organizing teams for the Air Force main Air Exercises. Until 2005 he was allowed to fly the AMX as a safety /check pilot at his former unit, with a 50% reduced flight time, compared to the full time operational pilots. Pinned as Full Bird Colonel, from 2005 to 2008 assumed the command of Aviano ItAF Base, hosting the USAF 31st FW. Between the responsibilities, he had to smoothen all the legal, political, environmental and standardization problems eventually arising. The effort was partly compensated with some back seat ride on the 555th and 510th F.Squadron F16s.

The next 4 years were spent as Combat Support Branch Head at the NATO Joint Air Power Competence Center in Kalkar (DEU), with the task of enhancing the standardization and interoperability of the NATO Units, concerning the Airlift, Combat SAR/Personal Recovery and Air to Air Refueling capabilities. In 2012 he was re-assigned to the ItAF Air Warfare College in Florence as the Officers Classes Commander, until his retirement in 2015. With the honorary title of B.Gen (as a consolidated tradition in the Italian Armed Forces, the Officers receive a honorary promotion the day before retirement), Roberto Sardo is still enjoying full time flying as a civilian Flight Instructor, glider pilot and owns a STOL Slepcev Storch, replica of the WW2 Fieseler Fi156. He has three grown up kids and from his father inherited two WW2 Willys MB Jeep and other collectible cars.
If Real Madrid could play against Spain's best teams every week, they would be untouchably dominant in LaLiga Santander.

Los Blancos' latest 2-0 win over Celta Vigo at the weekend was just the latest evidence supporting the argument that, as far as Real Madrid are concerned, there's no better fixture than one against a top side.

Having seen off the Galicians, Real Madrid have already played against the other eight sides accompanying them in the top part of the table, taking 20 of the 24 points on offer. Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Barcelona, Granada, Celta, and Real Betis have all been beaten. Only Real Sociedad (0-0) and Villarreal (1-1) managed to avoid defeat.

Their record is unmatched around Europe. In Italy, AC Milan are yet to play Atalanta or Juventus, and they've already drawn against Roma and Hellas Verona.

Of the 36 points they've picked up, 55.55 percent have come against top-half sides, but their problems have come against the lesser teams, namely Cadiz, Alaves and Elche.

Barcelona, meanwhile, have lost against both Real Madrid and Atletico, as well as drawing with Sevilla. Additionally, they've had the same problems as Los Blancos against the smaller teams, losing against Getafe and Cadiz.

Atletico lost against Zinedine Zidane's side and dropped more points against Villarreal.
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Dubai-based Flydubai has announced the restart of flights to Dammam International Airport and Riyadh International Airport in Saudi Arabia, with its Jeddah flights, which are now open for booking, to follow effective February.

The company said the announcement comes in line with the directives issued by all authorities concerned, and urged all travellers to check IATA Travel Centre, which is run by the International Air Transport Association, or its website: flydubai.com, ahead of booking their flights. - TradeArabia News Service


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Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) subsidiary Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL), in a petition filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court today, said Reliance has nothing to do with the three farm laws and in no way benefits from them. The company said that Reliance Retail, Jio Infocomm or any of its affiliate companies have not done any "corporate" or "contract" farming in the past, and have no plans to do so in future.

"Neither Reliance nor any of our subsidiaries has purchased any agricultural land, directly or indirectly, in Punjab or Haryana or anywhere else in India, for the purpose of "corporate" or "contract" farming. We have absolutely no plans to do so," the company said.

The company said the purpose of linking Reliance to these laws is to harm its businesses and reputation. It urged the government to intervene to stop the illegal acts of vandalism of its towers by miscreants.

"These acts of violence have endangered the lives of thousands of its employees and caused damage and disruption to the vital communications infrastructure, sales and service outlets run by its subsidiaries in the two states," the petition stated.

Also read: Attacks on Jio towers continue; association to write another letter to Punjab Police

The company said those who are attacking its properties have been instigated and aided by vested interests and its business rivals. "Taking advantage of the ongoing farmers' agitation, these vested interests have launched an incessant, malicious and motivated vilification campaign against Reliance," the company said.

It said Reliance Retail retails products of all categories, including food grains and staples, fruits and vegetables, apparels, medicines, electronic products of various brands from independent manufacturers and suppliers. "It does not purchase any food grains directly from farmers. It has never entered into long-term procurement contracts to gain unfair advantage over farmers or sought that its suppliers buy from farmers at less than remunerative prices, nor will it ever do so," the company clarified.

The company said it "fully shares and supports the aspiration of Indian farmers to get a fair and profitable price on a predictable basis" for what they produce. "Indeed, we shall insist on our suppliers to strictly abide by the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism, and/or any other mechanism for remunerative price for farm produce, as may be determined and implemented by the government," said RIL.

The company said far from hurting the interests of farmers, Reliance has benefited them and the Indian public at large by building India's largest organised retail business. "Jio's fully 4G network has provided world-class data connectivity to every single village in India at the most affordable rates," the company said, adding that Jio's network has become a lifeline for millions of farmers and others during Covid-19.

Reliance through its petition in the high court has sought punitive and deterrent action against miscreants and "vested interests" to run its businesses smoothly in Punjab and Haryana.

Over 1,500 Jio telecom towers have been damaged in Punjab, which has led to disruption in services in several parts of the state. Power supply to several towers that relay telecom signals was snapped and cables cut in many parts of Punjab. Notably, Jio is facing ire from the protesting farmers as they allege that some portions of the law are believed to be favouring large business groups, particularly Reliance Industries (RIL) and Adani Group. The farmers have been making calls to boycott RIL and Adani Group as a result of this perception.

Also read: COAI condemns attack on Reliance Jio's towers amid farmers' protest in Punjab
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Laws have come into force in a bid to make it harder for killers to get parole if they refuse to reveal where they hid their victim's body.

The Prisoners (Disclosure of Information About Victims) Act 2020, known as Helen's Law, was enacted just after midnight.

Named after insurance clerk Helen McCourt, who vanished on her way home from work in 1988, the law will also apply to paedophiles who refuse to identify those they abused.

Ms McCourt's murderer, Ian Simms, was released last year after serving almost double his 16-year jail sentence.

He has never revealed where he hid her body.

Laws have come into force in a bid to make it harder for killers to get parole if they refuse to reveal where they hid their victim's body. Ian Simms (left, in August 2014), 63, was convicted of murdering 22-year-old Helen McCourt (right) in 1988, he never revealed where he hid her body

Her mother Marie McCourt spent five years calling for the legislation before it finally gained Royal Assent in November after a series of political and constitutional setbacks.

Under the law, killers could still be released if no longer deemed a risk to the public even if they refuse to disclose information. But the Parole Board will be legally required to consider whether they have co-operated with inquiries as part of their assessment.

Human rights laws prevent the UK introducing a 'no body, no parole' rule, which the Government warned may have faced successful legal challenges in the courts.

Her mother Marie McCourt spent five years calling for the legislation before it finally gained Royal Assent in November after a series of political and constitutional setbacks.

The law finally gained royal assent at the end of 2020, but came too late to stop the release of Helen's murderer, Ian Simms, 64, who was released after serving almost double his 16-year sentence

It is hoped the form the legislation has taken will lead to more killers owning up to their crimes, providing answers for grieving families.

In a post on Twitter, the Helen's Law campaign group said: 'After five years of campaigning, three quarters of a million signatures of support, two trips to Downing Street, three visits to Parliament and countless meetings with MPs and ministers, Helen's Law was added to the statute book at 00.01 am today. Thank you for supporting.'

WHAT IS HELEN'S LAW? Marie McCourt has wanted Britain to adopt 'Helen's Law'  legislation which would prevent the release of killers who have hidden the locations of their victims' bodies. She writes on change.org: 'If parole is granted, my hopes of finding my daughter may never be realised. No other family should live this ordeal. I, hereby, petition the Prime Minister Theresa May and Home Secretary Amber Rudd to acknowledge the pain and distress caused to the families of missing murder victims by: Denying parole to murderers for as long as they refuse to disclose the whereabouts of their victim's remains Passing a full life tariff (denying parole or release) until the murderer discloses the location (and enables the recovery) of their victim's remains Automatically applying the following rarely-used common law offences in murder trials without a body*; preventing the burial of a corpse and conspiracy to prevent the burial of a corpse, disposing of a corpse, obstructing a coroner (*as in the case of R v Hunter, 1974 (from Archbold, Criminal Pleading Evidence and Practice 2015)' Advertisement

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland he was 'delighted' Helen's Law had been enacted, adding: 'Marie McCourt and other campaigners can be immensely proud. Thanks to their efforts more families should get the answers and closure they deserve.'

Last month, Parole Board chief executive Martin Jones said that although prisoners will be questioned, and failure to co-operate may not work in their favour, the Parole Board must release them if it is decided they are no longer a risk to the public but he insisted the circumstances would be taken into account 'very carefully' and will 'add weight to our decision-making'.

Mr Buckland said the law sent a 'clear message' that 'those who refuse to disclose information about their victims should expect to face longer in prison'.

Miss McCourt, 22, an insurance clerk, was killed in February 1988 after vanishing on her way home from work.

Pub landlord Simms was arrested on suspicion of Miss McCourts murder within days of her disappearance.

A knotted flex, which contained strands of Miss McCourts hair, was found close to some of her possessions which had been dumped in the River Irwell, 20 miles away.

One of her earrings and traces of her blood were then found in his car boot.

It was later revealed he had made uninvited advances towards her at the George And Dragon pub he ran in Billinge, Merseyside despite being married and also keeping a mistress.

Simms claimed in court that he had been framed, but was convicted at Liverpool Crown Court thanks the overwhelming DNA evidence.

He has always refused to reveal the location of her remains and they have never been found.

Simms was eligible to be considered for release in February 2004, but went on to serve almost double his 16-year jail term.
Study finds that food is the way for women's heart

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34-year-old woman jumps on funeral pyre of father, who died of COVID-19; hospitalised with 70 pc burns

Shiv Sena's Neelam Gorhe bats for woman 'banished' by three gram panchayats for filing rape complaint

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Aurangabad, Jan 04: Maharashtra Legislative Council deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe has written to state ministers Anil Deshmukh and Hasan Mushrif asking them to look into a case where a woman was "banished" by three gram panchayats in Beed district for filing a rape complaint.

The letter, written on January 3 to state home minister Deshmukh and rural development minister Mushrif, said the woman, from Gevrai tehsil in Beed, had been acted against by the gram panchayats of Pachegaon, Vasantnagar Tanda and Jayram Naik Tanda after she complained of rape against four people.

Story of Lisa Montgomery, the only woman on death row in US

The people of these villages had even taken a delegation to the local superintendent of police demanding that the woman''s complaint be ignored.

In the letter, Gorhe has sought that an administrator be appointed for these gram panchayats and an inquiry be set up to find out why the district authorities failed to take action when such a banishment resolution was passed in breach of laws.

Farmer Protest: What did Agricultural minister say on the 7th round of talks|Oneindia News

The senior Shiv Sena leader also demanded that the aggrieved woman be given protection.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, January 4, 2021, 15:31 [IST]
By Lloyd Alaban

San Jose Spotlight

In non-pandemic times, Voyager Cafe in downtown San Jose would be teeming with customers, often workers lined up looking to get their morning coffee or something to go with their lunch.

Not anymore. Revenue is down 40 percent to 50 percent, according to co-owner Sameer Shah.

Voyager's location inside the San Pedro Square Market means it's walking distance from several of the city's biggest employers, including Adobe and San Jose State University, and dozens of office buildings and startups.

But as most of the work in big companies has shifted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so too have the customers.

A new study from the Bay Area Council shows just how much of an effect working from home has on Silicon Valley, and how it's disrupting the service industry, reshaping business districts and disproportionately affecting workers of color.

It also looks at the longterm effects working from home can have if remote work becomes more widespread in the next few decades.

According to the study, Santa Clara County leads the region in jobs eligible to be done from home -- 51 percent. Silicon Valley's tech industry has allowed many workers to seamlessly make the transition from in-office work to working from their kitchen tables.

The study defines jobs that are eligible to work from home as those in the professional service sector, which include in offices, computer-based, financial, education, sales, legal and media, among others, totaling an estimated 1.79 million jobs in the Bay Area.

The shift to virtual work has proved devastating for the service industry, however, an industry that almost exclusively employs essential, in-person workers. These workers are disproportionately Black and Latino and low-income workers who have been hit the hardest by the pandemic.

The study examined 12 cities across the Bay Area and found a permanent shift to remote working could impact 265,000 jobs in other industries.

"The businesses that are relatively dependent on that daytime population -- the small businesses in particular -- will be challenged, even as we get a vaccine and life begins to look normal," said Jeff Bellisario, executive director of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute.

The study shows income is tied to a worker's ability to work from home: The higher one's income, the higher the possibility that one has a job that is eligible to work from home.

The opposite is also true: low-wage jobs, such as servers and minimum wage workers, are less likely to work in remote-eligible jobs and more likely to work in essential businesses.

When COVID-19 health directives urge people to stay home to curb the spread of the virus, that isn't possible for essential workers, who have been disproportionately infected.

Among those employed in the Bay Area in occupations with an average annual income below $40,000, only 6 percent are eligible to work from home, while 76 percent of workers who have an average annual income of over $150,000 are eligible to work from home.

In the Bay Area, 51 percent of the white workforce held jobs that were eligible to work remotely, while only 33 percent of the Black workforce and 30 percent of the Latino workforce were employed in occupations that are able to work remotely.

A long-term shift to remote work could widen the inequality gap in both income and employment, according to the report. For example, lower- and middle-income workers would be forced to pay for transportation -- either through public transit or a car -- while higher-income workers can work from home, greatly reducing their personal transportation costs.

Even with a massive shift to remote work, tech giant Google recently walked back its promise to allow its employees to work from home permanently, possibly opening the door to some returns to normal days for surrounding businesses.

The company also still is pushing forward with its 80-acre megacampus around San Jose's Diridon Station, though it's slated to not have as big an impact on the city's jobs-to-housing imbalance as some have hoped.

"I don't think that everyone's going to get up and move away to Boise or Montana or Texas. There are still going to be people living in the (Silicon Valley) region," said Bellisario. "We're still going to have a housing affordability challenge. And I think those companies that are most interested in affordable housing are also the ones that want to ensure that at least some of their workforce can live close to where they work, even if there is a remote work environment going forward."

But the damage and potential recovery of downtown centers and small businesses, local experts say, can't be fully measured until cities have fully reopened after the pandemic.

"Until we emerge out of workplace use restrictions, we won't be able to fully understand any long- or short-term impacts on how corporations make use of their spaces, or how any change in office use impacts housing, transportation or retail," said Chris Burton, San Jose's deputy director of business and economic development.

"Office-based employers have a lot more flexibility coming out of the shelter in place, but San Jose is fortunate to have a significant employer base in research and development and in manufacturing," he added. "These more capital-intensive facilities are less flexible and will continue to represent an important base for our local economy."

While the study paints a grim picture for the service industry, Bellisario said the longterm impacts of working from home are still speculative.

Shah, who opened another Voyager location in Santa Clara in April, said he hopes at least some of the day business in downtown will come back once the COVID-19 vaccine is more widespread.

Meanwhile, like many businesses, Voyager has cut hours, but Shah hasn't needed to cut staff. He said he's learned the skill every business owner needs to survive in the pandemic: adapting and not cutting corners -- even at the expense of the pandemic.

Contact Lloyd Alaban at lloyd.b.alaban@gmail.com or follow @lloydalaban on Twitter.

Copyright  2021 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
The emergence of an audio recording of President Trump pressuring the Georgia secretary of state to overturn the results of the election is a harrowing moment in the history of our democracy. And though the number of his days in office is dwindling, the only appropriate response is to impeach Mr. Trump. Again.

Whether he acknowledges it or not, President Trump is leaving the White House on Jan. 20  but right now, there is nothing stopping him from running in 2024. That is a terrifying prospect, because the way he has conducted himself over the past two months, wielding the power of the presidency to try to steal another term in office, has threatened one of our republics most essential traditions: the peaceful transfer of power.

Fortunately, our founders anticipated we would face a moment like this, which is one reason Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution entrusts Congress with the power not only to remove a president but also to prevent him or her from ever holding elected office again. Mr. Trumps conduct over the past two months has left our legislators with no choice but to use it. That impeachment inquiry would take time, far more than Mr. Trump has left in office. But it would be well worth it.

Since the election was called in favor of President-elect Joe Biden, Mr. Trump has been relentlessly fomenting doubts about its legitimacy  even as many federal and state courts, including ones whose judges were appointed by Mr. Trump himself, have ruled against his claims. He has reportedly inquired about the idea of enlisting the help of the military to keep him in power.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th January, 2021) The headquarters of the Saudi forces in Yemen's southern province of Abyan was hit by an explosion, the Yemeni Belqees tv broadcaster reported on Sunday.

According to the media outlet, the blast occurred in the province's area of Shukra.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni Almasdar Online news portal reported, citing sources, that an explosive device was planted at the gates of the school, which currently hosts the military committee headed by the Saudi-led coalition.

A civil war between the Yemeni government forces, led by President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, and the Shia Houthi movement is ongoing since 2014. The Saudi-led coalition of Arab states entered the conflict on the side of the government in 2015, after the Houthis made significant gains during the early days of clashes. The rebel movement controls the capital Sanaa and large areas in northern and western Yemen.

Conference between Government and localities opened

A conference between the Government and localities opened in Hanoi on December 29 with the participation of Vietnamese top leaders.

Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong highlighted the success of the country in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, affirming that this has contributed to promoting both socio-economic recovery and development. Vietnam is among the 10 nations with the highest GDP growth in the world in 2020 and is also one of the 16 most successful emerging economies.

Regarding orientations and tasks for 2021, the top leader stressed that 2021 is of great significance as the country will hold the 13th National Party Congress, carry out the congresss Resolution, and elect deputies to the 15th National Assembly and Peoples Councils at all levels.

National Assemblys first general election marked nationwide

The 75th anniversary of the NAs first general election (January 6, 1946-2021) was celebrated nationwide over the past days.

At a ceremony held in Yen Bai Province, Politburo member and Permanent member of the Secretariat Tran Quoc Vuong recalled the historic milestone of the first general election of the Vietnamese legislature, which, he said, marked the first time the people showed their mastery of the country by directly casting ballots to elect qualified people to the NA.

UK-Vietnam free trade agreement comes into force

Seafood is one of Vietnam's main exports to the UK.

The UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) formally came into force at 23:00 on December 31, an important continuation of trade facilitation between the two countries after the expiration of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) for the UK.

Most of the terms in the UKVFTA are similar to those in the EVFTA, meaning that the two countries did not require a decade to negotiate. Under the agreement, 99% of the export-import tariffs between the countries will be eliminated, opening significant opportunities to boost bilateral trade.

Vietnam Stock Exchange established in move to realign two exchanges

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has signed a decision on the establishment of the Vietnam Stock Exchange as a parent company to manage the Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX) and the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HOSE).

The new company, with charter capital of VND3 trillion (US$130.1 million), will be headquartered in Hanoi and come into existence on February 20, 2021.

The main functions of the Vietnam Stock Exchange, abbreviated as VNX, will be devising five-year strategies, formulating listing and trading regulations, and monitoring HNX and HOSE.

Vietnams trade surplus reaches five-year high

Vietnam posted a total trade surplus of US$19.1 billion in 2020, the highest level in the past five years, the General Statistics Office (GSO) announced at the press brief held in Hanoi on December 27.

Director of the GSOs Trade and Service Statistics Department Nguyen Viet Phong said that the high trade surplus can be seen as a bright spot of the Vietnamese economy, contributing significantly to the economic growth in 2020, which will also create a positive impact on exchange rates and foreign exchange reserves in the context that Vietnam needs more resources to prepare for economic recovery in 2021.

New coronavirus variant found in Vietnam

Patient 1,435, a Vietnamese woman repatriated from the UK, has been confirmed as the first COVID-19 case with VOC 202012/01, a recently discovered and highly contagious variant of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, in Vietnam.

The Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute made the confirmation on January 2.

The patient, born in 1976, was brought home from the UK on Flight VN50, which landed at Can Tho International Airport in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on December 22, and was quarantined upon arrival.

Exemplary blood donation organisers in 2020 honoured

At the awards ceremony. (Photo: daidoanket.vn)

The National Institute of Haematology - Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) held a ceremony in Hanoi on December 29 to present the Giot hong (Red Drops) Awards and meet the leaders and managers of the units that organised blood donation events in 2020.

This years awards were presented to 23 collectives and 11 individuals with exceptional achievements in organising blood donation events in the peak period of the COVID-19 pandemic ahead of and after the occasion of the 2020 Lunar New Year.

Speaking at the ceremony, Director of the NIHBT Bach Quoc Khanh said that, despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic in 2020, the NIHBT has coordinated with units to organise nearly 2,000 blood donation locations, receiving more than 325,000 blood units, of which 70% came from Hanoi and the remaining 30% from other cities and provinces.

Hanoi opens pedestrian space in the south of Old Quarter

A pedestrian space in the south of the Hanoi Old Quarter was officially put into operation on December 31, meeting the increased demand of the capital citys citizens and visitors.

The expansion covers the eight streets of Hang Dau, Cau Go, Hang Be, Hang Bac, Dinh Liet, Gia Ngu, Dao Duy Tu and O Quang Chuong as well as the three alleys of Cau Go, Trung Yen and Phat Loc.

The additional space will connect with the existing pedestrian streets in the Old Quarter and around Hoan Kien Lake.
They were recently rumoured to have split, but Zac Efron and girlfriend Vanessa Valladares looked very much together during a day out in Sydney on Monday.

The 33-year-old Hollywood hunk was spotted walking through the inner city suburb of Paddington with his waitress girlfriend.

Both Zac and Vanessa, 25, wore face masks during their outing, after the NSW government made them mandatory in Greater Sydney from January 3.

Spotted: They were recently rumoured to have split, but Zac Efron and girlfriend Vanessa Valladares looked very much together during a day out in Sydney on Monday

Walking alongside each, Zac and Vanessa blended in effortlessly with the locals.

The Greatest Showman actor looked casual in a pair of baggy taupe-coloured pants, which he teamed with a loose-fitting grey T-shirt.

He also wore a pair of rubber thongs, a black knit beanie and black sunglasses.

Out and about: The 33-year-old Hollywood hunk was spotted walking through the inner city suburb of Paddington with his waitress girlfriend

Meanwhile, Vanessa stepped out in a long black skirt with a split up the side and a cropped white bustier top.

She rounded out her ensemble with a pair of black ankle boots and a brown crocodile handbag.

An onlooker said: 'They both seemed fairly relaxed and were chatting to one another as they left the Assembly Label store.

'An Australia Post worker dropped a few things on the road and they both got down to help him. Once I realised who they were, the beanie in 26-degree weather and masks up to the eyes made sense.'

The couple was spotted at Sydney Airport last month after flying in from Adelaide, where Zac had been filming the upcoming Stan Original movie Gold.

Still together: The couple was spotted at Sydney Airport last month after flying in from Adelaide, where Zac had been filming the upcoming Stan Original movie Gold

The sighting came after The Sun newspaper inaccurately reported in November that Zac and Vanessa had split after five months together.

Last month, it was revealed Zac had purchased land in Tweed Valley, a town on the Tweed River in north-eastern NSW, for $2million.

He's apparently planning to build a home on the site amid reports he's staying in Australia permanently after relocating to Byron Bay in March last year.
The family of a protester killed by teenager Kyle Rittenhouse is suing the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin for $10 million.

Anthony Huber, 26, and Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, were shot dead by Rittenhouse during demonstrations over the police shooting of black man, Jacob Blake, in August of last year.

A third man, Gaige Grosskreutz, was also shot by Rittenhouse, but managed to survive.

Rittenhouse says he acted in self-defense as the protests descended into violence, but he is set to stand trial for murder later this year.

On Sunday, the family of Huber claimed that his death was the result of police negligence and filed a lawsuit seeking $10 million in damages.

The suit names the City and County of Kenosha, the Kenosha police chief, and the Kenosha County sheriff as defendants, according to TMJ.

On the same day, Grosskreutz also filed a suit against the city similarly alleging negligence and seeking $10 million in compensation.

The family of Anthony Huber (left) uis suing the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin for $10 million after he was shot dead by teenager Kyle Rittenhouse in August of last year. Gaige Grosskruetz (right), who was shot and injured by Rittenhouse on the same night, has similarly filed a suit seeking $10 million in compensation

Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum were shot dead by Rittenhouse (pictured) during demonstrations over the police shooting of black man, Jacob Blake, in August of last year. A third man, Gaige Grosskreutz, was also shot by Rittenhouse, but managed to survive.

Grosskreutz, who was shot in the arm and was left with a severed bicep, says he suffered 'significant permanent physical damage'.

He also claims a loss of income and of future earnings due to police 'intentionally' acting negligent on the night of the protests.

Meanwhile, officials in Kenosha are preparing for protests when a charging decision comes in the police shooting of Jacob Blake - the incident that sparked the protests that led to the deaths of Huber and Rosenbaum.

A charging decision is expected within the next two weeks.

Rittenhouse says he acted in self-defense as the protests descended into violence, but he is set to stand trial for murder later this year. He is pictured shooting at Grosskreutz

Grosskreutz, who was shot in the arm and was left with a severed bicep, says he suffered 'significant permanent physical damage'. He is pictured after the shooting

Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, was also shot and killed by Rittenhouse. Rosenbaum's family have not yet filed a suit against the city of Kenosha

The safety efforts will include designation of a demonstration space, limitations on city bus routes, road closures, curfew and protective fencing, Mayor John Antaramian and Police Chief Daniel Miskinis said in a news release on Sunday.

Blake, who is black, was shot in the back seven times on August 23 after walking away from a white police officer and two others who were trying to arrest him.

The officer, Rusten Sheskey, shot Blake after Blake opened an SUVs driver-side door and leaned into the vehicle.

Blake was left paralyzed from the waist down.

The shooting was captured on video and circulated quickly online, fueling large protests in Kenosha that caused millions of dollars in damage to public and private property.

Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley will announce the charging decision in the coming weeks.

Blake, who is black, was shot in the back seven times on August 23 after walking away from a white police officer and two others who were trying to arrest him

Blake (pictured) has been left paralyzed from the waist down following the shooting

The shooting set off civil unrest in Kenosha, complete with arson and rioting
With almost no big theatrical release for over nine months, the coronavirus pandemic came as a blessing in disguise for OTT platforms last year and in 2021, several streamers will vie for the audiences' attention as Bollywood plans a a return to cinema halls.

This year, OTT (over-the-top) will serve new fare, while harking back to the viewers with the return of some popular titles. Here are some of the most-awaited web shows slated to premiere in 2021:

Tandav: The political drama, headlined by Saif Ali Khan, takes viewers inside the closed, chaotic corridors of power, uncover the manipulations, charades and the dark secrets of people who will go to any lengths in pursuit of power. The nine-episode series marks the digital debut of director Ali Abbas Zafar and veteran actor Dimple Kapadia. It will stream from January 15 on Amazon Prime Video.

ALSO READ: HBO Max, Disney+ see bump in app downloads with film debuts

The Family Man Season 2: The much-awaited second season of Amazon Prime Video's critically-acclaimed web series, fronted by Manoj Bajpayee, will be released on February 12. The sophomore season will have Bajpayee reprise his role of intelligence officer Srikant Tiwari, who along Sharib Hashmi's JK Talpade, will take on a bigger and deadlier mission. Created and directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, the show will mark the digital debut of south star Samantha Akkineni.

Asur 2: The Voot Select crime thriller, starring Arshad Warsi as a forensic expert, will be back for a second season. The show received overwhelming response upon its release in March last year.

Mumbai Diaries 26/11: Created by director Nikkhil Advani of "Kal Ho Na Ho" fame, the show is set against the backdrop of Mumbai terror attacks on November 26, 2008. The Amazon Prime Video series plays out in a hospital and depicts the untold story of doctors, nurses, paramedics and hospital staff, who worked tirelessly to save lives. The medical drama stars Konkona Sen Sharma, Mohit Raina, and Shreya Dhanwanthary in the lead.

ALSO READ: Govt's OTT move aimed to put content in one place while platforms in another: I&B Secy

Bombay Begums: Created, written and directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, the show follows five women from different generations and their lives in contemporary urban India. The Netflix series stars Pooja Bhatt.

"Zidd": Amit Sadh, who has been garnering accolades for his performance in web show "Breathe: Into The Shadows", Vidya Balan-starrer "Shakuntala Devi" and Bejoy Nambiar's "Taish", will be seen playing the role of Kargil war hero Deependra Singh Sengar in "Zidd". The ZEE5 Original also starring Amrita Puri of "Aisha" fame, actor-host Sushant Singh, will premiere on January 22.

ALSO READ: Average time spent on smartphone up 25% amid pandemic; Rise in calling, watching Netflix and more

"Qubool Hai 2": After enjoying a successful run on TV, the iconic show "Qubool Hai" starring Karan Singh Grover and Surbhi Jyoti will have its sequel on streaming platform ZEE5. The 10-episode romantic drama web-series will feature a new rejuvenated chemistry of Asad (Grover) and Zoya (Jyoti). Directed by Ankush Mohla and Glen Barretto, the ZEE5 Original will also feature Arif Zakaria and Mandira Bedi.
Monday, the Tennessee Department of Education released details on a new $100 million statewide initiative, Reading 360, to ensure Tennessee districts, teachers and families are equipped with tools and resources to help students read on grade level by third grade.To help support literacy development in Tennessee, the state will leverage approximately $60 million of one-time federal COVID-19 relief funding and $40 million in federal grant funding to immediately launch Reading 360 and invest in optional reading resources and supports at no cost to the state or districts.Reading 360 will provide optional grants and resources to help more Tennessee students develop strong phonics-based reading skills by supporting districts, teachers and families.When our students succeed our entire state prospers, and we know that reading on grade level is foundational to the success of every student, both in and out of the classroom, said Tennessee Governor Bill Lee.Reading 360 will give critical supports to districts and educators so we can address this challenge urgently and put Tennessees students on the right track to grow and thrive.In the last decade, Tennessee has done remarkable work to increase expectations for student learning and to improve outcomes for our kids. Now, we are uniquely positioned to tackle literacy with urgency and can do so from all sides, said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. Our state has a golden opportunity to lead the nation in literacy, and most importantly, accelerate progress for our students.Officials said, "Reading is the foundation to all learning and reading proficiently by third grade is a critical milestone for every student. Before the pandemic, only one third of third graders in Tennessee had met expectations in English Language Arts, the best standardized proxy for reading achievement. Our state has not yet comprehensively and effectively addressed this challenge, and after a year disrupted by COVID-19, school building closures and virtual learning, the stakes are higher than ever for our students."Through optional grants to districts, students and families will have access to tutoring and online supports to help develop foundational skills in literacy. Tennessee educators will have access to free training and professional development, phonics kits and materials to use in their classrooms, and stipends for training. Districts will have access to a suite of tools and resources to support their teachers and schools in implementing strong reading instruction for all students."Tennessee has led the nation in academic gains for students over the past decade, and most recently in the K-12 crisis response to COVID-19. Tennessee is now poised not just to protect students, teachers, and schools in the face of an unprecedented global pandemic, but to accelerate student learning further and faster than ever before."Throughout Tennessee and across the country, directors of school, elected officials and community partners are encouraged by this bold approach to support literacy in Tennessee""We know that literacy is essential to the success of all students and our state. With the disruption our schools have experienced over the past year, it is crucial that we offer our local school districts support in addressing reading as soon as possible and Reading 360 is one way we can get started now. Our students are counting on us, and everyone has a role to play. said Representative Mark White, House Education chairman, Tennessee General Assembly.I commend the governor for creating a bold plan to address the literacy crisis facing our students, schools, and districts. Literacy is the key to success for our children in Tennessee." said Senator Brian Kelsey, Tennessee General Assembly."I believe Reading 360 is the bold solution we need to increase reading proficiency for Tennessee students. We have been challenged to improve reading scores over the past seven years and now we need to invest our resources in this comprehensive program to change the trajectory for every child. The program design includes all the right stakeholders at the appropriate level to ensure students are on the path to life-long learning. This is an exciting moment for Tennessee education," said Lillian Hartgrove, chairman, State Board of Education.It is imperative, that we, as a state, focus our educational efforts on a comprehensive vision for literacy. With the strong emphasis on literacy laid out in the Reading 360 Program, I am confident that we will see significant advancement in childrens reading, which is the most critical component for assuring post-secondary success,said Robert Eby, vice chairman, State Board of Education.Tennessee needs the kind of comprehensive approach that Reading 360 represents if we are going to make significant progress towards ensuring all students are able to read proficiently by grade 3. I am excited to work with Commissioner Schwinn and the department on developing and implementing an approach that brings together educators, families and communities to make this happen, said Sara Morrison, executive director, State Board of Education.The department of educations vision and support plan for early literacy improvement capitalizes on what works. Our students need a strong foundation in language comprehension and word recognition, and our teachers need the background and support to make it work. Haywood County Schools are aligned to this vision and look forward to engaging in the learning and support, said Joey Hassell, superintendent, Haywood County Schools.I am pleased to learn more about the comprehensive literacy plan introduced by the Tennessee Department of Education. A comprehensive literacy plan that positively affects our students, teachers, and families makes Tennessee a stronger state. Cleveland City Schools has made a big investment recently in our literacy curriculum and we are happy to see our state leadership following through on this commitment as well, said Russell Dyer, superintendent, Cleveland City Schools.Reading is fundamental to student success. This comprehensive vision for literacy comes at a critical time for our students and will go a long way in ensuring that the children of Memphis and TN have the tools and resources to achieve their maximum potential. Its the most important investment we can make. Special thanks to our state leadership for this bold action on behalf of TN kids, said Teresa Sloyan, president, Hyde Foundation.Foundation is that the greatest wins come from working in partnership. Our best hope is in uniting the efforts of our educators, teacher education programs, school districts, families and communities in a comprehensive focus on literacy. Together, we will change lives. I am thrilled with the promise this plan brings for the future of Tennessee's children," said Dr. Nancy Dishner, president and CEO, Niswonger Foundation"As a foundation dedicated to helping more Tennessee students prepare for college and gain the skills needed to be workforce-ready, we strongly support the state's laser-like focus on early literacy," said Janet Ayers, president of The Ayers Foundation. "Children who are not reading on grade level by the end of the 3rd grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school and run the risk of being underemployed for the rest of their lives. We believe Reading 360 has incredible potential to give every child the opportunity for success."Students who read well by the end of the third grade are positioned for success across the rest of their lives. However, only one in three third-graders in our state are reading on grade level. Tennessee has a literacy crisis. The Reading 360 proposal from Governor Lee and Commissioner Schwinn will help school districts and educator preparation programs adopt literacy instruction that is proven to work: developing foundational phonics skills, building knowledge with high-quality reading materials, and supporting current and future teachers to implement these practices, said Sharon Roberts, chief K-12 impact officer, State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE)."Tennessee's literacy rates are at crisis-level lows with only 34.9% of students reading on grade level. The life-long challenges created through reading gaps disproportionately impact Tennessee's most marginalized students. We need a bold and urgent response to these issues if we are to chart a new path to success for hundreds of thousands of students. We need a bold and urgent response to these issues if we are to chart a new path to success for hundreds of thousands of students. We must seize every opportunity to build a better future for all students across the state," said Adam Lister, president, Tennesseans for Student Success.When less one third of our children cannot read on grade level, Tennessee is in a literacy crisis. We have an enormous opportunity to set high expectations for every student and educator in our state  now is the time to get this right. This year, Tennessee needs to leverage all we can to get our students back on track so they can thrive, said Tara Scarlett, president and CEO, Scarlett Family Foundation.The partnership between families and teachers is critical in determining what's best for students. Tennessee is wisely encouraging innovative approaches at the district level to empower parents and educators to quickly identify and address early literacy needs. Each student is unique, and one-size-fits-all approaches to develop reading foundational skills will leave too many students behind. Tennessee is poised to become a national leader in early literacy with researched and proven approaches to ensure every child is prepared for success in the classroom and in life, said Kymyona Burk, Ed.D., policy director for Early Literacy at ExcelinEd."I have always contended that workforce development starts in K-12 and not post-secondary, so this literacy initiative and investment will have a vital impact in Tennessee's cradle to career continuum," said Jared Bigham, senior advisor on Workforce and Rural Initiatives, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce.To access additional resources on Reading 360, click here For additional information on the departments COVID-19 and school reopening related resources, visit https://www.tn.gov/education/health-and-safety/update-on-coronavirus/reopening-guidance.html.
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Photosynthetic proteins can convert light energy into other forms of energy. Researchers want to make this technology usable for the industrial production of fuels, for example.

A research team from the Ruhr-Universitat Bochum (RUB), together with colleagues from Lisbon, has produced a semi-artificial electrode that could convert light energy into other forms of energy in biosolar cells. The technique is based on the photosynthesis protein Photosystem I from cyanobacteria. The group showed that they could couple their system with an enzyme that used the converted light energy to produce hydrogen.

For the work, the RUB group consisting of Panpan Wang, Dr. Fangyuan Zhao, Dr. Julian Szczesny, Dr. Adrian Ruff, Dr. Felipe Conzuelo and Professor Wolfgang Schuhmann from the Center for Electrochemistry cooperated with the team consisting of Anna Frank, Professor Marc Nowaczyk and Professor Matthias Rogner from the Chair of Biochemistry of Plants as well as colleagues from the Universidade Nova de Lisboa.

Short-circuit danger

Photosystem I is part of the photosynthesis machinery in cyanobacteria and plants. With the help of light energy, it can separate charges and thus generate high-energy electrons that can be transferred to other molecules, for example to protons for the production of hydrogen.

In earlier work, the Bochum scientists had already used the light-collecting protein complex photosystem I to design electrodes for biosolar cells. For this purpose, they covered an electrode with a photosystem I monolayer. In such monolayers, the photosystems are not stacked on top of each other, but lie side by side in the same plane. Photosystem I, however, usually occurs as a trimer, i.e. three photosystems are always linked together. Since the trimers cannot be packed close together, holes appear in the monolayer, which can lead to short circuits. This impairs the performance of the system. It was precisely this problem that the scientists solved in the present work.

Holes in the photosystem layer plugged

In the cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus, photosystem I exists mainly as a trimer. Using a new extraction technique, the researchers were able to isolate additionally monomers from the organism, creating a photosystem I monolayer on the electrode in which the monomers filled the holes between the trimers. In this way, they reduced the short-circuit effects. The system achieved current densities twice as high as a system consisting only of trimers.

To show what the technique could be in principle used for, the scientists coupled it to a hydrogenase enzyme that produced hydrogen using electrons provided by the photosystem. Future work will be directed toward even more efficient coupling between the photosystem monolayer and the integrated biocatalysts to realize practical biosystems for solar energy conversion, the authors preview in their publication.
Madness.

Via: New York Post:

British health officials will now allow people to mix COVID-19 vaccines as the pandemic rages on  but experts warn it could be risky.



The UK protocol now states that a person can receive their follow-up COVID-19 jab with a different vaccine candidate to their first dose, if necessary.

Britain has approved two vaccines for the deadly bug, developed by AstraZeneca and Pfizer.

For individuals who started the schedule and who attend for vaccination at a site where the same vaccine is not available, or if the first product received is unknown, it is reasonable to offer one dose of the locally available product to complete the schedule, the updated guidance states.
Controversy has surrounded the fossil of a chicken-sized dinosaur with unique shoulder 'needles'  after claims it may have been exported from Brazil illegally.

Dating back some 110 million years, the unusual specimen was recently named Ubirajara jubatus  or 'Maned Lord of the Spear'  after its distinguishing spines.

Experts have proposed that the flamboyant spines may have been used to impress prospective mates, with the dinosaur showing off with 'elaborate dancing'.

In fact, the team said, the find could explain where birds like peacocks inherited their ability to show off. Birds are the modern descendants of dinosaurs.

U. jubatus was unearthed in 1995 from the Chapada do Araripe in north-eastern Brazil  but ended up in the State Museum of Natural History in Karlsruhe, Germany.

While the team who described the fossil have said the export was authorised by the appropriate authorities, some Brazilian palaeontologists have been questioning this.

The authors have said that they are hoping to discuss the fossil's future with their Brazilian colleagues, with the suggestion that it might be returned home the future.

Controversy has surrounded the fossil of a chicken-sized dinosaur with unique shoulder 'needles'  after claims it may have been exported from Brazil illegally. Pictured, an artist's impression of Ubirajara jubatus, which sported distinguishing keratin spines for display

Palaeontologists Eberhard Frey of the State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe and David Martill of the University of Portsmouth told Science magazine that the specimen was exported from Brazil in 1995  with all the proper permits.

The duo said transport of the specimen was permitted under a law established in 1942 that governed the collection of fossils in the South American nation.

Eduardo Koutsoukos  the editor-in-chief of Cretaceous Research, the journal in which the new species was described  told Science that the paper authors have 'documentary evidence' that a Brazilian official authorised the specimen's export.

However, Professor Frey told Science, the waters have been muddied by the fact that the permits in question only refer to unspecified samples.

Given this, he explained, the dinosaur 'arrived legally, but we cant prove it properly.'

Other palaeontologists, however, have been questioning whether the specimen was indeed approved for transport abroad.

From Brazil, National Museum director Alexander Kellner told Science, 'there is no legal exportation of fossils. Period.'

The only circumstance in which a specimen could leave the country legally, he asserted, is if it were only going out on a temporary loan.

Some experts have suggested that the sale or permanent export of fossils from Brazil has been illegal since at least as early as 1990  five years before U. jubatus was taken overseas.

Ubirajara jubatus was unearthed in 1995 from the Chapada do Araripe in north-eastern Brazil  but ended up in the State Museum of Natural History in Karlsruhe, Germany. Pictured, the two slabs of the U. jubatus specimen, in photograph (top row) and illustration (bottom)

According to palaeontologist Taissa Rodrigues Marques da Silva of the Federal University of Espirito Santo, in Brazil's southeast, local laws governing fossils are complex and haven't always been enforced.

Nevertheless, she continued, they clearly prohibit permanent export.

'It would be great if [the researchers] could provide more detailed data' about the export permits, Professor Rodrigues told Science.

Some in the field  including Professors Kellner and Rodrigues  have reportedly asked why the authors waited so long to publish the identification of the new specimen, musing whether the delay may be related to the fossil's history.

The researchers have asserted that it was simply not clear initially that the fossil was a previously unidentified specimen. Such discoveries among existing museum collections are certainly not without precedent.

This explanation, however, does not appear to have satisfied Professor Kellner.

'Its hard to believe that any palaeontologist would not have recognized the importance of this specimen and not published it earlier,' he argued to Science.

Dubbed Ubirajara jubatus  indigenous Indian for 'Maned Lord of the Spear'  the creature's neck spines are unique in the fossil record. Pictured, an illustration of Ubirajara jubatus skeleton, with the fur and spines found in the fossil specimen highlighted in orange

'Fossils have been sold in the past in Brazil,' Professor Kellner told Science.

'But here we have a vibrant palaeontology community that is working very hard to keep fossils like this dinosaur in the country.'

'Everyone is welcome to study them, to publish on them  and then give them back.'

In response, Professor Frey said that he is keen to reach out to his colleagues in Brazil  and perhaps negotiate a temporary lease of the fossil for display at the Karlsruhe museum before it is ultimately returned to its country of origin.

He told Science: 'We are trying to find a way to solve this in a fair way and a way that makes sense.'

U. jubatus was unearthed in 1995 from the Chapada do Araripe in north-eastern Brazil  but ended up in the State Museum of Natural History in Karlsruhe, Germany
Phuket road deaths for the New Year hold at one

PHUKET: According to the Phuket Provincial office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket), the 24-hour period for Jan 3, Day 6 of the Seven Days of Danger campaign for New Year 2021, saw only two accidents on Phukets roads, with no deaths.

transportSafetyaccidents

By The Phuket News

Monday 4 January 2021, 01:59PM

As such, Phuket has officially suffered only one death during the campaign, that of Kasemsan Kamphan, 54, who died after the motorbike he was riding was struck from behind by the pickup truck on Chao Fa West Rd in Wichit early Saturday morning (Jan 2).

According to the DDPM-Phuket report for Day 6 of the campaign, announced by Phuket Vice Governor Vikrom Jakthee at Phuket Provincial Hall this morning (Jan 4), the two accidents in Phuket yesterday saw one man injured in Muang District and a woman injured in Thalang.

However, in comparison the national Thai Road Safety Committee (ThaiRSC) reports that 19 people were injured in accidents in Phuket yesterday.

So far Phuket has officially recognised one death and 31 people injured in 31 accidents, Vice Governor Vikrom confirmed.

The DDPM report itself marked that 3,292 vehicles were checked during the 24 hours of Jan 3, concluding at midnight last night.

During the same 24 hours, Phuket police reported issuing 799 fines for moving violations, as follows:

27 fined for operating an unsafe/illegally modified motorcycle

76 fined for not wearing seatbelts

224 fined for driving without a licence

0 fined for speeding

52 fined for ignoring traffic signals

36 fined for ghost driving (driving opposite traffic flow)

16 fined for dangerously cutting off other motorists in traffic

44 fined for using mobile phones while driving.

2 people arrested for drunk driving

322 people fined for not wearing helmets

Of note, while the report confirmed that two people were charged with drunk driving during Day 6 of the campaign, it was not clarified whether the two people were charged for drunk driving actually during the 24 hours of Jan 3, or for an earlier incident.

Before today, only one person had been reported as charged for drunk driving during the campaign, and that was for the collision that killed Mr Kasemsan on Saturday. Officials have yet to confirm whether any of the four drivers reported as drunk driving when they were involved in four separate accidents on Dec 31 have been charged.

Phuket Vice Governor Vikrom this morning also reported that Phuket had suffered no water-safety incidents since the campaign began. There have been no injuries and no deaths on Phukets waters, he said.

A total of 52 boats arrived in Phuket and 53 boats departed the island yesterday, with 1,080 passengers leaving Phuket and a further 1,221 passengers arriving on the island, V/Gov Vikrom said.

Passengers arriving and departing the island are under strict orders to comply with COVID-19 prevention measures. All people travelling on boats arriving or departing ports and piers in Phuket must wear a face mask and use hand sanitiser, he added.

The Phuket Provincial Land Transport Office (PLTO) is also enforcing COVID-19 prevention measures. Passengers must wear a mask and use hand sanitiser, and food on the bus is strictly prohibited, V/Gov Vikrom said.

Similar measures were in effect at the airport, he added, repeating the same explanation as reported for days throughout the campaign.

Across Thailand yesterday, a total of 52 people were killed and 2,616 injured in 2,668 accidents on Day 6 of the campaign, according to the national Thai Road Safety Committee (ThaiRSC).

Bangkok recorded the highest number of accidents with 211 people requiring hospital treatment and recorded four deaths.
Jaykay Enterprises, a part of diversified JK Group, on Monday said it has entered into a joint venture partnership with Germany's EOS, a global leader in 3D metal design and printing market, to address the need of 3D metal printing in India.

The joint venture (JV) will operate through a new subsidiary called NeuMesh Labs Pvt Ltd, headquartered at Bengaluru, with EOS providing technical knowledge, the company said in a statement.

It will support Indian to adapt metal 3D printing by offering 'EOS Additive Minds' consulting topics in the area of Design For Additive Manufacturing (DFAM), part screening and selection, topology optimisation and to generate business cases.

"Further, Jaykay Enterprises will invest in a print farm with options of both onsite and offsite capabilities," the statement said.

The company, however, did not disclose the details of the shareholding pattern and investments in the JV.

Commenting on the JV, Jaykay Enterprises Additional Director Abhishek Singhania said, "The JV will address the growing need of metal printing in defence, aerospace and healthcare industry."



Jaykay and EOS have substantial brand equity in the market. EOS is the global technology leader for industrial 3D printing of metals and polymers, he added.

"A huge component of metal 3D market in our country remains unaddressed. Due to the ever-changing technology and limitation in the size and deposition rate in printing, are reluctant to invest in the technology. With EOS as our partner, we hope to overcome these limitations and make India self-reliant," Singhania said.

EOS India Country Head Anand Prakasham said, "Together, we will serve the demand for high-end technology in 3D metal printing in India. We look forward to a fruitful and rewarding journey ahead."



Jaykay Enterprises had earlier invested in Nebula 3D which is in the business of scanning, modelling, reverse engineering, designing and benchmarking.

"With this new venture, Jaykay Enterprises will become an integrated player in the 3D metal printing market through its cutting-edge manufacturing technology," the company 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.)
Here's how material shortages are hitting home construction

"It's not just that prices are going up; it's how quickly they're going up and nothing's coming down," said CEO of the PA Builders Association.
Syracuse, N.Y.  Before she graduated high school, Laura Natalya Rodriguez had already managed to earn a college degree.

Even as a kid, Rodriguez knew what she wanted: To embrace new experiences. To travel. To fully live.

By the time she turned 18, shed gotten a taste of the adventure she craved.

Rodriguez started attending Syracuse University, a school 1,600 miles away from her Texas home. She was already a junior because of her other degree.

She spent her first semester as an SU student studying abroad in Spain.

She returned to attend SU with plans to graduate this May with a bachelors degree in psychology.

But before she turned 20 years old, a bullet brought the first-generation college students life to an end.

Rodriguez was accidentally shot by her brother days before Christmas in her familys Houston home, according to the Houston Police Department.

Rodriguezs 18-year-old brother was showing off his new gun when he accidentally fired the weapon, shooting his 19-year-old sister in the neck, police said. The shooting happened around 1 p.m. Dec. 22 in the familys Wellington Street home.

A family member tried CPR, but Rodriguez died at the scene. While the shooting remains under investigation, police said last week no charges have been filed.

Laura Lara, Rodriguezs mom, is grappling with doubled grief. She is mourning the daughter she will never see again, she said, and grieving for the son who will live the rest of his life knowing he killed his sister.

If someone were to shoot your child, youre going to throw your anger at the person who shot them, she said. But its my son.

Her 18-year-old son is devastated, Lara said. But she doesnt know how to react. What should she do? Should she punish her son? Will he be charged?

But as she tries to work her way through the uncertainty and grief, Lara said shes certain of one goal: She wants to make sure Rodriguez is remembered.

I dont want her name to disappear, she said.

That starts, she said, by celebrating her daughters life.

Laura Natalya Rodriguez, a Syracuse University senior majoring in psychology, was accidentally shot and killed by her little brother Dec. 22, 2020, in her family's Houston home. She was 19 years old.Provided by family

Rodriguez, known as Natalya or Nat, was from sunny Houston. She was the third of four children, Lara said, and was always particularly close with her younger brother.

Eager for her future, a precocious Rodriguez packed what wouldve been her first two years of college into her last years of high school, Lara said. She then chose to start the next chapter of her life at SU  a college far away that shed fallen in love with, her mom said.

Rodriguez happily shared her decision to attend SU in a Facebook post in May 2019:

With high school coming to end, Ive never been more thrilled and honored to announce that I will be attending the college of my dreams, she wrote.

Rodriguez started college as an 18-year-old junior. She spent her first semester studying in Madrid, Spain.

Lara said her daughter drank up as much of Europe as she could during her semester abroad. Shed let her family know each time she visited a new place: Hey mom, she messaged. Im in Rome!

Rodriguez returned to the states and started her second semester in Syracuse. Life in Upstate New York gave her an experience shed never encountered in hot Houston: Snow. She would call home, Lara said, and tell her family about the lingering cold.

The coronavirus pandemic cut Rodriguezs time on campus short this past spring. She returned to Houston, Lara said, and spent the first half of her senior year taking classes remotely at home.

Rodriguez wouldve turned 20 this month. If she wanted to, she couldve graduated in the spring, her mom said.

Although she didnt know exactly what she wanted to do with her psychology degree, Rodriguez had plans, her mom said:

She wanted to return to campus this month and spend the semester in Syracuse. She wanted to keep learning. And eventually, she wanted to live abroad.

Rodriguez lost her future. But in her 19 short years, she did her best to truly live, her mom said.

She experienced a lot of places and a lot of things a lot of people dont, her mom said.

And for that, Lara is grateful.

Laura Natalya Rodriguez hams it up for a photo during a visit to Walt Disney World. Rodriguez, 19, a Syracuse University student, was accidentally fatally shot by her brother Dec. 22, 2020, in her family's Houston home. Provided by family

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.
The armed clashes along the border between Sudan and Ethiopia are the latest twist in a decades-old history of rivalry between the two countries, though it is rare for the two armies to fight one another directly over territory.



The immediate issue is a disputed area known as al-Fashaga, where the north-west of Ethiopia's Amhara region meets Sudan's breadbasket Gedaref state.



Although the approximate border between the two countries is well-known - travelers like to say that Ethiopia starts when the Sudanese plains give way to the first mountains - the exact boundary is rarely demarcated on the ground.



Colonial-era treaties



Borders in the Horn of Africa are fiercely disputed. Ethiopia fought a war with Somalia in 1977 over the disputed region of the Ogaden.



In 1998 it fought Eritrea over a small piece of contested land called Badme.



About 80,000 soldiers died in that war which led to deep bitterness between the countries, especially as Ethiopia refused to withdraw from Badme town even though the International Court of Justice awarded most of the territory to Eritrea.



It was reoccupied by Eritrean troops during the fighting in Tigray in November 2020.



After the 1998 war, Ethiopia and Sudan revived long-dormant talks to settle the exact location of their 744km-long (462 miles) boundary.



The most difficult area to resolve was Fashaga. According to the colonial-era treaties of 1902 and 1907, the international boundary runs to the east.



This means that the land belongs to Sudan - but Ethiopians had settled in the area and were cultivating there and paying their taxes to Ethiopian authorities.

Source: BBC









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Despite some of the tireless coverage from those of us in the independent media over the years, there still seems to be a contingent of holdouts clung to the idea that their own government would not intentionally put the well being of its citizens at risk. Particularly with regard to the closing out of 2020, it seemed no better a time to provide some historical context to the contrary.

We will begin with example from the prohibition era of the previous century, in 1928. The United States government in an attempt to act as the sole arbiter of morality took it upon themselves to defy the basic human right of self ownership and prohibited the consumption of alcohol nationally. Naturally, this was not received well by millions of individuals who believed it was their inherent right to decide what they could and could not ingest in their own bodies.

As prohibition often does, this led to a boon in black market industry of speakeasies and bootleg alcohol manufacturing and distribution. Of course the all powerful government, ever influenced by its messiah complex did not respond well to this act of defiance. How dare the peasantry exercise their rights as free thinking individuals? Thusly the government took the only next reasonable step it could think of  to poison its own citizens.

Thats right, rather than come to the logical conclusion that people should be allowed to decide whats best for them, the federal government decided in an ill-fated attempt to enforce compliance of state-mandated moral guidelines to save people from themselves, to contaminate millions of barrels of alcohol with poison to dissuade people from drinking it.

This seems outlandish but it is indeed a well-documented historical fact that, as pointed out in a previous article from TFTP, has been entirely scrubbed from the history books. The reason for this historical purge is quite clear when one reads into the consequences of this repulsive policy. As it has been estimated that due to this state-sponsored poisoning campaign, over 10,000 Americans lost their lives as a direct result from being murdered by their government for the crime of consuming alcohol.

Just this one instance alone, arguably the most repugnant atrocity the United States government has ever perpetuated on its own citizenry, should be enough for people to realize they should never blindly believe that the bureaucracy is a benevolent figure acting on behalf of their well-being. Unfortunately though, as we will see this is only one of several examples of the predator class purposefully endangering the health of the public that they had been trusted to protect.

Our next example is somewhat better known, yet just as egregious. A project known as the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. The Tuskegee program ran from 1932 to 1972, conducted out of Tuskegee University in Alabama by the United States Public Health Service & the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The aim of the program was to observe the natural progression of syphilis in African American men, and while entirely unethical was also deeply rooted in the racist ideologies of the pre-civil rights era. Specifically targeting poor and disenfranchised black communities of Macon County, Alabama as unknowing & unconsenting test subjects.

The individuals were coerced into the program after being told they were being treated for having bad blood, and promised free medical care. Over 600 men were involved in the study, more than half of which had syphilis yet remained undiagnosed despite treatments such as penicillin already being readily available at the time. They were instead treated with placebos.

For 40 years the PHS and CDC intentionally withheld medical care during this program and allowed this disease to ravage people and communities with zero regard for public safety or basic moral standards. And as a result, as one study noted, has had a long-standing and negative psychological impact on American black communities.

The Tuskegee Study abused public trust, and left many infected men to die and led to the infection of several others including wives and children who could have been saved from contracting the debilitating disease. All under the observation of supposedly trusted public health authorities.

Dishearteningly, however, this is not an isolated incident. As bad as these repugnant practices from the CDC are, they are not the only agency to engage in them. Since the end of the second world war ushered in the age of the military-industrial-complex, and the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency, they too have conducted illegal and unethical experimentations against unconsenting American citizens.

Official documents declassified over the decades exemplify that these projects are innumerable, and a total disregard for public health and safety is government standard practice, despite their cover-up and assertion to the contrary.

A few pertinent examples include 

Operation Sea Spray, a biological warfare experiment carried out by the United States Navy in the San Francisco Bay area in 1950. The Navy released clouds contaminated with the bacteria serratia marcescens & bacillus globigii into a city of 775,000 inhabitants. The aim of the operation was to track the dispersal of biological agents in a major metropolitan area, as initially the Navy believed the bacteria was not harmful to humans. That all changed a week after the initial release however, when residents began flooding hospitals suffering from unknown adverse reactions ranging from the minor to severe. At least one man is officially known to have died. And it has been noted the program likely permanently altered the microbial ecology of the area.

Operation Large Area Coverage was a mass biological attack simulation carried out by the United States Army Chemical Corps from 1957 to 1958. Throughout the American Midwest from the Gulf of Mexico into Canada, it covered thousands of square miles. The goal of the experiment was to test dispersal patterns of biological agents and involved releasing compounds known to be radioactive and carcinogenic, primarily zinc cadmium sulfide among other harmful bacteria. Tens of thousands of Americans were unknowingly exposed to these compounds. Two cities where these tests were concentrated  St Louis, Missouri and Corpus Christi, Texas  received such heavy plumes of the contaminated aerosols they created an artificial overcast over the cities. To which point military officials deceptively informed the localities that they were merely conducting smokescreen tests. To this day St. Louis residents suffer from adverse health effects allegedly attributed to the experiments they were subjected to, ranging from respiratory illnesses to cancer.

Project MK ULTRA.

This may very well be the most notorious of anything mentioned in this article. Almost anyone may have likely heard of MK Ultra at one point or another. Though it is unlikely that many have done the extensive research necessary to fully grasp the treachery of this infamous operation. Documentation about MK Ultra and its numerous sub-projects is scarce, due to several documents pertaining to it having been ordered destroyed by Director of Central Intelligence Richard Helms under the Nixon Administration. However those that do remain still paint quite grim picture. There were various sub-programs associated with the project that spanned the course of nearly two decades. Some the names being MK Naomi, MK Often, MK Search, MK Delta, and Artichoke, just to name a few. The operations had various goals and aims ranging from behavioral modification, to psychological manipulation, to the development of biological and chemical weapons and much much more. Through their duration the CIA relied heavily on both willing and unwilling participants who were subjected to various methodologies including but not limited to; psychological abuse, electroshock, physical torture, and being subjected to mind altering drugs. At least one death can be attributed to the program, Dr. Frank Olson, who committed suicide by jumping through the window of a high-rise building while on a CIA induced overdose of LSD.

All of the known officially released documents pertaining to MK Ultra and its sub programs have been obtained and painstakingly catalogued by the hard work of researcher John Greenwald on his website The Black Vault.

While one may look to these examples and believe them to be few and far between, in reality that is the farthest thing from the truth. In 1977 an investigation published in the Washington Post confirmed the Military had conducted 239 secret open air germ warfare tests just between 1949 & 1969. These included releasing bacteria in Washington bus terminals and airports, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and the New York subway system. This is known to be one of the most egregious among them given the sheer volume of people exposed. The illegality of these experiments is quite clear, as they completely violate the stipulations of the Nuremberg Code, requiring voluntary informed consent for all research participants.

Some others among these tests worthy of mention are Operation Dew I & Dew II, which were similar to Large Area Coverage in that they released large quantities of zinc cadmium sulfide over several states in the southeastern United States; Operation Big Itch, an entomological warfare experiment utilizing weaponized ticks that is suspected to have contributed to the spread of Lyme disease; Operation May Day, Operation Drop Kick, Operation Big Buzz, & Operation Bellwether, all of which were experiments to determine the potentiality to disseminate biological agents via the release of mosquitoes.

Some Army documents claim the released insects were uninfected. However the Armys long history of research into yellow fever and dengue fever, as well as the subsequent outbreaks of the viruses in the same public areas used as testing grounds has led some researchers to theorize these programs contributed to the spread of these diseases throughout the United States.

This suspicion can be plausibly corroborated in that same article from The Post, when then Senator and future Secretary of Health and Human Services, Richard Schweiker (R-Pa.), testified at a Senate subcommittee hearing saying  It is very risky indeed to assume that any living organism, reduced to germ warfare size and released in a populated area, is ever safe.. That same report also confirmed that hundreds of military personnel and their families had contracted infections from the pathogens intentionally released on US military installations.

Undoubtedly, the reader may look at these numerous examples and say to oneself but most of these happened in the 60s and 70s. They certainly couldnt still be endangering the public on such a scale now. But this is not the case either. As noted in a previous TFTP article, a recent study from 2018 found that these dismal practices are indeed being allowed to continue. 

While the idea that the U.S. government would willingly poison its own citizens may seem shocking to some, it is not unprecedented. Earlier this year, a study found that the Pentagon has contaminated more than 40,000 sites across the United States, exposing hundreds of thousands of Americans to dangerous chemicals. The investigation, which was conducted by ProPublica and Vox, revealed that by testing and disposing of deadly chemical weapons in the United States, the Pentagon has poisoned drinking water supplies, rendered millions of acres of land unsafe or unusable, and jeopardized the health of often unwitting Americans.

And in another piece, this time from 2017, we covered the story of a small Oklahoma town outraged that the Department of Homeland Security announced they would be conducting chemical spraying operations over the town. In what a DHS press release stated would be to 

gather data that enhances our predictive capabilities in the event of a biological agent attack. All too reminiscent of disastrous programs of decades past.

At the previous mention of US service members & families also succumbing to these poisons, it brings me to my next point of transition. Despite the dire circumstances alluded to already, the American public are not the only ones utilized as unknowing guinea pigs or sacrificial lambs for the governments unethical experimentations & criminal negligence. Often times it is their own soldiers that are the first to suffer the consequences.

Many of the previous programs mentioned above did involve some degree of testing on military personnel but there have been several specifically dedicated to it. The first that comes to mind is Project112/ SHAD (Shipboard Hazzard and Defense). From 1962 to 1973 the SHAD project was conducted on the number of US Naval vessels to determine their ability to detect and respond to acts of biological chemical warfare. So, naturally, the United States military actually carried out an act of biological warfare against its own sailors.

In 2000, the Department of Defense became required to begin declassifying the documents of the project. These tests consisted of exposing approximately 6000 of their fighting men to numerous pathogens via released aerosol. Including sarin gas, and VX. Two of the most dangerous neurological agents known today. Despite numerous veterans filing complaints about the negative health effects they have suffered since, including some developing cancer, the Department of Veterans Affairs still asserts there is no clear evidence of specific, long-term health problems associated with participation in Project SHAD.

Sadly enough, this seems to be a regular pattern. As almost identical instances have occurred over the years, particularly in Vietnam with the usage of Agent Orange. While the DoD was comfortable committing war crimes in the South Pacific, they were also totally okay with exposing their own to the same deadly agents simultaneously.

Agent Orange was a powerful herbicidal chemical weapon, said to be one of the deadliest concoctions ever created, used indiscriminately against combatants and civilians alike in Vietnam. The disastrous effects of this toxin have been suffered by victims and administrators alike, who have not only felt the effects themselves but been witness to entire generations of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren born with the biological effect as well. Birth defects, heart conditions, leukemia, cancer, just to name a few have all plagued those and the descendants of those exposed to this ungodly weapon of mass destruction.

Even more disheartening is the fact that the same scenario is still being played out today in similar fashion. The company contracted to create Agent Orange, Monsanto (arguably one of the most dastardly corporations to ever exist), is still alive and well, still canoodling with government officials to maintain their monopoly, and still poisoning people.

In 2018 TFTP reported the landmark verdict in San Francisco which ruled Monsantos Roundup herbicide contained carcinogenic additives. Whats more, internal documents released during the trial proved that Monsanto knew the danger this chemical posed to the public, and covered it up regardless. Furthermore, in the same year the company merged with pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG  which has its own sinister history, including intentionally releasing drugs to the public contaminated with HIV.

To continue, despite the folly of Agent Orange it seems the military brass still has refused to learn a lesson from its own abhorrent history. The same methods, with a similar circumstance, are still being carried out to this day. Since the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan the usage of burn pits as the primary means of disposal for any and all trash and toxic waste has led to hundreds of thousands of American veterans that served in the Middle East in the past 20 years coming home developing respiratory and other illnesses due to the noxious fumes they were exposed to. An estimated 3.5 million veterans have been exposed to toxic burn pits and yet just as the case was with agent orange the VA still vehemently denies an overwhelming majority of these claims.

While operations involving the military and intelligence agencies are some of the most poignant instances, theyre far from the only ones. If targeting unknowing and unconsenting members of the general public, as well as their own dedicated fighting men and women wasnt bad enough, a number of these institutions made it a point to target even more vulnerable members of society. Carrying out countless tests against persons incarcerated by the state, who were unable to object. And even worse still, specifically experimenting on children.

The cases of illegal experimentation carried out on prisoners and children  often orphaned, hospitalized, or mentally disabled  on behalf of both government and corporate entities are sickeningly abundant. This began with the Manhattan Project in the forties and lasted decades.

Newborn babies were injected with radioactive material, mentally challenged children were fed radioactive oatmeal, both in accordance with an experiment carried out by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Quaker Oats, and the Atomic Energy Commission. Irradiating the testicles of prisoners causing sterility and cancer; Vanderbilt University and the US Public Health Service dosing pregnant women with radiation without their knowledge; patients given high doses of radiation resulting in violent hemorrhaging, cancer, and premature death conducted by the University of Cincinnati Medical School  are but a few examples of the more than 100 experiments carried out on 9,000 subjects mentioned in this 1995 Los Angeles Times expose.

Overall a total of 4,000 radiation experiments  conducted on an estimated 20,000 unwitting victims had been carried out during this time period, claims the Alliance for Human Research Protection.

As stomach-churning as these revelations are, one must also keep in mind that those cases are only pertaining to radiation experiments. Those numbers still arent counting the various other kinds of tests and or mishaps that have occurred and were subsequently covered up.

Other miscellaneous yet no less relevant instances are equally as abominable. One that comes to mind in particular is the ghastly history of eugenics. In short, Eugenics is a ethnically biased selective breeding pseudoscience that originated in the United Kingdom, and found prominence in the United States in the 20th century.

The American eugenics movement was even referenced during the post World War II Nuremberg trials as having played a role in inspiring practices of the Holocaust. Though it has been largely whitewashed from modern American history books, Eugenics was openly accepted and practiced in Americas medical establishment for over 70 years, starting in 1909.

Having not only played a role in the segregationist policies of the Jim Crow era, but also resulting in the forced sterilization of tens of thousands of American citizens, mostly lower class women, who were deemed unfit for breeding. This was carried out not by some fringe group, but as signed and approved by government legislature, and supposedly trusted public health authorities as an openly accepted common practice of the American medical establishment for the better part of a century.

This short section alone doesnt nearly due the justice of fully elaborating the terrible scope of this obscene chapter of American history. I genuinely implore the reader to read the previous three cited sources to gain a better comprehension it this ignored portion of our not-so-distant past.

However even more grotesque is the documented fact that these practices have carried over into the modern day in a limited capacity. For years stories have emerged of unapproved sterilizations still taking place, particularly in California womens correctional facilities. And just earlier this year, a whistleblower came forward from one of Georgias immigrant detention facilities alleging that ICE had carried out hundreds illegal hysterectomies against detainees.

To close out this chronicling I would like to include just one last item. In my article prior to this I covered the story of a lawsuit involving the worlds largest vaccine manufacturer suing a man who had claimed to be injured by one of their products. In it, for context I also included quite a bit of history of a number of those entities involved highlighting their history of blatant wrong doing.

For relevancy I would like to shortly expand upon that here, as the history of those kind of activities is not a newly recent one. But in fact stretches back as far as many of these previously mentioned instances. For example, 1955 saw what was known as The Cutter Incident. When in San Francisco a mishap occurred in a laboratory developing the first polio vaccine. As a result tens of thousands of children received a jab contaminated with the live polio virus. 40,000 ultimately contracted the disease, hundreds were left paralyzed, and 10 died. This was a tragedy specifically attributed to human error, that may have possibly been avoided had lab workers scrutinized their colleagues just a little more heavily.

Despite some increases in oversight, this scenario would repeat itself on two more notable occasions. Between 1955 and 1963 once again polio vaccine development saw a horrible mishap occur. Hundreds of thousands of doses of the vaccine had become contaminated with a virus contracted from research macaques, called Simian Virus 40 (SV40)  known to be a probable carcinogen.

Decontamination procedures were not carried out properly, thusly the shot administered to 98 million Americans still carried the SV40 virus. Despite constant reassurance from the CDC that this was harmless, a 1999 study from the National Institute of Health concluded  Our analysis indicates increased rates of ependymomas (37%), osteogenic sarcomas (26%), other bone tumors (34%) and mesothelioma (90%) among those in the exposed as compared to the unexposed birth cohort.

Finally, one must bring attention to the 1976 fiasco, as The New York Times puts it. In 1976, the Gerald Ford Administration was led to believe they were on the verge of a swine flu pandemic that would kill millions. However the evidence to substantiate this was scarce to say the least  and ultimately, it never happened. However this didnt stop Ford and Congress from pushing through a mandate requiring a vaccine be rushed into production. In the end the entire campaign did more harm than good; Economically, with its strain on funds. Civilly, what is blatant disregard for civil liberty. And medically, as hundreds were harmed by the vaccine itself. As Discover magazine explained 

Due to the urgency of creating new immunizations for a novel virus, the government used an attenuated live virus for the vaccine instead of a inactivated or killed form, increasing the probability of adverse side effects among susceptible groups of people receiving the vaccination. Furthermore, prominent American scientists and health professionals began questioning the campaigns large expense and its drain on scarce public health resources. With President Fords reelection campaign looming on the horizon, the campaign increasingly appeared politically motivated. The rationale for mass vaccination seemed to stem from only the barest of biological reasoning  it turned out that the flu wasnt even related to the virus that caused the grisly 1918 epidemic and, indeed, those who were infected with the flu only suffered from a mild illness while the vaccine, for the reasons stated above, resulted in over four-hundred and fifty people developing the paralyzing Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Consequently, the original NY Times article said it best  The blame for such a result will have to fall on the politicians and bureaucrats who formed policy so hastily early this year, scorning the few voices that expressed skepticism and sought to raise questions about the program.

As I conclude I wish to state even with as extensive as this article is it should be stressed that these are only a fraction of examples of these programs/ incidents. Admittedly, while writing I had a hard time deciding what to include or exclude due to the sheer volume examples found while researching for this piece.

Doing further in-depth study of these subjects indicate examples of public endangerment and criminal negligence like this number in the thousands and span much of our history. Case and point, even just this May, The Free Thought Project shared an article from The Rutherford Institute that provided examples of several more instances itself  including the militarys race-based testing of mustard gas on troops, & FEMA inadvertently exposing 10,000 first responders to the deadly compound ricin.

This report was an exhaustive one. And the track record is a repugnant one, but a clear one. Paired with critical analysis it shows perfectly why one would be very wise to always heavily scrutinize any of these institutions, particularly in times when they are demanding blind faith and unquestioning obedience.

We didnt find out about the heinous acts committed between the 40s & 60s, until the 70s. And another decade to learn about the atrocities committed then. So on & so forth. And in the present day we are only just now learning about the health hazards subjected to the public in the 2000s. Transparency and accountability are not virtues that we can allow it to fall to the wayside. It begs the question that should be seen as a tale of caution  what are we being exposed to now, that they will neglect to tell us for another 20 years?

A word to the wise my friends, always practice due diligence. Healthy skepticism can be your best friend, and perhaps even save your life.

About the author  Don Via Jr. is an independent researcher and journalist from central Virginia, who has dedicated the last ten years to studying history, political science, geopolitics, and covert operations, and raising awareness about government corruption and abuses. He is the founder of the independent media outlet Break The Matrix, where more of his work can be found. As well as on associated social media on MeWe, Twitter, and Minds.
Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have captured an amazing new photo of the medium-sized, face-on spiral galaxy NGC 6946.

NGC 6946 is located approximately 18 million light-years away, along the border of the northern constellations of Cepheus and Cygnus.

Also known as LEDA 65001, UGC 11597 and APG 29, the galaxy has a diameter of 70,000 light-years.

NGC 6946 was discovered on September 9, 1798 by the German-born British astronomer William Herschel.

It is a member of the NGC 6946 group, which also includes several spiral and dwarf irregular galaxies.

We are able to marvel at NGC 6946 as it is a face-on galaxy, which means that we see the galaxy facing us, rather than seeing it from the side, Hubble astronomers said.

This galaxy is further classified as an intermediate spiral galaxy and as a starburst galaxy.

The former means the structure of NGC 6946 sits between a full spiral and a barred spiral galaxy, with only a slight bar in its center, and the latter means it has an exceptionally high rate of star formation.

In the last century alone, NGC 6946 has experienced 10 observed supernovae, earning its nickname as the Fireworks Galaxy, they added.

In comparison, our Milky Way averages just 1-2 supernova events per century.
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[January 04, 2021] IQST - iQSTEL Announces $60 Million FY-2021 Revenue Forecast Expanding Fintech, Blockchain and IoT Offerings on $42 Million Telecom Foundation

NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- iQSTEL, Inc. (USOTC: IQST) today announced a $60.5 million revenue forecast for FY-2021. The 40% revenue growth target is largely driven by the anticipated expansion of the company's new Fintech and IoT (Internet of Things) divisions launched in 2020. After announcing $39,725,507 in revenue through November 2020, Management expects FY-2020 revenues to exceed its $42 million FY-2020 revenue projection. Highlights of IQST's revenue growth potential include a recently announced Visa Prepaid Debit Card Service (PDCS) expected to generate estimated revenue over five years of $45 million to $128 million with an approximate EBITDA margin of 30% to 40%. Further highlights include a recently announced agreement between Alternet Systems, Inc. (USOTC: ALYI), an electric vehicle (EV) innovator, and IQST's IoT Division to codevelop Internet of Things (IoT) two-way device communication solutions specific to the EV operating environment. In light of the recent exponential market adoption and expansion of blockchain technologies reflected through the rapid appreciation of cryptocurrencies, IQST management also anticipates notable revenue contributions from its own itsBchain subsidiary (www.itsBchain.com), About iQSTEL Inc (Updated): iQSTEL Inc (OTC: IQST) (www.iQSTEL.com) is a US-based publicly-listed company offering leading-edge Telecommunication, Technology and Fintech Services for Global Markets, with presence in 13 countries. The company provides services to the Telecommunications, Financial Services, Liquid Fuel Distribution and Electric Vehicle Industries. iQSTEL has 3 Business Divisions: Telecom, Technology and Fintech, with worldwide B2B and B2C customer relations operating through its subsidiaries: Etelix, SwissLink, QGlobal SMS, SMSDirectos, IoT Labs, itsBchain and Global Money One. The Company has an extensive portfolio of products and services for its clients: SMS, VoIP, 4G & 5G international infrastructure connectivity, Cloud-PBX, OmniChannel Marketing, IoT Smart Gas Platform, IoT Smart Electric Vehicle Platform, Mobile Number Portability Application MNPA (Blockchain), Settlement & Payments Marketplace (Blockchain), Visa Debit Card, Money Remittance, and Pay Mobile Phone Services among others. About Etelix.com USA LLC (iQSTELs Telecom Division): Etelix.com USA LLC (www.etelix.com) is a wholly owned subsidiary of iQSTEL Inc. Etelix.com USA, LLC is a Miami, Florida-based international telecom carrier founded in 2008 that provides telecom and technology solutions worldwide, with commercial presence in North America, Latin America, and Europe. Enabled by its 214-license granted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Etelix provides International Long-Distance voice services for Telecommunications Operators (ILD Wholesale), and Submarine Fiber Optic Network capacity for internet (4G and 5G). Etelix was founded in 2008 and has been profitable since inception. About SwissLink Carrier AG (iQSTELs Telecom Division): SwissLink Carrier AG (www.swisslink-carrier.com) is a 51% owned subsidiary of iQSTEL Inc. SwissLink Carrier AG is a Switzerland based international Telecommunications Carrier founded in 2015 providing international VoIP connectivity worldwide, with commercial presence in Europe, CIS and Latin America. SwissLink Carrier AG is a Swiss licensed Operator, having a domestic Interconnect with Swisscom, allowing their international Carrier Customers direct terminations via SwissLink into all Switzerland Fix & Mobile Networks. Since the takeover from Swissphone in November 2018 and the rename into SwissLink, they operate on a profitable level.>



About QGlobal SMS LLC (iQSTELs Telecom Division): QGlobal SMS LLC (www.qglobalsms.com) is a 51% owned subsidiary of iQSTEL Inc. QGlobal SMS is a USA based company and a commercial brand founded in 2020 specialized in international and domestic SMS termination, with emphasis on the Applications to Person (A2P) and Person to Person (P2P) for Wholesale Carrier Market and Corporate Market in US. QGlobal SMS has commercial presence in US, Mexico, Latin America, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Asia) and Africa, through our SMS service providers based in Austin, TX and Miami, FL Our Austin-based SMS service provider is specialized in the SMS traffic exchange between US and Mexico, and our Miami-based SMS service provider is focused in the development of Latin America and the rest of the world. QGlobal SMS has robust international interconnection with Tier1 SMS Aggregators, guarantying its customers high quality and low termination rates, over more than 100 countries worldwide.

About Alcyon Cloud SMS S.A.S, Commercial Brand SMSDirectos.com (iQSTELs Telecom Division): Alcyon Cloud SMS S.A.S. (Commercial Brand SMSDirectos.com), is a whole subsidiary of QGlobal SMS, a Colombian-based Application and Content Provider. Alcyon Cloud SMS (SMSDirectos.com) is registered with the Secretary of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Colombia, offering services to government, enterprises, small and medium business, as well as end-users. Using SMSDirectos' existing network, they plan to expand services from SMS to offer omnichannel products and services such as: SMS, Emails, RCS (Rich Communications Services), Social Media Channels (Whats App, Messenger, etc), WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication), VoIP (IP-PBX, SIP Trunking) ChatBots (Artificial Intelligence Based), SMS to Email, and Email to SMS. About IoT Labs MX SAPI (iQSTELs Technology Division): IoT Labs MX SAPI (www.iotlabs.mx), a subsidiary of iQSTEL Inc, is an Internet of Things (IoT) Mexican technology development company, creator of the "IoT Smart Gas" Platform and Application. The IoT Smart Gas platform www.iotsmartgas.com consists of an IoT field device installed on the LP gas tank (adaptable to virtually any gas or liquid storage tank) and, thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT) technology via Sigfox or GSM network connectivity, allows remote managed and improved logistic processes of refilling, usage tracking and tank monitoring in real-time by the Smart Gas mobile app. The new GSM tracking feature allows for mobile use including ground, air, and sea tank monitoring. About itsBchain LLC (iQSTELs Technology Division): itsBchain LLC (www.itsBchain.com) is a 75% owned subsidiary of iQSTEL Inc. itsBchain is a blockchain technology developer and solution provider, with a strong focus on the telecom sector. The company is the final stage of development of a series of blockchain solutions aimed at using the blockchain ledger and smart contract solutions to enable more efficiency, quickness in execution and fraud-prevention in the telco industry. Specifically, the company is developing a solution that will enable users and carriers to transfer mobile phone numbers with just a few clicks, allowing users and carriers the ability to transfer retail users from one mobile carrier to another instantly. Additionally, the company is finalizing a carrier-grade marketplace solution to procure payments between carriers for cross-traffic of VoIP, SMS and data realtime as traffic is crossed between carriers. This marketplace will allow for instant payment settlement as well as the prevention of fraud between carriers. About Global Money One Inc (iQSTELs Fintech Division): Global Money One Inc. (www.GlobalMoneyOne.com) is a 75% owned subsidiary of iQSTEL Inc. Global Money One Inc is a Miami, Florida-based Fin-Tech company that uses a blend of industry expertise, state-of-the-art technology and compliance requirements to create disruptive solutions that deliver control, security and real-time payments and innovative Financial capabilities with reduced cost for consumers, specially to the unbanked, underbanked and underserved segments of today's society. Our portfolio of services will include a Prepaid VISA MoneyOne Card (www.visamoneyone.com) expected to enable customers to make purchases in stores and online, withdraw cash at ATMs or receive cash back when using it to make a purchase, recharge prepaid mobile phone service and send money domestically or internationally (+ 40 countries). The VISA MoneyOne Card is expected to also facilitate the deposit of funds into bank accounts, Remote Deposit Capture (RDC) by mobile phone, bill payments, rewards, and digital gift cards. The VISA MoneyOne is the new and freedom financial world wallet expected launch in early Q2 2021. Safe Harbor Statement: Statements in this news release may be "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements that express our intentions, beliefs, expectations, strategies, predictions or any other statements relating to our future activities or other future events or conditions. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may, and are likely to, differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and iQSTEL Inc. undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release. iQSTEL Inc. IR US Phone: 646-740-0907, IR Email: investors@iqstel.com Source: iQSTEL Inc. and its subsidiaries: www.iqstel.com ; www.etelix.com ; www.qglobalsms.com ; www.swisslink-carrier.com ; www.smsdirectos.com ; www.iotlabs.mx ; www.iotsmartgas.com ; www.iotsmartev.com : www.itsBchain.com ; www.globalmoneyone.com ; www.visamoneyone.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/iqst--iqstel-announces-60-million-fy-2021-revenue-forecast-expanding-fintech-blockchain-and-iot-offerings-on-42-million-telecom-foundation-301200132.html SOURCE iQSTEL, Inc.

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Two men burst into property on Dormington Road in Kingstanding, Birmingham

Grandfather, 65, was left with a fractured breastbone from the vicious attack

Burglars assaulted the elderly man before fleeing from the property with cash

A grandfather was slashed with a saw as he lay in his own bed before being repeatedly punched and kicked during a brutal attack by a pair of burglars.

Harrowing photographs show the shocking injuries the 65-year-old victim suffered after he was targeted in his home at around 3am on December 1.

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Two men burst into his property on Dormington Road in Kingstanding, Birmingham, before slashing him with the saw causing several cuts to his body.

He also suffered a fractured breastbone as he was viciously battered during the assault before the intruders fled with some cash.

Harrowing photographs show the shocking injuries the 65-year-old victim suffered after he was targeted in his home at around 3am on December 1

Two men burst into his property on Dormington Road in Kingstanding, Birmingham, before slashing him with the saw causing several cuts to his body

The man - who does not want to be named - required treatment in hospital for several days and is still recovering from his injuries now.

He agreed to allow West Midlands Police to release images of his bruised and battered arms and legs in a bid to try and track down the evil thugs.

Click here to resize this module

Detective Constable Richard Marsh, from force CID, said: 'This was a horrible ordeal for the victim in a place he should have felt the safest.

'There's not only the physical injuries, but the emotional distress this has caused.

The man - who does not want to be named - required treatment in hospital for several days and is still recovering from his injuries now. Pictured: Dormington Road where the attack happened

'Although the men were masked we believe they were both white, in their early 20s, and had Birmingham accents.

'I would urge them to consider what they've done, then do the right thing and come forward.

'I'm sure they will have confided in others, having come into some money, and we also need you to have a conscious and contact us.'

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Anyone with information is asked to contact us via Live Chat, or by calling 101, and quote 20BW/297011U/20
The Founder who doubles as the leader of Alive Chapel International, Archbishop Elisha Salifu Amoako has predicted that in spite of the wreckage of the global economy caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the economy of Ghana will see significant growth.



According to him, God has revealed to him that the economy of Ghana is about to boost from 2021 to 2024 regardless of the havoc caused by the new coronavirus in the global economy.



Speaking to the media on Sunday, January 3, 2021, at his office, Archbishop Elisha Salifu Amoako said that he saw in a prophecy that leaders of 15 African countries have pointed their fingers towards Ghana, saying that "it is Ghanas turn grow economically".



The economy of the country is about to grow from 2021 to 2024 and that is the truth of the matter. I prophesied that in Africa, about 15 countries leaders have pointed their fingers towards Ghana, saying that it is Ghanas turn; that is what I saw in the prophecy, he indicated.



God told me that Ghana will be the centre of attraction from now to 2024. A lot of investments and investors will come to Ghana. We will witness a lot of investments taking place in the country. The economy was about to take off before the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted it but from 2021 to 2024, those investments are going to come. We need to look forward to it because the economy will grow, he insisted.



He said that Ghanas economy could not grow in 2020 because of the global pandemic as there was no movement globally but assured that the year 2021 will be different as the countrys economy is about to be lifted up.



He added that even though the economy in the world over was affected including America by the outbreak of the pandemic, Ghanas economy has not been affected that much by the Covid-19.



Ghanas economy has not been affected that much by the Covid-19 as compare to America. As we speak, the number of people in America that are jobless and are being fed by the government are in millions.



In America, people join long queues for food and about 360,000 people have died of the coronavirus in America but in Ghana, the number of people who have died are not up to 500 and so we can see that God has been good to us in the outbreak of this pandemic and we are still surviving. But this year, Ghana will start moving forward, he asserted.



He, however, commended the Akufo-Addo administration for managing the pandemic very well but added that the successful management of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country is also due to the national prayers offered to the country requested by the President.



The government did very well; President Akufo-Addo did very well and he deserves applause because how he has managed the pandemic is so amazing. I am sure that it was due to his request for national prayers for the country during the early of the stage of the pandemic in the country. If we had not prayed for the country, something horrific would have happened; thousands of people would have died of the Covid-19 in the country. So, prayer works and the way President Akufo-Addo and his government managed the covid-19, maybe if it were to be a different government, the story would have been different, he said.



If God is behind you, He gives you the wisdom to rule and to govern the affairs of the people. I think that he did very well even though the economy dropped a bit due to the covid-19 but this year, the economy will boost, he stressed.



He, therefore, entreated Ghanaians to pray for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as it is not easy for the 76-year old man to shoulder the responsibilities of 30 million people alone; thus, every Ghanaian has a part to play for the advancement of this country.



As I have already said, we should also pray for the President and support his government with prayers because it is easy for a 76-year old man to shoulder the responsibilities of 30 million peopleso, all of us have a part to play; every citizen, every Ghanaian has a part to play for the advancement of this country, he entreated.



We should not shove all the responsibilities of the country to the shoulders of the President; he cannot do it alone and so all of us must add our collective effort to push the country forward and that will make the work of the President easier. We are always blaming the government but what are we doing to support as citizens of the country? What is our responsibilities as good citizens to help the President succeed for all of us?, he asked.



Lets all be responsible citizens to help the economy of the country to grow because it takes more than person to develop a country; it is the collective effort as citizens to build the nation, he advised.

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Appointment

4 January 2021

Passionate about the art of bartending and a familiar face at guest shifts, bar conventions and trade seminars around the world, Gabriel Carlos now lends his effervescent personality as Bar Manager of One-Ninety Bar at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore.

Better known as Gab, his passion for the trade started when he had a brush with bartending as part of his school curriculum in college. He has since impressed at global platforms including Tales of the Cocktail, Bar Convent Brooklyn and Bar Convent Berlin.

Most recently, Gab oversaw the entire spirit collection and the "American Whiskey Embass"y program as assistant bar manager at Manhattan, ranked world's 14th best bar and Asia's 8th. It was here that he had grown in his knowledge, craft and role after joining the opening team as bartender in 2014 and being promoted to senior bartender and then to assistant bar manager in 2016.

Prior to Manhattan, Gab was bartender at La Dolce Vita Restaurant, Mandarin Oriental Singapore after moving to Singapore from Philippines in 2011.

An outgoing, attentive and charismatic individual who is knowledgeable and passionate about spirits and cocktails, Gab has developed a strong reputation in the local bar community as being a highly competent, creditable, positive person with an intense work ethic and has a history of exceeding guest expectations by providing them with an exemplary service.
Spain's frail-looking runaway former king Juan Carlos has been pictured for only the second time in five months at his Middle East hideaway.

The ex-monarch, who turns 83 tomorrow, had to be helped to walk by two bodyguards at a pleasure port in Abu Dhabi.

The photo, said to have been taken by Spanish tourists and published by Spanish TV station Telecinco, is bound to fuel new concerns about his state of health.

It is the first to emerge of Juan Carlos since he was pictured arriving in Abu Dhabi at the start of August following a shock departure from Spain after Swiss prosecutors opened an investigation into bank accounts he allegedly held in tax havens.

He checked into a 10,000-a-night presidential suite at the seven-star Emirates Palace following his arrival.

Spain's frail-looking runaway former king Juan Carlos has been pictured for only the second time in five months at his Middle East hideaway

The possibility he would return to Madrid for Christmas had polarised the political debate in Spain over the last few weeks before it was ruled out by Juan Carlos himself.

He attributed his decision to the coronavirus pandemic and the fact he was a high-risk person because of his age.

Reports at the time, refused by Spain's Royal Household, said he had been admitted to a private clinic in Abu Dhabi after testing positive for coronavirus.

Juan Carlos is facing three separate criminal probes in Spain.

One is related to the use of credit cards linked to foreign accounts after his June 2014 abdication when he lost his constitutional protection against prosecution as a serving monarch.

Prosecutors are trying to establish if the scandal-hit former king accessed funds deposited in accounts held by a Mexican businessman and a Spanish Air Force official.

Spain has also launched its own investigation based in part on information shared by Switzerland about cash Juan Carlos allegedly received as part of his involvement in a high-speed Saudi Arabia rail contract.

Last month the ex-monarch's lawyer announced he had paid more than POUNDS 600,000 in back taxes with interest and surcharges for the years since his abdication.

Juan Carlos, who is married to Queen Sofia, 81, left Spain in August after it was claimed he allegedly received millions of euros from Saudi Arabia 's late King Abdullah. Pictured, Juan Carlos and Sofia in 2004

Spanish authorities responded by saying they were analysing the tax payments to see if they were 'spontaneous, truthful and complete.'

Juan Carlos' shock departure from Spain at the start of August led to an intense questioning of the country's monarchy led by its left-wing vice-president Pablo Iglesias.

Several interviews by the former king's ex-mistress Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, now living in the UK, have not helped.

She was implicated in the scandal surrounding Juan Carlos' rule after it emerged he had given her a gift of EUROS 65 million.

The 56-year-old blonde has claimed he gave her the cash gift because he was 'adamant about taking care of her.'

She also insisted in a TV interview last year Juan Carlos was the 'architect of his own problems' and described his Middle East exile as the 'ultimate defeat.'

In 2014, King Juan swiftly abdicated in favour of his son Felipe (pictured with his wife Letizia in January)

Spain's current king, Juan Carlos' son Felipe VI, made a veiled dig at his exiled father and the scandals surrounding his family in his Christmas speech.

He said in a televised address 'ethics are above family ties.'

The new photo of Juan Carlos was taken on December 29 on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, home to the Yas Marina Circuit which is the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Juan Carlos, in his letter to Spain's current king Felipe VI announcing his decision to leave his homeland, wrote 'Guided by my conviction I can offer the best service to Spaniards, its institutions and to you as King, I am communicating my decision to move away from Spain.

'It's a decision I am taking with deep feeling but with great serenity. I have been King of Spain for almost 40 years and during that whole time, I've always wanted the best for Spain and for the Crown.'

He signed off the letter: 'With affection as always, your father.'

It later emerged he had already left Spain by the time the letter was released by the Royal Household.

His departure sparked mixed reactions, with monarchists and right-wing politicians accusing the government of forcing him into exile and critics of the former king accusing him of an amateur attempt to protect himself and his son from the corruption scandals threatening the future of Spain's dwindling royal family.
Businesses are bracing for an insolvency cliff when JobKeeper ends in three months after changes in bankruptcy laws also kicked in at the start of the year, while border restrictions and outbreaks of COVID-19 continue to affect many employers.

The federal government temporarily changed bankruptcy legislation at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic to help employers hibernate through lockdowns. But the insolvency safe harbour rules have now ended and creditors are able to apply for a bankruptcy notice against a business when outstanding debts reach $10,000, half of what it was during the peak of the crisis. The debtor has 21 days to respond to a notice down from six months.

Businesses face tougher bankruptcy rules in 2021. Credit:Tamara Voninski

While these changes started on January 1, CreditorWatch chief executive Patrick Coghlan says the end of support measures in March, such as wage subsidy scheme JobKeeper and mortgage deferrals, will be the trigger point for many companies.

"We are definitely going to see an increase in insolvencies," Mr Coghlan said, "I don't think they'll happen in January ... I think there could be a March cliff."
As the U.S. prepares to withdraw from Afghanistan, lawmakers and others are trying to figure out how to keep it from becoming...
More than 100,000 total vaccinations have been administered in health agency's region

local
Washington:

President Donald Trump has a "fairly unbelievable" relationship with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the White House has said, hours after the American leader complained about Germany in a tweet.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters that the two leaders get along "very well" and are growing a"bond" they had during their talks in the G7.

"The relationship that the President has had with Merkelhe would describe as fairly unbelievable...He has a lot of respect for her," Spicer said.

The press secretary's comments came after Trump, on the social media platrform, said Germany was paying well below itsshare for NATO.

"We have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on NATO & military. Very bad for U.S. This will change," Trump tweeted.

Spicer asserted that Trump views not just Germany, butthe rest of Europe, as an important American allies.

"During his conversations at NATO and at the G7, the president reaffirmed the need to deepen and improve our transatlantic relationship," he said, as reporters asked him about the general impression that all is not well between US and Germany.

Spicer also disputed the media's interpretation of Merkel's remarks that she felt that Europe could no longer depend on the United States."That's not what she said. So since you're misquoting the Chancellor, let me read what she actually said. She said: 'The times when Europe could rely solely on others is somewhat in the past. And as I have witnessed over the past few days,Europe must take its fate into its own hands. This means working in friendship with the US, the UK, and neighborly relations with Russia and other partners," Spicer said.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
After seizing a South Korean-flagged oil tanker in the crucial Strait of Hormuz and enriching uranium up to 20% at an underground facility, Iran further escalated tensions in the Middle East between Tehran and the West on Monday.

The possible enrichment announcement came after the rising fear that Tehran had seized the oil tanker MT hankuk Chemi.

Iran acknowledged the speculated seizure and alleged that the oil pollution from the said vessel sparked the move.

But hours earlier before the incident, Tehran shared that they are expecting a South Korean diplomat to visit in the next few days to negotiate the release of billions of dollars in its assets that are now frozen in South Korea's capital, Seoul.

The incidents happened amid the heightened tensions between the United States and Iran as the term of US President Donald Trump nears its end, Yahoo! News reported.

During Trump's administration, the US leader unilaterally withdrew from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers in 2018 and set off months of tense episodes, which had increased the strained relations between the two countries.

According to Iran's state television, spokesman Ali Rabiei stated that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had ordered the move to the Fordo facility.

Iran's decision to start enriching uranium up to 20%purity was made a decade ago and almost triggered an Israeli strike that targeted its nuclear facilities. The said tensions only calmed after the 2015 nuclear deal.

Read also:Super Spreaders: COVID-19 Variant in Several Cities in Northern China

As the plan for the 20% enrichment resume, it is expected that it could see that brinkmanship return as that level of purity is only a technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

Despite having its own issues of an undeclared nuclear weapons program, the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the enrichment decision of Iran and mentioned that it cannot be explained in any way aside from the continuation of realizing its goal in developing a military nuclear program, The Daily Wire reported.

He also added that Israel would not allow Iran to manufacture any nuclear weapon.

Tehran has long remained its nuclear program and stayed peaceful.

According to the United States Department, it continued to assess that Iran has not been and is not currently involved in any key activities linked with any nuclear weapon's design and development since last year.

The move of Iran came following the parliament's decision to pass a bill later approved by a constitutional watchdog. The bill was aimed at raising the enrichment to put pressure on Europe into providing sanctions relief.

It also served as pressure ahead of president-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. Biden has previously stated and shown his willingness to re-entering the nuclear deal, Fox News reported.

Last week, Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that they are planning to take the step, and IAEA responded on Monday that the inspectors from the agency are already monitoring their activities at Fordo and that its director-general Rafael Mariano Grossi made a plan to issue a report to member nations of the United Nations organization later in the day.



Related article: US Navy: New Type Lightweight Torpedo in Development for Naval Vessels Coming Soon

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[MUSIC PLAYING] (SINGING) When you walk in the room, do you have sway? [MUSIC PLAYING]

kara swisher

Have you ever watched The Mindy Project, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, or The Good Place? Behind all those shows and many more was Bela Bajaria. That was back in her studio days. Now shes head of global television at Netflix. Shes running all TV everywhere for the streaming giant. Shes fed us shows through the pandemic like Indian Matchmaking, Money Heist, and Unorthodox. And shes probably going to be behind whatever well binge next. [MUSIC PLAYING] Hey, Bela. Good to see you. Welcome.

bela bajaria

Hi, Kara. Nice to see you.

kara swisher

When I mention your name  I was talking to a lot of people. I said, oh, Im doing the person whos really in charge of all the programming you like on Netflix. And they always go, oh, Reed Hastings or Ted Sarandos. And youre the person people in Hollywood certainly know but not a lot of other people know is responsible for a lot of what theyre watching. You were born in London. You lived in Zambia. Can you talk a little bit about that as how you rose and how TV impacted you in growing up?

bela bajaria

Mm-hmm. So I was born in London. My familys Indian, but my family  my parents were both born and raised in East Africa. So we have a Africa, India, London sort of connection. Very typical immigrant route for that trajectory of following business and opportunity. And we moved to the U.S. We moved to California when I was nine. It was a hard time because I moved to Los Angeles. I was a brown girl with a British accent, and there were just no Indian people around, and being used to being in Africa and London where there was a large Indian community and it wasnt  didnt feel weird to be Indian or as weird. And when I moved to Los Angeles, it was a culture shock in many ways. And so I figured one thing had to go, and the brown wasnt going anywhere. So the British accent as a nine-year-old girl had to go. And I ended up after school every day watching a lot of television. And I watched the television to learn the American accent and learn American culture. And that really was, I think  now that I look back, I mean, it was very  I really sort of disappeared into television a lot, of just learning so much about America.

kara swisher

What were the television shows? I think you said I Dream of Jeannie was one of them. I watched that, too.

bela bajaria

Yeah. I did. I watched. When I look back at that time, I watched I Dream of Jeannie, I watched Gomer Pyle, which I remember, and Bewitched. But the accent at nine years old, which is extraordinary, in three months, I had no trace of a British accent.

kara swisher

Through golly? I mean, Gomer. Remember, Golly?

bela bajaria

Yeah. Yes. So I just didnt have  I just lost every trace of it. And that really is where I learned about culture and the accent. And now sadly, many years later, I cant even fake a British accent. So clearly 

kara swisher

Dont do that. Its called pulling a Madonna, and it never ends well.

bela bajaria

Yes. Its deeply buried in there.

kara swisher

So what attracted you to this, the television business? Because youre Indian-American kid with no connections in Hollywood, right? Your family owned a car wash. Is that correct?

bela bajaria

Mm-hmm.

kara swisher

And you worked there. You were cashier. You did all kinds of unusual jobs.

bela bajaria

I really admire writers and just in every form. Its just such an amazing craft that I definitely have no skill in, and but I really admire it. And I loved this idea of this impact of storytelling, which might go all the way back to the roots of me watching TV in that way, that connected so many people. And everybody watches it at the same time or different times, but the story has an impact on many people. And I was always fascinated by that. And so for me, I wanted to be in the entertainment industry because I loved  I appreciated writing, and I appreciated the craft of many of those things. But I wanted to be a part of telling a story on a large scale. And it never occurred to me, because I was an Indian woman 23, 24 years ago when I got in the business, that I couldnt do it. I just 

kara swisher

Because none. Theres nobody there that you could look up to.

bela bajaria

I mean, nobodys there.

kara swisher

Right. Talk about breaking in. How did you break in? So here you are with nobody to look up to, with a media thats very much not your experience whatsoever.

bela bajaria

I wrote letters for a general meeting to  back then it was the Hollywood Creative Directory, which was like literally the phone book for Hollywood.

kara swisher

But you wrote hundreds of  trying to get a job, correct?

bela bajaria

Hundreds. I just started at A and just wrote letters because I knew just the general meeting, at least getting in the door and learning, because the truth is, at that time, I wanted to be in entertainment. And I think I wanted to be  I probably was like, I want to make films. I had no idea the difference between any of those things.

kara swisher

But you had not made any. You had not made any. You just wanted to get in.

bela bajaria

No. I just wanted to get in. And at that point, I applied to every TV and film company, production companys network, and to everybody. And I got two calls for generals. One was Columbia TriStar pictures, and one was CBS Network. And I ended up getting my first job as an assistant in that group.

kara swisher

And that meant what? In Hollywood, the assistant is sort of  it is the path forward. A lot of well-known people were assistants. I delivered mail at The Washington Post for people that later worked for me, which was interesting. Only lesson is really talented people are not jerks, and untalented people are jerks. But go ahead. So you were an assistant. What did you do?

bela bajaria

So I had my first assistant job there. It was TV movies and miniseries. Back then the volume was so  we made so many of them. And at that point when I started, it was Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday movies and miniseries. And I had no idea what the learning  I just didnt know anything when I started. And I answered phone calls and scheduled meetings. And I did all of the administrative stuff that an assistant does. But what I did was I knew enough to know that I was sitting on that desk, and I had access to all of this information. The scripts come in to me first, the notes. Youre scheduling the meetings. So the learning was all there.

kara swisher

So you read. You just started reading.

bela bajaria

I read everything. I read every script that came in. I read every revision that came in. I then went to every single other executive in the department, not just my boss, and read all of their development. And then so people would always reference movies. They would reference old miniseries or old movies which I was not as familiar with. And then I went to the  back then it was the videotape library in the basement. And I went to the videotape library. And I asked for some key miniseries that people would always refer to, and I just studied. And I promised myself, for a year and a half, I would be a sponge. I would just read and watch everything, so I understood the business. I did realize during that time, though, my point of view, or my background, or the way I looked at material was different. I just had a different upbringing. And so I realized that was an asset. And I didnt want to assimilate or hide it. I just owned the Indian part, the background part. When I looked at material, it was different. And I was vocal about that in notes. My great  Nancy Tellem was also at the company, who is an amazing just mentor of mine and such a champion and taught me so much. And she really took the shot. And I ended up when I was an executive, my first executive job at CBS, I had championed Joan of Arc, which was a big miniseries. So I had worked on some big titles that then led me to getting the job to run the department.

kara swisher

So you went over to NBC to run Universal Television.

bela bajaria

Yes.

kara swisher

And you were also very aggressive there in creating whole bunches of shows there, including The Mindy Project.

bela bajaria

Mm-hmm. So I went to Universal in 2011 to  and at that point, it was really to rebuild the studio because it had been collapsed into the network. And so the idea was to rebuild the studio, which I was really passionate about being at the studio because you really get to make shows. Youre closer to making shows. But you also get to sell and strategically hopefully put shows in the right place or a place where you really think they could thrive.

kara swisher

So you can sell them to others. For people dont know, you can sell them to others or make them for the network.

bela bajaria

Yeah, so you can make them for NBC, the sister network, or you can sell them outside to streaming cable or other broadcast places, which I was very interested in supporting the vision of a writer and placing the show in a place where I thought it could thrive and where they would have the best creative experience.

kara swisher

Right. And then in doing this, and you had a number of hits including The Good Place for NBC. You did make sure. And that turned out to be a hit. And so you left NBC because you werent making enough shows for them? Is that  for the regular person, how does that work?

bela bajaria

So there has historically sometimes been tension between studios and networks and what we talked about, the supplying for your sister network, and then also how many shows you have outside and how many shows you take outside. So there is tension. Even though I had Brooklyn Nine-Nine which was also on Fox, I had many hit shows and launched Chicago Fire and the entire Chicago franchise to date, which still continues, it just  I got fired at NBC. And it  seemingly doing a good job during it.

kara swisher

Yeah.

bela bajaria

But it was such an interesting time. So May 2016, it was the best personal and professional lesson that I had ever gone through.

kara swisher

Explain that for people.

bela bajaria

So theres the initial just personal rejection, failure. Theres the  which people forget  going home and telling your three kids you got fired of a place that youre super passionate about and helped build that culture and that team and how they actually even feel connected to that place. And that was a really hard thing to do. Also, to try to explain like, oh, in our  you get fired, even if its not that Im a failure. And Im still good at my job. And its a very complicated thing but amazing learning because I also realized with my three kids, I was also going to show them that you get knocked down, and you get back up. And you go do some cool thing. And you grow and you learn from these things. And so I felt a responsibility to also handle it as  be honest about it but handle it gracefully and hopefully strategically and smart for my career. And its also great because it really helps unwrap your identity, what you think your purpose is. It was very difficult the first month. It was a very difficult thing. Luckily, I had a trip to Tanzania, a safari, a month later already planned. And it was just amazing to be there and do perspective and big picture in life. And it was just an amazing learning experience. It was so difficult when it happened and painful, but it was incredible learning.

kara swisher

So what you did, though, is you started working at Netflix. And they brought you in to do licensing and unscripted television, which is reality TV, and then local language production. So how did you  this was not something you were involved in at all. You had been creating your basic regular shows that are stock and trade for networks.

bela bajaria

So I had known Netflix and worked with them because I had sold Kimmy Schmidt to Netflix, and I made Master of None for them also. So I had the relationship. They knew me. We had a great relationship making multiple seasons of those shows. So then during the 2016 summer of just exploration and what do I want to do next, and  but I really wanted to learn something different. I had made lots of television. Id been on the studio side. Id been on the network side. I had been at cable studio at CBS. And I really had felt like Id always wanted to run a studio. I had done it. And it was liberating and terrifying because I didnt know what was next. But I wanted to learn a different part of the business. And I met with Ted.

kara swisher

This is Ted Sarandos whos now the co-C.E.O. Yeah.

bela bajaria

Ted Sarandos. And he asked me to start the unscripted group. And I said, you know that Ive never done unscripted, right? And he said, oh, and I want you to do licensing. And I said, you know Ive never done licensing, right? And he said, and I want you to do co-licensing and co-productions. And I just said, OK, all of these things youre offering me I have never done. And he said, yes. I just hire smart people. And for me, it was one of those, oh, this is interesting. Im going to learn streaming, because I really wanted to actually be on the inside. Id worked  Id sold shows, but I was not on the inside at a streaming company. I wanted to really learn streaming. So I just took the leap.

kara swisher

But one of the things you did was unscripted television local language productions and, again, basically non-English shows. You also had your  probably one of your first more deep experiences with data, and so the idea of Netflix decides what were all going to watch. Was that something you thought about it? Would the whole world watch, say, Indian Matchmaking, another show youre responsible for, if it wasnt served to us at the top of the app? Could you contrast algorithms and creativity because you had come from the creative background here at a company where algorithms are very important?

bela bajaria

So when I came into the company, so it was interesting. So unscripted, we had to launch the unscripted group. We know theres tons of audience all over the world for many different kinds of unscripted shows. We hadnt had unscripted shows. So there was no data. There was no algorithm. There was no data to say this kind of show will work. But we just knew from, if you look at the audience and where interests are, that we were just going to take bets. And those are all gut, and intuition, and working with very experienced unscripted people in making shows. Id say I think when I came in, it was interesting to see the amount of data and just the sophistication of it. And globally who was watching how many things in each country was interesting. But commissioning television shows, unscripted or scripted, is all about gut and intuition. It has to be a human  its a human call because a writer walks in. They pitch a show. And it has to be whether you think you believe in the vision of the show, because theres not any data or algorithm that would have ever suggested or proven out that a limited series about a female chess prodigy would ever be 

kara swisher

This is Queens Gambit.

bela bajaria

Yes, Queens Gambit  that would ever capture the hearts, minds, and viewing hours as it did. So its a good tool when we license. Its a good tool to have data, algorithm for personalization on the shows you see. Great. Commissioning television shows has to be about human judgment.

kara swisher

All right, talk about Queens Gambit since you brought it up. So that was, from what I understand, a movie. Scott Frank thought it was going to be a movie. And then the decision was to cut it up into a limited series, essentially. Why did that strike you since you were responsible? What was it about that?

bela bajaria

It was a great book. And there were themes in there. People root for underdogs. People do like and are fascinated by genius, the idea of watching somebody genius at something. So there were themes in there that seemed like, OK, those could really resonate, that  because in a way, you would probably think, which would make sense, initially that chess would be narrow or limiting in some way as far as an audience. But her journey  and it was based on the books, so the material was there, and the book is a great book really made sense to champion that. But even in that, on every kind of data, thats just not an obvious thing  this should be a big hit. And it just captured people. And shes extraordinary in it. And Scott Frank did such a beautiful job.

kara swisher

So Unorthodox, eight Emmy nominations with one win for directing for Maria Schrader. Why that?

bela bajaria

So I think whats amazing about Unorthodox, German original. Thats where it was. It was from the local language original team. And I think what you see with Unorthodox, what you see with Barbarians recently from Germany, what you see with La Casa de Papel from Spain 

kara swisher

Which is called Money Heist here, right?

bela bajaria

 Money Heist here  as authentic and specific that a story is to a vision, to a country, to a language, those shows really resonate. And I think people think were a global platform. You make it global. We dont make it global. We make it so authentic, so specific, and so unique to that voice. And those kinds of shows resonate because theyre great. And the many themes are universal about those things. And Unorthodox was interesting because it was a German original. But as the writer wrote it, the really organic way is Yiddish and some English. And that was just the authentic way to tell that story. And 

kara swisher

Yeah. Theres German in it.

bela bajaria

Yeah. And we just supported the creator and let it be the true vision of the story in the way that it would have folded out. So it was incredibly rewarding to see how it was discovered on Netflix, that it really went worldwide and then got an Emmy.

kara swisher

So when youre talking about the idea of worldwide, these local language originals like Barbarians from Germany, its the top non-English show in the US for 2020. Money Heist, its season four from Spain. Through its first 28 days, 65 million households chose to watch the show. Dark Desire from Mexico, July 2020, 35 million households in the first 28 days. When youre thinking about this idea, because Netflix used to break up content by markets, why is it significant that youre overseeing everything in Netflix global slate?

bela bajaria

So I think for consumers, big picture, to really look at holistic programming slate is really great and making trade offs and making sure were programming a wide breadth of tastes and types of shows, because we subtitle in 37 languages. We dub in 34 languages. So theres access to this. And so I think to be able to tell stories from all different kinds of countries in all different languages and export it to the world. So traditionally, Hollywood, the U.S. lands in Hollywood exported content around the world.

kara swisher

Exported.

bela bajaria

Exported. And that was how people watched. Now on our platform, were exporting content, storytelling all over the world. And I think people talk about representation a lot, and more so, I think, this year finally. But people talk about representation a lot. Its so personally rewarding, but just, I think, for consumers amazing that were telling these stories from all over the world. And I dont think people  Im not sure everybody realizes the amount  the power of that storytelling from all over the world and the amount of the big  like theres a big audience that watches so many shows not in English.

kara swisher

So through these local lens, this idea of local lens.

bela bajaria

Local storytellers in front of, behind the camera, in their language that gets exported day and day around the world that day. And its a global launch. So the reach of that. So during this year, during Covid, global pandemic year, the increase of non-English viewing was up 50%. The increase of K-dramas tripled, from Korean dramas, K-dramas. And anime had 100% increase. So its just interesting to see the discovery of different types of shows told 

kara swisher

In different ways.

bela bajaria

 many different ways.

kara swisher

It also could be a response to the fact that Netflix has 73 million subscribers in the U.S.  very impressive  and Canada. A lot of people feel like its approaching saturation. Also, half the revenue is now coming from abroad. Would you say the U.S. is its market now? When youre talking about this import export, the idea it was Hollywood exported, and except for perhaps the Indian market which has a very vibrant internal market there, has that changed utterly? Do you feel like thats the way its going to go now?

bela bajaria

Theres room to grow in the U.S. Theres still room to grow there. I do think there is a lot of room to grow outside of the U.S. still. And in Latin America, we started making originals five years ago. And this year, we launched our Africa slate. India was a few  like three years ago. So theres still more room to grow in many of these other countries. And I think big picture, U.S. is 5% of the worlds population. We have over 190 million members. So theres definitely room to grow outside of the U.S. But I do think theres still room to grow here. And Hollywood has been the dream factory. Amazing writers, great shows come out of here. So thats not going away. But I do think when you think about something like Indian Matchmaker  Indian Matchmaker, which Im not sure people realize is that I greenlight that show because to me, it was just a show in the U.S. I didnt greenlight it for the India team. It really was, oh, interesting matchmaker, a way to explore marriage, dating, relationships. So that was something that I just bet on. Isnt this just fascinating? Its subculture. Its a culture I know well clearly. But I think there were interesting things in there that people would be fascinated by. But again, I dont look any of it to purposefully feel like, oh, are we making a global show? Its just, are we making the best vision of that show? And if that vision is true and its great, itll connect. [MUSIC PLAYING] (SINGING) Sway.

kara swisher

Well be back in a minute. If you like this interview and want to hear others, hit Subscribe. Youll be able to catch up on Sway episodes you may have missed, like my conversation with Warner Media C.E.O. Jason Kiler. And youll get new ones delivered directly to you. More with Bela Bajaria after this break. [MUSIC PLAYING] Netflix made headlines the past year by signing splashy contracts with Shonda Rhimes, Ryan Murphy, paying them hundreds of millions of dollars for the privilege of featuring their shows. Its sort of changing the economics of these relationships which relied heavily on back end deals. So reviews have been mixed for some of the big creators. I know you have Bridgerton coming, which looks fantastic, by Shonda Rhimes.

bela bajaria

So exciting. Its so  it delivers on what you hope and imagine it would be.

kara swisher

It looks very juicy. It looks very Shonda Rhimes, is all Ill say. How are these going versus, say, people that arent as well known? Because a lot of your shows are people that arent well known?

bela bajaria

So overall deals have been around for a long time. This is not new to Netflix. Theyve been part of the business. I ran a studio with many overall deals. And so Im very familiar with the deals and the relationship and what that is. I think overall deals are also  have always historically been a long-term investment. Its not a short-term thing. You usually start a relationship and build this and really look at the slate long term strategically. And its also a very small percentage of our content budget. It gets outsized attention about the overall deals. So I think its still early days with some of these deals. And I think we always have a mix of big, very experienced creators. Many times we have shows with other new voices that sometimes are supervised by other people. And we just have a mix of shows because we want a wide variety of shows.

kara swisher

Do you see yourself doing big deals around the world with big names creators, or is it like creative retreads like Cobra Kai? I love Cobra Kai. Its the best thing ever. And it looks like you spent $12 on set design and everything else.

bela bajaria

Cobra Kai is so fun!

kara swisher

It is. Yes, it is.

bela bajaria

So yes, I think its just a wide variety of shows. The slates are very diverse in all of these countries. In Spain, we have a relationship with Alex Pina who did La Casa de Papel  Money Heist. And we have a deal with him there. But it really is just a wide range of shows. We did How to Sell Drugs Online in Germany with writers who had never done a scripted show before. And that became a big hit. So its a wide range of very known filmmakers in many countries where theres a very robust film community. Its been filmmakers turning to episodic television for the first time in certain places. We have over 190 million members in 190 countries. It has to be a wide range of types of shows, and documentaries, and unscripted, and lots of other things.

kara swisher

But you are heading into streaming wars. I think theres  its very clear. Theres Disney, theres HBO Max, whatever Apple is going to do, whatever theyre all going to do, Amazon. What is your best pitch to creators in other places right now in this new environment?

bela bajaria

Competition has been around for a long time and Blockbuster and Hotstar. And theres been Sky. Theres been a lot of competition. And theres also room for many people to grow at the same time. While weve grown, HBO has grown, and Amazon has grown. And other people are going to grow because its not zero-sum. The thing is, though, I feel like its smart to know what your competitors are doing but not spend so much time on it, because I think its hard to move forward if youre always looking over your shoulder.

kara swisher

Yeah, but whats your biggest worry as they enter the market? Because eventually, theyre going to get the technology right. Theyre not going to be as good as you are, but theyll get it right on some level. And then its just down to what you had, because I subscribe to all the services, every one of them. And I subscribe for the shows, really, not the networks. I dont think of  although Netflix tends to have more shows I like at this moment, it doesnt mean they will. And I know my kids are often on Disney+ because they like all those Marvel movies. Whats your biggest worry as they enter the market? Is it their I.P.? Because Warner makes movies. Disney makes movies. Thats their main business. Theyre not selling toilet paper like Jeff Bezos.

bela bajaria

So the advantage that Disney definitely has, and even Warner Brothers, theyve been at this for a long time  100 years. Theyve been at it for a long time. They have I.P. They have catalog. They have those franchises. And for us, weve been in it for seven years and making original content. So now we have Stranger Things. And we have The Witcher. And were growing our own, hopefully, I.P., and franchises, and original content. And so were going to continue to do that around the world. Money Heist, La Casa de Papel definitely franchise for the company and growing what that is. So I think for us, its to continue to do that. And again, creators have great experience. And then you hope you get their repeat business. They come back to work with you again. And I think for all of us, it really  you have to win, just like youre saying about what you watch, the consumer every day. Next year, I hope we still have more shows that you like than somebody else has. And I do think ultimately competition is good for consumers because I do think it keeps all of us trying to make the best shows, pushing forward, taking risks on content still. So I do think net net, its great to have competition.

kara swisher

All right, I want to go through some  a couple of things really quickly. You may not want to answer any of these, but let me try. What do you think of Disney plus and minus  Disney+ plus and minus?

bela bajaria

I think they have great I.P.

kara swisher

Great I.P. OK, Apple TV?

bela bajaria

I think they make amazing iPads. And I enjoy The Morning Show.

kara swisher

OK, and a pile of money they have. Amazon Prime?

bela bajaria

Some really good shows. Just contents not their core business.

kara swisher

OK, Hulu?

bela bajaria

Good catch up television and have done, I think, a good job and in television have grown at the same time as we have.

kara swisher

OK. And then HBO Max?

bela bajaria

Interesting HBO brand. Still will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

kara swisher

Why is that?

bela bajaria

I think theyre still just trying to restructure and figure out how to reorient a company towards direct to consumer.

kara swisher

Right, and kind of a mess of a brand. Is there a show on another network you wish you had? Issa Rae, The Mandalorian, Succession, The Undoing?

bela bajaria

I like so many  so Im a fan of TV. So I watch a lot, a lot of different TV.

kara swisher

If you had to pick one and you get to have it, like its Christmas. You get to 

bela bajaria

Pick one. Oh, I love Succession. Oh, I love  Game of Thrones.

kara swisher

OK, smart. About getting new voices in Hollywood, Hollywoods been going through a big reckoning with its bad history with gender, and race, and so much other things. Youre a woman, a person of color in a position of real power to make change in one of the biggest streaming companies. Ive heard a lot of people say you talk about being an outsider a little bit. You often  you have said this here, telling people youre the only brown girl in the room. And people at first ignored you. And you see it as an asset. How do you see that shaking out?

bela bajaria

Its a conversation that I think you have to be open to having. And theres many people on our content teams who are very passionate about more representation, about diverse stories, about different points of views. The one thing that I do talk about is sometimes people talk about these underrepresented groups. And its this show to the side or this little show, but itll be important to that group. I want to do big shows that have underrepresented voices and people. They can be big, and they can be commercial. And we want those shows to be seen, and talked about, and heard. So I think its important. Netflix has done a great job in representation with Orange Is the New Black, and Never Have I Ever, and many other shows. And it is rewarding that we get to do it from all different countries and all different  with many representation from all over the world that everybody gets to see. And I do think that builds cultural affinity in many ways of seeing different people and seeing different stories. But I think its something we just have to continue to do.

kara swisher

Its been a perceived strength of Netflix, the diversity in its programming, reaching out to fresh voices, younger voices, different voices. This is something they can do. Is Hollywood too Hollywood-centric when you think about it? Because they do  theyre kind of local. Theyre local in how they think, a lot of these studios, still.

bela bajaria

I think sometimes it depends on executives sitting in the seats. Who can greenlight a show? Who is going to champion and advocate for that show? Do you have enough executives? Are you giving shots, which  to enough creators that  oh, they havent  its always that chicken and egg. Oh, they dont have experience. Well, they cant get experience because you have to give them the shot to get the experience. In another company that I worked at, there was  we had bought an Indian sitcom, a family show, a family comedy that happened to be an Indian family. And somebody had said  a few people said to me, but we already have one. We already have one in development. And I said, so out of 100 things, we cant have two Indian? We already  so I think that, pushing back on that kind of thinking. And I think it depends on Hollywood executives sitting in those seats and taking a risk. Youre going to have to give people a shot.

kara swisher

So when you get that, when you have that, when here you are in a position of power, do you feel like you  Ive had lots of women executives in tech. But they always say, I have to be the one to speak up. Do you feel thats too much burden on you? Do you use up your capital? Because there is capital in Hollywood. There is only so far if you dont get along. Or maybe thats changed.

bela bajaria

No. Look, I think Im lucky in the sense that my whole life, I pushed back against a lot of gender norms of being Indian. And you should behave like this. And this is what should happen. And so I feel like I have been pushing back on, where are those boundaries? And where can I push through? And its something which can be annoying to or used to be annoying to my family. But there is a lot of these questions and pushing back and saying it, so  because I dont think people are resistant to it. Theyre just more embarrassed. I had a script. There was a script that was given to me at some point in another company. And I said, you dont have any diverse characters in here. So they said, look, the security guard, the DJ, and the housekeeper. And I just said 

kara swisher

What?

bela bajaria

 wow! When you say that out loud  and I said, oh, thats the way you see the world. I thought that that C.E.O. was a brown woman. Or I thought that went  oh, I just see this group differently than they do. And they were more embarrassed because they didnt even see it. And so I think its a responsibility. And by the way, and I feel like I have really pushed myself at every level. So now people go, oh, youre in this job. So you can do it. But its not just this job. It had to be the job before, and the job before, and the job before that to be able to bring it up at every level.

kara swisher

When you say, OK, theres only  we cant have two Indian shows  Ive heard that on boards. We cant have two women on boards. Weve got one, kind of thing. When you think about that, can we have more than one top Indian woman executive? Do you feel that pressure, because its still, when you look across the broad landscape of Hollywood, its mighty white, and its mighty male?

bela bajaria

And its interesting in your own personal career. You have this interest, this ambition, this drive, all of these things. And what you dont realize is many other people have been watching you along the way. And I didnt realize it until much later when Indian kids would reach out to me, or somebody said, I did it because you did it. And you dont realize that because thats not what I set out to do in any way. But Ill steal a Kamala Harris line of, I may be the first, but Im definitely not going to be the last. And so there are going to be other Asian-American women, and Black women, and Hispanic women in these roles for sure. But we have to mentor, and we have to develop, and we have to help that. It doesnt just happen.

kara swisher

Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. This was really great. And good luck. And youre doing  the shows are  they are really great. And the Cobra Kai, I just 

bela bajaria

Good!

kara swisher

So brilliant. I love the cheap sets even, like the fact that they have one box of cereal or one glass.

bela bajaria

It has to feel a little throwback.

kara swisher

Oh man, Ralph Macchio, I want to interview him for the third season.

bela bajaria

See, I love it. See, we  everybody would think because of your very intellectual, amazing background that you would only like Queens 

kara swisher

Are you kidding?

bela bajaria

You would only like Queens Gambit. But you like Queens Gambit and Cobra Kai.

kara swisher

And The Crown. I have a very 

bela bajaria

Oh my God. Have you watched this season?

kara swisher

Of course, I watched the first.

bela bajaria

[GASPS]

kara swisher

And then I went 

bela bajaria

Its 

kara swisher

Now Im back to season three.

bela bajaria

 so good.

kara swisher

It is really good. The guy you got to play Prince Charles is so irritating on every level, and hes fantastic.

bela bajaria

Its so good.

kara swisher

But I still think Cobra Kai is my favorite because its so funny. Anyway, all right. OK.

bela bajaria

OK, I appreciate you doing this.

kara swisher

OK, thanks.

bela bajaria

Thank you. Of course. Take care. [MUSIC PLAYING]

kara swisher
Wales has shut schools for two weeks to fight the spread of coronavirus despite being under harsh restrictions since before Christmas.

Wales entered a Tier 4 lockdown on December 20, with restrictions barring non-essential shops, gyms and hospitality venues from opening.

Only essential travel was permitted, and working from home was ordered to take place 'wherever possible'.

This came after Wales went into lockdown on October 23, which saw an initial drop in cases, followed by another sharp rise, with First Minister Mark Drakeford saying the situation had 'deteriorated'.

All of Wales is now at alert Level 4, meaning people should stay at home, not mix with other households and not travel without a reasonable excuse.

Some schools had been preparing to resume face-to-face learning as early as Wednesday, but education minister Kirsty Williams announced on Monday that schools and colleges will remain closed until at least January 18 and move to online learning.

'Wales remains in the highest level of restrictions. Everyone must stay at home,' Ms Williams said.

The additional measures raise questions for Britain as a whole, as the harsh measures introduced late last year, similar to those now imposed on England, did not reverse Wales's Covid misfortune, suggesting England could possibly see even stricter rules brought in.

Boris Johnson tonight plunged England into a new lockdown as he set out emergency measures to control the spread of new strains of coronavirus amid concerns the NHS risks being overwhelmed.

Wales entered a Tier 4 lockdown on December 20, with restrictions barring non-essential shops, gyms and hospitality venues from opening (pictured: daily coronavirus cases in Wales)

Only essential travel was permitted, and working from home was ordered to take place 'wherever possible' (pictured: Covid-19 patients admitted to hospital in Wales)

This came after Wales went into lockdown on 23 October, which saw an initial drop in cases, followed by another sharp rise, with First Minister Mark Drakeford saying the situation had 'deteriorated' (pictured: deaths within 28 days of a positive test in Wales)

Boris Johnson announced on Monday evening a third national lockdown on England, shutting schools to most students to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed by surging coronavirus infections.

Mr Johnson said the new variant, which is up to 70% more transmissible, was spreading in a 'frustrating and alarming' manner, and warned that the number of Covid patients in English hospitals is 40% higher than the first peak.

'As I speak to you tonight, our hospitals are under more pressure from Covid than at any time since the start of the pandemic,' he said.

Pinning his hopes on the rapid rollout of vaccines to ease restrictions, Mr Johnson acknowledged 'how frustrated you are' and that 'you have had more than enough of Government guidance' - but stressed 'now, more than ever, we must pull together'.

'The weeks ahead will be the hardest yet but I really do believe that we're entering the last phase of the struggle because with every jab that goes into our arms we're tilting the odds against Covid and in favour of the British people,' he added.

The lockdown will be brought into law as soon as possible, but Mr Johnson urged the public to follow the rules straight away.

The Prime Minister's address from 10 Downing Street came after Nicola Sturgeon plunged Scotland into a new lockdown

Mr Johnson's statement came after the chief medical officers for the first time raised the UK to the highest level on the Covid-19 alert system.

They warned the NHS is at risk of being overwhelmed within 21 days 'in several areas' without further action.

The restrictions are unlikely to be eased until around 13 million people aged over 70 or classed as clinically extremely vulnerable have received the vaccine and been given enough time to be protected - a period of about two to three weeks after getting the jab.

Kirsty Williams said the Welsh Government would use the next two weeks to work with local authorities and education settings to 'best plan for the rest of the term'.

The government had previously arranged for schools to have flexibility over the first two weeks of the spring term, allowing them to choose when students would return to in-person learning.

Universities in Wales are due to begin a staggered start to term and students should not return for face-to-face learning unless notified that they can do so, she added.

Exams in Wales due to be held in the summer had already been cancelled.
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Azerbaijan continues course towards systematic extermination of Armenian heritage in Shushi

Armenia Syunik Province ex-governor: Azerbaijani soldiers advanced along length of border two days ago

Newly appointed Ambassador of Montenegro presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Its about bringing Karabakh issue back to right to self-determination, says Armenia ex-President Kocharyan

Iran FM to arrive in Armenia

Ara Aivazian and Austrian counterpart hold phone talks, focus on Azeri army's infiltration into Armenia's territory

Kocharyan: Elect todays political team if you are ready to live squatting

Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 30 million

2nd President Kocharyan on Armenia Security Council chief: Do you take that person seriously?

"Key" to settlement of Karabakh conflict cant be in one place, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Texas may permit carrying of pistols without special permission

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia acting PM Pashinyan's high popularity rating: We will wear it down to the root

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Election bloc format must be workable in some logical sense

Attorney: Political persecution against Robert Kocharyan is becoming more noticeable during election campaign

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: We must do everything so that our domestic politics is not dictated by Azerbaijan

Armenian acting defense minister meets Russian peacekeeping mission chief

Congress predicts US nuclear spending to reach $ 634 billion by 2030

Russian MP: The effectiveness of military cooperation with Armenia depends on Yerevan as well

Delimitation now may create some problems in Karabakh negotiation process, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan on relations with 3rd President Sargsyan: We go our own way they go their own

Judge adjourns hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM for 3 weeks

Court hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM

2nd President Kocharyan: Armenia must show that it will not be subjected to such pressures

Kocharyan: You may find yourself in stupid situations if you come to negotiations without any baggage

Armenia Investigative Committee: Criminal case opened into soldiers death

157 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

EU helps UN World Food Programme provide humanitarian assistance for conflict-affected people in Armenia

Yerevan municipal council convenes regular session

Armenia legislature speaker on situation at Syunik Province: CSTO still has procedures

Blinken arrives on his first official visit to Israel

World oil prices going up

Provincial hall issues statement on Tavush section of Armenia border with Azerbaijan

MFA statement: Azerbaijan continues to use Armenian POWs as political hostages

Newspaper: There are last-minute changes on Armenia ruling party electoral list

Armenia parliament starts regular sessions

Newspaper: Armenia 3rd President Sargsyan intensively engaged in election campaign

EU leaders call for ban on Belarus airlines flights to their countries

Quake hits Georgia, also felt in Armenia

2nd President Kocharyan: Process of obtaining Armenia citizenship shall be simplified, shall take only few months

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Appointments in army were not based on knowledge but on loyalty

Robert Kocharyan: Armenia must not go back to the past and stay there, just like the incumbent authorities did

Armenia 2nd President on recent Karabakh war, consequences and the signed document

Armenia 2nd President: Current authorities don't have remorse, aren't conscious and patriotic

Armenia 2nd President on black PR and management system in the country
SEOUL: South Korea expanded a ban on private gatherings larger than four people to the whole country, and extended unprecedented social distancing rules in greater Seoul as the number of daily cases bounced back to more than 1,000 in four days.

South Korea has been experiencing a prolonged surge in infections during the latest wave, which has led to a sharp increase in deaths.

The country reported 1,020 new coronavirus cases as of Sunday midnight, bringing the total to 64,264 infections, with 981 deaths, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

Only 657 cases reported over the weekend. A health official had said that the recent third wave of infections is being contained.

The extended social-distancing rules imposed on Seoul and neighbouring areas include curbs on churches, restaurants, cafes, ski resorts and other venues.

More than 60% of the cases are from Seoul, Gyeonggi province and city of Incheon, with mass cluster outbreaks centred around nursing homes and prisons.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun called for an all-out effort to prepare for the countrys vaccination programme.

The KDCA should perfectly ready for the entire process the moment the vaccine arrives - the distribution, storage, inoculation and follow-ups," Chung told a government meeting.

He also called on the related health, safety and transport ministries to help speed up the process so to not face the sorts of problems seen in the United States and some countries in Europe.

The country plans to start vaccinations in February, with health workers and vulnerable people first in line, but the government has been criticised for that schedule in light of vaccinations under way in the United States and European Union.

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
Dame Judi Dench has revealed she was named by a famous 1930s medium.

The actress, 86, explained her parents Eleanora and Reginald hadn't chosen a moniker for her immediately after she was born - but a chance meeting with a woman who claimed to communicate with spirits led to them calling her Judith.

Speaking ahead of the release of her new spiritual drama, Blithe Spirit, in which she plays eccentric medium Madame Arcati, she said: 'A very strange thing happened at the time that I was born.

Icon: Dame Judi Dench has revealed she was named by a famous 1930s medium

'My father was a doctor, my mother was from Dublin, and they lived in York.

'There was a famous medium. My father met her a day after I was born. She said to him, "I'm very pleased to hear about Judith".'

'My parents had no idea what I would be called and so I was called Judith which  fortunately  now I'm never called.'

And the Oscar winner admitted she believes in the spirit world because of various experiences she's had.

She added: 'There was great belief in the 1930s in mediums. They toured and people went to the shows. I think it's difficult for us to say that there is nothing.

Judith Dench: The actress, 86, explained her parents Eleanora and Reginald hadn't chosen a moniker for her immediately after she was born - but a chance meeting with a woman who claimed to communicate with spirits led to them calling her Judith (pictured 1957)

'There is a huge world that we don't know about. I implicitly believe that, because all sorts of things have happened to me.'

The Skyfall star joked she'd love to 'haunt' people and the places she loved after she dies.

In an interview recorded with the Blithe Spirit filmmakers, she said: 'I don't know who I'd haunt. I might haunt places. I might drift a lot around in Scotland because I love it so much.'

Blithe Spirit is an adaptation of Noel Coward's play of the same name - Judi plaus a medium who holds a seance for a writer but accidentally summons the spirit of his dead first wife, which leads to an love triangle with his current wife.

Chance encounter: Speaking ahead of the release of her new spiritual drama, Blithe Spirit, in which she plays eccentric medium Madame Arcati, she told of how a medium told her father 'I'm very pleased to hear about Judith' (above with Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher and Dan Stevens)

Judi recalled how excited she was to meet the legendary writer early in her career after being introduced by her actor friends Joe Mitchenson and Raymond Mander.

She said: 'As a young actress, they took me to see everything in London when I wasn't playing at the Old Vic. One night we saw, at the Savoy theatre, an adaptation of a Coward play.

'Afterwards, they said we're going round to see somebody 'Here's Noel'. He shook hands with me. I will never forget the smell of his aftershave. I don't think I washed for days. It was just magical.'

Spiritual: And the Oscar winner admitted she believes in the spirit world because of various experiences she's had (pictured 1957)

Dame Judi made her first professional stage performance in 1957 and her film debut was in 1964 for The Third Secret.

She has since appeared in the James Bond films, Philomena and Shakespeare in Love - to name a few, with her latter role winning her an Academy Award in 1998.

Judi is one of the most famous actresses in history and has won one Academy Award, a Tony, four television BAFTA Awards, six film, and seven Laurence Olivier Awards.
Weve all been there with such lost faith in young adults. Yet weve all been those teenagers at some point in our life, too full of ourselves and too little empathy, compassion or self-awareness. Before you rush to judgment about kids these days, keep in mind that every generation has uttered the same wrinkled refrain about younger people. Its a blanketed indictment that, although mostly true, is not fair to all teenagers.
Rollout of second coronavirus vaccine to begin in Wales  with 40,000 doses available within first two weeks

This article is old - Published: Monday, Jan 4th, 2021

The rollout of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine will begin to take place across Wales from today.

The approval of the COVID-19 vaccine by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) comes just three weeks after the Pfizer BioNTech, was given the go ahead for use across the UK.

Its authorisation comes at a key time for Wales, which has been in level four restrictions for almost two weeks.

Although the Wales average has dropped to 445.7 per 100,000 (as of Sunday), many counties  including Wrexham  are seeing a daily increase on the number of people testing positive for the virus, which is now at 669.3 per 100k.





The UK Government has procured vaccines on behalf of the four nations  including around 100m of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine  with Wales receiving its allocation based on population over the next weeks and months. Welsh Government say least 40,000 doses will be available in Wales within the first two weeks and they have been working on the plans for the rollout since June.

Based on a UK-wide priority system, the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine has already begun to be administered to frontline health and social care staff, as well as care home residents and staff and people aged over 80 and Welsh Government say the AstraZeneca vaccine will enable more.

Latest figures to end of Saturday 27th December show that over 35,000 people have received the first dose of the vaccine within just 3 weeks of the start of the vaccination programme.

We have previously reported the apparently low share for North Wales  however Welsh Government say every health board in Wales will receive their allocation in proportion to the size of its priority population and ability to deliver, as outlined by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisations prioritisation list.

There had been criticism the allocation of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which covers North Wales and is the largest health board in Wales, carrying out the second lowest number of vaccinations despite having the largest population.

Data shows that in North Wales, 4604 doses on the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine have been administered.

However claims that north Wales is not receiving its fair share were rejected by Health Minister Vaughan Gething last week, who said he would expect that when we ultimately see all the figures smoothed out that the Betsi [Cadwaladr Health Board] delivery will be in accordance with its population  I think its about 23% or 24% of the population.

Commenting on the rollout of a second vaccine, Mr Gething said: Today marks a key milestone in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine has been called a game changer and this is true  its potential should not be underestimated.

In less than a month Wales NHS has mobilised the largest vaccination programme our country has ever seen and so far more than 35,000 people have received their first dose.

Now, only 5 days since regulatory approval of the new vaccine for use in the UK, a second vaccine is here and ready for use, significantly adding to Wales defences in the face of coronavirus and protecting our most vulnerable.

Welsh Government explain, Unlike the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, the AstraZeneca vaccine is stored at normal vaccine fridge temperatures. This means it will have few storage and transportation issues, making it much easier to use in community settings such as care homes and primary care settings like GP surgeries.

Two doses will be needed, with an interval of between four and 12 weeks between doses. This is a change from previous advice for both vaccines of a four week gap between doses, as the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended that as many people as possible in the top priority groups should sequentially be offered a first vaccine dose as the initial priority.

The recommendation to prioritise the first dose will allow protection to more people in the priority groups at a time when COVID is still spreading in Wales.

Senior Responsible Officer for Wales COVID-19 Vaccine Programme Dr Gillian Richardson said: It is fantastic news that there is now a second vaccine to help protect our communities most vulnerable from the harms of COVID-19.

Pace will be governed by supply, which will start slowly this week but build vastly over the coming weeks and months. However, vaccinations are happening in GP surgeries from today and we will also see an increase in our vaccination centres over the course of this month.

It is so important that people continue to wait their turn for the vaccine  you will be contacted when your time comes. Please do not contact your GP or local pharmacy and add unnecessary pressures to their workload.

People are asked not to phone their GP, pharmacy or hospital asking when they will get a vaccine. When someone is in one of the groups eligible for the vaccine, they will be invited to attend a dedicated clinic which will have been set up to ensure patient safety and that of the healthcare professionals.

Correspondence will come from local health boards and the vaccine is free of charge through the NHS. People are warned to be alert to scams asking for money or personal information.

The effects of the vaccines may not be seen nationally for many months and the advice on keeping Wales safe remains the same for everyone; keep contacts with others to a minimum, keep a 2 metre distance from others, wash hands regularly, wear a face covering where required and avoid touching surfaces others have touched, wherever possible.
Arsenal outcast William Saliba - who has been frozen out by Mikel Arteta - reportedly wants to leave the club this month in search of regular first-team football.

Arsenal outcast William Saliba is reportedly desperate to leave the club as he struggles for game time under Mikel Arteta.

The former Saint-Etienne man is yet to make a competitive appearance for the Gunners as he sits behind the likes of Gabriel, Rob Holding, David Luiz and Pablo Mari in the Emirates pecking order.

Saliba - who is being tipped to head out on loan this month - has been restricted to appearances for the youth teams in the 2020-21 campaign and recently claimed to have been "locked up" in the English capital.

According to L'Equipe, the 19-year-old is now keen to head for the Emirates exit door in search of more regular first-team action, and the centre-back would not be short of offers in the January transfer window.

The report claims that teams in the Netherlands, Germany, France and England are all keeping a close eye on developments, but it remains to be seen if Arsenal would only sanction a loan exit or a permanent departure.

Saliba penned a deal with the Gunners until the end of the 2023-24 season when he signed for the club in 2019.
In an interview on December 29, 2020 the lady, the 36-year-old wife of actor Alec Baldwin, who calls herself Hilaria Baldwin, found it strange that comments were mounting that she, a self-styled famous person with thousands of followers, was not what they thought she was. Her very identity was now the subject of international debate and skepticism. The lady, born Hillary Haywood-Thomas, was born to American parents, a father who was employee in a real estate firm and a mother who was an internal medicine specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, lived in a $4 million house on Beacon Hill in Boston, and went to school in Weston, Massachusetts. For some years Hillary purported to be Hilaria, and her website posted she was born in Mallorca, Spain.

Hillary-Hilaria is bilingual, and she speaks English sometimes with a Spanish accent, depending on her emotions at the time. She has five children, all of whom were given Spanish names. In a TV program, a cooking show, she appeared confused about the English word for cucumber. She finally confessed, I am a white girl, my family is white. Europe has a lot of white people ...people say Im not being authentic, it hurts my feelings. She continued, there is a difference between hiding and creating a boundary. It is unclear whether the boundary of Boston is a colony of Spain.

The issue of boundaries, of identity and identity crisis is not new, but is familiar from philosophers including John Locke and William James, and even in the puzzle in Plutarchs Tale of the Ship of Theseus. If a ship has gradually had it planks replaced with new ones, at what point does it have a new identity?

Hillary-Hilaria cannot be mistaken for a giant of philosophy, but her case, whether one of deliberate misrepresentation or playful, concerning the idea of identity adjusting to changing circumstances does give rise to the need for clarification of terminology on classic issues, and above all to examination of the questions Who am I? or what is my true self.

For the most part identity is not chosen, but the result of upbringing, objective factors such as race or sex, acceptance of the values of family and peers or the dominant culture. But it is also influenced by a variety of factors: occupation, religious and political beliefs, moral principles, the many relationships formed by people, and by deliberative choice. Everyone sees the world from their own perspective, chacun voit midi a la porte.

However, self-assessment of identity can be questioned. An interesting example of this occurred in November 2020 when Queen Elizabeth II refused to allow Prince Harry to have a wreath placed on his behalf on the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day, alongside those of other members of the Royal Family. She reprimanded Harry for trying to pick what he did in the affairs of the monarchy, Harry lacked understanding of his identity as a non-working Royal.

Individuals can have multiple identities, depending on social contexts and circumstances, a situation fraught with possible contradictions. At the core of multiple identities is inevitability of change. Hillary-Hilaria explained that as she grew older, she wanted to choose a version of her identity and chose Hilaria. Sense of self is created as new facets are developed and incorporated in ones identity and basic values are chosen. The process is continuous, and there may not be a final identity, fixed and permanent. This argument has been best expressed by anthropologist-psychiatrist Erik Erikson, who argued that people go through a series of changes from infancy to later adulthood. Identity is established during adolescence and people overcome identity crises, confusion and instability, as they struggle with alternatives and choices.

A second factor is that in the present age, stability of identity is ma de more difficult by the process of globalization, a process that among other things, permeates cultural and social boundaries. Whether one conceives of identity as a social construct, fluid and not biological, most people will traditional identity with ethnicity, race, religion, nationality, but this may change as a resulting of encountering foreign peoples with their different habits, norms, and ethnic and religious beliefs. The French may have a love of wine, but so do many others.

The U.S. in recent years has been treated to interesting examples of a choice of identity. One can take examples of two white women of different backgrounds and religions who made such a choice.

Rachel Dolezal was an activist, a former president of a chapter of NAACP, who was born in 1977 to white Christian fundamentalists in rural Montana. She pretended to be and was self-identified as black, Nkechi Diallo, and was married for a time to a black born-again Christian. The question arose. Was the lady committing cultural appropriation and fraud, or was her self-identification genuine?

Jessica Krug, or Jess la Bombalera, is a white Jewish woman born in the suburbs of Kansas City, who obtained a doctorate in African history at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and was an associate professor of African American history at George Washington University.

She decided to live as black, altering her appearance, darkening her blonde hair, creating an identity first as a person from North Africa, then Afro-Latin, Caribbean rooted, then from the Bronx, sometimes coming from the Dominican Republic and sometimes from Puerto Rico. She used a lot of Spanish when teaching., and said she was involved in a committee overseeing police in the Bronx. After her real background was disclosed. Krug described herself not as a culture vulture but as a culture leach. Ironically, her true background was disclosed during a discussion about the writer H.G. Carrillo (Herman Carroll) who was revealed to be African-American, not Afro-Cuban as he pretended.

More problematic than the case of the deluded ladies creating false identities is the puzzle about French president Emmanuel Macron, a strong French nationalist and avid European.

Macron in his early career was an assistant to Paul Ricoeur, French philosopher well known for his notion of narrative identity, identity arising from performative acts, narration, and self-articulation. Ricoeur rejected the Cartesian concept of rational isolated unified individuals, arguing that personal identity is not fully stable or self-transparent, though not incoherent.

Macron, without using the tortuous language of Ricoeur, accepts his argument that people do not have a fixed, permanent identity, particularly in the present climate of social diversity, and influences. The argument is one of multiple identities. In his New Years message 2020, Macron appeared to combine these. First of all, France is in Europe yet French sovereignty is national and I will do everything to ensure we remain the maters of our destiny and our lives. But this sovereignty also acts through the stronger moral authority, and more united EU that we have built in 2020. Europe must have a vision as a political community, not just a commercial market, and Europe can only be political power in the world when it knows how to protect itself. It is noticeable that in his speeches Macron uses the phrase en meme temps, at the same time, posing two seemingly incompatible themes. Which, if either, has priority, French nationalism or European identity?

Macron entered politics with the slogan neither right nor left. He has governed as a technocrat, concerned with the French economy, with the role of EU, and with Islamist separatism in France. However, his recent utterances show him as a self-serving politician, conscious of his decline in public opinion polls, and conscious of the challenge of Marine le Pen in the next presidential election. The puzzle exists because Macron is a great actor, a political seducer, capable of drawing from everyone and points of view that might be of service to him.

Macrons identity touches on what he calls the folds of history, of consideration of those regarded as victims. Specifically, he touched on the case of Marshall Petain, a great soldier, who defended Verdun in 1916, but who made disastrous choices during the Nazi occupation of France. It is absurd, Macron holds, to say Petain no longer exists. But is even more important to remember that collaborators also existed in France. Without a clear decision of the priority of these different folds, the real identity of Macron remains ambiguous, at best.

Image: Joella Marano
Leaders of farmers unions on Monday reiterated that nothing less than the repeal of Central farm laws will be acceptable to them.

Ahead of the eighth-round of talks with the Central government over the issue, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson, Rakesh Tikait said, "Many issues are to be discussed today. The government must understand, the farmer has taken this movement to his heart and won't consider less than the repeal of these laws. The government should implement Swaminathan's report and make law on MSP."

Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee's Joint Secretary Sukhwinder S Sabra also threatened to hold a tractor march if the demands of the unions weren't met.

"Our demands are the same as before - repeal the three farm laws and guarantee MSP. If our demands aren't met, then, we'll hold tractor march on January 6 and also on January 26," he said.

The meeting between the unions and the Central government is scheduled to take place today afternoon.

Despite rains and the ongoing cold wave across North India, farmers agitating against the Centre's farm laws stood strong at the borders of the capital and continued their protest for the last 39 days.

So far, several rounds of talks have been held between the Central government and the farmer unions.

With concerns that farm laws would weaken the MSP and mandi systems and leave the farmers at the mercy of big corporates, farmers have been protesting at different borders of the capital for over a month against the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Partly cloudy in the morning. Thunderstorms developing later in the day. A few storms may be severe. High 91F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 59F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Mumbai: An FIR has been lodged against Bollywood actors Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan for violating COVID-19 norms on Monday (January 4, 2021).

The FIR has been lodged at Mumbai's Khar Police station under Indian Penal Code Sections 188 and 269 following a complaint by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). As per reports, a case was also filed against Sohail Khan's son Nirvaan.

They reportedly returned from Dubai (UAE) on December 25 and were asked to remain in quarantine in a hotel but they went home. They gave a false undertaking to quarantine themselves at Hotel Taj Lands End but went to their Bandra home instead.

Notably, people flying in to India have to quarantine themselves for a period of 7 days.

Recently, the police had also registered a case under section 188 of IPC and action was taken against 34 people including famous faces like Suresh Raina, Guru Randhawa, Sussanne Khan for not following COVID-19 norms such as social distancing reportedly.

(With inputs from news agencies)
New members of the US Senate , who were elected in the November vote, are being sworn in on Capitol Hill on Sunday noon as lawmakers convened to form the 117th Congress.

The House of Representatives and the Senate have convened their first sessions. Democrats have retained control over the lower house of Congress with a 222-to-211 advantage. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to be re-elected to a new two-year term.

Also Read | A year on, China is shaking up the world

"To say the 117th Congress convenes at a challenging time would indeed be an understatement," US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said during remarks on the floor, adding "from political division to a deadly pandemic to adversaries around the world the hurdles before us are many and they are serious. But there's also plenty of reason for hope."

The new Congress convened shortly before a joint session on January 6 to confirm the Electoral College votes and certify Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election. Biden's inauguration is scheduled for January 20. Some Republicans in both chambers are expected to object to Biden's victory, although they have no practical chance of success.

Incumbent President Donald Trump, however, has refused to concede, alleging voter fraud, despite his campaign losing nearly all of some 60 legal challenges filed within the past month.













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Washington, Jan 4 : The Pentagon said that US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz would remain in the Middle East waters due to "threats from Iran", reversing a previous decision to order the warship to return home.

"Due to the recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President (Donald) Trump and other US government officials, I have ordered the USS Nimitz to halt its routine redeployment," Xinhua news agency quoted Acting Defence Secretary Chris Miller as saying in a statement late Sunday night.

"The USS Nimitz will now remain on station in the US Central Command area of operations. No one should doubt the resolve of the United States of America," Miller added in the statement.

The statement was contrary to a decision made by the Acting Defence Secretary just three days ago, in which he ordered the aircraft carrier to transit directly home to complete a nearly 10-month deployment.

The latest move also came Iran marked the the first death anniversary of former Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed on January 3. 2020, in an American airstrike near the Baghdad International Aiport.

The drone strike triggered an escalated regional conflict between Iran and the US.

The year-long tensions were reignited recently as Washington and Tehran were escalating a war of words over a rocket attack targeting the US Embassy compound in Baghdad on December 20, 2020.

President Trump blamed the attack on Iran, but Tehran denied the allegation.

On December 30, 2020, the US military sent two B-52H strategic bombers to the region as a show of force.

"Instead of fighting Covid in US, @realDonaldTrump & cohorts waste billions to fly B52s & send armadas to our region," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted in response.

"Iran doesn't seek war but will openly & directly defend its people, security & vital interests," he added.
Urmila Matondkar has come out strongly against the accusation by some sections of the media and actor Kangana Ranuat about her buying a Rs 3 crore office space only after joining the Shiv Sena in December.

The actor-turned-politician says she has proof that she bought her office from the money she got after selling off a flat which she had purchased in 2011 with her hard-earned money after working in the film industry for 25-30 years.

The document has papers of the sale of the flat in the first of week of March. It also has papers of how I bought the office with that money, which I had earned through my hard work. The flat that I had bought was way before I entered politics, shares Matondkar, adding that shes ready to show every paper related to this transaction in front of the media.

I challenge Kangana Ranaut to pick up a time and place and come out with her list which she was supposed to submit to NCB about members of the film industry, for which she has taken Y-plus on the tax payers money, retorts the Matondkar in a video she posted on Twitter responding to Ranauts tweets taking a jibe at the actor.

The 46-year-old rues how some people are trying to deliberately politicise the matter and showing it in wrong light.

They think that by defaming me, putting me down, theyll bring my morale down. Theyve tried to slander my name, my personal life, my husbands name, my marriage, my in-laws  if that hasnt put me down and out, then why will this? she says.

Dear @UrmilaMatondkar ji maine jo khud ki mehnat se ghar banaye woh bhi Congress tod rahi hai, sach mein BJP ko khush karke mere haath sirf 25-30 cases he lage hain, kash main bhi aapki tarah samajhdar hoti toh Congress ko khush karti, kitni bevakoof hoon main, nahin? pic.twitter.com/AScsUSLTAA  Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) January 3, 2021

Matondkar maintains that she has nothing to hide. Jisne kucch galat kiya nahi, usey kya darr. If its about my self-respect and pride, theres no way in hell Ill go back. Ive never ever taken any easy way out. I dont believe in it. I openly challenge anyone to prove otherwise, if not, theyve to go on their knees and apologise. Ill never back out, she asserts.

Responding to Ranauts other social media jibe about her religion conversion for marriage, Matondkar warns, She doesnt have to worry about my religion. Once again, by trivialising the whole matter and deliberately misleading people with faltu matters like my religion, she has proved my point that she doesnt have the guts to address the real thing. Wheres the damn list?

Ranaut and Matondkar had sparked an internet feud in September when the latter slammed the former for comparing Mumbai to Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

Ive not made any comment on her. I had just raised my voice when she was criticising a state, a chief minister and using derogatory language against the police. She has always retaliated with personal attacks. But then again, shes known to defame people without full knowledge and make personal comments which are in extremely bad taste, Matondkar concludes.

ott:10
US: 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine found in watermelons

Tesla owners will be paid $ 16,000 each due to slow charging

Advisor to Armenia Prosecutor General provides details about incident with Armenian soldier killed in Verin Shorzha

Banksy's painting of punk Lenin sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 960,000

CSTO Deputy Secretary-General: Escalation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border requires undertaking of urgent measures

Catholicos of All Armenians receives newly appointed Ambassador of Japan

Australia closing its embassy in Kabul for security reasons

Biden to discuss issues related to Belarus and Ukraine with Putin

Armenian acting FM meets with ambassadors of CSTO member states accredited to Armenia

Armenia Ombudsman presents human rights protection in post-war period to CoE Programmes Directorate General

Germany is investigating Google's position in market

France: Sanctions against Belarus will continue

Armenia opposition party MP: Azerbaijan is a terrorist state, negotiations can't be led with such a country

US to reopen its Consulate General in Jerusalem

EU expects to receive over 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine by end of September

Armenian MFA strongly condemns Azerbaijan's blatant armed encroachment on Armenia's sovereign territory

UN still awaits strong evidence that Dubai ruler's daughter is alive

Opposition Bright Armenia Party urges Government to immediately address UN Security Council

Armen Sarkissian receives Russia Ambassador to Armenia

Armenia President, France Ambassador discuss situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border

Overchuk: We hope unblocking of links between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a success

Armenia police officer commits suicide, criminal case launched

Armenia Environmental Protection and Mining Inspection Body has new deputy heads

Zarif, Aliyev discuss railway routes connecting Iran, Azerbaijan and Armenia

EU leaders agree to donate at least 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to poor countries

Armenian serviceman Mher Hovhannisyan fires gunshot at his head, criminal case launched

Soldier who died in Armenia's Verin Shorzha was son of ARF-D member, father of 2

Blinken promises to continue close consultations with Israel on Iran

Armen Sarkissian: Armenia's relevant state institutions need to take the tightest measures

Armenian soldier commits suicide, opposition speaks on tense situation on border, 25.05.21 digest

Yerevan man's body found at Tatul Krpeyan Park

Armenia MOD: Reports about Armenian soldiers being injured in Sisian section of border not confirmed

EU summit calls for rarly implementation of vaccination certificates

Parliament of the Netherlands adopts resolution, EU must demand that Azerbaijan pull out troops from Armenia

Kremlin: Russian and US presidents to meet in Geneva on June 16

Spokesperson of community council of Armenia's Sisian: Men got enlisted and climbed to military posts

Bright Armenia Party: We are not satisfied with CSTO response

EU leaders urge council to review internal border guidelines by mid-June

Armenia MOD: Fixed-term serviceman receives lethal firearm injury in head area

Dollar still stable in Armenia

Armenian Catholic Catholicos-Patriarch passes away

Kathimerini: US seeks to increase military presence in Greece due to doubts about Turkey's reliability

US Congress members call on Biden to suspend all military assistance to Azerbaijan

Armenia acting economy minister receives Montenegro's newly appointed Ambassador

Armenia MOD: Soldier killed during shootings from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha

Russian MP: Azerbaijani leadership interested in Armenia acting PM's victory in snap elections

Armenia MOD reports shooting from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha border section

Armenia opposition MP: Authorities promised to separate business from politics, but they're failing to fulfill promise

There will be post-election processes if authorities try to rig voting, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

CNN: Putin and Biden will meet on June 15-16 in Geneva

Latin America has the highest poverty rate in 20 years

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia applying to CSTO: No one will help you if you do nothing to solve your problems

Armenia ruling Civil Contract Party presents list of first 10 candidates ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Armenia acting justice minister discusses broad range of cooperation issues with top CoE official

Armenia former President Kocharyan: This guilt, this criminal article is on these authorities

Man survives after spending 17 days in desert

Azerbaijan continues course towards systematic extermination of Armenian heritage in Shushi

Armenia Syunik Province ex-governor: Azerbaijani soldiers advanced along length of border two days ago

Newly appointed Ambassador of Montenegro presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Its about bringing Karabakh issue back to right to self-determination, says Armenia ex-President Kocharyan

Iran FM to arrive in Armenia

Ara Aivazian and Austrian counterpart hold phone talks, focus on Azeri army's infiltration into Armenia's territory

Kocharyan: Elect todays political team if you are ready to live squatting

Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 30 million

2nd President Kocharyan on Armenia Security Council chief: Do you take that person seriously?

"Key" to settlement of Karabakh conflict cant be in one place, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Texas may permit carrying of pistols without special permission

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia acting PM Pashinyan's high popularity rating: We will wear it down to the root

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Election bloc format must be workable in some logical sense

Attorney: Political persecution against Robert Kocharyan is becoming more noticeable during election campaign

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: We must do everything so that our domestic politics is not dictated by Azerbaijan

Armenian acting defense minister meets Russian peacekeeping mission chief

Congress predicts US nuclear spending to reach $ 634 billion by 2030

Russian MP: The effectiveness of military cooperation with Armenia depends on Yerevan as well

Delimitation now may create some problems in Karabakh negotiation process, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan on relations with 3rd President Sargsyan: We go our own way they go their own

Judge adjourns hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM for 3 weeks

Court hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM

2nd President Kocharyan: Armenia must show that it will not be subjected to such pressures

Kocharyan: You may find yourself in stupid situations if you come to negotiations without any baggage

Armenia Investigative Committee: Criminal case opened into soldiers death

157 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

EU helps UN World Food Programme provide humanitarian assistance for conflict-affected people in Armenia

Yerevan municipal council convenes regular session

Armenia legislature speaker on situation at Syunik Province: CSTO still has procedures

Blinken arrives on his first official visit to Israel

World oil prices going up

Provincial hall issues statement on Tavush section of Armenia border with Azerbaijan

MFA statement: Azerbaijan continues to use Armenian POWs as political hostages

Newspaper: There are last-minute changes on Armenia ruling party electoral list

Armenia parliament starts regular sessions

Newspaper: Armenia 3rd President Sargsyan intensively engaged in election campaign

EU leaders call for ban on Belarus airlines flights to their countries

Quake hits Georgia, also felt in Armenia

2nd President Kocharyan: Process of obtaining Armenia citizenship shall be simplified, shall take only few months

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Appointments in army were not based on knowledge but on loyalty

Robert Kocharyan: Armenia must not go back to the past and stay there, just like the incumbent authorities did

Armenia 2nd President on recent Karabakh war, consequences and the signed document

Armenia 2nd President: Current authorities don't have remorse, aren't conscious and patriotic

Armenia 2nd President on black PR and management system in the country
Lisa Levinson, a biologist with In Defense of Animals , said, "Fish & Wildlife inaccurately claims 'the reserve has deteriorated to the point where it no longer sustains vital functions.' Does the Governor not have someone checking their work? Doesn't he know there are dozens of special status species relying on Ballona , including endangered species?"

"They call it the 'most restorative,' yet it's the most destructive plan," said Christina Ku, a Los Angeles attorney and Executive Board Member of Democrats for the Protection of Animals. "Our organization just wrote to Governor Gavin Newsom, urging him to withdraw this project. We plead with him to stop wasting public money on something that would be tragic for animals he is supposed to protect."

Environmentalists with Defend Ballona Wetlands recently unveiled a detailed 20-point Gentle Restoration Alternative Plan that would achieve all the legitimate goals of restoration, fostering native species and allowing public access now. This new gentle 20 Pt. Plan is an alternative to the state's wrecking ball approach, which would keep the wetlands off limits to the public for at least a decade.

Lisa Karlan, a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the bulldozing plan, says the real agenda behind the massive excavation project is "a desire to spend available bond money and help private interests, including a gas storage facility under the wetlands operated by SoCalGas that is aging and which they want to modernize."

Environmental scientist Robert van de Hoek, who, as a Sierra Club leader, helped persuade California Governor Gray Davis in 2003 to acquire more than 600 acres of the land said, "This decision is a huge betrayal of the public trust by an agency charged with protecting the state's rare native plant populations and wildlife."

Molly Basler, Climate Reality Project Leader, said, "Demolishing the levees will put habitats, roads, homes and businesses at risk."

Proponents urge Governor Newsom to study the Gentle Restoration Plan which will allow generations of Angelenos meaningful public access to actual nature. That is the nature-based solution.

SOURCE Defend Ballona Wetlands
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 10:09:42|Editor: huaxia

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NIAMEY, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) - At least 100 civilians were killed and around 20 others wounded on Saturday by attackers in two villages in western Tillabery region in Niger, close to the border with Mali, Nigerien Prime Minister Brigi Rafini said on Sunday.

"We lost 70 people in Tchombangou, while around 30 people were murdered in the village Zaroumdareye," said Brigi Rafini, who travelled to the two villages a day after the attack.

"The attackers has not yet been identified," he said, "investigations will be carried out so that these crimes are not left unpunished."

Brigi Rafini announced precautionary measures adopted by the government, including the installation of a military company to secure the population of this area, and reassuring the survivors of this double attack who are in the process of leaving.

The attackers, who came in large numbers on motorcycles, carried out this massacre in retaliation after two members of their group were killed by villagers while committing an attack earlier in the day.

According to an official statement published on Sunday morning by Nigerien Ministry of Interior, at least 70 civilians were killed and 20 others wounded.

This part of Niger has in recent years been suffering from deadly attacks. Enditem
When the world bid a happy farewell to 2020, with cautious optimism that 2021 would bring bigger and better things, the warbird community did not have to wait long for the latter. On January 3, Steve Hinton performed the first flight of Fagen Fighters F6F-5 Hellcat following a two and a half year restoration by Steve Hinton, Jr. at Fighter Rebuilders in Chino, California.

As WarbirdNews reported in 2018, Yanks Air Museum once owned this aircraft, and stated that the U.S. Navy accepted F6F-5 BuNo. 78645 on March 2, 1945. She apparently served two tours with VF-14 followed by VF-80 at NAS Pensacola, Florida. Her final military assignment was with a reserve unit at NAS Squantum in Quincy, Massachusetts where she allegedly flew as a drone. When Fagen received the Hellcat, she wore the colorful livery which once graced a Hellcat flown regularly by Lt. Carl Allen Brown Jr. when he was with VF-27 aboard USS Princeton (CVL 23). Brown finished the war with 10.5 aerial victories, five of which he scored on October 24, 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, an action which earned him the Navy Cross.

With new ownership comes a new paint scheme, as Evan Fagen recently told WarbirdNews.com/Warbird Digest, We are very excited to welcome this airplane in our collection. Its got a neat story in that the paint scheme represents a Hellcat flown by a friend of mine Ens. Don McPherson, a five-victory ace who currently lives in Nebraska. At 97 hes sharp as a tack, still drives and is very savvy on his social media and technology. We cant wait to show him the airplane. I hope to have it here in Minnesota sometime in January.

The Fagen Fighters WWII Museum already boasts an impressive collection of Army Air Force aircraft, but with the FM-2 and SNJ-4 currently flying and an SB2C-5 under restoration, the new F6F-5 will prove an important addition to whats becoming known as the Fagen Air Wing.

For more information about the Fagen Fighters WWII Museum, please visit www.fagenfighterswwiimuseum.org
3 1 of 3 Courtesy, Burger Boy Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Courtesy, Burger Boy Show More Show Less 3 of 3





In an announcement Monday, Burger Boy said it will open its fourth San Antonio location by the spring.

The beloved burger joint's newest location will be at 151 W. Bitters Road in the Hill Country Village area. The "long-awaited" addition to the chain is expected to be completed by the spring, Burger Boy said in a statement.
New Delhi, Jan 4 : A crucial seventh round of talks between the government and 41 farmers representatives began here on Monday to end the deadlock as the agitation entered the 40th day with the farmers sticking to their stand to repeal the three farm laws and guarantee MSP.

The meeting started around 2.30 p.m. at Vigyan Bhavan in the presence of Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal and Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash.

Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal and other Ministry officials are also attending the meeting.

As the sixth round of talks held at the same location on December 30 ended on a positive note with the government agreeing on two points, the government will try to persuade the farmers to end their agitation by adopting a middle way or forming a committee to resolve the issue.

Krantikari Kisan Union President (Punjab) Darshan Pal, Bharatiya Kisan Union's Jagjeet Singh Dalewal and Balbir Singh Rajewal, Jamhuri Kishan Sabha Punjab General Secretary Kulwant Singh, and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Uttar Pradesh) President Rakesh Tikait are among the 41 farm union leaders taking part in the meeting.

The agitating farmers have already announced to take out a tractor rally towards Delhi on January 26, which is Republic Day, besides a series of programmes in a bid to intensify their protest if their demands to withdraw the three contentious farm laws enacted in September and a written assurance on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) are not met.

Modalities for the repeal of the three Central farm acts and putting the mechanisms for a remunerative MSP as recommended by the National Farmers' Commission into a legally guaranteed entitlement for all farmers and all agricultural commodities is the major agenda of the meeting.

In the sixth round of talks the government agreed to the farmers demand to exclude them from the penal provisions of the 'Commission for the Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, 2020' and changes in the draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020 to protect the interests of farmers.

Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh have been protesting at the borders of the national capital demanding the repeal of the three farm laws, among other issues.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The parolee accused of fatally striking two pedestrians in downtown San Francisco on New Years Eve, speeding through a red light in a stolen Honda while intoxicated, allegedly swiped the car from a woman he had met on an app, leaving his date stranded outside a fast food restaurant in Daly City.

According to documents obtained by The Chronicle, the woman reported the Dec. 29 theft at Nations Giant Hamburgers to Daly City police that afternoon  two days before the tragic collision at Second and Mission streets in the South of Market neighborhood.

The woman told officers that she had been on a second date with Troy Ramon McAlister, 45, when he snatched her keys away from her at about noon as the two waited for an order of food. He peeled away in her gray 2017 Honda HR-V, she said, while giving her the middle finger.

The woman gave officers McAlisters name and address and said he had shown her a 9mm pistol with an extended ammunition magazine. Daly City police soon identified McAlister as a parolee, the Dec. 29 police report shows, and wrote that they would follow up on the investigation five days later, on Sunday, Jan. 3.

Then on Dec. 31, Daly City police learned from San Francisco police that the Honda had been in the fatal wreck. McAlister was arrested after allegedly trying to flee the crash scene on foot, and they closed the case. The pistol was recovered, officials said.

The documents shed new light on the events leading to the tragedy that left 60-year-old Elizabeth Platt and 27-year-old Hanako Abe dead, and raise additional questions about whether more could have been done to prevent it.

Daly City officials did not respond to requests for comment on Sunday, and it is unclear whether officers attempted to make contact with McAlister after taking the theft report. Car thefts are fairly common crimes: San Francisco gets 10 to 20 reports per day, and Daly City investigates about 200 cases a year.

The fatal crash has already prompted criticism of San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin.

McAlister, who has a long criminal record, was on parole because he robbed a San Francisco store with a gun in 2015. Last April, under a plea deal with Boudins office, McAlister received a sentence of five years. With time served, he was released immediately.

In the months between his release and the crash, McAlister was arrested several times in San Francisco, on suspicion of crimes including car theft, auto burglary, possession of burglary tools and violating the terms of his parole. But the District Attorneys Office did not charge him with any new crimes and instead referred the matter to state parole.

While details of each case have not been released, McAlister was repeatedly returned to the streets, only to allegedly commit more crimes.

Boudin has defended referring the cases to parole officers, who can seek to imprison those who violate the terms of their release. He said his office believed there was a greater likelihood of him being held accountable. But he conceded that it was a mistake to think parole supervision would be adequate.

A spokesperson for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said the agencys parole office followed all procedures after these incidents, including conducting investigations and making appropriate referrals for the individual.

None of the parolees arrests following his 2020 release have yet to result in the filing of criminal charges by the district attorney, the corrections spokesperson said.

It was just before 5 p.m. last Tuesday when Daly City police responded to the parking lot of Nations in Westlake Center, off John Daly Boulevard, to take a report of a stolen vehicle. The victim told officers she had met a man on a dating app called Tagged, and that he went by the name Ray, according to the police report.

The two had been chatting for several weeks, the woman told officers, and Tuesday was their second time meeting in person. The woman said they hung out for a few hours beginning around 8 a.m., when she went to his home in San Francisco.

They ran some errands together in her car, the woman said. At one point she saw her date drop an envelope addressed to Troy R. McAlister. Later, when the two were talking, the woman said Ray opened his backpack and showed her a gun with an extended magazine.

He told her she never had to worry about anything with him, because he had the gun, the report stated. He told her he carried it around in case people became ignorant.

At about noon, the woman said, the two placed an order at Nations, and the woman agreed to get out of the car to pick up the food. As she was about to close the door, she felt her date grab her keys from her hand.

The woman told police she wanted to press charges. Daly City police conducted a records check that showed McAlister was on parole for robbery, the police report states, and matched a mugshot of McAlister with a photo of Ray. But McAlister remained at large.

Its unclear if Daly City could or should have done more to apprehend McAlister. Richard Corriea, a former San Francisco police commander, said car theft reports are relatively common and can be deemed lower priority if the suspect and victim are acquaintances.

What you have here is a stolen auto, with a lot of scary facts involved, and in hindsight we may well wish more was done, said Corriea, who is the director of the International Institute of Criminal Justice Leadership at the University of San Francisco. But the fact is, to follow up on a stolen auto... thats (something that) can happen later.

Police weigh several factors when deciding whether to immediately chase down a property crime suspect. Short-staffed police departments may want to leave officers free to handle higher-priority calls, and most car thefts arent considered emergencies.

The fact that a suspect brandishes a weapon and is on parole may boost an incident to higher priority, Corriea said, but officers must also consider whether a manhunt would unnecessarily escalate a situation.

The outcome in this case is as bad as it gets, Corriea said.

In hindsight, its hard to say things were OK and handled OK, and thats the puzzle here, he said. How do you deal with it?

McAlister was booked into San Francisco County jail late Thursday following the fatal wreck. He was held on suspicion of charges including two counts of voluntary manslaughter, possession of a stolen vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident, burglary, driving while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, driving while addicted to drugs, possessing a gun and a large-capacity ammunition magazine, and violating the terms of parole.

The District Attorneys Office is expected to file charges on Monday.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
Three Queensland men who inadvertently lied on their border forms to return home from Melbourne have escaped serious punishment and instead received good behaviour bonds.

Samuel Tumua Fenunuti, 29, Tithing Keresoma Faagase, 25, and Earnest Tumano Lotomau, 23, made incorrect declarations on their forms at the NSW-Queensland road border in August - at the height of Melbourne's Covid second wave.

Queensland Police said the three Logan men, who were working in Melbourne's wharves, used false 'G' pass declarations after spending several weeks in Melbourne.

The trio faced Coolangatta Magistrates Court on Monday to plead guilty to failing to comply with a public health directive

The men were placed on good behaviour bonds with suspended fines of $1200 each

After returning to Queensland and realising all of Melbourne was a declared hot spot, the men alerted authorities and were taken into quarantine hotels by police.

The trio faced Coolangatta Magistrates Court on Monday to plead guilty to failing to comply with a public health directive.

Defence lawyer Thomas Lane-Porter said the men were confused about Melbourne's Covid crisis, and believed their suburbs were outside declared hotspots.

Fenunuti claimed he had Googled his postcode in Melbourne and wasn't aware it was a hot spot.

Mr Lane-Porter said Fenunuti made 'a simple mistake' and 'did everything in his power to rectify it'.

Magistrate Kerry Magee agreed that it wasn't intentional, saying 'the absence of an intention to deceive  was an important mitigating factor'.

Lotomau was under the impression his boss had given him the correct information to fill out a Queensland border pass.

Ms Magee found there was 'no intention to deliberately mislead' on his part, and said Faagase's risk to the community 'was not significant'.

The men were placed on good behaviour bonds with suspended fines of $1200 each.

Outside court, Mr Lane-Porter said the situation was an unfortunate misunderstanding.

Samuel Tumua Fenunuti, 29, Tithing Keresoma Faagase, 25, and Earnest Tumano Lotomau (pictured), 23, made incorrect declarations on their forms at the NSW-Queensland road border in August
"Amazing, isnt it, that since the time COVID-19 press briefings began a year ago, science has delivered several vaccines whilst our media gurus still havent found a way to make their questions to premiers and prime ministers audible to viewers!" says Peter Skinner of Beecroft.

A brief request from Peter Edwards of Burradoo: "Can the PM please also fix 'girt'?"

"With the Vatican having difficulties transferring money, may I suggest they change to Papal," offers (Saint) Peter Miniutti of Ashbury. And that's a three-Pete!

Librarians (C8) do have a sense of humour. Barry Galbraith of Cranebrook called his local library to make an appointment, so as to avoid overcrowding and to be COVID-safe. "They told me that they were fully booked." Evan Bailey of Glebe adds that they "are also novel lovers".

Anne Russell of Matraville (and a host of others) advises Dave Horsfall (C8) that "the Brits never did change to kilometres. Their signposts remain in miles and the London Marathon remains 26.2 miles long." Keeping his response measured, Jack Dikian of Mosman says: "Britains love for a pint ensured that the imperial pint stayed 20 per cent larger than anywhere else in the world throughout what must have been the thirsty work of Brexit negotiations."
This week, as many as three dozen congressional Republicans will launch a final challenge to the electoral college results of the 2020 presidential election.

Congress will meet Wednesday to count and confirm each state's electoral votes. It has become routine after recent elections for House lawmakers on the losing side to put up a symbolic fight over the results, which they can do under an 1880s law governing the process.

It has been less common for senators to join them, but this time a dozen will. Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, will lead the challenge of the votes and call for an emergency audit to investigate alleged fraud. It's also unprecedented to see as many challenges to states' results as are expected Wednesday. This will happen despite no evidence of widespread election fraud and as the outgoing president has refused to concede and tried to strong-arm the process at every step to stay in power.

The challenges are poised to delay the inevitable, which is Congress confirming Joe Biden's win. But it will force Congress to vote on the challenges and put Vice President Mike Pence in the position of eventually having to officially announce Biden's win.

Here's how the day probably will go:

- - -

3 1 of 3 Washington Post photo by Nikki Kahn Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Washington Post photo by Michael Robinson Chavez Show More Show Less 3 of 3





What Congress is doing Wednesday

Throughout November and December, states certified their results. Then the electoral college voted Dec. 14 based on those results and made Biden the winner. States sent their electoral college vote totals to the new Congress to be counted and confirmed. This counting will happen Wednesday. It's largely a formality, since election law says Congress has to treat states' results completed by the deadline of Dec. 8 as "conclusive."

Wednesday is the penultimate step in the post-election process. All that's left after that is to inaugurate Biden.

- - -

How Congress counts the votes

Congress will meet in a joint session, meaning the House and Senate are together (with precautions taken for the coronavirus). Pence will preside over the process. He could delegate the job to another senator, but that is unlikely.

They will go through the states alphabetically. For each state, clerks sitting below Pence will hand him the envelopes and tell him the votes; he is to read them out loud. Congress will vote on accepting states' results.

- - -

How challenges to states' electors will work

For a challenge to proceed, at least one lawmaker from each chamber must object to a state's electors. More than two dozen House Republicans have said they will try to challenge results, and a dozen GOP senators will join them - even though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has urged senators to stay away from this move.

Lawmakers do not have to give a detailed explanation of why they object; they just object in writing, which Pence will read out loud.

If there's an objection to a state's electors raised by a lawmaker in the House and one in the Senate, the chambers have to split up and vote on that objection. They have up to two hours to debate each one.

- - -

How voting on challenges is expected to occur

If a House member and a senator challenge the electoral count in a state, the Senate splits off and debates this challenge for up to two hours, then each senator gets a vote on which electors to approve. The House does the same.

The Democratic-controlled House has the votes to knock down all challenges.

Senate Republican leaders have not been able to keep their party unified through this process, but they expect to have the votes to confirm Biden's win, despite as many as a dozen Republican defections. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said last month that any challenges are "going down like a shot dog." Republican senators such as Mitt Romney of Utah and Ben Sasse of Nebraska have characterized their colleagues' challenges to certified election results as dangerous.

At least one Republican critic of the objections pointed to President Donald Trump's hour-long phone call with Georgia's secretary of state, in which the president tried to get his loss in Georgia overturned, as all the more reason for the Republican Party to stand up to Trump and vote to certify states' legitimate results. "To every member of Congress considering objecting to the election results," tweeted Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., "you cannot - in light of this - do so with a clean conscience."

Republican leaders' resistance to challenging the election now is notable given that the majority of Republican lawmakers waited more than a month to acknowledge that Biden was the winner. Many still have not. But there does not seem to be an appetite among a majority of Republican lawmakers to use Congress to try to overturn the will of the voters.

There's also no legal basis for senators to question the electoral college results, since all the states that are in Trump's focus met every legal requirement for having their electoral votes recognized by Congress.

- - -

What happens if one chamber votes to accept a challenge to electors

If the Senate decided to vote in favor of a challenge to a state's electors, there are still many hurdles to overturning Biden's win.

The law requires both chambers of Congress to affirmatively vote to object to a state's electors, which will not happen with a Democratic-controlled House.

Even if both chambers agreed to accept the challenge, the tiebreaker would go to the governor of the state. All governors in contested states have certified results that Biden won.

- - -

This process could stretch into the night

Trump lost about six swing states, and they're spread throughout the alphabet - Arizona to Wisconsin. Republicans who question the election results have indicated that they will try to challenge all of them. Each time there's a challenge supported by at least one member of each chamber, Congress has to split off and vote on it. Then they come back together and keep counting states. Voting will also take longer than normal because of coronavirus precautions to space lawmakers apart from one another.

What is a normally quick and easy process could get dragged into the wee hours.

- - -

Pence's role

Pence's part here is administrative. He has no real authority to refuse to accept electoral results. If he did, it would be in violation of the law. It might even face a court challenge (although legal experts have said they do not think he would face criminal charges). A majority of Congress probably would quickly vote down any challenges he brought up.

Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, recently filed a lawsuit in federal court trying to undermine the 1880s election law that governs Pence's role in the process. He wanted Pence to have total control over counting the votes from states, then award the election to Trump. Election law experts say that has no basis in law or the Constitution, and Pence's team said it did not agree with the lawsuit. The judge threw it out in a matter of days.

Pence has told Trump that he has no power to thwart Biden's electoral college win, The Washington Post reports, and aides say Pence plans to stick to his perfunctory role.

But after being tight-lipped about the process, his office this weekend encouraged the challenges to states' results, saying Pence "welcomes the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections and bring forward evidence."

- - -

What's happened in past challenges

Members of the party that lost the presidential election have raised objections after nearly every election since 2000. All have failed, and only one succeeded in splitting the chambers to force them to debate one challenge.

When certifying the contentious 2000 election, House Democrats tried to challenge Vice President Al Gore's loss using Florida's electoral votes, but they could not find a Senate partner to get things started.

In 2005, House Democrats challenged President George W. Bush's reelection the same way over the result in Ohio. Then-Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., joined them, but the effort was quashed quickly, including by her fellow Democrats in the Senate. House Democrats tried again in 2016 to challenge Trump's win, but no senator was willing to stand with them.

For that challenge, it was then-Vice President Joe Biden who was presiding over everything. "It is over," he told Democrats.
Australia has been ranked among the best places in the world to be during the coronavirus pandemic and the best country to move to after this pandemic is over, according to international media. These accomplishments are not by chance. They are a result of a particular way to deal with the most dangerous global health crisis of the century.

The key theory of managing the coronavirus crisis is simple: go strong early on with prevention and insist on active testing, contact tracing and isolating possible infections. Making the decision to act this way was not political or ideological but based on the best available evidence and advice from epidemiologists and public health experts.

The OECD used to hold Australia as one of the best in class in education. Credit:iStock

While we may be leading the health pandemic recovery, it seems like Australia has an education epidemic it is not treating effectively. Two decades ago, Australia was one of the leading education nations in the world. The OECD, for example, used to hold Australia as one of the best in class in education. But not any longer.

Despite frequent school reforms, educational performance has not been improving. Indeed, it has been in decline compared to many other countries. International data makes that clear. Australian Council for Educational Research concluded it by saying that student performance in Australia has been in long-term decline. The OECD statistics reveal system-wide prevalence of inequity that is boosted by education resource gaps between Australian schools that are among the largest in the world. And UNICEF has ranked Australias education among the most unequal in rich countries.
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The coronavirus vaccine is now available in the metro New Orleans area for people 70 and older, health officials said Monday.

More than 20 pharmacies in New Orleans and the surrounding parishes have the shots, according to a list from the Louisiana Department of Health. Appointments are required, and walk-in patients will not be vaccinated, officials said.

See the map of all locations in Louisiana.

Officials expect each pharmacy to get about 100 doses this week. People should call the pharmacies to schedule an appointment. (Update: Metro pharmacies have started waiting lists for the vaccine.)

Are you 70 or older and looking for a coronavirus vaccine in Louisiana? Here are the steps Gov. John Bel Edwards and the Louisiana Department of Health said Monday 107 pharmacies across the state would began receiving coronavirus vac

Here are the locations in New Orleans metro where eligible people can get a vaccine with an appointment:

Orleans Parish

Ochsner Pharmacy and Wellness Lake Terrace, 1532 Robert E Lee Blvd. (504) 226-2033

Broad Avenue Pharmacy, 1400 N. Broad St. (504) 309-4384

Carr Drugs #1, 3500 Holiday Drive (504) 367-5724

Crescent City Pharmacy, 2240 Simon Bolivar Ave. (504) 267-4100

Michoud Pharmacy, 4646 Michoud Blvd. (504) 435-1422

St. Bernard Drugs LLC #3, 10200 Chef Menteur Highway (504) 242-1100

Jefferson Parish

Ochsner Pharmacy and Wellness, 200 West Esplanade Ave., Kenner (504) 464-8250

Ochsner Pharmacy and Wellness West Bank, 2500 Belle Chasse Highway, Gretna (504) 595-8180

A-1 Pharmacy, 3501 Severn Ave., Metairie (504) 875-2330

Comeaux Pharmacy, 2305 West Esplanade Ave., Kenner (504) 305-1745

NOLA Discount Pharmacy of Metairie, 1107 Veterans Blvd. (504) 835-6060

Westbank Pharmacy, 3709 Westbank Expressway, Harvey (504) 340-0777

St. Tammany Parish

Ochsner Pharmacy and Wellness, 1000 Ochsner Blvd., Covington (985) 871-2549

Ochsner Pharmacy and Wellness Slidell Memorial, 1051 Gause Blvd. (985) 639-3726

Baham Pharmacy & Wellness, 3916 Highway 22, Mandeville (985) 273-5099

Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Miley Meds Pharmacy, 64288 Louisiana 41, Pearl River (985) 256-7222

Medicine Shoppe, 999 Robert Blvd., Slidell (985) 643-7894

St. Bernard

Walgreens, 100 W. Judge Perez Drive, Chalmette. Schedule online.

St. Charles

Ochsner Pharmacy and Wellness, 13100 River Road, Destrehan (985) 240-4610

NOLA Discount Pharmacy of Destrehan, 3001 Ormond Blvd. (985) 307-0800

St. John the Baptist

Medicine Shoppe, 70 Dominican Drive, LaPlace (985) 652-1245

Click here for the PDF list of all locations in Louisiana.

Who is currently eligible to get vaccine?

People 70 years old and older.

Patients on dialysis and staff at facilities.

Home health patients and personnel.

Workers at outpatient health care facilities, such as doctor's offices, clinics, outpatient surgery centers, diagnostic testing facilities, dental offices and behavioral health clinics.

Students, residents and staff at allied health schools, such as respiratory therapy, dental hygiene, physician assistant and more.

The priority group has about 640,000 eligible people, state officials estimated.

Vaccines are being administered elsewhere in Louisiana to health care workers at tier 1 and tier 2 hospitals, staff and residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities and Emergency Medical Services employees and firefighters.

Which vaccine?

Officials have approved two coronavirus vaccines for use in the U.S. - one from Pfizer and one from Moderna. They both require two shots administered a few weeks apart.

The Moderna vaccine will be available at the Louisiana pharmacies, according to LDH's website.

People vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine need to get the second dose 21 days after the first dose. Those getting the Moderna vaccine need to get the second dose 28 days after the first dose.

How much will it cost?

The vaccine doses purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars will be free to the person receiving the vaccine, health officials said. However, providers may charge an administrative fee or for an office visit.

It wasn't immediately clear if there would be a fee at the pharmacies.
DMCC  the worlds flagship Free Zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise  registered a record breaking 2025 new companies in 2020, the highest number of registrations in 5 years.

Despite an overall business environment shaped by the Covid-19 pandemic, the record-breaking registrations are a testament to Dubais continued appeal to investors and the trust they place in the worlds leading Free Zone.

DMCCs strong performance is primarily due to the Business Support Package launched in March 2020 that saw interest from companies in 149 countries. This was the business hubs largest ever commercial offer, offering a wide range of incentives and value added services to both existing and new companies in the Free Zone.

Supporting its member companies in the community, more than 8,000 member companies availed over 13,000 offers and incentives granted throughout 2020.

Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC, said: 2020 was a year like no other, with the Covid-19 pandemic impacting every society, business and country. Despite the countless challenges at our doorstep, the UAEs visionary leadership and prompt and decisive actions meant that our economy remained resilient throughout. DMCCs strong performance, which saw 2025 companies set up in our Free Zone during a global crisis, is a clear indication that the UAE and Dubai remain the chosen place to do business. We know that 2021 will not be without its obstacles, but we are optimistic about our growth trajectory and our continued ability to attract foreign direct investment to the Emirate.

ECOSYSTEM OF CHOICE

The record-breaking number of new company registrations is also the result of significant enhancements to DMCCs customer service, its simplified and fully digitalised set up processes and easier onboarding.

By providing customers a seamless, digital company set-up experience, and significant focus on digital marketing, the Free Zone has seen more than a 50% drop in walk-ins and physical visits, with existing and new members preferring to conduct their transactions online.

95% of new companies in the Free Zone start their journey with DMCC digitally. In recognition of its continued efforts to enhance its ecosystem, DMCC was named Global Free Zone of the Year by the Financial Times fDi Magazine for the sixth year in a row in October 2020.

Feryal Ahmadi, Chief Operating Officer, DMCC, said: DMCC set out with great ambitions at the start of 2020, and quickly had to adapt to the reality of the pandemic. Beyond successfully reaching our targets, we made sure that both new and existing companies in the Free Zone received relief and support during the challenging year. Our focused market outreach, our emphasis on a digital first customer experience and our unmatched support to the community, yielded record-breaking results  and supported our existing member companies. The confidence that partners and members place in DMCC will enable us to boost the future of trade through Dubai and strengthen our position as a leading global business hub in the year ahead.

PROMOTING TRADE VIRTUALLY

In light of global travel restrictions, DMCC took its flagship Made for Trade Live roadshow online

hosting 19 virtual sessions in key markets including China, Israel, Russia, Switzerland, Germany, Angola, South America, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine and the UK.

During these virtual roadshows, attendees were familiarised with the benefits and opportunities of setting up in Dubai and DMCCs unique and thriving business ecosystem.

DMCCs Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer also hosted a series of virtual briefings with UAE Ambassadors and representatives across key markets, including China, India, the UK, Germany, Canada and Colombia. During the calls, ways to enhance bilateral trade ties with the respective countries were discussed, in a bid to boost commercial activity in Dubai.

DMCC also shifted all of its networking events and learning seminars online. Its member companies were provided access to 83 webinars, averaging two sessions per week. Overall, DMCC gathered 11,000 attendees virtually in 2020.

Ahmad Hamza, Executive Director  Free Zone, DMCC, said: DMCCs ability to achieve record-breaking registrations during one of the most challenging years in modern times is a testament to the trust placed in us by the global business community and the attractiveness of the ecosystem we provide. By offering our largest business relief package in our history and ensuring a seamless, fully digitalised set up process, we remained the business hub of choice, attracting companies of all sizes, sectors and origins. As the worlds leading Free Zone, we will continue to enhance our offering to respond to market demand and promote tradeflows through Dubai.

STRENGTHENING TIES

Through its Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE), DMCC signed a collaboration agreement with the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE) in September 2020 to promote bilateral trade opportunities and drive innovation in the diamond industry. Shortly after, DMCC inaugurated its representative office in Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv, Israel. The new office will support Israeli businesses, from all industries and sectors, interested in setting up a presence in Dubai and DMCCs award-winning Free Zone.

China remains a key target market for DMCC, and saw a 20% increase year-on-year in Chinese companies joining the Free Zone in 2020. In November 2020, DMCC inaugurated a representative office in Shenzhen, China, which is expected to usher in a new wave of business opportunities to Dubai.

COMMODITY PERFORMANCE

Following the visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, to the DMCC Tea Centre and DMCC Coffee Centre in June 2020, DMCC announced its plans to expand both facilities and its intention to triple output, increase services and boost capacity.

In November 2020, the DDE hosted the largest rough diamond tender ever to take place in the UAE. A total of 379,912 carats of rough diamonds were sold, valued at $87.47 million (AED321.29 million) with 115 winning customers. Over 250 companies participated in the tender and 500 individuals flew into Dubai to take part in the event with delegates from India, Hong Kong, Russia, Israel, Belgium and Lebanon.

Currie & Brown, one of the worlds leading physical assets management and construction consultancies, has appointed Ian Robinson - formerly Lendlease Europes managing director - as its new chief operating officer for Middle East business. -- Tradearabia News Service
Brian Pinker, 82, receives the Oxford University/AstraZeneca CCP virus vaccine from nurse Sam Foster at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, England, on Jan. 4, 2021. (Steve Parsons/Pool via Reuters)

UK Man, 82, Is First to Get Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine

An 82-year-old UK man has become the first person in the world to receive the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine against the CCP virus.

Retired maintenance manager Brian Pinker received the vaccine at 7.30 a.m. on Monday just a few hundred metres from where the vaccine was developed by scientists at Oxford University.

I am so pleased to be getting the COVID vaccine today and really proud that it is one that was invented in Oxford, said Pinker, a kidney dialysis patient who is looking forward to celebrating his 48th wedding anniversary with his wife, Shirley, in February.

Trevor Cowlett, 88, receives the Oxford University/AstraZeneca CCP virus vaccine from nurse Sam Foster at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, England on Jan. 4, 2021. (Steve Parsons/Pool via Reuters)

Trevor Cowlett, an 88-year-old music teacher, was reportedly the second person in the world, bar those who have received it in clinical trials, to get the jab, and Andrew Pollard, the head of the Oxford Vaccine Group and its chief investigator, was the third.

The first Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine inoculations come just under a month since Britain became the first country in the world to commence rollout of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which, due to needing to be stored at minus 70 degrees Centigrade super cold temperatures, presents more distribution difficulties than the Oxford/Astra Zeneca jab.

Both vaccines require recipients to have two doses to be as effective as possible.

But in order to protect more people, the UK will prioritise giving more recipients their first dose of either vaccine over ensuring people receive their second dose.

Professor Andrew Pollard, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group (OVG), and a professor of Paediatric Infection and Immunity receives the Oxford University/AstraZeneca CCP virus vaccine from nurse Sam Foster at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, England on Jan. 4, 2021

The country has been grappling with the worlds sixth-worst death toll and one of the worst economic hits from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus crisis.

It has administered more than a million CCP virus vaccinations alreadymore than the rest of Europe put together, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.

Thats a triumph of British science that weve managed to get where we are, he told Sky News. Right at the start, we saw that the vaccine was the only way out long term.

More than 75,000 people in the UK have died within 28 days of a positive CCP virus test, though a wider measure puts the death toll at 82,624, and concerns over the pandemic have deepened rapidly this month.

File photo shows a dose of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca CCP virus vaccine displayed at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, England Jan. 2, 2021. (Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/Pool via Reuters)

On Dec. 14, Hancock announced that a new variant of the virus was identified in England, and it was associated with spikes in case numbers in certain areas.

Then, on Dec. 19, Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, confirmed that the new strain spreads more quickly than the original variant of the virus. He said, however, that There is no current evidence to suggest the new strain causes a higher mortality rate or that it affects vaccines and treatments.

Nevertheless, large swaths of England were subsequently put under tier four restrictions, where residents are told to stay at home unless they have a reasonable excuse to leave their houses.

Later, 0n Dec. 23, another variant that emerged in South African, two cases of which have been detected in Britain, also began to cause concern. Hancock said, it is yet more transmissible, and it appears to have mutated further than the new variant that has been discovered in the UK.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday that even tougher restrictions were likely to be introduced in the UK, despite the millions of citizens already living under the strictest tier of current rules.

Lily Zhou and Reuters contributed to this report.
Famed investigative journalist Carl Bernstein has said that President Trumps recorded call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, seemingly pressuring him to help overturn the state's presidential election results, is 'worse than Watergate.'

Bernstein, along with Bob Woodward, helped to break the Watergate scandal that ultimately led to President Richard Nixon's resignation.

During an interview on CNN Sunday, Berntein discussed the leaked recording of Trump's call with Raffensperger - who, as Georgia's secretary of State, also serves as the State Election Board chairman.

The journalist warned the recording was 'worse than Watergate' and claimed it revealed that the US president was a 'criminal.'

Investigative journalist Carl Bernstein said the Trump tape seeking to overturn Georgia's presidential election results is a 'smoking gun'

'We have both a criminal president of the United States in Donald Trump, and a subversive president of the United States,' Bernstein said.

The Watergate scandal involved Republican Nixon's administration's efforts to cover up their involvement in the June 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate building in Washington, DC.

Audio of Trump's hour-long Saturday phone call was published Sunday by the Washington Post, and captured Trump berating Raffensperger and Georgia's Republican Governor Brian Kemp, pleading they do anything they could to change the outcome of the election in their state.

Trump was heard telling the Republican officials: 'So look. All I want to do is this  I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state. There's nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, that you've recalculated.'

Trump (pictured) was recorded in a call Saturday as he appealed to Georgia's Secretary of State, asking him to find 11,780 votes so that the swing state would show Trump victory

This call, Bernstein said, 'is the ultimate smoking gun tape. It is the tape with the evidence of what this president is willing to do to undermine the electoral system and illegally, improperly, and immorally try to instigate a coup.'

Bernstein added that: 'In any other presidency, any other presidency, this tape would be evidence enough to result in the impeachment of the President of the United States and really, an immediate call by the members of Congress, including of his own party, that he resign immediately.'

Trump was heard talking about voter fraud during his call, making claims that Raffensperger repeatedly refuted by claiming that the president was relying on debunked theories.

Raffensperger, meanwhile, was heard asserting that Joe Biden's 12,779-vote victory in Georgia was fair and accurate.

At one point during the call, Trump appeared to make unspecified threats, saying Raffensperger and Ryan Germany - the Georgia secretary of state's office lawyer - were taking a 'big risk' by not acting to overturn the results.

Trump seemed indicate that Raffensperger and Germany would be opened up to criminal liability if they failed to find that thousands of ballots cast in Fulton County had been illegally destroyed - despite no evidence supporting that allegation.

'That's a criminal offense,' Trump said during the call. 'And you can't let that happen. That's a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer.'

Bernstein categorized Trump's 'big risk' statement as a 'real threat, but not just for some general purpose, but for a very specific criminal purpose, for the secretary of state to come up with a certain number of votes, plus one, to deliver illegally an election to the President of the United States.'

Bernstein noted 'we've never had a tape like this before, including the Nixon tapes.'

The Nixon tapes Bernstein referred to were a series of audio recordings secretly made between 1971 to 1973, which captured conversations held between Nixon, members of his administration, White House staffers and Nixon's family members.

Only a handful of people - including Nixon - knew that their phone calls and conversations were being recorded in certain rooms in the White House, Camp David and the Old Executive Office Building, where Nixon had a private office.

Carl Bernstein (left) and Bob Woodward (right in 1973) exposed President Nixon's connection to the Watergate break in. Bernstein Sunday said the Trump tape was 'worse than Watergate'

Bernstein (left, with former Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee, center, and Woodward, right) said the Trump tape is 'the ultimate smoking gun' and 'evidence of what this president is willing to do to undermine the electoral system'

Among those tapes, which were subpoenaed during the investigation into the Watergate break in was the so-called 'smoking gun' tape recorded on June 23, 1972 - just six days after the break in.

The tape was a conversation Nixon had recorded, during which he and his chief of staff, HR Haldeman, discussed having administration officials tell the CIA and FBI to stop looking into the Watergate break in because it was a national security issue.

The discussion, special prosecutor Leon Jaworski believed, resulted in a criminal conspiracy to obstruct justice and once the tape was made public on August 5, 1974, it led to Nixon's congressional support drying up.

After the House Judiciary Committee approved articles of impeachment against Nixon for obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress, Nixon resigned from office on August 8, 1974.

Bernstein told CNN that he didn't believe that he didn't believe that most Senate or House Republicans would denounce Trump's conduct during the Raffensperger call.

Instead, he said, Trump's 'craven' allies would to 'promulgate and continue this idea despite the evidence of upending a legal, proper election in which the evidence is clear, the results are clear.'

He went on to say that 'This is fantasy. Its not delusion because they know what theyre doing.'

Bernstein noted that the Republican Party's failure to denounce Trump's statements during the call could lead to 'the end of the Republican Party as a constructive, decent force in our politics in this country.'

'This is not some kind of forgivable act,' Bernstein said. 'This is not about two simple equal sides of an equation. There are no two sides to this question. This is about democracy, fundamental principles.

'We have, for the first time, a president of the United States who has exceeded McCarthys authoritarianism, his disrespect for the constitution and rule of law, and the Republican party of our time  with [Mitch] McConnells leadership, with McCarthys leadership  has gone along with it to their disgrace.'

Reports of the Trump's call with Raffensperger came after Trump tweeted Sunday morning vaguely of the conversation, claiming the Georgia Secretary of State 'has no clue' about what happened in the election.

'I spoke to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger yesterday about Fulton County and voter fraud in Georgia. He was unwilling, or unable, to answer questions such as the 'ballots under table' scam, ballot destruction, out of state 'voters', dead voters, and more. He has no clue!' Trump posted.

He also tweeted, warning Republicans of potential election fraud in Georgia as two Senate runoffs commence to determine control of the upper chamber.

'Republicans in Georgia must be careful of the political corruption in Fulton County, which is rampant. The Governor, @BrianKempGA, and his puppet Lt. Governor, @GeoffDuncanGA, have done less than nothing. They are a disgrace to the great people of Georgia!' he tweeted in reference to the Republican governor.

Raffensberger responded in his own tweet, writing: 'Respectfully, President Trump: What you're saying is not true.'

A Georgia State Election Board member is now demanding, according to a Sunday report, that a probe be opened into President Donald Trump's 'threatening' call with Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

The sole Democrat on the five-person panel, David Worley, wrote in an email to Raffensperger  who, as Georgia's secretary of State, serves as the State Election Board chairman  claiming an investigation is required.

'To say that I am troubled by President Trump's attempt to manipulate the votes of Georgians would be an understatement,'Worley, who is a Joe Biden supporter, wrote in the email, according to The New York Times.

He continued: 'Once we have received your investigative report, it will be the board's duty to determine whether probable cause exists to refer this matter.'

Worley says the probe would help determine if the call violated Georgia law, including a provision prohibiting any conspiracies to commit election fraud.

Legal experts say Trump broke Georgia law when he pressured Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to 'find' just enough votes to overturn Biden's election victory in the southern swing state.

If the investigation request by Worley were to find the law had been broken, the Election Board officials says it could ask Georgia law enforcement authorities to consider filing criminal charges or a civil case against Trump.
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New Delhi, Jan 4 : Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has criticised the government for giving the nod to Bharat Biotech's Covid vaccine without phase-3 trials.

The central licensing authority has granted permission to Bharat Biotech to manufacture 'Covaxin' for sale and distribution, after the indigenous coronavirus vaccine received regulatory approval for emergency use.

Tharoor said, "This is all we are saying. Of course, we will be proud if the vaccine turns out to work effectively. But offering it before phase-3 clinical trials have proven its efficacy is a violation of every scientific protocol and unheard of in the world. Jingoism is no substitute for common sense." Earlier on Sunday, Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) V.G. Somani announced that Bharat Biotech's 'Covaxin' has been approved for "restricted use in emergency situations". The approval has also been given to Serum Institute of India's 'Covishield' vaccine.

Tharoor added, "But the Health Minister saying 'it's more likely to work' and 'it's likely to have similar protective efficacy reported for others' is not reassuring. 'Likely' can only be 'certain' after phase-3 clinical trials." The Subject Expert Committee of the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation had recommended restricted use of Covaxin "in emergency situations in public interest as an abundant precaution, in clinical trial mode, specially in the context of infection by mutant strains".

Officials say that it will be used as backup in case of a spike in cases.

Covaxin has to be administered in two doses and can be stored at 2-8 degree Celsius. This is a major relief for India which has the second highest number of infections in the world after the US.

Bharat Biotech has made India's first indigenous vaccine for coronavirus. The inactivated virus vaccine has been developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV).

"Covaxin has generated excellent safety data with robust immune responses to multiple viral proteins that persist," Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director of the pharmaceutical company said following the approval.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Kabul, Jan 4 : A Taliban intelligence operative has been arrested in Afghanistan's Balkh province, army spokesman said on Monday.

Azizullah, who worked for the Taliban group and whose task was to identify the security personnel, was arrested in Mazar-I-Sharif city, Xinhua news agency quoted the army spokesman northern region Mohammad Hanif Rezai, as saying.

The arrested operative has admitted his membership with the Taliban spy network, Rezai added.

Without providing more details, the spokesman said that identifying security personnel by the arrested man had enabled Taliban militants to organise targeted attacks.

Targeted attacks have increased in Afghan big cities including the capital city Kabul over the past couple of months and security officials have blamed the Taliban.

The development comes as six journalists have been killed in various incidents of targeted attacks across Afghanistan in the last two months.

Since January 2020, 11 Afghan journalists and media workers have been killed in such attacks, making it one of the deadliest years.
Columbia, MO (65201)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
GREAT NECK, N.Y., Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Gary Rosen, Esq. of Rosen Law LLC, Great Neck, New York filed a federal Civil RICO lawsuit on December 30, 2020 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York against New York City real estate developers Hok Kwai Chau, Bo Jin Zhu, Andy Chau and Wing Fung Home Realty Group Inc.

A lawsuit was filed against three New York real estate developers under the rarely used federal Civil RICO statute. RICO stands for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which is a federal statute often used against organized crime figures. However, it is also available for civil actions where there is a pattern of racketeering activity. Proving a violation of Civil RICO can mean an award of triple damages plus attorney's fees, giving plaintiffs an incentive to bring a Civil RICO action where the facts support RICO. For a RICO case, it must be shown that there was an enterprise among the defendants, a purpose for the enterprise, a relationship between those associated with the enterprise, and that the enterprise was operating for several years to achieve the purpose of the enterprise.

Andy Chau and Hok Kwai Chau are a real estate salespersons with Wing Fung Home Realty Group Inc. in Elmhurst, New York and also developers of condominium and residential buildings. Andy Chau's 19 Bogart Realty Development Inc. allegedly sold the Bogart Hotel at 19 Bogart Street in East Williamsburg to Prakashkamur G. Patel's 19 Bogart Hotel Realty LLC on November 19, 2019. An entity related to Andy Chau allegedly also purchased property in Flushing for $44.5 million from Sam Chang's McSam Group and signed a contract to sell the property to Sam Strulovitch on January 3, 2020.

Bo Jin Zhu is a real estate investor / developer whose company 1989 3 Ave LLC allegedly sold the real property at 1985/1987 Third Avenue, Manhattan to Yufeng Sun's North Capital Investments LLC on November 4, 2019 for $20,750,000.

The Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are two sisters who decided in 2010 to buy one of the eleven four family homes in the development containing a total of 61 apartments in the eleven buildings, that the Defendants built through their company 41-23 Haight Realty Inc. The two sisters worked in their restaurant to be able to pay the deposits and then borrowed monies on their credit cards from 2010 to 2015 to pay the $750,000 deposit on the $1,300,000 house. The sisters were told that the $750,000 in deposits were needed to pay for the construction of the house and the monies were not held in escrow but paid directly to the defendants' company. Other buyers also paid a total of millions of dollars to 41-23 Haight Realty Inc. and then 41-23 Haight Realty Inc. borrowed millions of dollars from a bank and then defaulted on the loan and all of the eleven houses were lost in foreclosure to the lender, leaving the buyers of the houses with no houses and losses of their deposits. The 61 apartment development sold on September 14, 2020 through the bankruptcy court to J&C International Group who paid $38.1 million for the 61 unit project, of which the buyers of the houses are likely to recover little, if any of their deposits.

In numerous state court lawsuits, other buyers of houses filed lawsuits against 41-23 Haight Realty Inc., Bo Jin Zhu and Andy Chau for taking deposits totaling millions of dollars and not delivering the houses and not returning the deposits. Those lawsuits went nowhere when 41-23 Haight Realty Inc. was placed into bankruptcy.

It is alleged in the lawsuit that the defendants preyed on Asian buyers who were not sophisticated and who trusted the defendants who were also of Asian descent.

The lawsuit alleges a pattern of racketeering activity which is required for a RICO lawsuit. As part of the pattern of racketeering are the allegations of fraud upon the New York State Department of Law, Office of the Attorney General in connection with condominium offering plans, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the New York City Department of Finance in connection with partial tax exemption benefits pursuant to Section 421-a of the Real Property Tax Law.

As part of a pattern of racketeering activity, it is alleged in the lawsuit that Andy Chau was the principal of sponsor of the Wing Fung Plaza Condominium located at 64-05 Woodside Avenue, Woodside, New York, and created this 27 apartment building as a condominium but fraudulently transferred one unit to a relative of his to create a condominium deceiving the New York State Attorney General, and also the New York Department of Finance who granted a partial tax exemption to Andy Chau's entity worth over $2,500,000 million dollars in real estate tax benefits based on the building being a condominium, and not a rental apartment building.

A copy of the complaint is available at:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nk1h3tclm7x6ncj/FILED%20COMPLAINT.pdf?dl=0

For information: Gary Rosen, Esq., Rosen Law LLC, 516-729-3300

SOURCE Rosen Law LLC

Related Links

rosenlawllc.com


The number of Romanians abroad confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus stagnates at 7,063, and the number of deaths - at 130, the Strategic Communication Group (GCS) reported on Monday, according to AGERPRES.

Of the Romanian citizens confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus, 798 were declared cured.

Romanians abroad can request information on preventing and combating the virus at the line specially dedicated to them: +4021.320.20.20.

As of January 3, 2021, 17,348,389 cases have been reported in the EU/EEA, the United Kingdom, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland, Andorra. Most cases have been reported in France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Germany.

Globally, there are 80,316,555 confirmed cases, 1,770,695 dead and 47,868,825 cured.
London: Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Julian Assange would be allowed to return to Australia if all charges were dropped.

Overnight, British district judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected the United States' bid to extradite Assange on espionage charges, reasoning that the Wikileaks founder was likely to commit suicide if sent to an American supermax prison.

Speaking on 3AW radio, Morrison said: If that all turns out, hes like any other Australian, he would be free to return home if he wished. That would be a matter for him when those proceedings and processes end.

Morrison said that consular support had consistently been offered to Assange, but made clear the government were "not parties to those set of proceedings".

Earlier, Geoffrey Robertson, QC, who unsuccessfully defended Assange against extradition proceedings in 2010, called on the Australian government to throw its weight behind the campaign to get the US Department of Justice to drop their appeal.
New Delhi: A total of 38 samples have been found to be positive with the new mutant strain of coronavirus, first found in the United Kingdom , the government said on Monday. At least 10 samples were found to be positive in a Bengaluru laboratory, 3 in Hyderabad laboratory, 5 in Pune laboratory, 19 in Delhi laboratories and 1 in Kolkata.

All these persons have been kept in single room isolation in designated Health Care facilities by respective State Governments. Their close contacts have also been put under quarantine. Comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others. Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on," the union health ministry said in a statement.

The situation is under careful watch and regular advice is being provided to the States for enhanced surveillance, containment, testing & dispatch of samples to INSACOG labs," the health ministry said.

The spread of the new UK variant has already been reported by Denmark, Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore. India last year reported the presence of cases infected with the mutant strain too.

The Subject Expert Committee of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) on Saturday granted permission for restricted emergency use of Pune based Serum Institute of Indias vaccine (Covishield), subject to multiple regulatory conditionalities and permission of restricted use in emergency situation in public interest as an abundant precaution, in clinical trial mode, especially in the context of infection by mutant strains, to covaxin of Bharat Biotech International Ltd., Hyderabad.

Public health experts have said that there is currently no evidence that the new vaccines may provide any protection. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has been undergoing constant mutation but this new variant seems to be more virulent. It may cause additional harm as it attaches itself to the integrin of the cell leading to increased cellular inflammation and health complications. Information on the virus is limited at the moment and it is unclear if the current crop of vaccines in use and those under development will offer protection," said Professor N K Ganguly, President, Jawaharlal Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research and former Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The way for us to get ahead is to carry out molecular sequencing of the virus, as was done for poliovirus, to get more information on its epidemiology and spread. It is also crucial to pursue smart testing and tracing to track the spread and contain the variant at its place of origin so that it does not reach vulnerable communities," he said.

Noted Indian scientist Dr Gagandeep Kang, the vice chair, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a global non-profit aiding vaccine development platform for the covid-19 pandemic, and professor at the Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore said that it will be a stretch of say that covaxin will work against the UK strain of coronavirus.

Meanwhile 16,504 new covid-19 cases were added to the national tally in the last 24 hours. The total number of covid-19 cases as on Monday stood at 1,03, 45,118 and toll touched 1,50,858. The cumulative positivity rate of covid-19 remained 5.89% on Monday.

At least 83.90% of the new cases are concentrated in 10 States and UTs. Kerala reported the maximum daily new cases numbering 4,600 in the last 24 hours, the union health ministry said. Maharashtra recorded 3,282 new cases while West Bengal reported 896 new cases yesterday. Ten States/UTs account for 77.57% of the 214 case fatalities reported in the past 24 hours.

16.35% of new fatalities reported are from Maharashtra which reported 35 deaths. West Bengal and Kerala follow with 26 and 25 new deaths, respectively, the health ministry said. Indias total cumulative tests have crossed 17.5 Crore (17,56,35,761). Over 7,35,978 samples were tested in the last 24 hours. Indias testing infrastructure for covid-19 has over 2,299 labs across the country.

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Supporters of Pres. Donald Trump in California gather together during the traditional Rose Parade after state Gov. Gavin Newsom suspended the event due to COVID-19.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently released an order banning non-essential businesses and large gatherings to control the increasing number of COVID-19 infections across the state.

This order has also affected the traditional Rose Parade.

Patriots Rose Parade

Californians across the state gather to show their support to Pres. Donald Trump during the traditional Rose Parade that state Gov. Gavin Newsom canceled for the meantime due to the threat of COVID-19. Instead, they dubbed the event as 'Patriots Rose Parade'.

According to OANN, thousands of vehicles in support of the President came together in California for the traditional parade.

Keith Birmingham wrote on Twitter: "Trump supporters prepare to caravan along Colorado Blvd and the Parade route called the Patriots Rose parade outside of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena."

Trump supporters drove the path on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena while chanting "Trump 2020" while many of them were holding American flags.

Californians across the state who participated in the event firmly believed that Trump won the recent election.

Additionally, members of the congregation expressed their die-hard support for the President and desire to see the election results overturned.

Most especially that a group of Republican lawmakers led by Sen. Ted Cruz is about to object next week the certification of the Presidential election results.

Read also: Sen. Ted Cruz Leads GOP Lawmakers to Object Presidential Election Results

Californians Show Support to Pres. Trump

One of the supporters of Pres. Trump who joined the parade said, "This is like a freedom, this is opening up our country, celebrating our country, our freedoms and hopefully the truth of the election."

They are hoping that the votes will be validated through an audit committee.

The report also said that the 'Patriots Rose Parade' was organized by Trump Unity Bridge who was also in protest of Gov. Gavin Newsom's stringent lockdown orders that negatively impacted small business owners.

Even though the state governor has already said that they will receive financial assistance, they described Newsom's order as illegal.

Moreover, some of those who joined the caravan echoed and said that the governor's order was illegal.

They pointed out that Newsom's hypocritical antics and the blatant examples showing his disregard for his own rules. The report also confirmed that participants of the parade came across the state.

The Rose Bowl was recently moved to Texas instead of having the event in California. This is because of Newsom's order that restricts social gatherings. The 'Rose Parade' could have generated $200 million that could help small businesses.

The said amount is almost enough for the Pasadena community, crucial funds that businesses struggling during the pandemic reportedly desperately need.

Most of those who attended the 'Patriots Rose Parade' is GOP supporters and the event came as a new measure to recall Gov. Newsom's order gained support. As of this week, the petition has already reached nearly one million.

Read also: California Reports First Case of New COVID-19 Strain
She recently returned home to Tier 4 restricted Essex, following a luxurious Dubai break with her partner Dan Edgar.

And Amber Turner showcased her surgically-enhanced cleavage in a revealing 320 Fendi swimming costume on Monday, in a throwback snap.

The TOWIE star, 27, completed the look with a 945 Rive Gauche tote bag from Yves Saint Laurent as she reflected on her '2020 memories'.

Sizzling: Amber Turner showcased her surgically-enhanced cleavage in a revealing 320 Fendi swimsuit and she accesorised with a 945 YSL handbag in a throwback Dubai snap on Monday

Her designer one-piece featured silver piping and the iconic Fendi motif.

Amber accesorised with a collection of jewellery and framed her face with circular shades.

The influencer styled her blonde tresses in an effortless wave and sported flawless make-up.

In a separate image uploaded to her Instagram Story, Amber rocked orange tinted shades and a semi-sheer beach dress.

Picture of happiness: In a separate image uploaded to her Instagram Story, the blonde bombshell, 27, sported orange tinted shades and a semi-sheer beach dress

She lovingly rested her arm on her beau, 30, who donned a black tee and cream hat.

Amber and boyfriend Dan shared multiple updates from their trip as they flew out of London's Heathrow Airport for an 'exciting business venture' in December.

The blonde beauty revealed they had both had a coronavirus test before travelling, which came back negative, and they also had an antibody test to see if they had ever had Covid-19, which too came back negative.

After posting several updates from the airport and their flight, Amber revealed that they had landed in Dubai and were back at her 'favourite' Palm Jumeirah.

Dan's representative previously told MailOnline: 'Dan has had to go to Dubai for an exciting business venture that is soon to released.

Backlash: It comes after a flurry of reality stars have been slammed over the past few weeks for jetting off to the lives of the Maldives, St Barts and Dubai

'This is something that Dan has been working extremely hard over the past few years on and if it wasn't essential for Dan & Amber to attend they would have stayed back in the UK.'

The couple then returned home to Essex, currently under Tier 4 restrictions, for Christmas while many reality stars continued their Dubai jaunt.

Despite the coronavirus crisis worsening, stars of TOWIE, Love Island and Geordie Shore appear to be soaking up the sun around the globe in their droves.

Most have flocked to Dubai, as the United Arab Emirates has played host to a number of stars over the past year, despite the consistent rules throughout advising against international travel, save for work or education.

On December 20, London and surrounding areas were plunged into Tier 4, which saw travel abroad for leisure 'not permitted', with exceptions only allowed for reasons such as work, education and childcare, however Vogue Williams and her husband Spencer Matthews were spotted on a family holiday to St. Barts last Monday.

Government guidelines for international travel currently state: 'Following identification of a new variant of the virus, international travel from your area may be increasingly restricted because of domestic regulations...

'Different rules apply in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. For example, those in tier 4 areas in England will not be permitted to travel abroad apart from limited exceptions, such as work purposes. Follow all the rules that apply to you.'

The general travel advice on the Gov.uk site reads: 'We continue to advise against all non-essential international travel to some countries and territories. You should check the country page for your destination....

'We are monitoring the international situation very closely and keeping this advice under constant review so that it reflects our latest assessment of risks to British people. We take a range of factors into account.

'For coronavirus, this includes the incidence rate and the resilience of healthcare provision in each country.'
WASHINGTON - The District has mobilized the National Guard and will have every city police officer on duty Tuesday and Wednesday to handle protests of the November presidential election, which Mayor Muriel Bowser said may include people looking to instigate violence.

Bowser, a Democrat, has asked D.C. residents to stay away from downtown Washington on both days while members of far-right groups, including the Proud Boys, amass to falsely claim President Donald Trump was reelected.

Trump - who lost both the popular and electoral-college vote to President-elect Joe Biden - has continued to dispute the results, without evidence, and is encouraging his supporters to attend the rallies.

He has said he might appear at Wednesday's demonstration at the Ellipse, just outside the White House, which is timed to coincide with Congress's vote to certify the election results - a formality that this year will be a fraught and divisive process.

The National Park Service on Monday night updated the crowd estimate on the permit for that event from 5,000 to 30,000 people.

"People are allowed to come into our city to participate in First Amendment activities," Bowser said Monday. "We will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents, or cause destruction in our city."

Pro-Trump protests in November and December, which included some of the same groups, ended violently, with people stabbed and churches vandalized, including two historically Black houses of worship. This time, members of right-wing groups have taken to social media sites such as Parler and Telegram to discuss how to bring guns into the city despite laws banning openly carrying them in the city and prohibiting guns on federal lands such as the National Mall and Freedom Plaza or anywhere within 1,000 feet of a protest.

Bowser said that the National Guard members, who will not carry guns, will help enforce street closures and otherwise assist with crowd management so that D.C.'s police department can focus on law enforcement, including arresting anyone who is unlawfully carrying a gun.

Defense officials said the Pentagon approved the activation of more than 300 members of the District of Columbia National Guard, but limited the size and scope of the mission after a deployment in June raised questions about whether the Trump administration was trying to use the military as a political club.

Two defense officials familiar with the plans, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said the guardsmen are not expected to use armored vehicles, including Humvees, relying instead on civilian vans owned by the government. The military also has not approved the use of its helicopters, which were deployed over racial justice protesters in June in an apparent show of force, prompting a military investigation whose results still have not been released.

No National Guard members from other states are expected to be called into D.C., the officials said - again, in contrast to June.

And under the terms of a new defense spending bill, any federal troops must be identifiable, personally and by agency, a provision added to the law after federal agents deployed this summer did not reveal the agencies with which they were affiliated.

The smaller military presence comes as current and former defense officials warn against relying on the Armed Forces for election-related activities. The military, with its nonpartisan tradition, should not be dragged into politics, they have said.

On Sunday, all 10 living former defense secretaries combined to publish an op-ed in The Washington Post warning that the time has come to stop contesting presidential election results, and that the military should have no role in overturning them.

The National Park Service began issuing permits Monday for the so-called "Stop the Steal" rallies, which are expected to begin Tuesday afternoon and continue through Wednesday.

Women for America First - a group behind a pro-Trump march in November and another on Dec. 12 that ended in a night of chaos on D.C. streets is organizing the event for the southern half of the Ellipse on Wednesday morning. A list of potential speakers includes longtime Trump ally Roger Stone, whose sentence for seeking to impede a congressional probe into Russian election interference was commuted by Trump in July before being upgraded to a full pardon, and Rudy Giuliani, Trump's campaign attorney, who has waged a roundly unsuccessful legal fight to overturn the election results.

A new organization dubbed the Eighty Percent Coalition, a reference to the roughly three-quarters of Republicans who have said in polls that they do not trust the results of the presidential election, received a permit for a Tuesday rally at Freedom Plaza that the National Park Service estimated would draw 5,000 people. That event is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and continue until 8:30 p.m.

Though no organized march between the Wednesday rallies has been planned, organizers said they expect a large number of attendees to make their way from the Ellipse to the Capitol at the conclusion of the morning event.

Pro-Trump protesters have also frequently visited the stretch of 16th Street NW north of the White House that Bowser renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza during the summer demonstrations, where they have torn down signs honoring Black leaders and victims of violence.

Acting D.C. police chief Robert Contee, said Monday that police might close off the plaza to all pedestrians if conditions warrant.

Bowser said she would consider imposing a curfew if needed, as she did during the protests in June.

The organization Black Lives Matter DC put out a statement Monday asking Bowser to go further than she has so far in her denunciation of far-right demonstrators.

The groups asked that businesses in the city refuse to do business with "white supremacists and hate groups who incite violence"; that D.C. officials do more to enforce mask and social distancing protocol among rallygoers; and that D.C. lawmakers do more to "protect our sacred Black spaces."

"The authorities have no problem keeping the White House - and the white man inside - safe; Black people expect and demand no less for our sacred Black spaces, including Black churches and Black Lives Matter Plaza," the group wrote.

Bowser said Monday that police would focus on enforcing gun laws and addressing any potential violence, and would not arrest or fine people for violating the city's masking and social distancing requirements.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Californias Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System, most often used in response to wildfires, floods, and other natural emergencies, is now assisting in the states response to Covid-19.

Firefighter Paramedics and EMTs are being deployed for a 14-day operational period to assist emergency rooms and other vital medical areas in some of the most impacted hospitals in California. These highly trained firefighters have been requested through the California Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System, coordinated by the California Governors Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES).

Since the program began on December 30, 2020, 16 Firefighter Paramedics and 6 Firefighter EMTs have been deployed to California hospitals. They include:

Region 1  UC Irvine Medical Center

8 paramedics pending

Region 2  Petaluma Valley Hospital

3 paramedics from Solano County

6 EMTs from Sonoma County

Region 5  Kern Adventist Health

6 paramedics from Santa Clara County

2 paramedics from Contra Costa County

2 paramedics from Fresno County

Region 6  Barstow Community Hospital

3 paramedics from Riverside County

Cal OES is continuing to deploy more firefighters across the state in response to the Covid-19 hospital surge, as needed.

The Cal OES Operations (Ops) Section under the Fire and Rescue Division coordinates The California Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System. This coordinated response through the Mutual Aid System includes assistance during major fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, hazardous materials, and other disasters.
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Israel leads the world in per capita COVID-19 vaccinations, with doses administered to more than 10% of the country in just two weeks.

Health officials in Israel say two million people  more than a fifth of the population  will have received the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by the end of the month. Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said on Monday that 1,224,000 shots have been administered so far, most of them to the elderly.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Edelstein credited the vaccination drives success with the countrys highly digitized health care system. Under Israeli law, all citizens over the age of 18 must register with one of four HMOs.

The health system is proving itself, Edelstein told the newspaper.

As of Sunday, Israel had a vaccination rate of 12.59 doses per 100 people, according to figures compiled by Oxford University and the non-profit group Global Change Data Lab. For comparison, the Gulf kingdom of Bahrain has the second-highest rate at 3.57.

On Dec. 19, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became the first person in Israel to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, saying he wanted to set a personal example to encourage all Israelis to do the same.

We brought millions of vaccines here, more than any other country in the world relative to its population, Netanyahu said in a speech last week. We brought them to everyone: Jews and Arabs, religious and secular. Everyone can and should get vaccinated.

Israel is in the middle of a third national lockdown aimed at curbing an uptick in coronavirus-related deaths. Since its outbreak in February, Israel has recorded 442,187 cases of the virus and 3,433 deaths.

On Monday the Health Ministry released proposed designs for a green passport app that would be given to vaccinated Israelis. The digital document, which would be valid for six months, would allow holders to attend large gatherings and travel abroad without having to quarantine.
Experts and politicians have slammed Germany for not buying enough doses of Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to roll out its immunization programme. Germany, which recently reported the presence of mutant coronavirus, is a part of EUs vaccine procurement scheme and is reliant on the blocs regulators for granting authorization of the vaccine to prevent COVID-19 infection. Currently, only Pfizer/BioNTech jabs, domestically produced by Germany, are allowed across the bloc.

However, experts have lambasted EU for not only taking more time than other nations to approve a vaccine candidate but also member states for not procuring enough amounts. Speaking to Die Welt (DW) newspaper, Frauke Zipp a neurologist and member of the advisory Leopoldina Academy of Sciences called the who situation a "gross failure". Questioning the Angela Merkel led government, she asked the reason behind not ordering much more of the vaccine during the summer just to be safe?"

Her stance was reiterated by Karl Lauterbach, health expert for the Centre-left Social Democrats, who lambasted the 27 members bloc for not having ordered more BioNTech-Pfizer vaccines early on.However, GermanHealth minister Jens Spahn has shrugged off any rumours about the government taking the vaccination lightly. Speaking to Broadcaster RTL, he asserted that all things were going as per plan.

Read: Merkel Replaced By Spahn As Germany's Most Popular Leader, New Survey Finds

Read: Germany To Prioritise Vulnerable Population In Initial Stages Of Mass COVID-19 Vaccination

German vaccination plan

Germany has laid out its vaccination plan and said that "vulnerable" people would be prioritised for COVID-19 vaccination. The country, along with 26 other EU members, began the mass rollout of COVID-19 vaccines on December 27. However, the European Union as a bloc has made an order for only 300 million doses during the summer, a move that has attracted ire of experts.

Previously, Spahn had said that Germany would receive limited doses of vaccines in the initial days, making it important to prioritise people who require it more. Spahn revealed that all citizens above the age of 80 years would be the first ones to get it. In addendum, residents and workers of nursing homes would also constitute the initial recipients.

Read: UK's COVID-19 Variant Has Been In Germany Since November: Health Officials

Read: Germany To Prioritise Vulnerable Population In Initial Stages Of Mass COVID-19 Vaccination
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Retail NI has asked the Northern Ireland Executive to allow independent retailers to operate a click and collect service.

Its call comes as large supermarkets continue to sell clothes, books and toys over the post-Christmas and New Year period while independent retailers remain closed.

The business group has also asked the Executive to extend the Financial Support Scheme to essential independent food retailers who can remain open but who have lost trade and footfall as a result of the majority of the businesses being closed in town and city centres.

Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said: It is blatantly unfair that local independent retailers who sell books, toys, clothes and homeware are unable to open nor operate a click and collect service while large supermarkets can remain open, sell these products and continue to make substantial profits.

We have seen significant numbers of shoppers flock to these large supermarkets over the Christmas/New Year period, buying non-essential products while the Executive does not even allow local independent retailers to operate a click and collect service.

The Executive needs to give these local independent retailers a lifeline by immediately permitting them to operate a click and collect service. Many of these traders will not survive this third lockdown and have already lost vital trading times at the start of December and January.

Retail NI also wants the Executive to include essential independent food retailers, who have lost trade and footfall, in the Financial Support Scheme. Many of these businesses are trying to trade in town and city centres which are virtual ghost towns, with most of their neighbouring businesses closed.

With offices, non-essential retail and hospitality closed, custom for these businesses has decreased dramatically and will mean they have no choice but to close, further adding to the challenges of the high street."
A trip of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Asian countries is planned to be held in the second half of 2021, according to Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Presidents Office, Diplomatic Advisor to the President Ihor Zhovkva.

We are working on organizing the Asian tour of the President of Ukraine in the second half of 2021. There are many economic interests in Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore - these will be the main directions of the mentioned tour, Zhovkva wrote in an article for the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia (Mirror Weekly) newspaper.

In addition, Zhovkva noted that in relations with China, the key task is to develop mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation, in particular, to further increase the export of Ukrainian products to this country, expand the range of exported goods, and strengthen the position of Ukrainian agricultural producers in the Chinese market.

"Attracting the Chinese side to the implementation of certain infrastructure projects in Ukraine will remain an urgent task," he added.

Zhovkva also drew attention to the fact that "India should fully open up to Ukraine, since there are all the necessary prerequisites for this." He noted that Ukraine and India are actively establishing cooperation in certain projects.

As reported, in May 2020, the President's Office announced that Zelensky's Asian tour will take place after the quarantine restrictions are lifted.

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Abraham Lincoln High School, Thomas Jefferson High School, James Madison Campus and George Washington High School, among many others, have been placed on a hit list of 44 school sites in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) that must change their names on the basis of racialist politics and historical falsification.

The effort is the culmination of a 2018 San Francisco Board of Education (SFBOE) resolution to rename schools. The SFUSD school names advisory committee, a board appointed group of district officials, educators, and social justice activists, will present a finalized list of name changes and suggested alternatives to the school board for approval later this month.

The WSWS condemns the SFBOEs move to rename schools and calls on workers and youth to reject the attacks on Lincoln and the Founding Fathers. Erasing the names of Lincoln, Jefferson, Madison and Washington from the district is a deeply reactionary attack on the monumental legacies of these four historical figures, as well as the revolutionary character of the American Revolution and Civil War. Based on falsifying history, the entire initiative obscures the politics and class character of all the figures on the list for removal as well as the names chosen to take their places.

Abraham Lincoln High School in San Fransisco (Photo: BriefEdits/Wikipedia)

According to the race-focused criteria for renaming schools, the Great Emancipator and leaders of the American Revolution are cast aside as social pariahs. Though the committees criteria explicitly state that they will change the names of schools that honor those who exploit workers/people, staunch capitalist politicians who fall in line with the committees racialist politics will keep their names on schools in the district. This includes: A.P. Giannini, Bank of America founder and financial pillar of the San Francisco ruling elite; Philip Burton, a Democratic congressman renowned for his skill at gerrymandering and political mentor to Nancy Pelosi; and Willie L. Brown, first African-American mayor of San Francisco and political patron to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and California Governor Gavin Newsom.

The board officials and committee members in charge of renaming schools are enemies of the working class who fully accept the exploitation of workers and youth under capitalism. Their interests lie in a regressive and right-wing political campaign to imbue the district with racialist policies and pedagogy and promote trusted defenders of capitalism who happen to be people of color into positions of power within the upper echelons of society.

Reflecting this perspective, Jeremiah Jeffries, chairman of the school names advisory committee and teacher in SFUSD, revealed his contempt for Lincoln in a recent interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, in which he claimed: Regardless of the pop culture myths of Lincoln and his motivations, the Civil War was not fought over slavery or the liberation of Black people. And further: Lincoln, like the presidents before him and most after, did not show through policy or rhetoric that Black lives ever mattered to them outside of human capital and as casualties of wealth building.

Such an ignorant and reactionary assault on Lincoln is not original, but represents the historical falsification and racialist political agenda promoted in the New York Times 1619 Project. The Times' distortion of history slandered as a mere racist the president martyred for leading a revolutionary Civil War to end chattel slavery in the United States. The 1619 Project has been thoroughly exposed and discredited by the campaign spearheaded by the WSWS, which attracted the support of many of the most important historians of the American Revolution and Civil War.

The SFUSD committee has attacked Lincoln as responsible for discriminatory and damaging policies, like placing Indians on reservations, citing the Dakota 38+2, largest mass hanging in US history. As the WSWS thoroughly explained in its essay on Lincoln and the Dakota 38, this tragic event was also the largest act of executive clemency, in which Lincoln saved 265 Dakota men from the gallows, reflecting a level of humanity and a break in the line of presidents before and after him regarding Native American relations and policy.

In its 2018 resolution to rename schools, the SFBOE argues for removing names of historical figures who significantly diminished the opportunities of those amongst us to the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness ... (emphasis added). Though the board references the immortal words of the Declaration of Independence, which have influenced countless struggles for equality since the American Revolution, its very author, Thomas Jefferson, is on the list of school names to be removed! Jefferson, alongside his fellow contemporaries and revolutionists James Madison and George Washington, have been added to the school names removal list for having owned slaves.

Notably, as a young lawyer in the 1770s, Jefferson defended enslaved people in freedom suits, most famously in Howell vs. Netherland, in which he made a profound case that slavery was indeed a violation against the law of nature. His views on slavery would culminate in his banning of the international slave trade in the entire United States as president in 1808.

Jefferson, Madison and Washington were among the vanguard of progressive bourgeois thought in the early development of the United States and contributed to immense strides in human progress. Deeply impacted by the ideals of the Enlightenment, these historical giants would maintain a lifelong commitment to legal equality and opposition to tyranny and oppression. Such views, made universal in the Declaration of Independence, called into question for the first time the institution of slavery in the United States. Though born into Virginias planter class, inheriting land and slaves, all three figures would come to oppose slavery and support gradual emancipation. Ultimately, it required the revolutionary violence of the Civil War to accomplish this in 1865.

These modern-day censors write off great revolutionary figures in the name of social justice. Torn from their historical context, the Founding Fathers and Lincoln are subject to the most base and flippant criticism, their legacies written off in a few words on a Google spreadsheet.

This same racialist ideology was the basis for a 2019 SFBOE initiative to remove the Depression era George Washington murals at George Washington High School. Overwhelming opposition to the board decision saved the murals from destruction, with parents, alumni, historians, and community members expressing deep hostility toward such overt censorship of speech and artistic expression, as well as slanders against Washington. Adding Washington to the current list of names means the board will deepen its attempt to expunge all traces of the revolutionists from the district.

The hodge-podge character of the list of school names set for removal undercores the political aim of papering over fundamental class issues. For instance, current Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Diane Feinstein, is on the list for removal, supposedly because her office replaced a vandalized Confederate flag at City Hall while she was mayor of San Francisco in 1984.

The SFUSD school names advisory committee has nothing to say about Feinsteins long support of US imperialist war crimes on the US Senate Intelligence Committee, where she has also overseen illegal spying on the population and tolerated torture, nor that she is a longtime defender of the financial elite, most recently personally benefiting financially from insider knowledge of the threat of COVID-19. None of these facts are mentioned by the school names committee because its intentions lie in gaining admission to the ruling class for a few more representatives of diversity, not doing away with the class divisions in society.

In a recent interview with the Chronicle, Jeffries extends an olive branch to Feinstein, stating that she is one of the few living examples on our list, so she still has time to dedicate the rest of her life to the upliftment of Black, First Nations and other people of color. She hasnt thus far, so her apology simply wasnt convincing. This is an invitation to get back into the good graces of Jeffries and his ilk if Feinstein focuses more on the elevation of this milieu into the circles of power in the Democratic Party.

In October 2019, Jeffries issued a Social Justice Voter Guide that was endorsed and published by the San Francisco Bay View Black National Newspaper. In it, Jeffries called for San Francisco Mayor London Breeds reelection in 2020, primarily because she is an African-American woman. The voter guide states, While some of her political relationships are problematic, she has elevated some amazing women and men of color into positions of power... Good and bad, she is the first Black woman mayor this city has produced, and she should be given the chance to do right by it or not.

Breed was one of several prominent elected African-American Democrats who endorsed billionaire Michael Bloomberg in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, a candidate who implemented a stop-and-frisk policing policy as mayor in New York that deliberately targeted minority youth. Breeds endorsement of such a candidate displays her interest in climbing the social ladder and maintaining the status quo.

Figures like Jeffries will cherry-pick what counts for racism or injustice whenever it suits their interests, but will just as easily turn a blind eye if it promotes a person of color from this petty-bourgeois milieu into a position of power, where all fundamentally agree to the exploitation of the working class.

While SFBOE signals its so-called commitment to social justice, it supports the efforts by federal, state and local officials to reopen the schools as soon as possible amid a deadly pandemic and will simultaneously sign off on mass austerity measures that will have a devastating impact on educators, school workers and students of all identities.

These district officials and members of the SFUSD school names advisory committee deserve the scorn of the working class. They are wolves in sheeps' clothing. For the workers who have had to endure the endless hardships of the pandemic and face a winter of death, the racial politics of this social layer and the Democratic Party stand thoroughly exposed as policies that uphold the interests of the system that is killing them.

The WSWS calls on workers and youth within SFUSD and beyond to fight against these racialist attacks against Lincoln, Jefferson, Madison and Washington, and in defense of historical truth and democratic rights.
ISTANBUL - Iran on Monday resumed 20% uranium enrichment at its sensitive Fordow nuclear facility, state media reported - a major step away from a 2015 nuclear deal struck with world powers.

The move could complicate the incoming Biden administration's plans to restart nuclear talks with Tehran. Iranian forces also seized a South Korean-flagged ship transiting the Persian Gulf.

The enrichment process at Fordow - an underground facility near the holy city of Qom - began earlier Monday, government spokesman Ali Rabie said. He said Iran had notified the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog.

A spokesman for the agency said Monday that its inspectors were monitoring activities at Fordow and that IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi was expected to submit a report to the watchdog's member states later in the day, Reuters reported.

Under the 2015 nuclear agreement, which restricted the size and purity of Iran's enriched-uranium stockpile, Tehran is banned from enriching uranium at the Fordow site or even bringing uranium there for 15 years from the start of the accord. The site was revealed as a covert enrichment facility by Britain, France and the United States in 2009.

The nuclear deal originally agreed between Iran and six world powers, including the United States, allows Iran to enrich uranium to a 3.67% concentration of uranium-235, a fissile isotope, at another site and to maintain a small stockpile of it to use as fuel for its nuclear power reactors. Uranium enriched to 20% U-235 is suitable for use in an old, U.S.-supplied research reactor in Tehran that began operating in 1967.

However, the 20% enrichment level is also a relatively short, technical step from the 90% needed for the fissile material in a nuclear weapon. Iran began ramping up its nuclear activities after the Trump administration withdrew in 2018 from the agreement, which curbed Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for major sanctions relief. Trump then began reimposing crippling sanctions. In response, Iran said it would progressively abandon some elements of the nuclear deal, notably the limits on the purity and size of its enriched-uranium stockpile, although it has maintained its commitment in the deal that it will not build or acquire nuclear arms.

The IAEA said in a statement Monday that it has informed member states that Iran "began feeding uranium already enriched up to 4.1% U-235 into six centrifuge cascades at Fordow for further enrichment up to 20%." It added that "IAEA inspectors were present at the site" for the start of the process.

Israel, which considers Iran its greatest security threat and maintains that Tehran is seeking nuclear weapons, immediately condemned the Iranian move. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted that it "cannot be explained in any way other than the further realization of its intention to develop a military nuclear program."

"Israel will not allow Iran to produce nuclear weapons," he added. Netanyahu has reportedly pressured Trump to consider a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities as he prepares to leave office.

Senior aides to President-elect Joe Biden have said that his administration would rejoin the nuclear deal if Iran also returned to compliance under the agreement.

The push for diplomacy was challenged in November when one of Iran's most prominent nuclear scientists was killed in an ambush outside Tehran, an attack Iranian officials have blamed on Israel. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was crucial to Iran's plans to build a nuclear weapon nearly two decades ago, a program it abandoned by 2003, according to U.S. intelligence.

In recent days, tensions between Iran and the United States have soared in the Persian Gulf region as Tehran marked the first anniversary of the death of its most prominent military commander, Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad.

The United States has deployed military assets to the region, including B-52 bombers, in what American officials said was an attempt to "deter" any Iranian retaliatory attacks on U.S. interests, which officials believe would most likely occur in Iraq.

On Sunday, acting defense secretary Christopher Miller said in a statement that the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz would remain in the Middle East "due to the recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President Donald Trump and other U.S. government officials." Iran has denounced the deployments as provocative.

"New intelligence from Iraq indicate that Israeli agent-provocateurs are plotting attacks against Americans - putting an outgoing Trump in a bind with a fake casus belli," Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, wrote Saturday on Twitter, using a term for an action that justifies a war.

On Monday, Iranian state television reported the seizure of a South Korean-flagged tanker by the Revolutionary Guard in the gulf for "causing environmental pollution."

Iranian naval forces have harassed and impounded foreign-flagged tankers in the Persian Gulf in recent years. Western powers blamed Iran for a string of explosions targeting tankers near the United Arab Emirates in 2019.

The Revolutionary Guard said Monday that the South Korean vessel - MT Hankuk Chemi - had departed from a port in Saudi Arabia and was transiting the gulf for the UAE port of Fujairah when it was seized for "repeated violations of marine environmental laws," Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported.

The report said the ship was carrying 7,200 tons of ethanol and is now docked at Iran's Bandar Abbas port.

- - -

The Washington Post's Steve Hendrix in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
 New year round-up highlights more of the same struggles with COVID in incarceration nation | Main | "Expunging Juvenile Records: Misconceptions, Collateral Consequences, and Emerging Practices" 

This lengthy new local article, headlined "New laws lead some Washington prosecutors to rethink three-strike life sentences," is an interesting review of efforts to review extreme sentences in the Evergreen State. Here are some excerpts from the piece:

Following the law enforcement killing of George Floyd, policing has grabbed the lions share of attention when it comes to reforming criminal justice. Yet, statistics reveal stark racial disparities in who goes to prison, and for how long.

In Washington, there is probably no greater example than the three-strikes law approved by voters in 1993  the nations first and an embodiment of the tough-on-crime era, designed to ensure persistent offenders would never be free to commit more crimes. Judges are required to hand down life sentences to repeat offenders of a wide array of crimes, from murder and rape to robbery and assault, and every year, more men and women are sentenced under the law.

While a majority of three-strikes prisoners are white, ... Black people, representing about 4% of the states population, account for 38% of 289 current three-strikes prisoners sentenced in Washington (including eight transferred to other states), according to the most comprehensive data released to date by the Department of Corrections (DOC), provided to The Seattle Times in December. An additional six of 16 people who died in prison while serving three-strikes sentences were Black....

Ever since three strikes was enacted, people have argued about whether those it targets deserve their fate. And yet, it has been surprisingly hard to track what crimes they committed. The state stopped reporting the records of three strikes prisoners after 2008 and only recently resumed.

But a Seattle Times analysis of DOC data for the 289 current three-strikes prisoners shows more than half, 155 people, received a life sentence after assault, burglary, robbery or drug-related convictions triggered the third and final strike. Some previously committed more severe crimes. About half of current three-strikes prisoners have murder, manslaughter or sex crimes on their record.
NEW DELHI : Food and logistics startups raised significant funding last year as the pandemic spurred a surge in demand for online delivery of fresh and ready-to-eat food and quick logistics service.

Funding in food tech startups such as Licious, FreshtoHome, Zomato and Swiggy more than doubled to $1.3 billion in 2020 from $619 million in 2019, according to Venture Intelligence data. Logistics startups like Delhivery and Ecom Express raised $965 million last year. Though lower than the $1.1 billion in 2019, they are expected to continue to draw investors.

Edtech mopped up $2.1 billion, the highest of all sectors, against $426 million in 2019, largely led by Byjus, which raised over $1.25 billion.

However, e-commerce, which typically bags the bulk of funding, saw a dip in 2020, raising only $779 millionless than a fourth of the $3.3 billion raised in 2019. This, in spite of the fact that the sector became highly competitive with aggressive strategies from giants such as Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra and Snapdeal.

While the adoption of e-commerce is on the rise, this is becoming an increasingly competitive space with many me-too companies. Companies in the space will need to spend aggressively to acquire customers and differentiate themselves from other players in the space," said Ankur Pahwa, partner and national leader, e-commerce and consumer internet, EY India.

Food delivery platforms, too, witnessed a surge in orders as people stayed indoors amid covid-led restrictions. Gurugram-based food tech unicorn Zomato raised $660 million at a valuation of $3.9 billion as the firm set its sights on an initial share sale this year. FreshToHome, a Bengaluru-based online fresh fish and meat retailer, which raised $121 million led by Investment Corporation of Dubai, is adopting digital payments, digital feedback and technology to communicate with their customers in daily operations.

According to EYs Pahwa, the food segment is expected to follow the high growth runway and attract capital as companies continue to expand their PIN code reach and more restaurants, cloud kitchens and home cooks rely on the segment to reach customers.

Cloud kitchens, too, have big expansion plans this year. Rebel Foods, for instance, has already partnered with Sierra Nevada Restaurants to develop and operate approximately 250 Wendys cloud kitchens pan-India. The move comes at a time the pandemic has disrupted the restaurant business globally with diners reluctant to return to food joints operating under physical distancing protocols. This has led to a surge in takeaways and online food ordering through aggregators and restaurant websites driving firms to enhance their online presence via cloud kitchens.

Our focus will remain on being a technology-first food brand, opening our Rebel Operating System, a combination of culinary and technology that has given us many years lead worldwide to execute our model and provide a platform to scale brands nationally and globally," said Raghav Joshi, co-founder and CEO, India business unit, Rebel Foods.

Travel restrictions during the lockdown also forced e-commerce platforms to rebuild their supply chains to include more products and expand more into tier-3 cities and beyond.

As the legacy supply chain models failed to provide supply at transparent rates, the increased demand for both non-essential and essentials items was catered by tech-aided logistics players giving rise to multiple startups within logistics providing services such as fleet visibility, route optimization and return logistics," says Ankur Bansal, co-founder and director, BlackSoil, a venture debt fund.

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More Australians have weighed in on the traits that prove you are wealthy in 2021, months after Prime Minister Scott Morrison sparked a viral debate by claiming those earning $180,000 a year are not rich.

Signs of wealth flooded social media over the festive season, after Sydney writer Benjamin Law tweeted: 'What is your idiotically arbitrary and offensively non-scientific yardstick of whether someone's rich?'

A popular response was filling your house with Aesop candles, which cost an eye-watering $135 each.

Owning a two-door fridge with an ice dispenser was also cited as a sure sign of money, along with white sofa cushions, freestanding clawfoot baths and buying branded groceries instead of a supermarket's own range.

One woman said drinking wine from a bottle - not a cardboard box - shows you are rich.

Decorating your house with $135 Aesop candles (left) and drinking wine from a bottle - not a box - is a sure sign of wealth, Australians have claimed

What is the average annual income in Australia? According to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, average weekly earnings have gone up by 3.8 per cent in the six months to May 2020. This means that Australians working full-time earned an average of $1,713.90 a week or $89,122.80 a year. That is less than half the $180,000 sum that Prime Minister Scott Morrison sensationally claimed does not make someone rich. Advertisement

AESOP CANDLES AND HAND SOAP

Many said decorating your bathroom and living room with Aesop candles, which cost $135 each, is a clear giveaway that you've got money to burn.

Others said buying liquid soap from the luxury skincare brand - which was founded in Melbourne in 1987 - is a sure sign that you are well off, given it costs $40 per 500ml dispenser.

In an episode of KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie O Show from October 21, candles from upscale French label Diptyque - which start from $90 for a standard size - were named as another interior indicator of affluence.

Jackie added if you have hand wash from L'Occitane or Aesop, 'you're a baller'.

OWNING A TWO-DOOR FRIDGE

Having a two-door fridge with an ice dispenser in your kitchen was named one of the most obvious hints that your finances are more than comfortable.

'Instant ice in a fridge door,' one man wrote.

'Double-door fridges? Munnnnnnnnnny [sic].'

'Omg ice fridges - my friend and I have dreamed of this for many years,' a woman agreed.

'Sure sign of money. My parents, for example, now have an ice fridge.'

Others said having cutlery that matches glassware and vases filled with random accessories on your kitchen table is a sign that you're accustomed to the finer things in life.

'Any kind of large bowl on a table with twine, wood, metal circular 'things' in it for decoration,' one man wrote.

White sofa cushions were also cited as a touch of class along with freestanding clawfoot baths.

'Having a standalone bath is the ultimate in aspiration,' one person said.

Many said having a two-door fridge with an ice dispenser (pictured) in your kitchen was named one of the most obvious hints that your finances are more than comfortable

Being clueless about the cost of groceries

Some said Australians who are oblivious to the cost of food and toiletries have more money than they know what to do with.

'People who have no idea how much groceries cost, i.e. milk and mince,' one man wrote.

Dozens on Facebook said a major indication of wealth is not sorting prices from 'low to high' when shopping online.

'Even if I was a millionaire, I think I'd still sort prices low to high,' one person wrote.

Another added: 'When you don't have to check your bank account and just go about your day, week or month and never have to think before making a purchase - that's another big indicator.'

White sofa cushions (pictured) and a freestanding clawfoot bath were also cited as a touch of class

EXCLUSIVELY FLYING QANTAS

A sign of wealth unique to Australians is refusing to fly on any carrier besides Qantas, the presenters of the Mamamia podcast claimed in October.

'People who exclusively fly Qantas [are rich] - as if Qantas is your first option when you go to book flights,' host Kee Reece said.

'I love Qantas, but it's not the first option unless they're having a sale.'

Others agreed, although some said they have no choice but to fly with the premium airline because they live in a regional area which is not serviced by other carriers.

Many highlighted people who exclusively fly Qantas, even when there is no sale on, as rich (stock image)

Signs you're rich in Australia in 2021 * White cushions and furniture * People who don't wash their own hair - they get weekly blow dries instead * Backyard pool, especially if it's heated * Buying snacks at the cinema and not at Aldi beforehand * Multiple streaming services * Choosing express postage at the checkout, just because * Buying furniture from Pottery Barn * Spending more than $4 on a punnet of blueberries * Freestanding clawfoot baths * Owning an ice dispenser machine on your fridge * Exclusively flying Qantas * Buying Sirena tuna - $7 per 425 gram tin * Over-pronouncing words * Not sorting prices low to high when browsing online * Taking children to fancy restaurants * Using 'summer' as a verb, e.g. 'we summer in the Hamptons' * Buying basics from Country Road Advertisement

BUYING SIRENA TUNA

Mamamia podcast host Kee also claimed anyone who 'exclusively' buys Sirena tuna, even when it's not on sale, is rich.

'It's so expensive!' she said.

Coles supermarket sells Sirena tuna in oil for $7 per 425 gram can.

For context, the same size can of John West tuna costs just $5.75.

'Hot tip: Aldi tuna tastes exactly the same as Sirena tuna, but isn't anywhere near as expensive as Sirena,' one person posted on Facebook .

But others said they can't stop buying the 'boujee' brand because it tastes so good.

Podcast host Kee also said anyone who 'exclusively' buys Sirena tuna (stock image), even when it's not on sale, is rich

MATCHING SHERIDAN TOWELS

A caller to the October episode of the Kyle and Jackie O Show said she knows someone is rich if they have coordinating white towels in their bathroom.

'When you go to someone's house and they have beautiful matching Sheridan towels, [you know they're rich],' she said.

Sheridan towels, which come in tasteful shades including rose pink and pristine white, are made from Egyptian cotton and cost an average of $109.99 for a standard bath size.
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Jentleson ably narrates this history, with all of its ironies and unintended consequences. In 1917, the Senate introduced Rule 22, allowing senators to call a vote for cloture  to end debate  but only if they could muster a supermajority of two-thirds (a threshold that has since been lowered to three-fifths, or 60 senators). The supermajority threshold was the result of a compromise in the Senate  a reasonable thing to do at a time when Senate norms still compelled minorities to eventually yield to the majority, Jentleson writes. But as those norms degraded over the ensuing decades, Rule 22 placed the onus on supporters of a bill to whip up not just a majority but a supermajority in order to end debate and get to a vote. What started out as an attempt to reform the filibuster and erode its power perversely became a facilitator of it.

In the 87 years between the end of Reconstruction and 1964, Jentleson writes, the only bills that were stopped by filibusters were civil rights bills. No other issue seemed to motivate obstructionists in quite the same way. The story after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 has been different, Jentleson says, but no less detrimental to progressive causes. The modern Senate has become so efficient (in one sense of the word) and the filibuster so streamlined that senators seeking to block or delay legislation dont have to bother with an actual speech; they can silently filibuster a bill, and as if that werent enough of an oxymoron, theres even a hotline to do it.

All you have to do is call the cloakroom, tell them the senator you work for intends to place a hold on the bill, and the bill is filibustered, Jentleson writes. One phone call, one objection, and the threshold on any bill or nomination goes from a majority to a supermajority.

Jentleson slowly builds his case, biding his time so that when he arrives at the decision by Reid, a Democrat, to go nuclear in November 2013  eliminating the filibuster for White House nominees, save those to the Supreme Court  Reids actions seem all but inevitable. Under the leadership of Mitch McConnell, Senate Republicans tried to block President Obamas nominees with unprecedented frequency, Jentleson writes, and he offers the numbers to prove it. All other presidents combined had endured a total of 82 filibusters against their nominees. But from 2009 to 2013, President Obama alone faced 86.

In Kill Switch, McConnell is expressly portrayed as a 21st-century version of Calhoun  infinitely blander, less extravagantly fanatical but more coldly efficient. One gets the sense that McConnell wouldnt necessarily disagree with Jentlesons assessment of how the Senate fundamentally operates; its just that he and his fellow Republicans find the filibuster useful to a conservative agenda, which generally has more to do with stopping legislation than advancing it. That agenda holds, this book suggests, even when Republicans are in the majority. At the time of writing, McConnell has halted an effort to vote on $2,000 stimulus checks for pandemic relief, bundling it with things that President Trump wants and Democrats decidedly dont. Whether you call it a poison pill or a kill switch, the effect is the same.
Globe Newswire

Atotech Jangan plant Entrance area of Atotech's plant in Jangan, Korea. BERLIN, May 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atotech (NYSE: ATC), a leading specialty chemicals technology company and a market leader in advanced electroplating solutions, celebrated the 25th anniversary of Atotech Korea Ltd. this month. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/aa330bb6-4dea-42f2-8bbf-0ea262ad7664 Geoff Wild, Atotech CEO: Today, 25 years after launching operations, Atotech Korea Ltd. is a strong contributor to Atotechs success globally and an indispensable and trusted partner for many of Atotechs customers, especially in the Asian market. I am proud of what our employees have achieved during this time and I am even more excited to continue on this path of success with them. Atotech operations in Korea commenced in 1993, when the company opened a sales and service branch office of Atotech Asia Pacific in South Korea, staffed with eight employees. In response to growing markets and increasing demand, Atotech founded its Korean entity, Atotech Korea Ltd., in 1996. The company added another major milestone in 2006, when it inaugurated its new chemical production plant and TechCenter in the city of Jangan. Meanwhile, the staff base in Korea had increased to 80 professionals. Five years later in 2011, the company was able to revamp and expand its TechCenter, and in 2018 equipped it with a class 1000 clean room for the production of high-grade chemistry for Fan-out Panel Level Package applications for the semiconductor market. Today, Atotech employs over 110 employees in Korea, and the Atotech Jangan plant and TechCenter have more than doubled their sales and more than quadrupled production output since their inauguration. John Stephenson, Atotechs Chief Operations Officer: During Atotech Koreas successful history, there have been many important milestones that have led us to where we are today. We serve our customers with products of the highest quality and repeatable performance. Atotech Korea is a great example for this. I want to thank everyone for these extraordinary achievements and progress. Atotech Korea Ltd. continues to be an essential contributor in Atotechs journey of becoming even more digital, innovative, and data-driven, while developing into a leader in sustainability. Yungbum Kim, Managing Director of Atotech Korea said, During the current challenging times, we continue to offer high level of support to our customers. Last year, we introduced HoloLens devices, which enable us to provide remote assistance for our customers whenever required. We are also actively building a paperless work environment in our laboratories and continue to engage in further digitalization activities to improve our work efficiency. About Atotech Atotech (NYSE: ATC) is a leading specialty chemicals technology company and a market leader in advanced electroplating solutions. Atotech delivers chemistry, equipment, software, and services for innovative technology applications through an integrated systems-and-solutions approach. Atotech solutions are used in a wide variety of end-markets, including smartphones and other consumer electronics, communications infrastructure, and computing, as well as in numerous industrial and consumer applications such as automotive, heavy machinery, and household appliances. Atotech, headquartered in Berlin, Germany, is a team of 4,000 experts in over 40 countries generating annual revenues of $1.2 billion (2020). Atotech has manufacturing operations across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. With its well-established innovative strength and industry-leading global TechCenter network, Atotech delivers pioneering solutions combined with unparalleled on-site support for over 9,000 customers worldwide. For more information about Atotech, please visit us at atotech.com. CONTACT: Contacts: Susanne Richter +49 30 349 85 418 press@atotech.com Sarah Spray +1 803 504 4731 press@atotech.com
Vista Bank announced the conclusion of a deal to acquire a full 100 percent stake in Credit Agricole Romania; the acquisition is expected to be completed during the first half of this year, after it gets the approval of the National Bank of Romania (BNR) and of the Competition Council, the bank said in a release.

After the acquisition is completed, Vista Bank will hold total assets of over 1.2 billion euros, loans worth 750 million euros, deposits worth 1.1 billion euros and over 105 million euro worth of Common Equity Tier 1 capital.

The acquisition of Credit Agricole Romania represents an important moment for Vista Bank and is in line with our strategy to grow and further strengthen our market position. We focus on supporting the Romanian economy, by generating value for all stakeholders, customers, employees, shareholders. We would like to thank Credit Agricole representatives for their cooperation and professionalism in this transaction, said Stavros Lekkakos, Chairman of Vista Bank's Board of Directors.

PWC and law firm David & Baias provided financial and legal advice, while Deloitte provided financial consultancy on certain issues.

Vista Bank has been present in Romania since 1998, running a network of 31 branches with 320 employees and offering a complete range of products and services to local and international customers. Credit Agricole Romania has 14 branches, total assets of 535 million euros, deposits of 410 million euros and loans of 395 million euros.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Britain's advertising watchdog has launched an investigation into budget carrier Ryanair, after receiving 1,600 complaints about an ad that suggested consumers should "jab & go.''

The Advertising and Standards Authority said Monday that some consumers objected to the ad, which featured a syringe and a small bottle labeled "vaccine.''

Some argued it was misleading to suggest the vaccine will be rolled out across the population by the spring and that travel restrictions would be over. Others objected to what they saw as the trivialization of the impact of the pandemic on society.

The ad promoted flights to sunny European destinations and offered seats for 19.99 pounds ($27), telling customers to "jab & go."

Britain ramped up its vaccination program Monday by becoming the first nation to start using the shot developed by Oxford University and drugmaker AstraZeneca. But it's unclear how quickly the nation can be vaccinated, as it is a huge endeavor with little precedent.

The budget carrier said the ads were factually accurate, given that two vaccines have been approved for use in the U.K. It also confirmed that bookings could be changed without fees.

"Some critics wish to complain just for the sake of getting noticed when it is clear that vaccines will mean an end to Covid travel restrictions in mid-2021," the carrier said in a statement.

Explore further Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID vaccine submitted for UK approval

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Posted Monday, January 4, 2021 8:49 am

Jan. 1 doesn't just mean you need a new calendar. It also means some new laws take effect for at least some people in the state.

Most new laws in Washington either start right away because there's an emergency the Legislature is trying to address, or sometime in the summer when 90 days elapse after the Legislature adjourns in the spring.

But Jan. 1 sometimes is a convenient target date when the state is rolling out a multistep plan or making a change in rules for businesses. Many changes this year involve health insurance, businesses and motorists. Here's a rundown of those changes:

* Medical insurance plans can't charge members more than $100 per month for insulin under a new cap on costs. They also have new restrictions on the cost of prescription drugs, so they can't charge more than the cost of the drug and can't require a pharmacy to provide a more expensive name brand when a cheaper generic is available.

* Student medical insurance plans will have to offer reproductive health care coverage for transgender students, based on their gender identity, regardless of the gender listed on their birth certificate.

* All hotels, motels, security agencies and companies that have remote workers must have policies to protect their employees from sexual harassment and discrimination. Those provisions applied to only large companies with more than 50 companies before this year.

* The state will make it easier for more families with children, particularly those in rural areas, to receive a full year of the Working Connections Child Care subsidies.

* Military personnel and veterans will not be required to take a "knowledge test," and thus have an easier time obtaining a civilian commercial driver's license if they have had comparable training in the military.

* Suspects in domestic violence cases will have a harder time harassing their victims by filing "abusive litigation" such as defamation suits or tort claims.

* Motorists traveling in or through Seattle caught by automated traffic safety cameras can receive tickets of up to $75 for infractions. Through a pilot program for cities with population above 500,000, they were getting only warnings up until Thursday.

A ban on single-use plastic bags was also scheduled to take effect, but because of concerns about COVID-19 contamination of reusable bags, Gov. Jay Inslee has put that law on hold until at least Feb. 1.
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WA Premier Mark McGowan has given the clearest indication yet the state is opting for the elimination of COVID-19 rather than suppressing it.

Despite the July 2020 National Cabinet agreement to a suppression strategy with the goal of no community transmission and continued pressure from commentators over east over the state's hardline virus response, Mr McGowan said he supported "crushing the curve".

WA Premier Mark McGowan. Credit:Peter de Kruijff

Back in March, April, May we flattened the curve then we crushed the curve and I want to keep the curve crushed, he said.

I dont want the virus to come back; Im a supporter of elimination.
The US Justice Department said Monday that it was extremely disappointed in a British judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States to face trial for publishing US secrets.

While we are extremely disappointed in the courts ultimate decision, we are gratified that the United States prevailed on every point of law raised, the department said.

It pointed to the judges rejection of Assanges claims that he had been exercising free speech rights when he dumped thousands of leaked classified US military and diplomatic files onto the internet in 2010, and that the US was pursuing a political vendetta because of it.

Instead, the judge ruled that Assanges mental health is fragile and that he would be at significant risk of suicide in an American prison.

The judge said it was not evident that the United States, keeping him jailed while awaiting trial, would be able to ensure his safety in prisons known for harsh conditions.

Assange was indicted for violating the US espionage act in leaking the US files, and for hacking, based on the alleged assistance he provided former military intelligence officer Chelsea Manning in obtaining the documents from secure military computer systems.

But the US case raised free speech issues, with Assange and defenders maintaining that WikiLeaks enjoys the rights of any other media to publish secret materials.

If found guilty on the US charges, he could face spending the rest of his life in prison.

But Assange had sought a pardon from President Donald Trump, whose 2016 election campaign benefited from WikiLeaks release of materials that damaged Trumps opponent, Hillary Clinton.

The Justice Department said it will appeal the decision and continue to seek Assanges extradition, while Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said his county would offer him asylum.
Trump Awards Medal of Freedom to Rep. Nunes

President Donald Trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) during a White House ceremony on Jan. 4.

The White House said in a statement that Nunes began to unearth the crime of the century when, as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee in 2017, he began probing possible misconduct by President Barack Obamas administration during the 2016 election.

Nunes uncovered that the unsubstantiated dossier compiled by ex-British spy Christopher Steele was funded by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clintons campaign and the Democratic National Committee, the White House said in a statement. He learned a top Department of Justice official was married to one of the documents main researchers, and also found that the Obama administration had issued secret warrants to spy on Trumps campaign and unmasked several current or former campaign associates, according to the statement.

Devin Nuness courageous actions helped thwart a plot to take down a sitting United States president. Devins efforts led to the firing, demotion, or resignation of over a dozen FBI and DOJ employees. He also forced the disclosure of documents that proved that a corrupt senior FBI official pursued a vindictive persecution of General Michael Flynneven after rank and file FBI agents found no evidence of wrongdoing, the statement says.

Congressman Nunes pursued the Russia Hoax at great personal risk and never stopped standing up for the truth. He had the fortitude to take on the media, the FBI, the Intelligence Community, the Democrat Party, foreign spies, and the full power of the Deep State. Devin paid a price for his courage, the statement continued.

The media smeared him and liberal activists opened a frivolous and unjustified ethics investigation, dragging his name through the mud for eight long months. Two dozen members of his family received threatening phone callsincluding his 98-year-old grandmother. Congressman Devin Nunes is a public servant of unmatched talent, unassailable integrity, and unwavering resolve. He uncovered the greatest scandal in American history.

The Medal of Freedom, established by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, is the nations highest civilian honor. Its awarded by presidents to people who have made exceptional contributions to the security or national interests of America, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. Previous recipients include filmmaker Steven Spielberg, boxer Muhammad Ali, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Nunes told The Epoch Times American Thought Leaders program on Jan. 4 that the closed-door ceremony went well, and that his wife and children were present.

Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) on his familys farm in San Joaquin Valley, Calif., on Sep. 2, 2020. (Brendon Fallon/The Epoch Times)

To be there with the team that actually did all the work and members of Congress, to actually receive the nations highest civilian honors, doesnt happen every day, Nunes added. And Im obviously very proud of what our team accomplished. It wasnt about me, I was the guy in charge. It took a team and it took a lot of hard work. It was great to be recognized.

Nunes told the room that in order for institutions to survive and America to have a robust system, there needs to be trust in institutions such as law enforcement agencies.

The lack of prosecution against those who committed or allegedly committed crimesapart from former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmithundermines that trust and isnt sustainable for the country, Nunes said.

Special counsel John Durham has been tasked with probing the origins of the counterintelligence probe, known formally as Crossfire Hurricane, into Trump and his campaign but has only brought charges against Clinesmith after more than a year of work.

Clinesmith pleaded guilty to altering an email from a CIA employee to read that Trump campaign associate Carter Page wasnt an agency asset, when, in fact, he was.

Attorney General William Barr, who appointed Durham before leaving office last month, has said the special counsel is making significant progress.

I understand peoples frustration over the timing, and there are prosecutors who break more china, so to speak, Barr added. But they dont necessarily get the results.

Jan Jekielek contributed to this report.

Correction: A previous version of this article contained an inaccurate date for when the Medal of Freedom was established. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

The governors office and the Department of Public Health (DPH) are deciding on vaccine allocation and prioritization with the help of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. CDC guidelines issued Dec 21 recommend vaccinating health care and essential workers before vaccinating seniors aged 65 to 75. However, simple math based on mortality numbers show that if we first vaccinate all seniors over 65 (17 percent of our population) we will end most of the harm. As per current vaccine availability, this can be done in the next five weeks. The best way to prioritize the vaccine is to provide 90 percent of all available vaccines to the elderly (in descending order of age) while reserving 10 percent for health care workers who are directly exposed to COVID and younger adults who have high vulnerability.

COVID is dangerous because it has a high mortality rate for certain groups  mainly seniors. In Connecticut and across the United States, 94 percent of deaths are of people over age 60. Once everyone over 60 is vaccinated the death rate from COVID will be comparable to that of influenza. If we target 10 percent of the vaccines to health care workers who have higher exposure and those who have higher vulnerability, we can reduce the harm further. The plan described above will reduce more than 95 percent of deaths in five weeks and drastically reduce the menace of this pandemic.
New Delhi:

Odisha, West Bengal, Northeast states of India are bracing for heavy rainfall as Cyclone Mora made landfall at Bangladesh coast on Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, Indian Navys Eastern Fleet ships have been put on the highest state of readiness so that help can be extended promptly in case cyclone Mora hits parts of Bangladesh.



It is likely to turn into deep depression and make a landfall in Bangladesh by Tuesday afternoon/evening. Indian Navy Eastern Fleet ships are at the highest state of readiness to render assistance if required, a senior Navy official said in New Delhi on Monday.

Live updates:



#CycloneMora in # Bangladesh. Video taken from the front door of our hotel.



We are extending to deliver emergency relief to the affected pic.twitter.com/pRiI67qKnh  Neezo (@Neezo87) May 30, 2017

30th May 2017: Isolated extremely heavy rainfall very likely over #Assam & #Meghalaya. #cyclonemora  NDMA India (@ndmaindia) May 30, 2017

#CycloneMora:Wind speed reaching 60-70 kmph gusting to 80 kmph would prevail over #Mizoram and #Tripura during next 24 hours.  NDMA India (@ndmaindia) May 30, 2017

Fishermen along & off #WestBengal Coast are advised not to venture into sea during next 12 hours. #CycloneMora  NDMA India (@ndmaindia)

Praying for everyone who comes in affected route areas of #CycloneMora. Be alert and Stay Safe everyone! pic.twitter.com/OE7sDiIBh5  Masrafe Bin Mortoza (@iammasrafe02) May 30, 2017

Update at 8:30 AM:

#The severe cyclonic storm MORA over northeast and adjoining east central Bay of Bengal moved further north northeastward during past 06 hrs with a speed of 28 kmph, and lay centred at 0230 hrs IST of today, May 30, 2017 over northeast Bay of Bengal near Latitude 20.3 Degree N and Longitude 91.6 Degree E



#About 420 km southeast of Kolkata and 220 km south-southwest of Chittagong. It is very likely to move north-northeastwards and cross Bangladesh coast near Chittagong by 30.05.2017

Eye of Tropical Cyclone #Mora avoided landfall near Cox's Bazar, heading north ... disastrous storm surge building w/intensifying hurricane pic.twitter.com/ySAlO9Ox8F  Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) May 30, 2017

Odisha



The Odisha government has sounded alert in four districts and has asked fishermen not to venture into the sea as cyclonic storm Mora is likely to trigger heavy rainfall in some parts of the state.



State Revenue and Disaster Management minister Maheswar Mohanty, who held a meeting with senior officials to review the preparedness, said the collectors of Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur have been alerted.



Collectors of other districts have also been instructed to remain watchful in view of the cyclonic storm.



Mohanty said according to the IMD, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts may receive rainfall due to the impact of Mora.



West Bengal



Fishermen along and off the coast of West Bengal are advised not to venture into the sea today and tomorrow as wind reaching a speed of 45 to 55 km per hour may blow, with gusts touching speed of 65 km per hour due to the cyclonic storm, regional MeT director G K Das said on Monday.

Fishermen are advised not to venture into sea along & off #Andaman Islands during next 48 hrs. #CycloneMora  NDMA India (@ndmaindia) May 29, 2017

Coastal districts of West Bengal are likely to receive heavy rain on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the cyclonic storm. The districts likely to receive heavy rain are South 24-Parganas, North 24-Parganas, East Midnapore and Nadia, Das said.Kolkata is likely to have an overcast sky and witness one or two spells of rain during the next two days, he said.



Northeast India



Meghalaya and Mizoram government have also issued warning of strong winds and heavy rainfall in view of Mora, saying that the cyclonic storm is likely to make a landfall in the northeast region in the next 48 hours.



The Indian Meteorological Department has issued warning to the state Disaster Management Authority that the cyclone Mora will hit several states in the northeast. Heavy rainfall is expected in the next 48 hours, an official told PTI.



The government has advised people of the state to take precaution and other preventive measures as heavy rainfall is expected. Government response team has been activated in case of any emergency, the official said.



The MeT department said that Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal are likely to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall.



Bangladesh



Severe cyclonic storm Mora hit the Bangladeshi shoreline on Tuesday morning. On Monday, the local government had launched a massive evacuation campaign along its southern coastline.



The met office has issued the highest level of warning signal in a scale of 10 for two maritime ports after Mora developed into a severe cyclonic storm.



Cyclone Mora is expected to cause thundershowers accompanied by gusts in maritime ports and coastal areas.



Local administrations and voluntary agencies in 19 southeastern districts have asked people to move to cyclone shelters. We expect most of them to have moved to safety by later this evening, an official at the disaster management ministry said on Monday.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
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Drishyam 2 getting an OTT release has not gone well with the theatre owners, as well as a large group of audiences. But Antony Perumbavoor, the producer of both the Mohanlal starters, revealed the actual reason behind this decision. In a recent interview, Antony revealed that Drishyam 2 went to the OTT platform to make way for the release of Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham.

According to the producer, the long delay of Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham had created a big liability for the makers, as it is a project that is made with a budget of Rs. 100 Crores. Even though they received great offers from the OTT platforms to release the Priyadarshan directorial, the makers decided to give them a skip as it is a film made for the big screen.

It was impossible for the makers to release both the films in theatres, at this point. So, they decided to sell Drishyam 2 to Amazon Prime Video, as that was the only option left. Antony Perumbavoor has also confirmed that Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham will now hit the theatres without any hurdles.

Marakkar Arabikadalinte Simham, which features Mohanlal in the titular role, is slated to hit the theatres on March 26, 2021. The makers recently revealed the new release date of the project, by releasing a poster through the official social media pages of the cast and crew. Things are expected to be back to normal by March 2021, as the theatres in Kerala are already gearing up for the re-opening.

Drishyam 2, on the other hand, will get premiered in Amazon Prime Video mostly by the end of January or the beginning of February 2021. According to director Jeethu Joseph, the movie is now nearing the final stage of its post-production. The final cut of the Mohanlal starrer will be handed over to Amazon Prime Video very soon.

Also Read:

KGF Chapter 2: Prithviraj Productions To Present The Yash Starrer In Malayalam!

Drishyam 2 OTT Release: Mohanlal's Decision Upsets The Theatre Owners Association

I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! has been hit by a shock claims that the winner of this year's season has already been leaked by Channel 10.

According to Monday's New Idea magazine, a set 'insider' has alleged that TV host Grant Denyer is 'pre-determined' to win the series, which was actually filmed late last year.

Grant, who won the Gold Logie in 2018, is already familiar to Channel 10 audiences, having hosted a slew of programs for the network including Family Feud and Game of Games.

Has the 'I'm A Celebrity' winner leaked already? Ten has been hit with shock claims that Grant Denyer (pictured) is the 'pre-determined' winner of this season

Meanwhile, New Idea also alleged that celebrities this year have been building 'big social media teams' to build their online popularity while the show is airing.

'Many will get tired fingers voting for themselves. This has concerned people behind the scenes,' admits the insider.

I'm A Celebrity premiered on Sunday night, with producers swapping the South African jungle in favour of a camp in Queensland.

Mr big shot! Grant, who won the Gold Logie in 2018, is already familiar to Channel 10 audiences, having hosted a slew of programs for the network including Family Feud and Game of Games

As usual, viewers were left scratching their heads when the latest batch of contestants with many hearing the star's names for the first time.

Shortly after the arrival of Australia's Got Talent's Jack Vidgen, The Block's Jess Eva and Australian Idol's Paulini Curuenavuli, fans vented their feelings to Twitter.

'Where are the actual celebrities?' one asked.

New location: I'm A Celebrity premiered on Sunday night, with producers swapping the South African jungle in favour of a camp in Queensland. Hosts Julia Morris and Chris Brown

Stars: On Sunday night, viewers expressed confusion as to who the stars were on 'I'm A Celebrity' after big names Jack Vidgen and Paulini entered the camp

'Is there any celebrities in it... I'm waiting,' another wrote.

'Three people revealed and I'm still waiting on celebrities,' a third tweeted.

Then there were those who labelled the latest season's participants as just 'reality contestants', while others wondered if Channel 10 had a budget.

Not happy: A number of viewers were angered by the 'stars' on the reality show

'Welcome to I'm a nobody, get me out of here,' another tweeted.

'Did they blow the budget on the celebrity list?' pondered yet another viewer.

'I'm a struggling ex-public figure, get me out of here!' quipped another.

This year's participants include Grant Denyer, actress Toni Pearen and comedian Mel Buttle.

They are joined by The Bachelor's Abbie Chatfield, former AFL star Travis Varcoe and comedian Ash Williams.
Samples taken from several auto parts warehouses of Daimler Northeast Asia Parts Trading and Services have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The novel coronavirus has been detected on auto part packaging across northern China after an outbreak at a Beijing warehouse, however experts said that the risk of catching Covid-19 from the contaminated surfaces was remote.

The virus was identified on packages in the provinces of Shandong, Shanxi and Hebei, as well as the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, according to the authorities in each region.

The greatest number of contaminated items were found at a Daimler car dealership in Hohhot, capital of Inner Mongolia, where the virus was discovered on five packages.

All the packages were shipped from a warehouse operated by Daimler Northeast Asia Parts Trading and Services Co. Ltd., located in the Jinma Industrial Zone () in Beijings suburban Shunyi district. A total of 11 Daimler Northeast Asia Parts workers have tested positive for Covid-19 since mid-December.

Municipal officials have concluded that the company hadnt followed disease-prevention rules, including mandatory mask wearing. Both the warehouse and the Jinma Industrial Zone have been sealed off. The company said in a statement last week it was working with the authorities to investigate the warehouse and isolate workers.

The Shunyi warehouse mostly distributed goods to northern China. Daimler Northeast Asia Parts operates a total of seven warehouses in the capital, a person familiar with the matter said.

However, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the risk of new infection clusters due to the packages was low due to the small number of contaminated items.

Wu said the packaging was infected by virus-carrying workers at the Shunyi warehouse, not vice versa. Also, the cold weather experienced by northern China recently means that the virus has been able to survive on the packages exterior for longer than usual.

The Beijing authorities said that the virus was not introduced to the warehouse by contaminated imported products. Contamination via imported goods, especially cold chain products such as frozen food, was blamed for a number of local coronavirus outbreaks in China last year.

The Chinese capital has seen a resurgence in cases since mid-December, with a total of 28 people testing positive as of Jan. 3. Local health authorities have concluded that the source of the outbreak was a 28-year-old Indonesian man who arrived in Beijing on Dec. 10 and tested positive more than two weeks later.

Contact editor Joshua Dummer (joshuadummer@caixin.com)

Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go.
She jetted to Dubai to ring in the New Year.

And Malin Andersson decided to extend her holiday after revealing she was nervous to return back to the U.K.

The Love Island star, 28, took to Instagram on Monday to share poolside snaps from her new luxury suite at the FIVE Jumeirah Village Hotel.

Soaking up the sun: Malin Andersson decided to extend her holiday in Dubai on Monday after revealing she was nervous to return back to the U.K.

Malin showed off her hourglass figure in a plunging black swimsuit which was adorned with a floral pattern.

The television personality captioned the post: 'Im just doing what my soul requires.'

Malin had filmed her friends drinking on Sunday evening and said: 'This is my last supper with everybody, that's if I don't wake up for my flight.'

She later shared a selfie with the caption: 'I've extended my flight' on her Instagram stories.

Wow: Malin flaunted her hourglass figure in a plunging black swimsuit which was adorned with a floral pattern as she showed off her new luxury suite at the FIVE Jumeirah Village Hotel

Holiday: Malin had filmed her friends drinking on Sunday and said: 'This is my last supper with everybody, that's if I don't wake up for my flight', before telling fans she had delayed it

On Sunday, Malin admitted she was 'actually so nervous' to return home, but planned to 'do a massive detox' and cleanse her 'mind, body and soul' when she comes back.

the reality star said: 'I'm actually so nervous to come home because I've been in my own little bubble for two weeks, just over. It like ah, f***, I've got to go back to England.

'But it's got to be done. I've got to work, get my health back, exercise, have my morning smoothies, produce some amazing content for you all.

Nerves: Malin took to Instagram Stories on Sunday and admitted that she was 'actually so nervous' to return to England, but planned to 'do a massive detox' when she comes back

'I was thinking, "oh yeah, I can work in Dubai". I absolutely can't. All I did was drink.

'But yeah, I'm going to do a massive detox, cleanse my mind, body and soul. Meditate - I haven't meditated.

'I haven't read since I've been here - like I only read at the beginning and yeah today's just become a bit crazy, so I need to realign.'

On Friday, the reality star showed of her 'biggest bloat ever' while posing in a white bikini as she welcomed in 2021 with a beach day in Dubai.

Taking to Instagram, Malin shared an unfiltered snap of herself looking at her stomach and admitted: 'Water retention, period cramps, spots, you name it - I've brought it into 2021.'

In a lengthy caption alongside her photo, Malin wrote: HAPPY NEW YEAR! As always - I keep it real with ya'll!

'I am entering 2021 with my period and the biggest bloat ever - it's gotta be up there with the biggest! Water retention, period cramps, spots, you name it - I've brought it into 2021.'

As well as detailing what her body was experiencing, Malin reflected on the past two years of her life and asserted that she's proud of what she's achieved, despite the 's**t cards' she's been dealt.

The influencer also urged her followers to not put on added pressure to be the 'best version' themselves, which often happens with New Year's resolutions.
(Photo : Screenshot From Pxhere Official Website) Anti-Monopoly Probe Launched Into Alibaba After Chinese Regulators Called Off Ant Group's IPO For Failing to Meet Regulatory Requirements

China's very own antitrust watchdog has recently launched a probe into the tech giant known as Alibaba Group over certain alleged anti-competitive practices. The official State Administration of Market Regulations has recently kicked off the investigations into the known Alibaba Group claiming that the company has actually been involved in certain monopolistic conduct.

Alibaba met with fines

The allegations say that the company had forced exclusivity as it had required certain e-commerce merchants to pick only a single platform as their main exclusive distribution channel. This was according to a report made by the South China Morning Post. The statement noted that Alibaba said that the company would cooperate along with the regulators on the particular investigation. The statement then added that the company's very own business operations will still remain normal.

Just last month, the State Administration for Market Regulations had just slapped Alibaba as well as the Tencent-backed Ghina Literature with certain fines for the company failing to properly report its past acquisitions deal to gain clearance. Both Alibaba and China Literature were fined 500,000 yuan each or just $76,464 which is the maximum amount under the official anti-monopoly law back in 2008 according to Reuters.

Alibaba's acquisitions

The story was reported by ZDNet and it talks about the official acquisition deals that Alibaba were basically fined for which included its massive $692 million investment in the company Intime back in 2014 as well as the e-commerce giant's whopping $2.6 billion bid back in 2017 to privatise Intime, according to the report. Meanwhile, the official China Literature was given a fine for failing to report its previous 2018 New Classics Media acquisition.

Separately, the official Alibaba's finance services arm called Ant Group, the main owner of Alipay, has just been summoned by China's official central bank in order to meet along with financial regulators for the company to discuss its regulatory compliance, according to SCMP. Ant Group gave an official statement noting that they have received the meeting notice from their regulators and that they will seriously study and also strictly comply with the regulatory requirements. They will also commit their full efforts to be able to fulfill the required related work.

Read Also: T-Mobile Hacked 2021: 200,000 Sensitive Customer Data Breached [Report]

Jack Ma's speech

Back in November, the Chinese regulators actually called off Ant Group's previous IPO after concluding that the listing on the official Shanghai stock exchange might have no longer met the required regulatory as well as disclosure requirements due to certain "changes" along with the fintech environment. This has then prompted Ant Group to make a move and also suspend the company's Hong Kong listing.

The whole crackdown of Alibaba Group's general operations by the Chinese regulators actually follows the group's founder, Jack Ma's speech that he gave back during the Bund summit in Shanghai back in october. This was where he actually criticised the country's very own overbearing regulations and even the state's dominance over the whole banking system. The transcript was uploaded by TheAsset.

Related Article: Elon Musk's Net Worth is Only $20B Less Than Jeff Bezos on Day 1 of 2021

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Urian Buenconsejo

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Upcoming political events in the Bay Area. Events take place online unless otherwise noted:

WEDNESDAY

Climate science: Climate One presents its annual climate science communications awards to Edward Maibach, director of the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication, and Anthony Leiserowitz, senior research scientist and director at Yale University. Hosted by the Commonwealth Club. Noon. More information is here.

Obama book club: Reading and discussion of former President Barack Obamas book A Promised Land, with Cecilia Munoz, director of the Domestic Policy Council under Obama. Hosted by Mannys. 5 p.m. More information is here.

THURSDAY

EMILYs List: Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List and author of Run to Win: Lessons in Leadership for Women Changing the World, in discussion at the Commonwealth Club. 3 p.m. More information is here.

Cost of racism: Author and advocate Heather McGhee discusses her new book, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. Hosted by Holy Names University. 4 p.m. More information is here.

Abortion rights law: Mary Ziegler, law professor at Florida State University, discusses her new book, Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present, with Mother Jones reproductive rights reporter Becca Andrews. Hosted by the Booksmith, Mother Jones and the Bindery. 6 p.m. More information is here.

Biden and nuclear weapons: How the Joe Biden administration may deal with nuclear weapons policies toward North Korea, Russia, Iran and others. With Jackie Cabasso, executive director of the Western States Legal Foundation. Hosted by the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center. 7 p.m. More information is here.

JAN. 18

MLK Day in Oakland: Groups organizing under the banner of Reclaim Kings Radical Legacy Day of Action mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a march in Oakland focused on Defunding the Oakland Police Department. Starting at noon at Frank Ogawa Plaza, 14th Street and Broadway, Oakland. More information is here.

JAN. 19

Climate change: The future of climate change action and politics under the Joe Biden administration, with Michael Mann, director, Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University, and Leah Stokes, assistant professor of political science at UC Santa Barbara. Hosted by the Commonwealth Club. Noon. More information is here.

JAN. 26

Dolores Huerta and Luis Valdez: A conversation with United Farm Workers civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, and playwright, Luis Valdez, on the history, land and people of Santa Clara Valley and greater California. Hosted by the Peninsula Open Space Trust. 7 p.m. More information is here.

JAN. 28

How to Make a Slave: Jerald Walker on his new book about being a Black man in America, How to Make a Slave and Other Essays. Hosted by KPFA-FM. 7 p.m. More information is here.

FEB. 4

Black womens history: Historians Daina Ramey Berry of the University of Texas and Kali Nicole Gross of Rutgers University discuss their new book, A Black Womens History of the United States. Hosted by KPFA-FM. 7 p.m. More information is here.

To list an event, please email Chronicle politics editor Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com
Sunday is a historical day for Laredo as the next category of citizens of the Gateway City and surrounding areas are eligible for their first dosage of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Members of the Phase 1B category and Phase 1 category, which include people who are above the age of 65 years old and those with chronic illnesses and health care workers, will now have a chance of getting the COVID-19 vaccine by the city the next two days. The event follows a successful Saturday event that was held for only health care and frontline workers.

Starting tomorrow, we will be accepting those under the Phase 1B category where they do not have to wait until Monday, City of Laredo Public Information Officer Noraida Negron said. We didnt want them to wait. We wanted to make sure that this vaccine gets out as soon as possible, and we were able to vaccinate a lot of health care workers today.

Monday is only for those who are under the Phase 1B category. We just decided to add them earlier this afternoon to tomorrow as well. We have a large population under the Phase 1B category; therefore, we want to make sure that they all get vaccinated.

People who fall under the Phase 1B category include those 65 years of age and older and those 16 years of age and older who have at least one chronic medical condition that puts them at increased risk for severe illness such as cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), heart conditions, solid organ transplantation, obesity, pregnancy, sickle cell disease and Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

In total, 3,000 vaccines will be offered with 1,000 provided each day. Saturdays event exhausted all 1,000 available vaccinations.

Although Sundays event was planned to also be exclusive for health care workers, the event changed to include members of the public who fall under the Phase 1B category.

Members of the Phase 1B category also do not have to present a note by their doctors. They can simply show up with their medication from chronic illnesses or identifications to show that they meet the age restrictions.

Whoever goes on Sunday or Monday to the drive-thru and are over 65 years and over and those who are also under that Phase 1B, that they would need a doctors note is not necessarily the case, Negron said. Due to the holiday, not everyone can get a doctors note, so as long as they have their prescription with them, their pills, their inhaler or whatever it is that they use or need in order to prove that they do have a chronic illness, that is sufficient evidence for them to get their vaccine.

Negron said Saturdays event was a good indicator of how they could manage the long lines of people coming in to get vaccinated. The city operated using three parking lots at Texas A&M International University. In the first parking lot, people get their numbers and all necessary papework. Registration occured in the second parking lot, and the third is where vaccinations were administered.

However, after people are vaccinated, they cannot just leave the premises as they must wait for 15 minutes to see if they have any adverse reactions. First responders and other medical staff are present at the parking lot to ensure anyone who has an allergic reaction can get the help they need.

Although no allergic reactions were reported in Saturdays drive-thru, two people did feel dizzy. Negron said the individuals were suffering from dehydration and also from not eating during the day and waiting in line for a long period of time.

We really ask people to be patient as it is a lengthy process, Negron said.

Negron said the second dose of the vaccination will not be done in a drive-thru setting held by the city. Rather, those who attend on Sunday and Monday will get a voucher so they can attend any local pharmacy offering the vaccine.

Those who get the vaccine at these drive-thrus, this is their first dosage, Negron said. Their second one they can get it at any pharmacy. They do not have to wait for the City of Laredo to hold another drive-thru.

The second dosage is administered 28 days after receiving the first vaccine.

Although the second dosage of vaccination for those who attend these weekend events are set to begin in a month, there is still no word if another category of people will get the vaccinations any time soon as they first begin administering them to the most vulnerable in the community. However, Negron pointed out that the city would have such information.

The drive-thru vaccine events scheduled for Sunday and Monday are slated to begin at 9 a.m. and continue while supplies last at TAMIU. Those interested are encouraged to get their early. The vaccinations are free.

jorge.vela@lmtonline.com
Well, it finally happened. The doomsday economic development scenario finally arrived in the city where I live: Our second largest private employer is leaving town.Everybody seems to think this proves our economic development policies have failed, but I'm not so sure. I don't think we could have done anything to avoid it. And in the long run, we may be better off without them anyway.The company in question is Kinko's, the retail photocopying chain with more than 1,000 stores nationwide--and a large corporate headquarters about a mile from my office in Ventura, California. Kinko's moved to Ventura 13 years ago from Santa Barbara--30 miles up the coast--largely because the chain was growing fast and Ventura happened to have a new corporate headquarters building that was vacant because of mergers in the oil industry.The truth of the matter is, I loved the idea of sharing my town with a nationally known company. Whenever I'm traveling--which seems to be most of the time--I usually stop by a Kinko's for some reason or another, and a while ago I even got into the habit of always alerting the local staff that I was from Ventura. I guess I figured it would keep them on their toes.Beyond my personal feelings, Kinko's is a great corporate success story. It's a large corporation that has grown from the vision of a dyslexic founder who started a small copy shop adjacent to the campus of the University of California at Santa Barbara. And it has retained a reputation as a very good place to work--flexible hours, excellent benefits--even as it has continued to grow.Last year, however, Kinko's founder sold his company to New York investors. And in late October, the new owners announced plans to move the corporate headquarters to Dallas. A small contingent of Kinko's employees will remain on the job in Ventura, but hundreds more will be laid off. Hardly any of them were offered a transfer to Dallas.There's been a lot of hand wringing around Ventura about Kinko's, as everybody has attempted to use the move to reinforce their position about our local growth policies. The local newspaper, the Chamber of Commerce and our local graduate business school all argued that the Kinko's situation proves that our complicated development policies are not business-friendly. (It didn't help, of course, that the Kinko's move was announced in the middle of a city council campaign.)But Kinko's actually turned down a $4 million incentive package that the city put together in an attempt to entice the company into staying. And the more you look at the situation, the more it looks like a classic economic development case study, where proximity and cost turn out to be more important than subsidies--for several reasons.The first is that Kinko's has stores all over the nation, but Ventura is 70 traffic-snarled miles from the nearest full-service airport, Los Angeles International. A transcontinental trip can often take an exhausting 12 hours door to door, as I have learned the hard way over the years. In that sense, the Kinko's move was not unlike Boeing's decision to pull up stakes in Seattle and set up its corporate headquarters in Chicago.Second is housing cost. Ventura County's median home price is nearly $300,000, and Kinko's, unlike high-tech companies in other coastal California cities, does not pay huge salaries to its corporate staff.Finally, and maybe most important, the new boss is from Dallas.In fact, when you think about it, it's hard to believe that Kinko's stayed in Ventura as long as it did. Why would any big corporation with a national operation choose to base itself in a remote, high-cost location--even one that has Surfer's Point and the blue Pacific just a stone's throw from the office?Many years ago, amid the distress in New England over the fact that Southern states were raiding the Northeast's textile mills, I heard one economic development expert from Massachusetts provide a refreshing point of view. "Those mills are headed for Mexico or Asia anyway," he said. "If South Carolina wants to rent those jobs for 10 years, that's fine with me. The sooner we lose them, the sooner we can rebuild."So given everything, maybe we were renting the Kinko's jobs all along. Or, perhaps more accurately, we provided a good headquarters location for the company at a particular point in its history. But then the company and the community grew apart.Instead of beating ourselves up over what now looks like the inevitable loss of Kinko's, maybe we in Ventura should be grateful that they stayed as long as they did. And then we can get on with the business of building our economic prosperity around our community's enduring assets, rather than basing it on the kind of happenstance opportunism that led us to snare Kinko's in the first place.
Advertisement

Revelers in Florida are continuing to party days after the New Year despite the state seeing five consecutive days of more than 10,000 new Covid cases.

Pictures show drinkers packed into beach bars in Fort Lauderdale with few of them wearing masks or observing social distancing. Other images from Miami show groups of people gathering on beaches and not wearing masks.

Hundreds of bikini-clad women were seen soaking up the sun at pool parties and on the beaches over the weekend despite rising fears about the virus.

It comes after the variant of COVID-19 that has swept through the United Kingdom - feared to be 70 per cent more transmissible and to spread more easily among children - was identified in Florida.

The Florida Health Department said on Twitter on Thursday that the case involved a male in his 20s in Martin County with no history of travel, meaning he caught it locally.

Scroll down for video

Revelers in Florida are continuing to party days after the New Year despite the state seeing five consecutive days of more than 10,000 new Covid cases

Bars in Fort Lauderdale were packed with crowds on Sunday as they partied in close proximity to each other without masks or social distancing

It comes after a whopping 31,000 infections were registered on the first two days of 2021 in Florida

Florida has recorded more than 10,000 new infections a day for five consecutive days as the virus surge continues

Experts have warned that the numbers will only get worse in the next few weeks as the effects of holiday travel and gatherings become clear

In Miami alone, thousands flocked to the beaches to soak up the sun for the New Year holiday weekend.

On Saturday, people were seen enjoying South Beach, as others flocked to a nearby hotel for a raucous pool party.

The weekend partying also prompted police to shut down three popular South Beach bars and restaurants for 'violating a sound order'.

Palace Bar, Cafe Milano and Clevelander, which are all on Ocean Drive, were ordered to close for 24 hours by Miami Beach city officials.

According to a spokesperson for Miami Beach Code Enforcement, officials shut down the three bars and restaurants for 'violating the emergency order, which only allows establishments to play music and have entertainment at ambient levels'.

'We welcome our businesses to operate, but they must do so in accordance with the applicable guidelines. Miami-Dade County remains under a declaration of emergency as a result of COVID-19,' the spokesperson added.

Palace Bar was reportedly at capacity when authorities arrived to shut down the party.

The ongoing pandemic appeared to be far from the sun seekers' minds as they ignored social distancing protocols and failed to wear face masks.

The revelers downed drinks and danced to music as their festivities spilled onto the sidewalk, seeming to alarm some elderly citizens who were making their way through the area at the same time.

On the same day, Miami-Dade County recorded more than 5,000 new cases of COVID-19, as well as 51 new deaths from the virus.

Another 10,603 cases were recorded on Sunday while hospitalizations are nearing 7,000 in the Sunshine State

The pandemic is showing no signs of abating despite vaccinations being underway, with Florida recording its highest ever daily number of cases last Thursday

In a 24-hour period last week, more than 17,190 new cases were confirmed, shattering the previous high that was recorded back in July

The United States has reported more 20.6 million coronavirus cases and 351,590 deaths

And then on Sunday, Miami-Dade County reported an additional 1,547 cases and 12 more COVID-19 deaths, putting its pandemic totals at 305,734 cases and 4,251 deaths.

In Florida, there were 31,000 new infections reported in the first two days of 2021.

Another 10,603 cases were recorded on Sunday while hospitalizations are nearing 7,000 in the Sunshine State.

The pandemic is showing no signs of abating despite vaccinations being underway, with Florida recording its highest ever daily number of cases last Thursday.

In a 24-hour period, more than 17,190 new cases were confirmed, shattering the previous high that was recorded back in July.

More than 1.35 million Floridians have contracted COVID-19, and 21,890 have died.

Health professionals have urged residents and visitors to exercise caution amid the spiking numbers - advice that appears to be falling on deaf ears.

Jay Wolfson, senior associate dean at the Morsani College of Medicine, told The Tampa Bay Times that the numbers are likely to remain alarmingly high until at least February.

'There's an awful lot of gray, if not dark, news out there. Now is the time to become even more diligent and focused. 'Folks are going to have to be patient,' he stated.

Health professionals have urged residents and visitors to exercise caution amid the spiking numbers - advice that appears to be falling on deaf ears

Florida 's Republican Gov Ron DeSantis has not enforced mask mandates and has been reluctant to limit the number of people allowed inside businesses

Hospitalizations in the US have risen by 162 percent in the last two months, setting new records on five days in the last week. COVID Tracking Project's tally of 125,544 on Sunday excluded seven states and territories which had not yet reported daily data

Florida's Republican Gov Ron DeSantis has not enforced mask mandates and has been reluctant to limit the number of people allowed inside businesses.

That move has been harshly criticized by Democrats from other states, many of whom have imposed harsh lockdown rules.

A recent report from CNN claimed the move has angered mayors and other politicians within Florida itself.

'I gave up talking to the governor a while back,' one mayor, who is a registered Republican, told the news network.

Meanwhile, maskless tourists and residents of Miami were seen on Sunday enjoying the beach of the Fontainebleau Hotel

Hardly any of the beachgoers wore masks as groups gathered on the beach on Sunday

In Miami alone, thousands flocked to the beaches to soak up the sun for the New Year holiday weekend. Beachgoers are seen soaking up the sun on Sunday

One group of friends were spotted wearing masks as they walked near a Miami beach on Sunday

The ongoing pandemic appeared to be far from the sun seekers' minds as they ignored social distancing protocols and failed to wear face masks

The revelers downed drinks and danced to music as their festivities spilled onto the sidewalk

On Saturday, Miami-Dade County recorded more than 5,000 new cases of COVID-19, as well as 51 new deaths from the virus

And then on Sunday, Miami-Dade County reported an additional 1,547 cases and 12 more COVID-19 deaths, putting its pandemic totals at 305,734 cases and 4,251 deaths

Very few people were seen wearing masks and many were gathered in groups during their time at the beach over the weekend
Schools, colleges and other educational institutions in Bihar welcomed students as they reopened after a gap of more than nine months. These institutes were closed on March 14 last year due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

Physical classes were held for students of Classes 9-12 in schools and final year students in colleges.

I am happy that schools have reopened as students were getting badly affected. Most of the children studying in government schools do not have laptops to carry out online studies. Our syllabus is lagging and we will work hard to cover it, a class 9 student of Patnas Miller High School told news agency PTI.

Teachers too seemed happy to be able to take physical classes again.

It is good that we are getting an opportunity to teach students in physical classrooms. All these months we used to come to schools but did not have teaching work, said a teacher at the Miller High School.

Also Read | Schools, colleges reopen in Bihar today. Read guidelines here

Students have to bring consent letters from their guardians to be able to attend the classes, another teacher said.

Attendance, however, remained thin as many parents were apprehensive of sending their wards to the educational institutions till they are inoculated.

We will not send our children to schools till they are vaccinated for Covid-19. We cannot take risks despite the precautionary measures being taken by the state government, Rajiv Singh, a resident of Jethiyan village in Gaya district said.

Students, teachers and other non-teaching staff have been asked to take all Covid-19 precautions and adhere to the guidelines issued by the government while attending school.

Also Read | Bihar govt to distribute 73 lakh face masks among students as schools set to reopen

Schools that provide pick and drop services to students have been asked to ensure that the service providers always have their masks on. A minimum distance of 1 to 2 feet should be there between the students and they have been told not to talk to each other during the drive.

Morning assembly sessions and games periods have been removed from the schedule to avoid the spread of the infection. To prevent a large gathering of students, their lunchtime has also been changed to scattered timings.

Authorities of the educational institutions will keep a tab on students to check whether they have any Covid symptoms and medical examination of pupils will be conducted in government schools on a random basis, Education Department Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar.

He also said that the students will be allowed to enter the school premises wearing masks.
Egypts health ministry denied news and footage concluding that the lack of oxygen in two public hospitals was behind the recent death of six coronavirus patients.

The ministry, in a statement on Sunday, affirmed the availability of oxygen in sufficient quantities in all hospitals receiving coronavirus patients nationwide, including Al-Husayniah Central Hospital in Sharqiya governorate and Zefta General Hospital in Gharbiya governorate, where the six patients died.

The ministrys statement was released amid outrage on social media after a circulating video showed doctors and nurses in Al-Husayniah hospitals intensive care unit striving to save the lives of some patients.

Another video filmed in the same hospital showed patients on beds, with a man saying everyone in the [intensive] care [unit] died.

The four cases in the intensive care unit of Al-Husayniah hospital died on Saturday at different times, health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said in the Sunday statement.

He noted that the majority of the patients who died were elderly with chronic diseases and suffering from coronavirus complications, which resulted in the deterioration of their health.

Hospital beds that were connected to the oxygen network included 11 at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICUs), two at the internal medicine ICU, three at the heart ICU, seven at the ICU allocated for coronavirus patients and 33 at the quarantine section of coronavirus patients, the spokesman said.

They were all provided with oxygen from the same network with high rates and none of them was affected, which affirms there is no relation between the death cases and rumours of the lack of oxygen in the hospital, Megahed said, referring to the findings of reports issued by a central committee formed as per the health ministers directives following the incident.

Megahed said the hospital had a full 50 litre oxygen container on Saturday in addition to a reserve stock of 45 oxygen cylinders.

Health minister Hala Zayed and Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly held a meeting on Sunday during which Zayed submitted reports on the two hospitals to the premier.

The four people who died at the Al-Husayniah hospital were aged 44, 64, 67 and 76, the reports said, noting that the cause of death was cardiac arrest, perhaps due to a clot in the pulmonary artery.

Concerning the Zefta hospital, she affirmed that the two reported deaths were of coronavirus patients who were suffering from diabetes and hypertension.

Zefta's ICU equipment was in good condition and had no leaks or breakdowns, Zayed said.

On Saturday, the oxygen container in the Zefta hospital was 99 percent full and later, at 12am, it was 40 percent full and was refilled.

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Contributed photo / Patrick Sikes / For Hearst Connecticut Media

DANBURY  As the coronavirus pandemic continues to hurt residents and businesses financially, property owners may again defer their tax payments.

Taxes due on Jan. 1 can be deferred until April 1 without interest or penalty. Residents may apply for the deferral until Feb. 1.
Recently, a series of police killings of unarmed African Americans, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, has renewed attention to the history of abuses and institutional racism in the United States. This national conversation has led to institutional name changes (for example, removing Woodrow Wilsons name from the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs) and removal of monuments (such as the statues of Christopher Columbus and former Mayor Frank Rizzo in Philadelphia) whose namesakes supported white supremacy. In medicine, named lectureships, professorships, and other honorifics are used to solidify the legacies of individuals deemed important. In a moment with calls for diversity, inclusion, equity, and antiracism, physicians can use this as an opportunity to reflect on who is honored and whether they speak to current values.

One such example is the legacy of dermatologist Albert Kligman, whose name, despite controversy, remains on professorships, lectures, and laboratories at the University of Pennsylvania and scholarship funds at Penn State Mont Alto.

 READ MORE: Research on humans: Anger, but no apologies

In 2019, the Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID) board of directors discontinued the prestigious leadership lectureship and travel awards in Kligmans name (originally established in 2007) because of membership concerns regarding Dr. Kligmans past clinical research practices. Kligman was indisputably a giant in dermatology. His accomplishments included the development of tretinoin (Retin-A) for acne and wrinkle treatment, pioneering fungus studies, and the original description of the human hair cycle. Although the general public might not know his name, Kligman arguably influenced dermatology and the modern skin-care industry more than anyone else.

Yet underneath his achievements lies a troubling history of human experimentation and direct harm to vulnerable and marginalized people. Kligmans work was often not only controversial but also unethical.

From the 1950s through the 1970s  detailed in Allen Hornblums book, Acres of Skin  as a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania, Kligman led human subject research on prisoners, mostly African Americans with limited literacy.* These inmates were primarily involved in cosmetic and pharmaceutical testing but were also inoculated with infections and received biopsies and injections. The experiments included exposure to chemicals such as dioxin, a carcinogen and component of Agent Orange, which Kligman argued was too minimal an amount to cause harm.

His other studies investigated radioactive and hallucinogenic compounds in partnership with the U.S. government and pharmaceutical companies. Kligman published many studies detailing intentional inoculation of human subjects: herpes simplex and vaccinia virus, human papillomavirus, and Candida. Children with mental disabilities were infected with fungal infections of the scalp. Many of these studies were conducted without formal ethical review, although formal ethical review did not begin in the United States until the late 1960s and 1970s.

This history of experimentation on prisoners alone is troubling. In his own words to the Philadelphia Bulletin in 1966, Kligman described his first visit to Holmesburg Prison in 1951, when called to treat a fungal outbreak: All I saw before me were acres of skin. It was like a farmer seeing a fertile field for the first time. In his reminiscing, it seems as though he saw prisoners as objects for experimentation. He also said: It was years before the authorities knew that I was conducting various studies on prisoner volunteers. Things were simpler then. Informed consent was unheard of. No one asked me what I was doing. It was a wonderful time.

Kligman seemed to think that lack of required informed consent and oversight made prisoners an ideal population for studies. Kligman paid prisoners for their participation, a practice that by the 1970s was widely understood as coercion and corruption of consent. These inmates had little access to money and were mostly unconvicted detainees awaiting trial, and many could not afford bail.

 READ MORE: Public health leaders should address African Americans coronavirus vaccine concerns now | Opinion

The American medical establishment did not widely condemn experimentation using prisoners until the 1970s, and Kligman was certainly not alone in this kind of work. Prior to this time, however, the vulnerability of prisoners was well-known; notably, the non-legally binding Nuremberg Code, created after World War II in 1947 in response to Nazi human experimentation, banned such exploitative and unethical studies. Still, despite this, the U.S. government, academic institutions, and companies continued to support experimentation on prisoners. This context is important, but it does not absolve Kligmans decision to engage in such studies.

The medical community  as well as the University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania State University  must ask themselves, given his practices, whether Kligman should still be used as an exemplar of research and leadership. His prison experiments were non-therapeutic, meaning the various agents he tested were not meant to benefit the human subjects themselves. This group of mostly African American men endured harms for the benefit of everyone.

Given the oppressed and coerced status of prisoners, as noted in 1973 U.S. Senate hearings led by Sen. Edward Kennedy, the practice of prisoner experimentation was unethical even if these men provided consent and even with remuneration. This milieu of medical abuses (including Holmesburg Prison, but most prominently, the U.S. Public Health Services Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male, commonly referred to as Tuskegee) led to the creation of the Belmont Report in 1978. The report established the first public national body to address U.S. bioethics policy and continues to inform human subject research oversight by institutional review boards.

Kligman, who died in 2010, never engaged in meaningful discussions about the harms from his prison studies. In 2006, to the New York Times, he said: My view is that shutting the prison experiments down was a big mistake.  I still dont see there having been anything wrong with what we were doing. When 298 former inmates sued the University of Pennsylvania in 2000, the suit was dismissed due to the expiration of the statute of limitations; other settlements to individuals were paid by Kligman, the University of Pennsylvania, and the City of Philadelphia.

Some may question the fairness of judging historical figures by todays standards. However, even with more than 30 years hindsight, Kligman would not acknowledge even any possible harm, and he and others benefited financially and professionally from the misdeeds. Indeed, his best-known achievement, Retin-A, was born in Holmesburg Prison. Thus, the SID was correct to remove Kligmans name, and other institutions that still honor his name should do the same.

 READ MORE: Send first vaccines to Pennsylvanias prisons | Opinion

It must be recognized that names such as Kligmans may be tied to donations and/or contractual obligations, and decisions to remove them may be fraught when such money supports people and work unconnected to the wrongdoing. Regardless, academic institutions must not only remove such names from honorifics, but must also fulfill the affirmative obligation to teach about the full context of what was done. In Kligmans case, he did advance dermatology and skin care, and that should be recognized. But it must also be discussed that he did so on the backs of exploited prisoners. We can both acknowledge his research advances and critique his ethical failings.

In a time when protests consistently remind us that Black lives matter, we must remember Kligmans experimental human subjects, who were mostly Black men, including Leodus Jones and Edward Yusef Anthony, and whose lives were treated as if they mattered less.

We urge all in medicine, as well as Penn and Penn State, to reconsider honorifics, with Kligman as an example, and to make substantive efforts toward equity and addressing health disparities. We must send a message of inclusivity, loud and clear, and embrace names that honor current values.

Adewole Adamson, M.D., M.P.P., is an assistant professor of internal medicine, division of dermatology, at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. Jules Lipoff, M.D., is an assistant professor in the department of dermatology, Perelman School of Medicine, at the University of Pennsylvania. A version of this piece was previously published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Dermatology.

*Editors note: This piece has been updated to name a significant source of historical research on Albert Kligman.
An aquaculture worker who got hurt tending to salmon raised in offshore pens is covered under state law, but not under the federal law that defines some of the rights for mariners, Maines supreme court ruled.

The court ruled unanimously in a Workers Compensation Board appellate division decision involving a woman who was injured while working for Cooke Aquacultures salmon operation off the coast of Eastport.

The woman, Darla Potter, slipped and hurt her knee while caring for salmon, which were raised in cages located less than a mile offshore.

Great Falls Insurance Company contended that the Workers Compensation Board lacked jurisdiction because Potter should be considered to be a seaman under federal admiralty law known as the Jones Act.

The Supreme Judicial Court said the closest analogy to an aquaculture operation is an offshore oil platform, and it noted that oil platform workers have never been found to fall under the Jones Act jurisdiction.

Justice Catherine Connors wrote in the decision that a worker might be exposed to the elements of the sea on a platform even though its not a traditional sea-centric occupation.

Just as one might drill for oil on land or on the sea, so also can the activity in which Potter was engaged  fish farming  be accomplished on land as well as on the sea, she wrote.

The court ultimately ruled Potter was not considered a seaman so the workers compensation decision should stand.

But the court noted that its possible that in some instances an aquaculture worker could fall under the Jones Act.

Each case is fact-sensitive, and there may be situations in which an aquaculture worker might be deemed a seaman, she wrote.

Cooke Aquaculture paid Potters medical bills while the insurer and business fought over jurisdiction, said her attorney, Kevin Noonan.

Potter, 64, had a knee replacement and continues to be employed by Cooke Aquaculture. But she now works as a truck driver instead of the more physically demanding work on the salmon pens, he said.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Workers' Compensation Maine
Cork University Hospital has confirmed that over 100 nurses are unavailable to work due to reasons relating to the virus. Stock image

People need to stay at home as many have contracted Covid-19 without knowing, a Professor at Cork University Hospital (CUH) has said.

This comes as CUH has confirmed that over 100 nurses are unavailable to work due to reasons relating to the virus.

Professor Conor Deasy, Emergency Medicine Lead at CUH, said that many patients are going into the hospital for other reasons and finding out they have Covid-19. Thus, he is urging people to stay at home other than for essential purposes.

"This situation at CUH is the most serious it has been since the start of this pandemic. At the moment we are the second busiest Covid hospital in the country, he told RTE Radio 1s Morning Ireland.

"We know there are many people here in our community in Cork who have Covid and don't realise they have it. We have been seeing this a lot in particular over the last number of days.

Read More

Prof Deasy gave an example of someone attending A&E for a broken hip and finding out they had coronavirus without having any symptoms.

He stressed that there are many finding out they are carrying the virus when presenting to hospital as all patients must get a Covid test before admission.

The Emergency Medicine Lead added: My strong advice to everyone is to consider everyone as having Covid at this time. Stay at home and avoid taking risks.

Due to the recent surge in cases, CUH has had to rescehdule many direct face-to-face outpatient appointments, but urgent cancer care like chemotherapy is still being provided.

Its Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is also at capacity.

Prof Deasy said: Our ICU is at capacity but we continue to use staff from other areas to support ICU activity. If somebody needs ICU care they will get ICU care.

Things will settle and things will get better but we have a rough few weeks ahead.

Dr Alan Gaffney, Vice President of the Intensive Care Society and a consultant at Beaumont Hospital, said the ICU community is very concerned.

He explained that ICU capacity across the country is currently between 87pc to 90pc, which isnt unusual for this time of the year, but it will become a problem as trends move in the wrong direction.

According to the doctor, there have been a further 12 ICU admissions across the country in the past 24 hours. There are currently 66 total ICU admissions of Covid patients, which is a tripling number of patients in eight days from 22 on St Stephens Day.

Across the country, there is a total of 280 ICU beds with the possibility of a further 70 beds if they are absolutely needed.

Speaking on the same programme, he added: On the good side there are 24 extra beds within the system that we didn't have back in March and the government announced on the 18th of December that we will have a total of 66 extra beds compared to last March.

However, Dr Gaffney said he is worried for ICU staff within his hospital as they are at high risk of contracting the virus.

"Within the ICU we are okay at the moment, so we can provide the service that we should be providing, he said.

But, there is always pressure on staff, especially as Covid becomes more engrained in the community.

"Of course, our frontline workers are working with patients who have Covid so getting Covid themselves is quite high.

So, we are concerned about our staff working on the frontline because they really are the highest risk.

The professor said that there is a huge uptake in the vaccine from healthcare workers and while he welcomes it, it is still at the early stages and the effects will not kick in for many months at the point where it will decrease the Covid transmission.

He added: We are calling on the public, and we appreciate what the public has done so far, as what you do really does have a direct and profound effect on what happens in ICU.

Read More

Online Editors
The woman dubbed 'Soho Karen', 22-year-old Miya Ponsetto, who was filmed assaulting a black boy who she accused of stealing her iPhone, has spoken out for the first time since the incident in a New York hotel last month.

In video shared on social media by the NYPD, Ponsetto can be seen suddenly running at 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. and grabbing him by the waist in the Arlo Hotel.

The teen was tackled to the ground. Ponsetto is yet to be charged with any crime but she was stopped by a reporter as she went to pick up McDonald's on Saturday.

Miya is asked how she is holding up but ignored the reporters' questions and refused to answer directly.

'Soho Karen' Miya Ponsetto could be seen getting out of a car on Sunday

The mother of 'Soho Karen' Miya Ponsetto, Nicole Ponsetto, is spotted talking to cops from her Range Rover a few miles from her home on Sunday

On Saturday, Miya Ponsetto was seen for the first time since the viral video she was featured in as she was caught accusing the 14-year-old son of jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold of stealing her iPhone

A reporter asked Miya for her reaction to the recent incident but she had very little to say

Miya Ponsetto was spotted making a food to run to McDonald's when she was stopped by a reporter

Ponsetto was pictured in the parking lot of a McDonalds in Fillmore, California

'Do you have any regrets about what happened the other day?' the reporter asks.

'I'm good,' Miya replies. 'Have a very good day. Take care of yourself,' she responds.

'Are you worried that the police are looking for you? Are you concerned about the warrant for your arrest? Why did you do it? ' the reporter probes.

'I'm actually 22, so I don't know what the problem is here - and I'm also Puerto Rican. Take care of yourself!' Miya responds.

Miya was seen in exclusive DailyMail.com photos making the quick trip to the fast foot restaurant in Fillmore, California - her first outing since being unmasked as the woman who accosted Keyon Jr.

'Do you have any regrets about what happened the other day?' the reporter asks. 'I'm good,' Miya replies. 'Have a very good day. Take care of yourself,' she responds

Ponsetto, 22, is wanted by the New York City police for tackling a 14-year-old black boy who she falsely accused of stealing her iPhone at a Manhattan hotel on December 26

Miya was seen with her dog at one point as she got out of the family's Range Rover as she arrived home

Ponsetto could be seen wearing a denim jacket and black woolly hat as she got out of her car

Miya Ponsetto grabbed her Chihuahua dog as she climbed out of the family's SUV

She had been lying low at her family's $389,000 home in Piru, California north of LA

Until now, she has been laying low at her family's $389,000 home in Piru.

Miya's mother, Nicole Ponsetto, 43, also appeared to get into a spot of bother over the weekend after being stopped by Ventura Country sheriff's officers on Sunday.

At least two patrol cars were on scene as she traveled through Fillmore close to her home in Piru, a small farming town approximately 30 miles north of Los Angeles.

In exclusive DailyMail.com photos, Nicole was seen without wearing a face mask as a deputy approached her car before eventually putting one on.

After a short while, another officer appears on scene, however it is not clear why the Range Rover she and he daughter both drive was stopped just a few miles from their home.

Initially, Nicole did not have a face mask on after she was instructed to pull over by police

Nicole Ponsetto, 43, the mother of Miya Ponsetto, dubbed 'Soho Karen' was spotted being pulled over by Ventura County Sheriffs in the town of Fillmore, CA

Two police cruisers attended the traffic stop by which point Nicole had put on her face mask

Nicole Ponsetto is seen in black leggings and a white t-shirt as she walks across the parking lot

Miya was dressed in a black woolen hat and black sunglasses as she climbed out of the vehicle

The mother and daughter are reunited in the parking lot in the town of Fillmore, California

In another shot, Miya is seen to be ducking in an attempt to avoid being photographed

In another series of pictures, Miya Ponsetto can be seen running to speak with her mother after her interaction with police. She had by then pulled up in a nearby parking lot.

It was revealed this weekend that Miya had been arrested in February with her mother for drunkenly refusing to leave a hotel in Los Angeles - three months before she was arrested again for DUI.

Miya and her mother, Nicole, 43, were at The Peninsula hotel in Beverly Hills when staff ordered them to leave.

They refused, and police were called.

Law enforcement sources told TMZ that when they arrived at the hotel and tried to get Ponsetto and her mother to depart, her mother allegedly pushed and kicked a cop.

Nicole was arrested on charges of battery on a police officer and being drunk in public, and Miya was arrested on a charge of being drunk in public. They have a court hearing later this month.

The woman dubbed SoHo Karen has been identified as 22-year-old Miya Ponsetto. Police reports and court records bearing her name show that she was arrested twice in the last year - once for public intoxication and another time for driving under the influence of alcohol

The L.A. County District Attorney charged both women on May 27, and the following day Miya was arrested again, for DUI.

She pleaded no contest and was sentenced to three years probation, 30 hours of community service and ordered to take a nine-month alcohol/drug counseling program.

Ponsetto seven months later allegedly assaulted a 14-year-old black boy, Keyon Harrold Jr, at a New York City hotel on December 26, in a row over a phone.

Keyon Jr's father, Grammy-winning jazz artist Keyon Harrold, tweeted a video of the 22-year-old grabbing at the child while repeatedly accusing him of snatching her phone.

He captioned it: 'On Saturday, December 26, the woman in this video falsely accused an innocent 14-year-old teenager of stealing her cellphone.

Ponsetto and her mom Nicole, 43, were arrested at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills

Ponsetto was arrested for being intoxicated in public by Beverly Hills PD in February

'She then proceeded to physically attack him and fled the location before police officers arrived on scene.'

A second video released by the NYPD shows Ponsetto, who was swiftly dubbed SoHo Karen, running at the child and grabbing at his waist.

Moments after the video ended, an Uber driver arrived with Ponsetto's phone, which she had left in the vehicle.

Harrold, along with Keyon's mother Kat Rodriguez and civil rights attorney Ben Crump, are now urging officials to bring charges against her over the incident.

Ponsetto's legal problems now look set to increase, with the NYPD considering bringing charges against her over the December 26 incident.

Officers confirmed on Tuesday that they are looking at a variety of options, including assault, grand larceny and attempted robbery.

Ponsetto is seen at home in California. It's not clear when she departed New York City

Ponsetto shot to infamy after Keyon Jr's father, Grammy-winning jazz artist Keyon Harrold, posted a video of the 22-year-old grabbing at the child while repeatedly accusing him of snatching her phone

Ponsetto has denied assaulting Keyon Jr and on Thursday, provided a rambling 20-minute phone interview to CNN. In it, she claimed she was assaulted during the altercation with Keyon Sr. and his son, though she failed to provide further details, including who allegedly assaulted her. She was spotted grabbing McDonald's in Fillmore, California

Ponsetto has denied assaulting Keyon Jr, and on Thursday provided a rambling 20-minute phone interview to CNN.

In it, she claimed she was assaulted during the altercation with Keyon Sr. and his son, though failed to provide further details, including who allegedly assaulted her.

Her allegation has not been corroborated by investigators or any witnesses to the December 26 incident.

The NYPD has released new surveillance footage of Ponsetto, dubbed 'SoHo Karen', tackling the 14-year-old son of a black musician to the ground in a New York City hotel while accusing him of stealing her phone

The video, shared on social media Wednesday night by NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison, shows Ponsetto suddenly run at Keyon Harrold Jr. and grab him by the waist in the Arlo Hotel on Saturday

New footage, released by NYPD, casts new light on Saturday's events in the lobby of the Arlo Hotel in Manhattan.

It shows four people - the woman identified as Ponsetto, Keyon, Keyon Jr. and another individual - standing at the bottom of the stairs in the lobby.

Keyon Jr. starts to walk away in the direction of the hotel doors.

At this point, Ponsetto runs and grabs the 14-year-old around the waist, latching onto him as the boy's father runs after them.

They pass through the automatic doors in the lobby as the boy tries to shake her off, turning around as she appears to tackle him to the ground.

A close-up of Ponsetto's face is shown with 'wanted' emblazoned across it as the police urged anyone with information about her whereabouts to contact the NYPD.

'On Saturday, December 26, the woman in this video falsely accused an innocent 14-year-old teenager of stealing her cellphone,' Harrison tweeted.

'She then proceeded to physically attack him and fled the location before police officers arrived on scene.'

The new footage casts new light on Saturday's events in the lobby of the Arlo Hotel in Manhattan. It shows four people - identified as Ponsetto, Keyon, Keyon Jr. and another individual standing at the bottom of the stairs in the lobby

Keyon Jr. starts to walk away in the direction of the hotel doors. At this point, Ponsetto runs and grabs the 14-year-old around the waist, latching on to him as the boy's father runs after them. They pass through the automatic doors in the lobby as the boy tries to shake her off

Ponsetto appears to tackle the boy to the ground in the altercation. Its release comes just hours after the 22-year-old gave a rambling interview to CNN where she denied racially profiling the boy and claimed it was her who was assaulted in the dispute

Ponsetto's claims that she was attacked by Keyon Sr are so far without evidence

Harrold Sr. and Keyon Jr.'s mother, Kat Rodriguez, held a rally in Manhattan for their son on Wednesday, alongside civil rights attorney Ben Crump (right) and Rev. Al Sharpton (left)

Harrold and Keyon Jr.'s mother, Kat Rodriguez, staged a rally in Manhattan on Wednesday alongside their attorney Ben Crump and Reverend Al Sharpton.

'When I saw this story, I thought about how I was one of those kids whose father never took him anywhere for Christmas, never had brunch with my father,' Sharpton said.

'And for this black man to take his black son, put him in a hotel during a pandemic, and spend Christmas with him, raising him, and to be assaulted because of the color of their skin, I wanted to stand with this man and this woman who provided for their son, and they're being criminalized for it.

'The arrogance and audacity of this woman.'

Harrold added that had he not come down into the lobby with his son when he did, something 'could have gone very wrong.'

'The idea of trauma goes above any charge that we may have...I bring my son places where he shouldn't have to deal with injustices and shouldn't have to be profiled,' he said.

An emotional Rodriguez also spoke during the rally, taking her opportunity to let it be known she is unhappy with the way the hotel handled the situation, and also called on 'SoHo Karen' to be charged with assault.

'All that we are asking is for the police to do the right thing, for the DA to do the right thing, to charge this woman with assault of a minor,' she said.

'To the hotel, which I'm equally angry at, you are trained to use those tools. I called the hotel right after it happened, and I gave them a chance to make it right, and they didn't.

'You know when they made it right? When my tribe, my community spoke up.

'It breaks my heart that this is happening to our son. This incident could have been avoided in so many ways,' she said.

Crump, meanwhile, called the incident an example of 'racial injustice' - an all-too common narrative that 'needs to change'.

'Can you imagine what the narrative would have been if Keyon Harrold had not videoed the incident on his cellphone?' Crump asked the crowd.

Keyon Harrold Sr. then played a trumpet rendition of 'America the Beautiful' and 'We Shall Overcome,' drawing applause and a few tears, according to ABC7.

At one point in the video Ponsetto is shown on the floor. It's unclear where this has anything to do with her claims of assault

Kat Rodriguez, center, mother of Keyon Harrold Jr., speaks as attorney Ben Crump, right, Rev. Al Sharpton, left, and Keyon Harrold Sr. listen during a news conference on Wednesday

SoHo hotel racial profiling: Rev. Al Sharpton calls on NYPD to publicly identify and charge a woman who falsely accused a Black teen of stealing her phone. Posted by PIX 11 on Wednesday, December 30, 2020

No decision has yet been made by either the Manhattan District Attorney's Office or the NYPD as to whether the woman will be charged.

Keyon Sr first shared footage of the incident on Instagram, writing that he and his son had left their room to get breakfast when they came into contact with Ponsetto in the lobby.

He said she had been staying at the hotel but had checked out three days earlier.

It's unclear what happened in the moments before he started filming, but in the video, Ponsetto can be heard screaming at Keyon Jr., telling him to show her his phone.

The minute-long video shows the woman and the hotel manager in the lobby with Harrold recording on his cell phone.

'This is my phone,' Harrold's son, who is not seen in the footage, is heard telling Ponsetto and the manager.

'You don't have to explain nothing to her,' Harrold tells his son.

Ponsetto then points to the phone and tells the manager that the case is the same one that she has.

'That's mine,' she tells the manager. She then tells the manager: 'Get it back.'

Harrold responds to Ponsetto, saying: 'Are you kidding me? You feel like there's only one iPhone made in the world?'

When Ponsetto asks Harrold to see the phone, he replies: 'No, get a life.'

Harrold then tells the woman that she should use the Find My app, which helps locate missing Apple devices.

Ponsetto tells Harrold that the Find My app can only be accessed through the phone.

The video then shows the manager approach Harrold's son asking him to see the phone.

'No, you can't,' Harrold tells the manager.

'I'm the manager of the hotel,' the manager tells Harrold, who replies: 'I don't care!'

The incident happened in the lobby of the boutique Arlo Hotel last Saturday

Arlo Hotels apologized for the 'recent incident of baseless accusation, prejudice, assault against an innocent guest of Arlo hotel' on Instagram saying: 'No Arlo guest  or any person  should be subject to this kind of behavior. We want to apologize to Mr. Harrold and his son for this inexcusable experience, and have reached out to them directly to express our sincere regret and to offer help in dealing with the traumatic event'

During the exchange, Ponsetto continues to encourage the manager to retrieve what she believes is her iPhone.

Harrold tries to plead his case, saying it wasn't plausible that his son would have someone else's phone since he just got to the lobby from the elevator.

'Didn't you see me just come downstairs out of the f***ing elevator?' Harrold tells the manager.

The manager protests, saying: 'I'm trying to help.'

Harrold replies: 'My son has nothing to do with her.'

Ponsetto once again repeats her demand to see the phone, saying: 'No, he's not leaving. Show me the proof.'

Harrold refuses and begins to walk away from the lobby toward what appear to be the elevators.

'You better get on,' Harrold tells Ponsetto.

Ponsetto, who appears to be highly distressed, walks toward Harrold and his son, saying: 'No, I'm not letting him walk away with my phone.'

While the video is not clear, she appears to lunge toward Harrold and his son.

In the next frame, she is seen on the ground as the manager helps her back to her feet.

'No, please get my phone back,' Ponsetto begs the manager.

The video clip ends with Ponsetto once again approaching Harrold in an attempt to get the phone.

In one frame, she is seen on the ground as the manager helps her back to her feet

Keyon Harrold Sr. played the trumpet during the news conference, which was held as officials weigh charging Ponsetto

The trumpeter said he suffered slight injuries in the incident though his son was not harmed.

Keyon Jr. spoke alongside his father to ABC on Tuesday, telling the network he's still 'shell shocked' over what happened.

'I don't know what would have happened if my dad wasn't there. These past few days, still kind of shell-shocked, but I'm hanging in there.

'For me I was confused because I had never seen that lady ever and I didn't know what to do in the moment. That's why I was happy to have my dad here to help me,' he said.

Earlier this week, Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City, on Twitter called the incident 'racism. Plain and simple.'

'It would be horrific at any age, but it's especially offensive that it happened to a child,' he wrote.

'To Keyon Harrold Jr. and his family: I am so sorry this happened to you.'

Amid the fallout, Arlo Hotels has also apologized for its role in the incident, saying its workers could have done better to 'de-escalate the dispute.'

'We're deeply disheartened about the recent incident of baseless accusation, prejudice and assault against an innocent guest of Arlo hotel,' a company statement said.

'In investigating the incident further, we've learned that the manager on duty promptly called the police regarding the woman's conduct and that hotel security intervened to prevent further violence .... No Arlo guest - or any person - should be subject to this kind of behavior.'

Famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump is leading the charge of outrage against the woman's actions, and also called out the hotel for 'empowering' her accusations by asking Harrold's son to prove his innocence.

'As this year of racial awareness is drawing to a close, it's deeply troubling that incidents like this one, in which a Black child is viewed as and treated like a criminal, continue to happen,' Crump said in a statement.

'We strongly urge Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. to bring assault and battery charges against this woman to send the message that hateful, racially motivated behavior is unacceptable,' Crump added.

'This is what it will take to drive change. We also call for a civil rights investigation into the Arlo Hotel for its implicit bias in its treatment of Keyon.'
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File image: A ground staff walks past a container kept at the Cargo Terminal 2 of Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, which according to the officials will be used as a COVID-19 vaccine handling and distribution center. (Image: Reuters/Anushree Fadnavis)

The emergency-use approval for Bharat Biotech's Covaxin vaccine against Covid-19 from the countrys drug regulator on January 3 has kicked up a political storm.

After a section of opposition leaders questioned the efficacy of the India-made Covaxin, calling the approval premature and dangerous, many Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including union ministers, urged opposition leaders to not cause panic in the minds of the people through their wild theories.

Time and again we have seen whenever India achieves something commendable  that will further public good  Congress comes up with wild theories to oppose and ridicule the accomplishments. The more they oppose, the more they are exposed. Latest example is the Covid vaccine, said BJP President JP Nadda.

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), the national drug regulator, announced on January 3 that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has decided to approve the Covid-19 vaccines of both Serum Institute of India (Covishield) and Bharat Biotech (Covaxin) for restricted use in the country.

The Covishield vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, is being produced in the country by Pune-based Serum Institute. Bharat Biotechs Covaxin vaccine  the country's first indigenous vaccine against Covid-19  has been developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV).

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

Soon after the approval, many Congress leaders, including Shashi Tharoor, Jairam Ramesh and Anand Sharma, raised concerns over the permission for the restricted use of Covaxin.

No Phase-3 trials on Covaxin yet

Covaxin has not yet had Phase-3 trials. Approval was premature and could be dangerous, said Tharoor, Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, urging Health Minister Harsh Vardhan to avoid Covaxin till full trials are over.

Bharat Biotech said in a statement that Phase-III human clinical trials of Covaxin began mid-November, targeted at 26,000 volunteers across India. This is Indias first and only Phase-III efficacy study for a Covid-19 vaccine, and the largest Phase-III efficacy trial ever conducted for any vaccine in India, it said.

The nationwide vaccination drive is scheduled to begin with the Covishield shot. Though experts said that Covaxin is a back-up in clinical trial conditions if a spike in cases triggers the need for doses, critics argued that even in emergency situations, approval must be granted only after safety and efficacy are established.

Minister Vardhan backed the Covaxin approval terming the opposition leaders' criticism disgraceful. In a series of tweets on January 3, Vardhan tagged opposition leaders, including Congress Tharoor and Ramesh and the Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav. The former UP chief minister had on January 2 asked people not to get vaccinated.

Among the leaders who hit out at Congress leaders after the criticism were Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

On January 3, the Central licensing authority issued permission to Bharat Biotech to manufacture the pharmaceutical formulation of a new drug, Covaxin, for sale or distribution.

The firm will have to submit safety data with due analysis every 15 days for two months and monthly thereafter.

It will also have to submit a risk management plan and provide a protocol for restricted use of the vaccine in an emergency situation.

Many Congress leaders, including chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala and former union minister Ashwani Kumar, welcomed the approval given to the vaccines.
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WOODINVILLE  A business park at 14101 N.E. 186th St. in Woodinville sold for $6.8 million, according to King County records.

The seller was O&H Woodinville LLC, which acquired the property in 2001 for about $2.1 million.





. . .
OnePlus has revealed OxygenOS 11 update schedule for the OnePlus Nord, OnePlus 7 series and OnePlus 7T series. The company has been able to release OxygenOS 11 update for OnePlus 8 series based on Android 11 but other phones in its catalogue are yet to receive an update to the latest Android version. OnePlus has finally come out clean over the OxygenOS 11 rollout plans for OnePlus Nord, OnePlus 7 and 7T series.

As per a post on OnePlus forums, the company is planning to release the first OxygenOS 11 open beta build for the OnePlus Nord sometime next week. After the issues are fixed, the final build will be rolled out to everyone in a staged manner. The company will be collecting user feedback from those on the open beta build and will fine-tune the software for the final build.

OxygenOS 11 update for OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7T series will be released soon

Moreover, OnePlus has also revealed that the OxygenOS 11 update for OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7T series will be released soon. The company confirmed that it has run into a data decryption issue when porting Android 11 to OnePlus 7 and 7T series which is the reason for the delay. However, the company is working with Qualcomm and is already running a closed beta test after which the open beta build will be released to the public for final tests.

Apart from this, the company also teased that it is working really hard to offer the latest Android 11 based OxygenOS 11 for eligible devices including the OnePlus 6 and later phones. OnePlus will be revealing more details about the update later.

The phones that are set to receive an update to OxygenOS 11 include OnePlus 6, OnePlus 6T, OnePlus 7 series, OnePlus 7T series and OnePlus Nord. The OxygenOS 11 update brings system-wide visual refresh, always-on display, Zen Mode 2.0 and more. You can read more about OxygenOS 11 here.

OnePlus has also teased the launch of its first smart wearable that could be called OnePlus Band in India. The company has been planning to get into the wearables segment from a while now and is also working on a smartwatch for launch in early 2021. Some rumours indicate that the OnePlus Watch is likely to make an appearance with the OnePlus 9 series which is rumoured to launch by mid-March.
(@FahadShabbir)

Doha, Jan 4 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Jan, 2021 ) :Qatar said Monday its ruler would attend a summit of regional leaders, marking a breakthrough in the Gulf crisis which has pitted Doha against a Saudi-led group of countries since 2017.

"The Emir of the country is heading the delegation of the State of Qatar to participate in the meeting of the... Gulf Cooperation Council" that starts on Tuesday, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani's office said in a statement.
The U.S. Island-class patrol boats will arrive in Ukraine in the first half of this year, Commander of the Ukrainian Navy Oleksiy Neizhpapa has said.

We expect that Island-class patrol boats will arrive to us during the first half of the year, and by the end of 2021 they will acquire all the capabilities - then we will have a division of five boats of this class. The boats are undergoing appropriate maintenance and receiving additional armament in the United States. In January, our Ukrainian crews will leave for Baltimore to take part in training on board, Neizhpapa said in an interview with Radio Liberty.

He added that a contract for the construction of U.S. Mark VI patrol boats for Ukraine had already been signed.

As Ukrinform reported, in June 2020, the U.S. State Department conducted the necessary procedures to approve the sale of up to 16 Mark VI Patrol Boats and related equipment for an estimated cost of $600 million to Ukraine.

On October 1, 2020, another naval base for the Island-class patrol boats division was opened at the Yuzhny seaport.

ish
South Korea has the lowest fertility rate in the world. The COVID-19 pandemic is raising fears that the number of births in the new year will decline further. Last month, President Moon Jae-in launched several policies aimed at addressing the low birth rate, including cash incentives for couples.

Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies)  South Korea recorded the first a drop in its population, a trend that could worsen as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic with its major economic fallout.

According to Ministry of the Interior and Safety data, the South Korean population declined by 20,838 in 2020 over 2019.

This represents a 10.65 per cent drop year-on-year, with 275,815 births in 2020 against 307.764 deaths, which have jumped by 3.1 per cent. South Korea's population now stands at just under 51.8 million.

Official projections indicated 297,000 birth annually between 2020 and 2025, but last year's actual births were lower by more than 20,000.

South Korea has the lowest fertility rate of in the world, 0.84 in the third quarter of last year, a far cry from the 2.1 the United Nations says is needed to balance the death rate.

In a statement the Interior ministry said that this was the first time that the number of newborn babies failed to make up for the number of deaths since the country started collecting population data after the Korean War in 1953.

This is worse than expected, said Choi Jin-ho, a professor of sociology at Ajou University in Suwon, south of Seoul. And due to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of births in the new year is feared to fall further.

For Choi rising unemployment, mounting housing costs, and other financial burdens associated with having children have deterred many young Koreans from marrying or starting a family over the past year.

Many small and middle-sized companies dont give their employees parental leave and women there have their careers cut short if they get pregnant. Under these circumstances, many women choose to avoid having babies.

In an editorial, the English-language Korea JoongAng Daily newspaper urged the South Korean government to fundamentally change our social environment and structure that discourages couples from having babies, it said. The decreasing population leads to a critical lack of economic vitality and potential growth, it added.

Population decline puts a country to a test. In addition to greater pressure on public spending as demand for healthcare services and pensions rise, a declining youth population also leads to labour shortages that have a direct impact on the economy.

South Korea's employment policies are not favourable to women who want to have children. In large part, this is because in South Korea women struggle to find a balance between work and the other demands of life.

Soaring real estate prices are another major issue. For Ms Hyun-yu Kim, rapidly rising property prices also discourage young couples. "In order to have children, you need to have your own home, she explained. But this has become an impossible dream in Korea.

Ms Kim is unconvinced by the incentives offered by the government. "It's expensive to raise a child. The government providing an extra couple hundred thousand won won't solve our problems."

Last month, President Moon Jae-in launched a number of policies aimed at addressing the low birth rate, including cash incentives for families.

Under the scheme, starting in 2022, every child born will receive a cash bonus of 2 million won (US$ 1,850) to help cover prenatal expenses, on top of a monthly payout of 300,000 won handed out until the baby turns one. The incentive will increase to 500,000 won (US$ 463) every month from 2025.

Successive South Korean governments have spent an estimated 185 trillion won (US1 billion) over the past 14 years on incentives to boost the number of births.

For her part, the South Korean Catholic Church, which has seen a significant growth in terms of number of members, is involved in family-oriented education.
Patrick Chevallereau, a former French military officer now at RUSI, a defense research institution in London, said that the Trump call shows that the current president is in a mind-set to do anything  absolutely anything  before Jan. 20. There is zero standard, zero reference, zero ethics. He added: Everything else than himself can be destroyed and collapse, including us.

Thomas Wright, an Irish-born expert on America at the Brookings Institution, said that People are worried for real that Trump will come back. The months since the election have shown people just how bad a second term would have been  the guardrails off, a completely personalized government and giving voice to his authoritarian tendencies, he said.

Now the rest of the world understands that Trump could actually make a comeback in 2024, so that is a shadow that he will cast over American politics, Mr. Wright said.

World leaders all know that Trump is sort of crazy, but its the extremity of his actions, the lengths to which he has gone, that he got 74 million votes and is not retiring but will be a force for the Republicans that is disconcerting, he added. People knew what Trump is like, but the importance is the shadow of the future.

Also troubling to many is the letter that the last 10 living secretaries of defense all signed urging the nation  and the military  to accept that the election is over and the time for questioning the results has passed.

Jean-Marie Guehenno, a former diplomat and the former president of the International Crisis Group, asked on Twitter: Should we be reassured on U.S. democracy when 10 former defense secretaries warn against use of the military to dispute election results, or terrified that they believe taking a public stance has become necessary?
Mumbai, Jan 4 : Indian equity markets posted healthy recovery after an intra-day slide as investors took the opportunity to 'buy on decline'.

In the intra-day, market opened with a 'gap up' as positive macro indicators and vaccine advances in India buoyed sentiments.

Consequently, the S&P BAE Sensex crossed the 48,000-mark.

However, the market could not sustain itself at higher zones.

Just after the initial session, the key indices fell by around 150 points.

Subsequently, investors dived into the market to buy stocks in decline which triggered another uplift.

Amongst sectors, losses were witnessed in Realty, Media, Banking and Financial Services indices.

On the other hand, Metal, IT, Pharma, Auto and FMCG space traded in the green.

Besides, healthy FII activity was witnessed.

At 1.40 p.m., the NSE Nifty50 traded at 14,099.15 points, higher by 80.65 points, or 0.58 per cent, from its previous close.

Similarly, the BSE Sensex made gains. It traded higher by 192.28 points, or 0.40 per cent, to 48,061.26 points from its previous close.

"Considering overall chart structure, we are expecting Nifty to hold above 14000 zone and move towards 14250 - 14300 zone in coming days," said Jay Purohit, Technical & Derivatives Analyst, MOFSL.

"While support can be seen at 13,850 and then 13,777 levels. On stocks front, traders can look for buying opportunities in Tata Steel, Page Inds, Gail and SBI Cards." According to Likhita Chepa, Senior Research Analyst at CapitalVia Global Research: "On Monday, the markets hit new highs in early trading, powered by strong macro indicators and vaccine advances in India. For the first time ever, the Sensex crossed the 48,000-mark. But soon after hitting the new peaks market went off the day's high." "Asian stocks have been mixed today as vaccine optimism has outweighed concern about growing numbers of infections globally. For the Nifty, 14,100 might indicate a resistance. We suggest booking profits at current juncture and trail thereon. At 13,900, we have strong support."

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
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We have already written about one of the most paradoxical developments of the US-Russia energy relationship, namely that American refiners have become the number one buyer of Russias fuel oil production. With Venezuelan crude squeezed out from the American market, Iranian exports kept at bay by means of a similar set of sanctions, Mexico remaining in decline and even acquiescing to a OPEC+ production cut, Russian fuel oil remains one of the very few USGC feedstocks that is still not too pricey and available in sufficient volumes. However, the winter months of the 2020/2021 season have so far witnessed a sharp decline in Russian fuel oil exports towards the United States and a quite tangible hike in their supplies towards Europe. Could that put the peculiar US-Russia HSFO love story to an end?

Supplies of Russian fuel oil to Europe have averaged roughly 500kbpd in the past 5 years, although since 2019 the trend started to gradually drop increasingly lower  this year (i.e. 2020) they have been around 375kbpd, all this with November-December being significantly better than the months preceding them. The reorientation of erstwhile Europe-bound exports towards the United States has in many ways saved Russias Northwestern refineries, as not many other market outlets would be remaining in a rapidly de-sulphurizing environment. With a fair share of European demand out, US refiners have availed themselves of relatively cheap HSFO as a secondary coker feedstock, seemingly to the mutual benefit of both. Yet from November 2020 onwards, Russian exports of fuel oil have started to move back to their erstwhile allocation as US-bound cargoes are becoming rarer and exports to Europe have been on the surge.

Graph 1. Russian Fuel Oil Exports to Europe in 2017-2020 (000 barrels per day).

Source: Thomson Reuters.

There remain quite objective reasons for Russian fuel oil supplies to drop, too. First and foremost, the hurricane shutdowns have left their imprint on November refining  refining runs in mid-November dropped by some 15% within the timeframe of less than 2 weeks, spurred by Hurricane Zeta and COVID-19 ramifications. Second, seasonal maintenance might also be part of the jigsaw puzzle, with as much as 2.5 mbpd worth of refining capacity taken offstream during the last 2 months of 2020. Third, real-time statistics might be a bit skewed in that oftentimes the source of the HSFO is showing the site of the ship-to-ship transfer, meaning that some of the supplies that officially come from Skaw or Malta might be in fact of Russian origin. Related: Oil Rises As Market Awaits OPEC+ Production Decision

Europes ascent might be underpinned by some statistical peculiarities, too, as the main market for High Sulphur Fuel oil supplies in December 2020 was the Middle East, not Europe. In terms of European exports most of Russias fuel oil, which is generally produced in the Baltic area, is being exported to the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) area, from where it could easily move further towards markets like Saudi Arabia. And so it did, last month European fuel oil exports towards the Middle East have surged 300% month-on-month to October, with more than a million tons of HSFO moving eastwards. The trend surged even higher in December 2020 when a total of 7 MMbbls of fuel oil from Europe reached Middle Eastern customers, across 19 deliveries.

Such a healthy demand for HSFO has boosted Russias downstream prospects in November-December 2020, a season that cannot be considered as being peak periods. If one is to look at the exported volumes, it becomes evident that Russias main HSFO port in Ust-Luga has coped much better with this years demand slump than regional competitors. Set for a year-end fuel oil export tally of 15.5 million tons, Ust-Luga only dropped some 2% year-on-year whilst the likes of Klaipeda, Riga, Sillamae and others have witnessed double-digit decreases. Fuel oil exports were one of the few products that more or less managed to maintain their 2019 standings (along with naphtha and gasoline), including a rather unexpected HSFO surge in the Far East in May-July 2020, more than doubling the annual tally of Nakhodka loadings.

Graph 2. Russian Fuel Oil Exports to the United States in 2017-2020 (000 barrels per day).

Source: Thomson Reuters.

As significant as the drop in Russian HSFO exports to the United States might seem at first glance, it need not be a sign of an impending decline. Demand for HSFO is partially subject to seasonability as its usage in the power generation sector plummets in the winter as air-conditioning usage decreases. Overall high-sulfur fuel oil would still be a great feedstock for USGC refiners, especially considering that many of them invested in desulfurization capacity over the past couple of years. Therefore, maintaining high Russian HSFO exports will largely depend on the saturation of the Middle Eastern market  further instances of high Saudi demand or of increased scrubber usage in the Singapore area will divert volumes away from the Gulf Coast.

By Viktor Katona for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Angry locals demand flags be reinstated and even call for mayor to step down

Mayor of Penzance said they were 'not offensive' but didn't have permission

A Labour mayor has sparked fury by taking down 18 Union Flags that were raised in a Cornish town to celebrate Brexit.

The 'unauthorised' flags were hoisted on flagpoles along Penzance's promenade on January 1, shortly after the UK left the EU.

One of the men who claims to be responsible said that the act was aimed at uniting the community rather than causing any division.

But within 24 hours, the flags had already been removed, leaving the poles empty.

Nicole Broadhurst, the town's Labour mayor, said the red white and blue standards had not been authorised by Penzance councillors or Cornwall Council, which owns the flagpoles.

Hundreds have now signed a petition calling for Ms Broadhurst, who works as a community coordinator for a local wildlife trust, to be removed from her official role.

A local council has taken down 18 Union Flags which after they appeared in a Cornwall town to mark UK leaving the European Union on New Year's Eve

Another petition has been launched which calls for the flags to be reinstated, and has attracted over 500 signatures.

Derek Thomas, the Conservative MP for St Ives which covers the town, said that he had no problem with the flags.

One man has come forward, claiming to have raised the flags in an attempt to 'unite us as a nation'.

Wishing to remain anonymous due to fear of reprisals, he said: 'I put the Union Jack flags up to help celebrate Great Britain finally gaining its independence from the European Union.

Hundreds have now signed a petition calling for Nicole Broadhurst, the Labour Mayor of Penzance, (pictured) to be removed from her ceremonial role

'I am a proud Cornishman and I am proud to be British. I have seen so many comments since the flags went up from so-called proud Cornish men/women who feel no bond to Great Britain but for some odd reason would feel proud to be a member of the European Union.

'The majority voted for British independence and the outcome should be respected and celebrated.

'It is clear that the vast majority of people who live in Penwith were very proud to see the Union Jack flags flying again.

'There are so many old photographs of Penzance flying Union Jack flags with pride and I truly don't understand why anyone would feel anything but pride.

'It is clear that Great Britain are wonderful islands with the amount of people who want to come here. It is sad that I felt the need to purchase the flags out of my own pocket and put them up but I have a strong feeling those who should've put the Union Jack flags up wouldn't.

'I also have a strong feeling that if we voted remain in the EU then we would've seen EU flags flying high over our bay. I could be wrong.

'One thing I wish to make clear again is that I did not put these flags up to create more divide, it was done to try to unite us as a nation again.'

But Ms Broadhurst said the politics of the flag had nothing to do with the decision to remove, blasting the unnamed flag flyers for not getting permission.

'Our Union flag is not offensive - it represents the whole of the United Kingdom,' she wrote on social media.

'The only issue here is that the flags were put up without any consultation or permission and so they do have to come down.

'The fact that they are the Union Flag has nothing to do with this point. If they were Peppa Pig flags or St Piran flags or EU flags they would still have to come down if no permission had been given for them to be put up.

Ms Broadhurst said the red white and blue standards were not authorised by Penzance Town Council or the flagpoles' owner, Cornwall Council

A number of petitions have been since launched including one which calls for the flags to be reinstated, and another against Mayor Broadhurst

'Any flag flown from the poles on the Prom need to have been given permission from the owners of the poles - in this case that is Cornwall Council.'

Penzance Town Council and Cornwall Council have been contacted for comment.

The man accepted that he had not obeyed protocols in putting up the standard, but reaction from the public had been overwhelmingly positive.

'I was very sad so see the flags come down in the dark of night, this was obviously done at this time of the day because the council knew the public walking across our promenade would object,' he added.

Another petition has been launched which calls for the flags to be reinstated, and has attracted over 500 signatures

'I appreciate that things like this should have a protocol to follow and I sympathise for anyone who had to take them down, I'm pretty sure they got no pleasure in doing so.

'I think it could've been handled better by those who made the decision to remove the flags as it was very clear that the vast majority of people of Penwith was proud to see the flags flying.

'I am aware that a petition has been created to try to get the Union Jack flags back up with alternate St Piran flags that would be a permanent feature unless a special occasion, I believe this would look amazing and please everyone.'
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Even as vaccinations against COVID-19 begin, the virus continues to kill thousands of Americans every day, making it more important than ever to stay safe and be ready in case it strikes you or your family.

"We can't let our guard down while we wait our turn for the vaccine," says rehabilitation psychologist Abigail Hardin, Ph.D. This is especially important given that the vaccines don't take full effect (around 95% immunity) until days or weeks after the second dose. Continuing to take protective measures like social distancing and masking will help protect you, your loved ones and the community while you wait for your first dose and for the vaccine to take full effect.

Hardin counsels critically ill COVID-19 patients at Rush University Medical Center when they move from intensive care to the rehabilitation unit and as they to recover at home. Seeing firsthand the toll the disease takes on families inspired her to write A Guide to COVID-19 to help people manage and overcome the illness through knowledge and preparation.

She recommends taking a few key steps now to reduce some of the challenges and anxieties that come with a serious illness.

1. Pretend you know you're going to get sick

Ideally, you won't actually get sick, but you will have far less to worry about if your house is in order and you have a plan for what you'll do if you or a family member tests positive for COVID-19. A good way to start is by answering these questions:

Where will you quarantine?

If you are a caregiver, who will take care of your children or elderly relatives?

Where is your insurance card?

What in-network hospital would you choose

Who needs to know you're illand whom might you have exposed to the virus

2. Pack a COVID-19 kit

Having a COVID-19 kit for yourself and your family members will put your mind at ease. This can be especially helpful for an elderly parent or grown child who's away at college, just as you might want them to have an emergency kit in their car or a supply of food and necessities on hand before a blizzard.

"Our brains don't work as well when we're under stress," Hardin says. "It's much easier to handle a tough situation when you have what you need ready."

If you don't end up using your kit, at least you'll have copies of your insurance card, driver's license and prescriptions; a pen and notebook; an extra set of comfy clothes; and a phone charger ready should you need them.

3. Assess and address your health

You want to be at your strongest in case you become ill and be at your best to help care for family members if they need you.

While anyone can suffer a serious case of COVID-19, certain underlying conditions, such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes, are associated with severe illness or long-term effects. If you get your blood pressure or blood sugar levels under control now, you reduce your risks of complications later.

Adding a few simple habits to your daily routine, such as getting more sunshine and creating a sleep schedule to make sure you're getting optimal rest, can improve your health and boost your immunity.

Finally, if you smoke, quit, and if you drink alcohol, do so in moderation (one drink a day for women and two for men.)

4. Tackle the tough questions now

"Thinking about death can be overwhelming," Hardin says. "But preparing a will and talking through what care you would want if you were very ill now can save your loved one from the pain of trying to decide for you without knowing what you would want."

Every adult needs a will and an advance directive. There are several types of advance directives: a living will, medical power of attorney/durable power of attorney for health care, do not resuscitate (DNR) order and practitioner order for life-sustaining treatment (POLST). Choose someone you trust to have "power of attorney" and make health care decisions on your behalf in case you cannot communicate for yourself.

Once you've tackled the tough decisions, the paperwork is simple. Your family lawyer can create these documents for you, but there are other ways that cost little or no money. The state of Illinois provides forms online, as do groups such as AARP. You can also download advance directive forms via the Rush Center for Excellence in Aging website or the Rush Copley Medical Center Advance Directives page.

Spiritual care teams at some hospitals offer support for talking through these topics.

5. Stay strong mentally and emotionally

The pandemic has disrupted our lives for close to a year, separating us from family and friends, canceling events and celebrations, closing businesses, putting millions out of work and costing 300,000+ lives in the U.S. alone. Add in the social stressors, from racism to political strife, and 2020 has been an extraordinarily challenging year.

While you can't self-care your way out of major life stressors, there are things you can do to reduce the impact of external events on your emotions.

Schedule times to regularly connect with family and friends remotely. Call a friend when you're lonely, or find a therapist if you need to talk. Importantly, if you or a family member is struggling to cope, feeling helpless or hopeless, reach out for professional help. Your mental and emotional health will help you through whatever comes next.

"I've been with patients as they've fought and survived COVID-19," Hardin says. "Knowing what to expect and being prepared can only help you to survive and thrive."

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
Israelis are currently under a third national lockdown, as the number of people infected by the coronavirus keeps rising. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly considering tightening restrictions even more. At the same time, Israelis are now facing yet another round of elections. But how can the authorities handle both campaigns at the same time?

After three tense election campaigns  each resulting in deadlock  the State of Israel was at an impasse, with neither the Likud nor the Blue and White party able to form a government. Finally, in May 2020, the leaders of the two major blocs  Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud and Benny Gantz of the Blue and White party  agreed to form a unity government.

Based on the coalitions basic guidelines, Israels 35th government was intended to deal with the coronavirus crisis and the accompanying economic crisis, while fostering an atmosphere of national reconciliation. It was hoped that this would begin to heal the deep divisions plaguing the country for the past few years, while combating the pandemic. Seven months have passed since that government was formed, and it now seems as if the coronavirus coalition has done everything but deal with either the coronavirus crisis or the economy. As for national reconciliation, theres nothing to see here. The official reconciliation cabinet, supposedly formed with the new government, never actually met. Meanwhile, with the announcement that the 23rd Knesset had been dissolved, Israelis found themselves headed to a fourth round of elections in just two years.

The new election is scheduled to take place March 23. Israel started its coronavirus vaccination drive Dec. 27. The Ministry of Health has managed so far to vaccinate with the first dose out of two some 1.2 million people, which is more than a tenth of its population. With this, Israel is now at the forefront of the international vaccination effort. Still, the pandemic keeps raging in Israel, and there are no guarantees that its spread would be halted by election day. Thus, the Central Elections Committee is hard at work discussing preparations for the elections, given the particular challenges anticipated as a result of the virus.

In an interview with Knesset TV, head of the Central Elections Committee Orly Ades said, This is an unusual challenge. Not only is it complicated, it is also very different from the other challenges we faced over the last two years. We are expected to find solutions that protect the health and well-being of the public, while providing people with an opportunity to vote based on existing election formats. Its not like we can come up with some new system in the time allowed us so that people can vote online, by mail, by phone, etc. Israel has a system in place in which the principle of the secret ballot is paramount. We are now focused on finding a variety of solutions that would eliminate mass gatherings in the polling stations on election day.

What kind of solutions are they talking about? Some ideas include reducing the number of voters in each polling station, so that they do not exceed 650 people; identifying public buildings that can be used to split up large polling stations and reducing the number of people in each; setting up two partitions in each polling booth in order to speed up the voting process, providing protection for all members of the local voting committees, including a barrier between them and the voters; and best of all, setting up a series of voting stations designated specially for people who are ill or in isolation. One proposal is to set up drive-through voting stations, so that people can vote from their cars without getting out. That way, they can avoid any direct contact with healthy individuals.

Then there is the campaign itself. Parties will have to deal with election campaigns in the shadow of the virus, with all the restrictions that this entails. For one thing, they will be forced to show much more creativity in the ways that they communicate with voters. Meretz Secretary-General Tomer Reznik told Al-Monitor, These elections force us to rethink the way we campaign, particularly when it comes to campaign activities on the ground. We will place special emphasis on encouraging voter turnout on election day, using a variety of tools, including both traditional and digital tools.

Similarly, a representative at Yesh Atid headquarters told Al-Monitor, As a result of the coronavirus crisis, we are preparing for an election with many challenges. We are hard at work on all sorts of new tools, mostly digital but also some that have never been seen in Israel before.

Will we see drive-in election rallies, like they had in the United States? Only time will tell.

What about the Arab Joint List? Lately, it has been suffering from an internal crisis. In previous elections, Israeli-Arab voters rewarded the party when it united, punished it when it disintegrated. Israeli-Arab politicians are well aware of that. They are also well aware of the low vaccination rate within their electorate. This in turn could spark another rise in the COVID-19 infection rate in Arab towns and villages. Thus, Israeli-Arab politicians must contend with two factors that threaten to reduce turnout within the Arab population. To this, we should add a traditionally lower vote rating in Arab towns and villages, compared with voting in the Jewish sector.

So, what are Arab politicians doing to prepare for this election? One of the Joint List leaders, Raam Chairman Mansour Abbas, told Al-Monitor that campaigning amid the coronavirus pandemic will indeed present a challenge. We have to see what happens when the actual campaign begins. Right now we are under closure, so there is nothing we can do. Given the current circumstances we will have to rely on technology, social networks, the media, Telegram, WhatsApp, billboards and other methods that do not require direct contact between people. That way we can avoid putting the public and our candidates at risk," he said.

Aaed Kayal, who ran the Joint Lists campaigns in the past, told Al-Monitor, We will have to wait and see how all the measures announced by the Central Elections Committee take shape in the Arab society. The situation could impact older voters who are concerned about going to polling stations to vote. This, in turn, will impact voter turnout [in Arab towns and villages], which I believe will plateau at around 60%. There will be greater emphasis on digital campaigns, the media, and voice and text messages, etc. Similarly, greater efforts will be made to recruit opinion-shapers, both from social media and on the ground, including mayors and other well-known leaders in the various towns and villages. I expect digital campaigns to work overtime, with election gatherings via Zoom. On the other hand, it is also possible that with the vaccination campaign, the situation will improve considerably by the time election day comes around."
Warren Kirk's photographs are at once evocative yet mysterious. The Melbourne photographer doesn't provide any detail about his subjects, except the name of the suburb in which they were shot. He's happy to let the images do the story-telling.

"I'm attracted to things that tell a story in some way," he says. "They've got an age on them, they're a bit shabby or rusted; there's a history. It can just be a shopfront or a building or somebody in their living space... It's still story-telling, it's not connecting every dot."

Abbotsford. Credit:Warren Kirk

Kirk has used the shutdown to sift through his archive of more than 20,000 images shot between 1986 and the mid '90s, selecting 1400, and culling the rest. He has created a new book using the unpublished images, which he has laid out, complete with potential pairings for facing pages.

"It always seemed a Herculean task, with all these boxes sitting there but I really enjoyed it," he says. "I discovered images I have no memory of taking, don't even know where that was. Some images that I have photographed in recent times, I had shot back then.
COVID-19 vaccine pricing for Ukraine, explained

The negotiating position of Indonesia is much stronger than that of Ukraine.

Reporting by UNIAN

If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The Netherlands has brought forward its first coronavirus jabs by two days to Wednesday, as pressure grows on the government in the last EU country to launch its vaccination campaign.

Frontline hospital staff across the country dealing with COVID-19 patients will be the first to get inoculated, along with a group of nursing home workers in the southern town of Veghel, the health ministry said.

"The start of the corona vaccination is brought forward by two days" from its originally scheduled date of January 8, the ministry said in a statement after meeting with health authorities.

Criticism has been growing across the EU of the slow roll-out of coronavirus vaccinations since they began on December 27, with anger mounting in France in particular.

But even by those standards the Netherlands has been lagging behind, with the scheduled start almost two weeks after the first EU vaccinations and nearly a month behind Britain.

Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge is due to answer questions in parliament on Tuesday over the reasons for the delay.

Officials have previously blamed logistical issues and the need for domestic authorisation.

The Netherlands has since mid-December been under its toughest lockdown since the pandemic began, with all schools and non-essential shops closed and people advised to stay at home.

It recorded 6,671 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, 757 fewer than the previous day.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte had previously promoted an "intelligent lockdown" that was much more lax than most of the Netherlands' European neighbours.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia on January 3 agreed to hold joint discussions to resolve the controversial Addis Ababa multi-billion dollar dam dispute on the river Nile, Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Seleshi Bekele, said in an online statement. The development comes after the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Water Affairs of Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan held a virtual meeting on the long-standing water dispute convened by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa and Chairperson of the AU Executive Council.

According to a press release issued by Ethiopias water ministry, the three countries exchanged views on the continuation of the trilateral negotiations that focused on a draft document related to joint cooperation presented by the experts and assigned by the Chairperson of the African Union. Ethiopia expressed willingness to participate in the trilateral negotiations with Sudan and Egypt, the ministry said in the release. Meanwhile, Sudan also conveyed the importance of the talks on the water conflict and proceed with the negotiations with a defined role of the AU experts.

[Disputed Nile river dam. Credit: twitter/@mlnangalama]

Read: 'I Would Never Go Back': Horrors Grow In Ethiopia's Conflict

Read: Report Says Several Dozen Killed In Latest Ethiopia Massacre

The main issue of contention between the three nations was the guidelines and rules for the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the future water development projects on the Abbay Basin. The three-way talks had previously failed over the 145-meter (475-foot) tall hydropower project started by Ethiopia in 2011. GERD is a non-consumptive hydroelectric generating dam which is being negotiated, Ehtiopias water ministry informed in the release.

A comprehensive water treaty is being agreed on, the country said, adding that the prevalence of an unjust status-quo or a GERD deal that will in any way restrict its right to use the Nile waters will not be accepted by Ethiopia. Ethiopia is committed to concluding the negotiation with good faith to reach an agreement, the ministry further stated.

The meeting concluded that this week will be devoted to bilateral talks between the three countries, the experts, and the observers, Sudans water ministry said in an online statement, adding that the resumption of tripartite negotiations on January 10 will pave way for cooperation between three nations.

[Negotiations held with respect to Nile water dispute between 3 countries. Credit: Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy, Ethiopia/ Facebook]

[Credit: Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy, Ethiopia/ Facebook]

Water dispute around the Dam

The $4 bn dam constructed by Ethiopia on the Blue Nile is Africa's largest hydro-electric project, however, Ethiopias filling of the reservoir severely impacted Sudan and Egypt for over several years, causing tensions among the three countries. Even as Sudan lies on farther end downstream than Cairo, the dam is expected to cause acute water shortages for both Egypt and Sudan. The US and other intermediary nations held negotiations with the three countries earlier. The US, however, leans with Egypt and Sudan in the dispute. Meanwhile, Ethiopia calls the GERD construction essential for its economic development.

[Map of the Nile Basin with major infrastructure and the three countries' strategic location around the dam construction. Credit: Nature Journal]

Read: Sudan: Protest In Darfur Over End Of UN Peacekeeping Mission

Read: Sudan's PM Announces Formation Of National Mechanism After UNAMID Withdrawal
American Thinker and contributors Andrea Widburg, R.D. Wedge, Brian Tomlinson, and Peggy Ryan have published pieces on www.AmericanThinker.com that falsely accuse US Dominion Inc., Dominion Voting Systems, Inc., and Dominion Voting Systems Corporation (collectively Dominion) of conspiring to steal the November 2020 election from Donald Trump. These pieces rely on discredited sources who have peddled debunked theories about Dominions supposed ties to Venezuela, fraud on Dominions machines that resulted in massive vote switching or weighted votes, and other claims falsely stating that there is credible evidence that Dominion acted fraudulently.

These statements are completely false and have no basis in fact. Industry experts and public officials alike have confirmed that Dominion conducted itself appropriately and that there is simply no evidence to support these claims.

It was wrong for us to publish these false statements. We apologize to Dominion for all of the harm this caused them and their employees. We also apologize to our readers for abandoning 9 journalistic principles and misrepresenting Dominions track record and its limited role in tabulating votes for the November 2020 election. We regret this grave error.
The Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church releases a message to mark the New Year, noting that as we leave a year in which we were forced to reduce social contact, we must enter the new one prioritising building human relationships.

By Vatican News staff writer

2020, which was full of special experiences, difficulties and challenges, but also special blessings, discoveries and joy has come to an end. This message, from the Primate of the Ukrainian-Greek Catholic Church (UGCC), His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, came in a video released on the Churchs website to wish all Ukrainians a happy new year.

In his video message, the Primate continued saying that this year we experienced and learned a lot for the first time. "We have realized that human life is priceless, and human health cannot be valued by any money, economic benefits or political expediency."

What is happening in Ukraine?

An armed conflict has been raging on in Eastern Ukraine since 2014. The six-year conflict in the Donbas region  between the Ukrainian government and Russian-backed forces - has seen more than 13,000 people killed; 30,000 wounded; and almost 1,500,000 Ukrainians internally displaced.

Despite international efforts to stop the fighting, numerous ceasefires, and the swearing in of a new President in Ukraine in 2019, an end to the conflict is still not in sight.

Pope Francis and aid to Ukraine

During his pontificate, Pope Francis has often expressed his concern for Ukraine and offered aid to the country. Notably, In 2016, Pope Francis asked Catholic parishes in Europe to take up a special collection for humanitarian support in Ukraine. A total of 12 million euros were collected, to which Pope Francis then added 6 million of his own to the cause.

After his Sunday Angelus on 26 July 2020, Pope Francis prayed for the people of Ukraine, and, referring to the numerous ceasefires (twenty since the start of the conflict), said, While I thank you for this sign of goodwill aimed at restoring the much desired peace in that tormented region, I pray that what has been agreed will finally be put into practice.

Lessons from 2020

Continuing his message, Major Archbishop Shevchuk noted that through struggling with disease not yet known to the world, we saw the strength and victory of human solidarity in our lives.

"We realized," he said, "that indifference kills, and love of neighbour sustains, gives new hope, saves lives. This year we recognised the family as the home Church, where the Lord Creator and Saviour Himself is present in our house.

The Head of the Church also noted that in 2020 we especially appreciated the art of medicine, and the heroism of our doctors and medical workers who save patients at the cost of their own lives.

A 2021 of joy and light

"But we look with joy and light at the new year 2021 that we are entering. We feel that in the new year we will still be together, in one boat we will cross this sea of life. Our Lord and Saviour, who is coming to be born in Bethlehem of Judea, will be in that boat with us," His Beatitude Sviatoslav assured his people.

The Primate wished everyone God's blessing, optimism, strength, and joy, so that we could really move forward together.

"Happy New Year to you, dear brothers and sisters! Happy New Year to you, Ukraine! he concluded.
WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI  Last summers protests have inspired Aaron Liepman to honor one of the most important figures in the fight for racial justice.

Liepman, an Eastern Michigan University biology professor, decided to create Revolutionary, a black-and-white mosaic of LEGO bricks celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The mosaic, which consists of approximately 15,000 hand-painted LEGO bricks, depicts King addressing a crowd of about 30,000 at the Los Angeles Freedom Rally on May 26, 1963. While Liepmans inspiration for the mosaic came from the protests, the coronavirus pandemic gave him enough time to actually put in the work.

Ive been listening to some of MLKs sermons while I (build) it, Liepman said. Ive had the sensation sometimes that Im kind of in the crowd. When you look over there, its almost like hes with you.

Like many LEGO creators, the love of building started at an early age for Liepman, as he and his brother would share a bucket of bricks. Liepman and his children would build LEGO projects together, and he decided he wanted to build mosaics when he visited the LEGO store in downtown Chicago and saw a mosaic of the citys skyline.

Liepman has been building LEGO mosaics since 2013, when he built a small 22-inch-by-22-inch LEGO Hulk as a gift for his brother. Some of his work since then has been displayed at the Saline District Library.

EMU professors LEGO art on display at Saline District Library

Over the years, the size and complexity of Liepmans creations have increased, and Revolutionary is his 18th and largest creation at 65 inches by 50 inches, Liepman said.

This one, however, is his first using all black and white bricks.

It seemed conceptually simple, to make a color palette that goes from black to white, but it was much more difficult than I expected to be able to mix the colors in such a way that I had enough tonal range that it captured all the highlights and shadows adequately, Liepman said.

As of Dec. 29, Liepman was about 90% done with the mosaic. He anticipates the completed project will take about 100 hours of hands-on time, including painting the pieces, assembling the mosaic and building the frame.

Liepman sill is working on finding a place to display the work. EMU is willing to display it on campus, he said, but because of the coronavirus pandemic, its still up in the air. Liepman has also tried reaching the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, but said he has yet to hear from them.

Whether its displayed publicly or not, Liepman said he has enjoyed working on the mosaic and learning about Kings history and lessons.

There is no time like now to highlight this civil rights revolutionary and to work peacefully and creatively to combat injustices and work toward equity, Liepman said.

Anyone interested in displaying Liepmans mosaic can contact him at recyclemi@yahoo.com.

READ MORE:

Virtual events planned by University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University for MLK celebration

Yamiche Alcindor to give keynote address at Eastern Michigan University Martin Luther King Jr. celebration

Eastern Michigan University renames Quirk Building in honor of late faculty member


KYODO NEWS - Jan 5, 2021 - 00:20 | All, Japan

A Japanese court finalized on Tuesday a death penalty ruling given to the man dubbed Japan's "Twitter killer" after he withdrew an appeal filed by his lawyers in the case related to the 2017 serial murders of nine people who posted suicidal thoughts on social media.

The defense team for Takahiro Shiraishi, 30, appealed the death sentence on Dec. 18 last year, but he canceled the procedure three days later, according to the Tachikawa branch of the Tokyo District Court, which found him guilty of murdering, dismembering and storing the bodies of the nine in his apartment near Tokyo.

During his trial, Shiraishi said he would not appeal his sentence even if given the death penalty.

According to the ruling handed down on Dec. 15, Shiraishi strangled and dismembered his victims -- eight women and one man aged 15 to 26 -- from late August to late October in 2017 and sexually assaulted all the female victims. He lured his victims to his home and stole cash.

His defense lawyers had argued he was guilty only of the lesser charge of homicide with consent, saying he had his victims' tacit approval based on messages they sent him.

But the court concluded the nine victims did not consent to being killed, while also rejecting the defense's claim that Shiraishi was possibly either mentally incompetent or in a state of diminished capacity at the time of the crimes.

The presiding judge, who said that "the viciousness of the crimes was on a level rarely seen in Japan's history," ruled that Shiraishi's motive was "monetary gain and sexual satisfaction" and handed down the death penalty as sought by prosecutors.

Although the defense team is able to submit a revocation to court of the defendant's withdrawal of the appeal, chief defense counsel Akira Omori said they do not plan to do so.

Shiraishi is believed to have promised to help his victims die via Twitter, using his handle that loosely translates as "hangman" and inviting them to his apartment, after they had expressed suicidal thoughts.

The victims' body parts were discovered inside several coolers in his apartment in Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump urged fellow Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, to "find" enough votes to overturn his defeat in an extraordinary one-hour phone call Saturday that legal scholars described as a flagrant abuse of power and a potential criminal act.

The Washington Post obtained a recording of the conversation in which Trump alternately berated Raffensperger, tried to flatter him, begged him to act and threatened him with vague criminal consequences if the secretary of state refused to pursue Trump's false claims, at one point warning that Raffensperger was taking "a big risk."

Throughout the call, Raffensperger and his office's general counsel rejected Trump's assertions, explaining that the president is relying on debunked conspiracy theories and that President-elect Joe Biden's 11,779-vote victory in Georgia was fair and accurate.

Trump dismissed their arguments.

"The people of Georgia are angry, the people in the country are angry," he said. "And there's nothing wrong with saying, you know, that you've recalculated."

Raffensperger responded: "Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong."

At another point, Trump said: "So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state."

He later added: "So what are we going to do here, folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break."

The rambling and at times incoherent conversation offered a remarkable glimpse of how consumed and desperate the president remains about his loss, unwilling or unable to let the matter go and still asserting that he can reverse the results in enough battleground states to remain in office.

"There's no way I lost Georgia," Trump said, a phrase he repeated again and again on the call. "There's no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes."

Several of his allies were on the line as he spoke, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and conservative lawyer Cleta Mitchell, a prominent GOP attorney whose involvement with Trump's efforts had not been previously known.

In a statement, Mitchell said Raffensperger's office "has made many statements over the past two months that are simply not correct and everyone involved with the efforts on behalf of the President's election challenge has said the same thing: Show us your records on which you rely to make these statements that our numbers are wrong."

The White House, the Trump campaign and Meadows did not respond to a request for comment.

Raffensperger's office declined to comment.

On Sunday, Trump tweeted that he had spoken to Raffensperger, saying the secretary of state was "unwilling, or unable, to answer questions such as the 'ballots under table' scam, ballot destruction, out of state 'voters,' dead voters, and more. He has no clue!"

Raffensperger responded with his own tweet: "Respectfully, President Trump: What you're saying is not true."

The details of the call drew demands from top Democrats for criminal investigations. Campaigning in Georgia, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris called Trump's conversation a "bald-faced, bold abuse of power by the president of the United States."

Biden's top campaign lawyer, Bob Bauer, said the recording "captures the whole, disgraceful story about Donald Trump's assault on American democracy."

Republicans, however, were largely silent. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, when asked about the call while campaigning in Georgia on Sunday for the two GOP senators who face a run-off Tuesday, dodged the question completely.

Trump's pressure campaign on Raffensperger is the latest example of his attempt to subvert the outcome of the Nov. 3 election through personal outreach to state Republican officials. He previously invited Michigan Republican state leaders to the White House, pressured Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in a call to try to replace that state's electors and asked the speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to help reverse his loss in that state.

His call to Raffensperger came as scores of Republicans have pledged to challenge the electoral college's vote for Biden when Congress convenes for a joint session on Wednesday. Republicans do not have the votes to successfully thwart Biden's victory, but Trump has urged supporters to travel to Washington to protest the outcome, and state and federal officials are already bracing for clashes outside the Capitol.

During their conversation, Trump issued a vague threat to both Raffensperger and Ryan Germany, the secretary of state's general counsel, suggesting that if they don't find that thousands of ballots in Fulton County have been illegally destroyed to block investigators - an allegation for which there is no evidence - they would be subject to criminal liability.

"That's a criminal offense," he said. "And you can't let that happen. That's a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer."

Trump also told Raffensperger that failure to act by Tuesday would jeopardize the political fortunes of David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, Georgia's two Republican senators whose fate in that day's runoff elections will determine control of the U.S. Senate.

Trump said he plans to talk about the alleged fraud on Monday, when he is scheduled to lead an election eve rally in Dalton, Ga. - a message that could further muddle the efforts of Republicans to draw out their voters.

"You have a big election coming up and because of what you've done to the president - you know, the people of Georgia know that this was a scam," Trump said. "Because of what you've done to the president, a lot of people aren't going out to vote, and a lot of Republicans are going to vote negative, because they hate what you did to the president. OK? They hate it. And they're going to vote. And you would be respected, really respected, if this can be straightened out before the election."

Trump's conversation with Raffensperger echoed his effort to persuade the Ukrainian president to investigate Biden on a call that led to his impeachment, and once again put him in legally questionable territory, legal experts said. By exhorting the secretary of state to "find" votes and to deploy investigators who "want to find answers," the president appeared to be encouraging him to doctor the election outcome in Georgia, which could violate state and federal law.

Trump's apparent threat of criminal consequences if Raffensperger does not act could be seen as an attempt at extortion and a suggestion that he might deploy the Justice Department to launch an investigation, they said.

"The president is either knowingly attempting to coerce state officials into corrupting the integrity of the election or is so deluded that he believes what he's saying," said Richard Pildes, a constitutional law professor at New York University, who noted that Trump's actions may have violated several federal statutes.

But Pildes said Trump's clearer transgression is a moral one, and he emphasized that focusing on whether he committed a crime could deflect attention from the "simple, stark, horrific fact that we have a president trying to use the powers of his office to pressure state officials into committing election fraud to keep him in office."

Prosecutors probably would exercise discretion in considering a case against an outgoing president, experts said.

Edward Foley, a law professor at Ohio State University, said that the legal questions are murky, and that it could be difficult to prove that Trump knew he was encouraging illegal behavior. But Foley also emphasized that the call was "inappropriate and contemptible" and should prompt outrage.

"He was already tripping the emergency meter," Foley said. "So we were at 12 on a scale of 1 to 10, and now we're at 15."

Throughout the call, Trump detailed an exhaustive list of disinformation and conspiracy theories to support his position. He claimed without evidence that he had won Georgia by at least a half-million votes. He floated a barrage of assertions that have been investigated and disproved: that thousands of dead people voted; that an Atlanta election worker scanned 18,000 forged ballots three times each and "100 percent" were for Biden; that thousands more voters living out of state came back to Georgia illegally just to vote in the election.

"So tell me, Brad, what are we going to do? We won the election, and it's not fair to take it away from us like this," Trump said. "And it's going to be very costly in many ways. And I think you have to say that you're going to re-examine it, and you can re-examine it, but reexamine it with people that want to find answers, not people who don't want to find answers."

Trump did most of the talking on the call. He was angry and impatient, calling Raffensperger a "child" and said law enforcement officials "either dishonest or incompetent" for not believing there was widespread ballot fraud in Atlanta - and twice calling himself a "schmuck" for endorsing Kemp, whom Trump holds in particular contempt for not embracing his claims of fraud.

"I can't imagine he's ever getting elected again, I'll tell you that much right now," he said.

He also took aim at Kemp's 2018 opponent, Democrat Stacey Abrams, trying to shame Raffensperger with the idea that his refusal to embrace fraud has helped her and Democrats generally. "Stacey Abrams is laughing about you," he said. "She's going around saying, 'These guys are dumber than a rock.' What she's done to this party is unbelievable, I tell you."

The secretary of state repeatedly sought to correct Trump, saying at one point, "Mr. President, the problem you have with social media, they - people can say anything."

"Oh, this isn't social media," Trump retorted. "This is Trump media. It's not social media. It's really not. It's not social media. I don't care about social media. I couldn't care less."

At another point, Trump claimed that votes were scanned three times: "Brad, why did they put the votes in three times? You know, they put 'em in three times."

Raffensperger responded: "Mr. President, they did not. We did an audit of that and we proved conclusively that they were not scanned three times."

Trump sounded at turns confused and meandering. At one point, he referred to Kemp as "George." He tossed out several different figures for Biden's margin of victory in Georgia and referred to the Senate runoff, which is Tuesday, as happening "tomorrow" and "Monday."

His desperation was perhaps most pronounced during an exchange with Germany, Raffensperger's general counsel, in which he openly begged for validation.

Trump: "Do you think it's possible that they shredded ballots in Fulton County? 'Cause that's what the rumor is. And also that Dominion took out machines. That Dominion is really moving fast to get rid of their, uh, machinery. Do you know anything about that? Because that's illegal, right?"

Germany responded: "No, Dominion has not moved any machinery out of Fulton County."

Trump: "But have they moved the inner parts of the machines and replaced them with other parts?"

Germany: "No."

Trump: "Are you sure? Ryan?"

Germany: "I'm sure. I'm sure, Mr. President."

It was clear from the call that Trump has surrounded himself with aides who have fed his false perceptions that the election was stolen. When he claimed that more than 5,000 ballots were cast in Georgia in the name of dead people, Raffensperger responded forcefully: "The actual number was two. Two. Two people that were dead that voted."

But later, Meadows said, "I can promise you there are more than that."

Another Trump lawyer on the call, Kurt Hilbert, accused Raffensperger's office of refusing to turn over data to assess evidence of fraud, and also claimed awareness of at least 24,000 illegally cast ballots that would flip the result to Trump.

"It stands to reason that if the information is not forthcoming, there's something to hide," Hilbert said. "That's the problem that we have."

Reached by phone Sunday, Hilbert declined to comment.

Mitchell contradicted Trump on several occasions on the call, saying, "Well, I don't know about that," when the president alleged that a Fulton County election worker had triple-counted 18,000 ballots for Biden. She claimed that the extent of the fraud is unclear because Raffensperger's office has not shared all the data Trump's lawyers have sought.

"We never had the records that you have," she said. Germany noted that the office is barred under law from sharing some voter information.

In the end, Trump asked Germany to sit down with one of his attorneys to go over the allegations. Germany agreed.

Yet Trump also recognized that he was failing to persuade Raffensperger or Germany of anything, saying toward the end, "I know this phone call is going nowhere."

"Why don't you want to find this, Ryan?" he asked of Germany. "What's wrong with you? I heard your lawyer is very difficult, actually, but I'm sure you're a good lawyer. You have a nice last name."

But he continued to make his case in repetitive fashion, until finally, after roughly an hour, Raffensperger put an end to the conversation: "Thank you, President Trump, for your time."

- - -

The Washington Post's Alice Crites contributed to this report.
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Trump Campaign Responds to Audio Recording of Call Between President and Georgia Secretary of State

The Trump campaign has responded to a full audio recording, obtained and released by The Washington Post on Jan. 3, of a call between President Donald Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, which focused on issues of election integrity.

The Washington Post initially released snippets of the hour-long Jan. 3 call, which also involved the participation of White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Trump campaign attorney Cleta Mitchell, and Raffenspergers lawyer Ryan Germany.

The full transcript of the call reveals the president laying out a number of specific claims of election irregularities, including double voting, dead people voting, and Trump votes being shredded, along with other allegations of cheating and corruption that the president said denied him a win in Georgia.

Raffensperger and Germany repeatedly countered Trumps claims during the call, generally asserting that the issues raised by the president were either inaccurate or have been probed and shown to be untrue.

Jason Miller, senior adviser to the Trump campaign, wrote in a tweet on Jan. 3 that the full recording will show that [Raffensperger] is still a hack, [Trump] is spot-on in his criticisms of the terrible job Raffensperger did, all of the officials running Georgias elections are trash, and [the president] won the state.

The Georgia secretary of states office did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

Several hours before The Washington Post reported on the audio recording, Trump said on Twitter that he had asked Raffensperger about a number of election-related irregularities, which the president said Raffensperger was unwilling or unable to answer.

I spoke to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger yesterday about Fulton County and voter fraud in Georgia. He was unwilling, or unable, to answer questions such as the ballots under table scam, ballot destruction, out of state voters, dead voters, and more. He has no clue! Trump wrote.

Raffensperger responded to Trumps statement in a tweet: Respectfully, President Trump: What youre saying is not true. The truth will come out.

Some of the exchanges detailed in the call transcript show Trump saying that thousands of ballots were cast in Georgia by dead people.

So dead people voted, and I think the number is close to 5,000 people. And they went to obituaries. They went to all sorts of methods to come up with an accurate number, and a minimum is close to about 5,000 voters, Trump said.

Raffensperger responded: The actual number was two. Two. Two people that were dead that voted.

The president also said that some ballots were scanned three times, with the secretary of state saying in response, We did an audit of that, and we proved conclusively that they were not scanned three times.

Other claims made by Trump include allegations of illegal out-of-state voters casting ballots in Georgia, thousands of people who were not on voter registration lists casting votes, and a couple of hundred thousand of forged signatures on ballots.

The bottom line is, when you add it all up, Trump said, the many infractions were many, many times the 11,779 margin that they said we lost by.

Well, I listened to what the president has just said, Raffensperger responded after Trump listed his claims. President Trump, weve had several lawsuits, and weve had to respond in court to the lawsuits and the contentions. We dont agree that you have won.

David Shafer, chairman of the Republican Party of Georgia, wrote in a tweet that Trump has filed two lawsuits against Raffensperger over the audio call recording.

President [Trump] has filed two lawsuits  federal and state  against [Raffensperger]. The telephone conference call [Raffensperger] secretly recorded was a confidential settlement discussion of that litigation, which is still pending, Shafer wrote.
US: 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine found in watermelons

Tesla owners will be paid $ 16,000 each due to slow charging

Advisor to Armenia Prosecutor General provides details about incident with Armenian soldier killed in Verin Shorzha

Banksy's painting of punk Lenin sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 960,000

CSTO Deputy Secretary-General: Escalation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border requires undertaking of urgent measures

Catholicos of All Armenians receives newly appointed Ambassador of Japan

Australia closing its embassy in Kabul for security reasons

Biden to discuss issues related to Belarus and Ukraine with Putin

Armenian acting FM meets with ambassadors of CSTO member states accredited to Armenia

Armenia Ombudsman presents human rights protection in post-war period to CoE Programmes Directorate General

Germany is investigating Google's position in market

France: Sanctions against Belarus will continue

Armenia opposition party MP: Azerbaijan is a terrorist state, negotiations can't be led with such a country

US to reopen its Consulate General in Jerusalem

EU expects to receive over 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine by end of September

Armenian MFA strongly condemns Azerbaijan's blatant armed encroachment on Armenia's sovereign territory

UN still awaits strong evidence that Dubai ruler's daughter is alive

Opposition Bright Armenia Party urges Government to immediately address UN Security Council

Armen Sarkissian receives Russia Ambassador to Armenia

Armenia President, France Ambassador discuss situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border

Overchuk: We hope unblocking of links between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a success

Armenia police officer commits suicide, criminal case launched

Armenia Environmental Protection and Mining Inspection Body has new deputy heads

Zarif, Aliyev discuss railway routes connecting Iran, Azerbaijan and Armenia

EU leaders agree to donate at least 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to poor countries

Armenian serviceman Mher Hovhannisyan fires gunshot at his head, criminal case launched

Soldier who died in Armenia's Verin Shorzha was son of ARF-D member, father of 2

Blinken promises to continue close consultations with Israel on Iran

Armen Sarkissian: Armenia's relevant state institutions need to take the tightest measures

Armenian soldier commits suicide, opposition speaks on tense situation on border, 25.05.21 digest

Yerevan man's body found at Tatul Krpeyan Park

Armenia MOD: Reports about Armenian soldiers being injured in Sisian section of border not confirmed

EU summit calls for rarly implementation of vaccination certificates

Parliament of the Netherlands adopts resolution, EU must demand that Azerbaijan pull out troops from Armenia

Kremlin: Russian and US presidents to meet in Geneva on June 16

Spokesperson of community council of Armenia's Sisian: Men got enlisted and climbed to military posts

Bright Armenia Party: We are not satisfied with CSTO response

EU leaders urge council to review internal border guidelines by mid-June

Armenia MOD: Fixed-term serviceman receives lethal firearm injury in head area

Dollar still stable in Armenia

Armenian Catholic Catholicos-Patriarch passes away

Kathimerini: US seeks to increase military presence in Greece due to doubts about Turkey's reliability

US Congress members call on Biden to suspend all military assistance to Azerbaijan

Armenia acting economy minister receives Montenegro's newly appointed Ambassador

Armenia MOD: Soldier killed during shootings from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha

Russian MP: Azerbaijani leadership interested in Armenia acting PM's victory in snap elections

Armenia MOD reports shooting from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha border section

Armenia opposition MP: Authorities promised to separate business from politics, but they're failing to fulfill promise

There will be post-election processes if authorities try to rig voting, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

CNN: Putin and Biden will meet on June 15-16 in Geneva

Latin America has the highest poverty rate in 20 years

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia applying to CSTO: No one will help you if you do nothing to solve your problems

Armenia ruling Civil Contract Party presents list of first 10 candidates ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Armenia acting justice minister discusses broad range of cooperation issues with top CoE official

Armenia former President Kocharyan: This guilt, this criminal article is on these authorities

Man survives after spending 17 days in desert

Azerbaijan continues course towards systematic extermination of Armenian heritage in Shushi

Armenia Syunik Province ex-governor: Azerbaijani soldiers advanced along length of border two days ago

Newly appointed Ambassador of Montenegro presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Its about bringing Karabakh issue back to right to self-determination, says Armenia ex-President Kocharyan

Iran FM to arrive in Armenia

Ara Aivazian and Austrian counterpart hold phone talks, focus on Azeri army's infiltration into Armenia's territory

Kocharyan: Elect todays political team if you are ready to live squatting

Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 30 million

2nd President Kocharyan on Armenia Security Council chief: Do you take that person seriously?

"Key" to settlement of Karabakh conflict cant be in one place, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Texas may permit carrying of pistols without special permission

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia acting PM Pashinyan's high popularity rating: We will wear it down to the root

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Election bloc format must be workable in some logical sense

Attorney: Political persecution against Robert Kocharyan is becoming more noticeable during election campaign

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: We must do everything so that our domestic politics is not dictated by Azerbaijan

Armenian acting defense minister meets Russian peacekeeping mission chief

Congress predicts US nuclear spending to reach $ 634 billion by 2030

Russian MP: The effectiveness of military cooperation with Armenia depends on Yerevan as well

Delimitation now may create some problems in Karabakh negotiation process, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan on relations with 3rd President Sargsyan: We go our own way they go their own

Judge adjourns hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM for 3 weeks

Court hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM

2nd President Kocharyan: Armenia must show that it will not be subjected to such pressures

Kocharyan: You may find yourself in stupid situations if you come to negotiations without any baggage

Armenia Investigative Committee: Criminal case opened into soldiers death

157 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

EU helps UN World Food Programme provide humanitarian assistance for conflict-affected people in Armenia

Yerevan municipal council convenes regular session

Armenia legislature speaker on situation at Syunik Province: CSTO still has procedures

Blinken arrives on his first official visit to Israel

World oil prices going up

Provincial hall issues statement on Tavush section of Armenia border with Azerbaijan

MFA statement: Azerbaijan continues to use Armenian POWs as political hostages

Newspaper: There are last-minute changes on Armenia ruling party electoral list

Armenia parliament starts regular sessions

Newspaper: Armenia 3rd President Sargsyan intensively engaged in election campaign

EU leaders call for ban on Belarus airlines flights to their countries

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2nd President Kocharyan: Process of obtaining Armenia citizenship shall be simplified, shall take only few months

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(Newser)  Iran began enriching uranium Monday to levels unseen since its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and also seized a South Korean-flagged tanker near the crucial Strait of Hormuz, a double-barreled challenge to the West that further raised Mideast tensions. Both decisions appeared aimed at increasing Tehran's leverage in the waning days in office for President Trump, whose unilateral withdrawal from the atomic accord in 2018 began a series of escalating incidents, the AP reports. Increasing enrichment at its underground Fordo facility puts Tehran a technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%, while also pressuring President-elect Joe Biden to quickly negotiate. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif seemed to acknowledge Tehran's interest in leveraging the situation in a tweet about its nuclear enrichment.

story continues below

"Our measures are fully reversible upon FULL compliance by ALL," Zarif wrote. At Fordo, Iranian nuclear scientists under the watch of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors loaded centrifuges with over 285 pounds of low-enriched uranium to be spun up to 20%, Iranian officials said. Meanwhile, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard seized the MT Hankuk Chemi, The ship had been traveling from a petrochemicals facility in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. Iran claimed it seized the vessel over it allegedly polluting the Persian Gulf. The seizure comes as a South Korean diplomat was due to travel to the Islamic Republic to discuss the release of billions of dollars in Iranian assets now frozen in Seoul.

(Read more Iran stories.)
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Bengaluru, Jan 5 : After a series of setbacks, Janata Dal(S) second-in-command, H.D. Kumarswamy on Monday announced lengthy revamp plans including setting up of a central war room, party youth wing and other wings will be revamped.

Addressing his party workers and leaders, Kumarswamy said, "The JD(S) will have to adopt the BJP model but change it slightly. We need to accommodate Hindutva philosophy also as well as winning every minute community's confidence by forming a 10-member booth level committee in all booths in the state." He asserted that he will recruit one each representatives "30 representatives" who will report to him directly and they will be hired on a monthly salary basis. "I am enough with both parties. We have voters and workers, we need hard workers," he said.

The former Karnataka Chief Minister asserted that the party will have 10 lakh fresh members across the state. "The youth JD(S) wing should have five lakh members, who will be active across the state," he said.

In his 35-minute address, he reputedly asserted that there is no question of aligning with any party or merging his party.

Kumarswamy said that he joined hands with Congress in 2018 with an aim to waive off farmers loan. "After waving off farm loans, I did not bother to safeguard the coalition government. That's why I went and stayed in the United States of America, when a section of Congress MLAs tried to topple my government. I knew their agenda therefore I too played my cards very well," he said.

He added that if all our 10 lakh workers work hard and unitedly, then there is no question of losing 2023 elections. "We have honest workers in our party and in week's time we will have separate plans for Bengaluru and each revenue divisions - Mysruru, Kalaburagi, Belagavi and Hubballi divisions," he said.
Family members of the "Hong Kong 12" hold a press conference in Hong Kong on Dec. 28, 2020. (Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese Regime Revokes Licenses for Two Lawyers in Detained Hongkongers Case

Chinese authorities revoked two Chinese lawyers practicing licenses after they represented two of the 12 Hongkongers who tried to flee on a boat on Aug. 23 last year.

While en route to Taiwan, all 12 were intercepted by Chinas coast guard and detained in mainland China.

Ten of them were placed on trial last week. Chinese authorities decided not to press charges against two who were minors at the time of their arrest. They were repatriated back to Hong Kong on Dec. 30.

The two lawyers, Lu Siwei and Ren Quanniu, represented Quinn Moon and Wong Wai-yin respectively.

Quinn was sentenced to two years imprisonment on the charge of organizing others to illegally cross the border. Wong was among eight people who were sentenced to seven months for illegally crossing the border. A tenth defendant, Tang Kai-yin, was sentenced to three years.

Licenses Revoked

On Dec. 4, the justice department of Sichuan Province in southwestern China issued a notice, accusing Lu of making inappropriate remarks online multiple times. Moreover, it said Lus remarks had severely damaged the image of the lawyer sector and had negative impacts on society. As a result, the department said it was entitled to revoke his license in accordance with local laws.

The notice added that Lu was entitled to defend himself by requesting the department to hold a hearing. Lu now has three days to make his hearing request, or he will be regarded as having given up his rights to a hearing.

Lu told Hong Kong media that he will apply for a hearing and condemned the Sichuan justice departments unreasonable persecution. He further called on the department to return to the right track immediately.

He said it was likely his work with the 12 Hongkongers that led to authorities decision, but added that he did not have any regrets about taking up the case.

Also on Monday, Eddie Chu, a former Hong Kong lawmaker who has been assisting families of the 12 Hongkongers, took to his Facebook page to expose that Ren also had his license revoked.

A notice, dated Dec. 31 and issued by the justice department of Henan Province, leveled accusations against Ren for his actions during the trial of a client surnamed Zhang held on Nov. 7, 2018. Ren was also given three days to decide if he wanted a hearing to appeal the license revocation.

About 30 minutes after Chus Facebook post, Ren published the same notice on his Twitter account.

Ren wrote that the Chinese authorities actions were evil, noting that they used a lawyers words in court as punishment and disregarded rule of law. He did not say whether he would appeal the revocation.

A Hong Kong-based concern group for the 12 Hongkongers condemned the Chinese regimes decision to revoke the lawyers licenses.

The Chinese authorities are using the case of Lu and Ren as an example to threaten other human rights lawyers, such that no one else would dare to participate in politically sensitive cases, the group said in a statement on Facebook.

The concern group said the detainees families were grateful to Lu, Ren, and other human rights lawyers in China, for they faced pressure from the municipal, provincial, and national levels.

Even while they were faced with unreasonable obstruction by authorities in Shenzhen and Yantian at every turn, these lawyers are steadfast in defending the fundamental rights of the Twelve, upholding professionalism and integrity, and revealing the unfair and unlawful practices of the authorities along the way, the concern group added.

On Monday night, Quinns family released a statement, wishing Lu to be safe and sound. Additionally, the family criticized Chinese authorities appointed lawyer, saying the latter was unresponsive to their calls.

Wongs family said in a statement that they were shocked to learn about Rens situation, noting it would be a loss to China if his license were revoked.

Suppression

In September, Lu was denied access to his client, who at the time was being held at the Yantian Detention Center in Shenzhen, on the grounds that authorities had already appointed two other lawyers to represent Quinn. Unable to see his client, Lu said he planned to file a complaint with the local security bureau and the prosecutors office over the decision.

In November, a district justice bureau in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, demanded that the law firm Lu worked at hand over files related to cases represented by Lu since February 2019 for a review, according to Weiquan Wang, a Chinese website devoted to news about human rights activists.

The concern group decried how Chinese authorities refused to recognize family-hired lawyers, saying that Chinese authorities wanted to maintain complete control on the legal proceedings of the case. The group also expressed concerns that Lu, Ren, and other lawyers may face further suppression by authorities.

Beijing and the Hong Kong government have drawn international criticism over their handling of the 12 Hongkongers case.

In response to authorities treatment of Lu and Ren, Hong Kong-based nonprofit China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group warned that it could foretell an alarming development in China.

[The] Chinese government has now resorted to a subtler form of repression, administrative penalty, which involves revocation or invalidation of lawyers legal practice licenses, thus depriving them of their right to practice law, the nonprofit wrote.

Human Rights History

Both Lu and Ren have represented high-profile human rights cases in China.

Lu once defended fellow human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng, who was sentenced to four years in prison in June for inciting subversion of state power.

Ren was a defense lawyer for citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who was recently sentenced to four years imprisonment for picking quarrels and provoking trouble.

On Dec. 29 last year, the European Union issued a statement, expressing concerns about Yu and Zhangs cases, as well as other detained and convicted Chinese human rights defenders such as Gao Zhisheng.
She's one of the stars of the popular TV series Riverdale.

And on Sunday, Camila Mendes was spotted running errands in LA's Studio City neighborhood.

The actress, 26, chatted on her phone as she walked carrying purchases in a large store paper bag.

Casually stylish: Riverdale star Camila Mendes ran some errands in LA Sunday wearing a tartan face mask along with a black top tucked into blue jean flares and a black lightweight jacket

Mendes wore a black top tucked into blue jean flares and added a black lightweight jacket.

Her hair was loose and she had on a tartan face mask.

She later met up with her boyfriend Grayson Vaughan in LA's Silverlake neighborhood and she clutched a cup of coffee to go as they chatted.

Vaughan, a model and photographer, was dressed in a long-sleeve black top and baggy black pants which he paired with pink socks and dirty white sneakers.

Dating: The actress, 26, later met up with her boyfriend Grayson Vaughan in LA's Silverlake neighborhood and she clutched a cup of coffee to go as they chatted

Camila confirmed her romance with the model and photographer in September. She previously dated her Riverdale co-star Charles Melton

Production on Riverdale was halted earlier in the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing its fourth season to an early end.

Filming on the fifth season resumed in Vancouver, Canada, in the fall and the first of the new episodes premieres on January 20 on The CW.

Meanwhile, the Brazilian-American actress has two high profile movie roles lined up: She's set to star with Pete Davidson and O'Shea Jackson Jr. in the upcoming film American Sole and will co-star with Stranger Things' Maya Hawke in the dark comedy Strangers for Netflix.
A Portuguese health worker has died two days after getting the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.

Sonia Acevedo, 41, suffered a 'sudden death' at home on New Year's Day 48 hours after receiving the jab. An autopsy is expected to take place later today or tomorrow.

The mother-of-two, who worked in paediatrics at the Portuguese Institute of Oncology in Porto, is not said to have suffered any adverse side-effects after being vaccinated.

Ms Acevedo's father Abilio Acevedo told Portuguese daily Correio da Manha: 'She was okay. She hadn't had any health problems.

Sonia Acevedo, 41, suffered a 'sudden death' on New Year's Day just 48 hours after receiving the jab

'She had the Covid-19 vaccine but she didn't have any symptoms. I don't know what happened. I just want answers.

'I want to know what led to my daughter's death.'

Ms Acevedo's employers confirmed the dead woman had been vaccinated against coronavirus on December 30 and said they had not been notified of any 'undesirable effect' when she was jabbed or in the hours afterwards.

The Portuguese Institute of Oncology said in a statement: 'With regards to the sudden death of an operational assistant from the Porto IPO on January 1, 2021, the Board of Directors confirms the event and expresses sincere regret to family and friends in the certainty that this loss is also felt here.'

It added: 'The explanation of the cause of death will follow the usual procedures in these circumstances.'

Ms Acevedo had worked at IPO Porto, a national and international reference health institution in cancer treatment, research and education, for more than 10 years.

She lived with her family in Maia near Porto but died at her partner's home in Trofa half an hour's drive north of the northern Portuguese city.

She changed her profile pic on Facebook shortly after her jab to post a selfie with a face mask on and the message: 'Covid-19 vaccinated.'

Ms Acevedo worked in paediatrics at the Portuguese Institute of Oncology in Porto

Her father told Portuguese press he got the call to say she had been found dead around 11am last Friday morning hours after they ate together on New Years Eve, adding: 'My daughter left home and I never saw her alive again.'

Ms Acevedo's daughter Vania Figueredo said her mum had only complained about the 'normal' discomfort in the area where she was jabbed but was otherwise fine.

The health worker was one of 538 Porto IPO workers who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Portugal's Ministry of Health has been informed.

Portugal, with a population of just over 10 million, has reported 7,118 deaths and more than 427,000 cases.

After a relatively mild first wave, cases rose sharply in the second and have spiked again since Christmas.
Perth, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 3, 2021) - Tempus Resources Ltd (ASX: TMR) (TSXV: TMRR) ("Tempus") is pleased to announce that it has executed a Property Option/Joint Venture agreement with respect to the Company's Mineral Creek Gold Project, located in British Columbia, Canada.

The key terms of the agreement, with Canadian company Robinhood Gold Corp ("RGC") are:

RGC to earn an initial 75% interest in the Mineral Creek Gold Property by completing the following work commitment and consideration payments: Complete minimum expenditure on the Property of C$100,000 by December 31, 2021; Complete total cumulative property expenditures of C$500,000 by December 31, 2022; and, Complete total cumulative property expenditures of C$2,000,000 by December 31, 2023. If RGC completes and initial Public Offering (IPO) then RGC will pay Tempus C$100,000 in fully paid common shares of RGC at the IPO issue price; OR If RGC does not complete an IPO but becomes listed on any stock exchange via any transaction then RGC will pay Tempus $30,000 of fully paid common shares of RGC at a price equivalent the valuation implied by a concurrent equity raise or as agreed between the parties.

Tempus retains a 1% Net Smelter Royalty on the Mineral Creek Property.

RGC will be the operator of the Mineral Creek Property and will be responsible for all costs associated with maintaining the mineral claims in good standing, with Tempus having no obligation to contribute to project expenditures during the term of the Option/Joint Venture Agreement.

Following completion of the Option, the parties will establish a joint venture and contribute to project expenditures on an equity basis (after C$2,000,000 minimum expenditure by RGC).

RGC has the right to acquire an additional 5% of the Mineral Creek Property by paying Tempus C$1,000,000 at any time during the Option/Joint Venture Agreement period.

Agreement is subject to a 30 day due diligence period and is subject to ASX and/or TSX.V exchange approval as required.

Managing Director, Brendan Borg commented: "The Mineral Creek Gold Project was acquired along with our flagship Blackdome-Elizabeth Gold Project in late 2019. We welcome this opportunity to unlock value from the Project through this transaction with Robinhood, and look forward to seeing the story develop as exploration proceeds."

About the Mineral Creek Gold Project

The Mineral Creek Gold Property is located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, approximately 10 kilometres east of the town of Port Alberni (Figure 1), and was acquired by Tempus together with the Blackdome-Elizabeth Gold Project last year. The Property consists of 42 contiguous mineral claims totalling 9,877.29 hectares. All 42 mineral claims are owned 100% by Tempus subsidiary Sona Resources, and have no underlying royalties. The Property is readily accessible by an extensive network of all-season logging roads.

Mineral Creek has a long history of gold mining, dating back to the late 1800's where placer gold was mined from Mineral Creek and China Creek, and from several adits along the Mineral Creek Fault Zone, where gold was mined from high-grade gold-quartz veins.

Results from the most recent diamond drilling programs (2005-2010) include:

7.20 m @ 159.03 g/t gold , from 63.80 m (BTT-L54), Including 4.50 m @ 253.6 g/t gold from 64.30 m

, from 63.80 m (BTT-L54), 1.65 m @ 215.55 g/t gold , from 26.00 m (BTT-L58)

, from 26.00 m (BTT-L58) 4.40 m @ 75.25 g/t gold , from 75.05 m (MC2009-E57)

, from 75.05 m (MC2009-E57) 0.80 m @ 244.00 g/t gold , from 42.10 m (BTT-1053)

, from 42.10 m (BTT-1053) 5.30 m @ 34.12 g/t gold , from 71.50 m (BTT-1058)

, from 71.50 m (BTT-1058) 1.10 m @ 152.66 g/t gold , from 21.30 m (BTT-L14)

, from 21.30 m (BTT-L14) 2.70 m @ 45.48 g/t gold , from 13.50 m (BTT-L3)

, from 13.50 m (BTT-L3) 0.90 m @ 130.97 g/t gold , from 14.60 m (BTT-L43)

, from 14.60 m (BTT-L43) 1.80 m @ 61.57 g/t gold , from 24.50 m (BTT-L56)

, from 24.50 m (BTT-L56) 2.95 m @ 26.30 g/t gold , from 31.40 m and

1.65 m @ 15.34 g/t gold , from 82.45 m (MC2009-E53)

, from 31.40 m , from 82.45 m (MC2009-E53) 1.00 m @ 74.50 g/t gold , from 82.40 m (BTT-1059)

, from 82.40 m (BTT-1059) 5.30 m @ 13.08 g/t gold , from 92.00 m (MC2009-E39)

, from 92.00 m (MC2009-E39) 2.30 m @ 29.18 g/t gold , from 87.90 m (MC2009-E60)

, from 87.90 m (MC2009-E60) 2.70 m @ 22.66 g/t gold , from 15.40 m (BTT-L10)

, from 15.40 m (BTT-L10) 3.60 m @ 14.33 g/t gold , from 98.80 m (MC2009-E06)

, from 98.80 m (MC2009-E06) 0.90 m @ 54.77 g/t gold , from 38.90 m (BTT-L17)

, from 38.90 m (BTT-L17) 0.70 m @ 71.51 g/t gold , from 14.80 m (BTT-L2)

, from 14.80 m (BTT-L2) 7.05 m @ 5.82 g/t gold , from 54.25 m (BTT-1052)

, from 54.25 m (BTT-1052) 2.80 m @ 14.44 g/t gold , from 38.40 m (BTT-L25)

, from 38.40 m (BTT-L25) 1.40 m @ 20.05 g/t gold, from 72.90 m (BTT-1052)

For further information on the historical work at Mineral Creek, refer to the ASX announcement of 20 April, 2020.





Figure 1 - Mineral Creek Property Prospect Map

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7585/71276_3b67f713849a49f3_001full.jpg

This announcement has been authorised by the Board of Directors of Tempus Resources Limited.

For further information:

TEMPUS RESOURCES LTD

Melanie Ross - Director/Company SecretaryPhone: +61 8 6188 8181

Competent Persons Statement

Information in this report relating to Exploration Results is based on information reviewed by Mr. Kevin Piepgrass, who is a Member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of the province of BC (APEGBC), which is a recognised Professional Organisation (RPO), and an employee of Tempus Resources. Mr. Piepgrass has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined by the 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves, and as a Qualified Person for the purposes of NI43-101. Mr. Piepgrass consents to the inclusion of the data in the form and context in which it appears.

Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Tempus's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward- looking statements contained herein may include, but are not limited to, the successful completion of the 30 day due diligence period relating to the agreement , the ability of Tempus to successfully achieve business objectives, and expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Forward-looking statements and information are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the ability of Tempus to control or predict, that may cause Tempus' actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied thereby, and are developed based on assumptions about such risks, uncertainties and other factors set out herein. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although Tempus believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Tempus does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to Tempus or persons acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/71276
Sunday, January 3, 2021 at 8:58PM

We talked a bit about this earlier today and in previous weeks. We now have official word from the South Korean company that its next Galaxy Unpacked event will be held on January 14 at 10 am Eastern or 7 am Pacific virtually. This event will unveil Samsung's new Galaxy S21 series, which is expected to look similar to the S20 series but with larger camera modules with improved photo and video capabilities. Other rumoured devices to be unveiled at the event will be the Galaxy Buds Pro and possibly the Galaxy Smart Tag.

"Over the past year, mobile technology has taken center stage in everyday life as people are working remotely and spending more time at home," Samsung's invitation reads. "The accelerated transition to a mobile-first world brings with it the need for devices that can transform everyday life into an extraordinary experience."

Samsung pushing up the date of the Galaxy S21 release is seen as its reaction to a tough year of selling premium phones to a pandemic-stricken world as well as a response to Huawei's continuing struggles with the US. Is it a coincidence that this launch will be held on the last day of CES? Maybe or maybe not. And only time will tell if this early release will benefit the company.

Source: Engadget + CNET
HOUSTON -- Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered that a protein called NF-kappa B-inducing kinase (NIK) is essential for the shift in metabolic activity that occurs with T cell activation, making it a critical factor in regulating the anti-tumor immune response.

The preclinical research, published today in Nature Immunology, suggests that elevating NIK activity in T cells may be a promising strategy to enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy, including adoptive cellular therapies and immune checkpoint blockade.

In a preclinical melanoma model, the researchers evaluated melanoma-specific T cells engineered to express higher levels of NIK. Compared to controls, these T cells displayed stronger tumor-killing abilities and improved survival, suggesting that increasing NIK activity may improve the effectiveness of adoptive T cell therapies.

"NIK is a novel regulator of T cell metabolism that works in a very unique manner. Biologically, NIK activity stabilizes the HK2 glycolytic enzyme through regulating the cellular redox pathway," said corresponding author Shao-Cong Sun, Ph.D., professor of Immunology. "From the therapeutic point of view, we were able to improve the efficacy of adoptive T cell therapies in preclinical models by overexpressing NIK in those cells."

T cells generally exist in a relatively quiet state with low energy demands and little cell division, Sun explained. However, upon recognizing an antigen, T cells begin expanding and activate the glycolysis metabolic pathway to meet the increased energy demands of carrying out their immune function.

This metabolic shift is closely regulated by immune checkpoint proteins, such as CTLA-4 and PD-1, which act to repress T cell metabolism. Thus, immune checkpoint inhibitors can reinvigorate T cell anti-tumor activity by boosting metabolism. In addition, T cells begin producing proteins called costimulatory molecules after they become activated, which work to stimulate metabolism and the immune response.

Knowing that the NIK protein functions downstream of many of these costimulatory molecules, the researchers sought to better understand its role in regulating T cell function. In melanoma models, NIK loss resulted in an increased tumor burden and fewer tumor-infiltrating T cells, suggesting NIK plays a crucial role in anti-tumor immunity and T cell survival.

Further experiments revealed that NIK is essential for the metabolic reprogramming in activated T cells through its control of the cellular redox system. Increased metabolism can lead to elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can damage the cell and stimulate protein degradation.

The researchers discovered that NIK maintains the NADPH redox system, an important antioxidant mechanism to reduce the accumulation of ROS. This in turn leads to the stabilization of the HK2 protein, a rate-limiting enzyme within the glycolysis pathway.

"Our findings suggest that without NIK, the HK2 protein is not stable, and is constantly being degraded. You need NIK to maintain HK2 levels in T cells," Sun said. "Interestingly, we found that adding more NIK to the cells, you can further increase the levels of HK2 and make glycolysis more active."

As a potential therapeutic application, the researchers currently are working to evaluate modified chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in the laboratory engineered to overexpress NIK. In the future, they hope to explore other therapeutic approaches, such as targeted therapies that could manipulate NIK activity in tandem with other immunotherapy approaches, including immune checkpoint inhibitors.

###

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (GM84459, 30CA016672 and IS10OD01230), the National Research Foundation of Korea (MISP 2011-0018312) and the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (RP130397).

In addition to Sun, collaborating MD Anderson authors include Meidi Gu, Ph.D., Xiaofei Zhou, Ph.D., Le-Le Zhu, Ph.D., Zuliang Jie, Ph.D., Xiaoping Xie, Ph.D., Yaoyao Shi, Ph.D., and Xuhong Cheng all of Immunology; Jin-Young Yang, Ph.D., of Immunology and Busan National University, Busan, South Korea; Xiaofeng Zheng, and Jing Wang, Ph.D., of Bioinformatics & Computational Biology. Additional co-authors include Jee Hyung Sohn and Jae Bum Kim, Ph.D., both of Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea; Jie Yang, Ph.D., of Precision for Medicine, Houston, TX; and Hans D. Brightbill, Ph.D., of Genentech, South San Francisco, CA. A full list of disclosures can be found with the paper here.

- 30 -
Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations.
December was, by far, the worst month of the coronavirus pandemic in Jefferson County.

On more than one occasion, the region raised the bar for just how bad things can get.

But, months since the state of Texas first virus-related lockdown and thousands of cases since the first, its growing harder to feel the gravity of the growing pandemic and truly understand what worst means.

To better understand the growth of recorded positive cases and deaths, The Enterprise since the beginning of the pandemic has been tracking related information reported by the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council and area health departments. The Enterprise analyzed a few key metrics from that data, including number of deaths and the rate of positive case growth, to better illustrate just how far Southeast Texas surged last month.

In December, Jefferson County saw 3,177 new cases of COVID-19. That is 15% more than were recorded in July and nearly 60% more than in November, the second- and third-highest months, respectively.

Coronavirus at a glance December was, by far, the worst month of the coronavirus pandemic in Jefferson County. The Enterprise has been tracking related information reported by the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council and area health departments. That data show the extent of the December surge in Southeast Texas. Jefferson County's 6 deadliest days Month deaths Dec. 14 12 Dec. 28 9 Oct. 7 6 April 6, Oct. 6, Dec. 16 (tie) 5 each Jefferson County's most cases in a single day Date confirmed cases Dec. 1 219 July 9 204 July 14 192 Dec. 22 191 Nov. 17 179 Jefferson County's confirmed cases per month Month confirmed cases March 23 April 281 May 247 June 769 July 2,718 August 1,073 September 940 October 949 November 1,999 December 3,177 Jefferson County's deaths per month Month deaths April 20 May 7 June 6 July 36 August 24 September 12 October 28 November 18 December 58 Timeline of a health crisis COVID-19 came to Southeast Texas on March 18. Since then, businesses have been shuttered and reopened; scores of lives have been lost; and everyday life has been draatically altered. The following timeline highlights key dates in the pandemic: March 18: First positive coronavirus case in Jefferson County confirmed, in Beaumont. March 24: Southeast Texas opens first local drive-thru coronavirus testing site, at Jack Brooks Regional Airport. March 27: Southeast Texas county judges announce stay-at-home orders. March 31: Gov. Greg Abbott announces functional statewide stay-at-home order. April 1: First coronavirus-related death in Jefferson County confirmed in Beaumont. The victim was a man in his 70s with underlying health issues but no known travel history. May 1: Texas begins to partially reopen non-essential businesses. May 15: County-run coronavirus testing sites close and six-county Southeast Texas coalition formed to respond to the virus stands down. June 24: Jefferson County surpasses 1,000 positive cases and countywide mask order goes into effect. July 3: Statewide mask order goes into effect. Aug. 21: Jefferson County surpasses 5,000 positive cases. Sept. 9: Jefferson County reaches 100 coronavirus-related deaths. Dec. 10: Jefferson County surpasses 10,000 positive cases. Dec. 22: Southeast Texas businesses ordered to roll back their reopenings after the local trauma service area saw coronavirus patients exceed 15% of total hospital capacity for seven consecutive days. Dec. 31: Jefferson County concludes the deadliest month of the pandemic with 58 COVID-related fatalities. The Enterprise See More Collapse

Fifteen of Decembers 31 days saw more than 100 new cases added to the rolls.

Related: Remembering SE Texans lost to COVID-19

On July 6, the county topped 100 new cases in a single day for the first time when 140 new positive results were reported. The month of July went on to see 10 more days with similarly high growth.

Before December, only November came close to that many, as six days saw more than 100 new cases.

It wasnt the result of a few backlogged days of reporting that caused wildly varying daily case totals.

The month of December averaged nearly 96 new cases each day. July, by comparison, averaged 87 new cases each day.

While many people have mild or no symptoms and ultimately recover from the virus, December also saw the largest number of critical and fatal cases.

It ended with a total of 58 deaths, far beyond the 36 deaths recorded in July.

Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox

Dec. 22 was the only day since the beginning of the pandemic that individuals who had tested positive for COVID-19 made up nearly two-thirds of patients in intensive care units across Jefferson County.

The overall month also saw the most days with coronavirus patients taking up the majority of beds in the countys intensive-care units  11 days as compared to nine in July.

While hospitals in the county have spent the majority of the pandemic with hundreds of non-ICU beds available and didnt have to set up tents or other makeshift treatment areas like other regions, Dr. Praphul Joshi, one of the region's foremost public health experts, previously noted available manpower was a near-constant issue.

Local elected leaders on more than one occasion announced that the state would be sending a team of nurses or other medical professionals to help treat Southeast Texas surging pandemic. But hospital officials said theyve been given extra hands throughout the pandemic, and the response likely wouldnt have been as smooth without them.

As a massive number of people were hospitalized by the virus, December became the month with the most virus-related deaths after just over two weeks.

Related: COVID clusters include Lumberton restaurant employees

Amid the tragedy, however, December showed some bright spots late in the month as vaccines began to roll out. But it will be months before medical professionals can even consider going back to normal. And many have continued to remind residents not to allow the existence of a vaccine or the turning of the calendar to lull them into a false sense of security.

An individual has to have two doses of vaccine.

While they then have some protection, research still has not shown whether vaccinated individuals can still spread the virus, and experts arent sure how much of the population will need to be vaccinated before achieving herd immunity in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

People think, 2021 is going to be better. This year is gone, Joshi said. Theres a lot of bad that can happen from that.

As a result, experts are urging the continued use of masks, social distancing and hand washing.

kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/KaitlinBain
For implementation of Ratle HE Project (850 MW) in J&K

NHPC has signed a Supplementary Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDCL) and Power Development Department, Govt. of UT of Jammu & Kashmir on 03 January 2021 for implementation of Ratle HE Project (850 MW) in Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir through a Joint Venture Company (JVC).

In the supplementary MoU, the clause of MoU dated 03 February 2019 regarding purchase of NHPCs equity by JKSPDCL from the end of the 5th year after date of commissioning over 15 years through equal installments have been deleted.

Now, the share of NHPC in the Joint Venture Company shall not be brought below 51% and share of JKSPDCL shall not be brought below 49%.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma has reportedly gone missing for over two months following his controversial speech in October 2020.

The Chinese billionaire has not made any public appearance since November last year, with which the mystery around his whereabouts has only deepened.

Tongues started wagging when Ma didn't appear in the final episode, aired in November, of his own talent show, 'Africa's Business Heroes', which gives budding African entrepreneurs an opportunity to compete to win $1.5 million.

The 56-year-old beleaguered billionaire was then replaced by Lucy Peng, an Alibaba executive, to judge the show and according to the company's spokesperson, Ma couldn't make it because of his hectic schedule, the Financial Times reported.

Also Read: Alibaba's Jack Ma loses $11 billion in two months amid Chinese crackdown

However, his removal from the event's webpage and a promotional video which aired without Ma raised many eyebrows. The deepening puzzle around his disappearance comes at a time when Chinese authorities have increased scrutiny of his business empire, including Alibaba's affiliate Ant Group after Ma criticised China's regulation system last October.

The billionaire, who is quite media-savvy, has not made any public appearance since the suspension of ANT's IPO. What could have been a phenomenal market debut for Ma's ANT Group, ended up in a fracas after his virulent attack on the Chinese financial system.

Ma's wrangle with China's authoritarian regime is said to have led to its crackdown down on his businesses.

Talking about the genesis of it all, the Chinese billionaire, in a speech on October 24, critiqued China's "pawnshop financial regulators and state-owned banks." Calling for reform in the country's regulatory system, Jack Ma blamed it for stifling business innovation and likened China's global banking regulations to an "old people's club."

Also Read: China intensifies crackdown on Jack Ma's fintech firm; reviews Ant Group's equity investments

"Today's financial system is the legacy of the Industrial Age. We must set up a new one for the next generation and young people. We must reform the current system," he said in the speech. As per a report in the Wall Street Journal, officials in Beijing chided Ma and suspended ANT Group's IPO on the direct order of President Xi in November.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that he was advised to remain in China following which an anti-monopoly probe was initiated in Ma's Alibaba Group Holding on Christmas Eve.

The investigation led to the company's shares drop by a quarter since their peak soon after Ma's October speech, wiping over $10 billion from his fortune. This resulted in him falling to third place on the list of China's richest people. Ma's current net worth is estimated at $63.1 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Also Read: China orders Jack Ma's Ant Group to rectify businesses, comply with regulatory requirements

The Chinese regime also ordered ANT Group to scale back its operations, asking it to redress the company's insurance, lending, and wealth management services.

Alibaba is potentially the world's largest e-commerce company with billions of dollars in turnover and millions of users.

The e-commerce giant is Asia's "most valuable corporation," according to the news agency. Several other Chinese tech giants have also come under tight scrutiny of regulators, losing hundreds of billions of dollars in market value.
(Natural News) For daring to take a stand in defense of President Donald Trump and his fight for a free and fair election, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) received a vitriolic tweet from Walmart that insulted not just him but also the more than 74 million Americans who voted for Trump on Nov. 3.

After announcing that he cannot, in good conscience, vote to certify the Electoral College results on Jan. 6, Hawley was called a sore loser by an unknown member of Walmarts social media team, who further jabbed at the congressman: Go ahead. Get your 2 hour debate.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, also responded with hate, calling Hawleys announcement a coup attempt. Klobuchar added in a riled speech that democracy will prevail, emphasizing her belief that Joe Biden will be installed on Jan. 20.

Hawley himself responded in sarcasm, thanking Walmart for its insulting condescension, adding: Now that youve insulted 75 million Americans, will you at least apologize for using slave labor?

Walmart later apologized, claiming that the earlier tweet from its social media team was mistakenly posted. It was consequently deleted, and Walmart added that it has no intention of commenting on the subject of certifying the electoral college.

At least 10 senators plan to object to Electoral College certification on Jan. 6

Since that time, as many as 10 other senators have indicated plans to join Hawley in objecting to the fraudulent election results on Jan. 6.

Fueled with even more disgust over the fact that Sen. Mitch McConnell refuses to help struggling Americans, giving them piddly $600 stimulus checks as opposed to the $2,000 checks that Trump and the Democrats wanted, the following senators have signed on to the effort:

 Ted Cruz (R-Tex.)

 Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)

 James Lankford (R-Okla.)

 Steve Daines (R-Mont.)

 John Kennedy (R-La.)

 Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)

 Mike Braun (R-Ind.)

Four additional Senators-Elect have also signed on:

 Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.)

 Roger Marshall (R-Kan.)

 Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.)

 Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.)

A joint statement from all of these individuals explains that it is their constitutional duty to comply with state and federal election law, which was not followed in the 2020 election.

Had the election been fair and honest, Trump would be expected to concede as normal. This was not the case, though, which is why this growing cohort of congressmen and congresswomen is planning to do the tough job of issuing a proper objection.

The election of 2020, like the election of 2016, was hard fought and, in many swing states, narrowly decided, the letter explains. The 2020 election, however, featured unprecedented allegations of voter fraud, violations and lax enforcement of election law, and other voting irregularities.

While voter fraud has been a persistent challenge in many American elections, the allegations and irregularities that occurred in 2020 exceed any in our lifetimes, the senators and senators-elect further added.

And those allegations are not believed just by one individual candidate, they emphasize. Instead, they are widespread.

Thus, it is incumbent on Congress to vote accordingly on Jan. 6. This is make it or break it time, and this final vote is the lone constitutional power remaining to consider and force resolution of the multiple allegations of serious voter fraud.

At the conclusion of the letter, the objecting senators and senators-elect call on Congress to immediately appoint an Electoral Commission, the job of which it will be to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in every disputed state.

Once completed, individual states would evaluate the Commissions findings and could convene a special legislative session to certify a change in their vote, if needed, the letter concludes.

As more breaking news surfaces about election fraud and the fight to stop the Electoral College vote from being certified, we will keep you informed about it at Trump.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheGatewayPundit.com

NaturalNews.com

ZeroHedge.com

TheGatewayPundit.com
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Partly cloudy in the morning. Thunderstorms developing later in the day. A few storms may be severe. High 91F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 59F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
NSW Police officer Kelly Foster, 39, died while trying to save a drowning woman

Senior Constable Foster dived bravely into a whirlpool in Wollangambe Canyon

But she too was sucked into the water, with police divers recovering both bodies

An adventure lover, Snr Const Foster had spent the morning hiking with partner

They posted about their 2.5 kilometre trek on an adventurers social media app

A 24-year-old international student also died while on a daytrip with a group

A hero police officer who died as she tried to pull a young woman from a raging river was an adventure lover, who had spent the morning trekking in the Blue Mountains with her boyfriend.

Senior Constable Kelly Foster, 39, drowned as she attempted to save an international student, 24, who was sucked into a whirlpool at the Wollangambe Canyon, on Mount Wilson, north-west of Sydney, on Saturday afternoon.

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Witnesses told how Senior Constable Foster jumped into the water after seeing the woman's inflatable lilo be sucked in by the whirlpool, tipping her off into the water.

But as she tried to pull the woman out, she too was sucked in by the powerful water.

That morning Senior Constable Foster and her long-term partner Gavin Morom trekked 2.5km from the tiny town of Mount Wilson to the Wollangambe River.

Senior Constable Kelly Foster (left) drowned while trying to save an international student who became stuck in raging waters in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, on Saturday. Senior Constable Foster had trekked to the picturesque spot with her boyfriend Gavin Morom (right)

The couple bonded over their mutual love of adventuring and regularly went camping, hiking and on mountain bike rides throughout Australia

Mr Morom posted about their trek on Strava, a popular adventurer at fitness social media app, that day.

The couple bonded over their shared love of adventuring regularly went hiking, camping and on mountain bike rides throughout Australia.

The Blue Mountains, where Mr Morom grew up, was a regular visit for the pair in 2020, taking his 4WD on camping or day trips during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Senior Constable Foster only recently returned to the NSW Police Force after overcoming breast cancer.

The heroic policewoman had no hesitation before she dived in to try to save the woman from the raging waters, with other witnesses then throwing a rope into the creek in a bid to save her.

Click here to resize this module

Acting Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said she always 'put the needs of others before her own'.

'It's a very sad time for the NSW Police Force and Kelly's death is a loss to the whole community,' Acting Commissioner Lanyon said in a statement.

'To hear reports that Kelly was trying to help another woman when she died demonstrates her commitment to the community she served and the ability to put the needs of others before her own.

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'Kelly was a highly regarded and dedicated officer who will be sorely missed by colleagues across the force.

'Her policing career was put on hold when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, however, her strength to survive this and return to work is another testament to her strength and resilience.

Senior Constable Kelly Foster, 39, joined the NSW Police Force in 2010 and Acting NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said she always 'put the needs of others before her own'

Mr Morom (right) had posted about his trek with Senior Constable Foster (left) on adventurers social media app Strava on Saturday. The policewoman only recently returned to the job after overcoming breast cancer

An international student, 24, was among a group swimming on inflatable lilos at the popular Wollangambe Canyon (pictured) when she was sucked into the whirlpool. Her body was recovered on Sunday, along with Senior Constable Foster's

'Above all, Kelly was a kind and loving daughter, sister and partner.'

The international student was among a group swimming in the picturesque spot when she was swept up in the water.

Police and ambulance crews rushed to the scene about 2.30pm but the pair were lost beneath the surface.

A search for their bodies resumed on Sunday morning, after it was suspended about 6pm on Saturday because of poor weather.

Members of Senior Constable Foster's family came to the canyon to witness the search in the desperate hope she would be found alive.

One fellow policewoman who joined the force at the same time as Senior Constable Foster remembered her as a 'selfless and compassionate' person.

Emergency services rushed to the scene after the alarm was raised about 2.30pm on Saturday, but poor weather conditions meant a search had to be called off about 6pm. When it resumed on Sunday the bodies of the two women were located by NSW Police divers

Eight other members of the group who the international student was with were uninjured

Its believed both women were canyoning in water only that can only be reached after hours of hiking through rough terrain

'RIP my old Academy mate. Always a selfless and compassionate individual. You will now be remembered as a hero. I will treasure the memories of our good times in Goulburn,' a former colleague wrote.

The canyon is believed to have been flooded due to recent heavy rainfall.

The other members of the group were uninjured and were assisted by police officers and paramedics.

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A report will now be prepared for the coroner.
A police officer in the US has dug deep into his own pocket to buy a family a Christmas dinner rather than arrest two women for shoplifting.

Matt Lima was called to a store in Somerset, Massachusetts, after the women were reported for not scanning all their groceries at a Stop & Shop supermarket.

The two women were at the store with two young children.

They told Mr Lima that they had fallen on hard times and did not have enough money to pay for the groceries.

Rather than charge them for shoplifting Mr Lima merely issued a non-trespass order.

Then he went rather further, buying gift cards worth $250 (205) so they could buy Christmas dinner.

The two children with the women reminded me of my kids, so I had to help them out, he said.

Obviously, this family was in need and I cant imagine having to make the decision to go to Stop & Shop and just only pay for what I can afford  or do I go there and try to take things for Christmas dinner for the kids?

They were very thankful, they were kind of shocked. Im sure a lot of people in that same situation would be thinking that there was going to be a different outcome, and maybe they would be arrested or have to go to court.

I bought the gift card close in value to what wouldve been taken, he added. I just did what I felt was right.

Its not about me, I just tried to put myself in that familys shoes and show a little bit of empathy.

Read More

Mr Limas generosity comes with the US economy having been devastated by coronavirus with an unemployment rate of 6.7 per cent.

Last month the US Congress passed legislation extending unemployment benefits and paying $600 to each adult and child. ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
A hero police officer who died as she tried to pull a young woman from a raging river was an adventure lover, who had spent the morning trekking in the Blue Mountains with her boyfriend.

Senior Constable Kelly Foster, 39, drowned as she attempted to save an international student, 24, who was sucked into a whirlpool at the Wollangambe Canyon, on Mount Wilson, north-west of Sydney, on Saturday afternoon.

Witnesses told how Senior Constable Foster jumped into the water after seeing the woman's inflatable lilo be sucked in by the whirlpool, tipping her off into the water.

But as she tried to pull the woman out, she too was sucked in by the powerful water.

That morning Senior Constable Foster and her long-term partner Gavin Morom trekked 2.5km from the tiny town of Mount Wilson to the Wollangambe River.

Senior Constable Kelly Foster (left) drowned while trying to save an international student who became stuck in raging waters in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, on Saturday. Senior Constable Foster had trekked to the picturesque spot with her boyfriend Gavin Morom (right)

The couple bonded over their mutual love of adventuring and regularly went camping, hiking and on mountain bike rides throughout Australia

Mr Morom posted about their trek on Strava, a popular adventurer at fitness social media app, that day.

The couple bonded over their shared love of adventuring regularly went hiking, camping and on mountain bike rides throughout Australia.

The Blue Mountains, where Mr Morom grew up, was a regular visit for the pair in 2020, taking his 4WD on camping or day trips during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Senior Constable Foster only recently returned to the NSW Police Force after overcoming breast cancer.

The heroic policewoman had no hesitation before she dived in to try to save the woman from the raging waters, with other witnesses then throwing a rope into the creek in a bid to save her.

Acting Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said she always 'put the needs of others before her own'.

'It's a very sad time for the NSW Police Force and Kelly's death is a loss to the whole community,' Acting Commissioner Lanyon said in a statement.

'To hear reports that Kelly was trying to help another woman when she died demonstrates her commitment to the community she served and the ability to put the needs of others before her own.

'Kelly was a highly regarded and dedicated officer who will be sorely missed by colleagues across the force.

'Her policing career was put on hold when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, however, her strength to survive this and return to work is another testament to her strength and resilience.

Senior Constable Kelly Foster, 39, joined the NSW Police Force in 2010 and Acting NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said she always 'put the needs of others before her own'

Mr Morom (right) had posted about his trek with Senior Constable Foster (left) on adventurers social media app Strava on Saturday. The policewoman only recently returned to the job after overcoming breast cancer

An international student, 24, was among a group swimming on inflatable lilos at the popular Wollangambe Canyon (pictured) when she was sucked into the whirlpool. Her body was recovered on Sunday, along with Senior Constable Foster's

'Above all, Kelly was a kind and loving daughter, sister and partner.'

The international student was among a group swimming in the picturesque spot when she was swept up in the water.

Police and ambulance crews rushed to the scene about 2.30pm but the pair were lost beneath the surface.

A search for their bodies resumed on Sunday morning, after it was suspended about 6pm on Saturday because of poor weather.

Members of Senior Constable Foster's family came to the canyon to witness the search in the desperate hope she would be found alive.

One fellow policewoman who joined the force at the same time as Senior Constable Foster remembered her as a 'selfless and compassionate' person.

Emergency services rushed to the scene after the alarm was raised about 2.30pm on Saturday, but poor weather conditions meant a search had to be called off about 6pm. When it resumed on Sunday the bodies of the two women were located by NSW Police divers

Eight other members of the group who the international student was with were uninjured

It's believed both women were canyoning in water only that can only be reached after hours of hiking through rough terrain

'RIP my old Academy mate. Always a selfless and compassionate individual. You will now be remembered as a hero. I will treasure the memories of our good times in Goulburn,' a former colleague wrote.

The canyon is believed to have been flooded due to recent heavy rainfall.

The other members of the group were uninjured and were assisted by police officers and paramedics.

A report will now be prepared for the coroner.
Boris Johnson said Englands schools may need to stay closed for longer than currently planned and warned tougher restrictions are probably on the way to combat the pandemic.

Virus cases are surpassing 50,000 a day, putting the government under pressure to intensify action as the nation returns to work after the Christmas holidays. The opposition Labour Party said the country should immediately return to a full lockdown, and unions on Monday called for employers to offer parents paid time off to cope with childcare.

Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, the Prime Minister didnt elaborate on what kind of additional measures might be needed and rejected criticism that his government has been too slow to act as the more contagious form of the virus spreads rapidly across the country.

It may be that we need to do things in the next few weeks that are tougher in many parts of the country, Johnson said. The UK is grappling with a new variant of the virus which is surging particularly in London and the southeast and thats why weve had to take exceptional measures for some parts.

On Monday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock suggested areas of the country in tier 3 on Englands 4-tier scale of virus restrictions face tighter rules.

Some of the tier 3 areas are seeing sharp rises in cases, he told Sky News. This new variant is much easier to catch, its much more transmissible and were now seeing the effect of that in lots of different parts of the country. It means that whereas the old tier 3 was able to contain the old variant, that is proving increasingly difficult.

While the virus is spreading faster, the UK is poised to give the first shots of a Covid-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca Plc and the University of Oxford this week. Its the second coronavirus injection to be authorized for emergency use in Britain, after one from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE received the go-ahead in early December.

Johnsons administration has been trying to keep in-person classes in England going throughout the pandemic, and the prime minister sought to reassure parents that schools are safe and the virus poses little risk to young people.

Weve kept schools going for a long, long time in areas where the pandemic is in very high levels, Johnson said. Weve got to keep things under constant review, but we will be driven not by any political considerations, but entirely by the public health question.

Hancock told Times Radio on Monday its right that we keep schools open where we can.

The governments statements contrast sharply with warnings coming from teachers unions, which have told members not to return to classrooms. In London, which has one of the countrys highest levels of Covid-19 infections per capita, the government has ordered all primary schools to remain closed for the start of the new term this week.

Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour Party, went further, calling on the government to impose a national lockdown within 24 hours.

The Trades Union Congress, an umbrella organization representing more than 5 million workers, said Monday that companies should offer parents furlough while their children are home from school. The government has subsidized wages since March to prevent idled employees from losing their jobs.

Throughout the pandemic, the government has been forced to backtrack on efforts to reopen the economy, especially as the viruss winter resurgence pushes public health services to the brink. Most recently, Johnson was forced to reverse plans that would have relaxed social-distancing rules over Christmas.

When asked about the UKs plans for mass vaccinations, Johnson didnt offer any detail about how the country would be able to deliver 2 million shots a week.

Everybodys working flat out to do this, he said. We do hope that we will be able to do tens of millions in the course of the next three months.

In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon asked for the parliament in Edinburgh to be recalled on Monday so she can lay out extra measures to curb rising infections. At the moment, schools there are due to return for face-to-face teaching on Jan. 18 after a prolonged Christmas break.

Daily Covid-19 cases have been rising to records and Sturgeon has said the country faces its most critical weeks since the pandemic began. The new strain counts for four in 10 new infections, a University of Edinburgh public health expert told the BBC.
A roof collapsed at a cremation ground in Uttar Pradeshs Muradnagar on Sunday trapping dozens of people who has gathered there to attend the last rites of a local who died on Saturday. Twenty one people have so far been killed, the rescuers said, adding that 20 others are injured. Those injured are receiving treatment at local hospitals.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted about the incident and extended condolences to the families of the victims. The unfortunate incident in Uttar Pradeshs Muradnagar has given me great sorrow. The state government is engaged in relief and rescue work. I express my condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives in this accident, as well as with the injured to get well soon, he wrote on Twitter.

BJP MP VK Singh, MLA Ajit Pal Tyagi and Uttar Pradesh minister Atul Garg visited the spot and met the families of victims.

Here is how it happened:

The people were attending the funeral of a local when it started raining. Subsequently, they went under a structure to take shelter when the roof collapsed.

Most of the people who were present at the ground were relatives of the deceased person.

The number of injured could rise further, the rescuers said. Some people, who managed to escape, were taken away from the site by their relatives.

A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is at the spot.

Expressing grief over the tragedy, chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced Rs 2 lakh as financial relief for the families of each person killed.

The chief minister has also asked Meeruts Divisional Commissioner and Additional Director General of the police zone to submit a report on the incident.

A US Congressman has introduced a bill in the United States House of Representatives to remove Pakistans designation as a major non-NATO ally. On the first day of 117th Congress, Republican Andy Biggs introduced the bill to terminate the designation of Pakistan that allows for several benefits including access to excess US defence supplies along with participation in cooperative defence research and development projects. Announcing the same on Twitter, Biggs said on January 4 that the bills would help to reduce the scope of the US federal government.

On the first day of the 117th Congress, my staff and I have hit the ground running, working hard for the great people of #AZ05.



Today, I reintroduced 28 bills that keep the promises I've made to my constituents and help to reduce the size and scope of the federal government. pic.twitter.com/HplIcEazR8  Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) January 4, 2021

Read - Pakistan Sees Another Attack On Minorities; Terrorists Abduct & Kill 11 Shia Hazara Miners

Read - Karima Baloch's Death: Sindhis & Balochis Join Hands To Seek Justice, Exposes Pakistan

What does the bill say?

According to the bill, the US President is prohibited from issuing a separate designation of Pakistan as a major NATO ally without a presidential certification that Pakistan is continuing to conduct military operations that are contributing to evidently disrupt the safe haven and freedom of movement of the Haqqani network in the nation.

However, the bill also noted that Pakistan has taken some measures to showcase its commitment to preventing the Haqqani network from using any territory of the nation as a safe haven. It also took under consideration that the Pakistan government has actively coordinated with the Afghanistan government to limit the movement of militants including the Haqqani network, especially along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

However, just last month the Afghan government had called out Pakistan for allowing Taliban leaders to meet with the latter's military officials. Pakistan was named a Major non-NATO ally during the US President George W Bush Administration in 2004.

Currently, there are 17 Major non-NATO allies and Brazil was the last nation that was given the same designation by US President Donald Trump in 2019. Removal from the designation would prohibit Pakistan from entering into cooperative research and development projects with the Department of Defense (DoD) on a shared-cost basis, participation in certain counter-terrorism initiatives among other benefits.

According to the official statement by Biggs office, the 28 bills introduced in the office, removes Pakistan's designation as a major non-NATO ally, a status that allows for various benefits such as access to excess U.S. defence supplies and participation in cooperative defence research and development projects.

Read - Gunmen Kill 11 Shiite Coal Miners In Pakistan

Read - Pakistan Interior Minster Threatens Strict Action Against Those Who 'malign Army'


Pakistani brides of former Kashmiri militants, who returned from across the Line of Control (LoC) under a rehabilitation scheme, Monday stated that Kashmir was not a safer place for them and demanded they be deported back.

We want the Government of India to allow us to return home to meet our dear ones. The government has rejected us as citizens and it makes no sense for the authorities to stop us from deporting us back to our residential places, a group of Pakistani-origin Kashmiri brides told reporters in Srinagar.

They said they have knocked on almost all the doors but dont know why their voices go unheard.

Hundreds of Kashmiri men who went to PoK for arms training in the 1990s and early 2000s came back with wives after then Omar Abdullah-led J&K government introduced a rehabilitation scheme in 2010 for those who had crossed over to the other side of the LoC between 1989 and 2009.

However, a decade later, the policy has left behind a trail of broken families, domestic abuse, unemployment and for many wives of former militants, a yearning for their home.

Last month, a Pakistani wife of a Kashmiri militant from north Kashmirs Kupwara district contested the district development council (DDC) election. However, authorities stopped counting votes after a complaint about her citizenship issue was received.

Bushra, another Pakistani-origin bride, who had also contested the polls, asked why her nomination form was accepted in the first instance. We want justice and want the government here to deport us back to Pakistan as we are not being considered as the citizens here, she said.

The other women present during the presser also expressed their sufferings and demanded the government of India and Pakistan to take immediate steps for deporting them.

In 2017, the J&K government revealed that 377 former militants, along with 864 family members, had returned from Pakistan since 2010.
The Daily Beast

Theo WargoCNN boss Jeff Zucker on Tuesday addressed network staffers concerns over the revelations that primetime star host Chris Cuomo advised his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on how to respond to the multiple sexual harassment allegations against him.During a Tuesday afternoon town-hall meeting with staff, Zucker claimed he understood the unease over Cuomos conduct, saying in no uncertain terms that it was a mistake for the primetime star to participate in strategy calls advising his politically powerful brother.He did cross a line, Zucker said.Last week, The Washington Post reported that Cuomo joined strategy calls helping plan his powerful brothers rebuttals to mounting allegations that he harassed multiple women and made some female staffers feel uncomfortable. According to multiple sources who were present on one meeting, the CNN host even mentioned invoking cancel culture as a way to combat the claims.The CNN boss said he personally voiced his displeasure to Cuomo, and that he had considered the options for how to handle the star hosts unfolding scandal. Ultimately, Zucker said that rather than suspending Cuomo, the network decided the host should have to go on-air and personally apologize to his viewers.And so during his 9 p.m. ET broadcast, Cuomo declared that it will never happen again and insisted he knows where the line is.In a statement following the Post bombshell last week, CNN admitted it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governors staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward. The network added that Cuomo would not be disciplined further.But the top anchors decision to secretly participate in the strategy calls assisting his embattled brother has, indeed, irked numerous network staffers. CNN insiders who spoke with The Daily Beast this week expressed frustration with the networks handling of the incident, saying Cuomo should have faced more serious consequences.Im very disappointed in the network, said one current on-air personality. I think some disciplinary action, at a minimum, was required in this situation. The source added, As a woman who works here, I feel a little let down, to be honest.Staff were particularly interested in Tuesdays town hall following one of the more eventful weeks for the network following a high-profile sale and the departure of one noteworthy on-air contributor.During the call, Zucker said that Rick Santorum was given an opportunity to apologize for what the CNN boss referred to as the ex-senators inappropriate and racist comments about Native Americans, but because he refused to do so, the network ultimately fired the conservative pundit.And elsewhere in Tuesdays town hall, Zucker downplayed the impact of AT&Ts decision to merge WarnerMedia, CNNs parent company, with Discovery. Asked about whether CNN could be spun off as part of the deal, the network chief said he did not think that was in the cards.And when pressed on his own future at the network, Zucker said he plans to have conversations with the right people very soon.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
Rockstar franchise has continuously sought inspiration from various films in developing "Grand Theft Auto." These are not ordinary titles, but gangster movies that played substantial roles in creating the whole franchise.

Many titles in the GTA series have paid tribute to these influences. Since the beginning of the century, it has always been the undisputed king in the gangster genre. It consistently offered striking mobster experiences ever since Grand Theft Auto III in 2001.

6 Gangster Films that Inspired Rockstar for "Grand Theft Auto" franchise

For eagle-eyed fans, they may find some of these details taken out from classic gangster films, as reported by Game Rant. Here are six gangster films that inspired Rockstar in doing the "Grand Theft Auto" franchise.

'Carlito's Way'

In "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City," you will find Ken Rosenberg, the crooked lawyer of Tommy Vercetti. Rosenberg, who constantly snorts coke due to paranoia and fear that he may be whacked eventually by his clients, is similar to "Carlito's Way" movie's David Kleinfeld character who is also a devious lawyer and a drug abuser. Rosenberg also looks almost like a carbon copy of Kleinfeld. However, at the end of the movie, Kleinfeld is actually beaten by his angry mob clients, unlike Rosenberg who is usually bailed out by Vercetti from any problem he is into.

'The Godfather Part II'

The Grand Theft Auto: Vice City's explosive ending suits the title, "Keep Your Friends Close," which is taken out from one of the most famous The Godfather Part II line: "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." It refers to the betrayal committed by Tommy's boss Sonny Forelli and his ex-friend Lance Vance. They seek to take over Tommy's hard-won gains.

Read also: [Guide] 'GTA Online' Cayo Perico Pistol and 8 Small Key Locations: How to Get Legendary Gun The Fastest Way

'Reservoir Dogs'

In one of the side missions in "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City," an assassination mission that consists of finding the target and killing him after getting orders from a payphone. Mr. Black, the mysterious man on giving orders on the phone, always use a codename Mr. Teal to refer to Tommy.

In the movie "Reservoir Dogs," color-oriented codenames such as Mr. Brown, Mr. Blue, and Mr. Orange were used by protagonists throughout the entire movie to refer to diamond heist members.

'Goodfellas'

In "Grand Theft Auto: IV," Niko Bellic meets numerous Mafiosi, including Phil Bell who is a paranoid criminal. Bell constantly fears over police infiltration. In the "Catch the Wave" mission, Bell said the line, "I just keep thinking these choppers are following me."

The line is quite similar to a "Goodfellas" scene when Henry Hill though choppers follow him around, which made everyone think he is crazy. However, Hill proved he is right as got jailed.

Another inspiration from the film is the Liberty City landscape dotted with little secrets, which encouraged more exploration as they were discovered. At the back entrance of Luigi's Club is a fictional movie poster "Badfellas," which obviously references to "Goodfellas" film. In fact, the poster is made similar to the style the "Goodfellas'" poster was made.

'The Godfather'

Emilio Barzini is the principal antagonist in "The Godfather" movie who led the Corleone family to numerous misfortunes. In "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City," the player may find an Italian restaurant in Downtown named "Emilio Barzini," which obviously references to the classic film.

Also, in the Vice City mission "Supply and Demand," while Tommy Vercetti dispatches the speedboats, he delivered few lines, including "sleep with the fish." This is quite the same "The Godfather" dialogue: "Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes" as the enforcer died.

'Scarface'

"Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" is popular for taking great inspiration from the "Scarface" movie. Like Liberty City, the Vice City also contains some secrets. A pink roofed building in Ocean Beach has an exact replica of a bathroom with a chainsaw in the movie where Tony Montana will be executed.

Also, in "Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City" ending's cutscene, the antagonist Uncle Leone will mutter the line, "Every dog has his day." The same dialogue was delivered in the movie by Tony Montana as he was about to kill Mel Bernstein after his failed assassination.

Meanwhile, as players can own property in the Vice City, they may opt to buy Malibu Club, which is the most luxurious property. Its interior is a direct reference to Scarface's Babylon Club, particularly the lighting, stage, and the dance floor that brings the 80s vibe.

Related article: 12 New Games This 2021 and Beyond with Insane Graphics for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, PC (4K)

This is owed by Tech Times

Written by CJ Robles

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Indian ace designer Manish Malhotra threw a star-studded dinner to ring in the New Year 2021 which was attended by Bollywood actors Kriti Sanon, Vaani Kapoor, Nushrratt Bharrucha, Jacqueline Fernandez, Kartik Aaryan and sisters Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor. While the actors were evidently dressed to kill, Gunjan Saxena star Janhvis crystal cuff ivory pullover by American fashion designer Alexander Wang grabbed many fashionistas attention as pictures the party flooded the Internet.

In the glamorous pictures, Janhvi is featured donning an off-white, stretch knit, wool-blend pullover with long sleeves and a rib-knit crewneck collar. The designer pullover came with crystal-cut detailing on the cuffs and a rib-knit hem too.

Leaving her beautiful tresses open in a messy manner to nail the cosy winter vibe, Janhvi semi-tucked the pullover inside a pair of blue denim jeans and accessorised her look only with a black face mask, which has become the fashion accessory ever since Covid-19 struck. Wearing a dab of pink lipstick, the actor completed her chic look with a pair of transparent heels.

Janhvis ivory pullover originally cost a whopping $895 or Rs 65,358 on Alexander Wangs designer website but was recently available on sale for $450 or Rs 32,860 before going off the shelves completely.

On the other hand, Nushrratt wore a check dress in shades of pink and red, Kriti donned a sultry yellow one, Jacqueline was dressed in hot black, Kartik looked dapper in a check shirt, Vaani stunned in a green dress paired with black boots and Khushi flaunted a tiny pink dress at Manishs party.

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Haven worked best as an incubator of ideas, a place to pilot, test and learn  and a way to share best practices across our companies, Mr. Dimon added.

Haven named Dr. Atul Gawande, a surgeon affiliated with Harvard Medical School and Bostons Brigham and Womens Hospital who also writes for The New Yorker, as chief executive to much fanfare. At the time, Jeff Bezos, founder and chief executive of Amazon, acknowledged the high degree of difficulty of Havens mission.

Success is going to require an experts knowledge, a beginners mind and a long-term orientation, he said.

But since then, there have been few public signs of what Haven was doing. And in May, as the coronavirus pandemic swept the nation, Dr. Gawande stepped down as chief executive and became board chairman. Haven said it planned to search for a new chief executive, though it never hired one.

Health care costs and delivery have been a major concern for all three companies, but most notably Amazon, which has embarked on a hiring spree without equal. The online retailer, which declined to comment on Havens closing, has been piloting its own primary care clinics for workers in its warehouses. It said this summer that it expected to start with 20 clinics in five cities where it has large operations, providing access to care for more than 115,000 warehouse workers.

Some of the ideas Havens employees generated were tested by the three companies, according to one of the people familiar with the collaboration. JPMorgan, for instance, tested telemedicine options  which became much more popular after the coronavirus pandemic forced the country into lockdown last spring  for employees in Ohio and Arizona, the two states where it has the most employees outside of New York.

The bank also tested a program that let employees assess the cost of a test or doctors visit before it occurred, so they could better prepare to pay their medical bills, the person said.
MARKET OUTLOOK

The 'ifs' to ponder for 2021

Congratulations on getting to the end of 2020 however you got there. Now that we've closed the book on 2020, how about walking through and pondering some of the "if" scenarios and questions that hover over the 2021 government market?

Disagreement and pushback welcome.

If theyre right in saying 2021 is looking a lot like 2020 in the business of government contracting

Then that implies we likely will not (for the most part) see winners and losers in 2021. The Biden budget blueprint for 2022 will give a glimpse at winners and losers though.

If no one, including many in the public sector ecosystem, believes we are going back to how and where work was done before COVID-19

Then this is where every company and agency has to think bigger about who to hire and which geographies to hire from, especially in the classified arena. We also present one near-certainty: the commercial real estate business is going to see a massive reset.

If we said last year that the Defense Departments CMMC cyber certification would change the market in ways not to be understood for many years

Then we are slightly holding to that outlook as industry still is figuring out how to get in line with CMMC. But it is now officially getting entered into contracts both defense and civilian, so no turning back.

If we also said last year that the impact of Amazons second headquarters in greater Washington, D.C. will not be fully understood for many years

Then reference section two of this walkthrough for 2021 when gauging the human capital impacts of remote work this year. HQ2 remains a feather in the D.C. economys cap regardless.

If the JEDI cloud infrastructure contract is foundational to the Defense Departments cloud journey

Then where has DODs senior leadership gone that otherwise would defend it? Other than the lawyers defending DOD's choice of Microsoft in court, only the chief information officer remains. Nearly all the others have moved on. Oh and a new administration takes hold Jan. 20.

If the ongoing shift of contracting information to Beta.Sam.Gov is still not getting a warm reception from industry

Then complaints are still falling on deaf ears. More than once, a Beta.Sam.Gov notice has included a link to visit FBO.gov for more information and the alerts simply stop coming into our inboxes. Still confusing is how Beta.Sam.Gov and FPDS.gov co-exist even with official explanations.

If unpriced bids for the ASTRO unmanned product and services vehicle are getting a warm reception from industry and even inside the General Services Administration

Then we also have to watch if other agencies follow GSAs lead in pushing pricing and competition to the task order level. Also to watch -- whether that changes the point of argument/protest to the task order level.

If the small business community is worried that a change in administration and hence GSA administrator would disrupt their Polaris and STARS III plans

Then fear not after reading this. Just dont.

If youre looking for the next significant landscape-setting contract in the government technology and professional services arena with NGEN and DEOS effectively moving ahead

Then look no further than the $11 billion Enclave opportunity with the Defense Information Systems Agency, which will pick *one* systems integrator to rule them all in the Fourth Estate. Sound familiar?

If there is anywhere between a reported $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion of unused private equity funds waiting in the wings

Then its also worth remembering the money has to go somewhere, so why not use some of it in the government market that has shown relative resilience during COVID-19 economic dysfunction? Not doing the homework and biting off more than one can chew though is always a risk.

If the past four years have seen at least one true, multibillion dollar megadeal each year

Then well state the obvious and say we see at least one more in 2021. See above for one group of buyers. Churn in the number of publicly-traded companies is also on the table. Direct quote from a fund manager: "Everyone is considering doing something."

If the government market saw two public listings in 2020 after one in each of the two years prior to that

Then were at least hopeful of another one in 2021 as public listings are good for the market. But we can never count on it of course. Good news though: the Securities and Exchange Commission just made public listings easier.

If youre looking for any specifics on who and where a GovCon public listing could happen eventually

Then watch this interview and file it in the memory bank. While there is no magic revenue number, some companies just get too big to stay private. Even in government IT and services, where Reverse Morris Trust is in the fabric.

If DOD and antitrust regulators continue to view megadeals among hardware companies through a vastly different lens than the services players

Then lets pose this rhetorical question: how will they feel about services companies increasingly moving into certain aspects of hardware?

Last but not least: If you feel like just getting to the end of 2020 was an accomplishment in itself

Then thats because its true. Hopefully, you got some rest over the holidays.
EUGENE, Ore.  The Sunday before the first work week of the new year is traditionally one of the busiest travel days of the year and even with the pandemic, thousands still hopped on planes, trains and automobiles this holiday season.

According to the TSA, about 14 million people traveled though Americas airports since Dec. 18. This is the largest volume of people getting on airplanes since the pandemic started. On Sunday over one million people were expected to be screened at TSA checkpoints.

Officials with Eugene Airport said over the two week holiday period, the airport was at 42% capacity. Even though during a normal year this number is doubled, officials said they have been seeing around the same numbers for weeks.

So, the rush of holiday travelers isnt surprising to the airport. Andrew Martz, acting assistant director of the Eugene Airport, said staff have been focusing on keeping the airport as clean as possible so travelers feel safe going through the terminal.

Anyone who has traveled through the Eugene Airport knows it has always been a clean airport, Martz said. If you've had the opportunity to travel to other airports around the country, Eugene has always been clean, but with the pandemic, we've stepped up even further.

The Eugene Airport received a star certification from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council for their cleanliness earlier last year.

Tricia Young is traveling back to the University of Oregon from San Francisco. She said she felt safe on airplanes and in Eugenes Airport. However, she said she felt nervous about the amount of people walking around San Franciscos larger terminals.

The only reason why I flew is because it's a 10 hour drive up here and it's a lot easier for me, Young said There's a lot of people in the same situation. It's mind blowing there's still this many people flying in the middle of a pandemic.
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The growing paper industry in emerging economies, increasing sales of printers for professional and personal use, and advantages of uncoated freesheet paper over other grades of paper will increase the cut size uncoated freesheet paper market size from $16,122.3 million in 2017 to $18,483.6 million by 2023. The market is set to demonstrate a CAGR of 2.4% during 20182023 (forecast period). Cut size uncoated freesheet paper is a type of graphic paper that contains 10% mechanical pulp and 90% chemical pulp.

Pre-Purchase Inquiry at: https://www.psmarketresearch.com/send-enquiry?enquiry-url=cut-size-uncoated-freesheet-paper-market

The paper industry is booming in emerging economies, such as India and Brazil, due to the increasing application of paper in the education sector. Paper is a prerequisite for education and literacy in developing countries; therefore, the demand for it is predicted to grow in India due to a surge in the number of school-going children in urban and rural areas. Besides, India aspires to increase its literacy rate from 70.0% to 90.0%, which will escalate the adoption of cut size uncoated freesheet paper for writing and printing purposes.

Geographically, the Asia-Pacific cut size uncoated freesheet paper market generated the highest revenue in 2017, and it is expected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. This can be attributed to the increasing number of offices and schools in China and India. Moreover, the growing paper industry and increasing sales of printers in these countries are propelling the growth of the regional market. The emergence of new companies and educational institutes, along with the expansion of existing ones in India and China, is creating growth opportunities for the market players.

Browse full report at: https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/cut-size-uncoated-freesheet-paper-market

Thus, the increasing number of educational institutes in emerging economies will fuel the demand for cut size uncoated freesheet paper in the foreseeable future.
About 12:05 a.m. the driver of a red Ford Edge SUV collided with the rear of a state police squad car that had its emergency lights flashing as it was parked in the middle lane of westbound Interstate 290 near Harlem Avenue, according to a news release from state police. That trooper, a 30-year-old woman, had stopped to help deal with a 2002 maroon Buick Century that had caught on fire, said Trooper Jayme Bufford, a state police spokeswoman. The Buicks driver, a 34-year-old man, and the trooper were sitting in the squad car when it was hit, Bufford said.




SsangYong Motor Co. said Monday its sales fell 18 percent last month from a year earlier as demand fell further amid the COVID-19 pandemic.







SsangYong Motor sold 10,561 vehicles in December, down from 12,923 units a year ago due to lower demand for its SUV models, the company said in a regulatory filing.







Domestic sales plunged 20 percent to 8,449 units from 10,574 during the same period, and exports declined 10 percent to 2,112 from 2,349, it said.







For the whole of 2020, sales fell 19 percent to 107,324 autos from 132,799 over the cited period.







SsangYong Motor's lineup consists of the flagship G4 Rexton, as well as the Tivoli, Korando and Rexton Sports.







Last week, Indian parent Mahindra Mahindra Ltd. said it is in talks with an investor for the sale of its majority stake in SsangYong to reorganize its investments amid the COVID-19 pandemic.







Mahindra Managing Director Pawan Goenka said in an online briefing held Friday that the Indian carmaker expects to sign a non-binding agreement next week to sell a controlling stake in the South Korean unit and conclude the deal by Feb. 28.







He said Mahindra will hold a 30 percent stake or less in Ssangyong Motor if the deal goes smoothly and will also carry out a 25 percent capital reduction.







In 2011, Mahindra acquired a 70 percent stake in SsangYong for 523 billion won and now holds a 74.65 percent stake in the carmaker.







On Dec. 21, Ssangyong filed for court receivership, as it struggles with snowballing debts amid the pandemic.







The SUV-focused carmaker asked main creditor KDB and other creditors to roll over the loans but failed to obtain approval from the lenders. (Yonhap)



One lawmaker is planning on filing legislation to officially declare Massachusetts state dinosaur, but he needs the publics help.

State Rep. Jack Lewis tweeted that he plans on filing the legislation on Jan. 15. He also included a link that allows the public to help vote on which dinosaur.

This poll is open to any resident of Massachusetts and to those with close connections to the Commonwealth, the poll states.

150+ votes in the first two hours!



On January 15, I will be filing legislation to declare a Massachusetts State Dinosaur. Can you think of a better way to help kids (and those young-at-heart) learn about the legislative process?



But I need your help! https://t.co/T5N9YZJYYj pic.twitter.com/xOCsxNA74y  Rep. Jack Lewis (@RepJackLewis) January 4, 2021

Lewis said this is a good way to help kids (and those young-at-heart) learn about the legislative process.

Paleontologists and dinosaur enthusiasts across the Commonwealth and country have helped served as consultants for the project, narrowing down the dinosaur options to two.

The first option is a Podokesaurus holyokensis, which means swift-footed lizard of Holyoke, according to the poll.

It was first discovered near Mount Holyoke in 1910 by Mignon Talbot, the first woman to name and describe a dinosaur. The species was three to six feet in length, weighed approximately 90 pounds, and estimated to run nine to 12 mph.

The second option is a Anchisaurus polyzelus.

Bones of this type of dinosaur were first discovered in 1855 in Springfield and were among the earliest dinosaur remains from North America. They were more than six feet long and about 60 to 75 pounds.

Because of their small size, their bones were originally mistaken for human remains, the poll states.

Lewis said more than 150 people had voted in the first hour.

Twelve states have official state dinosaurs, Lewis said. Connecticuts state dinosaur is the Dilophosaurus, according to Newsweek.

Related Content:
Two plays garnered the most awards at the 13th National Theatre Festival, which closed on 2 January.

The plays are Afrah Al-Qobba (Wedding Song), staged by the Youth Theatre Company, and Al-Motafael (The Optimist), performed by the National Theatre Company.

Afrah Al-Qobba won Best Performance, Best Director, and Best Dramaturgy.

The Best Actor in a leading role award went to Abdel-Moneim Riad, while George Ashraf was awarded Best Actor in a supporting role. Yasmine Wafi won the Best Rising Actress award.

The play was directed by Mohamed Youssef El-Mansour and produced by the Youth Theater Company.

Based on a 1981 novel by Egyptian Nobel Prize winning Naguib Mahfouz, the story of Afrah-Al-Qobba is about the life of a theatre troupe in Al-Qobba neighborhood.

Sarhan, the producer and owner of the fictitious theater, offers the actors a new text written by Abbas, son of the prompter, Karam Younes. The actors discover that the play they are about to perform traces their own lives on stage, as it reveals their secrets, their intimate relationships, and their scandals.

Al-Motafael, a play produced by the National Theatre Company, won the Special Jury Prize for actor Sahar El-Saigh, Best Poetry for Tariq Ali, Best Scenography for Diaa Shafik, and Best Music for Hisham Gabr.

The play is based on Voltaire's Candide, and is directed and adapted for theatre by Eslam Emam.

The play is among the most successful theatre plays of the last season, with several reruns as well as performances held outside Cairo.

The 13th National Theatre Festival opened on 20 December 2020 and was scheduled to run until 4 January 2021. Due to the increase of COVID-19 infections across Cairo, the festival's closing ceremony was moved to Saturday 2 January.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

Short link:


The supermarket sticker shock threatened by a no-deal Brexit has been averted, but British shoppers still may find prices creeping higher in the new year.

A raft of red tape plus new checks at the border could add 3 billion pounds ($4.1 billion) in costs for food importers, according to the UKs Food and Drink Federation. Thats about an 8% increase -- some of which could work its way down to prices paid at checkouts.

We are moving from a situation where we had frictionless trade to one where we have a great deal of friction, said Dominic Goudie, the federations head of international trade. Any suggestions that these costs will not lead to an increase in food prices should be taken with a really hefty pinch of salt.

The UK buys about half its food from abroad, with the bulk of those imports coming from the European Union (EU). Even before Brexit, food insecurity was on the rise in the UK, and the pandemic has snarled supply chains.

As suppliers, already squeezed by thin margins, count the new costs of the split from the bloc, the question is who is going to bear the brunt. Estimates from the industry-funded Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board show expenses increasing 5%-8% for livestock products and 2%-5% for crops trade.

There could be a tempestuous set of discussions to come between suppliers and supermarkets, who are ever-aware of the need to be price-competitive, said Will Hayllar, a partner in the consumer goods practice at OC&C Strategy Consultants Ltd. in London.

The double whammy of the viruss economic fallout and the extra Brexit costs could worsen the UKs food insecurity, said Mark Curtin, chief executive of London-based The Felix Project, a food waste redistribution charity.

The group provided the equivalent of almost 21 million meals last year, and thats expected to jump to 38 million this year. To accommodate those needs, its opening a 9,000-square-foot warehouse in East London later this year.

We are already facing huge demand, Curtin said. This will only be further exacerbated because of the need to help people who are finding it difficult to afford quality food.

Any border bottlenecks would add to the trade disruptions seen before Christmas, when France temporarily halted traffic due to a new coronavirus strain and created miles long backups that stranded drivers for days. The port chaos has left European freight forwarders rejecting contracts to take loads into the UK due to fears the scenario will repeat itself post-Brexit.

Simon Lane, owner of fruit and vegetable importer Fruco Plc, said transport costs have soared in the aftermath of last weeks debacle, and any holdups for those cargoes would contribute to higher prices for wholesalers, retailers and shoppers. The UK imports such crops as citrus and cauliflower this time of year.

There will be some disruption because theres a change in the rules, he said. The first two or three weeks of January could be a little bit turbulent.

Yet some argue that shoppers wont see much of a difference at the cash register since threatened no-deal tariffs averaging 18% wont materialize. Any administrative fees for trade will hardly be felt by consumers, John Allan, chairman of Tesco Plc, the UKs biggest supermarket chain, told the British Broadcasting Corp.

Retailers also will try to avoid boosting prices as the recession makes shoppers increasingly savvy about finding deals, said Sarah Baker, senior strategic insights manager at Warwickshire, England-based AHDB.

The only anticipated changes will be border control and logistics costs, which I dont expect to be transferred to the retail shelf, Tosin Jack, commodity intelligence manager at researcher Mintec Ltd. in Bourne End, England, said in an email. I expect that other parts of the supply chain will bear any additional costs.

UK border crisis risks fruit supply while meat piles up

Supermarkets have stockpiled key goods, but there are concerns about fresh produce supplies as shippers adjust to new border protocols, Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said in a statement. The UK has planned a six-month grace period for customs checks, while the EU hasnt agreed to the same, meaning food-filled trucks still may get snarled on that side.

Leaving the bloc also adds challenges for British producers, as most workers processing meat and picking crops hail from elsewhere in Europe. The end of freedom of movement risks raising prices if theres a labor shortage, according to a Parliament report.

The government will triple visas for seasonal workers, though berry growers said its too early to gauge if thats enough.

Its good news for the industry that a deal has been reached, Baker said. But its inevitable that changes lie ahead.
The family of Nora Quoirin, the French-Irish teenager whose body was found near a Malaysian jungle resort where she vanished while on holiday, has said they are utterly disappointed after the Coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure in the case.

They say they still believe she was abducted.

Coroner Maimoonah Aid ruled out homicide, natural death and suicide and said the 15-year-old likely got lost after leaving her familys cottage on her own.

Nora disappeared at the Dusun eco-resort in southern Negeri Sembilan state on August 4, 2019, a day after her family arrived for a holiday.

Read More

After an extensive search, her body was found on August 13 beside a stream on a palm oil estate about 1.6 miles from the resort.

Police believed she climbed out of the cottage window on her own, with no evidence of any foul play.

But Noras parents said she was likely kidnapped because she had mental and physical disabilities and would not have wandered off on her own.

The coroner described that possibility as a theory and said it would be a breach of her duty to speculate on third-party involvement without any evidence.

Nora was only wearing underwear when she went missing, but her body was found naked.

The coroner noted the familys contention this lent credence to the possibility of sexual assault but said an extensive autopsy could find no such proof, nor evidence of struggle marks or smothering.

Reacting to the verdict, Noras family issued a statement saying they had fought for the inquest because while the medical cause of Noras death was never in question, it was crucial to establish, insofar as is possible, how Nora came about her death.

We wanted to truly understand the full extent of Malaysian police SAR and criminal missions but also to ensure Noras story was fully expressed, they said.

Our lawyers asked the Coroner to return an open verdict. For clarity  this is a verdict in its own right, indicating that the evidence is insufficient to satisfy any other conclusions, they added.

We still believe this is the only appropriate verdict because, throughout the testimonies presented in this case, layers of professional evidence have confirmed what we always believed  that Nora was abducted, they explained.

The family said such evidence includes the open window, with unidentified foreign prints found on the outside. They say Nora had neither the cognitive, nor physical means to leave the chalet by the window.

The family say hundreds of volunteers and significant numbers of highly trained personnel searched relentlessly the surrounding area, including where Nora was found, on the day of or immediately preceding the day of her death, but found nothing.

Also in the list of evidence the family say lead them to believe Nora was abducted is that professionally trained sniffer dogs were unable to follow Noras scent; the possibility of sexual assault; Noras highly submissive nature ruling out any signs of a struggle; and the lack of major physical damage to Noras body despite her inability to handle terrain as complex as the Seremban jungle.

The family also say Noras had a fear of leaving any familiar adult or surroundings, and would not have wandered off on her own.

In any major case of conscience, such as this, there always comes a point when it is important to do what is right, not what is easy. We have always recognised that there was no physical evidence to aid our inquest. Nonetheless, we are utterly disappointed by the Coroners verdict of misadventure, the said.

The Coroner made mention several times of her inability to rule on certain points due to not knowing Nora enough. It is indeed our view that to know Nora would be to know that she was simply incapable of hiding in undergrowth, climbing out a window and/or making her way out of a fenced resort in the darkness unclothed, they added.

Once again we see that justice struggles to support the most vulnerable in society  only engaging with special needs at a surface level  and not at the level that truly reflects children like Nora, they stated.

They added: We believe we have fought not just for Nora but in honour of all the special needs children in this world who deserve our most committed support and the most careful application of justice. This is Noras unique legacy and we will never let it go, they added.

A total of 49 witnesses testified over 24 days at the inquest, which began last August, using video-conferencing due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Online Editors
In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, local photographers panned out across Connecticut and around the world to take photos of families on their front stoop or in yards, the money going to charity.

Some of those photos have now been chosen for inclusion in a book commemorating the global Front Steps Project, which started in Needham, Mass., and evolved into a global undertaking that raised $3.5 million.

Four photographers from New Canaan are among the 15 from Connecticut who had work chosen for the compilation. Joining Andrea Chalon, Andrea Ceraso, Christina Saburro and Meghan Murphy Gould of New Canaan are Andrew Stanbrick and Christine Brennan of West Hartford, Katherine Calderwood and Mary Wade of Darien, Ashley Rutledge of Berlin, Cindy Ringer of Madison, Danielle Coleman of Old Greenwich, Leslie Massaro of Windsor, Rob Faber of Suffield, Ryan Finnegan of Putnam and Xenia Gross of Wilton.

It was a pretty huge undertaking, said Cara Soulia of Needham, founder of the Front Steps Project. There were hundreds of photographers from all over the world who participated. We chose a couple hundred of the book. There was a limit on pages.

The book comes in at 240 pages. Proceeds are going to the United Way, Soulia said.

It wasnt an exact science, Soulia said. We never published a book before. We did the best we could.

First, Soulia said, she reached out to people she had been in touch with. Low-hanging fruit, she called it.

Next, We reached out to people who raised a lot of money. If you raised a lot of money you had taken a lot of pictures.

The New Canaan Front Steps effort, which started in the New Canaan Moms Facebook group, raised $37,000, which was funneled to the New Canaan Community Foundation. Globally, New Canaan finished in the top 10 groups in terms of raising funds.

They were pretty amazing to watch, Soulia said. We didnt know them before this.

They were pretty amazing to watch, said Cara Soulia, who started the project in Needham, Mass. We didnt know them before this.

When the photographers in Needham started taking photos, the local media took notice.

I actually had a friend who called me and said, You have to check this out. I saw this on the news, Chalon recalled

At that time we were all sitting here frozen, she said. We were scared, not knowing what was going on.

Within days, Chalon said, Gould posted on New Canaan Moms to recruit photographers for the local effort. As the broader project took shape, Gould told Chalon to reach out to some of her clients who might be interested in having a socially distant photo shoot.

I ended up doing 85 sessions, Chalon said.

Every photographers style really resounded in their Front Steps pictures, Gould said. First of all, it was just amazing to see people in those first days of spring, when things were really dire.

At that time, Gould said families were looking for a chance to dress up, to have a photo of the historic time they were living in, and photographers were out of work.

I wanted to participate when I heard about it, help the community and bring about some joy in crazy times, Ceraso said. But it was also great for me to get out of the house and work again and meet some of the great families around town.

One family I have a photo has of horses in it, Ceraso said. Theres a family with little kids in pajamas with stuffed animals. Lots of pets, for sure. It was just really sweet to see the families at home. It gave the families something to dress up for after not leaving home for so long.

The project spread from families on their front steps or in the yard to people doing business.

Ceraso wanted to involve first responders, and contacted her friend, firefighter Mike Jackson. A photo of Jackson and his shift in front of the firehouse is in The Front Steps Project book.

This just kind of evolved so organically, and it felt so right, Chalon said, and that was the beauty of it.

For more information about the book, visit thefrontstepsproject.com.
US: 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine found in watermelons

Tesla owners will be paid $ 16,000 each due to slow charging

Advisor to Armenia Prosecutor General provides details about incident with Armenian soldier killed in Verin Shorzha

Banksy's painting of punk Lenin sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 960,000

CSTO Deputy Secretary-General: Escalation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border requires undertaking of urgent measures

Catholicos of All Armenians receives newly appointed Ambassador of Japan

Australia closing its embassy in Kabul for security reasons

Biden to discuss issues related to Belarus and Ukraine with Putin

Armenian acting FM meets with ambassadors of CSTO member states accredited to Armenia

Armenia Ombudsman presents human rights protection in post-war period to CoE Programmes Directorate General

Germany is investigating Google's position in market

France: Sanctions against Belarus will continue

Armenia opposition party MP: Azerbaijan is a terrorist state, negotiations can't be led with such a country

US to reopen its Consulate General in Jerusalem

EU expects to receive over 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine by end of September

Armenian MFA strongly condemns Azerbaijan's blatant armed encroachment on Armenia's sovereign territory

UN still awaits strong evidence that Dubai ruler's daughter is alive

Opposition Bright Armenia Party urges Government to immediately address UN Security Council

Armen Sarkissian receives Russia Ambassador to Armenia

Armenia President, France Ambassador discuss situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border

Overchuk: We hope unblocking of links between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a success

Armenia police officer commits suicide, criminal case launched

Armenia Environmental Protection and Mining Inspection Body has new deputy heads

Zarif, Aliyev discuss railway routes connecting Iran, Azerbaijan and Armenia

EU leaders agree to donate at least 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to poor countries

Armenian serviceman Mher Hovhannisyan fires gunshot at his head, criminal case launched

Soldier who died in Armenia's Verin Shorzha was son of ARF-D member, father of 2

Blinken promises to continue close consultations with Israel on Iran

Armen Sarkissian: Armenia's relevant state institutions need to take the tightest measures

Armenian soldier commits suicide, opposition speaks on tense situation on border, 25.05.21 digest

Yerevan man's body found at Tatul Krpeyan Park

Armenia MOD: Reports about Armenian soldiers being injured in Sisian section of border not confirmed

EU summit calls for rarly implementation of vaccination certificates

Parliament of the Netherlands adopts resolution, EU must demand that Azerbaijan pull out troops from Armenia

Kremlin: Russian and US presidents to meet in Geneva on June 16

Spokesperson of community council of Armenia's Sisian: Men got enlisted and climbed to military posts

Bright Armenia Party: We are not satisfied with CSTO response

EU leaders urge council to review internal border guidelines by mid-June

Armenia MOD: Fixed-term serviceman receives lethal firearm injury in head area

Dollar still stable in Armenia

Armenian Catholic Catholicos-Patriarch passes away

Kathimerini: US seeks to increase military presence in Greece due to doubts about Turkey's reliability

US Congress members call on Biden to suspend all military assistance to Azerbaijan

Armenia acting economy minister receives Montenegro's newly appointed Ambassador

Armenia MOD: Soldier killed during shootings from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha

Russian MP: Azerbaijani leadership interested in Armenia acting PM's victory in snap elections

Armenia MOD reports shooting from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha border section

Armenia opposition MP: Authorities promised to separate business from politics, but they're failing to fulfill promise

There will be post-election processes if authorities try to rig voting, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

CNN: Putin and Biden will meet on June 15-16 in Geneva

Latin America has the highest poverty rate in 20 years

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia applying to CSTO: No one will help you if you do nothing to solve your problems

Armenia ruling Civil Contract Party presents list of first 10 candidates ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Armenia acting justice minister discusses broad range of cooperation issues with top CoE official

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Man survives after spending 17 days in desert

Azerbaijan continues course towards systematic extermination of Armenian heritage in Shushi

Armenia Syunik Province ex-governor: Azerbaijani soldiers advanced along length of border two days ago

Newly appointed Ambassador of Montenegro presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Its about bringing Karabakh issue back to right to self-determination, says Armenia ex-President Kocharyan

Iran FM to arrive in Armenia

Ara Aivazian and Austrian counterpart hold phone talks, focus on Azeri army's infiltration into Armenia's territory

Kocharyan: Elect todays political team if you are ready to live squatting

Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 30 million

2nd President Kocharyan on Armenia Security Council chief: Do you take that person seriously?

"Key" to settlement of Karabakh conflict cant be in one place, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Texas may permit carrying of pistols without special permission

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia acting PM Pashinyan's high popularity rating: We will wear it down to the root

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Election bloc format must be workable in some logical sense

Attorney: Political persecution against Robert Kocharyan is becoming more noticeable during election campaign

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: We must do everything so that our domestic politics is not dictated by Azerbaijan

Armenian acting defense minister meets Russian peacekeeping mission chief

Congress predicts US nuclear spending to reach $ 634 billion by 2030

Russian MP: The effectiveness of military cooperation with Armenia depends on Yerevan as well

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Armenia ex-President Kocharyan on relations with 3rd President Sargsyan: We go our own way they go their own

Judge adjourns hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM for 3 weeks

Court hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM

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Kocharyan: You may find yourself in stupid situations if you come to negotiations without any baggage

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Yerevan municipal council convenes regular session

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World oil prices going up

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Two men were injured lighting fireworks during a street racing incident Sunday, according to San Antonio police.

At around 10:30 p.m., police said a group of street club racers were in the parking lot of the Eisenhauer Flea Market in the 3900 block of Eisenhauer Road doing doughnuts. According to police, the two people were injured throwing fireworks in the middle of the cars doing doughnuts.

One 19-year-old man blew off both hands and another man said a live firework landed in his hands, blowing up his cell phone, blowing off his fingers and possibly blinding him, police said. Both men were taken to the hospital.

FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox

The meetup was one of multiple police broke up around the city Sunday night.

Police said about 50 cars congregated at a Valero gas station doing doughnuts near Perrin Beitel Road, which racers attempted to bock. Police took one person into custody at that location, though it is unclear what charges that person is facing.

Police also broke up a street racing meetup in the area of South General McMullen and Thompson Place. Racers attempted to block traffic at the location and began throwing wood, rocks and fireworks at police officers, according to the SAPD.

Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway




China News on Women





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On Monday, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav put the onus on the Centre to address concerns over the restricted emergency approval of COVID-19 vaccines. Questions have been raised about the green signal to COVAXIN owing to the fact that its phase 3 efficacy data is not available. Earlier, the former UP CM had sparked a row by announcing that he will not take the vaccine as he did not trust 'BJP's vaccine'.

After facing a lot of criticism, Yadav claimed that neither he nor his party had questioned the ability of the experts, researchers or scientists. Thereafter, he asked the Union government to release a timeline for the vaccination of the poor persons and demanded that it should be done free of cost. As per the Uttar Pradesh government's three-stage vaccination plan, the healthcare workers will be vaccinated first followed by other frontline workers and people aged above 50 years and those with co-morbidities shall be covered in the third phase.

Read: 'Vaccines 110% Safe; Else Wouldn't Approve,' Says DCGI; Rubbishes SP's Impotency Claim

I or the Samajwadi party never questioned the experts, researchers or scientists. If there are suspicion or some doubts, it is government's responsibility to clarify: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav https://t.co/AinGCcl4dl  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 4, 2021

Read: Sanjay Jha Calls Congress Campaign Against Covaxin "ridiculous"; Asks To Trust Scientists

DCGI approves two vaccines

In a big breakthrough in India's fight against COVID-19, the Drug Controller General of India accepted the recommendations of the Subject Expert Committee of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, paving way for the approval of COVISHIELD and COVAXIN. Manufactured by the Serum Institute of India with technology transfer from Oxford University-AstraZeneca, COVISHIELD is a Recombinant Chimpanzee Adenovirus vector vaccine with its overall efficacy at 70.42%. 50 million doses of this vaccine are ready. On the other hand, COVAXIN is a Whole Virion Inactivated Corona Virus Vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with ICMR and NIV.

As part of its phase 3 trials, 22,500 participants have been vaccinated across the country so far. However, it has been approved in "public interest" in the clinical trial mode so that there can be more options for vaccination in case of infection by mutant strains. Both the vaccines have to be stored between 2-8 degree celsius. Countering the charge that COVAXIN was approved hastily, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan made it clear that all the recipients of this vaccine will be tracked and monitored as if they are in clinical trial mode. The government of India will inoculate 30 crore individuals belonging to priority groups in the first phase of its COVID-19 vaccination drive.

Read: BJP Chief JP Nadda Slams 'Vaccine Politics'; Says 'Congress Not Proud Of Anything Indian'
KYODO NEWS - Jan 4, 2021 - 15:37 | Others, All, Japan, Coronavirus

Japan's central and local governments as well as many businesses began the year's first day of work Monday facing the challenge of dealing with the continued spread of the novel coronavirus.

With Tokyo reporting over 1,300 daily cases last Thursday, the highest figure since the start of the pandemic, the capital's metropolitan government has been tackling surging infections amid deepening concerns over hospital capacity.

"We just have to keep doing what we can at each section," said an official of the Tokyo metropolitan government.

Many officials of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, meanwhile, began work after doing shifts over the year-end and New Year holidays to cope with the increasing coronavirus cases.

"It's become like a long-distance run. We would like to take necessary measures without becoming out of breath," said a senior official of the ministry.

With Monday marking 200 days to go until the planned opening of the rescheduled Tokyo Games, an official of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic organizing committee said, "We just have to continue giving our best and believe the tide will turn in our favor."

Related coverage:

Coronavirus:Japan could declare state of emergency for Tokyo area this week

FOCUS: Japan economy to notch sharp recovery from pandemic toward end-2021

In northeastern Japan, which is due to mark this year the 10th anniversary of the March 2011 earthquake-tsunami and nuclear disasters, local governments are looking to accelerate recovery efforts.

Municipal officials of Futaba town in Fukushima Prefecture, which hosts part of Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, began the first day of work in Iwaki city, where the town office was evacuated after the disaster.

At a ceremony to kick off work in the new year, Futaba Mayor Shiro Izawa expressed hope for further progress in recovery efforts and an end to the pandemic.

In neighboring Miyagi Prefecture's Onagawa town, which was ravaged by the tsunami, Mayor Yoshiaki Suda said in an address to municipal employees, "Learning from experience over the past 10 years, we will overcome hardships as a team."

TEPCO President Tomoaki Kobayakawa gave his New Year address to the company's employees in a video message.

"We will take complete responsibility for the accident without allowing memories to fade after the 10-year mark," he said.

On Monday morning, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told a press conference that the central government is considering declaring another state of emergency in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures to authorize stricter measures to curb the spread of the virus. He also said vaccinations could begin in late February.

In the occupied Crimea, unknown individuals attacked and beat up wife and daughter of imprisoned activist Oleh Prykhodko.

As Oleh Tiahnybok, the leader of the All-Ukrainian Union Svoboda, posted on Facebook, Prykhodko's relatives were beaten near their house.

Oleh Prykhodko, a native of Crimea, headed the Saky town organization of the All-Ukrainian Union Svoboda before the occupation of Crimea. After the Russians invaded, he was unable to leave the peninsula because of the health conditions of his relatives. In October 2019, Moscow special services together with representatives of the local occupation "administration" abducted and imprisoned Oleh Prykhodko. In April 2020, he was taken to the territory of the Russian Federation, to the Rostov pre-trial detention center No.1, where he was placed in solitary confinement.

"Today, our friend has significant health problems. He has almost lost hearing and vision, chronic illnesses have worsened. Meanwhile, Putin's prosecutors demand that he must be imprisoned for 11 years in a maximum security prison on charges of terrorism," Tiahnybok noted.

Former Kremlin's prisoner, Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov also informed about the beating of Prykhodkos relatives in the occupied Crimea. "They were beaten up near their house for the public support for a political prisoner  father and husband," Sentsov wrote.

On December 29, 2020, the court of military appeals in the Russian city of Vlasykha extended Prykhodkos arrest until March 16.

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Iran has claimed responsibility for seizing a tanker, used to carry oil products and chemicals, after it veered into its territorial waters.

The semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported Monday that Iran has seized the South Korea-flagged Hankuk Chemi vessel due to environmental and chemical pollution in the Persian Gulf, citing sources with knowledge of the matter. The vessel was carrying 7,200 tonnes of ethanol and the arrested crew members were from Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar, according to Tasnim.

The seizure follows a series of shipping security incidents in the Persian Gulf. The region and the Red Sea have been a hotbed for attacks on vessels in recent years, with tensions flaring between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The semi-official Fars News Agency reported the seizure being due to oil pollution and that naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were responsible for seizing the vessel and bringing it to Bandar Abbas port in Iran.

FUEL FIX: Our energy news. Your inbox. A perfect combination.

The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations, which serves as a link between the Royal Navy and commercial vessels operating in high risk areas, said there had been an interaction between a merchant vessel and the Iranian authorities at around 6:15 a.m. local time in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Hankuk Chemi was sailing to the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah after loading at Jubail, Saudi Arabia on Jan. 2, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. It veered off course in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow stretch of water between the tip of Oman and Iran, and headed toward Bandar Abbas.

The U.S. Fifth Fleet, which operates in the region, is are aware and monitoring the situation, said spokeswoman Commander Rebecca Rebarich.

The incident follows the discovery of a mine attached to the hull of an oil tanker off Iraq on December 31, near the Iranian border. A ship at the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah was hit by an explosion earlier last month too, which Saudi authorities labeled an act of terror.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
Canada's Black Iron implementing the investment project to create a new iron ore production facility in Kryvy Rih (Dnipropetrovsk region, Shymanivske iron ore project), has estimated the total funds required to be raised for the project at $505 million, including $452 million required for project construction.

According to a company press release, once financing costs, tax refund timing delays and working capital for start-up are added, the total funds required to be raised is estimated by Black Iron's financial advisor to be near $505 million not including a cost overrun facility or guarantee that may be required by senior debt lenders of an additional around 5 to 15%.

Several term sheets have been received for the capital required for project construction as following project sources: $100 million from royalty, $65 million from the construction company, and $260-300 million as senior debt.

Black Iron is ideally seeking the balance of funds required for construction of the project to come from an offtake agreement with a steel mill or global trading house and is currently running a two phased process.

The first phase of this process closed on October 9, 2020 and select groups have been invited to a second phase, which will likely include either virtual or in-person site visits as has recently occurred.

Post signing of the offtake agreement, the company expects to enter into a binding agreement with a construction company to secure their investment.

This is expected to be followed by banks, export credit agencies and the royalty investor conducting due diligence in parallel to Black Iron's completing an updated feasibility study and environmental impact assessment to secure the balance of funding for project construction.

The company also said that further to the December 22, 2020 announcement regarding Black Iron signing a $100 million term sheet for a life of mine 6.75% royalty on the initial 4Mtpa production, the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) has reviewed this transaction and conditionally approved the granting of 30 million warrants to Perpetual Iron LLC for facilitating and supporting negotiations with the investor. Should Black Iron not enter into a binding definitive agreement with this investor prior to December 22, 2022, all warrants issued to Perpetual will expire. The issuance of the warrants is subject to final Toronto Stock Exchange approval.
Razak Kojo Opoku, the leader of the Concerned Voters Movement has urged Ghanaians to eschew religious extremism and embrace other faiths.



In the past few days, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has been slammed by a section of the public after he worshipped with churches on the night of 31st December 2020 in Kumasi.



Commenting on the issue, the NLA spokesperson said that Ghanaians should rather praise the Vice President for showing tolerance and maturity.



"There is absolutely nothing wrong with Bawumia visiting or worshipping with Christians likewise there would be no wrong if Alan or Mahama visit or worship with Muslims, he said in a social media post.



He cited a number of instances in the Bible and Quran where the Christian and Muslim faith connect.



Read his full statement below



Razak Kojo Opoku Writes: Religious Extremism is a Backward Philosophy



There is absolutely nothing wrong with Bawumia visiting or worshiping with Christians likewise there would be no wrong if Alan or Mahama visit or worship with Muslims. Ghana is a secular state with Christians Major and Islam Minor. It is important to also state that Abrahamic Religions in chronological order of founding are Judaism led by Moses, Christianity led by Jesus Christ and Islam led by Muhammad.



Both Ishmael and Isaac(the Covenant Child) are all biological sons of Abraham.



Muhammad is linked to Ishmael through the lineage of the patriarch Adnan.



Jesus Christ is linked to Isaac through the patriarch David.



Christians were the first people who received Muhammad in Madina when he runs away from Mecca to Madina for safety.



The first covenant agreement between Christians and Muslims for peaceful co-existence and tolerance was signed by Muhammad and Najran Christians in Madina.



The 1992 Constitution of Ghana has stated clearly that no person should be discriminated on the basis of Religion.



Tribal Politics and Religious Politics are illegal under the 1992 Constitution.



A Muslim leader would need Christian Votes to succeed.



A Christian leader would also need the votes of Muslims to succeed.



According to Hebrews 12:14, "Pursue peace with all men, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord".



And in Romans 12:18, "If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone".



In the past few days, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has been slammed by a section of the public after he worshipped with churches on the night of 31st December 2020 in Kumasi.



Commenting on the issue, the NLA spokesperson said that Ghanaians should rather praise the Vice President for showing tolerance and maturity.



"There is absolutely nothing wrong with Bawumia visiting or worshipping with Christians likewise there would be no wrong if Alan or Mahama visit or worship with Muslims, he said in a social media post.



He cited a number of instances in the Bible and Quran where the Christian and Muslim faith connect.







Source: Ghanaweb









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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By Baek Byung-yeul







KT CEO Ku Hyeon-mo has vowed to transform the leading telecommunications firm into a digital platform company to help the business turn its focus to emerging technology, KT said Monday.







"Unlike other large-sized companies, KT has to take the initiative at a time when the country and society are facing difficulties," Ku said during his New Year speech.







The CEO held a New Year event with the company's union chief and 50 employees, in a meeting was livestreamed through its in-house broadcasting platform.







In the address, Ku lauded employees who are performing exceptionally well amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and emphasized the company's need to strengthen its capabilities in emerging technologies such as AI, big data and cloud computing to achieve future growth.







"When uncertainties are increased, we have to transform ourselves into a leading company that can make a breakthrough with our capabilities, technology and passion," the CEO said.







He further stressed the company "is ready to challenge high-growth new business sectors by transforming into a digital platform firm."







"Ku emphasized now is the time for the company to challenge new businesses such as media content, robotics and bio-healthcare based on its strength in AI, big data and cloud computing," a KT official said.







Ku also encouraged company employees who working in Baekryeong Island, the country's northernmost territory, and overseas branches such as the Philippines. "I could feel a positive energy after meeting employees who have been working hard with pride at KT," Ku said.







To be a more socially responsible company, KT also decided to provide medical equipment to Bagae General Hospital in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul. "The support was made from donations by the company and its employees. Bagae General Hospital was designated as the country's first private hospital to deal with COVID-19 patients in December," the company said.


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Officials continue to assess building damage caused by the Christmas Day bombing as law enforcement officials on Thursday allowed media outlets the first opportunity to survey the downtown Nashville explosion site.

The photos show blown out windows, debris spilling out of buildings onto sidewalks and a dark crater where the bomb

directly went off.

Our priority is to try to make residents and businesses whole and Metro is working to get business owners and residents back into their properties as quickly as possible and to assist those whove lost their jobs, Mayor John Cooper told reporters earlier that day.

City officials had hoped to finish their assessment of the structural damage of the 41 affected buildings by last Thursday.

That same day, the FBI on social media announced that two missing cats, Martin and Molly, had been reunited with their owners after one was found under blankets on a bed and the other found on top of a closet.

Gov. Bill Lee has asked the White House for an emergency declaration to free up money and resources to impacted business owners. The federal government is reviewing the request.

The explosion, which took place in the heart of the Nashvilles historic downtown, killed the bomber, injured several people and damaged dozens of buildings. Federal officials are continuing to investigate the motive of the man they identified as the bomber, 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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The police in Zamfara on Monday said that in the aftermath of protests in Shinkafi Local Government Area, properties worth N70 million were destroyed by angry residents.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported on Sunday how the angry residents took to the streets to protest the security situation in the area, following the abduction of popular community volunteer and vigilante, Samaila Lagga.

The protesters attacked the palace of the Emir of Shinkafi, Muhammed Makwashe, and the residences of political appointees in the state, mostly those appointed to oversee peace dialogues with bandits in the Shinkafi area.

Residents of the area, including some of the protesters, told PREMIUM TIMES that the protesters used derogatory terms to accuse the state government and traditional rulers of underreporting their ordeals with the gunmen, who frequently attack their communities at will.

The protesters, who damaged the emirs palace, also called for the termination of peace dialogues with the bandits and demanded weapons for self-defense.

Damage Assessment

The police spokesperson in Zamfara, Muhammed Shehu, said following the protest, the command embarked on an assessment led by the commissioner, Abutu Yaro, in the affected council area.

The Commissioner, who also visited the Emirs Palace, empathised with the monarch for the wanton damage to his palace by the rioters. He assured that the Police Command has taken serious measures to ensure such an act does not occur in any part of the state

Police said properties such as water processing factory worth N15 million, block industry worth N5 million, and three (3) residential apartments worth N50 million were destroyed by protesters.

The commissioner added that the culprits will be arraigned at the end of the ongoing investigation. He warned everyone to desist from taking laws into their hands and to allow the constituted authority to exercise its duty.

Also, the commissioner held a town hall meeting, which was attended by many prominent personalities of Shinkafi. At the meeting, security issues were extensively discussed. The police solicited continuous community partnerships and enjoined armed non-state actors to embrace the ongoing peace process and disarm.

On his part, the Emir of Shinkafi Muhammed Makwashe, thanked the police boss for his quick response to the incident and promised the security agents of his Emirates continued support in everything that will promote security and safety of Shinkafi and Zamfara at large.
A Brazilian association of private health clinics said Sunday it was negotiating with Indian pharmaceutical firm Bharat Biotech to buy five million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine, which India has just authorized for emergency use.

The Brazilian Association of Vaccine Clinics (ABCVAC) confirmed on its website it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian firm to purchase its Covaxin vaccine, which is currently in the final stage of clinical trials.

Any final deal would be subject to approval by Brazils health regulator, Anvisa, which has yet to approve any vaccines against the new coronavirus.

Far-right President Jair Bolsonaros government faces mounting criticism of dragging its feet on a vaccination campaign in Brazil, which has the second-highest death toll in the pandemic, after the United States.

That has left some state governments, and now the private sector, scrambling to try to launch vaccination drives on their own.

ABCVAC described its planned deal with Bharat Biotech as a way to ensure Brazilians using the private health system -- typically the wealthy -- would have access to a vaccine, even as the government reserves its own initial doses for the public health system and high-priority groups such as health workers and the elderly.

We had been looking for solutions for the private market, and the possibility came up of using this Indian vaccine, which is very promising, ABCVAC president Geraldo Barbosa told TV network Globo News.

Its an additional sale that will not interfere with the quantity of vaccine doses the government has ordered.

ABCVAC representatives will travel to India Monday to continue negotiations, the association said.

It said its clinics could begin vaccinating people by the second half of March, pending the conclusion of clinical trials and regulatory approval from Anvisa.

India approved vaccines from both Bharat and Britains Oxford University earlier Sunday for restricted use in emergency situations, even though the former is still in testing.

The country has set an ambitious target of vaccinating 300 million of its 1.3 billion people by mid-year.

Brazil is meanwhile struggling to get its vaccination campaign off the ground, amid political squabbling and vaccine skepticism from Bolsonaro.

The president regularly flouts expert advice on containing the pandemic and says he does not plan to get a Covid-19 shot himself.

The government has secured 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine but has yet to get regulatory approval or acquire the necessary syringes.

Brazils health ministry has yet to announce the start date for its vaccination campaign.

Earlier Sunday, Anvisa authorized the importation of the first two million doses of the Oxford vaccine, pending approval for their use.

Intolerable vaccine delays

Many accuse the government of waiting too long.

The situation has grown intolerable, Supreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes said in a blistering tweet.

Neighboring countries have already started their vaccination campaigns. It is urgent we establish a time frame to do the same. Ignorance must not prevail over science, he wrote.

There are warning signs the virus is surging again in Brazil.

Experts say the country of 212 million people is being hit by a second wave, and areas that once seemed to have brought the virus under control are again facing an onslaught of cases and deaths.

That includes the Amazon rainforest state of Amazonas, whose capital, Manaus, was devastated by the virus last year, with haunting scenes of mass graves and corpses piled in refrigerator trucks.

After a lull in cases in the second half of 2020 -- leading some experts to wonder whether so many people had been infected that the city reached herd immunity -- the virus is now exploding again in the region.

With its morgues overwhelmed, Manaus has again deployed refrigerator trucks outside hospitals to store cadavers. A judge on Saturday ordered the Amazonas government to shut down all non-essential businesses and activities for 15 days to slow the spread of the virus.

Brazil has recorded more than 196,000 deaths from Covid-19.
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Washington, Jan 4 : US Senate Republicans were divided amid efforts to challenge the 2020 Electoral College results, which affirmed Democrat and former Vice President Joe Biden's victory over sitting President Donald Trump.

On Sunday, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, dismissied a plan by a group of his Republican colleagues to contest the presidential election results.

"Proposing a commission at this late date, which has zero chance of becoming reality, is not effectively fighting for President Trump," Graham, also the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, tweeted.

"It appears to be more of a political dodge than an effective remedy," he added.

Graham was referring to a statement made by Texas Senator Ted Cruz and multiple other Senate Republicans a day earlier, in which they said they would vote against accepting the election results unless Congress appoints an Electoral Commission for "an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in the disputed states".

The Senators will vote on Wednesday, when Congress convenes in a joint session to formally count the electoral votes, to reject the electors from what they called "disputed states", unless that audit is completed, according to the statement.

Graham, in another tweet on Sunday, said that he will listen to his colleagues closely but acknowledged that "they have a high bar to clear".

Several other Senate Republicans, including Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Mitt Romney of Utah, have blasted the Cruz-led efforts.

"I voted for President Trump and endorsed him for re-election," Toomey, who is retiring at the end of 2022, said in a statement.

"But, on Wednesday, I intend to vigorously defend our form of government by opposing this effort to disenfranchise millions of voters in my state and others," he added.

Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee and a vocal Trump critic, said in his statement on Sunday that "the egregious ploy to reject electors may enhance the political ambition of some, but dangerously threatens" the country's institutions.

Cruz's announcement came days after Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, another Trump ally, said that he will join a group of House Republicans to force a debate and vote on the Electoral College results.

This would be the third time in US history that Congress has been forced to consider an objection to the electoral count because of a motion by a Senator and a member of the House.

The two previous attempts, one in 1969 and the other in 2005, failed.

Vice President Mike Pence, who will preside over the congressional session, "welcomes the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections and bring forward evidence before the Congress and the American people", Marc Short, his chief of staff, said in a statement on Sunday.

If a written objection is lodged on Wednesday, US lawmakers would meet in their individual chambers for up to two hours to debate, according to a letter written by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to her Democratic colleagues on Sunday.

Unless both the House and Senate vote to reject the Electoral count for the state in question, the objection is rejected.

Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be officially inaugurated "at the end of the day, which could be the middle of the night", according to Pelosi.

Electors gathered in 50 states and the District of Columbia on December 14, 2020 to formally vote for the next US president based on the popular votes.

Biden, the former Vice President, won 306 of the 538 electoral votes to Trump's 232.

To clinch the White House, a candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes.

Trump is yet to conced and was still pushing for claims of massive election fraud, despite that dozens of attempts by his legal team and allies to challenge the results in some key states had been defeated, rejected, or tossed out.

According to a report posted Sunday by The Washington Post, Trump directly asked Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger of Georgia, a battleground state Biden flipped from red to blue, to overturn the results during a phone call on January 1.

During their conversation, the President repeatedly asked Raffensperger, a Republican, to "find" more than 11,000 ballots needed to overcome the gap.

At one point, he said: "So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state." Raffensperger and his office's general counsel were heard in the call rejecting Trump's claims, explaining that the President was arguing with "wrong" data and Biden's victory in the state was fair and accurate.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
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The federal government has given an assurance that the country will witness improved security this year.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, gave the assurance at a new year media briefing on Monday in Lagos.

The minister disclosed that a number of the platforms the country had been expecting to pep up the battle against terrorists and bandits would arrive in the new year.

He said President Muhammadu Buhari had continued to provide the armed forces and other security agencies with whatever was required to function better in terms of platforms, logistics and capacity development.

As the president said in his new year broadcast, the security apparatus and personnel of the armed forces and the police are to be re-energised and re-organised.

This is with a view to enhancing their capacity to engage, push back and dismantle the operations of both internal and external extremist and criminal groups waging war against our communities in some parts of the country, he said.

Mr Mohammed paid tributes to all security personnel for their sacrifice, dedication to duty and patriotism, noting that the nation remained in their debt for their service.

The minister said 2020 was one of the most challenging years for the country with COVID-19 and #EndSARS protest impacting on the economy in addition to security challenges.

He said the government, however, rose with courage and determination to tackle the challenges and had continued to do so.

The year 2020 has been a challenging year, undoubtedly one of the most challenging years for the country.

A global pandemic that triggered an economic recession, security challenge and an unnecessary violence that stemmed from what started as a peaceful protest are just some of the challenges.

It is to the credit of the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration that it tackled these challenges headlong.

Thanks to the several complementary fiscal, real sector and monetary interventions proactively introduced by the government to forestall a far worse decline of the economy and alleviate the negative consequences of the pandemic, he said.

The minister said the government equally introduced the Economic Sustainability Plan and took significant steps to reach out to the vulnerable.

Specifically, he said the National Social Register was expanded to 3.6 million beneficiaries across the 36 states while support was provided to 8.8 million households through the 70,000 metric tons food grains released from the Strategic Reserve.

Mr Mohammed also said no fewer than 1.3 million vulnerable households benefited from the Conditional Cash Transfers across 34 states.

He said various other interventions were made through the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme as well as the Trader and Market Moni loans.

The minister berated opposition figures for their constant criticism of the programmes and activities of government as well as whatever the president said or did without justifiable reasons.

Nigeria has been facing serious security challenges with the government and security agencies appearing underwhelmed to confront the criminals who seem to be having a field day to perpetrate their heinous activities.

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Shiv Sena Member of Parliament Sanjay Rauts wife Varsha Raut on Monday joined the Enforcement Directorates (ED) probe in the alleged money laundering in the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank fraud case.

Varsha Raut reached EDs Fort office in South Mumbai on Monday afternoon. ED officials are to question her in connection with suspicious transactions that cropped up while the officials were scanning Pravin Rauts transactions. Pravin Raut is Sajany Rauts friend and former director of Guruashish Constructions Private Limited, a subsidiary of the Housing Development Infrastructure Limited (HDIL), which is accused of defrauding PMC Bank of over Rs6,670 crore by fraudulently obtaining nearly 70% of the banks overall loans.

During an investigation into PMC Bank case and the involvement of HDIL, ED discovered that Rs95 crore had been siphoned off through HDIL by Pravin Raut in active conspiracy and connivance with various persons. The sources of the funds were illegally availed loans or advances etc. by HDIL from PMC Bank. There was no document or agreement in support of these payments made to Pravin Raut. Further, as per the HDILs ledger, the funds were given to Pravin Raut for acquiring land in Palghar, the ED said.

Also Read: Ask Congress why it is against renaming Aurangabad, instead of questioning us: Sanjay Raut to BJP

Pravin Raut paid an amount of Rs1.6 crore to his wife Madhuri from the proceeds of crime. Madhuri then transferred Rs55 lakh in 2010 and 2011 as interest-free loan to Varsha Raut. The amount was utilised to purchase a flat in Dadar East, the ED said.

Investigation further revealed that Varsha Raut and Madhuri are partners in Avani Construction. Varsha Raut received Rs12 lakh from this entity as overdrawn capital converted into a loan on a contribution of mere Rs5,625. The loan amount of Rs12 lakh is still outstanding. ED officials wish to question Varsha Raut regarding these transactions.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has already provisionally attached Pravin Rauts properties worth Rs72 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the PMC Bank fraud case.

Pravin Raut was also arrested by the Mumbai Polices economic offences wing (EOW) in February in connection with the Rs1,034 crore redevelopment fraud case, in which Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) is the complainant.

EDs money laundering probe in the PMC Bank case is based on the Mumbai EOWs September 2019 FIR registered against HDIL, its promoters Rakesh Wadhawan and Sarang Wadhawan, the banks former chairman Waryam Singh and managing director Joy Thomas and some other accused for allegedly causing losses worth thousands of crores to the bank to reap gains for themselves.

Previously, Sanjay Raut had termed EDs action as a witch hunt. He said his wife works as a teacher and had taken a loan of Rs50 lakh from her friend 10 years ago. For the past one-and-a-half months, ED has been following up with us. Weve given all the documents they demanded and showed our IT (income tax) returns and my Rajya Sabha affidavit. As the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) failed in their intention, they are now targeting our family members, Sanjay Raut alleged.

On September 23, 2019, RBI had barred PMC Bank depositors from withdrawing money after it came to light that PMC Banks top management had allegedly sanctioned around 73% of the banks loans to Housing Development Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL) group unlawfully and concealed the firms non-performing assets (NPAs). The RBI regulator had first capped the withdrawal limit at Rs1,000. Later, depositors were allowed to withdraw money upto Rs50,000 in a six-month period, which was further increased to Rs1 lakh.
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Newly sworn-in U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Bruce Township, said Monday she is open to opposing the certification of President-elect Joe Bidens Electoral College victory later this week.

In a statement, McClain said she would vote accordingly if Wednesdays proceedings further confirms the concerns voiced to me by folks in the 10th District. McClain, who declined to provide additional comment, said irregularities in the election process gave her grave concerns that our process was not faithfully upheld, but did not provide specific details.

All 50 states certified the November election results and submitted the vote of their electors before the New Year. Congress will meet Wednesday in a joint session to count the votes, which show Biden ahead with 306 to President Donald Trumps 232.

A least one lawmaker from both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate is required to formally object to a states Electoral College votes being counted. A majority vote is needed in both the House and Senate for the challenge to be successful.

Republicans are expected to challenge the result in Michigan alongside other battleground states won by Biden, including Georgia, Pennsylvania and Arizona. Certified results show Trump lost Michigan by 154,000 votes.

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, released a statement shortly after McClain saying he wont support objections to the Electoral College vote.

Voters  not judges or politicians  must decide elections, Upton said. These objections would establish a new precedent allowing the Congress to supersede the will of the people. There have been no cases of fraud discovered that would overturn President-elect Bidens 154,000 vote victory in Michigan.

Michigans Republican legislative leaders did not see evidence to suggest the states 16 electoral votes shouldnt go to Biden. Despite pressure from Trump and other Republicans, the Legislature declined to replace electors with Republicans who would vote for Trump instead.

McClain cast doubt on the election process in several states but did not specify which states she was referring to. Court challenges and legislative committees in Michigan have found no evidence of election issues that changed the result.

In November, the American people watched as officials in several states, and even some courts, acted with political bias and drifted from the rule of law, McClain said in the statement.

Norm Eisen, outside legal counsel for the Voter Protection Program, told reporters Monday that the effort to overturn the election is an attack on democracy.

" While there have been a few cases of challenged electoral votes in the past, never before has anyone based objections on theories as thoroughly debunked and defeated in scores of the over 60 court cases that we have had here, Eisen said. Nothing has ever come anywhere near the sheer illegitimacy and illegality of the effort that is going to be mounted in Congress.

McClain said she supports GOP colleagues who are voicing concerns about the election. She was among 26 incoming House Republicans who signed a letter asking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to investigate allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

Several other Republicans who joined the letter said they would object to the certification process. In a December interview, McClain said she signed on to the letter because constituents in the pro-Trump district have been asking her to take a look at election fraud allegations.

I think the people have spoken, McClain said in December. It doesnt matter what my opinion is. it doesnt matter what I think. It matters what the 750,000 constituents that I represent I think.

The congresswoman was sworn in Sunday to represent Michigans predominately conservative thumb region in the Lower Penninsula. She replaces retiring U.S. Rep. Paul Mitchell, who left the Republican Party in December over its general refusal to acknowledge Bidens victory.

McClain was elected with 66% of the vote in November.

MLive reached out to all seven Republicans in Michigans congressional delegation inquiring about their position on upholding the vote of electors. None replied as of Monday afternoon.

Newly-elected U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Grand Rapids, previously said he accepts Biden as the president-elect. U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, told constituents in December that he would not challenge Michigans electoral votes, but didnt say whether he would support challenges of other states.

Four Michigan Republicans, including Huizenga and U.S. Reps. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet; John Moolenaar, R-Midland; and Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, supported a lawsuit filed by Texas asking the Supreme Court to overturn Michigans election results. The Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit.

READ MORE ON MLIVE:

Trump repeats false claims about Michigan election in leaked Georgia phone call

Misinformation and conspiracies took starring role in Michigans political movements

Michigan likely to lose congressional seat after 2020 census count
Sunday, January 3, 2021

CHAOS, CONFUSION, CONVOLUTED, CALAMITY CONTINUES ON COVID VACCINE DELIVERIES

Ongoing Federal Mismanagement of Virus Persists



Exactly What is the Biden Team Going to Do Better?

by Brian Hampton

Who can be surprised? How could anyone paying attention, be surprised that the federal government's projection of 20 million people be vaccinated by the end of 2020, turns about to about four million?

The American people are a brave and resilient and as a nation we will survive this too. But amid the anguish, agony, and death, what have we seen from the start from the federal government? We have seen a debacle of chaos, confusion, and scatter gun pandemonium.

Riding Off In All Different Directions

We should have seen a systematized, coordinated unity of a response from the Executive Branch; instead, we have seen a federal government belatedly responding by finally jumping on dozens of horses and riding off in all different directions.

Over and over again we thought it might get better, but it gets worse and worse. Fool me once, shame on them, fool me twice, shame on us. Just what is the Biden Administration going to be doing differently? We must not be hoodwinked again.

The President-elect spoke many times during the campaign about how he will listen to the scientists. He told us what we should be doing to stop the spread of the virus. There is something he has not told us.

Have You Heard This Yet?







Let's ask ourselves the critical question: What is the new federal administration going to do to manage and coordinate the manufacture and delivery of health care equipment, services and vaccines? How is the federal government going to coordinate with states and cities for a smooth national campaign reaching all the people?

The key words are FEDERAL MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION. Have you heard of such a plan? I have not. Have you even heard it talked about? I have not. We cannot assume there is such a plan.

Amendment X of our Constitution says that the powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved for the states. However, consider that the "Vesting Clause" in Article II Section 1 of the Constitution says that "The executive power shall be vested in the President of the United States."

The Power is There; Is the Will?

Few disagree with the concept of a "Unitary Executive" who has vast powers to direct executive officers, to issue Executive Orders to create rules, regulations, and instruction.

So, no more accepting this idea that most things to be done have to be left to the states. Our President has the right in law and conscience to take bold and organized actions, in coordination with the states.

Because of the daily news reports of the escalating misery, we have almost become desensitized by the reality: 20 million in the US have caught COVID and 360,000 have died.

If we do not learn from the past, we are destined to repeat it. Let's start with the old White House Coronavirus Task Force which first had 22 members, including a couple of very eminent scientists.

Why the First Task Force Failed

We remember the briefings and being told what was happening and what we should be doing, but try to remember if you ever heard what they said they were doing to manage the crisis?

The old Task Force was a horizontal organization of spokespeople considering what should have been done. What we need going forward is a vertical task force to manage and coordinate virus care and deliver it to us in an organized and timely fashion.

We know the media is unlikely to keep a new administration Task Force accountable. The talking heads are too busy pontificating, telling us what we already know and failing to ask incisive questions.

How to Appraise the New Task Force

What should we look for in the new Task Force? Each member should have a clear area of responsibility. If everyone is responsible for everything, nobody is responsible for anything.

Repeated research has demonstrated that the most efficient number of people in a working group is three to five people. The management Task Force could be composed of 20 members, each heading a Division and each having four operational staffers.

The Divisions could include: Vaccines, Vaccines Distribution, Treatment, Prevention, Testing, Equipment, Doctor Services, Mental Health, Hospital Services, Insurance, Food Distribution, Stimulus Coordination, States Liaison and Cities Liaison Divisions.

When these new Task Force members start giving TV briefings, they will be telling us details on the march of COVID throughout the country. Then they will be telling us what to do, that we have heard hundreds of times, wear masks, social distancing and wash our hands.

But let's listen carefully, to What They Are Doing? How are they managing and coordinating the federal government to deliver protective equipment, vaccines, and other services to the people?

How Will We Get a Vaccine?

Consider this: we do not have enough vaccines or an efficient distribution system. We think these vaccines will end up at doctors' offices and places like CVS and Walgreens. We have heard ranked categories of who is to get the vaccines, but try finding out How to apply for your eligibility to get a vaccine. It is nowhere to be found.

History will ask, what did we do? Our future family should ask, what did their forefathers do? Have you noticed how resigned people are, as in what can we do? When we take bold action, powerful forces will come to our aid. No effort is too small.

We need to add our voice demanding accountability and unity of coordinated action. Abraham Lincoln said public opinion is sovereign in our great country.





Let's Take Action and Be Empowered!

We can reach out to elected officials, opinion leaders, the media, use our social media, our neighborhood community board. We want to relate the simple concept: Unity of Action, Coordination, Communication, Federal Management.

We need to make sure the new White House team actually manages this health crisis. Being President is a leadership and a management job. What are they going to do?

Sure, we need to concentrate on staying alive and sane and healthy and take care the best we can of our human needs, especially family

But NOW is the time to come to the aid of our Great Country and its people. We the people must demand our government acts.





Brian Hampton has written a new book on life empowerment that will be published in 2021. The book shares techniques about how readers can successfully deal with predicaments and distressing people we all encounter far too often.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) speaks to the crowd during a "Defend the Majority" rally for U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) and Sen. David Purdue (R-Ga.) at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agriculture Center in Perry, Georgia, on Nov. 19, 2020. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

Trump Warns Sen. Tom Cotton After Saying He Wont Join Electoral Objection

President Donald Trump on Monday issued a warning to Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) hours after the Arkansas senator said he wouldnt join an effort to object to electoral votes on Jan. 6.

How can you certify an election when the numbers being certified are verifiably WRONG, Trump asked on Twitter, suggesting that he will make assertions about the real numbers tonight during my speech in Georgia to support Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) and David Perdue (R-Ga.) in their election fight.

The president then cautioned Cotton about his political future.

Republicans have pluses & minuses, but one thing is sure, THEY NEVER FORGET! he wrote to him on Twitter.

Trump was reacting to Cottons stance on not joining a growing group of Republican lawmakers who would oppose the electoral results during the Joint Session of Congress on Wednesday. About a dozen senators led by Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and over 40 House Republicans, are slated to lodge objections to key states electoral votes.

Senators opposing electoral votes would establish a poor precedent to follow in future elections, Cotton argued.

Objecting to certified electoral votes wont give him a second termit will only embolden those Democrats who want to erode further our system of constitutional government, Cotton wrote in a statement Sunday, although he said, I share the concerns of many Arkansans about irregularities in the presidential election, especially in states that rushed through election-law changes to relax standards for voting-by-mail. I also share their disappointment with the election results.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump depart Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Dec. 31, 2020. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Trump and other Republicans have warned that due to alleged voter fraud, all future elections will be potentially compromised.

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told The Hill on Sunday night that he supports their bid. However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other members of the GOP leadership have said that supporting the electoral college challenge could be politically troublesome. Meanwhile, McConnell on Dec. 14 said Democrat Joe Biden was the winner of the presidential election after the Electoral College voted.

The challenge needs one senator and a representative to carry out, triggering a two-hour debate per state. Then the House and Senate will hold a majority vote on whether to certify a states electoral votes; the House has a slim Democratic majority, and the Senate has a slim Republican majority.

Top Democrats over the weekend have signaled that they will mount a defense against the electoral challenge.

The tellers announce the results of each state, alphabetically. There is no other discussion in the Joint Session, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a statement on Sunday. If a written objection is lodged by a member of the House and Senate, we then meet in our individual chambers for up to two hours of debate. Only then will members be recognized to speak on the floor. Unless both the House and Senate vote to reject the electoral count for the state in question, the objection is rejected.
New Delhi: The seventh round of talks between protesting farmer unions and three Union ministers ended inconclusively on Monday (January 4) as the farmer leaders insisted on the repeal of the three contentious agriculture laws right from the beginning, while the government listed various benefits from the Acts. They, however, agreed to hold the next meeting on January 8.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told reporters, "We wanted farmer unions to discuss three laws clause-wise. We could not reach any solution as farmer union remained adamant on the repeal of the laws," adding "Looking at today's discussion, I hope that we will have a meaningful discussion during our next meeting and we will come to a conclusion."

Tomar said he remains hopeful of a solution in the next meeting on January 8, but asserted that efforts need to be made from both sides for a solution to be reached (taali dono haathon se bajti hai).

Farmer leaders, however, alleged that it was the government's "ego problem" that was coming in the way of resolving the issues and they insisted they would not relent on their key demands for the repeal of the three laws and a legal guarantee for the MSP (minimum support price) system for procurement of their crops.

"Government is under tremendous pressure. We all said that this is our demand (repeal of the laws). We don't want a discussion on any other topic except for on repeal of the laws. Protests will not be withdrawn until repeal of laws," said Hannan Mollah, General Secretary, All India Kisan Sabha.

Rakesh Tikait, Spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Union, told ANI, "Discussion took place on our demands -- repeal of the three laws and MSP... Kannon wapasi nahi, to ghar wapasi nahi (We will not go home until the laws are withdrawn)."

Yudhvir Singh, Bhartiya Kisan Union, said, "the minister wanted us to discuss the law point-wise. We rejected it and said that there is no point in discussing the laws because we want a complete rollback of the laws. Govt intends to take us towards amendments but we will not accept it."

When the talks started between the farmer unions and the Central ministers, the former kept on insisting on the repeal of the three contentious farm laws and the two sides took a long break after just about one hour of discussions. During the break, representatives of protesting farmers had their own food, arranged from langar (community kitchen), as they have been doing for the last few times.

Unlike the last round of talks on December 30, the ministers did not join the union leaders for the langar food and were seen having their own discussion separately during the break, which lasted for almost two hours.

The two sides got together again to resume their discussions at around 5.15 pm, but no headway could be made as the talks remained focussed on the farmers' demand for the repeal of the Acts. Farmer leaders said the government said it needs to consult internally and thereafter it would come back to the unions.

In Monday's talks, another key demand of farmers for a legal guarantee to the Minimum Support Price (MSP) procurement system barely came up for discussion.

Notably, thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at various Delhi borders for over a month against the three laws. They have stayed put despite heavy rains and waterlogging at protest sites over the last couple of days, besides severe cold weather conditions prevailing in and around the national capital.

Last month, the government had sent a draft proposal to the protesting farmer unions, suggesting seven-eight amendments to the new laws and a written assurance on the MSP procurement system. The government, however, ruled out a repeal of the three agri laws.

(With Agency Inputs)
Lysander, N.Y.  State police say they arrested a Central New York man twice in five hours Sunday after he kept going back to his ex-girlfriends apartment.

Troopers responded to an apartment complex on Woodsboro Drive in the town of Lysander at 2:50 p.m. after someone in the area heard two people arguing and called 911, state police spokesman Trooper Jack Keller said. When they arrived, state police found 38-year-old William P. Michlovitch outside his ex-girlfriends apartment.

Michlovitch is accused of giving troopers a fake name, Keller said. State police quickly realized Michlovitch wasnt supposed to be at the apartment complex where he used to live because his ex-girlfriend still lives there and she has an order of protection prohibiting him from having any contact with her, Keller said.

Michlovitch told police he has been staying at a home on Fitch Street in Syracuse since he moved out of the Lysander apartment.

Troopers charged Michlovitch with violating the order of protection and providing a false name to officers during the investigation. He was arraigned via Skype and released.

About five hours later, at 7:55 p.m., troopers were called back to the same apartment complex for a report of a suspicious person, Keller said. When troopers arrived, they spotted Michlovitch leaving the building.

Troopers tried to talk with Michlovitch, but he ran, Keller said.

During their investigation, troopers learned Michlovitch had gone back inside the apartment building, kicked in his ex-girlfriends apartment door, pushed her to the ground and got on top of her, Keller said.

State police charged Michlovitch with second-degree burglary and first-degree criminal contempt, both felonies; fourth-degree criminal mischief, resisting arrest and false personation, all misdemeanors; and second-degree harassment, a violation.

Onondaga County sheriffs deputies assisted state police at the scene. Police transported Michlovitch to the Onondaga County Justice Center to await centralized arraignment. He is no longer in jail Monday, records show.

State police say Michlovitch is scheduled to answer the charges at 7 p.m. Jan. 27 in Lysander Town Court.

Have a tip or a story idea? Contact Catie OToole: cotoole@syracuse.com | text/call 315-470-2134 | Twitter | Facebook
Forgive Asiatic black bear if they're not impressed with their popular giant panda neighbors.

For decades, conservationists have preached that panda popularity, and the resulting support for their habitat, automatically benefits other animals in the mountainous ranges. That logic extends across the world, as animals regarded as cute, noble or otherwise appealing drum up support to protect where they live.

Yet in Biological Conservation, scientists take a closer look at how other animals under the panda "umbrella" fare and find several species have every reason to be ticked at panda-centric policies.

"The popularity of giant pandas, as of the popularity of other beloved threatened animals across the world, has generated tremendous advances in protecting forests and other fragile habitats," said Jianguo "Jack" Liu, Michigan State University's Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability and a paper author. "But this is an important reminder that it can't assume that what's good for a panda is automatically good for other species. Different species have specific needs and preferences."

The authors of "The hidden risk of using umbrella species as conservation surrogates: A spatio-temporal approach" used camera trap data collected throughout mountain ranges to get a clear understanding of what and how animals were using protected habitats.

What they discovered is that while the pandas are doing very well (the species in 2016 was declared "threatened" rather than "endangered" - a conservation point of pride). But three of the eight species focused upon in this study - the Asiatic black bear, the forest musk deer and the Chinese serow (a goat-like animal) seem to have suffered significant habitat loss and/or degradation under panda-centric habitat management. Pandas are picky about where they live - needing lots of bamboo, a gentle slope and no contact with humans. And the managed habitats have largely delivered for them. Just not so much for others.

Fang Wang, the paper's first author, noted that earlier efforts at tracking how a broader range of animals fared were handicapped by turning a blind eye to different habitat preferences, and not spotting potentially different habitat trends of other animals. The authors suggested that the forests and shrublands in lower elevations next to the habitats that best serve pandas could be better for bear and deer.

"China has made a tremendous achievement in establishing giant panda nature reserves, and now we're learning that one size does not fit all," said Wang, who with Liu and other authors is part of MSU's Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability. "China as well as other countries that face similar conservation challenges have the opportunity to move forward from rescuing single species to protecting animal communities and ecosystems."

###

The work was supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation. Besides Liu and Wang, the paper was written by Julie Winkler, Andres Vina, William Joseph McShea, Sheng Li, Thomas Connor, Zhiqiang Zhao, Dajun Wang, Hongbo Yang, Ying Tang and Jindong Zhang.
Hong Kong: Bay area plan welcomed

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today welcomed the joint promulgation of the Culture & Tourism Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area by the Ministry of Culture & Tourism, the Office of the Leading Group for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Peoples Government of Guangdong Province.

The plan sets out the directions for the overall cultural and tourism development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and guides the development of the bay area into an exchange hub for culture of the East and the West and a world-class tourism destination.

It also helps strengthen the positions of Hong Kong as an international cultural metropolis and an international tourism hub.

The Hong Kong SAR Government thanked the Ministry of Culture & Tourism for according importance to the views it raised in the course of formulating the plan.

Based on the plan's guiding directions, the Hong Kong SAR Government will proactively integrate into the countrys overall development.

It will also work with the Ministry of Culture & Tourism, the Department of Culture & Tourism of Guangdong Province and the culture and tourism authorities of the bay area cities, to jointly implement the major work in the plan to develop a world-class bay area for culture and leisure.

On culture, the Hong Kong SAR Government said the joint cultural development, exchange and building of the bay area put forward in the Jointly Developing a Cultured Bay Area chapter in the plan will further enhance the development, exchange and communication of arts and culture performances and audience amongst the cities there.

This will also create opportunities for arts and culture organisations in the bay area to explore the international market together, it added.

The broader performing arts market in the bay area will also enhance the quality of productions of the arts and culture sector in Hong Kong. In the long run, this will help achieve the goal of building the bay area into a quality living circle for living, working and travelling, as mentioned in the plan.

On tourism, the Hong Kong SAR Government fully supports the various measures taking forward the bay area's tourism development in the Building a Bay Area for Leisure chapter of the plan.

They include developing more distinctive bay area tourism products and itineraries, jointly promoting bay area multi-destination tourism, driving the tourism development of cruises and yachting, strengthening the co-operation of tourism market regulation of the bay area as well as the nurturing of tourism talents.

Implementation of these measures will attract more overseas tourists to the bay area and promote the high-quality development of its tourism industry as well as construct a world-class bay area for travelling.

The Hong Kong SAR Government pointed out that both the plan and the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area promulgated in February 2019 expressly support Hong Kong in developing into an international tourism hub and a core demonstration zone for multi-destination tourism.

When the COVID-19 pandemic is over, the Hong Kong SAR Government will continue to leverage Hong Kongs strengths as Asias world city and best utilise its well-established marine, land and air connections as well as rich tourism resources to attract overseas tourists to embark on bay area multi-destination journeys through Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board will jointly promote the bay area tourism brand and feature Hong Kong as a star destination for multi-destination tourism with Guangdong and Macau in due course.

This story has been published on: 2021-01-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
More than 513 doctors including 103 from Delhi succumb to COVID-19 in second wave: IMA

New COVID-19 strain in India: Total 38 people test positive so far

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Jan 04: A total of 38 people have tested positive for the new UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 in India so far, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday.

The presence of the new UK variant has already been reported by Denmark, Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore, so far.

The government of India took cognizance of the reports of virus reported from the UK and put in place a proactive and preventive strategy to detect and contain the mutant variant, the ministry said.

UK begins Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine rollout with dialysis patient

This strategy includes temporary suspension of all flights coming from the UK with effect from the midnight of December 23 till January 7 and mandatory testing of all UK-returned air passengers through RT-PCR test.

The samples of all UK returnees found positive in RT-PCR test will be genome sequenced by a consortium of 10 government labs - INSACOG.

Further, all the international passengers who have arrived in India between December 9 to 22, if symptomatic and tested positive for COVID-19, will be subjected to genome sequencing as part of the Centre's strategy to detect the mutated UK variant in them.

Others will be followed up by the respective state and district surveillance officers and will be tested as per ICMR guidelines (even if asymptomatic) between the fifth and the tenth day, according to the Union Health Ministry's guidance document on genomic sequencing.

Further, epidemiological surveillance of the passengers, who have arrived in India since November 23 will be conducted in the community through active follow up.

Farmer Protest: What did Agricultural minister say on the 7th round of talks|Oneindia News

The standard operating protocol for states and UTs to tackle the mutant variant of SARS-CoV-2 was issued on December 22, it added.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, January 4, 2021, 16:30 [IST]
Heidi Klum recently rang in the new year with husband Tom Kaulitz.

And the Emmy winner is kicking off 2021 with some good vibes and good times with family and friends.

She kept warm in a chic tan overcoat Sunday, as she put the top down for a ride with Tom in her orange Bentley convertible to visit his twin brother Bill at his new home in Los Angeles.

Sunday drive: Heidi Klum kept warm in a chic tan overcoat Sunday, as she put the top down for a ride with husband Tom Kaulitz in her orange Bentley convertible to visit his twin brother Bill at his new home in Los Angeles

The 47-year-old layered the studded coat over a brown cable-knit turtleneck sweater with army green trousers and a pair of maroon leather heeled boots.

She finished the look with a pair of black square sunglasses, while carrying a MCM Worldwide leather handbag across her chest.

Heidi greeted her brother-in-law with two bottles of Champagne, as he greeted them outside the new abode.

She previously took to her Instagram Story with some videos of herself riding shotgun with Tom, 31, who was in the driver's seat.

Chic display: The 47-year-old layered the studded coat over a brown cable-knit turtleneck sweater with army green trousers and a pair of maroon leather heeled boots

Accessorizing: She finished the look with a pair of black square sunglasses, while carrying a MCM Worldwide leather handbag across her chest

Selfie esteem: Heidi previously took to her Instagram Story with some videos of herself riding shotgun with Tom, 31, who was in the driver's seat, while playing with some face filters

Serving looks: She lived her Disney princess fantasy with one filter, which gave her exaggerated features in the style of an animated movie character. Heidi also got a glimpse at her future with one option that gave her grandma hair, wrapped in a satin scarf

The Project Runway host played with some face filters on the app, one putting a straw hat on her head with a blade of straw in her mouth.

She lived her Disney princess fantasy with one filter, which gave her exaggerated features in the style of an animated movie character.

Heidi also got a glimpse at her future with one option that gave her grandma hair, wrapped in a satin scarf.

She tied the knot with Tom back in February of 2019 during a private ceremony, later having a ceremony on a yacht in Italy that August.

Happy couple: She tied the knot with Tom back in February of 2019 during a private ceremony, later having a ceremony on a yacht in Italy that August

Co-parents: The Ella Enchanted actress was previously married to Seal, 57, from 2005 to 2014, and they share daughters Helene, 16, Lou, 11, sons Henry, 15, and Johan, 14 (pictured in February, 2011)

The Ella Enchanted actress was previously married to Seal, 57, from 2005 to 2014, and they share daughters Helene, 16, Lou, 11, sons Henry, 15, and Johan, 14.

She and Helene 'Leni' recently posed together for Vogue Germany's colorful January/February cover, her oldest child's first modeling gig.

Heidi previously hinted at the debut to People in December: 'She's old enough now. I always thought she was too young. We always also decided to keep the children out of the public eye.

'But she's driving a car now, she's 16, so I figured if you can do that, you can also model now if this is what you wish to do.'
A year after George Floyd's death, Pennsylvanians are still fighting for change

Group of 10 migrants intercepted in Channel and brought to Dover on Saturday

The group after the first to make it across the Channel since Brexit deal came in

Changes mean UK no longer accepts asylum at sea, but little practical impact

Law change paves way to send groups back to France, but a deal is first needed

In total, 8,410 migrants made perilous crossing from France to the UK last year

The first migrants to cross The Channel since the UK's new Brexit deal came into force have been brought into Dover - after more than 8,400 made the dangerous crossing last year.

One boat carrying around 10 people was intercepted and brought into Dover Marina, Kent shortly before 5am on Saturday.

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Border Force towed the blue and white rigid hulled inflatable boat into the harbour before escorting the migrants up the gangway to be processed.

The men, wearing face masks, red lifejackets and wrapped in white blankets for warmth, appeared to be shivering from the bitter -1C temperature.

Former MEP and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage posted about a video of the rescue operation on Twitter, saying: 'The first migrant boat of 2021. Brexit Britain needs to stop this.'

It comes after groups of migrants attempted the perilous crossing either side of the end of the Brexit transition deal - with one group being rescued and brought to Dover on New Year's Eve and another being rescued by French officials on New Year's Day.

The first migrants to cross The Channel since the UK's new Brexit deal came into force have been brought into Dover (pictured)

One boat carrying around 10 people was intercepted and brought into Dover Marina (pictured), Kent shortly before 5am on Saturday

Border Force towed the blue and white rigid hulled inflatable boat into the harbour before escorting the migrants up the gangway (pictured) to be processed

Though Britain's new trade deal came into force on January 1, and new laws on asylum seekers along with it, the rules remain largely the same for those attempting the crossing.

Britain has said it will no longer accept asylum claims at sea, paving a way for those crossing The Channel to be returned to France.

But the UK will not be permitted to do that until an agreement with France is reached.

Home Secretary Priti Patel signed a new deal with France at the end of November, after 757 people crossed, in an attempt to prevent crossings from disembarking from their shores.

She pledged up to 28milllion to double patrols along a 90-mile stretch of French coastline to scupper people smuggling gangs - seen as one of the root causes of the issue.

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The latest migrant crossing comes after three people attempted to make the perilous 21-mile journey by small boat on New Year's Day just hours after the end of the Brexit transition period.

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They had called French emergency services after getting into difficulty off Equihen-Plage.

The French Navy warship Rhone and coastguard patrol vessel Jacques Oudart Fourmentin and coastal maritime surveillance boat Scarp were all scrambled to their dramatic rescue.

The coastguard vessel took the three migrants, one suffering from hypothermia, and their boat back to border police at Boulogne-sur-Mer shortly before 1pm.

Figures show a record 8,410 migrants made the treacherous Channel crossing by small boat last year - four times more than the 1,850 who made the journey in the whole of 2019.

A total of 211 people made it to UK shores in December following 33 arriving on New Year's Eve.

The busiest month of the year was September when 1,954 migrants arrived - more than the entirety of last year.

September 2 saw the most migrants arrive in a single day ever as a record 416 made the dangerous journey on 28 boats.

The latest incident comes after groups of migrants attempted the perilous crossing either side of the end of the Brexit transition deal. Pictured: Migrants are brought ashore in Dover on December 31

One group were rescued and brought to Dover on New Year's Eve and another being rescued by French officials on New Year's Day (pictured: Migrants are rescued and brought back to France on New Year's Day)

Migrants rescued from the Channel disembark from a customs ship and are cared for by the medical staff on the dock of port on New Year's Day in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France

The month capped off an unprecedentedly busy Summer for Border Force and lifeboat crews as 1,468 migrants made the journey in August and 1,118 arrived in July.

Nine people are known to have died in the attempt this year including a family of five and two other men who drowned in October in one incident when their boat capsized off Dunkirk.

The bodies of Kurdish-Iranian Rasoul Iran-Nejad, 35, Shiva Mohammad Panahi, 35, Anita, nine, and Armin, six, were recovered.

But 15 month old Artin's body has still not been found, along with two other men who also perished in the tragedy.

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Two other men who were on board the boat when it capsized off Loon-Plage near Dunkirk at around 9.30am are also believed to have died from the same boat.

Also in October an Iranian man in his 20s drowned and was found washed up on a beach. He was only identified as BB.

In August Sudanese man Abdulfatah Hamdallah, aged 28, drowned trying to make the crossing with a friend.

A total of 463 reached the UK that month.

A Home Office spokesperson today said: 'France is a safe country with a well-functioning asylum system. No one should risk their life and the lives of others by making a dangerous and illegally-facilitated crossing.

'The Government will continue to seek to return those with no legal right to remain in the UK.

'We continue to work closely with the French following our agreement to take further action to tackle illegal migration, through increasing police patrols and surveillance.'
The new coronavirus variant identified in South Africa is even more of a risk than the highly infectious UK variant, Matt Hancock said on Monday.

The health secretary said the variant was a very significant problem since it has been associated with a higher viral load of Covid-19  possibly contributing to higher levels of transmission.

Im incredibly worried about the South African variant, and thats why we took the action that we did to restrict all flights from South Africa, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme. This is a very, very significant problem ... even more of a problem than the UK new variant.

John Bell, regius professor of medicine at University of Oxford, who sits on the governments vaccine taskforce, said on Sunday there was a big question mark as to whether the vaccines currently being rolled out would work on the South African variant.

The government adviser told Times Radio he believed the South African variant was more concerning than the UK one by some margin and said he believed it was already in the UK at very low levels.

Recommended England under threat of new lockdown as Oxford vaccine rollout begins

However, Professor Bell also said it was "unlikely the mutation would make vaccines entirely ineffective, and it should be possible to tweak existing vaccines in around four to six weeks. Everybody should stay calm  its going to be fine, he said.

ITVs political editor, Robert Peston, claimed on Monday that government scientists were not fully confident that vaccines will work on a new variant of the coronavirus found in South Africa  citing an unidentified adviser.

According to one of the governments scientific advisers, the reason for Matt Hancocks incredible worry about the South African Covid-19 variant is that they are not as confident the vaccines will be as effective against it as they are for the UKs variant, Mr Peston tweeted.

Mr Hancock warned the new UK variant first identified in the south of England was much easier to catch than the original version of the virus, but would not commit to tougher national measures or school closures. We dont rule anything out, he added.

Mr Hancock also insisted the NHS would be able to deliver two million doses of the coronavirus vaccine per week if it receives enough supplies. If the NHS needs to go faster, then it will go faster. If there were two million doses a week being delivered, then the NHS would deliver at that speed, he told BBC Breakfast.

The health secretary said the bureaucracy involved in signing up to be a volunteer vaccinator is being reduced. Ive been working with the NHS on that. For instance, theres one of the training programmes about needing to tackle terrorism. I dont think thats necessary  were going to stop that.
Rep. Steven Rudy, Others Receive the COVID Vaccine

By West Kentucky Star Staff

FRANKFORT - Several legislative leaders from across Kentucky received COVID-19 vaccinations on Monday, including House Majority Floor Leader Steven Rudy of Paducah.In a statement, Rudy said he decided to get the vaccine in an effort to build public confidence in its safety."Public health officials on both the state and national level have advised that getting this vaccination is critical to building public confidence in its safety," said Rudy. "I am here today to do just that. As availability increases statewide and we enter new phases of the distribution plan, I urge Kentuckians to consider getting vaccinated. President Trump's efforts through Operation Warp Speed have led to a decisive moment in this pandemic, and now we have a chance to successfully stop the spread of this virus."In addition to Rudy, the following leaders also received the vaccine at the event: House Minority Floor Leader Joni Jenkins of Shively, House Minority Caucus Chair Derrick Graham of Frankfort, House Minority Whip Angie Hatton of Whitesburg, Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer of Georgetown, Senate President Pro Tempore David Givens of Greensburg, Senate Majority Caucus Chair Julie Raque Adams of Louisville, Senate Majority Whip Mike Wilson of Bowling Green, Senate Minority Floor Leader Morgan McGarvey of Louisville, Senate Minority Whip Dennis Parrett of Elizabethtown, and Senate Minority Caucus Chair Reginald Thomas of Lexington.Governor Andy Beshear received the vaccine on December 22, along with Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice John. D. Minton Jr., House Speaker David Osborne, and Senate President Robert Stivers.Four members of the Kentucky Supreme Court, Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman, Secretary of State Michael Adams, Auditor Mike Harmon, and other state leaders have also received the vaccine.According to state officials, approximately 60,000 Kentuckians have received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The state has received 120,000 total doses of vaccine, with 53,700 additional doses expected to be received this week.
Luxury hotels across Chennai have come under the scanner of health department officials after two renowned hotels reported clusters of Covid-19 infection in rapid succession.

The Leela Palace reported 20 of its staff members testing positive for the virus, while ITC Grand Chola, another centrally located hotel, has reported over 85 cases so far. In all, over 125 cases have come to light from the city's luxury hotels, contrasting with a steadily declining overall state count.

Taking cognizance of the situation, the city corporation has begun saturation testing of hotel staff across the city particularly focusing on those units that have had large gatherings in the recent past, according to an official aware of the containment measures.

The City corporation has been closely monitoring the situation at these hotels. Facing immense pressure on pricing and unspeakably low occupancy levels, the luxury hotels in Chennai, much like those in other metropolitans, have had to cut down on staff strength and are running their units with reduced human resources. With restaurants opening up, the Food & Beverages segments of these hotels are providing the much-needed shot in the arm to keep businesses afloat.

The Chennai corporation officials are adept at cluster containment, having dealt with similar situations in the past like tracing the returnees of the Tablighi Jamaat conference in March last year.

According to the state health department, the daily COVID count across the state had dropped below 900 cases over the past several days. On Sunday, the daily count was 867 cases. In Chennai, less than 300 people test positive from the virus every day, a clear indication of an ebb in the virality.

Therefore, Tamil Nadu has, more or less, fallen in line with the national trend of lowering cases. However, the outbreak of cases in these luxury hotels poses a new challenge to the Palaniswami government, which has given little room for the opposition to mount an attack over the containment of the virus.
New Delhi, Jan 4 : BJP national general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Bhupendra Yadav has ruled out the possibility of making a law for 'One Nation, One Election' at present, saying it will be implemented only after mutual consent among all political parties.

Counting several benefits from simultaneous elections in the country, he said that this will speed up the development plans of the country and the states. Repeated elections and related code of conduct will not hinder development and the simultaneous elections will also curb black money.

Addressing a group of intellectuals in a webinar organised by BJP's national media Co-in-charge and spokesperson Dr. Sanjay Mayukh on Sunday, Bhupendra Yadav said One Nation-One election is not a new thing. The first Lok Sabha election of Independent India was also held on the same lines. Elections of 1952, 1957, 1962 and 1967 have been held on this concept. Will it be easy to persuade political parties for simultaneous elections? Replying to this question of IANS, Yadav said that there have been discussions with political parties on two-three levels. The report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee has come, which was chaired by the Congress MP. It included MPs from several parties.

Yadav said, "The report given by the Law Commission under the leadership of B.S. Chauhan was also put forth by the political parties. There will be an attempt to remove any disagreement. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, all the reforms including GST, 10 per cent reservation on economic basis, labour reforms were done after consensus among all parties. We are active in this direction and will negotiate with political parties and agree to elect them together." Modi has discussed One Nation, One Election on several occasions. In such a situation, such programmes are being organised to prepare a national consensus on the issue of 'one nation, one election' under the election reform campaign by the BJP. In this webinar organized in this connection, Yadav said an attempt would also be made to overcome the objections of the opposition against the One Nation, One Election.

He said that in the absence of funds in the event of simultaneous elections, the possibility of regional parties falling behind the national parties in campaigning is meaningless. Instead, frequent elections place a greater economic burden on the regional parties.

He cited the example of Odisha and Telangana Assembly elections held last year along with the Lok Sabha elections, dismissing the possibility of loss of regional parties due to national issues dominating the elections simultaneously. It is said that voters in both the states preferred the BJP for the Lok Sabha, while for the Assembly, the Biju Janata Dal and TRS candidates respectively. Similarly, the BJP was the first choice of voters in the Lok Sabha elections in Jharkhand, but in the Assembly elections held four months later, they preferred the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.

Yadav said the states will not have to face repeated codes of conduct due to simultaneous elections. Political stability will come. He said that in 2018, the Standing Committee of Parliament had also prepared a report on this issue in which it had many advantages.

Yadav said that the Election Commission had officially suggested it in 1983. The Law Commission had also advocated One Nation, One Election in the year 1999. In December 2015, on the report 'Feasibility of holding simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies', the Parliament's Standing Committee recommended adopting an alternative and practical way of holding simultaneous elections.

(Navneet Mishra can be reached at navneet.m@ians.in)
Twenty migrants seeking asylum in Romania were discovered by the authorities when they tried to leave the country illegally through the Border Checkpoint Nadlac II, 18 being hidden in an articulated lorry, and two under a trailer, sitting on a spare wheel, according to AGERPRES.

On Sunday night to Monday, an articulated lorry driven by a 34-year-old Turkish man carrying aluminum products on the Turkey-Austria route was checked at the Border Checkpoint Nadlac II and 18 people were found inside the lorry, according to a statement of the Arad Border Police.

The investigation revealed that the hidden persons are from Iraq, Syria and Egypt, aged between 15 and 42 years old.

In the second case, an articulated lorry driven by a Turkisk man transporting textiles to Sweden was checked at the same border checkpoint. Under the trailer, on a spare wheel, two migrants, from Afghanistan and Syria, aged 23 and 18, were found.

In both cases, the foreigners are asylum seekers in Romania and stated that they intended to reach Western European countries, according to the same source.

The migrants are being investigated for attempting to cross the state border illegally, and Turkish drivers for trafficking in migrants.
Bret Stephens: Belated happy new year, Gail. I was hoping we could celebrate the arrival of 2021 by never mentioning Donald Trumps name again, except maybe as a punchline to jokes involving foul-mouthed parrots. But then our friends at The Washington Post broke the news that the president begged and bullied Brad Raffensperger, Georgias secretary of state, to find him the 11,780 votes he needed to flip the states 16 electoral votes his way. To his credit, Raffensperger told him to get lost (proof, by the way, that not every Republican official has lost his soul).

Anyway, serious question: Is it too late to impeach Trump again?

Gail: He certainly deserves it, but one of my goals for 2021 is to stop obsessing about the evils of Donald Trump in hopes that if we ignore him hell go away.

Bret: I say impeach him again.

Gail: Well, I guess itd be better than contemplating the pandemic 24/7. And I guess more elevating than probing the alleged Trump family crises over Melanias Mar-a-Lago redecoration.

Bret: Trump is Americas very own Pandora, a clown of malice, the impresario of idiocy, Nero without a fiddle and Caligula without a horse. His one achievement in Georgia is that the Democrats might end up sweeping the two Georgia Senate races this week, denying Mitch McConnell his majority.

Your feelings?

Gail: Theres certainly no reason the Democrats shouldnt win both Georgia Senate elections, given the terribleness of their opponents. One of the Republicans, Kelly Loeffler, famously bragged she was more conservative than Attila the Hun.

Bret: That still puts her well to the left of Republican Sens. Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson, Marsha Blackburn and the eight others who are attempting to stop Joe Bidens inauguration. Sorry, go on.

Gail: Loeffler is super rich and co-owns a WNBA team whose players hate her. Not that I want to be critical.

Bret: You, critical?

Gail: The other Republican, Sen. David Perdue, is also extremely wealthy, thanks to a career built around outsourcing American jobs. He appears to be so terrified of his Democratic opponent that hes skipped most of the debates and left Jon Ossoff answering reporters questions next to an empty lectern.

The Democrats need to elect both Ossoff and Loefflers opponent, the Rev. Raphael Warnock, in order to give Joe Biden a measly 50-50 split in the Senate. Trump and Biden are both coming to rally the troops. Im very nervous. And who, by the way, are you rooting for?

Bret: Im hoping that Loeffler wins and Perdue loses, not that Im remotely enthusiastic about either of them. In Loefflers case, shes exactly what you say she is. But Rev. Warnock is way too far to the left for my taste. Ossoff is more of a centrist. Also, I want Republicans to maintain control of the Senate by the narrowest possible margin.

Gail: So instead of feeling overwhelmed with horror we can feel overwhelmed with frustration?

Bret: Ha! Didnt you know that James Madison wrote the original lyrics to (I Cant Get No) Satisfaction?

I know this will drive some of our readers nuts, but I think divided government is generally good for the country and will also be good for the Biden presidency. It will keep the A.O.C. wing of the Democratic Party firmly in check, which is where it needs to be if Democrats dont want to lose the House in 22. And it will steer Bidens legislative priorities toward centrist goals, like comprehensive immigration reform, that can pick up some Republican votes.

Gail: Yeah, who wants aid for the poor, fairer taxes and health care reform when you can spend the whole year discussing infrastructure?

Bret: Exactly.

Having said all that, Im kind of enjoying the thought that Trumps fulminations about the Georgia races being illegal and invalid are helping to further drive Democratic turnout while persuading potential GOP voters to stay away from the polls. It sort of reminds me of one of the final scenes in The Hunt for Red October, where the evil Russian captain Tupolev manages to steer his sub into the path of his own torpedo, and his first officer says, You arrogant ass, youve killed us! So if Democrats do take the Senate, at least theres a silver lining in further humiliating and repudiating Trump.

Gail: Hey, I was hoping we could start the year with a couple of your pop culture references.

Bret: Alternatively, maybe the GOP is like the guy who tries to catch the boomerang in Mad Max 2. (Viewer discretion advised.)

In the meantime, Gail, the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine, which Im hoping my mom can get soon, isnt exactly going smoothly. I think this is one of those subjects where you and I might have some old-fashioned liberal-versus-conservative disagreements about governments and competence.

Gail: Which I will begin by pointing out we arent talking about governments being competent  were talking about the Trump administration. The cities and states are reeling from economic collapse. They need money for vaccination centers, staff and public education. While our president just says: Youve got the vaccine: Now get it out!

Bret: As far as New York City is concerned, hes right. As of Jan. 1, The Times reports that more than 340,000 vaccine doses had been delivered to the city, but only about a quarter of them had been administered, amounting to about one percent of the citys population. Bill de Blasio is blaming Andrew Cuomo for not providing guidance, while Cuomos people are saying the rollout is going just fine. The stupid infighting between Hizzoner and the Gov is DISGRACEFUL AND PATHETIC! I can almost imagine the presidential tweet.

Gail: Speaking of Trump messages, Im really going to miss all those notes from the president to supporters urging that they donate funds for worthy causes that always turn out to be  him. There was one over the holidays that I meant to send you promising free Trump Christmas stickers to the loyal recipient, and then adding Thats right. All you have to do is give $15 and well send you these ICONIC stickers for FREE!

Bret: I often find myself wondering what P.T. Barnum, Mark Twain, H.L. Mencken or Joan Rivers would say about the Trump presidency, were they alive to see it. What is it about a sucker being born every minute and democracy being the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage?

Gail: Whats your prediction for Trumps personal future? Everybody knows hes out of money, deep in back tax bills. And he cant pardon himself for crimes that only involve New York law.

Bret: I would be wary of trying to prosecute him for anything short of a red-letter violation of the law. In a perfect world, Trump would spend the rest of his days visiting the homes of every contractor hes ever stiffed and every Trump U student hes ever defrauded and scrubbing their toilets.

In the real world, however, prosecution would feed Trumps martyrdom complex, help him raise even more money, keep his supporters in his thrall, focus media coverage on him, and maybe even encourage him to run in 2024. Trump is the presidential edition of the classic screaming toddler: the only way to make him shut up is to deprive him of the attention he craves.

Am I too naive? Do you say, throw the book at him as soon as we can?

Gail: As usual youre very reasonable, Bret. But Im definitely for throwing the book, or encyclopedia. Or library. Sending the message to his supporters that being persecuted isnt as much of a problem as making sure the rest of the country understands that this guy doesnt give a rap about them  hes been in this for his own financial gain. And OK, the egomania too.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts about all that goes on this week in Washington, Georgia, and the rest of the nation, as we stagger into the new year.

Which I am so glad Ill be sharing with you.

Bret: Well raise a toast to our Trumpless world, whenever that finally happens, and whatever that turns out to be.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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The 42 lakh people, excluding health care and front line workers, who will be eligible for the Covid-19 vaccinations in Delhi in the first phase will be further graded on the basis of age and the number of comorbidities a person has, senior health officials said on Monday.

With the Central government mulling to launch Indias Covid vaccination drive  the biggest such programme in the world  in a weeks time, state health officials urged people, especially senior citizens and those with co-morbidities not to panic and throng the vaccine centres once they are opened.

The Co-WIN mobile application is going to go live for everybody in a few days. One thing which the district administrations are being asked to publicise widely is that the government will only select individuals who are less than 50 with co-morbidities and those above 50 for the vaccination. The Co-WIN app will accept registrations with valid documents only if their names show up in the list within the app. Also, there will be an option to register through camps wherein distirct health officials will do the registration after basic verification. Just walking up to a vaccine centre will not work, said Dr Suneela Garg, who is leading the Capitals vaccination programme and is the director professor at the department of community medicine in Maulana Azad Medical College, University of Delhi.

She, however, clarified that there will be division even within senior citizens and those having comorbidities.

Read more| From Andhra Pradesh to Assam: How states are gearing up for Covid-19 vaccination

Within the third category also there are priorities. For example, if a person is 49 years of age and is diabetic and has hypertension and there is another person of the same age, who is diabetic, then priority will be given to the person with two or more comorbidities. Similarly, in the 50+ category, those who are above 60 years of age and with comorbidities will be given the vaccine shot first. The idea is to bring down Covid fatalities to bare minimum first, she said.

Senior government officials said database of those above 50 years is being taken from electoral rolls. Just like before a polling day, voters get SMSes about their polling booth and other details, here also the same process will be followed. The beneficiary will have to wait for the SMS alert from the district after registration, to know the date, time and place of getting the vaccine shot, said a health official.

For vaccination of those below 50 years of age with co-morbidities, database from the door-to-door survey which started from November 20 in all the hot spots and containment zones of Delhi is likely to be considered.

However, when HT contacted officers of at least five of the 11 districts of Delhi, all of them said there were no clear directions as on Monday evening on which datasets should be considered for compiling the under-50 list.

We have some data of all 11 districts from the multiple surveys conducted during the last seven months. But we dont know whether that will be used or will some other mechanism will be used, said one district magistrate.

Read more| Give me one weeks time: Bharat Biotech chief on questions about Covaxin efficacy

Another revenue official from the New Delhi district said there is no dedicated or fresh survey being conducted as of now to identify those below 50 with comorbidities.

The last such survey was conducted between November 20 and December 31, when the Delhi government had initiated a massive survey, covering 5.73 million people, to identify those with symptoms of Covid or a history of contact with a Covid patient.

In all likelihood, it is from this survey that all districts will be asked to compile the final lists of those having comorbidities. But no clear directions have been issued to districts yet. The focus currently is on preparing the lists of health care and front line workers, said a senior official in the office of the divisional commissioner of Delhi.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

With the outgoing senator standing behind him, Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., raised his right hand and took the oath of office on the Senate floor.

Members of the 117th Congress were sworn in on Sunday, ushering in a new batch of legislators who are closely balanced in terms of Republicans and Democrats.

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In the House, where Democrats now control 222 of 435 seats, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was elected to another term as speaker on a near party-line vote.

In the Senate, Republicans have a slight edge but need to win one of two Georgia runoff elections Tuesday to keep control.

Two new faces are joining New Mexicos delegation, and Lujan is taking on a new role  moving from representative to senator. In the House of Representatives, New Mexico is now represented entirely by women.

Lujan was accompanied during his swearing-in ceremony by outgoing Sen. Tom Udall, who didnt seek reelection. Udall gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up after Lujan took the oath and bumped elbows with Vice President Mike Pence, who administered the oath.

Lujan said in an interview shortly after the ceremony that hed already gotten to work following the advice that Udall gave him.

One of the best pieces of advice Sen. Udall gave me was, You want to make sure you know each of the other 99 senators. Introduce yourself to them and understand whats important to them, let them know whats important to you and your constituents back in New Mexico, so you can find places to work together,  Lujan said.

Lujan was one of six new senators sworn in Sunday.

He said the experience was surreal and a reminder of what will be a priority for the new Congress  addressing the coronavirus pandemic. He flew to the nations capital from the Albuquerque International Sunport, and wore a mask; his family and girlfriend decided not to attend for safety reasons.

Were starting to see more vaccines across New Mexico, but  theres more dollars and investment needed to keep people alive and safe, he said.

Members of the House were also sworn in Sunday.

Two of New Mexicos representatives are new Rep. Yvette Herrell, R-N.M., the only Republican member of New Mexicos delegation, and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., who is taking over Lujans former seat in the 3rd Congressional District, which covers northern New Mexico.

Herrell, who represents southern New Mexico after defeating Democrat Xochitl Torres Small, quickly distanced herself from the rest of the states lawmakers by taking to Twitter to denounce Pelosis socialist agenda.

She voted for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as speaker.

Herrell on Sunday posted a video on her Facebook page of the doors of her Washington office being opened for the first time.

This is New Mexicos office, Herrell said. So Im just thankful to be a part of it.

Deb Haaland, D-N.M., was sworn in for her second term representing the Albuquerque-based House seat. But its not clear how long she will hold the position. Shes been tapped as President-elect Joe Bidens interior secretary, and she will resign her position in the House if confirmed by the Senate.

This years swearing-in was much different than 2018  with COVID-19 raging in the country and families suffering in the pandemic economy, the work we have to do is urgent, Haaland said in a statement. Im proud to be a member of the 117th Congress and will continue fighting to bring opportunity to everyone and ensure we have a healthy planet for future generations.
City wins $750,000 grant to rehab homes in Seventh Avenue district

The City of Hendersonville, in partnership with the Housing Assistance Corporation, is excited to announce the award of a Community Development Block Grant in the amount of $750,000 from the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

Receiving this grant is a culmination of numerous years and many stakeholders collaboration, said Mayor Barbara Volk. Working with the Housing Assistance Corporation to address local housing needs has taken our vision for safe and affordable housing throughout our community to the next level.

The funding will be used in the Seventh Avenue district within the Ashe Street neighborhood to rehabilitate homes and create new curb and gutter and sidewalks. Of the total, $200,000 will be used for housing rehabilitation on four owner-occupied homes, supplemented by $26,000 pledged by City Council. The improvements will coincide with an additional project funded by a $2.6 million dollar State Revolving Fund loan to replace aging sewer and water lines in the neighborhood.

This grant represents a tremendous opportunity for the Housing Assistance Corporation to further its mission of providing safe, affordable housing opportunities in our community, said Hilton Swing, Board President of the Housing Assistance Corporation. By working hand in hand with homeowners in the historic Ashe Street Neighborhood, we'll be helping to make significant home repairs and improvements that will not only improve the quality of life and safety of homes but also build real economic gains for residents. It's an investment that will benefit our community for years to come!

The CDBG Neighborhood Revitalization program is designed to support housing, housing-related activities, or public facilities that support housing-related activities for low- and moderate-income families. Proposed projects focus on promoting equitable, affordable housing; supporting existing communities; and valuing communities and neighborhoods.

Prior to the grant applications submission, City of Hendersonville and Housing Assistance Corporation staff met with residents in the neighborhood to get feedback on how the funding should be used if awarded. Infrastructure and safety were ranked as the highest needs which led to street lighting and sidewalk installments being prioritized.

Housing Assistance also plans to provide single-family homeownership opportunities to the Ashe Street community through the purchase of two lots from the city of Hendersonville. Local resident Gloria Jennings will be the first homeowner to benefit from the Housing Assistance Corporations Self Help program on one of the lots. Through conversation, HAC staff found out that she and her family used to live on the exact same property when she was a child. The original home was torn down and the land was cleared.

I would get teary eyed going by the property because the house was no longer there...nothing was there, Mrs. Jennings said. Housing Assistance staff began to work with Mrs. Jennings on making her dream of owning a home a reality. Ive been looking forward to owning a home for many years, and I'm so overwhelmed and excited to get started. God is good, I'm getting to build my home where we used to live. Once everything is done, I want to run through the house like a little kid and give God the praise.

In addition to the Ashe Street neighborhood improvements, Seventh Avenue is scheduled for a streetscape project that will widen sidewalks, enhance stormwater features and improve the pedestrian experience when visiting the district. The project is scheduled to go out to bid in the fall of 2021 with construction starting shortly thereafter.

Thank you for reading!

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro listens to a news conference about a presidential executive order relating to military veterans outside of the West Wing of the White House on March 4, 2019. (Reuters/Leah Millis)

Peter Navarro Says Inauguration Day Can Be Postponed

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said in an interview on Fox News that the Jan. 20 date of Inauguration Day could be changed.

Navarro made the remarks on Justice With Judge Jeanine on Jan. 2, in the context of a recent call by 11 Republican senators for Congress to appoint an electoral commission to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of the election results.

Program host Judge Jeanine Pirro asked Navarro about his expectations for the effort, saying, All this has to happen before January 20. Do you have any hope that this can succeed?

Vice President Pence, he has the authority to give that 10-day window to do what needs to get done, Navarro said. I cannot imagine when he looks at the facts he wont vote the right way on that.

Pirro responded by saying that the 10-day window could change the date for certification of electoral votes planned for the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress, chaired by Pence, when lawmakers certify the votes cast for the U.S. president by members of the Electoral College.

January 20 cannot be changed; thats constitutional, Pirro added, presumably referring to Section 1 of the 20th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states: The terms of the President and the Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January  and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

It can be changed, actually, Navarro said. We can go past that date. We can go past that date if we need to. And we have got to get this right.  We need to take [the election] back for the people.

Pirro didnt ask Navarro to clarify further. The White House didnt immediately respond to a request for comment on Navarros remarks.

In calling for the 10-day audit, the Republican senators, led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), said in a statement that the 2020 election featured unprecedented allegations of voter fraud, violations, and lax enforcement of election law, and other voting irregularities.

The allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election exceed any in our lifetimes, they said, adding that this deep distrust of U.S. democratic processes will not magically disappear and should concern us all, whether or not elected officials or journalists believe the allegations.

It poses an ongoing threat to the legitimacy of any subsequent administrations, the senators said in their statement, adding that they intend to object to the votes unless and until the emergency 10-day audit is completed.

Pence has said he welcomes efforts by lawmakers to challenge the Electoral College results on Jan. 6.

The vice presidents chief of staff, Marc Short, issued the statement to reporters on Jan. 2, saying that Pence is open to considering planned objections by Republican House members and senators to Electoral College votes cast for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

Short added that Pence also welcomes efforts by lawmakers to present evidence of election irregularities and voter fraud before Congress during that session.

Vice President Pence shares the concerns of millions of Americans about voter fraud and irregularities in the last election, Short said in the statement sent to media outlets.

Janita Kan contributed to this report.
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Pakistani man who kidnapped, raped 13-y-o Christian girl is released on bail

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A court in Pakistan has released on bail a Muslim man who abducted, raped and forced a 13-year-old Christian girl into an Islamic marriage, based on his argument that the girl had attained puberty.

Ali Azhar, 44, was released on bail last month as he maintained he had not violated Pakistans laws against child marriage and child rape because the Christian girl, Arzoo Raja, had attained puberty, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reported on Saturday.

If found guilty of rape, Azhar would face life in prison or a death sentence.

There are good, bad and at times even dark days for justice, Jibran Nasir, the lawyer representing Arzoos parents, was quoted as saying.

Arzoo was abducted from her family's home in Sindh provinces Karachi city by Azhar, her Muslim neighbor, on Oct. 13, 2020, as Arzoos father told police when he filed a report of the crime. Although a kidnapping victim, Arzoo was forced to live with Azhar for nearly a month. During that time, she signed two papers saying she had converted to Islam and married Azhar.

In late October, the Sindh High Court validated the marriage by citing Sharia law, even though Pakistans secular law, under the Sindh Child Marriages Restraint Act, forbids child marriage.

On Nov. 2, however, after Pakistans minister for human rights, Shireen Mazari, said her lawyer had filed an intervention in the case, the court reversed its decision validating the illegal marriage and ordered police to arrest Azhar and take Arzoo to a government-run shelter home while they investigated the case.

The court also did not dismiss Arzoos fathers statutory rape charges brought against her kidnapper, the familys attorney told Morning Star News at the time.

Arzoo said in a Nov. 9 court hearing that she did not want to return home and willingly converted to Islam and freely married Azhar.

Arzoo is reluctant to live with her parents because of the consistent brainwashing done by the accused and certain community activists for ulterior motives, Nasir previously told Morning Star News.

Her claims were almost certainly made under threat, ICCs South Asia Regional Manager, Will Stark, told The Christian Post in an interview. Girls in similar cases are often tormented, threatened or tricked into signing the papers, he said.

Once kidnappers force girls to sign conversion and marriage documents, they can legally marry under Islamic law, which Pakistan recognizes as valid. Under Islamic law, a girl can be legally married immediately after her first period. Police usually ignore cases of child marriage when Islamic law becomes involved, Stark said.

To help support Raja, Christians can sign an online petition for her release, Stark added.

The U.S. State Department has designated Pakistan as a country of particular concern for engaging in or tolerating egregious and systemic abuses of religious freedom. Pakistan has also been ranked as the fifth-worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution on Open Doors USAs 2020 World Watch List.
Pune, Jan. Jan 4 : Dreaded for its lionish roar once, "Kesari", the newspaper founded by the legendary Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak completed 140 years on Monday after changing several 'avatars' in its long media journey.

Starting from a humble Marathi tabloid on Jan. 4, 1881, it transformed into a biweekly, triweekly, daily and finally an e-paper, continuing to serve its dedicated readership in Marathi.

In fact, it had a two-day older English sibling 'Mahratta', a periodical which also celebrated it 140 years on Saturday after experiencing many depths and peaks, and both precede the founding of the Indian National Congress in 1885.

"Kesari" (meaning Lion in Sanskrit), was started in 1881 as a tabloid by a group of like-minded young friends comprising Tilak, then 25, Gopal G. Agarkar who was its first Editor, Mahadev B. Namjoshi, Vaman S. Apte and Ganesh K. Garde. Today, it is the only vernacular language newspaper being published by a Trust without break for the past 140 years," current Editor Dr. Deepak J. Tilak told IANS.

Sitting on an imposing desk with a huge portrait of his great-grandfather behind him, he said that the journey of "Kesari" merits a special mention in Indian media history as it was not merely the account of a Marathi newspaper but a historical record of the country's journey in the past 140 years.

"The 'Kesari' has witnessed a period of not less than three centuries, pursued the aim of 'Swaraj' in the pre-Independence period, then 'Su-raj' in the post-Independence era. Throughout, it has impacted the people of Maharashtra in its own way, across all spheres of the country's social-academic-political-economic life," Dr. Tilak said with pride.

Lokmanya Tilak used it as a weapon to awaken the masses during the freedom struggle, propounded Swadeshi along with Swaraj, and united the common folk with mass celebration of festivals like Ganeshotsav in the state.

Besides, Marathi, "Kesari" was briefly published in Hindi and Gujarati, along with "Mahratta" in English to cater to the widest possible audiences from the commoners to the classes, and dared the might of the British rulers despite imprisonment for its owners or editors.

Lokmanya Tilak himself attracted grave sedition charges (1897 and 1908) for his bold writings, and awarded a six-year term at Mandalay Jail in modern-day Myanmar (formerly, Burma), where he penned the treatise, "Gita Rahasya".

Some of Lokmanya Tilak's famous and historic sayings still seem to echo in the small museum at Tilakwada - the office of the "Kesari" group, which also continues to serve as the residence of his descendents.

Among them is the resounding - "Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it" (1906), and during his sedition trial - "Inspite of the verdict of the jury, I maintain, I am innocent. There are higher powers that rule the destiny of things and it may be the will of Providence that the course I represent is to prosper more by my sufferings than my remaining free".

Those fiery thoughts and speeches continued to scream aloud from the pages and columns of "Kesari" all these years, as it metamorphosed from a tabloid to a biweekly in Aug. 1929, a tri-weekly in Jan. 1951 and finally a broadsheet in Oct. 1962, bringing a digital edition for television audiences besides donning the e-avatar in 2019.

Later, Lokmanya's grandson and then "Kesari" Editor Jayantrao Shridhar Tilak, plunged into the Goa Liberation Movement and other agitations, suffered jail terms, served as a parliamentarian, legislator, and was elected the Chairman of Maharashtra Legislative Council.

As the newspaper continued its nation-building task for 14 long decades, Dr. Deepak J. Tilak also spent over 16 years to rebuild the historic Tilakwada in pieces depending on availability of funds, to a three-buildings, five-storied structure in Narayan Peth area of the state's academic, cultural and IT capital (Pune).

Given the tough days of its existence, the rents earned from the premises helps sustain the newspaper and its dedicated staff amid stiff competition from other major Marathi publications in the state.

Over the years, the group established coveted awards like the "Lokmanya Tilak Award" (from 1983) and "Lokmanya Tilak National Award for Excellence in Journalism" (from 2009), awarded to prominent personalities.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)
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Its time for PM Modi to act instead of giving speeches and advice: Congress

BJP slams Kamal Nath for his COVID-19 remarks; Accuses Congress of 'insulting' India

Who will be the next CBI chief? PM Modi-led panel shortlists these three names; Congress protests

Cyclone Yaas: Rahul Gandhi urges Congress workers to provide all help in ensuring people's safety

Congress wants manipulated media tag for tweets by 11 Union Ministers

Cong forms panel to hold seat-sharing talks with Left parties for Bengal polls

India

pti-Deepika S

New Delhi, Jan 04: The Congress on Monday set up a panel headed by senior party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to hold talks with the Left parties regarding seat sharing and joint programmes for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly polls.

The committee has Congress state president Chowdhury, Congress Legislature Party leader Abdul Mannan, former state chief Pradeep Bhattacharya and Nepal Mahato.

"The committee will hold talks with the Left parties regarding seat sharing and joint programmes for the West Bengal polls," a statement from Congress'' state in-charge Jitin Prasada said.

The Congress last month formally approved its electoral alliance with the Left parties for the assembly elections in West Bengal.

The West Bengal PCC had earlier recommended an alliance in favour of the Left parties. The Left parties had also favoured an alliance with the Congress for the state elections.

The Left and the Congress did not contest the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal together.

The two parties are also pitted against each other in Kerala.

The West Bengal assembly elections are due by March-April next year.


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Mr Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, the Executive Director of Crime Check Foundation (CCF), has advised inmates of the Awutu Camp Prison to take their skills training seriously.



He said such skills would facilitate their reintegration into society.



Mr Kwarteng gave the advice when the Foundation with support from Rabotec Group organised a party for inmates of Camp Prison in Kasoa in the Awutu East Municipality in the Central Region.



The all-male prisoners were treated to delicious Ghanaian foods and drinks.



In addition to the food and drinks, the Camp was given 1,000 dollars.



The CEO of Rabotec Group, Mr Ibrahim Ali, also donated GH30,000.00 to the Foundation to support the petty offenders project.



The Camp offers skills training in Bakery, Crop and Livestock farming, Tailoring and ICT.



Mr Kwarteng, who is also the Ambassador Extraordinaire of Prisons, said the skills acquired would help in the rehabilitation and reformation of the inmates.



He appealed to the leadership of Parliament to pass the non-custodial Sentencing bill into law, adding the bill had been in Parliament for a long time.



Mr Kwarteng expressed the commitment of the Foundation to continue to support ex-convicts to reintegrate into society.



Mr Ali said the Company decided to support the inmates as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility.



He urged the inmates to refrain from the various crimes that had brought them into prison and to focus on the skills acquisition.



Mr Ali said he was in talks with authorities of the Camp to see how best he could assist to address some of the challenges.



"Hold on to God and believe that He will see you through," he said.



The Officer in Charge of the Camp, Mr William Thomas Anaman expressed gratitude to the donors.



He said the Camp had maize, beans and vegetable farms, where the inmates were taught good farming practices.



"The boys are trained in good farming practices, so that by the time they leave prisons, they will be well-equipped to support themselves through farming and be useful to themselves and society," he added.



He said the management of prison inmates must not be left in the hands of only Prison Officers, saying, "Whiles we manage them for the angle of the law, individuals, faith-based organisations and other companies can also support to take care of them," he added.



He appealed to the public to come to the aid of the Camp with infrastructural development.



The in-charge said the Camp had 120 inmates but it could take up to 400 inmates when more infrastructure was provided.

Source: GNA









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Featured Video
PUSLINCH, ON / ACCESSWIRE / January 4, 2021 / Spruce Ridge Resources Ltd. (TSXV:SHL) ("Spruce Ridge" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the results of its 2020 Annual general of shareholders (the "Meeting") held on December 30, 2020.

Results of the Meeting

At the Meeting, the shareholders:

Approved the election of the directors proposed by management of the Company, namely: Marc Askenasi, Colin Bowdidge, Michael Dehn, Zoran Popovic and John Ryan (each director being elected with over 99.4% of votes cast); Confirmed the re-appointment of S & W LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants as the Company's auditor for the upcoming year (approved by over 99.8 % of votes cast); Re-approved the Company's Stock Option Plan (approved by over 99.5% of votes cast).

About Spruce Ridge Resources Ltd.

Spruce Ridge holds a 100% interest in the Great Burnt Copper-Gold Property in Central Newfoundland which covers a series of copper  gold rich VMS deposits. Spruce Ridge sold its interest in in the Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide project to Canada Nickel Company Inc. but retained ground which contains VMS and gold targets. Spruce Ridge holds 8,100,000 shares of Canada Nickel Company and 10,000,000 shares of Noble Mineral Exploration Inc. Spruce Ridge has an option agreement with Magna Terra Minerals Inc. on its Viking/Kramer gold properties in Western Newfoundland.

Spruce Ridge common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "SHL".

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information please contact:

John Ryan, President and CEO

Spruce Ridge Resources Ltd.

Phone: 519-822-5904

Email: spruceridgeresources@gmail.com

SOURCE: Spruce Ridge Resources Limited

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/622911/Spruce-Ridge-Resources-Announces-Results-of-2020-Annual-General
HSE chief Paul Reid has warned that the number of Covid-19 cases will reach 7,000 per day amid rampant levels of transmission (Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland/PA)

The number of cases of Covid-19 will reach 7,000 per day amid rampant levels of transmission, the head of the Health Service Executive (HSE) has warned.

Paul Reid said the daily number of positive coronavirus tests is expected to be more than 6,000 on Monday.

The chief executive said the HSE is currently meeting the demand for tests that is coming at us at an absolutely phenomenal rate.

The HSE is seeing positivity rates hit 30%, with some centres recording levels of up to 50%.

The health system was notified of 4,962 confirmed cases on Sunday.

If you develop symptoms of #COVID19 today, call your GP Out Of Hours service immediately. A GP will assess your symptoms & can arrange a free test. Find contact details for your local GP Out of Hours Service here: https://t.co/5tssfSKH0g#StaySafe pic.twitter.com/k1bX6hpoDM  HSE Ireland (@HSELive) January 3, 2021

Some of the backlog is being washed through but the minimal rate is certainly above a base of 5,000 people, Mr Reid said.

Thats what we are dealing with. This is now rampant in terms of transmission levels.

We probably have seen a massive multiplier effect  we have seen rapidly growing cases, rapidly growing positivity at 30% yesterday, multiplied by numerous contacts that people have, and that comes together in a very congested period of time.

In the last week, we have carried out almost 140,000 completed tests. We built the capacity up to 175,000 tests per week.

Mr Reid said they are now prioritising testing people who are symptomatic.

We have said to those who are close contacts to do exactly what we have always said  to restrict their movements  but we are prioritising our tests for those who are symptomatic, he added.

The GPs are being swamped equally. They are seeing coming through their referrals to us  they have seen up to 90% testing positive.

Drastically, radically and urgently reduce contacts. Stay at home Paul Reid, HSE

If you are a close contact, you do exactly as we asked in the past and restrict your movements for 14 days. If you have symptoms, please contact your GP and you will be referred for a test.

Mr Reid said it is not possible to give a test to everyone who wants one because of current levels of demand.

Its growing at a pace no-one could have projected  30% positivity rate from our total testing, he added.

We know there are centres across the country which have had 50% positivity rate.

The message to people is that Test and Trace is no longer our first line of defence  our first line of defence is for the public to really work with us.

Drastically, radically and urgently reduce contacts. Stay at home.

He said the high transmission levels are beyond anything forecast and the community transmission rate is well above what they are seeing in test centres.

Do you know what it means to arestrict your movementsa? At this critical time, itas vital that we all understand this public health term.



Please watch this video and RT. @CMOIreland #COVID19 #StayHome #holdfirm



pic.twitter.com/cXw4HwL9zw  Department of Health (@roinnslainte) January 4, 2021

Mr Reid also said that building extra Test and Trace capacity would not help reduce the level of transmission.

The Test and Tracing system is functioning but unless and until we drastically change what is happening in terms of public transmission, how we are meeting people, how we are engaging with each other, he added.

If get back to a manner in which we did in the first phase, we can and expect to turn this around.

There are currently 744 patients with coronavirus in hospital, which is rising at a rate of 20% per day.

There are currently 65 people in intensive care (ICU) with Covid-19.

Mr Reid said that if current projections continue, they could see hospital cases rising to between 1,500 and 2,500 with ICU numbers expected to increase to between 250 and 430 cases.

They are levels that puts us at high and extreme risk in terms of ICU, he added.

Ireland has a total number of 285 ICU beds, which can increase up to 370.

Mr Reid said that around 3,000 healthcare staff are off because of Covid.

Turning to vaccination, Mr Reid said the HSE will deliver 40,000 of the Pfizer-BioNTech jab every week.

Download the Belfast Telegraph App Get quick and easy access to the latest Northern Ireland news, sport, business and opinion with the Belfast Telegraph App.

PA
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City, volunteers to line Highway 81 with flowers

The City of Watertown Parks and Recreation Department and volunteers will be planting flowers along Highway 81 starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 26.
New Delhi: In yet another good news for central employees and pensioners, it has been reported in the media that they expected to get four percent increase in dearness allowance which is expected in January 2021.

This increase is expected to be in accordance with the accepted formula, which is based on the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission.

It may be recalled that in March 2020, the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had approved to release an additional instalment of DA to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners w.e.f. 01.01.2020. There will be an increase of 4 percent over the existing rate of 17 percent of the Basic Pay/Pension, to compensate for price rise, the Ministry of Finance had informed.

The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief was fixed at Rs 12,510.04 crore per annum and Rs 14,595.04 crore in Financial Year 2020-21 (for a period of 14 months from January, 2020 to February, 2021). The decision benefits about 48.34 lakh Central Government employees and 65.26 lakh pensioners.

Meanwhile, last week, the Modi government decided to extend "Disability Compensation" for all serving employees, if they get disabled in the line of duty while performing their service and are retained in service in spite of such disablement.

The order will particularly provide a huge relief to young Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel like CRPF, BSF, CISF, etc since disability in performance of duties is generally reported in their case due to constraints of job requirement as well as hostile or difficult work - environment.
Photo: (Photo : Instagram/aplusk)

"That '70s Show" star Mila Kunis shares parenting tips with Laura Prepon after starting a family with her husband, Ben Foster. Sadly though, while a star makes her way into the prime of her life, an alum and co-star, Tanya Roberts, died on Sunday.

Parenting tips as shared by Mila Kunis

New parents have a lot to learn especially when they plan to expand their family. Learn about some parenting tips that Kunis shared with Laura Prepon during an exclusive interview.

Show positivity

Prepon struggled to go back to work because she had to leave her daughter, Ella, behind. Kunis shared with her that she should never show the kids that going to work was a "bummer."

On April 17, Friday, the "Orange Is the New Black" alum told "Us Weekly" that her Kunis told her to say it in a positive way. While she promotes her book, "You and I, as Mothers: A Raw and Honest Guide to Motherhood," the Screen Actors Guild Award winner explained that it works well with her two kids.

READ: Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis Sells "Quarantine Wine" to Raise Funds for Donation

She said Kunis' two children with Ashton Kutcher, Wyatt, five, and Dimitri, three, do not associate their mother's departure as something bad. Prepon explained that it is an upbeat and positive way so her kids could link being successful and having a job into something positive.

Quality over quantity

Forty-year-old "Stash Plan" author also shared what she had learned from another star included in her "mom squad." She said that Amber Tamblyn shared with her that parents should choose quality over quantity.

Prepon said of Tamblyn's advice that while she has to leave and go to her job, she makes sure to spend quality time with her kids when she is with her family. It means that during family time, all distractions are taken out of the picture. She would not be checking her emails nor answering calls.



READ: Beyonce Parenting Tips Every Parent Needs to Know

Have date nights

The New Jersey native makes sure to get date nights every night at home. Prepon said that she always makes dinner, and Foster has been learning how to cook as well. After they put their toddler down, the duo has dinner together.

Co-star Tanya Roberts died after collapsing

According to TMZ, Roberts' rep said that after the "Charlie's Angels" star walked her dog on Christmas Eve, she suddenly collapsed at home. The 65-year-old star was put on a ventilator after she got hospitalized. However, she never recovered, and currently, the cause of her death is still unknown.

READ: Positive Things to Appreciate in 2020 as Taught by Children to Parents

Tanya Roberts used to play the role of Midge, Donna Pinciotti's mom, on the show. She left the series after appearing in 81 episodes from 1998 to 2004 because she had to care for her sick husband.

Roberts played as Julie Rogers on "Charlie's Angels" from 1980 to 1981 in Season 5. She helped solve crimes until 1981, when the series got canceled. Her career started when she modeled for commercials for different products.
Christians have been advised not to renege on their efforts to worship God in 2021 as the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continue to surge around the World.



Reverend Father Thomas Kweku Aidoo, the Parish Priest of Aboadze Saints Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church, who gave the advice underscored that it was only in true worship that God could save the world from the pandemic.



Let us extol God for his protection and mercies upon us even in the midst of COVID-19 despite our iniquities, he said while encouraging them to be punctual at church.



Delivering his new message on Friday New Years day, Rev. Fr. Aidoo asked Christians to emulate the exemplary character of the Lord Jesus Christ to walk in truth, decency and strictly obey the commandments of God in order to abound with his unending blessings.



He further admonished Christians to work in tandem with the tenets of God, saying that would help them give proper accounts of themselves when they are called to eternity.



Rev. Fr. Aidoo further admonished Christians to endeavour to avoid backbiting, discredit of ones character and misunderstandings in the church, adding fostering unity among themselves would surmount the growth of the church.



He reiterated that God has been so good to mankind. He has endowed us with his spiritual gifts such as wisdom, protection and this warrant that we show gratitude to him for such favours in our lives.



Rev. Fr. Aidoo asked Christians to remain committed to the work of God and ensure that the gospel reached all corners of the world.



Rev. Fr. Aidoo noted that Jesus Christ never discriminated against humanity and that Christians should draw inspiration from such virtue to show love and compassion to one another.



Christians should not arrogate unto themselves powers because of what they have accomplished in life, he added.



Rev. Fr. Aidoo called on Ghanaians to abide by the COVID-19 protocols, saying the disease was real and wreaking havoc in other parts of the world

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Good morning, Bay Area. Its Monday, Jan. 4, and California may raise the bar for new police hires. Heres what you need to know to start your day.

January will be a grim month, health experts said.

On the bright side: Two promising vaccines are now available to deliver relief from the relentless pandemic. On the other hand, the pace of vaccination nationally has been slower than expected, and the potentially rapid spread of a mutant strain could produce another wave of infections beyond the holiday surge.

It feels like were in the abyss right now, sinking toward the bottom, said Dr. John Swartzberg of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. Were not going to sort of get some balance in our lives again until probably sometime in February.

As the nations pandemic death toll surpassed 350,000 on Sunday, intensive care capacity throughout most of California remained hugely stressed. In Bay Area hospitals, available capacity rose Sunday to a still-precarious 8.4%, from 5.1% a day earlier.

Read more from Tatiana Sanchez.

 Ambulances wait for hours outside Santa Clara County emergency rooms as hospital crisis worsens.

 Inflatable Christmas costume could be to blame in an outbreak that infected 44 staffers at Kaiser ER in San Jose, including one who died.

 Grim toll: More than 300,000 Californians died in 2020, at least 30,000 more than average, largely because of COVID-19.

 Portrait of a virus: How the perfect pathogen swept the globe and shut down our world.

Whats behind S.F.s drug overdose crisis?

Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

More than 630 people died of overdoses in San Francisco from January to the end of November, a new record and a staggering increase from 441 in all of 2019. In response to the wave of death, the San Francisco Police Department doubled down on arresting drug dealers in the Tenderloin, particularly those selling fentanyl.

But the added focus has done nothing to stem the wave of death in the neighborhood. Its a reality that has divided experts on how to address the citys relentless drug epidemic, which killed more than three times the number of people than COVID-19 in San Francisco in 2020.

Read more from Trisha Thadani.

 Interactive: These maps reveal where drug overdoses occurred in S.F. in 2020.

New standards for new cops in California?

Peter DaSilva / Special to The Chronicle

Should California require its police officers to have more education or life experience before allowing them to join the law enforcement ranks? As a new legislative session approaches, that question has been thrust to the forefront of a debate about what changes state lawmakers should adopt after a summer of protest over police brutality.

Even major law enforcement groups have endorsed the idea of raising the standards for police certification, citing research indicating that more highly educated officers use less force. But competing proposals will test just how far the state is willing to go, especially as concerns mount that the effort could undermine another major goal  diversifying police forces.

Read more from Alexei Koseff.

More in Politics:

 Nancy Pelosi wins narrow re-election as House speaker. Also: Pelosis S.F. home vandalized.

 Gavin Newsom recall campaign draws big donors. Here are the top funders.

 Trumps new citizenship test is more difficult, tilts in a conservative direction.

 Here are 21 new laws for Californians in 2021.

More housing pledged for giant UCSF expansion

Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle

UCSF has reached an agreement with the city to boost the housing, transit and jobs programs that are part of its huge Parnassus campus expansion plan  a key step ahead of an approval vote this month.

UCSF will build 1,263 new housing units for students, faculty and staff, which would more than double the schools entire housing stock in the city. The university wants to build 2 million square feet across new buildings, including a new hospital.

Read more from Roland Li about the plan  one of the largest real estate proposals on the citys west side in decades, which has drawn opposition from neighbors.

 UC regents become S.F. Art Institutes landlord after paying off its debt.

D.A. Boudin leans on grand juries

Criminal grand juries have been convened in San Francisco Superior Court only a handful of times in recent years, with prosecutors instead choosing to file charges directly. District Attorney Chesa Boudin has recently begun embracing faster-paced grand jury proceedings in an effort to clear a backlog of cases thats only grown longer since the pandemic began.

But as Megan Cassidy reports, Boudins policy shift is raising concerns among defense attorneys, who, along with their clients, are shut out of grand jury proceedings.

 S.F. parolee accused of killing 2 pedestrians in a hit-and-run stole the car from a date he met on an app, police say.

Around the Bay

Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

 Where to see superstar mammals: With classic lookouts closed, here are the best Bay Area spots to catch migrating gray whales.

 Federal complaint filed: No one disputes that San Joaquin County deputies punched detainee. The question is: Was it legal?

 New collaboration: Bay Area transit can be a complex, costly nightmare. The pandemic might help fix that.

 Incident drew outrage: Vacaville police dog punched by cop has been removed from his care.

 Big change for big reds: Fast-growing California wine conglomerate acquires Gen Z-oriented Rabble Wines.

 In the courts: Trump can bar immigrants who cant afford health insurance, federal judges say. Also: Trump administration can limit food stamp money to poorest Californians, court rules.

 From Justin Phillips: Busted Breonna Taylor bust shows future hope is fragile for Bay Areas Black community.

 From Kathleen Pender: Gift cards could become worthless if the issuer goes bankrupt.

 Career high: Stephen Curry scores 62 points as the Warriors get even with the Trail Blazers.

 Its over: 49ers can come home after 26-23 season-ending loss to Seahawks.

A mark of transition

Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle 2020

The sign at Cliff House came down on the last day of 2020, marking the permanent end of the San Francisco restaurant and a bitter, if fitting farewell to 2020  a year full of heart-wrenching closures of beloved institutions.

Dan and Mary Hountalas, who have run the restaurants at the waterfront property since 1973, on Wednesday declined the latest offer of a lease extension from their landlord, the National Park Service. Because they trademarked the name Cliff House, the sign had to come down.

In 15 minutes, workers had unbolted and removed all 10 letters while a crowd of several hundred booed heartily from the sidewalk. It sucks, said onlooker Jim Kessler. Whats going to come here next? Who knows. Today is a mark of transition. The question is, whats on the other side? For the Cliff House and for us.

Read more from Janelle Bitker and Steve Rubenstein.

 Brazen break-ins: S.F. restaurant owners say rise in property crime is making dire situation worse.

Bay Briefing is written by Taylor Kate Brown, Anna Buchmann and Kellie Hwang and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact the writers at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com, anna.buchmann@sfchronicle.com, and kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com.
By Ricardo Hausmann





CAMBRIDGE  You don't have to be a neuroscientist to understand that your brain determines what you see at least as much as the objects of perception do. This is even more the case in the social world, which generally reflects concepts  such as freedom, democracy, corruption, or poverty  that one already has in mind. But if you are an economist, your mind has been trained to see the world through the additional layer of incentives.



Incentives are everywhere, and economics has developed a rich and subtle conceptual framework for understanding all the ways in which they might get distorted. We talk about moral hazard, adverse selection, common-pool problems, agency problems, externalities, rent-seeking, excludability, rivalry, and market power.



With these concepts, economists can explain why someone might do too little of a good thing (like investing, working, or providing public goods), or too much of a bad thing (like taking reckless risks or polluting). Viewed this way, most problems in the world can be attributed to distorted incentives.



But an old proverb cautions against seeing every problem as a nail just because you are holding a hammer. Though economics can capture many of the subtleties of incentives, it has developed a relatively narrower palette with which to describe capabilities and how they grow.



But capabilities clearly matter. If someone is not doing something that we as a society value, it might be because they can't, not because they don't want to. This weakness in economics has far-reaching implications for our understanding of economic growth and development, which is fundamentally about the social accumulation of productive capabilities.



Whereas incentives affect the choices one makes among the options one faces, capabilities determine which options are available. Economic growth and development are about the expansion of those options and hence depend fundamentally on policies that catalyze or facilitate the accumulation of capabilities. Yet, owing to the exclusive focus on incentives, economists and policymakers end up searching only for nails.



For example, when asked what can be done to boost a country's exports, economists tend to look for disincentives to export. Perhaps trade protectionism is causing firms to prefer the profitable domestic market over more competitive and risky export markets. Perhaps import tariffs are raising input costs, making exports less profitable.



Maybe cumbersome trade policies and customs procedures are adding transaction costs. Or maybe high transport costs have become a hindrance. Not surprisingly, all of these incentive-based factors are included in the World Bank's Doing Business Index and in the World Economic Forum's Trade Facilitation Index.



Seldom do economists studying this question consider whether a country has the capabilities needed to produce the right products of the right quality. Would policies to lower trade protections and reduce transport costs enhance that capacity?



Or would increased competition in the domestic market impede industrialization and weaken the ability to negotiate with foreign companies? Without a view on how such policies affect the accumulation of capabilities, they cannot even be properly assessed.



Similarly, when asked why so much of employment in emerging and developing countries is in micro-firms  that is, the informal sector  the obvious answer, as Santiago Levy of the Brookings Institution argues, is that the government, through taxes and subsidies, has made it advantageous to remain small.



But can't the problem also be explained by micro-firms' lack of access to the capabilities needed to grow, or to large firms' lack of access to distant workers?



To expand their capabilities  and thus their options  countries and firms need to learn to do the things they don't yet know how to do. And yet, one can't learn to do the things one does not do simply by doing them. One cannot acquire experience doing things that one does not do.



How can a country escape this conundrum? An obvious first step is to bring in people or firms that do know how to do these things. Many studies have shown that immigration, diasporas, foreign direct investment, and even business travel are important factors in the growth of domestic capabilities.



Policymakers need to ask whether countries are doing things (or not doing things) that may be limiting (or enhancing) these potentially transformative channels.



Moreover, what matters is not only the diversity of individual skills but also the local availability of suppliers or customers, especially for inputs or products that cannot be easily shipped. Again, these factors depend on the structure of the existing business ecosystem that firms take as given.



And that ecosystem, in turn, is a reflection of the previous accumulation of capabilities, including those acquired by the government and used to provide specific public goods and regulations. Markets alone will not lead a country to adopt electricity, high-speed rail, safe vaccines, and mobile banking; willing and able governments must step in to guide the process.



In sum, capabilities exist at different levels  from individuals and firms to value chains and whole ecosystems comprising educational, training, research, regulatory, and other entities. But capabilities cannot be coordinated only by markets, not least because many capabilities exist within non-market organizations.



The accumulation of capabilities must be at the center of any growth and development agenda, and governments must be willing to engage in national and regional discussions of appropriate goals and effective strategies.



There are many instruments that might be used to develop capabilities. These include trade protection for infant industries; demand guarantees (such as the contracts to purchase COVID-19 vaccines before they are proven to work); state-owned enterprises (as in the postal system and public utilities); policies that push national conglomerates to diversify; national development corporations (such as Singapore's Temasek and Malaysia's Khazanah), moonshots (as proposed by Mariana Mazzucato); and national and regional innovation systems.



Economics' signal contribution to the world has been to deepen our understanding of incentives. But lacking an equivalent understanding of capabilities can lead us not only to see every problem as a nail, but also to nail developing countries onto a cross of a false orthodoxy.





Ricardo Hausmann, a former minister of planning of Venezuela and former chief economist at the Inter-American Development Bank, is a professor at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government and director of the Harvard Growth Lab. This article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org).




Do you find that January is the month you decide to do something to get you moving towards your dreams?

Do you make endless New Years resolutions, spend a fortune on planners, write bucket lists, create vision boards and create a public commitment by telling all your Facebook friends that this will be your year?

Yes  you will hike across Mexico and start an award-winning travel blog  although with COVID restrictions that might be tricky.

Yes  you will give up sugar and practise impeccable nutrition (and share it on Instagram, obviously).

Yes  you will finally stick to a beauty routine that will give you glowing skin, much to the envy of the Kardashian Klan.

Yes  you will be calm, centred, loving and gentle even to those idiots who jostle you on the train in the morning and take up two seats  and lets not mention the anti-maskers

All too often we set the bar way too high and then berate ourselves for giving up in the first week of January.

We all want instant change  but heres the thing.

Change takes time. Results take time.

You have to learn new behaviours, new reactions, new thoughts and prepare yourself for the ways your changes will affect everyone in your life.

Weve all heard stories about relationships dissolving when one partner loses the weight and regains their mojo  much to the displeasure of the other.

If your friendship group revolves around the habit you want to give up then you need to think about this.

In my many years working in an office, those who smoked would often have a tight-knit friendship circle born of many years freezing their butts off out in the cold with a rushed ciggie.

Those who gave up smoking were no longer part of that group.

Peer pressure has a huge part to play in our ability to say no, enough, time to stop.

Many self-help tomes advise making a public commitment is a great way to get you moving towards your dreams because of the risk of the failure of embarrassment.

Im not so sure. I think silence is better. Quietly move towards your goals without fanfare, seek help from the best people you can find  those who have achieved what you are setting out to do. Not those who would quite like to do it too but have never got round to it  but are still complete experts.

The biggest challenge is just starting, let alone maintaining the impetus to stay the course long distance. Well have that last drink tomorrow, eat that last cake tomorrow, go for our first run tomorrow.

So what can you do if your goal is really important  for example, you need to lose weight for an operation, or you need to cut someone really toxic out of your life?

Here are 10 simple things you could try and they all revolve around changing what you say to yourself and taking baby steps.

Small changes can lead to massive improvements if they are manageable and dont add to your stress levels. It is utterly pointless taking up something you know youll give up sooner rather than later because you will only succeed in lowering your self-esteem and self-confidence.

10 easy ways to move towards your dreams

Exercise

Instead of: I will get up at 6 am and run 3 miles

Try: I will jog on the spot for the length of Coronation Street (or your favourite soap)

Instead of: I will schedule at least 3 gym classes per week

Try: I will find the family some new swimsuits and go for a swim every Sunday with the kids. It might need to be swimming in the sea since the pools are currently shut so perhaps a gentle walk might be better.

Food

Instead of: I will give up all sugary foods

Try: I will give up cake during the week and treat myself to a couple of slices at the weekend.

Instead of: I will sit down to a home cooked meal every night

Try: I will cook three times a week and add extra home-cooked vegetables to any shop-bought meals.

Money

Instead of: I will save every penny towards my summer holiday

Try: I will start a savings account and put in 20 (or whatever) every month and use public transport instead of taxis.

Instead of: I will get rid of all my debt

Try: I will contact my local Citizens Advice Bureau and talk to them about creating a sensible savings plan to reduce my debts  ensuring the most important debts are paid off first (e.g mortgage and rent arrears).

Work

Instead of: I will find the job of my dreams this year

Try: I will talk to someone already doing my dream job to see how they got started and what qualifications and experience they think I should get.

Instead of: I will speak up in every meeting and share my ideas

Try: I will ask for my idea to be included in the meeting agenda beforehand and make sure I speak up if the question any other business? arises.

Relationships

Instead of: I will find the partner of my dreams

Try: I will smile and be more approachable, make sure I look my best whenever I leave the house and sign up to a reputable online dating site.

Instead of: I will turn myself into the perfect partner

Try: I am enough and if my partner doesnt respect me then they are not right for me.

My point is that your dreams have to be broken down into actionable steps  and those steps should not be daunting or complicated.

Moving towards your dreams gradually means, I think, that you are far more likely to get there. As the old saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.

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Telecom Egypt, Egypts first integrated telecom operator and one of the largest subsea cable operators in the region, has announced an agreement with Google.

Under the terms of the agreement Telecom Egypt will provide Google with what is described as a first-of-its-kind layer three meshed solution on Telecom Egypts redundant and resilient Egypt-crossing network infrastructure. Google will also be given capacity on Telecom Egypts Mediterranean submarine cable, TE North.

This mesh project connects several cable landing stations in the Red and Mediterranean Seas over diverse routes and, says Telecom Egypt, will increase the reliability of Googles international transit traffic, providing an elevated level of robustness. The project is expected to go live in the first half of 2021.

Telecom Egypt says its network can reroute traffic as needed in less than 50 milliseconds and will also offer high-quality availability features with an SLA portal.

Telecom Egypt says it offers the lowest latency and the shortest, most efficient protected path from Africa and Asia to Europe. It adds that it is working on multiple layers of infrastructure diversity, such as establishing new subsea landing stations and crossing routes as well as investing in new subsea systems and solutions.

Telecom Egypt has developed mesh network solutions that span the Mediterranean Sea, cross Egypt, and extend all the way to Singapore.
[January 04, 2021] NewVantage Partners Releases 2021 Big Data and AI Executive Survey NewVantage Partners, strategic advisors in data-driven business transformation to Fortune 1000 companies and industry leaders, has released the results of its 9th annual survey of senior corporate c-executives on the topics of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) business adoption. The theme of the 2021 executive survey is The Journey to Becoming Data-Driven: A Progress Report in the State of Corporate Data Initiatives. There are 85 Fortune 1000 or industry leading firms represented in the 2021 survey, the highest rate of participation and representation since the survey was first conducted in 2012, in response to Fortune 1000 business and technology c-executives who sought to understand the potential impact of Big Data, and its implications for their businesses. Among the blue-chip firms that participated in the 2021 survey were American Express, Anthem, Bank of America, Bristol-Myer Squibb, Capital One, Cigna, CVS Health, Eli Lilly, Glaxo Smith Kline, JP Morgan (News - Alert) Chase, Liberty Mutual, Mastercard, McDonalds, Merck, Pfizer, Sanofi, Starbucks, United Health, VISA, and Walmart. This year, a record 76.0% of respondents held the role of Chief Data Officer or Chief Analytics Officer. In the Foreword to this year's survey, NewVantage Partners CEO and Founder Randy Bean, and Thomas H. Davenport, author of the landmark study Competing on Analytics, and a Fellow with the firm, write "It has been nearly a full decade since this executive survey was first launched in 2012. Much progress has been made, but which work remains to be done. The theme for this year's survey findings might be 'dogged optimism despite COVID and culture.' The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have posed few substantial obstacles for Big Data and AI within the participating firms, many of which are in relatively pandemic-resistant industries like banking and healthcare." They continue, "Cultural change, however, seems a more significant barrier to long-term success. Over the years this survey has been conducted, we have commented on the challenge of changing corporate cultures in a more data-driven direction. This year's findings exhibit that challenge to an even greater degree. All questions relting to the long-term progress of corporate data initiatives exhibited declines from 2019 and 2020 levels, a disappointing development." Key findings of the 2021 New Vantage Partners Big Data and AI Executive Survey are: A decade in, Big Data is firmly in the mainstream When this survey was first launched nearly a decade ago, companies had just begun to embrace Big Data and its expected transformational impact. Today, nearly a decade later, mainstream companies have come a long way in having expanded their commitment and investments in data. This is evidenced by the percentage of firms investing in data initiatives - 99.0%, appointment of a Chief Data Officer (CDO) - 65%, and reporting of measurable business outcomes - 96.0%. There is no question that Big Data has been absorbed into the mainstream during this decade. Leading companies report significant strides in achieving business outcomes Big Data and AI investment is holding strong and the pace of investment is accelerating, as are companies reporting successful business outcomes. This year, there was nearly universal acknowledgement -- 96.0% -- that Big Data and AI efforts were yielding results, an increase from half that number - 48.4% -- just a half decade ago. Companies still face significant headwinds to becoming Data-Driven however Making a commitment to data-driven transformation is one thing; executing on that commitment is quite another. A decade into these efforts, companies still have a long-way to go - only 39.3% are managing data as an asset; only 24.4% have forged a data culture within their firms; only 24.0% have created a data-driven organization. There is still much work to be done. Leading companies still have some ways to go on their data journey. The Chief Data Officer role is firmly established, but not firmly defined Mainstream companies have firmly adopted the CDO role during the past decade - 12.0% in 2012 to 65.0% in 2021. However, clarity on responsibilities, focus, purview, and reporting relationship remains in flux. Less than half of Chief Data Officers - 49.5% -- have primary responsibility for data within their firm. Organizations fluctuate between appointing external change agents - 44.4% -- and company insiders - 23.5%. Only a third of companies - 33.3% -- confirm that the CDO role is successful and established, although this represents an improvement from 2020. Culture still eats strategy for breakfast This aphorism is attributed to legendary management consultant Peter Drucker, and it certainly appears to hold true for data transformation efforts. Leading companies continue to identify culture - people, process, organization, change management - as the biggest impediment to becoming data-driven organizations - 92.2%. Few companies - only 30.0% -- have even developed a well-articulated data strategy that culture could eat for breakfast. There is plenty of work to be done. Adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) increases at a steady pace Companies are progressing steadily in their adoption of AI initiatives - 77.8% of companies report AI capabilities to be in widespread or limited production, up from 65.8% last year; only 4.1% report no applications of AI in use. With overall investment levels in data and AI increasing, progressive adoption of AI capabilities can be expected to continue. Although progress has been slow, companies express hope for the future In spite of the many challenges that leading companies face as they pursue efforts to become more data driven, an overwhelming majority of executives are hopeful for the future - 81.0% expressed optimism about the outlook for data/AI within their firms; 91.9% indicated that the pace of investment in data/AI was accelerating; 45.4% described their companies as leaders in making progress on data/AI; 91.6% reported that even with the COVID-19 epidemic, their companies would be spending the same or more on data and AI initiatives. Companies appear to be committed to progressing their data-driven efforts entering 2021. A decade of transformation. What lies ahead? Looking back a decade to when this survey was first launched, Big Data and AI were nascent capabilities which received minimal investment. Firms had begun to think about what it would mean to be data-driven, but few had developed formalized programs and articulated a corporate commitment. The function of a Chief Data Officer was non-existent, except within a small handful of companies. Today, Big Data and AI are mainstream, but there is still much to do. About NewVantage Partners Since 2001, NewVantage Partners (NVP) has helped a blue-chip roster of Fortune 1000 companies and industry leaders in their efforts to become data-driven organization, serving as trusted advisors to leading financial services, healthcare, life sciences, and leading companies across industries. NewVantage thought-leadership perspectives appear in leading business publications, including Forbes, Harvard Business Review, MIT (News - Alert) Sloan Management Review, and the Wall Street Journal. NewVantage Partners is based in Boston with offices in New York, San Francisco, and Raleigh View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005022/en/

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New Delhi: The result of the Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2019 was declared vide Press Note dated 04.08.2020 recommending 829 candidates in order of merit for appointment to IAS, IFS, IPS and Central Services Group A and Group B against 927 vacancies.

"The Commission, in accordance with the Rule 16 (4) & (5) of the Civil Services Examination Rules, was also maintaining a Consolidated Reserve List in order of merit below the last recommended candidate under the respective categories," UPSC said on January 4, 2021.

They added that as sought by the Department of Personnel & Training, the Commission has now recommended 89 candidates which include 73 General, 14 OBC, 01 EWS and 01 SC, to fill up the remaining posts based on the Civil Services Examination, 2019. Particulars of these candidates are included herewith. The candidates so recommended will be intimated directly by the DOP&T.

The candidature of following four candidates bearing Roll No. 0404736, 0835241, 2100323 and 6603686 are provisional.

The result of one candidate has been kept withheld.

The list of these 89 candidates is also available on the UPSC website - http//www.upsc.gov.in.

Roll Numbers:- click here for the full list.
TipRanks

Lets talk about risk, reward, and pennies. The three are related, of course. Theres no reward in the stock market without taking on some risk  and penny stocks offer investors an optimum combination of both. The pennies are the lowest cost stocks on the public markets, typically priced below $5 per share. At such a low share price, even a small gain  a share price increase of mere pennies  can quickly translate into a high-percentage return. However, there is a but here. The critics point out that there could be a reason for the bargain price tag, whether it be poor fundamentals or overpowering headwinds. So, how are investors supposed to determine which penny stocks are poised to make it big? Following the activity of the investing titans is one strategy. Enter Israel Izzy Englander, who is widely known for his impressive stock picking abilities. Englander expressed interest in the stock market since he was young, and in 1989, co-founded hedge fund Millennium Management with Ronald Shear. Using a broad range of strategies involving a variety of predominantly liquid asset classes, Englander was able to take the $35 million the fund was started with and turn it into a $45+ billion Wall Street behemoth. With an estimated net worth of $9.6 billion in 2021, its no wonder Wall Street focus locks in on the guru when he makes a move. Taking all of this into consideration, we used TipRanks database to take a closer look at two penny stocks Englander snapped up recently. The platform revealed that both Buy-rated tickers have earned the support of some members of the analyst community as well. T2 Biosystems (TTOO) Well start in the healthcare industry, where T2 Biosystems is working to revolutionize diagnostics. The company offers diagnosticians and medical labs a range of devices based on its T2 Magnetic Resonance (T2MR) tech to quickly and accurately diagnosis a variety of septic illnesses. As the company notes, sepsis claims more lives annually than AIDS, breast cancer, and prostate cancer combined. Rapid and accurate diagnosis is the key for patient survival, and this is the niche that T2 aims to fill. The companys technology enables diagnostic blood tests with results available in a matter of hours, compared to the 1 to 5 days currently taken by most medical lab tests. Available testing products include the T2Bacteria Panel and the T2Candida panel, which are the only FDA-approved blood tests for septic agents that do not need to wait for a blood culture. A T2SARS-CoV-2 Panel is also available, using upper respiratory samples. T2 has an active product pipeline, with rapid diagnostic tests on the drawing board for a variety of illnesses. Upcoming products include the T2Cauris panel and the T2Resistance panel. These testing products are currently designated for research use only (ROU) in the US. The T2Lyme panel, which will allow for faster diagnosis of the difficult-to-determine Lyme disease, is at an earlier stage of the development. All of T2s products operate on the same T2Dx instrument, allowing for interchangeability in the lab environment. The device offers a simple user interface, and operates with just 4ml of whole blood. T2 boasts that its device is in use in more than 200 hospitals worldwide. In the first quarter of 2021, T2 saw top-line revenue grow by 173% year-over-year, to $7 million. This was driven by a 345% yoy increase in product revenue, to $4.7 million. Sepsis test utilization in the US rose by 85% yoy in the quarter, showing increasing acceptance of the device and technology. Izzy Englander is among those that have high hopes for this healthcare name. In Q1, Englander's Millennium picked up over 1.36 million shares of TTOO stock, now valued at $1.5 million. This increased Englanders stake in the company to 2.68 million shares, with a market value of $2.9 million. 5-star analyst Charles Duncan, of Canaccord, also counts himself as a fan. Duncan gives TTOO shares a Buy rating along with a $3.50 price target. This target conveys his confidence in TTOO's ability to soar 212% higher in the next twelve months. (To watch Duncan's track record, click here) T2s +345% Y/Y product revenue growth is a positive datapoint for the company's post-pandemic commercial strategy, which is being supported by a scaling to just under 10 direct sales reps in Q1. We view the acquisitions of Cepheid, BioFire, GenMark, and Luminex as validation that the hospital lab is an attractive industry segment, given clinicians (and patients) desire to shift away from centralized testing strategies to a more decentralized approach. With these four companies off the table, T2 should benefit from scarcity value. Separately, a more aggressive approach towards commercial execution should marry well with rising awareness around antimicrobial resistance and sepsis, in a post-pandemic environment that prioritizes infectious disease diagnostics," Duncan noted. It turns out that other analysts also have high hopes. With 4 Buys and a single Hold, the word on the Street is that this stock, which currently going for $1.10 apiece, is a Strong Buy. In addition, the $2.83 average price target puts the upside potential at 156%. (See TTOO stock analysis on TipRanks) Sesen Bio (SESN) The second stock were looking at, Sesen Bio, is a pharmaceutical company. Sesen works in the cancer treatment segment, developing antibody-drug conjugate therapies. The program takes a fusion protein approach, tethering tumor-targeting antibodies to cytotoxic proteins. The result is a single protein molecule that kills cancer cells with minimal toxic effects on the body  and that generates a complementary response from the patients natural immune system. Sesens pipeline currently includes one drug candidate, vicineum, which is under investigation on several tracks concurrently. The main track, which has completed clinical trials and initiated the submission process of the biologic license application (BLA), is for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. The BLA was accepted for filing by the FDA this past February, and the company is on track for potential approval on August 18, 2021. European approval of vicineum for bladder cancer treatment is expected early in 2022. The companys other pipeline projects are at earlier stages. Vicineum is under investigation as a treatment for head and neck cancers, and is in Phase 2 trials. Other investigative tracks remain at pre-clinical stages. Clinical-stage biopharma companies are always highly speculative, and in this case, Englander did not mind speculating. In Q1, his firm bought 987,926 shares of SESN, increasing its stake in the company by 156%. Englanders holding in Sesen is now valued at $2.9 million. Weighing in on SESN for H.C. Wainwright, 5-star analyst Swayampakula Ramakanth sees an opportunity as well. "Given the favorable risk/benefit profile of Vicineum demonstrated in the Phase 3 VISTA study, we believe the drug has a high likelihood to receive regulatory approvals from the FDA and EMA. Sesen is actively preparing for the potential launch of Vicineum. The company has selected Syneos, a leading contract sales organization, as a partnerto build and manage a 35-people sales force to target approximately 2,000 high prescribers of BCG. We expect the drug to be commercially available immediately upon approval. We project Vicineum to achieve risk-adjusted sales of $516M by 2030E, growing from $9M in 2021E," Ramakanth opined. Ramakanths comments support his Buy rating on the stock, as does his $8 price target. At current valuations, that target implies an upside potential of 170% for the next 12 months. (To watch Ramakanths track record, click here) Sometimes, the penny stocks can slide under the radar; this one has attracted only two recent analyst reviews. Both agree, however, that this is a stock to buy, making the Moderate Buy consensus unanimous. The shares are priced at $2.94 with a $7.50 average price target that suggests an upside of 155% in the coming year. (See SESN stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for penny stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
Srinagar, Jan 4 : The Jammu and Kashmir Meteorological Department on Monday issued a 'severe weather' warning for the next two days, advising people to stay indoors unless movement outside is unavoidable.

An advisory issued by the local weather office said: "As predicted earlier, heavy to very heavy snowfall/rain most likely in J&K from tonight (Monday night) till (January) 6th forenoon.

"This may affect surface and air transport. People should avoid venturing out, if avoidable. Significant improvement from 6th onwards." J&K has been experiencing light to moderate snow/rain during the last two days.

Heavy snowfall during the ongoing 40-day long period of harsh winter cold, known locally as the 'Chillai Karan', is believed to be the harbinger of a blissful summer.

All perennial water reserviors of J&K and Ladakh get replenished by snowfall during the Chillai Kalan and various water bodies are sustained by these water reserviors during the summer months.

Snapping of roads and highways by heavy snowfall and failure of electricity due to system breakdown are some of the common problems the locals face in the aftermath of a major snowfall in Kashmir.
At Friday prayers, the area around Berlins Sehitlik mosque can seem like a forgotten corner of Istanbul.

Its not just the traditional Ottoman mosque, complete with dome, twin minarets and pierced screens, or the fact that many of the older faithful greet each other in Turkish.

Even the sermon, as it crackles over the loudspeakers, is in Turkish. But in recent months, the new imam has also started to preach in German.

It is the first time the Sehitlik, one of Berlins biggest mosques, has had an imam who speaks German. But he still comes from Turkey. He had to be recruited from another country because there is no way to train as an imam in Germany.

Things are about to change. Next April, Osnabruck University is set to open Germanys first imam training course  a move Prof Rauf Ceylan, a leading Islamic scholar and one of the founders of the project, says is a vital step in combating extremism.

Ninety percent of imams still come from abroad. They dont speak German and the German culture is alien to them. Young Muslims want German-speaking imams, says Prof Ceylan.

The old type of imam was geared to the needs of first-generation Muslims, immigrants who came to Germany in the Sixties. Most third-generation Muslims no longer speak their grandparents mother tongue that well. The danger is that they turn to other German-speaking authorities such as Salafists [extremist preachers].

These Salafists are usually German-speaking and understand how to cast Islam into a popular form. They speak the language of the young , while the imams from abroad are unable to understand the young peoples world.

When Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, called for a European institute to train imams as a way of fighting extremism in November, he was widely ridiculed. But the idea has been gaining currency in European countries.

Read More

In Germany, the move to train imams has been led by the Muslim community rather than the government, although the state has agreed to provide funding.

The largest single employer of imams in Germany is Ditib, a Turkish government agency that trains them, pays their salary and decides when they leave Germany. In recent years, German politicians and commentators have begun to raise concerns at the influence this gives Turkey over Germanys Muslim community.

The new course will not be confined to offering traditional imam training in German. While the students will be taught how to conduct prayers, funerals and the like, they will also attend classes on social plurality and be taught about extremism so they can protect young Muslims from it. The course will be open to both men and women. ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Rimowa CEO Alexandre Arnault, 28, is engaged to designer Geraldine Guyot

Alexandre is the second oldest son of LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault

Couple announced their engagement with a romantic Instagram snap

Dashing Alexandre became CEO of Rimowa in 2017 at the age of 24

The dashing son of French fashion billionaire Bernard Arnault has announced his engagement to his glamorous accessories designer girlfriend.

Rimowa CEO Alexandre Arnault, 28, the second oldest son of LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard, 71, proposed to Geraldine Guyot, founder of French accessories brand DEstree, shortly before Christmas and shared the news on social media last week.

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Posting a photo of a romantic rooftop table for two, Alexandre proudly declared: 'Engaged to my soulmate and my best friend'.

Bride-to-be! Rimowa CEO Alexandre Arnault, 28, the second oldest son of LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard, 71, announced his engagement to Geraldine Guyot, founder of French accessories brand DEstree, by sharing this photo on Instagram

Jet-setters: The couple have been dating since at least August 2019, when Alexandre first shared a photo of Paris-based Geraldine on Instagram. Pictured, in Japan together

The couple in Japan

Sweet selfie: Alexandre and Geraldine, who was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 list for retail and e-commerce last year, have both shared this holiday snap on Instagram

Geraldine, who was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 list for retail and e-commerce last year, shared the same photo with the caption: 'Yes a million times over'.

The couple have been dating since at least August 2019, when Alexandre first shared a photo of Paris-based Geraldine on Instagram.

Click here to resize this module

In the months since, Geraldine has travelled the world with her beau, joining him on trips to Japan, Greece and Italy.

Alexandre made headlines around the world when he was named CEO of Rimowa in 2017 at the age of 24 after he played a crucial role in LVMH's decision to buy an 80 percent stake in the high-tech luggage maker for 640 million euros ($716 million), its first acquisition in Germany.

Matching masks: Alexandre shared this photo to mark his girlfriend's birthday last month

Summer sun: The glamorous young couple pose for a photo on a visit to Italy last year

Fashion power couple: Alexandre and Geraldine are both forging careers in the industry

Bernault likes to keep business in the family. His eldest son Antoine, 43, who married Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova last year, is CEO of Berluti, while his daughter Delphine is director and executive vice president of Louis Vuitton. His 26-year-old son Frederic is CEO of Tag Heuer.

The French billionaire, who has been married twice, also has a younger son, Jean, 23.

Geraldine studied at Central Saint Martins in London before returning to Paris in 2015 to found DESTREE, which creates 'high-end fashion accessories', including hats and jewellery.

Beyonce is among her celebrity fans and the brand is sold at 100 retailers around the world.

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The Arnault family turned out in force when Antoine married long-term partner Natalia in a low-key civil ceremony in Paris in June. The couple have two sons.
Iran today started enriching uranium to weapons-grade purity in breach of the 2015 nuclear deal as fears mounted that a South Korean oil tanker had been impounded.

Tehran announced it was resuming enrichment of the nuclear material to 20 percent purity at the secretive Fordow bunker - a brazen violation of the Obama-era deal which caps purity at 3.67 percent and bars use of the facility.

Meanwhile a South Korean tanker was inexplicably docked at an Iranian port as USAF B-52 bombers flew over the Persian Gulf amid soaring tensions on the first anniversary of Washington's assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.

The nuclear action comes after Donald Trump imposed sanctions last month and it cripples any designs Joe Biden may have had to repair the deal which Tehran has been flouting for at least two years.

Iran today started enriching uranium to weapons-grade purity in breach of the 2015 nuclear deal as fears mounted that a South Korean oil tanker had been impounded

Fordow nuclear enrichment facility, located around 80 miles south of Tehran, surrounded by a double-ring of steel, guard towers and Russian-made S-300 missile systems

Satellite data from MarineTraffic.com showed the MT Hankuk Chemi off Bandar Abbas on Monday afternoon without explanation. It had been travelling from Saudi Arabia to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.

Trump has called the Obama-era JCPOA 'the worst deal in history' and experts say that Iran disingenuously entered into the agreement, never actually interested in downgrading its nuclear facility at Fordow (pictured: President Hassan Rouhani, left, and Trump, right)

Supporters of Iran-backed Iraqi Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces in Baghdad on Monday hold the picture of Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis who were killed by a US drone last year

Iraqi demonstrators lift flags and placards as they rally in Tahrir square in the capital Baghdad on January 3, 2021, to mark one year after a US drone strike killed Iran's revered commander Qasem Soleimani and his Iraqi lieutenant Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis near the capital

Government spokesman Ali Rabeie announced today: 'A few minutes ago, the process of producing 20 percent enriched uranium has started in Fordow enrichment complex.'

Nuclear weapons typically use uranium enriched to 90 percent but the 20 percent figure is significant because it moves the element into the category of highly enriched uranium (HEU) which means it can be used in bombs.

The step was one of many mentioned in a law passed by Iran's parliament last month in response to the killing of the country's top nuclear scientist, which Tehran has blamed on Israel.

The move is the latest Iranian contravention of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which it started violating in 2019 in response to Washington's withdrawal from the agreement the year before and the reimposition of sanctions that the US had lifted under the accord.

Meanwhile, satellite data from MarineTraffic.com showed the MT Hankuk Chemi off Bandar Abbas on Monday afternoon without explanation. It had been travelling from Saudi Arabia to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.

South Korea's foreign ministry has demanded the 'early release' of the vessel, adding that it had confirmed the safety of the tanker's crew.

The ship's listed owner, DM Shipping Co. Ltd. of Busan, South Korea, could not be immediately reached. Iran did not immediately acknowledge the vessel's travel.

Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, said authorities there were aware and monitoring the situation.

Ambrey, a British security firm, reported the incident as an apparent seizure. Dryad Global, another maritime security firm, said the ship's crew was 23 sailors from Indonesia and Myanmar.

Iran's aggression coincides with the anniversary of the US drone strike killing Revolutionary Guard Gen. Soleimani in Baghdad last year.

That attack later saw Iran retaliate by launching a ballistic missile strike injuring dozens of U.S. troops in Iraq. Tehran also accidentally shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet that night, killing all 176 people on board.

As the anniversary approached, the U.S. has sent B-52 bombers flying over the region and sent a nuclear-powered submarine into the Persian Gulf.

On Thursday, sailors discovered a limpet mine on a tanker in the waters off Iraq near the Iranian border as it prepared to transfer fuel to another tanker owned by a company traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

No one has claimed responsibility for the mining, though it comes after a series of similar attacks in 2019 that the U.S. Navy blamed on Iran. Tehran denied being involved.

The facility is surrounded by a ring of steel and guard towers which cut through the rugged terrain - towards the top of the image a road can be seen leading inside which branches off, one route heading to a building with a white roof and another to the underground bunker

A zoomed in map showing the entrance through the perimeter fence to the top left and further tunnel entrances positioned in the top right section of the mountain range

Tunnels are used to access the heart of the facility which is packed with over 1,000 centrifuges used for nuclear production

Trump held an Oval Office meeting last month where he was 'talked out of' launching strikes on Iran after a UN report showed a massive increase in nuclear stockpiles in breach of the JCPOA.

Defence sources told The New York Times that Trump asked for options on a bombardment - likely to have targeted Iran's foremost nuclear facility, Natanz.

The Fordow facility is buried underground and intelligence experts fear it could be impenetrable even to B-52 bombers armed with the fearsome 33,000lb 'bunker buster.'

Before today's announcement Iran had already upgraded its enrichment to 4.5 percent in violation of the nuclear deal which it still holds with Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.

The deal's main aim was to extend the time Iran would need to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear bomb, if it chose to, to at least a year from roughly two to three months. It also lifted international sanctions against Tehran.

Last month, Tehran vowed to 'automatically' return to its commitments under the 2015 deal if Biden lifts sanctions imposed over the past two years.

Analysts had claimed that Trump's 'maximum pressure' policy has squeezed Iran so hard that it might make it easy for Biden to get them to agree to terms.

But the latest provocation could dash Democrat hopes of Biden's triumphant return to the agreement, which they believe is the best way to stop Iran from making a nuclear bomb.

Biden's allies argue that Trump's aggression has only made the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran more likely.

Trump's outgoing administration has been building a 'wall of sanctions' against Iran for its appalling human rights record, support for terror groups like Hezbollah and its nuclear activities.

Some believe this is an attempt to deliberately hamstring Biden, making him appear a soft-touch if he repeals the sanctions and goes to the table with Iran.

The Fordow nuclear enrichment facility, located around 80 miles south of Tehran, was never re-purposed as was promised under the JCPOA.

Iranian nuclear scientists can rapidly produce weapons-grade levels of nuclear enrichment within the deep underground corridors of the facility.

The plant is buried in a mountain range, originally under the command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, it is heavily fortified by a ring of steel fencing with guard towers every 80ft.

Russian-made S-300 missile systems were installed four years ago and it has become a hot-spot of activity as satellite imagery reveals intensifying construction, according to the Institute for Science and International Security.

In this. file photo, released on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019 by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, a forklift carries a cylinder containing uranium hexafluoride gas for the purpose of injecting the gas into centrifuges in Iran's Fordow nuclear facility

Tunnels are used to access the lair which is packed with more than 1,000 centrifuges used in nuclear production.

It was built in 2002 under the 'Amad Plan' - Iran's nuclear weapons program - but its discovery by Western intelligence forced Tehran to convert it to a power plant in 2009.

And in 2016, the JCPOA decreed that it be converted into a 'nuclear, physics and technology centre,' but it is now a key asset in what the Trump administration calls 'nuclear extortion.'

Trump has called the Obama-era JCPOA 'the worst deal in history,' and according to the Institute for Science and International Security, 'there is little reason to believe that Iran ever intended any meaningful conversion of the Fordow tunnel complex.'

U.S. intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency believe Iran had a secret, coordinated nuclear weapons programme that it halted in 2003. Iran denies ever having had one.
Things are heating up in the Arctic -- literally and figuratively. As ice melts and new sea lanes open, the region is the site of intense new military competition between the worlds largest power players: the U.S., Russia and China.

While the U.S. Coast Guard is working hard to protect American interests in the Arctic, including the wellbeing of those in remote regions of Alaska, it has to operate aging equipment on a tight budget. Rear Adm. Matthew Bell, commander of Coast Guard District 17, joins Left of Boom to discuss a rare winter deployment to the Arctic for the nations only heavy icebreaker, the Polar Star, and how the Coast Guard defends U.S. sovereignty without inflaming international tensions.

Read more about the Russian exercise discovered by fishermen and reported to the Coast Guard here.

NOTE: This podcast was recorded before the Heavy Icebreaker Polar Star deployed in early December.

Subscribe to the Left of Boom podcast:

Mentioned in this episode:

Polar Security Cutter

The Polar Stars Deployment to the Arctic

The Coast Guard

The New Polar Strategy

The Only U.S. Heavy Icebreaker

Military Rivalry in the Arctic

The following is an edited transcript of this episode of Left of Boom:

Hope Hodge Seck 0:00

Welcome back to Left of Boom. I'm your host, Hope Hodge Seck. What do you think of when you picture the Arctic? Ice-locked seas, Polar bears and the Northern Lights -- perhaps the North Pole and its Santa Claus mythology? Well, for the U.S. military and several of its major competitors, the Arctic is the location of a new battle for strategic dominance, with impacts on national defense, economic activity, food security and safety of transit. Big changes over the last several decades, including warming trends that have seen 95% of the perennial ice at the Arctic Circle disappear within the last 35 years, mean the Arctic is more accessible than ever, and seeing significant increases in commercial and military activity. But even though the United States is one of eight geographically designated Arctic nations, it's poorly resourced for Arctic presence. Its one heavy icebreaker, the Polar Star has been in service since 1976, and is overdue for retirement. The first of a replacement class of icebreakers is years from delivery. Is the United States going to lose the new battle for Arctic dominance? To help us understand the stakes of this new fight for dominance, we're joined today by Rear Adm. Matthew Bell, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District, which covers Alaska, the Arctic Ocean and the Bering Sea. In addition to being our first Coast Guard guest, Adm. Bell is a career cutterman who has spent a significant portion of his career stationed in Alaska.

Adm. Bell, welcome to the show.

Adm. Matthew Bell 1:38

Alright, thanks. So good to be here.

Hope Hodge Seck 1:40

So to start out, I did want to ask about this new deployment that was just announced of the U.S.'s only operational heavy icebreaker, the Polar Star, which usually heads to Antarctica and is now going to the Arctic. I understand that is a decision that was made due to COVID conditions and some other things. But I'm really curious what the Polar Star will be doing on this rare deployment to the Arctic and what opportunities that represents.

Adm. Matthew Bell 2:09

Right, so very fortunate for us to have the nation's I call it their sole heavy icebreaker deployed to the northern high latitudes this winter in support of we'll call it Coast Guard's Arctic strategy. I think beginning in mid-December, the Polar Star is gonna conduct 80-plus days or so deployment to the Arctic to expand our coverage to conduct Coast Guard missions, patrol the U.S.-Russia maritime boundary line, contribute to maritime domain awareness, probably strengthen international intergovernmental partnerships, and of course, protect U.S. presence and sovereignty. The deployment will obviously support three lines of effort from Coast Guard's Arctic strategic outlook and enhance capability to operate effectively and strengthen rules-based order, and then innovate and adapt to promote resilience and prosperity there in the Arctic. I think primarily, they'll be operating in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, looking for first-year ice with supporting logistics stops out of Dutch Harbor. And of course, this provides a great opportunity to refine and develop future generation of icebreaker operators.

Hope Hodge Seck 3:13

Hmm. So you talked about patrolling the U.S.-Russia maritime boundary line Why is that important? And is that something that Coast Guard would like to do more of?

Adm. Matthew Bell 3:23

So it's unique, I mean, from a Coast Guard perspective, we are one of the few countries that has territories above the Arctic Circle, right. And obviously, I'll call it stating the obvious, we have a shared border with Russia and Canada, in the Arctic. So from a national security perspective, national sovereignty perspective, it only behooves the United States to actively patrol that maritime boundary line that's literally between the two countries. We have a great, I'll call it working relationship with the Russian border guard, especially for law enforcement, fisheries efforts, that's along the maritime boundary line in the Bering Sea. Well, that same maritime boundary line is as appropriate and connected up through the Bering Straits and up into the Arctic in the Chukchi Sea. So we've been able to mutually patrol that line with us and the Russians, ensures that, that our interests are best represented, certainly by the Coast Guard.

Hope Hodge Seck 4:15

Do you ever see anything that concerns you, concerns the Coast Guard, from that area? Or is this mainly to prevent any kind of problems from happening?

Adm. Matthew Bell 4:25

No, we see concerns. I think every day I can go back to you know, my first patrol up here in Alaska waters in the mid '80s was dealing with foreign fishing vessels, Russian fishing vessels in and around the maritime boundary line. Those were some of our first initial boarding efforts, specifically about fisheries, law enforcement there in the Bering Sea that continues today. Just here, a couple of months back we had Russia doing an exercise in the Bering Sea and their ships and aircraft came into U.S. [exclusive economic zone] to conduct that exercise that was kind of new and developmental from the perspective -- Russia has always been up here. But to have them actually come on on our side ... to conduct parts of that exercise was new. The Russian border guard has had I'll call it a continual presence in and around Diomede since the early summer, those ships just recently departed. But that's been a continual presence by the Russian border guard that I've not seen up here, certainly in in this tour. We'll likely see increased activity up in the Chakchi Sea even as early as next summer as Russia looks to open up a fisheries, there, north of the Arctic Circle, which of course the ice has been kept most folks out in the past, we've not seen that level of fishing activity in past history.

Hope Hodge Seck 5:45

Hmm. And you raise some really good points there when it comes to the existing security threats and how the region is changing. I think a lot of people understand when you talk about Europe or the Pacific, or China, you know, what the threats are, we need to shore up militarily. But when it comes to the Arctic, can you sort of give you the 30-second elevator pitch of you know, what change is happening? You know, how the the shape of the the ice and climate is affecting that, and why the U.S. does need to maintain a presence there?

Adm. Matthew Bell 6:17

Really good question. I mean, I kind of just said it before. I mean, it's obvious we have land interest in the Arctic, we share that common border with Russia and Canada. The Arctic is strategically important, you know, a significant amount of the world's undiscovered gas and oil and mineral reserves, and more than half -- and just just think about that -- more than half of the U.S. fishing stocks come from the U.S.'s exclusive economic zone. Here off the coast of Alaska, melting ice is opening up those sea lanes that never existed before. And it's becoming more accessible, which means more exploration, more tourism or shipping. Possible conflicts, as I think, world powers look to compete for their stake in ... increased international activity up here directly impacts our sovereignty, competing demands for resources, increased shipping traffic, I think will bring those risks closer to our shores, and closer to potential conflict and environmental catastrophes. That's why it's important for us to ensure safe, secure and environmentally responsive maritime activities in the Arctic, looking to protect species potential access to food sources, are linked to longterm conservation efforts that require enforcement and oversight for which the Coast Guard has adapted over the years. Again, the nation's consistent maritime presence in the region is the Coast Guard, we continue to provide increasing valuable partnerships, maritime domain awareness, search-and-rescue capabilities, icebreaking, of course, fisheries, enforcement and vessel and facility safety examination. It's interesting, the area is huge. It's incredibly remote. And it's difficult to provide that challenge. Other nations like China and Russia, specifically, they've invested -- huge -- in presence and are pushing the boundaries up there, we need to be able to respond accordingly. And I think in order for the United States to protect its sovereign interests in the Arctic, and possibly shape that future governance, it needs the capability to project presence 365 days a year, I mean, our Arctic strategy talks about presence equals influence.

Hope Hodge Seck 8:15

So I've read the documents, there are seven other Arctic nations if you're going geographically, in addition to the U.S. And then there's this wild card, China, which calls itself a near-Arctic nation, which is a very confusing term, based on its own geography. What is the level of Chinese activity in the region? And should we be concerned about what they're doing and what they're trying to do?

Adm. Matthew Bell 8:39

So I think we should we should all be concerned about that. I mean, we could talk about near peer competitiveness, you know, Arctic nations are what they are, there's eight of them. That's where it ends. Now, there are other folks that have interests. And there's other folks that have desires and pursuits in the region, they certainly can look to do that. I find it interesting that when we start talking about Chinese influence, they have an icebreaker. The Xue Long 2, is up here this summer, and just recently transited through the Bering Straits and through the Bering Sea heading back to China. And I didn't have a ship that could steam alongside them, or steam in the Arctic or into the ice alongside Xue Long. So does that put us at a disadvantage, perhaps. And we're kind of, going back to the Polar Star coming up here this winter, we have the cutter Healy that operates up there routinely. So those will kind of hold them in check, if you will. But if they want to continue their pursuits to generate additional access to the Arctic, that's only going to require the U.S. to be able to respond it with with appropriate resources in the region.

Hope Hodge Seck 9:43

You talk about resources and you talked about the seven other Arctic nations. How does U.S. investment in things like icebreakers and Arctic security, compare to, let's talk about, I guess, the major Arctic nations like Russia and Canada?

Adm. Matthew Bell 9:58

So in short, again, it's, from Matt Bell's perspective here in Alaska, we're lagging behind. But I think current investments will be closing the gap over the next few years. Recent contract awards for the Polar Security Cutter, the offshore patrol cutters. Those are all going to be great, great progress. I think fielding upgrading upgrades for the C-130Js, out to Kodiak, patrols to Alaska District 17 and the Arctic by our national security cutters are huge steps to influencing that proverbial battlespace. Russia and China exemplify that competition. Both have declared the Arctic a strategic priority. We've known that both have made significant investments in new and refurbished capabilities. And I think both are exerting direct and indirect influence across the region. Relationship-wise, I think we have the advantage of a history of providing the nation's most consistent maritime presence since the mid-1800s. We have enduring relationships with those that work, travel and live up here in the last frontier. I think speaking toward Canada, in the area of Arctic research, I can report that you know, one of our two icebreakers, the Healy plans to make a return deployment to the Arctic in summer of 2021 to do research and engage in other missions in and around the Arctic Ocean. I can also highlight that the Canadian icebreaker, the Sir Wilfrid Laurier, has conducted research in the U.S. Arctic waters annually for years now, as the Coast Guard continues in its program to recapitalize the nation's icebreaker fleet. With the commissioning of the Polar Security Cutters over the next decade, I believe the opportunity to enhance those international cooperations in the Arctic research will grow, along with many other critical facets of U.S. national security and defense in the region. And to that last point, the U.S. Coast Guard is very specifically focused on Arctic research, and has been with the Healy for years now. I think as our Polar Security Cutters come online, I think you're gonna see us expand that mission set, still doing some research, but then accommodate the other Coast Guard missions in and around the Arctic. And we'll see that this coming winter with Polar Star coming up. Their mission will be Coast Guard mission sets, and not necessarily focused on Coast Guard, Arctic research.

Hope Hodge Seck 12:14

If you had every platform, every piece of gear on your wish list in terms of carrying this out, what would that look like? What would the Coast Guard be able to do in the Arctic on kind of a regular basis?

Adm. Matthew Bell 12:27

Wow. So that's an interesting question. If I had it all, I guess I would sleep really, really, really well and not have a lot to do. Because much of the work that I do here as the district commander is talking about, you know, competing priorities and competing interests throughout the Coast Guard. So how best can we articulate those needs, those demands and mitigate that risk here in the state, I think if we were granted all of those resources, we would have, that would put us a permanent presence in the Arctic, which would directly imply influence that would allow us to further the U.S., I'll call it influence in the region. And that's whether that's, you know, assisting with our Canadian partners, or whether that's building that relationship with Russia, or continuing to influence the science-based or research-based decisions for global order or for that access that folks like China want to gain in the region. And I also think, too, that it would provide a level of security or calm amongst all the inhabitants that live here, here in Alaska, because they would see the same resources, they would see the same services, they would see the same support requirements that we see or experience in the Lower 48.

Hope Hodge Seck 13:37

So on the other side of the coin, now there's one heavy icebreaker. And it does seem to get into trouble, a fair amount just because it's old. And there's a sort of downpayment on the first in its class, new polar icebreaker or Polar Security Cutter. And it's assumed that more are coming. I think at least three are needed, if I understand correctly. So it seems like we're in a tight spot right now. What kind of scenarios in the Arctic keep you up at night? I mean, you talked about not being able to accompany the Chinese icebreaker. So what scenarios keep you up at night? And how does the Coast Guard work to ensure that worst-case scenario doesn't happen?

Adm. Matthew Bell 14:21

Yeah. So, you know, I would say there's not a lot that keeps me up at night. There's lots of things that I'm concerned about or worried about. But at the end of the day, I sleep pretty well. I've got a great staff, we've got folks that are really, really focused on what the priority mission sets are up here and especially working to mitigate that risk. I think we face all sorts of threats in the Arctic. I mean, it's the tyranny of distance, the lack of infrastructure, the dynamic and extreme weather events. I mean, all of those make it particularly challenging to respond to distress or pollution cases, protect our fisheries. I think our national sovereignty is tested daily by foreign nations. You know, melting ice caps, open sea lanes, the potential for conflict will challenge our country's capacity. And all of those challenges will have an effect on our native subsistence ... influencing our own nation's food sovereignty. I think from a personal perspective here as the district commander, our greatest threat would be the inability to generate a response, or an inadequate response to a catastrophic event event, growing maritime activity, or the presence of peer competitors. I think our ability to influence what happens in the Arctic is predicated on our ability to defend our interests here, as the nation's consistent maritime presence in the region, the Coast Guard uses our available resources to continue providing increased value partnerships, maritime domain awareness, search and rescue icebreaking, fisheries enforcement, you know, and so forth. We go through vessel security exams -- I think the short answer is we can always use more resources, right, especially in Alaska, to combat that tyranny of distance and lack of infrastructure. We talked about it we talked about all the time you already mentioned, we have two icebreakers, they're 20 and 50 years old respectively, they deploy worldwide, and not just here in the Arctic. The Polar Security Cutter acquisitions is going to be a game-changer for us, it's going to influence that. I think, geographically, you can just look here in the state, we have two Coast Guard Air Stations, routinely launching our missions that are equivalent from flying from Boston to Orlando. We have a relatively small handful of cutters that patrol an area I think almost the size of the United States. And I don't want to try to overstate that. But when we talk about that the vast distances and the challenges we have up here, it can't go understated. We deploy those assets, I think strategically, to provide the greatest effectiveness, given maritime traffic, the fishing seasons, the weather phenomenon. We just can't be everywhere at once. So let me talk about a partnership just as an example. So we have a very good relationship with NORAD, NORTHCOM and the Department of Defense, they help us paint the picture of activity in the Arctic, so that we can help make a sense of what's going on strategically to employ those assets and those resources. And I think in order to make the best use of those assets we have, we strategically placed them where the greatest need is, whether that's standing up a forward operating base for our helicopters to use up based on fishing activity, or deploying a cutter to patrol that maritime boundary line that we discussed a little earlier. And we also use our partnerships and our relationships with our Russian and the Canadian neighbors, to expedite rescues and pollution and prevention activities along along our shared borders. We monitor vessel traffic and and we rely on mariners to report concerns in areas where there's gaps in that coverage, which came out of the Ocean Shield exercise that Russia was conducting this summer. But those fishermen that were operating out there on the extreme western edge of the Bering Sea contacted us, basically, it's a team effort, and we're making the best use of the resources we have given those definite constraints that we have for distance and lack of resources.

Hope Hodge Seck 18:08

So some fishermen and mariners contacted you all and said, we see some Russian ships operating here, and that was news. And that alerted you to be able to go out and respond to that?

Adm. Matthew Bell 18:19

It did and ironically, so when they first called us, our nearest ship was in Dutch Harbor, it's a three to five-day steam for our cutter to get up there. You know, and kind of going back to your previous question, if we had all the resources, there would already be a ship or there already be an asset in the vicinity of the maritime boundary line or up off of Diomede. But with that, at that particular time, there was one asset in the Bering Sea and a three day steam for them. Actually, it took them five days because the weather kind of picked up, because that's usually what the weather does here. When you need to do a case it gets a little rough and impacts those operators.

Hope Hodge Seck 18:55

Of course. Well, I want to ask a couple of follow ups based on you know what, you just shared -- a lot of really good stuff, but you used the term a while back food security or food sovereignty. And I was hoping you could unpack what you mean by that. Obviously, we're talking about shipping lanes, and I assume that's a part of it.

Adm. Matthew Bell 19:16

So macroscopically, that there's another document out called IUU. So So illegal, unreported, unregulated fishing. I mean, that's a global approach to managing, I'll call it, you know, ocean protein stocks across the world. Well, if you look at that from a microcosm here in the state, you know, we've got some of the world's best-managed fisheries around the state, whether that's the salmon runs in and out of Bristol Bay, whether that's the federally managed halibut fisheries that we have across the state to the point where our native communities rely on subsistence hunts, whether that's off of Utqiagvik and to the north, or to those sockeye runs there in Bristol Bay or even here to the southeast for the many fisheries that they can operate in. All of those dictate how well or how prosperous a community can be, or how well and prosperous a state can be. And so it requires good management, it requires good governance, it requires good enforcement, it requires good follow-up to ensure all those aspects of that food chain is secure, or is managed effectively, to where one entity doesn't end up, you know, being able to reap all the benefits at the expense of others. So when you look at some small communities, up in the northern part of the state, you know, they rely on a very short window to get their hunt done, or their fishing done, that basically fulfills that the whole community's food locker or freezer, if you will, for the coming months. So if you're going to impact that very, very short window, their food security, their food sovereignty, is in jeopardy that that requires the Coast Guard, requires those local communities to protect that resource, whether you want to call it a natural resource, or a village resource, or a native resource, all of those require Coast Guard actions to be able to support.

Hope Hodge Seck 21:05

There is so much that goes into Arctic operations as as you go down the list, and it affects so many pieces of American life. Does it still make sense for the Coast Guard to own this significant military mission? I know in some ways, it's a really good fit enforcement and working with fisheries and working on the coast. And on the other side, I know that the Defense Department gets a lot more funding, a lot more resources, and they also get a lot more attention with military operations. So yeah, I know, it's a controversial question. But, you know, why does it make sense for the Coast Guard to continue to own Arctic security?

Adm. Matthew Bell 21:47

So I would approach that question from our statutory authorities. And we can talk about Title 10 or Title 14, and we kind of migrate from one to the other depending on what the threats and the circumstances are. From that aspect, I think the Coast Guard is uniquely positioned based on those authorities to work through, regulate through and operate in and around the Arctic. It's a whole-of-goverment issue, I would say that upfront. It's a whole of government issue, from whether it's Department of State or Department of Defense, Department of the Interior. All of my state partners here in the state, all of the partnerships or relationships we have with the 230-plus native tribes here in Alaska, requires all of us to do that. So I want to be careful when you say, Oh, the Coast Guard should be in charge of that. I'm not sure that the Coast Guard even with you know, 50,000 strong could be responsible or own all of that mission set, because it is so complex, because it is so dynamic. From an operations perspective, from a policy perspective, from a regulatory perspective, I think the Coast Guard is well positioned to do that. What I certainly like to have DoD's budget, absolutely. But at the same time, I would never want to give up our own Coast Guard statutory authorities that we have under the Department of Homeland Security, because our law enforcement additions, our search and rescue missions, our prevention missions are much more enabling for the Coast Guard to interact with those coastal communities than they would be from a Department of Defense perspective. And that relationship that we have with our Department of Defense counterparts is critical, because they rely on the information that we're gathering the information that we look at, they use it to inform their battle orders at the same time, the information that they garner, that they gain are able to influence our own operations and our own enforcement actions here across the state.

Hope Hodge Seck 23:34

Apart from icebreaker operations, are there any ways that Coast Guard is training or operating differently with regard to the Arctic today than it has in previous years, even 10 years ago?

Adm. Matthew Bell 23:46

The short answer is yes. Part of that is just because of the accessibility that we have to the Arctic. You know, historically, Healy has been up here for a number of years, and does research. I'll call it in the middle of the summer, because it provides easy access. I mean, the ice is still there. But it's thinner, there's greater leads, so they can provide greater access for them to do that science mission and the Coast Guard cooperates with the National Science Foundation to do that Arctic research. And that's been primarily the focus behind Healy. I think what we'll see with Polar Star this coming winter, plus the advent of what we're going to see while the Polar Security Cutter is coming online is a greater adaptation, a greater work toward all of the Coast Guard mission sets up in and around the Arctic. The Arctic is accessible, technically 365. We can do that with ships that are capable of breaking the ice but we can get there via aircraft we can get there via personnel we can get there via innovation. So there's lots of different ways to access and influence the Arctic, which we're already doing. We have an annual surge of operations during the summer, which we call Arctic Shield that provides a mobile expeditionary capacity that we get in some of those communities that we talked about, search and rescue. We talked about engagement. We talked about training that we can provide to the to the local elements. There, we even look at our own coastal and facilities inspections to ensure that old fuel tanks or new fuel tanks along the coastlines are intact and are up to current standards, to ensure that we're not polluting the environment or having a negative impact on the environment. All of that requires year-round effort to influence those operations in and around the Arctic. If we just focused on icebreaking. Well, icebreaking is is a capability. Okay, so if we can break the ice, all that does now is now enable those mission sets to search and rescue, to law enforcement, to prevention efforts that would provide, you know, our larger influence from a Coast Guard perspective.

Hope Hodge Seck 25:45

And nobody likes to speculate too broadly, when you're talking about the future, anything could happen. But what do you see 10 or 15 years down the road in terms of what you predict might be happening in the Arctic then, and what might change in terms of that region's impact on our national security on global affairs? You know, what are what do the trends say to you?

Adm. Matthew Bell 26:07

The Arctic, I think it's strategically important, right? And I think the Coast Guard is or should be well-positioned to provide mobile, and expeditionary mission service to the greater Alaska, Arctic areas and those connecting waters. I see the demand signal for normal statutory services only increasing. And that's going to be in response to the growing activity, whether that's U.S. activity or that from other state actors or industry itself. I think as long as there is a geostrategic competition with near-peer competitors, and continued efforts to gain influence over the resources, the infrastructure, the sea route, I think the Coast Guard is going to play an important and I think unique national role there. The Arctic's becoming more accessible. And oh, by means whether that's going to influence exploration, tourism, shipping, conflict, I mean, all of that's not going to change our thinking. Our efforts to help with that are only going to continue to be in more demand, I think the more activity you're going to see, the more demand there's going to be for the Coast Guard, our, call it, consistent and constant maritime presence ... we have incredible valuable partnerships, we have some incredibly valuable maritime domain awareness, obviously icebreaking, fisheries enforcement, vessel safety, exam, search and rescue, all of that's going to continue to, I think, go up, the more activity you see, the more demands are going to be placed on the Coast Guard and the rest of the I'll call it state and federal resources in around the area. I don't think that's going to change anytime soon, only going to get more. And as you look at the volume of industry that's driving to the west, from Russia, coming from Yamal and through, whether that's the increased prospects of traffic, transpolar routes, or through the Northwest Passage, all of that is going to create greater demands for all of the Arctic coast guards. But for us, focused on the U.S. Coast Guard in the Arctic.

Hope Hodge Seck 28:05

it strikes me as well that the Arctic is one of those rare regions where you've got all three major global power players operating in really close proximity, potentially. And it sounds like that doesn't happen all the time at this point. But in terms of keeping conflict at bay, when when you've got Russia, China and the U.S. all operating in the same region. How do you think about that and work to keep everyone playing nicely together?

Adm. Matthew Bell 28:37

So the easy answer is effective communications. I mean, we all have to work on communications. I mean, I work on the communications internally here with the staff. I work on it with, internal to our state and federal partners, and we've worked at it internationally. The cooperative effort that we have with Canada is tremendous. We all stand technically on the same watch floor at NORAD, and NORTHCOM. So we have a mutual interest there. As I mentioned before, my Russian border guard counterpart, I can talk to them, connected-wise from command center to command center, we do that almost daily. And that's to help influence the law enforcement actions in and around the maritime boundary line. We have routine communications, we have combined ops planning, we're working on a five-year plan for a combined ops manual. So those exercises, those communications, those cooperative efforts occur regularly. I would say I'm unique in that regard from a U.S. perspective, especially when it comes to trying to talk to Russia. It's very long and complicated to talk D.C. to Moscow, and it gets very, there's lots of players involved in that conversation. But if there's something going on in the Bering Sea, I can reach out to my counterpart and have a reply back and answer back -- I'll call them in a matter of minutes. Hopefully, the communications is working back and forth, but but that communications only can help influence that. Expanding that to a bigger, larger question. The activities that you see in the Barents Sea are the activities that you see off af Greenland. That's the same Russia that operates here in the Bering Straits. And folks tend to not recognize that on occasion, because of the, I'll call it the very antagonistic behaviors that we see across all of the players in and around the North Atlantic. We don't see that as often here in the Bering Straits, because of the lack of activity. But it's just also been, there's only two nations technically that own that border between Russia and the United States. So that requires some cooperative communications between the two players here literally across the street. We do that routinely. We cooperate with Canada regularly. As we work up across the top of Alaska and over into the waters leading up to Northwest Passage, we have some great cooperative efforts to establish the Bering Straits PARS, the polar access route study. So a mutually agreed upon IMO-approved traffic through the Bering Straits. Russia was a player in that, the U.S. was a player with that, Canada was a player with that. We're working now to establish an Arctic polar access route study. So a proposed traffic, for how the traffic industry should be moving across the top of Alaska and into Canada. And those are ongoing conversations that we have, not only internationally, but also across the board through the IMO.

Hope Hodge Seck 31:22

And you talked about a combined operations plan that's under development, can you describe that in a little bit more detail, what it will be how it will work.

Adm. Matthew Bell 31:30

So we have a good working relationship with the Russian border guard, I mean, we both patrol mutually the same water, it's the same group of fish that swim around the Bering Sea, we have access to them on our side of the line, they have access to their side of the line, we want to try to approach that with a rules-based order that everybody's following the same rules. And so we try to articulate what those guidelines should look like, what the boarding parameters would be, what the question should look like, what the actions of the law enforcement vessels should be in the presence of each other. We practice communications when we're in vicinity of one another, we try to establish some routine protocols. So when we do have an issue, that we can call back directly and walk through our pre-scripted communications plan, so it affects a cleaner outcome. And it gets us through some decision points much faster. And we routinely try to work those and practice those and train through those. So that combined operating manual kind of spells those out, and it's better to have, practice them, to have drilled them, to work on them in advance than wait until something comes up or waiting for a conflict to come up and then try to make that first phone call. So that operations manual, we try to update it periodically to give us a better, I'll call a better starting point when things come up.

Hope Hodge Seck 32:41

Hmm, I think that's a great note to end on. Thank you so much for being so generous with your time. I've learned a lot and really appreciate this conversation.

Adm. Matthew Bell 32:51

Yeah, thanks, Hope it's really great. As I say, anytime I can talk about Alaska or the Coast Guard, the Arctic I'm all in ... By all means reach out, despite the time/distance, we can certainly make the time to answer some more questions. So thanks again, Hope.

Hope Hodge Seck 33:14

Thank you for joining us here once again at Left of Boom. The incident involving the fishing vessels that alerted the Coast Guard to Russian ships took place in late August. There's a link to a story about the incident in the show notes with some more information. If this is your first episode, welcome, and I invite you to take a look back through our archives. Some of our most popular topics today have been military myths and culture; efforts to develop a pilotless Army Black Hawk, and the badass woman who inspired a character on Top Gun. I'd love to hear your ideas for future episodes as well. Send them to me at podcast@military.com, and if I use anyone's ideas, I'll be sure to credit you in a future show. In the meantime, remember that you can get all the information you need about the military community every single day at Military.com.
London: Julian Assange has arrived at a London court to find out if he is to be extradited to the United States to face charges relating to WikiLeaks publications of a decade ago.

The 49-year-old Australian will hear his fate at London's Old Bailey on Monday evening (AEDT). He has been held at Belmarsh Prison since September 2019.

Assange's fiancee, Stella Moris, arrived at the Old Bailey with Kristinn Hrafnsson, the editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks. The pair arrived around half an hour before the hearing.

Before entering the building, Moris paused and placed a white safety mask on her face. Supporters chanted "Free Julian Assange" as she arrived; she did not make any comment
New Jersey just announced new limits on when cops can shoot, hit or chase suspects.

But officials are still grappling with how police dogs should be used.

Some law enforcement and civil rights organizations want K-9s banned entirely when it comes to arrests, and the state attorney general said he would make a final decision in the coming months.

The use of dogs against people of color has a long and horrific history, Gurbir Grewal recently wrote to law enforcement leaders, citing the German Shepherds used against peaceful civil rights protesters in the 1960s.

Police dog attacking Walter Gadsden, a student at Parker High School, during a 1960s civil rights demonstration in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. (Birmingham News files)

However, some officers have argued that K-9s are a helpful tool to protect cops and the public, he said.

Grewal directed staff to research how many police dogs are in the state, how they are trained and when theyve bitten residents, among other information, and submit recommendations by the end of March.

Hell make a decision soon after, according to a spokesman.

The states new use-of-force policy does limit when cops can use K-9s.

Dogs cannot be used against someone who is only resisting arrest, and they cannot be used for crowd control at peaceful demonstrations, according to the rules. K-9s can be taken to protests to look for bombs or similar threats, and K-9s should only be used against a crowd if somebodys life is at risk.

Some want the policy to go further.

Dog bites can cause life-altering injuries, even death, said Jiles Ship, a former police officer who now heads the state chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.

Its better to train cops how to de-escalate situations than invest in animals that cant be fully controlled, he said. Even a dogs presence can traumatize minority communities, and violent attacks can lead to expensive lawsuits, Ship added.

All you need is one incident like that to go to the media, and that will push policing back 20 years, he said.

Others argued that suspects often surrendered without a fight only because a dog was nearby.

Theyre taking away a valuable, valuable asset, said Asa Anderson III, a retired trooper who spent years working with State Police dogs.

K-9 training had improved dramatically since the civil rights era, he said, and dogs that didnt follow orders were immediately taken off patrol.

Its still a better alternative than deadly force, Anderson said.

Mistakes certainly happened, added Joe Nicholas, training director for the Atlantic County Police K-9 Academy. But the answer was more oversight, not a ban, he said.

Nicholas estimated that between 180 and 200 patrol dogs were employed by around 90 law enforcement agencies statewide.

When compared to other types of force, New Jersey K-9s have been used far less against suspects in recent years.

Officers reported using dogs about 200 times from 2012 through 2016, according to use-of-force reports.

The vast majority of suspects, at least 177, were injured and more than three dozen were hospitalized, although it was rarely clear how they were injured and officers may not have filled out reports if a dog was on scene but not released.

Most of the suspects were Black or Hispanic. Several situations involved people running away, and officers did not list any resulting criminal charges for some who were chased.

K-9s did not kill any suspects during that period, according to the force records.

That doesnt mean bites didnt cause serious damage.

A study from Indiana University of Pennsylvania noted that dog bites can puncture sheet metal. Another review of one California department found bites led to dozens of operations for torn arteries, joints and tendons.

In New Jersey, Atlantic City has paid out $700,000 and $3 million after K-9s were involved in violent arrests in 2012 and 2013. One man needed 200 stitches after a police dog bit him repeatedly, an attack partially caught on video.

The K-9s handler now faces criminal charges.

A ban would almost certainly not affect police dogs other jobs, such as looking for bodies in a collapsed building or sniffing out contraband. One State Police dog can even smell hidden electronics.

But new limits could affect other situations where K-9s are currently used.

One recent confrontation between Voorhees cops and a 37-year-old was captured by body cameras.

On Sept. 6, Richard Belline sped his car into a parking lot, hit a curb, blew a tire, jumped out and attempted to run away, officials said.

He was stopped by a Voorhees officer who pinned him to the asphalt. A short while later, another cop arrived and pulled a dog out of his SUV.

Youre gonna get bit by this dog if you dont show your hands the officer said to Belline, according to the video. The dog pulled at the leash, barking a few feet from Bellines face.

After a few moments, the officer put the dog back inside and Belline was restrained by hand.

That was a good example of a handler using restraint after he realized the suspect was in distress, Voorhees Sgt. Ken Sacavitch told NJ Advance Media. It had been years since a dog actually bit someone, he said.

When we do our training its not all bite, bite, bite, said Sacavitch, who supervises the departments six K-9s. Wed rather have a surrender than an apprehension.

Belline, who said hed used methamphetamine, died later at a hospital, triggering an automatic investigation into the overall encounter. That review is ongoing.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Joe Atmonavage contributed to this report.

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With an eye on China and visualising the future of warfare, Japan has begun to develop a remote-controlled fighter aircraft which will be ready for deployment in 2035.

Nikkei Asia is reporting that the 15-year project has acquired urgency to counter China's cascading advancement of hi-tech weaponry.

Currently, Tokyo stands outmanned and outgunned by its larger neighbour, the daily observes. It points out that China possesses more than 1,000 fourth-generation fighter jets that can reach supersonic speeds, about triple as many as Japan. It has also began deploying fifth-generation stealth fighters.

Japan's Defence Ministry plans to introduce fighter drones in three stages - first those that are remote controlled, then "teaming" operations where one manned plane would control several drones, and ultimately for use in completely unmanned and autonomous squadrons.

Autonomous weapons require advanced machine-learning capabilities, and international rules have yet to catch up to the technology. The ministry plans to focus on teaming operations first for its 2035 goal, set to coincide with the deployment of Japan's next-generation manned fighters.

Japanese companies, part of Tokyo's re-emerging military industrial complex, which have been engaged in the project include Subaru. The company will be in charge of developing remote and flight control capabilities. The legendary Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Mitsubishi Electric will work on an instantaneous information-sharing system between multiple aircraft. The ministry's Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency is also planning out artificial intelligence technology for the drones.

Analysts say that the coming together of Japanese military industrial complex evokes memories of another era when imperial Japan was on a high.

Established in 1887, MHI, based in Nagasaki, the city that was nuked towards the end of World War -2, cut its teeth in building warships for the imperial navy. Today, MHI's products include aerospace and automotive components, air conditioners, elevators, forklift trucks, hydraulic equipment, machine tools, missiles, power generation equipment, printing machines, ships, aircraft, railway systems, and space launch vehicles.

Japanese players could partner with the US and British companies as well, the daily said.

Also Watch:

The Japanese defence ministry will invest 2.5 billion yen ($24.3 million) into remote and flight control technology, and another 200 million yen into AI technology. It aims to conduct a flight test with a small prototype around fiscal 2024, when the research phase is expected to wrap up, and start designing the final product as early as fiscal 2025. The final fighter drones could be equipped with detection and missile capabilities.

Japan's reliance on technology is meant to offset its shortfalls in manpower. The project will thus allow one pilot to control multiple drones, and having the jets share information with each other. The drones could also gather data in dangerous areas without risking the lives of Japanese self-defence personnel.

Facing a significant disadvantage in numbers, Japan, like many other countries, is accelerating defence-related research to curb China's military power.

Japan's Defence Ministry plans to introduce fighter drones in three stages - first those that are remote controlled, then "teaming" operations where one manned plane would control several drones, and ultimately for use in completely unmanned and autonomous squadrons.

Autonomous weapons require advanced machine-learning capabilities, and international rules have yet to catch up to the technology. The ministry plans to focus on teaming operations first for its 2035 goal, set to coincide with the deployment of Japan's next-generation manned fighters.

In view of the Chinese threat, Japan is also an active member of the Indo-Pacific Quad, which includes India, Australia and US as partners.
Fedhasa has called on the government to prioritise the rollout of the vaccination programme in South Africa so that the destination can be considered internationally viable.

Caniceus via Pixabay

The hospitality industry body says the roll-out delay to the second quarter of 2021, as announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his latest address, will put South Africa at a significant disadvantage when it comes to restoring confidence in inbound international travel."With todays approval of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for use in the United Kingdom, we have renewed hope that rolling out an effective vaccine in South Africa sooner rather than later can become a reality," says Rosemary Anderson, Fedhasa chairperson.The vaccine, which is also being tested in South Africa, is cheaper than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and can be stored at fridge temperature, making it far more accessible for use by GPs and even care homes."We need to bring South Africa in line with other countries that have already started this process so that the destination can be considered internationally viable. It is our view that travel will only return to some level of normality and by implication, our tourism and hospitality sector can only begin its recovery when we start rolling-out the vaccine programme in South Africa in earnest. There simply is no other option but to fast track the vaccine programme."Our tourism and hospitality industry continues to be incredibly hard hit by the negative impact of Covid lockdowns. We cannot afford not to prioritise this very action that could save hundreds of thousands of livelihoods which hang in the balance," concludes Anderson.

Schools and colleges in Wales to be closed until the 18th at earliest

This article is old - Published: Monday, Jan 4th, 2021

Welsh schools and colleges will not be going back before the 18th at the earliest, in a change to a policy announced this evening.

Schools will be closed for face to face teaching and will revert to online distance learning provision, but schools will stay open for vulnerable learners and children of key workers in a similar manner as earlier in the pandemic.

Before Christmas some flexibility was built in for the beginning of term, with some learners in Wales starting back today for a new term  with a staggered return through to the 18th. That plan was announced to give some certainty and allow time to put in place proportionate arrangements. At the time of that statement, Wrexham was at 360 per 100k on the rolling seven day benchmark coronavirus figure  today that is 735.5 per 100k and the second worst in Wales.

Wrexham was set to provide face-to-face learning for the majority of pupils from January 11th, and all pupils from January 18th meaning some pupils would be learning from home during the first week or two of term regardless.





Yesterday Education Minister Kirsty Williams said, We agreed before Christmas a flexible return to school in January, so that local decisions can be made based on local circumstances. Some schools return next week, with the majority open fully by 18 January, with remote learning until then. We continue to monitor and publish the latest evidence, and our science advisory group TAG meets again this week.

This lunchtime the Health Minister said further updated scientific and health evidence was due to be considered, and after consideration decisions on schools could be made today or tomorrow.

The move was announced by the Education Minister this evening:

Important: @WelshGovernment, in consultation with the @WelshLGA & @ColegauCymru, has just agreed that all schools and colleges will move to online learning until Monday January 18th. Please watch & share this video to help make others aware. Further information in thread below. pic.twitter.com/wmb9B3T1zn  Kirsty Williams (@wgmin_education) January 4, 2021

We understand Wrexham Council will be using the coming few weeks to monitor, assess and consider local data, with the date of the 18th being a minimum rather than a hard and fast reopening date.

The Education Minister has tweeted a few quick Q&As:

Q. Im a keyworker  will schools be open for my child?

A. Yes, schools will remain open for key workers and vulnerable children.

Q. What about exams taking place this week?

A. Scheduled exams and formal assessments can still go ahead and learners can travel to school/college to undertake them.

Q. Will Special schools remain open?

A. Special schools should remain open if possible to support vulnerable learners.

Q. What are the arrangements for Free School Meals?

A: @WelshGovernment has provided funding to local authorities to ensure the continued provision of free school meals for eligible children. You should contact you school or LA for more information.

The full written statement by the Minister has been released, copied in full below:

The situation in Wales and across the UK remains very serious. Today, the four UK Chief Medical Officers have agreed that the UK is now at the highest level of risk, Joint Biosecurity Council level 5. In the light of that decision the Welsh Government, in consultation with the WLGA and Colegau Cymru, has agreed that all schools, colleges and independent schools should move to online learning until January 18th. As a government we will use the next two weeks to continue to work with local authorities, schools and colleges to plan for the rest of term. This is the best way to ensure that parents, staff and learners can be confident in the return to face to face learning, based on the latest evidence and information. Schools and colleges will remain open for children of critical workers and vulnerable learners, as well as for learners who need to complete essential exams or assessments. On this basis Special Schools and PRUs should remain open if possible. We had initially given schools flexibility in the first two weeks of term to decide when to reopen based on local circumstances. But it is now clear that a national approach of online learning for the first fortnight of term is the best way forward. We know that schools and colleges have been safe and secure environments throughout the pandemic. However, we also know that education settings being open can contribute to wider social mixing outside the school and college environment. We are confident that schools and colleges have online learning provision in place for this immediate period, Universities in Wales have already agreed a staggered start to term. Students should not return to universities for face to face learning until they are notified that they can do so. Wales remains in the highest level of restrictions. Everyone must stay at home. I will continue to update members. This statement is being issued during recess in order to keep members informed. Should members wish me to make a further statement or to answer questions on this when the Senedd returns I would be happy to do so.

Reacting to the announcement that schools in Wales will be shut until January 18, Suzy Davies MS  the Conservative Shadow Minister for Education  said: With many children having been due to begin a staggered return to school from Wednesday onwards, this news has come late for them and for their parents.

The closure will affect all primary and secondary schools, and additional learning needs (ALN) bases will remain open if possible.

However, schools and colleges will remain open for children of critical workers and vulnerable learners, as well as for learners who need to complete essential exams or assessments.

Because of the planned staggered return, we were told that teachers were preparing online, blended learning. I hope, and Im sure all parents and pupils feel the same, that these systems can be adapted for this full closure.

What parents, pupils, and teachers across Wales need is reassurance from the Minister as to what conditions must be met for schools to re-open, because while a prudent measure, to read that the next two weeks will be used to plan for  rest of term offers little reassurance.

This announcement, however, reinforces our calls for teachers to be prioritised to receive the new vaccine, because this virus has damaged our young learners education enough.

Plaid Cymrus Shadow Minister for Education, Sian Gwenllian MS said: This is clarity at the eleventh hour from the Welsh Government, leaving little or no time for parents and teachers to adapt to the changing circumstances.

In Scotland, the Government has decided to move education on-line until February as the virus has got ahead of the vaccine. The Welsh Government needs to explain why it is lagging behind in taking robust action to get the virus under control.

It is unclear what the Welsh Government expects will change in just two weeks time and so we risk being in the same position yet again with yet more confusion in a fortnight.

An immunisation programme for all school staff needs to get underway with a timetable for roll out announced.

Hubs for vulnerable children and the children of key workers are needed. The Education Minister needs to explain what support will be available to children from disadvantaged backgrounds who will now fall further behind with their education, and for parents who are juggling work and looking after children at home.

Plaid Cymru has long called for a focus on removing the digital divide  that should have happened by now. Urgent action is needed.
Saudi Arabia will reopen its airspace and land and sea border to Qatar as of Monday, Kuwait's foreign minister said in televised comments, citing a deal towards resolving a political dispute that led Riyadh and its allies to impose a boycott on Qatar.

Kuwait and the United States have been trying to end the row in which Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and non-Gulf Egypt severed diplomatic, trade and travel ties with Qatar in mid-2017, shattering regional unity which Washington says hinders efforts to contain Iran.

"An agreement has been reached to open airspace and land and sea borders between Saudi Arabia and Qatar as of this evening," Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Ahmad Nasser al-Sabah said on Kuwait TV ahead of a Gulf Arab summit in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Saudi state agency SPA quoted Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as saying the annual gathering of Gulf leaders would unite Gulf ranks "in the face of challenges facing the region".

Kuwait's foreign minister said a declaration would be signed at the summit, which was postponed from its usual December date as Riyadh pushed for an agreement towards ending the rift.

The four boycotting countries had accused Qatar of supporting terrorism. Doha denies the charges and says the embargo aims to curtail its sovereignty.

Doha had been set 13 demands, ranging from closing Al Jazeera television and shuttering a Turkish base to cutting links to the Muslim Brotherhood and downgrading ties with Iran.

Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, joined by Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz and Brian Hook, a special State Department adviser, were flying to the Saudi Arabia to attend the signing ceremony, a senior Trump administration official said.

On the other hand, Qatar's ruling Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani will attend a Gulf Arab summit in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the royal court said on Monday.

Meanwhile, a senior United Arab Emirates (UAE) official said on Monday that a Gulf Arab summit in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday would restore Gulf unity.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said in a Twitter post that "more work lies ahead and we are moving in the right direction".

Short link:


Lela Lynn has completed her new book Shark: a gripping and potent tale of a biker with a tragic past returning to Las Vegas after tragedy strikes once again.

My life fell apart a few weeks ago when there was trouble within our club. See, Im a Devils Brother. I go by Shark, but my real name is Stanley. I belong to one of the countrys most notorious motorcycle clubs. The Devils Brothers MC. We are what the media and law enforcement like to call a 1% club. We belong to the 1% of the motorcycle riders who are not law-abiding citizens, or so they say. We really tend to walk the fine line between right and wrong. We like to party, we like to fight, we stand up for what we believe in.

Published by Page Publishing, Lela Lynns electrifying tale follows Stanley, a member of the Devils Brothers MC, who goes by the name Shark because of his proclivity for cards and gambling. After the Devils Brothers does some housecleaning and gets rid of some rats, Shark loses someone dear to him, and he does not know how to handle it. Bearing in mind the wise words of his mother, Shark takes his motorcycle and finds himself back in his old stomping ground, Las Vegas, the place of his misspent youth, where his life started and his reputation for being the best card shark around precedes him.

On his journey, Shark becomes entangled with the Carpagio crime family. The Carpagios are a rich family with a deep criminal history. The patriarch of the family and his daughter, Annystasia, become involved with Shark in unexpected ways, as Shark becomes deeper and deeper embroiled in the criminal underworld. As the motorcycle and criminal worlds collide, Shark must do all he can to save himself and those he loves.

Readers who wish to experience this gripping work can purchase Shark at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
Paducah Woman Arrested After Pursuit, Crash

By West Kentucky Star Staff

CARLISLE COUNTY - A Paducah woman is facing numerous charges after a pursuit and crash in Carlisle County Saturday night.When a trooper with the Kentucky State Police attempted to pull over a vehicle at the intersection of KY 121 and KY 307 for an alleged traffic violation, the driver, 49-year-old Carol D. Bennett of Paducah, fled from authorities.The trooper said Bennett continued to drive erratically on KY 307 before turning onto County Road 1057. She then lost control of the vehicle and struck a tree.During a search of the vehicle, authorities reportedly found marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, and drug paraphernalia.After being treated by the Carlisle County EMS, Bennett was lodged in the McCracken County Jail.She is charged with first degree fleeing or evading, first degree possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), possession of a controlled substance (cocaine), operating a vehicle under the influence first offense, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
For the past couple of years, Ford has been trying to make a more solid name for itself in those two countries as well. In India, it bet heavily on a partnership with Mahindra , which at the end of 2019 was announced it would turn into a local joint venture.The agreement was supposed to move some of Fords local operations under the control of the new joint venture, including its personnel and assembly plants in Chennai and Sanand. The engine plant operations in Sanand, the Global Business Services unit, Ford Credit, and Ford Smart Mobility would have remained under the control of the Americans.The joint venture, valued at $275 million, was also supposed to be in charge of making three new utility vehicles, starting with a midsize one based on a Mahindra platform, and later with producing electric vehicles as well.Now, after a full year of fighting the effects of a pandemic that has spread far beyond the medical aspects of our lives, both Ford and Mahindra announced the joint venture would not happen, as the December 31 deadline passed without a definitive agreement being reached.Ford Motor Company and Mahindra & Mahindra have mutually and amicably determined they will not complete a previously announced automotive joint venture between their respective companies, Ford said in a statement.The outcome was driven by fundamental changes in global economic and business conditions  caused, in part, by the global pandemic  over the past 15 months. Those changes influenced separate decisions by Ford and Mahindra to reassess their respective capital allocation priorities.The Americans say the current operations in India will continue as they did until now.

New Delhi, Jan 4 : Raising concerns over the bids by Piramal Enterprises and US-based Oaktree for Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd (DHFL), erstwhile promoter of the bankrupct NBFC, Kapil Wadhawan said that the bids are conditional and not qualified.

Noting that Piramal group has proposed a reverse merger of its company -- Piramal Capital & Housing Finance Limited (PCHFL) with DHFL, Wadhawan, in a statement on Sunday said: "PCHFL itself had, just as DHFL, suffered immense liquidity crises in 2018.

However, it managed to survive by borrowing funds from SBI, LIC, Canadian pension fund CDPQ, IFC, Union Bank of India, IndusInd Bank, Bank of Baroda etc," He further said that the asset quality of PCHFL has not been vetted to ascertain whether the merger of PCHFL with DHFL would be in the interest of entities.

Piramal's resolution plan is founded on the reverse merger occurring successfully to ensure the Rs 10,000 crore of capital be infused into DHFL, which is essential for maintaining various regulatory ratios mandated by RBI apart from being required for the success of the resolution plan, he said.

"It is uncertain whether the merger would take place and in any event the merger may entail considerable delay which would further delay and complicate the resolution of DHFL." According to Wadhawan, there is no clarity as to how the resolution plan of Piramal will be implemented if the reverse merger fails. At the stage of merger, the approval of various creditors as also approval of regulatory authorities would be required all of which are uncertain and any of which can cause the resolution plan to fail, he added.

On the resolution proposal of Oaktree, the former promoter said that being a foreign firm Oaktree is not entitled to hold equity beyond 49 per cent in a life insurance company.

He noted that as DHFL indirectly holds 50 per cent of Pramerica Life Insurance Limited, which is a life insurance company, "consequently Oaktree is per se disqualified from bidding for DHFL".

Although various solutions have been suggested by Oaktree to circumvent the disqualification including that it shall transfer the life insurance business into an alternative investment fund, they are subject to regulatory and other approvals and it is uncertain whether Oaktree will be qualified eventually to take over DHFL, he added.

As far as Adani is concerned, apart from having made a low bid of Rs 33,110 crore considering the massive debt of $30 billion it is carrying on its books, it would not be appropriate to give them charge of an NBFC and another debt of nearly $12 billion.

"Considering that the main three contenders have so many inherent uncertainties in the resolution plan made by them and there are high probabilities that even if their plans are accepted/approved that such plans may fail, it is unclear why the settlement proposal of the promoter is not being considered," the statement said referring to the proposal by Wadhawan to repay 100 per cent of the principal debt.

It said that Kapil Wadhawan has offered 100 per cent principal repayment to all the lenders -- Rs. 91,158 crore -- as opposed to the next highest bid of Rs. 38,250 crore. He has offered to repay Rs. 65,000 crore within seven years as opposed to Rs. 38,000 crore reportedly payable in 10 years.

The statement also reiterated Wadhawan's offer to convert a part of the debt into equity thus making the creditors, including FD holders and retail NCD holders, majority shareholders of DHFL. The move, according to him, would ensure that not only are they repaid full principal amount, with more interest than offered by the bidders, but they are also entitled to the equity upside once the company revives and continues business as usual.

"Considering the large body of retail NCD holders and Fixed Deposit holders who do not personally attend the meeting of COC, at the very least, the plan should have been put to vote for the consideration of all the retail/fixed deposit holders rather than a group of banks surreptitiously taking decisions in the matter, when such a large body of creditors are involved and such massive amounts of public money is at stake," Wadhawan said.

"The COC, RBI and Administrator ought to explain why plans that are inherently uncertain of implementation and provide for a 70 per cent haircut to the lenders are being preferred over a settlement proposal that provides for 100 per cent repayment to all the lenders.

As far as the bid process itself is concerned several questions regarding its transparency have been raised by certain members of the COC as well as Oaktree itself." He was of the view that if urgent corrective steps are not taken, DHFL is likely to become a saga of lost opportunity and loss of ten's and thousands of crores of public money.
A Sydney beauty therapist has been identified as the woman fined twice for refusing to self-isolate despite being a close contact of someone infected with coronavirus.

Jess Barca, 27, a beautician from Cronulla, was busted by police swimming in a Byron Bay resort pool after she was ordered to get tested for the deadly virus.

NSW Police have slammed the rule beach as an act that has 'endangered public safety'.

Jess Barca, 27, a beautician from Cronulla, was busted by police twice for not isolating herself after coming into close contact with a coronavirus case

Police said Ms Barca had put the public in 'significant danger'. She said she 'tested negative'

Barca was hit with two $1,000 fines for breaching self-isolation orders on Friday and Sunday.

She was in Byron Bay on New Year's Eve when she was told she was a close contact of a coronavirus case - and must isolate and get tested herself.

On New Year's Day, police returned and fined her $1,000 when they found she wasn't isolating.

The next day, police returned only to find Ms Barca swimming in the resort pool, and fined her a second time.

NSW Police Acting Commissioner Mal Lanyon said Ms Barca had put the public in 'significant danger'.

When Ms Barca was asked by Seven News if she felt she had endangered the public. she said: 'No, I'm a double negative result.'

Sydney residents are still allowed to travel to Byron Bay despite the recent outbreaks on the Northern Beaches and western suburbs (stock image)

Ms Barca, a beautician from Cronulla, was busted by police swimming in a Byron Bay resort pool (stock image)

HOW TO CHECK IF YOU NEED A TEST There are 63 separate health alerts for NSW venues on the NSW Health website and 17 for public transport routes as of Monday night. The public is urged to check the NSW Health website here to see if you were at any of those places at the red-flagged dates and times. If you were there at the times flagged, you may have come in contact with the virus and may need to isolate and get tested. Advertisement

Many people infected with coronavirus may initially test negative only to return a positive result after two weeks - which is why quarantine is set at 14 days.

Sydney residents are still allowed to travel to Byron Bay despite the recent outbreaks on the Northern Beaches and western suburbs.

The woman's brazen breach comes after a venue operator of a wedding reception centre in Sydney's southwest was fined $5,000 for hosting a 700-person wedding reception.

The breach at the Imperial Paradiso in Fairfield has left politicians and police outraged, as it is only 10km from the Berala coronavirus hotspot.

The venue opened its doors to double the permitted crowd in a wedding reception on Saturday night with up to 700 people inside, well over its 350-person limit.

Police arrived at 9.30pm and told the organiser to kick hundreds of wedding guests out.

The guests are yet to be penalised but the venue operator, 46-year-old Khiri Gorgees, has been fined $5000 for breaching public health orders.

Mr Gorgees is a shareholder of the seven-venue Paradiso Receptions business.

Acting Premier John Barilaro was furious about the breach and said Mr Gorgees had put his business and reputation at risk along with the entire NSW state economy and jobs.

'When you have a deliberate act like the venue operators ... in this case we've got an example of somebody who's done bloody wrong,' Mr Barilaro told reporters on Monday.

On Monday NSW recorded no new local coronavirus infections in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday.

The Imperial Paradiso in Fairfield, Sydney (pictured) packed in up to 700 wedding guests when the venue was limited to 350. Police raided and told the organiser to send hundreds home

A Covid-19 cluster in Berala has been caused by a patient transfer worker who took a family of returned overseas travellers to a health facility - prompting states to shut their borders

However, two new cases were recorded after the reporting period in Sydney's western suburbs, bringing the NSW total to 188 active locally acquired cases.

NSW began enforcing compulsory mask-wearing regulations for Greater Sydney on Monday with those caught without a face mask in designated public areas risking a $200 fine.

Mr Barilaro said that wearing masks was an alternative to strict lockdowns, by inhibiting the spread of the virus people could be kept mobile and businesses open.

There were seven cases in NSW hotel quarantine and Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant warned more infected people are entering Australia as the virus spreads rapidly in Europe and the US.

On Saturday evening, NSW Health ramped up its alert for the Berala bottle shop, with many of its customers of the Christmas holiday period now considered to be close contacts

NSW Acting Premier John Barilaro (pictured) was furious with Khiri Gorgees, 46, operator of the Imperial Paradiso venue in Fairfield, who broke covid rules to pack in 700 wedding guests

However NSW Health is most concerned about the BWS Berala outbreak which began after a Covid-19 patient transport worker unknowingly visited the store while infectious before Christmas.

Tens of thousands of people have been asked to isolate after more than 1,000 people attended the Berala bottle shop on Christmas Eve alone - with more who visited a nearby Woolworths now also on alert.

The infection was first passed from a family of returned travellers with the virus to a patient transport worker.

This worker then passed it to a colleague, who attended the BWS at Berala who did not know they had been exposed and had no symptoms.

Despite only attending the BWS for a short amount of time on 20 December, a BWS worker caught the virus without knowing and served thousands of customers.
A day after the national drug controller cleared two coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccines, state governments on Monday were awaiting the Centres go-ahead for a massive immunisation campaign, which could begin in the second week of January. To begin with, about 300 million people (health care staff, frontline workers, people above 50, and those with co-morbidities) will be vaccinated in a phased manner. States are already sending the data on the beneficiaries to the Centre.

Maharashtra

Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said the state administration was awaiting a communication from the Centre on the availability of the Covid vaccine and had conducted drills for administering it.

Dr Subhash Salunkhe, chairman, communicable diseases prevention control and technical committee, said the state had prepared a list of 758,000 Covid warriors, who will receive vaccination in the first phase. A detailed district-wise list of health care providers have been provided to the Centre on its Co-WIN app, he said, referring to the app that the Centre has introduced to facilitate the vaccine drive and to monitor the progress realtime.

Dr Shashank Joshi, a member of the state vaccination task force, said the Centre was expected to procure the vaccine and distribute among states. By when this process will start, we dont know, he said.

Rajasthan

Health minister Raghu Sharma said the state was fully prepared to execute vaccination by developing centres even as ambulance service will be available at all those facilities in case of adverse reaction, if there is any. We have had a dry run at 19 places, including Jaipur and even private hospitals, he said.

Assam

Health officials in Assam said around 150,000 health care workers and frontline staff registered with the government would be administered the vaccine in the first phase. We have not received any confirmation from the Centre on how many doses of the vaccine Assam would get, said S Lakshmanan, director of the National Health Mission, Assam. He said states cannot directly purchase the shots.

Karnataka

Dr K Sudhakar, the states medical education minister, said all Corona warriors will be administered the vaccine in the first phase free of cost. We will also use the existing infrastructure and the Centre will augment the additional infrastructure as required, he said. The minister said the vaccine expected to be available in January itself. We are awaiting directions from the Centre on next steps, he said.

Punjab

According to Punjabs Covid nodal officer, Dr Rajesh Bhaskar, there is no exact information on when inoculation will begin. The state has also not received any tentative plan either, he said, adding the state has already submitted data of 160,000 frontline workers to the Centre.

Chhattisgarh

Health minister TS Singhdeo said the state will receive vaccines from central government and the exact date has not been decided. In the first phase, vaccines would be given to 254,000 registered health functionaries in the state, he said.

Uttarakhand

Kuldeep Singh Martoliya, nodal officer for Covid-19 vaccination, said the hill state was expecting to receive vaccines from the Centre soon. We have been assured that vaccines will be provided to us by early 2021. The Uttarakhand government has shared the data of over 94,000 health care workers with the Centre, he said.

Madhya Pradesh

About 450,000 health workers will be administered vaccines at primary health centres, community health centres and district hospitals, said Dr Santosh Shukla, the nodal officer for vaccination. Whenever we receive the vaccines, we will start the inoculation process within the next two days, he said, adding that all dry runs have been successful and vaccination will be done by maintaining social distancing norms.

Haryana

The Haryana health department will conduct a dry run across the state on January 7 to test preparedness for the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out. The department has already identified 19,000 vaccination sites, and about 5,145 vaccinators have been mapped for the process.

The number of vaccines available and priority groups would depend on the central government. We will expeditiously roll out vaccination, once the vaccine becomes available, said Rajeev Arora, additional chief secretary (ACS), health.

Data of 190,000 health care workers have been uploaded on CoWIN portal, he said.

Bihar

Around 439,000 health care workers will be vaccinated in Bihar and 14,724 vaccinators have been identified so far, said health minister Mangal Pandey. He said the state was in the process of giving last-minute training to its vaccinators and immunisation officers. The picture will be clear later this week, said a Bihar government official, requesting anonymity.

Jharkhand

Close to 250,000 health workers will be vaccinated in the first phase. State health official said every district would have a vaccine distribution centre, from where vaccines would be sent in refrigerated vans to block community health centres.

Tamil Nadu

Health secretary J Radhakrishnan said 600,000 health workers will get vaccine once the Centre informs the state about when the drive would start. The Centre has instructed to hold dry runs in the states, which is being done in five districts, he said. Over 2,000 personnel and 100 others are participating in the dry run, he said. The secretary also said over 5,000 refrigerated facilities have been created for storing the vaccine.

Andhra Pradesh

An official of the health department, who refused to be quoted, said the state could get 170,000 vaccine vials in the first phase and focus was shifted to cold-chain management, a crucial part of storage and distribution.

Telangana

Health minister Eatala Rajender said the Centre might supply 500,000 doses initially. An official familiar with the development said the registration process for vaccination was expected to start in the second week of January. The government is setting up 10,000 vaccination centres across the state.

Uttar Pradesh

Amit Mohan Prasad, additional chief secretary of health and family welfare, said 900,000 health care workers have been enrolled in the first phase of the Covid vaccination drive. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said the vaccine was likely to be available in the state around Makar Sankranti (January 14). Officials said district magistrates have been asked to constitute district task forces, tehsil task forces and block task forces to review the drive.

Kerala

Health minister KK Shailaja said the state was fully geared up to carry out the massive drive. Our strategy was to delay the peak (of infections) and restrict casualtieswe succeeded in both. Since the states density of population is quite high and (because of) prevalence of high incidences of lifestyle disease, we need to get more vaccines in the first stage itself. We have informed the Union health ministry about this, said Shailaja.

(with inputs from HT bureaus)
Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, one of the two companies that received emergency use approval for COVID-19 vaccines in India, said that its vaccine is as safe and efficacious or even better than any other COVID-19 vaccine that is being developed globally. The company also claimed that its vaccine is the only one that has undergone extensive clinical trials in India and proven to be safe.

In a press conference, Krishna Ella, Chairman of Bharat Biotech, said that unlike the clinical trials of AstraZeneca vaccine (which has been licensed to Serum Institute of India), Bharat Biotech did not try to supress the side effects of vaccine by giving paracetamol to the volunteers.

"AstraZeneca has given 4 gram of paracetamol to every subject that was vaccinated. That means they are supressing the adverse reaction by giving paracetamol. Whereas we are not giving paracetamol to the volunteer so whatever adverse reaction is captured in clinical trial is exactly 100 per cent good or bad and captured in real time," Ella said.

ALSO READ: 'Why is nobody questioning UK'; Bharat Biotech's Krishna Ella responds to Covaxin backlash

According to Ella, the ongoing Covaxin Phase III trial, on 26,000 people at 25 trial sites, is probably the largest efficacy trial in India or even in the developing world. "It is a two-dose schedule and already 24,000 people are vaccinated. And we have got less than 10 per cent as side effect," Ella said.

He also said that the emergency use approval granted to the company by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) was well within the existing clinical trial rules framed in 2019.

Ella also highlighted the way UK drug regulator Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved emergency use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine would not have passed Indian regulator's scrutiny in normal times.

ALSO READ: DCGI approves Covaxin for children above 12 years, Covishield for above 18

"What is the efficacy of AstraZeneca vaccine? 60, 70 or 90 per cent? Which one is the clinical trial efficacy of that country? No body knows. One says 60 per cent, one says 70 per cent, another says 90 per cent. One says high dose, another low dose. If I have done that type of clinical trial in India, DCGI would have shut down the company, because if I say there is 6 microgram in my vaccine, I should have 6 microgram in my vaccine. If I say it is 3 microgram and I missed it, it will not be allowed in India", Ella said.

According to him, while no one is questioning the data that is yet to be accepted by European and US regulators, there are questions raised against Bharat Biotech's clinical trials despite being done systamatically and transparently. "We get a bashing. That is not right. Why is it you don't question UK trials?" he asked.

Ella's response came after some experts raised doubts over Indian drug controller's approval process without any efficacy data on Covaxin. Ella said that the efficacy data will be made available within weeks as the Phase III clinical trials of the vaccine are almost done.

ALSO READ: 'Covaxin safest coronavirus vaccine in world,' says Bharat Biotech Chairman Krishna Ella
A British man who is accused of stabbing a teenager to death in Costa Del Sol will be extradited to Spain to stand trial.

Lewis Harry Briggs, 21, allegedly knifed Ulrich Perez, 19, to death minutes after nearly running him over in Estepona on November 18.

After driving away from the scene Briggs allegedly returned minutes later and stabbed Perez in the heart outside the victim's home.

Ulrich Perez, 19, who was stabbed to death in Estepona, Costa Del Sol, Spain

Briggs was arrested in Leeds on 22 December after an international manhunt and appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 30 December where he agreed to be extradited to Spain.

The National Crime Agency said in a statement: 'The victim was almost run over by a car at a pedestrian crossing and the driver, who had initially left the scene, returned a few minutes later and stabbed the victim in the heart.

'The attack happened in broad daylight outside the victim's home.'

Mercedes car retrieved by Spanish police before the driver allegedly fled to the UK

The incident took place outside the Diana Centre, in an area known as Diana Park off the dual-carriageway running between the Costa del Sol resorts of Marbella and Estepona

Paul Owen, Operations Manager at the NCA, said: 'We are pleased to have been part of catching a suspected killer and bringing some sense of justice for the victim's family.

'The NCA works closely with international partners to ensure that nowhere is a safe haven for suspected criminals.

'No matter where you hide, the authorities will catch up with you and you will face justice.'
US: 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine found in watermelons

Tesla owners will be paid $ 16,000 each due to slow charging

Advisor to Armenia Prosecutor General provides details about incident with Armenian soldier killed in Verin Shorzha

Banksy's painting of punk Lenin sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 960,000

CSTO Deputy Secretary-General: Escalation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border requires undertaking of urgent measures

Catholicos of All Armenians receives newly appointed Ambassador of Japan

Australia closing its embassy in Kabul for security reasons

Biden to discuss issues related to Belarus and Ukraine with Putin

Armenian acting FM meets with ambassadors of CSTO member states accredited to Armenia

Armenia Ombudsman presents human rights protection in post-war period to CoE Programmes Directorate General

Germany is investigating Google's position in market

France: Sanctions against Belarus will continue

Armenia opposition party MP: Azerbaijan is a terrorist state, negotiations can't be led with such a country

US to reopen its Consulate General in Jerusalem

EU expects to receive over 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine by end of September

Armenian MFA strongly condemns Azerbaijan's blatant armed encroachment on Armenia's sovereign territory

UN still awaits strong evidence that Dubai ruler's daughter is alive

Opposition Bright Armenia Party urges Government to immediately address UN Security Council

Armen Sarkissian receives Russia Ambassador to Armenia

Armenia President, France Ambassador discuss situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border

Overchuk: We hope unblocking of links between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a success

Armenia police officer commits suicide, criminal case launched

Armenia Environmental Protection and Mining Inspection Body has new deputy heads

Zarif, Aliyev discuss railway routes connecting Iran, Azerbaijan and Armenia

EU leaders agree to donate at least 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to poor countries

Armenian serviceman Mher Hovhannisyan fires gunshot at his head, criminal case launched

Soldier who died in Armenia's Verin Shorzha was son of ARF-D member, father of 2

Blinken promises to continue close consultations with Israel on Iran

Armen Sarkissian: Armenia's relevant state institutions need to take the tightest measures

Armenian soldier commits suicide, opposition speaks on tense situation on border, 25.05.21 digest

Yerevan man's body found at Tatul Krpeyan Park

Armenia MOD: Reports about Armenian soldiers being injured in Sisian section of border not confirmed

EU summit calls for rarly implementation of vaccination certificates

Parliament of the Netherlands adopts resolution, EU must demand that Azerbaijan pull out troops from Armenia

Kremlin: Russian and US presidents to meet in Geneva on June 16

Spokesperson of community council of Armenia's Sisian: Men got enlisted and climbed to military posts

Bright Armenia Party: We are not satisfied with CSTO response

EU leaders urge council to review internal border guidelines by mid-June

Armenia MOD: Fixed-term serviceman receives lethal firearm injury in head area

Dollar still stable in Armenia

Armenian Catholic Catholicos-Patriarch passes away

Kathimerini: US seeks to increase military presence in Greece due to doubts about Turkey's reliability

US Congress members call on Biden to suspend all military assistance to Azerbaijan

Armenia acting economy minister receives Montenegro's newly appointed Ambassador

Armenia MOD: Soldier killed during shootings from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha

Russian MP: Azerbaijani leadership interested in Armenia acting PM's victory in snap elections

Armenia MOD reports shooting from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha border section

Armenia opposition MP: Authorities promised to separate business from politics, but they're failing to fulfill promise

There will be post-election processes if authorities try to rig voting, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

CNN: Putin and Biden will meet on June 15-16 in Geneva

Latin America has the highest poverty rate in 20 years

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia applying to CSTO: No one will help you if you do nothing to solve your problems

Armenia ruling Civil Contract Party presents list of first 10 candidates ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Armenia acting justice minister discusses broad range of cooperation issues with top CoE official

Armenia former President Kocharyan: This guilt, this criminal article is on these authorities

Man survives after spending 17 days in desert

Azerbaijan continues course towards systematic extermination of Armenian heritage in Shushi

Armenia Syunik Province ex-governor: Azerbaijani soldiers advanced along length of border two days ago

Newly appointed Ambassador of Montenegro presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Its about bringing Karabakh issue back to right to self-determination, says Armenia ex-President Kocharyan

Iran FM to arrive in Armenia

Ara Aivazian and Austrian counterpart hold phone talks, focus on Azeri army's infiltration into Armenia's territory

Kocharyan: Elect todays political team if you are ready to live squatting

Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 30 million

2nd President Kocharyan on Armenia Security Council chief: Do you take that person seriously?

"Key" to settlement of Karabakh conflict cant be in one place, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Texas may permit carrying of pistols without special permission

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia acting PM Pashinyan's high popularity rating: We will wear it down to the root

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Election bloc format must be workable in some logical sense

Attorney: Political persecution against Robert Kocharyan is becoming more noticeable during election campaign

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: We must do everything so that our domestic politics is not dictated by Azerbaijan

Armenian acting defense minister meets Russian peacekeeping mission chief

Congress predicts US nuclear spending to reach $ 634 billion by 2030

Russian MP: The effectiveness of military cooperation with Armenia depends on Yerevan as well

Delimitation now may create some problems in Karabakh negotiation process, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan on relations with 3rd President Sargsyan: We go our own way they go their own

Judge adjourns hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM for 3 weeks

Court hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM

2nd President Kocharyan: Armenia must show that it will not be subjected to such pressures

Kocharyan: You may find yourself in stupid situations if you come to negotiations without any baggage

Armenia Investigative Committee: Criminal case opened into soldiers death

157 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

EU helps UN World Food Programme provide humanitarian assistance for conflict-affected people in Armenia

Yerevan municipal council convenes regular session

Armenia legislature speaker on situation at Syunik Province: CSTO still has procedures

Blinken arrives on his first official visit to Israel

World oil prices going up

Provincial hall issues statement on Tavush section of Armenia border with Azerbaijan

MFA statement: Azerbaijan continues to use Armenian POWs as political hostages

Newspaper: There are last-minute changes on Armenia ruling party electoral list

Armenia parliament starts regular sessions

Newspaper: Armenia 3rd President Sargsyan intensively engaged in election campaign

EU leaders call for ban on Belarus airlines flights to their countries

Quake hits Georgia, also felt in Armenia

2nd President Kocharyan: Process of obtaining Armenia citizenship shall be simplified, shall take only few months

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Appointments in army were not based on knowledge but on loyalty

Robert Kocharyan: Armenia must not go back to the past and stay there, just like the incumbent authorities did

Armenia 2nd President on recent Karabakh war, consequences and the signed document

Armenia 2nd President: Current authorities don't have remorse, aren't conscious and patriotic

Armenia 2nd President on black PR and management system in the country
In context: Remember Haven? If not, here's a quick refresher -- it was a healthcare venture started by three giant companies: Amazon, Berkshire-Hathaway, and JPMorgan. The goal of the partnership was to disrupt the healthcare industry and drive down costs for consumers.

Unfortunately for the three companies -- and, potentially, consumers -- Haven is now disbanding, after a mere three years of operation (it started back in January of 2018).

There are undoubtedly dozens of potential reasons for the company's closure, but a recent CNBC report offers a few plausible explanations; backed by facts obtained through its sources. According to the outlet, one of the "key" issues facing Haven was the lack of any real partnership structure.

Although the initial plan was for JPMorgan, Berkshire Hathaway, and Amazon to work together, that isn't what ultimately happened. Instead, the three founding companies "executed their own projects separately with their own employees," which essentially eliminated the need for Haven entirely.

Additionally, CNBC says, Haven discovered first hand the difficulties associated with penetrating American health care, which the outlet calls an "entrenched system of doctors, insurers, drugmakers and middlemen." Diving into that system is already a monumental task, but radically changing it through reduced costs and lower economic strain? That's a feat of herculean proportions, it would seem.

There is a silver lining here, though. While the joint venture known as Haven won't live to see another winter, the individual projects that have risen from its ashes will persist.

We have no idea what those projects are, but if they stay true to Haven's original goals, JPMorgan, Amazon, and Berkshire Hathaway might still have a chance to change the healthcare industry for the better; at least in some small ways.
Britain will be in strict lockdown until March after Boris Johnson said the country faces a tough, tough few months because of rocketing Covid infections.

In an address to the nation, Mr Johnson returned to the 'stay at home' message of last March as he confirmed all primary and secondary schools will close from Tuesday.

Everyone living in England has been told to stay at home, and only to go out for one of five reasons: to work if it is impossible to work from home; to shop for essentials; to exercise; to provide care, and for medical appointments.

The third national lockdown begins immediately, with new laws coming into force within 24 hours. Mr Johnson said he had been forced to act to prevent the NHS becoming overwhelmed, but offered the prospect of restrictions being lifted.

Mr Johnson insisted the deployment of the Covid vaccine would provide a route out of the lockdown, potentially by mid-February. The Prime Minister has challenged the NHS to vaccinate all over-70s, frontline workers, and vulnerable Britons by mid-February - a total of 13.2 million people - to protect the health service from becoming overwhelmed.

10:21 PM

'I'm so angry about the lack of notice'

Teachers have responded with anger to the new lockdown rules and criticised the lack of notice given to parents after Mr Johnson announced the immediate closure of primary and secondary schools.

Bryony Baynes, headteacher of Kempsey Primary School in Worcestershire, said: "I really cannot believe that they think it's acceptable to drop a bombshell like this on parents with no notice," she said.

Story continues

"Once again they are making this catastrophic U-turn without allowing parents to put anything into place.

"I am going to get so many angry accusatory emails from parents who are seeing their livelihoods disappear because they haven't got childcare.

"I am just so angry. Why does Nicola Sturgeon get it, and can close schools before they reopen and he lets us open for one day? Boris is once again Mr Last Minute."

10:09 PM

Sage member blames Christmas for new lockdown

Sage member Professor Calum Semple said the festive easing of the lockdown in some areas, and the new super-contagious variant, made the new national measures inevitable.

The University of Liverpool academic told Sky News: "We're only now seeing the start of the price we have to pay for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day mixing.

"With that and the new variant it was inevitable we were going to have to hit a hard lockdown at this stage."

09:44 PM

Prioritise vaccine for teachers, says union boss

School staff should be prioritised for vaccinations to help facilitate a speedy return to face-to-face lessons, a school leaders' union has said.

After days of confusion over reopening, Boris Johnson announced tonight that schools will close until at least the middle of February.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders' union, said: "The announcement this evening will bring some much-needed clarity to the situation but it is a decision that should have been taken much sooner.

"No time should be wasted in preparing for an orderly and sustainable return. The case for prioritising the school workforce for vaccination, alongside other key workers, is strong, in order to help facilitate a speedy return to face-to-face education."

Do you think teachers should be vaccinated first? Have your say in our poll:

09:40 PM

So... what are the rules now?

Tonight's announcement has plunged the country back into lockdown.

People in England will now only be allowed to leave the house for one of five reasons:

To work if it is impossible to work from home

To shop for essentials

To exercise

To provide care

For a medical appointment

There are also new rules on travel, shopping, schools and work.

Here is our complete guide to everything you need to know.

09:35 PM

'PM is in trouble if he breaks vaccine pledge'

After Boris Johnson's announcement, Janet Daley says "the only thing that rendered the immediate future tolerable was the prospect of that miraculous delivery by a vaccine roll out".

"But that boast will not hold if the vaccination programme does not live up to his risky promise that all four of the most vulnerable categories of people will have received one dose of vaccine by mid-February. He will be held to that prediction. I wonder if he and his Cabinet and their advisors realise how much credibility they have now staked on this: of how much moral pressure they are now under to deliver this vaccine programme with absolute transparency."

Read more: Janet Daley: The PM has staked his credibility on his February vaccine pledge. He better not mess it up

09:07 PM

What happened today

Good evening. Here is a roundup of another vastly significant day:

Britain will be in strict lockdown until March after Boris Johnson said the country faces a tough, tough few months because of rocketing infections.

All primary and secondary schools will close tomorrow until at least mid-February and GCSE and A-level exams face cancellation for a second year.

Everyone living in England has been told to stay at home , and only to go out for one of five reasons, while non-essential retailers will be shut .

Nicola Sturgeon announced that Scotland will be placed in lockdown for the entirety of January , with a legal requirement to stay at home.

The UK has also moved into Alert level 5, meaning that "there is a material risk of healthcare services being overwhelmed".

An 82-year-old retired maintenance manager became the first person in the world to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine outside clinical trials.

And elsewhere across the globe:

The European Commission is in talks with Pfizer and BioNTech about the possibility of ordering more vaccine doses.

In France , President Emmanuel Macron is reportedly furious at the slow rollout of the vaccine - just 516 vaccinations were reported to have been given in the first week.

Japan said it would consider declaring a state of emergency for the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area as cases climb, casting news doubts over whether it can push ahead with the Olympics and minimise economic damage.

09:01 PM

550,000 business closed under new restrictions

The third lockdown imposed tonight across the whole of England - mirroring Tier 4 restrictions with the addition of school closures - will see business premises closures increase to 550,000.

This figure includes as many 401,690 non-essential shops, 64,537 pubs and restaurants, 20,703 personal care facilities and 7,051 gyms/leisure centres, according to real estate adviser Altus Group.

The Altus Group analysis also shows that 21,119 local authority schools - as well as 2,645 private schools - will also need to close in England.

08:59 PM

All but four EU countries banning UK arrivals

Only four EU countries are allowing in non-essential travellers from the UK, as Governments tighten border restrictions due to the new variant of Covid-19.

Of the four that will permit UK arrivals  Greece, Slovenia, Estonia and Lithuania  all are imposing a requirement to quarantine or arrival.

This means there is currently no viable holiday option on the Continent.

With the whole of mainland Britain in Tier 3 or 4, holidays are largely off the cards anyway. But the prospect of a rapid return for normal travel to Europe appears unlikely.

Brexit isnt the key factor for the travel bans, but rather Britains spiralling Covid infection rate and concerns about the new variant of the virus.

Catch up on today's travel news here.

08:57 PM

Schools shut to most students: Reaction from education

Commenting on the new plans for schools and exams, Natalie Perera, Chief Executive of the Education Policy Institute (EPI), said:

"While closing schools is always difficult and undesirable, the government has rightly acted on the best available health advice by closing schools for a prolonged period.

"Given the amount of school time that pupils will have lost last year and this year, the apparent decision to cancel GCSE and A level exams this summer is sensible."

David Laws, Executive Chairman of the Education Policy Institute (EPI), said that the Government has acted "decisively to close schools, and under these extreme circumstances this is necessary."

"The prolonged additional school closure also made the scrapping of this year's exams necessary, as they could not truly have been fair given the very large learning losses which are not spread evenly across the country," he said.

08:54 PM

A Level exams: "Hard to see how they can take place", says Sir Keir Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer has told Sky News: "it's very hard to see how exams can take place this year".

He added that one of the "big mistakes" of last year was "the government leaving everything to the eleventh hour".

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the lockdown announcement was "inevitable" and the only way to tackle the "out of control" level of Covid-19 cases.

08:52 PM

Boris Johnson's lockdown announcement, in full

Boris Johnson tonight announced that England is back into a full national lockdown from January 6 onwards.

"We now have a new variant of the virus. It has been both frustrating and alarming to see the speed with which the new variant is spreading," he said.

"As I speak to you tonight, our hospitals are under more pressure from Covid than at any time since the start of the pandemic."

Here is the PM's speech in full.

08:43 PM

Boris Johnson speech: What PM had to say about vaccines

Of course, there is one huge difference compared to last year. We are now rolling out the biggest vaccination programme in our history.



So far, we in the UK have vaccinated more people than the rest of Europe combined. With the arrival today of the UKs own Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine, the pace of vaccination is accelerating.



I can share with you tonight the NHSs realistic expectations for the vaccination programme in the coming weeks.

By the middle of February, if things go well and with a fair wind in our sails, we expect to have offered the first vaccine dose to everyone in the four top priority groups identified by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.



That means vaccinating all residents in a care home for older adults and their carers, everyone over the age of 70, all frontline health and social care workers, and everyone who is clinically extremely vulnerable.



If we succeed in vaccinating all those groups, we will have removed huge numbers of people from the path of the virus. And of course, that will eventually enable us to lift many of the restrictions we have endured for so long.

08:40 PM

Covid vaccine: PM challenges NHS to vaccinate 13.2m by mid-February

The Prime Minister has challenged the NHS to vaccinate all over-70s and vulnerable people by mid-February  a total of 13.2 million people  in order to protect the health service from becoming overwhelmed, writes Gordon Rayner.

The lockdown will be reviewed at that point, with a possible easing of restrictions at the end of February, as the vaccines take around two weeks to give recipients immunity.

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressing the Nation in the White Room at No10 Downing Street - Boris Johnson/No 10 Downing Street

The Telegraph understands that the tipping point for the Prime Minister came when he was told that more than 80,000 people had tested positive on December 29  around 20 times the peak of last spring.

08:37 PM

Nicola Sturgeon imposes full lockdown in Scotland until at least end of January

Scotland's mainland is to return to full lockdown for at least the rest of January after Nicola Sturgeon warned schools must stay shut and people at home if a "race" against the mutant Covid strain is to be won, writes Simon Johnson.

The First Minister said the shutdown - "similar" to the one imposed last March - followed a massive surge in cases linked to the new variant that threatened to overwhelm the NHS within four weeks.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon reacts as she delivers a statement at Holyrood, Edinburgh - Andrew Milligan/Pool via Reuters

From tomorrow, only two Scots from two households can meet outside, with the limit not including children under 12, and people are only allowed to leave their homes for a limited range of reasons such as food shopping.

Chief Constable Iain Livingstone, of Police Scotland, said his officers will increase their patrols and "visible presence" in Scotland's communities.

Read the full story here.

08:35 PM

Schools shut as part of third lockdown

All primary schools, secondary and colleges will move to remote provision apart from key workers and vulnerable children, in line with the first full national lockdown in March.

Early years settings such as nurseries as well as special schools will remain open.

Existing childcare support bubbles will apply. Nursery-age children, vulnerable children and the children of key workers can still attend in-person teaching.

Uni students are expected to study from their current residence until mid-February, at which point arrangements will be reviewed and it is hoped restrictions can begin to ease.

In-person teaching at universities will still take place for a small number of critical areas, such as those who are working in critical care in the health service.

08:31 PM

'Stay at home' lockdown: The five permitted reasons to go out

To go for work if it is "impossible" to work from home, i.e. for construction sector staff and key workers To shop for necessities i.e. food and medicines To get medical help, including a test for coronavirus Exercise, which must be outdoors with one other person To provide care, or to escape domestic abuse

08:28 PM

Third lockdown: Why the new variant has sparked drastic action

Boris Johnson told the UK that there is a material risk the NHS could be "overwhelmed in 21 days" unless tough action is taken now.

It is all to do with the new variant of coronavirus, which the PM said is between 50 and 70 per cent more transmissible than the original virus strain.

As of today 26,626 patients were in hospital with coronavirus in England, an increase of 30 per cent within a week. The peak of admissions in the first wave was 18,974 on 12 April, with the current figure now 40 per cent higher.

Across the UK there were 80,664 positive tests on December 29, and a further 65,571 on December 30. Covid cases more than trebled between the start and end of December, according to official figures.

08:23 PM

UK Covid hotspots as third lockdown confirmed

These are the UK's coronavirus hotspots as the third national lockdown is confirmed:

08:11 PM

Third lockdown: 'Stay at home, protect the NHS, and save lives', says PM

"The weeks ahead will be the hardest yet," says Boris Johnson.

"But I really do believe we're entering the last phase of the struggle. Because with every jab that goes into our arms, we are tilting the odds against Covid and in favour of the British people.

"And thanks to the miracle of science not only is the end in sight, but we know exactly how we will get there. But for now I'm afraid you must once again stay at home, protect the NHS, and save lives."

08:11 PM

Boris Johnson: 'Now more than ever we must pull together'

Boris Johnson notes that there is a time lag of two to three weeks between receiving a vaccine and attaining immunity.

"If our understanding of the virus doesn't change, if the roll out of the vaccine programmes continues to be successful, if deaths start to fall, and critically if everyone plays their part by following the rules, then I hope that we can steadily move out of lockdown.

"Reopening schools after February half-term and starting cautiously to move regions down the tiers.

"I want to say to everyone right across the UK that I know how tough this. And I know how frustrated you are and I know that you have had more than enough of Government guidance.

"But now more than ever we must pull together. You must follow the new rules from now and they will become law on Wednesday morning. This Government will meet largely remotely later that day."

08:08 PM

Boris Johnson lays out vaccine priority aims

Mr Johnson says that there is "one huge difference" compared to the lockdown of last March.

"We are rolling out the biggest vaccination programme in our history," he says. "We have vaccinated more people in the UK than in the rest of Europe combined. I can share with you tonight the NHS' realistic expectations for the vaccination programme in the coming weeks.

"By the middle of February if things go well, and with a wind in our sails, we expect to have offered the first vaccine dose to everyone in the four top priority groups identified by the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation."

He says this means vaccinating care home residents and carers, all over-70s, everyone who is clinically extremely vulnerable, and all NHS frontline and health workers.

"We will have removed huge numbers of people from the path of the virus," he says. "That will eventually enable us to lift many of the restrictions that we have endured for so long."

08:06 PM

Boris Johnson: I understand 'distress' caused to parents and pupils

Boris Johnson says he understands the "distress" that the new measures will cause to millions of parents and pupils, and says that until now the Government was doing "everything in our power to keep schools open".

Mr Johnson says "we know how important each day in education is to children's life chances."

"I want to stress that the problem is not that schools are unsafe to children," he adds. "The problem is that schools may nonetheless act as vectors for transmission, causing the virus to spread between households."

Mr Johnson says that the NHS may be overwhelmed in 21 days if action was not taken, hence the move to Covid Alert Level 5 today.

08:05 PM

Free school meals to continue amid closures

Boris Johnson says those entitled to free school meals will continue to receive them during closures, and more devices will be distributed to help remote learning.

08:04 PM

Schools shut as Boris Johnson confirms draconian new lockdown rules

Boris Johnson says Britons may only leave their homes to shop for essentials, to go to work "if you absolutely cannot work from home", to exercise, to seek medical assistance or to get a Covid test, or to escape domestic abuse.

"If you are clinically extremely vulnerable we are advising you to begin shielding again, and you will shortly receive a letter about what this means for you.

"And because we have to do everything we possibly can to stop the spread of the disease, primary schools and secondary schools and colleges across England must move to remote provision from tomorrow, except for vulnerable children and the children of key workers."

He says early years settings such as nurseries will remain accessible, and new restrictions will mean it is "not possible or fair for all exams to go ahead this summer as normal".

08:02 PM

Boris Johnson confirms third national lockdown

"As I speak to you tonight our hospitals are under more pressure from Covid than at any time," Mr Johnson says.

He notes that the number of hospital patients has increased by almost a third to nearly 27,000, almost a third higher than the peak of the first wave in April.

"It's clear that we need to do more together to bring this new variant under control. In England we must therefore go into a national lockdown which is tough enough to combat this variant.

"That means the Government is once again instructing you to stay at home."

08:01 PM

Boris Johnson speech is underway

Boris Johnson's speech to the nation has started.

"Since the pandemic began last year the whole of the United Kingdom has engaged in a national effort against Covid.

"But we now have a new variant of the virus and it's been both frustrating and alarming to see the speed with which the new variant is spreading.

"Our scientists have confirmed this new variant is between 50 and 70 per cent more transmissible."

07:57 PM

Boris Johnson speech imminent on new lockdown measures

The nation holds its breath. Boris Johnson will announce new lockdown restrictions tonight in an address to the nation with further school closures expected, possibly until February half-term.

The Prime Minister is also expected to confirm the return of shielding for vulnerable people when he appears on TV screens in a few minutes' time.

07:49 PM

NHS pressure: 'Cottage hospitals' offer made by Best Western

Best Western is spearheading a plan to turn as many as 500 hotels into "cottage hospitals" that could ease the pressure on the NHS as it reels from surging Covid cases.

The reconfigured sites would handle pre-surgery assessments, IV treatments such as for antibiotics or dialysis as well as MRI and CTI scans and post-Covid recovery support, according to proposals sent to the Cabinet Office this week.

The hotel chain is already in talks with St Bartholomews NHS Trust in London and Kent Medway Trust about converting some of its premises.

It is understood to have carried out a modelling and feasibility study with the Medway Innovation Institute and taken guidance from the Care Quality Commission.

Laura Onita and Hannah Uttley have the story.

07:48 PM

Boris Johnson announcement: Watch live

Boris Johnson is to announce new lockdown restrictions imminently in an address to the nation, Downing Street has said.

It is expected that measures will include a return to shielding, further school closures, and stronger "stay at home" messaging.

Watch live at the top of this blog, and follow for live text updates.

07:37 PM

New Covid variant 'in large part' causing case rise, says Chris Whitty

Professor Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer, has said on social media:

Covid cases are rising rapidly across the UK in large part due to the new variant.



The NHS is treating many more Covid patients and vaccinating vulnerable citizens. NHS staff deserve our profound thanks.



But we must act now or the NHS will come under even greater pressure.

07:27 PM

Margaret Ferrier latest as MP arrested for Covid rules breach

After news broke of the arrest of SNP MP Margaret Ferrier (see 18:37 post) for breaching lockdown rules, Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard has said:

Margaret Ferrier has apologised for her selfish and dangerous actions, but so far she has continued to insist she is fit to represent her constituents in the House of Commons.



I hope her arrest leads her to reconsider this arrogant position, and the people of Rutherglen and Hamilton West get the opportunity to return an MP who puts their interests first.

An SNP spokesman said that Ms Ferrier "remains suspended from the SNP", and did not comment further on the proceedings.

07:23 PM

South African coronavirus variant: Why is it so worrying?

If the coronavirus was a horror film, we have now reached the obligatory not dead yet scare, in which the seemingly conquered monster returns from the grave to give a final fright, writes Sarah Knapton.

Just as light was beginning to emerge at the end of a very long and gloomy tunnel, the South African variant of the virus threatens to undermine the vaccine and testing gains of recent months.

Brian Pinker, 82, received the first Oxford vaccine on Sunday, yet there are real concerns that he and the hundreds of thousands of others who have had their jabs may not be fully protected against this latest mutation.

The South African variant has three mutations in important genes. One, the N501Y mutation, has already been found in the UK variant and could be responsible for it being so infectious.

However, the South African version carries two more mutations (E484K and K417N) that are absent in the British version and make it far more worrying.

07:11 PM

NHS Covid response: 'Critical point' reached in crisis, warns health trust body

An organisation which represents NHS trusts in England has warned that the coronavirus crisis has now reached a "critical point".

NHS leaders believe that Tier 3 rules are "insufficient", said Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers.

There is also concern in the health service about the lag between imminent tough measures and an effect on admissions, Mr Hopson added - while NHS officials think Tier 4 rules merely "slow down the rate of increase", rather than actually reducing the spread of the virus.

The latest NHS England figures show a total of 3,145 admissions in England were reported for January 2 - higher than the previous peak of 3,099, on April 1, 2020.

06:58 PM

Ireland: We have never been more concerned about Covid

The underlying level of Covid-19 in Ireland is now higher than during the first wave in April and May, a senior health official has warned.

It comes after authorities reported another daily record of 6,110 cases today, while Ireland's 14-day coronavirus incidence rate per 100,000 people has risen almost five-fold to 583 in the last two weeks.

But modelling chief Philip Nolan said the true underlying rate, owing to a backlog of positive tests, is between 700-800. The underlying 14-day rate per 100,000 people at the April peak was around 600.

"We haven't been as concerned at any point in the whole pandemic as we are now," Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan told a news conference.

"This level of infection just simply puts too many people in hospitals and too many people in funeral homes unfortunately,"

06:53 PM

Wales: Online learning until January 18

Schools and colleges across Wales will move to online learning until January 18, the country's education minister has said.

Kirsty Williams said the Welsh Government would use the next two weeks to work with local authorities and education settings to "best plan for the rest of the term".

The government had previously arranged for schools to have flexibility over the first two weeks of the spring term, allowing them to choose when students would return to in-person learning.

In a statement, Ms Williams said the decision to move to online learning only until January 18 had been taken in consultation with the Welsh Local Government Association and Colegau Cymru.

It followed the four chief medical officers agreeing that the UK was at the "highest level of risk" in terms of coronavirus, she confirmed.

You can find her full statement here:

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06:45 PM

New Kent coronavirus variant identified in Brazil

Brazil has confirmed its first two cases of the new British coronavirus variant, Sao Paulo state's health secretariat announced today.

One of the people infected was a 25-year-old woman from the city of Sao Paulo in contact with travelers who had been to Britain, according to a statement from the state government.

The other patient was another Sao Paulo resident, a 34-year-old man who had contact with her.

06:37 PM

Scottish MP arrested and charged after breach of Covid restrictions

Scottish MP Margaret Ferrier has been arrested and charged in connection with alleged culpable and reckless conduct over an alleged breach of coronavirus regulations last September.

We can confirm that officers today arrested and charged a 60-year-old woman in connection with alleged culpable and reckless conduct," a Police Scotland spokesperson said.

"This follows a thorough investigation by Police Scotland into an alleged breach of coronavirus regulations between 26 and 29 September 2020."

The MP admitted making two cross-border trips when she should have been self-isolating, prompting the police investigation and the removal of the whip by the SNP.

SNP MP Margaret Ferrier who has been arrested and charged in connection with alleged culpable and reckless conduct over an alleged breach of coronavirus regulations between September 26 and 29 2020. - Jane Barlow/PA Wire

06:33 PM

'Pharmacy of the developing world shut its doors': India bans exports of Oxford jab

The Indian Government will stockpile the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine until March as part of a nationwide vaccination drive, delaying its wider distribution to the developing world.

The Serum Institute of India (SII), which has gained a licence to produce at least one billion doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, was granted emergency use authorisation by the Indian Government on Sunday on the condition that it doesnt export the shots.

Global health experts have expressed concerns that the move means the pharmacy of the developing world has shut its doors.

This is a huge blow for access to the AstraZeneca vaccine in developing countries, Dr Mark Eccleston-Turner, an expert in Global Health Law from Keele University, told The Telegraph. India is the world's largest manufacturer, the SII is the largest vaccine manufacturer. So the export ban has cut off a huge supply.

But within the country, which has suffered the worlds second-largest Covid-19 epidemic, the urgency to rapidly roll out a mass-vaccination program to India's 1.38 billion citizens is mounting.

Though the number of new daily cases has fallen to their lowest in six months in India, the presence of the highly contagious UK strain of Covid-19 has led to fears of a new surge.

This is welcome news as India is among the worst affected countries by the virus, said Dr Jyoti Joshi, the Head of South Asia at the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy.

Read the full story here.

06:25 PM

Lebanon orders three-week lockdown

Lebanon has announced a full lockdown for three weeks, including a night curfew, to stem a rise in Covid-19 infections that threatens to overwhelm hospitals in a country already facing financial meltdown.

Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hasan said the lockdown would start on Thursday and run until February 1, with further details on which sectors would be exempt due tomorrow. The lockdown will include a curfew from 6 pm to 5 am.

"It has become clear that the pandemic challenge has reached a stage that is seriously threatening Lebanese lives as hospitals are not capable of providing beds," Hasan told reporters after a meeting of the ministerial committee on Covir-19.

Lebanon registered 2,870 new infections on Sunday, bringing its total to 189,278 cases and 1,486 deaths since February 21, 2020.

06:18 PM

Greece: Orthodox Church set to defy restrictions to celebrate Epiphany

Greece's Orthodox Church has announced that it will defy a government lockdown order, imposed to limit the spread of the coronavirus, and open churches to the faithful during the Epiphany celebration on January 6.

Greece tightened coronavirus curbs for a week from Sunday and reversed an earlier decision to allow Epiphany services, after hospitals struggled to deal with a flood of new cases.

The Greek Orthodox Church said it had written to the government urging it to respect the agreement allowing Epiphany services to go ahead.

"The Holy Synod... does not concur with government measures regarding the operation of churches and insists on what was initially agreed with the state - that churches will stay open for the participation of the faithful in the Mass of Epiphany," it said in a press release.

The letter marks a rare show of dissent by Church authorities, which until now have largely respected government restrictions curbing religious services along with other public activities during the pandemic.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Epiphany is one of the most important religious feasts and commemorates the baptism of Christ and the revelation of the Holy Trinity.

As well as church services, it is traditionally marked by popular celebrations including one in which swimmers retrieve a cross thrown into the water by a priest. The government had already banned such celebrations but had agreed to allow a limited number of worshippers to take part in church services.

A government official said lockdown laws applied to everyone equally. "We hope the Church will realize the urgency of the moment for society, as it has responsibly done so far," the official said.

06:07 PM

CMO joint statement: NHS at risk of being overwhelmed within 21 days

Earlier today it was reported that the UK is set to move into Alert level 5 - meaning that "there is a material risk of healthcare services being overwhelmed" and the virus is in general circulating and transmission is high or rising exponentially.

That announcement has now been made official. In a joint statement, the four chief medical officers for the UK said the move follows advice from the Joint Biosecurity Centre.

Many parts of the health systems in the four nations are already under immense pressure," they wrote. "There are currently very high rates of community transmission, with substantial numbers of Covid patients in hospitals and in intensive care.

"Cases are rising almost everywhere, in much of the country driven by the new more transmissible variant.

"We are not confident that the NHS can handle a further sustained rise in cases and without further action there is a material risk of the NHS in several areas being overwhelmed over the next 21 days."

But they added that although the health service is under immense pressure, "significant changes have been made so people can still receive lifesaving treatment.

" It is absolutely critical that people still come forward for emergency care," the CMO's wrote.

06:03 PM

Sage: Really major additional measures needed immediately

Sage member Professor John Edmunds has said that "really major additional measures" are immediately needed to control the spread of coronavirus, with school closures being the "biggest lever" available.

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine scientist told BBC Radio 4's PM programme that the UK is currently "in a really difficult situation".

"The new strain is significantly more transmissible than the old strains," he said. "So we have to take significant extra measures to stop the NHS from becoming overwhelmed with Covid patients.

"Unfortunately we are going to have to take some really major additional measures, I can't see any other way out of it.

"The biggest lever that has only partly been pulled is school closures. That would have the biggest effect of a single measure and I can see that happening."

He later added: "What we have to do now, and it's horrible I know, but we have to take really quite stringent steps right now and as stringent as we can right now."

Prof Edmunds rejected suggestions that a lack of public compliance with restrictions is a major issue, saying: "I don't think that's a major issue myself, I think people are pretty compliant."

05:59 PM

Covid hospitalisations in England reach record high

The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital in England stood at 26,626 as of 8am this morning, according to the latest figures from NHS England. This is a week-on-week increase of 30 per cent - and is a new record high.

In London the number stood at 6,733, up 36 per cent in a week, while in eastern England the number was 3,623, 44 per cent rise.

New hospital admissions of people with Covid-19 have also reached a record high, the figures show.

A total of 3,145 admissions in England were reported for January 2, passing the previous peak of 3,099 set on April 1 2020.

The number comprises all patients admitted in the previous 24 hours who were known to have Covid-19, plus any patients diagnosed in hospital in the previous 24 hours.

Christina Pagel, a member of Independent Sage, says the day demonstrates why a "severe national lockdown" is needed:

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05:54 PM

The pandemic in pictures

A look at life in the UK and across the globe:

Atlanta, United States:

Tanya Washington helps place some of the more than 10,000 white flags representing coronavirus related deaths in the state. ocal activists and COVID-19 survivors organized the memorial. - ERIK S LESSER/EPA-EFE

Phnom Penh, Cambodia:

Students wearing face masks maintain social distancing as Cambodia reopen schools and museums after months of shutdown - REUTERS/Cindy Liu

Edinburgh, Scotland:

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon reacts as she delivers a statement at Holyrood, Edinburgh, announcing that Scotland will be placed in lockdown from midnight for the duration of January - Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

Kibera, Kenya:

Students fill a container with water to clean the classroom, as public schools final reopen in Kenya following a nine month closure - GORDWIN ODHIAMBO/AFP

Belfast, Northern Ireland:

ohn Grey receives the first of two doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, administered by Dr Michael McKenna, at Falls Surgery on the Falls Road, Belfast. - Liam McBurney/PA Wire

05:44 PM

Sports latest: Sheffield Wednesday shut training ground after outbreak

Sheffield Wednesday's FA Cup third round preparations have been hit after they became the latest club to shut their training ground following a Covid outbreak, John Percy reports.

Wednesdays squad have been struck by a coronavirus scare and it is understood their Middlewood Road base will be shut until Thursday, just two days before the Championship club are scheduled to play at Exeter City in the FA Cup.

Though it is unknown how many players have either tested positive or are showing symptoms, Wednesdays medical staff have taken emergency action to prevent the situation from worsening.

Players will be tested in midweek before a decision is taken on whether the clubs training ground can be reopened.

Wednesday face a trip to League Two Exeter in the FA Cup third-round on Saturday, and could have only two days to prepare for the game.

We have all the details you need on this story here.

05:35 PM

French vaccination campaign a 'state scandal'

President Emmanuel Macron came under intense pressure on Monday to ramp up France's snail-paced Covid vaccination campaign, which one top regional leader dubbed a "state scandal".

France, a country that prides itself on its world-class health system, launched nationwide vaccinations in late December starting with care home residents and older health workers.

But little more than a week later, a piddling 516 French had received jabs compared to around 240,000 in Germany and one million in Britain, according to health ministry figures.

"What we have seen is a state scandal," Jean Rottner, the head of France's hard-hit Grand Est eastern region told France 2 television.

"Is France getting the dunce's hat in Europe for vaccinations?" a Le Monde asked.

The slow rollout is being blamed on mismanagement, end-of-year staffing shortages, and a complex consent policy to avoid litigation in a vaccine-sceptical country in which 60 per cent of the population say they won't get a jab, according to the latest poll. The vaccine consent form is 45 pages long.

Only French doctors can currently administer doses and the government has ruled out opening "vaccinodromes" in stadiums or sports halls.

Henry Samuel has more details on the delays here.

05:27 PM

'Anxiety levels are beyond anything' - Parents and teachers on school restrictions

05:19 PM

British Society for Immunology supports delay in second vaccine dose

The British Society for Immunology has endorsed the delay between vaccine doses adopted by the UK.

In a comment published today, the organisation said: "We would prefer the original dosing schedules tested in the trials to be used clinically, we recognise that a pragmatic approach in the short-term is needed."

The UK now faces an "unprecedented situation", the society said.

Meanwhile in Europe, the European Medicines Agency has said that the maximum interval of 42 days between the first and the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine should be respected to obtain full protection.

Evidence of the vaccine efficacy is based on a study where administration of doses was done 19 to 42 days apart, the agency said, noting that full protection comes only seven days after the booster.

"Any change to this would require a variation to the marketing authorisation as well as more clinical data to support such a change, otherwise it would be considered as 'off label use'," he said.

Off label use entails lower liabilities on vaccine makers.

05:09 PM

Starmer: We must introduce a national lockdown

Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour party, has reiterated his calls for a national lockdown - including school closures.

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05:06 PM

Poorer countries risk getting 'stuck' in Covid crisis until 2023

The poorest and most crisis-hit countries on earth could remain "stuck" in pandemic crisis mode until at least 2023 unless more is done to provide aid and vaccines, a leading UN figure has warned.

That means that the devastating knock-on effects of Covid-19 - including the risk of famine in a number of countries - will also be prolonged and intensified, said UN humanitarian chief, Mark Lowcock.

Speaking to The Telegraph, he said: "Suppose the better-off world gradually comes out of this challenge... how do we make sure that the very poorest countries, where humanitarian agencies work, don't just get stuck?

"That's going to be one of the big challenges for 2021, and 2022, and 2023."

At the moment, Mr Lowcock said, the actions of the richer world risks prolonging the crisis, rather than ending it.

Jennifer Rigby has the full story here.

04:56 PM

Afternoon roundup

Time for an afternoon update after yet another busy news day (that is, we are sorry to report, nowhere near finished).

Here's a roundup of the major UK developments to be aware of:

Starting with the positive news: an 82-year-old retired maintenance manager has become the first person in the world to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine outside clinical trials .

But expect the "tough tough" start to the year Boris Johnson warned of earlier today to come into focus at 8pm. The Prime Minister is set to make a televised address setting out new emergency measures to control the spread of coronavirus in England, Downing Street has said.

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer urged the Government to close all schools in England as part of a new national lockdown.

Nicola Sturgeon announced that Scotland will be placed in lockdown for the entirety of January , with a legal requirement to stay at home.

The BBC also understands that the UK is set to move into Alert level 5. This means that "there is a material risk of healthcare services being overwhelmed" and the virus is in general circulating and transmission is high or rising exponentially.

And elsewhere across the globe:

Spain's Catalonia region tightened restrictions and Germany looks set to agree tomorrow to extend its lockdown until January 31.

The European Commission is in talks with Pfizer and BioNTech about the possibility of ordering more vaccine doses.

In France , President Emmanuel Macron is reportedly furious at the slow rollout of the vaccine - just 516 vaccinations were reported to have been given in the first week. The health minister insisted that "several thousand" people will be vaccinated today.

Colombia's capital Bogota will implement strict two-week quarantines in three neighbourhoods beginning tomorrow to try to control a second wave.

Japan said it would consider declaring a state of emergency for the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area as cases climb, casting news doubts over whether it can push ahead with the Olympics and minimise economic damage.

Coronavirus restrictions, reduced remittances, locusts, floods and significant underfunding of the 2020 aid response are exacerbating hunger in Yemen.

Ending on a lighter note - the mayor of Antwerp, Bart De Wever, kicked off 2021 in an embarrassing manner when he was called out for not wearing trousers during an interview streamed online (see 1:49pm for full details).

04:42 PM

Duke and Duchess homeschooling their children in Norfolk home

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have remained at their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, since Christmas, where they are now homeschooling their two elder children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, the Telegraph understands.

Their school, Thomas's Battersea, is closed for at least the next two weeks, in line with all other London schools. The Cambridges left London for Norfolk in early December, when the school broke up for Christmas.

04:33 PM

UK coronavirus cases near 60,000

The UK has reported a record rise in coronavirus infections. There have been a further 58,784 coronavirus cases confirmed across the UK, the government says - an increase on the previous high of 57,725 reported on Saturday.

It is the seventh day in a row that daily new infections have topped 50,000 - a grim feat that was hit for the first time last week.

There have also been a further 407 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, taking the total by that measure to 75,431. It is important to note, however, that no deaths data is available from Scotland today.

Meanwhile, according to YouGov, public support for lockdown is growing. According to the latest snap poll

79 say they support the UK going into another national lockdown - up 8 points since December 22nd. Just 16% oppose such a move

Overwhelming support continues across all major party voters, regions and ages.

62% of people asked say it was wrong decision to open some schools in England this week - just 22% said it was the right decision.

04:27 PM

Four Nation call at 5pm

Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster said she would be joining a call with the UK Government at 5pm to discuss the "Coronavirus response across the four nations".

"There will be an Executive meeting at 6pm immediately afterwards," she wrote on Twitter:

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04:23 PM

What to expect at 8pm

Further to our post 20 minutes ago about what journalists expect to be announced at 8pm, our reporters have a few more details on what to expect:

As predicted by the Telegraph this morning, we understand that Boris Johnson will announce tonight that shielding for vulnerable will return.

There will be further school closures, possibly up until February half-term. It remains unclear whether it will be just secondary or also include primary and year 11 and year 13 classes switched to remote learning for that period.

There will be a delay in the return of university students, though some institutions have already told their undergraduates that there will be a pause in getting back.

Scottish-style stay at home rules appears to be on the cards, with messaging that people should only work where they absolutely cannot from home toughened.

A final option could be further restrictions on outside contacts, ending the rule allowing a single member from one household to meet another socially distanced outdoors.

Group worship may also be barred with only solitary prayer allowed.

04:19 PM

North Korea asks Covax for vaccines - depsite never admitting a Covid case

North Korea has requested vaccines for Covid-19 from the main body helping developing countries access inoculations - Covax - despite having never admitted to a single case of the virus.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the hermit country had contacted several European embassies asking how it would obtain vaccines.

Gavi, the international vaccine alliance, did not comment on Pyongyang's application.

North Korea has shut its borders to all international travellers, and tens of thousands are believed to have been put in quarantine after being tested for the virus.

04:16 PM

South African Covid variant not anticipated to affect vaccines, expert insists

The new South African coronavirus variant is not anticipated to bypass the protection of current vaccines, an expert has said.

Scientists say not enough is known about the mutation to make assumptions, and the changes to the virus are consistent with it being more transmissible.

Scientists at Porton Down are researching whether vaccines will be effective against the variant from South Africa, and the new variant spreading across the UK.

Earlier today Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was "incredibly worried" about the South African variant, describing it as a "very, very significant problem".

Francois Balloux, professor of computational systems biology and director, UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, said that the 'South African variant' carries a mutation in the spike protein called E484K, "which is not present in the 'UK strain'".

"The E484K mutation has been shown to reduce antibody recognition. As such, it helps the virus Sars-CoV-2 to bypass immune protection provided by prior infection or vaccination," he said.

But he added: "It is not anticipated that this mutation is sufficient for the 'South African' variant to bypass the protection provided by current vaccines.

"It's possible that new variants will affect the efficacy of the Covid vaccines, but we shouldn't make that assumption yet about the South African one."

04:02 PM

Starmer: 'I hope the PM has been listening to the calls for tough national restrictions'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, responding to the announcement of the Prime Minister's statement and the recall of Parliament, said:"I hope the Prime Minister has been listening to the clear calls for tough national restrictions."

He told the PA news agency new measures were needed to "get the virus under control, protect the NHS and create the space for the vaccine to be rolled out as quickly as humanly possible".

As for what to expect at 8pm? Here's what journalists are expecting:

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03:54 PM

Countries follow UK precedent to delay second vaccine dose

Germany is considering whether to allow a delay in administering a second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine from BioNTech-Pfizer to make scarce supplies go further, after a similar move by the UK last week.

In Berlin, the health ministry was seeking the view of an independent vaccination commission on whether to delay a second shot beyond a current 42-day maximum limit, according to a one-page document seen by Reuters today.

The move came amid criticism of Health Minister Jens Spahn - including from his conservative political allies - that Germany has failed to procure enough vaccines and been too slow to ramp up its nationwide inoculation campaign.

According to the latest daily update from the Robert Koch Institute, Germany has vaccinated around 239,000 people since starting its campaign on December 27 - well short of the 1.3 million doses that were delivered by the end of 2020.

By comparison, Britain has administered more than a million vaccines so far, more than the rest of Europe put together, Health Minister Matt Hancock said.

Separately, Denmark approved has approved a delay of up to six weeks between the first and second shots of the vaccine.

But the head of the Danish Health Authority, Soren Brostrom, said the original guidelines of waiting only three to four weeks should be followed whenever possible.

As of Monday, a total of 46,975 Danes had received the first Pfizer-BioNTech shot, mostly health workers and the elderly.

03:47 PM

Watch: New lockdown from midnight in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon announces

03:34 PM

UK set to move into Alert Level 5: hospitals on the brink of being overwhelmed

The BBC has reported that the UK is set to move into Alert level 5. This means that "there is a material risk of healthcare services being overwhelmed" and the virus is in general circulating and transmission is high or rising exponentially.

During the first lockdown, which began last March, the UK was considered to be at level 4.

These alert levels are different from the Tiers, which acknowledge the restrictions in a given area.

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03:30 PM

Germany heading towards extension of hard lockdown

It is not just the UK that is facing additional coronavirus restrictions.

The German government and the country's 16 federal states have agreed to extend a strict lockdown until January 31 in an effort to bring coronavirus infections under control, according to a report in Bild newspaper.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and the state premiers are scheduled on to discuss a possible extension of the lockdown beyond January 10 tomorrow. Some, including Bavaria's premier Markus Soeder, have already spoken in favour of an extension.

Speaking after the Bild report, a government source told Reuters: "All but two federal states support (a lockdown extension until) January 31. However, the formal decision will be made on Tuesday."

Germany was more successful than many European countries in keeping the coronavirus in check during the first wave in the spring but has seen a surge in new infections since the autumn.

It imposed a second hard lockdown on December 16, closing schools, shops and restaurants after a partial lockdown introduced in early November did not bring the hoped-for reduction in new infections.

But cases have not fallen and a government spokesman told a news conference on Monday that the situation in Germany's hospitals has become "extremely difficult".

03:16 PM

Parliament to be recalled on Wednesday

Some more detail here from Lucy Fisher around the news that the House of Commons will be recalled on Wednesday, enabling MPs to debate and pass legislation enshrining stricter new lockdown measures.

Downing Streets decision to allow Parliament to have a say on the next series of measures to contain the virus comes after Boris Johnson warned there was no question that tougher action was needed.

It is expected he may announce a full-scale national lockdown for England, after Nicola Sturgeon announced earlier that Scotland will be plunged lockdown for the rest of January.

It is understood the House will return for a single day on Wednesday before returning for the new parliamentary term next Monday.

The Christmas recess was extended by a week, a decision said to have been informed by the Speakers desire to protect the parliamentary authorities from the spread of coronavirus.

Conservative MPs have clamoured for the right to debate and vote on tougher coronavirus restrictions.

Steve Brine, the former Health Minister, raised questions today about how much tougher the Government could go beyond the current tiers system.

What else can we take away from you? If you live in a Tier 4 area, you can't do anything and can't go anywhere. What is there left to take away? He told the Telegraph: "We need parliament sitting to ask these questions.

Others have been calling for stricter restrictions to prevent Covid spiralling out of control:

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03:13 PM

Spain: Catalonia tightens restrictions to curb Covid

Catalonia has announced a tightening of restrictions to tackle an uptick in Covid-19 infections, banning people from leaving their municipality, closing gyms and shopping malls, and allowing only essential shops such as pharmacies to open at the weekend.

The new restrictions in Catalonia, which has Spain's second-highest number of infections and deaths after Madrid, will start on Thursday and last until January 17.

"We have to stop the transmission and the main way to do so is to reduce all social activity," Catalan health chief Alba Verges told a news conference, adding that financial aid would be given to the sectors most hit by the new restrictions.

The new measures will not affect bars and restaurants, which can still have clients eat in for breakfast and lunch and offer take-away food for dinner.

Other regions such as Andalusia, Murcia or Extremadura have announced new measures over the past days. Madrid continues to have lighter restrictions than most of the country but has locked down some districts with a higher infection rate.

Spain has been one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic, registering more than 50,000 deaths and close to 2 million cases:

03:06 PM

Recap: Hancock hints at tougher coronavirus restrictions

03:00 PM

Boris Johnson to make statement at 8pm

Boris Johnson will make a televised address at 8pm tonight outlining the steps to tackle the rise in coronavirus cases, with Parliament set to be recalled to sit on Wednesday, Downing Street has said.

"The spread of the new variant of Covid-19 has led to rapidly escalating case numbers across the country," a No 10 spokesman said.

"The Prime Minister is clear that further steps must now be taken to arrest this rise and to protect the NHS and save lives. He will set those out this evening."

02:51 PM

Sturgeon: Mixing vaccine doses is not our strategy

Nicola Sturgeon is still answering questions from MSPs in the Scottish Parliament. Vaccines, concerns around school closures and discussions around support payments have dominated.

One element the First Minister has focused on is the new guidance from the four Chief Medical Officers on lengthening the interval between vaccine doses.

"Given the race we are in, and the circumstances we are in, I think that if they belief that is a safe and effective thing to do, it is incumbent on politicians to follow that advice," she said.

Sturgeon adds that the suggestion that people may get one dose with one vaccine and another with a different vaccine is "not our policy".

People will get both doses with the same vaccine, unless there are exceptional circumstances where it is not known which jab an individual received initially.

02:46 PM

Jean-Clause Junker unimpressed with EU Covid response

Another update from Europe, here. Ex-EU Commission boss Jean-Claude Juncker is not impressed with the EU's pandemic response, accusing the 27 member bloc of having "reacted very weakly" in an interview with Luxembourg magazine Telecran.

However, Juncker also added that the poor showing was due to the EU not having any power to set health policy.

The former Luxembourg PM also revealed that he has not fully retired from politics and still consults with his successor, Ursula von der Leyen.

I always say I am like Ratzinger in the Vatican Gardens: I am their Ratzinger," he said in reference to the former pontiff. "She likes it a lot, and it gives us the opportunity to exchange ideas from time to time, which is very useful for both of us I'm von der Leyens Ratzinger.

02:43 PM

EU could approve Moderna jab this afternoon

Jumping away from Scotland for a moment, Sam Morgan reports that the European Medicines Agency could give the green light to the Moderna Covid vaccine later today, after bringing forward a decision previously scheduled for Wednesday.

The regulator has faced increasing pressure from EU countries to fast track vaccine approvals although the European Commission insists "there is no frustration" when it comes to the EMA's approach.

The UK is still conducting its own review of the Moderna jab, which has already been authorised in Canada and the US.

02:28 PM

Recap: Scotland's new lockdown

Here's a quick overview of the key changes Nicola Sturgeon announced this afternoon, if you are just joining us:

People may only leave their homes for essential reasons, by law

Schools will remain closed to almost all students until February 1

People cannot meet outdoors except for in groups of two

No one can travel in or out of Scotland except for essential reasons

Stay-at-home rules to be introduced from midnight - First Minister Nicola Sturgeon - SCOT GOV/UNPIXS (EUROPE) 04/01/2021

02:25 PM

Sturgeon: This was not the New Year message I wanted to share

Nicola Sturgeon concludes by suggesting that this was not the New Year message she wanted to convey, but that by acting now Scotland can avoid the dire crisis hitting other parts of the UK and world.

She says if everyone stays at home, they are giving the vaccine the time needed to beat the virus.

"The difference between now and March is that we can be sure that sacrifices will pay off in the long run," the First Minister finishes.

02:24 PM

Sturgeon: Priority group will all have first vaccine dose by May

The first Minister is now turning to vaccination, she says 100,000 people have now received their first dose and the AstraZeneca jab will be rolled out from today.

Scotland has access to 900,000 vaccines during January, although there are hopes this will increase.

Current expectations on supply and dose advice is that by early May everyone over fifty and those under fifty with specific conditions will have had their first dose of a Covid vaccine - more than 2 million people.

Those timetables are dependent on supply, she adds, so are currently cautious. But all possible options to bring timescales forward are being assessed.

02:22 PM

Sturgeon: Schools will be first to reopen

Nicola Sturgeon adds that schools and nurseries will be the first premises to reopen at the end of this period.

The Government are therefore considering how to include school staff in priority vaccinations - although she says that many will be included in the existing JCVI allocation lists.

School closures will be reviewed every fortnight, she says.

02:20 PM

Sturgeon: Schools to close buildings and move online until Feb 1

More non-essential businesses will also have to close, Nicola Sturgeon says, including ski centres, showrooms or larger retailers and clinics offering cosmetic and prosthetic procedures will be closed.

She says the Government will work towards providing additional financial resources - announcements will be made later this week.

Now the First Minister comes to schools. She says that schools will remain closed to the majority of pupils until February 1. It includes nursery schools as well as primary and secondary schools, but they will remain open for vulnerable and key worker children.

She says this was the most difficult decision of the package of restrictions announced today.

"It remains our priority to get school buildings open as quickly and keep them open," says Sturgeon. But she says the overall level of community transmission is too high and there is still significant uncertainty about the spread of the new variant among children.

02:16 PM

Sturgeon: Fundamental message is to stay at home

The First Minister says the new measures are effectively an enhancement of Level Four restrictions, which will be in place for the whole of January. But she cannot rule out extending them for longer.

The fundamental message, says Nicola Sturgeon, is to stay at home. She says the measures will become law and it will only be permissible to leave home for an essential purpose - for instance shopping for food or caring for a relative.

It is only permissible to go to work if your job cannot be done at home. She says that every business needs to look again and make sure every function that can be done at home is done at home.

She adds that new guidance for those shielding will also be introduced. If you are shielding but cannot work from home, do not go to work - the Chief Medicial Officer will write to all that this applies to which will act as a doctors note.

From tomorrow, Sturgeon adds, a maximum of two people from two households are able to meet indoors. Children under 11 are not included.

Travel restrictions remain in place. If you live in a Level 4 area - effectively everywhere bar the islands - you cannot leave your area. And no one can leave or enter Scotland unless for an essential purpose.

The First Minister adds that all places of worship must be closed, for all except broadcasting a service, a small wedding with five guests or a funeral with up to 20 people.

02:11 PM

Sturgeon: We have an opportunity to avert crisis seen in London

If the rate of increasing cases is continued unchecked, there is a "real risk of the NHS being overwhelmed, even with contingency plans in place," the First Minister says.

Nicola Sturgeon adds that Scotland is about four weeks behind London and south England. "We have an opportunity in Scotland to avert the situation deteriorating to that extent, but we must act quickly", she says.

The adds that the decisions taken by Cabinet were not taken lightly, but the "clear and overriding duty right now" is to protect public health.

02:07 PM

Sturgeon: I am more concerned about the situation now than ever before

Nicola Sturgeon adds that two major developments have changed the equation in the last couple of weeks: the vaccine and the new Covid variant.

"To ensure the vaccine wins the race we must increase delivery as much as possible. But to give it time to get ahead, we must slow the spread of the virus."

She says the new variant is up to 70 per cent more transmissible than previous strains and may add 0.7 to the R number. It already accounts for almost half of all new cases in Scotland.

That increased spread is "undoubtedly driving the very serious situation we face".

1,900 new cases have been detected in Scotland, with a 15 per cent positivity rate.

"But this is not just about one single days numbers, we are now seeing a steep rise in cases... I am more concerned about the situation now than I have been at any moment since the pandemic starts," says Sturgeon.

02:04 PM

Sturgeon: Lockdown to start at midnight for January

The First Minister has started her statement in the Scottish Parliament on lockdown measures (which you can watch at the top of the blog).

She starts by paying tribute to an SNP politician who died on Friday - Kay Ullrich. "We will miss her", Nicola Sturgeon tells Hollyrood.

Then onto her statement on coronavirus. She says the Cabinet met this morning to assess the situation - which "I must say at the outset is extremely serious".

"I can confirm now in summary that we have decided to introduce from midnight tonight for the duration of January a legal requirement to stay at home except for essential services. This is similar to the lockdown in March 2020.

01:53 PM

Oops.. Antwerp Mayor caught on camera in underwear

The mayor of Antwerp, Bart De Wever, kicked off 2021 in an embarrassing manner when he was called out for not wearing trousers during an interview streamed online on Saturday.

Radio 2 presenter Kim Debrie was quick to point out his mistake: You are wearing a very nice shirt, probably you donned it especially for us. But under that shirt, could it be that you are there in your underwear?

Mr De Wever, head of the separatist New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) party and one of the most powerful politicians in Belgium, apparently didnt realise he was doing the interview in front of a mirror, which showed his bare legs below his chequered shirt.

How can you know that? asked Mr De Wever after being caught out. Damn ... The year begins with a particularly embarrassing moment, I will remember this for a long time.

01:49 PM

Recap: Brian Pinker becomes the first to receive Oxford jab

Brian Pinker, an 82-year-old dialysis patient, has become the first person to be vaccinated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab this morning, after getting the dose at Oxford University Hospital.

"I am so pleased to be getting the Covid vaccine today and really proud that it is one that was invented in Oxford," Mr Pinker, a retired maintenance manager, said.

Six hospitals in England will administer the first of around 530,000 doses of the newly approved vaccine that Britain has ready to go.

The coronavirus immunisation programme will be expanded to hundreds of other British sites in the coming days, with the Government hoping it will deliver tens of millions of doses within months.

"[It's] a triumph of British science that we've managed to get where we are," Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, told Sky.

Steve Parsons/Pool Photo via AP) - Steve Parsons/Pool Photo via AP)

01:37 PM

Watch for 2pm: Sturgeon expected to toughen restrictions

Nicola Sturgeon is expected to put Scotland in full lockdown from midnight tonight, with the 'stay at home' message put into law, Simon Johnson reports.

It is understood she will announce at 2pm that Scots may only meet one other person from another household outside. Schools are to be closed until February 1 initially, with the situation reviewed every fortnight.

01:31 PM

Moderna vaccines among candidates under review by UK regulators

The head of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has confirmed that other vaccine candidates are in the approval pipeline.

Dr June Raine told BBC Radio 5 Live: "We have an ongoing rolling review about one vaccine I've already mentioned called Moderna, the one that's authorised in the US and Canada, and others starting up.

"So the excellent news, the brilliant news for 2021 is that there will be more more-effective and safe Covid-19 vaccines."

The UK has, though, received some criticism for the speed at which vaccines here have been approved (most notably the US). Asked about this Dr Raine said:"We are in a public health emergency, I'm absolutely confident of the rigour of the science and that no corners have been cut, there's no compromise.

"Our staff have worked around the clock, over the holidays, day and night, to make sure that not a single day is wasted because we know that the death toll is going on and that we need to do everything we can to avoid that and to minimise it."

She added that she would "embrace our questioning colleagues from the international regulators", and that the MHRA "interact with them very regularly... it's a really positive relationship."

Related: Why the race to roll out the Oxford vaccine is testing supply chains

01:19 PM

Today in photos

Our picture desk have pulled together a selection of the best images of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK so far today.

London:

Boris Johnson watches as Jennifer Dumasi is injected with the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine during a visit to Chase Farm Hospital in north London - Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Oxford:

Professor Andrew Pollard, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, receives the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine from nurse Sam Foster, as the NHS ramps up its vaccination programme with 530,000 doses - Steve Parsons/PA

Hull:

A student takes a COVID-19 test at a mass testing site which has re-opened at the University of Hull in East Yorkshire, to ensure a safe return to campus after the Christmas break - Danny Lawson/PA Wire

Cheshire:

Pupils arrive at Manor Park School and Nursery in Knutsford, Cheshire, as schools across England return after the Christmas break. Boris Johnson has said parents should send primary-age children back to schools which remain open this week, despite growing calls from unions for them to close - Martin Rickett/PA Wire

01:10 PM

Lobby latest: Waiting to see if Tier 4 is effective - which is 'still unclear'

Asked about further restrictions, Downing Street has said the Government is waiting to see the impact of the latest coronavirus restrictions in England before deciding on which further measures would be needed.

"We have been waiting to see the impact of the Tier 4 measures. It is a bit unclear still at the moment," the Prime Minister's official spokesman said.

"I have always said we would continue to look at the latest evidence and data and that is what we base our decisions on. We have always said that we would take the measures needed to reduce the spread of the virus and we will continue to do."

Here is a recap of Boris Johnson's warning about stricter measures - and a "tough, tough" few weeks ahead - earlier today:

01:02 PM

Lobby Latest: Government ramping up vaccination campaign

The Government has insisted that it is "ramping up" the coronavirus vaccination programme with the rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab.

"The NHS has the capacity to deliver vaccines as soon as they have been manufactured and have undergone the relevant safety checks," the Prime Minister's official spokesman said during the Lobby briefing with political journalists.

"We are ramping up the vaccine programme. More GPs and hospitals are coming on stream all the time.

"Our priority has always been and will remain getting the vaccine to as many people as possible as quickly as possible. The NHS is set up to do that."

12:50 PM

Gething: 2,700 coronavirus-related patients in Welsh hospitals

Back to Wales, where Vaughan Gething says there are almost 2,700 coronavirus-related patients in hospitals across the country. 208 patients are in critical care, with more than half of these having coronavirus.

"Very sadly we have seen an increase in the number of people who are dying after contracting coronavirus over the Christmas period," Mr Gething says.

More than 35,000 people in Wales have received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine since it was approved, primarily frontline health and care staff, as well as care home residents and the over-80s.

Mr Gething also adds that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is a "real game changer" because it can be stored in a fridge and is easier to transport.

12:48 PM

Regulator head responds to PM's comments on batch approval delaying vaccinations

Away from the Welsh Health Secretary's briefing and back to vaccine roll-out.

Dr June Raine, chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has been asked by the BBC whether she agrees with the Prime Minister's suggestion that the limiting factor in expanding the UK's vaccine roll-out is waiting for batches to be approved.

She said that the approval was "part of our end-to-end process where everything is thoroughly checked".

Asked if the MHRA is able to do this as quickly as possible, she said: "Yes, and we have scaled up, in the fullness of time, if there are more vaccines, to be able to batch release all of them.

"I was really proud last Wednesday when we approved the AZ vaccine, the Oxford/AZ vaccine that we had approved the first batch the night before. We are that nimble and that quick."

But she also seemed to hint that approval alone is not the only potential bottleneck.

"It's a supply chain that goes right back from the manufacturer, right through to MHRA, and then on to the clinical bedside or where the vaccines are delivered, so we are a step on the road but our capacity is there, I'm very clear about that."

12:41 PM

Gething: Concerns around schools linked to role in transmission, not safety

Asked again about whether schools should remain open, Vaughan Gething suggests the concerns are not around the safety of educational establishments themselves. Instead, it is the broader impact on community transmission.

Asked about vaccine prioritisation, the Welsh Health Minister says that the list has been set to save as many lives as possible. If other groups, for instance teachers or taxi drivers, are pushed further up that list, it means someone at the top has to be de-prioritised.

He also warns against "false hope and expectation" and refuses to set a timeline for when life may return to some semblance of normality.

"We have to focus on the fact that the pandemic is still with us," he says. "I don't think we should set an artificial period within the year when people can aim to do more."

On a more optimistic note he adds there is a "light at the end of the tunnel" thanks to vaccines and, come Spring, the weather will make a difference in reducing transmission.

12:34 PM

Gething: School closures a last resort

Closing schools is a last resort, Vaughan Gething says, both to ensure children do not miss out on crucial learning and because school closures cause significant childcare difficulties.

He adds that the Government is sticking to allow schools too have a flexible strategy in the first few weeks. But if advice changes around the new Covid-19 variant, and its risk within schools and to children, then guidelines on schools may too.

"If the evidence changes, you have to be prepared to change your decision," he says. "We made a choice in the last week of the December school term to move high school learning to distance learning because we could see the evidence in front of us with a rising tide of infections.

"Within this we are having to balance all of the different harms," he says. "We can't allow the NHS to be overwhelmed... we also know that not having our schools operating causes schools to learners as well."

12:28 PM

Gething: New variant spreading rapidly though Wales

The new Covid-19 variant is "spreading quickly throughout Wales", the country's health minister has told a press conference.

Vaughan Gething warns that cases of coronavirus in Wales "remain very high", though rates have fallen back from "incredibly high levels" seen before Christmas.

"The overall incidence rate for Wales has fallen from a high of 636 cases per 100,000 people on December 17 to 446 cases today," Mr Gething says.

"This is still far too high. There have been falls in most parts of Wales, except in North Wales, where we are seeing cases rise quickly. We believe this is because of the new fast-moving strain.

"It's too early to know if these falls are because of the Christmas period and fewer people coming forward for testing or if they are early, positive signs of a sustained slowing of this awful virus."

Mr Gething said that while the number of people being tested had fallen, the testing positivity rate across Wales was 25 per cent.

12:27 PM

Gething: Vaccines offer route to exit the pandemic - but we are not out of the woods

Heading to Wales, where Vaughan Gething is giving a press conference on the coronavirus. He starts by welcoming the news that the AstraZeneca-Oxford jab is being rolled out - Wales has so far received 22,000 doses.

The Health Secretary says that there will be 22 mass-vaccination centres, while mobile units and more than sixty GP services will also be providing jabs.

"These two vaccines offer us a path out of this pandemic, but it will take a huge effort and time to vaccinate everyone," he adds, suggesting we are not out of the woods yet.

He urges people to keep contacts to a minimum, keep distance from others, working from home wherever possible and following health guidelines such as washing hands.

Follow the entire briefing via the video link at 12:18pm.

12:22 PM

Jeremy Hunt calls for a full national lockdown

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has called for the closure of schools and borders and a ban on household mixing "right away"

In a thread on Twitter the chairman of the Commons Health and Social Care Committee wrote that the pressures on the NHS are "off-the-scale" and far far worse than previous winter crises.

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12:18 PM

Watch live: Welsh health minister gives coronavirus update

12:09 PM

Boris Johnson defends Government stance on schools

Boris Johnson has insisted that teachers are not at greater risk of catching Covid-19, adding that closing schools during the first wave was one of his "greatest misgivings".

"The risk to teachers, and of course we will do everything we can to protect teachers, but the risk to teachers is no greater than it is to anyone else," the Prime Minister told reporters this morning. "The reasons for wanting to keep schools open I think are very, very powerful."

Reiterating his view that schools are safe, he added:

"It's very important to understand that back in March, one of the things I look back on with the greatest misgivings was the closure of primary schools because it's so important for young people to get an education.

"That's why closing primary schools is, for all of us, a last resort... I would stress schools are safe and the risk to kids is very, very small."

This comes after teaching unions warned that bringing all pupils back into classrooms while the rate of infection is so high "is exposing education sector workers to serious risk of ill-health and could fuel the pandemic". (See 8:28am for full statement).

12:00 PM

Austria extends lockdown for another week

Austria has scrapped plans to allow anyone with a negative coronavirus test to exit lockdown a week early, effectively extending strict measures and keeping restaurants and non-essential stores shut until Jan. 24, news agency APA has reported.

The decision came after Austria's opposition parties blocked a draft law that would have allowed an early exit from lockdown for anyone producing a negative test for the coronavirus, Health Minister Rudolf Anschober said.

It was not immediately clear whether schools are also to remain closed until January 24 or if they can open as originally planned on January 18, APA reported.

The draft law would have allowed those with a negative coronavirus test to attend cultural or sport events, buy non-essential goods and get their hair cut, a week before the official end of the lockdown on January 24.

11:52 AM

Close schools for the rest of January, says Scottish Government committee

The Scottish Government's Education Recovery Group has recommended keeping schools shut until Feb 1, following a meeting this morning chaired by Deputy First Minister John Swinney, Simon Johnson reports.

The recommendation was being considered by the Scottish Cabinet, ahead of a parliamentary statement at 2pm by Nicola Sturgeon on the introduction of tougher lockdown restrictions in Scotland.

Scotland's schools had been scheduled to reopen after the festive break on Jan 18, but Ms Sturgeon is concerned about the impact of the new, more transmissible strain of Covid.

Online learning is supposed to start on Jan 11 but education experts have attacked the lack of teaching materials available for this, despite the Scottish Government and its agencies having months to prepare.

11:44 AM

EU in conversations to secure more Pfizer-BioNTech jabs

The European Commission is in discussions with Pfizer and BioNTech about the possibility of ordering more doses of their Covid-19 vaccine, in addition to the 300 million shots already covered under an existing contract.

"The Commission is checking whether there is a way to add additional doses to those for which we already have a deal," a spokesman said this morning.

It comes after the German couple behind the vaccine criticised the European Union for failing to order enough doses (full story here).

The process in Europe was not as quick and straightforward as it was in other countries, Prof Ugur Sahin, the billionaire scientist and CEO of BioNTech, told Spiegel magazine.

There was an assumption that many other companies would come with vaccines. Obviously the thinking which prevailed was: we'll get enough, it won't be so bad, and we have it under control. I was amazed.

11:32 AM

Quality control is holding up vaccine rollout, says Johnson

Speaking during a visit to Chase Farm Hospital in north London, Boris Johnson has suggested that the limiting factor in expanding the UK's vaccine rollout was not supply or staff but waiting for batches to be approved.

"We have the capacity, the issue is to do with supply of the vaccine," he told reporters. "It's not so much a manufacturing issue although that's part of it. Each batch needs to be properly approved and quality controlled."

The Prime Minister added that there will be a "massive ramp up" in vaccination numbers in the coming weeks.

"The rate limiting factor is now not supply of vaccines although we want that to go faster, it's getting them properly tested and getting them to the NHS."

But, echoing comments from Matt Hancock this morning, the Prime Minister warned of "tough tough" weeks to come.

"If you look at the numbers there's no question we will have to take tougher measures and we will be announcing those in due course," he said.

11:26 AM

Morning summary

Just joining us? Here's an overview of the key headlines to be aware of, in the UK and across the globe:

Dialysis patient Brian Pinker, 82, has become the first person to be vaccinated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine outside of clinical trials in the UK this morning.

In less optimistic news, Boris Johnson has warned that tougher measures will soon be announced to control coronavirus, suggesting there are "tough, tough" weeks to come.

It comes after Matt Hancock said Tier 3 , which is in force in areas of the North East and South West of England, was no longer enough to contain the new variant of Covid-19.

The row over schools is also continuing, with a coalition of education unions warning that bringing all pupils back to class could fuel the pandemic and put teachers at "serious risk" of falling ill . But hundreds of schools across the country are still re-opening today.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is expected to announce new Covid-19 restrictions following a sharp rise in cases in the country.

The German health ministry is seeking advice on whether to delay administering a second dose of the Covid19 vaccine from BioNTech and Pfizer to make scarce supplies go further.

France sought to accelerate inoculations after an initial roll-out slowed by bureaucracy and government wariness in one of the world's most vaccine-sceptical countries.

Meanwhile in the United States , the government is considering giving people half the dose of Moderna's vaccine to speed up vaccinations.

And in India , regulators have authorised two Covid-19 vaccines - the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab and the locally-produced Covaxin.

Colombia's capital, Bogota, will implement strict two-week quarantines in three neighbourhoods beginning tomorrow in an attempt to control a second wave of Covid.

And finally Japan said it would consider declaring a state of emergency for the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area, casting news doubts over whether it can push ahead with the Olympics and minimise economic damage.

11:16 AM

Parents worry as crowded Kenyan schools reopen

Debates over whether schools should reopen in Britain have dominated the headlines. But concerns about safety for children and teachers are not confined to the UK.

In Nairobi's biggest slum, Kibera, hundreds of children formed an orderly queue this morning as they waited to enter classrooms for the first time since March, when the government closed schools after Kenya reported its first Covid-19 case.

The country is the last in East Africa to fully reopen its schools. Children in grades four, eight and 12 returned to class in October so they could prepare for exams postponed amid the pandemic.

But parents have expressed concerns that measures to prevent the spread of Covid are limited. Anyone entering schools has to use hand sanitiser and have their temperature checked but inside most, children are shoulder to shoulder, three at a desk.

"The government has said our children must go, but they are not safe according to how I see it," said 54-year-old parent Maurice Oduor, questioning how social distancing can be practised with about 100 students squeeze into each room.

But the government has insisted it is safe. George Magoha, the Education Minister, said yesterday that more than half a million desks and supplies of soap have been distributed to schools to keep parents and teachers safe.

11:05 AM

Watch: Hancock hints at new national lockdown

10:56 AM

Public must 'keep disciplined' to control virus, Johnson says

Boris Johnson said that while the Government will do everything necessary to keep the virus under control, the public must keep their discipline.

He said: "We will do everything we can to keep the virus under control and people should be in no doubt that the Government will do everything that's necessary.

"But I must stress at this critical moment it is so vital that people keep disciplined."

The Prime Minister said huge numbers of people were following the guidance and he recognised some were becoming frustrated.

He added: "I think the public have been fantastic in the way they have tried to follow the guidance."

10:55 AM

This time last year...

On this day in 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) made this announcement.

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10:53 AM

Prime Minister vows 'massive ramp up' in vaccination numbers

Boris Johnson said there will be a "massive ramp up" in vaccination numbers.

He added: "There's a massive ramp up operation now going on.

"The rate limiting factor is now not supply of vaccines although we want that to go faster, it's getting them properly tested and getting them to the NHS.

"It's not the ability to distribute the vaccine, it's not the shortage of staff.

"It's getting it properly tested. That will ramp up in the weeks ahead."

10:44 AM

Tougher measures to be announced, Boris Johnson says

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that tougher measures will be announced soon to control the coronavirus.

Speaking during a visit to Chase Farm Hospital in north London to meet some of the first people to receive the Oxford vaccine on Monday Mr Johnson said there were "tough tough" weeks to come.

He added: "If you look at the numbers there's no question we will have to take tougher measures and we will be announcing those in due course."

10:39 AM

German lockdown extended to Jan 31

The lockdown in Germany will continue until January 31, according to a newspaper in the country.

German states have agreed to extend the current measures to the end of the month, according to Bild.

German officials made clear last week that they won't be able to relax lockdown restrictions in early January as the country recorded more than 1,000 deaths in one day for the first time at the end of December.

Germany, the European Union's most populous country, shut restaurants, bars, sports and leisure facilities on November 2. The partial shutdown halted a fast increase in new infections for a while but failed to bring them down, prompting authorities to impose a fuller lockdown from December 16, shutting non-essential shops and schools.

Those measures are due to run until January 10. Chancellor Angela Merkel and the governors of Germany's 16 states will consult Tuesday on how to proceed.

10:27 AM

Birmingham council leader calls for national lockdown

The Labour leader of Birmingham City Council has called on the Government to impose a new "lockdown" amid rising case rates.

Speaking to BBC Radio WM, Cllr Ian Ward said that in the past week there had been a 36% increase in the city's seven-day case rate.

He added: "The NHS here in the city is under intensive pressure.

"University Hospital Birmingham has 98% of its intensive care beds occupied and Sandwell and City (hospitals trust) has 100% of its intensive care beds occupied.

"We're not in a position here to wait until the overall case rate gets up into the thousands, where it is in some London boroughs.

"We need decisive action now and the Government needs to act early for once and get ahead of the curve."

10:07 AM

Labour MP was 'very ill' with Covid over Christmas

Labour MP Toby Perkins said he became "very ill" over Christmas after contracting coronavirus, but had now made a "steady recovery" and was back at work.

Mr Perkins, who represents Chesterfield and is shadow minister for apprenticeships, tweeted: "Thanks to everyone who has sent kind messages, and enquired about my health since I announced that I had Covid over Christmas.

"I was very ill over Christmas, particularly suffering with breathlessness as well as other feverish coronavirus symptoms.

"I have made a steady recovery each day since 27th December or so, and whilst continuing to take things a little easier than normal, I am basically back at work now, although I'm advised to take a little extra rest every now and then."

10:05 AM

Hancock on tighter restrictions

There is plenty of talk of Tier 5 being introduced in the UK - you can read about what that might look like here.

But here is Health Secretary Matt Hancock refusing to rule out a tightening of measures.

10:03 AM

Jeremy Vine: 'Getting coronavirus over Christmas was like meeting Elvis'

Jeremy Vine has said having coronavirus over Christmas after reporting on it for so long felt like "meeting Elvis".

During his Channel 5 current affairs programme, the presenter aired a series of videos he had recorded while self-isolating in his family home over the festive period.

He said: "I had a weird one, I had Covid. I felt a bit ill on December the 22nd and then on the 23rd this was me."

Vine added: "When you have reported so much on a virus and you finally get it, it's like meeting Elvis but actually by day three, Christmas Day, I was a little better, although I had now had a positive test result.

"I followed all the rules. The family isolated. I had to isolate within the house."

09:51 AM

Boris Johnson arrives for hospital visit

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has his temperature checked during a visit to Chase Farm Hospital in north London.

Boris Johnson gives the thumbs up - Stefan Rousseau/PA

Mr Johnson warned Sunday that more onerous lockdown restrictions in England are likely in the coming weeks as the country reels from a coronavirus variant that has pushed infection rates to their highest recorded levels.

09:43 AM

Headteacher 'frustrated' at lack of leadership

Bryony Baynes, head of Kempsey Primary School in Worcestershire, said she feels "frustrated" at the lack of leadership and another potential last-minute change.

She said: "I feel sick with anxiety. I emailed all my staff last night because I am aware that the NEU has issued guidance letters and all of my staff are committed to being in school.

"They are, as I am, very anxious, but are determined to do their best for the children in our care. I think the unions are combining to bring pressure on the Government and on headteachers to close.

"I am not an epidemiologist - I trained to be a teacher, not to study viruses. I have to depend on the DfE and my local authority to lead me and, at the moment, I don't feel that leadership is clear."

09:18 AM

Matt Hancock

After a morning of media interviews on the morning the Oxford vaccine was rolled out in the UK, the Health Secretary gives the thumbs up to a photographer.

Matt Hancock - LNP/Ben Cawthra

09:08 AM

Hancock hints at new national lockdown

Matt Hancock hinted at the potential for a new national lockdown, saying the Government is prepared to act "rapidly" where necessary.

The Health Secretary told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "We are prepared to take the sort of action (lockdown) if that is what's necessary."

He added: "It's about not only the measures we put in place but how everybody responds to them.

"We're prepared to take the action that's necessary, and sometimes very rapidly.

"When we found out that this new variant spreads so much faster, we moved within just over 24 hours to bring in the Tier 4."

Asked whether he is prepared to introduce a new national lockdown, Mr Hancock replied: "We look at the data all the time, and we will take the action that is needed based on public health advice."

09:05 AM

Vaccine is safe, says JCVI

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation ( JCVI ) has deemed both the Oxford/Astrazeneca and Pfizer safe and provide high-levels of protection against coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, including severe disease.

Professor Wei Shen Lim, Covid-19 Chair for JCVI, said: "The JCVI has considered the safety and efficacy data on the AstraZeneca vaccine and we are pleased to say that it is acceptably safe and effective  as with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

"For both vaccines, high-levels of protection are evident after the first dose of vaccine. JCVI advises priority should be given to the first dose, to maximise the public health benefits in the current situation and save more lives."

09:00 AM

Here is how the vaccines will be rolled out in the UK

Residents in a care home for older adults and their carers 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, and individuals deemed clinically extremely vulnerable All those 65 years of age and over Adults aged 18 to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality All those 60 years of age and over All those 55 years of age and over All those 50 years of age and over

08:59 AM

School standoff

Some schools, like this one in Liverpool, have closed in spite of Government pleas to remain open.

Holy Name Catholic Primary School in Fazakerley, Liverpool this morning, which announced that they will not be opening as planned this week - Mercury Press

Dozens of others have followed suit, citing that staff do not feel it is safe to reopen given the surge in coronavirus cases.

But schoolchildren in Leeds were skipping into the new term this morning, as captured by this picture.

Schoolchildren make their way to primary school in Leeds, Yorkshire - PA

08:52 AM

FTSE 100 jumps on first trading day of 2021

The FTSE 100 has risen strongly on the first full trading day of 2021, with hopes for a rebound in global demand driving energy and mining stocks higher, writes Louis Ashworth.

Londons top index rose as much as 2pc, on track for its best one-day performance since early November, before gains cooled slightly.

Heavyweights such as Shell and BP rose as Brent crude oil prices broke above $53 a barrel, hitting the highest price since early May.

Meanwhile, gold and silver prices have risen solidly as investors seek alternative safe investments as bond yields remain poor.

08:47 AM

'We are going to get this out as quickly as possible', says NHS director

Prof Stephen Powis, director of NHS England, said: "We are going to get this out as quickly as possible. We need to get the supplies through. This is a new vaccine.

"AstraZeneca are ramping up producing and batches will be coming through. We have half a million to come. If we get two million per week, our aim is to get two million into peoples arms a week.

"We have been preparing in the NHS for months to deliver the biggest vaccination programme in out history and I am confident we will be able to do that Assuming the supply is there, we do have the workforce available.

"We want to minimise the bureaucracy people will go through, to ensure people volunteer. We want people to come forward. We are still looking for people because we want to get this into peoples arms very quickly."

08:44 AM

Matt Hancock 'incredibly worried' about South African variant

The Health Secretary said that he is "incredibly worried" about the South African variant of coronavirus.

"This is a very, very significant problem," he said.

08:41 AM

'No shaky hands' from nurse who gave first vaccine.

Nurse Sam Foster was asked if she was nervous administering the first Oxford vaccine.

But she told Sky News: "I've given many vaccines, it was exciting, but no shaky hands."

She called the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab "an absolute game changer", and said there is "nothing more" than she and her NHS colleagues want more than a proper roll-out programme.

Talking of her first patient Brian Pinker - 
Manufacturing firms saw a boost to business in December (David Davies/PA)

Irish manufacturing firms saw a boost to business in December ahead of the end of the transition period, according to an industry survey.

Demand accelerated to guard against a potential hard Brexit, the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) indicated.

Suppliers delivery times lengthened significantly as a result.

Oliver Mangan, AIB chief economist, said: All five components of the PMI rose again in December for the second month running and all are well into positive growth territory.

New orders increased strongly in the month, which translated into a marked rise in production.

This was partly due to customers bringing forward orders with the Brexit transition period expiring at the end of the month.

The same factor also saw manufacturers ramp up their purchases and stocks of inputs.

Firms remain optimistic about the 12-month outlook for production Oliver Mangan, AIB

New orders and output rose at the fastest rates since Julys post-lockdown bounce and purchasing accelerated as firms sought to expand inventories to guard against a potential hard Brexit, the AIB Ireland Manufacturing PMI survey showed.

Mr Mangan said higher work volumes saw firms increase their workforce for the third consecutive month, with employment expanding at its strongest rate since April 2019.

Supply chains remain under pressure, with manufacturers reporting shortages in raw materials as well as delays in deliveries owing to congestion at ports and on roads.

Price pressures continue to build, with a further sharp increase in input prices in particular.

Firms remain optimistic about the 12-month outlook for production, no doubt hopeful that the recent positive news on Covid vaccines will help bring about an improvement in economic conditions over the course of 2021.

Download the Belfast Telegraph App Get quick and easy access to the latest Northern Ireland news, sport, business and opinion with the Belfast Telegraph App.

PA
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The coronavirus (COVID-19) has claimed the life of one Staten Islander in the past 24 hours, inching the boroughs death toll to the disease toward 1,300 as hospitalizations saw a slight uptick and cases continued to climb.

Health experts across the U.S. had predicted a surge in cases due to holiday gatherings, and top doctors on Staten Island warned a week before Christmas that hospital beds on Staten Island were once again beginning to fill up.

City Health Department data published Sunday afternoon shows 1,290 borough residents are either confirmed or presumed to have died of COVID-19  an increase of one since Saturday.

That total includes 1,094 confirmed deaths and 196 probable deaths, according to the data.

A death is classified as probable if the decedent was a city resident who had no known positive laboratory test for the coronavirus, but the death certificate lists COVID-19 or an equivalent as a cause of death.

A Health Department source has said all data is preliminary, subject to change and can reflect lags in collection.

Citywide, 25,244 New Yorkers have died to the disease, city Health Department data indicates, including 20,432 confirmed deaths and 4,812 probable deaths.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

The number of patients treated within Staten Islands hospitals for the coronavirus increased by one within the past 24 hours, representatives from each of the boroughs two hospital systems told the Advance/SILive.com on Sunday.

Staten Island University Hospital currently has 188 coronavirus patients, according to Jillian OHara, a hospital spokeswoman. That total is an increase of six since Saturday.

That number includes patients at the emergency field hospital on the grounds of South Beach Psychiatric Center in Ocean Breeze.

At Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, 55 patients are being treated, said Alex Lutz, a hospital spokesman  a decrease of five from yesterday.

Due to an overall increase of COVID-19 cases over the past week or so at the hospital, RUMC on Monday suspended visitation at the hospital.

Rosie Kuczinski embraces her husband Matthew Kuczinski after being in Staten Island University in Prince's Bay with COVID-19 for 54 days. (Staten Island Advance/ Alexandra Salmieri) - Rosie Kuczinski Beats coronavirus-- Alexandra SalmieriRebeka Humbrecht | For the State

Confirmed cases of coronavirus jumped by 297 on Staten Island compared to the previous 24-hour period, according to city Health Department data, bringing the boroughs total number of positive tests since the start of the pandemic to 31,900.

The latest increase is slightly below the average number of positive tests reported between Wednesday and Saturday  497 per day  but is still higher than last Mondays total of 224.

Citywide, 393,612 positive coronavirus cases have been reported by the city Health Department, which is an increase of 2,937 confirmed cases since Saturday.

Staten Islands infection rate remains the highest, per capita, across the five boroughs.

With respect to testing, the data shows 6,699 of every 100,000 Staten Islanders have received positive results for the coronavirus, according to 2018 Census data projections and the Health Departments Sunday afternoon tally.

The Bronx, which has 79,246 confirmed cases, has the second-highest rate of infection at 5,533 per 100,000 residents.

Queens has the third-highest rate of confirmed cases in the city with 5,033 residents per 100,000 testing positive. A total of 114,706 positive tests have been recorded in the borough.

Brooklyn, the borough with the largest population, has the fourth-lowest rate of infection per 100,000 residents  4,385  and has reported 113,260 positive results.

Manhattan has the lowest infection rate in the city with 3,345 per 100,000 residents testing positive. A total of 54,475 cases have been tallied there.
Assicurazioni Generali SpA agreed to buy the Greek operations of French insurer AXA SA as part of its plans to expand in European non-life and health businesses.

The Italian company will pay 165 million euros ($203 million) for AXA Greece, equivalent to 12.2 times 2019 earnings, subject to closing adjustments, it said in the statement. Generali has also extended an existing distribution agreement between AXA and Alpha Bank AE by 20 years beyond its current expiration date of March 2027.

AXA currently sells insurance products in Greece through a long-term distribution agreement with Alpha Bank, making the renegotiation of the partnership a key step for the agreement. The business distributes its products through a network of more than 600 agents. In 2019, AXA Greece posted total gross insurance premiums of about 168 million euros.

Generali Chief Executive Officer Philippe Donnet said in July that the current economic crisis also presented new opportunities. In November, he said Generali had as much as 2.5 billion euros earmarked for acquisitions and would consider mid-size deals in the insurance and asset management sectors.

Photograph: A sign sits on the wall of the Rome headquarters of Assicurazioni Generali SpA in Rome, Italy, on Friday, January 27, 2017. Photographer: Alessia Pierdomenico/Bloomberg

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics AXA XL Generali Life Assurance (Thailand) Plc.
Navalny said Shaveddinov was the victim of an "abduction" that appeared to have been ordered personally by Putin. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that if Shaveddinov dodged the draft, then everything was done according to the law. Russian President Vladimir Putin. Credit:AP Shaveddinov, 24, grew up in Istra, a poor town west of Moscow, in a region flavoured by Russian politicians and billionaires to build country mansions. The inequality outraged him. "Even from childhood, I realised that things were not as they should be, that there was injustice," he said. He joined Navalny's cadre six years ago.

His arrest and lightning deportation from Moscow involved multiple security agencies, including the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Investigative Committee (a law enforcement agency for serious crimes) and the military, Shaveddinov said. Such an operation is typical of the high-profile arrests of opposition figures, journalists and activists. Russian Northern Fleet servicemen fire Tor-M2DT Arctic surface-to-air missile systems at the remote archipelago. Credit:Getty Images His lawyer, Vyacheslav Gimadi, said authorities breached the normal legal procedures on draft dodgers, who must be sent a first summons and then a second summons. Those who ignore the second summons face a court hearing and are normally fined, he said. However, draft dodging is a felony with a possible penalty of two years in jail for those who continue to avoid conscription. For Shaveddinov, it began around 3.30pm on December 23, 2019. His mobile phone access, Internet and power were suddenly cut in his Moscow apartment, leaving him in the dark with the setting sun. Special police pounded on his door. In the months beforehand, he had been detained and searched several times and had his bank account frozen.

"I looked through the hole in my door and saw a crowd of people, all in masks," he said, recounting his story in full. Many of the details had been presented in court in July by his lawyer. Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny. Credit:AP Sparks flew as a cutting device carved through the apartment's two metal doors. Shaveddinov did not want to be arrested wearing only shorts. He scrambled around in the darkness for clothes, dressing hurriedly and donning odd socks because he could not see. Police burst in, threw him onto the ground, handcuffed him and seized his computer, phone, TV and electric plugs, he said. They whisked him to the airport, put him  still handcuffed  onto a plane and flew him to Arkhangelsk in Russia's Far North. A rear admiral and other top military officials met the plane before Shaveddinov was transferred to another flight to the Novaya Zemlya archipelago late the same night, he said. He stepped out into a biting wind.

"It was so confusing. Things happened so fast. I didn't have time to be scared. There were people with cameras and I was thinking they probably won't kill me, since they're recording everything," Shaveddinov said. The next day he was given permission to call his girlfriend, Kira Yarmysh, who is Navalny's press secretary. It was his only phone call. Loading Three months later, Shaveddinov said he was flown to what he called the "botchka," or barrel, at an even more remote, secret military location. Between three and five other conscripts were there at a time, and a chopper delivered food monthly and mail every two months. "My job was to clear the landing strip and keep the polar bears away. They were very hungry," he said. "They slept right on my doorstep. In reality, they're very scary creatures."

The barrel is branded onto his memory: One window with ancient yellow curtains frames a flat field. The other, a helipad and a mountain. For more than a month in the winter, the sun never comes up. To drink or wash he cut a block of snow and melted it on the wood stove. In summer, he walked nearly two kilometres to the river and hauled back two 50-litre cans of water, taking care to avoid the polar bears. "It is clear why I was sent there: so that I would have no communication whatsoever with my family or friends. It's huge psychological pressure. You're alone with wild bears and dogs and two other people," he said. "You read books or you just stare out the window and watch your life passing by," he added. "Probably, if I was a different person, I wouldn't have made it. I would have become desperate." He spent a lot of time talking politics with the other conscripts, all from the northern region. He heard in a letter that Navalny was poisoned and in a coma, but for months did not know that his mentor had survived.

Russian authorities have sent many other opposition members for compulsory military service in remote and harsh locations. The aim, Shaveddinov contended, is to deter political activism among a new generation, many of whom are alienated by Putin's repression and attempts to curb Internet freedom. "With every year it gets worse and worse and there is less and less freedom," he said. "There are more political repressions and more political prisoners, and fewer possibilities for the opposition to operate. "The machine eats and destroys everyone," he said, referring to Russia's repressive security apparatus. He believes he was sent to the "botchka" to break him  "but I was not going to give them that gift." Shaveddinov's lawyer Gimadi sued Russian authorities for illegal abduction, "but the court rejected our complaint without reasoning," Gimadi said. He said the Defence Ministry offered no formal response in court. "It is clear that it is a political exile because of the unlawfulness of the draft in both its form and content, including the use of searches, and the choice of destination: a very remote unit, where only conscripts from the Arkhangelsk region serve," Gimadi said.

In June, another member of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, Artyom Ionov, was detained and flown to a military unit in the Far North region of Chukotka despite suffering from asthma, an exclusion for military service. In July, Ivan Konovalov, the press secretary of a small independent medical workers' union, the Alliance of Doctors, was arrested and flown to the Arkhangelsk military unit. Egor Cherniuk, the former head of Navalny's Kaliningrad headquarters, is at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania but facing a Russian criminal charge of draft dodging. Alexei Schwartz, head of Navalny's Kurgan headquarters, is also facing prosecution for allegedly evading the draft. "This practice is increasing all the time. We are hearing more and more attempts," said Alexei Tabalov, activist and founder of a nongovernmental organisation, School of Conscripts. "Authoritarianism is growing in Russia," Tabalov said. "We can say it is not just authoritarianism. It has become an autocracy, and we realise that Putin is not going to leave, and as long as he's alive he's going to rule the country and the situation will keep getting worse." When he returned, Shaveddinov carried home a bag full of letters from supporters and well-wishers. A final digital footprint of his journey remains: The "botchka" was marked on Google Maps by supporters, nicknamed "Shaveddinov's Gas Station," attracting a bunch of five-star "reviews" that are actually messages of support.
(Natural News) Members of the audience at a Pennsylvania State Senate hearing gasped after a witness revealed that more than 570,000 votes for Joe Biden were counted in a short duration. Ret. Col. Phil Waldron exposed these anomalous figures before Republican state senators during a Nov. 25 hearing in Gettysburg. Pulling out a chart to explain his point, Waldron said that 604,000 votes were tabulated in the span of 90 minutes  with 507,000 votes for the Democratic nominee and 3,200 votes for President Donald Trump.

Waldron revealed the fraudulent figures following scrutiny by Trumps personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani asked the retired combat officer to clarify what he called spike anomalies in voting patterns. These anomalies are events where a numerical amount of votes are processed in a time period that is not feasible or mechanically possible under normal circumstances, Waldron answered.

The retired colonel then showed a chart illustrating how votes were injected to give the former vice president a huge lead. Trumps personal lawyer then asked how many votes did the spikes in the chart correspond to, which prompted Waldron to give the more than 500,000 estimate for Biden and the 3,200 estimate for the incumbent. The audience present in Gettysburgs Wyndham Hotel gasped in shock when Waldron pointed out the glaring vote discrepancy.

Christian author and professor Paul Kengor wrote in a Nov. 28 piece for The American Spectator that Biden got 99.4 percent of votes in that batch while Trump only got 0.6 percent  something he called impossible and scandalous. He posited: This one spike alone would have erased Donald Trumps 600,000-vote lead over Joe Biden  late Nov. 3. Biden had reportedly won Pennsylvania by about 70,000 votes: This one swing would have done it.

Kengor further argues: If Waldrons claim is true, then that instance alone would affirm that Pennsylvanias elections were fraudulent and it would be one of the most insidious examples of documented voter fraud in the history of American presidential politics.

Even more surprising is mainstream media outlets refusal to cover vote fraud

Kengor also pointed out that mainstream media outlets ignored Waldrons electoral revelation: Only a number of conservative news sources reported on the issue, while mainstream sources avoided the hearing like the plague. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins concurred with Kengor, explaining that the media is doing everything it can to make the election results look squeaky clean. (Related: Big Media continues to ignore election-flipping evidence of fraud being presented in front of state legislatures across the U.S.)

Kengor explained in his American Spectator piece that while critics of the president would dismiss the hearings as a partisan spectacle by Pennsylvanias GOP senators, real journalists would see enough red flags to merit making phone calls or sending a few emails.

He subsequently issued a challenge to mainstream media sources: Could some reporter at some mainstream media outlet  with a modicum of journalistic integrity and decency  try to determine if these claims are accurate? Could just one journalist with access to Joe Biden ask for his reaction?

Kengor also noted a clear double standard when it came to Trump. How long would it take for Donald Trump to be grilled by a pack of ravenous reporters if Joe Biden had been potentially victimized like this? he asked. He also called for the U.S. Senate to summon mainstream media outlets over their deliberate refusal to cover election fraud allegations.

L. Brent Bozell, who heads conservative media watchdog Media Research Center (MRC), has been critical of mainstream medias biased approach toward the president. Reacting to a NewsBusters post-election survey conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, Bozell said the media stole the election and intentionally kept the American electorate in the dark.

Thus, the MRC called for mainstream media outlets  specifically media pollsters  to be investigated for meddling in the elections. Bozell said in a Nov. 4 statement: There needs to be a federal investigation: This is clearly election tampering. At the very least, this is a violation of federal laws.

VoteFraud.news gives you the latest regarding attempts to expose election fraud that mainstream media refuses to acknowledge.

Sources include:

LifeSiteNews.com

Spectator.org

FRC.org

NewsBusters.org 1

NewsBusters.org 2
The courses are being offered for free. However, there is a nominal fee charged towards the in-person proctored exam for the certification, should a candidate opt for it

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has come together and offered 500 online courses on the SWAYAM platform for students and working professionals.

According to a report by Times Now, National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning, NPTEL, is a joint initiative by IITs and IISc that has opened enrolment for online certification courses across India.

The report adds that the courses are being offered for free. However, there is a nominal fee charged towards the in-person proctored exam for the certification. Certification, however, is optional. Popular courses include Programming, Data Structures and Algorithms using Python, Basic Electrical Circuits, Engineering Thermodynamics, Health Research Fundamentals and Constitutional Studies.

As per the report, learners must watch online videos, submit assignments on weekly basis and register for an in-person final exam. The report adds that more than 1.2 crore learners have joined NPTEL courses till now.

In an interaction with the publication, Andrew Thangaraj, Coordinator SWAYAM-NPTEL-IIT Madras said that in order to streamline efforts of learners and to guide them to obtain expertise in an area, NPTEL has initiated the idea of 'Domain Certification'. According to Thangaraj, a domain comprises a set of core and elective NPTEL course and those who manage to complete a domain will get a domain certificate.

According to The Indian Express, Prathap Haridoss, co-ordinator, SWAYAM-NPTEL-IIT Madras, said that NPTEL currently has 49 industry partners who contribute through live sessions on various technologies and provide career guidance to learners. According to Haridoss, NPTEL has conducted more than 150 live sessions till date.

The report adds that SWAYAM-NPTEL currently works with more than 4,000 colleges in engineering, arts, commerce, science, and management disciplines across India.
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DENVER (AP)  When a doctor told Toni Stammler her 4-week-old son Milo needed urgent surgery because only one of his lungs was functioning, there was barely time to pack a bag _ let alone try to shop around.

In that moment, I honestly thought my baby could die, she said. In a situation like that, I dont think any mother should have to think about that, about what is this going to cost.

An air ambulance carried Stammler and Milo from Montrose to Centennial. Milo did well after the surgery at Childrens Hospital Colorado, and Stammler and her husband Peter expected their insurance would cover much of the cost, since theyd already spent most of the $10,000 annual out-of-pocket maximum their plan required.

Then the bill came in the mail. It was nearly $82,000.

The Stammlers insurance, through Peter Stammlers job in the Montrose School District, had covered the vast majority of costs for Milos care at Childrens Hospital Colorado and for the ground ambulance rides to and from the airports in Montrose and Centennial, Toni Stammler said. Their insurance and the air ambulance company, Guardian Flight, hadnt reached a previous agreement on rates, but the insurer offered to pay about $18,000 of that bill.

That left the Stammlers on the hook for almost $64,000. The flight was in late August 2019, and it took until November 2020 to resolve the bill, Stammler said. The Montrose School District didnt respond to questions about the insurance plan.

A spokeswoman for Guardian Flight said she couldnt discuss specific individuals to protect their privacy, but the company is working with multiple insurers on agreements. Patient advocates negotiate with insurance companies, government payers and others to try to cover a bill, and then work with patients to cover any balance, she said.

When patients need critical transport because of a life-threatening injury or illness and ground transportation is not an option, doctors, nurses or first responders will request air medical services. Without regard for a patients ability to pay, air medical services are deployed at a moments notice to help patients, she said.

Possible legislative fix

Last year, Colorado passed a bill limiting the surprise bills patients receive when they get medical care from someone who hasnt reached an agreement with their insurance company. Most providers, including doctors and hospitals, already cant bill patients for what their insurance didnt cover if they received care in an emergency.

That law doesnt apply to emergency flights, because states are barred from regulating air transportation prices, said Adam Fox, deputy director of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative.

Our protections cant apply to air ambulances because theyre regulated by the (Federal Aviation Administration), he said. Theres nothing that can be done at the state level.

There could, however, be federal relief in two years.

The $900-billion coronavirus relief package Congress passed included a provision forbidding surprise bills from hospitals, doctors and air ambulances. Most providers wont be able to bill patients directly for out-of-network care starting in 2022. Instead, the provider and the patients insurance company will have to settle the bill through arbitration. Ground ambulances are exempt.

Rep. Joe Neguse, a Democrat from Lafayette, had introduced a narrower bill last year that would only ban surprise bills from air ambulances. He had said he intended to introduce a similar bill in 2021, but the provision in the relief bill addressed the issue.

Eliminating surprise billing for air ambulance services will ensure that our rural and mountain communities can obtain the emergency care they need without being buried in bills for medical care they may not have agreed to or received unknowingly, he said. Action on surprise billing is long overdue, and this agreement will protect all Coloradans, by ensuring fairness in disputes between insurers and providers.

Pushing insurers to pay

The most recent data, from a Government Accountability Office report, found about 70% of air ambulance flights in 2017 were out-of-network, meaning the company operating the helicopter didnt have a contract with the patients insurance company.

Its not clear what percentage of people who used an air ambulance received a surprise bill, but those who did could face substantial costs: a study published in April in Health Affairs found half of patients who received an out-of-network bill for an air ambulance ride were charged more than $21,000.

Air ambulance companies estimated it cost $6,000 to $13,000 to run a flight in 2016, depending on the team members needed and other factors, according to the GAO. The cost can vary substantially, based on equipment needed and other factors, the Guardian Flight spokeswoman said.

Guardian Flight is owned by KKR, a private equity firm whose air ambulance subsidiaries charge some of the highest prices in the industry, according to a 2020 report from the Brookings Institute.

Even if families were inclined to shop around during an emergency, much of the state is only served by one air ambulance company, so theres no choice for patients who cant take a ground ambulance, Fox said.

The Stammlers insurance company offered Guardian Flight a contract where they would pay $45,000 per flight, but Guardian turned it down. After negotiations broke down, Guardian Flight offered to reduce the bill to $20,000 if they could pay in two weeks, or $33,000 spread over the next six years, Stammler said. Neither was financially feasible for a teacher and a stay-at-home mom, she said.

This bill is more than my husband makes in a year, she said.

Without specific legal protections, the best thing patients can do is push their insurer to pay as much as possible, Fox said. Some may also be able to negotiate a lower bill with the air ambulance company, he said.

With the protections looming, it may provide a bit firmer footing for consumers to negotiate, but the delay will still pose challenges for individuals hit by those air ambulance surprise bills, he said.

Ultimately, Guardian Flight agreed to accept their insurances offer of $45,000 for their flight, which Stammler thinks is because of their efforts to enlist support from hospitals and elected officials.

If you dont know the right people to contact, you might get stuck with this, she said. People shouldnt even have to figure out how to solve this.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A health official and a volunteer (R) take part in dry run or a mock drill for COVID-19 vaccine delivery at a health center in New Delhi on Jan. 2, 2021. (Prakash Singh via Getty Images)

India Approves AstraZenecas COVID-19 Vaccine, Local Vaccine

Indias drug regulator on Sunday announced that it had approved two COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use, one developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, and another developed locally.

Dr. V.G. Somani, the drugs controller general of India, said at a press briefing in New Delhi that the decision to approve both vaccines came after careful examination by Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, Indias pharmaceutical regulator.

A government minister said earlier that the AstraZeneca vaccine had been given the green light on Friday, paving the way for a huge immunization campaign in the worlds second most populous country.

The homegrown COVID-19 vaccine, known as COVAXIN, has been developed locally by Bharat Biotech and the government-run Indian Council of Medical Research.

The overall efficacy of AstraZenecas vaccine was 70.42 percent, according to the company, while Bharat Biotechs vaccine was safe and provides a robust immune response, Somani, said, noting that both vaccines require two doses.

Experts meanwhile have raised questions about the decision to approve Bharat Biotechs homegrown vaccine candidate before the completion of trials. Efficacy data for COVAXIN has not yet been revealed by the company nor Indias Central Drugs Standards Control Organization.

The All India Drug Action Network said it was baffled to understand the scientific logic to approve an incompletely studied vaccine.

A health official prepares a vaccine kit as she takes part in dry run or a mock drill for COVID-19 vaccine delivery at a primary health center in Hyderabad, India, on Jan. 2, 2021. (Noah Seelam/AFP via Getty Images)

Britain approved AstraZenecas vaccine on Dec. 30, the first country in the world to do so, saying it had accepted the recommendation from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to authorize the jab.

AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine is based on an adenoviral vector that requires only refrigeration and is therefore easier to store, meaning many low- and middle-income countries are relying on it.

In contrast, Pfizer and Modernas vaccines, which were created using messenger RNA and are currently being rolled out in the United States, need to be stored and distributed at cold temperatures to prevent them from degrading. They rely on segments of genetic material delivered into cells to help stimulate an immune response.

Several scientists have raised doubts about the robustness of results from AstraZenecas British and Brazilian trials, showing the shot was 90 percent effective in a sub-group of trial participants. That group, by error initially, received a half dose followed by a full dose. But the efficacy was 62 percent if the full dose was given twice, according to the company, which was the case for most participants.

Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the approvals in a statement on Twitter.

Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during the celebrations after the victory in Bihar assembly election and by-election in other states at the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters in New Delhi on Nov. 11, 2020. (Prakash Singh via Getty Images)

It would make every Indian proud that the two vaccines that have been given emergency use approval are made in India! he wrote, calling the move a sign of a self-reliant country.

Two other vaccine candidatesZydus Cadilas ZyCoV-D and Russias Sputnik Vare awaiting approval in India, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said earlier. Both are on trial in the country.

India hopes to vaccinate 300 million of its 1.35 billion people in the first six to eight months of this year.

Reuters contributed to this report.
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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 4, 2021) - Solution Financial Inc. (TSXV: SFI) (the "Company") is pleased to announce a non-brokered financing up to $5,000,000 principal amount convertible debentures ("Debentures"). The Debentures will mature on the second anniversary of the date of issuance (the "Maturity Date") and bear interest at a rate of 5.00% per annum, calculated and paid semi-annually. The principal amount and any accrued and unpaid interest on the Debenture may be convertible into Common shares, in whole or in part, at any time following the Issue Date but on or before the Maturity Date at a conversion price of $0.50 per Share.

The Company plans to use the proceeds of the financing to support the Company's expansion plans into Ontario. The Company recently received its license to operate in Ontario from Ontario's Vehicle Sales Regulator ("OMVIC").

"Our luxury leasing offerings remained steady throughout 2020 despite the COVID19 pandemic," said Bryan Pang, CEO. "Although the number of international students enrolling and returning in September was down as much as 58% according to Stats Canada, our monthly leasing volumes remained over $2.6M per month for fiscal 2020 ending October 31, 2020, with a notable uptick to $2.8M per month for the final fiscal quarter of 2020. We also saw this as an opportunity to expand our offering into Ontario after the successful expansion into Alberta in early 2020. Our proprietary leasing system is perfect for market expansion as it requires very little overhead to support adoption and will help Ontario luxury automobile dealers sell more vehicles, faster and easier than with traditional lending systems and lease offerings," concluded Bryan.

The offering of the Debentures is subject to the receipt of all necessary approvals, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The Debentures will not be listed or posted for trading on any exchange.

About Solution Financial

Solution Financial was incorporated under the provisions of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) in 2004 and specializes in sourcing and leasing luxury and exotic vehicles, yachts and other high value assets. Solution works with a select group of automotive and marine dealerships providing lending solutions to clients who cannot obtain leasing terms with traditional Canadian financial institutions. Typical customers include new immigrants, business owners and international students. Solution Financial provides a unique leasing experience whereby it partners with its clients to help them navigate the challenges of acquiring, insuring, maintaining and upgrading vehicles and luxury assets in Canada.

For further information please contact Sean Hodgins at (778) 318-1514.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

(signed) "Bryan Pang"

Brian Pang

President, CEO and Director

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking information and statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. The terms and phrases "goal", "commitment", "guidance", "expects", "would", "will", "continuing", "drive", "believes", "indicate", "look forward", "grow", "outlook", "forecasts", "intend", and similar terms and phrases are intended to identify these forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements regarding the completion of Debenture offering, receipt of approvals related to the Debenture offering and the use of proceeds thereof. The Company cautions that all forward-looking information and statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's ability to complete the proposed Debenture offering. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The Debentures and the shares which may be issued on exercise thereof have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/71310
Funding solutions will make it easier and more affordable for growers to upgrade to market-leading, low-energy lighting solutions

GE Current, a Daintree company, has announced a partnership with Aquila Capital, to provide funding solutions for growers looking to install low-energy LED lighting, through funds managed or advised by Aquila Capital*. The partnership will allow growers across Europe who are designing new indoor farming facilities, or upgrading existing installations to the latest lighting technology, to deploy Current's range of Arize horticultural LED solutions, faster and with the aim of no up-front capital expenditure.

Projects financed through the new partnership have the potential to achieve CO2 savings of 30-40% vs existing installations, with repayment calculations based on a proportion of the future energy costs. By removing the financial barriers to the latest generation of horticultural lighting and by supporting growers through every step of their journey to LED, Current aims to help optimise the quality and volume of yields, whilst significantly reducing the environmental impact of indoor farming.

"The horticulture industry is well aware of its environmental responsibilities and the sustainability targets being handed down across all sectors," commented James Fleet, Commercial General Manager, EU, ME ANZ at Current. "Aquila Capital's energy efficiency team is the ideal partner as it has already helped a number of European greenhouse operators to implement energy-efficient biomass technology at scale. The team understands the needs of European growers and can build bespoke, flexible financing solutions rapidly, allowing them to reap the financial and environmental benefits of deploying our Arize LED solutions immediately and with minimal risk."

Bruno Derungs, Senior Investment Manager with Aquila Capital's Energy Efficiency Team, said: "Our investment strategy is specialised on financing small-to-medium size energy efficiency projects for industrial or commercial companies, and implementing these projects in partnerships with experienced project developers. With Current, we have an excellent multinational technology provider as a strong partner. Our financing offering will further reduce the barriers for operators to run their greenhouses on the most innovative and energy efficient technology. We are excited to contribute to our common goal of driving forward the energy transition by supporting Current to realise additional projects."

Notes to Editors:

*To the extent possible under applicable regulations in the relevant jurisdiction. Specific solutions tailored to the local markets may be offered in certain jurisdictions.

About GE Current, a Daintree company:

Current enhances commercial, industrial, city and specialty applications with advanced lighting and intelligent controls. Working with our partners, we deliver the best possible outcomes for our customers.

Current harnesses the power of light to enable never-before-possible methods of farming, ushering in a new era of agriculture. We aim to build a world where growers can produce higher yields, cultivate with greater precision, and grow sustainably, locally and year-round to fuel a brighter future. For more information, visit http://www.gecurrent.com/eu/horticulture.

About Aquila Capital:

Aquila Group is a leading investment manager in real asset solutions. Its sustainable investment strategy focuses on investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, infrastructure, residential real estate, green logistics as well as timber and agriculture. Founded in 2001 as one of the first German alternative investment firms, Aquila Group currently manages EUR 11.1 billion for institutional investors worldwide (as at 30 June 2020).

Over the last decade, Aquila Group has built a truly pan-European asset portfolio with investments in the renewable energy sector amounting to a total capacity of 6.5 GW and over 2 million square meters of sustainable real estate and green logistics projects completed or under development. Through its investments, Aquila Group is committed to contributing to the European energy transition.

To create value for its investors, Aquila Group employs a fully integrated investment and asset management approach. With 14 offices in 12 countries, Aquila Group's dedicated expert investment teams draw on their sector networks and experience to screen, develop, finance, manage and operate investments along the entire value chain.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005556/en/

Contacts:

Michelle Van Den Hout

+447471358686

michelle.vandenhout@gecurrent.com
A worker installs a smart care system for 65-year-old empty-nester Li Yiping in a community in east China's Zhejiang province, Aug. 28, 2019. The system includes an automatic alarm and magnetic door locks. [Photo/VCG]

"I have low blood sugar again and the antianemia drugs are running out," the elderly Zhou Jufang, an empty-nester who resides on her own, said as she pressed a button in her home to seek help from the staff in her community. The staff members then sent Zhou's information to the community doctors before buying medicine and delivering it to Zhou.





Such convenience is enjoyed by all of the older residents of Chongwen community of Shandong province.





To better meet the increasingly diversified needs of senior citizens, especially those who do not have relatives to care for them, Chongwen community has utilized the internet and other new technologies to customize a number of emergency call service systems for its residents. Through the system, the elderly can simply push a button fixed to the wall of their home to call the community service hall. They can arrange anything from emergency assistance to living services such as housekeeping and delivery of groceries.





"As soon as an individual presses the button, information including his or her name and address is displayed on a big screen in our service hall, so workers can go to their door and provide help in time," said Zhang Songchun, deputy head of the Chongwen community. Zhang added that the "one-click call" spares the elderly otherwise tedious steps in getting the help they need. Staff, meanwhile, is on call 24 hours a day, providing the elderly access to smart care services without leaving their homes.





Similar services are also being launched in Shanghai. Some communities have installed intelligent water meters, intelligent magnetic door locks, and other smart devices connected to the internet for elderly residents living alone. Through real-time data collected by the intelligent equipment, community workers are constantly updated about the condition of their dependents and take the necessary action, ensuring their safety and security.





As China's society continues to age, six government departments including the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the National Development and Reform Commission, recently jointly published a proposal to develop community-based elderly care services.





The proposal encourages the establishment of an information platform as well as the enrichment of services and the innovation of smart products for old-age community care to solve issues when caring for the elderly who live alone or without self-care abilities.





China's smart elderly care industry was estimated to have a market value of nearly 3.2 trillion yuan in 2019, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 18% over the past three years. That figure is expected to exceed four trillion yuan by the end of 2020.
New Delhi:

Mohammad Kasim a resident of Hamirpur village in Balakot block, Mendhar tehsil of J&K's Poonch district was apprehended by the Indian Army with two packets of heroin, valued at approximately above Rs. two crores from the Line of Control, in Bhimber Gali of Poonch District on the night of 29 May 2017.

Md Kasim, 23 years, s/o Md Mushtaq Chowdhary under the garb of cattle grazer, had gone to the LoC and received the consignment of heroin from a Pakistani Occupied Kashmir National. The alert troops of the Army challenged and apprehended the individual.

The apprehension is a significant blow to the nefarious designs of Pakistan Army in facilitating narco smuggling to fund terrorism in the state of J&K. FIR has been lodged with Poonch police. Search of the area and further investigations are under progress.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
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The Norman Fire Department in Oklahoma has achieved the highest Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating from the Insurance Service Office (ISO), the insurance department reported.

The ISO rates over 50,000 fire departments in the United States. Less than 1% of them have a Class 1 rating, making the Norman Fire Department one of only 388 preeminent ISO rated fire departments in the nation.

The Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) offers consulting and educational resources for fire departments and communities interested in improving their PPC rating and mitigating fire risk.

Out of more than 740 fire departments in Oklahoma, only five have earned the Class 1 rating. Norman now joins Oklahoma City, Midwest City, Lawton, Tulsa and Broken Arrow in the Class 1 rating. This top rating may help residents and businesses save on insurance premiums gradually. The new rating takes effect on March 1, 2021

Source: Oklahoma Insurance Department

Topics Oklahoma
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The incidence of the UK COVID-19 Variant as another variant of the CCP virus has been detected. Northern China cities are on alert as the variant has infected Chinese patients with suspected superspreaders are found.

Last weekend Chinese officials were on high alert as the CCP virus was in the center of outbreaks in Northern China. These contagions got according to the authorities as the UK variant got identified as the viral type infecting the patients. Tracing how the UK strain got to the mainland is in progress.

Specifically, Shanghai and southern Guangdong Province city had patients with the B.1.1.7 or UK strain. Identified carriers are students who came from the UK last December 2020, who arrived in China. Tests pointed out through genome sequencing; the new variant is more contagious, reported NTD.

Other parts of China, Shenyang, and Dalian authorities have data on superspreaders who may have transmitted the virus to many people.

According to the Epoch Times, the locals are aware of hidden cases unannounced by local officials. An indicator that the true extent of the local contagions is underreported intentionally like before.

Super spreaders detected by health officials

During the weekend, more cases were found in Heihe City of Heilongjiang Province, Dalian and Shenyang cities in Liaoning Province, Beijing, and Shijiazhuang City in Hebei Province. Shenyang officials said that all the UK COVID-19 Variant had been near a woman surnamed Yin. Records say that she arrived on November 29 from South Korea. Some are suspected as super spreaders.

Also read: Sinopharm: China Gives Approval For Homegrown Vaccine with Alleged 79.3% Efficacy

An outlet made a map that traced the progression of the infection that was initiated by Yin. Those infected by the UK strain included her granddaughter, roommates, and hospital staff who gave the treatment for COVID-19. Nearby patients in the hospital were infected unexpectedly.

In Dalian, a 34-year-old patient surnamed Jin is the locus of an infectious spread that gave the contagion to 33 people. It was reported by Dalian officials attached to the COVID case.

On January 3, a press conference by Zhao Lian, vice director of the Dalian health commission, stated that Jin sells clothes at a local mall. Tracing indicated that the local mall is where he got infected.

Reported, the patient was at a family affair when symptoms manifested and infected about 10 or 11 of his kin at the affair.

In Beijing, reports of the latest positive infection is an 8-month-old infant. The cause is the mother and grandmother, who were positive for the CCP virus on December 31.

Official states that the possible UK strain cases are connected to a 31-year-old woman checked with COVID on December 24 last year.

Unannounced cases in the mainland

According to Ms. Li from Beijing, she told the Chinese Epoch Time that the Beijing outbreak is under official wraps and is worse than reported. She was mentioning that Shunyi and Chaoyang districts had cases that are not announced. Ms. Li said that the Beijing government hides many patients.

No one in Beijing wants others to know the real outbreak that will tarnish local authorities' image. Lockdown and orders to control the epidemic has been issued. Li doubts that the virus came from outside, according to Chinese narratives.

The UK COVID-19 Variant is detected in China with no apparent source, but super spreaders are a suspect as the CCP virus surges again.

Related article: New UK COVID-19 Mutation Detected in Colorado, Severity of Contagiousness not Determined

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Improving solar cell design is integral for improving energy consumption. Scientists have lately focused on making solar cells more efficient, flexible, and portable to enable their integration into everyday applications. Consequently, novel lightweight and flexible thin film solar cells have been developed. It is, however, not easy to combine efficiency with flexibility. For a material (usually a semiconductor) to be efficient, it must have a small "band gap"--the energy required to excite charge carriers for electrical conduction--and should absorb and convert a large portion of the sunlight into electricity. Till date, no such efficient absorber suitable for thin film solar cells has been developed.

Typically, charge carriers in a semiconductor are generated in pairs of negatively charged electrons and positively charged "holes" (essentially, the "absence" of electrons). For efficient electrical conduction, these electrons and holes need to be separated. A class of materials called "ferroelectrics" can greatly facilitate this separation, thanks to their spontaneous "electric polarization," a phenomenon analogous to spontaneous magnetization in iron. However, due to large band gaps and poor light-to-electricity conversion, they have seen limited photovoltaic applications.

In a new study published in Applied Materials and Interfaces, scientists from Korea addressed this issue and proposed a novel solution in the form of "antiperovskite" oxides, denoted as Ba 4 Pn 2 O, with Pn as stand-in for Arsenic (As) or Antimony (Sb). Using density functional theory calculations, scientists investigated various physical properties of the antiperovskite oxides and revealed that they exhibit spontaneous electric polarization, making them ferroelectric in nature. Prof. Youngho Kang from Incheon National University, who led the study, explains, In the minimum energy configuration of the Ba 4 Pn 2 O structure, we found that the O ions and the Ba ions are displaced from their original positions in opposite directions. These displacements gave rise to a non-zero electric polarization, a classic signature of ferroelectricity."

Since the spontaneous polarization assists in the separation of electron-hole pairs, this implied that antiperovskite oxides could efficiently extract charge carriers. In addition, the calculations showed that their band gaps are ideal for efficient sunlight absorption, allowing even a very thin layer of Ba 4 Pn 2 O to yield substantial photocurrent.

Such promising results have excited the scientists about the future prospects of thin film solar cells. Prof. Kang surmises, "Our results are a firm confirmation that antiperovskites can make for efficient absorbers for thin-film solar cells. Given their versatility, there can be several real-life applications for these solar cells, even to charge cell phones when sunlight is available. Moreover, their flexibility can allow for making self-driving wearable devices like smartwatches."

###

The novel material thus opens up endless possibilities for diverse applications, and for a sustainable world.

Reference

Authors: Youngho Kang (1) and Seungwu Han (2) Title of original paper: Antiperovskite Oxides as Promising Candidates for High-performance Ferroelectric photovoltaics: First-Principles Investigation on Ba4As2O and Ba4Sb2O

Journal: ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c13034

Affiliations:

1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Incheon National University

2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University

About Incheon National University

Incheon National University (INU) is a comprehensive, student-focused university. It was founded in 1979 and given university status in 1988. One of the largest universities in South Korea, it houses nearly 14,000 students and 500 faculty members. In 2010, INU merged with Incheon City College to expand capacity and open more curricula. With its commitment to academic excellence and an unrelenting devotion to innovative research, INU offers its students real-world internship experiences. INU not only focuses on studying and learning but also strives to provide a supportive environment for students to follow their passion, grow, and, as their slogan says, be INspired.

Website: http://www. inu. ac. kr/ mbshome/ mbs/ inuengl/ index. html

About the author

Youngho Kang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Incheon National University. He received his PhD degree in materials science and engineering from Seoul National University in 2015. From 2016-2017, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Materials Department in the University of California, Santa Barbara. Afterward, he worked at the Korea Institute of Material Science as a senior researcher from 2018-2019. He specializes in computational materials science using density functional theory calculations. His current research focuses on developing computational framework to discover novel functional materials in application to energy and optoelectronic devices.
MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla., Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OMNICOMMANDER , a financial technology firm specializing in website design, branding, and marketing for credit unions, concludes 2020 with the release of a case study showcasing long-term partnership success with Chattanooga Federal Employees Credit Union.

Chattanooga Federal , a credit union with $56 million in assets based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was an early adopter that chose OMNICOMMANDER and continues to be both an employee and industry-wide favorite. OMNICOMMANDER's relationship with Chattanooga Federal began soon after Mark Fraker became CEO in February of 2017, consisting of a complete website redesign, a new logo, and social media marketing management in July of 2017.

"Our experience with OMNICOMMANDER has been exceptional. Eric and his team worked quickly to get our new website functional. I have never worked with another vendor so willing to assist and take on tasks normally delegated back to the credit union. For credit unions looking for a one-stop shop, look no further.

Chattanooga Federal is thrilled with all OMNICOMMANDER has done and will continue to do for us." - Chattanooga Federal CEO, Mark Fraker.

While OMNICOMMANDER is immensely proud of their partnership with CFEFCU, they are especially proud to showcase such a partnership as they enter their fourth year as a company. The company has assisted so many community based credit unions this year, and is honored to be part of many credit union's growth even in a pandemic.

OMNICOMMANDER CEO Eric Isham said, "The unique opportunity we had to support credit unions in such a challenging year is not lost on us. Our partners, like Chattanooga Federal, deserve praise for the resilience and strength they showed in 2020. We have been in a position this year to see what I have been calling a "Tale of Two Credit Unions". The folks that have embraced digital services and online communication led by a fully functional digital branch have seen record results. When you compare an OMNICOMMANDER credit union with one of their peers not leveraging our solutions, the results are staggering. In some cases there is a 3X multiple in loans and membership growth. Really just fantastic stuff."

Despite the tough times mentioned, OMNICOMMANDER's growth in their team and services in 2020 has been staggering. Among other accomplishments, 52 new employees were onboarded, several new campaigns were launched on behalf of clients, multiple virtual board meetings were hosted for their partners, over a quarter of a million on-site web chats were managed, and thousands of pages of PDF documents were made accessible to those with disabilities. In addition, the Account Management team has consistently provided world-class service to each credit union, making countless updates to their websites alerting members to the continuous lobby hour changes and closures of their credit branches.

OMNICOMMANDER stays true to its commitment to growth with the fast-approaching launch of OMNICOMMANDER 6.0, the newest iteration of their website. They continue to be a trailblazer in the industry, serving over 400 clients. Partnering with this many credit unions in just four short years is a true testament to the dedication of the OMNICOMMANDER team.

About OMNICOMMANDER

OMNICOMMANDER is a veteran-owned and operated credit union website design and social media marketing firm. Focusing on member experience, the company ensures every touchpoint has a remarkable user experience. Along with incredible design, OMNICOMMANDER creates sites with built-in mobile responsiveness, SSL encryption, and observance of ADA guidelines. OMNICOMMANDER provides marketing services including targeted marketing, branding, and social media to enhance every aspect of a brand's digital presence.

For more information, visit OMNICOMMANDER on LinkedIn , Twitter , Facebook , and Instagram .

Media Contact:

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800.807.3109

[email protected]

SOURCE OMNICOMMANDER

Related Links

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An irate mob on Monday pelted stones on Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Sorens carcade while he was returning to his official residence from the state secretariat.

The attack was made near Kishoreganj in the state capital in the evening while chief minister Soren was on his way back from project building. The protesters, most of whom were women, were on road venting anguish over the brutal murder of a lady in Ranchi. The ladys body was recovered from Ormanjhi locality on Sunday, prompting the BJP, the main opposition party to take to the streets.

The police handled the situation and diverted the carcade via Seva Sadan. The IG and DIG took control of the situation assuaging the protestors sentiment that was on the boil. The chief minister reached his residence safely.

Earlier, BJP mahila morcha delegation led by state president Arati Kujur met Jharkhand governor Draupadi Murmu highlighting the governments failure in protecting women. She requested the governor to intervene into the matter and take appropriate action.

She said, the women were being raped and subjected to torture while the Hemant Soren government was busy celebrating the completion of one year in power. Its frustrating and ridiculous, the government must go, she said.

The Bharatiya janata yuva morcha too staged a protest across districts. Yuva Morcha state president Kislay Tiwari said the Hemant Soren government has been neglecting the crime scenario and lost its trustworthiness. If this is the scenario of the state capital, the condition in other places could be well understood, he said, adding that the government should be dismissed immediately.

Also read: No solution was found as farmers adamant on rollback of farm laws - Tomar

Commenting on the incident, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said it was a deliberate attempt to disturb peace in the state capital.

The incident is deplorable. Such violence in name of protest in the state capital is an attempt to disturb the peace by stoking tension and violence. Some were reportedly been injured in the incident and had undergone treatment in Medica hospital, he said.

Bhattacharya said the administration knows how to deal with such anti-social elements and it will take appropriate action against those behind the incident.

The JMM leader said that the frequent incidents of rape were unfortunate and mentioned that the state government has taken various measures such as opening fast track courts for speedy trial and conviction of the accused and special POCSO courts besides the launch of an app-based help for women in distress.
LONDON, Jan. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global outbreak of COVID-19 has sparked a lot of healthcare discussions as many people have avoided seeking medical care to ease the strain on practitioners and protect themselves from contracting the virus. In his informational guide, Dr MAYA: Protecting You Protecting Us From Infections and Illness, Dr. Kadiyali M. Srivatsa shares knowledge, experience and information about common illnesses to help users figure out if it is necessary for them to visit a doctor. He has updated his book and application to provide insight into the COVID-19 pandemic and assist them in deciphering if they should self-treat, consult a nurse, visit a doctor or go to the isolation hospital (to watch a video on this topic, please visit the Dr Maya YouTube page).

Dr. Srivatsa, a retired physician with a special interest in the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, collected data, compiled a list of common symptoms and created MAYA (Medical Advice You Access) in 2003. In his experience, he has found that delay in diagnosis, wrong treatment, cross infections and antibiotic abuse led to devastating complications and death. Dr. Srivatsas mission is to assist the average citizen in identifying infections early and isolating themself at home to prevent spreading in their family, community and country.

I wrote Dr MAYA to share knowledge and information, empower people to self-diagnose and manage common illness at home, change the mindset of people and dismantle the culture of dependency on doctors, said Dr. Srivatsa.

The average reader can use Dr MAYA as a go-to resource to motivate them to learn more about what is going on in their body and feel confident in determining what is happening within. In many ways, the book may prove to be a handy reference and a good first step for evaluating symptoms, especially to those who find the Internet, with its avalanche of detailed and often conflicting information, overwhelming.

Dr MAYA: Protecting You Protecting Us From Infections and Illness

By Dr. Kadiyali M. Srivatsa

ISBN: 978-1-5246-2971-7 (softcover); 978-1-5246-2969-4 (hardcover); 978-1-5246-2970-0 (e-book)

Available at the AuthorHouse Online Bookstore, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

About the author

Author Dr. Kadiyali M. Srivatsa has trained physicians to clinically examine, diagnose and manage patients in acute and intensive care in hospitals for more than three decades and later worked as a family doctor in the United Kingdom. Dr. Srivatsa has published two books to share his knowledge and experience to help others differentiate common from serious illnesses, written numerous articles and invented devices to reduce infections in hospitals. He challenged healthcare providers and institutions for licensing non-medically trained professionals and allowing them to diagnose and prescribe drugs. He conducted observational studies, identified causes and developed methods and devices to reduce spreading MRSA infectionswhich have since mutated, verifying his prediction of pandemics. Currently, Dr. Srivatsa resides in London, UK and dedicates his time to inspire people to reduce the culture of dependency on doctors to diagnose them and manage the common illness on their own. For more, please visit Dr. Srivatsas website: www.maya.doctor/.

About AuthorHouse

AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industrys only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrates over 23 years of service to authors. For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.com or call 1-888-519-5121.

Attachment
Ministers are finalising plans for a 100million post-Brexit package to revive Britain's fishing fleet to help land catches normally taken by France and the Netherlands.

The scheme was promised last month as the government faced criticism by fisherman that it had compromised on important issues to finally secure a trade deal with the EU.

It is thought that under the plans, British crews will be able to expand their fleet within a five-and-a-half year transition window to catch species that were traditionally only sought by French and Dutch teams, The Times reports.

The processing industry will also be expanded to make sure there is enough capacity to land the additional fish, reports say.

Ministers are finalising plans for a 100million post-Brexit package to revive Britain's fishing fleet to help land catches normally taken by France and the Netherlands. Pictured: Fishing boats at the fishing port at Bridlington Harbour in Yorkshire

This map shows the extent of the UK's Exclusive Economic Zone - the waters Britain controls after Brexit

A government source said Chancellor Rishi Sunak had discussed the plans with Boris Johnson before the Brexit deal had been agreed.

The source said: 'We took the view that the fishing fleet needed to be rebuilt to take advantage of the new access... We needed to invest a lot more into it if we were actually going to be able to catch the fish that we will be entitled to.

'Rishi said, ''Yes we can do that. The Treasury can find the money to help.'' '

The trade deal struck with Brussels allows the European Union to keep 75 per cent of the value of what it catches in British waters, while 25 per cent must be returned to British fisherman through the transition phase.

Four Naval ships, including HMS Tamar (pictured leaving Portsmouth on New Year's Eve), were sent into the English Channel to put a stop to illegal fishing on UK fishing grounds hours before the terms of the new Brexit trade deal came into force

Boats from France and the EU can still fish in British water but over the next five-and-a-half years a quarter of their quota will be handed over to the UK. Pictured: HMS Tamar leaving Portsmouth on New Year's Eve

Britain will be able to cut quotas or exclude boats in a 6-12 nautical mile zone from summer 2026.

The news comes as the Royal Navy sent four warships into the English Channel to warn French trawlers to stay away from British fish amid the Brexit deal coming into force.

Hours before the deal took effect on New Year's Day the boats, armed with cannons and machine guns, left Portsmouth to put a stop to any illegal fishing in UK fishing grounds.

The 100million ship HMS Trent led the mission, flanked by HMS Tamar, HMS Tyne and HMS Mersey - all of which have been assigned to protect the new fishing rights agreed in the trade deal.
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Security operatives in Kaduna have arrested five suspected killers of a Fulani herder killed in Atyap Chiefdom, Zangon Kataf on Monday.

According to a statement by Kaduna State Commissioner of Security and Homeland Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, on Monday, three suspects were arrested on Sunday, while two other suspects were arrested on Monday morning.

The military under the auspices of Operation Thunder Strike (OPTS) has informed the Kaduna State Government of the killing of a herder while grazing in Matyei village, Atyap Chiefdom of Zangon Kataf local government area.

According to the briefing, troops responded to a report of a farm destroyed in the village on Sunday afternoon, and arrived the scene to discover that a herder, one Ado Hassan, had been shot dead by unknown persons.

Initial investigations into the killing led to the arrest of three persons: David Kure, Peter Adamu and Bulus Duniya

Suspect Suspect Suspect

The statement said further investigations yielded two more arrests Monday morning: Matthew Peter and Yohanna Chawai

Mr Aruwan said the arrested suspects were undergoing preliminary investigations.

The commissioner also said Governor Nasir El-Rufai expressed dismay at the killing and sent condolences to the family of the herder, while praying for the repose of his soul.

He urged citizens to eschew jungle justice and embrace recourse to the law in the face of any incursion or offence, and further tasked security agencies to conduct thorough investigations into the killing.

The southern part of Kaduna has been a hotbed of banditry, kidnapping, ethno-religious crisis, among others, for years now.
Quick cowtown humanitarian note . . .



TKC TOLD YOU SO!!! AFTER MONTHS OF WARNING KANSAS CITY NOW CONFRONTS DEADLY COVID-19 HOMELESS CRISIS!!!



In fact, for nearly a year local homeless advocates warned that this town's hobo population confronted a horrific threat amid limited resources, space and the worsening pandemic.

Now, two Kansas City homeless people found frozen to death over the weekend confirms the deadly, local homeless catastrophe in the making. Sadly, this town is far too broke and slow to quickly craft a policy solution to help people freezing to death on local streets this Winter.



Check the links . . .



KMBC: Second homeless person dies in the cold in Kansas City

KSHB: Kansas City councilman crafts proposal to address homelessness

KCTV5: Deaths raise concern for those Kansas Citians who are struggling

Channel 9: City leaders promising more resources after two homeless men died in the cold this weekend

Developing . . .
CHICAGO  Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday announced 492,129 thousand non-felony cannabis related arrest records have been expunged at the state level by the Illinois State Police.

The announcement comes four years in advance of the deadline set in the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (CRTA) signed into law by Pritzker in 2019.

Additionally, Pritzker on Thursday issued pardons for 9,219 low-level cannabis conviction records, for a total of mopre than 20,000 cannabis convictions pardoned since the signing of the legislation.

Statewide, Illinoisans hold hundreds of thousands low-level cannabis-related records, a burden disproportionately shouldered by communities of color, said Pritzker. We will never be able to fully remedy the depth of that damage. But we can govern with the courage to admit the mistakes of our pastand the decency to set a better path forward.

The CRTA required cannabis-related arrest records created between 2013 and 2019 be expunged by Jan. 1, 2021, a total of 47,000 records. With the expungement of all 492,129 cannabis arrest records, ISP is four years ahead of the Jan. 1, 2025 statutory deadline for completing automatic expungements.

Pritzker said his administration remains committed to upholding the intention of the law and ensuring the cannabis industry is equitable for all Illinois residents. Under the law, 25% of revenues collected from recreational cannabis sales will be directed to communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the justice system through the Restore, Reinvest and Renew (R3) Program. In the coming weeks, the innovative R3 program will grant over $25 million in funding to organizations working in historically underserved communities across Illinois.

The public servants of the Illinois State Police Division of Justice Services have worked diligently on the expungement process for thousands of eligible records across the state, said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. We will continue to work closely with the Governor in the years ahead to implement this new law.

For more information on the adult-use legal cannabis industry, go to https://www2.illinois.gov/cannabis/Pages/default.aspx.
China on Monday vehemently refuted the US charge that the novel coronavirus was leaked from a bio lab in the country and asserted that the pandemic was likely to have been caused by separate outbreaks in multiple places in the world.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying's remarks came amidst reports that a ten-member team of the World Health Organisation (WHO) scientists would visit China this month to probe the origin of the coronavirus, which emerged in Wuhan in December 2019.

Beijing is yet to confirm the visit by the WHO team and remained silent about granting permission for it to visit Wuhan city in central China.

"I have no detailed information for you," Hua told a media briefing here when asked about the visit of the WHO team and whether its schedule included a visit to Wuhan.

"China attaches high importance to cooperation with the WHO. We have been providing support and convenience for WHO's work," Hua said.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

China has been proactively questioning the widely-held view that the deadly outbreak broke out in a wet market in Wuhan where the live animals are sold. The market remained closed and sealed since early last year.

In May last year, the World Health Assembly (WHA) - the governing body of the 194-member states of the WHO - approved a resolution to set up an independent inquiry to conduct an "impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation" of the international response as well as that of WHO.

It also asked the WHO to investigate the "source of the virus and the route of introduction to the human population".

"We raced against time and were the first country to report cases to the world, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in interviews to the official media over the weekend.

"More and more research suggests that the pandemic was likely to have been caused by separate outbreaks in multiple places in the world," he said.

"When hit by an unknown coronavirus, China took immediate actions to carry out epidemiological investigation, identify the pathogen and publicise key information including the genome sequencing of the virus. All this sounded alarm bells across the world," Wang said, adding that China took the most rigorous control measures to fight the virus".

In her media briefing on Monday, Hua launched a scathing criticism against the US, saying Washington should produce evidence to back its charge that the virus emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

She in-turn called for a WHO probe into American military run bio labs while replying to a question on latest allegations by the US National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger that the COVID-19 has been leaked from the WIV.

"There is a growing body of evidence that the (Wuhan) lab is likely the most credible source of the virus," Pottinger, a staunch critic of Beijing, allegedly made the claim in a recent virtual meeting with UK officials, according to a British media report.

His allegation is nothing new as US President Donald Trump, who termed COVID-19 as "China virus", too had alleged last year that the institute may have been responsible and called for an inquiry.

"Maybe you could ask the senior US officials since they are considering origin tracing such a priority why doesn't the US invite the WHO experts to investigate the virus in the US considering the links between the Fort Detrick lab (in Maryland) and the major flu last fall and the pandemic,"Hua said.

"Why doesn't the US invite journalists there," she asked.

Hua said, "regarding the Wuhan lab making or leaking of the virus almost all the scientists and experts in the world including Dr. Anthony Fauci, (director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) openly denied this".

"Many media including American ones interviewed officials of Wuhan Institute of Virology to see the truth," she said.

"Pottinger is still hyping despicable lies and rumours. Does it reflect his own stand or that of the official stand of the US government? The US should present evidence on this. There are more reports showing evidence that pandemic broke out in multiple locations in 2020," she said.

"We hope that the WHO can lead the scientists in conducting the tracing of the organ of the virus so that we find out the truth at an early date," Hua said.
'What happened in New York City was successful because of federal, state and local communication, voluntary vaccinations and a public information blitz,' according to Judith Leavitt

And now only 4.2 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been given in the U.S. since vaccinations began on December 14

According NYC health commissioner in 1947, 'Never before had so many people in one city been vaccinated in such a short time and on such short notice'

More than six million New Yorkers were vaccinated within a month

The smallpox outbreak began on February 24, 1947, when 47-year-old American businessman Eugene Le Bar traveled from Mexico City to New York

Jerry Oppenheimer is a New York Times bestselling author whose 13 books have included biographies of such American icons as the Clintons and the Kennedys.

From president-elect Joe Biden to angry and frustrated democratic governors across the country, there's been much whining and bickering over the slowness of the Covid-19 vaccine distribution  and, not surprisingly, blame is on the outgoing Trump administration.

'As I long feared and warned,' declared Biden. 'The effort to distribute and administer the vaccine is not progressing as it shouldit would take years, not months, to vaccinate the American people.'

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer contends, 'The feds are slow-walking the processthe bottleneck appears to be the [Trump] White House.' While New York's Andrew Cuomo claims, 'The people of this country don't trust the federal government with this vaccine process.'

But the complaining politicians have only to look back to 1947 - when highly contagious and monstrously fatal smallpox quietly slipped into New York City from Mexico - to see how millions of Big Apple citizens were immunized, virtually overnight, resulting in just two deaths, and with none of the politicization and panic that exists today with the Covid vaccine.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has vowed that he will not take the COVID-19 vaccine until all people in his age group have access to the jab as the state is hit with the second wave and hospitals are inundated with patients

In 1947, millions of New Yorkers were immunized virtually overnight when the highly contagious and fatal smallpox outbreak occurred. Thousands of New Yorkers are seen lining up for smallpox vaccines in against smallpox in 1947

'What happened in New York City was successful because of federal, state and local communication, voluntary vaccinations and a public information blitz  and that's what's needed in any pandemic,' according to Judith Leavitt, professor emerita of history of medicine, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and author of Typhoid Mary: Captive to the Public's Health.

What could have become a killer smallpox epidemic in New York City, claiming the lives of untold thousands, began on February 24, 1947, when a 47-year-old American businessman by the name of Eugene Le Bar and his wife were on their way to their home in Maine and boarded a New York-bound bus in Mexico City.

During the exhausting five-day trip he became ill  a headache, back pain, sore throat and two days into the trip, a severe rash. To help, he started popping large amounts of aspirin, but to no avail.

Le Bar felt even worse when the bus arrived at the midtown Manhattan terminal on February 30. Still, the couple decided to spend a few days in the city - checking into a hotel, sightseeing, shopping and mingling with huge crowds of New Yorkers on the city's teeming sidewalks and in its bustling stores.

These New Yorkers were innocent of the fact that the man was carrying a deadly, highly contagious disease, with no cure or treatment  a disease that would soon have the nation's most populated city in near panic.

A vaccine can prevent smallpox, but its side effects are too high to justify routine vaccination for people at low risk, according to medical experts.

By March 5, Le Bar had become so ill that he was rushed from his hotel to Bellevue Hospital. With his temperature high and his rash spreading, physicians were not only stymied, but were extremely concerned.

Most had never seen a case of smallpox, and the city had not experienced smallpox in decades. Three days later, the doctors at Bellevue ordered Le Bar transferred to Willard Parker Hospital, the city's communicable disease hospital.

According to a November 1947 report in the American Journal of Public Health by Dr. Israel Weinstein, New York City's Commissioner of Health through the crises, doctors at Willard Parker initially considered four possibilities for Le bar's deteriorating condition.

Smallpox was mainly rejected because Le Bar had a 'well developed vaccination scar.' An initial biopsy of his skin also showed no indication of smallpox, but later 'other sections of the same biopsy' disclosed characteristic bodies of smallpox.

Five days after Le Bar was admitted to Willard Parker, on March 10, he died. An autopsy showed multiple hemorrhages, attributable to smallpox.

While Le Bar was at Willard Parker, two other patients had been admitted  27-year-old Ismael Acosta, with mumps, and a 22-month-old girl suffering from croup, neither had ever been vaccinated.

George Long, vaccinates little Patrick Hogan, while other children in the class line up awaiting their turn at the needle at the St. Joan of Arc, parochial school in Jackson Heights, Queens

The smallpox outbreak began on February 24, 1947, with a 47-year-old American businessman by the name of Eugene Le Bar traveled from Mexico City to his home in Maine, stopping in New York

New Yorkers are seen lining up for their free smallpox vaccinations after 12 cases were reported in the state in April 1947

They soon recovered and were released, but eleven days after Le Bar died, the girl, who had developed a rash, was readmitted to Willard Parker, with what was believed to be chickenpox. The next day Acosta, who was employed at Bellevue Hospital, also developed a rash, also thought to be chickenpox.

But further lab tests showed 'numerous lesions characteristic of smallpox infection.'

For killer smallpox to spread, all it takes is a touch, a cough, or a sneeze. A horrific rash can then cover the entire body.

The World Health Organization states that in the 20th century alone, smallpox had claimed 300 million people. Finally, in 1980, it was declared eradicated by the WHO.

All employees and patients at Willard Parker were vaccinated, and the case involving Eugene Le Bar, who had traveled to New York from Mexico, was reexamined and determined that he had died from smallpox, and was the source of smallpox infection of Acosta and the child.

All of the guests who had been in the hotel where the Le Bars had stayed were traced and vaccinated.

But more smallpox cases began showing up: Ismael Acosta's 26-year-old wife; three men, ranging in age from 43 to 60, who had been patients at Bellevue when Acosta was there; a four-year-old boy who had been at Willard Parker on the day Le Bar died.

The boy would be the source of three other smallpox cases  a 62-year-old nun, a five-year-old boy, and a two-year-old girl. By then, the smallpox outbreak consisted of 12 cases  nine originating in New York City, three in the town of Millbrook, New York. Of the nine in the city, two died  Le Bar and Mrs. Acosta.

Before 1947, the last major outbreak of smallpox in New York City had occurred in 1875, claiming the lives of some 2,000 residents.

On April 4, 1947, with the diagnosis of small pox in the Acosta case, the U.S. Public Health Service was notified and those on the bus with the Le Bars and others along the route were traced to determine if they had been infected. No cases were found. Mrs. Le Bar was located in Maine, but she had long before been vaccinated and was in good health.

April 4 also happened to be Good Friday. Two days later the city's annual Easter Parade was scheduled. If someone with smallpox were to be in the crowd, the outcome could be a disastrous.

At that point, a plan was drafted by New York City's health department, to vaccinate all New Yorkers, and the department's Bureau of Laboratories was placed on an emergency work schedule.

Mayor O'Dwyer (left) is pictured meeting President Harry S. Truman (right). During the outbreak, Truman came to New York and news reports stated he had also rolled up his sleeve

As of Sunday, January 3, there were over one million total cases in the state of New York

Immediately, New York media  newspapers, radio and TV-- issued alerts urging everyone to be vaccinated without delay, with all health department offices and all the city hospitals kept open night and day, seven days a week to deal with the emergency.

At the urgent request of New York's Irish-American mayor, William O'Dwyer, a one-term democrat, the nation's vaccine manufacturers went on a 24-hour schedule packaging their bulk vaccine, sending all supplies to the Big Apple.

Some 650,000 doses of vaccine were immediately available, and another several hundred thousand units of vaccine was quickly gathered around the country and shipped to New York by the U.S. military.

With news cameras present, Mayor O'Dwyer was vaccinated by Dr. Weinstein. On April 21, President Harry S. Truman came to New York, and news reports stated he had also rolled up his sleeve.

Drug store pharmacists participated, distributing vaccine to private doctors, and vaccination stations were set up at all police precincts, Health Department buildings, and city hospitals and clinics were on duty, with the vaccine free of charge to all who lined up.

Local vaccination centers were established by community organizations. Factories, business offices, and union headquarters, also set up vaccine centers.

But there were vaccine shortages, and there was a sense of panic among New Yorkers who still had not gotten their shots.

At some vaccine stations, according to a story in The New York Times, 'the crowds did not take kindly to the news that the doctors had run out of vaccine and the police had a little difficulty dispersing a crowd of several hundred' outside a vaccine station.

In one instance, a young woman posing as a nurse vaccinated 500 people with water to impress her boyfriend. She was sent to Bellevue Hospital for psychiatric evaluation.

But, in a period of less than a month, more than 6,350,000 New Yorkers were vaccinated, more than five million of them within the two-week period following the appeal for universal vaccination made by the mayor.

According to Dr. Weinstein, the city's health commissioner during the 1947 smallpox cases, 'Never before had so many people in one city been vaccinated in such a short time and on such short notice.'

Graphs show that New York is in the midst of a second wave of COVID-19, after managed to curb infection and death rates during the summer and fall of 2020

A COVID-19 patient is wheeled into a New York City hospital on New Year's Day

According to a Bloomberg report based on data up to January 2, 4.2 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine has been given in the U.S. since vaccinations began on December 14.

In his report, Weinstein said that what happened in New York could have been a 'major catastrophe.' All of the New York cases were of the 'virulent type' and 'it is little short of remarkable that there were only 12 cases in the entire outbreak,' he stated.

In the aftermath of the mass vaccination campaign in New York almost 75years ago, the city's Health Department received innumerable phone calls reporting cases of smallpox that turned out to be chickenpox, and others called complaining of falling ill and blaming the emergency vaccine they had received, but there were no fatalities.

The smallpox epidemic that struck New York also caught the fancy of Hollywood.

Based on a 1948 article in Cosmopolitan magazine, entitled 'Smallpox, the Killer That Stalks New York,' the film, 'The Killer That Stalked New York,' was shot on location and in a semi-documentary style, and shown in movie theaters in 1950.

But the producers changed the story line, blaming the smallpox outbreak that caused a panic in the city on a woman, played by the actress Evelyn Keyes, who had arrived in New York from Cuba with $50,000 worth of smuggled diamonds, feeling ill, and not knowing she had smallpox, which soon spread.
US: 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine found in watermelons

Tesla owners will be paid $ 16,000 each due to slow charging

Advisor to Armenia Prosecutor General provides details about incident with Armenian soldier killed in Verin Shorzha

Banksy's painting of punk Lenin sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 960,000

CSTO Deputy Secretary-General: Escalation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border requires undertaking of urgent measures

Catholicos of All Armenians receives newly appointed Ambassador of Japan

Australia closing its embassy in Kabul for security reasons

Biden to discuss issues related to Belarus and Ukraine with Putin

Armenian acting FM meets with ambassadors of CSTO member states accredited to Armenia

Armenia Ombudsman presents human rights protection in post-war period to CoE Programmes Directorate General

Germany is investigating Google's position in market

France: Sanctions against Belarus will continue

Armenia opposition party MP: Azerbaijan is a terrorist state, negotiations can't be led with such a country

US to reopen its Consulate General in Jerusalem

EU expects to receive over 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine by end of September

Armenian MFA strongly condemns Azerbaijan's blatant armed encroachment on Armenia's sovereign territory

UN still awaits strong evidence that Dubai ruler's daughter is alive

Opposition Bright Armenia Party urges Government to immediately address UN Security Council

Armen Sarkissian receives Russia Ambassador to Armenia

Armenia President, France Ambassador discuss situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border

Overchuk: We hope unblocking of links between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a success

Armenia police officer commits suicide, criminal case launched

Armenia Environmental Protection and Mining Inspection Body has new deputy heads

Zarif, Aliyev discuss railway routes connecting Iran, Azerbaijan and Armenia

EU leaders agree to donate at least 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to poor countries

Armenian serviceman Mher Hovhannisyan fires gunshot at his head, criminal case launched

Soldier who died in Armenia's Verin Shorzha was son of ARF-D member, father of 2

Blinken promises to continue close consultations with Israel on Iran

Armen Sarkissian: Armenia's relevant state institutions need to take the tightest measures

Armenian soldier commits suicide, opposition speaks on tense situation on border, 25.05.21 digest

Yerevan man's body found at Tatul Krpeyan Park

Armenia MOD: Reports about Armenian soldiers being injured in Sisian section of border not confirmed

EU summit calls for rarly implementation of vaccination certificates

Parliament of the Netherlands adopts resolution, EU must demand that Azerbaijan pull out troops from Armenia

Kremlin: Russian and US presidents to meet in Geneva on June 16

Spokesperson of community council of Armenia's Sisian: Men got enlisted and climbed to military posts

Bright Armenia Party: We are not satisfied with CSTO response

EU leaders urge council to review internal border guidelines by mid-June

Armenia MOD: Fixed-term serviceman receives lethal firearm injury in head area

Dollar still stable in Armenia

Armenian Catholic Catholicos-Patriarch passes away

Kathimerini: US seeks to increase military presence in Greece due to doubts about Turkey's reliability

US Congress members call on Biden to suspend all military assistance to Azerbaijan

Armenia acting economy minister receives Montenegro's newly appointed Ambassador

Armenia MOD: Soldier killed during shootings from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha

Russian MP: Azerbaijani leadership interested in Armenia acting PM's victory in snap elections

Armenia MOD reports shooting from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha border section

Armenia opposition MP: Authorities promised to separate business from politics, but they're failing to fulfill promise

There will be post-election processes if authorities try to rig voting, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

CNN: Putin and Biden will meet on June 15-16 in Geneva

Latin America has the highest poverty rate in 20 years

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia applying to CSTO: No one will help you if you do nothing to solve your problems

Armenia ruling Civil Contract Party presents list of first 10 candidates ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Armenia acting justice minister discusses broad range of cooperation issues with top CoE official

Armenia former President Kocharyan: This guilt, this criminal article is on these authorities

Man survives after spending 17 days in desert

Azerbaijan continues course towards systematic extermination of Armenian heritage in Shushi

Armenia Syunik Province ex-governor: Azerbaijani soldiers advanced along length of border two days ago

Newly appointed Ambassador of Montenegro presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Its about bringing Karabakh issue back to right to self-determination, says Armenia ex-President Kocharyan

Iran FM to arrive in Armenia

Ara Aivazian and Austrian counterpart hold phone talks, focus on Azeri army's infiltration into Armenia's territory

Kocharyan: Elect todays political team if you are ready to live squatting

Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 30 million

2nd President Kocharyan on Armenia Security Council chief: Do you take that person seriously?

"Key" to settlement of Karabakh conflict cant be in one place, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Texas may permit carrying of pistols without special permission

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia acting PM Pashinyan's high popularity rating: We will wear it down to the root

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Election bloc format must be workable in some logical sense

Attorney: Political persecution against Robert Kocharyan is becoming more noticeable during election campaign

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: We must do everything so that our domestic politics is not dictated by Azerbaijan

Armenian acting defense minister meets Russian peacekeeping mission chief

Congress predicts US nuclear spending to reach $ 634 billion by 2030

Russian MP: The effectiveness of military cooperation with Armenia depends on Yerevan as well

Delimitation now may create some problems in Karabakh negotiation process, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan on relations with 3rd President Sargsyan: We go our own way they go their own

Judge adjourns hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM for 3 weeks

Court hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM

2nd President Kocharyan: Armenia must show that it will not be subjected to such pressures

Kocharyan: You may find yourself in stupid situations if you come to negotiations without any baggage

Armenia Investigative Committee: Criminal case opened into soldiers death

157 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

EU helps UN World Food Programme provide humanitarian assistance for conflict-affected people in Armenia

Yerevan municipal council convenes regular session

Armenia legislature speaker on situation at Syunik Province: CSTO still has procedures

Blinken arrives on his first official visit to Israel

World oil prices going up

Provincial hall issues statement on Tavush section of Armenia border with Azerbaijan

MFA statement: Azerbaijan continues to use Armenian POWs as political hostages

Newspaper: There are last-minute changes on Armenia ruling party electoral list

Armenia parliament starts regular sessions

Newspaper: Armenia 3rd President Sargsyan intensively engaged in election campaign

EU leaders call for ban on Belarus airlines flights to their countries

Quake hits Georgia, also felt in Armenia

2nd President Kocharyan: Process of obtaining Armenia citizenship shall be simplified, shall take only few months

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Appointments in army were not based on knowledge but on loyalty

Robert Kocharyan: Armenia must not go back to the past and stay there, just like the incumbent authorities did

Armenia 2nd President on recent Karabakh war, consequences and the signed document

Armenia 2nd President: Current authorities don't have remorse, aren't conscious and patriotic

Armenia 2nd President on black PR and management system in the country
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This is the story of Kelvin, an 18-year-old who lives outside of Accra, in Ghana. His family is not rich, and as you might have guessed, he lives in a country where owning a car is considered a luxury in and of itself. So, because he cant afford to buy one, he built it himself.Weve heard stories like this one before, of young men from remote countries who take automotive design into their own hands. Their videos almost always go viral because even if their cars are less than perfect, theyre admirable feats for the sole reason that they got built. This is just like this: Kelvins story reached the ears (and eyes) of travel vlogger Drew Binsky, who traveled to Ghana to meet him.He got Kelvin to talk about his project and was even treated to a ride in the unique creation, and was left impressed at how it handled like a real car. He remarked the amount of detail on the build and how well it handled, and praised Kelvin for pursuing his dream in the video you can watch at the bottom of the page.Kelvin says the total cost of the two-seater would be under $200 and that it took him three years to put it together. That's because he worked after school and with whatever money he had at the moment to buy scrap metal. Everything was done by hand , and he worked mostly alone.The engine under the hood is from a motorcycle. Theres even a radio system inside, so that he can blast his favorite tunes on the way to school. The car doesnt have windows, but the gullwing doors do open, even if they dont shut completely. The headliner is styrofoam, according to Binsky, and the seats look comfy enough.Granted, this car needs more polishing, but thats not the main takeaway from this story. That would be Kelvins message to other youths out there: always follow your dream, despite what others might tell you.If a teenager can build a functional car from scrap metal and with just $200, maybe the future isnt that bleak.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Victoria has recorded three new locally acquired cases of coronavirus and one in an international traveller in hotel quarantine. There are now 36 active cases across the state.

A Sikh temple in Melbourne's south-east, Puffing Billy and a Nando's in the Melbourne CBD have been added to Victoria's list of exposure sites. A person who works at a Boost Juice outlet in Chadstone has also tested positive.

Today's test results come from more than 32,000 tests on Sunday. Testing resumed at some sites at 8am on Monday. There were long delays at some testing sites, while others experienced little to no delays.

A person with COVID-19 visited the Keysborough Sikh temple in Perry Road on New Year's Day between 2pm and 5pm.
US Senate Republicans were divided amid efforts to challenge the 2020 Electoral College results, which affirmed Democrat and former Vice President Joe Biden's victory over sitting President

On Sunday, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, dismissied a plan by a group of his Republican colleagues to contest the presidential election results.

"Proposing a commission at this late date, which has zero chance of becoming reality, is not effectively fighting for President Trump," Graham, also the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, tweeted.

"It appears to be more of a political dodge than an effective remedy," he added.

Graham was referring to a statement made by Texas Senator Ted Cruz and multiple other Senate Republicans a day earlier, in which they said they would vote against accepting the election results unless Congress appoints an Electoral Commission for "an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in the disputed states".

The Senators will vote on Wednesday, when Congress convenes in a joint session to formally count the electoral votes, to reject the electors from what they called "disputed states", unless that audit is completed, according to the statement.

Graham, in another tweet on Sunday, said that he will listen to his colleagues closely but acknowledged that "they have a high bar to clear".

Several other Senate Republicans, including Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Mitt Romney of Utah, have blasted the Cruz-led efforts.

"I voted for President Trump and endorsed him for re-election," Toomey, who is retiring at the end of 2022, said in a statement.

"But, on Wednesday, I intend to vigorously defend our form of government by opposing this effort to disenfranchise millions of voters in my state and others," he added.

Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee and a vocal Trump critic, said in his statement on Sunday that "the egregious ploy to reject electors may enhance the political ambition of some, but dangerously threatens" the country's institutions.

Cruz's announcement came days after Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, another Trump ally, said that he will join a group of House Republicans to force a debate and vote on the Electoral College results.

This would be the third time in US history that Congress has been forced to consider an objection to the electoral count because of a motion by a Senator and a member of the House.

The two previous attempts, one in 1969 and the other in 2005, failed.

Vice President Mike Pence, who will preside over the congressional session, "welcomes the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections and bring forward evidence before the Congress and the American people", Marc Short, his chief of staff, said in a statement on Sunday.

If a written objection is lodged on Wednesday, US lawmakers would meet in their individual chambers for up to two hours to debate, according to a letter written by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to her Democratic colleagues on Sunday.

Unless both the House and Senate vote to reject the Electoral count for the state in question, the objection is rejected.

Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be officially inaugurated "at the end of the day, which could be the middle of the night", according to Pelosi.

Electors gathered in 50 states and the District of Columbia on December 14, 2020 to formally vote for the next US president based on the popular votes.

Biden, the former Vice President, won 306 of the 538 electoral votes to Trump's 232.

To clinch the White House, a candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes.

Trump is yet to conced and was still pushing for claims of massive election fraud, despite that dozens of attempts by his legal team and allies to challenge the results in some key states had been defeated, rejected, or tossed out.

According to a report posted Sunday by The Washington Post, Trump directly asked Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger of Georgia, a battleground state Biden flipped from red to blue, to overturn the results during a phone call on January 1.

During their conversation, the President repeatedly asked Raffensperger, a Republican, to "find" more than 11,000 ballots needed to overcome the gap.

At one point, he said: "So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state."

Raffensperger and his office's general counsel were heard in the call rejecting Trump's claims, explaining that the President was arguing with "wrong" data and Biden's victory in the state was fair and accurate.

--IANS

ksk/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mumbai: Actor brothers Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan, and the latters son Nirvaan Khan, were booked by the Mumbai Police on Monday for allegedly violating the COVID-19 institutional quarantine norms, civic and police officials said. The Khan trio was asked to stay at a hotel in suburban Bandra after they returned to Mumbai from the UAE in the penultimate week of December last year as per guidelines, but they went to their homes instead, a civic official said.

The case was registered against them under section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, a Khar police station official said. As per the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), passengers returning from counties in Europe and the Middle East must stay in institutional quarantine for seven days in view of the detection of the new strain of coronavirus in the UK.

In his statement submitted in Khar police station in Mumbai, Dr Sanjay Funde, a medical officer of H/West ward, said that he received information on Monday that Arbaaz, Sohail and Nirvaan had returned from Dubai but didnt go to institutional quarantine. Dr Funde and Bandra police officials then reached Sohail Khans residence on Nargis Dutt Road in Bandra.

They were told by Sohail Khan that he and Arbaaz Khan had returned from Dubai on December 25 while Nirvaan Khan flew back on December 30, a police official said quoting Dr Fundes statement. Sohail Khan also told BMC officials that they had booked rooms in a five-star hotel in Bandra for quarantine stay, but decided to go home after their tests at the Mumbai airport confirmed that they were not infected with coronavirus, the official said. .
The leaders of six countries from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will meet in the Saudi city of Al-Ula on Tuesday for the 41st summit of the Supreme Council, amid high expectations that the meeting will discuss starting a dialogue to end the years-long dispute with Qatar.

Although the rotating presidency of the GCC is currently with Bahrain, the summit will take place in Saudi Arabia to ensure the attendance of Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, given Dohas tense relations with Manama.

Reports of reconciliation have dominated the build up to the summit, with some talk of ending a boycott of Qatar by three GCC members (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain) and Egypt, which has been in place since 2017. The four countries severed relations with the tiny energy-rich country over its support of terrorist and militant groups seeking to destabilise neighbouring countries.

However, analysts are predicting a sort of ceremonial declaration that a dialogue will be started to discuss ending the Gulf rift.

The summit is expected to agree on an 18-point document on the start of a dialogue to end the Qatar crisis.

Ahram Online has exclusively learned that the document will include items ranging from respecting the sovereignty of signatories and a commitment to non-interference in neighbours internal affairs, as well as an item stressing adherence to the Gulf media charter  i.e ending hostile media campaigns.

The document calls for putting good-will promises into action that would lead to resolving outstanding issues.

The four countries boycotting Qatar have reportedly agreed among themselves that they would sign the document.

The document is almost identical to a similar agreement Qatar signed with the rest of the GCC member states in 2014, but Doha later reneged on all commitments, which led to the boycott decision three years later.

In the days before the upcoming summit, Kuwait exerted diplomatic efforts to facilitate reconciliation. In fact, Kuwait has tried many times before, but these attempts have been thwarted by Doha refusing to negotiate on issues including Turkish military presence on its soil or its cosy relations with Iran, which it considers as sovereign foreign policy.

The summit will be held in person, despite the coronavirus pandemic, and is set to be attended by two new leaders who assumed power last year after the deaths of their predecessors: the new Emir of Kuwait Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, who succeeded late Emir Sheikh Sabah Sheikh Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, and possibly Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, who succeeded the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

For many years, Oman has attended each GCC summit through a representative of the sultan, and if Sultan Haitham attends Tuesdays summit, it will a first in many years.

The summit is expected to focus on two issues: post-pandemic economic recovery and Gulf cooperation  with the Qatar crisis taking lesser priority. The Saudi hosting of the summit, in place of Bahrain, is meant to solidify the Saudi regional role.

This choice of venue is also symbolic to showcase the new Saudi vision for the future, focussing not only on oil and gas revenues, but diversifying the economy to meet upcoming challenges.

Tourism and investment in technology are two of the main trends in the region to make up for losses in revenues due to declining oil prices and the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic. There are also economic policy measures that need to be conformed in the GCC bloc, such as the Value Added Tax (VAT), which has not yet been applied in Kuwait, for example.

The GCC six countries have a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of about $1.6 trillion, and the capital value of their financial markets is estimated at $3 trillion, making it one of the biggest economic blocs in the world. However, it is facing many challenges in its efforts to steer a new course from old policies. This is why the first summit in its first decade would be significant for the GCC economy and integration.

It is not clear yet if the Qatari emir will attend in person or will be represented by a deputy.

A preparatory meeting for the summit held last week, hosted by Bahrain, was attended by five foreign ministers. The Qatari foreign minister was not there and Qatar was represented by a junior official.

The absence of the Qatari foreign minister may have been because Bahrain, not Saudi Arabia, hosted the meeting, given the recent is rise in tension between Doha and Manama. Qatars absence dampened hopes that the GCC summit might come out with a full-blown reconciliation.

Short link:


All primary and secondary schools and colleges in England are to close for most pupils from tomorrow until February half-term, Boris Johnson has announced.

In a televised statement from Downing Street, the prime minister acknowledged that the closures mean it will not be possible or fair for all exams to go ahead as planned this summer.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson is to consult with Ofqual on which exams can go ahead under what conditions, and how qualifications can be awarded.

The announcement came on the day that many primary schools reopened their doors on the orders of the government following the Christmas holidays, despite appeals from teaching unions and some councils for them to be allowed to remain closed.

Mr Johnson said: "I completely understand the inconvenience and distress this late change will cause millions of parents and pupils up and down the country.

"Parents whose children were in school today may reasonably ask why we did not take this decision sooner.

"And the answer is simply that we've been doing everything in our power to keep the schools open, because we know how important each day in education is to children's life chances.

"And I want to stress that the problem is not that schools are unsafe for children. Children are very unlikely to be severely affected by even the new variant of Covid.

The problem is that schools may nonetheless act as vectors for transmission, causing the virus to spread between households.

University students will not be able to return to university for the start of term.

Instead, they will be expected to follow their studies from their current address, with the exception of those whose physical attendance is necessary for their course, such as medical students.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: We are relieved the Government has finally bowed to the inevitable and agreed to move schools and colleges to remote education in response to alarming Covid infection rates.

But he added: This decision clearly raises a question about GCSEs, A-levels and other exams which are due to take place in the summer.

This new lockdown will be disruptive to learners who have already been hugely disrupted. Schools and colleges are very worried about how exams can be made fair in these circumstances.

We are keen to work with the Government and exam regulator Ofqual to make this process as fair as it can possibly be.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC: "A lot of staff and teachers have done all they can to get some schools back open today  and nobody wants to see schools, closing.

"But I'm afraid that's inevitable given the serious situation that we find ourselves in. I understand the anger and frustration. It is inevitable.

What we now need, I think, is proper support for working parents, who will be really concerned about what to do in the coming days and weeks, proper support for children at home, because that package needs to be in place, and we need to already start working on how we can reopen again.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said Mr Johnson had ducked the difficult decisions, failed to listen to experts and acted too late.

"Just yesterday morning Johnson was telling parents that schools were safe and children should definitely go, said Davey. "Today he is telling us that they must all move to remote learning but without any proper future plan.

The prime ministers failure to act earlier means we are seeing record numbers of new infections, a rising death rate, hospitals overwhelmed and NHS and care staff exhausted."

Prof Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, warned that significant care and additional resources would be needed to avoid unfair disadvantage to children from poor backgrounds, leading to reduced chances and lower earnings later in life.

We must ensure that any assessment system that replaces exams is fair to all pupils particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds," he said. "The evidence of learning losses suffered during the pandemic so far suggests that further school closures in early 2021 are also likely to exacerbate educational inequalities.

The government will need to target significant extra resources to help the most disadvantaged pupils. Unless action is taken, reduced hours of learning, persistent absence from school and weakening economic conditions at home equate to bleak prospects for the young."
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Showers and a possible thunderstorm in the morning will give way to partly cloudy skies late. High 77F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

A mostly clear sky. Low 47F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
There is no reason to be bored when exercising. There are so many different podcasts out there, you can find whatever floats your boat.Which for me today (Sunday) was " How Taiwan used digital tools to solve the pandemic with Audrey Tang ." This podcast dates back to June, so I checked the stats for today. They have had a total of 808 cases and seven (yes, seven) deaths. The population of Taiwan is 24 million (rounding up). The United States is now at 351,000 deaths. If you used the the death rate for Taiwan and used our population total, we'd have around 104 deaths right now. How we doin'?The one item I'll highlight here is a concept they are using to counter disinformation. They call it "using." The amazing part is that they believe they have to act "within hours" to counter any rumor they discover. Two hours is their goal. They employ comedians to help them. And, a principle they use is that you don't make fun of others, only yourself/government.Hard to get in trouble if you are only making fun of yourself  but, I have found people and humor vary widely. However, I do think that the Humor vs. Rumor idea would work here in the United States. Evidence: TikTok.
Flir, one of Oregons last big tech companies, said Monday it will sell its business to California-based Teledyne Technologies in a deal initially valued at $8 billion in cash and stock.

That would represent a 28% premium on Flirs closing share price last week. The deals value immediately declined by about $30 million, though, because Teledynes shares fell 7.5% Monday as its investors reacted negatively to the transaction and to the California companys fourth-quarter financial results.

Flir makes thermal-imaging and night-vision technology for the military, domestic security and various industrial and consumer applications. Though founded in Oregon, and still nominally based in Wilsonville, the company moved its executive team to a second headquarters in Virginia in 2019.

Roughly 350 employees remain in Wilsonville, where Flir develops and markets some of its technology. Its thermal-imaging cameras enable troops to see at night and in difficult weather, increasingly coupled with aerial drones and other robotic equipment.

Flir employs about 4,300 worldwide; the company said Monday it didnt have any immediate word on the future of its Oregon site but said its business as usual for now.

Oregons roster of tech headquarters has steadily eroded over the last 15 years, with a string of major businesses selling to larger corporations elsewhere. While technology employment has continued to grow during that stretch, no big new tech companies have emerged in Oregon to replace those that sold.

Flirs sale leaves Hillsboro-based Lattice Semiconductor and Beavertons Digimarc Corp. as Oregons last publicly traded tech companies.

To the extent Flir is still an Oregon company, Mondays sale price is by far the largest sum ever paid for one of the states technology businesses. When Mentor Graphics Corp. sold in 2017, Siemens paid $4.5 billion. FEI Co. sold a year earlier for $4.2 billion.

Teledyne, Flirs new owner, makes an array of sensor technologies for the industrial and defense markets. The California company said it has little direct overlap with Flirs product portfolio and expects complementary technologies and an optimized capital structure will boost Teledynes profits.

Teledynes shares fell nearly 7.55% Monday, to $362.39. The California companys sales topped $3 billion last year, according to preliminary fourth-quarter results issued Monday.

Teledyne will pay $28 a share for Flirs stock and 0.0718 shares of Teledyne stock for each share of Flir, which it said implies a purchase price of $56 per share. Teledyne said it will borrow $4.5 billion to help finance the deal.

The companies expect to save $40 million annually in the short term, and $80 million in subsequent years, through cost cuts enabled by the combination. They expect to close their deal by the middle of the year.

Flirs sales totaled $1.4 billion through the first nine months of last year, roughly flat compared to 2019. Its profits totaled $137.3 million in the first three quarters, down from $169.9 million in the same period a year earlier.

Flirs shares jumped 19.2% Monday, to $52.24, on news of its pending sale.

Founded in 1978, Flir has grown steadily for decades in Oregon. The company weathered a major investigation into its corporate accounting by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission beginning in 2000. Flir ultimately restated two years of financial results and fired its CEO as its share price plunged.

Flirs business turned around following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, boosting military demand for Flirs technology. The company later sought to expand into consumer technology as military sales waned, but the consumer market never really took off and Flir subsequently refocused on its defense business.

During the coronavirus outbreak, Flirs sales have benefitted from increased demand for thermal cameras that measure skin temperature as a screening tool for COVID-19 infection. Sales in Flirs industrial group rose 9% last quarter, chiefly because of demand for that screening technology.

That boost is likely to be temporary, though, and Teledyne didnt mention temperature screening as a factor in Mondays deal.

Beginning with Tektronixs sale in 2007, Oregons slate of large, homegrown technology companies has dwindled to nearly none. Electro Scientific Industries, Radisys, Planar Systems, TriQuint Semiconductor, Mentor Graphics and FEI Co. each sold to larger businesses out of state.

Those companies were all decades old and its not unusual for businesses to sell as they mature. What is unusual, though, is that no big tech companies emerged to take their place.

The reasons for Oregons failure to produce thriving startups are well understood. Its partly due to the tech industrys consolidation in major hubs, chiefly Silicon Valley and Seattle. And the state historically relied on hardware manufacturing, an expensive segment that has shifted offshore in recent decades.

Oregon lacks major research universities and other resources that have helped nurture young tech companies in other markets. The states entrepreneurs havent meaningfully grown the amount of venture capital they attract from outside the region.

For the most part, though, the sale of Oregons older tech companies hasnt resulted in major job losses. The new owners of Mentor Graphics and FEI both retain major operations in Oregon, for example, and other out-of-state tech companies  notably Intel, Amazon and Apple  have continued expanding in the Portland area.

Total tech employment has grown by nearly 17% over the past 15 years and the sector remains arguably Oregons most vital, as important to the states economy as the forest products industry was in the 1970s.

While Oregon hasnt had a technology IPO since 2004, two Clark County companies  ZoomInfo and nLight  have had breakout IPOs in recent years. And Portland-based software maker Puppet says it hopes to go public sometime in 2021.

-- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699
(Bloomberg) -- As one of the most tumultuous years in oils history ends, a delicate task now confronts OPEC+.

The alliance of producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia must decide whether it can continue to restore crude supplies without capsizing the price recovery they spent most of 2020 working to achieve.

Moscow believes that the group -- which slashed output during the pandemic -- can revive another 500,000 barrels a day of idle capacity in February, on top of an increase scheduled for this month. Riyadh, which has favored greater caution, is keeping its own views under wraps.

The outlook for the first half of 2021 is very mixed, OPEC Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo said at a preparatory meeting on Sunday. There are still many downside risks to juggle.

Whatever they ultimately decide, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners are leaving nothing to chance.

With its Jan. 4 gathering, the coalition is switching to meeting every month -- rather than just a few times a year -- in order to fine-tune production levels more precisely.

After the brutal lessons delivered over the past 12 months, the impulse to micro-manage is understandable.

Crudes Crash

Last years challenges for OPEC+ began in February, when oil demand in China collapsed 20% as the worlds biggest importer locked down to beat the emerging coronavirus.

Riyadh and Moscow then clashed over how to respond to the demand shock, a dispute that shattered the 23-nation alliance and ushered in a vicious price war. By April, the world was so awash in crude that U.S. futures traded below zero for the first time in history.

Relations were only mended after the intervention of U.S. President Donald Trump. An unlikely mediator, having lambasted the cartel for years, Trump nonetheless brokered a peace deal that resulted in OPECs biggest-ever output cuts.

Phasing out those curbs is provoking new controversies.

Last month, OPEC+ talks ran into a five-day stalemate as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- for years stalwart allies in both political and energy spheres -- disagreed over how quickly to revive the idled barrels.

Allies Split

While the kingdom wanted to delay any increases for three months, its neighbor -- eager to monetize investments in capacity, and promote a new regional oil benchmark -- pushed for a speedier timetable.

Though a compromise was reached, the brief rupture in their longstanding partnership -- which at one point saw Abu Dhabi hint at eventually leaving OPEC -- has left an ominous shadow.

The pace of restoring output will occupy the producers on Monday. Currently idling 7.2 million barrels a day, or about 7% of world supplies, the producers have resolved to return a further 1.5 million barrels a day in carefully calibrated installments.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak has signaled his readiness to proceed, saying last month that prices are in an optimal range of $45 to $55 a barrel. If OPEC+ refrains from bolstering exports, its competitors will simply fill the gap, he said.

The market needs the oil, said Jan Stuart, a global energy economist at Cornerstone Macro LLC. The prevailing view in OPEC+ seems to be that you have to go for market share. You cannot subsidize the return of U.S. shale.

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman hasnt publicly expressed a preference beyond his intention to keep speculators on their toes.

On Sunday, a panel of OPEC+ technical experts known as the Joint Technical Committee met to assess implementation of the output cuts on behalf of ministers.

The emergence of vaccines has created a healthier outlook for oil consumption, which will soon shift from reverse to forward gear Barkindo said at the outset of the meeting.

Oil prices have stabilized above $50 barrel in London despite OPECs pledge of extra supply, bolstered by vaccine developments and robust fuel use in Asia. Supply and demand should remain broadly balanced in the first half of the year, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency.

The market has underlying support and as such should shrug off a modest increase in OPEC+ supply, said Doug King, chief investment officer of the Merchant Commodity Fund, which manages $170 million.

Its a choice that might also come as a relief to OPEC+ members like Iraq. Baghdad is engulfed in a mounting economic crisis that is only exacerbated by limits on oil sales, and is struggling to get through a backlog of overdue output cuts from 2020.

Uncertain Demand

But theres also an argument for holding back the extra barrels.

Oil refiners havent yet had a chance to absorb this months supply hike, and a more infectious virus strain is clouding the outlook for demand.

While the IEA anticipates no fresh surplus, it warned that the existing inventory overhang will linger to the end of the year if OPEC+ opens the taps. Despite the markets rebound, crude prices remain far below the levels most OPEC members need to cover government spending.

Finally, OPEC+ must navigate the impact of incoming U.S. President Joe Biden, who has signaled readiness to revive a nuclear pact with Iran that could release more than 1 million barrels a day of oil exports currently under U.S. sanctions.

It feels like OPEC+ is trying to steer a giant oil tanker through a narrow straight, said Giovanni Staunovo, an analyst at UBS Group AG in Zurich.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
US fintech giant Square has begun hiring staff in Dublin to support its Cash App services in Europe.

Cash App is a money transfer app that allows for peer-to-peer payments between users. It is active in the US and UK with around 30 million users, but it has not yet been launched in Europe.

Square is led by Twitter chief Jack Dorsey and has its European headquarters in Dublin where it supports operations for its payments software and card readers for businesses.

It is now hiring a European operations manager, based in Dublin.

The job listing states that the operations manager will be a "key leader responsible for Cash App in Europe" and will be responsible for plans to "optimize operations in the UK, Ireland and Europe".

Square declined to comment on expansion plans.

During Square's third quarter earnings call earlier this year, Mr Dorsey said that international growth for Cash App is a "top priority for us".

Square has made some notable investments in Europe this year, including Satispay in Italy as well as the acquisition of Spanish peer-to-peer payments start-up Verse. The latter, Mr Dorsey said, "gives us an opportunity to learn from the peer-to-peer growth in European markets".

Earlier this year, Square obtained an electronic money licence from the Central Bank of Ireland to ensure it still has the regulatory clearances to operate payments services in the EU after Brexit. It was previously using its UK-issued licence.

Square's main line of business is developing card readers and payments software for businesses. The company opened its European headquarters in Dublin in 2016 but it has yet to launch services in Ireland.

The Dublin office houses staff carrying out customer functions and compliance.

For six years, Co Tyrone-born Sarah Friar was the chief financial officer of Square. But she left the business in 2018 to become the chief executive of Nextdoor, the social networking website for neighbours.

Ms Friar, who is from Sion Mills, received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Ulster University in 2018. She studied at Strabane Grammar before completing a degree at Oxford. She is co-founder of Belfast's Ormeau Baths tech hub and co-working space.

Download the Belfast Telegraph App Get quick and easy access to the latest Northern Ireland news, sport, business and opinion with the Belfast Telegraph App.

Belfast Telegraph
2020. At the beginning of the year, those four numbers said consecutively meant many things: Perfect eyesight. Perfect hindsight. A new year. A new beginning. As it turned out, 2020 became the antithesis of all of them. No one could have predicted the bizarre, unexpected and heartbreaking way this year has gone  a year of social distancing, complete disruption of the norm and worst of all, the unfortunate shock and numbness as we lost many loved ones, both close to home and around the world. If ever there was a need for kindness, for good, for the best in people, for the best in society, for hope  it is now.

As is the case with many disasters throughout history, the best in people will shine through the confusion and heartbreak  to lift each other up, up above the craziness. When these same goodwill initiatives are implemented on a corporate level, entire communities can come together to create a positive impact in their immediate community, within their industry and even around the world. Localized disasters require laser focused responses to help others in the time of need. When I was the President/CEO at Keys Federal Credit Union in Key West, FL (MY CU, once a member, always a member), we had the unfortunate reality of Hurricane Irma in 2017. The destruction and personal loss throughout the member base and community was staggering. Our entire team had their own personal stories of loss and damage and questions of how they  how we  were going to rise above this latest challenge. Those team members put aside their own personal issues and instead empathized with members coming in for assistance with their existing loans, to apply for new auto loans so they could get to work, home loans so they could repair damage before the mold set in, skip loan payments and small Irma loans while they tried to make up income they lost while their community was shut down. It was normal for two months following the hurricane to have thousands of loans in the queue. These measures of help were in addition to making meals for those that didnt have kitchens, doing laundry for others until they could get their utilities and appliances back in working order, and the list goes on. Those team members came together to help the community, even while they were searching for their own new cars and patching up their own homes. Keys Federal Credit Union helped thousands of loyal members and thousands more reaching out from the community to get by though a disaster  the credit union was present, paying it back and paying it forward.

It is understandable that the credit union had members that turned to them during the difficult time. After all, People Helping People is what credit unions are all about. But what about those folks in the community that were not yet members? Why did they go to the credit union in their greatest time of need? It was because the residents within the Keys knew that the credit union was there for them. It wasnt just during a disaster that they learned they could count on the credit union. The community saw the giving each and every day. Helping to get that first car when turned down from out of state lenders, investing time and resources in local events to assist others, and giving of donations to support organizations for the betterment of the community demonstrated the credit unions core principles in action.

Three years later and I am fortunate enough to be a part of another such organization, the Armed Forces Financial Network or AFFN. Officially, AFFN was founded in 1985 at the request of the U.S. Army in support of the Surepay direct deposit system to provide U.S. military personnel (active, reserve, dependents and retired) with access to their funds through ATM and point-of-sale (POS) terminals at or near U.S. military bases worldwide. While AFFN does stay true to the original mission to provide network services so military personnel can access funds around the world through their hometown financial institution, transacting with a purpose has become the guiding principle.

On 01 December, AFFN was proud to participate in Giving Tuesday Military  a worldwide effort to perform one million random acts of kindness. AFFN was proud to support the launch with the financial backing of the 501c3 behind this movement and has participated for the last two consecutive years. With the small team of six, AFFN performed random acts of kindness spanning around the globe from Kabul, Afghanistan to Florida; from Hawaii to Delaware; and from the Midwest to Oklahoma. We provided appreciation meals for healthcare workers at VA facilities, postal employees, and donated prepaid AFFN Thank You debit cards to employees of giving Veteran Service Organizations such as Dog Tag Bakery and Purple Heart Homes. Food banks around the country were replenished so others would have food during this difficult time. Finally, delivered financial assistance for Tinkers Home Away From Home program to provide young military members with a joyous holiday season.

These acts of kindness do not just happen on a designated day. AFFN provides matching grants to our member participants year-round in a unique giving campaign to assist service members, veterans, military families and civilians on a local level and on a global scale. People helping People is in our corporate DNA as well. Why wouldnt it be  with our roots deeply rooted in the Defense Credit Union Council and our military community, processing with a purpose is a philosophy of providing the absolute best service in network payment solutions while helping as many of our partners help as many members as possible.

The old adage it is better to give than to receive has been especially true in this year of challenges. Giving is more than just opening a checkbook. Giving can come in the form of a random act of kindness to a complete stranger, as was the case this year with Giving Tuesday Military by giving of your time and promoting good in your community. It also comes in the form of giving help when it is needed most, such as after a natural disaster or crisis. One of Fred Rogers most known quotes, When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping. It is true  helpers are everywhere in times of crisis. Helpers are also out there each and every day, making a difference in their community and creating lasting change for the better.

Creating a culture of giving within your organization creates more than just random acts of kindness. It creates change, real change, change for good in the community and in the lives of your members. And when people come to the realization that your organization is truly about people helping people? That is when the real magic happens. Your organization will grow in ways you wouldnt think possible. Not only the sought-after goals of membership growth, profitability, and the like, but something more important. Your members can have the potential to realize their own financial well-being. Your community will benefit from the unwavering commitment to strength and security, knowing they can always count on your organization. If all of that werent enough, you too will personally reap the benefits of helping others with a profound sense of altruism.

As we begin a new year, we all would love to return to some sense of normalcy. Why not take this opportunity to create a new norm? A norm where people helping people is what we have come to expect from each other. It is a very real opportunity in front of us. Will your organization be there, front and center, being kind and doing good when your community is looking for the helpers? Be ready  they are looking.
Near the end of George Orwell's book Nineteen Eighty-Four, the novel's villain, the totalitarian O'Brien, sets out his vision of a world without freedom.

In a future controlled by the Thought Police, he says, 'there will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed . . . If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face  for ever.'

Ever since the Cold War, that image, the stamping boot, has defined the totalitarian threat to free speech.

Stealthy

But is this really how free speech dies in the 21st century? Isn't it more likely that when the threat comes, it does so quietly  so stealthy and so apparently reasonable that you barely even notice it?

And will it really come from Thought Police in uniforms and jackboots? Or from nice, well-educated form-fillers and committee people, glorified jobsworths with liberal credentials, who don't even realise the damage they are doing?

No-one would ever think of the board of the broadcasting regulator Ofcom, for example, as natural fascists. Click through the names on their website and they look like the sort of well-meaning people you'd expect to run a quango.

Yet these are the people who, with their new regulations about so-called hate speech on television, pose a deadly threat to freedom of expression.

Since its foundation in 2003, Ofcom has clamped down on material likely to incite hatred and violence. It has a statutory duty to protect viewers from harm  which seems fair enough, on the face of it. But its new regulations go far beyond that.

Ofcom's definition of 'hate speech'  a formula used at first almost exclusively for racism or anti-Semitism  runs as follows: 'All forms of expression which spread, incite, promote or justify hatred based on intolerance on the grounds of disability, ethnicity, social origin, sex, gender, gender reassignment, nationality, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, colour, genetic features, language, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth or age.'

O'Brien, the villain of George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984 conjures the image of a boot stamping on a human face - for ever to describe the future but Sandbrook argues that the end of freedom of speech is much more likely to be brought about by well meaning liberals. Pictured: O'Brien portrayed by Richard Burton in a 1984 film adaptation of Orwell's novel

I make no apology for quoting at such length, because it's worth appreciating how mind-bogglingly broad the definition has now become  so broad that it includes almost any vaguely contentious opinion.

To censors and puritans, such as the 'woke' witch-hunters who police social media, all this is a gift. Indeed, the new wording might have been deliberately crafted as a Christmas present for professional victims and offence-takers.

Take the inclusion of 'gender reassignment'. Given how loudly some in the transgender lobby howl about 'transphobic hate' whenever somebody questions their claims  for example, when J. K. Rowling worried that young girls were being pressured into life-changing surgery  how long before Ofcom receives complaints?

For instance, would a documentary-maker in 2021 be allowed to interview people who dismiss the transgender debate and say that men are men and women are women  as the majority of humans have believed throughout history?

What if a viewer says they've been 'harmed' by it?

Radical

What if Channel 4 invited Ms Rowling to make a programme about the differences between girls and boys? Would that survive unscathed? Or would the producers decide to drop the subject, for fear of being accused of stirring hatred?

George Orwell's novel 1984 depicts a totalitarian state where even people's thoughts are closely monitored

Let's take another, less immediately obvious example. Ofcom's new definition of hate speech includes anything that 'justifies' hatred based on 'property' and 'age'.

What if some radical takes to the airwaves to argue that their elders have wrecked Britain, hogging all the wealth and the housing stock for themselves?

It's not such an implausible idea. A few years ago, the coalition minister David Willetts published a book, The Pinch, arguing that baby boomers were 'guilty of a monumental failure to protect the interests of future generations'.

So what if the BBC invited Mr Willetts to turn this into a series with a harder-hitting argument? Wouldn't he be in danger of 'justifying' hatred towards the elderly, to use Ofcom's own weasel words?

And here's the most egregious example of all. According to Ofcom's definition, anything that spreads or justifies hatred based on 'political or any other opinion' now counts as hate speech.

It's worth pausing for a moment to reflect on what this means. Imagine that Jeremy Corbyn were now Prime Minister, and I went on television to argue that he was wrecking Britain, betraying our history, fleecing the middle-classes, destroying our national security and all the rest of it.

Wouldn't I be in danger of 'justifying' hatred of Mr Corbyn? And, if you prefer, turn the example around. Should Left-wing commentators be free to call Boris Johnson a conman, a liar, and so on and so forth  as they so often do?

My answer would be a firm yes. Of course they should.

Robust arguments and strong words are a necessary part of any healthy political discourse. Giving offence is part of being human. So is learning to take it.

So if some hard-Left firebrand attacked the rich as idle parasites and called for a class war against the forces of capital, I might not agree with them, but I wouldn't deny their right to make their case, because I don't want to live in an ideological dictatorship.

And what about Ofcom's chillingly broad  and potentially very dangerous  phrase 'any other opinion'? In effect, this implies that any criticism of any opinion, no matter how obscure or trivial, could be construed as hate speech.

Of course, Ofcom insists that it has no such intention. Freedom of speech, it says piously, is terribly important and will always be taken 'into account'.

But what does that mean in practice? It's just an empty phrase, with no guarantee.

Views aired by Harry Potter writer JK Rowling on gender have been sharply criticised by transgender activists and others. Would she be able to make a documentary on the subject under Ofcom's new rules?, Sandbrook asks. Pictured: Rowling at the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them premiere in London in 2016

Imagine that some brave soul really did make a programme criticising certain activists, and that letters of complaint flooded in from people claiming they had been 'harmed' by the arguments in the show. Where would Ofcom stand then?

I think we all know the answer. It is in the nature of institutions such as Ofcom to grovel before the loudest and most strident voices, especially when they come from supposedly victimised groups.

And remember: this is not the last word. The definition of hate speech has grown over time. How long before it swells still further? What will be added next? Climate change denial? Disapproval of mass immigration? Criticism of Black Lives Matter?

Ignorant

I realise, of course, that debates about free expression are never entirely clear-cut. As the former U.S. Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jnr famously remarked, freedom of speech does not mean you have the right to shout 'Fire!' in a crowded theatre.

But the emphasis should always be on freedom, not regulation. Ofcom's new mantra, however, looks precisely the opposite way: to a future in which a small, wealthy, London elite tells the rest of us what we are free to say and think.

That brings me back to O'Brien, the villain in George Orwell's dystopian fable.

O'Brien may be a torturer, but he thinks he is doing the right thing. In his own mind he is striving to build a fairer, more secure society.

Isn't that what Ofcom's board members would say of themselves? That they are simply fighting prejudice and discrimination, using their wisdom to protect the poor, ignorant British people from harm?

So this, I think, is how free speech will end. Not with a boot stamping on a human face for ever.

But with a patronising, pious, smiling face, telling you that you can't say that, because somebody might take offence.

She met her boyfriend Joe Sugg when they were partnered together during 2018's series of Strictly Come Dancing.

And Dianne Buswell has revealed that she 'doesn't really talk' about the future or marriage with the YouTuber, 29, as they are both relaxed and prefer to 'play it by ear'.

The professional dancer, 31, who competed on Strictly's latest series with Max George, said she doesn't 'over-plan things' as she is 'quite an unorganised person'.

'Whatever happens, happens': Dianne Buswell revealed that she 'doesn't really talk' about marriage with her beau Joe Sugg as they are both relaxed and prefer to 'play it by ear'

When asked about marriage by Hello! magazine, she explained: I'm quite an unorganised person actually, Joe and I don't really talk about that kind of thing.

'We're both so relaxed so we just play it by ear. We really enjoy each other's company so much and whatever happens, happens.'

Dianne also admitted that she is really missing her family in Australia while living in the UK, deeming it the 'toughest thing' she has to deal with on a daily basis.

She was all set to visit her family Down Under for Christmas but was forced to change her plans amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Relaxed: The professional dancer, 31, who competed on Strictly's latest series with Max George, said she doesn't 'over-plan things' as she is 'quite an unorganised person'

But she was quick to add that she enjoys living in the UK with her beau and is thrilled to be able to do the work that she loves.

The pro dancer competed on the latest series of Strictly alongside celebrity partner Max George, 32, but was sadly eliminated after dancing the American Smooth to It Had to Be You.

She was also forced to separate from Joe during her stint on the hit BBC dance competition last year due to strict coronavirus safety regulations.

And after returning home after her elimination, she was forced hit out at a cruel troll who called her skin 'disgusting' and said she had 'rat like features'.

In November, she took to Instagram to share a DM she had received as she tried to raise awareness for Anti-Bullying Week.

Hurt: After sharing a make-up free selfie in November, Dianne Buswell was forced to hit out at a cruel troll who called her skin 'disgusting' and said she had 'rat like features'

She told her followers she could luckily 'brush off' the nasty comments, but added 'you never know what others are going through'.

Dianne shared a make-up free snap of herself back home, but one troll DM'd her saying: 'And by the way I'm sure he can find someone much better and with normal knees and feet not some alien s**t.

'And makeup does a good job because your skin is disgusting, seen in some blogs how anyone stays with you when they wake up deserves a trophy.

'And you family all have the same rat features in the face'.

Cruel: The Australian dancer took to Instagram on to share the DM that she had received, as she tried to raise awareness for Anti-Bullying Week

Dianne wrote atop of the message: 'It's Anti-Bullying Week! Think before you speak or type you never know what others are going through.

'I receive loads of msgs like this one daily. Lucky I can just brush it off but for some people that's not the case. Stop cyber bullying.' (sic).

Dianne has been going strong with her boyfriend Joe since 2018, where Joe competed with Dianne on Strictly and placed as a finalist.

She previously dated Emmerdale actor Anthony Quinlan, 34, until the pair parted ways in October 2018, after ten months of romance.
"While the concerts and gatherings may have been cancelled, the spirit of Thailand shines on," said Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, whose agency organised the event together with ICONSIAM, as well as other agencies, associations, and businesses along the river.

"We decided to proceed with the fireworks display as a reminder of our hope for brighter days, and also extend our love and best wishes to everyone around the world in this tough period," he said.

Mr. Supoj Chaiwatsirikul, Managing Director of ICONSIAM, the property at the centre of the display, said, "Thais have always been resourceful and adaptable, and this year's edition of the Amazing Thailand Countdown has shown that. ICONSIAM has adapted to the new normal of the times, masking up, socially distancing ourselves, having body temperature checks at entry points to public places, and regularly sanitizing our hands.

He said, "I am particularly grateful for the commitment of the many sponsors of this event who were unanimous in wanting to proceed with the fireworks display, regardless of the cancellation of many associated events, as a statement of Thailand's resilience. The celebratory activity also plays a key role in supporting hundreds of tourism businesses along the Chao Phraya River during these trying times, as well as the people whose livelihoods and families depend on those businesses."

The 'Amazing Thailand Countdown 2021' is made possible through the support of many sponsors including the following main sponsors: The ICONSIAM Residence Corporation Limited, The ICONSIAM Superlux Residence Corporation Limited, True Corporation Public Company Limited, Kasikornbank Public Company Limited, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, the Marine Department, the Association of Chao Phraya River Commerce and Business, and the Prachakom Yan Kadeejeen-Klongsan Foundation.

SOURCE ICONSIAM
In January-October 2020, Ukraine exported goods to Israel to the tune of $450 million and imported goods from Israel worth $140 million. The entry into force of the free trade agreement with Israel on January 1, 2020 can create a cumulative effect on the Ukrainian economy and increase investment.

"Over the ten months of 2020, Ukraine exported goods to Israel to the tune of $450 million and imported goods from Israel worth $140 million. Traditionally, we supply grain, oil and other agricultural products to this country. The free trade area will provide an opportunity to increase agricultural exports," Head of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection Vladyslava Mahaletska told NV media outlet.

With the entry into force of the free trade area, a zero rate of customs duty is set for fish, rapeseed oil, prepared and canned vegetables, and a zero-duty tariff quota  for poultry, dairy products, eggs, honey, wheat and bakery products, wines.

"In the future, the list of goods will only increase, so Ukrainian exports to Israel will only grow. The increase in trade is projected at $2 billion. It's not just optimism but a reality," the Head of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection noted.

Mahaletska added that the implementation of new terms for cooperation between the two countries also aims to increase Israels investment in Ukraine.

"So far, foreign direct investment from Israel to Ukraine is at a fairly low level and does not reach even $100 million. This does not correspond to the opportunities for cooperation between the countries. The free trade area can create a cumulative effect for our economy and increase the level of investment," the official said.

She noted that Ukraine has every chance to become a platform for the launch of new productions with the participation of Israeli, European and Ukrainian capital which will focus on production for the Israeli and the EU markets.

As Mahaletska noted, the consultations and negotiations on signing a free trade agreement between Ukraine and Israel lasted more than 12 years.

ol
Its time for new leadership at the Hudson County Board of Commissioners (until New Years Day known as the Board of Freeholders).

Scheduled to hold its annual reorganization meeting this afternoon, the nine-member board should replace Anthony Vainieri of North Bergen as chairman and shouldnt consider him, Caridad Rodriguez of West New York, Jerry Walker of Jersey City or Anthony Romano of Hoboken for leadership roles.

The four showed a shameful disregard for the public last month when they walked out of a regularly scheduled public meeting rather than, gasp, listen to dissenting opinions about the contract to house Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees at the county jail. (Romano, who told our reporter he left because of a medical appointment, has also been accused of shoving two women protesting the ICE contract outside of a fundraiser he was holding in Hoboken last month.)

Vainieri, chairman of the board for the last four years, was first out the door and actually defended his action by describing some of the protesters as a lowlife dirtbag type of people. Even in the face of disrespectful or worse comments, thats not how a public servant and leader should act or speak. Threats  also clearly unacceptable  should be dealt with by law enforcement.

By leaving, the four left the board without a quorum so no member of the public still scheduled to speak  whatever topic they might have wanted to comment on  could do so and the remaining board members could not listen.

That is a slap in the face of democracy, Commissioner William ODea of Jersey City later told our reporter. Many of these speakers speak about real issues related to the ICE contract to which, quite frankly, many members on the board have no knowledge of, and it is their responsibility to gather that information and as elected officials take action on.

What if there was one person there that wanted to speak about a story of an individual at the facility currently and by walking out of that meeting that person wasnt allowed to share that information with us?  That is a problem.

We agree.

All nine members of the board were backed by the Hudson County Democratic Organization and elected or re-elected without opposition on Nov. 3. In the Democratic primary in July, four ran unopposed while five faced opposition and handily won.

Perhaps some of them, having no fear of voters, are on power trips, thinking its OK to cash their paychecks but be dismissive of the public. Its not.

Voters wont get another chance to cast ballots for or against any of the commissioners who choose to seek re-election until three years from now, when their terms expire. In the meantime, disrespect for their office and responsibilities shouldnt be rewarded today with the chairmanship or other leadership roles.

When they take the oath of office this afternoon, they should listen carefully to the words they swear to. Nowhere will it say, unless you dont live in my district or I dont like what you have to say.

Send letters to the editor and guest columns for The Jersey Journal to jjletters@jjournal.com.
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- San Francisco Health Plan (SFHP) announces the appointment of Fiona Donald, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer effective January 4, 2021, succeeding Jim Glauber, M.D., MPH. Dr. Glauber will continue with SFHP in a new strategic role as our first Health Plan Physician Advisor focusing on disparities in healthcare and quality outcomes for our Black and transgender/gender non-binary members.

"Dr. Glauber has been the longest serving CMO in SFHP's history, joining the plan in October 2014. During his tenure he led many innovative programs to improve quality and health outcomes for members, including the launch of telehealth services and the creation and implementation of programs that support our providers, clinics and hospitals to improve access and service to our members," said John F. Grgurina, Jr., CEO, of San Francisco Health Plan. "In his new role as Health Plan Physician Advisor, we look forward to the new and innovative ways we can increase primary care engagement and to improve health care outcomes for Black, transgender and homeless communities, which are known to be our most vulnerable populations. We thank him for all of his successful contributions to the health plan over the past six years."

Dr. Donald joined SFHP in 2015 as our Associate Medical Director and was given increasing responsibility with her promotions to Medical Director in 2016 and Senior Medical Director in 2020. She graduated from McGill University, Montreal, Canada and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Royal Victoria Hospital. Having moved to the United States, she completed a Clinical Postdoctoral Fellowship at Stanford University, Division of Immunology and Rheumatology and then joined the faculty of UCSF as Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine.

Prior to joining SFHP, Dr. Donald focused on Medicare Quality Improvement and then moved into the role of Medical Director at Health Plan of San Mateo (HPSM), which serves over 130,000 underserved residents of San Mateo county, through both the Medicare and Medi-Cal programs. Dr. Donald had clinical oversight of the Health Services Department for Utilization Management, Clinical Case Management and Pharmacy.

"Dr. Donald brings great experience and depth of understanding of the Medi-Cal and Medicare programs, having dedicated the past 18 years to quality care, care management and health outcomes for the most vulnerable members of our population," said Mr. Grgurina. "She has been responsible for the launch of many ground-breaking SFHP programs, including the 2018 launch of the first Health Homes program in California. We believe that under Dr. Donald's leadership, SFHP will continue to improve the health outcomes of the diverse San Francisco communities that we serve."

"I am honored to have been appointed to the CMO role as I have committed the past two decades to providing a holistic management approach to the Medi-Cal population," said Fiona Donald, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of San Francisco Health Plan. "I am excited to partner with our providers and members in order to enhance access to care and quality health outcomes for our members at SFHP."

San Francisco Health Plan is an NCQA Accredited Medi-Cal health plan providing no-cost and affordable health coverage to over 150,000 low and moderate-income families residing in San Francisco.

About San Francisco Health Plan

San Francisco Health Plan is an NCQA accredited licensed community health plan providing affordable health coverage to over 150,000 low and moderate-income families residing in San Francisco. SFHP is designed for and by the residents it servesmany of whom would not be able to otherwise obtain health care for themselves or their families. Through SFHP, members have access to a full spectrum of medical services including preventive care, hospitalization, prescription drugs, family planning, and substance abuse programs. SFHP's mission is to improve health outcomes of the diverse San Francisco communities through successful partnerships. San Francisco Health Plan is also the third-party administrator for the nationally recognized Healthy San Francisco program. For more information on SFHP, visit www.sfhp.org,

About NCQA

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and recognizes clinicians in key clinical areas. NCQA's HEDIS is the most widely used performance measurement tool in healthcare. NCQA's website (www.ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make informed health care choices.

SOURCE San Francisco Health Plan

Related Links

http://www.sfhp.org


ATLANTA  Invigorated by a surge in voter turnout in November that delivered a victory in Georgia for a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time in her life, and forced runoffs in two high-profile, high-stakes Senate races, Patricia Granda-Malaver got to work.

Ms. Granda-Malaver, 22, began working on phone banks and walking up to strangers, whether at her dentists office or the grocery store, asking whether they were registered to vote. She saw Georgia was changing and she wanted a diverse coalition of young voters to be the ones driving that change.

Keeping up that momentum is something were really aware of, she said of herself and other young voters who have spent the last two months focused on participation in Tuesdays runoff races. The contests pit Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, both Republicans, against Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock, both Democrats, in races that will determine which party controls the Senate.

As hundreds of millions of dollars have been pumped into Georgia, few groups have been as vigorously pursued as young voters.
Love Island star Francesca Allen posed up a storm in a tiny coral bikini as she continued to live it up in Dubai on Instagram on Monday.

While most of the UK are living in tier 4 restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic, Francesca, 25, hit sunny Dubai weeks back, where rules are much more relaxed.

UK residents are still permitted to fly to Dubai for work, so it's become a hot spot for Influencers.

Doing her thing: Love Island's Francesca Allen posed up a storm in a tiny coral string bikini as she continued to live it up in Dubai on Instagram on Monday

Grey area: UK residents are still permitted to fly to Dubai for work, so it's become a hot spot for Influencers

Francesca has some fellow Love Islanders out with her for company, including Georgia Steel, Maura Higgins and Joanna Chimonides.

In Dubai, social distancing and the wearing of face masks is mandatory when away from your home. This also applies to visitors staying in hotels when they are not in their room.

The United Arab Emirates has played host to a number of stars over the past year, despite the consistent rules throughout advising against international travel, save for work or education.

Rules: In Dubai, social distancing and the wearing of face masks is mandatory when away from your home. This also applies to visitors staying in hotels when they are not in their room

Happy: She had a big smile on her face as she posed in front of the bathroom mirror

Amid yacht trips and wild nights out, a host of stars, including TOWIE's Amber Turner, Dan Edgar, Yazmin Oukhellou and James Lock, have all maintained their trips have been for business purposes with many confirming their work plans on social media or to publications through their representatives.

The latest celebrity jaunts come amid warnings England could be plunged into 'Tier 5' restrictions within days after scientists were said to have advised Boris Johnson to impose tougher measures than those in November's lockdown - with secondary schools, pubs and non-essential shops shut.

Government guidelines for international travel currently state: 'Following identification of a new variant of the virus, international travel from your area may be increasingly restricted because of domestic regulations...

Loving life: Francesca has been enjoying swanky dinner dates with her Love Island pals

'Different rules apply in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. For example, those in tier 4 areas in England will not be permitted to travel abroad apart from limited exceptions, such as work purposes. Follow all the rules that apply to you.'

The general travel advice on the Gov.uk site reads: 'We continue to advise against all non-essential international travel to some countries and territories. You should check the country page for your destination....

'We are monitoring the international situation very closely and keeping this advice under constant review so that it reflects our latest assessment of risks to British people. We take a range of factors into account.

'For coronavirus, this includes the incidence rate and the resilience of healthcare provision in each country.'
Source: Reuters

On November 3, election night, its hard to pinpoint any one state as Ground Zero for the United States presidential elections, because several states were cliff-hangers. I was in the political hotbed state of Georgia on November 6. The next day Georgia, along with Pennsylvania, flipped blue, and handed Democratic candidate Joe Biden 16 and 20 electoral votes respectfully. With this the septuagenarian challenger crossed the 270 landmark.

The last time Georgia went Blue was during Arkansas native Bill Clintons maiden run in 1992. Ninety-six-year-old former US President Jimmy Carter would have hardly fathomed being around long enough to see his home state as the lone blue oasis in a red conservative deep south desert.

I quipped to friends that since I brought liberal luck to Georgia, my purpose in the state now shifts to teaching incumbent Republican Senator David Perdue, who deliberately mangled Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris first name in a derogatory manner, how he should pronounce my rather complex last name.

Georgia is locked in a Senate run-off race after neither of the four candidates acquired the mandatory 50 percent majority to win the election. Seventy-one-year-old Perdue is facing a much younger opponent in Democrat challenger Jon Ossoff, who at 33 isnt old enough to run for US President. Meanwhile, in the special election, GOP appointee Kelly Loeffler is defending her seat against a Democrat pastor, Rev Raphael Warnock.

Currently, the GOP has 50 seats in the Senate, while the Democrats have 46, the two independent Senators, Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, tend to vote with the Democrats on most issues. One of the two seats is all the GOP needs to retain control of the Senate. If Ossoff and Warnock were to win their runoff races on January 5, then we are looking at a 50-50 split (given King and Sanders are safe bets on most liberal issues).

Any split vote in the Senate, would be broken by the Vice President  Harris in this case. This would be disastrous for the conservatives, given that they have lost the White House and failed to regain the House of Representatives.

Brandon Duke, a Georgia native and lifelong Peach State resident, and co-host of the In Medias Res podcast says I would be very surprised if the Democrats picked up both Senate seats. I don't think Democrats won Georgia so much as Trump lost it.it's hard to say if Georgia is firmly "blue" or just barely "blue," politically.

When it comes to both candidates, Duke adds that Perdue and Loeffler represent the Trump agenda to many people. If you're happy with that, you're gonna most likely vote for them. If you're not, Ossoff and Warnock represent change. I don't think it's about the candidates themselves at this point so much as it is the national picture. If you want to give President Elect Biden and Vice President Elect Harris a chance to get anything done, you've got to hope that Ossoff and Warnock can both win. Anything short of that risks more gridlock for the foreseeable future.

If Georgia turning Blue in the general elections was hard enough, the southern state has not sent a Democrat to the Senate in two decades; and presently no Democrats have held state-wide office since 2006. Stacey Abrams, who narrowly lost the 2018 gubernatorial race, has been credited for building a robust liberal progressive infrastructure.

The juxtaposition in the 2018 race for Governor was evident with Abrams, an African American liberal progressive woman, running against current Governor Brian Kemp, a White male, deeply conservative on issues of guns, abortion, faith and previously avowed Trump backer.

Warnock and Ossoff, are both political novices on the national scene. Warnock brings with him church work, activist work and a non-profit background, and should he win, he will be the states first African American Senator.

Ossoff has a very nebulous mix of being an investigative journalist for a small documentary company, interning for late Congressman and Civil Rights activist John Lewis, and working as a national security aide on the hill for Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson.

In Georgia right now, its a slew of advertisements bombarded across television, Internet pop-ups and YouTube. Media reports state that ad spending for the run-off is up to nearly $540 million.

Ossoff has leveraged his youth charisma in ads worth over $100 million, showing how he is an agent of change; while Warnock has doled out $90 million, both outspending their opponents $53.7 million by Loeffler and $45.7 million by Perdue. Former President Barack Obama and President-Elect Biden too have wasted no time in helping to drum up support for both Ossoff and Warnock.

Early voting has seen over 2 million Georgians out of a potential 5 million eligible voters, having cast their ballot. Forty-nine of the states now turn to Georgia, whose results will play a role in Bidens Cabinet appointments and likely be the difference if he is able to pass legislation, or get stuck in Washingtonian gridlock.
The Saudi Central Bank (Sama) has granted a license to Tamam Financing Company, a financial technology subsidiary of telecom provider Zain Group, to provide micro-financing services to consumers across the Kingdom.



This makes Tamam the first entity in the Kingdom and the region to be licensed by a regulator to offer consumer micro-loans via a fully digital customer experience, through a mobile app.



The licensing follows the completion of an 18-month testing period within Sama's Regulatory Sandbox. The rigorous process saw the app and the service vetted for functionality, security, and compatibility with customer user profiles in Saudi Arabia, in line with the Sandbox's guidelines. The platform displayed high product viability and strong demand throughout testing and obtained PCI-DSS accreditation which protects the security of the digital infrastructure and data.



Established in 2019, Tamam aims to increase financial inclusion in the Kingdom in line with the Financial Sector Development Plan, which forms part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. The platform provides individuals requiring financing the opportunity to immediately avail a Shari'a-compliant consumer micro-finance. The end to-end Shari'a approved process takes less than 5 minutes from downloading the app to receiving the financing amount based on the user credit profile.



Tamam, Bader Al-Kharafi, Zain Vice-Chairman and Group CEO, Zain KSA Vice-Chairman and Tamam Chairman said: We are extremely proud of the teams at Zain Group, Zain KSA and Tamam in the successful delivery of this innovative Sharia compliant service that provides consumer micro-finance in less than five minutes through a mobile app. Innovation is key to our ongoing developments and investing in viable digital services such as the fintech sector is a strategy we have launched a few years ago with Zain Cash and continue to implement across our markets as a critical component to our sustained evolution and success.



Zain KSAs evolution to becoming a digital lifestyle provider requires us to take bold moves in new digital areas, and we are pleased at how the Saudi Central Bank and the Kingdoms wider community are extremely receptive to such developments. We believe the thorough testing achieved during the 18 months of trials has made our platform the most robust of its kind, and we look forward to increasing the number of consumers benefiting from micro-financing services, he added.



Fintech services remain largely under-penetrated in the Middle East, so the establishment of the first consumer micro-financing platform in Saudi Arabia represents a fantastic opportunity for growth.



Sultan Al Deghaither, Zain KSA CEO and Tamam Vice-Chairman & MD, said: "The license granted to us by the Saudi Central Bank is a quantum leap for Tamam and strengthens its position as a leading provider of financial technology solutions locally as well as regionally. Innovation and investment in digital services, such as fintech, is at the heart of Zain KSA's vision to be the leading provider of digital services in the Kingdom. The companys ambition requires us taking advantage of new areas of digital growth, playing our key contributory role in the Kingdoms 2030 Vision.



Zain Groups activities in fintech commenced with the award-winning Zain Cash mobile money platform that has facilitated the disbursement of monetary support through eye scans to vulnerable individuals by the UNHCR, and it continues to expand, impacting peoples lives for the better in Iraq and Jordan.  TradeArabia News Service
Drug Arrests After Search of Mayfield Home

By West Kentucky Star Staff

MAYFIELD - Two Mayfield residents are facing drug charges after a report of drug use at a home led to a search Sunday afternoon.The Graves County Sheriff's Office said deputies served a warrant at a home on South 8th Street, after someone reported illegal drug use at the home.Deputies reportedly found 3.8 ounces of methamphetamine, digital scales, cash, hydrocodone pills, oxycodone pills and drug paraphernalia.Deputies arrested 27-year-old Diana K. Balisteri and 52-year-old Fred M. Balisteri. Both were booked into Graves County Jail on charges of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Modernas vaccine requires two injections (Getty images)

The federal government of US is thinking about reducing Modernas Covid-19 vaccine dosages to half to some people in order to speed up the vaccine rollout amid concerns intensifying that the distribution drive is slower than expected.

Moncef Slaoui, head of Operation Warp Speed, an initiative to accelerate coronavirus vaccine efforts, said Moderna vaccines single shot to people between the age group 18-55 gives identical immune response to the recommended two injections dose.

He said that the officials are in discussion with Moderna and the Food and Drug Administration.

It will be based on facts and data to immunize more people, Dr Slaoui said on CBSs Face the Nation", adding, of course we continue to produce more vaccine doses.

This came as Donald Trumps administration is facing criticism for its vaccine handling efforts. The worst-hit country approved Pfizer and Moderna for mass inoculation in mid-December. The vaccination drive has fallen far short of its target as White House had claimed that 20 million people would receive the vaccine before the end of 2020.

However, Centres for Disease Control said as of Saturday just 4.2 million shots had been administered.

Dr Slaoui said he was positive that the vaccination rollout would continue to improve and rejected the idea of giving more single shots to people rather than holding back doses for the second shot.

He said reducing Modena vaccine doses to half is a more responsible approach but it should be based on facts and data.

The officials have said that 80 per cent of the population in the US needs to be inoculated to achieve herd immunity against the coronavirus.

Top federal infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, also cautioned the administration that they should not sway from methods the doses and schedules used in clinical trials and the vaccination drive needs to be more efficient.

"We know what the science tells us," Dr Fauci said on NBC's Meet the Press. "So my feeling ... is let's do it the way the clinical trials have instructed us to do it. But let's get more efficient into getting it into people's arms."

Story continues

The US has more than 20.4 million cases and 350,000 deaths so far. The country is weighing whether to ensure that all its citizen gets the first dose of vaccine or complete the two-stage inoculation for those who got the first shot.

However, the inclination towards getting as many people as possible their first dose has sparked off concerns amongst experts who say there is no scientific data to back that vaccine is effective with a half regimen.

Read More

Fauci: Vaccinations are ramping up in a `glimmer of hope'

US military ready to deliver 40 million Covid doses once FDA approves

Pence accuses Harris of undermining confidence in Trump vaccine
A teenager who allegedly attacked police and pulled an officer's hair while they were trying to break up a fight on New Year's Eve has been freed on bail.

Tahnaya Clarke, 18, was out celebrating at Moseley Square at Glenelg, Adelaide on December 31 when she was arrested.

Footage shows Clarke allegedly fighting back while being pushed away from the scene by a female officer.

Tahnaya Clarke, 18, was out celebrating at Moseley Square at Glenelg, Adelaide on December 31 when she was arrested (pictured)

Clarke was pushed away from the scene by a female police officer whom she allegedly attacked (pictured)

Clarke appeared in court on Monday where she was released on bail and will have to live with her aunt

Moments later she is seen allegedly yelling at the officer before her colleagues jump in and tackle Clarke to the ground.

A total of four officers were seen trying to hold Clarke down following her alleged outburst and attack.

However, despite being held down, it is alleged that Clarke was pulling the female officers hair and also scratched her face, ears and neck.

Clarke was then escorted to the police car and would not stay still which then saw the officers grab her on her arms and legs trying to put her inside.

She was later arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer and fighting, Nine News reported.

The officer was taken to hospital for treatment.

Clarke appeared in court on Monday where she was released on bail and will have to live with her aunt.

She is also banned from going to Moseley Square. She is due to reappear in court in March.

Clarke was tackled to the ground after attacking the officer but allegedly continued to pull her hair (pictured)
Deaths from a strange disease have added to the woes of residents of Osomegbe-Ekperi in Estakor Central Local Government Area of Edo State.

The disease, suspected to be cholera but yet to be confirmed by medical experts, is occurring three months after a flood sacked many residents from the community and destroyed farmlands.

Neither the federal nor the state government has done anything to help the residents despite promises of providing relief materials.

The Flood

PREMIUM TIMES had reported the flood disaster at Osomegbe-Ekperi in September 2020. The flood affected many communities in Ekperi clan, creating a serious humanitarian crisis.

Flooding has become an annual menace to the coastal communities, resulting from the overflowing of the River Niger.

The Ekperi communities were victims of the March 2012 floods in Nigeria that killed over 430 people and displaced about 566,466.

The recent one which affected the communities, including Udaba, Anegbete and Osomegbe began on September 29. The waters did not completely recede until the end of October.

Impacts of the devastating floods of September Impacts of the devastating floods of September

Residents fled the affected areas, particularly Osomegbe, to Leventis Farm, a large expanse of land owned by the company and leased out to rice farmers in the area. Because Leventis Farms was not affected, it provided temporary shelter for the displaced communities.

The federal government, through the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), had warned that Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Delta, Edo, Rivers and Bayelsa states on the banks of the River Niger would experience severe flooding that September.

Such warnings were usually ignored by rural communities, either because they had nowhere to go or because they had little information about what to do.

When PREMIUM TIMES contacted the National Emergency Management Agency(NEMA) in September, the agency said it had taken proactive steps through its zonal officers to provide succour to affected areas.

Ezekiel Manzo, the spokesperson of the agency, told PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone interview that the first steps were to evacuate people from the affected areas and provide them with basic needs.

Also, the then Edo State Commissioner for Environment, Alex Aleije, said Governor Godwin Obaseki would take the necessary steps to alleviate the sufferings of the communities.

Abandoned to Epidemics

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that despite the promise by both the state and federal government agencies, none of them has shown up at the communities.

After the water receded and the residents returned to their homes, the government agencies promised to fumigate the town to forestall an outbreak of disease. But they never carried out the fumigation.

The Onoghie, who is the traditional ruler of the community, John Musa, spoke with PREMIUM TIMES on the predicament of the community since the flood.

He said no agency has visited the community with relief materials since the flood and the people had been abandoned to their pains.

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We have not received anything. They have not sent any message to me. They also did not do any enumeration of the affected areas, Mr Musa said.

Even the fumigation they promised, nothing has been done about it.

Strange Disease

Mr Musa said since the floods receded in November, a strange sickness had been infecting the residents of the community. According to him, they have not been able to identify the disease.

Every day we are recording deaths but we dont know the cause, the traditional ruler said.

He said about 15 persons had died from the disease.

Health Official Speaks

A Community Health Extension Worker (CHEW) attached to the communitys Primary Health Centre, Faith Musa, said the infection was on the increase.

She said they had been treating the patients with the available drugs, but the caseload was becoming too high for the health centre to handle.

The common signs we are seeing are of malaria and diarrhoea and other infections, she said. The common diseases here are diarrhoea and malaria because of the bad water and the fact that the area is prone to mosquitoes.

I think it (the strange disease) has to do with cholera because of the bad water people are drinking. The children are having diarrhoea.

We have lost six persons in the last four weeks.

Some of the patients dont come early, maybe because the health centre is far from them. But they come when the situation has become very serious and we sometimes refer such cases to the general hospital.

She said a report has been made to the health authorities, but help was yet to come for the communities.

They (health authorities) are aware, but they have not done anything. I have to manage what I have.

She said she had some anti-malaria drugs and bought oral rehydration solution drugs which she administers on dehydrated children.

Mrs Musa said the drugs are effective but are not enough.

We need the attention of the government and NGOs to help us, she said. Since we had the flood, we were expecting the government to provide us drugs and other relief materials, but they did not come.

Even the fumigation they said they would do, they have not done it and we have been left to suffer the problems. Going to buy drugs in urban centres is difficult because of the bad roads.

She said the community does not have potable water, which had worsened the health situation.

Government Response

The Secretary to Estakor Central Local Government, Ibrahim Jugget, however, said the local government had not received the report of the epidemic. He said the health centre in the community has not forwarded the report.

He promised to make enquiries and ensure that action was taken to rescue the situation.

On its part, NEMA said relief materials were available but the security situation in the area had hindered the distribution to the people.

The agencys spokesperson, Mr Manzo, said information from the zonal office in Edo State showed that the security situation in the affected area would put the lives of the staff at risk.

He said once the security situation allowed, the materials would be delivered.

Governor Obaseki is yet to appoint commissioners since his reelection last year.



CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Japanese yen strengthened against its major counterparts during the Asian session on Monday, as Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said that the government is examining whether to declare a state of emergency for Tokyo area in the wake of a recent surge in new coronavirus cases.



On Saturday, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and the governors of three neighboring prefectures requested the central government to announce a state of emergency due to soaring infections.



Tokyo reported a record of 816 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday.



Suga said that most cases were likely related to restaurants and the government has reduced its operating hours to contain the outbreak.



The restaurants and karaoke parlours in the Tokyo area have been ordered to close at 8 pm, whereas businesses that serve alcohol should shut at 7 pm.



Japanese shares fell on the first trading day of the year, as traders were disappointed about the news of the emergency declaration.



The yen climbed to 102.93 against the greenback, its highest level since December 17. If the yen rises further, it may face resistance around the 100.00 level.



The yen appreciated to a 1-week high of 126.10 against the euro, after falling to 126.53 at 6:45 pm ET. The yen is likely to find resistance around the 123.5 level.



Reversing from a low of 116.96 hit at 6:45 pm ET, the yen advanced to a 1-week high of 116.45 against the franc. On the upside, 112.5 is possibly seen as its next resistance level.



The yen reversed from a 4-month low of 141.31 seen in previous deals, with the pair trading at 140.94 versus the pound. Next key resistance for the yen is seen around the 138.00 region.



The yen gained to 79.16 against the aussie and 80.89 against the loonie, off its early low of 79.68 and more than a 2-week low of 81.20, respectively. The next possible resistance for the yen is seen around 76.00 against the aussie and 78.00 against the loonie.



The Japanese currency moved up to a 4-day high of 73.98 versus the kiwi, from a low of 74.35 set at 6:45 pm ET. The yen is seen finding resistance around the 72.00 level.



Looking ahead, PMI reports from major European economies and U.K. mortgage approvals for November are due in the European session.



U.S. construction spending for November will be out in the New York session.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Two UFOs have supposedly been spotted flying over Hawaii, promising an interesting start to the year 2021.

KMOV4 reports that people on the island of Oahu reportedly witnessed a large, blue object zoom across the sky. It was then later seen crashing into the ocean, supposedly all without making a sound.

Hawaii News Now states that those who saw the strange object described it as seeming larger than a telephone pole in size. One womanknown only as Moriaheven tracked it for about three miles to see if she could figure what it was or where it was going.

Incredible Blue UFO spotted in Hawaii that the FAA confirmed was not a known aircraft of any kind. Amazing stuff pic.twitter.com/4wYOqEP4qk  Josh Thomas (@milehigherjosh) January 3, 2021

Later joined by her husband, Moriah proceeded to call 911 to alert authorities of the incident. It was then that what appeared to be a second UFO made its appearance.

After officers had responded to the scene, a white light passed over the small party from the same direction as its previous blue brethren. According to Moriah, this one didnt crash into the ocean but simply disappeared out of sight.

Hawaii News Now further states that reports of the unidentified objects were forwarded to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The agency confirmed that no aircraft incidents or accidents had been reported within the time period of the sightings.

Honolulu police stated they had no further information when asked whether anything was found in the water at the site where the first blue object crashed.

Similar stories:
[January 04, 2021] Differences in financial health increase among consumers across Europe amidst second wave of the pandemic

STOCKHOLM, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the European economies struggle to cope with the effects from the second wave of the corona virus, Intrum's Financial Wellbeing Barometer highlights the disparities in financial wellbeing among consumers across the continent. While pre-existing household debt and financial instability has been aggravated by the pandemic in southern Europe, stimulus measures appear to have protected household incomes in countries like Germany. Intrum's Financial Wellbeing Barometer, which measures and presents an aggregated score on financial wellbeing for consumers across 24 countries, finds that Germany retains its top position from 2019, followed by Austria and Estonia, while Spain, Italy and Greece have fallen in the rankings. "It is evident that households in countries that already suffered from financial instability and high unemployment rates going into the pandemic have been worse off in terms of financial health as we leave 2020 behind. This past year has stressed the importance of having a financial safety net, and going into the new year, it is vital that households take additional measures to better manage their personal finances", says Anette Willumsen, Managing Director CMS Sales & Service Development and Markets at Intrum.



Structural impediments impair Southern Europe

Italy has seen a sharp decline in the ranking, as heavy contractions in employment levels in April and May hit incomes hard, hampering consumers' ability to pay on time. As some sectors have been hit harder than others, Spain, whose workforce relies heavily on tourism, have seen household's abilities to save for the future restricted. In combination with declines in the financial literacy performance of respondents, the country's score has slid from previous year's ranking. "Our research suggests that it is easier for some to achieve financial security than others due to individual financial circumstances and the broader macroeconomic landscape. There is no silver bullet, but nonetheless, with financial education and guidance from both public institutions as well as financial services firms, consumers are enabled to make better decisions when it comes to one's personal finances", Anette Willumsen concludes.



About Intrum's Financial Wellbeing Barometer

The Intrum Financial Wellbeing Barometer is a tool developed to measure and compare the Financial Wellbeing of European Consumers across 24 European markets. We term `Financial Wellbeing' as having the financial security to meet everyday spending needs and be in control of one's finances. The barometer presents an overall financial wellbeing score for each country - an aggregate ranking that combines scores (1-10) across three pillars, including calculations that consider key indicators relating to consumers` debt-to-income ratio. The three pillars are ability to pay bills, save for the future, and financial literacy. Ability to pay bills refers to the level at which consumers are able to pay bills on time, the proportion of their salary they have remaining once their monthly bills are paid, and the gross disposable household income per capita. Saving for the future refers to the level that consumers are able to save each month, ability to save for an unforeseen event, and the gross household saving rate. Financial literacy refers to the extent to which consumers understand basic financial terms and calculations. For further information, please contact:

Anna Fall

Chief Brand & Communications Officer

+46 (0)709 96 98 21

anna.fall@intrum.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/intrum/r/differences-in-financial-health-increase-among-consumers-across-europe-amidst-second-wave-of-the-pan,c3263703 The following files are available for download:







https://mb.cision.com/Main/8612/3263703/1355798.pdf IAB_2021.01.04_ECPR Barometer



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
on Monday vehemently refuted the US charge that the novel was leaked from a bio lab in the country and asserted that the pandemic was likely to have been caused by separate outbreaks in multiple places in the world.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying's remarks came amidst reports that a ten-member team of the World Health Organisation (WHO) scientists would visit this month to probe the origin of the coronavirus, which emerged in Wuhan in December 2019.

Beijing is yet to confirm the visit by the WHO team and remained silent about granting permission for it to visit Wuhan city in central

"I have no detailed information for you," Hua told a media briefing here when asked about the visit of the WHO team and whether its schedule included a visit to Wuhan.

"China attaches high importance to cooperation with the WHO. We have been providing support and convenience for WHO's work," Hua said.

China has been proactively questioning the widely-held view that the deadly outbreak broke out in a wet market in Wuhan where the live animals are sold. The market remained closed and sealed since early last year.

In May last year, the World Health Assembly (WHA) - the governing body of the 194-member states of the WHO - approved a resolution to set up an independent inquiry to conduct an "impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation" of the international response as well as that of WHO.

It also asked the WHO to investigate the "source of the virus and the route of introduction to the human population".

"We raced against time and were the first country to report cases to the world, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in interviews to the official media over the weekend.

"More and more research suggests that the pandemic was likely to have been caused by separate outbreaks in multiple places in the world," he said.

"When hit by an unknown coronavirus, China took immediate actions to carry out epidemiological investigation, identify the pathogen and publicise key information including the genome sequencing of the virus. All this sounded alarm bells across the world," Wang said, adding that China took the most rigorous control measures to fight the virus".

In her media briefing on Monday, Hua launched a scathing criticism against the US, saying Washington should produce evidence to back its charge that the virus emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

She in-turn called for a WHO probe into American military run bio labs while replying to a question on latest allegations by the US National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger that the COVID-19 has been leaked from the WIV.

"There is a growing body of evidence that the (Wuhan) lab is likely the most credible source of the virus," Pottinger, a staunch critic of Beijing, allegedly made the claim in a recent virtual meeting with UK officials, according to a British media report.

His allegation is nothing new as US President Donald Trump, who termed COVID-19 as "China virus", too had alleged last year that the institute may have been responsible and called for an inquiry.

"Maybe you could ask the senior US officials since they are considering origin tracing such a priority why doesn't the US invite the WHO experts to investigate the virus in the US considering the links between the Fort Detrick lab (in Maryland) and the major flu last fall and the pandemic,"Hua said.

"Why doesn't the US invite journalists there," she asked.

Hua said, "regarding the Wuhan lab making or leaking of the virus almost all the scientists and experts in the world including Dr. Anthony Fauci, (director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) openly denied this".

"Many media including American ones interviewed officials of Wuhan Institute of Virology to see the truth," she said.

"Pottinger is still hyping despicable lies and rumours. Does it reflect his own stand or that of the official stand of the US government? The US should present evidence on this. There are more reports showing evidence that pandemic broke out in multiple locations in 2020," she said.

"We hope that the WHO can lead the scientists in conducting the tracing of the organ of the virus so that we find out the truth at an early date," Hua 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.)
LONDON, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Around 217 people were issued with fixed penalty fines after police officers attended 58 unlicensed music events and parties in the British capital on the New Year's Day, the London-based Evening Standard newspaper has reported.

The events were in staged breach of Tier Four restrictions, the highest level of coronavirus curb in England, currently in force in London to combat the spread of COVID-19, said the newspaper.

Police said the vast majority of those were closed after officers intervened, while five people had been reported for consideration for a possible fine of 10,000 pounds (about 13,673 U.S. dollars) for organizing large gatherings of people, the newspaper added.

Officers were called to an incident of serious violence in Edgware Road at around 0032 GMT on Friday after two men, aged 18 and 19, were found with stab injuries. A 17-year-old girl was also found with a head injury having been struck with a glass bottle. One person was arrested, said the newspaper.

None of their conditions are life-threatening. The incident is suspected to be linked to reports of a large number of people gathered at a property in Connaught Street that was dispersed by police. Full enquiries into the circumstances continue, according to the newspaper.

London and many other parts of England have already been under the highest Tier Four restrictions, which require residents in the areas to stay at home, with limited exemptions.

In Tier Four, people are also urged to work from home when they can and should not enter or leave those areas. People should also not mix with anyone outside their own household, apart from support bubbles.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.
The Daily Beast

Theo WargoCNN boss Jeff Zucker on Tuesday addressed network staffers concerns over the revelations that primetime star host Chris Cuomo advised his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on how to respond to the multiple sexual harassment allegations against him.During a Tuesday afternoon town-hall meeting with staff, Zucker claimed he understood the unease over Cuomos conduct, saying in no uncertain terms that it was a mistake for the primetime star to participate in strategy calls advising his politically powerful brother.He did cross a line, Zucker said.Last week, The Washington Post reported that Cuomo joined strategy calls helping plan his powerful brothers rebuttals to mounting allegations that he harassed multiple women and made some female staffers feel uncomfortable. According to multiple sources who were present on one meeting, the CNN host even mentioned invoking cancel culture as a way to combat the claims.The CNN boss said he personally voiced his displeasure to Cuomo, and that he had considered the options for how to handle the star hosts unfolding scandal. Ultimately, Zucker said that rather than suspending Cuomo, the network decided the host should have to go on-air and personally apologize to his viewers.And so during his 9 p.m. ET broadcast, Cuomo declared that it will never happen again and insisted he knows where the line is.In a statement following the Post bombshell last week, CNN admitted it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governors staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward. The network added that Cuomo would not be disciplined further.But the top anchors decision to secretly participate in the strategy calls assisting his embattled brother has, indeed, irked numerous network staffers. CNN insiders who spoke with The Daily Beast this week expressed frustration with the networks handling of the incident, saying Cuomo should have faced more serious consequences.Im very disappointed in the network, said one current on-air personality. I think some disciplinary action, at a minimum, was required in this situation. The source added, As a woman who works here, I feel a little let down, to be honest.Staff were particularly interested in Tuesdays town hall following one of the more eventful weeks for the network following a high-profile sale and the departure of one noteworthy on-air contributor.During the call, Zucker said that Rick Santorum was given an opportunity to apologize for what the CNN boss referred to as the ex-senators inappropriate and racist comments about Native Americans, but because he refused to do so, the network ultimately fired the conservative pundit.And elsewhere in Tuesdays town hall, Zucker downplayed the impact of AT&Ts decision to merge WarnerMedia, CNNs parent company, with Discovery. Asked about whether CNN could be spun off as part of the deal, the network chief said he did not think that was in the cards.And when pressed on his own future at the network, Zucker said he plans to have conversations with the right people very soon.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
Chinese crude oil companies listed in New York may soon be kicked out, after the New York Stock Exchange delisted three telecoms with headquarters in China, Bloomberg reports, due to alleged ties to the Chinese military.

"More Chinese companies could get delisted in the U.S. and the oil majors could come as the next wave," an executive director of a Hong Kong-based investment bank told Bloomberg. Steven Leung, however, added that for the telecoms, at least, the impact of the delisting would not be particularly serious as they weren't traded all that actively on NYSE.

According to the report, CNOOC, the state offshore oil exploration and production company, is the one most likely to follow the three telecoms on the way out. The U.S. federal government last year added CNOOC to a blacklist of companies with ties to the Chinese military. The blacklisting effectively cuts these companies' access to funds from U.S. investors and access of investors to these companies' stocks.

CNOOC is China's biggest offshore exploration company and the only one among the state oil giants that is purely focused on exploration and production. According to a recent investment analysis published in Yahoo Finance, CNOOC is a lucrative investment opportunity because it holds a monopoly over offshore exploration through several production sharing contracts. CNOOC also boasts some of the lowest all-in costs in the world.

In response to the U.S. Department of Defense's actions, Beijing has threatened with its own blacklist of U.S. companies, although the latest statements from China are along more amenable lines. The Ministry of Commerce said it would take steps to protect its companies, following the news about the three telecoms' delisting, but added that it hoped the matter would be resolved by Washington and Beijing working together. The Foreign Ministry was less amendable, accusing Washington of "viciously slandering" its policies for integrating its military complex and business sector.



By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Women from the Shiite Hazara community mourn over death of their family members during a a sit-in protest against the killing of coal mine workers (Arshad Butt/AP)

Hundreds of Pakistani minority Shiites blocked a key road on the outskirts the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta for a second straight day to protest against the killing of 11 coal miners by the so-called Islamic State group.

The miners, members of the countrys minority Shiite Hazara community, were abducted by IS militants in southwestern Baluchistan province on Sunday, taken to a nearby mountain and shot.

Six died at the scene and five, critically wounded, died on the way to hospital.

Police video of the bodies revealed the miners were blindfolded and had their hands tied behind their backs before being shot.

The attack took place near the Machh coal field, about 30 miles east of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan.

The condemnable killing of 11 innocent coal miners in Machh Balochistan is yet another cowardly inhumane act of terrorism. Have asked the FC to use all resources to apprehend these killers & bring them to justice. The families of the victims will not be left abandoned by the govt  Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 3, 2021

The Sunni militant group has repeatedly targeted Pakistans minority Shiites in recent years.

IS claimed responsibility quickly after the abduction of the miners.

The protesters brought the coffins with the miners bodies to the Quetta road, insisting they would not be buried until authorities arrest the killers.

Under Islamic tradition, burials take place as quickly as possible after death.

The crowd of about 1,000 said it would hold the sit-in until their demands are met.

Authorities say they are still trying to trace and arrest the assailants and that police raids were under way in the area.

Officials held talks with Shiite leaders to convince the Hazaras to end the protest as many at the rally, including women and children, wept over the miners coffins.

Whenever terrorists kill our people, the government sends its representatives, saying they will ensure our protection.

We never got protection in the past.

We want the arrest of the killers of our people, said Daud Agha, a prominent Shiite leader.

Expand Close People from the Shiite Hazara community gather around the miners coffins (Arshad Butt/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp People from the Shiite Hazara community gather around the miners coffins (Arshad Butt/AP)

The killing of the miners was largely condemned across the country, with the countrys prime minister Imran Khan promising the victims families would be taken care of and that the perpetrators would face justice.

Pakistans Hazara community has been targeted many times in recent years by Sunni militant groups, including the so-called Islamic State group.

IS has also declared war on minority Shiites in neighbouring Afghanistan, and has claimed a number of deadly attacks across the region since emerging in 2014.

A suicide bombing at an open-air market in Quetta in April 2019 killed 20 people.

At the time, IS said it had targeted Shiites and elements of the Pakistani army.

Last January, IS claimed responsibility for a powerful explosion that ripped through a mosque in Quetta during evening prayers.

The blast killed a senior police officer and 13 others, and wounded another 20 worshippers.

Pakistans Baluchistan province has for the past decades also been the scene of a low-level insurgency by separatists demanding more autonomy and a greater share in the regions natural resources such as gas and oil.

Download the Belfast Telegraph App Get quick and easy access to the latest Northern Ireland news, sport, business and opinion with the Belfast Telegraph App.

PA
President Donald Trump put forth a dizzying array of fuzzy accounting and outright false claims in an extraordinary phone call to Georgias secretary of state seeking a reversal of his election defeat, fabricating a slew of votes that he said shouldve been counted in his favor.

In the hourlong conversation Saturday with Georgias secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, Trump suggested that the Republican find enough votes to hand Trump the victory.

The Associated Press obtained the full audio of Trumps conversation with Georgia officials from a person on the call. The AP is not publishing the full audio in keeping with its policy of not amplifying disinformation and unproven allegations.

A look at Trumps claims on the call and how they compare with reality:

TRUMP: If we can go over some of the numbers, I think its pretty clear we won, we won very substantially in Georgia.

THE FACTS: No, Trump lost Georgia in an election the state has certified for Democrat Joe Biden. Republican election officials have affirmed the election was conducted and counted fairly.

With ballots counted three times, including once by hand, Georgias certified totals show Trump lost to Biden by 11,779 votes out of nearly 5 million cast. Raffensperger certified the totals with officials saying theyve found no evidence that Trump won.

No credible claims of fraud or systemic errors have been sustained. Judges have turned away legal challenges to the results, although at least one is still pending in state court.

___

TRUMP: People should be happy to have an accurate count... We have other states I believe will be flipping to us shortly.

THE FACTS: No reversal of the election outcome is in the offing, in Georgia or other states.

Biden defeated Trump by some 7 million popular votes nationwide and by a tally of 306-232 in the Electoral College, achieving victory in other key states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Arizona.

Trumps former attorney general, William Barr, found no evidence of widespread election fraud. Trumps allegations of massive voting fraud have been dismissed by a succession of judges and refuted by state election officials and an arm of his own administrations Homeland Security Department.

A group of Senate Republicans, led by Sens. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, say they plan to object to the election results when Congress meets on Wednesday to tally Bidens Electoral College victory over Trump.

The objections will force votes in both the House and Senate, but none are expected to prevail.

___

TRUMP: The other thing, dead people. So dead people voted. And I think the number is in the  close to 5,000 people. And they went to obituaries. They went to all sorts of methods to come up with an accurate number. And a minimum is close to about 5,000 voters.

THE FACTS: Not true. Georgia officials have debunked previous claims by the Trump campaign in November that three particular people had voted illegally, finding that other people with similar names had voted. At the time, a local district attorney announced an investigation into whether a ballot had illegally been cast in the name of a northwest Georgia man who died in 2015.

On Saturday, Raffensperger said two illegal votes on behalf of dead people have been confirmed, not thousands as Trump alleged. The actual number were two. Two. Two people that were dead that voted. And so thats wrong, Raffensperger said.

___

TRUMP: We have anywhere from 250 (thousand) to 300,000 ballots were dropped mysteriously into the rolls, much of that had to do with Fulton County, which hasnt been checked.

THE FACTS: Theres nothing mysterious or suspect about it. He is describing a legitimate vote counting process, not a sudden surge of malfeasance.

Trump appears to be referring to large numbers of votes that were tabulated in the early hours of Wednesday morning after Election Day and later. The arrival of those votes was not mysterious, but expected, because many of Georgias 159 counties had large stacks of mail-in ballots that had to be tabulated after polls closed and in-person ballots were counted.

Indeed, news organizations and officials had warned in the days leading up to the election that the results would likely come in just as they did: In-person votes, which tend to be counted more quickly, would likely favor the president, who had spent months warning his supporters to avoid mail-in voting and to vote in person either early or on Election Day.

And mail-in-ballots, which take longer to count since they must be removed from envelopes and verified before they are counted, would favor Biden. States tend to count mail-in ballots at the end of the process.

___

TRUMP: We think ... if (there is) a real check of signatures going back in Fulton County, youll find at least a couple of hundred thousand of forged signatures.

THE FACTS: That has no basis in reality.

It would be impossible for anyone to have forged hundreds of thousands of signatures on mail-in ballots in Fulton County because there were only about 147,000 mail-in ballots in Georgias most populous county, with about 116,000 of them going to Biden.

___

TRUMP, claiming thousands of voters moved out of Georgia, registered in another state, and then improperly cast ballots in Georgia: They came back in, and they voted. That was a large number.

THE FACTS: Not so. Trump supporters are working from a list of questionable accuracy, according to Ryan Germany, the general counsel for Raffenspergers office. He told Trump during the call that the claims have been investigated and that in many cases, voters moved back years ago. Its not like it happened just before the election. Theres something about that data that its just not accurate.

___

TRUMP: It doesnt pass the smell test, because we hear theyre shredding thousands and thousands of ballots and now what theyre saying (is) Oh, were just cleaning up the office.

THE FACTS: The shredding in question was taking place in suburban Cobb County, not in Fulton County as Trump claimed. Cobb County elections officials said Nov. 24 that none of the items shredded by a contractor were relevant to the election or the re-tally and instead were things like old mailing labels, other papers with voter information, old emails and duplicates of absentee ballot applications.

___

TRUMP, claiming that a Fulton County election worker fed ballots through a machine three times instead of only once, saying his campaign would release a video proving it: It cant be disputed. We have a version that you havent seen, but its magnified. Its magnified and you can see everything. For some reason, they put it in three times each ballot. And I dont know why, I dont know why three times and not five times, right?

THE FACTS: There was no double or triple tallying of ballots. Raffensperger noted that ballots in Georgia have been counted and then recounted twice more for accuracy, including once by hand, and no discrepancy showed up in the Fulton County ballots, as it would have if someone improperly counted votes multiple times. We did an audit of that, Raffensperger told Trump. It was proved conclusively that they were not scanned three times.

___

TRUMP, attacking a legal settlement that Georgia signed with the state Democratic Party over how signatures on absentee ballot applications and absentee ballots are verified. You cant check signatures, you cant do that... Youre allowed to do harvesting, I guess, in that agreement. That agreement is a disaster for this country.

THE FACTS: There is nothing in the March 6 consent decree that prevents Georgias election clerks from scrutinizing signatures. The legal settlement addresses accusations about a lack of statewide standards for judging signatures on absentee ballot envelopes. Raffensperger has said that not only is it entirely possible to match signatures, but that the state requires it.

Ballot harvesting, the practice of collecting numbers of absentee ballots and delivering them back to elections officials, remains illegal in Georgia.

___

TRUMP, referring to investigations into his baseless claims of voter fraud: You have your never-Trumper U.S. attorney there.

THE FACTS: The U.S. attorney in Atlanta is a actually a Trump appointee. Byung J. BJay Pak is a longtime Republican who also served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2011 until 2017. He was nominated by Trump to become the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia in 2017. In announcing his nomination, the White House said that Pak and five other nominees for U.S. attorneys posts share the presidents vision for Making America Safe Again. Pak had previously also worked as an assistant U.S. attorney.

___

TRUMP, citing 18,000 suspicious votes: The tape thats been shown all over the world ... they said very clearly there was a major water main break. Everybody fled the area and then they came back ... there were no Republican poll watchers ... and there was no law enforcement ... It was stuffed with votes. They werent in an official voter box, they were in what looked to be in suitcases or trunks. ... The minimum number it could be ... was 18,000 ballots, all for Biden.

THE FACTS: Thats a gross distortion of what actually happened.

State and Fulton County election officials say surveillance video that Trump refers shows no improper behavior, but normal ballot processing using not suitcases, but ballot containers on wheels. Officials said that the entire video showed the same workers had earlier packed the ballot containers with valid, uncounted ballots.

Republicans have contended that their observers were told to leave Fulton Countys vote counting center, but elections officials said they actually left after confusion that arose because election workers thought they were done for the night.

An independent monitor and an investigator in fact oversaw the vote count, according to state and county officials. Trump also refers to a fake confession attributed by a woman allegedly involved in the incident that was posted on social media.

___

TRUMP: In other states we think we found tremendous corruption with Dominion machines, but well have to see.

THE FACTS: No tremendous corruption has been found.

Theres no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes or was in any way compromised, said the federal agency that oversees election security, in a statement joined by state and electoral-industry officials.

___

EDITORS NOTE  A look at the veracity of claims by political figures.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Ahead of UK PM Boris Johnson's crucial meeting, Britain's Covid-19 alert level may be upgraded from 4 to 5 after the United Kingdom on Monday reported a record 58,784 cases of Covid-19 and a further 407 new deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test.

On Sunday, UK recorded nearly 55,000 new cases of coronavirus and in total over 75,000 people have died - the second-highest toll in Europe - during the pandemic with 454 new deaths.

News agency Reuters quoted a BBC reporter's tweet: "Sources have told the BBC the Covid threat level  decided by the Joint Biosecurity Centre, which includes the UK's four Chief Medical Officers  is being moved up to 5, the highest level."

The development comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to announce new Covid-19 curbs tonight, with tighter restrictions expected to be announced.

"The spread of the new variant of COVID-19 has led to rapidly escalating case numbers across the country," the UK PM's office said in a statement today afternoon. "The prime minister is clear that further steps must now be taken to arrest this rise and to protect the NHS and save lives," it added.

As per reports, the measure is different from the tiering system, which currently has tier four as its highest level. It was set up in May amid the first wave of Covid-19.

There are five Covid-19 alert levels:

Level 5 (red) - A "material risk of healthcare services being overwhelmed" - extremely strict social distancing.

Level 4 - A high or rising level of transmission - enforced social distancing.

Level 3 - The virus is in general circulation - social distancing relaxed.

Level 2 - The number of infection cases and transmission are low - minimal social distancing.

Level 1 (green) - Coronavirus is no longer present in the UK - no social distancing.

A faster-spreading mutation of coronavirus threatens to overwhelm hospitals and is said to be more contagious than the other strains of the Covid-19.

The new strain, which was first detected in September and confirmed by the UK authorities in December, has so far been detected in Denmark, Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore.

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About The Video

Actor Rhea Chakraborty was spotted months after release from jail. Rhea was seen looking for a new house in Mumbai. She was accompanied by her brother Showik Chakraborty. Rhea is under investigation following the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Rhea & her brother were arrested by NCB in a drug-related case. Rhea got bail on October 7, while Showik was released on December 2. Rhea was accused by Sushant's family following his death in June 2019. Sushant's kin claimed Rhea used to drug him and wanted to usurp his assets. CBI is probing the case after the Supreme Court ordered transfer from Mumbai police. Watch the full video for more.
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Monday accused the ruling CPI-M and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of trying to create communal polarisation in the state by unleashing a campaign against the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the United Democratic Front. The campaign was aimed at politically strengthening the BJP in the state, he told reporters here, reacting to the communal barbs thrown by the CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and its leaders, including Vijayan, at the Congress- headed UDF after its recent debacle in local body elections.

They had said the "deplorable state of affairs" of the UDF was due to the "shamelessness of the Congress" to do anything for a few votes. Vijayan had said it was clear that the IUML was able to persuade the Congress in Kerala to form an alliance with "communal parties", despite the opposition of the Congress national leadership, a reference to the Welfare Party of India.

However, Chennithala on Monday backed the IUML and said it had played a major role in maintaining the secular character of the state. "The CPI(M) is attempting a deliberate campaign against the IUML. There is a concerted effort from the side of the CPI-M to create communal polarisation in the state," he alleged.

The Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly also said there was a collective responsibility over the recent poll setback. "We could not gain much in the corporations as we expected. But we fought well in the municipalities and the grama panchayats," Chennithala said.

He said the Congress and the UDF will continue its fight against "the corrupt" Left front government in the state. Meanwhile, CPI(M) state secretary in-charge A Vijayaraghavan claimed there was confusion among the UDF partners after the local body polls.

"Now there are reports that the IUML and the Welfare Party will continue its alliance. The Congress leadership, especially the KPCC president, says otherwise," he said. Alleging that BJP was indulging in politics of communalism, he said such alliances by IUML would only justify the former's strategy.
Dubai: Iran has begun enriching uranium up to 20 per cent at an underground facility and seized a South Korean-flagged oil tanker in the crucial Strait of Hormuz, further escalating tensions in the Middle East between Tehran and the West.

The confirmation of enrichment at Fordo came as fears rose that Tehran had seized the MT Hankuk Chemi. Iran later acknowledged the seizure, alleging the vessel's oil pollution sparked the move.

South Korea's foreign minister said on Tuesday she is making diplomatic efforts to secure the release of the tanker.

Kang Kyung-wha said she is now in talks with diplomats in Tehran and Seoul to resolve the issue, while Tehran had earlier announced they would be negotiating eith South Korea this week for the release of billions of dollars in its assets now frozen in Seoul.
A leading aviation group has revealed the world's 20 safest airlines for 2021 - and it's Qantas that's No1 again.

The ranking has been drawn up by Australia-based AirlineRatings.com, which monitors 385 carriers and takes into account audits from aviation governing bodies, government audits, airlines' crash and serious incident records, fleet age and pilot training and culture.

Other airlines making the top 20 ranking this year include British Airways, American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic/Virgin Australia.

The world's safest airlines for 2021 have been revealed and Qantas is No1, again

TOP 20 SAFEST AIRLINES FOR 2021 1. Qantas 2. Qatar Airways 3. Air New Zealand 4. Singapore Airlines 5. Emirates 6. EVA Air 7.Etihad Airways 8. Alaska Airlines 9. Cathay Pacific Airways 10. British Airways 11. Virgin Australia/Virgin Atlantic 12. Hawaiian Airlines 13. Southwest Airlines 14. Delta Air Lines 15. American Airlines 16. SAS 17. Finnair 18. Lufthansa 19. KLM 20. United Airlines Source: AirlineRatings.com Advertisement

The editors of AirlineRatings.com noted that over its 100-year history as the world's oldest continuously operating airline, Qantas 'has amassed a truly amazing record of firsts in operations and safety and is now accepted as the industrys most experienced airline'.

AirlineRatings.com editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas said: 'Australias Qantas has been recognised by the British Advertising Standards Association in a test case as the worlds most experienced airline.

'Qantas has been the lead airline in virtually every major operational safety advancement over the past 60 years and has not had a fatality in the pure jet era.'

In second place is Qatar Airways, followed by Air New Zealand in third, Singapore Airlines in fourth and Emirates in fifth.

Qatar Airways takes second place in the ranking by AirlineRatings.com of the 20 safest airlines for 2021

Air New Zealand is the third in the ranking of the safest airlines for 2021

Eva Air is sixth, Etihad Airways is seventh, Alaska Airlines comes eighth, Cathay Pacific is ninth and British Airways comes 10th.

The rest of the top 20 comprises Virgin Australia/Virgin Atlantic (11th), Hawaiian Airlines (12th), Southwest Airlines (13th), Delta Air Lines (14th), American Airlines (15th), SAS (16th), Finnair (17th), Lufthansa (18th), KLM (19th) and United Airlines (20th).

Mr Thomas added: 'These airlines are standouts in the industry and are at the forefront of safety, innovation, and launching of new aircraft.

To draw up the ranking, AirlineRatings.com monitors 385 carriers and considers audits from aviation governing bodies, government audits, airlines' crash and serious incident records, fleet age and pilot training and culture. Singapore Airlines is No4 in the list

Dubai-based Emirates is fifth in the AirlineRatings.com safety ranking

TOP 10 SAFEST LOW-COST AIRLINES FOR 2021 Air Arabia Allegiant easyJet Frontier Jetstar Group Jetblue Ryanair Vietjet Westjet Wizz Air Source: AirlineRatings.com. Listed alphabetically. Advertisement

'In fact, there is very little between the top 20, they are all standouts.'

AirlineRatings.com has also identified the top 10 safest low-cost airlines for 2021.

In alphabetical order, they are Air Arabia, Allegiant, easyJet, Frontier, Jetstar Group, Jetblue, Ryanair, Vietjet, Westjet, and Wizz Air.

Meanwhile, for the first time this year, AirlineRatings.com has named its top 20 Covid-19 compliant airlines, those which it believes have 'gone above and beyond in the protection of passengers or in adding flexibility to travel'.

The aviation group assessed airlines on website information about Covid-19 procedures, the provision of face masks for passengers and personal protective equipment for crew, the modification of meal services, the deep cleaning of aircraft, the provision of a personal sanitiser kit and social distancing on board.

The top 20 airlines are, in alphabetical order, Air Baltic, Air New Zealand, Alaska Airlines, All Nippon Airways, AirAsia, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Eva Air, Japan Airlines, Jetblue, KLM, Korean Airlines, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Southwest, Qatar Airways and Westjet.

Mr Thomas said: 'All these airlines have been trendsetters in making travel as safe as possible.'

News of the world's safest airlines comes just days after another annual report revealed that the number of people killed in large commercial plane crashes rose in 2020 to 299 worldwide, even as the number of crashes fell by more than 50 per cent.

British Airways has come 10th in the safety ranking. AirlineRatings.com editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas said: 'There is very little between the top 20, they are all standouts'

Aviation consulting firm To70 said in 2020 there were 40 accidents involving large commercial passenger planes, five of which were fatal, resulting in 299 fatalities. In 2019 there were 86 accidents, eight of which were fatal, resulting in 257 fatalities.

More than half of all deaths in the To70 review were the 176 people killed in January 2020 when a Ukrainian plane was shot down in Iranian airspace. The second deadliest incident was the May crash of a Pakistan airliner, killing 98.

The decline in crashes came amid a sharp decline in flights due to the coronavirus pandemic. Flightradar24 reported commercial flights it tracked worldwide in 2020 fell 42 per cent to 24.4million.
United Nations, Jan 4 : United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday expressed his "deep sadness" at the passing of legendary long-time UN official Brian Urquhart, who died Saturday at the age of 101.

"I am deeply saddened at the passing of Sir Brian Urquhart, the legendary long-time United Nations official. I offer condolences to his family and to his legions of admirers within and beyond the United Nations," the UN chief said in a statement.

"Sir Brian's imprint on the United Nations was as profound as that of anyone in the organization's history. As one of the organization's earliest employees, he set the standard for the international civil service: dedicated and impartial. As an aide to Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold, he helped to define the UN's scope of action in addressing armed conflict and other global challenges. And as a close associate of Ralph Bunche, the renowned UN official and Nobel-Peace-Prize-winner, Sir Brian helped to establish and then propel international peacekeeping into wide-ranging use," the statement added.

"Across the decades, in service to several of my predecessors, Sir Brian was at the center of formative global events, from the Congo to the Middle East. His involvement in global affairs continued well after the end of his UN career through extensive writings that included definitive biographies of Hammarskjold and Bunche. He was also a mentor for UN staff and countless young people as they pursued their careers," the statement said.

The statement noted that in his memoir, A Life in Peace and War, about the earliest days of the United Nations, Brian said that "We were all optimists ... who believed in the possibility of organizing a peaceful and just world," the Xinhua news agency reported.

"Sir Brian Urquhart maintained that optimism across his life, shaping the United Nations and history itself. We are grateful for his brilliant and incomparable contributions as a stalwart servant of 'we the peoples,'" the statement added.

Urquhart was a member of the British diplomatic staff involved in the setting-up of the United Nations in 1945, assisting the Executive Committee of the Preparatory Commission of the United Nations in establishing the administrative framework of the organization that had been created by the UN Charter. He subsequently became an aide to Trygve Lie, the first secretary-general of the United Nations. Urquhart helped handle the administrative and logistical challenges involved in getting the UN established in New York City. Not particularly well liked by Lie, Urquhart was subsequently moved to a minor UN administrative post. When Dag Hammarskjold became the second secretary-general in 1953, however, he appointed Urquhart as one of his main advisors. He loyally served by Hammarskjold's side until the latter's death in 1961, admiring him greatly in spite of admittedly never getting to know him very well on a personal level.

As undersecretary-general, Urquhart's main functions were the direction of peacekeeping forces in the Middle East and Cyprus, and negotiations in these two areas; among others, his contributions also included work on the negotiations relating to a Namibia peace settlement, negotiations in Kashmir, Lebanon and work on peaceful uses for nuclear energy.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  Vandals lashed out at the leaders of the U.S. House and Senate over the holiday weekend, blighting their homes with graffiti and in one case a pigs head as Congress failed to approve an increase in the amount of money being sent to individuals to help cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

Spray paint on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells door in Kentucky on Saturday read, WERES MY MONEY. MITCH KILLS THE POOR was scrawled over a window. A profanity directed at the Republican senator was painted under the mailbox.

At House Speaker Nancy Pelosis home in San Francisco, someone spray-painted graffiti and left a pigs head and fake blood on New Years Day, police said. The vandalism was reported around 2 a.m. Friday, a police statement said, and a special investigations unit is trying to determine who did it.

KGO-TV reported that graffiti found on the garage door of the Democratic leaders home included the phrases $2K, Cancel rent! and We want everything, apparently referencing Democratic lawmakers failed efforts to increase the coronavirus relief checks from $600 to $2000.

The news station says security cameras surround the three-story brick home in the tony Pacific Heights neighborhood.

McConnell released a statement on Saturday condemning the vandalism at his home in Louisville.

Ive spent my career fighting for the First Amendment and defending peaceful protest, he stated. I appreciate every Kentuckian who has engaged in the democratic process whether they agree with me or not. This is different. Vandalism and the politics of fear have no place in our society.

McConnell said he and his wife are not intimidated by the vandalism. We just hope our neighbors in Louisville arent too inconvenienced by this radical tantrum.

Louisville police are investigating the incident at McConnells home, which occurred around 5 a.m. Saturday. There currently are no suspects, police spokesperson Dwight Mitchell said in an email.

On New Years Day, Senate Republicans refused to allow debate over a bill to increase the amount of COVID-19 relief. The increase, supported by President Donald Trump, passed the Democratic-led House but was blocked by McConnell.

The government has begun sending out the smaller payments to millions of Americans. The $600 payment is going to individuals with incomes up to $75,000. Congress approved the payment in late December.
The Daily Beast

Theo WargoCNN boss Jeff Zucker on Tuesday addressed network staffers concerns over the revelations that primetime star host Chris Cuomo advised his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on how to respond to the multiple sexual harassment allegations against him.During a Tuesday afternoon town-hall meeting with staff, Zucker claimed he understood the unease over Cuomos conduct, saying in no uncertain terms that it was a mistake for the primetime star to participate in strategy calls advising his politically powerful brother.He did cross a line, Zucker said.Last week, The Washington Post reported that Cuomo joined strategy calls helping plan his powerful brothers rebuttals to mounting allegations that he harassed multiple women and made some female staffers feel uncomfortable. According to multiple sources who were present on one meeting, the CNN host even mentioned invoking cancel culture as a way to combat the claims.The CNN boss said he personally voiced his displeasure to Cuomo, and that he had considered the options for how to handle the star hosts unfolding scandal. Ultimately, Zucker said that rather than suspending Cuomo, the network decided the host should have to go on-air and personally apologize to his viewers.And so during his 9 p.m. ET broadcast, Cuomo declared that it will never happen again and insisted he knows where the line is.In a statement following the Post bombshell last week, CNN admitted it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governors staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward. The network added that Cuomo would not be disciplined further.But the top anchors decision to secretly participate in the strategy calls assisting his embattled brother has, indeed, irked numerous network staffers. CNN insiders who spoke with The Daily Beast this week expressed frustration with the networks handling of the incident, saying Cuomo should have faced more serious consequences.Im very disappointed in the network, said one current on-air personality. I think some disciplinary action, at a minimum, was required in this situation. The source added, As a woman who works here, I feel a little let down, to be honest.Staff were particularly interested in Tuesdays town hall following one of the more eventful weeks for the network following a high-profile sale and the departure of one noteworthy on-air contributor.During the call, Zucker said that Rick Santorum was given an opportunity to apologize for what the CNN boss referred to as the ex-senators inappropriate and racist comments about Native Americans, but because he refused to do so, the network ultimately fired the conservative pundit.And elsewhere in Tuesdays town hall, Zucker downplayed the impact of AT&Ts decision to merge WarnerMedia, CNNs parent company, with Discovery. Asked about whether CNN could be spun off as part of the deal, the network chief said he did not think that was in the cards.And when pressed on his own future at the network, Zucker said he plans to have conversations with the right people very soon.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
US: 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine found in watermelons

Tesla owners will be paid $ 16,000 each due to slow charging

Advisor to Armenia Prosecutor General provides details about incident with Armenian soldier killed in Verin Shorzha

Banksy's painting of punk Lenin sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 960,000

CSTO Deputy Secretary-General: Escalation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border requires undertaking of urgent measures

Catholicos of All Armenians receives newly appointed Ambassador of Japan

Australia closing its embassy in Kabul for security reasons

Biden to discuss issues related to Belarus and Ukraine with Putin

Armenian acting FM meets with ambassadors of CSTO member states accredited to Armenia

Armenia Ombudsman presents human rights protection in post-war period to CoE Programmes Directorate General

Germany is investigating Google's position in market

France: Sanctions against Belarus will continue

Armenia opposition party MP: Azerbaijan is a terrorist state, negotiations can't be led with such a country

US to reopen its Consulate General in Jerusalem

EU expects to receive over 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine by end of September

Armenian MFA strongly condemns Azerbaijan's blatant armed encroachment on Armenia's sovereign territory

UN still awaits strong evidence that Dubai ruler's daughter is alive

Opposition Bright Armenia Party urges Government to immediately address UN Security Council

Armen Sarkissian receives Russia Ambassador to Armenia

Armenia President, France Ambassador discuss situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border

Overchuk: We hope unblocking of links between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a success

Armenia police officer commits suicide, criminal case launched

Armenia Environmental Protection and Mining Inspection Body has new deputy heads

Zarif, Aliyev discuss railway routes connecting Iran, Azerbaijan and Armenia

EU leaders agree to donate at least 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to poor countries

Armenian serviceman Mher Hovhannisyan fires gunshot at his head, criminal case launched

Soldier who died in Armenia's Verin Shorzha was son of ARF-D member, father of 2

Blinken promises to continue close consultations with Israel on Iran

Armen Sarkissian: Armenia's relevant state institutions need to take the tightest measures

Armenian soldier commits suicide, opposition speaks on tense situation on border, 25.05.21 digest

Yerevan man's body found at Tatul Krpeyan Park

Armenia MOD: Reports about Armenian soldiers being injured in Sisian section of border not confirmed

EU summit calls for rarly implementation of vaccination certificates

Parliament of the Netherlands adopts resolution, EU must demand that Azerbaijan pull out troops from Armenia

Kremlin: Russian and US presidents to meet in Geneva on June 16

Spokesperson of community council of Armenia's Sisian: Men got enlisted and climbed to military posts

Bright Armenia Party: We are not satisfied with CSTO response

EU leaders urge council to review internal border guidelines by mid-June

Armenia MOD: Fixed-term serviceman receives lethal firearm injury in head area

Dollar still stable in Armenia

Armenian Catholic Catholicos-Patriarch passes away

Kathimerini: US seeks to increase military presence in Greece due to doubts about Turkey's reliability

US Congress members call on Biden to suspend all military assistance to Azerbaijan

Armenia acting economy minister receives Montenegro's newly appointed Ambassador

Armenia MOD: Soldier killed during shootings from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha

Russian MP: Azerbaijani leadership interested in Armenia acting PM's victory in snap elections

Armenia MOD reports shooting from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha border section

Armenia opposition MP: Authorities promised to separate business from politics, but they're failing to fulfill promise

There will be post-election processes if authorities try to rig voting, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

CNN: Putin and Biden will meet on June 15-16 in Geneva

Latin America has the highest poverty rate in 20 years

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia applying to CSTO: No one will help you if you do nothing to solve your problems

Armenia ruling Civil Contract Party presents list of first 10 candidates ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Armenia acting justice minister discusses broad range of cooperation issues with top CoE official

Armenia former President Kocharyan: This guilt, this criminal article is on these authorities

Man survives after spending 17 days in desert

Azerbaijan continues course towards systematic extermination of Armenian heritage in Shushi

Armenia Syunik Province ex-governor: Azerbaijani soldiers advanced along length of border two days ago

Newly appointed Ambassador of Montenegro presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Its about bringing Karabakh issue back to right to self-determination, says Armenia ex-President Kocharyan

Iran FM to arrive in Armenia

Ara Aivazian and Austrian counterpart hold phone talks, focus on Azeri army's infiltration into Armenia's territory

Kocharyan: Elect todays political team if you are ready to live squatting

Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 30 million

2nd President Kocharyan on Armenia Security Council chief: Do you take that person seriously?

"Key" to settlement of Karabakh conflict cant be in one place, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Texas may permit carrying of pistols without special permission

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia acting PM Pashinyan's high popularity rating: We will wear it down to the root

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Election bloc format must be workable in some logical sense

Attorney: Political persecution against Robert Kocharyan is becoming more noticeable during election campaign

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: We must do everything so that our domestic politics is not dictated by Azerbaijan

Armenian acting defense minister meets Russian peacekeeping mission chief

Congress predicts US nuclear spending to reach $ 634 billion by 2030

Russian MP: The effectiveness of military cooperation with Armenia depends on Yerevan as well

Delimitation now may create some problems in Karabakh negotiation process, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan on relations with 3rd President Sargsyan: We go our own way they go their own

Judge adjourns hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM for 3 weeks

Court hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM

2nd President Kocharyan: Armenia must show that it will not be subjected to such pressures

Kocharyan: You may find yourself in stupid situations if you come to negotiations without any baggage

Armenia Investigative Committee: Criminal case opened into soldiers death

157 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

EU helps UN World Food Programme provide humanitarian assistance for conflict-affected people in Armenia

Yerevan municipal council convenes regular session

Armenia legislature speaker on situation at Syunik Province: CSTO still has procedures

Blinken arrives on his first official visit to Israel

World oil prices going up

Provincial hall issues statement on Tavush section of Armenia border with Azerbaijan

MFA statement: Azerbaijan continues to use Armenian POWs as political hostages

Newspaper: There are last-minute changes on Armenia ruling party electoral list

Armenia parliament starts regular sessions

Newspaper: Armenia 3rd President Sargsyan intensively engaged in election campaign

EU leaders call for ban on Belarus airlines flights to their countries

Quake hits Georgia, also felt in Armenia

2nd President Kocharyan: Process of obtaining Armenia citizenship shall be simplified, shall take only few months

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Appointments in army were not based on knowledge but on loyalty

Robert Kocharyan: Armenia must not go back to the past and stay there, just like the incumbent authorities did

Armenia 2nd President on recent Karabakh war, consequences and the signed document

Armenia 2nd President: Current authorities don't have remorse, aren't conscious and patriotic

Armenia 2nd President on black PR and management system in the country
The judge agreed with the case put forward by Assange's lawyers that conditions in US supermax prisons, where Assange would probably be held if he were to face trial in the United States, could drive him to attempt suicide and that he would be successful. She said that she could not order his extradition on these sole grounds. Assange's fiancee, Stella Moris, wept and said outside the court that she'd had to rewrite her speech to the media. The win is a personal reprieve for Assange, who faces yet more legal battles in the saga that has stretched for more than a decade. But for those who saw the case as totemic for press freedom, the ruling is cold comfort. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video

Australian human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson of London's Doughty Street Chambers has represented Assange for more than a decade. She said there were serious concerns about the ruling and its implications for other journalists in the future "who ... do not have the same medical conditions as Mr Assange". "This was not a win from a free speech point of view. I think all journalists ought to be looking very carefully at this," Robinson said. Stella Moris wept as she addressed the media outside the Old Bailey. Credit:Getty Images Europe Nick Vamos, former head of special crime and head of extradition at the Crown Prosecution Service and now at the law firm Peter & Peters, told this masthead that the ruling was not a complete surprise.

"The judge has barred Mr Assanges extradition solely because of the risk that he would commit suicide if detained in the US," he said. "The decision is fact-specific and based on established legal principles. The judge rejected all of the arguments about political motivation, journalistic protections and freedom of speech, so those who see Mr Assanges prosecution as an affront to democratic values or a US political vendetta can take no comfort." The US Department of Justice said it would "continue to seek Mr Assange's extradition to the United States." The department expressed disappointment with the "ultimate decision" but said it was gratified that they had won on every point of law raised. Loading It will appeal the refusal to extradite.

Appeals to the High Court are not guaranteed but in this case a hearing is likely to be granted, during which, Vamos says, his lawyers will have the chance to cross-appeal all the arguments they lost. For the US government, the appeal is an opportunity to provide assurances guaranteeing the safe treatment of Assange in prison. "For example, it could agree not to detain him in a particular prison or under certain conditions or to beef up his health care or suicide monitoring," Vamos said. "However, the US authorities traditionally are very resistant to accepting conditions from foreign courts on how they should treat suspects, so it will be very interesting to see whether they offer anything new or different relating to Mr Assanges likely place or conditions of detention." An appeal could run for between two to three months, during which Assange is likely to remain in custody at Belmarsh prison given his record.

In 2012, he skipped bail and sought political asylum in Ecuador's embassy for nearly seven years to avoid being extradited to Sweden to face sexual assault allegations. The Swedish authorities dropped the case in November 2019. And Vamos says Assange's case could also go to the Supreme Court as the Swedish extradition proceedings did. "There is very little prospect of the US dropping the charges, even under the incoming Biden administration, and Mr Assange could still be arrested and extradited if he travelled abroad." Freedom might be one step closer for Assange but it remains beyond his grasp. If you or anyone you know needs support call Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.
Scientists are not fully confident that COVID-19 vaccines will work on a new variant of the coronavirus found in South Africa, ITVs political editor said on Monday, citing an unidentified scientific adviser to the British government.

Both Britain and South Africa have discovered new, more infectious variants in the coronavirus in recent weeks that have driven a surge in cases. British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Monday he was now very worried about the strand found in South Africa.

Scientists including BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin and John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford, have said they are testing the vaccines on the new variants and say they could make any required tweaks in around six weeks.

According to one of the governments scientific advisers, the reason for Matt Hancocks incredible worry about the South African COVID-19 variant is that they are not as confident the vaccines will be as effective against it as they are for the UKs variant," ITV political editor Robert Peston said.

Public Health England said there was currently no evidence to suggest that vaccines will not be effective against the new strain. The health ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report.

The worlds richest countries have started vaccinating their populations to safeguard against a virus that has killed 1.8 million people and crushed the global economy.

There are currently 60 vaccine candidates in trials, including those that are already being rolled out from AstraZeneca and Oxford, Pfizer and BioNTech, Moderna, Russias Sputnik V and Chinas Sinopharm.

That has helped to lift global financial markets, but the discovery of the new variants has raised fresh alarm.

Scientists say the new South African variant has multiple mutations in the important spike" protein that the virus uses to infect human cells.

It has also been associated with a higher viral load, meaning a higher concentration of virus particles in patients bodies, possibly contributing to higher levels of transmission.

Oxfords Bell, who advises the governments vaccine task force, said on Sunday he thought vaccines would work on the British variant but said there was a big question mark" as to whether they would work on the South African variant.

He told Times Radio that the shots could be adapted and it might take a month or six weeks to get a new vaccine".

BioNTechs Sahin told Spiegel in an interview published on Friday that their vaccine, which uses messenger RNA to instruct the human immune system to fight the coronavirus, should be able to cope with the variant first detected in Britain.

We are testing whether our vaccine can also neutralise this variant and will soon know more," he said.

Asked about coping with a strong mutation, he said it would be possible to tweak the vaccine as required within six weeks - though it might require additional regulatory approvals.
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Schools and colleges across England have been told to shut until the middle of February under Boris Johnson's new national coronavirus lockdown as the Prime Minister said exams will not go ahead as planned.

Primary and secondary schools will have to shift to remote learning for the overwhelming majority of pupils, with only vulnerable children and the children of key workers allowed to attend classes in person.

Meanwhile, university students will be banned from returning to campuses and will be told to study remotely from home as the Prime Minister desperately tries to get the rate of Covid-19 infection back under control.

The restrictions and school closures are expected to last until the February half-term which is due to begin on February 15.

The massive disruption to learning means the Government will rethink its current plan for pupils to sit GCSEs and A-levels broadly as normal in May and June.

However, pupils and parents face an uncertain next few weeks, with the Department for Education and exam regulator Ofqual yet to hammer out the details of the updated exams plan.

Cancellation of the summer's school exams will bring England into line with Wales and Scotland, which both decided to give up on the idea well before the current crisis.

Teachers last night condemned the 'madness' of the government changing its plans at the last minute again after only weeks ago threatening legal action against schools that tried to close early before Christmas.

Despite the school closures, early years settings like nurseries, as well as special schools, will be allowed to remain open during lockdown.

Announcing the shutdown of the nation's schools during an address to the nation from Downing Street yesterday evening, Mr Johnson said the Government had no choice but to take the drastic action as ministers 'do everything we possibly can to stop the spread of the disease'.

The Prime Minister said he 'completely understands the inconvenience and distress this late change will cause millions of parents' and that 'we recognise that this will mean it is not possible or fair for all exams to go ahead this summer as normal'.

Mr Johnson said Gavin Williamson will announce 'alternative arrangements' for the assessment of pupils in the coming weeks.

The Mail understands that the Education Secretary will focus his attentions on ensuring schools provide quality online lessons as well as the rollout of the free laptop scheme.



Boris Johnson announced yesterday evening that all schools and colleges in England will shut under his new lockdown plans

Addressing the nation yesterday evening, Mr Johnson said: 'Because we now have to do everything we possibly can to stop the spread of the disease, primary schools, secondary schools and colleges across England must move to remote provision from tomorrow, except for vulnerable children and the children of key workers.

'Everyone will still be able to access early years settings such as nurseries.

'We recognise that this will mean it is not possible or fair for all exams to go ahead this summer as normal.

'The Education Secretary will work with Ofqual to put in place alternative arrangements.

'We will provide extra support to ensure pupils entitled to free school meals will continue to receive them while schools are closed and we will distribute more devices to support remote education.'

The Prime Minister yesterday said he understood the sense of frustration which will be felt by parents across England at the latest change in tack by the Government.

'I completely understand the inconvenience and distress this late change will cause millions of parents and pupils up and down the country, parents whose children were in school today may reasonably ask why we did not take this decision sooner,' he said.

'The answer is simply that we have been doing everything in our power to keep schools open because we know how important each day in education is to children's life chances.

'I want to stress that the problem is not that schools are unsafe for children, children are still very unlikely to be severely affected by even the new variant of Covid, the problem is that schools may nonetheless act as vectors for transmission, causing the virus to spread between households.'

Headteachers have voiced despair at the wasted effort of preparing for just a single day of classroom learning.

Katharine Birbalsingh, of Michaela Community School in Wembley, north London, yesterday said the sudden chopping and changing was 'madness'.

She stressed: 'I had my staff training today on administration of the Covid tests.

'We changed our training plans last week to follow new Government guidance. Now suddenly we are delivering online learning tomorrow? This is madness.'

David Shakeshaft, of Firs Primary School in Birmingham, said he needed to undo 'all the work I had to yesterday and today' ahead of reopening. He wrote online: 'Absolutely beyond comprehension I have been put in this position.'

Teaching unions have slammed the Government's 'chaotic' handling of the opening of schools for causing confusion for parents and teachers.

All of London's schools - and those in some surrounding areas worst hit by Covid-19 - had not yet returned to class, but primary school pupils elsewhere in England began heading back to school on Monday.

Secondary schools and colleges had already been told they would have a staggered return - with those taking exams expecting to return on January 11 and other year groups on January 18.

Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT teachers' union, said: 'Given the scale of the difficulties faced, the Government is right to look at alternative plans for exams this summer.

'It is essential that the Government works with the profession on these plans and does not repeat the mistakes of last summer. The Government must also confirm that it is cancelling statutory tests for primary school pupils.'

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said: 'No one wanted schools and colleges to be shut again but the evidence clearly pointed to the necessity for this to happen weeks ago.

'Why Boris Johnson allowed such confusion and chaos to build up around school openings before making this belated, blindingly obvious decision is beyond belief.

'Government must take responsibility for this closure because it has allowed Covid-19 to become, again, out of control.'

Brighton and Hove councillor Hannah Clare - who chairs the city's children's committee - said the decision to close schools nationwide came after the Government had 'delayed and delayed and delayed'.

She said: 'We made the difficult decision that Government weren't brave enough to face.

'As with most things from Government throughout... the right decision was pointed out a long time ago and they have delayed and delayed and delayed.

'For us it was a case of looking at what the level in our wider community was and what it was going to be and seeing that it was the right decision to make.'

She also called for school staff to be prioritised when it comes to vaccinations and said this should be carried out during the period when schools are closed.

Ms Clare said it would be 'untenable' to hold exams as normal and that the Government should consult with schools and unions on the best way forward.

She also called for increased funding for schools, many of which she says are facing severe financial strain as a result of the pandemic.

She said: 'What we have heard from our schools over the last few months is they are really worried about their budgets for this year and whether they will be able to cope.'

Robert Halfon, chairman of the Commons education committee, said the Government had been left with 'no other option' but to axe exams.

However, Labour's schools spokesman, Wes Streeting, said the cancellation will 'cause additional anxiety for pupils and teachers' as the Government has no 'Plan B' in place.

Former Tory education secretary Lord Baker told the Mail it was 'essential' that all school staff were vaccinated during the closure, and that in-school testing plans were strengthened.

Bryony Baynes, headteacher of Kempsey Primary School in Worcestershire, said she was angered about the lack of notice given to parents after Mr Johnson announced the immediate closure of primary and secondary schools.

'I really cannot believe that they think it's acceptable to drop a bombshell like this on parents with no notice,' she said.

'Once again they are making this catastrophic U-turn without allowing parents to put anything into place.

'I am going to get so many angry accusatory emails from parents who are seeing their livelihoods disappear because they haven't got childcare.

'I am just so angry. Why does Nicola Sturgeon get it, and can close schools before they reopen and he lets us open for one day? Boris is once again Mr Last Minute.'

The Government had been under growing pressure to keep a majority of pupils out of the classroom since it announced last week that primary schools in numerous hotspot areas would be told to stay closed at the start of January.

Scientific advisers last week warned before Christmas that schools would need to shut to reduce the R rate of Covid infection.

Just this morning, Mr Johnson said the argument for keeping schools open was 'powerful'. He also insisted that schools are safe and that closing primaries would be a 'last resort'.

But education unions had warned that bringing all pupils back to school could fuel the pandemic and put teachers at 'serious risk' of falling ill.

The National Education Union had predicted a 'snowball effect' of teacher rebellion and said yesterday that staff at 6,000 primaries  around 35 per cent  had refused to work.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) union, said he was 'relieved' that Mr Johnson had 'finally bowed to the inevitable' and moved all schools to remote learning.

But he added: 'This decision clearly raises a question about GCSEs, A-levels and other exams which are due to take place in the summer.

Ministers had already faced union fury over the Government's chaotic plans for the proposed reopening of schools in January

'This new lockdown will be disruptive to learners who have already been hugely disrupted. Schools and colleges are very worried about how exams can be made fair in these circumstances.

'We are keen to work with the Government and exam regulator Ofqual to make this process as fair as it can possibly be.'

In a rare positive, around 130,000 students expecting to take vocational exams this month will still be able to sit the papers.

Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, said before the Prime Minister's address to the nation that any lockdown had to include the closure of schools.

He tweeted: 'We must introduce a national lockdown now. Tragically, that must mean school closures.

'We need a simple contract between the British people: the country goes into lockdown, the Government delivers the vaccine. Stay at home, protect the NHS, vaccinate Britain.'

Mr Johnson's address came hours after Nicola Sturgeon announced that schools in Scotland will remain closed for all of January as part of a new lockdown north of the border.

Ms Sturgeon said she hoped schools in Scotland would be able to return on February 1.

The lengthy closure of classrooms will wreak havoc with the school year and raises major questions about exactly how pupils will be assessed.

The Government has previously been adamant that exams would be sat in 2021 after the closure of schools meant they had to be scrapped last year.

Ministers said in October that they were working with exam regulator Ofqual to put plans in place for tests to go ahead.

They said exams would be pushed back by three weeks, starting after the May bank holiday half-term and finishing on July 2.

Conservative former health secretary Jeremy Hunt had called for the closure of schools 'right away' as he warned that the pressures facing hospitals are 'off-the-scale worse' than previous winter crises.

Early findings from a small study carried out in November suggested that the proportion of school children and teachers with coronavirus mirrors the proportion in the local community.

The study of 105 schools, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) last month, found that 1.24 per cent of pupils and 1.29 per cent of staff overall tested positive for current infection  similar to the 1.2 per cent reported in the community.

Pupils across England are now facing the prospect of many weeks of remote learning as schools are told to stay shut

But no data or major study has been published since the emergence of a new, more infectious, strain of coronavirus.

The NAHT school leaders' union had called on the Government to disclose scientific evidence regarding the impact of the new Covid-19 variant on schools.

NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said: 'NAHT began legal proceedings last Friday to force the government to reveal the scientific data it is withholding that underpin its assertions that schools are safe.

'We remain unconvinced, and we await the Government's reply, which is due at 4pm today.'

The NAHT  alongside the National Education Union (NEU), the NASUWT teachers' union, GMB, Unison and Unite  had earlier called for a move to remote learning for most pupils amid safety concerns.

All staff continuing to work in schools with vulnerable pupils and children of key workers should be given priority access to Covid-19 vaccinations, the coalition of unions argued.

They said in a joint statement: 'Bringing all pupils back into classrooms while the rate of infection is so high is exposing education sector workers to serious risk of ill-health and could fuel the pandemic.'

What you can and cannot do during the national lockdown: The government guidelines in full

You must stay at home. The single most important action we can all take is to stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives.

You should follow this guidance immediately. The law will be updated to reflect these new rules.

Leaving home

You must not leave, or be outside of your home except where necessary. You may leave the home to:

shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person

go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home

exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person, this should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.

meet your support bubble or childcare bubble where necessary, but only if you are legally permitted to form one

seek medical assistance or avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse)

attend education or childcare - for those eligible

Colleges, primary and secondary schools will remain open only for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. All other children will learn remotely until February half term. Early Years settings remain open.

Higher Education provision will remain online until mid February for all except future critical worker courses.

If you do leave home for a permitted reason, you should always stay local in the village, town, or part of the city where you live. You may leave your local area for a legally permitted reason, such as for work.

If you are clinically extremely vulnerable you should only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential. You should not attend work

Meeting others

You cannot leave your home to meet socially with anyone you do not live with or are not in a support bubble with (if you are legally permitted to form one).

You may exercise on your own, with one other person, or with your household or support bubble.

You should not meet other people you do not live with, or have formed a support bubble with, unless for a permitted reason.

Stay 2 metres apart from anyone not in your household.

Detailed guidance on the national lockdown

Who this guidance is for

This guidance is for people who are fit and well. There is additional advice for people who are clinically extremely vulnerable to coronavirus and households with a possible or confirmed coronavirus infection. If you are clinically extremely vulnerable you should not attend work, school, college or university, and limit the time you spend outside the home. You should only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential.

Hands. Face. Space.

Approximately 1 in 3 people who have coronavirus have no symptoms and could be spreading it without realising it.

Remember - 'Hands. Face. Space.'

hands  wash your hands regularly and for at least 20 seconds

face  wear a face covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult, and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet

space  stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place (such as wearing face coverings)

In all circumstances, you should follow the guidance on meeting others safely.

When you can leave home

You must not leave or be outside of your home except where you have a 'reasonable excuse'. This will be put in law. The police can take action against you if you leave home without a 'reasonable excuse', and issue you with a fine (Fixed Penalty Notice).

You can be given a Fixed Penalty Notice of 200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of 6,400.

A 'reasonable excuse' includes:

Work - you can only leave home for work purposes where it is unreasonable for you to do your job from home, including but not limited to people who work within critical national infrastructure, construction or manufacturing that require in-person attendance

Volunteering - you can also leave home to provide voluntary or charitable services.

Essential activities - you can leave home to buy things at shops or obtain services. You may also leave your home to do these things on behalf of a disabled or vulnerable person or someone self-isolating.

Education and childcare - You can only leave home for education, registered childcare, and supervised activities for children where they are eligible to attend. Access to education and children's activities for school-aged pupils is restricted. See further information on education and childcare. People can continue existing arrangements for contact between parents and children where they live apart. This includes childcare bubbles.

Meeting others and care - You can leave home to visit people in your support bubble ( if you are legally permitted to form one), to provide informal childcare for children under 14 as part of a childcare bubble (for example, to enable parents to work, and not to enable social contact between adults), to provide care for disabled or vulnerable people, to provide emergency assistance, to attend a support group (of up to 15 people), or for respite care where that care is being provided to a vulnerable person or a person with a disability, or is a short break in respect of a looked-after child.

Exercise - You can continue to exercise alone, with one other person or with your household or support bubble. This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.You should maintain social distancing. See exercising and meeting other people.

Medical reasons - You can leave home for a medical reason, including to get a COVID-19 test, for medical appointments and emergencies.

Harm and compassionate visits - you can leave home to be with someone who is giving birth, to avoid injury or illness or to escape risk of harm (such as domestic abuse). You can also leave home to visit someone who is dying or someone in a care home (if permitted under care home guidance), hospice, or hospital, or to accompany them to a medical appointment.

Animal welfare reasons  you can leave home for animal welfare reasons, such as to attend veterinary services for advice or treatment.

Communal worship and life events - You can leave home to attend or visit a place of worship for communal worship, a funeral or event related to a death, a burial ground or a remembrance garden, or to attend a wedding ceremony. You should follow the guidance on the safe use of places of worship and must not mingle with anyone outside of your household or support bubble when attending a place of worship.Weddings, funerals and religious, belief-based or commemorative events linked to someone's death are all subject to limits on the numbers that can attend, and weddings and civil ceremonies may only take place in exceptional circumstances.

There are further reasonable excuses. For example, you may leave home to fulfil legal obligations or to carry out activities related to buying, selling, letting or renting a residential property, or where it is reasonably necessary for voting in an election or referendum.

Exercising and meeting other people

You should minimise time spent outside your home.

It is against the law to meet socially with family or friends unless they are part of your household or support bubble. You can only leave your home to exercise, and not for the purpose of recreation or leisure (e.g. a picnic or a social meeting). This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.

You can exercise in a public outdoor place:

by yourself

with the people you live with

with your support bubble (if you are legally permitted to form one)

in a childcare bubble where providing childcare

or, when on your own, with 1 person from another household

Public outdoor places include:

parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, forests

public gardens (whether or not you pay to enter them)

the grounds of a heritage site

playgrounds

Outdoor sports venues, including tennis courts, golf courses and swimming pools, must close.

When around other people, stay 2 metres apart from anyone not in your household - meaning the people you live with - or your support bubble. Where this is not possible, stay 1 metre apart with extra precautions (e.g. wearing a face covering).

You must wear a face covering in many indoor settings, such as shops or places of worship where these remain open, and on public transport, unless you are exempt. This is the law. Read guidance on face coverings.

Support and childcare bubbles

You have to meet certain eligibility rules to form a support or childcare bubble. This means not everyone will be able to form a bubble.

A support bubble is a support network which links two households. You can form a support bubble with another household of any size only if you meet the eligibility rules.

It is against the law to form a support bubble if you do not follow these rules.

You are permitted to leave your home to visit your support bubble (and to stay overnight with them). However, if you form a support bubble, it is best if this is with a household who live locally. This will help prevent the virus spreading from an area where more people are infected.

If you live in a household with anyone aged under 14, you can form a childcare bubble. This allows friends or family from one other household to provide informal childcare.

You must not meet socially with your childcare bubble, and must avoid seeing members of your childcare and support bubbles at the same time.

There is separate guidance for support bubbles and childcare bubbles.

Where and when you can meet in larger groups

There are still circumstances in which you are allowed to meet others from outside your household, childcare or support bubble in larger groups, but this should not be for socialising and only for permitted purposes. A full list of these circumstances will be included in the regulations, and includes:

for work, or providing voluntary or charitable services, where it is unreasonable to do so from home. This can include work in other people's homes where necessary - for example, for nannies, cleaners, social care workers providing support to children and families, or tradespeople. See guidance on working safely in other people's homes). Where a work meeting does not need to take place in a private home or garden, it should not - for example, although you can meet a personal trainer, you should do so in a public outdoor place.

in a childcare bubble (for the purposes of childcare only)

Where eligible to use these services, for education, registered childcare, and supervised activities for children. Access to education and childcare facilities is restricted. See further information on education and childcare.

for arrangements where children do not live in the same household as both their parents or guardians

to allow contact between birth parents and children in care, as well as between siblings in care

for prospective adopting parents to meet a child or children who may be placed with them

to place or facilitate the placing of a child or children in the care of another by social services

for birth partners

to provide emergency assistance, and to avoid injury or illness, or to escape a risk of harm (including domestic abuse)

to see someone who is dying

to fulfil a legal obligation, such as attending court or jury service

for gatherings within criminal justice accommodation or immigration detention centres

to provide care or assistance to someone vulnerable, or to provide respite for a carer

for a wedding or equivalent ceremony in exceptional circumstances and only for up to 6 people

for funerals - up to a maximum of 30 people. Wakes and other linked ceremonial events can continue in a group of up to 6 people.

to visit someone at home who is dying, or to visit someone receiving treatment in a hospital, hospice or care home, or to accompany a family member or friend to a medical appointment

for elite sportspeople (and their coaches if necessary, or parents/guardians if they are under 18) - or those on an official elite sports pathway - to compete and train

to facilitate a house move

Support groups that have to be delivered in person can continue with up to 15 participants where formally organised to provide mutual aid, therapy or any other form of support - but they must take place at a premises other than a private home.

Where a group includes someone covered by an exception (for example, someone who is working or volunteering), they are not generally counted as part of the gatherings limit. This means, for example, a tradesperson can go into a household without breaching the limit, if they are there for work, and the officiant at a wedding would not count towards the limit.

If you break the rules

The police can take action against you if you meet in larger groups. This includes breaking up illegal gatherings and issuing fines (fixed penalty notices).

You can be given a Fixed Penalty Notice of 200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of 6,400. If you hold, or are involved in holding, an illegal gathering of over 30 people, the police can issue fines of 10,000.

Protecting people more at risk from coronavirus

If you are clinically vulnerable, you could be at higher risk of severe illness from coronavirus. There is additional advice for people who are clinically extremely vulnerable to coronavirus. Those who are clinically extremely vulnerable should not attend work, school, college or university, and limit the time you spend outside the home. You should only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential.

Travel

You must not leave your home unless you have a reasonable excuse (for example, for work or education purposes). If you need to travel you should stay local  meaning avoiding travelling outside of your village, town or the part of a city where you live  and look to reduce the number of journeys you make overall. The list of reasons you can leave your home and area include, but are not limited to:

work, where you cannot reasonably work from home

accessing education and for caring responsibilities

visiting those in your support bubble  or your childcare bubble for childcare

visiting hospital, GP and other medical appointments or visits where you have had an accident or are concerned about your health

buying goods or services that you need, but this should be within your local area wherever possible

outdoor exercise. This should be done locally wherever possible, but you can travel a short distance within your area to do so if necessary (for example, to access an open space)

attending the care and exercise of an animal, or veterinary services

If you need to travel, walk or cycle where possible, and plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes on public transport. This will allow you to practice social distancing while you travel.

Avoid car sharing with anyone from outside your household or your support bubble. See the guidance on car sharing.

If you need to use public transport, you should follow the safer travel guidance.

International travel

You can only travel internationally  or within the UK  where you first have a legally permitted reason to leave home. In addition, you should consider the public health advice in the country you are visiting.

If you do need to travel overseas (and are legally permitted to do so, for example, because it is for work), even if you are returning to a place you've visited before, you should look at the rules in place at your destination and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice.

UK residents currently abroad do not need to return home immediately. However, you should check with your airline or travel operator on arrangements for returning.

Foreign nationals are subject to the 'Stay at Home' regulations. You should not travel abroad unless it is permitted. This means you must not go on holiday.

If you are visiting the UK, you may return home. You should check whether there are any restrictions in place at your destination.

Staying away from home overnight

You cannot leave your home or the place where you are living for holidays or overnight stays unless you have a reasonable excuse for doing so. This means that holidays in the UK and abroad are not allowed.

This includes staying in a second home or caravan, if that is not your primary residence. This also includes staying with anyone who you don't live with unless they're in your support bubble.

You are allowed to stay overnight away from your home if you:

are visiting your support bubble

are unable to return to your main residence

need accommodation while moving house

need accommodation to attend a funeral or related commemorative event

require accommodation for work purposes or to provide voluntary services

are a child requiring accommodation for school or care

are homeless, seeking asylum, a vulnerable person seeking refuge, or if escaping harm (including domestic abuse)

are an elite athlete or their support staff or parent, if the athlete is under 18 and it is necessary to be outside of the home for training or competition

If you are already on holiday, you should return to your home as soon as practical.

Guest accommodation providers such as hotels, B&Bs and caravan parks may remain open for the specific reasons set out in law, including where guests are unable to return to their main residence, use that guest accommodation as their main residence, need accommodation while moving house, are self-isolating as required by law, or would otherwise be made homeless as a result of the accommodation closing. A full list of reasons can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England.

Accommodation providers are also encouraged to work cooperatively with local authorities to provide accommodation to vulnerable groups, including the homeless.

Going to work

You may only leave your home for work if you cannot reasonably work from home.

Where people cannot work from home - including, but not limited to, people who work in critical national infrastructure, construction, or manufacturing - they should continue to travel to their workplace. This is essential to keeping the country operating and supporting sectors and employers.

Public sector employees working in essential services, including childcare or education, should continue to go into work.

Where it is necessary for you to work in other people's homes - for example, for nannies, cleaners or tradespeople - you can do so. Otherwise, you should avoid meeting for work in a private home or garden, where COVID-19 Secure measures may not be in place.

Employers and employees should discuss their working arrangements, and employers should take every possible step to facilitate their employees working from home, including providing suitable IT and equipment to enable remote working.

The risk of transmission can be substantially reduced if COVID-19 secure guidelines are followed closely. Extra consideration should be given to those people at higher risk.

Going to school, college and university

Colleges, primary (reception onwards) and secondary schools will remain open for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. All other children will learn remotely until February half term.

In the circumstances, we do not think it is possible for all exams in the summer to go ahead as planned. We will accordingly be working with Ofqual to consult rapidly to put in place alternative arrangements that will allow students to progress fairly.

Public exams and vocational assessments scheduled to take place in January will go ahead as planned.

Universities

Those students who are undertaking training and study for the following courses should return to face to face learning as planned and be tested twice, upon arrival or self-isolate for ten days:

Medicine & dentistry

Subjects allied to medicine/health

Veterinary science

Education (initial teacher training)

Social work

Courses which require Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) assessments and or mandatory activity which is scheduled for January and which cannot be rescheduled (your university will notify you if this applies to you).

Students who do not study these courses should remain where they are wherever possible, and start their term online, as facilitated by their university until at least Mid-February. This includes students on other practical courses not on the list above.

We have previously published guidance to universities and students on how students can return safely to higher education in the spring term. This guidance sets out how we will support higher education providers to enable students that need to return to do so as safely as possible following the winter break.

If you live at university, you should not move back and forward between your permanent home and student home during term time.

For those students who are eligible for face to face teaching, you can meet in groups of more than your household as part of your formal education or training, where necessary. Students should expect to follow the guidance and restrictions. You should socially distance from anyone you do not live with wherever possible.

Childcare

There are several ways that parents and carers can continue to access childcare:

Early Years settings (including nurseries and childminders) remain open

Vulnerable children and children of critical workers can continue to use registered childcare, childminders and other childcare activities (including wraparound care)

parents are able to form a childcare bubble with one other household for the purposes of informal childcare, where the child is under 14. This is mainly to enable parents to work, and must not be used to enable social contact between adults

some households will also be able to benefit from being in a support bubble

nannies will be able to continue to provide services, including in the home

Care home visits

Visits to care homes can take place with arrangements such as substantial screens, visiting pods, or behind windows. Close-contact indoor visits are not allowed. No visits will be permitted in the event of an outbreak.

You should check the guidance on visiting care homes during COVID-19 to find out how visits should be conducted. Residents cannot meet people indoors on a visit out (for example, to visit their relatives in the family home). There is separate guidance for those in supported living.

Weddings, civil partnerships, religious services and funerals

Weddings, civil partnership ceremonies and funerals are allowed with strict limits on attendance, and must only take place in COVID-19 secure venues or in public outdoor spaces unless in exceptional circumstances.

Funerals can be attended by a maximum of 30 people. Linked religious, belief-based or commemorative events, such as stone settings and ash scatterings can also continue with up to 6 people in attendance. Anyone working is not counted in these limits. Social distancing should be maintained between people who do not live together or share a support bubble.

Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies must only take place with up to 6 people. Anyone working is not included. These should only take place in exceptional circumstances, for example, an urgent marriage where one of those getting married is seriously ill and not expected to recover, or is to undergo debilitating treatment or life-changing surgery.

Places of worship

You can attend places of worship for a service. However, you must not mingle with anyone outside of your household or support bubble. You should maintain strict social distancing at all times.

You should follow the national guidance on the safe use of places of worship.

Sports and physical activity

Indoor gyms and sports facilities will remain closed. Outdoor sports courts, outdoor gyms, golf courses, outdoor swimming pools, archery/driving/shooting ranges and riding arenas must also close. Organised outdoor sport for disabled people is allowed to continue.

Moving home

You can still move home. People outside your household or support bubble should not help with moving house unless absolutely necessary.

Estate and letting agents and removals firms can continue to work. If you are looking to move, you can go to property viewings.

Follow the national guidance on moving home safely, which includes advice on social distancing, letting fresh air in, and wearing a face covering.

Financial support

Wherever you live, you may be able to get financial help

Businesses and venues

Businesses and venues which must close

To reduce social contact, the regulations require some businesses to close and impose restrictions on how some businesses provide goods and services. The full list of businesses required to close can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England, but includes:

non-essential retail, such as clothing and homeware stores, vehicle showrooms (other than for rental), betting shops, tailors, tobacco and vape shops, electronic goods and mobile phone shops, auction houses (except for auctions of livestock or agricultural equipment) and market stalls selling non-essential goods. These venues can continue to be able to operate click-and-collect (where goods are pre-ordered and collected off the premises) and delivery services.

hospitality venues such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs; with the exception of providing food and non-alcoholic drinks for takeaway (until 11pm), click-and-collect and drive-through. All food and drink (including alcohol) can continue to be provided by delivery.

accommodation such as hotels, hostels, guest houses and campsites, except for specific circumstances, such as where these act as someone's main residence, where the person cannot return home, for providing accommodation or support to the homeless, or where it is essential to stay there for work purposes

leisure and sports facilities such as leisure centres and gyms, swimming pools, sports courts,fitness and dance studios, riding arenas at riding centres, climbing walls, and golf courses.

entertainment venues such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, amusement arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, skating rinks, go-karting venues, indoor play and soft play centres and areas (including inflatable parks and trampolining centres), circuses, fairgrounds, funfairs, water parks and theme parks

animal attractions (such as zoos, safari parks, aquariums, and wildlife reserves)

indoor attractions at venues such as botanical gardens, heritage homes and landmarks must also close, though outdoor grounds of these premises can stay open for outdoor exercise.

personal care facilities such as hair, beauty, tanning and nail salons. Tattoo parlours, spas, massage parlours, body and skin piercing services must also close. These services should not be provided in other people's homes

community centres and halls must close except for a limited number of exempt activities, as set out below. Libraries can also remain open to provide access to IT and digital services  for example for people who do not have it at home  and for click-and-collect services

Some of these businesses and places will also be permitted to be open for a small number of exempt activities. A full list of exemptions can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England, but includes:

education and training  for schools to use sports, leisure and community facilities where that is part of their normal provision

childcare purposes and supervised activities for those children eligible to attend

hosting blood donation sessions and food banks

to provide medical treatment

for elite sports persons to train and compete (in indoor and outdoor sports facilities), and professional dancers and choreographers to work (in fitness and dance studios)

for training and rehearsal without an audience (in theatres and concert halls)

for the purposes of film and TV filming

Businesses and venues which can remain open

Other businesses and venues are permitted to stay open, following COVID-19 secure guidelines. Businesses providing essential goods and services can stay open. The full list of these businesses can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England, but includes:

essential retail such as food shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, garden centres, building merchants and suppliers of building products and off-licences

market stalls selling essential retail may also stay open

businesses providing repair services may also stay open, where they primarily offer repair services

petrol stations, automatic (but not manual) car washes, vehicle repair and MOT services, bicycle shops, and taxi and vehicle hire businesses

banks, building societies, post offices, short-term loan providers and money transfer businesses

funeral directors

laundrettes and dry cleaners

medical and dental services

vets and retailers of products and food for the upkeep and welfare of animals

animal rescue centres, boarding facilities and animal groomers (may continue to be used for animal welfare, rather than aesthetic purposes)

agricultural supplies shops

mobility and disability support shops

storage and distribution facilities

car parks, public toilets and motorway service areas

outdoor playgrounds

outdoor parts of botanical gardens and heritage sites for exercise

places of worship

crematoriums and burial grounds

Public services

The majority of public services will continue and you will be able to leave home to visit them. These include:
BALTIMORE  A renowned Baltimore dirt bike rider who appeared in an HBO drama about the citys riding scene faces murder charges for the stabbing death of her partner on New Years Day, police said.

Lakeyria Doughty, known as Wheelie Queen, was charged with first- and second-degree murder for killing her 33-year-old partner, Tiffany Wilson, on Friday in West Baltimore, according to police.

It was a domestic situation where cooler heads didnt prevail, said Detective Donny Moses, a Baltimore police spokesman. He said Doughty and Wilson were in a relationship and an argument ensued.

Doughty called 911 after the stabbing, but Wilson died at the scene nearly four hours into the new year, the Baltimore Sun reported. It was the citys first homicide in 2021.

Doughty, 26, also faces various assault charges, including a felony, according to online court records.

Self-proclaimed Wheelie Queen for her stunts and skills, Doughty became a pioneer for breaking into the male-dominated dirt bike scene in Baltimore. She landed a role in the HBO film Charm City Kings, which premiered in the fall.

Online court records did not say whether Doughty has an attorney who could comment on the charges.

ALSO READ: Pastor dead, 2 hurt in shooting at Texas church: sheriff
Since its now a new year, many folks have made resolutions about goals they hope to achieve in the coming year. One goal beer aficionados might have is to expand their palates and try different beers  or revisit great ones they havent had in a while.

With that in mind, here are 21 beers to try in 2021. These are mostly not new brews, but rather ones people should definitely try if they havent already (and if you can get your hands on them  but mostly, these are fairly accessible). Some are newer and others are classics, while still others are lesser-known older beers that deserve a try.

The list is by no means definitive, but meant as a way to get a start on some must-have brews. In no particular order, here they are:

Trappistes Rochefort 10  We might as well start with one of the most flavorful classic brews ever made. This high-octane (11% ABV) and delicious quad might make you reassess how complex a beer can be.

Hill Farmstead Citra  Its not the easiest beer to get your hands on, but every effort should be made to get this beautifully crafted brew. In a time when over-the-top IPAs are all the rage, this pale ale illustrates how hops can be employed in a nuanced an lovely manner.

Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout  If you like coffee and Count Chocula cereal, look no further. This tasty stout if loaded with coffee and chocolate notes and not just for breakfast anymore.

Brooklyn Brewings Sorachi Ace  A singular take on the saison style, this amazing beer uses the unique Japanese hop style of the same name as the beer. Like some lemony zest in your brew? Give this beer a whirl.

Ommegangs Witte  Fans of wheat beers should not let another summer go by without trying this one (if they havent). Light, breezy with notes of orange and coriander, this delicious concoction finishes balanced and dry.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen  Most folks probably wont want to drink a lot of this in one sitting, but every beer drinker should try it. Its a fascinating take on smoked beer and while it can be overwhelming, its kind of a work of art in its own right.

Rodenbach Grand Cru  If you enjoy sours, this one will hit the spot. Tart and sour fruit flavors abound dancing perfectly with the funky yeast aspects. A great treat to pull out of your collection to impress you friends.

Anchor Christmas Ale  At this point, you probably have to wait until next holiday season rolls around, but set a reminder for late November now. The recipe changes every year, but Ive never had one that wasnt brilliant.

Fullers ESB  A classic English strong bitter that is even more amazing if you can quaff it on cask. Balanced, sturdy, and clean, it finishes on the malty side, but not cloying at all.

Ayinger Celebrator  Here is a traditional double bock that showcases silky malt notes matched wonderfully with bittering hops to create a superbly balanced see-saw between the sweet cocoa notes and the bitter coffee finish.

Samuel Adams Utopias  When is a beer not a beer? That almost seems to be the question Sam Adams is posing here with this beer that really drinks more like a port or cognac. The 2021 iteration was reportedly aged in aquavit, bourbon, muscat, ruby port and white carcavelos barrels. Good luck finding it and be prepared to clean out your wallet. But you definitely should try it at least once. It only comes out every two years. Luckily, 2021 is one of those years.

Russian Rivers Pliny the Elder  This imperial IPA has a slight hint of booze in its flavor, but just enough to warn you that its 8% ABV. Otherwise, its a perfect old-school (double) IPA without all the dank drippings of a pot of modern IPAs.

Stone Ruination IPA  Another double IPA that once was considered a hop bomb, but now sits nicely as a wonderfully bitter sojourn into the way good imperial IPAs were once made. Its actually more balanced that one might expect and its oily quality gives it a great mouthfeel.

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout  Guinness is great, but if you want the real deal and best of the lot, this is the one to try and find. If you like regular Guinness, but feel its nothing special, so yourself a favor and seek this out.

Dann & Martha Paquette latest brew  Craft beers power couple are always on the go, starting beer projects then moving on. But its pretty much a lock that whatever they brew is going to be fantastic. Right now they are enmeshed in something called Saint Mars of the Desert brewery, but its kind of unfair to include it on this list because you have to go to Sheffield, England, for their beers. But hey, once the pandemic is over, why not treat yourself?

Samuel Smiths Nut Brown Ale  This beer is so old-school that it might even be spelled olde-school. But its another classic in an oft-ignored style. Its earthy, with just a hint of nuttiness and a well-rounded fee and finish. Let your inner squirrel out for a treat.

Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPA  Some people like Dogfish Heads 60 Minute IPA; other enjoy the brewerys 90 Minute IPA more. Why not compromise and drink the 75 Minute IPA? It was a brilliant idea and is actually the best of the three without compromising on taste.

Reissdorf Kolsch  This is a near-perfect example of the style: clean, drinkable and crisp. It features some nice bready notes up front and a lightly bitter finish. There are plenty of U.S. breweries now doing their own versions, but this is the one you need to try first.

Saison Dupont  Tasty yeast flavors abound here in a ballet with spices such as dried fruit, clove, grass and citrus. The nose alone is worth the price of admission.

OHaras Irish Stout  If youre looking for a true Irish stout thats an alternative to Guinness, this offering from the Carlow Brewing Co. is just the ticket. Its dry, complex and has a robust espresso vein running through it.
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But the new union, which will be affiliated with the larger Communication Workers of America, says it will serve as a structure that ensures Google workers can actively push for real changes at the company. Its members say they want more of a voice not just on wages, benefits and protections against discrimination and harassment but also broader ethical questions about how Google pursues its business ventures.
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City approves first reading of temporary medical marijuana ordinance

With state officials still putting together the oversight rules for medical marijuana establishments, local governments need temporary ordinances.
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By Long Island Published: January 04 2021

Nearly 80 years after the Nazis invaded France, the family of Rosette Priever Gerbosi donated the only item left from their pre-war Parisian home

By Warren Strugatch

Nearly 80 years after the Nazis invaded France, the family of Rosette Priever Gerbosi donated the only item left from their pre-war Parisian home, a stately mahogany wall clock, to the Holocaust Museum and Tolerance Center of Nassau County. On Wednesday January 6, the Center will show the clock for the first time and discuss its history over Zoom, helping people born decades after the Holocaust come to terms with the horror of genocide.



At some point in the late 1930s, Rosettes parents, Dora and Shama, Polish immigrants, purchased an Art Deco timepiece of unknown provenance and installed it on the wall of their apartment in the Marais, Paris historic Jewish neighborhood. The clock chimed melodiously on the hour and half-hour, audible from everywhere in the apartment on Rue des Francs Bourgeois.



My father was a furrier, and my mother cooked professionally, Mrs. Gerbosi recalled last week. They worked very hard together and became very successful in the fur business once I was born. My mother called me their mazel, meaning luck. She still beams at the memory.



She added, To this day I can visualize the polished oak floors, the modern ebony furniture, the newly-built bathroom, and the paintings. Everything was exquisite. I remember pushing my doll carriage around and around the dining room.



All feelings of safety disappeared after the Nazis marched into France in 1940. Thousands of French citizens and residents, including her father, were forced to work for the German war effort. Nazis and collaborators arrested tens of thousands of French Jews, including Rosettes parents, sending them to concentration camps. More than 11,000 children were expelled from schools and killed, according to government estimates. Still, Mrs. Gerbosi remembers the schools headmistress insisting Jewish students be treated kindly, and secretly sustaining resistance fighters. Her parents managed to hide her with the relatives of Christian neighbors in the Perigord region in the southwest.



Rosettes older brother Bernard joined the Resistance. Her mothers sister Suzanne, a seamstress who once worked for Coco Chanel, fled the country. Her parents were arrested and sent to the gas chamber at Auschwitz. Before they vanished, her father hid the wall clock with trusted neighbors.



After the war Bernard retrieved the timepiece, all that remained from their familys home. He wrapped the clock in a blanket and took it with him when he sailed to America in 1946.



Rosette soon followed, and the siblings reunited in New York. Living first in Brooklyn, she graduated from Erasmus Hall High School, then Brooklyn College. She married and started a family on Long Island, living in Woodbury, Syosset and Bayside. In 1996 she remarried and moved to Naples, Florida.



Last year, Bernard died. Her son, Robert Fishman, who helped care for his uncle as his health failed, inherited the clock. At his mothers suggestion, Mr. Fishman donated the clock to the Holocaust Center, where he is a board vice-chair.



To preserve the memory and significance this clock has had on both my uncle and my mother, we decided to donate it to the Center, said Mr. Fishman.



The Prievers wall clock offers a window into an often-overlooked historical aspect of the Holocaust, said Thorin Tritter, the museum director. The clock draws our attention to the Nazi invasion of France in 1940 and the horrors of the Holocaust in France, he said. It also highlights the resilience of this one family and the support they got from trusted neighbors.



He added, The clock became a bridge for the descendants in the U.S., linking them to the pre-war history of the family.



Andrea Bolender, the Centers chair, noted that objects such as the recently-donated clock movingly remind us what was lost when the Nazis tried to destroy Jewish life in Europe. Its important that we remember.



Asked to recall the tragic events of those times, Rosette remembers the pain of seeing French citizens executing collaborationists in the last days of the war. She lovingly extols the Christian neighbors and the kind parish priest who protected her. Holocaust historians agree that French Jews survived at a significantly higher rate than in Eastern Europe.



We had hoped to find out that our parents had survived Auschwitz, Mrs. Gribosi said. We were devastated to learn they hadnt.



In Naples, Mrs. Gribosi is an active docent at the Southwest Florida Holocaust Museum. She often speaks to groups of school children, reminding them to value their families, appreciate the freedoms provided in America, and  especially - to respect the differences between different races and religions.

We are all different colors and religions, and different genders, but we are all human beings, she said. I have devoted myself to promoting tolerance and fighting bigotry in any way I can. My mother was right, my mazel still prevails. I am here to relate my tale!

On January 6, 12 noon, Mr. Tritter will host a virtual Curators Corner on Zoom called A Wall Clock Hints at Life in Pre-War Paris. Register here: https://www.hmtcli.org/events/curators-corner-wall-clock
Conservative political activist Lyle Shelton says a social media post about his weekend run was "in the nature of Australian larrikinism" and blames "online trolls" for creating a wave of reaction that prompted Queensland police to question him over a potential border restriction breach.

Mr Shelton, former managing director and chief of staff of the Australian Christian Lobby, posted on his Facebook and Twitter accounts on Saturday night that he had done a "sneaky run across the border and back" and "avoided the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] virus police" in the process.

Lyle Shelton - a former Queensland Senate candidate for the Australian Conservatives party - has been cleared by police of any wrongdoing. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

He was referring to his Saturday run from Coolangatta on the Gold Coast, around Point Danger on the interstate border, and into Tweed Heads in NSW, before coming back.

The Queensland Police Service Twitter account responded on Sunday night, saying they were "aware of this tweet and making further enquiries". Mr Shelton has since been cleared of any wrongdoing.
HiRISE image of Candor Chasma reveals layers upon layers of sedimentary rock on Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

In many ways, Mars is the planet that is most similar to the Earth. The red world has polar ice caps, a nearly 24-hour rotation period (about 24 hours and 37 minutes), mountains, plains, dust storms, volcanoes, a population of robots, many of which are old and no longer work, and even a Grand Canyon of sorts. The "Grand Canyon" on Mars is actually far grander than any Arizonan gorge. Valles Marineris dwarfs the Grand Canyon of the southwestern U.S., spanning 4,000 km in length (the distance between L.A. and New York City), and dives 7 kilometers into the Martian crust (compared to a measly 2 km of depth seen in the Grand Canyon). Newly released photos from the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) reveal a stunning look at eroding cliff faces in Candor Chasma, a gigantic canyon that comprises a portion of the Valles Marineris system.

This spectacularly detailed look at the geographic features of Candor Chasma reveals layers of sedimentary rock, helping to deepen our understanding of the depositional processes that laid these strata over billions of years. The resolution of the visible wavelength images shows details down to the scale of a single meter, allowing the visualization of rocks as small as an average golden retriever. HiRISE also observes in the near-infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, and the resolution of these IR images acquires pixels a mere 30 centimeters wide, more like the size range of a toy poodle (it isn't necessary to convey resolution in terms of dogs, but it can be helpful when conveying the magnitude of such imagery to folks that are less familiar with space).

A close look at the HiRISE images shows jagged bedrock jutting out of windswept sand and dust, and also shows gully-like channels, possibly from seasonal runoff of liquid water down the sloping cliff faces. As with most finely detailed image-capture systems, HiRISE sacrifices field of view for a crisp, highly detailed look at the subject planet. In order to choose good HiRISE targets, a wider view is necessary. MRO uses another instrument with a much wider field of view to gain context from which to make scientific observation decisions. This context-gathering camera is known as the Context Camera, or CTX. CTX gives huge views of the Mars, showing large-scale geological features, painting a big picture of the planet.

Three progressively closer looks at the HiRISE image site (represented by the white rectangle) within Candor Chasma. Credit: Google Mars

The High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment or HiRISE camera system (shown before flying to Mars) Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Valles Marineris can be seen stretching for thousands of kilometers across the face of Mars. Credit: NASA

A broad overview of a crater on Mars taken with CTX. Oddly, smaller features within the crater have led to the appearance of a happy face. Credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

This kind of broad view instrument paired with a detailed, close-up camera, is reminiscent of more down-to-Earth setups that Universe Today readers may already be familiar with. CTX can, in some ways, be thought of as a kind of finder scope like that seen on a telescope. An amateur astronomer would first use their finder scope to aim in a broad area of interest and locate a specific portion of the sky to then probe deeply with the much narrower view provided by the main telescope, or in this case, HiRISE.

By collecting broad, big-picture views, and simultaneously taking astonishingly high-resolution, close-up looks, we are gaining a better sense of the structure of Candor Chasma, Valles Marineris, and the overall geological processes and deep history of Mars. Unlike the Arizonan canyon, Valles Mariners was not formed by surface river erosion.

Which geological process could be behind the formation of the largest canyon known to humankind? Is it a dry process like the depression of a chunk of crust along parallel faults known as a graben? Another possible explanation for the formation of some features is the dissolution of rocks by subsurface water in what geologists call karst.

The watery past of Mars is a big part of what makes it such a fascinating planet to study. The Mars Perseverance Rover, already on the way and slated to land in mid-February 2021, will be landing on what is thought to be shore of an ancient Martian ocean. Large bodies of liquid water are very rare outside of the Earth, and are thought to be a necessary ingredient for the rise of living things. It goes without saying that finding evidence of life on another planet, even if it has since gone extinct, would be as impactful a scientific discovery as is possible.
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[January 04, 2021] Stride, Inc. to Support New Education Options in India with 21K School Collaboration

Stride, Inc. (formerly K12 Inc.) (NYSE: LRN), the nation's leading provider of online and blended education, today announced its partnership with 21K School, India's first online school that offers personalized and structured education programs for online students at home across the Indian subcontinent. "Stride, Inc. has a proven curriculum designed to help advance the education for learners of all ages, and in all places," said Scott Durand, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Learning Solutions. "This collaboration with 21K School in India gives Indian students the opportunity to advance their education and get ahead of the competition." Students in India will partner with both Stride, Inc.'s curriculum, and curriculum specifically from The Keystone School, an accredited private online school for students worldwide, in four core areas, including: Specialized Programs for K-8 students - focusing on an array of fundamental classroom subjects in tune with Stride's U.S. curriculum Career Readiness Programs from Stride for students in grades 7-12 who want to take career-focused classes in public speaking, creative writing, or health care in order to get a jump start on their future occupation Utilizing The Keystone School's curriculum, a high school diploma pathway for students in grades 9-12, including a self-study program for online students at home Utilizing The Keystone School's curriculum, a Dual Diploma Program for students pursuing a senior secondary certification in India "With this association, 21K School will empower Indian students with a world-class international curriculum they can access from their own home," said Yeshwanth Raj Parasmal, Co-Founder & Principal Director at 21K School. "These programs will be integral in shaping the future leaders of this country and we are excited to work with our U.S. partners, Stride, Inc." Presently, 21K School offers their National Curriculum to over 300 K-5 students across 25+ cities in India and abroad. The international programs in association with Stride, Inc. would be available in India from the start of the next academic year and enrollment would begin on Jan. 14, 2021. For more information please contact https://www.21kschool.com/.



About 21K 21K School is India's first online school that offers personalized, structured, and child-led education programs for online school at home across the Indian subcontinent. Adept with 21st-century learning practices - the virtual school follows a specially designed curriculum (national and international) executed via live online classes promoting a well-rounded education. The brainchild of ed-tech enthusiasts Yeshwanth Raj Parasmal, Santosh Kumar, Dinesh Kumar and Joshi Kumar - 21K School is committed to making the 16 years of education meaningful and ignite the joy of learning amongst students. With data-driven and transparent quality of education, the School offers a deeply engaging teacher-student ratio of 1:10 for pre-primary classes and 1:15 for primary classes. For more information, visit https://www.21kschool.com/, or contact Lakshya Arora - lakshya.arora@scrollmantra.com / +91-9971482119, or Eeshita Ahuja - Eeshita.ahuja@scrollmantra.com / + 91 7747009506

About Stride, Inc. K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN) - to be Stride, Inc. effective December 16, 2020 - helps students reach their full potential through inspired teaching and personalized learning. The company has transformed the teaching and learning experience for millions of people by providing innovative, high-quality, tech-enabled education solutions, curriculum, and programs directly to students, schools, the military, and enterprises in primary, secondary, and post-secondary settings. Stride is a premier provider of K-12 education for students, schools, and districts, including career learning services through middle and high school curriculum. For adult learners, Stride delivers professional skills training in healthcare and technology, as well as staffing and talent development for Fortune 500 companies. Stride has delivered millions of courses over the past decade and serves learners in all 50 states and more than 100 countries. The company is a proud sponsor of the Future of School, a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the gap between the pace of technology and the pace of change in education. More information can be found at stridelearning.com, K12.com, destinationsacademy.com, galvanize.com, techelevator.com, and medcerts.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005002/en/

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Andres Rangel, 32, Lily Villegas, 28, together ten years before becoming thruple

Met Sheila Martinez, 23, in Spring of 2019 after Lily came out as bisexual in 2018

Trio moved in together in September last year but deal with cruel online bullying

Say religious trolls call their relationship 'abhorrent' while others ask for sex

A couple who introduced another woman into their ten-year relationship revealed how strangers on the internet tell them they're 'going to hell' for their 'abhorrent' arrangement.

Andres Rangel, 32, and Lily Villegas, 28, from the Dominican Republic, had been together a decade when Lily revealed she was bisexual and wished to introduce a third party into their relationship.

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After Andres met student Sheila Martinez, 23, on a marketing course in the Spring of 2019 the trio started a polyamorous relationship that June and by September 2020 had moved in together.

While many have been supportive of the arrangement, they admitted the reaction has been mixed, with online trolls saying their relationship is blasphemous, while others ask them for sex in exchange for money.

Andres Rangel (middle) , 32, and Lily Villegas (right), 28, from the Dominican Republic, introduced Sheila Martinez (left), 23, into their relationship in 2019

The trio started a polyamorous relationship that June and by September 2020 had moved in together

'Some strangers have even made us sexual proposals and have offered us money in exchange', said Lily.

'It can be difficult to tolerate because we have a serious relationship, but some people are unable to see us as what we are, and the love we share.

Click here to resize this module

'We also have the negative comments that have come from people who claim that our relationship is aberrant in the eyes of God and that we are going to hell and so on.

'But hey, it's part of the process and ignoring them is our best option.'

Andres met Sheila (right) on a marketing course in the Spring of 2019 and quickly introduced her to Lily (left)

Sheila (left) was originally reluctant to take the relationship any further, as she didn't want to risk potentially destroying the couple's existing long-term relationship

Andre and Lily met through social media in 2010, but it wasn't until 2018 that she came out as bisexual and began toying with the idea of a third party in their relationship.

'From a very young age I grew up knowing that I liked women as well as men,' Lily said. 'My maternal grandfather was polyamorous and had seven families.

'He always told me to live happily in freedom and not be afraid to express my feelings.

'As a child I did not understand what he was referring to, when I grew up I finally realised.

But with Lily and Andres convincing Sheila that a polyamorous relationship was what they wanted, Sheila was happy to give their unconventional setup a chance

'Despite having a strong taste for women, before accepting myself and deciding to be happy I had several boyfriends who did not meet my expectations.'

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The couple decided that they wouldn't actively look for a third partner, but instead keep an open mind if the opportunity arose.

'We left it to fate and didn't really decide to look for another woman,' said Lily.

After meeting Sheila and discovering she was also bisexual, Andres soon introduced her to Lily and the pair immediately got on.

However, Sheila was initially reluctant to take things any further, because she didn't want to risk potentially destroying the couple's existing long-term relationship.

Pictured, Sheila and Andres posing with Lily after graduating from the university course they met on

At first, bringing Sheila into the relationship was a challenge, but by working on their communication the trio became an increasingly strong team

But after Lily and Andre convinced Sheila that a polyamorous relationship was what they wanted, Sheila was happy to give their unconventional setup a chance.

'We knew that fate would find the right person and not long after we met Sheila. At first it was scary, we were very unsure how it would work,' said Lily.

'We knew that fate would find the right person and not long after we met Sheila. At first it was scary, we were very unsure how it would work.'

'It is like an infinite love, allowing us to see things differently to understand other points of view.'

In June 2019, the trio officially began their relationship and in September 2020 they moved in together.

The reaction from their families has been mixed, with Lily's religious family disapproving, but still accepting of their daughter

The thruple have also faced cruel online trolls saying their relationship is blasphemous, while others ask them for sex in exchange for money

The reaction from their families has been mixed. Andres says his dad was impressed when he told him, whereas his mum found it more difficult to accept, being protective over her only child.

With Sheila growing up in a family who held strong Christian beliefs, her parents see her relationship as immoral, but still treat her with affection and respect.

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'I grew up in a family with religious beliefs so they see my relationship as immoral,' Sheila said.

'They treat me the same, with affection and respect, but they limit themselves to participating or talking about my relationship.

'They stay on the side-lines, they don't support it, but they don't reject me as a person either.'

The throuple acknowledge that polyamory is not for everyone, and that it takes a huge amount of understanding and compromise to work out well

At first, bringing Sheila into the relationship was a challenge, since there was a decade of trust, understanding and affection between Andres and Lily which sometimes caused Sheila to feel excluded.

By working on their communication and trying to understand each other's concerns, they have become an increasingly strong team.

The throuple acknowledge that polyamory is not for everyone, and that it takes a huge amount of understanding and compromise to work out well.

In the future they plan to start a family together and leave the Dominican Republic to marry, something that is currently illegal in their home country.

In the future they plan to start a family together and leave the Dominican Republic to marry, something that is currently illegal in their home country

'We believe that people should put aside any prejudices they have about our relationship and understand that this is true love,' Lily said.

'We have our exclusivity and respect and we love and support each other like any other relationship.

'A relationship being monogamous does not guarantee success, just as a polyamorous one does not guarantee failure.

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'The world would be better if we decided to be happy in our own way instead of wanting to guide the happiness of others.'
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ATLANTA, Ga.  President-elect Joe Biden on Monday told Georgia Democrats they had the power to chart the course for a generation as President Donald Trump urged Republican voters to swamp the polls ahead of runoff elections that will determine control of the U.S. Senate.

Trump made his final-hours pitch to voters at a nighttime rally in north Georgia, where Republicans were banking on strong voter turnout Tuesday to reelect Sen. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue and hold control of the chamber.

Biden campaigned with Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in Atlanta, hoping he could recreate the coalition that secured him a narrow victory in the presidential race in November.

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................................................................

Folks, this is it. This is it. Its a new year, and tomorrow can be a new day for Atlanta, for Georgia and for America, Biden said at a drive-in rally. Unlike any time in my career, one state  one state  can chart the course, not just for the four years but for the next generation.

The stakes have drawn hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign spending to a once solidly Republican state that now finds itself as the nations premier battleground. Biden won Georgias 16 electoral votes by about 12,000 votes out of 5 million cast in November, though Trump continues pushing false assertions of widespread fraud that even his now-former attorney general and Georgias Republican secretary of state  along with a litany of state and federal judges  have said did not happen.

The presidents trip came a day after disclosure of a remarkable telephone call he made to the Georgia secretary of state over the weekend. Trump pressured Republican Brad Raffensperger to find enough votes to overturn Georgias election results ahead of Wednesdays joint session of Congress that will certify Bidens Electoral College victory. The call highlighted how Trump has used the Georgia campaign to make clear his continued hold on Republican politics.

Angry after the Raffensperger call, Trump floated the idea of pulling out of the rally but was persuaded to go ahead with it so he would have a chance to reiterate his claims of election fraud. Republicans were wary as to whether Trump would focus only on himself and fail to promote the two GOP candidates.

A top Georgia election official said hours before Trumps rally that he wanted to scream after hearing audio of the presidents call with Raffensperger.

Do not self-suppress your own vote, said Gabriel Sterling, Georgias voting system implementation manager.

But Trump, at the rally in Dalton, Georgia, spent much of his address on message, making an impassioned case that Loefflers and Perdues races were among the most important Georgia voters would ever face and made the case that the fate of our country is at stake.

To be sure, he also spent a fair amount of time rehashing false claims that the November election was rigged. He fumed that Republican Gov. Brian Kemp was incompetent and replayed many of the same debunked claims that he raised days ago in his call with Raffensperger.

The Democrats are trying to steal the White House, you cannot let them, Trump said. You just cant let them steal the U.S. Senate, you cant let it happen.

Biden on Monday took aim at Trumps scheme by declaring that politicians cannot assert, take or seize power by undermining legitimate elections.

Biden said he needs a Senate majority to pass legislation to combat the coronavirus, and he blasted Perdue and Loeffler as obstructionist Trump loyalists. Loeffler says she will join other Republican lawmakers in objecting to the Electoral College certification of Bidens victory by Congress on Wednesday.

You have two senators who think theyve sworn an oath to Donald Trump, not the United States Constitution, Biden said.

Earlier Monday, Vice President Mike Pence told a crowd of conservative Christian voters at a campaign event in Milner, Georgia, to stop a Democratic takeover in Washington. Were going to keep Georgia, and were going to save America, Pence said at Rock Springs Church in Milner.

Perdue addressed the church crowd in Milner by telephone while quarantining over coronavirus exposure, claiming that the very future of our republic is on the line and declaring the duty to vote a calling from God.

Trump amplified the sentiment, warning that Ossoff and Warnock wins would lead to a sharp leftward swing in American policy making.

These Senate seats are truly the last line of defense, Trump said. He added, Its really fight for our country, not a fight for Trump.

Republicans need just one victory to maintain Senate control and force Biden to contend with divided government. Democrats need a sweep for a 50-50 split, giving the tiebreaking vote to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who will succeed Pence as the Senates presiding officer. That would give Democrats a Senate majority to go along with their control of the House and executive branch.

Pence, who will preside over Wednesdays congressional joint session, sidestepped Trumps denials Monday until a man yelled out that he must do the right thing on Jan. 6. Pence promised that well have our day in Congress, though he offered no details about what that might mean. Scores of Republicans in Congress have pledged to protest the Electoral College count, but Pence has no legal authority to override Bidens win.

Facing those passions from the Republican base, Perdue, whose first Senate term expired Sunday, and Loeffler, an appointed senator trying to win her first election, have run as unabashed Trump Republicans and spent the two-month runoff blitz warning of a radical and dangerous lurch to the left.

Ossoff and Warnock have countered with warnings that a Republican Senate will stymie Bidens administration, especially on pandemic relief.

Warnock pushed back at the deluge of Loeffler television ads casting him as a socialist. Have you noticed she hasnt even bothered to make a case, Georgia, for why you should keep her in that seat? Warnock said, speaking ahead of Biden. Thats because she has no case to make.

A closely divided Senate  with the rules still requiring 60 votes to advance major bills  lessens the prospects of sweeping legislation regardless. But a Democratic Senate would at least assure Biden an easier path for top appointees, including judges, and legitimate consideration of his legislative agenda. A Senate led by McConnell would almost certainly deny even an up-or-down vote on Bidens most ambitious plans.

More than 3 million Georgians already have voted. Mondays push focused on getting voters to the polls Tuesday. Democrats ran up a wide margin among 3.6 million early votes in the fall, but Republicans countered with an Election Day surge, especially in small towns and rural areas.

___

Amy reported from Milner, Ga. Associated Press writers Kevin Freking in Dalton, Georgia, Aamer Madhani in Chicago and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.
You are here: China

China will advance technological innovation in the seed industry and improve farmland conservation in 2021 to ensure grain security, the country's agriculture minister said.

Calling seeds the "chip" of agriculture, Tang Renjian, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, vowed to make the development of seed industry a major task of the country's agricultural and rural modernization.

Tang urged technological breakthroughs in seeds, calling for efforts to strengthen the establishment of seed banks, the foundation of innovation in the seed industry.

China's current crop germplasm pool stores 440,000 pieces of crop resources. A new crop germplasm pool capable of storing 1.5 million pieces of various crops will be put into operation in 2021, with the pool capacity highest in the world.

Apart from boosting the seed industry, Tang underscored efforts for farmland conservation to ensure grain production.

The total arable land shall not be less than 1.8 billion mu (120 million hectares), a red line set by the Chinese government, and efforts should be made to prevent the use of arable land for non-farming purposes, said Tang.

China has added 80 million mu of high-standard farmland that can ensure stable grain yields despite droughts or excessive rain in the last two years.

The country plans to add 100 million mu of such farmland in 2021, an increase of 25 percent compared with the previous year, according to Tang.
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The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Ali Pantami, has directed the immediate suspension of officials involved in extortion of applicants at the NIMC Bauchi and Kaduna State offices.

This directive came on the heels of public outcry that some personnel of NIMC, particularly at some enrolment centres in Bauchi and Kaduna were capitalising on the rush for NIN by the public to perpetuate fraudulent activities inimical to policy directive of the Federal Government which requires mobile network subscribers to update their SIM registration with a valid National Identification Number (NIN).

The directive of the minister was contained in a press release signed by Kayode Adegoke, head of corporate communications.

Mr Pantami restated his zero tolerance stance on extortion, bribery and corruption and further noted that such unethical practices, if allowed to fester and not nipped in the bud by taking stiffer actions against the culprits, has the potency of derailing the SIM-NIN Integration project.

Enrolment for the National Identification Number (NIN) is free of charge, and on no occasion should anyone pay to obtain an enrolment form or to have their biometrics captured.

All personnel involved in the enrolment and NIN issuance exercise must carry out their respective duties professionally, fairly and with integrity, according to the statement

In light of the above, we wish to call on the general public to assist us in putting our commitments into action by sending proof of any nefarious activity within and around our enrolment centers (snapshot, footage, audio recordings) to 08157691214; 08157691071 or e-mail actu@nimc.gov.ng, a part of the statement read.

This newspaper has reported how some staffers of NIMC have turned the NIN enrollment into some sort of racket to cream off money from enrollees.
The greenies have a new battle in the "war on climate change." They want to rid the world of sea walls. Sea walls are barriers that property owners put on the waterside of the beach to protect their property from encroaching waves. According to the environmentalists, though, sea walls exacerbate the way anthropogenic climate change and the resulting rise of the sea destroy beachfront property. I'm sure this a fine theory, except for the part about anthropogenic climate change causing the sea to rise.

In fact, as this article from Watts Up With That explains with tremendous clarity, any sea level rise is minimal (according to NOAA, around 1.7 mm per year). Instead, what's often happening is that the land is sinking. Sinking land happens not because of climate change. It happens because the Earth's crust is a dynamic system that is constantly on the move.

Nowhere is that more obvious than in Hawaii. In correspondence with me, Thomas Whysmuller, a meteorologist with an impressive resume, explained just how dynamic Hawaii is. Most of us know that Hawaii was created because of volcanic activity. What many fewer of us know is that, as the Earth's crust shifts, Hawaii is moving away from those volcanoes and essentially beginning to sink back into the earth:

The part of the Pacific Plate upon which the Hawaiian Islands are situated, is slowly moving toward the Northwest. Each of the islands has passed over a volcanic plume, responsible for forming each Island, in turn, as that island passed over the plume. Oahu, with its dormant Diamond Head volcano, is the next to last one to do so. The big Island, Hawaii, is now over the plume and has land building eruptions about once every three years. Once an island leaves the plume and slides back onto the moving plate, it begins to subside, and continues to do so until it slides back into the ocean. Look at the diminishing island size progression as you move to the northwest!!! Of course, as an island begins to sink, it takes its beach with it, so there should be no surprise that a sea wall will be needed to prevent property erosion by oceanic wave action. On Waikiki Beach, you can walk out almost 1/4 quarter mile on soft sand, in shallow water that gradually deepens. This actually allows for long distance surfboard runs, for which the beach has become famous! 120,000 years ago, that 1/4 mile was all above water!!! There is a 130 meter difference in sea-levels between the peak of an ice age, and its abatement when the oceans fill up again with melted land based glacial water. So, in fact, going back from about 2,000 years ago till 120,000 ago, Waikiki Beach was totally above water for the entire duration.

Why does this matter? It matters because of a slickly produced piece in Pro Publica. ProPublica bills itself as "a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power." In this case, the power to which it claims to be telling the truth is the Hawaiian government, which it accuses of letting wealthy people (including friends of Obama) get away with building up sea walls.

But while the article is definitely an attack against these sea walls, read just a few paragraphs in, and you'll discover the real culprit: rising seas, with the unspoken tag being "because of climate change":

Hawaii's beaches are owned by the public, and the government is required to preserve them. So years ago, officials adopted a "no tolerance" policy toward new seawalls, which scientists say are the primary cause of coastal erosion. But over the past two decades, oceanfront property owners across the state have used an array of loopholes in state and county laws to get around that policy, armoring their own properties at the expense of the environment and public shoreline access. [snip] Officials defend their actions, saying that forcing property owners to comply with anti-armoring laws would cause them too much hardship, particularly along coastlines that already have lots of seawalls. Over time, though, waves hitting the barriers pull the sand away from the shore and carry it out to sea. As a result, the government approvals have fueled beach loss and perpetuated the redevelopment of private properties along treasured and environmentally sensitive coastlines  all at a time when scientists have been warning of the dire need to push development inland.

I don't have an opinion about sea walls. I do have an opinion about connected, rich people buying oceanfront property on sinking islands even as they try to sell us on the idea that an ocean rise clocked at less than 2 mm per year is what really matters  and that we should give up fossil fuel to save their beaches.

Image: Beach in Hawaii by Andrea Widburg.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

An international team of researchers has created a model that can be used to make estimates about the degree of subsidence risk for different parts of the world. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes the factors that went into creating their model, and what it showed.

Subsidence occurs when the ground sinks due to material beneath the surface being extracted. In this new effort, the researchers focused on subsidence due to water removal. Prior research has shown that several locations around the globe are already suffering from subsidence problems due to water extraction. Officials in Indonesia, for example, are looking to move the capital of that country (Jakarta) to Borneo. The ground in Jakarta has sunk so much that the government is worried that it will soon fill with ocean water. Subsidence can be less dramatic but still just as problematicsinking ground can lead to cracks in foundations making buildings unstable, for example.

Subsidence has become problematic in areas of high population or heavy farming, both of which lead to massive amounts of water being pumped from underground reservoirs. As a reservoir is drained, there is no longer anything to support the ground above and so it sinks. Subsidence occurs in two main ways, long slow drops in ground level, and faster drops that are frequently seen as sinkholes.

In this new effort, the researchers sought to create a model that could be used to forecast subsidence in different parts of the world. To meet that goal, they first obtained data describing subsidence that has already occurred or that is occurring now. They then obtained data from different sources describing geology, climatic conditions, susceptibility to flooding, drought and human activities such as pumping water from the ground to supply cities or large farming operations.

They then used the data they had obtained to create a model that could be used to estimate the risk for individual areas around the globe and for whole regions. They next used their model to make predictions for areas that they could compare with real-world results as a way to test the accuracy of the model. In so doing, they found their model to be 94 percent accurate on average. They then used their model to create maps of the world showing which parts were estimated to be at greatest risk of sinking and found that approximately one-fifth of the world's population was living in at-risk areasthe vast majority of which are in Asia.

Explore further Changes in subsistence hunting threaten local food security

More information: Gerardo Herrera-Garcia et al. Mapping the global threat of land subsidence, Science (2020). Journal information: Science Gerardo Herrera-Garcia et al. Mapping the global threat of land subsidence,(2020). DOI: 10.1126/science.abb8549

 2021 Science X Network
Welcome back to Culture Hound, InsideHooks deep dive into the months most important cultural happenings, pop and otherwise.

Note: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, release dates are highly tentative.



The funny/dark millennial murder mystery took an unexpected turn at the end of Season Three  instead of courtroom antics, its now a search for a suddenly kidnapped Dory (Alia Shawkat). And Elliott (John Early) selling out to become a far-right talk show host should be comedy gold. (HBO Max, Jan. 28)

Other returning TV series and specials: The Bachelor (ABC, Jan. 4); American Gods (Starz, Jan. 10); Disenchantment (Netflix, Jan. 15); Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO, Jan. 15); Batwoman (The CW, Jan. 17); Riverdale (The CW, Jan. 20); Snowpiercer (TNT, Jan. 25); Desus & Mero (Showtime, Jan. 31)



How did U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies treat Martin Luther King, Jr.? Not well, as shown by director Sam Pollards exploration of J. Edgar Hoovers surveillance of the civil rights leader. (VOD, Jan. 15)

More new films coming to the small screen and big: One Night in Miami, Regina Kings fictional take on what happened on the 1964 night after Cassius Clay defeated Sonny Liston (Jan. 15, Prime Video); Our Friend, a dramedy with Casey Affleck, Dakota Johnson and Jason Segel (VOD, Jan. 22); The Little Things, a crime thriller starring Denzel Washington and Rami Malek (HBO Max, Jan. 29)



Host Nicolas Cage screaming Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucccccck for nearly ten seconds is a good opening tease for this six-part documentary on the origins of cursing, as produced by Funny or Die. (Netflix, Jan. 5)

New TV series and specials: Play along with the amped-up, Jeopardy-like game show The Chase (ABC, Jan. 7); Ted Danson returns to sitcoms with Mr. Mayor (NBC, Jan. 7); Marvels TV plan kicks off with WandaVision (Disney+, Jan. 15); extraterrestrials and detective show tropes collide in Resident Alien (Syfy, Jan. 27); and the Grammys return (CBS, Jan. 31).

Amazon



Now that The Great Gatsby is in the public domain, do we really need a wartime prequel following Nick Carraway? Probably not, but the first attempt at mining the GGEU (Great Gatsby Extended Universe) has scored some decent reviews. (Jan. 5)

Other new book releases: The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr. (Jan. 5); Saving Justice: Truth, Transparency, and Trust by James Comey (Jan. 12); A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders (Jan. 12); That Old Country Music by Kevin Barry (Jan. 12); Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Changed the Modern World by Simon Winchester (Jan. 19); Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion (Jan. 26); The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto by Charles M. Blow (Jan. 26)



The annual tech conference is going all digital in 2021, but there are still plenty of announcements and products thatll get you unnecessarily excited for the new year. To start: Giant transparent OLED screens and a GM electric pickup. (Jan. 11-14)



We called Woman, the first record from Canadian act Rhye (led by singer Mike Milosh), one of our favorite debut albums of the last decade. On their fourth release, the band continues to explore electro-disco grooves. And the video for Black Rain (above)? Muscularly sensuous. (Jan. 22)

More new albums: The Dirty Nil (Jan. 1); Steve Earle (Jan. 4); Matthew Sweet (Jan. 15); Jeff Tweedy (Jan. 15); Bring Me the Horizon (Jan. 22); Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (Jan. 29); Lucero (Jan. 29)

The post The Best Movies, TV, Books and Music for January appeared first on InsideHook.
A detachment of MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles and about 90 US Air Force personnel are being relocated over the next months to the 71st "General Emanoil Ionescu" Air Base in Campia Turzii to conduct intelligence, surveillance and research missions in support of NATO operations, while the Romanian Air Force will provide through the 71st Air Base the necessary technical, operational and logistic support, the National Defense Ministry (MApN) said in a release.

"The presence of the US allies in Romania is an opportunity for the development, testing and evaluation of the combat capability, as joint activities are a key element in increasing the interoperability of the two parties. The cooperation between the United States and Romania contributes to strengthening the collective defense capacity and increasing regional security," the MApN states.
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A 26-year-old man was shot to death in Montgomery over the weekend, the citys first murder of 2021.

Montgomery police Capt. Saba Coleman said police and fire medics were dispatched about 4:15 p.m. Saturday on a report of a person shot in the area of Peabody Road and Manasse Drive. The victim, Martell Williams, was pronounced dead on the scene.

No additional details have been released surrounding the circumstances of the deadly shooting. Coleman said no arrests have been.

Anyone with information is asked to call Montgomery police at 334-625-2831, the Secret Witness tip line at 334-625-4000 or Central Alabama Crime Stoppers at 334-215-STOP.
While the data focus on the circumstances faced by people with diabetes during the pandemic, the effects of the trends uncovered by the study may last well beyond the crisis, creating what may be dangerous long-term repercussions for the health of this community and placing new strains on the health care system.

"For months we have known that people with diabetes are at heightened risk during COVID. Yet what this data show is that the level of adversity facing our community from this crisis is at an even more critical point," said Tracey D. Brown, CEO of the American Diabetes Association. "As many as 40 percent of the COVID fatalities  120,000 Americans  have been people with diabetes, and more in our community may be at risk of the worst of the virus' effects because so many are now unable to manage their diabetes effectively. As we approach the holiday season, we must be even more mindful that our community, which includes an outsized portion of people of color and those of lesser means, must be a priority for relief efforts, including prioritized access to the COVID vaccine."

Among the findings of the new survey of people with diabetes are:

COVID-19 has created dangerous hurdles to accessing health care.

43% of people say they have delayed seeking routine medical care during the pandemic, often because they fear exposure to COVID.

One in 5 people says they have foregone or put off getting the technology they need to manage their diabetes, like an insulin pump or continuous glucose monitor (CGM). Most often, this is due to financial constraints.

Of those who use a CGM or insulin pump, 15% report they have delayed refilling needed supplies during the pandemic. 70% of them say that's due to financial constraints or hardship.

12% of people with diabetes have seen their health insurance disrupted since the start of the pandemic, often because they have lost their job or because the person on whose insurance they depend has lost their job. This group does not account for those who had lost insurance or been uninsured prior to the epidemic.

Of those who say they are newly without health insurance, 19% were forced to go on Medicaid and 13% have become uninsured.

The pandemic has dramatically reduced access to food.

More than 1 in 4 people reported the pandemic has disrupted their ability to get healthy food, compared to the 12% of the general population that's experiencing food insecurity.

Nearly 1 in 5 say they must now rely on some sort of nutrition assistance; a third of those individuals are now leaning on local food banks for themselves and their families.

Nearly half of those who rely on nutrition assistance say the food they're getting is not good for their diabetes, and 1 in 5 say they aren't able to eat as frequently as they need to effectively manage their diabetes.

Nearly 1 in 5 people say that, since the pandemic, they have had to choose between buying food and buying medications or medical supplies.

There were other important highlights of the survey as well that show the effects of COVID on the perspective of the diabetes community. For example 

The survey found people with diabetes are substantially more open to getting a COVID vaccine than other Americans. When asked when they plan to get the vaccine, 37% of respondents said immediately  a figure about 40% higher than the general U.S. population. Likewise, people with diabetes are less than half as likely to say they will never get the vaccine than the general population.

The pandemic has prompted a nearly seven-fold increase in the use of telemedicine among people with diabetes. Of the 73% of respondents who say they have used some form of telehealth during the pandemic, about 40% say it makes diabetes management easier for them, and more than half say they plan to keep using telemedicine when the pandemic is over.

People with diabetes have participated infrequently in clinical drug trials in the past (only 11% report having done so), but the majority  60%  say they are likely or very likely to participate in such a study in the future. Yet nearly a quarter of those who responded to the survey said they didn't know how to participate in a drug trial if they wanted to do so.

People with diabetes were active in the 2020 presidential election. 89% of respondents say they voted in the 2020 presidential election  a rate 35% higher than the general population  with 58% of voters saying they did so remotely.

About the American Diabetes Association

Every day more than 4,000 people are newly diagnosed with diabetes in America. More than 122 million Americans have diabetes or prediabetes and are striving to manage their lives while living with the disease. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation's leading voluntary health organization fighting to bend the curve on the diabetes epidemic and help people living with diabetes thrive. For nearly 80 years the ADA has been driving discovery and research to treat, manage and prevent diabetes, while working relentlessly for a cure. We help people with diabetes thrive by fighting for their rights and developing programs, advocacy and education designed to improve their quality of life. Diabetes has brought us together. What we do next will make us Connected for Life. To learn more or to get involved, visit us at diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383). Join the fight with us on Facebook (American Diabetes Association), Twitter (@AmDiabetesAssn) and Instagram (@AmDiabetesAssn).



About Thrivable - Real-Time Patient Insight Platform

Thrivable is helping patients and solution-makers create a better future together. The Thrivable rapid market research platform helps organizations go from question to insight in hours with easy-to-use survey tools and an on-demand patient panel. Thrivable also helps millions of people touched by diabetes connect and thrive through the Diabetes Daily online community.

Contact: Daisy Diaz, 703-253-4807

[email protected]

SOURCE American Diabetes Association

Related Links

http://www.diabetes.org


(Natural News) If you thought youd never see a time come in America where people wouldnt be allowed to travel unless they were vaccinated against a virus that may not even be around in a year, think again.

That day has come.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with authoritarians in mostly Democrat-run states, are now essentially putting the vaccine industry in control over who will get to fly in the very near future and who will get denied, the U.S. Constitutions right to travel guarantee be damned.

A whiny Washington Post story published Dec. 28 that plays up the fear porn aspect of COVID-19 (because the goal of the statists including the mainstream media is ultimate control over the masses) nevertheless details how the CDC is informing airlines who can and cannot fly based on whether theyve tested positive for the virus.

The paper notes:

The CDC says in no uncertain terms not to travel while sick or after testing positive for the coronavirus. This year, the agency has added more than 400 people to a Do Not Board list for covid-19; those on the list will not be issued a boarding pass for any commercial flight in, to or from the United States.

But its not just federal agencies. The leaders of one-party-rule states like Maryland, California, Hawaii and other Democrat strongholds are also doing their best imitations of King George when it comes to imposing restrictions regarding the virus  up to and including imprisonment.

As recent high-profile instances show, having symptoms or even a diagnosis is not enough to keep sick people on the ground. A Hawaii couple who tested positive for the virus was told to isolate in San Francisco; instead, they boarded a plane to Kauai, where they were arrested for reckless endangerment, the Post reported.

Struggling airlines trying to entice more people to fly have adopted a host of rules including mandatory masking in order to fill planes. But the industry is already trending towards mandating that passengers have so-called vaccine passports before theyll be allowed on board a flight. (Related: Dr. Scott Atlas says America may not survive the corruption, incompetence and FRAUD unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic.)

Thats because, as the Post reported, more and more people are beginning to complain that the honor system  that is, relying on passengers to be honest about whether or not theyve tested positive or have symptoms of COVID-19  isnt reliable.

But its also true that a large plurality of people who have contracted the disease have no idea they have it because theyre not symptomatic.

Individuals can be pre-symptomatic or entirely asymptomatic, Joshua Barocas, an epidemiologist at the Boston University School of Medicine, told the Post. In both cases those individuals are still infectious, and the symptom screening tools are completely ineffective.

He also said that in other instances, travelers simply refuse to be honest because theyve got places to go and people to see.

In some cases, this is related to business, and in others it is simply because they have taken a calculated risk and the need to see friends and family outweighs the covid risk, Barocas added. In all of these cases, it is clear that [their] self-reporting may not be effective.

But so what? The CDC, according to the Post, has yet to confirm that anyone who was positive with the virus and flew on a play transmitted it to anyone else.

So  whats the solution? Well, mandated vaccines, of course, and then proof of vaccination.

Now that coronavirus vaccines are starting to roll out in the US and abroad, many people may be dreaming of the day when they can travel, shop and go to the movies again. But in order to do those activities, you may eventually need something in addition to the vaccine: a vaccine passport application, CNN reported this week.

Welcome to George Orwells America.

See more reporting like this at Liberty.news.

Sources include:

CNN.com

SeattleTimes.com

Pandemic.news
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The Edo State Police Command on Monday confirmed the escape of 10 suspects from one of the cells in the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Benin City.

The police said contrary to reports that the incident happened on Saturday, the suspects escaped from their cell on Friday, January 1 at about 2.45am.

PREMIUM TIMES reported on Sunday that several criminal suspects including kidnappers, armed robbers, fleeing prisoners, and cultists had escaped from the custody of the Edo State Police Command.

Authorities in the state police command, however, did not respond to several calls to confirm or deny the development.

However, in a statement on Monday, Chidi Nwabuzor, the state Police Public Relations Officer, said two of the escaping suspects had been re-arrested while efforts were on to nab the remaining eight.

The statement read in part, Reacting to the publication that has gone viral on social media and other platforms alleging that hundreds of suspected armed robbers and kidnappers escaped from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) facility, the Edo State Police Command wishes to inform the general public that ten suspects escaped on the 1st of January, 2021 at about 0245hrs (2.45am), out which two have been re-arrested and brought back to custody. The figure is not as being maliciously and falsely speculated on social media.

Giving a breakdown of the suspects, Mr Nwabuzor said, That eight (8) of the suspects were detained on the order of the court, in summary; stealing- 1, Murder- 1, Cultism-3, Robbery-3, while the other two (2) were under Police investigation for stealing. It is worthy to note that the quick mobilisation and response of officers curbed further escape of the suspects.

The statement confirmed PREMIUM TIMES report that the policemen on duty in the SCID and other security operatives when the incident occurred had been arrested and detained.

The Policemen who were responsible for the safe custody of the escaped suspects have been identified, arrested, and detained for the departmental disciplinary process. Effort is being intensified to re-arrest the fleeing suspects, it added.

Mr Nwabuzor said the command had the wherewithal to re-arrest all the fleeing remaining eight suspects.

The command has the wherewithal/intelligence to re-arrest the remaining suspects who are on the run but will still appreciate any useful information from the members of the public as no stone will be left unturned in assuring that all those suspects are re-arrested, he said.

He assured members of the public of the commands continued commitment to protecting the lives and property of law abiding citizens.

But facts emerged on Monday that the 10 suspects strolled out of their cell unhindered and unchallenged.

A police source said, At about 9pm on December 31, 2020, one of the policemen had gone to attend to one of the detainees and thereafter locked the cell with a padlock, but unknown to him that it was not locked very well as the lock did not fit in properly.

One of the detainees who observed that the padlock did not properly fit into the cell iron burglary proof then told others in detention of the present situation where they then agreed to escape from the cell one after the other.

The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 5, Sholla David, who visited the state command headquarters in Benin City on Monday, gave a marching order to the deputy commissioners of police to ensure that all the 10 feeling suspects are re-arrested.
New Delhi, Jan 4 : Congress Bihar in charge Shaktisinh Gohil on Monday said that he wants to be relieved of the responsibility on personal grounds.

Gohil, who got infected by Covid, said he wants a lighter role in the party.

"Due to personal reasons, I have requested our party high command to allocate me lighter work for next few months and to relieve me ASAP as Bihar in charge," said Gohil, who is also the current in charge for Delhi.

In the recent Bihar Assembly elections, the party was routed in polls and the alliance partner RJD attacked it for the poor show. The Congress, which managed to win just 19 out of the 70 seats it contested, had been the weakest link in the Mahagathbandhan with the lowest strike rate in the alliance.

The matter was raised during party chief's Sonia Gandhi meet with senior leaders on December 19 and some leaders from Bihar wanted Gohil to be held accountable for conceding good seats to partners and getting harder seats to contest.

After the elections, Congress General Secretary Tariq Anwar had said: "We should accept the truth that due to the weak show by the party, the Grand Alliance could not form the government in Bihar. Congress should introspect what went wrong. Also, the entry of AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen) in Bihar is not a good sign." Some Congress leaders in Bihar had complained Gohil and screening committee chairman Avinash Pandey had not listened to the state leaders.
(Newser)  The words "labor union" and "Silicon Valley" don't usually go together, but that has just changed in a notable way. More than 200 workers at Google have formed a union affiliated with the Communications Workers of America, reports CNBC. The Hill sees it as a "historic first at a major technology company." While scattered, localized unions have sprung up within the company, this is the first companywide effort. It's called the Alphabet Workers Union, after the name of Google's parent company, and the New York Times explains that this is a "minority union" because it represents (for now) only a small fraction of employees. While a larger union might negotiate on behalf of all workers for, say, better pay, this union will only represent those who choose to join, and pay isn't the sole motivation. Rather, the leaders say it's about addressing a wide range of issues.

story continues below

For far too long, thousands of us at Google ... have had our workplace concerns dismissed by executives," write Parul Koul and Chewy Shaw, newly elected union leaders, in a New York Times op-ed. "Our bosses have collaborated with repressive governments around the world. They have developed artificial intelligence technology for use by the Department of Defense and profited from ads by a hate group. They have failed to make the changes necessary to meaningfully address our retention issues with people of color." They say temps and contractors make up roughly half of the current membership, and the Verge notes that contractors have long complained about unfair treatment at the company. Another hot-button issue mentioned: Google recently ousted artificial intelligence researcher Timnit Gebru, a decision that led to widespread criticism. (Read more Google stories.)
Police in Barbados today released details (above) of Zara Holland's dramatic arrest

Zara Holland was 'intercepted at the airport' after fleeing her hotel in Barbados, police today revealed.

Officers on the Caribbean island found the Love Island star's 350-a-night hotel room empty when they raided it last Sunday, a police statement revealed.

Police on the island gave full details of the 25-year-old's arrest after she tried to leave the country when her boyfriend Elliott Love, 30, tested positive for Covid.

Miss Holland will appear in court on Wednesday where she faces up to a year in prison and an 18,000 fine.

Entitled Breach of Quarantine, the statement says: 'Police at Hastings Worthing Police Station have warned Zara Holland, 25 years old, a citizen of Great Britain and staying at the Sugar Bay Hotel, Hastings, Christ Church of intended prosecution for the offence of Breaching Quaratine.

Facts. The accused arrived on the island on Sunday, December 27th, 2020, and was tested for the Coronavirus on December 28th, 2020, and reportedly instructed to remain at the Sugar Bay Hotel, Hastings, Christ Church untilt the results were known. On Tuesday December 29th 2020 Personnel from the COVID-19 Unit visited the hotel and discovered that Zara Holland had left without permission.

Miss Holland, 25, has been charged with breaking coronavirus laws after she tried to flee Barbados with her boyfriend. Pictured: The model on holiday in Barbados in 2019

The former Miss England and her partner Elliott Love (pictured together) breached quarantine conditions to remain at their hotel when Mr Love tested positive for the virus on Tuesday

Police found the star's 300-a-night room at the Sugar Bay resort hotel (pictured) empty after they raided it and officers raced to intercept the couple at the airport as they tried to leave

She was intercepted at Grantley Adams International Airport attempting to leave the island.

On Saturday January 02, 2021, Zara Holland presented herself to Hastings Worthing Police Station accompanied by an Attorney at law, she was served with a summons in respect of the mentioned offence and is expected to appear at the District A Magistrates Court on Wednesday 06th 2021.

The couple were initially placed in isolation at a specialist Covid-19 quarantine facility in northern Barbados but Miss Holland has since been released after testing negative for a second time for the virus and is now confined to her hotel room.

When Mr Love tested positive for Covid on arrival last Sunday, the couple were given red wristbands and told to remain in their room at the 300-a-night Sugar Bay Hotel until they were taken to a quarantine centre on the north of the island.

Instead, they booked a British Airways flight, cut off their wristbands and took a taxi to the airport where, according to a local source, their names raised some red flags with airport officials because of their short turnaround time in the country. Police were then alerted.

Miss Holland issued a grovelling apology to Barbados after what she called a 'mix up'

They were arrested and taken to St Lucys District Hospital, a basic unit where tourists quarantine until they can provide two negative tests. Mr Love remains at the hospital.

When Zara, from North Ferriby, East Yorkshire, was released, she returned to the Sugar Bay Hotel where she had been staying but was asked to leave by the manager and relocated to the Hilton.

'She went back to the Sugar Bay hotel after she was released from quarantine but the manager told her she had to leave because she had brought shame on the hotel by breaching the Covid-19 protocol,' added the source.

On Saturday she issued a grovelling apology to the islands government and its furious residents, claiming the couples actions were the result of a massive mix-up and misunderstanding.

She told island newspaper Barbados Today: 'I want to apologise to the entire country of Barbados for what has been a massive mix-up and misunderstanding. I would never do anything to jeopardise an entire nation that I have nothing but love and respect for.

It comes as a petition calling for the the Love Island star and her partner to be jailed was reached more than 1,000 people on Change.org today.

The petition read: 'They broke the law, but also broke the trust of the wonderfully open, kind and welcoming people of Barbados. They acted with a level of selfishness and entitlement that beggars belief.

'They undermined the huge amount of work that had been done by the government and people of Barbados to suppress community transmission and the didn't just risk the livelihoods of Bajans, the risked their lives.'

In Barbados this week, the Daily Nation reported: 'The couple, who have been dating for four years, arrived here last Sunday aboard a Virgin Atlantic flight and were to be quarantining in a Christ Church hotel. Visitors have to be cleared after two mandatory tests, which usually take about three days.

Mr Love is holed up at The Paragon Isolation Centre (above) after he tested positive for Covid

'However, after Ministry of Health officials informed them that one of them had tested positive, the couple apparently removed their red wristbands, boarded a taxi to Grantley Adams International Aiport and attempted to book a flight back to the United Kingdom aboard British Airways.

'Sources said while the male is in isolation until he recovers from the virus, the 25-year-old model who won a major beauty contest in the UK, was under quarantine until tests prove that she did not have the virus. However, if she turns out to be positive, she too will be isolated.'

A tourist was jailed for six months earlier this week for breaching Barbados' strict Covid-19 protocols, even though he had only popped out for a drink.

Dean George Scott, 49, from Jamaica, admitted leaving quarantine to 'buy Fanta' and other snacks after arriving on the holiday island at the beginning of December, when he appeared in court.

Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes said the sentence served as a 'clear warning' to others.

He said: 'I got to send a message to you and to all the other people that this cannot be tolerated. We have made too much gain, so you have to do six months. Walking out of quarantine no man, this cannot be allowed.'
Catering assistant Adamo Canto, 37, swiped official signed pictures of Prince William and Kate Middleton and a photo album of the banquet held for Donald Trump's state visit

A servant to the Queen has today been jailed after stealing royal memorabilia worth up to 100,000 from Buckingham Palace.

Adamo Canto, 37, swiped dozens of items including signed pictures of Prince William and Kate Middleton and a photo album of the banquet held for Donald Trump's state visit.

The catering assistant flogged some of the stolen items, which had a total value of between 10,000 and 100,000, on online auction site eBay for a fraction of their worth.

He made more than 7,700 from selling 37 royal items - including a Companion of the Order of the Bath medal belonging to retired Navy vice-admiral Sir Anthony Johnstone-Burt, the Queen's Master of the Household, which he sold on the auction website for 350.

When police clocked onto Canto's thieving and searched his quarters at the Royal Mews in Buckingham Palace, they found a 'significant quantity' of stolen items from the royal residence, a court heard.

Canto, from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, admitted three counts of theft by an employee and was today sentenced to eight months in prison.

Westminster Magistrates' Court heard how Canto, who had worked in the kitchens at Buckingham Palace since 2015, stole the items between November 2019 and August 2020.

Some 77 items were taken from the palace shop, while others were stolen from staff lockers, the linen room, the Royal Collection ticket office, the Queen's Gallery shop and the Duke of York's storeroom.

Among the stolen items were a brooch, two gold pocket watch necklaces and a Buckingham Palace Limited Edition pocket watch.

He also swiped a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order belonging to retired British Army officer Major General Matthew Sykes, who served in the Royal Household from 2007 to 2010.

Other luxury belongings traced back to Canto included a Tiffany's sterling pen, silk pyjamas, cufflinks and even a bespoke Samsung mobile phone manufactured for the Duke of York.

The personalised handset, titled 'world's first folding mobile phone,' was sold to a buyer in the US for less than 600 and is one of 65 items which remain un-recovered.

Westminster Magistrates' Court heard how Canto, who had worked in the kitchens at Buckingham Palace (pictured) since 2015, stole the items between November 2019 and August 2020

The Companion of the Order of the Bath medal was seen advertised on eBay for 350

Judge David Tomlinson heard that the items stolen were of 'varying degrees of uniqueness' and sold for well under their true value.

He said: 'The fact remains that the material value of all that you stole comfortably exceeds 10,000.

'A flavour of disparity between retail value and what the items stole for.... you stole two gold pocket watch necklaces with retail of 790 each, for 23.22.

'You sold one purple silk Buckingham Palace, a brooch... and a Buckingham Palace Limited Edition pocket watch retailing at 995 for 100.

'You were in some financial difficulty and found that this was the way out.

'I take into account that a sentence of imprisonment at this time will be particularly onerous to you and have adjusted it to reflect your unfamiliarity with the system.

'I have unfortunately come to the conclusion that these offences are so serious that only a sentence of immediate custody is justified.'

Howard Cohen, defending, had argued Canto should be given a lighter sentence because of his 'sheltered upbringing.'

Character references provided by his former employees at a care home for dementia-suffering patients in North Yorkshire spoke of his 'trustworthiness' - in stark contrast to his dishonest offending.

Mr Cohen said: 'The court is dealing with a man 37 years of age who was of impeccable character prior to his offending.

'Born and bred in Yorkshire in Scarborough, he started his professional life in the social care service.

'He became a team leader for a private care home facility between 2002 and 2006 and went on to become the rehabilitative centre's lead technician for people suffering dementia and Alzheimers in North Yorkshire County Council.'

'Character references provided by his employers attest to his professionalism trustworthiness and honesty.

'[He] acted entirely out of character by committing the offences with which the court ha to deal this afternoon and has made the most of his life prior to coming to London to be useful to those who need his professional help and assistance.'

Mr Cohen said Canto moved to London in 2015 and started working in the kitchens at Buckingham Palace - the official home of the Queen (pictured) - but soon racked up debts of 8,000

Mr Cohen said Canto moved to London in 2015 and started working in the kitchens at Buckingham Palace - but soon racked up debts of 8,000.

He told the court: 'One of the difficulties he experienced when coming to London was to fund his existence.

'His pay at the palace was minimal and he felt it was difficult for him to sustain the lifestyle he wanted to adhere to.

'He started to try and pay off the debts he had accrued by living beyond his means by taking out pay day loans. in short order he found himself taking a loan to pay the interest of another loan and another and another and built up debts of around 8000.

'He should have reached out to his family and friends in Scarborough.'

Speaking about the thefts, he said: 'This was not a sophisticated criminal work, he used his own name his own contact details and email address on eBay, and therefore it was not difficult to source the criminal activity to this defendant.

'This was an opportunist who breached the trust endowed upon him through the course of his employment and as a result now bitterly genuinely and deeply regrets his actions.'

Mr Cohen said Canto had repaid around 4,800 so far. He said his client was aware the items were special, but unaware exactly how rare some of them were.

He added: 'He did not know that was a phone that had been particularly manufactured for the Duke of York.'

Canto was described as 'naive' and 'unworldly' by his barrister who said he would struggle to cope in jail.

He bowed his head in the dock as he was sentenced to eight months imprisonment.
NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of the Ad Hoc Group of Entre Rios Bondholders (the "Group") holding 54% of the outstanding 8.75% Notes due 2025 (the "Notes") issued by the Province of Entre Rios (the "Province") filed a claim today in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York seeking a judgment against the Province in respect of the Province's default on a semi-annual interest payment on the Notes due on August 8, 2020.

The Province defaulted on its obligations despite maintaining a strong fiscal position. Indeed, by its own budget projections, the Province's debt service ratios are robust and have not deteriorated since 2017 when it issued the Notes. Importantly, the Province's ratio of debt service to revenues has declined and is far below the 15% limit applicable to all Argentine provinces established in the federal law on fiscal responsibility. The figures in the following table amply demonstrate the point that debt sustainability has not been compromised in the Province:

Province of Entre Rios Debt Indicators









2017

2021 Budget % of Current Resources





Interest 2.5%

3.2% Total Debt Service 12.7%

5.6% Total Debt Outstanding 62%

62%







Total Debt in US$mm 1,492

996 Total Debt as Provincial Gross Product 13.1%

13.5% Source: Province of Entre Rios official budget publications

Despite the lack of valid justification for the default, the Group has attempted to engage in good faith negotiations over the last several months to remedy the default, including offering substantial cash flow relief to the Province. As noted by the Group in its November 30, 2020 press release, the Group believes that any negotiated restructuring should comply with the Basic Principles of the Coalition of Argentine Provincial Bondholders. These principles include that debt restructurings must accurately account for the payment capacity of the Province and reject opportunistic restructurings of otherwise sustainable debt burdens.

The Province's most recent proposal to creditors continues to ignore its fundamental solvency, seeking long-term concessions from creditors that cannot be justified by any sound credit analysis. The message to creditorsthat the Province does not regard contractual commitments as bindingwill cast a long shadow, resulting in constricted and more expensive credit and weighing on the ability of the Province to fund growth and productivity-enhancing capital investment programs.

Faced with an unnecessary default and the continued inability to reach an appropriate negotiated solution, the Group members resolved to seek a judicial determination of their position as a first step towards enforcing their contractual rights. While the Group remains ready to return to the negotiating table on the basis of the principles described above, it intends to pursue its contractual rights in the absence of constructive negotiations.

The members of the Group have retained Quinn Emanuel Urquhart and Sullivan, LLP to pursue their legal claims. White & Case LLP will continue to represent the Group in any restructuring discussions with the Province.

Contact:

White & Case LLP

Erin Hershkowitz in New York

T +1 646 885 2200

E [email protected]

SOURCE White & Case LLP
The seventh round of talks between protesting unions and three central ministers got underway here on Monday afternoon to resolve an over-a-month-long impasse over farmers' agitation against three farm laws, but representatives of farmer groups stuck to their demand for the repeal of the Acts.

As the two sides took a lunch break after about one hour of talks, sources said the government also remained firm on not repealing the laws and is believed to have suggested a panel to take the matter forward.

In the first hour of talks, the two sides were yet to discuss another key demand of farmers for a legal guarantee to the Minimum Support Price (MSP) procurement system.

The representatives of protesting farmers had their own food, arranged from langar (community kitchen), as they have been doing for the last few times. However, unlike the last round of talks on December 30, the ministers did not join the union leaders for the langar food and were seen having their own discussion separately during the break, which lasted for more than one and half hours.

The two sides got back together to resume their discussions at around 5.15 pm.

Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait, who is participating in the meeting, told PTI over the phone during the break that the first hour of discussion remained focussed on the three laws.

"Our demand is the repeal of the laws. We will not agree to any alternatives such as the setting of the committee," he said.

Asked if there could be a concrete outcome from the meeting, Tikait said, "I don't think so. They have to take back the laws for us to end the protest and go back to our homes."



Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at various Delhi borders for over a month against the three laws. They have stayed put despite heavy rains and waterlogging at protest sites over the last couple of days, besides severe cold weather conditions prevailing in and around the capital.

The talks are still on and there has not yet been any discussion on the second agenda pertaining to giving legal backing to MSP, Tikait said during the break.

Another union representative, Kavitha Kurungati of Mahila Kisan Adhikar Manch, said, "The standoff continues as the government is talking about benefits of the laws and we are asking for the repeal of those laws."



No discussion has yet happened on the MSP, she said about the first hour of the meeting.

Enacted in September 2020, the government has presented these laws as major farm reforms and aimed at increasing farmers' income.

During the meeting, the government listed various benefits from the three laws, enacted a few months ago, but farmers kept insisting that the legislation must be withdrawn to address their apprehensions that the new Acts would weaken the MSP and mandi systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporates.

The government has maintained that these apprehensions are misplaced and has ruled out repealing the laws.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Railways, Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce Som Parkash, who is an MP from Punjab, are holding the talks with the representatives of 41 farmer unions at the Vigyan Bhawan.

The meeting began with paying respects to the farmers who lost their lives during the ongoing protest, sources said.

On December 30, the sixth round of talks was held between the government and the farmer unions, where some common ground was reached on two demands -- decriminalisation of stubble-burning and continuation of power subsidies.

However, no breakthrough could be reached on the two main demands of the protesting farmers -- a repeal of the three recent farm laws and a legal guarantee to the MSP procurement system.

On Sunday, Tomar met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed the government strategy to resolve the current crisis at the earliest, sources said.

Tomar discussed with Singh all possible options to find a "middle path" to resolve the crisis, they added.

While several opposition parties and people from other walks of life have come out in support of the farmers, some farmer groups have also met the agriculture minister over the last few weeks to extend their support to the three laws.

Last month, the government had sent a draft proposal to the protesting farmer unions, suggesting seven-eight amendments to the new laws and a written assurance on the MSP procurement system. The government has ruled out a repeal of the three agri laws.

The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), in the meantime, issued a press statement condemning the police action against protesting farmers in and Haryana and a ban on protests and dharnas imposed by the Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh government.

It also said that an affidavit filed by Reliance Industries in the and Haryana High Court was "a ploy to save its business".

(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.)
Andrei Vasilev/iStockBy KATIE KINDELAN, ABC News

(NEW YORK) -- One major lesson learned from the coronavirus pandemic is that prioritizing health is as important as ever.



To kick off 2021, ABC News' Good Morning America asked five influencer doctors for their tips on how to take charge of our health in the new year.



"2020 was a very difficult time for a lot of folks," said Dr. Rose Marie Leslie, a family medicine resident at the University of Minnesota. "2021 will be a time for people to reconnect with their own health and well-being and get up to date on health goals they had been postponing in 2020."



Here are five health tips from five doctors in five different specialties -- from women's health to mental health and skin care:

Five tips to take charge of your overall health



Dr. Rose Marie Leslie is a family medicine resident at the University of Minnesota.



1. Schedule an annual doctor's visit: "Make an appointment with your primary care doctor. A lot of people stayed home in 2020, which means you might need to get up to date on certain health tests and screenings."



2. Take note of your mental health: "2020 was really tough for a lot of people and a lot of people experienced new or worsening symptoms of anxiety and depression. If this is happening for you, reach out for help."



3. Eat right: "I want you to focus on eating foods that fill you up, give you energy and make you feel good in 2021."



4. Find joyful movement: "Think about what ways you can move your body that make you feel really happy, and try to do that as much as you can."



5. Get a COVID-19 vaccine: "Getting the COVID-19 vaccine is a must for 2021. This is one of the best ways that people can help keep themselves and their community healthy in 2021."

Five tips to take charge of your mental health



Dr. Melissa Shepard is a Maryland-based psychiatrist.



1. Determine your values: "Values are the principles that guide our daily lives. We all have them, but becoming more intentional about them can help you make choices based on your values rather than the way you may be feeling at any given moment."



2. Practice mindfulness: "Mindfulness refers to paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, without judgment. Mindfulness allows us to stay in the present and avoid getting caught up in difficult thoughts or feelings."



3. Build self-compassion: "Self-compassion means that you recognize that you're only human and you meet your flaws and faults with warmth and understanding."



4. Adopt a growth mindset: "When you have a growth mindset, you start seeing challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. You stop seeing failure as something to be avoided and instead embrace it for all that it can teach you."



5. Reach out for help: If you are in crisis or know someone in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. You can reach Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860 (U.S.) or 877-330-6366 (Canada) and The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386.



Five tips for women's health



Dr. Wendy Goodall McDonald is a Chicago-based, board-certified OBGYN.



1. Prioritize self-care: "Put it on your calendar. Make sure you allot time for exercise, for meditation, to just be."



2. Set boundaries if working from home: "Working from home is not going anywhere anytime soon for many of us, so make sure that you know that you need to turn it off, that work will be there tomorrow. Set those boundaries."



3. Work on your mental health: "Prioritize your mental health as much as your physical health. Going to the gym is great, but let's make sure that we're actually seeing our therapist or we're taking time to take care of [our mental health], especially in this stress."



4. Limit alcohol: "Make sure that you're limiting alcohol to less than three drinks per week. Studies have shown that people who consume more than three drinks per week, compared to someone who drinks no alcohol, their risk of cancer is elevated significantly."



5. See your gynecologist: "Make sure you schedule your annual exam. We'll take care of your breasts, your cervix. We're here for you. Make sure you schedule that appointment."

Five tips to take charge of your skin health



Dr. Joyce Park is a California-based, board-certified dermatologist.



1. Wear sunscreen every day: "[Wear] SPF 30 and above, broad-spectrum, meaning it blocks both UVA and UVB [rays]."



2. Prioritize quality over quantity: "Right now, I see lots of people using all sorts of skin care products and really you just want to focus on the key ones that give you the best bang for your buck: sunscreen, moisturizer and a retinoid."



3. Practice good sleep hygiene: "Having good sleep allows you to decrease your cortisol levels, which decreases acne breakouts. Wash your pillowcases once a week and invest in a good humidifier during winter time."



4. Hydrate: "Drink eight glasses of water every day and use something with hyaluronic acid to trap that moisture."



5. Be consistent: "You want to develop a good skin care routine and stick to it."

Five tips to protect yourself from disease



Dr. Katrine Wallace is an epidemiologist and an adjunct assistant professor at University of Illinois at Chicago's School of Public Health.



"Until we have enough vaccination in the community, we all need to recommit to double down on the public health recommendations," she said. "Pandemic fatigue is real, and people are tired of hearing about these recommendations, but these things actually save lives."



1. Avoid gatherings



2. Practice social distancing



3. Wear a face mask



4. Wash your hands



5. Get your COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it's available to you.



Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Most of us only go to the doctor when we're not feeling well. You read old magazines in the waiting room, pony up your insurance company's co-pay, answer a stream of seemingly endless questions, and put up with being poked and prodded. And for enduring all of this, you expect something in return. More often than not, that something is a piece of paper with a prescription scrawled on it. You don't usually worry much about what's in the medicine that the doctor has prescribed, as long as it gets you feeling like yourself again. You trust that the doctor knows what's best.

But how much does that trust play into the healing process? What if, after filling that prescription and taking it faithfully, you found out that the medicine your doctor had given you wasn't proven to make you feel better? And yet you did get better. You expected to get well after taking those pills, so you did.

Advertisement

That's the gist of the placebo effect. It's what happens when a person takes a medication that he or she perceives will help, although it actually has no proven therapeutic effect for his or her particular condition. The medicine or treatment itself is known as a placebo, from Latin for "I will please." There are a few different types of placebos. They may be pharmacologically inert, meaning that they contain no active ingredients. These types of placebos often contain basic ingredients like sugar (hence the term "sugar pill"). Medications that do have active ingredients but aren't proven to work on the patient's particular condition can also be placebos. There have even been placebos in the form of surgery, injections and other types of medical therapies. Some people believe that complementary and alternative medicine count as placebos, too.

Placebos have been shown to work in about 30 percent of patients, and they've been used by doctors for ages. In fact, they were often the only thing that a doctor could offer to relieve suffering, other than his or her attention and support. Some researchers believe that placebos simply evoke a psychological response. The act of taking them gives you an improved sense of well-being. However, recent research indicates that placebos may also bring about a physical response. In light of this, some people don't see anything wrong with a doctor prescribing a placebo. After all, he or she is doing it to help the patient. But others see the practice not only as harmful, but unethical, deceptive and possibly even illegal.

Although we've long known that placebos can work, we've only recently started to figure out how and why.
Karanvir Bohra, who recently welcomed his third child, shared an adorable picture with her. He posted a photo of himself cuddling with his baby girl and wrote a heartfelt note about how she stole his heart. His wife, Teejay Sidhu, had a funny response to the post.

Her little hands stole my heart and her lil feet ran away with it ... Kya karu mera jo haal hai, raat din tumhara khayal hai (What do I do, I think about you all night and all day) #twinsdad #daddyofthree #daddyofdragons #dadblogger #fatherhoodrocks #dadlife #parenthood #fatheranddaughters #familytime #fatherhood #dadsofinstagram, he wrote on Instagram.

Teejay joked that when their daughter grows up, she will move on to stealing his money. And one day shell steal your credit cards and run away with them!, she commented.

Karanvir and Teejay, who are also parents to four-year-old twins Bella and Vienna, announced the birth of their third daughter on December 20. In an Instagram post, he said, You cant even imagine the bolt of happiness going thru my veins...I cant believe that Im a father of 3 girls....yahooooo! Life cant get better than this, imagine ruling the world with these 3 queens in my life... Thank you God for all these angels you have sent! Ill take the best care of them, because they are my #teendeviyaan.. My #laxmi #saraswati #parvati. . . .p.s. You can also call me #charlie! #charliesangels... My #alpha #chi & #omega.

Also read: Ishaan Khatter, Ananya Panday spotted together at Mumbai airport after Maldives trip, fans wonder if Ishanya are dating

In another Instagram post, Karanvir refuted rumours that he and Teejay wished for a baby boy. He said that the only thing they wanted was a healthy baby, and despite his conservative Marwari background, he did not have any gender preference.

Karanvir is known for shows such as Shararat, Kasautii Zindagii Kay, Dil Se Di Dua... Saubhagyavati Bhava? And Qubool Hai. He also participated in Bigg Boss 12.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

ott:10:ht-tv_listing-desktop
A small plane flying from Georgia crashed into a house in southeastern Michigan, killing the pilot and two family members.

The victims were David S. Compo, the former president of the Home Builders Association of Southeastern Michigan, his wife Michele and their son Dawson, the association said in a news release.

The Federal Aviation Administration said a single-engine Piper PA-24 Comanche crashed in a residential area at 3:47 p.m. Saturday, roughly half a mile from Oakland Southwest Airport, according to preliminary information. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.

The family was returning home to Michigan from Georgia, according to the association.

Five people inside the two-story house were able to avoid injury, but fire severely damaged the home in Lyon Township, which is 40 miles northwest of Detroit, according to authorities.

David Compos term at the helm of the builders association ended Dec. 31. His mother, Janet Compo, served as its president in 1995.

Michael Stoskopf, HBAs CEO, remembered Compo for his contributions to the organization.

His involvement, professionalism and experience over the years have been great assets to our organization and he has been a true friend to me as we faced challenge after challenge during this past year, Stoskopf said in a statement.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Michigan
China on Monday vehemently refuted the US charge that the novel coronavirus was leaked from a bio lab in the country and asserted that the pandemic was likely to have been caused by separate outbreaks in multiple places in the world, Press Trust of India reported.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying's remarks came amidst reports that a ten-member team of the World Health Organisation (WHO) scientists would visit China this month to probe the origin of the coronavirus, which emerged in Wuhan in December 2019.

"I have no detailed information for you," Hua told a media briefing here when asked about the visit of the WHO team and whether its schedule included a visit to Wuhan.

"China attaches high importance to cooperation with the WHO. We have been providing support and convenience for WHO's work," Hua said.

In her media briefing on Monday, Hua launched a scathing criticism against the US, saying Washington should produce evidence to back its charge that the virus emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

She in-turn called for a WHO probe into American military run bio labs while replying to a question on latest allegations by the US Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger that the COVID-19 has been leaked from the WIV.

"There is a growing body of evidence that the [Wuhan] lab is likely the most credible source of the virus," Pottinger, a staunch critic of Beijing, allegedly made the claim in a recent virtual meeting with UK officials, according to a British media report.

His allegation is nothing new as US President Donald Trump, who termed COVID-19 as "China virus," too, had alleged last year that the institute may have been responsible and called for an inquiry.

"Maybe you could ask the senior US officials since they are considering origin tracing such a priority why doesn't the US invite the WHO experts to investigate the virus in the US considering the links between the Fort Detrick lab [in Maryland] and the major flu last fall and the pandemic," Hua said.

"Why doesn't the US invite journalists there?," she asked.

Hua said, "regarding the Wuhan lab making or leaking of the virus almost all the scientists and experts in the world including Dr. Anthony Fauci, [director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases] openly denied this".

"Many media including American ones interviewed officials of Wuhan Institute of Virology to see the truth," she said.

"Pottinger is still hyping despicable lies and rumors. Does it reflect his own stand or that of the official stand of the US government? The US should present evidence on this. There are more reports showing evidence that pandemic broke out in multiple locations in 2020," she said.

"We hope that the WHO can lead the scientists in conducting the tracing of the organ of the virus so that we find out the truth at an early date," Hua Chunying said.
2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning --

4 WEEKS FREE DIGITAL AND PRINT ACCESS.

We understand the importance of working to keep our community strong and connected. As we move forward together into 2021, it will take commitment, communication, creativity, and a strong connection with those who are most affected by the stories we cover.

We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Fauquier Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come.
Nigers Prime Minister Brigi Rafini on Sunday, January 3 said that more than 100 people have been killed in attacks by Islamic extremists on two villages in Niger near its border with Mali. According to the reports by AP, he said, We came to provide moral support and present the condolences of the president of the republic, the government and the entire Niger nation. After his visit, he revealed that 70 people were killed in the village of Tchombangou and 30 others in Zaroumdareye.

Read: Niger PM Visits Villages After Deadly Attacks

The President of the United Nations General Assembly, Volkan Bozkir, took to its official Twitter handle as he condemned the act. He wrote, I strongly condemn the terrorist attacks in #Niger, which led to the killing & injuring of many innocent civilians. I express my condolences to @Niger_ONU and the people of Niger. As of now, no group has taken responsibility for the attack. As per the local officials, the attacks took place after a few locals killed two fighters. Also, it took place the same day when it was announced by the West African nations electoral commission that the presidential elections would be heading to a second round.

I strongly condemn the terrorist attacks in #Niger, which led to the killing & injuring of many innocent civilians. I express my condolences to @Niger_ONU and the people of Niger.   UN GA President (@UN_PGA) January 3, 2021

Current situation in Niger

The second round of elections is bound to take place after none of the 28 candidates won a majority. In the upcoming elections, which will take place on February 21, former foreign affairs minister Mohamed Bazoum of the ruling party will face off with former president Mahamane Ousmane. According to the National Independent Electoral Commission, Bazoum received 39.3 per cent of the vote, while Ousmane received 16.9 per cent. Also, Seini Oumarou of the National Movement for the Development of Society party came in third and Albade Abouba of the Patriotic Movement for the Republic came in fourth. Each of them received 7 per cent of votes.

Read: Niger To Hold Second Round Of Presidential Vote Next Month

This is not the first attack as the region has endured several attacks by Islamic extremists, including the Nigeria-based Boko Haram. Since then, thousands have lost their lives and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Even though Jihadist pose a threat in the region, the country is expected to see its first democratic transition of power since independence from France. As per the reports by AP, nearly 7.4 million Nigeriens were registered to vote on 27 December to elect the successor to President Mahamadou Issoufou, who has served two terms in the office.

Read: Niger Polls Open For Presidential, Legislative Elections

Also Read: Tricolour To Fly High At UNSC As India Begins 2-year Tenure As Non-permanent Member

(Image Credits: AP)

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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The recent rollout of two newly authorized COVID-19 vaccines is a bright ray of hope at the pandemic's darkest hour.

We now have a path that can lead us to happier timeseven as we watch and suffer from the horrible onslaught of new infections, hospitalizations and deaths that mark the end of this regrettable year.

Health care workers and nursing home residents have already begun to get shots in the first phase of the rollout. Vaccinations should start to be available to the general public sometime in the first few months of next year.

The two vaccinesone developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, the other by Modernause the same novel genetic approach. Their development in under a year, shattering all records, is a marvel of science. It's also a cause for concern for millions of Americans who fear the uncertainty of an unknown technology.

The clinical trial data for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines show that when both shots of the dual-injection immunization are taken, three weeks to a month apart, they are about 95% effectiveat least at preventing severe COVID illness.

However, "a vaccine that remains in the vial is 0% effective no matter what the data show," says Dr. Walter Orenstein, a professor of infectious diseases at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta and associate director of the Emory Vaccine Center.

Hence, the imperative of persuading millions of people, across racial, cultural, religious, political and generational lines, to get immunized when a vaccine becomes available to them. A survey published this month showed 45% of respondents are taking a wait-and-see approach to vaccination.

Because the vaccines were developed under duress as the coronavirus exacted its deadly toll, the premium was on speed"warp speed." So although the number of people in the trials is as large as or larger than in previous vaccine trials, some key questions won't be answered until millions more are vaccinated.

For example, we don't know to what extent the vaccines will keep us from transmitting or contracting the virusthough the protection from potentially fatal illness they are likely to confer is in itself something of a miracle.

We don't know whether irreversible side effects might emerge, or who is at higher risk from them. And we don't know whether we'll need to get vaccinated every year, every three years, or never again.

These unknowns add to the challenges faced by the federal government, local health authorities, medical professionals and private sector entities as they seek to persuade people across the broadest possible swath of the population to get a vaccine.

Skepticism resides in many quarters, including among African Americans, many of whom have a long-standing mistrust of the medical world; the vocal "anti-vaxxers"; and people of all stripes with perfectly understandable doubts. Not to mention communities with language barriers and immigrants without documentsmore than 2 million strong in Californiawho may fear coming forward.

Here are answers to some questions you might be asking yourself about the new vaccines:

Q: How can I be sure they're safe?

There's no ironclad guarantee. But the federal Food and Drug Administration, in authorizing the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, determined that their benefits outweighed their risks.

The side effects observed in trial participants were common to other vaccines: pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle pain and chills. "Those are minor side effects, and the benefit is not dying from this disease," says Dr. George Rutherford, a professor of epidemiology at the University of California-San Francisco.

Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported six cases of anaphylactic allergic reaction in the first 272,000 people who got the Pfizer vaccine outside the clinical trials. This has led the CDC to recommend that people receiving the vaccine be observed for up to 30 minutes afterward.

It's possible other unexpected adverse effects could pop up down the road. "The chances are low, but they are not zero," says Orenstein. There's not enough data yet to know if the vaccines pose an elevated risk to pregnant or lactating women, for example, or to immunocompromised people, such as those with HIV. And we know very little about the effects in children, who were not in the initial trials and for whom the vaccines are not authorized.

Q: Why should my family and I take it?

First of all, because you will protect yourselves from the possibility of severe illness or even death. Also, by getting vaccinated you will be doing your part to achieve a vaccination rate high enough to end the pandemic. Nobody knows exactly what percentage of the population needs to get inoculated for that to happen, but infectious disease experts put the number somewhere between 60% and 70%perhaps even a little higher. Think of it as a civic duty to get your shots.

Q: So, when can I get mine?

It depends on your health status, age and work. In the first phase, already underway, health care workers and nursing home residents are getting vaccinated. The 40 million Moderna and Pfizer doses expected to be available by year's end should immunize most of them.

Next in line are people 75 and older and essential workers in various public-facing jobs. They will be followed by people ages 65-74 and those under 65 with certain medical conditions that put them at high risk. Enough vaccine could be available for the rest of the population by late spring, but summer or even fall is more likely. Already, some distribution bottlenecks have developed.

On the bright side, two other vaccinesone from Johnson & Johnson, the other from AstraZeneca and Oxford Universitycould win FDA authorization early next year, significantly increasing the supply.

Q: Once I'm vaccinated, can I finally stop wearing a mask and physical distancing?

No. Especially not early on, before a lot of people have been vaccinated. One reason for that is self-protection. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are 95% effective, but that means you still have a 5% chance of falling ill if you are exposed to someone who hasn't been vaccinatedor who has been but is still transmitting the virus.

Another reason is to protect others, since you could be the one shedding virus despite the vaccination.

Q: I've already had COVID-19, so I don't need the vaccine, right?

We don't know for sure how long exposure to the virus protects you from reinfection. Protection probably lasts at least a few months, but public health experts say it's a good idea to get vaccinated when your turn comes upespecially if it's been many months since you tested positive.

There's been some talk among health officials of pushing those who've been infected in the last 90 days or so toward the back of the line, to ensure adequate supply for those who might be at higher risk.

Q: How long before our lives get back to normal?

"If everything goes well, next Thanksgiving might be near normal, and we might be getting close to that by the summer," says Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee. "But there would have to be substantial acceptance of the vaccine and data showing the virus moving in a downward direction."

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

2020 Kaiser Health News

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
The Egyptian foreign ministry said it is following the investigations into the murder of an Egyptian teacher in the Saudi capital in late December through the countrys general consulate in Riyadh.

The ministry expresses its confidence in the justice of the judicial authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its ability to impose deterrent punishment on the perpetrators, a statement by the ministry read on Monday.

The body of the deceased teacher, Hany Abdel-Tawwab, was repatriated on Sunday, after the consulate had concluded the official procedures, the ministry said.

It added that the consulate is working with the Riyadh labour office of the Egyptian Ministry of Manpower to obtain the victims dues and any compensations owed to his family, in accordance with the Saudi law.

Abdel-Tawwab died of injuries at a hospital in the Saudi capital after he was reportedly shot by one of his teenage students following a skirmish.

According to local reports, a 13-year-old student, accompanied by his 16-year-old brother shot the teacher in the head.

The victim was transferred to Riyadh's Sulayyil General Hospital but succumbed to his injuries in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Saudi authorities arrested both suspects and have held the alleged murderer.

In June, an Egyptian young man was shot dead by a Saudi national in Jeddah after engaging in a quarrel.





Short link:


Francesca Paris covers North Adams for The Berkshire Eagle. A California native and Williams College alumna, she has worked at NPR in Washington, D.C. and WBUR in Boston, as a news reporter, producer and editor. Find her on Twitter at @fparises.
After a series of criticism against the Chinese government, Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba and one of the world's most renowned business magnate and philanthropist, has reportedly gone missing. Suspicion has swirled around the tech mogul after reports revealed that he had not made a public appearance in over two months.

Ma was absent from the final episode of his very own talent show, "Africa's Business Heroes," where the Alibaba founder gives African entrepreneurs a chance to win the US $1,5 million to fund their startups. Even worse, Ma's picture has been taken off the judging page on the website.

However, a spokesperson for Alibaba confirmed on behalf of Ma that he was absent due to "scheduling conflicts."

"Due to a schedule conflict Mr Ma could no longer be part of the finale judge panel of Africa's Business Heroes earlier this year (2020)," the statement reads as reported by Financial Times.

Read also: How to Spot Deepfake Images and Video in 5 Simple Steps.

Jack Ma's Controversial Speech

The reports surfaced several weeks after Ma's controversial speech in Shanghai last October, where he criticized the government's regulation system for stifling innovation and its state-owned banks.

"Today's financial system is the legacy of the Industrial Age. We must set up a new one for the next generation and young people. We must reform the current system," said Ma during the speech.

A week later, the government suspended ant Group's IPO (initial public offer) worth the US $37 billion. Ant Group is one of Ma's business empire and an affiliate company of Alibaba Group, and the flamboyant boss has not made a public appearance since then. Ma has also been advised not to leave the country.

"I believe the Chinese government stepped in because they realised that they had to regulate these companies, so that they don't... get too big," veteran investor and the founder of Mobius Capital Partners, Mark Mobius told CNBC.

"The Chinese government is waking up to the fact that they cannot allow these companies that dominate a particular sector and particularly the financial sector."

Alarming Concerns

For the last few months, the Chinese government has been trying to crack down on unhealthy monopoly practices within the country's internet sector.

Last week, as previously reported, the People's Bank of China demanded Ant Group execs formulate their business' rectification plan to stop its monopoly practices. Regulators believe that the company is too powerful that it uses its overpowered market position to hurt its customers' interests.

"The rectification is an opportunity for Ant Group to strengthen the foundation for our business to grow with full compliance, and to continue focusing on innovating for social good and serving small businesses," the company says in a statement, as reported by CNBC.

Formerly an English teacher, Ma founded Alibaba in 1999. Despite stepping down as the chairman in 2019, Ma remains one of Alibaba's largest shareholders.

Related article: Barca Star Antoine Griezmann Ends Commercial Relationship With Huawei Over Uighur Repression.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
In a move that should surprise no one, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer formally launched a gubernatorial exploratory committee Monday with intentions of challenging California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Faulconer, a moderate Republican whose record indicates he would likely govern in a way similar to Govs. Larry Hogan of Maryland and Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, had been stating for weeks he is "seriously considering" challenging Newsom and has been sharply critical of the governor on Twitter.

The exploratory committee is not a formal campaign launch, which is expected sometime in the coming months. Exploratory committees are used at times for presidential campaigns, as Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren formed an exploratory committee Dec. 31, 2018, before formally announcing her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president Feb. 9, 2019, and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg formed an exploratory committee Jan. 23, 2019, before officially launching his campaign April 14, 2019.

The timing of Faulconer's formal launch may depend on the efforts to recall Newsom. Groups working to recall the governor have started to receive the large donations that will be necessary to gather the signatures required to force a recall election, and Faulconer endorsed the recall efforts over the weekend.

"Its a new year. We need a new governor," he tweeted Saturday. "Jobs are leaving, homelessness is skyrocketing, and the state cant even issue unemployment checks to people struggling right now to get by. California is better than this. Join me in signing the recall petition."

If the recall organizers can gather 1.5 million signatures by March 17, a recall election will likely be held sometime in the fall of this year. If organizers fall short, Newsom will be up for re-election in 2022.

MORE FAULCONER: How San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer handled the pandemic in his city

Faulconer probably has the best chance of being elected in a recall election.

If a recall election is held, the first item on the ballot would be a simple "yes" or "no" vote on whether Newsom should be recalled. The second item would then be a vote on Newsom's replacement, which would be negated if "no" receives more votes than "yes."

However, if "yes" wins, Newsom would automatically be disqualified from office and his successor would be chosen from one of the other candidates on the ballot  which would allow Faulconer to win on a plurality in the event there's a crowded field. In the 2003 recall of Gray Davis, 55% of Californians voted to recall the governor and Arnold Schwarzenegger subsequently won at the bottom of the ballot with 48.6% of the vote. The second and third place finishers were Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante (31.5%) and state Sen. Tom McClintock (13.4%).

If no recall election is held, Faulconer and Newsom would likely be the two candidates who win the state's top-two jungle primary and proceed to face one other in November 2022. In 2018, Newsom trounced Republican John Cox 61.9% to 38.1%.
Ayna Garayeva, a school teacher in the capital of authoritarian and secretive Turkmenistan, began taking extra sanitary measures in her classroom when the government issued new guidelines in August.

As well as standard coronavirus precautions like temperature checks for students, she started fumigating her classroom with the smoke of a herb beloved by the ex-Soviet country's leader.

"We are following the instructions as they are laid out," 42-year-old Garayeva told AFP.

In tightly controlled Turkmenistan, which still insists it has no virus cases, the pandemic has led to a boom in a herb whose Turkmen name translates as "medicine for a hundred illnesses".

Wild rue -- known locally as yuzerlik -- has for millennia been popular in North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia as a panacea for sickness and ill fortune.

But in Turkmenistan, strongman leader and ex-dentist Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has gone a step further.

In March, he ordered wild rue burning on a "systematic level", trumpeting the bacteria and infection-killing qualities of its faintly intoxicating smoke.

At the same time, authorities continued to hold ostentatious mass events and deter citizens from wearing masks.

Since the diktat, the cost of a wild rue bundle has grown five-fold to five manats ($1.43).

In neighbouring Uzbekistan, top sanitary doctor Bakhrom Almatov cautioned the herb has "no direct effect" on viruses, despite having healthy properties.

"After use, many people start sneezing. When they sneeze, the body expels dust that has fallen into it," Almatov told local media.

- Locking down with zero cases -

The World Health Organization declined to comment on wild rue specifically, but said traditional medicine in many countries "is often an important health resource with many applications".

Berdymukhamedov joins the leader of Madagascar, who gained notoriety for promoting a scientifically unproven herbal virus remedy at home and abroad.

Herbal remedies have been widely used during the pandemic in countries with struggling public health systems, like Yemen and Sierra Leone.

Yet Berdymukhamedov's approach to the pandemic changed after the WHO visited in July.

The delegation stopped short of dismissing his boast that that country had zero cases, a claim now only shared by North Korea and a handful of island states.

But it recommended that Turkmenistan adopt measures as if the virus "were already circulating".

WHO Europe chief Hans Kluge tweeted weeks later that the group had "expressed serious concern about (a rise) in #COVID19 negative pneumonia" in Turkmenistan during a teleconference with Berdymukhamedov.

Kluge said Berdymukhamedov had agreed to allow the WHO to sample virus tests "in-country" and send them to WHO labs for analysis.

Since the July visit, non-food shops and restaurants across the desert republic have been shuttered. A ban on passenger trains and cross-country bus travel has been extended into next year.

A mask-wearing regime was put in place in the summer to counter "dust" and unspecified "pathogens".

Turkmenistan has yet to cooperate with the WHO's request for confirmatory testing, however.

- Mutant-green sanitiser -

The WHO told AFP that the request has proven impossible to facilitate due to "travel restrictions".

Turkmenistan has indeed paused inbound flights, but state media last month said several German doctors unaffiliated with the WHO visited Ashgabat to meet with Berdymukhamedov and receive state awards.

Berdymukhamedov's instructions for fumigation are typical of his championing of indigenous fauna and flora.

The all-powerful leader has also feted a national horse breed and a local shepherd dog in statues and various books he reportedly penned.

His wild rue drive has caused a rare spurt in innovation in an economy dominated by the state and crushed by a six-year depression in energy prices.

An AFP correspondent this month visited a trade exhibition where a state-owned company demonstrated new, cigar-shaped briquettes of dried rue that can smoulder for up to 45 minutes.

At 10 manats for six blocks, "they should be affordable to the local population," said a representative, who did not introduce himself.

At an exhibition in October, a representative of the private company Tach, who wished to remain anonymous, showed AFP an alcohol-based sanitiser with a mutant green hue resulting from a wild rue infusion.

The sanitiser, which claims to kill "99.9 percent of bacteria" is yet to go on sale in pharmacies.
Jaipur, Jan 4 : Three fresh cases of the new mutated Covid strain have been detected in Rajasthan's Sriganganagar district on Monday, officials said.

Three members of the same family - a husband, wife and their five-year-old child - have been found infected with UK strain in Hakmabad village of Sadulshahar in Sriganganagar.

The three had returned from the UK on December 18 and were found positive on December 28. Thereafter, their samples were sent to Delhi for further testing which confirmed the new mutated strain.

Shriganganagar CMHO Dr Girdhari Lal Meharda said that the district medical and health department officials had isolated three of them in an isolation centre situated in district headquarters. Their contact history is being traced in Hakmabad village and sampling work has started, he added.
A Kansas City class act calls it quits amid the last days of terrestrial radio.

Read more . . .

Ellen Schenk is retiring after nearly four decades in radio broadcasting - spending nearly three of those as co-host of Kansas City's Morning News on KMBZ Radio.
New Delhi :

Looking gratified over low pass percentage in class 12 examination, Bihar education minister Ashok Chaudhary, who hails from Congress, said that it shows that fair examination has taken place in the state.

He said it establishes that they have been successful to curb cheating in the state. He said how the government would pass those students who were not competent.

A whopping 64 per cent of students in Bihar have failed in this years Class 12 examination, the results of which were declared on Tuesday, thanks to the successful conduct of a cheating-free examination.

Fair examination is taking place, so definitely people who are not competent, how will govt pass them?: Ashok Chaudhary, Bihar education min pic.twitter.com/i7MbR5xaTQ  ANI (@ANI_news) May 30, 2017

Only 30.11 per cent of students passed the test in the Science stream as the results, declared by the Bihar School Examination Board Chairman Anand Kishore, showed.

The results were dismal in the Arts stream too where a meager 37 per cent of the examinees could pass the test.

In the Commerce stream, however, the pass percentage was 73.76.

Also Read | BSEB Result 2017: Students to get full marks for incorrect answer key provided to evaluators

Nearly 13 lakh students had appeared for the Plus-Two examination which was held between February 14 and February 25 this year.

With PTI Inputs

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Iran has resumed the production of 20% enriched uranium at its underground nuclear facility in Fordow, an Iranian government spokesman said Monday. Iranian state media later reported that authorities had seized a South Korean-flagged tanker and arrested its crew, alleging "oil pollution" in the Persian Gulf.

The big picture: The news comes amid heightened U.S. fears of a possible Iranian attack, one year after the assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. 20% enriched uranium  which is banned under the 2015 nuclear deal  cant be used for military purposes, but is a step closer to the 90% enrichment needed to build a nuclear bomb.

Driving the news: Last week, Iran notified the International Atomic Energy Agency of its plans to restart production of 20% enriched uranium.

The Iranians said the move is the result of a new law that passed in the Iranian parliament several weeks ago, which calls for increased enrichment in order to pressure the Europeans to provide sanctions relief.

The law is also seen as retaliation for the assassination of Iranian chief nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, which Iran alleges was carried out by Israel.

The Iranian government spokesman said President Rouhani ordered the launch of 20% enrichment and the gas injection process to begin at the Fordow facility on Monday morning.

What they're saying: "The government has already announced that it considers the law passed by the parliament to be binding and will adhere to it," the Iranian government spokesman said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the move is a violation of Irans nuclear commitments and proof that Iran wants to continue its military nuclear program. "Israel will not allow Iran to produce nuclear weapons," Netanyahu said.

The big picture: The announcement come less than three weeks before Biden assumes office, and is perceived as an Iranian attempt to pressure the new administration to move quickly toward rejoining the nuclear deal and easing sanctions.
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(TNS)  In this day and age it's a given that email scammers, online fraudsters, and hackers are going tobusinesses and governments as well as individuals.Knowing that, Oregon City Administratorsaid combating these types of attacks  which often occur as "phishing" attempts  depends on luck as much as it does proper awareness and education."The challenge is that perpetrators are frequently a step ahead and moving on to the next best opportunity to scamming,"said. "The problem that's going to get us is going to be the next problem that we didn't anticipate."An employee in the Lucas County Auditor's Office fell victim recently to an email scam which resulted in more than $600,000 of public funds being sent to what the employee thought was a construction contractor. Earlier this yearwas the victim of a data breach and ransomware attack that interrupted online learning in September and after which student and staff information was published online.But victims can be found even at the national level.officials reported in December that hackers suspected of acting on behalf of a Russian intelligence agency broke into a number of federal systems, including thedepartments of State,, and Defense, among other organizations."It can happen to anybody,"said.Locally agencies and organizations use specialized software to curb these kinds of attacks. But multiple officials acknowledged that employee training and vigilance are major parts of preventing any schemes from being carried out.Advertisement"The biggest thing we do is that we're very aware," saidcity administrator.city staff also work closely with the police department, she said, and when police hear of any new types of scams being reported, officers alert the city departments. It's more difficult now, though,said, with the pandemic prompting many to work remotely."A lot more people are taking their laptop home with them, so they are connecting through a VPN so the information is out there and not protected," she said., theschools' director of information technology infrastructure systems, said email-blocking software can prevent a good amount of spam, malicious content, and encrypted zip files from getting through, but no program is infallible."These kinds of attacks are almost impossible to stop," he said.Different forms of antivirus protections can help, he said, as well as two-factor authentication. Often, he said, perpetrators will try to impersonate someone else or send corrupt links disguised as programs the organization is already using."The one that we're seeing now is a DocuSign hoax,"said.DocuSign is a program that allows people to manage agreements electronically. Employees who use DocuSign as part of their normal business practice might be lured more easily into clicking on a malware link set up to resemble the same program.would not comment on the ransomware attack againstexcept to say that the investigation is ongoing.He did note that hundreds of fraudulent emails are sent every day, often targeting businesses and organizations. Every agency gets hit with them to some extent."The idea is try to limit your exposure," he said.Lucas County Auditorsaid working remotely means so much more information is put online through emailing documents and conducting meetings through Zoom. It's imperative, especially now, she said, that people be on the lookout for possible scams."You start to get more confident and relaxed," she said about people getting used to working online.She would not comment on the investigation, which is still ongoing, into the recent email scam carried out against the auditor's office. Nor would she comment on exactly how protocols could change as a result of the attack.did say she believes that the department's current policy should have caught the scam before any money was lost."Anything that comes in email, regardless of what it is, you have to verify it," she said. "That's the bottom line."
HOUSTON, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Calvetti Ferguson, a Texas accounting and advisory firm, has acquired CPA firm Larkin, Ervin, and Shirley, LLP ("Larkin-Ervin").

The deal expands Calvetti Ferguson's expertise in serving both individuals and corporations with expatriate tax services. Based in The Woodlands, Texas, Larkin-Ervin has joined Calvetti Ferguson effective January 1, 2021. This transaction continues Calvetti Ferguson's M&A strategy in Texas, expanding its headcount to 140 across Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and The Woodlands.

"With this acquisition, we are even more well equipped to address the complex tax needs of our clients with a full portfolio of services. As a full-service regional CPA and advisory firm, we are always looking for ways to better serve our clients," stated Jason Ferguson, Managing Partner.

Patricia Snyder, Tax Director, added "Most Americans living and working abroad are completely unaware they still need to file a U.S. tax return, even if they are paying taxes in the new country. There are many tools that can be used to minimize or eliminate double taxation."

James Larkin, now a Partner at Calvetti Ferguson, added, "I am pleased to join Calvetti Ferguson's growing team and continue to advise on expatriate tax services. It was an easy choice to transition my clients to Calvetti Ferguson knowing they will continue to receive excellent client service and have access to a wider array of service offerings."

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Calvetti Ferguson ranked No. 198 on INSIDE Public Accounting's 2020 list of top firms by revenue.

About Calvetti Ferguson

Calvetti Ferguson is one of the largest independent accounting and advisory firms based in Texas. We have offices in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio. As trusted business advisors to privately held and public companies, private equity funds, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals, we provide assurance, tax, advisory, accounting and technology risk services. We advise beyond accounting to eliminate hurdles, identify opportunities, and ensure the best for our clients and their businesses.

Recognized by Forbes as one of America's Top Recommended Tax and Accounting Firms, Calvetti Ferguson is also an INSIDE Public Accounting Top 200 and Fastest Growing Firm. Calvetti Ferguson is an independent member firm of PrimeGlobal, the fourth largest association of independent accounting firms with approximately 300 member firms in over 90 countries.

CONTACT: Emily Martin, [email protected], 713-726-5723

SOURCE Calvetti Ferguson

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What is in a name, questioned Shakespeare. Plenty, as politicians in Maharashtra, which is known for contentious demands to rename cities and sites, would testify to.

The latest round in this battle has seen ruling allies Shiv Sena and Congress ranged against each other. The Congress has seen red over the proposal to rechristen communally-sensitive Aurangabad in Maharashtra as Sambhajinagar.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra is working on renaming the city located in the Marathwada region after Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, who was brutally tortured and killed in 1689 by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, after whom it is named now. Aurangzeb, who is known for his religious excesses, and also as the last militarily strong Mughal ruler, is buried in nearby Khuldabad after his death in 1707.

The proposal, which was first floated during the tenure of the erstwhile Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime in Maharashtra (1995-99), has been revived by the Shiv Sena, whose president Uddhav Thackeray heads the MVA dispensation.

In the Shiv Senas lexicon, districts with Muslim-sounding names like Aurangabad and Osmanabad are referred to as Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv.

However, the proposal to rename Aurangabad is opposed by the Congress, which feels that this expression of a majoritarian sentiment will affect its minority votebase, which is under threat from the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). The AIMIM has a strong presence in Aurangabad. Revenue minister and state Congress president Balasaheb Thorat has spoken out against the plan.

Juxtaposed with competing religious and caste-based identities, the demands for changing the names of cities and institutions cause a social churn. For instance, the state governments decision (1978) to rename the Marathwada university in Aurangabad after Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar had led to anti-Dalit violence. In 1994, the nomenclature of the Marathwada University was eventually changed and expanded to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University.

The Shiv Sena also benefitted from the Hindu middle-caste consolidation that followed the pushback after the decision to rename the Marathwada varsity.

Aurangabad has been central to the Shiv Senas project to successfully recast itself from being a nativist, Mumbai-centric party claiming to uphold the cause of the Marathi manoos, to a Hindutva outfit in the 1980s. This period also saw the late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray emerge as a Hindutva mascot and appeal to a wider, pan-state constituency.

The Shiv Sena spread its wings outside the Mumbai-Thane area beginning with Aurangabad and Marathwada. This was on the back of communal tensions in the region, which was part of the dominions of the Nizam of Hyderabad, and Sharad Pawars decision (1986) to merge his Congress (S) into the Congress, which led to his cadre in Marathwada migrating to the Sena.

Hence, the Shiv Sena, which has seen its Hindutva credentials being questioned by the BJP after its alliance with the Congress, needs to keep the pot boiling with issues like changing Aurangabads name to Sambhajinagar.

However, this will put the Congress, which is already walking the tightrope due to its alliance with the Shiv Sena, in a tighter spot. The Congress also faces an existential threat from another ally, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which is gradually chipping away at its base.

Marathwada has the highest concentration of Muslims in the state. Hence, the reaction to this demand for the city to be renamed, will have a larger fallout.

The AIMIM, which was earlier restricted to the old city of Hyderabad, first made inroads (2012) in Maharashtra through Marathwada. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the AIMIMs Imtiaz Jaleel was the first MP from his party to be elected from Maharashtra when he trounced the Shiv Senas old warhorse Chandrakant Khaire from Aurangabad. In 2014, Jaleel, a former journalist, was elected to the state assembly from the city.

The renaming of the city may revive some bitter memories, including those of the Nizams rule, and polarize voters behind the Shiv Sena and the AIMIM, thus affecting the already-shrinking base of the Congress.

The MVA governments moves also coincide with the impending elections to the Aurangabad municipal corporation (AMC) that are scheduled to take place soon. The Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have controlled the civic body for almost three decades. Now, after its break from the BJP, the Shiv Sena has much at stake in the city, which has been its petri dish of Hindutva.

The civic bodys term ended in April 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic led to elections being postponed. The AMC is now being run by an administrator.

The Shiv Senas critics like Jaleel note that the saffron party has little to show for its 30-year-long control of Aurangabad, with the city getting water once every eight days and roads being potholed and strewn with garbage. Incidentally, an entire generation of Shiv Sena and BJP leaders like Khaire, Pradeep Jaiswal, Ambadas Danve (Shiv Sena), and Dr Bhagwat Karad, Kishanchand Tanwani (BJP) have emerged from the AMCs politics.

So, while political parties play out a new round of politics centered around renaming and totems, the real issues continue to languish. For instance, the arid Marathwada region is fast emerging as the states dust bowl due to agrarian distress and massive use of groundwater.

Incidentally, while politics is being played over the citys medieval past, the rich archeological heritage of Aurangabad is crumbling due to the lack of state and political patronage.

Aurangabad has a history dating to the 2nd Century B.C, but today, its historical features like palaces, dargahs, temples, fortifications and Mughal and Asaf Jahi era monuments remain neglected. The state governments project to nominate Aurangabad as Maharashtra's first city with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations (UNESCO) 'World Heritage City' tag, has been a non-starter so far.
The single treasury account balance as of early January 2021 reached UAH 12.012 billion, which is 39% or UAH 7.7 billion less compared with early December 2020.

According to the data from the State Treasury Service of Ukraine, a year ago the single treasury account balance was UAH 17.55 billion.

According to the National Bank, the balance of funds on correspondent accounts of banks as of January 1 was UAH 37.49 billion, which is UAH 14.05 billion less than a month earlier.

As reported, the single treasury account balance in November grew by 23%, to UAH 19.75 billion after falling for four months in a row after reaching the all-time high early July being UAH 75.7 billion. In particular, in October it fell by 28.8%, or UAH 6.13 billion, in September by 53.4%, or UAH 24.38 billion, and in August by 11.7% or UAH 6.04 billion.
Facebook is meddling in the Georgia runoffs and is censoring Republican ads aimed at voters, according to a post of The Senate Majority last Saturday, Jan. 2.

"Big Tech is at it again. Facebook has shut down the ad account for the Georgia Battleground Fund, a joint fundraising committee for NRSC, @Perduesenate, and @kloeffler," tweeted The Senate Majority, which is the Twitter account of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

"This is unacceptable with only 4 days to Election Day," The Senate Majority added in the same tweet, "Go to http://GABattleground.com to help us fight back."

The tweet also included a screenshot of the warnings and errors received by the Georgia Battleground Fund, which was "Ad Account Disabled For Policy Violation" that was explained as "We don't allow ads that promote products, services, schemes, or offers using deceptive or misleading practices, including those meant to mislead or scam people out of money or personal information (ex. products that boost Facebook or Instagram likes, etc.). Please read through our Policy for more details including a few examples of do's and dont's."

Big Tech is at it again.



Facebook has shut down the ad account for the Georgia Battleground Fund, a joint fundraising committee for NRSC, @Perduesenate, and @kloeffler.



This is unacceptable with only 4 days to Election Day.



Go to https://t.co/E3Y3IDuuxn to help us fight back. pic.twitter.com/katrpxRaPV  The Senate Majority (@NRSC) January 1, 2021

GABattleGround.Com is actually the Georgia Battleground Fund Website of Republican senatorial candidates David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler.

Breitbart reported that the incident is actualy the second done by Facebook since it previously censored ads pointing to posts from Democrat candidate Raphael Warnock that praises Jeremiah Wright, who is known as a radical hate-preacher.

The censorship, Breitbart said, coincided on the same day the National Defense Authorization Act was passed even though it did not incorporate the amendments to Section 230 requested by President Donald Trump in it.

Section 230 is a law under the Communications Decency Act that gives tech companies immunity from lawsuits related to censoring user content and to defamatory content posted by users, as well as "to smear you as a racist" or "to censor you if you object too strenuously," Breitbart added.

In addition, this law allows big tech companies, such as Facebook, Wikipedia and Twitter, minor legal liabilities for meddling in elections, Breitbart emphasized in its report.

President Donald Trump actually expressed his disappointment on Twitter immediately after Section 230 was not repealed.

"Our Republican Senate just missed the opportunity to get rid of Section 230, which gives unlimited power to Big Tech companies. Pathetic!!! Now they want to give people ravaged by the China Virus $600, rather than the $2000 which they so desperately need. Not fair, or smart!" Trump said.

Our Republican Senate just missed the opportunity to get rid of Section 230, which gives unlimited power to Big Tech companies. Pathetic!!! Now they want to give people ravaged by the China Virus $600, rather than the $2000 which they so desperately need. Not fair, or smart!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2021

Loeffler followed suit in support of Trump tweeting, "Big Tech is ALL IN for the radical left. It's shameful and it must end. REPEAL SECTION 230!"

According to Breitbart, Loeffler has actually introduced a bill to reform Section 230 and, together with Perdue, "did not vote to override Trump's veto of the NDAA" eventhough other Republican legislators did.

On the other hand, the Daily Caller reported that Facebook has already restored the Georgia Battleground Fund ad account after it was "shut down in error".

"An automated error caused this ad account to be disabled. The account has since been restored," a Facebook spokesperson told the Daily Caller.

"New issue, electoral or political ads can't be published in the US from October 27 through November 3, but existing ads can still run, with limitations," the Facebook spokesperson explained. "All issue, electoral, or political ads in the US will temporarily stop running starting November 4."
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'National Catholic Reporter' Launches Catholic Advice for Biden's First 100 Days

"Building a Common Future" the focus of guest commentaries by Sen. Tim Kaine and others

NEWS PROVIDED BY

National Catholic Reporter

Jan. 4, 2021

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Jan. 4, 2021 /Standard Newswire/ -- The National Catholic Reporter (NCR), an independent Catholic news source, is partnering with Catholic politicians, activists and scholars to offer advice to President-elect Joe Biden, the country's second Catholic president. The "Building a Common Future" series launches today and takes its title from Pope Francis' 2020 encyclical, Fratelli Tutti.

"Building our common future: It's what the United States, indeed, the entire world needs right now," write NCR's editors in an editorial introducing the series.

"Doing so involves a fight against the ideological curse that besets America today, the idea that if individuals simply pursue their own interest, defend their own freedom, and ignore or even deny the existence of any 'common' good, all boats will rise, the government will shrink as it should, and the people will be free from the shackles of imposed moral orders," the editors write.

Drawing on the Catholic social teaching about the common good, the editors and guest commentators urge Biden to pursue policies that reflect a shared responsibility to one another.

The first guest commentary in this series comes from Sen. Tim Kaine, the junior United States Senator from Virginia and former vice presidential candidate. Senator Kaine's editorial, "Let America be an island of mercy for immigrants, refugees" discusses his own history as a missionary in Honduras. He urges President-elect Biden to prioritize family reunion, and for Congress to finally pass an immigration reform bill.

In the coming weeks, NCR will publish editorials on abortion, the death penalty, gun control, LGBQT issues, health care, COVID-19, foreign policy, and the environment from guest contributors, including Sr. Simone Campbell, Sr. Helen Prejean, Gloria Purvis, Tia Noelle Pratt, Rep. Linda Sanchez, Richard Trumka, and more.

The National Catholic Reporter (NCR) is an independent, Catholic news source. Since 1964, NCR has provided a progressive viewpoint on issues related to the Catholic Church. The publication can be read online at NCRonline.org, or by following @ncronline on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE National Catholic Reporter

CONTACT: Tony Hernandez, 816-803-0322, thernandez@ncronline.org

Related Links

ncronline.org

www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/editorial-catholic-advice-bidens-first-100-days

www.ncronline.org/feature-series/building-a-common-future/stories
The catchphrase, Any port in the storm, without any shred of doubt, aptly describes the situation the New Patriotic Party finds itself in as far as our numbers in Parliament is concerned.



With almost an equal strength in terms of numbers, it behoved the leadership of the party to sort of help a lame dog over a stile.



To this end, at the recently held Steering Committee meeting which had His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in attendance, certain conclusions were arrived at and decisions taken which, in my considered opinion, were the best as they would go a long way to help the party recuperate from the ailment it is saddled with.



After the deliberations on who should be given what as far as the partys parliamentary leadership was concerned, President Akufo-Addo, Chairman Freddy Blay, John Boadu, the General Secretary of the party and all the top guns of the party both in Parliament and outside, settled on some MPs to help steer the affairs of the party in Parliament.



Honourable Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsus long years of service and experience became handy as he was selected to lead the charge, once again, as the Majority Leader. He is to mentor young, vibrant and brainy MPs like Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, MP for Effutu (Deputy Majority Leader), Annoh Dompreh as the Majority Chief Whip, Alhaji Habib Iddrisu of Tolon will be First Deputy Chief Whip whereas Ophelia Hayford of Mfantsiman was chosen as Second Deputy Chief Whip.



These appointments by the President and the other members of the Steering Committee point to one direction; an entity willing to groom young and capable minds to take over the running of the party in that department in the years ahead.



Many a time, the New Patriotic Party is accused of dwarfing the talents of the young ones in the party by settling on the older generation. The youthful ones, it has always been the belief, are always ignored while the aged are given positions or appointments.



Unlike the NDC which has been handing over appointments and positions to the young ones, the NPP prioritizes the older generation to the detriment of the youth.



To have these young MPs to help lead the party in Parliament is a manifestation of a party and Government willing to change a status quo not so palatable to thousands of the members of the party.



It is upon these that I emphasize that President Akufo-Addo and the other members of the Steering Committee ought to be hailed for thinking about the partys future. Their actions are visionary, in my estimation.



What has become a highly contentious topic in the aftermath of these decisions by some party members, especially some sitting and outgoing MPs, is why Alhaji Habib Iddrisu of Tolon and Ophelia Hayford of Mfantsiman have been given such huge responsibilities as First and Second Deputy Chief Whips respectively since they are newbies, first timers with no experience in manning such portfolios.



Putting it in another way, some MPs and other party members have questioned the rationale behind elevating first time MPs to such positions when there are some second time MPs around.



The fact of the matter was that the two were not selected above the old guards as its being speculated. MPs who could have taken up the First Deputy Chief Whip slot from the northern part of the country declined for reasons that they maybe considered for other positions, mostly outside Parliament. That paved way for Honourable Habib Iddrisu to get the nod.



For the womens caucus, all the female MPs who had been named declined with the explanation that they would be appointed into ministerial positions and, therefore, could not accept the position of the Second Deputy Majority Chief Whip. Thats how come Ophelia Hayford got her position.



I do not agree with the belief that all first time MPs cannot and should not be given such duties in Parliament for lack of experience. With the passage of time, they will learn the ropes and live up to expectations.



We have first time MPs being Vice Chairmen/Chairpersons of Committees in Parliament and have performed creditably well. We even have some first time MPs who are chairing Committees in Parliament and they have not disappointed us. These very reasons make moot the argument that first timers have little or no experience to be burdened with such responsibilities.



Honourable Ambrose Derry entered Parliament in 2009, and that was his first time. It would interest readers to know that he was made the Deputy Minority Leader in Parliament and he executed his duties satisfactorily.



First time MPs have become ministers and even Cabinet Ministers under our administration. This makes the experience argument unsustainable.



In conclusion, President Akufo-Addo and the leadership of the party have given hope to the young ones who have the wherewithal to lead the party in one area or the other. This will ginger the up and coming ones to work like Trojans for the party since they would likely be rewarded at the end of the day.

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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Those already infected may still need vaccination: Medical experts How sensible is it to put off vaccination or choose not to get the jab at all if one had contracted coronavirus in the past? Medical experts explain why those with prior infection still need innoculation in this report in The Hindu.

Immunologist Dr Satyajit Rath, formerly with the Delhi-based National Institute of Immunology, explains that a small minority of people who were infected and showed symptoms end up not developing high levels of antibodies. Another small minority end up not developing long-lasting ...
Pennsylvania House Representative Mike Reese died at 42 from an apparent brain aneurysm, weeks after he tested positive for coronavirus.

PA Rep. Mike Reese is a rising lawmaker in the state and assumes a leadership position in the Republican majority. Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff first announced Reese's death on Saturday night. Benninghoff said that Reese passed away 'peacefully' earlier that day with his family at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg after a suspected brain aneurysm.

According to Daily Mail, on December 7, Reese, a father-of-three, announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19. At the time, the Pennsylvania Representative said his symptoms were mild, and he is recovering. However, it remains unclear the cause of his death linked to the coronavirus.

Read also: Pennsylvania Judge Rules Out Mail-In Ballots of First-Time Voters Without Confirmation of identity

Mike's colleagues extended their condolences to his family

In 2008, the 12-year House veteran was first elected in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to serve Somerset and Westmoreland Counties parts. Reese replaced the retiring Jess Stairs at the time. He took office in 2009-210 as the House GOP secretary in the Legislative Session.

On November 3, 2020, Mike Reese was re-elected, representing the two counties again. He was subsequently chosen to serve as chairman of the party's caucus in the 2020-2021 session.

Benninghoff wrote in a statement, "I have known Mike since he took office in 2009 and have been proud to witness his many legislative accomplishments, especially his tireless work on behalf of Pennsylvania's students and families."

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa expressed his sympathy to Mike's family. Costa said that he was devastated to know the passing of their House colleague PA Rep. Mike Reese.

"On behalf of the Senate Democratic Caucus, I want to extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. He was a leader in Western Pennsylvania and went far too soon."

On Facebook, Reese revealed he had tested for COVID-19 in early December. He wrote that he had been quarantining for the previous week and waiting for the test results. Mike explained that he would remain in quarantine until he has recovered if the test result is positive. Tribune Live reported that the PA representative had been on the mend when he fell ill.

In a tribute, States Representative George Dunbar said he had only spoken to Reese on New Year's Eve, which is three days before he died. Dunbar said Mike appeared to be healthy and happy.

To honor Reese, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf ordered all state flags and public buildings and grounds to fly at half-staff. Wolf said he extends his heartfelt condolences on the passing of Rep. Mike Reese. He described Reese as a good man and a strong leader, and the Western Pennsylvania people lost a dedicated advocate.

Read also: Resolution to Dispute the 2020 Pennsylvania Election Results by Republican Law Makers Recently Introduced

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Representative image: Reuters

India will not allow the export of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for several months, the head of Serum Institute of India, which has been contracted to make 1 billion doses of the vaccine for developing nations, said Sunday.

With rich nations reserving most of the vaccines that will be made this year, Serum Institute  the worlds largest vaccine manufacturer  is likely to make most of the inoculations for developing countries. The ban on exports, however, means that poorer nations will probably have to wait a few months before receiving their first shots.

The vaccine was granted emergency authorization by the Indian regulator on Sunday, but on the condition that Serum Institute doesn't export the shots to ensure that vulnerable populations in India are protected, Adar Poonawalla, the company's CEO, said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.

Follow our LIVE blog for the latest updates of the coronavirus pandemic

He said that the company also has been barred from selling the vaccine on the private market.

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

We can only give (the vaccines) to the government of India at the moment, Poonawalla said, adding the decision was also made to prevent hoarding.

As a result, he said, the export of vaccines for COVAX  the ambitious initiative created to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines set up by the World Health Organization, vaccines alliance GAVI and CEPI, a global coalition to fight epidemics  won't begin until March or April.

COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: What you need to know about manufacturing and pricing

Poonawalla said that Serum Institute was in the process of signing a larger contract with COVAX for 300 million-400 million doses of the vaccine. That is apart from two existing orders of 100 million doses each for the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, and another one from Novovax. He said the deal would be finalized in the coming weeks.

He said the first 100 million doses of the vaccine were being sold to the Indian government at a special price of 200 rupees ($2.74) per dose, after which prices would be higher. The vaccine will be sold on the private market at 1,000 rupees ($13.68) per dose. He said vaccines could be delivered to Indian states where they were needed within seven to 10 days of the company finalizing a deal with India's government.

Poonawalla said his company was planning to give 200 million to 300 million doses of the vaccine to COVAX by December 2021. He acknowledged that the company would have to balance distribution of vaccines between India and COVAX.

We cant vaccinate everybody right now. We can prioritize, he said.

Serum Institute is also negotiating bilateral agreements with individual countries including Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Morocco, Poonawalla said. So that at least the most vulnerable in the states of our country or in other parts of other countries are taken care off, he said.

Poonawalla said that even if all the plans by different global vaccine manufacturers were to succeed, he still anticipates a global shortage for coronavirus vaccines over the next year.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump urged fellow Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, to "find" enough votes to overturn his defeat in an extraordinary one-hour phone call Saturday that legal scholars described as a flagrant abuse of power and a potential criminal act.

The Washington Post obtained a recording of the conversation in which Trump alternately berated Raffensperger, tried to flatter him, begged him to act and threatened him with vague criminal consequences if the secretary of state refused to pursue Trump's false claims, at one point warning that Raffensperger was taking "a big risk."

Throughout the call, Raffensperger and his office's general counsel rejected Trump's assertions, explaining that the president is relying on debunked conspiracy theories and that President-elect Joe Biden's 11,779-vote victory in Georgia was fair and accurate.

Trump dismissed their arguments.

"The people of Georgia are angry, the people in the country are angry," he said. "And there's nothing wrong with saying, you know, that you've recalculated."

Raffensperger responded: "Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong."

At another point, Trump said: "So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state."

He later added: "So what are we going to do here, folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break."

The rambling and at times incoherent conversation offered a remarkable glimpse of how consumed and desperate the president remains about his loss, unwilling or unable to let the matter go and still asserting that he can reverse the results in enough battleground states to remain in office.

"There's no way I lost Georgia," Trump said, a phrase he repeated again and again on the call. "There's no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes."

Several of his allies were on the line as he spoke, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and conservative lawyer Cleta Mitchell, a prominent GOP attorney whose involvement with Trump's efforts had not been previously known.

In a statement, Mitchell said Raffensperger's office "has made many statements over the past two months that are simply not correct and everyone involved with the efforts on behalf of the President's election challenge has said the same thing: Show us your records on which you rely to make these statements that our numbers are wrong."

The White House, the Trump campaign and Meadows did not respond to a request for comment.

Raffensperger's office declined to comment.

On Sunday, Trump tweeted that he had spoken to Raffensperger, saying the secretary of state was "unwilling, or unable, to answer questions such as the 'ballots under table' scam, ballot destruction, out of state 'voters,' dead voters, and more. He has no clue!"

Raffensperger responded with his own tweet: "Respectfully, President Trump: What you're saying is not true."

The details of the call drew demands from top Democrats for criminal investigations. Campaigning in Georgia, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris called Trump's conversation a "bald-faced, bold abuse of power by the president of the United States."

Biden's top campaign lawyer, Bob Bauer, said the recording "captures the whole, disgraceful story about Donald Trump's assault on American democracy."

Republicans, however, were largely silent. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, when asked about the call while campaigning in Georgia on Sunday for the two GOP senators who face a run-off Tuesday, dodged the question completely.

Trump's pressure campaign on Raffensperger is the latest example of his attempt to subvert the outcome of the Nov. 3 election through personal outreach to state Republican officials. He previously invited Michigan Republican state leaders to the White House, pressured Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in a call to try to replace that state's electors and asked the speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to help reverse his loss in that state.

His call to Raffensperger came as scores of Republicans have pledged to challenge the electoral college's vote for Biden when Congress convenes for a joint session on Wednesday. Republicans do not have the votes to successfully thwart Biden's victory, but Trump has urged supporters to travel to Washington to protest the outcome, and state and federal officials are already bracing for clashes outside the Capitol.

During their conversation, Trump issued a vague threat to both Raffensperger and Ryan Germany, the secretary of state's general counsel, suggesting that if they don't find that thousands of ballots in Fulton County have been illegally destroyed to block investigators - an allegation for which there is no evidence - they would be subject to criminal liability.

"That's a criminal offense," he said. "And you can't let that happen. That's a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer."

Trump also told Raffensperger that failure to act by Tuesday would jeopardize the political fortunes of David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, Georgia's two Republican senators whose fate in that day's runoff elections will determine control of the U.S. Senate.

Trump said he plans to talk about the alleged fraud on Monday, when he is scheduled to lead an election eve rally in Dalton, Ga. - a message that could further muddle the efforts of Republicans to draw out their voters.

"You have a big election coming up and because of what you've done to the president - you know, the people of Georgia know that this was a scam," Trump said. "Because of what you've done to the president, a lot of people aren't going out to vote, and a lot of Republicans are going to vote negative, because they hate what you did to the president. OK? They hate it. And they're going to vote. And you would be respected, really respected, if this can be straightened out before the election."

Trump's conversation with Raffensperger echoed his effort to persuade the Ukrainian president to investigate Biden on a call that led to his impeachment, and once again put him in legally questionable territory, legal experts said. By exhorting the secretary of state to "find" votes and to deploy investigators who "want to find answers," the president appeared to be encouraging him to doctor the election outcome in Georgia, which could violate state and federal law.

Trump's apparent threat of criminal consequences if Raffensperger does not act could be seen as an attempt at extortion and a suggestion that he might deploy the Justice Department to launch an investigation, they said.

"The president is either knowingly attempting to coerce state officials into corrupting the integrity of the election or is so deluded that he believes what he's saying," said Richard Pildes, a constitutional law professor at New York University, who noted that Trump's actions may have violated several federal statutes.

But Pildes said Trump's clearer transgression is a moral one, and he emphasized that focusing on whether he committed a crime could deflect attention from the "simple, stark, horrific fact that we have a president trying to use the powers of his office to pressure state officials into committing election fraud to keep him in office."

Prosecutors probably would exercise discretion in considering a case against an outgoing president, experts said.

Edward Foley, a law professor at Ohio State University, said that the legal questions are murky, and that it could be difficult to prove that Trump knew he was encouraging illegal behavior. But Foley also emphasized that the call was "inappropriate and contemptible" and should prompt outrage.

"He was already tripping the emergency meter," Foley said. "So we were at 12 on a scale of 1 to 10, and now we're at 15."

Throughout the call, Trump detailed an exhaustive list of disinformation and conspiracy theories to support his position. He claimed without evidence that he had won Georgia by at least a half-million votes. He floated a barrage of assertions that have been investigated and disproved: that thousands of dead people voted; that an Atlanta election worker scanned 18,000 forged ballots three times each and "100 percent" were for Biden; that thousands more voters living out of state came back to Georgia illegally just to vote in the election.

"So tell me, Brad, what are we going to do? We won the election, and it's not fair to take it away from us like this," Trump said. "And it's going to be very costly in many ways. And I think you have to say that you're going to re-examine it, and you can re-examine it, but reexamine it with people that want to find answers, not people who don't want to find answers."

Trump did most of the talking on the call. He was angry and impatient, calling Raffensperger a "child" and said law enforcement officials "either dishonest or incompetent" for not believing there was widespread ballot fraud in Atlanta - and twice calling himself a "schmuck" for endorsing Kemp, whom Trump holds in particular contempt for not embracing his claims of fraud.

"I can't imagine he's ever getting elected again, I'll tell you that much right now," he said.

He also took aim at Kemp's 2018 opponent, Democrat Stacey Abrams, trying to shame Raffensperger with the idea that his refusal to embrace fraud has helped her and Democrats generally. "Stacey Abrams is laughing about you," he said. "She's going around saying, 'These guys are dumber than a rock.' What she's done to this party is unbelievable, I tell you."

The secretary of state repeatedly sought to correct Trump, saying at one point, "Mr. President, the problem you have with social media, they - people can say anything."

"Oh, this isn't social media," Trump retorted. "This is Trump media. It's not social media. It's really not. It's not social media. I don't care about social media. I couldn't care less."

At another point, Trump claimed that votes were scanned three times: "Brad, why did they put the votes in three times? You know, they put 'em in three times."

Raffensperger responded: "Mr. President, they did not. We did an audit of that and we proved conclusively that they were not scanned three times."

Trump sounded at turns confused and meandering. At one point, he referred to Kemp as "George." He tossed out several different figures for Biden's margin of victory in Georgia and referred to the Senate runoff, which is Tuesday, as happening "tomorrow" and "Monday."

His desperation was perhaps most pronounced during an exchange with Germany, Raffensperger's general counsel, in which he openly begged for validation.

Trump: "Do you think it's possible that they shredded ballots in Fulton County? 'Cause that's what the rumor is. And also that Dominion took out machines. That Dominion is really moving fast to get rid of their, uh, machinery. Do you know anything about that? Because that's illegal, right?"

Germany responded: "No, Dominion has not moved any machinery out of Fulton County."

Trump: "But have they moved the inner parts of the machines and replaced them with other parts?"

Germany: "No."

Trump: "Are you sure? Ryan?"

Germany: "I'm sure. I'm sure, Mr. President."

It was clear from the call that Trump has surrounded himself with aides who have fed his false perceptions that the election was stolen. When he claimed that more than 5,000 ballots were cast in Georgia in the name of dead people, Raffensperger responded forcefully: "The actual number was two. Two. Two people that were dead that voted."

But later, Meadows said, "I can promise you there are more than that."

Another Trump lawyer on the call, Kurt Hilbert, accused Raffensperger's office of refusing to turn over data to assess evidence of fraud, and also claimed awareness of at least 24,000 illegally cast ballots that would flip the result to Trump.

"It stands to reason that if the information is not forthcoming, there's something to hide," Hilbert said. "That's the problem that we have."

Reached by phone Sunday, Hilbert declined to comment.

Mitchell contradicted Trump on several occasions on the call, saying, "Well, I don't know about that," when the president alleged that a Fulton County election worker had triple-counted 18,000 ballots for Biden. She claimed that the extent of the fraud is unclear because Raffensperger's office has not shared all the data Trump's lawyers have sought.

"We never had the records that you have," she said. Germany noted that the office is barred under law from sharing some voter information.

In the end, Trump asked Germany to sit down with one of his attorneys to go over the allegations. Germany agreed.

Yet Trump also recognized that he was failing to persuade Raffensperger or Germany of anything, saying toward the end, "I know this phone call is going nowhere."

"Why don't you want to find this, Ryan?" he asked of Germany. "What's wrong with you? I heard your lawyer is very difficult, actually, but I'm sure you're a good lawyer. You have a nice last name."

But he continued to make his case in repetitive fashion, until finally, after roughly an hour, Raffensperger put an end to the conversation: "Thank you, President Trump, for your time."

- - -

The Washington Post's Alice Crites contributed to this report.
If you just got a new Android phone this Christmas, theres a pretty good chance it has a Samsung logo on it. The Galaxy S20 and Note 20 phones among the very best of 2020, and with Samsungs very aggressive end-of-year pricing, your secret Santa likely saved a bundle to boot. But you might want to return it while you still can.

I'm not here to tell you that your new phone is flawed or bustedin fact, youre probably going to love it. Samsungs flagships have been leading the Android pack for years, and the displays, cameras, and designs of the S20 and Note 20 are among the best you can get right now.

But if you can squeeze just a couple more weeks of life out of your old phone, theres a new one on the way much earlier than usual. Samsung has confirmed that the new Galaxy S21 will land on January 14, barely a week from today and more than a month earlier than usual. By the looks of things, to, youre going to be getting a lot more than a slightly updated S20. From the processor to the pricing and the lineup, there are more reasons than ever to wait for the new S21 to arrive before settling in with your new Galaxy phone.

Ryan Whitwam/IDG The Note 20 Ultra is a great phone, but something better is just around the corner.

A better Galaxy in every way

Like the iPhone in September, Samsungs new Galaxy phones represent the unofficial start of the Android year. That usually happens in February or March, so a reported launch in January likely means that something bigger than usual is on the way. Based on what Ive seen from leaks, the S21 is shaping up to be one of Samsungs nicest phones in years, with super-slim bezels, a unique camera array that has a much smaller bump, and some very nice color options.

Samsung will likely launch three models again in very similar sizes to the S20. Beyond that, quite a bit will reportedly be changing. Rumors suggest a better camera system that utilizes the Note 20s laster autofocus, which would go a long way toward fixing one of the S20s biggest issues. Also expected to get a boost are night mode and zoom, two categories that fell into the good-not-great column on the S20.

Evan Blass/@evleaks Based on the leaks we've seen, the Samsung Galaxy S21+ and Galaxy S21 Ultra could be better than your average yearly upgrade.

A new processor making its debut in the Galaxy S isnt a surprise, but the type of processor might be. Samsung is due to launch its next Exynos chip on January 12, and this year it might be ready to ship an Exynos-powered Galaxy S phone in the United States for the first time. But even if it doesnt, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 is shaping up to be a huge leap over the 865 that could rival the tremendous speed and power efficiency that Apple brought with the awesome A14 Bionic in the iPhone 12.

With the new chip might come a feature that Samsung has traditionally reserved for its Note phones: S Pen support. Earlier this month, president TM Roh confirmed rumors that Samsung will be bringing some of the Notes most well-loved features to other devices in our lineup. That basically means that the Galaxy S21 is almost certain to gain S Pen support, a feature that has sorely been missing from Samsungs flagship phone.

Michael Simon/IDG The camera bump should be a lot less bumpy on the S21.

With the Note 20 Ultra, Samsung reduced the S Pens latency and added some impressive translation and fun gestures that bring it to a new level of productivity. Even if its not bundled like the Note, the S Pen will be an excellent accessory for the Galaxy S21 that will instantly make it superior to every Galaxy phone that came before it, including the brand-new one you just got.

An extra year of updates

Even if the Galaxy S21 doesnt have any new features you care about, theres still one more reason to return your S20 and wait a couple of weeks: Android.

Its no secret that the Galaxy S21 will be the first phone to ship with Samsungs Android 11-based OneUI 3. You may also download it to your Galaxy S20 right now if you decide to hold onto it. But while the Android version is usually an afterthought on Galaxy devices, that changed this year. Now Samsung promises to support three generations of Android updates. That means youll get two more on the S20 (Android 12 in 2022 and Android 13 in 2023), while the S21 will get updates all the way through to Android 14 in 2024.

Michael Simon/IDG The new S21 might have an S Pen and will have three years of Android updates.

That might not seem like much now, but itll mean a lot in two years. Basically, youre giving up a full version of Android and a year of security updates just to get an extra few weeks with your new phone. It might not seem like much, but those couple of weeks will be very important in August 2024, when Android 14 lands and your S20 doesnt get it. Basically, waiting a month or so will get you an extra year of updates. Thats a pretty compelling tradeoff.

Don't get me wrong: You have a very good phone in your possession. But if you return it and wait just a little longer, you can get a much better one. Dont worry, I wont tell the person who bought it for you.

Update 1/4: Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S21 will launch on January 14
BERLIN, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Market Logic Software, the global leader in market insights platforms, today announced a finance round for accelerated growth, and a new executive leadership team with the appointment of Stefan Ropers as Chief Executive Officer and Dirk Wolf as Chief Financial Officer. Co-founder Kay Iversen will transition from the role of CEO to join Market Logic's Board of Directors. Olaf Lenzmann will continue to serve as the company's Chief Technology Officer.

Market Logic Chairman Alex Kafka said both the financing round with existing investors - Summit Partners, GENUI and Sycamore  and the new executive appointments, confirm substantial opportunities for Market Logic to accelerate growth, while heralding a new phase for the company to expand its focus from market-leading innovation to operational scalability.

"We thank Kay for his vision and leadership to build Market Logic as the undisputed leader in market insights platforms, serving hundreds of billion-dollar brands around the world. With the successful launch of our company's next-generation platform, Market Logic is now positioned to accelerate its growth. We are delighted that Stefan Ropers, an outstanding software executive with deep experience in enterprise platforms, is now joining Market Logic to extend our leadership position and advance our journey."

Ropers joins Market Logic with 25 years of business technology experience from roles in startups and large corporates such as Microsoft, Adobe and most recently, global travel leader Amadeus. Ropers brings deep expertise in database, analytics, cloud and marketing platforms, with a sweet spot in translating product value into customer success and growth.

"This is a decisive phase for Market Logic, and I'm excited to build on the company's successes and momentum as we progress," said Stefan Ropers. "Many businesses are struggling to make insights-driven decisions at speed, across all levels of their organizations. In a world of rapidly changing context, this capability gap is impeding customer-centricity, agility and ultimately, competitiveness. Market Logic's industry-leading market insights platform helps clients build a broad insights capability to enable better business decisions, by augmenting enterprise-wide data and tool integrations with AI," he explained. "The surge in demand for insights to guide businesses through the pandemic has clearly shown that market insights platforms deliver an essential piece of infrastructure our clients need to drive growth."

Dirk Wolf joins Market Logic as Chief Financial Officer, replacing Rene Bienz, who assumed the role of interim CFO during 2020. "Dirk will bring huge value to the team, contributing his substantial expertise in scaling SaaS operations and his entrepreneurial drive," said Alex Kafka.

Wolf joins Market Logic following 8 years at Searchmetrics, the renowned search and content optimization SaaS platform. Prior to Searchmetrics, he led financial organizations in telecoms and media at Telcast Media Group and Energis. Wolf was also a co-founder of carrier24.

About Market Logic Software

Market Logic helps the world's best brands to run insights-driven businesses to be competitive. We deliver the first end-to-end market insights platform that glues all data and tool investments together, so organizations can make winning decisions in strategy, innovation, marketing and sales. Our software is used to drive customer centricity in CPG, healthcare, retail, automotive, finance and telecoms, where our clients collaborate with 600+ research agencies online and integrate content from thousands of industry sources and news providers. For more information see www.marketlogicsoftware.com

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The global efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 got a boost in the UK, as it became the first country to administer a vaccine against the virus

Hitting out at critics questioning the Drugs Controller General of India's approval for Covaxin in the absence of data from Phase 3 trials, Bharat Biotech managing director Krishna Ella on Monday claimed that clinical trials of the company's COVID-19 vaccine had been carried out with "200 percent honesty."

The approval to COVAXIN has been questioned by industry experts and some Opposition Congress leaders who have expressed concern over the absence of Phase 3 trial data, who have expressed concern that "sidestepping" processes and giving "premature" clearance could risk lives and fuel vaccine hesitancy in India.

At a media conference, Ella said his firm has a track record of producing safe and efficacious vaccines and was transparent with all data.

"We are not just conducting clinical trials in India. We have done clinical trials in more than 12 countries including the UK," he said. "Many people are just gossiping everything in a different direction to just backlash on Indian companies, that is not right for us. We don't deserve that."

"Covaxin addresses an unmet medical need and has generated excellent safety data with robust immune response to multiple viral proteins that persist," he said.

Ella said his company had carried out "200 percent honest clinical trials" and added, "Give me one week's time, I will give you confirmed data."

The global efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 got a boost in the UK, as it became the first country to administer a vaccine against the virus.

On Monday, the UK began rolling out the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 . The Oxford vaccine, which also has a tie-up with the Serum Institute of India, was first administered to Brian Pinker, an 82-year-old Oxford-born dialysis patient, PTI reported.

Meanwhile, the declining trend in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the country continued for the third consecutive day on Monday. The single-day spike of cases remained below 20,000, as 16,504 new patients were reported, the Union health ministry said.

The total caseload rose to 1,03,40,469, while the recoveries surged to 99.46 lakh, according to the data updated at 8 am. On the other hand, the total toll increased to 1,49,649 with 214 new fatalities.

'Don't accuse Bharat Biotech of inexperience'

In the press conference, Ella also addressed statements from Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla without naming him. Poonawalla had termed vaccines other than that of Pfizer, Moderna, and Oxford-AstraZeneca as "just like water".

Ella said, "Bharat Biotech has manufactured 16 vaccines. Don't accuse us of inexperience. We are a global company."

He added, "We do 200 percent honest clinical trials and yet we receive backlash. If I am wrong, tell me. Some companies have branded me like water." He also said the Bharat Biotech vaccine is not inferior to that developed by Pfizer.

Ella said it was wrong to say Bharat Biotech was not transparent with data and went on to cite the number of publications by the company in comparison with industry peers.

"People should have the patience to read and see how many articles we have published," he said. "We are the only company that has got such extensive experience and publication (in peer reviewed journals)."

The approval by the Indian drug regulator to Covaxin without revealing its efficacy results has been questioned by industry experts and the Congress.

The Bharat Biotech MD added that Covaxin Phase-3 efficacy data will be available by March. No interim analysis of efficacy in Phase 3 has been done so far, he said.

Defending the decision to award Covaxin emergency approval, he said the emergency use authorisation was based on 2019 rules of the Government of India and stated that even the US grants emergency authorisation to a company with good immunisation data.

Bharat Biotech was the first to identify the Zika virus and the first to file global patents for the Zika and Chikungunya vaccines, he said. "It is not correct to say that we are not transparent with data... we don't deserve the backlash."

He further said the company has already produced 20 million doses of Covaxin and is aiming to achieve 700 million doses capacity in four facilities: three in Hyderabad and one in Bengaluru in 2021.

Health experts question govt's claims of COVAXIN's efficacy

However, PTI quoted some health experts who questioned the government's assertion that Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine can target mutated coronavirus strains and can be used as a "backup".

Virologist Shahid Jameel said he does believe that eventually Covaxin would turn out to be safe and show more than 70 percent efficacy.

"I say this based on the platform, which is widely used and Bharat Biotech's own track record of successfully making inactivated viral vaccines," he said.

He also said his concerns are based on the processes adopted for approving the vaccine and also on the utterances of people in responsible positions.

"If approval requires both safety and efficacy data for a representative population, Phase 2 safety and immunogenicity do not fulfill that criteria," he said.

"That is why we conduct a Phase 3. It is the closest you get to a population. Where is that data? Vaccines are not drugs. They are given to healthy people. They are prevention not a treatment. Both safety and efficacy is required," he said.

He also questioned what is an approval for a "backup"? "Does this mean that if needed, a vaccine of unproven efficacy would be used?"

He said the biggest concern is that "sidestepping" processes and poor/complex communication will fuel vaccine hesitancy in India.

"There is already evidence of that on account of fast tracked development timescales. Our country has one of the finest immunisation programmes. It will also undermine the global value of India's vaccine industry, which is first rate by any measure," he said.

All India Drugs Action Network (AIDAN) also questioned the claim that Covaxin can work better against the UK strain of the virus which is more transmissible.

"It is not clear if there is any scientific basis to claim that Covaxin will be effective in the context of infection by mutant strains when its efficacy has not been established and is currently unknown against any strain of the virus," the AIDAN said.

"The claim being propagated that the whole virion inactivated vaccine is likely to be effective against mutations of the virus is not being supported by any efficacy from the trial because no data has been generated as yet in the Phase 3 trial," AIDAN said in a statement.

SII's vaccine to be sold to Centre for Rs 300 per shot

The SII-developed vaccine, Covishield, will cost $3-4 per shot (Rs 219-292) for the Indian Government and will be priced at double that rate in the private market once such sales open up, said Poonawalla said on Monday.

The world's largest vaccine manufacturer, SII, has a licence to produce the shot and has already manufactured close to 50 million doses.

Poonawalla added that the company will start selling the Covishield to the Indian government and GAVI countries in the first stage, followed by the private market.

"We want the vaccine to be affordable and accessible to all. The government of India will receive it at a far more affordable price of $3-4 since they will be buying in a larger volume," he said.

"The efficacy results of the vaccine are quite high if it is administered in 2-doses within a gap of 23 months," Poonawalla said.

The Centre has been coordinating with the states and union territories to prepare for the vaccination drive and a country-wide dry run was successfully held on 2 January.

NITI Aayog member VK Paul said India has enough stockpile of the COVID-19 vaccine for inoculation of priority groups, including healthcare workers and frontline workers, in the first phase.

Paul, who is also the chairman of National Expert Group On Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC) further said the government will soon announce its plans for the purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccine.

"Our first phase (of vaccination) comprises priority groups with a high risk of mortality and our healthcare and frontline workers. For them, we believe, we have enough ( COVID-19 vaccine) stockpile," he said. Paul noted that "three to four months from now, there will be other vaccines and the stockpile will be even bigger.

8 UK returnees in Maharashtra, 3 in Karnataka test positive for new strain

As many as eight returnees from the UK in Maharashtra and three in Karnataka have tested positive for the mutated strain of COVID-19 , respective state governments said on Monday.

Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said that of the eight, five are from Mumbai and added that contacts of all the COVID-19 patients with the UK strain are being traced.

"Of 4,000 returnees from the UK, 43 people have tested positive for COVID-19 , out of which eight have the new variant," Tope said in a televised message, citing results of their swab samples.

"The protocol to treat them is different and they have been isolated from the other COVID-19 patients," he said. The new coronavirus variant found in the UK is said to 70 percent more infectious than the first one.

Out of the eight, five are from Mumbai and one each from Pune, Thane and Mira Bhayandar.

In Karnataka, the total number of people infected by the new strain rose to 10, state health minister K Sudhakar said.

He also said 75 people who returned from the UK were yet to be traced and the Home department and the city corporation authorities have assured to locate them soon.

"Thirty-four UK returnees tested positive for COVID-19 . Mutant coronavirus is found in ten people among them and all of them are recovering in government hospitals," Sudhakar told reporters.

On tracing of the other returnees from the UK, where the new strain has been detected recently, he said three of them have given foreign addresses and efforts were on to reach them.

Over 500 centres to be set up for Phase 1 of vaccination drive in Delhi

Work is underway in full swing to set up centres for COVID-19 vaccination in the National Capital with 500 such units to come up in the first phase. This, as the storage facility is being equipped with freezers to hold vaccines in a temperature range of 2-8 degrees Celsius.

Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Sunday had welcomed the approval given for emergency use of two COVID-19 vaccines, and asserted that the city government was all set for the vaccination drive as soon as any vaccine arrives.

A total of 1,000 vaccination centres will be set up. And,500-600 centres will be set up in the first phase, for which work is underway in full swing, officials said.

"We are all ready with our preparations, from storage to logistics, and on Saturday, a dry run was conducted at three sites to assess the preparedness for the vaccination roll-out. Vaccination can begin as soon as the vaccine arrives in Delhi, which we expect in a few days," Jain said on Sunday.

As part of the first phase, about three lakh healthcare workers and nearly six lakh frontline workers will get the vaccine. The city government has announced that the vaccine will be provided to people in Delhi for free-of-cost.

'Pivotal moment' says UK health secretary

The UK's inoculation drive is being undertaken as a phased vaccination programme by the National Health Service (NHS).

The Oxford jab is the second vaccine approved for rollout in the UK after the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

The rollout comes as coronavirus cases in the UK continue to surge. The country has registered over 50,000 new COVID-19 cases for six days in a row, with 54,990 new cases reported on Sunday.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it was a "pivotal moment" in the UK's fight against the virus, as vaccines will help curb infections and then allow restrictions to be lifted.

Music teacher and father-of-three Trevor Cowlett, aged 88, and professor Andrew Pollard, a paediatrician working at OUH who also pioneered the Oxford jab, were among the first to be vaccinated on Monday.

"The Oxford vaccine is a triumph of British science and I want to thank everyone involved in its development and production," said UK prime minister Boris Johnson.

"We know there are challenges still ahead of us over the coming weeks and months, but I'm confident this is the year we will defeat coronavirus and start building back better," he said.

Professor Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group and chief investigator of the Oxford Vaccine Trial, said: "It was an incredibly proud moment for me to have received the actual vaccine that the University of Oxford and the AstraZeneca teams have worked so hard to make available to the UK and the world.

COVID-19 caseload details

The COVID-19 active caseload remained below 3 lakh for the 14th consecutive day.

There are 2,43,953 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country, which comprise 2.36 percent of the total caseload, the ministry stated.

According to the ICMR, 17,56,35,761 samples have been tested up to 3 January, with 7,35,978 samples being tested on Sunday.

The 214 new fatalities include 35 from Maharashtra, 26 from West Bengal, 25 from Kerala, 16 from Uttar Pradesh and and 14 each from Delhi, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

A total of 1,49,649 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 49,666 from Maharashtra followed by 12,156 from Tamil Nadu, 12,107 from Karnataka, 10,585 from Delhi, 9,792 from West Bengal, 8,403 from Uttar Pradesh, 7,115 from Andhra Pradesh and 5,376 from Punjab.

With inputs from PTI
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Re: Looking for suggestions on best area to stay in Halkidiki

5. Re: Looking for suggestions on best area to stay in Halkidiki

Another vote for Nikiti. As well as being pleasant in itself, the village is well located on the Sithonia peninsula for reaching other beautiful beaches further south. on both the West and East coast.

Also in my opinion it's convenient and easy to rent a car at Thessaloniki airport.

I'm sorry I can't give you any advice on a hotel: I stayed in a rented apartment in Nikiti.
In the history of Law & Order: SVU, there have been a number of cases that have kept fans thinking about the outcomes long after the credits rolled. In one of those cases, a journalist actually goes to prison for protecting Detective Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay). Dont recall the episode? We have all the details as well as what fans have recently been saying about it.

Season 7, Episode 10 Storm

Mariska Hargitay | Virginia Sherwood/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank

The 2005 episode is a highly detailed one full of twists and turns. It starts with three young girls trying to run away from a man after riding on a carousel in a park. One of them, Tasha Wright (Keke Palmer), the oldest, runs out in the street and gets hit by a car while holding her sister girl, Lola. The man runs away with the other sister, Nicki Wright (Nickayla Tucker), once he sees Sasha and Lola laying in the street.

Benson and Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) learn the man kidnapped Tasha and her sisters after Hurricane Katrina hit and they were holding onto the roof of their house after their mother and grandmother drowned.

The man brought the girls to New York City, and hes a pedophile. The detectives release a fake story to the media to try and locate Lola, saying a girl who couldnt be identified was hit by a car and is in a coma and theyre trying to locate her family. The cops hope they can get pictures from witnesses at the park to identify the man and find Lola.

Jackson Zane (Matthew Settle) a reporter for The New York Ledger, gets involved, and Benson meets him early on. Hes suspicious of the situation, and he learns that Tasha isnt really in a coma and she left with a detective. So Stabler tempts him with an exclusive if he doesnt run the story.

Tasha identifies the man in a video sent in from that day at the park, and they track down the man by the name of Clark Corman through the Hurricane Help Center. But Jackson, the reporter, accosts them on the street in front of the suspect, and he runs, still without answers as to where Nicki is. They catch him though, and determine his real name is Alvin Dutch (Russell Hornsby), a sex offender who has served time in prison. He dies from Anthrax poisoning while in custody, making things even more complicated.

With the journalists help, Benson talks to Alvins old cellmate, and they eventually locate Nicki after finding out about Alvins aunt. The detectives learn that Nickis been infected with Anthrax as well, but they get to her in time, and she survives. They find the anthrax, which was military grade, in Alvins home in his aunts house.

Olivia Benson leaks information

Mariska Hargitay | Heidi Gutman/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank

RELATED: Law & Order: SVU: Olivia Benson Once Slapped a Suspect in the Face

The FBI takes all the information from the case involving the anthrax, brushing the whole thing under the rug. They even take the Wright girls. The feds warn them that any leaks will be prosecuted as a federal offense. Dr. Melina Warner (Tamara Tunie) reveals that she learned that the anthrax came from a research facility lab in Louisiana that was using it in bioweapons engineering and developing vaccines against bioterror weapons.

Its unclear where Alvin got the anthrax from. But Benson decides to divulge the information to Jackson, including a photo of the girls, and he publishes it.

The girls are released by the FBI after the story runs, and they learn from Nicki the anthrax came from a van that drove them all to New York and that she took one vial. There were multiple vials of it in the van, and Benson learns someone name Michael Delpit (Leo Marks) drove them. Warner uses her connections and helps the detectives find him. Everything they learn from Michael they allow Jackson to hear too in a recording, and he publishes the story about how Michael smuggled the anthrax out for cash.

Benson wants the truth to come out, and Jackson promises not to reveal Benson as his source. So when the FBI comes calling, hes true to his word. Consequently, he must serve time in prison for obstruction of justice according to the characters Fandom page, for not revealing his source. Although Benson wants him to come clean, he refuses to do it, and he does five years.

I give them your name, they win, he tells her. Theres no freedom without free press. Now I chose to write this story. And Ill take the consequences.

Fans discuss the situation

On Reddit, fans recently talked about the episode and the whole situation. A fan posted screenshots from Benson and Jacksons last conversation. This guy is probably still in jail 15 years later for not naming Olivia as his source, the post is titled.

One fan doesnt think Benson would have made it through the ranks so far if the truth came out. Im guessing she wouldnt have made captain and lieutenant if it were known she leaked this info. Or still be on the force, they said.

Ive thought about this exactly so many times lol, a fan said about Jackson.

A fan would like to see him return. I feel like they should make him come back somehow, they said.

Ive thought often about this poor b******. Id love to have an update on his situation, another fan weighed in.

One fan found the ending sad, and wed have to agree. Ugh, the ending of this episode was so sad, they said.

The journalist went to prison for not revealing Olivia Benson as a source in the early days of Law & Order: SVU. Its an episode fans still remember and discuss.
Sharon Clark is able to get her life-sustaining cancer drug, Pomalyst  priced at more than $18,000 for a 28-day supply  only because of the generosity of patient assistance foundations.

Clark, 57, a former insurance agent who lives in Bixby, Oklahoma, had to stop working in 2015 and go on Social Security disability and Medicare after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. Without the foundation grants, mostly financed by the drugmakers, she couldn't afford the nearly $1,000 a month it would cost her for the drug, since her Medicare Part D drug plan requires her to pay 5% of the list price.

Every year, however, Clark has to find new grants to cover her expensive cancer drug.

"It's shameful that people should have to scramble to find funding for medical care," she said. "I count my blessings, because other patients have stories that are a lot worse than mine."

Many Americans with cancer or other serious medical conditions face similar prescription drug ordeals. It's often worse, however, for Medicare patients. Unlike private health insurance, Part D drug plans have no cap on patients' 5% coinsurance costs once they hit $6,550 in drug spending this year (rising from $6,350 in 2020), except for very low-income beneficiaries.

President-elect Joe Biden favors a cap, and Democrats and Republicans in Congress have proposed annual limits ranging from $2,000 to $3,100. But there's disagreement about how to pay for that cost cap. Drug companies and insurers, which support the concept, want someone else to bear the financial burden.

That forces patients to rely on the financial assistance programs. These arrangements, however, do nothing to reduce prices. In fact, they help drive up America's uniquely high drug spending by encouraging doctors and patients to use the priciest medications when cheaper alternatives may be available.

Growing expense of specialty, cancer medicines

Nearly 70% of seniors want Congress to pass an annual limit on out-of-pocket drug spending for Medicare beneficiaries, according to a KFF survey in 2019. (KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF.)

The affordability problem is worsened by soaring list prices for many specialty drugs used to treat cancer and other serious diseases. The out-of-pocket cost for Medicare and private insurance patients is often set as a percentage of the list price, as opposed to the lower rate negotiated by insurers.

For instance, prices for 54 orally administered cancer drugs shot up 40% from 2010 to 2018, averaging $167,904 for one year of treatment, according to a 2019 JAMA study. Bristol Myers Squibb, the manufacturer of Clark's drug, Pomalyst, has raised the price 75% since it was approved in 2013, to about $237,000 a year. The company believes "pricing should be put in the context of the value, or benefit, the medicine delivers to patients, health care systems and society overall," a spokesperson for Bristol Myers Squibb said via email.

As a result of rising prices, 1 million of the 46.5 million Part D drug plan enrollees spend above the program's catastrophic coverage threshold and face $3,200 in average annual out-of-pocket costs, according to KFF. The hit is particularly heavy on cancer patients. In 2019, Part D enrollees' average out-of-pocket cost for 11 orally administered cancer drugs was $10,470, according to the JAMA study.

The median annual income for Medicare beneficiaries is $26,000.

Medicare patients face modest out-of-pocket costs if their drugs are administered in the hospital or a doctor's office and they have a Medigap or Medicare Advantage plan, which caps those expenses.

But during the past several years, dozens of effective drugs for cancer and other serious conditions have become available in oral form at the pharmacy. That means Medicare patients increasingly pay the Part D out-of-pocket costs with no set maximum.

"With the high cost of drugs today, that 5% can be a third or more of a patient's Social Security check," said Brian Connell, federal affairs director for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

This has forced some older Americans to keep working, rather than retiring and going on Medicare, because their employer plan covers more of their drug costs. That way, they also can keep receiving financial help directly from drugmakers to pay for the costs not covered by their private plan, which isn't allowed by Medicare.

'This is a little nuts'

All this has caused financial and emotional turmoil for people who face a life-threatening disease.

Marilyn Rose, who was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia three years ago, until recently was paying nothing out-of-pocket for her cancer drug, Sprycel, which has a list price of $176,500 a year. That's because Bristol Myers Squibb, the manufacturer, paid her insurance deductible and copays for the drug.

But the self-employed artist and designer, who lives in West Caldwell, New Jersey, recently turned 65 and went on Medicare. The Part D plan offering the best deal on Sprycel charges more than $10,000 a year in coinsurance for the drug.

Rose asked her oncologist if she could switch to an alternative medication, Gleevec, for which she'd pay just $445 a year. But she ultimately decided to stick with Sprycel, which her doctor said is a longer-lasting treatment. She hopes to qualify for financial aid from a foundation to cover the coinsurance but won't know until sometime this month.

"It's just strange you have to make a decision about your treatment based on your finances rather than what's the right drug for you," she said. "I always thought that when I get to Medicare age I'll be able to breathe a sigh of relief. This is a little nuts."

Given the sticker shock, many other patients choose not to fill a needed prescription, or delay filling it. Nearly half of patients who face a price of $2,000 or more for a cancer drug walk away from the pharmacy without it, according to a 2017 study. Fewer than half of Medicare patients with blood cancer received treatment within 90 days of their diagnosis, according to a 2019 study commissioned by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

"If I didn't do really well at scrounging free drugs and getting copay foundations to work with us, my patients wouldn't get the drug, which is awful," said Dr. Barbara McAneny, an oncologist in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and past president of the American Medical Association. "Patients would just say, 'I can't afford it. I'll just die.'"

The high drug prices and coverage gaps have forced many patients to rely on complicated financial assistance programs offered by drug companies and foundations. Under federal rules, the foundations can help Medicare patients as long as they pay for drugs made by all manufacturers, not just by the company funding the foundation.

But Daniel Klein, CEO of the PAN Foundation, which provides drug copay assistance to more than 100,000 people a year, said there are more patients in need than his foundation and others like it can help.

"If you are a normal consumer, you don't know much about any of this until you get sick and all of a sudden you find out you can't afford your medication," he said. Patients are lucky, he added, if their doctor knows how to navigate the charitable assistance maze.

Yet many don't. Daniel Sherman, who trains hospital staff members to navigate financial issues for patients, estimates that fewer than 5% of U.S. cancer centers have experts on staff to help patients with problems paying for their care.

Sharon Clark, who struggles to cover her cancer drugs, works with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society counseling other patients on how to access helping resources. "People tell me they haven't started treatment because they don't have money to pay," she said. "No one in this country should have to choose between housing, food or medicine. It should never be that way, never."

This article is part of a series on the impact of high prescription drug costs on consumers made possible through the 2020 West Health and Families USA Media Fellowship.
President Donald Trump repeated several inaccurate statements about Michigans election results while pressuring Georgia officials to overturn his defeat over the weekend.

Trump urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, to reverse his loss in the state during a one-hour phone call published by The Washington Post. A recording of the conversation shows Trump pointed to false claims about Michigan while describing turmoil surrounding the results in several states won by Democratic President-elect Joe Biden.

Raffensperger pushed back against Trumps claims during the phone call, telling the president the data you have is wrong and we dont agree that you have won Georgia. Election officials in Michigan have likewise debunked allegations Trump repeated Saturday about inflated turnout and dead people voting.

Friends: please do not mistake a political strategy - aimed at capturing headlines, pandering to extremists and engendering confusion and chaos - with anything that will actually succeed in overturning the unequivocal will of the American people.   Jocelyn Benson (@JocelynBenson) January 2, 2021

Trump made two claims about Michigan deemed untrue by election officials.

First, the president claimed In Detroit, I think it was, 139% of the people voted. Certified results show only 51% of the city turned out to vote.

There are 506,305 registered voters in the city of Detroit, and 257,619 ballots were cast.

Detroit turnout in the 2020 election was only slightly higher than in 2016, when 49% of registered voters cast a ballot. Trump earned 5,207 more Detroit votes in 2020, while Democratic votes increased by 6,055.

Trump also claimed a tremendous number of dead people voted, suggesting it was 18,000. Trump said the figure came from going through the obituary columns in the newspapers.

Related: From a pandemic to protests to an election, a look at Michigans 2020 in photos

Its not clear where the specific figure came from, but there is no evidence to corroborate what the president suggested over the weekend. Claims of dead voters in Michigan have been a common subject of unproven fraud allegations since the election.

The Michigan Secretary of States Office said it is not aware of a single ballot cast on behalf of a dead person. Michigan election clerks rejected 3,469 ballots cast by people who died before the election.

The office issued a statement days after the election explaining that ballots can appear to be received from a deceased person due to clerical mistakes or situations where a person is mistaken for a deceased relative with the same name.

Lists of thousands of people who died have spread across the internet by Trump supporters who cross-referenced the information with a Michigan database used to track mail-in ballots. The Secretary of State said lists used by internet sleuths to find dead voters dont contain enough information to accurately compare them to Michigans Qualified Voter File.

Ballots of voters who have died are rejected in Michigan, even if the voter cast an absentee ballot and then died before Election Day, the statement reads. Those who make claims otherwise are wrong.

Some alleged dead people voted because Detroit poll challengers observed a Jan. 1, 1900 birth date was entered for some voters. Chris Thomas, a longtime Michigan elections expert and adviser for Detroit during the election, said the state uses that birth date as a placeholder to flag when a voters birthdate isnt available at the processing site.

Trump repeatedly said Georgia election officials need to find enough votes to put him ahead of Biden in the state. He previously invited Michigan lawmakers to the White House to discuss the election and Trumps personal attorney Rudy Giuliani asked Republicans to replace the states electors and reverse his loss in Michigan.

Congress is scheduled to meet Wednesday to confirm the Electoral College votes. Biden earned 306 electoral votes, including 16 from Michigan, to Trumps 232.

READ MORE ON MLIVE:

Election clerks reject fewer than 1% of Michigans absentee ballots

Michigans coronavirus by the numbers in 2020: U.P. counties top list of per-capita cases and deaths

Whitmer veto means some Michiganders could lose extra 6 weeks of unemployment benefits

From a pandemic to protests to an election, a look at Michigans 2020 in photos
People attend the International Food Machinery and Technology Exhibition in Tokyo on June 14, 2017. (Toru Yamanaka/AFP via Getty Images)

China Poaches Japanese Scientists to Conduct Research Beneficial to Beijing: Report

At least 44 Japanese researchers were part of a Chinese state-sponsored recruitment program, including to conduct research with military applications, according to an investigation by Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun.

The findings were published on the outlets English-language website Japan News on Jan. 2. The Chinese job program under scrutiny is the Thousand Talent Plan (TTP), which Beijing rolled out in 2008.

The TTP is one of many talent recruitment programs the Chinese regime has maintained for decades, to attract overseas Chinese and foreign experts into working in Chinas science and tech sectors. Through these programs, Beijing hopes to quickly turn China into an industrial and innovation powerhouse, ultimately to outperform Western countries.

U.S. officials have warned that programs like TTP could facilitate intellectual property theft in order to benefit Beijings technological advancement.

The U.S. State Department warned about the TTP on its website, saying that talent recruits sign legally-binding contracts that often compel them to do things such as facilitate the illicit movement of intellectual capital to duplicate shadow labs in China and engage in activities abroad that would violate export control regulations.

PRC (Peoples Republic of China) talent contracts divert intellectual capital away from the U.S., skew funding decisions, decrease opportunities for U.S. students, enable China to unfairly benefit from U.S. government-funded scientific research and investment, and damage Americas economic and national security, the State Department said.

Japan

Of the 44 researchers, 24 acknowledged to the Japanese news outlet that they were involved with the TTP, including participating in the plan directly or accepting awards. The outlet found 20 other Japanese researchers who were involved in the plan through publicly available information, such as their blogs or university websites.

The Japanese outlet did not disclose the names of the 44 researchers. However, it found that some worked with Chinese universities with ties to Chinas military, the Peoples Liberation Army.

Eight of the 44 researchers were affiliated with Chinas seven sons of national defense, a group of seven universities under the control of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The latter oversees Chinas defense industry through its subordinate agency, the State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.

Specifically, the eight researchers were affiliated with the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) and Beihang University.

An unnamed Japanese professor at a BIT robotics research center told the Japanese outlet: Both my research and the robotics research going on at the university can be used for military purposes.

An unnamed Japanese researcher at Beihang University said: There is always the risk that anything can be converted to military use.

Many of the 44 researchers said the reason they joined TTP was because China offered more research funding than Japan.

13 of the 44 researchers did receive a total of about $4.5 billion yen (about $43 million) of research funds from the Japanese government, according to the newspaper report, citing data from the government and other organizations.

BITs Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems (BAICIRS) stated on its website that it conducted research in ballistic missiles during the 1960s. Then, in the 1990s, the center began to do research into dual-use robots that could be used for military and civilian applications.

In a 2017 document published by the BAICIRS on its website, several Japanese scientists were named as TTP participants, including Toshio Fukuda and Tatsuo Arai.

Fukuda is the current president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), an international professional association for engineers and a prominent publisher of technical research. He is also an emeritus professor at Japans Nagoya University and he won a friendship award from Beijing in 2014.

In December last year, Chinas Nankai University reported on its website that Fukuda gave a speech at the schools seminar, where he was introduced as a TTP expert.

Meanwhile, the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, a Chinese government agency responsible for recruiting foreigners, stated on its website that Arai was a BIT professor since 2016 and signed up to join TTP in April 2017. He was a former professor at Japans Osaka University.

BAICIRS document also showed He Jiping, a former professor at Arizona State University, as a member of the TTP.

Fukuda, Arai, and He did not respond to requests for comment.

Japan currently does not have any government regulations about TTP. But the government is considering setting up guidelines to require recipients of government funding to disclose any participation in foreign talent recruitment programs or acceptance of foreign funding, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun.

Elsewhere

China has also targeted South Korean and Taiwanese researchers in its recruitment efforts. According to statistics from the Taiwan government, 33 Taiwanese nationals were recruited under the TTP as of October 2018.

Chinese state-run media reported that as of November 2017, the TTP had recruited over 7,000 scientists and researchers, most of them from universities, research institutes, and international companies located in the United States, Europe, and other countries with advanced tech development.

In recent years, U.S. federal prosecutors have charged a number of researchers who were TTP participants and failed to disclose their ties to their employers. Others have been prosecuted for stealing intellectual property.

To prevent U.S. technology from falling into the hands of the PLA, the U.S. Commerce Department has recently expanded the number of Chinese firms placed on its so-called entity list. U.S. companies are banned from doing business with blacklisted companies unless they secure a special government license.

For example, the BIT was one of 77 entities added to the Commerce Departments entity list in December last year, with the school accused of acquiring and attempting to acquire U.S.-origin items in support of the PLA. Beihang University has been blacklisted since 2010.

In September, the State Department announced that it revoked more than 1,000 visas of Chinese nationals over their military links.
A popular Chinese reality show sparked controversy last month after pixelating all elements relating to Christmas on an episode shot in a luxurious hotel decorated for the Christian celebration.

Mango TV, a subsidiary of state-controlled Hunan Television, aired the first episode of the sixth season of Whos the Murderer, a popular online reality show, on December 24. As it was Christmas Eve, the television saw it fitting to shoot the show in a hotel decorated for the Christian celebration. However, they also decided it would be a good idea to censor all elements related to Christmas, as a way to avoid being criticized by the Government for showing Western festivals and worshiping foreign things. The result was a pixelated mess, with protagonists walking by blurred Christmas trees, tinsel-decorated plants, and even wearing blurred Christmas hats.

Whos the Murderer is features a cast of celebrities who play different roles in order to find evidence at a crime scene and figure out who the murderer is. Its not the kind of plot that would ever be associated with Christmas, but production thought that the special episodes setting could be interpreted as a promotion of Western festivals, so a decision was made to blur out all Christmas trees, wreaths, bells, and other decorations during broadcast. Even the protagonists Christmas hats were censored with post-production cartoon hats.

Apart from the fact that the shapes of the Christmas-related decorations were faintly visible behind the post-production blurring, in some scenes, there is so much censoring that the protagonists of the show are the only ones clearly visible.

While there is no official document that bans Western festivals and cultural elements in China, a clampdown on foreign celebrations and various other cultural elements has been observed in recent years. Some cities have banned Christmas decorations in public places, Chinese schools have banned Christmas celebrations on campus, and one TV station started blurring mens pierced ears.

This hostile attitude toward Western festival and trends is believed to have been kickstarted in January 2017 by a document issued by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and the State Council. Entitled Suggestions on implementation of projects to promote and develop traditional Chinese cultural heritage, it asked all levels of government and local authorities to promote Chinese festivals and culture.

After the latest episode of Whos the Murderer aired on December 24, Mango TV got a lot of backlash from viewers, many of whom criticized the blurring as over-the-top and unnecessary.

Although Christmas isnt a Chinese festival, most people celebrate it purely to create an atmosphere and for fun. It feels weird to pixilate those elements, one Weibo user commented.

In our country, Christians are the minority. The majority see Christmas as a fun festival, another person wrote. The commercial sector finds a reason to get sales, consumers find an opportunity to spend, lovers find an occasion to reveal their feelings or make out. It has nothing to do with worshiping the West. The majority do not think that Christmas has anything to do with religion. This is not the way to build cultural confidence; Chinese cultures strength is related to its power to absorb other cultures. We used to accept foreign culture and make it our own, so that our civilization can move on. What have we become now?



The controversy spread from Weibo to Western social media platforms like Twitter as well, and a day after airing the Christmas-censored episode of Whos the Murderer, Mango TV decided to remove the controversial pixelation. Thats what Chinese publication The Stand News claimed, anyway, because the version of the episode uploaded on the shows official YouTube channel still has plenty of blurring.
The benchmark Sensex on Monday crossed the 48,000-mark for the first time as investors cheered the approval to two Covid vaccines by the Indian authorities. The drug regulator, on Sunday, had given its final nod to the vaccines developed by AstraZeneca with Oxford University and Bharat Biotech. The Sensex ended the session at 48,177, following a gain of 308 points or 0.64 per cent.

The Nifty, on the other hand, rose 114 points, or 0.8 per cent, to end the session at 14,133. It took five sessions for the Sensex to reach the 48,000 level from 47,000. However, banking stocks fell ...
Shorter version of Republic Day Parade this year

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 04: The Republic Day this year will be of shorter duration. The marching contingent will be smaller and the cultural performances will be fewer.

The number of spectators too be reduced at Rajpath on January 26. The overall traditional character of the parade would however be maintained despite the restrictions. A contingent of the Bangladesh armed forces will take part in the parade in view of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the 1971 war of liberation. Prime Minister of UK, Boris Johnson will be the chief guest.

The parade will begin from Vijay Chowk. However this year it would culminate at the National Stadium instead of ending at the Red Fort. This means that the parade which normally covers 8.2 kilometres will only 3.3 kilometres this year.

No children, no Red Fort: Republic Day parade 2021 to see major changes over COVID

Farmer Protest: What did Agricultural minister say on the 7th round of talks|Oneindia News

A round 25,000 spectators will be allowed to witness the parade as compared to the average of 1.3 lakh people every year. There would be no permit for elders with Co-morbidities and children below the age of 15.
LONDON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th January, 2021) UK district judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled on Monday against the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, where he could face up to 175 years in jail for the publication of classified information on the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as thousands of US diplomatic cables between 2010 and 2011.

"I rule it would be unjust to extradite Mr. Assange," the judge said, citing health reasons and the risk that the whistleblower could commit suicide if handed over to the US Department of Justice.

She also gave 14 days to the US prosecutors to appeal her decision.

Assange's extradition trial ended at London's Old Bailey court on October 1 after his defense team spent four weeks trying to prove that Assange was being indicted for political reasons.

In her verdict, the judge said, however, that the protection against extradition for a "political offense" was removed from the UK-US extradition treaty in 2003 so it does not apply in this case.

She also claimed that free speech rights do not provide "unfettered discretion by Mr. Assange to decide what he's going to publish," and said that Wikileaks disclosures led to up to 50 people whose name were exposed in the declassified documents to seek asylum in the United States.

Although the judge endorsed most of the claims presented by the US prosecutors during the trial, she accepted, however, that the whistleblower, who has been held in a UK maximum security prison since his arrest at the Ecuadorean embassy in April, 2019, has remained depressed and has been considered at risk of suicide.

After the verdict was handed over, the US prosecutors confirmed that they will appeal the decision, while the judge granted Assange legal team's request for time to prepare bail application and scheduled a hearing for Wednesday.
Repeal new farm laws with ordinance: Farmers to govt ahead of meet

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 05: The farmers who are set to hold the next round of talks with the government later today have stuck to their demand that the farm laws must be junked.

The farmers say that the government must bring an ordinance to junk the laws. The government has however sought an alternate to repeal of laws.

Meanwhile the farmers have hardened their stand and said that 1000s of farmers will drive to Delhi in tractors on Republic Day, if their demands are not met.

Ahead of the meeting agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar met defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday and discussed the government strategy to resolve the current crisis at the earliest, sources said.

Will burn copies of new farm laws on Lohri: Farmers urge govt to leave its 'stubbornness', repeal laws

Tomar discussed with Singh "all possible options" to find a "middle path" to resolve the crisis, sources added.

Singh, who served as agriculture minister in the erstwhile Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet, has emerged as a key troubleshooter and is working mostly behind the scenes on this issue.

Protesting farmers who have been camping at Delhi borders for the last 39 days braving bone-chilling cold and now rains have threatened to intensify their protest if their two major demands - repeal of the three new farm laws and legal backing for the minimum support price (MSP) - are not accepted by the government in the January 4 meeting.

Rains since Saturday night led to waterlogging at the agitation venues, but the unions asserted that "we will not move from here until our demands are met".

After five rounds of inconclusive talks, the government and 40 farmer unions reached some common ground during the sixth round of negotiations on December 30 to resolve protesting farmers' concerns over rise in power tariff and penalties for stubble burning, but the two sides remained deadlocked over the main contentious issues of the repeal of the three farm laws and a legal guarantee for MSP.

On January 1, Tomar had told PTI that the government is hopeful of a "positive outcome" at its next meeting with farmers' unions on January 4 but refrained from predicting whether the seventh round of talks will be the last one.

Asked whether he expects the January 4 meeting to be the last one, the minister said, "I cannot say for sure now. I am not an astrologer. I am hopeful that whatever decision would be arrived at (in the meeting) will be in the interest of the country and of the farmers."

"The farmers' movement delivered an ultimatum to the Government of India and announced that farmers will march into Delhi on January 26," Sankyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of around 40 protesting unions, had said in a statement.

Thousands of farmers have been protesting at various borders of the national capital for more than a month demanding repeal of the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act.

Enacted in September 2020, the government has presented these laws as major farm reforms and aimed at increasing farmers' income, but protesting farmers have raised concerns that these legislations would weaken the MSP and mandi systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporates.

First time such arrogant govt in power, must withdraw farm laws unconditionally: Sonia

The government has maintained these apprehensions are misplaced and has ruled out repealing the laws.

Farmer Protest: What did Agricultural minister say on the 7th round of talks|Oneindia News

While several opposition parties and people from other walks of life have come out in support of the farmers, some farmer groups have also met Agriculture Minister Tomar over the last few weeks to extend their support for the three laws.
Visitors and legislative staff returned to the Texas Capitol on Monday, 10 months after the building was shuttered amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The reopening comes as lawmakers prepare for a new legislative session, set to begin on Jan. 12.

Its such a streak of luck, said Claudia Sauceda, who was in town from Houston with her son and didnt realize the capitol had been closed. I think its gorgeous, she said, masked and seated under the buildings large, regal rotunda.

Visitors were not required to test negative for COVID-19 before entering the building, though rapid tests were available for free in a tent outside. Dozens of staffers had already been tested by the early afternoon.

Legislators, meanwhile, were working behind the scenes to prepare for hundreds of Texans to enter the building next week on the first day of session.

The Texas Capitol is now open, Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted. Work begins in earnest next week.

TEXAS TAKE: Get the latest news on Texas politics sent directly to your inbox every weekday

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the president of the Texas Senate, announced a series of safety measures on Monday in advance of opening day. Senators, staffers and members of the media must be tested before entering the Capitol, and most Senate offices will be open only for appointments.

The biennial opening day ceremony will also be shorter than usual and have a smaller crowd. Senators will be allowed one family member at their desks, as well as three tickets for seats in the Senate Gallery.

At a time when the U.S. Capitol and many state capitol buildings are closed to the public, these protocols are designed to ensure the Texas Capitol can be open to the public, Patrick said in a memo. We will fight the spread of COVID-19 by doing all we can to protect the public who visit the capitol as well as employees, staff and the senators.

The protocol announcement follows that of the Texas House of Representatives last month. State Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth and chair of the administration committee, sent guidance to members on Dec. 14 outlining similar precautions  a shortened opening day ceremony with fewer attendees, mandatory testing and new air filters to help kill the virus.

While Geren has said the House will require masks to enter the chamber, Patricks memo did not mention such a mandate. A spokesman for the lieutenant governor did not respond to a request for comment seeking clarification.

Senators will vote next week on overall safety protocols to implement during the first 60 days of the legislative session, Patrick wrote.
Serum Institute of India (SII), the manufacturer of the Covishield vaccine, plans to charge a special price of 200 per dose for the first 100 million shots that it supplies to the government, chief executive Adar Poonawalla said. The company plans to price the vaccine at 1,000 per dose in the open market, once it is allowed to do so by the government, Poonawalla said in a telephonic interview.

Serum Institute, Poonawalla said, expects to sign a procurement pact with the government this week to ascertain the number of shots that would be needed. He said exports of the vaccine will require government approval and are likely once India feels secure about local supply.

Also Read | A year on, China is shaking up the world

The Covishield vaccine, originally developed by AstraZeneca Plc and the University of Oxford, received an emergency use licence in India on Sunday. Edited excerpts of an interview:

When do you expect to sign a procurement deal with the government and for how many doses?

Im waiting to sign an agreement with the government for procurement so that I know where to send how much. We were waiting for this licensure to be announced by DCGI (Drugs Controller General of India) and now, I think, this week they should sign with us. Then, within seven to 10 days from signing and telling us where to send the vaccine, I can ship it out by air and road. We have packed 40-to-50 million doses. I think they will take it in tranches of 10-to-15 million. They indicated verbally they will take 10 million doses to start with and see how it goes.

What is the price you will be charging the government?

We are asking for a price of 200 per dose, which I think is slightly less than $3, as a special case, for the first 100 million doses that the government procures. This is meant to support the government in vaccination of the needy and the vulnerable, and then we will sell it at a slightly higher price. Later to the private market, we will sell it at an even higher price of 1,000, but that is going to be after March-April as the government has put a restriction that we cannot sell in the private market or export the vaccine till they feel secure enough about domestic supply.

Will export curbs hinder plans to supply to Covax?

No, we are going to give more than 100 million doses to GAVI and Covax, but it is subject to permissions by the government. It was signed with that in mind, that the supplies start as soon as the government is comfortable allowing export. The Indian government has indicated they want to help African and other countries. The WHO prequalification will also take about one or two months, and by then India will also have enough, and we will be allowed to export.

What were the other conditions for emergency use?

The other conditions were only about follow-up for safety in the trials as time goes on. That was it, and it is not restrictive in terms of what we can do in terms of the product.

What is the dosage, the gap between doses and its efficacy?

These are two full doses given at an interval of one to three months. This is what the packaging insert will say, but it is currently being looked at by DCGI. In terms of efficacy, it is 62% if doses are given one month apart and, as AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot had said a week ago, we also can get 90% efficacy if we space the doses two to three months apart. In fact, even according to the trial results published in Lancet, initial data showed the vaccine had 62% efficacy if given within one month and the other trial showed 90% efficacy in people who got the vaccine with a two- to three-month gap. And while it was half dose in the trial, whether it is half dose or full dose, that is not going to make a difference. It is a commonly known fact that for most vaccines, even non-covid ones, the longer the gap between the first and booster dose, the better the efficacy.

You have sought indemnity for vaccines.

We have written officially as part of the Indian Vaccine Manufacturers Association, and we will probably hear back from them (government). They may also have to take it through the law ministry, and take legal opinions, and then decide whether they can provide indemnity. We have asked for indemnity to vaccine producers only during the pandemic. In a pandemic, if a court stops and puts an injunction , the vaccine programme of the country will suffer.

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2021 will still be a difficult year for the industry as it has no room for further recovery until international flights are reopened. - VNA/VNS Photo

The recent recovery was thanks to a complete restoration of domestic routes and the continued good performance of freight transport.

As of November, the total number of flights decreased by 23 per cent compared to the same period last year but strongly recovered from a decrease of 92 per cent in April.

The most effective route was HCM City - Ha Noi with 540 flights per week, reaching an occupancy rate of about 90 per cent.

However, commenting on the prospects of the aviation industry, Mirae Asset Securities Vietnam Co (MASVN) believes 2021 will still be a difficult year for the industry as it has no room for further recovery until international flights are reopened.

MASVN explained the current low fares are helping push up the demand for air travel on domestic routes. However, airlines cant further cut the fares as they are too low. If airlines continue to reduce fares, it will be difficult to make profits.

"In the context of a fiercely competitive domestic market, we believe that the business situation of Vietnamese airlines will hardly improve further until the international routes are reopened," MASVN experts told vietnamfinance.vn.

With only domestic routes operating, the competition in the aviation industry next year will be fiercer. All aircraft are now converging on domestic routes to improve cash flow. Meanwhile, Vietjet Air has received 11 new aircraft, bringing the total number of aircraft in operation to 88. Bamboo Airways reduced two A320s but received four small aircraft E195, bringing its fleet to 26.

In addition, the aviation industry also has to compete against other transportation means like passenger cars and trains which have also applied fare discounts from 15 per cent to 50 per cent.

MASVN experts estimated it would take about four months to vaccinate 30 per cent of the US population and it was the minimum rate required to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. For other countries less developed than the US, the time to hit 30 per cent will be longer.

"International flights are likely to reopen as soon as the pandemic is repelled and the transport of international passengers will begin to recover gradually from that time. However, we expect the recovery rate will be slow, caused by isolation rules and restricted tourism demands in the wake of difficulties due to the pandemic, the experts said.
A man has been blasted on social media for complaining about the use of a tampon illustration in the HM Treasury's announcement about the end of VAT on women's sanitary products in the UK.

Posting on Twitter, the Treasury revealed the 'tampon tax' will no longer be in place from 1 January 2021, racking up over 11,000 likes, complete with a simple drawing of a tampon .

Adam Garrie who lives in London, penned a response saying: 'Good policy but is this obscene image really necessary?'

The controversial commentator, who has presented a YouTube series The History Boys with George Galloway, is a 'geopolitical analyist' who ran the now defunct Eurasia Future, variously described as a 'Global Policy & Analysis Think Tank' and an 'independent news platform'.

According to his Twitter bio, he is currently a presenter on an obscure internet radio station, Scotland69am.com.

His latest comments on the illustration used to announce the end of the tampon tax have been described as 'misogynistic'.

Radio presenter Adam Garrie who lives in London, has been blasted for complaining about a tampon illustration on Twitter

Adam explained he doesn't agree with the 'obscene image' because it conjures thoughts of bodily fluids

He told Bored Panda that the backlash to his tweet also included 'threats', as he commented on the pressure to ensure opinions conform to the masses online.

Adam said: 'If someone wants to publish photos of their genitals, bodily fluids, or anything else of that nature, I shall defend their right to do so.

'If someone seeks to bully me into enjoying it, I shall calmly state my entirely reasonable opposition.

'In an age where most schools are concerned with teaching people what to think rather than how to think, it should surprise no one when a simple and reasonable statement can arouse such a storm in a teacup.'

Adam (pictured) told Bored Panda that he has received 'threats' since he shared his opinion on social media

He went on to explain how freedom of speech and the ability to follow traditional teachings is being challenged by 'a numerically small but heavily amplified mob'.

'Not only are they comfortable with sharing photos of their bodily fluids and genitals online, but they seek to force those with personally traditional values to revel in the kind of exhibitionism which they enjoy,' he added.

Responding to a user on Twitter, Adam wrote: 'I'm happy that a tax has been abolished. I'm unhappy that a government channel needed to show an image conjuring thoughts of bodily fluids for no reason. A simple textual statement would have sufficed'

A stream of people disagreed with Adam's opinion, with one person saying: 'Really? A wad of condensed cotton necessary for a woman's health is to you obscene? And a step toward equal taxation needs to be sanitized for you? The world has moved on and you are being left behind. Try to use your platform for good. Best wishes in the New Year.'

A stream of Twitter users argued Adam's views are 'harmful' and urged him to research menstruation stigma

'Please read up on menstruation stigma so you understand why it's your language here that's unnecessary and harmful. If you think tampons are obscene, you're implying that people who use them have something about us, too,' another wrote.

A third added: 'Prior to sanitation, society said menstruating women were unclean and couldn't leave the house.

'Quite ironically you are not claiming the thing that enables women to live their lives during their period is obscene. Please go and reflect on your views. It's a wad of cotton.'

U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Lamar Alexander on Sunday welcomed Bill Hagerty as the newest United States Senator for Tennessee.

Working alongside Senator Alexander to serve the people of Tennessee was a blessing and a privilege, said Senator Blackburn. Today, we welcomed another great leader to the nations capital to be sworn in, and I am thrilled to continue serving Tennesseans alongside Senator Hagerty.
The Daily Beast

Theo WargoCNN boss Jeff Zucker on Tuesday addressed network staffers concerns over the revelations that primetime star host Chris Cuomo advised his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on how to respond to the multiple sexual harassment allegations against him.During a Tuesday afternoon town-hall meeting with staff, Zucker claimed he understood the unease over Cuomos conduct, saying in no uncertain terms that it was a mistake for the primetime star to participate in strategy calls advising his politically powerful brother.He did cross a line, Zucker said.Last week, The Washington Post reported that Cuomo joined strategy calls helping plan his powerful brothers rebuttals to mounting allegations that he harassed multiple women and made some female staffers feel uncomfortable. According to multiple sources who were present on one meeting, the CNN host even mentioned invoking cancel culture as a way to combat the claims.The CNN boss said he personally voiced his displeasure to Cuomo, and that he had considered the options for how to handle the star hosts unfolding scandal. Ultimately, Zucker said that rather than suspending Cuomo, the network decided the host should have to go on-air and personally apologize to his viewers.And so during his 9 p.m. ET broadcast, Cuomo declared that it will never happen again and insisted he knows where the line is.In a statement following the Post bombshell last week, CNN admitted it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governors staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward. The network added that Cuomo would not be disciplined further.But the top anchors decision to secretly participate in the strategy calls assisting his embattled brother has, indeed, irked numerous network staffers. CNN insiders who spoke with The Daily Beast this week expressed frustration with the networks handling of the incident, saying Cuomo should have faced more serious consequences.Im very disappointed in the network, said one current on-air personality. I think some disciplinary action, at a minimum, was required in this situation. The source added, As a woman who works here, I feel a little let down, to be honest.Staff were particularly interested in Tuesdays town hall following one of the more eventful weeks for the network following a high-profile sale and the departure of one noteworthy on-air contributor.During the call, Zucker said that Rick Santorum was given an opportunity to apologize for what the CNN boss referred to as the ex-senators inappropriate and racist comments about Native Americans, but because he refused to do so, the network ultimately fired the conservative pundit.And elsewhere in Tuesdays town hall, Zucker downplayed the impact of AT&Ts decision to merge WarnerMedia, CNNs parent company, with Discovery. Asked about whether CNN could be spun off as part of the deal, the network chief said he did not think that was in the cards.And when pressed on his own future at the network, Zucker said he plans to have conversations with the right people very soon.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
Co-founder: Teneos Declan Kelly previously served as the US economic envoy to Northern Ireland

Declan Kellys advisory firm Teneo has acquired the UK arm of Ridgeway Partners for an undisclosed amount.

London-based Ridgeway specialises in search, board appointments and succession planning. It employs 30 people, wholl join the 300 Teneo staff members already working in the UK and 800 worldwide.

Sue OBrien, previously the managing partner of Ridgeway, will be chairperson of the UK firm and will continue to lead the business under Teneos ownership.

The latest set of publicly available accounts for Ridgeway Partners Holdings show that the company made a 1m (1.1m) profit in 2019, compared to 347,000 in 2018. It had net assets of 4.5m at the end of 2019, excluding pension assets.

Accounts for Ridgeway Partners Ltd show that entity made a 567,000 loss in 2019.

Ridgeway Partners Holdings had more than 3.3m in outstanding loan notes at the end of 2019.

Following the year end, the groups debt financing was restructured by way of a bank loan secured against the assets of the group, accounts for the business state.

That resulted in the loan notes that were outstanding at the end of 2019 being repaid in full before the agreed redemption date.

The 2019 accounts for Ridgeway were approved by directors at the beginning of last October.

At the date of approval of these financial statements, the pandemic has not significantly impacted the groups revenue or cash flows and the group has continued to trade profitably, the directors noted.

The UK business of Ridgeway Partners was bought by the existing partners in 2017.

Online Editors
South Korea's two electronics giants Electronics and on Monday vowed to foster their future growth engines in 2021 as they unveiled New Year's goals amid the pandemic.

Samsung, the world's largest smartphone and TV vendor, said it aims to actively cope with social and economic changes induced by the COVID-19 pandemic so that 2021 can be the year that provides a platform for its future growth.

"The transition to the era of data and intelligence is accelerating with the rise of new technologies and businesses," Electronics Vice Chairman Kim Ki-nam, who leads the company's chip business, said in the company's New Year kickoff meeting held online.

"Let's foster our new growth sectors systemically and look out 10 years into the future."

Samsung, also the world's top memory chip producer, has been trying to boost its competitiveness in the foundry business in recent years and develop its next-generation quantum-dot display solutions. The company has been also seeking to expand its presence in future mobility businesses.

Kim added that will also improve its corporate social responsibility, saying it needs to better develop sustainable management of the firm.

Samsung last year launched an independent compliance committee to promote a law-abiding culture at the company, reports Yonhap news agency.

LG, a major home appliance maker, said its business strategy for 2021 is based on customer value and that it needs to advance its business portfolio with quality growth.

"To achieve our task, it is very important to change how we work and think," Electronics CEO Kwon Bong-seok said in an email message sent to its employees. "We need to systemically prepare our future businesses that can create fandom of "

Kwon stressed that LG needs to focus on "disruptive change" rather than "incremental growth," adding that the company will also try to secure and foster talented workers to achieve its goals.

--IANS

na/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Ten former U.S. defence secretaries have jointly warned against any potential abuse of the military over the results of the presidential election.

Involving the armed forces would bring the U.S. into dangerous, illegal and unconstitutional territory, the former officials  among them both Republicans and Democrats  warned in an opinion piece in Sundays Washington Post newspaper.

The letter was signed by Dick Cheney, James Mattis, Leon Panetta, Donald Rumsfeld, William Cohen, Chuck Hagel, Robert Gates, William Perry, Ashton Carter and Mark Esper, who served under Trump quite recently.

According to the newspaper, these are all 10 surviving former Pentagon heads.

President Donald Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden in the November 3 election.

Mr Trump refuses to admit defeat and has been promoting unfounded claims that the election was rigged against him, but has provided no proof that swayed any court to his side.

At times, critics have feared that Mr Trump could use the instrumentality of the military if necessary in order to stay in power.

Our elections have occurred, recounts and audits have been conducted.

Appropriate challenges have been addressed by the courts and governors have certified the results, the former officials wrote.

And the Electoral College has voted.

The time for questioning the results has passed; the time for the formal counting of the electoral college votes, as prescribed in the Constitution and statute, has arrived, the group asserted.

Mr Biden is due to be sworn in as new U.S. president on January 20. (dpa/NAN)
Diljit Dosanjh has been making headlines lately for his Twitter war with actor Kangana Ranaut over the farmers protests. Now he has shared a certificate of appreciation by the Ministry of Finance for paying the taxes.



The Platinum certificate issued by the Ministry of Finance is a token of appreciation by the Indian government to Diljit for paying the bills and filing the Income Tax Returns for the year 2019-20.

The certificate reads, "We appreciate the taxpayer, in the Platinum category, in recognition of the contribution towards building this great Nation."

Diljit took to Twitter and wrote, "I wasn't feeling like but here it is  The circumstances are such that I have to now give a proof of my Indian citizenship. Don't spread hate." In the following tweet, he said, "One doesn't need to sit on Twitter and prove they are a patriot, one needs to work towards it."

Check out the post here-

Jee Tan Ni C Karda Par Ah Lao..



Aj Haalat Eh Ban Gaye aa Ke Apne Aap Nu BHARAT DA NAGRIK HON DA V SABOOT DENA PEY RIHA ..



Eni Hate Eni Nafarat Na Failao Buggey..



Havaa Ch Teer ni Chalaide.. Edar Odar Vajj Jande Hunde aa pic.twitter.com/zeD6BOxbF8  DILJIT DOSANJH (@diljitdosanjh) January 3, 2021

Diljit Dosanjh has been extremely vocal in supporting the farmers protest and has been urging the government to listen to their demands. He also participated in the protest around the Delhi border.

He earlier said, "Hats off to all of you farmers, you have created a new history. This history would be narrated to future generations. Farmers' issues shouldn't be diverted by anyone."

Heres what people have to say about this-

Diljit koi lod nhi aa proof den di...we all with u  kaur sandhu (@kaursandhu84) January 3, 2021

We proud of you paaji, this is new normal in modi raaz.  Vikrant Singh Chauhan (@I_SinghVikrant) January 3, 2021

Paaji.. we love you.. chardi kala ich rakhe waheguru ji  Bharat Malhotra (@BharatM32940365) January 3, 2021

Keep up the good work  Frustrated Indian (@anmol007007) January 3, 2021

Ignore Idiots , You are superstar of India And we love you brother.  Mayank Sharma (@MayankMkstar) January 3, 2021

Farmer unions have now been protesting for more than a month and earlier they also warned that they would start shutting all malls and petrol pumps in Haryana if the government fails to resolve their main demands for the repeal of the three farm laws.
The death has occurred of Patrick Joseph Feehan

Of 68 Woodlawn Park, Ballysimon Road

Born February 11, 1945 and died December 29, 2020, suddenly.

Pat is survived by his loving children Karen and Gregory, Son-in-Law Rhys Ellison, grandchildren Jake, Tristan and Connor, many nieces and nephews, extended family and friends and will be greatly missed.

May he rest in peace.

Private family funeral, by invitation only, Tuesday, January 5 at 11am at St Johns Cathedral, Cathedral Place, Limerick with burial immediately afterwards in Mount St. Lawrence Cemetery, Limerick.

The death has occurred of Niall Joyce

Of Cosgrove Park, Moyross

Niall, died suddenly, on January 2, 2021.

Deeply regretted by his parents Alan and Winnie, son P.J., sisters Nicole, Shannon and Lexi, brother Jamie, nephew Parker, niece Ariyah, grandmother Winnie, aunts, uncles, cousins, other relatives and friends.

May he rest in peace

A private Requiem Mass for family only, will take place in Corpus Christi Church, Moyross, on Wednesday, January 6 at 11am. Funeral afterwards to Castlemungret Cemetery, Mungret.

In compliance with the current HSE guidelines, the funeral will be limited to 10 people. Please ensure social distancing and public health advice is adhered to.

Messages of sympathy may be expressed through the condolence section below or cards and letters of sympathy can be sent to Cross' Funeral Directors, Lower Gerald Griffin Street, Limerick.

The death has occurred of Michael Lyons

Of New Road, Thomondgate,

Formerly of Ballynanty and Sealol, Shannon

Michael died peacefully at home, on January 3, 2020

Sadly missed by his loving wife Joan, children Pamela, Rebecca, David and Sarah, grandchildren, sons-in-law, daughter-in-law, brothers, sisters, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives and many friends.

Rest in peace

Michaels Funeral Cortege will pass the family home on Tuesday, January 5 at approximately 1:40pm en route to a private service in Shannon Crematorium.

Please observe social distancing.

Messages of sympathy may be expressed through the death notices section of www.griffinfunerals.com or by post to Griffins Funeral Home.

The death has occurred of Robert (Bobby) McCarthy

Of Knocktoosh, Broadford

On January 4, 2021 peacefully in his 92nd year, in the wonderful care of the staff at Killeline Care Centre. Predeceased by his sisters Hannah McCarthy (Gurteen, Feenagh) and Kitty O'Shea (Knocklong).

Deeply regretted by his loving wife Catherine (Kitty), sons Michael, Robert, Taidhg and Charles, daughter Helen, daughters-in-law Deirdre, Gerardine and Carol, son-in-law Timmy, his 11 adored grandchildren, nephews, nieces, relatives, neighbours and friends.

Rest in peace

In line with HSE guidelines and government advice Robert's funeral will be private.

Removal on Wednesday from his son Taidhg's residence to the Church of Our Lady of the Snows, Broadford for requiem Mass at 2.30pm. Burial afterwards in Springfield Cemetery.

Cards and letters of sympathy may be sent to Sextons Funeral Directors.

The death has occurred of Michael (Haulie) McGrath

Of Raheny, Dublin and Oola

Formerly of Oola, County Limerick, peacefully, December 31, 2020, at Beaumont Hospital, surrounded by his loving family. Beloved husband to Mary and loving father to Michael and Marie. Sadly missed by his wife, children, brothers John-Joe and Brendan, sisters Imelda and Mary, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, neighbours and many friends. Predeceased by his parents Kitty and Mick, his sister Josephine and brother Noel.

Special acknowledgement for the professional and kind care provided to Michael by the team from Kare Plan, especially Elvin and colleagues. We would also like to thank the staff at Beaumont Hospital, and the district nurses, and the staff of Adrian Dunne pharmacy for their kindness and professionalism.

Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dilis.

Government restrictions still apply and only 10 people can attend the funeral itself.

Funeral Mass on Wednesday at 10am at St John the Evangelist Church, Greendale Road, Kilbarrack, Dublin 5. Livestream can be viewed for those who cannot attend click on the link; https://mcnmedia.tv/camera/st-johns-church followed by burial in St Fintan's Cemetery, Sutton.

The death has occurred of Kathleen (Kay) O'Leary

Of Bandon, Cork and Limerick

Peacefully in the loving care of St. Christopher's Ward, Marymount. Kathleen (Kay), (nee Purcell). Cavendish Court and late of Landsdowne Road, Limerick, beloved wife of the late John, late of 89 South Main St.

Sadly missed by her loving niece Elaine, nephews Louis, Philip, Geoffrey, Raymond and Marc, grandnieces, grandnephews, relatives and a large circle of friends.

In accordance with government and HSE guidelines, Kay's funeral will take place privately.

Kay's requiem Mass will be take place on Thursday at 2pm in St. Patrick's Church, Bandon and will be livestreamed on www.bandonparish.ie/live followed by private cremation.

The death has occurred of Bernard (Bryan) Day

Of Ballysimon Road,

Formerly of CIE, Bryan died peacefully, surrounded by his family, in the wonderful care of the staff of St. Johns Hospital.

Beloved husband of Mary. Sadly missed by his wife, children Seamus, Martin, Carmel and Niamh, grandchildren Conall and Oisin. daughter-in-law Siobhan, nephew Michael, nieces Beena, Grace and Ann, grand-nieces, grandnephews, sisters-in-law, extended family, Tricia, Kevin and Michael, relatives and his many friends.

Rest in peace.

Bryans funeral cortege will leave the family home to arrive for Requiem Mass in St. Brigids Church, St. Patricks Road on Wednesday, January 6 at 11am. Funeral afterwards to Mount St. Lawrence Cemetery.

Please observe social distancing.

In compliance with current guidelines, requiem Mass will be restricted to 10 mourners only.

Family flowers only; donation, if desired, to Irish Hospice Foundation

Messages of sympathy may be expressed through the death notices section www.griffinfunerals.com or by post to Griffins Funeral Home.

The death has occurred of Thomas Egan

Of Pike St, Dromcollogher

Died peacefully at his residence in the company of his loving family. Beloved husband of the late Bridie.

Deeply regretted by his son John, daughter-in-law Julia, grandchildren Lucy, Katie and Emily, brother Jerry, sister Mary, nephews nieces relatives neighbours and friends.

Rest in peace

A private family funeral will take place for immediate family due to goverment advice and HSE guidelines regarding public gatherings.

Funeral cortege will depart Thomas' home on Wednesday at 12noon, for requiem mass in St Bartholomew's Church, Dromcollogher at 12.30pm. Burial afterwards in local cemetery.

Those who would have liked to attend the funeral, but due to current restrictions cannot, please feel free to leave a message in the condolence book at the bottom of this page or send on condolences to McCarthy s Funeral Director, Dromcollogher.

Live streaming on Wednesday using the link https://m.facebook.com/St-Itas-Pastoral-Unit-436535806459312/?tsid=0.8522985242885248&source=result

The death has occurred of Thomas Leahy

Of Claughaun Court, Garryowen

Tom passed away (peacefully) surrounded by his beloved daughters Karen and Eleanor along with his loving sister Marian at St. Francis Hospice, Blanchardstown. Predeceased by his loving parents John and Breda. Much loved father of Karen and Eleanor. Sadly missed by his loving sisters Marian, Anita, Pauline and Majella, brothers Ray and Joe, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

May he rest in peace

Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, to St. Francis Hospice, Blanchardstown

A private requiem Mass for family only, will take place in St. Johns Cathedral, on Wednesday, January 6 at 11am and will be streamed live. Funeral afterwards to Mount St. Lawrence (old) Cemetery.

In compliance with the current HSE guidelines, the funeral will be limited to 10 people. Please ensure social distancing and public health advice is adhered to.

Cards and letters of sympathy can be sent to Cross' Funeral Directors, Lower Gerald Griffin Street, Limerick.
Democracy, good governance and development are greatly gibed by the solid political transmutations that have been bechancing in Bangladesh.

by Anwar A. Khan

One of the basic tenets of creating Bangladesh in 1971 from the arrant clasped Pakistani swayers is to ground democracy and good governance in the country. Bangladesh should make excogitation of its own, but cosmically admitted approach path to democracy, make a bona fide crusade to exercise authority over wellspring and to have curricula of fermentation in afunctioning effective forge, and strain for the ontogenesis of a finesse of democracy between the rulers and the ruled. . .Perchance ameliorated exercising authority should take hold before democracy. We are liberalising, but it will take time, and one must bemachinated to hang in for anunyielding lug.

Democracy, good governance and development are greatly gibed by the solid political transmutations that have been bechancing in Bangladesh.

Quarry lake, Tahirpur, Bangladesh

In countries like us, where the democratisation cognitive operation is work-in-progress, the noetic engrossment has been to excogitate a severe or serious degree on how the dominant allele of political atmospheric condition can buoy surrogate efficacious borecole and sustainable maturation. It distinctions that the currently happening crusades on the democracy-good governance-development nexus are an outcome of the liberalised politicalnatural world that countenances duologue and meshing.

However, the news of unpleasant, unfortunate or sad events is that after about five decades of democratisation, the political leadership in the country is yet to clamshell with the development gainsay. It argues that the democratisation process has endured to the extent that the goal of good governance is not too far-fetched. Against the backdrop of subsisting reform policies, it may be said that the good governance melodic theme should be carefully weighed as work-in-progress. This work in progress must necessarily effloresce into an approximation of the forming a whole or aggregate hop field of Bangladeshs people.To this point, the societal democratic pick - one that can set in motion a democratisation process that places special importance or significance on the peoples combat-ready participation in the development of cognitive operation.

The democratisation process is work-in-progress, contemporary intellectual engrossment has been to manifest gravely on how the dominating political statuses can promote the growth of good governance and sustainable development. These ruminations are meant to provide a wealth of informationand absolutely essential to interrogate the democratisation process. Thus, contemporaneous argumentations on good governance and development became far-flung and extremely sharp or strongly felt following the kick-off of democratisation process in the Third World. In other words, the on-going exploits on this time-honoured articulate in many fields of societal development is extraordinarily excellent, beautiful or creative by the substantial political shifts that have taken place to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common in Bangladesh.

Although the major objectives of these transformations are orchestrated at sending away the cosmos and grapheme of political leadership, there is also the evenly of great significance attendant objective lens of reconstituting the system of political leadership such that can savoir-faire the human problem. The human discommode itself finds expression in the many development gainsays that have made it growingly unmanageable for individual and group self-actualisation.

This democratisation process hugs a whole lot of social alteration including, but not limited to democratisation of governance institutions, capacity building and institutional refilling, rearing andbraving out human relationship between the state, civil society and the organised private sector, promoting democratic good governance and interrogating the democratisation process in order to establish a reciprocally reinforcing link between good governance and sustainable development.

In democratising societies, the abstract vehicle that colligates the elements of social change delineated above is democratic practices which the political leadership must disperse widely across the institutional landscape of governance. Thus, democratised governance institutions would mean building institutions and rules that are not just efficient, but also fair, and that are developed through a democratic process in which all people have a genuine political vocalisation. Foremost among these institutions are; independent, but dependable electoral system to superintend democratic transition, and the institutionalisation of an enduring legislative system to provide the legal framework for democratic good governance.

The major reasons for hapless governance and bad politics are the personalised nature of rule, the failure of the state to advance and protect human rights, the tendency of fine gentleman individuals to withdraw from politics, and the extreme centralisation of power in the hands of few people. It may be pointed out also that democracy in our country has been badly hindered by many other ills which need to be addressed. Indeed,more economic liberalisation, empowering ordinary producers, may well be an aid to political democracy.

It is necessary to point out that the concepts of democracy and governance are interrelated. Good governance entails the efficient and effective reciprocity between rulers and the ruled, with it incumbent upon government to be responsive. . . It also entails the need for a broad consensus on values and procedures, the participation in the selection of ruling elites, and the accountability of leadership to the electorate. . . Both concepts are related to processes in society within the context of reciprocity. In most countries, the small number of individuals with power has managed to erode any semblance of accountability, legitimacy, democracy, and justice, which has been a basis of considerable disappointment to the planners, economists and policy makers who want governments to introduce a reasonable and collective attack on poverty, disease, illiteracy, and other challenges to development.

In the greater weighing, certain desperately needed elements of good governance should be identified, including popular participation in governance, accountability and transparency, the elimination of corruption, the protection of freedom of information and human rights, and the decentralisation and devolution of power.

Bangladeshs peopleacknowledge that development must be revamped by a trulydemocratic approach based on the true spirits achieved by our glorious Liberation War in 1971 and employing the energy and devotion of its people who can make development sustainable.

We affirm that nations cannot be built without the popular support and full participation of the peoplenor can the economic crisis be resolved and the human and economic conditions improved without the full and effective contribution, creativity, and popular enthusiasm of the vast majority of the people. After all, it is to the people that the very benefits of development should and must accrue. We are convinced that neither can Bangladesh's incessant economic crisis be overcome, nor can a bright future for it and its people see the light of day unless the structures, pattern, and political context of the process of socioeconomic development are appropriately altered.

The significance of ordinary people having power is important in any society moving towards democracy. When one examines existing democratic societies, one realises that they have succeeded primarily because they have involved people to help make it work. . . Also, they have empowered those engaged in democratic projects. In short, they have succeeded by giving voice to those who have been voiceless.

Poor governance adversely affects the efficient use of economic and social resources for development in a country like us. The misuse or diversion of assistance and domestic funds by corrupt officials, which was tolerated during the military regimes for more than 15 years which has still been remaining in force or being carried on without letupto receive support in the international system and this dingystatus has to besubbed by a newfangled special importance or significance on good governance.

-The End 

The writer is an independent political analyst based in Dhaka, Bangladesh who writes on politics, political and human-centred figures, current and international affairs.
Samsung Galaxy S21 series launch date has been announced. The South Korean tech giant will host the Galaxy Unpacked 2021 event on January 14. The company will unveil the Galaxy S21 Ultra and Galaxy 21+ alongside the Samsung Galaxy S21 at Unpacked 2021.

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2021: Samsung Galaxy S21 series launch date announced

Samsung Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Ultra, and Galaxy S21+ will be unveiled at the Unpacked 2021 event on January 14. The launch event is scheduled to begin at 8 pm EST. The Samsung Galaxy S21 series launch event will begin at 8.30 pm IST on the same date. The company will host a virtual Galaxy Unpacked 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic.

Samsung will announce the Galaxy S21 price at the launch event. The company is also expected to announce the Galaxy S21 price in India soon after the global unveiling.

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2021: What to expect from the Galaxy S21 launch event

Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, Galaxy S21 Ultra at the Unpacked 2021 event. Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 Ultra specifications are no mystery, courtesy of the N number of leaks available online.

You can click here to check the Galaxy S21 series price, specifications and other rumoured details.

The Galaxy S21 series India launch details could be announced soon after the global event. Rumours suggest that the Galaxy S21 sale in India will commence on January 29, with pre-orders going live on January 21.

A recent report stated that Samsungs largest store in the world, the Opera House store in Bengaluru, has already begun taking exclusive blind pre-orders for the Galaxy S21 series in India. You can pre-book one by paying Rs 2,000 in advance, and a select few customers will get their devices on the launch day itself.

Alongside, the company could also launch the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro. The upcoming truly wireless earbuds from Samsung are said to come with features like Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and 3D spatial audio.
US President Donald Trumps doomed attempts to overturn his electoral defeat to President-elect Joe Biden took a dramatic and potentially damaging twist after he was heard in a leaked audio pressing election officials in Georgia state, which he lost, to find him the votes he needed to win.

All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state, Trump said in the leaked recording of a phone call with Georgia state secretary of state Brad Raffensperger, a Republican. Other officials on the call included Trumps chief of staff Mark Meadows. Trump lost Georgia by 11,779 votes.

The recording was obtained and first reported by The Washington Post hours after Trump first reported the conversation that took place on Saturday, in a tweet, with his own spin on it. Raffensperger tweeted back shortly after disputing the presidents version.

The people of Georgia are angry, the people in the country are angry, Trump told Raffensperger in the conversation, adding, And theres nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, that youve recalculated.

Raffensperger responded: Well, Mr President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong.

Georgia has been a solidly Republican state that the president lost in a stunning upset, along with other swing states that put Biden easily across the finishing line in electoral college votes. He won 306 electoral college votes to Trumps 232; and secured 7 million more popular votes.

Theres no way I lost Georgia, Trump said. Theres no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes. For evidence, he offered conspiracy theories and numbers that have not withstood scrutiny. At one point, he cited the size of his election rallies, which attracted large number of supporters, to suggest he could not have lost.

Raffensperger and all other elected Republican officials in Georgia have withstood weeks of unrelenting pressure from the president, his lawyers and allies to change the election outcome. The audits and recounts, including one by hand, bore out the initial result, but Trump was not giving up.

The outgoing president and his allies have filed more than 60 lawsuits including in the swing states that he had lost by wider margins: Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada. The Trump camp lost almost all the cases including two in the Supreme Court, where a third of the justices are the presidents appointees.

The final chapter in his attempts to cling to power will be played out at a joint session of US Congress on Wednesday when lawmakers meet, as constitutionally tasked, to deliver the final certification of the election results reported by the states. At least 12 Republican senators and around 140 members of the House of Representatives have announced their intention to oppose the certification, but dont have the numbers, not even enough Republicans, to block it. It was not immediately known how the objectors will respond to the tape, which was seen by critics as an egregious attempt by the president to steal the election, with votes he did not win.

Also on Sunday, the outgoing president was rebuked jointly by 10 former defence secretaries, who had served both Republican and Democratic presidents. Our elections have occurred. Recounts and audits have been conducted. Appropriate challenges have been addressed by the courts. Governors have certified the results. And the electoral college has voted, they wrote. The time for questioning the results has passed; the time for the formal counting of the electoral college votes, as prescribed in the Constitution and statute, has arrived.
Denton, TX (76205)

Today

Partly cloudy with late night showers or thunderstorms. Low 69F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy with late night showers or thunderstorms. Low 69F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Of even greater importance is the need for Biden to seek balance in his priorities and not allow the fight against climate change to needlessly damage growth and destroy jobs. In recent years progressive Democrats seized on the idea of spending trillions in the form of a Green New Deal to combat global warming by reinventing much of the U.S. economy on the fly. It is a wildly expensive and unrealistic approach that Biden should avoid. He wobbled on his messaging during the campaign but steered clear of an endorsement.
Nancy Pelosi introduced her new "future-focused" rules for Congress that bans the "gendered" terms like father, mother, son daughter, and more.

On Jan. 1, the House Speaker unveiled her future-focused proposal for the 117th Congress that contains banning of gendered terms such as mother and father. The rules will take effect upon approval once the Congress convenes. Pelosi said she desires to make the House of Representatives the most inclusive in history.

A part of her 48-page proposed house rules says terms such as "father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, first cousin, nephew, niece, husband, wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, half brother, half-sister, grandson, or granddaughter" will be removed.

Pelosi specified that the more inclusive terms such as "parent, child, sibling, parent's sibling, first cousin, sibling's child, spouse, parent-in-law, child-in-law, sibling-in-law, stepparent, stepchild, stepsibling, half-sibling, or grandchild" will be used instead.

Backing her up in introducing the proposal is Chairman Jim McGovern. The Committee on Rules chairman together with the house speaker believes that the rules will reflect the views and values of what they described as a historically diverse House Democratic Party.

The proposal earned various reactions from the House. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) expressed his disgust over the proposal through a Twitter update, addressing himself as a father, a son, and a brother.

This is stupid.



Signed,



- A father, son, and brother https://t.co/bG9SlRAy6N  Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) January 2, 2021

The Twitter post gained public attention and more followers continue to talk and express their disappointment over what the people in the government are trying to impose. Others voiced out their grief while some calls out for other representatives to rise up in resistance.

McGovern immediately defended their stance on the matter after receiving various negative reactions to the proposal. He said the rules were only designed to be succinct and accurate. In a statement, he added that they are being inclusive and efficient, Breitbart reported.

Aside from eliminating what they described as non-inclusive words, the future-focused proposal also contains the creation of the Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth. As per the proposal, the committee will focus on the neutrality of the house when it comes to gender. It will require Congress to change pronouns and familial relationships to honor all gender identities.

Pelosi however clarified that the rule will not prohibit the house members from using gender-specific terms in addressing anyone at the Congress even when conducting business. The rules will apply to the text of specific sections referenced on House Rules.

The proposal also included a rule that prohibits any official that gets involved in election-related or public service-related cases from entering the House membership. Representatives will also be prohibited from revealing the names of whistleblowers and from spreading deep-fake style manipulated media.

If the rule gets approved once Congress convenes, people such as Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) will be affected. Hunter who was sentenced to 11 months imprisonment got recently pardoned. He was accused of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars of campaign cash, according to the Gateway Pundit.
Shes a Long Island girl with Italian roots. He hails from Burkina Faso, a West African country. Together, the flavors they create in their Greene County bakery  See and Be Kitchen  bridge their cultures, but the genre was nameless. Or rather, the name for the genre had yet to exist, until Chrissy Traore and Ben Salif Traore invented one themselves: Ita-frique.

That name, said Traore, blends Italy and Africa (or, Afrique, in Burkina Fasos official French) and mirrors the ideology she and Salif Traore have embraced in the bakery and kitchen they opened in February 2019. The results are lasagna, prepared in traditional Italian layers with the West African tomato onion sauce of Salif Traores homeland, and arborio bread, a staple at See and Be Kitchen that takes African porridge bread and substitutes Italian arborio rice as its base. All items at See and Be Kitchen are built on a foundation of collaboration, which started when the married couple first met in 2015.

We met over the mother, said Traore of that encounter with her now-husband. The mother she refers to is the sourdough yeast "mother" she spent months developing at Saraghina Bakery in Brooklyn, for which she used to make pizza dough. I tended this thing for months on end. I would go in on nights and weekends, on my days off, she said. Usually, the mother is doled out in small doses for each batch of dough and is replenished with regulated feedings of flour and water, but a prep cook had used all of the mother for a single batch of dough, and Traores months of hard work had disappeared. She was grief-stricken and panicked, wondering how to start over while still managing to make the batches of dough required for the 400 pizzas made for a night crush.

Though she and Salif Traore used the same mixer for their respective roles, they had never met. Ben was working when he saw her break into tears and instinctively hugged her. I owe you a beer, he told her, and shortly thereafter, he tricked me into a date, Traore said. What she thought would be a quick drink between colleagues became Salif Traore showing up in a suit to take her to a ritzy lounge. It was their first date, and the couple was soon inseparable.

The dedication to perfecting their products and a gritty knack for teamwork and support is the brand on which See and Be Kitchen was born. The world of baking comes as a second act for both Traore and Salif Traore; while her mother was a chef, Traore worked in advertising and was laid off in the 2008 economic recession. She took a job on an ice cream truck, which became managing a fleet of ice cream trucks for four years. She made enough money in the summers to stage (the culinary term for unpaid apprenticeship) at various New York City restaurants in the winter. He came to America to study finance at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and spent summers in New York City, where he had family. He worked in bars and restaurants and falling for life as a vienoissier (a person in charge of cold-prepared pastries, like croissant). Between the two of them, they have spent years working at notable establishments in the city like Robertas, Pizza Moto, The Dutch and Bien Cuit.

Traore took a job running kitchen operations for Westwind Orchard in Accord, which had the couple splitting time between the Hudson Valley and their home in Brooklyn. The high cost of living in Brooklyn and the lack of nonwork time together had them thinking about a permanent move out of New York City.

We looked at each other and said, Why do we do this? We looked upstate to see what we could afford. Greene County was aging out, and hopefully that meant that new things could come in, Traore said. They did not have a firm vision for what they wanted to create together, but finding a work-live space in the town of Cairo (See and Be Kitchen and the couples home are located next to each other on the same property) gave them hope for potential and helped carve an idea for what their venture could be.

As they built out the location for See and Be Kitchen, they worked out of a commissary kitchen to sell bakery products at Catskill Farmers Market to test out prospective products. We were able to find out what people liked. Does this sell better in our area? What would be acceptable in Greene County? said Traore. Doors opened in February 2019 with a menu that focused on seasonal items made from local ingredients with a few mainstays, like the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich made with everything bagel seasoning from nearby Rockerbox Spice Company. If you are going to have a sandwich with three ingredients, it has to be perfect, Traore said of the sandwich, served on a hard roll.

The choice to focus on seasonal, which can rapidly alter the menu, could be off-putting to loyal customers, but Traore said the approach serves two purposes: To expand creativity and limit boredom, while being mindful of environmental changes that can affect their products. Things are always a work in progress. Every ingredient is subject to a new phase of transformation, said Salif Traore. Keeping doughs at specific temperatures for correct rise is critical, he says, and the fluctuation of temperatures between seasons can alter how his outdoor wood oven hearth-style breads will bake. Adaptation, he said, is critical to success as a baker. Traore focuses more on flavors and the occasional pizza pop-up and keeps her menu fresh for a simple reason, she said. You get really burnt out doing the same thing over and over again. Its like an artist painting the same picture over and over again.

Midway through renovating the bakery space, the couple learned that Traore was expecting their first child  a son, who was born just as the bakery opened and will turn 2 in February. Traore said they wanted their space to have a welcoming feel, one that felt as though you were stepping into their own home kitchen. Raising a child while growing their business cemented the desire for that vibe, and the small porch, country setting and wood paneling throughout gives an informal feel to the business. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the service counter heaved with generous piles of breads and baked goods, but all service is now done outside from a small table where a staff member takes orders. Summer brought new popularity to See and Be Kitchen, as the pandemic led to a housing demand in the region for those hoping to escape New York Citys rising infection rates. The lawns surrounding the bakery became an expansive, natural dining room for baked goods and sandwiches while offering safe social distancing. Local people wanted to sit and talk and it became a community place. It was not a parking lot next to a road, Traore said, adding that the novelty of a rogue chicken coming up for a bite of an unattended sandwich was a cheery antidote for customers weary from pandemic conditions.

In the first two weeks of the pandemic, See and Be Kitchens wholesale business went from 14 accounts to zero. It was really scary as a business thats built on wholesale. We have a mortgage to pay and a kid, Traore said. She began selling baskets of produce from local farms, flour, yeast and other locally produced sundries to help keep local customers stocked with basic groceries and provide meager income for the business. By summer, they were able to hire a full-time employee to help manage bakery production, bringing the staff count up to six. Traore said the pressure to perform and lead the business through a global crisis was still pressing, however. It is really hard. I dont think people understand how hard it is to run a business, especially a small business. This is 24-7. It doesnt work to just hire people.

A bright side to the pandemic, said Traore, is the ability to refine the future of See and Be Kitchen. She intended to move towards offering more specialty local products and eventually open more micro locations, as she called them, while expanding the existing location with a retrofitted shipping container housing a new kitchen and cold room, which will allow the couple to grow their wholesale business. The loss of wholesale accounts at the start of the pandemic gave them room to narrow their targeted wholesale audience to those businesses with a similar mindset. We want a partnership, not a transactional relationship, Traore said of wholesale accounts.

See and Be Kitchen 512 NY-145, Cairo 518-719-9229, Seeandbekitchen@gmail.com seeandbekitchen.com See More Collapse

The crux of See and Be Kitchens ethos rests on a deep passion for connection. Part of it for me is sharing with people. You cant like food, you have to love food. And I love sharing with people, and I love teaching. This (job) checks all the boxes, said Traore. Even in times of great uncertainty, she has found peace in all her career provides her. Ive never worried about having food because Im surrounded by it. I may not have much but I do have food. And good food, she said. Her hope for the future of See and Be Kitchen is that that security continues for her family and that her work, alongside her husband, allows others to feel a quiet confidence knowing that their business will be there as a source of sustenance in the hardest times.

Deanna Fox is a food and agriculture journalist. www.foxonfood.com @DeannaNFox
A chalk board sign is seen on the street outside a testing centre staffed by British Army soldiers in Liverpool, on Nov. 10, 2020, during a city-wide mass testing pilot operation.(Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)

UK Military Helping Testing and Vaccine Rollout in Biggest Peacetime Operation

Over 5,000 members of the UK military are now involved in tackling the CCP virus, from testing to vaccine rollout, in what the Ministry of Defence describes as their biggest ever peacetime operation.

More members of the armed forces are now involved than during the previous spring peak of the pandemic.

On Monday, 800 soldiers from nine British Army regiments were deployed to Manchester to help carry out asymptomatic testing of certain groups who are more likely to catch the virussuch as social care staff, bus drivers, and care home workers.

The task builds on lessons from previous asymptomatic community testing in Liverpool, Lancashire, Merthyr Tydfil, Medway, and Kirklees, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

In addition to community testing, military personnel remain on-task testing hauliers in Dover and helping to establish ten new testing sites to improve the flow of traffic across the Channel.

Over 500 military personnel are helping provide testing to hauliers.

1,500 Armed Forces personnel have also been provided to support schools testing, with local response teams providing virtual support and phone advice to institutions, according to the Ministry.

The UK government started the rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on Monday in a race against a rising tide of infections that has been unchecked by recent national and local lockdown measures.

The governments scientific advisers attribute the uptick to the spread in the southeast of a new variant, which several preliminary studies suggest is transmitted around 40 to 70 percent more quickly.

A soldier assists a member of the public as they take a COVID-19 test in a booth before passing it to soldiers for processing at a testing centre set up in St Johns Market in Liverpool, northwest England on Nov. 11, 2020, during a city-wide mass testing pilot operation. (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

The military has also been lending its logistical prowess to vaccine rollout, directly advising the national Vaccine Task Force, and providing over 150 personnel deployed to support organisational and logistical components of the vaccine Deployment Programme.

From Monday, an additional 390 military personnel will support testing in Kent, 205 personnel will set up and operate lateral flow test sites in Swadlincote, Derbyshire, and Kirklees, Yorkshire, and 420 will support asymptomatic testing in Lancashire.

Around one in three people with coronavirus showing no symptoms, asymptomatic testing is crucial to identifying those who might be unknowingly infected, and protecting our most vulnerable, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in a statement.

These community testing schemes are part of a national testing programme with millions of lateral flow tests arriving in schools tomorrow, for the testing of students and staff, to add to the hundreds of thousands of asymptomatic tests currently being conducted in care homes, across the NHS and in critical infrastructure workplaces and food manufacturers.

The weekly average death toll from the virus has risen by 24 percent in the last week, with 454 deaths reported for Jan. 3, and the number of cases has risen by 47 percent, according to the latest official data. Hospital admissions for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus have risen by 20 percent over the same week.
All the necessary technical conditions are in place to begin swift mass vaccinations against Covid-19 in Hungary once vaccines are delivered in larger quantities, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a radio interview.

Hungary currently has enough vaccines to inoculate 35,000 people, Orban told public broadcaster Kossuth Radio, noting that health-care workers are the first to get the Covid shot under the governments vaccination plan.



In the event that the country would suddenly have access to millions of vaccines, the shots would be administered at over 10,000 locations, Orban said, adding that the vaccinations would take place at the regular electoral polling stations.



He added, however, that Hungary is not expected to receive millions of vaccines in the foreseeable future, as not even the vaccine producers are in the position to project when they will be able to ship more doses or how many.



Orban also said he would not want to speculate as to how quickly Hungary would be receiving more vaccines.



If we have a lot of vaccines, well vaccinate a lot of people quickly, but if they arrive at a slower pace, then the vaccinations will also be slower and fewer people will get the shot, he said.



Hungary managed to rein in the second wave of the pandemic and now a third one must be prevented, he said.





MTI Photo: Peter Komka
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 4) President Rodrigo Duterte lauded the members of his security group even after taking unauthorized COVID-19 vaccines, his spokesman said on Monday, stressing anew that the personnel only wanted to ensure the chief executives protection from the virus.

Ang mensahe po nila ay malinaw: Magpapakamatay po sila para sa presidente, para bigyan siya ng proteksyon, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in his online media briefing.

Nagbibigay-pugay po ang presidente sa ginawa ng PSG [Presidential Security Group]," Roque added. "Isinugal po nila ang kanilang buhay para bigyan ng proteksyon. Maraming salamat sa inyong katapatan, sa inyong katapangan.

[Translation: Their message is clear: They are ready to die for the President, just to give him protection. The President is praising them for this. They risked their lives just to give him protection. Thank you very much for your service, for your bravery.]

Various government agencies including the Food and Drug Administration and Bureau of Customs said they will investigate the entry of the smuggled, unregistered coronavirus vaccines in the country, following the revelation that members of the PSG took some shots sans regulatory approval.

The Senate is also set to launch a probe next week, with Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon calling on the leadership of the PSG to attend the hearing and shed light on the issue.

READ: Robredo to gov't: No more cover-ups, be accountable for unauthorized vaccination

Roque assured the PSG would be ready to answer allegations and face possible penalties over the activity.

Haharap ba sila sa mga imbestigasyon? Syempre po. Wala po tayong tinatago, Roque pointed out. Wala pong takot ang ating mga PSG kung papatawan sila ng parusa.

If theres whatever accountability issue, sasagutin po yan ng PSG. Kung may kaso, let the cases be filed and let them proceed, he stressed.

[Translation: Will they face investigation? Of course. Were not hiding anything. Our PSG are not scared of penalties. If theres whatever accountability issue, the PSG will answer that. If there would be cases, let the cases be filed and let them proceed.]

Meanwhile, Roque disclosed that the Palace has not yet received information regarding the reported vaccination of some Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGO workers in the country.
Just when Matt James thought his morning couldnt get any more hectic, his blender got in the way.

Read article

The new Bachelor, 29, appeared on Good Morning America on Monday, January 4, to promote the season 25 premiere of the ABC reality dating series. During the interview, he revealed that he had an accident in the kitchen of his New York City apartment while getting ready for his big day.

Im trying to stay in shape, Im making a smoothie, Im trying to clean my blender, he told GMAs T.J. Holmes after holding up his bandaged finger to the camera. It mightve been samurai swords that were the blenders cause I didnt even feel [it]. I touched the blade and Im dripping blood everywhere.

GMA

With a laugh, the journalist, 43, assured viewers that James was all right, adding, Its a new season of The Bachelor. You might be a little nervous this morning.

Read article

Throughout the interview, Holmes tried to get the real estate broker to spoil  or at least tease  the ending of his season, but James refused to budge.

You in love, my man? the TV host asked, to which North Carolina native quickly replied, Yall are putting me on blast already!

ABC announced in June 2020 that James would lead the 25th season of The Bachelor, making him the franchises first Black male lead. (Rachel Lindsay became the first Black Bachelorette in 2017.)

Its an honor, he said on GMA at the time. Im just going to lean into myself and how my mom raised me, and hopefully when people invite me into their homes on Monday nights, theyre going to see that Im not much different from them and they see that diverse love stories are beautiful.

Read article

The Wake Forest University graduate  who is best friends with former Bachelorette Hannah Browns runner-up, Tyler Cameron, and was originally set to compete on Clare Crawleys season of The Bachelorette this year  began filming his run as the Bachelor in September at the Nemacolin Resort in Farmington, Pennsylvania. Production wrapped in November.

ABC/Billy Kidd

Ahead of Mondays premiere, Chris Harrison exclusively told Us Weekly that James had a bit of a rude awakening on set. However, the host, 49, promised that the reality star had an amazing journey  not just as the Bachelor but also as this man who realizes, Wow, OK, this is love and this is what it means and Im really here to find this.

The Bachelor season 25 premieres on ABC Monday, January 4, at 8 p.m. ET.
[January 04, 2021] GBT - Address Changed

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GBT Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK: GTCH) ("GBT, or the Company), announced that effective immediately it has moved its corporate offices.

The Companys new address is: GBT Technologies Inc.

2450 Colorado Ave.

Suite 100E

Santa Monica, CA 90404 Telephone: 888-685-7336 GBT would like to take this opportunity to wish its shareholders and followers a HAPPY NEW YEAR. About Us GBT Technologies, Inc. (OTC PINK: GTCH) (GBT) (http://gbtti.com) is a development stage company which considers itself a native of Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Enabled Mobile Technology Platforms used to increase IC performance. GBT has assembled a team with extensive technology expertise and is building an intellectual property portfolio consisting of many patents. GBTs mission, to license the technology and IP to synergetic partners in the areas of hardware and software. Once commercialized, it is GBTs goal to have a suite of products including smart microchips, AI, encryption, Blockchain, IC design, mobile security applications, database management protcols, with tracking and supporting cloud software (without the need for GPS). GBT envisions this system as a creation of a global mesh network using advanced nodes and super performing new generation IC technology. The core of the system will be its advanced microchip technology; technology that can be installed in any mobile or fixed device worldwide. GBTs vision is to produce this system as a low cost, secure, private-mesh-network between any and all enabled devices. Thus, providing shared processing, advanced mobile database management and sharing while using these enhanced mobile features as an alternative to traditional carrier services.



Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors as disclosed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission located at their website ( http://www.sec.gov). In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic conditions, governmental and public policy changes, the Companys ability to raise capital on acceptable terms, if at all, the Companys successful development of its products and the integration into its existing products and the commercial acceptance of the Companys products. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of the press release.

Contact:

Mansour Khatib, CEO

press@gopherprotocol.com



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Presents delivered to Hillcrest Commons for the facility's residents. Food from Patrick's Pub and Ottos's was delivered to the facility. PreviousNext

Hillcrest Commons Extends Thanks to Community for Support



Signs of support outside the nursing home hit hard by COVID-19.

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Staff and residents of Hillcrest Commons said they wanted to extend the warmest of thank-yous to Berkshire County for the outpouring of support they have received this holiday season.

The nursing and rehabilitation center received more than 20 different forms of support from community members such as gifts, cards, food deliveries, caroling outside of residents' windows, and a parade around the building.



"I believe that Berkshire County is a special place and the last month has just reinforced that belief," said Marjorie Laurin, marketing communications coordinator at Berkshire Healthcare.

Kristen Vella Williams coordinated the donation of hundreds of gifts from her and other volunteers this year. Williams has been doing this for about seven years and, in pre-COVID times, a small holiday party would be held for the residents where they would receive the gifts.



Admissions and Marketing Director Deirdre Tozer-Hayes said Williams and fellow volunteers went above and beyond, breaking their own record for providing the largest amount of gifts that were specific to the needs of residents such as slippers, new pants, or an object of interest.



"I was blown away by actually how much support she brought us," Tozer-Hayes said, "When I say presents, it was not just one present, it was bags of gifts for them."



Each resident received a gift this year, and some without great family support were gifted more than once. A gentleman lacking family support received a full wardrobe from the volunteers, including LL Bean slippers.



Gifted items also included hand-crocheted blankets, socks, activities, and stuffed animals. All gifts were quarantined before being handed out by Hillcrest's own Santa Claus, Activities Director Wally Valenti.



Valenti, who has experience as a professional actor and musician, said this allowed him to have some fun during a dark period at the facility.



"It's very rewarding for us as well as staff at Hillcrest Commons, we're also dealing with a lot of stuff, too, so it makes the days a little bit more bearable sometimes when you just go out of your comfort zone and do something for others," Valenti said. "It's always helped me and it's always made me feel better when I help someone else. That's what we try to do each and every day here."



Taconic High School's marketing class raised funds from hundreds of Pittsfield residents that were used to bring holiday hope and help local restaurants. In turn, the group arranged for 200 meals for two from Patrick's Pub and Otto's to be delivered to staff at Hillcrest Commons.



Taconic health tech students also delivered chocolate and a card for staff with personal quotes and good wishes.



Hillcrest Common's 11 to 7 shift was even considered, as Jessica Ruffo and her family delivered wraps for the overnight workers.



Hundreds of cards were sent to staff and residents.

Hillcrest Commons Is one of the largest skilled nursing centers in the state and was the among last in Massachusetts the be touched by COVID-19. The facility suffered a devastating loss of 42 residents in the last months of the year and 75 percent of residents were infected along with many staff members.



Over the past month, a team of clinical nurses has dedicated the time to providing outreach to families concerned for their loved ones. This includes facilitating Facetime visits and giving family members updates since visitation is not allowed at this time.



This was a heavy burden for residents and staff alike to carry, but the outpouring of support was in some ways a light at the end of a dark tunnel that concluded 2020, they said.



"With everything that's happened, it's been a real blessing for us," Laurin said. "In health care, you're not doing this for the money, you're doing this to take care of our most vulnerable population and I think that in the beginning it was tough but then the community caught on and we just couldn't offer enough ways for them to provide support. It's been pretty special."



Tozer-Hayes, Laurin, and Valenti agreed that food and showing care and support have been extremely helpful to staff because they are working tirelessly, wearing face masks and shields even in the privacy of their own offices.



"It's been a wonderful experience in a lot of different perspectives and some of the most challenging experiences on the flip side, I just look for wonderful days ahead, and just taking care of our residents and getting back to whatever normal will be," Valenti said.



"I couldn't think of a better group to work with during this difficult time to get through," Tozer-Hayes added. "there were very dark days but knowing that you are side by side with somebody who cares as much as you do and is doing all they can is very important, and I feel lucky that this is where I work and what I do."
Edinburgh Zoos giant pandas may have to return to China next year at the end of a 10-year contract with the Chinese government due to financial pressures.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which runs both Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park, faced enormous financial pressure when it was forced to close for three months during the summer.

Spending about 1m a year to lease the pair, which the zoo had hoped to breed, David Field, chief executive of the society, says the charity will have to seriously consider every potential saving including their giant panda contract.

Mr Field said: The closure of Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park for three months due to Covid-19 has had a huge financial impact on our charity because most of our income comes from our visitors.

Although our parks are open again, we lost around 2m last year and it seems certain that restrictions, social distancing and limits on our visitor numbers will continue for some time, which will also reduce our income.

Recommended National Zoo extends panda deal with China through 2023

We have done all we can to protect our charity by taking a government loan, furloughing staff where possible, making redundancies where necessary and launching a fundraising appeal.

The support we have received from our members and animal lovers has helped to keep our doors open and we are incredibly grateful.

The zoo was not eligible for the governments zoo fund, which was aimed at smaller zoos.

Mr Field added: We have to seriously consider every potential saving and this includes assessing our giant panda contract and the cost of their daily care.

At this stage, it is too soon to say what the outcome will be. We will be discussing next steps with our colleagues in China over the coming months.

The zoo is part of a number of conservation projects, including one to reintroduce Scottish wildcats.

However, Mr Field said projects like that may also have to be scrapped due to Brexit and being unable to apply for grants from the EU.

Mr Field said: We received a 3.2m grant from the EU Life programme to support our Saving Wildcats partnership project, which aims to restore wildcats in Scotland by breeding and releasing them into the wild.

Wildcats are on the brink of extinction in Britain and this is the last hope for the species' survival.

Recommended Two critically endangered wildcats born at Edinburgh Zoo

As we are no longer part of the European Union, our charity is no longer eligible to apply for funding from programmes like EU Life, which have proven critical for our wildlife conservation work and wider efforts to protect animals from extinction.

We have a leading conservation genetics laboratory at Edinburgh Zoo which supports conservation projects around the world, and suddenly access to both funding and other researchers for this cutting-edge science has disappeared.

While the full impact is yet to be seen, we are also facing increased challenges around moving animals between zoos, many of which are part of important European endangered species breeding programmes.

The programme is currently about 900,000 short, meaning it may have to be cancelled.

Mr Field said: We still need to reduce costs to secure our future. It may be that some of our incredibly important conservation projects, including the vital lifeline for Scotlands wildcats, may have to be deferred, postponed or even stopped.

Yang Guang and Tian Tian have made a tremendous impression on our visitors over the last nine years, helping millions of people connect to nature and inspiring them to take an interest in wildlife conservation.

I would love for them to be able to stay for a few more years with us and that is certainly my current aim.

PA Scotland
Frequent travelers are about 7% happier than people who dont travel at all, according to a study carried out in Taiwan.

Dr. Chun-Chu Chen and colleagues from Washington State University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Texas A&M University conducted a survey to find out whether frequent travelers are more satisfied with their life as well as why these individuals travel more frequently than others.

They found that individuals who pay more attention to tourism-related information and frequently discuss their travel plans with friends are more likely to go on regular vacations than those who arent constantly thinking about their next trip.

Additionally, participants in the survey who reported regularly traveling at least 120 km (75 miles) away from home also reported being about 7% happier when asked about their overall well-being than those who reported traveling very rarely or not at all.

While things like work, family life and friends play a bigger role in overall reports of well-being, the accumulation of travel experiences does appear to have a small yet noticeable effect on self-reported life satisfaction, said Dr. Chen, a researcher in the School of Hospitality Business Management at Washington State University.

It really illustrates the importance of being able to get out of your routine and experience new things.

The participants were asked about the importance of travel in their lives, how much time they spent looking into and planning future vacations, and how many trips they went on over a year. They were also asked about their perceived life satisfaction.

Out of the 500 Taiwanese respondents, a little over half reported going on more than four pleasure trips a year. Only 7% of respondents did not take any vacations.

This research shows the more people talk about and plan vacations the more likely they are to take them, Dr. Chen said.

If you are like me and chomping at the bit to get out of dodge and see someplace new, this research will hopefully be some additional good motivation to start planning your next vacation.

The findings were published in the journal Tourism Analysis.

_____

Chun-Chu Chen et al. Would you be more satisfied with your life if you travel more frequently? Tourism Analysis, published online December 5, 2020; doi: 10.3727/108354220X16072200013427
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), through its subsidiary Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, in a petition mentioned to be filed in Punjab and Haryana High Court today, has sought urgent intervention of Government authorities to bring a complete stop to illegal acts of vandalism by miscreants, said RIL.

These acts of violence have endangered the lives of thousands of its employees and caused damage and disruption to the vital communications infrastructure, sales and service outlets run by its subsidiaries in the two states, RIL said in a media statement.

The miscreants indulging in vandalism have been instigated and aided by vested interests and our business rivals. Taking advantage of the ongoing farmers' agitation near the national capital, these vested interests have launched an incessant, malicious and motivated vilification campaign against Reliance, which has absolutely no basis in truth, it said.

ALSO READ: COAI condemns sabotaging telecom infra, disrupting services for protest

The falsehood of the campaign becomes crystal clear from the following irrefutable facts, which we have placed before the Honourable High Court. These facts establish that Reliance has nothing whatsoever to do with the three farm laws currently debated in the country, and in no way benefits from them. As such, the sole nefarious purpose of linking the name of Reliance to these laws is to harm our businesses and damage our reputation, said RIL.

"Reliance Retail Limited (RRL), Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL), or any other affiliate of our parent company, i.e., Reliance Industries Limited have not done any 'corporate' or 'contract' farming in the past, and have absolutely no plans to enter this business," RIL said in its statement.

Neither Reliance nor any of our subsidiaries has purchased any agricultural land, directly or indirectly, in Punjab/Haryana or anywhere else in India, for the purpose of "corporate" or "contract" farming. We have absolutely no plans to do so, it added.

ALSO READ: Tower damage case: Airtel, VIL say Jio's charges against them false

Reliance Retail is an unmatched leader in organised retail business in India. It retailsproducts of all categories including food grains and staples, fruits and vegetables, items of daily use, apparels, medicines, electronic products of various brands belonging to independent manufacturers and suppliers in the country. It does not purchase any food grains directly from farmers, according to RIL.

It has never entered into long-term procurement contracts to gain unfair advantage over farmers or sought that its suppliers buy from farmers at less than remunerative prices, nor will it ever do so.

"We at Reliance have immense gratitude and the greatest respect for India's kisans, who are the 'ANNA DATA' of 1.3 billion Indians. Reliance and its affiliates are committed to doing everything to enrich and empower them. As customers of their services, we believe in building a strong and equal partnership with Indian farmers on the basis of shared prosperity, inclusive development and an equitable New India," said RIL.

Therefore, Reliance and its affiliates fully share and support the aspiration of Indianfarmers to get a fair and profitable price on a predictable basis for what they produce with exemplary hard work, innovation and dedication. Reliance seeks significant augmentation of their incomes on a sustainable basis, and pledges to work towards this goal.

Indeed, we shall insist on our suppliers to strictly abide by the Minimum Support Price(MSP) mechanism, and/or any other mechanism for a remunerative price for farmproduce, as may be determined and implemented by the government, RIL added.

Far from hurting the interests of Indian farmers, the businesses of Reliance have actually benefited them and the Indian public at large.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.

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Tesla owners will be paid $ 16,000 each due to slow charging

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Covishield: DCGI grants permission to Serum Institute of India to manufacture its COVID-19 vaccine

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Jan 04: Drugs Controller General of India (DCGGI) on Monday granted permission to Serum Institute of India to manufacture its COVID-19 vaccine 'Covishield'.

The manufacturer of the Covishield vaccine, plans to charge a special price of 200 per dose for the first 100 million shots that it supplies to the government, chief executive Adar Poonawalla said.

The company plans to price the vaccine at 1,000 per dose in the open market, once it is allowed to do so by the government, Poonawalla said in a telephonic interview.

Poonawalla further said that Serum Institute was in the process of signing a larger contract with COVAX for 300 million-400 million doses of the vaccine.

That is apart from two existing orders of 100 million doses each for the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, and another one from Novovax. He said the deal would be finalized in the coming weeks.

On Sunday, Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved Covishield and Bharat Biotech''s Covaxin for restricted emergency use.

Covaxin gets nod for trials on children above 12 years | Oneindia News

"Happy new year, everyone! All the risks @SerumInstIndia took with stockpiling the vaccine, have finally paid off. COVISHIELD, India''s first COVID-19 vaccine is approved, safe, effective and ready to roll-out in the coming weeks," SII CEO Adar Poonawalla said in a tweet.

The company has already stockpiled around 50 million dosages of the vaccine and aims to produce up to 100 million dosages per month by March next year.

The approval by the DCGI was given on the basis of recommendations submitted by a COVID-19 subject expert committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).

This paves the way for the roll-out of at least two vaccines in India in the coming days.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has already been approved by the UK government.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, January 4, 2021, 10:47 [IST]
Not all screen time is bad  after all, many students last year attended school via video conferencing apps. So Step One is assessing which parts of screen time feel toxic and make you unhappy. That could be reading the news or scrolling through Twitter and Facebook. Step Two is creating a realistic plan to minimise consumption of the bad stuff. You could set modest goals, such as a time limit of 20 minutes a day for reading news on weekends. If that feels doable, shorten the time limit and make it a daily goal. Repetition will help you form new habits. That's easier said than done. Adam Gazzaley, a neuroscientist and co-author of the book The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World, recommended creating calendar events for just about everything, including browsing the web and taking breaks. This helps create structure. For example, you could block off 8am to read the news for 10 minutes, and 20 minutes from 1pm for riding the exercise bike. If you feel tempted to pick up your phone during your exercise break, you would be aware that any screen time would be violating the time you dedicated to exercise. Most important, treat screen time as if it were a piece of candy that you occasionally allow yourself to indulge. Don't think of it as taking a break as that may do the opposite of relaxing you.

"Not all breaks are created equal," Gazzaley said. "If you take a break and go into social media or a news program, it can get hard to get out of that rabbit hole." Loading Create no-phone zones We need to recharge our phones overnight, but that doesn't mean the devices need to be next to us while we sleep. Many studies have shown that people who keep phones in their bedrooms sleep more poorly, according to Twenge. Smartphones are harmful to our slumber in many ways. The blue light from screens can trick our brains into thinking it's daytime, and some content we consume  especially news  can be psychologically stimulating and keep us awake. So it's best not to look at phones within an hour before bed. What's more, the phone's proximity could tempt you to wake up and check it in the middle of the night.

"My No. 1 piece of advice is no phones in the bedroom overnight  this is for adults and teens," Twenge said. "Have a charging station outside the bedroom." Outside of our bedrooms, we can create other No-Phone Zones. The dinner table, for example, is a prime opportunity for families to agree to put phones away for at least 30 minutes and reconnect. Resist the hooks Tech products have designed many mechanisms to keep us glued to our screens. Facebook and Twitter, for example, made their timelines so that you could scroll endlessly through updates, maximising the amount of time you spend on their sites. Adam Alter, a marketing professor at New York University's Stern School of Business and author of the book Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked, said that tech companies employed techniques in behavioural psychology that make us addicted to their products.

He highlighted two major hooks: Artificial goals. Similar to video games, social media sites create goals to keep users engaged. Those include the number of likes and followers we accrue on Facebook or Twitter. The problem? The goals are never fulfilled. Loading Friction-free media. YouTube automatically plays the next recommended video, not to mention the never-ending Facebook and Twitter scrolling. "Before there was a natural end to every experience," like reading the last page of a book, he said. "One of the biggest things tech companies have done was to remove stopping cues." What to do? For starters, we can resist the hooks by making our phones less intrusive. Turn off notifications for all apps except those that are essential for work and keeping in touch with people you care about. If you feel strongly addicted, take an extreme measure and turn the phone to grayscale mode, Alter said.
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Jaishankar to visit Sri Lanka tomorrow, will take up release of Indian fishermen

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 04: External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar will travel to Sri Lanka on Tuesday. During his visit, he is expected to take up the release of the Indian fishermen apprehended last mont.

The visit is an important one and comes at a time when Colombo has signalled several times that India is a priority. In November, National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval and visited Sri Lanka for the trilateral discussion on maritime cooperation and security with Colombo and Male.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's administration has emphasised that its ''India-First'' policy, which resonates well with India''s ''Neighbourhood First'' policy, would be the cornerstone of Colombo''s outreach to New Delhi.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa travelled to India in February on his first official trip abroad after being appointed to the office by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his younger brother.

Weeks ago in November 2019, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had travelled to India in his first overseas tour after taking over the reins of Sri Lanka. During his visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced financial assistance of USD 450 million to Sri Lanka including USD 50 million to fight terrorism.

In September this year, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who won the general elections in August, held a "very successful" virtual summit with his Indian counterpart during which he praised Prime Minister Modi for extending help and cooperation to Sri Lanka in several areas, including in combating the pandemic.

"We both agreed to continue the two-way dialogue to further advance the centuries-old, robust relationship between our two countries," Mahinda tweeted after the talks.

He recalled the joint Indo-Lanka effort in handling the oil tanker fire off Sri Lanka''s east coast and said he was thankful to India for its assistance.

Sri Lanka is not averse to giving India the control of the Colombo harbour's eastern container terminal operation with a joint venture with Japan.

Both the president and the prime minister have told the agitating port trade unionists, who remain opposed to the deal, that the previous Sirisena government''s memorandum of cooperation on the Colombo port''s eastern terminal cannot be reversed. This was perhaps the first wheel in motion on the ''India-First'' policy.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval visited Colombo in November for a trilateral maritime dialogue among India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The meeting took place after six years. The last meeting was held in New Delhi in 2014. It was Doval''s second official visit to Sri Lanka in 2020. In January, he visited Colombo and discussed a range of bilateral issues with the president.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, January 4, 2021, 16:43 [IST]
TULSA, Okla., Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Samson Resources II, LLC ("Samson" or the "Company") announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement under which Samson will sell all of its Powder River Basin assets to an undisclosed buyer for $215 million in an all-cash transaction. The Company exited 2020 producing approximately 8,500 barrels of oil equivalent per day (75% oil) from the Powder River Basin. The sale is expected to close on or around March 4, 2021 and will have a January 1, 2021 effective date. Following the closing, the Company will have divested substantially all of its upstream assets. The Company's only remaining upstream oil and gas assets will consist of approximately 24,000 net leasehold acres, 23,000 net mineral acres and 40 non-operated wells, all located in East Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, which the Company anticipates divesting in early 2021.

Using proceeds from the sale, the Company will pay off approximately $13 million in debt under its existing reserve-based credit facility and make a cash distribution to its unitholders. The details of the distribution are expected to be announced in early March 2021.

Joseph A. Mills, President and CEO of the Company stated, "We are very pleased to announce the sale of our Powder River Basin assets. When this sale closes, it will conclude the four-year process of monetizing Samson's assets and delivering a strong cash return to our equity owners following our emergence from bankruptcy in March 2017."

Following the closing, the Company, which was started by Charles Schusterman in 1971, will begin the process of winding down its affairs and moving toward final dissolution.

Jefferies LLC is Samson's exclusive financial advisor and led the marketing process for the Powder River basin assets. Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP acted as legal counsel to Samson. Samson is a privately held onshore exploration and production company headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. For more information, please visit our website at www.samson.com.

SOURCE Samson Resources II, LLC

Related Links

http://www.samson.com


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a point to check the popularity of former IDF chief of staff and current Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, especially since Ashkenazi left the Israel Defense Forces in 2011. Netanyahu was worried that Ashkenazi would dive into politics and run against him for prime minister. After all, he was one of the most popular chiefs of staff in the countrys history.

Ashkenazi was courted by the center-left, desperate to find its next leader. Renowned for having rebuilt the IDF after the devastating Second Lebanon War, he was also a rugged man of the people who appealed to Israelis across the political spectrum. He was so popular that local mayors named streets and squares after him.

He also espoused an interesting political philosophy. His bold ideas stood in sharp contrast to Netanyahus refusal to negotiate with the Palestinians. For instance, in December 2012, the United Nations General Assembly made history by granting Palestine observer nation status. While Netanyahu condemned the UN decision, Ashkenazi described it as an opportunity.

I believe we need a Jewish and democratic state for the Jewish people, and if we want to preserve that we must separate from the Palestinians," he said. "And if there is no partner, Israel must declare the borders of its Jewish home and operate accordingly. His remarks were quoted extensively in the media amid assessments that Ashkenazi was using the opportunity to launch his political career. But Ashkenazi met with political leaders and decided to remain in the business sector.

For years, he continued to be a political promise left unfulfilled. He flirted with the idea of entering the ring before every election, but always stepped back at the last moment. It was not until two years ago, with the creation of the Blue and White party, that he accepted the partys number-four spot. That party almost brought down Netanyahu and won the overwhelming support of the center-left electorate in three consecutive elections.

It seemed the Blue and White would launch Ashkenazis political career, even if he wasnt at the top of the list. Last May, he took over the Israeli Foreign Ministry as part of the coronavirus coalition. He was in a strategic position to one day replace party chair Benny Gantz and run for the position of prime minister himself.

With his appointment as foreign minister, it seemed as if Ashkenazis breakout moment had finally arrived. As chief of staff, he paid numerous visits to the United States and met with top officials in the government and the Defense Department. He was known and admired in both the Pentagon and the White House.

But in Netanyahus deeply divided government, he struggled to lead. Netanyahu kept the news of the impending peace agreement with the United Arab Emirates from him and Gantz and continued to operate behind their backs in the ensuing diplomatic developments with other Arab states. Netanyahu insisted on going alone to Washington to attend the signing of the Abraham Accords at the White House. His foreign minister was left behind.

As Gantz lost popularity in the polls, voters expected Ashkenazi to take dramatic action. They were disappointed. When he announced that he'd given up over Twitter, it brought down the entire Blue and White Party, including its leader Gantz.

Ashkenazi confirmed rumors that were already circulating the political arena in a Dec. 30 tweet.. Ashkenazi wrote he had decided not to run for the next Knesset with the Blue and White Party and that he was taking a break from politics to consider his next steps. Ashkenazi was deliberately vague about his plans.

Gantz continues to grip the wheel as his Blue and White party crumbles around him. Eight members left the party in the last week alone. Ashkenazi will continue serving as foreign minister, but only until a new government is sworn in.

Ashkenazi disappeared from the public eye after his dramatic announcement. While he still shows up in his office in the Foreign Ministry, he wont give any interviews and wont speak publicly. He wont even take journalists phone calls.

To his credit, it must be said that he showed magnanimity and courtesy toward Gantz. Relations between the two men must have been tense, especially over the past two weeks. Ashkenazi may have had much to complain about, but he has not attacked Gantz in the media. Senior Blue and White officials tell Al-Monitor that Ashkenazi believes Gantz hasnt been firm enough with Netanyahu. Ashkenazis associates expressed regret that he did not react more decisively when Gantz started crashing in polls. He could have taken the chance to show leadership and turned it into an opportunity to replace Gantz. Instead, he remained passive and cloistered himself in his office.

What will his legacy be? Ashkenazi had a small impact on the Foreign Ministry and on Israeli politics writ large. The man who was described as having sharply honed political senses back when he was chief of staff and fostered close relationships with ministers as well as the countrys leading journalists folded when put to the test. He turned out to be thin-skinned. He didnt want to deal with petty politics, or perhaps he didnt know how.

It turns out that public support alone is not enough to rise to the prime ministers office  certainly not when the fight pits him against the countrys wiliest politician. The impacts of the loss are enormous: Ashkenazi's departure signals the end of an entire political camp that pinned its hopes on him and his party. When Ashkenazi failed to seize his big chance, his followers discovered that their bold and rugged hero is not a political leader.
As the U.S. COVID-19 death toll surpassed 350,000 Sunday, President Trump claimed the countrys fatality count toll was far exaggerated, an assertion that was quickly refuted by the nations top infectious-diseases expert.

The deaths are real deaths, Dr. Anthony Fauci said in an ABC interview. Thats not fake.

Trump also suggested Sunday on Twitter that states, not the federal government, bore responsibility for a vaccine rollout lagging expectations. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti countered Trumps assertion, saying states and municipalities had been denied crucial resources to move ahead more expeditiously.

We have not been delivered what was promised at the national level, Garcetti said on CBS Face the Nation. The federal government, he added, cant tell the local governments and state governments to do something and not give us aid.

As a dreaded surge of post-holiday infections began to materialize in California and in other U.S. hotspots, public health experts warned that the first month of 2021 could be even worse than December, which was the pandemics deadliest month to date.

Theres no running away from the numbers, Fauci said on ABCs This Week.

Separately, on NBCs Meet the Press, Fauci said: It could and likely will get worse in the next couple of weeks, or at least maintain this very terribly high level of infections that were seeing.

Were going to see the epidemic probably peak at some point this month, concurred Scott Gottlieb, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner under Trump who was interviewed on Face the Nation.

The United States has by far the worlds highest number of confirmed infections, more than 20 million, along with the highest number of reported deaths, which exceeded the bleak threshold of 350,000 early Sunday, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.

California accounts for more than 2 million infections and 26,500 deaths, with Southern California as an epicenter.

Were seeing a person every six seconds contract COVID-19 here in Los Angeles County, Garcetti said. The mayor attributed the surge to population density and spread within households. He warned that people with underlying conditions accounted for a still-high but falling share of fatalities, suggesting that the risk to the general population was growing.

My message to everybody, Garcetti said, is that this is not only going to come for somebody that you love  this is going to possibly come for you.

The virus unrelenting spread coincides with unprecedented political turmoil surrounding Trumps refusal to accept his loss in the November election. The 117th Congress convened Sunday, but two incoming Republican members, including Rep. David Valadao of Hanford, had to stay away after testing positive for the coronavirus.

Another GOP congressman-elect, Luke Letlow of Louisiana, died at age 41 last week after falling ill with COVID-19. His seat will be filled in a special election.

The convening of Congress came three days before lawmakers were set to tally electoral college votes, usually a perfunctory task. Trump, who made an early return last week to the White House from his Mar-a-Lago resort, voiced fresh encouragement Sunday for congressional allies seeking to obstruct the proceedings in a bid to overturn the election result  an effort that has almost no chance of preventing President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration Jan. 20.

The president also retweeted posts calling on his supporters to stage demonstrations in the capital as the congressional count was taking place. Last month, pro-Trump protests by far-right groups triggered scattered violence.

I will be there, Trump tweeted. Historic day!

In the weeks since the election, Trump has rarely mentioned the coronavirus, except in the context of his grievances about how the public health crisis is depicted in official reports and news stories. On Sunday, the president again complained on Twitter about his governments ridiculous method of determination for counting fatalities.

Trumps surgeon general, Dr. Jerome Adams, however, told CNNs State of the Union that from a health perspective, I have no reason to doubt those numbers.

Adams, who had projected 20 million U.S. vaccinations by the end of last month, acknowledged that the vaccine rollout had not gone as quickly as hoped, with only about 4 million taking place. But he expressed optimism that the pace would soon quicken.

The good news is that we are seeing it quickly ramp up, he said, thanks to our state partners.

Fauci, who will be serving in the Biden administration, agreed that were not where we want to be in the speed on vaccinations but said on NBC that that could be turned around this month.

Weve got to do much better, he said.
The government's coronavirus task force said Sunday that nine cases of more contagious variant coronavirus infections traced to the U.K. and one case traced to South Africa have been detected here so far.

This is the first time the government here has imposed entry requirements for foreigners. All foreigners arriving by plane or ship must have the certificate issued three days prior to arrival.

The person infected with the South African variant had a fever on arrival on Dec. 26, tested positive at the airport and was taken immediately to hospital. The government says the carrier did not come into contact with people here, but an accompanying person was also tested and had a fever.

But those carrying the U.K. variant may have come into contact with the public here. Three members of a family of four arrived from the U.K. recently and tested positive for the variant.

One came alone on Nov. 8 of last year and was put in self-isolation, but when the quarantine period ended on Nov. 22, the person visited a hospital, hair salon and other places. The person apparently contracted the virus after coming into contact with the remaining three members of the family who returned to Korea from the U.K. on Dec. 13.

Meanwhile, another 1,020 people tested positive as of Monday morning, raising the cumulative total to 64,264.
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As the data for the phase 3 trails not yet ready concerns are being raised over the efficacy of the Covaxin (Representational Image: AFP)

New Delhi: Questions are also being raised over the efficacy of the Covaxin, being developed by Bharat Biotech along with the Indian Council for Medical Research and the National Institute of Virology, with several feeling that the government had rushed in to clear the vaccines without proper data on trials and safety.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said Covaxin has not yet completed Phase 3 trials and its approval was premature and could be dangerous. He added that its use should be avoided till the trials are complete, and India can start with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in the meantime. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, Bharat Biotech is a first-rate enterprise, but it is puzzling that internationally-accepted protocols relating to Phase 3 trials are being modified for Covaxin. Health Minister should clarify.

Vaccine scientist Dr Gagandeep Kang said she was completely unaware of any data on efficacy of Bharat Biotech vaccine adding it will be a stretch to say the vaccine will work against the UK strain of Covid.

The All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN) urged the government to withdraw permission to Covaxin. In light of the intense concerns arising from the absence of efficacy data and hence the limited regulatory review of the vaccine candidate, the implications of public rollout of an untested product, and lack of transparency we urge the DCGI to reconsider the recommendations of the SEC in granting the REU approval to Covaxin," AIDAN said in a statement.

Responding to the doubts, Drugs Controller of India chief V.G. Somani said: We will never approve anything if there is slightest of safety concern. Vaccines are 110 per cent safe. Some side-effects like mild fever, pain and allergy are common for every vaccine. It (that people may get impotent) is absolute rubbish.

AIIMS, New Delhi Director Dr Randeep Guleria hinted that Covaxin could be the back-up vaccine while Covishield will be the main one. I feel that in the coming days it is the Serum Institute vaccine that will be the main vaccine, Bharat Biotech only a back-up for emergency use in case of re-infection, Dr Guleria told a TV channel.

By that their time they will get their dosage ready and by the time they will get the data which will be able to show that the Phase 3 data is robust and they have enough events to show that it is efficacious and it is safe, we will be able to have that vaccine available. But the first few weeks, it will be the Serum Institute vaccine which will be rolled out. It has 50 million doses available, Dr Guleria added.
Nathan Lyon on Monday backed David Warner to open the innings for Australia against India in the third Test this week, saying he had the "X-factor" to change a game.

The explosive opener missed the first two Tests with a groin injury, but has been training and was included in the squad for Thursday's crucial clash in Sydney, with the four-Test series locked at 1-1.

Warner said over the weekend it was "highly doubtful" he would be fully fit, voicing concern he might struggle with his range of shots and not be able to perform in the field at slip to his usual high standards.

But off-spinner Lyon said it was worth taking the risk.

"One hundred percent. I think David is an X-factor," he said.

"He is a world-class batter, we all know that, so I am 100 percent expecting David to go out there in the next couple of Test matches and do well.

"Obviously, he's got all of the support of the Australian changing room and everyone else around the world to come in here and do well," he added.

"So I'm looking forward to getting Davey back up to the top order for Australia."

Warner will open the innings if selected, but who pads up alongside him remains to be seen with Joe Burns dumped after a string of poor scores.

Will Pucovski could make his debut after a concussion scare, selectors may opt for Marcus Harris or even stick with Matthew Wade who filled the role in Warner's absence.

Lyon is eyeing the personal milestone of his 400th Test wicket in Sydney, he currently has 394. He could then mark his 100th Test appearance in the final match of the series in Brisbane next week.

"If I can play my role and make sure we can win this series against a pretty amazing Indian cricket side, those milestones will be nice to look at come the end of my career," said the 33-year-old.

"It's pretty amazing that I've got a couple of them just around the corner.

"But for me it's more about coming out and playing my role, and hopefully we can sing the (team victory) song twice and that will top off my milestones."

Story continues

Crowds at the Sydney Cricket Ground will be reduced after capacity on Monday was cut to 25 percent, around 9,500 fans per day, from 50 percent because of a coronavirus outbreak in the city.

"Reducing the capacity of the venue is crucial in achieving social distancing requirements," said Cricket Australia interim chief Nick Hockley.

mp/arb/dh
A person lights a candle near pictures of senior Iranian military commander General Qassim Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis on the first anniversary of their killings in a US attack in Baghdad. Photo: Reuters/Thaier Al-Sudani

Iran's commemorations of yesterdays anniversary of the killing in a US airstrike of General Qassim Soleimani were hijacked by protesters who branded the late Revolutionary Guards commander a murderer.

The Iranian embassy in Turkey was forced to halt a Zoom commemoration when participants began to shout murderer Iran and changing usernames to murderer Soleimani, according to a video shared on social media by an NGO advocating for a democratic Iran.

The guests for the event included the Iranian ambassador to Ankara, Mohammad Farazmand, the vice-president of Turkeys Islamist Saadet party, and prominent writers and lawyers. It was advertised by the embassy with an open Zoom ID for anyone to join, organisers apparently not anticipating protests from the Iran Democratic Association.

In Baghdad, where the assassination took place on January 3 last year, tens of thousands of Iraqis were estimated to have taken to the streets yesterday after a call from the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), the umbrella name for the Iran-backed militias in the country.

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Carrying photos of Mr Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an Iraqi deputy of the PMF who also died in the strike, the supporters demanded the full withdrawal of US forces in Iraq.

The US airstrike that killed General Soleimani risked all-out conflict between the US and Iran.

On the anniversary, the region has been on high alert over the possibility of Iranian retaliation for the killing, as Donald Trumps presidential turn nears its end.

Roads leading to Tahrir Square in central Baghdad yesterday were closed off and security was tight as the crowds, chanting anti-American slogans, gathered in response to a call by powerful Iran-backed militias for a rally marking the occasion and demanding the expulsion of US troops from Iraq.

No, no to America! shouted some in the largely mask-less crowd. You killed our guest. There is no place here for your embassy, read some of the banners.

Protesters at one point set fire to a large US flag..

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The killing of general Qassim Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at Baghdads airport pushed Tehran and Washington perilously close to all-out conflict and sparked outrage in Iraq, leading parliament to pass a non-binding resolution days later calling for the expulsion of all foreign troops from Iraq.

Already, America has conducted B-52 bomber flyovers and sent a nuclear submarine into the Persian Gulf over what Trump officials describe as the possibility of an Iranian attack.

Carrying Iraqi and militia flags and posters of the two men, thousands of Iraqis marched toward Tahrir Square for the rally yesterday, demanding the withdrawal of US troops in implementation of the parliamentary resolution.

We call upon the government and the parliament to expel the occupying foreign forces, especially the brutal American forces, the infidels, the immorals, who killed the heroes and leaders of victory, said protester Muhammad Shubr al-Husseini.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
An online portal for the verification of academic qualifications/transcripts which can be verified from anywhere in the world was inaugurated on Monday by Panjab University vice chancellor Professor Raj Kumar, who also praised the examination branch for its efforts to develop it.

Candidates can now fill an online application form and upload the documents they want verified through the portal (http://transcript.puchd.ac.in/) after paying a fee.

A transcript is a certified record (inventory) of a student throughout a course of study with full enrolment history including all courses (or subjects) attempted, grades earned and degrees and awards conferred.

PUs controller of examination, Jagat Bhushan, while highlighting the salient features of the portal said that it would allow full Interaction between the candidate and the certificate section, of which all records will be maintained.

Candidates will get SMS and email about the status of their application instantly when updated by the certificate section so they will not have to contact PU for the status of their certificates, he said.

The portal was developed to speed up and ease the work of the certificate section and make it transparent. Candidates can upload their documents after submitting the form.

They will also be informed by the certificate section through SMS and email in case there is any discrepancy in the form.
She jetted off to Dubai after returning from the city to spend Christmas with her family, when she was accused of breaking Covid-19 social distancing rules.

And Sophie Kasaei appears to be having the time of her life in the United Arab Emirates as she shared a stunning bikini-clad snap to Instagram on Monday.

The Geordie Shore star, 31, flaunted her sensational figure as she posed up a storm in a skimpy sky blue and lilac two-piece from GoGuy clothing.

Sun-kissed: Sophie Kasaei appears to be having the time of her life in Dubai as she shared a stunning bikini-clad snap to Instagram on Monday

She showcased her ample assets in the pastel beachwear as she fixed the camera with a flirty stare while standing in front of a Baskin Robbins ice-cream van.

Sophie paired her slinky attire with a black snapback and a series of gold necklaces as she enjoyed a relaxing day of sunbathing on the beach.

The TV personality wore her golden tresses in a straight fashion cascading across her shoulders and opted for a low-coverage make-up palette.

Alongside her latest sun-kissed post, she penned: Always keeping it cool - Keenie @goguyclothing'

Skimpy: The Geordie Shore star, 31, flaunted her sensational figure as she posed up a storm in a sky blue and lilac two-piece from GoGuy clothing

Taking to her Instagram stories, the blonde beauty also revealed that she was enjoying a 'chill day', explaining that the past few days in Dubai had been 'a lot'.

She previously enjoyed a sun-soaked trip to Dubai before returning home to spend Christmas with her loved ones.

But she returned to the celeb-favourite city to wave in the New Year alongside her reality star pals, including Geordie Shore's Chloe Ferry and Bethan Kershaw.

Sophie has joined a long line of reality stars and influencers who have travelled to Dubai this month, amid strict coronavirus restrictions back home in the UK.

Last week, Sophie was accused of breaking coronavirus social distancing rules after she appeared to mix with three households and attended a family party on Christmas Day.

Celeb-favourite location: Sophie has joined a long line of reality stars and influencers who have travelled to Dubai this month, amid strict coronavirus restrictions in the UK

According to The Sun, the Geordie Shore star, 31, appeared to flout rules around mixing during the festive period by travelling to numerous houses and documented some of the celebrations on her social media.

A source claimed: 'Sophie put the whole day on Instagram Stories - I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

'She started the day with her mum at her house, then she went to her dad's house to see him and her nan, then she went back to her own house - and then went off to her cousin's house for a family party.

'Then she had the cheek to tweet about how good the day was - it's one rule for celebrities and one for everyone else.'

After eating her Christmas dinner, Sophie recorded herself travelling to her cousin's house for a bash.

Rules: Last week, Sophie was accused of breaking coronavirus social distancing rules after she appeared to mix with three households and attended a family party on Christmas Day

The reality star said: 'We're on our way, cuz. We've got our bottles, hun. Get us a lemonade ready, cuz.'

The North East is in Tier 3 restrictions for the month of December, meaning people could visit a maximum of two households on December 25.

Gov.co.uk reads: 'If you do not live in a Tier 4 area, you may see a maximum of two other households (your 'Christmas bubble') on Christmas Day (25 December). You cannot see anyone from a Tier 4 area.

'You should think very carefully about the risks and only form a Christmas bubble if you feel you absolutely need to. Wherever possible, discuss alternatives to meeting up in person.'

Festivities: According to The Sun, the Geordie Shore star, 31, appeared to flout rules around mixing during the festive period by travelling to multiple houses

Loved it! Two days after her celebrations, Sophie took to Twitter and said she had cooked dinner for herself and her mother

It's unclear whether Sophie's father and grandmother are classed as one household, and whether her mother is living with her during the COVID-19 restrictions.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Sophie for comment.

Two days after her celebrations, Sophie took to Twitter and said she had cooked dinner for herself and her mother.

She wrote: 'Uno what usually I'm not a massive fan of xmas and especially this year made me anxious.

'But Iv had such a lovely few days my first Xmas at my own home and cooked dinner for just me and my Mam. Couldn't care less about gifts or presents it is generally all about loved ones.'
India approves two coronavirus vaccines

The two  one made by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and the other, developed in India by the company Bharat Biotech  were given the green light on Sunday for emergency use.

India plans to begin a vaccination campaign in the first three months of the year that it hopes will cover about one-quarter of the population by August. The first 30 million people inoculated will be health care providers, then police officers and other frontline workers.

But the Serum Institute, the Indian drug maker that is producing the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, has managed to make only about one-tenth of the 400 million doses it had committed to manufacturing before the end of the year.

India is ranked No. 2 in confirmed infections, behind the U.S. The pandemic has devastated the economy; unemployment is at a 45-year high. Education has been disrupted, leading to worries about the long-term effects on the countrys youth.
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A woman walks past the company sign of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Tokyo, Tuesday, July 23, 2019. The company has appealed a Korean court's order to seize its assets held in Korea. AP



Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has appealed a South Korean court's order to seize its assets held after the relevant legal process to compensate victims of Japan's wartime forced labor took effect late last month, judicial officials said Monday.



The public notifications to Mitsubishi Heavy went into force last Tuesday and Wednesday, after the company failed to carry out a 2018 order by the Supreme Court to compensate five plaintiffs, including a 91-year-old victim.



The notification by the district court in the country's central city of Daejeon is a procedure employed when a defendant refuses to receive court documents necessary for trial proceedings despite the need to move the pending case forward.



According to the officials, Mitsubishi lodged immediate appeals against a seizure order for four patent rights last Wednesday and against another seizure order for two patent rights and two trademark rights last Thursday. Both appeals were filed with the Daejeon District Court one day after the orders took effect.



The appeals are interpreted as the Japanese company's willingness to go through all possible legal proceedings in connection with court orders on asset seizure and sale.



Mitsubishi has reportedly told Japanese media that it believed South Koreans cannot make any compensation claims as the reparation issue was fully and finally settled by a treaty signed between the two nations in 1965.



The public notifications were based on the 2018 Supreme Court ruling that ordered the company to give 100-150 million won (US$91,116-136,674) to each of the plaintiffs related to the forced labor during Japan's 1910-45 colonization of the Korean Peninsula.



After Mitsubishi refused to comply with the ruling, the victims asked the Daejeon court in March 2019 to seize the company's assets in South Korea and dispose of them.



The amount of claim sought by four plaintiffs, excluding one who died during the legal proceedings, is 804 million won. (Yonhap)


An incredible time-lapse video captured a self-driving Tesla traveling from Los Angeles to Silicon Valley with almost no human intervention.

The Tesla Model 3 Performance's 358-mile-drive did have a backup human driver to take over during emergencies and charge the car along the way.

Tesla enthusiast and YouTuber Whole Mars Catalog (WMC), who took the six-hour journey, compressed into a 15-minute clip.

He said the fact there was no intervention proved 'that this is more than just luck.'

'The software is getting better,' he added.

WMC explained that he had to stop just once to charge the car in Kettleman City, about halfway through his trek.

Tesla aficionado Whole Mars Catalog used the carmaker's still-beta Full Self-Driving (FSD) tech to take a Model 3 from Los Angeles to Silicon Valley

The WMC video starts at SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne and drove to San Jose making just one stop at a charging station.

'The fact that it made it all the way down to Los Angeles and then back up with zero intervention suggests that this is more than just luck,' the video caption reads.

'The software is getting better. This drive was even better than the last one, although there were still many mistakes and areas for improvement that didn't require a disengagement.'

WMC drove the same Tesla prototype from San Francisco to Los Angeles in December with almost no human interventions.

Video shows the drivers view of Tesla Model 3 upgraded with experimental Full Self-Driving technology making the 380-mile journey.

Pictured is the six-hour journey taken by the Tesla that started in Hawthorne outside of Los Angeles and finished in San Jose

The Tesla Model 3 Performance made the 358-mile drive from Los Angeles to Silicon Valley unassisted. It did have a human backup driver on board, but the only took over to charge the car once

The electric sedan encountered numerous traffic environments, from highways to urban streets, and adapted from navigation to autopilot as needed.

It wasnt a completely driverless trek, though: In the video you can see the human owner take control to avoid some debris on the road and to charge the car along the way.

There was also some erratic driving on San Franciscos Market Street, Engadget reported.

On a drive from San Francisco to L.A., Whole Mars Catalog only took the wheel a few times, including to avoid debris and recharge the car

A select number of Tesla owners have been invited to test the technology and are sharing results of using the new system.been sharing the results.

Introduced in October, FSD is billed as an 'advanced driver assistance system' that uses external cameras, radar, ultrasonic sensors and a powerful onboard computer to steer, change lanes, park, navigate on and off highways, and slow and stop at traffic lights.

Last fall, YouTuber Dan Markham and SpaceX enthusiast Eli Burton filmed their ride down Las Vegas Boulevard on a Tesla Model S outfitted with FSD.

Tesla fell just shy of hitting CEO Elon Musk's goal of delivering 500,000 vehicles in 2020, the company announced Saturday.

It missed the goal by less than 500 cars, but, with the final numbers still being tallied, it might cross the threshold after all.

The vow was made well before the global coronavirus pandemic closed factories worldwide and threw established resource channels into chaos.

Tesla introduced its FSD technology in beta in October and has allowed select users to test it out (stock photo)

'So proud of the Tesla team for achieving this major milestone! At the start of Tesla, I thought we had (optimistically) a 10% chance of surviving at all,' Musk tweeted Saturday. 'Tesla is responsible for 2/3 of all the personal & professional pain in my life combined. But it was worth it.'

In November, Consumer Reports removed Tesla's Model S sedan and Model Y crossover SUV from its 'recommended' list due to a number of reliability concerns.

The ratings organization dropped the cars due to problems in the Model S' air suspension and main computer and touch screens, and the crossover lost support because of problems with its body hardware and paint, CNBC reported.

Consumer Reports continues to recommend the Tesla Model 3, used by Whole Mars Catalog.

Tesla's Model S sedan (seen here) and Model Y crossover SUV are no longer 'recommended' by Consumer Reports due to a number of reliability concerns. The ratings organization dropped the cars due to problems in the Model S' air suspension and main computer and touch screens

Many owners of the Model S Sedan and Model Y crossover SUV have reported issues with their vehicles over the years  claims which lowered Tesla's overall ratings.

In 2015, the Model S was listed as the top-rated vehicle, but Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing at Consumer Reports, told CNBC that the group has seen a number of problems arise from drivers of the vehicle.

'It's wavered throughout its life cycle,' he said highlighting the fact it was first introduced in 2012.

In November, Tesla notified some owners by email that their warranties would be expanded to cover various problems, such as memory-card failure.

The move may have been an attempt to head off lawsuits or even a mandatory recall.

Shortly after the email was sent, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched a safety probe into Model S and Model X vehicles built between 2012 and early 2018  about 159,000 vehicles.

'The data show failure rates over 30 percent in certain build months and accelerating failure trends after three to four years in service,' the agency said.

Last month, Tesla's Freemont, California, factory abruptly stopped producing the Model S and the Model X SUV.

No details were given about why production lines on those cars were closed between December 24 and January 11, but a revamped Model S was reportedly seen cruising around Palo Alto last week.

'This previously unseen design looks like it has a wider body than the Model S, updated headlights and wheels, a new rear diffuser, and a more pronounced fender,' Gizmodo reported.

It's not known if the car was indeed a redesign or if it addresses the issues raised by Consumer Reports.
Thousands of National Guard troops are set to descend on Washington DC to support the inauguration of Joe Biden as president.

Army and Air Guard commands from nearly 30 states have so far pledged to help swear-in the 46th president of the United States later this month.

More than 4,000 troops are expected to be on hand when Mr Biden becomes president at noon on 20 January on the steps of the US Capitol.

"Every four years this is the biggest event that the National Guard works," Air Force senior master sergeant Craig Clapper, spokesman for the DC National Guard, told military.com.

"Right now, we have commitments from multiple states for over 4,000 people, but that could easily go up to 7,000, or it could even decrease just depending on what the inauguration will look like.

"At this very moment, we don't know exactly what it's going to look like.

Around 7,800 National Guard troops helped support Donald Trumps inauguration, but Covid restrictions means that Mr Bidens will be a scaled-down event.

Guard members will assist law enforcement and DC Park Police with crowd management, traffic control, communication support and emergency response services.

"We do street blockings, entry control points for certain areas, a lot of it is just crowd control," added Mr Clapper.

"Normally for inaugurations, we are there a handful of days before. We have actually already had some personnel come in.

Earlier this year more than 5,200 Guard members were in Washington DC to support police during George Floyd demonstrations in the city.

And although Guard officials say they do not expect protests on inauguration day, they insist they will be prepared.

"We always have the security aspect; if something were to happen in terms of an event that would require law enforcement, we are kind of there in a support role," said Mr Clapper.

"In no inaugurations past have we had to go into any kind of law enforcement role.

With this inauguration, we don't anticipate that either, but we still plan for increased numbers of personnel in the area as a just-in-case scenario.

This article was amended on January 4, 2021. It previously stated that Joe Biden would be the 59th POTUS, but he will be the 46th.
Amid hysteria in Canada within political circles over non-essential international travel as the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic surges in the country, Indo-Canadian MP Kamal Khera has resigned as parliamentary secretary after attending a memorial service for her uncle in the US.

Politicians in the country have come under increasing attack in recent days for preaching against such travel and then doing the same themselves. However, while arguing that the purpose of her travel was deemed essential under the circumstances, the Brampton West MP decided to step aside from her duties as parliamentary secretary to the federal minister of international development.

In a statement, Khera said this was in an effort to ensure my choices do not distract from the important work of our government to continue battling this pandemic.

Delhi-born Khera, who is a trained nurse, had won plenty of praise this spring as she helped out as a volunteer as the coronavirus crisis first came to the country. She was the first Canadian MP to contract the virus. I hope to be able to do my part in the vaccine roll-out where there may be nursing shortages, she added in her statement.

She said her father passed away in September and her uncle a few weeks later, and she travelled to Seattle for a private memorial service for the latter attended by less than 10 persons, after not being able to attend the funeral at the time of his death. She left Canada on December 23, after the end of the Parliamentary session and returned on December 31.

Her Liberal Party colleague Sameer Zuberi, who travelled to Delaware to visit his wifes ailing grandfather last month, has resigned from parliamentary committee positions that he had held, while New Democratic Party MP Niki Ashton lost her formal parliamentary roles with her party after going to Greece to visit her sick grandmother.

The finance minister of the province of Ontario Rod Phillips resigned from that post last week after it emerged that he went to the island of St Barts for a Caribbean vacation in late December.
UPDATE: The victim of the fatal crash has been identified as 29-year-old Jose Zuniga of Plymouth, Massachusetts.

A Jeep rolled into a sand pit in Rhode Island over the weekend while off-roading, leaving a Massachusetts man dead, authorities said.

Officers in Burrillville, Rhode Island responded around 12:35 a.m. Sunday to a report of an off-road crash on the Munyon Trail, property within the town owned by the Boy Scouts of America, according to a statement from the towns police department.

An investigation at the scene revealed the 2008 Jeep had gone down a sand hill and rolled over, causing the front passenger to fall from the car, the statement said.

The passenger, a Massachusetts resident, suffered serious injuries from the fall and was flown via medical helicopter to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, where he was pronounced dead, according to the statement.

At the time of the crash, the car was being driven by Anthony Pollini, a 19-year-old man from Rockland, Massachusetts, the statement said. Authorities did not disclose Monday morning whether he was injured in the crash.

Investigation into the events leading up to this sand pit crash are continuing and the Burrillville Police will have more information on Monday, the department noted.

Editors Note: The sandpit where the crash occurred was within land owned by the Boy Scouts of America, not property belonging to the state.
CHENNAI : India's power ministry has proposed pushing back the deadlines for adoption of new emission norms by coal-fired power plants, saying "an unworkable time schedule" would burden utilities and lead to an increase in power tariffs.

India initially had set a 2017 deadline for thermal power plants to comply with emissions standards for installing Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) units that cut emissions of toxic sulphur dioxide. That was later changed to varying deadlines for different regions, ending in 2022.

Under the latest proposal, no new dates have been set. However, a final decision will have to be approved by the Supreme Court, which is hearing the issue.

"The target should be to maintain uniform ambient air quality across the country and not uniform emission norms for thermal power plants," Nishat Kumar, an official at India's Ministry of Power said in a January 2 note to the country's environment ministry, seen by Reuters.

"This could avoid immediate increase in power price in various relatively clean areas of the country (and) avoid unnecessary burden on power utilities/consumers," Kumar said.

The power ministry proposed a "graded action plan," whereby areas where plants are located would be graded according to the severity of pollution, with Region 1 referring to critically polluted areas, and Region 5 being the least polluted.

"Strict control of emissions shall be required in such key areas for thermal power stations categorised under Region 1," Kumar said in the memo.

Plants in Region 2 could begin to take action one year after those in Region 1, he said.

"Presently no action is required for power plant that are situated under Region 3, 4 & 5," he said.

Indian cities have some of the world's most polluted air, much of which is blamed on coal-fired plants in close proximity to urban centres. Vehicular pollution, dust, industries and crop burning add to the bad air quality.

Sunil Dahiya, an analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, said of the power ministry directive: "Such claims after 5 years of emission standards being in existence create a severe dent on the government's image."

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A mother coyote flashed her sharp white teeth as she howled with delight when her sweet little pups gave her a satisfying back scratch.

Hilarious snapshots captured the moment two young coyotes appeared to tickle their mother when showing their affection.

Begging for her attention, one of the pups climbed up her back and a photographer was able to capture the mother's reaction in Minnesota.

A coyote mother howled with delight as one of her pups appeared to give her a back scratch in Minnesota

Comical photographs captured by a photographer in Minnesota show the mother coyote appearing to enjoy a scratch as her pup climbs up her back

The mother coyote flashed her set of sharp white teeth and she howled with delight alongside her pups, who joined in too

The images were taken by photographer Jim Zuckerman, who said the playful pups reminded him of his cocker spaniel.

He said: 'Canines are very affectionate with their pups. The mother and pups were interacting, playing, wrestling.'

And the cute furry pups did not disappoint, putting on a perfect display of playfulness and affection for the photographer.

As well as showing affection to their mother, the young coyotes were also seen play fighting

One of the adorable young coyotes tested out their howling skills, copying its mother

The trio looked like they were joined together in laughter in the impressive pictures captured by photographer Jim Zuckerman

The photographer said the interaction between the mother and the children reminded him of his owner cocker spaniel

'At this age, young pups imitate their mother, so when she howled, they imitated,' Mr Zuckerman added.

'The pup really wasn't scratching the mom. It was trying to demand attention. My cocker spaniel does the same thing with me.'

In the beautiful collection of photographs, the young coyotes can also be seen play fighting with each other and testing out their howling skills.
The failure of Rubicon LLC to keep up with maintenance of the myriad pipes and equipment on its 81-acre site in Geismar has alarmed both federal and state regulators, though the deficiencies have resulted in little punitive action, files from the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Quality show.

The most recent maintenance problems at Rubicon were enough of a concern to prompt multi-day inspections by both the EPA and the DEQ in August 2019.

State records show that during the past 10 years, Rubicon has twice changed the way it schedules its inspections, which are aimed at assuring that even a tiny hole in a pipe doesnt endanger anyone. The records also show the company has never completed inspections of all its facilities in that same 10-year period.

The companys most recent EPA inspection focused on Rubicons compliance with federal chemical accident prevention rules. Inspectors from the DEQ accompanied others from the EPA in its review of the facility.

An EPA spokeswoman said the agency has not yet taken any action against the company stemming from the August 2019 inspection. But an EPA staff report warned of serious concerns with Rubicons mechanical integrity.

"Rubicon currently has 158 overdue inspections on piping circuits and vessels, the EPA report said. An additional 27 overdue inspections are currently 'on daily sheets' for inspection soon."

And the report concluded that the plants emergency response program didnt document proper first aid and emergency medical treatment for accidental human exposures, though when interviewed, the site nurse was able to discuss treatment measures and its exposure response plan.

State concerns about the companys operation actually began much earlier, according to a review of a dozen DEQ enforcement actions between 2006 and 2019, including two in which the company was fined.

The company was ordered to pay $30,000 in February 2007 for dozens of violations of state and federal regulations dating back to 1991 that included:

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Failures to monitor hundreds of components, including pumps, valves, and connectors at various times during that 16-year period.

Allowing filter bags that capture contaminants to be out of service for more hours than allowed in the facilitys permits.

Releasing more than 115 tons of hazardous chemicals above limits set by the companys permits.

In April 2010, the company was fined $7,912 for a series of violations dating back to 2005, including nine incidents involving the release of chemicals at levels that exceeded permit limits  often as a result of operator error or monitoring equipment mishaps  and the failure to submit a monitoring report.

In June 2019, DEQ issued a compliance order and a notice of potential penalty to Rubicon saying the company "failed to perform inspections and tests on process equipment at a frequency consistent with good engineering practices."

The order said the company wasn't able to explain how inspections were properly conducted for 281 vessels and pipe circuits in one manufacturing unit, and it pointed out that inspections required under long-term risk assessment program revisions that took effect in 2011 had never been completed.

In September, the company sent the state an updated list of when various inspections would be completed, with many not scheduled until 2021, when part of the facility will be shut down for process revisions.

DEQ spokesman Greg Langley said further action by the state on the outstanding violations will occur after the last inspections are made.

"Once that has been achieved, the department and the respondent will have discussions regarding resolution of the violations, which will either be through a settlement agreement or a penalty assessment," Langley said in an email response to questions. "The company must be in compliance before any talks about settlements or penalties can proceed."

Mark Schleifstein covers the environment and is a leader of the Louisiana Coastal Reporting Team for The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate. Email: mschleifstein@theadvocate.com. Facebook: Mark Schleifstein and Louisiana Coastal Watch. Twitter: MSchleifstein.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif urged US President Donald Trump on Saturday not to be trapped by an alleged Israeli plan to provoke a war through attacks on US forces in Iraq.

He issued the warning on the anniversary of the US killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani by a drone strike in Iraq. There was no immediate comment by Israel.

Washington blames Iran-backed militia for regular rocket attacks on US facilities in Iraq, including near the US embassy. No known Iran-backed groups have claimed responsibility.

Also Read: Trump aims to fabricate pretext for war: Irans Foreign Minister

New intelligence from Iraq indicate(s) that Israeli agent-provocateurs are plotting attacks against Americans  putting an outgoing Trump in a bind with a fake casus belli (act justifying war), Zarif said in a tweet.

Be careful of a trap, @realDonaldTrump. Any fireworks will backfire badly, Zarif wrote.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office and the Israeli Foreign Ministry declined to comment on Zarifs remarks.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Zarifs message.

Esmail Ghaani, who succeeded Soleimani as head the elite Quds force, said on Friday Iran was still ready to respond.

The US military flew two nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to the Middle East in a message of deterrence to Iran on Wednesday, but the bombers have since left the region.
Rabble Wines is inspired by the everyday farming challenges Murray encountered as a vineyard manager, grower and entrepreneur. In 2010, Murray set about creating Rabble Wines in Paso Robles to prove that despite Mother Nature's untamable ways, he would succeed in producing rabble rousing wines. According to Nielsen ending November 28,2020 the core tier has grown +51.3% in the 52-week premium wine category.

"Moving Rabble into the O'Neill portfolio is a great win for our consumer and for the brand," says Murray. "I know Rabble will continue to provide authenticity and adventure under the leadership of visionary entrepreneur Jeff O'Neill. I am enormously proud of what we built with Rabble and am excited about turning my focus towards Tooth & Nail Wine Company, which promises to continue disrupting the stodgier aspects of the wine world."

"O'Neill is laser focused on creating sustainable growth through our innovative brands and offering approachable wines to Millennials and upcoming Gen Z consumers. Rob has created a unique brand that maintains relevance in an industry that frequently finds itself a little behind. His efforts resonate with forward-thinking, modern wine drinkers. Rabble fits well within our growing portfolio of nationally-distributed brands," comments Jeff O'Neill, CEO of O'Neill Vintners & Distillers.

O'Neill will carry on the quality and spirit of Rabble Wines made from Paso Robles AVA fruit in its own Paso Robles winery facility, focusing on the core tier of Rabble Cabernet Sauvignon SRP $24.99, Rabble Zinfandel SRP $24.99, Rabble Red Blend SRP $15.99 and Rabble Rose SRP $15.99. These wines offer the augmented reality experience Rabble Wines are renowned for, the first US winery to use AR on wine labels. Details of the purchase were not disclosed. To learn more about O'Neill Vintners and Distillers please visit www.ONeillWine.com . To learn more about Tooth & Nail Wine Company please visit www.toothandnailwine.com .

About O'Neill Vintners & Distillers

O'Neill Vintners & Distillers was founded in 2004 by industry veteran and entrepreneur Jeff O'Neill. The vertically integrated winery has grown to become the seventh-largest winery in California with a reputation for producing high-quality wines from the North Coast, Central Coast, and Central Valley. Through its extensive vineyards and modern production facilities, O'Neill provides premium winemaking services to the industry as well as its growing portfolio of national brands. The company's national brands portfolio includes Line 39, Robert Hall, Harken, Exitus, Day Owl Rose, Austerity and Charles Woodson's Intercept. For more information, please visit www.ONeillWine.com .

SOURCE ONeill Vintners & Distillers

Related Links

http://www.ONeillWine.com


When movie studio Warner Bros last month announced it would be releasing all of its major 2021 movies in the US direct to its streaming service HBO Max on the same day as in theatres, cinema operators around the world shuddered.

For an industry already ravaged by the theatre closures and social distancing necessitated by the ongoing pandemic, as well as limited content due to Hollywoods COVID-delayed release slate, the studios spurning of the industrys traditional theatrical release window was another alarming development.

Roy and Sam Mustaca, owners and operators of United Cinemas, are lobbying the government to legislate minimum theatrical release windows. Credit:Steven Siewert

Roy Mustaca, owner of independent cinema chain United Cinemas which employs 450 staff nationally, calls it the toughest challenge hes faced in almost 40 years in the business.

Its never been this difficult. Cinemas cannot survive if [movies] are going to streaming day and date with the cinemas. Its a disaster waiting to happen, Mr Mustaca said.
Here's how material shortages are hitting home construction

"It's not just that prices are going up; it's how quickly they're going up and nothing's coming down," said CEO of the PA Builders Association.
A coronavirus-hit cafe claims it was not contacted by Victorian health until 16 hours after it was publicly listed as an exposure site.

Mocha Jo's, in Glen Waverley, Melbourne's southeast, was visited by a positive Covid-19 case from 1pm to 5pm on December 28.

Business partners Lisa Slaughter and Christo Christophidis were first told of the news when they got a call from Labor MP Matt Fregon at about 7.30pm on Wednesday.

Concerned customers, suppliers, and local community members quickly began to email and call the cafe about the potential exposure - but the pair were without answers.

Mocha Jo's, in Glen Waverley, Melbourne's south-east, was visited by a positive Covid-19 case from 1pm-5pm on December 28

Business partners Lisa Slaughter (right) and Christo Christophidis (second from the left) were first alerted to the news when they received a call from Labor MP Matt Fregon at about 7.30pm on Wednesday

The cafe tried to reassure customers and conducted their own inquiries about the infected patient who visited.

'We felt we needed to be on the front foot but we had no information to give anyone because we didn't know what our exposure was,' Ms Slaughter told The Australian.

A deep clean was organised and the cafe was shut on Thursday and Friday.

Mr Christophidis tried to speak with health authorities by ringing the Department of Health and Human Services' hotline on Thursday morning.

Contact tracers eventually got in touch with the cafe after Victorian testing commander Jeroen Weimar identified the venue during his 10.30am media briefing that day.

DHHS had attempted to call Mocha Jo's after hours on Wednesday night.

Cafe workers at Mocha Jo's in Melbourne are seen setting up the venue

They also sent an email to a misspelled address.

Mocha Jo's assumed the positive Covid-19 case dined in at the cafe due to the four-hour window listed by DHHS.

But the positive case was only there for 15 minutes with her husband, who ordered a coffee. The pair were in face masks.

There were 24 coronavirus cases linked to the Black Rock outbreak in Melbourne on Monday.

The cluster is connected to the Buffalo Smile Thai restaurant in bayside and linked back to NSW.
A psychology student has shared the realities of being at university during the coronavirus pandemic.

Kiera, who did not wish to use her last name, from Bromley, took to Twitter to give a candid insight into the current state of support at UK universities.

She has since been inundated with support by other students who have found themselves facing similar ordeals.

Kiera, who did not wish to use her last name, took to Twitter to give a candid insight into the current state of support at UK universities

Kiera uploaded a selfie of herself in tears alongside a lengthy statement that read: 'In case anybody wondered how it looked or felt to be a university student in a pandemic. It looks like this.

'I am so exhausted and drained. I have spent my afternoon crying into a Terry's Chocolate Orange because I have not received a single bit of support since university being moved online in March, just like everybody else on my course.

She uploaded a selfie of herself in tears alongside a lengthy statement

'Since September we have submitted three assignments, received absolutely no feedback and I have another due in a week, followed by two weeks after that.

'Please tell me how I'm supposed to improve or better my work with absolutely zero feedback apart from a few sarcastic emails from lecturers telling us to figure it out.

'University students are being expected to produce the same standard of work even though circumstances have changed and the level of teaching is nowhere near the same standard it would be if it was in person.

'All the while we are still expected to pay 9,250 for this course despite the fact it's nowhere near the quality it should be. Not forgetting the thousands of pounds of rent this year.

'I absolutely love psychology and I worked so hard to get into university. While the current situation is nobody's fault, students need support.

Some of my friends haven't been home in months because of the pandemic and are having to live in a city alone and spend Christmas without their family.

'Not all students are lazy or have broken the rules and have attended parties. Some of us just want some real support.'

She later issued a second tweet which read: 'Thank you to everybody who has shared this. It's so important to talk about how we, as students are doing in these circumstances.

She wrote a heartfelt statement about the realities of being at university during the coronavirus pandemic

'Universities are not mentioned nearly as much as other fields of education. It's not right, it's not fair. Please check up on your fellow students.'

The post, which has since been liked more than 20,000 times, was met with a wave of support by other students who were experiencing similar ordeals.

One user wrote: 'Girl, I feel your pain. I have a 3,000 word essay due Monday and our online uni resources were down most of last night... why are we paying 9,250 for stress, anxiety and no help.'

Kiera (pictured) has since pleaded with her followers to check up on their fellow university students during this testing time

The post, which has since been liked more than 16,000 times, was met with a wave of support by other students who were experiencing similar ordeals

Another added: 'Sending love because same. For me it's the fact that a level students are complaining when their exams will be made easier and they pay nothing.

'We're being scammed out of 10,000s. Haven't had a normal day at uni for almost a year.'

And a third said: 'I started in September & my mental health has just declined.

'I was fortunate to not have any problems before but now I'm so deflated & we have zero help, no in person classes, and limited social interaction with people on our course except from social media. It sucks.'
BRASILIA  Brazilian petrochemical company Braskem SA said on Wednesday it reached a 9.1 billion reais ($1.75 billion) deal to settle lawsuits over cracks and sinking ground near its salt mines in the city of Maceio that requires thousands to be relocated.

The settlement adds 1.2 billion reais onto the companys initial provisions of 7.9 billion reais established in the third quarter of 2020 related to the lawsuits, according to a Braskem securities filing on Wednesday.

A federal study found that Braskems salt mines were the cause of cracks that destabilized homes, although Braskem had previously said that the study is flawed. The damages have affected more than 9,000 homes and some 17,000 residents must be relocated.

In March, Reuters reported that seven state and federal prosecutors said Braskems early estimates of the costs for compensating and relocating residents was too low.

Braskem has stopped operations of its salt mines in Maceio, in the northeastern coastal state of Alagoas. In November, the company estimated that it would cost a further 3 billion reais to close the mines due to regulatory requirements.

($1 = 5.1937 reais) (Reporting by Nayara Figueiredo; writing by Jake Spring; editing by Diane Craft)

Topics Lawsuits
Members of the ethnic Shona and Ndebele communities in Kenya are celebrating their new status as Kenyan citizens after decades of being stateless.

Nazizi Dube gazes at what is now her most prized possession - a document declaring her a citizen of Kenya.

Dube is one of almost 1,700 ethnic Shona and Ndebele, and 1,300 ethnic Rwandans, who gained legal status this month after decades of being stateless.

On December 12th, as Kenya marked its 57th independence anniversary, Nazizi, and other members of the Shona and Ndebele communities in Kenya were recognized as citizens, following a decree by the countrys President Uhuru Kenyatta.

All the challenges that we went through with the statelessness status, we were very excited knowing that all has come to an end, it was a new beginning, said Dube.

A beginning that they hope will open new opportunities. Diana Gichengo, of the Kenyan Human Rights Commission, says that decades of statelessness left the community marginalized.

When they were stateless all their rights were violated, their freedom of movement was violated, they couldnt leave the country, the few who managed to travel were forced to acquire fake or irregular identities to travel, they couldnt access education, said Gichengo.

Ishmael Dlamini has run his carpentry workshop just outside the capital Nairobi for nearly 20 years without identification documents. As a Shona, his earnings were limited because he could not use banks or borrow, the way Kenyan citizens can.

That has changed.

Dlamini says, we will have the certificate of citizenship. He says it will enable me to go to a bank or any other lending institution and get a loan to allow me to do more business.

The Shona began arriving in Kenya in the 1930s, primarily from what is now Zimbabwe, and more came in the early 1960s as missionaries. But when Kenya became independent from Britain in 1963, most missed the two-year window to become citizens, along with their children born in the country.

The push to have them recognized as Kenyans escalated over the past four years.

Wanja Munaita, with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, welcomes the decision to grant the Shona citizenship.

Legal identity is really important especially now that Kenya is going into the digital identity because then they would have been left out of that system, because they didnt have those documents," said Munaita.

Gichengo, of the Kenya Human Rights Commission, which was involved in the campaign to end statelessness, says more needs to be done to help the Shona community.

We hope that they can be supported by both the national government and the county government just in terms of affirmative action, to catch up for the years of marginalization, said Gichengo.

An estimated 1,300 Shona have yet to apply for citizenship but, those waiting for their certificate say they are ready to prove their worth.

We want to show that we are not just a burden to the country - we are birds with bright feathers," said Dube. "We are unworthy to be caged. We now want to fly and showcase our bright feathers.

The U.N.s refugee agency says Kenya is home to about 18,000 stateless people, most of them ethnic minorities.
[January 04, 2021] Pottery Barn Sets Goal of Planting Three Million Trees by 2023

Today, Pottery Barn, a member of William-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE: WSM) portfolio of brands, strengthens their commitment to sourcing wood responsibly, setting a goal to plant three million trees by the end of 2023. Through a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, the largest environmental nonprofit dedicated to planting trees, the brand will plant one tree for every piece of indoor wood furniture* sold beginning December 31, 2020, in regions of greatest need in the U.S. and abroad. Pottery Barn has a longstanding commitment of sourcing from well-managed timber suppliers and increasing the use of wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. The high caliber of Pottery Barn's home furnishings is largely attributed to the durable, renewable, recyclable and beautiful qualities of the wood it sources. By the end of 2021, the brand aims to use 50% responsibly sourced wood and, to date, has already reached 42% of that goal. Pottery Barn's parent company, Williams-Sonoma, Inc., is consistently recognized as a top 10 global leader in responsibly sourced wood by the Sustainable Furnishings Council. "As we welcome the new year, we're renewing our intentions and taking the next step in our sustainability journey by setting an ambitious goal to plant trees. Trees and forests are a crucial part of the Earth's ecosystem, and we are proud to announce this partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation in support of its mission to inspire the betterment of the planet, one tree at a time," said Marta Benson, Pottery Barn President. "This partnership will greatly impact our sustainability goals, bettering our brand and the community that welcomes us into their homes and our planet." Through the Pottery Barn mission of planting three million trees by 2023, this partnership will restore vulnerable ecosystems and endangered forests and support the reduction of climate impact, leading to cleaner air and water while enriching lives. The eligible wood products include, but are not limited to, dining, bedroom, home office and bath indoor wood furniture containing at least 80% wood, excluding upholstey furniture.



"From providing a habitat for endangered wildlife to cleaning our air and water, trees and forests protect our necessities of life," said Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation. "With support from committed partners like Pottery Barn, we are restoring critical forest ecosystems around the globe, working to ensure that their impact will last for generations to come." Pottery Barn's partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation builds on the brand's unrivaled, 70-year commitment to creating products that are thoughtfully inspired and responsibly crafted. As a visionary leader, Pottery Barn's offerings reflect this unparalleled quality including, Organic, Sustainably Sourced, Fair Trade, Handcrafted and Certified Nontoxic product offerings. Williams-Sonoma, Inc., the parent company of Pottery Barn, is the only home retailer on Barron's 100 Most Sustainable U.S. Companies list and has been for 3 years running.

*Indoor wood furniture containing at least 80% of wood; upholstery furniture is excluded. ABOUT POTTERY BARN Pottery Barn, a member of the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE: WSM) portfolio of brands, is a premier specialty retailer for casual, comfortable and stylish home furnishings. The brand is dedicated to beautiful ideas for real life, quality products that are crafted to last, sustainability and service. Key product categories include furniture, bedding, bath, rugs, window treatments, tabletop, lighting and decorative accessories. Nearly all Pottery Barn products are designed in-house and are exclusive to its catalogs, stores and website. Pottery Barn operates company-owned stores in the United States, Canada and Australia and has unaffiliated franchisees that operate stores in the Middle East, the Philippines and South Korea, and stores and ecommerce websites in Mexico, as well as an ecommerce site at www.potterybarn.com that offers international shipping to customers worldwide. Pottery Barn provides complimentary design services and a comprehensive gift registry program for weddings and other special events. Pottery Barn now offers products for all life stages and every room in the home through Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, and Pottery Barn Teen. Pottery Barn is also part of The Key Rewards, a free-to-join loyalty program that offers members exclusive benefits across the Williams-Sonoma family of brands. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California. ABOUT THE ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with more than one million members, supporters, and valued partners. Since its founding, more than 350 million Arbor Day Foundation trees have been planted in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. Our vision is to help others understand and use trees as a solution to many of the global issues we face today, including air quality, water quality, climate change, deforestation, poverty and hunger. As one of the world's largest operating conservation foundations, the Arbor Day Foundation, through its members, partners and programs, educates and engages stakeholders and communities across the globe to involve themselves in its mission of planting, nurturing and celebrating trees. More information is available at arborday.org. WSM - PR View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005059/en/

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A man has faced court charged with murdering a counsellor who came to visit him at a North Melbourne unit and with seriously injuring a friend.

Police allege Luqman Abdishakur Ahmed stabbed Mohamed Hassan once in the upper body with a kitchen knife on Saturday and then chased a friend who was at the unit in a residential tower in Sutton Street.

The friend suffered serious lacerations to his left hand when he grabbed the knife and Mr Abdishakur Ahmed allegedly pulled it out of the man's grasp, according to documents released by Melbourne Magistrates Court.

Mr Abdishakur Ahmed, 30, appeared before court on Monday charged with murder and intentionally causing serious injury. Wearing a grey T-shirt and a face mask, he appeared via a video link from custody and spoke briefly with an interpreter to confirm he could hear what was being said.
A British judge has rejected a U.S. request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face charges over the publication of secret U.S. military documents because of concerns over his mental health.

London Judge Vanessa Baraitser on January 4 outlined evidence of Assanges suicidal thoughts and said: "The overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man fearful for his future."

The U.S. government said it would appeal the decision, which could lead to more legal wrangling in the 10-year saga seen by the 49-year-olds supporters as a cause for media freedom.

In the United States, Assange faces 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks publication of thousands of leaked military and diplomatic documents in 2010 and 2011.

His lawyers say he could go to prison for 30 to 40 years, but prosecutors have said he would face no more than about five years in jail.

Assange was arrested in London at the request of the United States after he was evicted in April 2019 from the Ecuadorian Embassy, where he had been sheltering since 2012 after Ecuador granted him political asylum.

Assanges lawyers say the indictment is a politically motivated abuse of power that will stifle press freedom and put journalists around the world at risk.

They argued at his extradition hearing in September that Assange is entitled to First Amendment protections for the publication of the leaked documents.

Assange also suffers from wide-ranging mental health issues, including suicidal tendencies that could be exacerbated if he is imprisoned in the United States, his defense team said.

Lawyers acting on behalf of the U.S. government said in their closing arguments after the four-week hearing that issues raised by Assanges defense team were neither relevant nor admissible.

They said Assanges mental state "is patently not so severe so as to preclude extradition.

U.S. prosecutors are set to appeal the January 4 decision to London's High Court, and the case could go all the way to the U.K. Supreme Court.

U.S. prosecutors and security officials regard the Australian-born founder of WikiLeaks as an enemy of the state whose actions imperiled the lives of agents whose names were in the leaked material.

The U.S. authorities say more than 100 people were put at risk by the disclosures and about 50 had received assistance, with some fleeing their home countries with their spouses and families to move to the United States or another safe country.

Critics of Assange point out that his WikiLeaks rarely leaked material from authoritarian states.

Dozens of human rights and press freedom organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Reporters Without Borders, oppose the proposed extradition, and a German government official has urged authorities to consider his physical and mental health.

"The human rights and humanitarian aspects of a possible extradition must not be overlooked, Human Rights Commissioner Baerbel Kofler said in a statement. "It is imperative that the physical and mental health of Julian Assange be taken into account when deciding whether to extradite him to the U.S.," she added, stressing Britain is "bound by the European Convention on Human Rights."

There is also the possibility of a pardon issued by U.S. President Donald Trump. Stella Moris, Assanges partner and the mother of his two sons, has appealed to Trump to grant a pardon before he leaves office on January 20.

With reporting by the BBC, Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa
Around North Alabama, students are starting to return to for instruction on Monday.

Huntsville City Schools is among the districts welcoming students back both traditionally and virtually.

As a precautionary measure, the district said traditional learners will return on a staggered schedule for the first week back, with Cohort A on campus Monday through Wednesday and Cohort B on campus Thursday and Friday.

Virtual learners also resume instruction Monday. Jennifer Oliva has two special needs children in Huntsville Virtual Academy. She said her kids benefit from the routine and are actually excited to get back from the break.

When you log in, you can see the other students and my kids -- their faces always light up when they see their friends all together in the same space, being together while they're apart, she said. It makes a huge difference in their lives, they don't feel so alone."

Oliva said she knows her kids definitely miss peer-to-peer interaction and the direct instruction they normally receive from their teachers but added that while it has been difficult to be in charge of her childrens education with no instruction, its something theyve gotten used to and now look forward to.

That is for certain, she said. I love being able to spend this time with my children and its definitely been a blessing.

Huntsville City Schools isnt the only district heading back this week -- Madison County Schools also return Monday and Madison City Schools return on Tuesday. Both of those districts will return with hybrid learning.
A U.K. district court judge has refused to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the U.S.

In a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court this morning, Judge Vanessa Baraitser denied the extradition on grounds that Assange is a suicide risk and extradition to the U.S. prison system would be oppressive, given the likely impact on his fragile mental health.

The U.S., which has been seeking to bring Assange to the country to put him on trial for conspiracy to hack as well as a number of charges under the controversial Espionage Act, has said it will appeal.

The case has been seen as a pivotal test of press freedoms and freedom of expression versus state power.

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In the judgement Baraitser dismissed a number of other defence arguments against Assange's extradition but concurred with clinical testimony that he is a suicide risk and that he possesses the intellect to circumvent measures that could be taken to prevent him taking his own life.

"I am satisfied that the risk that Mr. Assange will commit suicide is a substantial one," she writes in the 132-page judgement, discussing the testimony of a number of psychiatrists during last year's extradition hearing.

"I accept that oppression as a bar to extradition requires a high threshold. I also accept that there is a strong public interest in giving effect to treaty obligations and that this is an important factor to have in mind. However, I am satisfied that, in these harsh conditions, Mr. Assanges mental health would deteriorate causing him to commit suicide with the 'single minded determination' of his autism spectrum disorder.

"I find that the mental condition of Mr. Assange is such that it would be oppressive to extradite him to the United States of America," she added.

The judgement orders Assange's immediate release, although at the time of writing the WikiLeaks founder remains in custody -- pending a bail hearing.

The U.S. has 14 days to lodge an appeal.

Story continues

Assange, who (self) incarcerated in the Embassy of Ecuador in London between 2012 and 2019 to avoid a warrant against him, was arrested last year after Ecuador withdrew his diplomatic asylum.

He was found guilty in a U.K. court of breaching bail conditions and sentenced to 50 weeks.

The U.S. immediately said it would seek his extradition on its separate roster of charges -- which relate to how the WikiLeaks founder obtained and published classified information leaked to it by former army intelligence analyst and whistleblower, Chelsea Manning.

Update: A spokesman for the Justice Department confirmed its intention to appeal, sending us this statement: "While we are extremely disappointed in the courts ultimate decision, we are gratified that the United States prevailed on every point of law raised. In particular, the court rejected all of Mr. Assanges arguments regarding political motivation, political offense, fair trial, and freedom of speech. We will continue to seek Mr. Assanges extradition to the United States."

Update 2: Assange's application for bail was denied today (Wednesday). He will remain in custody in the UK during the US' appeal against the denial of the extradition request.
Mexicos government is ready to offer political asylum to Julian Assange and supports the decision of a British judge to deny extradition of the WikiLeaks founder to the United States, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday.

Im going to ask the Foreign Minister ... to ask the government of the United Kingdom about the possibility of letting Mr. Assange be freed and for Mexico to offer political asylum, Lopez Obrador told a regular news conference.

Assange is a journalist and deserves a chance, I am in favor of pardoning him, he said. Well give him protection.

The extradition request from the United States, where Assange could face charges including breaking a spying law, was denied on the basis that Assanges mental health problems put him at risk of suicide, a British court ruled.

Lopez Obrador, who called the decision a triumph of justice, a year ago urged Britain to release Assange, calling his detention torture and saying WikiLeaks documents had showed the worlds authoritarian workings.

Assange, 49, has spent most of the last decade either in prison or self-imposed confinement, following his release of thousands of secret classified files and diplomatic cables that caused embarrassment to many governments around the world.

Lopez Obrador, a leftist who took office in December 2018, has long railed against ruling elites and rhetorically has sought to break with establishment politics and economics.
Gov. Phil Murphy will hold his first coronavirus press conference of the new year at 1 p.m. on Monday.

It will be held at the Trenton War Memorials George Washington Ballroom and streamed live on the governors YouTube.com channel.

Murphy will be joined by state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli, communicable disease service medical director Dr. Edward Lifshitz and State Police Superintendent Colonel Pat Callahan.

On Sunday, Murphy reported 3,676 additional cases of the coronavirus and another 21 deaths. The rate of transmission fell to .92, the lowest since Sept. 1.

There were 3,633 patients in the states 71 hospitals with the coronavirus or a suspected case as of 10 p.m. Sunday, an increase from the 3,521 in the previous 24-hour period. Hospitals discharged 295 patients. Hospitalizations have climbed for two consecutive days after four straight days of decreases.

Monday marks 10 months since the first COVID-19 case in New Jersey was announced. Since then, a total of 492,042 have tested positive. At least 17,187 have did of coronavirus-related causes. Another 2,021 fatalities are considered to have been probably caused by the virus.

On Monday morning, Murphy and Persichilli are scheduled to visit University Hospital in Newark as front-line health care workers received their second of two doses of the coronavirus vaccine. A stream is also available on Murphys YouTube channel.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JGoldmanNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Sustainable mining of lithium - a critical raw material in the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries that also plays a pivotal role in vehicle electrification - has come under increased scrutiny over the past year amid an accelerated shift toward electric vehicles (EVs).

This prompted a raft of lithium incumbent and junior miners to disclose their environmental commitments over the course of 2020.



The move was in line with more stringent requirements from automakers attempting to control the sustainability of their supply chains.



A key point of focus over the course of 2020 was the consumption of water in the lithium extraction process in South America.



Argentina, alongside Chile and Bolivia, is part of the so-called lithium triangle that holds more than 70% of the worlds reserves of lithium beneath its salt flats.



Australia is another important source of lithium where it is extracted via hard-rock mining.



Water usage

In October, incumbent Chilean lithium producer Sociedad Quimica y Minera (SQM) unveiled its sustainable development plan intended to reduce the environmental impact of its operations.



The miner pledged to immediately reduce the use of fresh water at its operations in Chiles Salar de Atacama region by 30% in comparison with 2019 levels. It aims to raise this reduction to 50% by 2030.



The announcement followed renewed scrutiny of SQMs use of fresh water and the effects that its operations have on the ecosystem of the western part of the Salar de Atacama area. A number of indigenous communities had raised concerns about its operations.



Governments are also increasing their scrutiny on the sector, which pushes lithium miners to up their game when it comes to sustainability.



Earlier in December, the European Commission (EC) released legislative proposals aimed at creating a legal framework on the sustainability, traceability and circularity of battery production throughout its life cycle.



The EC proposes that from July 1, 2024, only rechargeable industrial and EV batteries for which a carbon footprint declaration has been established would be allowed entry into the European Union market.



This came on the wake of efforts by European EV manufacturers to implement high sustainability standards in their supply chains.



German carmaker Mercedes-Benz said in November that it would transition to sourcing cobalt and lithium for EV batteries only from certified mines to reduce the environmental and social impact of its supply chains.



Similarly, compatriot carmaker BMW said earlier this month that it had commissioned a study on sustainable lithium extraction in South America, which includes an analysis of water consumption.



The study forms part of its attempts to make its operations more environmentally friendly. New agreements with lithium miners will be conditional on them meeting the sustainability standards set by the car manufacturer.



Sustainability looks set to remain a key point of focus in the development of lithium projects as demand from the EV sector continues to grow and new operations come online in the medium term.
LAUREL Hill FCJ secondary school has seven projects in the BT Young Scientist and Technical Competition final.

Ella Mason and Abbie Ryan project is titled The Link between Anxiety, Self-Esteem and Eating Disorders .

The project aims to lessen the stigma around eating disorders and help people see the warning signs and symptoms that someone they know may be suffering from one.

Claudia Lynchs project focuses on how artificial intelligence is used in the radio industry..

Im studying how machine learning technology can be used in distribution of music, and how the general public has access to all of this. To gather research for my project I am doing interviews with both listeners of music and people directly involved in the music industry, experiments which test if people can tell the difference between AI-made music and human made music. I am attempting to use this software myself, to name a few approaches I am taking.

Keelin Murphys project is titled The disproportionate nature of the gender gap in politics.

The aim of my project is to understand why there is a gender gap in Irish politics and how we can encourage more females to get involved, Keelin said.

Keelin contacted a number of political parties to discuss the female representation within their party.

Keelin also formed a political group in school called The Future is Female, which is a physical experiment for her project.

Emma McAndrews project analysed the effectiveness of natural honey based wound dressings to synthetic wound dressings, such as iodine (Inadine) or silver (Acticoat) for infected wounds.

I interviewed healthcare divisions, the general public and conducted a scientific experiment in Laurel Hill laboratory. The findings of my research concludes that there is a clear preference for synthetic medication overriding natural medication, Emma said.

Aoife Barrett investigated the impact that social media has on the voters of the future in Ireland. Young people are not always aware that their use of social media leaves a digital footprint and that this can be harvested and used to inform and influence further media campaigns, both social and mainstream.

Leah McNamara and Blaithin Musgrave teamed up to investigate the physical and mental trauma experienced by sexual assault victims.

Our project will focus on sexual assault incidents, such as rape and groping and sexual harassment incidents, verbal actions such as catcalling and non-consensual inappropriate comments, they said.

Lucy Noonan and Joanna Ryans project focuses on optimizing leg splint orthotics for individuals with Charcot Marie Tooth Disease (CMT). Leg splints are crucial to help CMT sufferers to walk.

The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition will take place virtually between January 6 and January 8.
UK plans to mix coronavirus vaccines Britain is planning to administer different vaccine shots for first and second doses, a move experts say is not unreasonable but should be backed by rigorous investigations.

According the guidelines, different vaccines will be given in rare cases where the same vaccine is not available or it is not known what vaccine the patient received. The move is based on the theory that two approved candidates from Oxford and Pfizer target the spike protein of the virus, which makes it likely that the second dose will help boost the response to the first, and ...
Workhuman, the Irish HR technology company which achieved unicorn status last year with a valuation of $1.2bn, is planning to double its Irish workforce to 800 people by 2023

Workhuman, the Irish HR technology company which achieved unicorn status last year with a valuation of $1.2bn, is planning to double its Irish workforce to 800 people by 2023.

It employs 700 people in total - 300 in the US and 400 in Dublin. Sales and marketing are in the US, while product development is based in the Republic.

CEO and co-founder Eric Mosley told the Sunday Independent: "Workhuman's office space capacity is currently 400, though we have surpassed that while working from home during Covid.

In the first half of 2021, we'll be expanding to a second building which has four floors and will give us an additional 200 seats.

"And then we have plans for further expansion in the years to come for another 200 seats. Looking forward, we'll be able to hold at least 800 humans in our Park West office space by 2023."

Workhuman had revenues of $700m in 2019 and saw double digit growth in 2020. It is aiming for turnover of $1bn within a couple of years.

"We're on track to be heading in that direction, if it's not 2021, we'll be at that runway early 2022," said Mr Mosley.

Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) bought a 10% share in Workhuman for $120m in June 2020.

Mr Mosley said it gave early investors, some of whom backed the company in 2000, a chance to exit. "We decided we would basically test the market and bring in a new investor who could provide all of those angels an exit if they didn't want to wait for a public offering.

"Some of them earned 100 times their money," he said. The company is still planning for an initial offering.

"We look at it every year and we have banks on to us every couple of months because we could have done it last year, we could do it this year, we could do it next year. I see over the next two years is most likely, but we're not a company that's losing a lot of money and has to go public to raise money to fund our growth, which is a very common story in the tech world."

Mr Mosley has huge ambitions for the company. "I think Workhuman has a shot at being a real iconic company in the world."

Set up in 1999, it works with companies in the US and Europe. "Because we invest 95% of our sales and marketing in budgets in the US, we really did not build our profile in Ireland even though we would probably be one of the most successful Irish technology companies and have all of our development in Dublin," the CEO added.

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Police and forensics at the scene of a serious RTC on the junctions of Springfield Road and Whiterock Road in west Belfast on January 3rd 2021 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)

Police and forensics at the scene of a serious RTC on the junctions of Springfield Road and Whiterock Road in west Belfast on January 3rd 2021 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)

Belfast woman Lucy McIlhatton has been killed in a crash in Belfast.

She was just 24 years old.

The crash happened on the Springfield Road in the west of the city at around 9pm.

The incident involved a taxi, a silver Toyota Avensis.

Sinn Fein MLA Pat Sheehan has extended his condolences to the family of Ms McIlhatton.

The West Belfast MLA said: I am deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death of young woman in a traffic collision on the Springfield Road.

This is heart-breaking news for the womans family, friends, loved ones and our wider community.

I want to extend my deepest and heartfelt sympathy to the family and friends of the woman and offer them my full support.

I would appeal to anyone who may have been on the Springfield Road to assist the police in their inquiries."

A 44-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of a number of offences including causing death by dangerous driving, driving when unfit through drink or drugs, failing to remain where accident occurred causing injury and assault on police.

He is currently in custody assisting officers with their enquiries.

Inspector Philip McCullagh added: I am appealing to anyone who was in the Springfield Road area at the time and who witnessed this tragic collision or who captured footage on dashcam to contact officers in Woodbourne or the Collision Investigation Unit on 101 quoting reference number 1554 03/01/21.

"You can also submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/.

The Springfield Road was closed overnight but has since re-opened.

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Australia is moving to boost ties with small island nations off its eastern coastline, pushing back against Chinas growing influence in the Pacific Ocean as the virus outbreak hinders travel.

Prime Minister Scott Morrisons government has promised to supply its neighbours with Covid-19 vaccines in 2021 as part of a A$500 million package aimed at achieving full immunization coverage in the region. It also recently signed a landmark deal with Fiji, one of the regions most populous nations, to allow military deployments and exercises in each others jurisdiction.

China has largely been missing in action in regards to providing Covid-related support in the region, said Jonathan Pryke, who heads research on the region for Sydney-based think tank the Lowy Institute. Australia has built up an amount of goodwill by not forgetting about the Pacific in a time of crisis.

Over the past decade, Chinas growing influence in the 14-nation Pacific Islands -- whose cumulative population of just 13 million is sprawled over thousands of islands and atolls in a region stretching across 15% of the worlds surface -- has triggered alarm bells in the US and Australia. Diplomats and intelligence officials fear Beijings ultimate goal may be to establish a naval base that would upend their military strategies.

The battle for influence in the region comes after China hit Australia with a series of damaging trade reprisals following Morrisons decision to seek an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus. Australias largest trading partner has put curbs on everything from wine to lobsters, prompting Canberra to file a challenge against barley tariffs at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Projects Stalled

Still, Australia has made inroads in the Pacific after island nations quickly blocked incoming flights and cruise ships to keep the virus away from vulnerable communities in the aid dependent region. China also ordered workers developing projects tied to its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to return home, and reduced diplomatic staff in the 10 Pacific nations that recognize Beijing instead of Taiwan.

In resource-rich Papua New Guinea, the regions most populous nation and by far the biggest recipient of Chinas financial backing, work on one of the regions highest-profile infrastructure projects stalled this year, according to Paul Barker, chief executive of Institute of National Affairs, a non-profit economic research group partially funded by the private sector based in Port Morseby.

Chinese staff left the marine industrial zone site in Madang on the nations north coast, which has received at least $73 million in funding from Beijing and will be used as a base to fish tuna, said Barker, who has lived in Port Moresby for four decades. While other China-backed projects around Papua New Guineas capital have also crawled to a standstill this year, he said he expects Chinas on-the-ground presence, along with offers of financial aid, to ramp up again when the pandemic is under control.

Its logical for Papua New Guinea to want to get competitive contractors and finance, and if the Chinese were to offer that going forward, the government will be interested, he said. While most Papua New Guineans tend to look to their southern friends in Australia because they know them, they also want to be offered more opportunities.

Cold-War Mentality

China hasnt been completely inactive. New Chinese ambassadors to the two countries that recognized it over Taiwan in 2019 -- Solomon Islands, one of the regions largest economies, and Kiribati. The new envoy in the former British colony raised eyebrows when a photo taken on his arrival seemed to show him walking over about 30 local men lying on their stomach.

China Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily briefing in Beijing on Monday Chinas relations with Pacific Island countries have been closer since the pandemic began.

We have also considered providing vaccines to the island countries, contributing to the accessibility and affordability of vaccines in the island countries, Hua said.

The nations foreign ministry said in an emailed response to questions that Beijing had shared medical experience and provided materials to nations during the pandemic, while Belt and Road projects including a new highway in western Papua New Guinea and a stadium in the Solomon Islands had been progressing steadily.

China hopes all other countries could adopt a mutually respectful attitude and open-minded spirit to facilitate the stability and prosperity of the region, instead of maintaining zero-sum and Cold-War mentality and building exclusive small groupings, the ministry said.

Kiribatis plan to build two major tran-shipment ports looks set to be integrated into the Belt and Road, according to a September report by government-backed think tank Australian Strategic Policy Institute. That would raise the prospect of Chinese military bases across the center of the Pacific through major sea lanes and near US bases including Hawaii, the report said.

China also signed a memorandum of understanding last month to potentially fund a new $150 million marine base in southern Papua New Guinea, on Australias doorstep. The deal may have geopolitical implications, especially as the impoverished area isnt near rich fishing stocks.

A Better Choice

The pandemic is not going to deter China from executing its strategy in the South Pacific because it wants to continue to exert its influence over weak, fragile democracies, said Paul Maddison, director of the University of New South Wales Defence Research Institute. Under a Joe Biden administration, theres an opportunity for the US and like-minded democracies to show sovereign Pacific nations they have a better choice in who they choose to work with.

Lawmakers in Washington and Canberra have warned developing countries to avoid taking Chinese loans, saying that Beijing would use the debt as geopolitical leverage. China has spent at least $1.7 billion in aid and loans to the Pacific Islands in the past decade, much of it on much-needed transport and utility infrastructure, according to Lowy Institute data.

In response, Australia -- seen by China as an American puppet -- unveiled a A$2 billion ($1.5 billion) infrastructure fund for the region in 2018. The US, meanwhile, established a Directorate of Pacific Affairs within the White House National Security Council, which provides a hub for coordinating policy in the region with other like-minded countries.

With the economic devastation from the pandemic set to linger for years, the geostrategic competition in the region is only set to intensify as nations look to recover, said Pryke from the Lowy Institute.

Beijing will be aware that Covid has shaped an economic crisis thats made the region even more vulnerable and desperate for foreign aid and loans, creating a better strategic environment to further its interests, he said.
A pastor who has been outspoken about the number of killings in Birmingham is asking Mayor Randall Woodfin to declare a state of emergency in the city.

The Rev. Paul Hollman of Mount Mariah Baptist Church on Monday delivered a letter to the mayor asking him to put an emergency plan into action. These violent killings and the devastation they cause for the families and our community are a virus in our city and we must stop it before another person is deadly affected,' Hollman wrote in the letter.

The letter points out that 449 people have died in homicides since the beginning of 2017. Killings in Birmingham have continued to be out of control and unacceptable,' he wrote.

We delivered this letter in peace and love,' Hollman said at a Monday press conference. We want to meet with you, mayor, before somebody else gets killed.

Hollman said he has not yet received a response, but said he is hopeful that will come soon. A spokesman for the mayor said the mayor addressed his thoughts on violence in the city at a joint press conference held last week with Police Chief Patrick Smith.

Birmingham finished 2020 with 122 homicides. Of those, 15 were ruled justifiable and one accidental and therefore not deemed criminal. The city experienced one homicide a day in the first three days of the new year. Hollman held his press conference just feet from where a 56-year-old homeless man was killed Saturday in Linn Park. Flowers marked the spot where the man was slain.

A 56-year-old man was killed Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021 in Birmingham's Linn Park. Flowers mark the spot where he died.

Hollman spearheaded a billboard effort in 2020 in which the digital billboards throughout the city are updated immediately once a homicide is confirmed and read, Stop the Killings Birmingham. He said he came up with the idea following the Sept. 13 shooting death of 71-year-old Javanna Cotton Midge Owens, a member of Hollmans church. It was just devastating,' Hollman said. When they killed her, it got a lot of people upset.

Hollman last week unveiled new billboards for 2021, which read Lets Build. Not Kill! Reset 2021. He pointed out the 122 homicides in Birmingham in 2020 - the highest in the past 25 years  and that three people have been killed in the first three days of the new year.

We need federal, state, county and city resources. We need the mayor to use all of his contacts, and he has many from the city all the way up to the White House, to bring all those forces together,' he said. If we cant get it done by ourselves, then lets say we need some help.

If this was a policeman that had killed one person, the whole world would be in Birmingham trying to stop it,' he said. Now, that people are killing people, we need to take that same action and let the whole world come in here and stop it.

Hollman said the city also needs to partner with local nonprofit grief counseling agencies to assist families of victims killed in violence with the intent to reduce the retaliation rate. No one is there to care for them and taken through this,' he said. Its one thing for a family to experience death but when its a violent death, we believe families should have someone there for grief counseling.

Hollman, who has launched Citizens Against Killings, introduced the idea of CHILL stations throughout the city. His vision calls for police officers, psychologists, mental health therapists and de-escalation specialist under one roof as a place someone can go before their frustration turns into violence.

The mayor said in his press conference we cant do this alone, we need help' Hollman said. I believe theres some more help available. If we get the help, we wouldnt have a person being killed every day. We need to make sure were doing all we can do.
Lori Harvey may flaunt her lavish lifestyle on social media, but when it comes to her relationships, shed rather keep those out of the spotlight.

The stepdaughter of Steve Harvey is known for keeping her relationships under wraps. When she dated rapper Future, Harvey barely shared photos or videos of them on her social media accounts due to her wanting to maintain a sense of privacy.

Now that shes reportedly dating Peoples Sexiest Man Alive Michael B. Jordan, Harvey doesnt plan to flaunt their relationship either, even though things are reportedly heating up between them.

Lori Harvey and Michael B. Jordan | Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images; Aaron J. Thornton/FilmMagic

Lori Harvey and Michael B. Jordan have been sparking romance rumors lately

Harvey and Jordan first sparked romance rumors back in November after they were photographed exiting an aircraft together in her hometown in Georgia while donning identical sweatsuits.

Since the trip was right before Thanksgiving and marked the first the two stars were seen together, dating speculations instantly circulated.

While it was unclear what the status of their relationship was at that point, many were convinced the model and the Black Panther actor were moving toward a potential romance seeing as both were single.

With Harvey having called it quits from rapper Future in August 2020 after a year of dating and Jordan recently admitting to People that hes not seeing anyone, people immediately linked these two together after their spotting.

RELATED: Michael B. Jordan Accepts Victory Over Michael Jordan: Maybe He Will Have To Start Using His Middle Initial

Things appear to be heating up between Lori Harvey and Michael B. Jordan

Though Harvey and Jordan have yet to address the rumors surrounding their relationship, they recently fueled dating speculations with their latest social media posts.

Earlier this month, both the model and the actor coyly posted photos and videos of themselves enjoying a wintry getaway in Utah over New Years Eve and New Years Day.

Although they werent tagged or featured in each others posts, the pair appeared to be vacationing together in the same location.

Harvey posted to her Instagram Story first, on New Years Eve, sharing a series of clips of herself making the most out of her winter vacation.

The following day, Jordan shared a post that featured him wearing a white Moncler snowsuit, a bandana over his mouth, and snow goggles on top of his head. Another showed him snowboarding on a snow-covered hill. NEW YEAR NEW THINGS, he captioned the post.

Despite their budding romance, Lori Harvey has decided to keep their relationship on the down-low

After spending Thanksgiving together and enjoying a snowy getaway in Utah, its safe to say that things are heating up between Harvey and Jordan.

But despite their budding relationship, chances of the pair showcasing their relationship on social media one day soon are slim to none as Harvey has reportedly decided not to flaunt her new relationship with the actor.

Lori Harvey | Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Roc Nation

RELATED: Is Lori Harvey Facing Real Jail Time for Her Hit and Run?

Lori isnt trying to hide, everyone knows shes spending time with him, but she hasnt chosen to put it all over social media, a source tells HollywoodLife.

As for the reason, the insider shares that its because she is hesitant to feed into the attention.

However, the source says that Harvey hasnt entirely closed the door on the possibility of sharing photos of her rumored new beau with her 2.4 million followers.

Thats not to say she will never post about him, but she has been hesitant because she knows from experience what happens, the insider continues. Its actually not hard for her to keep it off social because she has no problem moving in silence.

The source added, She really doesnt share that much of her life. But yes, they are seeing each other, and she does seem to be very happy. Eventually they probably will go Instagram official, but so far shes been enjoying keeping it private.
Owaisi dared the CM to explain the exodus of her party leaders to the BJP and the saffron party's rise in the state in absence of his party

The AIMIM chief met Siddiqui, the religious shrine's secretary who aspires to float a political outfit for Muslims, hunting for an ally to contest the Bengal polls (Photo: Twitter | ANI/file)

Kolkata: Marking his entry into the election fray in West Bengal on a two-day visit, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has pledged his party's support to Pirzada Abbas Siddiqui, influential Muslim cleric and rival of Trinamul Congress supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, to create a new political alliance to tap the Muslim votebank which is nearly one-third of the state's population.

Owaisi dared the Chief Minister to explain the exodus of her party leaders to the BJP and the saffron party's rise in the state in absence of his party. He was responding to the charge that the entry of his party divides the Opposition vote and benefits the BJP.

Landing at the Kolkata Airport on Sunday morning he quietly headed to Furfura Sharif in Hooghly which commands huge influence among the Muslims in South Bengal. The AIMIM chief met Siddiqui, the religious shrine's secretary who aspires to float a political outfit for Muslims, hunting for an ally to contest the Bengal polls in wake of the large-scale defection by his party's state leadership to the Trinamul Congress.

"We have started our party's work here. Siddiqui is our elder brother. We will work under his leadership also. We will support whatever decision he takes. What he is doing is historic," Owaisi said while remaining silent on the seat-sharing equation.

Slamming the CM for linking the AIMIM with the BJP, Owaisi said, "I challenge the TMC to reveal where was Mamata when Gujarat was burning. We did not contest the Lok Sabha polls here last year. Still the BJP won 18 seats. How could it happen? What bargain did you have then? Now you can not tackle the BJP. So many leaders are leaving your party to join the BJP. Are they asking us for their move? She needs to explain these."

He underlined that underdevelopment of Bengal and political empowerment of weaker sections would be among the issues in the polls.

TMC MP Sougata Roy said, "AIMIM's entry here to help the BJP will not make any difference because the Muslims, who are mostly Bengali-speaking, are with Didi." Hooghly BJP MP Locket Chatterjee claimed, "Except the BJP, neither any Khan nor Quraishi not even an Owaisi can form government here this time."
The farmer groups stuck to their demand for the repeal of three farm laws, while the government listed out various benefits of the new Acts for the growth of the country's agriculture sector. The next round of discussions are scheduled to be held on 8 January

The seventh round of talks between protesting farmers and the Central Government seemed to reach a dead end with both sides refusing to back down on their core demands.

While the farmers blamed the government's "ego problem", Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that efforts need to be made from both sides to reach a compromise (taali dono haathon se bajti hai), indicating the government too blames the farmers' rigid stance for the failed talks.

The next round of discussions are scheduled to be held on 8 January.

Government's ego or farmers' intransigence?

After tiptoeing around other related softer issues, the discussions had finally reached to the point where both sides were forced to address the elephant in the room: the farmers' central demand of withdrawing the three laws unconditionally. Various media reports indicate that the discussion hit such a roadblock that both parties could not even transcend to discussing the farmers' second key demand of a legal guarantee of a Minimum Support Price on farm produces.

The farmer groups stuck to their demand for the repeal of three farm laws, while the government listed out various benefits of the new Acts for the growth of the country's agriculture sector.

Tomar, saying he remains hopeful of a solution in the next meeting, asserted that no outcome could be reached in today's meeting as farmer leaders remained adamant on one issue of repeal of the laws, but that the government wanted a clause-wise discussion on the legislations to take forward the talks.

Farmer leaders, however, alleged that it was the government's "ego problem" that was coming in the way of resolving the issues. NDTV quoted a farmer leader as saying that the government refused to even entertain the possibility of repealing the laws. Tomar "clearly said that the laws will not be repealed, he even told us to approach the Supreme Court for repeal of the laws," the report quoted Sarwan Singh Pandher of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee as saying.

Lunch break turns mood tester

The lunch break in these long and arduous negotiations have become a mood indicator over the days with the two sides mostly refusing to break bread together. Today too, the two sides took a long break after just about one hour of discussions.

During the break, representatives of protesting farmers had their own food, arranged from langar (community kitchen), as they have been doing for the last few times.

However, unlike the last round of talks on 30 December, the ministers did not join the union leaders and were seen having their own discussion separately during the break, which lasted for almost two hours.

The two sides got together again to resume their discussions at around 5.15 pm, but no headway could be made as the talks remained focussed on the farmers' demand for the repeal of the Acts.

Farmer leaders said the government said it needs to consult internally and thereafter it would come back to the unions.

The union leaders will also have their own meeting on Tuesday to decide their next course of action.

In Monday's talks, another key demand of farmers for a legal guarantee to the Minimum Support Price (MSP) procurement system barely came up for discussion.

The heart of the matter

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at various Delhi borders for over a month against the three laws. They have stayed put despite heavy rains and waterlogging at protest sites over the last couple of days, besides severe cold weather conditions prevailing in and around the national capital.

Kavitha Kurungati of Mahila Kisan Adhikar Manch, said, "The stand-off continued as the government is talking about benefits of the laws and we are asking for the repeal of those laws."

"The government said they will consult further and get back to us," she said.

Bharatiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) President Balbir Singh Rajewal said farmers will not agree to anything less than the repeal of three farms laws.

"We will discuss only the MSP issue and the repeal of laws. It is the ego problem of the government that is coming in way of resolving issues," he said.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Tomar said the farmer leaders should flag specific issues in the three laws on which they have problems. He maintained that the talks took place in a cordial atmosphere.

Asked whether the deadlock was due to a trust deficit between the government and the farmers, Tomar said the unions would not have agreed to continue the talks if they did not have the trust.

On whether the next meeting would also result in deciding another date, Tomar said everyone was free to think the way one wants, but the simple fact that talks are continuing indicates that there is a willingness to find a solution and he remains hopeful of that.

To a question about parallel talks with other farmer groups that are supporting the laws, the minister said the government is committed to the interests of all farmers of the country.

Enacted in September 2020, the government has presented these laws as major farm reforms and aimed at increasing farmers' income.

During the meeting, the government listed various benefits from the three laws, enacted a few months ago, but farmers kept insisting that the legislation must be withdrawn to address their apprehensions that the new Acts would weaken the MSP and mandi systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporates.

The government has maintained that these apprehensions are misplaced and has ruled out repealing the laws.

Besides Tomar, Railways, Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce Som Parkash, who is an MP from Punjab, are also part of the ministerial group holding talks with the representatives of 41 farmer unions.

The meeting at Vigyan Bhawan in the heart of the National Capital began with tributes to the farmers who have lost their lives during the ongoing protest.

A government statement said the ministers also expressed grief over the death of the farmers.

They also extended new year greetings to the union leaders at the start of the meeting.

Punjab students write to CJI, seek probe into 'police atrocities'

Over 35 students from the Panjab University have written to the Chief Justice of India seeking a Supreme Court monitored probe into the police action against protesting farmers in the state of Haryana.

The students wrote an open letter to the CJI and urged that Haryana and Delhi police should withdraw all the cases against farmers which were registered under alleged political vendetta.

The police action against the protesting agrarians was condemned by most quarters as the farmers, including women and elderly, have been braving harsh cold, heavy rainfall and other weather-related difficulties in keeping their movement afloat. The protests have also been largely peaceful barring some instances of vandalism.

The Reliance Industries Ltd group also faced the brunt of these protests with reports indicating that some Jio towers were attacked by some protesters.

The company said it is not in the business of corporate or contract farming and blamed "vested interests" behind vandalisation of the firm's telecom towers in Punjab.

The company also filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking the help of authorities to stop attacks on its telecom towers by farmers protesting against the three new farm laws on the belief that they favour big corporates. First in a statement and later in a petition before the high court, the company said it has "nothing whatsoever to do with the three farm laws currently debated in the country, and in no way benefits from them".

None of the group companies has done any corporate or contract farming in the past and has "absolutely no plans to enter this business", the firm said, adding it has not purchased any agricultural land, directly or indirectly, in Punjab and Haryana or anywhere else in the country.

While its retail units selling daily essentials to electronic products, "it does not purchase any food grains directly from farmers," the statement said.

"It has never entered into long-term procurement contracts to gain an unfair advantage over farmers or sought that its suppliers buy from farmers at less than remunerative prices, nor will it ever do so," it added.

The company blamed "vested interests" and "business rivals" behind vandalisation of nearly a fifth of its 9,000 telecom towers in Punjab.

On 30 December, the sixth round of talks was held between the government and the farmer unions, where some common ground was reached on two demands: decriminalisation of stubble-burning and continuation of power subsidies.

However, no breakthrough could be reached on the two main demands of the protesting farmers: a repeal of the three recent farm laws and a legal guarantee to the MSP procurement system.

On Sunday, Tomar met defence minister Rajnath Singh and discussed the government strategy to resolve the current crisis at the earliest, sources said.

Tomar discussed with Singh all possible options to find a "middle path" to resolve the crisis, they added.

While several Opposition parties and people from other walks of life have come out in support of the farmers, some farmer groups have also met the agriculture minister over the last few weeks to extend their support to the three laws.

Last month, the government had sent a draft proposal to the protesting farmer unions, suggesting seven-eight amendments to the new laws and a written assurance on the MSP procurement system. The government has ruled out a repeal of the three agri laws.

The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), in the meantime, issued a press statement condemning the police action against protesting farmers in Punjab and Haryana and a ban on protests and dharnas imposed by the Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh government.

It also said that an affidavit filed by Reliance Industries in the Punjab and Haryana High Court was "a ploy to save its business".

With inputs from PTI
A record 1.7 million Harris County voters participated in the November general election, shattering the mark set four years ago by 318,000, despite the coronavirus pandemic.

A close examination of the voter roster kept by the county clerk reveals something quite peculiar, however: 303 voters with a birth year of 1900. Five, according to the list, were born in 1901.

Considering that the current oldest living person was born in 1903, lives in Japan and is ineligible to vote in Harris County, how is this possible? Is this long-sought evidence of election fraud?

The reality, as in most cases where government documents appear amiss, is straightforward incompetence. Before 2002, the county tax assessors voter registration did not require residents to include their birth date, Assistant County Attorney Doug Ray said. Instead, the form merely asked voters to affirm they were at least 18 years old. So, on internal records, clerks listed a placeholder birth year of 1900 or 1901.

Instead of proactively fixing the problem, the tax assessors office asked voters who had yet to submit their birth dates to do so when updating their registration for a different reason, such as a change of address or while applying for a drivers license.

That lax approach has left 2,155 voters with a listed birth year of 1900 or 1901 as of last month, county records show.

Weve mostly caught up, but there are still people in the system where we dont know what their birth date is, Ray said. If they havent had any reason to contact us since 2002, we wouldnt have gotten it.

Republican State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, who served as tax assessor-collector from 1999 through 2009, said the county voter registration card changed because of the Help America Vote Act in 2002, which requires counties to collect birth dates. Bettencourt said his office took steps to correct more than 80,000 incomplete registrations, bringing that figure to 30,000 within a year.

The placeholder birth years, he said, were put in by clerks to sync with a database with multiple county voter rolls. In some cases, clerks used drivers license data to update voters registrations on their behalf.

Harris County in November opened an elections administration office, which took over voter registration from the tax assessor. Isabel Longoria, the newly installed head of the office, said her team is working to modernize every step of the voting process.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to start a whole new department, and we want to get all the details right from the start, Longoria said.

She did not lay out a specific plan or timeline to correct the mislabeled birth years.

Aside from the fictitious 120-year-olds, plenty of actual centenarians voted in the Nov. 3 election. Excluding 1900 and 1901 birth years, 218 voters in the Nov. 3 election were born before 1921.

Determining the oldest voter, however, is difficult. According to the election roster, that title belongs to Anna L. Thomas of Katy, whose listed birth year is 1903. That would make her the oldest living American by two years, however, which suggests her voter registration is likely to be inaccurate.

The more likely candidate is 111-year-old Elizabeth Francis, whose 110th birthday party last year was attended by Mayor Sylvester Turner, one of her neighbors in Acres Homes.

Editors Note: This story has been updated with comment from State Sen. Paul Bettencourt

zach.despart@chron.com

twitter.com/zachdespart
Posted Monday, January 4, 2021 5:15 pm

Although flood warnings were still in effect in the region, rivers were receding Monday and flooding is expected to subside in the coming days, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle.

However, storms are still on the way, with potentially significant rainfall on Wednesday, and Lewis County Emergency Management is still warning residents to be wary of mud and landslides.

Even if the rains do subside, we still have the threat of landslides, Lewis County Emergency Management Deputy Director Andy Caldwell said Monday. Thats something that, when the ground gets this saturated, we want to make sure were aware of.

Approximately 3 inches of rain fell in the last 48 hours, NWS meteorologist Jacob DeFlitch said Monday morning. The rain on the forecast is not a drier pattern at all, but will likely be more spotty, with breaks between systems to allow for water levels to recede.

Over the weekend, the Skookumchuck River near Bucoda hit the moderate flood stage, and is currently receding into the preliminary action stage. The Chehalis River near Grand Mound is still in the moderate phase, but near Doty, Chehalis and Porter, are in lower-risk categories. The Satsop and Newaukum Rivers also both hit or approached the moderate flood stage this weekend, and have since receded.

No major roadways were impacted over the weekend, though urban flooding closed many roads. China Creek also spilled out of its banks in Centralia, inundating some homes and businesses.

It just so happened we did have a number of systems move through in the last few days that were pretty damp, DeFlitch said. That combined with more rain up in the mountains led to the rise of the rivers, and we didnt really see too much of a break between systems.

Higher snow lines also meant more rain flowing into river systems. According to DeFlitch, it will take a few days for levels to recede. Flooding season may be exacerbated this year by an ongoing La Nina event.

Sand and empty bags are available throughout the county for residents concerned with local flooding. Stations are across from Centralias City Hall, in front of the countys Law and Justice Center in Chehalis and in most public work yards in the county, according to Caldwell. If assistance is needed after hours, residents can call 360-740-1105.

Residents can monitor local levels at rivers.lewiscountywa.gov and at https://bit.ly/38TE2bz.

Caldwell urged all residents to sign up for Lewis County Alert as well, a system that will call, text or email participants with emergency notices. Messages are also available in Spanish, although the county is still struggling to connect Spanish-speaking residents with the emergency service.

Its a great time to think about preparedness, he said. Think about how your 72-hour kits are prepared. Are you ready if power goes out? Have you checked your batteries? Is your car serviced?
TORONTO, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PAID Network (PAID) has closed a $2 Million funding round led by Alphabit Fund & Master Ventures.

Other investors and partners include A195, AU21, Brilliance Ventures, Phoenix VC, and X21.

PAID Network

PAID's private sale has been oversubscribed, with more than $21 Million committed already. According to PAID's spokesperson, the value of allocation requests is growing by $1 Million daily.

PAID Network is using the funds from the recent funding round to continue to build the world's first decentralized SMART Agreement DApp powered by Polkadot. After successfully launching the PAID Network MVP in December, allowing parties to sign Agreements on the PAID Network, the team has set their eyes on their upcoming TGE (token generation event) coming January 2021. Currently operating on the Rinkeby testnet, anyone can create and sign contracts that are saved on the IPFS/Ethereum network ledger forever and access it via connecting their Ethereum wallets.

"All industries are currently working to migrate their business functions onto blockchain. Trust in the smart contracting process, at the nexus of transaction management on blockchain, will be the key enabler of permissionless secure transactions. PAID Network's SMART customizable contracting solutions make distributed digital contracting trustless and secure. They will allow the deployment of credible self-executing contracts in any use case," said Saeed Al Darmaki, Managing Director of Alphabit fund.

The close of the fundraising acknowledges PAID's early mover advantage as one of the first legaltechs using digital ledger technology (DLT) to make business on the blockchain more secure for everyone. The powerful e-signature is backed by negotiation, arbitration and DeFi services  providing an end-to-end contracting solution. The smart contract executes all functions on the blockchain and because the market for blockchain platforms and services is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 67.3 percent to $39.7 billion by 2025, the PAID team has a headstart.

ABOUT PAID NETWORK

The PAID Network was launched as a blockchain incubator project by Master Ventures - a venture studio focused on building and funding blockchain projects with a focus on driving mass adoption to the industry. Some notable investments from the venture studio include Coinbase, Kraken, Bitfinex, Elrond, Reef, and Ultra.

Media contact:

PAID NETWORK

[email protected]

415-883-9231

SOURCE PAID Network
A woman was shot the head after catching a burglar rummaging through her car in the parking lot of a New Orleans East restaurant Sunday night, authorities said.

The 29-year-old woman was taken to an area hospital. She was being treated in an intensive care unit as of Monday afternoon, according to New Orleans police.

Woman injured in shooting near I-10 service road, police say A woman was hurt in a shooting in the Read Blvd East neighborhood late Sunday, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

The shooting occurred about 10:12 p.m. in the parking lot at the IHOP restaurant in 12100 block of the South Interstate 10 Service Road, according to authorities.

The woman was inside the business when an unidentified man broke into the car, authorities said.

A restaurant employee spotted the burglary in progress and went back into the business to warn the woman, according to authorities.

As the woman and employee walked out of the restaurant, the burglar fired two shots in their direction, hitting the woman in the head, police said.

No other details were available.
EDITOR'S NOTE

Deadline extended for Federal 100 nominations!

It's FCW's holiday gift to procrastinators: You now have two extra weeks to finish up and submit your Fed 100 nominations.

The new deadline (which was originally set for New Year's Eve) is 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 15. And this one is non-negotiable -- by the morning of Monday, Jan. 18, we will be shipping the nominations to our judges so they can get started on what always amounts to several hundred pages of reading.

So if you have a nomination that's waiting on that one last bit of information -- or if you wanted to nominate someone but feared there wasn't enough time -- you now have nearly two extra weeks. Get moving!

Remember, all nominations must be made online -- you can find all the details at FCW.com/2021fed100.

And here's one last recap of what it takes to make the Federal 100:

Anyone in the federal IT community is eligible. The award is for individual accomplishments in 2020. Federal 100 winners go above and beyond -- whatever their level or rank. A fancy job title is not required, and just doing one's job well is not enough. Impact matters. The judges need to know not only what a nominee did, but also what all that work accomplished.

If you know individuals whose talents, leadership and dedication are making federal IT better, please be sure they have the opportunity to receive the recognition they deserve. Nominate them today -- and then enjoy the rest of the holiday season.
(ISRAEL21c) Now that winter is coming, theres nothing like spending the evening curled up on the couch with a really good book. Or, even better, a book that will change your life. Dont we all need that these days?

This is why weve collected 11 Israeli books that will do just that and give you fresh perspective on the widest range possible of fields  from the history of mankind and the perfect cookie to the importance of chutzpah and staying resilient. Enjoy!

1. SAPIENS: A BRIEF HISTORY OF HUMANKIND by Yuval Noah Harari

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Theres really no need to introduce this international bestseller, but well do it anyhow. In 2011, history professor Yuval Noah Harari published his game-changing book tracing the evolution of mankind, the concepts that shaped our world, the myths that brought us together and the challenges that weve overcome to be what we are today. Top fans include Barack Obama and Bill Gates, so youre bound to be blown away in the very best of company.

Brought to you by the bestselling author of Predictably Irrational, Dan Arielys latest endeavor is a graphic novel. Once again addressing that ever-critical and ever-confusing field of decision-making, Ariely teamed up with illustrator Matt R. Trower to look into the matter of making cognizant and improved decisions at home and in the office, based on his years of research in neuroscience, behavioral economics and psychology. A book that is both fun and enlightening.

Happiness is not an elusive state. We can all teach ourselves to be happier, argues Prof. Tal Ben-Shahar. And he sure knows what hes talking about, being the mastermind behind Harvard Universitys most popular class and writing international bestsellers on the topic. Drawing on positive psychology, Happier provides readers with a set of principles to put more joy in daily life.

You often hear that having a business is like having another child, but rarely do you come across the idea that growing up is very much like growing a business. This is the argument Israeli high-tech veteran Inbal Arieli makes in Chutzpah, pointing out the parallel lines between a typical Israeli upbringing and the way in which a startup is shaped. Both have a lot to do with discovery, validation, efficiency and renewal. This similarity, she notes, is what stands at the core of Israels super-successful startup eco-system.

Speaking of offspring, this Israeli book sure is a life changer. First published in 1975, it has already aided generations of parents in the complex and often frustrating process of potty-training. Alona Frankels masterpiece tells the story of Joshua (or Naftali, if youre reading the Hebrew version), who slowly but surely learns about bodily functions until he manages to use the potty successfully. Over the years, a female character called Prudence (Ziona in Hebrew) emerged, making this an absolute must in every household with children.

An oldie but a goodie, Start-Up Nation is the book when it comes to understanding Israels massive high-tech miracle. Arguing that adversity is what brought Israelis to think out of the box, take a chance and succeed, it is most certainly inspirational on the national level but is also very thought-provoking on a personal one, particularly in these difficult times. And its beautifully written.

In Israel, resilience is a super-important quality. From the threat of war and the state of the economy to the horrific rollercoasters otherwise known as the countrys roads, everything requires taking a deep breath and making it through. ISRESILIENCE is an inspiring book that offers a glimpse into the resilience and wonderful achievements of Israeli individuals who have overcome adversity and made it to the top. Some of the people featured are household names and others are relatively unknown, and yet all make us feel so much better facing an uncertain future.

If youd like to make a change to your life, the kitchen is a good place to start. And theres probably no better guide than this eponymous book by the Jerusalemite chefs who put vibrant, exciting and delicious Middle Eastern food on plates across the world. Granted, their recipes usually include about a thousand ingredients and multiple steps, but its totally worth it. Just try their roast endive or white chocolate, oats and cranberry cookie recipes to get a whole new perspective on life.

Sherri Mandells 13-year-old son Koby was killed in a terror attack in 2001, leading her and her husband, Rabbi Seth Mandell, to set up the Koby Mandell Foundation offering support programs to families who have lost their loved ones. Shes also a pastoral counselor who runs healing groups for mothers, and has poured her knowledge, expertise and personal experience into a book that examines how it is possible to grow from grief. Thoughtful and compassionate, it is an eye-opener that can help in many difficult situations.

Feeling blue about the state of the planet? Ever wondered what the Bible said about being green? Volume 1 of Eco Bible, an ecological commentary on Genesis and Exodus, sheds new light on the well-known stories, links them to the burning issues of today and explores issues such as clean air, biodiversity and health. A Volume 2 delving into Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy is to be published next year, further aiding us in finding roots in this life-changing cause.

Covid-19 has put a serious damper on making it to faraway gorgeous destinations in which we can take a deep breath, recharge and reevaluate our lives. But as Tzippi Moss shows in her new book, you dont have to go that far away to appreciate all that nature can do for you  you just have to go, and go, and go, as she, her husband and her son did when they crisscrossed Israel to raise money and awareness for ALS research, reflecting on life and gathering new lessons on the way.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
As the United Kingdom on Monday rolled out the second vaccine against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), a leading Oxford scientist said that there was a big question mark around the effectiveness of vaccines on the South African variant of SARS-CoV-2. The new Covid-19 strain, named 20C/501Y.V2, has caused a rapid surge in the coronavirus cases in South Africa and two cases of the variant were also discovered in the UK on December 23.

Sir John Bell, an Oxford professor working with the UK government on its vaccine program, told Times Radio that theres no data to suggest that South African variant is more deadly than the one originated in Britain, however, he was concerned about the mutations in the former. Bell said that a team of researchers are looking at how currently available vaccines could tackle the virus variants.

Theres still the research to be done, but if you want my gut feeling, I think the vaccine will be effective against the Kent strain and I dont know about the South African strain. I think theres a big question mark about that, the professor said.



Also Read | Africa left with few options for Covid-19 vaccines, says South Africa

The South African variant was first identified in Nelson Mandela Bay in samples dating back to the beginning of October 2020, and the variant also was identified in Zambia in late December 2020. Bell opined its unlikely that the highly transmissible mutations will turn off the effect of vaccines entirely.

Weve got a bit of headroom because the vaccines work, I think, much better than any of us thought they would work, he said. We do have some room to manoeuvre. If they worked 20% less well because of a mutation wed still have good vaccines.

UK health secretary Matt Hancock has said that he is incredibly worried about the South African variant of the coronavirus, calling it even more of a problem than the new UK strain. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is no evidence to suggest that the South African variant has any impact on disease severity or vaccine efficacy.
Reporter

Heather Bellow, a member of the investigations team, joined The Eagle in 2017. She is based in the South Berkshire County bureau in Great Barrington. Her work has appeared in newspapers across the U.S.
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The state of California has become the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

On New Years Eve, 585 COVID-19 deaths were reported in the state, making up more than one seventh of all deaths from the virus reported in the United States that day. More than 2.4 million people, in a state of 39 million, have been infected, with nearly 39,000 more diagnosed Sunday.

In Los Angeles, San Diego, and the entirety of Southern and Central Valley California, hospital intensive care units have entirely run out of space. On January 1, there were over 20,000 people hospitalized throughout the state; by comparison, at the height of the spike on July 8 only 8,000 were hospitalized.

A refrigerated semi-trailer sits outside a hospital in Southern California as it waits to be loaded with bodies (Credit: WSWS)

The flood of coronavirus cases has exposed the underfunded, unprepared health care system in the richest state in the country. The Los Angeles Times reports hospitals are scrambling to find staff and that there is a chronic shortage of oxygen tanks. The paper quoted Christina Ghaly, the Los Angeles County director of health services, who described non-COVID outpatient services as down to a skeleton crew. She said the county was on the brink of catastrophe.

Ambulances in Los Angeles County are waiting up to eight hours to offload their patients at hospitals, according to Cathy Chidester, director of Los Angeles Countys Emergency Medical Services. In some instances, ambulances are being redirected, or potential patients simply sent home.

A nurse in Southern California sent the World Socialist Web Site a photo of a refrigerated semi-truck that had just arrived at the hospital they work east of Los Angeles. Hospitals and mortuaries across the state are placing rental orders for similar units to handle the mounting casualties as they overwhelm the healthcare system.

Continental Funeral Home in Los Angeles told ABC 7 News that every funeral home they know are past their capacity to handle bodies. The owner reports that it is removing bodies at six times its normal rate.

The Southern California nurse spoke to the WSWS about how the lack of staffing is a critical issue in the unfolding catastrophe.

We are stretched so thin, the more patients we take care of the less we can safely take care of, she said. I hate to say it but when youre exhausted maybe you miss things, maybe doctors will miss things.

The other morning, she continued, I had three deaths by 9 a.m. and my shift started at 6 a.m. Recently we had a 25-year-old who died and his only comorbidity was obesity. He was crying and scared to be intubated. He was a little boy. His heart gave out and he died. Another nurse was there holding his hand because his mom wasnt there.

When you are in the moment you do everything you can, you are numb to things, but after I heard [another patient] was doing better I sat in the car and cried for an hour. It doesnt mean she is out of the woods yet but after so much death, we take these victories.

There is a large outbreak of the virus among the tens of thousands of homeless people living in Los Angeles. In the fall, recorded cases among the homeless were at 60 a week in the city. It has since risen in the last week to almost 550 a week. Rev. Andrew Bales, director of Union Rescue Mission, told the Los Angeles Times, all of skid row and many agencies/missions are hot spots. All are overwhelmed.

Because of the lag between infection and symptoms, Christmas and New Years activities and shopping are only beginning to result in hospitalizations. Because of these, epidemiologists predict January may easily be a more deadly month than December.

Dr. Brad Spellberg, chief medical officer at the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center, warned CNN of a total collapse of the health care system if case numbers continue to rise.

Because of the inadequacy of medical services, including insufficient medical workers, emergency medical workers have deployed to various parts of the state. The Army Corps of Engineers has now been deployed to Los Angeles County to supplement the inadequate oxygen supplies of the area. In the Central Valley region, a poorer area dominated by agriculture, 1,200 emergency medical workers were sent last week to treat patients as hospitalization from the pandemic more than doubled in several counties last month.

In statements made over the weekend, Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Eric Garcetti sought to blame the pandemic on the population, remarking, Its so critical we change our behavior. Everybodys doing something but everybody can do more. The hypocrisy of this statement is staggering. In Los Angeles, major malls are open, with thousands of people inside. Factories are open. The film industry is open.

Garcetti and other California Democrats have sought to place the blame of the pandemic on workers and small business owners, while insisting that the major operations of money making remain open throughout the state. Lockdown measures that do nothing to halt the major public spreads of the virus, while leaving workers and small business owners penniless, are hypocritical and fully inadequate to stop the virus.

Last Wednesday, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom even announced plans for the reopening of Californias schools, which includes a significant, $450 per student financial incentive to school districts that achieve reopening. A financial incentive like this could pressure officials to fudge infection numbers as they have in Florida.
OTTAWA  The Canadian Armed Forces have resisted joining TikTok, one of the fastest growing social-media sites, over apparent concerns about the companys Chinese ownership and unclear censorship rules.

OTTAWA  The Canadian Armed Forces have resisted joining TikTok, one of the fastest growing social-media sites, over apparent concerns about the companys Chinese ownership and unclear censorship rules.

"TikTok has huge security risks  and does not have a government seal of approval," a military communications manager wrote in an August 2020 email, which the Free Press obtained through a freedom-of-information request.

TikTok is an app where users make short videos, originally focused on lip-syncing and responding to other users videos. Its popularity has exploded among North Americans aged 15 to 25, particularly during COVID-19 lockdowns.

But the app has come under scrutiny for censoring content critical of China, where its parent company is based. It has also banned videos with LGBTTQ+ themes in the past.

TikTok insists it operates independently and respects user privacy, but investigations into its code suggest the company records reams of metadata about its users.

That prompted the United States Army in January 2020 to ban all soldiers from using the app.

Canadian officials have resisted a similar ban, but are cautious about publishing content on any emerging platforms, the Forces said.

"Currently, we still do not use TikTok, nor do we have an institutional policy on the matter," military spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande wrote Friday. "Until such time, we will continue to adhere to broader government of Canada policies on social media use, and follow those best practices."

Internal records show the military is worried about its perception among younger Canadians, and trying to find ways to connect with them, including online.

"For recruiting, it is good to plant a good seed young," a navy recruitment planning officer wrote to his colleagues in October 2019, arguing the military branch out into TikTok.

That month, the social-media team lead for all branches of the CAF had a younger staffer look into the merits of using TikTok. The manager noted NDP Leader Jagmeet Singhs success in connecting with younger voters through the app.

A month later, this manager suggested steering away from the app.

"In sum, we do not recommend using TikTok, first because it hasnt ironed out its community-standard policies," reads the start of a sentence that is partially redacted under the Access to Information Act.

The message appears in a chain that had portions removed under exemptions for information that could harm international affairs or Canadas defence.

The emails show various branches of the Armed Forces reaching out to their communications teams about promoting their local base or team on TikTok, similar to existing Facebook pages.

An August 2020 request generated some surprise, with a manager suggesting her colleague use the short-video feature available on the Instagram app instead.

"Wow, tell him to play with the Reels feature on Instagram, he can get his TikTok fix there," the manager wrote. "Sorry to be a Mrs. Party Pooper"

Still, an undated assessment of the militarys social media presence noted the apps potential.

"TikTok is very popular with the younger demographic," reads a report to the Department of National Defences communications head.

"The CAF has a wide assortment of video content that could be shared via TikTok. We can explore the benefit this platform could have for our content."

That report also noted what images already get traction on the militarys Twitter and Facebook accounts.

"Content showing strong men with guns work best on the CAF channels."

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
DUBLIN, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "The Global Off-Highway Vehicle Telematics Market - 2nd Edition" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global Off-Highway Vehicle Telematics Market analyses the latest developments on the market for telematics solutions used in the construction, mining, agriculture and forestry sectors.



This strategic research report provides you with unique business intelligence, including 5-year industry forecasts, expert commentary and real-life case studies on which to base your business decisions.



How will off-highway vehicle telematics market in the construction, mining, agriculture and forestry segments evolve in 2020 and beyond? This report covers the latest trends and developments in the dynamic telematics industry. The analyst forecasts that the global installed base of active off-highway vehicle telematics systems will grow at a CAGR of 15.4 percent from 4.4 million units at the end of 2019 to 9.0 million units by 2024. Get up to date with the latest information about vendors, products and markets.

Who should buy this report?

The Global Off-Highway Vehicle Telematics Market is the foremost source of information about the market for telematics solutions used in the construction, mining, agriculture and forestry sectors. Whether you are a telematics vendor, vehicle manufacturer, telecom operator, investor, consultant, or government agency, you will gain valuable insights from this in-depth research.

Highlights from this report:

Insights from 30 executive interviews with market-leading companies.

Overview of the construction, mining, agriculture and forestry sectors.

Profiles of more than 30 equipment OEMs and their telematics offerings.

Comprehensive overview of the off-highway vehicle telematics value chain and key applications.

Summary of the latest industry trends and developments.

Market forecasts lasting until 2024.

This report answers the following questions:

Which are the main telematics systems offered by off-highway vehicle manufacturers?

Which are the key off-highway vehicle telematics applications?

What business models are used by OEMs offering telematics?

Which equipment manufacturers have developed their telematics offerings in-house?

Which OEM telematics offerings are powered by telematics partners?

How are aftermarket providers approaching the off-highway vehicle telematics market?

How does the off-highway vehicle telematics market compare with other commercial vehicle telematics markets?

How will the off-highway vehicle telematics market evolve in the future?

Key Topics Covered:

1 The global off-highway vehicle market

1.1 Introduction

1.1.1 Off-highway vehicle manufacturers

1.2 The construction sector

1.2.1 Construction equipment

1.3 The mining sector

1.3.1 Mining equipment

1.4 The agricultural sector

1.4.1 Agricultural equipment

1.5 The forestry sector

1.5.1 Forestry equipment

2 Off-highway vehicle telematics technologies and solutions

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Off-highway vehicle telematics infrastructure

2.2.1 Vehicle segment

2.2.2 Positioning segment

2.2.3 Network segment

2.2.4 Backoffice segment

2.2.5 OEM/dealer segment

2.3 Off-highway vehicle management

2.3.1 Machine location tracking and status monitoring

2.3.2 Security tracking and intervention

2.3.3 Remote diagnostics, preventive maintenance and machine health prognostics33

2.3.4 Precision agriculture

2.4 Equipment operator management

2.4.1 Collection of operator-related data

2.4.2 Interaction with operators in the field

2.5 Safety management

2.5.1 Proximity detection and collision avoidance systems

2.5.2 Video-based monitoring solutions

2.5.3 Fatigue and distraction monitoring

2.6 Business models

3 Market forecasts and trends

3.1 Market analysis

3.1.1 Installed base and forecast

3.1.2 Regional markets

3.1.3 Vendor market shares

3.2 Market drivers and barriers

3.2.1 Macroeconomic environment

3.2.2 Regulatory environment

3.2.3 Competitive environment

3.2.4 Technology environment

3.3 Value chain analysis

3.3.1 Equipment industry players

3.3.2 Telematics industry players

3.3.3 Telecom industry players

3.3.4 IT and other industry players

3.4 Market trends

4 Construction and mining equipment manufacturers

4.1 Caterpillar

4.2 CNH Industrial

4.3 Deere & Company

4.4 Doosan

4.5 Epiroc

4.6 Hitachi Construction Machinery

4.7 Hyundai Construction Equipment

4.8JCB

4.9 Komatsu

4.10 Liebherr

4.11 Sandvik

4.12 Volvo Construction Equipment

4.13 Other manufacturers

4.13.1 Bell Equipment

4.13.2 BOMAG

4.13.3 JLG Industries

4.13.4 Kobelco

4.13.5 Kubota

4.13.6 Link-Belt and LBX (Sumitomo)

4.13.7 LiuGong

4.13.8 Mahindra & Mahindra

4.13.9 Manitowoc

4.13.10 Mecalac

4.13.11 SANY

4.13.12 Tadano

4.13.13 Takeuchi

4.13.14 Terex

4.13.15 Wacker Neuson

5 Agriculture and forestry equipment manufacturers

5.1 AGCO

5.2 ARGO Tractors

5.3 CLAAS Group

5.4 CNH Industrial

5.5 Deere & Company

5.6 Krone

5.7 Kubota

5.8 Mahindra & Mahindra

5.9 Ponsse

5.10 SDF

5.11 Tigercat

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/bpw964

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.



Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

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The Daily Beast

Theo WargoCNN boss Jeff Zucker on Tuesday addressed network staffers concerns over the revelations that primetime star host Chris Cuomo advised his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on how to respond to the multiple sexual harassment allegations against him.During a Tuesday afternoon town-hall meeting with staff, Zucker claimed he understood the unease over Cuomos conduct, saying in no uncertain terms that it was a mistake for the primetime star to participate in strategy calls advising his politically powerful brother.He did cross a line, Zucker said.Last week, The Washington Post reported that Cuomo joined strategy calls helping plan his powerful brothers rebuttals to mounting allegations that he harassed multiple women and made some female staffers feel uncomfortable. According to multiple sources who were present on one meeting, the CNN host even mentioned invoking cancel culture as a way to combat the claims.The CNN boss said he personally voiced his displeasure to Cuomo, and that he had considered the options for how to handle the star hosts unfolding scandal. Ultimately, Zucker said that rather than suspending Cuomo, the network decided the host should have to go on-air and personally apologize to his viewers.And so during his 9 p.m. ET broadcast, Cuomo declared that it will never happen again and insisted he knows where the line is.In a statement following the Post bombshell last week, CNN admitted it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governors staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward. The network added that Cuomo would not be disciplined further.But the top anchors decision to secretly participate in the strategy calls assisting his embattled brother has, indeed, irked numerous network staffers. CNN insiders who spoke with The Daily Beast this week expressed frustration with the networks handling of the incident, saying Cuomo should have faced more serious consequences.Im very disappointed in the network, said one current on-air personality. I think some disciplinary action, at a minimum, was required in this situation. The source added, As a woman who works here, I feel a little let down, to be honest.Staff were particularly interested in Tuesdays town hall following one of the more eventful weeks for the network following a high-profile sale and the departure of one noteworthy on-air contributor.During the call, Zucker said that Rick Santorum was given an opportunity to apologize for what the CNN boss referred to as the ex-senators inappropriate and racist comments about Native Americans, but because he refused to do so, the network ultimately fired the conservative pundit.And elsewhere in Tuesdays town hall, Zucker downplayed the impact of AT&Ts decision to merge WarnerMedia, CNNs parent company, with Discovery. Asked about whether CNN could be spun off as part of the deal, the network chief said he did not think that was in the cards.And when pressed on his own future at the network, Zucker said he plans to have conversations with the right people very soon.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
Highlights Realme Koi is the Realme V15 and it will launch on January 7.

Realme V15 is said to be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 800U SoC.

Realme V15 will come with a 64MP triple camera setup.

Realme V15 is set to launch on January 7. The company has shared official teasers for the launch of V15 on Weibo. This launch will take place in China because the V-series never made it outside of the home market. Interestingly, the Realme V15 has emerged as the official name for the Realme Koi smartphone that was leaked in pictures sometime back and refutes the rumours that the Koi will be the Snapdragon 888-powered flagship phone.

According to teasers, the Realme V15 launch event is scheduled for 2 pm on January 7 in China. This translates to 11.30 am the same day in India. The smartphone look has also been revealed in teasers, showing off the same bright orange-red colour combination that was leaked in some Realme Koi pictures some days back. There is the "Dare to Leap" slogan embossed in bold on the rear finish of the smartphone. The Realme V15 will be the third smartphone in the series after the V3 and V5 5G smartphones.

The design of the Realme Koi aka V15 is inspired by the Koi fish, which is significant in Chinese and Japanese cultures for their beauty and auspiciousness. Besides the very shimmery finish, the Realme V15 will come with a rectangular camera island housing three cameras, one of which uses a 64MP main sensor. The details of this sensor are not clear right now but Realme will divulge the details at the launch event. The smartphone has a punch-hole display with a thick chin on the bottom.

Realme V15 specifications

The rest of the specifications of the Realme V15 were not shared in teasers by Realme China president Xu Qi Chase. However, there are rumours that do point at what to expect from the Realme V15. The smartphone is said to be powered by an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 800U processor, meaning there will be support for 5G. There will be 50W rapid charge technology on the smartphone. The smartphone will weigh 176 grams. The display size, battery capacity, and the details of the remaining cameras are still not known at this point.

The Realme V15 will be another affordable-range 5G handset in the company's portfolio. And while the China kitty is expanding rapidly, Realme is set to launch the Realme X7 range in India to diversify its 5G products. Realme launched the X50 Pro 5G as India's first 5G phone back in February last year but since 2021 is expected to be important for India's telecom sector with the launch of 5G, the company is moving aggressively to introduce cheaper 5G smartphones in India.
New Delhi, Jan 4 : A long-awaited solo exhibition of drawings by Delhi-based artist Chameli Ramachandran, titled 'Flowers Bloom, Flowers Wither Away, Flowers Bloom Again' is on view at Vadehra Art Gallery through mid-February 2021. It opens January 8.

Ramachandran, born in 1940 in Santiniketan, has always nurtured an immersive and entrancing relationship with nature, which repeatedly strikes an impulse to paint the skeletal and spiritual structures of flowers over and over again.

Her primary art subject has been nature and its embodiments, which she explores with sensitivity and admiration, in a unique confluence of Chinese meditative practices and the lushness of Indian landscapes, particularly in Bengal.

In this latest series of flower studies, the artist expands her symbolic vocabulary of the flower and its parts by viewing them as metaphors for life and death. She notes their sudden budding as a celebratory arrival of beauty, grace and fragrance, only to wilt shortly thereafter.

As Ella Datta writes, "Each of Chameli's flower studies expresses an intimate language of emotion -- meditative, ecstatic, melancholy. The life of a flower may be short but not its image painted by Chameli. It continues to resonate in one's memory." Chameli renders her flowers with deft brushwork and elegant personas, and captures both their life-brimming potential and fallen obscurities with the same attention.

While she usually paints from life, in this series of work Chameli also newly relies on memory to experiment with form, especially the sthalapadmas on her terrace in Delhi that were just about to bloom when the Ramachandrans left the city for a long sojourn to Mumbai towards the end of last year, where the fullness of the heavy, multi-petalled flowers kept haunting her, thus working in subjective exaggerations for the sake of storytelling.

Her list of protagonists is long, including orchids, sthalapadma (Hibiscus mutabilis), simul (silk cotton), and various kinds of lilies, chrysanthemums, carnations and crotons.

In her mandala-like compositions, Chameli strives for balance and luminescence, achieved through precise colour, chromatics and texture. Her pensive contemplations spark joy, feeling personal, and warm while also transcendental.

(Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
A Slack representative said the company was seeing improvements with error rates on our side, and we believe affected customers should be able to access Slack.

The company later said it had resolved issues with its calendar apps and email notifications.

The representative could not say how many of Slacks more than 10 million daily users were affected or what had caused the disruption.

The website Downdetector, which tracks internet disruptions, recorded a spike in reported problems with Slack at about 10 a.m. Eastern time, and the company posted its first statement about the problem at 10:14 a.m.

Later in the afternoon, the spike appeared to have subsided.

During the outage, users could not send messages, load channels, make calls or even log in to the service, and some had problems with their calendars and notifications. The outage sent many people either to Slacks competitors, like Google or Zooms video services, or back to phone calls and emails  tools that could feel antiquated to some employees who, while working from home for much of the last year, have grown used to the convenience and immediacy of the Slack app on their laptop or smartphone.

Service began to resume for some users around 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

Some customers may be able to connect, but may also experience degraded performance, Slack said at 1 p.m.
New Delhi, Jan 4 : Ahead of the seventh round of talks with the Centre on Monday, the farmers have hardened their stand on the demand for repealing the three farm laws.

The agitating farmers have already announced to take out a tractor parade towards Delhi on January 26, which is the Republic Day, besides a series of programmes in a bid to intensify their protest.

Ahead of joining the talks, Harinder Singh Lokhowal, a prominent farmer leader from Punjab and Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) general secretary told IANS, "I will ask the government to take back the new laws and save farmers who they call 'Annadata', as over 50 farmers have lost their lives during the protest." He said, "How many sacrifices the government wants to take?"

He also criticised the action taken by state governments of Haryana and Punjab to stop the farmers from approaching Delhi as the Haryana Police fired tear gas at them in Rewari district.

He said the farmer leaders from the Singhu border would leave for the Vigyan Bhawan by 12 p.m. as the meeting was scheduled Monday at 2 p.m.

The number of farmer leaders to join the talks is expected to remain as were present in the sixth round of talks held on December 30.

The sixth round of meeting ended after over five hours with the Centre saying that the two sides had reached a consensus on two out of four key issues.

Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh have been protesting at the borders of the national capital demanding the repeal of the three farm laws, among other demands.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
BJPs West Bengal state committee member Krishnendu Mukherjee on Monday alleged that TMC goons have opened fire on his car in Asansol in Paschim Barddhaman district but he was saved by a whisker as the assailants failed to open the vehicles doors.

The ruling party in the state, however, dismissed his allegation and said the incident might be a fallout of Mukherjees old rivalries.

As I was returning home in Asansols Hirapur from Kolkata on Sunday night, three unidentified persons, whom I suspect to be TMC goons, stopped my car near my house and tried to open the doors, failing which they opened indiscriminate fire on the vehicle.

The driver shouted for help and I repeatedly honked the horn to grab the locals attention, following which the assailants fled the spot, Mukherjee said.

He alleged that the TMC was behind the incident and he has informed senior BJP leaders about the incident.

A complaint has been received from Mukherjee and CCTV footages in the area are being scrutinised, an officer at Hirapur police station said.

Dismissing the charges, TMCs Asansol Dakshin MLA Tapas Banerjee alleged that Mukherjee is accused in several extortion, smuggling and even murder cases and was absconding for a long time and the incident might be a fallout of his old rivalries.
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/04/2021 -- A new business intelligence report released by HTF MI with title "Global Islamic Financing Market Size, Status and Forecast 2019-2025" is designed covering micro level of analysis by manufacturers and key business segments. The Global Islamic Financing Market survey analysis offers energetic visions to conclude and study market size, market hopes, and competitive surroundings. The research is derived through primary and secondary statistics sources and it comprises both qualitative and quantitative detailing. Some of the key players profiled in the study are Al Rajhi Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Al Baraka Banking, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD, HSBC, Kuwait Finance House, NBAD, NCB, Qatar International Islamic Bank & Samba Financial Group.



What's keeping Al Rajhi Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Al Baraka Banking, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD, HSBC, Kuwait Finance House, NBAD, NCB, Qatar International Islamic Bank & Samba Financial Group Ahead in the Market? Benchmark yourself with the strategic moves and findings recently released by HTF MI



Get Free Sample Report + All Related Graphs & Charts @ : https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1862066-global-islamic-financing-market-1



Market Overview of Global Islamic Financing

If you are involved in the Global Islamic Financing industry or aim to be, then this study will provide you inclusive point of view. It's vital you keep your market knowledge up to date segmented by Applications [Individual, Commercial, Government & International], Product Types [, Banking Assets, Sukuk Outstanding, Islamic Funds' Assets & Takaful Contributions] and major players. If you have a different set of players/manufacturers according to geography or needs regional or country segmented reports we can provide customization according to your requirement.



This study mainly helps understand which market segments or Region or Country they should focus in coming years to channelize their efforts and investments to maximize growth and profitability. The report presents the market competitive landscape and a consistent in depth analysis of the major vendor/key players in the market along with impact of economic slowdown due to COVID.



Furthermore, the years considered for the study are as follows:

Historical year  2014-2019

Base year  2019

Forecast period**  2020 to 2026 [** unless otherwise stated]



**Moreover, it will also include the opportunities available in micro markets for stakeholders to invest, detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product services of key players.



Enquire for customization in Report @: https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/1862066-global-islamic-financing-market-1



The titled segments and sub-section of the market are illuminated below:

The Study Explore the Product Types of Islamic Financing Market: , Banking Assets, Sukuk Outstanding, Islamic Funds' Assets & Takaful Contributions



Key Applications/end-users of Global Islamic FinancingMarket: Individual, Commercial, Government & International



Top Players in the Market are: Al Rajhi Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Al Baraka Banking, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD, HSBC, Kuwait Finance House, NBAD, NCB, Qatar International Islamic Bank & Samba Financial Group



Region Included are: United States, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India & Central & South America



Important Features that are under offering & key highlights of the report:

 Detailed overview of Islamic Financing market

 Changing market dynamics of the industry

 In-depth market segmentation by Type, Application etc

 Historical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and value

 Recent industry trends and developments

 Competitive landscape of Islamic Financing market

 Strategies of key players and product offerings

 Potential and niche segments/regions exhibiting promising growth

 A neutral perspective towards Islamic Financing market performance

 Market players information to sustain and enhance their footprint



Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @ https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1862066-global-islamic-financing-market-1



Major Highlights of TOC:

Chapter One: Global Islamic Financing Market Industry Overview

1.1 Islamic Financing Industry

1.1.1 Overview

1.1.2 Products of Major Companies

1.2 Islamic Financing Market Segment

1.2.1 Industry Chain

1.2.2 Consumer Distribution

1.3 Price & Cost Overview



Chapter Two: Global Islamic Financing Market Demand

2.1 Segment Overview

2.1.1 APPLICATION 1

2.1.2 APPLICATION 2

2.1.3 Other

2.2 Global Islamic Financing Market Size by Demand

2.3 Global Islamic Financing Market Forecast by Demand



Chapter Three: Global Islamic Financing Market by Type

3.1 By Type

3.1.1 TYPE 1

3.1.2 TYPE 2

3.2 Islamic Financing Market Size by Type

3.3 Islamic Financing Market Forecast by Type



Chapter Four: Major Region of Islamic Financing Market

4.1 Global Islamic Financing Sales

4.2 Global Islamic Financing Revenue & market share



Chapter Five: Major Companies List



Chapter Six: Conclusion



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Key questions answered

- What impact does COVID-19 have made on Global Islamic Financing Market Growth & Sizing?

- Who are the Leading key players and what are their Key Business plans in the Global Islamic Financing market?

- What are the key concerns of the five forces analysis of the Global Islamic Financing market?

- What are different prospects and threats faced by the dealers in the Global Islamic Financing market?

- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?



Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.
A Singaporean law student was assaulted by a 15-year-old boy in central London in a racially motivated attack fuelled by the Covid pandemic, magistrates have found.

Jonathan Mok, 24, was left requiring surgery on his face after the violent assault by the teenager and his group of friends on Oxford Street on February 24 last year.

The teenager, who cannot be named owing to his age, was found guilty of racially aggravated grievous bodily harm (GBH) at Highbury Corner Youth Court on Monday.

He had previously admitted wounding or inflicting GBH but denied it was racially motivated  telling his trial in December he had not mentioned coronavirus and was not a racist.

But the court heard that several people had witnessed the word disease or coronavirus from a few metres away.

Chairwoman of the bench Lesley Ward said the evidence showed the teenagers version of events was not plausible and could not be believed.

She told the teenager: Given the number of witnesses and your proximity to the incident, we feel its not plausible that you missed the racist term being used and its therefore difficult to believe your version of events.

Ms Ward said the attack had been unprovoked and racially motivated.

The court had previously heard that after the friend of the 15-year-old made a remark about the virus towards Mr Mok, the student turned around.

The defendants friend then said dont you look at me before punching Mr Mok in the face without warning, the court head.

Mr Mok, who had been studying in London for two years at the time of the attack, told the trial his nose exploded following the first punch.

The court heard that the 15-year-old boy then joined in the attack, punching and kicking Mr Mok and making a racist comment.

Mr Mok said the teenage defendant told him: I dont want your coronavirus in my country.

Asked what he thought the comment meant, Mr Mok told the trial: My interpretation was he believed that I was the one who brought the coronavirus to this country, or people who look like me.

I was angry it was quite shocking because I never expected to face this sort of incident, I have never heard this kind of comment the whole time while studying in London.

The teenager had previously denied kicking Mr Mok or hearing any mention of coronavirus in his group of friends.

He had told the court that no one said anything towards Mr Mok about his ethnicity.

He had also said he believed coronavirus was fake at the time of the incident.
On this weeks episode of Segue, Southern Illinois University Edwardsvilles weekly radio program exploring the lives and work of the people on campus and beyond, Chancellor Randy Pembrook interviews The Alestle student newspaper contributors and Program Director Tammy Merrett.

This episode of Segue airs at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 3. Listeners can tune in to WSIE 88.7 FM The Sound or siue.edu/wsie.

The Alestle is SIUEs student-run newspaper, published online every Tuesday and Thursday. Each week, student contributors write breaking news stories, along with sports, lifestyle and opinion pieces.

Merretts career in journalism started in 1986. Currently, she serves as a college media advisor and faculty member while directing the staff of The Alestle. Merrett is a member of the St. Louis Chapter of Society of Professional Journalists, College Media Advisors Advocacy Committee and the Illinois College Press Association.

Under Merretts guidance, The Alestle won four awards last year at the 99th annual Associated Collegiate Press Fall National College Media Convention.

Congratulations for the awards you received last fall, begins Pembrook. Lets talk about the awards and share what pieces were submitted and recognized.

The Alestle took first place in the conventions best photo package category.

This category ranged from schools all over the nation, explains Madison Lammert, editor-in-chief and senior mass communications major. Our photo entry was taken at the Black Lives Matter protest in Edwardsville this summer. It was special to cover this moment as an Edwardsville native, because it was the first time I had seen the community come together in this way.

The Alestle also earned a third-place award for its Back-To-School Survival Guide in the special advertising category.

Our Back-To-School Survival Guide is an issue we publish annually before the fall semester to let incoming freshmen and returning students know whats going on at SIUE, says Mackenzie Smith, multimedia editor and senior psychology major.

Next, The Alestle was awarded seventh place in the conventions best website category.

Im honored that we placed in the Top 10, says Alex Aultman, lifestyle editor and junior sociology major. The other winners had very aesthetically pleasing websites.

John McGowan, a sophomore majoring in mass communications and the newspapers podcast producer, received eighth place in the podcast episode category for Alestle After Hours: The Black Plague, the Spanish Flu and the Coronavirus.

Essentially, I talked with a history professor at SIUE, Dr. Kathleen Vongsathorn, explains McGowan. We compared the current pandemic to the past ones, and she provided cool insight on how America has reacted to these things in the past.

Tammy, you must be proud of your student reporters, notes Pembrook.

I am proud of the students, as a lot of work goes into preparing our entries for the annual contest, says Merrett. More than 100 schools participate in the convention, meaning the competition is pretty fierce.

Prior to the pandemic, The Alestle published a print version of the paper every Thursday. In March, the paper made the decision to shift fully online.

How has COVID-19 changed what you normally do for the paper? inquires Pembrook.

The biggest challenge has been reforming our processes, because most of the work we do involves communicating with each other, answers Lammert. The training process for new hires has also changed. Before, we would explain to incoming reporters that you can stop by a sources office, but now, someones office is their home.

We had a tricky time figuring out how to get the production process online, adds Merrett. Were still designing pages as if we were in print, because newspaper presentation is important for our audience.

Do you think sources of information have changed for journalists? asks Pembrook.

With the prevalence of social media, many people get their information online now, answers Smith. Most of our audience views our content from Facebook or Twitter. A lot of people find their news on social media, but not all sources are reliable.

Theres so much more information on social media in general, McGowan says. For example, when were covering protests, people are always posting about it, making it both easier and harder to navigate through sources.

I look forward to reading and seeing more from each of you in the future, ends Pembrook. Thank you for being here today and keep up the great work.

Tune in at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 3 to WSIE 88.7 The Sound to hear the entire conversation.
New MDARD emergency order extends pesticide applicator credentials until June 2021

For immediate release: January 4, 2021

Program contact: Brian Verhougstraete, 517-582-4573

Media contact: Jennifer Holton, 517-284-5724

LANSING, MI.  A new emergency rule filed on December 30, 2020 by Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Director Gary McDowell extended pesticide applicator credential expiration dates as part of the states continued COVID-19 response. Applicators whose credentials expired on December 31, 2019 or December 31, 2020 will have those credentials extended to June 30, 2021. In addition to extending the expiration date, the rule gives applicators six additional months to renew their credential via continuing education courses.

Extending applicator credentials and giving them more time to complete their continuing education courses allows inspectors to focus on our regulatory activities protecting human health and the environment from misapplications of pesticides, said Brian Verhougstraete, MDARDs Pesticide Section Manager. It also provides certified applicators and businesses some regulatory clarity and ensures they can continue their work protecting our food supply from damaging pests.

The Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, P.A. 451 of 1994, Part 83, requires individuals to be either a certified pesticide applicator or a registered applicator to apply a pesticide for a commercial purpose. The Act also requires certification for anyone wishing to purchase a restricted use pesticide. Michigans certified pesticide applicators must pass written examinations to ensure they have the knowledge and skills necessary to properly apply pesticides in a manner that protects themselves, the public, and the environment. Once certified, applicators must renew their credentials every three years by either retesting or participating in continuing education events.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the department is not offering in-person exams. Metro Institute, a private company MDARD has partnered with to offer computer-based exams, is providing limited in-person exams at some of their testing centers. To schedule a computer-based exam, please visit Metro Institutes website: www.metrosignup.com or call 877-533-2900.

More information about MDARDs recertification by continuing education program and a listing of approved courses can be found at Michigan.gov/MDARDPestCert.

For additional information on MDARDs Pesticide and Plant Pesticide Management Division, visit Michigan.gov/MDARD.

###
Tamil Nadu allows 100% occupancy in cinema halls

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Chennai, Jan 04: The Tamil Nadu government has permitted 100 per cent occupancy in cinema halls across the state. The government said that the permission has been granted owing to the reducing number of cases in the state.

While cinema halls were permitted to screen for a 50 per cent audience from November, there were hardly any new movies to screen at that time. One of the biggest beneficiaries of this move would be the Vijay starrer Master, which is slated for a January 13, Pongal release.

From schools, pools to cinema halls: List of relaxations starting today

The film was to be released in early 2020, but had to be postponed owing to the pandemic. There were rumours of the film taking the OTT route.

Farmer Protest: What did Agricultural minister say on the 7th round of talks|Oneindia News

Abirami Ramanathan a senior film producer, distributor and theatre owner told Zee Media, "we welcome this announcement as only big films will bring in crowds to theatres. As crowds start coming in for big films, even the other films will get patronage. When we opened in November to 50% occupancy, there were not enough movies to draw in an audience. We will function with all precautions in place."

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, January 4, 2021, 15:19 [IST]
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Police arrested a male teen suspected of breaking into Purple East Sunday morning in the citys Creston neighborhood.

Officers responded to a call of a breaking and entering at around 4 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 3 at the business, located at 2221 Plainfield Ave. NE. A witness observed three individuals exit an SUV-type vehicle and break into the head shop, an email from Grand Rapids Police Sgt. John Wittkowski states.

Read more: Grand Rapids head shop broken into overnight

Upon further investigation, officers discovered that the suspect vehicle was stolen from a local car dealership, according to an updated email from Wittkowski. The SUV was located at 11:30 a.m. in a hotel parking lot near the intersection of 28th Street and East Beltline Avenue Northeast, the email states.

Investigators made a possible connection between the vehicle and a separate breaking and entering incident at a Kentwood business, according to the email. Officers found the vehicle and subsequently arrested the suspect, who was in possession of the keys to the SUV and evidence from both break-ins.

The suspect, a 17-year-old man, is lodged at the Kent County Correctional Facility. There was no update on the other two suspects, who fled south on Plainfield according to witness testimony.

Purple East has been a staple in the Grand Rapids community since 1974, according to the business Facebook page. The Plainfield location has been open since 2018.

Read more from MLive:

Grand Rapids man hospitalized after accidentally shooting self in thigh, police say

Burning police cruisers, fireworks, broken windows depict unbelievable scene at Grand Rapids riot

Man, 27, shot in neck while attempting to buy PlayStation off Facebook Marketplace
Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money.

Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.
On Dec. 19, 2002, a judge vacated our convictions for the brutal attack on Trisha Meili, who many know as the Central Park jogger. On that day, our 13-year fight for justice came to an end. The lies that we were told by detectives to wrongly convict us were finally exposed and ceased to hold power over us. Now, we are fighting to prevent others from facing the same fate.

At the time of our arrests in 1989, we were just boys  Kevin and Raymond, the youngest among us, were only 14  and we came to be known as the Central Park Five. Now we are known as the Exonerated Five, and, largely because of Ava DuVernays series When They See Us, the world knows our stories.

But what people may not realize is that what happened to us isnt just the past  its the present. The methods that the police used to coerce us, five terrified young boys, into falsely confessing are still commonly used today. But in its coming session, New York State legislators have the power to change that.

Its hard to imagine why anyone would confess to a crime they didnt commit. But when youre in that interrogation room, everything changes. During the hours of relentless questioning that we each endured, detectives lied to us repeatedly. They said they had matched our fingerprints to crime scene evidence and told each of us that the others had confessed and implicated us in the attack. They said that if we just admitted to participating in the attack, we could go home. All of these were blatant lies.
Major cuts to oil production, an equally major boost to clean energy project development, and ambitious emissions reduction targets: this was Big Oils pledge for the future last year. Its worth acknowledging the effect the coronavirus pandemic had on oil demand, which motivated oil companies to diversify beyond their core business, but the motivation was already there as pressure from investors started growing for a more environmentally responsible way of doing energy business.

The majors themselves are confident they have the means and expertise to turn into the global utilities of tomorrow. They are betting big on electricity generation and distribution, EV charging, and, of course, wind, solar, and hydrogen. And they are making it sound like it will be smooth sailing. But it wont be.

The renewables pivot of Big Oil has been hailed by many and criticized by many, the latter of those who remember previous attemptsat least stated attemptsby oil and gas supermajors to shift to cleaner energy. Yet now things are different from previous attempts to go green: the pressure from governments and investors is much stronger as ESG investing turns into a steady trend, and environmental activism reaches new levels of influence over all industries. So what are the challenges?

First, Big Oil has a talent shortage problem. The problem is not new or unfamiliar, but it is potentially serious, according to Vicki Knott, chief executive of control room operations automations solutions provider Crux OCM.

On the one hand, the industry has an aging workforce that does not want to change, Knott told Oilprice. This workforce remembers how their businesses were impacted by the last green initiatives and have reservations on taking those risks again. On the other hand, it is getting increasingly difficult for oil and gas companies to find new talent, not least because of the negative image of oil and gas among younger generations.

Related: Chinas Oil Giants Face NYSE Delisting



Workforce behavior and attitudes are factors that tend to get overlooked when publicizing oil and gas companies efforts to change, but they are factors. There has been a lot of upbeat talk about retraining the existing workforce for a future that is not exclusively focused on oil and gas, but the actual execution of these retraining initiatives might turn out to be tricky.

Then there is the competition. Sure, Big Oil has the money to buy into solar and wind farm projectsand it is using this money for this purposebut it is not the only player in this field. It is, in fact, venturing further into a well-populated field, featuring utilities such as Spains Iberdrola and Italys Enel, and renewable energy companies such as NextEra, which notoriously dethroned Exxon as the most valuable energy stock in the U.S. for a while last year.

These companies have been doing what Big Oil wants to start doing now longer and this gives them an edge over the supermajors even with their expertiseorganic and inorganicin matters related to power generation and distribution.

I dont worry about the oil majors at all, the chief executive of NextEra said at an investor conference call last year, as quoted by the Wall Street Journal. If I have 100 things I worry about at night, its not even on the top 100.

This might be an attempt to downplay the threat but, as one oil industry insider told Oilprice last year, the supermajors are not utilities, they dont have the expertise to compete successfully with utilities, so they should stick to what they know how to do.

Be that as it may, Big Oil does have relevant expertise, Crux OCMs Knott notes. It has operated vast supply chains for decades and it has the means to build new ones around renewable energy and operate them efficiently. And yet it seems Big Oils biggest advantage over the renewables competition is its core business.

 Big Oil has an established supply chain infrastructure to distribute oil and gas for energy purposes, Knott told Oilprice. It also has an established infrastructure for home heating and cooking that is affordable. Big oil also is able to fuel power plants base load demands reliably (wind and sun are variable, you can take a power plant offline if the wind isnt blowing but you cant make the wind blow).

Most of the worlds largest oil companies have pledged to become net-zero businesses by 2050. For many this is an impossible task, with environmental lobbyists noting the industrys lofty goals sound better than they actually are.

Each of them wants to remain a fossil fuel giant, only not look like one, said Mark van Baal from Dutch-based shareholder advocacy group Follow This said last year in comments on the above findings. Apparently far more pressure from society and responsible investors is needed to make oil executives see the writing on the wall.

But it may be that Big Oil does not really need to become Big Electricity, or at least not Big Renewable Electricity. It may be smartest to play to its strengths and reduce emissions at the same time but without undertaking a completeand potentially riskytransformation.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Press Release

4 January 2021

COVID-19 took the world by surprise and has had a drastic effect on not only the way business is done but also on how to survive. With many businesses shuttering their doors due to government-ordered lockdowns, coming up with ways to safely reopen was top on the priority list. Many hospitality professionals have been left to assess the impact that COVID-19 has had on their business as well as what protocols will need to be implemented in the future. Below you will find eight blogs that delve into the impact that the global pandemic has had on the hospitality industry.

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1. People management during COVID-19

One of the most crucial resources with any business is its personnel. Unfortunately, this has been one of the areas most affected by the coronavirus. The blog post People Management During COVID-19 provides information on how to handle this precious resource and help work together with one's personnel to overcome the challenges that the global pandemic has created. It touches on issues such as communication, which is vital whether the employees are reporting to work in-person or virtually. By always taking the initiative to stay in contact with staff, they will not only feel listened to but understand how valuable they are in these challenging times.

The piece also discusses how to handle employee retention, layoffs and furloughs during the times that businesses had to be shutdown as well as the slow period of resurgence. Find out how to maintain your hospitality staff, and if you can't, how best to handle a staff reduction. Finally, the post discusses the implementation of social distancing, considered extremely difficult in an industry that relies on human touch for a welcoming attitude as well as professionalism. Learn how to help make employees and guests safe while still making them feel valued and welcomed.

2. COVID-19: Impact on the hospitality workforce

One of the industry workforces that has taken the hardest hit during the COVID-19 pandemic in hospitality. Not only have many in the industry lost their jobs, but they have also seen a significant change in how their jobs are due to evolve. COVID-19: Impact on the Hospitality Workforce explores the various ways in which workers have been impacted during the shutdown period and beyond. The piece starts by discussing how hard hit the hospitality industry was in many countries, some more drastically than others, such as India, Europe and China. The U.S. has also experienced an unprecedented level of cancellations and a significant decrease in business over the past six months.

The article discusses how the hospitality industry's reliance on temporary workers, who come from various cities and neighboring countries, significantly shrunk as many returned back to their native homes. Also mentioned is the fact that the unprecedented number of layoffs could result in the need for front-line hospitality staff to up their game and gain new skills to be able to be competitive when the markets reopen.

3. Lessons From COVID-19: The perspective of an EHL student

COVID-19 has not only had an effect on workers that are currently in the hospitality industry, but also those who are getting their education and training to prepare for a future career in the industry. Lessons From COVID-19: The Perspective of an EHL Student delves into the impact that the coronavirus has had on students working toward their degree or certification in the hospitality industry. It touches on the benefits of a technological world that allows for remote learning so that students did not fall behind. It also discusses other positives that have emerged from the new way of learning, such as finding different sources of motivation, being able to connect with others on a deeper level as everything slowed down, and how to be patient and accept the hand you have been dealt. All of these attributes can also help to prepare students for possible future situations they may find themselves in once they complete school and begin their future career path.

4. Easy to use key points for independent hotels during COVID-19

Another way the hospitality industry has changed as a result of the pandemic is how hotels operate. Even though many businesses have been allowed to reopen, they have been given requirements that they will need to follow to ensure safety. Easy to Use Key Points for Independent Hotels During COVID-19 is a blog post that addresses some of these issues and provides a list of key points that hotels and other businesses can follow to stay compliant and create a safe environment for both workers and guests. It discusses maintaining communication with health care agencies to understand new protocols and reporting measures. It also touches on the need to have a ready supply of required safety materials such as disinfectants, masks and sanitizer so that guidelines can be followed. Finally, it addresses the need for businesses to continue to educate their employees on hygiene and infection control procedures to reduce the risk of virus spread.

5. How hoteliers navigate the crisis

One thing that all hoteliers have in common is that fact that they have been affected in some way by the global pandemic. How Hoteliers Navigate the Crisis discusses the profound impact that the coronavirus has had on hotels and their employees across the globe. It is the first time that the world has ever seen hotel shutdowns by states and countries, and the length of the shutdowns have led to some even closing their doors for good. As an industry that works on minimal margins, even a small length of time closed can be devastating. The piece goes on to provide tips for hoteliers regarding how to help navigate the crisis, such as understanding and supporting staff, avoiding a significant drop in rates, and showing customers you understand how they feel by making an effort to keep in contact with them until the crisis is over.

6. Impact on Switzerland's tourism and hotel industry

Impact on Switzerland's Tourism and Hotel Industry discusses the drastic effect that COVID-19 has had on Switzerland. Over the years, three of the most popular destinations in the country, Lucerne, Berne, and Zurich, had become hot spots for Chinese tourists. Both individual Chinese travelers and groups of Chinese tourists flock to these destinations year-after-year, providing the towns and hospitality industry there with a significant amount of yearly revenue. That was before COVID-19 hit the globe. The article talks about Chinese travel restrictions, which blocked more than 20% of their tourist population for the year. It goes on to discuss the impact on the tourism-dependent cities in Switzerland which are not only experiencing a significant decline in hotel revenue, but also a reduction in retail and restaurant revenue.

7. COVID-19 and ensuing design changes to hospitality spaces

Everyone is constantly talking about the "new normal" and what that will look like as the world continues to fight the pandemic through social distancing and sanitization measures. While the new normal will definitely affect how we interact and go about our daily activities, it will also affect the design of spaces, including those in the hospitality industry. COVID-19 and Ensuing Design Changes to Hospitality Spaces addresses how the latest reopening requirements for hospitality venues have changed the design and look of hotels, restaurants and other places, with the need to promote social distancing and hygiene measures. It discusses how personal touches to do with customer care will be replaced by maintaining a clean, safe and disinfected environment. This will involve the promotion of more in-room dining options and the presence of contactless check-in and check-out procedures. Even the designs of large public spaces, such as ballrooms and conference spaces, are likely to see a revamp with less carpet and more materials that are easy-to-clean and disinfect.

8. Impacts of cleaning protocols

One of the largest ways in which COVID-19 has affected the hospitality industry is the cleaning process. The novel virus has been known to stay on surfaces and has the capability to travel multiple feet through the air, making containment require a significant amount of regular cleaning and disinfecting. Impacts of Cleaning Protocols on the Hospitality Industry is a piece that discusses how the need for sanitization on a regular basis has impacted the cleaning protocols in the hospitality industry. Constant cleaning can be problematic when businesses are trying to accommodate as many customers as possible, so to reduce the amount of sanitization necessary, they have looked for other ways to reduce the spread of germs. The article discusses how some places, such as hotels, may look different. You may now rely on touch-less technology to open your room door or find that physical menus are no longer available. You may also find sealable bags that contain items after sanitization, such as remote controls, and find that restaurants may have limited seating to keep the appropriate distance between parties. One thing is certain, the additional cleaning measures and design changes will come at a higher expense to the hospitality industry, that will be required to make these changes in order to continue doing business.

For information on the impact that the pandemic has had on the hospitality industry, the blogs listed above effectively resume the situation from changes in cleaning protocols, to design, to how the hospitality workforce and industry looks set to continue in the months to come.
The Reverend Thomas Henry Quamson, Head Pastor Assemblies of God, Holy Ghost Worship Centre Ashaiman, urges Ghanaians especially Christians, to cultivate the culture of planning to become more productive in the new year.



Preaching at the Churchs New Year Thanksgiving Service, he advised them to sit and carefully plan their lives before they embark on any action in order to achieve goals set for the year.



"It's sad that most people have lost the culture of planning; how can God bless you if you don't plan," he said.



He said God blesses according to what we plan, adding that, those who plan according to the will of God remained candidates of His divine blessing.



"If you fail to plan then you are surely planning to fail," said the Head Pastor.



Reading from Proverbs chapter three, he said the book served as a good resource for planning one's life according to the expectations of God.



The Reverend Minister said one of the keys to excel and meet one's target in the New Year was to set targets, write down guidelines, and follow them diligently to achieve one's expectations.



He said planning ensured that one made judicious use of time and resources to maximize productivity.



He said they should seek counsel from experienced persons in their targeted areas to avoid repeated mistakes.



Rev Quamson said social media and other media platforms were platforms which could divert their focus and should be guided by what they watched or listened to.



Speaking to the Church's theme for the year, "Revive us again, Lord ... For growth; Rev. Quamson said they should change their ways to experience a change.



He said they could not see a significant change in their life if they continued to do the same things as they did in the past.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
12 opposition parties extend support to farmers protest call on May 26; urge Centre to hold talks with farmers

No breakthrough in farmer-government talks, next meet on Friday

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Jan 04: The seventh round of talks between protesting unions and three central ministers ended inconclusively on Monday as the farmer leaders insisted on the repeal of the three contentious farm laws right from the beginning, even as the government listed various benefits from the Acts.

The next meeting will take place on January 8, farmer leaders said.

The two sides took a long break after just about one hour of discussions, during which representatives of protesting farmers had their own food, arranged from langar (community kitchen), as they have been doing for the last few times.

However, unlike the last round of talks on December 30, the ministers did not join the union leaders for the langar food and were seen having their own discussion separately during the break, which lasted for almost two hours.

The two sides got together again to resume their discussions at around 5.15 pm, but no headway could be made as the talks remained focussed on the farmers'' demand for the repeal of the Acts.

Farmer leaders said the government said it needs to consult internally and thereafter it would come back to the unions.

Farmers' protest: Several roads remain closed in national capital

The union leaders will also have their own meeting on Tuesday to decide their next course of action.

In Monday''s talks, the two sides did not even discuss another key demand of farmers for a legal guarantee to the Minimum Support Price (MSP) procurement system.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at various Delhi borders for over a month against the three laws. They have stayed put despite heavy rains and waterlogging at protest sites over the last couple of days, besides severe cold weather conditions prevailing in and around the national capital.

Enacted in September 2020, the government has presented these laws as major farm reforms and aimed at increasing farmers'' income.

During the meeting, the government listed various benefits from the three laws, enacted a few months ago, but farmers kept insisting that the legislation must be withdrawn to address their apprehensions that the new Acts would weaken the MSP and mandi systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporates.

The government has maintained that these apprehensions are misplaced and has ruled out repealing the laws.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Railways, Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce Som Parkash, who is an MP from Punjab, are holding the talks with the representatives of 41 farmer unions at the Vigyan Bhawan.

The meeting began with paying respects to the farmers who lost their lives during the ongoing protest, sources said.

On December 30, the sixth round of talks was held between the government and the farmer unions, where some common ground was reached on two demands -- decriminalisation of stubble-burning and continuation of power subsidies.

However, no breakthrough could be reached on the two main demands of the protesting farmers -- a repeal of the three recent farm laws and a legal guarantee to the MSP procurement system.

On Sunday, Tomar met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed the government strategy to resolve the current crisis at the earliest, sources said.

Tomar discussed with Singh all possible options to find a "middle path" to resolve the crisis, they added.

While several opposition parties and people from other walks of life have come out in support of the farmers, some farmer groups have also met the agriculture minister over the last few weeks to extend their support to the three laws.

Last month, the government had sent a draft proposal to the protesting farmer unions, suggesting seven-eight amendments to the new laws and a written assurance on the MSP procurement system. The government has ruled out a repeal of the three agri laws.

The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), in the meantime, issued a press statement condemning the police action against protesting farmers in Punjab and Haryana and a ban on protests and dharnas imposed by the Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh government.

It also said that an affidavit filed by Reliance Industries in the Punjab and Haryana High Court was "a ploy to save its business".
Faustin Archange Touadera, whose re-election as Central African Republic president was confirmed on Monday, casts himself as a unifier and man of peace in one of the world's most divided and turbulent countries.

But each time he travels, Touadera is given a stark reminder of the scale of this challenge -- he is escorted by a hefty guard of UN peacekeepers and private Russian security agents.

Touadera, 63, a former prime minister with an academic background in mathematics, won a first term as president in 2016, the first elections after a coup and civil war that erupted three years earlier.

Criticisms about the credibility of his victory were muted at the time -- many saw the ballot, however flawed, as the price to pay for stability.

During his post-electoral honeymoon, Touadera gained an image as hard-working, competent and self-effacing. His supporters even found him too modest.

Today, though, Touadera's detractors see him as the head of a "predator government", rife with corruption, prolonging a scourge that has beset the CAR for decades.

Others say he was conned by the militias that hold sway over two-thirds of the country, which sporadically attack civilians and the army and fight over mineral riches.

The Constitutional Court on Monday confirmed that Touadera had been elected with 53.16 percent of the vote.

But it put the turnout at just 35.25 percent -- a figure affected by the inability of many voters to cast their ballots in areas outside government control.

Touadera struck a peace accord with 14 armed groups in February 2019, essentially bringing warlords into the government.

The agreement alienated many in the population who had suffered and continue to suffer at the hands of militias.

- Herculean task -

To his supporters, Touadera has had to take on one of the world's most thankless jobs.

He took the helm of a country that ranks second worst for poverty on the UN's Human Development Index.

Thousands of people have died since 2013 and more than a quarter of the population of 4.9 million have fled their homes, with 675,000 seeking refuge in neighbouring countries.

Story continues

Touadera's backers say he has never deviated from his policy of an outstretched hand, a policy that they say has encouraged a relative lull in the violence that began in 2018.

"The CAR is recovering from a long way down. President Touadera is in the process of rebuilding the country," said Eric Sorongope, leader of the National Solidarity Movement (MNS), a party in the ruling majority.

Touadera's claimed achievements -- largely funded by the international community -- range from the rebuilding of the army to free health care for women and children under five.

Education spending has risen from eight percent of the budget to 14 percent and the government has made pay for civil servants more regular after many years of arrears and discontent.

- 'Technocrat' -

With a maths degree from the University of Lille in France and PhD from the University of Yaounde in Cameroon, Touadera's background has given him little personal resonance among many voters in the CAR.

He had no electoral base before 2016 and later gained the backing of a party set up from scratch in 2018, the United Hearts Movement (MCU), which brought together some 40 groups.

The opposition says Touadera has been in no hurry to stamp out the corruption scandals that marred his first term.

"One of Touadera's fundamental flaws is that he doesn't know how to decide," a Western diplomat said.

"When an issue is complicated, he pushes it aside indefinitely. He is allergic to making decisions and is surrounded by people who resemble him."

"Touadera has a technocrat's profile, he's not a politician," said Hans de Marie Heungoup at the International Crisis Group think tank.

"Even if you want to be technocratic, you still need efficient management."

Touadera has also ruffled feathers in France, the CAR's former colonial power, whose military intervention in 2013 helped stem the civil bloodbath.

He has developed close ties with Moscow, offering mineral concessions to Russian companies and accepting military aid for the CAR's beleaguered armed forces.

clt-gir/ri/dl
California could experience a surge on top of a surge of coronavirus cases, hospitalisations, and deaths following the recent holiday travel, Governor Gavin Newsom warned on Monday.

The warning came during the governors coronavirus press briefing after it was revealed California reported 29,633 new coronavirus cases Sunday. Mr Newsom warned this number was misleading low because of the lull in cases typically seen over the weekend.

Residents should expect a surge on top of a surge, he said, in the weeks following based on the potential impact of holiday travel and gatherings.

While coronavirus cases hit a stall over the weekend, recorded hospitalisations from the novel virus did not. Patients who have been hospitalised with Covid-19 has risen by 18 per cent over the last two weeks, Mr Newsom said.

"This is a deadly disease. This is a deadly pandemic," Mr Newsom said. "It remains as deadly today as any point in the history of this pandemic."

There are currently 21,510 people hospitalised with Covid-19 in California and 26,538 have died from the novel virus, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

Due to the recent surge, ICU bed capacity has reached 0 per cent in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley. More lockdown measures were issued in response to the diminished bed capacity in an effort to relieve the healthcare system. These measures included shutting down outdoor dining and restricting restaurants to just takeout and delivery orders.

Initially the new restrictions in the two California regions would go for just two weeks, but it was announced last week that the measures were extended due to ICU capacity at hospitals. The restrictions would only be lifted once capacity was at or above 15 per cent, Dr Mark Ghaly, the secretary of the California Health and Human Services, said.

Mr Newsom also gave an update on Covid-19 vaccine distribution, which has gone slower than anticipated across a majority of the United States.

The state has received 1.29 million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but only about 450,000 doses have been administered. During the press conference, Mr Newsom acknowledged the number of vaccine doses administered was not high enough.

"We are working aggressively to accelerate our pace," he said. "You're going to start seeing more rapid distribution of this vaccine, I can assure you that now.

That said, it's gone too slowly. I know for many of us, all of us, I think we want to see 100 per cent of what's received immediately administered in people's arms, and so that's a challenge.

Operation Warp Speed  a program created by the Trump administration to manufacture, allocate, and distribute coronavirus vaccines to states  has put the pressure on the state governments to administer the vaccines once they are received from the federal government.

California was not the only state struggling to distribute its vaccine. The governors in New York and Florida put pressure on their hospitals to distribute their allocated vaccine doses quicker to avoid facing potential consequences.
Here's how material shortages are hitting home construction

"It's not just that prices are going up; it's how quickly they're going up and nothing's coming down," said CEO of the PA Builders Association.
Channel Nine star Natalia Cooper has hit back at a troll who body-shamed her online.

The 36-year-old took aim at the viewer who claimed she looked 'huge' in a floral dress while presenting the weather on Saturday.

Natalia addressed the issue on Twitter, clapping back: 'Hate the dress all you want but to blatantly body shame as well - shame on you,' she wrote.

Clap back: Channel Nine TV presenter Natalia Cooper (pictured) hit back at an online troll who body-shamed her on social media on Saturday

The respected journalist was immediately applauded by fans who praised her actions online.

'The only thing that is huge is that smile! You're beaut inside and out my love X,' one fan wrote of the star.

Yet another wrote: 'You are the most beautiful, kind and simply wonderful person. Keep shining brightly. Ignore those nasty trolls.'

Another added: 'Ignore her Natalia, you are beautiful.'

Ordeal: In April 2019, Natalia revealed that her son was born with fluid in his lungs and required special care immediately after birth. Pictured with her husband Carl Fox (left)

The comments come after new cyber safety laws were announced which see fines of up to $111,000 for individuals who abuse, threaten, intimidate, post revenge porn or bully children.

Perth-born journalist Natalia welcomed her son Ezra on January 28, 2019.

In April that year, Natalia told Stellar magazine that her son was born with fluid in his lungs and required special care immediately after birth.

Difficult: 'It was really hard to see my baby in that situation. It was tough,' she said

'It was really hard to see my baby in that situation. It was tough,' she said.

'When you get back from [from the delivery suite], and you don't have your baby with you, it wasn't what we expected.'

Thankfully, Natalia and her musician husband Carl Fox were reunited with their child four days later.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Employees of Google and parent company Alphabet Inc. announced the creation of a union on Monday, escalating years of confrontation between workers and management of the internet giant.

The Alphabet Workers Union said it will be open to all employees and contractors, regardless of their role or classification. It will collect dues, pay organizing staff and have an elected board of directors.

The unionizing effort, a rare campaign within a major US internet company, is supported by the Communications Workers of America as part of a recent tech-focused initiative known as CODE-CWA. Googlers who join the Alphabet Workers Union will also be members of CWA Local 1400.

We will hire skilled organizers to ensure all workers at Google know they can work with us if they actually want to see their company reflect their values, Dylan Baker, software engineer at Google, said in a statement.

A successful Alphabet union could limit executives authority, while inspiring similar efforts across Silicon Valley, which has mostly avoided unionization so far. The group said it plans to take on issues including compensation, employee classification and the kinds of work Google engages in.

The announcement did not specify whether the new organization will try to secure majority support among Alphabets workforce, formal recognition by Alphabet or collective bargaining with the company, a process that has been aggressively resisted by US corporations. CWAs membership includes some workers, such as public university employees in Tennessee, who engage in collective action while lacking legal collective bargaining rights.

Google has clashed with some employees in recent years over contracts with the military, the different treatment of contract workers and a rich exit package for an executive ousted for alleged sexual harassment.

Google worker protests in 2018 forced the company to let a Pentagon artificial intelligence contract lapse. Employee uprisings also led the company to limit the use of forced arbitration that same year.

CWA has been supporting Google activists since at least 2019, when the union filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging workers were fired for taking collective action. In December, the agencys general counsel took up some of those allegations, accusing Google of illegally firing, interrogating and surveilling activist employees. Google has denied wrongdoing, saying it supports workers rights and that the employees in question were punished for serious violation of our policies and an unacceptable breach of a trusted responsibility.

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ATLANTA (AP) - President Donald Trump badgered and pleaded with Georgia's election chief to overturn Joe Biden's win in the state, suggesting in a telephone call that the official find enough votes to hand Trump the victory.

Click here to listen to the full audio recording of the phone call published by the Washington Post.

The conversation Saturday was the latest step in an unprecedented effort by a sitting president to pressure a state official to reverse the outcome of a free and fair election that he lost. The renewed intervention and the persistent and unfounded claims of fraud by the first president to lose reelection in almost 30 years come nearly two weeks before Trump leaves office and two days before twin runoffs in Georgia that will determine control of the Senate.

Trump confirmed in a tweet Sunday that he had spoken with Georgia's secretary of state, Republican Brad Raffensperger, a day earlier.

Audio snippets of the conversation were posted online by The Washington Post. A recording of the call was later obtained by The Associated Press from a person who was on the call.

The president, who has refused to accept his loss to the Democratic president-elect, is heard telling Raffensperger at one point: All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state.

Georgia certified election results showing that Biden won the state's Nov. 3 election by 11,779 votes.

The White House referred questions to Trump's reelection campaign, which did not respond Sunday to an emailed request for comment. Raffensperger's office did not respond to a text message seeking comment.

Trump has repeatedly attacked how Raffensperger ran Georgias elections, claiming without evidence that the states 16 electoral votes were wrongly given to Biden.

He has no clue! Trump tweeted of Raffensperger, saying the state official was unwilling, or unable to answer questions about a series of claims about ballot handling and voters that have been debunked or shot down by judges and election authorities.

Raffenspergers Twitter response: Respectfully, President Trump: What youre saying is not true. The truth will come out.

There was no widespread fraud in the election, which a range of election officials across the country, as well as Trumps former attorney general, William Barr, have confirmed. Republican governors in Arizona and Georgia, key battleground states crucial to Bidens victory, have also vouched for the integrity of the elections in their states. Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges, including two tossed by the Supreme Court, which includes three Trump-nominated justices.

The Senate runoffs pit Sen. Kelly Loeffler against Democrat Raphael Warnock and Sen. David Perdue against Democrat Jon Ossoff. With the Senate up for grabs, the candidates and outside groups supporting them have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in the contests, deluging Georgia with television ads, mail, phone calls and door-knocking efforts.

Loeffler said she had not decided whether to join Republican colleagues in challenging the legitimacy of Bidens victory over Trump. The Democratic candidates whose wins Tuesday would help clear roadblocks for the new administrations agenda awaited a campaign visit from Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

Trump has persisted in attacking top Georgia Republicans over his election loss in the state, raising fears that his words could cause some Republicans to stay away from the polls.

I believe that we will win on Tuesday because of the grassroots momentum, the unprecedented movement energy in Georgia right now, Ossoff told CNN's State of the Union. He said it feels in Georgia like we are on the cusp of a historic victory.

Loeffler, when asked about siding with the growing group of Senate Republicans seeking to contest the Electoral College count, said she was looking very closely at it, and Ive been one of the first to say, everythings on the table. She told Fox News Sunday that Im fighting for this president because hes fought for us. Hes our president and were going to keep making sure that this is a fair election.

Warnock, the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta who has continued to preach as he campaigns for office, seemed to allude to the runoff in a message delivered Sunday. He told viewers watching remotely due to the pandemic that they are on the verge of victory in their lives if they accept that God has already equipped them with the ability to overcome their adversaries.

When God is with you, you can defeat giants, said Warnock, who ended the early morning service by encouraging Georgians to vote on Tuesday. Its so very important that your voice be heard in this defining moment in our country, he said. I would not be so presumptuous as to tell you who to vote for.

Loeffler was appointed to fill a vacancy when Republican Johnny Isakson resigned his seat, and she will be in the Senate, win or lose this coming week, until the election is certified. Perdues seat will temporarily be vacant after his term expires Sunday at the end of six years.

Harris was scheduled to be in Savannah on Sunday afternoon. Trump and Biden plan last-minute, in-person efforts Monday to mobilize voters after more than 3 million people cast ballots early.

The president continues to create turbulence for Loeffler and Perdue by questioning Bidens narrow victory in Georgia and the reliability of the states election systems.

Trump also tweeted that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, also Republicans, have done less than nothing. They are a disgrace to the great people of Georgia!

The president last week called on Kemp to resign; the governor dismissed it as a distraction.

Despite the attacks, Loeffler said she believed voters would heed Trump's expected plea during his upcoming visit that they should turn out.

Hes going to tell voters the same thing: You have to get out and vote Georgia, because this is too important, Loeffler said.

Perdue, who is in quarantine after being exposed to a staff member with the coronavirus and won't appear with Trump at Monday's rally, said he would have joined the electoral challenge in the Senate if he had been in Washington. Im encouraging my colleagues to object. This is something that the American people demand right now, he told Fox News Channel's Sunday Morning Futures.

___

Superville reported from Washington.

(Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)

1/3/2021 3:23:51 PM (GMT -5:00)
KY GOP Set to Flex Muscles in New Session

By The Associated Press

FRANKFORT - After months of watching from the sidelines as Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear doled out pandemic relief and issued orders to combat the spread of the coronavirus, Republican lawmakers are ready to put their own imprint on policymaking in Kentucky.Republicans begin this years legislative session in an increasingly dominant position after expanding their House and Senate supermajorities in the 2020 election. Wielding the power to override any Beshear veto, Republicans will be able shape legislation to their liking, including bills dealing with COVID-19 or policies for the post-pandemic world as vaccines roll out to more people. Theyve signaled their intent to rein in some of the governors emergency powers.Rep. Jason Nemes said he and other Republicans are ready to extend a hand of friendship to work with Beshear, but added bluntly: Were going to have the power once the session begins.The General Assembly convenes its 30-day session Tuesday. Passing another state budget tops the agenda  a heavy lift after lawmakers opted to pass a one-year budget, rather than the traditional two-year spending plan, in 2020 because of uncertainties caused by the pandemic. Other virus-related issues are also expected to receive considerable attention.Those include efforts to provide protections from lawsuits for businesses that followed virus protocols. And some lawmakers intend to push to limit a governors executive powers in times of emergency, a reflection of growing GOP frustration with some of Beshears orders that restricted economic activity to try to contain the viruss spread.Another pending issue stemming from a turbulent 2020 is legislation that would ban most no-knock search warrants in the state. It stems from the death of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman killed during a police raid in March at her apartment in Louisville, which has since banned no-knock warrants locally.The looming struggle over executive branch authority garnered much of the pre-session attention. Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer recently pointed to the GOPs dominance in the election as a mandate from voters to rein in a governors emergency powers.I think Kentuckians sent a message on Election Day that they want Republicans to lead and lead with authority and to lead quickly to limit executive branch powers in the time that were in, he said.Pushing back, Beshear has credited his actions with saving lives, noting that some GOP-led states with more lax responses have been hit much harder by virus cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Neighboring Tennessee, for example, has one of the highest per-capita case rates in the nation.
Quarantine officials in protective gear disinfect themselves at a nursing home in Incheon, Monday, following coronavirus infections there. Yonhap



By Bahk Eun-ji



Health experts have warned of the government's overly optimistic view on its fight against COVID-19, after the administration said that once vaccines are introduced, as early as February, the rate of critically ill patients will drop.



They say there are three risk factors for now  variants from other countries, mass infections involving prisons and nursing homes, and the cold weather.



The nation reported 1,020 new COVID-19 infections for Sunday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Monday, which was a sharp rise from 657 for Saturday. Although the number of daily infections is usually smaller on weekends due to less testing, it was not the case for Sunday mainly because of soaring infections in a Seoul prison and nursing homes across the country.



"If we do not reduce the number of virus patients now, we may experience a fourth pandemic after the Seollal holiday," said Kim Woo-joo, an infectious disease specialist at Seoul's Korea University.



Seollal, or the Lunar New Year, is one of the nation's biggest holidays involving family gatherings. The holiday falls from Feb. 11 to 14 this year.






STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Former East Shore Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn) was officially sworn into the 117th United States Congress Sunday afternoon to represent New Yorks 11th district.

Malliotakis -- who said she was excited to have her parents and dog, Peanut, with her on Capitol Hill during her initiation -- enters the role in a tumultuous time for the country as the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to rage on Staten Island and throughout the U.S.

As we are sworn in today, we accept a responsibility as daunting and demanding as any previous generation of leadership has ever faced, said Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. We begin this new congress during a time of extraordinary difficulty.

The coronavirus has killed more than 350,000 Americans, according to Johns Hopkins University, alongside over 20 million confirmed infections. Millions also remained unemployed as the outbreak continues to place a significant strain on the countrys economy.

Pelosi called the toll wrought by the virus beyond comprehension.

That toll also touched the incoming Congress, as Republican Congressman-elect Luke Letlow, 41, died from coronavirus complications last week. A pin of the state of Louisiana, where he was elected, was worn by members of Congress Sunday, and a moment of silence was held in his honor.

Masks were worn by representatives during Sunday evening and members of Congress were required to vote in smaller groups than during normal proceedings.

Welcoming the new members of Congress, Pelosi said, As our founders intended, our democracy will be reinvigorated by the vibrancy and dynamism of the communities that you represent.

Malliotakis, who defeated former Congressman Max Rose in the 2020 election, joins the body in a historic year, as a record-shattering 122 women were sworn into the House of Representatives, said Pelosi. That total is the most of all-time and comes 100 years after women gained the right to vote.

The 117th Congress is also the most diverse in history, with a record number of minority representatives and elected members from the LGBTQ community.

Im excited and ready to work for the people of New Yorks 11th Congressional District by fighting to accelerate vaccine distribution, open our economy and make our community safer, said Malliotakis in a written statement.

Sixty years ago, my parents took a great chance and came to this country in search of greater opportunity. They worked hard, sacrificed so much, and today they were able to watch their daughter become a Member of Congress, said Malliotakis. Thats the American Dream and opportunity I will work to preserve for future generations.
(Natural News) Election officials in Georgias Coffee County wrote in a letter that they could not certify the countys results. In their Dec. 4 letter, Coffee County Board of Elections and Registration officials told Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger that certification was impossible because of the voting softwares inability to  duplicate creditable election results. Raffenspergers office re-certified the countys election night results several days later.

The officials warned in their letter: To demand certification of patently inaccurate results neither serves the objective of the electoral system nor satisfies the legal obligation to certify the electronic recount. They also mentioned that any [voting] system that is [neither] repeatable nor [dependable] should not be used. The officials also provided the state secretarys office with a document showing how the electronic recount lacks credibility, asserting that no election board can reconcile the anomalies reflected in the attached.

Because of the issues with the electronic recount, the countys board of elections have voted to certify the votes cast in the election night report reflected in the official certification submitted to the state secretary last month.

Raffensperger subsequently announced Dec. 7 that his office had recertified the election results submitted on the night of Nov. 3. A report by 11 Alive a day after Raffenspergers announcement confirmed: Joe Biden had an 11,779-vote lead statewide against President Donald Trump after three recounts.

Brad Raffensperger lauded how the elections were conducted in Georgia, but not everyone agrees

Raffenspergers praised how he and his office handled the election during his Dec. 7 announcement. He said: Georgia is recognized as a national leader in elections  [being] the first state in the country to implement the trifecta of automatic voter registration, at least 16 days of early voting  and no-excuse absentee voting.

The Republican secretary of state further remarked that Georgia continues to set records for voter turnout and election participation. It saw a record turnout in the recent elections, with over 1.3 million absentee and more than 3.6 million in-person voters utilizing the states new, secure, paper ballot voting system, he added.

Today is an important day for election integrity in Georgia and across the country. Georgians can now move forward, knowing that their votes  and only their legal votes  were counted accurately, fairly and reliably, Raffensperger said.

However, a number of GOP lawmakers in the state did not share the same sentiment  including the states GOP chairman David Shafer and Rep. Jody Hice. In a Dec. 9 tweet, Hice commented that Raffensperger is more interested in covering up his gross incompetence than securing the integrity of our elections. The congressman also called on Gov. Brian Kemp to pressure the state secretary to look at alleged election fraud. (Related: Massive election fraud conspiracy in Georgia BROKEN WIDE OPEN by The Gateway Pundit  see the details.)

Aside from politicians, other parties have also expressed doubts over the integrity of Georgias elections. In November, registered elector Paul Andrew Boland filed a lawsuit against Raffensperger and other state officials.

Bolands lawsuit alleges that the state secretarys office did not require signature matching during its audit and recount of votes, and that it unlawfully and unconstitutionally weakened safeguards against fraudulent ballots. Furthermore, the suit claims that more than 20,000 ballots were cast by people who are no longer residing in the state  which was made possible by the laxly enforced measures. (Related: New York Times columnist urges Democrats to commit voter fraud in Georgia.)

The Nov. 30 lawsuit by the elector asks the court to decertify the states election results until an examination of a sample size of the questionable ballots is finished. It also calls to check if the signatures on absentee ballots match that of the voter files, and make all ballots and envelopes used in mail-in voting available to the public.

Read the latest updates about election fraud in Georgia and other states at VoteFraud.news.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com 1

11Alive.com

WALB.com

Twitter.com

TheEpochTimes.com 2
by Shafique Khokhar

The parents, supported by Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP), filed a complaint. The police delay the investigation and try to silence family members. One of the three assailants, who fled after the rape, has been identified. The father: "Marked with shame", the behaviour of neighbours "changed radically". The young Komal will no longer be able to "live a normal life".

Sheikhupura (AsiaNews) - Activists, civil society and human rights movements, including Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP), have condemn the rape of the 12-year-old Christian Komal Gulzar, during an attempted kidnapping in the district of Sheikhupura, in Punjab. The story dates back to last December 28, but the complete picture has only just emerged in all its dramatic brutality.

Thanks to the intervention of HRFP activists, the family reported the crime to the police, following the complaint presented by Komal's uncle, Youhana Masih. However, police did not initiate any investigation and, a week after the events, no arrests have been carried out so far; on the contrary, the pressures of the police to silence the reports of family members are constantly increasing.

AsiaNews interviewed the girl's parents, her father Gulzar Masih and mother Nasreen Gulzar, still shaken by the brutal violence suffered by their daughter but determined to seek justice.

The family travelled on December 28 to attend the wedding of Youhana Masih's daughter in the village of Kukar Gil. On the way, three men started following them; around 7 pm, when they had already reached their destination, they attacked them with a gun.

The particulars of one of the three are known, while the other two have not yet been identified. The attackers tied family members to the side of the road with laces, dragging the young Komal to a nearby field. The men repeatedly abused the girl, who screamed in despair trying - in vain - to escape. In the meantime, her parents managed to free themselves and, following the screams, they came to the rescue of their daughter while the rapists had already fled.

From the moment of the violence, Gulzar Masih says, "our family is no longer free to live" in the village and in the house of origin in a dignified way. We feel marked by shame - he continues - because people's behaviour towards us has radically changed. The rules governing life here will no longer allow Komal to live a normal life.

In addition to the physical and psychological injuries suffered, there is also the social stigma in spite of the violence suffered. And the girl, the father warns, lives "under the constant threat of being kidnapped a second time" and at the memory of the rape she "begins screaming again".

Naveed Walter, president of Human Rights Focus Pakistan, underlines the continuing increase in sexual violence, kidnapping and forced conversions against young Christian girls. Most of them still minors like Komal Gulzar. Once kidnapped, they are immediately converted to Islam as happened to Arzoo Raja, amid the complicity of a general indifference - if not connivance  of the institutions, the police and complacent (Muslim) religious leaders who officiate the marriages.
Medical equipment in an intensive care unit at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, Calif. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

As Dr. Louis Tran walked through the field hospital outside Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, he passed weary casualties of a COVID-19 surge with no peak yet in sight. Young and old, they slept on cots while receiving oxygen through nasal tubes.

One of the largest hospitals in San Bernardino County, the 456-bed facility ran out of intensive care unit space two weeks ago amid an onslaught of COVID cases across Southern California.

Dr. Louis Tran, left, speaks with nurse Emily Diaz in a makeshift emergency room under a tent at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

By now, the effects of the surge on hospitals have become familiar: Ambulances waiting up to six hours to offload patients. People suffering from other ailments, including one with kidney failure, getting treated outside the hospital for more than two hours before a bed opened up. Medical staff thinking about what other areas of the hospital, including conference rooms, can be used to treat the ill.

And yet, Tran said, he believes the worst is yet to come.

We knew there was [another] wave coming in the wintertime, Tran said. But I did not expect to have as many sick people who required ICU care like weve been having.

Hospitals across Southern California have been hit hard by the recent COVID-19 surge. Many of them are operating at peak capacity and are concerned about an even larger surge after Christmas and New Year's gatherings. The feeling that the other shoe  a larger and heavier one  has yet to fall is pervasive among healthcare workers.

ICU charge nurse Elizabeth Koelliker works in an intensive care unit filled predominantly with COVID-19 patients at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

We are short-staffed because there are not enough nurses to take care of all these patients, said Vanessa Heaton, 34, a charge nurse. I just dont know, if it gets any worse, how were going to be able to handle it.

We hope that it slows down at some point, but were kind of scared of post-Christmas," she added.

Heaton worries that if the hospital becomes too inundated with COVID-19 patients, it will be harder to care for people having other emergencies, including victims of crimes.

People are still going out, theyre still getting shot or stabbed, and our hospital has to deal with all that on top of COVID, she said.

Story continues

If ever a region was susceptible to faring poorly during a pandemic, it is one like the Inland Empire, with rampant poverty and high rates of people with just the kind of underlying health issues that COVID-19 preys on. And San Bernardino County has been more resistant to state mandates than L.A., with officials clashing with Gov. Gavin Newsom over the latest stay-at-home order.

For weeks, coronavirus cases in this region were growing faster per capita than in most counties in the state, according to a Los Angeles Times tracker.

Medical staff attend to a patient at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Although the infection rate has slowed a bit in San Bernardino County, it is still listed as one of the 10 counties hit hardest by the recent COVID-19 surge.

Over the last seven days, there were about 744.4 cases for every 100,000 residents in San Bernardino County.

The situation is far worse in Riverside County, where in the last seven days there were 941.7 cases per 100,000 residents.

A Times analysis of coronavirus case rates in communities for which data are available found that, of the top 50, about half were in the Inland Empire, including Riverside, San Bernardino, Perris, Moreno Valley, Jurupa Valley, Bloomington, Barstow, Colton, Rialto, Victorville, Fontana, Highland, Adelanto and Hesperia.

Kareem Gongora, a board member of the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, was not surprised.

Those are all minority communities, he said. Theyre predominantly Latino, Black and low-income.

He said many people here work at warehouses and live in multigenerational homes under crowded conditions. The region is home to a booming logistics industry that has created tens of thousands of warehouse jobs.

Two staff members confer at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

But that same industry has also helped drive up air pollution, which has led to an increase in asthma rates, Gongora said.

We call this region the diesel dead zone because your increased exposure to particle matter worsens Alzheimer's disease, heart disease and a slew of other diseases, he said.

At Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, a short walk from the medical tent, men were putting the final touches on trailers that will add about a dozen treatment rooms for COVID-19 patients. Twelve more rooms will be added in the coming days, officials said.

Ravneet Mann, a clinical director at Arrowhead, said they have been trying to plan for the worse. She said they have placed cots in conference rooms should they run out of space again.

If worse comes to worst with our planning, then well use the cafeteria, she said. We can go to the lobby also.

A patient is treated at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

On the second floor, a surgical intensive care unit was converted to a COVID-19 unit during the summer. At least 32 patients lay in beds; most of the men and women were intubated.

Mann said that if the situation becomes more critical, nurses may have to consider taking on more patients. Normally the ratio is one nurse for every two patients. Hospital officials say staff shortages have led them to alter those ratios at times.

But it takes a lot of work to care for even one COVID-19 patient whos been intubated. Nurses not only must monitor IV pumps but sometimes also have to flip patients onto their stomachs because it helps them breathe more easily. It takes about six nurses to flip a patient.

Around the corner, a 41-year-old man lay intubated. He arrived Dec. 12, and four days later his condition worsened. He recently was placed on dialysis after his kidneys began to fail, another complication brought on by the disease.

Thats our average age that were getting," Mann said. Theyre coming in younger and coming in sicker.

On average, patients are going into respiratory and cardiac arrest at least four times a day. The medical staff has saved people from dying during those medical emergencies.

But every day, at least two people are dying of COVID-19 here.

Thats the hardest thing, Mann said. We became nurses to make sure patients get better. To see a death every single day is just so depressing.

Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, like many other hospitals, is struggling with the surge in COVID-19 patients. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

The hospital staff has shown resiliency during the latest surge, which has become the deadliest since the pandemic started.

So far, more than 26,000 people have died of COVID-19 in California. It is the third-leading cause of death in the state.

During moments of relative calm, nurses share tips about caring for patients. They discuss scheduling shifts. There are random conversations and laughs. And always, there is praise for the exceptional care they provide to patients.

"There are some pretty amazing nurses here," Mann said.

In the medical ICU on the fourth floor, Elizabeth Koelliker, 36, the charge nurse, dashed from one patient to another, checking IV pumps.

Theres just way too many patients and not enough nurses and were trying our best, she said. "You think last week was bad, and then you come in this week and it's worse."

Koelliker arrived at 7 a.m. and had been unable to take a break for more than six hours because there was no one to take her place.

The state has sent 24 ICU nurses to the hospital. Although workers say it helps, it's still not enough.

In the last few days, Koelliker said, some nurses have had to come in for some overtime just to help relieve other nurses for lunch.

We would not be able to do what were doing without the teamwork we have here, she said.

A nurse gets ready to check on a COVID-19 patient at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

More help is expected to arrive soon as 75 Air Force and Army doctors, nurses and other medical personnel have been deployed to California hospitals, including Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, according to Army officials. Mann said the hospital will get 14 nurses, four physicians and two respiratory therapists.

It was just about noon when a nurse put on a negative-pressure helmet and a yellow plastic gown over his scrubs before sliding the glass door open and walking into a patients room. Outside, a second nurse held several IV drips that he passed through a gap on the side of the door. The nurse inside grabbed the plastic tubes, gave a thumbs up and walked over to the patient.

To limit exposure to COVID-19 patients, the staff has placed all the medication pumps outside the patient rooms. If healthcare workers go into a patient's room, it's often one nurse at a time. Mann said she is trying to obtain more negative-pressure helmets for her nurses.

"If I can keep them safe," she said, "they can keep taking care of patients longer."

Koelliker said it took a while for nurses to get used to not walking into a patient's room without putting on the proper gear.

"We're not used to not getting to a patient when they need us, so a lot of us found ourselves running in," she said.

Koelliker said she worries about what lies ahead. She's afraid that nurses will be overwhelmed by the number of patients they will have to care for  even with the extra help that's coming. She thinks about the phone calls she's had with family members who blame themselves for playing a role in the relative's condition. She worries about her colleagues.

"I'm extremely scared," she said. "It's already bad now."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The United States is taking steps to prevent the Cuban regime from financially exploiting its own people and using the funds to support the illegitimate government of Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro.

The countrys government uses two particularly ugly methods to get its hands on hard currency. It steals remittances--monetary gifts from relatives and friends living outside of Cubafrom its own citizens. Cuba is the only country in the hemisphere where the military takes a cut of remittances, said Acting Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Ambassador Michael Kozak at a recently held Special Briefing on Human Rights Concerns in Cuba.

The [Cuban] military seizes hard currencies for its own purposes, using it to fund its interference in Venezuela and prop up its own failing business ventures. They also then take their cut and force the Cuban individuals to use what remains of their remittance funds to only buy goods at marked-up prices from regime-controlled stores.

To stop this practice, the United States blocked the Cuban armed forces from manipulating the processing of remittances. At the same time, the United States leaves space for remittances to continue to flow through private and civilian channels.

The United States also raises international awareness of the second method the Castro government uses to obtain hard currencythrough abuse of medical professionals participating in the overseas Cuban medical missions. This is a profit-making enterprise that is the number one source of income for the Castro regime, said Ambassador Kozak. The regime deprives its own medical personnel of up to 90 percent of their salaries  salaries that the doctors earn, but never see.

The United States works to protect the doctors while cutting off this revenue to the regime. Countries that host Cuban workers should directly deposit the professionals salaries in their own personal bank accounts instead of filling the regimes coffers. And some countries have demonstrated that this can be done despite regime resistance, said Acting Assistant Secretary Kozak.

We have focused on denying the Castro regime the resources it uses to fund its repression in Cuba and its malign interference in Venezuela. And weve done this through targeted sanctions on the Cuban military, security, and intelligence institutions, he said.

We aim to strengthen Cubas civil society and private sector, but not the repressive Cuban regime.
A pair of House Democrats has asked FBI Director Christopher Wray to open a criminal probe into Donald Trump regarding his phone call over the weekend with the Georgia official in charge of running the states elections.

As Members of Congress and former prosecutors, we believe Donald Trump engaged in solicitation of, or conspiracy to commit, a number of election crimes. We ask you to open an immediate criminal investigation into the President, Congressman Ted Lieu of California and Congresswoman Kathleen Rice of New York wrote to Mr Wray on Monday.

In an hour-long conversation on Saturday, an audio tape of which was obtained and published by the Washington Post on Sunday, the outgoing president asked Georgia Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to help him find votes to overturn his loss there to President-elect Joe Biden.

So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state, Mr Trump said.

He insisted: Theres no way I lost Georgia. Theres no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes.

Mr Trumps comments are a self-deluding fantasy. An initial tally, as well as two recounts, confirmed Mr Biden won Georgia and its 16 Electoral College votes by more than 11,000 votes.

Mr Raffensperger and his general counsel, Ryan Germany, told Mr Trump as much: that they could not help him, as Mr Bidens win had been fair and accurate.

That did not faze Mr Trump, who warned Mr Raffensperger and Mr Germany that they could be held criminally liable if they couldnt find a way to prevent Mr Bidens victory in the state by proving election fraud.

Thats a criminal offense, Mr Trump said. And you cant let that happen. Thats a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer.

In their letter to the FBI on Monday, Mr Lieu and Ms Rice accused the president of violating both state and federal criminal codes by demanding that Mr Raffensperger find more votes for him.

Part of the US criminal code states that it is a crime if a person, including an election official, who in any election for Federal office  knowingly and willfully deprives, defrauds, or attempts to deprive or defraud the residents of a State of a fair and impartially conducted election process, by  the procurement, casting, or tabulation of ballots that are known by the person to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent under the laws of the State in which the election is held.

Mr Trump did just that, Mr Lieu and Ms Rice maintain.

In this case Mr. Trump, for purposes of a federal election, solicited Secretary of State Raffensperger to procure ballots that are known to be false by threatening him to find 11,780 votes, the Democratic lawmakers wrote.

They also accused Mr Trump of making a number of other statements soliciting election fraud in addition to asking Mr Raffensperger to find him the requisite number of votes to reverse the election outcome.

At one point, Mr Trump told Mr Raffensperger: Theres nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, that youve recalculated.

In Mr Lieu and Ms Rices interpretation, that comment also violates the US criminal code, part of which states that [no] person acting under color of law shall  willfully fail or refuse to tabulate, count, and report such persons vote.

The Democratic lawmakers letter also highlights a Georgia election statute that holds a person criminally liable for election fraud if he or she solicits, requests, commands, importunes, or otherwise attempts to cause [another] person to engage in such fraud.

They urged Mr Wray to refer a case to Georgias attorney general if the FBI finds the contents of Mr Trumps call violate that statute.

The evidence of election fraud by Mr. Trump is now in broad daylight. The prima facie elements of the above crimes have been met. Given the more than ample factual predicate, we are making a criminal referral to you to open an investigation into Mr. Trump, Mr Lieu and Ms Rice concluded their letter.
At least three construction workers were killed and many others seriously injured following a construction hoist accident in the north-central Vietnamese province of Nghe An last week.

The accident occurred at the construction site of the provincial Department of Finances new headquarters in Hung Phuc Ward, Vinh City on Saturday afternoon, according to local authorities.

A group of 11 workers were using the construction hoist to get to the ninth story of the building when it collapsed.

All of the victims were rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.

The hoist at the construction site of the Department of Finances new headquarters in Nghe An Province, Vietnam. Photo: Doan Hoa / Tuoi Tre

One worker succumbed to serious injuries later the same day, while two others were confirmed dead on Sunday morning.

The three deceased victims were identified as D.M.C., 63, T.C.H., 44, and P.D.P., 47, who all hailed from Yen Thanh District, Nghe An.

The Nghe An Department of Public Security has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

The building is designed to have nine stories and one basement.

Injured workers are treated at the hospital in Nghe An Province, Vietnam. Photo: Doan Hoa / Tuoi Tre

At a cost of more than VND100 billion (US$4.3 million), the construction was initiated in January 2020.

The hoist has been in use since September after undergoing mandatory inspection.

Measuring 1.2 meters wide and nearly four meters long, the hoist is powered by an electric motor system and used to transport workers and materials up and down the building.

Police officers were still present at the construction site to carry out their investigation as of Sunday afternoon, according to the observation of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
San Antonio police are investigating the death of an Army drill sergeant found shot in a stalled vehicle on New Year's Day.

Staff Sergeant Jessica Mitchell, assigned to Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, was pronounced dead at 3 a.m. Friday.

Officers were called to the eastbound side of Interstate 10 at West Avenue for a stranded vehicle in the left lane that was causing a hazard, police said. They found a white Dodge Charger with multiple gunshots to the driver's side door and window.

READ ALSO: Sheriff sends Anaqua Springs shooting deaths case back to investigators for more scrutiny

The officers opened the door and checked the victim, later identified as Mitchell, for a pulse, but none was found. The 30-year-old was transported to University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

On Friday, police spokesperson Lt. Jesse Salame told the Express-News it was too early to know a motive.

Police are searching for a suspect vehicle, described as possibly red in color with damage to the passenger side. People with information about Mitchell's death are asked to call SAPD's Homicide Unit at 210-207-7635.

In a statement, Maj. Gen. Dennis LeMaster, who commands the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, said Mitchell's colleagues were "devastated by the tragic loss."

"Our sincere condolences go out to her family and friends," said LeMaster. "We are focused on supporting Drill Sergeant Mitchells family as well as her soldiers during this extremely difficult time."

Mitchell was on holiday leave at the time of her death. She leaves behind a 10-year-old son, according to WOAI-TV.

Her sister Ashley told the station, "We heard there was no witnesses. But it's a highway. Someone had to see something."
"Choose a room with two exits and water such as a kitchen or laundry." People who shelter should close all doors and windows and turn off evaporative air conditioners but keep water running in the system if possible. If the house residents are sheltering in catches fire and conditions become unbearable, than they should move to an area outside which is already burnt. Residents should protect themselves by wearing long sleeves and trousers  made from cotton or wool  and strong leather boots. People in an area bounded by Brand Highway, Nammegarra Road, Mimegarra Road, Dingo Road, Nilgen Road, Indian Ocean Drive, KW Road, Sappers Road, Orange Springs Road and Nabaroo Road are in the path of the fire.

Fires services had the Gingin bushfire under control for most of the day, with the danger downgraded to staying alert since gusty hot conditions could change any number of the fires still blazing remotely. Most resources were focused on bringing the Kwinana bushfire under control, with its rubbish tip fire set to burn for several more days. DFES Deputy Commissioner Craig Waters said the ability to gain control had been "extremely challenging", with temperatures set to soar to almost 40 degrees by Saturday. The bushfire has reached a rubbish tip in the City of Kwinana. Credit:Nine News Perth At 1.30pm today, he warned that while most of the bushfires across the state were fairly well in hand, "were not out of the woods yet".

"Whenever you come into a period of hot weather and gusty easterly winds in youre in for a world of hurt," Mr Waters said. The Bureau of Meteorology was also predicting extremely hot and dry conditions going into next week, which only fuelled the unpredictability of a fire threat. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Due to the severe fire dangers, the Avon Valley National Park has been closed until next Monday, January 11, and the Serpentine National Park will also be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Mr Waters said climate change had caused fires to burn with the same intensity into the evenings, where before firefighters would get a lull or reprieve with cooling conditions.

He said DFES was expecting this fire season to be the same as last year's Yanchep fires, with active fires burning into the night, which also happened over the weekend. Mr Waters had 120 fighters focused on the main Kwinana bushfire, which he said had a little more way to track before being contained, and then crews could be refocused to the waste fire. "We've been advised that the smoke coming off is no more harmful than bushfire smoke, so we're asking residents to stay indoors and close all windows and doors," he said. Firefighters faced more dangerous conditions on Monday after 150 aged care residents had to be evacuated as three blazes threatened lives and homes in Perths metropolitan area overnight. A bushfire in Kwinana, which started just after 12.30pm on Saturday near the intersection of Thomas Road and Gilmore Avenue in Orelia, has razed 240 hectares of bushland. It is yet unclear what caused the blaze.

The uncontained bushfire is moving slowly in a westerly direction, with authorities warning of burning embers being likely blown around homes in the naval base, Kwinana Beach, Hope Valley, Orelia, Pamelia, Calista, Leda, Medina, Kwinana town centre and East Rockingham. The City of Rockingham is no longer under threat and residents are being advised to stay inside and keep across any changes since the fire still burns out of control. Dangerous winds are set to hamper efforts to bring the Kwinana fire under control. Credit:Nine News Perth Firefighters managed to contain a blaze which was deliberately lit about 1am on Monday and sparked calls for residents near Lake Richmond in Rockingham to evacuate. Mr Waters called it a "heinous act" as resources were already stretched fighting accidental bushfires and those created naturally by lightning. He urged anyone to report suspicious activity to Crime Stoppers.

Earlier DFES Superintendent Ray Buchan told 6PR's Simon Etheridge the fire had taken a large run through bushland. "It's gone into some parts of the Kwinana industrial area last night," he said, but crews supported by planes had managed to halt the sprint of the fire. Warnings have been downgraded to a watch and act for those bounded by Anketell Road to the north, McLaughlan Road to the east, Thomas Road to the south and out to the coast, with people living near The Spectacles, Orelia, Medina, the Naval Base, Postans, Kwinana Beach and Hope Valley. Abercrombie Road between Anketell Road and Thomas Road is closed, while Rockingham Road and Thomas Road have reopened in both directions with speed restrictions in place. A blaze in Gosnells, which saw about 150 residents of an aged care facility in Martin evacuated late on Sunday night, has been brought under control with residents asked simply to stay alert and be mindful of fire crews in the area.

The fire damaged seven units in the facility: one vacant unit was completely destroyed, while six others had superficial damage and residents have been able to return. About 150 residents at an aged care facility in Martin had to be evacuated on Sunday evening. Credit:ABC Perth An emergency warning was also issued late on Sunday night for the northern part of Karloo in Geraldton before being given the all-clear on Monday. A further fire near Norseman has also been extinguished. Regionally, most fires have been brought under control, including Saturday's fire in Northam. The Hopetoun blaze, which has burned 680 hectares after a lightning strike on Sunday, has not been brought under control but is stationary and contained, with no threat to lives or homes.
Sindh and Baloch community members in Canada have joined hands demanding an independent and thorough investigation into Karima Baloch's mysterious death while highlighting the oppressive policies of Pakistan in Balochistan. The Sindhi Baloch Forum (SBF) will be organising a webinar to put pressure on international organisations over the rise in killings of Baloch activists and their safety abroad and also brutality and gross human rights violation by Pakistan.

READ | Karima Baloch, Activist And Thorn In Pakistan's Side, Found Mysteriously Dead In Canada

"The Sindhi Baloch Forum (SBF) will be convening a webinar to pay homage to the prominent human rights defender and political activist Karima Baloch who recently died in mysterious circumstances in the Canadian city of Toronto on 22 December 2020. The SBF has expressed serious concern over the death of Karima and has demanded an independent and thorough investigation of the matter," Balochistan Affairs reported.

READ | Baloch Activists Protest At Canada's Embassy In US Over Karima Baloch's Death; Blame Pak

'SBF webinar to bring together esteemed panel of Sindhi & Baloch human rights defenders and scholars'

"The SBF webinar will bring together an esteemed panel of Sindhi and Baloch human rights defenders and scholars on Saturday 16 January 2021 to remember the brave and courageous daughter of Balochistan," it added.

The Baloch activists' death has also sparked protests across Europe and North America as the Baloch diaspora took to the streets in Toronto, Berlin and Netherlands calling on the Canadian government to investigate.

READ | Protests Held In Bangladesh's Dhaka Over Activist Karima Baloch's Alleged Assassination

Karima's body was found in Ontario Lake Toronto harbourfront a few weeks ago under mysterious circumstances. The Toronto police on December 23 termed the death of Karima Baloch a "non-criminal death", but the family, friends, and her husband are demanding an independent inquiry into the case. The law enforcement officers of Toronto had said that the circumstances of the incident have been investigated and no foul play is suspected.

On December 29, Baloch National Movement (BNM) members in the United States held a protest in front of the Canadian Embassy in Washington over the death of Baloch in Toronto. Protestors made calls for justice and demanded a formal investigation into the death of the human rights activist who was missing since December 20 and had made many enemies in the Pakistani dispensation for exposing its atrocities.

Balochistan is a restive province where the Pakistani Army is accused of indulging in gross human rights violations including abducting and killing of innocents. Resource-rich Balochistan has been gripped by an insurgency for more than 15 years. Thousands of Baloch political activists in order to avoid persecution escaped from Balochistan and are compelled to seek asylum in European counties; journalists and human rights activists are among these asylum seekers.

READ | Canada Baloch Activists Remember Disappearance Of Shabir, Protest Against Pak Atrocities

(With ANI Inputs)
We dont see this as something happening along with COVID in the next 60 days, but we feel as the months go by and the impact lessens that later this fall, hopefully things are going to return to some degree of normal, he said. We would open next September or so and hope there would be some degree of gathering together, and were going to need more space. There are challenges affecting family programs that the current building has, and we need to address them.
Burger-eating diners  the Houston mayor among them  flooded a Garden Oaks eatery Monday to protest an anti-mask demonstration over the weekend at the restaurant.

Patrons new to Millers Cafe and neighborhood regulars lined up at the 3830 Shepherd Drive business for lunch after learning about the fiasco that unfolded about 48 hours earlier, when a group of two dozen refused to wear a mask upon entering the restaurant. The group claimed to have medical conditions that exempted them from the state-wide mask mandate, co-owner Johnathan White said.

Employees offered masks for the group to wear until it was time to eat  but they refused.

They started yelling and saying (the employees) were taking away their constitutional rights and they would not support our establishment, White said. I think they were looking for a fight.

Stacy Gremillion, the cashier that night, asked the group to leave but they started marching on their door step instead. The group  some waving American and President Donald Trump flags  chanted Boycott Millers and refused to let customers in or out. Police were then called to the protest, which lasted about an hour.

They were very vulgar, Gremillion said.

On Monday, employees spent the lunch crunch wrangling to-go orders at the cafe. Co-owner Jessica Beer juggled the phone and a line of customers out the door.

Gremillion took a breather to excitedly snap a selfie with Mayor Sylvester Turner during his scheduled visit. The mayor stepped up to the counter at noon to order a hamburger with fries. He held the onions and asked for extra pickles.

If this business closed, youre hurting families, the mayor said.

Turner called the demonstrators bullies and denounced their refusal to wear a protective face coverings. Last month, the mayor similarly took exception to an attack on a Museum District bar employee who had asked his assailant to wear a mask. In that case, the suspect  Patrick Kelly  was charged with misdemeanor assault and arrested.

News surrounding the demonstrators inspired longtime Independence Heights resident Scott Szabo to drop in for his first visit during a lunch break outing.

Looking to the restaurant, Szabo said, Im going to back these people up.

Szabos colleague, Joe Sides, expressed befuddlement at the sudden decision to protest the restaurant over their mask mandate.

Why protest a restaurant? Its been normal for months now, Sides said.

Ashley Morgan joined the growing order line with her family  including her 8-week-old child Armarrion  whom she worries could contract the virus.

Its not OK  stop protesting something we have to live in, Morgan said.

nicole.hensley@chron.com
Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Sunday slammed the opposition which has resorted to the politicization over the DCGI's green signal for the restricted emergency use of two indigenous Coronavirus vaccines.

"I will only say today that it is a happy occasion for the country and it is time to honour our scientists. There is no need to do any politics on this. This is good news for those people who were living in fear and don't add it to politics and respect scientists. Do not abuse scientists, instead of honouring them. Many leaders of the country have raised the question of scientists. I think it is very sad," Singh told ANI.

The BJP MP from Begusarai also lauded scientists of the country for developing COVID -19 vaccines and called it a matter of pride and urging that the scientists should not be defamed.

"If anyone wants to ask a question, do raise but have trust in our scientists. All this is happening with due protocols. Scientists of the country should not be defamed in the world. Today, under the self-reliant (Atmanirbhar Bharat) the scientists of the country have achieved such success. Many countries have worked on the vaccine to fight the COVID-19. India has also worked and it is a matter of pride for me," he said.

Slamming Congress leaders and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav for their remarks against the vaccines, Giriraj Singh said, "I do not understand that Congress had a problem when there were China-India border issues. Someone would say I will not take the BJP vaccine. It is unfortunate."

Hitting out further at Akhilesh Yadav for calling it a BJP vaccine and stating that he wouldn't administer the vaccine, Giriraj Sing said, "I do not understand that these are the people who would secretly get vaccinated but they will hide this from the people to keep people in a state of illusion through such things. The vaccine belongs to the country. Scientists belong to the country and it is a symbol of self-reliant India. There can be nothing better than this."

READ | Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Covishield, Covaxin Get DCGI Nod; 'Vaccine Politics' Ensues

READ | Dr Harsh Vardhan Dismisses Fears Over COVID-19 Vaccines; Counters Misconceptions

DCGI gives nod to restricted emergency use of Covishield and Covaxin

Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) Dr VG Somani on Sunday announced that the vaccines of Serum Institute of India (Covishield) and Bharat Biotech (Covaxin) have been granted permission for restricted use in an emergency situation. Dr VG Somani also informed that permission to conduct phase III trials have been granted to Cadila Healthcare vaccine against Coronavirus.

The massive development comes a day after the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) made recommendations to the Drugs Controller General of India to grant permission for restricted emergency use of the Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech's vaccines. As per an official release, the SEC met on Friday and Saturday and made its recommendations in respect of the accelerated approval process request of the SII, Bharat Biotech International Ltd as well as about phase-III trials of Cadila Healthcare Ltd.

(with inputs from ANI)

READ | BJP Chief JP Nadda Slams 'Vaccine Politics'; Says 'Congress Not Proud Of Anything Indian'

READ | Congress Leader Rashid Alvi Backs Akhilesh Yadav; Says 'justified To Fear Vaccine Misuse'
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Billionaire Ant Group co-founder Jack Ma missed a recent taping of an African TV program he created, sparking speculation about his whereabouts and the outcome of a Chinese investigation into his internet empire.

Ma hasn't been seen in public since Chinese regulators torpedoed Ant's $US35 billion IPO. Within days, Chinese fintech regulations were tightened and an antitrust probe was launched into Alibaba Group Holding.

Jack Ma has fallen out with China's authorities. Credit:AP

The Financial Times on Friday reported that the showrunners of Africa's Business Heroes replaced him as a judge in a November telecast and removed his photo from the show's website. The incident came around the same time Ma delivered his now-infamous rebuke of the "pawnshop" mentalities of government overseers.

The flamboyant Ma  long a fixture on the international conference circuit  all but vanished from public view thereafter. As of early December, the man most closely identified with the meteoric rise of China Inc was told by the government to stay in the country, a person familiar with the matter has said.
The Egyptian Medical Syndicate said the death toll among Egyptian doctors due to the coronavirus has reached 274 after three doctors recently died of the disease.

The syndicate announced the death of Hazem El-Kashef, a radiology professor at the Qasr El-Eyni Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University.

It also mourned the death of Alaa Abdel-Razek, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Al-Munira General Hospital in Cairo, and Amr Abdel-Ghany, a surgeon who died in the hospital belonging to Damiettas Faculty of Medicine.

The syndicate did not reveal information about their ages or the date they were admitted to hospitals. It also did not reveal whether they had suffered from any chronic diseases.

Hundreds of thousands of workers in the health sector contracted the deadly virus worldwide.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, and Egyptian officials and public figures have frequently voiced support to medical teams nationwide.

After receiving the first batch of a coronavirus vaccine developed by Chinas Sinopharm in December, the Egyptian Health Ministry said doctors and medical staff at cancer and fever and chest hospitals will be among the highest priority groups for vaccination.

As Egypt is facing a second wave of the coronavirus, Health Minister Hala Zayed said 363 hospitals are currently ready to receive patients.

The vaccination campaign has not started for any groups in Egypt, including the medical teams in these hospitals or in any other places.

However, El-Sisi, in a Saturday meeting with Zayed, directed the national Tahya Misr (Long Live Egypt) Fund to support the provision of the coronavirus vaccine to the highly prioritised eligible categories, a statement by the presidency said.

Such prioritised groups, the statement added, are the medical staff, critical and chronic medical cases, coronavirus infected cases, as well as the elderly from the neediest categories under the umbrella of social protection programs.

El-Sisi also ordered the establishment of centres to provide the vaccine nationwide and to accommodate citizens wishing to obtain the vaccine when it becomes available, the statement said.

The president also instructed to obtain the best offers from international companies for the most effective vaccines, in the largest possible quantity and in the fastest possible time.

So far, Egypt has reported 142,187 coronavirus cases and 7,805 deaths, according to the latest figures released by the health ministry early on Monday.

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The pandemic is straining health care providers to the breaking point.

We are at or near capacity everywhere, Greg Adams, CEO of Kaiser Permanente said as he and other medical executives pleaded last week with Californians to avoid infection-spreading holiday gatherings. As the bed count continues to dwindle we simply will not be able to keep up if the COVID-19 surge continues to increase.

The undulating nature of COVID-19 and the states economic decrees bode ill as 2020 stumbles to a close and a new year beckons.

We obviously dont know how severe this current COVID-19 flareup will be or how long it will last. Although vaccines have been approved and are beginning to be administered it will take months  perhaps a year  for enough Californians to be vaccinated to put at least a semi-permanent lid on the disease.

We cannot know how long the current economic restrictions will be in place, but we do know that the longer they remain, affected businesses, especially small businesses, are less likely to reopen. Their doors are closed and they have no revenue, but their rents and loan payments continue and many will not survive.
With 2020 considered a special year for Vietnam due to COVID-19 pandemic having a huge impact on all aspects of life, the Partys correct direction and the Governments prompt measures have led the country to bring the pandemic under control.

With 2020 considered a special year for Vietnam due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic having a huge impact on all aspects of life, the Partys correct direction and the Governments prompt measures have led the country to bring the pandemic under control.

In late November 2019, when the first COVID-19 case was initially detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan, people had no idea about the impact the SARS-CoV-2 virus would have. A few months later, the virus had already spread across China to many other countries worldwide. At present, more than 80 million people globally have been infected with the virus, with the COVID-19 pandemic claiming more than 1.8 million lives according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Most notably, the pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the global economy, with many countries still struggling to cope with the complicated developments of the virus. Vietnam is no exception. On January 23, just two days before Vietnamese people were preparing to celebrate the traditional Lunar New Year holiday, a Chinese father and his son from Wuhan were announced to be the countrys first COVID-19 cases.

Within 20 days, between January 23 and February 13, a total of 16 cases were detected in the country, all of whom were closely linked to the Wuhan outbreak. Also on February 13, the countrys first COVID-19 hotspot was reported in the northern commune of Son Loi in Vinh Phuc province, with 11 local residents testing positive and nearly 11,000 others being quarantined.

The virus later spread to Ho Chi Minh City, the countrys most densely populated and largest economic hub, after a woman flying from the United States to the citys Tan Son Nhat International Airport tested positive. She went on to transmit the virus to 11 other people, including five of her relatives.







The situation got worse after Bach Mai hospital, the largest in the north, recorded two infection cases on March 20, with a total of 46 cases being confirmed in the countrys largest COVID-19 hotspot.

The Ministry of Health moved to announce on March 20 that a British pilot working for Vietnam Airlines was diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The patient had visited Buddha Bar in Ho Chi Minh City for a party, and a total of 18 people were infected with the virus in this hotspot.

The virus later spread to Ha Loi village on the outskirts of the capital where more than 10 infections were recorded. By late April the country had successfully brought the first COVID-19 outbreak under control.

Despite this, strong control efforts failed on July 7 following a case of community infection being reported in Da Nang, a centrally-run city and the largest tourist destination in the central region. Da Nang became the countrys latest epicentre of the second COVID-19 outbreak. As authorities could not trace patient zero, the virus went on to spread to plenty of localities nationwide.

On July 31 Vietnam recorded its first death caused by COVID-19, with the patient also suffering from underlying health issues. The number of fatalities had risen to 35 by September 3.

Several days after this the Ministry of Health announced the country had basically brought the second COVID-19 wave under control in a number of localities.

After going roughly three months without a single locally transmitted case, Ho Chi Minh City registered four new cases. However, fears of a third wave subsided following the implementation of drastic new measures. The city had halted the virus spread throughout the community after just a week.

With COVID-19 attacking Vietnam when local people were preparing to celebrate the Lunar New Year holiday, known locally as Tet, shortly after the first case was reported on January 23, the Government held an emergency meeting to discuss ways of fighting the disease. The whole political system was mobilised to fight against the hidden enemy. Many meetings from central to local levels were held later to hammer out specific details regarding epidemic prevention.

On January 29, the Party Central Committee issued dispatch No. 79 on prevention and control efforts relating to acute respiratory infections caused by COVID-19. Emphasising the importance of epidemic prevention and control, the committee thereby called on the entire political system, armed forces, and people to implement prevention and control measures.

One day later, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed a decision to establish the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control led by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam. The PM later described the fight against COVID-19 as a fight against the enemy, and insisted the country would accept an economic loss for a short time in exchange to secure the health and safety of the people.

On March 30, Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong issued an appeal, calling on the entire political system and citizens no matter where they live to unite in the fight against the virus.

The Government later introduced a host of measures aimed at preventing the virus spreading throughout the wider community. Among the measures, it decided to suspend all international commercial flights to and from the nation whilst also imposing social distancing on a national scale. The Government also requested people to fully observe medical recommendations, including wearing face masks and avoiding large gatherings in public places, as well as thoroughly washing hands with sanitizer or soap.

All of these efforts eventually paid off, with COVID-19 outbreaks being kept under control and economic development getting back on track. In line with this, the countrys experience has been acknowledged internationally and it has since become a role model for others to follow.

The fight against COVID-19 has not ended in success without positive contributions made by soldiers and medical workers who remain at the forefront of the campaign. Many photos and video clips illustrate how hard they worked in order to combat the disease for the sake of the wider community.

The fight also serves to demonstrate the silent sacrifices made by plenty of doctors who paid farewell to their relatives in order to treat COVID-19 patients in hospital. This can be seen through the story of Nguyen Trung Cap, deputy director cum head of the Emergency Resuscitation Department of Hanoi-based Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

Cap was actively involved in examining, classifying, and treating many patients infected with the SASR-CoV-2 virus at the hospital. Indeed, he directly treated more than 30 positive patients, of whom approximately 20 were in a critical condition.

For months, he was forced to stay away from his family in order to take care and treat COVID-19 patients in hospital. He said that is is a normal occurrence that medical workers must be forced to accept when working in these special circumstances.

A lot of my colleagues, either explicitly or quietly, have all done their best in the fight against the epidemic, said Cap. It is the responsibility and duty of medical workers who wear a white blouse.

The success of the fight can also be attributed to the spirit of mutual assistance and sharing shown by Vietnamese people which has been upheld whenever the country faces difficulty.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a heavy blow to the national economy, the Government has maintained the view that no one would be left behind in the fight, and that Vietnam is willing to continue sacrificing its economic interests to prevent the spread of the pandemic. The Governments strong resolve has therefore generated motivation and fueled belief among the public to battle the disease.

Despite being hit hard by the pandemic, many businesses have been willing to lend a helping hand to those in need by donating money and medical equipment. Many VND0 supermarkets and rice ATMs were set up across the country in an effort to support citizens needing help.

Dr. Nguyen Manh Hung, chairman of the Board of Directors of Thai Ha Books, who launched a series of rice ATM in Hanoi and other localities nationwide, shared the challenges faced by disadvantaged people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I used to be in such a circumstance back in the 1970s, therefore I am aware of their sufferings and want to do something to help them, said Dr. Hung.











Furthermore, it was not only the young, but also the elderly who joined hands in support of the needy. Heroic mother Ngo Thi Quyt, 95, of Ho Chi Minh City spent time sewing face masks for medical workers in the frontline, whilst other examples include a 78-year-old woman from Thanh Hoa province who pedaled her bike to the headquarters of the local administration to donate VND1 million to the cause.

Outside of the country, Vietnamese communities based throughout Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Pacific raised funds to support their compatriots at home.

It can be said that the miracle in the war against COVID-19 in the nation has led to great kindness being shown by citizens. It is not by chance that many countries, as well as the WHO, singled out the country for its efforts in defeating COVID-19 and have encouraged others to replicate the Vietnamese experience in poor and developing countries.



It is also not surprising that overseas Vietnamese, foreigners, and international students returning to the country for COVID-19 isolation or treatment were touched by the support and assistance provided by medical workers and those working at quarantine facilities.

Dang Ngoc Anh, a Vietnamese student in Germany, who was quarantined at a student dormitory complex in Hanoi, recalled her meeting with soldiers upon arrival at the quarantine facility, saying they worked very hard to take care of those put into isolation.

They had to wait and receive returnees throughout the night, with some sleeping for just two to three hours a day, said Anh.









Some foreign patients were also cured by Vietnamese doctors. Both the nations first two Chinese patients and the British pilot serve to show this. To save the British pilot, the Ministry of Health mobilised leading Vietnamese medical staff who worked with dedication and kindness. Thank you, Vietnam is a phrase which was repeatedly expressed by those who survived the disease before departing back to their native countries.



At present, whilst the number of COVID-19 infections and fatalities has kept increasing globally, Vietnam has basically controlled the virus. Indeed, the country has also started to officially test a locally-produced vaccine against COVID-19, a new step that supports the fight against the virus.

In order to achieve such positive results, Vietnam has synchronously and promptly co-ordinated many effective measures aimed at preventing the spread of the epidemic. The country has made public details such as the number of infected cases, suspected infections, and direct and indirect contacts with infected people, as a means of localising, isolating, and controling the epidemic.













Vietnam is also home to a contingent of highly qualified and dedicated medical staff, showing that it is no coincidence that the WHO praised the countrys capacity to address urgent public health issues by handling COVID-19 in a competent manner.

Along with that, Vietnam promptly moved to quarantine many infected and suspected patients, an effective solution that initially helped to ensure health care for people and their family living in epidemic areas.

Additionally, it is impossible not to mention the medias effective contribution to the fight. Various media agencies have closely followed and provided the public with updates on epidemic developments, as well as preventive measures aimed at keeping the virus at bay within the community.

Although the war against COVID-19 is not yet over, Vietnamese people believe that with unity, devotion, and kindness, they will ultimately defeat this unique enemy.

It is also not surprising that overseas Vietnamese, foreigners, and international students returning to the country for COVID-19 isolation or treatment were touched by the support and assistance provided by medical workers and those working at quarantine facilities.

Dang Ngoc Anh, a Vietnamese student in Germany, who was quarantined at a student dormitory complex in Hanoi, recalled her meeting with soldiers upon arrival at the quarantine facility, saying they worked very hard to take care of those put into isolation.

They had to wait and receive returnees throughout the night, with some sleeping for just two to three hours a day, said Anh.









Some foreign patients were also cured by Vietnamese doctors. Both the nations first two Chinese patients and the British pilot serve to show this. To save the British pilot, the Ministry of Health mobilised leading Vietnamese medical staff who worked with dedication and kindness. Thank you, Vietnam is a phrase which was repeatedly expressed by those who survived the disease before departing back to their native countries.

At present, whilst the number of COVID-19 infections and fatalities has kept increasing globally, Vietnam has basically controlled the virus. Indeed, the country has also started to officially test a locally-produced vaccine against COVID-19, a new step that supports the fight against the virus.

In order to achieve such positive results, Vietnam has synchronously and promptly co-ordinated many effective measures aimed at preventing the spread of the epidemic. The country has made public details such as the number of infected cases, suspected infections, and direct and indirect contacts with infected people, as a means of localising, isolating, and controling the epidemic.













Vietnam is also home to a contingent of highly qualified and dedicated medical staff, showing that it is no coincidence that the WHO praised the countrys capacity to address urgent public health issues by handling COVID-19 in a competent manner.

Along with that, Vietnam promptly moved to quarantine many infected and suspected patients, an effective solution that initially helped to ensure health care for people and their family living in epidemic areas.

Additionally, it is impossible not to mention the medias effective contribution to the fight. Various media agencies have closely followed and provided the public with updates on epidemic developments, as well as preventive measures aimed at keeping the virus at bay within the community.

Although the war against COVID-19 is not yet over, Vietnamese people believe that with unity, devotion, and kindness, they will ultimately defeat this unique enemy. VOV

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Did Gov. Mike DeWine go on national TV Sunday to boast about Ohios COVID-19 vaccinations, when the state ranks dead last in giving them to residents?

On our first This Week in the CLE episode of 2021, were talking about Ohios mass confusion over vaccinations.

Listen online here.

Editor Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with editor Jane Kahoun and me, answering all sorts of questions.

Youve been sending Chrislots of thoughts and suggestions on our from-the-newsroom account, in which he shares what were thinking about at cleveland.com. You can sign up for free by sending a text to 216-868-4802.

And youve been offering all sorts of great perspective in our coronavirus alert account, which has 13,000-plus subscribers. You can sign up for free by texting 216-279-7784.

Here are the questions were answering today:

Was Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine right to boast on national television Sunday about the increasing pace of coronavirus vaccinations in the state?

How much FirstEnergy money went to a non-profit group that purported to represent Cleveland Public Power customers but now appears to have existed solely to attack the city-ownecd utility?

Has the Cuyahoga County Health Board bungled its role in providing coronavirus vaccinations?

What did we learn about how Larry Householder wielded his power from records released last week in the $60 million Statehouse bribery scheme, and whats the latest court to put a hold the fees we were going to have to pay as a result of that scheme?

Two infamous Northeast Ohio murderers died over the holidays. Who were they and why were they infamous?

Why is Cleveland City Council president criticizing a new fee being charged by Door Dash in Cleveland to deliver food to people?

What are the new rules for quarantining students were exposed to the coronavirus in the classroom? (Lets talk about teachers being next on the vax list)

We talked last month about allegations that the Justice Department was ending the investigation of the Cleveland Police killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, and last week, they made it official. Why did they say they were closing the investigation without charges?

Want more? You can find all our past episodes here.

We have an Apple podcasts channel exclusively for this podcast. Subscribe here.

Do you get your podcasts on Spotify. Find us here.

If you use Stitcher, we are here.

RadioPublic is another popular podcast vehicle, and we are here.

On Google Podcasts, we are here.

On PodParadise, find us here.

And on PlayerFM, we are here.
A 19-year-old soldier was discovered dead in her Fort Bliss barracks in Texas on New Year's Eve, and her family is demanding answers from the military after saying she was sexually assaulted.

Private First Class Asia Graham, of Cherryville, North Carolina, was found unresponsive on the base in El Paso on Thursday and was later pronounced dead by Fort Bliss Department of Emergency Services staff.

An investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding Graham's death.

However, family members have told WCNC Charlotte that Graham was sexually assaulted by another soldier while stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas.

Pfc Asia Graham, 19, was found unresponsive in her barracks at Fort Bliss on Thursday and was later pronounced dead

Family members say Asia was sexually assaulted by another soldier at Fort Bliss

Her brother, Andrew Koenigsfeld, said she had a 'heart of gold' and always looked to motivate people

Her family is pushing the Army for answers after claiming it failed to protect her after she reported her alleged sexual assault

They said Graham reported the assault to the Army but her mother, Nicole Graham, accused the military of failing to protect her.

'She was ready to fight,' said her brother, Andrew Koenigsfeld. 'Then that got taken away.'

He described his sister as having a 'heart of gold' and said she was a motivational force.

'Every day, every time I talked to my sister, she always preaches, 'Go get your goals.' What do you want to do with your life?'' Koenigsfeld said.

As of Monday evening, US Army officials have not revealed how the 19-year-old soldier died.

Graham was a human resource specialist who joined the Army in July 2019.

She arrived at Fort Bliss in December 2019 after completing Basic Combat Training in Missouri and Advanced Individual Training in South Carolina.

Graham was assigned to I-501st Attack Battalion, 1st Armored Division Combat Aviation Brigade from Charlotte, KHOU11 reported.

Asia is pictured with family members in an undated photo that includes her mother, Heather, at left

An Army has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Graham's death in the base in El Paso, Texas

'PFC Asia Graham was a valued member of the Iron Eagle Team,' her division wrote in a Facebook post. 'Her loss is felt not just in our formations but across the Army. We lost a skilled human resource specialist who wanted nothing more than to serve her country and her battle buddies.'

Graham's awards and decorations included the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Army Service Ribbon.

Graham's death took place just hours before another female soldier from Texas, Sgt Jessica Mitchell, 30, was found fatally shot multiple times inside her car on Interstate 10. She was on holiday leave at the time.

Sgt Jessica Mitchell (left and right), 30, was found dead in her car on New Year's Day after being shot multiple times. Police said she was killed on Interstate 10 in San Antonio

Mitchell was assigned as a dental specialist to US Army Medical Center of Excellence on Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. She is survived by her 10-year-old son.

So far, no arrests have been made in connection to Mitchell's killing.

The back-to-back deaths of Graham and Mitchell come just days after partial human skeletal remains were found near Salado Creek at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.

Another Army base in Texas, Fort Hood, has been in the news in recent months after the disappearances of three soldiers who were later found dead, including Spc Vanessa Guillen.

According to investigators, Guillen, 20, was bludgeoned to death on the base by Spc. Aaron Robinson, who killed himself on July 1 as police were trying to take him into custody.
In the crosshairs of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the run-up to the West Bengal assembly polls due in a few months, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and chief minister Mamata Banerjees nephew Abhishek Banerjee on Monday started a five-day tour of the north Bengal districts where the saffron camp won seven of the regions eight Lok Sabha seats in 2019 and now poses a major challenge to the ruling party.

This is the first time Abhishek Banerjee is visiting the region alone for so many days only to look into organizational issues plaguing the TMC.

Since October last year, BJP state and national leaders, including Union home minister Amit Shah, have been singling out Abhishek Banerjee in their speeches and social media posts, calling him tolabaaj bhaipo (extortionist nephew in Bengali) and accusing him of amassing wealth through unfair means. After joining the BJP on December 19, former minister Suvendu Adhikari intensified this attack by raising short slogans against Banerjee.

Mamata Banerjee, often referred to as pishi (aunt) by the BJP leaders, has almost become a secondary target if one goes by the rhetoric.

Also read: Supreme Courts judgment on Central Vista project on Tuesday

TMC leaders told HT that Abhishek Banerjee, who is a Lok Sabha member and heads the partys youth wing, will mostly hold internal meetings with legislators and senior leaders from the region. He will hold two internal meetings in Siliguri on Tuesday. He is scheduled to meet leaders from Darjeeling, Alipurduar, South Dinajpur, Cooch Behar and Malda over the next few days.

On Thursday, Banerjee will address party workers at a public meeting in Gangarampur in South Dinajpur district where Mihir Goswami, the TMC legislator from the South Dinajpur seat, joined the BJP in November.

In 2019, the TMCs tally in the Lok Sabha came down from 34 seats to 22, giving the BJP a position to pose a challenge to Banerjee for the first time. In terms of the 56 assembly segments in the eight Lok Sabha seats in north Bengal, the BJP was ahead of the TMC in 35.

The West Bengal assembly has 294 seats and Shah has announced that his party will oust the TMC government by winning more than 200.

Also read: 2020 was the 8th warmest year in India - IMD

Mamata Banerjee, too, spent three days in north Bengal in mid-December and her rally in Cooch Behar, where the BJP claims to have made deep inroads, witnessed a huge turnout. BJP leaders of both state and national level are also frequently camping in north Bengal. The most prominent among them is BJP national president JP Nadda.

Abhishek Banerjee is coming to north Bengal mainly to take stock of the situation on the ground and personally interact with leaders who are facing dissidence in the ranks, a senior TMC leader aware of the visit said on condition of anonymity.

Troubled by infighting among district leaders in north Bengal, Abhishek Banerjee and election strategist Prashant Kishor travelled to Siliguri together in October to iron out differences in the ranks. The duo discreetly held meetings with leaders from five districts at a hotel near the Tenzing Norgay bus terminus in Siliguri.

The spate in infighting in north Bengal has its roots in the induction of younger faces in district committees during a reshuffle in July last year. The structural changes have made many old-timers insecure, TMC leaders said.
According to his boss, Scott MacNaughton has a full plate. But it hasnt stopped him from pursuing a seat at the table for criminal justice reform.

MacNaughton is a sergeant investigator in the Public Integrity and Cyber Crime Division of the Bexar County District Attorneys Office.

He recently applied for and accepted an appointment by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Advisory Committee of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice on Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairments.

The board oversees an office under the governor and the panel contains various experts to advise it. Abbott announced MacNaughtons appointment to it Dec. 1.

On ExpressNews.com: Jurists have big plans for Bexar County courts coalition

MacNaughton said he believes his law enforcement experience, coupled with his passion for public policy and drive to help improve the criminal justice system, is a good fit for the panel, and the appointment comes at the right time.

This is an opportunity to do something really important with a vulnerable population, he said. Making sure they are are taken care of is really important, whether incarcerated or not.

He previously served on the Texas Crime Victims Institute Advisory Council, which conducts research on the impact of crime. MacNaughton said he resigned from that duty to take this new appointment.

His boss, Bexar County District Attorney Joe D. Gonzales, said he encourages his staff to be active in the community, and champions this type of participation. He praised MacNaughton for pursuing his interest in a panel dealing with mental health, whose intersection with the criminal justice system has become a hot topic.

He praised Abbott, a Republican, for choosing someone from a DAs office run by a Democrat who champions criminal justice reform.

On ExpressNews.com: Bexar County takes step to improve responses to 911 mental health calls, seeks to prevent tragedy

He (Abbott) recognizes, just like we recognize, that mental health is a concern that affects everyone, whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, whether you are rich or poor, Gonzales said. And it is certainly encouraging to see that we can cross the aisle and work together on issues that affect the mentally ill, even when it comes to issues of incarceration.

Both he and MacNaughton said the appointment was an unexpected chance to collaborate with others across the state on an important topic.

Anybody that has anything to do with this area realizes we can always do a little bit better, MacNaughton said. I think people who can commit themselves to looking at where we are now, and where we should be, and kinda filling in that gap of how we get there, (have) a unique opportunity.

Top hits: Get San Antonio Express-News stories sent directly to your inbox

MacNaughton, originally from the small Hill Country town of Medina, began his law enforcement career at the Bandera County Sheriffs Office. Since becoming an investigator at the Bexar County DAs Office six years ago, some of his work has involved investigating in-custody deaths at the jail here, he said.

His patrol experience gave him a first-hand look at what people with mental disabilities encounter when on the street, MacNaughton said, and working with prosecutors gave him another vantage point, where you get exposed to the incarceration issues.

Sean McCleskey, chief investigator for the DAs Offices Criminal Investigations Division, complimented MacNaughton on his law enforcement knowledge, passion for public policy, and especially his willingness to take on additional duties beyond his day job, which includes helping prosecutors assemble their criminal case files.

McCleskey also tapped MacNaughton to be his director of law enforcement affairs for the CID, in charge of outreach to some 40 policing agencies and small municipalities in and around San Antonio and Bexar County.

He goes out and talks to chiefs of police, and he can open up a dialog, McCleskey said, adding that MacNaughton does not shy away from shouldering an extra burden or adding to his already full plate.

Hes very passionate about this job, McCleskey said. And I am proud of him.

MacNaughtons term on the state mental health advisory panel will expire Feb. 1, 2023.

ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863
OSWEGO, N.Y.  The court hearings over who will win New Yorks 22nd Congressional District will take at least one more week, according to a proposed schedule from Democrat Anthony Brindisis attorneys.

The 22nd district is the only undetermined election in the country, two months after Election Day. Hearings resumed today after a week off in state Supreme Court and involved a ballot-by-ballot review of contested votes from Chenango, Madison and Broome counties. Between 400 and 500 ballots from Oneida County havent yet been reviewed.

Brindisi, a Democrat from Utica, is fighting to keep his Congressional seat from challenger Claudia Tenney, a Republican from New Hartford. She is up 29 votes of 311,695 cast for the two candidates. About 2,500 ballots hang in the balance, based on the judges ruling.

His attorneys submitted a proposed expedited schedule that would mean at least another week of hearings, but only if the judge and Tenneys attorneys agree on a way to make the process quicker.

Brindisis attorneys suggested that, at minimum, the attorneys be expected to refer to prior verbal and written arguments theyve already made, rather than re-argue the same issues for every ballot.

If the attorneys have to argue for every ballot, Brindisis team estimated, there will be at least three weeks of further proceedings.

The approximately 800 ballots from Oneida and Broome counties would be reviewed by Thursday under Brindisis proposed schedule, followed by witness testimony on Friday.

Also under the proposed schedule, on Monday, Jan. 11, the parties would go over all of the disputed ballots that have been determined valid so far in the hearings to see if they have any more objections.

On Jan. 12, there would be a machine tabulation of those remaining ballots and. And on Jan. 13, the county boards of elections would have to report the updated count to the judge.

Justice Scott DelConte has also said he is waiting to make substantial rulings on groups of ballots until all of the ballots have been reviewed from the eight counties. Its not clear from the proposed schedule when exactly the judge would rule.

As of yesterday, Brindisi is no longer serving as the Congressman for the district, though his staff is still at the office helping constituents on a case-by-case basis.

Contact reporter Patrick Lohmann at PLohmann@Syracuse.com or (315)766-6670.

MORE ON THE NY-22 ELECTION

Brindisi, Tenney argue, vote by vote, in epic nail-biter. How perfect does a voter have to be?

Tenney keeps lead in undecided NY22nd as ballots go to judge

All eyes turned to court battle over NY 22nd election. Then it took a week off. Why?

Tenneys friends question integrity of House election, raise money for recount

Brindisi has good day, but victory in House race against Tenney remains anybodys guess
If you're like me, you were probably flooded with jubilant messages and memes about the end of 2020. Our black swan year of crisis and calamity, plague and polarization, is over. And in 2021, there are reasons for optimism, not least as countries around the world roll out the first phases of coronavirus vaccine plans.

But the broader picture could yet be quite grim. This past week marked the formal start of a new decade. To kick it off, I am spotlighting three trendlines that could define the years to come.

Changing demographics

According to a 2015 U.N. study, the world is expected to have a population of about 8.5 billion people in 2030 - about a 15 percent increase in the size of humanity in just 15 years. India will have surpassed China to become the world's most populous nation, while demographers forecast a pronounced population surge in sub-Saharan Africa, which will soon be home to the world's most youthful societies. The number of megacities may double by the end of the decade, with close to two-thirds of humanity living in urban centers.

In addition, by 2030, more than a billion people on the planet will be over the age of 65, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. That's due to longer life expectancies and improving living standards around the world. But the maturing of the world population - not just in the West, but throughout Asia and Latin America, too - carries real policy conundrums.

European governments are already grappling with a future shaped by rising costs for elder care, the consequences of declining populations and a shrinking workforce. The political solutions to these long-term challenges may include encouraging more immigration to fill jobs and weakening social protections to drive worker productivity. Demographic anxieties will almost certainly take up greater space in Western politics: On both sides of the Atlantic, far-right movements increasingly see anti-feminism as a rallying cry at a time of declining birthrates.

China's authoritarian leadership is all too aware of the need to pivot given its aging population and has set about trying to reorient the Chinese economy to cater more to a domestic market after years of export-driven boom. In a decade's time, we may also know whether India's youth glut - more than half of its population is under 25 - has turned into either a demographic boon or a curse. The world's largest democracy is already struggling to support its vast population of young people with adequate education, health care and jobs.

The deepening toll of climate change

2030 represents a major milestone for the international organizations and climate scientists that have been climate change's doleful town criers. Two years ago, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that without huge, unprecedented cuts to carbon emissions over the next decade, the world would place itself on the brink of climate disaster. Subsequent studies suggested that, even if the demands of climate activists were met, it would take decades to measure any discernible effects.

There are reasons for hope. Myriad governments have embraced ambitious plans to transition their economies toward being carbon neutral. The incoming Biden administration intends to add momentum to global climate efforts abandoned by President Donald Trump, while Chinese President Xi Jinping said last month that China plans to decrease its carbon footprint to at least 65 percent of where it was in 2005 by 2030. The World Economic Forum - a bastion of optimism - foresees a future in 2030 in which urban centers are transformed into zones shaped by pedestrian activity, technology increasingly obviates the need to own cars, fewer people eat meat, people breathe cleaner air and renewable, clean energy dominates the energy sector.

That's the rosy view. The demands of a rising middle class in the developing world may prove a challenge to decarbonization efforts, while climate skepticism may further drive a host of right-wing movements in the West as their opponents go green. Rather than a warning to the world, melting ice caps in the Arctic are already opening new trade lanes and avenues for exploration, stoking a new era of geopolitical competition. All the while, scientists predict an increasing number of extreme weather events wracking the world and destabilizing vulnerable communities.

The mess of global governance

The past decade shifted our view of global politics. Long gone is any certainty in the inexorability of liberal democracy - single-party states still flourish, while demagogic populism and far-right nationalism are powerful forces within many of the world's major democracies. Rights groups warn of the erosion of once-healthy democracies and new threats to freedom and privacy posed by government cyber surveillance.

Visions of a robust liberal world order have given way to white papers on the return of great-power competition. That includes the new race over research and the use of technologies such as artificial intelligence, which is predicted to add some $16 trillion to the global economy by 2030. China has poured vast resources into its tech sector and is arguably the global pacesetter in the development and implementation of AI technologies, an advantage that has huge political implications. "Whoever leads in artificial intelligence in 2030 will rule the world till 2100," declared a recent policy briefing from the Brookings Institution.

Liberals in the West hope the serious challenges of the next decade - all of which require expanded international cooperation and coordination - will eventually dispel the angry nationalism of the present.

But we may see even more disruption: The current polarization in the United States, exemplified by Trump and his allies' refusal to accept the verdict of the November election, could prefigure an even worse constitutional crisis in coming years. The European Union's project of integration could stall or collapse, buffeted both by fiscal crises and populist passions. And in Africa, the continent's much-touted (and much-needed) plan for an integrated free trade zone is still struggling to get off the ground.
The Qatar Emiri Air Forces NH90 helicopter programme marked a major milestone last week with first flights performed in Italy and France.

The first NH90 NATO frigate helicopter (NFH), assembled at Leonardos Venice Tessera facility, and the first tactical troop transport (TTH) over-land aircraft, assembled at Airbus Helicopters Marignane site, took to the air on 15th and 18th of December respectively. The flights allowed crews to evaluate general handling and basic systems and the helicopters performed as expected.

NH90 helicopter programme

Qatars NH90 programme includes 16 NH90 TTHs for land operations, 12 NH90 NFHs for naval missions, a comprehensive support, maintenance & training services package and associated infrastructure. The programme has the potential to be extended in the future with the addition of 6+6 units in a mixture of TTH and NFH variants.

Leonardo is prime contractor for the overall programme and is also responsible for the final assembly and delivery of the 12 NH90 NFH helicopters from its Venice Tessera facility in Italy. The company is also supplying simulators, training aids and an extensive maintenance support and training services package for aircrews and maintenance technicians.

Avionics and sensor payloads integration

The NH90 is set to provide the Qatar Ministry of Defence an important and longstanding customer"

Leonardo is providing, contributing to or supporting the integration of various avionics and sensor payloads, including the Leonardo LEOSS-T HD electro-optical system, HD Mission Video Recorder, Automatic Identification System, Tactical video link and Full HD display for cabin consoles. Airbus Helicopters is responsible for carrying out the final assembly of the 16 NH90 TTH aircraft. Acceptance of the first batch of NH90s by the Qatar Emiri Air Force is scheduled to start before the end of 2021, with the last helicopter planned to be delivered in 2025.

Gian Piero Cutillo, Leonardo Helicopters MD, said Were extremely pleased to celebrate this important achievement as we continue to work to deliver this programme. The NH90 is set to provide the Qatar Ministry of Defence, an important and longstanding customer, with outstanding operational capabilities suitable for a range of missions.

Cutillo adds, Together with our industrial partners, were committed to completing and introducing this essential defence and security enabler for our customer.

Design and integration of critical NH90 components

Leonardo is responsible for, or contributes to, the design, production and integration of a wide range of critical NH90 components and systems.

These include the rear fuselage, main gear box hydraulic system, upper modes of the Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS), plant management system, power plant integration, NFH mission system (integrating sonar, radar, electro-optics, tactical link, electronic warfare system, Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) interrogator, mission video recording and weapon systems management, including air-to-surface missiles and torpedoes for Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW) and Anti-Submarine (ASW) missions.

LOAM system and LEOSS-T electro-optical system

Leonardo also integrates additional capabilities such as the LOAM system and LEOSS-T electro-optical system

Leonardo also integrates additional capabilities such as the Laser Obstacle Avoidance Monitoring (LOAM) system and the LEOSS-T electro-optical system, as well as pintle-mounted gatling-type guns, for specific customers.

The largest military helicopter programme in Europe, the NH90 is the optimal choice for modern operations thanks to its fully composite airframe with a large cabin, its excellent power-to-weight ratio and its wide range of role equipment.

Quadruplex fly-by-wire flight control system

It features a quadruplex fly-by-wire flight control system for reduced pilot workload and enhanced flight handling characteristics. The NH90 is available in two main variants: one specified for naval operations, the NH90 NFH (NATO Frigate Helicopter) and the TTH (Tactical Transport Helicopter) for land based operations.

As of today, around 430 NH90 helicopters, a mixture of both variants, are in service worldwide. Aircraft on operations have logged over 270,000 flight hours in a wide range of weather and environmental conditions, over land and sea.
The Supreme Court has been hearing the Amrapali matter every Monday.

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The Supreme Court (SC) on January 4 directed the Indian Bank Association (IBA) and representatives of other banks to meet the court-appointed receiver in the Amrapali case to ensure that funding can be raised for unfinished projects in Noida and Greater Noida.

The courts direction came after the receiver R Venkatramani informed that he was not getting adequate response from banks regarding his proposal for financing Amrapali projects. Accordingly, the Court directed the advocates representing the banks along with their officials to meet the receiver and submit their final proposal by January 18.

The order is awaited.

The top court has been hearing the Amrapali matter every Monday.

Over 40,000 homebuyers, who had invested in housing projects more than eight years ago, are yet to receive possession of their homes in Amrapali projects.

The issue of project financing by banks for Amrapali projects is a long pending problem which needs to be sorted at the earliest. The Supreme Court being aware of the same had been repeatedly asking the banks to finalise their proposal for the same and had even roped in the Reserve Bank of India. Once this issue of funding is sorted, we are sure that the Amrapali projects will be completed and delivered smoothly, Kumar Mihir, advocate, representing Amrapali homebuyers told Moneycontrol.

The SC also asked the receiver to go through the response filed by the promoter of the embattled firm Anil Kumar Sharma and give a report regarding diversion of funds by him within three weeks. The matter would be taken up for hearing in the first week of February.

The governments construction arm NBCC, that is engaged in completion of the unfinished projects, informed the court that they have issued a circular regarding re-engagement of experts and R K Agarwal, if he applied, will be considered for employment as a principle expert for NBCC. The Court will take a final decision on the next date which is January 11, 2021.

Agarwal is a former senior executive director of NBCC who was overseeing the construction of unfinished Amrapali projects. He is now retired.

The court also took up the applications filed by the buyers of convenience shops in Amrapali Centurian Park. It heard the buyers and the counsels for Amrapali and directed Vinay Vishal Sahi, a director of Amrapali Groups Centurian Park Private Ltd, to give copy of his reply to counsel of Amrapali. The said applications will now be heard on January 18.

The Court directed the affidavit filed by banks regarding the issue of transfer of Deoghar Hotel by Amrapali Group to be given to forensic auditors and listed it on January 18.

The Court directed Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file the status report regarding Prem Mishra within three days and listed the same for January 11. Prem Mishra is a co-developer with the Amrapali Group in Madhya Pradesh.

The SC also extended the time given to Odissa State Housing Board for the auction of the plots till March 2021 and directed New Raipur development authority to file its affidavit regarding the amount deposited by it till date.

A special court, on December 19, 2020, had granted the ED four-day custody of the Amrapali Groups CFO, Chandra Wadhwa, for interrogation in a multi-crore fraud case. The central agency had moved the special court after its Lucknow branch on December 18, 2020, arrested Wadhwa from Delhi in connection with the fraud case involving diversion of money of over 40,000 homebuyers.

Amrapali directors Anil Sharma and Shiv Priya were arrested by the ED in connection with their role in the financial fraud committed by the firm in January 2020 and have been serving time in jail since. All the arrests in the case have been made under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

On December 15, 2020, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had rejected the bail pleas of Sharma, along with Amrapalis statutory auditor Anil Mittal.

The Group has allegedly siphoned off about Rs 6,000 crore of funds, collected as advances from homebuyers, who have invested in the companys various projects across the country.

The estimated cost of completion of all these pending projects of Amrapali is approximately Rs 8,500 crore, and NBCC, with the support of the apex court, has already completed and handed over two stalled projects, while implementation of some more projects is in progress at present with the funds made available by the Supreme Court.

On July 23, 2019, the apex court had cracked its whip on errant builders for breaching the trust reposed by homebuyers and ordered cancellation of the registration of the Amrapali Group under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, and ousted it from its prime properties in the NCR by nixing the land leases.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said the three-day statewide celebrations to mark Uttar Pradesh Day will showcase Aatmanirbhar Uttar Pradesh (self-reliant UP). The celebrations will be held from January 24 to 26.

Adityanath said this at a meeting he held to review preparations for Uttar Pradesh Day. He also said the celebrations will be dedicated to those who had made the people of UP proud with their fighting spirit, unique thought-process and resilience. This day is celebrated every year on January 24 to mark the foundation day of the state.

Also Read: Atmosphere of security attracting investors to UP: CM Yogi Adityanath

This celebration will belong to every citizen of the state and should have mass participation. The Uttar Pradesh that has taken shape over the last more than three-and-a-half years by accepting every challenge as a new opportunity and emerged as a self-reliant state is something to be shown to all, Adityanath said, according to a government press statement.

He said the state government will bestow Uttar Pradesh Gaurav Samman on all those who had added to the pride of the state with their sheer grit and dedication towards self-reliance, be it women self-help groups (SHGs), progressive farmers or the artisans who scripted new sagas of success with their skills.

The chief minister directed officials to encourage local talent in various variety programmes to be held across the state. The Shilp Mela and other exhibitions will showcase the public welfare schemes of the government, the ODOP (One District One Product)-related events, distribution of tool kits under Vishwakarma Samman, besides displaying the journey of Lord Ram and inspiring stories from the Mahabharata.

The celebrations will also include a band display by acid attack survivors (women), staging of the Shabri-Ram episode of the Ramayana and the acts related to historical and mythological characters like Sita, Draupadi, Jhalkari Bai and Uda Devi by Kinnar (transgender) artistes. These will be the highlights of the celebrations which will also feature a display of the Ram temple model, the dramatisation of freedom struggle focussed around Meerut and exhibition on the Vishwa Yatra of Lord Ram, said a state government press statement after the meeting.
Ocean Beachs Tornado House

by Woody LaBounty

(Originally published by the Ocean Beach Bulletin, March 22, 2011.)

Were used to earthquakes. The anniversary of San Franciscos great earthquake and fire in 1906 is a yearly reminder to change the batteries in the flashlights and switch out the water in the emergency box. (The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management has a nice checklist of what your preparedness kit should include.) I think were beginning to take the possibility of a tsunami seriously, despite the crowds of yahoos who run to the beach with their cameras when the alarms go off. An increasing multiplicity of emergency scenarios in which to imagine ourselves has arisen: gas explosions, floods, and nuclear meltdowns. Now we can add tornadoes to the list.

On March 18, 2011, the Emergency Alert System warned of possible tornadoes in the Bay Area. One hit in Santa Rosa, ripping a shed to pieces with 100 mph winds. Then a waterspout touched down off Ocean Beach with a menacing, if mesmerizing, dance on the waves.

The Outer Sunset has been hit before. On February 24, 1930, a mighty storm battered the Bay Area. Strong waves and wind swept a deckhand off a tugboat at the Ferry Building; lighting struck Oaklands city hall, starting a fire; snow and hail fell in the Mission District. Then the police received reports of an explosion near the corner of 46th Avenue and Ortega Street.

The mass development of the Sunset District had only just begun, and huge areas were still open dunes. By 1930, only one house had been built on the block between 45th and 46th Avenues, and Noriega and Ortega Streets. Emergency crews arrived to find that house listing at an angle in the dunes, surrounded by broken lumber and debris. Rather than suffering an explosion, the house appeared to have been spun sideways off its foundation and screwed down into the sand. Mrs. James C. Crampton, who lived at 2243 45th Avenue, reported that shed seen an enormous funnel: It seemed as if tons of sand were swirling round and round, and that the column would crush anything it happened to strike.

The owner, John Voltz, had been at work at the time. He wasnt immediately available to comment as emergency crews, reporters and curious neighbors crawled over his property, posing for photos on the steeply raked floors. The only other major damage in the area was the destruction of a garage in the backyard of 1800 48th Avenue.

San Franciscos four daily newspapers gave the tornado light coverage, and didnt exactly know what to call the phenomenon that moved a house. Freak squall, freak storm, a miniature twister were three attempts.

Voltz estimated his losses at $5,000, but he didnt seem to have given up on his Oceanside house completely. Go take a look at the tall house that stands at 1896 46th Avenue today. Compare its angled upper floor to the tornado-stricken structure alee in the dunes. Instead of retreating, Voltz rebuilt with bravado, taking his home even closer to the clouds.

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After The Washington Post on Sunday published an extraordinary phone call between President Donald Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, R, many observers shared one question: Did Trump break the law?

During that hour-long call on Saturday, Trump urged Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to overturn his defeat and threatened him with vague legal consequences, seemingly encouraging his fellow Republican to fix the election results.

As the sole Democrat on Georgia's state election board on Sunday urged Raffensperger to investigate the president over the call, some lawyers and legal scholars say Trump's actions indeed appeared to violate both state and federal criminal statutes.

On social media, much of the conversation among legal observers and Trump critics revolved around a federal statute, 52 U.S. Code 20511, that makes it a crime to "knowingly and willfully" deprive or defraud a state's residents of a free or fair election - or to attempt to do so.

Eric Holder, the former attorney general under President Barack Obama, shared the text of that statute on Twitter on Sunday. "As you listen to the tape consider this federal criminal statute," Holder wrote.

The question, according to Justin Levitt, a law professor at Loyola Marymount University, is whether Trump was "knowingly and willfully" pressuring Raffensperger to count nonexistent votes when he told the GOP official, "I just want to find 11,780 votes."

Washington Post photo by Bill O'Leary

In other words: Does Trump actually believe that 11,780 ballots in his favor were cast but not counted?

Considering that two recounts, an audit and several judges have upheld President-elect Joe Biden's win in Georgia, Levitt said it is clear Trump was not actually pushing for an "honest tally" of the votes.

"Either the president was engaged in the commission of a felony," he said, "or he has lost his hold on reality such that he can no longer distinguish fact from the fictions he has been fed."

Michael R. Bromwich, a former Justice Department inspector general, put it more bluntly on Twitter: "His best defense would be insanity."

Since 52 U.S. Code 20511 was adopted as part of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, it has been used sparingly by federal prosecutors. It was used in 2005 to go after Milwaukee grandmother Kimberly Prude, who voted illegally in the city while still on probation. But Levitt said there is no precedent to use it against someone of Trump's stature.

Other legal scholars said that Trump possibly violated 18 U.S. Code 241, which makes it illegal to participate in a conspiracy against people exercising their civil rights. That longstanding statute has been used frequently to prosecute acts of voter intimidation, especially those committed by the Ku Klux Klan against Black voters.

But charging Trump under that code would require prosecutors to show that someone else on the phone call was also aiding and abetting a scheme, Levitt said.

Additionally, Trump's apparent threat of criminal consequences if Raffensperger failed to act could be seen as an attempt at extortion, The Post reported.

On the state level, Trump's call could also have violated a Georgia statute.

Leigh Ann Webster, a criminal defense attorney in Atlanta, told The Post that in Georgia, Trump could run afoul of a state law that makes it illegal to cause someone else to partake in election fraud - by soliciting, requesting, or commanding it.

That's the same statute cited on Sunday by David J. Worley, the Georgia election board member who asked Raffensperger to investigate Trump. In his email to the GOP official, Worley said that "probable cause" may exist to find violations of that law.

"It's a crime to solicit election fraud, and asking the secretary to change the votes is a textbook definition of election fraud," Worley said in an interview with The Post.

The argument may be more straightforward compared to a potential federal case. Under the Georgia statute, Webster said the crime would be merely asking someone else to partake in one of several forms of election fraud, including interfering with the secretary of state's handling of an election.

But because such matters at the state level have rarely been interpreted in court, "none of this is bulletproof," she said.

And whether Trump broke federal state law, it's a different question of whether any prosecutor would try to charge him.

Until Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20, legal scholars say there is virtually no chance of federal charges being filed. Besides the short time frame, Levitt said, the Justice Department maintains a long-standing principle that a federal prosecutor may not prosecute a sitting president.

No such principle exists once a commander in chief is out of office. Yet under a Biden administration juggling a bevy of competing priorities, going after Trump in the courts could be a politically fraught choice.

Trevor Potter, a Republican and former Federal Election Commission chairman who was appointed by President George H.W. Bush, told the New York Times "there is a good argument" that Trump had been pushing for a fraudulent vote count during the call.

"But even if the Biden Justice Department thinks they have a good case, is that how they want to start off the Biden presidency?" he said. "That is a policy decision."

- - -

The Washington Post's Amy Gardner contributed to this report.
Britain began vaccinating its population with the COVID-19 shot developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca on Monday, touting a scientific triumph that puts it at the vanguard of the West in inoculating against the virus.

Britain, which is rushing to vaccinate its population faster than the United States and the rest of Europe, is the first country to roll out the Oxford/AstraZeneca shot though Russia and China have been inoculating their citizens for months.

Just under a month since Britain became the first country in the world to roll out the vaccine developed by Pfizer and Germanys BioNTech, dialysis patient Brian Pinker, 82, was first to get the Oxford/AstraZeneca shot at 0730 GMT.

I am so pleased to be getting the COVID vaccine today and really proud that it is one that was invented in Oxford, Pinker, a retired maintenance manager who has been having dialysis for kidney disease, said just a few hundred metres from where the vaccine was developed.

Pinker was looking forward to celebrating his 48th wedding anniversary with wife Shirley in February.

The nurses, doctors and staff today have all been brilliant, he said.

Britain, grappling with the worlds sixth worst death toll and one of the worst economic hits from the COVID crisis, has put more than a million COVID-19 vaccines into arms already  more than the rest of Europe put together, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.

Thats a triumph of British science that weve managed to get where we are, Hancock told Sky. Right at the start, we saw that the vaccine was the only way out long term.

Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government has secured 100 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine which can be stored at fridge temperatures between two to eight degrees, making it easier to distribute than the Pfizer shot.

Six hospitals in England are administering the first of around 530,000 doses Britain has ready. The programme will be expanded to hundreds of other British sites in coming days, and the government hopes it will deliver tens of millions of doses within months.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had administered 4.2 million first doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of Saturday morning and distributed 13.07 million doses.

But Israel is the world leader: more than a tenth of its population have had a vaccine and Israel is now administering more than 150,000 doses a day.

VACCINE RACE

Britain became the first Western country to approve and roll out a COVID-19 vaccine, betting that getting ahead with a vaccine will allow it to exit the COVID crisis earlier than other countries, offering Johnson a rare opportunity to shine.

Other Western countries have taken a longer and more cautious approach to rolling out vaccines, though Russia and China have been inoculating their citizens for months with several different vaccines still undergoing late-stage trials.

China on Dec. 31. approved its first COVID-19 vaccine for general public use, a shot developed by an affiliate of state-backed pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm. The company said it is 79% effective against the virus.

Russia said on Nov. 24 its Sputnik V vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya Institute, was 91.4% effective based on interim late-stage trial results. It started vaccinations in August and has inoculated more than 100,000 people so far.

India approved the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on Sunday for emergency use.

One dose of caution was introduced by ITV political editor Robert Peston who said scientists are not fully confident that COVID-19 vaccines will work on a new variant of the coronavirus found in South Africa.

COVID CRISIS

More than 75,000 people in the United Kingdom have died from COVID though a wider measure puts the death toll at 82,624 and cases are rising sharply, fuelled by a separate variant of the virus.

Johnson said on Sunday that tougher restrictions were likely to be introduced, even with millions of citizens already living under the strictest tier of rules.

England is currently divided into four different tiers of restrictions, depending on the prevalence of the virus, and Hancock said the rules in some parts of the country in Tier 3 were clearly not working.

Asked whether the government was considering imposing a new national lockdown, Hancock said: We dont rule anything out.

The spread of the variant virus has also forced the government to change its approach to vaccination. Britain is now prioritising getting a first dose of a vaccine to as many people as possible over giving second doses. Delaying the distribution of second shots should help stretch the supply.

Andrew Pollard, the head of the Oxford Vaccine Group and chief investigator into the trial of the shot, also received the vaccine.

This is a really critical moment. We are at the point of being overwhelmed by this disease, he told BBC TV. I think it gives us a bit of hope, but I think weve got some tough weeks ahead.

SOURCE: REUTERS
In what many Texans would consider a long overdue move, lawmakers are lobbying to add the 1997 movie "Selena" to the National Film Registry.

Gregory Nava's hit film portraying the life and tragic death of Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla has been nominated for inclusion in the Library of Congress, according to Nicole Acevedo with NBC News.

SELENA RADIO 24/7: Selena continues to rule the airwaves in new Houston radio station

In a letter to the Librarian of Congress, Texas congressman Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) has been at the forefront with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in ramping up efforts to "eradicate the film industry's continued exclusion of Latinos," according to Acevedo.

"For too long U.S. Latinx filmmakers contribution to the film industry have been overlooked and underrepresented. Our community is important and growing and our stories need to be told," Nava said in a statement, according to Acevedo.

According to a recent study by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, only 4.9 percent of speaking roles among films in 2019 were played by Latino actors.

Additionally, 44 out of 100 top-rated movies had no Hispanic/Latino speaking charactersan all-time high for underrepresentation, according to the study.

One of the first of its kind, Jennifer Lopez's portrayal of the eponymous Selena highlighted Latino contributions to American popular music and elevated a story centered around a Mexican] American family.

The film also touched on important cultural identity themes faced by Mexican Americans across the world. Abraham Quintanilla, played by Edward James Olmos, explains to his daughter Selena and son A.B. how they have to be twice as perfect to receive the recognition white Americans do, which is a scene many Latinos can relate to.

"Selena is an American icon and she's so celebrated within the Latino community," Castro told Acevedo. "I think part of the affirmation of that was, not only the success of the film, but also the recent success of the television series."

Over the course of 2021, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus will be identifying additional films highlighting the "American Latino experience" to add to the Library of Congress, according to Acevedo.
Leela Palace Hotel

Just days after ITC Grand Chola emerged as a COVID-19 hotspot, another luxury hotel in Chennai had become a COVID cluster. Twenty staff members at the Leela Palace, have tested positive for COVID-19, health authorities said on Monday. Read more

Here's more top news of the day:

1) Govt Approves Bharat Biotech COVID Vaccine 'Covaxin' Without Efficacy Data, Controversy Erupts

Covaxin Covid-19 vaccine by Bharat BioTech

India has approved two COVID-19 vaccines on Sunday for a emergency use. However, a massive controversy broke out soon after the government's announcement on the permission accorded to Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotechs home-grown vaccine 'Covaxin'. Read more

2) COVID Vaccine To Be Taken 28 Days Apart; Antibodies Will Develop 2 Weeks After Last Dose

AFP

With India giving an emergency use approval to Covaxin and Covishield COVID-19 vaccines, many are raising questions over how these vaccines will work and provide immunity against the virus. Read more

3) Mumbai Reports Only 3 COVID Deaths, The Lowest Since March As Coronavirus Situation Improves

File Photo

In a statement, the city civic commissioner, I S Chahal, he said the hard work of the Maharashtra government and teams of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is paying off. Read more

4) Protesting Farmers Moving Towards Delhi Attacked With Tear Gas Shells, Water Cannons

Twitter/Screenshot

A clash between protesting farmers and the police erupted on Sunday on the Delhi-Jaipur highway as farmers reached Masani barrage near Dharuhera town after covering 4 km from their previous halt. Read more

5) Over 1400 Migratory Birds Found Dead In Himachal Pradesh And Nobody Knows How

File Photo

After over 1400 migratory birds were found dead for unknown reasons in the Pong Dam area of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh, all tourism activities have been suspended in the reservoir's precincts until further notice. Read more
Officials at the Sydney Cricket Ground are hoping the venue can host a crowd of more than 10,000 for the third Test between Australia and India as people who visited dozens of COVID-19 hotspots are banned from attending.

NSW recorded zero cases of local transmission on Monday but two cases linked to the growing bottle shop cluster in Berala in western Sydney will be included in Tuesday's figures.

Venues NSW boss Kerrie Mather (centre) says capacity at the ground will be reduced to 25 per cent for the third Test. Credit:Steven Siewert

Venues NSW, which runs the SCG, confirmed on Monday it would reduce capacity at the ground to 25 per cent for the first day of the Test on Thursday but stressed the situation remained "fluid".

Chief executive Kerrie Mather said the numbers could be increased during the Test.

Skylar Knox is a seventh grader at Fremont Middle School and a contributing reporter for The News-Review. Her work can be found online at skylarknox.com.
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New Delhi: The West Bengal government led by Mamata Banerjee on Monday (January 4) indicated to implement the Central government's PM Kissan Yojana for farmers in the state. Earlier, the Chief Minister had stated that the money should be transferred to the state but now she said that her government has no problem if the money is directly transferred to farmers.

The Chief Minister said that she has asked the Centre to share details of all those who have registered themselves on the Union government's portal for the programme.

Addressing a press meet in Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee said, "I had repeatedly asked the Centre to transfer funds allotted under the PM-Kisan scheme to the state government. Recently, they (central government officials) claimed that around 21.7 lakh farmers from Bengal have registered themselves on a portal to avail benefits of the scheme."

"They (Centre) have sought verification of this data. I understood that the Centre was trying to politicise the matter. We realised that farmers should not suffer because of this... I have asked the Centre to pass on the data so that we can start the verification process," she said.

Mamata said that she would want the farmers of the state to get all possible help, in addition to the assistance being doled out by her government, adding "I want the farmers to get all benefits. We do have our schemes, but if they get extra benefits... Let them avail it. However, if the Centre doesn't trust us with the verification process, then it is up to them."

In the past, she had opposed the implementation of Central schemes, saying that her government would allow PM- Kisan Samman Nidhi and Ayushman Bharat programmes in the state, only if funds to the beneficiaries are routed through the state government.

Live TV

Flaying the Centre over the new farm laws, the West Bengal CM said arrangements would soon be made to convene an assembly session to pass a resolution against the contentious legislations. She, however, asserted that said she would never allow the implementation of the three farm laws, which have sparked protests across the country.

Mamata said, "We are against those farm laws. We would soon convene an assembly session for a day or two and pass a resolution against the anti-farmer laws." Notably, West Bengal would become the sixth state in the country to do so, after Kerala, Delhi, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, if it passes the resolution.

Her remarks came on a day when the seventh round of talks between protesting unions and three central ministers ended inconclusively, as farmer groups stuck to their demand for the repeal of the three farm laws. The government, however, listed out various benefits of the new Acts for the growth of the country's agriculture sector.

Mamata moots Planning Commission like body in WB to honour Netaji

Mamata Banerjee today hit out at the Centre for abolishing the Planning Commission conceptualised by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and said her government would come up with a similar body to take ahead the national hero's ideas and vision.

The West Bengal CM also urged Nobel laureate economists Amartya Sen and Abhijit Banerjee and Bose's grandnephew Sugata Bose, a historian, to advise the state government on this.

She said, "Netaji's Planning Commission has been dissolved by the central government. They have named it (the new body which replaced the institution) Niti Aayog or Niti Niyog, I do not know. Earlier, I used to go for meetings of the Planning Commission which sought suggestions from each state. Now we cannot share our views."

The Planning Commission, a government institution which formulated India's Five-Year Plans besides performing other functions, was set up in March 1950. The Narendra Modi government disbanded it in 2014 and formed Niti Aayog.

She talked to reporters after a meeting of a committee set up by her government to plan year-long celebrations to mark the occasion of the great freedom fighter's 125th birth anniversary from this January 23. Abhijit Banerjee and other members of the committee attended the virtual meeting.

The day will be celebrated as "Desh Nayak Divas" in West Bengal, Banerjee said adding that a "Jai Hind Monument" will soon be erected in Rajarhat area near Kolkata. The slogan 'Jai Hind' was popularised by Netaji.

Mamata also stressed on her demand that the Centre declassify the files which might lead to the unravelling of Netaji's disappearance.

(With Agency Inputs)
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Nigerias coronavirus infections have surpassed 90,000 as the country continues to battle the second wave of the pandemic.

About 917 more people tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 90,080

This is according to an update Sunday night by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC).

Nigeria, on Sunday, also reported nine additional deaths from COVID-19 complications as the spike in new cases continues to feed through into fatalities.

One of the new deaths is believed to be Oye Ibidapo-Obe, a former vice chancellor of the University of Lagos, who PREMIUM TIMES reported died Sunday from COVID-19 complications.

The total death tally from the COVID-19 disease in Nigeria rose to 1,311 with the addition of the nine new deaths, the NCDC announced late Sunday.

In the past 16 days, there have been 99 recorded deaths from the coronavirus.

Since early December, there has been a spike in coronavirus cases in Nigeria.

Health experts believe the lowering of guard on safety and the weak enforcement of protocols especially in the countrys major airports in Abuja and Lagos could be responsible for the development, warning that the situation could get worse if citizens keep violating safety protocols.

Active cases in the country rose sharply from about 3,000 some weeks ago to over 11,000 due to a rise in new infections.

Of the over 90,000 cases so far, 75,044 patients have been discharged from hospitals after treatment.

Specifics

The 917 new cases were reported from 17 states  FCT (222), Lagos (214), Kaduna (119), Plateau (92), Nasarawa (50), Oyo (41), Adamawa (33), Ondo (32), Abia (28), Ogun (19), Rivers (17), Kano (16), Yobe (14), Edo (8), Anambra (6), Ekiti (5) and Jigawa (1).

The FCT led with 222 new cases followed by Lagos with 214 new infections on Sunday.

With the country into the second wave of the pandemic, federal authorities have ordered the reopening of all isolation and treatment centres in the country.

The Nigerian government has also reintroduced new restrictions to check the spread of the virus, including closure of bars and nightclubs and limiting the number of people allowed in a public gathering.

According to the NCDC, the failure of Nigerians to comply with the COVID-19 safety protocols during the festive period could lead to more spread of the disease.

So far, Nigeria has conducted over 950,000 COVID-19 tests.
The Green Party is wrong about the EU-Canada trade deal, former EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan has insisted.

Mr Hogan has said the trade deal will not empower multinationals to push privatisation or undermine social policy as some Irish Green Party TDs and councillors have argued.

Two of the partys TDs, Neasa Hourigan and Patrick Costello, along with several party councillors effectively blocked Irelands formal ratification of the major trade deal which had taken seven years to negotiate.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has said the party will revisit the issue later this month and has pledged to back ratification. Mr Ryan said objections by his party to the deal have now been dealt with  but others within the party are less assured on the issue.

Read More

The former Irish commissioner, who had a role in making the deal as agriculture commissioner from 2014 to 2019, and who since strongly defended the deal, said it will not in any way undermine social policy and politics in Ireland or any other EU state.

Mr Hogan said the seven years of talks were carried through on the basis of instructions unanimously agreed by all the democratically-elected member governments.

He said Canada was a socially progressive country committed to tackling climate change and improving the environment.

Canada had proved an EU ally in the world forums, G7 and G20, he said.

He reiterated an argument made by Mr Ryan regarding their concerns about changes to the court system for resolving trade disputes under international law.

"Canada has worked with the EU to ensure a new Multilateral Investment Court will replace the flawed Investor State Dispute Settlement, Mr Hogan told the Irish Independent.

He said this system would not impede democratically-elected governments from taking businesses into public ownership  nor would it foist privatisations upon states.

These were two of the arguments put forward by Green TDs last month when they demanded a longer and more open debate. Others, including Progressive Democrats founder Michael McDowell, said the treaty merited a full parliamentary debate.

Mr Hogan said Ireland will have an opportunity to help broker better EU-US relations following Joe Bidens election victory.

He said it was vital that a functional trade relations between the EU and the US was established soon and said some initial progress was made during his year as trade commissioner.

He also urged prompt WTO reforms.
Last week, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) again reported almost 1,000 daily deaths and well over 30,000 new infections in Germany. With cold storage facilities and crematoria in several cities already overwhelmed by corpses, hospitals nationwide face making decisions about who can receive life-saving treatment or be refused it. Among the population, the excess mortality rate rose steadily to 14 percent in November. In Saxony, it is now as high as 55 percent.

This mass death, unprecedented in post-war German history, was deliberately brought about by the federal and state governments drive to keep workplaces open and thus secure the profits of the banks and corporations at the expense of workers health.

Schools and day-care centres around the world have played a key role in the outbreak since the beginning of the pandemic. However, governments have repeatedly resorted to pseudo-scientific data and outright lies to justify the policy of keeping schools, businesses and day-care centres open amid the pandemic. This has ranged from studies on the absence of outbreaks in deserted facilities, as in Saxony, to calculating the human capital costs of lost education, to promoting the right-wing propagandists of herd immunity.

Students arrive at the 'Friedensburg Oberschule' school for the first day at school after the summer vacations during the new coronavirus outbreak in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

At the same time, the education and health authorities have refused to implement the RKIs measures at schools and to test the classmates of infected children. The diffuse outbreak resulting from this policy has served as a pretext to cover up the fact that workplaces, schools and day-care centres are the central drivers of the pandemic. The mass spread of the virus among the population would not have been possible without this deliberate policy of coverup by the state executives and their education ministers.

The criminality with which this campaign has been conducted was most recently demonstrated by the deliberate suppression of a study from Hamburg that had existed for months, according to which massive outbreaks were also taking place within schools in Germany. The study was not mentioned by the Hamburg education minister or any of his colleagues. Instead, ministers lied in unison that the schools were safe.

Yet, the results of the study are clear. The Heinrich Pette Institute and the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), who investigated the case of a mass outbreak at the Heinrich Hertz School, had concluded, Infections/transmissions have taken place at the school. They deduced from the almost universally identical genome sequences that the vast majority of transmissions were most likely due to a single source of infection. The possibility that the outbreak resulted from independent inputs can be ruled out with a probability bordering on certainty.

The study was prepared as early as September, but its existence only became known shortly before the Christmas holidays, when the Hamburg social authorities felt compelled to respond to a specific and legally justified request for information from a private individual.

Hamburgs Education Senator (state minister) Ties Rabe (Social Democratic Party, SPD), who, without any factual basis, had claimed since the beginning of the pandemic that schools were infection-proof, has withheld this study for months.

As recently as November, based on an internal analysis of figures by the authorities, Rabe had claimed that 85 to 90 percent of pupils had been infected outside of school, at home or in their free time.

Rabe is a spokesman for all SPD-led state education ministries and knew about this study for a long time. Shortly before the conference involving state and national government representatives with Chancellor Angela Merkel (Christian Democratic Union, CDU) at the end of November, he still vehemently advocated keeping schools open for face-to-face lessons. School and lessons are much safer than leisure time and the home, Rabe wrote, this applies to pupils just as much as school employees.

Even official government data show that teachers and educators are at great risk day after day. For example, figures from the state school authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia show that the incidence of coronavirus among teachers more than doubled in October and Novemberboth in absolute numbers and in relation to the population as a whole. At the same time, data on incapacity to work from the health insurance companies Barmer and AOK show that educators, medical assistants and nursing staff are particularly likely to contract COVID-19. Among educators, the incidence is more than 2.2 times higher than the average for those with health insurance.

But although they must have been aware of these figures, as well as the Hamburg study and many other scientific papers proving the high incidence of infections in schools, the state education ministers kept claiming schools were safe.

As late as mid-November, Berlins education senator Sandra Scheeres had shamelessly spread the lie that schools and day-care centres are the safest places to break infection chains. On November 30, she asserted that the mass infections of pupils and teachers registered by the RKI, among others, take place outside of school. At that time, the young teacher Soydan A. from the Berlin district of Kreuzberg was already in hospital with COVID-19 and later died after he had most likely been infected at school.

Schleswig-Holsteins Education Minister Karin Prien (CDU) falsely declared in mid-November that there were no indications whatsoever that schools are drivers of infection in this situation. More recently, she rejected the demand for early consultations on an extension of distance learning and again emphasised that it was her governments goal to reopen schools as the first social sector.

The education minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, Stefanie Hubig (SPD), went so far as to attribute false quotes to scientists to justify keeping schools open. After a hearing of various epidemiological and medical experts on December 7, she published a press release in which quite a number of those present found themselves dishonestly misquoted.

Alexander Kekule from Halle University Hospital, who had stated in the weeks before that there were the most serious outbreaks at secondary schools, was quoted in the press release in a way that distorted what he had said. He wrote to the Ministry of Education, The two sentences are not mine. Please only quote what I actually said. Epidemiologist Professor Markus Scholz from Leipzig protested against this kind of appropriation and falsification and spoke of pure propagandaa term also used by the Rhineland-Palatinate Philologists Association in a joint public protest statement by those involved.

In addition to Kekule and Scholz, the associations statement quotes medical specialist Dr. Jana Schroeder, Your press statement suggests I agreed with its content as an expert, which was and is not the case, [therefore] I expect you to either correct this or remove my name under your statement. She mused whether you were in a different conference than I was. On behalf of the scientists and physicians involved, the association concludes, Since opposition to disagreeable expert opinions seems to be very strong in the Ministry of Education, the Philologists Association calls for the unabridged recording to be passed on to the press.

Scheeres, Prien and Hubig are the new vice-presidents of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK). The new president, Britta Ernst (SPD) from Brandenburg, has also lied about safe schools in the past and has already announced that she wants to reopen schools quickly.

Baden-Wurttembergs education minister, Susanne Eisenmann (CDU), has already announced that from January 11, day-care centres and primary schools will be reopened for in-person teaching  regardless of the incidence figures. The same applied to those in grades 5, 6 and 7 as well as the final grades. Amid the pandemic, life-threatening face-to-face teaching cannot be replaced by anything, the minister explained in an interview with the Deutsche Presseagentur.

Using brazen lies and falsified data, the federal and state governments want to push through their policy of keeping schools and businesses open against growing resistance among the population. Students have long since organised themselves into independent action committees and plan to strike when their schools reopen. Among parents and teachers, anger and indignation are growing in face of tens of thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of new infections. This will take on even sharper forms with the exposure of the criminal fraud by the education ministers.
A Pakistani think-tank on Sunday said that the Taliban's local arm Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) played a vital role in pushing instability across the country in 2020. The Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) in its report said that TTP and its affiliates were responsible for 67 terrorist attacks or about 46 percent of the total reported attacks in 2020. As per the report, most of these attacks happened in the erstwhile FATA or Federally Administered Tribal Areas, which was merged with neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in 2018.

Read: US House Introduces Bill To Terminate Designation Of Pakistan As Major Non-NATO Ally

The report said that a total of 146 terrorist attacks took place across Pakistan in 2020, including three suicide bombings, adding it is a 36 percent decline from a year before. The report added that these attacks injured over 500 people and claimed a total of 220 lives, a decline of 38 percent from 2019. Out of the 146 attacks, 95 were perpetrated by religiously-inspired militant groups, another 44 by Baloch and Sindhi insurgents, and seven attacks were sectarian-related.

Read: Bill Introduced In US House To Terminate Designation Of Pakistan As Major Non-NATO Ally

Khan's National Action Plan fails

The PIPS report further highlighted that the National Action Plan introduced by Prime Minister Imran Khan's government to counter terrorism in the country has not been fully successful. The report said that the more severe challenge of religious extremism continued in Pakistan, underlining the growing number of mob attacks on minority communities and their places of worship. Last week, a group of people vandalised a Hindu temple in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after authorities gave permission to renovate the premises and also allowed its expansion.

Read: Karima Baloch's Death: Sindhis & Balochis Join Hands To Seek Justice, Exposes Pakistan

According to PIPS, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa witnessed the highest number of terrorist attacks for any one region of Pakistan, where 79 recorded terrorist attacks (31 in North Waziristan alone) claimed 100 lives and injured at least 206 people. Balochistan remained the second-worst affected region in Pakistan by terrorism with 42 reported attacks in 2020. People of Baloch are demanding an independent state, which has given birth to many militant groups in the region, often blamed for these attacks, mostly on the Pakistani Army.

Cross-border attacks

PIPS further claimed that a total of 125 cross-border attacks took place in Pakistan in 2020, adding most of which originated from India. "A total of 125 cross-border attacks took place in the year 2020 from across Pakistans borders with Afghanistan (11 attacks) and India (114). As many as 62 people lost their lives in these attacks, a decrease of about 34 percent from the year before; another 222 were also injured. Those 62 Pakistani citizens killed in cross-border attacks included 42 civilians, 18 army officials, and two FC personnel," the report said.

Read: Pakistan Interior Minster Threatens Strict Action Against Those Who 'malign Army'

(Image Credit: AP/Inputs from ANI)


[January 04, 2021] OptionTrax and Capital Transfer Agency Announce Partnership

RADNOR, Pa., Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Plan Management Corp. (PMC), the company behind the leading equity compensation plan administration platform, OptionTrax, and Capital Transfer Agency (CTA), a leading Canadian transfer agent, announced today a strategic partnership to offer the OptionTrax platform to Capital Transfer Agency clients. With clients looking to simplify their equity plan management and for a more seamless workflow between equity plan management and transfer services, CTA has partnered with PMC to deliver a robust, flexible solution to help clients meet all of their equity reporting, disclosure and participant engagement needs in one place. "We are delighted to offer these new services to our clients," said Sarah Morrison, Managing Director, CTA. "We believe by adding these services, our clients will benefit by having a one-stop shop for many of their business needs and are pleased to be working with OptionTrax on this exciting initiative." PMC COO Elena Thomas noted, "It was clear in our early conversations that, like PMC, the CTA team prides themselves on building long-term working partnerships with a client-first approach, so the value and culture fit was immediately apparent." With each firm focusing on unparalleled responsiveness, service and leading-edge technology, CTA clients will continue to enjoy superior service with this new expanded offering. With more than 15 years of exprience as a transfer agent, CTA's deep expertise pairs well with PMC's nearly three decades of service in equity plan administration.



In announcing the partnership, Elena Thomas also stated, "The process flows and communication between equity plan tracking and transfer records is often a top pain point for many equity management teams. OptionTrax has always stood above the crowd with an unmatched level of flexibility and transparency, and we're thrilled to connect with Capital Transfer Agency to jointly solve the equity management challenges faced by issuers today." About Capital Transfer Agency:

Capital Transfer Agency (CTA) is a leading Canadian transfer agency and professional services firm, providing unparalleled services and responsiveness to corporate issuers. As a member of the Pacific Services Group, CTA is both a CDS and DTC participant, allowing for the seamless processing of securities in both Canada and the United States. CTA believes in a client-first approach, that builds long-term working partnerships allowing clients to achieve outstanding results that drive shareholder value. For more information please visit www.capitaltransferagency.com About Plan Management Corp: Fintech and services company, Plan Management Corp. (PMC), is the creator and operator of the OptionTrax equity compensation plan and cap table management software application. Established in 1992, PMC offers software-as-a-service, as well as outsourced equity plan and cap table administration services to private and public companies around the globe. With 25 years of experience and a support team of Certified Equity Professionals, PMC provides long-term partnership and guidance to clients as their companies and equity management needs evolve. Media Contact: Scott Miller

888.678.8729

262090@email4pr.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/optiontrax-and-capital-transfer-agency-announce-partnership-301199756.html SOURCE OptionTrax

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
New Delhi, Jan 4 : The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea by 35 students of Panjab University, who had written a letter to the Chief Justice urging him to take cognizance of "excesses" against protesting farmers. The top court has registered the letter as a PIL.

The students have sought direction from the top court to order an inquiry into the Haryana Police action of illegitimate use of water cannons, tear gas shells and lathis on peaceful protesting farmers. The letter contended that farmers are protesting peacefully, but the government is not sensitive to these issues.

The students have urged the Chief Justice to direct the Haryana police and Delhi police to withdraw all the cases against innocent farmers which were registered as political vendetta, and order a probe into the cases of illegal detention of farmers. "Firstly, in a democratic country, the will and sentiments of people are sine-qua-non. But, here the Government of India is turning deaf and indifferent in toto to the farmers' plight. We believe the course of action taken by the Government of India is insensitive to understand farmers sentiments", said the letter.

The students from the Centre for Human Rights and Duties, Panjab University, Chandigarh, sought direction to both the Centre and state governments to ensure the safety of all protesters, and provide basic amenities to all, especially women, children and the elderly. Mobile toilet vans should be provided at the protest sites.

The farmers have been protesting at various Delhi borders for over a month, asking the government to repeal the three recently enacted farm laws.

The students also sought a direction to curb fake news and action against media channels indulging in misrepresentation and polarisation of the whole issue.

On December 17, the Supreme Court had unequivocally pronounced that it will not interfere with the farmers' protest and the right to protest is a fundamental right. However, it emphasized on forming a committee comprising of independent and impartial persons -- experts in the field of Agriculture -- to resolve the impasse between the Centre and the farmers unions.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde and comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian had said: "We clarify that this Court will not interfere with the protest in question. Indeed, the right to protest is part of a fundamental right and can as a matter of fact, be exercised subject to public order." The observation from the top court came after learning from the Centre that roads are blocked by the police in order to prevent the entry of the protesters/farmers into Delhi.
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FARMINGTON  As COVID-19 continues to disproportionately impact the Navajo Nation, a national nonprofit organization led by veterans that specializes in disaster relief is doing what it can to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

Team Rubicon  a Los Angeles-based organization that counts military veterans, health-care professionals and first responders among its volunteers  has had a team of its Greyshirt volunteers working at the Gallup Indian Medical Center since Nov. 25.

The 10 members of the team include nurses, EMTs, paramedics and others who are working alongside the hospitals regular staff in the emergency room, as well as helping with mobile testing operations and staff vaccinations.

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Nick Mrzlak, the deputy director of field leadership for Team Rubicon and a Farmington resident, said that while the rate of COVID-19 infections in New Mexico may be declining, it continues to have a devastating impact on the Navajo Nation.

What were seeing in Gallup is a steady increase in cases, he said, explaining that officials expect that trend to continue for at least the next several weeks.

Team Rubicon volunteers are deployed to Gallup for 10- or 14-day rotations, and they are counted on to provide relief to the regular hospital staff members.

Morale is positive, but there is no doubt fatigue is setting in across the board, Mrzlak said.

The regular staff members at the Gallup Indian Medical Center have been dealing with fallout from the pandemic for months, and Mrzlak said it was apparent to Team Rubicon officials that those workers could use some help as cases on the Navajo Nation surged again this fall.

Theyre (working) their butts off, and theyre fatigued, Mrzlak said of those hospital workers. And theyre shorthanded, so they have to pull down double shifts.

Team Rubicon volunteers have taken over as many 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. shifts as they can in 10- or 14-day increments so that the hospital employees can get some rest and spend time with their families. Mrzlak credited the administration and staff at the facility with doing everything they could to help team members feel welcome and prepared, explaining that his volunteers have been able to step into work roles almost immediately after their arrival.

The arrival of the first doses of the vaccine in Gallup and across the country last week was a welcome development, Mrzlak said, explaining that it had a noticeable impact on the mood among regular hospital workers and his volunteers.

I dont know that we saw relief this week, but we saw hope, he said, explaining that while everyone knows it will be weeks or months before the positive impact of the vaccinations is felt, that development still was a major milestone in the battle to control the spread of the virus.

It really encouraged everybody whos working out there, he said. But they know theres a long fight ahead of them. Theyre not losing sight of the big picture.

Mrzlak believes his organization has a big role to play in helping with the vaccination distribution effort. Since many Team Rubicon volunteers once served in the military, they are skilled at and familiar with rapid-deployment efforts.

He noted that while some Team Rubicon health-care professionals have contributed to their services, many times to help patients in other parts of the world that were struck by natural disasters, this is the first time theyve put those skills to use in their own country. That makes their experience in Gallup and other locations particularly rewarding, he said.

Our members are incredibly excited to be out there and supporting the Navajo Nation, he said.

This is the second time Team Rubicon has provided help to the Navajo Nation. Mrzlak said the organization had teams in Kayenta and Chinle, Arizona, for three months after the pandemic started in March.

How to help

Anyone interested in providing financial or volunteer assistance to Team Rubicon can do so in several ways. The easiest way is through the organizations Text to Give program, which allows donors to contribute $10 by simply texting RUBICON to 20222. To donate $25, text TEAM to the same number. Those interested in donating a different amount should visit teamrubiconusa.org/give.

Anyone interested in becoming a Team Rubicon volunteer should visit teamrubiconusa.org. Mrzlak emphasized that having medical skills or being a military veteran is not a prerequisite, as the organization needs individuals who are not at high risk of contracting the virus to help with the vaccination distribution effort.
Under the Trump administration, US-India tensions have increased over each side's tariff policies, a Congressional report has said, noting that the two sides have also held concerted negotiations to address these trade frictions.

The bipartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS), in its latest report, pointed out that India's recent tariff hikes on cell phones and other telecommunication goods went up from zero per cent to 15-20 per cent in the last few years.

"Under the Trump administration, bilateral tensions increased over each side's tariff policies. In general, India has relatively high average tariff rates, especially in agriculture. It can raise its applied rates to bound rates without violating its commitments under the WTO (World Trade Organization), causing uncertainty for US exporters," said the CRS report, which is prepared for the members of Congress ahead of trade decisions.

The United States and several other countries have requested to join various WTO dispute consultations against India, related to its technology tariffs, also questioning its compliance with the WTO Information Technology Agreement (ITA).

"India opposes the 25 per cent steel and 10 per cent aluminum security-based 'Section 232' tariffs that the Trump Administration imposed in 2018. India repeatedly delayed applying planned retaliatory tariffs against the United States in hopes of resolving the issues bilaterally," it said.

After India lost its eligibility for the US Trade Preference Program, India imposed higher tariffs of 10 per cent to 25 per cent, affecting about USD 1.32 billion of US exports, such as nuts, apples, chemicals, and steel, the report stated, adding that the two sides are challenging each other's tariffs in the WTO.



"Under the Trump administration, the United States and India held concerted negotiations to address trade frictions. A potential trade deal could include partial restoration by the United States of India's GSP (Generalised System of Preference) benefits in exchange for certain market access commitments according to press accounts," CRS said.

Yet, the long expected limited trade deal has not materialised to date, the report said.

Negotiations under prior administrations on a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) are stalled due to differences on approaches on investor protection.

On the government-to-government trade policy, the CRS listed a set of key issues. Main among them was what aspects of bilateral trade relations would change or remain the same under a President-elect Joe Biden-led administration.

President Donald Trump, a Republican, is set to be succeeded by Biden, a Democrat on January 20 after he won the November 3 presidential election.

Other key issues were, what trade issues should the United States and India prioritise in future talks, the potential for broader trade agreement negotiations, will India and the United States renegotiate entry into the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), or potentially seek other ways to engage on regional issues, and are there opportunities for the United States and India to bridge differences on multilateral trade issues.

Noting that India and the US have signed defense contracts worth more than USD 20 billion since 2008, up from USD 500 million in all previous years combined, the CRS said the future big deals are the purchase of an Integrated Air Defense Weapon System, valued at nearly USD2 billion, and 30 MQ-9B Sky Guardian drones worth more than USD 3 billion.

"India is eager for more technology-sharing and co-production initiatives, while the United States urges more reforms in India's defence offsets policy and higher Foreign Direct Investment caps in its defence sector. India's multibillion-dollar deal to purchase the Russian-made S-400 air defense system may trigger US sanctions on India under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, the CRS said.
ANALYSIS: Here is a preview of what we can expect from Canada's immigration system following a turbulent year.

Canadian immigration in 2021: What can we expect? ANALYSIS: Here is a preview of what we can expect from Canada's immigration system following a turbulent year.

Canadian immigration in 2021: What can we expect? ANALYSIS: Here is a preview of what we can expect from Canada's immigration system following a turbulent year.

Canadian immigration in 2021: What can we expect? ANALYSIS: Here is a preview of what we can expect from Canada's immigration system following a turbulent year. Kareem El-Assal Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

Sans Font Size A

A

2020 was the year of the coronavirus pandemic, which continues to have a significant impact on Canadas immigration system.

After welcoming 341,000 new immigrants in 2019, Canada continued to accept high levels of new immigrants at the start of last year but the immigration system was completely upended when COVID-19 emerged as a global crisis in March 2020.

Canadas COVID-19 travel restrictions have been in effect since March 18th, limiting the numbers of foreign nationals who can currently enter the country. However, the Express Entry system, Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) and other forms of immigration processing continue to function.

The fluid nature of the coronavirus crisis means much remains uncertain as to what we can expect from Canadas immigration system in 2021. But, there are certainties in place which will benefit both Canada and future newcomers in 2021 and beyond.

Find out if youre eligible for Canadian immigration

Canadas immigration system will not return to normal until the pandemic is over. Fortunately, the end of the pandemic is in sight due to the emergence and approval of several vaccines. Canada began the largest vaccination campaign in its history in December and aims to vaccinate all those who want COVID-19 inoculation by September 2021. Vaccinating Canadas residents will be one component to returning the country and its immigration system to normal. The other component is ensuring the global population and foreign nationals travelling into Canada are free from the virus.

Travel restrictions implemented by Canada throughout 2020 provide some sense of what COVID-19 policies it could continue to enforce even as the spread of the coronavirus begins to subside. For example, Canada could continue to keep its 14-day quarantine law as well as the requirement to obtain a negative COVID-19 test before travelling into Canada in place to help limit the spread of the virus within its borders.

It is important to stress that the crisis has not impacted Canadas resounding commitment to welcoming immigrants, temporary foreign workers, and international students. In fact, Canada has doubled down on this commitment due to the crisis. Under its new 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan, Canada aims to welcome over 400,000 new immigrants per year, which is the highest levels in its history.

While it is difficult to imagine Canada will be able to achieve this target in 2021 while the pandemic continues, the higher targets enable Canadas federal and provincial governments to continue to hold immigration draws and process applications. The reason for this is, even if Canada is unable to physically welcome as many new immigrants as it wants in 2021, it can provide them with the necessary approvals so they can move to Canada at a later date.

The emergence of vaccines, however, enables the Canadian government to explore potential changes to its travel restrictions. For example, Canada can explore lifting travel restrictions on newcomers who have received a COVID-19 vaccine and who also provide a negative COVID-19 test before entering the country. The lifting of such restrictions would help newcomer flows recover, which would give the countrys economy a much needed boost. The rationale behind the 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan is that a significant increase in Canadas newcomer intake is needed to support Canadas post-COVID economic recovery.

We should get a clearer picture of the direction of Canadas immigration system sometime in January. Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is due to provide his cabinet members with new mandate letters. This has been delayed by the pandemic, but it is possible the letters will finally be unveiled this month. If so, a new mandate letter to Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino will outline what priorities the department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will pursue over the years to come.

Another bit of certainty is IRCC has confirmed that the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) lottery for the 2020 intake will occur in early 2021, most likely this month. Up to 10,000 applicants will be invited to submit sponsorship applications to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada. Sometime later this year, IRCC will open the 2021 PGP intake window, and will hold another lottery to invite up to 30,000 applicants to sponsor their parents and grandparents.

It is fair to expect that IRCC and Canadas provinces and territories will seek to normalize the immigration system to the best of their abilities in 2021. At the very least, we can expect, and hope that 2021 will be a less turbulent year than 2020.

Find out if youre eligible for Canadian immigration

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
This partnership will allow Cyber Dive to enhance the intelligence of their AI software based on the knowledge and insight from the Phoenix Dream Center.

Cyber Dive, the content moderation startup, is announcing its partnership with Phoenix Dream Center to collaborate on preventative measures to be taken against cases of human trafficking that are initiated online. The Phoenix Dream Center is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to stop human trafficking, end childhood hunger and educate future leaders.

"We are a company focused on the people and the planet. The Dream Center is making a profound difference in the lives of victims of human and sex trafficking. It was natural for us to join forces to give main street families the tools they need to stay aware and use social media for good; not only for their own kids but for the kids they walk by at the airport that might be stuck hoping that someone notices and takes action." - Jeff Gottfurcht, Co-Founder and CEO of Cyber Dive

This partnership will allow Cyber Dive to enhance the intelligence of their AI software based on the knowledge and insight from the Phoenix Dream Center. This integration will further protect children from online predators and keep parents informed of potential grooming signs making Cyber Dives monitoring platform an integral resource in putting an end to human trafficking.

"No one understands how predators groom victims better than the victims themselves. That's why we partnered with the Dream Center so that our software isn't just built using analysis tradecraft, but it's powered by the real-life stories of boys and girls who experienced severe trauma because of social media." - Derek Jackson, Co-Founder and CTO of Cyber Dive

This partnership is timely as January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the world and the United States has cases in all 50 states. The Phoenix Dream Center currently provides housing and recovery services to more than 60 survivors of human trafficking.

The Phoenix Dream Center recognizes the value of Cyber Dives monitoring platform and believes it can decrease the risk of children becoming victims of human trafficking. We are honored to partner with such an innovative technology company who is determined to make a positive impact on the community where family relationships are strengthened, and children are protected from online traffickers. - Carlos Daniel, Chief Development Officer of Phoenix Dream Center

The use of social media has put children at an exponentially higher risk as these platforms are used to groom and recruit human trafficking victims. This often happens without the parents knowledge and these child victims are taken advantage of, lacking any type of support system. Cyber Dives software prioritizes the involvement of parents and how necessary their guidance is when allowing children to interact with others online. As Cyber Dive and Phoenix Dream Center come together, they aim to create a comprehensive monitoring service for parents and children to benefit from while educating their community and bringing awareness to the dangers of human trafficking. Cyber Dive plans to partner with more nonprofit organizations to add value in making their monitoring platform the most comprehensive and effective in keeping children safe online.

About Cyber Dive

Cyber Dive is a tech startup designed for modern parents that are interested in leveraging social media as a tool to build stronger relationships with their children. Cyber Dives proprietary software was built by in-house engineers with the purpose of presenting a childs online data to their parents in a simple and unbiased manner. Presenting data in a neutral way widens the target audience of parents by eliminating the relevance of parenting styles. Cyber Dive encourages the progression of the digital age by not providing restrictive features on the childs social media accounts. The companys mission is to encourage the development of healthy online habits while bridging the digital gap between parents and children.

About The Founders

Co-Founder and CEO, Jeff Gottfurcht, is the first person in the world to summit Mt. Everest with Rheumatoid Arthritis. He worked on Wall Street for 14 years as a Senior Vice-President at leading global financial firms. As a father, he is committed to finding an effective solution that can protect children online while initiating important parent-child conversations about their childs experiences on social media.

Co-Founder and CTO, Derek Jackson, is an ex-military intelligence officer who previously served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, where his intelligence work focused on the social media activity of U.S. adversaries and radical insurgents. Jacksons cybersecurity expertise has been the driving force in creating Cyber Dives software that can protect children from potentially traumatic and dangerous online situations.

To learn more about Cyber Dives platform, mission and team: Visit CyberDive.co.
ST. LOUIS, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Twain Financial Partners announced that Chris Tierney has joined the team as Business Development Officer and will lead the opening of its first office in the New York Metro area. Tierney will lead origination efforts in the area for various investment platforms, including Ground Lease capital and Commercial Property-Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) financing.

Tierney has over 30 years of experience as a banker, investor, consultant, broker, and advisor in the commercial real estate and investment banking sectors. Most recently, he operated a real estate consulting and advisory business, providing investors and lenders with strategic advice on market valuation, asset pricing, and investment analysis for B-piece acquisitions, loan portfolio evaluations, real property, and ground lease transactions.

"I am eager to join Twain as they expand into new markets, particularly in New York, with innovative and timely products including ground lease capital and C-PACE financing," Tierney said. "The entire Twain team has been extremely professional and expeditious in all my interactions with them. I am very optimistic for our future together."

"We are thrilled to welcome Chris Tierney to Twain," said Will Purdy, Director of Business Development at Twain. "This is a critical time for many developers and property owners. Chris' knowledge and experience will be essential to our success as we expand to the New York area."

The New York office will be the sixth location for Twain. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Twain added offices in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Maryland in 2019.

Twain Financial Partners is an investment management firm located in St. Louis, Missouri with over $4 billion in assets under management within the public-private partnership sector. The firm works with a wide variety of investment types, specializing in tax credit, structured debt and real estate transactions. Twain works closely with financial institutions and corporations to structure and manage investments that offer both attractive economic return and social benefits.

SOURCE Twain Financial Partners

Related Links

http://www.twainfinancial.com


Supermarkets making substantial profits on non-food items while independent retailers are shuttered is blatantly unfair (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

It is blatantly unfair that supermarkets are making substantial profits on non-essential items while independent retailers are shuttered, shopkeepers in Northern Ireland said.

Retail NI urged the Stormont Executive to allow smaller stores to operate an online click and collect service.

The country is in a six-week post-Christmas lockdown in a bid to stem the rise in coronavirus cases.

Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts said: It is blatantly unfair that local independent retailers who sell books, toys, clothes and homeware are unable to open nor operate a click and collect service while large supermarkets can remain open, sell these products and continue to make substantial profits.

We have seen significant numbers of shoppers flock to these large supermarkets over the Christmas/New Year period, buying non-essential products while the Executive does not even allow local independent retailers to operate a click and collect service.

Sad to see @MossBros permanently closing their store in Belfast City Centre. This was their only store in Northern Ireland and another loss to our retail sector and our high streets. pic.twitter.com/Xs3jBrHgH5  Glyn Roberts (@glynrobertsni) December 28, 2020

Click and collect operated during the pre-Christmas circuit-breaker.

Mr Roberts added: The Executive needs to give these local independent retailers a lifeline by immediately permitting them to operate a click and collect service.

Many of these traders will not survive this third lockdown and have already lost vital trading times at the start of December and January.

The new and more infectious variant of Covid-19 has been detected in Northern Ireland.

The number of coronavirus infections has increased rapidly.

Non-essential shops have been forced to close.

Close-contact services like hairdressers are also to shut, while pubs, cafes and restaurants are restricted to takeaway and delivery services.

Ministers have said they will review the lockdown after four weeks.

@Economy_NI Minister welcomes Chancelloras decisions to extend furlough scheme for another month. pic.twitter.com/UqwNnfnfTN  Economy NI (@Economy_NI) December 17, 2020

Mr Roberts also wants the Stormont Executive to include essential independent food retailers, who have lost trade and footfall, in its Financial Support Scheme.

He said: Many of these businesses are trying to trade in town and city centres which are virtual ghost towns, with most of their neighbouring businesses closed.

With offices, non-essential retail and hospitality closed, custom for these businesses has decreased dramatically and will mean they have no choice but to close, further adding to the challenges of the high street.

Download the Belfast Telegraph App Get quick and easy access to the latest Northern Ireland news, sport, business and opinion with the Belfast Telegraph App.

PA
The Story of Zhang Kunlun: From Tortured Chinese Prisoner to International Art Leader

Professor Zhang Kunlun is one of Chinas most accomplished sculptors. As the recipient of many awards, Zhang was once the director of the Sculpture Institute of the Shandong Art Institute, as well as director of its Sculpture Research Institute. He also created some of Chinas largest monuments.

Yet at the peak of his career, the renowned artist became a victim of the persecution of Falun Gong in China. The recognition and respect he received from Chinese officials ended abruptly when he stood up for his freedom of belief. Zhang was detained in China four times, beaten, and tortured for practicing the peaceful meditation practice. Just like that, the once renowned artist was treated like a criminal.

After imprisonment and severe torture, Zhang Kunlun now lives in the United States where he creates magnificent works of art and curates the worlds most toured group-art exhibition, The Art of Zhen Shan Ren. The exhibition, which he launched in 2004, has since toured more than 50 countries with over 1,000 shows worldwide, from New York City to Paris, from Toronto to Milan. The intention of the exhibition is to expose one of the most tragic human rights violations of our timesthe persecution of Falun Gong in Chinawhile affirming the power of beauty in art.

A 3/4-life-size statue of a Bodhisattva , 2008, by Zhang Kunlun. Artificial stone and granite. (Courtesy of Kacey Cox from Sacred Art)

Another 3/4-life-size statue of a Bodhisattva as part of the same sculpture, 2008, by Zhang Kunlun. Artificial stone and granite. (Courtesy of Kacey Cox from Sacred Art)

An Inspiration

Sculptor and New Masters Academy instructor Johanna Schwaiger, said by phone, that she had the privilege of working alongside Zhang during a short apprenticeship with him in 2003 at his workshop in upstate New York.

The encounter with professor Zhang Kunlun was a big milestone in my journey as an artist. I was amazed by his mastery and the stoic patience he had going about his work. But the biggest impression he left on me was his selflessness and lighthearted nature even after all he has been going through in detention in China.

His spirit was not broken, quite the opposite. His mission is very clear, and his art is never about himself but honoring truth and beauty with the best he can do. He worked on several projects throughout the day, every one with a level of high mastery, but to one sculpture he gave extra attentionan over life-size sculpture of Buddha.

Buddha, 2002, by Zhang Kunlun. (Courtesy of Kacey Cox from Sacred Art)

Zhang Kunluns Story

Toronto-based filmmaker Kacey Cox has spent the last seven years following the exhibition in its journey across the world for his soon-to-be-released documentary Sacred Art.

Cox documented a detailed and intimate interview with Zhang about his experience in Chinese detention and his mission in art, which he has graciously shared with New Masters Academys online magazine Canvas.

I was the director of the Sculpture Department at Shandong College of Arts, Zhang said. In 1985, I built a 15-meter (about 50 feet) high statue at Xinglong Mine. In 86, I built a 30-meter (about 100 feet) high statue of the Tang Dynasty. It was the tallest statue in China at that time. I was at the peak of my career, yet I was not fulfilled. No matter how much money you have and how famous you are  these last for just a few decades. I was lacking meaning in my life.

Construction in 1986 of Zhang Kunluns Tang Saier. (Courtesy of Zhang Kunlun)

In 1989 during his quest to find meaning in life and art, Zhang moved to Montreal, where he taught at the prestigious McGill University.

It wasnt until 1996 when he moved back to China to take care of his mother-in-law and learned about the meditation practice Falun Gong that he felt hed become a new person.

When I returned to China, upon getting off the plane, I saw that Falun Gong was spreading very rapidly. On almost every lawn and every square, people were peacefully practicing the Falun Gong meditation exercises  It was wonderful.

In 1999, the Chinese Communist Party began a smear campaign against Falun Gong. Millions of people lost their jobs; many were imprisoned, tortured, and even killed. Zhang goes on to explain:

The CCP utilized all state-owned departments, newspapers, radio, and TV stations, even mobilizing the military and state police. The entire country was in terror. It was a large-scale manhunt.

At that time, I wanted to make a 75-meter (about 250 feet) high Buddha statue. But since I practiced Falun Gong, I was blacklisted and in danger at [every] moment. I too became a victim and got detained.

Zhang decided to write a letter to the Chinese government, explaining his belief that Falun Gong is beneficial to society. In July 2000, Zhang was taken into police custody. In a detention center, he was tortured with electric shock batons.

You could smell the burning skin, he recalls. His legs and arms were badly burned, and his left leg was left so badly injured that he had difficulty walking for three months.

Zhang Kunluns self-depiction, 2002, of a common torture method he endured in China. (Courtesy of Kacey Cox from Sacred Art)

Their goal was to keep us from having even one minute to be able to think independently, Zhang says.

I was monitored 24 hours a day by a group of [guards]. After endless brainwashing, deception, coercion, and psychological attacks, I almost collapsed. Such mental torture was even worse than physical torture. They transferred me to Wancun Forced Labor Camp. I prepared myself to possibly die there, because Wancun is notorious for persecuting practitioners to death. I didnt think I could survive.

To my surprise, they used an entirely different approach. A deputy commissar said, We have an art teacher here. Can you teach some painting? I said, I am not interested. Then, he coerced me to sit there. He brought brushes, ink, and paper over and told me to paint. I made two strokes with the brush. He recorded it. They broadcasted this to the public, deceiving everyone. This hurt me the most. The mental devastation still continues today.

The coerced video demonstration was then taken by communist officials to falsely claim that he had renounced Falun Gong and had started working with the authorities. This propaganda was shown to Canadian officials who had pressured the Chinese government to release Zhang.

With the help of Amnesty International and the Canadian government, Zhang was released early from detention on Jan. 10, 2001, and returned home to Canada. There, his determination to defend freedom of belief in China became stronger than ever.

[Today,] a large number of Falun Gong practitioners are in prisons. I have to speak on their behalf to stop the persecution. I couldnt just care about my own well-being. But how should I do this? Art is my profession. I can only do it through art.

I was thinking, should I start an art exhibition? I couldnt get practitioners from China [to contribute art] because they were being persecuted, so I only looked for artists who were overseas. I made phone calls and sent emails. I started searching for them everywhere.

At the time, we had gathered 15 artists together who all shared the same mission. When we began, we werent sure what to do. Because I have experience in painting, in many cases, I made the composition, and others painted.

The first exhibition was in 2004, at the capitol in Washington, D.C. My aim was to have governments around the world awaken to this issue and call for justice. During the exhibition, some members of Congress came to see it. They were almost in tears. They said that more people should see these paintings. That inspired us. So later we started exhibiting them around the world.

The 2016 Zhen Shan Ren International Exhibition at the Black Diamond Gallery in Adelaide, South Australia. (En.Minghui.org)

Besides creating and showing artwork depicting the persecution and its victims, Zhang continues to sculpt the Buddha.

Johanna Schwaiger recalled, I remember being in awe seeing the over life-size sculpture masterfully crafted in his workspace. The large representation of Buddha was an otherworldly being, radiating pure compassion that made my eyes tear up.

Austrian Holocaust survivor, neurologist, and author Victor Frankl wrote that what is to give light must endure burning. Zhangs ordeals and devotion have forged an artist whose light serves as a beacon of faith, endurance, justice, and beauty for us all.

The Zhen Shan Ren International Exhibition opening in Florence, Italy, at the Aria Art Gallery in 2015. (Courtesy of Kacey Cox from Sacred Art)

To view the documentary Sacred Art, visit SacredArtFilm.com

Masha Savitz is a journalist, author of Fish Eyes for Pearls, painter, and filmmaker who wrote and directed the groundbreaking documentary Red Reign.

This article, slightly edited, is reprinted with permission from Canvas: The Online Magazine for Artists by New Masters Academy.


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Installation view of Jean-Michel Othoniel's "New Works" at Kukje Gallery in central Seoul / Courtesy of Kukje Gallery



By Kwon Mee-yoo



French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel, who interprets delicate and subtle colors of glass into resplendent sculptures, is sharing what he's come up with during the COVID-19 lockdown with Korean audiences.



At his solo exhibition at Kukje Gallery in Seoul, Othoniel unveils his latest glass brick works as well as his rose paintings and glass sculptures created in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the glass pyramid of the Louvre.



"I think the power of art is also to invite us to escape the reality," the artist said in a video message.



Works from the Othoniel's latest glass brick series "Precious Stonewall" combining different colors are on display at the gallery's new space with corner windows facing the streets of Samcheong-dong and Gyeongbok Palace.





Jean-Michel Othoniel / Courtesy of Kukje Gallery



"It is very specific  I started to draw eight months ago when we were all in our houses alone," Othoniel said, explaining how the new idea popped into his mind during the pandemic.



"It's like a diary of drawings, playing with this idea of changing color and very minimalist language. It was a very important period for me because I came back to my first love in art  minimalists such as Donald Judd and Carl Andre," he said. "When I was very young, I had a chance to be in a city where the museum was dedicated to those artists from the 70s. And I saw those artists when I was very very young and really my first emotion in art was with those very minimal sculptures."



Returning to his first love of art, he drew the sketches of glass bricks and created this "Precious Stonewall" sculptures in dialogue with Indian glass artisans. The series' title is borrowed from the historic Stonewall Riots in 1969, a catalyst for the LGBTQ rights and equality movements.



The glass brick sculptures come in a variety of color combinations and Othoniel described them "talking to each other." This is the first time for the artist to mix different colors of glass bricks for a piece. With natural ample light, along with calculated lighting, the glass brick pieces leave flame-like reflections on the walls while reflecting the viewers.



"It's a very contemplative sculpture and I hope you would take the time to enter this realm you can feel in the show," the artist said.





Jean-Michel Othoniel's "Precious Stonewall" (2020) / Courtesy of the artist and Kukje Gallery



In the center of the room is another new piece "Stairs to Paradise," representing humans' unceasing efforts in the form of a staircase, also devised during the lockdown.



"It is a way to show utopian architecture I brought into my work today. You may know The Big Wave I did some years ago, which was real architecture, which evokes the beauty and power of nature at the same time," he said.



"The idea of Stairs to Paradise is more to bring a message of hope and joy  Let's be born again and make a view vision for the new century. It is also a way to escape this moment we are all facing during COVID-19 which is very stressful."



Also on view are a series of lithography based on Othoniel's drawings, which gives a glimpse of how the artist's idea takes shape from drawings to sculptures.





Installation view of Jean-Michel Othoniel's "New Works" featuring the artist's "La Rosa du Louvre" series at Kukje Gallery in central Seoul / Courtesy of Kukje Gallery
Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) today announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) validated its Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for Opdivo (nivolumab) as an adjuvant treatment for esophageal or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer in adult patients with residual pathologic disease after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and resection. Validation of the application confirms that submission is complete, and the EMA's centralized review process will begin.

The application is based on results from the Phase 3 CheckMate -577 trial, in which Opdivo doubled median disease-free survival (DFS) its primary endpoint in patients with esophageal or GEJ cancer, following neoadjuvant CRT and tumor resection. The safety profile of Opdivo as adjuvant therapy in the CheckMate -577 trial was consistent with that reported in previous Opdivo studies.

"The majority of esophageal cancer patients with localized disease who are treated with both chemotherapy and surgery do not achieve complete response. Their risk of recurrence is unacceptably high and the establishment of more effective treatment options is essential," said Ian M. Waxman, M.D., development lead, gastrointestinal cancers, Bristol Myers Squibb. "The EMA's decision to validate our application represents important progress for the esophageal cancer community, and we look forward to potentially bringing Opdivo to patients in the EU who may benefit."

Bristol Myers Squibb thanks the patients and investigators who have been involved in the CheckMate -577 trial.

About CheckMate -577

CheckMate -577 is a Phase 3 randomized, multi-center, double-blind study evaluating Opdivo as an adjuvant therapy in patients with resected esophageal or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer who have received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and have not achieved a pathological complete response. The primary endpoint of the trial is disease-free survival (DFS) and the secondary endpoint is overall survival (OS). Following neoadjuvant CRT and complete tumor surgical resection (also known as trimodality therapy), a total of 794 patients were randomized to receive placebo (n=262) or Opdivo (n=532) 240 mg by intravenous infusion every two weeks for 16 weeks followed by placebo or Opdivo 480 mg every four weeks until disease recurrence, unacceptable toxicity or withdrawal of consent, with a maximum of one year total treatment duration. Follow up for OS is ongoing.

About Esophageal Cancer

Esophageal cancer is the seventh most common cancer and the sixth leading cause of death from cancer worldwide, with approximately 572,000 new cases and over 508,000 deaths in 2018. The two most common types of esophageal cancer are squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, which account for approximately 85% and 14% of all esophageal cancers, respectively, though esophageal tumor histology can vary by region with the highest rate of esophageal adenocarcinoma occurring in North America (65%). The majority of cases are diagnosed in the advanced setting and impact a patient's daily life, including their ability to eat and drink.

Bristol Myers Squibb: Creating a Better Future for People with Cancer

Bristol Myers Squibb is inspired by a single vision transforming people's lives through science. The goal of the company's cancer research is to deliver medicines that offer each patient a better, healthier life and to make cure a possibility. Building on a legacy across a broad range of cancers that have changed survival expectations for many, Bristol Myers Squibb researchers are exploring new frontiers in personalized medicine, and through innovative digital platforms, are turning data into insights that sharpen their focus. Deep scientific expertise, cutting-edge capabilities and discovery platforms enable the company to look at cancer from every angle. Cancer can have a relentless grasp on many parts of a patient's life, and Bristol Myers Squibb is committed to taking actions to address all aspects of care, from diagnosis to survivorship. Because as a leader in cancer care, Bristol Myers Squibb is working to empower all people with cancer to have a better future.

About Opdivo

Opdivo is a programmed death-1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitor that is designed to uniquely harness the body's own immune system to help restore anti-tumor immune response. By harnessing the body's own immune system to fight cancer, Opdivo has become an important treatment option across multiple cancers.

Opdivo's leading global development program is based on Bristol Myers Squibb's scientific expertise in the field of Immuno-Oncology and includes a broad range of clinical trials across all phases, including Phase 3, in a variety of tumor types. To date, the Opdivo clinical development program has treated more than 35,000 patients. The Opdivo trials have contributed to gaining a deeper understanding of the potential role of biomarkers in patient care, particularly regarding how patients may benefit from Opdivo across the continuum of PD-L1 expression.

In July 2014, Opdivo was the first PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor to receive regulatory approval anywhere in the world. Opdivo is currently approved in more than 65 countries, including the United States, the European Union, Japan and China. In October 2015, the Company's Opdivo and Yervoy combination regimen was the first Immuno-Oncology combination to receive regulatory approval for the treatment of metastatic melanoma and is currently approved in more than 50 countries, including the United States and the European Union.

INDICATIONS

OPDIVO (nivolumab), as a single agent, is indicated for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors express PD-L1 (=1%) as determined by an FDA-approved test, with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab) and 2 cycles of platinum-doublet chemotherapy, is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with metastatic or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients with EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations should have disease progression on FDA-approved therapy for these aberrations prior to receiving OPDIVO.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with metastatic small cell lung cancer (SCLC) with progression after platinum-based chemotherapy and at least one other line of therapy. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

OPDIVO(nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the first-line treatment of adult patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM).

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who have received prior anti-angiogenic therapy.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the treatment of patients with intermediate or poor risk, previously untreated advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) that has relapsed or progressed after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and brentuximab vedotin or after 3 or more lines of systemic therapy that includes autologous HSCT. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) with disease progression on or after platinum-based therapy.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who have disease progression during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy or have disease progression within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), as a single agent, is indicated for the treatment of adult and pediatric (12 years and older) patients with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) that has progressed following treatment with a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the treatment of adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) that has progressed following treatment with a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have been previously treated with sorafenib. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in the confirmatory trials.

OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab), is indicated for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have been previously treated with sorafenib. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and duration of response. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in the confirmatory trials.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the adjuvant treatment of patients with melanoma with involvement of lymph nodes or metastatic disease who have undergone complete resection.

OPDIVO (nivolumab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after prior fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-based chemotherapy.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Severe and Fatal Immune-Mediated Adverse Reactions

Immune-mediated adverse reactions listed herein may not include all possible severe and fatal immune-mediated adverse reactions.

Immune-mediated adverse reactions, which may be severe or fatal, can occur in any organ system or tissue. While immune-mediated adverse reactions usually manifest during treatment, they can also occur after discontinuation of OPDIVO or YERVOY. Early identification and management are essential to ensure safe use of OPDIVO and YERVOY. Monitor for signs and symptoms that may be clinical manifestations of underlying immune-mediated adverse reactions. Evaluate clinical chemistries including liver enzymes, creatinine, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level, and thyroid function at baseline and periodically during treatment with OPDIVO and before each dose of YERVOY. In cases of suspected immune-mediated adverse reactions, initiate appropriate workup to exclude alternative etiologies, including infection. Institute medical management promptly, including specialty consultation as appropriate.

Withhold or permanently discontinue OPDIVO and YERVOY depending on severity (please see section 2 Dosage and Administration in the accompanying Full Prescribing Information). In general, if OPDIVO or YERVOY interruption or discontinuation is required, administer systemic corticosteroid therapy (1 to 2 mg/kg/day prednisone or equivalent) until improvement to Grade 1 or less. Upon improvement to Grade 1 or less, initiate corticosteroid taper and continue to taper over at least 1 month. Consider administration of other systemic immunosuppressants in patients whose immune-mediated adverse reactions are not controlled with corticosteroid therapy. Toxicity management guidelines for adverse reactions that do not necessarily require systemic steroids (e.g., endocrinopathies and dermatologic reactions) are discussed below.

Immune-Mediated Pneumonitis

OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause immune-mediated pneumonitis. The incidence of pneumonitis is higher in patients who have received prior thoracic radiation. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 3.1% (61/1994) of patients, including Grade 4 (<0.1%), Grade 3 (0.9%), and Grade 2 (2.1%). In HCC patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 10% (5/49) of patients. In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 3.9% (26/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (1.4%) and Grade 2 (2.6%). In NSCLC patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 6 weeks, immune-mediated pneumonitis occurred in 9% (50/576) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.5%), Grade 3 (3.5%), and Grade 2 (4.0%). Four patients (0.7%) died due to pneumonitis.

Immune-Mediated Colitis

OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause immune-mediated colitis, which may be fatal. A common symptom included in the definition of colitis was diarrhea. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection/reactivation has been reported in patients with corticosteroid-refractory immune-mediated colitis. In cases of corticosteroid-refractory colitis, consider repeating infectious workup to exclude alternative etiologies. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated colitis occurred in 2.9% (58/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (1.7%) and Grade 2 (1%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated colitis occurred in 25% (115/456) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.4%), Grade 3 (14%) and Grade 2 (8%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated colitis occurred in 9% (60/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (4.4%) and Grade 2 (3.7%).

In a separate Phase 3 trial of YERVOY 3 mg/kg monotherapy, immune-mediated colitis occurred in 12% (62/511) of patients, including Grade 3-5 (7%) and Grade 2 (5%).

Immune-Mediated Hepatitis

OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause immune-mediated hepatitis. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 1.8% (35/1994) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.2%), Grade 3 (1.3%), and Grade 2 (0.4%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/ kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 15% (70/456) of patients, including Grade 4 (2.4%), Grade 3 (11%), and Grade 2 (1.8%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 7% (48/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (1.2%), Grade 3 (4.9%), and Grade 2 (0.4%).

In a separate Phase 3 trial of YERVOY 3 mg/kg monotherapy, immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 4.1% (21/511) of patients, including Grade 3-5 (1.6%) and Grade 2 (2.5%).

Immune-Mediated Endocrinopathies

OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency, immune-mediated hypophysitis, immune-mediated thyroid disorders, and Type 1 diabetes mellitus, which can present with diabetic ketoacidosis. Withhold OPDIVO and YERVOY depending on severity (please see section 2 Dosage and Administration in the accompanying Full Prescribing Information). For Grade 2 or higher adrenal insufficiency, initiate symptomatic treatment, including hormone replacement as clinically indicated. Hypophysitis can present with acute symptoms associated with mass effect such as headache, photophobia, or visual field defects. Hypophysitis can cause hypopituitarism; initiate hormone replacement as clinically indicated. Thyroiditis can present with or without endocrinopathy. Hypothyroidism can follow hyperthyroidism; initiate hormone replacement or medical management as clinically indicated. Monitor patients for hyperglycemia or other signs and symptoms of diabetes; initiate treatment with insulin as clinically indicated.

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, adrenal insufficiency occurred in 1% (20/1994), including Grade 3 (0.4%) and Grade 2 (0.6%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, adrenal insufficiency occurred in 8% (35/456), including Grade 4 (0.2%), Grade 3 (2.4%), and Grade 2 (4.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, adrenal insufficiency occurred in 7% (48/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.3%), Grade 3 (2.5%), and Grade 2 (4.1%).

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, hypophysitis occurred in 0.6% (12/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.2%) and Grade 2 (0.3%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hypophysitis occurred in 9% (42/456), including Grade 3 (2.4%) and Grade 2 (6%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hypophysitis occurred in 4.4% (29/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.3%), Grade 3 (2.4%), and Grade 2 (0.9%).

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, thyroiditis occurred in 0.6% (12/1994) of patients, including Grade 2 (0.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, thyroiditis occurred in 2.7% (22/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (4.5%) and Grade 2 (2.2%).

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, hyperthyroidism occurred in 2.7% (54/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (<0.1%) and Grade 2 (1.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hyperthyroidism occurred in 9% (42/456) of patients, including Grade 3, (0.9%) and Grade 2 (4.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hyperthyroidism occurred in 12% (80/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.6%), and Grade 2 (4.5%).

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, hypothyroidism occurred in 8% (163/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.2%) and Grade 2 (4.8%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hypothyroidism occurred in 20% (91/456) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.4%) and Grade 2 (11%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, hypothyroidism occurred in 18% (122/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.6%) and Grade 2 (11%).

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, diabetes occurred in 0.9% (17/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (0.4%) and Grade 2 (0.3%), and 2 cases of diabetic ketoacidosis. In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, diabetes occurred in 2.7% (15/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.6%), Grade 3 (0.3%), and Grade 2 (0.9%).

In a separate Phase 3 trial of YERVOY 3 mg/kg monotherapy, Grade 2-5 immune-mediated endocrinopathies occurred in 4% (21/511) of patients. Severe to life-threatening (Grade 3-4) endocrinopathies occurred in 9 (1.8%) patients. All 9 patients had hypopituitarism, and some had additional concomitant endocrinopathies such as adrenal insufficiency, hypogonadism, and hypothyroidism. Six of the 9 patients were hospitalized for severe endocrinopathies. Moderate (Grade 2) endocrinopathy occurred in 12 patients (2.3%), including hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, hypopituitarism, hyperthyroidism and Cushing's syndrome.

Immune-Mediated Nephritis with Renal Dysfunction

OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause immune-mediated nephritis. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated nephritis and renal dysfunction occurred in 1.2% (23/1994) of patients, including Grade 4 (<0.1%), Grade 3 (0.5%), and Grade 2 (0.6%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated nephritis with renal dysfunction occurred in 4.1% (27/666) of patients, including Grade 4 (0.6%), Grade 3 (1.1%), and Grade 2 (2.2%).

Immune-Mediated Dermatologic Adverse Reactions

OPDIVO can cause immune-mediated rash or dermatitis. Exfoliative dermatitis, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), and drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) has occurred with PD-1/PD-L1 blocking antibodies. Topical emollients and/or topical corticosteroids may be adequate to treat mild to moderate nonexfoliative rashes.

YERVOY can cause immune-mediated rash or dermatitis, including bullous and exfoliative dermatitis, SJS, TEN, and DRESS. Topical emollients and/or topical corticosteroids may be adequate to treat mild to moderate non-bullous/exfoliative rashes.

Withhold or permanently discontinue OPDIVO and YERVOY depending on severity (please see section 2 Dosage and Administration in the accompanying Full Prescribing Information).

In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy, immune-mediated rash occurred in 9% (171/1994) of patients, including Grade 3 (1.1%) and Grade 2 (2.2%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated rash occurred in 28% (127/456) of patients, including Grade 3 (4.8%) and Grade 2 (10%). In patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 3 weeks, immune-mediated rash occurred in 16% (108/666) of patients, including Grade 3 (3.5%) and Grade 2 (4.2%).

In a separate Phase 3 trial of YERVOY 3 mg/kg monotherapy, immune-mediated rash occurred in 15% (76/511) of patients, including Grade 3-5 (2.5%) and Grade 2 (12%).

Other Immune-Mediated Adverse Reactions

The following clinically significant immune-mediated adverse reactions occurred at an incidence of <1% (unless otherwise noted) in patients who received OPDIVO monotherapy or OPDIVO in combination with YERVOY or were reported with the use of other PD-1/PD-L1 blocking antibodies. Severe or fatal cases have been reported for some of these adverse reactions: cardiac/vascular: myocarditis, pericarditis, vasculitis; nervous system: meningitis, encephalitis, myelitis and demyelination, myasthenic syndrome/myasthenia gravis (including exacerbation), Guillain-Barre syndrome, nerve paresis, autoimmune neuropathy; ocular: uveitis, iritis, and other ocular inflammatory toxicities can occur; gastrointestinal: pancreatitis to include increases in serum amylase and lipase levels, gastritis, duodenitis; musculoskeletal and connective tissue: myositis/polymyositis, rhabdomyolysis, and associated sequelae including renal failure, arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica; endocrine: hypoparathyroidism; other (hematologic/immune): hemolytic anemia, aplastic anemia, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), systemic inflammatory response syndrome, histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis (Kikuchi lymphadenitis), sarcoidosis, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, solid organ transplant rejection.

In addition to the immune-mediated adverse reactions listed above, across clinical trials of YERVOY monotherapy or in combination with OPDIVO, the following clinically significant immune-mediated adverse reactions, some with fatal outcome, occurred in <1% of patients unless otherwise specified: nervous system: autoimmune neuropathy (2%), myasthenic syndrome/myasthenia gravis, motor dysfunction; cardiovascular: angiopathy, temporal arteritis; ocular: blepharitis, episcleritis, orbital myositis, scleritis; gastrointestinal: pancreatitis (1.3%); other (hematologic/immune): conjunctivitis, cytopenias (2.5%), eosinophilia (2.1%), erythema multiforme, hypersensitivity vasculitis, neurosensory hypoacusis, psoriasis.

Some ocular IMAR cases can be associated with retinal detachment. Various grades of visual impairment, including blindness, can occur. If uveitis occurs in combination with other immune-mediated adverse reactions, consider a Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada-like syndrome, which has been observed in patients receiving OPDIVO and YERVOY, as this may require treatment with systemic corticosteroids to reduce the risk of permanent vision loss.

Infusion-Related Reactions

OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause severe infusion-related reactions. Discontinue OPDIVO and YERVOY in patients with severe (Grade 3) or life-threatening (Grade 4) infusion-related reactions. Interrupt or slow the rate of infusion in patients with mild (Grade 1) or moderate (Grade 2) infusion-related reactions. In patients receiving OPDIVO monotherapy as a 60-minute infusion, infusion-related reactions occurred in 6.4% (127/1994) of patients. In a separate trial in which patients received OPDIVO monotherapy as a 60-minute infusion or a 30-minute infusion, infusion-related reactions occurred in 2.2% (8/368) and 2.7% (10/369) of patients, respectively. Additionally, 0.5% (2/368) and 1.4% (5/369) of patients, respectively, experienced adverse reactions within 48 hours of infusion that led to dose delay, permanent discontinuation or withholding of OPDIVO. In melanoma patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg every 3 weeks, infusion-related reactions occurred in 2.5% (10/407) of patients. In HCC patients receiving OPDIVO 1 mg/kg with YERVOY 3 mg/kg, infusion-related reactions occurred in 8% (4/49) of patients. In RCC patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg, infusion-related reactions occurred in 5.1% (28/547) of patients. In MSI-H/dMMR mCRC patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg with YERVOY 1 mg/kg, infusion-related reactions occurred in 4.2% (5/119) of patients. In MPM patients receiving OPDIVO 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks with YERVOY 1 mg/kg every 6 weeks, infusion-related reactions occurred in 12% (37/300) of patients.

In separate Phase 3 trials of YERVOY 3 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg, infusion-related reactions occurred in 2.9% (28/982) of patients.

Complications of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Fatal and other serious complications can occur in patients who receive allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) before or after being treated with OPDIVO or YERVOY. Transplant-related complications include hyperacute graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), acute GVHD, chronic GVHD, hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) after reduced intensity conditioning, and steroid-requiring febrile syndrome (without an identified infectious cause). These complications may occur despite intervening therapy between OPDIVO or YERVOY and allogeneic HSCT.

Follow patients closely for evidence of transplant-related complications and intervene promptly. Consider the benefit versus risks of treatment with OPDIVO and YERVOY prior to or after an allogeneic HSCT.

Embryo-Fetal Toxicity

Based on its mechanism of action and findings from animal studies, OPDIVO and YERVOY can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. The effects of YERVOY are likely to be greater during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with OPDIVO and YERVOY and for at least 5 months after the last dose.

Increased Mortality in Patients with Multiple Myeloma when OPDIVO is Added to a Thalidomide Analogue and Dexamethasone

In randomized clinical trials in patients with multiple myeloma, the addition of OPDIVO to a thalidomide analogue plus dexamethasone resulted in increased mortality. Treatment of patients with multiple myeloma with a PD-1 or PD-L1 blocking antibody in combination with a thalidomide analogue plus dexamethasone is not recommended outside of controlled clinical trials.

Lactation

There are no data on the presence of OPDIVO or YERVOY in human milk, the effects on the breastfed child, or the effects on milk production. Because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in breastfed children, advise women not to breastfeed during treatment and for 5 months after the last dose.

Serious Adverse Reactions

In Checkmate 037, serious adverse reactions occurred in 41% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=268). Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions occurred in 42% of patients receiving OPDIVO. The most frequent Grade 3 and 4 adverse drug reactions reported in 2% to <5% of patients receiving OPDIVO were abdominal pain, hyponatremia, increased aspartate aminotransferase, and increased lipase. In Checkmate 066, serious adverse reactions occurred in 36% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=206). Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions occurred in 41% of patients receiving OPDIVO. The most frequent Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were gamma-glutamyltransferase increase (3.9%) and diarrhea (3.4%). In Checkmate 067, serious adverse reactions (74% and 44%), adverse reactions leading to permanent discontinuation (47% and 18%) or to dosing delays (58% and 36%), and Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions (72% and 51%) all occurred more frequently in the OPDIVO plus YERVOY arm (n=313) relative to the OPDIVO arm (n=313). The most frequent (=10%) serious adverse reactions in the OPDIVO plus YERVOY arm and the OPDIVO arm, respectively, were diarrhea (13% and 2.2%), colitis (10% and 1.9%), and pyrexia (10% and 1.0%). In Checkmate 227, serious adverse reactions occurred in 58% of patients (n=576). The most frequent (=2%) serious adverse reactions were pneumonia, diarrhea/colitis, pneumonitis, hepatitis, pulmonary embolism, adrenal insufficiency, and hypophysitis. Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 1.7% of patients; these included events of pneumonitis (4 patients), myocarditis, acute kidney injury, shock, hyperglycemia, multi-system organ failure, and renal failure. In Checkmate 9LA, serious adverse reactions occurred in 57% of patients (n=358). The most frequent (>2%) serious adverse reactions were pneumonia, diarrhea, febrile neutropenia, anemia, acute kidney injury, musculoskeletal pain, dyspnea, pneumonitis, and respiratory failure. Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 7 (2%) patients, and included hepatic toxicity, acute renal failure, sepsis, pneumonitis, diarrhea with hypokalemia, and massive hemoptysis in the setting of thrombocytopenia. In Checkmate 017 and 057, serious adverse reactions occurred in 46% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=418). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, dyspnea, pyrexia, pleural effusion, pneumonitis, and respiratory failure. In Checkmate 057, fatal adverse reactions occurred; these included events of infection (7 patients, including one case of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia), pulmonary embolism (4 patients), and limbic encephalitis (1 patient). In Checkmate 032, serious adverse reactions occurred in 45% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=245). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were pneumonia, dyspnea, pneumonitis, pleural effusion, and dehydration. In Checkmate 743, serious adverse reactions occurred in 54% of patients receiving OPDIVO plus YERVOY. The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients were pneumonia, pyrexia, diarrhea, pneumonitis, pleural effusion, dyspnea, acute kidney injury, infusion-related reaction, musculoskeletal pain, and pulmonary embolism. Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 4 (1.3%) patients and included pneumonitis, acute heart failure, sepsis, and encephalitis. In Checkmate 025, serious adverse reactions occurred in 47% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=406). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients were acute kidney injury, pleural effusion, pneumonia, diarrhea, and hypercalcemia. In Checkmate 214, serious adverse reactions occurred in 59% of patients receiving OPDIVO plus YERVOY (n=547). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients were diarrhea, pyrexia, pneumonia, pneumonitis, hypophysitis, acute kidney injury, dyspnea, adrenal insufficiency, and colitis. In Checkmate 205 and 039, adverse reactions leading to discontinuation occurred in 7% and dose delays due to adverse reactions occurred in 34% of patients (n=266). Serious adverse reactions occurred in 26% of patients. The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =1% of patients were pneumonia, infusion-related reaction, pyrexia, colitis or diarrhea, pleural effusion, pneumonitis, and rash. Eleven patients died from causes other than disease progression: 3 from adverse reactions within 30 days of the last OPDIVO dose, 2 from infection 8 to 9 months after completing OPDIVO, and 6 from complications of allogeneic HSCT. In Checkmate 141, serious adverse reactions occurred in 49% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=236). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were pneumonia, dyspnea, respiratory failure, respiratory tract infection, and sepsis. In Checkmate 275, serious adverse reactions occurred in 54% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=270). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients receiving OPDIVO were urinary tract infection, sepsis, diarrhea, small intestine obstruction, and general physical health deterioration. In Checkmate 142 in MSI-H/dMMR mCRC patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY (n=119), serious adverse reactions occurred in 47% of patients. The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients were colitis/diarrhea, hepatic events, abdominal pain, acute kidney injury, pyrexia, and dehydration. In Checkmate 040, serious adverse reactions occurred in 49% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=154). The most frequent serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients were pyrexia, ascites, back pain, general physical health deterioration, abdominal pain, pneumonia, and anemia. In Checkmate 040, serious adverse reactions occurred in 59% of patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY (n=49). Serious adverse reactions reported in =4% of patients were pyrexia, diarrhea, anemia, increased AST, adrenal insufficiency, ascites, esophageal varices hemorrhage, hyponatremia, increased blood bilirubin, and pneumonitis. In Checkmate 238, serious adverse reactions occurred in 18% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=452). Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions occurred in 25% of OPDIVO-treated patients (n=452). The most frequent Grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions reported in =2% of OPDIVO-treated patients were diarrhea and increased lipase and amylase. In Attraction-3, serious adverse reactions occurred in 38% of patients receiving OPDIVO (n=209). Serious adverse reactions reported in =2% of patients who received OPDIVO were pneumonia, esophageal fistula, interstitial lung disease and pyrexia. The following fatal adverse reactions occurred in patients who received OPDIVO: interstitial lung disease or pneumonitis (1.4%), pneumonia (1.0%), septic shock (0.5%), esophageal fistula (0.5%), gastrointestinal hemorrhage (0.5%), pulmonary embolism (0.5%), and sudden death (0.5%).

Common Adverse Reactions

In Checkmate 037, the most common adverse reaction (=20%) reported with OPDIVO (n=268) was rash (21%). In Checkmate 066, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) reported with OPDIVO (n=206) vs dacarbazine (n=205) were fatigue (49% vs 39%), musculoskeletal pain (32% vs 25%), rash (28% vs 12%), and pruritus (23% vs 12%). In Checkmate 067, the most common (=20%) adverse reactions in the OPDIVO plus YERVOY arm (n=313) were fatigue (62%), diarrhea (54%), rash (53%), nausea (44%), pyrexia (40%), pruritus (39%), musculoskeletal pain (32%), vomiting (31%), decreased appetite (29%), cough (27%), headache (26%), dyspnea (24%), upper respiratory tract infection (23%), arthralgia (21%), and increased transaminases (25%). In Checkmate 067, the most common (=20%) adverse reactions in the OPDIVO arm (n=313) were fatigue (59%), rash (40%), musculoskeletal pain (42%), diarrhea (36%), nausea (30%), cough (28%), pruritus (27%), upper respiratory tract infection (22%), decreased appetite (22%), headache (22%), constipation (21%), arthralgia (21%), and vomiting (20%). In Checkmate 227, the most common (=20%) adverse reactions were fatigue (44%), rash (34%), decreased appetite (31%), musculoskeletal pain (27%), diarrhea/colitis (26%), dyspnea (26%), cough (23%), hepatitis (21%), nausea (21%), and pruritus (21%). In Checkmate 9LA, the most common (>20%) adverse reactions were fatigue (49%), musculoskeletal pain (39%), nausea (32%), diarrhea (31%), rash (30%), decreased appetite (28%), constipation (21%), and pruritus (21%). In Checkmate 017 and 057, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=418) were fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, cough, dyspnea, and decreased appetite. In Checkmate 032, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=245) were fatigue (45%), decreased appetite (27%), musculoskeletal pain (25%), dyspnea (22%), nausea (22%), diarrhea (21%), constipation (20%), and cough (20%). In Checkmate 743, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO and YERVOY were fatigue (43%), musculoskeletal pain (38%), rash (34%), diarrhea (32%), dyspnea (27%), nausea (24%), decreased appetite (24%), cough (23%), and pruritus (21%). In Checkmate 025, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) reported in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=406) vs everolimus (n=397) were fatigue (56% vs 57%), cough (34% vs 38%), nausea (28% vs 29%), rash (28% vs 36%), dyspnea (27% vs 31%), diarrhea (25% vs 32%), constipation (23% vs 18%), decreased appetite (23% vs 30%), back pain (21% vs 16%), and arthralgia (20% vs 14%). In Checkmate 214, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) reported in patients treated with OPDIVO plus YERVOY (n=547) were fatigue (58%), rash (39%), diarrhea (38%), musculoskeletal pain (37%), pruritus (33%), nausea (30%), cough (28%), pyrexia (25%), arthralgia (23%), decreased appetite (21%), dyspnea (20%), and vomiting (20%). In Checkmate 205 and 039, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) reported in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=266) were upper respiratory tract infection (44%), fatigue (39%), cough (36%), diarrhea (33%), pyrexia (29%), musculoskeletal pain (26%), rash (24%), nausea (20%) and pruritus (20%). In Checkmate 141, the most common adverse reactions (=10%) in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=236) were cough (14%) and dyspnea (14%) at a higher incidence than investigator's choice. In Checkmate 275, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) reported in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=270) were fatigue (46%), musculoskeletal pain (30%), nausea (22%), and decreased appetite (22%). In Checkmate 142 in MSI-H/dMMR mCRC patients receiving OPDIVO as a single agent, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) were fatigue (54%), diarrhea (43%), abdominal pain (34%), nausea (34%), vomiting (28%), musculoskeletal pain (28%), cough (26%), pyrexia (24%), rash (23%), constipation (20%), and upper respiratory tract infection (20%). In Checkmate 142 in MSI-H/dMMR mCRC patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY (n=119), the most common adverse reactions (=20%) were fatigue (49%), diarrhea (45%), pyrexia (36%), musculoskeletal pain (36%), abdominal pain (30%), pruritus (28%), nausea (26%), rash (25%), decreased appetite (20%), and vomiting (20%). In Checkmate 040, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO (n=154) were fatigue (38%), musculoskeletal pain (36%), abdominal pain (34%), pruritus (27%), diarrhea (27%), rash (26%), cough (23%), and decreased appetite (22%). In Checkmate 040, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) in patients receiving OPDIVO with YERVOY (n=49), were rash (53%), pruritus (53%), musculoskeletal pain (41%), diarrhea (39%), cough (37%), decreased appetite (35%), fatigue (27%), pyrexia (27%), abdominal pain (22%), headache (22%), nausea (20%), dizziness (20%), hypothyroidism (20%), and weight decreased (20%). In Checkmate 238, the most common adverse reactions (=20%) reported in OPDIVO-treated patients (n=452) vs ipilimumab-treated patients (n=453) were fatigue (57% vs 55%), diarrhea (37% vs 55%), rash (35% vs 47%), musculoskeletal pain (32% vs 27%), pruritus (28% vs 37%), headache (23% vs 31%), nausea (23% vs 28%), upper respiratory infection (22% vs 15%), and abdominal pain (21% vs 23%). The most common immune-mediated adverse reactions were rash (16%), diarrhea/colitis (6%), and hepatitis (3%). In Attraction-3, the most common adverse reactions occurring in =20% of OPDIVO-treated patients (n=209) were rash (22%) and decreased appetite (21%).

In a separate Phase 3 trial of YERVOY 3 mg/kg, the most common adverse reactions (=5%) in patients who received YERVOY at 3 mg/kg were fatigue (41%), diarrhea (32%), pruritus (31%), rash (29%), and colitis (8%).

Please see US Full Prescribing Information for OPDIVO and YERVOY.

Clinical Trials and Patient Populations

Checkmate 037-previously treated metastatic melanoma; Checkmate 066-previously untreated metastatic melanoma; Checkmate 067-previously untreated metastatic melanoma, as a single agent or in combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 227-previously untreated metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, in combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 9LA-previously untreated recurrent or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in combination with YERVOY and 2 cycles of platinum-doublet chemotherapy by histology; Checkmate 017-second-line treatment of metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer; Checkmate 057-second-line treatment of metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer; Checkmate 032-small cell lung cancer; Checkmate 743-previously untreated unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma, in combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 025-previously treated renal cell carcinoma; Checkmate 214-previously untreated renal cell carcinoma, in combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 205/039-classical Hodgkin lymphoma; Checkmate 141-recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck; Checkmate 275-urothelial carcinoma; Checkmate 142-MSI-H or dMMR metastatic colorectal cancer, as a single agent or in combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 040-hepatocellular carcinoma, as a single agent or in combination with YERVOY; Checkmate 238-adjuvant treatment of melanoma; Attraction-3-esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

About the Bristol Myers Squibb and Ono Pharmaceutical Collaboration

In 2011, through a collaboration agreement with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Bristol Myers Squibb expanded its territorial rights to develop and commercialize Opdivo globally, except in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, where Ono had retained all rights to the compound at the time. On July 23, 2014, Ono and Bristol Myers Squibb further expanded the companies' strategic collaboration agreement to jointly develop and commercialize multiple immunotherapies as single agents and combination regimens for patients with cancer in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

About Bristol Myers Squibb

Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about Bristol Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

Celgene and Juno Therapeutics are wholly owned subsidiaries of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. In certain countries outside the U.S., due to local laws, Celgene and Juno Therapeutics are referred to as, Celgene, a Bristol Myers Squibb company and Juno Therapeutics, a Bristol Myers Squibb company.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding, among other things, the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products. All statements that are not statements of historical facts are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on historical performance and current expectations and projections about our future financial results, goals, plans and objectives and involve inherent risks, assumptions and uncertainties, including internal or external factors that could delay, divert or change any of them in the next several years, that are difficult to predict, may be beyond our control and could cause our future financial results, goals, plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the statements. These risks, assumptions, uncertainties and other factors include, among others, that Opdivo may not receive regulatory approval for the additional indication described in this release in the currently anticipated timeline or at all and, if approved, whether such product candidate for such indication described in this release will be commercially successful. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. It should also be noted that the validation of the MAA does not change the standards for EMA approval. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the many risks and uncertainties that affect Bristol Myers Squibb's business and market, particularly those identified in the cautionary statement and risk factors discussion in Bristol Myers Squibb's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, as updated by our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements included in this document are made only as of the date of this document and except as otherwise required by applicable law, Bristol Myers Squibb undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.

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View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005165/en/

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Media Inquiries:

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609-252-7509

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The cruise ship industry has been idled for months by COVID-19, so Charleston waterfront visitors might have been surprised to see one of the colorful pleasure ships stopped at Union Pier Terminal on Sunday afternoon.

Turns out the Norwegian Gem was only making a brief stop-and-go at the Port of Charleston. It stayed in the Holy City for about 30 minutes before departing. The 2,394-passenger vessel is headed to Freeport, Bahamas, according to the Marine Traffic website.

"No passengers were aboard and the crew did not depart the ship," said Liz Crumley, spokeswoman for the State Ports Authority. She added the Gem "did not even tie off at the dock."

Norwegian, like other major cruise lines, has halted passenger voyages until at least March because of the spread of the coronavirus.

The Gem, which had been in Aruba last fall, arrived in Boston in November for a routine dry-docking before heading south again. It had been at Detyens Shipyard for repairs before its brief layover at the Port of Charleston. The 965-foot-long vessel is expected to be one of the first Norwegian Cruise Line ships to return to service.

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Carnival Cruise Line calls Charleston the home port for its Sunshine cruise ship, which is scheduled to make its first post-hiatus trip to the Bahamas on March 2.

Meanwhile, the SPA is looking forward to the return of cruising.

Jerry Matthews, the SPA's director for cruise operations, told Cruise Industry News the agency hopes to offer more sailings  particularly shorter voyages  in the future. Matthews said the SPA might also look to host a bigger ship once a new cruise terminal is built. Construction of that facility, which is opposed by area preservation and environmental groups, has been tied up in state and federal court.

I'm sure there'll be a lot of starting very slow to make sure all the safety protocols and safety measures are in place to protect everyone, to be as safe as we can," Matthews said of the return to cruising. "But hopefully, we'll find a way to rebound back slowly but surely, and get back to normal within a year or two."
New Delhi

An open letter written to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) against attempts being made to paint the protesting farmers as separatists has been converted into a public interest litigation and is expected to be heard by the Supreme Court in the coming days.

The letter written by 35 students of Panjab Universitys Centre for Human Rights and Duties on December 2 termed the course of action initiated by the government to address the farmers concerns as insensitive and sought intervention of the court to allow them to continue with their peaceful protest. The letter also attacked the media for trying to polarise the peaceful protest by associating farmers with separatists.

Gurmohan Preet Singh, a postgraduate student of the university, who is among the 35 signatories to the letter, said, On December 18, we received an intimation from the Supreme Court registry informing that our letter has been registered under the section of public interest litigation (PIL). We are hopeful that our letter will be listed in open court for hearing at the earliest.

The intimation received from the registry said, Your communication has been successfully registered as Diary no 67872/SCI/PIL(E) 2020. Singh said he had not received any intimation yet with regard to the listing of the case.

The letter aired a grievance over the manner in which water cannons, teargas shells and lathis were used against the protesting farmers. The 35 signatories, comprising human rights students, research scholars, and former students of the university demanded an enquiry into the illegitimate use of force by Haryana Police and withdrawal of all criminal cases registered against the protesting farmers by both Haryana Police and Delhi Police. In addition, the letter sought basic amenities to be provided to the protesters to ensure their safety.

One of the prayers in the letter stated, Take action to curb fake news and against media channels, engaged in misrepresentation, polarisation and sensationalisation of the whole issue.

The Supreme Court on December 17 considered the issue of farmers protesting at Delhis borders and proposed a solution be worked out by way of talks between the government and farmer unions by involving independent experts. The court maintained that it did not intend to curb the farmers right to protest peacefully but the same should not be at the cost of disruption of public order.

The letter said, When farmers decided to approach to the National Capital Territory of Delhi, the peaceful protesters (farmers) were thrashed and walloped that it seemed raising a voice for their Fundamental Rights as provided by the Supreme Law of the Nation is a dreadful crime (which it is not).
Major employers will offer staff the option of hybrid working as they prepare to return to the office from next June.

Companies like Google, where thousands of employees are home working during the pandemic, are developing policies giving the option of home and on-site work as vaccines are rolled out.

Employer group Ibec has told the Government in a submission on remote working that for many members, the workplace of the foreseeable future will be a hybrid of remote and on-site working.

A Bank of Ireland spokesperson said it sees flexible working playing a greater role in how we work.

Read More

When the pandemic first hit, around 3,500 of its staff were working with some degree of flexibility. In a matter of days, there were over 7,000 working from home full-time.

This includes 1,500 contact centre employees who previously worked on-site, who are now taking customer calls at home.

As we look to the future of more flexible working, well be building on our experience of 2020 along with the investment and innovations we have been able to make, said a spokesperson.

Almost all staff at Google are still working from home although a few essential workers are in the office, including data centre engineers.

The search engine giant has delayed its office return from July to September while chief executive Sundar Pichai has called for a hybrid work-from-home model.

It is understood that it plans to test the idea of a three-day in-office working week.

At Facebook, all workers have the option to work remotely until the start of July.

A small percentage of crucial employees, like content reviewers working on counter terrorism and suicide and self-harm prevention, are returning to the office.

When asked if it would offer less pay to those working in lower cost locations, a spokesperson said: We are not sharing a breakdown of our approach to compensation in different locations at this time.

An Amazon spokesperson did not give details of its plans but said its global policy, which applies to Ireland, means work can effectively be done from home until June 30.

At Intel, which has around 4,900 employees in Ireland, the work-from-home policy is set to continue until at least next June.

Over the past weeks and months, many Intel personnel have continued to work safely at our sites in order to keep our critical on-site operations running, said a spokesperson. However, the majority of our global workforce continues to work from home.

The Programme for Government commits to 20pc home working in the public sector workforce of over 340,000 people next year.

In its submission to the Government consultation on remote working, Ibec said many workplaces will be returning to a hybrid model given the Covid-19 crisis.

However, it warned that the cost and administrative burden will be significant.

It said for remote working to be viable, detailed guidance and government financial support including tax incentives will be required.
BILTHOVEN, The Netherlands, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Intravacc, a world leader in translational research and development of vaccines, announces the appointment of three members in its Supervisory Board. As of January 1, 2021, Intravacc has become an independent public shareholding company, the State of the Netherlands being the sole shareholder. The Supervisory Board will consist of former ALT project director of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), Nico Oudendijk (Chairman), former Minister for Medical Care and Sports, Bruno Bruins, and Dr. Karin Dorrepaal, former member of the Board of Management of pharmaceutical company Schering AG.

Nico Oudendijk worked in Amsterdam for 20 years at the interface of Youth Care, Psychiatry and Crisis Care, of which the last 12 years as General Director of the Amsterdam psycho-social and psychiatric institute 'Triangel'. From 2013 to 2020 he was director of ALT project management at VWS, with several assignments including the privatization of Intravacc. From 2010 to 2012 he served as director of the Netherlands Vaccine Institute (NVI) and was responsible for the sale of the NVI's production facilities. Since 1991, Oudendijk has held various positions within the Dutch Ministry of Welfare, Public Health and Culture. Such as, director of Mental Health Care and Professions, director of Curative Somatic Care, Director General Public Health, acting inspector-general at the Health Care Inspectorate (IGZ) and Envoy for the BES islands (The Caribbean Netherlands) on behalf of the Ministers of VWS and of Youth and Family.

Bruno Bruins is currently interim chairman of the board of HTM, the public transportation company of The Hague. From October 2017 to March 2020, Bruins was Minister for Medical Care and Sport at the Dutch Ministry of Health. Between 2012 and October 2017, Bruins was chairman of the board of Dutch National Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) and from 2008 to 2011 he was a member of the board of directors of public transportation company Connexxion Holding N.V. Bruins was State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science from July 2006 to February 2007 and from 2000 to 2006 he served as alderman of The Hague and between 2004 and 2006 also as deputy mayor. His side activities included the chairmanship of the Supervisory Board of the Dutch public broadcasting organization NPO (2016-2017).

Dr. Karin Dorrepaal is an experienced senior manager in the life science and pharmaceutical industry. In 1990 Dorrepaal joined Booz Allen Hamilton, Management Consultants. In 2004, the Supervisory Board of Schering AG appointed Dr. Dorrepaal as member of the Board of Management. After the takeover of Schering by Bayer, Dorrepaal left the company in 2006. Since then, she has held various board positions with private and listed companies in Germany, Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands.

Dr. Jan Groen, Intravacc's CEO, said:

"We are very pleased with the composition of Intravacc's Supervisory Board. All appointed members have an outstanding track record at senior management level, both in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. In the near future, Intravacc will certainly be involved in the fight against various diseases that have a major impact on societies. The increase in multidrug-resistant bacterial infections and various cancers are typical examples of disorders with a major impact on public health. Under the supervision of the Supervisory Board, Intravacc can further professionalise and develop into a full-fledged Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization, in order to contribute to the reduction of certain diseases with the help of innovative vaccines.''

About Intravacc

Dutch Intravacc, located at Utrecht Science Park Bilthoven, is a leading global contract developer and producer of innovative vaccines against infectious diseases. As an established independent CDMO organization with over 100 years of experience in the development and optimization of vaccines and vaccine technologies, Intravacc has transferred its technology related to polio vaccines, measles vaccines, DPT vaccines, Hib vaccines and influenza vaccines around the world. Around 40% of childhood disease vaccines are based on Intravacc's technology. Intravacc offers a wide range of expertise for independent vaccine development, from concept to Phase I/II clinical studies for partners around the world, including universities, public health organizations (WHO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), biotech and pharmaceutical companies.

For more information, visit www.intravacc.nl

Contacts:

Intravacc



Dr. Jan Groen, CEO

P: +31 30 7920 454

Mirjam Hartman, Media relations

P: +31 6 115 969 94

E: [email protected]

LifeSpring Life Sciences Communication, Amsterdam

Leon Melens

P: +31 6 538 16427

E: [email protected]

SOURCE Intravacc, Innovating Vaccines
Quoting Bible, New York gov. vows not to take COVID-19 vaccine until minorities get it

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NEW YORK  Citing Scriptures from Matthew and Galatians in the Bibles New Testament, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo vowed to wary members of one of New York Citys most storied black megachurches that he will not take the coronavirus vaccine until its available to black, Hispanic and poor communities.

In a pre-recorded message delivered Sunday at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, led by Rev. Calvin Butts III, Cuomo said even though as a public official he is a priority candidate to receive the vaccine and would love to take it, he wont take his shot until it is also available to black, Hispanic and poor communities as part of his commitment to social and racial justice.

I am committed to social and racial justice in the distribution of this vaccine. It will be available as fairly and as quickly as we can make it happen. Race or income will not determine who lives and who dies. And I mean it, he said.

And that's why I say to you today that I want to take the vaccine. I move around a lot and come into contact with many people and I would feel much safer if I took the vaccine, but I will not take the vaccine until the vaccine is available for my group in black, Hispanic, and poor communities around the state, he said.

Cuomo acknowledged the fallout from the Tuskegee trial as a valid reason for members of the black community to be skeptical about taking the vaccine but said as far as he knows, the vaccine is safe. From 1932 through 1972, the U.S. Public Health Service conducted a study of the effects of untreated syphilis in black men in Macon County, Alabama. The men in the study were offered free medical care and burials, but not penicillin, which became the recommended drug for treatment of syphilis in the 1940s.

Now, I understand the cynicism and skepticism; it is not without cause. The Tuskegee Experiment is a terrible stain on the soul of this nation. The system does have biases and injustices. But that is not true in the case of this vaccine, Cuomo said, urging congregants to have faith and trust in the vaccine after pointing out that blacks and Hispanics are being killed by the virus at higher rates than whites.

The good book says, the first shall be last and the last shall be first in Matthew 20:16. Until the vaccine is available in the South Bronx, and the East Side of Buffalo, and Wyandanch, and South Jamaica, and Edgerton and East Utica, our health care deserts, our job is not done. I'll do my part, but you have to do your part. We all need to have faith and trust in the vaccine, and we need to have generosity in our souls, where we act for the good of one another, he continued. The Good Book says, in Paul's epistle to the Galatians, carry each other's burdens. That is our mission today. 2021 will be what we make it. We are New York Tough.

Cuomo further explained that his appeal on Sunday is part of a massive vaccination program the state is preparing to undertake. He also noted that in order for the program to be effective, at least 70% of the population must be vaccinated.

The vaccine works, but it only works if we take it. We are told that we need to vaccinate 70-90% of New Yorkers for it to be effective. That is an enormous number. Think of it  90% of New Yorkers don't agree to do anything, let alone take a vaccine. This is not only an individual responsibility, it is a community obligation. There is a simplicity to the virus: no one is safe unless everyone is safe, he said.

To make sure everyone has access to the coronavirus vaccine, Cuomo said the state has formed a special task force headed by Attorney General Letitia James, National Urban League President & CEO Marc Morial, Secretary of State Rossana Rosado, and Healthfirst President & CEO Pat Wang. Butts will also serve on the task force.

We are designing special portable units that can be pop-up vaccination sites and brought to public housing authorities, churches and community centers around the state, Cuomo said.

Cuomos appeal to black minority congregants comes just months after Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont came under fire from religious and political leaders in his state for suggesting that black churches should lead support for the coronavirus vaccine.

We are not guinea pigs. This will not be another Tuskegee and we are not going to allow it," civil rights attorney Tricia Lindsay said at a press conference in September. "Ned Lamont is being called to the carpet and anyone else, any other legislator that is on this bandwagon, let him and his family take the vaccine first. Let Bill Gates and his family take the vaccine first. Let the legislators take the vaccine first. We dont need it. Were OK.
A record 124,544 Americans are hospitalized with coronavirus as of Sunday, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project

This marks the fifth day the US has set a new record for hospitalizations in the last week and is likely an undercount because 14 states and territories have not published their tallies

On Monday, the US recorded more 210,479 new cases - the 19th time in about one month that infections have surpassed 200,000 - and 1,349 deaths

The death toll, which currently stands at about 351,000, could be closer to half a million as the CDC waits for data on excess deaths over the holidays

U.S. airports saw their busiest day since the start of the pandemic with 1,327,289 travelers screened, which is the 11th time in 16 days that the number of passengers has exceeded one million

Only 4.2 million people have received vaccines so far by HHS Secretary Alex Azar said he was 'surprised there haven't been more glitches'

Azar claimed the administration's goal was have to 20 million first doses available, not 20 million people immunized, which directly contradicts claims made by health experts tied to the White House

The U.S. set a new coronavirus hospitalization record for the fifth time in the last week on Sunday with more than 125,500 patients hospitalized, as American airports saw their busiest day since the start of the pandemic with more than 1.3 million passengers taking to the skies.

The latest figure came from the COVID Tracking Project, which noted that the true number is likely even higher as 14 states and territories had not yet published their tallies for Sunday.

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It comes as the U.S. recorded 210,479 new cases and 1,349 deaths on Monday. According to a DailyMail.com analysis, this is the 19th time since November 27 that infections have surpassed 200,000.

The death toll, which currently stands at about 351,000, could be closer to half a million, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned the number of excess deaths could spike over the holidays.

Additionally, over the last week, the country has seen an average of one COVID-19-related-death every 33 seconds, according to a CNN analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.

Despite alarming surges over Christmas and New Year's, millions of Americans have ignored public health experts' pleas and continued traveling by air.

U.S. airports saw more passengers than any since the pandemic began with 1,327,289 people passing through checkpoints on Sunday, according to data from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

This marks the 11th time in the last 16 days that checkpoint volume has topped one million. Since December 18, more than 17.1 million people have passed through airport checkpoints.

Meanwhile, as coronavirus infections have continued to skyrocket around the country, only about 4.2 million people have been given their first vaccine dose.

But Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar claimed the administration's goal was have to 20 million first doses available, not 20 million people immunized, which directly contradicts comments made by health experts tied to the White House.

He also said he was 'surprised there haven't been more glitches' during the rollout.

A record 124,544 Americans are hospitalized with coronavirus as of Sunday, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project

On Monday, the US recorded more 210,479 new cases - the 19th time in about one month that infections have surpassed 200,000 - and 1,349 deaths

U.S. airports saw their busiest day since the start of the pandemic with 1,327,289 travelers screened on Sunday

This is the 11th time in 16 days that the number of passengers has exceeded one million. Pictured: Travelers wearing protective face masks gather in Concourse D at Miami International Airport, Monday, December 28

Despite warnings to Americans not to gather or travel over the holidays, pictures and videos surfaced of maskless people partying at Mar-a-Lago, President Trump's private club, on New Year's Eve.

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Rapper Vanilla Ice performed and the president's son, Donald Trump Jr, was seen dancing among party-goers without face coverings or social distancing.

This has led a state representative from West Palm Beach to ask the Palm Beach County government to shut down the club for failing to abide by regulations.

Rep Omari Hardy sent a letter on Friday to Assistant County Administrator Todd Bonlarron, insisting that Mar-a-Lago be fined and closed for violating the county's mask mandate.

'I recognize that the President is a powerful person and that his business, Mar-a-Lago, is a daunting target for enforcement, but the law is the law,' Hardy wrote.

'The County's mask mandate applies to all businesses in Palm Beach County. The presidency does not confer to the President and his friends a special privilege to endanger the health and welfare of Palm Beach County's residents.'

Hardy said the party has the potential to be a 'super-spreader' event and should notbe above the law.

'Mar-a-Lago is a club. A club is a business. Businesses must comply with Palm Beach Countys mask order,' he wrote.

Despite warnings to Americans not to gather or travel over the holidays, pictures and videos surfaced of maskless people partying at Mar-a-Lago, President Trump's private club, on New Year's Eve

Rapper Vanilla Ice performed and the president's son, Donald Trump Jr, was seen dancing among party-goers without face coverings or social distancing

Rapper Vanilla Ice performed and the president's son, Donald Trump Jr, was seen dancing among party-goers without face coverings or social distancing

Rep Omari Hardy sent a letter on Friday to Assistant County Administrator Todd Bonlarron, insisting that Mar-a-Lago be fined and closed for violating the county's mask mandate. Pictured: Members of the Trump family at Mar-a-Lago on New Years Eve

Daily coronavirus statistics have been skewed in recent weeks due to delays in reporting over the holiday period.

COVID Tracking Project noted in its Sunday update that seven states and territories out of 56 it tracks had not yet shared their daily data: Arkansas, Connecticut, Kansas, Michigan, Rhode Island, Washington and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Seven additional states did not report current hospitalizations: Hawaii, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon and Wisconsin.

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Hospitalizations in the US have risen by 162 percent in the past two months, setting new records on five different days in the last week.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, and others have repeatedly warned that the spike in hospitalizations will inevitably be followed by a spike in deaths, with the CDC predicting a total of 383,000 to 424,000 COVID-19 fatalities by the week ending January 23, 2021.

On the high end of the model, that could mean that more than 73,000 people could die within the next three weeks.

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President Trump attacked the CDC's tabulation methods in a tweet on Sunday, asserting that its tallies are blown out of proportion.

'The number of cases and deaths of the China Virus is far exaggerated in the United States because of the @CDCgov's ridiculous method of determination compared to other countries, many of whom report, purposely, very inaccurately and low,' he wrote.

He later added: 'Something how Dr. Fauci is revered by the LameStream Media as such a great professional, having done, they say, such an incredible job, yet he works for me and the Trump Administration, and I am in no way given any credit for my work. Gee, could this just be more Fake News?'

Fauci and US Surgeon General Jerome Adams defended the accuracy of CDC data in interviews on Sunday.

'The deaths are real deaths,' Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on ABC News' This Week. He added that jam-packed hospitals and stressed-out healthcare workers are 'not fake. That's real.'

Adams echoed Fauci's defense of the CDC on CNN's State of the Union, saying: 'From a public health perspective, I have no reason to doubt those numbers and I think people need to be very aware that it's not just about the deaths. It's about the hospitalizations, the capacity.'

Meanwhile, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests the true U.S. death toll could be approaching 500,000.

That's because the nation is waiting for new 'excess death' figures from the holiday season. Excess deaths are defined as over and above the number of people who would have died anyway - the typical mortality rate of a population.

According to the latest available numbers from the CDC, 456,580 more people than expected have died since the start of the pandemic.

However, that number only include deaths counted until the week ending on December 26. Since then, more than 19,730 people have lost their lives to COVID-19.

With excess deaths around 20 percent higher than average, that means the death toll is likely undercounted by about 4,000. This means excess deaths could sit at more than 480,000.

The high number of excess deaths might be due to the added risk of coronavirus in people with pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes and high-blood pressure.

Additionally, due to social distancing measures and the increasing demand place on hospitals, people may have delayed seeking life-saving medical care.

Deaths not linked to the virus may be from other pathogens circulating during the 2020-21 flu season.

'The deaths are real deaths,' Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on ABC News' This Week , adding that jam-packed hospitals and stressed-out healthcare workers are 'not fake. That's real'

Adams echoed Fauci's defense of the CDC on CNN's State of the Union, saying: 'From a public health perspective, I have no reason to doubt those numbers and I think people need to be very aware that it's not just about the deaths. It's about the hospitalizations, the capacity'

Trump leaves office on January 20 after losing a bid for a second term to Democrat Joe Biden. He has frequently has downplayed the severity of the pandemic.

The president has also scorned and ignored federal recommendations for containing the spread.

Fauci told ABC: 'To have 300,000 cases in a given day, and between two- and three-thousand deaths a day is just terrible. There's no running away from the numbers.'

He added: 'All you need to do is go out into the trenches. Go to the hospitals and see what the health care workers are dealing with. They are under very stressful situations in many areas of the country. The hospital beds are stretched, people are running out of beds, running out of trained personnel who are exhausted.'

States have reported record numbers of cases over the past few days, and funeral homes in Southern California are being inundated with bodies.

Experts believe the real numbers of deaths and infections are much higher and that many cases were overlooked, in part because of insufficient testing.

Fauci and Adams expressed optimism that the pace of vaccinating Americans against the virus is accelerating after a slow start.

More than 13 million doses have been administered, but only about 4.2 million people have been inoculated since December 14 with one of two vaccines, according to the CDC's latest data.

This is far short of the Trump administration's goal of 20 million by the end of 2020.

'We wanted to get to 20 million, but some glimmer of hope is that in the last 72 hours, they've gotten 1.2 million doses into peoples' arms, which is an average of about 500,000 a day,' Fauci said. 'We are not where we want to be. There's no doubt about that. But I think we can get there.'

He said he believed that the number of daily vaccinations could be expanded to one million and called for 'a real partnership' between the federal and state governments.

Only 4.2 million people have received vaccines so far by HHS Secretary Alex Azar said on Good Morning American on Monday (pictured) he was 'surprised there haven't been more glitches'

Azar claimed the administration's goal was have to 20 million first doses available, not 20 million people immunized, which directly contradicts claims made by health experts tied to the White House

On Monday, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar contradicted Fauci's comments and claimed the administration's goal was have to 20 million first doses available, not 20 million people immunized.

'What we said our goal was was actually to have 20 million first doses available in the month of December. Those are available,' he told ABC's Good Morning America.

'But there's a lag between doses being available then being orders by the provider and the states, shipping and then eventual vaccination.'

Axar said he was actually surprised 'surprised there haven't been more glitches' since the rollout began last month.

'This is just - it's normal,' he told host Robin Roberts.

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'This is the largest vaccination campaign in the history of the United States. I'm actually surprised there haven't been more glitches that we've seen so far.'
Hitting out at the questions raised over the EUA approval granted to Bharat Biotech's COVID vaccine candidate - Covaxin - the Hyderabad-based firm's MD Dr. Krishna Ella cited authorizations of several global vaccines without the presence of efficacy data. Dr Ella slammed those targetting Covaxin's approval and asserted that the data was clearly available on the internet through the articles published by the pharma firm in various international journals. The Bharat Biotech MD stated that many people are 'gossiping' which is not right for the manufacturer.

Addressing a press briefing on Monday evening, Dr Krishna Ella gave a point-by-point rebuttal to those suggesting that the approval of Covaxin in the absence of certain data was 'dubious'. Dr Ella said, "Many people just gossiping, it's just a backlash against Indian companies. That is not right for us. We don't deserve that. Merck's Ebola vaccine never completed a human clinical trial at all but WHO gave emergency authorization for Liberia & Guinea."

He also clarified that Bharat Biotech continues to conduct clinical trials for Covaxin across the globe and not just in India. He stated that the firm had identified 12 countries, other than India, for clinical trials of its COVID vaccine candidate which included the UK.

Many people say that I am not transparent in my data. I think people should have patience to read on the internet & how many articles we have published. More than 70 articles have been published in various international journals: Bharat Biotech MD Krishna Ella pic.twitter.com/NFJiTKGpFv  ANI (@ANI) January 4, 2021

READ | Union Min Hardeep Singh Puri Slams Congress Cynics' Doubts Over DCGI Nod To COVAXIN

"Many people say that I am not transparent in my data. I think people should have the patience to read on the internet & how many articles we have published. More than 70 articles have been published in various international journals. We are not a company without experience in vaccines. We have tremendous experience in vaccines. We are touching 123 countries. We are the only company that has got such extensive experience & extensive publication in review journals," Dr Ella said.

On the vaccine's production, Dr Ella said, "Currently, we have 20 million doses. We are aiming to achieve 700 million doses capacity in four facilities -- three in Hyderabad and one in Bengaluru. We are encountering so many problems including related to logistics."

READ | India's Vaccine Covaxin By Bharat Biotech Draws Global Attention; Interests Lancet: ICMR

Questions raised over Covaxin's approval

Bharat Biotech has collaborated with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to develop India's first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine - Covaxin. The vaccine was first recommended by the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on Sunday and then subsequently received the drug regulator's assent for restricted use in the country. Following the DCGI's assent on Sunday, several political leaders including those from the Congress had raised questions over the approval.

Congress' Jairam Ramesh had said that Phase 3 trials protocol have been modified for the Bharat Biotech vaccine candidate, urging Health Minister Harshvardhan to clarify on the same. Similarly, Tharoor stated that the DCGI 'approval was premature and could be dangerous', opining that its use should be avoided till full trials are over. Their doubts over COVAXIN has been slammed by several politicians included ex-Congress member Sanjay Jha who said he will 'willing to publicly take Covaxin'.

READ | Subramanian Swamy Slams Congress For Questioning DCGI Approval To Bharat Biotech's Covaxin

In response, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan had said that the Opposition was only discrediting themselves by questioning the well laid out science-backed protocols followed for approving the vaccines. He explained that COVAXIN which is based on the whole inactivated virus is likely to have efficacy similar to gene encoding spike proteins - over 90%. Moreover, he added that COVAXIN is more likely to work against newer variants like N501Y Variant (UK variant) & any other variant.

Citing Phase-I and Phase-II data, Dr. Vardhan stated that no adverse effects were seen after the clinical trials. He also clarified that COVAXIN was given a different approval i.e 'clinical trial mode' - where all COVAXIN recipients will be tracked, monitored as if theyre in trial.

READ | Covaxin Can Work Against Mutated Coronavirus: Bharat Biotech
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Sunday said that China may never be able to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, not until it has the current leadership in Beijing. China had recently shown interest in joining the free-trade agreement signed between 11 countries in 2018. Suga, while speaking to a commercial radio broadcaster on January 3, said it would be challenging for any country to join the TPP where the state runs most businesses.

Read: Japan PM Suga Insists Tokyo Olympics Will Be Held As COVID Cases Spike

In November, Chinese President Xi Jinping had said that Beijing is open to joining the agreement. Earlier in May, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had said that his country has an open and positive attitude towards joining the CPTPP, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is a renegotiated version of TPP agreed between the signatories after the withdrawal of the United States in 2017.

Read: Suga Concerned By "security Environment" Around Japan

US withdrawal

The US government withdrew from the agreement after President Donald Trump took over the White House. After the US' withdrawal, the remaining countries renegotiated another deal with most of the provisions of TPP as they called it the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The renegotiated deal came into force on December 30, 2018.

Read: Japan PM Suga Asserts Climate Change, Environmental Issues Compatible With Economic Growth

According to experts, China saw the United States' withdrawal from the deal as an opportunity to assert its influence in Asia by joining the agreement and gaining an edge over Washington in the ongoing geopolitical battle between the top two largest economies of the world. The deal would also give China enough trade benefits to bolster its path towards becoming the world's biggest economy in the future.

Read: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Says 'utmost Caution' Needed Over Virus Case Spike

(With inputs from ANI)






Wills are written by people to express how they wish their property and money to be inherited when they die. Because people usually leave legacies to close family, they are immensely useful to genealogists wishing to learn about and prove family relationships.

WHAT WILLS ARE

While wills can sometimes enable us to trace family trees in their own right, they are most often used to clarify and prove pedigrees constructed from General Registration records, censuses and parish registers. They can also add colour to family trees, detailing unusual belongings, eccentric desires and suggesting how members of the family felt about each other.

HOW WILLS DEVELOPED

In the Middle Ages, there were very strict rules governing the inheritance of land and property (real estate), which usually went to the eldest son although in parts of England real estate was divided between each all children, with the youngest receiving the hearth (gavelkind, found particularly in Kent), or went to the youngest son (borough English). The wife would customarily receive a third for life (or half under gavelkind).

The personal estate could be bequeathed, but a third had to go to the widow and at least a third to the children. To get around the rules, people passed the land to trustees who held the land under the terms specified in a deed or a will, and in practice allowed it to be used by the person to whom the original holder would have bequeathed it had he been free to do so.

The Statute of Wills of 1540, followed by the Wills Act of 1837, laid down the rules under which most wills you will encounter were made. From 1540, men aged 14 or more and women aged 12 or more could write wills, until 1837 when the age for both sexes was raised to 21, those who were excommunicated, mad, or prisoners could not write wills and, while spinsters and widows often wrote wills, married women seldom did until 1882, because until the Married Women's Property Act of 1882 they could not legally own anything.

WRITING A WILL

In a will, the writer (testator, or testatrix if female) nominated executors to distribute their property after their death. The executors would take the will to a court to prove it, by swearing that it was authentic and represented the deceased's last wishes and undertaking to fulfil the instructions expressed.

Wills were usually written by lawyers following their clients instructions but sometimes they were dictated by testators, usually on their death beds. These were called nuncupative wills and, when they were proved, they were often accompanied by statements from a couple of people who had been present. After 1837, nuncupative wills were only valid if made by members of the armed forces before killing in action.

Original wills are held in public archives, unless they were never proved-if there was no likelihood of a dispute, families often decided to avoid the cost of going to probate -in which case they may be in family or solicitors' papers. Some were taken to church courts but the process of probate was never seen through. Family papers may often, however, contain probate copies, kept by the executors to enable them to do their jobs properly.

FINDING A WILL

The wealthier a family was, the more likelihood there is of them having left wills. However, some very rich people never left wills and, although many poor people did not either, plenty did. If you are tracing a family of labourers, it is unlikely you will find wills for them, but you should never assume this because some did and you could miss out on a very great deal of interesting and useful information if you never look.

Equally, you may have traced a family tree perfectly well using other records and decide you do not need to look for wills. Again, you might just as well not have bothered starting the exercise at all, as will often provide for more colour and interest than most of the other documents genealogists use.

Up to 1898, the value of the estate would be recorded in the probate details. This was the value of the personal estate (not freehold land, unless it had been rented out for a fixed term of years) before deduction of funeral expenses and debts. After 1898 real estate was included unless it was held in trust. Up to 1881, the value was usually quoted as under a round sum, such as under 700, after which the exact sum was stated.

LETTERS OF ADMINISTRATION

If someone dies without leaving a will, they are said to be intestate. Close relatives, often the deceased's husband or wife, or sometimes creditors or close friends, could, and indeed still can apply for authority to allow them to settle the estate. The resulting letters of administration provide details of who died and when, and where they lived, and the person or people (with places of residence and usually their relationship to the deceased) to whom the power of administration was granted, and the date of the grant. They are not nearly as useful as wills, but usually provide a little information that can still be very helpful in tracing a family tree.

There have always been strict laws as to how intestates property is to be distributed. Widows were entitled to a third of their husband's estate, with the remainder going equally to the children, although under gavelkind in Kent they received half if there were children and, since1926 this rule has applied to the whole country. After the spouse, the children inherit, or if any of them are dead their own offspring inherit their parents share. If there is no spouse, children or other descendants, the estate passes to the deceased's parents, or if they are deceased to the deceaseds siblings or descendants of deceased siblings. This is followed then my grandparents, and failing them siblings or descendants of siblings of the parents, or failing that siblings or descendants of the siblings of the grandparents (and so on), always in equal shares.

WILLS FROM 1858 ONWARDS

From 12 January 1858, all wills were proved and administrations granted by local probate offices and the records collated by the Principal Probate Registry(PPR), now termed the Principal Registry of the FamilyDivision. Wills and administrations were indexed in separate annual, alphabetical volumes up to 1870, after which both were indexed together in the same annual alphabetical volumes. The volumes are easy to search, providing sufficient detail in almost all cases to determine whether you have found the right person. The annual indexes state:

Name and residence of deceased

Date of death

Where the will was proved or letters of administration granted.

Value of a deceaseds estate

Occupations of deceased and executors or administrators are often stated.

Residence of executors or administrators and, between 1858 and 1892, their relationship (if any) to the deceased.

WILLS BEFORE 1858

Before 1858, wills were proved by church courts, also called ecclesiastical courts, and unfortunately, even if you know where your ancestor lived it is not always obvious which church would have proved their will.

England and Wales, and all English and Welsh subjects dying abroad, not least soldiers and sailors, fell under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Anyone who wished could take a will to the Archbishopscourt, the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC), which (somewhat confusingly) was at Doctor's Commons near St Paul's Cathedral, London. This was often the option of the wealthy, for whom the PCC had a certaincache. During the Cromwellian Commonwealth (1653-60) it was renamed the Court of Probate of Wills and Granting of Administrations and was the only place where these activities could take place.

The Archbishop's own archbishopric itself only extended as far north of the River Trent, beyond which probate jurisdiction fell to the Archbishop of York. If someone had property worth more than 5 in both archbishoprics, their will had to be proved at the PCC. Because government stock held at the Bank of England was deemed to be property in London, Bank of England clients from all over the country had to have their wills proved at the PCC, and after 1812 the Bank of England did not recognize any wills not proved there. However, if the person's property was only within Cheshire, Cumberland, Durham, Northumberland, Westmoreland and Yorkshire, it could be proved at the Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of York (PCY) or, before 1577, at his Exchequer Court.

OVERCOMING PROBLEMS

Remember that wills are arranged by date of probate, not the date of death, so if your ancestor died in 1720 but their will was not proved until 1740, then that is the year in which the will appears in the index. Generally, the broad periods of time covered by the indexes make them easy to search and it is usually straightforward to find both the person you want and also to note others of the same name who could be relatives. It is not uncommon to search for an ancestor's will and to end up finding wills for their parents and grandparents in the same index.

Indexes seldom take variant spellings into account, and sometimes indexers may have mistranscribed a testators name, so you must be as alert to these problems, as when conducting any other searches.

If you are lucky, you will find wills and associated documentation relating to your direct ancestors. You can then enjoy obtaining photocopies or even photographs of the records, and seeing how much they will tell you about your ancestors lives. Do not forget, however, that much of the wording itself was usually imposed on the testator by lawyers and clerks. When the will of your farmer ancestor states. I devise and bequeath unto my eldest son Thomas my black coat', he probably said something much more like and I want Tommy to have this ere coat. Equally, you may encounter much legal jargon, which will have little bearing on your ancestors true lives and can often be safely ignored.

Wills are excellent tools for searching for ancestors. Your earliest known forebear might-and probably shall-be mentioned in a will written by someone else of the same surname, such as a grandfather, uncle, brother, nephew or cousin. Therefore an ancestor who died in 1760 could be mentioned in a will written before 1760 but not proved until years after, so keep on searching. Equally, a will mentioning one of your ancestors children as a cousin can point the way back to a line of relatives and thus a common parish of origin.

Think too about your ancestors' other relatives. You are as likely to be left bequests by your mother's family as your fathers. If you have found a marriage which you suspect is that of your ancestor's parents, look for wills for people with the wifes maiden name and you may come across your ancestor's maternal grandfather or uncle. If your ancestor came from a small village and you are completely stuck, look for wills of anyone else living in the same place, and before long you will probably find your ancestor mentioned as a relation, neighbour, witness or executor: this might provide the clue you need.

Searching wills. The technique when searching wills in such a speculative way is to make very brief genealogical abstracts, recording only the names, relationships and places that are mentioned. In the foregoing example, all you need note is 'son Thomas'-the fact that he was due to inherit a coat is, at this stage, irrelevant. Should the will subsequently turn out to fit into your family tree, you can always make a more detailed abstract of it later.

Some counties are compiling will beneficiary indexes. Essex RecordOffice has one covering all names appearing in wills written by people in the county of Essex (except those proved in the PCC) 1675-1858. Such indexes can help you accomplish the searches suggested above in a very short time.

Destruction of wills for some areas during Second World War bombing. Those for Somerset, Devon and Cornwall from before 1858, for example, were almost destroyed in the bombing of Exeter in 1942. In such cases, surviving abstracts and copies that had already been made of will have been collected together and information on a manuscript of published sources for these can be obtained from the relevant record offices. Copies of all wills sent to the Estate Duty Office from 1796 have been returned to these three county record offices.

PAPERWORK ATTACHED TO WILLS

Wills and letters of administration could generate much other paperwork. In some dioceses (Chester, for example), this tended to be filed with the wills and administrations while in others it was filed separately and so much harder to access.

WILLS OUTSIDE ENGLAND AND WALES

Scotland

Until 1868, the inheritance of land was rigidly fixed, going automatically to the eldest surviving son (or his heir), or if there were no song lo the eldest surviving daughter, so technically there were no wills (which bequeath land), but only testaments, whereby people could bequeath their movable goods to whomever they liked. The equivalent of a letter of administration, appointing an administrator to distribute the goods of someone who had died intestate, was known as a testament dative.

Probate matters were dealt with in church courts until 1560 when, unlike England and Wales, probate was handed over to secular commissary courts or commissariats under the overall jurisdiction of the Principal Commissariat of Edinburgh, which also dealt with Scots who had goods in Scotland but who had died elsewhere.

In Scotland, there are also services to heirs (also called retours). Mostheritable land simply passed from father to eldest son, but in cases where it did not (e.g. grandchildren inheriting from grandparents because their parents were dead, nephews inheriting from childless uncles and so on), it was common to record the right with a retour. Retours were also used to appoint tutors or guardians for fatherless children (pupils). Those pre-1700 are in Latin and very awkward to use.

IRELAND

Irish probate worked in the same way as in England and Wales, with wills being proved in the consistory courts of the Church of Ireland bishops (there were no archdeaconry courts and very few peculiar courts), under the overall jurisdiction of the prerogative Court of Armagh, the equivalent of the PCC. In 1858, a Principal Probate Registry was established in Dublin. As previously stated the great disaster to Irish genealogy was the destruction of records during the IRA's bombing of the Four Courts in 1922.

The indexes to wills and administrations for all the courts before 1858 survive and at least give the names and addresses of testators, and the year of probate, so even if you cannot read the will you shall still know that someone of a certain name and residence died in or about a certain year. In fact, many wills had been abstracted by solicitors, family archivists and genealogists on an ad hoc basis and, after the disaster, about 20,000 of these were collected together at the NA, where they are indexed.

THE CHANNEL ISLANDS

In Jersey, wills up to 1949 were proved by the EcclesiasticalCourt of the Dean of Jersey.

Guernsey wills are proved by the Ecclesiastical Court of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, St Peter Port.

ISLE OF MAN

Wills and administrations were proved in or granted through either the Consistory Court of Sodor and Man or archdeaconry Court of the Isle of Man. Unlike the rest of Britain, the church did not relinquish control over wills until1884, when probate was transferred to the Manx High Court of Justice.

By: Navin Kumar Jaggi & Gurmeet Singh Jaggi
Pakistans song-and-dance routine to cover up its sponsorship of terror has begun again. Already Islamabads theatrics have devolved into farce. The global terror funding watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), meets this month and in February to review the degree Pakistan has adhered to a FATF action plan. The February plenary will vote to decide whether to remove or keep Pakistan on the terror financing grey list  or even move it to FATFs blacklist.

Every time FATF meetings loom on the horizon, there is a flurry of faux anti-terrorist activity by Pakistan. Symbolic arrests are routinely conducted before every FATF meeting, and 2021 is proving no different. The new year began with the Punjab state counterterrorism department suddenly remembering that Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Lashkar-e-Taiba operations commander and mastermind of the Mumbai 26/11 carnage, has been roaming around the state on bail for the past four years and it would look better if he were behind bars. A similar show as made of Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Sayeeds arrest just before FATF met in October last year. A total of 146 Pakistanis are on the United Nations most wanted terrorists list, including Lakhvi and Sayeed. Of those who target India, few are arrested, almost none convicted and none are ever punished.

The degree to which Pakistani anti-terrorism is an oxymoron was underlined just last week when the Sindh high court ordered the release of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and three accomplices, all convicted for the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl. Sheikh had already been cleared of murder charges, his death sentence reduced to seven years in jail, and was only under lock and key for a three-month preventive detention. The court struck even this down and let Sheikh go free. Washington responded angrily and Islamabad put Sheikh back behind bars. The entire episode underlines that even in the most blatant cases, the Pakistani system has no interest in punishing the guilty and acts solely to appease external forces. The reasons for this lack of interest in justice are obvious: The all-powerful Pakistani military is the patron of these terror groups and has no interest in its role being outed in a court. Pakistan remains the global centre of state-sponsored terrorism with its present target being Afghanistan. It is hoped this simple fact finds reflection in the deliberations of FATFs member-states.
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Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The European Union (EU) is committed to contributing towards a political solution in Libya, the spokesperson for the EU Senior Representative for security and foreign policy, Peter Stano, said here Monday
A total of 38 people have tested positive for the new UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 in India so far, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday.

These include the 29 cases which were announced till Friday.

All these people have been kept in single room isolation in designated healthcare facilities by respective state governments and their close contacts have also been put under quarantine, the ministry said.

Of the 38, the mutated UK strain was detected in eight samples at National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), New Delhi, 11 in the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Delhi, one in the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG), Kalyani (near Kolkata), five in the National Institute of Virology in Pune, three in Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad and 10 were sequenced at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences Hospital (NIMHANS), Bengaluru. The NCBS, InSTEM in Bengaluru, CDFD in Hyderabad, ILS in Bhubaneswar and NCCS in Pune have so far found no UK mutant virus, the ministry said.

A total of 38 samples have been found to be positive with the new UK variant genome, the ministry said.

It said comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others. Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on, it added.

The situation is under careful watch and regular advice is being provided to the states for enhanced surveillance, containment, testing and dispatch of samples to INSACOG labs, the ministry stated.

The positive Covid-19 samples are being tested at 10 INSACOG labs (NIBMG Kolkata, ILS Bhubaneswar, NIV Pune, NCCS Pune, CCMB Hyderabad, CDFD Hyderabad, InSTEM Bengaluru, NIMHANS Bengaluru, IGIB Delhi and NCDC Delhi) for genome sequencing.

The presence of the new UK variant has already been reported by Denmark, Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore.

The government of India took cognizance of the reports of virus reported from the UK and put in place a proactive and preventive strategy to detect and contain the mutant variant, it said.

This strategy includes temporary suspension of all flights coming from the UK with effect from the midnight of December 23 till January 7 and mandatory testing of all UK-returned air passengers through RT-PCR test. The samples of all UK returnees found positive in RT-PCR test will be genome sequenced by a consortium of 10 government labs - INSACOG. Further, all the international passengers who have arrived in India between December 9 to 22, if symptomatic and tested positive for Covid-19, will be subjected to genome sequencing as part of the Centres strategy to detect the mutated UK variant in them.

Others will be followed up by the respective state and district surveillance officers and will be tested as per ICMR guidelines (even if asymptomatic) between fifth and tenth day, according to the Union Health Ministrys guidance document on genomic sequencing.

Further, epidemiological surveillance of the passengers, who have arrived in India since November 23 will be conducted in the community through active follow up. Besides, standard operating protocol for states and UTs to tackle the mutant variant of SARS-CoV-2 was issued on December 22.
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(Sharecast News) - Biotechnology company Tiziana Life Sciences announced the completion of its clinical study in Brazil on Monday, investigating nasally-administered Foralumab - its proprietary human monoclonal antibody - either alone or in combination with orally administered dexamethasone in Covid-19 patients.

The AIM-traded firm said the study was completed in collaboration with scientific teams at the Harvard Medical School of Boston, Santa Casa de Misericordia de Santos Hospital of Santos, Brazil, and Sao Paulo-based contract research organisation Intrials.



It said the last patients in the trial received their final dose on 21 December, with the topline data from the trial expected to be available during January.



Because Covid-19 entered through the nasal and respiratory passage, the proprietary nasal formulation and nasal delivery of Foralumab was described by the board as an "innovative approach" to provide immediate relief to Covid-19 patients.



Dr. Howard Weiner (the Robert L. Kroc Professor of Neurology at the Harvard Medical School, The clinical study enrolled a total of 39 patients with moderate-to-severe Covid-19, who did not require the use of a ventilator at the beginning of the study.



Tiziana siad the primary endpoint of the study was the safety of the treatment, with secondary endpoints being to evaluate the effect of treatment on disease severity symptoms, nasal tolerance, sense of smell, and biomarkers for disease progression.



The pharmacokinetics of nasally-administered Foralumab were also being evaluated.



Patient-reported outcomes to assess clinical responses related to Covid-19 symptoms, as per US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines, were also being collected.



"While we expect to get the topline data in January, we are delighted with the positive feedback received from the treated patients," said chief executive and scientific officer Dr Kunwar Shailubhai.



"This is the first-in-class and scientifically logical approach to improve the human immune system by stimulating Tregs to suppress lung inflammation, and to dampen cytotoxic CD8+ T cell responses in the nasal and respiratory tract, the primary sites of the Covid-19 virus."



Dr Shailubhai said the company believed such an approach could potentially provide benefits to patients already infected with Covid-19, and its newly-identified variants.



"Thus, our therapeutic approach to provide rapid relief to patients already suffering with the diseases is particularly important, because vaccination is primarily to prevent Covid-19 infection, but it may not be useful for treatment of Covid-19 patients."



At 1443 GMT, shares in Tiziana Life Sciences were up 13.01% at 103.4p.
Her romance with film and TV actor Ed Westwick recently hit the one-year mark.

And model Tamara Francesconi, 26, gave a glimpse inside their luxury getaway to her native South Africa last week, when she shared a snap of herself posing in a white bandeau bikini from PrettyLittleThing.

The brunette beauty looked sensational as she posed up a storm in the flattering number, which she teamed with a matching shirt while posing by a sparkling pool.

Sensational: Ed Westwick's girlfriend Tamara Francesconi shared a snap of herself posing in a white bandeau bikini from PrettyLittleThing last week

Wearing her chestnut brown locks in a voluminous blowout, Tamara highlighted her natural beauty with a palette of impeccably-applied makeup.

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Tamara and former Gossip Girl star Ed, 33, have been spending time at the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff, Johannesburg.

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They travelled down to South Africa for Ed to meet her family for the first time, months after they celebrated their one-year anniversary.

Stunning Tamara has taken to her Instagram to share snaps of herself and Ed soaking up the delightful sights while going on safari.

Meeting the family: The photogenic couple have been spending time in her native South Africa, where he met her family for the first time

Ed has also shared solo snaps of himself posing before a breathtaking backdrop of the nation's expansive safari parks.

The couple have been dating since October 2019, and Tamara revealed he first approached her via her Instagram DMs as she treated her followers to a rare peek at their romance back in November.

Tamara also touched on whether she's jealous about his on-screen kisses, his love for her native country and being co-dependent during the novel coronavirus lockdown.

Fans were curious to find out how the handsome pair crossed paths, and the influencer didn't hold back in revealing the details.

Stunning bikinis: The brunette beauty has been seen wearing a range of PrettyLittleThing bikinis during their getaways together over the summer

Romance: Her romance with film and TV actor Ed recently hit the one-year mark

Shedding light on their virtual encounter and their first date, the brunette said: 'Going to answer this first because it's my most asked question, and probably the reason a lot of you follow me.

'He direct message me out of the blue saying Hi and I nearly fell off my chair, we then chatted for a while and he asked me on a date, which I assumed would be a dinner but instead he took me to a butterfly sanctuary in Mayfair, we thereafter spent the whole day exploring London together, and the rest is history.' (sic)

The social media personality went on to admit how she's become more dependant on the screen star as they spend more time together during the global crisis.

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Tamara admitted: 'I feel like we have all become codependent with our partners this year (I know I have) I think it's really important to do things alone and for yourself, read a book, go for a walk, chat to a friend.' (sic)

Rare: Tamara shared insight into their one-year relationship in an Instagram back in November

The fashion star was also quizzed about whether she grows envious over Ed's on-screen kisses with other women - including the likes of Leighton Meester and Zhu Zhu.

A confident Tamara cheekily replied: 'Not at all happy for his co-star, he's a great kisser.'

Alongside a shirtless image of the thespian taking a scenic photo, the bombshell joked Ed 'believes he's South African' as another follower asked whether he was a fan of her home country.

The Romeo & Juliet star was also asked about whether he had seen his partner without make-up, to which he declared while showering: 'God made you perfect, baby!'

Close: Alongside a shirtless image of the thespian, the bombshell joked Ed 'believes he's South African' as another follower asked whether he was a fan of her home country

On relocating to Los Angeles, Tamara, who split her time between London and South Africa, shared: 'I thought about it last year when Ed was still living there but I think it's London or South Africa for me.'

TV and film star Ed endured a tumultuous period in 2018 after he split from girlfriend Jessica Serfaty.

The Freaks of Nature star is believed to have found happiness with Tamara, with a source telling The Sun in 2019: 'Tamara's head over heels with him.

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'Ed is proud to tell everyone Tamara is his girlfriend. His friends and family all approve and think they're a great match.'
12 opposition parties extend support to farmers protest call on May 26; urge Centre to hold talks with farmers

Farmer leader vows to keep protesting till farm laws are repealed

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Jan 04: Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said on Monday that until the three contentious farm laws were withdrawn, the protesters won't go home.

"Discussion took place on our demands -- repeal of the three laws and MSP... Kanoon wapasi nahi, to ghar wapasi nahi (We will not go home until the laws are withdrawn)," he said as quoted by news agency ANI.

Tikait's statement comes after the Centre ruled out any possibility of repealing the laws at the talks, adding that it can look into any clause the farmers had issues with

However, no breakthrough has been reached so far on the two main demands of the protesting farmers -- a repeal of the three recent farm laws and a legal guarantee to the MSP procurement system.

On Sunday, Tomar met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed the government strategy to resolve the current crisis at the earliest, sources said.

Tomar discussed with Singh "all possible options" to find a "middle path" to resolve the crisis, they added.

Earlier today, Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait said that at least 60 farmers have lost their lives during the protests against the three new agriculture laws. "One farmer is dying every 16 hours. It is the responsibility of the government to answer," he added.

Repeal new farm laws with ordinance: Farmers to govt ahead of meet

Farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and some other states are camping at several entry points of the national capital blocking the highways, demanding that the Centre repeal the farm laws and give legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

Protesting farmers who have been camping at Delhi borders for the last 39 days braving bone-chilling cold and now rains have threatened to intensify their protest if their two major demands -- repeal of the three new farm laws and legal backing for the minimum support price (MSP) -- are not accepted by the government in the January 4 meeting.

Enacted in September 2020, the government has presented these laws as major farm reforms and aimed at increasing farmers'' income, but protesting farmers have raised concerns that these legislations would weaken the MSP and mandi systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporates.
India's drugs regulator gave final approval on Sunday for the emergency-use of a Covid-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University. Britain, El Salvador and Argentina have also approved the vaccine.

Coronavirus vaccine news live updates on DH

Once front-runners in a global race to develop a vaccine, the AstraZeneca and University of Oxford partnership has been overtaken by Pfizer and German partner BioNTech, whose vaccine is already being used in Britain and the United States.

The following are details of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine effort:

Type of vaccine

* Called AZD1222 or ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, the vaccine is a recombinant viral vector vaccine, meaning a virus is used as a means of delivering the vaccine.

* It will be branded COVISHIELD in India and is being manufactured there by partner Serum Institute of India.

* It uses a weakened version of a chimpanzee common cold virus that encodes instructions for making proteins from the novel coronavirus to generate an immune response and prevent infection.

Dosage, protection duration and storage

* India has authorised a two full-dose regime.

* UK authorisation recommends two-dose regime given between four and 12 weeks apart.

* Two regimens are being tested: one in which recipients get two full doses, and another with half a dose followed by a full dose.

* The half-dose first regimen was found to be 90% effective in a subset of trial subjects. The success rate was 62% with the originally planned two full doses, based on interim data.

* In December, Oxford said the vaccine has a better immune response when a two full-dose regime is used, citing data from early trials.

* Immune response could last at least a year.

* The vaccine should be effective against the new coronavirus variant, and studies are underway to fully probe the impact of the mutation.

* The vaccine can be stored, transported and handled at normal refrigerated conditions for at least six months, making it logistically easier to transport than Pfizer's vaccine.

* AstraZeneca aims to supply millions of doses in the first quarter to Britain and is working with the UK government for first vaccinations to begin early in the new year.

Expected dosage price

* Serum Institute of India has said it would price the vaccine at 250 rupees (about $3) per dose for India's government and many other countries and at 1,000 rupees for the private market.

* Pricing in Britain is unknown so far.

* Italy's health ministry said in June the vaccine would cost about 2.5 euros ($2.80) per dose in Europe.

* AstraZeneca has said it will be able to manufacture the vaccine at a few dollars per dose.

* Pricing in Latin America is not expected to exceed $4 per dose.

* Sources told Reuters it could cost $4 to $5 per dose in Bangladesh.

* Costs in other regions have not yet been disclosed.

* AstraZeneca has said it would not profit from the vaccine during the pandemic, but a report from the Financial Times in October showed the company can declare when it considers the pandemic to have ended in its deals for the vaccine.

* AstraZeneca will look to profit from wealthier countries at the "appropriate time".

Testing and data

* Trials combining the vaccine with Russia's Sputnik V will start by the end of the year, and Russia wants to jointly produce the new vaccine if it is proven to be effective.

* Vastly divergent performance with different dose regimens has called for more clarity on the vaccine's efficacy which averaged 70.4%, well below vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, but above the 50% threshold set by many regulators.

* Serum Institute of India will continue to test a two full dose regimen of the vaccine.

* AstraZeneca had to pause global trials on Sept. 6 after an unexplained illness in a participant.

* Trial of the vaccine in the United States resumed in October after other countries had ended their pause.

* AZD1222 produces an immune response in both old and young adults, and also led to lower adverse responses among the elderly, AstraZeneca said in October.

* The vaccine also accurately follows genetic instructions programmed into it by its developers, according to an analysis by independent scientists.

* Brazil said in October that a trial volunteer had died.

* A source told Reuters the Brazilian trial would have been suspended if the volunteer who died had received the Covid-19 vaccine, although the death was reported to be a suicide.

* In July, data from early-stage trials published in The Lancet showed the vaccine was safe and produced an immune response.

Data and regulatory timeline

* The lead developer had said in July the vaccine could be rolled out by year-end, but the delivery and testing timeline has since been pushed back.

* Data read-out submitted to regulators across the world to seek approval.

* Experts have predicted a safe and effective vaccine could take 12-18 months to develop, even at the record speeds.

Target doses/global capacity of supply

* More than 3 billion doses are planned.

* The company will have as many as 200 million doses by the end of 2020, and 700 million doses could be ready globally as soon as the end of the first quarter of 2021.

* AstraZeneca is keeping the vaccine frozen in large containers and will only add a final ingredient, put it into vials and refrigerate it when the vaccine gets closer to approvals.

Tie-ups

* Even before studies showed any signs of efficacy, AstraZeneca had signed several supply and manufacturing deals around the world.

* It also joined forces with IQVIA to speed up testing.

* AstraZeneca has been granted protection from future liability claims related to the vaccine by most of the countries with which it has struck supply agreements, a senior executive told Reuters in July.
Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, which received emergency approval for its coronavirus vaccine only in "clinical trial mode", virtually addressed a press conference at 5 pm on Monday.

Dr Krishna Ella, the founder and chairman of Bharat Biotech, has hailed the decision of the Indian drug regulator to approve Covaxin for emergency restricted use and termed it as a giant leap for innovation and novel product development in India.

Also Read | A year on, China is shaking up the world

The 51-year-old addressed the concerns being raised over Covaxin and said, "People are talking to backlash on Indian companies. That is not done for us. I don't know why Indian companies are targetted by everyone in the world."

At the press conference, the Bharat Biotech CMD said that they are "no way" inferior to Pfizer in terms of coronavirus vaccine. Dr Krishna Ella also said that Bharat Biotech is the only firm to have published five articles on the Covid-19 vaccine process.

'We're a global company'

The Bharat Biotech CMD said that the firm is not just conducting clinical trials in India. "We have done clinical trials in over 12 countries, including the UK. We are doing clinical trials in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and other countries. We are not just an Indian company, we are truly a global company," he added.

On data transparency, he said, "Many people say that I am not transparent in my data. I think people should have the patience to read on the internet and how many articles we have published. More than 70 articles have been published in various international journals."

He further added: "Many people just gossiping, it's just a backlash against Indian companies. That is not right for us. We don't deserve that. Merck's Ebola vaccine never completed a human clinical trial at all but WHO gave emergency authorization for Liberia and Guinea."

"We are proud to say that we have the only BSL-3 production facility in the world, even the US doesn't have it. We are here to help any of the public health emergency in any part of the world," Dr Ella said.

"We are not a company without experience in vaccines. We have tremendous experience in vaccines. We are touching 123 countries. We are the only company that has got such extensive experience and extensive publication in review journals," the Bharat Biotech CMD said.

'Vaccine getting political now'

On vaccine getting political now, he said, "Now that vaccine is being politicised, I want to state very clearly that none of my family members is associated with any political party."

"We are a company with vaccine experience and have made 16 vaccines," he said.

On the credibility of Covaxin, he said, "Why is nobody questioning the UK trials? Because Indian trials are easy to be bashed."

Dr Ella further added: "In India, we do everything systematically and we get bashing from the news media. Some company has branded me as water. It hurts as a scientist and we don't deserve that," he added."

This comes a day after the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved 'Covaxin' for restricted use in emergency situations in the country, paving the way for a massive inoculation drive.

Meanwhile, the drug regulator has also allowed Bharat Biotech to conduct its trials on children who are above the age of 12 years.

The Covid-19 vaccine has already been used for children above 12 in the last round and has been found safe. The Hyderabad-based firm is conducting Phase 3 trials in India.

Following the formal approval by the DCGI, several questions were raised on the emergency use permission given to Covaxin without its phase 3 trials.

However, the drug regulator, while announcing its approval to the Bharat Biotech vaccine, said that Covaxin is "safe and gives a robust immune response".

The drug regulator also asserted that no vaccine with even the slightest safety concern would be approved for administration and said the vaccines are 110% safe.

Bharat Biotech's Covaxin will be administered in two doses, the DCGI said in its permission letter.

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A Shavano Park Fire Department captain has filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against the small city in North Bexar County, claiming he wasnt hired for the fire chiefs job because he is Hispanic.

Capt. Ivan Hernandez, 47, who has worked at the department for almost 20 years, accuses the city of passing him over almost two years ago and hiring someone less qualified to lead the department. City officials gave the top job to former Castle Hills fire chief Darrell Dover in January 2019.

Dover, who is white, is not mentioned by name in the lawsuit. His LinkedIn page shows he has worked for various local fire departments for more than 25 years, including 20 years at the Castle Hills department, where he rose to the rank of captain before becoming its chief in 2017.

Hernandez was first hired by the Shavano Park Fire Department in 2001 and also worked for a time at the Seguin Fire Department. He continues to work full time as a fire department captain in Shavano Park, an affluent community of almost 3,800 residents, where whites account for 71 percent of the population and the median annual household income is $204,737, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data.

Hernandez is concerned that he might face retaliation because of the discrimination claims raised by his Dec. 22 lawsuit, said his attorney, Alfonso Kennard Jr., who runs a labor and employment law firm in Houston.

The city has not yet been served with the lawsuit, Shavano Park officials reported.

Mayor Bob Werner denied racial bias played any role in any of the citys personnel matters. In an email Thursday, he defended the decision to hire Dover, calling him an excellent choice and the best candidate for the job.

The citys hiring and firing decisions have never been made based on a persons ethnicity, Werner wrote.

The mayor said the city makes every effort to follow best practices in all personnel matters, weighing the recommendations of an ethnically diverse selection panel on hirings or promotions for all community director positions, including the fire chiefs job.

On ExpressNews.com: Remarks by two San Antonio Fire Department leaders prompt federal discrimination complaints

Hernandez wants things to be done right, his attorney said.

He is not greedy, and he is not looking for a windfall, Kennard said. When you file a lawsuit, it becomes public record. He was willing to sacrifice his own reputation in doing so because he felt strongly enough that it was the right thing to do. Its not like it did him any favors moving forward.

In late 2018, Hernandez applied for the Shavano Park fire chiefs position and was interviewed for the job. City officials never offered him an explanation as to why they hired Dover, the lawsuit states.

Hernandez then examined the citys selection process. He filed an open records request for the fire chiefs job posting, the job requirements, the scoring of the applicants and the interview notes.

It became obvious that the scoring was biased toward the applicant from outside the department, especially on items Mr. Hernandez was clearly more qualified or knowledgeable on, the lawsuit states. This was not a fair evaluation. It made no sense.

Going into the process of selecting a new chief, Mr. Hernandez recognized that those on the selection committee had already picked their horse in the race, and the city council rubber stamped it, just as it had always been.

Hernandez enjoys his job, but believes that the city councils and the selection committees conduct was discriminatory, the lawsuit noted.

When we compare (Hernandez) to the individual that he was up against, we believe that in a court of law, we will show conclusively that he was the most qualified, Kennard said.

Dover did not respond to requests for comment.

On ExpressNews.com: Employee sues San Antonio River Authority for racial discrimination, retaliation

Kennard said the city has a history of discrimination. Hernandez could not recall Shavano Park officials ever naming a non-white or Hispanic employee as the head of any city department in the nearly 20 years he has worked there, the lawsuit stated.

But the mayor disputed that Thursday, noting Shavano Parks current city secretary-human resources director is Hispanic, as was the person who previously held that position. Werner also said one of the citys former public works directors and a former city manager were Hispanic.

Werner said in the five years he has served as Shavano Parks mayor, each review panel has made unanimous recommendations on which applicants should be selected for department directors positions.

Prior to each (council) vote, the resumes of the top candidates are reviewed by council members, along with our city managers recommendation, which has historically followed the panels results, Werner said.

Hernandez and his attorney havent yet decided if they will seek a specific amount of monetary damages or press for him to be given the Shavano Park fire chiefs job.

Shavano Park officials let Hernandez get to a certain point, but they werent going to let him get to the top, Kennard said. And thats a shame.

As recently as Dec. 21, a photo showing the fire captain receiving his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine was posted on the Shavano Park Firefighters Facebook page.

It takes a strong individual to continue to serve his community in that fashion, Kennard said.
This is our annual summary of current war zones and an overview of where it is all heading. For several years we have been doing this once a year rather than twice to reflect the decline in the number and severity of wars since the 1990s. After this overview there is the alphabetical list of the war zones and a quick summary of how the local mayhem has been proceeding. Since we have been covering this sort of thing for over twenty years now there are many war zones that have gone quiet. We left most of those in summary, with a note that those wars had gone dormant, and maybe extinct. History shows that dormant is more common than extinct. Forever, or at least multi-century wars, are an ancient tradition.

Overall things are a lot more peaceful than the headlines or Internet chatter would have you believe. Like most major trends, world peace just kind of sneaked up on everyone and a lot of people have not noticed. Thanks to modern tech, mainly ubiquitous access to cell phones and the Internet, any mayhem anywhere on the planet easily becomes another news items for a global audience. The gives the impression of more violence when it is nothing more than unprecedented general access to violence that until recently was never broadcast worldwide and accompanied by video. That gives a false impression that has not been widely acknowledged. Historians, anthropologists and archeologists have found that centuries ago life was a lot more violent and we have long known that life spans were much shorter. This is still the case with surviving tribal and Stone Age cultures.

While there are still a few stone-age cultures left on the planet there are also several more advanced ones that are cursed with a culture of medieval mayhem. These have come to be called failed states and the most active ones, Somalia and Afghanistan, are often in the news. There are still a few imperial powers in the headlines. Most empires disappeared over the last two centuries but several have survived and are trying to bring back the good old days, if you are the emperor and his cronies, of power and glory. Empires are dictatorships because democracy and imperial behavior do not mix. The troublesome empires currently in the news include China, Russia, Iran, Turkey and the Islamic Caliphate. Turkey, Russia and Iran are technically democracies but for the moment the imperial spirit is ascendant and the main cause of problems with their neighbors.

Since the end of the Cold War in 1991 deaths from wars and large-scale civil disorder, which are often recorded as some kind of war, has led to a sharp drop in violence worldwide. This occurred despite increasingly active and lethal Islamic terror groups. While the terror attacks themselves were news, the current and historical causes of the Islamic terrorism were not. Examining that would have revealed that Islamic radicalism has a large anti-technology component, which is why Islamic terrorist violence tends to be low tech and disorganized. That explains why most war deaths are not caused by terrorists and even in 2014, a peak year for Islamic death cults seeking to revive the Caliphate, terrorism related deaths, mostly Islamic terrorism, accounted for 20 percent of all war related deaths. Islamic terrorism gets the most publicity but less glamorous disputes do most of the killing.

Islamic terrorism no longer dominates the news now that ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) has been crushed but not destroyed. Global Islamic terrorism related deaths have fallen by over 50 percent since 2014, when there were 35,000. Global deaths hit 19,000 in 2017, under 16,000 for 2018 and that downward trend continued into 2021. This activity is most visible in the GTI (Global Terrorism Index), which counts all forms of terrorism. In 2018 Egypt has dropped out of the top ten as they suppressed most of the Islamic terrorist activity in Sinai. In 2017 Egypt was number three but for 2019 it was at fourteen. The 2019 top ten consists of Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan, India, Congo and the Philippines. India, Philippines, Yemen and Congo all have Islamic terrorism accounting for a minority of the deaths. In 2018 worldwide terrorism deaths declined 15 percent to 15,952. This decline is, so far, a four-year trend and Syria is one of the areas where there have been fewer deaths in the last few years. Egypt saw an even more dramatic 90 percent decline. This decline has continued for 2020 but the headline news does not cover trends like that. The old news adage, if it bleeds it leads is as true as ever.

Since 2014 five nations (Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Syria and Pakistan) have accounted for most of these deaths. The largest source of Islamic terror deaths during that period was ISIL, a more radical faction of al Qaeda that currently is where the most radical practitioners of Islamic terrorism are found. Islamic terrorists continue to be, as it has been since the 1990s, the main source of terrorism related deaths, accounting for about 90 percent of the fatalities. The remainder of the terrorist related deaths are ethnic (often tribal) conflicts in Africa and Asia. Purely political terrorism accounts for a fraction of one percent of all terrorist related deaths and are outnumbered by terrorism deaths inflicted by common, often organized, criminals.

How Failed States Get That Way

Wars tend to be found in nations that are poorly, if at all, governed. This usually means corrupt rulers and a corrupt economy that is unable to provide for the welfare of the people. The nations mired in war and general mayhem tend to be those that score lowest on international surveys of well-being and lack of corruption. For example, the ten nations suffering the most terrorism deaths rank lowest in the Human Development Index the UN has compiled annually during the last 30 years. The index ranks all nations on how well they do in terms of life expectancy, education and income. The top ten tend to be the same nations every year. These include Norway, Switzerland, Ireland, Germany, Iceland, Sweden, and Netherlands as well as Pacific Rim nations like Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. The bottom ten also tend to be regulars with the usual suspects being Solomon Islands, Syria, Cameroon, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Comoros, Mauretania, Benin, Uganda, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Mali, Burundi, South Sudan, Chad and Central African Republic. North Korea is not ranked because not enough reliable data is available on the population or economy. Taiwan was not rated because China insisted Taiwan was part of China. But in previous years Taiwan would just about make the top twenty, competing with South Korea and Israel for 20th place.

Corruption is measure annually in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI). It is measured on a 1 (most corrupt) to 100 (not corrupt) scale. The most corrupt nations (usually North Korea/14, Yemen/14, Syria/13, South Sudan/13 and Somalia/10) have a rating of under 15 while of the least corrupt (New Zealand and Denmark) are over 85. A classic example of the impact of a socialist police state versus free market democracy is Korea. North Korean score is 14 while South Korea was 57.

The ten most corrupt nations tend to be the same every year and include Somalia (the worst), Syria, South Sudan, Yemen, North Korea, Sudan, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Afghanistan and Libya. Not all of these nations are at war but they all either are or very likely to suffer civil war or just a lot of civil disorder which is widespread violence that often leads to civil war. The ten least corrupt tend to be Denmark, New Zealand, Finland, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, Canada and Luxembourg.

A major obstacle in reducing corruption is the persistence of corruption based on tribal allegiance. This is a common problem in Africa and many other parts of the world. The least corrupt nations have been most successful in leaving tribalism behind. The major reason tribalism survives is because lacking the presence of effective (high CPI) nation-state a tribal government is usually the best, or at least most accessible and reliable alternative.

The Peacekeeping Myths

A major misunderstanding many political and military leaders make is to underestimate the amount of time it takes to fundamentally change a nation from a source of war and disorder to one of peace, prosperity and unity. The fundamental misunderstanding is that the lack of civil society, as in a widely accepted set of cultural and political practices that create widespread trust, means that there is no quick fix for a chaotic area mired in war and mayhem. It takes decades or generations of sustained effort to achieve a civil society. Without a civil society to work with the best you can do is pacify. Thats why so many peacekeeping efforts never seem to end. On the other hand, nations with a civil society, like Japan and Germany after World War II, can change swiftly and effectively. That is why nations with lots of corruption and not much human development are so prone to violence and wars that never seems to end.

The worst of these trouble some areas have come to be described as failed states. That is, an area that never was a unified and stable state and is still cursed with a fundamental political instability. Some examples are Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan and many African states that were created by colonial rulers who underestimated the durability of tribal traditions and the difficulty of creating a civil society. Empires are usually created via conquest but that has become more difficult in the last century. The urge to establish new empires is much diminished now, largely because of the disastrous aftereffects of national socialists (Nazis), international socialists (Soviet Union) and ethnic nationalists (World War II Japan). But the urge for defunct or legendary empires to be revived still exists. You can see it happening with China, Russia, Iran, Turkey and Islamic radicals seeking to revive the medieval caliphate.

At the same time there are also problems with democracies. As Winston Churchill put it, democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others. To make matters more interesting, all democracies are different, often drastically so. Despite all that, having the people as ultimate source of political power manages to function in a wide variety of cultural environments. Democracy is also a perpetual work-in-progress and always a few major missteps away from degrading into totalitarianism or chaos.

Misdeeds Of The Ancients

Empires are often underestimated or misunderstood and that is one reason why empires are still a problem. Empires are the product of nation-states that believe their form of government should be forced on neighbors for various reasons, usually having to do with making a lot of imperialists rich and possibly improving the state of the conquered areas. Empires are inherently unstable because they tend to produce a lot of corruption and costs, in terms of resources and people. The conquered tend to require a long time, if ever, to accept the new status forced upon them.

In the pre-industrial age empires were broken up and reassembled often. With the growth of democracy during the last two centuries that has become less popular and more difficult. Democracies and empires dont mix well.

Islamic terrorism is a key component of some efforts to revive ancient empires. Dealing with all the mayhem, usually via peacekeeping, that Islamic terrorism and Imperialism has been increasingly difficult. The number of refugees created by all this mayhem has reached numbers not seen since the aftermath of World War II. The motivation for all this violence is generally religion, territorial claims or both. As a result of this trend, reviving empires is a common theme with all the major troublemakers in the early 21st century and most of the 20th. This is an ancient curse that has reappeared recently in multiple forms. Some of these efforts are more media friendly than others but all share the same characteristics; mobilizing popular support for rebuilding lost empires and, especially in the West, how to deal with all those refugees. Most Moslem majority nations refuse to accept refugees, especially Moslem refugees. This is connected to the reasons for the outbreaks of Islamic terrorism but that connection is understood better in Moslem nations than in the West, where many actively deny that there is a terrorism problem inherent with Islam.

The most obvious one example of all this, the Islamic caliphate revival, grabbed most of the headlines after 2014 because Islamic terrorism has been a common symptom of desperate, longshot efforts to restore the caliphate for over a thousand years. There are some unique features with this religion-based empire that has been hostile to any kind of progress, especially technology, economic or religious. Islam literally means submission and that combining of church and state is unpopular with most people and the main reason past caliphate revival efforts have been unsuccessful. The quick and brutal demise of ISIL was largely because it also tried to use self-righteous fanaticism as its primary weapon and motivation in a world that was largely hostile to such a brutal and simplistic ideology. ISIL was one of the few Islamic radical movements that mobilized nearly all Moslems to jointly and violently oppose it. Yet even with ISIL suppressed there are plenty of other Islamic empire revivalists who all seek to not just make Islam great again but to do it on a global scale. ISIL is still around as are the religious beliefs that have kept Islamic terrorism flaring up periodically for over a thousand years.

ISIL was not the only major Moslem effort to revive a religion-based empire. There are two others underway and causing lots of problems because they are more about nationalism and ethnicity than religion. First there is Iran, which has been a regional superpower for thousands of years but fell on hard times after the 7th century because of a succession of damaging visits by invaders. First came conquest by the Arab revival (the initial wars of conquest by newly converted Moslem Arabs). This was humiliating because Persians never thought such a thing possible. That was followed by a devastating visit by the Mongols after which came a series of exhausting wars with the Ottoman Turks and finally the Western nations and all their new tech and ideas. Even before the largely secular Iranian monarchy was replaced by a religious dictatorship in the 1980s, Iranian imperial ambitions, financed by all that new and unexpected oil wealth, was seen as a growing problem. This may be a problem that resolves itself because since late 2017 nationwide anti-government protests broke out in Iran and continue into 2021. Young (born after the 1980s) Iranians are now the majority and want an end to corruption, theocracy and expensive foreign misadventures. The operation in Syria was seen as particularly wasteful and expensive, especially with Israel threatening to use whatever it takes, including their nukes, to prevent Iran from creating a military presence on their northern border.

In another unexpected development, some persuasive Turkish politicians got interested in religion and empire building again. In the 1990s the Turks, who had gone secular after their centuries old Ottoman Empire collapsed in the 1920s, decided to give Islam another chance as an elected ruler (Recep Erdogan) tries, with some success, to revive the Ottoman empire using a combination of Islam, technology and creative diplomacy to make Turkey great again. This comes into conflict, as it has in the past, with Iranian efforts to restore their imperial past. The new Turkish empire builder, called Sultan Recep The First behind his back is not that much interested in taking back lost real estate but is eager to regain the Turkish leadership of the Islamic world. That was lost a century ago when Turkish secular reformers renounced the title of caliph the Turkish Sultan (emperor) has long held. Sultan Recep has a lot of opposition at home and not much support in the region for an Ottoman revival. But Erdogan is a resourceful and ruthless politician and in early 2018 won re-election as president. This keeps him in power until 2023 as an elected official even though his political allies are doing much less well with the voters.

Meanwhile Eurasia finds itself beset by several major imperial revival efforts. In the east there is China, where the current dynasty is actually a bunch of communist party leaders trying to stay in power using the appeal of lost, several centuries earlier, imperial glories. Just as Hitler described his imperial effort as the Fourth Reich (empire) in the tradition of ancient Rome followed by the Holy Roman Empire and the 19th century German Reich, so does China claim legitimacy because of ancient claims by earlier Chinese empires.

Back in the 1980s China adopted a market economy and shed most of its socialist responsibilities. So with the presence of a nationalist dictatorship you actually have a repeat of what happened nearly a century ago. China has a self-appointed leader-for-life running what is officially known as a socialist dictatorship. Back in the 1930s Germany had a free-market economy run by the NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers Party) or, Nazis. Spain had a similar government with a dictator technically acting as regent for a deposed monarchy. Japan had a market economy but its constitutional monarchy had been usurped by a military coup that put a military dictatorship in power that ruled in the name of the emperor. Italy was run by a dictator who was a lifelong socialist but also a nationalist dictator promising to revive the Roman Empire on the cheap. That did not end well. But that was then, today the fascists are the same but a bit different.

Fascist China now and Fascist Germany in the 1930s were very similar but there were some key differences. In the 1930s the U.S. had the largest GDP in the world and Germanys was second. But back then the American GDP was more than twice the size of Germanys while today the Chinese GDP is about two thirds the size of the American one and may match it by the end of the decade. The German military was one of the most effective on the planet with an impressive record of winning battles, and losing wars. The Chinese military has much less illustrious track record and usually prevailed eventually because of the ability to mobilize more soldiers for a longer war than their opponents could handle. Historically Chinese armies often looked good on paper but usually proved to be paper tigers when the fighting began. The American military has become one of the most effective on the planet. China has similar goals to 1930s Germany. China has territorial claims on neighbors and needs more territory and resources for its huge population. The Chinese believe in the racial superiority of the Han ethnic group (which most Chinese belong to) and of historical destiny to rule the largest possible empire. Until the 18th century, China was the largest nation-state on the planet and had been so for thousands of years. But it went into decline for two centuries. Most Chinese agree that it is time for China to once again be the most powerful state in the world. This is causing problems.

The neighbors, and the rest of the world, are more alarmed than inclined to submit. Russia and India, two potential victims, have nukes. This was something earlier Chinese empire builders never had to face although the Mongols did a pretty impressive job of killing everyone and burning everything over a wide area. Like current nuclear powers, the Mongols learned to use the application of massive violence more as a threat than as a regular practice.

Then there is Russia, where former communist era secret police officers, led by Vladimir Putin, are trying to use imperial nostalgia and the more familiar (to these former KGB professionals) police state tactics to at least stay in power and, if possible, Make Russia Imperial Again. The Russian leader since 2000, as president or prime minister, is officially opposed to the return of leader for life rule in Russia despite his exceptionally long rule. He pulled this off my taking advantage of the term-limits rule for presidents by amassing enough power so he could run the country as prime minister while a trusted associate gets elected as a nominal president. Putin says he wants to change the constitution to make one-man rule more difficult to achieve. Most Russians seem to agree but meanwhile Russia is a market economy run by a nationalist dictator.

West of the Russian revival is the EU (European Union) that many Europeans see as an effort to revive a European empire that never really existed, although Charlemagne came close for a short time in the 9th century and a thousand years before that the Romans were a contender. There isnt much nostalgia for these traditional empires but many Europeans back a kinder and gentler empire that is based more on voluntary cooperation than coercion. The EU has run into problems because too many Europeans see the EU developing an unelected bureaucracy that can make all sorts of new rules and even foreign policy without any regard for what their constituents and, technically, employers, the European voters think. A growing number of Europeans think this EU Empire sucks and are demanding that their local politicians, who are still responsible to the voters, at least more so than the EU officials, fix this problem or get their country out of the EU. The imperial officials are not pleased with this ignorance and ingratitude by their subjects and are fighting back in a losing battle to keep their new empire together.

The Turkish and Iranian imperial efforts are also propelled by nationalist dictatorships. Turkeys leader hasnt achieved full dictator status yet but most Turks fear he is deliberately going that way. Turkey isnt seeking to regain possession of former Ottoman territory but instead wants to establish Turkish influence over the former empire. Most of those former Ottoman territories want nothing to do with this Turkish imperialism. Iran has a religious dictatorship that replaced a constitutional monarchy after a 1979 revolution that was supposed to bring democracy. Iran was always an empire and currently only half the Iranian population are ethnic Iranian. The current Iranian dictatorship wants indirect control over certain areas. It already had that in southern Lebanon and Syria and is seeking it in northern Yemen and Gaza. The Iranian dictatorship seeks all this domination for religious as well as diplomatic and economic reasons. The obsession with destroying Israel is absurd. But in the Middle East absurd often passes as normal.

Meanwhile the United States, where millions of people fled to over the last four centuries trying to escape all these old-world empires are now dealing with a movement by some of the descendants of these imperial refugees to revive imperial links with the rest of the world. But there are so many to choose from. The EU and Islam seem to be favorites although all the imperial revival movements have some fans in the United States. But many Americans dont want to Make America Imperial. There are still a lot of new arrivals who have recent personal experience with this stuff and will tell anyone who will listen that all this empire building does not end well. Those painful memories tend to be forgotten after a few generations, with an assist by those who seek to reinterpret history to better serve their current goals rather than to rectify past mistakes. Americans seek to Make Reality Great Again, at least once they agree on which interpretation of reality to use.

The Great Nuclear Ceasefire Stumbles On

Despite the growing military power of China, and the saber rattling from Russia, the major military powers continue the GNC (Great Nuclear Ceasefire) that began in the 1950s, when Russia got nuclear weapons, and suddenly realized they could not afford to use them without risking more destruction than past foes like the Nazis, French or Mongols inflicted. As more countries got nukes, the "we can't afford to use them, but they're nice to have" attitude, and the unprecedented truce, persisted. There have been wars, but not between the big players who have the largest and most destructive conventional forces. Because of the GNC a historical record was broken in 1986, as there had never before, since the modern state system developed in the 16th century, been so long a period without a war between major powers. That is, the kind that could afford, these days, to get nukes. Since the Cold War ended in 1991 there have been fewer wars, at least in the traditional sense, and the GNC holds. Not only have there been fewer wars since the 1950s but there has been a lot less poverty, especially since the Cold War, and so many communist governments, ended in the 1990. The communist nations failed economically and most of them rapidly reduced poverty once they had a free market economy. At the end of the Cold War (late 1980s) 40 percent of the world population lived in destitution (extreme poverty) but three decades later that poverty rate is down to ten percent. Most of the remaining extreme poverty occur in badly governed areas of the Middle East (Syria, Yemen) and Africa (Libya, Congo, the Sudans) that are also the scene of wars or general disorder.

The down side there are a lot more low-level rebellions and civil wars, but overall a lot less death, destruction and extreme poverty. Most people are unaware of this situation, because the mass media never made a lot of the GNC as it was something that was just there and not worth reporting. Besides, "nuclear bombs, power plants and medicine are evil" sells if you are in the news business. Calling any incident, with a lot of gunfire and a few dead bodies, a "war" has also been misleading. The fact is, worldwide violence has been declining since the end of the Cold War and the elimination of Russian subsidies and encouragement for pro-communist, or simply pro-Russia or just anti-West, rebels and terrorists. The media also has a hard time keeping score. If you step back and take a look at all the wars going on, a more accurate picture emerges. In light of that, take sensational reporting of the Chinese threat with a bit of skepticism.

Most current wars are basically uprisings against inefficient, corrupt and oppressive police states or feudal societies which are seen as out-of-step with the modern world. The Internet and widespread adoption of smart phones made most people on the planet aware that a better life was not only a possibility but that many people, especially in the West, had lived the good life for generations. Yet many revolutions are led by radicals preaching failed dogmas like Islamic conservatism, Maoism and other forms of radical socialism, that still resonate among people who don't know about the dismal track records of these creeds. Iran has replaced some of the lost Soviet terrorist support effort. That keeps Hezbollah, Hamas, and a few smaller groups going, and that's it. Terrorists in general miss the Soviets, who really knew how to treat bad boys right. No one has yet replaced the Soviets in that respect, an accomplishment even most Russians would rather not dwell on.

Plague Panic Pause

Covid19 had minimal impact on most armed forces worldwide. This was particularly the case in the United States where the rate of infection for the military was lower than the population as a whole and was kept that way because most troops lived on military bases, which include housing for families of service members. Restricting all personnel to base during the epidemic further reduced exposure. These policies were followed by other professional armed forces worldwide. The military had another advantage; age. Covid19 was unique because it generally had little impact on anyone under 60. But if you had an existing medical condition you were most likely to die from covid19. While the vast majority of the population was not at risk of dying from covid19, it was more unpleasant than the usual annual flu. As a result of that, and media sensationalism, more people headed for a hospital if they were, or thought they were experiencing the symptoms. Most of those hospital visits turned out to be unnecessary but at the time was politically incorrect to point that out.

There were many countries where covid19 did have an impact, but these nations were not major military powers. In many instances rulers demanded loyalty more than physical fitness and combat skills from the troops. This meant there are a lot of older personnel and officers and many were overweight or had medical conditions that would have kept them out of more professional militaries. In nations like this covid19 did have more of an impact because it terrified many senior commanders and killed or incapacitated many of them. This was equally true with politicians who dont have worry about getting reelected.

Efforts to limit infections was common and important because, if people are never exposed to the disease, there are no covid19 deaths at all. Even then most people of the working age population quickly figured out that the danger was much less than publicized. For example, the death rate of covid19 victims is 0.13 percent for younger (under 40) victims but that death rate gets much higher (2-3 percent) for those older than 60. This also revealed another aspect of covid19, women are less likely to die from covid10 than men. For those over 80 and sickly, only nine percent of women died compared to 20 percent of men. The relative invulnerability of the young and most of the fatalities being linked to old-age and preexisting conditions was something a lot of public health officials did not realize early on. In some countries political leaders ignored these patterns and trashed their economies with long lockdowns. The general population was soon able to see the actual fatality patterns and resistance to pointless lockdowns became more common,

In the military, the most serious problem is troops getting infected and passing it on to more vulnerable civilians. Some 10-15 percent of the troops will suffer the effects of covid19 but few will die. Nevertheless, the impact of covid19 on troops is a problem for morale and overall readiness. In combat zones around the world, the impact of covid19 was a reality that was often ignored by the combatants. Most of these wars are disorganized affairs involving lots of irregulars, part-timers and militias. The fighting tends to take place in areas that never had much in the way of modern health care or high standards of living. Since covid19 is less lethal than many of the existing diseases, like malaria in many parts of Africa, the new flu-type disease would come and go without much notice were it not for all the publicity.

There were some situations where the military impact of covid19 could be more disruptive. This would be the case in special operations and air force units as well as the crews of ships at sea. There have already been cases of sailors coming down with covid19 while at sea. How could this happen? A recent visit to a port where covid19 was not yet seen as a crisis was usually the culprit.

Warships at sea with an unexpected outbreak of covid19 had an impact similar to what cruise ships experienced early in 2020, before the covid19 threat was widely known. One example was the American aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt which, while in the Pacific when covid19 was just beginning to spread, found several of the crew had the virus. Given the days or week an asymptomatic victim may have been on the ship, it explains how a seemingly healthy sailor boarded the Roosevelt and infected others, some of whom did show symptoms and become visibly ill. Ultimately all 5,000 sailors on the Roosevelt were tested and seven percent were found to be infected. Few had to be hospitalized and only one died.

The ships-at-sea data demonstrated the impact of a few infected people on a ship with a lot of people. This was first seen on the cruise ship Diamond Princess, which had nearly a thousand passengers and crew on board. All were exposed to covid19 before March 2020 because there were enough infected passengers to begin with and the ship was quarantined long enough (two weeks) under conditions that allowed everyone on board to be exposed. Nearly all were tested and 19.6 percent tested positive but 47 percent of the infected showed no symptoms. Some of the cruise ship personnel did later exhibit symptoms but were asymptomatic and as many as 14 died from the virus. The fatalities were mostly older passengers with underlying conditions. Eventually thousands of people caught on cruise ships with some already infected with covid19 were tested and studied and the pattern first seen on the Diamond Princess remained consistent. Some countries used the covid19 data from the cruise ships to develop policies to deal with the virus. As a result, these countries, like Japan, Taiwan and South Korea had very low death rates, usually under a hundred per million, compared to over a thousand per million in many industrialized nations and the world average of 200 per million.

The danger of the asymptomatic infected is that they can, in theory, spread the virus until their immune system eliminates it. It is unclear exactly how long that takes but it appears to be up to several weeks or, in many cases, not at all. Eventually it was discovered that asymptomatic covid19 victims played little role in spreading the virus. It was discovered that 80 percent of those exposed to the virus did not become infected. This is typical of such diseases as influenza. What was unique about covid19 was that it was mainly a danger to the elderly. This was in sharp contrast to severe strains of influenza. The 1918 (Spanish Flu) was particularly lethal to the young and healthy. In effect the Spanish Flu had an overall death rate over a hundred times greater than covid19. Even the particularly severe Asian Flu of 1957/58 had a higher fatality rate than covid19. What made covid19 more frightening was that that who did get it felt the symptoms more intensely than the worst influenza. That made it seem like more of a threat than it actually was. Because of that many politicians and some public health officials declared covid19 to be a much greater threat than severe strains of flu, which it wasnt. In time covid19 will become known more as the covid19 panic than as a major killer like the Asian or Spanish Flu. At the time an epidemic disease is active the risk is more about what you think it is than what it actually is.

The Spanish Flu was particularly devastating for military organizations because it was most lethal to the young and healthy. It is often speculated that if the Spanish Flu had arrived a year or two earlier, it might have caused World War I to end differently, with a ceasefire or armistice rather than the outright defat of Germany.

In 2020 covid19 caused a momentary pause in fighting worldwide but once personal experience showed a lot of people that covid19 was a deadly plague only to the elderly or those already ill, the fighting resumed. Older or sickly personnel took precautions and in most situations that was sufficient. Thats how several East Asian nations kept their deaths per million in the single digits or less.

Current Wars

Listed in alphabetical order. Text underneath briefly describes current status. Click on country name for more details.

AFGHANISTAN

While Pakistan is under increasing pressure to stop supporting Islamic terrorism and drug production in Afghanistan, little has changed. Pakistan responds with evasion and maintains its links with the drug gangs and terrorists. The drugs are winning as they usually do wherever they get established. There are not too many narco-states because they all follow the same script. Eventually locals get fed up with the local violence and the growing number of addicts. That leads to more violence and the drug gangs are crushed although usually not completely eliminated. Eventually can take a long time and such is case with Afghanistan. Compare that to how it worked in Colombia from 2000 on, and Burma after World War II and Iran in the 1950s. The only thing that nearly everyone in Afghanistan can agree on is that the opium and heroin are bad. Nearly ten percent of the population is addicted to drugs (mostly opiates) and another ten percent (there is some overlap) make a better living or gets rich from the drug trade. Most Afghans consider drug gangs the biggest threat and these are largely run and staffed (like the Taliban) by Pushtun tribesmen from four southern provinces. The Pakistan backed Afghan Taliban want to create a heroin producing Islamic terrorist and gangster sanctuary in Afghanistan. If you want to know how that works, look at Chechnya in the late 1990s and Somalia or Yemen in the early 21st century. No one has come up with any cheap, fast or easy solution for that. Meanwhile, Afghanistan's core problem is that there is no Afghanistan, merely a collection of tribes more concerned with tribal issues than anything else.

Between ten and twenty percent of the population, mostly living in the cities and often working with the foreigners, believes in Afghanistan the country. But beyond the city limits, it's a very different Afghanistan that is currently motivated by growing prosperity brought on by a decade relative peace and the persistent traditional violence. By Afghan standards, an unprecedented amount of cash came into the country after 2001. Between economic growth, expanding heroin sales, and massive amounts of foreign aid, plus lower losses from violence, it's been something of a Golden Age. This is in sharp contrast to the decades of war since the 1970s. For example, it's often forgotten that the 1990s civil war was still active on September 11, 2001. The Taliban quickly collapsed in late 2001 and they have been trying to make a comeback ever since, sustained and encouraged by Pakistan. The key Taliban financial resource; heroin in Helmand province, remains the primary fuel to keep this war going. Even many Pushtuns do not like this development and more Taliban factions are negotiating some kind of settlement with the government. Pakistan is trying to prevent peace from breaking out, at least a peace that Pakistan does not control. In other words, everything is pretty normal by Afghan standards. Afghanistan has become politically unpopular in the West and the easiest way to deal with this, for Western politicians, is to get out and let their successors deal with the aftermath. Afghanistan has become another tin can foreigners are kicking down the road. The historical local strongmen have noticed and Iran, China, Russia, Pakistan and India are all trying to have some influence with their wild and erratic neighbor. There have been complications. The Afghan Taliban believed that the Afghan security forces would fall apart in 2015 because most of the foreign troops were gone and those that were left were not fighting. The expected Taliban victory did not happen but there was a lot more Taliban violence. The Afghan soldiers and police stood and fought, but took heavy casualties and many began to take the money and stand aside. The biggest losses are from so many young Afghans with some savings (and often education and useful skills) want to get out of Afghanistan and go to somewhere less lethal than where they grew up. For more and more Afghans Afghanistan isnt a place you fight for but a place you fight to get out of.

ALGERIA

This area has seen Islamic terrorism decline sharply in the last few years, a trend that began in the late 1990s. Because of that we are no longer covering it regularly as a separate category. Algeria recently changed its constitution so it can become a supplier of peacekeepers throughout Africa and the world. There will still be coverage of Algeria as needed in other sections or in its own section if internal unrest reappears. Original coverage is still available in our archives.

BALKANS

This area has become quieter since the peacekeeping efforts of the 1990s and we are no longer covering it regularly as a separate category. There will still be coverage as needed in other sections. There is some Islamic terrorist activity there and the usual border disputes and crippling corruption. One ominous development is the growing number of mosques and religious schools being built and maintained by Saudi Arabia. These facilities teach a very hostile (to non-Moslems and any Moslems who do not agree) form of Islam that has been the source of so many Islamic terrorists since the 1980s. The locals are increasingly hostile to the Saudis for this and the Balkans did not become the Islamic terrorist sanctuary many feared. Original coverage is still available in our archives.

CENTRAL ASIA

This area has become quieter since the 1990s and we are no longer covering it regularly. There will still be coverage as needed and that led to a recent update on efforts to get some serious Islamic terrorist activity going and why they have failed. Islamic terrorism is popular in Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan). The thousands of young men who sought to join Islamic terror groups didnt do it in Central Asia. The vast majority travel somewhere else to act on their impulse to be active Islamic terrorists. Many Central Asian men joined ISIL, but not in Central Asia. With the elimination of the ISIL caliphate in Syria and Iraq in 2018 there were lots of documents and survivors, like families of ISIL men, some ISIL members and local civilians, who could be questioned and lots of data analyzed. The result were some accurate numbers about Central Asian participation in ISIL though the end of 2018. Over 3,000 (but less than 5,000) Central Asians made it to Syria. Over half survived and got out. More worrisome was the fact that for every Central Asian who tried to get into Syria, two or three were stopped at the Syrian border (in Turkey) and turned back or, in a few cases, arrested. The Turks collected data on those turned away and some of those were later captured or killed in Syria. Some of those turned back eventually made it in, but few returned home to become active Islamic terrorists. That is the pattern; many get radicalized, leave and never return. The result is that during the last decade there few Islamic terror attacks in Central Asia. After each of these the response was swift and usually led to the capture of those responsible and others who were among the usual suspects but not known to be active. This effective counterterror response motivated many radicalized young men to seek a more vulnerable nation in which to defend Islam with extreme violence. Most of the nations involved here used to be part of the Soviet Union and still had effective secret police and local dictators to encourage ruthless suppression of any dissent. People are putting up with it so far but popular anger at the corruption and inefficient government is growing. The region has become an economic and diplomatic battleground for Russia and China and China is winning. This is something Russia doesnt like to discuss, but among Russians the real threat is from the east, not the west. Original coverage is still available in our archives.

CHAD

This area has become quieter since 2010 and we are no longer covering it regularly as a separate category. Chad has even become a major supplier of peacekeepers throughout Africa, especially in Nigeria against Boko Haram. There will still be coverage as needed in other sections or in its own section if unrest reappears inside Chad. Original coverage is still available in our archives.

CHINA

Past mistakes are catching up with China as it continues its post-Cold War policy of aggressive territorial claims and risking, but not going to, war with its neighbors. Internally China is creating the fictional Big Brother surveillance state of the novel 1984. This has more to do with internal politics and the need to distract an increasingly wealthy and concerned population from local problems with corruption, pollution and ineffective government. Domestic unrest has been growing louder and more visible to Chinese and the world. Latest example is large scale freedom protests in Hong Kong during most of 2019 and into 2020. This was about Chinese abuse of the special status Hong Kong is supposed to enjoy until 2047, but it is also about the corruption and financial recklessness in the rest of the country. The corruption has created a lot of bad loans and these, plus a dysfunctional equities (stocks and bonds) market creates a threat that makes far fewer headlines than foreign adventures. China also got away with a lot of unfair, according to international agreements, trade practices. This included massive theft of foreign commercial and government data, mainly to give Chinese companies an edge. There was also currency manipulation and monopolistic practices. This finally led to a trade war with the United States that the Americans saw some benefit from. China, because of its own internal corruption and mismanagement, is vulnerable economically and is finding it difficult trying to bluff and bully its way out of making overdue changes in the way it deals with foreign trade and IP (intellectual property) protections. China has been helpful in trying to persuade North Korea to give up its nukes and engage in some needed economic reforms. This is more self-interest than anything else because a nuclear North Korea has become a threat to China more than anyone else, except South Korea and Japan. China insists that the South China Sea is now part of China despite international agreements that prohibit such claims. Same situation in other coastal waters bordering South Korea and Japan. Old territorial claims on India have been revived, but are not pursued as aggressively because India has modern nukes, ballistic missiles to deliver them and a large military. China continues its long-range plan to become a military superpower. That means world class weapons designed and built in China require long-term efforts but the Chinese believe they will get there during the 2020s and 2030s.

Every year China offers new weapons to the world market that are visibly more advanced. The actual performance of Chinese military technology is suspect as much of it is based on Russian stuff. During the Cold War Russian weapons always seemed to be what the losers used. But China keeps trying to improve and is making more progress than the Soviets ever did. Here China is switching from the international radical socialism of former role model the Soviet Union, to the National Socialism practiced by Nazi Germany. This is a nationalistic and expansionist dictatorship fueled by a more efficient (than communism) market economy. The world is seeing more Chinese troops in peacekeeping missions as well as growing Chinese threats to peace. The bottom line however is keeping the communist dictatorship in power and that may be the ultimate reason for China avoiding war, or at least one they are not certain they will win. China pursues an ancient, and often quite successful, Chinese strategy that emphasizes what appear to be high-risk policies but are actually long-range efforts to wear down the opposition and eventually assume control of the objective with little risk or cost. Or so China believed until the Americans, and many other victims, fought back.

COLOMBIA

This area has become quieter since the peacekeeping efforts of the 1990s and we are no longer covering it regularly as a separate category. There will still be coverage in other sections as needed. We were also covering neighboring Venezuela because the situation there was quite different. After more than a decade of corruption and inept government most Venezuelans were done with ideas of radical populist socialist movement that promised to make everything better but instead made everything much worse. For a while it seemed there might be a civil war. That does not appear to be an option because Venezuela has the largest oil reserves on the planet and if the current socialist government can pump enough oil it can finance its continued existence if nothing else. China, Russia, Cuba and Iran have been helping with maintaining the current police state and reviving the oil industry. The failed socialist government borrowed a lot of money from China and Russia. The government hired Cuba to provide technical advisors available to show the Venezuelan socialists how to establish and maintain a long-term dictatorship. Cuba also provides health care, but only to those seen as loyal to the socialist government. China, Cuba, Iran and Russia are all present in Venezuela because with all that oil as collateral the Venezuelan socialists can probably mortgage that oil to try and buy their way out of a bloody rebellion. Foreign help is desperately needed because the inept socialist government mismanaged their oil industry to the extent that production is fell rapidly and the country is literally bankrupt and unable to pump and ship enough oil to pay for food and other essential imports. Nearly 20 percent of the population has left the country and it is more common for rural communities to have no electrical service or anything else the government is supposed to maintain and protect. The oil is found in the north, near the coast. The government really only needs the capital and the oil fields and that is what the Chinese and Cubans concentrate on. The rest of the nation is considered expendable, or at least thats how the foreign allies are acting. The number of people leaving is increasing although there is still a pro-democracy political opposition. Original coverage is still available in our archives.

CONGO

Diplomatic and local opposition eventually persuaded the incumbent (since 2001) president (Kabila) to stop trying to become president-for-life. Kabila tried to revive the one-party dictatorship based on corruption and exploiting ethnic divisions. The current (since 2001) president and his father (president from 1997 until his assassination in 2001) had grown up opposing that sort of thing but here it was again. Kabila was supposed to leave office after the 2016 elections selected a new president. He could not run again and was unable to get the constitution changed. He was forced to allow elections at the end of 2018 but was able to rig the vote to get someone willing to cooperate with corrupt system Kabila wanted to keep going. Felix Tshisekedi, the new president, would presumably benefit if went along. It is unclear yet if Tshisekedi has gone into business with Kabila, who still runs a powerful parliamentary coalition. Tshisekedi has benefitted from Kabilas corrupt activities in parliament and the courts. If such cooperation is more extensive the country is again facing widespread chaos and civil war that is made worse by the ongoing corruption and exploitable ethnic divisions. Solutions have been sought since the 1960s and in 2013 the UN tried something novel, a special combat brigade of peacemakers. This brigade was given a license to kill, and kill as often as needed to eliminate the last few rogue militias operating in the east. This solved many of the peacekeeping problems there, at least temporarily. Despite that multiple tribal and political militias, plus an increasing number of bandits, continue to roam the eastern border area, perpetuating the bloodiest and least reported war of the 21st century with over six million dead. There is similar, but less intense unrest in other parts of the country (especially the separatist minded southwest). The Congolese government finds it cannot (and to a certain extent, will not) cope with the continuing corruption and lack of order in the east and southwest. The reason is money, the millions of dollars available each year to whoever has gunmen controlling the mines that extract valuable ores and allow the stuff out of the country. Congo remains mired in deadly chaos. Elsewhere in Central Africa the Burundi civil war threatens to reignite because the current president is trying to defy the constitution and become president-for-life. In the Central African Republic years of chaos (following the overthrow of a corrupt and incompetent dictator) has evolved into another Moslem versus Christian (and non-Moslems in general) conflict.

ETHIOPIA

This area has become quieter over the last decade and we are no longer covering it regularly as a separate category. There will still be coverage as needed in other sections, mainly Somalia. In 2016 there was more political unrest in Ethiopia which led to the withdrawal of some Ethiopian peacekeepers from Somalia. Original coverage is still available in our archives.

INDIA-PAKISTAN

India is largely at peace and prospering while neighboring Pakistan continues struggling with the Islamic terror groups it created and supported for so long and the internal corruption and mayhem that policy has sustained. Pakistan also has a problem unique to the region; armed forces that have long (since the 1950s) dominated the political process and become very wealthy, corrupt and politically powerful as a result. Islamic terrorist violence inside Pakistan has sharply declined since 2014 when public outrage forced the military to shut down the last sanctuary (North Waziristan) for Islamic terrorists that were not under the control of the military. The rogue Islamic terrorists in North Waziristan were seeking to turn Pakistan into an Islamic dictatorship. That would have threatened the Pakistani military and could not be tolerated. Islamic terrorist violence did not completely disappear in Pakistan after 2014 and the military blamed that on outsiders like India, Afghanistan and the United States. Now there is a growing non-violent Pushtun Rights movement that wants to get the military out of the tribal territories. The military has responded with arrests, kidnappings and murder. At the same time the Pakistani generals continued sheltering and supporting Islamic terror groups that only attacked foreign nations like Afghanistan and India. This contributed to growing hostility towards the military within Pakistan and escalating international criticism. In 2018 the U.S. became more public about the fact that Pakistan was dishonest and unreliable. The Americans pointed out that they had foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and Pakistan gave back nothing but lies and deceit. This backlash began in 2011 when a U.S. raid into Pakistan killed Osama bin Laden. This angered many Pakistanis because it showed that the generals had lied about their involvement with sheltering bin Laden. That raid also made it clear that the military was unable to detect or stop the "invading Americans", or stop local Islamic radicals from later carrying out "revenge attacks" that left hundreds of civilians dead. Then came another series of confrontations between the Pakistani military and the civilian government which, by 2018, the military had clearly won (by gaining control of key judges and a newly elected president). That was because old scams still worked. The generals created more confrontations with India and declared that Islamic terrorism was no longer (since 2013) the major threat to Pakistan. The main threat was once again India. This merely increased Indian, American and Afghan anger at Pakistani support of Islamic terrorism and the inability of the Pakistani politicians to control their generals. Meanwhile India further diminished the Pakistani military by continuing to consider China the main security threat to South Asia. India has to deal with some internal unrest, which does far less damage than what Pakistan has to deal with. Islamic terrorist violence, mainly in Indian Kashmir, is less of a problem than tribal rebels in the northeast and Maoist (communist) ones in eastern India. Both these threats are being slowly diminished while Pakistan continues to make unofficial war on its neighbors. Another problem is that the Pakistani economy is becoming more dependent on Chinese investment as well as Chinese diplomatic support and arms exports. The Pakistani pro-Islamic terrorist attitudes have left it with few allies besides China, Iran and North Korea. Pakistan needs help, but mostly from Pakistanis as the ills that torment Pakistan can only be resolved from within. That is happening despite opposition from the military because the defense budget is unusually high and a lot of it goes to support the lavish lifestyles and foreign bank accounts of senior officers. That has caused a financial crisis that other nations, especially Arab oil states, the United States and international lenders like the IMF and World Bank have kept from becoming a catastrophe. But now the financial problems are so great that all the usual sources of emergency cash are insisting that defense spending be curbed or there will be no more financial aid. The house of cards Pakistani generals built and maintained since the 1970s was collapsing, not because of religious or military issues but because the nation the generals had plundered for so long was bankrupt and no one was willing to bail them out this time.

INDONESIA

This area has become quieter over the last decade and we are no longer covering it regularly. There will still be coverage as needed, mostly about counter-terrorism efforts, that have been quite successful so far. Islamic radicals remain active and the government apparently does not want to provoke them. The Islamic terrorist threat remains as does ethnic unrest, even though it both problems continue to be contained rather than addressed. Original coverage is still available in our archives.

IRAN

Since late 2017 there have been continuing nationwide outbursts against the religious dictatorship running the country. There was similar activity in 2009 to protest the lack of fair elections. The 2009 protests were put down with force as were the recent ones, with over a thousand dead in 2019 and several hundred in 2020. What started in late 2017 was different, with the protestors calling for the corrupt religious rulers to be removed. Some called for a return of the constitutional monarchy the religious leaders replaced in the 1980s after first promising true democracy. Even more disturbing was that some of the protestors are calling for Islam to be banned and replaced with something else, like Zoroastrianism, the ancient Persian religion that Islam replaced, violently and sometimes incompletely in the 7th and 8th centuries. Right before the late 2017 unrest the religious rulers saw Iran on the way to some major victories in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. The optimism turned out to be premature. The good times were supposed to begin in the wake of a July 2015 treaty that would lift the many sanctions Iran operated under. That did not, as many financial experts pointed out, solve the immediate cash crises because oil prices were still low. This was because of continued use of fracking in North America which triggered a massive (more than 70 percent) drop of the price of oil in 2013. Iran made their situation worse by trying to avoid complying with the 2015 treaty while still getting most of the sanctions lifted and for a while that seemed to be working. That deception turned out badly as the U.S. accused Iran of violating the 2015 deal and by the terms of that agreement the American could and did withdraw. That meant many of the sanctions returned in 2018. Even before the American action foreign economists believed the Iranian economy wouldnt get moving again until the 2020s. Now it is going to take even longer and Iranians in general are very angry about that. The 2017 protests are continuing despite the threat of lethal retaliation. The senior clerics are worried and openly seeking a solution that does not include them losing their power. Few Iranians are willing to accept that kind of compromise. The religious dictatorship is not only hated, but also seen as corrupt, incompetent and untrustworthy.

There are some more complications. Half the population consists of ethnic minorities (mainly Turks, Kurds and Arabs), and some of these groups (Arabs, Kurds and Baluchis) are getting more restive and violent, for different reasons. Yet the Islamic conservatives are determined to support terrorism overseas and build nuclear weapons at home, rather than concentrating on improving the economy and living standards and addressing the corruption within their ranks.

Expensive efforts to aid pro-Iran groups in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon made some progress and are presented as examples of the ancient Iranian empire being reborn. The government sees these foreign adventures as a way to distract an unhappy population. This ultimately had the opposite effect as Iranians did the math and realized their poverty was the result of all the billions spent on these overseas adventures. At home the nukes are still important because Iranian religious leaders have been increasingly vocal about how Iran should be the leader of the Islamic world and the guardian of the major Islamic shrines (Mecca and Medina) in Saudi Arabia. Iranians understand that having nukes would motivate the Arabs, and many others, to bend the knee. But at what cost to Iran and Iranians in general? The Arabs have been kicked around by the Iranians for thousands of years and take this latest threat very seriously. That has led to a major reform effort in Saudi Arabia with a new generation of leaders willing to take on corruption and which alliances really benefit the Saudis. That has resulted in openly working with Israel to deal with the Iranian threat.

IRAQ

Despite the late 2017 declaration that ISIL was defeated, the Islamic terror group remains active in northern and Western Iraq. ISIL no longer controls large areas of Iraq but is a problem (violence, extortion, and disorder) in several provinces north of Baghdad. In effect it took four years, several hundred billion dollars for an expanded military, battle damage and economic losses plus over 100,000 Iraqi lives, plus over 20,000 foreign Islamic terrorists, to eliminate ISIL control of Iraqi territory. That effort created other problems, and opportunities. Iran offered help and was allowed to organize, train and often lead in combat over 100,000 Iraqi (largely Shia) militiamen in what was and still is the PMF (Popular Mobilization Forces) . Most Iraqis, including most Iraqi Shia (about 60 percent of the population) feared an Iran inspired coup but by early 2018 senior Shia clerics in Iraq and Iran agreed that the militias should stay out of politics. Iran was not consulted on this decision and a minority of pro-Iran Iraqis still wanted an Iran style religious dictatorship. In an effort to prove their usefulness the pro-Iran PMF militias took on dangerous, or just daring missions during 2016-17. That left a lot of ISIL dead and it contributed to a government recovery, using force, of Kirkuk province from the Iraqi Kurds in late 2017. Besides Islamic terrorism, the major woes are widespread corruption and mismanagement plus continued Iranian efforts to turn Iraq into a compliant neighbor. The Iraqis are resisting. Since 2018 there have been more frequent and larger protests against corruption and Iranian domination. That has led to more violence, including attacks on Americans and the U.S. embassy.

ISRAEL

It is the best of times because Israel now has Arab allies against Iran. A growing number of Moslem states are establishing diplomatic and trade relations with Israel. After more than a century of increasing anti-Semitism, most of Israels Arab neighbors are realizing that Israel would be a valuable economic, diplomatic and military ally against common enemies like Shia Iran and Islamic terrorism in general. Israel is also the only nation in the region with nukes and reliable ballistic missiles, which are also used to put Israeli spy satellites into orbit. It is also the worst of times because Iran has personnel operating on Israeli borders and an increasingly effective Cyber War effort against Israel. There is growing dissatisfaction in the West and the Middle East with the Palestinian leadership failures and rampant corruption. Palestinians are convinced that Israel has no right to exist and pretending to negotiate a peace deal is useful for obtaining foreign aid and not much else. Arabs in general are now telling the Palestinians to take whatever peace deal they can because cash and other aid from Arab nations has been, and will remain, sharply reduced until the Palestinians shape up. The Palestinians refuse to change.

KOREA

At the end of 2019 North Korea admitted the obvious; it never had any intention of surrendering its nuclear weapons. The reality was that North Korea was attempting its traditional negotiating tactic of offering to behave, but wanted some economic aid first as a show of good faith. That tactic no longer works and now North Korea is back to making threats again. The threats have not been fulfilled. North Korea continues falling apart economically and politically and that has led North Koreans to do the unthinkable, which includes openly criticizing the government, putting anti-government graffiti in public places and even attacking corrupt government officials, including police. North Korea is bankrupt and not getting better. Something had to happen. In mid-2018 North Korea agreed to negotiate the continued existence of its nuclear weapons program in return for economic benefits. This would keep the corrupt communist police state and the murderous Kim dynasty in power but only if North Korea dropped its foreign policy based on threats and extortion. That may have been the result of China losing patience with its unruly neighbor. China is, literally, North Koreas economic lifeline. China is the primary or only source for essentials like petroleum, food and all sorts of smuggled, past a long list of international sanctions, goods. China will tolerate a lot of bad behavior in return for obedience and maintaining. North Korea is doing neither and China also wants South Korea to pay more attention to Chinese needs.

Everyone looks to China because Korea has traditionally been a Chinese responsibility and, most of the time, a difficult one. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has obediently gone to China several times since 2018 to receive advice. Kim also met with the leaders of South Korea and the United States. So far lots of the right words but little action. China and everyone else fears that North Korea is going to try and scam its way out of another tight situation and risk the very real wrath of China while doing it. Inside North Korea the official word is that the nuclear weapons are essential and not negotiable.

KURDISH WAR

This area had become quieter after 2003 and we no longer cover it regularly as a separate category. There will still be coverage as needed in other sections like Iraq, Israel and Syria. The 2011 Arab Spring movement shook things up a bit and by 2015 the Kurds were once more at war with Turkey, Syria and Iran. Turkey was always outraged at the establishment of an autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq and the impact that had on Kurdish minorities in Syria, where an autonomous region is already a reality, for the moment. The Kurds remain under attack in Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran while also suffering from internal feuds between those who are willing to fight for a unified Kurdish state and those who are willing to make deals with local governments to obtain benefits for local Kurds, like less economic and cultural discrimination and persecution. The Syrian Kurds thought the Americans might stick around after ISIL was defeated and take on Turkish and Syrian forces to guarantee Syrian Kurds their autonomy. The U.S. was willing to stick around until ISIL was suppressed in eastern Syria and perhaps longer if the Syrian Kurds provide useful. Americans also remain northern Iraq. Original coverage is still available in our archives.

LIBYA

By early 2020 the Turks had sent enough troops to rescue the GNA (Government of National Accord) a failed UN and Moslem Brotherhood backed government. The GNA failed to attract a national following and now a local military leader with a locally recruited army of trained and better disciplined soldiers is doing what UN diplomacy and threats could not. The eastern force, the LNA (Libyan National Army) has been around since 2015, when it was formed in eastern Libya and proceeded to eliminate rivals, especially Islamic radical groups, throughout the country. In early 2019 all that the GNA had left was the traditional capital (Tripoli) and the nearby (to the east) coastal city of Misrata. Both cities are dominated by dozens of rival militias, many of them seeking an Islamic government but mainly looking out for themselves. The LNA went after Tripoli in early 2019, from two sides and slowly pushed back the desperate militias, who would lose their independence and lucrative criminal enterprises if the LNA succeeded. The UN condemned the LNA and ignored Turkey shipping in weapons and military advisors to assist the GNA. By the end of 2019 Turkey was threatening to send in combat troops and warships to blockade Libyan ports. The Turkish support violates the UN arms embargo on Libya, as does the support Russia, Egypt, the UAE (United Arab Emirates) and a few other countries have provided for the LNA. The LNA agreed to a ceasefire and national elections. The Turks and over 5,000 of their Syrian Arab mercenaries are still there and are prepared to stay indefinitely. Egypt, for the first time in centuries, finds hostile Turkish troops next door and is not pleased.

MALI

Since a 2012, when separatist rebellion in the north was defeated, continued high levels of corruption, ethnic rivalries and Islamic terrorism kept Mali from achieving a lasting peace and much prosperity. An example of how this works can be seen in the north, where a final peace deal with the rebellious Tuareg tribes was signed in early 2015 and is largely holding through 2020. This is despite the government refusing to do comply with the term it accepted in the peace deal. Islamic terrorism is spreading to the more populous south but not to the extent that it threatens government control. The Tuareg peace deal was stalled since 2015 because the black majority in the south did not want to grant as much autonomy as the Tuareg demanded. The two groups have always been at odds but were only united in the same country by the colonial French in the 19th century. Like most African countries, dividing the nation is not an acceptable option and the colonial borders are considered sacrosanct. The current mess began when France took swift action in January 2013 by leading a military operation to clear Islamic terrorists out of northern Mali. Aided by Chad and several other African peacekeeping contingents, this operation is still at work and is expected to continue for years. The French acted because in 2012 Tuareg tribal rebels (with the help of al Qaeda affiliated Islamic terrorists) in northern Mali chased out government forces and declared a separate Tuareg dominated Islamic state. The Mali army mutinied, because of lack of support from the corrupt government and troops down south took control of the capital. The army soon backed off when neighboring nations threatened to intervene. T he thinly populated northern two-thirds of the country has a population of less than two million, out of 15 million for all of Mali. The north was very poor in the best of times, and over a year of violence there has halted tourism, a major source of income, especially in the three major cities up there, and the movement of many goods. Mali still has internal problems; mainly corruption and ethnic conflicts, as well as continued unrest in the north. A lot depends on whether the majority in the south can reduce corruption and deal fairly with the Tuareg and other minorities (like Arabs) in the north. There is not much progress with this. The elected Mali and still corrupt government faced another coup in mid-2020. This time the military leaders agreed to restore democracy as soon as elections could be held. This coup was triggered by the same reasons as in 2012, plus growing street demonstrations in the capital. The protestors demanded a new government and fair elections. Mali is under growing pressure from donor nations to either clean up the corruption or see most of the aid disappear. The neighbors of Mali have formed a five nation anti-terrorism alliance (The G5) that has provided 5,000 troops that can be sent to any of the five member nations. Western money and military advisors help equip and improve the skills of the 5,000 troops. Because Mali is part of a lucrative route for smugglers of illegal drugs, weapons and people Islamic terror groups can afford to remain in northern Mali. These groups (including an ISIL affiliate) divide their time between smuggling and Islamic radical activities. ISIL has established itself on the northern borders and everything stumbles along normally.

MEXICO

This area has become quieter since the peacekeeping efforts of the 1990s and we are no longer covering it regularly as a separate category. There will still be coverage as needed in other sections as needed. Mexico is still at war with the drug cartels. Original coverage is still available in out archives.

MYANMAR (Burma)

This area has become quieter since the military government allowed democracy to return in 2010. That slowly calmed things down throughout the country and for that reason we are no longer covering it regularly as a separate category. There will still be coverage as needed in other sections as needed. Burma is still subject to violence from tribal separatist militias in the north and radical Buddhist groups. Original coverage is still available in our archives.

NIGERIA

Since 2004 Islamic terrorist violence in the northeast have created some lasting problems. There are still millions of refugees plus substantial economic damage in Borno State, where it all began. There seems to be no end in sight because of the local corruption and inept security forces. All this was caused by a local group of Taliban wannabes calling themselves Boko Haram. There activity in the capital of Borno State grew for a decade until in 2014 it seemed unstoppable. It took over a year for the government to finally muster sufficient military strength to cripple but not destroy Boko Haram. This did not get much media attention outside Africa, even though in 2014 Boko Haram killed more people than ISIL did in Syria and Iraq. The main reason for Boko Haram gains in 2014 and 2015 was corruption in the army, which severely crippled effective counterterror efforts. By itself Boko Haram was too small to have much impact on a national scale but the inability to deal with this problem put a spotlight on the corruption that has hobbled all progress in Nigeria for decades. A new president (a former general who is Moslem) was elected in early 2015 and made progress in changing the corrupt army culture but that is still a work in progress even though he was reelected in early 2019. More bad news is expected because of too many tribal feuds, not enough oil money and too much corruption create growing unrest throughout the country. This is especially bad down south in the oil producing region (the Niger River Delta). Violence against oil facilities continues. Worse, local politicians and business leaders had taken over the oil theft business. Northern Moslems want more control over the federal government and the oil money. In northern and central Nigeria you have increasing violence as nomadic Moslem herders move south and clash with largely Christian farmers over land use and water supplies. For the last few years these tribal feuds have killed more people than Boko Haram. The situation is still capable of sliding into regional civil wars, over money and political power. Corruption and ethnic/tribal/religious rivalries threaten to trigger, at worse, another civil war and, at least, more street violence and public anger.

POTENTIAL HOT SPOTS

Various places where the local situation is warming up and might turn into a war. Like Venezuela, Central Asia or Mexico. Previous items are still available in our archives.

PHILIPPINES

Decades of effort have finally reduced the internal threat of leftist and Islamic rebellions. Now most Filipinos are more concerned about endemic corruption, widespread drug addiction and the resulting economic stagnation. There is also the Chinese threat, with more Chinese warships showing up in what had been, until recently, unquestionably Filipino controlled waters. Most Filipinos see China as a threat but not as crucial as the internal problems with drugs, corruption, Islamic terrorism and unemployment. Since elected president in 2016 Rodrigo Duterte did what most Filipinos wanted to reduce crime and drug violence. Duterte had been doing this locally (as mayor of a major southern city) successfully since the 1990s and was ready to try and make it happen nationally. This meant condoning vigilante tactics by the police to suppress the drug gangs as well as an unexpected adoption of an anti-American foreign policy and a willingness to make deals with China. This weakened the existing coalition with Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and the United States to oppose the Chinese threat. Duterte told the Americans he would not risk war with China over it but by 2018 was more willing to agree that the Chinese could not be trusted and now is calling for increased regional cooperation against China. Duterte told the Islamic minority in the south (led by MILF) that he would get the 2015 peace deal that gave it more autonomy but not its own country and the expulsion of non-Moslems, approved by the legislature. There as one condition. MILF had to help destroy Abu Sayyaf, the ultra-radical Islamic terrorist group in the south that is responsible for most of the kidnappings and terror bombings down there. Some MILF factions refused to accept the peace deal and had, along with Abu Sayyaf, aligned themselves with ISIL. Abu Sayyaf integrated itself with the local clan culture and become very difficult to eliminate. The Moslems have, as always, lots of clan feuds and internal violence which will survive the autonomy deal with the government. In 2020 Islamic terrorists and communist rebels were much less active because there were a lot fewer of them and there was much less popular support. Duterte may not be the solution to the many problems the country faces but he is the most radical, and promising, one to come along in decades. He continues to receive record high approval ratings from the voters even as local and foreign critics accuse him of atrocious behavior.

RUSSIA

Since 2014 Russia has been making a lot of headlines but not much else. The economy is a mess, as in stagnant and shrinking. Russia has fewer friends or allies and the future looks dim. Sending troops into Ukraine (2014), Syria (2015) and Libya (2016) has not helped solve any of the fundamental problems there but made for great propaganda. What went wrong? Russia entered the 21st century with a new elected government dominated by former secret police (KGB) officers who promised to restore economic and civil order. They did so but in the process turned Russia into a police state with less political and economic freedom. Many Russians opposed this and the government responded by appealing to nationalism. Russia has turned into what Germany had become in the 1930s. This included police state ways and the traditional threatening attitude towards neighbors. Rather than being run by corrupt communist bureaucrats, the country is now dominated by corrupt businessmen, gangsters and self-serving government officials that characterized the last czarist government of a century ago. The semi-free economy is more productive than the centrally controlled communist one but that just provides more money to steal. A rebellion against the new dictatorship has been derailed by astute propaganda depicting Russia as under siege by the West and NATO. Opinion polls show wide popular support for this paranoid fantasy but some Russians continue to struggle for better government and beneficial reforms. For now, most Russians want economic and personal security and are willing to tolerate a police state to get it. But the invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions did more damage than the ruling politicians expected. That atmosphere, plus the anxiety generated by having troops fighting in Syria, Ukraine and Libya has scared away a lot of foreign investors and many Russian ones as well. Russia can downplay this in the state-controlled media but without all that foreign and Russian capital the economy cannot grow. Since 2014 most Russians can see daily that they are worse off than before. Meanwhile China, the only real threat to Russia, quietly makes progress in the east. There China has claims on much of the Russian Far East and is openly replacing Russia as the primary economic, military and political force in Central Asia.

RWANDA & BURUNDI

This area has become quieter over the last decade and we are no longer covering it regularly as a separate category. There will still be coverage as needed in the CONGO section when there are details of the new civil wars brewing here. Original coverage is still available in our archives.

SOMALIA

Al Shabaab, a local Islamic radical group, was defeated and driven from cities and towns in 2011 but is still around. So is the traditional clan (tribal) violence, organized crime and banditry. All these are ancient Somali traditions and al Shabaab survives by reverting to that and becoming the major criminal organizations in some parts of the country. Extortion, smuggling, ransoms and so on have sustained the Islamic terror group. Another factor in the survival of al Shabaab is the corruption and factionalism that have always defined and defiled Somali culture. While Al Shabaab had, by 2013, been driven out of most of the territory it controlled for years the al Shabaab remnants fought on in thinly populated areas of central Somalia, the far north (Puntland border) and far south (Kenyan border). Despite the organizational and financial resourcefulness of the Islamic terror group it also fell prey to another Somali custom; factionalism. Initially this was between those who wanted al Shabaab to remain a local (Somali) group versus those who wanted be go international (pro-al Qaeda) and accept foreigners. After 2014 there was, and still is, an ISIL faction. Currently the al Qaeda faction is dominant with a small but persistent ISIL faction. One of the most lucrative sources of plunder is the elected Somali government, propped up by foreign aid, most of which gets stolen, that showed up after 2012. Despite all that Somalia is still a failed state that defies every attempt at nation building. The situation is worse than it appears because Somalia was never a country, but a collection of clans and tribes that fight each other constantly over economic issues (land and water). The country remains an economic and political mess, a black hole on the map. Not much hope in sight. There is not a lot of enthusiasm among local leaders for a national government, but all that foreign aid is welcome because it can be taken without risking another clan feud. Somali smolders as it always has and not a lot has changed.

SUDAN

The two Sudans have become quieter since the long-lasting Bashir dictatorship in Sudan was removed by determined popular resistance. South Sudan ended its post-independence civil war when everyone realized that they were destroying what they were allegedly fighting over and maybe a shouting-match was preferable to a death match. That has brough peace to both Sudans for the first time since the 1989 coup where then general Bashir took power and led Sudan on a downward trajectory. With peace and reconciliation breaking out in both Sudans were will no longer covering it regularly as a separate category. There will still be coverage as needed in other sections that still cover nearby nations like Somalia, Israel/Egypt and Yemen. Original coverage is still available in our archives.

SYRIA

The 2011 rebellion of the Sunni majority against the Shia minority Assad dictatorship was just about over by late 2018. But the fighting persists into 2021 because the main participants, like Russia, Turkey, Iran, the Assad government and several remaining rebel factions cannot agree on how to deal with the loose ends. The fighting and haggling will persist into 2021 and beyond. Although initially considered likely to win, the rebels lost because of factionalism. So far over 500,000 have died and a third of the population has fled, mainly to Turkey and Lebanon. Meanwhile the Assads received over $16 billion worth of Iranian aid since 2012. That was joined by assistance from Russia (2015) and Turkey (2016). The civil war also morphed into a proxy war between Iran and the Sunni Arab states and their Western allies. The major factor in the rebel defeat was ISIL which began as one of many Sunni Arab Islamic terror groups, but mainly al Qaeda and ISIL, who wanted to turn Syria into a religious dictatorship. Most Syrians just wanted peace and prosperity. The Islamic terror groups, as was their custom, put a priority on determining which of them was; the true savior of Islam. ISIL was definitely the most ruthless and best organized and many groups submitted to ISIL, if only temporarily. That weakened the rebel effort sufficiently for the Assads to hang on and become part of a larger anti-ISIL coalition. One thing everyone could agree on was that ISIL had to be destroyed first and by late 2017 that was accomplished. While ISIL reduced to small groups carrying out terror attacks, the remaining rebels were still not united. At the time ISIL was crushed the rebels controlled about a third of the country but were outnumbered by the Assad forces and most Syrians were increasingly war weary. Most of the deaths occurred after 2013. The killing diminished a bit in 2015 because of sheer exhaustion and picked up again in 2016 because of the Russian air (and other) support. The stubborn Assad dictatorship had a chance to win after 2015, something some Western nations saw as preferable to Islamic terrorists taking over and requiring a Western invasion to remove such a threat. In August 2016 Turkish ground forces entered northern Syria to seal the border from ISIL and Turkish separatist PKK Kurds as well as to weaken the Syrian Kurds. The Turks were basically helping the Assads and hurting ISIL and all that made an Assad victory more likely. Before the Assads could resume control of the country they had to deal with the fact that Israel, Jordan and the Sunni Arab oil states are opposed to the Iranian effort to establish a permanent military presence in Syria. The Assads are not happy with Iranian domination but have to keep quiet about that. Turkey is opposed to any autonomous Syrian Kurdish area in the northeast as well as a permanent Iranian presence. Turkey and Russia are technically allies of Iran in Syria and the reality is that no one trusts Iran. The Russians have quietly made it clear they would side with Israel if it came down to that. The Turks are NATO members and traditional foes of Russia and Iran. The current Turkish government is unstable and increasingly unpopular with Turks as well as the neighbors. The unrest in Iran and growing financial problems have reduced Iranian efforts in Syria. If Iran withdraws from Syria Russia is too broke to pick up the slack and the Turks are only interested in the Kurds and dont really care if the Assads stay or go. The Syrian rebellion is not over yet and may not end in 2021 either.

THAILAND

This area has become quieter over the last few years and we are no longer covering it regularly as a separate category. Thailand has quieted down because the Moslem separatists in the south have lost a lot of popular support. That was a gradual process that took over a decade to reach the point where the separatist violence was no longer a constant threat. For the other 97 percent of Thais, the arguments over the monarchy and the mainly monarchist military are no longer threatening to slide into civil war. Because of this we will no longer cover Thailand regularly as a separate category. There will still be coverage as needed in other sections that still cover nearby nations like China. Original coverage is still available in our archives.

UGANDA

By 2010 this area had become quieter and we no longer covered it regularly as a separate category. There is still be coverage as needed in other sections (mostly Congo and Somalia) because of Ugandan participation in a growing number of peacekeeping operations in Africa. Original coverage is still available in our archives.

YEMEN

The Iran-backed Shia rebels are losing but refuse to make peace, in part because of continued Iranian support and partly out of fear of the consequences. Yemen has proved an embarrassment for Iran and the Saudi/UAE backed Yemen government. The other Arabs are not willing to suffer the heavy casualties a quick victory would require. The war drags on into 2021 or until Iran just decides to halt support. Iranian withdrawal is a possibility because of growing popular protests in Iran against the expensive foreign wars in Syria and Yemen. Until late 2017 there was not much progress in the Yemen fighting, a development that favored Iran. But by early 2018 the Shia rebel coalition began unraveling and Iran suddenly had its own domestic uprising to deal with back home. Worse, the U.S. government had changed in early 2017 and was much more aggressive dealing with Iran. There was also a radical (for Arabia) new government in Saudi Arabia with a young Crown Prince in charge and organizing more effective resistance to Iranian aggression. That played a role in causing the Yemen unrest evolving into a full-scale civil war in 2015. That was when Shia rebels sought to take control of the entire country. Neighboring Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia, quickly formed a military coalition to halt the Yemeni rebel advance. The Arab coalition succeeded and by 2016 pro-government forces were closing in on the rebel-held capital. The coalition did not go after the capital itself because of the expected heavy casualties and property damage in the city. The coalition concentrated on rebuilding the Yemeni armed forces, recruiting allies from the Sunni tribes in the south and eliminating al Qaeda and ISIL groups that had grown stronger as the Shia rebels gained more power. As the fighting intensified in early 2015 Iran admitted it had been quietly supporting the Shia rebels for a long time but now was doing so openly, or at least trying. Many Yemenis trace the current crisis back to the civil war that ended, sort of, in 1994. That war was caused by the fact that, when the British left Yemen in 1967, their former colony in Aden became one of two countries called Yemen. The two Yemens finally united in 1990 but another civil war in 1994 was needed to seal the deal. That fix didn't really take and the north and south have been pulling apart ever since. This comes back to the fact that Yemen has always been a region, not a country. Like most of the rest of the Persian Gulf and Horn of Africa region, the normal form of government until the 20th century was wealthier coastal city states nervously coexisting with interior tribes that got by on herding or farming or a little of both plus smuggling and other illicit sidelines. This whole "nation" idea is still looked on with some suspicion by many in the region. This is why the most common forms of government are the more familiar ones of antiquity like kingdom, emirate or modern variation in the form of a hereditary secular dictatorship. For a long time, the most active Yemeni rebels were the Shia Islamic militants in the north. They have always wanted to restore local Shia rule in the traditional Shia tribal territories, led by the local imam (religious leader). This arrangement, after surviving more than a thousand years, was ended by the central government in 1962. Yemen also became the new headquarters of AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) when Saudi Arabia was no longer safe for the terrorists after 2007. Now there is ISIL and an invading army composed of troops from oil-rich neighbors. By late 2017 the rebels were slowly losing ground to government forces who, despite Arab coalition air support and about five thousand ground troops, were still dependent on Yemeni Sunni tribal militias to fight the Shia tribesmen on the ground. While the Shia are only a third of the population, they are united while the Sunni tribes are divided over the issue of again splitting the country in two and with no agreement on who would get the few oil fields in central Yemen. Many of the Sunni tribes tolerate or even support AQAP and ISIL. With the Iranian smuggling pipeline much reduced the Shia rebels, and their Iranian sponsors are now on the defensive and seeking a tolerable way out of the mess they made. They are aided by the UAE and Sudan pulling their troops out of Yemen and the southern separatists refusing to cooperate with Saudi Arabia in defeating the rebels.
Congress passed a US$1.3 trillion spending bill last Thursday, March 22  only narrowly averting a third government shutdown this year. President Trump signed the bill into law on Friday.

Congresss inability to pass spending bills on schedule has produced unrelenting frustration and criticism by commentators and members of Congress alike.

Because the congressional budgeting process has become so dysfunctional, many suggest that a return to earmarks, popularly known as pork-barrel spending, would grease the wheels for appropriations bills. An earmark is money provided for an individual project in an elected officials district, as a way of encouraging that officials vote for a spending bill.

A return to earmarking  for projects ranging from new bridges to museum funding to renewable energy research, tailored for individual members districts  would require lifting a 2011 moratorium imposed on the practice.

I have studied the effect of pork-barrel spending on passing spending bills. Although earmarks are worth reconsidering as a way of greasing the legislative wheels, I would argue that the case for them is mixed.

Pro-earmark arguments have come from both parties . The supporters include Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, as well as President Trump .

Simultaneously, pressure from House Republicans has led Speaker Paul Ryan to allow hearings to consider ending the 2011 earmark moratorium.

Prior to 2011, these earmarks were, with a few exceptions, regularly, and until 2006, in increasingly large numbers, put into appropriations bills as well as highway reauthorizations to help smooth the way to passage.

Pork helps move things along

My own research , as well as that of Frances Lee of the University of Maryland , shows that earmarks helped transportation committee leaders pass three massive highway bills, overcoming significant policy controversies surrounding each bill. I also found that earmarks were often helpful in passing appropriations bills.

Nevertheless, to opponents, earmarks remain pork-barrel projects that are rife with waste and reek of corruption. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., called earmarks the Washington swamp creature that just never seems to die.

To supporters, on the other hand, earmarks are congressionally directed spending. They are a legitimate use of Congresss constitutionally mandated power of the purse , which, not incidentally, may help members political careers.

Earmark proponents say a return to the practice could remedy the long-running difficulty of passing appropriations bills in a carefully considered, transparent manner.

What did we spend that money for?

In the normal appropriations process, Congress would pass twelve individual spending bills each year, a process designed to give members of Congress a chance to examine the spending in each bill before voting.

The reality is far different.

Data compiled by the Pew Research Center show that between the 2011 earmark moratorium and fiscal year 2018, only one individual appropriations bill was enacted, rather than the 84 appropriations bills Congress should have passed.

Instead of using the process that encourages careful consideration of individual spending items, Congress has funded government agencies in massive omnibus appropriations bills or full-year continuing resolutions . These bills make it virtually impossible for members to know what they are voting for.

This breakdown in the appropriations process coincides neatly with the earmark moratorium.

However, prior to the moratorium, the process did not always go smoothly. The large increase between 1991 and 2006 in the cost of earmarks, from $3.1 billion to $29 billion, did not ensure the passage of stand-alone appropriations bills.

Would earmarks now help Congress pass appropriations bills?

The evidence is less clear than it is for highway bills. I analyzed a number of Senate appropriations bills from 1994 to 2000; although the political dynamics might be different today, the findings could be helpful for the current conversation about earmarks.

In 1994, when the Democrats still controlled Congress, earmarks helped convince senators to vote in support of the positions of the powerful appropriations subcommittee chairs.

After the Republican takeover in 1995, however, earmarks were somewhat less effective. By 2000, with Republicans still in control, earmarks  although growing in number and cost  had no discernible effect on senators appropriations votes.

Partisanship could undermine earmarks benefits

My interviews with committee staff members suggested various reasons for this. Prominent among them, according to one staffer, was the fact that votes were increasingly  on highly charged substantive policy matters. Senators needed to vote on those issues in a partisan manner, regardless of earmarks.

Another staffer blamed the failure of leaders to punish disloyal members by removing their earmarks.

That staffer said, People have no shame. They vote no and take the dough.

It is difficult to predict how returning to pork-barrel spending would work today.

For earmarks to be effective tools, members who otherwise would oppose the bills on a partisan or ideological basis would have to vote contrary to their own or their partys preferences. Their willingness to do so would undoubtedly depend partly on the electoral consequences.

As Yale political scientist David Mayhew has argued , members believe that bringing benefits to their home district gives them something they can claim credit for, enhancing their chances for re-election. That gives congressional leaders leverage over members votes.

The evidence for this effect is nuanced, however.

Earmarks can help members win re-election , especially when members claim credit for them .

But there is also evidence that constituents are more likely to reward Democrats than Republicans for such benefits . This is not entirely surprising, given that earmarks are consistent with Democrats commitment to activist government. For Republicans committed to cutting the cost of government, bringing home earmarks could be painted as hypocritical.

These differences could help explain why I found that earmarks provided leaders with less leverage over members votes in Republican-controlled congresses.

The negative effect of earmarking for Republicans may have grown over the last two decades, as critics have increasingly made earmarks a national issue, framing them as egregious government waste.

Former Sen. Tom Coburn, a Republican from Oklahoma, for example, called earmarks  the gateway drug to Washingtons spending addiction .

The powerful get more

At their peak, earmarks amounted to approximately 3 percent of the discretionary budget, the portion that Congress controls, which amounts to about one-third of total federal spending. As a result of earmark reform in 2007, spending on earmarks dropped to 1.3 percent of the discretionary budget . In fiscal year 2010, earmarks cost $16.5 billion.

Earmarks are vulnerable to other criticisms, not least of which is the disproportionate share awarded to the districts of the most powerful members, particularly to members and leaders of the appropriations committees.

For example, scholar Austin Clemens and his colleagues found that in 2008 and 2009, members of the House Appropriations Committee got 35 percent of all earmarked dollars. That was more than twice what they would have received if earmarks had been equally distributed among all the committee members.

In addition, the majority party gets disproportionately more earmarks than the minority, although the minority gets enough to make it harder for them to use earmarks as a campaign issue. Thats a strategy dubbed partisan blame avoidance, according to Steven J. Balla of George Washington University and his colleagues .

While it is tempting to condemn earmarks as frivolous at best, and wholly wasteful and corrupt at worst, research on their uses and effects paints a more complex picture of their role in the governing process.

As Congress wrestles with the process of passing individual appropriations bills, Republican leaders may respond by once again allowing earmarks in appropriations bills, winning more Democratic votes for spending bills, and protecting some of their own vulnerable members at the polls.

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Diana Evans , Trinity College

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 10:27:45|Editor: huaxia

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YANGON, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar President U Win Myint on Monday called for a constitution which is the foundation of the establishment of the future democratic federal union complying with democratic principles and standards, the actual situation of the country and the emerging federal union system.

Speaking on the occasion of the 73rd Anniversary of Independence Day, U Win Myint stressed that it is important for all ethnic nationals to help each other in close friendship, to have compassion and empathy, to discuss and negotiate, to be free from suspicion, to have mutual respect, understanding and trust as well as unity in establishing the democratic federal union.

He believed that a peaceful, modern, developed and prosperous democratic federal union will emerge in the future if all ethnic nationals worked strenuously in unity with firm union spirit.

He also stressed that the union government is striving to establish a democratic federal union which has been the aspiration of all ethnic nationals with the intention of achieving the speedy cessation of internal armed conflicts and durable peace.

Myanmar became a British colony in the 19th century and regained its independence on Jan. 4 in 1948. Enditem
Question Everything! Purpose and Intent of this website:

Why invent conspiracies when you have the neocons starting the Iraq war By Philip Weiss January 03, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Heather Cox Richardson, a history prof at Boston College, is a star commenter these days (heralded by the NYT and my wife who listens to her podcast); and CSPAN aired an appearance Richardson made last May about her Civil War book in which she discussed conspiracy theories and the neocons who got us into the Iraq War. Long excerpt: I am not a conspiracy person, Im a very kind of Lets just keep asking questions till we get to the basic things. One of the things thats astonished me, is If you want to understand conspiracies and you want to understand how things really work, theyre everywhere around you. If you really want to get into something, go ahead and look at the history of the Post Office, which is this entangled complicated fascinating human story. Why are you manufacturing something when theres so much real stuff that is so fascinating. I was talking about this yesterday about the leadup to the Iraq war and the group of neocons who organized the Project for the New American Century and I remember hearing about that in the 1990s and thinking, Oh thats tin foil hat stuff. Its on the internet, signed by them, by Bill Kristol and Donald Rumsfeld and all the people who went on to get us involved in the war in Iraq and I thought why on earth are people inventing conspiracy theories about what happened when you literally can sit there and say Heres a group of people who launched this argument that after the Cold War, America needed to reassert its world power and it needed to do so beginning in Iraq. No Advertising - No Government Grants - No Algorithm - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter Then I also heard about Donald Rumsfeld after 9/11 saying, Did we get enough to hit Saddam Hussein? And me thinking Oh thats a conspiracy theory, he couldnt possibly have said that. And then of course once I did the research, he did, he absolutely said it, its never contested, its everywhere when you look. So I just wonder about conspiracy theorists because if you want to really get involved in stuff and look at the levers of power and look at how things change, its all right there. You dont have to invent something happening in the basement of a pizza parlor. Or the idea that somehow somebody planted a birth certificate in Hawaii or that Anthony Fauci had started something back in AIDS that has now been uncovered by a failed medical researcher. Theres plenty thats right there that you can actually get into I think its also partly a sign of people feeling unempowered. They want to say that they know more than the experts that somehow the experts are cheating and they somehow know more than the experts just by their own gut sense. And thats deeply problematic. Because experts are fairly prickly Some of them can be difficult. But I dont think Ive met a real expert who wasnt deeply in love with their topic and in love with the truth. My own comment is, this is very smart, and the neocons were obviously a conspiracy in plain sight to start the war. Its interesting though that theres a limit to the discussion. You can only ask so many questions to get to the basic things. The idea that Israel played a prominent part in the neocons thinking isnt addressed. Israels war against Palestinians is our war was a theme of those PNAC letters, and using US military power in Israels interests is a theme of neocon thought going back to Irving Kristol in the 70s. But Richardson boils the neocon argument down to reasserting US military strength post Cold War. John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt were impolitic enough to say in 2006 that the Israel lobby played a crucial role in pushing the Iraq war, and they were largely dismissed by the Jeffrey Goldbergs of the establishment, who had helped start the war, as antisemitic conspiracy theorists. Its astonishing to me that 15 years after Walt and Mearsheimer published their bombshell Israel lobby paper, its alright to talk about the Israel lobbys effect on US policy re Israeli settlements but not about its effect on US military engagement in the Middle East. When actually Donald Trump said during the campaign that the reason the U.S. has troops in the Middle East is to protect Israel. The fact is, we dont have to be in the Middle East, other than we want to protect Israel. Weve been very good to Israel. Other than that, we dont have to be in the Middle East. Years ago a knowledgeable editor friend explained to me that Hillary Clinton had to support the Iraq war in 2002. While Jerry Nadler bravely opposed that war and was attacked for abandoning Israel. These politics go well beyond the PNAC and have never been explained to us sufficiently, and theyre what Barack Obama went up against in inside his own party in getting the Iran deal. When Richardson exalts experts, she makes clear she means academic experts who get paid $40,000 a year. But the experts who have created opacity about the war in Iraq are actually policymakers, journalists and think tank intellectuals who supported that war and dont want an open investigation of its causes. And the push for U.S. military adventures on behalf of Israel never ends. Speaking of conspiracies, the Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif tweeted today about Israeli belligerence in the region: New intelligence from Iraq indicate that Israeli agent-provocateurs are plotting attacks against Americansputting an outgoing Trump in a bind with a fake casus belli. Be careful of a trap, @realDonaldTrump. Any fireworks will backfire badly, particularly against your same BFFs. James North writes, foreign minister rightly warns that #Israel could be trying to provoke the U.S. into war with his country. #Netanyahu has attempted to instigate conflict for a decade. Why is the mainstream U.S. media missing this angle? Good question. Post your comment below Registration is necessary to post comments. We ask only that you do not use obscene or offensive language. Please be respectful of others. See also
Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) paid dividend worth 5.625 crore to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday. The cheque was handed over by Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of BEML Dr Deepak Kumar Hota.

The company has declared dividend of 6 per share, that is,60% of the equity share capital, which amounts to 24.99 crore for the financial year (FY) 2019-20, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

Incorporated in 1964, BEML, under the Ministry of Defence (MoD) engaged in the design, development, manufacturing and after-sales-service of a wide range of products for core sectors of economy such as coal, mining, steel, cement, power, irrigation, construction, road building, defence, railway and metro transportation system &aerospace.

Secretary (Defence Production) Raj Kumar, other senior officials of MoD and the DPSU were present on the occasion.

Meanwhile, shares of BEML jumped nearly 8% in early trade on Monday after the government invited preliminary bids for strategic sale of 26 per cent stake along with transfer of management control in the defence PSU.

The stock gained 7.77% to 1,050 at the BSE.

On the NSE, it zoomed 7.74 per cent to 1,051.

"Govt has issued the PIM/EOI for disinvestment of 26 per cent equity share capital of BEML Ltd along with transfer of management control. Disinvestment will be through a two stage competitive bidding process," DIPAM Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey tweeted on Sunday.

Bidders can submit their Expression of Interest (EoI) for buying the stake in BEML by March 1, as per the Preliminary Information Memorandum (PIM) issued by the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM).

BEML is involved in sectors like defence, rail, power, mining and infrastructure.

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Vietnams Ministry of Health reported 12 imported COVID-19 cases on Sunday, with the national tally nearing 1,500 patients.

The new patients, all Vietnamese, were quarantined upon arrival from South Africa, Mexico, and the U.S., the health ministry noted.

Five of them are treated in Hanoi while the remainder are in care in the south-central province of Phu Yen.

Vietnam has confirmed 1,494 coronavirus patients as of Monday morning, including 693 local infections, according to the Ministry of Health.

A total of 1,339 patients, including two announced on Sunday, have recovered from the respiratory disease while 35 have died, suffering from comorbid conditions.

The country has recorded zero domestic cases since December 2, with four infections detected since December 26 among a group of six Vietnamese who had made an illegal entry on December 24 to duck compulsory quarantine.

Hundreds of people have been discovered sneaking into Vietnam from China and Cambodia as of early this month.

The Vietnamese government allows entry to skilled workers, experts, diplomats, and Vietnamese repatriates, who are all subject to mandatory quarantine upon arrival, although it still closes the border to international arrivals to stall coronavirus transmission.

Two domestically-made vaccines are undergoing clinical trials in Vietnam, their rollout expected late this year or early next year.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio legislators and other state elected officials will receive a 3% raise for 2021, under legislation passed in late 2018 that grants them annual raises through 2028.

Members of the Ohio House and Senate now will receive a $67,493 salary, with extra amounts for those who were elected by their peers to leadership positions, ranging as high as $102,143 for House Speaker Bob Cupp and Senate President Matt Huffman. The base pay for state lawmakers was $65,528 for 2020.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will make $165,230, up from $160,418 in 2020. The other statewide elected officials -- Attorney General Dave Yost, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Auditor Keith Faber and Treasurer Robert Sprague -- will make $122,060, up from $118,504 the year before.

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted is entitled to a $122,060 salary under Ohio law, but he is paid a total of $176,426 through his job running InnovateOhio, a state department that oversees a variety of initiatives, under specific language that was written into the pay-raise bill.

DeWine and Husted last year gave back 4% of their salary, matching pay cuts imposed on state workers amid state budget cuts tied to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen OConnor will make $189,926, up from $186,660 the year before, while the remaining Supreme Court justices will make $178,279, up from $175,213.

Under the bill, county commissioners and other elected county officials will get a 5% raise this year, with their exact salary determined by county population and other factors. County judges will get a 1.75% raise.
Lalmalani sent a second letter to Osman on May 22, about a week after receiving a response from Osman that failed to mention anything about the corruption charges. Instead, Osman wrote that a review of crash data for the Route 83/22nd Street intersection was being reviewed, along with data from other red-light intersections, before IDOT decides which red-light permits will continue and which will be revoked

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Australian house prices have surged in surprising cities despite the Covid recession, with families leaving pricey, overcrowded cities and opting for more rural delights.

Idyllic coastal towns with surf beaches were far from the only areas to see property values climb last year to new record highs as more people could work from home.

Darwin, in the tropical far north of Australia, saw property prices surge by 11.9 per cent in 2020, CoreLogic data showed.

Many have been able to leave expensive properties in major cities such as Sydney behind thanks to the ability to work remotely, prompted by the Covid pandemic's stay-at-home advice.

The marked change to working life has been reflected in the property market, as workers find more for their money elsewhere.

The Northern Territory capital's median house price of $497,222 is now more than Perth's $490,810, following a two per cent increase in Western Australia, and marginally below Adelaide's $504,829, which itself enjoyed a 5.9 per cent rise.

Darwin property prices surging by 11.9 per cent in 2020, CoreLogic data showed, with families leaving overcrowded cities down south

Despite that impressive increase, Darwin's median house price is still below the 2014 peak.

Canberra saw its equivalent property prices rise by 8.5 per cent, despite the cold winters and hot summers, putting its mid-point house price at $762,608.

Regions where prices hit a record high Geelong: $606,403 Illawarra: $681,291 Newcastle and Lake Macquarie: $610,876 Ipswich: $363,213 Gold Coast: $587,156 Sunshine Coast: $650,608 Richmond  Tweed: $623,563 Launceston and North East: $363,723 Bendigo: $436,831 Source: CoreLogic, CommSec Advertisement

Regional areas were the stand-out performers last year, with prices rising by 6.9 per cent, more than triple the two per cent rise seen in combined capital city values.

Outside Australia's capitals, house prices last year climbed 7.1 per cent with apartment values up by 5.9 per cent.

Melbourne was the only capital city to see prices go backwards in 2020, with values falling by 1.3 per cent during a year that saw declines for six straight months.

Nearby Geelong, however, reached a record high with a median house price of $606,403, as of December 2020.

Sydney property prices rose by 2.7 per cent, despite five consecutive months of decline, taking median house values to $1.015million.

A two-hour drive north, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie prices hit a new record high of $610,876.

On the other side of Sydney, the Illawarra region covering the industrial city of Wollongong saw its median prices hit a record $681,291.

Southern Queensland was a standout performer, having 11 areas on the national list of 39 regions to see property values hit a record high.

Even the satellite city of Ipswich did well with its median house price rising to an all-time peak of $363,213.

South of Sydney, the the Illawarra region covering the industrial city of Wollongong saw its median prices hit a record $681,291. Pictured are the Port Kembla steelworks

Brisbane's fashionable west saw prices rise to a record $704,304.

The sub-tropical beach was unsurprisingly the place to be, as more professionals worked from home, with Gold Coast prices rising to a record $587,156 as Sunshine Coast prices hit a record $650,608.

On the other side of the border in New South Wales, median property prices in the Richmond-Tweed region covering Byron Bay and Ballina hit a record $623,563.

Tasmania was also a strong-performing state with Hobart property prices rising by 7.7 per cent in 2020 to $551,462, a record high.

Launceston in the state's north also had record-high home prices, with values rising to $363,723.

Southern Queensland was a standout performer, having 11 areas on the national list of 36 places to see property values hit a record high. Even the satellite city of Ipswich did well with its median house price rising to an all-time peak of $363,213

Looking at the CoreLogic data, CommSec chief economist Craig James pointed out property prices in 2020 hit a record high in 39 out of Australia's 88 regions, covering capital city and country locations.

Despite the worst economic downturn since the 1930s Great Depression, home prices fell in only two regions of Australia.

Still, Mr James said a premature dilution of wage subsidies and unemployment benefits could hurt property prices as the Covid pandemic continued.

'Risks to the housing market  prices, sales and building  include policy mistakes, the scaledown of JobKeeper and JobSeeker, new waves of virus infection and the length of time that foreign borders stay closed,' he said.
New Delhi:

The Indian Navy personnel who were sent to Bangladesh which has been hit by Cyclone Mora, has rescued 27 people in a major operation. The cyclone Mora has caused widespread destruction and rendered millions of people homeless.

Indian Navy ship Sumitra rescued 27 people who were found adrift at sea over 100 miles away from Bangladeshi city of Chittagong, Indian Navy Spokesperson Captain D K Sharma said.

The Eastern Naval Command is deploying P-81 aircraft as part of its rescue operation in Bangladesh.

INS Sumitra operating in the Northern Bay of Bengal rescued 27 survivors found adrift at sea approximately 100 miles south of Chittagong. These include ladies, children and elderly people, Sharma said.

He also said, Search and rescue for more survivors is drastically hampered due to prevailing rough weather in the area.

At least six persons were killed as Cyclone Mora made landfall in Bangladesh on Tuesday, damaging several houses, with authorities scrambling to evacuate over half a million people from the coastal areas.

Also read: Cyclone Mora makes landfall in Bangladesh; 6 dead, hundreds of thousands evacuated

All flights were suspended to and from Chittagong and the Coxs Bazar airports due to Cyclone Mora.

At least 2.5 million people in 10 districts risk falling in the way of the severe cyclonic storm.

The districts at risk were Coxs Bazar, Chittagong, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Feni, Chandpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barisal and Pirojpur.

Yesterday, Bangladesh Meteorological Department had said the severe cyclonic storm Mora moved northward over North Bay and started crossing Coxs Bazar- Chittagong coast at 6:00 AM (local time). It is likely to move in a northerly direction further, the MeT said.

Also read: Cyclone Mora: Heavy rainfall with wind speed of up to 80mph expected in next 24 hrs over Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram

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CASES of Covid-19 are spiralling and the country is living under a renewed Level 5 lockdown. The Government will face growing pressure from a frightened public that is dealing with tough restrictions on everyday life. Here are five questions that those in charge need to answer to ensure they keep people on board in the fight against Covid-19.

Schools and childcare facilities were among the first places to be closed at the start of the pandemic last March when Covid-19 was a great unknown threat. They remained closed for the rest of the school year and alternative arrangements were made for the Leaving Cert.

Schools reopened in September and the Government  and Taoiseach Micheal Martin, in particular  have hung their hats on this achievement as proof of a successful policy in keeping a semblance of normal life going. Since then, weve been consistently told that schools are a safe environment and there is low transmission among children.

However, with Covid-19 cases surging to new heights in the third wave, many are questioning if schools and creches should remain open. Indications from Government are that if the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) says they should close, it will be done. But certainty is needed fast. There are hundreds of thousands of parents anxiously wondering if schools and childcare facilities will be open next week, or whether they will have to make alternative arrangements. And if the decision is taken to close schools and creches, parents will need some sense of how long this will last.

Is the surge in cases down to the new strain of the virus or the relaxing of restrictions over Christmas?

A new, highly transmissible strain of the virus, was blamed for a massive increase in cases in the UK before Christmas. It was not on the radar when the Government here decided to ease Covid-19 restrictions for the festive season and there have been suggestions that the unforeseen strain could be driving cases here.

So far, this appears not to be the case, but further data may be needed. Medical virologist Dr Cillian De Gascun has said that just 16 cases of the UK variant of Covid-19 were detected in Ireland up to December 29. But thats out of just 169 cases. He said in recent days: As a random, albeit small selection of cases primarily from the community, these data would suggest that the SARS CoV2 UK variant  at a proportion of [less than] 10pc  is not responsible for the recent significant and concerning increase in SARS CoV2 case numbers.

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Amid the political blame game over decisions taken before Christmas, the Government would argue that it was always expected that cases would rise after Christmas. However, nobody predicted it would be this fast. It would be useful for ministers to be able to put the rapid surge down to the new strain, but as yet the research doesnt appear to support this.

The Government has been facing some hard questions about the decision to ease restrictions in December. This line of questioning will continue the longer the current surge and restrictions last.

Is the vaccine roll-out happening fast enough?

The obvious answer to this is no, of course not. In an ideal world, it would not take until August for the vast majority of the population to be inoculated. But there are constraints on supply and Ireland is committed to the EUs strategy for the roll-out  including waiting longer than jurisdictions like the UK and US, which have been quicker to approve new vaccines.

People get frustrated at reports that thousands of vaccines have been delivered to Ireland but have not yet been administered. In recent days, the HSE has said that the aim is for 25,000 vaccinations to have been completed by the end of this week. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said today that this target has been increased to around 35,000. It had taken delivery of 40,000 doses by last Friday, with just 1,800 injections given.

Under the plan for the roll-out, older people in nursing homes and healthcare staff are being prioritised, with 20,000 people to get the jab every week. All elderly nursing-home residents are expected to be vaccinated by mid-February.

The only vaccine currently available in Ireland is the Pfizer/BioNTech one, which requires two doses. The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) is reportedly considering a proposal to increase the administration of the first dose and delay the second so that more people will begin the inoculation process earlier.

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has suggested that the current Covid-19 restrictions should remain in place while the vulnerable and healthcare workers are vaccinated. This could mean that they extend into February. Its a plan that will seem logical to many, but it relies on the vaccine roll-out proceeding smoothly and its crucial that a firm finish line is in place to keep the public on board.

Can the testing-and-tracing system cope?

There have been worrying indications of the strain Irelands testing-and-tracing system is under. Independent.ie reports today that the pressure is so great that the HSE may have to stop offering a Covid-19 test to everyone who has symptoms in the coming weeks.

Anyone with symptoms of the virus is still being referred for testing as of now, but the automatic testing of such people may have to be abandoned. The HSE has already stopped referring close contacts of confirmed cases for automatic testing as part of the effort to maintain effective turnaround times for testing and contact tracing. This is to prioritise people with symptoms and close contacts are still advised to restrict their movements for 14 days.

The current capacity for testing is around 25,000 per day. There have been delays in the reporting of confirmed cases as positive tests require validation before confirmation. Last Friday, Professor Philip Nolan from Nphet said that in excess of 9,000 cases would be reported following such delays. He insisted it does not affect case management or contact tracing. But it is an example of the system being under pressure.

As has been the case since the start of the pandemic, confidence in the testing-and-tracing system is important to reassure the public that the Government and health service are keeping the virus under control. This confidence is being undermined at the moment.

What is the future of pandemic financial supports?

More than 277,000 were being supported by the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) of up to 350 per week in the time leading up to Christmas. However, renewed Covid-19 restrictions have led to many businesses having to close their doors since then. That means the unemployment figure will have risen, with tens of thousands of people expected to be laid off.

The Government is to keep the PUP at its current rate until the end of March at least. But there is no certainty over what level of Covid-19 restrictions will be in place at that time and how many people will be able to return to work before then. The current restrictions have led to the closure of hospitality, non-essential retail and other businesses such as gyms and cinemas. The longer they continue, the more pressure there will be on the Government to outline the future of the PUP and financial supports for businesses.

Businesses forced to close last week are receiving a double payment for two weeks under the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS). The Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) is also slated to last until the end of March and will be subject to review before then. Workers and businesses will want certainty on the future of such supports long before March 31.
Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore has reignited her feud with co-star Porsha Williams. More than a year after repairing their friendship, Kenya has accused Porsha of using the Black Lives Matter Movement to improve her bad image. In response, Porsha has promised to pray for her misguided co-star.

RHOA stars Porsha Williams and Kenya Moore | Dia Dipasupil/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Kenya Moore questioned her co-stars involvement in the BLM protests

According to Screen Rant, things between Kenya and Porsha turned sour once again when Kenya questioned Porshas social activism. Fans will remember that police in Louisville, Kentucky, arrested Porsha several times this past summer when she was protesting the murder of Breyonna Taylor.

In a recent RHOA episode, Kenya also called out Porshas activism. She told Kandi Burruss that at this point, it seems like maybe they are putting themselves in a position to be arrested.

Kandi Burruss wears black in honor of Breonna Taylor at party for Porsha Williams' BLM activism event https://t.co/JTMHl5uTA8  Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) January 4, 2021

The former Miss USA also took to her Instagram Stories last month to call out her co-star and activist Tamika D. Mallory. Kenya claimed that Porsha was using the BLM movement for personal gain.

This prompted Mallory to defend Porshas involvement, and Porsha called out Kenya for not contributing to the fight against racial injustice. But instead of backing off, Kenya doubled down on her claims against her co-star.

Porsha Williams says she will pray for her RHOA co-star

In her response, Kenya wrote that fans need to watch the entire season of RHOA, not just a yet-to-be-aired episode. She also pointed out that her eyes, ears, and magna cum laude education are her friends, not Google.

Im not here to write a book/get ahead of a bad storyline/play victim/use a good cause to help a bad image, Kenya said. Speaking of Porshayou cant educate me on anything but how to install a good lace-front and be a freak.

Kenya wasnt done with her critique of her co-star. The mother of Brooklyn Doris Daly claimed that Porsha failed to ask her castmates to be part of her voting PSA. To add fuel to the fire, she also added some nasty hashtags like fake, pray for real, and no violence means no violence.

Every time you protest theres a camera around This is the most DISRESPECTFUL thing someone can say to a black woman who has sacrificed herself for #blm. @KenyaMoore #youaretenstepsback #RHOA  DREW SIDORA (@DREWSIDORA) January 4, 2021

RELATED: RHOA: Kenya Moores Marriage to Marc Daly Is Not the First Time She Has Been Accused of Faking a Relationship

In response, Porsha wrote on Instagram that she will not be shading anyone, and she refuses to battle the topic of BLM with a fellow black woman on TV.

I take it very serious so all I will say is Kenya I will pray for you over the holidays and maybe even I can be a beacon of light in your dark heart, Porsha wrote.

Kenya Moore continues to throw shade at Porsha Williams

Kenya also threw shade at Porsha for fighting violence against black women while at the same time supporting Monique Samuels in her physical altercation with her Real Housewives of Potomac co-star Candiace Dillard.

She wrote, Fake: If you fight for violence against a black woman except [for] the ones who deserved it. Kenya then told Porsha to drive her hate Kenya train onto the same tracks as the underground railroad you thought existed five minutes ago.

According to Page Six, Candiace has also called out Porsha for spreading lies about her. The RHOP star says she has never met Porsha, and didnt have any issues with her until recently.

Tamika D. Mallory defends Porsha Williams against critics of activist work.https://t.co/0Rwm5mCYbL pic.twitter.com/CgmTXxne6f  MadameNoire (@MadameNoire) December 27, 2020

RELATED: RHOA Fans Slam Kenya Moore For Not Owning Up to Some Major Plastic Surgery

I never had an issue prior to being sent a clip of her on Chat Room with my castmate Gizelle, lying and spreading false information  damning, defaming information  about me and alleging I was trying to sue Monique to secure a down payment on my home, Candiace said.

She explained that she responded to Porshas comments because she flat-out lied. Candiace added that Porsha should be careful about the lies that she tells because its a very dangerous move.

New episodes of Real Housewives of Atlanta air Sunday nights on Bravo.
BTS is one of the most influential music groups around. The seven members has not only elevated K-pop on the worlds stage, but they also show how important diversity and representation are to music listeners.

Yet, BTS has also done something else for their fans that tends to be overlooked. The group has actually done something unique to help their young fan base deal with the harsh economic realities around the world.

BTS | Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for dcp

BTS is well-liked among young people around the world

In general, K-pop is a genre that overwhelmingly attracts fans in their teens, 20s, and 30s. As such, it is not surprising that the face of BTSs fandom, ARMY, generally consists of young music listeners, though, of course, BTS fans come in all ages.

Thanks to their popularity among young people, BTS has a huge presence on social media. According to South China Morning Post, BTS is currently the most followed band on Twitter. They also tend to rank among the most-talked about people on Tumblr.

Whenever BTS is nominated for a fan-voted category at an award show, the power of their fandom often shines through. For example, since 2017, BTS has consistently won the fan-voted category of Top Social Artist at the Billboard Music Awards.

BTS writes songs that help young people deal with their economic circumstances

RELATED: BTS: 2 Members Thought About Becoming Journalists When They Were Younger

BTS has been able to unite many young fans around the world, and this has been largely due to their self-produced music.

When BTS debuted in 2013, it was not normal for K-pop artists to take part in songwriting and producing. However, BTS was encouraged to express themselves through music, and the members teamed up with experienced writers and producers to release songs about their personal struggles as young people. This, then, helped them connect with fans through music.

According to Hong Seok-kyeong, a professor at Seoul National University who has studied BTSs success, the group has been able to speak to young South Korean people struggling through difficult economic realities with songs like Silver Spoon, Run, and Not Today.

Members of the young South Korean generation to which BTS belongs grew up hearing their parents talking about how many sacrifices they had made for them and how the children would have to work hard to live up to their expectations, Hong wrote in The Hankyoreh. But as adults, they ended up living under worse conditions than their parents in terms of professional opportunities, stability, and the wealth divide.

This economic situation is not only happening in South Korea, but it has been reported in countries like the United States as well. As such, BTSs songs are able to transcend national barriers by offering many young people around the world a positive message.

Hong continued, The solution the band offered was not of the self-help variety that demands that you grind yourself down within neoliberal competition; it was a call to accept ourselves as we are, to cling to our confidence and work together toward the future rather than bowing down.

BTS also tries to spread other positive messages

RELATED: BTS Is Praised By the World Health Organization for Wearing Masks

In addition to uplifting their fans through music, BTS also uses their platform to spread other positive ideas around the world.

For example, in 2019, as part of an international campaign called #EndViolence, the group teamed up with UNICEF to give a speech about anti-bullying at the United Nations.

In June 2020, BTS donated $1 million to the Black Lives Matter movement. Some people interpreted the move to be a political one, but BTS has clarified that they were just making a statement against racism and violence.
Erin Shackcloth was surprised to find that studying dance without a studio and in front of a laptop made her more inventive.

"You're very judgmental of yourself as a dancer, but not having a mirror or someone watching you constantly was an interesting experiment and I 100 per cent got more creative," she said.

Erin Shackcloth did her year 12 dance subject via Virtual School Victoria and got a study score of 45. Credit:Joe Armao

The VCE student took dance through Virtual School Victoria last year and earned a study score of 45, part of her 98.6 Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).

After a year in which traditional schooling was disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic and the state's education system moved mostly to remote learning, Erin said she felt it was a blessing in disguise to have already chosen to do a virtual subject.
Photo: The Canadian Press The Smith County Sheriff's Office investigates a fatal shooting incident at the Starville Methodist Church in Winona, Texas, on Sunday morning.

A pastor was killed and two other people were injured in a shooting at an East Texas church Sunday after the pastor confronted a man who had hidden from police in the church overnight, a local sheriff said.

Authorities had been using dogs and drones to search for the man late Saturday in woods near Winona following a car chase, and the pastor of the nearby Starrville Methodist Church discovered him hiding in a church bathroom Sunday morning, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said at a news conference.

Smith declined to say why authorities had been searching for the man.

The pastor drew a gun and ordered the man to stop, Smith said, but the man grabbed the weapon and began shooting with it. The pastor was killed, a second person was injured by gunfire and another was hurt in a fall.

The man stole the pastor's vehicle and fled east before being arrested by deputies in nearby Harrison County, Smith said. He said the man was hospitalized Sunday afternoon with gunshot wounds to his hand, but that it's unclear when he was shot.

Smith declined to identify the pastor, the other people injured or the suspect. The sheriff said the shooting suspect will likely face a capital murder charge.

The shooting was reported around 9:20 a.m., and there were no services going on at that time, said Sgt. Larry Christian, of the sheriffs office. Smith said the pastor, his wife and two other people were in the church at the time.

The man appears to have taken shelter in the church out of convenience and there's nothing to indicate the shooting was motivated by religious animus, the sheriff said.

This is not a church-related, religion-related offence, said Smith.

Gov. Greg Abbott sent his condolences.

Our hearts are with the victims and the families of those killed or injured in this terrible tragedy, he said in a statement.

It's unclear exactly when the man entered the church in Starrville, near Winona, about 100 miles (160 kilometres) east of Dallas.

Representatives of Starrville Methodist could not be immediately reached for comment. Starrville Methodist was built in 1853, according to the Texas State Historical Association.
Along with patient discounts, 340B also provides a funding source for qualifying clinics and hospitals. If a patient is insured and the reimbursement for drugs is greater than the discounted rate, the under-resourced clinics and hospitals can use the difference to fund expanded care. At Erie, those savings are used to help people with opioid use disorder, among other initiatives that would not be funded without the 340B program.
A Ukrainian interpreter has been found dead with her hands cuffed behind her back and a plastic bag over her head at her apartment in Turkey.

Kristina Novitskaya, 30, was discovered at her home in the Bodrum resort on the Aegean coast on Saturday. She had died a few days earlier.

The front door was locked with the key inside, the windows were also secured from the inside and there was no trace of any struggle.

Local police say the main line inquiry is suicide, but her friends say that 'life-loving' and 'cheerful' Ms Novitskaya would not have ended her own life.

However, they added that she was 'secretive' about her private life in Turkey, where she lived and worked as an interpreter and dance instructor.

Kristina Novitskaya, 30, was discovered at her home in the Bodrum resort on the Aegean coast on Saturday. She had died a few days earlier

Ms Novitskaya, 30, is believed to have killed herself, by local police but her friends say it cannot be

An ambulance pulling out of the apartment complex in Bodrum after Ms Novitskaya was discovered on Saturday

Ms Novitskaya lived in Bodrum and worked as an interpreter and dance instructor

Ukrainian press spoke to friends of Ms Novitskaya who say it is not possible she would have killed herself

'We do not believe that she committed suicide,' a friend told Obozrevatel media in Kyiv.

Reports say Turkish police believe she had become depressed at a lack of work due to the pandemic, yet the precise cause of death has not been revealed.

After her family, friends and neighbours could not reach her, they alerted police. Her body was found in a sitting position on a chair in the middle of the room.

She was handcuffed, and a plastic bag was on her head, say reports.

Ropes, charcoal, and a scarf were also found at the scene but no cause of death has been announced so far.

The corpse has been sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for an autopsy.

The door was locked from inside, and a key was inside the keyhole, say reports citing Turkish police.

Windows were locked and there was no trace of a fight. A video shows the exterior of her home, and the security guards' office at the complex.

Ms Novitskaya was a graduate of Kiev National Linguistic University where she studied oriental languages.

She spoke Turkish fluently and worked as a professional interpreter.

'She was an incredibly kind, open-hearted, sweet person who would never get into a conflict and always helped others,' said a friend from her student days.

'She was quite secretive about her private life. Everyone who knew Kristina is deeply shocked. We do not believe that she committed suicide.'

Another friend said: 'True she didn't post about her love life on social media, but she was always so open, so full of life and happy.'

Ms Novitskaya posing for a social media post

Ms Novitskaya posing on a balcony

The friends dismissed as 'strange' the reports that she had become depressed, solitary and suicidal over the pandemic.

They hinted at a VIP associate in Turkey but gave no details.

'This is a strange version indeed,' said one friend. 'Kristina had family, and her mother is in Kiev. There was always another route to take which was to return home. Turkey had quite a spell of lively times when tourists returned in summer, Kristina would have found a job.

'I don't believe in these versions. I think they are trying to cover up for someone important.'

Turkish police reported that CCTV cameras showed no visits since a food delivery on 31 December. Her body was found on Saturday.

Her mother was travelling to Turkey from Kyiv.
The state capital of Bihar has been witnessing an endless saga of political manipulation. The Nitish Kumar government, which is barely two months old, has been trying to wriggle out from recent political uncertainties after it was revealed how former chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav tried to fuel dissidence in JD(U) fold.

RJD leader Shyam Rajak made a sensational claim a few days ago that 17 JD(U) MLAs were waiting to desert Nitish Kumar to make way for Tejashwi Yadav. The BJP and the Bihar CM strongly rejected these speculations.

After these incidents, Kumar has been seen as trying to re-assert his political clout and show the opposition that he still holds sway in Bihar. He is still committed to preserving the rule of law. He still means business.

He has taken recent spate of murders in Bihar seriously and has committed to curbing it. To prove his point, he effected a widespread reshuffle in the bureaucracy across the state.

The RJD-led opposition claimed the reshuffle was done due to BJP pressure, and has been trying to brand Nitish Kumar as an ineffective leader, who has been reduced to a puppet of the BJP, after the saffron party emerged as the big brother in the alliance in the recently concluded polls.

To compound matters, Bihar BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal has also charged Kumar for neglecting the law and order situation in Bihar.

However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah have immense trust in Kumar, who can reassure businesses to invest in Bihar and who can provide necessary logistics to set up much-required agro-industries across the state. Above all, he can assure people that the rule of law will not be compromised at any point in time.

Kumar was credited with bringing to an end Bihars jungle raj, which had become an anathema for the impoverished state.

As a CM in 2005, Kumar had helped set up fast track courts and ensured speedy trials in criminal cases. Thousands of criminals were put behind bars, who were making lives of traders, businessmen, doctors and common men impossible.

One would wonder why people still reminisce of 2005, only for the reason that Bihar still remembers those bad times and more appropriately, Bihar wants to move ahead.

In political circles, it is widely discussed how illegal liquor trade is impacting the state exchequer and giving rise to a parallel economy, which is funding and fueling the recent criminal incidents in the state.

There have been also allegations against the police that they are not acting tough against the liquor cartel allowing them to run the business of smuggled liquor.

Kumar had put in place prohibition policy with much fanfare but Bihar police are finding it difficult to curb and control illegal liquor sale.

Interestingly, BJP MP from Aurangabad Sushil Kumar Singh has publicly claimed that he would bring to an end regime of prohibition in Bihar.

Congress leader in the assembly, Ajeet Sharma, wrote a letter to the chief minister and appealed him to repeal the prohibition policy. Former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi has been publicly demanding the release of those arrested under the new prohibition law.

When JD(U) is not the largest party in the NDA combine, his every action would be scrutinized by the opposition.

People would say that Nitish Kumar of 2005 was in better command of the situation if his performance is being compared today.

Apart from maintaining law and order, Bihar had been registering growth rate in double-digits, even during and after the global meltdown of 2008.

Kumar has a long way to go and prove that the people of Bihar made no mistake in choosing him as the leader of the NDA combine. He has a herculean task at hand to emulate Kumar of the year 2005, who was hailed as a leader of all communities, a Vikas Purush and a man committed to bringing development and progress in the state.

Year 2021 would be a challenging year for Nitish Kumar and people would expect from him nothing less than a miracle.
Aer Lingus will begin selling seats on its services from Manchester to the United States as early as this week after its lawyers urged US licensing authorities to approve its application to launch the routes as quickly as possible.

IAG-owned Aer Lingus applied last month to US authorities for permission to operate services from Manchester to destinations including Orlando, New York and Boston later this year.

It will use two A330s and two A321s from Manchester.

Just before Christmas, the chief executive of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Phillip Brown, voiced his support for the planned Aer Lingus service from the UK to Florida.

He said that Orlandos airport lost 30pc, or more than 83,000 seats a year, from Manchester when Thomas Cook collapsed in 2019. He added that the Thomas Cook route was worth $141m (115m) a year to Central Florida.

Aer Lingus US-based lawyers have confirmed that the airline intends to inaugurate its service from Manchester for the upcoming summer season. The lawyers noted in a letter to the US Department of Transportation that the airlines application requested authorisation to promote, advertise and sell those services to United Kingdom passengers as quickly as possible.

Given the absence of any objections, the joint applicants respectfully request Department approval of the application as expeditiously as possible, and further request that any authorisation required to promote, advertise, and sell those services to United Kingdom passengers be granted by close of business, Thursday, January 7, 2021, to enable those activities to begin on Friday, January 8, the lawyers added in the letter.

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The Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) in the US told the Department of Transportation that it has no objection to the Aer Lingus application.

ALPA understands that the pilots for the proposed UK operation will be represented by the Irish Air Line Pilots Association [part of the Forsa trade union], that the terms and conditions of their employment will be governed by a collectively bargained labour agreement which is being negotiated, and that the labour agreement will be governed by UK law, the association noted.

It insisted that the application by Aer Lingus is significantly different to the application approved by the US in 2016 for Ireland-based Norwegian Air International (NAI) to operate from Ireland to America.

ALPA objected to NAIs application to operate the services, claiming it would result in the loss of tens of thousands of American jobs.

Given the historically close ties between Ireland and the UK and the applicants commitment to recognising the collective bargaining rights of the Aer Lingus (UK) pilots, approval of the proposed arrangement does not appear to be inconsistent with the Departments statutory obligation in approving applications by foreign air carriers to weigh the public interest factors of upholding fair wages and working conditions and ensuring that US carriers maintain at least an equal competitive position vis-a-vis foreign flag carriers, said ALPA.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman announced Monday that he wont side with Republicans who hope to challenge the electoral vote counts in several states on Jan. 6 in hopes of swaying the results of the 2020 presidential election to incumbent Republican Donald Trump.

The Constitution created a system for electing the President through the Electoral College that ensures the people and the states hold the power, not Congress, said a statement that Portman released on Monday. I cannot support allowing Congress to thwart the will of the voters.

Portman issued his statement as several Republicans in the U.S. Senate announced that theyll back efforts to challenge the presidential election results when when Congress meets on Jan. 6 to count and certify Electoral College votes.

Democratic President-elect Joe Biden clinched the election with 306 electoral votes to 232 for Trump, but Trump has insisted that the results were tainted by fraud in several states that backed Biden. He has not provided evidence to back his claims, and courts have tossed out dozens of Trump-backed lawsuits aiming to overturn the election results. Despite the lack of legal success, a faction of Republicans loyal to Trump whose members include Champaign County Republican Rep. Jim Jordan and Holmes County Republican Rep. Bob Gibbs plan to challenge the electoral vote count of the states Trump disputes. After that happens, the Senate and House will meet individually to weigh the arguments.

In a statement released Monday, Gibbs said he doesnt believe the fraud allegations got their day in court since many of the cases were dismissed on procedural grounds. He said he will object to the certification of the Electoral College for some states on Wednesday so Congress can provide a venue for the American people to hear evidence that wasnt presented in court, and to ensure the validity of our elections.

Congressman Gonzalez's open letter to constituents regarding the certification of the 2020 election pic.twitter.com/Fnu5zyHxg6  Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (@RepAGonzalez) January 4, 2021

The Constitution gives state legislatures the authority and power to set elections, and I believe state judiciaries and state executive offices overstepped their authority in a handful of states, said Gibbs. Based on my reading of federal code, Congress has the authority to deem whether electors were appointed in accordance with state election law.

GOP Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Rocky River released a constituent letter on Thursday that cited reasoning similar to Portmans for declining to contest the election results.

There is simply no legal basis for Congress to throw out the the certified electoral vote and overturn the results of this election, Gonzalez wrote.

Because a majority in both the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate and the Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives would have to reject any states results, the anticipated debate is unlikely to keep Biden from assuming the presidency, though it could have political fallout for elected officeholders like Portman.

Portmans statement said he voted for Trump, campaigned for him, supports his policies, and was disappointed by the results of Novembers election.

Following the election, I supported the Trump campaigns right to pursue recounts and legal challenges, Portmans statement said. There were instances of fraud and irregularities, as there are in every presidential election, and those who engaged in that conduct should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. But after two months of recounts and legal challenges, not a single state recount changed a result and, of the dozens of lawsuits filed, not one found evidence of fraud or irregularities widespread enough to change the result of the election. This was the finding of numerous Republican-appointed judges and the Trump Administrations own Department of Justice. Every state has now weighed in and certified its electoral slate based on its vote and the process set out in the Constitution.

Portman said that because there were some cases of election irregularities and he understands many Americans believe the election was unfairly decided, he has urged Congress to create a blue ribbon bipartisan panel on election integrity that would provide transparency into issues in the 2020 election, and recommend best practices for the next election.

He noted the objections to be lodged on Jan. 6 have happened only twice since Congress enacted the statute that enabled them, and the challenges were never upheld. He called it an extreme remedy that would allow Congress to substitute its judgment for the judgment of voters, and for the judgment of states that certified the results.

The statement observes that when Portman was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2005, he opposed an effort by Cleveland Democratic Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones to challenge Ohios electoral vote count to draw attention to voting problems in the state such as hours-long lines at the polls. Unlike the efforts on Trumps behalf, the Tubbs Jones protest did not aim to overturn the results of the 2004 election, and was not endorsed by the losing candidate: Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.

I stood in opposition to Democrats then, saying Congress should not obstruct the will of the American people, Portmans statement said. I was concerned then that Democrats were establishing a dangerous precedent where Congress would inappropriately assert itself to try to reverse the will of the voters. I cannot now support Republicans doing the same thing.

Even though Portman was re-elected in 2016 with a more than 20% edge over that years Democratic candidate, former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, he has been loath to alienate voters in the state who support Trump, who won the states voters by an 8% margin each year he was on the ballot, observes Baldwin Wallace University political scientist Thomas Sutton.

Portman is up for re-election in 2022, and Sutton believes hed prefer to avoid a primary challenge from a Republican such as Jordan who might argue Portman was insufficiently loyal to Trump. Shortly after GOP Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine referred to Biden as President-elect in a November CNN interview, Trump posted a message on Twitter that asked: Who will be running for Governor of the Great State of Ohio? Will be hotly contested! The comment was widely interpreted as an invitation for a DeWine primary challenge. Portman waited until December to call Biden President-elect.

Sutton said that Trump has deep, broad, enthusiastic support among core Republican constituencies in nearly all of Ohios 88 counties, and can have an effect on the states 2022 election if he remains politically active. Because Ohio voters have trended Republican in statewide elections in recent years, Sutton believes a primary challenge has greater potential to thwart Portmans re-election than any Democrat. Sutton says Portman has low name recognition for an incumbent U.S. Senator, and is more of a policy expert than a popular presence.

A Trump loyalist like Jordan could mount a challenge if he doesnt decide to remain in the U.S. House of Representatives to assume a party leadership role if Republicans win control of the legislative body in 2022, says Sutton.

Trump is clearly a charismatic, dynamic presence on the political scene, said Sutton. People either really love him or really dont.

My statement on the upcoming formal count of the Electoral College votes by Congress on January 6:  Rob Portman (@senrobportman) January 4, 2021

Read more:

President Trump to give Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan a Presidential Medal of Freedom

Rebuilding economy and infrastructure after coronavirus are among New Years resolutions for Ohios Congress members

Ohio Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman eye chairmanships in 2021

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown wants Senate vote on $2,000 stimulus check, criticizes Republican efforts to reject presidential electoral votes

House votes to override Trump defense bill veto but approves a $2,000 pandemic relief payment he sought

Ohios Stephanie Tubbs Jones lodged the nations last electoral vote protest in Congress

Ohios Jim Jordan to participate in Jan. 6 congressional effort to question presidential election results

Years of work fighting for Northeast Ohio earn Marcia Fudge a seat at Bidens Cabinet table

Marcia Fudge makes her public debut as a member of Joe Bidens team

What Rep. Marcia Fudge hopes to accomplish as Housing and Urban Development Secretary: Q & A

Biden transition office officially announces Rep. Marcia Fudge will be HUD nominee

President-elect Joe Biden picks Rep. Marcia Fudge to be Housing and Urban Development secretary, report says

Rep. Jim Clyburn predicts Ohios Rep. Marcia Fudge will end up in Bidens cabinet
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A woman who refused to self-isolate twice has been busted by police swimming in a Byron Bay resort pool after she was ordered to get tested for Covid-19.

The Cronulla woman was hit with two $1000 fines for breaching self-isolation orders on Friday and Sunday.

Police said the 27-year-old was notified she had was a close contact of a positive coronavirus case but failed to isolate or get tested.

'The woman was provided advice about testing facilities and self-isolation before being given PPE to assist with safe travel to the facility,' NSW Police said in a statement.

On Sunday police were called again after reports she was 'swimming in the resort pool' in Byron Bay instead of self-isolating (stock image)

'Officers returned to the resort about 8pm the following day and found the woman was not self-isolating.'

On Sunday police were called again after reports she was 'swimming in the resort pool' instead of self-isolating.

Sydney residents are still allowed to travel to Byron Bay despite the recent outbreaks on the Northern Beaches and western suburbs.

The woman's brazen breach comes after a venue operator in Sydney's west was fined $5,000 for hosting a 700-person wedding reception.

The breach at the wedding reception in Fairfield, in the city's southwest, has left politicians and police outraged, as it is only 10 kilometres from the Berala COVID-19 hotspot.

Police attended the venue on Saturday and estimated at least 600 people were at the reception, despite a COVID-safe capacity of 350.

Guests are yet to be penalised but the venue operator, a 46-year-old man, has been fined $5000 for breaching public health orders.

Once police intervened, many guests were told to depart.

Acting Premier John Barilaro is furious about the breach.

'When you have a deliberate act like the venue operators ... in this case we've got an example of somebody who's done bloody wrong,' Mr Barilaro told reporters on Monday.

NSW recorded no new locally acquired coronavirus cases over a designated 24-hour period for the first time in almost three weeks.

Sydney residents are still allowed to travel to Byron Bay despite the recent outbreaks on the Northern Beaches and western suburbs

However, two new cases linked to a western Sydney bottle shop have since been registered, adding to concerns about the Berala cluster.

In the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday, the state recorded only seven new cases in returned overseas travellers in hotel quarantine. It is the first time daily local cases have been at zero since December 15.

Despite the better news, Acting Premier John Barilaro says testing numbers are still 'far too low'.

He has implored in western Sydney resident to attend clinics if they have the slightest of symptoms, even if they have been tested previously.

Some 22,275 people were tested in the 24-hour period ending Sunday night, up slightly from 18,923 the previous day.

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THE FAMILY of a 75-year-old grandmother, raped by twisted predator Joseph Cummins, has backed protests calling for him to be tagged or moved away from Nenagh following his release from prison.

A large number of protestors gathered outside a property in the town where Cummins is believed to be staying on Sunday evening.

Chants of Rapist Out could be heard ringing out for over an hour in a protest that locals say will be repeated each evening until Cummins is moved.

Speaking with the Sunday World a granddaughter of Cummins' victim told us: We are planning on being there every evening until something is done.

Either he leaves or have more supervision is put in place for him.

My family and the whole town are supporting the protests.

We even have an online petition going to get him out or have him tagged so people can feel safe and let their kids back out to play.

Rapist Joseph Cummins exited prison on New Years Eve a free man after doing just 13 years inside for the rape of a 75-year-old grandmother.

He was found guilty by a jury at the Central Criminal Court of raping and anally raping the pensioner in May 2005.

The Sunday World confronted the vile predator as he walked out the gates of the Midlands Prison.

Expand Close Joseph Cummins (left) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Joseph Cummins (left)

Asked whether he would like to express remorse to the family of his pensioner victim, who passed away four years ago, Nenagh native Cummins angrily declined.

Why the f**k would I say sorry to you about it? He responded.

I didnt do nothing to you.

Ive nothing to say to you about it.

Twisted Cummins (33) then turned his back on our reporter before making his way on foot to a bus stop and then on to Tipperary.

A grand-daughter of Cummins victim told the Sunday World she wasnt surprised at the rapists apparent lack of remorse.

My grandmother survived what he did to her that night when he broke into her house and did what he did.

She was a strong woman who somehow managed to go on with things.

She passed away four years ago.

I dont think she wanted to be here on earth the day he got released.

Details of the savage ordeal Cummins inflicted on his 75-year-old victim, when they emerged during his trial in January of 2007, marked him out as one of Irelands most depraved sex offenders.

Cummins, then 20-years-of age, was found guilty by a jury at the Central Criminal Court of raping and anally raping the pensioner in May 2005.

He was also convicted of burglary of her home but was found not guilty by direction of the court of threatening to kill her on the same occasion.

In her victim impact statement, the pensioner spoke of the horrific ordeal Cummins subjected her to and the degradation she felt in the aftermath of his crimes.

Expand Close Joseph Cummins made threats to victims family as he was being led away from court / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Joseph Cummins made threats to victims family as he was being led away from court

"The reason my life suddenly changed completely was that on May 22nd, 2005 in the early hours of the morning a man broke into my house where he raped me and robbed me in my living room.

"It was a vicious attack which has completely changed my life. I never felt afraid in my own house and I never thought anything like this would ever happen to me.

"Something like this should never happen to me or to anybody else. I was in poor health at the time. This incident seriously affected me in many ways.

"During this attack I was terrified for my safety. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. I never even had a reason to call the gardai."

The woman recounted how she had been brought to Waterford hospital after the attack and examined there by a doctor.

"This was all very embarrassing and humiliating for me. I was in a total state of shock and fear. I have been going for counselling on a regular basis since this happened.

My family also have to go for counselling.

"Not only has this affected me, it has affected my whole family. All our lives have been turned upside down."

The victim said that after the attack she never returned to her old house, even to visit it, and moved home.

"Shortly after the attack we brought the armchair that I was raped in to [one of] my daughter's house.

Read More

My daughters made up a life-size dummy and put it in the armchair. They then set fire to the armchair. I kept wishing that it was the man that did this to me was in the chair going up in flames.

I can't sleep at night and I am having terrible nightmares that he is going to come back again.

The night this attack happened to me  I had a box of sleeping tablets in my hand which I picked up from somewhere.

I sat there thinking to myself would I be better off taking them and for my family to find me dead rather than me having to tell them what had happened to me and for them having to go through all this.

"I never told my family exactly what had happened to me on the night of the attack and they only heard the full details on the day I gave my evidence in court. That was very hard for both me and my family.

"All I want to do now is to put all this behind me, if I can, and put my life back together and live out the rest of my life as best I can.

Sentencing judge Mr. Justice Paul Carney was told by the victim's daughter and granddaughter that when he was being led out of court in Limerick after his conviction, Cummins turned to them saying: "This is not over yet."

They said he then thumped the jury box as he passed it while prison officers used an envelope to shield his eyes to stop him from staring at the victim and her family.

Read More

Timothy O'Leary, defending, said Cummins came from a disadvantaged background and was diagnosed in childhood as suffering from attention deficit hyperactive disorder.

He had come to the attention of the Garda at an early stage and most of his previous convictions involved cars, but he had none before this for crimes of a sexual nature.

Mr. O'Leary said Cummins was 18 at the time of the offence and while the court might take "a dim and serious view" of the crimes, he asked that he be left with some light at the end of the tunnel.

Mr. Justice Carney said the threat by Cummins to his victims family led him to consider imposing a life sentence and he noted that the Court of Criminal Appeal had recently shown a greater inclination to uphold a discretionary life sentence.

He said that he would not impose a life sentence in view of Cummins's age as that could mean he could find himself serving 55 years or more.

He was reluctant to expose Cummins to the risk of having to serve 55 years but by coupling his sentence with post-release supervision, it would keep him under control for 25 years.

Mr. Justice Carney imposed two concurrent terms of 15 years each for rape and anal rape, and five years for burglary.

He declared Cummins a sex offender and ordered that he undergo 10 years of post-release supervision.

Download the Sunday World app Now download the free app for all the latest Sunday World News, Crime, Irish Showbiz and Sport. Available on Apple and Android devices

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Joseph M. Carden, 81, of Carbondale, died Tuesday afternoon at Wilkes Barre General Hospital after an illness.

Born Nov. 22, 1939, in Carbondale, he was the son of the late Joseph P. Carden and Lillian Westgate Carden Arnold. Joe was a graduate of Benjamin Franklin High School, Carbondale, and was a former employee of the Gentex Corp., Simpson. A member of the Covenant Reformed Church, he also was a sergeant with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard where he served with the 1st Battalion of the 109th Infantry, 28th Division, until his retirement in 2000.

An ardent patriot, Joe will be remembered as a warm and gentle man.

Left to cherish his memory are Kathleen Carden Trichilo, cousin; Deborah Coons and other close friends.

He was also preceded in death by a brother, Richard Carden; and a sister, Beverly Mroczka.

A graveside service with military honors will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Our Mother of Sorrows Cemetery, 400 State Route 106, Greenfield Twp. Those attending are kindly asked to wear a mask.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Carmine J. & Louis C. Parise Funeral Home and Cremation Services Inc., Carbondale.

To share condolences with Joes family, visit his book of everlasting memories at www.parisefuneralhome.com.
Yangon:

Myanmar citizens were in uproar on Monday as world's biggest social media platform 'Facebook' seemingly banned word like 'kalar' and people sharing posts using such words would be blocked immediately.

The word 'Kalar' is often used as a slur against Muslims, at a time of rising Islamophobia in the country.

Facebook is under global pressure to clamp down on hates peech, violent threats or deliberately misleading informationon their platform -- with efforts showing varying degrees of success. Dozens of users in Myanmar reported being temporarily barred from the site recently after posting the controversial term kalar, which is frequently used as an insult for the country's embattled Muslim minority.

Some users said they were even blocked after writing other words that include the same sound in the Burmese alphabet, highlighting the difficulties Facebook has monitoring millions of posts in multiple languages.

Aung Kaung Myat said he had been prevented from liking, posting and sharing content on the site for 24 hours last week for writing about the apparent ban, as had many of his friends.

"It is ridiculous," he said. "I became a victim of it myself when I wrote: 'Facebook is deleting the posts thatinclude the word kalar'."

Yarzar Soe-Oo said he was barred on Friday after posting a jokey quip about eating Indian bean soup ("kalar pal hin")while sitting in a chair ("kalar htaing").

Facebook did not reply to emailed requests for comment while a spokesman for the Myanmar government said it had not pushed for a ban.

Kalar is a deeply controversial term in Myanmar, where it is used to refer to foreigners in general but most commonly to describe people of Indian origin and anything relating to their culture. Over the years it has also been turned into a derogatory slur by Buddhist nationalists against Muslims.

Two angry Facebook users have responded to the apparent ban by creating an event called "We own Kalar" in protest. By early afternoon some 1,400 people had said they were interested in attending the gathering, scheduled for Wednesday in Yangon.

"Even though no action is taken against fake account swhich share hate speech and spew abuse... action is taken over(words we use every day)," said the organisers.

"We own the word as we have been using it for decades and over the centuries." The push comes as Myanmar's government has been seeking to clamp down on hate speech after a spike in anti-Muslim actions by Buddhist hardliners.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
On January 5, 2020, at around 6:30 pm, Aishe Ghosh was walking towards her hostel after attending a march organised against the hike in hostel fees at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus when a mob attacked her. Her head was smashed with a rod, and her left arm was fractured. Soon, a photo of her blood-smeared face and a video of the attack went viral on the social media, sparking horror, condemnation and outrage.

While the mob was running amok on campus, beating up students, teachers, targeting hostellers and breaking furniture, a contingent of police was waiting outside the main campus gate, called the North Gate. Later, senior police officers had said that they did not go in because they did not have the permission from the vice-chancellor -- a stand which attracted widespread criticism.

A case was registered under sections of rioting, unlawful assembly, rioting with deadly weapons, and a section of the prevention of damage to property act against unknown persons at the Vasant Kunj North police station. The case was transferred to the crime branch later.

Five days after the attack, at a press conference, the police released photographs of nine students, including Ghosh, saying they were involved in violence. However, an unidentified woman who was seen with the attackers in the video was not there in the police list. She was later identified as Komal Sharma -- apparently a student of Daulat Ram College in Delhi University. She was allegedly linked to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) but could not be traced for several months.

She was eventually called to record her statement, according to police.

Siddhardh Yadav, state secretary ABVP (Delhi), said, We have an active member named Komal Sharma but she is not the one who was seen in those pictures shared on social media. ABVP has been very clear about this from the beginning. We also want the person who was there among the mob to be identified and questioned.

Read more| Media reporting on charge sheet, my lawyer is yet to get it: Umar Khalid tells court

The police refused to share Sharmas details. Authorities and students in Daulat Ram College also provided no details about her.

The police claim to have met over 35-40 witnesses, recorded their statement and questioned more than 70 persons, including Sharma. Till date, however, not a single person has been arrested in connection with the violence on the campus.

Special commissioner of police (crime) Praveer Ranjan said, Three cases pertaining to last years violence in JNU are being probed by the crime branch. The investigation in all the three cases is in progress.

TENSION WAS BUILDING UP

Tension was mounting on campus with the Left and Right leaning student outfits sparring over the boycott of semester registration as a part of the protest against a hike in the hostel fees. While the Left outfits were demanding a boycott, the Right wing groups were demanding that the registration process must be continued. According to teachers and students, skirmishes were going on between the two groups.

On January 5, a group of students and teachers had organised a march at the T-point near Sabarmati hostel when a mob, armed with hammers, sticks, and rods and wearing face masks, allegedly attacked them. The mob broke into several hostels, including Periyar and Sabarmati, and beat up the students. It also damaged several motorcycles parked outside Sabarmati Hostel. The attackers smashed the main glass door before proceeding towards different rooms and throwing stones inside. Several students said they had to put beds against their hostel-room doors to protect themselves; some jumped from the balconies to escape.

In August, three JNU professors who were injured in the January 5 attack had moved the Delhi high court, claiming that the attacks were premeditated and coordinated, planning for which had been done on various WhatsApp groups.Two such groups - Friends of RSS and Unity against Left - were used to mobilise the protesters, the professors had said in their petition.

The police had claimed that Aishe Ghosh was herself part of the mob that attacked specific rooms in Periyar hostel and released a blurred video grab of a woman whom they claimed was Ghosh, standing with some masked men and women.

Ghosh, a member of Students Federation of India (SFI), refuted the allegation. I had gone to check what was happening after I heard that there was something going on in Periyar hostel. The allegations that I led the mob are baseless. I was looking for the security guard at Periyar Hostel and no one was present, and the guard also was missing,she said.

Read more| Delhi riots: Govt sanctions sedition charges against Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, others

The incident, which took place 21 days after the police action against anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest on Jamia Millia Islamia campus, made headlines nationwide. Bollywood A-lister Deepika Padukone made a brief appearance at a press conference organised by the Left-leaning students on the campus, on January 8, where Ghosh, JNU students union president, blamed the university administration of a witch-hunt.

SHODDY POLICE PROBE

Surya Prakash, a resident of Sabarmati Hostel and now a PhD scholar, who is visually challenged, was among those who were attacked by the mob that day. He said he had given an application to get an FIR registered but even a year later, is yet to hear from the police.

Though no senior officer authorised to speak to the media on the case developments responded to HTs queries despite repeated calls and text messages, some investigators in the crime branch said on condition of anonymity that there was little or no headway in the case.

We sent the photographs and videos to the forensic science laboratory. The result is awaited. Because of the lockdown, many such videos are pending forensic examination. The case involved students so we do not act until we have strong evidence, said a mid-level officer.

According to doctors at the AIIMS Trauma Centre, 35 injured were brought for treatment. Nearly half of them were from Sabarmati hostel.

I received no calls from the police for any investigation into the case. It has been a year and yet there has been no conclusion in the matter so far. I dont even hope for any kind of justice, said Surya Prakash, who alleged that the mob broke into his room and thrashed him.

Another postgraduate student and a resident of Sabarmati hostel, who recorded a video of the time when the mob went on the rampage at her hostel premises, said, We came out of the room on hearing the commotion and saw the mob charging towards the girls wing. We soon gathered and made a human chain. I started making a video and was attacked with stones. I have written multiple times to the police and the administration but there has been no response.

She alleged that the administration did not even repair the damage caused during the violence. Some teachers pooled in money and got the window panes changed. Otherwise, the administration has not fixed anything as of now, she alleged.

Read more| Delhi riots: Kalita trying to create narrative to implicate Kapil Mishra, say police

JNU PANEL MADE LITTLE PROGRESS

JNU vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar constituted a five-member committee to probe the violence. HT spoke to several students from both Left- and the Right-leaning groups, and to several teachers -- they all said they have never been contacted by the committee to record their statement.

Satish Chandra Yadav, general secretary of the students union and a member of All India Students Association (AISA), said he was also injured in the attack. We do not know about the existence of the internal inquiry committee, he said.

Several other students had the same response. Shivam Chaurasiya, a PhD scholar and president of ABVPs JNU unit, said that he was attacked by the mob near Periyar hostel. At least 20-25 ABVP members got injured in the violence. We did record our statements with the police but we do not know about any other inquiry committee. We have on Monday written to the administration asking it to tell us what its done so far to probe the matter, he said.

Aishe Ghosh said, The administration has never ever contacted me to ask if I was alright even as my images and videos were all over the news and social media. Justice has been denied to us at every stage and if this gets normalised students wont feel comfortable coming to the JNU campus. We do not want this to get erased from the public memory before justice is delivered.

TEACHERS RECALL HORROR

Shukla Sawant, a professor at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, was among those who first saw the mob moving towards the gathering at Sabarmati T-point. She alleged that she was attacked with lathis and stones, suffering injuries on her back and head. It was mayhem. I could not believe my eyes. The masked mob was smashing and breaking the vehicles, and beating students and teachers with sticks, rods and stones... Its been very traumatic. Its taken away everybodys mental space. There were several WhatsApp groups clearly mentioning the names of several people but nothing has been done as of now, she said.

Sucharita Sen, a professor at the School of Social Sciences, who was attacked at the same spot, and received injuries on her head, said she felt hesitant to go to her workplace for some time after the incident. I was hit by a stone. I was bleeding when a colleague and a student tried to take me to the hospital on a two-wheeler. But we were not allowed to pass through the main gate. We had to go back to the campus. They shifted me to the university ambulance and was taken to the hospital through another gate. The police were right there and they looked away, she said.

Sen, 58, said that the only time police had met her was when they recorded her statement, two months after the incident. There has been no follow up after that. The administration did not even acknowledge my representations sent via emails during this period. I had even moved a Delhi court, seeking registration of an FIR but nothing happened. I have no hope for justice now, she said.

Former JNU Teachers Association (JNUTA) member Bikramaditya Choudhary, whose wife was chased by the mob armed with sticks and rods, near faculty housing complex, said, She had submitted a video to the police and had written five times to them but nobody approached us. She is still traumatised by the incident and feels wary while stepping out. The behaviour of the administration shows that it colluded with the perpetrators.

PROVIDED SUPPORT, SAYS ADMIN

Despite several attempts, vice-chancellor Jagadesh Kumar did not respond to calls and messages for a response. JNU registrar Pramod Kumar said all possible support was provided to the students and teachers. The university had provided ambulances and medical aid to students and teachers injured in that unfortunate incident. The representatives of the administration had also visited the injured in the hospital. We could not meet everyone personally but we have full-time counsellors at the campus for any psychological support for the students, he said.

On being asked why the internal inquiry committee constituted by the administration did not approach any victim or the eyewitnesses of the violence, he said, We did not push the internal inquiry committee since a special team of police is investigating the matter. We regularly take the updates about the investigation from the police.

Kumar dismissed the allegations of the administration being hand-in-glove with the attackers. Its equally shocking for us all...We do not want to comment on who was responsible for the violence. Let police do their work.

INACTION INDEFENSIBLE: EXPERTS

A crime branch officer, who did not wish to be named, said, We have taken the statement of all students who were caught on tape. Even the woman whose photo went viral (allegedly Komal Sharma), was summoned and her statement recorded. The investigation could not proceed thereafter because within a month riots broke out in Delhi. Also, within weeks, the lockdown was announced and the university was closed. All students from JNU and Delhi University were on leave and returned their homes.

Retired IPS officer, Prakash Singh, who served as director general of police in Uttar Pradesh and Assam, said that the lockdown did not mean police stopped doing their job. I do not know the progress of the case. But if it is true that police have not arrested any person, it reflects poorly on the polices conduct. Things keep on happening. This does not mean work should stop. The world has not stopped. We have not abandoned our daily chores. If there is not a single arrest, and the progress is slow, it means Delhi police is acting under some constraints. Apart from the earths rotation, other things are moving, maybe slow. But if police have not acted on identifying and nabbing the attackers, then it is indefensible.

Retired IPS officer, NC Asthana, who was a director general in the Kerala police, said Delhi polices conduct in the case has been far from being professional. Police have not been able to find who that woman (Komal Sharma) is even after a year. It is very unfortunate, also not professional. It does not inspire confidence. You have to be impartial. Let me put it this way. The conduct of the police has been far from professional.

(With inputs from Prawesh Lama and Karn Pratap Singh)
"Like many companies, the pandemic has had a significant impact on our ability to execute our plans," said Damon. "But that didn't stop us from continuing to help our clients transform their businessesin fact, it inspired us to re-imagine the way we deliver our services to the markets we serve. Our team worked diligently to develop virtual offerings such as remote consulting and learning, as well as expand into new service areas that reduced our reliance on the traditional in-person consulting model. This pivot enabled us to return to a double-digit level of growth, without sacrificing value in the eyes of our clients."

Lean Focus's clientele represents a "who's who" of global leaders in every industry, including some of the world's most respected brands and several members of the Fortune 1000. And sacrifice value they did notunder Damon's leadership, Lean Focus's clients were able to adapt to their new economic challenges without missing a beat.

While Damon's leadership was an integral part of the success that Lean Focus and their clients saw in 2020, he says it was far from the only contributing factor. According to him, it was Lean Focus's tried-and-true methodologythe Lean Focus Business Systemcombined with their all-star team of senior-level Lean practitioners, that enabled them to continue delivering on their promise to "Transform Businesses For Good." But, for his part, Damon has rightly earned himself the title of "2021 Executive Of The Year."

In lieu of an in-person awards reception, In Business will be sharing video statements that highlights the winners' unique approaches to the challenges that this past year presented.

To learn more about the services and solutions Lean Focus offers, visit www.leanfocus.com.

About Lean Focus:

Lean Focus helps businesses overcome their biggest challenges by transforming them for the better, and for the long-term. Applied with our proven, hands-on approach, the Lean Focus Business System utilizes 5 Key ElementsGrowth, Lean, Leadership, Foundation, and Guiding Principlesto build the lasting organizational and cultural infrastructure it takes to achieve real results.

Lean Focus | Transforming Businesses for Good

Contact:

April Lee

Managing Director

Phone: 630.800.8519

Email: [email protected]

About In Business:

In Business is the premier business-to-business publication in the Greater Madison region, celebrating more than 43 years of editorial excellence. Our nationally acclaimed editorial department covers the companies and people shaping the business community through readership news, analysis, and in-depth profiles  both online and in print for the Greater Madison region. We provide interview-style reporting on best industry business practices. We also profile new businesses in the marketplace and honor the stakeholders who built the business community with awards programs and special events.

To contact In Business magazine, click here.

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San Francisco Rep. Nancy Pelosi was re-elected speaker of the House on Sunday, but will face new challenges in what could be her final term as speaker.

Pelosi, 80, will preside over the narrowest majority in two decades, with Democrats holding a 222-211 advantage over Republicans, with two seats yet to be filled, and centrists and progressives pulling her party in different directions.

She has a lot fewer votes to work with and the Democratic Party has a lot of factions, said Matthew Green, author of Choosing the Leader: Leadership Elections in the U.S. House of Representatives. It is harder to pass legislation when only a handful of Democrats could derail it.

The narrowness of Pelosis victory Sunday could be a harbinger of the challenges she will face over the next two years. Pelosi defeated House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, 216 to 209. Two moderate Democrats voted for someone besides Pelosi, and three others voted present.

However, all the members of the progressive group of legislators known as the squad backed Pelosi, even after its most prominent member, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, complained that national Democrats leading the partys congressional campaign strategy were out of tune with progressive voters.

After winning election to her fourth nonconsecutive term as speaker, Pelosi told the House, Our most urgent priority will continue to be defeating the coronavirus. And defeat it we will. Two weeks ago, we passed an emergency relief package to crush the virus and put money in the pockets of workers and families, which is now the law.

The pandemic has pulled back the curtain on even worsened disparities in our economy and our society. We must pursue justice: economic justice, justice in health, racial justice, environmental and climate justice, Pelosi said.

Beyond all of the politics in this vote, we have to remember this is still historic, said Kelly Dittmar, director of research at Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. She remains the first  and only  woman to serve as speaker.

But this term could also be Pelosis last as speaker. Two years ago, as part of a deal she cut with Democrats who threatened to oppose her for the top job, she promised not to serve as speaker beyond this term. She said in November, I will abide by those limits.

Here are some of the challenges Pelosi will face:

Less margin for error: Democrats will hold the smallest majority since Republicans held a seven-vote edge in 2001. Pelosi will face pressure from both her left  including Ocasio-Cortez and an emboldened Progressive Caucus  and from moderates who feel Democrats are teetering too far left for many Americans.

She has less margin for error, said Molly Reynolds, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Obviously, she has long been very good at counting the votes in her caucus. Her mantra is always, first, you count the votes, then you take the votes.

Maintaining a united caucus in this new universe will require all of Pelosis self-described skills as a master legislator.

Ocasio-Cortez was one of the last Democrats to cast a ballot for Pelosi on Sunday. Asked afterward whether she had exacted any concessions  such as a vote on a Medicare for All health care plan  in exchange for her support, Ocasio-Cortez said she and other progressives have been in conversations and negotiations with the speaker.

Green said that while Pelosi has always had to deal with factions in the Democratic Party, these are more assertive than theyve been in the past.

Trumpism lingers: President Trump will be out of office come Jan. 20, but Trumpism will outlast him.

Trumps influence is alive in the House, where as many as 140 Republicans will join a dozen GOP senators Wednesday in challenging several states Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden. Judges and courts have rejected nearly 60 legal challenges to the election results over the past two months.

Even if the GOP protest fails, as expected, Pelosi will have an energized GOP to contend with. McCarthy noted in his floor speech Sunday that unlike Democrats, who lost a dozen seats in the election, no Republican incumbent was defeated.

It was a wake-up call. The question I ask of this majority: Were you listening? McCarthy said.

Stay tuned in the Senate: Tuesdays special elections in Georgia will determine whether the Senate will be controlled by Republicans or Democrats. The results will also shape Pelosis strategy.

If Republicans maintain control of the Senate, the result will likely be at least two more years of gridlock and White House executive orders. But if Democrats win the Senate, Reynolds said, Pelosi will have a little less of an ability to take a messaging vote that would be popular with the Democratic base, without having to worry about it actually becoming law.

More will be expected of Democrats because they will have the presidency, Reynolds said.

Pelosi has made that adjustment before. In 2007, she was elected speaker when George W. Bush was president. But Green said she shifted into focusing on governing in 2009, when Barack Obama took office. That led to the passage of the Affordable Care Act and other Democratic priorities.

The Trump factor: One of the few downsides for Pelosi in Trumps leaving office is that opposition to Trump was often a unifying force for House Democrats, Reynolds said.

But having Biden as president will also take some pressure off of her to play this role of being the wall between Republican policy proposals and Republican policy outcomes, Dittmar said.

A lame duck? Few analysts expect Pelosi to lose any power, even though she has acknowledged that this could be her last term as speaker. And there is always a chance she could change her mind, analysts said.

Her commitment to not run again is phrased in an unusual way, Green said, but I see no reason to suspect why she would run again.

And that might mean that she will retire from Congress after her term ends in 2022, Green said. The last speaker to remain in the House after being speaker was Joe Cannon in 1911.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political reporter. Email:jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
Leaked audio recordings alleging the involvement of the Belarusian top security leadership in the elimination of political opponents, including the assassination in a car blast of journalist Pavel Sheremet, were released on Monday, January 4.

The National Police of Ukraine said they had received documents and audio recordings exposing what could be possible masterminds behind the murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet.

"In December 2020, with the help of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, the National Police investigation received certain information of interest in the probe into the car blast where journalist Pavel Sheremet was killed in 2016," the National Police press service wrote on Facebook.

In particular, "documents and audio recordings, the latest of which are dated 2012, have already been received by the investigation and are of interest from the point of view of identifying those who ordered the crime."

"Fragments of information at the disposal of the National Police investigation have been released in the internet. On the published tapes, unidentified persons are discussing the murder [plot] targeting journalist Pavel Sheremet. In particular, the options of toxic poisoning or planting a bomb were noted," the report says.

Read alsoSheremet murder: Leaked comms allege plot by Belarusian KGBAt the moment, Ukrainian law enforcement were authorized to conduct investigative action in one of the European countries. Also, the person who transferred the relevant information has been invited to take part in investigative routine.

The police recalled that case against the perpetrators had been submitted to court, while a separate criminal proceeding had been initiated against the masterminds behind the crime. The investigation is underway.

Sheremet murder case: Background

The journalist was assassinated in a car blast in the center of Kyiv on the morning of July 20, 2016.

Read alsoSheremet murder trial: Court leaves Antonenko behind barsOn December 12, 2019, police said they suspected five persons of complicity in the crime: former Donbas war volunteer and musician Andrii Antonenko, army volunteer and pediatric surgeon Yulia Kuzmenko (nom de guerre "Lysa," or "Fox"), a paratrooper unit's nurse Yana Duhar, and a family couple of army volunteers Inna Hryshchenko ("Puma"), and Vladyslav Hryshchenko ("Bucha"). Law enforcers claim that the culprits aimed to destabilize the social and political situation in Ukraine. Antonenko, Kuzmenko and Duhar were notified of their charges on December 12, 2019.

Ukrainian investigative journalists with the Slidstvo.info project said they had found the forensic analysis report used in the probe into the murder of Sheremet far from being unambiguous, while evidence presented by the police  not convincing. What is more, many Ukrainian activists consider the evidence collected by the investigation to be insufficient.

On August 25, 2020, all three defendants demanded in court that their case be heard by the jury. Holub, the chair of the panel of judges, said that since they all were facing life imprisonment, the Criminal Code allows such cases to be heard by a jury, which consists of two professional judges and three jury members.

On September 28, the prosecutor in the Sheremet case read out the indictment to Antonenko, Kuzmenko and Duhar in Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky district court.

On the same day, the prosecutor read out the indictment in the case.

On October 21, Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky District Court ruled to extend the preventive measures against Antonenko and Kuzmenko, as well as the obligations laid on Duhar until December 19.

On December 17, Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky District Court ruled to further hold Antonenko in custody.

Leaked audio recordings alleging the involvement of the Belarusian top security leadership in the elimination of political opponents, including the assassination in a car blast of journalist Pavel Sheremet, were released on Monday, January 4.

Reporting by UNIAN
In the latest targeted attack on the minority communities in Pakistan, terrorists on Sunday abducted and shot dead 11 coal miners from the Shia Hazara community after separating them from others in the restive Balochistan province. The local police said that the miners were shot dead from a close range shortly after being abducted by the armed terrorists in the province's mountainous Machh area. The officials further informed that these 11 workers were going to work when they were kidnapped by the terrorists.

Outlining further details of the latest attack on the minority community, the official informed that 6 of the 11 miners had died o the spot while the other 5 succumbed on their way to the nearby hospital. Murtaza Jatoi, an official of the Balochistan Levies, said that the terrorists first carried out an identity parade of the miners before taking them away to execute them.

READ | Pakistan Police Arrest Man For Wearing Scary Mask On New Year's Eve, Netizens In Splits

Pakistan: Terrorists abduct & kill 11 coal miners

"The primary reports suggest that they were targeted for their faith. In the past, members of the Shia Hazara community were frequently targeted by militant sectarian groups in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan," an official added. Quetta Deputy Commissioner Murad Kaas said that no group has claimed responsibility for the killings but a heavy contingent of police, Frontier Corps (FC) and district administration officials have reached the site after the incident.

READ | Woman From Pakistan Found Heading UP Village's Panchayat; FIR Lodged & Probe Underway

Reacting to the killings by the terrorists, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the act by calling it "yet another cowardly inhumane act of terrorism". Taking to Twitter he said, "have asked the FC to use all resources to apprehend these killers & bring them to justice. The families of the victims will not be left abandoned by the government." Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan also condemned the incident and sought an inquiry report from the concerned authorities.

The condemnable killing of 11 innocent coal miners in Machh Balochistan is yet another cowardly inhumane act of terrorism. Have asked the FC to use all resources to apprehend these killers & bring them to justice. The families of the victims will not be left abandoned by the govt  Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 3, 2021

According to local media reports, Shia Hazara is disproportionately targeted by sectarian violence as they are easily identifiable due to their distinctive physical appearance. Balochistan has witnessed violence against Hazaras for more than a decade and a half by terrorists who consider them as heretics.

Shia Hazara community

The Hazaras are part of the Shia community who live in Balochistan and Afghanistan. They have been often targeted by the Sunni militants. This is not the first time that the Hazaras have been targeted by extremist outfits in Balochistan. In the last few years, hundreds of Hazaras have been killed in either suicide bomb attacks, planted bomb blasts or targeted killings.

READ | Pakistan's SC Takes Suo Moto Cognizance Over Razing Of Hindu Temple; 26 Persons Arrested

The province has been troubled for some time now with terrorists and militants from sectarian and separatist groups operating in the region and carrying out attacks on security forces, installations, the Shia Hazara community members or even labourers/workers from other provinces. In October last year, 14 people including seven soldiers of the FC and seven private security guards were killed when militants ambushed a convoy of the state-run Oil and Gas Development Company Limited on the Makran Coastal Highway in Ormara.

Last month, security forces killed 10 terrorists during an operation in Awaran district. Earlier in April 2019, there was a suicide bomb attack at a marketplace in a Hazara housing society in which at least 21 people including nine Hazaras and two security personnel were killed and scores injured. The ISIS and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility for the attack.

READ | 'Pakistan Is Taliban's Birthplace'; Afghan Leaders Warn Imran To Stop Arming Terrorists

(With PTI inputs)
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE BLUE DIAMOND STAKES 2021

By Kendall Jenkins on 2021-01-03 07:43:00

Photo: https://pixabay.com/photos/horse-racing-horse-jockey-mauritius-2357030/

With a new year just around the corner and there is so much to look forward to. For horse race lovers this is no exception. The year promised to be full house racing events. But if you are still not sure what event to bet on in the new year check out the Blue Diamond Stakes.

A Little History About Blue Diamond Stakes

The Blue Diamond game is operated by the Melbourne Racing Club and is held annually during the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival in Melbourne, Australia. Their first race was in 1971 and was won by a house named Tolerance. The race has been held every year at the Caulfield Racecourse except for 1996 when it was held at Flemington Racecourse due to reconstruction of Caulfield Racecourse. Many star horses have made their wins at Blue Diamond Stakes including Manikato in 1978, Alinghi in 2004, and more recently Sepoy in 2011. The grand prize money was $1 million but eventually, changed to $1.5 million in 2016.

About the Blue Diamond Race

The race date will be Saturday, February 20th, 2021. It is a 1200 meters race and the blue diamond nominations should be 2 years old to qualify. There are also set weight requirements for blue diamond nominations and they go as follows. For colts, the weight limit is 56.5 kgs. The same weight goes for geldings. Fillies are given a weight limit of 54.5 kg.

The Nomination Process

There is a nomination process that ranges from early nominations to final declarations and fees. Early nominations would have been in July of 2020 and then moving forward Declarations, Entries, and fees will go as follows: First Declaration deadline is on 17th November 2020 with a fee of $330. The first late entry is for horses not previously nominated. They may become one of the blue diamond nominations before on, 17th November 2020 with a fee of $5,500. The Second Declaration is at 12 on the 5th of January, 2021 with a fee of $440, and the third is at 12, on the 26th of January 2021 with a fee of $660. There is also a second late Entry or re-entry where a horse that was not a third acceptor can be nominated or re-nominated before 12 on the 15th February 2021. The fee is $55,000. The final declaration is at 9 am on the 16th of February, 2021 with a fee of $8,250.

The Betting Process

Now that technical stuff is out of the way here is the fun part. How can one bet at the Blue Diamond races? There are 8 ways;

The Win Bet - You bet on the horse you think will take first place in the race.

Place Bet - You bet on the horse you think will place in the top three finishers.

Each-Way Bet - If your runner finishes 1st you will collect both the Win bet and the Place bet dividend. If your horse finishes 2nd or 3rd you will collect the Place dividend.

Quinella Bet - You must select the runners that finish 1st and 2nd in any order.

Exacta Bet - Select the runners that finish 1st and 2nd in the correct order.

First Four - Select runners that finish 1st, 2nd,3rd, and 4th in the correct order,

Quadrella Bet - Select the winners of four nominated races to win the Quaddie.

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Ford To Sell Your Driver Behavior To Auto Insurance Companies

In the last 12 months, Ford secured agreements with key insurance carriers, including State Farm, Allstate, Liberty Mutual and Metromile to help customers save money on premiums based on driver behavior, utilizing its built-in connectivity technology on eligible vehicles

Customers who choose to do so can allow information about how they drive to be shared with their insurance carrier via embedded vehicle telematics, and may be eligible to receive discounts based on how they drive

Ford Insure and Lincoln Motor Company Insure also offer usage-based policies through FordPass and Lincoln Way apps, FordInsure.com and LincolnMotorCompanyInsure.com, utilizing Fords connected vehicle ecosystem

DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 21, 2020  Choosing the right auto insurance policy can be a daunting task for vehicle owners, but what if customers could have confidence that their policy takes their driving behavior into account? If you drive a connected Ford vehicle, the Blue Oval is here to help.

Ford is teaming up with insurance carriers across the U.S. to help customers save money on premiums based on driver behavior, utilizing its built-in connectivity technology on eligible vehicles. In addition, Ford Insure and Lincoln Motor Company Insure, underwritten by Nationwide, offer a simple way to secure usage-based policies through Fords insurance agency subsidiary.

Already, Ford has secured agreements with State Farm, Allstate, Liberty Mutual, Metromile and Verisk Data Exchange to support usage-based insurance policies, with more collaborations planned. Several more insurance carriers are under contract and will be announced in the future.

Connected vehicles present new opportunities for us to help customers save money and improve their experience with Ford products, said Alex Purdy, director of business operations, enterprise connectivity, Ford Motor Company. Whether customers are purchasing through Ford Insure or working with another carrier, we are committed to giving them the ability to choose the right option for themselves  and to potentially earn big discounts based on how they drive.

Owners of eligible Ford vehicles who select usage-based insurance policies and choose to share connected vehicle data about how they drive may qualify for discounts based on that data. Telematics data is shared with insurance carriers through Fords embedded modem  now standard on all new vehicles  and enables the carrier to use that information to analyze driving habits and offer potential savings.

Thanks to these agreements, Ford can help insurance carriers use connected vehicle data  without the need for plug-in devices  to inform their usage-based insurance programs, improve their underwriting process, and pass along driver behavior discounts to those Ford vehicle owners who qualify. For Ford customers, this means that the way they drive can influence how their premiums are calculated. Details and availability of individual usage-based insurance programs from each carrier may vary.

Ford Insure and Lincoln Motor Company Insure

Connected vehicle data also enables the usage-based insurance products offered through Ford Credits insurance agency subsidiary, American Road Services Company. Launched in 2019 with the 2020 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator, these products enhance the Ford and Lincoln customer experience with discounts of up to 40 percent based on driver behavior. Customers with eligible Ford and Lincoln vehicles can obtain a quote, buy a policy, and bundle their policies through the FordPass or Lincoln Way app, or by visiting fordinsure.com or lincolnmotorcompanyinsure.com.

# # #

1American Road Services Company LLC (a Ford affiliate) is the licensed insurance agency offering Ford Insure which is underwritten by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates. Home Office: Columbus, OH. Ford Motor Company and Ford Credit are not insurance companies or agents. Subject to underwriting guidelines, review and approval. Details and availability vary; program criteria differ in California. Discounts do not apply to all coverage elements; actual savings vary by state, coverage selections, rating factors and policy changes. The enrollment discount applies during data collection; the final discount is calculated according to driving behavior and could be zero. The final discount applies at the next policy renewal and is subject to change based on actuarial support at subsequent renewals or with changes in drivers or vehicles on the policy.

Available on 2020 model-year Ford vehicles which are compatible with the embedded modem. Requires FordPass App and FordPass Connect Service. Not available on 2020 F-150, Fusion Plug-in Hybrid, GT and F-650/F-750.

About Ford Motor Company
Congress will count electoral college votes in a joint session on Jan. 6, and local Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, R-21, says she plans to object to "certain contested electors."

Stefanik posted a video to her Twitter on Monday, Jan. 4, saying she believes she has an obligation to address serious questions about the 2020 presidential election.

Tens of millions of Americans are rightly concerned that the 2020 election featured unprecedented voting irregularities, unconstitutional overreach by unelected state officials and judges ignoring state election laws, and a fundamental lack of valid integrity and ballot security, she said.

Why I Will Object on Jan 6th I am committed to restoring the faith of the American people in our elections - that they are free, fair, secure, and according to the United States Constitution. WATCH  pic.twitter.com/crIgARuIzN  Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) January 4, 2021

Vice President Mike Pence will lead Wednesdays grand ceremony, where about a dozen Republican representatives in Congress, including Stefanik, say they plan to challenge certain electoral votes.

Stefanik says people have reached out to her from across the nation with their concerns.

To the tens of thousands of constituents and patriots across the country who have reached out to me in the past few weeks, please know that I hear you, she said.

For every state objection, the House and Senate must each debate separately for two hours and hold a vote, which means deliberations could continue into Thursday.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Here is something for Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne to consider. An Australian citizen, Julian Assange, has found out overnight, in a decision many didnt see coming, that because of his high risk of suicide and the horrendous jail conditions in the US he would face, he is not to be extradited from Britain. Assange faced charges involving alleged espionage and hacking, arising from the publication in 2010-11 of material showing US war crimes in Iraq.

The appeal process will now begin, with lawyers for the US government announcing they will seek to overturn the ruling of Judge Vanessa Baraitser. The case could go all the way to the UK Supreme Court (equivalent to our High Court) and then potentially to the European courts. This process is likely to take another 18 months to three years.

Given what Baraitser said about the proposed treatment by the US of Assange if it got him onto its soil, Payne should be urging her US counterparts to end its hunting down of Assange. Prime Minister Scott Morrison should do likewise in his first phone call with newly minted President Joe Biden.

Julian Assange has won the first round of the effort to extradite him to the US. Credit:Getty Images

But before arguing the case for urgent intervention by Payne and Morrison, it is perhaps worth dwelling on why Baraitsers case was an important win for the rule of law and fairness, and that the US ought not expect to be treated any differently to any other government when it comes to detention practices.
A Texas church shooting on Sunday morning resulted in the death of a pastor and injuries of two other individuals. The shooting incident happened in the Starrville Methodist Church in Smith County.

According to NBC News,Texas authorities reported that the suspect was found hiding in the church's bathroom.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also confirmed the shooting incident in a statement. Abbott also sent his condolences to the victims and their families.

He noted that Texas first responders and local officials would ensure that justice would be served for the pastor and the injured.

Suspect in Shooting Was Hiding From Police

The New York Times reported that the suspect, identified as 21-year-old Mytrez Deunte Woolen of Marshall, Texas, was sought in two separate shootings on Saturday night.

Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith did not elaborate on these episodes. But he noted that the suspect's vehicle had a "fictitious" license plate that "didn't belong on that vehicle."

The Associated Press said police have been hunting him down with dogs and drones after his vehicle crashed near the church and ran into the woods.

Read also: Texas Woman Who Stabbed Husband 193 Times Freed From Prison

Unaware that a fugitive was hiding in the church, pastor Mark McWilliams, 62, found the suspect hiding in the bathroom the following morning, holding a red bank bag that belonged to the church, the New York Times reported.

This is where the pastor drew his gun and told the suspect to stop. But the suspect lunged at the pastor, managed to grab his gun in the process, and shoot the pastor with it.

It led to the subsequent injuries of two other people. A man suffered a gunshot wound while the pastor's wife sustained injuries from a fall, the police said.

"He starts coming toward the front door, then he turns around and lunges at the pastor and was able to disarm the pastor, it appears at this time," Smith told news outlets.

The sheriff noted that the suspect most likely broke into the church after 2 a.m. on Sunday as the building had been searched on Saturday night.

The suspect stole the pastor's vehicle before he was arrested in Harrison County. Police said the suspect has a burn on his hand likely incurred from the shooting and had to be sent to a hospital for treatment.

Shooting Did Not Appear to Be 'Anti-Religious'

Smith said the shooting was being investigated as a capital murder case, adding that there seemed to be no evidence that religion motivated the crime.

"It was convenient for the guy to come out of the woods - it was cold last night - find him a warm place to stay, and apparently, he was still there when they came to church this morning," he said.

He noted that the church must have been the suspect's most reliable option at the time because the nearby homes surely had people in them.

Police believed that the suspect's presence in the shelter was just a matter of chance.

Read also: McConnell's Kentucky Home Vandalized After Blocking Stimulus Checks Boost

A resident of Starrville, Sam Griffith, who also attended service at the church, told New York Times that the pastor had been in the position for less than a year.

Griffith added that the pastor was preparing the building for that Sunday's morning service when the incident happened.
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Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State has dissolved the state executive council with effect from December 31, 2020.

The dissolution of the cabinet was contained in a statement signed the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor on Monday in Ilorin.

The 16-member cabinet was inaugurated by Mr AbdulRazaq on December 14, 2019.

The cabinet was made up of nine women and six men.

His Excellency especially commends the Honourable cabinet members for their contributions to the development of the state while also wishing them the best in their future endeavours, Mr Ajakaye said.

The governor added that the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mamman Sabah Jubril, was retained.

The governor directed the former cabinet members to hand over to the most senior officers in their respective ministries.

The outgone cabinet also had the youngest commissioner, Joana Kolo.

Mr AbdulRazaq was elected governor of Kwara State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in the 2019 general elections.

He defeated the candidate of the then ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party, Razaq Atunwa, in the election.

(NAN)
HOUSTON, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation (NYSE: COG) today announced that its Board of Directors declared a regular dividend of ten cents ($0.10) per share on the Company's common stock. The dividend will be paid on February 4, 2021 to all shareholders of record as of the close of business on January 21, 2021.

Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation, headquartered in Houston, Texas is a leading independent natural gas producer, with its entire resource base located in the continental United States. For additional information, visit the Company's homepage at www.cabotog.com.

SOURCE Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation

Related Links

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The wildlife wing of Jharkhand forest department has sounded a high alert for zoos and bird sanctuary in wake of death reports of a large number of birds, including migratory birds, in different states of the country, officials said on Monday.

The department on Monday issued an advisory in this regard and zoos have been asked to follow the guideline issued by the wildlife division of Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change on Sunday.

The Centre has asked all the states including Jharkhand to take all possible measures to prevent the deaths of birds. The division in its letter, a copy of which is with HT, said, Although the exact reasons for the deaths are being ascertained, preliminary report indicates that it is a case of avian influenza virus.

Jharkhand chief wildlife warden Rajeev Ranjan said, Though Jharkhand has not yet reported any such death of birds, it is being reported from various states of the country. An unconfirmed report suggests that the virus has also killed some birds in West Bengal. So, we need to be on high alert.

He said they have issued an advisory in this regard to all zoos and bird sanctuary asking them to take all necessary precautions to prevent the transmission of the disease. We have also asked to keep a close vigil on the health of the animals in the zoos, Ranjan said.

Also read: Jaishankar to fly to Sri Lanka tomorrow, sked includes meeting with Prez, PM

Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Madya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat have recently reported deaths of hundreds of birds. The Centre has asked all the states to report incidences of animal mortalities to the Centre.

Ranchis Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park, popularly known as Birsa zoo, at Ormanjhi block, has enhanced the routine spray and health check of animals in the zoo. The birds are being served amino modulator drug in water and food to make their immune system stronger against the diseases.

Spread over an area of 104 hectares of land, the zoo has over 600 birds of 37 species kept in five big enclosures.

We have doubled the anti-virus spray. Earlier, it was done once in a week. From this week, it will be done twice in a week. Similarly, the check-up of animals health, which was done once in a week, will be conducted twice in a week, said the zoo director YK Das.

He said the health of the animals is also being monitored through CCTV cameras installed in the zoo. As many as 156 CCTV cameras, a closed-circuit television surveillance system with video data analysis, have been installed for more than 80 animal enclosures and sensitive points.

The zoo saw deaths of five peacocks in November. However, the zoo director said, All the five peacocks had been rescued from Dhanbad and they were seriously injured. They were sent to Birsa zoo but they succumbed to injury during treatment. They did not die of any disease or virus.
Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, who is also a member of Israels security Cabinet, dismissed as nonsense allegations made by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Jan. 3, as if Israel tried tricking the United States into waging war on Iran. We hear this nonsense by Zarif, that Israel would set off terrorist attacks against the United States  this really is total nonsense. But on the other hand, it is a warning sign  a warning sign that Iran is taking aim at Israel, is looking for excuses to lash out at Israel, and therefore we need to have our finger on the pulse and be at the highest state of alert, Steinitz told Kan public radio.

The minister stressed that it was Israel that needed to be on alert these days, and especially on Jan. 3, the one-year anniversary of the assassination of Iranian senior commander Qasem Soleimani by the United States.

Steinitz was reacting to a Jan. 2 tweet by Zarif that read, New intelligence from Iraq indicate that Israeli agent-provocateurs are plotting attacks against Americans  putting an outgoing (President Donald) Trump in a bind with a fake casus belli. Be careful of a trap, Trump. Any fireworks will backfire badly, particularly against your same BFFs.

Dozens of Hezbollah supporters demonstrated yesterday in Lebanon, just near the border fence, cursing Israel and the United States over the killing last year of Soleimani.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi spoke about the Iranian threat Dec. 21, warning that if Iran and its partners, members of the radical axis, either directly or by proxy, will take action against the State of Israel, they will find themselves in a very costly endeavor.

Kochavi did not offer details over which Iranian proxies could act against Israel. Still, in an interview given a few days later to the Saudi news outlet Aleph, IDF spokesman Hidai Zilberman said that although Israel was not aware of any specific plans by Iran to attack it, Iranian forces could carry out an attack from Iraq or Yemen.

Subsequently, Israeli media reported Jan. 3 that the army is preparing for the possibility of an attack against Israel or against Israeli targets abroad, either by Iran or by its proxies  Iran-backed Iraqi militias or the Houthis in Yemen. Reportedly, the army has been holding war games, drills and assessment meetings to cover all possible scenarios. These include fire of missiles, attacks by drones and other remote-control measures.

Interviewed by Kan also on Dec. 3, Culture Minister Chili Tropper, who is also a member of the security Cabinet, confirmed reports that Israel was on heightened alert for the Soleimani anniversary.

On Jan. 1, Lt. Gen. (Res.) Mordechai Kedar published at the BESA Bar Ilan University center a paper titled, The US and Israel Prepare for Iranian Revenge, arguing he expects the Iranian leaders to mount an impressive military operation on January 19 in Soleimanis, and possibly also Fakhrizadehs, name  one that will restore their lost honor and their longstanding status as regional bully.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Jan. 4 that Iran plans to continue developing nuclear weapons. He was reacting to an earlier announcement by Tehran on resuming 20% uranium enrichment at the Fordow underground nuclear facility.

Irans decision to continue violating its commitments, to increase the level of enrichment and advance its abilities to enrich uranium underground cannot be explained in any way other than the continued implementation of its intention to develop a military nuclear program, said Netanyahu, adding that Israel will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
Israels Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Monday said his government hopes to purchase a third squadron of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft from the United States before President Donald Trump leaves office on Jan. 20.

Without a doubt, we need to expand the F-35 array, Gantz told Israels YNet television. Right now, we have two squadrons. I reckon we will expand that. That is what I requested of the Americans, he said.

Israel previously signed contracts to purchase 50 F-35s with plans for 25 more. It is the only country in the Middle East to possess Lockheed Martins fifth-generation fighter.

I would buy another F-35 squadron and then examine what to do with the balance: continuing to expand the F-35 [procurement], going for F-15s? Gantz said Monday.

The proposed squadron would join the 116th Lions of the South Squadron, which was declared combat-operational in August, and the Golden Eagles of the 140th at Nevatim air base in the Negev Desert.

Asked whether such a deal could be completed before Trump leaves office, Gantz replied, "I hope so. I think the defense budget needs to be handled properly, to be safeguarded. It is a kind of active insurance policy."

Israel's government is facing a gaping budget deficit and is headed for its fourth national elections in two years after the Knesset failed to agree on a 2021 budget last month. Israeli officials have not said how many additional F-35s are being sought for the proposed third squadron. A spokesperson for Gantzs office was unable to comment on the matter.

The Trump administration is moving forward with plans to sell the United Arab Emirates up to 50 F-35s and 18 armed MQ-9B drones following Abu Dhabis recent normalization of ties with Israel. Israeli defense officials initially objected to the arrangement, but Gantz signed off on the idea after securing an agreement with former US Defense Secretary Mark Esper in October at the Pentagon. Gantz at the time hailed the agreement as ensuring his countrys regional military superiority for decades to come.

Outgoing administration officials have urged Middle Eastern leaders to recognize Israel as part of a political and strategic initiative dubbed the Abraham Accords, aimed at shoring up regional cooperation to counter Irans regional influence.

In the final weeks before President-elect Joe Biden takes office, the Trump administration is pushing last-minute defense hardware sales for Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt. Bloomberg reported last month the administration aims to grant a license to Raytheon to directly sell 7,500 precision-guided bombs to Riyadh.

The Pentagon has indefinitely delayed a decision on full-rate production of the F-35 pending the completion of the systems operational testing. So far, some 600 F-35s have been produced, according to Lockheed.
TipRanks

Lets talk about risk, reward, and pennies. The three are related, of course. Theres no reward in the stock market without taking on some risk  and penny stocks offer investors an optimum combination of both. The pennies are the lowest cost stocks on the public markets, typically priced below $5 per share. At such a low share price, even a small gain  a share price increase of mere pennies  can quickly translate into a high-percentage return. However, there is a but here. The critics point out that there could be a reason for the bargain price tag, whether it be poor fundamentals or overpowering headwinds. So, how are investors supposed to determine which penny stocks are poised to make it big? Following the activity of the investing titans is one strategy. Enter Israel Izzy Englander, who is widely known for his impressive stock picking abilities. Englander expressed interest in the stock market since he was young, and in 1989, co-founded hedge fund Millennium Management with Ronald Shear. Using a broad range of strategies involving a variety of predominantly liquid asset classes, Englander was able to take the $35 million the fund was started with and turn it into a $45+ billion Wall Street behemoth. With an estimated net worth of $9.6 billion in 2021, its no wonder Wall Street focus locks in on the guru when he makes a move. Taking all of this into consideration, we used TipRanks database to take a closer look at two penny stocks Englander snapped up recently. The platform revealed that both Buy-rated tickers have earned the support of some members of the analyst community as well. T2 Biosystems (TTOO) Well start in the healthcare industry, where T2 Biosystems is working to revolutionize diagnostics. The company offers diagnosticians and medical labs a range of devices based on its T2 Magnetic Resonance (T2MR) tech to quickly and accurately diagnosis a variety of septic illnesses. As the company notes, sepsis claims more lives annually than AIDS, breast cancer, and prostate cancer combined. Rapid and accurate diagnosis is the key for patient survival, and this is the niche that T2 aims to fill. The companys technology enables diagnostic blood tests with results available in a matter of hours, compared to the 1 to 5 days currently taken by most medical lab tests. Available testing products include the T2Bacteria Panel and the T2Candida panel, which are the only FDA-approved blood tests for septic agents that do not need to wait for a blood culture. A T2SARS-CoV-2 Panel is also available, using upper respiratory samples. T2 has an active product pipeline, with rapid diagnostic tests on the drawing board for a variety of illnesses. Upcoming products include the T2Cauris panel and the T2Resistance panel. These testing products are currently designated for research use only (ROU) in the US. The T2Lyme panel, which will allow for faster diagnosis of the difficult-to-determine Lyme disease, is at an earlier stage of the development. All of T2s products operate on the same T2Dx instrument, allowing for interchangeability in the lab environment. The device offers a simple user interface, and operates with just 4ml of whole blood. T2 boasts that its device is in use in more than 200 hospitals worldwide. In the first quarter of 2021, T2 saw top-line revenue grow by 173% year-over-year, to $7 million. This was driven by a 345% yoy increase in product revenue, to $4.7 million. Sepsis test utilization in the US rose by 85% yoy in the quarter, showing increasing acceptance of the device and technology. Izzy Englander is among those that have high hopes for this healthcare name. In Q1, Englander's Millennium picked up over 1.36 million shares of TTOO stock, now valued at $1.5 million. This increased Englanders stake in the company to 2.68 million shares, with a market value of $2.9 million. 5-star analyst Charles Duncan, of Canaccord, also counts himself as a fan. Duncan gives TTOO shares a Buy rating along with a $3.50 price target. This target conveys his confidence in TTOO's ability to soar 212% higher in the next twelve months. (To watch Duncan's track record, click here) T2s +345% Y/Y product revenue growth is a positive datapoint for the company's post-pandemic commercial strategy, which is being supported by a scaling to just under 10 direct sales reps in Q1. We view the acquisitions of Cepheid, BioFire, GenMark, and Luminex as validation that the hospital lab is an attractive industry segment, given clinicians (and patients) desire to shift away from centralized testing strategies to a more decentralized approach. With these four companies off the table, T2 should benefit from scarcity value. Separately, a more aggressive approach towards commercial execution should marry well with rising awareness around antimicrobial resistance and sepsis, in a post-pandemic environment that prioritizes infectious disease diagnostics," Duncan noted. It turns out that other analysts also have high hopes. With 4 Buys and a single Hold, the word on the Street is that this stock, which currently going for $1.10 apiece, is a Strong Buy. In addition, the $2.83 average price target puts the upside potential at 156%. (See TTOO stock analysis on TipRanks) Sesen Bio (SESN) The second stock were looking at, Sesen Bio, is a pharmaceutical company. Sesen works in the cancer treatment segment, developing antibody-drug conjugate therapies. The program takes a fusion protein approach, tethering tumor-targeting antibodies to cytotoxic proteins. The result is a single protein molecule that kills cancer cells with minimal toxic effects on the body  and that generates a complementary response from the patients natural immune system. Sesens pipeline currently includes one drug candidate, vicineum, which is under investigation on several tracks concurrently. The main track, which has completed clinical trials and initiated the submission process of the biologic license application (BLA), is for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. The BLA was accepted for filing by the FDA this past February, and the company is on track for potential approval on August 18, 2021. European approval of vicineum for bladder cancer treatment is expected early in 2022. The companys other pipeline projects are at earlier stages. Vicineum is under investigation as a treatment for head and neck cancers, and is in Phase 2 trials. Other investigative tracks remain at pre-clinical stages. Clinical-stage biopharma companies are always highly speculative, and in this case, Englander did not mind speculating. In Q1, his firm bought 987,926 shares of SESN, increasing its stake in the company by 156%. Englanders holding in Sesen is now valued at $2.9 million. Weighing in on SESN for H.C. Wainwright, 5-star analyst Swayampakula Ramakanth sees an opportunity as well. "Given the favorable risk/benefit profile of Vicineum demonstrated in the Phase 3 VISTA study, we believe the drug has a high likelihood to receive regulatory approvals from the FDA and EMA. Sesen is actively preparing for the potential launch of Vicineum. The company has selected Syneos, a leading contract sales organization, as a partnerto build and manage a 35-people sales force to target approximately 2,000 high prescribers of BCG. We expect the drug to be commercially available immediately upon approval. We project Vicineum to achieve risk-adjusted sales of $516M by 2030E, growing from $9M in 2021E," Ramakanth opined. Ramakanths comments support his Buy rating on the stock, as does his $8 price target. At current valuations, that target implies an upside potential of 170% for the next 12 months. (To watch Ramakanths track record, click here) Sometimes, the penny stocks can slide under the radar; this one has attracted only two recent analyst reviews. Both agree, however, that this is a stock to buy, making the Moderate Buy consensus unanimous. The shares are priced at $2.94 with a $7.50 average price target that suggests an upside of 155% in the coming year. (See SESN stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for penny stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
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The Indian government will not allow the export of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India for several months. The coronavirus vaccine was granted approval for emergency use authorisation by the Indian drug regulator on Sunday. Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla said in an interview that the emergency use approval was granted on the condition that the company does not export the shots to ensure that the vulnerable in India are protected.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Poonawalla said that the company has also been barred from selling the vaccine on the private market. "We can only give the vaccines to the government of India at the moment," he said to the news agency.

Serum Institute has been contracted to make 1 billion doses of the coronavirus vaccine for developing nations. However, with this suspension on export, other nations would have to wait a few months before receiving their first shots.

The export of vaccines for COVAX -- the initiative created to ensure equitable access to coronavirus vaccines -- won't begin till March or April, said Poonawalla.

The Serum CEO said that the company is in the process of signing a larger contract with COVAX for 300 million - 400 million doses, apart from the order of 100 doses each for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as well as the Novavax vaccine. The first 100 million doses are being sold to the Indian government at a 'special price' of Rs 200 or $2.74. Prices subsequently will be higher and will be sold on the private market at Rs 1,000 or $13.68 per dose.

Once the deal is finalised with the government, the vaccines would be delivered to the states.

By December 2021, Serum would give 200 million to 300 million doses of the vaccine to COVAX. "We can't vaccinate everybody right now. We can prioritise," he said.

Serum is also negotiating deals with countries like Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Morocco.

Also read: India approves Serum-Oxford, Bharat Biotech COVID vaccines for emergency use

Also read: 'All risks paid off; will roll out COVID-19 vaccine in coming weeks,' says Serum CEO Adar Poonawalla
Paul Chinn / The Chronicle 2016

A man is dead and two children are missing in the water off the Sonoma County coast in Jenner, officials said Sunday evening.

Shortly after 2:30 p.m., authorities responded to a call seeking a water rescue for three people at Blind Beach, which is near the well-known Goat Rock Beach, said Shaun Bouyea, a flight officer paramedic for the California Highway Patrol.
This article is old - Published: Monday, Jan 4th, 2021

A detailed briefing on the pandemic situation locally has been published by Wrexham Council, the first of a new regular twice weekly update system.

Todays Public Health Wales dashboard update reported +93 on the day on day new case figures for Wrexham, with positive proportion of tests at 20.1%. The seven day rolling period up to the 30th now has Wrexham at 735.5 per 100k , and that week reports 1000 positive cases.

Today has also seen the release of a new twice weekly update to Wrexham Councillors, that Wrexham Council are also sharing direct more widely. Previously councillors were being provided with similar daily stats briefing with some commentary, one of which we published recently amid calls that the information should be made public.

Councillors were, and are being encouraged to share the information with their communities, with a range of success. Now the update is being more widely shared, and will be circulated at the start and end of the week.

The full update for today is copied below, with all bolding and underlining of points is copied from Wrexham Councils email, and we intend to do similar for future updates:

Dear Councillors,

This is the first of the new, twice-weekly, updates on Covid-19 that I will be sending to you (and that will be sending to the press/media) on Monday and Friday afternoons. I would encourage you to share it with your own community councils, other local networks and constituents, and not just if your ward lies within one of the several hotspots (see under The Sub-Areas, below).

DATA ON THE VIRUS

Please find attached two new tables:

Table 1  a summary of the weekly data for the county borough as a whole compared to other councils in North Wales since the pandemic first began in the spring.

Table 2  a summary of daily data for the 18 MSOA statistical sub-areas of Wrexham since PHW started reporting them at this level on 20th October 2020.

Please note that the data over the Christmas and New Year period are more tentative and out of date than usual and that we can also expect a backlog of cases to be reported over the next few days which will further distort the statistics. It is therefore more reliable to look at the trends over several weeks, as shown in the tables and as discussed below.

The County Borough as a Whole (Table 1)

The more transmissible (approximately 66% so) UK variant of Covid-19 is present in Wrexham which will have increased the rate of spread, as will the Christmas easing of the Level 4 Alert lockdown. There are no known cases of the South African variant, yet. As a result, all of the statistics for the 7 days up to 30 December have got much worse and, with the exception of positivity, have exceeded those of the first wave, last spring. Cases per 100,000 population are 735.5 today. Positivity (29.9% today) has more than doubled over the last three weeks. Case numbers are lower today than the peaks of the last few days, but on a week-by-week basis have also more than doubled over the last three weeks to the highest they have ever been.

Wrexham has always been an outlier in North Wales, but now it is almost as worse as any council in Wales: in the last week our rate per 100k population having worsened from 14th to 2nd place in Wales and our positivity rate having worsened from 12th to 2nd, partly because there have been large reductions in cases in South Wales.

The number of hospital admissions has not risen as steeply and the recent significant change from the 80-89 age cohort amongst patients being the most affected to the 30-39 age cohort has recently been reversed with the 70-79 age cohort now being the most affected, but with a rise in the 20-29 age cohort as well. The number of deaths have also not risen steeply. There is always a months lag between new cases and these data, so we will have to wait to see what the next few weeks bring, but neither hospital admission nor deaths have yet reached anywhere near the levels of last spring.

The Sub-Areas (Table 2)

Almost all of the 18 MSOA sub-areas of Wrexham have seen worsening figures since my last report to you 7 days ago on 28th December.

11 have recorded their worst figures since 20 th October when PHW first started reporting these data (shown in bold on the table), comparted to 10 on 28 th December.

have recorded their worst figures since 20 October when PHW first started reporting these data (shown in bold on the table), comparted to 10 on 28 December. 13 have greater than 550/100k , compared to 8 on 28 th December.

have greater than , compared to 8 on 28 December. 6 have greater than 800/100k, compared to 3 on 28th December. Of these, there are now 6 in the worst centile in Wales, compared to 3 on 28th December:

o Hermitage & Whitegate has 1154 twice the 583 reported on 28th December

o Johnstown North & Rhostyllen has 1141 twice the 538 reported on 28th

o New Broughton & Bryn Cefn has 1031 nearly twice the 567 reported on 28th

o Llay South & Gwersyllt East has 1022 compared to 860 on 28th

o Wrexham West has 948 which is fewer than the 972 recorded on 28th

o Gwersyllt West & Summerhill has 928 which is fewer than the 1266 recorded on 28th

0 have less than 300/100k, compared to 1 on 28th December

Settings

The virus is very widespread with the principal locations remaining households followed, some way below, by outbreaks in care/nursing homes, the Maelor Hospital and the prison. There are no official outbreaks elsewhere, but several clusters in workplaces, such as the large employers.

MANAGING THE VIRUS

General

The Level 4 Alert lockdown, which came into force on 20th December, should soon begin to have an effect, as the October firebreak did, but the presence of the UK variant and the easing of the restrictions over Christmas may have acted against this and no firm conclusions can yet be drawn from the data collected over Christmas and New Year. Welsh Government will be reviewing the lockdown on 7th January, but we should expect it to be extended for at least a further 3 weeks.

Education

The college and university have been closed which will have acted as a brake on the spread of Covid-19. Students returning to the halls of residence in the next few weeks will be tested on arrival and many in both the university and the college will not be returning at all, but accessing their courses on-line.

Just before the Christmas break, the number of new cases in schools rose such that the decision was taken to move to on-line classes and, again, their closure will have acted as a brake on the spread of the virus. For at least the first week of the new term all of our schools will deliver learning on-line, though provision will be made for children of critical workers, if required. All schools have written to parents to inform them of these arrangements. It is currently proposed that all pupils will return for face-to-face learning from 11th January, but this position will be reviewed with schools this week on the basis of the data emerging from the Christmas/New Year period. Meetings between Education and the schools are taking place today and a meeting is planned with Welsh Government officers to discuss the position on Wednesday.

Council Services

The Council is continuing to provide critical services as publicised on our website.

Enforcing the Regulations

Multi-agency teams are trying to manage the various local occurrences, but it is a very difficult battle given that the principal setting is households. This is being managed by the IMT (Incident Management Team) which meets each Tuesday. Public Protection officers are working with NWP to enforce the lockdown regulations (especially in the hot-spot sub-areas). Colleagues from several Council departments are supporting TTP, having provided good cover over Christmas and New Year.

Mass Testing

Arrangements are being put in place to facilitate mass testing in schools and there is also testing in particular care homes. However, at the moment, PHW and BCUHB do not plan to undertaken wider community mass testing in any parts of the county borough. Such testing was undertaken in the summer to determine whether there was community transmission in particular parts of Wrexham town, but we now know that there is widespread community transmission so mass testing will not tell us more than we already know. Also, as we are in a lockdown, there are no additional tools available to us or Welsh Government to tackle the virus. This position will be reviewed at the IMT meeting tomorrow.

Mass Vaccination

Approval of the Oxford vaccine provides a further boost to vaccination in Wales as a whole and in Wrexham in particular.

The Health Board have confirmed that North Wales is receiving, and will in future continue to receive, 22% of all vaccines made available in Wales based on population size. This will apply to vaccines arriving in each week.

Locally, staff from care homes are currently receiving vaccinations through the Mass Vaccination Centre in Deeside. Staff from homes which have current diagnosed cases cannot yet access the vaccine, but as they come out of this status they will be able to do so. A pilot roll-out of the Oxford vaccine is planned for one care home in Wrexham and one in Flintshire this week with rapid roll-out to others to follow. Again, early roll-out will be limited as care homes will not receive the vaccine during an active outbreak.

As more stocks become available priority groups in the wider population in Wrexham will be targeted to receive the vaccine through the Mass Vaccination Centre in Enfys Hospital, Deeside (which became operational before Christmas) and two local centres in Wrexham (Plas Madoc and Glyndwr University), which are expected to be up and running early to mid-January. In addition, discussions have been held with GP Cluster Leads to establish vaccination capacity across primary care from 11th January. Prioritisation is based on age with the over 80s receiving the first doses, but, simultaneously, there is an aspiration to start inviting domiciliary and other social care staff to be vaccinated.

The availability of the Oxford vaccine will make a huge difference.

Later this week a cascade document to Council representatives on the vaccination programme will be made available which will make it easier for everyone to be kept updated going forward.

More information can be obtained via the following link: https://phw.nhs.wales/topics/immunisation-and-vaccines/covid-19-vaccination-information/about-the-vaccine

Communications

The Councils communications team is continuing to signpost people to the correct information  including current restrictions in Wales, and any impact on local services. Over Christmas and New Year, weve been reminding people that, under the current Alert Level 4 restrictions, they should:

Only mix with people in their own household (both indoors and outdoors).

Only travel for essential purposes, such as work, health reasons or caring duties.

Well continue to reinforce these key messages this week, and anything you can do to help share these messages in your communities would be helpful. Its crucial that we encourage people to limit the number of contacts they have at the moment and not to mix with other households.

You can signpost people to the Welsh Government website for more information on the current restrictions. The Welsh Government and Wrexham Council Twitter accounts also contain useful information that you can share with your communities on social media.

If you have any queries about this note please let me know and I will do my best to answer them.

Chief Officer Planning and Regulatory
NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Plus1Vote  a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to getting out the vote and improving the representation of young people and people of color in our democracy  will provide free rides to the polls for the Georgia US Senate runoff election. Georgians can enter the voucher code "GAvote" in the Uber app or use this voucher link (https://r.uber.com/GAvote) to receive transportation to and from the polls paid in full by Plus1Vote. "We are excited to use the innovative tools that Uber has to offer in order to provide broader voting access in Georgia," Plus1Vote co-founder, Roshan Mody, said.

Low-income eligible voters, as well as younger adults and seniors, are frequently prevented from voting because they lack access to or cannot afford transportation. 29% of our youth who do not vote cite a lack of transportation as a reason. As part of our goal to mobilize a record number of voters in Georgia and remove this barrier, Plus1Vote will provide free, round trip rides to the polls on election day, January 5th. The code is available for use in all of Georgia's 159 counties and to all polling locations.

"We can't stop at registering or motivating people to vote. If you are intent on giving a voice to the voiceless in our democracy, you must work to eliminate the structural barriers that prevent people from voting. Providing statewide free rides to the polls is a critical way of extending the accessibility of voting." - Roshan Mody, Co-founder of Plus1Vote

"You don't typically think of getting to the polls as a financial hurdle, but that was a reality for 15 million Americans in 2016, an election that was decided by only 70 thousand votes. With a record number of people unemployed and a massive pandemic, we must do all we can to provide access to the ballot so Georgians can get the representation they deserve." - Saad Amer, Co-founder, Plus1Vote

Please visit https://www.plus1.vote/ and follow @plus1vote for more information.

SOURCE Plus1Vote

Related Links

https://www.plus1.vote


By Park Jae-hyuk



KakaoPay is facing growing concerns over its second-largest shareholder, Alipay, after Beijing's financial authorities have intensified their crackdown on Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba Group and the largest shareholder of Ant Group which operates China's leading mobile payment service.



According to foreign news outlets, Monday, the Chinese regulators are apparently attempting to break up the billionaire's fintech empire to partially nationalize the companies he owns. The authorities cited an anti-trust probe and governance reform as the primary reasons for their latest measures.



However, market participants view the months-long crackdown as an organized retaliatory measure against the businessman who criticized the Chinese Communist Party's policies in his October speech. A few days after the speech, Ant's listing on the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges was postponed indefinitely. In addition, Ma abruptly disappeared from a television show that he produced.



Market insiders here fear the difficulties facing Ant could have a negative impact on KakaoPay's business and its planned initial public offering (IPO).






She was over the moon when her boyfriend of five years Joe Swash proposed to her in the woods on Christmas Eve.

And Stacey Solomon has already begun to plan her wedding as she revealed on Instagram on Sunday she will marry the former EastEnders actor, 38, this year.

The Loose Women presenter, 31, shared with fans a video creating a scrap book of her 'love story' with Joe, after her sister sent a series of labels.

Exciting: Stacey Solomon has already begun to plan her wedding as she revealed on Instagram on Sunday she will marry Joe Swash, 38, this year

The labels marked milestones in the couple's relationship including falling in love (2015), buying a first house together (2018), having Rex (2019) and getting engaged (2020).

The final label said 'We're getting married', with Stacey placing the year 2021 next to it.

It come after the former X Factor star shared visions of her dream wedding on mood boards which included green bridesmaid dresses and eucalyptus bouquets.

New year: On New Year's Eve, Stacey also shared her first snap with her 'future husband' on Instagram as she celebrated New Year's Eve at home with her family

Sweet: The Loose Women presenter, 31, shared with fans a video creating a scrap book of her 'love story' with Joe, after her sister sent a series of labels

Wedding bells: The final label said 'We're getting married', with Stacey placing the year 2021 next to it

Stacey told fans she was planning the theme around her love of Ikea Fejka potted plants.

On the last day of 2020, Stacey shared a video of the moment Joe proposed on Instagram.

The Loose Women star revealed Joe had hidden a Go-Pro camera on a tree in the woods to record the romantic milestone.

Thrilled: The presenter also shared this shot hugging Joe shortly after the proposal

In the video, the former EastEnders actor held out a ring to Stacey and said 'Stacey Solomon' before the overwhelmed presenter asked 'are you joking me?'.

As Joe continued his intimate proposal, Stacey modestly hid her face in her coat as she began to well up during the touching moment.

After saying yes, Stacey slipped on the engagement ring and her three children - Rex, one, Zachary, 12, and Leighton, eight - cheer off-camera.

The loved-up pair met on the set for I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! when the artist was crowned Queen of the Jungle and the former EastEnders star hosted spin-off series Extra Camp in 2010, a year after he took home the title.

'I get goosebumps': The TV star said there are two Australian opals inside the ring as that's her birth stone and the couple fell in love in Australia after meeting on I'm A Celeb

The duo confirmed their relationship in January 2016, with the auburn-haired beauty stating at the time: 'It's going really well we're having fun, spending time together and getting to know each other.'

They announced they were expecting their first child together in February 2019, and welcomed baby Rex three months later.

The newly-engaged couple reside in Essex with their children, while Joe's son Harry, 13, lives with his mother Emma Sophocleous.

Stacey co-parents Zachary with her former partner Dean Cox and Leighton with ex-fiance Aaron Barham.
A GoFundMe looking to help a volunteer firefighter battling COVID has raised more than three times its goal.

We are hoping to raise $10,000 to cover Jasons rent, utilities, and car payment, the GoFundMe states. Once he is sent home, we plan to cover his food expenses as well.

After just one day, the GoFundMe has raised more than $30,000.

Jason Doyle, a 38-year-old volunteer firefighter from Rockport, has been battling COVID for about 3 weeks now and has been in Beth Israel Hospital ever since his landlord found him in poor condition after a well-being check, the GoFundMe states.

He became a volunteer firefighter in 2002, and has been a DPW employee in town since 2001, according to the site.

He has an underlying health complication, which means he will have a long recovery once he gets home.

Jason is a hard-working young man who never asks for help, so this experience has been very difficult for him. He is used to paying his own way, and helping others with no questions asked, wrote Janelle Favaloro, the GoFundMes organizer. Im hoping we can provide him with enough money to cover basics while he is recovering, so he can relax and know we have his back. Firefighters are a family, and this is how we roll.

Massachusetts reported 3,110 new COVID cases on Sunday and 105 more deaths.

First responders, including police officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel will be eligible for the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine starting Jan. 11, Gov. Charlie Baker announced.

Related Content:
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 4, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of Armenia says the information spread by a Telegram channel about capturing an Armenian serviceman by the Azerbaijani side from the positions of Davit Bek village in Syunik Province is disinformation.

''It's disinformation. There is nothing like that'', ARMENPRESS reports the Defense Ministry said.
Buc-ee's still plans on opening a location in Boerne but not anytime soon, company officials told mySA.com on Monday.

The popular convenience store chain hopes to have a store in place near Interstate 10 and U.S. Business 87 by 2023, according to Jeff Nadaldo, a spokesperson for Buc-ee's.

Buc-ee's announced its proposed $40 million project in 2016 and expected to open its 53,000-square-foot Family Travel Center by 2020, bringing more than 175 jobs to the area. Not all residents wanted to see Buc-ee's set up in Boerne. A petition titled "10+ Reasons Buc-ee's Is Wrong For Boerne" received 400 signatures.

READ ALSO: San Antonio staple Burger Boy is expanding again, this time near Hill Country Village

Despite the petition, the project is still moving forward and is currently in the planting and infrastructure design phase, said Christopher Shadrock, the communications manager for the City of Boerne.

Both the city and Buc'ees are bound by the Texas Department of Transportation and its timelines to make improvements in the area. TxDOT is building a new South Main St./Bus. 87 bridge to replace the one built decades ago. The agency is also converting the access roads to a one way and redesigning the interchange at I-10 and S. Main, Shadrock said.

The projects have proven to be more time-consuming than initially budgeted by the state agency, Shadrock said. The expected completion of the project has not been determined but Boerne said 2023 is a good timeframe for the store to open.

The chain  famous for its clean restrooms and beef jerky bar  started in Lake Jackson and now has more than 39 stores in Texas, including in New Braunfels off of Interstate 35.

Priscilla Aguirre is a general assignment reporter for MySA.com | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre
SARATOGA SPRINGS  Mayor Meg Kelly will not run for a third term, Saratoga Springs Democratic Chair Sarah Burger said.

"She did not give a specific reason," Burger said. "I think she's moving onto something else. She's been working in City Hall for five years. ... It's really not a surprise."

Kelly, who announced her departure to News Channel 13, joins Commissioner of Finance Michele Madigan who will also not seek re-election. She will leave the mayor's office on Dec. 31, 2021.

The 62-year-old, a former deputy mayor to Mayor Joanne Yepsen, won her first term in 2017, beating Republican Mark Baker. One of her first acts was to appoint a committee to update and preserve the city's charter, which upset some of her supporters who sought a charter overhaul and who were still smarting from the defeat of the 2017 charter change referendum by 10 votes.

Kelly also ushered through controversial plans  a parking garage for the Saratoga Springs City Center overshadowing the historic the Mouzon House restaurant and a zoning change to allow Saratoga Hospital to build a large office building on a residential street.

In her first term, she oversaw the temporary move of City Hall operations to the Recreation Center after the historic building was struck by lightning that ignited on the third floor. The 149-year-old building sustained water damage to its southern side, which led to a two-year restoration project at a cost more than $12.7 million.

Kelly has also been a strong supporter of Shelters of Saratoga and worked to find a location for the winter Code Blue shelter on Adelphi Street. Right before her 2019 re-election, she also found a home for an Eastside fire and EMS station, which the city plans to build on state land near the Saratoga Race Course's Oklahoma Track.

While she has had many successese, she failed at two attempts to increase her $14,500 annual salary, which she called "ridiculous." She has also shied from the press, and as per usual she did not return a Times Union phone call on Monday about her decision.

This past year was perhaps her most challenging. The pandemic shut down busy Broadway shops and restaurants as well as major tax revenue generators like the Saratoga Race Course (which did not allow fans), Saratoga Performing Arts Center and the City Center. The city was also dealing with Black Lives Matter protests that often ended with blocked streets. One protest in July ended with the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office shooting peaceful protesters with pepper spray pellets, which remains a point of contention between police and protesters in the city.

"I imagine it's been a tough year for her," Burger said of Kelly. "We thank her for her service to our city and wish her the very best in future endeavors."

Burger said she is uncertain who the committee will endorse in 2021 for mayor, city council and county supervisor. However, she said she wants the committee to present a full slate and a unified front, something that eluded the Democrats in 2019. That year, Madigan lost the Democratic primary and endorsement to Patricia Morrison. That led to a group of Madigan supporters quitting the committee and actively campaigning against Morrison. Madigan won in November on third party lines.

"This time around, we are doing things differently," Burger said. "This will be our first opportunity to hit reset."

Regardless, the work of the Democratic committee continues. Burger said the committee is releasing a candidate questionnaire soon and will be conducting candidate interviews in February. She is also awaiting word on how petitioning for signatures will proceed as COVID-19 remains a concern.

"We don't know if the state will reduce signature requirements," Burger said. "Everything is very much in the air."
President Donald Trump View Photo

President Trump proclaimed the month of January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

Trump was Mondays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. The presidents weekly address airs on Mondays and the Democratic response on Tuesdays. Here are his words:

Human trafficking is a horrific assault on human dignity that affects people in the United States and around the world. It tears apart communities, fuels criminal activity, and threatens the national security of the United States. During National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we reaffirm our commitment to eradicate this abhorrent evil, to support victims and survivors, and to hold traffickers accountable for their heinous crimes.

Tragically, through force, fraud, and coercion, human traffickers deprive millions of victims of their unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Often referred to as modern slavery, this intolerable blight on society involves exploitation for labor or sex and affects people of all ages, genders, races, religions, and nationalities. As the United States continues to lead the global fight against human trafficking, we must remain relentless in our resolve to dismantle this illicit and immoral enterprise in our cities, suburbs, rural communities, Tribal lands, and transportation networks.

My Administration has prioritized ending human trafficking since its earliest days. As one of my first acts as President, I instructed Federal agencies to do what was necessary to bring human traffickers to justice and assist survivors on their road to recovery. Since then, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with other Federal agencies, has aggressively pursued these criminals, dismantling the financial infrastructure of their networks and arresting over 5,000 human traffickers. In 2019 alone, Federal law enforcement agencies initiated more than 1,600 new investigations into human traffickers and the Department of Justices (DOJ) human trafficking task forces opened more than 2,500 new cases on the frontlines. At my direction, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched its new Center for Countering Human Trafficking, which utilizes personnel from 16 DHS components, including special agents, victim support specialists, and intelligence research specialists, to focus on disrupting and dismantling trafficking organizations and providing support and protection to victims.

A year ago, I was proud to host the White House Summit on Human Trafficking, honoring the 20th anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA). During this historic event, I signed an Executive Order on Combating Human Trafficking and Online Child Exploitation in the United States. Through this order, my Administration established the first-ever White House position focused solely on combating human trafficking. Last year, I also released a comprehensive National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking (NAP), built around the three pillars of the TVPA: prevention, protection, and prosecution. The NAP also includes a fourth pillar which recognizes the invaluable benefit of implementing collaborative and cooperative efforts that crosscut all three pillars and involve a multitude of stakeholders and professionals from various disciplines and sectors. Using this strategy, the United States Government will employ a whole-of-government approach to improve our capabilities and build on existing momentum in our fight against human trafficking.

We remain focused on ensuring that survivors of these horrific crimes receive the care and support they need and deserve. My Administration is empowering and funding faithbased and community organizations to provide survivors with vital services, including medical and counseling services, safety planning, educational opportunities, and vocational training. Further, my Administration has doubled the amount of DOJ funding to combat human trafficking compared to the previous administration and funded the largest package of DOJ grants to fight these crimes in American history. I am proud that these grants included the first-ever funding for safe housing opportunities for survivors nationwide.

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic this year, my Administration has been unwavering in its efforts to stop this scourge domestically and around the world. The DOJ and the Department of Health and Human Services engaged with State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments and nongovernmental organizations to understand the impact of coronavirus on human trafficking and published resource guides for those in the fight on how to operate and provide services during the pandemic. The Department of State also launched a year-long competition for proposed projects to address the pandemics impact on efforts to combat modern slavery. Additionally, the United States Agency for International Development adapted their approach to overseas programmatic work to ensure that survivors are able to access the critical support services they need without delay. No matter the circumstances, we will remain relentless in this work and will spare no resource in offering hope to the victims and survivors of this global atrocity.

While we have reached new milestones in this fight for freedom, we must remain steadfast in our pursuit to end the evil practice of human trafficking and slavery. This month, we restore our commitment to bringing human traffickers to justice and to preserving the dignity and worth of every person.

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 proclaim January 2021 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, culminating in the annual observation of National Freedom Day on February 1, 2021. I call upon industry associations, law enforcement, private businesses, faith-based and other organizations of civil society, survivors and advocates, schools, families, and all Americans to recognize our vital roles in ending all forms of modern slavery and to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities aimed at ending and preventing all forms of human trafficking.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.

According to his boss, Scott MacNaughton has a full plate. But it hasnt stopped him from pursuing a seat at the table for criminal justice reform.

MacNaughton is a sergeant investigator in the Public Integrity and Cyber Crime Division of the Bexar County District Attorneys Office.

He recently applied for and accepted an appointment by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Advisory Committee of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice on Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairments.

The board oversees an office under the governor and the panel contains various experts to advise it. Abbott announced MacNaughtons appointment to it Dec. 1.

On ExpressNews.com: Jurists have big plans for Bexar County courts coalition

MacNaughton said he believes his law enforcement experience, coupled with his passion for public policy and drive to help improve the criminal justice system, is a good fit for the panel, and the appointment comes at the right time.

This is an opportunity to do something really important with a vulnerable population, he said. Making sure they are are taken care of is really important, whether incarcerated or not.

He previously served on the Texas Crime Victims Institute Advisory Council, which conducts research on the impact of crime. MacNaughton said he resigned from that duty to take this new appointment.

His boss, Bexar County District Attorney Joe D. Gonzales, said he encourages his staff to be active in the community, and champions this type of participation. He praised MacNaughton for pursuing his interest in a panel dealing with mental health, whose intersection with the criminal justice system has become a hot topic.

He praised Abbott, a Republican, for choosing someone from a DAs office run by a Democrat who champions criminal justice reform.

On ExpressNews.com: Bexar County takes step to improve responses to 911 mental health calls, seeks to prevent tragedy

He (Abbott) recognizes, just like we recognize, that mental health is a concern that affects everyone, whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, whether you are rich or poor, Gonzales said. And it is certainly encouraging to see that we can cross the aisle and work together on issues that affect the mentally ill, even when it comes to issues of incarceration.

Both he and MacNaughton said the appointment was an unexpected chance to collaborate with others across the state on an important topic.

Anybody that has anything to do with this area realizes we can always do a little bit better, MacNaughton said. I think people who can commit themselves to looking at where we are now, and where we should be, and kinda filling in that gap of how we get there, (have) a unique opportunity.

Top hits: Get San Antonio Express-News stories sent directly to your inbox

MacNaughton, originally from the small Hill Country town of Medina, began his law enforcement career at the Bandera County Sheriffs Office. Since becoming an investigator at the Bexar County DAs Office six years ago, some of his work has involved investigating in-custody deaths at the jail here, he said.

His patrol experience gave him a first-hand look at what people with mental disabilities encounter when on the street, MacNaughton said, and working with prosecutors gave him another vantage point, where you get exposed to the incarceration issues.

Sean McCleskey, chief investigator for the DAs Offices Criminal Investigations Division, complimented MacNaughton on his law enforcement knowledge, passion for public policy, and especially his willingness to take on additional duties beyond his day job, which includes helping prosecutors assemble their criminal case files.

McCleskey also tapped MacNaughton to be his director of law enforcement affairs for the CID, in charge of outreach to some 40 policing agencies and small municipalities in and around San Antonio and Bexar County.

He goes out and talks to chiefs of police, and he can open up a dialog, McCleskey said, adding that MacNaughton does not shy away from shouldering an extra burden or adding to his already full plate.

Hes very passionate about this job, McCleskey said. And I am proud of him.

MacNaughtons term on the state mental health advisory panel will expire Feb. 1, 2023.

ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863
Schools to shut to all but vulnerable children but outdoor exercise to be allowed

Boris Johnson unveiled a new set of restrictions in his address to nation last night

Britons have taken to social media to mock the prospect of a third lockdown

Britons have taken to social media to mock the prospect of a third lockdown

Britons are using humor to take the sting out of the prospect of a third national lockdown last night after Boris Johnson unveiled a dramatic set of restrictions for England in a desperate bid to control the new mutant coronavirus.

Social media users tried to find humour at the looming measures which will see schools shut from today and multiple households banned from mixing as vaccines are rolled out across the country.

Some users pondered how they will have aged once the measures finally come to an end while others suggested it will be more than ten years before the UK is finally rid of the virus.

In his televised address to the nation, the Prime Minister said he was left with no option after being confronted with dire figures by science chiefs and urged the public to adopt the new rules now.

Taking to Twitter to share their thoughts on the lockdown one weary user wrote: Prepping myself for another UK lockdown. Maybe a third time lucky...people might listen, the virus might go away.

'Who knows anymore. I'm just tired of it all. I miss hugs.'

Briton mocked the prospect of a third national lockdown which will see schools shut and households banned from mixing for months starting today

While another commented: 'Yeah, but...no..but #lockdown number three.'

Another person joked: 'Tier 16 will fight against Tier 39 for the chance to visit Aldi in Tier 4.'

Meanwhile another said: 'I was supposed to get my braces off a year ago but it got cancelled because of lockdown and I'm supposed to get my braces off in a week and we've just gone into another lockdown, pain.'

Elsewhere one added: 'I prefer my endless lockdown to be honest.'

While another person wrote: 'They wasted the first lockdown not creating an effective system for testing, tracing and isolation, so not surprised they've wasted months not planning a rapid vaccine rollout.'

Just a day after he urged parents to send their children back, the PM declared that primary and secondary schools will be shut from today until at least February half-term, with only the vulnerable and children of key workers allowed to go in.

The public will once again only be allowed to leave home for one of five reasons: to go to work if essential, shop for necessities, exercise - allowed with one other person from another household, care for someone, or to seek medical help.

It comes after figures from the Department of Health yesterday showed there were another 58,784 new cases of coronavirus - a 42 per cent rise on last Monday.

There was also 407 more deaths, which is up 14 per cent on the figure recorded last week.

Some took to Twitter to mock the looming measures while others claimed to feel a sense of deja vu

Nicola Sturgeon announced a drastic crackdown in the Scottish Parliament yesterday, with a legally-enforced stay at home order from midnight and schools north of the border set to stay closed until February.

Yesterday, ex-health secretary Jeremy Hunt also joined demands from Labour and Tory MPs for an immediate national squeeze with schools and borders shut and a ban on all household mixing.

Mr Hunt warned that the mutant Covid had put the NHS under 'off the scale' pressure compared to normal winters and the government 'cannot afford to wait' even one more day.

The former Health Secretary posted on Twitter: 'To those arguing winter is always like this in the NHS: you are wrong. I faced four serious winter crises as Health Sec and the situation now is off-the-scale worse than any of those.'

The looming measures will see schools shut and households banned from mixing starting at midnight

Mr Hunt said the 'No1 lesson' from the pandemic is that countries can 'save lives and get their economies back to normal faster' if they 'act early and decisively'.

'We therefore cannot afford to wait: all schools should be closed, international travel stopped, household mixing limited and the tier system reviewed so that the highest tier really does bring down infection levels,' Mr Hunt said.

'The good news is that unlike before these restrictions will be time limited to the 12 weeks or so it will take to get the vaccine out to those most vulnerable to covid - so there is light at the end of the tunnel.'

In an address from Downing Street, Mr Johnson said: 'Our hospitals are under more pressure than at any time since the start of the pandemic. It's clear we need to do more.. while our vaccines are rolled out.'

He said it would not be 'possible or fair' for exams to go ahead this summer as normal.

'The weeks ahead will be the hardest but I really do believe that we are reaching the end of the struggle,' he said, pledging that by mid-February the top four categories on the vaccine distribution list will have had their first jabs.

But he admitted that he could only give assurance that the situation will improve assuming that 'our understanding of the virus does not change again'.
Israel's defence minister said on Monday that he wants the country to buy a third squadron of stealth F-35 warplanes from the United States, and that he hoped a deal could be clinched before President Donald Trump steps down on Jan. 20.

Israel has been in talks with Washington on how to preserve its military advantage after the Trump administration approved a possible F-35 sale to the United Arab Emirates last year. The plane was previously available only to Israel in the region.

"Without doubt, we need to expand the F-35 array. Right now we have two squadrons. I reckon we will expand that. That is what I requested of the Americans," Defence Minister Benny Gantz told Ynet TV.

"I would buy another F-35 squadron and then examine what to do with the balance - continuing to expand the F-35 (procurement), going for F-15s?"

Gantz did not specify the number of F-35s in the proposed new squadron. Defence officials have said the two squadrons already ordered by Israel consist of 50 planes.

Gantz's coalition government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fell apart last month, triggering a March 23 ballot. Both men remain in their posts until a new government is formed after the ballot.

Asked if Israel might complete a defence procurement deal with the United States before Trump steps down, he said: "I hope so. I think the defence budget needs to be handled properly, to be safeguarded. It is a kind of active insurance policy."

The F-35 is made by Lockheed Martin Corp and the F-15 by Boeing Co.

Short link:


Samsung confirmed today that its latest Galaxy Unpacked event -- and its first major smartphone launch of the year -- will take place virtually at 10AM Eastern/7AM Pacific on Thursday, January 14th.

Over the past year, mobile technology has taken center stage in everyday life as people are working remotely and spending more time at home, Samsungs invitation reads. The accelerated transition to a mobile-first world brings with it the need for devices that can transform everyday life into an extraordinary experience.

As usual, a steady stream of pre-event leaks means we're running low of things to be surprised about. Samsung has already opened preorder reservations for its Galaxy smartphones, and a well-informed employee at the Samsung flagship store in Bengaluru, India confirmed the launching timing to Android Authority in early December. And while Samsung hasn't explicitly said which devices it plans to announce, it's all but certain we'll be getting our first official looks at the new Galaxy S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra, possibly alongside a new set of wireless Galaxy Buds. (You can read everything we know about the S21 series so far right here.)

Holding a launch event this year in a given year is certainly unusual for Samsung, but the company's moves later in the year may prove to be even more surprising. For one, some persistent rumors suggest that, rather than continue to focus on the growth of its popular Galaxy Note devices in 2021, Samsung will pivot to pushing "more accessible" foldable smartphones, including its first lower-cost models. Those reports dovetail nicely with Samsung's plan to make more of its devices compatible with the Galaxy Note's trademark S Pen stylus, including this year's premium Galaxy S21 Ultra and possibly even Samsung's next Galaxy Z Fold. Samsung smartphone chief TM Roh has discussed these ambitions openly already, but expect more insight into Samsung's priorities for 2021 once Unpacked kicks off properly.
Warnock Staffers Say Georgia Senate Candidate Wants to Defund the Police

Staffers for Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock were captured on undercover video saying the candidate wants to defund the police.

He avoids using defunding the police, because he knows that the Republicans are going to try to grab onto it and attack, right? But in reality, his whole platform with police reform is along the lines of the same people who are saying defund the police,' Derrick Bhole, a campaign aide, said in part of the video.

Sasha Williams, another Warnock campaign worker, said: You know police officers are not all good, you know what Im saying? Most of them are bad, we know that. Asked later if Warnock wants to defund the police, she said, Absolutely!

The video was released on Jan. 4 by Project Veritas, a journalism watchdog that primarily targets Democrats.

Warnock is vying for the seat currently held by Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.). The Senate runoff election takes place on Jan. 5.

Michael Brewer, a spokesperson for Warnocks campaign, told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement: Reverend Warnock does not support defunding the police and Georgians know that. They also know Kelly Loeffler wont fight against false claims of voter fraud, wont respect Georgias voters or stand up for Georgias election, and wont fight to get a vote on giving Georgians a much-needed $2,000 relief payment, which is why they will vote her out tomorrow.

Loeffler has pushed the idea that Warnock supports slashing funding for the police.

On Fox News Sunday, she said people know what agenda Democrats have because Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told us he was going to take Georgia and then change America.

And we know that radical agenda is not just high taxes, open borders, defunding the police, government-run health care, she said, calling Warnock someone that would fundamentally change this country.

Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) speaks during a campaign event in Canton, Ga., on Jan. 3, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Loeffler said a dozen times during a debate in December 2020 that Warnock and Democrats want to defund the police.

Warnock responded: I do not want to defund the police and Kelly Loeffler knows it. She wants to distract from her own record.

Warnock and Loeffler emerged from a free-for-all special election, beating 18 other candidates. The winner will finish the term of retired Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and have to run again in two years.

Warnocks campaign website said he supports criminal justice reform because he believes the number of people in prison is too high.

Reverend Warnock also believes we need to responsibly fund the police while reimagining the relationship between police departments and the communities that they serve. In order to ensure accountability and build trust, he understands that we need to invest resources into the training of police officers and into building genuine bonds of community rather than sowing the seeds of distrust, the site states.

For this relationship, its equally critical for communities to trust that the justice system is designed to support them, which is why Reverend Warnock also supports appointing independent prosecutors to handle police-involved shootings.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Ghaziabad: Twenty five people, most of them attending a funeral, were killed and 16 others injured when the roof of a shelter at a cremation ground in Uttar Pradesh's Muradnagar collapsed on Sunday, officials said.

Meanwhile, the police have arrested three people, including a junior engineer, in connection with the crematorium roof collapse incident. The arrested persons have been identified as Niharika Singh, Chandrapal and Supervisor Ashish.

Several people had taken shelter under the recently constructed structure while it rained. The dead, all of them men, were mostly relatives or neighbours of Jai Ram, who was being cremated at that time, officials told PTI.

Rescue workers sifted through the building's rubble for hours to ensure that more victims were not trapped there. The local people were the first to arrive at the cremation ground in Muradnagar's Ukhlarsi village in Ghaziabad district, adjoining the national capital.

Police followed by a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) unit also then reached the spot, pulling out the dead and the injured from the debris.

"Jaiveer Singh (50), hailing from Uttar Pradesh's Meerut, who was attending the funeral of his brother's father-in-law, was among those killed in the incident," District Magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey said, adding that 18 of them had been identified by the evening.

His brother Umesh Kumar said, "It took us one-and-a-half hours to rescue him. The administration used a crane to get the bodies out. Jaiveer was talking to me all this while. But he couldn't make it and was declared dead."

While some complained of the lack of facilities at the hospital and accused the local administration of callous attitude in dealing with the incident, others demanded that the contractor responsible for the construction of the shelter at the cremation ground be arrested.

"This shelter was built just a month or two ago. It collapsed following the first rain. The contractor should be put behind the bar immediately," said another relative of Jaiveer.

In the evening, contractor Ajay Tyagi, executive officer of the municipality Niharika Singh, junior engineer Chandra Pal and supervisor Ashis were booked under relevant sections of the IPC, including 304 (causing death by negligence) on the complaint of a deceased's son at the Muradnagar police station.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the deaths. "I express my condolences to the near and dear ones of those who lost their lives in this accident, and also hope for a quick recovery of the injured," Modi tweeted in Hindi.

CM Adityanath announced Rs 2 lakh as financial relief for the families of each man killed. The chief minister also directed Meerut's Divisional Commissioner and Additional Director General of the police zone to submit a report on the incident.

Union minister V K Singh, who is a Member of Parliament from Ghaziabad, and several senior police and administration officials visited the accident site. Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Atul Garg, who is the local BJP MLA, met some of the injured at the government hospital here.
As Manitoba prepared to open its first COVID-19 vaccination super site on Monday, officials backtracked to fix a miscommunication error that directed hundreds of health-care workers to show up to appointments at the wrong address.

As Manitoba prepared to open its first COVID-19 vaccination super site on Monday, officials backtracked to fix a miscommunication error that directed hundreds of health-care workers to show up to appointments at the wrong address.

The province plans to administer 40,000 doses of vaccine  many of them at the new RBC Convention Centre site in downtown Winnipeg  during the first month of 2021.

The first rounds of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccinations in Winnipeg were administered at the University of Manitobas Max Rady College of Medicine, but that clinic closed before the new year.

A total of 871 people with Monday appointments, however, received misleading texts over the weekend about their upcoming shots being held at the now-shuttered site.

The vaccination services team sent reminders informing people to visit 727 McDermot Ave. instead of 375 York Ave., the correct location, at their assigned time.

"Its really unfortunate that there continues to be evidence of poor planning and poor rollout," said Bob Moroz, president of the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals.

Moroz said what may seem like minor inconveniences, such as the lengthy initial vaccine booking wait times and the ask of professionals to get vaccinated off-the-clock and at sites far away from their workplaces, "pile up at the feet of our members."

The result is frustration and severe mental health consequences, he said.

A provincial spokesperson said corrections would be issued late Sunday and all of the individuals will receive a text with the correct address in it three hours before their scheduled slot.

The issue has been addressed so it doesnt happen again, the spokesperson said in a statement to the Free Press.

On Sunday afternoon, approximately 2,000 appointments remained available for eligible health-care workers. The booking line is open to anyone who fits the criteria from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily until the spaces are filled.

Eligible medical professionals must work directly with patients and meet at least one of the following criteria: work in a critical care unit; work in a long-term care facility and are 45 years of age or older; work in an acute care facility and are older than 45; or work at a COVID-19 immunization clinic or testing site.

Dating back to Dec. 16, when the first shot was administered, there have been approximately 3,432 immunizations in Manitoba.

Manitoba currently has the lowest per-capita vaccination rate of all Canadian provinces, according to COVID19tracker.ca, which includes a national vaccination tracker compiled by Noah Little, a University of Saskatchewan student.

The tracker shows 250 doses have been administered per 100,000 residents in Manitoba.

A pause on the vaccination program over the holidays and glitches in trying to book immunization appointments through the provinces phone line are among rollout concerns raised in recent weeks.

Given how massive the initiative is, Darlene Jackson of the Manitoba Nurses Union said Sunday she is forgiving about minor mistakes  as long as they are corrected in a timely fashion.

"This is a pandemic weve never seen before in the proportions weve never seen before," Jackson said Sunday. "So I think that, as a province, were all learning to live with the new normal and were all learning that not everything goes to plan."

On Sunday, the province announced five additional deaths and 101 new cases of the virus, bringing the total tally of positive cases in Manitoba up to 25,126.

The notice was issued after an unusually low day of tests, only 995 in total.

In the Manitoba capital, a man in his 30s, a woman in her 80s, a second woman in her 80s, whose death is linked to the outbreak at Lions Housing Centres Personal Care Home, and a woman in her 90s whose death is connected to the Convalescent Home of Winnipeg outbreak, have succumbed to the virus.

A man in his 70s from Southern HealthSante Sud has also died.

The outbreak at St. Anthonys General Hospital Acute Care Inpatient Unit in The Pas is over, the province noted in its Sunday release.

Meantime, Ottawa confirmed Sunday the military has left Shamattawa First Nation; of the 400 confirmed cases, only 33 remain active in the community.

The Canadian Armed Forces is also to withdraw entirely from Red Sucker Lake First Nation by Jan. 6, three weeks after members arrived to help set-up isolation areas and distribute food, fire and care packages

Province-wide, the test positivity rate is 10.5 per cent. It is 11.3 per cent in Winnipeg.

"Were certainly on the right track, but our optimism still has to be enhanced by our action," said Cynthia Carr, Winnipeg-based epidemiologist and founder of EPI Research Inc.

If Manitobans broke public health directives and gathered over the holidays, there will be a "much faster escalation" of cases within the next week, Carr said.

While Carr is hopeful that wont be the case, she said shes in support of requiring Grade 7 to 12 students study at home for the first two weeks of school after the break, especially now that the more infectious virus strain has arrived in Canada.

The launch of Manitobas remote learning support centre is expected to coincide Monday with the return of students to both in-person and online classes.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie

The Butt family, which owns the San Antonio-based grocery chain H-E-B, is among the wealthiest in the U.S., according to a ranking by Forbes.

On Dec. 17, the business magazine listed the family at No. 15 out of 50 families in its 2020 ranking of the richest families in America. The last time Forbes complied this ranking was in June 2016. At that time, the Butt family was the 23rd wealthiest family in the U.S.
First look at Johnnie Walker Princes Street experience

Johnnie Walker has revealed a first look at its new whisky visitor experience in the centre of Edinburgh, set to open later in 2021.

The hotly anticipated Johnnie Walker Princes Street experience will feature rooftop bars, private dining areas, modern sensory tasting rooms, personalised tour and tasting experiences and live performances areas.

Following an extensive refurbishment over the past 18 months, a selection of design renderings of the interior were released in late December. They include:

The 1820 Bar, featuring an outdoor terrace overlooking Edinburgh, which will serve refreshments throughout the day from morning coffee to evening cocktails.

The Explorers' Bothy, a whisky bar also at rooftop level that will stock more than 150 rare bottles and unique cask editions.

The Johnnie Walker Label Studio, a flexible performance space that hopes to establish itself as a hub of Edinburgh's thriving cultural scene.

Barbara Smith, managing director of Diageo's brand homes across Scotland, said: "We are delighted to be able to offer people a first small taste of what is to come at Johnnie Walker Princes Street.

"As well as building a whisky visitor experience like no other, we are also creating incredible hospitality and events spaces that will become a landmark destination for people from Edinburgh, Scotland and visitors from around the world."

Designed in collaboration with production agency BRC Imagination Arts - which has numerous famous visitor attractions to its name including the NASA Kennedy Space Centre, Guinness Storehouse and Jameson Distillery Bow St. - the experience will tell the 200-year story of Johnnie Walker as well as the history of whisky and Scotland.

It is part of a 185 million investment by Diageo to tranform its Scotch whisky tourism, an initiative that has already seen the revamp of Glenkinchie Distillery and the Lowland home of Johnnie Walker, and will see further investment in its other brand homes as well as the revival of lost distilleries Port Ellen and Brora.

Barbara Smith added: "We hope people will enjoy this glimpse into Johnnie Walker Princes Street, and be excited to see the incredible interiors for themselves when we open our doors in summer 2021. In the meantime, we'll be sharing more exclusive news and updates as part of our e-newsletter, which people can sign up to on our website."

4 January 2021 - Bethany Whymark
They spent months of 2020 in lockdown and now many of those forced into 14-day quarantine after returning home from NSW are experiencing serious deja vu.

But this time they can't go to the shops, meet friends or even walk the dog. They're confined to the home, even after testing negative to COVID-19, and it's causing frustration and stress.

Staying home: Pauline Ioannou, husband Arthur and children Austin, 13, and Sienna, 11. Credit:Jason South

"We're starting to feel quite isolated, like it's a struggle to make sure we keep physically active," said Pauline Ioannou, 47, of Northcote, who is is home-bound with husband, Arthur, 53, and children Austin, 13, and Sienna, 11.

They live in a townhouse, without a yard. "We're watching lots of Netflix," Ms Ioannou said. "The kids are having an abundance of screen time which they normally wouldn't have.
Fresh community transmission of COVID-19 and a requirement for office workers to wear masks all day at their desks have thrown into doubt next week's planned return of tens of thousands of employees to Melbourne's CBD.

Major employers say they are now taking a cautious approach, and the government is reviewing plans to allow up to 50 per cent of private sector workers back into the office from Monday.

ANZ  which employs about 11,000 people in the city  is reviewing the timing of its plans to bring workers back, amid changing rules about the use of masks and the return of community transmission of coronavirus in Victoria.

The government will review plans to allow up to 50 per cent of private sector office workers to return to the CBD from Monday, but most companies are taking a cautious approach anyway.

Offices in the private sector were set to be able to return to 50 per cent capacity from next week under relaxed restrictions announced by Premier Daniel Andrews last month. At the time, Melbourne lord mayor Sally Capp said the increased caps for offices would provide a "major boost" to the Victorian economy.
Large groups of Proud Boys join tens of thousands of Trump supporters rallied to declare the 2020 Presidential election results a fraud on November 14, 2020 in downtown Washington, DC. Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

Washington, DC, is bracing for possible violent clashes after a wave of pro-Trump protesters is expected to descend on the city this week.

The National Guard has been activated to assist with crowd control and Mayor Muriel Bowser has issued reminders that guns are not allowed at rallies.

The protests are expected to coincide with members of Congress meeting on Wednesday to confirm the presidential election results.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

As Washington, DC, prepares for a wave of pro-Trump protesters due to arrive in the city on Tuesday and Wednesday, the city's mayor ramped up warnings for residents and measures to tamp down potential violence.

Supporters of President Donald Trump who hold the delusional belief that President-elect Joe Biden's election victory was fraudulent are expected to make their last stand in the nation's capital this week. Trump last month promised his supporters that there would be a "wild" rally in Washington, DC, on January 6, the day Congress is set to meet to certify the presidential election results.

"Statistically impossible to have lost the 2020 Election," Trump tweeted at the time. "Big protest in DC on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!"

After Mayor Muriel Bowser requested on New Year's Eve to have National Guard members on the streets from January 5 to 7 to help with the protests, more than 340 troops are set to be activated as the city braces for possible violence at the gathering, the Associated Press reported.

Bowser asked during a press conference on Monday that people stay away from downtown DC and avoid confrontations with anyone who is "looking for a fight."

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The Guardsmen will be used mostly for traffic control or crowd control, and will not be armed or wearing armor, according to the AP.

"Some of our intelligence certainly suggests there will be increased crowd sizes," Acting Police Chief Robert Contee said at the press conference. "There are people intent on coming to our city armed."

Story continues

Under federal law, it is illegal to carry guns on US Capitol grounds and on National Park Service areas such as the National Mall.

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Extremist researchers told Politico the January 6 event will be similar to November's Million MAGA March, which saw thousands gather, many of them unmasked and some armed, in support of Trump.

This time, though, there will be even more desperation as some protesters believe this will be their final opportunity to stop a Biden administration from entering the White House.

Wednesday's gathering of congressional lawmakers is a formality in which they officially approve the long-decided count of electoral votes.

Trump lost to Democratic nominee Joe Biden by 306 electoral votes to 232, a result confirmed by the Electoral College on December 14.

While not much can be done to legally prevent Biden's presidency, some pro-Trump Republicans have said they plan to disrupt the formal process.

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"That sense of panic and urgency will be a motivator for believers to attend rallies that day," said Jared Holt, who tracks far-right extremism and disinformation at the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensics Research Center, told Politico. "For these groups and their supporters, President-Elect Joe Biden's incoming administration feels like more of an immediate threat to their agenda items."

Read the original article on Insider
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Shares in China's big three state-owned telecom companies slid in Hong Kong after the New York Stock Exchange announced their delisting

Shares in China's big three state-owned telecom companies slid in Hong Kong Monday during the first day of trading since the New York Stock Exchange announced it was delisting the firms.

Friday's move by the NYSE seeks to comply with an order by outgoing US President Donald Trump barring investment in firms with ties to the Chinese military.

As trading began in Hong Kong, China Mobile Communications, China Telecommunications Corp and China Unicom (Hong Kong) Limited all dipped more than three percent.

Shares in China's state-owned oil giants were also down on fears they could be the next to be delisted in the United States.

CNOOC Ltd was trading down 3.06 percent while PetroChina dipped more than two percent.

The delisting comes as relations between the world's two biggest economies spiral downwards over sore points ranging from trade and the coronavirus to Hong Kong and the mass incarceration of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.

In November, Trump signed an executive order banning Americans from investing in Chinese companies deemed to be supplying or supporting Beijing's military and security apparatus, earning a sharp rebuke from China.

China's telecom giants are thinly traded in the US and make the vast majority of profits at home, meaning the delisting was little more than symbolic.

Citigroup said the expulsion from New York might encourage "short term selling pressure" but would have little long term impact.

"Chinese telcos' operations are mainly domestic focused and their sound fundamentals along with recovery trends and positive cash flows will not be affected by the delisting," the bank wrote in a research report, according to Bloomberg News.

Trump's order listed 31 companies it said China was using for the "increasing exploitation" of US investment capital to fund military and intelligence services, including the development and deployment of weapons of mass destruction.

National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien said at the time that the order would prevent Americans from unknowingly providing passive capital to Chinese companieslisted on exchanges around the worldthat support the improvement of Beijing's army and spy agencies.

China has criticised the move and threatened countermeasures.

The plunge in US-China ties has generated mixed fortunes for Hong Kong's stock exchange, the fourth-largest in the world.

The bourse finished 2020 with its worst performance in two decades as the city remains mired in a deep recession.

But the year also witnessed a bumper crop of IPOs as Chinese firms chose to list closer to home because of the rising geopolitical tensions.

Explore further Alibaba shares leap after Ant Group IPO filing

 2021 AFP
Southward, Eloise

Eloise Southward was born in Paducah, Kentucky on January 30, 1955; her parents were Reuben Southward, Sr. and Juanita Irvin Southward. Eloise made her Heavenly Transition at 12:45 p.m. on December 27, 2020, from the Ray and Kay Eckstein Hospice Care Center of Paducah. When she closed her eyes for eternal rest, Eloise had reached the blessed age of 65 years, 10 months and 27 days.

Eloise was of the Baptist faith. She was a 1973 graduate of Paducah Tilghman High School and then attended Draughons Business College wher she received certification in Business Administration. Eloise took her skills and became employed as an operator for Bell South.

A lot can be said about Eloise. To begin, Eloise was a loving person with a Big Heart; she would help others without hesitation and would give whatever was needed to make things better for anyone. She took a lot of people into her home and care for and fed a many people. Eloise was one to not judge others. When you would hear her say, Like I Said you would know she was serious in what she was saying. She was loved by everyone because she was sweet and nice to all. At one time much of her time was spent babysitting and showering love to those she kept.

Eloise was what we call a Fashionista, especially when she dressed in her favorite color of red, put on her blonde wig and red lipstick. She was the Life of the Party and always wanted to have a good time. Whenever she wasnt on the phone, she would watch her favorite television shows, Law and Order, Jerry Springer, Steve Wilcos, Maury Povich , Little House on the Prairie and Mash.

Eloise leaves her family and friends to join her one blessed day: One Daughter, Denise Southward; One Son, Daran Southward; Five Granddaughters, JaKeia Southward, Da-Myia Southward, Jermonie Pitts, Jahzara Kelley, and Zoey Kelley; One Grandson, Jesiah Kelley; One Great-Grandson, Zy-Aire Southward; Two sisters, Barbara Gray and Patricia Drew; One Sister-In-Law, Cordette Southward, all of Paducah; One Aunt, Earline Howell of Cleveland, OH; Several Nieces, Nephews, Cousins and a Special Friend, Joan Webster of Paducah, KY.

Eloise was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, Jerry Southward and Reuben Southward.

Funeral services are scheduled for Tuesday, January 5, 2021, 1:00 p.m. at Pettus Rowland Funeral Home with Reverend Michael Wade officiating.

Friends may call at the funeral home from 12 Noon until the funeral hour.

You may light a candle or leave online condolences at pettusrowlandfh.com. Pettus Rowland Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Confusion and intrigue have reigned in Kyrgyzstan since compromised parliamentary elections on October 4, 2020, sparked street protests that brought down the government and forced the president of the Central Asian country to resign.

Now people are scratching their heads over a $1 million international lobbying contract signed on behalf of Kyrgyzstans acting president -- just days after he got out of jail -- by an obscure Bishkek businessman with a self-professed former Israeli intelligence agent living in Canada.

Ari Ben-Menashe, who claims to have worked for Israeli intelligence in the 1970s and 1980s, registered as a foreign agent in Washington in early November 2020 to help Sadyr Japarov -- who came to power in Kyrgyzstan after the failed elections and is now a leading presidential candidate -- secure meetings with foreign officials and attract international investment to his impoverished country, U.S. lobbying documents show.

Ben-Menashe told RFE/RL he was tapped to help Kyrgyzstan by an acquaintance he met in Russia named Abdymanap Karchygaev, who says he is a successful businessman who heads Renaissance, a newly registered Kyrgyz agro-industrial firm.

The $1 million fee for Ben-Menashe's services -- which was fully paid by December 21, 2020, according to U.S. filings -- was partially financed by Karchygaevs friends in Russia, the Kyrgyz businessman said.

Karchygaev, who began negotiating the contract in September 2020 when Japarov was still serving a prison term for kidnapping, said he hoped the international lobbying effort would help attract $8 billion in aid and investment to Kyrgyzstan. If accomplished, the amount would exceed the countrys total foreign direct investment in the past 25 years, according to World Bank data.

"I had [aimed] to set up around 100 companies under the umbrella of the agro-industrial corporation, to bring back hundreds of Kyrgyz wandering around in Russia and create jobs," Karchygaev told reporters in Bishkek on November 6, 2020. "Bearing in mind this idea, I contacted this consultancy company. I've lived in Russia for 10 years, therefore, these are my old acquaintances."

Ben-Menashe told RFE/RL in an interview that he met with Japarov in his government office in Bishkek three times in October 2020 to discuss details of the lobbying deal before it was signed by Karchygaev in Japarov's name.

The contract does not mention any preferential treatment for Karchygaev or his companies though it does seek to attract investment into Kyrgyzstan's agricultural industry, which could potentially benefit the businessman.

When the $1 million contract became public following Ben-Menashe's mandatory registration in the United States, reporters in Kyrgyzstan started to ask questions.

Japarov first denied having met with Ben-Menashe and dismissed the deal as a bureaucratic mistake by a novice employee. He added that he could barely remember Karchygaev.

Japarov said Karchygaev was one of more than 100 investors that have come to his office since October 2020 to discuss investment possibilities.

He claimed that when Karchygaev then appealed to the nation's investment promotion agency for help with his endeavor, a new employee "unknowingly" signed a letter and sent it to the Foreign Ministry.

"This is just a small shortcoming," Japarov said. "People who wanted to promote black PR blew up this little thing saying that an agreement was signed. No agreement was signed between them and the government."

Japarovs office did not respond to an RFE/RL inquiry -- after Ben-Menashe said he met with the then-prime minister -- asking to confirm they had met and if he had given his approval for the deal.

Anna Massoglia, a researcher and foreign-lobbying expert at the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, told RFE/RL that U.S. law does not prohibit an individual from hiring a lobbyist on behalf of another person as long as it is disclosed.

It is not uncommon for individuals who are fugitives, subject to sanctions, or imprisoned to have another person acting as a proxy of sorts and listed as the foreign principal in [Foreign Agents Registration Act] filings," she said.

U.S., Israel, And Saudi Arabia

Ben-Menashe is, according to the contract, supposed to arrange meetings for the Kyrgyz president with senior U.S. officials in short order to discuss improving relations and to obtain grants for technological development, fighting the coronavirus, agricultural investments, and debt-repayment assistance.

Furthermore, Ben-Menashe is to set up meetings for Japarov with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; attract investment from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for highways, mines, and oil fields; and schedule meetings with officials in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.

Ben-Menashe will have his work cut out for him on the investment goals.

Unlike its authoritarian neighbors in Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan routinely changes governments and has thrown out three presidents in 15 years. It is also beset with deep-rooted corruption.

Furthermore, the country's largest foreign-investment project, the Canadian-owned Kumtor gold mine, has faced threats of nationalization, riots, and hefty lawsuits for ecological damage, setting a poor precedent for potential international investors.

But there are other hurdles to overcome in Ben-Menashe's goal of attracting Middle East money for Kyrgyzstan's natural resources industry, said Ellen Wald, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center and a Saudi expert.

Aramco and Adnoc, the national oil companies of Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E, respectively, have never done any exploration or production of upstream assets outside of their own countries, she told RFE/RL.

"Aramco has talked about investing in gas assets outside of the kingdom but Kyrgyzstan, a country that has no known oil or gas assets, would be a very questionable choice to initiate that process," Wald said.

'Terrible' Timing

As for the effort to lobby the United States, it has already promised aid to Central Asia to fight COVID-19 and senior officials hold regular meetings with regional leaders through the C5+1 format.

Eric Stewart, a former Commerce Department deputy assistant secretary who has worked with Central Asian governments, told RFE/RL there were very few instances where it makes sense for a country to hire a lobbyist to get meetings in Washington.

"Only if there is something very specific [in which] they need help with securing something Pentagon related, for example. But to secure meetings -- no," he said.

Stewart, who is president of the American Central European Business Association, called the timing of the contract "terrible."

The incoming Biden administration will need time to assemble its team and likely won't focus on Central Asia until late in 2021, he said.

"It's nothing against Kyrgyzstan, its an amazing country, they just arent a strategic or economic priority for the [United States]. They are too far away, too small, and too reliant on China and Russia. An Israeli-Canadian lobbyist wont change their relevance and, in fact, some in the administration will be turned off by it or even less reluctant to schedule a meeting if there are middlemen involved," he said.

Big January Election

The Kyrgyz parliament eventually named Japarov, 51, prime minister in the chaos that existed shortly after the government collapsed in the wake of street protests over the results of the October 4, 2020 parliamentary elections, in which many votes were alleged to have been bought.

When President Sooronbai Jeenbekov resigned later that month, parliament also named Japarov acting president.

He later stepped down as prime minister and as acting president in order to be able to stand for president in the January 10 election.

Japarov, who was released amid the protests from a Bishkek prison where he was serving a nearly 12-year term for kidnapping, is one of 18 candidates vying for the top post.

Zimbabwe, Congo, And Libya?

Kyrgyzstan is just the latest troubled country that Ben-Menashe has represented since setting up his Montreal-based firm Dickens & Madson Canada in 2001.

His clients over the years have included Zimbabwes former authoritarian leader Robert Mugabe; the Republic of Congos long-serving president, Denis Sassou Nguesso; Sudans military junta; Libyas Cyrenaica Transitional Council and General National Council; and Venezuelas left-center Progressive Advance political party.

Ben-Menashe has stated in some of his FARA filings that he would lobby Russia as well as the United States on behalf of his clients, including Nguesso, Libyas General National Council, and the tiny Venezuelan party. Russia has influence with all three countries.

Ben-Menashe was arrested by U.S. officials in 1989 on charges of trying to sell U.S.-made, military cargo planes to Iran, but was acquitted one year later.

His lawyer told the court that Ben-Menashe was a former intelligence operative who represented Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir in an attempted arms-for-hostages deal, according to a 1990 report by The Washington Post.

But U.S. prosecutors said he was only a translator for Israeli military intelligence.

A congressional hearing that looked into arms transfers to Iran described Ben-Menashe as a talented liar, according to a 2004 report in The New York Times.
Chinese tech billionaire and the founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma, is reportedly missing from the public eye ever since his tiff with Chinese President Xi Jinping-led Central Communist Party government. The apprehensions of him missing were fueled recently when he wasn't seen in the final episode of his own talent show, Africas Business Heroes, where he is a judge.

He mysteriously did not turn up for it and as a consequence, his photographs were removed from the shows website, The Telegraph, UK, reported.

Ma, a vocal critic of Chinese government, had flayed the CCP governments 'pawnshop' financial regulators and state-owned banks in an incendiary speech in Shanghai back in October. Further, calling for reform of a system that 'stifled business innovation', he likened global banking regulations to an 'old people's club'.

He has also slipped to third in the country's rich list after criticising authorities.

Soon after the mystery surrounding the Chinese billionaire's whereabouts surfaced in news, Ma has been trending on the Internet with people raising questions on his safety. Netizens are also saying that he akin to Amazon boss Jeff Bezos in China and him being missing from public view is alarming.

How many times have I tweeted about the dangers of the CCP... too many to countI hope Jack Ma is found and safe, this is a worldwide crises Gannon Breslin (@rebelmarkets) January 4, 2021

hey quick question wheres Jack Ma? Geoff Lewis (@GeoffLewisOrg) January 3, 2021

How is anybody talking about anything other than Jack Mas disappearance? Phil Bak (@philbak1) January 4, 2021

Jack Ma is kidnapped by the Chinese Government . Rohith. (@rohithsque) January 4, 2021

If Jack Ma isnt okay, Alibaba wont stand a chance as a long-term partner to American commerce brands. Web Smith (@web) January 4, 2021

Here we go:Chinese billionaire Jack Ma suspected missing https://t.co/rHcp5l6U8O Quoth the Raven (@QTRResearch) January 4, 2021

He's been missing for > 2 months?! Really shows the difference in China v. U.S media. If Bezos missed lunch it'd be on the cover of the NYT the next morning. https://t.co/93O1KDPwzS Austin Rief  (@austin_rief) January 4, 2021

Last week, China launched an antitrust investigation into Alibaba Group in yet another blow for Jack Ma's e-commerce and fintech empire. The probe is part of an accelerating crackdown on anticompetitive behaviour in China's booming internet space, and the latest setback for Ma, the 56-year-old former school teacher who founded Alibaba and became China's most famous entrepreneur.
BIG RAPIDS  Robert Barnum, a fine arts professor at Ferris State University, is sharing his artwork with Missouri folks after being selected to install a sculpture in one of the state's cities.

Barnums sculpture, "Ascending," features three figures standing atop individual podiums in a 20-foot tall display, and was the top choice from a field of entries offered by artists across the U.S. It will be on display in Blue Springs.

The competition was announced in 2019. It was around the start of this year I learned of the success of my proposal, Barnum said. This sculpture is near the entrance to the Blue Springs Fieldhouse, the centerpiece of Blue Springs Parks Department.

Barnum enlisted two Ferris graduates, Avery Gay, of Midland, and Joel Buhrer, of Holland, to assist in the figures fabrication.

Gay was completing his degree in welding engineering technology, and Buhrer, a mechanical engineering technology graduate and colleague of Barnum, also accepted a role in the creative process.

With the contract deadlines we faced, Joel and Avery agreed to come to my studios in Morton Township to take up construction, Barnum said. I had two years of experience with them ... Joel and Avery stayed on until it was time for them to start their careers. It was five weeks of, at times, rather furious work to beat the weather and complete this project.

While the assembly of Ascending wrapped up in June, the trek to Missouri for installation had to wait.

We could not deliver the work based on Blue Springs community health rules, Barnum said. I have been to the site three times in total to assure that the contractor worked in keeping with the aesthetic engineering process. 'Ascending' was installed in November, but we will celebrate this work and commemorate the installation another day.

Each podiums figures hold spheres, illuminated by a recessed well light for distinct viewing in darkness.

There are also single-word statements cut into the podiums, such as nature and community, as selected by Blue Springs Parks department and a municipal public art committee. These podiums have an intentional design to suggest natural stone found in that Missouri region, with their messages glowing at night, thanks to interior lighting.

Barnum said that regardless of obstacles that arose during his creative process because of the pandemic, this was another successful aesthetic engineering application.

It is a concept that fits Ferris, and its mission to a tee, Barnum said. I am grateful that the College of Engineering Technology has been such a willing and supportive partner in my works."
(TNS) - The medical community issued a stark warning this week as COVID-19 hospitalizations have spiked since the Thanksgiving holiday and a continued wave is anticipated from Christmas and New Year's celebrations.And this time, unlike the first wave of infections in the spring, there is no relief valve of sister hospitals to which patients can be diverted, as other regional health care facilities also are swamped.Dr. James Black, director of emergency medicine at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, and Dougherty County Emergency Medical Services Director Sam Allen pleaded with the public to be smart by avoiding large gatherings and continuing safety measures, including wearing masks and good hygiene.They were among the speakers during a news conference giving an update on the current impact of the disease in the community. Conspicuously absent from that meeting was Albany Mayor Bo Dorough. Dorough, city officials explained, had been exposed to the virus and was in self-quarantine. He was later tested for the virus, and test results were negative.Through Friday, there had been 212 deaths of residents who were positive for the novel coronavirus, Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler. The coroner was investigating another nearly 10 suspected cases of residents who died outside the county, and he said he was awaiting additional information from the Georgia Department of Public Health on fatalities at other locations.Phoebe saw a significant spike in the number of patients hospitalized after the Thanksgiving holiday, Black said, with the number being treated for COVID-19, including transfers from other facilities, averaging in the mid-20s for some time, Black said. On Friday that number had climbed to the mid-80s, and the number of severely ill patients also has increased.Community transmission of the virus also has shot up. Recently, of those tested by Phoebe, some 30 percent have been positive, a number not seen since April, Black said. If those current trends continue, the hospital, which has the benefit of a temporary intensive care unit at Phoebe North on Palmyra Road, will be overwhelmed in the coming weeks."To make (the latest spike) more concerning, we were able to get cooperation from our neighbors and colleagues" in other hospital systems during the first wave of the virus, Black said. "Now they are facing the same thing we are facing. Our ability to transfer patients to other facilities is basically nonexistent."Based on our projections, by late January, early February, we could eclipse the numbers we had in April."Much of the state has significantly more cases than southwest Georgia, which was one of the hardest-hit regions in the state during the initial wave of COVID-19 in the spring.The rest of the nation also is being slammed. Los Angeles County, Calif., reported two record days of deaths over the previous week, and funeral homes there are unable to keep up with the volume of victims as the situation is expected to worsen in coming weeks.In addition to the strain on staff and supplies, hospitals in L.A. have reported being unable to maintain sufficient oxygen in aging pipes to supply all of the patients who are being assisted with breathing.A new mutation of the virus, thought to be more easily transmissible than the original one, also has been confirmed in California, Florida and Texas.Nationwide, the number of total cases surpassed 20 million in recent days, and deaths were at nearly 350,000, approaching the number of around 400,000 U.S. service members killed during the four years of World War II."We have a tremendous strain being placed on our hospital," Dougherty County Commission Chairman Chris Cohilas said. "If we continue on this path, we are going to be at capacity at Phoebe North by mid-January."The community has its destiny in its hands and can reverse the trend by continuing the efforts that helped reduce transmission during the initial onslaught, Cohilas said, by taking measures to protect themselves and others."I don't want to be in the position we were in in March, April and May where we had to request an emergency morgue," he said. "I don't want to be there. But we have to take action. We have to be responsible."Pandemics are not like a hurricane, it's not like a tornado. It does not have a (measurable) beginning and end."___(c)2021 The Albany Herald, Ga.Visit The Albany Herald, Ga. at www.albanyherald.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Here's how material shortages are hitting home construction

"It's not just that prices are going up; it's how quickly they're going up and nothing's coming down," said CEO of the PA Builders Association.
Last January, when the Reverend Raphael Warnock entered Georgias US Senate race against Kelly Loeffler, an incumbent Republican, Tia Mitchell and Shelia Poole knew right away that his sermons would be mercilessly picked apart. (Hed once defended an infamous line from Revered Jeremiah Wright: Not God bless America, God damn America!) Mitchell, the Atlanta Journal-Constitutions correspondent in Washington, and Poole, the papers religion reporter, got to work early on stories about Warnocks background and the context of his statements, writing that his aim was to address the failings of the United States to protect its most vulnerable citizens, including African Americans and Native Americans.

Their reporting predicted what has now become routine: diatribes against Warnock by political opponents who have labeled him a socialist bent on spreading radical ideas from the pulpit. The Black church has your activists, your politically outspoken liberation theology lecturesand that was familiar to us, Mitchell said. She and Poole grew up in and around Black congregations. We could, with authority, craft this article to explain where Reverend Warnock is coming from.

Mitchell and Poole are among the Black reporters in Georgia who have been covering a critical election with critically needed perspectivethe kind that reflects the importance of Black voters, who will largely decide this weeks runoff. They are in the minority, however, among journalists covering Georgiaa political story that has attracted attention far and wide since the state swung blue after twenty-four years in the red column. Now Georgia will be decisive to the balance of power in the Senate.

Rana Cashthe executive editor of the Savannah Morning News, and the first Black journalist to hold that positionbelieves that Black reporters are uniquely positioned to cover the concerns of their communities and to hold elected officials accountable for serving them. We want to ask people: If this candidate wins, what does that mean for you? And that also means asking that question of people of color more broadly, she said. But Cash, when she was hired last June, was one of just two Black staffers at the Newsserving a city that is 54 percent Black. When she arrived, she quickly recognized a need to correct the disparity in representation, writing, On matters of race, our newsroom has fallen short. She committed to hiring more people of color; the first was a Black investigative reporter who has been tasked with contributing political stories.

When journalists covering the election are unfamiliar with the people living in districts that will be pivotal to the outcome, they may miss that Georgias suburbs, once predominantly white, have been rapidly diversifying, and that grassroots voter registration efforts have spent decades building turnout in those communities. A lot of the coverage tends to overlook that this isnt some sudden thing that just happens, Anoa Changa, a freelancer writer focused on electoral justice and movement journalism in Georgia, said.

Changawho previously worked as an activist with a voter registration group called the New Georgia Projecthas been dismayed by the ways she sees national coverage oversimplifying voter organizing or drawing false equivalences between anti-voter-suppression efforts and voting vigilante groups like Truth to Vote, which aim to disenfranchise Black and Latinx voters. At one point, she said, a white reporter asked her if the New Georgia Project would hold a registration event in a conservative rural communitya scene that could make for a balanced story, but would misrepresent her organization. White reporters are more likely to buy into this need to be neutral observers, Changa said.

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Black journalists, she went on, are not just covering events but are also stakeholders in the policies that weigh on Black families after the political press has packed up. That doesnt mean Im a mouthpiece or armed automatically with a megaphone, Changa explained. But at the same time, weBlack Georgianshave particular interests that are, more often than not, not showcased and amplified in the media.

The madness of election cycle reporting doesnt leave much room for an integrated network of civic engagement that helps bring historically marginalized people into the fold. At national outlets, Mitchell said, there has been progressshe cited high-profile Black journalists, such as Yamiche Alcindor, Astead Herndon, Abby Phillip, and Errin Haines, whose perspectives have enriched the coverage of the runoff. But on the local level, Mitchell finds herself part of a too-small cohort of Black reporters following Georgia politics.

Mitchell, Poole, Changa, and their colleagues are doing what they can to make space for the experiences of Black Georgians in their coverageworking not only to track instances of disenfranchisement and racially targeted attacks on mail-in ballots, but also to provide clear guidance to Black and Latinx voters. Its a task that runs up against a history of news reporting, especially at legacy publications like the Journal-Constitution, that hasnt always been serious about serving Black voters. And writing about them is one thing; earning engagement from Black readers is another. When we show up now wanting Black people to trust us? Well, its been ingrained in them that legacy media cannot be trusted, Mitchell said. Shes suggested that her newsroom publicly acknowledge the harm of its past coverage of Atlantas Black communities, as other papers have done. The AJC so far has not done it, Mitchell said. But they know thats my wish.

Editors Note: This article has been updated to correctly attribute a quote from a sermon.

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Sacoor Brothers, the international premium fashion label hailing from Portugal is celebrating the opening of its five stores across Saudi Arabia.

Already well-established Online in KSA and with stores in the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and 18 other countries worldwide, the 5 new brick and mortar stores have opened their doors in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Khobar, offering fashion conscious males and females the chance to experience the unique Sacoor Brothers difference.

The stores opened just in time for the holiday shopping season, featuring the AW20 R-Connect collection with the latest colors and prints and premium fabrics highlighted in the elegant Men and Womens lines of polos, shorts, sport blazers, dresses, skirts shoes and more.

The always elegant classic line of suits in a variety of colors and cuts cannot be forgotten as Sacoor Brothers prides itself in designing formal exquisite pieces for the cosmopolitan man and woman.

Shoppers will feel as if they are in a New York penthouse with beautifully designed stores including a Sacoor Cafe for complimentary espressos and Evian water, an in-store Tailors Room for customised alterations on any purchase, and a relaxing lounge environment furnished with comfortable armchairs and sofas.

The quality of our brand, in conjunction with Sacoor Brothers world-class service, is at the heart of everything we do. We are confident that our arrival at Al Nakheel, Panorama and Hayat malls in Riyadh; Mall of Arabia in Jeddah and Rashid Mall in Al Khobar, alongside our online presence will be just the start of our success in the Kingdom, and we look forward to an exceptional future. We are humbled and grateful for the opportunity to launch all 5 stores during the current situation and are thankful for the support of the local authorities and our loyal customers making our launch a seamless one, added Chadi Kouatly, Managing Director for Sacoor Brothers, KSA.

Sacoor Brothers stores are located at Nakheel Mall, Panorama Mall, Hayat Mall, Mall of Arabia and Rashid Mall and soon at Mall of Dhahran. -- Tradearabia News Service
The rollout of the countrys Covid-19 vaccination programme gets under way at nursing homes this week.

HSE chief executive Paul Reid said the residents and staff at 25 nursing homes are due to receive their first doses of the vaccine this week.

The rollout of the States coronavirus vaccination programme began last week when 79-year-old grandmother Annie Lynch, from Dublin, became the first person in the Republic to receive the jab on December 29.

This week well be starting in 25 nursing homes and 20 hospitals across the country, Mr Reid told RTE Radio 1s Today with Claire Byrne.

An inspiring and emotional moment. Annie Lynch, 79yr old grandmother from Drimnagh, who grew up in the Liberties in Dublin, is the first person in Ireland to receive the Covid vaccine in St James's Hospital. We all now share Annie's great hope for 2021. @HSELive #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/tzx9T9QbWe  Paul Reid (@paulreiddublin) December 29, 2020

He said they wanted to target the most vulnerable  those residents and staff in nursing homes  in the next three weeks and follow that up with the second dose in the following three weeks.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said on Saturday that all residents and staff in the countrys 580 nursing homes will receive their first dose of the vaccine by the end of the month.

There are about 70,000 people working and living in the nursing homes.

Ireland is due to receive 40,000 Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines each week this month and next month.

Mr Reid vowed the health service would go at pace to deliver the rollout of the vaccine.

This will be a seven-day programme utilising all the hours we have available to us in all of our healthcare settings HSE chief executive Paul Reid

Our first vaccine that we have available to us is the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Were looking at a projected delivery of 40,000 per week, he said.

We will deliver 40,000 per week.

He predicted that over the next six weeks the HSE would oversee the rollout of 240,000 vaccines, adding that the jab would be given to people seven days a week.

This will be a seven-day programme utilising all the hours we have available to us in all of our healthcare settings, Mr Reid said.

He said the programme had started on December 29 and it had continued every day throughout the new year and that would continue.

The HSE has set a target that all nursing home residents and staff will have received both doses of the jab by the end of February. But it is expected that potential outbreaks of the virus at nursing homes could affect that target.

The latest figures show there are now 744 people in hospital with Covid-19.

A record 4,962 new cases of the virus and an additional seven deaths were confirmed on Sunday.

Download the Belfast Telegraph App Get quick and easy access to the latest Northern Ireland news, sport, business and opinion with the Belfast Telegraph App.

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The social media posts, allegedly written by a former teacher in the Northside Independent School District, started with a demand for money he claimed he was owed.

Over the course of 48 hours, the profanity-laced posts became progressively more alarming. At one point, police later wrote in court records, Dalton Austin Brown posted three photos showing a total of seven handguns and four semi-automatic rifles.

I hope you sleep good buddy, Brown, 28, allegedly wrote on Facebook, addressing the post to NISD Superintendent Brian Woods. Time (sic) running out.

Within hours, a detective with the San Antonio Police Department  using information gathered by a police officer with Northside  filed a warrant for Browns arrest. It was signed by a judge and Brown was arrested later that day.

The quick and coordinated response was part of a new initiative, called the Triweekly Threat Assessment Group, that involves officials from more than 10 local, state and national law enforcement agencies who meet three times a week to evaluate possible attacks in Bexar County.

This is not traditional policing, said Sgt. Tina Baron with the San Antonio police, one of the agencies involved. Is something arrestable or not? Thats traditional policing. Our approach is different, in that were preventative in nature.

The concept might seem commonplace  but thats not necessarily true.

Billy Calzada /Staff photographer

While partnerships among law enforcement agencies have existed for decades, there wasnt a formal process in place  at least in Bexar County  for police officers across jurisdictions to quickly and efficiently share information and evaluate possible threats.

About a year ago, that began to change.

Related: Former NISD teacher accused of making threats against superintendent

In October 2019, a group of local, state and national law enforcement agencies at the Southwest Texas Fusion Center, an intelligence-gathering hub, started meeting to identify and assess possible public safety threats.

The approach was based on a model developed, in part, by the FBI to prevent mass attacks, such as school shootings. It since has been expanded to identify and address other forms of targeted violence, including stalking and terrorism.

The team in San Antonio is the first of its kind in Texas, officials say.

In May, the city of San Antonio, which manages the Fusion Center, received a $750,000 grant from the Justice Department to pay for new equipment, additional training for team members and increased overtime to re-review older cases.

Now, the group meets three times a week  albeit virtually these days  to identify possible acts of violence and determine the likelihood of an attack. From January to October, the group has reviewed about 350 cases, Baron said.

The FBI doesnt have the resources to handle every threat in this city, said Christopher Combs, special agent in charge of the FBIs San Antonio Division. Thats why this initiative is so important. It really is a community effort.

In some situations, the suspect was not arrested but redirected to other community resources, such as the Center for Health Care Services, the countys largest provider of mental health and substance abuse services. A representative from the center regularly attends the meetings.

A lot of this is about helping people, Combs said. Its not just about arresting people.

FBI framework

Billy Calzada /Staff photographer

Combs, who previously helped oversee the FBIs response to emergencies nationwide, said threat assessments have been used for decades, starting with the U.S. Secret Service.

But it wasnt until 2013, Combs said, that the idea really began to gain traction. A year earlier, 20 students and six school employees were shot and killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

Sam Ukeiley, a special agent in the FBIs Behavioral Analysis Unit, which researches and analyzes the behavior of perpetrators, said many individuals signal what they plan to do.

For example, a 2018 FBI study evaluating 63 mass shooters between 2000 and 2013 found the killers displayed several concerning behaviors before attacking.

Those include: suicidal statements or behaviors; recent acquisition of weapons and tactical gear; drastic changes in appearance, such as a shaved head; intense fascination with previous acts of mass violence; and preparation of a farewell statement or manifesto.

Ukeiley emphasized no single behavior can forecast what an individual would do. A multitude of factors and conditions must be evaluated.

On ExpressNews.com: School shooting survivors, families share lessons with education leaders

Combs said many of those warning signs were noticeable prior to previous acts of mass violence, including the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007 that left 32 people dead.

Two years earlier, the shooter, Seung Hui Cho, was briefly held at a psychiatric hospital after a roommate feared he was suicidal.

After his release, a judge determined Cho was a danger to himself and ordered him to undergo outpatient treatment.

But after 2005, Cho had no known contact with any mental health services. Virginia Tech counselors later said they didnt know Cho had been ordered to undergo outpatient treatment.

Had all the parties sat around a table and discussed this mans behavior, they might have realized that he posed a big threat, Combs said. They would have realized, Oh my god, this guy is on the edge.

Ukeily said its important to note that perpetrators of mass violence typically dont snap. They have a grievance and they take time to consider, plan and prepare their attack, he said.

A shooter doesnt snap one day and kill 20 people, Combs said. So often, after an act of mass violence, people say, Oh, Im not surprised.

Billy Calzada /Staff photographer

Thats why its so important for folks to come forward if they witness unusual behaviors like these. I think almost every active shooter situation in the United States could have been prevented had someone said something earlier.

S.A. takes action

Ukeiley said local officials recognized the need for a threat assessment team in early 2018 after 26 people were killed and 20 others were wounded the previous November at a church in Sutherland Springs.

Less than a month after the shooting, the Air Force Inspector General found the service had failed to report Devin Kelleys criminal convictions on domestic violence charges to the FBI, as required by federal law.

Kelley also had a documented history of other behavioral problems in the Air Force. He was given a bad-conduct discharge after serving time in military prison on the domestic violence conviction.

From there, the timing to create a threat assessment team in San Antonio fell into place, officials said.

In 2019, the Legislature passed a bill that required each school district to establish a multidisciplinary threat assessment team to identify and evaluate possible acts of violence on campuses. SAPD began working with several local school districts on implementing such teams.

Around the same time, SAPDs Mental Health Unit  which previously was a part of the Bike Patrol Unit  moved to the Southwest Texas Fusion Center.

We were all under the same roof, said Baron, a supervisor at the intelligence hub. We were going with a lot of meetings together. We noticed that there were a lot of people who both of our teams were dealing with.

On ExpressNews.com: Gov. Abbott wants to identify mass shooters before they strike. Researchers are skeptical.

At that point, officials at the Fusion Center reached out and asked about the FBIs threat assessment model.

While the Fusion Center had been doing threat assessments to some degree  representatives from multiple agencies are stationed there to gather intelligence and manage real-time security threats  the group decided they wanted to create a formal framework using best practices.

Together, they established up a key group of members, including local, state and national law enforcement officials, representatives from mental health facilities and school administrators.

They also set up a way for local police officers to refer cases to the group for review and a rating system to determine the severity of threats.

Quickly, officials said, the benefits became apparent.

Billy Calzada /Staff photographer

The magic happens when were all in the room and were all checking our separate databases, said Randy Reyes, an arson investigator with the San Antonio Fire Department and a member of the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force. It really opens doors.

Success stories

Officials said its hard to quantify the groups success, as its impossible to gauge if an attack would have happened had the group not intervened.

And while criminal justice experts say increased vigilance by police about warning signs certainly can prevent violence, they warn that its hard to say definitively whether threat assessments work, in part because mass shootings statistically are rare, making it difficult to draw conclusions about them.

Still, officials believe the group has done important work  ultimately preventing some acts of targeted violence.

Reyes and Baron said the collaboration particularly helped in instances where a prson repeatedly was in and out of the criminal justice system.

We had one individual that two different agencies were having trouble with who was referred to the group, Baron said. We ended up with five agencies who had dealt with this one person.  Had we not sat in the same room and talked about it, we wouldnt have known.

Another advantage of the new team, members said, is that its easier to keep track of suspects who otherwise might get lost in the labyrinth of the criminal justice system.

Jerry Lara /Staff photographer

Sgt. Mike Davis, an investigator with the Bexar County district attorneys office, said the groups thrice weekly meetings help him identify cases that need to take priority.

The district attorneys office handles on average 60,000 cases annually, Davis said. One of the priorities for this administration is to prioritize violent cases and prevent violence. Thats why this group is so critical.

Davis said he passes along key information from the meetings to prosecutors who cant attend regularly.

From there, he offers suggestions to prevent violence  such as prohibiting a suspect from having a gun  or get help by connecting the person, if appropriate, to mental health services.

Alternatively, a judge can require a suspect to take medication as prescribed.

Its hard to know how many times we have helped a person or prevented an attack, Davis said. But we know this group is actively intervening in acts of violence. Thats our role, to safeguard the community.

eeaton@express-news.net
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A shopper who spotted a diamond ring at Costco for half a million dollars has confirmed it's still available for sale more than two years later.

Political reporter Jennifer Bechwati shared a picture of the 6.55 carat engagement ring showing a $499,999.99 price tag at the Canberra warehouse in April 2018.

'It's in the aisle between bulk AA batteries and dustpans,' she wrote in her Twitter post at the time which has since attracted nearly 11,000 'likes' and 2,100 'retweets'.

And on Sunday, she shared an update with her followers confirming the round diamond solitaire ring was still on display at the retailer.

A shopper who spotted a diamond ring at Costco for half a million dollars has confirmed it's still available for sale more than two years later. Jennifer Bechwati shared a picture of the 6.55 carat engagement ring at the Canberra warehouse in April 2018

Dozens of people quickly responded to the thread, with one man joking: 'Good, I wonder if they will hold it for me, I need that and a pack of AAA batteries.'

Some suggested the ring could be a 'replica' while one said 'surely they have a buyer after your tweet'.

Her post comes just two years after she shared the picture, with many sharing their opinion on the very expensive sparkler.

'Imagine saying you got your engagement ring from Costco.. and it cost $499,999.99,' one wrote.

'How much is it at Aldi?' one joked, and another added: 'And you have to pay the annual membership fee to get in to buy it.'

On Sunday, she shared an update with her followers confirming the round diamond solitaire ring was still on display at the retailer

A Costco spokeswoman previously told the Daily Mail Australia that similar rings were available to purchase at all nine warehouse locations across the country.

'Each Costco warehouse has a "WOW" item in its jewellery department,' the spokeswoman said in April 2018.

'Each one is unique to that warehouse, but in each Australian warehouse the wow item is around that price.

'We pride ourselves on selling the highest quality products at the best possible price, across a huge scope of departments, including high-end jewellery.'
A British judge ruled on Monday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should not be extradited to the United States to face charges of breaking a spying law and conspiring to obtain secret US documents by hacking government computers.

The US authorities accuse Australian-born Assange, 49, of 18 counts relating to Wikileaks release of vast troves of confidential US military records and diplomatic cables which they said had put lives in danger.

His lawyers had argued the entire prosecution was politically-motivated, powered by US President Donald Trump and that his extradition posed a severe threat to the work of journalists.

At a hearing at Londons Old Bailey, Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected nearly all his legal teams arguments but said she could not extradite him as there was a real risk he would commit suicide and ordered his discharge.

Assange, she said, suffered from at times severe depression and had been diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome and autism, albeit he was a high functioning autistic case.

Half a razor blade was found in his London prison cell in May 2019 and he had told medical staff about his suicidal thoughts.

I find that Mr Assanges risk of committing suicide, if an extradition order were to be made, to be substantial, Baraitser said in her ruling.

Faced with conditions of near total isolation  I am satisfied that the procedures (outline by US authorities) will not prevent Mr Assange from finding a way to commit suicide, she said.

Lawyers for the US authorities are expected to appeal against the decision. US prosecutors and Western security officials regard Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, as a reckless and dangerous enemy of the state whose actions put at risk the lives of agents whose names were in the material.

The US authorities say more than 100 people were put at risk by the disclosures and about 50 had received assistance, with some fleeing their home countries with their spouses and families to move to the United States or another safe country.

Supporters regard him as an anti-establishment hero who has been victimised because he exposed US wrongdoing in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and say his prosecution is a politically motivated assault on journalism and free speech.

Baraitser rejected this, however, saying there was insufficient evidence that prosecutors had been pressured by Trumps team and there was little evidence of hostility from the U.S. president towards him.

She said there was no evidence that he would not get a fair trial in the United States or that prosecutors were seeking to punish him, and said his actions had gone beyond investigative journalism.
Turkey has sent more reinforcements to northwestern Syria following an attack in al-Bab that wounded two soldiers reports Al-Masdar.

The Turkish military sent a new column of reinforcements to the northwestern region of Syria this week, following attacks on their forces in Aleppo Governorate.

According to a report on Saturday, the Turkish Armed Forces came under attack by sniper fire near the key city of al-Bab in northeastern Aleppo; this prompted the latter to respond with heavy artillery on the positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Peoples Protection Units (YPG).

The Turkish military has since sent reinforcements through the Kafr Lousen crossing that links the Hatay Province and Idleb Governorate.

Several reports on Sunday said that dozens of soldiers were transported to northwestern Syria, and were escorted by heavily armed vehicles that will likely be used on military patrols with their Russian counterparts in northwestern Syria.

Turkey has been deploying a large number of troops to northwestern Syria since 2018, when they first established observation posts in the Aleppo, Lattakia, Hama and Idleb governorates.

Most recently, the Turkish military has withdrawn from several observation posts after they were besieged by the Syrian army in early 2020.

The Turkish Armed Forces reportedly came under attack in the northeastern countryside of the Aleppo Governorate on Saturday, resulting in some casualties within their ranks.

According to opposition reports, the Turkish Armed Forces positions came under attack in the al-Bab District of Aleppo after snipers opened fire on their troops.

The reports said at least two Turkish soldiers were wounded and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment; their current status is unknown.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Over 100,000 rooftop solar power works with total capacity of 9,300 MW were connected to the national grid by December 31, 2020.

The total electricity output provided by the power works was 1.15 billion kwh.

December 31 was the final day the FIT (feed in tariff) price mechanism was still valid. The electricity price at which the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) will buy from solar power project developers after that day remains unclear.

This is why investors rushed to put their projects into operation before the deadline.

Just within three days, from December 29 to December 31, more than 3,000 MW worth of rooftop solar power belonging to 10,000 projects became operational.

Ha Dang Son, director of the Centre for Energy and Green Growth Research, noted that after one year, the 2019-2025 rooftop solar power race exceeded the target of 1,000 MWp set for the entire period.

The target of installing 100,000 power systems with total capacity of grid-connected rooftop solar power of 9,300 MWp, equal to the capacity of operational ground-mounted solar power projects, was exceeded.

Son cited an EVN report as saying that the total installed solar power capacity is 19,400 MWp, or 16,500 MWac.

As such, Vietnam has surpassed Germany in the proportion of solar power in total electricity capacity (16.5/60 GW vs 51.5/211 GW), and it is No 1 in ASEAN in total renewable capacity (wind and solar power).

To date, the total capacity of installed solar power all over the country has reached 19,400 MWp, including 9,300 MWp of rooftop solar power, or 16,500 MW, which accounts for 25 percent of total installed electricity capacity of the entire national electricity system.

To date, the total capacity of installed solar power all over the country has reached 19,400 MWp, including 9,300 MWp of rooftop solar power, or 16,500 MW, which accounts for 25 percent of total installed electricity capacity of the entire national electricity system.

One report said that the total electricity output provided by solar power works to the national grid in 2020 was 10.6 billion kwh, including 1.16 billion kwh from rooftop solar power, accounting for 4.3 percent of total output mobilized from all sources of the national system.

According to EVN, difficulties exist in the electricity system when the solar power proportion is high.

The typical characteristic of solar power is that electricity generation depends on the sunny hours of the day. The electricity is abundant from 10 am to 2 pm, especially on weekends and holidays because the additional charge decreases at this time, while solar radiation is the strongest during the day.

In peak hours, from 5.30 to 6.30 pm, when the demand is the highest, solar power works cannot generate enough electricity.

In order to ensure stable electricity supply, it is always necessary to maintain a number of traditional electricity generation units.

In addition to the difference in additional charge capacity at different moments of the day, there is also the difference in the additional charge demand between working days and holidays, which causes difficulties for power regulation.

The difference between the peak capacity in holidays and ordinary days is up to 5,000 MW. On weekends and holidays, the Electricity Regulatory Authority has warned that it is impossible to mobilize all the usable capacity of electricity generation sources, including renewable power sources (solar and wind power) during off-peak hours, weekends and holidays.

This means that a lot of solar power projects, including rooftop power and wind power, wont be able to provide all of their capacity to the national grid.

Son said a question has been raised about what Vietnam will do in the next five years. Will Vietnam continue to see a solar power boom, or will it go more slowly to have time to deal with technical problems, such as technical criteria, waste solar panel treatment and better programming for national power development?

In the latest move, EVN released a notice on the development of rooftop solar power after December 31, 2020.

Power companies have stopped receiving and dealing with requests on connecting the national grid and signing contracts on buying/selling electricity from rooftop solar power works developed after December 31, 2020 until there is a new guideline from appropriate agencies.

The Electricity and Renewable Energy Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) is coordinating with consulting agencies to study the scale of rooftop solar power projects and the price of electricity generated from these projects.

Luong Bang
Moderna's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine in India likely next year; Pfizer ready with 5 crore doses for 2021

More than 513 doctors including 103 from Delhi succumb to COVID-19 in second wave: IMA

Will not get COVID vaccine now: MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan

India

oi-Briti Roy Barman

Bhopal, Jan 04: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Monday he will not get the COVID-19 vaccine for now saying those who under the priority groups should get the preference.

"I have decided that I will not get vaccinated for now. First it should be administered to others. My turn should come afterwards. We have to work to ensure that priority groups are administered with the vaccine," Chouhan said, according to ANI.

The comment by the senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came a day after Drugs Controller General of India VG Somani has approved two coronavirus vaccines so far, including the indigenous vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech and ICMR, which has been named Covaxin and the one manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII), identified as Covishield.

Salute our scientists says PM Modi as India gets set to roll out COVID-19 vaccine

Meanwhile, several states have conducted dry runs on Saturday in preparation for the massive inoculation drive. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has appealed to people not to be misguided by "rumours" and disinformation regarding the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.

Congress leaders Anand Sharma, Shashi Tharoor and Jairam Ramesh, on Sunday raised concerns over the grant of approval to Bharat Biotech's Covid-19 vaccine for restricted use, saying it is "premature" and can prove dangerous.

The leaders then drew flak from Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and senior BJP leader JP Nadda who said the opposition led by the Congress is filled with anger, ridicule and disdain.

In a tweet, Puri said, "Our in-house cynics M/s Jairam, Tharoor & Akhilesh are behaving true to form.

Farmer Protest: What did Agricultural minister say on the 7th round of talks|Oneindia News

They first questioned the valour of our soldiers & are now unhappy that the two vaccines to get DCGI nod are made in India. Clearly, they are on a quest for permanent political marginalization."

Tharoor, a Congress MP and former Union minister, also countered Puri, saying he had never questioned the valour of our soldiers. "I would be happy and proud if more Indian vaccines are approved - but only after a full 3-phase trial confirms they are safe & effective. Short-circuiting the process is unprecedented, inadvisable & risks lives.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, January 4, 2021, 13:34 [IST]
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 17:07:19|Editor: huaxia

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SHENZHEN, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- While automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are still unfamiliar to many Chinese ears, the fast dissemination of such life-saving devices in China's major cities is already making a life-and-death difference.

On Dec. 14, AEDs made headlines in south China's Shenzhen, where two residents were resuscitated with the devices after suffering from sudden cardiac arrest, a dangerous condition in which the heart unexpectedly stops beating.

In one case, a man surnamed Tu collapsed outside his workplace after experiencing blurry vision. Several passers-by came to his aid by making emergency calls, performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and activating a newly installed AED. The first aid bought him precious time before the arrival of medics.

A crescendo of such good news came after China's large cities including Shenzhen rushed to install thousands of public-access AEDs, responding to calls by health experts for more such devices in China's public areas.

"China's first-tier cities and several coastal provinces are on the move, and even some tourist cities in western China have taken action to install AEDs," said Yu Tao, vice director of the emergency department of the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, noting the accelerated AED deployment in China since last year.

In Shenzhen, a tech hub in Guangdong Province, more than 3,500 government-purchased AEDs had been deployed by the end of August, while in east China's Shanghai, the number of public-access AEDs exceeded 1,600, a fourfold rise from 2016.

In Beijing, cabinets containing AEDs and other emergency medicines have popped up at stations along four subway lines, and authorities have pledged to cover all rail transit stations in the Chinese capital by 2022.

Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, became the first Chinese city to legislate on the dissemination of AEDs. According to a regulation promulgated in November, apart from airports and metro stations, AEDs must also be equipped in law enforcement vehicles and ships to ensure their "mobility" in the city.

"It is imperative to install AEDs and teach the Chinese public how to use them," said Wang Jingfeng, director of the cardiology department of the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital.

"China has the largest number of sudden cardiac arrests in the world, and the out-of-hospital survival rate in such cases is very low," Wang said.

According to a report on cardiovascular diseases in 2016, the number of sudden cardiac deaths was estimated at 540,000 in China every year, equivalent to one such death every minute, while the rate of successful rescue is less than 1 percent.

Intended to be used by laypeople, AEDs can automatically diagnose the patient's heart rhythm and deliver a shock if needed. They can improve the rescue rate to 90 percent if the patient is defibrillated within the "golden four minutes."

However, making them easily accessible in a developing country like China is not easy, with the high cost being a key obstacle. According to the Shenzhen government, a single set of AED equipment costs 20,300 yuan (about 3,110 U.S. dollars), excluding the annual costs of changing the batteries and pads.

"Some public venues also feared the installation of AEDs would bring them extra responsibilities," Wang said, adding that China's public-access AEDs are still "rare" compared with Japan and the United States.

The good news is that China has set the goal of disseminating AEDs in all schools, government offices, public institutes, airports, shopping malls and cinemas, according to an action plan published in 2019. A law on medicines, hygiene and public health coming into effect in June also requires all public locations to have first aid equipment.

The public's awareness of and knowledge related to emergency rescue are also catching up, said Yu.

At a hospital in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, an AED training workshop on Dec. 24 attracted dozens of enthusiastic residents.

"I found such training to be essential," said a community worker surnamed Yu, testifying to the rising public recognition of AEDs. "I've heard about cases of sudden cardiac arrest, so I believe it is a skill everyone should acquire to save more lives." Enditem
Spanish police are investigating the suspected murder of a man whose genitals had been amputated.

The gruesome discovery was made after officers were alerted by a concerned neighbour in the Catalan town of Palau-solita i Plegamans north of Barcelona.

Local reports said the unnamed man had been found with his trousers down and his testicles and penis hacked off on the floor of his rented home.

An autopsy is expected to reveal the death occurred elsewhere and the man's body was left without the missing sex organs in the place where it was discovered.

Spanish police are investigating the suspected murder of a man whose genitals had been amputated. Pictured: Catalan town of Palau-solita i Plegamans, north of Barcelona, where police found the gruesome discovery

Dogs were also found in the property, which was covered in animal excrement.

But medical experts are said to have ruled out the possibility the dogs had ripped off the man's genitals and eaten them in an initial examination.

It is was not clear today if the missing body parts had been found. Police have not revealed the age of identity of the dead man.

A spokesman for the regional Mossos d'Esquadra police confirmed: 'An investigation is underway to discover the cause of death and the amputation of a part of the man's body.'

Officers made the horrific find around 3.30pm yesterday.

A regional homicide squad is leading the investigation into the suspected murder.

Palau-solita I Plegamans is a town and municipality in an area known as Valles Occidental in the province of Barcelona. It is about 15 miles north of the Catalan capital.
Startups

A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is perhaps the only generalist business management degree that continues to enjoy popularity even after 100 years of its existence. According to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), in 2018-19, the intake for MBA programmes in India was 3,72,579 students and India has seen a rise in MBA applicants across the world.

After conversations with MBA holders, aspirants and academicians, here are some of the reasons we found for the degrees enduring appeal:

1 Landing leadership roles in corporates and startups

2 To create and run successful businesses

3 Having an exclusive network that increases and improves access

4 Being selected or standing out

Of late though, the relevancein terms of cost and timeof an MBA is being questioned, as much of what it imparts, or does not, is derived real-time by either starting up or working at a startup or pursuing new-age MBA formats. It is only natural, then, for us to question if pursuing an MBA is really equivalent to starting up or working at a startup and look into the new-MBA formats.

What is MBA?

In the early 1900s, companies were looking for a scientific approach to management. To meet this need, the Harvard Business School established the first MBA programme in 1908. Eighty students enrolled in the first year, taught by 15 faculty members. In India, the first MBA was founded by XLRI in 1949 and the first Indian Institute of Management (Calcutta) was founded in 1961.

At the time, the concept of a formalised business programme wasnt looked upon as the same as earning an advanced degree in disciplines like law and medicine. But over the years, the appeal of learning the science of management caught on and the number of MBA students increased across the globe.

As the MBA gained worldwide acceptance and the Industrial Era reached its peak, something changed. Technology made its presence felt and the internet and business on the internet boomed. The world expanded and people started working on ideas that were new and had no legacy like large corporates or the MBA itself.

The conundrum

An MBA is best designed to produce great middle managers, said Aditya Kulkarni, Founder, Stoa School, and an IIM-Bangalore and BITS Pilani alumnus. Kulkarni believes that an MBA offers a path to prosperity and in many cases, it helps graduates overcome their confusion of what to pursue next. Though, it is just a means to an end.

He knows more founders who came out of his BITS Pilani network than his MBA network. As per a Traxcn study, IITs (Delhi, Bombay and Kharagpur) and BITS-Pilani have together produced 1,066 startups and IIMs (A, B and C) have about 900 startups.

After founding two companies and successfully exiting them, he launched his third venturea cohort-based learning model. Kulkarni, wearing his founders hat, believes that the lack of a management degree is not a hindrance, if one spends the same two years working multiple roles at a startup.

At the same time, as the founder of Stoa, a community-learning based MBA model, he is bullish about the number of students who want to learn business in India. At Stoa, he believes the team helps one develop a business brain through a community-based learning experience.

As Seth Godin, the founder of Akimbo, home of the altMBA, recently wrote, For most students, the elite MBA is about the prize at the end and not the learning or the experience.

MBA is signalling more than learning

MBAs are all about getting better jobs, building a network and gaining exposure to important business concepts strategy, operations, marketing and finance. If the choice is to become an entrepreneur, an MBA may not teach you much, as entrepreneurship is about experiments and exploration, says serial entrepreneur Snehanshu Gandhi, co-Founder of Kaagaz Scanner and two other start-ups since his IIT-Bombay days. He has also worked in boutique management consultancies and has an MBA from Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad.

Gandhi says that if one is an early team member in a startup and is involved in multiple roles, one's experience can be equivalent to an MBA. However, saturation does seep in and here is where an MBA can help one understand certain concepts better and then deep-dive into the ones that interest the most.

His advice to aspirants is simple, If you are looking for a job and your end-goal is to stay in attractive roles, then having an MBA is helpful, as it has exponential signalling benefits. Of course, the MBA brand matters here. Looking back to when he pursued an MBA, he summarises, MBA is not so much about learning, as it is about signalling.

How much does the brand matter?

Deepanshu Kaushik, an MBA student at FMS Delhi, says the true value-add of an MBA is the classroom discussion of case studies, which cannot be replicated. He joined the course immediately after his engineering and after an internship at Flipkart, where he worked with MBA students from across Tier 1 institutions. He observed that skillwise we are more or less the same. Once you remove the brilliance of the tag, there is not much of a difference.

Through experiences of his seniors, he has seen that an MBA can give an edge in consulting roles or specialised roles like sales, marketing (in startups), where one can be hired at x+1 designations (compared to undergraduates). For the restgeneralist or non-consultancy-based rolesonce hired, one is pretty much on their own and have to figure out their own journey within the organisation.

The question is how many aspire for consultancy roles or other similar institutions versus joining new-age technology ventures?

Demand-supply gap

While we associate the word MBA with an IIM or a premier brand, that is not always the case. For any Tier II or III aspirant, an MBA is a postgraduate degree that is a passport to a corporate job. The salary doesnt matter as much as the fact that one is employed with a bank, a financial institution, a corporate or a large startup. The top 100 universities produce only 30,000 MBAs a year, not everyone makes it to this coveted list.

An MBA can be extremely subjective and in Tier II and III cities, it is the only way to beat competition and land a job that can help pay the bills, said Ashish Munjal, co-founder and CEO of Sunstone Eduversity, a pay-after-placement MBA programme targeted at students looking to acquire skills and not just a degree.

Munjal says, Current MBAs lack segmentation, they teach the same curriculum (strategy, finance, etc) to 3,00,000+ students, whereas this curriculum is only relevant to the top tier. The rest (90 percent), do not land jobs in strategy. They have to be taught real-world skills for jobs in logistics, warehousing, digital marketing or banks. At Sunstone, we are filling in this gap and ensure our students get placed.

To pursue or not pursue?

According to Meeta Sengupta, founder, Centre for Education Strategy, An MBA gives you the toolkits and makes it easy for people to identify your training and therefore decision-making attributes. However, what you make of your MBA is up to you, your choices and life circumstances.

Summing up

The use case of an MBA in a startup varies. There are different kinds of roles in a startupoperations, sales, growth, marketing, product and so on. Operations and sales do require an MBA, however, if you are part of the CEOs office, then the MBA is not required. It is the profile of one's role that matters most.

The developmental stage of the hiring startup matters as well. Joining an early-stage startup is a financial risk for someone with a premium MBA. Early-stage startups do not necessarily hire from the B-Schools as welldue to the gap in salary expectations and affordabilitymore Unicorns do. Of late though, more startups are hiring beyond the IITs and IIM.

If one wants to take up key roles in startups or corporates, an MBA after two or three years of work is more valuable because it enhances classroom discussions. Real-life work translates to better learning and placement. Some companies do have a bar on people they hire even at B-School. For foreign MBAs, three-four years of work experience matters and in India, at least two or three years.

If one wants to start up or find a co-founder, one has to look beyond an MBA. Everyone we spoke to agreed that MBA doesn't teach one resilience and entrepreneurship. It teaches one mental models to deal with ambiguity. If one is able to deal with the ambiguity of life, an MBA may not be necessary.

To conclude, while B-Schools teach one sophisticated models, sophisticated models are evolving and teach survival. So, while the former makes one fit in, the latter makes one stand out.
By Hyon O'Brien



Our Thanksgiving celebration was rather strange this year. Normally we would get together with twenty or so friends in a local neighborhood park for our annual outdoor Thanksgiving lunch, with everyone bringing food to the communal table. This group was started some twenty years ago by my book club friend, Linda, who noticed that so many of her friends were alone on Thanksgiving, having moved to Miami and having no family here. We joined that group ten years ago as soon as we moved to Florida.



Usually we get to eat all kinds of food from at least five or six countries, but always on a foundation of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce in a bow to tradition. We've greatly enjoyed the diversity of our group, immigrants from Ethiopia, England, Canada, Korea, Peru and of course from different parts of the United States. Last year, I invited four newcomers to join the group, new arrivals to the area who I discovered were also alone.



After a sumptuous feast including traditional and nontraditional desserts, we always played bocce, or boules. First played in ancient Rome and developed into its present form in Italy, I am told that this game  akin to horseshoes, but with bocce balls  was initially played in America by Italian immigrants. It is traditionally played on natural soil and asphalt courts up to 90 feet in length and 8 to 13 feet wide. We played on grass or in a sanded area without too much attention to the state of the pitch. Playing bocce together generated a good sense of community and closeness. Indeed, we were thankful for the friendship, food and outdoor enjoyment near an ocean with breeze and palm trees.



This year we had to plan alternative gatherings for Thanksgiving. First we had a Zoom chat with our two daughters, son-in-law, three grandchildren, two grand-dogs and one grand-cat, all in Washington DC. To see them all on one screen was heartwarming.



Then, Tim, my husband, hosted another family Zoom. This time with his brother and wife, sister and husband and two sets of cousins. New Jersey and Washington State were joined to Florida. We all smiled and chatted away for an hour reminiscing about the former Thanksgivings we had celebrated together in person in New Jersey.



The third gathering was fortunately able to be carried out in person. Two cousins and family including two dogs maintained social distancing as we gathered in front of our building overlooking the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by palm trees. The temperature was perfect. Seated in our beach chairs, we enjoyed our time together. We were indeed thankful that we could be geographically close enough and that the temperature cooperated for us to have an outdoor picnic.



Other Zooms I am engaged in are on-going meetings for weekly Rotary meetings, bi-weekly book discussion meetings and for film discussion meetings. I am thrilled to have a Zoom chat with my college classmates (class of 1969, Ewha) who live in Seoul. However, I still conduct a monthly book club I lead at the local library in person and outdoors, because we are all in a state of "Zoom fatigue."



These Zoom meetings may change how we live and work after COVID-19 is behind us. I suspect that there will be far less need for business travel. People have discovered that one can accomplish a lot through on-line meetings, saving traveling time and letting people spend more time with family. The companies around the world must be considering this new mode of business interaction, experiencing fully well the extent to which efficiency and productivity have not been compromised by not being physically together. This Zooming thing may become the "new normal" and not just a measure of coping as we get through the global pandemic in, hopefully, the months to come.



We never imagined having a Rotarian in India joining us as a guest speaker online. We never knew what it's like to be talking to family and friends frequently without driving, flying and taking vacation time from work to join them where they were. Strangely Zoom sessions bring us together. Maybe because we miss each other so much, we appreciate more being together even if only virtually.



Fun facts: Zoom Video Communications, Inc. was founded in 2011 by Eric Yuan, a Chinese immigrant. He named his video communications Zoom after a children's book, Zoom City by Thacher Hurd. In 2012 Zoom launched a beta version that could host conferences with up to 15 participants. Its first customer was Stanford University. By May, 2013, it had one million users. In April, 2020 Zoom's daily users have ballooned to more than 200 million. On April 18, 2019 the company became a public company via an initial public offering; the price increased over 72% on the first day of trading.



While we eagerly await Pfizer vaccines against COVID-19 becoming available for individuals, we are relieved to know that frontline healthcare workers and most vulnerable people in nursing homes are being inoculated. Meanwhile, we can continue to use communication modes like Zoom that keep us close and elevate the sense of togetherness, even as we deal with isolation and being cut off from the human touch.



Let's not forget to wear face masks, maintain social distancing and wash hands frequently and avoid indoor gatherings.



Please stay healthy. Help is on the way.



Hyon O'Brien (hyonobrien@gmail.com) is a former reference librarian now living in the United States.



tech2 News Staff

The elimination of inter-operator IUC charges may result in certain EBITDA gains for Vodafone Idea and some impact for Jio, while it will be neutral for Airtel, according to a Credit Suisse report. The zero IUC (Interconnect Usage Charges) regime was previously slated to come into effect from January 2020, but then the telecom regulator deferred its implementation till 1 January 2021. IUC is a charge that is paid by a telco to another operator when its customers make voice calls to subscribers of the rival network, and these charges stood at 6 paise per minute.

Ajai Puri, COO, Bharti Airtel said in a statement:

"At Airtel, we are obsessed with delivering the best-in-class experience to our customers. Airtel mobile customers already enjoy unlimited free calls to all networks with our prepaid bundles and postpaid plans that also offer large dollops of high-speed data. In fact, Airtel has never charged its customers separately for IUC and the unlimited calling benefits will continue for our customers without any change.

Further, Airtel has also released a statement on its website that while Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) continues charging 6 paise per minute as Interconnect Usage Charge (IUC), Airtel will be offering free outgoing

calls to other operators.

The website reads:

"While some operators have made changes to their call charges, Airtel steps up to assure its customers of free outgoing calls. TRAI continues with its decision to charge 6 paise per minute on outgoing calls to other operators. The original Airtel bundle plans include all charges, and thus, the users will incur no IUC charge and can make outgoing calls to other networks for free. Airtel's unlimited calling plans will consist of all the offers that the plan cites."

On Thursday, Reliance Jio announced that calls by its users to other networks in India will become free from Friday, as the IUC regime ends.

"While telcos per se do not give a mix of on-net and off-net calls leave alone the incoming/outgoing bifurcation, TRAI's data from year ago indicated that share of off-net incoming calls was increasing for Jio (and as a corollary outgoing calls decreasing) as it gained scale," Credit Suisse said in its note.

However, since then Jio has capped off-net outgoing calls and also gained subscriber market share while Vodafone Idea (VIL) has lost market share. Consequently, Jio has now become a net receiver of IUC and VIL a net payer, it said adding that for Bharti Airtel the mix is roughly balanced now.

"Consequently, elimination of IUC should result in some EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) gains for VIL and some impact for Jio. Whereas, it will be neutral for Airtel," the note added.

With Jio's announcement of making off-net calls (outgoing calls to other networks) free, Credit Suisse said it expects the company to do away with caps on outgoing off-net calls for all in one plans without changing the tariffs. Jio's IUC top ups would also become redundant and are expected to be discontinued, it said.

"This would make Jio's tariffs comparable to Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (VIL) whose plans do not have caps on outgoing off-net calls. We believe that all-in one plans are the most popular for Jio, and thus see limited impact of the announcement on Jio as it would not change the pricing of plans for consumers," it said.

However, elimination of IUC would also result in loss of business-to-business IUC revenues from other operators for off-net calls terminating on Jio's network, it added. VIL may see some benefit, being a net payer of IUC.

Disclaimer: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd which publishes Firstpost

With inputs from PTI
Acting NSW Premier John Barilaro has blasted other states for criticising New South Wales' handling of its coronavirus outbreak.

He accused other states of neglecting their duties by allowing NSW to take the bulk of returning travellers into hotel quarantine but not contributing to covering the cost.

Mr Barilaro complained on Radio 2GB that Sydney had processed 105,000 returning travellers since March compared with just 29,000 for Queensland and 22,000 for Western Australia.

'I am sick to death of being lectured to by Western Australia and some of the other states when we're doing the heavy lifting,' he said on Monday.

States have rushed to shut their doors to NSW as it handles another wave of the virus - with millions now unable to leave.

John Barilaro (left) cut loose on WA Premier Mark McGowan (right), saying other states want to lecture NSW on coronavirus - but not pay their share of the hotel quarantine bill

Of the 105,000 returnees who come to NSW, Mr Barilaro said half end up moving on to other states.

'So we're like the dry cleaner or the car wash. We clean them and we send them back to their states clean,' he told 2GB host Ben Fordham on Monday.

'All that risk lies with NSW and, of course, our health system - and when we get lectured by these others, it is bloody hard to accept when they're not doing the heavy lifting.'

Last month Mr Barilaro threatened to hire charter planes to forward on any returning citizens to their home state to quarantine.

'That suggestion is silly, it's counterproductive, it's not acting as an Australian,' Mr McGowan hit back.

Returning travellers at Sydney Airport on December 21. Mr Barilaro said NSW processed 105,000 since March, bearing the huge cost of hotel quarantine

A Covid-19 cluster in Berala has been caused by a patient transfer worker who took a family of returned overseas travellers to a health facility - prompting states to shut their borders

Mr Barilaro told 2GB that NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet had sent the other states a bill for their share of the costs of hotel quarantine - but they didn't want to pay.

'I think they've all baulked at paying their share - it's ridiculous,' he said.

Mr McGowan hit back at the suggestion that states should pay each other for quarantining their residents.

'That's obviously a pretty silly thing for them to try and do,' he said.

'If every state starts doing that, we'll be sending bills all over the place. Currently Western Australia is taking the most per capita of returning Australians of any state.'

The WA Premier urged New South Wales to stop playing 'whack-a-mole' where virus clusters appear early on in the outbreak.

Mr McGowan and some other state premiers like Victoria'a Daniel Andrews demanded NSW impose a lockdown and mandatory mask wearing early on during outbreaks.

Mr McGowan, like other Labor premiers, supports eliminating coronavirus rather than suppressing it.

The NSW Liberal Government, like the Federal Liberal Government, supports a strategy of suppression as it believes that is better for the economy.

Despite the July 2020 National Cabinet agreement on a suppression strategy, Mr McGowan said on Monday that the best thing Australia could do is to keep the virus out.

'Get rid of the virus within our borders, within our country, and keep it that way,' he said.

COVID TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS FOR NEW SOUTH WALES: Western Australia - All NSW residents are banned from entering WA. Anyone who enters the state will be 'sent back', according to Premier Mark McGowan. In reality, all arrivals from NSW must have a special exemption and then have to quarantine for 14 days, either at home or in a hotel.

- All NSW residents are banned from entering WA. Anyone who enters the state will be 'sent back', according to Premier Mark McGowan. In reality, all arrivals from NSW must have a special exemption and then have to quarantine for 14 days, either at home or in a hotel. Victoria - Regional NSW was declared an 'orange zone' on January 11, and locals will be allowed into Victoria from 6pm with a permit. On January 18, Greater Sydney was also deemed an orange zone. People from ten Sydney LGAs, including Blacktown and Liverpool, which are deemed red zones are still banned.

- Regional NSW was declared an 'orange zone' on January 11, and locals will be allowed into Victoria from 6pm with a permit. On January 18, Greater Sydney was also deemed an orange zone. People from ten Sydney LGAs, including Blacktown and Liverpool, which are deemed red zones are still banned. Northern Territory - The state has declared greater metropolitan Sydney as a Covid-19 hotspot, and travellers will need to undergo 14 days of supervised quarantine.

- The state has declared greater metropolitan Sydney as a Covid-19 hotspot, and travellers will need to undergo 14 days of supervised quarantine. South Australia - Harder border closure to all NSW residents from midnight on New Year's Eve. Returning South Australians must quarantine for 14 days. A 100km border buffer zone, including Broken Hill and Wentworth, will be exempt.

- Harder border closure to all NSW residents from midnight on New Year's Eve. Returning South Australians must quarantine for 14 days. A 100km border buffer zone, including Broken Hill and Wentworth, will be exempt. Queensland - Queensland has shut its borders to Greater Sydney, Wollongong and the Central Coast. Locals returning to the Sunshine State from a hotspot must isolate.

- Queensland has shut its borders to Greater Sydney, Wollongong and the Central Coast. Locals returning to the Sunshine State from a hotspot must isolate. ACT - Anyone travelling to the ACT from a Covid-19 hotspot in NSW will now require an exemption. People from Sydney's Northern Beaches, Greater Sydney, the Central Coast and Wollongong will not be legally permitted to enter the ACT without a valid pass from midday on Saturday January 2.

- Anyone travelling to the ACT from a Covid-19 hotspot in NSW will now require an exemption. People from Sydney's Northern Beaches, Greater Sydney, the Central Coast and Wollongong will not be legally permitted to enter the ACT without a valid pass from midday on Saturday January 2. Tasmania - Northern Beaches residents banned. All people from Greater Sydney must also quarantine upon entry. Advertisement

Mr Barilaro's spray came as Mr McGowan threatened to shut the WA border to all states if the coronavirus outbreak spread beyond NSW and Victoria.

'If we have to bring back a hard border to all the states we would do that if there was spread into other states that necessitated that outcome,' Mr McGowan said on Monday.

'Putting up borders to stop the spread of the virus works. If we need to put up the border to protect the welfare, health and economy of Western Australia we will.

'I think in this environment, people would be well advised to holiday within Western Australia.'

The Federal government has said it is still working on approvals to roll out the vaccines which are expected to be administered by March.

Passengers from Melbourne arrive in Perth on December 8. WA Premier Mark McGowan has threatened to shut the WA border to Australia if coronavirus leaks beyond NSW and Victoria

Travellers at Sydney Airport on December 20, leaving before borders closed to other states

HOW TO CHECK IF YOU NEED A TEST There are 63 separate health alerts for NSW venues on the NSW Health website and 17 for public transport routes as of Monday night. The public is urged to check the NSW Health website here to see if you were at any of those places at the red-flagged dates and times. If you were there at the times flagged, you may have come in contact with the virus and may need to isolate and get tested. Advertisement

Widespread vaccination will create herd immunity and end the pandemic.

On Monday NSW recorded no new local coronavirus infections in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday.

Two new cases were recorded after the reporting period, however, in Sydney's western suburbs bringing the NSW total to 188 active locally acquired cases.

NSW began enforcing compulsory mask-wearing regulations for Greater Sydney on Monday with those caught without a facemask in designated public areas risking a $200 fine.

Mr Barilaro said that wearing masks was an alternative to strict lockdowns, by inhibiting the spread of the virus people could be kept mobile and businesses open.

There were seven cases in NSW hotel quarantine and Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant warned more infected people are entering Australia as the virus spreads rapidly in Europe and the US.

However NSW Health is most concerned about the BWS Berala outbreak which began after a Covid-19 patient transport worker unknowingly visited the store while infectious before Christmas.

Tens of thousands of people have been asked to isolate after more than 1,000 people attended the Berala bottle shop on Christmas Eve alone - with more who visited a nearby Woolworths now also on alert.

The infection was first passed from a family of returned travellers with the virus to a patient transport worker.

This worker then passed it to a colleague, who attended the BWS at Berala who did not know they had been exposed and had no symptoms.

Despite only attending the BWS for a short amount of time on 20 December, a BWS worker caught the virus without knowing and served thousands of customers.
Theres no doubt that 2020 will have a special place in history, and not just for the Covid-19 pandemic that so far has killed more than 1.8 million people. It was also a year of extreme weather disasters that showed how climate change can be fatal for humanity.

Natural calamities hit many parts of the world, from deadly wildfires engulfing California, Australia and Russias Siberian hinterland, to devastating summer floods in China and other Asian countries, to massive tropical storms sweeping Central America.

The frequent weather catastrophes reflected rising temperatures. Meteorologists around the world recorded 2020 as one of the hottest in history, underscoring the urgency of more aggressive global efforts to contain warming of the planet.

The global mean temperature between January and October last year was around 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the pre-industrial 1850-1900 baseline, according to the World Meteorological Organization, an agency of the United Nations. That made 2020 one of the three warmest years on record, and it made the decade the hottest.

Accelerating climate change is driven by human-induced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, primarily carbon dioxide (CO2). Although global emissions fell by 7% in 2020 as the pandemic interrupted travel and industrial production, carbon concentrations in the atmosphere continue to rise.

According to the annual Emissions Gap Report issued in December by the United Nations Environment Program, global GHG emissions continued to grow for the third consecutive year in 2019, reaching a record high of 52.4 gigatons of carbon equivalent. CO2 emissions from fossil fuels and carbonates dominate total GHG emissions and reached a record 38 gigatons of carbon equivalent, according to the report, which analyzes the commitments that countries have made to reduce emissions and the gap with goals set in the Paris Climate Change Agreement five years ago.

Under the Paris accord of 2015, 196 countries agreed to take steps to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C compared with the pre-industrial baseline, well below 2 degrees C  the point at which scientists calculate global warming would unleash catastrophic consequences.

We are currently not on track to meet climate change targets, and more efforts are needed," Petteri Taalas, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization, said last month.

All eyes are now on the U.N. Climate Conference of the Parties (COP26) in November in Glasgow. The meeting was postponed from 2020 because of the pandemic. Countries are expected to work out solutions for some of the unresolved issues left by the 2019 gathering, such as details on global carbon trade and capital commitments to support emission cuts.

The Glasgow conference will also be the first iteration of the ratchet mechanism set by the Paris Agreement. Under the accord, countries submitted intended nationally determined contributions to reduce GHG emissions. The targets are to be updated with enhanced goals every five years to ratchet up ambitions to mitigate climate change. However, the nonbinding arrangement has been widely criticized for lacking teeth.

Five years after the signing of Paris Agreement, the global coalition to contain climate change faces more complicated challenges from environmental, political and economic fronts. One of the major setbacks was outgoing U.S. President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw from the agreement. Although President-elect Joe Biden has pledged a return, experts said the worlds largest economy wont be able to immediately overturn Trump-era climate policies.

Other major economies including China and the European Union have made commitments to further control emissions. But as countries struggle to contain and rebound from the pandemic, the massive rollout of investment-driven stimulus policies may make cutting emissions harder to accomplish.

According to a recent study by Tsinghua University in Beijing, the world needs to achieve net zero carbon emission by 2050 to reach the Paris Agreements goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees C. This will require a significant revamp of the worlds industrial and energy structures.

Five years after Paris, we are still not going in the right direction, said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the Climate Ambition Summit in December. If we dont change course, we may be headed for a catastrophic temperature rise of more than 3 degrees this century.

Chinas commitments

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged that China will reach peak CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. At the December Climate Ambition Summit, Xi made further commitments that the country will lower its CO2 emissions per unit of GDP by 65% from the 2005 level in 2030, increase the share of nonfossil fuels in primary energy consumption to 25%, and bring its total installed capacity of wind and solar power to more than 1.2 billion kilowatts.

Chinas ambition to reduce emissions reflects the countrys own struggles with air pollution and extreme weather events like this summers disastrous flooding in the Yangtze River basin. China has been battling air pollution caused by excessive emissions. In 2013 as the country started to monitor air pollution caused by fine particles, 71 out of the 74 cities monitored reported high levels of pollution.

China has aggressively promoted heavy investment in renewable energy. The country has been the world tops investor in renewable energy over the past seven years and accounts for 32% of newly installed global capacity of clean energy, according to Li Ting, representative of the Beijing office of the Rocky Mountain Institute, a think tank.

However, China remains a major user of coal, which accounted for 59% of the countrys overall energy consumption as of 2018, driven by massive demand from heavy industries and transportation. In 2017, China overtook the U.S. to become the worlds top carbon emitter.

According to He Jiankun, an environment studies professor at Tsinghua University, Chinas carbon emissions will peak in 2030 if the country can cut CO2 emissions per unit of GDP by 68% from the 2005 level. After that the countrys carbon emissions will start to drop dramatically, He said.

But Li Shuo, a senior policy analyst at Green Peace, said sharp emission drops after 2030 are unlikely unless there are major technology breakthroughs.

Global GHG emissions continued to grow for the third consecutive year in 2019, reaching a record high of 52.4 gigatons of carbon equivalent.

Nevertheless, experts agree that reduced reliance on coal is crucial for China to meet its emission goals. The country is expected to cut coals share of energy consumption below 50% during the 202125 period, according to Wang Weida, an energy expert at the Beijing office of the World Wide Fund for Nature.

But the pandemic may bring some uncertainties to Chinas emissions control efforts as stimulus policies to boost economic recovery are likely to benefit some high-emission industries. In 2020, Chinas steel and cement industry grew faster than the previous year, reflecting an investment surge to bolster the economy, according to Li Shuo. Analysts warned that policymakers should carefully design pro-growth policies after the pandemic to direct more support to clean energy, electric vehicles and other environmentally friendly industries.

Global coalition under test

China, the U.S. and the EU account for a combined 45% of global emissions and led the global talks that led to the 2015 Paris Agreement. In 2014, China and the U.S. made joint commitments on emission controls under which China promised a peak of carbon emission by 2030 while the U.S. pledging to cut its 2025 emissions by as much as 28% from the 2005 level. The EU that year also set a goal of reducing GHG emission by 40% in 2030 compared with 1990.

But the joint efforts quickly crumbled as the Trump administration withdrew the U.S. from the agreement. Trump argued that emissions control measures under the Paris Agreement would cost millions of American jobs.

As the federal government pulled back from emissions control commitments, authorities at state and city levels as well as private sector players became the main U.S. forces fighting climate change during the Trump presidency.

According to Leon Clarke at the University of Maryland, American states, cities and companies that committed to follow the Paris Agreement account for two-thirds of the countrys population and nearly half of national emissions.

In the U.S., the costs of renewable energy have fallen below those of fossil fuels, benefiting the countrys energy shift and reducing emissions, said Li Ting at the Rocky Mountain Institute.

If the momentum continues at lower levels, the U.S. will be able to fulfill its emissions reduction goal by 2030, Clarke said. But to further reduce emissions and reach a net zero goal by 2050 will require more aggressive measures led by the federal government, he said.

The Biden administration may bring about changes as the president-elect has pledged to rejoin the Paris accord after he takes office Jan. 20. But it will take time for the new administration to restore Americas climate agenda, said Li Shuo at Green Peace. The Biden administration will face budget limits and other constraints left by the Trump administration, Li said.

The ripples created by the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris accord also raised a key question for the global community: How the coalition fighting climate change can survive a major players policy change, Li said.

One of the major setbacks was outgoing U.S. President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw from the agreement.

Compared with the U.S., a stronger EU public consensus on climate issues has formed, according to Clarke. The 27-country bloc relies much less on fossil fuel than China, making it easier to adopt emissions control measures. In December, the EU updated its emissions targets to a 55% reduction from the 1990 level by 2030, compared with the 40% goal set in 2014.

The EU presents a good example of how economic growth can be maintained without higher emissions, a key concern of many governments. Between 1990 and 2018, the blocs economy expanded 61% while its GHG emissions dropped 23%.

The EU has shifted a large portion of power generation from coal to clean energy such as wind and nuclear power. Moving forward, the EU will need to crack the next challenge of reducing emissions from the transportation sector by implementing stricter auto exhaust standards, analysts said.

But there are still gaps among EU member countries in fulfilling emissions control goals as countries like Poland and Germany have moved more slowly to reduce the use of coal.

Experts said the global coalition for emissions control is weaker than five years ago as countries like India, Japan, Brazil and Australia have been lukewarm to stepping up emission reductions, citing economic concerns.

Looking ahead to Glasgow

In December, 45 of the more than 70 countries participating in the U.N. Climate Ambition Summit presented strengthened 2030 climate plans in accordance with the Paris Agreement. According to Guterres, countries contributing two-thirds of global CO2 emissions have promised to achieve carbon neutrality, meaning net zero CO2 emissions, by balancing emissions with carbon removal.

While progress was made, experts said the plans set by individual countries are not enough for them to reach the limit of 1.5 degrees C of temperature increase under the Paris accord, not to mention uncertainties in their implementation.

Many countries face challenges to reduce carbon emissions in heavy industries and auto manufacturing as well as introducing more environmentally friendly solutions for other industries, analysts said. In addition, governments are also under pressure to balance emissions control with economic recovery in the post-pandemic era, they said.

Global leaders at the Glasgow conference need to address several key issues to further strengthen the Paris accord, Yamide Dagnet, director of climate negotiations at the World Resources Institute, wrote in a report. That includes a clear timetable for countries climate commitments, technology details for the global carbon trading mechanism and climate investment commitments.

Working out a carbon pricing system that can be accepted by all countries will be the most challenging issue in the design of the carbon trading mechanism, experts said. The Glasgow meeting will also evaluate the commitment made by developed countries in 2009 to provide $100 billion annually to support the fight against climate change and set up new targets for climate investment, Li Shuo said.

Whether and how the U.S. will rejoin the Paris accord will be another closely watched development this year, Li Shuo said. It is likely the U.S. will re-launch negotiations to join the agreement and push others to further strengthen their climate plans, Li Shuo said.

Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com).

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(Newser)  The US is well behind its stated goal on COVID vaccinations, and federal authorities will consider a new strategy this week to improve the numbers. The idea is to give people half the dose of the Moderna vaccine in order to double the number of recipients who could get it, reports Reuters. The FDA will meet this week to consider the idea, which would apply to people in the 18 to 55 age group, per CNN. The head of the government's Warp Speed vaccination program made the case for the plan Sunday, saying that evidence suggested the half-dose provides an "identical immune response" to the full dose.

story continues below

And therefore, we are in discussions with Moderna and with the FDAof course ultimately it will be an FDA decisionto accelerate injecting half the volume, said Moncef Slaoui on CBS' Face the Nation. People would still need two shots, but each shot would be halved in terms of dosage. About 4 million Americans have been vaccinated so far, but the US hoped the figure would be more than 20 million by now, reports Politico. The development comes as the US has eclipsed 350,000 confirmed deaths. (Though President Trump thinks the figure is bogus.)
A 51-year-old National Police officer from Malaga has died this Monday with Covid-19 after returning from duty in the port of Arguineguin, where he been deployed to help with the arrival of migrants in the Canary Islands.

According to sources the officer returned to Malaga on 30 December with symptoms compatible with the disease  although an antigen test gave a negative result.

On 1 January, his condition worsened and he went to the Parque San Antonio hospital, where he was admitted with bilateral pneumonia caused by the virus. Official sources said he died this Monday.

Another member of the unit that went to the Canaries for a two-week stint of duty on 16 December has also had a positive PCR test since the admission of the deceased officer to the hospital.

Once the news of the officer's death spread National Police colleagues gathered at the hospital to pay their respects.
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Minnesotas free online reskilling removes barriers to training

To help Minnesotas 130,000 unemployed workers, the states Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is providing on-demand access to online classes for training, reskilling and upskilling.

The department contracted with Coursera, an online learning provider, to offer 3,800 classes for free to Minnesotans, particularly those affected by job losses related to the coronavirus pandemic. Residents request access to the course catalog through the DEED website and have until March 31, 2021, to complete their courses, which typically cost individuals $400 annually.

More than 18,200 state residents have requested access since the offering went live in mid-June. About 5,800 courses have completed and 4,800 are in progress, said Hamse Warfa, deputy commissioner for workforce development at DEED.

If you look at the different sectors of the population that are signing up, roughly two-thirds of those who are accessing are people who self-identified as unemployed or have been furloughed or laid off in the pandemic, Warfa said. Theres a lot of learning coming from this that might shape how we think about service delivery, pivoting more to virtual services.

When COVID hit, Warfa and his team began researching ways to offer training online to remove what they call workforce adjacent issues, that might prevent someone from getting in-person education.

Barriers have been accelerated significantly by COVID and the closures, he said. Online training really removes some of the key barriers of needing transportation, concern about COVID, childcare issues because anybody can take it from home.

Courses related to technology, health care, retail and manufacturing have drawn the most attention, but so have COVID-specific ones, too, such as contact tracing classes, Warfa said. Because this effort targets out-of-work residents, state government employees are not required to take courses, but they are eligible.

Whats more, the offering complements the states CareerForce platform for connecting employers and job seekers. It has a tool that residents can use to see what skills they need to work in a particular industry.

This is by no means a replacement for the workforce-training programs that exist. This is just another tool in the toolbox that I think is responsive and timely to COVID impact, Warfa said. Our goal is really just economic prosperity for everyone, especially those living on the margins of our economy.

Minnesotas work with Coursera is part of the companys Workforce Recovery Initiative, which it launched in April specifically to help governments gain access to job-relevant training. About 320 government agencies in 100 countries have taken part, including 30 U.S. states. Through the initiative, Coursera has trained 1 million unemployed and displaced workers and has seen the number of government learners grow by 900%, said Kevin Mills, Courseras senior director and head of government partnerships.

Some of the most popular courses are on artificial intelligence, big data and data analysis, he said, because people see the effect of technological change.

This is driven by two overarching things, Mills said. One is automation and [the second is] just the continued advancement of technology, which is changing all jobs and making some jobs obsolete and opening up completely new jobs. Online learning can also have a profound impact on helping governments upskill their public-sector professionals, he added.

The company created what it calls gateway certificates. Students who have no experience or previous education in a particular area can take a course and earn a credential they can use to obtain entry-level work or apply as credit toward a bachelors degree.

Coursera works with each state or locality to put together a course catalog, Mills said, adding that the existing selection meets about 80% of needs. Some agencies will say, My region really relies heavily on manufacturing, so I want to really heavily weigh my curations on manufacturing and I want to have it much less on IT, for instance.

The Defense Acquisition University was an early user of Coursera for Government, which offers courses popular in the public sector. DAU trains Defense Department acquisitions officials in procuring technology, so the agency wanted a solution that could do that at scale, Mills said. The company has a tailored custom training and credentialing program that began with digital engineering and is expanding now to AI and machine learning.

They knew that there was a need to have more digital training prior to COVID, he said of DAU. COVID happened. They had to basically shut down their very advanced in-person training almost overnight, move things online, and what theyve said to us  is that theyre not going back.

As of Dec. 15, Coursera solutions became available via immixGroups General Services Administration Multiple Award Schedules contract.
[January 03, 2021]

CGTN: After 'extraordinary' 2020, what are Xi Jinping's expectations for 2021?

BEIJING, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 2021, a year that marks the beginning of China's new five-year plan period and the 100th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), is knocking at the door.

What are Chinese President Xi Jinping's expectations for 2021, especially after the country's hard-won achievements in 2020?

Clues can be found in his New Year address.

2021: 'Striving is the only way forward'

China will enter a new stage of development to build a modern socialist country in an all-round way in 2021, as the CPC leadership has adopted proposals for formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan and long-range goals.

"The road ahead is long; striving is the only way forward," Xi said in his address, calling for efforts to set up a new pattern for development to be accelerated, deeply implementing high-quality development and further deepening reform and expanding opening-up.

Rising above virus test, China's top leaders set the economic priorities for 2021 in the key Central Economic Work Conference held in December, stressing that China will keep its macro policies consistent, stable and sustainable in 2021, with continued implementation of a proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy.

In 2021, the country will take a solid first step in building the new development paradigm in which domestic and foreign markets reinforce each other, with the domestic market as the mainstay.

Meanwhile, the president stressed the need to keep working hard to promote rural vitalization as the country has achieved decisive success in eradicating extreme poverty in 2020.

In the next five years, efforts will be made to consolidate achievements in the fight against poverty and fully promote the strategy of rural vitalization, according to the CPC Central Committee's proposed major social and eonomic development targets for the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).







Read more:

China is set to end absolute poverty by 2020, what's next?

To realize all these goals, upholding the Party leadership is the most fundamental guarantee, Xi has said on many occasions.

In his New Year address, Xi described the Party as a gigantic vessel that leads China forward steadily with people's expectations and the hope of the nation and stressed the importance of "original aspiration."

The CPC was founded with an original aspiration: the mission to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, and has remained committed to the people-centered philosophy of development.

The CPC's original aspiration is even firmer 100 years later, Xi said.

2020: 'Extraordinary' in various areas

Looking back at 2020, the president described the year as an "anti-epidemic epic" and devoted much of his address to highlighting China's all-out people's war against COVID-19.

"Greatness is forged in the ordinary. Heroes come from the people. Every person is remarkable!" Xi said, before sending his sympathies to all those infected with the coronavirus.

In September, three outstanding medical professionals were conferred the national honorary title "the People's Hero," while a total of 1,499 individuals, 500 groups, 186 CPC members and 150 primary-level Party organizations were commended for their roles in fighting the epidemic, and another 14 Party members were posthumously awarded.

Read more:

Wuhan's war on COVID-19: How China mobilizes the whole country to contain the virus

Remembering the medical professionals we've lost to coronavirus

Meanwhile, China has participated actively in several global meetings to provide the international community with solutions and experiences, such as the G20 virtual summit on COVID-19, the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, Japan and South Korea (ASEAN Plus Three or APT) on COVID-19, and a special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' meeting on the outbreak.

President Xi also reviewed China's achievements in various areas.

China is the first major economy worldwide to achieve positive growth in 2020, and its GDP is expected to step up to a new level of 100 trillion yuan. China has seen a good harvest in grain production for 17 years in a row, according to the president.

Within eight years, under the current standard, China has eradicated extreme poverty for the nearly 100 million rural people affected, and all the 832 impoverished counties have shaken off poverty, he added.

China has seen breakthroughs in scientific explorations like the Tianwen-1 (Mars mission), Chang'e-5 (lunar probe), and Fendouzhe (deep-sea manned submersible). Construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port is proceeding with vigor, Xi said.

The president also recalled the unforgettable memories in 2020, including his inspections of 13 provincial-level regions, the 40th anniversary of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and his phone calls with friends from the international community to combat the pandemic.

Read more:

Ten moments from Xi Jinping's inspection tours

Xi's 'cloud diplomacy' in the first half of 2020 instills global confidence

As the pandemic is still ravaging the world, President Xi highlighted the significance of a community with a shared future for mankind, especially for the post-pandemic world.

Read original article: here.

VIDEO - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUevNynvlkw

SOURCE CGTN
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has gifted a $30,000 truck to a lifelong friend.

Bruno Lauer took in the actor when he became homeless as a teenager after he and his mother were evicted from their home in Hawaii, and once again nine years later when Dwayne fell on hard times while trying to make it as a wrestler.

On New Year's Day, the Fast & Furious star, 48, took to his Instagram to share a clip of the sweet moment that he 'returned the favour' to Bruno by surprising him with a Ford F150 and promised his friend he's 'got him covered' when he chooses to retire.

Returning the favour: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, 48, has gifted a truck to lifelong friend Bruno Lauer, who took in the actor when he became homeless as a teenager

The former wrestling manager - who worked under the title of Harvey Wippleman in the 1990s - first took Dwayne in aged 15, and then the pair later lived in Bruno's trailer in Nashville.

Bruno even helped The Rock purchase his very first car when he was just 15 years old and trying to launch his wrestling career in Memphis.

Dwayne surprised his lifelong friend with the vehicle to thank him for his generosity, leaving Bruno overwhelmed and shedding a tear in the clip shared to social media.

In a lengthy caption alongside the video, Dwayne explained the story behind their friendship, which included Bruno purchasing The Rock his first car from 'a crackhead' for $40.

Grateful! On New Year's Day, the Fast & Furious star took to his Instagram to share a clip of the sweet moment that he 'returned the favour' to Bruno by surprising him with a Ford F150

He wrote: 'Merry Christmas, Bruno Love you, brother! 100% crackhead free. My life (especially my teenage years) has been full of the wildest twists and turns.

'Yet God and the universe had always found a way to put a few people in my path that would change the trajectory of the road I was going down.

'Meet one of my lifelong friends, Bruno Lauer  or I prefer to call him, 'Downtown Bruno' My mom and I were evicted off the island of Hawaii and I was sent to Nashville, Tennessee to live with my dad.

Surprise! Dwayne surprised his lifelong friend with the vehicle to thank him for his generosity, leaving Bruno overwhelmed and shedding a tear in the clip shared to social media

'When I landed in Nashville, I quickly found out I wasn't gonna live with my dad. S**t happens, plans change and that's the way it goes.

'Instead, I told I was gonna live with a guy named Bruno. Who at the time lived in a tiny room at a spot called the Alamo Plaza motel.

'Bruno could've (and should've) said hell no, I'm not takin' in some kid who I don't know. But he didn't. He took this punk kid in and we became lifelong friends.'

Friendship: In a lengthy caption alongside the video, Dwayne explained the story behind their friendship, which included Bruno purchasing The Rock his first car from 'a crackhead' for $40

Explaining that nine years later he found himself once again on hard times, Dwayne praised Bruno for stepping up for him and letting him stay in his trailer.

Dwayne wrote: 'Then ironically - about 9 years later when I had the infamous '$7 Bucks' in my pocket - I started my wrestling career in Memphis, Tennessee and AGAIN - had no place to live and Bruno took me and let me shake up in his trailer, til I could get on my feet.

'And hell, when I was 15yrs old, Bruno even gave me his last $40 bucks so I could hustle a crackhead out of his car one night at a honky tonk in Nashville.

Grateful: Dwayne explained that nine years after first becoming homeless, he found himself once again on hard times, and praised Bruno for stepped up and let him stay in his trailer

'But the hustle was on me, because when I took off down the road there was a SECOND CRACKHEAD passed out on the floor in the back! Wild times at 15yrs old.

'Merry Christmas, Bruno and since you helped me 'buy' my first car - I figured I could return the favor and buy you one that 100% does NOT have a crackhead in the back seat.

'I love you, brother. Your kindness and heart - helped change my life's trajectory. And when you're ready to retire from 'the business' you just say the word. I got you covered. We'll go 'downtown.' Enjoy your new ride and give Walls, Mississippi my love and gratitude.'
Tributes have been coming in for veteran Hollywood actress Tanya Roberts who died at the age of 65 on Christmas Eve.

Roberts is best known for her role in the Bond movie A View To A Kill, as well as her work on Charlie's Angels and That 70s Show.

Fellow Bond girl Britt Ekland, who played Mary Goodnight in the 1974 Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun, said on social media: 'Rip Tanya Roberts, once a Bond Girl always a Bond Girl!'

Sad loss: Tributes have been coming in for veteran Hollywood actress Tanya Roberts who died at the age of 65 on Christmas Eve

Ekland, who also popped up on the TV series The Love Boat, Fantasy Island and The Fall Guy, is 78-years-old.

Film producer Jonathan Sothcott also paid tribute, writing on Twitter: 'A View To A Kill has always been the 007 film I enjoyed the most and I'm awfully sad to hear leading lady #TanyaRoberts has died at just 65  she was the consummate 80s Bond girl and had a lovely chemistry with Roger. A Hollywood star from another, more glamourous age gone. RIP.'

Tanya's friend and representative Mike Pingel also paid a moving tribute to the star  who also appeared in movies such as The Beastmaster and Sheena: Queen of the Jungle.

He told The Hollywood Reporter: 'I feel like a light has been taken away. To say she was an angel would be at the top of the list. She was the sweetest person you'd ever meet and had a huge heart. She loved her fans, and I don't think she realised how much she meant to them.'

The had a bond: Fellow Bond girl Britt Ekland said on social media: 'Rip Tanya Roberts, once a Bond Girl always a Bond Girl!'

Her time with 007: Britt played Mary Goodnight in the 1974 Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun

She passed away Saturday, according to her friend, Pingel.

Roberts collapsed at her home in the Hollywood Hills on Christmas Eve after she returned from taking her dog out for a walk, TMZ reports.

She was subsequently rushed to hospital and put on a ventilator, but 'never got better'.

Before her collapse, sources told TMZ that Roberts seemed 'perfectly healthy' and was participating in video chats with her fans. Pingel stated that her death was not related to COVID-19.

Bond girl: She played geologist Stacey Sutton alongside Roger Moore in his seventh and final James Bond movie; also seen with Grace Jones and Christopher Walken

A natural union: Though Moore was much older than Roberts when they filmed 1985's A View To Kill, they seemed to click

In addition to being a Bond Girl, Roberts starred in the fifth and final season of Charlie's Angels between 1980 and 1981.

She is also famous for playing Midge Pinciotti in the hit sitcom, That 70s Show, appearing alongside Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis.

Roberts' husband, screenwriter Barry Roberts, died in 2006. The couple had been married for 32 years, and had no children.

An Angel as well: She was chosen above 2,000 other actresses to replace Shelley Hack in the fifth and final season of Charlie's Angels, which aired between 1980 and 1981. She is pictured at left with Jaclyn Smith, center, and Cheryl Ladd, right

Another hit on her hands: Roberts holding a perch with a bird on it in a scene from the film Sheena: Queen of the Jungle, 1984

Roberts was born Victoria Leigh Blum in October 1955 in New York City, before starting her career as a fashion model in her late teens.

She married Barry Roberts when she was just 19, and started studying to become an actress at The Actors Studio with Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen.

The leggy blonde made her film debut in 1975's Forced Entry.

Roberts and her husband relocated permanently to Los Angeles in 1977, which paid off in a big way three years later.

The beauty was chosen above 2,000 other actresses to replace Shelley Hack in the fifth and final season of Charlie's Angels, which aired between 1980 and 1981.

Love of a lifetime: Roberts tied the knot in 1974 to screenwriter Barry Roberts. She was just 19 years old at the time. The pair are pictured together in 1982

She sold her redheaded bombshell image: In a glamorous portrait shared in 1983

She always looked fabulous: At the 2005 E.T. Emmy Party where Earth, Wind & Fire performed at the Mondrian hotel in West Hollywood

However, she became a global sensation several years later, when she was elevated to 'Bond girl' status in 1985's A View To A Kill.

In that film, she starred as sultry geologist Stacey Sutton alongside Roger Moore in his seventh and final James Bond movie.

Afterward, Roberts continued to work regularly with roles in films such as Body Slam, Twisted Justice, Purgatory and Legal Tender, which was written by her husband.

In 1998, Roberts returned to the small screen to play Midge in That 70s Show. She is pictured front row second from left. The show also starred Ashton Kutcher (back row second from left) and Mila Kunis (front row third from left)

In 1998, she returned to the small screen to play Midge in That 70s Show.

The hit Fox sitcom also starred Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Wilmer Valderrama and Topher Grace.

She left the show in 2004 to take care of her husband who was terminally ill at the time. He tragically passed away two years later.

Roberts did not re-marry, and she did not appear in anymore films or television shows following her husband's death.

However, the beauty appeared to be looking healthy and in good spirits late last year.

She frequently uploaded photos to Instagram, including a snap that showed her wearing a mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic as she signed fan photographs.

The beauty frequently uploaded photos to Instagram, including a snap that showed her wearing a mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic as she signed fan photographs
Justice ministry boasts of revenues from paid cells in detention center

Such cells have already been opened in pretrial detention centers in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhia, Lviv, Vilniansk and Dnipro.

Reporting by UNIAN

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When it comes to human behavior, things only change for the better when there is a lucid and unobstructed perception of whats going on.

Self-destructive behavior patterns only go away when theres a lucid and unobstructed perception of the previously unconscious psychological dynamics which were driving them.

Victims of abuse only end their abusive relationships when they obtain a lucid and unobstructed perception of the abusive dynamics as they truly are.

Toxic social dynamics like racism, sexism and homophobia only begin moving toward health when society collectively begins gaining a lucid and unobstructed understanding of how disordered and damaging those dynamics really are.

It only becomes unacceptable to have a totalitarian monarch who tortures and executes people without trial, murders anyone who speaks ill of him, and rules by divine right when society begins collectively gaining a lucid and unobstructed awareness of how ridiculous, unjust and unacceptable such models of government are.

Whether youre talking about individuals or humanity in its entirety, the story of human progress has always been a story of moving from blindness to seeing. From unawareness to awareness. From the lights in the room being off to the lights being switched on.

There is no progress without clear seeing. We cannot move in the direction of health and harmony if we cannot lucidly perceive the ways in which we are still sick and dysfunctional. We cant move forward if were unaware of the specific ways in which we are stuck in place.

Most of us, on some level, want things in our world to change for the better. Some few others want things to stay the same, because the status quo happens to be treating them quite well thank you very much. The struggle between the deep desire of the many for healthy change and the corrupt desire of the few to maintain the status quo is the struggle between turning the lights on and keeping them off. Between wanting to become aware of the various ways we are stuck so that we can move forward, and wanting the light of awareness as far away from our stuck points as possible.

The struggle for our species, which is really the struggle for our very survival, is therefore between the many who desire truth and the few who desire confusion. Weve got numbers and truth on our side, but they have power, wealth, and a remarkable knack for psychological manipulation.

We see this struggle playing out in many ways in our world right now. Between propaganda and those trying to learn and share the truth. Between the push for internet censorship and the fight against it. Between government secrecy and freedom of information. Between the campaign to imprison WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for exposing US war crimes, and the campaign to free him.

On Monday January 4th a UK judge will be ruling on whether or not to allow the process of Assanges extradition to the United States to move forward. Its important for opponents of this extradition to be aware that the fight will not end at this time; theres still a gruelling appeals process to go through which could take 18 to 24 months or longer in the likely event that the incredibly biased judge overseeing the case rules against Assange.

So as we prepare for the next stage in this fight, its important for us to be perfectly clear whats at stake here.

It is absolutely true that this case will have far-reaching implications for press freedoms around the world. The imperial narrative managers have been toiling for years to frame the persecution of Julian Assange as something other than what it is, but in reality this case is about whether the most powerful government in the world is allowed to extradite journalists anywhere on earth who expose its malfeasance. Whether or not the United States should be allowed to imprison journalists for exposing its war crimes.

If the US succeeds in normalizing the legality of extraditing any journalist anywhere in the world who exposes its wrongdoing, there will be a worldwide cooling effect on national security journalism which will greatly impede humanitys ability to form a lucid and unobstructed understanding of whats going on in the world. The largest power structure on earth will have succeeded in not just turning the lights off in the room, but in uninstalling the light switch.

There is no legal case in the world right now where the struggle for lucid and unobstructed seeing has so much on the line. For this reason, this isnt just about journalism: we really are collectively deciding the fate of our species with our response to the prospect of Assanges extradition.

Are we going to allow the most powerful government on the planet to set a legal precedent which allows it to obstruct truth around the entire world? Or are we going to oppose this tooth and claw?

Are we going to allow power to remain corrupt and unaccountable? Or are we going to insist on our right to know whats going on?

Are we going to let them keep the lights off? Or are we going to turn them on?

Are we going to let the bastards lock us into an omnicidal, ecocidal status quo while they drive us at a rapidly accelerating pace toward extinction and dystopia? Or are we going to move toward the kind of lucid and unobstructed perception of our situation which will allow us to progress into a healthy world?

These are the questions that we are in the process of answering together. I hope we can get everyone to very seriously consider what they want their own answer to be.

______________________

Thanks for reading! The best way to get around the internet censors and make sure you see the stuff I publish is to subscribe to the mailing list for at my website or on Substack, which will get you an email notification for everything I publish. My work is entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, liking me on Facebook, following my antics on Twitter, throwing some money into my tip jar on Patreon or Paypal, purchasing some of my sweet merchandise, buying my new book Poems For Rebels or my old book Woke: A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers. For more info on who I am, where I stand, and what Im trying to do with this platform, click here. Everyone, racist platforms excluded, has my permission to republish, use or translate any part of this work (or anything else Ive written) in any way they like free of charge.

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Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar is sending a case involving the shooting deaths of a mother and her two daughters back to his criminal investigation division for further scrutiny.

The decision comes just days before the second anniversary of the killings of San Antonio hairstylist Nichol Leila Olsen, 37, and her two daughters, Alexa Denice Montez, 16, and London Sophia Bribiescas, 10.
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The Mahanagar Gas Misery

As my house is under renovation, it was necessary to remove the gas meter temporarily to prevent any damage to it. I had already turned off the supply and filed a request on 16 December on the Mahanagar Gas website under the given head, for someone to come and do the job. (Screenshot attached).

I immediately received an email in which the web admin promised me a docket number within 48 hours. None came. I filed a follow-up complaint. This time, not even the promise came.

Finally, on 3rd January, I decided to use the phone. This was a massive rigmarole. At first, nobody picked up the phone even after several attempts. I dialled the emergency number. I was told very unambiguously to go back to the original number and have patience with the lock-down-hit company, with its sparse employees. Finally, a voice came on, to tell me that I must approach them only if I have a complaint. Then started the ritual of Dial one for English, dial two for Hindi. I thanked the Brits for having come to India or else we would be holding the phone till Mahanagar Gas reached dial 23 for Urdu.

As I punch in my 1 and wait, the voice tells me, Response not received. I punch in another 1 and, getting the same response, yet another. Finally, I am asked to punch in my BP number.

Ooooops! What I had scribbled on a slip of paper was the CA number, which was irrelevant. I disconnect the phone and go back to my gas bill and carefully scribble the BP number, ready to be punched in.

Once again, they cannot see/hear my 1 punched in for my foreign language preference, and I go on punching it in till they move on to ask me for the BP number. Ah, I won, I thought. But hold on!

The over-abundance of the digit 1 prevents the full BP number from being accommodated in the given space. The unseen voice reads out my number WRONG  digits that I never did press  and then asks me to Press 1 if correct, press 2 if incorrect.

I give the honest answer by pressing 2. It repeats the directive to punch in the BP number, with all the preceding 1s lined up tall and willowy in the window to the left of my correctly punched in BP number. No, the gods at the other end are not appeased.

Once again, I doggedly punch in my BP number. Sorry, this is an invalid BP number says the nameless voice. After many attempts lasting a good part of an hour, I finally succeed in being blessed with a voice that says, in Hindi (making me wonder if I had pressed 2 by mistake instead of 1), what I wanted.

Never mind, one must respect the national language too, I reason, and try to recall what my problem was in the first place. I manage to state it and ask whether a man would be sent to do the job. And surprise! The voice asks me for my BP number!

Well, I stop myself from asking what happened to all my attempts at punching in the number, and, if I punch, then why should I have to say it and, if I say it, why do I need to punch it, and many other related academic queries.

I realise suddenly that the man said NO! No man would be sent, without due ceremonies.

Apparently one is not entitled to get a serviceman so easily. One must have patience. The voice told me I would receive an SMS, which would give me further instructions. And, yes, it would take about five or six days for the man to reach my doorstep.

Now, after two days, there is no SMS, nor do I have any evidence of my telephonic conversation actually having taken place.

I have, once again, taken recourse to the email route and filed two complaints. And am staring at the automated response, that promises me, with stubbornly innocent amnesia, once again, a docket number!

Jai ho!
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Tucked in one of the oldest shops outside the Winter Palace Hotel in Luxor, Gaddis' store holds around 2500 glass plate negatives of Egypts photographic memory since 1907.

This valuable part of Egypts intangible heritage relates directly to photographer Attaya Gaddis.

Attaya Gaddis was born in 1889 in Toud village, Luxor, explained Ehab Gaddis, grandson of Attaya and the CEO of Gaddis and Co.

After Attayas father passed away when he was a young child, his mother insisted on bringing him to Luxor to get an education.

She brought him here and they lived on top of Luxor temple. Back then, the entirety of old Luxor was built on top of Luxor temple, Ehab added.

Back then Attaya mingled with the foreigners of Luxor and became the assistant of renowned Italian photographer Antonio Beato, who had a studio and lived in Luxor.

After the death of Antonio Beato in 1906, his wife shut down the business and decided to leave the country. Attaya purchased Beatos camera and started his own business in 1907, where the store still stands.

In 1912, he partnered with a fellow Egyptian photographer named Gergis Seif and together they photographed 2500 glass plate negatives. They covered all of Upper Egypt from Abidous to Abu Simbel, he added, explaining how their work boomed during World War I and II, because there were no photographers from abroad, so they were the local photographers.

Then came the excavation of Tut Ankh Amoun in 1921-22, which made Luxor the Mecca of the west. Royalty flocked to visit Luxor, including the queen of Belgium, king of Italy, as well as King Fouad and King Farouk, continued Ehab, explaining how these were the golden years of photography.

Soon after Attaya and Seif produced several guidebooks, catalogues, and photos. Unfortunately, Attaya and Seif split up in 1933. Since they split their negatives as well, each one started to complete his own independent photo collection.

Attaya continued to take photographs until the late 50s, after which he retired and kept his archive of glass plate negatives safe and sound. Unfortunately, none of Attayas children were interested in photography, but they all knew it was a treasure.

These things are very special; your grand parents spent their lives documenting it. In 30 years, it will be priceless, such were the last words of Attaya to his children before he died in 1972.

It wasnt until 1994, that this treasure was once again in the limelight.

In 1994, we were approached by the head of the French expedition in Karnak. He told us that Attaya and Seifs photographs amounted to 60 percent of the photos illustrated in the Egyptology reference book Thebes by Jean Capart, and that they needed more photos from our archives.

So, every day we would go and open the archive and make three new prints from the glass plate negatives.

They continued to do this until technology came to the rescue, and in Cairo they were able to scan the entire archive of glass plate negatives.

My grandfather was among the first few Egyptian photographers in 1907, and we continue to guard his archive, he concluded.

Short link:


SHENANDOAH  The cause of a fire that destroyed a borough home leaving a family of six homeless Saturday night has been ruled accidental.

Flames broke out around 6:30 p.m. at 332 W. Oak St., with fire shooting out of the first-floor front windows when firefighters arrived.

State police fire marshal Trooper Joseph Hall of the Frackville station was at the scene Sunday morning to assist with the investigation into the cause of the blaze. He said he determined the fire was electrical in nature and started in the basement of the home.

Fire quickly spread up a stairwell and eventually burned through the roof at the southwest corner of the building, lighting the sky with an orange glow.

Shenandoah fire marshal Rick Examitas said a second alarm was requested quickly as incoming fire units found a large amount of fire inside the property.

He said the fire was brought under control in about an hour and that no injuries were reported.

Examitas said the occupants of the home were Maria Reyes, 35; Alfredo Robert, 35; and their children ages 18, 4, 2 and 6 months.

Examitas said the family was not home when the fire started and are being assisted with food, clothing and shelter by the American Red Cross Tri-County Chapter.

He said the family was renting the property and that the home owner did have insurance.

In addition to the 332 W. Oak St. home, an adjoining, unoccupied house at 330 W. Oak St. sustained smoke, water and some fire damage while a third home at 328 W. Oak St. sustained minor smoke damage.

Examitas said the property at 328 W. Oak St. was also insured while the home at 330 W. Oak St. was not.

Firefighters from Shenandoah and surrounding communities responded to the fire along with EMS units from Mahanoy City, Frackville and Ashland.

Shenandoah fire police blocked traffic while firefighters battled the blaze.
China recolonizes Africa

By Duggan Flanakin



Joe Biden has pledged that one of his first acts as President will be rejoining the Paris Climate Treaty  which gives China a complete pass on reducing emissions until at least 2030. Even Bidens designated climate envoy, former Secretary of State John Kerry, says the existing treaty has to be stronger, but then claims China will somehow become an active partner, instead of the competitor and adversary it clearly is. His rationale: Climate is imperative, it's as imperative for China as it is for us.

As to China employing more Green technology and abiding by (much less strengthening) the Paris agreement, the evidence is at best spotty, at worst completely the opposite. President Trump pulled the United States out of Paris, but between January 2017 and May 2019 the US had shuttered 50 coal-fired power plants, with 51 more shutdowns announced, bringing the total shutdowns to 289 (330 once announced shutdowns also take place) since 2010, soon leaving under 200 still operating.

Meanwhile, as of 2019, China had 2,363 active coal-fired power plants and was building another 1,171 in the Middle Kingdom  plus hundreds more in Africa, Asia and elsewhere. A CO2 Coalition white paper by Kathleen Hartnett White and Caleb Rossiter reveals that China now has modern pollutant-scrubbing technology on over 80% of its coal-fired power plants, but no scrubbers at any Chinese-built coal-fired power plants in Africa (or likely anywhere else)  and none anywhere that remove carbon dioxide.

Harvard University China specialist Edward Cunningham says China is building, planning or financing more than 300 coal plants, in places as widespread as Turkey, Egypt, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh and the Philippines. India, South Korea, Japan, South Africa and even Germany are also building hundreds of coal-fired power plants. No matter how many the USA closes down, it wont make any global difference.

Boston University data indicate that China has invested over $50 billion in building new coal plants overseas in recent years, and over a quarter of new coal plants outside the Middle Kingdom have some commitment or offer of funds from Chinese financial institutions.

Why is China placing a global bet on coal? NPR wonders. Thats a 40 or even 50-year commitment, the life span of coal-fired units. The NPR authors even quote the Stinson Center think tanks Southeast Asia analyst, who says its not clear when you look at the actual projects China is funding that they are truly Green. Theyre obviously not green, and more is obviously going on than their poor eyesight can perceive.

China knows it and the world will need oil, natural gas and coal for decades to come. It sees green as the color of money and is happy to extend credit under terms very favorable to China. Communist Party leaders seek global military and economic power  and global control of electricity generation, raw materials extraction, and manufacturing of wind turbines, solar panels and battery modules they will sell to address the Wests obsession with the manmade climate crisis and renewable, sustainable energy.

Party leaders also know its production of green technologies is a good smokescreen for all this coal power  and few Western governments will dare to criticize China sharply over this or Covid.

A recent Global Warming Policy Foundation report lambasts environmentalists (like John Kerry) as useful idiots who praise the scale of Chinese ambition on climate change, while paying lip service in criticizing Chinas massive coal expansion. It notes that China rarely honors its international agreements and has no intention of reducing fossil fuel consumption.

But what are Africa and other developing nations to do? The West will not fund even clean coal projects that would eliminate pollution from dung and wood fires, while providing reliable, affordable electricity for lights, refrigerators, schools, shops, hospitals, factories and much more. China will  and despite the heavy price, their demand for energy requires that they get electricity by any means necessary.

With 1.1 billion people, Sub-Saharan Africa remains the worlds poorest region, despite massive mineral resources and a young, energetic population with an affinity for entrepreneurship. Dutch economist Wim Naude says Africa must industrialize, which means it must have affordable, reliable electricity, if it is to overcome poverty and disease, create jobs and discourage terrorism.

Unfortunately, outrageously, US, EU, UN and World Bank policies have stymied African energy resource development. As White and Rossiter note, US policies since the Obama era oppose Africans using the continents abundant coal and gas to fuel power plants, on the ground that carbon dioxide from fossil fuels might exacerbate climate change.

African Energy Chamber executive chairman NJ Ayuk recently reported that the United Kingdom has also decided it will stop funding new oil, gas and coal projects as of November 4, 2021, the fifth anniversary of the Paris treaty. The decision kowtows to Green opposition to UK Export Finance support for a Mozambique terminal to export low-CO2 emissions liquefied natural gas.

Ayuk had been touting natural gas as an increasing option for African power plants, boasting that Africa is home to four of the worlds top 20 crude oil producers (Nigeria, Angola, Algeria and Libya); Algeria and Nigeria are among the top 20 natural gas producers; and Mozambique also has huge gas reserves.

It is troubling, Ayuk said, that an aggressive foreign-funded anti-African energy campaign continues to undermine the potential of making Mozambique an oasis for gas monetization and meeting our increasing energy demands. Despite this setback, he continued, we must continue to be unwavering in our commitment to stand up for Africas energy sector, its workers, reducing energy poverty, and those free-market values that will make our continent attractive to committed energy investors.

In much of Africa, electricity demand far outstrips supply. In factories, businesses, government buildings and wealthy neighborhoods in every African country, White and Rossiter observe, a cacophonous symphony of soot-spewing backup diesel engines erupts when the grid goes down, which is usually every day. In fact, says the World Banks International Finance Corporation, many African countries spend more on dirty backup power than on electricity for the grid itself; in West Africa, backup kilowatts equal 40% of total grid kilowatts.

In Sudan, which gets 30% of its energy from dams on the Nile River, diesel-based pumps run constantly to lift river water for irrigation, even at the confluence of the Blue and White Niles. In Nigeria, hotels ban guests from jogging because of health dangers from breathing soot from their diesel backup generators, which kick in repeatedly as neighborhoods go dark. In Southern Africa, construction sites simply run generators all day, filling nearby streets with noxious clouds. Universities rely on diesels to run old, inefficient air conditioning units.

White and Rossiter note that American clean coal technology, exemplified by the Turk power plant in Arkansas, virtually eliminates health hazards from sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulates. They urge the U.S. to support proposals by African governments to import this technology, noting that electricity is the central nervous system of a modern economy and modern life expectancy. Africas electricity deficit translates directly into its life-expectancy deficit of 15 years per person.

Millions die needlessly every year, from countless diseases of energy and economic poverty.

But under a Biden-Harris Administration, with John Kerry at the forefront, there is little hope that these African and other pleas will be heard. With European allies in myopic puritanical lockstep, China will continue to get a total pass on complying with Green demands  and will have free rein to turn sub-Saharan Africa into a giant Chinese colony, despite the environmental damage, monstrous debt, slave and child labor under horrific workplace conditions, and likely modest benefits to Africans.

It is eco-imperialism and eco-manslaughter at its worst. Where are the vaunted guardians of climate and environmental justice?

Duggan Flanakin is Director of Policy Research at the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow.
Oregon State Police on Monday released a sketch of the young girl whose remains were found in the Lincoln County woods last month.

The sketch by the Clackamas County Sheriffs Office shows what the child might look like. Her race and ethnicity are unclear, state police said. The results of a DNA analysis are pending, officials said.

Detectives are seeking the publics help identifying the girl, who is between ages 6  and 10. Her remains were found Dec. 10 along the H.B. Van Duzer Forest State Scenic Corridor in rural Lincoln County. They were found in the area of the scenic rest stop along the heavily wooded corridor, which winds through Oregon 18 from northwestern Polk County to Lincoln City.

Authorities say they are unaware of any reports of missing children matching the girls description.

The girl was about 3-foot-10 to 4-foot-6-inches tall and her hair was long and either dark brown or black.

Police ask anyone with information that might help investigators identify the girl to call 800-442-0776 or *OSP (*677).

-- Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie
New Delhi, Jan 4 : The Serum Institute of India (SII) clarified on Monday that the company is yet to receive the permission from the authority here to export its Covid-19 vaccine to other nations, the company official told IANS.

The clarification has come after it was reported in the media that India has barred the company from exporting its vaccine for several months.

However, IANS was told that the permission has not yet been granted for exporting the vaccine.

The company, whose Covid-19 vaccine 'Covishield', which is developed from the master seed of AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid vaccine, received emergency authorisation approval in the country by Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) on Sunday.

The same day, the company was granted the permission to manufacture its vaccine by the DCGI.

Adar Poonawalla, SII's CEO was reported saying that 'the company received the emergency authorisation approval on the condition that it doesn't export the shots to ensure that vulnerable populations in India are protected'.

He also said the Serum Institute was in the process of signing a larger contract with Covax for 300 million-400 million doses of the vaccine. That is apart from the two existing orders of 100 million doses each for the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, and another one from Novovax. He said the deal would be finalised in the coming weeks.

IANS has sent a query regarding the company's application to receive the licence to export and the orders placed till now from the other nations.

Commenting on Poonawaala's statement reported in the media, Dr. Soumyadeep Bhaumik, public health expert at the George Institute for Global Health, said that for now, it is a reasonable policy from the government to protect our own citizens.

"Considering the context in which high-income countries have already stocked the vaccine doses which is way more than the requirement of their population, I think it's a reasonable policy to protect our own citizens first. We need to have our own health security first before we look for other aspects," he said.

However, Bhaumik also added that the Centre must revisit the policy when the production of the vaccine reaches a satisfactory level.

"As of now it makes sense when no vaccines are being made. However, when productions are scaled up, this policy must be revisited. We must recognise that we are not safe until our neighbours and other lower-middle-income countries are safe as well," he said.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
A Turkish Airlines (THY) cargo plane flying from Istanbul to Kazakhstan's Almaty city Sunday made an emergency landing in Istanbul as it encountered a flock of birds shortly after taking off from Ataturk Airport.

The plane took off from Istanbul's Ataturk Airport at 8:40 a.m. local time (05:40 GMT). While in the air, the B777-F cargo plane encountered a flock of birds, damaging the planes airframe, the THY's press office said in a statement.

The plane landed at Ataturk Airport after discharging fuel for about half an hour on the Sea of Marmara to reach a certain weight for an emergency landing, Anadolu Agency reported.
Future Group founder & CEO Kishore Biyani has made a startling revelation about US e-commerce giant Amazon Inc, justifying why he chose to sell the group's assets to Reliance Industries (RIL).

Biyani said he discussed his dire financial situation with Amazon eight times but it did not help. The online retailer is trying to halt the acquisition with RIL as it wants "the Group to languish," Biyani said in a report in The Economic Times.

It must be noted that in 2019, Amazon acquired 49 per cent stake in Future Coupons, the promoter firm of Future Retail in a deal worth nearly Rs 2,000 crore.

In 2020, Biyani's Future Group entered into an agreement with Reliance Retail, a subsidiary of the umbrella RIL, to sell its retail, wholesale, logistics and warehousing to the latter for Rs 25,000 crore.

However, Amazon owns about 5 per cent of Future Retail Ltd (FRL) after it bought a 49 per cent stake in Future Coupons Pvt. Ltd (FCPL).

Biyani said that Future Group was under immense pressure from its lenders, including the State Bank of India, to manage its debt therefore it signed a deal with RIL. In June, banks and other lenders, on account of a mounting debt of Rs 11,250 crore, started to exert pressure to restructure the businesses, Biyani informed.

The 59-year-old business magnate said he tried his best to get Amazon to help salvage his cash-strapped enterprise. He argued that Amazon could have provided funds through affiliates or financial institutions by taking over the loans from the existing lenders but it never did despite the agreement clause.

Biyani informed that his company connected Amazon with four-five investors but it never showed any interest.

"We also connected them with four-five investors but they never showed any interest in salvaging us and were only doing lip-service," he said. Biyani questioned the intentions of the Seattle-based e-tailer, and added: "What is their intention? They want all employees, suppliers, vendors, and lenders to suffer and the company to languish."

Additionally, Biyani revealed the Future Group had sent a 12-page letter to Amazon's global office outlining their stance. "We had briefed Amazon about the Reliance transaction multiple times and they always supported and were never averse to the same," Biyani said.

He said that even it held talks with Witzig Advisory Services, Amazon's joint venture company with Samara Capital but still nothing happened.

Biyani stated that the deal with Reliance was a "saviour" for the Group, the employees, stakeholders, shareholders, and creditors. He also clarified that the Future Group-Reliance deal was not about saving his personal wealth but about saving his company.

"I have not gained a single penny from the deal but have lost my retail business and right to be in retailing which we have painstakingly built over the last three decades," he said.

"Still, I am faced to fight with a $2 trillion behemoth. If there is a dispute, it is between the promoters and Amazon and why should they drag my listed companies where they have no say," Biyani added.

Last week, Future Retail Ltd requested the market regular Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to approve it citing a Delhi high court ruling. The Delhi HC recently said the Future Group's deal to merge listed companies with Reliance Industries is "valid".

Also read: Future Retail urges Sebi to approve Reliance Retail deal, cites Delhi HC order

Also read: Amazon's attempt to control Future Retail in violation of FEMA norms: Delhi HC

Also read: Big blow to Amazon! CCI approves Reliance-Future deal
The Smart Lock market will register an incremental spend of about USD 915.69 million, growing at a CAGR of 9.57% during the five-year forecast period. A targeted strategic approach to Smart Lock sourcing can unlock several opportunities for buyers. This report also offers market impact and new opportunities created due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Download free sample pages

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210103005037/en/

SpendEdge has announced the release of its Global Smart Lock Market Procurement Intelligence Report (Graphic: Business Wire)

Key benefits to buy this report:

What are the market dynamics?

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What are the category growth drivers?

What are the constraints on category growth?

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What are the procurement best practices in this market?

Information on Latest Trends and Supply Chain Market Information Knowledge centre on COVID-19 impact assessment

SpendEdge's reports now include an in-depth complimentary analysis of the COVID-19 impact on procurement and the latest market data to help your company overcome sourcing challenges. Our Smart Lock market procurement intelligence report offers actionable procurement intelligence insights, sourcing strategies, and action plans to mitigate risks arising out of the current pandemic situation. The insights offered by our reports will help procurement professionals streamline supply chain operations and gain insights into the best procurement practices to mitigate losses.

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Several strategic and tactical negotiation levers are explained in the report to help buyers achieve the best prices for Smart Lock market. The report also aids buyers with relevant Smart Lock pricing levels, pros and cons of prevalent pricing models such as volume-based pricing, spot pricing, and cost-plus pricing and category management strategies and best practices to fulfil their category objectives.

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Some of the top smart lock suppliers listed in this report:

This smart lock procurement intelligence report has enlisted the top suppliers and their cost structures, SLA terms, best selection criteria, and negotiation strategies.

Panasonic Corp.

Honeywell International Inc.

Allegion Plc

Vivint Smart Home Inc.

ASSA ABLOY AB

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc.

Cansec Systems Ltd.

AT&T Inc.

SentriLock LLC

UniKey Technologies Inc.

This procurement report helps buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers for their smart lock requirements by answering the following questions:

Am I engaging with the right suppliers?

Which KPIs should I use to evaluate my incumbent suppliers?

Which supplier selection criteria are relevant for?

What are the smart lock category essentials in terms of SLAs and RFx?

Get access to regular sourcing and procurement insights to our digital procurement platform- Contact Us

Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

Appendix

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Toni Pearen headed to Hollywood in the 1990s looking for stardom, like many Australian actresses before her.

However, the former E Street star found herself falling on hard times and had to take what she described as a 'humiliating' job.

Speaking to her campmates on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Australia on Monday evening, Toni, 48, admitted she tried selling roses to customers in restaurants.

Tough! Toni Pearen (left) headed to Hollywood in the 1990s looking for stardom, like many Australian actresses before her. However, the former E Street star found herself falling on hard times and had to take what she described as a 'humiliating' job

'I had a couple of slim times when I was in LA, where I had to take bad jobs. There was this friend of mine, she was selling roses.

'She's also an actress and she said to me, "I went into this venue, and this guy just bought this entire basket of roses for $200. And that was my night."

'I was like, "Oh, my God, I want THAT job. That's amazing. I can do that." So, anyway, I've got my roses, every single venue I went to, no-one wanted to buy my rose.'

She tried! Speaking to her campmates on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Australia on Monday, Toni, 48, admitted tried selling roses to customers at restaurants

Didn't go well: 'It was humiliating. So, I went, "You know what? I'm just going to go to a nightclub." So, I go to this nightclub. No action for my roses,' she said

She continued: 'People were eating dinner and they were like this [turning their heads] as I walked past, they didn't even want to look at me.

'It was humiliating. So, I went, "You know what? I'm just going to go to a nightclub." So, I go to this nightclub. No action for my roses.'

Toni went on to say that she sat down alone at the bar with her unwanted flowers, and an Australian man recognised her as Toni Pearen - after mistaking her for fellow Australian actress Toni Collette, 48.

Overseas: Toni appeared briefly on Home and Away in 1994, before moving to America the following year, where she lived until 2002. Pictured in the 1990s

The star said she was embarrassed to be caught 'slumming it' so she laughed the man off.

The actress rose to fame in the early 1990s, playing Toni Windsor on E Street from the age of 17.

She then moved on to a pop career, releasing hit singles such as In Your Room, I Want You and Walkway Lover.

Back then: The actress rose to fame in the early 1990s, playing Toni Windsor on E Street from the age of 17. She then moved on to a pop career, releasing hit singles such as In Your Room and I Want You. Pictured on E Street

Toni appeared briefly on Home and Away in 1994, before moving to America the following year, where she lived until 2002.

After returning to Australia, Toni landed a role hosting Australia's Funniest Home Video Show in 2003, leaving the show in January 2008.

These days, Toni lives away from the spotlight, running a talent school, The Talent Co, with her business partner Raelee Hill.

I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of here! airs Sundays to Thursdays at 7.30pm on Channel Ten
Fianna Fail TD Barry Cowen believes Micheal Martin should not lead the party into the next general election. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins

More Fianna Fail TDs have expressed doubts about Taoiseach Micheal Martins leadership of the party  after former minister Barry Cowen said he should not lead them into the next election.

But other senior party figures loyal to Mr Martin have insisted that he should continue to lead, while some have expressed annoyance and disappointment at the timing of Mr Cowens public criticisms.

As we enter phase three of Covid-19, with something which amounts to a national crisis, Barry should have thought better of what he had to say and when he was saying it, one party figure told the Irish Independent. That same person brushed aside any suggestion of a challenge to Mr Martins leadership.

Read More

The comments by Mr Cowen, a brother of former party leader and Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, have further stoked up unease among the Fianna Fail parliamentary party members.

Barry Cowen was sacked by Micheal Martin last July, just 17 days after taking up office as Agriculture Minister.

Mr Cowen told yesterdays Sunday Independent that he felt his party leader was facilitating a show trial against him, by insisting Mr Cowen go into the Dail and answer more detailed questions about how he had been banned off the road for drink driving in 2016.

I saw that as political opponents looking to inflict maximum damage on me personally and politically, he said.

The Laois-Offaly TD said he was firmly of the view that Mr Martin should not continue to lead the party after he steps down as Taoiseach in December 2022. Just days ago, Mr Martin said he intended to swap roles with Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar, and become Tanaiste, while also leading the party into the following general election.

Mr Cowen said a significant section of the parliamentary party agreed with his view that Mr Martin should stand aside as party leader after he ceases to be Taoiseach.

Nobody has a free pass. I personally think a lot of the parliamentary party are of the same mind. I dont think he should lead the Fianna Fail party into the next election, he said.

The comments caused upset among Fianna Fails 37 TDs, especially with those siding with the party leader but unwilling to put their names to the defence in case they would be seen as adding to the controversy.

However, others privately went further than Mr Cowen and suggested that, even as Taoiseach, Mr Martins position does not insulate him from questions about his leadership.

Another senior party figure suggested that up to 14 TDs want to see a change of leader sooner rather later. They pointed to the ongoing poor opinion-poll ratings since the disappointing general election outcome last February.

If the Covid crisis peaked and things quietened  and the opinion polls stay the same  you could see a leadership challenge, the TD said.

By one estimate, up to 14 of the current crop of TDs would be prepared to support a leadership heave. Some importance is also attached to a further six TDs who might be open to persuasion.

But Mr Martin is a very experienced politician and was first elected to the Dail in 1989, in the dying days of Charlie Haugheys time as party leader and the first time Fianna Fail ever participated in a coalition.

He had a ringside seat in his early days at Leinster House for the final two pushes against Mr Haugheys leadership, which ended in Mr Haugheys forced resignation in 1992.

Along with the 37 Fianna Fail TDs, Mr Martin can call upon the partys 16 Senators and two MEPs.

In recent weeks the partys TDs have expressed dissatisfaction with the decision to share government with FG.

Read More

Irish Independent
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-05 04:24:59|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Sunday the EU support of over 3.3 million Euros (4.04 million U.S. dollars) for an 18-month project to strengthen the management of tuberculosis in Libya.

A joint statement by WHO and IOM said that they have received the support, and will work together to strengthen the screening, laboratory diagnosis, referral and treatment services of tuberculosis for migrants, refugees, internally displaced people and other vulnerable populations.

"The project will allow WHO to support national efforts to combat tuberculosis by training health staff and strengthening the surveillance and laboratory services. We plan to deliver equipment, medicines and supplies to tuberculosis centers across the country," said Elizabeth Hoff, head of mission and WHO representative in Libya.

"Migrants and internally displaced populations are often vulnerable to tuberculosis due to low immunity caused by lack of adequate nutrition, unhygienic living conditions and lack of access to early detection services," said Federico Soda, IOM Libya chief of mission.

Ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, Libya has been plagued by escalating violence and unrest, forcing many Libyans to flee their homes away from armed conflict.

Moreover, the North African nation is a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe, while most of them are either rescued at sea or arrested, and end up detained in overcrowded shelters across the country. Enditem
WASHINGTON  President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.s inaugural committee released new details on Sunday about his trip to the White House after his swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol that further underscore the downsized and largely virtual nature of his Inauguration Day plans.

After taking the oath of office, Mr. Biden will conduct a traditional review of military troops meant to highlight the peaceful transfer of power, the Presidential Inaugural Committee said in a statement. The committee also said Mr. Biden would receive an official escort, with representatives from every branch of the military, for one city block before arriving at the White House.

The statement left many details unclear, including the nature of the rest of Mr. Bidens trip of about 1.5 miles to the White House from the Capitol. By long tradition, a huge presidential motorcade rolls slowly down Pennsylvania Avenue past thousands of cheering spectators, with the newly inaugurated president walking some of the route.

But because of the coronavirus pandemic, the inaugural committee this year has urged Americans not to travel to Washington for the event. The committee hopes to deter large crowds that could transmit the virus, which is killing more than 2,000 Americans every day.
A health worker sprays disinfectants over a group of people who entered the country illegally. The local border guard forces discovered that 438 Vietnamese citizens entered Vietnam illegally through small pathways over the last two days  PHOTO: DAN TRI

Specifically, the national steering committee for Covid-19 infection prevention and control and the High Command of the Vietnam Border Guard on Sunday evening, January 3, confirmed that 250 Vietnamese citizens had entered the country illegally on this day.

Of them, 222 crossed the border from China to Vietnam, 29 crossed the Vietnam-Cambodia border and three crossed the Vietnam-Laos border.

Earlier, on January 2, the border guard forces also discovered 184 Vietnamese citizens who illegally entered Vietnam.

All of these cases were taken to quarantine facilities by the local competent forces to prevent the risk of coronavirus transmission. SGT
Contrary to popular belief, the Swadeshi Indian COVID-19 vaccine COVAXIN maker Bharat Biotech was backed since its inception by Bill Gates and the international pharma lobby. Bharat Biotech is the first Indian company to receive massive grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for vaccine against Rotavirus called Rotavac. The vaccine was given green light by the authorities even before its trials were complete and its efficacy is mired in controversy till today with cases pending in the Supreme Court.

Birth of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

As the story goes, in 1996, Bill Gates read an article in the New York Times that sparked his passion for health. That moment was one of the factors that led him to co-found the Gates Foundation with his wife, Melinda

The story was about a disease hed never heard of: Rotavirus.

So, over the next twenty years, Bill Gates poured massive funding in a huge international collaboration between scientists and policy makers across the globe to create a vaccine for Rotavirus.

The Bill Gates vaccine for Rotavirus was called Rotavac.

The Rotavac vaccine made waves as a case study for global health solutions created with help from a network of international powers. It was created in India.

Birth of Swadeshi Bharat Biotech

The central figure in the story of Rotavac is Duncan Steele, a virologist who has spent the bulk of his 35-year career studying rotavirus. He has spent time working at the World Health Organization (WHO) and another of Bill Gates funded Seattle-based global health nonprofit PATH, which coordinated Rotavacs development. He now works in vaccine development at the Gates Foundation.

Steele collaborated with scientists at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi to looks for a cure for Rotavirus.

They found a strain in children at AIIMS which acted like a natural vaccine.

In late 1990s, as part of Indo-US Vaccine Action Program (VAP), a group of scientists at the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. modified this rotavirus strain so that it could be used as the basis for a vaccine.

The only problem now was the mass-scale manufacturing of Rotavac. India was the primary target for the new vaccine, but there werent any vaccine manufacturers that could do the job.

Hence, massive funding was poured by the network of international powers to create a Swadeshi Indian vaccine company  aptly named Bharat Biotech.

Dr. Krishna Ella, a molecular biologist with no experience developing vaccines or treating viruses was roped in. Despite his lack of expertise in the field or maybe because of it, the pharma lobby believed he was the right person for the job.

Bharat Biotech was headquartered in an area outside Hyderabad known as Snake Valley. Now, the area is known as Genome Valley and is now home to labs and offices of global pharma companies like Merck, Roche, Johnson & Johnson and even Monsanto.

Rotavac  The Controversial Vaccine

Years before the Phase 3 trial was complete, Bill Gates and Dr. Krishna Ella signed a contract agreeing to price Rotavac at $1 a dose. Maybe, because the results of these trials were never made public or are still controversial.

The Rotavac vaccine showed only 56% efficacy in phase III clinical trial and yet it was given a green light by the authorities. Jacob Puliyel, head of the Department of Pediatrics, St. Stephens Hospital, Tis Hazari, Delhi raised serious concerns over the Rotavac controversy:

Do you know another vaccine with 50% efficacy that is used for public health programs? It is a toss-up if the vaccine will work for you. If 100% [of the] population is vaccinated it will reduce 50% [of the] rotavirus deaths. What are the numbers needed to treat [to prevent one death]? I think the fact that this [vaccine] was announced before peer review, [means] it will never be properly reviewed. That is the story that must come out.

In fact, the government announcement came before the study was even officially completed. According to the clinical trials registry, the estimated study completion date is April 2014, with an estimated primary completion date of December 2013, both months away.

A PIL filed in the Supreme Court by S Srinivasan from LOCOST, a Vadodara-based company that produces low cost medicines for the poor, asked for release of the segregated data from the Rotavac trial. The PIL said:

concealment of this vital data does severe injustice to the thousands of infants who participated in this study, the researchers who painstakingly conducted the trials, and the medical/scientific community who depend on this data for their work.

This case is still pending. Meanwhile, the vaccine continues to be used without vaccine recipients being informed of the risks  a clear violation of basic ethics.

The lack of transparency of data in the rotavirus vaccine case boils down to the motives of making profits off the vaccines. Misrepresenting research findings, cherry picking data, and concealing adverse events in clinical trials have become more common and are almost unquestioned practices to this end.

International Backers of Bharat Biotech

Bharat Biotech became the first Indian company to receive two grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) to develop new vaccines against Malaria and Rotavirus.

The Gates Foundation, still a young philanthropy, made a pledge to fund Rotavacs development and eventually put nearly $65 million into the project.

Again, in 2015, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation poured a whooping $18,500,000 grant into Bharat Biotech to support construction of a manufacturing facility eligible for World Health Organization prequalification, thereby ensuring availability and access to second generation liquid rotavirus vaccine for India and Gavi-eligible countries.

In 2012, Bharat Biotech received USD 4 Million Strategic Translation Award from the British Wellcome Trust for clinical development of a new life-saving conjugate vaccine for Invasive Non-Typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS).

Bharat Biotechs research for the Typhoid fever vaccine named Typbar TCV was supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, the Wellcome Trust and other donors.

Swadeshi vs Videshi COVID-19 Vaccine

There is a ridiculous argument being purposefully floated by vested interests pitting the so called Swadeshi Vaccine vs the Videshi Vaccine. The fact of the matter is that both of these vaccines and their manufacturers are funded by the same pharma lobby. The only reason they are being touted as Made in India is because India is their primary target.

British led GAVI has managed to infiltrate Indias healthcare policy-making thereby gaining a strategic position to dictate Indias response to coronavirus.

GAVI is largely funded by the British government and Bill Gates. While the UK is GAVIs largest funder, its implementation follows what is known as the Gates approach. Known as the Vaccine Cartel or Pharma Cartel by critics, its vaccines have been accused of causing atleast 38 million premature deaths worldwide.

There are currently no laws in India that would protect victims of the COVID-19 vaccine side-effects according to legal experts. There is no law for vaccine compensation in India.

Moreover, governments have signed secret agreements with coronavirus vaccine manufacturers as per which the pharma companies cannot be held legally in case of an adverse reaction to the vaccine or in worst case if a patient dies from the vaccine.

In contrast, the US government paid over $57 million in compensation for vaccine injuries and deaths till March 2020 alone.

Truth of the Pharma Cartel

The pharma lobby behind these COVID-19 vaccines are directly tied to British Eugenics Movement. The Wellcome Trust, GAVI and the Galton Institute, have direct longstanding ties to the UK Eugenics movement.

The latter organization, named for the father of eugenics Francis Galton, is the re-named UK Eugenics Society, a group notorious for its promotion of racist pseudoscience and efforts to improve racial stock by reducing the population of those deemed inferior for over a century.

The new wider definition of eugenics, Galton has said, would cover methods of regulating population numbers as well as improving genome quality by selective artificial insemination by donor, gene therapy or gene manipulation of germ-line cells.

These vaccines are created for the developing world, specifically India  the very same areas the pharma lobby has called for reducing population growth.

Population control is a British policy to reduce the population of former colonies like India through various sterilization projects and other policies implemented through the United Nations and popularised by Hollywood to effectively keep nations under the Anglo-American orbit.
Spain is reporting 30,579 new coronavirus infections and 241 confirmed deaths following a 4-day data reporting hiatus over an extended holiday, with the country's Health Minister saying that measures ill have to be strengthened "in some cases ".

Salvador Illa said Monday that despite distortions for slower reporting during the New Year and the weekend, Monday's figures confirm a sharp contagion trend that is also being felt in new hospitalizations, calling for "appropriate measures."

Spain has recorded nearly 2 million infections and more than 51,000 deaths for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic.

Fearing that the country will follow the sharp increase that other European nations are seeing, authorities in several Spanish regions have been recently tightening restrictions on movement, business activity and social gatherings.

Northeastern Catalonia, home to 6.6 million, will ban all but essential travel out of its municipalities during 10 days starting on Thursday, closing shopping centers and allowing only sales of essential goods on weekends. These are in addition to existing restrictions on the activities of bars and restaurants, as well as on cultural events.

More restrictions have also spread to other areas in the south of the country, around the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, where authorities are trying to confirm if a spike in cases could be related to a new coronavirus variant first identified in the U.K.

Illa said that, barring more logistical problems, authorities are confident that vaccination levels will reach "cruising speed" by next week, once the holiday period is over. Spain has received nearly 720,000 vaccine doses from Pfizer and BioNTech and has so far administered just over 80,000.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
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Police in Arizona have arrested a driver on assault and DUI charges stemming from a violent road rage incident, during which he was caught on camera ramming a man's car and then launching the victim into the air following an altercation.

Police were called to the intersection of 43rd and Peoria avenues in Phoenix at around 12.45pm on Saturday after receiving reports about a road rage incident involving a driver, later identified as 40-year-old David Shelton, who was observed striking other vehicles waiting at a red light.

Video recorded by bystander Edward Zaragoza captures the moment Shelton, driving a black sedan, slams into a silver car while the vehicle's owner stands in the road.

Tempers flared at the intersection of 43rd and Peoria avenues in Phoenix on Saturday afternoon during a road rage incident, in which this driver ended up getting hurt

Police said David Shelton, 40, driving this black sedan, rammed several vehicles waiting at a red light

The driver of the silver sedan that was rammed by Shelton got out of the car, jumped onto the suspect's hood and stomped on the windshield, before safely descending (right)

The driver of the silver car remained outside the vehicle to try and catch his dog, Ricky, which had jumped out of the car

Moments later, Shelton's car accelerates toward the other driver, who jumps onto the hood and proceeds to stomp on the windshield before stepping off.

The driver of the silver car then goes looking for his dog, Ricky, who is seen running away from the intersection.

As soon as the light turns green and traffic begins to flow, Shelton makes a sharp right turn and slams into the other driver still calling for his dog, launching his body into the air.

Zaragoza's video shows the victim flipping in the air and landing on the ground with a loud thud, before getting back on his feet.

As soon as the light turned green, Shelton made a sharp right turn and mowed down the driver of the silver car

The victim flipped in the air on impact before landing on the ground

The victim was able to get back on his feet unaided; he did not suffer life-threatening injuries

Officials with the Phoenix Police Department said the victim did not suffer any life-threatening injuries.

Shelton was booked into the county jail on a slew of charges, including aggravated assault and DWI

Police later tracked down Shelton and arrested him on charges of aggravated assault, assault, aggravated driving while under the influence, failure to give information and violating probation.

Eyewitness Michelle Gibbons told AZCentral.com she saw Shelton first rear-end a green Kia Soul, then emerge from his car and yell at the Kia's driver.

During that dispute, the driver of the silver car yelled at Shelton to calm down, which prompted the 40-year-old suspect to reach into the man's vehicle and punch him.

The driver of the silver car then got out brandishing a baton and struck Shelton's car, according to Gibbons.

Police said Shelton also struck two other vehicle during the road rage incident. He was booked into the Maricopa County jail.
Piers Morgan has slammed Kirstie Allsopp's 'cretinous coronavirus analogies' after she claimed the new variant of the virus is 'in no way more dangerous for children'.

The TV host, 49, took to Twitter on Sunday to insist it is 'very, very, very rare' for Covid to impact kids and hit out at the BBC for sharing an interview which revealed 'a whole ward' of young people had been admitted to hospital in the second wave.

Later in the day, Good Morning Britain's Piers, 55, criticised the Location, Location, Location star's remarks as he admitted she's one of the people he 'least wants to hear from when it comes to expert advice on coronavirus'.

Criticism: Piers Morgan (pictured in September 2020) has slammed Kirstie Allsopp's 'cretinous coronavirus analogies' in a tweet shared on Sunday

The outspoken news anchor wrote: 'Of all the people I least want to hear from when it comes to expert advice on coronavirus, TV estate agent Kirstie Allsopp and her cretinous trampoline analogies are top of the list.'

In the BBC's sound bite, Laura Duffel, a matron in a London Hospital, said: '[Covid] was minimally affecting children in the first wave... we now have a whole ward of children here'.

Media personality Kirstie condemned the broadcaster's message as she penned: 'This tweet is a lie and the fact that @bbc5live have still not removed it is a terrible stain on the reputation of the BBC.

'Covid is a horrible disease but it is very, very, very rare for it to impact children. They are still at far more danger from journeys in cars, or swimming, or trampolining than Covid. Please do not let anyone persuade you otherwise.'

'The new variant is in no way more dangerous for children': The TV host (pictured in July 2019), 49, had insisted it is 'very, very, very rare' for Covid to impact kids

Not impressed: Good Morning Britain's Piers, 55, admitted she's one of the people he 'least wants to hear from when it comes to expert advice on coronavirus'

The TV star went on to accuse the BBC of 'frightening parents, grandparents and children' with the report.

She added: 'God there are some selfish f*****s out there! What is wrong with you all?! Im not talking about the schools, Im talking about reassuring children and their parents. This new variant is in no way more dangerous for children and those saying otherwise are wicked.

'All those banging on about oh but kids pass it on are completely missing the point. Its bad enough that the elderly and vulnerable are at risk, imagine the hell if this impacted children? We should be immensely grateful it does not.

'Im off to bed, I cant fight the BBC & there are way too many people who need their jobs/or one day might want to work at the BBC for this story to be changed. Meanwhile 2.2 Million people read that tweet, so more parents & more kids will be afraid. Way to go @bbc5live

'This tweet is a lie': The Location, Location, Location star also hit out at the BBC for sharing an interview which revealed 'a whole ward' of young people had been admitted to hospital

Claims: The media personality (pictured with Piers and Susanna Reid in September 2017) went on to accuse the broadcaster of 'frightening parents, grandparents and children'

'Call me when the BBC Twitter accounts have stopped using this platform to frighten parents, grandparents and children. Until then this is no place for me. Covid is a horrible disease, to control it we have to accept all sorts of limitations, but scaring kids is unacceptable.' (sic)

Earlier in the week, Prof Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), confirmed children's wards 'not seeing significant pressure from Covid-19 across the UK.'

However, a new report from Imperial College London warned that the mutated super-infectious coronavirus strain was spreading quickly among children during the November lockdown and only closing schools can keep it contained.

The study revealed the new mutant variant of SARS-CoV-2 - known as B117 or 'Variant of Concern' (VOC) - is indeed more infectious than previous variants, just as scientists feared, and that the November lockdown did little to suppress it.

'Scaring kids is unacceptable': The Hampshire native expressed her opinions in a series of fierce tweets

It was most prevalent among the 10-19 age group, the data shows, with more coronavirus cases in the age group being found to be the new strain than of the original.

A representative for Kirstie declined to comment when approached by MailOnline, while a spokesperson for the BBC said in a statement: 'The Tweet was based on a direct quote from an NHS matron.

'It was not positioned as fact and was followed with a response from the President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.'

Late last year, the Relocation, Relocation star launched a scathing rant at 'drug-using celebrities' for 'banging on about Covidiots', claiming they're just as reckless for taking cocaine.

Pictured: A graph in the Imperial College London report showing the prevalence of the new strain of coronavirus (shown in orange) in different age groups

Kirstie was herself accused of potentially spreading COVID-19 by journeying to one of her homes in Devon to isolate when partner Ben Andersen already had symptoms earlier this year.

Tweeting to her 421,000 followers, she explained: 'I see so many people on this forum who I know have taken illegal drugs, the transport and trade of which costs tens of thousands of lives, banging on about "Covidiots".

'Where was your oh so strong moral compass when that blood soaked coke was going into your turned up nose?'

The Hampshire native denied breaking lockdown rules earlier in the year after travelling to another home.

But in November, she defended her actions, telling the Radio Times how she and her partner travelled to the property as a precautionary measure so he wouldn't infect others.

Kirstie shared: 'When Ben was diagnosed with COVID, we weren't at home, either in London or Devon. We were somewhere else.

'Because Ben was infectious, we went to Devon, where there's 40 acres and we wouldn't infect anyone else.'

'There are loads of people who are always going to believe I did the wrong thing,' she said of the trip, taken during the first lockdown. I did not go to Devon (from London) after lockdown. We went to isolate.'

'Two wrongs won't ever make a right': Late last year, the Relocation, Relocation star launched a scathing rant at 'drug-using celebrities' for 'banging on about Covidiots'

Toronto Imposes More COVID-19 Measures on Businesses

Toronto Mayor John Tory says he is adding more COVID-19 measures, effective immediately, which businesses across the city must follow.

The new measures include mandating employers to immediately inform Toronto Public Health if two or more of their employees test positive for COVID-19 in their workplace within a 14-day interval.



The municipal government also requires employers to minimise instances of more than one person in a vehicle for work-related duties.

Also, employers must ensure there is a physical distance of at least two meters throughout the workplace between workers.

Meanwhile, indoor and outdoor dining at restaurants, bars, and other food and drink establishments continue to be prohibited in Toronto under the Ontario COVID-19 shutdown measures.

Malls and retail stores are to remain closed unless categorized as essential businesses. Big box retailers with a grocery section and essential businesses are limited to 50 percent capacity during the lockdown.

Visits from family or friends who are not household members also continue to be prohibited under provincial order.

Toronto has been under lockdown since Nov. 23, 2020, with the measure extended on Dec. 26 for another 28 days.
Step 1:

For a change of the ownership or purchase of any property, flat or land, registration is a must. It gives legal protection of ownership. The property should be registered at the sub-registrars office in your area. It reduces the risk of the frauds and resolves disputes

Step 2:

Before purchasing a property verification of the title of the property and estimation of value is important. With the help of an advocate, citizens can conduct verification to check the ownership of the property. Its estimation is important before getting into an agreement.

Step 3:

Terms and condition are fixed in the document for preparation of stamp papers and sale agreement. Stamp duty is a tax collected for transactions that involve legal documents such as the sale deed, conveyance deed and sale agreement.

Step 4:

To transfer or purchase any property, citizens need to visit the sub-registrars office and pay the stamp duty which would be applied as per sale price. The sale price should be always greater than the ready reckoner prices.

Step 5:

After paying the stamp duty and submitting the required documents citizens need to approach the registrars office. Both buyer/s and seller/s should remain present in the office when the documents are registered.

Registration of property is important without which the transaction is not considered legal. Any agreement like purchase or sale should be registered at the sub-registrars office. It is a simple process which gives legal ownership to the purchaser, says Vijay Pawar, advocate.

The registration process can be done online as well, but citizens will still have to visit the sub-registrars office when the documents are registered.

Helpline 88880 07777
Microsoft has sought AMD's assistance to meet the demand for the new Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles.

During an appearance on a video podcast, Xbox chief Phil Spencer said that the company was working hard to tackle the stock shortages.

"I get some people [asking], why didnt you build more? Why didnt you start earlier? Why didnt you ship them earlier? All of those things, Spencer said in the podcast.

Spencer did not clarify the role of AMD in amplifying Xbox production. According to a TechRadar report, AMD is responsible for manufacturing GPU and CPU for both Series X and S consoles. The report added that AMDs increased production in chips could help Microsoft making more consoles.

It is worth noting that Sony is also facing a similar issue with its PlayStation 5 consoles. "Obviously, PlayStation 5 is in very tight supply. When you look at the graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia theres just a lot of interest in gaming right now and console sales are just a sign of that, game sales are a sign of that and hardware is in short supply, Spencer commented.

According to reports, shortages are expected through April 2021.
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Erdogan: Novi razgovori o Kipru bi trebalo da budu izmeu dve drzave, ne zajednice
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WASHINGTON  After four years of enabling and appeasing President Donald Trump, Republicans find themselves at the end of his tenure in exactly the place they had so desperately tried to avoid: a toxic internecine brawl over his conduct and character that could badly damage their party.

With their Senate power on the line in Georgia in two days, Republicans entered the new Congress on Sunday bitterly divided over the basic question of whether to acknowledge the reality that Trump had lost the election, or to abet his unjustified and increasingly brazen attempts to overturn the results.

The extraordinary conflict among congressional Republicans reflects the quandary they face after four years of acquiescence to Trumps whims and silence in the face of his most outrageous actions. Now that the president has escalated his demands to subvert an election, they are confronting a litmus test involving democracy itself, keenly aware that many voters could punish them for failing to back Trump.

The rift has thrust Republicans  who typically try to minimize their differences in public  into an intramural battle more pronounced than any other of the Trump era before what would normally be a routine joint session Wednesday to certify President-elect Joe Bidens victory. Top party officials, including the top two Senate leaders and the No. 3 House Republican, quietly pushed back against what all sides conceded would be a futile effort  though one that has the backing of a growing segment of the party  to reject the results.

Others spoke out publicly against the instigators of the move to invalidate Bidens win, accusing them of putting political ambition before the nations interest.

Efforts to reject the votes of the Electoral College and sow doubt about Joe Bidens victory strike at the foundation of our Republic, Paul D. Ryan, the former House speaker and Republican from Wisconsin, said in a statement Sunday. It is difficult to conceive of a more anti-democratic and anti-conservative act than a federal intervention to overturn the results of state-certified elections and disenfranchise millions of Americans.

Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking Republican, circulated a lengthy memo calling the move exceptionally dangerous.

As the clash unfolded, newly disclosed recordings of Trump trying to pressure state officials in Georgia to reverse his loss there reflected how intent he was on finding enough votes to cling to power and what little regard he had for the fortunes of his party, whose Senate majority hangs on the outcome of two runoffs in the state Tuesday.

During the conversation Saturday, a recording of which was obtained earlier by The Washington Post, Trump never mentioned Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, except to threaten Brad Raffensperger, Georgias Republican secretary of state, that if he failed to find more votes for the president by Tuesday, youre going to have people just not voting in the runoff contests. Trump is scheduled to campaign in the state Monday.

Most Republicans were mum Sunday about the revelations, though Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, a frequent critic of Trump, called it absolutely appalling.

To every member of Congress considering objecting to the election results, you cannot  in light of this  do so with a clean conscience, Kinzinger wrote on Twitter, appending the hashtag #RestoreOurGOP.

Beyond Georgia, the Republican quandary had implications for the ability of party members to work with one another and a new Democratic White House after Jan. 20, for Republicans on the midterm ballot in 2022 and for the partys presidential field in 2024.

It was a situation that Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. and the majority leader for at least a few more days, had assiduously sought to avoid.

He has worked feverishly to maneuver his party around Trumps outbursts and outrages since January 2017, hoping to reap the political and policy benefits of having a mercurial ally in the White House without having to pay too high a price. The bargain delivered him a personal legacy of 234 conservative judges along with business-friendly federal policies prized by Republicans. McConnell even delayed the traditional recognition of the presidential winner  a man he has known for decades and considers a friend  to mollify Trump until it became untenable with the initial tally of electoral votes on Dec. 14.

It was still not enough for Trump, who made clear that he expected Republicans to join him first in sowing doubt about the election results and ultimately in moving to overturn them.

In a pointed challenge to McConnells influence and authority at the outset of Congress, a dozen Senate Republicans rejected his plea to not contest the tabulating of the electoral votes in the House on Wednesday. They announced that they would join scores of House Republicans in challenging the electoral count, forcing members of their party to side with either Trump or Biden in a move that is almost certain to fail even as it sows deep discord. Among those planning to try to reverse the count were four incoming Republican senators whose first official act was to announce that they would challenge the integrity of the vote that brought them to Washington.

I think the people of Kansas feel disenfranchised, and they want us to follow through on the many irregularities they saw, said Sen.-elect Roger Marshall, R-Kan. We want our day in court.

Judges across the country, and a Supreme Court with a conservative majority, have rejected nearly 60 attempts by Trump and his allies to challenge the results.

The looming showdown over the electoral votes, along with attendance restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic, cast a pall over the first day of the new Congress, typically a celebratory affair with throngs of family and friends packing the hallways and spectator galleries for the swearing-in of new members and celebrations around Capitol Hill. Instead, in an unusual weekend session that was the first time a new Congress had convened on a Sunday, the Capitol was quiet as the dispute over the election hung over the opening proceedings and dashed any hope for a fresh start in 2021.

In her 21-page memo, Cheney refuted allegations of widespread election irregularities, recounted the litany of court findings against the president and warned fellow Republicans that they were making a serious mistake.

Such objections set an exceptionally dangerous precedent, threatening to steal states explicit constitutional responsibility for choosing the president and bestowing it instead on Congress, her memo said. This is directly at odds with the Constitutions clear text and our core beliefs as Republicans.

It undermines the publics faith in the integrity of our elections, warned Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who was sworn in for a fifth term on Sunday.

Other Republicans said the call by senators challenging the election for a special commission to audit results in swing states within 10 days was ill-conceived and unworkable.

Proposing a commission at this late date  which has zero chance of becoming reality  is not effectively fighting for President Trump, said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. and a top ally of the president. He said those disputing the election results would have a high bar to clear in persuading him to back them.

But those planning to try to upend Bidens victory said they were exercising their independence and acting in the interests of constituents who were demanding answers to questions raised by Trump and his allies about election malfeasance  charges that have been widely dismissed.

There are lots of folks in my state that still want those answers to come out, said Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., who pointed to all these different questions that are hanging out there.

He and other Republicans said they were acting no differently than Democrats had in 2005, when then-Sen. Barbara Boxer of California challenged electors for President George W. Bush. But in that case, John Kerry, the Democratic nominee, had conceded and was not actively instigating efforts to reverse the results.

Republicans trying to hold their majority with victories in Georgia were particularly worried about the risks the fight might hold for their candidates facing voters in two years, when incumbent Republicans such as Sens. Roy Blunt of Missouri, Rob Portman of Ohio and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska could face primary challenges from the right if they refuse to support the attempt to overturn the election. Given the Democratic majority in the House and the fact that enough Republicans have made clear that they would join Democrats in holding off the challenge in the Senate, McConnell and others view the effort to bolster the president as both risky and doomed to failure.

In opening the new session of the Senate, McConnell did not directly address the fight, but he alluded to it, conceding that there were plenty of disagreements and policy differences among our ranks.

Democrats were watching the unfolding spectacle with outrage and a sense of foreboding over the future implications. But they expressed certainty of the outcome.

Look, they can do whatever they want, said Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader. On Jan. 20, Joe Biden will be president and Kamala Harris will be vice president no matter what they try to do.

I think they are hurting themselves and hurting the democracy, he added, all to try to please somebody who has no fidelity to elections or even the truth.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Here is something for Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne to consider. An Australian citizen, Julian Assange, has found out overnight, in a decision many didnt see coming, that because of his high risk of suicide and the horrendous jail conditions in the US he would face, he is not to be extradited from Britain. Assange faced charges involving alleged espionage and hacking, arising from the publication in 2010-11 of material showing US war crimes in Iraq.

The appeal process will now begin, with lawyers for the US government announcing they will seek to overturn the ruling of Judge Vanessa Baraitser. The case could go all the way to the UK Supreme Court (equivalent to our High Court) and then potentially to the European courts. This process is likely to take another 18 months to three years.

Given what Baraitser said about the proposed treatment by the US of Assange if it got him onto its soil, Payne should be urging her US counterparts to end its hunting down of Assange. Prime Minister Scott Morrison should do likewise in his first phone call with newly minted President Joe Biden.

Julian Assange has won the first round of the effort to extradite him to the US. Credit:Getty Images

But before arguing the case for urgent intervention by Payne and Morrison, it is perhaps worth dwelling on why Baraitsers case was an important win for the rule of law and fairness, and that the US ought not expect to be treated any differently to any other government when it comes to detention practices.
Jan. 4

6:21 a.m. | The suspect has been identified as 21-year-old Mytrez Deunte Woolen of Marshall, Texas. He is accused of shooting Pastor Mark Allen McWilliams, 62, with McWilliams' gun.

Jan. 3

7:00 p.m. | The male suspect stole the pastor's vehicle and fled east before being arrested by deputies in nearby Harrison County, Smith said. He said the man was hospitalized Sunday afternoon with gunshot wounds to his hand, but that it's unclear when he was shot.

2:30 p.m. | A pastor at the church was killed after pulling a gun on a suspect who had been hiding out in the church, a local sheriff said. No church services were happening at the time.

12:30 p.m. | A Sunday shooting in Starrville, Texas has left one dead and injured others, according to Larry Christian with the Smith County Sheriffs Office. Governor Abbott offered condolences to victim's families and loved ones in a statement. No further details on the shooting have been released by Smith County law enforcement.
kali9/iStockBy BILL HUTCHINSON, ABC News

(HOUSTON) -- A woman was killed and three sheriff's deputies were wounded when a gunman opened fire early Sunday during a fight in the parking lot of a Houston nightclub, authorities said.



The shooting erupted at 2:20 a.m. outside Set Nightclub in the city's Midtown neighborhood, and police said they arrested a man suspected of being the alleged gunman when he turned up at a hospital to be treated for a gunshot wound, Assistant Chief Troy Fenner of the Houston Police Department said at a news conference.



The suspect's name was not immediately released. Fenner said the suspect is a man in his mid- to late-20s.



Fenner said it was not immediately clear how the suspected gunman was shot.



The three Harris County Sheriff's deputies were moonlighting at the nightclub as security and were in full uniform when they were shot, according to the assistant chief.



The woman who was shot was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital. Her name is being withheld by police pending notification of her relatives.



Fenner said the shooting occurred shortly after the nightclub closed.



"There was a fight that broke out. The deputies were attempting to break up the fight. We have one suspect that began to fire upon the deputies," Fenner said.



He said the motive for the shooting remained under investigation.



Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said all three deputies are expected to survive.



"Two of them Ive talked with directly, and theyre in fairly good spirits. Their families are scared but relieved," Gonzalez said.



He said the third deputy was undergoing surgery Sunday morning and is expected to make a full recovery.



"It was a tragic night, but it could have been a lot worse," Gonzalez said.



He described all three deputies as "fairly seasoned" members of the department, saying one has been a member of the sheriff's office for about five years, and two are 11-year veterans of the agency.



Gonzalez noted that the shooting came a day after Harris County Sheriff Sgt. Bruce Watson, a 20-year veteran of the department, was killed in a motorcycle crash in Houston.



Watson had just finished an off-duty job leading a funeral procession and was on his way home when he was involved in a crash with an SUV around 1:15 p.m., officials said. He was taken to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston, where he was pronounced dead.



It was a very scary moment at the heels of what we went through just last night," Gonzalez said of the shooting and the death of Watson.



Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Because of COVID-19, the Illinois Legislature could take up the ability to legislate remotely in the new year, but some have concerns it could limit accountability and taxpayer participation.

Democrats at the Illinois statehouse have a variety of priorities for the new year, including criminal justice reform, clean energy legislation and other issues. But because of COVID-19, some have continued concerns from meeting in person.

A bill filed this month by state Rep. Ann Williams, D-Chicago, could make legislating remotely happen.

State Rep. Chris Welch, D-Hillside, said lawmakers tried to allow that when they met briefly in May.

It was our colleagues on the other side of the aisle who killed that motion, Welch said. Im not in favor of coming down here in person. I just spent two weeks in my basement because of COVID-19.

State Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, also spent time in isolation because of the virus. He said its ridiculous to blame the failure of remote legislation this spring on minority Republicans when Democrats have a supermajority.

Regardless, Butler said the incoming legislature needs to address the pandemic and provide oversight.

That has to be at the top of our list, Butler said. Also, weve got to figure out this budget mess that Democrats have put us in.

The budget passed in May by Democrats was based on a progressive income tax constitutional amendment that voters rejected and federal aid that never materialized.

In the face of Gov. J.B. Pritzker announcing $711 million in expense cuts, state Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, said lawmakers have to end what he called corporate loopholes to plug the states $4 billion budget gap.

We will fight to make sure that those immensely wealthy and profitable corporations pay their fair share to our state before we go after services that people need, Guzzardi said.

Butler said majority Democrats need to address the states continued population loss.

We need to unleash business to be able to create good jobs for the people of Illinois, which in turn would help revenues coming into this state because if we have a larger tax base to draw from, then its going to help the coffers of Illinois, without raising taxes, Butler said.

Theres a lame-duck session possible before the 102nd General Assembly is seated the second week of January. The first order of business for the House will be to elect the next speaker. Thats expected to be contentious as House Speaker Michael Madigan no longer has majority support.
As they begin the new year, members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors are figuring out their first major task of 2021: choosing one of their own to be board president.

The person selected by a majority of their colleagues will steer the 11-member board through the one of the most tumultuous times in modern San Francisco history, as the pandemic wreaks havoc on the local economy and exacerbates the already gaping disparity between rich and poor.

Over the past few weeks, those on the short list to replace outgoing president Norman Yee have included Supervisors Aaron Peskin, Shamann Walton and Rafael Mandelman. But that could rapidly change, as the conversations and political jockeying continue ahead of the Jan. 8 vote. Two new supervisors  Myrna Melgar and Connie Chan  will also join the board in January, and it remains to be seen whom they will rally behind.

Of the contenders, Peskin is the only one who has held the job before. During his first two terms as District Three supervisor between 2001 and 2009, he was unanimously elected president twice. He served two two-year terms between 2005 and 2009.

Now, as he enters his fourth term as supervisor, Peskin may take the reins again.

Ive done the job before and I think the imperative of this time is unity within the board, and unity between the board and the mayor, he said. Lets see how that evolves between now and Jan. 8.

The election for board president is sometimes a last-minute and contentious decision, as the 11 supervisors must balance political alliances, personal differences and public perception as they cast their votes. Yee was elected in 2019 after a dramatic few weeks among his colleagues, who spent the lead-up to election arguing with each other over who should take the reins.

While board presidents are second in line to the mayors office, they have only a little more power and authority than a typical supervisor on a day-to-day basis. The position is largely administrative, with much of the daily tasks revolving around assigning legislation to committees and deciding what to fast-track through the bureaucratic process.

But they do have their hand in some key decisions  like assigning their fellow supervisors to committees, which impacts how legislation is amended before it goes to the full board for a vote. They can also set the tone for how the board works with Mayor London Breed.

Yee was a consensus candidate who has guided the board with a steady, calm hand for the past two years. He often steered away from controversy, and tried to mediate between colleagues when board meetings devolved into contentious, unwieldy disputes.

Peskin would likely be much more outspoken and commanding. Although he can be controversial, his colleagues respect him for his political savvy and deep knowledge of the citys intricate legislative process and arcane laws. He also has a good personal relationship with Breed, but isnt afraid to stray from her when they dont agree.

Walton, another supervisor on the short list, is part of a tight progressive faction of supervisors who often spar with the mayor and other members of the board. He repeatedly refused to answer a request for comment.

Mandelman, who has a good working relationship with the mayor and many of his colleagues, had initially been considered by his colleagues for the position. But when asked if he would be interested in the job, he told The Chronicle that he is not seeking it.

Another key feature of the board presidency is that its often a steppingstone to higher office.

Breed was board president before becoming mayor, while former President Malia Cohen is now on the states Board of Equalization. Supervisor David Chiu also served as president before winning his Assembly seat.

And, perhaps most famously, Sen. Dianne Feinstein was the first female president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1978. Feinstein then stepped in as mayor after Mayor George Moscone was assassinated.

But now, as the city grapples with crisis after crisis amid the holidays, several supervisors said  at least publicly that figuring out who the next board president should be is not their main priority.

Theres a lot bigger problems in the world now than who the board president is, Mandelman said.

Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani
NEW DELHI: In the first interview of 2021, Nepal's envoy to India Nilamber Acharya has said that India and Nepal have 'enormous goodwill' and 'close friendship at a high political level'. Speaking exclusively to our Principal Diplomatic Correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Acharya said, foreign minister of Nepal will visit India for the joint commission meet, a visit he said, "will give impetus for further development of our extensive relations."

One of the key focus during the visit will be on COVID vaccine even as India has given approval to two vaccines over the weekend. The Nepali envoy during his interview congratulated "India and its scientists" for their "achievements leading to the production of affordable vaccines suitable to our countries." The visit by Nepal FM Pradeep Gyawali will be the first such high profile visit from Kathmandu to India in over a year. Last year, a number of high-level visits from New Delhi to Nepal happened as both sides showed the intent to firm up ties.

WION: How do you see India-Nepal ties?

Nilamber Acharya: India-Nepal ties are historical, time-tested, exemplary, and ever-growing. The very fabric of our relationship is finely weaved through the people to people exchanges and cross-border social and cultural ties. There are enormous goodwill and close friendship at a high political level. We are very close neighbors and friends with a common way of life. We share many values from spiritual to political, civilizational to religious, ancient to modern. We have benefitted from our comprehensive cooperation and easy access to each other's country thanks to open borders and cultural affinity. There have been some differences and issues to be resolved. As good friends we agree to sort out and resolve them through dialogue. We don't allow differences in some questions to impact other areas of our extensive cooperation. We are moving ahead.

WION: How are India and Nepal engaging on COVID vaccine?

Nilamber Acharya: Our cooperation against Covid-19 has been beneficial for us. It will grow. I congratulate India and its scientists for their achievements leading to the production of affordable vaccines suitable to our countries. We have received India's assurances and expect the early availability of vaccines produced in India to meet the needs of Nepal.

WION: How do you see Indias development partnership with Nepal?

Nilamber Acharya: India is a permanent development partner for Nepal. From highways to hydropower, cross-border railways, inland container depots (ICDs), integrated check posts (ICPs) to cross-border transmission lines; India has always remained the partner for Nepals development. India is Nepals largest trading partner, one of the largest investors, and the largest source country for inbound tourists. Cross-border petroleum pipeline and power trade arrangements have become the hallmarks of strategic partnership in the energy trade. India is the major transit route for Nepals trade overseas trade through Kolkata and Vishakhapatnam ports. We'll see more cooperation in the days to come. The Year 2021 is expected to be a good productive year for our friendly relations.

WION: Can we see a high-level engagement from Nepal side, as there have been a number of visits from India has happened?

Nilamber Acharya: Good to see that high-level visits have resumed after an interval due to some difficulties of Covid time and others. Even during these days, there were high-level contacts. For instance, Independence Day phone conversation between the two prime ministers. Recently, Foreign Secretary of India Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla visited Nepal. Just before him, Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane visited Nepal to receive the honorary rank of General of Nepal Army. In the last week of December, a high-powered delegation led by the power secretary of Nepal visited India. Now we are working on the visit of the Foreign Minister of Nepal and foreign minister-level Joint Commission meeting in India. This visit will give impetus for further development of our extensive relations. We have good prospects and the overall environment is improving. We have just ushered in the year 2021, the days ahead will unfold the details about the level of exchanges and visits. We are optimistic.
There were no casualties over the period under review.

The Command of Ukraine's Armed Forces has reported seven violations of the latest ceasefire agreement committed by Russia-controlled armed groups in the Donbas warzone on Sunday, January 3.

"In the past day, January 3, seven ceasefire violations were recorded in the area the Joint Forces Operation (JFO)," the press center of the Ukrainian JFO Command said on Facebook in an update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on January 4, 2021.

In particular, enemy troops fired anti-tank grenade launchers near the towns of Maryinka and Krasnohorivka, and the village of Lebedynske, as well as heavy machine guns near Maryinka, and the villages of Lebedynske and Pisky. Also, the invaders used hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers and automatic rifles near the village of Vodiane.

What is more, the Russian occupation forces fired heavy machine guns and rifles near the village of Pivdenne, as well as automatic grenade launchers and heavy machine guns near the town of Svitlodarsk.

Read alsoInvaders three times open fire on Ukrainian positions in Donbas Jan 2The violations were reported to OSCE representatives through the Joint Center for Ceasefire Control and Coordination (JCCC).

There were no casualties over the period under review.

Since midnight, enemy forces have not attacked Ukrainian troops.

The situation is under full control of the Ukrainian military.

Donbas ceasefire: Background

Participants in the Trilateral Contact Group (Ukraine, Russia, and the OSCE) on the peace settlement in Donbas on July 22 agreed on a full and comprehensive ceasefire along the contact line from 00:01 on Monday, July 27, 2020.

On the very first day of the newly-agreed truce, Russia's hybrid military forces mounted three attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. Ukraine has reported more such violations over the latest period.

Reporting by UNIAN
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Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
The prolonged detention of three members of a non-governmental organization in the central Chinese province of Hunan has sparked calls for San Francisco to end its twinning arrangement with Changsha, Hunan's provincial capital.



San Francisco district supervisor Gordon Mar called in a letter to the city's mayor for the city administration to rethink its ties to Changsha following the treatment meted out to rights advocates Cheng Yuan, Liu Dazhi and Wuge Jianxiong, who have been held incommunicado for 17 months and tried in secret.



In a Dec. 24 letter to San Francisco may London Breed, Mar called on the city authorities to reconsider the twinning arrangement with Changsha, and for a letter to be sent to her Chinese counterpart Zheng Jianxin calling for the trio's release.



Cheng, Liu and Wuge were indicted in secret for "subversion of state power" by prosecutors in Hunan's provincial capital, Changsha, on .



They were tried behind closed doors at the Changsha Intermediate People's Court in September. Their families weren't informed of the trial until afterwards, they told RFA at the time.



Cheng's wife Shi Minglei said she had only discovered that the trial had already happened when she called the court on Sept. 11 for an update on her husband's case.



An official said the trial had taken place, and had been "open to the public," but a second official who attempted a search of court records for the trial said it had returned no results.



Changsha Funeng co-founder Yang Zhanqing said Mar's letter could prompt a shift in attitudes towards Changsha.



"It won't just prompt politicians in San Francisco to re-examine the [twinning] relationship; it will also increase the cost to Changsha officials of persecuting people who work in social welfare organizations," Yang said.



"I hope that Changsha officials can rectify this situation as soon as possible," he said. "Otherwise, it could set a precedent for the loss of twinning arrangements because of human rights violations."



Lu Jun, co-founder of the anti-discrimination NGO Beijing Yirenping Center, said San Francisco has a good track record when it comes to campaigning for civil rights.



"This thoughtful action on the part of Gordon Mar once again demonstrates that the city cherishes its values," Lu said.



"Twinning arrangements should enable the mutual pursuit of social progress and civilization, and include mutual support for human rights protections," he said. "They shouldn't only be about economic interests."



He said the move by Gordon Mar could trigger a chain reaction across many cities in the United States and other countries.



The three defendants have been denied meetings with attorneys hired by their families since being detained on , 2019.



The lawyers were told in that the defenders had "dismissed" them and that the government had assigned them government-funded lawyers.



But the families said they believe that the lawyers were fired under duress, and said they have had no contact with the government-appointed lawyers.



Yang has previously said that the main reason the authorities had targeted the three men was the fact that their rights work had received overseas funding, which the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regards as "collusion with foreign powers," and a threat to its national security.



Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
The number of domestic flight passengers in Japan during the New Year holiday period fell by more than half from a year earlier.

Data from 11 carriers show nearly 1.46 million people flew between December 25 and January 3. That is down 57.4 percent year-on-year. They say the number of reservations fell due to an increase in coronavirus cases and the suspension of the government's domestic travel subsidy campaign.

There were also many last-minute cancellations.

Only four Japanese airlines are operating international routes at the moment. About 32,000 people traveled on those flights. That is down 95.5 percent compared to a year ago.
Navalny said Shaveddinov was the victim of an "abduction" that appeared to have been ordered personally by Putin. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that if Shaveddinov dodged the draft, then everything was done according to the law. Russian President Vladimir Putin. Credit:AP Shaveddinov, 24, grew up in Istra, a poor town west of Moscow, in a region flavoured by Russian politicians and billionaires to build country mansions. The inequality outraged him. "Even from childhood, I realised that things were not as they should be, that there was injustice," he said. He joined Navalny's cadre six years ago.

His arrest and lightning deportation from Moscow involved multiple security agencies, including the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Investigative Committee (a law enforcement agency for serious crimes) and the military, Shaveddinov said. Such an operation is typical of the high-profile arrests of opposition figures, journalists and activists. Russian Northern Fleet servicemen fire Tor-M2DT Arctic surface-to-air missile systems at the remote archipelago. Credit:Getty Images His lawyer, Vyacheslav Gimadi, said authorities breached the normal legal procedures on draft dodgers, who must be sent a first summons and then a second summons. Those who ignore the second summons face a court hearing and are normally fined, he said. However, draft dodging is a felony with a possible penalty of two years in jail for those who continue to avoid conscription. For Shaveddinov, it began around 3.30pm on December 23, 2019. His mobile phone access, Internet and power were suddenly cut in his Moscow apartment, leaving him in the dark with the setting sun. Special police pounded on his door. In the months beforehand, he had been detained and searched several times and had his bank account frozen.

"I looked through the hole in my door and saw a crowd of people, all in masks," he said, recounting his story in full. Many of the details had been presented in court in July by his lawyer. Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny. Credit:AP Sparks flew as a cutting device carved through the apartment's two metal doors. Shaveddinov did not want to be arrested wearing only shorts. He scrambled around in the darkness for clothes, dressing hurriedly and donning odd socks because he could not see. Police burst in, threw him onto the ground, handcuffed him and seized his computer, phone, TV and electric plugs, he said. They whisked him to the airport, put him  still handcuffed  onto a plane and flew him to Arkhangelsk in Russia's Far North. A rear admiral and other top military officials met the plane before Shaveddinov was transferred to another flight to the Novaya Zemlya archipelago late the same night, he said. He stepped out into a biting wind.

"It was so confusing. Things happened so fast. I didn't have time to be scared. There were people with cameras and I was thinking they probably won't kill me, since they're recording everything," Shaveddinov said. The next day he was given permission to call his girlfriend, Kira Yarmysh, who is Navalny's press secretary. It was his only phone call. Loading Three months later, Shaveddinov said he was flown to what he called the "botchka," or barrel, at an even more remote, secret military location. Between three and five other conscripts were there at a time, and a chopper delivered food monthly and mail every two months. "My job was to clear the landing strip and keep the polar bears away. They were very hungry," he said. "They slept right on my doorstep. In reality, they're very scary creatures."

The barrel is branded onto his memory: One window with ancient yellow curtains frames a flat field. The other, a helipad and a mountain. For more than a month in the winter, the sun never comes up. To drink or wash he cut a block of snow and melted it on the wood stove. In summer, he walked nearly two kilometres to the river and hauled back two 50-litre cans of water, taking care to avoid the polar bears. "It is clear why I was sent there: so that I would have no communication whatsoever with my family or friends. It's huge psychological pressure. You're alone with wild bears and dogs and two other people," he said. "You read books or you just stare out the window and watch your life passing by," he added. "Probably, if I was a different person, I wouldn't have made it. I would have become desperate." He spent a lot of time talking politics with the other conscripts, all from the northern region. He heard in a letter that Navalny was poisoned and in a coma, but for months did not know that his mentor had survived.

Russian authorities have sent many other opposition members for compulsory military service in remote and harsh locations. The aim, Shaveddinov contended, is to deter political activism among a new generation, many of whom are alienated by Putin's repression and attempts to curb Internet freedom. "With every year it gets worse and worse and there is less and less freedom," he said. "There are more political repressions and more political prisoners, and fewer possibilities for the opposition to operate. "The machine eats and destroys everyone," he said, referring to Russia's repressive security apparatus. He believes he was sent to the "botchka" to break him  "but I was not going to give them that gift." Shaveddinov's lawyer Gimadi sued Russian authorities for illegal abduction, "but the court rejected our complaint without reasoning," Gimadi said. He said the Defence Ministry offered no formal response in court. "It is clear that it is a political exile because of the unlawfulness of the draft in both its form and content, including the use of searches, and the choice of destination: a very remote unit, where only conscripts from the Arkhangelsk region serve," Gimadi said.

In June, another member of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, Artyom Ionov, was detained and flown to a military unit in the Far North region of Chukotka despite suffering from asthma, an exclusion for military service. In July, Ivan Konovalov, the press secretary of a small independent medical workers' union, the Alliance of Doctors, was arrested and flown to the Arkhangelsk military unit. Egor Cherniuk, the former head of Navalny's Kaliningrad headquarters, is at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania but facing a Russian criminal charge of draft dodging. Alexei Schwartz, head of Navalny's Kurgan headquarters, is also facing prosecution for allegedly evading the draft. "This practice is increasing all the time. We are hearing more and more attempts," said Alexei Tabalov, activist and founder of a nongovernmental organisation, School of Conscripts. "Authoritarianism is growing in Russia," Tabalov said. "We can say it is not just authoritarianism. It has become an autocracy, and we realise that Putin is not going to leave, and as long as he's alive he's going to rule the country and the situation will keep getting worse." When he returned, Shaveddinov carried home a bag full of letters from supporters and well-wishers. A final digital footprint of his journey remains: The "botchka" was marked on Google Maps by supporters, nicknamed "Shaveddinov's Gas Station," attracting a bunch of five-star "reviews" that are actually messages of support.
PORT AUSTIN  A Port Austin fixture may look very different for residents once the first of the year rolls around.

Heins Hardware and the Lisas Loft gift store has new ownership as of Jan. 1, with Lisas Loft closing after its going-out-of-business sale. The location at the corner of Lake and Spring streets now has the same ownership as Thumb Cooling and Heating, with the opening of the Port Austin Hardware Store Jan. 2.

Ray and Lisa Heins, who own the hardware and gift store, said they plan on retiring in the new year, with plans to spend their retirement traveling and spend time with their families.

A post on the Heins Hardware Facebook page from October said that Ray had some issues that lead him to go to the emergency room, where a brain tumor was discovered. He had surgery done on that tumor in October, but he is still dealing with it.

The Heins have owned and operated their hardware store since 2000, the third generation of the Heins to do so since the store opened in 1955.

TJ Polega, an owner of Thumb Cooling and Heating, lives in Port Austin and is a regular customer of the hardware store.

Someone said hed be interested, so I reached out to him, Ray said, adding a few other people inquired about buying the store as well. He gave us a decent offer and moved the fastest on it.

Lisas Loft has been operating as its gift department since 2005 in the stores second floor, which was previously used as storage space. It grew out of a section in a corner of Heins Hardware that had sold Michigan themed gifts since Rays mother ran it in the 70s.

It allowed for an expanded hardware store on the first floor and a dedicated space for the gifts, Lisa said, with the Loft selling cards, home decor, and a little bit of everything else.

The Lofts going-out-of-business sale has been going on since the beginning of December, with everything in the store being 50% off. Lisa has not decided yet what she will do with whatever does not sell.

Ray plans on still being around the story for another two to three weeks when new ownership takes hold to help teach the new employees everything about the store. He said that Heins Hardware would not have any such going-out-of-business sale, as the Thumb Cooling and Heating ownership wants to keep the stock already there.

TJ will keep it mostly the same since he was happy with how it ran, Ray said. Im sure some things will be different and there will be a different upstairs.
As New Year's Eve approached, the millionaire owner of a French castle flew into Sydney with his wife and prepared to quarantine for two weeks in an airport hotel. As he headed to the Meriton, it's likely that David Savage was a worried man.

The balding former corporate high-flyer has a taste for luxury  his French estate was once the home of the grandson of the King of Spain. But his main concern was probably not the stuffy confines of hotel quarantine. As he passed through airport customs, Mr Savage had triggered an alert set up to identify police persons of interest.

The reason the federal police were circling Mr Savage dated back years before he acquired Chateau de Jalesnes  the home he calls his "beautiful Renaissance castle"  to his time helping run one of Australia's largest and best-known companies, infrastructure giant Leighton Holdings.

Chateau de Jalesnes in the Loire Valley, France, now owned by David Savage and run as a wedding venue.

Mr Savage had made his career and fortune with Leighton (now named CIMIC), becoming one of the firms most influential executives as well as consigliere to its veteran chief executive, Wal King. Both Mr Savage and Mr King left the firm in 2011.
Press Release

January 4, 2021 Dispatch from Crame No. 1010:

Sen. Leila M. de Lima's statement on the Increase in PhilHealth and SSS Contributions The year 2021 is supposed to be the first year of our recovery. In order to do so, our economic team is racking their brains out for anything that would resuscitate our struggling economy and provide a roadmap for our fellow Filipinos towards a better future. We are looking at tax breaks for entrepreneurs, loan assistance from our banks, rent and mortgage relief and many other means to keep Filipinos employed and give them more money in their pockets. Now comes SSS and PhilHealth which, in their attempts to increase revenue, REQUIRE their members to cough up more money and increase their contributions. Nagkakanda-ugaga na nga ang mga Pilipino sa paghahanap-buhay at pagtitipid, sila pa talaga ang huhuthutan ng SSS at PhilHealth. Implementing a simultaneous increase of member contributions in both the PhilHealth and SSS in the midst of an unprecedented loss of income brought by this pandemic and other disasters, is utterly heartless and oppressive. Increasing SSS and PhilHealth contributions not only would result in less employment due to increased cost but also to possible delinquencies of members who cannot afford the additional payments required. PhilHealth has yet to settle the corruption issues hounding their institution. Gaano kayo katiyak na hindi na naman maglalaho na parang bula yang dagdag na singil ninyo? Common sense would dictate that those found to have anomalous transactions in PhilHealth by the Senate and DOJ investigations are first held accountable before implementing a hike in contributions. But the Duterte administration's head-scratching policy decisions and overall botched pandemic response have all but confirmed that common sense is not its strongest suit. O baka naman talagang wala kayong pakialam sa taumbayan at 'yan talaga ang modus niyo? First, you and your corrupt and unscrupulous henchmen steal from the nation's coffers. Then, the President either denies their involvement, covers their tracks, or simply plays dumb like nothing has happened, even if all evidence points to their guilt. Finally, the scam is completed by placing the burden once more on the Filipinos' shoulders. Pinaglololoko at pinapaikot niyo lang ang taumbayan. Matapos gawing personal ATM ng ilang kawani ng PhilHealth ang mga kontribusyon ng taumbayan, at matapos nilang mahuli sa mga ganid nilang pangungubra sa pinagpaguran ng mga Pilipino, ipapasa naman nila ngayon ang kalugihan nila sa mga Pinoy? Panagutin niyo muna ang mga nagnakaw sa taumbayan! Hindi yung habang nagpapasasa sila sa kontribusyon ng mga Pilipino, para bang wala nang nangyari. (Access the handwritten version, here: https://issuu.com/senatorleilam.delima/docs/dispatch_1010)
The U.S.-Canada border has been closed to non-essential travel since the coronavirus pandemic began, but some Canadian snowbirds have found a way through Upstate New York.

Vertical magazine reports an Ontario-based company, Great Lakes Helicopter Corp., has been providing cross-border ferry flights into the U.S. since Nov. 3. For $1200 Canadian (or 939 US dollars), a three-seat Robinson R44 helicopter takes passengers from Hamilton International Airport to Buffalo Niagara International Airport in just 35 minutes.

For an extra $700 Canadian (or $548 US), Great Lakes Helicopters can also ship travelers cars on a commercial transport through a trucking company to the same location. The Buffalo News reports theyre allowed unfettered entry into the United States, unlike private vehicles.

Dwayne Henderson, general manager at Great Lakes Helicopter, told Vertical that his customers have no security or customs in Hamilton, but U.S. Customs and Border Patrol will meet with their chopper when it lands in Buffalo.

Theyve been very friendly; there have been no issues at all, Henderson said. Its an easy process other than the wait timesthere could be a bit of waiting in terms of how fast the truck gets across the border with their car. Passengers are very happy with the service. They think we have a great business model.

Its not cheap, but its become a popular option especially among retirees who prefer to spend winter in warmer places like Florida. Both countries have kept land ports closed since since March, so driving over the border isnt an option; meanwhile, private flights may have lower risks of Covid-19 than flying on commercial planes.

Flying to the U.S. is not closed; carriers fly to the U.S. every day, Henderson told the Buffalo News. Were no different. Were just smaller and connect individuals to their vehicles.

According to the Buffalo newspaper, the 10-chopper company is making 60 trips every Thursday through Monday from airports in Hamilton, St. Catharines and Niagara-on-the-Lake. Henderson told Vertical last month that hundreds of clients had already been booked through early February, with discussions about expanding into other cities like Detroit.

There are caveats, though. Henderson told Vertical that any Canadian residents who travel to the U.S. might not have their health insurance cover a hospital visit if they contract Covid-19. And when they return home, they can drive across the border as Canadians re-entering the country, but are currently required to self-quarantine for two weeks.

As many as 375,000 people in Canada travel annually in the winter to the southern U.S. and Mexico, according to Vertical. Most snowbirds are staying home due to Covid concerns, but others, like Peter and Karen Naylor of Delhi, Ontario, got to enjoy a view of Niagara Falls as part of their journey to Clearwater, Florida, this year.

Weve been doing this for 17 years and thought, We cant stay home, we just cant, Karen Naylor told the Buffalo News. Helicopters are fun, and I got to sit up front.
There have been no headway in the latest and seventh round of talks between protesting farmers and the government. Farmer representatives refused to budge from their demand of repealing the new farm laws. The government also refused to budge from its stance. The government refused to repeal the three farm laws and asked the union leaders to point out what they considered objectionable.

"No outcome on repeal or MSP in today's meeting. Meeting ended for today. The farmers at the meeting only spoke about withdrawal of the farm laws and the government said they will consult further and get back. The next meeting will take place on January 8," sources told India Today.

The government is being represented by Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar, Piyush Goyal and Som Prakash. They told the farmers that the government is ready to review any clause the farmers do not agree with. Tomar said that these laws are beneficial to the farmers. Tomar said that laws have been brought through parliament and the government is ready to amend the laws and incorporate the suggestions of farmers.

"We wanted farmer unions to discuss the three farm laws clause-wise. However, we were unable to reach a consensus as farmer union remained adamant on the repeal of the farm laws laws. We are hopeful that we can find a solution in the next meeting on January 8," said Tomar.

The government also said that they first wanted to discuss the proposal on minimum support price (MSP) but the farmers did not agree. Following this they all headed to a snack break. Both the sides, unlike last time, did not share lunch brought by the farmers.

"The minister wanted us to discuss the law point-wise. We rejected it and said that there is no point in discussing the laws because we want a complete rollback of the laws. Government intends to take us towards amendments but we will not accept it," said Yudhvir Singh of Bhartiya Kisan Union.

Meanwhile, farmers unions have said that if both the sides do not end up agreeing then thousands of farmers will drive to Delhi with their tractors on Republic Day. They said they will hold a tractor parade once the January 26 parade is over.

Also read: Farmers' protests: Seventh round of talks between Centre, union members starts

Also read: Farmer protests: Narendra Tomar, Rajnath Singh discuss govt strategy to end deadlock

Visitors and legislative staff returned to the Texas Capitol on Monday, 10 months after the building was shuttered amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The reopening comes as lawmakers prepare for a new legislative session, set to begin on Jan. 12.

Its such a streak of luck, said Claudia Sauceda, who was in town from Houston with her son and didnt realize the capitol had been closed. I think its gorgeous, she said, masked and seated under the buildings large, regal rotunda.

Visitors were not required to test negative for COVID-19 before entering the building, though rapid tests were available for free in a tent outside. Dozens of staffers had already been tested by the early afternoon.

Legislators, meanwhile, were working behind the scenes to prepare for hundreds of Texans to enter the building next week on the first day of session.

TEXAS TAKE: Get the latest news on Texas politics sent directly to your inbox every weekday

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the president of the Texas Senate, announced a series of safety measures on Monday in advance of opening day. Senators, staffers and members of the media must be tested before entering the Capitol, and most Senate offices will be open only for appointments.

The biennial opening day ceremony will also be shorter than usual and have a smaller crowd. Senators will be allowed one family member at their desks, as well as three tickets for seats in the Senate Gallery.

At a time when the U.S. Capitol and many state capitol buildings are closed to the public, these protocols are designed to ensure the Texas Capitol can be open to the public, Patrick said in a memo. We will fight the spread of COVID-19 by doing all we can to protect the public who visit the capitol as well as employees, staff and the senators.

The protocol announcement follows that of the Texas House of Representatives last month. State Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth and chair of the administration committee, sent guidance to members on Dec. 14 outlining similar precautions  a shortened opening day ceremony with fewer attendees, mandatory testing and new air filters to help kill the virus.

While Geren has said the House will require masks to enter the chamber, Patricks memo did not mention such a mandate. A spokesman for the lieutenant governor did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking clarification.

Senators will vote next week on overall safety protocols to implement during the first 60 days of the legislative session, Patrick wrote.

jeremy.blackman@chron.com

cayla.harris@express-news.net
Israeli prosecutors on Sunday released an amended indictment spelling out detailed charges against Prime Minister in a corruption case in which he is accused of trading favors with a powerful media mogul.

Netanyahu has been charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three corruption cases. One of them alleges that Netanyahu promoted regulations worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the owner of the Bezeq telecom company in exchange for positive coverage on its popular Walla news site.

In response to a request from Netanyahu's lawyers for more details, Israeli prosecutors released a letter Sunday alleging there had been 315 incidents of Walla being requested to make its coverage more favorable for Netanyahu and his family. They said there were indications that Netanyahu was personally involved in 150 of those incidents.

It said the requests included giving more time or prominence to positive articles about Netanyahu and his family, changing headlines and lowering or even removing unfavorable stories. It also included alleged requests for negative coverage of Netanyahu's rivals.

Netanyahu's trial began last year and is scheduled to resume next month. He denies all charges against him, saying he is the victim of a witch hunt orchestrated by a hostile media, police and prosecutors.

(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 UK on January 3 inoculated an 82-year-old with the recently authorized Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, making the elderly man the first in the world to receive the jab. The retired maintenance manager Brian Pinker has been a patient at Oxfords Churchill hospital for kidney dialysis treatment. UKs health secretary Matt Hancock called the moment pivotal and historic as the country started a mass vaccination program with the first doses of AstraZeneca that arrived in the first batches at the hospitals. The Princess Royal Hospital at Haywards Heath in West Sussex became one of the first medical facilities to receive the early shipment of the100 million doses of the new vaccine with the UKs goal to vaccinate 50 million population.

'I'm so pleased to be getting the COVID vaccine today and really proud it is one that was invented in Oxford.'



82-year-old Brian Pinker became the first person in the world to receive the new Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine this morning at @OUHospitals.  pic.twitter.com/nhnd3Sx97m  NHS England and NHS Improvement (@NHSEngland) January 4, 2021

According to SKY, the vaccine was administered to the second and the third elderly and vulnerable Brits named Trevor Cowlett and Professor Andrew Pollard. The 88-year-old Cowlett is a music teacher, while Pollard is a pediatrician, employed at the Oxford University Hospitals in the UK. The mass vaccination program was initiated by the UK on January 4 after it became the worlds first country to authorized the emergency use of the second COVID-19 vaccine, after Pfizer's approval, calling the vial vaccine for the world.

Read: UK To Ramp Up Inoculations With Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine

Read: Bharat Biotech's Covaxin 'completely Safe'; Journalist Allays Claims On Vaccine's Efficacy

It is truly fantastic news  and a triumph for British science  that the vaccine has been approved for use. We will now move to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a release. "The vaccine is our way out of the pandemic," the British health secretary added. Professor Andrew Pollard, the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group who led the clinical trial, said: "Though, this is just the beginning, we will start to get ahead of the pandemic, protect health and economies when the vulnerable are vaccinated everywhere, as many as possible as soon possible."

Weve delivered over 1 million #coronavirus vaccines.



Tomorrow rollout of the @UniofOxford / @AstraZeneca vaccine begins - across every part of the UK - as we accelerate delivery of the coronavirus vaccine.



The end is in sight. pic.twitter.com/xUIDg6kGds  Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) January 3, 2021

Hundreds more vaccination sites are opening across the UK this week as we begin to roll-out the @UniofOxford / @AstraZeneca vaccine.



Many thanks to the NHS who are delivering this life-saver to all parts of the country. pic.twitter.com/HVTxPreCDD  Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) January 3, 2021

2 million vaccination per week

The UK started vaccination across six hospitals located in Oxford, Sussex, Lancashire, Warwickshire, and two in London, according to broadcasters, and has procured at least 53,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The Boris Johnson administration announced that it plans to hit the goal of vaccinating 2 million population per week. The UK registered 50,000 new confirmed Covid cases as of January 3 as several parts of England, London, Northern Ireland, and Wales remain under lockdown over the spread of the new COVID-19 variant.

Read: Enough Stockpile Of COVID-19 Vaccine For Inoculation Of Priority Groups In First Phase: V K Paul

Read: COVID-19: US May Halve Moderna's Vaccine Doses To Inoculate More People
Africa has few options to procure Covid-19 vaccines as the outbreak of the disease worsens across many parts of the continent, South Africas presidency said.

Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE have offered to supply Africa with 50 million Covid-19 vaccines for health workers between March and the end of this year, the presidency said in a response to Bloomberg on Sunday.

Moderna Inc. has no supplies for Africa, while AstraZeneca Plc has no shots for the continent in 2021 and has directed the African Union to negotiate with the Serum Institute of India Ltd., which is making the vaccine on behalf of AstraZeneca.

South Africas President Cyril Ramaphosa is the African Unions chairman.

Ramaphosas response comes after days of withering criticism in South Africa over the countrys vaccine strategy from health leaders, labor unions and opposition parties.

Even though four vaccine trials are underway in the country, South Africa has only arranged to purchase enough shots for 10% of its population of 60 million people through the Covax initiative, which is designed to ensure equitable access to the vaccines.

These are likely to begin arriving in the second quarter. Some African countries have their own plans for vaccine procurement. Most do not.

We are working hard in South Africa and on the continent to protect our people against Covid-19, the presidency said.

South Africa is posting record numbers of infections and deaths and neighboring Zimbabwe is entering a strict 30-day lockdown. The South African economy likely contracted the most in nine decades last year, according to official estimates.

In an emailed statement, a representative for AstraZeneca said the company has created a number of supply chains around the world in order to provide broad and equitable supply to the vaccine.

The statement named Covax and the Serum Institute of India as the main channels through which African countries can access vaccines.

Prohibitive Cost

The cost of Pfizers vaccines are prohibitive, the presidency said. A representative of Pfizer confirmed talks with the African Union, declining to give further details.

In a subsequent statement, a Pfizer representative based in the U.K. said the company remained firmly committed to equitable access for Covid-19 vaccines.

We have allocated doses for supply to low- and lower-middle-income countries at a not-for-profit price and we are actively working with governments all around the world, the emailed statement said.

Discussions are taking place with Johnson & Johnson, which is conducting a trial in South Africa and plans to make 300 million doses a year at a factory in the country owned by Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd. when the shot is approved.

J&J has not clarified whether Africa will benefit from vaccines manufactured in South Africa, the presidency said. We still have to negotiate the price that is affordable to Africa.

South Africa is holding direct talks with vaccine suppliers including J&J, AstraZeneca and Pfizer over supplies for the country, the presidency said. South Africas health products regulator is using a so-called rolling review, which allows it to assess vaccine data as it becomes available during the trials to assess J&Js shot. It will do the same with AstraZeneca and Pfizer when they apply.

Wealthier Nations

African countries wouldve been in a better position to gain early access to AstraZenecas and other vaccines had they been as strategic as wealthier nations and started talks directly with producers and in parallel with early efforts to secure access to Covax, Shabir Madhi, a vaccinologist professor and head of the South African arm of the AstraZeneca trial, told Bloomberg.

The Covax facility, whilst noble in its social solidarity mission for equitable access of vaccines, was never likely to break the legacy of the lag it takes before life-saving vaccines become available to low and middle income countries, Madhi said.

While at least 29 countries, from Mexico to Germany, have begun inoculating their populations against the virus, South Africa has yet to conclude any supply agreements with pharmaceutical companies.

Kenya, a far poorer country than South Africa, expects to get vaccine deliveries at the end of January or next month, Nairobis Standard newspaper reported on Sunday, citing the countrys health secretary. It didnt specify which vaccine.

On Saturday, an opinion piece published in local media and signed by senior members of the Progressive Health Forum, which includes the heads of medical associations and academics, called for Ramaphosa to fire health department officials for their failure to secure vaccine supplies.

As a health care worker with friends and colleagues in the front line and knowing health care workers who have contracted Covid-19 and died doing their duty, we are obliged to try to hasten access to the vaccine so they can do their job, said Glenda Gray, president of the South African Medical Research Council and a member of the forum, in a response to queries.

South Africa, with over 1.09 million confirmed Covid-19 infections and 29,175 deaths, is the worst hit country on the African continent.

Now read: Ramaphosa urged to axe officials who caused vaccine delays
Gardai are set to meet with a woman who has spent decades trying to find out what happened to her baby who was taken away from her in hospital, never to return.

Kathleen Byrne was told her second child Patrick died after he was taken from her in Airmount Hospital in Waterford in January 1967.

But she said a nun at the hospital told her to never mention him again and move on, despite Kathleen pleading for his remains to be returned.

After decades seeking answers she was finally told in the 1990s that Patrick had been taken to Temple Street Hospital in Dublin where he died due to a heart issue before his organs were taken without permission, and that he was buried in a mass grave.

Read More

Kathleen said that because of the way things happened in Ireland back then she won't believe her son is dead until she has his remains which have still not been returned to her after all these years.

Expand Close Kathleen holding a book with images of the site of the old Angels Memory Garden / Facebook

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Whatsapp Kathleen holding a book with images of the site of the old Angels Memory Garden

"I know mothers got death certs but their babies weren't dead at all. They were in America and had been adopted," Kathleen told the Sunday World.

Gardai from Waterford recently spoke to Kathleen and have arranged to meet her this month to discuss what happened to Patrick.

"The guard rang me and he's coming to meet me in the second week of January to talk about it.

"He has already spoken to me on the phone and is now meeting me to see if anything can be done about it.

"I have a death cert but how can you believe what they're telling you if you didn't get your child back?"

Kathleen has a gravestone for Patrick in Waterford but the grave remains empty as she was told she can't have his remains because they're buried in a mass grave in Glasnevin cemetery.

"A sod of grass is all I got back after years. I have his own headstone put up in Waterford with nothing underneath it.

"If he is there in Glasnevin they have to give him back. If he's not there they can't give him back. With all the things that went on you don't know if he is there or not."

Expand Close Kathleen at her home in Waterford / Facebook

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Whatsapp Kathleen at her home in Waterford

Records

She said she is sceptical about the official explanation for what happened to Patrick because she was told for years no records about him existed until she received them under Freedom of Information.

"I have files here. I have letters when they said they couldn't find anything on my child and then letters saying my child was there and they took his organs and they burned him when they were finished. Would you believe them after that?"

She said even if Patrick is in Glasnevin she should be given his remains so she can bring them back to Waterford for burial.

Kathleen was told she can't have the remains because there were dozens of babies in the grave but she wants a DNA test done to find out if he is there.

She previously described the removal of organs from Patrick without permission as "gutting him like a fish".

"Why wasn't I told where my child was going? Why did they do what they did to him [remove his organs] and not tell me about it? I signed nothing for it. I only signed for an injection in Waterford for the BCG and I was never asked to sign for anything else.

"I'd like to know the truth and if my child is down there just give him back. Give me back his little bones. If they can do it in Tuam they can do it for me."

Blade

Kathleen said she wanted to thank local Sinn Fein councillor John Hearne, who has been helping her seek answers to what happened to her son.

"If only for John Hearne it would have never happened. It was John Hearne who put the guards on to me," she said.





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The decade was barely a couple of hours old when the first bombshell arrived - Mahindra and Ford decided to put off their joint venture plans. Since October 2019, they had been trying to cobble together a partnership which would have seen Ford exit the Indian market leaving its assets in the JV with Mahindra as the senior partner. The two companies had also planned a series of joint development programmes including common platforms, engines and powertrain but COVID-19 came as a cruel blow. The required investments that made sense a year back, looked highly risky in the post-pandemic world.

Yet, it comes as a shocker. The automotive industry is one that revels in partnerships. Examples like the Renault-Nissan alliance or Hero Honda closer home are testimony to that. Disruptions in the form of electrification, autonomous driving and shared and connected vehicles means the need for sharing investment and technology is even higher. In that context, on paper the deal not only looked like a win-win but also a necessity. Still, this isn't the first partnership to fail nor will it be the last. Here are five instances where collaborations in the past have gloriously missed their target.

Suzuki and Volkswagen

In 2009, German auto giant Volkswagen Group and Japan's mini car expert Suzuki joined hands to form an alliance that was expected to help the Japanese firm with future technology and aid VW in its quest to become the largest automaker in the world. Suzuki's subsidiary Maruti's giant-sized market leadership in India, which was then the world's fifth largest car market, was an obvious attraction for the Germans. The deal fell through within two years as by mid-2011 the Japanese felt they had got a raw deal. Four years of acrimonious battle in the courts followed and VW had to finally sell its near 20 per cent stake in Suzuki in 2015. What could have completely transformed Maruti Suzuki as a carmaker ultimately came to a naught.

Mahindra and Renault

This isn't the first time for Mahindra to struggle with its partnerships either. At the height of its SUV domination in India, the company decided to diversify into the fast-growing domestic passenger car market and found an eager ally in French carmaker Renault. Under the leadership of Carlos Ghosn, who would develop a soft corner for India in subsequent years, the two companies formed a JV in 2007 to build a range of cars beginning with the mid-size sedan Logan. The boxy car was however too dated for India, and was also at odds with recent regulations that rewarded cars smaller than 4 metres in length with lower taxation. The disaster of Logan put paid to any hopes for the JV's success, which folded up in a matter of just three years.

Bajaj and Nissan

The failure of Logan, however, did not deter Ghosn from having another go with an Indian partner. Mesmerised with the Tata Nano and eager to tap into the mini car segment in India he led Nissan into a partnership with domestic two-wheeler giant Bajaj Auto in 2010. Bajaj was supposed to make a frugal small car which could be sold by Nissan through its dealerships in India and other emerging markets. There was miscommunication between the two partners from Day 1. What Nissan wanted was a proper car that can go head-to-head against the Nano and Maruti Alto, Bajaj was merely interested in putting a fourth wheel to its three wheeler portfolio to tap into the nascent but promising small LCV market. After the Pune-based firm showcased the RE60 in the Auto Expo in January 2012, Nissan decided to end the partnership. It would go on to revive the Datsun brand on its own for the cars it wanted from Bajaj while the latter would brand the RE60 as the Qute, India's first quadricycle.

Bajaj and Kawasaki

Unlike the low cost car project, which by all means was a new venture for it, Bajaj's tie-up with Japan's powerhouse motorcycle giant Kawasaki had all the makings of a great collaboration. The company's hands on Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj has been a fan of Japanese engineering and looked up to Kawasaki from the company's early days of motorcycle foray. Some of its first bikes like KB100 and Caliber were infact developed jointly. In 2009, the companies took the partnership to the next level with sales and service arrangement wherein Kawasaki's premium bikes like the Ninja series would be marketed and sold by Bajaj through its standalone probiking showrooms. Bajaj's growing interest in Austrian adventure bikemaker KTM however perturbed Kawasaki. Bajaj first picked up a 14.5 per cent stake in the Austrian company in 2007 and would subsequently increase it to over 45 per cent by 2015 through multiple share purchases in the open market. KTM bikes were also sold at probiking showrooms alongside Kawasaki even as some of them competed against each other. It was something that made the Japanese uncomfortable. In April 2017, the companies decided to part amicably with Kawasaki opening up its own 100 per cent subsidiary in India.

Polaris and Eicher

An experimental joint venture between US-based Polaris and homegrown Eicher Motors in 2012 spawned the quirky Multix - a personal utility vehicle that can be used as a people mover, goods carrier or also as a back up power generator. It had a power take off point which could generate power up to 3 KW, good enough to light bulbs and other appliances. Targeted largely at small businessmen and entrepreneurs mostly in the rural parts of the country, the 50:50 JV had a full fledged manufacturing facility of 60,000 units per annum built with an investment of Rs 350 crore and spread over 25 acres of land in Kukas near Jaipur in Rajasthan. There were plans to set up a dedicated R&D centre as well. After an initial spurt of demand, sales of the Multix however could not be sustained. In 2012, the JV was shut down and the business liquidated. It is one of those rare occasions where Siddhartha Lal, who owns Eicher Motors and is the chief architect of the revival of Enfield, has got it wrong.
Source: Reuters

Most OPEC+ oil-producing countries oppose plans to increase output from February as winter lockdowns to contain the coronavirus choke demand, four OPEC+ sources told Reuters on Monday.

OPEC+, which groups OPEC and other producers including Russia, began meeting at around 1500 GMT on Monday.

On Sunday, OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo warned OPEC+ experts of downside risks facing the oil market.

On Monday, Saudi energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said OPEC+ should be vigilant and cautious despite a generally optimistic market environment as demand for fuels remains fragile and the new variant of coronavirus is unpredictable.

That strain, reported in Britain last month, is spreading globally and on Monday British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was scheduled to set out tougher lockdown rules.

With benchmark Brent oil futures holding above $50 per barrel, OPEC+ took the opportunity this month to raise output by 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) as it looks to eventually undue cuts that currently stand at 7.2 million bpd.

OPEC+ producers have been curbing output to support prices and reduce oversupply since January 2017, and cuts a record 9.7 million bpd in mid-2020 as COVID-19 hammered demand for gasoline and aviation fuel.

OPEC's leader Saudi Arabia has repeatedly suggested a more cautious approach during previous meetings, while the United Arab Emirates and non-OPEC member Russia have said they prefer a speedier increase.

On Monday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said there were still loads of uncertainties in the oil market and OPEC+ should remain flexible in its decision-making.

Benchmark Brent prices rose above $53 per barrel on Monday, touching their highest levels since March 2020, on expectations that OPEC+ will hold output steady in February. They later fell back. [O/R]

"Under the current output terms, surpluses are expected from February until April, before demand recovers from May onwards, so a possible OPEC+ decision to not increase production will keep balances at a manageable level," said Bjornar Tonhaugen from Rystad Energy.
Swathes of bank branches are set to close this year as lenders cut back their networks to boost flagging profits.

More than 200 UK branches were shuttered in 2020 as banks scaled back their presence despite the chaos which the pandemic inflicted.

Some banks did slow down or suspend their closures due to the coronavirus, meaning the 239 figure was the smallest since consumer champion Which? began keeping records in 2015.

Cutting back: TSB boss Debbie Crosbie plans to axe 164 branches, while 56 closures that Lloyds had earmarked for 2020 will begin in March

But the pace is set to pick up rapidly in 2021. TSB boss Debbie Crosbie plans to axe 164 branches, while 56 closures that Lloyds had earmarked for 2020 will begin in March. Other major lenders may follow.

Gareth Shaw, head of money at Which?, said: 'The approach taken by banks to assess the impact of branch closures is going unchecked. Banks cannot be allowed to treat their Access To Banking Standard commitments as a window-dressing exercise.

'The Financial Conduct Authority needs to review the way banks handle closures.' Since January 2015, lenders have axed around 3,770 branches  o r approximately 55 each month. The total number of bank branches is a third smaller than six years ago.

Natwest, formerly RBS, has made by far the most cuts, getting rid of 1,084 branches. Lloyds has shut down 624 sites.

As branch closures have accelerated, so has the disappearance of cash machines  down 6,127 last year to 54,422.

Kevin Hollinrake, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking, said: 'Branch networks will still be used for years and banks have a responsibility to provide a solution for customers who rely on them.'

Lenders have justified their closures on the increasing use of online banking, claiming customers do not need as many branches. The Financial Conduct Authority has held working groups with major banks to determine how they will maintain access to cash for customers. But a decision has not been reached on what this will entail.
As New Year's Eve approached, the millionaire owner of a French castle flew into Sydney with his wife and prepared to quarantine for two weeks in an airport hotel. As he headed to the Meriton, it's likely that David Savage was a worried man.

The balding former corporate high-flyer has a taste for luxury  his French estate was once the home of the grandson of the King of Spain. But his main concern was probably not the stuffy confines of hotel quarantine. As he passed through airport customs, Mr Savage had triggered an alert set up to identify police persons of interest.

The reason the federal police were circling Mr Savage dated back years before he acquired Chateau de Jalesnes  the home he calls his "beautiful Renaissance castle"  to his time helping run one of Australia's largest and best-known companies, infrastructure giant Leighton Holdings.

Chateau de Jalesnes in the Loire Valley, France, now owned by David Savage and run as a wedding venue.

Mr Savage had made his career and fortune with Leighton (now named CIMIC), becoming one of the firms most influential executives as well as consigliere to its veteran chief executive, Wal King. Both Mr Savage and Mr King left the firm in 2011.
A government committee in Jordan is facing a difficult question. How can it save the countrys ancient past while planning for its future?

The committee, set up two weeks ago, is considering the issue after the discovery of ancient Roman baths. The ruins were found during a dig for a building project, an underground canal that will help control flood water that comes into Amman, Jordans capital.

The ruins have the remains of furnaces, a sign of a complex heating system. Experts believe that the discovery is the first of its kind among the remains of the ancient city of Philadelphia on which Amman now stands.

Yazid Elayan is head of Jordans Department of Antiquities. We will balance the needs of the city - to protect it from flooding - to preserving antiquities under the streets, he said.

Amman was one of the biggest Roman cities and it has one of the largest baths...Wherever one excavates in Amman, antiquities can be found, he told Reuters.

Excavate is a term that means to dig out and remove soil.

The work on the canal system has been suspended while the government committee makes its decision.

Amman is an old city where ancient Roman structures can still be seen. It has an Amphitheatre that seated around 6,000 people. It has the Nymphaeum fountains and the Temple of Hercules, too.

Building problems and irregular urban design have been important issues in the large city of four million people.

It is built on many levels of history, from the Ammonites, Moabites, Romans and Greeks to the Islamic period.

City officials have already expressed concern that delaying the canal project could raise water levels in central Amman. They say it could flood again during the winter.

The formerly quiet city now has one of the Middle Easts largest city centers.

Im John Russell.

Suleiman Al-Khalidi reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

canal  n. a waterway for draining or irrigating land

furnace  n. an enclosed container in which heat is produced

preserve  v. to keep (something) in its original state or in good condition

antiquities  n. plural objects from ancient times

fountain  n. a structure or device that provides water which, in some cases, sends a stream of water into the air
US: 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine found in watermelons

Tesla owners will be paid $ 16,000 each due to slow charging

Advisor to Armenia Prosecutor General provides details about incident with Armenian soldier killed in Verin Shorzha

Banksy's painting of punk Lenin sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 960,000

CSTO Deputy Secretary-General: Escalation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border requires undertaking of urgent measures

Catholicos of All Armenians receives newly appointed Ambassador of Japan

Australia closing its embassy in Kabul for security reasons

Biden to discuss issues related to Belarus and Ukraine with Putin

Armenian acting FM meets with ambassadors of CSTO member states accredited to Armenia

Armenia Ombudsman presents human rights protection in post-war period to CoE Programmes Directorate General

Germany is investigating Google's position in market

France: Sanctions against Belarus will continue

Armenia opposition party MP: Azerbaijan is a terrorist state, negotiations can't be led with such a country

US to reopen its Consulate General in Jerusalem

EU expects to receive over 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine by end of September

Armenian MFA strongly condemns Azerbaijan's blatant armed encroachment on Armenia's sovereign territory

UN still awaits strong evidence that Dubai ruler's daughter is alive

Opposition Bright Armenia Party urges Government to immediately address UN Security Council

Armen Sarkissian receives Russia Ambassador to Armenia

Armenia President, France Ambassador discuss situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border

Overchuk: We hope unblocking of links between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a success

Armenia police officer commits suicide, criminal case launched

Armenia Environmental Protection and Mining Inspection Body has new deputy heads

Zarif, Aliyev discuss railway routes connecting Iran, Azerbaijan and Armenia

EU leaders agree to donate at least 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to poor countries

Armenian serviceman Mher Hovhannisyan fires gunshot at his head, criminal case launched

Soldier who died in Armenia's Verin Shorzha was son of ARF-D member, father of 2

Blinken promises to continue close consultations with Israel on Iran

Armen Sarkissian: Armenia's relevant state institutions need to take the tightest measures

Armenian soldier commits suicide, opposition speaks on tense situation on border, 25.05.21 digest

Yerevan man's body found at Tatul Krpeyan Park

Armenia MOD: Reports about Armenian soldiers being injured in Sisian section of border not confirmed

EU summit calls for rarly implementation of vaccination certificates

Parliament of the Netherlands adopts resolution, EU must demand that Azerbaijan pull out troops from Armenia

Kremlin: Russian and US presidents to meet in Geneva on June 16

Spokesperson of community council of Armenia's Sisian: Men got enlisted and climbed to military posts

Bright Armenia Party: We are not satisfied with CSTO response

EU leaders urge council to review internal border guidelines by mid-June

Armenia MOD: Fixed-term serviceman receives lethal firearm injury in head area

Dollar still stable in Armenia

Armenian Catholic Catholicos-Patriarch passes away

Kathimerini: US seeks to increase military presence in Greece due to doubts about Turkey's reliability

US Congress members call on Biden to suspend all military assistance to Azerbaijan

Armenia acting economy minister receives Montenegro's newly appointed Ambassador

Armenia MOD: Soldier killed during shootings from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha

Russian MP: Azerbaijani leadership interested in Armenia acting PM's victory in snap elections

Armenia MOD reports shooting from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha border section

Armenia opposition MP: Authorities promised to separate business from politics, but they're failing to fulfill promise

There will be post-election processes if authorities try to rig voting, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

CNN: Putin and Biden will meet on June 15-16 in Geneva

Latin America has the highest poverty rate in 20 years

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia applying to CSTO: No one will help you if you do nothing to solve your problems

Armenia ruling Civil Contract Party presents list of first 10 candidates ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Armenia acting justice minister discusses broad range of cooperation issues with top CoE official

Armenia former President Kocharyan: This guilt, this criminal article is on these authorities

Man survives after spending 17 days in desert

Azerbaijan continues course towards systematic extermination of Armenian heritage in Shushi

Armenia Syunik Province ex-governor: Azerbaijani soldiers advanced along length of border two days ago

Newly appointed Ambassador of Montenegro presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Its about bringing Karabakh issue back to right to self-determination, says Armenia ex-President Kocharyan

Iran FM to arrive in Armenia

Ara Aivazian and Austrian counterpart hold phone talks, focus on Azeri army's infiltration into Armenia's territory

Kocharyan: Elect todays political team if you are ready to live squatting

Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 30 million

2nd President Kocharyan on Armenia Security Council chief: Do you take that person seriously?

"Key" to settlement of Karabakh conflict cant be in one place, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Texas may permit carrying of pistols without special permission

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia acting PM Pashinyan's high popularity rating: We will wear it down to the root

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Election bloc format must be workable in some logical sense

Attorney: Political persecution against Robert Kocharyan is becoming more noticeable during election campaign

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: We must do everything so that our domestic politics is not dictated by Azerbaijan

Armenian acting defense minister meets Russian peacekeeping mission chief

Congress predicts US nuclear spending to reach $ 634 billion by 2030

Russian MP: The effectiveness of military cooperation with Armenia depends on Yerevan as well

Delimitation now may create some problems in Karabakh negotiation process, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan on relations with 3rd President Sargsyan: We go our own way they go their own

Judge adjourns hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM for 3 weeks

Court hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM

2nd President Kocharyan: Armenia must show that it will not be subjected to such pressures

Kocharyan: You may find yourself in stupid situations if you come to negotiations without any baggage

Armenia Investigative Committee: Criminal case opened into soldiers death

157 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

EU helps UN World Food Programme provide humanitarian assistance for conflict-affected people in Armenia

Yerevan municipal council convenes regular session

Armenia legislature speaker on situation at Syunik Province: CSTO still has procedures

Blinken arrives on his first official visit to Israel

World oil prices going up

Provincial hall issues statement on Tavush section of Armenia border with Azerbaijan

MFA statement: Azerbaijan continues to use Armenian POWs as political hostages

Newspaper: There are last-minute changes on Armenia ruling party electoral list

Armenia parliament starts regular sessions

Newspaper: Armenia 3rd President Sargsyan intensively engaged in election campaign

EU leaders call for ban on Belarus airlines flights to their countries

Quake hits Georgia, also felt in Armenia

2nd President Kocharyan: Process of obtaining Armenia citizenship shall be simplified, shall take only few months

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Appointments in army were not based on knowledge but on loyalty

Robert Kocharyan: Armenia must not go back to the past and stay there, just like the incumbent authorities did

Armenia 2nd President on recent Karabakh war, consequences and the signed document

Armenia 2nd President: Current authorities don't have remorse, aren't conscious and patriotic

Armenia 2nd President on black PR and management system in the country
Much needed festive cheer kicked off in early December when Santa arrived in Kilkenny to launch Yulefest.

Christmas lights were turned on at The Parade and a series of events, many online, took place.

Domestic violence incidents in this garda division have soared by more than 30% this year, new figures showed.

Crime

At a meeting of Kilkennys Joint Policing Committee, Garda Detective Inspector Sean OMeara provided up to date crime statistics, and said it was a cause for concern.

The only comfort we can take from that is that people now are in a position where they feel they can actually report it. Its a very difficult crime type for people to report.

He said the gardai would offer help and support.

The same meeting heard detection of drug driving was up 900% while drink driving was down about 10%.



Primary and secondary schools across Kilkenny received the good news they are to share over 1.1 million in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Grants as part of a nationwide investment.

Kilkenny County Council councillors agreed a 90 million budget for the city and county for 2021 at their annual finance meeting.

For the second year in a row, the budget was adopted unanimously.

In was announced that the rescheduled Dubai Duty Free Irish Open will take place at Mount Juliet in July 2021.

Christmas Dinners

Dozens of meals were distributed to people in need by local organisations. The Kilkenny Gospel Choir Outreach, in collaboration with the Good Shepherd Centre and the Springhill Court Hotel, delivered dinners on Christmas Day to Kilkennys homeless community.
Andrew Peterka had given up hope that he could ever grow serious facial hair. My beard history has been  a bare parking lot of hair growth, Mr. Peterka, 41, said. I am other peoples patches. Im the negative space of real men.

But stuck at his home in the suburbs of Atlanta during the pandemic, he craved an outlet for self-expression. Lacking talent in writing and painting, and wary of the permanence of tattoos, his mind returned to beards.

After entering a few queries into a search engine, he came across a thread titled Patchy Beard Success Stories on a forum called Jeffs Beard Board. In the comments, men celebrated and complimented each other, using expressions like Grow on! and Beard on!

While many corners of the internet, despite their idealistic underpinnings, continue to breed trolls and leave bad behavior unchecked, the users of Beard Board present a counternarrative to those often male-dominated spaces with their unfettered positivity. They adhere to 23 agreed-upon rules of engagement, including no discrimination, no harassment and no recommending Rogaine to promote growth.
FLINT, MI - Federal prosecutors accuse the owner and president of a Flint chemical company with dumping nearly 50 million gallons of untreated liquid drained from eight different landfills into the citys sewer system.

Robert J. Massey, the president and owner of Oil Chem Inc., 711 W. 12th St., is charged in a U.S. District Court indictment with a felony of knowing violation of the Clean Water Act.

Massey is charged with directing his employees to dispose of the landfill leachate through a hose from a tank to a sanitary sewer drain located at the Oil Chem facility, without treatment and in violation of Oil Chems wastewater discharge permit from January 2007 until October 2015, including waste from one hauler that included PCBs, according to information filed with the federal court on Dec. 21.

MLive-The Flint Journal could not immediately reach Massey, who is listed as the president of Oil Chem in 2020 paperwork filed with the state of Michigan, on Monday, Jan. 4, and court documents do not yet list an attorney for the businessman.

The docket shows Massey is scheduled to appear Jan. 14 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Curtis Ivy Jr. in the Eastern District of Michigan District Court in Flint for a plea hearing on the charge.

Information filed in the case says Massey had a wastewater discharge permit, allowing Oil Chem to dispose of treated oily wastewaters at the city of Flints wastewater treatment plant, but the company was not authorized to dump landfill leachate, which it accepted from the eight different landfills.

Leachate refers to any liquid that has percolated through or drained from a landfill and typically contains chemicals that may be hazardous to human health and the environment.

In Flint, treated wastewater is discharged into the Flint River.

On its website, Oil Chem describes itself as a globally recognized specialty lubrication manufacturer specializing in the formulation and custom blending of metalworking lubricants, industrial cleaning chemicals and maintenance oils.

We are committed to developing environmentally friendly products... we are obligated to care for the environment throughout our entire manufacturing process, the website says.

In 2016, the company was cited with 30 civil infractions by the city of Flint, which alleged misreporting of wastewater discharges and failure to report handling of industrial waste water, including waste that potentially included polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Earlier that same year, state authorities executed a search warrant at Oil Chem over suspicions the company was not properly discharging its industrial waste, according to MLive-The Flint Journal files.

The manufacture of PCBs was stopped in the United States in 1977 because of harmful effects to health and the environment, according to information the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

In the federal case against Massey, prosecutors claim Oil Chem accepted tanker truckloads of landfill leachate that were accompanied by a manifest, documenting the date of transport and volume of leachate delivered to the companys Flint facility.

The leachate dumping started in 2007 and ended in 2015, totaling 47.8 million gallons of the material, according to the court filing.

Court documents say the leachate was routinely disposed of at or around the close of business at Oil Chem, allowing the material to flow into the sanitary system overnight, using a hose to make the connection from a storage tanker.

Oil Chem discharged all or substantially all of the landfill leachate it received... to the city of Flint sanitary sewer system in this manner, the records say.

There is no claim that any PCBs went into the citys drinking supply during the 17 months the city used the Flint River as its drinking water source in parts of 2014 and 2015.

The Oil Chem facility is located downstream of the spot on the river where Flint took in water for treatment during the citys water crisis.

Read more:

Flint hits chemical company with $2.6M in fines over industrial waste

Chemical company searched over possible illegal industrial waste discharge
Re: My mask is just fine

Honest to God, cancer has not been cured yet nor has MS and a host of other medical conditions, but science is progressing and learning new ways to stop the listed conditions and possible cure them. I dont understand why you would be so critical of the different types of masks and of our health authorities learning about the virus and passing this info onto the rest of Canada and the world.

Look how fast with science they produced a vaccine and Canada has seven different companies who are producing vaccines already invested in to save Canadians. Your choice as to which one you might receive or none.



Dale Dirks, Veteran


As a gesture of goodwill and in the spirit of encouraging children to have fun and stay healthy, mentally and physically over this new and hopefully final lockdown, STARCAMP have decided to roll out their incredibly positive, fantastically fun, unique Online Camp for every single child in Ireland for FREE. "Simply to give back to the world in a time of need", Aideen O' Grady, STARCAMP's owner has stated.

On Friday, word got out about what is being described as an extremely generous and heroic offering from Starcamp in a week where children were due back to school. It instantly went viral as it spread through Facebook, instagram, parents whatsapp groups and school websites with everyone from Pippa O Connor and Todays FMs Dave Moore rowing in behind it, to school principals and teachers, child psychologists and GPs. However, the most grateful are the parents who will be able to offer their children a daily outlet filled with positivity and happiness for the week ahead  and of course the children themselves.

The intention was to sell the experience to children for the mid -term in February, but the STARCAMP team feels that every child in Ireland deserves a positive, happy, feel good kick start to a brand new year... And every parent deserves to get something for FREE after the year theyve had! (Theyve also earned some quiet time!).

Having cost thousands to create, produce and record, Aideen and her team spent weeks writing, making, and editing these 5 x 90 minute programs for children.

Contributors include Keith Barry (showing us magic tricks) and Don Conroy (giving drawing lessons) along with lots of the usual STARCAMP team who a lot of children will know from the summer and Easter camps!

The Online Camp (which can be watched over 5 days or all at once) can still be availed of by signing up to it on their website NOW at www.starcamp.ie Please go to the page Virtual Camp - Jan 21 at the top of the page, fill in your details and a link will then be emailed back to you which you can log into from Monday morning! It will be available to view until Sunday 10th January.

We hope that every child will get to enjoy what has been created for the sole purpose of making children smile and feel good!

www.starcamp.ie
If the incoming Biden administration wants to tamp down the troubling rise in military and veteran suicides, it needs a much greater focus on reaching those who may be perilously disconnected from others and who dont avail themselves of state or federal services.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., shines a light on a telling statistic. What we found is that two-thirds of these veterans who take their own lives have had no contact with the VA, he said.

As co-chairmen of an effort known as Warrior Call, our sole mission is to find ways of connecting with those men and women and to help steer them to resources and wellness before they despair and especially as COVID isolation grinds on.

We have traveled to numerous military facilities, speaking with service members, speaking with veterans  and what we have found is that there is no better person to make that connection than a former battle buddy. Thats why we are calling on active-duty service people and veterans to connect with former battle buddies and share a sense of responsibility for those with whom they have served.

All they need to do is pick up the phone and have an honest conversation. In the military we do a SITREP, a situation report, that could steer someone on the brink away from the abyss and to medical or mental health resources. Our goal is to have at least 50,000 current service members and vets pick up the phone, make a Warrior Call and connect with another by the end of the year.

Time is of the essence to make these connections. Invisible wounds linked to an underlying and undiagnosed traumatic brain injury can mirror many mental health conditions. At the same time, vets can be burdened with moral injury from their experiences. The traumas can affect and erode a persons sense of hope, leading them to disconnect from friends and family and cause some to see suicide as the only way out.

The data surrounding military suicide certainly underscores the urgency. The rate of suicide among veterans ticked upward in recent years despite increased public attention and funding on the problem, according to a new report released by Department of Veterans Affairs. After adjusting for sex and age, veterans suicide was 27.5 per 100,000 individuals in 2018, up from 25.8 per 100,000 in 2016. By comparison, among all U.S. adults, the suicide rate per 100,000 was 18.3.

In a sobering metric, more U.S. vets have died by suicide in the last 10 years than service members who died from combat in Vietnam. At the same time in the active duty force, the Army has seen a 30 percent increase in 2020 in deaths by suicide, from 88 deaths by suicide in 2019 to 114 this year, the Associated Press has reported.

The new administration and members of Congress can help in the Warrior Call effort. They can share the Warrior Call pledge on social media channels and in constituent newsletters. They can address this issue in relevant committees and during floor time. They can encourage constituents to take the pledge and participate in Warrior Call. They can prioritize those Veterans Affairs programs that help reach the silently suffering. They can make Warrior Call a national day, recognized by Congress and commemorated across America as a tool for suicide prevention.

The holiday season, coupled with the public health crisis posed by the coronavirus, creates a toxic brew of isolation for many Americans. This is especially true for our bravest men and women who are wearing or have worn the uniform to protect and serve the United States.

But amid the darkness for those who are suffering, a phone call from a warrior to another could save a life.

Frank Larkin and Leroy Petry are co-chairs of the Warrior Call initiative. Larkin is a former Navy SEAL, 40th U.S. Senate sergeant-at-arms and father of a Navy SEAL son who committed suicide. Petry is a 2011 recipient of the Medal of Honor, the nations highest military honor. They wrote this for InsideSources.com.
[January 04, 2021] Harris Williams Advises Brady Industries on its Sale to Individual FoodService

Harris Williams, a global investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, announces it advised Brady Industries (Brady), a portfolio company of A&M Capital Partners (AMCP), on its sale to Individual FoodService (IFS), a portfolio company of Kelso & Company (Kelso). Brady is a full-line janitorial supply, equipment and foodservice distributor. The transaction was led by Bob Baltimore, Graham Gillam, Pete Morgan and Maury Nolen of the Harris Williams Specialty Distribution Group. "The combination of Brady and IFS creates a leading distributor of foodservice disposables and JanSan products within a specialty distribution industry with strong investor interest for high quality assets," said Bob Baltimore, a managing director at Harris Williams. "Brady and IFS now bring together two companies that stand out for their customer service, immense product expertise, operational excellence and devoted leadership teams." "It was a pleasure working with the teams at Brady and AMCP during this transaction," added Graham Gillam, a director at Harris Williams. "We look forward to seeing what Brady accomplishes in partnership with IFS during this next chapter of growth." Brady has been pioneering the way products and solutions are delivered to cleaning and foodservice professionals since 1947. At the heart of Brady's operation is a community-minded culture driven by a workforce of more than 500 employees currntly in 26 locations throughout Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, Utah and Washington, D.C., including its original Las Vegas headquarters. Brady's approach to partnership is unique by providing integrated customer support, expertise, technical support and service across a full spectrum of customer needs including extensive facility offerings, complete dish machine and laundry machine service, equipment sales, rentals and service, and foodservice supplies. Brady provides these specialized solutions for customers in key commercial market segments including hospitality, education, healthcare, government, building service contractors and more.



AMCP is Alvarez & Marsal Capital's flagship investment strategy focused on middle market control transactions in North America with total assets under management of $1.8 billion. AMCP has a strong and referenceable track record of serving as a trusted partner to founders, corporates and management teams, providing the capital and strategic assistance required to take businesses to the next level of success. AMCP invests in businesses across a wide range of sectors including business services, industrials, manufacturing, food and beverage, healthcare, consumer and retail, government services, financial services, and energy services. Headquartered in Bell, California, IFS distributes paper, plastic, packaging, food, janitorial, sanitation and smallware products to restaurants, healthcare facilities, hospitality establishments, schools and universities, government institutions, wholesalers, food processors, and foodservice management institutions. Since its early beginnings as one of the very first Dixie cup distributors in Southern California, IFS has dedicated itself to offering a broad and unique array of goods at competitive prices with a heavy emphasis on integrity, while providing clients with excellent, honest service through comprehensive industry, product and supply chain expertise.

Kelso is one of the oldest and most established firms specializing in private equity investing. Since 1980, Kelso has invested over $15 billion of equity capital in 130 transactions. Kelso was founded by the inventor of the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and, as a result, the principles of partnership and alignment of interest serve as the foundation of the firm's investment philosophy. Kelso benefits from a successful investment track record, deep sector expertise, a long-tenured and stable investing team, and a reputation as a preferred partner to management teams and corporates. Kelso has significant experience investing in distribution, having deployed over $2 billion of equity capital in the sector. The firm is based in New York. Harris Williams, an investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, advocates for sellers and buyers of companies worldwide through critical milestones and provides thoughtful advice during the lives of their businesses. By collaborating as one firm across Industry Groups and geographies, the firm helps its clients achieve outcomes that support their objectives and strategically create value. Harris Williams is committed to execution excellence and to building enduring, valued relationships that are based on mutual trust. Harris Williams is a subsidiary of the PNC (News - Alert) Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). Harris Williams' Specialty Distribution Group has experience across a variety of sectors, including automotive and heavy duty aftermarket; building products; consumer; electrical and communications; foodservice; healthcare; industrial; and technology. For more information on the firm's Specialty Distribution Group, visit the Specialty Distribution Group's section of the Harris Williams' website. Harris Williams LLC is a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is a private limited company incorporated under English law with its registered office at 8th Floor, 20 Farringdon Street, London EC4A 4AB, UK, registered with the Registrar of Companies for England and Wales (registration number 07078852). Harris Williams & Co. Ltd is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH is registered in the commercial register of the local court of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, under HRB 107540. The registered address is Bockenheimer Landstrasse 33-35, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany (email address: hwgermany@harriswilliams.com). Geschaftsfuhrer/Directors: Jeffery H. Perkins, Paul Poggi. (VAT No. DE321666994). Harris Williams is a trade name under which Harris Williams LLC, Harris Williams & Co. Ltd and Harris Williams & Co. Corporate Finance Advisors GmbH conduct business. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005674/en/

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PARADISE, Calif. - One Paradise girl is taking a stand after she watched a goose die on New Year's Day.

"We wanted to make a stand about the fishing going on here especially the adult fishing, and not using safe equipment. There's no Canadian Geese here today after yesterday or Friday they all fled," said Isabella Villela.

Isabella Villela and her mom were at the Paradise Aquatic Park on January 1, when they saw a goose falling on the shore.

"He was just stumbling over and couldn't stand, and before we could go see what was wrong he flew in the water and we noticed a fishing lure on him," said Villela.

Villela says the lure was not like others that she has seen at the park before.

"It is one with three hooks it is pretty big," said Villela.

Villela and her mom say they called the Paradise Police, who showed up, but they did not have the proper equipment to do anything. Villela says Animal Control said they did not have anyone working, but would come to help the next day.

They say they took matters into their own hands.

"My family got the canoe out here and we put my dad in the water and he had gone out, but by the time it got there it had drown, because the hook when it was trying to get itself off had gotten attached to the beak of it," said Villela.

Action News Now spoke to Paradise Mayor Steve Crowder about the incident.

"I thought we had an animal control on duty every day, but they have been closed here in the last month or so with short staff and what have you," said Crowder.

"I want to take the next step to stop the fishing here and maybe there is something that can be done to invent a fishing hook that doesn't hurt the animals at all and is environment friendly," said Villela.

Villela says she is going to look into every single option she can because the pond is a place she feels connected to after the fire.

Mayor Steve Crowder says this is unacceptable and he will be looking into why Animal Control was not available.
[January 04, 2021] First BanCorp. Announces Payment of Dividends on Preferred Stock

First BanCorp. (the "Corporation") (NYSE: FBP), the bank holding company for FirstBank Puerto Rico, announced today that its Board of Directors has declared the following monthly cash dividends on its outstanding shares of Series A through E Noncumulative Perpetual Monthly Income Preferred Stock (the "Preferred Stock"):







Series Annual Dividend Rate (%) Monthly Dividend Per Share Outstanding Shares Record Date Payment Date A 7.125% $0.14843750 197,386 January 28, 2021 February 1, 2021 B 8.35% $0.17395800 296,146 January 15, 2021 February 1, 2021 C 7.40% $0.15416670 249,852 January 15, 2021 February 1, 2021 D 7.25% $0.15104167 285,522 January 15, 2021 February 1, 2021 E 7.00% $0.14583330 415,240 January 15, 2021 February 1, 2021

About First BanCorp. First BanCorp. is the parent corporation of FirstBank Puerto Rico, a state-chartered commercial bank with operations in Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Florida, and of FirstBank Insurance Agency, LLC. Among the subsidiaries of FirstBank Puerto Rico are First Federal Finance Limited Liability Company and First Express, Inc., both small loan companies. First BanCorp's shares of common stock trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FBP." Safe Harbor This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" concerning the Corporation. The words or phrases "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "look forward," "should," "would," "believes" and similar expressions are meant to identify "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are subject to the safe harbor created by such sections. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Corporation's ability to declare dividends on the Corporation's Preferred Stock in any future periods. Such statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and contingencies that may cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations, intentions, beliefs, plans, estimates or predictions of the future expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and contingencies include, but are not limited to the factors described in the Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K, in its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in other filings with the SEC (News - Alert) . The Corporation does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to update any "forward-looking statements" to reflect occurrences or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements, except as required by the federal securities laws. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005029/en/

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With the possible exception of Yoko Ono, no human being ever spent more time unclothed in the company of John Lennon than a buxom Liverpudlian by the name of June Furlong.

Renowned for her comely smile and deep brown eyes, she was perhaps the most prolific life model of a generation, disrobing for more than 25,000 artists.

Her career spanned six decades and took her to the studios of Francis Bacon, Augustus John, Frank Auerbach and Lucian Freud, who described her as 'an exotic creature with a deep, penetrating mind'.

Yet it was her chum Lennon who perhaps owed her the greatest debt after she talked him down from taking his own life in the summer of 1958, when he was an unknown art student.

The duo had developed a close friendship at the Liverpool College of Art where she made a living posing for life drawing classes.

It was here that one day she came across a 17-year-old Lennon standing in front of an open lift shaft, having just learned of his beloved mother Julia's death in a road accident.

With the possible exception of Yoko Ono, no human being ever spent more time unclothed in the company of John Lennon than a buxom Liverpudlian by the name of June Furlong (pictured)

She managed to persuade him to walk away, and got one of his tutors to send him home in a taxi with a bottle of whisky.

On another occasion, Furlong helped convince Lennon, ten years her junior, that his band ought to sign a management contract with a businessman called Brian Epstein.

'He came in and he said to me he'd met this fellow called Epstein,' she recalled. 'He said he wants to manage us. I said to him: 'What have you got to lose?' He cracked up laughing . . . and said: 'Yeah, that's right what have we got to lose?' '

The band signed the very next day. 'He didn't realise what was going to happen after that. He thought it was a bit of a laugh. And then of course the rest is history.'

Furlong, who has died at the age of 90, also posed naked for another Beatle and art student at the college. Stuart 'Stu' Sutcliffe, the band's original bassist, played with The Beatles in Hamburg before leaving to pursue his career as an artist. He died from a brain haemorrhage at the age of 21.

June and Lennon had quickly struck up a friendship after he'd walked into one of her life-drawing sessions and asked if it would be 'all right' to draw her, to which June replied: 'Get yourself an easel.' Lennon stayed for several hours, and would return, day after day.

She memorably described her first encounter with him in an interview: he was 'just a Liverpudlian, stinking of fish and chips, before the charisma arrived', she said.

Her career spanned six decades and took her to the studios of Francis Bacon, Augustus John, Frank Auerbach and Lucian Freud, who described her as 'an exotic creature with a deep, penetrating mind'. Pictured: Ms Furlong now

He was, she said, 'a bit of a rebel'.

'If he didn't like history of art, he'd just walk out of that lesson and he'd come into the life room. He'd conduct things as if it was a big cocktail party, and the group who were trying to get their drawings right would say: 'Shut up and sit down and draw.' And he'd say to me: 'I'll be back, I'm going next door to see Paul [McCartney]'.'

Lennon would invite her to listen to his latest songs during lunch breaks. 'I used to look at him and think: where will your talent take you? Where will you go? You'll either hit the bottom or you'll hit the top. There'll be nothing in between for you.'

Furlong was a working-class girl from a modest background, who had entered the professional art world aged 17, when she met the Liverpool artist Don McKinlay at a local advertising agency.

He suggested she might like to earn some extra cash as a life model at the art college. It was, she soon discovered, her vocation and she sat for artists until the mid-1990s. 'I walked into the college aged 17 and walked out again aged 65,' she said.

'I only stopped because I was getting tired. It's physically exhausting, it had nothing to do with my body. There were good drawings of me older, as my figure changed, just as there were good ones of me younger. You can look good at 17 or 70, but equally you can look awful, it really isn't about age. It's not what you do in this life, it's the way that you do it.'

Yet it was her chum Lennon (pictured in 1960) who perhaps owed her the greatest debt after she talked him down from taking his own life in the summer of 1958, when he was an unknown art student

June was never embarrassed undressing in front of strangers. However she hated being described as a nude model.

'Nudity has such sleazy connotations,' she said. 'It conjures up pictures of those awful pouting girls in the tabloids and gives completely the wrong impression of the art world I was involved in.'

Nakedness was strictly professional: 'If you were self-conscious you just wouldn't do it,' she said, adding: 'In an art college people have only one thing on their mind: getting that drawing done . . .'

Her peers were women of all ages and shapes, none of whom were necessarily sexualised, she said.

'There was one huge, fat woman, but there was character there too, real personality and that was what counted. If you look at Rembrandt's paintings they're superb, but they're not young, slim women  that's Page Three girls, not real models.'

June Furlong was born and lived for almost her entire life on Falkner Street, a now famous, listed Georgian terrace that has been the subject of a BBC2 documentary called A House Through Time, presented by historian David Olusoga.

In the programme, June recalled how during World War II air raids, her family would all cower in their Morrison Shelter, with their Bullmastiff and its pups. In May 1941, an incendiary bomb fell through their home's roof, but her parents put out the fire with sandbags.

When she began life modelling in the late 1940s, Furlong soon found she had a peculiar ability to remain still for extended periods, even in the unheated studios of the era. She was also famously punctual.

Her years in Liverpool were only briefly interrupted by a spell in London in her early 20s, when she modelled at the Royal College of Art, Central Saint Martins and the Slade School of Fine Art where she became chummy with Lucian Freud who was teaching there.

Frank AuerBach and Francis Bacon painted her as students, and she was also friends with fellow Liverpudlian, the critic and jazz musician George Melly.

After she had returned to Liverpool, her friendships with the hottest names in British art were a source of fascination for the young John Lennon. 'He used to talk to me for hours about them, and used to come up here to my house inviting me out to parties,' she said.

On one occasion, he borrowed her grandmother's old pink corset and diamante necklace to wear in a student production of Cinderella, in which he played an ugly sister.

'And he came back with every bit of stuff I'd lent him,' she said.

In later years, she staged exhibitions for some of Liverpool's most famous artists and holidayed in Majorca each summer with painter (and confirmed bachelor) George Wallace Jardine, one of her closest friends.

The late Liverpool poet and painter Adrian Henri dubbed her 'as constant as the Liver birds'.

But unlike other famous muses, she never acquired much valuable artwork, or cashed in on her connections. Contemplating her friendship with Lennon, she once said: 'If I'd kept all the letters he sent me, I'd be in blooming South Kensington now, I tell you.'

'People say to me now: 'You've led a Bohemian life, haven't you?' ' she said in one of her final interviews. 'Well as far as I know, anyone who sets out to lead a Bohemian life lands in the gutter. I was just trying to keep going.'
ALTON  Centerstone is providing a counselor to work with Alton Police on mental health-related calls.

The counselor position collaborates with Alton Police to connect people with local resources.

There has been top-down support from APD since day one, which has helped to make this program successful, said Regina Plummer, EDA counselor with Centerstone.

Jarrett M. Ford, Interim Alton Deputy Chief of Police, said working with Centerstone to start the Community Response Team program has been a blessing.

In many situations where police encounter a person with mental health issues, a police officer will often take the person to an emergency room. At that point, the emergency room staff will call in a mental health crisis assessor to help connect the individual with mental health resources.

Our partnership has allowed us to collaborate on how we can best respond to meet the needs of our community, and often working together leads to better outcomes for those we serve, says Brittany Pinnon-Becker, clinical manager at Centerstone.

For more information about Centerstone visit centerstone.org/connect-with-us or call 1-877- HOPE123 (1-877-467-3123).
President-elect Joe Biden will receive a shortened military escort to the White House instead of the traditional inaugural parade that stretches from the U.S. Capitol after his swearing-in on Jan. 20, his inaugural committee said Sunday.

The inaugural festivities will also include a formal review of troops and a made-for-television Virtual Parade Across America" featuring musical acts, marching bands, poetry, dance troupes and essential workers.

The scaled-down inaugural plans represent another concession to the coronavirus pandemic as Bidens inaugural planners balance health and safety concerns with the pageantry of the constitutional ceremony.

There are many grand traditions to the inaugural, and we plan to honor them by highlighting more of our nations people than ever before while keeping everyone safe," Presidential Inaugural Committee CEO Tony Allen said in a statement.

The inaugural planners have urged Biden supporters not to travel to Washington for the ceremony. Tickets to the swearing-in are available only to members of Congress and their guests, and workers are taking down the temporary grandstands for dignitaries to view the traditional parade that extends down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House.

Instead, the new commander-in-chief will conduct a socially distant pass in review" of troops from every branch of the military on the East front of the Capitol. Ceremonial units will then escort Biden from 15th Street NW to White House, which intersects 16th Street.

The virtual parade will be produced by the same team that put together the all-virtual Democratic National Convention in August, which used short videos from across the country in place of the traditional Roll Call of the States to nominate Biden as the Democratic nominee for president.

The announcement of the celebration to come in three weeks was released as Republicans prepare to launch a quixotic yet controversial effort to challenge the election results when Congress meets Wednesday to certify Biden as the winner of the election.

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Chinese billionaire and Alibaba founder Jack Ma is suspected missing after vanishing from the public eye for more than two months, The Telegraph, UK reported. This comes amid his deepening conflict with the Chinese government.

A former English teacher, Ma is considered one of Chinas internet pioneers, building an ecommerce empire with Alibaba and a fintech giant with the Ant Group.

He was to appear as a judge in the final episode of his own talent show, Africas Business Heroes' but he did not turn up. Consequently, his photos were reportedly removed from the shows website. The show provides African entrepreneurs the chance to compete for a slice of $1.5 million prize money.

Due to a schedule conflict Mr Ma could no longer be part of the finale judge panel of Africas Business Heroes earlier this year (2020), an Alibaba spokesperson was quoted as saying.

In recent months, Mas Ant Group has come under scrutiny after he delivered a controversial speech in Shanghai on October 24. In the speech, Ma had criticised Chinas regulations for stifling innovation.

Chinese banks, he said, operated with a pawnshop mentality.

Several senior financial regulatory officials were furious at Mas criticism, two sources had told Reuters earlier, with one source characterising the speech as a punch in their faces.

Also read (MC Pro): Why China turned against Jack Ma

The following month, Chinese officials reprimanded Ma and suspended Ant Groups planned blockbuster $37-billion initial public offering (IPO).

State regulators also started compiling reports including one on how Ant had used digital financial products like Huabei, a virtual credit card service, to encourage poor and young people to build up debt, reports said.

The general office of the State Council reportedly compiled a report on public sentiment about Mas speech and submitted it to senior leaders including President Xi Jinping.
NBC host Chuck Todd ripped into Republican Sen Ron Johnson of Wisconsin for supporting an eleventh-hour plot to overturn Joe Biden's election victory.

Johnson is part of a group of 12 senators and senators-elect who have vowed to file objections when Congress meets to tally Biden's 306-232 Electoral College victory over Donald Trump on Wednesday.

The senator sought to defend the so-called 'Dirty Dozen' during an appearance on Meet the Press on Sunday, where he told host Todd that their efforts were justifiable based on the 'tens of millions of people' who believe voter fraud unfairly skewed the results in Biden's favor.

'We are not acting to thwart the democratic process, we're acting to protect it,' Johnson said as he argued that a commission needs to be set up to investigate allegations of fraud.

Todd swiftly rejected Johnson's claims, arguing that people doubt the election results because Trump and his allies have peddled their claims of fraud so loudly.

'You have failed to offer specific evidence of that widespread fraud,' Todd said, citing the nearly 60 legal challenges filed on Trump's behalf that have failed to make headway in court.

'But you're demanding an investigation on the grounds that there is widespread fraud. So essentially, you're the arsonist here. President Trump is the arsonist here.

'You've started this fire and now you're saying: "Whoa, look at this! Oh my god! All these people believe what we told them!" because you didn't have the guts to tell the truth that this election was fair.'

NBC host Chuck Todd (left) ripped into Republican Sen Ron Johnson of Wisconsin (right) on Sunday for supporting an eleventh-hour plot to overturn Joe Biden's election victory

Johnson hit back by saying that Democrats started the cycle of mistrust at the beginning of Trump's term by refusing to accept him as president.

'Chuck, this fire was started back in, your know, January of 2017,' he said. 'This started when the mainstream media dropped pretense of being unbiased.'

He started to say something about the media ignoring the investigation of Hunter Biden before Todd cut him off.

'Senator, all right. I've had enough of hearing this,' the host said.

'No, listen, I've had enough of this, too,' Johnson shot back.

President Donald Trump's legal team has failed to produce evidence of voter fraud across nearly 60 lawsuits since the election

The tense exchange escalated with the pair talking over each other before Todd eventually reclaimed the microphone with a blistering question about Johnson's motivations.

'Listen, I'm curious, senator, you've spent much of your time in the last two years carrying a lot of crazy conspiratory water for President Trump,' he said.

'You've used your committee to sort of create the illusion of voter fraud as you described earlier because there are "allegations".

'I'm trying to understand here what are you doing it for? You're not trying to overturn the election you just said. Are you simply trying to curry favor with constituents of the president's? Is that what this is about, a political ploy?'

Johnson replied: 'I'm trying to be transparent. You know, one of the things we found out in our hearing is the basic allegations kind of fall into three categories. The first is the violation over the enforcement of election law. There is voter fraud there.

'We had one witness talk about 42,000 people voting twice in Nevada. The other issue -'

Todd interjected: 'Just because you have somebody say it didn't make it true.'

Johnson tried to continue but Todd cut him off again, saying: 'Stop. You don't get to make allegations that haven't been proven true.'

Johnson got increasingly frustrated as he tried to explain how the so-called 'Dirty Dozen's efforts to overturn the election results are justifiable based on the 'tens of millions of people' who believe voter fraud unfairly skewed the race in Biden's favor

The senator then decried how his groups' concerns have been dismissed as 'quackery and conspiracy' and again insisted that an investigation is necessary.

'There is a double standard and we're not being transparent and dismissing the concerns of tens of millions of American,' he said.

'Again, I didn't light this fire. This fire was lit over four years ago and we've destroyed the credibility, you have destroyed the credibility of the news media by your bias.'

Todd pushed back by asking Johnson if he would investigate other outlandish conspiracy theories regarding the moon landing or the 9/11 attacks - further frustrating the senator.

The interview ended on a tense note - with Todd thanking Johnson for agreeing to come on the show.

In addition to Johnson, 11 other senators and senators-elect are planning to block the certification of Biden's victory this week: Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, James Lankford, Steve Daines, John Kennedy, Marsha Blackburn, Mike Braun, Cynthia Lummis, Tommy Tuberville, Bill Hagerty, and Roger Marshall.

Their efforts have driven a wedge into the Republican party as several colleagues - including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell - have urged them to let the certification go forward so as not to hurt the party down the line.

DIRTY DOZENS: The senators planning to file election results include (from left to right) Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Ron Johnson and James Lankford

Senators Steve Daines, John Kennedy, Marsha Blackburn, Mike Braun also joined Cruz's faction

Also joining Cruz were incoming Senators (left to right) Cynthia Lummis, Tommy Tuberville, Bill Hagerty, and Roger Marshall, all of whom were sworn in as senators on Sunday

Former House Speaker Paul Ryan, of Johnson's home state of Wisconsin, joined the criticism in a rare statement on Sunday.

Ryan, who left Congress in 2019, said that it 'is difficult to conceive of a more anti-democratic and anti-conservative act than a federal intervention to overturn the results of state-certified elections and disenfranchise millions of Americans.'

He also urged the lawmakers to reconsider, saying: 'The fact that this effort will fail does not mean it will not do significant damage to American democracy.'

Former House Speaker Paul Ryan admonished fellow Republicans Sunday in a rare statement that called GOP efforts to challenge Biden's win 'anti-democratic and anti-conservative'

A bipartisan group of 10 senators - including four Republicans - also pushed back against the group's planned protests Sunday, authoring a statement urging Congress to certify the election results.

Republican Sens Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Mitt Romney of Utah all signed on to the statement, which said 'it is time to move forward.'

'The 2020 election is over. All challenges through recounts and appeals have been exhausted,' the group's letter read in part.

'At this point, further attempts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 Presidential election are contrary to the clearly expressed will of the American people and only serve to undermine Americans' confidence in the already determined election results.'

Trump allies Sen Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, both also spoke out Sunday, insisting Cruz and co.'s attempts to stop the certification of the Electoral College 'will go nowhere'.

The objections will force votes in both the House and Senate, but none are expected to prevail.
Tourism operators, local MPs and the federal opposition are calling for a national border agreement to stop the states go-it-alone approach after the latest outbreaks in Victoria and NSW, urging the federal government not to vacate the field.

The reintroduction of hard state borders has sparked warnings that the nations tourism industry will lose billions of dollars, while many Victorians have been left stranded in NSW.

The NSW-Victoria border has been slammed shut. Credit:Jason Robins

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday that states and territories were ultimately responsible for any outbreaks of COVID-19 and "we must respect their jurisdictional authority".

Australian Tourism and Industry Council executive director Simon Westaway said "we dont want the federal government to give up here".
Dublin, Jan. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Food Safety Testing Market (by Contaminants, Pathogens, Type of Food Tested, Technology/Method, Region), Impact of COVID-19, Company Profiles - Forecast to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global food safety testing market is predicted to reach nearly US$ 27 Billion by 2026, owing to continual increase in number of food-borne disease outbreaks, increasingly stringent regulations on food safety, globalization of food trade, sustained number of food recalls, among others. Food safety is an important consideration for everyone in the food chain, from producers, suppliers, and vendors right through to the consumer. Food contamination now-a-days is quickly becoming a worldwide issue, that is raising the concern for adequate food safety testing methods and procedures. Food safety is threatened by microbial pathogens, viruses, toxins, genetically modified organism content, pesticides, food allergens and others. Food-related queries and complaints are continuously rising with time, which reflects a growing concern of government authorities and consumers. These reasons put a huge pressure on food companies to ensure food safety.



The COVID-19 disease has infected over 78.3 Million people worldwide. The number is still growing, and the duration of the pandemic is still difficult to predict. The reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on societies and economies around the world cannot be understated. COVID-19 has caused disruptions to the food supply chains around the world and raised concerns about food security. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, people across the globe are demanding safer food for consumption as a precautionary measure. Thus, with rising demand for safer food, the food safety testing market is expected to propel in coming years.



This report provides a comprehensive assessment of the fast-evolving, high-growth global food safety testing market.



This report has been analyzed from 11 viewpoints:



1. Global - Food Safety Testing Market and Forecast (2008 - 2026)

2. Impact of COVID-19 on Global Food Safety Testing Market

3. Global - Food Safety Testing Market Share and Forecast (2010 - 2026)

4. Global Food Safety Testing Market and Forecast - By Contaminant (2010 - 2026)

5. Global Food Safety Testing Market and Forecast - By Pathogen (2010 - 2026)

6. Global Food Safety Testing Market and Forecast - By Food Type (2015 - 2026)

7. Food Safety Testing Market and Forecast - Regional Analysis (2013 - 2026)

8. Global Food Safety Testing Market and Forecast - By Method / Technology (2012 - 2026)

9. Global Food Safety Testing Market - Major Acquisitions (2004 - 2019)

10. Global Food Safety Testing Market and Forecast - Key Players Analysis

11. Global Food Safety Testing Market - Growth Drivers and Challenges



By Contaminants - Global Food Safety Testing Market and Forecast



1. Pathogens

2. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

3. Toxins

4. Pesticides

5. Other (Food Allergens and Chemical Residues)



By Pathogens - Global Food Safety Testing Market and Forecast



1. Salmonella

2. E-Coli

3. Listeria

4. Campylobacter

5. Others



By Food Type - Global Food Safety Testing Market and Forecast



1. Meat and Poultry

2. Dairy and Dairy Products

3. Processed Food

4. Fruits and Vegetables

5. Others (Cereals, Grains and Sauce)



By Region - Food Safety Testing Market and Forecast



1. North America

2. Central and South America

3. Western Europe

4. Eastern Europe

5. Japan

6. China

7. Rest of Asia Pacific

8. Middle East and Africa



By Method / Technology - Global Food Safety Testing Market and Forecast



1. Traditional Microbiology

2. Immunodiagnostics

3. Molecular Diagnostics

4. Analytical Chemistry



Global Food Safety Testing Market - Company Profiles



1. Agilent Technologies

2. bioMerieux SA

3. DuPont

4. 3M

5. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc

6. Bio-Rad

7. SGS SA

8. Eurofins

9. Intertek

10. Bureau Veritas

11. Neogen Corporation





For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/yrdgnk

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
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In celebration of eighteen years at Enter Stage Right -- Bionote of Mark Wegierski By Mark Wegierski

Mark Wegierski was born of Polish immigrant parents, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He attended the local public school, Swansea Public School, until Grade 5. (He had also attended Kindergarten at the same site.) He still has fond memories of the crusty old teachers at Swansea, notably Miss Cochrane (his Grade 1 teacher), Mrs. MacIntyre, and Miss Little (his Grade 5 teacher). He completed three grades in two years, and thus entered Grade 5 after three years of grade school. He attended St. Pius X Separate (Catholic) School for Grade 6 (an old- school nun, Sister Hermann, was his teacher), and James Culnan Separate (Catholic) School for Grade 7. Being a year younger than most of the students in Grade 7 at James Culnan, he faced considerable bullying in that year. His problems were aggravated by the fact it was a semi- experimental open concept school with so-called classrooms without walls. Those kinds of faddish concepts were quite popular in the official school systems at that time, and the Separate school system wanted to prove they were just as progressive as the Public one. The unpleasantness at James Culnan was a powerful motivator behind his successfully writing the competitive examination for entry into the University of Toronto Schools. He was writing for entrance into Grade 7, for which he was the appropriate age. He had previously written the examination from Grade 6 (for Grade 7 at UTS), but had not succeeded at the first try. Mark Wegierski completed his Ontario Secondary School Honour Graduation Diploma (OSSHGD) at the University of Toronto Schools (UTS), a unique public/private model laboratory school linked for a number of years to the Faculty of Education, University of Toronto (FEUT), as well as to the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). UTS had been founded in 1910. The plural in the name of the school derives from the fact that originally, a separate school for girls had also been proposed, though it didnt materialize. Eventually, however, UTS became a co-educational school. After writing the competitive examination, Mark Wegierski began in Grade 7 in September 1973 (as part of the regularized, enriched/intensive six-year program at UTS). His year of intake was the first co-educational one at the UTS  where half of the available places were allotted to females  hence he was especially fortunate to have been accepted in that year, when there were 50 percent less spaces available for males. At that time, UTS was admitting a total of about 70 students a year. There were usually ten to twenty times the number of candidates writing the exam, as there were places available. His studies continued into Grade 8, and then four years of study, then equivalent to the then-standard in Ontario five years of Grades 9-13. (At UTS, there was at that time, a system of designation of Levels I-IV.) He graduated as part of the Class of 79 (in June 1979), as an Ontario Scholar. He also won the DuVernet Award for Best Essay in Senior-Year Philosophy. Among some fond memories of UTS were his participation in the Southern Ontario Model (United Nations) Assembly (SOMA), especially the occasion when he was part of a two-man delegation representing the Republic of Peru. His most memorable teachers (among several others) were probably Norah Maier (English), Neil Maclean (History), Lynda Duckworth (Geography), Stewart Bull (English and History), Fred Speed (Science), and Dr. W. R. H. Montgomery (English and Philosophy). In June 1974, Mark Wegierski achieved his Graduation Diploma (Grade 8) of the Tadeusz Kosciuszko (Saturday) Polish School (Toronto), Polish Alliance of Canada, with an over-all result of Very Good (5). He had completed the equivalent of 8 grades in six years. Also, during the summer of 1975, Mark Wegierski had completed a Polish Ethnography Study Program (235 hours/college level) based in Kielce, Poland, for which he received a Diploma. In August 1975, he received an Honourary Diploma for Participation in the First Polish Poetry and Prose Dramatic Recital Festival for Persons of Polish Descent Living Abroad, held in Torun, Poland. In August 1977, he received a Diploma of Recognition for Propagating the Beauty of the Polish Language and Popularizing Polish Literature, at the Second Polish Poetry and Prose Dramatic Recital Festival for Persons of Polish Descent Living Abroad, also held in Torun, Poland. Having successfully completed his studies at UTS, Mark Wegierski was accepted into St. Michaels College at the University of Toronto, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) with distinction, with a double Major in History and English Literature (1979-1983). The degree also included courses in International Relations, Political Science, Philosophy, and Modern Languages. He managed to take two courses with the world-renowned literary critic H. Northrop Frye. This was followed by a Master of Arts (M.A.) in History (1983-1984), at the University of Toronto, focusing on International Relations, Modern and East-Central Europe, and the History of Ideas. He fondly remembers Professor Peter de B. Brock, the longtime East European studies scholar at the University of Toronto, as well as Professor Modris Eksteins, the cultural historian (author of the highly-acclaimed, Rites of Spring: The Great War and the Birth of the Modern Age). In 1983-1984, Mark Wegierski was a Founding and Executive Member (Cultural Affairs), of the University of Toronto Polish Club, an attempt to establish the presence of a dynamic Polish students and faculty organization at the University of Toronto. Subsequently, Mark Wegierski completed a Master of Library Science (M.L.S.) (1985-1987) at the University of Toronto, focusing on Collection Development in academic, and public reference libraries; Archives; and Rare Books. The degree included core library subjects (reference, cataloguing, and collection development); computer applications; statistics; management studies; analytical/historical bibliography; archival theory; history of books and print; and social/informational environment analysis. A memorable occasion at the University of Toronto was his participation in a model United Nations Assembly, when he powerfully represented the Republic of El Salvador. In 1982-1985, Mark Wegierski was highly active in a University of Toronto political party association, and was a University of Toronto Model Parliament Member of Parliament for four consecutive years. In the annual Model Parliament election, campus political party associations received seats (out of a total of 100 seats) in a model Canadian House of Commons, or a model Ontario Provincial Parliament (in alternating years), according to the percentage of the student vote received (all University of Toronto students were eligible to vote). Generally, a partys caucus was selected from the campus association membership by the executive  with the President of the association being the party leader; the Speaker of the Parliament was an actual prominent politician; there were several officers-of-parliament (student volunteers); and the Model Parliament was scheduled to meet for three days at Hart House, typically Friday-Sunday. In 1989, Mark Wegierski took the course, Online Information Retrieval: An Introduction at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Library and Information Science (FLIS), Continuing Education. In 1990, he took courses (two days each) in WordPerfect 5.0; dBase III+; and DOS/WP/Lotus/dBase Intro. On January 17, 1991, Mark Wegierski placed first out of 54 persons in a branch-wide Management Skills Exercise (Division Support Branch, Computer and Telecommunication Services Division, Ontario Ministry of Government Services). Also, in 1991, Mark Wegierski completed a Records Management Seminar (7 sessions  21 hours in total), from RIM Services Inc., Toronto. In January to March 1992, he took the WordPerfect 5.1 course (Winter 1992), at the Toronto Board of Education, Western Technical-Commercial School, Evening School. In 1995-1996, Mark Wegierski was an Adviser for a provincial riding association in Toronto. In 1996-1997, Mark Wegierski was Vice-President and Acting President of a federal riding association in Toronto. Mark Wegierski returned to studies at the University of Toronto, School of Continuing Studies, in 1998, with three Writing seminars. He then studied at Ryerson University, G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, with four Creative Writing Workshop courses in 1999-2004. In 2000, he participated in the prestigious Taddle Creek Summer Writers Workshop (four days) (with well-known Canadian science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer as his instructor) at Hart House, University of Toronto, School of Continuing Studies. On August 29, 2004, Mark Wegierski attended the official local ceremony of Polish-German reconciliation and the unveiling of a commemorative monument to both Polish and German victims of World War II, in Nieszawa, Poland (near Torun in the Kuyavia-Pomerania voivodeship). In 2005, he achieved the Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing at the Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCAPA), The Humber School for Writers (an eight-month program). In 2004-2009, he achieved the Certificate in Creative Writing at the University of Toronto, School of Continuing Studies. Among other courses taken, he received a grade of Honours  equivalent to 90% or higher  in the Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction course taught by Caitlin Sweet, a noted Canadian fantasy and science fiction author. In 2007-2009, he participated in eight sessions of the Humber Writers Circle, at Humber College, The Humber School for Writers. Each session lasted 135 minutes, and included an hour-long lecture, and 75 minutes during which the first pages of up to twenty participants, previously submitted electronically, were given quick flash assessments. In 2013, he took a three-month Online Mentorship with Caitlin Sweet, a noted Canadian fantasy and science fiction author, at the University of Toronto, School of Continuing Studies. Mark Wegierski has been published in the scholarly journals Review of Metaphysics (Washington, D.C.), Telos (New York), This World: Religion and Public Life, and Politeja (Krakow: Jagiellonian University), among others. He has appeared in Polish in the scholarly collection, Literatura polska w Kanadzie (Polish literature in Canada) (Katowice: University of Silesia, 2010). In Canada, he has appeared in the popular publications Alberta Report, Books in Canada, Catholic Insight (Toronto), Convivium, The Interim, and The Next City, among others, as well as in the mass-circulation newspapers, Calgary Herald, Ottawa Citizen, The Hill Times (Ottawa), Saint John Telegraph-Journal (New Brunswick Reader), and Windsor Star. He has also appeared in the French-language, Quebec-based journal, Egards (Considerations). In the United States, he has appeared in the popular magazines, The American Conservative (online only), American Enterprise, American Outlook, Chronicles, The World & I, and World Magazine, among others, and in the mass-circulation newspaper Providence Journal (RI). His article about Canada was reprinted in Annual Editions: World Politics, 1998-99 (Dushkin/McGraw-Hill, 1998), a major college/university reader. Mark Wegierski has extensively appeared in Polish-Canadian and Polish-American publications  including Goniec (Polish Messenger), Polonez: Canadian-Polish News, Nowy Kurier (New Courier), Gazeta (Gazette), Glos Polski (Polish Voice), Zwiazkowiec (The Alliancer), and Polish American Journal. He also appeared once in a Polish-Australian newspaper, and frequently in popular magazines, mass-circulation newspapers, and some e-zines in Poland  including Arcana (Krakow), Gazeta Polska (Polish Gazette), Miedzynarodowy Przeglad Polityczny (International Political Review), Mysl Polska (Polish Thought), Najwyzszy Czas (The Time is Now), Nowe Panstwo (The New State), Nowe Sprawy Polityczne (New Political Affairs), Obywatel (The Citizen) (Lodz), Opcja na Prawo (The Option on the Right) (Wroclaw), and Zielone Brygady: Pismo Ekologow (Green Brigades: Ecologists Journal). He published two special authors issues of Zielone Brygady. He has also appeared in the British publications, Salisbury Review, Right Now, and the revived Quarterly Review, as well as in the German weekly, Junge Freiheit (Young Freedom). In 2017, his poem was published in the collection Full Stop (Warsaw, Poland: IRF [Interdisciplinary Research Foundation] Press), pp. 37-39. Since April 2002, Mark Wegierski has continuously appeared in various recognized webzines, posting on the Internet approximately once every 7 days since that time. Some more recent academic conferences where his paper was delivered include: Transatlantic Encounters (University of Lodz) 2008; Sir Thomas More Colloquium (Polonia University in Czestochowa) 2010; Conservatism: Made in USA (Catholic University of Lublin) 2010; American Political Science Association (APSA) Annual Meeting 2010 (Washington, D.C.); Polish Association for the Study of English (PASE): 2010 (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan  Kalisz Campus), 2011 (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun); Poisoned Cornucopia Conference (University of Opole) 2012; Polish Association for American Studies (PAAS) 2013 (University of Wroclaw); Fantastic Literature Conference (University of Lodz): 2012, 2014, 2016; Media in America (Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin) 2017; Telos Conference: 2012 (LAquila, Italy), 2017 (National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia); Shapes of Futures (University of Bielsko-Biala) 2019; Polish Association for Canadian Studies (PACS) Congress: 2013 (Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan), 2019 (University of Lodz). Some other recent academic and association conferences (attendance only) include the APSA Annual Meeting 2009 (Toronto); Canadian Creative Writers and Writing Programs (CCWWP) 2012 (Humber College  Lakeshore Campus, Toronto); Freedom Press Canada Symposium: Spring 2013 (Toronto), Spring 2014 (Toronto); Canadian Constitution Foundation (Toronto Conference): 2008, 2009, 2017; the Canadian Writers Summit (CCWWP and other writers and publishers associations) (Harbourfront Centre, Toronto): 2016, 2018; Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) (Harbourfront Centre, Toronto) 2018; Civitas Canada: 2009 (Toronto), 2014 (Toronto), 2019 (Toronto); and the George Jonas Freedom Awards 2019 (Toronto). Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher.

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Emma Stone has been spotted cradling her burgeoning belly while out on a walk in Los Angeles.

The A-list actress, 32, still has yet to address widespread rumors she's expecting a baby with husband Dave McCary, who she married in secret last year. However, a source told E! News that Stone is indeed expecting.

'Emma is pregnant and just loves married life!', the source said.

The ultra-private Hollywood star didn't hide her growing belly as exclusive DailyMail.com photos show she appears heavily pregnant with her first child.

Emma Stone was seen on a walk in Los Angeles with a friend on December 30 and appeared to be cradling her large belly

The A-list actress, 32, still has yet to confirm widespread rumors she's expecting a baby with husband Dave McCary, whom she married in secret last year but a source told E! News she is indeed pregnant

The sighting comes after it was revealed last month that Stone had dropped out of an upcoming film featuring Brad Pitt

The Easy A actress kept it casual, sleek and safe for her walk on December 30 around Los Angeles

She wore an all black outfit with leggings and a tight flitted shirt that accentuated her belly, with a cap and sneakers

Emma Stone wore a mask and held a reusable water bottle as she kept up with her female friend

The Easy A actress kept it casual and sleek for her walk on December 30.

She wore an all black outfit with leggings and a tight flitted shirt that accentuated her belly, with a cap and sneakers.

Stone wore an evolvetogether face mask and held a reusable water bottle as she kept up with her female friend. Every now and then she would pull down the mask for some fresh air or a sip of water.

Reps for Stone refused to comment when approached by DailyMail.com.

The sighting comes after it was revealed last month that Stone had dropped out of an upcoming film featuring Brad Pitt.

Stone was slated to play the lead in La La Land director Damien Chazelle's Old Hollywood epic Babylon.

She left the cast after an apparent scheduling conflict. But perhaps the 'conflict' is taking time to raise her first child.

According to Deadline, Australian actress Margot Robbie, 30, is now being lined up by producers to swiftly replace Stone.

The movie was supposed to begin filming in Los Angeles before the coronavirus pandemic put a halt to plans, so it's likely the change in filming dates created a conflict.

Distributed by Paramount, Babylon is currently slated for a Christmas Day 2021 release.

Stone wore a white mask on her walk to protect herself from Covid-19 as pregnant women could be at higher risk of contracting the virus

Emma Stone left the cast of an upcoming Brad Pitt film after an apparent scheduling conflict

The 32-year-old put her growing bump on display on December 30, making it hard to deny that she is expecting her first child

Stone and her husband are notoriously private after marrying in secret last year

Emma met the former segment director on Saturday Night Live back in 2016 when she hosted the late-night sketch show

Stone and husband Dave McCary are notoriously private with their personal life.

In September, DailyMail.com spotted the couple wearing matching gold bands on their ring fingers as they took a walk.

The actress and the SNL alum, 35, announced their engagement in December 2019 in a sweet social media post, as Stone showed off her stunning diamond and pearl ring.

They were reportedly supposed to have their wedding in mid-March, but had to call it off due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But in May, Stone had swapped out her engagement ring for a simple gold band, leading to speculation that she and McCary had secretly tied the knot.

Those pictures prompted the rumors that Stone was pregnant, as she was seen dressed in baggy overalls with an apparent bump.

Last May rumors first flew that Stone had secretly gotten married to McCary when she sported a wedding band during a YouTube appearance with Reese Witherspoon.

The actress, 31, and the SNL alum, 35, announced their engagement December 2019 in a sweet social media post, as Stone showed off her stunning diamond and pearl ring

In September, DailyMail.com spotted the couple wearing matching gold bands on their ring fingers as they took a walk

She dropped a further hint that she may now be a married woman when Dr Harold Koplewicz, who was also on the chat, asked her about marrying an 'anxious man'.

He said: 'If you marry an anxious man, you're going to have to know me the rest of my life.

While Emma reassured him and said: 'Thankfully I didn't do that.'

Emma met the former segment director on Saturday Night Live back in 2016 when she hosted the late-night sketch show.

The actress was set to walk down this aisle in Los Angles in March but decided to hold off due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Page Six.
Patna, Jan 4 : At least 19 persons, who arrived from the United Kingdom recently, are missing in Patna, officials said on Monday.

Patna Civil Surgeon, Dr Vibha Kumari, said that the matter has been handed over to the police.

"The Patna airport has given the list of passengers who came from the UK from November 23 to December 31 and their addresses. When health officials went to their houses to put them under quarantine, they found they were missing. Since their mobile numbers are untraceable, it is extremely difficult to trace them out and put under quarantine," Vibha Kumari told IANS.

The UK is witnessing surge in corona cases after detection of a new variation which causes a higher infection rate. Hence, India's Health Ministry had issued fresh guidelines for passengers returning from the UK these days.

"New versions of coronavirus are considered as more transmissible. Hence we have to find them to prevent transmission of the deadly virus to others. The acts of these passengers are extremely irresponsible and are a threat to other persons.

"They could face legal action under the Disaster Management and Epidemic Acts. We will also recommend authorities for cancellation of their passports as well," she said.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for CitiFollowing publication of photos of the two holding hands at his agent's wedding over the weekend, more details are now emerging about Harry Styles' alleged romance with Olivia Wilde, the director of his new film Don't Worry Darling.

A source tells Page Six, which first published the photos, that the two fell for each other on the set of the movie, which is shooting in Palm Springs, and they were able to spend time alone at James Corden's nearby house, where Corden is allowing his pal Harry to stay during production.

"This relationship...is very new...they were able to be alone and keep their relationship very secret," dished the source, adding, "So everyone was really surprised  and rather delighted  when Harry bought Olivia as his date to the wedding, and introduced her as his girlfriend.

In fact, the source claims, Harry officiated at the wedding and referred to Wilde in his speech as his girlfriend.

As for their 10-year age difference -- she's 36, he's 26 -- the source claims, "Harry doesnt give a f*** about that sort of thing. They seem really happy together. He was openly holding hands and kissing Olivia.

Meanwhile, Harry's album Fine Line has a chance at reaching number-one in his home country of Great Britain this Friday for the first time -- that is, if he's not blocked from the top spot by evermore, the latest album from his ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift.

By Andrea Dresdale

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POLICY

Judge halts enforcement of diversity training crackdown on contractors

A federal judge in a California district court blocked parts of President Donald Trump's executive order on diversity and inclusion training that apply to federal contractors and grant recipients.

The September executive order targeted "divisive concepts" that it labelled as "offensive and anti-American" in workforce diversity and inclusion trainings provided to federal employees, military service members, federal contractors and grant recipients. It's garnered backlash from civil rights groups, business and tech groups while creating a chilling effect in diversity training both in and out of government.

U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman wrote in her Dec. 22 decision that the government's argument that the order was in the public interest was a "gross mischaracterization" of the diversity training plaintiffs offered and "an insult to their work of addressing discrimination and injustice towards historically underserved communities."

The plaintiffs of the lawsuit, filed at the beginning of November, are nonprofits and consultants that serve people in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and people living with HIV.

Under the terms of the order and related guidance, contractors and grant recipients had faced suspension, debarment and federal grants being withheld if they failed to comply.

The plaintiffs argued the order violated their free speech rights by requiring them to censor or cease trainings on the threat of debarment from contracting or not receiving federal grants. They also challenged the constitutionality of the executive order on the grounds of due process, arguing that it was too vague to outline what speech is outlawed.

In her injunction, Freeman stated that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in overturning the executive order on First Amendment grounds.

The preliminary injunction also blocked a phone and email "hotline" that was created for people to report training materials to the Labor Department's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. It had been the subject of concerns in the past because it didn't distinguish between reports of violations from training participants and the actual training curriculum in question.

A call to the hotline revealed that the order is being put into effect. An outgoing message states in part, "In compliance with a December 22, 2020 court order, OFCCP is no longer accepting complaints on this hotline."

This isn't the only lawsuit the executive order has faced. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund, National Urban League and the National Fair Housing Alliance also have requested an injunction to block the order in a lawsuit filed in October. On Dec. 29, the Labor Department filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 06:58:09|Editor: huaxia

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YAOUNDE, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- A Cameroonian UN peacekeeper was killed and four others were injured in a road accident in the Central African Republic (CAR), Cameroonian authorities said on Sunday.

The accident occurred Saturday night in Boultili, a locality situated about 56 km from CAR capital Bangui while the soldiers were patrolling in a UN vehicle, authorities said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the tragedy, but military sources told Xinhua the vehicle probably lost control and crashed.

The wounded were taken to a UN medical center to receive medical attention.

The soldiers are part of a Cameroonian contingent deployed to join the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the CAR (MINUSCA) which started in 2014 to protect CAR civilians under the UN Charter.

MINUSCA had beefed up operational capabilities in the CAR to help maintain stability after ragtag rebel groups threatened to disrupt legislative and presidential elections. Enditem
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said Sunday that Korea's population stood at 51.83 million last year, down by 20,838 from 2019. Childbirths dwindled an alarming 10.7 percent on-year in 2020 to a record-low 275,815, while 307,764 people died, up 3.1 percent.

Korea's registered population declined for the first time last year, toppling over the so-called demographic cliff when the number of people who die surpasses the number of newborns.

The birthrate continues to plummet. Childbirths fell below 400,000 for the first time in 2017, and then it took only three years to sink below 300,000 -- a much faster rate than expected.

Statistics Korea forecast in 2016 that the country's population will not decline until 2029 because it projected that childbirths would fall to 260,000 in 2065, but they have already fallen to around 270,000.

The population is also aging fast. Last year, the number of people over 60 stood at 12.44 million or a whopping 24 percent of the total population, while only 16.9 percent were in their teens or younger.

That means the economically active population will decline over the long term while the number of elderly people they must support will keep growing.

Seo Seung-woo at the ministry said, "The explosive increase in one or two-person households and record low birthrate are telling us that changes are necessary throughout our society and economy. We need to set new policy directions in each sector."
Actor and Bigg Boss 14 contestant Nishant Singh Malkhanis car met with an accident in Jaisalmer on Thursday night. While the car was badly mangled, he and his friends escaped unhurt.

Nishant was in Jaisalmer for work but decided to extend his trip by a few days and celebrate the New Year. He was driving when a car coming from the wrong side collided with his vehicle, despite his best efforts to thwart the crash. The accident took place at 11.59 pm on Thursday.

There is nothing to worry and I am perfectly alright with no injuries. Its just that the car got badly damaged and a crane was called to lift it. With Gods grace and my moms blessings, I am fine, he told The Times of India.

Nishant revealed that the driver of the other car fled after the accident. I was driving and suddenly saw another car coming from the wrong side. The road was quite steep and to save us, I went off the road but in vain. I shifted towards the left but this car rammed into mine. Thankfully, only the car got damaged and all of us were saved without any scratch. Surprisingly, the guy who rammed into our car immediately fled from the spot. Later, we somehow managed to reach our hotel, he said.

Also read: Karanvir Bohra says his baby girls little hands stole his heart, Teejay Sidhu jokes one day shell steal your credit cards

Last year, Nishant was seen as a contestant on Bigg Boss 14 but was the third one to be evicted, on the basis of in-house voting. In a video shared on Instagram after his exit from the Bigg Boss, he gave a message to his detractors

So guys, iss hafte Bigg Boss ke ghar mein jo mere saath hua, mujhe kaha gaya, uske liye mera sirf ek jawaab hai. Chamak sabko nazar aati hai, par andhera koi nahi dekh paata (So, what happened with me in the Bigg Boss house and what I was told, I just have one answer for it. Everyone can see shine but no one can see the darkness), he said, asking in the caption if his eviction was fair.

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WASHINGTON -- "So, we spent a whole election on my side of the fence talking about, 'We got to fight socialism.' And now you're going to throw a half-trillion dollars" with "absolutely no targeting" for earners hurt economically by the coronavirus?

That's Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., talking about President Donald Trump's call for Congress to increase COVID-19 relief checks for individuals from $600 to $2,000.

"I'm the guy who campaigned for the president, contributed to the president and voted for the president," Amodei offered during a wide-ranging hour-long phone conversation Wednesday. The only Republican in Nevada's congressional delegation, Amodei stressed that he wanted Trump to serve four more years.

But that doesn't mean Amodei has to vote in lockstep with Trump. As Amodei said in a statement released after he voted on Monday against $2,000 "helicopter checks," the Treasury doesn't have the money. The measure didn't target workers hurt economically by the pandemic; it instead targets those who earn up to $75,000. He would prefer to see funds disbursed to help stressed-out health care providers.

For the past four years, House Republicans have groveled readily every time Trump engaged in an attention-grabbing stunt. In this case, the stunt was a demand for $2,000 checks -- after Trump's own team had negotiated a deal with $600 stimulus checks and the COVID-19 bill had reached his desk. Indeed, Trump is demanding the larger haul even though he signed the bill.

But this time, Trump's antics are not working so well. Sure, 44 House Republicans voted with House Dems for the bigger checks. But 130 GOP members voted no.

Amodei told me the White House didn't lobby for his support on the bill, and GOP leaders didn't whip support for the measure. The cookie is crumbling.

Another reason I call it a stunt: It likely won't go anywhere. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell put three Trump asks in one bill -- $2,000 checks, repealing protections for tech companies like Facebook or Twitter under Section 230 of a communications law and establishing an election integrity panel -- that should ensure the package won't make it to the president's desk.

Stunt No. 2: Trump's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act because it did not include a repeal of Section 230, which shields tech platforms from legal liability.

Amodei has a history of supporting Trump in general but still saying things your standard MAGA bootlicker would not say. So while it is not extraordinary that the Carson City Republican voted to override Trump's veto of the defense spending bill, it is a big deal that 108 House Republicans joined him.

"The Section 230 stuff, I completely agree with the president," Amodei said -- but its repeal has no place in a defense bill.

Did Trump win the 2020 election?

"No, he lost Nevada," Amodei responded. And the Trump legal team repeatedly has lost as it appealed states' decisions in court.

Amodei feels for Vice President Mike Pence, who, on Jan. 6, will have to do what then-Vice President Al Gore did in 2001 after George W. Bush won the White House, and what then-Vice President Joe Biden did in 2017 when progressive Democrats challenged Trump's victory as the fruit of Russian interference.

Amodei resented Democrats whose "resist" movement tried to de-legitimize Trump's 2016 victory for four years. So he offered, "I'm not going to turn around and become what I was so offended by."

Smart and principled.

COPYRIGHT 2021 CREATORS.COM
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's three biggest telcos saw their shares drop as much as 5% in Hong Kong on Monday, the first trading session since the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) said it would delist the firms under a plan China branded "political" and of "limited" impact. The NYSE on Thursday said it would delist China Mobile Ltd, China Telecom Corp Ltd and China Unicom Hong Kong Ltd following the U.S. government's move in November to block investment in 31 firms that it said are owned or controlled by China's military. The China Securities Regulatory ...
Update 61: Adjusted level 3 implications

Implications of adjusted Level 3 regulations for staff and students.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on 28 December 2020 that South Africa would move to adjusted COVID-19 level 3 restrictions from 29 December 2020 until 15 January 2021. The implications for staff members and students during this period are outlined below.

Supplementary and Deferred Assessments in January 2021

The majority of assessments including the supplementary and deferred assessments which are scheduled for January 2021 will be conducted remotely and online as far as possible. There are some exceptions where in-person assessments will continue with the appropriate COVID-19 protocols in place. Students should please check the examinations website and their student emails to determine if there are any changes to the format of their assessments. Readmission applications will be processed as they are submitted online.

Residences

Students who are completing the 2020 academic year or who are scheduled to write supplementary or deferred assessments may be allowed to stay in residences until their examinations are completed. Given that the majority of these examinations are online, a limited number of applications will be considered from those who may need to return to residences in January in order to complete the 2020 academic year, in line with the relevant ministerial directives and COVID-19 protocols.

Wits residence students who wish to return in January must apply for permission from their respective cluster managers and must provide proof of the examinations that need to be written in January 2021. Students in private, accredited off-campus accommodation are encouraged to make appropriate arrangements with these establishments.

Limited catering services (take-away meals) will be available in line with students meal plans. Students in need of food support are encouraged to make appropriate arrangements with the Wits Citizenship and Community Outreach unit.

The 2021 academic year will commence on 8 March 2021. Information on registration dates can be accessed via this link: https://www.wits.ac.za/registration/registration-dates/.

Implications for staff

The University reopens on 4 January 2021 and line managers (in consultation with relevant SET members) are requested to ensure that all offices are operational and adhere to Wits COVID-19 rules and protocols.

Employees are allowed to work from home if they are able to perform their duties remotely, with the permission of their line managers.

Those employees who are unable to work productively from home may be required to report to work if requested to do so by their line managers.

Workers whose services are required on campus for operational reasons are also required to report to work if requested to do so by their line managers. These employees may work on a rotational system as determined by their line managers, in line with national directives and University protocols.

are also required to report to work if requested to do so by their line managers. These employees may work on a rotational system as determined by their line managers, in line with national directives and University protocols. Staff members who are over the age of 60 and who feel that they may be at risk, employees who may be living with co-morbidities, and expectant mothers who may be at risk should work productively from home during this time. Healthy employees over the age of 60 who do not have co-morbidities and who are not at high risk of infection are allowed to return to the workplace at their own risk.

Risk assessment and mitigation plans

All managers are required to update their risk assessment and mitigations plans and to ensure that the necessary measures are implemented timeously so as to minimise risk. A copy of the risk assessment must be forwarded to the entitys assigned OHS&E Officer for reference and record purposes. The assigned OHS&E Officer will conduct ad-hoc inspections to check whether risk mitigation measures and health and safety protocols are in place, and will advise managers accordingly.

Permits

Permits will not be required but access to campuses and facilities will be limited. Security officers will manage pedestrian traffic, disband gatherings, and/or deactivate access cards if required.

Lets keep safe

The best way to keep our community safe is to practice social distancing and good hand hygiene, and to avoid crowded, indoor spaces. It is compulsory for every person to wear a mask that covers the nose and mouth at all times, in line with the adjusted level 3 regulations.

Find out more about keeping safe: https://www.wits.ac.za/covid19/wits-resources/. Remember to complete the screening form on the Wits Logbox App every day before entering campus.
Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said it was not possible to rule out steps such as closing building sites or setting curfews. Photo: Gareth Chaney/ Collins

Tighter restrictions, including a reduction of the 5km exercise limit to just 2km, may be introduced in a desperate bid to tackle spiral ling Covid-19 infections.

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has warned that unless new virus cases fall below 800 per day by the end of the month, the current Level 5 lockdown will continue.

His Cabinet colleague, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan, yesterday said the current 5km limit for daily exercise could be reduced to 2km within a week or two if current restrictions dont work.

One political source said the Government was inevitably looking at some more tightening of the anti-Covid 19 restrictions.

Read More

"Ministers are seriously looking at the current situation and the Government will not be found wanting in its response," the source told the Irish Independent.

The source also noted that the expert medical committee, Nphet, was now recommending additional measures and Mr Ryan had talked of the prospect of tightening the current 5km travel limit further.

Another well-placed source said that as the latest restrictions had only been in place since last Wednesday, following the earlier tightening which came into place on Christmas Eve, there was no appetite to rush in more restrictions immediately.

"The only big options now left to Government on extra restrictions around schools or stopping construction  and nobody wants to go there yet.

"They want to see what effect the latest restrictions which are in place can produce  and they want to see far more compliance with those restrictions," the source said.

The Cabinet is not due to meet again until Wednesday.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin is due in Government Buildings this morning having monitored the events from his home in Cork over the weekend.

Mr Varadkar yesterday said restrictions should stay in place more or less as they are now until the most vulnerable are vaccinated.

If we are still at 800 cases a day on average a day, or on a five-day or seve n- day average of that, at the end of January I dont see how restrictions could be eased, he told RTEs Radio Ones This Week.

I think there is a strong case now to say to the Irish people that we should leave restrictions in place more or less as they are now until such a time that we have those most at risk vaccinated, even if that means going well into February."

When asked if additional restrictions  such as closing building sites or implementing curfews  would be put in place if cases dont significantly lower, Mr Vardkar said it was not possible to rule out such measures but the current restrictions needed to be given time to see if they are working.

He added: "The Level 5 restrictions started on December 24th but really only clicked in fully on the 30th, and you have to leave it at least 10 to 14 days to know whether it's making a difference or not.

Separately, Mr Ryan said the 5km exercise limit could be reduced to 2km if current restrictions dont ease the current Covid-19 surge.

He told Newstalks On the Record that the Government will have to wait and see if current restrictions due to be in place until January 31 will work.

He added that if cases still arent falling in a week or two, this measure could be implemented across the country.

Read More





Irish Independent
(Natural News) Attorney Lin Wood has been peeling away the layers of evil, revealing the truth about how the entire world is controlled by a global cabal of extortionists who blackmail top leaders with video tapes that capture their acts of pedophilia and child murder.

This has been covered by the independent media for years, but the corporate media, Big Tech and courts have covered it up (because they are all complicit).

According to early morning tweets from Lin Wood (see below), Chief Justice John Roberts & a multitude of powerful individuals worldwide are being blackmailed in a horrendous scheme involving rape & murder of children captured on videotape.

Lin Wood says he has a decryption key to the video files, and he explains that others do, too.

He implies that this is why Chief Justice Roberts has consistently rendered SCOTUS decisions that appear to be traitorous to the United States of America. He is being controlled and blackmailed, it is alleged.

But it isnt just Roberts who has been caught up in this, explains Wood. There is a global cabal of enforcers who entrap leaders into these child rape, pedophilia and murder schemes, then use the video blackmail to control them throughout their entire political careers.

Lin Wood is blowing the lid wide open on a persistent, global pedophilia crime syndicate thats run by high-level globalists, Democrats and malicious actors in order to control the world. This is what Jeffrey Epstein was all about, of course, but it involves 10 intelligence agencies, according to Lin Woods tweets (below).

Lin Wood also says Jeffrey Epstein is alive and has likely turned over everything he knows to Trumps attorneys.

Heres the full text from a series of Lin Wood tweets about all this:

Texts from Lin Woo on January 4th, 2021:

The price for speaking TRUTH can be high. Ultimately, ones life & the lives of his or her family members & friends can be at risk or lost.

I ask for your prayers that Almighty God cover me, my family members & close friends with Psalms 91 protection.

@realDonaldTrump

I have shared with several individuals the TRUTH I will be speaking to you. Killing me will NOT prevent the TRUTH from being revealed  it will only trigger its release by many others. I ask @realDonaldTrump to immediately appoint an honest special prosecutor to pursue justice.

I believe Chief Justice John Roberts & a multitude of powerful individuals worldwide are being blackmailed in a horrendous scheme involving rape & murder of children captured on videotape. I have the key to the files containing the videos. I have also shared this information.

This blackmail scheme is conducted by members of 10 of worlds most well-known & elite intelligence agencies.

One of those groups was hacked by a group known as Lizard Squad. The blackmail files of rape & murder were obtained by this group & copy was provided to Isaac Kappy.

The blackmail targets are approached with a gun, a child, & a camera. The target is ordered to rape the child on video. The target is then ordered to shoot the child on video. The target is then owned & controlled by the blackmailers until blackmail evidence loses its value.

After Kappy received the hacked files from member of Lizard Squad, he gave files to one friend and the encryption key to another friend. He provided this information to his friends shortly before he was murdered in May 13, 2019. Members of Lizard Squad were jailed for hacking.

Jeffrey Epstein used this same blackmail scheme of child rape & child murder to either further his own interests or those of any intelligence agency with whom he worked. ALL who flew on his private jet or visited his island must be IMMEDIATELY interrogated & brought to justice.

I have concerns that information from Kappy was not delivered to @realDonaldTrump & his effort to get it to President may have caused his death. I am aware that my life is now at great risk. But I put my faith in God. I prayed before I made the decision. I had to reveal TRUTH.

Now you have greater context for the message I tweeted below on January 1. I had hoped that this revelation would trigger resignations & confessions. Unsure of that result, I had to reveal full extent of my knowledge. I am doing so now.

This tweet was an insurance policy. The evil forces behind this blackmail scheme of child rape & murder need to know that others have encryption key. I have procedure in place if I die in near term or any member of my family is harmed or threatened, key will be released by many.

I would never make an accusation without having reliable source for it. Stakes are too high. So I did due diligence to validate the accuracy of the shocking information I am revealing tonight. I am entirely comfortable that you are learning the truth. A truth that explains much.

The 10 intelligence agencies who have members employing this blackmail scheme include CCP, CIA, Mossad, FBI, MI6. The others are easily identifiable. The agencies do not which of them was hacked by Lizard Squad.

I have no idea extent of blackmail scheme of raping & killing children but given the number of agencies involved, the hundreds of thousands of missing children, & the otherwise inexplicable actions of many powerful officials, celebrities, & business leaders, I fear the worst.

The number of missing children worldwide & in United States is staggering.

So I have now conveyed the truth as I know it. There has been a rising chorus of people questioning my sanity in recent days. Now you can understand why. I have no idea what will be done to me or said about me in coming days, but I will rest well tonight for having spoken truth.

Many issues in our world may be tied to blackmail scheme I described tonight, including bizarre behavior of officials & judges in recent election. @realDonaldTrump must appoint special prosecutor to thoroughly investigate. We need answers. We must investigate. For the children.

If asked to turn over the encryption key & other information I have to law enforcement, I will only agree to provide it directly to @realDonaldTrump @GenFlynn or @SidneyPowell1 I trust them. Again, please pray for my family. Thank you.  Lin

###

In the following video from Isaac Kappy, who is specifically named in the Lin Wood tweets, he claims that many high-level Hollywood actors and directors are pedophiles:

Watch this video, PedoGATE 2020 to learn even more horrifying facts:

And heres Lin Woods latest interview, which is likely to be banned by YouTube soon:
BUTTE COUNTY, Calif.  Butte County is currently in what public health is calling "phase 1A" of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

Firefighters are in the first group of those with the option of getting a COVID-19 vaccine. A Butte County CAL FIRE captain told Action News Now CAL FIRE has worked with the public health department to ensure team members will be able to get a vaccine - if they choose.

Captain John Gaddie says because of HIPPA their staff does not have to report whether or not they decide to get the shot.

"CAL FIRE has done a very good job of providing a lot of information for you to make that choice, said Gaddie. They don't just say hey the vaccine is available do it or don't. They provide a lot of information and a lot of literature."

He added the department has done a great job supporting them through the pandemic. Whether they want to get the shot or not. Gaddie says he and his wife, who is a nurse, both opted to get the vaccine.
EU nations and the United States have refused Venezuela's request to unfreeze its assets, so that the sanctions-hit country could purchase a vaccine, President has said.

"The governments of Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom and the and their financial institutions have frozen and blocked funds for access to a vaccine. We demanded via the WTO that they provide with access to funds, and we were refused," Maduro told a meeting on health care on Sunday.

He added that Vice President Delcy Rodriguez had held talks with these countries' foreign ministers, but they had refused the request.

As part of attempts to oust Maduro, the and other Western countries that endorsed opposition leader Juan Guaido have slapped sanctions on and frozen its assets abroad.

(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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The Ogun State Government has suspended the Commissioner for Environment, Abiodun Abdul-Balogun, for allegedly attempting to rape a 16-year-old secondary school student of the state.

The government in statement signed by Tokunbo Talabi, the Secretary to the Ogun State Government, said Mr Abdul-Balogun should vacate his office pending the conclusion of police investigation into the matter.

The suspension comes hours after PREMIUM TIMES reported how the commissioner allegedly deceived the teenager into his house and attempted to rape her.

She said her screams forced Mr Abdul-Balogun to jump off her and offer her N2,000 to shut her up.

The police on January 1 invited the commissioner for interrogation and have continued to investigate the matter.

In its statement, the state government assured the public that it will do everything to ensure that justice is served in the matter.

Whilst taking cognizance of the principle of a suspect being presumed innocent until proven guilty and the public statement issued by Hon. Abudu-Balogun denying the allegation, as a government with zero tolerance for gender-based violence and indeed any criminality, the suspension is a further demonstration of the commitment of Prince Dapo Abiodun Administration to fairness, equity, justice and the rule of law, no matter who is involved.

In the meantime, the suspended Commissioner has been directed to hand over to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, the statement read.
Albany, N.Y.  Gov. Andrew Cuomo today threatened fines if New York health care providers dont use their Covid-19 vaccines fast enough.

Providers with vaccine on hand now have to use it this week or face a fine of up to $100,000. Going forward, theyll have to use all vaccine allocations within seven days.

If they dont, they could lose future allocations of vaccines.

The rules are contained in a new Health department regulation, Cuomo said during a press conference in Albany.

Certain hospitals, which have received the bulk of the coronavirus vaccine doses so far, are not moving fast enough to perform injections, Cuomo said.

I dont want the vaccine in a freezer, he said. I want it in somebodys arm. So yes, Im being aggressive.

Some hospitals are performing well. Oswego Hospital has used 99% of its allocated vaccines to date, for example.

It is tied for the top spot in the state. Auburn Community Hospital was also in the top 10, at number eight in the state with 64% of vaccine used.

No Central New York hospitals are among the slowest in the state so far, according to Cuomos numbers. The statewide average is 46%.

A slide from Gov. Andrew Cuomo's press conference shows the New York hospitals using the Covid-19 vaccines they've received fastest and slowest.Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office

Cuomo said there has been no consistent explanation for slowness on vaccinations from hospitals at the bottom of the list.

Its all the bureaucracy, he said. This is a matter of life and death. So yes, Im impatient, but I think its constructive.

State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said hospitals getting more vaccines out are displaying an appropriate sense of urgency.

When you feel theres a priority, you push, he said.

In addition to prodding hospitals to move faster, Cuomo said New York will work to get nursing home residents and staff inoculated more quickly. The state is participating in a nursing home vaccination program run by the federal government, but its moving too slowly, Cuomo said.

Of the 611 New York nursing homes enrolled in the program, less than half have completed residents first of two doses. The state plans to reach another 234 facilities this week, which will bring the total sites to complete first doses to 85%, Cuomo said.

The remaining 15% of facilities will be reached in the next two weeks.

The state is also preparing to establish drive-through vaccine locations and sites at public facilities like convention centers for the bigger distribution push to come in the weeks ahead, Cuomo said. Officials plan to recruit retired health care workers to help staff those locations.

Additional groups of New Yorkers are now eligible to get vaccinated, Cuomo added.

Starting today, all doctors, nurses and health care staff who come in contact with the public can get shots. Individuals administering Covid-19 vaccines, ambulatory center staff, home care and hospice workers and staff and residents at long-term residential facilities are also now eligible.

Cuomo said hes planning to propose a criminal law that would penalize health care providers if they dont follow state guidance on who is allowed to get vaccines. He said hell issue an executive order allowing the state to pull the license of any provider that doesnt follow the rules.

About 300,000 vaccines have been administered in New York to date.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

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Can New York force you to get a coronavirus vaccine?

Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com

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Phuket Governor confirms no lockdown, orders more stringent anti-COVID measures

PHUKET: Amid concerns spiralling online, Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew has confirmed there are no lockdowns in Phuket and has asked officials and local people to strictly follow the COVID-19 control measures.

COVID-19Coronavirushealth

By The Phuket News

Monday 4 January 2021, 12:55PM

The summary of the order, issued by the Official COVID-19 Information Center Phuket, operated by the Ministry of Interior.

The confirmation was announced at a meeting of the Phuket Communicable Disease Committee at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday afternoon (Jan 3).

Present at the meeting were all three Vice Governors Pichet Panapong, Vikrom Jakthee and Piyapong Choowong along with relevant officers and representatives from agencies and the private sector.

Governor Narong explained that at this stage, all people entering Phuket must be screened to prevent the spread of the virus.

However, in an order posted online over the weekend, he also only asked people returning from risk areas to self-quarantine for 14 days after arriving on the island.

All relevant agencies and other organisations, including stores and businesses across the island were also urged to ramp up their COVID-protection measures.

Every person has to follow the D-M-H-T-T measure: D- Social Distancing, M- Mask wearing, H-Hand washing, T-Temperature checking, and T- Thai Chana scanning, Governor Narong said.

Walking street markets must remain closed until Jan 20, while department stores are asked to make sure more hand sanitiser is available for customers.

Schools, gyms, fitness centers are allowed to remain open, but must follow the provincial government order issued on Dec 24, Gov Narong confirmed. (See original order in Thai here.)

Further, the Phuket office of the Department of Land Transport will not provide services that require an applicant to visit the office in person, he added.

Following the Samut Sakhon shrimp truck scare last week, Governor Narong at the meeting also confirmed that the 106 migrant workers who recently traveled to Samut Sakhon to extend their work permits were tested for the virus. All 106 tested negative, he said.

The Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) yesterday also publicly posted an order issued by Governor Narong on Dec 30, ordering all officials to take appropriate action to prevent any risk of COVID in their areas

The order also specifically asked, For those who did travel to the high risk areas, please quarantine yourselves for 14 days and see a doctor as soon as possible if having symptoms.

The full order, addressed to all officials on the island, mandated the following:

Search for people potentially infected people in risk areas, groups of risk people, and at risk events and activities Set the opening and closing times for establishments that pose a risk of virus spreading Search and charge for those who gather to conduct illegal actions which pose a risk of the virus spreading Set measures to control the movement of migrant workers into and out of the province Avoid holding any events that lead to the gathering of crowds. Set up teams to inspect establishments and charge those who gather to conduct illegal actions Be alert for any people who have illegally entered the county and remind operators to not hire illegal workers. Press charges against those who facilitate migrants to enter the country illegally Ask for cooperation to avoid inter-provincial travel during the New Year holidays. Ask for cooperation from officials and the private sector not to hold the New Year and Childrens Day events and consider holding events online instead Ask for cooperation from officials and the private sector to work from home, in order to decrease the risk of infection during traveling. For those who did travel to the high risk areas, please quarantine yourselves for 14 days and see a doctor as soon as possible if having symptoms. Use the administrative and public health measure like XXXXXXXX  D-M-H-T-T measure: D- Social Distancing, M- Mask wearing, H-Hand washing, T-Temperature checking, and T- Thai Chana scanning

While strict COVID protection measures were brought into effect in 28 "high risk" provinces today, Phuket with currently only three confirmed cases on the island remains classified as a Yellow zone. As such, Phuket is among the remaining 38 provinces which are classified as areas under high surveillance.
With a view to providing a healthy environment to the people of Varanasi, the state government has set up hi-tech ambient air quality monitoring stations (AAQMSs) at 15 places across the city.

The stations were built after identifying the most crowded and industrial areas of the city. The places include Tarna, Panch Koshi Marg, Padav, Cantonment station, Orderly Bazar, Baulia, Kandva, BHU, Adampur, Bhelupur, Maldahiya, Chittaranjan Park, Manduadih, Shastri Chawk and Sarnath.

The ambient air quality monitoring stations have been built at 15 locations in Varanasi under the Smart City project. The AAQMS have six types of state-of-the-art sensors. They provide real-time information about the standards (level) of pollution in the air, said Gaurang Rathi, municipal commissioner of Varanasi and also chief executive officer of Varanasi Smart City project. The sensors keep sending air quality index information every ten minutes.

Also Read: Uttar Pradesh Day: 3-day celebration will showcase Aatmanirbhar UP, says CM Adityanath

Once the data is received, the officers concerned work to maintain control over pollution, like diverting traffic, water spraying, cleaning of roads, along with controlling the construction work in industrial areas, etc, Rathi added.

As soon as the level of harmful gases, including carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen, increases in the atmosphere, the sensors send data along with signals to the integrated command and control centre. In addition, noise pollution, temperature, humidity and ultraviolet rays can also be detected by these sensors. The dust sensors are based on nanotechnology and are also capable of measuring the amount of fine dust particles in the air, he said.

A team of experts maintains the data and if any datum does not confirm to the standards, the information is immediately sent to higher authorities.These systems detect the dust particles and poisonous gases that pollute the environment and are also harmful to it. They are proving to be effective in curbing environmental pollution, officials said.
Jade Parker, the young Portadown wife and mother who had been suffering from terminal cancer, has died - just two days after her New Years Eve wedding.

She had planned both her wedding and her funeral - which is to take place on Friday.

Read More

Jade (28) was first diagnosed with cancer in 2019, and had endured a gruelling series of surgical operations, chemotherapy and radiotherapy in a bid to overcome the disease.

Although she completed her treatment last month, the cancer had returned, attaching itself to her brain and spinal cord - making it impossible to operate.

In a moving post on social media on Sunday, her heartbroken husband Lee Parker shared his grief at Jades death.

So on the 31st of December 2020, Jade Caughey and I made the choice to bring our wedding forward, Lee (37) wrote.

She knew in herself that her time was getting shorter. We got married at home surrounded by close friends and family in a very intimate ceremony...

Later that evening Jade fell asleep and sadly never reawakened... Jade passed away peacefully at home early on the 2nd of January with myself and Billy holding her hand.. our hearts are broken but at peace knowing Jade is no longer suffering..

Our family would like to thank everyone for your support during this horrific time. Lee wrote.

Jade and Lee had been together for almost eight years and had been engaged for seven. They had three children: Kai (13), Ben (6) and James, aged two.

Hundreds of friends sent messages of condolence onto Lees social media channel on Sunday.

In a funeral notice, Lee asked family and friends to pay their respects as Jades cortege leaves Milnes funeral home in Portadown this coming Friday at 3pm.

The house and funeral will be private due to the current circumstances.

Download the Sunday World app Now download the free app for all the latest Sunday World News, Crime, Irish Showbiz and Sport. Available on Apple and Android devices

Belfast Telegraph
With regulatory approvals granted to two coronavirus vaccines, the Centre has initiated the process of procurement, top government officials said on Monday, and the vaccination drive could begin by end of next week in a phased manner.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the worlds biggest inoculation drive against coronavirus is set to begin in the country, lauding scientists and technicians for the Made in India vaccines.

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Sunday announced that it had approved both the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine being manufactured in India by the Serum Institute of India (SII), and Bharat Biotech International Limiteds locally developed vaccine candidate, Covaxin. Covaxin has been recommended for restricted use in emergency situation in public interest as an abundant precaution, in clinical trial mode, to have more options for vaccination. All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) director Randeep Guleria said Bharat Biotechs vaccine has been given approval only as a backup.

Now that the approvals have been granted, the next step is to initiate the procurement process. The Centre is now looking at striking the purchase deals with the companies concerned. About 50-60 million doses are likely to be procured in batches considering India is looking at vaccinating about 30 million people in the initial phase, a government official aware of the developments said on condition of anonymity.

Read more| After Covishield and Covaxin, these are other Covid-19 vaccine candidates in India

According to the official, the government is in talks with both companies whose vaccines have been approved. DCGI has accepted recommendations made by a subject expert committee of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation to grant restricted emergency approval to the two vaccines.

The paperwork tends to take some time but arrangements are being made to sign the deal as quickly as possible so that the vaccination drive can soon be kick-started. Dry runs have already been successfully conducted across the country without any major glitches. The digital platform, CoWIN, meant to be used for vaccine delivery is good to go as minor modifications that were needed have been already made, the official added.

SII chief executive officer Adar Poonawalla has said his firm offered a special price of 200 in writing to the Indian government for first 100 million doses. According to the official cited above, the first batch is likely to be taken from SII at the offered price.

Addressing scientists at the National Metrology Conclave, Modi said: Worlds biggest Covid-19 vaccination programme set to begin in India. For this, the country is proud of the contributions of its scientists and technicians. Quality is as much important as quantity, our standards should rise with our scale in our quest for Aatmanirbhar Bharat, he said.

Read more| 68 UK returnees found Covid positive in Maharashtra but not with new strain

As per a decision taken earlier by experts in the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19, the Centre has decided to directly procure the vaccine supplies that it will distribute among states as per their requirement.

Once the deals are formally signed with the companies, and vaccine doses are procured, the supplies will be deployed in 31 main hubs by the Centre that it has created in different regions across the country.

From these 31 main hubs, the supplies will eventually move to 29,000 locally created vaccination points in different states from where state governments will pick up the supplies to be given under the public vaccination initiative. These vaccination points can further be increased if there is a need to add more based on the vaccine requirement, said another official, asking not to be named.

Everything is in the advanced stages of preparedness and the immediate phase of vaccination will begin with health care workers in the country, and the current supplies of the vaccine that are available in the country are enough to meet the countrys demand for Covid-19 vaccines, the official added.

As per government estimates, there are about 10 million health care workers who are in the priority list to be given the jab immediately as part of the first phase of the vaccination exercise, to be followed by about 20 million frontline workers who are involved in managing the pandemic in the country.

Read more| Big salute to doctors and frontline workers: BMC chief after Mumbai records 3 Covid-19 deaths

These two categories are on the immediate list as these are directly involved in managing the Covid-19 crisis. The drive will start with the health care workers though. More categories could be added depending on the availability of the vaccine. For now, the categories that have been broadly defined will get priority, the official said.

Helplines are being set up at the national and state level to address any queries related to the vaccine or software in use. While the national helpline, 1075, is being upgraded, the states are also augmenting their helpline 104 for the purpose of addressing related queries.

The states have already been training vaccine administrators and also preparing details of the beneficiaries. Around 150,000 vaccinators have been trained so far, covering over 700 districts.

In all, the government has estimated 300 million people who are at high risk of developing severe illness because of their profession, age and co-morbidities, and will be given vaccine shots in the initial phases. The group includes health care workers, frontline workers, and population at high risk of getting severe Covid-19.

Of the 300 million vulnerable population, approximately 10 million are health care workers both in government and private setups (including integrated child development services workers), and about 20 million are frontline workers.

Health care workers have been divided into nine sub-categories. The first category is of frontline health and ICDS workers such as accredited social health activist (ASHA), auxiliary nurse midwife, multipurpose health worker, ASHA facilitators, anganwadi worker (AWW) and AWW sahayika.

The second category is of nurses and supervisors that include staff nurse, public health nurse, lady health visitor, community health officer, child development project officer, chief medical and health officer, district women and child development officer and designated institutional official.

Another category is of medical officers that consists of allopathic doctors, Ayush doctors, dentists, including those on administrative posts, and paramedical staff including lab and operation theatre technicians, pharmacists, physiotherapists radiographers, nursing orderlies, ward boys, etc.

Medical, dental, nursing and paramedical students are also part of the health care staff to be given priority, apart from scientists and research staff, clerical and administrative staff, and support staff such as drivers, security workers and sanitation workers.

Frontline workers comprise personnel from state and central police departments, armed forces, home guards, prison staff, disaster management volunteers and civil defence organisations, municipal workers and revenue officials engaged in Covid-19 containment, and surveillance and associated activities.

About 270 million people are in the high-risk population group that includes 260 million people above the age of 50, and around 10 million people below 50 years with comorbidities such as chronic diabetes and hypertension, cancer, lung diseases, etc.

The age of a beneficiary for vaccination will be considered as on January 1, 2021. Anyone born on or before January 1, 1971 will fall under this category, and the high-risk population group will be further sub-categorised into various age groups with priority to senior citizens above 60 years of age.
Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) attends a campaign event as he runs for reelection at the Olde Blind Dog Irish Pub, in Milton, Ga., on Dec. 21, 2020. (Al Drago/Reuters)

Perdue Defends Trumps Call to Georgia Secretary of State

David Perdue, one of two Republicans in Georgia fighting to keep their U.S. Senate seats in runoff elections, defended the weekend phone call that President Donald Trump had with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to discuss the states election results.

Perdue expressed shock that the call was leaked to the media.

Its disgusting in my view, he said on Fox News. But what the president said is exactly what hes been saying the last few months.

The call featured Trump, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, and others who asked Raffensperger, a Republican, to probe election irregularities, asserting that Trump won Georgia. Raffensperger declined, telling the president: The challenge that you have isthe data you have is wrong.

Perdue said that the Nov. 3, 2020, general election included some irregularities and Trump wants some answers.

Perdue said neither Raffenspergerwhom he has called on to resignnor the state legislature have provided those answers.

Trump and others went to court, but the courts have denied us hearings, saying its more of a legislative issue, Perdue continued. So what the president said in this tape today is no different than what hes been saying for the last few months.

Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff speaks to the crowd during an Its Time to Vote drive-in rally in Stonecrest, Ga, on Dec. 28, 2020. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was certified the winner in Georgia, where another runoff is taking place between Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) and pastor Raphael Warnock.

Meanwhile, Democrat Jon Ossoff, a filmmaker who is vying for the seat Perdue held until Jan. 3, referred to the call while campaigning that day, saying that the president called Georgias top election official and tried to intimidate them to change the result of the election, to disenfranchise Georgia voters, to disenfranchise black voters in Georgia who delivered the state for Joe Biden.

That is a direct attack on our democracy and if David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler had one piece of steel in their spines, one shred of integrity, they would be out here defending Georgia voters from that type of assault, he added.

While Perdue defended the call, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said on Fox & Friends on Jan. 4 that it was not a helpful call.
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WASHINGTON - The time to question election results has passed, and there is no role for the military in changing them, all 10 of the living former defense secretaries said in an extraordinary rebuke to President Donald Trump and other Republicans who are backing unfounded claims of widespread fraud at the ballot box.

The former Pentagon chiefs issued their warning Sunday evening in an opinion piece that they co-authored and published in The Washington Post. Its authors include Trump's two former defense secretaries, Jim Mattis and Mark Esper, as well as each living Senate-confirmed Pentagon chief dating back to Donald Rumsfeld in the 1970s.

The article was published as some Republicans plan to contest the electoral college vote certification Wednesday, even after the president's attempts to challenge election results in court have failed. It also comes as concerns persist that Trump might seek to use the military to keep him in office, despite his electoral loss.

"Our elections have occurred. Recounts and audits have been conducted," the former defense secretaries wrote. "Appropriate challenges have been addressed by the courts. Governors have certified the results. And the electoral college has voted. The time for questioning the results has passed; the time for the formal counting of the electoral college votes, as prescribed in the Constitution and statute, has arrived."

The White House did not respond to a request for comment about the article.

The article brings together a group of Republicans and Democrats who disagree on many national security issues. Its genesis is a conversation between Eric Edelman, a former U.S. ambassador and defense official in Republican administrations, and Cheney about how the military might be used in coming days, Edelman said in an interview.

While Trump has called reports that he discussed the possibility of invoking martial law to overturn election results "fake news," he did have Michael Flynn, a retired Army general and former national security adviser for Trump, at the White House recently after Flynn suggested on television that Trump could declare martial law and use the military to hold new elections.

Protests are expected in Washington on Trump's behalf this week, and the president has encouraged his supporters to show up, tweeting, "Be there, will be wild!"

Edelman, who was among a group of Republicans who endorsed Joe Biden over Trump, said that after Cheney expressed interest in co-writing an opinion piece, Edelman solicited participation from other former defense secretaries, and wrote a draft of the article along with Eliot Cohen, a former Republican national security official who is dean of the Johns Hopkins University school for advanced international studies.

Some of the defense secretaries requested revisions, but nothing significant to the message, Edelman and Cohen said.

"I do think that once one signs, another might be more willing to sign. But I still think it's pretty remarkable," said Cohen, an expert on civil-military relations. "This is a fairly gutsy thing to do, and I give them a lot of credit for it."

Chuck Hagel, a former Republican senator who served as a defense secretary for President Barack Obama, said in an interview on Sunday that he asked ahead of publication whether the piece would be an overreaction to a potential problem.

But he ultimately decided that it was wise to weigh in, citing a desire to remind those serving in the Defense Department of their responsibility to help ensure a peaceful transition of power.

"This is a fundamental element of our democracy, and it lands squarely in the responsibilities of defense officials," Hagel said. "I thought, in the end, that this was something that was important that we do."

William Cohen, who served as defense secretary under President Bill Clinton, said in an interview that the discussion of martial law alarmed him, especially after Trump's use of the military and other federal forces to remove protesters outside the White House in June.

The former defense secretary also cited the use of federal law enforcement personnel to remove protesters in Portland, Ore., in unmarked vehicles as another abuse of power. While he said he has no doubts about the willingness of Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other senior military officials to follow the law, he is concerned that potential violence started by Trump supporters including the Proud Boys in coming days could be used as a pretext to use the military against civilians again.

"It's a very dangerous course of action that needs to be called out before it happens," Cohen said of using the military against civilians.

Other former defense secretaries either could not be reached for comment, or declined to speak, citing a desire to let the article speak for itself.

In addition to stating their concerns about the ongoing contesting of the election, the defense secretaries backed recent comments from senior military leaders that there is no role for the military in determining the outcome of a U.S. election, a point they affirmed after Flynn suggested that the president could invoke martial law.

"Efforts to involve the U.S. armed forces in resolving election disputes would take us into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory," the defense secretaries wrote. "Civilian and military officials who direct or carry out such measures would be accountable, including potentially facing criminal penalties, for the grave consequences of their actions on our republic."

The former Pentagon chiefs also called on acting defense secretary Christopher Miller and other Trump administration officials in the Pentagon to "wholeheartedly" facilitate a transition to President-elect Joe Biden's administration.

While some transition meetings were carried out in late-November and December, Miller canceled others beginning Dec. 18, citing a backlog of work that senior Pentagon lawyers had.

"We call upon them, in the strongest terms, to do as so many generations of Americans have done before them," the former defense secretaries said of the transition. "This final action is in keeping with the highest traditions and professionalism of the U.S. armed forces, and the history of democratic transition in our great country."

Pentagon officials have said those transition meetings will begin again in a significant way this week, and they denied accusations by Biden that his transition team had encountered "roadblocks" to needed information that smacked of "irresponsibility." Among those meeting with the transition team this week are senior officers including Gen. Scott Miller, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, and Gen. Stephen Townsend, the top commander overseeing operations in Africa.

Mick Mulroy, an ABC News analyst and former defense official under Trump, said in a statement that the opinion article is "exceptional in its scope and its directness."

"It needed to be," Mulroy said. "I volunteered to assist with the transition as soon as I was asked. I am not a partisan person, but this is beyond partisanship. It is the duty of any American, especially those that gave an oath to the Constitution, to ensure the peaceful transfer of power to the duly elected President."

- - -

The Washington Post's Missy Ryan contributed to this report.
The DUP and Sinn Fein are on a collision course over whether transfer test for Primary 7 pupils should go ahead as planned this weekend.

The first external examination will take place for around 8,000 pupils on Saturday morning, but deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill has now called for the test to be abandoned.

In a statement, Education Minister Peter Weir said he has highlighted the need to both the schools hosting the tests and the test providers, to ensure all exam centres are fully risk-assessed and both the location and logistics of the tests must be compatible with public health guidance.

A range of protective measures are being put in place for the tests, he said.

There cannot be any compromise with ensuring the safety of our children and families.

Read More

A spokesperson for AQE, who will be running the first of three scheduled transfer tests this weekend, said the body has contacted the Public Health Agency and HSE NI for safety advice and updated guidelines.

But a spokesperson for the PHA said it has not been asked for specific advice by those facilitating transfer tests.

A spokesperson said: "It is the role of the Department of Education to provide guidance and advice to schools. The PHA assists the Department of Education as required."

Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill, however, is adamant the transfer test should not be allowed to take place in the current circumstances.

The transfer tests should not proceed, she said.

The Education Minister needs to act now and provide clarity at tomorrows Executive.

Read More

Justin McCamphill from leading teachers union NASUWT said closing schools is deemed necessary, then it defies logic that schools would be open for hundreds of pupils to sit a test this Saturday.

Bringing pupils together from different bubbles and placing them in an exam hall even with 2m distancing is not safe, he said.

Our call for cancelling the tests this month is based on Health and Safety and limiting the spread of the virus.

Alliance health spokesperson Paula Bradshaw has called on the Health Minister to make a clear statement on the risk involved with private tests taking place in school halls, as such arrangements seem contrary to current coronavirus regulations.

Experts have now warned clearly there is a significantly high risk to any indoor gathering  which is why restaurants, gyms and non-essential retail have been closed, and why we are prohibited from meeting in households, she said.

It is therefore entirely inconsistent, and clearly high-risk, to allow large gatherings in an indoor location.

Making constant and blatant exceptions to the regulations only leads to lower compliance and thus higher spread  and we can see this clearly in the exponential spread since mid-December.

And SDLP Education spokesperson Daniel McCrossan added: This is a very serious situation. The minister is adamant to see children mixed and breaking the integrity of their bubbles by sitting the transfer test. This is not a debate as to whether there should or shouldnt be a transfer test full stop, this is about whether there should be one in these circumstances.

I have very serious concerns about the test going ahead."

Download the Belfast Telegraph App Get quick and easy access to the latest Northern Ireland news, sport, business and opinion with the Belfast Telegraph App.

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The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has awarded a contract to a Chinese company, Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Company Limited, for the construction of a 5.6-kilometre underground stretch, from New Ashok Nagar to Sahibabad, of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS project.

The NCRTC, which is executing the country's first Regional Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS), said the contract was awarded following the set procedure and guidelines.

"Approvals have to be taken at various levels for bids that are funded by multilateral agencies. This bid was also awarded following the set procedure and guidelines.

"Now, all the civil work tenders of the 82-km-long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor have been awarded and the construction is going on in full swing to commission the project in time," an NCRTC spokesperson said.

A controversy had erupted in June last year after the STEC emerged as the lowest bidder for the construction of the5.6-km tunnel on one of the stretches of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS project amid a standoff between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. The 82-km-long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor is being funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and procurement is governed by the guidelines of the bank and the government.

According to the ADB's procurement guidelines, vendors from all member countries of the bank are eligible to participate in the bidding process without any discrimination. The NCRTC had invited bids for the construction of the tunnel from New Ashok Nagar to Sahibabad of Delhi Ghaziabad Meerut RRTS corridor on November 9, 2019.

Five companies submitted technical bids and all the five bidders qualified in the technical bid evaluation. The financial bids were opened after obtaining the NOC on Technical Bid Evaluation from the ADB. Of the five firms, Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Company Limited emerged as the L1 bidder for the tender after qualifying on all the parameters and the contract was awarded to it.

In September last year, the Union housing and urban affairs ministry had unveiled the first look of the RRTS train, the design of which is inspired by Delhi's iconic Lotus Temple. It can attain a top speed of 180 kilometres per hour on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor. According to the ministry, with a radiating stainless steel outer body, the aerodynamic RRTS trains will be lightweight and fully air-conditioned.

The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor is the first RRTS corridor being implemented in the country. The time to commute from Delhi to Meerut will be reduced to less than an hour from the current three-four hours by road, officials said. The prototype is scheduled to roll off the production line in 2022 and will be put into public use after extensive trials.

The 17-km priority corridor of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS from Sahibabad to Duhai will be operational in 2023 and the entire corridor will be operational in 2025.
History, spires and charm await in Normandy

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Normandy may be best known for D-Day, though visitors to this region in France can discover much more than its seminal role in World War II.

In fact, part of its history is intertwined with Americas inherited history as it was the home of William the Conqueror.

The legacy of his 1066 conquest of England remains with us almost 954 years after the Anglo-Saxon king was killed on the battlefield at Hastings. Not only did the Normans influence the English language  numerous everyday words like beef and pork were borrowed from Norman French  but even something as simple as an inherited family surname was brought over with the Normans.

Normandys rich history, incredible medieval churches and charming towns can easily be discovered over the course of a five-night road trip.

Day one

The drive from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Giverny takes a little more than an hour.

The big attraction is the house of Claude Monet, including the famous pond and water lilies that served as the subject of so many masterpieces. Dont overlook the Church of St. Radegund. The interior includes a notable polychromed statue of St. Louis of Toulouse (also known as St. Louis of Anjou) from the 14th century.

Spend the night at the Hotel La Musardiere, a charming 11-room hotel and restaurant that focuses on locally sourced ingredients. This also lets you experience Giverny after the day trippers leave for the next stop on the tour bus.

Day two

Following a morning walk through the village drive about 90 minutes to Honfleur.

The port town, once part of English-occupied France during the Hundred Years War, is located at the estuary where the Seine River meets the English Channel and was frequently painted by Impressionist artists.

The guided tours available through Honfleurs tourist information office are valuable when visiting sights like the Church of St. Catherine.

The wooden church, built by shipbuilders in the mid-1400s after Honfleur was liberated from 51 years of English rule, was intended to temporarily replace a destroyed church until a more permanent stone church could be erected. Six centuries later, it remains. Besides being one of Frances oldest wooden churches, it is also notable for its double nave  the central interior mistakenly called a sanctuary by some churchgoers.

The Hotel LAbsinthe, housed in a 16th century harborfront building at the heart of old town, is highly recommended. For dinner, eat at the hotels own restaurant with its 400-selection wine list. Afterwards, embark upon a long, meandering walk.

Days three and four

The 1066 chapter of Normandys history comes into focus at the appropriately named Bayeux Museum in Bayeux.

Here is where you find the world-renowned Bayeux Tapestry, which despite its name is actually an embroidery of woolen thread on linen cloth. At 230 feet long, the object  essentially medieval propaganda  depicts a Norman narrative of the invasion and conquest of England through dozens of embroidered scenes. Perhaps most remarkable is the treasures very survival.

Nearby stands Bayeux Cathedral, where the tapestry was originally housed. It was consecrated in 1077 in the presence of William the Conqueror himself. The architecture, a blend of Romanesque, Gothic and later additions, includes an elaborate west front with five carved portals.

Twenty miles away in Caen is St. Stephens Abbey, a monumental Romanesque former monastery that contains Williams tomb. Sadly, the tomb has been destroyed and rebuilt over centuries of tumult, including during the French Revolution.

Forget about navigating streets in Bayeuxs city center with a rental car. The Novotel, a perfectly fine chain hotel, is within walking distance of the cathedral and museum.

Day five

No visit to Normandy is complete without going to Mont-Saint-Michel.

The breathtakingly beautiful rocky tidal island is situated just off the coast at Normandys border with neighboring region Brittany. Driving from Bayeux takes a little more than one-and-a-half hours.

Mont-Saint-Michel owes its existence to St. Aubert, the eighth century bishop of Avranches, who built the oratory dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel that eventually became an abbey. By the 11th century the number of pilgrims visiting was so great that the abbey was rebuilt into what you basically see today, though additions continued through the 15th century.

This religious foundation continued until revolutionary France and Emperor Napoleon, when Mont-Saint-Michel was converted into a prison. The prison closed just as historic preservation and modern tourism became popular in the late 1800s.

As with Giverny, most visitors come over the causeway linking it to the mainland only for the day. This makes spending the night a must.

Just be prepared to spend money as nothing is inexpensive, though the overnight experience at Hotel Les Terrasses Poulard is well worth the cost. Visitors with more than a backpack will also want to pay for a private horse-drawn carriage across the causeway.

If you go

For now, France remains closed to Americans. However, low airfares and waived airline fees mean you shouldnt hesitate to book a trip for spring or early summer.

Obviously, a rental car is a necessity. Hertz and Avis are the most convenient, though other agencies operate out of Charles de Gaulle. Driving in France is easy once you get used to roundabouts. Just be sure to use a GPS navigation device. Either bring one from home or rent one from a car rental agency.

Consider flying La Compagnie out of Newark airport. The French carrier, which markets itself as a boutique airline, offers a relatively unique all-business-class product to and from Orly, the secondary Paris airport. Daily flights are expected to resume by April.

Spires and Crosses is a weekly travel column. Follow @dennislennox on Twitter and Instagram.
A pharmacist accused of trying to destroy hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine is a conspiracy theorist who believed the medication wasn't safe, Wisconsin authorities alleged Monday.

The man, Steven Brandenburg, 46, was ordered held in lieu of $10,000 bond by Ozaukee County Circuit Court Judge Paul Malloy during a brief appearance.

Police in Grafton, about 20 miles north of Milwaukee, arrested Brandenburg, a pharmacist with Advocate Aurora Health, on Thursday after 57 vials of the Moderna vaccine appeared to have been spoiled. Police said Brandenburg took the vaccine doses from a refrigerator and left them out for 12 hours, possibly rendering them useless.

Each vial contained 10 doses; in total, the material was worth $8,550 to $11,400, according to a probable cause statement by Grafton police Detective Sgt. Eric Sutherland.

Brandenburg is an "admitted conspiracy theorist," and he "told investigators that he believed that Covid-19 vaccine was not safe for people and could harm them and change their DNA," Sutherland wrote.

"He admitted this was an intentional act," the probable cause statement added.

Brandenburg was initially booked on suspicion of recklessly endangering safety, adulterating a prescription drug and criminal damage to property.

However, it wasn't immediately clear whether the actions ruined the doses or whether they could still be effectively administered, Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol said.

Officials from Moderna would have to examine the doses and conclude whether they were ruined, Gerol said.

If the doses were not destroyed despite having been left outside the refrigerator, the charges could be downgraded, prosecutors said.

Brandenburg did not have to enter a plea during this first court appearance Monday. The procedural hearing was held virtually to adhere to coronavirus safety protocols.

While the judge and the prosecutor were in court, Brandenburg appeared from jail and his lawyer appeared from another locale. Brandenburg's lawyer acknowledged his presence on behalf of Brandenburg but did not appear to make any other substantive comments.

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Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday blasted U.S. House and Senate Republicans, including New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew, for what he called a shameful, dangerous, undemocratic, and unpatriotic attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election won by Joe Biden.

The Democratic governor, speaking at his latest coronavirus press briefing in Trenton, said the GOP efforts to challenge Wednesdays formal announcement at the U.S. Capitol of the electoral vote count was an effort to undermine our constitutional norms and overthrow a free and fair election decided by the American people to re-elect Donald Trump as president.

Van Drew, who switched parties after opposing Trumps impeachment and was re-elected in November as a Republican, said he would support GOP efforts to challenge the outcome in the battleground states that Biden narrowly won en route to 306 electoral votes and the presidency.

Murphy said Van Drew was cynically siding with conspiracy theorists and throwing his fate in with the far-rights disproven and crackpot theories.

If thats the legacy Jeff wants, then, I guess it is what it is, Murphy said.

Van Drew did not respond to several requests for comment.

New Jerseys other Republican member of Congress, 4th District Rep. Chris Smith, did not respond to several messages asking him whether he would join the challenge.

Van Drew, R-2nd Dist., previously joined a majority of House Republicans last month in supporting an unprecedented lawsuit brought by the state of Texas. Smith did not. The lawsuit asked the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out the results in four battleground states that Biden won so that Trump would be re-elected. The justices dismissed the lawsuit without even a hearing.

Constitutionally, when you change the system and the way you are voting, you are supposed to have a meeting of the legislature, Van Drew told Fox News last week. All these other states, any of these states that were in the Texas brief, did not do that. And that is breaking the rule of law. Unacceptable.

In Pennsylvania, the state Supreme Court ruled, over the objection of Republican lawmakers, that ballots postmarked by Election Day could be counted even if they arrived up to three days later. But while 10,000 ballots arrived after Election Day, Biden won the state by 80,000 votes.

Pennsylvanias Republican U.S. senator, Patrick Toomey, said the effort by members of his party would disenfranchise millions of voters in my state and others.

The evidence is overwhelming that Joe Biden won this election, Toomey said in a statement. His narrow victory in Pennsylvania is easily explained by the decline in suburban support for President Trump and the presidents slightly smaller victory margins in most rural counties.

Trump and his Republican allies have continued to make numerous allegations of voter fraud even as they were rejected by dozens of judges, including the U.S. Supreme Court; numerous state officials; and the Trump administration itself.

Then-Attorney General William Barr told the Associated Press Dec. 1 that to date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.

And the Election Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council, comprised of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors, called the Nov. 3 election the most secure in American history on Nov. 12.

The election was certified by the states and ratified by the Electoral College in December.

The voters have spoken, Murphy said. Our election officials have spoken. The courts have spoken. And the Electoral College has spoken. And, yet, that seemingly isnt enough for those willing to overturn an election because they just cant accept that their guy lost decisively.

All thats left is for the Congress to gather on Wednesday and hear Vice President Mike Pence, the Senate president, read the electoral votes from each state.

But if at least one senator and one representative object to any states result, each chamber would debate the challenges separately and then vote on whether to uphold them.

A majority of each chamber would have to support a challenge for it to be successful, and since the House is controlled by Democrats, there is no chance of Biden and running mate Kamala Harris being denied the electoral votes they need to take office Jan 20.

Ultimately, that will prove to be the end of the story, according to the report by the Voter Protection Program, a bipartisan elections group whose board includes former Gov. Christie Whitman and former state Attorney General John J. Farmer Jr., director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
January will be a grim month, health experts said.

On the bright side: Two promising vaccines are now available to deliver relief from the relentless pandemic. On the other hand, the pace of vaccination nationally has been slower than expected, and the potentially rapid spread of a mutant strain could threaten another wave of infections beyond the holiday surge.

It feels like were in the abyss right now, sinking toward the bottom, said Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus in the division of infectious diseases and vaccinology at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. Were not going to sort of get some balance in our lives again until probably sometime in February.

As the nations pandemic death toll surpassed 350,000 on Sunday, intensive care capacity throughout most of California remained hugely stressed. In Bay Area hospitals, available capacity rose Sunday to a still-precarious 8.4%, from 5.1% a day earlier, according to state health data.

Weve got to get through this very dark month of January to get to feeling a lot better about where were going with the pandemic, Swartzberg said.

The greater Sacramento region was at 10.3% ICU availability, and the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California regions both continued to have no availability in their standard ICU units. Both regions were relying on surge facilities to get through.

As of Jan. 1, 414,684 vaccine doses had been administered across California. The state had distributed over 1.7 million doses to health systems and hospitals as of Dec. 28.

With a mutant, apparently quickly spreading strain that has become dominant in the U.K. arriving in California, Anthony Armada, CEO at AHMC Seton Medical Center in Daly City, said hes confident the vaccine will cover any variants. Seton, which has administered 900 vaccine doses so far to priority frontline responders, had six of its 14 ICU beds occupied by COVID-19 patients Sunday. A second ward of 14 beds sits empty due to a regional shortage of ICU nurses.

If Thanksgiving is any indicator, we can only predict an ongoing situation from the recent holidays with the surge, which I anticipate will last through the remainder of this month, Armada said.

In Santa Clara County, hospitals are so jammed that health officials on Saturday reported that some ambulances have had to wait outside emergency rooms for up to seven hours for beds to open up.

The delays mean the ambulances cannot respond to other calls, and that firefighters have sometimes been called to convey people to emergency rooms.

There were no reports as of Sunday that other Bay Area counties had experienced similar delays for ambulances. In San Mateo County, while ambulance delays have not been an issue, officials continue to monitor the situation closely, spokesman Preston Merchant said by email, adding, We also see this situation as a regional one, so strains in the Bay Area could affect any hospital in the region.

Across California, as the crisis overwhelms hospitals in the southern and Central Valley regions, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he has activated a mutual aid system for hospitals, under which paramedics and other emergency technicians can be deployed to health systems in particular need for 14 days. One recipient is Petaluma Valley Hospital in Sonoma County, which is getting some help from Solano County.

Even as hospitals struggle to keep up with the load of patients, debate is mounting over vaccine distribution, which some are framing as a race against time with the virus.

Dr. Robert Wachter, UCSF medicine department chair, wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece Sunday that health leaders had hoped for more than two vaccines by now.

Since a single shot of vaccine still offers substantial protection  though it is unclear for how long  Wachter suggested that people hold off for a bit on their second doses of what was designed as a two-shot regime until more vaccine doses are available. In the column, co-written with Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown Universitys School of Public Health, he wrote: We hoped that additional vaccines would be available by now. But only the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been authorized, and theyre being produced more slowly than hoped. Even more worrisome are the distribution bottlenecks that are making it difficult to vaccinate people as quickly as possible.

Its an issue that has sparked vigorous debate among health experts, who are increasingly worried about the potential spread of the seemingly more infectious variant that has sent disease soaring in the U.K.

Swartzberg took a different view. In an interview Sunday, he said that while he had huge respect for Wachter, The logistics of suddenly turning around in the midst of the administration of vaccines would be very formidable, and coming back in three to four months to vaccinate those people who only got one dose, I dont know that they logistically know how to do that and whether it could be very effective if we wind up only getting one dose to an awful lot of people.

He also said there is almost no data on what kind of immune response will be sustained after one dose and that worries me a great deal. We could wind up in this very short-lived immunity for protection and wind up worse off than we were before.

Meanwhile, evidence that the mutant strain has spread in California continues to mount. San Bernardino County has found two cases of the virus variant, and San Diego County has found one. Experts have no doubt that it is far more widespread, because most virus samples are not analyzed for their strain.

More for you Local Coronavirus live updates: Bay Area sees plunge in...

Even without the mutant, fast-spreading strain becoming dominant  which experts fear could happen in the U.S. as soon as the spring  hospitals will continue their grim, resolute struggle. The problem is that well be experiencing the consequences from the holidays throughout the month of January, and thats why its going to be so much worse, Swartzberg said, adding that the surge in the first two weeks of December was a direct reflection of the Thanksgiving effect.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Sam Whiting contributed to this report.

Tatiana Sanchez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TatianaYSanchez
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 21:39:00|Editor: huaxia

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GABORONE, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi on Monday called for an enhanced commitment by workers in both the public and private sectors to make Botswana competitive.

"Each one of us has a role to play in the development of Botswana, particularly because productivity is a key driver of our economy," wrote the southern African country's leader on his Twitter account.

Masisi said this when he was wishing all workers in both public and private sectors a "happy and productive first day at work" on Monday.

Late last year, Masisi mentioned that his aim is to make Botswana a land of small stock production as a way of creating the much-needed employment and business opportunities for locals in the agricultural sector.

Masisi embarked on an exercise of donating bucks and rams to several small scale stock farmers in different rural areas of the country between September and December in 2020, as a way of ramping up small stock production in the southern African country.

Botswana has so far secured markets for small stock meat and products in Norway and Saudi Arabia. Enditem
By Joseph C. Gale, Montgomery County Commissioner

January 3, 2021

OPEN LETTER TO UNITED STATES SENATOR PAT TOOMEY REGARDING CERTIFICATION OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION RESULTS

The Honorable Pat Toomey,

In a recent statement you declared your intention to certify Democrat Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election by crassly dismissing widespread claims of voter fraud based on the rational that, these allegations were adjudicated in courtrooms across America and were found not to be supported by evidence. Such logic is legally shallow and stunningly disconnected from the reality experienced across America by millions of voters who rightfully contend, with seemingly verifiable proof in many instances, that the outcome of the 2020 presidential election was polluted by cheating, corruption and cover-ups.

As a two-term United States Senator, you know quite well that the United States Supreme Court and other judicial bodies at the federal and state level refused to hear cases filed by the Trump campaign and pro-Trump plaintiffs as doing so would not only have forced them to accept mountains of direct evidence, circumstantial evidence and eyewitness testimony, but also would have forced them to issue rulings on the merits. These justices and judges dodged such rulings based not on the Constitution, but on personal agendas and political expediency.

Speaking of the Constitution, the Founding Fathers provided us a remedy for the ugly scenario described above. And as such, you and your colleagues in the United States Senate and United States of Representatives are now the arbiters of justice that we the people are relying on since the courts and state legislatures nationwide have betrayed their sworn duty by failing to uphold the integrity of the 2020 presidential election.

For example, in your home state of Pennsylvania, despite well-documented problems and concerns with mail-in voting dating back decades, Republicans in the Pennsylvania State House and State Senate joined forces with Democrat Governor Tom Wolf in 2019 to pass Act 77, Pennsylvanias universal mail-in voting law, which allows for 50 days of no excuse mail-in voting. This is the longest vote-by-mail period in the entire nation and, frankly, nobody should be voting nearly two months before Election Day. It is called Election Day for a reason.

Unlike traditional absentee voting, Act 77 eliminates the requirement that a voter have a valid reason for requesting a mail-in ballot such as an illness, disability, work commitment or travel obligation that otherwise prevents said voter from casting a ballot in-person.

Making a bad law even worse, just days before Election Day, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that mail-in ballots would not be subjected to signature verification. Signature verification is a common-sense safeguard against voter fraud. Once mail-in ballots were removed and separated from their respective envelopes which included the signature box, it became impossible to verify signatures to determine which votes were legal and which were illegal. As a consequence, we are now in a situation where there is no way to know the authenticity of nearly half the votes cast in Pennsylvania last year.

As Montgomery County Commissioner and Vice Chair of the Montgomery County Election Board, I have been advising voters all year long to cast their ballots in-person on Election Day. In addition, I have opposed all efforts to expand no excuse mail-in voting operations in Montgomery County including ballot drop-off-boxes, satellite voting locations, outsourced vendor services and multimillion-dollar machinery. Last month, I took the only appropriate action available and voted NO to the certification of Montgomery Countys 2020 General Election results.

As a United States Senator and the highest-ranking elected Republican in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, you should follow my lead and oppose certification of the election results. Your statement supporting the certification of this sham of an election is appalling, but not surprising. Your lack of leadership and willful blindness to Act 77 and the irreparable harm it has caused to both our state and nation may very well be the greatest failure in a litany of letdowns that have defined your tenure in Washington.

One of many consistently disappointed constituents,

Joseph C. Gale

Montgomery County Commissioner
SPRINGFIELD  Power from wood-to-energy plants  like the long-proposed Palmer Renewable Energy in East Springfield  wont qualify as green power for municipal power utilities for at least five years under new rules announced over the weekend by state lawmakers.

A conference committee of state senators and representatives also called on Gov. Charlie Baker and his administration to complete a new study examining the impact of these biomass plants on greenhouse emissions, global climate change and public health. The conference report  meant to hammer out differences between the Senate and House bills passed in 2020  will go to lawmakers for a vote before the term ends Tuesday.

Its part of a major climate change legislation.

The five-year moratorium removes one incentive utilities would have had to buy power from Palmer Renewable Energy.

State. Sen. Eric P. Lesser, D-Longmeadow, praised the conference report Sunday, calling it a major win for environmental justice.

GOOD NEWS FOR THE 413: sets a 5 year moratorium on municipal light plants ability to claim biomass plants like the one proposed in Springfield are "non-carbon emitting" - a major win for environmental justice. THANK YOU @BarrettSenate & @tomtipagolden! https://t.co/kFYP1v8oz4  Eric Lesser (@EricLesser) January 4, 2021

But Laura Haight, a biomass opponent and U.S. Policy Director for the Partnership for Policy Integrity, said another subsidy that could benefit the Palmer Renewable Energy plant is still alive.

However, this bill may not have any impact on the proposed biomass plant in Springfield, she said.

Also winding its way through the statehouse in Boston is a different set of regulations  ones introduced in December by the Baker administration  that would make the Springfield biomass project eligible for green energy credits.

Those regulations, now sitting in front of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, would grant the Palmer Renewables project as much as $13 million a year in green energy subsidies paid for by the states electricity customers through the

Commonwealths Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards program, also called RPS.

Haights group and others have been speaking out against Bakers proposed rule changes since they came out in December.

Its like they were written for Palmer, she said. Thats the real go-ahead run for Palmer.

The $150 million, 35-megawatt plant first proposed in 2008 might finally be financially viable it the rules from the Baker administration are approved by lawmakers, she said.

A Palmer Renewable Energy spokesman said Monday that the group is researching the conference committees report from the weekend.

Various organizations are opposing changes in renewable portfolio standards, which some say would aid a proposed biomass project in East Springfield. Here, is an artists conception of the proposed Palmer Renewable Energy biomass project

Last month, it defended the project.

The facts, science, and forestry management best practices all recognize the important role that biomass waste wood can play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and expanding the Commonwealths renewable energy portfolio, Palmer Renewable Energy said in a statement. These environmental benefits of biomass were reaffirmed earlier this month by an independent third-party study commissioned by (the Department of Energy Resources). In reliance on our validly issued permits, which were obtained after a comprehensive review and approval process, we are now in active construction and look forward to bringing this green energy project to fruition.

But opponents say burning the wood chips puts too much pollution in the air, creating greenhouse gasses and a health hazard in Springfield where there are already high rates of asthma.

City Councilor Jesse Lederman said the council and others have called for the state legislature to hold hearings on Bakers proposed rules, delaying their implementation.

Two summers ago we saw the huge crowds that came out for hearings at Putnam (Vocational Technical Academy) on this project, he said. So we know the desire to speak out is there.

Last month, state Attorney General Maura Healey also called for hearings on the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards program.

Even if they become law  a 30-day deadline expires Jan. 14  the legislature could overturn them with a new bill. And Lederman said lawmakers are planning to introduce such a bill.

Also in December, the states two U.S. Senators, Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey, jointly called for the palmer Renewables project put on hold at least until the incoming Biden administration comes out with a green energy and climate change program.

There were once a number of similar projects proposed around the region, one on the Westfield River in Russell and one in Greenfield. Both of those projects died over the years in the face of local opposition.
Vietnam, the world's third biggest exporter of rice, has started buying the grain from rival India for the first time in decades after local prices jumped to their highest in nine years amid limited domestic supplies, four industry officials told Reuters. The purchases underscore tightening supplies in Asia, which could lift rice prices in 2021 and even force traditional buyers of rice from Thailand and Vietnam to switch to India  the world's biggest exporter of the grain. Indian traders have contracted to export 70,000 tonnes of 100 per cent broken rice for January ...
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Sunday of new lockdowns to be issued across the country as cases of the coronavirus surge, particularly with a new variant spreading.

Britain has been seeing upwards of 50,000 new cases daily as health experts note that the variant is up to 70 percent more contagious. "We are entirely reconciled to do what it takes to get the virus under control that may involve tougher measures in the weeks ahead," Johnson told the BBC.

Also, on Sunday, India gave final approval for the emergency use of two coronavirus vaccines. One of the vaccines was developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University. Bharat Biotech, an Indian company, developed the other vaccine.

Only the United States surpasses India in the number of infections. The U.S. has about one-fourth of the infections globally, leading the world with more than 20.4 million cases and 350,000 deaths. India is second, with about half as many confirmed cases and deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the global outbreak.

The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday said the U.S. had administered more than 4.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines nationwide and distributed more than 13 million. COVID-19 is the illness caused by the coronavirus.

In Russia, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said that more than 800,000 people had received the domestically produced Sputnik V vaccine and that 1.5 million doses had been distributed throughout the country of 147 million. The Kremlin is pinning its hopes on mass vaccinations, not nationwide restrictions, to stop the spread of the virus and save its struggling economy from the hit of another lockdown.

Officials in Brazil, home to the third-highest number of cases globally at 7.7 million, recently told the Associated Press the country was at least three weeks away from launching any formal immunization campaign.

European Union leaders on Saturday offered to help any drug companies expand vaccine production and improve "distribution bottlenecks." "The bottleneck at the moment is the worldwide shortage of production capacity," said EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, adding the bloc would help drug companies develop candidate vaccines.


Health workers at a hospital in Hanoi collect specimens for COVID-19 testing (Photo: VNA)

The Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute made the confirmation on January 2.

The patient, born in 1976, was brought home from the UK on Flight VN50, which landed at Can Tho International Airport in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on December 22, and was quarantined upon arrival.

She is among the six, out of the 305 passengers on board, tested positive for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

The HCM City Pasteur Institute immediately conducted genetic sequencing on the six patients and found that Patient 1,435 have been infected with the new variant VOC 202012/01, which was recently discovered in the UK.

The woman, having a 10-year history of high blood pressure, is undergoing treatment at the Hospital for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases of Tra Vinh province.

Her husband, who is still in the UK, has also tested positive for the virus.

Tran Dac Phu, senior adviser to Vietnams public health emergency operations centre, cited international scientists as saying that the new coronavirus variant in the UK is 70 percent more transmissible than existing strains.

It will be very dangerous if early detection and timely quarantine are absent, he said, warning that the mortality rate is not high, but the more people infected, the more deaths, especially among high-risk groups like the elderly or those with underlying health conditions.

As the new variant spreads rapidly, strict monitoring of both illegal and legal entries is needed. A worrying problem now is people who enter the country illegally, so the publics coordination with authorities is highly necessary for ensuring good control of the pandemic, Phu added.

To head off the spread of the new virus variant, many European countries and some countries and territories in Asia like the Philippines, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Hong Kong (China) have banned flights from the UK./.
WEST FRANKFORT  In this Franklin County town sits an unassuming museum packed with memorabilia from the regions men and women who served their country in conflicts dating back to the Civil War.

It is located inside an old train depot off Main Street, a few feet from the tracks that once hauled commuters and loads of coal mined from the countys belly to places across the nation.

The tracks still serve freight cars, but the depot has been out of service as a commuter hub for many years. In the 1980s, citizens transformed it into a museum to honor the regions servicemembers.

It offers the perfect salute to their contributions  and the towns historical significance at the crossroads of America.

Many of Franklin Countys citizens called to serve in foreign wars were the same men who toiled in dangerous conditions in underground mines back home to help fuel the nations growth.

Of note, a significant number of the 119 men who died in the Orient 2 Mine explosion just days before Christmas in 1951 were veterans, said Jack McReynolds, a volunteer with the Veterans Depot Museum.

Last week, McReynolds and fellow volunteer Danny Loeh gave a reporter from The Southern a tour of the museum.

They want the public to know about their plans to spruce it up and better categorize the hundreds of artifacts housed under its roof so that they are preserved for future generations.

The museum volunteers are taking advantage of down time during the COVID-19 pandemic to get the job done. And theyre hoping that, once the pandemic ends, their efforts will result in more visitors coming through the doors.

A lot of people dont even know this exists here, said Loeh, a Vietnam War-era Army veteran.

Loeh said the goal is to have the remodel and inventory project completed this winter.

Its a huge undertaking. The basement is jammed full of personal effects that have been donated to the museum over the decades, often given by family upon the passing of a local veteran. They dont want to see these pieces lost to time alongside the people who still have some connection to their historical significance.

For the publicly accessible main floor, theyve purchased several used display cases. And theyve been rearranging items to make the walk-through a more memorable experience. Were getting it straightened up, McReynolds said. In the meantime, Loeh said hes reached out to area high school teachers in hopes they will consider taking their students on field trips here when its safe to gather in crowds again.

Whats on display now is an impressive collection of items dating back more than 150 years. Theres a shawl from the Civil War era, an old McClellan Army saddle from World War I, dozens of newspaper clippings and military patches, a display case of Medals of Honor dating from World War I to the Korean War, a large collection of World War II radios and a hand grenade found on Normandy Beach, to name only a few items in the vast collection.

Life-size mannequins with historical uniforms representing each branch of the military  Coast Guard, Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy  greet visitors at the front entrance.

There are numerous photos of those who served throughout the museum, such as the late George Michalic, a Pearl Harbor survivor who was on a ship anchored next to the USS Arizona when she went down during the surprise Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941. His son, Mark Michalic, later went on to play a key role in capturing Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh after he blew up a federal building there in 1995.

These are the types of stories that Loeh and McReynolds hope to pass along to West Frankforts younger generations.

The museum first opened in 1989. Loeh and McReynolds said theyre grateful for the volunteers who came before them to make it happen. At one time, the old depot  built in 1921  was destined for the wrecking ball. Citizens united to save it, as it has rich historical meaning for many in the county. President Harry Truman even made a stop here while riding a commuter rail car through town in 1948.

He gave a speech right out front here, McReynolds said. I was in high school and I was standing right across the street.

The late Evelyn Patton, a community-minded citizen of West Frankfort, is credited with helping raise money to restore the depot in the 1980s. The museum project, Loeh and McReynolds said, was also helped along by several World War I veterans active in the American Legion post in Frankfort Heights. They were a group of men known unofficially as the Last Man Alive Club, McReynolds said.

They had a pact that the last man to survive from their bunch would have the honor of drinking a bottle of cognac they had purchased in France and brought home from the war. When that man died at 93, he couldnt do it, McReynolds said of the legend. It was too strong. But he had a little sip of it.

Not everyone from Franklin County who fought in Americas wars were able to come home. The names of those who died in combat are etched in stone monuments outside the building. The last name added was of a young West Frankfort man, Matthew J. Vosbein, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2006.

Loeh said he dedicates so much time to this project because he wants people to remember the sacrifices that have been made for the nation by people right here at home.

Never forget, he said. Never forget.
Ground work done for setting up cargo container manufacturing hub at Bhavnagar

The ministry of ports, shipping and waterways has formed a committee to examine the feasibility of making containers at Bhavnagar, in Gujarat and developing it into a manufacturing hub for cargo containers, a segment dominated by China.

Reports said some initiatives are being made by stakeholders like freight forwarders and exporters. Freight forwarder Pushpak Logistics has rolled placed orders for a few containers with manufacturers in Bhavnagar.

Official sources said non-availability of containers amidst an increased demand for manufacturing exports has come as a dampener.

Indian coastal shipping adds about 10,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of new containers annually, while Indias largest container rail operator  Container Corporation of India  may require 2,000- 2,500 TEUs of new containers every year, the official said.

Almost all the shipping containers used today are imported from China. By the time they reach Indian shores, they cost us around 40 per cent more, which includes ocean freight, Customs duty, other taxes, custom house agent charges and sundry expenses, the official added.

China makes about 90 per cent of the global shipping containers. CIMC is the largest container manufacturer with a market share of 40 per cent. Other players include Singamas, COSCO and CXIC.

Currently, India sources its entire container needs from China at prices ranging from ?2,39,760-4,54,545 depending on the size of the container.

Indias external trade grew to $838.46 billion in FY20 and the increasing trade is translating into higher demand for containerisation due to their efficiencies. The country will require approximately 60,000 new containers between 2021 and 2026, an annual addition of about 10,000 TEUs per year.

The global container fleet is handled by container leasing companies and shipping lines, with the latter holding a 49 per cent share.

Triton is the worlds largest container leasing company with a market share of some 14 per cent, owning over six million TEUs.

India should start manufacturing marine containers within the country, said Sunil Vaswani, Executive Director, Container Shipping Lines Association (India), a lobby group for global container carriers, referring to the ongoing shortage of containers for exports from India.

This would assist in the security of supply chain for exports, he added.

Meanwhle, reports said central PSUs like Braithwaite and BHEL are well equipped to manufacture export cargo containers and are all set to enter the business. BHEL is a major in heavy electrical and engineering goods like rail wagons etc.

A central PSU, Braithwaite was established in 1913 as the Indian Subsidiary of Braithwaite & Co. Engineers Limited (UK), for undertaking fabrication of structural steel works. The Clive works in Calcutta commenced manufacture of wagons for Indian Railways from 1934.
Foreign media view 2020 as a special year for Vietnam as the country has performed the dual role of ASEAN Chair and a non-permanent member of the UNSC and done a good job of concurrently containing COVID-19 and sustaining economic growth.

Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan attend the opening ceremony of the 37th ASEAN Summit.

In a year full of challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has still been developing complicatedly and changing the whole world, Vietnam, as Prof. Carl Thayer at Australias University of New South Wales said, has shown its mettle, promoted its stature, and won over trust in the region and the world.

During 2020, the name Vietnam has repeatedly appeared on international media outlets and been frequently mentioned by foreign officials, experts, and scholars thanks to its achievements in domestic and external affairs.

With the motto of leaving no one behind and highly effective disease containment measures conducted at minimum cost, international experts and media consider the country as a model and an example for others to follow.

Efforts by the Government to realise the twin target of fighting the pandemic and ensuring social security and obtaining the best possible economic growth can make Vietnam an economic highlight in a year the global economy fell into the worst recession since World War II.

Many international financial institutions have shared the view that Vietnam, posting a growth rate of 2.91 percent in 2020, is one of the 10 countries with the fastest GDP growth. The Economist listed it among the 16 most successful emerging economies this year.

Prof. Vladimir Mazyrin from the Centre for Vietnam and ASEAN Studies at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies, the Russian Academy of Science, called this an extraordinary economic success amid the common recession and crisis, and it will help Vietnam gain a higher position in world rankings in the time ahead.

The Manila Times of the Philippines wrote that: The only seeming bright spot in Asia is Vietnam, which ably balanced public health and economics right from the onset of the pandemic.

The Business Times of Singapore and the Reuters news agency noted strict quarantine and tracing measures have helped Vietnam quickly curb outbreaks and recover economic activities faster than many other Asian countries.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said Vietnam is one of the two countries, the other is China, sustaining positive economic growth amid the COVID-19 pandemic. She held that the successful containment of the disease has supported the country to maintain growth momentum in 2020.

A border guard in Thua Thien - Hue province distribute leaflets on COVID-19 prevention and control.

In an article titled Learning from Vietnam on how to handle COVID-19 on Jakarta Post, Indonesias senior journalist Veeramalla Anjaiah wrote that: Vietnam is a dynamic country with so many success stories: Be it economic growth, exports, investments or tourism, you name a sector, theres a success story. Its latest success story is in the health sector.

Regarding economy, Vietnam has been ranked among countries recording highest growth worldwide given negative global impacts of the pandemic. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted a strong economic recovery in 2021 for the country, with macroeconomic stability seen in all aspects including growth, current account deficit, and employment. IMF said the economy is diverse enough to withstand the downturn caused by COVID-19 and achieve positive growth.

The UK-based Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) projected that Vietnams economy will move to the 19th places in the rankings of the World Economic League Table in 2035, overtaking Taiwan (China) and Thailand. It said that the nations annual rate of GDP growth is forecast to pick up to an average of 7 percent between 2021 and 2025. Over the subsequent ten years, the economy will expand by 6.6 percent on an annual average.

From other perspective, the UK-based Financial Times said Vietnam is emerging as a prominent link in the global supply chain. Multinationals are looking for building up their supply bases here as a result of the countrys solid record in making products to global standards, and to a widening network of free trade agreements, including recently with the EU and the UK, it said.

Echoing the view, an article on seekingalpha.com said Vietnam has the potential to become a manufacturing destination of the world. The article noted the country is going into demographic dividend era where more than 70 percent of its population will be below 35 years of age. With a population of about 100 million as of 2019, there are only about 13 percent who come under the middle class/income category. This is slated to double by 2025/2026 to 26 percent. This will give a big boost to their consumption story and push growth rates higher from the current 6 percent average. Many companies will want to take advantage of this consumption boom and take a leap to invest further in this economy, it said.

In terms of external relations, Vietnam has recorded outstanding marks in its role as the Chair of ASEAN and of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, as well as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi commended Vietnams exemplary chairmanship role by providing strong leadership in keeping the region cohesive and responsive to new challenges, particularly the COVID-19.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Chair of ASEAN in 2020, attends the signing ceremony of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

Meanwhile, the Sputnik news agency of Russia emphasised that the most remarkable feature of ASEAN 2020 was online conferences. Vietnam quickly adapted to the situation, applying cyberspace to organise conferences set in the plan of the ASEAN Chairmanship Year in the online format. This was warmly responded by all ASEAN countries as well as the blocs partners. It proved that the COVID-19 pandemic could not break the cohesion of the entire ASEAN.

Hiroyuki Moribe, Director of the Vietnam Economic Research Institute (VERI), said Vietnam successfully accomplished its role as ASEAN Chair 2020 in the context of COVID-19s impact being beyond imagination. As ASEAN Chair, it assumed the burden of responsibility for leading the bloc in outlining measures to address a wide range of important issues, he said, adding that many countries have lauded Vietnams coordination capacity in organising the summit, which involved the participation of powerful nations such as China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.

Sharing the same view, Prof. Carl Thayer from the University of New South Wales said Vietnam actively affirmed its strong will and special leadership role in the fields of uniting ASEAN member states together in response to COVID-19 pandemic and recovery, creating consensus on neutral stance and ASEANs central role amid competition among major powers, successfully completing negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and consolidating ASEANs statement on the East Sea by underlining the importance of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

As a non-permanent member of the UNSC, Vietnam was hailed for reflecting its active, balanced and responsible role, most recently pushing forward the UNs adoption of the Resolution on the establishment of International Day of Epidemic Preparedness (December 27).

Foreign Minister of Mozambique Veronica Nataniel said Vietnam made active and effective contributions to the UNSCs operations, including practical initiatives to peace and security in Africa.

Permanent Representative of Belgium to the UN, Ambassador Philippe Kridelka said Vietnam has raised a strong voice and won trust of the world. He expressed his belief that Vietnam could serve as an effective bridge among nations, thus helping permanent member states such as Russia, the US and China more understand each other.

Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani, Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the UN, expressed his belief that Vietnam will continue upholding its contributions in various areas in the UNSC, particularly bringing peace to the Middle East and Africa when Vietnam will undertake the role of UNSC Chair in April 2021 for the second time.







On January 21, 2020, Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnamese mission to the UN, chairs an open discussion of United Nations Security Council on the Palestine-Israel situation.

Vice Permanent Representative of France to the UN, Ambassador Nathalie Estival-Broadhurst, for her part, lauded Vietnam for fulfilling its responsibility, including successfully holding an open discussion on the UN Charter and connecting ASEAN with the UNSC.

She described Vietnam as a strong partner in the UNSC and a traditional partner of France in the Francophone community.

Russias news agency Sputnik also said Vietnam could be considered a role model in 2020, and the challenges that the country has faced and weathered have illustrated its peoples steadfastness and the clear-sightedness of its leaders./.VNA

Vietnam successfully escorts ASEAN through a tough year Vietnams ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020 has officially concluded, with the country successfully leading the association through a challenging year and continuing to promote its role in the region and seize new opportunities.
India's indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin developed by Bharat Biotech might soon find a buyer in Brazil. A Brazilian association of private health clinics said on January 3 that it is negotiating with Bharat Biotech to obtain five million doses of its Covaxin.

The Brazilian Association of Vaccine Clinics (ABCVAC) confirmed on its website it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian firm to purchase its vaccine, which is currently in the final stage of clinical trials.

ABCVAC's described its deal with Bharat Biotech as a way to ensure that Brazilians using the private health system, especially the affluent, would have access to a vaccine even as the government reserves its own initial doses for the public health system and high-priority groups such as health workers and the elderly.

"We had been looking for solutions for the private market, and the possibility came up of using this Indian vaccine, which is very promising," ABCVAC president Geraldo Barbosa told TV network Globo News.

Any final deal would be subject to approval by Brazil's health regulator, Anvisa, which is yet to approve any vaccines against the new coronavirus.

Brazil has the second highest death toll after the US. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has faced severe criticism for struggling to get the country's vaccination campaign off the ground.

The Brazilian president has repeatedly said Brazilians will not be required to be vaccinated even after coronavirus vaccine becomes widely available. In October, he joked on Twitter that vaccination would be required only for his dog.

Brazil's health ministry is due to announce the start date for its vaccination campaign on Monday.

Also read: Harsh Vardhan backs Bharat Biotech's 'Covaxin' as opposition questions its efficacy

Also read: India approves Serum-Oxford, Bharat Biotech COVID vaccines for emergency use


By Ritah Kemigisa

African Unions chairman and also South Africas President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that Africa has few options to procure Covid-19 vaccines as the outbreak of the disease worsens across many parts of the continent.

Pfizer and BioNTech have offered to supply Africa with 50 million Covid-19 vaccines for health workers between March and the end of this year.

Producers of the vaccine have since revealed that they do no have supplies for Africa, while AstraZeneca Plc has no shots for the continent in 2021 and has directed the African Union to negotiate with the Serum Institute of India Ltd, which is making the vaccine on behalf of AstraZeneca.

Ramaphosa says much as there is the Covax initiative, which is designed to ensure equitable access to the vaccines, the vaccines are likely to begin arriving in the second quarter.

He adds that some African countries have their own plans for vaccine procurement while others do not.

Yesterday the ministry of health confirmed that Uganda will access the COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca.
She's a MasterChef Australia fan favourite, with some even calling her a national treasure.

And on Monday, Poh Ling Yeow weighed in on the cooking competition's new judging lineup.

In an interview with news.com.au, the 47-year-old commended Channel 10 for bringing in judges Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo, after parting ways with Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris after 11 seasons.

'I think that was a really interesting move': MasterChef Australia contestant Poh Ling Yeow (pictured), 47, revealed the biggest and most 'unpredictable' change to the cooking competition over the years has brought it a new lease of life

'I was surprised at just how much a feminine energy was needed on set,' Poh told the publication.

'When Mel walked on, I was like, "wow, she adds something really different to the vibe".

'They (Allen, Leong, Zonfrillo) were definitely unpredictable and I think that was a really interesting move.'

Change for the better: In an interview with news.com.au , Poh commended Channel 10 for bringing in judges Andy Allen (left), Melissa Leong (centre) and Jock Zonfrillo (right), after parting ways with Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris after 11 seasons

Being honest: The Malaysian-born cook said it completely changed the 'vibe' on the MasterChef Australia set

Why they left: Matt Preston (centre), Gary Mehigan (left) and George Calombaris (right) quit the reality cooking series in 2019 after a reported pay dispute with Channel 10

Before the new judges were cast, ratings slumped to as low as 366,000 in 2019.

However, in 2020, they spiked back up to about a million viewers each episode.

This comes after Poh celebrated her birthday in December, and shocked fans when she revealed her real age.

How old? '47 last Friday...' the dark haired beauty captioned her post. Fans were quick to compliment the chef on her age-defying visage, with one writing: 'As IF you are 47?!'

'47 last Friday...' the dark haired beauty captioned her post.

Fans were quick to compliment the chef on her age-defying visage, with one writing: 'As IF you are 47?!'

Another echoed the disbelief: 'No way! If you said 27, I would've believed you!'
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
A woman named Tran Thi Phuong Thao has a special necklace which she always carries with her. The pendant made of stainless steel shows her name, date of birth, and her special blood type.

Thao, born in 1991 in Hanoi, is a member of a club of people who have rare blood types. She said many other members of the club in the northern region wear necklaces similar to hers.

Tran Thi Phuong Thao and her daughter

If they have an accident, especially in localities where they dont have many relatives and friends, the information on the necklace will help hospitals find suitable blood donors. As their blood types are very rare, blood is not always available at medical centers.

The International Society of Blood Transfusion has recognized 39 red blood cell group systems, of which ABO and Rh are the most important group systems for blood transfusion.

ABO has four blood groups, including A, B, AB and O. Rh has two kinds  Rh(D) positive and Rh(D) negative.

The blood type which accounts for less than 0.1 percent of population is considered rare and less than 0.01 percent as very rare'.

In Vietnam, Rh(D) negative accounts for 0.1 percent of the total population of 96 million.

Those with Rh(D) positive account for more than 99 percent of Vietnamese people.

Rh negative people face higher risks if they have an accident and need blood transfusion as hospitals dont always store this rare blood type.

In an effort to mobilize blood for people with rare blood types for emergency cases, many people with Rh(D) blood type have connected with each other in clubs.

There are many rare blood clubs in Vietnam, including ones in the north, HCM City, the southeast, the central region and other cities and provinces.

The club of people with rare blood types in the north, established in 2007, now has more than 500 members from different cities and provinces in the region. It is estimated that 3,000 blood units are donated by members of the club.

Thao was a deputy chair of the club before she temporarily left to give birth to the first child. Her daughter is eight months old and she will only be able to donate blood again after four months.

Saving people

In the last eight years, the 29-year-old woman donated blood nine times, mostly in emergency cases, to save patients in critical condition.

Thao said the patient that she and other members of the club saved most recently was a middle-aged man who was B Rh(D) negative. The man was brought to Hospital 108 in a dangerous state with serious bleeding.

Informed about the case, Thao contacted other members of the club and rushed to the hospital.

The family members were in a panic as their father was diagnosed with liver cancer and it was difficult to find blood of the rare type. But they later calmed down after Thao and her friends came.

Their five units of blood were the lifebuoy that saved the patient. He later recovered and gathered strength to receive further treatment.



Like Thao, Nguyen Thanh Tuan, born in 1982 in Yen Bai province, also has memories about how he helped save people. Tuan has O Rh(D) negative and has donated blood 10 times.

If they have an accident, especially in localities where they dont have many relatives and friends, the information on the necklace will help hospitals find suitable blood donors. As their blood types are very rare, blood is not always available at medical centers.

Tuan received a call from Ba Khe Hospital when he was at his home, 40 kilometers from the hospital. He drove his motorbike to the hospital in the rain and donated 350 ml which helped the mother and her baby stay safe.

The happiness of blood donors

Tran Sach Minh, born in 1994 in Hanoi, also a member of the club, said he only donates blood to give in emergency cases.

Blood donations must be 84 days apart.

Minh discovered that he was B Rh(D) negative in 2013 when he was a second-year student at the Hanoi University of Transport and Communications.

To date, Minh has given blood 13 times, and doesnt know who the recipients were.

He noted that other men and women caught buses from Quang Ninh and Nam Dinh to Hanoi to donate blood, and said that his devotion was small.

I am happy as I can help people, he said.

Nguyen Lien

Report details stamping out of Bach Mai Hospital COVID-19 outbreak The coronavirus outbreak at Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital was one of the most concerning outbreaks in Vietnam since the pandemic began.
Over 42.6M abortions conducted in 2020, surpassing world's leading causes of death

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Over 42 million abortions occurred in 2020, far surpassing the totals of people who perished as a result of the worlds leading causes of death.

According to data compiled by the Worldometer, a reference website that monitors statistics on health, the global population, the use of resources and deaths in real-time, over 40 million abortions are performed worldwide annually.

The website tabulates statistics on abortion made available from the World Health Organization. The last available snapshot of the Worldometer as it appeared on New Years Eve, captured by the internet archive tool The Wayback Machine, reveals that more than 42.6 million abortions were performed worldwide in 2020.

By comparison, communicable diseases killed more than 13 million people worldwide in 2020. About 8.2 million people worldwide lost their lives to cancer while nearly 5.1 million people and 2.5 million people succumbed to death as a result of smoking and alcohol, respectively.

According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 1.8 million people worldwide died of coronavirus in 2020.

Other leading causes of death in 2020 included road traffic accident fatalities, of which there were nearly 1.4 million. Additionally, suicides are responsible for nearly 1.1 million deaths across the globe.

The total number of deaths worldwide in 2020, excluding abortions, was nearly 59 million.

But if abortions were counted as a cause of death rather than just another health statistic, the global death toll in 2020 would increase to more than 100 million.

The number of pregnancies terminated worldwide in 2020 is greater than the total number of people that succumbed to all other leading causes of death listed.

The year 2020 is not the first where the total number of abortions has surpassed the totals of people who died from the leading causes of death.

As previously reported, Worldometer reported that there were about 42.4 million abortions that occurred in 2019.

While abortion is the leading cause of death worldwide, it has also been the leading cause of death in the United States in recent years.

According to the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, 862,320 abortions were performed in the U.S. in 2017. That same year, heart disease which is frequently cited as the leading cause of death in the U.S., took the lives of 647,457 Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

In 2017, the total number of deaths in the United States, excluding abortions, was 2,813,503.

Already in 2021, Worldometer shows that there have been over 435,000 abortions since the beginning of the new year worldwide as of Monday evening.

As abortion remained the leading cause of death worldwide in 2020, countries across the world elected to take drastically different public policy approaches regarding the polarizing issue.

Last week, Argentinas legislature passed a bill allowing elective abortions to take place during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. Previously, the South American country only allowed abortions if a woman was raped or if her life was in jeopardy as a result of the pregnancy.

In October 2020, Polands Constitutional Tribunal, the countrys equivalent of a supreme court, ruled that a law permitting abortions based on fetal defects violated the countrys constitution. The ruling had the effect of making abortions legal in Poland only in cases of rape or incest or if the mothers life or health were at risk.

A survey conducted last year by Ipsos found that support for abortion has dropped in most countries worldwide since Ipsos first began tracking the worlds attitudes about abortion in 2014. Worldwide, the support for abortion dropped from 72% in 2014 to 70% in 2020.

The strongest decline in support for abortion was recorded in Germany, where support decreased by 9%. Other countries where support for abortion dropped in that time period included Sweden, France, the United Kingdom and Spain. While Belgium, Australia, Canada and Argentina saw support for abortion increase from 2014 to 2020, no country saw as pronounced an increase as South Korea, where support rose by 20%.
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More than 57,000 postal votes cast in Queensland's latest state election were rejected by the poll watchdog, a figure labelled "unacceptably high" by one political expert after a record number of people resorted to postal voting for the first time amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

About 900,000 postal ballots were issued ahead of the October polling period, a roughly three-fold increase on the 2017 election figure, with applications also opened before the writs were issued for the first time.

Electorate-specific data provided with the tabled answer shows Toowoomba South had the largest number of rejected postal votes, with 1075. Credit:Louise Kennerley

A total of 57,350 were later rejected by the Electoral Commission of Queensland, Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman has revealed in response to a Question on Notice.

About 709,000 postal ballots were returned and accepted into the count, the data tabled in Parliament on Monday shows. A further 100,000 who applied for a postal vote ended up voting by other means.
Manager of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Ali Abdelaziz, suggested that his client enjoys a far more genuine relationship with UFC boss Dana White than Irish fighter Conor McGregor does.

"The relationship between Khabib and Dana is about respect, is about morals, is about manhood, said Abdelaziz as part of a recent interview with TMZ Sports. "It's not like Conor and Dana's relationship - this is all about money..."

"Khabib all the time says this to me, we dont really care about Conor," Abdelaziz said. "Somebody might say 100 million dollars. I dont think that will persuade Khabib. If Khabib doesnt wanna fight, I dont want to pressure Khabib or ask him too much, I let him be. I believe in Dana White. If anyone can get it done, its Dana White. These two guys Dana and Khabib, they really love each other, they respect each other, Danas really good about getting people to do things."
New Delhi, Jan 4 : It was early morning in Tal Chapar blackbuck sanctuary in Rajasthan. "Pull over" I shouted in excitement and my friend, veteran wildlife photographer Kamal Sahansi, braked hard on the jeep.

"Neelkanth, wow! Beautiful... don't make any sound. Just click," said Sahansi, sharing expert advice.

There it was, my favourite bird-the Indian roller on a perch, looking up at the skies as if communicating with the almighty. Called the neelkanth in India, it is considered auspicious. People say if you get 'darshan' of neelkanth during the Navratra festival, your wish comes true.

According to popular belief, Lord Rama is said to have seen the neelkanth before setting on his journey to fight Ravana. Folklore says that sighting a neelkanth on Dussehra helps absolve people of their sins. To exploit this sentiment, poachers hunt the India roller and 'exploit" the faithful by organising 'darshans' in lieu of money -- which is illegal.

This was my first 'encounter' with the Indian roller and he sat quietly. It wasn't interested in giving us a demonstration of his wonderful acrobatics from where it gets its name from.

A flash of blue, a splash of orange around the eyes, and a beautiful roll in the air describe this exquisite bird. The roller rolls in the air in a flash of blue and ochre. It could be catching insects, giving them a flash of its beauty before they disappear down its throat. One wonders whether this bird was given a chance to be considered our national bird, a title that the peacock has won. While the species is found from Southeast Asia to the Arabian Peninsula, Indian rollers are commonly found in the heavily populated plains of India, therefore figuring prominently in local lore.

The name Neelkanth, means "blue throat," a name associated with Indian deity Shiva, whose blue throat resulted from drinking poison. Other common names are "blue crow" or "blue jay," perhaps because rollers display crow-like attributes - being noisy, comfortable around humans, and omnivorous.

One can identify the Indian roller as a stocky, medium-sized bird with an overall drab brown appearance whilst perched. The bird is approximately 26-27 cm long and both male and female Indian rollers look alike. Male rollers perform acrobatic aerial rolls during their courtship displays, and sometimes as a defensive tactic around their nests.

There are 12 species in this family. Rollers are crow-sized birds found in the warm areas of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the islands of the South Pacific and they have small bills and medium to long tail feathers. Most rollers are a combination of blue and brown in colour.

They fly straight up into the air, fold their wings and fall freely towards the ground; they then roll over and fly up again! They eat insects while they are in flight and often perch on a branch waiting for prey to go by. Indian roller is one of the most colourful birds of India whose colours are visible during flight. Found across the plains in India, it is the state bird of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Odisha. Their calls, 'chack-chack' are crow-like and the frenzied flapping of their wings shows off their vivid colours.

Their cousin, the European roller (Coracias garrulus) migrates to India during winter. Predominantly blue, the European roller is a passage migrant and visits India briefly in the winter. The dominance of the brown colour is what helps to differentiate the Indian roller from the European roller. "The European roller looks the same as our neelkanth", that was my first reaction when I saw this species closely in Sultanpur, near Gurugram.

"See this in a flight and it looks beautiful", says my photographer friend Vishal Chowdhary, who managed to get the flying shot. "The Indian roller has lilac colour marking on its face, while the European roller has a blue head. It has no marking on the head and possesses chestnut colouration on wing and back. In addition to this, the Indian roller has bluish, lighter and darker blue wing colour combination." A threatened migratory bird, the European roller is the only member of the roller family to breed in Europe. Its blue and brown-coloured plumage is its most distinctive feature. Until 2010, little was known about this bird's migration patterns and wintering.

For the first time, scientists from nine countries discovered the routes taken by this species which is currently in a fragile state of conservation. Researchers have been able to uncover this information with the help of geolocators and satellite transmissions. Each year, the European roller covers close to ten thousand kilometres all the way from Europe to sub-Saharan Africa via India and repeats such a long journey again in spring.

While European rollers are in the list of the endangered species, the Indian rollers are described as least concerned by the IUCN. However, experts feel that Indian rollers are not so common these days. In fact, they are facing a crisis due to indiscriminate hunting by poachers and use of pesticides.

The government has launched a 10-year plan to help in the conservation of birds and their habitat. Capturing and displaying Indian rollers is illegal. They are protected under Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 which carries a penalty of Rs 25,000 and imprisonment. India is also the president of the Bonn Convention (Conservation of Migratory Species of Wildlife, CMS) under the UN. Nearly 370 species of migratory birds visit India through three flyways - Central Asian Flyway (CAF), East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) and the Asian-East African Flyway (AEAF). India has been working through many programmes for the protection of these species.

Next time you see these beautiful birds, remember they are a boon for farmers as they eat insects and worms from farmlands. These birds are natural pest controllers.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
The Centre on Sunday allowed the Chhattisgarh government to deliver 24 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of rice to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) under central pool during Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2020-21. However, sources from the state government say that is down from the 60 lakh MT that they were assured. The state government fears that the central government will ask the state to discontinue Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana.

The state government hopes that the remaining rice will also be taken later. But the worrying thing is that the central government has made a condition that the state government will not give any kind of bonus with the purchase of crops right now or in future. Actually, the Centre has objections with the state governments Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana. The BJP leaders of the state have complained to the Centre that the Congress government is giving bonus to the farmers. Whereas the truth is that after the central governments condition of not giving bonus, the state started the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana and announced to give it per acre instead of crop, said a senior official in the Chief Ministers Office (CMO).

Another source from the government said that we are apprehensive that the central government will ask to discontinue the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana in the future.Actually the central government is not okay with cash going in the pockets of farmers. They want the farmer to keep going through Modi jis 500 rupees per month plan.

The BJP state unit pointed out that the directive about not giving bonus have been issued to the Madhya Pradesh government as well.

There is federal structure and every state has to follow it because we follow constitution. The central government has issued such directions to Madhya Pradesh also which is BJP ruled state. The Chhattisgarh government is doing politics by saying that state BJP unit has complained about Nyay Yojana or bonus, said Sacchinand Upasane, senior BJP leader and spokesperson.

Meanwhile, chief minister Bhupesh Baghel thanked the Centre and also hoped that the permission for more procurement would be granted further in the central pool.

CM Baghel had recently spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over phone and requested to ensure issuance of final order from the Centre to lift rice after custom milling from the state for the central pool.

The Centre had earlier given in principle approval to take 60 lakh MT rice from the state in the central pool.

As per a letter issued by the Government of India on Sunday, The Government of India has decided to allow 24 lakh MT of rice to be delivered to FCI under central pool during KMS 2020-21 which is equivalent to the quantity as allowed in previous years to Chhattisgarh.

The Centre had categorically stated that it could not purchase excess paddy procured by the states by giving bonus and incentives in direct or indirect form citing the clauses of procurement scheme agreement.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Government of India, State Government and Food Corporation of India in both DCP (decentralized procurement scheme) and non-DCP States for procurement of paddy from farmers under central pool, the letter stated.

As per Clause No.3 of MoU of DCP State, In the situation of state giving any bonus/ financial incentive in direct or indirect form, over and above minimum support price (MSP), if the overall procurement of the state is in excess of the total allocation of the state made by the Government of India under TPDS (Targeted Public Distribution System)/ OWS (Other Welfare Schemes), such excess quantity shall be treated to be outside the Central Pool.

The Chhattisgarh government had also published an advertisement/press release on December 17, 2020 detailing the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana that they would procure paddy from the farmers at Rs 2,500 per quintal during KMS 2020-21 by paying Rs 10,000 per acre which is a form of indirect incentive over and above the MSP which is as good as bonus on procurement of paddy, it said.
Nearly 70% of parents who responded to a nationwide survey said they prefer schools in their respective states to reopen only post-April in light of Covid-19 and the resultant lockdown.

The survey was conducted by Local Circles, a Delhi-based community social media platform, and was based on responses from 19,000 parents across 224 districts in the country  58% from tier-1 districts, 21% from tier-2 districts, and 21% from tier-3, tier-4 and rural districts. In Maharashtra, more than 2,000 parents responded to the survey, of which about 52% said they want schools in the state to begin only in April this year. Of these, 1,325 parents were from Mumbai.

In September 2020, Local Circles had conducted a similar survey, wherein only around 34% of parents had said that schools should begin from April 2021. Over the past months, the number of parents who think that way seems to have substantially increased. A majority of parents are not willing to send their children to school even now, due to the risk involved. Some parents of students in Class 10 and 12 might send them as they have to prepare for board exams, said Anubha Sahai, president of the Indiawide Parents Association.

Parents were also asked about whether they would consider giving the Covid-19 vaccine to their child after it is rolled out for school children. Only 26% said they would approve of it, while 56% said they would wait for three months or more to see the data and findings, and then make a decision.

In Maharashtra, as of December 14, over 10 lakh students are attending physical schools daily, while more than 15,000 schools have reopened in the state for Classes 9 to 12 since November 23. The administration of Pune will be reopening schools in the city for Class 9 to 12 from January 4, as per the Pune Municipal Corporation. In Delhi, education minister Manish Sisodia said that schools are likely to reopen only post-July 2021 after children are vaccinated.
Vermont has placed strict requirements on Capital Region residents, as well as much of the rest of the country, since the Covid-19 pandemic intensified earlier this year. Unless you're an essential worker on essential business, you must quarantine. Activities like outlet shopping apparently don't qualify.

Yet traffic  much of it bearing out-of-state license plates  continued to stream along New York Route 7 eastward to the Green Mountain state, its many ski areas and its outlet shopping, over the recent holiday season.

It's not clear how many of those visitors quarantined for 14 days before traveling, or would quarantine when they got home.

"Out-of-state plates? Maybe it's someone coming to Vermont who has a second home and will quarantine" after they arrive, said Ben Truman, a spokesman for the Vermont Department of Health. He said the guidelines were clear, but added that "it's tough. Businesses are the lifeblood for a lot of these communities."

Merchants have worked hard to make sure visitors remain safe, said Lana Hauben, president of Manchester Designer Outlets, which operates a number of high-end retailers in the popular resort of Manchester.

"People know what the rules are," she said Monday. "You must wear a mask at all times. You must wash your hands. (The stores) have hand sanitizers."

Truman, meanwhile, said the state's public safety initiatives undertaken by Vermont Gov. Philip Scott and his administration have kept the positivity rate "very low."

Vermont's positivity rate over the past week was 2.63 percent, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. In New York state, meanwhile, it was 7.78 percent.

The quarantine regulations "stop the virus from spreading," he said.

Leisure visitors will see signs at many border crossings that direct them to a website describing entry guidelines, although Hauben says "there's no border patrols."

At the same time, "we need to do our best to keep our employees and customers safe," said Erin Sigrist, president of the Vermont Retail and Grocers Association. "Technically you're not supposed to cross the border without quarantining."

One possible bright spot: The pandemic "has forced retailers to create an online presence," Sigrist said. "Now, there are significantly more small retailers" who offer an online shopping alternative.

If you do want to shop in person, Hauben will understand.

With retailers from Armani and Brooks Brothers to Michael Kors and TUMI, "Manchester is not a mall," she said. "We have great restaurants and affordable cafes.

"Everyone's trying to have a life," she added. "But you have to be careful."

eanderson@timesunion.com
Real Madrid are favourites to sign Bayern Munich defender David Alaba on a free transfer as Barcelona have pulled out of the transfer race due to financial instability.

The Catalans have withdrawn from the race as they are unable to meet the players salary demands amid the financial ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic.

As a result, Real Madrid maintain their position as the frontrunners to land the Austrians signature - having offered the defender a four-year deal worth nearly 9m a season.

David Alaba (above) is set to leave Bundesliga giants, Bayern Munich, after 13 years at the club

As it stands, Alaba is due to be a free agent when his contract with Bayern Munich runs down at the end of June.

Alaba was given permission by Champions League holders Bayern to discuss moves with other clubs after he rejected their 200,000-a-week contract extension.

La Liga rivals, Real Madrid and Barcelona, were going head-to-head to sign the 28-year-old, before the Catalans pulled out of the race.

Alaba has declined a 200,000-per week contract extension at the Bundesliga giants

Real Madrid are his likely destination as Barcelona have pulled out of the transfer race

According to Marca, Alaba's agent Pini Zhavi was in talks with Barca over a possible deal, but once the club learned of the defender's financial demands they opted out.

Having seen their income drop by 231million, it is believed Barcelona will focus their attention on signing Manchester City's Eric Garcia instead.

As a result, Real Madrid are said to be closing in.

Alaba rose from Munich's Under-17 squad, playing a crucial role in the side since 2011 - bagging nine Bundesliga titles and two Champions League titles.

Alaba has been in high demand across Europe due to his versatility in between defence and midfield.

Alaba has been a serial winner at Bayern, bagging nine Bundesliga titles in a decade there

Manchester United have pulled-back from a move, with the club unable to afford his demands

The Austrian's ability to play at left-back or in the centre of defence has helped convince Madrid to vie for his signature.

There is a belief he will be able to challenge Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos. Madrid even expect him to step in permanently for Ramos when he leaves.

Manchester United had also declared their interest in Alaba, but found themselves in a similar position to Barcelona, having been priced out of a move.
At least five candidates are slated to compete for former Speaker Robert DeLeos seat in a special election March 30.

The primary is slated for March 2 for the 19th Suffolk district seat, held by DeLeo for three decades before the Winthrop Democrat stepped down to pursue a job with his alma mater, Northeastern University. Voters in Winthrop and parts of Revere will have the option to submit ballots by mail in the special state primary or election.

So far five candidates have expressed interest in running for the seat. Juan Pablo Jaramillo, a former DeLeo intern and political coordinator for 32BJ, was the first to file as a candidate. He submitted paperwork on the day DeLeo informed members of his intention to seek employment with Northeastern.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Speaker DeLeo for his leadership and service to Winthrop and Revere, to the House of Representatives and to the Commonwealth. He leaves behind a remarkable legacy that his successor will have to protect from day one. pic.twitter.com/0zdI1sW9Nl  Juan Pablo Jaramillo (@MAJuanJaramillo) December 28, 2020

Jeffrey Turco, an attorney, and Marc Silvestri, director of veteran services in Revere, filed as candidates on Dec. 21. Valentino Capobianco, who works for Sen. Paul Feeney, filed as a candidate on Dec. 29. Alicia DelVento, who works for Rep. Danielle Gregoire, filed Dec. 30.

The deadline to file nomination papers to the local registrars of voters is Jan. 19, according to Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvins office. Candidates have until Jan. 26 to submit certified nomination papers to Galvins office with at least 150 certified signatures.

Related Content:
By Jonathan Cook

January 04, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - The unexpected decision by Judge Vanessa Baraitser to deny a US demand to extradite Julian Assange, foiling efforts to send him to a US super-max jail for the rest of his life, is a welcome legal victory, but one swamped by larger lessons that should disturb us deeply.

Those who campaigned so vigorously to keep Assanges case in the spotlight, even as the US and UK corporate media worked so strenuously to keep it in darkness, are the heroes of the day. They made the price too steep for Baraitser or the British establishment to agree to lock Assange away indefinitely in the US for exposing its war crimes and its crimes against humanity in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But we must not downplay the price being demanded of us for this victory.

A moment of celebration

We have contributed collectively in our various small ways to win back for Assange some degree of freedom, and hopefully a reprieve from what could be a death sentence as his health continues to deteriorate in an overcrowded Belmarsh high-security prison in London that has become a breeding ground for Covid-19.

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For this we should allow ourselves a moment of celebration. But Assange is not out of the woods yet. The US has said it will appeal the decision. And it is not yet clear whether Assange will remain jailed in the UK  possibly in Belmarsh  while many months of further legal argument about his future take place.

The US and British establishments do not care where Assange is imprisoned  be it Sweden, the UK or the US. What has been most important to them is that he continues to be locked out of sight in a cell somewhere, where his physical and mental fortitude can be destroyed and where he is effectively silenced, encouraging others to draw the lesson that there is too high a price to pay for dissent.

The personal battle for Assange wont be over till he is properly free. And even then he will be lucky if the last decade of various forms of incarceration and torture he has been subjected to do not leave him permanently traumatised, emotionally and mentally damaged, a pale shadow of the unapologetic, vigorous transparency champion he was before his ordeal began.

That alone will be a victory for the British and US establishments who were so embarrassed by, and fearful of, Wikileaks revelations of their crimes.

Rejected on a technicality

But aside from what is a potential personal victory for Assange, assuming he doesnt lose on appeal, we should be deeply worried by the legal arguments Baraitser advanced in denying extradition.

The US demand for extradition was rejected on what was effectively a technicality. The US mass incarceration system is so obviously barbaric and depraved that, it was shown conclusively by experts at the hearings back in September, Assange would be at grave risk of committing suicide should he become another victim of its super-max jails.

One should not also discard another of the British establishments likely considerations: that in a few days Donald Trump will be gone from the White House and a new US administration will take his place.

There is no reason to be sentimental about president-elect Joe Biden. He is a big fan of mass incarceration too, and he will be no more of a friend to dissident media, whistleblowers and journalism that challenges the national security state than was his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama. Which is no friend at all.

But Biden probably doesnt need the Assange case hanging over his head, becoming a rallying cry against him, an uncomfortable residue of the Trump administrations authoritarian instincts that his own officials would be forced to defend.

It would be nice to imagine that the British legal, judicial and political establishments grew a backbone in ruling against extradition. The far more likely truth is that they sounded out the incoming Biden team and received permission to forgo an immediate ruling in favour of extradition  on a technicality.

Keep an eye on whether the new Biden administration decides to drop the appeal case. More likely his officials will let it rumble on, largely below the medias radar, for many months more.

Journalism as espionage

Significantly, Judge Baraitser backed all the Trump administrations main legal arguments for extradition, even though they were comprehensively demolished by Assanges lawyers.

Baraitser accepted the US governments dangerous new definition of investigative journalism as espionage, and implied that Assange had also broken Britains draconian Official Secrets Act in exposing government war crimes.

She agreed that the 2007 Extradition Treaty applies in Assanges case, ignoring the treatys actual words that exempt political cases like his. She has thereby opened the door for other journalists to be seized in their home countries and renditioned to the US for embarrassing Washington.

Baraitser accepted that protecting sources in the digital age  as Assange did for whistleblower Chelsea Manning, an essential obligation on journalists in a free society  now amounts to criminal hacking. She trashed free speech and press freedom rights, saying they did not provide unfettered discretion by Mr Assange to decide what hes going to publish.

She appeared to approve of the ample evidence showing that the US spied on Assange inside the Ecuadorian embassy, both in violation of international law and his client-lawyer privilege  a breach of his most fundamental legal rights that alone should have halted proceedings.

Baraitser argued that Assange would receive a fair trial in the US, even though it was almost certain to take place in the eastern district of Virginia, where the major US security and intelligence services are headquartered. Any jury there would be dominated by US security personnel and their families, who would have no sympathy for Assange.

So as we celebrate this ruling for Assange, we must also loudly denounce it as an attack on press freedom, as an attack on our hard-won collective freedoms, and as an attack on our efforts to hold the US and UK establishments accountable for riding roughshod over the values, principles and laws they themselves profess to uphold.

Even as we are offered with one hand a small prize in Assanges current legal victory, the establishments other hand seizes much more from us.

Vilification continues

There is a final lesson from the Assange ruling. The last decade has been about discrediting, disgracing and demonising Assange. This ruling should very much be seen as a continuation of that process.

Baraitser has denied extradition only on the grounds of Assanges mental health and his autism, and the fact that he is a suicide risk. In other words, the principled arguments for freeing Assange have been decisively rejected.

If he regains his freedom, it will be solely because he has been characterised as mentally unsound. That will be used to discredit not just Assange, but the cause for which he fought, the Wikileaks organisation he helped to found, and all wider dissidence from establishment narratives. This idea will settle into popular public discourse unless we challenge such a presentation at every turn.
Jio's New Year gift: Voice calls to other networks in India to be free from January 1

Reliance seeks urgent intervention by HC after Jio towers are vandalised in Punjab

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 04: Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), whose Jio Infocomm towers were allegedly targeted by a section of farmers in Punjab protesting against the farm laws will file a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Reliance has 'no plans on entering corporate farming', moves court | Oneindia News

RIL would seek an immediate intervention in this regard and the company has accused vested interests of instigating and aiding the vandals.

"Reliance Industries Limited, through its subsidiary Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, in a petition mentioned to be filed in Punjab and Haryana High Court today, has sought urgent intervention of govt authorities to bring a complete stop to illegal acts of vandalism by miscreants," according to news agency ANI.

RIL AGM 2020: Jio 5G solution, Jio TV Plus, Jio Glass announced

"These acts of violence have endangered the lives of thousands of employees and caused damage and disruption to the vital communications infrastructure. The miscreants indulging in vandalism have been instigated and aided by vested interests and our business rivals," RIL also said.

Further RIL said that it had no plans of entering corporate farming and said that it has not purchased any land in India for this. "We shall insist on our suppliers to strictly abide by the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism. We have immense gratitude and the greatest respect for India's kisans, who are the 'ANNA DATA' of 1.3 billion Indians," RIL said.

In a letter to the chief minister, Jio flagged the acts of sabotage and vandalism at its network sites "by unknown persons in the disguise of ongoing farmers agitation".

It alleged that the damage being inflicted is "deliberate" in nature with "ulterior motives and clear intent" of causing maximum disruption to the company''s infrastructure and services.

"We humbly request for your kind intervention by a direction from your good office to the district administration to take action against the miscreants who caused this damage, and prevention of any further damage as apart from losses to the infrastructure, people of Punjab are suffering because their life is getting impacted severely in carrying out their day to day activity, education, business, study etc," Jio said in the letter to the chief minister on December 27.

The letter comes at a time when the farmers protesting against three new farm laws have been vandalising telecom towers in Punjab under the belief that they are owned by Mukesh Ambani whom they consider along with tycoon Gautam Adani as major beneficiaries of the new laws.

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Story first published: Monday, January 4, 2021, 12:20 [IST]
A warm welcome always awaited Eugene Reavey at the Glenanne farm. He would sit at the big wooden table in the kitchen, checking the paperwork, as farmer James Mitchell chatted away. The young housekeeper, Lily Shields, would bring them mugs of tea and freshly baked bread or currant scones.

The pair knew Eugene was a Catholic, but it didn't seem to matter.

"They were warm and friendly," he recalls. "James was a typical big oul' farmer in his mid-50s. He'd talk about tractors or cattle sales, never politics. Lily was a fair-haired, good looking girl in her early twenties. Maybe not the brightest, but a hard worker and very pleasant. I can still see her warming herself at the stove.

"I visited every month as a poultry adviser. I never had an inkling there was anything untoward going on. But it was in that farm that the plans to wipe out my family were hatched. James Mitchell was part of the team that night, and Lily drove the getaway car."

It is 45 years today since the Glenanne gang burst into the Reaveys' home in Whitecross just two miles down the road from the farm. They didn't need a sledgehammer to smash their way into the cottage because the key was already in the door latch. Every visitor was welcome.

Photographs of the murder scene would break your heart. A Christmas tree sits in the corner of the living room. A sprig of holly peeps from the top of a picture of the Sacred Heart. The blood on the carpet and bullet marks in the door betray the devastation that the gunmen brought.

The three Reavey brothers were watching Celebrity Squares on TV when their attackers struck. John Martin (24) died in a hail of bullets in an armchair. Brian (22) ran into a bedroom but was fatally shot in the back. Anthony (17) hid under a bed. The gunmen riddled the mattress, then left, believing he was dead. Although seriously injured, he managed to crawl 200 yards to a neighbour's house to raise the alarm. He died from a brain haemorrhage three weeks later.

The death toll could easily have been worse, Eugene says: "Usually on a Sunday evening, the 12 of us would have been home but my mother had taken everybody except the three boys out to visit my aunt."

Eugene's younger brother Oliver was the first one back to discover the carnage. He didn't speak for 12 months. For years, Sadie Reavey still set places at the table for her three dead sons. "She'd run after young fellows with red hair on the street, thinking they were Anthony," says Eugene. "She would look in the shops for a shirt that would suit Brian, or a jersey for John Martin."

Expand Close Sadie Reavey still laid places at the dinner table for her murdered sons for years afterwards Kevin Scott / Facebook

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Whatsapp Sadie Reavey still laid places at the dinner table for her murdered sons for years afterwards

That wasn't the end of the killing spree that night of January 4, 1976. After the attack on the Reaveys, other members of the Glenanne gang burst into the O'Dowds' home 15 minutes up the road in Gilford, Co Down.

The family were gathered around the piano for a post-New Year sing-song. The gunmen killed Barry O'Dowd (24), his brother Declan (19) and their uncle Joe (61).

The Glenanne gang operated in a murder triangle between south Armagh and mid-Ulster. Made up of RUC and UDR men, who had joined forces with the local UVF, it is alleged to have had close links with British military intelligence. It was responsible for around 120 killings in the mid-70s, including the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and the Miami Showband massacre.

In its Glenanne farm base, murder was plotted, guns stored, and explosives mixed. A stone hen and an eagle sat on the gateposts at the bottom of the narrow lane that led to the farm. It was a tranquil spot with a small lake beside it.

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Mitchell was an RUC reserve officer and staunch loyalist who boasted many UVF members as close friends. Lily began working for him as a poultry hand, collecting and cleaning fresh eggs and preparing them for sale. She graduated to becoming the housekeeper.

"Her family were decent people, and I don't think she would have become involved in murder had she not met certain individuals in the farm," says Eugene. "A while after I got the job as a poultry adviser, a Protestant colleague warned me: 'You watch yourself around Mitchell's farm'. I didn't know what he meant and he wouldn't tell me anything more."

Lily had become romantically involved with Robert McConnell - a UDR corporal and seasoned UVF killer. He was the lead gunman in the attack on the Reaveys. He was shot dead outside his home by the IRA three months later.

Lily later began a relationship with Mitchell who was 30 years her senior. Eugene says Mitchell was the second gunman who killed his brothers.

Another Glenanne gang member, RUC man Billy McCaughey, admitted he had taken part in the attack but didn't fire shots. He was later convicted of the April 1977 murder of Catholic chemist William Strathearn, along with fellow RUC officer and gang member John Weir.

Strathearn had been lured out of his Ahoghill home by two men who said they urgently needed medicine for a sick child. After his release from prison in 1996, McCaughey was involved in loyalist protests outside the Catholic Church at Harryville in Ballymena. But he went on to become involved in cross-community work. In 2004, he attended an official dinner as a guest of President Mary McAleese in Aras an Uachtarain. He died of lung cancer two years later.

Expand Close Brutality: The living room of the Reavey home in Whitecross where the gang of killers murdered John Martin, Brian and Anthony / Facebook

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Whatsapp Brutality: The living room of the Reavey home in Whitecross where the gang of killers murdered John Martin, Brian and Anthony

John Weir turned whistle-blower on the Glenanne gang. He has claimed that while senior RUC officers didn't sanction its activities, they were aware of what was going on and took no steps to stop it.

The son of a gamekeeper, born in a Co Monaghan estate, Weir had attended a Protestant boarding school in Dublin. Over six feet tall and powerfully built with blonde hair and blue eyes, he had an imposing physical presence. He initially considered joining the gardai, but opted for the RUC in 1970 aged 20. He now lives in South Africa.

In his affidavit to Irish Supreme Court Justice Henry Barron, Weir named the gunmen in the Reavey attack as McConnell, Mitchell, and RUC officer Laurence McClure who had a repair garage beside the Glenanne farm. McClure - the only one of the trio still alive - has strongly denied Weir's allegations.

Ex-UDR member Robin 'the Jackal' Jackson was involved in planning the Reavey attack, although he didn't take part as he was the lead gunman in shooting the O'Dowd family that night.

Jackson was a key UVF figure and alleged British agent who was involved in dozens of murders over two decades.

He was never convicted of any killing. He died of lung cancer in 1998.

Eugene accuses the state of allowing the Glenanne gang to operate largely with impunity: "A few days after my brothers were killed, a Protestant publican in Markethill told my father the names of the men responsible. He'd heard talk about it in the bar.

"My father made myself and my four other brothers all swear never to retaliate or join any republican group. He kept the names he had been given to himself until he was on his death bed in 1981, and then he told me. I kept them secret until 2006 when the HET (Historical Enquiries Team) was investigating the murders. The names that I had matched the ones that they had."

Eugene says the HET was the first state body to show any real interest in securing justice for his family: "I found the police mostly hostile and unhelpful. There was one officer who did his best, but he got nowhere.

"The case file was a page and a half long - imagine that for a triple murder. We were told a few months after the attack that, bar someone confessing, the case was closed. We felt the lives of Brian, Anthony and John Martin were seen as worthless.

"Nobody was ever prosecuted. There are those who still find it easier to just blame loyalists for the Glenanne gang killings and not to acknowledge security force involvement because it makes them nervous. I say to them 'Walk a mile in my moccasins and you'll change your mind'."

Some cast doubt on the motives of whistleblower John Weir, claiming he isn't a credible witness because he is a convicted murderer with a grudge against the police.

Eugene believes Weir has been truthful: "The gardai found him an impressive witness whose allegations had to be taken seriously. Dave Cox, the head of the HET, said exactly the same to me. Judge Barron told me that nobody had been able to contradict Weir, and much of what he has said has been corroborated by ballistic reports."

In 2000, during the Barron Inquiry, the RUC told gardai that Lily Shields was dead when she was still alive. Her involvement in the Reavey attack wasn't her only role in the Glenanne gang's activities.

A fortnight earlier, in December 1975, Lily and Laurence McClure had posed as a courting couple in the car which picked up Glenanne gang members involved in a gun attack on Donnellys Bar in Silverbridge in which two men and a 14-year-old boy were murdered.

Under police caution, they both admitted their roles. Charges were brought against them for withholding information but were later dropped. McClure was convicted for his role in the June 1976 bombing of the Rock Bar, near Keady. He received a two year suspended sentence.

After his brothers' murder, Eugene didn't return to the Glenanne farm. He never saw Lily again, but Mitchell would often drive past the Reaveys' home on his way to Bessbrook or Newry. "He'd stick his two fingers up at me, it was unbelievable," says Eugene.

Former Bedfordshire Chief Constable Jon Boutcher is conducting an investigation into the Glenanne gang. Mitchell died in 2008, aged 88. He left Lily 120,000 in his will. Lily died three years later, aged 59. She was in bad health and suffering from arthritis.

"I felt relief when they died. I thought a chapter in my life had now closed, but it hadn't," says Eugene. "Both of them took their secrets to the grave. The pain of losing my brothers remains strong inside me. My mother died in 2013, but I can still feel her grief through the decades. Trying to keep it together at home for our sakes, then running after red-haired boys in the streets, shouting 'Anthony, it's your mammy!'"
An 18th COVID-19 case has been tied to what school and health officials called an underage drinking party that was held in Wilton, Saratoga County Dec. 18.

An additional secondary infection of an acquaintance of a party-goer was confirmed on Sunday, Warren County health officials said; 17 people previously tested positive.

The party was held at the home of two area teachers  one from the Glens Falls school district and the other from Ballston Spa, officials said. The infections forced the Glens Falls City School District to go remote this week.

Ballston Spa Superintendent Ken Slentz said last week the party, held at the home of a middle school gym teacher whose wife is an elementary reading teacher at Big Cross elementary school in Glens Falls, is under investigation by the Saratoga County Sheriffs Office. Slentz has said the teachers were denying any involvement with the party.

Glens Falls school Superintendent Paul Jenkins said Monday he couldn't comment on the case; Slentz did not return an email seeking additional comment.

Meanwhile, the majority of new cases Monday in Warren County where a source of infection is identified stemmed from people not taking precautions when gathering with others or in their workplaces - including people going into public while they're ill.



During our contact tracing we are hearing about many people who went to work or out for a meal while symptomatic. We cant stress this enough: If you are sick, stay home, Warren County Health Services Director Ginelle Jones said.

Saratoga County has not provided any information on possible infections related to the party on Fenimore Place. Residents of the neighborhood did not want to talk to the Times Union on Monday about the party or its aftermath.

The likelihood that someone is infected (with COVID-19) at the Wilton party is high, Saratoga Springs Supervisor Tara Gaston said. The thing is, the people who are infected have to be honest with the contract tracers.
There are more than 4 million sedans sold in the U.S. each year. Carscoupes, convertibles, sedans, hatchbacks and station wagons--currently make up approximately 24 to 25% of new light vehicle sales.

Industry pundits say young people are buying cars because they dont want to be driving what their parents drove---a UV.

Kia has been attracting new buyers with its focus on good value and striking designs. Theyve been quite innovative of late. And now they are making their mark in the midsize sedan segment with a sedan that doesnt look like every other mainstream midsize sedan.

The entirely new 2021 Kia K5 is the new Optima, now adopting the K5 global model name. The 5-passenger front-wheel drive K5 has a sleek design. Its very sporty looking with its low sloped front hood and fastback roof. The K5s heartbeat front lighting signature, looking somewhat like an EKG pulse, is distinctive and attention getting.

Its longer, lower and wider riding on an all-new platform. The new platform using the latest in engineering and materials technology provides for top-notch noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) characteristics delivering a refined and comfortable ride. Overall K5 has slightly sporty ride and handling. With its unique style the K5 just looks fast.

Big news is the availability of all-wheel drive (AWD) in this sedan. So, you dont need to buy a utility vehicle to get AWD.

K5 is offered in five trims with two different turbocharged engines. A 180hp 1.6L turbo mated to a 8-speed automatic is equipped on LX, LXS, GT-Line and EX trims. AWD is optional on LXS and GT-Line trims.

GT trim comes with more punch. Up front is a 290hp 2.5L turbo 4-cylinder coupled to an 8-speed wet dual-clutch transmission. Suspension, wheel and tire performance upgrades on the GT make for more fun with the added power.

For my drive experience around by Chicago-area home I drove a K5 in the EX trim equipped with the additional Premium Package and finished in Sapphire Blue.

Inside the cabin the K5 provides a comfortable driver seating position. Tilt/telescoping steering wheel, nicely placed switches, a more traditional lever gear selector (vs. a rotatary controller or push/pull toggles) grace a well organized interior with everything seemingly well placed, at least for me. Premium materials, dual-zone temperature control, center mounted touchscreen10.25 inches with Nav in the EX Premium Package, plus a Bose 12-speaker premium audio makes things feel elegant. Theres even voice recognition, so you can tell the car what to do.

I thought the 1.6L engine delivered decent performance. I liked that Kia put a true automatic in the K5 and not a CVT--not one of my favorites, especially with a 4-cylinder. There are no shift paddles, but thats okay. Not every vehicle should have them.

Normal, Smart, Sport, and Custom drive modes adjust settings for engine, transmission, AWD (when equipped) and steering mapping to provide the desired driving experience.

I did spend a lot of time in Sport mode which overcame a bit of lag coming from stop. I do think this engine/transmission combination will deliver satisfactory performance to a wide range of drivers achieving a balance with low fuel consumption.

EPA test-cycle ratings for the front-drive EX are 27 city mpg and 37 highway mpg. I got 26 mpg in my mostly city-type driving.

Theres a complete array of driver-assist safety features on the K5 including forward collision avoidance for pedestrians. The EX I drove also had avoidance for cyclists and at junctions for vehicles approaching on a cross street.

The roomy 16 cu.ft. trunk is a good size when it comes to a midsize sedan. The 60/40 split-folding rear seat adds versatility.

The K5 pricing starts at $23,490 and goes up to $30,490. The EX I drove had a base price of $27,990. The optional Premium Package cost $3,400. AWD on the LXS or GT-Line adds $2,100. Destination charge is $965. Overall pricing provides good value.

More details and information can be found at www.kia.com. Kias 5-year/60,000 mile basic warranty is worth noting. The K5 is assembled here in the United Stated in West Point, Georgia alongside the Telluride UV.

The GT with its 290hp and 8-speed DCT gets shift paddles, sport tuned springs and shocks, upgraded front and rear disc brakes, 19-inch wheels, 40-series performance tires, plus D-shaped flat-bottom steering wheel and other GT interior and exterior trim bits. EPA ratings for the GT are 24 city mpg and 32 highway mpg.

Lastly, the 2021 Kia K5 is a candidate for the Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA) Family Vehicle of the Year award. The K5 has already received a number of accolades and awards, so well see.

 2021 Larry Nutson, the Chicago Car Guy

To See All Specs For All KIA K5 Cars Go To Costco Autos
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Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 4 : A high alert has been sounded in Kerala after four bird flu cases were reported in Kottayam and Alappuzha districts, keeping the officials on their toes.

The presence of the dreaded virus was confirmed in some ducks following which the State Minister for Forest, Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development K. Raju had ordered culling of 50,000 ducks in both Kottayam and Alappuzha districts, to contain the spread of the infection.

Officials also confirmed that as many as 12,000 ducks have died.

The Minister said that after the first case was reported at Neendoor panchayat in Kottayam district and three in Alappuzha district's panchayats, samples were sent to Bhopal's National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), where the virus was confirmed.

Of the eight samples of the ducks sent to NIHSAD, five have tested positive for bird flu or H5N8.

The state government has now imposed curbs in areas where the bird flu cases were reported and will continue with the culling within that radius.

K. Raju said that control rooms will be set up in Alappuzha and Kottayam districts.

"Rapid Action Force will be deployed but no panic situation exists. The H5N8 virus has been reported in Kerala in the past. This virus will not spread to humans." The Minister added that compensation to the farmers will be decided in consultation with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Jihadists crossing from Nigeria killed three members of a village self-defence force Monday in northern Cameroon, the local mayor said.

"Boko Haram killed three members of the vigilance committee this morning" in the village of Kaliari, the mayor of Mozogo district, and also its traditional leader, Mahamat Chetima Abba, told AFP.

Cameroon has set up civilian self-defence groups in remote areas in its Far North region, which has been hit by deadly incursions from neighbouring Nigeria.

A police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the toll, and gave the age of the fatalities as 25, 30 and 40.

Boko Haram and a splinter group called the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) have stepped up attacks in recent years in Nigeria and neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

More than 36,000 people have been killed, most of them in Nigeria, and three million people have fled their homes since Boko Haram launched its insurrection in northeastern Nigeria in 2009.

Niger is also being hit by jihadists crossing from Mali.

Around 100 people were killed in two villages in the western Niger region of Tillaberi on Saturday, according to the local mayor.
BAD AXE  Tactical gear, surveillance equipment, and various items adorned with Nazi symbolism were just some of the things seized by FBI agents during the execution of an arrest warrant for Justen Watkins at a farmhouse in Bad Axe Oct. 29.

According to the forfeiture list released by the U.S. Justice Department Jan. 4, dozens of items were seized.

The Michigan State Police and FBI executed an arrest warrant for Watkins in October at a Bad Axe farmhouse owned by Chesterfield optometrist Eric Webb.

Webb did not live at the home, instead, he allowed his son, Tristan Webb, to live there. Tristan was reportedly friends with Watkins, who court documents allege is the self-professed leader of a white supremacy organization called The Base.

Founded in 2018, The Base is a White supremacy organization that openly advocates for violence and criminal acts against the U.S., and purports to be training for a race war to establish White ethnonationalist rule in areas of the U.S., including Michigans Upper Peninsula, a press release from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel reads. "The group also traffics in Nazi ideology and extreme anti-Semitism, at one point requiring its members to read neo-Nazi books that urge the collapse of Western civilization. The Base leaders have used online chat rooms to encourage members to meet in-person and engage in military training to prepare for the insurgency against the U.S. government.

The arrest warrant for Watkins was conducted at the same time as that of Alfred Gorman in Taylor. Both men were charged by Nessel with gang membership, unlawful posting of a message, and using computers to commit a crime, each felony charges.

The charges against Watkins and Gorman stem from a December 2019 incident in Dexter, when the two allegedly terrorized a home.

The suspects are linked to a December 2019 incident in Dexter, in which a family was terrorized at their home after the men allegedly used intimidation tactics on the premises and posted messages to other The Base members targeting the home, the release reads.

The incident in Dexter pre-dated Watkins time in Huron County. Previously Tristan Webb told the Tribune he had left his Bad Axe home in September.

In the release, Nessel said situations of intimidation cannot be tolerated.

Using tactics of intimidation to incite fear and violence constitutes criminal behavior, Nessel said. We cannot allow dangerous activities to reach their goal of inflicting violence and harm on the public. I am proud to work alongside law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal levels to safeguard the publics safety from these serious threats.

According to the release, on Dec. 11, 2019 around 11:30 p.m. the victims reportedly witnessed Watkins and Gorman around their home, shining a light and taking photos from the front porch of the home.

The photos were then uploaded to The Bases channel on the social media platform Telegram with the caption: The Base sends greetings to Daniel Harper of the Antifa podcast I Dont Speak German, the release reads.

The items seized by FBI agents included several everyday electronics such as computers, cell phones, portable storage drives, and an Xbox console. However, agents also seized handheld radios, a citizens band radio, along with various surveillance items such as a radio frequency detector, an infrared bullet camera and several surveillance cameras.

According to the list, agents also seized a variety of tactical gear such as gas masks, helmets, vests, and camouflage items including a Gilly Suit.

On the list released by the justice department, the only weapons listed were a machete, a Sword with Nazi Symbol and a modified knife.

It is unclear if the list includes all of the items seized during the execution of the arrest.

Watkins and Gorman are charged in Washtenaw County with gang membership, unlawful posting of a message, and using computers to commit a crime.

Both men are out on bond, and recently had their cases postponed until Feb. 4 to allow time for Gormans attorney to review the "15,000 pages of discovery information that the attorney generals office has on the case.

During a court hearing Dec. 17, Assistant Attorney General Sunita Doddamani successfully requested the court add an additional bond condition to Watkins and Gorman.

"My understanding is that Mr. Watkins has been reaching out to fellow gang members of The Base and he is charged with gang membership, a felony, so I am asking the court to make a condition of bond for both of these defendants that they not have contact with other gang members," Doddamani said.

Both of the defendants' attorneys agreed to the condition of bond but disagreed on the "gang" portion, which they noted was the basis of the case.

The probable cause conferences against Watkins and Gorman were rescheduled until Feb. 4 at 9 a.m.
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - A total of 119 illegal migrants on board two boats have been rescued off the coast of Libya by Libyan coastguards, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced on Sunday
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Dear How to Do It,

My husband has a micropenis. He was very shy and apologetic when we first started getting intimate, but I told him it didnt bother me and that I cared deeply for him, and that I just wanted us to both feel good together. When we have sex it mostly consists of oral or outercourse, but its by far the most satisfying sex Ive ever had, which I tell him often. Now were talking about starting a family (I know, pandemic, but still), but weve been having trouble getting him to ejaculate inside me. This has put him into a shame spiral, and nothing I say or do seems to reassure him. We both want to get pregnant the old-fashioned way, but him seeing me collecting his semen to inseminate myself makes him feel so ashamed. So my question is twofold: How do I make him feel better about this, and also, do you have any good ideas for positions to help keep him inside during insertion?

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Good Thing, Small Package

Dear GTSP,

You cant will someone elses shame away. Whats presented in your letter suggests that youre doing all you can by being a supportive partnerthat youre having enjoyable sex with him, regardless of his size, is icing on the cake. He was dealt a less-than-ideal hand biologicallyI dont mean that there is something wrong with him, but the anxiety over other peoples reactions to his equipment is a considerable burden in itself. However, it seems that he hit jackpot when it came to finding a partner. Ideally, hed focus on that. Is there a chance hed talk to a counselor about this? Discussing the persistent shame he feels despite having a loving partner who he satisfies sexually might be useful.

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I understand your desire to get pregnant the old-fashioned way, but if thats not strictly possible, remaining invested starts to look like self-oppression by holding onto a culturally imposed idea of how things should be. Youre making a baby, not a concept, and there are workarounds for your situation, if you are practical enough to use them. I urge you to do so. Regarding your issue, I emailed my go-to urologist source, Charles Welliver, a doctor and the director of mens health at Albany Medical College. In response, he reminds us, For conception, semen does need to be deposited onto the cervix (at the end of the vagina). But even so, conception may be complicated when the conceiving penis is a micropenis, similar to an issue that may arise with a condition called hypospadias, where the urethral opening is not necessarily at the tip of the penis. Welliver suggested intrauterine insemination, or IUI, as a possible solution. The process involves the semen being spun down into a hyper concentrated pellet and then inserted in the opening of the cervix. While its more expensive cousin in vitro fertilization is frequently not covered by insurance, many insurers cover IUI, at least in New York state, and this would be an option for them, Welliver told me.

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If this does nothing to dislodge your fixation on the old-fashioned way, you might as well try all the positions. Doggy style and cowgirl are usually the go-to ones for penises that are smaller. Depending on your flexibility, you could also lie on your back, with your legs all the way back and your knees next to your chest. If these dont work, try not to get frustrated. A lot of people conceive using methods that wouldnt be considered the old-fashioned way, and they end up with children that they love no less than they would have otherwise.

The 10 Most-Read How to Do It Columns of 2020 In this weeks newsletter. Sign up here. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time.

Dear How to Do It,

This is a strange and pretty dark question, but I would love to know if you have any thoughts. Im a woman in my early 20s, and I have a very visceral reaction to some specific situations. Basically, Ive had older male acquaintances and colleagues make romantic and sexual overtures toward me, and not being interested, I tried to finesse myself out of the situations both firmly and nicely. Its not that I dont find some older men attractivesimply not these guys. The thing is, internally, I found myself both explosively angry at them and myself during these moments, even as I smiled. Most alarming to me were sudden, violent images of hurting myself. I have never self-harmed, nor do I think about doing so generally. I have also never acted on these sudden thoughts. Yet, in addition to feeling incredibly angry toward these menI found myself fantasizing about screaming at them and telling them that they were patheticI had these sudden, unbidden images of hurting myself in order to escape a hypothetical sexual situation with them. Think melodramatic, Greek tragedy levels of escape.

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I know that there is a bit of a creepy aspect to their behavior (being up to double my age), but I actually think of some of them as friends and generally good people. It is however important to mention that the romantic overtures have been repeated a few times by these men, and Ive attempted to be clearer in my rejection. I dont know if I have some repressed issues, but any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Medusa

Dear Medusa,

With your firm noes and fair assessments, it seems that you have a good handle on this situation. Rejected romantic overtures can cross the line to harassment upon repetition. I think your outward behavior is justified, but your internal response is extreme and could use some attention beyond my scope.

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Those possible repressed issues you reference could be key here. I cant diagnose you, nor can I remember for you, but from a purely armchair perspective, I wonder if your response to sexual attention from older men has anything to do with surviving abuse. While the link between self-harm and child sexual abuse has been overstated, according to one study, there is no doubt that some people self-harm as a way of coping with trauma. Could your urge to do so be rooted in some kind of trauma in your past? Its worth investigating with a professional. In the meantime, the organization Self-injury Outreach & Support provides resources that you may find useful, including this guide to coping with urges to self-harm.

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Dear How to Do It,

Im a man in my mid-40s and Ive never been intimate with anyone. I dont want to make excuses. I know procrastination and a bit of fear played a factor. But I was a very late bloomerI didnt notice girls until the 10th grade. Add to the fact that kids in my area were acting 28 at 13, I didnt stand a chance, so I put it off. My ignorance of relationships and how to start them only grew from then on, which fed my procrastination. Now Im just used to being alonetheres a freedom to it and plenty of space if needed. However, I cant help but feel alienated, especially at family get-togethers. Watching cousins I helped babysit now have full-fledged families is jarringI feel like I missed out on the most human experience. The conversations that they have, the experiences I missedI cant relate, and it gets overwhelming at times. My question is: Should I try? I cant relate to most in my age bracket, let alone the younger generation, and I get the feeling being my age comes with the expectation of knowledge and experience that I lack.

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Comfy but Isolated

Dear Isolated,

I dont think you should try for the sake of fitting in. That would be letting other people dictate your life, and you seem way too self-assured and -possessed to hand over the keys, midlife. Its natural to wonder what you might have missed when you hear other people talk about their lives, particularly the lives that adhere to what culture tells us is normal and natural, but I encourage you to think about what youve gained by taking a different route. You clearly werent sitting around waiting for a spouse to knock on your door, and youve learned to relish the freedom and space that your way of life has afforded to you. Its OK to be different, and you know that, or else you would have conformed by now.

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If you feel ready for a relationship, dont hesitate to seek one out, but I think the best way to go about life is with simultaneous awareness of who you are and an openness for that identity to change, given a new opportunity. Could you be asexual? Maybe, and thats OK too. Ive already recommended it in this column, but I cant recommend it enough: Read Angela Chens Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex. Even if you dont relate to the asexual experiences of the author and her subjects, the book promotes the unending process of self-discovery and the great gratification that can come from identity specifically. Its potentially useful to anyone, wherever they fall on whichever spectrum.

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Dear How to Do It,

My husband and I are happily married. He is my best friend, biggest supporter, and has more faith and confidence in me than I could ever have for myself. Our sex life is also great. My husband was a man whore in his younger days before we met. He says since he has lived out every typical young mans fantasiesits all about what I want now, plus a few of his nontypical fantasies (chastity, for example). A few weeks ago, we went to a lifestyle club that I found. After a second trip, we started talking about what I was wanting out of these new adventures. Our agreement looks like this: I can have sex, including intercourse, with men at the clubbut at the club only. He wants a kitten and has chosen someone that we know but are not close with. The kitten wants me involved also. She refers to me as the queen bee. My husband is up for this being a throuple-type relationship with me being the top. I am up to this, but my anxiety, which I have suffered with for decades, is making me a nervous wreck. I get the best end of this agreement, yet I have no clue how to go about this. When it comes to other men, I fear I wont be able to relax enough to enjoy it. When it comes to the kitten, I have never experienced any attraction to women. So between my curiosity and my anxiety, my mind is losing it. I want all of this so bad, but at the same time, I am afraid I will be nothing but awkward and unattractive. I have two weeks before we go back to the club, plus take our kitten with us for the weekend away. Any advice on how to deal?

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Curiosity Killed Me

Dear Curiosity,

Slower pussycat! Chill! Chill! You can take each thingdick, or whatever elseas it comes. Allow yourself the moment to assess what you want, and try not to get too hung up on it ahead of time. Acute anxiety or a sense of emotional burden prior to this extracurricular sex could indicate that you actually arent as interested as you might think. Weeks and weeks of distress might not make the fleeting pleasure worth it, and thats assuming that the sex will be good enough to even qualify as a trade-off.

Its nice that your husband believes in you, but not if his faith and confidence in you are a way of pressuring you out of your comfort zone. I really believe in your ability to overcome your doubts and anxiety for my sake isnt a sign of love but manipulation. I am not saying thats absolutely whats happening, but your wording (He  has more faith and confidence in me than I could ever have for myself) gave me pause. At any rate, its way too early to be deciding on whether Miss Kitten is going to be a permanent member of your colonywho knows whether youll want to have sex with her again, let alone fashion a throuple out of this association. Theres putting the cart before the horse, and then theres buying a racetrack before you even see your horses gait. The reason why this stuff seems overwhelming is because of how far out your mind is going. Your objective is sport sexit should be fun, or theres no point. If the jitters are the main feature of this experience, its not worth it.

Rich

More How to Do It

After 26 years my wife kicked me out. She gave me many reasons, sex being one of them. Her biggest complaint: My penis is much too big. She used to tell me I should be a porn star, but she doesnt seem so into it anymore.
Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister (MOSTI), Khairy Jamaluddin has said that the government will finalise the National Vaccination Plan by this Thursday.

According to Khairy, the plan will be discussed in the upcoming Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Committee Meeting, which is to be chaired jointly by him and the Health Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba. We aim to launch the implementation plan when we have acquired supplies of the Covid-19 vaccine, he said.

The National Vaccination Plan, which is slated to begin in February, contains details on how Covid-19 vaccinations will implemented nationwide. It also covers specifics on the preparations that must be done before Malaysia receives the vaccines that it has purchased thus far, such as deciding on the hospitals that can be registered to have access to the vaccine, as well as the transportation and storage of the vaccine.

For context, Malaysia has been liaising with several pharmaceutical companies and facilities over the past few months to ensure that it has enough vaccines to cover more than 80% of its population. For instance, the government has inked an agreement with the Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access (Covax) facility to meet the countrys immunisation needs. Briefly, Covax is an alliance of countries that is pooling their resources together to ensure fair distribution of Covid-19 vaccines globally.

On top of that, Malaysia has signed a deal with Pfizer-BioNTech for 12.8 million doses of the vaccine, as well as with AstraZeneca for 6.4 million doses. It is also in final negotiations with Chinas Sinovac and CanSino, and Russias Gamaleya Institute to secure additional vaccine supply. Additionally, the nation is in talks with Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

These Covid-19 vaccine will be provided for free to Malaysians, whereas foreigners are required to pay a fee as determined by the Ministry of Health. The government has also clarified that there are currently no plans to make the vaccination compulsory, and that these vaccines will be only be administered on adults as clinical trials have yet to be carried out on children.

(Source: The Edge Markets)

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The Nagol is Back! VTOs guide to this years Nagol, plus where to stay and play in south, central and north Pentecost.
Experts have weighed in on how to make wearing a mask comfortable and safe

The two women, from different backgrounds, have shared their top tips

Choosing the fabric and shape of the mask is important as is the overall fit

Wearing a face mask is now part of everyday life for millions, but it can be an uncomfortable experience leading to breakouts, fogged glasses and sore ears.

With the World Health Orgainsation advising that everyone should 'make wearing a mask a normal part of being around other people' amid the Covid-19 pandemic, it seems like mask waering will remain the norm for the forseeable future.

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But how do you prevent common problems bad skin, smudged make-up and fogged up glasses as a result of their masks, and what's the safest way to remove your face covering?

Femail spoke to a range of experts including Ceri Smith-Jaynes, from the Association of Optometrists, hygiene expert Lisa Ackerley, who is a trustee of The Royal Society for Public Health and face mask designer Celia Li to find out how to tackle common problems.

Wearing a face mask does not have to be an uncomfortable experience leading to breakouts, fogged glasses and sore ears - experts say

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WHAT ARE THE TOP TIPS TO KEEPING MYSELF AND OTHERS SAFE WHILE WEARING A MASK? WEAR IT CORRECTLY Surgical masks have two sides, a white side and a blue side. The blue side MUST be showing on the outside. The surgical mask also has a top and a bottom. However, if wearing the mask correctly, you should feel a wire on the top. This is so you can mould the mask to the shape of your nose. They should ideally cover as far under your chin as it allows. DON'T TOUCH Try to avoid touching the mask - you are potentially spreading germs to yourself and others. Ideally, wear them for a maximum of four hours - If they become wet or dirtied in any way, replace them immediately. Throw away disposable masks after every use. Bbut you may have only used it for a few minutes, in which case you could remove carefully and keep out of the way for 72 hours before using again. Dont re-use if dirty or damaged. Even the washable masks need to be swapped if they have been removed. As touching them has the potential to spread any virus on the mask elsewhere. REMOVE CAREFULLY When taking of masks, perform hand hygiene before and take off from the straps (the off from the back of your ears) and then immediately dispose of mask. Then perform hand hygiene immediately afterwards. It seems much easier pulling from the front, but then you are spreading germs. STORE SAFELY Keep the covering in a bag folded over so the inside surfaces touch each other, and the straps are at the top. then when you get it out again, pull it out by the straps. WASH REGULARLY If you have a number of coverings, you could keep them for 72 hours before laundering normally, or if you want to wash daily, then wash at 60C. You may want to use a saucepan and some detergent rather than use the washing machine for just a small wash. A food thermometer would tell you when your water temperature is 60C.

HOW TO WEAR MY MASK TO MAKE IT MORE COMFORTABLE? If you have trouble breathing with a mask on? 1. Choose a mask made from breathable fabrics such as good quality 100% cotton, bamboo or performance polyester which is more breathable. 2. Use essential oils such as peppermint or lavender oil at the base of the mask to help with comfort and ease your breathing. If it is too hot to wear a mask? 1. Choose masks that are made from cooling moisture wicking fabrics that are suitable for Australian weather - cotton is breathable but is not quick drying so can create extra heat after wearing for a long time. 3. Choose breathable fabrics that allow for better airflow. 4. If you have long hair, tie it back in a ponytail. 5. Wear the correct sized mask for your face shape. What if my ears hurt because of the loops? 1. Instead of the more common elastic ear loops, use a mask that has adjustable ear straps. 2. Choose a mask with soft flexible and thinner elastic straps. What if wearing a mask is causing me to break out? 1. Avoid use of heavy foundation which can clog your pores. 2. Moisturise your skin, especially in the areas prone to irritation from the mask rubbing against your skin. 3. Choose a mask that sits away from your nose and cheeks to minimise the fabric rubbing against your face. 4. Choose a mask that has antibacterial properties such as nanosilver to minimise bacterial growth on the surface. 5. Wash your face before and after wearing a mask. SOURCE: Cecilia Li Novw Masks
A 26-year-old man allegedly shot his friend on her head with a pistol before shooting himself. The incident took place on a road behind Infinity Mall at Malad (West) around 9.30pm on Monday.

Some locals informed the Mumbai Polices control room about the incident and the duo were rushed to Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali (West) where they were declared dead before admission, said a police officer. The victims family have been informed about the incident.

According to the police, the man is a Kandivli resident, while his 23-year-old friend used to stay in Malad (East). They knew each other from the past two years, said the officer. The woman got engaged to another man recently, owing to which there were frequent fights between the two. The police are probing to find the actual reason.
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the deadly bomb blast in Kabul on Wednesday while extending solidarity to Afghanistan. Further, he also underlined the need for defeating forces supporting terrorism.Modi, who is in Spain on a visit, said India stands with Afghanistan in fighting all forms of terrorism.

We strongly condemn the terrorist blast in Kabul. Our thoughts are with the families of the deceased & prayers with the injured, he tweeted. In another tweet, he said, Forces supporting terrorism need to be defeated.

ALSO READ: Video | Kabul blast: Massive suicide attack near diplomatic district kills 80, wounds 350; PM Modi condemns action

#WATCH Visuals from the blast site in Kabul, Indian embassy staff safe. AP reports 50 people have been killed or wounded #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/a6rC71DKea  ANI (@ANI_news) May 31, 2017

The prime ministers message came after a powerful truck bomb killed at least 80 people and wounded more than 300 in the Afghanistan capitals diplomatic quarter on Wednesday morning.

India stands with Afghanistan in fighting all types of terrorism. Forces supporting terrorism need to be defeated.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 31, 2017

We strongly condemn the terrorist blast in Kabul. Our thoughts are with the families of the deceased & prayers with the injured.

 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 31, 2017

The blast occurred pretty close to the Indian embassy and Union Minister for External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj also used Twitter to confirm that the staff of the embassy are safe.

By God's grace, Indian Embassy staff are safe in the massive #Kabul blast, tweets EAM Sushma Swaraj pic.twitter.com/2jYpSV8Osa  ANI (@ANI_news) May 31, 2017

Indian ambassador to Kabul Manpreet Vohra too claimed that although the embassy building suffered considerable breakages, all the staff are safe.

With PTI inputs

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
President Donald Trump urged fellow Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, to "find" enough votes to overturn his defeat in an extraordinary one-hour phone call Saturday that election experts said raised legal questions.

The Washington Post obtained a recording of the conversation in which Mr Trump alternately berated Mr Raffensperger, tried to flatter him, begged him to act and threatened him with vague criminal consequences if the secretary of state refused to pursue Mr Trump's false claims. At one point, the president warned Mr Raffensperger he was taking "a big risk".

Throughout the call, Mr Raffensperger and his office's lawyer rejected Mr Trump's assertions, explaining that the president is relying on debunked conspiracy theories and that president-elect Joe Biden's 11,779-vote victory in Georgia was fair and accurate.

Mr Trump dismissed their arguments.

"The people of Georgia are angry, the people in the country are angry," he said. "And there's nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, that you've recalculated."

Mr Raffensperger responded: "Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong."

At another point, Mr Trump said: "So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state."

Expand Close Supporters of Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff cheer at an outdoor campaign event in Macon, Georgia, at the weekend. Photo: Mike Segar/Reuters / Facebook

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Whatsapp Supporters of Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff cheer at an outdoor campaign event in Macon, Georgia, at the weekend. Photo: Mike Segar/Reuters

The rambling and at times incoherent conversation offered a remarkable glimpse of how consumed and desperate the president remains about his loss, unwilling or unable to let the matter go and still believing he can reverse the results in enough battleground states to remain in office.

"There's no way I lost Georgia," Mr Trump said, a phrase he repeated again and again on the call. "There's no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes."

Several of his allies were on the line as he spoke, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and conservative lawyer Cleta Mitchell, a prominent Republican lawyer. .

In a statement, Ms Mitchell said Mr Raffensperger's office "has made many statements over the past two months that are simply not correct and everyone involved with the efforts on behalf of the president's election challenge has said the same thing: Show us your records on which you rely to make these statements that our numbers are wrong."

The White House, the Trump campaign and Mr Meadows did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mr Raffensperger's office declined to comment.

Read More

On Sunday, Mr Trump tweeted that he had spoken to Mr Raffensperger, saying the secretary of state was "unwilling, or unable, to answer questions such as the 'ballots under table' scam, ballot destruction, out of state 'voters', dead voters, and more. He has no clue!"

Mr Raffensperger responded with his own tweet: "Respectfully, President Trump: What you're saying is not true."

The pressure Mr Trump put on Mr Raffensperger is the latest example of his attempt to subvert the outcome of the November 3 election by reaching out to state Republican officials.

He previously invited Michigan Republican state leaders to the White House, pressured Republican Georgia Governor Brian Kemp in a call to try to replace that state's electors and asked the speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to help reverse his loss in that state.

His call to Mr Raffensperger came as scores of Republicans have pledged to challenge the electoral college's vote for Mr Biden when Congress convenes for a joint session on Wednesday. Republicans do not have the votes to successfully thwart Mr Biden's victory, but Mr Trump has urged supporters to travel to Washington to protest the outcome, and state and federal officials are already bracing for clashes outside the Capitol.

Mr Trump also told Mr Raffensperger that failure to act by tomorrow would jeopardise the political fortunes of David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, Georgia's two Republican senators whose fate in that day's run-off elections will determine control of the US Senate.

Mr Trump's conversation with Mr Raffensperger put him in legally questionable territory, legal experts said. By urging the secretary of state to "find" votes and to deploy investigators who "want to find answers", Mr Trump appears to be encouraging him to doctor the election outcome in Georgia. (Washington Post syndication)
2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning --

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We understand the importance of working to keep our community strong and connected. As we move forward together into 2021, it will take commitment, communication, creativity, and a strong connection with those who are most affected by the stories we cover.

We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Fauquier Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come.
The Minister of Health was a guest at RTL Radio on Monday morning.

Although the Grand Duchy's infection numbers are displaying a clear downward tendency, the rates are still too high to soften restrictions, Minister Lenert explained during the interview. She noted that there was a significant number of variables in the equation, which makes it difficult to assess the full risks of the situation. Potential repercussions from the festive days are still expected to hit over the coming days.

Lenert thus announced that a softening of measures was currently unlikely, event though the restrictions showed positive effects. The new British variant of the virus, which is much more contagious, has reached Luxembourg and can still change the evolution of the pandemic.

When asked about the vaccination campaign, Lenert refuted claims that the EU had not prepared adequately and missed opportunities to order more doses. She explained that until the end of March, around 36,000 people should be able to receive the Pfizer/BionTech vaccine in Luxembourg. The European Medicines Agency is also expected to approve the Moderna vaccine in the coming weeks, as well as the one from Astra/Zeneca. Luxembourg has an order of 50,000 units from the former, and 200,000 units from the latter.

The current phase of the vaccination campaign, which focuses on health care workers, is expected to last up to three months. Lenert believes enough people will be willing to get the vaccine over time and that trust will grow. She further noted that no differentiation will be made between those who got the vaccine, and those who did not.

Criticism from the opposition

CVS president Frank Engel has meanwhile taken to social media to comment on the situation, stating that both the Luxembourgish administration and the EU have failed to prepare for the extensive vaccination campaign. He laments that not enough doses have been ordered and that the wrong suppliers have been contracted. Despite his trust in the European Union itself, he believes that Luxembourg should have organised its own supply.
Rescuers have recovered the bodies of seven people killed in a landslide in Norway last week, and they are still looking for survivors, the police said Monday.

Three people remained missing after the disaster in the village of Ask, about 30 miles northeast of Oslo, the police said. Officials said the landslide on Wednesday, which led to the evacuation of people from the area, was related to quick clay, which can collapse into a liquid state when overloaded.

We are in despair over the terrible and tragic outcome of this slide, Anders Ostensen, the mayor of Gjerdrum, the local municipality that includes Ask, said to reporters on Monday. The situation is still unreal to us, but we are trying to turn things around, and weve started the work of trying to get back to normality.

About 1,000 people were evacuated from Ask after clay ground in the area collapsed, swallowing at least seven homes in flows of mud and injuring 10 people.
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Flag carrier Oman Air will welcome guests from 103 countries who can travel to the country without a visa.

The Royal Oman Police recently announced the plan, which eases travel requirements for guests who spend up to 10 days in the sultanate. Guests are required to have a confirmed hotel reservation, health insurance, and a return ticket.

The new programme applies to citizens of countries throughout the world including European nations such as Germany, France, UK, Spain, Italy and many more.

Citizens of Turkey, Japan, Brazil, Russia, China, Egypt, Jordan and a number of other countries around the world are also eligible.

Visitors to the Sultanate can avail themselves of a number of options to experience Oman Air's award-winning service. The national carrier recently earned two 2020 World Travel Awards, for providing the world's best service to the Middle East and the world's best First Class experience. Oman Air also recently achieved the top tier five-star status from APEX, an internationally recognised organisation which rates airlines based on travellers' feedback.

Oman Air continues to maintain its comprehensive safety program throughout all elements of the travel journey to ensure that guests fly confidently. Masks are required when guests are on board the aircraft and in Oman's airports. Distancing is maintained while guests board and exit the aircraft, which are carefully cleaned after each flight and at the end of every day. Cabin crew all wear a full set of personal protective equipment, meal service has been modified to further ensure safety and a number of other steps have been taken to ensure that the airline's guests and crew are safe at all times.

Guests who are planning to travel to Muscat should visit the Civil Aviation Authority website, caa.gov.om, to ensure they are prepared to comply with requirements to enter the Sultanate.

Guests departing from Oman should also ensure that they are aware of all pre-departure requirements and requirements during their flights, which are provided at omanair.com.

Guests travelling outside Oman should ensure that they are aware of official requirements to enter their destination country. - TradeArabia News Service
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The Daily Beast

Theo WargoCNN boss Jeff Zucker on Tuesday addressed network staffers concerns over the revelations that primetime star host Chris Cuomo advised his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on how to respond to the multiple sexual harassment allegations against him.During a Tuesday afternoon town-hall meeting with staff, Zucker claimed he understood the unease over Cuomos conduct, saying in no uncertain terms that it was a mistake for the primetime star to participate in strategy calls advising his politically powerful brother.He did cross a line, Zucker said.Last week, The Washington Post reported that Cuomo joined strategy calls helping plan his powerful brothers rebuttals to mounting allegations that he harassed multiple women and made some female staffers feel uncomfortable. According to multiple sources who were present on one meeting, the CNN host even mentioned invoking cancel culture as a way to combat the claims.The CNN boss said he personally voiced his displeasure to Cuomo, and that he had considered the options for how to handle the star hosts unfolding scandal. Ultimately, Zucker said that rather than suspending Cuomo, the network decided the host should have to go on-air and personally apologize to his viewers.And so during his 9 p.m. ET broadcast, Cuomo declared that it will never happen again and insisted he knows where the line is.In a statement following the Post bombshell last week, CNN admitted it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governors staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward. The network added that Cuomo would not be disciplined further.But the top anchors decision to secretly participate in the strategy calls assisting his embattled brother has, indeed, irked numerous network staffers. CNN insiders who spoke with The Daily Beast this week expressed frustration with the networks handling of the incident, saying Cuomo should have faced more serious consequences.Im very disappointed in the network, said one current on-air personality. I think some disciplinary action, at a minimum, was required in this situation. The source added, As a woman who works here, I feel a little let down, to be honest.Staff were particularly interested in Tuesdays town hall following one of the more eventful weeks for the network following a high-profile sale and the departure of one noteworthy on-air contributor.During the call, Zucker said that Rick Santorum was given an opportunity to apologize for what the CNN boss referred to as the ex-senators inappropriate and racist comments about Native Americans, but because he refused to do so, the network ultimately fired the conservative pundit.And elsewhere in Tuesdays town hall, Zucker downplayed the impact of AT&Ts decision to merge WarnerMedia, CNNs parent company, with Discovery. Asked about whether CNN could be spun off as part of the deal, the network chief said he did not think that was in the cards.And when pressed on his own future at the network, Zucker said he plans to have conversations with the right people very soon.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
Tesla Inc. came close to meeting its 500,000 vehicle-deliveries goal for 2020, setting the stage for a new year in which its expanding in China and poised to open new factories in Texas and Germany.

The electric-car maker said Jan. 2 it handed over 180,570 vehicles in the years final three months, the most for any quarter but just 450 vehicles shy of the half-million mark Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk sought for the year. Tesla has been ramping up output of its more mass-market models to meet rising global demand for battery-powered cars, with 2020s total jumping 36% from the prior year.

The good news is Tesla has the formula consumers want, Gene Munster, managing partner at Loup Ventures, wrote to clients. The bad news is to keep up with this demand, the company needs to quickly build new factories in Austin, Texas, and Brandenburg, Germany. While they made it look easy in Shanghai, ramping production is difficult and will be one of the most important Tesla topics in 2021.

Musk and Tesla had a remarkable year, with the company joining the S&P 500 Index in December after five consecutive quarters of profit. The shares rallied 743% in 2020, giving the carmaker a $668.9 billion stock-market capitalization. Musk -- who ended the year as the worlds second-richest person -- took to Twitter to praise his team, saying that in its earliest days he thought the carmaker had only a 10% chance of even surviving.

Tesla shares rose as much as 2.7% to $725 before the start of regular trading Monday. The stock closed at a record $705.67 on Dec. 31.

The quarterly delivery figure is widely seen as a barometer of demand for both Teslas vehicles and consumer interest in electric vehicles worldwide. The company says its quarterly deliveries statements should be viewed as slightly conservative and that final numbers could vary by 0.5% or more.

Musk & Co. basically hitting its 500k goal for the year is a major feather in the cap for the company and the bulls as Tesla saw robust Model 3 demand over the last 10 months despite the hurricane-like consumer headwinds seen globally because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives wrote in a report.

Comfortably Exceed

Tesla had predicted in January 2020 -- before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic -- it would comfortably exceed sales of half a million cars. The company said in October it still expected to meet that target despite a temporary shutdown of its factories in the spring, and Musk suggested it was within reach in an internal email sent to employees in December.

Analysts also predicted Tesla would meet its sales goal for the year, which further buoyed the companys shares in the waning days of 2020. The surge withstood multiple share offerings that could boost the carmakers cash balance to around $20 billion.

The company undershot the 181,000-vehicle threshold it needed to clear in the most recent quarter, a 30% jump over the July-September period. The push largely depended on increased output from its China plant and higher output in the U.S. of the newest vehicle in its lineup, the Model Y.

Tesla said Model Y production in Shanghai has begun, with deliveries expected to begin soon.

What Bloomberg Intelligence Says:

Teslas miss of a 500,000 delivery goal for 2020 indicates the automaker is still struggling to scale up, as the eighth year of mass-market pursuit still leaves the company about the size of Isuzu globally, even as it eclipses the combined market cap of 10 automakers that deliver more than 50 million units annually. Tesla faces compressing margins as the focus shifts to China and sales by competitors mute the profit contribution of regulatory credits initially, then threaten market share.

-- Kevin Tynan, senior autos analyst

While Tesla is the clear global market leader, its vehicle deliveries are tiny compared to the millions of gasoline-powered cars and trucks sold by established automakers such as General Motors Co. and Volkswagen AG. Those two carmakers and others are preparing to flood the nascent EV market with dozens of battery-powered models over the coming years.

Quarter-End Push

To capitalize on its head start, Tesla is building two new vehicle assembly operations -- the one outside Berlin that could eventually assemble as many as 500,000 cars annually, and the other in Texas that will make the brands first pickup. Both are expected to start production later this year, joining its existing vehicle-assembly facilities in Fremont, California, and Shanghai.

Once known for niche luxury models such as its Model S sedan and X sport utility vehicle, Tesla has broadened its appeal with the 3 and Y models priced to start below $50,000. Musk said in September that he plans to start sales of a $25,000 Tesla by 2023.

As usual, Tesla delivered many cars during the quarters final days. Musk offered an incentive in the final three days of the year, saying in a tweet that buyers would get three months of an optional driver-assistance tool Tesla calls Full Self-Driving.

Danielle Watson, a 31-year-old pharmacist, tweeted on Dec. 28 that she had just taken delivery of a Model Y. In a private message, the Greenville, South Carolina, resident said she took delivery in Charlotte, North Carolina -- a sign the lure of Teslas brand power in the U.S. is growing well beyond its home state of California.
Few things will improve your quality of life as quickly as getting out of the rat race for more and bigger.(Castor Choy/Shutterstock)

The Best Way to Keep up Is to Slow Down

Our hectic urban lifestyle is devouring our time and energy with little upside

Henry was a bright student and attended Harvard, where he studied Greek, Latin, and German. After graduating, he wasnt sure what to do next. After a period of drifting, he founded a school with his brother, but the venture failed a few years later.

He subsequently met a mentor who introduced him to Transcendentalism, an idealistic philosophical and social movement. Henry began to think deeply and write about what it means to live a good life. Still a young man, Henry decided to retreat from the cityits noise and distractionsto live and work on land owned by his mentor outside of Concord, Massachusetts.

Henry, as you may have guessed, is Henry David Thoreau. His mentor, Ralph Waldo Emerson. In his masterwork, Walden, Thoreau describes what led him to pursue a simpler existence:

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.

For Thoreau, to live was to live on his own terms, not based on the norms, dictates, and expectations of others. He wasnt interested in keeping up with the Joneses of his day. He wrote:

Why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed, and in such desperate enterprises? If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.

March to the Beat of Your Own Drummer

When we look back on this time, I believe that one of the cultural shifts thats identified as a silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic will be that large numbers of people found a drummer that led them in a direction away from the unhealthy norms of todays society. Instead of striving to keep up, they decided to slow down, because they, too, feared not living.

Shifts in mindset are leading to shifts in location. There must be more to the great exodus from big cities to small towns than a desire for more physical space alone. Uprooting oneself and ones family is no small endeavor. Like Thoreau, more people are seeking to live deliberately, having realized that trying to keep pace with companions is not the path to a rewarding and enriching life. Todays crisis has served as a catalyst for change.

And change is sorely needed. We have all seen the statistics. Rates of depression, suicide, and drug and alcohol abuse have skyrocketed across many segments of the population in recent years. Societal pressure to keep up can exacerbate individual mental health challenges.

Exhausted, pressured, restless, searchingthese are what we feel while running in the rat race.

How do I know? For years, I was sprinting to keep up with the pack.

What changed? I finally identified what mattered to me and embraced a more minimalist lifestyle, which allowed me to find the space and time necessary to strive for thingsand by things I mean experiences, relationships, beliefs, and valuesthat are necessary to cultivate a contented and fulfilled life.

Live a Life Thats True to Yourself

Perhaps youre feeling the weight, too. If so, of course youre not alone. We all are these days, to one extent or another. Whats required to bring about positive change is slowing down and taking stock. As yourself the following questions.

Are you living to work, or working to live?

Are you sacrificing your time, energy, and relationships now, in hopes of some idyllic retirement in the future that may never materialize?

Are you surrounding yourself with people who lift you up or drag you down?

Do you live in a place that makes you happy?

Are you chasing short-term highs by acquiring more physical things, or are you pursuing new and novel experiences that bring real happiness?

Is it your own desires, or the expectations of others, that are keeping you from making big changes?

Transformation is not easy. I know this from experience. But I can say with certainty that theres only one way off the hedonic treadmill, and its by taking a leap of faith into a more minimalist, intentional, and purpose-driven lifestyle.

Once you regain your footing, and start following a beat thats uniquely yours, youll come to realize that everything you were chasing was never going to make you happy. Youll see clearly, perhaps for the first time, that passion for life comes from its simplest pleasures.

Slow down and determine what really matters to you. The only thing worth keeping up with is your own vision of a life well lived.

Jay Harrington is an author, lawyer-turned-entrepreneur, and runs a northern Michigan-inspired lifestyle brand called Life and Whim. He lives with his wife and three young girls in a small town and writes about living a purposeful, outdoor-oriented life.
More than 100,000 total vaccinations have been administered in health agency's region

local
Indias banking sector has a perverse incentive structure with an unhealthy and wide gap between that of its public sector lenders and private sector ones.

The countrys largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI) paid its chief Rajnish Kumar a little over 30 lakhs in FY20, according to its annual report. Its private sector rival HDFC Bank paid more than 15 crore, excluding stock options and perks to its chief Aditya Puri, shows the lenders annual report.

Also Read | A year on, China is shaking up the world

Here is an exhibit of it from the Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) trends and progress report on banking. On an aggregate basis, the compensation of the top executive seems to be inversely proportional to the size of the bank that is managed. As of 2019, the median compensation of chief executives in public sector banks was less than 50 lakhs even though they manage an average asset size exceeding 5 trillion. In contrast, the median compensation that private sector lenders paid their top boss was more than 3.5 crore for managing an average asset size of less than 3 trillion. Whats more is that remuneration in even the new category of small finance banks trumps that of public sector lenders.

The wide disparity between public and private sector bank executives has been a long running debate now. It returned to the spotlight last year in June with the attempt at wry humour by the then chief of the countrys largest bank, State Bank of India (SBI). To a question whether SBI too would effect a salary cut for its leadership team just like its private sector peers given the pandemic, Rajnish Kumar had said he would have to live on the streets given his already low compensation. To be sure, public sector executives get invaluable perks such as housing, vehicle use and dedicated help. These may reduce the gap between them and their private counterparts to some extent. Then there is the job security and retirement benefits that trump private sector. Even so, monetary compensation is far more humble than warranted.

There is no doubt that compensation structures and levels needed a rethink yesterday by the government with several committee reports having made the case for it. Here is another argument for remuneration reform. If executives are rewarded to manager assets deftly and create profits, they must also be punished for poor performance. This can be done through variable pay or performance linked pay. The RBI report highlights that the variable component is less than 50% of the total compensation in private sector banks. The regulator prescribed rules in November 2019 wherein variable pay needs to be more than 50%.

Perverse incentive structures that reward risk-takers for short-term profits, without adequate recognition of long term risks, jeopardise various stakeholders interests and have potential to threaten financial stability," said the RBI report. But public sector lenders do not have this component. This enables pursuit of short-term gains at the cost of long term stability. Public sector banks have the highest pile of bad loans and have in general seen a rise in frauds faster than their private sector counterparts.

Banking sector experts have recommended overhauling compensation not just for top executives but for the overall personnel in public sector lenders. A conducive pay package that encourages long-term goals is the need of the hour.

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Pune: The Bharosa Cell of Pune police gets a call from a senior citizen seeking assistance to pay a visit to Bank ATM. The constable answers the 1090 helpline at the senior citizen cell at Pune Commissioner office, Camp and soon a beat marshal from the nearest police station knocks on the elderlys front door to accompany him.

We get 8 to 9 calls daily from senior citizens and on an average around 250 calls in a month. Our constables are trained to be polite and make them comfortable over the phone, said PI Uttam Chakre, head, senior citizen cell.

The cell has met over 160 senior citizens since December 2020 as part of their daily visits programme.

Senior citizens were our priority even before the Covid pandemic. We want to reassure them that the police are their friends and that they should use the helpline 1090 without any hesitation, said PI Swati Khade, Bharosa Cell, who also helps assign constables for visits to senior citizens residences across the city.

According to the police, of the 5 lakh senior citizen population in the city, only 19000 are registered with the cell.

By paying home visits, we are also looking at increasing the registration count, Khade said.

One such visit was held on NIBM road where a group of senior citizens of NIBM Road Residents Forum (NRRF) met constable Shakeela Patel. It is one of the active groups of senior citizens that coordinated with Kondhwa police station to obtain and distribute senior citizen cards to about 300 people.

Vishwas Joshi, secretary, NRRF senior citizens, said, We had a meeting with the police to understand how the police can help senior citizens. We discussed our issues with them and were told about the helpline to seek help of any kind.

The elderly sometimes even call us simply to pass their time, said Khade.

The cell also helps resolve family disputes over property. We have so far managed to give 19 senior citizens their homes back, she said.

Currently, the cell is organising online sessions for senior citizens in association with senior citizen groups to familiarise them with the Maintenance and Welfare Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

They are as Seattle as the Space Needle. But Lake Washington sockeye, once the largest run of sockeye in the Lower 48, are failing.

The smallest run on record returned to the Cedar River in 2020, a bottoming out after years of declines. There hasn't been a fishery on Lake Washington sockeye since 2006and now extinction looms.

What's worse is scientists are not even sure how to fix it, as a vortex of climate change, urbanization and predators endangers a beloved species.

Some 22,950 sockeye were counted at Ballard's Hiram Chittenden Locks in 2020, but only about 3,000 made it to the mouth of the Cedar. Another 40 to 50% of those fish typically die on the spawning grounds before they can reproduce.

Not even a $31 million hatchery project by Seattle Public Utilitiesbuilt in 2011 to replace a failing interim hatcheryhas delivered the rescue expected.

It's not only Seattle's storied summer sockeye run that is at risk. Lake Sammamish kokanee are on life support, circling in a tank in a captive brood on Orcas Island. Local steelhead are goners. The watershed's chinook run is at 10% of historic levels. The sockeye are the standout example of a more worrisome decline in what once were abundant salmon runs in Seattle and beyond.

"The salmon can't speak, and they need someone to speak for them, and protect them," said Jason Elkins, chairman of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe.

"It's not just the sockeye, all of the salmon are significant to us, we don't want them only for ourselves, we want them for everyone to enjoy. We are salmon people. It is our way of life."

Donny Stevenson, vice chairman of the council, has worked for his tribe for 25 years. He is among the last of the generations at Muckleshoot that went from growing up in a home without running water to being able to buy a new house.

But the tribe is not willing to substitute its new prosperity for its old wealth: the abundance of the salmon that feeds the rivers, the soils, the animals, the land and the spirit of the tribe.

The tribe knows coexistence is possible: Its work rebuilding chum runs at its Keta Creek Hatchery has powered a fishery for the tribe that also benefits recreational fishermen who throng the Green River every fall to catch a tasty chum for the smoker.

Chum returning to the Green River, which flows into the Duwamish, also are crucial autumn fare for southern resident orcas that appear in the urban waters of Seattle every fall, hunting chum and other salmon. But the orcas that frequent our waters also are facing extinction, in part because they can't get enough salmon to eat.

"In a generation we have gone from times of plenty, to these fish being on the brink of extinction," Stevenson said. "Our people have been here for thousands of years, hundreds of generations. We have found a way to exist in this environment. This is about balance."

Paul Faulds, water planning and program management interim director at Seattle Public Utilities, has staked his career on Lake Washington sockeye, investing 20 years in the sockeye program at SPU.

The utility is in the middle of the Lake Washington sockeye rescue because of Seattle's Landsburg Diversion Dam built in 1901 on the Cedar, to which the sockeye return. The Cedar provides drinking water to two-thirds of SPU's 1.4 million customers in the greater Seattle area.

It is fresh mountain water, never filtered except by the forests preserved on the flanks of the Cascades, in a 90,638-acre watershed reserved and protected for public use as the city's water supply by the founders of Seattle, more than a century ago.

Only a few cities in the country are as fortunate as Seattle to have such a pure and delicious water supply.

A portion of the returning sockeye run is collected from the Cedar and taken to a hatchery each year to artificially spawn a new generationbut the fish are not allowed above the dam.

Incredible as it seems now, the utility would never allow sockeye above its dam because managers were worried the fish would spawn in such high numbers, they could pollute the drinking water supply.

"I am continually blown away, thinking that was really a concern," Faulds said.

Today the worry is that the fish can't beat the combination of climate change that is warming the water in the lake and Lake Washington Ship Canal to lethal temperatures; urbanization of the lake; and surging predator populations gobbling juvenile salmon. The threats intertwine.

But what is happening to the adult sockeye, such that so many never even make it to the Cedar Riverwhere even more then die?

Scientists don't really know, but posit a combination of warm water, stress and disease is the cause.

Meanwhile, SPU has already run through most of its $31 million fund to operate the sockeye hatchery. The fund was supposed to keep it going until 2050but there is only about $4 million left, Faulds said.

Everything turned out to be so much more expensive than anticipated, from building the hatchery to running it. "We figured it would be $300,000 a year to operate, and it is double that," Faulds said. For a hatchery where most of the equipment sits idle, for lack of sockeye eggs as the run craters.

"We have 130 empty incubators sitting in a huge building," Faulds said.

Jim Scott, special assistant to the director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, grew up on the shores of Lake Washington, in Renton, playing around the lake as a kid, and fishing for sockeye from a rowboat. "It is part of me, I would say, and my family.

"It's beloved," he said of the sockeye run. "It's right on the doorstep of Seattle and all the communities in the area. You had the opportunity for a dad like my dad, who would come home after work, to take the family out on Lake Washington, and in the good old days, pull out a sockeye for dinner."

Lake Washington sockeye are a seasonal rite, with families watching for the flash of crimson in the Cedar River as the spawners come home in the fall. "Salmon is just part of me, of the water," Scott saidpart of the salmon culture of Seattle, he added.

A generation of this region voted to tax themselves to clean up Lake Washington, which used to be a murky mess. Raw sewage kept swimmers on the beach.

That commitment to making things better makes it all the harder to see the present turning point toward worse. "It is this change in the landscape that is making it more and more difficult for salmon to persist," Scott said.

The tribe and the department are willing to try just about anything. A leaky pipe dispersing cold water carried from the depths of Lake Washington to the ship canal is one idea, still just on paper.

The tribe and the state are partnering on a trial run of holding sockeye longer in the hatchery, to grow a beefier smolt they hope will have a better chance at survival.

But Scott is careful not to oversell either rescue; he knows what these salmon are up against.

The cleanup of Lake Washington in the 1960s shows what can be accomplished when the public is engaged and supportive. But some wonder if that commitment is still there.

"Shouldn't we all wake up here? These fish are disappearing before our eyes, shouldn't people be concerned about this?" said Larry Phillips, a champion of salmon when he was on the Metropolitan King County Council. In deepest blue Seattle, with one of the greenest city councils and county governments in the nation, he can't believe it has come to this for the city's signature fish.

Max Prinsen is chair of the Cedar River Council, which stewards the river. He sees a problem of ownership, with multiple cities and agencies in the watershed where the sockeye need to survive. "Everyone wants to divert and point the finger somewhere else," Prinsen said. "Until we take ownership of the issue we are not going to solve the problem.

"Sockeye belong to everyone."

Explore further Sockeye salmon removed from flood-threatened Idaho hatchery

2021 The Seattle Times.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
With a degree of optimism, ISE, AVIXA and CEDIA look forward to the return of industry events next year, as market research finds that AV professionals are eager to attend face-to-face events in 2021.

During October, Integrated Systems Europe commissioned research, targeting AV professionals to evaluate visitor appetites for conferences and events following COVID-19. The research, completed before news of a COVID-19 vaccine, was carried out by Fusion-Insight to gauge interest in face-to-face, digital and hybrid event formats. The results show that 98% of the audience missed attending in-person AV industry events.

ISE was forced to postpone its Barcelona debut in February 2021 due to the global pandemic. In the absence of in-person events, there has been a sharp rise in digital events to fulfil education, networking, and profiling agendas. Indeed, ISE launched its own series of digital events called RISE Spotlight, which has been welcomed by the industry. Virtual events are useful for lead generation, deepening customer relationships and building brand profile but live experiences such as touching, seeing and hearing AV products, are yet to be replicated.

ISE wanted to explore the general feeling towards face-to-face events in 2021. The research consisted of a web-based survey sent to ISEs database and a collection of in-depth interviews with ISE exhibitors. Over 700 (711 completed responses analysed and used within the research by Fusion Insight and Strategy) people from 96 countries (71% of respondents were based in Europe, 13% North America, 8% Asia, 5% Middle-East, 1% Central and South America, 1% Australia and New Zealand, 1% Africa) responded to the survey with 95% having attended ISE before (60% in February 2020).

Key Findings

The research and the results overwhelmingly endorse a return to in-person as soon as it is safe and practical to do so. Findings show that 98% of the research audience missed attending events, with 42% of these missing meeting and networking with people the most, 32% missing the live experience of products, and 21% missing the direct exchange with suppliers and customers.

Almost 70% of the audience is ready to attend in-person trade shows and 57% would be ready to visit international ones. Given that this research was conducted before news of a vaccine, it shows a desire to get back out to physical events again.

Mike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events explains: We felt it very important to listen to our industry in shaping our offering for 2021 and so we commissioned independent market research specialists to conduct this intelligence project for us. The results clearly demonstrate that, for an industry at the cutting edge of immersive technologies, there is no substitute to the touch-see-hear experiences that are at the heart of the AV industry and shows such as ISE. We are working very hard towards the goal of ISE2021 in Barcelona in June next year and it is reassuring to confirm that strong demand is there too.

The annual calendar of trade shows provides a rhythm and cadence to our ever-changing and advancing industry, said David Labuskes, CTS, CAE, RCDD, CEO of AVIXA. As individuals move in and out of roles within the industry, these shows have always provided a touchpoint that allows us to reconnect with the people we do business with. I am certain that all of our past and future attendees are anxious to meet again in person soon, and the research reinforces that emotion. The incalculable value of ISE to the exhibitors as a platform for engagement and thought leadership and to the attendees as a community from which to learn and grow compels us to do everything in our power to ensure that there will be a safe return of ISE in 2021 and an exciting debut in Barcelona.

Giles Sutton, Co-CEO of CEDIA adds: In our industry, the experience is everything. Home technology products need to be touched, seen and heard if integrators are to recommend and specify them on projects for their customers. More than that, our industry is a community that benefits from meeting, talking and build relationships with others as well as the opportunity to learn from experts at in-person training. These are all massively important factors for professional integrators who want to grow their knowledge and continue to do good business. Thats why we support the safe return of the ISE event in June 2021.

As well as the independent market research study, ISE also spoke to key exhibitors who also confirmed their desire to return to in-person activities:

Peter Pauwels, Vice President Sales EMEA, Barco NV said: Together with you, the AV partner community, we make the choice to look forward, not backwards. The new normal will be hybrid, but for real connection we need to meet in person and ISE Barcelona is a great place to meet up.

Michelle Downey, Harman Marketing Director, EMEA comments: 2020 has been an uncertain year for our industry and we look forward to returning to some kind of normality for 2021. We are excited to attend ISE and have the opportunity to meet our customers face-to-face again.

Eva Claudi of Lang-Iberia comments: Our industry is one of the largest economic sectors. In addition to commercial events, events in the business environment are essential for the success of the economy. Only in an emotional, experience-oriented environment we can succeed in developing and fostering customer relationships through face-to-face communication. Positive emotional experiences, through the use of AV technology, promote socio-cultural development and also the connection of people of different cultures and countries. The language of emotion is international. For this experience there is no digital alternative with a similar effect.

Of course, health and safety come first, but an event like ISE is highly professionally organised and well planned, which means that risks can be avoided and protective arrangements can be implemented with the highest precision. We are looking forward to ISE 2021 in Barcelona and we are 100% committed.

Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2021 will take place at the Fira de Barcelona, Gran Via, on 1-4 June 2021.

For more information please visit: www.iseurope.org and www.thenextweb.com.
Prosecutors also tied Morris to a May 15 shooting in the 3900 block of West Roosevelt Road, where surveillance video allegedly captured him shooting a 29-year-old man in the back following a quarrel over drug dealing. In addition to the video, five people familiar with Morris identified him in the video, authorities said. The victim survived two gunshot wounds to the left leg but became uncooperative with investigators, authorities said.
(Alliance News) - UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has refused to rule out another national lockdown in England amid concerns the new variant coronavirus is spreading out of control.

Hancock hailed the start of the rollout of the Oxford University and AstraZeneca PLC vaccine as an 82-year-old former maintenance manager became the first person to receive the jab outside of clinical trials.

He said the NHS had the capacity to deliver two million doses a week of the vaccine once it received supplies from the manufacturers.

But with the latest data showing a 33% rise in the number of confirmed coronavirus patients in hospital in England between Christmas Day and January 2, he warned there would be "some very difficult weeks" to come.

Asked about the prospect of another national lockdown, he acknowledged that the current restrictions were insufficient to control the spread of the disease.

He told Sky News: "We don't rule anything out, and we've shown repeatedly that we will look at the public health advice and we will take the public health advice in terms of what is needed to control the spread of the disease.

"This new variant is much easier to catch, it is much more transmissible, and we're now seeing the effect of that in lots of different parts of the country, unfortunately.

"And it means that whereas the old Tier 3 was able to contain the old variant, that is proving increasingly difficult in all parts of the country."

His warning came as the Scottish Parliament was being recalled to consider further restrictions following a rapid increase in cases there.

Despite the concerns, Hancock insisted it was safe for primary schools to reopen in all but the worst hit areas of England following the Christmas break.

He said that teachers were at no greater risk of contracting the disease than the rest of the population.

"There is clear public health advice behind the position that we have taken and that is what people should follow because, of course, education is very important as well, especially for people's long-term health," he said.

However, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is coming under pressure from unions in the education sector to order a "pause" in a return to the classroom until the safety of staff and pupils can be guaranteed.

In a joint statement, the GMB, NAHT, NASUWT, NEU, Unison and Unite unions said there was a "serious risk" of staff falling ill while the rate of infection was so high.

"The government's chaotic handling of the opening of schools has caused confusion for teachers, school staff and parents alike," they said.

"Bringing all pupils back into classrooms while the rate of infection is so high is exposing education sector workers to serious risk of ill-health and could fuel the pandemic."

For Labour, shadow education secretary Kate Green said there needed to be a "stronger set" of coronavirus restrictions in place with a clear "stay at home" message to the public.

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It is very clear that the government has lost control of the virus, we're seeing a really alarming rise in cases and in the spread of the infection."

By Gavin Cordon and Emma Bowden, PA

source: PA

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
New Delhi: People may have apprehension about the efficacy of Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, which recently got emergency use approval by India's drug regulator, but the way some opposition parties have expressed concern over the absence of Phase 3 trial data, cautioning that "sidestepping" processes and giving "premature" clearance could risk lives, can not be supported.

The DNA report will try to make you understand why this lack of confidence is being expressed about the indigenous or Swadeshi vaccine of India, and also try to clear doubts of the Congress and other opposition parties through a reality test of Zee New reporter Pooja Makkar.

Firstly, you should know that the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has given emergency use approval to not one but the two vaccines. The first is Covishield, which is a joint venture of Oxford University and AstraZeneca company. The Serum Institute of India has also been part of this research and is also producing this vaccine. The institute has got the emergency use approval. The results of the third or final trial of this vaccine have not yet been made public, but no doubts have been raised against it as it was made by Oxford University. The Congress and other opposition parties also feel confident about this vaccine as it has been made abroad.

On the contrary, doubts have been raised over the efficacy of Bharat Biotech produced indigenous vaccine, Covaxin, or Made in India vaccine, which also got the emergency use approval. The Covaxin will be administered to people only in clinical trial mode, and such people will also be monitored after vaccination. The key aspect is that the data of the third trial of this vaccine have not yet been given to DCGI, and it may take two more days. This is the reason Covaxin is under question.

The mentality of refrain from Made in India products is perhaps also working against Bharat Biotech's indigenous vaccine, which is cheaper in terms of price. The opposition parties now want to spread this doubt like a virus among more and more people so that they refuse to get this Made in India vaccine, thereby, cornering the current dispensation.

The government, however, is striving hard to vaccinate maximum people to defeat coronavirus as early as it can, while the opposition appears to be determined to create confusion to foil this mega exercise. Opposition parties have also termed the Corona vaccine as the BJP's vaccine.

This simply means that the vaccines produced under the erstwhile governments should also be termed vaccine of that party. In 1948, the BCG vaccine was launched in India to protect children from TB disease, when Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister of the country.

The Polio vaccine was launched in 1978, under the Janata Party government, and Morarji Desai was the then Prime Minister. In 2010, the Swine Flu vaccine was introduced when Dr Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister of the country, but no hue and cry was made.

The current politics over vaccine is no less surprising when the current dispensation is facing protests and opposition on all fronts.
Jaipur, Jan 4 : Although Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot were seen together at the Congress' dharna staged against the Centre's farm laws in Jaipur, differences between the two remained obvious as not a word was exchanged except for courtesy purposes.

The dharna took place on Sunday.

It was for the first time after August last year that Gehlot and Pilot were seen together ever since the high command brokered peace between the two.

Gehlot called a dinner after the dharna in which he invited leaders from the Pilot's camp as well in a bid to be seen as the peacemaker.

Vishvendra Singh, a leader from the Pilot camp, who was stripped off his state minister's portfolio last year, was seen during the dinner. However, Ramesh Meena, another pro Pilot leader, who was also removed from the state minister's post, was absent from the dinner invite.

"This dinner diplomacy is of no use. There is intense dissatisfaction in the party. We are awaiting the PCC formation, political appointments and cabinet expansion. An even approach is what we want. However, the continuous delay is making the situation volatile and this volcano simmering within the workers can erupt any time," said a Congress worker who attended this dinner.

In fact, Pilot, before entering the Chief Minister's residence for the dinner, said, "We have been pitching for respect and regard to be given to the workers who have worked hard for forming this government. We are confident that the high command will look into our demands," he said.

Sources confirmed that Gehlot wanted his close aides and senior leaders to be given plush positions in the PCC, which Pilot has 'not acceded' to so for, sources said.

In fact, many senior leaders have already shown their disinterest in joining the PCC. Archana Sharma, former PCC vice-president and media chief, has also accepted that she is not interested as she has been doing the same thing for the last 21 years. "I have asked the high command to give me a chance to serve people," she said.

Meanwhile, this dinner diplomacy despite differences is being discussed across party lines.

Who can get a larger share in the PCC and in which role, is what is being eagerly awaited, said another Congress worker adding: "The PCC list and political appointments will make it clear who is the winner in the longer run and who emerges as the dark horse," he added.

Pilot had rebelled against the Rajasthan government in July 2020 demanding a change in the leadership, and as a fall out, he was removed as the party's state chief and his title of deputy CM was also snatched from him in a bid to appease the Gehlot camp.

It was only after the intervention of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other veteran leaders that Pilot who exhibited all signs of a rebel camping with his followers in a resort near Delhi, finally retirned to the party fold.

The high command formed a three-member committee, including late Ahmed Patel, K.C. Venugopal and Ajay Maken to look into the grievances of the Pilot camp. However, after the death of Ahmed Patel, things have slowed down.

Since then, the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Govind Singh Dotasara has been running a one-man army show. He is also the state education minister.

Even though Ajay Maken had promised to form a new PCC by December 31, however, nothing had been done in the direction. A senior Congress worker told IANS, "The differences between the two camps are so intense that even the high command is now feeling helpless. Gehlot camp is not interested in giving any space to the Pilot followers and vice-versa.

"In this scenario, another round of rebellion looms large if one camp is given mileage and, hence the delay in forming of a new PCC."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has awarded a contract to a Chinese company, Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Company Limited, for the construction of a 5.6-kilometre underground stretch, from New Ashok Nagar to Sahibabad, of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS project. The NCRTC, which is executing the countrys first Regional Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS), said the contract was awarded following the set procedure and guidelines.

Approvals have to be taken at various levels for bids that are funded by multilateral agencies. This bid was also awarded following the set procedure and guidelines. Now, all the civil work tenders of the 82-km-long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor have been awarded and the construction is going on in full swing to commission the project in time, an NCRTC spokesperson said.

A controversy had erupted in June last year after the STEC emerged as the lowest bidder for the construction of the 5.6-km tunnel on one of the stretches of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS project amid a standoff between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. The 82-km-long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor is being funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and procurement is governed by the guidelines of the bank and the government.

According to the ADBs procurement guidelines, vendors from all member countries of the bank are eligible to participate in the bidding process without any discrimination. The NCRTC had invited bids for the construction of the tunnel from New Ashok Nagar to Sahibabad of Delhi Ghaziabad Meerut RRTS corridor on November 9, 2019.

Five companies submitted technical bids and all the five bidders qualified in the technical bid evaluation. The financial bids were opened after obtaining the NOC on Technical Bid Evaluation from the ADB. Of the five firms, Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Company Limited emerged as the L1 bidder for the tender after qualifying on all the parameters and the contract was awarded to it.

In September last year, the Union housing and urban affairs ministry had unveiled the first look of the RRTS train, the design of which is inspired by Delhis iconic Lotus Temple. It can attain a top speed of 180 kilometres per hour on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor. According to the ministry, with a radiating stainless steel outer body, the aerodynamic RRTS trains will be lightweight and fully air-conditioned.

The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor is the first RRTS corridor being implemented in the country. The time to commute from Delhi to Meerut will be reduced to less than an hour from the current three-four hours by road, officials said. The prototype is scheduled to roll off the production line in 2022 and will be put into public use after extensive trials.

The 17-km priority corridor of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS from Sahibabad to Duhai will be operational in 2023 and the entire corridor will be operational in 2025.
Online Seminary Tackles the Epidemic of Biblical Illiteracy Head On

Church leaders have been wringing their hands about the epidemic of biblical illiteracy for years.

Heres just a small sampling of the headlines:

The Epidemic of Biblical Illiteracy in our Churches (Christianity Today, 2015)

Bible Literacy Crisis! (The Gospel Coalition, 2020)

The Scandal of Biblical Illiteracy (Albert Mohler, 2016)

The Crisis of Biblical Illiteracy (Biola Magazine, 2014)

Biblical Illiteracy is a Big Problemfor Christians (Patheos, 2019)

The rise of Postmodernism in our culture has been matched with a decline in theologically rich preaching in the evangelical church.

Sermons have gotten more practical and less doctrinal, says Bill Giovannetti, pastor, author, and founder of Veritas School. At the same time, our worship music has gotten more emotional and less theological. We are stimulating an appetite for the wrong things.

As Giovannetti puts it, Seminaries tell pastors to put the cookies on the bottom shelf. They mean to keep it simple because people arent smart enough to get it.

This view flies in the face of both Scripture and church history, he says.

Jude, writing to the everyday people of God, found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3).

Do not miss that the faithin this context, the doctrinal content of Scripturehad been delivered to the saints. Not the popes, priests, pastors, or preachers, but to all the people of God. That deposit of theology is the heritage of the pews equally with the pulpit. It is a strategic blunder for pastors to reserve theological meat for church leaders only.

Even more importantly, it is the job of the saints, as custodians of this doctrine, to know it so well they can earnestly contend for it. They must be so theologically informed they can raise a defense, they can answer critics, they can tear down misconceptions, and correct preconceptions against the truth of God. They can stand toe to toe with atheists, agnostics, post-modernists, modernists, romantics, Hindus, Buddhists, and anyone else who would debate God's Word.

God has ordained that his deepest truths be diffused throughout the body, not concentrated at the top among leadership.

This is not happening.

A New Kind of Seminary

Giovannetti says, This is something Ive worried about, prayed about, and whined about for a long time. I finally felt it was time to quit talking about it and to do something.

Veritas School of Biblical Ministry is the result.

Having grown up in Awana clubs, Bill memorized hundreds of Bible verses as a child. Later, when he became a young childrens and youth pastor, he started at the very church that launched Awana. I was mentored by the founders of Awana, he says. It was an incredible privilege.

There, he learned to focus on grace and truth. He learned never to shy away from teaching the deep truths of Gods Word to all the people of God.

Later, as a seminary student, he felt like he had found a treasure. And he wanted to share it with the world. Why should the deep things of theology be reserved for crusty theologians and clergy? he asks.

Veritas School is designed from the ground up as a seminary for all Gods people. All the learning of theology and Scripture with none of the hoops. A student can earn a Master of Ministry Certification* without sacrificing their family, without quitting their day job, and without breaking the bank.

Most Christians learn the Bible in bits and scraps. Its like a giant puzzle without the box top. Theology provides the box top, Giovannetti says. And Veritas provides theology.

Choose Your Adventure

Students can work at their own pace. No due dates. No required homework. Low tuition paid monthly. A mixture of live events and online courses. The full realm of theology and biblical studies is offered from a theologically conservative perspective, with intensity, depth, and clarity.

The program is surprisingly affordable, costing only a fraction of what other online and traditional seminaries will charge.

Students love the program and give it rave reviews. Many say that the Bible is becoming clear to them for the first time. One lifetime Christian said, "My excitement about studying the Bible has been elevated to a new level!

Another student, a medical doctor said, "Step above your fears and excuses, if I can do this, so can you!

A youth ministry volunteer agreed. Amazing. Better than I could have imagined because I feel like I actually understand, she said.

Maybe Veritas School and others like it can do just a little to cure the epidemic of biblical illiteracy once for all.

Christian Post readers can enjoy a free, no obligation trial enrollment, plus a permanent 10% tuition reduction by using the promo code CP2021 at enrollment.

*The Veritas School Master of Ministry Certification offers the same masters level instruction taught in other schools. This program is not certified by a certifying agency.
Gardai are appealing for information following a fatal assault in Allenwood, Co Kildare yesterday that led to the death of a man named locally as Mark Loughlin.

Officers are investigating a number of incidents that happened in the lead-up to the discovery of Mr Loughlin, who was from Edenderry in Co Offaly.

The 29-year-old dad of two was found unconscious on a road in Allenwood South, Co Kildare, at 3.49am.

Mr Loughlin, who also used the nickname Yob, was understood to have become a father last October.

In a statement, gardai said officers at Naas Garda Station are continuing to investigate all the circumstances of a fatal assault and associated incidents which occurred in the Allenwood area of Co Kildare.

A State post-mortem was completed by State Pathologist Dr Kathleen Han Suyin yesterday evening although the results are not being released for operational reasons.

Expand Close Garda search teams near to the scene where a man died after an assault at Allenwood South in Kildare early on Sunday morning. Photo by: Damien Storan / Facebook

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Whatsapp Garda search teams near to the scene where a man died after an assault at Allenwood South in Kildare early on Sunday morning. Photo by: Damien Storan

Gardai have appealed for members of the public to come forward with any information relating to the incidents.

In particular investigating officers continue to make the following appeals:

- Information on the movement of a silver Audi A4, registration 09CN6292 on the evening of Saturday, January 2 until 00.45 hours on Sunday, January 3.

- Information in relation to the incident between the silver Audi A4 and the red Renault Traffic van in the Allenwood area.

- Information in relation to any incidents which occurred in the Allenwood South area between 12am and 4.30am, including the fatal assault on the male at Allenwood South.

Anyone with any information on these incidents is asked to contact investigating Gardai at Naas Garda Station 045 884300, the Garda Confidential Phone Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

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Conservatives who object to election fraud have found that liberals' favorite retort is "your claims have been laughed out of court."

This argument is authoritarian in its reasoning. It defers to a juridical priesthood and allows one guild, the attorneys, to override what average people can see in front of them. Such an argument should not stagger wise conservatives. The latter can always draw from Plato's Republic and the debate between Socrates and Thrasymachus over whether justice is merely defined as whatever the mightiest people in society say it is.

Spoiler! Socrates wins that debate. That's partly why people live in free republics in many parts of the world 2,400 years later.

Juridical systems have a long and checkered history. In researching a current book project, Traumatizing the Tongue, I spent years researching the Spanish Inquisition, the French Reign of Terror, the German Gestapo, and the Soviet gulags. In each of these historical examples, political and social upheaval led to illogical judicial systems whose irrational decrees distorted language itself, past the point where Spanish, French, or German could fully recover.

People who have been granted juridical authority can indeed err en masse by an enormous margin, for long periods of time, on matters that should be obvious. No human language has ever appeared that can withstand the basic warning of Jeremiah 17:9 (inside the heart is wickedness beyond measure).

The English-speaking world held on to sensible systems of judgment for longer than other language communities, partly because English-speaking countries defeated the other language communities. The British led the way in defeating the Spanish Armada and Napoleon, while the English-speaking United States led the way in defeating the Nazis and pushing the Soviets past their breaking point. In researching Traumatizing the Tongue, however, I could not avoid the conclusion that English has passed its expiration point as a rational universal tongue. It was bad enough that the United States courts rejected civil rights cases from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century out of hand. By the twenty-first century, American courts were on course to affirm some of the most preposterous claims about sex and gender ever asserted in all human history.

The erosion of commonsense language that arguably began with Roe v. Wade moved quickly in forty-two years to the insanity of Obergefell v. Hodges and even to the madness of the supposedly conservative-dominated Supreme Court in 2020's Bostock and Henderson v. Box.

In the 1973 decision for Roe v. Wade, Justice Harry Blackmun wrote for the majority in stating that the word "person" in the Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection) could not apply to someone unborn because:

["Person"] is used in other places in the Constitution. But in nearly all those instances, the use of the word is such that has application postnatally. None indicates, with any assurance, that it has any possible prenatal application.[1]

This exemplifies the mangled follies of language that only a high-ranking judicial authority could find persuasive. Are very old people going to be seen as non-people because the Constitution does not mention people with advanced signs of aging? Are blind or illiterate people going to be similarly classed because the Constitution is not written in Braille and does not include instructions to read it aloud to people who can't read?

Anybody with a brain untainted by decades of work in the Judiciary can understand that all people begin as fetuses, and all fetuses, barring a miscarriage, medical abnormality, or violent intervention, will eventually go from being prenatal to postnatal.

Obviously, the purpose behind extending equal life protection to all persons came from the moral sense that human beings are more valuable to human beings than are cows, pigs, or chickens. For years the simple understanding was, if you don't want to deal with raising a baby, hold off on having sex and support the law and order that keeps rapists at bay. Otherwise, once you conceive life you should treat that life the way you would want your own life to be treated.

Language distortion spreads like mold. After a certain point, you can't recover common sense anywhere, and all is lost. The inability to see the word "person" as the word clearly presents itself led, in America's case, to the total inability to understand the words "man," "woman," "mother," "father," "child," and "marriage."

By 2015, the deterioration of language was far-reaching. I participated in the legal efforts to resist the redefinition of family because I knew that every child has a mother and father, somewhere, even if one or both are in the grave. The only possession with which a child is naturally born, in fact, is his relationship to the man and woman from whose flesh he was conceived. Court after court brushed aside this commonsense reality and instead lost its train of thought in bizarre word definitions.

These distortions suited a well funded political lobby that wanted to satisfy its client base, same-sex couples, with the means to purchase a child's love and obedience. The courts, rather than acting to protect the child's heritage, acted to strip the child of the sacred right to a relationship with his biological origins. In the Hollingsworth decision prior to Obergefell, Justice Kennedy even stated that the redefinition of marriage would be necessary to force children adopted by same-sex couples to view their putative parents as the legitimate claimants to their submission and affection. In other words, the law would be necessary to make kids love them no matter how hurt they felt by the loss of a mother or father.

Through sophistry, the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment meant that same-sex couples had equal rights to children but that the children obtained in fulfillment of this right did not have equal rights to a mother and father.

Deal with the main point, stop beating around the bush

Much of what has happened with the courts' rejection of the open-and-shut electoral fraud case can be blamed on the overall decline in reason and common sense in the Judiciary. Yet I cannot totally blame the courts without taking a critical look at the choices by conservative lawyers. I saw many mistakes in the conservative argument for marriage repeated in the recent struggle over the election.

The public supported a basic truth: the sexual relationship between a man and a woman is unlike any other relationship, especially because this one uniquely produces new human life; hence, society needs to recognize the sacred nature of such a bond rather than muddle it with analogies to same-sex relationships, which are in many ways hard to differentiate from friendships. Many people who were formerly in the gay lifestyle and then came out could attest to the fact that gay relationships, no matter how much we wish to respect them, differ substantially from a heterosexual bond and will never be able to replace male-female unions.

Okay, that was the basic point. Yet that wasn't the point that I found lawyers making. Scores of conservative lawyers came up with convoluted arguments to present before the courts. They talked about states' rights and suddenly made the entire issue about the "religious liberty" of Christian third parties who were not gay, did not have gay children, did not have gay parents, and might merely be asked to bake a cake or take photographs for gay so-called weddings.

Many of us got involved because we wanted to protect people from harm, regardless of whether we were Christian or not. I personally did not find the wedding cake arguments urgent. The religious liberty argument struck many as weak and offensive, since Christians as a class were not harmed as immediately as the people who dealt with the fallout of homosexuality in their personal or family relationships.

The strongest and most resonant argument for marriage was the crudest one I saw in comments all across the internet: the anus is not a sexual organ, and two people of the same sex can't create a baby unless they buy one or steal one from other people. The next strongest argument is equally basic: Have you seen the photos from gay pride parades? Is that a good environment for raising kids? These points are harsh, but people understand them immediately, and liberals do not have effective counterpoints against them because they're so obvious.

I remember being on countless conference calls where powerful lawyers told us we couldn't discuss same-sex abuse, adoption abuses, rates of disease or mental illness, or any of a number of arguments that represented the concerns that led many of us to be on their side. We were not supposed to make any references to anal or oral sexual behavior, or to penises or vaginas. I could never figure out why some people's amicus briefs came to the attention of the justices and others, which seemed far more compelling, were passed over. Nor could I figure out why some lawyers whose arguments didn't make any sense had the power to choose the arguments presented before the judges.

Some of this history repeated itself in 2020 with the election fraud cases. Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis command our respect as legal experts. But I could not shake the feeling that there was a similar drift from the main point of the election controversy. Many of the cases brought to courts were referring to infractions against election law, such as deadlines for receipt of mail or the definition of indefinite confinement. But they seemed to beat around the bush. When the mail arrived is not the point; the point is that the mail-in ballots that got counted included a bunch of fakes.

Somebody got into the computers or tampered physically with the ballots, throwing out real ballots and/or stuffing the counts with fake ones, in order to generate tabulations that did not reflect reality. In a series of livestreams with Maricopa County election attorney Rachel Alexander, we brainstormed a hypothesis of how the election was stolen step by step, by piecing together the most pertinent pieces of evidence.

The one thing our side could have done better in the court cases would be to paint the stark picture of unscrupulous, scheming people carting real ballots to a trash dump while other scoundrels printed off millions of fake ballots and swapped them in while the Republican observers were blocked from watching them. The Venezuelan origins of Dominion, laws about due dates for sending ballots in, and the definition of "confined" are legally interesting but also less infuriating than the main point, which is that somewhere in America, there exist a rotten group of people who were low-down and dirty enough to throw away people's votes and print out false ones.

We don't want to be unfair to the lawyers who bravely stood up for Trump. The courts knew that this was what really mattered, and we can't blame Trump's lawyers for the fact that they jumped on arcane technicalities about timing and standing to throw the cases out. But I still worry that our side focused too much on Article II of the Constitution, the right of state legislatures, and other legal specificities that allowed the courts to go on detours and avoid the main issue.

One good thing is that this time, five years later, I don't feel quite as powerless. More conservatives are paying attention than was true in 2015. I don't think liberals can isolate us or deny how many of us there are who know the truth. That's one good thing to say about this round.

Robert Oscar Lopez can be followed at Bobbylopez.me, Twitter, and The Big Brown Gadfly.

Image via Max Pixel.
Illinois police said a 35-year-old Chicago man tracked down two teenagers who allegedly stole his vehicle before confronting them in a park where the 17-year-olds were shot, one fatally, during a struggle over the weekend.

According to a press release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the man reported his black Chevrolet sedan stolen on December 30.

He managed to locate his vehicle around 2.45am Sunday morning in the area of Route 12 and Route 120 in Volo, Illinois.

When he found the vehicle, it was occupied by the two teenagers, who fled from him in the stolen vehicle.

Illinois police said a 35-year-old Chicago man tracked down two teenagers who allegedly stole his vehicle before confronting them in a park where the 17 year olds were shot, one fatally, during a struggle over the weekend

A short time later, the vehicle ran out of gas and the teens, of Carol Stream, pulled into a parking lot in the 30400 block of Route 12.

The man then confronted the teenagers and a struggle ensued.

'During the struggle, one of the males produced a firearm and it was discharged multiple times,' police said in a statement.

All three were injured during the struggle, but only the teens suffered gunshot wounds.

One of the teens was fatally struck by the gunfire and pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities said they arrived to the scene around 3am after receiving reports of a possible fight in progress in Volo.

When deputies arrived, they located all three individuals, noting the 35-year-old sustained minor injuries and did not need medical treatment. He remained at the scene.

The other 17-year-old struck by the gunfire sustained serious injuries. That male was transported to an area hospital for treatment.

Authorities said they have no reason to believe any other individuals were involved in the incident.

The Lake County Coroners Office responded to the scene and an autopsy for the deceased teen is scheduled for Monday.

This incident remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriffs Office Criminal Investigations Division.

The 35-year-old man has not been publicly named by authorities because he wasnt immediately charged with a crime.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry, early on Monday, denounced with the strongest terms the brutal terrorist attack in Pakistans Baluchistan province on coal miners, killing 11 people and wounding others.

The incident took place on Sunday morning in Bolan district and the deaths were reportedly from Pakistans minority Shia Hazaras.

A security official requesting anonymity told Reuters that the miners eyes were blindfolded, and their hands were tied behind their backs before their throats were slit.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Reuters.

Egypt extends its sincere condolences to friendly Pakistan and to the families of the heinous terrorist attack, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The ministry affirmed Egypts support to the Pakistani people and government in the face of terrorism.

Short link:


Government has outlined plans for operations at the ports of entry until 14 January that have been approved by the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints).

During this period, traveller volumes are expected to be above normal because of people returning to South Africa."The Department of Home Affairs will deploy an additional 160 officials at six busiest land ports of entry to process returning travellers until 14 January 2021," said Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi.These include the Beitbridge Border Post with Zimbabwe; Lebombo Border Post with Mozambique; Oshoek Border Post with Kingdom of Eswatini; Maseru Bridge with Lesotho; Ficksburg with Lesotho, and Kopfontein with Botswana.The Minister was on Wednesday in Pretoria briefing members of the media on immigration matters and border law enforcement under the adjusted Covid19 alert level 3."Another 60 additional immigration law enforcement officers will be deployed to support the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) at identified high-risk areas along the borderline where people have a tendency to cross illegally into SA."The immigration officers and the soldiers are not there to stop people from coming into South Africa. They are there to insist that anybody wishing to visit South Africa must use the official gates of entry and produce all the requisite documentation otherwise, they wont be allowed in," Motsoaledi said.The Department of Health, via its Port Health unit, will deploy additional Port Health officials to all ports of entry to ensure that only travellers with valid Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are allowed into the country."Alternatively, those without a PCR test will be subjected to a rapid anti-gen test at the port of entry at their own cost. South Africa will not allow any traveller into the country without a valid PCR test or the anti-gen test for Covid-19," the Minister said.As announced last week by the Director-General of the Department of Health, only truck drivers are exempted from this test requirements, as it was the case at the beginning of the lockdown.More than 259 Port Health officials will be deployed to all ports of entry.In addition, 278 community service personnel on contract will be deployed."The National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) will enlist private laboratories to provide additional support for testing. South African Military Health Services has been requested to provide 73 additional military health personnel to help in the testing," the Minister said.The Provincial Joints (ProvJoints) have been activated for policing and will conduct roadblocks and vehicle control points within the border law enforcement area.Provincial authorities will also conduct roadblocks mainly in Limpopo, Free State, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal."We wish to take this opportunity to announce that the Kosibay Border Post between KwaZulu-Natal and Mozambique, which has been closed since the beginning of the lockdown in March this year, will be opened from 1 January 2021."The Cross Border Road Transport Agency will also deploy inspectors at Beitbridge, Lebombo, Maseru Bridge and Ficksburg for the same duration. That means until 14 January 2021," the Minister said.
New Delhi: India's External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishanker will visit Sri Lanka from 5th to 7th January. This will be EAM's first visit this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit is arranged through the air-bubble due to coronavirus travel restrictions in both countries.

During his visit, EAM will meet Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

A Sri Lankan Foreign ministry statement said, "While this official visit marks the first arrival of a high-level foreign dignitary in Sri Lanka in 2021, it becomes also the first foreign visit for External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar in the New Year."

One of the key focuses during the visit will the COVID vaccine. India has assured that it will be providing the covid vaccine to its neighbours on priority. Over the weekend India's drug regulator gave approval to Covid vaccine-- Covishield and Covaxin for use.

The Ministry of external affairs in its release said that the visit "signifies the priority both countries attach to strengthening their close and cordial relations in all spheres of mutual interest."

EAM has been to UAE, Bahrain, Seychelles, Qatar, Iran, Russia, and Japan in the latter half of 2020 as the pandemic impacted the world.
In the interest of public health, Delhi government asked its schools to avoid participating in any event sponsored by firms promoting sale or use of tobacco in any form. This comes after the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare sounded caution against e-cigarette manufacturing companies, which promoted these devices as harm reduction alternatives of smoking.

It is important that we remain vigilant against such attempts to target young children and protect them from exposure to tobacco use. As per guidelines issued by the MoHFW, a Tobacco Free Educational Institute must not participate in any event sponsored by any firm or seller which promotes the use, manufacture or sale of tobacco products in any form. Prizes or scholarships offered by such firms should not be accepted by educational institutions or students, the Directorate of Education said in a circular on Thursday.

Last year, the Centre had banned e-cigarettes and similar devices through The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act, 2019.

The notices were issued based on the statement of the Convention Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHOFCTC) on Foundation for Smoke Free World (FSFW). The convention said FSFW was established in 2017 and has received a pledge of $80 million USD annually for 12 years starting in 2018 from a tobacco company. WHO FCTC also added that through the said foundation, the tobacco company has been trying to influence school children.
Israel has vaccinated more than 10% of the population in two weeks. The country plans to inoculate two million people with a two-dose Covid-19 vaccination by the end of this month.

Israels vaccination campaign is relatively simple and this small country with about the same population as New York City, now aims to immunize the majority of its people by early spring, The Wall Street Journal reported.

On December 19, Israel started its inoculation drive with the vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got his first jab on the same day. The country hopes to have administered first and booster shots to the most vulnerable 25% of its population by late January.

Also Read | A year on, China is shaking up the world

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasts his country is the world's fastest in inoculating the people. "We are breaking all the records, we are ahead of the entire world," Netanyahu said, AFP reported.

According to the Oxford University-based research group Our World In Data, by 2 January 2021, Israel administered 12.59 doses per 100 people. That rate of inoculation is nearly four times quicker than the second-fastest nation, the tiny Arab Gulf state of Bahrain. The health system is proving itself," said Israel Health Minister Yuli Edelstein in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

Israel is currently in its third national lockdown to contain a resurgence in coronavirus cases. The decision to impose the lockdown in late December came as daily infection rates in Israel reached more than 3,000.

The health ministry said on Sunday that 435,866 people in Israel had so far tested positive for the virus since the first confirmed case was reported in February 2020. Almost 3,400 people have died, and fatalities steadily increased since the start of December. The ministry said on Friday that it had confirmed 18 local cases of a new strain of coronavirus first detected in Britain.

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President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration parade has been cancelled in favor of a virtual version designed to limit crowds during the coronavirus era.

Organizers announced the changes on Sunday, saying that a 'virtual parade across America' will be held instead of the traditional procession on Inauguration Day, January 20.

Following the swearing-in ceremony on the west front of the US Capitol, Biden and his wife, first lady Jill Biden, will join Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband in participating in a socially distanced Pass in Review on the Capitol's opposite front side. Those are military traditions where Biden will review the readiness of military troops.

Biden will also receive a traditional presidential escort with representatives from every branch of the military from 15th Street in Washington to the White House.

That, the Presidential Inaugural Committee says, will be socially distanced too, while 'providing the American people and world with historic images of the President-elect proceeding to the White House without attracting large crowds'.

Joe Biden's inaugural parade has been cancelled and replaced with a virtual version, organizers announced Sunday. Biden is seen at his first swearing-in ceremony in 2009

Following the swearing-in ceremony on the west front of the US Capitol, Biden and his wife, first lady Jill Biden, will join Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband in participating in a socially distanced Pass in Review on the Capitol's opposite front side

Workers in recent days began dismantling an inaugural parade reviewing stand in front of the White House as Biden's transition team continues to prepare for festivities that will be mostly virtual.

Accordingly, organizers also said they will hold a virtual parade nationwide to 'celebrate America's heroes, highlight Americans from all walks of life in different states and regions, and reflect on the diversity, heritage, and resilience of the country as we begin a new American era'.

The parade event will be televised and feature 'diverse, dynamic' performances in communities across the country, the inaugural committee promised.

Participants will be announced in coming weeks.

'We are excited about the possibilities and opportunities this moment presents to allow all Americans to participate in our country's sacred inaugural traditions,' said Presidential Inaugural Committee Executive Director Maju Varghese said in a statement.

Heres a look at more construction work outside WH north fence where crews are taking down whats left of a just built parade review stand that would have been used for Inaugural but canceled due to covid. pic.twitter.com/BM4XXLbJ5a  Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) January 2, 2021

Biden arrives at St Edmond Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Sunday

The upcoming inaugural celebration will be Biden's third, after having spent two terms as vice president under Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017.

This one will look very different from those of the past, which each drew more than one million people to the Capitol.

Throughout their presidential campaign Biden and Harris have followed coronavirus guidelines to the letter, so it's not a surprise that their inauguration will do the same.
KDB Life Insurance headquarters in Seoul / Courtesy of KDB Life Insurance





By Park Jae-hyuk







JC Partners is facing questions over its ability to normalize KDB Life Insurance, after the local private equity firm (PEF) signed a share purchase agreement with Korea Development Bank (KDB) last Thursday to buy the life insurer.







KDB said JC Partners agreed to take over a 92.7 percent stake in KDB Life for 200 billion won ($184 million) and inject 150 billion won into the insurer to issue new shares. The PEF has reportedly sought to inject an additional 200 billion won, but this was not stated in KDB's press release.







According to industry sources, JC Partners has attracted 100 billion won from Woori Bank and another 100 billion won from KDB to complete the deal.







Some market observers said the PEF will face difficulties in repaying the 200 billion won debt because its initial plan to transform KDB Life into a "co-insurance" company is unclear. Co-insurance is a type of reinsurance allowing insurers to transfer all kinds of possible outstanding risks to a reinsurer.







When JC Partners started to take part in the bid to acquire KDB Life early last year, it attempted to join hands with the Carlyle Group, which has expanded its presence in the global insurance industry by acquiring a 19.9 percent stake in DSA Reinsurance Company from AIG in 2018.







After the Korean Reinsurance Company (Korean Re) preemptively formed a partnership with Carlyle to take the lead in the domestic co-insurance sector, however, concern has arisen that JC Partners' post-acquisition scenario would face setbacks, although the local PEF has emphasized there remains room for it to cooperate with the world's leading PEF.







If JC Partners fails to distinguish KDB Life from its rivals, the insurer may not be able to improve its sluggish earnings.







JC Partners has already failed to normalize the earnings of MG Non-Life Insurance which it acquired in April last year. The insurer turned a loss in the third quarter of last year, posting a 56.5 billion won net loss.







The poor earnings of MG Non-Life caused the KDB Life union's complaint about KDB's decision to sell their company to the PEF. The union members are calling for job security assurances after the takeover.







Given that JC Partners has close ties with the Japan-based Orix PE, the labor and management of KDB Life may come into fiercer conflict, if the union shows concerns about Tokyo's possible interference in management.







JC Partners CEO Lee Jong-chul, who founded the company in 2018 with his colleagues from Orix PE, is an ethnic Korean living in Japan. Although Lee left Orix PE to run his own business, his company has continued to collaborate with his former workplace, which has its Seoul office right next to the JC Partners office.


Cloud computing is the centerpiece of the worlds technical response to the COVID-19 crisis. Indeed, the leading public cloud providers were standout business successes in this most unusual of years. As businesses everywhere managed to keep the lights on by having personnel work from their homes, all of the principal cloud providers substantially grew their revenues and continued to deliver innovations at a blistering pace.

With the novel coronavirus pandemic still hammering the global economy, here are my predictions for the enterprise cloud computing market in 2021.

Cloud computing will be central to the postpandemic new normal

In the sad and fraught year now coming to a close, cloud services were a godsend for keeping the economy and our lives from grinding to a halt.

In 2021 and beyond, everybody will continue to rely thoroughly on clouds (as well as on streaming, remote collaboration, smart sensors, and other cloud-reliant digital technologies) to emerge from a pandemic that is still grinding down on us remorselessly. Enterprise technology professionals will adjust their cloud strategies with one eye on COVID-19 trends and the other on their digital transformation initiatives. The tech vendors who stand to gain the most are those such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft that provide full, cloud-to-edge ecosystems that enable seamless new normal lifestyles.

Public clouds will grow even more dominant

In the past year, public clouds rode the pandemic to faster growth. According to IDC, enterprise cloud spending, both public and private, increased 34.4 percent from a year previous, while non-cloud IT spending declined by eight percent.

In 2021 leading public cloud platformsespecially Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platformwill cement their dominance in the cloud market and expand their sway across many sectors of the global economy. AWS will retain its leading market share, though Microsoft, Google, and Alibaba will continue to close the gap. Revenue growth will remain explosive through mid-decade, according to Deloittes projections, never dipping below 30 percent annually. Global cloud spending will grow seven times faster than overall IT spending through this period. IDC forecasts that worldwide spending on public cloud services and infrastructure will nearly double, to around $500 billion, by 2023.

Enterprises will mitigate cloud lock-in through hybrid and multicloud strategies

In the past year, public clouds deepening dominance compelled traditional enterprise computing companies to set their strategic focus on hybrid and multiclouds. In 2021, enterprises will grow more uneasy with their reliance on the top tier providers. IT professionals will seek out hybrid and multicloud tools to reduce their risks of being locked in to specific providers. This is already a mainstream tactic considering that, per Flexera estimates, 93 percent of enterprises have a multicloud strategy and 87 percent have a hybrid cloud strategy.

Going forward the growing maturity of hybrid/multicloud offerings from AWS, Microsoft, and Google will tempt enterprise cloud managers into increasing their spending with these providers. At the same time, private-cloud stalwarts IBM, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Cisco, Dell EMC, VMware, and others will continue to beef up their hybrid/multicloud integrations with the dominant public cloud services in order to defend their enterprise IT market shares.

Nevertheless this space is now a war of attrition. Hybrid-cloud appliances such as AWS Outposts and Google Anthos wont significantly boost those vendors shares in their core public cloud market segments.

Platform as a service will grow in public cloud revenue share

In this years rapid shift to work-from-home arrangements, SaaS providers such as Oracle, SAP, and Salesforce provided an essential platform for continue business as usual in spite of the disruptions.

As remote work remains a mainstream approach, SaaS providers of all sorts will be poised for runaway growth. In 2021 Gartner projects SaaS will remain the largest cloud market segment by revenues, growing to $117.7 billion by year end. However, PaaS-based application services will grow even faster, driven by enterprise customers increasing emphasis on cloud-native, containerized, and serverless cloud platforms.

One of the biggest PaaS growth segments in 2021 will be multicloud serverless offerings from Vendia, Microsoft, Red Hat, and others. These solutions and associated low-code platforms will be essential ingredients in more enterprises application modernization, digital transformation, and business continuity strategies.

Intelligent edge will become the principal cloud on-ramp

In the year gone by, the rapid shift of most economic sectors to remote work triggered a boom in mobile devices, AI (artificial intelligence)-powered automation, autonomous robotics, and industrial IoT (Internet of Things) platforms.

In 2021 public cloud providers will shift an increasing share of their workloads to intelligent-edge platforms to deliver the low latencies required by these applications. By this time next year, approximately 90 percent of industrial enterprises will use edge computing, according to Frost & Sullivan projections. As 5G is rolled out worldwide during the coming years, demand for cloud-to-edge applications will skyrocket. More of these workloads will involve edge-based, AI-driven processing of smart sensor data and Tiny ML (machine learning) workloads.

In the coming year, IBM/Red Hat, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Microsoft will invest deeply in the strategic 5G/edge/AI platforms that they launched in 2020. Nvidia will leverage its Arm acquisition to deepen its portfolio of solutions to automate delivery of AI apps to cloud-to-edge and hybrid-cloud environments. This trend will also drive demand for software-defined wide area networks to the benefit of VMware, Cisco, Juniper, Arista, and other vendors in this segment.

Under regulatory siege, Big Tech will emphasize open partner ecosystems

In the year now ending, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and other Big Tech companies found themselves fending off lawsuits, regulatory actions, and legislative pressure to be broken up. In 2021, these and other dominant cloud providers will slow down strategic acquisitions, which theyve been accused of using to stop rivals in their tracks, while ramping up and boasting of their open partner ecosystems. Increasingly the big cloud providers will position themselves as back-end fulfillment agents within partner-led enterprise deals. They will downplay efforts to use their multicloud and hybrid cloud solutions as a lever to migrate enterprise workloads from legacy, on-premises platforms.

Augmented reality will help train the employees needed to support cloud growth

Here is one last cloud computing prediction, pertaining more to cloud professionals working lives than to the market for cloud services. As enterprises retool their cloud management processes, they will adopt a growing range of augmented reality tools to deliver training and guidance to cloud technical staff working from home.

Like all businesses, cloud companies and their customers will need to ensure that their personnel are safe, healthy, and productive in distanced work environments. Innovative approaches such as augmented reality are the only way that Amazon can hope to deliver on its recently announced plan to train 29 million people worldwide to work in cloud computing. Even in normal times, Amazon would find it impractical to train this many people in person.

Beyond keeping people safe, the cloud computing industrys biggest challenge in 2021 will be to find, train, and equip enough skilled people to support customers digital transformation initiatives.
India's top engineering and construction firm Larsen & Toubro (L&T) said one of its key subsidiaries,

L&Ts Power Transmission & Distribution, has won two transmission line packages in Saudi Arabia which are worth around Rs10 billion to Rs25 billion ($137 million to $341 million).

The scope of work includes design, procurement and construction of 380-kV double-circuit overhead transmission line corridors running over 650 km long.

These lines are expected to strengthen the grid in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia and facilitate power evacuation, said a statement from the Indian construction conglomerate.

In addition to these, L&T has clinched several major local contracts. Its Water & Effluent Treatment business has secured an EPC order in the state of Gujarat to execute a package in the Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (Sauni) Yojna Link 3.

Sauni is a project launched by the government to fill various reservoirs by diverting floodwaters overflowing from the Sardar Sarovar Dam across the Narmada river to drought areas in Gujarat.

The project involves survey, design, procurement, laying and jointing of 2,500 mm diameter MS pipeline. L&T has already completed 4 packages in the Sauni Yojana for the same client, it stated.

A major player in the region, L&T is a specialist in engineering, procurement and construction projects, manufacturing, defence and services with over $21 billion in revenue. It operates in over 30 countries worldwide.-TradeArabia News Service
Hong Kong stock market advanced on the first day of 2021 trading, Monday, 04 January 2021, as a survey pointing to a continued recovery in the world's second-largest economy bolstered investor sentiments. However, market gains capped after China's firm opposition to the US government's move to politicise trade issues after the New York Stock Exchange began delisting three Chinese telecom firms that Washington says have military ties.

At closing bell, the benchmark Hang Seng Index added 0.89%, or 241.68 points, to 27,472.81. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index fell marginal 0.14%, or 15.41 points, to 10,722.99.

Activity in China's factory sector rose in December as the economy sustained its recovery to pre-pandemic levels, a business survey showed on Monday, even as higher costs slowed the pace of expansion. The Caixin/Markit manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI), which tracks sentiment among smaller, private firms, fell to 53.0 last month from a decade-high 54.9 in November. A number above 50 indicates an expansion in activity, while a reading below that signals a contraction.

The December reading marked the eighth consecutive month of expansion. A separate PMI by an official industry group, the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing, declined to 51.9 from the previous months 52.1.

Shares of technology companies related to smartphone manufacturing surged. Smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp climbed 6.2% to HK$35.25, while Sunny Optical Technology jumped 4.2% to HK$177.

Shares of China's phone carriers declined following a ban on US investors on owning or trading in blacklisted companies with ties to Chinese military. China Mobile declined 0.8% to HK$43.85 after. China Telecom dropped 2.8% to HK$2.09.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A couple has become pen pals with a mystery neighbour thanks to their wandering cat Billy who acted as a postman between the two households.

Cat owner Olga Shipunova, 29, and her partner Zack King, 37, received their first note from their neighbour in Hackney, London, one evening last September.

Billy, the curious one-year-old cat, returned home with a brightly coloured note which had been tucked under his collar and wrapped in cling film.

Cat owners Olga, 29, and her partner Zack, 37, became pen pals with a mystery neighbour in in Hackney, London, thanks to their wandering cat Billy who acted as a postman between the two households

Olga and Zack first received a note from their neighbour last September when Billy returned home with an orange note (left) tucked under his collar. Olga immediately tore off a bit of paper and penned her own reply (right)

The note read: 'Your cat likes to come visit us when he is outside. He will sit at the door and meow to be let it (sic).

'It's actually hilarious and we love him. We have no idea where he is coming from. What's his name? We call him Billy. From your friendly neighbours.'

Olga immediately tore off a bit of paper from a notepad and penned her own reply which she attached to Billy's collar and sent him on his way.

The reply read: 'We're glad he's making friends with the neighbours. And his name is Billy. So you guessed right.

'Give him lots of chin scratches. We lost his name tag, we need to get him a new one.'

It was the first exchange of roughly a dozen messages the furry postie would deliver to the mysterious neighbour over the coming months.

Their mystery neighbour revealed that Billy liked to visit their house and would sit at the door and meow to be let in. Over the following months, Olga and Zack (pictured with Billy, right) began to exchange messages with their neighbour

Olga has said the novel notes were the highlight of her year and added she felt like she had 'found a friend' thanks to her cat Billy.

Olga and Zack now look forward to the messages each week which get delivered by their postman cat who diligently does the rounds of their street.

The adorable tuxedo cat has even been fashioned his very own 'mailbag' which is a tiny heart-shaped plastic container.

The couple have now been exchanging the little notes with a neighbour for months - but they still don't know who they are.

They have shared hummus recipes, movie recommendations as well as their favourite podcasts - and for his trouble Billy has been rewarded with many head scratches.

They have shared recipes, Netflix recommendations as well as their favourite podcasts which are diligently delivered by Billy in a plastic heart-shaped container (right)

Olga, from London, said: 'I ended up looking forward to every message.

'I really didn't expect it - when he first came home with the note I don't know why but I thought maybe he broke into someone's flower pot.

'But I was so pleasantly surprised when it was this nice note from a neighbour and I feel like we've found a friend.

'The last year has been quite grim and we're now working from home so I think Billy is a bit surprised by how often we're here.

'It's been great to have such a nice surprise to keep us looking forward to something - and also get Billy out and socialising.'

The couple adopted Billy (pictured with Zack) after he was abandoned as a kitten and installed a cat flap into their flat so he could roam freely but never expected him to arrive home with a note

Olga and Zack adopted little Billy after he was abandoned as a kitten just over a year ago when they moved into their ground floor flat in Hackney, London.

They immediately installed a cat flap so he could roam freely but never expected him to return with a handwritten note.

Olga, an account manager, said: 'We love the idea he just sits there meowing until he's let in.

'We absolutely love Billy and he is a very sociable cat - but we never expected him to come back with a note and definitely not for this friendship to come of it.

'The letters are just wonderful. In many ways totally inconsequential but really meaningful at the same time.

'We want to thank the neighbour because this would have never happened with them.'

Olga has said the novel notes were the highlight of her year and added she felt like she had 'found a friend' thanks to her cat Billy.

Zack said he hopes to continue exchanging the letters but despite being curious feels it's best the neighbour remains anonymous.

The advertising strategist said: 'It would be nice to know who she was, but there's no need - it's quite nice the way it is.

'You lose a bit of the mystery. I like not knowing where he's off to but it's nice to know he's visiting someone who is kind to him.

'We know they're Canadian and that's about it. We never expected it to spiral into this friendship but it's been truly lovely.'

The couple said they'll keep exchanging the 'lovely notes' as long as they receive them and look forward to the next one.
A day after the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) gave its nod for the emergency use approval for two indigenous vaccines against Covid-19 on Sunday, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday termed it as Indias leap of science and manifestation of the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Naidu, as quoted in a release from Vice Presidents Secretariat, stressed that this development can benefit not only Indians but the larger humanity. He also appealed the people to express same spirit in taking the vaccine as they did while persevering through the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

India is in the forefront of shielding the humanity from the deadly disease by demonstrating its ability to mass produce the much-needed vaccine and offer its own version as well. Indias indigenous vaccine (Covaxin) has certain unique features based on the whole virus approach. This is a commendable achievement and all concerned deserve kudos for foresight perseverance and fruition of spirited efforts, the release read.

Referring to the devastating effects of Covid-19 in preceding year, Naidu hailed the spirited scientific efforts to come out with vaccines.

He further said, While the celebrations can wait till every needy person gets the vaccine shot, its not out of context to say cheers to this optimistic moment.

He noted that Indias spirited efforts towards making vaccines available offers hope to people across the globe conferring on India the leadership role in the collective fight against the most dreaded health challenge of the last 100 years since the outbreak of Spanish Flu.

Noting that development and administering of vaccine is guided by a stringent regime of protocols and strict monitoring of attendant data without any compromise, the Vice President referred to the regulators assurance to the nation of due diligence before giving nod to the two vaccines, Covishield and Covaxin yesterday.

Indias leap of science with the vaccine announcement is a clear manifestation of the spirit of Atma Nirbhar Bharat. It demonstrates what a self-reliant India means not only to its people but also to the rest of the world. India standing tall at this critical moment is one of great reckoning. It vindicates our ethos of sharing with and caring for all. The soon to start vaccine roll out is a certain beginning towards leaving the miseries and anxieties of the last year behind, the release stated.

Naidu observed that the country rose in unison in 2020 in handling the Covid situation with the national leadership both in the Centre and in the States/Union Territories (UTs) working together.
The Punjab and Haryana high court will on Tuesday hear a petition by Reliance Jio for taking action against miscreants damaging its network infrastructure and other commercial properties in Punjab.

Reliance Jio, in its petition, has maintained that its parent company, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), or any retail arm or affiliates have no interest and does not intend in future to do corporate or contract farming while alleging that business rivals with vested interests are taking advantage of the ongoing farmers protests.

In its petition, the Mukesh Ambani-led RIL has also emphasised that the conglomerate and its retail arms have not purchased any agricultural land directly or indirectly for the purpose of farming.

Underscoring that Jio and RIL have greatest regard for the hard work of the farmers, the petition added that RIL affiliates have never entered into long-term procurement contracts to gain unfair advantage over farmers or their produce.

Read more| Farm talks fail again, Centre says no repeal

Reliance Jio Infocomm filed this petition on Monday, and requested for an urgent direction to the government authorities in the state and at the Centre to protect its communication infrastructure as well as ensure safety of its employees.

The firms counsel, Ashish Chopra said that the high court agreed to list their petition for a hearing on Tuesday.

The petition has stated that 1,500 telecom towers operated by Reliance Jio were vandalised and rendered inoperative, crippling the mobile network in Punjab, where the telecom company has 14 million subscribers.

While the subscribers are compelled to port to other networks, the plea said, the acts of vandalism have also endangered lives of thousands of its employees.

The plea claims it has been has been targeted in Punjab, as those with vested interests are taking advantage of the farmers agitation against the recently enacted contentious agricultural laws.

The petition demands that state be directed to take steps to prevent further damage to its infrastructure and take action against the miscreants and vested interests, who caused destruction.

Read more| No ghar wapasi: Farmer leader vows to keep protesting till farm laws are repealed

Jio also seeks appointment of a competent authority to assess the damages to be recovered from the miscreants in terms of a judgment by the Supreme Court, which laid down that rioters must be made to pay for destruction of public or private properties.

The destruction has been done in a well orchestrated manner, which is result of a sustained disinformation campaign being carried out by vested interests, stated the plea, demanding that adequate security arrangements be made to stop vandalism of its infrastructure.

Telecom infra owned by the company has been targeted in parts of Punjab by protesters who have alleged that the contentious new farm laws are meant to benefit certain corporate houses at the cost of ordinary farmers. The laws change the way Indias farmers do business by creating free markets, as opposed to a network of decades-old, government marketplaces, allowing traders to stockpile essential commodities for future sales and laying down a national framework for contract farming.

These laws are The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020.

Together, the laws will allow big corporations and global supermarket chains to buy directly from farmers, bypassing decades-old regulations.

Farmers say the reforms will make them vulnerable to exploitation by big corporations, erode their bargaining power and weaken the procurement system, whereby the government buys staples such as wheat and rice at guaranteed rates.
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[January 04, 2021] AIG Issues Reminder Regarding Expiration of Warrants

American International Group, Inc. (NYSE: AIG) today reminded holders of the outstanding warrants (CUSIP No. 026874156) (the "Warrants") to purchase shares of AIG Common Stock, par value $2.50 per share, that the Warrants will expire on Tuesday, January 19, 2021. The Warrants trade on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the symbol AIG WS. The NYSE has notified AIG that it will suspend trading in the Warrants after the close of trading on January 13, 2021 so that trades can be settled by January 19, 2021. As of December 31, 2020, there were 55,940,355 Warrants outstanding. Each Warrant represents the right to purchase 1.067 shares of AIG Common Stock at an exercise price of $42.2282 per share. Further information on the Warrants, including the process by which to exercise the Warrants, is available in the Frequently Asked Questions page in the Investors section of AIG's website. Any Warrants not exercised prior to 5:00 p.m. New York time on January 19, 2021, will expire and become void, and the holder will no longer be able to exercise such voided Warrants. # # # American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is a leading global insurance organization. AIG member companies provide a wide range of property casualty insurance, life insurance, retirement solutions, and other financial services to customers in more than 80 countries and jurisdictions. These diverse offerings include products and services that help businesses and individuals protect their assets, manage risks and provide for retirement securit. AIG common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.



Additional information about AIG can be found at www.aig.com | YouTube (News - Alert) : www.youtube.com/aig | Twitter (News - Alert) : @AIGinsurance www.twitter.com/AIGinsurance | LinkedIn (News - Alert) : www.linkedin.com/company/aig. These references with additional information about AIG have been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such websites is not incorporated by reference into this press release. AIG is the marketing name for the worldwide property-casualty, life and retirement, and general insurance operations of American International Group, Inc. For additional information, please visit our website at www.aig.com. All products and services are written or provided by subsidiaries or affiliates of American International Group, Inc. Products or services may not be available in all countries and jurisdictions, and coverage is subject to underwriting requirements and actual policy language. Non-insurance products and services may be provided by independent third parties. Certain property-casualty coverages may be provided by a surplus lines insurer. Surplus lines insurers do not generally participate in state guaranty funds, and insureds are therefore not protected by such funds.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005760/en/

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Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne says the release of the alleged mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings, Abu Bakar Bashir, will be deeply distressing to the families and friends of Australians killed in the terrorist attacks.

The Australian embassy in Jakarta has raised its concerns with the Indonesian government, saying authorities need to ensure that Bashir and other released terrorists are prevented from inciting other individuals to carry out future atrocities.

Abu Bakar Bashir, pictured at court in Jakarta in 2003. Credit:AP

The Indonesian government announced on Monday that the radical cleric would be released from prison later this week upon completion of his jail term.

Bashir, 82, who was among Indonesia's most notorious extremists, is considered the spiritual leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah network. He was jailed in 2011 for his links to militant training camps in Aceh province.
Poster for "Adios Piazzolla"





By Park Ji-won







As the number of COVID-19 infections increases, many live concerts and performances were delayed or canceled following heightened social distancing rules, inflicting a loss of income on those in the classical music industry.







The deadly disease has taken away stages from musicians, and still concert halls need to have vacant seats between audience members, but some are ready to deliver hope through music, looking for the silver lining.







One of the biggest events in the music world in 2021 is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Argentine tango musician and composer Astor Piazzolla. To mark the occasion, a series of classical concerts is set to be presented here this year.







"Adios Piazzolla," performed by Koh Sang-ji, one of the most famous proponents of the bandoneon in Korea, and award-winning tango dancers Sebastian Acosta & Laura D'anna and Miguel Calvo & Pelin Calvo, will be seen at Lotte Concert Hall on Jan. 31. Musicians such as pianist Choi Moon-seok and violinist Kim A-ram will also join Koh.







They will play familiar compositions of Piazzolla, including "Libertango," "Oblivion" and "Adios Nomino." The show was originally planned to be held last year, but was delayed due to the spread of the coronavirus.







The Korean Chamber Orchestra, as an in-house artist of Lotte Concert Hall and violinist Yoon So-young will hold a Piazzolla-themed concert at Lotte Concert Hall on March 11, where the orchestra will play Piazzolla's rare and famous pieces "Fuga y Misterio," "Concierto Para Quinteto" and "The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires," as part of its in-house artist series.







Shinik Hahm & Symphony S.O.N.G (Symphony Orchestra for the Next Generation), an orchestra led by conductor and artistic director Hahm, will also present Piazzolla compositions at Lotte Concert Hall on April 25 with the concert titled "Master's Series  Happy 100th Birthday Piazzolla!" Violinist Lee Kyung-sun and mezzo soprano Kim Sun-Jung will join the orchestra.







Year of pianists, renowned Korean performers







Starting with pianist Kim Sun-wook, who will hold his recital of Beethoven at Lotte Concert Hall on Jan. 11, a number of renowned local pianists are expected to perform at home this year. Kim, who had to delay his shows multiple times due to the spread of the virus last year, will play Beethoven's piano sonatas including No. 30 in E major and No. 31 A-flat major.







Pianist brothers Lim Dong-min and Lim Dong-hyek will hold their first duo recital at Lotte Concert Hall on Jan. 13. The winners of the third prize in the 15th International Chopin Piano Competition in 2005 will play "Fantasy in F minor, D.940, Op.103" and Rachmaninoff's repertoires for two pianos.







Pianist Sunwoo Ye-kwon, the winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2017, will be holding his recital at Lotte Concert Hall on Jan. 26 where he is planning to play works by Mozart and Chopin including the Austrian composer's unfinished "Fantasia in D minor, K. 397," "Fantasia in C minor K. 475," "Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor, K. 310" and "Rondo in A minor K. 511"; and the Polish composer's "Nocturne in F minor, Op. 55 No.1," "Fantaisie in F minor, Op. 49," "Barcarole in F# major, Op. 60" and "Variations on 'La ci darem la mano' Op. 2" which is based on a theme from the opera 'Don Giovanni"."







Pianist Paik Kun-woo will present a Bartok Concerto on March 14 and Mozart on July 13 and Nov. 13 while performing with the London Philharmonic Orchestra on Oct. 27. Conductor Chung Myung-whun will also hold a piano recital in April.







Pianist Cho Seong-jin, who won the legendary International Chopin Piano Competition in 2015, will perform on April 18 with German Baritone Matthias Goerne, who announced his retirement in 2024. They are also planning to release an album in April.







Pianist Son Yeol-eum will play Prokofiev's "Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 26" with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin on Sept. 29.







Award-winning and veteran pianists such as Rudolf Buchbinder, Robert Levin and Nelson Freire will visit Korea to perform. Young pianists such as Jan Lisiecki will perform in Korea this year. Asian pianists such as Dang Thai Son and Lang Lang will also come to Korea for shows on July 4 and Nov. 10, respectively.







Internationally renowned Korean performers in various fields are also set to show their skilled performances.







Violinist Clara-Jumi Kang will play "Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin" on May 31, while violinist Sarah Chang will play Dvorak's violin concerto with Prague Philharmonia on Sept. 30 to Oct. 1.







Violist Richard Yongjae O'Neill will hold a winter concert in December while soprano Jo Su-mi, who marks the 35th anniversary of her international debut, will perform baroque music with I Musici on Dec. 26.


[January 04, 2021] Resolution Life completes acquisition of Voya Financial's individual life in-force business

Resolution Life Group Holdings LP ('Resolution Life'), a global manager of in-force life insurance businesses, is delighted to announce today that it has completed the acquisition of Voya Financial, Inc.'s, ('Voya') individual life in-force business. The completion sees Voya sell to Resolution Life substantially all of its in-force individual life business, including Security Life of Denver Insurance Company, Midwestern United Life Insurance Company and certain other affiliates, as well as the reinsurance of Voya's remaining in-force individual life and annuity blocks. Voya transferred approximately 350 employees, together with the assets and systems used to manage the business. On completion more than $25 billion of assets were added to the Resolution Life balance sheet and it assumes responsibility for the administration of the acquired business. Following a transition period, which is expected to take up to two years, Resolution Life will replace Voya's corporate systems with its own systems. Resolution Life's more modern platforms will provide enhanced customer service at lower cost. Resolution Life has raised over US$3 billion of capital since 2018. In addition to the acquisition of Voya's individual life in-force business, acquisitions to date include the A$3 billion acquisition of AMP Life in Australia and the completion of a rensurance transaction with Symetra Life Insurance Company with US$5.7 billion of reserves.



The transaction provides Resolution Life with a strong platform to capitalise on future growth opportunities in the US market, diversifies the Group risk profile against the Resolution Australasia and Resolution Re liabilities, and accelerates its growth story. Sir Clive Cowdery, Resolution Founder and Executive Chairman of Resolution Life, said:

"We are delighted to welcome our new customers and colleagues to Resolution Life. By acquiring or reinsuring businesses from partners such as Voya, Symetra and AMP, we provide a well-capitalised and stable environment to deliver on long-term customer promises. There is great opportunity for growth in the United States and completion of this transaction gives us an excellent platform to build from." Notes to Editors: About Resolution Life Resolution Life is a global life insurance group focusing on the acquisition and management of portfolios of life insurance policies. Since 2003, prior Resolution entities together with Resolution Life have deployed US$16 billion of equity in the acquisition, reinsurance, consolidation and management of 30 life insurance companies. Together, these companies have served the needs of 12.6 million policyholders while managing over US$354 billion of assets. Resolution Life has operations in Bermuda, the U.K., the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Resolution Life provides a safe and reliable partner for insurers as they re-structure by: Focusing on existing customers, rather than seeking expansion by new sales

Delivering policyholder benefits in a secure, well capitalised environment

Returning capital over time to our institutional investors in the form of a steady dividend yield Visit https://resolutionlife.com/ for more information. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005775/en/

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[January 03, 2021] Thais pass on positivity to the world at centralwOrld, as known as 'Times Square of Asia', to celebrate the New-Normal Countdown 2021

BANGKOK, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Due to COVID-19, 2021 will mark the new page in the world's history where countdown landmarks will be simultaneously transforming their events format including CentralWorld, Thailand's most famous celebration landmark in the midst of Bangkok which has been named 'Times Square of Asia'. Central Pattana plc., Thailand's largest real estate and shopping center developer and CentralWorld's operator, immediately takes full responsibility to society and the world, in coping with COVID-19, announcing that the countdown will be LIVE broadcast only, for the sake of the nation to get through this situation stronger together.



CentralWorld features one-of-a-kind highlight 'A Symbol of Hope', four-act fireworks show which also are digitally synchronized to combine audio and visual graphic art showing on the panOramix, the world's longest digital screen, solidifying centralwOrld's status as the greatest countdown landmark. These auspicious fireworks, inspired by the current global issue of COVID-19, lay the profound meanings and symbols which can be interpreted and composed into a story to create the unforgettable moments;

Act 1: Spirit of Togetherness: global togetherness is a powerful vaccine. Showcasing the spirit of people who stand in solidarity to weather through COVID-19 crisis.

Showcasing the spirit of people who stand in solidarity to weather through COVID-19 crisis. Act 2: Believe in Positivity: sharing 'mind power' to keep up the fight together. Showcasing the power of positivity and to pass forward to others.

Showcasing the power of positivity and to pass to others. Act 3: Reunite Thailand & Our World: for us, for our nation, and for our world. Showcasing fireworks in red, white and blue -- which are the colors of Thailand's flag and the Siamese fighting fish, represent our graceful, powerful and our fighting spirit.

Showcasing fireworks in red, white and blue -- which are the colors of flag and the Siamese fighting fish, represent our graceful, powerful and our fighting spirit. Act 4: There is Always Hope: hope is the fuel of life. Showcasing fireworks in various colors represent the diversity of people, with the emphasis on red, the color of the International Red Cross, to send our good thoughts to the healthcare workers who are on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19. We believe that mankind is full of hope and unity and ready to join forces to overcome the crisis. Such is the inspiration of 'A Symbol of Hope' fireworks -- an emblem from Thailand to reflect our positive energy towards the world stage. SOURCE Central Pattana Plc (CPN)

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The Government has been criticised over the speed of the roll-out of its vaccination plan. Photo: Andrew Milligan

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has said up to 40,000 people a week will be vaccinated by the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine as the rollout has been accelerated.

This comes as the Covid-19 vaccination program begins in nursing homes across the country this week.

The Health Minister said that a delivery from Pfizer arrived two days early, so the government is reacting immediately and distributing more than planned.

Read More

"We increased the vaccination target this week to 20,000 and as of this morning we have now increased the target to 30,000 and thats because we got a delivery from Pfizer two days earlier and we are reacting immediately, he said on RTE Radio 1.

He added that in the first days of distributing the vaccine last week 4,000 people received the jab and 35,000 more are due to receive it this week.

"The total number (of people vaccinated) in the first few days was 4,000 and this week we are scaling that up just this week to about 35,000, he said.

"So that's in 20 hospitals and 25 nursing homes. In the hospitals its frontline healthcare workers in the hospitals, in community care and we are working hard to make sure GPs are included in that as well.

Minister Donnelly said this is a vast change as just five days ago they were expecting to vaccinate around 12,000 people.

RTE reported that two nursing homes in Dublin who were supposed to receive the vaccine today didnt.

When asked why this was the case and if the plan has been delayed in some way he said: Not that Im aware of, I cant speak to the two nursing homes that youve spoken of but the plan is not only to do the full schedule of nursing homes but as I said its up to almost double of what was planned just a few days ago."

Meanwhile, GPs and practice nurses are expressing growing concern at the failure of the HSE to say when they will get the Covid-19 vaccine, despite being on the frontline in the battle against the growing spread of the virus.

Dr Ruairi Hanley  a GP in Navan, Co Meath  said he had been moved to write a strongly-worded letter to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly about the delay.

He said that they were told the vaccination schedule for healthcare workers will "evolve" over the next few weeks as "we confirm further deliveries" of vaccine.

We are assured that our leaders will be informed and that we are a priority for this early phase, he wrote.

This is very far from reassuring. Clearly the authorities know, or should know, how many vaccines they will be receiving in the coming weeks.

The roll-out for GPs and the mechanisms for administering vaccine to GPs  Do we go to hospital? Do the teams come to us? Do we administer the shots to each other?  should have been agreed and arranged months ago.

That either has not happened or we are simply not being told. We are being given a vague assurance  not a plan  not a timetable, instead a promised evolution of a plan.

As the state currently appears unable to provide any clear time frame for GPs to be immunised I would recommend that those of us working in border counties (the worst affected parts of the country) approach the authorities in Northern Ireland with an appeal to be vaccinated by them.

They are already far ahead of us in the vaccine process and have today approved the Oxford vaccine while the EMA dithers and the HSE left the Pfizer vaccine in fridges for days.

Dr Hanley said in the weeks ahead the gap between the two jurisdictions on this island, in terms of vaccination delivery, will become more and more obvious.

No amount of photographs will alter that reality, he added.

He said that if our own nation is incapable of protecting its frontline workers in a timely fashion then frankly, to protect ourselves, our patients, our staff and our families, I feel we have a duty to ask the North for help, especially in the context of exponential growth of case numbers in border areas.

It would be very easy for colleagues in Donegal to drive to Derry for their vaccine, likewise those of us in Louth could go to Newry. If the North were willing, any such plan could be expanded to cover larger groups of frontline staff. I would appreciate your assistance in any approach to the Northern authorities on this urgent matter.

In a message to GPs over the weekend the Irish College of General Practitioners said: We are aware of concerns being expressed by GPs regarding the lack of confirmed timelines for the vaccination of GPs and their staff.

We wish to reassure that we are actively engaging along with our Irish Medical Organisation colleagues with all relevant authorities to confirm the roll-out of the vaccination to GP practices. Further updates will be provided as the week progresses.

Read More

Online Editors
BROOKLYN, NY  An educational campus in Bushwick will be transformed into one of the city's first "vaccine hubs" as officials work to double the places New Yorkers can get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The Bushwick Educational Campus on Irving Avenue will be one of three schools to open as a "vaccine hub" on Sunday, Jan. 10, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday. The other hubs will be set up at the South Bronx Educational Campus and Hillcrest High School in the Queens.

The hubs are part of the city's plan to double the number of vaccine sites as they work toward a pledge to reach 1 million doses by the end of January. So far, about 110,000 New Yorkers have received a dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

"Youre going to see a lot more like this  using public school buildings like this as hubs for the larger community," de Blasio said Monday. "This is a model to start getting to the grassroots where we can make so much impact."

The vaccine hubs  which health officials said will hopefully give out 45,000 doses in a single day  are in addition to two pop-up clinics and five new city hospital sites that were announced on Monday. In Brooklyn, city-run sites include East New York and Cumberland branches of the NYC Health + Hospital system.

The city hopes to have 250 vaccine sites by the end of the month. It currently runs 125 and will reach 160 by this weekend, Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi said.

The expanded access comes as new groups of people become eligible to receive the vaccine.

Next week, those eligible will include home health care workers, hospice employees and additional nursing home staff.

De Blasio said he hopes that essential workers  from police officers to teachers  will be given permission to receive the vaccine as well.

This article originally appeared on the Bed-Stuy Patch
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New Mexico on Sunday reported its lowest number of COVID-19 deaths in more than a week.

The Governors Office said in a news release that the state had 1,033 new COVID-19 cases and 17 deaths. Its the lowest number of deaths since the state reported nine on Dec. 26.

Those whose deaths were reported Sunday were:

ADVERTISEMENTSkip



................................................................

 Six people, ranging from their 60s to their 90s, from Bernalillo County.

 A woman in her 80s from Curry County who had underlying health conditions.

 A man in his 60s from Eddy County who had underlying conditions.

 A woman in her 70s from Lincoln County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.

 A man in his 50s from Luna County who was hospitalized.

 A woman in her 60s from McKinley County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.

 A man in his 80s from Roosevelt County who had underlying conditions.

 A woman in her 90s from Sandoval County who had underlying conditions.

 A woman in her 60s from San Juan County who was hospitalized and had underlying conditions.

 A woman in her 80s from Santa Fe County.

 A woman in her 70s from Socorro County who was hospitalized.

 A woman in her 90s from Valencia County.

The total number of COVID-19 deaths in the state is now 2,551. New Mexico has had a total of 146,394 cases, with 68,876 recoveries, according to the Governors Office.

Bernalillo County led the state Sunday, with 345 new cases. Dona Ana County had 131, Sandoval County had 75, San Juan County had 70, and Lea County had 63.

There were also 10 new cases among state inmates, with nine at the Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility in Dona Ana County.

As of Sunday, 716 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide, up from 662 hospitalizations reported on Saturday.
Filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar took to Instagram to announce that he has tied the knot. While he did not reveal the identity of his wife, he shared a picture from the wedding - a close-up of them holding hands. Bismillah, he wrote in his caption, along with a heart emoji.

Many of Alis colleagues from the film industry extended their best wishes. Congratulations to u both, his close friend and actor Katrina Kaif wrote. Her sister, Isabelle Kaif, also wished the newlyweds. Congratulations you guys, she commented. Wowwww!! @aliabbaszafar, actor Angad Bedi wrote.

Ali, who started his career in the film industry as an assistant director, made his directorial and screenwriting debut with the romantic comedy Mere Brother Ki Dulhan in 2011. He directed blockbusters such as Sultan, Tiger Zinda Hai and Bharat. He turned producer with last years release, Khaali Peeli, starring Ananya Panday and Ishaan Khatter.

Also see: Rhea Chakraborty arrives at NCB office with brother Showik to mark attendance, talks to paparazzi. Watch video

Later this month, Ali will make his digital debut with the Amazon Prime Video series Tandav, starring Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Kritika Kamra, Gauahar Khan, Sarah-Jane Dias and Dino Morea. The show is set to release on January 15.

Earlier, in an interview with PTI, Ali said that working in the digital space is creatively liberating. Its a different format. In filmmaking, there is a certain time frame, the first and the second half. But on OTT, it is like having eight or ten films. Its creatively liberating as you can do what you want to in truest and the most honest way, he said.

The viewing experience on OTT is so personal you can go all out and at times hit a threshold or cross a boundary to create something new. It was refreshing as a filmmaker and personally, Im up for more in the future, he added.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

ott:10
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HOW TO SLOWLY KILL YOURSELF AND OTHERS IN AMERICA

By Kiese Laymon

I met Kiese Laymon last spring when he visited Emerson College, where I teach, to read and discuss his magnum opus, Heavy: An American Memoir. After the event, I thanked him for coming, expressed my admiration of his work and posed with him for a photo. That was our only direct communication. I doubt he even remembers it. And yet, in my mind, he and I are friends.

Such imaginary friendships between readers and writers arent uncommon, their basis forming when the emotional energy used to create a text overlaps with the emotional energy used to extract it. As Laymon says of his imaginary friendships with writers like Richard Wright and Toni Cade Bambara, we spent hours in each others homes, wandering around each others guts. Ensconced in that zone of overlap, Id grin as I reached for Heavy, occasionally asking, Whats up today, Kie?

Now, with Laymons new essay collection, How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America, our friendship has only deepened.

This is the second iteration of Laymons collection, released seven years after the first. In his authors note at the beginning of this new version, he expresses dissatisfaction with his initial publishing experience, which stemmed from his mistaken belief in an intrinsic friendship between art makers and art merchants. Laymon says he assumed editors wanted to be friends with the writers whose work they respected, but when he was working with his first editor, that friendship wasnt there. I realized, nearly a decade too late, that this editor was never my friend.
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 4 : The Muslim League on Monday hit out at state Congress Chief Mullappally Ramachandran for saying that there will not be any further alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami's Welfare Party.

Ramachandran on Sunday said the discussions that Congress leader and UDF convenor M.M. Hassan had with the Welfare Party leaders before the local body elections had led to the UDF getting isolated in the state.

In the recently held local body polls, the Congress and the UDF received a major drubbing. And the party insiders have been blaming the alliance with the Welfare Party for this.

However, the Muslim League leadership has now come out against the statement of the KPCC chief and said that Mullappally cannot openly come out against such a political move.

The League leadership in a statement said the UDF is a political front in which there are several political parties, and added that the state Congress chief cannot unilaterally speak on such a subject.

Both the CPI(M) and the BJP had campaigned extensively in the state against the Congress and UDF entering into a subtle alliance with the Welfare Party. This, according to the senior Congress leaders, was one of the prime reasons for the major drubbing the UDF and Congress faced in the local body polls even though the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) government was in a spot over the corruption scams and gold smuggling scandal.

This huge victory in the local body polls has led to the CPI(M) and the Left Front getting more confident for the 2021 Assembly elections.

Another major factor, which the Congress and UDF faced was the stand taken by the various Christian denominations. The Congress and UDF have always been a preferred alliance for the Christian community, which used to get maximum seats from Central and South Kerala where there is a predominant Christian strength.

However, the truck with a Jamaat-e-Islami's Welfare Party has led to a major shift in the Christian community's vote towards the LDF and even to the BJP. The mouthpiece of the Catholic church, 'Sathyadeepam' has already come out against the Congress entering into an alliance with the Welfare Party.

"We have to iron out differences, but KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran does not have any right to speak on behalf of the UDF and if there is any issue related to Welfare Party, then it is for all the UDF leaders to discuss and then come out with a statement", a senior leader of the Muslim League told IANS on conditions of anonymity.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
(Newser)  Julian Assange won't be extradited to America, but he could be North America-bound. Reuters reports that in the wake of a British judge's rejection of a US request to extradite the WikiLeaks founder, Mexico announced it is ready to welcome Assange. "Im going to ask the Foreign Minister ... to ask the government of the United Kingdom about the possibility of letting Mr. Assange be freed and for Mexico to offer political asylum," the country's president said Monday.

story continues below

"Assange is a journalist and deserves a chance," President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador continued. "I am in favor of pardoning him." (Assange's supporters have called on President Trump to grant a pardon before he leaves office.) Bloomberg reports Assange's lawyers will be back in court for a Wednesday bail hearing in which they'll argue for his release. Lawyers for the US government plan to appeal the ruling; it could take years for the process to fully play out. (Read more Julian Assange stories.)
 Read the full article on Motorious

This is hard to look at

While were sure everyone wants to start 2021 out on a positive note, we hate to rain on the parade already with bad news. However, this story of a building fire wiping out an extensive vintage motorcycle collection in New Hampshire is too important to not cover, so here we go.

The victim of the blaze was the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association in Laconia, New Hampshire. It happened on Christmas of all days, wiping out old photos, magazines, and countless other memorabilia items chronicling the 97-year-old motorcycle rallys history.

photo source: Facebook

Included in the extensive collection was a wide array of collectibles and souvenirs chronicling long and storied history of the rally. Among them were quite a few old photographs, posters, periodicals, and historical records  many of which were handwritten and not printed  so quite a few of the items are likely lost forever. Various plaques and books were also in the collection, making the loss that much more significant.

According to local news reports, the fire was heavy on the first floor of the building when fire crews first arrived. They worked not only to get the blaze under control, but also to rescue a person trapped in an apartment on the second floor. That person and a firefighter were both treated on the scene for non-serious injuries. While the cause of the fire was still under investigation at the time of the local reports, it was believed to be accidental.

For those wondering what about insurance covering the damage, Laconia Motorcycle Week Association says the coverage only covers a fraction of the loss. Thats the unfortunate truth about insurance, for those who lately think burning down buildings and torching businesses is a victimless crime, is it wont necessarily restore everything. Its truly unfortunate in this case that the association has been put in this situation.

photo source: Facebook

Throughout a difficult 2020 we saw many motorcycle-related events canceled and that trend is carrying on into 2021. However, back in August the Laconia Motorcycle Week was still held and seemed to have good attendance. With how scrappy the association has proved to be through that kind of adversity, we cant help but feel it will fin a way to make lemonade out of these lemons.

Story continues

On Facebook, Laconia Motorcycle Week Association posted about the fire, expressing gratitude to the local fire departments which responded to fight the blaze and that nobody was seriously injured in the process. The organization acknowledged that many people from around the world look forward to souvenir sales from the association, an effort which now seems to be surrounded in uncertainty. Same thing goes for the memorabilia published by the New Hampshire nonprofit. With that in mind, theyre digging through the remnants of the office to salvage anything thats left and hopefully some good items will be available in the near future.

photo source: Facebook

Also on the Laconia Motorcycle Week Associations official page, the organization announced a GoFundMe account has been set up by the organization Check Twice Signs. The association says funds raised will be used for the work of cleaning up the fire, which is estimated to run about $40,000, as well as covering items lost from general operations as well as the historical collection. We havent vetted the info, and its always a good idea to check out the validity of any fundraiser, but you can see the GoFundMe page here.

While its shocking that a big chunk of motorcycle history was lost so suddenly, staff of Laconia Motorcycle Week Association are also reeling because the beloved office cat, Ashland, was killed in the blaze.

Sources: WMUR, Boston Globe

It is with heavy hearts that we share the following On Christmas morning, our MC Week office suffered a catastrophic... Posted by Laconia Motorcycle Week Rally on Monday, December 28, 2020

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Britain is facing its biggest housing crisis in a generation as failures to fix unsafe homes are putting one in seven property deals at risk of collapse, the Mail can reveal.

More than a million homeowners have been left unable to sell or remortgage their properties in the wake of the Grenfell disaster.

Hundreds of thousands of leaseholders in unsafe homes face average bills of 40,000  and some of up to 115,000  to replace dangerous cladding, similar to that found on Grenfell Tower in west London, where an inferno killed 72 people in June 2017.

Tens of thousands of sales are already thought to have fallen through, and now exclusive analysis by consultancy Capital Economics shows that up to 14 per cent of all transactions could be sunk by the scandal. Estate agents in badly hit parts of the UK say that up to 80 per cent of their stock is unsellable.

Alexandra Parry and her partner Aled Evans (pictured together) are being forced to pay more than 330 a month in extra bills for their unsafe flat  and face forking out for a share of the 6.2million the block will cost to fix

Nikki Urquhart (pictured) is facing a bill of tens of thousands of pounds for work on part of her block of flats she doesn't own or use

National Housing Federation chief executive Kate Henderson said: 'This has inevitable consequences for the housing market, creating a bottleneck of leaseholders unable to move out and buy somewhere else, and people in need of affordable homes unable to get on to the housing ladder.'

Tory MP Royston Smith, who is leading a backbench campaign on the issue, said the crisis ran roughshod over Conservative ideals of 'the home-owning democracy'.

Mr Smith said: 'We get people to buy into that dream, sometimes using subsidies or tax breaks, and then we retrospectively change the regulations, abandoning tens of thousands of people in unsafe and unsellable properties. It is a disaster for leaseholders.'

Experts believe it could take another ten years to fix all unsafe homes at the current rate, putting up to four million lives on hold.

We can't sell - or afford repair bill Alexandra Parry and her partner Aled Evans are being forced to pay more than 330 a month in extra bills for their unsafe flat  and face forking out for a share of the 6.2million the block will cost to fix. Since finding out it had failed post- Grenfell fire checks, they are having to fork out each month for safety warden patrols, alarms and enhanced insurance. Miss Parry, 25, and Mr Evans, 28, who live on the edge of Manchester city centre, want to buy a house and start a family, but she said: 'We are stuck in this unsafe apartment as we cannot sell.' Remediation work to external walls made with flammable insulation will cost 6.2million split between all 180 flats. The flat had been valued at 230,000, but Miss Parry said: 'Now it's worth nothing.' Down in Reigate, Surrey, the sale of Sarah Fletcher's 285,000, two-bedroom flat collapsed when she was told the block needed a survey that could take 42 months. The teacher, 33, says building managers didn't tell residents in the 12-apartment block about dangerous cladding. Now she and her husband, Lee, 34, face a bill of up to 50,000 for their share of remediation work. The block doesn't qualify for the Government's Building Safety Fund, so she fears she will have to cover all the costs. Mrs Fletcher said: 'I didn't build the building, I didn't pass the regulations on the cladding but now I have to pay for it.' Nikki Urquhart is facing a bill of tens of thousands of pounds for work on part of her block of flats she doesn't own or use. The 30-year-old said she was reassured when the management company told her there was no Grenfell Tower-type cladding. But her hopes of selling her 190,000, one-bedroom flat were dashed because of wooden walkways in the brick-built block, in Didsbury, south Manchester. She does not know when remedial work will start  and, worse, who will pay. Advertisement

The Government has set aside 1.6 billion to fund repairs, but MPs estimate the total cost will be closer to 15 billion. Work cannot begin until comprehensive funding is released. The leaseholders are already paying at least 2.2 billion a year between them for stop-gap safety measures and insurance hikes while they wait for work to begin.

The Mail yesterday launched a campaign to end the scandal. We are calling on ministers to fix Britain's dangerous buildings within 18 months and spare leaseholders the crippling financial burdens.

Labour, the Lib Dems and more than a dozen Tory MPs yesterday added their support to our campaign. TV property expert Phil Spencer is also backing it. He said: 'The Government has to do something. It is blatantly unfair.'

Government guidance means homeowners must get a form proving their building is free from dangerous cladding. If it does pose a risk, an explanation of required repair work is needed. It used to apply only to blocks taller than 60ft (18m). But in January 2020, Government guidance was extended to buildings of all heights with any cladding, not just the type that caused the Grenfell fire in 2017. And blocks with no cladding are also caught by the rules.

It means the number of flats requiring an external wall survey (EWS1) has grown from 307,000 to 1.27 million  5 per cent of England's homes and 40 per cent of all flats. There were 137,000 flat sales in England last year, meaning 55,000 deals could be directly affected, according to Capital Economics.

But the firm said the real number could be double that because the flat owners' purchase of their new home would probably also collapse. It means 14 per cent of an estimated 787,000 annual transactions are at risk. Capital Economics believes house prices will fall by 5 per cent in 2021 due to the pandemic. But it said flat owners being unable to sell could reduce demand for 'second step' properties, leading to price falls on larger homes of up to 8 per cent.

Mr Spencer said the market could be stopped in its tracks.

Douglas Haig, director of James Douglas estate agents, said about 80 per cent of his stock in the Cardiff Bay area was unsellable. He added: 'It's completely log-jammed the market because lenders in general are turning round and saying all buildings need EWS1 forms.'

A Government spokesman said: 'We don't recognise this analysis. Through no fault of their own, some flat-owners have been unable to sell or re-mortgage their homes  and this cannot be allowed to continue. That's why we have secured an agreement that owners of flats in buildings without cladding do not need an EWS1 form to sell or re-mortgage their property. If a form is genuinely needed, we are providing 700,000 to speed up the process.'

Towering injustice: Pressure mounts on PM as big names back our campaign

Politicians, industry experts and desperate leaseholders last night united behind the Mail's campaign to fix Britain's dangerous buildings and save the property market.

They implored ministers to act swiftly to support four million Britons who are stuck in fire traps and can't sell their homes. Many face bankruptcy as they are lumped with average bills of 40,000 to pay for repairs.

The Mail is urging ministers to fix the crisis by June 2022 and spare leaseholders the crippling financial burdens.

Our campaign is now being backed by MPs of all parties, including more than a dozen Tory backbenchers. Their support will pile pressure on housing secretary Robert Jenrick and housing minister Chris Pincher to step in to end the scandal.

Politicians, industry experts and desperate leaseholders last night united behind the Mail's campaign to fix Britain's dangerous buildings and save the property market. Pictured: Grenfell

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: 'The Grenfell Tower fire should have been the tragic wake-up call ministers needed to improve building safety.

'Instead, nearly three and a half years on, thousands of Londoners continue to live in unsafe accommodation, facing stress, uncertainty and fear as building owners drag their feet and the Government fails to take responsibility. I fully support the Mail's campaign to stop flat-owners paying the price for the Government's inaction.'

Former Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell said it was 'unacceptable' that leaseholders were being made to foot the bill. Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey congratulated the Mail for 'its important work to highlight the terrible injustice of people stuck in fire-trap homes'.

Caroline Nokes, one of 16 Tory MPs who have signed an amendment to the Government's Fire Safety Bill in a bid to protect leaseholders from paying for repairs, said: 'The Daily Mail is doing a phenomenal job highlighting the issue and making sure it stays at the top of the housing minister's agenda.

Down in Reigate, Surrey, the sale of Sarah Fletcher's 285,000, two-bedroom flat collapsed when she was told the block needed a survey that could take 42 months

'For far too many, their first step on to the property ladder has been a disaster, and they are left with a worthless flat, unable to move and too scared to sleep there at night.'

Tory MP John Baron, another signatory, said: 'It is unacceptable that leaseholders are being required to cover the costs of mistakes that they have not made. Many are unable to afford the high costs of remedial works, and are living in flats which are unmortgageable, unsaleable and potentially at risk of fire.

'Conservatives believe in a property-owning democracy, and the Government ought to step in to resolve this situation. I welcome the Daily Mail's campaign and meanwhile look forward to the return of the Fire Safety Bill to the Commons in due course.'

The growing number of Tory backbenchers supporting the cause means Boris Johnson faces a significant rebellion when legislation returns to Parliament, possibly by the end of the month. The Prime Minister's hand may be forced if opposition MPs also back the amendment.

Labour's housing spokesman Thangam Debbonaire said: 'This crisis has already had knock-on effects across the entire housing market. Without urgent action, even more families will be stuck in limbo.'

A Government source said: 'We recognise the importance of the Mail's campaign, and it is a top priority for this Government to remove unsafe materials at pace  backed by 1.6billion funding.'

He added that a range of funding options were being considered and that work was complete or under way on 'the vast majority' of high-rise blocks with Grenfell-style cladding.
Kevin De Bruyne is reportedly set to reject Manchester City's first contract offer and is growing concerned at the lack of progress in talks over a new five-year deal.

De Bruyne's current contract still has two-and-a-half years remaining on it, but City opened talks with him last year as they wanted to reward him with an improved, long-term extension.

However, no agreement has been reached yet and according to The Times, De Bruyne has been left disappointed by City's first offer and is likely to turn it down.

Kevin De Bruyne is expected to reject Manchester City's first contract offer

The Belgian star scored in City's 3-1 victory over title rivals Chelsea on Sunday

The Belgian midfielder, who played a starring role in City's 3-1 victory over title rivals Chelsea on Sunday, is understood to earn in the region of 280,000-a-week on his present deal.

The Premier League's top earners 1 - David de Gea (375,000 a week) 2 - Mesut Ozil (350,000 a week) 3 - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (350,000 a week) 4 - Raheem Sterling (300,000 a week) 5 - Paul Pogba (290,000 a week) 6 - Kevin De Bruyne (280,000 a week) Advertisement

But there are a number of other Premier League stars on more lucrative deals, such as Manchester United's David de Gea and Arsenal's Mesut Ozil, who pocket an eye-watering 375,000 and 350,000 a week respectively.

City's vice-captain is the second highest-paid player at the club but believes his status as the best player in the Premier League should be reflected in his pay packet.

The 29-year-old picked up the PFA Players Player of the Year award and UFEA's best midfielder in Europe gong last season and has been a key figure for City once again this term.

He has already registered 12 assists and three goals in 18 games for City in all competitions and underlined his importance to the club by netting the third against Chelsea this weekend after Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden had scored.

Although De Bruyne is expected to reject City's contract offer there is no suggestion that he is ready to end his six-year association with the club while more talks will be held over the coming weeks and months.

David de Gea is one of a handful of Premier League players on bigger wages than De Bruyne
Australians are set for another wild week after suffering through endless rain, thunderstorms, lightning strikes and even cyclones in the height of summer.

Sydney was smashed by a severe thunderstorm with large hailstones, damaging wind and heavy rain, creating chaos across the city and in surrounding regions.

More than 10,000 lightning strikes were recorded across Sydney on Monday afternoon as booms of thunder reverberated around the city under dark gloomy skies.

Coastal New South Wales has has seen seven consecutive days of rain and 17 wet days in the last three weeks.

But there is some reprieve on the way as Sydneysiders will be able to enjoy their first rain free day in a while on Saturday as temperatures reach a warm 25C before clouds completely clear on Tuesday, January 12, after a wet Christmas and New Year.

It comes as ex-tropical cyclone Imogen made its way to Queensland late on Sunday, smashing the area with 85km/h winds and rains likely to cause widespread flooding.

Sydney was smashed by a severe thunderstorm with large hailstones, damaging wind and heavy rain, creating chaos across the city and in surrounding regions

More than 10,000 lightning strikes were recorded across Sydney on Monday afternoon

A jogger is seen at Dudley Page Reserve as a large storm moves over the CBD in Sydney, Monday, January 4

The massive storm caused flash flooding across the state with 281 calls made to the SES

The severe thunderstorm hit parts of the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and Sydney. Pictured is a map showing the worst hit areas at 4.30pm Monday

Heavy rainfall saw 50mm pummel the city in the space of 30 mins at Nobbys Hill on the NSW South Coast while wind gusts of 85km/hr were recorded at Sydney Airport around 4.30pm.

Residents have suffered 900 power outages from the storms, according to Ausgrid.

There were also 281 calls made to the SES across the state, the majority for trees down and leaking roofs.

Queensland's warning has been downsized to a weak tropical low but meteorologists warned of huge downpours likely to cause flooding.

'We're only going to see this [rainfall] increase,' Bureau of Meteorology forcaster Ricus Lombard told ABC.

'Whatever forms up they're going to be pretty well saturated.'

More than 1,400 homes were left without power but there were no reports of any injuries.

A general view of Circular Quay on New Year's Eve in Sydney (pictured) which has suffered two weeks of endless rain

Ex-tropical cyclone Imogen made its way to Queensland late on Sunday about 11pm at 85km/h causing widespread flooding and 1,400 power outages (pictured, flooding at Normanton)

The tropical cyclone caused major flash flooding which saw roads across Queensland closed (pictured, at Normanton)

The cyclone saw a massive dumping of 262mm of rain in Normanton - 186mm of fell in a mere six hours until 3am on Monday

The cyclone saw a massive dumping of 262mm of rain in Normanton - 186mm of fell in a mere six hours until 3am on Monday.

'Flooding has already been recorded in the Norman and Gilbert catchments, and is expected in North Tropical Coast catchments from late Monday,' BOM said in a statement.

Cyclone Imogen is now travelling south at 18km/h with warnings still in place for the damage from the heavy rain.

'Six hourly rainfall totals between 150mm to 200mm are likely. Periods of localised intense rainfall leading to life threatening flash flooding are also possible, with six hourly totals of 300mm possible about the coast and ranges,' the BOM warning read.

Warnings have also been issued to residents in Victoria with severe thunderstorms and flash flooding expected to lash the state.

Warnings remain in place for Mildura, Robinvale, Horsham, Stawell, Hamilton, Colac, Ararat, Warrnambool, Portland and Ballarat.

Warnings have also been issued to residents in Victoria with severe thunderstorms and flash flooding expected to lash the state (Pictured is Warmabool)

Motorists have been warned not to drive through floodwaters and risk their lives (pictured, Queensland floods)

The rain along the east coast is due to the current dominance of the La Nina climate pattern, which will deliver a wetter summer.

A La Nina occurs when stronger equatorial winds, blowing east to west, cool the Pacific Ocean in the tropical north of Australia.

Australia had one of the wettest two-year periods on record during the last La Nina between 2010 and 2012.

Queensland will have a brief sunshine moment on Tuesday before the state is battered with showers yet again.

In Melbourne, the sun will peak out from the clouds on Thursday with temperatures set to reach a sweltering 35C the following Monday.

Tasmania has also endured its fair share of rain thanks to a trough lingering along the east coast.

They will also enjoy some sunny weather on Thursday and throughout the weekend.

Perth has urgent warnings in place as firefighters battle to control blazes ripping through the state.

The weather is not working in their favour with temperatures hovering from 35C to 40C most of the week.

There is no rain forecast for Adelaide which will have temperatures of 24C at the beginning of the week before soaring 10C more.
Hundreds of Pakistani Christians finally gathered the courage to return to the homes they left after fleeing due to fear of threats of violence. Residents of the neighborhood in Charar in Lahore, Pakistan, are now filling their empty houses one after the other.

Days after Christmas, the neighborhood of Charar was surrounded by fear as radical Islamists threatened to burn the houses of Christians in the place and sought to behead a Christian pastor after seeing his Facebook post that the group interpreted as blasphemy.

On Dec. 22, Pastor Raja Waris published a Facebook post that the group of radical Islamists took as an offensive update and accused the Christian pastor of blasphemy. Waris immediately took the post down and apologized. The issue was settled the following day as far as the Christians in the place knew yet the Muslim group continued to pursue his beheading afterward.

The group did not only aim for Waris' arrest but even threatened to burn the houses of every Christian in the neighborhood. Upon hearing the potential danger, Christians sought the shelter of friends and relatives from other places and choose to spend Christmas away from their comfort zones.

On Dec. 28, the Pakistani police officials took Waris into custody. Residents are still clueless about why the authorities took the Christian pastor.

"We've been looking to see if there was a First Information Report as to why he's being held," Will Stark, International Christian Concern's South Asia Regional Manager, told the Christian Post. "We have not found one," he added.

Others believe that the police were thronged and arrested Waris because of the blasphemy accusations. However, Stark expressed concern that if Muslims found out that it was an arrest, they may interpret it as an official approval to attack Christians in the community.

"If the government or the police force says 'Yes, this is blasphemy," it's going to give credibility to the fringe voices," Stark explained. "Blasphemy accusations in Pakistan have a tendency to ignite very emotional outrage," he added.

In Pakistan, Christians confessing "Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior" or "He is the final prophet," could be accused of blasphemy. Even declaring that "Jesus is God," could be considered blasphemous to them.

Due to the violent response of radical Islamists in Pakistan, Christians in the country show high respect towards the Muslim community. For them, being accused of blasphemy could lead them to one of the most dangerous threats in life.

"The whiff of him being a blasphemer is enough to be a black mark on his life for the rest of his life," said Stark.

Muslims in the said country considers blasphemy as even a justification to commit murder. There are many reported cases of a murderer acquired after accusing his victim of blasphemy.

Since there are higher reports of violence during the Christian observed holidays, the Pakistani government encouraged churches to increase their security during these seasons. On Christmas of 2020, the officials deployed thousands of police to look after the safety of churches as they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
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A police officer identified as Fatai Yekini was on Saturday shot by an operative of the Oyo State security network, known as Amotekun

The incident occurred when the local security operatives arrived at Sanga area of Oyo town around 3:00 p.m on Saturday during a carnival.

The operative, who shot the police officer, has been identified as Ibrahim Ogundele.

Following the incident, the Oyo State Police Command has arrested Mr Ogundele and he has been detained for further investigation.

Also, the officer who was shot, Mr Yekini, is currently receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital.

When contacted, the Oyo State police spokesperson, Olugbenga Fadeyi, confirmed the incident.

Mr Fadeyi said the shot officer works at the Ojongbodu Division of the state police force.

He said the Amotekun operative was immediately arrested and is being interrogated for his action.

This is the second time an Amotekun operative would be accused of shooting recklessly in the last two weeks.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how a student of the University of Ibadan was allegedly shot dead by an Amotekun operative last week.
[January 04, 2021] ORYZON to Present a Corporate Update and to Hold Multiple Virtual Corporate Activities in January 2021

To present recent progress of clinical pipeline at the H.C. Wainwright Bioconnect Conference



Will participate in LifeSci Advisors 10 th Annual LifeSci Advisors Corporate Access Event 2021

Will participate in Edisons Open House  Global Healthcare 2021

Will present and participate at ACCESS CHINA Forum @JPM Week 2021

All virtual events during three consecutive weeks in January

MADRID, Spain and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. (ISIN Code: ES0167733015, ORY), a public clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging epigenetics to develop therapies in diseases with strong unmet medical need, announces that its management will update on corporate progress at several events during the first three weeks of January 2021. Dr. Carlos Buesa, Oryzons CEO, will present a corporate update at the H.C.Wainwright Bioconnect Conference, which will be held virtually on January 11-14. Oryzons corporate presentation will be available to conference attendees from January 11 06:00 am ET (On-Demand Session). For more info about this conference, please visit https://hcwevents.com/bioconnect/ Oryzon will also participate at the Annual LifeSci Advisors Corporate Access Event that is scheduled from January 6 till January 11 where its CEO and CSO, Dr. Torsten Hoffmann, will hold meetings with pharmaceutical companies, institutional investors, analysts and other members of the biotech community. During this event the CEO will participate in a panel of five European Companies entitled "Separating the Wheat from the Chaff: Most Promising Novel Oncology Targets in Development" that will be moderated by John Hodgson, an established scientific journalist and former editor of Nature Biotechnology, that will be held on Thursday January 7 at 08.00 am ET. To register to listen to the panel or to request a meeting with the CEO and CSO, visit: http://lifesci.events/LifeSci2021 Oryzon will also participate at the Edisons Open House  Global Healthcare 2021 from January 26 till January 28, where the CEO will give a company overview and participate in a fireside-chat that will be moderated by Vivianne Parry, an established BBC scientific journalist and member of Genomics England. For more info on this event, please visit https://www.lsegissuerservices.com/spark/edison-open-house-global-healthcare-2021 Oryzon will also take part in the ACCESS CHINA Forum organized by the Chinese Investment Bank YAFO Capital from January 4 till January 22 where Directors of the Company will hold meetings with Chinese pharmaceutical companies, and Chinese institutional investors. About Oryzon

Founded in 2000 in Barcelona, Spain, Oryzon (ISIN Code: ES0167733015) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company considered as the European champion in Epigenetics. Oryzon has one of the strongest portfolios in the field. Oryzons LSD1 program has rendered two compounds, vafidemstat and iadademstat, in Phase II clinical trials. In addition, Oryzon has ongoing programs for developing inhibitors against other epigenetic tarets. Oryzon has a strong technological platform for biomarker identification and performs biomarker and target validation for a variety of malignant and neurological diseases. Oryzon has offices in Spain and the United States. Oryzon is one of the most liquid biotech stocks in Europe with +90 M shares negotiated in 2020 (ORY:SM / ORY.MC / ORYZF US OTC mkt). The company had a +25% stock performance in 2020 and its cash runway is expected to extend till 1Q2023. For more information, visit www.oryzon.com



About Iadademstat

Iadademstat (ORY-1001) is a small oral molecule, which acts as a highly selective inhibitor of the epigenetic enzyme LSD1 and has a powerful differentiating effect in hematologic cancers (See Maes et al., Cancer Cell 2018 Mar 12; 33 (3): 495-511.e12.doi: 10.1016 / j.ccell.2018.02.002.). A first Phase I/IIa clinical trial with iadademstat in refractory and relapsed acute leukemia patients demonstrated the safety and good tolerability of the drug and preliminary signs of antileukemic activity, including a CRi. Beyond hematological cancers, the inhibition of LSD1 has been proposed as a valid therapeutic approach in some solid tumors such as small cell lung cancer (SCLC), medulloblastoma and others. Oryzon is conducting two Phase IIa clinical trials of iadademstat in combination; the first one in combination with azacitidine in elderly AML patients (ALICE study) and the second one in combination with platinum/etoposide in second line SCLC patients (CLEPSIDRA study). In both studies, preliminary clinical results have been reported. About Vafidemstat

Vafidemstat (ORY-2001) is an oral, CNS optimized LSD1 inhibitor. The molecule acts on several levels: it reduces cognitive impairment, including memory loss and neuroinflammation, and at the same time has neuroprotective effects. In animal studies vafidemstat not only restores memory but reduces the exacerbated aggressiveness of SAMP8 mice, a model for accelerated aging and Alzheimers disease (AD), to normal levels and also reduces social avoidance and enhances sociability in murine models. In addition, vafidemstat exhibits fast, strong and durable efficacy in several preclinical models of multiple sclerosis (MS). Oryzon has performed a Phase IIa clinical trial in aggressiveness in patients with different psychiatric disorders (REIMAGINE) and in aggressive/agitated patients with moderate or severe AD (REIMAGINE-AD), with positive preliminary clinical results reported. A Phase IIb trial in borderline personality disorder (PORTICO) has been recently authorized. Additional Phase IIa clinical trials with vafidemstat are ongoing in patients with Mild to Moderate AD (ETHERAL), where a significant reduction of the inflammatory biomarker YKL40 has been observed after 6 months of treatment, and in Relapse-Remitting and Secondary Progressive MS (SATEEN). Vafidemstat is also being explored in a Phase II in severe Covid-19 patients assessing the capability of the drug to prevent ARDS, one of the most severe complications of the viral infection.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This communication contains, or may contain, forward-looking information and statements about Oryzon, including financial projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives and expectations with respect to future operations, capital expenditures, synergies, products and services, and statements regarding future performance. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally identified by the words expects, anticipates, believes, intends, estimates and similar expressions. Although Oryzon believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors and holders of Oryzon shares are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Oryzon that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include those discussed or identified in the documents sent by Oryzon to the Spanish Comision Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV), which are accessible to the public. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and have not been reviewed by the auditors of Oryzon. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. All subsequent oral or written forward-looking statements attributable to Oryzon or any of its members, directors, officers, employees or any persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statement above. All forward-looking statements included herein are based on information available to Oryzon on the date hereof. Except as required by applicable law, Oryzon does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This press release is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Oryzons securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. Any public offering of Oryzons securities to be made in the United States will be made by means of a prospectus that may be obtained from Oryzon or the selling security holder, as applicable, that will contain detailed information about Oryzon and management, as well as financial statements. IR & Media, US & Europe: Spain: Oryzon: LifeSci Advisors LLC ATREVIA Emili Torrell Mary-Ann Chang Patricia Cobo/Carlos C. Ungria BD Director +44 7483 284 853 +34 91 564 07 25 +34 93 515 13 13 mchang@lifesciadvisors.com pcobo@atrevia.com

cungria@atrevia.com etorrell@oryzon.com



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New Delhi, Jan 4 : Automobile manufacturer Hyundai Motor India has commenced exports of its recently launched premium hatchback, the 'all-new i20'.

According to the company, the milestone marks the beginning of the "next decade and HMIL's resilient commitment to 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'".

Presently, HMIL is India's largest exporter of automobiles. It has surpassed the three million vehicle export milestone earlier in 2020.

The company exports cars to 88 countries.

"We are delighted to mark our renewed commitment to 'Make in India' with the commencement of exports of the all-new i20 in the global markets," said S.S. Kim, MD & CEO, Hyundai Motor India.

"With 5.16 lakh exports since its first launch, the i20 is already a brand to reckon with even in the global markets." Currently, the company is exporting 10 models - "Atos (SANTRO), Grand i10, Xcent, Grand i10 (NIOS) and Grand i10 (AURA), i20, i20 Active, Accent (Verna), Venue and all new Creta.

-- Syndicated from IANS
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Gordon, Edelstein, Krepack, Grant, Felton and Goldstein, LLP (GEKLAW), a recognized leader in Workers' Compensation law in Southern California, is proud to announce that the following attorneys have been named partners at the firm:

Amy C. Leung

Alvaro S. Lizarraga

Joanna L. Sacavitch

Erika L. Vargas

Each of these new partners has practiced in the field of Workers' Compensation for the majority of their legal careers, advocating for their clients and injured workers' rights. They are active in the California Applicants' Attorneys Association, and frequently educate workers throughout Southern California about their rights regarding Workers' Compensation laws. With the addition of these new partners, GEKLAW looks forward to continuing its role as a leader in the Workers' Compensation community.

Gordon, Edelstein, Krepack, Grant, Felton & Goldstein, LLP is located at 3580 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1800, Los Angeles, California 90010. Tel: (213) 739-7000; Fax: (213) 386-1671. www.geklaw.com

SOURCE Gordon, Edelstein, Krepack, Grant, Felton and Goldstein, LLP

Related Links

https://www.geklaw.com


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Press Trust of India

China's first Mars exploration mission Tianwen-1 travelled more than 400 million km by Sunday morning and is expected to enter Mars orbit next month, the country's space agency said. So far, the Mars probe had flown in space for 163 days. It was about 130 million km from Earth and about 8.3 million km from Mars, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). According to the CNSA, the probe is functioning stably and is scheduled to slow down before entering Mars orbit in more than a month and preparing itself to land on the red planet.

Since its launch on 23 July 2020, the Mars probe has captured an image showing both Earth and the Moon, as well as taking several selfies. Tianwen-1 probe, weighing about five tonnes, consists of an orbiter, a lander and a rover.

It is designed to complete orbiting, landing and roving in one mission. After entering Mars orbit, it will spend two to three months surveying potential landing sites, using a high-resolution camera to prepare for the landing in May.

After the landing, the rover will be released to conduct scientific exploration with an expected lifespan of at least 90 Martian days (about three months on Earth), and the orbiter, with a design life of one Martian year (about 687 days on Earth), will relay communications for the rover while conducting its own scientific detection, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Tianwen-1 means Questions to Heaven and comes from a poem written by Qu Yuan (about 340-278 BC), one of the well-known poets of ancient China. The US, Russia, India and the EU have so far succeeded in sending missions to Mars regarded as the most complex space mission.

India became the first Asian country to have successfully launched its Mars orbiter mission Mangalyaan which has entered the orbit of the red planet in 2014. India also became the first country to have entered the Martian orbit in its first attempt.

Also read:

China's Tianwen-1 mission captures unique image of the Earth and moon on its way to Mars

China's Tianwen-1 Mars mission: Science objectives, instruments on the first-of-its-kind tech demo to the Red Planet

Successful liftoff of China's Tianwen-1 Mars mission met with celebration, suspicion on Twitter
The coronavirus pandemic drastically changed how we live and work. As businesses closed and needs shifted, the consumer-goods supply chain was disrupted in curious, often unanticipated ways. Shortages of essentials like toilet paper and food happened in the early days, led by sold-out products related to the latest popular quarantine activity.

Here are the items that became hot commodities in 2020.

1. Toilet paper

Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Even before the first lockdowns, toilet paper started flying off shelves as panic over a new virus rippled through the country. Demand shot up 845 percent during the pandemic. It became impossible to find at grocery and drug stores, and when it came back in stock, the retailers imposed purchase limits.

It was the butt of the joke at the beginning of the pandemic. But why stock up on toilet paper? Perhaps due to its nonperishable and uber-essential nature  lacking TP is indeed incredibly inconvenient.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Toilet paper demand shot up 845% during the coronavirus pandemic

The reason for the shortage, on the other hand, is twofold. The panic-buying and hoarding of toilet paper meant people were purchasing more than they needed, which depleted supplies, spurring even more panic-buying and hoarding. This vicious cycle exacerbated the initial issue, which is that there are two toilet paper markets: consumer and commercial. As demand for the latter (from offices, restaurants and other public places) plummeted, demand for the former (for your home) soared, disrupting the supply chain for weeks.

2. Sanitizer and PPE

Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

While hand sanitizer and other disinfectants were commonplace items before the pandemic, the demand for them shot up in March. For weeks, shoppers had no luck finding hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and other cleaning supplies people thought would help ward off the virus. Products such as rubbing alcohol, used to make DIY hand sanitizer, also disappeared from shelves. Clorox said its shortage of wipes will last until 2021.

The problem became so acute that the Alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau eased regulations for distilleries to produce and sell sanitizer using byproducts from the distilling process: acetone and methanol.

On HoustonChronicle.com: A Houston rum distillery is making hand sanitizer from its byproducts

Face masks, on the other hand, were not exactly a staple in our lives until this year. They were incredibly difficult to find at the start of the pandemic, but eventually the blue disposable surgical masks we now know so well populated shelves. Meanwhile, many businesses began making their own reusable fabric masks, from neutral and practical to cute and stylish.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Where to buy Houston-made masks

3. Flour and yeast

Joseph Chen

Baking bread was one of the very first viral trends to be born from the pandemic. Stuck in their homes, people took interest in creative, time-consuming pursuits, especially ones they could eat later.

The bread era of the pandemic had two acts. As people began baking more, a yeast shortage ensued. No problem, lets make sourdough, said a bunch of ambitious bakers with a lot of time and patience on their hands. Sourdough is made by fermenting instead of relying on yeast.

On HoustonChronicle.com: How a Heights woman built a baking community with 120 jars of sourdough

And then, of course, there was a flour shortage.

4. Meat

Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Due to virus outbreak-related shutdowns of meat-processing plants, a brief meat shortage happened earlier this year, making beef and other animal protein scarcer and more expensive. A late April executive order from the Trump administration mandated the plants stay open, calling them essential infrastructure. Meat has remained on shelves, with some purchase limits, throughout the pandemic, but at great cost: More than 50,000 meatpacking workers have tested positive for COVID-19 so far, according to the Food and Environment Reporting Network.

Small, local ranchers experienced an increase in sales amid the national meat shortage, providing a modest silver lining.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas farmers and ranchers adapt to how we eat in a pandemic

5. Beans and other canned food

Paul Takahashi

Much like an incoming hurricane, the coronavirus arrival spurred people to head to the grocery store and beeline for certain items. Nonperishable foods are always in high demand in these times, such as beans and other canned products that can be stockpiled for months.

Beans became a trendy food in 2020; this year alone the Houston Chronicle published more than a dozen recipes utilizing the legume, and an heirloom bean club received renewed attention.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Exclusive 'magic bean' club helps Houstonians through the pandemic

6. Actual cans

Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Another consequence of consumer versus commercial market shifts was a shortage of aluminum cans. Breweries send kegs to restaurants and other on-premise accounts, which were closed for dine-in for some time and operating at reduced capacity for much of the year. In tandem, more people were buying individual cans and six-packs from grocery and liquor stores, as well as directly from breweries when the state allowed to-go. It was the perfect cocktail for a shortage.

In response, Houstons Saint Arnold Brewing stocked extra pallets of empty cans in its warehouse this year, as insurance.

7. Home workout: dumbbells, roller skates and bicycles

Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

When gyms closed, everyone rushed to set up their home workout situations. It took a few weeks for dumbbells to become incredibly difficult to find, but the shortage lasted several months. Dumbbells only started returning to Dicks and other sporting stores in the last month.

Because of lockdown and the influence of TikTok this year, roller skating has made a comeback, including in Houston. Skate manufacturers reported huge spikes in orders this year, clearing out inventory and resulting in long waits.

On HoustonChronicle.com: As roller skating popularity resurges, Houstonians take to the streets on wheels

With everyone wanting to spend more time outside, bicycles also saw an uptick in sales, leading to a shortage thats still ongoing. It was a big year for home exercise equipment  Peloton stock went up more than 400 percent over the last 10 months.

8. Grooming: wax, hair clippers and hair dye

Roseann Rogers

Any hair removal or hair alteration typically done by a professional had to be attempted at home  often with mixed results. Hair clippers, for people with short hair needing a frequent cut, were in high demand and experienced delayed orders. At the beginning of the pandemic, people started panic-buying hair dye like it was the new toilet paper, but the frenzy was short-lived. The really good kind of wax  microwavable, without strips  disappeared from drug store shelves and was sold out everywhere online for months.

9. Jigsaw puzzles

Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

With lockdown came boredom, and with boredom, at-home pastimes flourished. Puzzles became a huge hit in 2020 and retailers had a hard time keeping up. People who already puzzled were puzzling on a more frequent basis, and many others joined the party, buying up puzzles for both adults and children. Puzzle manufacturers are still months behind on production.

10. Christmas trees

Gustavo Huerta, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

This year was relentless, and even the holiday season was disrupted by virus-related shortages. If you found it difficult to get a good Christmas tree this year, there may be a few reasons at play. Of course, the pandemics effect on supply chains is one of them. Perhaps smaller gatherings and fewer people spending the holidays with family resulted in more individual households looking for trees.

But the Christmas tree shortage may also be explained by other factors, such as the wildfires on the West Coast that destroyed forests, and farmers who decided to switch out their crops during the Great Recession (the trees take between eight to 12 years to grow).

emma.balter@chron.com
Following the vandalisation of several mobile towers of Reliance Industries' Subsidiary Jio Infocomm, RIL and Jio have filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday

Following the vandalisation of several mobile towers of Reliance Industries' Subsidiary Jio Infocomm, RIL and Jio have filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday, seeking to stop acts of vandalism. RIL released the following media statement on Monday:

***

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), through its subsidiary Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL), in a petition mentioned to be filed in the Honourable Punjab and Haryana High Court today, has sought the urgent intervention of Government authorities to bring a complete stop to the illegal acts of vandalism by miscreants. These acts of violence have endangered the lives of thousands of its employees and caused damage and disruption to the vital communications infrastructure, sales and service outlets run by its subsidiaries in the two states.

The miscreants indulging in vandalism have been instigated and aided by vested interests and our business rivals. Taking advantage of the ongoing farmers agitation near the national capital, these vested interests have launched an incessant, malicious and motivated.

The falsehood of the campaign becomes crystal clear from the following irrefutable facts, which we have placed before the Honourable High Court. These facts establish that Reliance has nothing whatsoever to do with the three farm laws currently debated in the country, and in no way benefits from them. As such, the sole nefarious purpose of linking the name of Reliance to these laws is to harm our businesses and damage our reputation.

1. Reliance Retail Limited (RRL), Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL), or any other affiliate of our parent company, i.e., Reliance Industries Limited have not done any corporate or contract farming in the past, and have absolutely no plans to enter this business.

2. Neither Reliance nor any of our subsidiaries has purchased any agricultural land, directly or indirectly, in Punjab/Haryana or anywhere else in India, for the purpose of corporate or contract farming. We have absolutely no plans to do so.

3. Reliance Retail is an unmatched leader in organised retail business in India. It retails products of all categories including food grains and staples, fruits and vegetables, items of daily use, apparels, medicines, electronic products of various brands belonging to independent manufacturers and suppliers in the country. It does not purchase any food grains directly from farmers. It has never entered into long-term procurement contracts to gain unfair advantage over farmers or sought that its suppliers buy from farmers at less than remunerative prices, nor will it ever do so.

4. We at Reliance have immense gratitude and the greatest respect for Indias kisans, who are the ANNA DATA of 1.3 billion Indians. Reliance and its affiliates are committed to doing everything to enrich and empower them. As customers of their services, we believe in building a strong and equal partnership with Indian farmers on the basis of shared prosperity, inclusive development and an equitable New India.

5. Therefore, Reliance and its affiliates fully share and support the aspiration of Indian farmers to get a fair and profitable price on a predictable basis for what they produce with exemplary hard work, innovation and dedication. Reliance seeks significant augmentation of their incomes on a sustainable basis, and pledges to work towards this goal. Indeed, we shall insist on our suppliers to strictly abide by the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism, and/or any other mechanism for remunerative price for farm produce, as may be determined and implemented by the government.

Far from hurting the interests of Indian farmers, the businesses of Reliance have actually benefited them and the Indian public at large, as is obvious from the following facts.

1. Reliance Retail has built Indias largest organized retail business by investing in economies of scale and creating world-class technology-enabled supply chains, which has brought significant gains to both Indian farmers and consumers. 2. Jios fully 4G network has provided world-class data connectivity to every single village in India at the most affordable rates anywhere in the world, thus bringing the benefits of the Digital Revolution to crores of Indian farmers. In just four short years, Jio has become Indias largest digital service provider, with 40 crore loyal customers. As of 31st October 2020, Jio has more than 140 lakh subscribers in Punjab (approximately 36% subscribers in the state) and 94 lakh in Haryana (approximately 34 % subscribers in the state). Unlike the vested interests, Jio has not resorted to any coercive or unlawful measures to win over customers.

3. During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Jios network has become a lifeline for millions of farmers and others in rural and urban India. It has helped kisans, traders and consumers to participate in digital commerce. It has enabled professionals to work from home, and students to learn from home. It has aided teachers, doctors, patients, courts, various government and private offices, industries and charitable establishments. It has served people working to provide emergency, critical and life-saving services.

Reliance wishes to sincerely thank the authorities, especially the police, of Punjab and Haryana, for their action against miscreants so far. This has reduced the incidents of vandalism in recent days. However, our company, through its Petition in the Honourable High Court, has sought punitive and deterrent action against miscreants and vested interests, so that Reliance can run all its businesses smoothly in Punjab and Haryana once again.

We urge the public and the media to be aware of the correct facts and not be misguided by false information and narratives peddled by vested interests for their own gain and benefit.

(Disclaimer: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd which publishes Firstpost)
Iran Starts 20 Percent Uranium Enrichment, Seizes Tanker in Strait

Iran declared on Monday that it began enriching uranium up to 20 percent at its Fordo facility and seized a South Korean-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, amid escalating tensions in the Middle East around the anniversary of the killing of Irans former top general Qassem Soleimani.

Iranian spokesman Ali Rabiei said that President Hassan Rouhani had given the order for the move at the Fordo facility.

Irans parliament passed a bill in early December 2020, following the assassination of its top nuclear scientist. The bill was aimed to pressure Europe into lifting sanctions.

The 20 percent enrichment is only a technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 percent.

In the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Iran was only allowed to enrich uranium to 3.67 percent, and no enrichment would be permitted in the Fordo facility for 15 years.

On May 8, 2018, President Donald Trump announced the United States withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, calling it one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.

Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency on Jan. 1 that it planned to step up its uranium enrichment.

The IAEA said Monday that agency inspectors have been monitoring activities at Fordo and that its director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, planned to issue a report to member nations of the UN.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Irans enrichment decision, saying it can not be explained in any way other than the further realization of its intention to develop a military nuclear program.

Israel will not allow Iran to produce nuclear weapons, he added.

The U.S. State Department says that as late as last year, it continued to assess that Iran is not currently engaged in key activities associated with the design and development of a nuclear weapon.

Irans Fordo nuclear site on Nov. 4, 2020. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

Iran also acknowledged Monday that it had seized the MT Hankuk Chemi, an oil/chemical tanker under the flag of South Korea.

Iran alleged that the vessels oil pollution sparked the move.

Over the past months, Iran has sought to escalate pressure on South Korea to unlock some $7 billion in frozen assets from oil sales earned before the Trump administration tightened sanctions on the countrys oil exports.

Commander Rebecca Rebarich, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navys Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said authorities there were aware and monitoring the situation.

Tension in the region has risen in the lead up to the anniversary of Soleimanis death. On Dec. 20, at least eight rockets were fired at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. Trump afterward warned Iran to think it over.

Ten days later the United States dispatched B-52 bombers over the region and sent a nuclear-powered submarine into the Persian Gulf.

Acting U.S. defense secretary Christopher Miller announced late Sunday that he changed his mind about sending the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz home from the Middle East and instead will keep the vessel on duty.

Miller cited Iranian threats against Trump and other U.S. government officials as the reason for the redeployment.

The Associated Press and Mimi Nguyen Ly contributed to this report.
(Natural News) In Spain, government officials already have plans to target people who do not submit to coronavirus vaccines. Health Minister Salvador Illa warned that anyone who refuses the shots will be put on a government registry list. He said the list will be shared with all European partners as governments around the world strategize ways to take away individual rights and coerce people to take the shots. Mr. Illa assured the public their data would be protected as the list is shared across the European Union. This meaningless assurance is a slap in the face to the people who are being targeted by the government in the first place.

Governments begin threatening people who refuse vaccines by putting their name on a hit-list

The threat of being put on a government hit list is a form of social ostracizing that illegally and unethically coerces people to submit to pharmaceutical and government decrees. The method uses psychological fear tactics and peer pressure to force obedience and coerce people to give up their right to body autonomy, informed consent and medical privacy. Targeting people for not vaccinating is now accepted as normal behavior across the European Union. This unethical human rights abuse is a form of terrorism and violates the Nuremberg Code of medical ethics.

This list could ultimately be used to withhold health care from people who do not vaccinate  a common threat that is often used online. The list could be used in discriminatory ways to withhold treatments from people who are viewed as threats to public health. The people on the list could be subjected to other unnecessary medical requirements and be forcibly detained and isolated, without due process of law. The list could also be used to deny the targeted people any help, public housing, food or other safety net programs. People on the list could be denied stimulus checks and tax breaks, as they are forced to pay fines for living healthy and normal, unvaccinated lives.

Drunk with power, many governments around the world now believe they own the bodies of every single person, plunging the world into a dark age of vaccine slavery. Governments and corporations are plotting ways to roll out vaccine passports that give people artificial permission to return to work, enter stadiums, board flights, attend concerts, etc. These vaccine passports would segregate anyone who doesnt comply with the new vaccine world order. Canada is exploring a tracking and surveillance system just like this, and major airlines have already introduced their coercive vaccine passport plans.

As individual conscience is trampled and medical rights destroyed, governments and corporations would technically own all human beings, enslaving them to a society where all humans must submit to endless pharmaceutical decrees in order to associate with one another, congregate, buy and sell.

The U.S. must lead the world and respect individual rights

In just two weeks, Operation Warp Speed distributed approximately 11.5 million doses of coronavirus vaccines to hospitals across the US. Even though the distribution was a historic feat, only 2 million people took the first dose. It appears that over 80 percent of the experimental doses are being rejected, ultimately stalling the governments plan to distribute 20 million doses by years end. State governments are making the inoculations available in stages, targeting select groups of people instead of treating everyone as an individual. Most states have pushed health care workers and nursing home residents to take the shots first, but many people who were lumped into these groups do not want to be treated as if they are an experimental animal, lumped into a herd, anticipating inoculation.

Of those convinced to get the vaccines, thousands have experienced health problems that disrupt their normal way of life. In many cases, these health effects have led to hospitalization and the need for further medical intervention. The FDA is monitoring the situation and the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System is gathering preliminary data on these vaccine-induced health emergencies.

As the evidence of harm surmounts, the US must reject the one-size-fits-all vaccine mandates. US leaders should begin to respect individual rights again. As a so-called free country, the US must practice what it stands for and promote health freedom to every corner of the world. If the US does not lead, the world may soon plunge into a dark era of vaccine slavery and wide-scale segregation of the unvaccinated.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

Cirp.org

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com

NBCNews.com

MedAlerts.org
Lawyers for HK detainees to lose their licences

Henan authorities wrote to Ren Quanniu saying he had violated regulations over a case he handled in 2018. File photo: RTHK

Families of the detainees said Lu Siwei had not been granted access to the defendants. File photo: RTHK

Cecil Wong reports
Following his brave criticism of the China regime, billionaire tech tycoon and Alibaba founder Jack Ma seems to have mysteriously disappeared from his own reality show. Ma, 56, who is reported to have an estimated net worth of $48.2 billion, has not been seen in public since late October 2019, say reports. The former English teacher was also dropped as a judge on the final of 'Africas Business Heroes,' which is a 'Dragons' Den'-style TV contest for budding entrepreneurs. Ma's photograph was removed from the judging panel's webpage. He was also unceremoniously left out of a promotional video. Interestingly, the show in question is Ma's own foundation's flagship philanthropic entrepreneur program.

A spokesperson for Alibaba said: Due to a schedule conflict, Mr Ma could no longer be part of the finale judge panel of 'Africas Business Heroes'. The finale took place without him, just weeks after he criticized regulators and state-owned banks at a financial technology conference in October. In November 2019, Ma had tweeted that he 'couldnt wait to meet the contestants. Since then, there has been no activity on the father-of-threes Twitter account although he used to be a regular on the social media platform.

Last month the authorities suddenly announced an anti-monopoly investigation into his company, which was once dubbed Asia's Amazon and was once a favorite of the communist regime. Jack is one of Chinas wealthiest men and is known for his work with the United Nations and multiple global charities. During the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, he donated tens of millions of face masks across the world.

Ma has increasingly clashed with the regime in recent times over his preferences towards a more open and market-driven economy. He had previously been a leading light of Chinas unique approach to generating wealth within a tightly-controlled communist framework. Jack commanded near rock-star status in China and even played an unconquerable kung fu master in a star-studded 2017 film. He has also donated 2,000 ventilators to New York.

Back in March 2019, he drew flak for endorsing the controversial 12-hour work culture saying that the employees who worked longer hours would get "rewards of their hard work." According to CNN, Jack on social media spoke in support of the Chinese work practice known as "996," which refers to working from 9 am to 9 pm six days a week and is said to be common among the country's big technology companies and start-ups.

According to Daily Mail, there is no suggestion so far that he has come to physical harm. However, it is well-known that China has a no-nonsense approach to dealing with those that speak out against the regime. In March 2019, property tycoon Ren Zhiqiang disappeared after he called the Chinese President Xi Jinping a ''clown'' for his handling of the coronavirus crisis. Friends of the missing businessman say he was later sentenced to 18 years in prison after he apparently "voluntarily confessed" to various crimes of corruption.

Another example was of Xian Jianhua, a billionaire financier, who was snatched from a Hong Kong hotel in 2017 and taken to the mainland. He is said to be under house arrest even more than three years later. There hasn't been any official word of his location.
(Natural News) Actor John Cusack wont stand for any backtalk. In fact, he wont stand for any talk at all, if he disagrees with it.

(Article by Sergie Daez republished from NewsBusters.org)

Many people have been feeling stressed about the presidential race, mostly because they believe deep, moral issues are at stake. Everybody feels strongly about those issues, and the unusually long wait for the election results has exacerbated the tension. But Cusack has, as usual, let his feelings get the better of him, and he exploded into a bunch of anti-American tweets on November 5, with one of them stating:

They actually already have shut him down. What happened to the right to freedom of speech? America is famous for that valuable right. Cusack himself has been taking full advantage of it for ages, to the point of abusing it. Is it perhaps because these lies contain less falsehoods and more truths than Cusack would care to admit?

Anyway, presidential tweets like STOP THE COUNT! are hardly going to get people killed. (Then again, lefties are so sensitive, anything could give them a heart attack.)

Cusacks demand is obviously dangerous because it could lead to full suppression of speech, a sure sign of dictatorship. Oddly enough (or, as expected), Cusack fails to see himself as a promoter for totalitarianism, since he himself believes that Trump is the dictator: America is a deeply fucked up place  that so many citizens could not cut through Paritisan divisions & propagandas  is profoundly troubling  Trump a child abducting gangster nazi Sex predator  but 70 million stood up through the pandemic & threats & kicked his ass

This was not the first time, even this week, that Cusack has referred to Trump and his supporters as Nazis. He seemed to have an unhealthy obsession with them.

His favored candidate doesnt get as many votes as he had hoped, hence America is a deeply messed up place. Typical leftist reasoning. All those Black Lives Matter riots and calls to defund the police certainly werent a turn off.

And speaking of propagandas, who tried to portray Joe Biden as a moderate candidate for his party? Who tried to claim that Kamala Harris wasnt the Princess of Darkness? The press is now the voice of the Democrat party. Should our news media even be considered as reporters anymore, given that all they spout are propaganda for the Democrats?

Despite his righteous anger against the child-abducting, gangster, nazi, sex predator, Cusack had no reproaches against Biden, infanticide supporter, sexual assaulter, and corrupt business enabler. As if to confirm these realities, Biden himself stated that he would be the most progressive president the United States will ever have.

70 million stood up through the pandemic & threats & kicked his ass? One has to ask, whos threatening Biden voters? Biden voters arent the victims here. Its Trump voters who get all the heat for their political views. They get them from the Democrat-loving news outlets, and from unhinged leftist celebrities like John Cusack, as this tweet from November 5 shows: 3 as far as 67million voting for trump Part reflective asleep tribal Fox News crowd Part cowards who dont want to fight Part conservative Catholics with all their pro life hypocrisy Business class who cant see past a tax cut  & a big bunch of flat out fascists & racists

Cusack just insulted almost half of Americas population. Its a good thing vendettas arent a thing in this nation. Hes never considered that toxic people like him are the reason these people vote for Trump?

Cowards who dont want to fight. Now Cusack is lashing out at people who may have potentially voted for the Democrats.

Yes, pro-life Catholics are hypocrites for following the Fifth Commandment (Thou shalt not kill) and Jesuss teaching to love your neighbor as yourself, the old and new laws. Biden and Pelosi, self-proclaimed Catholics who are slavishly devoted to Planned Parenthoods wholesale slaughter of American infants, are not hypocrites at all.

The business class actually does see past the tax cut, and what they see is most displeasing. Is it supposed to be surprising that theyre voting for Trump?

Cusacks ending to his rant included the term fascist, in reference to Trumps voters. But Cusack himself has proven that he wants to suppress freedom of speech. Whos really the fascist here?

Read more at: NewsBusters.org
City, volunteers to line Highway 81 with flowers

The City of Watertown Parks and Recreation Department and volunteers will be planting flowers along Highway 81 starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 26.
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP)  Hundreds of Pakistani minority Shiites blocked a key highway Monday on the outskirts the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta for a second straight day to protest the killing of 11 coal miners by the Islamic State group.

The miners, members of the countrys minority Shiite Hazara community, were abducted by IS militants in southwestern Baluchistan province on Sunday, taken to a nearby mountain and shot. Six died at the scene and five, critically wounded, died on the way to hospital.

Police video of the bodies revealed the miners were blindfolded and had their hands tied behind their backs before being shot. The attack took place near the Machh coal field, about 48 kilometers (30 miles) east of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan.

The Sunni militant group has repeatedly targeted Pakistans minority Shiites in recent years. IS claimed responsibility quickly after the abduction of the miners.

The protesters brought the coffins with the miners bodies to the Quetta highway on Monday, insisting they would not be buried until authorities arrest the killers. Under Islamic tradition, burials take place as quickly as possible after death.

The crowd of about 1,000 said it would hold the sit-in until their demands are met. Authorities say they are still trying to trace and arrest the assailants and that police raids were underway in the area.

Officials held talks with Shiite leaders to convince the Hazaras to end the protest as many at the rally, including women and children, wept over the miners' coffins.

Whenever terrorists kill our people, the government sends its representatives, saying they will ensure our protection. We never got protection in the past. We want the arrest of the killers of our people," said Daud Agha, a prominent Shiite leader.

The killing of the miners was largely condemned across the country, with Prime Minister Imran Khan promising the victims' families would be taken care of and that the perpetrators would face justice.

Story continues

Pakistans Hazara community has been targeted many times in recent years by Sunni militant groups, including the Islamic State group. IS has also declared war on minority Shiites in neighboring Afghanistan, and has claimed a number of deadly attacks across the region since emerging in 2014.

A suicide bombing at an open-air market in Quetta in April 2019 killed 20 people. At the time, IS said it had targeted Shiites and elements of the Pakistani army.

Last January, IS claimed responsibility for a powerful explosion that ripped through a mosque in Quetta during evening prayers. The blast killed a senior police officer and 13 others, and wounded another 20 worshipers.

Pakistan's Baluchistan province has for the past decades also been the scene of a low-level insurgency by separatists demanding more autonomy and a greater share in the regions natural resources such as gas and oil.
A four-month-old baby who lost both his triplet sisters shortly after birth has finally returned home after having to spend Christmas in hospital with a double hernia.

George Dunn was born at 28 weeks on September 6 weighing only two pounds and six ounces alongside Heidi and Harriet, who each weighed around one and a half pounds.

Tragically neither girl survived more than two weeks but George, who was born between his sisters, continued to fight at Liverpool Women's Hospital for 11 weeks before finally being discharged in November 26.

The youngster was gradually gaining strength at home in the run up to Christmas when he fell ill and was rushed back to hospital, where he was diagnosed with a double hernia and at one point stopped breathing.

George, born via IVF, underwent even more urgent treatment before being allowed to return home on Christmas Day afternoon with his mother Victoria, 34, father Paul, 36, and older brother Alfie, four.

Four-month-old George Dunn who lost both his triplet sisters shortly after birth has finally returned home after having to spend Christmas in hospital. Pictured with parents Paul and Victoria

George (pictured in October) was born at 28 weeks on September 6 weighing only two pounds and six ounces alongside Heidi and Harriet, who each weighed around one and a half pounds

The family from Widnes, Cheshire, are hoping for a better 2021, according to Victoria, who said the events of this year were 'tragic' and 'amazing' in equal measure.

She said: 'Little George has been through so much in such a short life already.

'We feel so grateful to have him and especially to have him at home after spending so much time in hospital.

'Even though we're happy to be here the memories of Heidi and Harriet are still very much with us.

'We thought and really wanted to be coming home with three babies, unfortunately that hasn't happened and it's heart-breaking.

George, born via IVF, underwent even more urgent treatment before being allowed to return home on Christmas Day afternoon with his mother Victoria, 34, father Paul, 36, and older brother Alfie, four

'But we are so grateful for George, he's amazing.'

Victoria conceived via IVF in Cyprus and said that, along with Paul, she was elated to find out she was having triplets.

She said everything was fine until 16 weeks when a scan showed one of the babies wasn't developing at the expected pace and over the coming weeks it became clear Victoria would not go full term.

Doctors suggested a selective reduction, which would have meant removing one of the foetuses in order to reduce the risk of preterm birth.

Victoria said the idea was 'never an option' and went on to give birth to the triplets via caesarean on September 6.

Pictured is a baby scan of the twins Heidi and Harriet with George's scan on the right

George fought for his life at Liverpool Women's Hospital for nearly three months before finally being deemed strong enough to go home

While George was tiny at two pounds and six ounces Harriet, born first, and Heidi weighed only one pound six ounces and one pound four ounces respectively.

In addition to the issues resulting from their underdevelopment, all three were also diagnosed with cytomegalovirus (CMV), a condition related to the herpes virus.

Although CMV is usually harmless, it had a devastating effect on the triplets due to their small sizes.

Harriet died from the condition on September 7 while Heidi passed away from prematurity, which was complicated by CMV, on September 21.

George fought for his life at Liverpool Women's Hospital for nearly three months before finally being deemed strong enough to go home.

Baby George with his mother Victoria, 34, father Paul, 36, and older brother Alfie, four

Victoria said: 'It was an incredible moment, very emotional. It was so nice to finally take him away with us.'

While recovering at home in December Victoria, who worked in HR before giving birth, noticed George wasn't going to the toilet and seemed unwell.

He was admitted to hospital on December 22, when doctors found he had a double hernia in his bowel which required an operation.

George then had a bad reaction to morphine he was given to cope with the operation and once again fell ill. Victoria said that at one point her boy stopped breathing.

While George (pictured) was tiny at two pounds and six ounces Harriet, born first, and Heidi weighed only one pound six ounces and one pound four ounces respectively

George fought for his life at Liverpool Women's Hospital for nearly three months before finally being deemed strong enough to go home. Pictured is George's baby scan

Victoria and Paul holding George for the first time on September 13

She added: 'There was a moment when I thought 'I can't lose him as well'.

'It was another really stressful time but I did feel like he was going to be okay in the end and thankfully he was.'

George was finally discharged on Christmas Day afternoon and the family returned home just in time to eat a delicious dinner made by Paul's mum.

Victoria said: 'It was a bit chaotic because we didn't know when we would be allowed out but to leave on Christmas Day was nice.'

George's recovery is ongoing as he is still undersized for his age, weighing only seven pounds and eleven ounces, and suffers from a condition called chronic lung disease.

The disorder affects the lungs and other parts of the respiratory system and means that, at the moment, George needs an oxygen machine to help him breathe.

Victoria said: 'It's an ongoing challenge but we're very positive for the future and are looking forward to living a normal family life this year.'

Victoria was supported throughout her ordeal by a charitable organisation called Wirral Wings, which turns wedding dresses into gowns for babies who have passed away.

Support them here.
This combination of photos provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota on June 3, 2020, shows Derek Chauvin, from left, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. (Hennepin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Delay Sought in Ex-officers Trial Over George Floyds Death

MINNEAPOLISProsecutors in the case against the four Minneapolis officers charged in the death of George Floyd requested that the trial be delayed by three months.

The Star Tribune reports prosecutors cited the COVID-19 pandemic and the amount of time needed before enough people are vaccinated and health risks are sufficiently diminished.

The trial has been scheduled for March 8 for the four now-fired police officers charged in the death of Floyd on May 25 while he was forcibly detained on a south Minneapolis street corner.

In its motion, the prosecution argued that putting off the trial until June 7 appropriately balances the need to protect public health with the need to ensure that this case is resolved expeditiously.

Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane are scheduled to be tried together. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter, and the others are charged with aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter.

Chauvins attorney, Eric Nelson, said he doesnt intend to object to the prosecution seeking a delay in the trial.

Kuengs attorney, Thomas Plunkett, said the prosecutions motion pointing to COVID-19 is puzzling.

The timing of their motion seems curious to me, Plunkett said. The pandemic has been around for a while.

Thaos lawyer, Robert Paule, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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By John Burton





When is an American film not an American film? That is the controversy surrounding the critically acclaimed, mainly Korean-language movie, "Minari," directed by a Yale-educated Korean American filmmaker, Lee Isaac Chung.



The film is named after the water dropwort plant that comes to symbolize adaptability in different environments. It tells the story of a young Korean father who moves his family to the United States then decides to start a farm in Arkansas in the 1980s after spending several unhappy years working at a poultry plant in California.



It is a classic tale of immigrants to America who must overcome obstacles to survive in a new country. The film is based on Chung's own experiences of growing up on a farm in Arkansas and is told largely from his perspective as a young boy already getting used to American ways.



The controversy arose after the organizers of the Hollywood Golden Globe Awards ruled that "Minari" must compete in the category of Best Foreign Language Film rather than the higher-profile Best Drama because the film's dialogue was primarily in Korean.



The decision has outraged the Asian American community since it implies that Asians who speak their native language in the U.S. are somehow un-American. Korean American actor Daniel Dae Kim, best known for his role in the TV series "Lost," said it was the "film equivalent of being told to go back to your country when that country is actually America."



Andrew Phung, a Vietnamese-Chinese Canadian actor, noted that it was "A sad and disappointing reminder that a movie about the American dream, set in America, starring an American, directed by an American, and produced by an American company, is somehow foreign."



The decision may be surprising since the Golden Globes are awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which is made up of movie critics for publications overseas who might be thought to be particularly sensitive to the status of foreigners in the U.S., and Hollywood is already grappling with accusations that immigrant groups are underrepresented in the film industry.



Moreover, the ruling was made during a year when the debate over who is an American attracted added attention due to the rise of white supremacist groups in the heat of the unsuccessful campaign to reelect President Donald Trump, who has criticized immigrants of color.

The defenders of the HFPA said its rules clearly stipulate that a movie with less than half of its dialogue in English must be submitted in the foreign-language category whatever the subject matter.



The HFPA faced a similar controversy last year over "The Farewell," a mainly Mandarin-language U.S. film about a Chinese American family and their dying grandmother in China, which was also forced to compete in the foreign language category.



Lulu Wang, the director of "The Farewell," rejected that argument. "I have not seen a more American film than Minari this year. It's a story about an immigrant family in America, pursuing the American dream. We need to change these antiquated rules that characterize America as only English-speaking."



Critics said the use of the Korean language added veracity to the depiction of an immigrant family trying to cope in their new and sometimes alien surroundings and reflects the fact that America is becoming a multilingual society.



Others noted that several other films with substantial non-English dialogue, including "Inglourious Basterds" (French and German) and "Babel" (Spanish, Arabic and Japanese) have previously been nominated in the regular Golden Globe Best Picture categories.



The publicity resulting from the controversy over "Minari," however, may boost its chances during the forthcoming awards season in Hollywood, particularly in a year when the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for many films to gain attention. It could become another Korea-related sleeper hit like "Parasite," which swept the top awards at the Oscars last year, including Best Picture, after it won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. "Minari" may be hoping that lightning strikes twice.



"Minari," which opened in the U.S. in December and which will be released in Korea this year, has already appeared on the year-end Top 10 lists of more than 30 film critics from Variety to The Guardian. It also won the top prizes at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, including the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award.



Steven Yuen, the Korean American actor who plays the leading role in Minari, is being mentioned as a Best Actor contender in the Golden Globes and the Oscars. The veteran Korean actress Youn Yuh-jong, who plays Yuen's mother in the film, has already won Best Supporting Actress awards from film critics in Los Angeles and Boston. The film also stars Korean actress Yeri Han as Yuen's wife.



Like the tale it tells, "Minari" may yet overcome the odds.





John Burton (johnburtonft@yahoo.com), a former Korea correspondent for the Financial Times, is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and consultant.




Nancy Pelosi was elected House speaker as the new session of Congress began with a narrower Democratic majority, which will present her with multiple challenges in what could be her final two year term in the top post.

Pelosi, 80, the only woman to hold the speakers gavel, was selected again with 216 votes, just two more than a majority of those present, despite a clamor from both the progressive and moderate wings of her party for a new generation of leadership.

Also Read | A year on, China is shaking up the world

Now is a time for our nation to heal," Pelosi said in a speech after the vote. Our most urgent priority will continue to be defeating the coronavirus," she said, adding that the pandemic has pulled back the curtain on even worsened disparities in our economy and our society."

Republicans nominated their House leader, Kevin McCarthy, to run against her. He received 209 votes. Afterward McCarthy gave a sharply partisan speech in which criticized Pelosis House majority in the last Congress as too distracted by progressive priorities to govern effectively.

For the past two years, Pelosi has been the Democrats main foil for President Donald Trump, and thats helped keep her caucus unified despite the ideological spread from progressives like New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to centrists like Representative Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey. For the next term, Pelosis challenge is to keep the party marching behind President-elect Joe Bidens agenda.

The Democratic advantage in the House has shrunk to 222-211 -- with two seats still open -- after Republican gains in the November election.

Pelosi was unchallenged within the Democratic party for her fourth, nonconsecutive, term as speaker. The young, recently elected progressives whove been most vocal about the need for fresh leadership all voted for her, including Ocasio-Cortez.

Slim Majority

We are just an extremely slim amount of votes away from risking the speakership to the Republican Party, and this is bigger than any one of us," Ocasio-Cortez said after the vote. When the Republican Party is attempting an electoral coup and trying to overturn the results of our election, this is not just about being united as a party, its about being united as people who, with basic respect for rule of law."

Another progressive, Jamaal Bowman of New York, who ousted a veteran Democrat in a primary to win his seat in the 2020 election, said, Our country needs stability right now and it is really important for the Democratic Party to come together."

He added that after conversations with Pelosi he is very, very confident" that progressive priorities like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal will be brought to the floor.

Pelosi did suffer some defections among Democrats who represent swing districts with significant numbers of Republican voters.

Democrats Jared Golden of Maine voted for Senator Tammy Duckworth and Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania, voted for New Yorks Hakeem Jeffries, a member of Pelosis leadership team.

New Leadership

Three other Democrats who, like Golden and Lamb, didnt vote for Pelosi as speaker in 2019 voted present: Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia.

Last Congress, I kept my promise to vote for new leadership upon my swearing-in  and in this Congress, I remain consistent in my commitment to ushering in new leadership," Spanberger said in a statement.

It was only the sixth time since 1913, when the House first reached its current size of 435 seats, that a speaker was elected with fewer than 218 votes.

The vote took longer than usual due to procedures in place because of the pandemic. House members entered the chamber in groups to cast their votes.

Illustrating the coronavirus risks and the stakes for Pelosi, a special booth was constructed in the House gallery to allow voting by at least three members who are technically in quarantine because of exposure to Covid-19. Procedures that allowed for proxy voting in the last Congress havent been adopted in the current session.

Republican Representative Rodney Davis was among the GOP members who blasted the accommodation.

This is against everything we have been told during the course of this pandemic for House operations," Davis said. To build this structure in the dark of the night only to only protect the votes that Pelosi needs to get re-elected speaker is shameful."

Pelosi committed in 2018 to not seeking the speakership beyond 2022 in response to demands from younger Democrats seeking generational change. Talking with reporters last month, Pelosi declined to directly respond to a question about that commitment stands.

We never expected to have another term now," she said. I consider this a gift."





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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A video clip of Chinese Leader Xi Jinping is seen on the outside of a police patrol station in Beijing on Nov. 2, 2020. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

Xi Orders Chinas Military to Focus on Preparing for War as Party Approaches 100th Anniversary

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has commanded the regimes military to focus on preparing for war, as Beijing looks to make a splash in 2021the year marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

In the first order of the year, Xi instructed the forces to ratchet up military training. As chairman of the regimes Central Military Commission (CMC), Xi is head of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), the CCPs armed forces.

He ordered the PLA to focus on preparing for war, deepen the transformation of military training, build a new type of military training system, and comprehensively improve the level of combat training and ability to win, according to Chinese state media Xinhua.

The order follows the CCPs escalation of military confrontations in several areas last year, including on the India-China border, the Taiwan Strait, and the South China Sea.

Xi also emphasized the role of technology in military training and combat, describing science and technology as a core idea in combat effectiveness.

The Chinese regime has embarked on an aggressive military modernization plan in a bid to challenge the dominance of the U.S. armed forces. Its increased military spending by around tenfold in the past 20 years.

In 2020, Beijings stated defense budget was $178 billion, roughly a quarter of U.S. defense spending that year, although experts estimate that the amount was much higher. According to a March 2020 report, the CCPs military spending is 87 percent that of the United States defense budget.

The CCP also uses a civil-military fusion strategy to harness technological developments from the private sector to fuel its military modernization. The U.S. administration has blocked visas for graduate-level Chinese students tied to institutions that support this strategy in a bid to guard against the transfer of American technology to Beijing. President Donald Trump also banned U.S. investments in a range of Chinese companies that support their military, due to take effect later this month, blocking U.S. capital from funding the CCPs military development.

Xi concluded that the PLA must resolutely implement the instructions from the top decision-making body within the CMC, and carry forward the spirit of fighting without fear of hardship or death.

In October 2020, Xi told the countrys marines to focus all [their] minds and energy into preparing for war. Later, the CCPs top decision-making body met and discussed preparing for war by integrating political work into all links [chain of command] of combat effectiveness.

Li Linyi, a U.S.-based China commentator, said at the time that the remarks were more rhetoric than anything else.

The purpose of the high-profile war propaganda is to put some pressure on Taiwan and the United States. Thats it. At the same time, it [CCP] must satisfy the domestic nationalistic sentiments, he said.

Last year, the Chinese regime sharply escalated pressure on Taiwan by ramping up military activity across the Taiwan Strait. The CCP considers the self-ruled island as part of its territory and has never ruled out using force to bring it under the partys control.

The United States, meanwhile, has increased its cooperation with Taiwan. Last year, it approved several large arms sales to Taiwan and deepened diplomatic engagements with the island.
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The past year was a difficult test for the Ukrainian agricultural sector: drought and poor harvest led to an increase in food prices  the trend set to prevail this year as well. Nevertheless, the year has also brought some positive news with the government reviving the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and the Verkhovna Rada finally lifting a moratorium on farmland sale.

The past year was a massive turbulence zone for Ukrainian farmers, while continuous shake-ups created both problems and new opportunities.

Towards the end of 2020, the government decided to revive the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, realizing the importance of a specialized agency to deal with one of the key sectors of the national economy, which literally feeds Ukraine and multiple foreign markets.

The ministry had been liquidated in August 2019 through a merger with the Economy Ministry to become the Ministry for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture. At the same time, market players and agrarian associations categorically opposed the idea, originally promoted by President of Ukraine, branding it "reformist populism."

Already in January 2020, Volodymyr Zelensky eventually changed his mind, stating said that the Ministry of Agrarian Policy should be put back in place.

"Time has shown that some ministries should be unbundled. There are questions concerning the Ministry of Economy, because it deals with agriculture and everything. Now we need a new concept and approach," the head of state said.

After the change in the Cabinet composition in March last year, the new Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal spoke more substantively about the revival of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Trade, emphasizing that the move should be taken as soon as possible. He stated that the formation of a full-fledged agricultural ministry could be expected in early 2021.

Just two weeks before the new year, on December 17, the Verkhovna Rada appointed Roman Leshchenko, ex-head of the State Geocadastre, as new minister. Then, on December 28, the Cabinet gave a formal start to the creation of an independent ministry.

"Restoration of historical justice and the renewal of a profile ministry is a question of concern to all agrarians in our country without exception... One of the priorities of the new ministry will be to put things in order in land legal relations," Leshchenko said from the parliament rostrum, while accepting the new post.

Also, the new minister announced the launch of a large-scale investment program in the irrigation of the south of Ukraine, an intensified fight against illegal schemes in VAT refunds, de-shadowing of land relations, and "adequate" taxation of farmland.

It should be noted that the law on the state budget for 2021 approved by the Rada does not include a single hryvnia for the renewal of the Ministry of the Agro-Industrial Complex, and this may slow down all announced initiatives.

Land reform

On the night of March 31 last year, in a historic move the Rada adopted a long-awaited law opening the farmland market. At the final stage of legislative work, which took several months, the opposition impeded progress, introducing countless amendments, and the appealing the already adopted bill to the Constitutional Court. By the way, the latter is yet to pass a final judgment as to whether the law is in line with the Constitution.

The final version of the law is somewhat at odds with the initial proposals put forward by authors: it's only citizens of Ukraine (no foreigners!) who will be allowed to sell and buy farmland plots with a cap set at 100 hectares per owner.

Prime Minister Shmyhal has noted that even in this form, the opening of the market will allow eliminating shadow schemes and lay the foundation for civilized land relations.

"The lifting of the moratorium on farmland sales is a significant incentive for the development of the economy, farming, and the agrarian complex in Ukraine," the head of government said.

The farmland market is expected to open in July this year. By this time, MPs will have to pass a number of additional land-related laws, and the government  to launch cheap loan programs required by farmers to acquire land plots.

In parallel lines, decentralization of land relations is underway. Last year, the State Geocadastre, following the decree issued by President Zelensky, started transferring all state-owned farmland, which amounts to over 2 million hectares, to community ownership.

Also, a nationwide land inventory will soon be completed. The relevant information will be available on an interactive map.

"Millions of hectares of land are in the shade, grain is grown there while no taxes are paid... And over the past 20 years, 5 million hectares of farmland have been stolen under the free privatization scheme," admitted Minister Leshchenko.

There's hope that these mistakes will start to be gradually fixed in 2021.

Poor harvest

Ukrainian farmers failed to maintain record highs in their harvest after two consecutive years of new records. Despite optimistic forecasts, the 2020 harvest was 7 million tonnes below last year's. In total, Ukraine harvested 65.4 million tonnes of grain, reducing primarily the production of key export crops  wheat and corn.

This is due to the abnormal drought that ruined part of the harvest in the country's south. Many Ukrainian farmers were left without grain and money ahead of a new sowing campaign. In Odesa region alone, agrarians suffered losses worth UAH 15 billion, while one of the local farmers even committed suicide on the harvest loss news.

"This year, the farmers have harvested fewer grains and oilseeds. At the same time, this will be enough to cover domestic demand. besides, grain exports has remained at the top-five level over the last period," said Deputy Minister for Development of Economy Taras Vysotsky.

Manwhile, farmers faced more challenges these year. Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the global food panic, cereal prices have skyrocketed. In particular, corn has risen two- to threefold, so farmers, who had previously entered into forward contracts at a lower price, refused to sell grain at a loss.

Also, many farmers could not meet their supply obligations due to their crops being spoiled or lost amid a drought.

The Ukrainian grain market faced a crisis, which could lead to the country losing its credibility as a reliable food supplier and billions-worth earnings in foreign currency.

Despite this, in 2020 Ukraine retained the title of the world's second-largest corn exporter and will undoubtedly try to reaffirm its reputation by exporting this year the lion's share of the harvested grain.

At the same time, due to the worse harvest, fewer grain for domestic consumption will inevitably lead to a rise in prices for a number of products.

Soaring food prices

The grain deficit has already warmed up prices for compound feed, which make up a significant part of the cost of livestock products  eggs, milk, and meat.

The Association of Livestock Breeders of Ukraine predicts that high prices for chicken eggs  from UAH 30 per ten, observed in December, will remain at this level or even further rise in early 2021 due to a gradual reduction in poultry numbers and continued growth in prices on the raw material market.

Milk prices are also expected to rise by about 5%, while pork and beef will become more expensive as well. Meanwhile, the latest outbreak of bird flu, recorded in two Ukrainian regions in December, could lead to an increase in prices for chicken and put into question the country's poultry exports.

According to the calculations by the Ukrainian Club of Agrarian Business, in the coming months, a gradual rise is expected in prices for cereals and flour - approximately by 10%. Also, experts admit the rise in prices for domestic beer, horilka [vodka], and other strong liquor.

Besides, due to the drought, Ukraine saw a rather meager harvest of sugar beets, and therefore, will curb sugar production by 20%, which will certainly lead to its higher price.

However, the price rise will hardly become too noticeable for Ukrainian consumers.

Hopes for the best

Nevertheless, the year 2021 promises to be much better than the previous one.

Ukraine, like the rest of the world, is gradually getting used to a new way life amid the pandemic. Businesses, including agrarian ones, have adapted to new sanitary standards and emergency operating modes. Citizens have learned to live amid lockdown, being unlikely to allow a repeat of the food panic, as in March 2020, when buckwheat, sugar, as well as toilet paper were being massively bought up, which created artificial shortage.

If the government fulfills its promises, in the new year Ukraine will launch a large-scale program for the construction of irrigation systems, and drought will no longer be a sad verdict for farmers.

Also, in 2021, the government expanded support for new areas  horticulture, hop growing, viticulture, and organic production, so this year may mark a new start for these industries.

"Last year was atypical for Ukraine in terms of the economic situation and COVID-19 restrictions, as well as force majeure weather conditions. Despite everything that happened in 2020, agricultural production in Ukraine will remain in surplus," said Deputy Minister Vysotsky.

Ukrainian agrarians entered 2021 with new hopes and lessons learned from the past. Warm winter and well-timed sowing campaign create conditions for a new record harvest. Also, the upcoming opening of the land market will be a new interesting experience for Ukrainian landowners. Let's see what happens.

Anna Nahorna

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As the star of FX's landmark cop show, The Shield, Michael Chiklis is no stranger to complex morality dramas. Coyote explores the complexities that face characters on both sides of the Mexico/California border.

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"People really learn and grow when they're brought out of their own comfort zone," Chiklis said on a Television Critics Association panel. "That's true not only of my character, but for myself in the situation."

Chiklis plays Ben Clemons, a retired Border Patrol agent. He travels to Mexico to repair and then sell his late partner Javi's house to provide for Javi's widow and children.

One night, Maria Elena Flores (Emy Mena) sneaks into the back seat of Ben's car and begs him to take her to the United States. Ben, instead, delivers her to the local police, but learns she is pregnant with the son of a local criminal, Dante.

Maria finds Ben at Javi's house looking for protection. When Dante sends two men looking for her, she kills them in self-defense, embroiling Ben in a drama he never considered during his years on the job.

"It's really rare that you get an opportunity to play someone who sees the world in a particular way and really changes," Chiklis said. "[Ben] is truly, deeply challenged by his circumstance."

A coyote is the casual term for someone who smuggles undocumented immigrants across the border. Ben reluctantly becomes a coyote after spending his whole life arresting undocumented immigrants.

The actor, who also shares an executive producer credit on Coyote, recognizes that the subject matter of the show is controversial. Coyote forces Ben to consider one possible reason desperate people flee their country without going through the formal immigration process.

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"This is a highly politicized subject, and we're bringing a human face to it," Chiklis said. "This is about humanity."

The wall along sections of the U.S.-Mexico border makes an appearance in the second episode of Coyote. Although the drama of Coyote is set against a real-world backdrop, Chiklis said the show's priority is to entertain.

Should the story of Coyote spur viewers' opinions about real issues, that would be a bonus, Chiklis said.

"We're just going to tell stories and have all different kinds of points of view," Chiklis said. "Hopefully, people who have galvanized their positions might look at things differently or not."

The subject of an authority figure engaging in illegal activities may remind viewers of The Shield. On the FX series, Chiklis played Vic Mackey, a corrupt cop in charge of his own strike force.

Critics asked Chiklis about similarities between Coyote and The Shield. As Ben gets wrapped up in illegal activities, Chiklis reminded viewers that his character is a retired private citizen.

"This isn't a cop show at all," Chiklis said.

The production of Coyote went south of the border, too. Chiklis said filming in Baja, Mexico, helped him feel closer to the world in which the story occurs.

"We've been to the Sonoran Desert, to the coastline, in the mountains and at the border," Chiklis said. "It's just been extraordinary."

Coyote premieres Thursday on CBS All Access.
Hamilton County has a lot of company both in the state and around the country in bungling distribution of the coronavirus vaccine. In Tullahoma long lines stood outside for hours vying for just 100 doses and there were glitches in almost all of the states 95 counties as the huge demand easily outweighed availability of the Pfizer vaccine. And if you can believe it, a retired librarian in Orlando called a special telephone number to make a reservation a whopping 189 times, only to be flummoxed by the overwhelmed system.

Weve talked all weekend how we can best serve our people, Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger said on Sunday.

The biggest problem is there is no right answer for any counties because none of us has ever experienced something of this magnitude. There is simply not enough supply.

The mayor said he was tremendously sensitive to any of the elderly citizens who waited for six hours with no rest room facilities available but, as he groped for solutions, he found that some were out of the Health Departments control. It was very plain that we were going to open at 9 a.m. But when some determined people arrived at 4 a.m., I dont think it is fair for them to say there was a five-hour wait as though the Health Department was at fault, he reasoned.

I get it. I know they want the vaccine. So, when other people arrive at 8 a.m.  still one hour before we opened -- there was a huge back-up already. Traffic was a mess. I am not quite sure how we handle that problem because the health department, emergency management, the Highway Patrol, and our police officers had nothing to do with the publics reaction. We cant dictate human nature. We opened at 9 a.m., just like we said we would.

Ive apologized for our mistakes, and Ill apologize anytime the county is at fault, but some of the criticism isnt quite fair, he said in defense of those hes watched work seven days a week for months. If you think quarantine is bad, remember some of these people havent seen the families or their friends since who knows how long. They are heroes to me, Coppinger said, and if we get a shipment of vaccine on a Thursday or Friday, they will work all weekend to deliver it.

I am grateful we are using a drive-by method rather than asking people to stand in line. It keeps people warm and comfortable, not only when they get the vaccine but also when we ask that they stay afterwards for at least 30 minutes to guard against any reactions like anaphylactic shock, which we can immediately deal with because doctors and nurses are only about 100 yards away, he said. It keeps people distanced from others, enhances the benefits of masking; its a good solution.

Coppinger said that on Monday morning he will be able to identify a new site to deliver more vaccine on Tuesday or Wednesday. We are supposed to get a new shipment of vaccine tomorrow, but I dont know how much until it actually gets here. I understand it will be the Moderna vaccine but, until it actually arrives where we can see it, we cant be certain. We also cant schedule the next dosage date. I urge people to check the health department website for updates and new information  www.health.hamiltontn.org

Health experts on every level agree both the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines have about a 99-percent reliability but both are given in two doses. The second dose of Pfizer needs to be given in 21 days. With Moderna it is 28 days and, no, they are not interchangeable. Those with their first shot must take the same brand as their second shot. Actually the No. 2 shot is just a repeat of the first vaccine, Coppinger explained and said he hopes the No. 2 shot will require little waiting.

Once the first shot is given, we have the identity of that person. The state is coordinating delivery of the second dose so well be sure to have Pfizer on hand for the No. 2 dose. It is very, very important to follow the timetable. I would imagine we will have a special line for the repeat dose. We can prepare 200 doses per hour and there is a huge motivation factor to get the second dose at the specified time.

Thursday was the first day seniors were eligible to get the vaccines and by the end of the day 1,158 doses had been administered. Earlier in the week vaccines were administered to First Responders and other top-tier providers. This means that during the week starting on January 18, the second round will begin to be due to between 3,000-to-4,000 who are in the process. It is estimated by the Pfizer and Moderna scientists, that one week after the second dose the vaccine will be in full effect.

* * *

MYTH CONTROL NO. 1  A Chattanooga television station has a tape where an unnamed person claimed to have a inside contact at the Health Department who helped him obtain the vaccine. With the close monitoring, safeguards, the health departments long-established integrity, and countys dedication to fairness, this is untrue. If it was found to be true, it would be dealt with swiftly, harshly, and would likely involve criminal charges. We are going to be as fair, as open, and as honest as we can possibly be, said Coppinger, with no mention of the tape nor the allegation.

* * *

MYTH NO. 2  The state of Tennessee will not withhold vaccines for those now in nursing homes to give to First Responders, doctors and nurses. I am told on Monday that the pharmaceutical companies Walgreens and CVS will begin accepting vaccines to administer to the 19 long-term care and assisted-living living facilities in Hamilton County. This is a Federal program and those vaccines will not affect what the Health Department is being allocated for the general public, said Coppinger

* * *

TEST, TEST, TEST  Anyone who has been to a holiday gathering where a COVID case has since been detected, or who finds out a close friend is exhibiting symptoms, should go immediately to the testing facility at the Alstom site on Riverfront Parkway and get tested. It doesnt matter that you got tested one week ago  that was a week ago, Coppinger said. We are now open seven days a week, from 8:30 until 2:30 p.m. each day, and anyone who is positive must quarantine and seek medical assistance. The best chance we have of overcoming COVID in our community is to work together and stop it.

* * *

FROM THE WEEK  Ryan Cooper, writing on the news magazine The Week website www.theweek.com , says there was never any doubt the United States would bobble the pandemic virus vaccine at first: There was no way this wasn't going to be a disaster. Yet a great many states and cities are whiffing it. It appears that the culprit here is some combination of authorities getting tangled up over who deserves the vaccine the most, snarling the process with elaborate eligibility requirements (a classic American neurosis), and the blistering incompetence that has characterized nearly every level of the American state response to the pandemic.

Vaccines are being shipped out across the country, but most of them have not yet made it into actual Americans, Cooper claims. Bloomberg has been tracking vaccination progress across the country -- at time of writing, about 12.5 million doses have been sent out, yet just over 3 million shots have actually been administered. At this rate, it will take something like seven years to inoculate the whole country, and many doses may expire before they can be used.

royexum@aol.com
WEST COVINA, Calif., Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California's #1 recommended disaster relief company Allied Restoration is sharing expert tips to stay safe amidst the largest COVID-19 outbreak in the region to date. Since March of 2020, Allied Restoration has grown its staff to 50 full-time disaster relief experts and received GBAC Star Facility Accreditation and OSHA certifications for all lead staff members to help Southern California residents and businesses protect against the spread of the virus.

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In a closed home with no windows open, the entire air in a room swaps out less than once per hour (which greatly increases the chances of infection if someone else infected is in the space). Compare this to a subway car that offers 18 exchanges per hour and a plane that offers 20, a home can actually be one of the most dangerous places to gather. Residents living with multiple people in their household can improve ventilation in their homes and minimize viral spread by opening windows at least 6 inches which increases ventilation by 30%. Opening a minimum of 6-10 windows in a home should reach the recommended air changes per hour. In rooms and homes that cannot be properly ventilated, purchase or rent air purification devices. Allied Restoration experts can make a variety of recommendations based on each room or environment. Tip #2: Disinfect actively before, during and after potential exposure

For many, trips to the grocery store hosting repair experts all present an element of risk. Be sure to actively disinfect your hands before, during and after any interaction with people outside of your household. One of the best things you can do to keep your home sanitized and mitigate spread is to make sure your space is being consistently disinfected using cleaning products listed on EPA List N (Disinfectants for Coronavirus / COVID-19) found here: https://cfpub.epa.gov/giwiz/disinfectants/index.cfm

For many, trips to the grocery store hosting repair experts all present an element of risk. Be sure to actively disinfect your hands before, during and after any interaction with people outside of your household. One of the best things you can do to keep your home sanitized and mitigate spread is to make sure your space is being consistently disinfected using cleaning products listed on EPA List N (Disinfectants for Coronavirus / COVID-19) found here: https://cfpub.epa.gov/giwiz/disinfectants/index.cfm Tip #3: Control your CO 2 and humidity levels

Many Smart A/C and other smart home devices are now tracking one or both Relative Humidity and CO 2 levels in a home. As a rule of thumb, it's best to be in an area that has a CO 2 level of 600 or less (cars have 1000 and outside has 400) which can indicate how much expelled air is present versus clean, fresh air that is more likely to be free of viruses. The higher the CO 2 levels, the higher the risk of breathing air that may be contaminated with the virus. Additionally, avoid dryer rooms as this allows COVID-19 to travel further while aerosolized. It may not feel like it would make a big difference, but humidity can slow the virus's travel time and decrease the potential range in which the virus can travel.

Many Smart A/C and other smart home devices are now tracking one or both Relative Humidity and CO levels in a home. As a rule of thumb, it's best to be in an area that has a CO level of 600 or less (cars have 1000 and outside has 400) which can indicate how much expelled air is present versus clean, fresh air that is more likely to be free of viruses. The higher the CO levels, the higher the risk of breathing air that may be contaminated with the virus. Additionally, avoid dryer rooms as this allows COVID-19 to travel further while aerosolized. It may not feel like it would make a big difference, but humidity can slow the virus's travel time and decrease the potential range in which the virus can travel. Tip #4: Let science be your guide

The Allied Restoration team is a huge fan of this COVID-19 Indoor Safety Guideline created by some brilliant folks over at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT ). When evaluating the risk of exposure in a home or work environment, simply plug in the room's conditions (including whether or not inhabitants are wearing masks) and an algorithm calculates how long you would be advised to quarantine and how long the occupants would be unsafe.

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The Washington Post published the full transcript of the call between Donald Trump and Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, which has led to calls for Trump to face a criminal probe, accused by two House Democrats of conspiracy to interfere in elections.

On the call on Saturday January 2 were Trump, his chief of staff Mark Meadows, and Republican attorneys Cleta Mitchell and Kurt Hilbert, and from Georgia Raffesnperger and his general counsel Ryan Germany. Not on the call but mentioned was Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.

Here is the full transcript:

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows: Okay. Alright. Mr. President, everyone is on the line. This is Mark Meadows, the chief of staff. Just so we all are aware. On the line is secretary of state and two other individuals. Jordan and Mr. Germany with him. You also have the attorneys that represent the president, Kurt and Alex and Cleta Mitchell  who is not the attorney of record but has been involved  myself and then the president. So Mr. President, I'll turn it over to you.

President Donald Trump: Okay, thank you very much. Hello Brad and Ryan and everybody. We appreciate the time and the call. So we've spent a lot of time on this, and if we could just go over some of the numbers, I think it's pretty clear that we won. We won very substantially in Georgia. You even see it by rally size, frankly. We'd be getting 25-30,000 people a rally, and the competition would get less than 100 people. And it never made sense.

But we have a number of things. We have at least 2 or 3  anywhere from 250 to 300,000 ballots were dropped mysteriously into the rolls. Much of that had to do with Fulton County, which hasn't been checked. We think that if you check the signatures  a real check of the signatures going back in Fulton County  you'll find at least a couple of hundred thousand of forged signatures of people who have been forged. And we are quite sure that's going to happen.

Donald Trump (left) pressured Georgia's Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (right) to 'find' enough votes to overturn Joe Biden's win in the Peach State during an extraordinary leaked phone call on Saturday

Another tremendous number. We're going to have an accurate number over the next two days with certified accountants. But an accurate number will be given, but it's in the 50s of thousands  and that's people that went to vote and they were told they can't vote because they've already been voted for. And it's a very sad thing. They walked out complaining. But the number's large. We'll have it for you. But it's much more than the number of 11,779 that's  the current margin is only 11,779. Brad, I think you agree with that, right? That's something I think everyone  at least that's a number that everyone agrees on.

But that's the difference in the votes. But we've had hundreds of thousands of ballots that we're able to actually  we'll get you a pretty accurate number. You don't need much of a number because the number that in theory I lost by, the margin would be 11,779. But you also have a substantial numbers of people, thousands and thousands, who went to the voting place on November 3, were told they couldn't vote, were told they couldn't vote because a ballot had been put on their name. And you know that's very, very, very, very sad.

We had, I believe it's about 4,502 voters who voted but who weren't on the voter registration list, so it's 4,502 who voted, but they weren't on the voter registration roll, which they had to be. You had 18,325 vacant address voters. The address was vacant, and they're not allowed to be counted. That's 18,325.

Smaller number  you had 904 who only voted where they had just a P.O.  a post office box number  and they had a post office box number, and that's not allowed. We had at least 18,000  that's on tape, we had them counted very painstakingly  18,000 voters having to do with [name]. She's a vote scammer, a professional vote scammer and hustler [name]. That was the tape that's been shown all over the world that makes everybody look bad, you, me and everybody else.

Where they got  number one they said very clearly and it's been reported that they said there was a major water main break. Everybody fled the area. And then they came back, [name] and her daughter and a few people. There were no Republican poll watchers. Actually, there were no Democrat poll watchers, I guess they were them. But there were no Democrats, either, and there was no law enforcement. Late in the morning, early in the morning, they went to the table with the black robe and the black shield, and they pulled out the votes. Those votes were put there a number of hours before  the table was put there  I think it was, Brad, you would know, it was probably eight hours or seven hours before, and then it was stuffed with votes.

They weren't in an official voter box; they were in what looked to be suitcases or trunks, suitcases, but they weren't in voter boxes. The minimum number it could be because we watched it, and they watched it certified in slow motion instant replay if you can believe it, but slow motion, and it was magnified many times over, and the minimum it was 18,000 ballots, all for Biden.

You had out-of-state voters. They voted in Georgia, but they were from out of state, of 4,925. You had absentee ballots sent to vacant, they were absentee ballots sent to vacant addresses. They had nothing on them about addresses, that's 2,326.

And you had dropboxes, which is very bad. You had dropboxes that were picked up. We have photographs, and we have affidavits from many people.

I don't know if you saw the hearings, but you have dropboxes where the box was picked up but not delivered for three days. So all sorts of things could have happened to that box, including, you know, putting in the votes that you wanted. So there were many infractions, and the bottom line is, many, many times the 11,779 margin that they said we lost by  we had vast, I mean the state is in turmoil over this.

And I know you would like to get to the bottom of it, although I saw you on television today, and you said that you found nothing wrong. I mean, you know, and I didn't lose the state, Brad. People have been saying that it was the highest vote ever. There was no way. A lot of the political people said that there's no way they beat me. And they beat me. They beat me in the . . . As you know, every single state, we won every state. We won every statehouse in the country. We held the Senate, which is shocking to people, although we'll see what happens tomorrow or in a few days.

And we won the House, but we won every single statehouse, and we won Congress, which was supposed to lose 15 seats, and they gained, I think 16 or 17 or something. I think there's a now difference of five. There was supposed to be a difference substantially more. But politicians in every state, but politicians in Georgia have given affidavits and are going to that, that there was no way that they beat me in the election, that the people came out, in fact, they were expecting to lose, and then they ended up winning by a lot because of the coattails. And they said there's no way, that they've done many polls prior to the election, that there was no way that they won.

Ballots were dropped in massive numbers. And we're trying to get to those numbers and we will have them.

They'll take a period of time. Certified. But but they're massive numbers. And far greater than the 11,779.

The other thing, dead people. So dead people voted, and I think the number is close to 5,000 people. And they went to obituaries. They went to all sorts of methods to come up with an accurate number, and a minimum is close to about 5,000 voters.

The bottom line is, when you add it all up and then you start adding, you know, 300,000 fake ballots. Then the other thing they said is in Fulton County and other areas. And this may or may not be true . . . this just came up this morning, that they are burning their ballots, that they are shredding, shredding ballots and removing equipment. They're changing the equipment on the Dominion machines and, you know, that's not legal.

And they supposedly shredded I think they said 300 pounds of, 3,000 pounds of ballots. And that just came to us as a report today. And it is a very sad situation.

But Brad, if you took the minimum numbers where many, many times above the 11,779, and many of those numbers are certified, or they will be certified, but they are certified. And those are numbers that are there, that exist. And that beat the margin of loss, they beat it, I mean, by a lot, and people should be happy to have an accurate count instead of an election where there's turmoil.

I mean there's turmoil in Georgia and other places. You're not the only one, I mean, we have other states that I believe will be flipping to us very shortly. And this is something that  you know, as an example, I think it in Detroit, I think there's a section, a good section of your state actually, which we're not sure so we're not going to report it yet. But in Detroit, we had, I think it was, 139 percent of the people voted. That's not too good.

In Pennsylvania, they had well over 200,000 more votes than they had people voting. And that doesn't play too well, and the legislature there is, which is Republican, is extremely activist and angry. I mean, there were other things also that were almost as bad as that. But they had as an example, in Michigan, a tremendous number of dead people that voted. I think it was, I think, Mark, it was 18,000. Some unbelievably high number, much higher than yours, you were in the 4-5,000 category.

And that was checked out laboriously by going through, by going through the obituary columns in the newspapers.

So I guess with all of it being said, Brad, the bottom line, and provisional ballots, again, you know, you'll have to tell me about the provisional ballots, but we have a lot of people that were complaining that they weren't able to vote because they were already voted for. These are great people.

And, you know, they were shellshocked. I don't know if you call that provisional ballots. In some states, we had a lot of provisional ballot situations where people were given a provisional ballot because when they walked in on November 3 and they were already voted for.

So that's it. I mean, we have many, many times the number of votes necessary to win the state. And we won the state, and we won it very substantially and easily, and we're getting, we have, much of this is a very certified, far more certified than we need. But we're getting additional numbers certified, too. And we're getting pictures of dropboxes being delivered and delivered late. Delivered three days later, in some cases, plus we have many affidavits to that effect.

Trump was joined on the call by several of his most loyal allies, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows (left) and conservative lawyers Cleta Mitchell (center) and Kurt Hilbert (right)

Meadows: So, Mr. President, if I might be able to jump in, and I'll give Brad a chance. Mr. Secretary, obviously there is, there are allegations where we believe that not every vote or fair vote and legal vote was counted, and that's at odds with the representation from the secretary of state's office.

What I'm hopeful for is there some way that we can, we can find some kind of agreement to look at this a little bit more fully? You know the president mentioned Fulton County.

But in some of these areas where there seems to be a difference of where the facts seem to lead, and so Mr. Secretary, I was hopeful that, you know, in the spirit of cooperation and compromise, is there something that we can at least have a discussion to look at some of these allegations to find a path forward that's less litigious?

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger: Well, I listened to what the president has just said. President Trump, we've had several lawsuits, and we've had to respond in court to the lawsuits and the contentions. We don't agree that you have won. And we don't  I didn't agree about the 200,000 number that you'd mentioned. I'll go through that point by point.

What we have done is we gave our state Senate about one and a half hours of our time going through the election issue by issue and then on the state House, the government affairs committee, we gave them about two and a half hours of our time, going back point by point on all the issues of contention. And then just a few days ago, we met with our U.S. congressmen, Republican congressmen, and we gave them about two hours of our time talking about this past election. Going back, primarily what you've talked about here focused in on primarily, I believe, is the absentee ballot process. I don't believe that you're really questioning the Dominion machines. Because we did a hand re-tally, a 100 percent re-tally of all the ballots, and compared them to what the machines said and came up with virtually the same result. Then we did the recount, and we got virtually the same result. So I guess we can probably take that off the table.

I don't think there's an issue about that.

Trump: Well, Brad. Not that there's not an issue, because we have a big issue with Dominion in other states and perhaps in yours. But we haven't felt we needed to go there. And just to, you know, maybe put a little different spin on what Mark is saying, Mark Meadows, yeah we'd like to go further, but we don't really need to. We have all the votes we need.

You know, we won the state. If you took, these are the most minimal numbers, the numbers that I gave you, those are numbers that are certified, your absentee ballots sent to vacant addresses, your out-of-state voters, 4,925. You know when you add them up, it's many more times, it's many times the 11,779 number. So we could go through, we have not gone through your Dominion. So we can't give them blessing. I mean, in other states, we think we found tremendous corruption with Dominion machines, but we'll have to see.

But we only lost the state by that number, 11,000 votes, and 779. So with that being said, with just what we have, with just what we have, we're giving you minimal, minimal numbers. We're doing the most conservative numbers possible; we're many times, many, many times above the margin. And so we don't really have to, Mark, I don't think we have to go through . . .

Meadows: Right

Trump: Because what's the difference between winning the election by two votes and winning it by half a million votes. I think I probably did win it by half a million. You know, one of the things that happened, Brad, is we have other people coming in now from Alabama and from South Carolina and from other states, and they're saying it's impossible for you to have lost Georgia. We won. You know in Alabama, we set a record, got the highest vote ever. In Georgia, we set a record with a massive amount of votes. And they say it's not possible to have lost Georgia.

And I could tell you by our rallies. I could tell you by the rally I'm having on Monday night, the place, they already have lines of people standing out front waiting. It's just not possible to have lost Georgia. It's not possible. When I heard it was close, I said there's no way. But they dropped a lot of votes in there late at night. You know that, Brad. And that's what we are working on very, very stringently. But regardless of those votes, with all of it being said, we lost by essentially 11,000 votes, and we have many more votes already calculated and certified, too.

And so I just don't know, you know, Mark, I don't know what's the purpose. I won't give Dominion a pass because we found too many bad things. But we don't need Dominion or anything else. We have won this election in Georgia based on all of this. And there's nothing wrong with saying that, Brad. You know, I mean, having the correct  the people of Georgia are angry. And these numbers are going to be repeated on Monday night. Along with others that we're going to have by that time, which are much more substantial even. And the people of Georgia are angry, the people of the country are angry. And there's nothing wrong with saying that, you know, that you've recalculated. Because the 2,236 in absentee ballots. I mean, they're all exact numbers that were done by accounting firms, law firms, etc. And even if you cut 'em in half, cut 'em in half and cut 'em in half again, it's more votes than we need.

Raffensperger: Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is the data you have is wrong. We talked to the congressmen, and they were surprised.

But they  I guess there was a person named Mr. Braynard who came to these meetings and presented data, and he said that there was dead people, I believe it was upward of 5,000. The actual number were two. Two. Two people that were dead that voted. So that's wrong.

Trump: Well, Cleta, how do you respond to that? Maybe you tell me?

Trump attorney Cleta Mitchell: Well, I would say, Mr. Secretary, one of the things that we have requested and what we said was, if you look, if you read our petition, it said that we took the names and birth years, and we had certain information available to us. We have asked from your office for records that only you have, and so we said there is a universe of people who have the same name and same birth year and died.

But we don't have the records that you have. And one of the things that we have been suggesting formally and informally for weeks now is for you to make available to us the records that would be necessary 

Trump: But, Cleta, even before you do that, and not even including that, that's why I hardly even included that number, although in one state, we have a tremendous amount of dead people. So I don't know  I'm sure we do in Georgia, too. I'm sure we do in Georgia, too.

But we're so far ahead. We're so far ahead of these numbers, even the phony ballots of [name] , known scammer. You know the Internet? You know what was trending on the Internet? 'Where's [name]?' Because they thought she'd be in jail. 'Where's [name]?' It's crazy, it's crazy. That was. The minimum number is 18,000 for [name] , but they think it's probably about 56,000, but the minimum number is 18,000 on the [name] night where she ran back in there when everybody was gone and stuffed, she stuffed the ballot boxes. Let's face it, Brad, I mean. They did it in slow motion replay magnified, right? She stuffed the ballot boxes. They were stuffed like nobody has ever seen them stuffed before.

So there's a term for it when it's a machine instead of a ballot box, but she stuffed the machine. She stuffed the ballot. Each ballot went three times, they were showing: Here's ballot No 1. Here it is a second time, third time, next ballot.

I mean, look. Brad. We have a new tape that we're going to release. It's devastating. And by the way, that one event, that one event is much more than the 11,000 votes that we're talking about. It's, you know, that one event was a disaster. And it's just, you know, but it was, it was something, it can't be disputed. And again, we have a version that you haven't seen, but it's magnified. It's magnified, and you can see everything. For some reason, they put it in three times, each ballot, and I don't know why. I don't know why three times. Why not five times, right? Go ahead.

Raffensperger: You're talking about the State Farm video. And I think it's extremely unfortunate that Rudy Giuliani or his people, they sliced and diced that video and took it out of context. The next day, we brought in WSB-TV, and we let them show, see the full run of tape, and what you'll see, the events that transpired are nowhere near what was projected by, you know 

Trump: But where were the poll watchers, Brad? There were no poll watchers there. There were no Democrats or Republicans. There was no security there.

It was late in the evening, late in the, early in the morning, and there was nobody else in the room. Where were the poll watchers, and why did they say a water main broke, which they did and which was reported in the newspapers? They said they left. They ran out because of a water main break, and there was no water main. There was nothing. There was no break. There was no water main break. But we're, if you take out everything, where were the Republican poll watchers, even where were the Democrat pollwatchers, because there were none.

And then you say, well, they left their station, you know, if you look at the tape, and this was, this was reviewed by professional police and detectives and other people, when they left in a rush, everybody left in a rush because of the water main, but everybody left in a rush. These people left their station.

When they came back, they didn't go to their station. They went to the apron, wrapped around the table, under which were thousands and thousands of ballots in a box that was not an official or a sealed box. And then they took those. They went back to a different station. So if they would have come back, they would have walked to their station, and they would have continued to work. But they couldn't do even that because that's illegal, because they had no Republican pollwatchers. And remember, her reputation is  she's known all over the Internet, Brad. She's known all over.

I'm telling you, 'Where's [name] ' was one of the hot items . . . [name] They knew her. 'Where's [name]?' So Brad, there can be no justification for that. And I, you know, I give everybody the benefit of the doubt. But that was  and Brad, why did they put the votes in three times? You know, they put 'em in three times.

Raffensperger: Mr. President, they did not put that. We did an audit of that, and we proved conclusively that they were not scanned three times.

Trump: Where was everybody else at that late time in the morning? Where was everybody? Where were the Republicans? Where were the security guards? Were the people that were there just a little while before when everyone ran out of the room. How come we had no security in the room. Why did they run to the bottom of the table? Why do they run there and just open the skirt and rip out the votes. I mean, Brad. And they were sitting there, I think for five hours or something like that, the votes.

Raffensperger: Mr. President, we'll send you the link from WSB.

Trump: I don't care about the link. I don't need it. Brad, I have a much better 

Mitchell: I will tell you. I've seen the tape. The full tape. So has Alex. We've watched it. And what we saw and what we've confirmed in the timing is that they made everybody leave  we have sworn affidavits saying that. And then they began to process ballots. And our estimate is that there were roughly 18,000 ballots. We don't know that. If you know that . . .

Trump: It was 18,000 ballots, but they used each one three times.

Mitchell: Well, I don't know about that.

Trump: I do think we had ours magnified out.

Mitchell: I've watched the entire tape.

Trump: Nobody can make a case for that, Brad. Nobody. I mean, look, you'd have to be a child to think anything other than that. Just a child.

Mitchell: How many ballots, Mr. Secretary, are you saying were processed then?

Raffensperger: We had GBI . . . investigate that.

Germany: We had our  this is Ryan Germany. We had our law enforcement officers talk to everyone who was, who was there after that event came to light. GBI was with them as well as FBI agents.

Trump: Well, there's no way they could  then they're incompetent. They're either dishonest or incompetent, okay?

Mitchell: Well, what did they find?

Trump: There's only two answers, dishonesty or incompetence. There's just no way. Look. There's no way. And on the other thing, I said too, there is no way. I mean, there's no way that these things could have been, you know, you have all these different people that voted, but they don't live in Georgia anymore. What was that number, Cleta? That was a pretty good number, too.

Mitchell: The number who have registered out of state after they moved from Georgia. And so they had a date when they moved from Georgia, they registered to vote out of state, and then it's like 4,500, I don't have that number right in front of me.

Trump: And then they came back in, and they voted.

Mitchell: And voted. Yeah.

Trump: I thought that was a large number, though. It was in the 20s.

Ryan Germany, Raffensberger's General Counsel: We've been going through each of those as well, and those numbers that we got, that Ms. Mitchell was just saying, they're not accurate. Every one we've been through are people that lived in Georgia, moved to a different state, but then moved back to Georgia legitimately. And in many cases 

Trump: How may people do that? They moved out, and then they said, 'Ah, to hell with it, I'll move back.' You know, it doesn't sound like a very normal . . . you mean, they moved out, and what, they missed it so much that they wanted to move back in? It's crazy.

Germany: They moved back in years ago. This was not like something just before the election. So there's something about that data that, it's just not accurate.

Trump: Well, I don't know, all I know is that it is certified. And they moved out of Georgia, and they voted. It didn't say they moved back in, Cleta, did it?

Mitchell: No, but I mean, we're looking at the voter registration. Again, if you have additional records, we've been asking for that, but you haven't shared any of that with us. You just keep saying you investigated the allegations.

Trump: Cleta, a lot of it you don't need to be shared. I mean, to be honest, they should share it. They should share it because you want to get to an honest election.

I won this election by hundreds of thousands of votes. There's no way I lost Georgia. There's no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes. I'm just going by small numbers, when you add them up, they're many times the 11,000. But I won that state by hundreds of thousands of votes.

Do you think it's possible that they shredded ballots in Fulton County? Because that's what the rumor is. And also that Dominion took out machines. That Dominion is really moving fast to get rid of their, uh, machinery.

Do you know anything about that? Because that's illegal, right?

Trump suggested that Raffensberger and his general counsel Ryan Germany (pictured) could be subject to criminal liability if they failed to find that thousands of ballots cast in Fulton County had been illegally destroyed - despite no evidence supporting that allegation

Germany: This is Ryan Germany. No, Dominion has not moved any machinery out of Fulton County.

Trump: But have they moved the inner parts of the machines and replaced them with other parts?

Germany: No.

Trump: Are you sure, Ryan?

Germany: I'm sure. I'm sure, Mr. President.

Trump: What about, what about the ballots. The shredding of the ballots. Have they been shredding ballots?

Germany: The only investigation that we have into that  they have not been shredding any ballots. There was an issue in Cobb County where they were doing normal office shredding, getting rid of old stuff, and we investigated that. But this stuff from, you know, from you know past elections.

Trump: It doesn't pass the smell test because we hear they're shredding thousands and thousands of ballots, and now what they're saying, 'Oh, we're just cleaning up the office.' You know.

Raffensperger: Mr. President, the problem you have with social media, they  people can say anything.

Trump: Oh this isn't social media. This is Trump media. It's not social media. It's really not; it's not social media. I don't care about social media. I couldn't care less. Social media is Big Tech. Big Tech is on your side, you know. I don't even know why you have a side because you should want to have an accurate election. And you're a Republican.

Raffensperger: We believe that we do have an accurate election.

Trump: No, no you don't. No, no you don't. You don't have. Not even close. You're off by hundreds of thousands of votes. And just on the small numbers, you're off on these numbers, and these numbers can't be just  well, why wont?  Okay. So you sent us into Cobb County for signature verification, right? You sent us into Cobb County, which we didn't want to go into. And you said it would be open to the public. So we had our experts there, they weren't allowed into the room. But we didn't want Cobb County. We wanted Fulton County. And you wouldn't give it to us. Now, why aren't we doing signature  and why can't it be open to the public?

And why can't we have professionals do it instead of rank amateurs who will never find anything and don't want to find anything? They don't want to find, you know they don't want to find anything. Someday you'll tell me the reason why, because I don't understand your reasoning, but someday you'll tell me the reason why. But why don't you want to find?

Germany: Mr. President, we chose Cobb County 

Trump: Why don't you want to find . . . What?

Germany: Sorry, go ahead.

Trump: So why did you do Cobb County? We didn't even request  we requested Fulton County, not Cobb County. Go ahead, please. Go ahead.

Germany: We chose Cobb County because that was the only county where there's been any evidence submitted that the signature verification was not properly done.

Trump: No, but I told you. We're not, we're not saying that.

Mitchell: We did say that.

Trump: Fulton County. Look. Stacey, in my opinion, Stacey is as dishonest as they come. She has outplayed you . . . at everything. She got you to sign a totally unconstitutional agreement, which is a disastrous agreement. You can't check signatures. I can't imagine you're allowed to do harvesting, I guess, in that agreement. That agreement is a disaster for this country. But she got you somehow to sign that thing, and she has outsmarted you at every step.

And I hate to imagine what's going to happen on Monday or Tuesday, but it's very scary to people. You know, when the ballots flow in out of nowhere. It's very scary to people. That consent decree is a disaster. It's a disaster. A very good lawyer who examined it said they've never seen anything like it.

Raffensperger: Harvesting is still illegal in the state of Georgia. And that settlement agreement did not change that one iota.

Trump: It's not a settlement agreement, it's a consent decree. It even says consent decree on it, doesn't it? It uses the term consent decree. It doesn't say settlement agreement. It's a consent decree. It's a disaster.

Raffensperger: It's a settlement agreement.

Trump: What's written on top of it?

Raffensperger: Ryan?

Germany: I don't have it in front of me, but it was not entered by the court, it's not a court order.

Trump: But Ryan, it's called a consent decree, is that right? On the paper. Is that right?

Germany: I don't. I don't. I don't believe so, but I don't have it in front of me.

Trump: Okay, whatever, it's a disaster. It's a disaster. Look. Here's the problem. We can go through signature verification, and we'll find hundreds of thousands of signatures, if you let us do it. And the only way you can do it, as you know, is to go to the past. But you didn't do that in Cobb County. You just looked at one page compared to another. The only way you can do a signature verification is go from the one that signed it on November whatever. Recently. And compare it to two years ago, four years ago, six years ago, you know, or even one. And you'll find that you have many different signatures. But in Fulton, where they dumped ballots, you will find that you have many that aren't even signed and you have many that are forgeries.

Okay, you know that. You know that. You have no doubt about that. And you will find you will be at 11,779 within minutes because Fulton County is totally corrupt, and so is she totally corrupt.

And they're going around playing you and laughing at you behind your back, Brad, whether you know it or not, they're laughing at you. And you've taken a state that's a Republican state, and you've made it almost impossible for a Republican to win because of cheating, because they cheated like nobody's ever cheated before. And I don't care how long it takes me, you know, we're going to have other states coming forward  pretty good.

But I won't . . . this is never . . . this is . . . We have some incredible talent said they've never seen anything . . . Now the problem is they need more time for the big numbers. But they're very substantial numbers. But I think you're going to fine that they  by the way, a little information  I think you're going to find that they are shredding ballots because they have to get rid of the ballots because the ballots are unsigned. The ballots are corrupt, and they're brand new, and they don't have seals, and there's a whole thing with the ballots. But the ballots are corrupt.

And you are going to find that they are  which is totally illegal  it is more illegal for you than it is for them because, you know, what they did and you're not reporting it. That's a criminal, that's a criminal offense. And you can't let that happen. That's a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer. And that's a big risk. But they are shredding ballots, in my opinion, based on what I've heard. And they are removing machinery, and they're moving it as fast as they can, both of which are criminal finds. And you can't let it happen, and you are letting it happen. You know, I mean, I'm notifying you that you're letting it happen. So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have because we won the state.

And flipping the state is a great testament to our country because, you know, this is  it's a testament that they can admit to a mistake or whatever you want to call it. If it was a mistake, I don't know. A lot of people think it wasn't a mistake. It was much more criminal than that. But it's a big problem in Georgia, and it's not a problem that's going away. I mean, you know, it's not a problem that's going away.

Germany: This is Ryan. We're looking into every one of those things that you mentioned.

Trump: Good. But if you find it, you've got to say it, Ryan.

Germany: . . . Let me tell you what we are seeing. What we're seeing is not at all what you're describing. These are investigators from our office, these are investigators from GBI, and they're looking, and they're good. And that's not what they're seeing. And we'll keep looking, at all these things.

Trump: Well, you better check on the ballots because they are shredding ballots, Ryan. I'm just telling you, Ryan. They're shredding ballots. And you should look at that very carefully. Because that's so illegal. You know, you may not even believe it because it's so bad. But they're shredding ballots because they think we're going to eventually get there . . . because we'll eventually get into Fulton. In my opinion, it's never too late. . . . So, that's the story. Look, we need only 11,000 votes. We have are far more than that as it stands now. We'll have more and more. And . . . do you have provisional ballots at all, Brad? Provisional ballots?

Raffensperger: Provisional ballots are allowed by state law.

Trump: Sure, but I mean, are they counted, or did you just hold them back because they, you know, in other words, how many provisional ballots do you have in the state?

Raffensperger: We'll get you that number.

Trump: Because most of them are made out to the name Trump. Because these are people that were scammed when they came in. And we have thousands of people that have testified or that want to testify. When they came in, they were proudly going to vote on November 3. And they were told, 'I'm sorry, you've already been voted for, you've already voted.' The women, men started screaming, 'No. I proudly voted till November 3.' They said, 'I'm sorry, but you've already been voted for, and you have a ballot.' And these people are beside themselves. So they went out, and they filled in a provisional ballot, putting the name Trump on it.

And what about that batch of military ballots that came in. And even though I won the military by a lot, it was 100 percent Trump. I mean 100 percent Biden. Do you know about that? A large group of ballots came in, I think it was to Fulton County, and they just happened to be 100 percent for Trump  for Biden  even though Trump won the military by a lot, you know, a tremendous amount. But these ballots were 100 percent for Biden. And do you know about that? A very substantial number came in, all for Biden. Does anybody know about it?

Mitchell: I know about it, but 

Trump: Okay, Cleta, I'm not asking you, Cleta, honestly. I'm asking Brad. Do you know about the military ballots that we have confirmed now. Do you know about the military ballots that came in that were 100 percent, I mean 100 percent, for Biden. Do you know about that?

Germany: I don't know about that. I do know that we have, when military ballots come in, it's not just military, it's also military and overseas citizens. The military part of that does generally go Republican. The overseas citizen part of it generally goes very Democrat. This was a mix of 'em.

Trump: No, but this was. That's okay. But I got like 78 percent of the military. These ballots were all for . . . They didn't tell me overseas. Could be overseas, too, but I get votes overseas, too, Ryan, in all fairness. No they came in, a large batch came in, and it was, quote, 100 percent for Biden. And that is criminal. You know, that's criminal. Okay. That's another criminal, that's another of the many criminal events, many criminal events here.

I don't know, look, Brad. I got to get . . . I have to find 12,000 votes, and I have them times a lot. And therefore, I won the state. That's before we go to the next step, which is in the process of right now. You know, and I watched you this morning, and you said, well, there was no criminality.

But I mean all of this stuff is very dangerous stuff. When you talk about no criminality, I think it's very dangerous for you to say that.

I just, I just don't know why you don't want to have the votes counted as they are. Like even you when you went and did that check. And I was surprised because, you know . . . And we found a few thousand votes that were against me. I was actually surprised because the way that check was done, all you're doing, you know, recertifying existing votes and, you know, and you were given votes and you just counted them up, and you still found 3,000 that were bad. So that was sort of surprising that it came down to three or five, I don't know. Still a lot of votes. But you have to go back to check from past years with respect to signatures. And if you check with Fulton County, you'll have hundreds of thousands because they dumped ballots into Fulton County and the other county next to it.

So what are we going to do here, folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break. You know, we have that in spades already. Or we can keep it going, but that's not fair to the voters of Georgia because they're going to see what happened, and they're going to see what happened. I mean, I'll, I'll take on anybody you want with regard to [name] and her lovely daughter, a very lovely young lady, I'm sure. But, but [name] . . . I will take on anybody you want. And the minimum, there were 18,000 ballots, but they used them three times. So that's, you know, a lot of votes. And they were all to Biden, by the way, that's the other thing we didn't say. You know, [name] , the one thing I forgot to say, which was the most important. You know that every single ballot she did went to Biden. You know that, right? Do you know that, by the way, Brad?

Every single ballot that she did through the machines at early, early in the morning went to Biden. Did you know that, Ryan?

Germany: That's not accurate, Mr. President.

Trump: Huh. What is accurate?

Germany: The numbers that we are showing are accurate.

Trump: No, about [name] . About early in the morning, Ryan. Where the woman took, you know, when the whole gang took the stuff from under the table, right? Do you know, do you know who those ballots, do you know who they were made out to, do you know who they were voting for?

Germany: No, not specifically.

Trump: Did you ever check?

Germany: We did what I described to you earlier 

Trump: No no no  did you ever check the ballots that were scanned by [name] , a known political operative, balloteer? Did ever check who those votes were for?

Germany: We looked into that situation that you described.

Trump: No, they were 100 percent for Biden. 100 percent. There wasn't a Trump vote in the whole group. Why don't you want to find this, Ryan? What's wrong with you? I heard your lawyer is very difficult, actually, but I'm sure you're a good lawyer. You have a nice last name.

But, but I'm just curious, why wouldn't, why do you keep fighting this thing? It just doesn't make sense. We're way over the 17,779, right? We're way over that number, and just if you took just [name] , we're over that number by five, five or six times when you multiply that times three.

And every single ballot went to Biden, and you didn't know that, but now you know it. So tell me, Brad, what are we going to do? We won the election, and it's not fair to take it away from us like this. And it's going to be very costly in many ways. And I think you have to say that you're going to reexamine it, and you can reexamine it, but reexamine it with people that want to find answers, not people that don't want to find answers. For instance, I'm hearing Ryan that he's probably, I'm sure a great lawyer and everything, but he's making statements about those ballots that he doesn't know. But he's making them with such  he did make them with surety. But now I think he's less sure because the answer is, they all went to Biden, and that alone wins us the election by a lot. You know, so.

Raffensperger: Mr. President, you have people that submit information, and we have our people that submit information. And then it comes before the court, and the court then has to make a determination. We have to stand by our numbers. We believe our numbers are right.

Trump: Why do you say that, though? I don't know. I mean, sure, we can play this game with the courts, but why do you say that? First of all, they don't even assign us a judge. They don't even assign us a judge. But why wouldn't you . . . Hey Brad, why wouldn't you want to check out [name] ? And why wouldn't you want to say, hey, if in fact, President Trump is right about that, then he wins the state of Georgia, just that one incident alone without going through hundreds of thousands of dropped ballots. You just say, you stick by, I mean I've been watching you, you know, you don't care about anything. 'Your numbers are right.' But your numbers aren't right. They're really wrong, and they're really wrong, Brad. And I know this phone call is going nowhere other than, other than ultimately, you know  Look, ultimately, I win, okay? Because you guys are so wrong. And you treated this. You treated the population of Georgia so badly. You, between you and your governor, who is down at 21, he was down 21 points. And like a schmuck, I endorsed him, and he got elected, but I will tell you, he is a disaster.

The people are so angry in Georgia, I can't imagine he's ever getting elected again, I'll tell you that much right now. But why wouldn't you want to find the right answer, Brad, instead of keep saying that the numbers are right? 'Cause those numbers are so wrong?

Mitchell: Mr. Secretary, Mr. President, one of the things that we have been, Alex can talk about this, we talked about it, and I don't know whether the information has been conveyed to your office, but I think what the president is saying, and what we've been trying to do is to say, look, the court is not acting on our petition. They haven't even assigned a judge. But the people of Georgia and the people of America have a right to know the answers. And you have data and records that we don't have access to.

And you can keep telling us and making public statement that you investigated this and nothing to see here. But we don't know about that. All we know is what you tell us. What I don't understand is why wouldn't it be in everyone's best interest to try to get to the bottom, compare the numbers, you know, if you say, because . . . to try to be able to get to the truth because we don't have any way of confirming what you're telling us. You tell us that you had an investigation at the State Farm Arena. I don't have any report. I've never seen a report of investigation. I don't know that is. I've been pretty involved in this, and I don't know. And that's just one of 25 categories. And it doesn't even. And as I, as the president said, we haven't even gotten into the Dominion issue. That's not part of our case. It's not part of, we just didn't feel as though we had any to be able to develop 

Trump: No, we do have a way, but I don't want to get into it. We found a way . . . excuse me, but we don't need it because we're only down 11,000 votes, so we don't even need it. I personally think they're corrupt as hell. But we don't need that. All we have to do, Cleta, is find 11,000-plus votes. So we don't need that. I'm not looking to shake up the whole world. We won Georgia easily. We won it by hundreds of thousands of votes. But if you go by basic, simple numbers, we won it easily, easily. So we're not giving Dominion a pass on the record. We don't need Dominion because we have so many other votes that we don't need to prove it any more than we already have.

Trump attorney Kurt Hilbert: Mr. President and Cleta, this is Kurt Hilbert, if I might interject for a moment. Ryan, I would like to suggest that just four categories that have already been mentioned by the president that have actually hard numbers of 24,149 votes that were counted illegally. That in and of itself is sufficient to change the results or place the outcome in doubt. We would like to sit down with your office, and we can do it through purposes of compromise and just like this phone call, just to deal with that limited category of votes. And if you are able to establish that our numbers are not accurate, then fine. However, we believe that they are accurate. We've had now three to four separate experts looking at these numbers.

Trump: Certified accountants looked at them.

Hilbert: Correct. And this is just based on USPS data and your own secretary of state data. So that's what we would entreat and ask you to do, to sit down with us in a compromise and settlements proceeding and actually go through the registered voter IDs and the registrations. And if you can convince us that 24,149 is inaccurate, then fine. But we tend to believe that is, you know, obviously more than 11,779. That's sufficient to change the results entirely in and of itself. So what would you say to that, Mr. Germany?

Germany: I'm happy to get with our lawyers, and we'll set that up. That number is not accurate. And I think we can show you, for all the ones we've looked at, why it's not. And so if that would be helpful, I'm happy to get with our lawyers and set that up with you guys.

Trump: Well, let me ask you, Kurt, you think that is an accurate number. That was based on the information given to you by the secretary of state's department, right?

Hilbert: That is correct. That information is the minimum, most conservative data based upon the USPS data and the secretary of state's office data that has been made publicly available. We do not have the internal numbers from the secretary of state. Yet we have asked for it six times. I sent a letter over to . . . several times requesting this information, and it's been rebuffed every single time. So it stands to reason that if the information is not forthcoming, there's something to hide. That's the problem that we have.

Germany: Well, that's not the case, sir. There are things that you guys are entitled to get. And there's things that under law, we are not allowed to give out.

Trump: Well, you have to. Well, under law, you're not allowed to give faulty election results, okay? You're not allowed to do that. And that's what you done. This is a faulty election result. And honestly, this should go very fast. You should meet tomorrow because you have a big election coming up, and because of what you've done to the president  you know, the people of Georgia know that this was a scam  and because of what you've done to the president, a lot of people aren't going out to vote. And a lot of Republicans are going to vote negative because they hate what you did to the president. Okay? They hate it. And they're going to vote. And you would be respected. Really respected, if this thing could be straightened out before the election. You have a big election coming up on Tuesday. And I think that it is really is important that you meet tomorrow and work out on these numbers. Because I know, Brad, that if you think we're right, I think you're going to say, and I'm not looking to blame anybody, I'm just saying, you know, and, you know, under new counts, and under new views, of the election results, we won the election. You know? It's very simple. We won the election. As the governors of major states and the surrounding states said, there is no way you lost Georgia. As the Georgia politicians say, there is no way you lost Georgia. Nobody. Everyone knows I won it by hundreds of thousands of votes. But I'll tell you it's going to have a big impact on Tuesday if you guys don't get this thing straightened out fast.

Meadows: Mr. President, this is Mark. It sounds like we've got two different sides agreeing that we can look at those areas, and I assume that we can do that within the next 24 to 48 hours, to go ahead and get that reconciled so that we can look at the two claims and making sure that we get the access to the secretary of state's data to either validate or invalidate the claims that have been made. Is that correct?

Germany: No, that's not what I said. I'm happy to have our lawyers sit down with Kurt and the lawyers on that side and explain to him, hey, here's, based on what we've looked at so far, here's how we know this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong.

Meadows: So what you're saying, Ryan, let me let me make sure . . . so what you're saying is you really don't want to give access to the data. You just want to make another case on why the lawsuit is wrong?

Germany: I don't think we can give access to data that's protected by law. But we can sit down with them and say 

Trump: But you're allowed to have a phony election? You're allowed to have a phony election, right?

Germany: No, sir.

Trump: When are you going to do signature counts, when are you going to do signature verification on Fulton County, which you said you were going to do, and now all of a sudden, you're not doing it. When are you doing that?

Germany: We are going to do that. We've announced 

Hilbert: To get to this issue of the personal information and privacy issue, is it possible that the secretary of state could deputize the lawyers for the president so that we could access that information and private information without you having any kind of violation?

Trump: Well, I don't want to know who it is. You guys can do it very confidentially. You can sign a confidentiality agreement. That's okay. I don't need to know names. But on this stuff that we're talking about, we got all that information from the secretary of state.

Meadows: Yeah. So let me let me recommend, Ryan, if you and Kurt will get together, you know, when we get off of this phone call, if you could get together and work out a plan to address some of what we've got with your attorneys where we can we can actually look at the data. For example, Mr. Secretary, I can you say they were only two dead people who would vote. I can promise you there are more than that. And that may be what your investigation shows, but I can promise you there are more than that. But at the same time, I think it's important that we go ahead and move expeditiously to try to do this and resolve it as quickly as we possibly can. And if that's the good next step. Hopefully we can, we can finish this phone call and go ahead and agree that the two of you will get together immediately.

Trump: Well, why don't my lawyers show you where you got the information. It will show the secretary of state, and you don't even have to look at any names. We don't want names. We don't care. But we got that information from you. And Stacey Abrams is laughing about you. She's going around saying these guys are dumber than a rock. What she's done to this party is unbelievable, I tell you. And I only ran against her once. And that was with a guy named Brian Kemp, and I beat her. And if I didn't run, Brian wouldn't have had even a shot, either in the general or in the primary. He was dead, dead as a doornail. He never thought he had a shot at either one of them. What a schmuck I was. But that's the way it is. That's the way it is. I would like you . . . for the attorneys . . . I'd like you to perhaps meet with Ryan, ideally tomorrow, because I think we should come to a resolution of this before the election. Otherwise you're going to have people just not voting. They don't want to vote. They hate the state, they hate the governor, and they hate the secretary of state. I will tell you that right now. The only people that like you are people that will never vote for you. You know that, Brad, right? They like you, you know, they like you. They can't believe what they found. They want more people like you. So, look, can you get together tomorrow? And, Brad, we just want the truth. It's simple.

And everyone's going to look very good if the truth comes out. It's okay. It takes a little while, but let the truth come out. And the real truth is, I won by 400,000 votes. At least. That's the real truth. But we don't need 400,000 votes. We need less than 2,000 votes. And are you guys able to meet tomorrow, Ryan?

Germany: I'll get with Chris, the lawyer who's representing us in the case, and see when he can get together with Kurt.

Raffensperger: Ryan will be in touch with the other attorney on this call, Mr. Meadows. Thank you, President Trump, for your time.

Trump: Okay, thank you, Brad. Thank you, Ryan. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you very much. Bye.
Brockton Police have charged a 25-year-old man with murder after he allegedly stabbed his roommate multiple times during an altercation Saturday night.

Police and emergency personnel responded just after 8:30 p.m. to 158 Lisa Drive after multiple 911 calls reporting an altercation. Authorities found an unresponsive male victim bleeding from multiple stab wounds.

Authorities identified the victim as 35-year-old James Jennette, who was pronounced dead after being transported to Good Samaritan Hospital, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz said in a statement Sunday.

After an initial investigation by Brockton Police and Massachusetts State Police, authorities apprehended Robert Savignano, 25, whom police said was involved in an altercation with Jennette, his roommate. Savignano was charged with one count of murder and will be arraigned on Monday, authorities said.

The investigation into the stabbing remains ongoing.

It now appears that the movement has slowed, and what we are seeing now could be considered normal or at least some version of normal.

NACMs Credit Managers Index (CMI) held strong in December with a combined score of 57.8, down a tenth of a point from November and 0.6 points from the high in October. Decembers score is more than three points higher than December 2019. It now appears that the movement has slowed, and what we are seeing now could be considered normal or at least some version of normal, said NACM Economist Chris Kuehl, Ph.D.

Sales drove the improvement in the favorable factors, jumping from 66.5 to 70.2 in December. New credit applications increased half a point to 64.4 as did amount of credit extended (64.8 to 65.3) in December. Dollar collections inched forward two-tenths of a point to 62.8 in the latest CMI. The combined four favorable factors index improved to 65.7 in December from 64.4 the previous month.

The combined six unfavorable factors index slipped one point in December to 52.5. Disputes was the only unfavorable factor to improve from 50.6 to 51.2, yet all six factors remained in expansion territory with scores above 50 for a second month in a row. Rejections of credit applications fell two-tenths of a point to 51.3 as did dollar amount of customer deductions from 51.7 to 51.5 in December. Accounts placed for collection dropped from 56.2 to 51.6, and dollar amount beyond terms slipped from 58.1 to 57. Filings for bankruptcies dipped a half point to 52.5. Despite some weakening of the data in the unfavorable category all the readings are in expansion territory  The favorables are all at least in the 60s this month as well, and that points in a positive direction going into the first quarter.

The manufacturing sector saw some leaps in the favorables. New credit applications increased from 62.4 to 70.2 in December, and dollar collections and amount of credit extended each jumped more than three points. Dollar collections came in at 65.9 compared to 62.3, while amount of credit extended was at 66.8 compared to 62.6. Sales went from 69.9 in November to 71.1 in December to round out the favorable index at 68.5 for the month, up from 64.3 in November. The unfavorable factors caused some trouble for credit professionals, with a huge drop in accounts placed for collection. The factor went from 63 in November to 51.4 in December. Rejections of credit applications declined to 51.3 from 52.5, and dollar amount beyond terms sank to 53.5 from 58.9. Disputes climbed out of contraction territory at 49.8 to land at 50.7 in December. Dollar amount of customer deductions slipped from 51 to 50.6 in December, and filings for bankruptcies dropped from 53.7 to 52.8. The overall manufacturing index declined two-tenths of a point in December to sit at 58.4.

The service sector remained relatively unchanged with an overall score of 57.1 compared to 57.2 in November. Sales increased from 63.1 to 69.3, but new credit applications, dollar collections and amount of credit extended fell. New credit applications declined from 65.4 to 58.7, and dollar collections dipped under 60 as well at 59.7 compared to 62.9 in November. Amount of credit extended fell to 63.9 after a showing of 67 in November. Four of the six unfavorables saw an improvement in December. Rejections of credit applications went from 50.4 to 51.2, while accounts placed for collection emerged from contraction territory at 51.8 compared to 49.4. Disputes improved slightly from 51.4 to 51.7, and dollar amount beyond terms shot up to 60.6 from 57.4. Dollar amount of customer deductions was unchanged at 52.4, but filings for bankruptcies declined two-tenths of a point to 52.2.

The stability that has been noted over the last few months was shaken a little by the resumption of lockdowns, but thus far, this impact has not shaken the index off a course that puts it solidly in the expansion zone, concluded Kuehl.

For a complete breakdown of the manufacturing and service sector data and graphics, view the December 2020 report at http://web.nacm.org/CMI/PDF/CMIcurrent.pdf. CMI archives may also be viewed on NACMs website at http://www.nacm.org/cmi/cmi-archive.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CREDIT MANAGEMENT

NACM, headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, supports approximately 11,000 business credit and financial professionals worldwide with premier industry services, tools and information. NACM and its network of affiliated associations are the leading resource for credit and financial management information, education, products and services designed to improve the management of business credit and accounts receivable. NACMs collective voice has influenced federal legislative policy results concerning commercial business and trade credit to our nations policy makers for more than 100 years and continues to play an active part in legislative issues pertaining to business credit and corporate bankruptcy. NACM's annual Credit Congress & Exposition conference is the largest gathering of credit professionals in the world.

Contact:

Michael Miller

Andrew Michaels

410-740-5560

Website: http://www.nacm.org

Source: National Association of Credit Management

###
As cases of COVID-19 surge to record levels in San Antonio, about 1,400 people received a first dose of Modernas vaccine at the Wonderland of the Americas mall Monday  the equivalent of about eight people every five minutes.

It feels liberating, said Dawna Walden, 63, after getting her shot. Im still going to wear a mask and wash my hands all the time.

University Health offered the free doses to people in the states second tier of recipients  those 65 years and older, pregnant women and anyone over the age of 16 with a pre-existing condition  as part of an initial rollout of 17,310 shots allocated by the state.

More for you News FAQ: When and where Texans can get the COVID vaccine

When the public hospital system issued a call for appointments on New Years Eve, eager recipients filled all the slots in under five hours. On Monday, some showed up hours before their scheduled appointments to wait in a line that stretched through the lower level of the sparsely trafficked Northwest Side mall.

This is just our first 10-day, two-week attempt at this, said Elliott Mandell, chief pharmacy officer at University Health. Could we duplicate this in other areas? Could we have drive-thrus? We have all sorts of plans and capabilities. But its all dependent on supply.

So far, the state has allocated 90,000 doses to Bexar County, where providers have dispensed about 36,000, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Other providers have begun offering COVID-19 vaccinations, but none at the level of University Health.

The Metropolitan Health District is administering its share to home health care workers. Pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens are providing doses only to residents and staff of long-term care facilities, and H-E-B only to health care workers at this time.

Eventually, recipients will need to make appointments with pharmacies and other health care providers to receive a dose.

More doses are coming to University Health this week, and the hospital system is not holding any in reserve.

Were trying to maximize the number of people that get vaccinated, and were really counting on the state to ensure that we get the rest of the vaccine for the second doses, Mandell said.

Distribution takes time, he added.

The way the process works is, once the state decides how much theyre going to allocate, they send an amount to a provider to accept, Mandell said. So we have to say were ready to accept this vaccine: We have the storage. Once we accept it, that doesnt mean its going to be shipped that day.

University Health is not verifying any underlying conditions claimed by recipients.

Were not policing that, Mandell said. Were taking people at their word.

County Judge Nelson Wolff, who was vaccinated last week, arrived at the mall Monday morning to survey the vaccinations along with Mayor Ron Nirenberg and County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez.

In a back hallway, the masked leaders stood with Mandell and George Hernandez, CEO of University Health, to discuss the unfolding  and uncertain  process.

You think youll get some more Moderna? Wolff asked.

Well get some more Moderna this week, Mandell said. And were on a constant weekly shipment. Mr. Hernandez is working desperately hard to ensure that that volume grows.

Whats difficult is the coordination, Rodriguez said. Youve got to start signing people up for the next round.

Elsewhere, vaccinations unfolded less smoothly. This weekend, Christus Santa Rosa Hospital in the South Texas Medical Center offered some doses to people in the second tier of recipients, but they were not administered by appointment and apparently known only by word of mouth.

There have been some people who walked up and were able to get vaccines at our Medical Center location, spokeswoman Nikela Pradier said. However, there were some people who had to be turned away.

Pradier declined to release the number of people vaccinated. She said Christus Santa Rosa was changing its policy to require appointments.

At the Wonderland of the Americas, Wolff was impressed by the efficiency of the operation, especially as pharmacies continue to restrict their doses.

Until that rolls out, if youre going to do a large-scale one, this is absolutely perfect, the county judge said.

Nirenberg also was pleased by the rollout. At the same time, he acknowledged that limited supply was causing frustration for those eager for protection against the coronavirus.

I heard this morning that the federal government grossly overestimated the amount of vaccine that was going to be distributed in the first go-round before the end of the year, the mayor said. They were aiming for 20 million, and they got 14. So everybody is below numbers now.

I dont think anybody is well-organized, Wolff said.

It was unclear Monday when the state would provide enough doses for another round of vaccinations for those in the second tier of recipients, who make up about 60 percent of the countys population.

The state health department did not respond to a request for information Monday.

We know very little, Hernandez said. Were learning as we go, but I think the first day has been fairly efficient. We want to get shots in arms as quickly as possible.

Rodriguez was heartened by the demand.

Theres a glimmer of hope here, he said. People are encouraged. They have confidence in the public health guidance, which is to take the vaccine. But until its mass distributed, its hard to get a gauge on when were going to be out of the woods here.
We are grateful our lawmakers came together in a bipartisan way to include the equal employment opportunity reforms the late Representative Elijah Cummings championed within the NDAA, said Tanya Ward Jordan, President of the Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C).

Earlier today, the Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C) released statements applauding the passing of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021 into law. Notably, H.R. 6395 became law on January 1, 2021 without President Trumps vote after Congress successfully passed override measures after the Presidents veto of the defense bill.

Along with matters relating to the U.S. Department of Defense funding authorizations, the NDAA includes provisions the late Representative Elijah Cummings introduced that passed overwhelmingly in the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2019. Expressly, the provisions serve to combat federal workplace discrimination and retaliation against whistleblowers.

We are grateful our lawmakers came together in a bipartisan way to include the equal employment opportunity reforms the late Representative Elijah Cummings championed within the NDAA, said Tanya Ward Jordan, President of the Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C). To best defend our national security, America must protect our service members and our civil servants who keep our citizens safe. {See Representative Cummings initial introduction of EEO reforms in H.R. 1557 https://youtu.be/IATLKiO7i5Y}

As the C4C celebrates the bill's passage, we also salute the invaluable leadership of the late Congressman Elijah Cummings," said Paulette Taylor, a disabled veteran, and the C4Cs Civil Rights Chair. "Throughout his stellar career, he championed the cause of both our military and federal employees, who serve to uphold the public trust. President Ward Jordan and I are honored to have known him. Equally, we are most appreciative that he allowed the C4C to provide invaluable input to what is now known as the Elijah Cummings Federal Employee Anti-Discrimination Act. The EEO reforms, which the C4C recommended and the late Representative Cummings introduced, are a part of this historic law.

About the C4C:

The Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C), a public interest group, serves as an informational support network for present and former Federal employees injured due to workplace discrimination. The C4Cs mission is to expose and eradicate racism and reprisal in the Federal government, thus fostering efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency in Federal programs and operations.
The month of December marked the ending of a particularly difficult year for the food industry, but amid the hardships, San Francisco and the wider Bay Area saw some new and exciting restaurants emerge at the end of 2020.

Among them was new comer Heroic Italian, an artisanal sandwich shop found within Swirl Wine Bar in the Castro District. There was also Alley & Vine, a high-end restaurant that also has an oyster bar. Restaurateur Michael Mina likewise debuted two new takeout and delivery only concepts that will operate within his already established San Francisco restaurants.

Mina launched Bourbon Burger Bar  a nod to Bourbon Steak in Santa Clara  that will run inside Pabu. Mina also launched Mac 'N Cue in partnership with television personality and cookbook author, Ayesha Curry. That restaurant is located inside Mina's namesake business and fine dining restaurant in San Francisco.

The end of 2020 was particularly difficult on restaurateurs who were limited to takeout and delivery following the regional ban on outdoor dining. On Thursday, San Francisco extended the stay-at-home order indefinitely that will further delay the return of outdoor dining. Until then, customers can support their favorite businesses through takeout, delivery or gift cards.

Take a look at the newest Bay Area restaurant openings below.

Alley & Vine

One of Alameda's latest restaurants is hoping to bring fine dining back during the pandemic. Alley & Vine opened mid-December and offers a California and seasonally focused menu available for takeout or pickup. Read the full story by The San Francisco Chronicle.

Aurum

Manish Tyagi, head-chef of Amber Dhara, opened his very own restaurant on Dec. 22 called Aurum, Eater reports. The new restaurant offers dishes influenced from around the globe and is available for takeout or delivery.

Billingsgate

A new seafood restaurant with an oyster bar opened in San Francisco's Noe Valley, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bourbon Burger Bar

Chef and restaurateur Michael Mina welcomed Bourbon Burger Bar, a new takeout and delivery concept inspired by his restaurant Bourbon Steak in Santa Clara, San Francisco Business Times reports. The new restaurant will operate as a ghost kitchen inside Mina's San Francisco restaurant, Pabu Izakaya.

More for you Food These are the notable San Francisco restaurants that...

Chao Pescao

Formerly known as Soluna Cafe & Lounge, the restaurant renamed itself Chao Pescao with a focus on casual Latin Caribbean food. Tablehopper reports that owner Rene Denis will offer items that include empanadas, Cuban sandwiches, as well as entrees.

El Capitan Taqueria

Nimer and Jennifer Massis, owners of El Capitan Taqueria, have expanded their mini-chain restaurant with its fifth San Francisco location at 198 Guerrero St. Read the full story by Mission Local here.

El Rinconcito Restaurant

San Francisco got a new Honduran restaurant with a menu that includes seafood dishes, like whole fried fish served with plantains, beans, and salad. Eater first reported the opening.

GAY4U VEGAN EATS

The popular vegan restaurant moved this month into a new brick and mortar located in West Oakland, Berkeleyside reports. The restaurant shared an Instagram post to remind customers that all trans people of color can always eat for free.

Heroic Italian

The sandwich shop based in Santa Monica is now found inside San Francisco's Swirl Wine Bar in the Castro, Eater reports. Heroic Italian offers artisanal sandwiches made with local and imported Italian goods.

KoKoLo DONBURI

The Japanese curry and tapas restaurant debuted a Berkeley location in mid-December, as reported by Berkeleyside. Customers can find small plates like gyoza to larger plates that include Wagyu beef curry.

Las Delicias Salvadoran Restaurant

Berkeley got a new restaurant that serves both Salvadorian and Mexican staples, Berkeleyside reports. Its menu hosts a variety of dishes that include pupusas, tacos, burritos, and more.

La Guerreras Kitchen

The mother and daughter duo behind La Guerrera's Kitchen re-opened their business at a larger site in Oakland, Eater reports. Known for its tamales and regional dishes from the Mexican state of Guerrero, La Guerrera's Kitchen will offer takeout and eventually patio dining once allowed.

Little Original Joes

Third-generation owners of Original Joe's opened a smaller counterpart called Little Original Joes in San Franciscos West Portal neighborhood. The new restaurant is a takeout-only concept that also includes a marketplace with plenty of Italian goods. Read more.

Mac 'N Cue

In addition to Bourbon Burger Bar, chef and restaurateur Michael Mina launched Mac 'N Cue in partnership with Ayesha Curry. The new concept will operate for takeout and delivery only and is found within MICHAEL Mina restaurant at 252 California St. Read the full report by the San Francisco Business Times here.

Mi Zacatecas

Cecilia Chairez, owner of Mi Zacatecas, opened a new restaurant location in Oakland at 6633 Bancroft Ave., Eater reports. The restaurant specializes in Mexican food from the north-central state of Zacatecas and is also known for its gorditas.

Ono Bakehouse

Hawaiian-focused bakery Ono Bakehouse, opened on Dec. 11 in Berkeley. Chef-owner Desiree Valencia hosts a menu featuring her signatures, including chocolate haupia pie, Queen Emma cake (her most popular item, made with several layers of passion fruit, guava and coconut mousse), butter mochi, spam musubi, furikake Chex mix and pigs-in-a-blanket-style sausages with Kewpie mayo and seaweed. Read more.

Saison Provisions

Saison Hospitality, the group behind Michelin starred restaurants Saison and Angler, launched a new pantry store concept called, Saison Provisions, availble on Tock. Read The San Francisco Chronicle's story here.

Shake Shack

The burger chain expanded its Bay Area presence with its latest Oakland outpost. The new location at 1954 Telegraph Ave. will be serving the classics including the Golden State Double. Read more.

Starbird

The Bay Area's fried chicken chain opened its first Alameda County location in Oakland, as reported by the East Bay Times. For now, the location will operate for takeout and delivery only.

Tripleta

Aaron London, chef-owner of Michelin-starred Al's Place, joined forces with former AL's Deli general manager Jose Rigau and his brother Juan Felipe Rigau (a former sous chef at Spruce and Sons & Daughters) to bring Tripleta, a Puerto Rican sandwich pop-up to San Francisco. The short-lived pop-up ran through the month of December and offered Puerto Rican street food in addition to sandwiches. Read more.
New 'Tow-Plow' Trucks Being Tested on Area Roads

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - Recent travelers on Interstate 24 and Interstate 69 in Western Kentucky may have seen a couple of unusual new machines.The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says it has been testing two new "tow plow" trucks assigned to District 1 at Paducah that have the capability to clear snow from two lanes at once.The truck runs in the passing lane with a traditional front-mounted plow. When the driver activates a hydraulic system, the attached trailer moves to the driving lane and deploys a plow that clears the driving lane. The plow mounted on the tow plow portion of the trailer is much larger than a traditional truck-mounted snow plow.Kyle Poat, KYTC District 1 Chief Engineer says a single truck with the new plow can salt and plow an area that would normally take two or three trucks.Two of the specially equipped trucks are based in Marshall and Graves counties. A third has arrived for Lyon County, where it is being outfitted to cover an additional section of I-24.Equipment Operator Jimmy Treas will be aboard the tow plow assigned to run I-24 between Calvert City and the Ohio River. Justin Schwinn, a member of the Graves County highway maintenance crew, will cover I-69 and the Purchase Parkway between Mayfield and Fulton.The Cabinet asks travelers to be patient as plow operators clear roads since vehicles will not be able to pass the tow plow when it is in operation. Drivers may spot an escort vehicle following the tow plows during the first few snow and ice events the tow plows are deployed.KYTC District 1 will have three of the five tow plows that are now part of Kentucky's 1,000 truck snowfighting fleet.
In a nation where literature remains sacred, Olivier Nora, above, the head of a leading French publisher for the past 20 years, sees himself as a guarantor of what he described as a social good.

His publication last January of a book by the victim of a pedophile writer set off a national reckoning over sexism, age and consent. It also helped expose what critics of the French publishing industry say is an insulated, out-of-touch literary elite long used to operating above ordinary rules.

Heres what else is happening

Niger massacre: One hundred civilians were reported dead in two villages in a region under siege by militants. Gunmen were described as having singled out men and boys in what was said to be a revenge attack, just a week after Nigers presidential election.

Pakistan attack: Armed men abducted and killed at least 11 coal miners in the southwestern part of the country, officials said. All of the victims were ethnic Hazaras, a minority Shiite group that has often been the target of Sunni extremists.

Assange case: A judge in London plans to rule today on whether Britain should extradite Julian Assange to the U.S., where the WikiLeaks founder faces charges of conspiring to hack government computers and violating the Espionage Act in 2010 and 2011.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
WASHINGTON  Attorney General Ken Paxton is headed to D.C. on Wednesday for a March to Save America Rally supporting President Donald Trump as he and other Texas Republicans continue to deny the results of the presidential election.

All Patriots need to be present to stand with President Trump, Paxton tweeted Sunday night. Paxton led a failed bid last month to have the U.S. Supreme Court toss out the results from four battleground states.

DID HUNDREDS OF 120-YEAR-OLDS REALLY VOTE IN HARRIS COUNTY IN 2020? The short answer: No.

The rally outside the White House is scheduled to take place hours before congressional votes to certify the results of the election.

Democrats are scheming to disenfranchise and nullify Republican votes, the website for the rally says. Its up to the American people to stop it. Along with President Trump, we will do whatever it takes to ensure the integrity of this election for the good of the nation.

Several Texas Republicans have said they will oppose approving the results, the final step in the presidential election process. They include U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who is leading an effort in the Senate against certification.

Their effort has split Republicans in D.C., where GOP leaders and others, including Texas Sen. John Cornyn, have said theyll vote to certify the results, which are expected to be approved despite the opposition.

Cruz and others, meanwhile, have continued to point to claims of election fraud and irregularities, though the presidents lawyers have failed to prove such allegations in dozens of losing court battles.

ben.wermund@chron.com
The offices of investment banking company J.P. Morgan is seen in London, England, on Sept. 2, 2020. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images)

Beware the Corporatocracy

Commentary

A Hollywood dystopian plotline cliche depicts large corporations as despotic exploiters controlling society and manipulating individuals to maximize profits.

Think Alien. Think Blade Runner. Think Robocop.

I have always thought that this villainous corporations plotline was a stretch. Free societies would never, I assumed, surrender personal liberty to the control of big business. But recent developments have convinced me that I was wrong.

Big business is exerting increasing control over our lives and even establishing its own quasi-public policies. And, it turns out, this corporate hegemony isnt so much about maximizing profitsas in the movie plotsas it is enforcing woke cultural and technocratic policy orthodoxies.

Consider what happened in 2015, when Indiana passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The countrys most powerful corporations threatened to boycott the state, claiming that the law would sanction discrimination against the LGBT community. Worried about a vast loss of business opportunities, a second law was soon passed significantly narrowing the RFRAs scope of protection.

The same formula was deployed by corporate leaders in 2016, when North Carolina passed a law requiring people who use government building public restrooms to use facilities consistent with their biological sex. Bigotry! screamed our cultural overseersmany of which happily do business with the communist Chinese that harvest the organs of Falun Gong political prisoners. Soon, the state legislature yielded to the pressure and substantially gutted the law.

The coming of COVID-19 added much heft to the power of corporations to become policy enforcers. First, it was private businesses requiring that masks be worn by all customerswhether or not the law required it. Given the liability potential, the protection masks may provide for employees, and the shell-shocked attitudes of many shoppers, masking demands arent a significant intrusion on personal liberty.

But these mandates established the principle that its a legitimate function of the private sector to enforce public health policies, and even, voluntary guidelines.

Thus, we shouldnt be surprised that there are serious proposals to allow the private sector to encourage vaccine compliance by requiring us to carry vaccine passports proving that we received the COVID-19 jab before being allowed to shop, travel, and go to concerts or sporting events. Think about it. Rather than engage a political brouhaha over the government mandating vaccines, the powers that be could just let the corporations do it.

Private-Sector Authoritarianism

But we are in a public health emergency, Wesley! Yes, I know. But private-sector authoritarianism wont end with the waning of the pandemic. Already, members of the ruling class are suggesting that similar liberty-constraining strategies be deployed as a means of fighting the climate crisis.

The grandees at the World Economic Forum, for example, explained in a June column that the pandemics silver lining was that our compliance with COVID-19 policies demonstrated how quickly we can make radical changes to our lifestyles. When you hear words like that, consider the source and run for the hills!

To encourage even greater public subservience, the WEF launched the Great Reset Initiative to revamp all aspects of our societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions with every industry, from oil and gas to tech, transformed.

Similarly, pandemic-fighting guru Dr. Anthony Fauci called for rebuilding the infrastructure of human existence, from cities to homes to workplaces, to water and sewer systems, to recreational and gatherings venues. Those gargantuan tasks wouldnt be carried out primarily by government, but, to a great extent, pursued and enforced by the private sector.

This emerging corporatocracy is already flexing its muscles. YouTube refused to post videos of scientists with heterodox views on fighting COVID-19 with lockdowns. Facebook has prevented fundraising and advertising for causes and ideas that its woke workforce finds triggering.

Good grief, Twitter censored a legitimate and demonstrably true news story in the New York Post about Hunter Bidens Chinese business dealings in a successful bid to aid his fathers election chances.

Enacting Policies

Meanwhile, private companies have begun enacting their own quasi-public policies that have gone well beyond the already mentioned pressure placed on Indiana and North Carolina.

Banks have begun blackballing legal but controversial industries. For example, Bank of America refuses to lend money to gun manufacturers of assault weapons as a private-sector gambit to reduce mass shootings.

Last October, the financial behemoth JPMorgan announced that it would pressure its customers to align their business practices with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreementeven though official U.S. policy at the time was to withdraw from the accord.

One can easily envisage even broader corporate ideological enforcement paradigms entering the insurance, commercial real estate, manufacturing, and other business sectors.

All of this disturbingly parallels the Chinese Communist Partys despotic social credit system, which deploys cutting edge computer technologies to spy on its citizens. Comply with the state diktats, and ones rent can be lowered. Receiving too many demerits by defying communist rules can lead to eviction, loss of a job, and the inability to ride public transportation.

If we arent careful, the worlds largest and most powerful corporations could establish an analogous private-sector authoritarianismnot to enforce loyalty to the state but acquiescence in social and cultural orthodoxies dictated by experts and cultural influencers. And there would be no way to throw the rascals out, as can be done in democratic governance, since it would just be a matter of private firms creating their own desired business practices.

Heres the bottom line (if you will): If we are to prevent the looming corporatocracy, we must establish robust checks and balances that would limit the power of big business to ride herd over our individual behavior. We had better act fast. The freedom we lose could be our own.

Award-winning author Wesley J. Smith is the chairman of the Discovery Institutes Center on Human Exceptionalism.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc. (the "Company" or "Rexford Industrial") (NYSE: REXR), a real estate investment trust focused on creating value by investing in and operating industrial properties located in Southern California infill markets, today announced the acquisition of a four-building industrial portfolio and an industrial outdoor storage property for $103.1 million. The acquisitions closed on December 31, 2020 and were funded using newly issued operating partnership units (the "OP Units") and cash on hand. For the full year 2020, the Company acquired $1.22 billion in industrial properties, representing 5.0 million square feet, bringing the Company's total portfolio to 248 properties comprising approximately 31.5 million square feet.

"Our transaction activity continues to demonstrate Rexford's ability to capitalize upon our proprietary research- and relationship-driven investment pipeline to acquire high-quality, irreplaceable industrial property within supply-constrained infill Southern California," said Howard Schwimmer and Michael Frankel, Co-Chief Executive Officers of the Company. "This portfolio acquisition provided the seller with the unique opportunity to contribute its property to Rexford through a tax-efficient UPREIT transaction. We also acquired an industrial outdoor storage property at South Lewis Street at a favorable land cost basis, with the potential to construct a new, Class A distribution facility designed to serve unmet last-mile logistics demand. Looking ahead, we believe our deep local market expertise, focus on value-creation and our low-leverage balance sheet position the Company to drive accretive internal and external growth and long-term shareholder value."

The Company acquired through an off-market transaction a portfolio of four high quality, modern single-tenant industrial properties located in the San Fernando Valley, Mid-Counties and Inland Empire West submarkets for $86.3 million, or $208 per square foot. The properties contain a total of 414,744 square feet of improvements on 25.23 acres of land and are 100% leased at rents estimated to be 15% below market rates. The unlevered yield on total investment is expected to stabilize at approximately 4.3% after near-term leases roll, with further cash flow growth over time.

The portfolio purchase was completed using 1.8 million OP Units, newly issued from the Company's operating partnership, Rexford Industrial Realty, L.P., at a value of $47.93 per share, which are redeemable by the seller on a one-to-one basis for shares of the Company's publicly traded common stock.

The properties are located at 29010 Avenue Paine, Valencia (100,157 square feet); 29010 Commerce Center Drive, Valencia (117,151 square feet); 13369 Valley Boulevard, Fontana (105,041 square feet); and 6635 Caballero Boulevard, Buena Park (92,395 square feet).

The Company also acquired an industrial outdoor storage property located at 1235 South Lewis Street in Anaheim, within the Orange County  North submarket, for $16.8 million, or $80 per land square foot. The 4.83-acre low-coverage site located near Anaheim's fast-growing Platinum Triangle area, contains a 62,480 square foot building and is leased at a rent estimated to be 48% below market rates. Over time, the Company has the potential to re-lease at expected higher market rental rates or redevelop the property by constructing a new 105,100 square foot Class A distribution facility designed to appeal to a wide range of tenants including last-mile logistics providers. The stabilized unlevered cash yield on total investment for the two aforementioned scenarios ranges from approximately 4.8% to 5.3%. According to CBRE, the vacancy rate in the 115 million square foot Orange County  North submarket was 1.4% at the end of the third quarter 2020.

About Rexford Industrial

Rexford Industrial, a real estate investment trust focused on creating value by investing in and operating industrial properties throughout Southern California infill markets, owns 248 properties with approximately 31.5 million rentable square feet and manages an additional 20 properties with approximately 1.0 million rentable square feet.

For additional information, visit www.rexfordindustrial.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "intends," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," or "potential" or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases which are predictions of or indicate future events or trends and which do not relate solely to historical matters. While forward-looking statements reflect the Company's good faith beliefs, assumptions and expectations, they are not guarantees of future performance. For a further discussion of these and other factors that could cause the Company's future results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements, see the reports and other filings by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on or about the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, of new information, data or methods, future events or other changes.

Contact:

Investor Relations:

Stephen Swett

424 256 2153 ext. 401

[email protected]

SOURCE Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.rexfordindustrial.com


Ossoff, Loeffler Make Their Cases 2 Days Before Critical Georgia Runoffs

Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) and Senate Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff on Sunday made their cases for why voters should pick them in the Jan. 5 Senate runoff elections.

Loeffler is facing pastor Raphael Warnock while Ossoff is trying to unseat Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.).

Ossoff, who would be the youngest U.S. senator since 1981 if he wins, said he and Warnock are bringing so many young people into the electorate and empowering people to make their voices heard.

It feels in Georgia like we are on the cusp of a historic victory that will usher in a new era in American history, after four years of gross incompetence and racism and hatred and bigotry, Ossoff said on CNNs State of the Union.

Ossoff said hes seeking office so that people can have the opportunity to pursue their dreams. Among his agenda items are expanding the Pell Grant program and raising the minimum wage.

Issues Warnock is campaigning on, according to his campaign website, include reforming the criminal justice system so fewer people are imprisoned, giving Americans affordable health care by building on the Affordable Care Act, and loosening immigration restrictions while ramping up oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Loeffler, who emerged from a free-for-all special election with the pastor to finish Sen. Johnny Isaksons (R-Ga.) term, said that Georgia voters are fired up because they know the future of the country is on the ballot here in Georgia.

Its a choice, its a stark contrast between the freedoms, our way of life here in Georgia, or socialism, government control, she said on Fox News Sunday.

Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock speaks to a drive-in rally in Culloden, Ga., on Jan. 1, 2021. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) attends a campaign event as he runs for reelection at the Olde Blind Dog Irish Pub, in Milton, Ga., on Dec. 21, 2020. (Al Drago/Reuters)

Democrats want open borders, to defund the police, and to implement government-run health care, Loeffler said.

The senator, who was appointed to fill Isaksons seat temporarily following his retirement, said she may object to electoral votes during the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress but that she wouldnt be able to if voters dont choose her.

And then we have to be able to pursue holding people accountable for how these elections were handled, she said, pointing to evidence of irregularities that has been presented in courts and state legislature hearings.

According to Perdues campaign website, he is a champion for term limits for politicians, reining-in out-of-control spending, growing the economy, and tackling our nations debt crisis.

Both Loeffler and Perdue say theyre strong supporters of President Donald Trump, who is contesting election results while his opponent, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, prepares a transition after declaring victory in the election.

Ossoff and Warnock have called for voters to elect them because, they say, Bidens agenda would be blocked if Democrats dont flip the Senate. As of now, Republicans hold a 50-48 majority in the upper chamber. Democrats can gain control through the tiebreaking vote vice presidents can cast if they win both runoffs and the White House.
President Moon Jae-in visits Seoul National Cemetery, Saturday. Yonhap



By Do Je-hae



President Moon Jae-in is being criticized for the government's lax handling of mass infections at the Dongbu Detention Center in southeastern Seoul.



The opposition bloc is increasing its attack on the President, calling for him to make a personal apology and demanding a National Assembly review of the incident.



According to the justice ministry, Monday, 1,090 cases of COVID-19 infections have been reported among people related to the correctional facility including detainees, staff at the facility and their family members.



Since the facility emerged as a major hotbed for COVID-19, the authorities have been moving some of the detainees to some other detention centers to reduce density, but evidence abounds of the correctional authorities' poor handling of the situation as the cause of the mass infection.



Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun already apologized for the situation, but the main opposition has criticized President Moon for not paying attention to the situation.



Main opposition People Power Party (PPP) interim leader Kim Chong-in called on the President to apologize. "This is a result of the government's failed quarantine response," Kim said during a party meeting, Monday. "The management of a detention facility is entirely the government's responsibility. The primary responsibilities fall upon the justice minister and ultimately, the President."



The main opposition questioned the President's alleged indifference to the situation calling it incomprehensible, particularly given his background as a human rights lawyer and his emphasis throughout his political career on human rights.



"The number of infections has soared over 1,000, almost half the number of all the detainees. The values of life, safety and human rights have completely been ignored as the situation unfolded. President Moon said the people come first above anything else, but the situation at the Dongbu Detention Center shows the true face of the Moon administration and its hypocrisy."



Some politicians have likened him to the captain of the Sewol ferry, who became a target of public indignation for evading his responsibilities during the sinking of the ferry that resulted in the deaths of more than 300 passengers in 2014.



"There are some serious violations of human rights at detention centers and care facilities, but the Moon administration has abandoned its responsibility toward them. How is he different from the caption of the Sewol ferry who told the passengers to just put on a life jacket and wait," former PPP lawmaker Yoo Seong-min wrote on his Facebook.



Other lawmakers of the PPP called on the need to introduce a National Assembly investigation and even a special counsel to look into the Dongbu case.



But the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) hit back. "We accept the people's criticisms that the initial response of the government was insufficient. But the PPP's comparison to the Sewol ferry captain is a political attack. There is no consideration for the public in such political wrangling," Rep. Kang Sun-woo, a DPK spokesperson, said.



Cheong Wa Dae has said that the quarantine authorities have been dealing with the case and the President has given instructions.


Nursing home workers in Ohio were opting out of the vaccination in great numbers, according to Gov. Mike DeWine, while Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles, now a center of the pandemic, warned that vaccine distribution was moving far too slowly. Hospitalizations of Covid-19 patients during the past month have more than doubled in California.

The vaccines authorized so far in the United States are produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. Britain has greenlit the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines.

All of them are intended to be delivered in multiple doses on a strict schedule, relying on a tiered protection strategy. The first injection teaches the immune system to recognize a new pathogen by showing it a harmless version of some of the viruss most salient features.

After the body has had time to study up on this material, as it were, a second shot presents these features again, helping immune cells commit the lesson to memory. These subsequent doses are intended to increase the potency and durability of immunity.

Clinical trials run by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna showed the vaccines were highly effective at preventing cases of Covid-19 when delivered in two doses separated by three or four weeks.

Some protection appears to kick in after the first shot of vaccine, although its unclear how quickly it might wane. Still, some experts now argue that spreading vaccines more thinly across a population by concentrating on first doses might save more lives than making sure half as many individuals receive both doses on schedule.

That would be a remarkable departure from the original plan. Since the vaccine rollout began last month in the United States, second shots of the vaccines have been held back to guarantee that they will be available on schedule for people who have already gotten their first injections.
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There are some trucking companies that have what is known as an electronic logging device. This logger is actually a computer software program that keeps track of everything that goes on with the trucks. It can track the route, the fuel consumption and the maintenance on the vehicle. The trucking electronic logging devices in the truck can be hooked up to the company computer system and all of this can 
As the covid-19 pandemic heads for a showdown with vaccines it's expected to lose, many experts in the field of emerging infectious diseases are already focused on preventing the next one.

They fear another virus will leap from wildlife into humans, one that is far more lethal but spreads as easily as SARS-CoV-2, the strain of coronavirus that causes covid-19. A virus like that could change the trajectory of life on the planet, experts say.

"What keeps me up at night is that another coronavirus like MERS, which has a much, much higher mortality rate, becomes as transmissible as covid," said Christian Walzer, executive director of health at the Wildlife Conservation Society. "The logistics and the psychological trauma of that would be unbearable."

SARS-CoV-2 has an average mortality rate of less than 1%, while the mortality rate for Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS  which spread from camels into humans  is 35%. Other viruses that have leapt the species barrier to humans, such as bat-borne Nipah, have a mortality rate as high as 75%.

"There is a huge diversity of viruses in nature, and there is the possibility that one has the Goldilocks characteristics of pre-symptomatic transmission with a high fatality rate," said Raina Plowright, a virus researcher at the Bozeman Disease Ecology Lab in Montana. (Covid-19 is highly transmissible before the onset of symptoms but fortunately is far less lethal than several other known viruses.) "It would change civilization."

That's why in November the German Federal Foreign Office and the Wildlife Conservation Society held a virtual conference called One Planet, One Health, One Future, aimed at heading off the next pandemic by helping world leaders understand that killer viruses like SARS-CoV-2  and many other less deadly pathogens  are unleashed on the world by the destruction of nature.

With the world's attention gripped by the spread of the coronavirus, infectious disease experts are redoubling their efforts to show the robust connection between the health of nature, wildlife and humans. It is a concept known as One Health.

While the idea is widely accepted by health officials, many governments have not factored it into policies. So the conference was timed to coincide with the meeting of the world's economic superpowers, the G20, to urge them to recognize the threat that wildlife-borne pandemics pose, not only to people but also to the global economy.

The Wildlife Conservation Society  America's oldest conservation organization, founded in 1895  has joined with 20 other leading conservation groups to ask government leaders "to prioritize protection of highly intact forests and other ecosystems, and work in particular to end commercial wildlife trade and markets for human consumption as well as all illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade," they said in a recent press release.

Experts predict it would cost about $700 billion to institute these and other measures, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society. On the other hand, it's estimated that covid-19 has cost $26 trillion in economic damage. Moreover, the solution offered by those campaigning for One Health goals would also mitigate the effects of climate change and the loss of biodiversity.

The growing invasion of natural environments as the global population soars makes another deadly pandemic a matter of when, not if, experts say  and it could be far worse than covid. The spillover of animal, or zoonotic, viruses into humans causes some 75% of emerging infectious diseases.

But multitudes of unknown viruses, some possibly highly pathogenic, dwell in wildlife around the world. Infectious disease experts estimate there are 1.67 million viruses in nature; only about 4,000 have been identified.

SARS-CoV-2 likely originated in horseshoe bats in China and then passed to humans, perhaps through an intermediary host, such as the pangolin  a scaly animal that is widely hunted and eaten.

While the source of SARS-CoV-2 is uncertain, the animal-to-human pathway for other viral epidemics, including Ebola, Nipah and MERS, is known. Viruses that have been circulating among and mutating in wildlife, especially bats, which are numerous around the world and highly mobile, jump into humans, where they find a receptive immune system and spark a deadly infectious disease outbreak.

"We've penetrated deeper into eco-zones we've not occupied before," said Dennis Carroll, a veteran emerging infectious disease expert with the U.S. Agency for International Development. He is setting up the Global Virome Project to catalog viruses in wildlife in order to predict which ones might ignite the next pandemic. "The poster child for that is the extractive industry  oil and gas and minerals, and the expansion of agriculture, especially cattle. That's the biggest predictor of where you'll see spillover."

When these things happened a century ago, he said, the person who contracted the disease likely died there. "Now an infected person can be on a plane to Paris or New York before they know they have it," he said.

Meat consumption is also growing, and that has meant either more domestic livestock raised in cleared forest or "bush meat"  wild animals. Both can lead to spillover. The AIDS virus, it's believed, came from wild chimpanzees in central Africa that were hunted for food.

One case study for how viruses emerge from nature to become an epidemic is the Nipah virus.

Nipah is named after the village in Malaysia where it was first identified in the late 1990s. The symptoms are brain swelling, headaches, a stiff neck, vomiting, dizziness and coma. It is extremely deadly, with as much as a 75% mortality rate in humans, compared with less than 1% for SARS-CoV-2. Because the virus never became highly transmissible among humans, it has killed just 300 people in some 60 outbreaks.

One critical characteristic kept Nipah from becoming widespread. "The viral load of Nipah, the amount of virus someone has in their body, increases over time" and is most infectious at the time of death, said the Bozeman lab's Plowright, who has studied Nipah and Hendra. (They are not coronaviruses, but henipaviruses.) "With SARS-CoV-2, your viral load peaks before you develop symptoms, so you are going to work and interacting with your family before you know you are sick."

If an unknown virus as deadly as Nipah but as transmissible as SARS-CoV-2 before an infection was known were to leap from an animal into humans, the results would be devastating.

Plowright has also studied the physiology and immunology of viruses in bats and the causes of spillover. "We see spillover events because of stresses placed on the bats from loss of habitat and climatic change," she said. "That's when they get drawn into human areas." In the case of Nipah, fruit bats drawn to orchards near pig farms passed the virus on to the pigs and then humans.

"It's associated with a lack of food," she said. "If bats were feeding in native forests and able to nomadically move across the landscape to source the foods they need, away from humans, we wouldn't see spillover."

A growing understanding of ecological changes as the source of many illnesses is behind the campaign to raise awareness of One Health.

One Health policies are expanding in places where there are likely human pathogens in wildlife or domestic animals. Doctors, veterinarians, anthropologists, wildlife biologists and others are being trained and training others to provide sentinel capabilities to recognize these diseases if they emerge.

The scale of preventive efforts is far smaller than the threat posed by these pathogens, though, experts say. They need buy-in from governments to recognize the problem and to factor the cost of possible epidemics or pandemics into development.

"A road will facilitate a transport of goods and people and create economic incentive," said Walzer, of the Wildlife Conservation Society. "But it will also provide an interface where people interact and there's a higher chance of spillover. These kinds of costs have never been considered in the past. And that needs to change."

The One Health approach also advocates for the large-scale protection of nature in areas of high biodiversity where spillover is a risk.

Joshua Rosenthal, an expert in global health with the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health, said that while these ideas are conceptually sound, it is an extremely difficult task. "These things are all managed by different agencies and ministries in different countries with different interests, and getting them on the same page is challenging," he said.

Researchers say the clock is ticking. "We have high human population densities, high livestock densities, high rates of deforestation  and these things are bringing bats and people into closer contact," Plowright said. "We are rolling the dice faster and faster and more and more often. It's really quite simple."
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I was glad to see that the recent consultants report, which was done for the state on improving the New Mexico economy, mentions New Mexico is the only state that allows tax pyramiding and its effects on the New Mexico economy need to be evaluated.

I retired in New Mexico to be near my grandchildren four years ago and have found my contacts dont seem to understand tax pyramiding. Tax pyramiding has two harmful effects: one is that it places a huge cost burden on component manufactures, and second it kills the development of a core community business sector. A core community business sector would be like the development of the advanced manufacturing business in Colorado, where a few pioneering companies led to the creation of dozens of companies, including companies in advanced manufacturers supply chains.

I led a component supplier in Minnesota that manufactured diesel particulate filters used in trucks. We sold to companies that manufactured diesel particulate control systems, that sold to diesel truck manufacturers, that then sold to diesel truck users. This is a very typical supply chain, most of which have three or more levels of manufacturers. In every other state, the only company paying sales taxes, or as New Mexico calls it gross receipt taxes (GRT), would be the diesel truck user, the company that uses the product for its own business. Every other company in the supply chain gets a resellers certificate  some states use other equivalent names  which allow the company not to pay sales tax on any item that is used to produce something that is not used by the company. So no tax was due on raw materials or components that were used to produce a product that was eventually sold to another company.

In New Mexico, companies pay gross receipt tax on most items they purchase if used by the company or used to produce a product that is later sold to others, meaning that any component supplier is at a cost disadvantage to a competitor from another state where sales tax is not due on raw material or component purchases. With a long supply chain, tax pyramiding simply raises costs to a noncompetitive level.

I believe there are some exemptions granted by the state for manufacturers to avoid paying gross receipt taxes on items they resell, particularly micro-electronic producers  otherwise Intel probably wouldnt have a factory in Rio Rancho.

As bad as tax pyramiding is for component manufactures, it has a far worse consequence. It kills the development of a core community business sector. A thriving sector has the manufacturer of the final product which will be sold to an end user working closely with its supply chain to develop new products, and to improve the products they have. In New Mexico, supply chain manufactures cant thrive because tax pyramiding keeps manufacturers in the supply chain from starting manufacturing here.

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If you check our neighbors, they all have core business sectors: Arizona has aerospace, electronics and semi-conductor manufacturing; Colorado has advanced manufacturing, aerospace, bioscience and defense and homeland security electronics; Utah has aerospace and health technology. These sectors give rise to companies that are listed on major stock exchanges. Arizona has 33 public companies with market capitalization of $50 million or more. The Bloomberg Colorado Index lists 60 major stocks, and Utah has 17 listed companies. New Mexico has one, PNM, which is not a manufacturing company.

Former Gov. Susana Martinez tried to get GRT reform on the Legislatures agenda a few years ago, but nothing has happened with the current administration.

I hope the Legislature takes the consultants report to heart and starts to look into why we are the only state in the nation without resellers certificates and calculate just how much harm that is doing to our states economy.
ullstein bild Dtl./ullstein bild via Getty Images

Well, if you thought we were leaving weird news behind in the new year, think again.

Reports this weekend are coming out that a sign of extraterrestrial life could have made its way to our solar system in 2017. And if you think its coming from a wackadoo conspiracy theorist, think again...again.
New Delhi, Jan 4 : Actor Ishaan Khatter recently returned from Maldives after ringing in the new year with rumoured girlfriend Ananya Panday in the scenic island tourist hub.

The "Khaali Peeli" co-stars have been sharing pictures from their escapade and giving major travel goals to their fans.

However, one post has caught the attention of their fans, where Ishaan has called Ananya his 'muse'. The actor recently uploaded a montage from the vacation in Maldives.

In the caption of the video, Ishaan wrote: "New year, new energy ? Cut a montage from my first proper 'holiday'. Shot, graded and edited on iPhone 12pro by me (with some help muse and additional videography: @ananyapanday) 'Icy Violence' by @sadnightdynamite." Ishaan's reference to Ananya as his muse has sent strong waves of excitement among their followers, with many of them asking about Ananya in the video.

Although Ananya and Ishaan have worked together only once, in Maqbool Khan directorial Khaali Peeli, the two young stars have often been spotted spending time along with mutual friends. Neither of them has commented on their relationship status.

Besides Ishaan and Ananya, Rakulpreet Singh, Kiara Advani, SidharthMalhotra, Tara Sutaria and Aadar Jain also visited Maldives to welcome the new year.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The party was born after 18 delegates of the communist fraction decided to leave the socialist party in protest back in 1921.

The party first made its way into the Luxembourgish administration after the Second World War and was subsequently entrusted with the poste of Minister of Health. Their best-ever election results came about in 1968 when KPL won six seats in the Chamber. Nevertheless, the party has been waiting for a return to the Chamber of Deputies since 1994.

"The communist model has not yet become obsolete", party president Ali Ruckert declared on Saturday morning in Niederkorn. He further alluded to the challenges the party managed to prevail over, such as the year-long persecution during the Cold War era: "We still remember when our offices in Esch were destroyed and our members went into hiding in Niederkorn."

An honorary badge has now been installed in front of the cafe in Niederkorn, where the Communist Party of Luxembourg was brought to life on 2 January 1921.
The Daily Beast

Theo WargoCNN boss Jeff Zucker on Tuesday addressed network staffers concerns over the revelations that primetime star host Chris Cuomo advised his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on how to respond to the multiple sexual harassment allegations against him.During a Tuesday afternoon town-hall meeting with staff, Zucker claimed he understood the unease over Cuomos conduct, saying in no uncertain terms that it was a mistake for the primetime star to participate in strategy calls advising his politically powerful brother.He did cross a line, Zucker said.Last week, The Washington Post reported that Cuomo joined strategy calls helping plan his powerful brothers rebuttals to mounting allegations that he harassed multiple women and made some female staffers feel uncomfortable. According to multiple sources who were present on one meeting, the CNN host even mentioned invoking cancel culture as a way to combat the claims.The CNN boss said he personally voiced his displeasure to Cuomo, and that he had considered the options for how to handle the star hosts unfolding scandal. Ultimately, Zucker said that rather than suspending Cuomo, the network decided the host should have to go on-air and personally apologize to his viewers.And so during his 9 p.m. ET broadcast, Cuomo declared that it will never happen again and insisted he knows where the line is.In a statement following the Post bombshell last week, CNN admitted it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governors staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward. The network added that Cuomo would not be disciplined further.But the top anchors decision to secretly participate in the strategy calls assisting his embattled brother has, indeed, irked numerous network staffers. CNN insiders who spoke with The Daily Beast this week expressed frustration with the networks handling of the incident, saying Cuomo should have faced more serious consequences.Im very disappointed in the network, said one current on-air personality. I think some disciplinary action, at a minimum, was required in this situation. The source added, As a woman who works here, I feel a little let down, to be honest.Staff were particularly interested in Tuesdays town hall following one of the more eventful weeks for the network following a high-profile sale and the departure of one noteworthy on-air contributor.During the call, Zucker said that Rick Santorum was given an opportunity to apologize for what the CNN boss referred to as the ex-senators inappropriate and racist comments about Native Americans, but because he refused to do so, the network ultimately fired the conservative pundit.And elsewhere in Tuesdays town hall, Zucker downplayed the impact of AT&Ts decision to merge WarnerMedia, CNNs parent company, with Discovery. Asked about whether CNN could be spun off as part of the deal, the network chief said he did not think that was in the cards.And when pressed on his own future at the network, Zucker said he plans to have conversations with the right people very soon.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
 Flash

Another 54,990 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 2,654,779, according to official figures released Sunday.

It was the sixth day in a row that daily new cases have topped 50,000 in Britain.

Another 454 have died within 28 days of a positive test, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain to 75,024, the data showed.

Earlier Sunday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said regional restrictions in England are "about to get tougher" in the coming weeks to curb rising coronavirus infections.

British medical experts have warned that tougher days are still ahead due to the spread of the new virus strain, which is said to be 70 percent more transmissible.

"This new variant is definitely more infectious and is spreading across the whole of the country. It seems very likely that we are going to see more and more cases, wherever people work in the UK, and we need to be prepared for that," Professor Andrew Goddard, president of the Royal College of Physicians, told the BBC on Saturday.

London and many other parts of England have already been under the highest Tier Four restrictions, which require residents in the areas to stay at home, with limited exemptions.

In the Tier Four areas, people are also urged to work from home when they can, and should not enter or leave those areas. People should also not mix with anyone outside their own household, apart from support bubbles.

The British government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has urged all regions of England to be placed in Tier Four restrictions

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.
Queen Margrethe of Denmark has become the first royal to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.

The 80-year-old was inoculated on New Year's Day, according to a brief statement issued by the Royal Court.

It was also confirmed that the monarch would receive the second dose in around three weeks as is usual with the batch.

Margrethe II is the first European sovereign to officially announce the news of her vaccination.

Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace refuses to say if Her Majesty or Prince Philip have been given the Covid vaccine, insisting that it's a 'private' matter.

Queen Margrethe of Denmark, 80, (pictured) received her first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on New Year's Day

The statement from the Danish royal house read: 'Her Majesty the Queen was vaccinated today against COVID-19. The Queen will be re-vaccinated in about three weeks' time.'

Other world leaders to have already been vaccinated include US president-elect Joe Biden, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Czech prime minister Andrej Babis and Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

It comes after the mother-of-two chose to spend Christmas with her younger son, Prince Joachim, 51, along with his wife Princess Marie, 44, and his four children at Schackenborg Castle in Tnder.

Prince Joachim is currently recovering from an emergency brain surgery carried out in France this summer after he was diagnosed with a blood clot.

The mother-of-two is the first European sovereign to officially announce the news of her vaccination

Queen Margrethe's other son, Crown Prince Frederik, 52, celebrated separately with his wife Princess Mary, 48 and their four children at Frederik VIII's Palace at Amalienborg.

The family usually reunite for the holidays at their Marselisborg Palace in Aarhus but the rules in Denmark state that only up to 10 people could mark the occasion indoors, and with both brothers having families of six, it was not be possible for both to join the Queen.

In October, the royal family announced that the Queen had cancelled their New Year's Gala, which usually sees officials as well as representatives of major organisations and the royal patronages flock Christiansborg Palace for a glamorous evening.

It has been a troubled year for the Danish Royal family, with Prince Joachim undergoing emergency brain surgery in France in late July.

It comes after Margrethe chose to spend Christmas with her younger son, Prince Joachim, 51, along with his wife Princess Marie, 44, and his four children (pictured in 2019) at Schackenborg Castle in Tnder

The Queen's youngest had been celebrating his son's 18th birthday in France with his current wife Princess Marie, his ex-wife Countess Alexandra of Frederiksborg, and the children from both his marriage: Prince Nikolai, 21, Prince Felix, 18, Prince Henrik 11 and Princess Athena, eight.

He gave the Danish royal family a scare when he was rushed to the Toulouse University Hospital in France, where he was immediately operated on.

A statement by the Danish royal court said at the time: 'His Royal Highness Prince Joachim was admitted to the University Hospital of Toulouse, France, late last night.

Queen Margrethe's other son, Crown Prince Frederik, 52, celebrated separately with his wife Princess Mary, 48 and their four children (pictured together in 2018)due to coronavirus restrictions

'The prince was operated on immediately afterwards for a blood clot in the brain and the operation was successful. The condition of His Royal Highness is stable.'

The court communicated that his doctors were confident he would suffer no effects as a result of the blood clot.

He was eventually allowed to return home to his family last month after two weeks in care.
Santa Ana Police Investigating Homicide

Homicide detectives in Santa Ana, California, are investigating their first homicide of the year.

Police said a man, whose name and age have not been released, was found dead about 6:45 p.m. Jan. 2. The victim was discovered in the living room of a home in the 1800 block of W. 18th Street, and suffered significant injuries to his upper torso.

Police are asking anyone with information to call (714) 245-8390, or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.
The Union government, which is planning a major policy push to raise the share of natural gas in Indias energy mix from the current level of 6.2% to 15% by 2030, is considering a proposal to bring natural gas within the ambit of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) -- a move that will make it cheaper for both industrial and domestic use, two officials aware of the matter said.

Levies on natural gas vary from state to state, ranging as high as 24%, a major deterrent to making it a peoples fuel.The ministry of petroleum and natural gas (MoPNG) has proposed to bring natural gas under GST to have a uniform tax rate across the country. The matter is under consideration, the officials said, requesting anonymity.

Petroleum secretary Tarun Kapoor confirmed the development. There is a demand from the industry [to impose GST on natural gas], which is also supported by the MoPNG. But, then it has to go to the GST Council, he said, referring to the GST body comprising state and central representatives.

The two officials mentioned above said gas transportation and state-specific value added tax (VAT) on natural gas are two major components that make natural gas costly. Gas, which is bought at the cost of $1-1.5 million metric British thermal unit (mmBtu) and has a landed cost of around $3 per unit, becomes $8 per unit for customers, they said.

Petroleum products such as crude, diesel, petrol, natural gas and aviation turbine fuel (ATF) are awaiting the GST Councils approval to be included under the GST net. As these products are major revenue earners for some states, they want their individual freedom to levy VAT as per their financial requirements.

DK Srivastava, chief policy adviser at consultancy firm EY India, said all petroleum products should eventually be brought under the GST regime so that input taxation on these products can be neutralised.

While other products may wait, natural gas can be brought within the GST regime without any significant revenue loss for states and the central government since, currently, it is being taxed at relatively low levels, although rates differ across states and between the Centre and states, he said. The central excise on natural gas is 14%, while VAT rates vary from 3% to 24% from state to state, the officials mentioned above said.

One of the officials said, The matter has come up during recent pre-budget discussions and a proposal to have GST on natural gas could be placed before the GST Council after stakeholders consultations.

The council is the apex federal body on GST matters and it is chaired by the Union finance minister. Its members are finance ministers of states and Union territories. The councils decisions are often unanimous.

Speaking at an industry event on December 17, petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that India was ushering a gas-based economy by increasing the share of natural gas in its primary energy mix in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision of one nation, one gas grid.

PM Modi on Tuesday will inaugurate the 450-km Kochi-Mangaluru natural gas pipeline that will eventually provide clean gas to industrial and domestic consumers of Kochi, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, Kasaragod and Mangaluru districts, the officials said.

There is immense potential for PNG (piped natural gas) connections as there are 290 million liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) connections as against 7.5 million PNG connections. PNG is cheaper, cleaner and convenient for consumers, hence an element of policy focus that requires a uniform GST rate on natural gas, the second official said.

Sunil Kumar, chartered accountant at Taxmann -- the publisher on taxation matters -- said: Non-inclusion of natural gas under the GST regime is adversely impacting gas producers, suppliers and industrial consumers as they are facing issue of tax cascading or tax on tax and non-availability of credits on procurements.

Divakar Vijayasarathy, founder and managing partner at consulting firm DVS Advisors LLP, said taxes on natural gas have a cascading effect and impact both on industrial and domestic consumer rates. This would discourage usage of gas as an energy source... Extraction of natural gas is highly capital intensive and attracting foreign investments under this sector would be critical. Hence the government should improve ease of operations for this sector to achieve its target of clean energy and development of national gas grid.
Deaths from COVID-19 and new cases of the disease surged in the UK over the holiday period. The 454 deaths announced yesterday took the tally in the last eight days to 4,588. Over the same period, just under 400,000 new cases were detected. Almost 55,000 cases were announced yesterday, with over 50,000 cases announced daily over the previous five days.

Hospitals in major cities are now so full of Covid cases that patients are having to be treated in ambulances on arrival or being sent elsewhere. According to a leaked National Health Service (NHS) email obtained by Sky News, intensive care units in three London hospitalsNorth Middlesex University Hospital, Barnet Hospital and Whittington Hospitalwere "full" on New Year's Eve. This left patients waiting to be transferred to other hospitals for critical care.

Boris Johnsons Conservative government has pursued a policy of herd immunity throughout the pandemic, allowing 2,654,779, people to be infected with the loss of over 75,000 lives according to official figures, and around 90,000 when Covid is mentioned on the death certificate. Today it is urging primary schools throughout England to reopen after the Christmas holiday.

Ambulances outside Manchester's Royal Infirmary on Saturday (credit: WSWS)

Schools have been a major vector for the spread of COVID-19, worsened by a new and more contagious variant of the disease. Despite this, Johnson stressed on Sundays BBC Andrew Marr Show that parents should send their children to school in all areas of England where they are open. His government views schools as holding pens that enable parents to go to work and keep the profits rolling in.

Mass resistance to this murderous policy is growing and pressure from educators and parents, mainly organised on social media, has forced a crisis ridden and widely hated government to make several U-turns, including delaying the reopening of secondary schools until January 18.

London and the surrounding county of Essex are at the epicentre of the disease in Britain. On Saturday, the government announced that all primary schools (children from four and 11) in London must remain closed at the start of the term. Previously it had insisted only those primaries in 22 of London's 32 boroughs would be affected by closures. Primaries in 27 other local authorities in the UK have also been told to close for an indefinite period, meaning a million children will not return.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson (credit: Wikimedia Commons-Kuhlmann/ MSC)

On Sunday, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, who on New Years Eve declared, We are absolutely confident that all schools are returning, said that secondary schools in England may remain closed for weeks beyond the scheduled mid-January return date.

Forced to note the national mood--with one opinion poll showing that he would lose a general election and even his own seat--Johnson told Marr, It may be that we need to do things in the next few weeks that may be tougher. Even so Johnson continued to lie, declaring that "I understand people's anxieties, but there is no doubt in my mind schools are safe."

The governments own Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies said the opposite on December 22 and December 31. Appearing on the same show, SAGE adviser Professor Mark Walport said the new variant of COVID-19 has transmitted more readily in younger age groups as well. It is going to be very difficult to keep it under control without much tighter social restrictions. We know that a person between 12 and 16 is seven times more likely than others in a household to bring the infection into a household."

Laura Duffel, a matron at a London hospital, told the BBCs Radio Five Live Saturday, Weve have children coming in and it was minimally affecting children in the first wave we now have a whole ward of children here. I know that some of my colleagues are in a similar position where they have whole wards of children with Covid.

The number of educators dying from Covid is also increasing. Among recent deaths are Paul Hilditch, a 55-year-old who taught engineering and technology at Conyers School in Yarm, North Yorkshire; Michael Haigh, a 60-year-old school site worker; Lynne Morgan, a learning support assistant at Christ the King College on the Isle of Wight, and Michele Cockrill, a 62-year-old teaching assistant and mother of two from Sittingborne, Kent.

In a particularly tragic case, the Daily Mirror reported Saturday that an entire five-member family was struck down with coronavirus after one their children, aged 12, contracted the disease after returning to school in September. The disease took the life of his grandmother, Maria Rico.

The terrible toll taken by the pandemic is the political responsibility of the trade unions and Labour Party, which have collaborated with the Tories throughout in reopening the economy and forcing educators and students back into schools, colleges and universities.

Mounting popular opposition has forced a change of tack.

On Saturday, the National Education Union (NEU), which had previously only called for a delay in reopening secondary schools to allow for the testing of pupils, issued fresh advice to its half a million members. Avoiding any mention of industrial action, the NEU wrote that it is in our view, unsafe for you to attend the workplace at present The NEUs advice is that you should decide to advise your head teacher or principal that you will not be attending the workplace but will be available to work remotely from home.

The NEU called on members to fill in a model letter telling their employers that under relevant health and safety regulation, I am exercising my contractual right not to attend an unsafe place of work.

While declaring that it is completely committed to ensuring that children can return to school as quickly as possible, the 300,000 strong National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers stated Saturday that it now supported the immediate move to remote education for all schools, as it was abundantly clear that the pandemic is seriously impacting on the ability of all schools to continue to operate normally.

The National Association of Head Teachers, previously among the staunchest in insisting that schools stay open, declared, We are calling upon government to remove people in schools from the physical harm caused by the current progress of the disease. It planned to advise members that they should not discipline any teachers who refuse to come into work.

The main public sector union, Unison, which has more than 350,000 members in the education sector, including many classroom assistants, and the GMB general union, took the same position.

The unions are seeking to head off a rebellion by their members. The scale of opposition was indicated by the 100,000-strong attendance at an online NEU meeting, called to discuss the crisis, Sunday morning.

The same political calculations led Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who infamously said that schools must be re-opened, no ifs, no buts in September, to insist yesterday that "the virus is clearly out of control, and that it was necessary to bring in restrictions now, national restrictions, within the next 24 hours."

All educators must be aware from their past record that as soon as is practical, the unions will work with Labour and the Tories to herd children and staff back into school. According to ITV News Political Correspondent Dan Hewit, Starmer does not want a full lockdown as in March, but a limited circuit breaker as was carried out in November, with a senior Labour Party source telling him that schools should be the last to close.

The Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee, initiated by the Socialist Equality Party, is organising the fight to close schools and campuses. We are holding an online public forum on January 9 at 2pm. We call on all educators, parents, students and pupils to register to participate and distribute the link to this critical meeting as widely as possible.
Source: AFP

The government and the farmers unions will meet again on January 4 to discuss the two pending demands of repealing the three contentious agri-reform laws and provision of a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for procurement.

The two sides, in the last meeting on December 30, reached some common ground and agreed on two demands  removing stubble burning penalties on farmers and withdrawing provisions in the draft Electricity Amendment Bill, 2020, which intend to change the mode of subsidy payment to farmers.

Follow LIVE updates on Farmers' Protest here

The Samyukt Kisan Union, the umbrella body of farmers unions protesting on Delhi borders has threatened that the farmers will lead a tractor parade into Delhi, and across country, on January 26, if the remaining two demands are not met. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations on January 26 this year.

If the demands are not met by the government till January 26, the farmers will peacefully and non-violently lead a trolley parade into Delhi. Similar marches will be held in all state capitals and district headquarters, Darshan Pal, president of Krantikari Kisan Union, one of the protesting farmers organisations said.

READ: Farmers protest: Four-point agenda put forward by farmer unions for December 29 meet with Centre

A day before the talks, agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar, who is leading centres side, met defence minister Rajnath Singh on January 3 and discussed the government strategy to resolve the crisis.Tomar discussed with Singh all possible options to find a middle path to resolve the crisis, news agency PTI quoted sources.

Singh, who served as agriculture minister in the erstwhile Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet, has emerged as a key troubleshooter and is working mostly behind the scenes on this issue.

On January 1, Tomar had told PTI that the government is hopeful of a positive outcome at its January 4 meeting with farmers unions but refrained from predicting whether the seventh round of talks will be the last one.

The farm union leaders have threatened many other actions, too. Some groups said they will also announce dates for shutting all malls, petrol pumps in Haryana to press for the pending two demands. Also, Farmers protesting at Shahjahanpur on the Haryana-Rajasthan border will move towards Delhi, Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav said.

The sixth round of talks between the two sides concluded on December 30 with a consensus on two of the four demands raised by the protesting farmers.

The government said the meeting was decisive. Farmers' union leaders said it was half victory hoping that the other two demands will be accepted in the January 4 meeting.

The meeting on December 30 was the first round of talks between the two sides since December 5. The earlier round of talks scheduled for December 9 was called off a day after an informal meeting of home minister Amit Shah with some Union leaders failed to reach any breakthrough.

For more than a month now, thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh, are camping along Delhi borders seeking complete repeal of the three agri-reform laws, among other demands.

The Centre has projected these farm reform laws as major agriculture reforms aimed at helping farmers and increasing their income, but the protesting unions fear that the new legislation has left them at the mercy of big corporates by weakening the MSP and mandi systems.

BRUSSELS - The Portuguese presidency of the EU inaugurated its first day of work, replacing Germany whose previous semester was marked by intense negotiations on the Recovery plan, on the rule of law and the post-Brexit commercial agreement with Great Britain. The Portuguese presidency intends to implement the agreements concluded, including the seven-year budget of the European Union. Lisbon's objective is a recovery that is ''fair, green and digital''.



In a tweet, the Portuguese presidency wrote that today is being held ''the first meeting of coordination Coreper 1 to prepare a week of work''. On the agenda of the Portuguese presidency is the visit to Lisbon tomorrow of the president of the European Council Charles Michel.


Under normal circumstances, Covington resident Billie Stanga would be busy right now hot gluing beads to a bustier to wear for the 20th year of parading by members of the Divine Protectors of Endangered Pleasures, also known as Divas.

But this is 2021, and with the parades canceled, Stanga has set her sights on a larger surface.

This year, she's going to turn her house into a Mardi Gras-themed float to celebrate this Carnival season.

Stanga saw the house float movement that began on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain as a way to bring a little Mardi Gras spirit to the city of Covington (as well) in this most unusual of times.

It reinvents the idea of stay at home.

Friend and fellow Diva Shiloh Moates agreed, and the pair put the word out to inspire others, resulting in the theme Rollin on the 3 Rivers, 2021 House Floats. Moates has already commissioned an artist to create a commemorative wooden throw.

There is no official parade time or event, Stanga said. Instead, the idea is for the themed homes to be on display through Mardi Gras day on Tuesday, Feb. 16.

Their efforts garnered support from the city of Covington and the Covington Business Association, which are promoting the idea and will develop an official map of the floats.

Association President Michael Hunley said registration is free through the Covington Business Association.

It will be free to register a house or business as a float, he said, and membership in the association is not required.

The deadline to be listed on the map is Jan. 15. Homes should be decorated by Jan. 23, Stanga said, and remain up through Mardi Gras.

Covington Mayor Mark Johnson is excited about the new opportunity.

St. Tammany top stories in your inbox A weekly guide to the biggest news in St. Tammany. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

I love the way our community has come together during these trying times to stay safe, to respect the social distancing guidelines and yet to enjoy life and our culture, Johnson said.

Stanga said the Rollin' on the 3 Rivers theme is broad. It is completely up to the residents or business how they wish to decorate.

Water is the inspiration for her float, which will transform the front of her house into a boat dock.

While it is not necessary to hire a professional float designer or artist, we do have a list from both the north shore and the south shore of artists that are interested in helping with the house floats, she said. Its a way to put some of the float artists to work.

One designer is Mardi Gras Decorators in Slidell. They have more than 35 floats, and they build and design for St. Tammany krewes and as far away as Biloxi and Shreveport.

And with a warehouse full of decorated floats that will not roll this year, owner Rachel Elsensohn is happy to find ways to put her sculptors and painters to work.

"We have been promoting these artists and others on our Covington Krewe of House Floats page," Stanga said.

Who says there will be no Mardi Gras? Stanga said of the house float movement. Its a way, instead of a parade, to bring a little Mardi Gras spirit to your house.

Liz Bragdons home is near the center of downtown Covington, and she loves the spirit of the idea. She said it may be the next step in the evolution and growth of Mardi Gras, with the emphasis on neighborhoods allowing for more individual and small group participation and expression.

She said krewes still have restrictions for membership, but this allows for anyone, with large homes or small, to join in the fun.

As far as the spirit and idea, Bragdon said, Its a new movement to carry us forward.

For information, email r3r2021@gmail.com, visit www.facebook.com/r3r2021, the city of Covington at www.covla.com or the Covington Business Association at www.gocovington.org.
New Delhi, Jan 4 : Congress leader and senior advocate Kapil Sibal on Monday told the Supreme Court that a plea by Goa Congress leader Girish Chodankar seeking disqualification of 10 MLAs who switched to the BJP from the Congress in July 2019, has been pending for one-and-a-half years.

Sibal contended before a bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde that the disqualification petition with the Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly was filed in August 2019 and no decision has been taken so far.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing some of the MLAs whose disqualification has been sought, said the reply on Chodankar's plea has already been filed and the matter can be fixed for hearing. The bench also comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian, told Sibal, who was representing Chodankar, that it will take up the plea in the second week of February. The Congress leader urged the apex court to ask the Speaker to decide the matter.

Chodankar cited last year's August 11 order directing the listing of the plea after two weeks, yet the registry did not list the matter. The top court observed that no one could have a vested right in delay.

Sibal cited the Supreme Court verdict, which ruled that the Speaker must decide the disqualification matter at the earliest. "The Speaker must decide now", said Sibal citing the decision in Keisham Meghachandra Singh v. the Hon'ble Speaker Manipur Legislative Assembly & Others, which set a 3-month timeline for the Speaker to decide on disqualification. Rohatgi contended the matter would be taken up by the Speaker on merits. Sibal replied the Speaker must decide the matter immediately, not on merits.

Chodankar contended that a disqualification petition was moved against 10 MLAs who switched to BJP before the Speaker. However, the plea is yet to be heard.

In the disqualification plea, Chodankar had contended that these MLAs had ex-facie incurred disqualification under Article 191(2) of the Constitution, read with para 2 of the Tenth Schedule. He insisted that they are liable to be disqualified as members of the Assembly.
1. Yes. The public must have assurances that ethical standards are met by everyone.

2. Yes. As long as an independent board hears the grievances, its a worthwhile idea.

3. No. The concept is too broad. It should be limited to the citys elected officials.

4. No. There are plenty of stipulations in place already. An ordinance is a waste of time.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say without seeing how it would be structured and applied.

Vote

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CLEVELAND, Ohio  A federal appeals court has ruled that adolescent students at three Toledo parochial schools can return to classes in buildings that were closed because of the coronavirus.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week overturned a decision by Lucas County health officials Dec. 4 that closed middle-school and high-school buildings through Jan. 11 because of the pandemic. Attorneys for the schools called the decision to prevent the in-person classes at the religious schools discriminatory.

On Dec. 16, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Helmick sided with the countys health officials and refused an attempt at an injunction, saying the decision does not single out parochial schools for harsher treatment than secular schools receive.

The schools immediately appealed to the appeals court, which stressed that the decision violated the schools rights. The schools attorneys said that the private schools closed while the county allowed gyms, tanning salons, office buildings and a large casino to remain open.

The appeals court granted the injunction, allowing the schools to permit in-person classes. The case returns to Helmick for further proceedings. The schools that sued over the closing order were Monclova Christian Academy, Emmanuel Christian Academy and St. Johns Jesuit High School.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 21:59:52|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- The target killings, mostly in the shape of deadly magnetic bombs, have been continuing to claim lives of Afghans as 11 people, with majority of them civilians, have been killed over the past 24 hours in the militancy-battered Afghanistan, officials said on Monday.

In the latest string of target killings a blast struck a police van in Behsoud district of the eastern Nangarhar province Monday afternoon, killing two local police and wounding three others, a statement of the provincial government confirmed.

A similar explosion also targeted a vehicle in Police District 8 of the capital Kabul at 7:20 a.m. local time Monday, injuring two security personnel, police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz said, but didn't clarify if the victims were police or army personnel.

Earlier in the day, two unidentified armed men shot dead a civilian in the southern Kandahar city and escaped, police spokesman Jamal Barikzai said.

On Sunday, a magnetic bomb ripped through a vehicle in the eastern Kapisa province, killing five civilians and injuring nine others, including a top cleric who headed religious council in the relatively restive province, police spokesman in the province Abdul Shaeq Shurash told Xinhua.

Unknown armed men also gunned down three security personnel in the eastern Ghazni on Sunday afternoon, provincial police spokesman Ahmad Khan Sirat said.

Target killings are increasing as the negotiating teams of the Afghan government and the Taliban are due to resume peace talks in Doha on Tuesday after more than a three-week break.

"Taliban militants by increasing violent incidents in the shape of target killings on one hand want to terrorize the people and on the other hand want to secure concessions at the talks on negotiating table," local observer Khan Mohammad Daneshjo said.

However, the Taliban outfit has rejected its involvement in target killings, saying the group is ready to resume peace talks on Tuesday. Enditem
When he was growing up, William Baer Endictors parents used to give him a piece of advice that he still carries with him today: "You have a responsibility when you leave this life to leave it in a better condition than you found it."

"Its indelibly imprinted in my brain," Endictor, 82, said.

Today, the retired Atlanta attorney and 1959 graduate of The Citadel has dedicated his life to fulfilling that responsibility.

The former assistant solicitor for the state of Georgia and Fortune 500 CEO made headlines in 2009 when, to celebrate his 50th class reunion, he named the public military college as the sole beneficiary of his entire estate. Only a handful of other donors in the schools 178-year history have made such a commitment.

In the decades that followed, Endictors estate has grown significantly, allowing him to substantially increase his donation.

The value of his legacy gift today totals approximately $20 million, one of the largest contributions the school has ever received.

Endictors gift will be processed through The Citadel Foundation, an independent nonprofit dedicated to raising funds for the school.

Bill Yaeger, the foundations senior director of legacy giving, said half of the donation, or about $10 million, will go toward the nonprofits annual academic endowment. This money is aimed at supporting educational enrichment opportunities, such as scholarship support for faculty and students, program enhancements and technology upgrades or improvements.

The rest will be classified as "unrestricted giving," meaning the money can go toward whatever endeavors the school requires most.

"Academic enhancement is the lifeblood of this institution, supporting our mission to educate principled leaders," Gen. Glenn Walters, Citadel president, said in a statement. "By generously supporting this fund, Bills estate gift secures his legacy of leadership and reinforces his lifetime of service to his alma mater."

Flexible donations like this are often rare. But, Yaeger said, it wasnt surprising that Endictor opted for this type of gift.

"One of Bills favorite things to say that he learned a long time ago is, You hire good people, you give them a job and you get out of their way," Yaeger said.

The legacy donation will have a profound impact on the military college and its operations, Yaeger said.

"Its a huge gift for The Citadel," he said. "Were a relatively small college, and weve got less than 25,000 living alumni."

Over the years, Yaeger and Endictor have maintained a longstanding friendship.

Endictor is deeply passionate about The Citadel, Yaeger said, not only because of his financial contributions but also his heavy involvement in the school's operations after graduating.

Endictor is a former president of The Citadels Alumni Association, and he previously served on the Presidents Advisory Committee and The Citadel Foundation Board of Directors.

He is a member of The Citadel Legacy Society and the Society of 1842 lifetime giving societies, and in 2011 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the school.

"Hes a good man with a big heart that loves his college and the people he went there with," Yaeger said. "He has always come back and tried to help out in any way that he can."

Life lessons

Endictor was born and raised in Detroit. When he was 7 years old, his family relocated to Charleston, where he spent the remainder of his adolescence. His maternal grandfather lived nearby in Summerville as a farmer.

His familys home on Dunnemann Avenue sat just 40 feet from The Citadel campus. After befriending a Citadel cadet as a high school senior, Endictor used to make frequent trips across the street to visit the school's mess hall and barracks.

"You cant do that now," he said with a laugh.

But more restricted access to the campus isn't the only thing thats changed in the 61 years since Endictor was a student himself.

"I thought I knew what The Citadel was all about. I didnt have a clue," he said.

Long gone are the days when disorderly freshmen had to scrub the insides of the 50-gallon communal trash bins at the barracks, he said.

"In terms of the military, that freshman year was a very rude awakening. But I learned how to take orders," he said.

Endictor credits his tenure at The Citadel for two other important life skills: a commitment to hard work and persistent punctuality.

"I always do what I say I will do. Its tattooed in my brain," he said. "If I tell you Im going to be doing something, you can take it to the bank."

Endictor graduated from the college in 1959 as a pre-med major with a Bachelor of Science Degree. He briefly attended the Medical College of Virginia before realizing his true passion was law. He transferred to the University of South Carolinas School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor, and he was admitted to the Bar in 1963.

During his time as assistant solicitor for the state of Georgia, Endictor became well-known for his work to combat child pornography and organized crime. He even litigated two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

In the '70s, Endictor joined E.T. Barwick Industries, one of the largest international manufacturers of floor coverings, as its corporate lawyer. He eventually advanced to the position of CEO and member of the board of directors. Under his leadership, it became a Fortune 500 company.

"In business, just like in the military, you have a mission statement," Endictor said. "And I have one invaluable rule: The customer is always right. No exceptions."

Manufacturing leaders

After receiving a quadruple cardiac bypass surgery in the early 2000s, his thoughts in the recovery room often returned to the childhood advice he received from his parents. He wanted to ensure that he left the world better than the way he found it.

"I have no way to explain it. I decided that no matter how hard I worked, I was never going to be the richest person in the graveyard," Endictor said.

He terminated his private law practice and shifted his entire focus to humanitarian work, most notably at Feed the Hungry and the Atlanta Community Food Bank, along with several local hospitals.

"I just want to do as much as I possibly can to make sure people arent hungry," he said.

In addition to combating food insecurity, Endictor is passionate about cultivating talented leaders.

He hopes his legacy donation will help his alma mater continue to further this training at the military institution.

"At The Citadel, they are manufacturing leaders," he said. "And this country desperately needs leadership."
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The UK formally left the single market and customs union of the EU on 1 January after the two sides agreed upon a post-Brexit deal on 24 December, seven days before the deadline. According to the Brexit trade and security deal, UK nationals will no longer have unrestricted freedom to work, study, start a business or live in the EU, and vice versa, though both sides will have tariff-free and quota-free access to each others markets. Brexit will creater both opportunities and challenges for India. It will open the window to negotiate a free trade agreement, but many Indian companies that had their base in the UK for EU operations may face significant trade barriers. In an interview, David Henig, director of the UK Trade Policy Project at the European Centre for International Political Economy, demystifies the implications of a post-Brexit deal for the UK and India. Edited excerpts:

Also Read | A year on, China is shaking up the world

Like any other trade deal, the UK-EU post-Brexit deal creates winners and losers on both sides. Which sectors or sections of society will it help or harm on either side?

In terms of the economics, all parts of the UK economy will face extra barriers to EU trade in the future. The initial projection is that the UKs superior competitiveness in services will mean this sector is better prepared for these barriers than manufacturing, but we have to see how this will develop after January. Politically, the Conservative Party and Prime Minister Boris Johnson have done well out of this deal to seem united compared to the opposition Labour Party. For the EU, the member states most exposed to economic losses are Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands, those closest to the UK. It seems the EU obtained more of what it wanted, in terms of protecting its markets from unfair competition, than the UK, though both are happy.

How will the deal impact London as a global financial centre?

There is considerable debate about the impact of Brexit on the city of London. As a global financial centre, I believe that London should be able to adjust to greater barriers to EU services, with the use of subsidiaries and creative structures. However, there are threats. Some US banks believe they could now serve the EU as well those from the US, as the UK-EU regulators will try to ensure activity inside the bloc is properly resourced, and EU regulations do disadvantage third countries. Financial services equivalence, according to EU rules, cannot be taken for granted. It may, therefore, take us a year or more to fully understand the impact.

Has Britain secured complete regulatory independence from the EU through the deal? What is the UK likely to do with its regained sovereignty?

The EU is a global regulator and it is hard for any country to fully escape this. It is even harder for neighbours of the EU, as the EU tends to use access to the market as a lever for regulatory alignment. This will be assisted by clauses in the UK-EU agreement, which could penalize divergence. The UK has no specific aspirations for regained sovereignty in terms of regulatory changes, but we can expect to see some divergence.

Scotland and Northern Ireland, which are parts of the UK, were opposed to Brexit. While the UK has avoided a hard land border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, how will these issues unfold?

Northern Ireland will continue to follow many EU rules particularly in goods, and the chances have increased that at some stage in the coming years it will leave the UK and unite with the Republic of Ireland. There is a Scottish election in 2021 and pro-independence parties are likely to win an overall majority of votes. It is not clear whether there will be another referendum in the near future, but recent polls have suggested if there is, the result is likely to be a narrow vote to leave the UK. Thus the UK faces serious threats to its status.

How will the trade deal impact Indian manufacturers based in the UK? Will the zero-tariff deal mean there will be no hurdles for them to access the EU market or will non-tariff barriers and customs regulations change ground reality?

There will be considerable barriers to UK manufacturers, such as JLR (Jaguar Land Rover owned by the Tatas), from 1 January compared to the current position. These include reaching rules of origin thresholds for zero tariffs, ensuring the correct regulatory approvals for the final products, and potential delays at borders. The competitiveness of the UK compared to the EU for manufacturing may well be reduced and in typically low-margin businesses, such as volume car manufacturing, this could be significant.

The deal is expected to create major disruptions in the services sector. Does that open opportunities for Indian companies or increase the risk?

The services sector is diverse and beyond saying barriers will rise, (but) it is hard to say exactly what the impact will be. Issues will include the difficulties of UK citizens working in the EU, and vice versa, recognition of professional qualifications, and strict reservations of member states on provision of services by non-EU member states.

To the extent the UK is now outside the EU, there may be scope for Indian services companies to compete with those from the UK in the EU, but I would expect the UK services sector to remain strong.

India and UK both have hinted that they will explore a free trade agreement. Is India in UKs priority list for a trade deal?

A free trade agreement with India is not the UKs immediate priority. USA, Australia, New Zealand and accession to the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) are highest, and there are also replacement deals to be negotiated with Canada, South Korea, and Mexico.

However, the UK is keen to complete as many trade agreements as possible, with the content less important than the headline numbers. Tariff reduction is the most important so far, but traditional UK interests for financial services and Scotch Whisky are also prominent.

How will the UK and EU address concerns of other World Trade Organization (WTO) members about tariff rate quotas (TRQs)?

The issue of the UKs WTO quotas is still unresolved, but this process may be helped by a UK-EU deal, meaning quotas will not be used for this trade. The expectation has always been that the UK would have to increase the size of quotas, perhaps not significantly, but this may happen ahead of trade deals with Australia and New Zealand.

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Four years after the Shiv Sena promised voters it would waive property tax of structures up to 500 square feet and won the Mumbai civic polls, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday said it would issue property-tax bills to owners of such structures, with a partial waiver.

The Sena-led BMCs decision, even as it said the state government in 2019 had waived only the general tax component, would mean owners of 1.85 lakh properties (all less than 500 square feet) in the city will be issued bills worth over 500 crore, considering the BMC issues notices for unpaid taxes of the past two years.

While the Sena, earlier, had blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Devendra Fadnavis government for not clearing the entire proposal for waiving property tax for structures less than 500 square feet, there has been no development on the same in the past year even though Sena is the ruling party in the state.

The Sena, ahead of the 2017 civic polls, had made a promise that if voted to power, it will waive off property tax for structures up to 500 square feet. However, the decision could not be implemented as the waiver mandated the state government to amend the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act. Following this, the BJP-Sena government led by Fadnavis in 2019 made the required amendment. However, the rider was that the waiver would only be limited for the general component of the tax, which is 10-20% of the total.

There are six to seven other components, including sewage charge, drain charge, which the property owners would be required to be paid. But the BMC did not implement this, and owing to the sensitivity of the matter, the BMC did not issue bills to property owners, citing ambiguity, for two years now. Later, it had also sought some clarification from the state and the BMCs law department said it has written to the state, seeking some clarification on the waiver.

However, now the BMC has decided that it will issue bills to such property owners as the state government has waived off only the general component. P Velrasu, additional municipal commissioner, BMC, said, We have given the bills for printing and now all property owners will be issued bills for property tax. In case of properties below 500 square feet, we will issue bills, excluding the general component of the tax.

Velrasu added, We had sought opinion from our law department and it has given us the opinion that excluding the general component, the BMC should levy property tax from owners of properties below 500 square feet.

Property tax is one of the biggest revenue avenues for BMC. It collects annually around 4,000 crore to 5,000 crore in property tax, and the outstanding amount is around1,500 crore.

The BJP has now claimed that the Sena has backtracked on its promise made to voters. The BJP on Monday staged a walk-out from the BMCs law committee meeting, where there was a discussion on levying property tax for structures below 500 square feet.

Atul Shah, BJP corporator, said, We walked out of the meeting as the BMC is not implementing the order, regarding the 500 square feet waiver. We asked BMC to clarify. The BMC said they will look into the matter after getting details. After this, we [BJP] decided to walk out.

Harshad Karkar, Sena corporator, said, The BJP is doing only politics on the waiver of property tax. In the BJP-Sena government also, we had taken up this issue. Also, in the coming days, we are confident that our state government will completely waive off property tax for owners of properties below 500 square feet.

Meanwhile, Nikhil Desai, a civic activist said, The Sena should have clarified it earlier in 2017 that only the general tax component will waived and not complete property tax. But now due to slowdown caused by Covid-19, if BMC cannot waive entire property tax, the Sena should promise to implement a complete waiver in the coming years.
Supporters of President Donald Trump rally to protest the 2020 election, at Freedom Plaza in Washington on Dec. 12, 2020. (Jose Luis Magana/AFP via Getty Images)

Pro-Trump Protest Organizers Announce New Details for Jan. 6

People organizing pro-President Donald Trump protests in Washington for Jan. 6 announced new details over the weekend.

Amy Kremer, a March for Trump organizer, said the event shes organizing will be at The Ellipse, a 52-acre park south of the White House.

The location is just steps from the White House! Kremer wrote on Twitter, urging people to get to the spot early, noting that doors will open at 7 a.m.

Like similar protests late last year, several groups are planning separate events that are expected to flow into one another.

Organizers say they want to support Trump and protest against what they describe as the stealing of the presidential election, pointing to evidence of election irregularities in states like Georgia.

Democrats are scheming to disenfranchise and nullify Republican votes. Its up to the American people to stop it. Along with President Trump, we will do whatever it takes to ensure the integrity of this election for the good of the nation, the March for Trump RSVP page states.

Trump announced Friday he plans to join the protests, a boost to supporters who plan on attending. Organizers have projected a turnout of up to 1.5 million people.

The Stop the Steal movement told people to gather in The Ellipse at 9 a.m. before moving to the U.S. Capitol building at 1 p.m. on Jan. 6.

Ali Alexander, the lead organizer for the Stop the Steal movement, said pressure from his group led to 11 more Republican senators committing to objecting to electoral votes during the joint session of Congress. Members will be counting votes as protests carry on outside.

Yalls calls worked, Alexander said during a Periscope video on Saturday.

The groups website says that Congress cannot certify this fraudulent Electoral College.

Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Kelli Ward attends an event in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 22, 2018. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Alexander added early Monday that Stop the Steal events this week have added new speakers, including Arizona Republican Chairwoman Kelli Ward.

Additional speakers include Georgia Rep. Vernon Jones, a Democrat, and Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Lance Gooden (R-Texas), and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), according to the group.

Other events are taking place on Jan. 5, including a rally hosted by Moms for America and a Stop the Steal protest.

Trump said Jan. 6 will be a historic day and promised to join the events, which he previously said will be wild.

Most of the streets around the Capitol will be closed starting 12:01 a.m. Tuesday through 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

Police reminded people planning to attend the rallies that District of Columbia code bars anyone from carrying a firearm within 1,000 feet of any First Amendment activity, including anyone who has obtained a concealed carry permit in the district.

Democrats have criticized plans to object to Electoral College votes and some Republicans said over the weekend they would not join the effort.

The 2020 election is over. All challenges through recounts and appeals have been exhausted. At this point, further attempts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election are contrary to the clearly expressed will of the American people and only serve to undermine Americans confidence in the already determined election results, Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said in a joint statement with six Democratic senators.




In the early Middles Ages, manorial lords would keep a priest in their household, and usually ended up building a separate chapel for them to say Mass. Out of the Lord's manorial landholdings grew the parishes, and from the private chapels developed parish churches.

Many parish registers were kept during the Middle Ages, but sadly none survive outside the Vatican Archives, whence many were sent by anxious priests during the Reformation. Very few of these registers are identified by place and access to them is not allowed so, for our purposes, parish registers date from 1538.

Before 1830 there were some 11,000 parishes in England and Wales. Since then, many new parishes have been created out of older, larger ones, with former chapels of ease' (built to save parishioners' lengthy journeys to the parish church) becoming parish churches in their own right. The parish was run by a clergyman, or incumbent, either a vicar, rector or parson. When clergymen had more than one parish, they either neglected their duties in one or paid a curate to undertake the work on their behalf. The clergyman or curate's work of baptizing, marrying and burying resulted in one of the most important genealogical tools, parish registers (PRs).

Below the clergyman was a council called the vestry and also a staff of parish officials, who performed many of the functions that had been performed before the Reformation by manorial officials. They generated a wealth of records relating to our ancestors, known by their traditional place of storage, the parish chest.

PARISH REGISTERS

Parish registers to which access is permitted date from 1538 and consist of baptisms, marriages and burials, we normally turn to PRs, once we have gone as far back as we can through General Registration records and census returns, and indeed the latter will indicate in which parish you will need to search. Baptism records provide parents names, which lead back to searches for marriages. Marriage records do not provide ages or parents' names, so we use the ages usually recorded in burial registers to ascertain when our ancestors would have been baptised. By working back step by step, it is sometimes possible to trace back to the 16th century unaided by any other categories of records. But because PRs are not always very informative, genealogists end up seeking further co-ordinates on their ancestors from sources such as manorial records, wills and so on.

It was Thomas Cromwell, Vicar-General to Henry VIII, who inadvertently laid the foundations of modern English genealogy by issuing orders to all parish clergy to keep registers of baptisms, marriages and burials. Unfortunately, most were kept on paper and have been lost to damp, rats, fire or flood, so only a small proportion of registers date from 1538. In 1558, so orders were issued for registers to be kept on parchment, and the survival rate increases rapidly, though in general terms relatively few have survived from before 1600.

While the Anglican Church was a religious institution, it was also a branch of the state and if anyone, except Quakers and Jews, wanted legal proof of their marriages and their children's ages and legitimacy they had no choice but to have Anglican marriages and baptisms, Equally, until relatively recently, there were very few places to bury a body except for the ancient, consecrated ground of parish churches, 5 most people, Anglican, atheist, agnostic and non-conformist alike, lie buried in parish churchyards. It is often helpful, therefore, to think of PRs not so much as religious records, but as civil ones.

BAPTISMS

These provide the date of baptism, name of the child and the father's full name. In the 16th and early 17th centuries, parents' names were sometimes not recorded, reducing genealogical research to a guessing-game, although hopefully, other sources such as manorial records will have survived to provide further coordinates. Mothers' Christian names usually appear from the 17th century. Between 1780 and 1812, mothers' maiden names appear fairly often and, as the 18th century progressed, it became more usual to record the child's date of birth as well. Fathers' occupations and places of residence within the parish were often recorded.

In 1812, Rose's Act introduced printed registers with spaces requiring:

Date of baptism

Name of child

Name, residence and occupation of father and the Christian name of the mother

All of which are excellent for genealogy, but removed most of the optional extra information, which many clergymen had hitherto been recording.

If the child was too ill to be bought to church, it might be privately peptised at home. The register entry may record this as P' or Priv', and when the child was finally brought to church for a public ceremony, the register entry might be annotated rec'd' or received into the church'.

MARRIAGES

Marriages before 1754 gave the date of marriage and the Christian and surnames of both parties. Additional information was sometimes given, such as the groom's occupation, the bride's father's name and whether the marriage was by banns or licence. Marriages usually took place in the bride's parish, but those by licence might take place in the town where the licence was issued.

On 25 March 1754, Hardwicke's Marriage Act came into force and remained so until 1837. Marriages had now to take place (with certain exceptions) in the bride or groom's parish by an Anglican clergyman, either after banns had been read in both parties' home parishes for three Sundays running, or on the production of a marriage licence. Jews and Quakers were not obliged to comply, but everyone else had to, regardless of denomination. Boys could still marry at 14 and girls at 12, but parental consent was required for all under 21. Marriages were now to be recorded in a separate register (until then they were usually listed with the baptisms and burials, sometimes neatly separated, other times jumbled up together), with a form requiring:

Date

Names of both parties

Whether they had been married before (bach[elor]', spin{ster], wid{ow/er]').

Parish of residence (otp' means of this parish', soj[ourner'] meant someone who had only recently settled there).

Signatures or marks of both parties

Names and signatures of two witnesses, who would usually be siblings of the bride and groom.

Generally, the printed forms prevented any extra comments which clergy might have been tempted to make but some still did: the registers of St Mary, Lewisham, around 1803, for example, contain many marriages of people not from that parish. To satisfy the law they had been resident there for three weeks or so they claimed and were official of this parish'. But next to their signatures or marks the incumbent wrote their real parishes of residence from as far afield as Sussex and Birmingham. As someone who hates filling in forms, I say hurrah for the incumbent of Lewisham!

Ancestors also appear in marriage registers as witnesses. If they do, there is a good chance they may be related to one of the two parties, indicating wider family connections than you suspected. Such references may also provide useful evidence that an ancestor was alive on that date. Be aware, though, that some people were regular witnesses if you see them witnessing several marriages on the same day, they probably were not related to either party at all.

From July 1837, civil registration marriage certificates were used both in and outside of parish churches.

Marriage licenses, allegations and bonds

Marriage licences, which originated in the 14th century, enabled marriages to take place immediately especially if the girl was pregnant ~but were more usually obtained as status symbols for those who thought it above their dignity to have banns read out in front of the hoi polloi.

Apart from some issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury, which allowed the marriage to take place anywhere, marriage licences would specify one of two places, theoretically the parties' home parishes. But in practice, at least one was often the parish in which the couple were staying at the time for a minimum of four weeks (after 1753) or 15 days (after 1823).

Licences may be found in family papers but were more often handed into the officiating priest. What survives in record offices are more usually the associated bonds (until 1823) and allegations. An allegation was a statement made by the prospective groom swearing that both parties were free to marry, usually stating names, ages, places of residence, marital status, groom's occupation, where the couple intended to get married and name of the consenting parent of either party under 21. Be aware that, between September 1822 and March 1823 only, both couples had to produce evidence of baptism or an equivalent certificate proving their age: these will be found with the allegation and are well worth seeking.

A bond was made stating a sum of money to be forfeited should the information on the allegation (especially regarding the parties' freedom to marry) be found to be incorrect. There were two bondsmen, one of them usually the groom, the other often a relative (perhaps the bride's father) or a good friend, and provided similar information to the allegation.

Remember that licences were issued to facilitate marriages but are not evidence that a marriage took place: the couple may have had a last-minute change of heart, or one or both may have dropped dead.

Marriage settlements

These were deeds signed before weddings arranging for the future ownership of property. Parents might settle property or income on one of the two parties marrying (often as a dowry); grooms (or their families)would guarantee property or income for their brides. They provide excellent details not only of who was getting married and when, but also names of relatives on both sides, family friends and the location and nature of lands held.

Irregular and clandestine marriages

Before Hardwicke's Marriage Act (1753), and despite the Anglican church's disapproval, unions between two parties were regarded as legal under Common Law provided both parties consented and exchanged vows, regardless of whether witnesses, priests or anybody else were present. Sadly, these generated no records for genealogists. Before 1754 there were also clandestine or irregular marriages. Irregular marriages took place by banns or licence, but away from one of the spouses' home parishes, or in private houses, or at times of the year when marriages were not supposed to take place, such as Lent. Clandestine marriages were those conducted in secret, away from the parties' home parishes. This happened for many reasons, such as an apprentice wishing to marry without waiting until his seven-year term of apprenticeship had expired; an heir or heiress desirous of marrying without their guardian's consent; widows wishing to receive income from their deceased husband's estate yet have a new husband into the bargain; couples in a very great hurry to have sex-and, of course, aspiring bigamists. Both would be conducted by priests on receipt of a backhander, often on the production of a corruptly obtained marriage licence.

These practises were brought to a halt by Hardwicke'sMarriage Act. However, the Act did not apply to Scotland and the Channel Islands, whither many of the English couples who might have tried the Fleet Prison now eloped. Scotland's Gretna Green was the most popular, although this was only one of many such marriage houses. An Act of 1856, declaring such run-away marriages illegal unless the couple had resided in Scotland for at least three weeks, led to a great decline in the popularity of Gretna Green and its neighbours.

BURIALS

Burial entries can help in seeking wills, but their main use is in providing ages, which in turn indicate a year of birth and thus an indication of when a baptism might have taken place. The records provide the names of the deceased and date of burial. As the 17th century progressed, it became more usual than before to add extra details, such as age, place of residence and occupation. Married women were often described as wife of X' and widows were described as such, with or without the deceased husband's name. The father's name was usually provided in cases of deceased children. P' denoted a pauper.

From 1666 we have burials in wool. To revive the flagging English wool industry, Charles II ordered that all corpses be wrapped in woollen shrouds, hence the notes buried in the wool', P' - paupers were exempt-or affidavit' next to burial entries, the latter denoting an affidavit sworn before a JP that a woollen shroud had indeed been used. Some survive, usually providing a close relative's name. There was a 5 fine for disobedience and it became a status symbol to pay the fine and use a silk shroud instead. The Act was generally ignored after the 1770s Rose's Act of 1812 provided forms requiring:

Date

Name

Residence

Age

This is all useful information, but again we lose the odd extra notes, which could bring colour to earlier entries.

PR TRANSCRIPTS

Transcripts of PRs, made at any time from the last century to the present day (but more so before the advent of the Internet), can be found in country record offices. They are often the compilation of the original register and the bishops' transcripts, so what the transcript says might not be a verbatim quote from either of the original sources and of course, like anything else, errors and omissions can creep in. An advantage is that they are often indexed, enabling speedy searches.

PARISH RECORDS OUTSIDE ENGLAND AND WALES

SCOTLAND

The vast majority of Scottish PRs are at New Register House, with a few others and copies of many local ones at the regional register offices. Maps showing the location of the approximately 900 Scottish PRs are included in the Phillimore Atlas and Index(Phillimore, 2003). One of the great problems of Scottish research is that registers tend to start more recently than English ones and, even when they survive, they are easy as incomplete as their counterparts south of the border. A few survive from the 16th century but most have only survived from the very late 17th century or early-mid-18th century, and one down-side of having no bishops was that there are no bishops' transcripts.

A plus is that the registers are usually slightly more detailed. Women did not automatically change their names on marriage, so their maiden names tend to appear in the registers. Births were often recorded instead of baptisms, but where baptisms appear, you may well find godparents recorded too. Scots were not obliged to undergo an official marriage ceremony. It was sufficient simply to hamfest' by making a promise in public. Those who married at home but wanted more official recognition issued a proclamation of their intention to marry, and these were recorded in the marriage registers, For genealogical purposes, these are just as good, as they record the names of the parties just as well, and have the virtue of being recorded in both the bride's and the groom's parishes. Some couples married in church nonetheless, and their weddings appear in the marriage registers as well.

IRELAND

Ireland originally consisted of the four provinces of Connaught, Leinster, Munster and Ulster. These were divided into 32 counties, 325 baronies, about 2450 parishes and some 64,000 townlands, Townlands were originally family plots, ranging from large tracts of land to virtual rioting. An essential tool is the General Alphabetical Index to the townlands and Towns, Parishes and Baronies of Ireland (GPC, 1984). The Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the established church until1869, divided Ireland into some 1600 parishes, divided into 31dioceses Registers were required to be kept in 1634 although few have survived from before the mid-18th century, and more half of them were destroyed when the IRA bombed the Four Courts in 1922.

Most southern Irish people were Catholic. Besides Church of Ireland parishes, there were also Catholic ones, sometimes both using the same names, sometimes not. Catholicism was not fully legalised in Ireland until 1829 and, although many Catholic priests operated in the country, few dared keep registers and, of those that were kept, few survive. From the 1830s onwards, the number of Catholic parishes proliferated and many registers started to be kept, usually just of baptisms and marriages, though the former usually noted mothers maiden names and also the names of godparents, which would usually have been close relations, so in this small respect, they have the edge on standard Anglican PRs.

OVERCOMING PROBLEMS

It is sometimes very hard to distinguish between different people of the same name because PR entries generally contain relatively little information. Clergymen sometimes made an effort (by suffixing senior' or junior', or recording different places of abode), but not always. Sometimes a listing of children of John Smith may go on decade after decade, until you realise with a sinking heart that there were two or possibly, even more, John Smiths having children baptised. In such cases. The burial registers can be used to try to eliminate possibilities, but you may need to turn to other sources, such as wills and manorial records,to get a true picture.

Finding what appears to be an ancestor's baptism is not in itself proof of a pedigree. With infant mortality at roughly 150 deaths for every 1000 live births (now infant deaths are only 1% of all deaths), it is also important to try to establish that the child you have found did not die young. The absence of such burial from the PR is not, of course, proof the chid survived Git could have been buried somewhere else), but it greatly adds to the balance of probability that it survived.

Some events were recorded in registers termed non-parochial registers, because they related to places such as hospitals, workhouse chapels of institutions such as the Greenwich Hospital and Sheerness Dockyard. These are always worth considering if you simply cannot find what you want. They are not listed in the Phillimore Atlas and Index but are in the National Index of Parish Registers and you can also find out about them from the catalogues of the relevant county record office.

Whilst most baptisms took place soon after children were born, this was not always the case. Parents might wait weeks or months to have the child baptised, or even save up several children and have them all baptised at once (cheaper, after all, for the post-christening party). So two people baptised the same day were not necessarily twins. Some people were not baptised until they were grown up. If you cannot find the baptism you want in the year of birth, search forwards.

As well as the Commonwealth Gap (see opposite), a later cause for missing entries was the Stamp Duty Act, which levied a tax on baptism, marriage and burial entries between 1783 and 1794. Only paupers were let off (often denoted by a P' against entries), so not surprisingly the number of so-called paupers shot up in this period. Marriages tended to happen anyway, and you could not very well avoid having a body buried, but couples certainly could and did put off having their children baptised. If you cannot find your ancestor's baptism in these periods, look in the registers immediately after 1794, when there was a spate of late baptisms. However, the Act had aggravated a general trend towards non-conformity, which left many Anglican churches half empty, and their registers sparsely filled until the first six months of 1837. Before General Registration started that July, many children and adults were baptised, presumably due to a misapprehension that the new system meant the permanent end of the old one, so it is always worth searching this period for the late baptism of an ancestor.

Burials were usually well recorded except in times of plague or similar epidemics when bodies might be buried without ceremony or record. Bear in mind that many were buried not in the parish churchyard, but in the workhouse and hospital graveyards, whose records will be in either the county record office or the NA.

FAMILY SEARCH AND THE IGI

Parish register indexes help genealogists determine which original registers they should search for their ancestors.

The indexing of PRs and their subsequent appearance on the internet of PRs has done more to change genealogy from an exclusive activity to a massively popular pastime than any other single development. Within living memory, someone wishing to trace their ancestry to before 1837, having struggled through the then dusty bundles of unindexed census forms at the old Public Record Office, had no choice but to write polite letters to parish clergy requesting PR searches. A response from a vicar stating he had no time to undertake a search for baptism (or, worse, stating the baptism was not there when in fact it was) might take several weeks or months, after which you would write another polite letter, disguising your frustration, to the incumbent of the next-nearest church, and so on. The expensive alternative was to take a week off work and travel from parish to parish yourself, sitting in vestries for days on end, freezing cold and squinting hard because of the poor light, compiling listings from the original parchment register books taken from the iron-bound parish chests.

OVERCOMING PROBLEMS ON THE IGI

The IGI (see box, opposite) is a massive index, but it does not cover all PRs and covers others only partially. It used to be possible to discover exactly what the IGI covered, but no longer. The Phillimore Atlas and index (Phillimore, 2003) has a column providing details of the broad coverage for each parish as it stood in 1994, and this is still a good general guide. This column also shows you whether a particular county is well covered or not: Kent and Norfolk, for example, are very poorly covered, while County Durham is (dare one say it) almost complete.

The Phillimore Atlas coverage column does not, however, alert you to gaps in coverage: it may tell you a parish is covered from 1610 to 1850, but what it will not tell you is that there are gaps from 1645 to 1662, five illegible years in the 1760s, and the coverage of marriages stops entirely in 1801. More detail is given in the volumes of the NationalIndex of Parish Registers.

However, do not waste too much time worrying about what the IGI does and does not cover. If there is an entry in the index that you believe is relevant, check it in the original registers. If the entry you want is not there, search the original registers of the parishes where you think it is most likely to have been, regardless of whether those parishes are theoretically covered by the IGI or not if you base any decisions or any aspects of your family tree solely on the presence or absence of entries in the IGI, you are almost certainly to come a cropper.

The IGI is helpful in grouping variant spellings of surnames together, but be aware that the groupings are ultimately random and the variant under which your ancestor was recorded might not have been picked up by the indexers, so will appear on its own under its own individual spelling. Be creative when entering possible variants: scribble the name down and then think of ways it could be misread. Or mumble it to someone and ask them to say what they thought you said. The surname Coldbreath, for example, exists in Sussex and puzzled me for ages, so I started going around mumbling it to people in various different accents and then asking them what they thought I had said. Finally, someone said Galbraith?' I looked up the Scottish surname Galbraith and to my delight, found that Coldbreathwas indeed listed as a recognised variant.

As with all indexes, the entries are only as good as the people who copied them, and there are many omissions and mistranscriptions (such as John Thomas baptised at Hexham being indexed as John ThomasHexham, and so on).To make matters worse, in a somewhat misguided move in 1992, the Mormons allowed private researchers to submit their own information, some based on accurate sources, such as family bibles, and some derived from pure fantasy.

Until recently, Wales was like many Scandinavian, Eastern European and non-European countries for its continued use of patronymics that changed with each generation. The IGI on CD enables you to search a region and time frame for the birth of anyone with a particular forename. Say your Welsh ancestor was Evan Jones, born about 1850. His father might have been called Jones as well, or Evan could literally have been gon of lohn. So his father would have had a different patronymic surname, according to his father's name, such as John Thomas, resulting in Evan's baptism being entered as Evan son of John Thomas'.Without knowing in advance who John's father was, you would not know that you had to look under Thomas, not Jones. With the IGI's help, though, you can see a list of possible baptisms for boys called Evan, which you can then explore in the original records.

OTHER INDEXES AND BISHOPS' TRANSCRIPTS (BTs)

Here some other indexes to help you search for original entries in PRs.

BOYD'S MARRIAGE INDEX

This index was compiled by Percival Boyd and his clerks in the 19thcentury. It gives brief details of spouses' names, parish and year, indexed by bride and groom, usually divided into 25-year batches arranged by English county, with two series of miscellaneous indexes with entries from all over the country.

Boyd's sources were mainly PRs but bishops' transcripts, marriage licences and banns registers were also used. Not all counties are covered by any means, and some parishes are only partially covered, but with coverage of about 15% of all English marriages from 1837back to 1538, it is always worth a search if the entry you want is not in the IGI. Some indexing was phonetic, so surnames starting Kn .., are indexed under N, and so on.

COUNTY INDEXES

Many counties have marriage indexes-see Where to Search, opposite.

PALLOT MARRIAGE AND BAPTISM INDEX

Held at the IHGS, the index covers the period 1780-1837. It focuses on London marriages, including some such as at Christchurch, Southwark, that was later destroyed in the Blitz, and many from Kent, Surrey, Essex and Middlesex. There are also entries from further afield, mainly from the published Phillimore marriage series. Sadly, all but 100,000 entries in the baptism index were also destroyed in wartime bombing.

BISHOPS' TRANSCRIPTS (BTs)

Bishops transcripts are contemporaneous copies of PRs, which help genealogists bridge gaps in the original registers and which may sometimes provide extra information. In 1598, in law entirely beneficial to later generations of genealogists, most parishes were told to send in copies of each year's registers to their local bishop. In some areas, these are called register bills or in counties such as Suffolk, where the annual returns were sent to the local archdeacon, archdeacons' transcripts.

If you encounter a gap or illegible patch in the PR you are using, you may be able to turn to the BTs instead. Generally, they contain only bare details minus the extra notes and comments clergymen sometimes inserted into original registers. However, sometimes the clergyman or parish clerk might add a comment to the transcript, or even insert an entry he had forgotten to put in the original register. Therefore, it will sometimes repay you to examine the transcripts as well as the PRs, even if the latter seems complete. Sometimes looking at both a PR and BT will give you two different pieces of information, in which case you will have to use your judgement or look further to establish which is correct. In some cases, the transcripts from each parish in a deanery were bound into annual volumes. These make for easy searching for a given year across a spread of adjoining parishes.

By: Navin Kumar Jaggi & Gurmeet Singh Jaggi
With the current administration entering its final weeks, the collective imagination inevitably turns to the future, and how one of our most cherished institutions will survive. Will it emerge forever diminished and disfigured? Or will it come out the other side with its core principles intact?

The institution in question, of course, is the presidential movie.

Presidents, real and fictional, have been part of cinematic iconography since the inception of cinema - or at least as far back as 1901, when Edwin S. Porter made Terrible Teddy, the Grizzly King, often credited as the first political satire, in which he skewered the macho exploits of then-Vice President Theodore Roosevelt (nine years later, a film would depict the real Roosevelt on safari in Africa).

Robert Redford, right, and Dustin Hoffman portray Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in the movie, All the President's Men. Credit:AP

Over the ensuing decades, presidents have been reliable go-tos for screenwriters looking for compelling protagonists facing high-stakes conflicts against the photogenic backdrop of the White House. If the fictional leader in question happened to chime with the actual person occupying the Oval Office, all the more delicious; when Michael Douglas swirled Annette Bening across the dance floor at a state dinner in 1995's The American President, it was his Clintonesque character's Democratic bona fides - not his romantic escapades - that audiences accepted as true to life. Primary Colors came out three years later, just months after the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke, leading audiences to see John Travolta's Jack Stanton as tacking more closely to Bill Clinton's failings.
OTTAWA - The federal Liberal government mulled the possibility of barring Canadians who travelled abroad from receiving a sick leave benefit aimed at those who must quarantine due to COVID-19 on Sunday amid fresh admissions of foreign excursions from a growing list of politicians and a national case count that surpassed 600,000.

Tape is shown on shelves preventing the sale of certain products at a pharmacy in Montreal, Sunday, January 3, 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

OTTAWA - The federal Liberal government mulled the possibility of barring Canadians who travelled abroad from receiving a sick leave benefit aimed at those who must quarantine due to COVID-19 on Sunday amid fresh admissions of foreign excursions from a growing list of politicians and a national case count that surpassed 600,000.

The Canada Recovery sickness benefit was launched in the fall to help Canadians who are unable to work because they must quarantine during the pandemic. It pays $500 per week to a maximum of two weeks.

But Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough said the government is actively looking at all options in the face of questions over whether Canadians who have travelled abroad should be allowed to collect the money.

Controversy over the issue mounted on Sunday as two members of the federal Liberal caucus stepped down from their parliamentary duties after disclosing trips abroad over the holiday period, joining a slew of provincial legislators who also flouted widespread public health advice to stay home as COVID cases skyrocketed.

Federal data showed Canada surpassed 600,000 cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday after going several days without reporting fresh figures.

The national total now stands at 601,663.

It took just over two weeks to add 100,000 diagnoses to the national tally; the country reached the 500,000 case milestone on Dec. 19, before many of the jet-setting politicians left the country.

Qualtrough said globetrotters were never intended as the recipients of the federal sick benefit.

It's designed to provide workers with a paid sick-leave option where one might not be available through their employer, so that workers did not have to choose between going to work and putting food on the table, Qualtrough said in a statement.

The Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit was never intended to incentivize or encourage Canadians to not follow public health or international travel guidelines. ... We are actively looking at all available options to address this issue.

Questions about the sick-leave benefit were first raised over the weekend by Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, who said it was absurd in most cases that anyone able to leave the country would need government support to quarantine.

If someone is travelling because it is essential for their work, you might think they won't lose income, he added in a statement in French. And if someone is travelling for pleasure, they are already being advised not to travel.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, whose party pushed the Liberals to create the benefit, welcomed the governments review, saying Canadians were rightly upset those who can afford to go on a vacation could get $1,000 to stay home when they come back.

Yet he also warned Canadians would continue to leave the country as long as non-essential travel was allowed.

The emerging debate over the sick-leave benefits comes as Canadians have been buffeted over the past week with revelations that some politicians have ignored their own governments advice and taken non-essential trips abroad.

Those trips have come even as millions of Canadians face government-imposed lockdowns across the country aimed at curbing the second wave of COVID-19 infections, which included thousands of newly reported cases on Sunday to take the national total over the 600,000 threshold.

That includes nearly 3,000 new positive tests in Ontario over the past 24 hours and more than 7,600 new cases in Quebec since Thursday, with hundreds of people hospitalized in both provinces.

In a rare bit of good news, however, Nunavut reported that the territory has no known cases as all 265 residents who have previously tested positive are now recovered. The territory has logged one virus-related death over the course of the pandemic.

The list of politicians known to have travelled outside the country in recent weeks grew on Sunday as the federal Liberals revealed that two of their MPs had visited the U.S. in late December.

Chief government whip Mark Holland said in a statement that Montreal MP Sameer Zuberi and Brampton MP Kamal Khera, parliamentary secretary to International Development Minister Karina Gould, left the country without his knowledge.

In a separate statement posted to social media, Khera said she travelled to Seattle to attend a memorial for her late uncle, who died at the end of September.

Although the purpose of my travel is deemed essential given the circumstances, she wrote, I have decided to step aside from my duties ... in an effort to ensure my choices do not distract from the important work of our government to continue battling this pandemic.

Holland said Zuberi was also stepping down from his role on several House of Commons committees.

Three other Liberal MPs travelled outside the country between July and September, but Holland said he was informed of the trips at the time and there was no indication that they would face any ramifications.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's spokesman Alex Wellstead said Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne is the only minister to have travelled outside Canada since March, noting all three trips were for government business.

Questions about politicians' travel plans first surfaced last week when it was revealed that former Ontario finance minister Rod Phillips had taken a holiday to the Caribbean. He resigned from the role on New Year's Eve shortly after his return to Canada.

At least five Alberta legislators also left Canada over the holidays, though Premier Jason Kenney has declined to punish them.

The federal NDP stripped Manitoba MP Niki Ashton of her duties as the partys transport critic and deputy critic for women and gender equality after she travelled to Greece last month. Ashton said she left to be with her ailing grandmother.

The NDP said Ashton is the only caucus member to have travelled outside the country since March, while no one in the office of party leader Jagmeet Singh or the partys research bureau has left Canada.

Bloc Quebecois Whip Claude DeBellefeuille also reported that none of her partys MPs had left Canada since the onset of the pandemic, saying in a statement in French that she had issued a directive prohibiting international travel.

Conservative Leader Erin OTooles office did not directly respond to a question on Sunday over which MPs and staff had travelled outside of Canada since the beginning of December.

Since becoming leader, OToole has continued to emphasize the necessity for all members of caucus to follow all public health guidance including travel advisories, spokeswoman Chelsea Tucker said in an email. It is our understanding that all members of caucus have.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2021.
A labourer displays her job card at Korhar village, 35 km (22 miles) from the eastern Indian city of Patna April 2, 2009. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) means tens of millions of some of India's poorest will benefit and could play a huge role in an April-May general election, as Congress battles the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). To match feature INDIA-ELECTION/RURAL. REUTERS/Stringer (INDIA POLITICS BUSINESS ELECTIONS SOCIETY) - GM1E54D0N2O01

Three months to go for the completion of the current financial year but the total person-days under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has reached a record tally of 282.07 crore. This has been the highest since the scheme was launched in 2006.

The high number of total person-days has been on the back of migration by workers back to their villages due to the COVID-19-induced lockdown.

Prashant Singh, Vice President and Business Head- Compliance and Payroll Outsourcing, TeamLease Services, attributes the workers' migration to their villages for the record number of person-days.

Singh also noted that the continuous communication and coordination between central and state governments relating to workers' benefits, employment options and fund allocation have led to the high number.

Person workdays under MGNREGS have reached the highest tally this year by overtaking the previous record of 256.16 crore in 2018-19. Total person-days for 2019-20 stood at 254.26 crore.

An amount of Rs. 94,847 crore have been spent on the scheme so far this year.

Work generation under MGNREGS has however seen a dip from November. As per the data on the MGNREGS website, the number of persons who worked under the scheme stood at 23.22 crore in November. It dropped further to 18.97 crore in December.

This was despite more number of persons demanding work in December than in November. As many as 3.39 crore persons demanded work in December as opposed to 2.85 crore persons in November.

The number of persons who worked under MGNREGS stood at 11.92 crore in April, 50.84 crore in May, 61.34 crore in June, 38.32 crore in July, 25.56 crore in August, 25.98 crore in September and 25.89 crore in October.

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act also known as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme was enacted in 2005. It guarantees 100 days of wage employment (manual unskilled work) to the members of any rural household every year. MGNREGA is implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development in collaboration with the state governments.
China has started offering free shots of COVID-19 vaccines among some key groups of individuals, and will expand the range to others, but there are still some groups that are not suitable to receive the vaccines, said a Beijing official.

Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing center for disease control and prevention, told a news briefing on Sunday that these groups include pregnant women, lactating women and patients with some diseases.

These patients are those in the acute stage of fever and infection, suffering from immune deficiency or immune disorder, having severe liver or kidney diseases, having uncontrolled hypertension, diabetic complications or malignant tumors.

All those receiving the vaccine should read the informed consent carefully and if people have physical discomfort, they should delay the vaccination, according to the official.

Currently, people in the age group from 18 to 59 are arranged to receive the vaccination, and people not in the age group should wait for further data of clinical trials to know whether they could be vaccinated.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra will steal some of Notes thunder as it too will support the S Pen. However, this will be more of an add-on than a native feature. The S21 Ultra retail package will not include a stylus and the phone has nowhere to house the stylus in the first place.

Instead, the S Pen will be a separate purchase  either by itself or as part of a bundle with select cases. Those cases are a vital part of the equation as they will house the stylus alongside the phone.



S View Flip Cover with S Pen for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

You can see that in these renders of the new S View Flip Cover, which were dug up by WinFuture. The case will be slightly wider than usual to accommodate the thickness of the stylus. Also, the case will hold the stylus is just the right position so that the phone can charge it.

Thats right, the S Pen will retain its remote functionality. While the basic stylus functions do not require a battery, recent models added Bluetooth connectivity to allow it to function as a remote shutter key and even added an accelerometer and gyroscope to detect gestures. And that means you have to keep the stylus charged (which wasn't an issue for Note phones).



Galaxy S21 Ultra's S Pen  Galaxy Note20 S Pen  Tab S7 S Pen

The S Pen in question appears similar to the model used by the Galaxy Tab S7/S7+. The two tablets also lack a sheath for the stylus (they use magnetic attachment instead). Compared to the Galaxy Note S Pen, the stylus lacks the clicky bit at the top.

The S Pen will cost 40 by itself, the same price as the Note20 model. Samsung will also sell it in a bundle with the Flip Cover and select silicone case as well. The ones weve seen have no way to store the stylus, however, so there may be S Pen variations of some cases. The Unpacked event for the S21 series is expected to take place on January 14.

Source (in German)
A British judge ruled on Monday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should not be extradited to the United States to face charges of breaking a spying law and conspiring to obtain secret US documents by hacking government computers.

US authorities accuse Australian-born Assange, 49, of 18 counts relating to Wikileaks release of vast troves of confidential US military records and diplomatic cables which they said had put lives in danger.

His lawyers had argued the entire prosecution was politically-motivated, powered by US President Donald Trump and that his extradition posed a severe threat to the work of journalists.

At a hearing at Londons Old Bailey, Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected nearly all his legal teams arguments but said she could not extradite him as there was a real risk he would commit suicide and ordered his discharge.

Faced with conditions of near total isolation ... I am satisfied that the procedures (outline by US authorities) will not prevent Mr. Assange from finding a way to commit suicide, she said.
BEACON FALLS  An area of Route 8 north closed Monday after a serious crash in which a vehicle ended up on the railroad tracks below the highway, according to police.

Volunteer firefighters were called to the scene near Cold Spring Road and Lopus Road Extension shortly before 1 p.m., according to a Facebook post by Beacon Hose Co. No. 1.
The Jets of Larsen Park

by Woody LaBounty

October 2015

We always kept alert in the back seat. A drive to Stonestown or Serramonte or down the Peninsula for some family holiday event would mean a glimpse of the jet on 19th Avenue and Vicente Street. My brother and I would beg our parents to please, please, please stop for a minute, so we could climb on it, crawl through it, slide along its wings, pretend to be pilots a hundred miles high.

From 1959 to 1993, Larsen Park hosted three different retired Navy jets, each donated to serve as imaginative play structures for the children of the Parkside District. The first was a Grumman F-9 Cougar reconnaissance plane from Squadron VC-61, driven up from Moffett Field in Mountain View with the cooperation of the California Highway Patrol and all the police department jurisdictions in between. The second jet, a Navy F-J Fury, replaced the Grumman in 1967. Both jets had ladders added to help kids climb into the cockpits. The third, and perhaps best-remembered jet, as it occupied the park for eighteen years from 1975 to 1993, was an F-8 Crusader. A Marine helicopter dropped the plane in the San Francisco Zoo parking lot at Ocean Beach, and from there it was hauled up Sloat Boulevard to Larsen Park. Rather than being propped up like the previous jets, the F-8 sat flush on the grass, with a slide added to its side, and its jet intake tube making for a great crawling tunnel. The F-8 was my plane.

Of course the planes belonged to everyone. As with any playground site, many memories from a impressionable time of life were made there. Bob Martin, who grew up on the 2400 block of 15th Avenue, left his succinct account on the WNP message boards in 2003: "I remember the plane very well. Played on it a lot in my youth. Tore plenty pairs of jeans on it also. Kissed my first girl friend there also. Even slept inside of it."

(Bob wasn't the only one who slept in the plane, as another poster on the message board admitted: "I remember some guys would actually spend the night there after a long weekend, say at the 'Portals' bar on West Portal.")

Sitting right at 19th Avenue with a broad expanse of grass around it, the jet received a lot of exposure as thousands of automobiles on California Highway 1 passed it daily. Children from all over the Bay Area knew "the plane park," and it acted as a touchstone for the neighborhood, a local landmark. "I live out in the Parkside. You know, where the plane is on 19th Avenue?"

By the early 1990s, the last jet had become not a representation of play and imagination, but of urban decay. A target for vandalismsome politically-motivated just after the Vietnam War, but most in the genre of "bored teenager"the plane became known for graffiti, broken bottles, and rusty, sharp edges. The old F-8 settled so low in the turf it appeared to be attempting a self-burial. With lead-paint abatement and general restoration estimated at between $30,000 and $40,000, I think the City of San Francisco breathed a big sigh of relief when the Pacific Coast Air Museum took the F-8 away to Santa Rosa in 1993. (Today, the jet is restored and on display.)

For many years after the jet's removal local children had to make do with an unimaginative basic playground across the street from the jet site. The slides, swings, and wood climbing structure deteriorated, and each was removed from use until neighborhood kids practically had nothing but sand. Walking home from West Portal Elementary School with my daughter, we would often stop for a quick spin on one of the last pieces, a small wobbly metal merry-go-round. A victim of the neighborhood's ravenous fog, its rusty condition had me thinking a lot about tetanus shots. How much worse could an old Navy jet be?

When Larsen Park's Charlie Sava pool underwent renovation in the early 2000s, I talked to Fiona Ma, supervisor for the district, about bringing a jet back. By the time Carmen Chu had assumed the office, opportunity and some money had aligned to seriously consider the idea in renovating the ever-declining playground. The supervisor made calls to the Navy, but, for good and bad, we live in a more-regulated world. The best achievable and affordable option had to be a "jet-inspired" play structure. After fundraising with soap box derbies, some grants, and a gala or two, we had a ground-breaking. Then the designer of the very cool-on-paper play structure couldn't deliver, and there was a scramble in early 2015 to get a new design and fabricator.

The long journey is now at an end. Thanks to Carmen Chu, successor supervisor Katy Tang, neighbor Nano Visser, the San Francisco Parks Alliance, staff at the Recreation and Parks Department, and local dynamo/organizer Cammy Blackstone, a new playground opened in November 2015. After twenty-two jet-less years, children again have a plane to climb on in Larsen Park.

I very much sympathize with old-timers who wish a real Navy plane could have been obtained. The supervisors office tried. Modern safety regulations and the prohibitive expense of taking on and remediating a real jet just made it impossible, even if the government had aircraft to give. Also, San Francisco isnt the Navy town it once wasmany people objected strongly to having an instrument of war in a public playground. More important than my nostalgia, or differences of opinion on the Armed Forces, is that children from the Parkside, Sunset, and those passing by who convince their parents to please, please, please stop for a minute have a place to play safely and let their imaginations soar.

Read Peter Hartlaub's great piece on the jets, with more old photos on sfgate.com.

Listen to the Outside Lands San Francisco podcast on the Larsen Park Jets

Photos of the opening of the new playground on November 21, 2015!

Contribute your own stories about western neighborhoods places!
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Coronavirus cases in Armenia grew by 193 in the past 24 hours to 160,220, the republics Health Ministry reported.



"In the past twenty-four hours, 193 new coronavirus cases were identified. A total of 141,831 patients recovered from the illness," the ministry said in a statement.



Fourteen more coronavirus patients died in hospitals in the past twenty-four hours, bringing the total number of fatalities in the republic to 2,864 over the entire pandemic period, the statement says.

The state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic was in force in Armenia for six months - from March 16 to September 11 inclusive. After the parliament passed amendments to the package of relevant laws, the Armenian government introduced quarantine throughout the country for a period of 4 months - until January 11, 2021.

To reveal the COVID-19 cases, 598,705 tests have been carried out in Armenia.
They recently jetted off to Dubai, avoiding Tier 4 restrictions at their homes in Essex.

And Demi and Frankie Sims showcased their striking good looks on Monday as they soaked up the sun and went for a dip in the ocean.

The TOWIE star, 24, wore a black two-piece decorated with neon pink and yellow flames while her older sister, 25, added a splash of colour with aqua blue swimwear.

Send temperatures soaring: Demi and Frankie Sims showcased their stunning physiques in swimwear on Monday as they soaked up the sun in Dubai

Frankie's strappy bikini featured a snakeskin finish and contrasted against her sun-kissed glow.

She enhanced her features with a slick of make-up and she styled her blonde tresses in an effortless hairdo. Frankie also added a touch of glamour with gold-plated jewellery.

Meanwhile Demi completed her edgy swimwear outfit with a black beach skirt.

She ran her hands through her highlighted locks which tumbled down her back and she rocked a natural make-up look.

Fashionistas: The TOWIE star, 24, wore a black two-piece decorated with neon pink and yellow flames while her older sister, 25, (pictured) added a splash of colour with an aqua blue bikini

Despite the coronavirus crisis worsening, stars of TOWIE, Love Island and Geordie Shore appear to be soaking up the sun around the globe in their droves.

Most have flocked to Dubai, as the United Arab Emirates has played host to a number of stars over the past year, despite the consistent rules throughout the UK, advising against international travel, save for work or education.

On December 20, London and surrounding areas were plunged into Tier 4, which saw travel abroad for leisure 'not permitted', with exceptions only allowed for reasons such as work, education and childcare, however Vogue Williams and her husband Spencer Matthews were spotted on a family holiday to St. Barts last Monday.

Government guidelines for international travel currently state: 'Following identification of a new variant of the virus, international travel from your area may be increasingly restricted because of domestic regulations...

Strike a pose: Frankie's strappy bikini featured a snakeskin finish and contrasted against her sun-kissed glow

Beach babe: She enhanced her features with a slick of make-up and she styled her blonde tresses in an effortless hairdo

'Different rules apply in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. For example, those in tier 4 areas in England will not be permitted to travel abroad apart from limited exceptions, such as work purposes. Follow all the rules that apply to you.'

The general travel advice on the Gov.uk site reads: 'We continue to advise against all non-essential international travel to some countries and territories. You should check the country page for your destination....

'We are monitoring the international situation very closely and keeping this advice under constant review so that it reflects our latest assessment of risks to British people. We take a range of factors into account.

'For coronavirus, this includes the incidence rate and the resilience of healthcare provision in each country.'

Stunning: Meanwhile Demi let her highlighted locks tumble down her back and she rocked natural make-up
Jack Ma, the Chinese billionaire and founder of the behemoth Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd, isnt on the best of terms with the Chinese government these days. Things reached a crescendo in November after Jack Ma criticized regulators in China and the state-owned banks during a speech, following which the Chinese authorities suspended the $37 billion initial public offer (IPO) of the Ant Group. The Ant Group, previously known as Ant Financial and Alipay, started out in life as a digital payments platform for Alibaba shopping website users, but later spun off as a separate company when its popularity saw millions of users sign up. The thing is, if reports are to be believed, Jack Ma hasnt been seen in public for many weeks since November, and the world is asking where Jack Ma after all is, after he did not make an appearance at a talent show, Africas Business Heroes, and was instead replaced by another Alibaba executive for the appearance.

Social media chatter believes with absolute certainty that Jack Ma is missing and that no one knows of his whereabouts. The Financial Times reports that an Alibaba statement confirms that Jack Ma couldnt attend the talent show, a televised contest for budding entrepreneurs, due to scheduling conflicts, but that hasnt stopped the chatter on social media. The winners of the content are expected to win prizes offered by Mas charity, the Jack Ma Foundation. Well, nothing actually stops the chatter on social media till the trends and hashtags run out of steam on their own. Nevertheless, the saga of Jack Ma and the Chinese authorities has been unfolding for a while now.

It was in October 2020 that tensions really became apparent between Jack Ma and the Chinese authorities. In a speech at the Bund Summit in Shanghai, Ma criticized the Chinese government for what he called an anachronistic government regulation that would suffocate innovation in China and also likened the Chinese banks to pawn shops for the culture of collateral and guarantees. As the Chinese like to say, if you borrow 100,000 yuan from the bank, you are a bit scared; if you borrow a million yuan, both you and the bank are a little nervous; but if you take a 1-billion-yuan loan, you are not scared at all, the bank is, Jack Ma had reportedly said.

This was at a time when Jack Mas Ant Group was on the brink of a $35 billion IPO with the companys valuation at above $300 billion and Jack Mas own fortune estimated at around $61 billion. This made him Chinas richest man. What a difference a few months make. By the end of December 2020, Jack Ma lost as much as $11 billion of his own fortune and while Alibaba has reportedly lost about 17% of its market value. First came the cancelled IPO, then came tougher investigations into the alleged monopolistic practices of Alibaba and the orders to scale back the financial technology platform operations of Ant Group.

According to an official note released by The Central Bank of the Peoples Republic of China, the corporate governance of the ANT Group was not sound and ordered the company to return to its origins as a digital payments services platform.

Alibabas businesses include Alibaba.com which is a B2B marketplace for buyers around the world, Aliexpress.com that allows small business to sell and ship products to buyers globally, Etao.com shopping search engine, Aliyun cloud services platform as well as DingTalk instant messenger, to name a few. ANT Groups services include Alipay which is claimed to be the worlds largest digital payments platform, ANT Group Technology for tech services and products, Ant Fortune wealth management platform. The company also runs Zhima credit, a third-party credit ratings system that allows them to offer financial loans to individuals based on a variety of parameters.
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Bhubaneswar:

A number of CBSE students along with their parents has been witnessed to raise their voice against alleging discrepancies in the board's class 12th examination results.

This group of students and their parents further staged a protest in front of the regional office of Central Board of Secondary Education.

The students and their parents gathered outside the board's regional office in Saheed Nagar area holding placards and raising slogans, a day after CBSE declared class XII results.

While some students alleged that their results were with held without any reason being cited, many others claimed that valuation of answer sheets have been faulty.

The protesters demanded immediate steps by the CBSE for revaluation of the answer sheets and immediate publication of the with held results.

Also Read: MSBSHSE Class 12th results 2017: Maharashtra state board to declare results tomorrow, check details here

"I was shocked to find that I have secured 5 marks in Maths and 8 in Chemistry, while my English score is 85. I am not as bad a student to fail in the exam. I don't believe it. I want revaluation of the papers at the earliest," said an aggrieved student of a city school.

She said her results were with held till last evening and then she found that she has failed. When contacted, CBSE's regional officer Sumita Singh said that the aggrieved students who came with their parents submitted a representation.

"We received their representation and forwarded it to our head office," she said.

"Most of the students complained that they have gotlow marks than expected and sought revaluation," Singh said. Regarding results which were kept withheld, she said it was due to some technical problem which has now been sorted out.

Also Read: West Bengal Higher Secondary results 2017 to be declared by WBCHSE tomorrow at 10 AM, check details here

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A group of Google engineers and other workers announced Monday they have formed a union, creating a rare foothold for the labour movement in the tech industry.

FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2019, file photo a woman walks below a Google sign on the company's campus in Mountain View, Calif. A group of Google engineers announced Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, they have formed a union, creating a rare foothold for the labor movement in the tech industry. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

A group of Google engineers and other workers announced Monday they have formed a union, creating a rare foothold for the labour movement in the tech industry.

About 225 employees at Google and its parent company Alphabet are the first dues-paying members of the Alphabet Workers Union. They represent a fraction of Alphabet's workforce, far short of the threshold needed to get formal recognition as a collective bargaining group in the U.S.

But the new union, which will be affiliated with the larger Communication Workers of America, says it will serve as a structure that ensures Google workers can actively push for real changes at the company." Its members say they want more of a voice not just on wages, benefits and protections against discrimination and harassment but also broader ethical questions about how Google pursues its business ventures.

The unionization campaign is the latest signal from employees who don't believe the company is living up to its professed ideals, as expressed in its original Dont be evil slogan.

Google said Monday that it's tried to create a supportive and rewarding workplace but suggested it won't be negotiating directly with the union.

Of course our employees have protected labour rights that we support," said a statement from Kara Silverstein, the company's director of people operations. But as weve always done, well continue engaging directly with all our employees.

Unionization campaigns havent historically been able to gain much traction among elite tech workers, who get hefty salaries and other perks like free food and shuttle rides to work. But workplace activism at Google and other big tech firms has grown in recent years as employees call for better handling of sexual harassment and discrimination and avoiding harmful uses of the products theyre helping to build and sell.

Many employees began seeing the power of their workplace activism in 2018 when an internal outcry led Google to abandon its work supplying the Pentagon with artificial intelligence services for conflict zones. Later in 2018, thousands of Google employees walked out to protest how the company handled sexual misconduct allegations against executives.

Google software engineer Chewy Shaw, who has been elected to the new union's executive council, said he and others decided to form the group after seeing colleagues pushed out of their roles for their activism.

We want to have a counterforce to protect workers who are speaking up, Shaw said.

The latest examples came last month, when prominent AI ethics researcher Timnit Gebru says she was fired over a research paper that Google wanted to disassociate from; and as a federal labour agency filed a complaint accusing the company of spying on employees and then firing some of them during a 2019 effort to organize a union. Google has denied the allegations in the case, which is scheduled for an April hearing.

The union's first members include engineers, as well as sales associates, administrative assistants and the workers who test self-driving vehicles at Alphabet automotive division Waymo. Many work at Google's Silicon Valley headquarters, while others are at offices in Massachusetts, New York and Colorado.

One of the reasons why its taken a while for workers to get to this point is because the leaders of these companies did a good job of convincing workers they were these benevolent folks who were going to provide for them, kind of a paternalistic model, said Beth Allen, communications director at the CWA.

That got them a long way, Allen said, but workers have increasingly realized they need to come together and build power for themselves and have a voice in what's going on.

The National Labor Relations Board typically recognizes petitions to form new unions when they get interest from at least 30% of employees in a given location or job classification in the U.S.; a majority of affected workers must then vote to form one. Alphabet has a global workforce of roughly 130,000.

Allen said the Alphabet Workers Union is not currently planning to pursue official recognition as a collective bargaining group. Instead, she said it will work similarly to public sector unions in states that don't allow public employees to bargain collectively.

Wed love to get direct legal representation but the focus right now is were not going to depend on that, Shaw said.
President Donald Trump on Sunday asked a Georgia election official to "find" the votes he needed to overturn the latest presidential race results, reports said.

According to Associated Press, Trump was in an hour-long phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, and his general counsel Ryan Germany.

In the call obtained by NBC News and The Washington Post, the president cited his claims of fraud and potential legal and political consequences.

Insisting that he won the votes in Georgia, Trump said: "I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have."

However, the Electoral College has already confirmed Democrat Joe Biden as the country's next president, following a statewide recount and audit of the election.

Trump Says There's 'No Way' He Lost Georgia

UPI reported Trump saying there was "no way" he lost Georgia and expressed his certainty that he won in the state.

The president also pressured Raffensperger into getting him the votes he needed by saying it would hurt the prospects of Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, who are in a tricky Georgia runoff election.

Read also: President Trump Considered as Frontrunner for 2024 Election, But Some Contenders Remain

"You have a big election coming up and because of what you've done to the president -- you know, the people of Georgia know that this was a scam," Trump said.

He told the secretary of state that "because of what you've done to the president," many Georgians would not want to vote, and all the Republicans who do will be voting negative because of what was done by the officials.

Trump Raises Prospect of 'Criminal Offense'

The recording also caught Trump saying there could be a "criminal offense" if officials do not change the vote count.

Trump claimed there were thousands of ballots in Georgia's Fulton County that were illegally destroyed.

"You can't let that happen. That's a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer," Trump told them, but Raffensperger and Germany found no evidence of the said claim.

Germany also repeatedly told the president that voting machines used in the recent election were not tampered with for such claims to be said.

Democrats Lash Out At Trump

Several Democratic figures issued statements and reactions to the said reports and recordings.

Bob Bauer, the president-elect's senior adviser, said the recent reports showed "irrefutable proof" that the president was using pressure and threats on an official from his own party "to rescind a state's lawful, certified vote count."

Bauer said the move was a form of "assault" to American democracy.

Read also: Trump Reflects on 'Historic Victories' as Biden Looks Ahead in Contrasting New Year Messages

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris also reacted to the said reports, saying the call between Trump and the Georgia officials showed a "voice of desperation," reported The Hill.

She also called the move an "abuse of power" by the president. So far, Harris is the highest-ranking member of the incoming administration's office to comment on the matter.

Meanwhile, Trump's campaign senior adviser Jason Miller said in a tweet that the full recording only showed that Raffensperger was "a hack," reported Fox News.

Miller said Trump made real criticism of the "terrible job" done in Georgia. He also claimed that the officials running Georgia's elections were "trash" and insisted that the president won the state.
New Delhi :

Union Urban Development & Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday backed Major Leetul Gogoi, saying that the latter took good decision and saved lives of people.

In an exclusive interview with News Nations Ajay Kumar, Naidu attacked Congress party for its soft policy on terrorism. He said, Hard line on nationalists, soft line on terrorists that has been the policy of the Congress party and the communist party. He said these leaders are doing the same what they did in past.

Here are the highlights of the interview

#I'm not in race for the post of President or Vice-President

# Opposition believes in negative politics only

# Opposition has given 3 names for Presidential election

# There should be political consensus before the election of President

# There should be regulation in media only according to the Constitution

# Lawlessness in the name of gau-raksha is wrong

#Congress govt had brought animal slaughter law

# We don't favour ban on food habits. I'm also a non-vegetarian

# Everyone should follow the system and the law

# Hard line on nationalists, soft line on terrorists is policy of Cong

# There is no democracy in Pakistan

# There was not any policy to deal with Kashmir issue in last 50 years

# Burhan Wani, Maqbool Bat were the heroes of these people

# What Major Gogoi did was very sensible decision

# Everyone is welcoming Army chief's move to commend Major Gogoi

# There are a few people who do not let good things to happen

# Triple Talaq is banned in 29 nations

# Drainage problem cannot be resolved overnight

# Four crore toilets have been constructed

# We have created awareness about cleanliness via Swachh Bharat

# Samrt city scheme to develop cities to curb migration from small places

# We have approved 18.70 lakh houses in last three years

# Housing for all, we have consyructed 2.5 lakhs houses

On the question of pressing food habit, he said th egovernment has not pressurised anyone and itis people's choice.

Reacting on Asaduddin Owaisis jibe on Triple Talaq, he said, Who is Owaisi. In 29 nations, Triple Talaq is banned. There are a few leaders who do not want good thing to happen.

Earlier, the minister had said that the Centre would bring in a legislation to stop the triple talaq, if necessary, but after allowing the Muslim community to reach a positive conclusion following internal deliberations, said Union Minister for Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu.

The government has made the stand very clear saying that we want this (triple talaq) to end.







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MASON CITY, Iowa - A search warrant executed at a Mason City motel room has resulted in multiple felony drug charges.

Joe Coyle, 55, was booked into the Cerro Gordo County Jail on $25,000 bond.

A search warrant was served at the Econolodge on 5th St. SW. on Sept. 2 of 2020.

More than 35 grams of meth, a digital scale, marijuana and unused drug packaging was found, according to court documents.

Hes facing felony charges of failure to affix a tax stamp, a controlled substance violation and other drug charges.
After India formally approved the emergency use of two vaccines; Covaxin and Covidshield against the coronavirus disease, scores of Bollywood stars are hailing the government for their strenuous effort. One such actor was veteran star Anupam Kher who shared a video of his mother Dulari where she can be heard praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his sincere dedication towards the country and the people.

Anupam Kher's mother Dulari hails PM Modi

The video started with Anupam Kher asking his 85-year-old mother to wish all the fans on the New Year. After which the senior actor expressed Dularis excitement about the approval of two vaccines. Talking about the same, Dukari in the video said, 2020 was and the beginning of 2021 was no less than a celebration as I heard in the news about the two vaccines. Modi zindabad. I must appreciate the efforts of Modi Saab who with his dedication can achieve anything in this world. Whatever comes across his way, I know Modi sahib is so confident that he can overcome any difficulties. I have great confidence and faith in Modi Sahab and I really like that person. I just want to shower my blessings on Modi Sagab as he is doing so much for the people. If not God then Modi Ji is definitely something for the people because of his work towards them.

Read: 'Isn't It Extraordinary': Anupam Kher Pens Poem On Relation Between January And December

Read: Anupam Kher Honoured With Outstanding Achievement Award For Contribution To Indian Cinema

Mom is thrilled about the approval of two vaccines! She had some wonderful things to say about PM @narendramodi ji .         One doesnt earn such genuine praise from a 84-year-old mother without doing genuine hard work!!  #DulariRocks pic.twitter.com/Zm2UL6wk2Z  Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) January 4, 2021

While captioning the post, Anupam wrote, Mom is thrilled about the approval of two vaccines! She had some wonderful things to say about PM Narendra Modi. One doesnt earn such genuine praise from an 84-year-old mother without doing genuine hard work!! Meanwhile, recently shared the last episode of his podcast Anupam Cares where he revealed his story of one of the most difficult times in his life. In the podcast, the actor described his bond with his father and how despite all the difficulties and struggles in his life, his fathers guidance always reminded him about life is beautiful. On the other hand, the actor was sometimes honored with the Outstanding Achievement Award by Bollywood Festival Norway. The actor has had been conferred with the award for his contribution to Indian and world cinema.

In todays episode, the last episode of the season, I tell the story of one of the most difficult times in my life And how, despite everything, my father reminded me that life is still beautiful. Thank you for listening.  #LiveLife @iHeartPodcasts @apple @spotify pic.twitter.com/bW7v9jUDie  Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) January 3, 2021



Read: Anupam Kher's Podcast Reveals His Worst Date Where "tables Were Turned" Literally; Listen

Read: Anupam Kher Shares Last Episode Of 'Anupam Cares', Reveals 'most Difficult Times In Life'

Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.
Lisa Armstrong has liked a tweet calling 2020 as a 's*** show of a year' after her ex-husband Ant McPartlin announced his engagement to Anne-Marie Corbett.

The make-up artist, 44, appeared to be making her feelings known on the matter by liking the message a friend wrote on the social media site on Thursday.

It was revealed on Friday that Ant had got engaged to girlfriend Anne-Marie after romantically popping the question on Christmas Eve.

Response: Lisa Armstrong liked a tweet about how 2020 was a 's*** show of a year' after ex-husband Ant McPartlin announced his engagement to Anne-Marie Corbett

The tweet that Lisa liked read: 'Feeling really down today, christmas as come and gone and another year is over. BUT I'm counting my blessings.

'Although it's been a s**t show of a year for everyone, we've been luckier than some. Stay safe everyone, let's hope 2021 holds better things for us all (sic).'

A few days later, Lisa also liked a tweet that described her as a 'beautiful lady, inside and out', as her friend wrote: 'Congratulations to YOU Lisa, real classy lady xx'

Ant, 45, has been linked to the personal assistant, 43, since March 2018 and it is expected that a 'thrilled' Declan Donnelly will 'act as the best man' at their wedding - just as he was at Ant's first nuptials back in 2006.

Congratulations! It was revealed on Friday that Ant had got engaged to girlfriend Anne-Marie after romantically popping the question on Christmas Eve (pictured in 2019)

Looking back: The tweet Lisa liked read: 'Although it's been a s**t show of a year for everyone, we've been luckier than some. Stay safe everyone, let's hope 2021 holds better things for us all'

Sweet: A few days later Lisa also liked a tweet that described her as a 'beautiful lady, inside and out', as a friend wrote: 'Congratulations to YOU Lisa, real classy lady xx'

Ant's forthcoming nuptials comes three years after he confirmed he had split from his wife of 12 years, the pair are said to have finalised their divorce in April last year.

A spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Ant and Amzie are delighted to announce their engagement. The proposal took place on Christmas Eve at home in a very romantic setting.'

While a pal told The Sun: 'Ant has been planning this for some time - but wanted to make sure the moment was just right.

Exes: Ant's engagement news comes three years after he confirmed his split from Lisa, they are said to have finalised their divorce in April (pictured on their wedding day in 2006)

'He's a traditionalist, so got down on one knee after first checking with Anne Marie's family that he had their blessing. It was super-romantic, and obviously Anne-Marie said "yes" straight away.

'Obviously getting engaged in the midst of a pandemic isn't ideal when it comes to planning a wedding... at the moment a summer ceremony is looking extremely unlikely, so it may well be a 2022 affair.'

They added that Ant is expected to ask his co-host Dec to be his best man, and that the presenter thoughtfully designed Anne-Marie's ring himself.

Romance: Ant and Anne-Marie were first linked in March 2018, two months after Ant released a statement to confirm that he had split from wife of 12 years Lisa (pictured in 2019)

Dec was also best man at Ant's first wedding to ex Lisa in Buckinghamshire back in 2006, and is said to be 'thrilled' about the engagement.

Ant also got the honour of fulfilling the best man role at Dec's nuptials to Ali Astall in 2015, where the duo wore matching bright blue suits.

In November, Ant made a sweet reference to Anne-Marie during I'm A Celebrity's live final when he said 'my happy place is at home with my girlfriend.'

During one of the trials, radio host Jordan North, 30, who finished second in the show, had to lay entombed in a metal cage while 50 snakes slithered all over him.

Best man? A 'thrilled' Declan Donnelly is expected to 'act as the best man' at their wedding - just as he was at Ant's first nuptials to Lisa back in 2006 (pictured in I'm A Celebrity)

In an attempt to make the 10 minutes go by faster, Jordan chatted away to the hosts and asked them random questions as well as for their autographs.

The DJ asked the duo to name their 'happy place', telling Ant: 'You go first.'

He quickly said, 'at home with my girlfriend and the kids', which prompted an 'oh, that's lovely' from Jordan as he tried his best to stay composed with the snakes.

Ant and Anne-Marie share two dogs, Milo and Brumble, and are thought to have finally moved into their seven-bedroom 6m South West London home in 2020 after purchasing it the year before.

Ant McPartlin through the years 1989-1993: Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly shoot to fame after meeting on hit TV drama Byker Grove as characters PJ (Ant) and Duncan (Dec). 1994: The duo release single Lets Get Ready to Rhumble under their Byker Grove names, with it reaching number 9 in the charts. The song later reaches number 1 in 2013. 2002: Hit gameshow Saturday Night Takeaway is launched as well as their hosting gig on Im A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! making them staples on evening TV. 2006: Ant married Lisa Armstrong in Buckinghamshire with Dec being his best man for the nuptials. 2015: Dec marries Ali Astall, with Ant returning the favour and being best man for the occasion. 2017: Ant checks into rehab for addiction to painkillers. The star says he developed the problem after having an operation on his knee in 2015. 2018: Ant announces he had split from wife of 12 years Lisa in January and in March is linked to Anne-Marie Corbett for the first time. He also appears in court after being charged with drink driving. He is fined 86,000 and banned from driving for 20 months after pleading guilty. 2020: Ant and Lisa finalise their divorce in April, with her reportedly getting a 31m settlement. The TV host proposes to Anne-Marie on Christmas Eve. Advertisement

Anne-Marie separated from her husband Scott in October 2017, and the pair amicably co-parent their two daughters.

In March 2018, Anne-Marie, who was the former couple's personal assistant, was seen giving Ant a packed lunch outside his house.

She also accompanied Ant to his court date, where he was fined 86,000 and disqualified from driving for 20 months after admitting drink-driving, in April 2018.

The pair continued to be seen over the next several months, and in June 2018, having revealed that she didn't know Ant and Anne-Marie were dating, Lisa accused Ant's new girlfriend of 'breaking the girl code' by dating the TV star.

Wedding time! Both Ant and Anne-Marie have been married before, with the personal assistant separating from her husband Scott in October 2017 (pictured in 2019)

In October 2018, just days before his and Lisa's divorce application was granted, Ant was seen holding his phone, which had him and Anne-Marie as the screensaver.

Ant and Lisa's union legally came to an end during a 30-second hearing. However in November 2018, the pair were said to be fighting over custody of dog, Hurley.

Lisa and Ant finalised their divorce in April 2020, after their split in 2018 following the presenter's highly documented battle with painkillers and alcohol.

Saturday Night Takeaway's Ant was reported to have handed over 31m to Lisa in their divorce settlement, including their 5m home in West London, after an 'eight-hour negotiation'.

Dog parents: Ant and ex Lisa share custody of their beloved Labrador, Hurley, following their split (Lisa pictured with Hurley in March 2016)

The beauty expert was said to have been the 'peacemaker' during the eight-hour long discussion about her divorce from the TV star, claimed The Sun.

The publication first alleged the TV veteran offered up more than half of his estimated 50m fortune, but was 'delighted' that the case has come to an end as he can 'move on', two years after announcing their split.

However, as the news broke, the former singer took to Twitter to deny the reports, posting: 'Nope a load of nonsense AGAIN....'

Split: Ant and Lisa's union legally came to an end during a 30-second hearing. However in November 2018, the pair were said to be fighting over custody of Hurley (pictured in 2017)

She went on to 'like' tweets that stated: 'No amount of money could ever compensate for what this poor girl has had to endure', and 'Get what you can!

'You deserve it! Terrible treatment of you since you found out when we did! And with a so called friend! Its heartbreaking behaviour,' said another.

In 2019, friends of the former couple told The Mail On Sunday that despite efforts by Ant to keep their split low-key, Lisa still wanted her day in court.

Lisa is understood to have felt that Ant 'got away with a lot' following their split. She was also believed to be dismayed and deeply hurt that he moved on so quickly when he started a new relationship with Anne-Marie.

A source close to the couple said: 'Ant has been very generous in terms of the financial settlement but Lisa is totally the opposite of someone who is motivated by money.

'She doesn't care about that  she earns her own. But she has been so hurt by all of this.

'What the general public and his fans don't realise is that Ant's decision to end the marriage came after years of Lisa trying to save him from himself.

'Watching him move on was very, very difficult. Lisa is very much aware that a judge may not award her as much as Ant is offering but she doesn't care.

She has suffered tremendously in all of this and she wants her day in court.'

Legal proceedings: During the hearing, Ant had to technically admit adultery with Anne-Marie as their relationship officially began while he and Lisa were still married (pictured in 2015)

Their union legally came to an end during a 30-second hearing in October 2018, finalising over a decade of marriage.

During the hearing, Ant had to technically admit adultery with Anne-Marie as their relationship officially began while he and Lisa were still married.

A year before he and Lisa split, Ant entered rehab after struggling with a two-year addiction to super-strength painkillers following a knee operation in 2015.

In April 2018, he was banned from the road for 20 months and fined 86,000 for driving while more than twice the legal limit, according to police.
SEATTLE, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AGC Biologics, a leading global Biopharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), is the first manufacturer of Orchard Therapeutics' Libmeldy, which was recently approved by the European Commission (EC) as a one-time therapy for eligible patients with early-onset Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD).

The EC has granted full (standard) market authorization for Libmeldy (autologous CD34+ cells encoding the ARSA gene), a lentiviral vector-based gene therapy manufactured at AGC Biologics' Milan facility. Orchard Therapeutics is already underway with EU launch preparations to support commercial-scale drug manufacturing at the AGC Biologics Milan facility.

"AGC Biologics is delighted to have successfully partnered with Orchard Therapeutics on this great milestone," says AGC Biologics Chief Business Officer, Mark Womack. "We're very proud to be one of few Cell and Gene Therapy CDMOs with commercial experience  Libmeldy being the third commercial product we've manufactured  and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Orchard to provide this life-changing therapy to those affected by MLD."

"We are very honored to have been a part of the entire clinical journey of this product, from the very first treated patient, all the way to market approval. As manufacturer of both lentiviral vector and drug product, we are proud to support Orchard in treating this devastating disease," says AGC Biologics General Manager of Milan, Luca Alberici.

"The EC approval of Libmeldy opens up tremendous possibilities for eligible MLD children faced with this devastating disease," says Bobby Gaspar, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Orchard. "We are humbled by the opportunity to bring this remarkable innovation to young eligible patients in the EU, and confident in the capabilities of our partners at AGC Biologics to help us achieve this goal."

MLD is a rare neurodegenerative disorder caused by mutations in the ARSA gene. While there are several forms of MLD, the disorder primarily affects young children and disease progression and life expectancy varies based on age of symptom onset. Libmeldy is designed to correct the genetic cause of MLD by inserting functional copies of the ARSA gene into the genome of a patient's own hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) using a self-inactivating (SIN) lentiviral vector. It is approved in the EU for children with i) late infantile or early juvenile forms, without clinical manifestations of the disease, or ii) the early juvenile form, with early clinical manifestations of the disease, who still have the ability to walk independently and before the onset of cognitive decline. Libmeldy is the first therapy approved for eligible patients with early-onset MLD.

About AGC Biologics: AGC Biologics is a leading global biopharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) with a strong commitment to deliver the highest standard of service as we work side-by-side with our clients and partners, every step of the way. We provide world-class development and manufacture of mammalian and microbial-based therapeutic proteins, plasmid DNA (pDNA), viral vectors and genetically engineered cells. Our global network spans the U.S., Europe and Asia, with cGMP-compliant facilities in Seattle, Washington; Boulder, Colorado; Copenhagen, Denmark; Heidelberg, Germany; Milan, Italy; and Chiba, Japan and we currently employ more than 1,600 employees worldwide. Our commitment to continuous innovation fosters the technical creativity to solve our clients' most complex challenges, including specialization in fast-track projects and rare diseases. AGC Biologics is the partner of choice. To learn more, visit www.agcbio.com.

About Orchard Therapeutics:Orchard Therapeutics is a global gene therapy leader dedicated to transforming the lives of people affected by rare diseases through the development of innovative, potentially curative gene therapies. Our ex vivo autologous gene therapy approach harnesses the power of genetically modified blood stem cells and seeks to correct the underlying cause of disease in a single administration. In 2018, Orchard acquired GSK's rare disease gene therapy portfolio, which originated from a pioneering collaboration between GSK and the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy in Milan, Italy. Orchard now has one of the deepest and most advanced gene therapy product candidate pipelines in the industry spanning multiple therapeutic areas where the disease burden on children, families and caregivers is immense and current treatment options are limited or do not exist.

Orchard has its global headquarters in London and U.S. headquarters in Boston. For more information, please visit www.orchard-tx.com, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About OTL-200/Libmeldy:Libmeldy (autologous CD34+ cell enriched population that contains hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) transduced ex vivo using a lentiviral vector encoding the human arylsulfatase-A (ARSA) gene), also known as OTL-200, is approved in the European Union (as appropriate may add: "UK, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway" as an alternative can rewrite as "was approved by the European Commission" or something similar) for the treatment of MLD in eligible early-onset patients characterized by biallelic mutations in the ARSA gene leading to a reduction of the ARSA enzymatic activity in children with i) late infantile or early juvenile forms, without clinical manifestations of the disease, or ii) the early juvenile form, with early clinical manifestations of the disease, who still have the ability to walk independently and before the onset of cognitive decline. Libmeldy is the first therapy approved for eligible patients with early-onset MLD.

The most common adverse reaction attributed to treatment with Libmeldy was the occurrence of anti-ARSA antibodies (AAA). In addition to the risks associated with the gene therapy, treatment with Libmeldy is preceded by other medical interventions, namely bone marrow harvest or peripheral blood mobilization and apheresis, followed by myeloablative conditioning, which carry their own risks. During the clinical studies, the safety profiles of these interventions were consistent with their known safety and tolerability.

For more information about Libmeldy, please see the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC).

Libmeldy is not approved outside of the European Union, UK, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. OTL-200 is an investigational therapy, which has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or any other health authority.

OTL-200 was developed in partnership with the San Raffaele-Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-Tiget) in Milan, Italy.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/624983/AGC_Biologics_logo_Logo.jpg
(CNN)  Greta Thunberg turned 18 on Sunday, and she thanked her fans with a snarky Twitter message about how she was celebrating.

The Swedish activist has been known for her sarcasm and wit since coming onto the world stage at age 15, so it might be no surprise she would have some fun with her birthday message using the same tone.

"Thank you so much for all the well-wishes on my 18th birthday!" she said. "Tonight you will find me down at the local pub exposing all the dark secrets behind the climate- and school strike conspiracy and my evil handlers who can no longer control me! I am free at last!!"

On top of Thunberg's climate activism, she has used her platform to be philanthropic. She won the first Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity and donated a portion of the $1.14 million prize to fighting coronavirus in the Brazilian Amazon. She also donated $100,000 from another prize received from Human Act, to the United Nations Children's Fund, to help children impacted by Covid-19.
Police in Swansea are stopping anyone travelling for non-essential reasons after two people from Tier 3 Bristol were fined for travelling to South Wales over the weekend.

Wales is living under Alert Level 4 restrictions - the equivalent of Tier 4 in England, meaning travel is only permitted with a reasonable excuse such as caring responsibilities or work.

Travel is only allowed between England and Wales for work or education.

Despite the rules, Dyfed-Powys Police turned away more than 300 vehicles from the busy Pen y Fan, the highest peak in South Wales, last Tuesday, while Gwent Police spent New Year's Eve monitoring traffic on the Prince of Wales Bridge - which connects the two nations.

Today South Wales Police has patrol cars checking journeys along Mumbles Road in Blackpill - after handing out more than a dozen fines to visitors over the weekend.

South Wales Police patrol cars are out in Swansea to clamp down on people ignoring a ban on all but essential travel. It comes after hundreds of people made the trip to various parts of Wales over the Christmas and New Year holidays

It comes after officers fined travellers from Bristol who had arrived at Three Cliffs Bay in Gower for a holiday.

South Wales Police's Swansea division tweeted: 'Please remember Wales is currently a Tier 4 area, Please only travel when necessary.'

Over the weekend officers handed out 14 fines and warnings to people caught travelling without necessity, according to @SWPSwansea.'

Visitors from England have been repeatedly warned against travelling to Wales, which has been under nationwide Level 4 lockdown since 20 December, with restrictions also tightened for Christmas Day.

Police in Swansea handed out more than a dozen fines to visitors, including two from Bristol, who arrived in South Wales over the weekend

Gwent Police set up patrol cars on the Prince of Wales Bridge on New Year's Eve, as it warned motorists: 'Do not leave or enter Wales without good reason. Abide with the rules'

Two people from Tier 3 Bristol were fined for travelling into South Wales over the weekend

The rules state that people must not visit other households, or meet other people they do not live with.

Travelling is only allowed for essential purposes, such as for work and for caring responsibilities. International travel is also not allowed.

People are still allowed out of their homes to exercise, for unlimited times and periods each day, and exercise should start and finish at your home.

Hundreds descended on the Brecon Beacons at the start of last week, prompting patrols to step up across the nation.

Inspector Andrew Williams, from Dyfed-Powys Police's specialist operations (RPU) team, said: 'Fixed penalty notices have and will be issued to those blatant breaches where engagement fails.

'But the vast majority of people are listening to advice and when they are turning up and seeing RPU vehicles at the site, they are turning around and going home  which is the objective of our high visibility patrols.'

Official figures show there had been a further 54,990 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, up 80 per cent from last week's case figure of 30,501, while the number of deaths had increased by 43 per cent from last Sunday to 454

Police have stepped up patrols across Wales to ensure motorists are only travelling for essential reasons, after hundreds of vehicles arrived at Pen Y Fan to see the Brecon Beacons last week

Last month Wales was plunged into Alert Level 4 restrictions which means travelling is only permitted with a reasonable excuse

Elsewhere in Scotland, more than 150 people descended on Cairngorm Mountain on Saturday - despite the snow resort being closed since Christmas Eve.

Locals believe people from across the UK were travelling to the resort, despite mainland Scotland living under lockdown rules.

Local councillor Bill Lobban said: 'The advice not to travel means just that, it doesn't mean you should be driving halfway across the country just to visit Glenmore or anywhere else.

'There are plenty of places you can exercise without getting in your car.'
RIL has filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking to bring an end to incidents of vandalism of Jio towers

Reliance Industries Limited has not done any corporate or contract farming in the past, and has no plans to do so, the company said in a statement released to the media on Monday.

The statement came on a day that RIL filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking to bring an end to incidents of vandalism of RIL's subsidiary Jio Infocomm's towers.

The statement said, "These acts of violence have endangered the lives of thousands of its employees and caused damage and disruption to the vital communications infrastructure, sales and service outlets run by its subsidiaries in the two states."

On Reliance Retail, the statement said that the firm "has never entered into long-term procurement contracts to gain unfair advantage over farmers or sought that its suppliers buy from farmers at less than remunerative prices, nor will it ever do so."

Further, Reliance Retail has "built Indias largest organised retail business by investing in economies of scale and creating world-class technology-enabled supply chains, which has brought significant gains to both Indian farmers and consumers," the company noted.

As a mark of protest against the Centre's new farm laws, agitating farmers have vandalised about 1,500 Jio towers, according to reports. The protesting farmers have expressed fears that the new laws will benefit corporates and will leave cultivators vulnerable at the hands of private players. In particular, they have expressed concerns that the laws could lead to the eventual dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) and Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) systems.

On this issue, RIL's statement on Monday said, "...We shall insist on our suppliers to strictly abide by the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism, and/or any other mechanism for remunerative price for farm produce, as may be determined and implemented by the government."

Earlier, Jio and ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce wrote to Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, seeking his intervention for action against incidents of vandalisation. ASSOCHAM wrote in its letter, "Such incidents not only result in a huge national loss but also severely dent the image of a progressive state. A prolonged and continuation of the agitation, especially with incidents of damage to the industrial and other infrastructure, would turn investors away from the state of Punjab.

Disclaimer: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd which publishes Firstpost
(Natural News) Two men in Southern California have been arrested and charged with voter fraud after they submitted more than 8,000 fraudulent voter registration applications, said the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

Carlos Antonio De Bourbon Montenegro, 53, and Marcos Raul Arevalo, 34, claim to have submitted the voter registration applications on behalf of Los Angeles Countys homeless population.

According to the district attorneys office, Montenegro and Arevalo submitted more than 8,000 voter registration applications on behalf of homeless people in Los Angeles County between July and October. Additionally, Montenegro is being accused of falsifying names, addresses and signatures on nomination papers under penalty of perjury in a failed attempt to run for mayor of the city of Hawthorne to the south of Los Angeles.

Back in August, Montenegro tried turning in the paperwork to run for mayor. His application was rejected because he failed to meet the required 20 signatures of support from at least 20 Hawthorne residents. (Related: RIGGED: More than 2,000 voters in Los Angeles receive faulty mail-in ballots that make it impossible to vote for Trump.)

Montenegro and Arevalo are being charged with eight counts of voter fraud, four counts of procuring and offering a false or forged instrument, four misdemeanor counts of interference with a prompt transfer of a complete affidavit and one count of conspiracy to commit voter fraud.

Additionally, Montenegro is being charged with an extra 10 counts of voter fraud, seven counts of procuring and offering a false or forged instrument, two counts of perjury and five misdemeanor counts of interference with a prompt transfer of a complete affidavit.

Both individuals were arraigned on Tuesday at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles. If convicted as charged, Montenegro can face a maximum sentence of 15 years and eight months in prison, while Arevalo can face seven years in prison.

Listen to this episode of the Health Ranger Report, a podcast by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as he talks about how the American public needs to fight back against the Democratic Party-backed election and voter fraud. If they get away with it, he warns, they will steal every future election, and no election in the United States will ever be considered fair or free ever again.

Fake mail-in ballots quickly flagged by county officials

Montenegro and Arevalo attempted to get the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk to send them over 8,000 mail-in ballots, supposedly for the homeless voters that they signed up. Fortunately, the registrars office quickly caught on to their scheme and was able to flag all of the applications as fraudulent. None of the homeless people Montenegro and Arevalo tried to sign up to vote were actually able to cast their ballots.

According to the conspiracy charge, Montenegro allegedly issued write-in candidate nomination papers for himself that he filed and submitted containing 32 signatures and addressed for people who were either fictitious, nonexistent or deceased.

It further alleges that Montenegro, Arevalo and several other still-unknown co-conspirators used three post office boxes in Hawthorne as the mailing addresses for these 8,000 fraudulent voter applications.

Hawthorne has around 44,000 registered voters. The massive number of people Montenegro was trying to register would have boosted the citys electorate by nearly 20 percent. This spike in voter registrations set off alarm bells in the registrars office, which prompted county officials to notify both the California Secretary of State and the district attorneys office.

The case was investigated by the district attorneys Bureau of Investigation, with help from the Secretary of States Office, the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerks Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Covina Police Department.

Learn more about how people are attempting to steal elections all over the country through mail-in ballots by reading the latest articles at VoteFraud.news.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NBCLosAngeles.com

DA.LACounty.gov

LATimes.com
A Massachusetts beer baron has been sued by two of his sons for allegedly misappropriating $80 million of family business funds by redistributing wealth to his other children, paying himself and his wife inflated salaries, and splurging tens of millions of dollars on art and antiques.

The allegations of misconduct made against Jerry Sheehan, 89, came in a lawsuit filed in Suffolk Superior Court by his son, Tim Sheehan, 62, and a trustee representing the interests of another son, John Sheehan, 59, a few days before Christmas.

The aggrieved brothers, who were both at one time heavily involved in operations at the familys domestic beer distribution company Sheehan Family Cos., argue they have been handed a disproportionate share of the fortunes compared to their six siblings, who are said to be less involved.

In the 92-page complaint, Tim and John accuse their father of shifting money around to level the stacks among the eight siblings, in addition to redistributing wealth to both himself and his wife, Maureen.

By effectively misappropriating company funds, the brothers say, Jerry was able to pay himself and Maureen inflated salaries, make tens of millions of dollars in personal purchases of art, antiques, and other items, and donate millions in their names to their favorite charities.

However, through a spokesperson, Jerry has hit back at his sons for their complaints, calling them 'so ungrateful', adding that he has given them 'a life of almost unparalleled privilege.'

Jerry Sheehan (center), 89 has been accused of misconduct by his sons Tim (right) and a trustee representing the interests of another son, John Sheehan, 59

Tim Sheehan (left) was fired as manger of the company's flagship distribution center in 2019 while litigation was pending on a previous dispute. John Sheehan (shown right with Jerry) remains with the business as manager of its Wisconsin wholesaling unit.

The suit was filed in Suffolk Superior Court just days before Christmas Day

Sheehan Family Cos. is almost entirely owned by Jerry and Maureens eight children as a result of estate planning by the couple decades ago, the Boston Globe reported. However, Jerry still maintains control over operations.

While the suit doesnt specify damages, the legal filing alleges that Jerry has been responsible for more than $80 million in fabricated management fees unsupported by formalized agreements and documented only through a one-line invoice, as well as millions of dollars in interest on intercompany loans.

The alleged actions of Jerry are the main focus of the claim, however his wife Margaret is also named as a defendant because of her role as a trustee.

The oldest of the Sheehan siblings and company director, Margaret Sheehan, 64, is also named as a defendant, as is Charles E. Clapp III, a trustee of trusts established for Margaret and her sisters Anne Landers and Susan Sheehan.

In their filing, Tim and John claim theyve attempted to settle their outlined dispute with Jerry for a number of years, though have failed on each previous occasion.

While mediation was pending in 2018, Tim was reportedly suspended from his post running the companys flagship distribution center on the South Shore.

The disciplinary motion allegedly came after Tim changed his legal residency to Florida, a move Jerry believed could have threatened the companys deals in the state with Budweiser owner Anheuser-Busch, according to the lawsuit.

Tim claims he was fired the following year. John, meanwhile, remains with the business as manager of its Wisconsin wholesaling unit.

After years of concerted and good-faith efforts to resolve this family business dispute, Plaintiffs are forced to bring this action as a last resort to put a stop to the unlawful behavior of the family patriarch . . . who is abusing his fiduciary powers over businesses owned by his children, the complaint reads.

In the suit, Tim and John say they played an instrumental part in developing Sheehan Family Cos. into 'one of the largest and most successful collections of alcoholic-beverage distributorships in the nation.

They say their efforts costs them 'decades of hard work and sacrifice', and saw them give up 'steady jobs in a bet on the family business, invest large sums of their own money, and [uproot] their families several times'.

The lawsuit says that at least $33.5 million of company funds were contributed to a charitable-giving account at Fidelity Investments from 2012 through 2018 (pictured: Jerry Sheehan presents a $100k donation to the Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield in 2010)

The corporate headquarters for the Sheehan Family Companies at 35 Elder Avenue in Kingston, MA is pictured above

Sheehan Family Cos. is one of the largest beer distributors in the US, with 19 distribution centers in 13 states. It is one of the largest distributors of Budweiser and other Anheuser-Busch labels (file photo)

Jerry has not yet spoken publicly on the lawsuit, however a scathing statement from a spokesperson for him read: Timothys and Johns jobs and other benefits have provided them with tens of millions more than the amounts received by their siblings, and now each have net worth well in excess of a hundred million dollars due to their fathers largesse.

Despite all that they have been given, and all they continue to take from the company, the sons want more, at the expense of their siblings, company employees (whose benefits they see as overly generous) and charitable causes the company supports.

In an attempt to get it, they have filed this ill-conceived and inaccurate lawsuit. That they did so just days before Christmas and even included their own mother as a defendant shows just how misguided their actions are.

The oldest of the Sheehan siblings and a company director, Margaret Sheehan (above), 64, is also named as a defendant

The Sheehan family reportedly got into the beer distribution business in the Great Depression through Maureens father, Domero Cortelli, delivering Budweiser in Southeastern Massachusetts under the company name L. Knife & Son.

Jerry Sheehan took over the company after Cortelli's death in 1963, and has remained chairman and CEO ever since.

Several decades on, the rebranded Sheehan Family Cos. is now a collection of 19 regional beer distributors in 13 states, plus an importing company and a craft spirits division. While it is one of the largest distributors of Budweiser and other Anheuser-Busch labels, its also now heavily involved in the distribution of craft and foreign beers.

According to the lawsuit, Jerrys early ambitions to expand the business were hampered by rules outlined Anheuser-Busch that made it difficult for a distributor in one state to operate in another, unless they lived there.

In order to persuade the Sheehan children to relocate to a different state to circumvent the issue, the family reportedly reached a 60/40 agreement, in which siblings who were active in the business  or employed full time and willing to relocate  the opportunity to buy a combined 60 percent of any out-of-state distributor the family acquired, with the remaining 40 percent available in equal shares to all eight children.

However, in a statement to the Globe, Jerrys spokesperson denied that any such formal agreement was ever struck.

There was a one-time allocation of equity to [Tim and John] in several of the 19 distribution companies that diluted their siblings shares. The brothers still hold that greater equity, the statement read.

Tim and John claim in their filing that they, and their third brother Chris, were all willing to uproot their families and invest in out-of-state-distributorships, including in New York City and Wisconsin.

While Chris Sheehan didnt join the suit, Tim and John say Jerry siphoned off company funds, in some instances at the expense of all eight siblings, and in other instances with a disproportionately unfair impact on just them.

In a statement through a spokesperson, Jerry (pictured right with Tim) confirmed he will fight the lawsuit and called his sons 'so ungrateful'

According to the complaint, from 2015 to 2019, Jerrys compensation totaled more than $45 million, which the brothers say he unilaterally and arbitrarily set himself. They also claim the purported amount was far out of line with other executives in the beverage industry.

Maureen, meanwhile, reportedly took home a yearly salary in excess of $400,000 between 2011 and 2017, despite not providing any professional services to the business during that time, the suit claims.

The brothers further claim that their parents used corporate funds to sanction eye-watering art and antiques purchases, a collection at one time valued at $30 million. They say Maureen and Jerry also spent vast sums on furniture, vintage cars, jewelry, clothing and real estate.

Additional, the lawsuit says that at least $33.5 million of company funds were contributed to a charitable-giving account at Fidelity Investments from 2012 through 2018, according to the Globe.

The account, which is separate from the Sheehan Family Foundation, then made donations in Maureen and Jerrys names to Jerrys pet charities, the suit claims.

Responding to the claims, an statement issued on behalf of Jerry reads: Throughout his long stewardship, Jerry has always operated the companies to advance core Sheehan family values of generosity to employees and philanthropy. The two sons have a history of opposing both . . . Jerry receives no personal benefits from such decisions [to be fair to all eight children].

His only compensation is a salary set by independent directors based on expert input  which he then donates entirely to charity. He does not benefit personally from any of the business decisions described  often inaccurately  in the suit.

Jerrys spokesperson confirmed that he and Maureen Sheehan will defend the litigation; their only question is why these two sons are so ungrateful for having been given a life of almost unparalleled privilege.
Monday, January 4, 2021

Why wouldn't Jack Ruby want to partner with Lee Harvey Oswald in buying a nightclub or a restaurant? What a perfect partnership - Ruby could manage his two clubs in Dallas, and Oswald could manage the club in New Orleans.

And, isn't it interesting - a phone call from Ruby in New Orleans to Oswald in Dallas! It must have been important, Ruby could not wait till he got back to Dallas to talk with Oswald. Why wouldn't the 'authorities' take that seriously?

There were other tantalizing Ruby/Oswald connections. Here is one from the Garrison leads memo of November, 1967 - lead #12.

I can't read the last line completely - but I think it reads "It has been confirmed that Kim did have some early connection with ..... and probably with Ruby." Is the missing word Oswald?

Here's another Oswald-Ruby connection. This is a letter sent to Garrison's office with a notation from Garrison:

This letter was found in the Bill Boxley files at the NARA - he was an investigator for Garrison. The headers of a lot of his material has been stripped off. What is interesting here is that Garrison so readily believes the hearsay.

Tomorrow: A cab driver says he drove David Ferrie and Lee Harvey Oswald to Jack Ruby's nightclub in Dallas.
Press Release

January 4, 2021 Celebrate Covid inoculation, not keep secret: Pangilinan SENATOR Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan on Monday supported Vice President Leni Robredo's call for a transparent investigation of the unregistered vaccines given to some members of the military and the president's security personnel. "Bakit sinisikreto ang pagbabakuna? Dapat nga sine-celebrate ito dahil magandang balita ito, unless merong iligal sa mga transaksyon," Pangilinan said. "An honest and transparent investigation of the so-called smuggled vaccines and a credible result will bring back the confidence of the people in the government's vaccination program. Dapat maparusahan ang gumagawa at nag-uutos ng iligal," he added. The senator said the inoculation of the military and the President's guards made a mockery of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has been working hard to find safe vaccines for the Filipinos against Covid-19. It also endangers the military personnel inoculated since unauthorized vaccines still lack the safety and efficacy requirements. Pangilinan also pointed out anew that the incident raised questions about who should get the vaccines first. "Palakasan ang nanaig sa kung sino ang mababakunahan. The vulnerable and poor sectors, the elderly and the frontliners as determined by the Department of Health should be first in line," he said. Pangilinan called on local government units not to emulate the unauthorized vaccination, stressing it was illegal and could imperil their constituents. Earlier, Vice President Leni Robredo pushed for the investigation so as not to send the wrong signal to the people that illegal acts will be tolerated. "No unlawful act will justify any good intention," Pangilinan said. On December 14, the Senate approved Pangilinan's Senate Resolution 594 asking the Senate Committee of the Whole to look into the government's national Covid-19 vaccination program. The hearing may begin early January 2021, but the date is still to be decided. Senate interventions have put some order into the government's pandemic response. These include, among others: * Bayanihan 1, which originally included draconian measures giving the Executive powers to shut down and take over private facilities; * The reorganization at the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) after the P15-billion scam at the national insurer was exposed during a Senate hearing; * The drop in the prices of test kits by about 25% after minority senators pushed for the approval of the cheaper, world-class local test kits. For 2021, Congress has set aside a P72.5-billion appropriation for Covid vaccination under the national budget, which was recently signed into law by the President.
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The healing process that kicks in after a stroke, trauma, infection or other brain injury can trigger the development of cancer, a study has concluded.

Canadian researchers analysed cells from the tumours of 26 patients with a common but aggressive form of brain cancer known as glioblastoma.

Their findings suggest that mutations can derail the process which is supposed to create new cells to replace those that have been lost  and spur on tumour growth.

The team hope that the discovery may pave the way towards new tailored therapies for individual brain cancer patients.

The healing process that kicks in after a stroke or other sort of brain injury can accidentally trigger the development of cancer, a study has concluded. Pictured, a cross section of the brain, with a glioblastoma tumour highlighted in pink

'Our data suggest that the right mutational change in particular cells in the brain could be modified by injury to give rise to a tumour,' said paper author and neurosurgeon Peter Dirks of The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

The findings could lead to new therapies for glioblastoma patients  who currently have limited treatment options and an average lifespan of just 15 months after diagnosis.

'Glioblastoma can be thought of as a wound that never stops healing,' Dr Dirks said.

'We're excited about what this tells us about how cancer originates and grows and it opens up entirely new ideas about treatment by focusing on the injury and inflammation response.'

In their study, Dr Dirks and colleagues used single-cell RNA sequencing and machine learning technologies to map out the molecular make-up of glioblastoma stem cells  which are responsible for tumour initiation and recurrence after treatment.

The team found new subpopulations of glioblastoma stem cells which bear the molecular hallmarks of inflammation and are comingled with other cancer stem cells inside patients' tumours.

These findings, Dr Dirks said, suggest that some glioblastomas start to form when the normal tissue healing process  which is supposed to generate new cells to replace those lost to injury  gets derailed by mutations.

This, he added, might happen many years before a patient becomes symptomatic.

Once a mutant cell becomes engaged in wound healing, it doesn't stop multiplying  with all normal controls broken  spurring tumour growth, the team said.

'The goal is to identify a drug that will kill the glioblastoma stem cells,' said paper author and molecular geneticist Gary Bader of the University of Toronto.

'But we first needed to understand the molecular nature of these cells in order to be able to target them more effectively.'

The researchers collected GSCs from the tumours of 26 patients  and expanded them in the lab to obtain sufficient numbers of the rare cells for analysis.

In total, they analysed almost 70,000 cells using single-cell RNA sequencing  a technique which detects what genes are switched on in individual cells.

Canadian researchers analysed cells from the tumours of 26 patients with a common but aggressive form of brain cancer known as glioblastoma. Pictured, glioblastoma cells

The team found evidence of 'extensive disease heterogeneity'  meaning each tumour contained multiple subpopulations of molecularly distinct cancer stem cells.

This makeup makes cancer recurrence more likely, as existing therapies are unable to wipe out all the different 'subclones'.

Furthermore, each tumour sported one or both of the two molecular states  dubbed 'Developmental' and 'Injury Response'.

The developmental state is a hallmark of the glioblastoma stem cells  and resembles that of the rapidly dividing stem cells in the growing brain before birth, the researchers explained.

The second state, however, came as a surprise, the researchers said.

They termed it 'Injury Response' because it showed an upregulation of immune pathways and inflammation markers  such as interferon and TNFalpha  which are indicative of wound healing processes.

Meanwhile, experiments established that the two states are vulnerable to different types of gene knock outs, revealing a series of therapeutic targets linked to inflammation that had not been previously considered for glioblastoma.

Finally, the relative comingling of the two states was found to be patient-specific, meaning that each tumour was biased either toward the developmental or the injury response end of the gradient.

With their initial study complete, the researchers are now looking to target these biases for tailored therapies.

'We're now looking for drugs that are effective on different points of this gradient,' said paper author and cancer genomicist Trevor Pugh of the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto.

'There's a real opportunity here for precision medicine  to dissect patients' tumours at the single cell level and design a drug cocktail that can take out more than one cancer stem cell subclone at the same time.'

The full findings of the study were published in the journal Nature Cancer.
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Only 4.3 million COVID-19 vaccines have been administered across the US almost a month into the agonizingly slow vaccination campaign - as it is revealed that Georgia and Kansas have used less than 20 percent of the vaccines distributed to them and New York City is only handing out shots during office hours.

Federal officials had vowed to administer 20 million vaccine doses across the US before the New Year but, as of Monday, only 13 million doses had been distributed to states.

Just 4.3 million of those doses - or 33 percent - have been administered so far, according to a Bloomberg analysis of CDC and state government data.

It means just 1.3 percent of the US population has been vaccinated almost a month into the stumbling campaign as cases, deaths and hospitalizations continue to surge across the country.

Health officials, however, have said that the US ramped up vaccinations in the past few days and Dr Anthony Fauci said he has seen 'some little glimmer of hope' after 1.5 million doses were administered over a 72-hour period over the weekend.

It comes as the UK on Monday began administering its third easy-to-use vaccine shot, which was created by Oxford University/AstraZeneca but is not approved for use in the US.

Federal officials had vowed to administer 20 million vaccine doses across the US before the New Year but, as of Monday, only 13 million doses had been distributed to states. Just 4.3 million of those doses - or 33 percent - have been administered so far

According to a state-by-state breakdown, Kansas and Georgia have only administered 17 percent of the doses distributed to them under the federal Operation Warp Speed vaccine program.

California, which is currently the hardest hit state with new cases per capita, has so far used 28 percent of its vaccine shots.

Meanwhile, only a handful of states have already used more than 50 percent of the shots distributed to them: South Dakota (70%), Connecticut (64%), North Dakota (63%), Maine (62%), Ohio (54%), Vermont (51%), Iowa (50%) and West Virginia (50%).

New York state has so far administered 236,941 of its 774,075 distributed doses, according to CDC data.

In New York City, 110,241 vaccine doses have been administered since vaccinations started three weeks ago, the city's latest vaccine data shows. The city currently has 443,000 vaccine doses available.

Gov Andrew Cuomo on Monday addressed the slow rate of vaccine distribution across the state, saying hospitals would be fined up to $100,000 if they fail to use up their dose allocations by the end of the week.

Facilities now also must use up their vaccine allocations within seven days or risk being allowed to receive any future doses.

'I want needles in arms and I want it done as quickly as possible,' Cuomo said. 'We need (hospitals) to administer the vaccines faster.'

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said earlier on Monday that he expects the city to administer 400,000 doses per week by the end of the month with 250 new vaccine sites set to open in that time frame.

NYC Councilman Mark Levine has slammed the current rate of vaccine distribution, saying shots need to be handed out 24/7.

'Vaccination in New York City is basically only occurring during regular business hours. Very little on weekends. Almost none on holidays,' he tweeted. 'We are in a war-like situation. We need to be vaccinating twenty four seven. We are losing precious time.

'Prioritization is critical. But giving a vaccine to someone lower priority is better than giving it to no one. If a site doesn't use all its time slots/doses on a given day they should be able to offer shots to those at lower priority. (As of now they could be fined for this).'

According to a state-by-state breakdown, Kansas and Georgia have only administered 17 percent of the doses distributed to them under the federal Operation Warp Speed vaccine program

Why the vaccine rollout has proceeded so slowly: Shipping delays created chaos in the first weeks, a mistake General Gustave Perna apologized for Overstretched hospitals have struggled to find enough staffers to administer the shots Some governors have issued increasingly convoluted restrictions on who gets the jabs Local and state officials complain that their public health offices are underfunded Some healthcare workers have refused the vaccine, with a shocking 50% declining in some areas Cold storage requirements create logistical hurdles and tight windows for administering the vaccine Advertisement

Former FDA chief Dr Scott Gottlieb on Monday recommended officials stop stockpiling the second vaccine dose and expand eligibility to ensure more people are being vaccinated in the coming weeks.

'Right now, every shot in an arm is a win,' he told CNBC's Squawk Box.

'I think people should be getting the second dose. They should be getting the second dose largely on time, but we can be pushing out more first doses now and using the future supply that's going to come onto the market in January to administer some of those second doses.

'You need to stockpile something if you want to make sure theres a smooth transition to the second doses, but putting away 50 percent of all the doses, I think, is denying more people access to a vaccine.'

Fauci has previously acknowledged the US has fallen short of its goal of having 20 million doses shipped and distributed by the end of December.

'There have been a couple of glitches. That's understandable,' Fauci said on NBC's Meet the Press. 'We are not where we want to be, there's no doubt about that.'

NYC Councilman Mark Levine has called for at least one vaccination site in each zipcode to be opened 24 hours

He expressed optimism, however, that the momentum will pick up by mid-January and that ultimately the US will be vaccinating 1 million people a day.

Fauci said that Joe Biden's 'goal of vaccinating 100 million people in the first 100 days is a realistic goal'.

The failure to speedily vaccinate millions of Americans has already been blamed on various factors, including lack of federal oversights and chaotic distribution.

The 20 million-dose goal hasn't been reached in part because local health departments and medical facilities had to stay focused on testing to handle a surge in cases, US Surgeon General Jerome Adams said, adding that the holiday season meant health workers were taking time off.

Adams said he, too, expects vaccinations to 'rapidly ramp up in the new year.'

President Donald Trump blamed local authorities for the delays, tweeting on the weekend that 'the vaccines are being delivered to the states by the Federal Government far faster than they can be administered!'

Adams said part of the problem was that 'a lot of the local capacity to be able to vaccinate was being used for testing and responding to surges.'

Troubling reports have emerged of vaccines going bad due to poor organization, lack of healthcare professionals to administer them or, in one isolated case, sabotage.

Some people have also waited in line for hours only to be turned away.

In Tennessee, elder citizens, some with walkers, were reported standing along a busy highway while waiting for their vaccinations.

Elderly residents in Florida camped out overnight last week to be able to receive the first doses.

Florida Department of Health medical workers prepare to administer a COVID-19 vaccine to seniors in the parking lot of the Gulf View Square Mall in New Port Richey near Tampa last week

Hundreds of residents in Florida lined up - some overnight - to be able to receive a COVID-19 shot

People wait in a line on New Year's Eve to receive a COVID-19 vaccination in Florida

Operation Warp Speed chief is in talks with Moderna about cutting the doses of some COVID-19 vaccines in HALF to speed up roll-out The U.S. government is considering giving some people half the dose of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine in order to speed vaccinations, a federal official said on Sunday. Moncef Slaoui, head of Operation Warp Speed, the federal vaccine program, said on CBS' Face the Nation that officials were in talks with Moderna and the Food and Drug Administration about the idea. Moderna's vaccine requires two injections. 'We know that for the Moderna vaccine, giving half of the dose to people between the ages of 18 and 55, two doses, half the dose, which means exactly achieving the objective of immunizing double the number of people with the doses we have,' Slaoui said. 'We know it induces identical immune response' to the full dose, he added. Slaoui said he was optimistic vaccinations would continue to accelerate. He rejected the suggestion that officials should prioritize giving more people a single shot, rather than holding back doses for the second shot, saying that cutting Moderna vaccine doses in half was 'a more responsible approach that would be based on facts and data.' Slaoui said it would likely not be known until late spring whether vaccinated people can still spread the disease to others. Advertisement

Moncef Slaoui, the chief advisor to Operation Warp Speed, the military-led US vaccine effort, told CBS there was an 'assumption' that states had plans in place to administer the vaccine.

'We need to improve,' he said.

'We will do the best we can, as we have done over the last eight months, to make (certain) these vaccines indeed make it into the arms of people.'

Another alternative is being explored for the Moderna vaccine, he said: administer half-doses, twice.

'We know it induces identical immune response,' he said.

Slaoui said research has shown that being injected with just half the dose of the Moderna vaccine 'induces an identical immune response' for people between the ages of 18 and 55.

Under a new proposal, all people in that age category would still be injected twice, but each dose would be halved.

Slaoui says that would allow medics to 'immunize double the number of people with the doses currently available'.

He said the government was in discussion with both Moderna and the FDA about the idea.

'I think it' a responsible approach that is be based on facts and data to immunize more people,' he said.

Both Moderna and Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccines require two doses taken either 21 days or 28 days apart.

More than 13 million vaccine vials have been distributed, but many of those shots are being held in storage to serve as the second dose for 4 million-plus people who have already had their first jab.

Some critics have argued that as many people as possible should be injected with their first dose now, and receive their second dose once supplies are topped up.

Slaoui, however, has rejected that idea.

'It's not reasonable when vaccines have been developed with two doses given 21 days apart or 28 days apart, and we have the data on that safety and that efficacy [to suddenly change plans],' he said.

'We have no data [about what happens] if we leave people after one dose for one month, two month, three months, with maybe incomplete immunity, waning immunity, or even the wrong kind of immune response.'
It was meant to be a Happy New Year  and what could be better? UK was the first to begin the vaccination programme with Pfizer and it seemed amazingly well organised, while the rest of Europe was still struggling to get their act and shots together. Added to that was the cherry with which the Prime Minister Boris Johnson had won the election: he delivered Brexit (almost) at the stroke of the midnight hour.

But 2020 had one last blow to deliver. Partly responsible was the super-super spreader mutation of Covid-19, some of it homegrown, and some of it arriving from South Africa. This is what happens when the UK is home to different nationalities and ethnicities: the only drawback is that during a pandemic you cannot isolate one from the other. Suddenly the government found itself in a mess all over again. And now, far from being well-stocked  it seems we dont have enough vaccines to go around. And then someone had the bright idea of only giving one shot of the Pfizer vaccine when the recommended dose for protection is really two shots. This kind of experimentation at this stage has made doctors who had committed a second dose to their patients feel uncomfortable. And they have decided that at least for the elderly they will go ahead and give the second dose.

The idea that they can give Pfizer now and another vaccine, perhaps the Oxford vaccine is another idea being floated. But much of this last-minute course correction is creating insecurity. Undoubtedly these issues are going to hit the rest of the world as well, as there are simply not enough shots to go around. In this, how the UK solves the problem will be closely observed.

Meanwhile, the Indian government probably has a unique problem on its hands. They have invited Boris Johnson as chief guest for Republic Day  from a country where till recently flights were banned. Now the ban has been lifted, with flights re-starting. India will run the risk of this new strain coming into the country, of course. But the optics will have been served: how can only Boris be invited (even if virtually) when the rest of the country is not allowed in? Luckily, if he comes physically, he has already had his Covid-19  but the rest of the entourage? Perhaps in these unprecedented times  and with Atamnirbhar Bharat, a suitable Indian could be found?

But at least the UK could exit from Europe, even if getting out of the pandemic still poses a problem. On a historic December 30, Parliament was recalled for the day. (Of course, given social distancing, most MPs and Lords can usually stay at home and participate on Zoom.) It was a long complicated Bill but after four-and-a-half years of bickering and three Prime Ministers, Parliament approved the Bill by 11 pm. Then the Queen, as Head of State, signed it near midnight and the UK had legally approved of Brexit.

Suddenly the mood lifted, even though on New Years Eve, no one could go out to celebrate in London due to the Tier 4 lockdown. But there were bright lights and firecrackers on Tower Bridge and along the river. Big Ben, wrapped in repair scaffolding and normally invisible and silent, sounded the bongs for the New Year. The UK finally officially left the EU at midnight. You could not have a chosen a more iconic date for such a historic occasion.

And then, there is always the Queen to put things in perspective. Her stoicism was appreciated as she did her Christmas broadcast. She had spent Christmas like everyone else without any visits from her extended family of children and grandchildren. Only the Duke of Edinburgh was with her  setting an example of obeying the rules. But to spread joy, the Queens New Years Honours list was published. It is a bumper list this time around. Covid-19 has brought out into prominence all those who serve in NHS, education, social care, community service. These are fields where people of Indian origin have always been active. There are as many as 89 Indian names on the list. A prominent name was Lord Daljit Singh Rana who was honoured for his contribution to business in Northern Ireland. There was also an honour for Sanjay Kara who helps in the Swami Narayan Temple in Neasden, Charan Deep Singh for the Sikh Food Bank, Malini Nebhrajani who works in the Department of Health and Social Services (law section) got the high honour of Order of Bath. Bhaven Pathak got an award for services to British Hinduism. It shows how diversity is being taken seriously. But also how much UK has become home for the Indian diaspora.
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The families of two of three youths who were killed in an encounter with security forces on December 30 protested in Srinagar on Monday demanding their bodies and impartial investigation into the matter.

While the army and police have maintained that they were militants, the youths families have vouched for their innocence.

The police also released purported videos of the cordoned house where the trio  Zubair Ahmad of Turkawangam, Shopian; Ajaz Maqbool and Athar Mushtaq of Putrigam, Pulwama  was killed in Hokersar-Lawaypora, Srinagar. The security forced had claimed that the youths were repeatedly asked to surrender on the night of December 29 and December 30 morning.

Athar and Zubairs family members converged at Press Colony here carrying banners Stop innocents killings and We want complete investigation. The protestors, including elderly and women, shouted slogans demanding justice.

He had bullets in his chest. The mothers and sisters of soldiers congratulated them for shooting terrorists, but he was just a 16-year-old child, wailed Mushtaq Ahmad, Athars father.

Are the soldiers happy snatching a piece of my heart? You (security forces) killed my son to feed your children. Shame on you, he said.

While the police and army have said the trio were killed in exchange of fire, their families have rebutted the claim saying they were civilians. Athar was a Class 11 student, Aijaz was pursuing graduation while Zubair was a skilled worker, according to their families.

Mushtaq said he wanted justice. I dont want money. I just want the body of my son, he said.

He lies buried there in the snow (in Ganderbal). Whom should I tell? Arent people of India listening? I want to tell people of the world that I want justice. I want my son, he is just 16. Either give me my son or bury me there, he demanded.

As part of the protocol, the authorities have been burying the bodies of militants far away from their homes only allowing a few family members to be part of the burial arranged by police. The trio killed on December 30 was taken to Ganderbal, some 110 km from Pulwama, for burial.

Police release videos of surrender appeal

The police on Monday released two videos of the surrounded house purportedly showing forces asking those inside to surrender. On 29/12/20 evening after the cordon at Hokersar, troops are repeatedly appealing the trapped terrorists to come out and surrender with assurances that they will not be harmed, Kashmir police said in a tweet.

At Hokersar on 30/12/2020 in the morning hours, troops are once again appealing the trapped terrorists to come out in the ground and surrender before them, it said in another tweet with a video.

Politicos seek speedy investigation

Meanwhile, political parties in Kashmir have asked for probe into the encounter after families claims.

National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah on Monday asked L-G Manoj Sinha to hand over the bodies. The L-G has promised a fair and speedy probe in to this encounter when JKNC Lok Sabha member Hansain Masoodi spoke to him about it recently. In the interim, we hope the L-G will order the handing over of the bodies to the families, he said in a tweet.

However, police have said that as per their checks Aijaz and Athar were overground workers (OGWs) of militants.

Background checks also reveal that Aijaz and Athar, both OGWs variously provided logistic support to terrorists. Antecedents and verifications too show that both were radically inclined and had aided terrorists of LeT (now so-called TRF) outfit, police have said in a statement.

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Patna:

Targeting once again his bete noir, senior BJP leader and former Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Modi on Tuesday blamed that RJD chief Lalu Prasad got two plots of land allotted in his name in violation of the MLA Cooperative Societys bye-laws.

The state government had earmarked 15 acres of land for 30 years to the MLA Cooperative Society at Kautilya Nagar here for allotment of residential plots to MPs, MLAs and MLCs. The 30-year lease will come to end in December, 2017.

Apart from Prasad, the chairman of the MLA Cooperative Society, Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav, an RJD Lok Sabha member, also got two plots allotted in his name in violation of the bye-laws of the Society, Modi alleged.

Modi said that the bye-laws allowed allotment of only one plot to a member of the Society.

Besides, plots situated adjacent to those of Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi, too had been allotted to Prasads brother-in-law Anirudh Prasad Yadav and his close confidant and party Rajya Sabha MP Prem Chand Gupta to make Prasads plot size bigger, he claimed describing the allottment as a scam.

Patna District Magistrate has prepared a deatiled report on the irregularities of the Cooperative Society which was submitted to the chief minister three months back, Modi said.

CM Nitish Kumar should make the DMs report public and also cancel the plots of those who have violated the bye-laws, Modi demanded.

He said that penalty should be imposed on Lalu Prasad and others for using the plots for commercial purposes.

Also Read: Lalu questions authenticity of I-T raids on 22 locations on charges of benami deals

He said that Prasad is, at present, occupying for all practical purposes five plots of the society - numbering 207, 208, 209, 210 and 211.

As per the bye-laws of the Society, no member of the society will be allowed to have more than one plot. When the bye-laws prohibit the allotment of more than one plot, then how Prasad got allotted two plots in his name and that too at the 1992 rate of Rs 37,000, Modi wondered.

Not only this, even the then CM Rabri Devi using her influence got registered a plot (number 209) from Abdul Bari Siddqiqui, the states Finance Minister, in 2003, Modi alleged.

Also Read: RJD chief Lalu Yadav denies corruption allegations against daughter Misa

Modi said that the BJP would chalk out further course of action if action was not taken in the matter.

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A local BJP leader was injured in an attack by miscreants in West Bengal's Nadia district, police said on Sunday. Ratan Barman (35), BJP booth president of Shimurali- Nirmal pally in Chakdaha area was attacked by miscreants when he was returning home on Saturday night, they said.

The locals rushed Barman to JNM Hospital, Kalyani. He has suffered injuries in his hand. Police said they are looking into the matter. BJP Ranaghat MP Jagannath Sarkar alleged that Trinamool Congress goons attacked Barman but the TMC rubbished the allegations. BJP workers blocked a road in the area on Sunday morning to protest the attack on Barman.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
BUNKER HILL  State Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, is leaving the Illinois Senate to become a senior advisor to Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

After more than 22 years of public service, I realize this: I got more out of it than I gave it all I had each and every day,Manar said.

Illinois faces so many challenges, and I look forward to taking on these challenges from the executive branch, he said. Gov. Pritzker has shown tremendous leadership in the most grave crisis this state has experienced in our lifetime, and Im honored to share what Ive learned to advance his agenda to rebuild our state and stand up for working families.

Manar, 45, announced that he will leave the Illinois Senate on Jan. 17.

While serving communities with people from all walks of life was often challenging, it brought me great joy to see first-hand what unites us and to then bring that perspective to Springfield to take on big issues, he said. Im proud to say we did that together and along the way improved life for everyone in this state.

Trista and our children now teens have only known me as a husband and father who also carries the responsibility of serving as an elected official, Manar said. The time has come for someone new to take up the call in the Illinois Senate.

Pritzker called Manar one of the most thoughtful and successful lawmakers of his generation.

In his career, Andy has done so much to improve the lives of working families, Pritzker said. He led the effort to reform the states antiquated education funding formula, made insulin cheaper for the millions who depend upon it, led efforts to reform election laws, and oversaw the appropriations committee during truly challenging times.

Any one of those accomplishments would be hailed as a career capstone, and Andy has too many to name, Pritzker said. I value his insights and look forward to him joining my administration as we overcome this pandemic and rebuild Illinois together.

Anne Caprara, Pritzkers chief of staff, said Manar is a fiercely devoted public servant with an enviable track record in the legislature.

He is someone who has always put the needs of the state and its people front and center, and I am thrilled to have him serve in the governors office, she said.

Born graduated from Bunker Hill Community High School and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and became a teacher. In 1997, he was elected to the Bunker Hill City Council and was elected mayor four years later. He was elected to the Macoupin County Board in 2003 and the newly drawn Illinois Senate District 48 in 2011. He was re-elected in 2014. The district includes all or parts of Christian, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, Montgomery and Sangamon counties.
As Indian IT companies gear to announce their third quarter earnings of the current fiscal, industry experts believe that the October-December results will be best in a decade. According to a recent report by Edelweiss Research, Indian IT companies are poised to report their best Q3 in a decade on the back of highest-ever order books, marked revenue acceleration, margin expansion, and ongoing outlook upgrades.

IT bellwether Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the country's largest software exporter, will kick off the December quarter (Q3 FY21) earnings season with results on January 8. It will be followed by Infosys, which is scheduled to release Q3 results on January 13.

"We expect Q3FY21 to continue to surprise, driving guidance upgrades by IT companies and estimate revisions by Street alike," Edelweiss said in its research report on IT sector.

As per the report, Infosys and TCS will lead the pack with 5-6% QoQ growth, followed by HCL Tech and Wipro (3-4%), and Tech Mahindra (1.8%) in US dollar terms. It expects margin expansion of 20-80bps, and most companies are likely to upgrade the outlook. The agency believes that Infosys would further raise its guidance, while it expects Mindtree, L&T Technology Services and Larsen & Toubro Infotech to post robust growth and margins.

Analysts at Edelweiss believe that Q3 FY21 will continue to surprise with robust revenue growth of 2-6% (in USD) for large-caps aided by 20-80bps of cross-currency tailwinds. The agency forecasts that TCS, Infosys, HCL Tech, Wipro and Tech Mahindra would report QoQ growth of 4.5%, 5.4%, 4%, 3.5% and 1.8%, respectively, in USD terms. It estimated EBIT margin expansion of 50bps for Infosys, 80bps for Tech Mahindra, 40bps for Wipro, 60bps for HCL Tech respectively, QoQ. Besides, it expects robust commentaries, record deal-wins and guidance upgrades by all these companies.

Edelweiss said that upward guidance revisions by Indian IT companies, which set in two quarters ago, will be followed by upgrades in consensus forecasts for quarters to come.

As per the report, structural demand uptick will drive industry-wide acceleration in revenue growth from 9-10% pre-pandemic to 12-13% in FY22 and 14-16% thereafter through FY27. Based on inputs from experts and commentaries of global companies, Edelweiss estimates industry margins over the next five years to be at least 300 basis points (bps) higher than pre-pandemic led by WFA (work from anywhere) savings and lower non-business travel costs. The gap between EBITDA (Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortisation) and EBIT will reduce for good owing to lower facility spends, it said.

"High online activity is galvanising 'transformation of core' across industries with cloud and digital becoming mainstream," it said.

The agency pegged constant currency revenue growth at 1-5% QoQ with a cross-currency benefit of 20-80bps. This would be led by a spurt across industries and geographies with digital and cloud as underlying catalysts. The agency expects beaten-down segments such as retail, transportation and engineering and research & development (ER&D) to bounce back strongly off a low base.

Also Read: Sensex hits 48,000 for first time on nod to domestic COVID-19 vaccines

Also Read: Seven out of 10 firms add Rs 75,845 crore in m-cap; HDFC biggest gainer
PHNOM PENH: Cambodia has started reopening schools and museums as it relaxes a six-week lockdown following a coronavirus outbreak late last year, marking a contrast with some neighbouring countries that are facing new restrictions due to rising COVID-19 cases.

The Southeast Asian country of just over 16 million people, one of the least impacted by the novel coronavirus with just 382 infections and no deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, saw a rare cluster of cases in November.

On Monday, students wearing masks lined up for temperature checks and hand washing before being allowed to enter the Sovannaphumi primary school in the capital Phnom Penh.

While private schools have started reopening this week, students at public schools are due to return next week.

At the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a former Khmer Rouge torture centre and prison in the capital, staff and tuk tuk" motorcyle taxi drivers awaited the arrival of visitors.

I am worried that we can get infected, but I see that we Cambodians are following the instructions set by the government on wearing masks, washing hands with alcohol or soap and social distancing," said Theun Ngor, a 43 year-old tuk-tuk driver.

In November, Cambodia put in a place of range of restrictions after a rare outbreak of community transmission linked to a 56-year-old woman who had travelled to the countrys two biggest cities since Nov. 20.

As Cambodia loosens curbs, authorities in neighbouring Thailand warned on Monday that the country could face a strict lockdown as infection numbers climbed and spurring it to declare 28 provinces high-risk zones.

While welcoming the prospect of more business, a coffee vendor near the Tuol Sleng museum was concerned after hearing that some Cambodians working in Thailand had been infected.

I am so worried that they could spread it here again," said Ngeth Sokuntheary, 27, as she prepared iced coffee.

(Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

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
ISTANBUL - Saudi Arabia has agreed to reopen land, air and sea links with Qatar, deescalating a feud that has sharply divided the Middle East for more than three years, according to the government of Kuwait, which has been mediating the dispute.

An announcement carried by Kuwait's state news agency, citing the country's foreign minister, said the borders and the airspace between Saudi Arabia and Qatar would reopen Monday evening. The announcement came a day before Saudi Arabia was set to host an annual summit of Persian Gulf states.

A Saudi government spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Monday that the summit aimed at "reunification and solidarity in facing the challenges in our region," according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

Led by Saudi Arabia, a group of Arab countries made a diplomatic break with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorist groups. The countries - which included the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain - cut links by land, sea and air, and imposed an economic blockade on Qatar. The rift was the most serious in decades among the Persian Gulf monarchies and complicated U.S. efforts to unify Arab allies against the Islamic State militant group as well as Iran, the Trump administration's main regional adversary.

Qatar, which hosts a major base for the U.S. military's Central Command, denied sponsoring terrorist groups. But Qatar's support for Islamist groups in the region and its hosting of the influential Al Jazeera news channel have been sources of anguish for Saudi Arabia and its allies for years.

A senior Trump administration official told the Reuters news agency that Saudi Arabia, along with the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, would sign an agreement ending their dispute with Qatar at the Saudi summit Tuesday. Jared Kushner, a White House senior adviser and Trump's son-in-law, helped broker the deal, the official said.

Kushner, Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz and Brian Hook, a special State Department adviser, are traveling to Saudi Arabia to attend a signing ceremony formalizing the reopening of Saudi airspace and land and sea borders with Qatar, said a senior U.S. official.

A person familiar with the negotiations said Saudi Arabia and its allies had dropped the list of 13 demands they had made of Qatar for ending the blockade. The demands had included shutting down Al Jazeera and scaling back Qatar's cooperation with Iran.

Qatar, in turn, had agreed to freeze legal actions against the blockading states at the World Trade Organization and other institutions, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic negotiations.

The person said Saudi Arabia and the UAE had disagreed over whether to end the boycott of Qatar, with the UAE resisting the move. But Saudi Arabia "wanted to end the blockade and didn't want to have this issue remain on its plate as the Biden administration comes into office."

The agreement, if concluded, would end a dispute that has generated years of bombastic rhetoric by the governments involved but seemingly little popular enthusiasm. Instead, the dispute seemed only to complicate the lives of people with cross-border commercial and familial ties, as well as workers and students who hail from the boycotting countries but reside in Qatar.

It is not yet clear whether the agreement would entirely end the tensions. In the past few weeks, Qatar accused Bahrain of violating its airspace with fighter jets. Bahrain, in a letter to the United Nations Security Council, called the claim "baseless, unfortunate and unrelated to facts," according to a statement from Bahrain's government communications office on Dec. 26.

The letter condemned Qatar's "continued provocative and hostile behavior, its sponsorship of terrorism and its interference in the internal affairs of neighboring countries," the statement said.

- - -

Hudson reported from Washington.
Planned Parenthood Pres. Alexis McGill Johnson: 'We are a proud abortion provider'

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The president of Planned Parenthood embraced her organizations reputation as the nation's largest abortion provider, suggesting that describing abortion as a small part of what the business does is stigmatizing.

Speaking to The Washington Post in an interview published Tuesday, Alexis McGill Johnson, who was appointed president of the abortion provider last year, was asked how she felt about the fact that abortion was the first thing that came to many peoples minds when they think of Planned Parenthood.

I think abortion is health care. And so, if the first thing they think about is health care when they think about Planned Parenthood, I think thats fine, she replied.

Planned Parenthood proudly serves all forms of sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion, and I think when we try to exclude it, were excluding a critical part of and a critical option for health care.

While The Washington Post claimed in its reporting that abortion is a "small part of all the things Planned Parenthood does," pro-life groups have long shown that abortion makes up some 95% of the company's services.

The Susan B. Anthony List and Charlotte Lozier Institute found that "in 2018-'19, abortions made up 95% of Planned Parenthoods pregnancy resolution services, while prenatal services, miscarriage care, and adoption referrals accounted for only 2.7% (9,798), 0.6% (2,236) and 1.2% (4,279), respectively."

"Planned Parenthood performed 345,672 abortions in 2018-19  an increase of nearly 13,000 from the previous year  and more than 3.3 million abortions (3,302,184) 11 over the past 10 reported years (2009-19)," the SBA List noted.

I think when we say, Its a small part of what we do, what were doing is actually stigmatizing it, McGill Johnson told The Washington Post, insisting that the suggestion that its really not a big deal that Planned Parenthood does this constitutes an attempt to shame the abortion business.

We are a proud abortion provider. We believe that abortion is health care, and we believe, fundamentally, that self-determination begins with being able to control your own body and freedom begins with being able to control your own body. So I dont like to marginalize it in that way, she stressed.

In a previous interview with The Christian Post, Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood clinic director, said that although Planned Parenthood claims that only 3% of its overall revenue comes from abortion services that abortion actually accounts for over 50% of Planned Parenthood's revenue.

Johnson told CP that Planned Parenthood uses "creative accounting" and "stealthy bundling" to disguise the fact that abortion is their biggest revenue generator.

"All of it boils down to how they bill for services," she said. "For example: an annual exam, Pap smear, gonorrhea and chlamydia tests, and seven packs of birth control account for one visit and are billed as 10 services. But they unbundle for abortion, and count all services provided as one. We don't really know what the true numbers are because of the bundling and unbundling."

"They really are creative accountants. We know their abortion budget makes up 50%. We also know that when states pass laws regulating abortion clinics, like in Texas, instead of meeting basic health and safety standards for abortion clinics, they choose to shut down. If abortion was only 3% of revenue, they would be able to sustain themselves," Johnson added.

McGill Johnson was appointed acting president of Planned Parenthood in 2019 following the termination of Dr. Leana Wen, who had a disagreement with the board about the organization's priorities. According to Wen, the priority of the board was to double down on abortion advocacy while she preferred to focus on providing healthcare to underserved women.

McGill Johnson has extensive experience in abortion advocacy and statistics show that abortion is a sizable proportion of Planned Parenthoods day-to-day operations. According to the pro-life group Live Action, Planned Parenthood accounts for 40% of all abortions performed in the U.S. The number of abortions performed by Planned Parenthood has nearly doubled since 2000, when the organization terminated 197,070 pregnancies.

As the number of abortions performed by Planned Parenthood nearly doubled over the past two decades, the government funding received by the abortion provider has more than tripled. In 2000, Planned Parenthood received $202.7 million in taxpayer money. By 2018, that figure had skyrocketed to $616.8 million.

Government funding for Planned Parenthood has been a point of political contention at both the state and the federal level. Republicans and pro-life groups have long called for the organization to lose federal funding because of its involvement with abortions while Democrats and Planned Parenthood have sought to minimize the companys performance of abortions when arguing that the organization needs taxpayer funding to provide other services for low-income women.

In August 2019, Planned Parenthood announced that it was leaving the Title X program, which grants millions of dollars a year to healthcare clinics nationwide so they can provide contraceptives, cancer screenings, STD testing and other services to low-income patients. Planned Parenthoods decision followed the implementation of a Trump administration rule forbidding clinics that receive Title X funds from referring patients for abortions.

Last fall, Planned Parenthood and dozens of other pro-abortion organizations released a list of First Priorities for the Blueprint for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice, building upon a document released in 2019. The document outlines a list of demands for the next presidential administration, including the elimination of the Hyde Amendment, which prevents the use of taxpayer dollars to fund abortions.

After networks called the 2020 presidential election for the Democratic ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, McGill Johnson expressed joy that America will be in the hands of leaders who are committed to advancing and expanding reproductive rights, adding that she was thrilled to see them elected and will be ready to work with them on day one.

Ahead of the 2020 election, Planned Parenthood committed to spending $45 million on behalf of Democrats.
Police allegedly found up to 700 guests and breaches of COVID-19 restrictions on dancing at a wedding in Sydney's west on Saturday night.

Officers attended the Imperial Paradiso reception venue in Fairfield at about 9.30pm and estimated there were double the number of guests permitted under the COVIDSafe plan the operator is required to implement under the state's public health order.

A video uploaded to Snapchat appears to show police attending the Paradiso wedding venue in Fairfield on Saturday.

Police advised the venue operator a large number of guests would have to leave. He complied and on Sunday the licensee was issued with a $5000 fine for the alleged infringement.

A police source told the Herald the venue was also failing to comply with other conditions of its plan, including restrictions on dancing and movement of people through the venue.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is upbeat that Ghana would surmount the scourge of COVID-19 pandemic as she mitigates its impact on the economy in the new year.



In a short interaction with the media on Friday [January 1, 2020] after he joined congregants of the Accra Ridge Church to usher in year 2021, he prayed that "we have a good year, that this disease is brought finally under control in our country, and we begin to rebuild our economy and secure the peace and stability of our nation...that is my wish for the people of Ghana."



The President was accompanied by his wife Rebecca, some senior government officials and family members to the service.



The watch-night service was marked with joyful songs of praise to God and thanksgiving for seeing the country through the difficulties the COVID-19 presented in 2020, and intercessory prayers for Ghana, the government, the legislature, Judiciary, the security services, and for all health workers and affiliates.



Prayers were also said for good counsel for President from his appointees, and for God to imbue him with the spirit of discernment, and for divine guidance to steer the affairs of the country successfully.



The congregants of the Church prayed also for God's protection and shield around the country, as the coronavirus pandemic continued its raging run around the world.



A minister of the Church, Reverend Andrew Odjawo, in an exhortation, said God had been good to Ghana and indeed the people of Africa.



He noted that projections made that huge numbers of Africans would die from the COVID-19 disease did not materialise, saying, "Though many lost their lives, God has been gracious to us, and spared our country the wrath of the disease...and we should indeed be grateful to Him."



"We thank God for our country, and for the leadership in our country," he said.



Taking his sermon for the night from the second chapter of the book of Collossians, in which the Apostle Paul cautioned the Collassians against false teachings, Rev. Odjawo warned of the danger of spiritual deceit in the Church.





He said the body of Christ was now abound with "con artists" who "swindle" the brethren with wrong philosophy and doctrines.



The Rev. Minister implored the congregation to shun with vehemence, any philosophy that did not follow Christ's teaching, and make Him the centre of their lives because Christ was the fullness of the God head.



"As we move into 2021, Christ must be the centre of our lives, because in Him, there was the fullness of God head.



"Let us make Christ the centre of our lives. He is all we need in 2021, whether coronavirus or not. Whatever comes, Jesus should reign in our lives. Nothing else matters when we place Christ at the centre.. Let everything resolve around Him," he said.



Rev. Odjawo prayed that the people of Ghana recovered what the lost in 2020.



"As we move into 2021, let us be assured that God would lead us to recover all our losses of 2020. He will bring us back to the pasture where there will be increase. 2021 is our year of recovery," he added.







Source: GNA









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BAGHDAD  In the wholesale market of Jamila, near Baghdads sprawling Sadr City neighborhood, a merchant, Hassan al-Mozani, was surrounded by towering piles of unsold 110-pound sacks of flour.

Normally at a minimum I would sell 700 to 1,000 tons a month, he said. But since the crisis started we have only sold 170 to 200 tons.

His troubles are a ground-level indicator of what economists say is the biggest financial threat to Iraq since Saddam Husseins time. Iraq is running out of money to pay its bills. That has created a financial crisis with the potential to destabilize the government  which was ousted a year ago after mass protests over corruption and unemployment  touch off fighting among armed groups, and empower Iraqs neighbor and longtime rival, Iran.

Iran in the past has taken the opportunity posed by a weak Iraqi central government to strengthen its political power and the role of its paramilitaries within Iraq.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
COVID-19 hospitalizations have surged in New York by almost 80 percent in the past four weeks, as the state battles a second wave of infections.

The shocking news was revealed Sunday, following confirmation that more than 1 million residents have now tested positive to the deadly coronavirus.

That number is likely to be far higher, given that widespread testing was not available when the state was rocked by the first wave of infections in the spring of last year.

New York state was the global epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic during that time, before infection rates began to fall at the start of summer.

However, the state is now entering a deadly new phase, with deaths, new cases and the overall positivity rate increasing along with the number of hospitalizations.

Gov. Cuomo confirmed that, as of Saturday, 7,963 New Yorkers are being treated for COVID-19 in the hospital.

That is a significant increase from the 4,442 who were in hospital back on December 5.

COVID-19 hospitalizations have surged in New York by almost 80 percent in the past four weeks, as the state battles a second wave of infections. A patient is seen being taken into hospital via ambulance in New York City on New Year's Eve

Gov. Cuomo confirmed that, as of Saturday, 7,963 New Yorkers are currently being treated for COVID-19 in the hospital

Graphs show that New York is in the midst of a second wave of COVID-19, after managed to curb infection and death rates during the summer and fall of 2020

On Saturday, 138 people across the state died from COVID-19 - an increase of almost 150 percent on the number clocked exactly four weeks earlier.

More than 30,000 New Yorkers have now died from the virus.

Gov. Cuomo is anticipating the numbers could get worse, as case numbers could further surge following the end of the holiday season.

He is also ordering hospitals to test COVID-19 patients to see if they have contracted a new, more infectious strain of the virus which has come from the United Kingdom.

The current second wave comes amid problems with the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna.

According to the CDC's website just more than 236,000 New Yorkers have been injected with their first dose of the vaccine.

However, that represents a little over a third of all doses that have been sent out across the state.

The CDC reports that more than 682,400 doses have been distributed in New York.

Meanwhile, Gov. Cuomo has vowed that he will not take the COVID-19 vaccine until all people in his age group have access to the jab.

'I move around a lot and come into contact with many people and I would feel much safer if I took the vaccine, but I will not take the vaccine until the vaccine is available for my group in black, Hispanic, and poor communities around the state,' the 63-year-old stated.

He added: 'Race or income will not determine who lives and who dies.'

Gov. Cuomo has vowed that he will not take the COVID-19 vaccine until all people in his age group have access to the jab
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Coronavirus outbreaks are spiralling fastest in former Tier One areas and the North of England, official data has revealed.

Of the ten councils registering the biggest surges in Covid infections in the most recent fortnight, eight were in the North of England  including three in Cumbria and three in Liverpool.

The remaining two were the Isle of Wight and Cornwall, which enjoyed the most relaxed restrictions until they were slapped into tougher brackets before Christmas.

Across December the biggest spikes in cases overall were scattered across Hampshire and Sussex, as well as the Isle of Wight and Cornwall, according to Department of Health figures.

In England the number of people suffering from Covid almost tripled in the last month of 2020, moving from 167 cases per 100,000 residents to as high as 476.9. Thurrock, in Essex, was the country's Covid hotspot in the week ending December 29.

The resurgence of the virus in the North may be an early warning sign the region is in for another fight with the virus and suggest the looser tiers were not enough to keep out the virus over winter, when people are more likely to stay indoors, where Covid-19 finds it easier to spread.

Boris Johnson is set to unveil another national lockdown tonight in a desperate bid to keep the mutant Covid at bay while vaccines are rolled out. Amid a growing clamour for action from Labour and Tory MPs, the PM is set to make a televised statement on the 'next steps' in the crisis at 8pm, with Parliament being recalled on Wednesday.

MailOnline understands England is facing blanket restrictions starting at midnight similar to those imposed during the first lockdown last spring, with fears they will have to last for months until the most vulnerable get jabs.

The news came just before the latest grim daily tally was released, with 58,784 new cases  a 42 per cent rise on last Monday. It means the UK has passed the grim milestone of 50,000 every day for a week, suggesting that the Christmas break on restrictions helped fuel the outbreak.

The Tier system was meant to keep Covid in check but officials have blamed the emergence of a new coronavirus variant, which studies suggest is 56 per cent more infectious, for the explosion in cases.

It comes as the UK began the roll out of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine today after it was approved by regulators last week, adding another tool against the virus to Britain's armoury. But experts have warned the impact of mass inoculations is not likely to be evident until April at the earliest, providing administration of the vaccine is ramped up to two million doses a day.

THE RESURGENCE OF COVID-19: The maps above show Covid-19 cases in England and Wales on September 1 (left) as the country headed into Autumn and December 29 (right) during winter. Green and yellow indicates up to 100 cases per 100,000, but dark purple indicates rates over 800 per 100,000

During December cases have surged since the start of the month (left - December 1) to the end (right - December 22). It comes after the Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced a new variant of the virus had been identified

Three-quarters of England already subject to Tier 4, where only essential shops such as supermarkets are allowed to open and people are meant to stay at home

WHICH AREAS SUFFERED THE BIGGEST SPIKE IN COVID-19 CASES OVER MOST RECENT TWO WEEKS OF DATA? Location Cornwall Carlisle Barrow-in-Furn. Isle of Wight Copeland Halton Sefton Ryedale Harrogate Wirral Infection rate 233.8 648.7 196.6 426.7 142.3 411.9 333.9 245.6 202.1 392.6 % change +158% +128% +127% +126% +120% +113% +111% +106% +105% +104% Advertisement

Department of Health data shows Covid cases rocketed in England throughout December, despite Number 10's revamped tier system being in place.

On December 8 the weekly coronavirus infection rate per 100,000 people stood at 167, roughly eight times the Government's limit for imposing travel quarantine  20  on other countries.

Within a week it had surged by 58 per cent to 264 per 100,000, as shown by official figures on December 15.

The Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced a new more infectious strain  known as B.1.1.7.  had been identified a day earlier, and had already been spotted in 60 local authorities.

On December 19, the Prime Minister then triggered misery for millions by announcing the five-day Christmas break in restrictions had been cancelled in the South and severely curtailed in the rest of the country. He also plunged the capital and surrounding areas into a new Tier 4 restriction, with gyms and non-essential shops forced to close.

Ministers insisted the previous tiers had been sufficient for stemming the old strain of coronavirus, but the new variant had made their measures less effective.

But the infection rate had surged another 50 per cent in England by December 22, hitting 400.4 per 100,000 people.

In the most recent week data is available  up to December 29  the infection rate has surged by 19 per cent. This is still a rise but is markedly lower than in previous weeks, suggesting Tier 4 restrictions may be stemming the surge of the virus. But experts say it is impossible to tell the true scale of the crisis over the Christmas break because of reporting issues.

England's Covid-19 hotspot in the week ending December 29 was Thurrock, in Essex, where cases hit 1,316 per 100,000.

Barking and Dagenham, in London, had the second highest rate at 1,298 per 100,00, and Epping Forest, also in Essex, had the third highest at 1294 per 100,000.

The lowest infection rate was in Torbay, Cornwall, at 81.5 per 100,000 - although this has doubled from the start of December.

It was followed by Torridge, in Devon, with 98 per 100,000, and North East Lincolnshire - which has spent months under the harshest restrictions in the country - with 116 per 100,000.

Ex-health secretary Jeremy Hunt today joined demands for an immediate national lockdown with schools and borders shut and a ban on all household mixing, warning ministers 'cannot afford to wait' even one more day.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock put Britons on notice that tighter restrictions were coming today

Nicola Sturgeon announced a drastic crackdown in the Scottish Parliament this afternoon, with a legally-enforced stay at home order from midnight and schools north of the border set to stay closed until February.

Michael Gove is due to hold a conference call with the First Ministers from the four nations to coordinate strategies. But in a sign of splits, Wales has said it will push ahead with reopening schools over the next fortnight unless there is new evidence about the variant strain.

Earlier, ex-health secretary Jeremy Hunt joined demands from Labour and Tory MPs for an immediate national squeeze with schools and borders shut and a ban on all household mixing.

Mr Hunt warned that mutant Covid has put the NHS under 'off the scale' pressure compared to normal winters and the government 'cannot afford to wait' even one more day.

Mr Johnson confirmed this morning that 'tougher' measures were coming despite the optimism sparked by the first Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine doses being administered - although at that point he appeared to hint he would prefer to stick with the Tier system in England.

Parents faced chaos as many primary schools defied the government's previous orders to return after the Christmas holidays.

SAGE has cautioned that it is probably impossible to control the new coronavirus variant while they remain open - although experts say a total shutdown still might not be enough to bring the 'R' reproduction rate below one.

But the idea of hardening the restrictions has sparked fury from other Tory MPs, who insist the country's experience of the pandemic shows that lockdowns do not work and are crippling the economy.
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Korea's population has started to dwindle as childbirths in 2020 declined 10.7 percent on-year to some 275,800, while deaths increased three percent 307,700. The country has toppled over the so-called demographic cliff when the number of people who die surpasses the number of newborns.

Some 33 countries are experiencing a natural decline in population, including Greece, Japan and Spain. But Korea is witnessing the fastest rate of decline, with a birthrate at just 0.84 child per woman, the lowest in the world, and the steepest rate of population aging. The proportion of people aged 65 or above is expected to grow from 16 percent at present to 20 percent in 2025 and 40 percent in 2051.

When President Moon Jae-in took office in 2017, he came out with various measures to stimulate childbirth, claiming that this was a "high time" to resolve the population crisis. But the results have been disappointing. A growing number of young Koreans are putting off marriage and childbirth, scared by persistently high unemployment and soaring costs of raising children and buying a home.

A declining population with fewer young people and more old people saps a country's economic vitality and fiscal capacity. Japan, which began suffering a population decline nine years earlier than Korea, saw its economic growth rate plummet and deflation persist. The International Monetary Fund forecast that Japan's GDP could shrink more than 25 percent over the next 40 years if its population declines by more than 300,000 a year.

Japan's nightmare has already become Korea's reality. Korea's economic vitality has started to sputter and its potential growth rate has begun to shrink, dealing a severe blow to the government's fiscal capacity. The future of our country is at risk considering the astronomical cost it may have to shoulder in the event of reunification.

There is no quick fix for the population crisis. What is needed is an across-the-board national strategy that will tap into the growth potential of each sector. Business-friendly deregulatory measures must be taken in order to invigorate the economy, while labor reforms must be pursued to boost productivity. The government must give hope to young Koreans of a brighter future by overhauling pensions and fiscal spending and reforming the education system.

But the Moon administration continues to pursue excessive welfare and fiscal expenditures that sap the country's economic vitality. The employment and real estate markets are in a state of total disorder, while labor reforms and other deregulatory measures are not even on the agenda. The governments over-dependency on taxpayers' money for quick fixes instead of looking for structural solutions has quickly eroded its fiscal capacity. Without a prescient national strategy, the country will be unable to avoid calamity.


OPEC warned of risks to the oil market from the resurgent pandemic, a day before the group and its allies meet to consider whether to increase production.

The outlook for the first half of 2021 is very mixed, OPEC Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo said at a preparatory meeting on Sunday. There are still many downside risks to juggle.

The alliance of producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia will decide on Monday whether it can continue to restore crude supplies without capsizing the price recovery they spent most of 2020 working to achieve.

At a long and late meeting on Sunday, several countries including Saudi Arabia sounded cautious about increasing production further in February on top of the 500,000 barrels-a-day hike this month, delegates said. Riyadh has publicly kept its views under wraps, while Russia has backed an additional boost.

OIL CRASH: Energy sector leads record wave of bankruptcies in 2020

We think the producer group will opt to forgo any further production increases for February with Covid-19 cases continuing to climb and the slower than expected vaccine rollout, said Helima Croft, chief commodities strategist at RBC Capital Markets LLC.

Brent crude rose for a fourth day on Monday, gaining 2.3% to $52.98 a barrel by 2:20 p.m. in Singapore. West Texas Intermediate surged toward $50, a level it hasnt reached since February.

Whatever it ultimately decides, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners are leaving nothing to chance. With the gathering on Monday, the coalition is switching to meeting every month -- rather than just a few times a year -- in order to fine-tune production levels more precisely.

Currently idling 7.2 million barrels a day, or about 7% of world supplies, the producers plan to return a further 1.5 million barrels a day in careful installments.

The case for another small increase in February is underpinned by a recovery in the oil price, and the emergence of Covid vaccines.

The vaccines have created a healthier outlook for oil consumption, which will soon shift from reverse to forward gear, Barkindo said at the Joint Technical Committee meeting on Sunday. The panel assesses implementation on behalf of the 23-nation alliance.

2021 OUTLOOK: Plenty of ifs in store for the price of oil in the new year

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak has signaled his readiness to proceed, saying last month that prices are in an optimal range of $45 to $55 a barrel. If OPEC+ refrains from bolstering exports, its competitors will simply fill the gap, he said.

Oil prices have stabilized above $50 barrel in London despite OPECs pledge of extra supply, bolstered by vaccine developments and robust fuel use in Asia. Supply and demand should remain broadly balanced in the first half of the year, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency.

The market has underlying support and as such should shrug off a modest increase in OPEC+ supply, said Doug King, chief investment officer of the Merchant Commodity Fund, which manages $170 million.

Its not just Russia that might favor opening the taps.

Last month, OPEC+ talks ran into a five-day stalemate as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- for years stalwart allies in both political and energy spheres -- disagreed over how quickly to revive the idled barrels.

While the kingdom wanted to delay any increases for three months, its neighbor -- eager to monetize investments in capacity and promote a new regional oil benchmark -- pushed for a speedier timetable.

FUEL FIX: Now more than ever, you need our energy news in your inbox

That might also come as a relief to OPEC+ members like Iraq. Baghdad is engulfed in a mounting economic crisis that is only exacerbated by limits on oil sales, and is struggling to get through a backlog of overdue output cuts from 2020.

Yet Barkindo also outlined the need for caution.

Restrictions on movement remain in place in a number of countries amid a new strain of the virus, he said. Its too soon to know how key sectors of the economy will be affected, and for the tourism and leisure industries the return to pre-crisis levels could take a couple of years.

Oil inventories in developed nations remain 163 million barrels above their five-year average level, Barkindo added. Despite the markets rebound, crude prices remain far below the levels most OPEC members need to cover government spending.

While the IEA anticipates no fresh surplus, it warned that the existing inventory overhang will linger to the end of the year if OPEC+ opens the taps.

The decision is a very close call, Bob McNally, president of consultant Rapidan Energy Group and a former White House official, said to Bloomberg Television on Monday. I wouldnt like to bet a lot of money on it.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
Public health experts are warning that the new mutant British variant of the novel coronavirus in the U.S. will make efforts to contain the spread as well as to vaccinate people a 'formidable challenge.'

The new strain, known as SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01, is feared to be 70 percent more transmissible and to spread more easily among children.

So far, the 'super-COVID' variant has only been detected in four states: California, Colorado, Florida and New York.

But scientists tell Bloomberg there are likely 'hundreds' of infections throughout the nation and that there needs to be a stronger push to get people immunized before more people are infected with - or die from - the new strain.

It comes as U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a national lockdown for England on Monday night that will likely last through mid-February as the virus continues to ravage the country.

'It is a race, and this variant has made the whole challenge more formidable,' Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California, told Bloomberg.

'Whatever we saw in 2020 in terms of a challenging virus, it's going to be taken to a new level.'

Researchers say there is now a race to immunize as many as Americans as possible after a new strain of the coronavirus was detected in the U.S. Pictured: Nurse Sandra Lindsay receives the second dose of a Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, at Long Island Jewish Medical Center New York City, January 2021

This map shows how the coronavirus variants have been tracked as they spread around the world. The strain that originated in the U.K., known as SARS-CoV-2 VUI 202012/01, is feared to be 70% more contagious and to spread more easily among children

Although the deadlier strain was discovered in the U.S. just as the vaccination rollout began, distribution has been slow.

According to the CDC, as of Monday morning, 15.4 million doses have been distributed and a little more than 4.5 million people have received their first dose.

This figure is well shy of the Trump administration's plan to vaccinate 20 million people by the end of 2020.

It also comes as cases in the U.S. surge with more than 20 million confirmed cases - with a rolling average of more than 200,000 per day - and more than 351,000 deaths.

On Sunday, hospitalizations reached a record-high of 125,544, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

U.K. health officials say the virus originated sometime in September and circulated around the country undetected until mid-November and has 17 mutations. Pictured: 3D rendering of the novel coronavirus

The new U.K. variant was first discovered after the country experienced a surge in cases in early December.

It led Prime Minister Boris Johnson to shut down parts of the nation and other countries to impose travel bans.

Currently, it's unclear when, or how, the virus originated, but researchers believe it circulating undetected from September to mid-November.

Bloomberg reports that the new variant is responsible for at least 62 percent of all COVID-19 cases in London, an increase from 28 percent in early November.

And one study found it could be responsible for 90 percent of all new infections in London and East and South England by mid-January.

The variant has a set of 17 mutations - a very high number - the most significant of which is a change to the spike protein of the virus that it uses to bind to human receptors.

Researchers believe these mutations make it easier for the spike protein to enter and infect human cells, which is why it is more transmissible.

Dr Nick Loman, a professor of microbial genomics at the University of Birmingham, said at a briefing on December 15 that there are not data to suggest the virus came from abroad, according to The BMJ.

Scientists suspect they are likely 'hundreds' of infections throughout the country.

'If I had to guess, I would say it's probably in hundreds of people by now,' Dr Michael Worobey, head of the department of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona, told CNN.

'It's very possible it's arrived multiple times in multiple places.'

The CDC says it is currently studying how easily the new variant may be transmitted and whether currently authorized vaccines will protect people against them.

Currently, the CDC surveillance system is being scaled to process 750 samples nationally per week and the agency is partnering with laboratories to sequence, or genetically map out - 1,750 samples of the virus weekly.

As of December 29, CDC has commitments from these laboratories to sequence 1,750 samples per week and anticipates being able to increase this number.

Dr Gregory Armstrong, director of the Office of Advanced Molecular Detection at the CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, said the CDC hopes to sequence about 6,000 samples per week.

'It's important that we monitor the virus and that we be able to pick up these trends that have implications for public health and clinical medicine,' he told CNN.

However, there is currently no evidence either the Pfizer Inc or the Moderna Inc shot are unable to protect against the new strain.

'There is a good news here,' Topol told Bloomberg.

'It will not affect the vaccine's efficacy. That's why there is this race. If we get ahead of this and get everyone vaccinated, if we do that quickly, we will have this virus under control.'

Highly contagious UK strain of COVID found in New York man - the tenth American across four states to have been diagnosed

by Valerie Edwards and Mary Kekatos for DailyMail.com

Gov Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday the first case of then new UK strain, also known as B.1.1.7., has been found in a New York man.

Cuomo said the man, who is in his 60s, has no travel history.

'The Wadsworth Lab has confirmed New York State's first case of the UK variant (B.1.1.7) of the virus that causes COVID,' Cuomo tweeted.

Cuomo said the man is from Saratoga County, New York.

Cuomo said that the man is from Saratoga County, New York. Local reports have indicated that the man works at a jewelry store in Saratoga Springs

'Super-COVID' was first reported in Colorado last week. It was then confirmed in California, which now has six cases, and Florida before being found in New York (all depicted)

The strain feared to be 70 percent more transmissible and to spread more easily among children.

It is not believed it leads to more severe cases, and higher mortality rates have not been reported.

According to local reports, the man works at a jewelry store in Saratoga County.

Three other people who work at the store have also tested positive for COVID-19. As of Monday afternoon, it is unclear if they have the UK strain too.

Local officials are urging people who visited N Fox Jewelers in Saratoga Springs between December 18 to December 24 to get tested for the virus.

So far, six people have been diagnosed in California, two in Colorado and one each in Florida and New York.
More than 200 employees at Google parent company Alphabet announced plans to form a union Monday, joining with the Communications Workers of America to organize full-time and contract workers alike.

The move comes after public walkouts and controversies over employee dismissals at Google in recent years.

Members and union founders pointed to recent high-profile firings at Google as well as its handling of pay equity and harassment at work, creating a need for the union. Disputes over government contracts, particularly work on drone technology with military applications, also created cause for pushing back, they said.

This union builds upon years of courageous organizing by Google workers, Nicki Anselmo, a program manager at Google and union member, said in a statement.

Weve seen an increase of Google doing things that dont align with the values that we signed up to be a part of, said Raksha Muthukumar, a Google software engineer and union member. I left college and had this idea of doing tech for good, she said, adding that since then Ive seen basically everybody who stood up for something be forced out.

Thousands of Google employees staged a walkout in 2018 over the companys handling of sexual harassment in the workplace. More recently, more than 2,000 workers signed a statement castigating the company for how it handled a dispute with a now-former researcher, Timnit Gebru. The statement accused the company of treating her unfairly.

Last month, the National Labor Relations Board gave a group of engineers fired by the company permission to bring a retaliation case against the company.

That case involves several former engineers who were fired after participating in a rally outside Googles San Francisco offices last year. One of those former employees, Laurence Berland, looked at the calendars and other documents of employees at the company as part of his internal organizing efforts after hearing the company had been meeting with IRI Consultants, a company notable for its anti-union work.

Weve always worked hard to create a supportive and rewarding workplace for our workforce. Kara Silverstein, Googles director of people operations, said in an emailed statement. Of course our employees have protected labor rights that we support. But as weve always done, well continue engaging directly with all our employees.

While employees have been forced out for activism in the past, forming a union would afford them certain protections under federal law. The National Labor Relations Act provides a range of protections for workers looking to organize, including the ability to discuss working conditions internally or publicly without fear of retaliation.

Internal activism at Silicon Valley companies, particularly among the white-collar, full-time workforce, over culture and compensation is not uncommon. But unions are historically rare. Many tech companies got their start in the South Bay to avoid San Franciscos perceived friendliness to unions, and in recent decades, they have lavished elite technical workers with high pay and benefits.

That Google is one of the largest and most powerful companies, responsible for a large portion of the worlds internet traffic and online advertising revenue, makes the union that much more notable.

Including contract workers in a union framework is even rarer.

Theyre already a part of it, said Muthukumar, the Google engineer. Google takes action that affects the people, she added, pointing to what she described as the companys shifting treatment of contractors as an outside workforce when it suited them.

Muthukumar said it was important the union be open to and support employees from all skill sets who cant all afford to quit or be fired over activism, as some more tech-focused workers can.

In an opinion piece published in the New York Times, two Google workers and founding members of the union, Parul Koul and Chewy Shaw, sought to frame the unionization effort as a continuation of Googles early Dont be evil principle.

While only a small fraction of the more than 130,000 Alphabet employees worldwide are involved in it currently, the union drive is less focused on obtaining recognition and striking a contract and more on creating a center of gravity for ongoing activism at the company.

Interactive Vaccine Tracker: Latest developments Detailed information about the coronavirus vaccines as it becomes available.

Weve seen a lot of workplace action in tech over the past few years, including at Google, said Beth Allen, communications director for the CWA union.

Once the headlines fade, it can be difficult to hold companies like Google to account for fixing problems raised by the workforce, however forcefully.

Having a permanent organization allows for better tracking and accountability and preservation of institutional knowledge across different actions, Allen said.

Typically unions organize most workers at a company  in this case a huge challenge given Googles large, globally dispersed workforce. That model of unionization is mostly aimed at negotiating a contract with management, but instead the Alphabet Workers Union is taking the minority union approach, organizing a small number of workers without first going to the NLRB or state labor board to hold an election, as is more common.

Organizers pointed to successful efforts in the past to win concessions from the company through concerted activity and public pressure.

Increasing benefits and pay for contract workers and ending forced arbitration at the company as well as stopping Pentagon projects workers felt violated the companys ethical principles were some of those successes.

In 2019, more than 1,000 Google employees signed a petition demanding the company cease work with U.S Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over what they said were the agencies disrespect for international law and human rights.

From the start, Alphabet has had a culture of workers speaking up when the company made mistakes, organizers wrote on their website.

Chase DiFeliciantonio is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: chase.difeliciantonio@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChaseDiFelice
NAPLES - Egypt has signed nine oil and gas exploration deals worth one billion dollars with local and international energy companies, the country's oil ministry said in a statement reported by Emirati newspaper The National.



The contracts allow the companies to conduct exploration along the eastern and western Mediterranean as well as the Red Sea: six large oil and gas companies will drill 17 wells to search for oil and gas.



''Egypt seeks luring new international investments in gas and oil exploration and concluding deals with big companies as a priority'', minister Tarek El Molla was quoted as saying by the newspaper.



Companies that have signed the most recent deals include Exxon Mobil, Chevron, BP, Total and Shell. Italy's ENI also plays a key role after it discovered in September a gas field in the waters of the Nile Delta, in the area of Great Nooros, registering indicators on the presence of over 4 trillion cubic feet of gas. Already the discovery of the Zohr gas field by ENI in 2016 brought huge benefits to the country, the most populous in North Africa, making it a large exporter of energy resources to Europe.



The new deals will include full involvement in explorations in the Red Sea, where Saudi Arabia has also started exploring its territorial waters.
(Natural News) A San Diego nurse who received the first of two doses of Pfizers Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine reportedly fell ill and tested positive for the novel virus just a few days later.

In a Facebook post from Dec. 18, Matthew W., an emergency room nurse at two different Southern California hospitals, mentioned that he received his first Pfizer jab that same day. Other than a sore arm, Matthew says he felt fine and suffered no other noticeable side effects.

Six days later on Christmas Eve, however, after completing his shift in the COVID-19 unit, Matthew, 45, got sick. At first, he experienced chills, followed by muscle aches and fatigue.

Two days later, Michael went to a drive-thru testing clinic for the Chinese virus where he was swabbed. When the test results came back, Michael was told that he had COVID-19 inside his body.

Its not unexpected at all, says Dr. Christian Ramers, an infectious disease specialist at Family Health Centers of San Diego. If you work through the numbers, this is exactly what wed expect to happen if someone was exposed.

Since Ramers serves on the clinical advisory panel for San Diego Countys COVID-19 vaccine rollout, of course he has to say this. Heck, he probably believes it, too, completely ignoring the fact that the jab failed to protect Michael against getting infected.

According to Ramers, it is perfectly normal to get vaccinated for the WuFlu and still catch it. This is science in action, he insists.

That first dose we think gives you somewhere around 50 percent (protection), and you need that second dose to get up to 95 percent, Ramers is quoted as saying.

To keep up with the latest news about Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination, be sure to check out Pandemic.news.

COVID-19 vaccines are an autoimmune nightmare

Ramers is a convenient story, and one we are likely to hear parroted time and time again by many other medical experts as those getting jabbed continue to come down with the very same illness against which they were supposed to derive protection.

By all appearances, President Donald Trumps Operation Warp Speed vaccines are actually giving people COVID-19, or perhaps pathogenically priming them to be more susceptible to catching it following vaccination.

There is a reason why there has never been a successful vaccine for either SARS or MERS, two other coronaviruses that were spread by the media in years past. Animal models found that experimental jabs for these two viruses caused subjects to be more prone to developing severe, even lethal disease reactions.

The failure of these experimental vaccines involved pathogenesis consistent with an immunological priming that could involve autoimmunity in lung tissues due to previous exposure to the SARS and MERS spike protein, one study explained.

What this means is that there is a very high potential for COVID-19 vaccines, especially because they were rushed at warp speed, to induce dangerous autoimmune reactions as well as severe disease when recipients encounter either the wild virus, a similar virus, or a subsequent dose of a vaccine.

Chances are when Michael receives his second China virus vaccine dose, he will become even more ill, for which the media will blame the virus rather than the vaccine.

Once those who have been vaccinated start falling ill and dropping dead en masse, you can also expect the media to blame those who choose not to get vaccinated, as well as those who choose not to wear a mask.

All SARS-CoV-2 immunogenic epitopes have similarity to human proteins except one, the same aforementioned study notes, highlighting the fact that COVID-19 vaccines are almost certain to trigger autoimmunity.

Roughly one-third of the human proteins are key players in the adaptive immune system.

Sources for this article include:

10news.com

NaturalNews.com

InformedChoiceWA.org
John Freeman

Originally appeared in WNP Member Newsletter, Summer 2007

We honored a very special member of our organization with the Summer 2007 issue of the member newsletter. What hasn't John Freeman given to the Western Neighborhoods Project? We are the frequent beneficiaries of his research and writing abilities. He offers us extensive use of the historical photos, newspapers, ads, and western neighborhoods ephemera from his private collection. If that isn't enough, John almost single-handedly resuscitated our efforts to restore a 1906 earthquake shack with his carpentry skills and leadership.

John was born and raised in the Richmond District. The only time he lived anywhere else was to buy his first home in the Sunset, lasting there only 2 1/2 years before selling to buy a larger home back in the Richmond. He attended Frank McCoppin Elementary, Star of the Sea, and St. Ignatius High School. He still gets together with a group of guys from his 1950s car club for a yearly picnic alongside the Pioneer Lodge in Golden Gate Park.

"We called our "car club" (everyone had to have a car club in the '50s - but we didn't have any cars) the Lairds. There were a few other similar clubs in the neighborhood like the Leaders and the Vanahays. Our common bond was hanging out at McCoppin's schoolyard. Some guys had come from Star [of the Sea], but we were adolescent punks. Many attended (loosely interpreted) George Washington High School."

John majored in history at the University of San Francisco, but when he applied to the USF School of Education an advisor encouraged him to get a minor that would always guarantee a job. "In a post-Sputnik world, math and science were 'hot', so I started taking math courses. I taught both subjects in a junior high school, but it wasn't long before math trumped history."

For 35 years John taught in the San Francisco Unified School District, the last nine at George Washington High School. When he retired in June 2001 he revisited his interest in history.

"A term paper I had done a cursory job with in 1962 was my main motivation. It was on the reconstruction of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake and fire. That topic has been my main focus of research since I retired, so quite naturally the housing boom after the earthquake in the Richmond District is related to the larger theme of reconstruction."

John's knowledge of the reconstruction period led him to serve as historical consultant for the Oakland Museum's earthquake centennial exhibition, Aftershock!---Personal Stories from the 1906 Earthquake and Fire. He acted in a similar role for the "Chutes" section of the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society's Amusing America exhibit.

In addition to the articles he's published in our newsletter and Web site, John has contributed articles for San Francisco's Architectural Heritage Newsletter, the San Francisco Museum & Historical Society's, The Argonaut, and to that organization's on-line Encyclopedia. He has also been an active member and writer for the San Francisco Bay Area Post Card Club.

"The period from about 1905 to about 1915 was called 'The Golden Age of Postcards' and it fits perfectly into my area of research. It was a time when the telephone was in its infancy, so few people had phones, but for a penny stamp, you could send a message on a postcard. It is amazing how much history from those years was recorded as images on postal cards. The completion of new buildings in San Francisco was proudly depicted on postcards. All kinds of the local parades were recorded on postcards. The social issues of the day were found on postcards."

John and Alanna---his wife of 43 years and a 4th generation San Franciscan---still live in the Richmond, although their two sons (with two grandchildren each) have left for Los Angeles and Montreal.

Contribute your own stories about western neighborhoods places.
National accounting and consulting enterprise Novogradac elevated seven managers to principalJoseph Abbott and Lucy Mai Tran of the San Francisco office; Eric Blades of the Atlanta office; Karie McMillen, Joshua Morris and Jason Watkins of the Dover, Ohio, office; and Tong Tran of the Walnut Creek, Calif., office. Novogradac, which specializes in affordable housing, community development, historic preservation and renewable energy, has 51 principals in more than 25 cities nationwide.

I am pleased to announce that Eric, Joseph, Joshua, Jason, Karie, Lucy and Tong have been promoted to principal, said Michael J. Novogradac, managing partner of Novogradac. This growth of leadership will elevate Novogradacs level of client services.

Abbott specializes in real estate taxation, general tax consulting and tax-saving techniques for high-net-worth individuals. Abbotts clients include real estate developers, investment partnerships and high-net-worth individuals. He has been with Novogradac since 2010 and before joining the company, he spent a year in Washington, D.C., as an AmeriCorps construction crew leader for Habitat for Humanity. Abbott received a bachelors degree in accounting from Santa Clara University. He is licensed in California as a certified public accountant.

Blades specializes in the preparation of financial forecasts for new markets tax credit (NMTC), historic tax credit (HTC) and low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) transactions. Blades has consulted on and prepared financial models for more than 200 transactions, many including twinning of tax credit programs and other complex fact patterns. Blades received a bachelors degree in business administration with an emphasis in accounting and a masters degree in accountancy from the University of Georgia. He is licensed in Georgia as a certified public accountant.

McMillen has several years of experience in providing tax and various audit and attestation services to real estate partnerships. McMillen works with the LIHTC, tax-exempt bond financed developments, nonprofit organizations and those subject to the auditing requirements of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). She also works with upper-tier tax credit equity funds and tax credit syndicators. In addition, McMillen specializes in LIHTC consulting and financial modeling. She also has significant experience in conducting HUD Multifamily Accelerated Processing and Healthcare Quality Control and Construction Loan Administration reviews. McMillen holds a bachelors degree from Kent State University and a masters degree from Salem International University. She is licensed as a certified public accountant in Ohio.

Morris specializes in renewable energy tax credits (RETCs), NMTCs, HTCs and the opportunity zones (OZ) incentive. He performs numerous services related to these industries, including financial statement and cost certification audits, tax preparation, general and compliance consulting, and forecasting services. He also works with numerous developers/sponsors, syndicators and investors by providing consulting and transaction advisory services. His consulting and transaction advisory skillset includes financial structuring and modeling expertise with integrated GAAP transactional and ongoing operation support for various tax credit industry participants. Morris earned a bachelors degree in accounting from Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio. He is a licensed certified public accountant in Ohio.

Lucy Tran provides audit, tax and consulting services to numerous organizations, including real estate firms, nonprofit organizations, corporations and investment companies. Her experience includes assisting clients with attestation services, tax return preparation, final cost certification audits and placed-in service packages. She also has experience with the auditing requirements of HUD, CalHFA, HCD, A-133, and CHFA. In 2018, Tran briefly left Novogradac. She returned as a manager the following year. Tran is highly knowledgeable in HUD and single audits, and specializes in the LIHTC, both fund and lower tier. She received a bachelors degree in business economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and is licensed as a certified public accountant.

Tong Tran provides audit and tax consulting services to clients in the renewable energy industry. Tran has extensive experience working with renewable energy developers, lenders and tax credit equity investors on the structuring and financing of renewable energy investment tax credit and production tax credit transactions, including preparing financial projections that include projecting sources and uses of cash, net operating income, taxable income, summary of tax benefits available to the investor and estimated tax credits. He also works on final cost certifications and cost segregation reports. Tran received his bachelors degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Tran is licensed in California as a certified public accountant.

Watkins specializes in the federal and state NMTC incentive, the OZ incentive, the federal and state HTC world and the federal and state RETC community. Watkins joined Novogradac in 2012 and works extensively on financial statement audits, tax return preparation, cost certification audits, compliance reporting and consulting services. He is also a speaker at the companys NMTC preconference workshops, a contributor to the Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits and has been heavily involved with the Novogradac-hosted Opportunity Zones Working Group. Watkins received a bachelors degree in business administration from Kent State University and is licensed in Ohio as a certified public accountant.

About Novogradac

Novogradac, which has been in business for more than 30 years, has grown to more than 650 employees and partners with offices in more than 25 cities. Tax, audit and consulting specialty practice areas for Novogradac include affordable housing, OZs, community development, historic rehabilitation and renewable energy.

For additional information on Novogradacs personnel and areas of expertise, visit http://www.novoco.com or call (415) 356-8000.
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SANAA, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia said they fired 75 ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia's border cities in 2020, the group's military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a statement on Monday.

The militia also fired other 178 ballistic missiles at Yemeni cities in the past year, targeting the government military sites, Sarea said in the statement through the group's al-Masirah television.

He also said that his group in the past year launched "267 bomb-laden drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and another 180 drone attacks on the Yemeni government inside the Yemeni cities."

The Houthi militia had intensified cross-border drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia in 2020, but most of the attacks had been intercepted, according to the Saudi-led coalition's statements.

The rebel group had also intensified attacks on the Yemeni government-held cities in the past year that killed and injured hundreds of people, according to the government's statements.

Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014, when the Houthi rebels seized control of northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in 2015 to support Hadi's government. Enditem


Troy Randles COVID-19 symptoms were difficult yet bearable. After recovering from fever, cough, and headache that started in late March, he was cleared to return to work as a cardiologist in the Virtua Health network in South Jersey.

But after Randle was back on the job for two days in mid-April, his head began to ache again, and it was different. He felt as if it were being squeezed in a vise.

An MRI revealed that a blood clot had blocked an artery in Randles brain. He was suffering a stroke.

Physicians worldwide were starting to report the same thing in some of the sickest patients with COVID, as well as a mysterious increase in smaller blood clots elsewhere in the body. In the lungs, the liver, the kidneys  even the toes, as in those purplish COVID toes depicted in many a social-media feed months ago. Many hospitals began treating COVID patients with high doses of blood thinners as a preventive measure.

Three international studies of whether that was the right call, including one overseen by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, are starting to yield results. For patients in intensive care, to the surprise of some physicians involved in the trials, the answer seems to be no.

On Dec. 22, the National Institutes of Health announced that researchers in all three trials would stop enrolling new critically ill patients, because those who had received high doses of blood thinners were just as likely to need ventilators or other types of organ support as those who were given low doses. Whats more, the early results suggested that intensive-care patients on high doses of blood thinners were more likely to suffer adverse events such as bleeding.

 READ MORE: Vaccinations are ramping up in a glimmer of hope, Dr. Anthony Fauci says

Yet the trials are continuing to enroll hospitalized patients with moderate COVID, along with others who are not in the hospital, as researchers remain optimistic that blood thinners will prove beneficial for them. Among dozens of participating locations worldwide is the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

A detailed analysis of the lackluster results in intensive-care cases is underway, but the early thinking is that by the time patients are that sick, they may be in too fragile a state to get drugs that tip the delicate balance from clotting to bleeding, said Allyson Pishko, a Penn hematologist.

Timing is a big question mark thats still out there, she said.

Randle, who was able to resume work a month after his stroke, still feels its lingering effects, sometimes struggling to hold a pen. He agrees that the blood thinners in the studies, called anticoagulants, may turn out to be a plausible preventive measure for some patients. Another option may be aspirin, which prevents blood clots in a different way and also reduces inflammation, he said.

On Wednesday, Randle got a different type of prevention: a vaccine. Though he may still have some lingering immunity from his infection in March, the official guidance dictates that recovered patients should receive the shots. At a Virtua clinic in Voorhees, he rolled up the left sleeve of his black T-shirt for the first of two injections of the vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech.

 READ MORE: They were lifelong best friends for 80 years. Then one died of COVID-19.

If nothing else, its kind of like a booster, he said.

While the science on the vaccines is well-established, the way in which COVID leads to blood clots remains something of a puzzle, said Matthew D. Neal, a UPMC trauma surgeon and critical-care specialist who is coleading the blood-thinner trial for Pittsburgh.

Any patients in the hospital are at risk of clotting simply from being confined to their beds, as lack of movement allows the blood to stagnate. But patients hospitalized with COVID have suffered clotting complications at a much higher rate than usual  in as many as 25% of cases, compared with fewer than 10% of those admitted for other conditions.

The coronavirus infects cells in the nasal passages and deeper in the airways by latching onto proteins called receptors. The same kind of receptor also is found on cells in the lining of arteries, leading some researchers to propose early on that the abnormal blood clots in some COVID patients were the result of the virus directly infecting the walls of blood vessels.

But evidence now suggests the main culprit behind the harmful clotting is the bodys own response to the infection. An overactive immune response to the virus can prompt a cascade of harmful inflammation, triggering the blood vessels to react as if they have been injured, Neal said.

 READ MORE: After seeing patients and taking risks all year, Pa.s private doctors have been left out of the vaccination process

This is viewed as being a respiratory illness, but the reality is these clotting complications can occur everywhere, he said.

Large blood clots are typically diagnosed with CAT scans. Yet early in the pandemic, when hospitals in New Jersey and New York were overrun with patients, physicians started to look for reasonable shortcuts.

If patients blood samples contained high levels of D-dimer  a protein fragment that can result from the breakdown of blood clots  their doctors presumed that more clots were present and ordered blood thinners, said Rick Pescatore, an emergency physician who volunteered at hospitals in northern New Jersey for a month during the first wave of cases.

The CAT scanners had to be shut down for two hours after being used on a COVID patient, said Pescatore, now the chief physician and associate state medical director at the Delaware Division of Public Health. We just sort of empirically started putting people on anticoagulants.

Many physicians around the world were doing the same. Yet, at the same time, they were learning that COVID could be grimly unpredictable. Neal, the Pitt physician, said that one day several months ago, he had one patient die as a result of harmful blood clots, while another was lost to uncontrolled bleeding.

Neither patient was enrolled in the trial, but the outcomes were a sobering reminder that answers remain elusive.

In the same day, I have seen death as the result of both ends of the spectrum, he said.

Further analysis of the trial results may reveal that certain patients, such as those with higher D-dimer levels, might benefit from a particular drug combination of anticlotting or anti-inflammatory agents, while others might not, Neal said. With the continued surge in COVID patients, providing fresh subjects for the ongoing studies, the Pitt physician predicts that answers will come soon.
PHILIPSBURG:--- As of January 3rd, there were zero (0) persons who tested positive for COVID-19. Five (5) persons have recovered; bringing the total active cases to seventy-five (75). The total number of confirmed cases remains at one thousand four hundred and sixty-two (1462).

The Collective Prevention Services (CPS) are monitoring seventy-two (72) people in home isolation. Three (3) patients remain hospitalized at the St. Maarten Medical Center. The total number of deaths due to COVID-19 remains at twenty-seven (27).

The number of people recovered since the first case surfaced on St. Maarten has increased to one thousand three hundred and sixty (1360). One hundred and fifty-seven (157) people are in quarantine based on contact tracing investigations carried out by CPS.



The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (VSA) Airport Health Team in collaboration with Health Care Laboratory Sint Maarten (HCLS) have tested 1959 travelers arriving at the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA), while CPS tested 10, 242 people throughout the community. As the numbers continue to fluctuate, CPS will continue to actively execute its contact tracing measures.

The recording of zero positive cases today as a result of no testing done yesterday. Testing was conducted today which will reflect in tomorrows numbers once received from the labs. Minister Panneflek urges the public to wear a mask, maintain a social distance of 2-meters, practice good hand hygiene, and refrain from large gatherings.
Loading The US government had argued it was not prosecuting Assange for publishing the cables but for how they were obtained, alleging he conspired with Chelsea Manning, then an army intelligence officer, to hack into government systems to steal three-quarters of a million secret and classified cables. The Obama administration did not bring charges against Assange  they were brought by the Department of Justice under the Trump administration. Trump had benefited politically from a separate publication by WikiLeaks of the emails obtained from the Democratic National Committee's servers after a Russian hack. Trump is on record speaking both in favour of and against WikiLeaks. Baraitser did not read out her written judgment but rejected key arguments made by Assange's lawyers that his actions were justified because he was acting as a journalist when he encouraged Manning to hack into US systems. The cables were later published on the internet, unredacted.

"In the modern era, where 'dumps' of vast amounts of data onto the internet can be carried out by almost anyone, it is difficult to see how a concept of 'responsible journalism' can sensibly be applied," she said. In her judgment, Baraitser pointed to the condemnation of WikiLeaks issued at the time by former mainstream media partners, including The Guardian and The New York Times, which had both originally collaborated by publishing information deemed to be in the public interest. They had, however, redacted sensitive information. The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald also partnered with WikiLeaks in 2010 and were also critical of the organisation's approach to redaction, especially where it came to identifying individuals whose lives might be endangered. "In my judgment, Mr Assanges alleged activities went beyond the mere encouragement of a whistle-blower," Baraitser ruled. "Free speech does not comprise a 'trump card' even where matters of serious public concern are disclosed and it does not provide an unfettered right for some, like Mr Assange, to decide the fate of others, on the basis of their partially informed assessment of the risks."

She accepted that his conduct was capable of constituting criminal offences in England and Wales, a blow for those who have argued that Assange's actions were those of a free press and therefore should not be prosecuted. Assange had claimed he was being politically prosecuted by US President Donald Trump but the judge found "little evidence" of this. She had also rejected his claims that his human rights would be violated if he were sent to the United States to face judicial proceedings and said that he would get a fair hearing. But she accepted one crucial plank of Assange's case, relating to the near-solitary conditions in which he would be held in a US prison if extradited and the effects on his mental health, noting the Australian's family history of suicide and upholding evidence that he was depressed. "The overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man who is generally fearful about his future," she said.

The judgment was published online immediately after she delivered her verdict, and can be read in full here. The 49-year-old has been held at Belmarsh prison since September 2019. The US wants to try him on 17 charges that carry a total 175 years' jail. Stella Moris-Smith Robertson, Assange's fiancee and the mother of their two children, Max and Gabriel, was in court to hear the ruling and wept as it was delivered. She was comforted by WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson, with whom she had arrived at the Old Bailey. The judge had earlier rejected pleas to consider the impact his extradition would have on his young family saying it was "sadly nothing out of the ordinary in the context of extradition proceedings."

Editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks Kristinn Hrafnsson (left) and Julian Assange's girlfriend, Stella Moris-Smith Robertson (centre), arrive for the hearing. Credit:Getty Images A small throng of supporters chanted "free Julian Assange" as the pair arrived. Monday's ruling is a major development in the 10-year saga. Assange spent nearly seven years holed up at the Ecuadorian embassy in London to escape being extradited to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault. He was kicked out by his hosts in dramatic scenes in April 2019 when they invited Scotland Yard to enter the embassy and arrest their long-term resident. Assange has been held in custody ever since. If you or anyone you know needs support call Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.
Bernie the koala was ready for action - and he wanted every female within shouting distance to know it.

And shout he did, letting loose a disturbing call to signal he was on the market for marsupial mating season.

Video showed the koala near the Adelaide Koala Rescue Clinic in Campbelltown, South Australia, sitting at the bottom of a tree.

Video showed the koala near the Adelaide Koala Rescue Clinic in Campbelltown, South Australia, sitting at the bottom of a tree

Bernie could be heard making deep bellows that no one would expect to hear from such a cuddly-looking fellow.

He then quickly rushed up a tree to get a good vantage point to survey his mating options around the park.

Bernie continued to make the sound, similar to a frog, while up the tree.

He then appeared to get distracted by some birds and slowed down the noises he was making.

'You right now? You finished,' a voice could be heard saying from behind the camera.

Bernie continued to make the sound, similar to a frog, while up the tree

Lee Warren spotted her 'old mate' Bernie lingering near the rescue where he had been rehabilitated for a few months before being released.

'He loves roaming around the area and letting his bellows out. Letting the ladies know he is around,' she told Storyful.

Millions of koalas were killed in last summer's bushfires that burned more than a billion native animals to death and destroyed much of their habitat.

So animal lovers will be hoping Bernie's mating call attracts the attention of a fair few females of his species.
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(Newser)  President Trump is set to present one of the nation's highest civilian honors to two of his most outspoken congressional allies, California Rep. Devin Nunes and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, as he looks to reward loyalists with just over two weeks left in his term, per the AP. A White House official confirmed that Trump would present Nunes with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Monday. The former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee has been an ardent backer of Trump's during probes into Russian interference in the 2016 election and the president's 2019 impeachment by the Democratic-led House.

story continues below

The award, established by President John F. Kennedy, is meant to recognize those who have made an especially meritorious contribution" to national security, world peace, or cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." The award comes as Trump has been rewarding supporters with the perks and prestige that come with serving on a host of federal advisory boards and commissions before he leaves office on Jan. 20. Jordan, one of the GOP leaders in trying to undermine confidence in the results of the 2020 presidential election, is expected to receive the award next week. Trumps intent to present the award to the lawmakers was first reported by the Washington Post.

(Read more Presidential Medal of Freedom stories.)
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Hong Kong pushed back the re-opening of classrooms for more than a month as part of government measures to stamp out the spread of the coronavirus.

The suspension of in-person classes at kindergartens through high school, a restriction originally scheduled to expire January 10, will be extended until the lunar new year holidays, which begin on February 12, Education Secretary Kevin Yeung said during a briefing on Monday. The city reported 53 new cases for the day, 43 of which were local.

Six of Mondays cases were untraceable, the lowest number since November 19.

Hong Kong has been one of the most aggressive places worldwide to close schools despite research from the likes of the United Nations warning about the adverse consequences of doing so. Still, the city has continued to suspend classes as part of its arsenal to bring down case numbers and re-open its economy to travellers, particularly to those from mainland China.

Besides schools, the government will extend other social distancing measures by another two weeks until January 20.

The city recently banned travellers from the UK in the wake of a more contagious strain of the coronavirus being detected there. An earlier effort to open up quarantine-free flights to and from Singapore  the first major air travel bubble  collapsed last month after a resurgence of cases in Hong Kong.

Separately, Hong Kong reported that a pet cat tested positive for Covid-19 after its owner became infected by the virus. So far, eight dogs and eight cats have tested positive in the city, though the government said theres no evidence that pets are spreading the coronavirus to people.
Officials in Texas say a teenage boy lost both of his hands when a mortar shell exploded while he was holding.

According to news4sanantonio, the horrific accident happened in San Antonio on Sunday night.

According to the news station, police said a group of street racers had gathered in a parking lot around 10:30 p.m. where they were doing doughnuts and shooting off fireworks.

At one point, a teenager was holding a mortar shell in his hand and another person was lighting it when it blew up in his hand, blowing both hands completely off.

Another teenager was hit by a mortar that was thrown in his direction, it blew his fingertips off and did damage to his eyes, possibly causing him vision loss.

The station said both victims, who were not identified, were taken to a hospital. No one has been charged.

READ MORE
At least 250 federal agencies and top enterprises in the US have been compromised by suspected Russia-backed hackers. The hackers attained access by infiltrating into 'SolarWinds Orion' monitoring and management software.

US Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia) was quoted saying in a report from The New York Times that the hack looked "much, much worse" than he first feared.

"The size of it keeps expanding. It's clear the United States government missed it," he further added.

The report says that as businesses such as Amazon and Microsoft that provide cloud services dig deeper for evidence. "It now appears Russia exploited multiple layers of the supply chain to gain access to as many as 250 networks".

Microsoft said the hackers compromised 'SolarWinds' software allowing them to "impersonate any of the organisation's existing users and accounts including highly privileged accounts."

"We detected unusual activity with a small number of internal accounts and upon review, we discovered one account had been used to view source code in a number of source code repositories," said Microsoft earlier.

The company further said, "The account did not have permissions to modify any code or engineering systems and "our investigation further confirmed no changes were made. These accounts were investigated and remediated"

The initial estimates were that Russian hackers compromised 18,000 government and private networks.

Reports suggest some of the compromised 'SolarWinds' software were engineered in Eastern Europe. American investigators are now examining if the incursion originated where Russian intelligence operatives are deeply rooted.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has also warned that US federal agencies must update the hacked 'Solarwinds Orion' software or take all its apps offline.

Also read: NYSE's decision to delist telecom firms 'political', impact 'limited': China

Also read: Tougher lockdown restrictions likely in UK: PM Johnson
Most of the members of OPEC+ are reportedly favoring delaying another 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) increase in collective production from February due to the surging COVID-19 cases and the new lockdowns imposed to fight them, three sources at OPEC+ told Reuters on Monday.

As of January 2021, the group is already easing the collective cut by 500,000 bpd, and producers cuts are set to be 7.2 million bpd this month, compared to 7.7 million bpd in December.

The ministers of the OPEC+ group are meeting at the time of writing early on Monday to discuss the production policy in February. Russia, the leader of the non-OPEC group in the alliance, is reportedly favoring another 500,000 bpd increase in the alliances production from next month. So is the OPEC heavyweight the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to reports.

However, according to OPEC+ sources who spoke to Reuters, most of the others are in favor of postponing another increase in production in light of the new lockdowns in Europe that continue to threaten oil demand recovery.

As of 8 a.m. ET on Monday, the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) had just begun its online meeting to discuss production levels for February.

Amena Bakr, Deputy Bureau Chief & Chief OPEC Correspondent at Energy Intelligence, reports that according to delegates, Russia and the UAE want OPEC+ to boost production by another 500,000 bpd in February, while OPECs top producer Saudi Arabia, as well as Algeria and Kuwait, say the market is fragile and rollover of the current level of production would be the best decision at this time.

At the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) meeting on Sunday, OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo warned that the market still has many downside risks to factor in.

Amid the hopeful signs, the outlook for the first half of 2021 is very mixed and there are still many downside risks to juggle, Barkindo said.

Oil prices erased earlier gains and were trading down at 8 a.m. on Monday, just after the JMMC meeting started.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The attempt to destroy precious doses of the vaccine came over the holidays as the state worked to administer vaccines quickly to frontline health care workers. As of Saturday, the state had received 159,800 doses of vaccines and had administered 64,657, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although the Moderna product is sometimes described as a genetic vaccine, it does not alter a persons genes in any way.

Image Police said Steven Brandenburg had twice removed a box of vials of the Moderna vaccine from the refrigerator for periods of 12 hours, rendering them useless. Credit... Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office, via Associated Press

The vials, which contained 570 doses of vaccine and which prosecutors said were worth between $8,000 and $12,000, were discovered sitting out on Dec. 26. Five days later, Mr. Brandenburg was arrested on felony charges of reckless endangerment and property damage, though prosecutors on Monday said the charges could be dropped to a single misdemeanor if the vials, which have yet to be tested, are still usable.

The prosecutor, Adam Gerol, said that Mr. Brandenburg was pretty cooperative and admitted to everything hed done, and that he expressed that he was under great stress because of marital problems. He said that according to co-workers, Mr. Brandenburg had brought a gun to work on two prior occasions.

Last month Mr. Brandenburg told his wife, who is in the process of divorcing him, that the world is crashing down around us, according to a motion she filed last week asking for sole custody of the couples two daughters, 4 and 6, after she learned he was under investigation in the incident at the hospital. She said she feared his reaction if he lost his job.

In her motion, Gretchen Brandenburg said that on Dec. 6, her husband picked up the children and dropped off a water purifier, a large bucket of powdered milk and two 30-day emergency buckets of food.
Jack Ma, the co-founder and former executive chairman of Alibaba Group, a multinational technology conglomerate is speculated to be missing currently.

The Chinese tech billionaire has not made a public appearance in the last two months.

 Reuters

This is particularly suspicious since right before he went missing, he was reportedly in direct conflict with Chinese President Xi Jinping's led ruling communist government.



He was last supposed to make an appearance as a judge in the final episode of his own talent show, Africas Business Heroes, but did not show up, this resulted in all his photographs being removed from the shows website, The Telegraph, UK, reported.

The Chinese tycoon came into conflict with the Chinese government after giving a speech in Shanghai back in October, last year.

 Reuters

Calling for reform in the system that 'stifled business innovation', he was critical of the global banking regulations and compared them to an 'old people's club'.



This speech reportedly angered the Chinese government, as it was perceived as an attack on the authority of the Communist Party. This even led to its extraordinary crackdown on Ma's business engagements.

The Chinese government even went ahead to suspend Ma's $37billion initial public offering of his Ant Group on the direct order of President Jinping, the Wall Street Journal reported.

 Reuters

In a turn of events, Ma was strongly advised to stay in China before he launched an anti-monopoly investigation into his Alibaba Group Holding on Christmas Eve, according to Bloomberg.



In fact, recently, Ma's fintech company Ant Group has been asked to scale back its operations too.

Despite being one of the wealthiest men in China who had done significant work for the UN and global charity activities that brought a softer image to Chinas global image, it seems he's not immune to the Chinese state's brutal crackdown.

In fact, people are speculating on Twitter on how this could possibly set a dangerous precedent for China.

Jack Manow missinghas done a better job upsetting really powerful people than anybody else on the planet.



Strictly speaking thats not illegal. But as @navalny will tell you, its plenty dangerous.  ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) January 4, 2021

People suspect that he might even be held captive in a Chinese re-education camp.

Jack Ma isn't missing... he's a guest of the Chinese Communist Party in a reeducation camp. Seriously, this is nuts! https://t.co/h4WTXxZAsI  jason@calacanis.com (@Jason) January 4, 2021

People are also making hilarious comparisons to Elon Musk

Jack Ma was worth 50b and weighed 120 lbs. Elons worth 150b and weighs 360 lbs, making him both 3x as likely and requiring 3x the manpower to be disappeared  Dusty Roudat (@blane9171) January 4, 2021

People are blaming the crackdown for everything.

#Alibaba and #AntGroup, founded by Ma, are currently faced with an antitrust probe for alleged monopolistic practices. #JackMa  Business Insider India (@BiIndia) January 4, 2021




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moderna Inc announced on Monday that it will be increasing production of its coronavirus vaccine by 20 percent.

The biotechnology company said it plans to manufacture a minimum of 600 million doses - up from the originally projected 500 million - by the end of 2021.

The Massachusetts-based firm says it is investing and hiring in hopes it may be able to produce as many as one billion doses by year's end.

It comes as the COVID-19 vaccination effort in the U.S. has lagged, with clinicians inoculating just 4.2 million people - a figure lower than officials had aimed for.

On Monday, Moderna Inc said it will produce a minimum of 600 million coronavirus vaccine doses in 2021, 20% higher than the 500 million originally projected. Pictured: An employee shows the Moderna coronavirus vaccine at Northwell Health's Long Island Jewish Valley Stream hospital in New York, December 21

So far, Moderna has distributed 18 million doses of the 200 million it has promised the federal government. Pictured: Registered nurse Amanda Wright (lef_, gives a shot of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to registered nurse Paul Smith at Augusta University in Augusta, Georgia, December 30

On December 18, Moderna received emergency use authorization (EUA) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its COVID-19 vaccine for adults aged 18 and older.

Since then, the company says it has distributed approximately 18 million doses of the 200 million it has promised the federal government.

Additional doses have also been supplied to the Canadian government after the jab was authorized on December 23.

'Our effectiveness in providing early supply to the U.S. and Canadian governments and our ability to increase baseline production estimates for 2021 are both signals that our scale up of mRNA vaccine production is a success,' said Juan Andres, Chief Technical Operations and Quality Officer at Moderna, in a statement.

'I want to thank the many private and government collaborators, contractors and the hundreds of Moderna staff who have been working thoughtfully and tirelessly to accomplish this.'

Moderna's vaccine was developed in partnership with the National Institutes of Health.

It uses part of the pathogen's genetic code called messenger RNA, or mRNA, to get the body to recognize the coronavirus and attack it if a person becomes infected.

The candidate, called mRNA-1273, works by tricking the body into producing some of the viral proteins, which the immune system then recognizes and builds a defensive response against.

When given in two doses four weeks apart, the vaccine was found to be 94.1 percent effect at preventing COVID-19 and 100 percent effective at preventing severe disease in clinical trial data.

Officials of Operation Warp Speed - the government's plan to fast-track the production of vaccine doses in the US by 2021 - had said last month that around six million doses would be distributed following the EUA.

But the rollout has been much slower than expected with only 4.2 million people across the U.S. receiving their first dose of either Pfizer or Moderna's vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That figure is well short of the 20 million people the Trump administration had hoped to immunized by New Year's Eve.

However, on Monday, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar claimed the administration's goal was have to 20 million first doses available, directly contradicting comments made by White House officials.

'What we said our goal was was actually to have 20 million first doses available in the month of December. Those are available,' he told ABC's Good Morning America.

'But there's a lag between doses being available then being orders by the provider and the states, shipping and then eventual vaccination.'

Axar defended the distribution and said he was actually surprised 'surprised there haven't been more glitches' since the rollout began last month.

'This is just - it's normal,' he told host Robin Roberts.

'This is the largest vaccination campaign in the history of the United States. I'm actually surprised there haven't been more glitches that we've seen so far.'

Moderna is one of two vaccines currently approved in the U.S. for EUA while the other is made by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE.

The jab made by Johnson & Johnson is expected to be approved next month while officials estimate the shot developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford could receive authorization in spring 2021.
Follows announcement of new Okura hotel in Moscow, underlining the company's ambitious plans for the Russian market

Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Hotel Okura Co., Ltd., has announced it will open the Hotel Okura Vladivostok, the first Japanese-run hotel in the Russian Pacific port city, in the second half of 2021. Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co., Ltd. and Joint Stock Company Mnogofunkcionalnii Gostinichnii Kompleks Zolotoi Rog signed an agreement covering the operation of the new property on December 29, 2020.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005301/en/

Hotel Okura Vladivostok (Photo: Business Wire)

Hotel Okura Vladivostok will be located near the Golden Bridge, a popular tourist attraction from which visitors can enjoy beautiful views of the Zolotoy Rog, a sheltered horn-shaped bay on the Sea of Japan, and the surrounding scenery. It will offer 221 guest rooms each about 40 square meters in size, including 31 suite rooms. There will be a restaurant serving Japanese cuisine featuring a sushi counter and private dining rooms, as well as a teppanyaki restaurant and an all-day dining restaurant. The hotel will additionally offer a large banquet hall, an executive lounge and spa facilities.

Vladivostok, an important commercial port on the Pacific Ocean, is just a 2.5 hour flight from Tokyo. With its exotic landscape, the city is famous for being Russia's gateway to Eurasia yet relatively close to Japan. Surrounded by the sea on three sides, it is a hub for railway, ocean and aviation traffic as well as the eastern starting point of the world-famous Trans-Siberian Railway.

Toshihiro Ogita, President, Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co., Ltd., commented, "Russia is a promising market and Vladivostok is a symbol of the economic cooperation between Japan and Russia. We are very pleased that Hotel Okura was selected to operate a hotel in the city, and it is a great honor for us to help provide a bridge between our two countries. We will offer the Okura's signature hospitality, which is sure to satisfy the hotel's guests and make it a favorite of local people as well as Russian and overseas visitors to the city."

Since August 2017, Japanese citizens have been able to visit the Russian coastal region that includes Vladivostok with just an electronic visa. As a result, the number of visitors from Japan rose to more than 20,000 in 2018, and in 2019, visitor numbers were on the rise with 1.7 times or 35,000 more visitors than in 2018. Vladivostok is an important city in the development of the Russian Far East, which President Putin has made a key element of the country's overall development. Following former Japanese Prime Minister Abe's sharing of his proposed plan for economic cooperation between Russia and Japan with Russia's President Putin in 2016, various business initiatives are underway in both countries.

Overview of Hotel Okura Vladivostok

Location: Korabelnaya Naberezhnaya 10, Vladivostok

Total floor space: around 39,000 square meters

Layout: 16 floors

Number of guest rooms: 221

Access: about 38km from Vladivostok International Airport; about 70 minutes by car or train.

About Joint Stock Company Mnogofunkcionalnii Gostinichnii Kompleks Zolotoi Rog

JSC MGK Zolotoi Rog, a part of En+ Group was established in Vladivostok in June 2019. JSC MGK Zolotoi Rog is an unique urban developer focusing Vladivostok, Russia's largest seaport in Pacific Ocean, to build and manage attractive commercial complexes, wide selection of hotels and service apartments, and offices, etc. by using state of the art technology, which also include a multifunctional commercial complex under construction on panoramic Cape Burny, Vladivostok.

En+ Group listed on the London Stock Exchange, is an Anglo-Russian energy and metals company which is one of the largest aluminium producers in the world and the largest independent hydro power generating company globally.

About Hotel Okura Co., Ltd. and Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co., Ltd.

Hotel Okura Co., Ltd., founded in 1958, opened its flagship Hotel Okura Tokyo in 1962 as a first-class hotel that quickly became renowned worldwide for its blending of traditional Japanese beauty with the very best in accommodation, cuisine and service. It closed its doors in August 2015, and after four years of rebuilding work, it reopened recently as The Okura Tokyo.

Hotel Okura has extensive expertise in the hospitality world, including asset ownership and hotel development, as well as hotel management, the restaurant business and chain operations through its subsidiaries and other group companies. The brand unites member hotels under its "Best Accommodation, Cuisine and Service" philosophy to ensure that all guests enjoy Okura's signature hospitality, which combines Japanese attention to detail and Western functionality.

Please visit www.okura.com.

Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Hotel Okura, operates 77 properties (52 in Japan and 25 overseas) encompassing some 23,898 guest rooms (as of January 1, 2021) under three hotel groups: Okura Hotels Resorts, Nikko Hotels International and Hotel JAL City. Please visit www.okura-nikko.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005301/en/

Contacts:

Media Contacts

Ms. Ikuko Arai, Mr. Ryutaro Suzuki

Public Relations

Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co., Ltd.

Phone: +81 (0)3 6685 8995

E-mail: pr@okura-nikko.co.jp
The Daily Beast

Theo WargoCNN boss Jeff Zucker on Tuesday addressed network staffers concerns over the revelations that primetime star host Chris Cuomo advised his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on how to respond to the multiple sexual harassment allegations against him.During a Tuesday afternoon town-hall meeting with staff, Zucker claimed he understood the unease over Cuomos conduct, saying in no uncertain terms that it was a mistake for the primetime star to participate in strategy calls advising his politically powerful brother.He did cross a line, Zucker said.Last week, The Washington Post reported that Cuomo joined strategy calls helping plan his powerful brothers rebuttals to mounting allegations that he harassed multiple women and made some female staffers feel uncomfortable. According to multiple sources who were present on one meeting, the CNN host even mentioned invoking cancel culture as a way to combat the claims.The CNN boss said he personally voiced his displeasure to Cuomo, and that he had considered the options for how to handle the star hosts unfolding scandal. Ultimately, Zucker said that rather than suspending Cuomo, the network decided the host should have to go on-air and personally apologize to his viewers.And so during his 9 p.m. ET broadcast, Cuomo declared that it will never happen again and insisted he knows where the line is.In a statement following the Post bombshell last week, CNN admitted it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governors staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward. The network added that Cuomo would not be disciplined further.But the top anchors decision to secretly participate in the strategy calls assisting his embattled brother has, indeed, irked numerous network staffers. CNN insiders who spoke with The Daily Beast this week expressed frustration with the networks handling of the incident, saying Cuomo should have faced more serious consequences.Im very disappointed in the network, said one current on-air personality. I think some disciplinary action, at a minimum, was required in this situation. The source added, As a woman who works here, I feel a little let down, to be honest.Staff were particularly interested in Tuesdays town hall following one of the more eventful weeks for the network following a high-profile sale and the departure of one noteworthy on-air contributor.During the call, Zucker said that Rick Santorum was given an opportunity to apologize for what the CNN boss referred to as the ex-senators inappropriate and racist comments about Native Americans, but because he refused to do so, the network ultimately fired the conservative pundit.And elsewhere in Tuesdays town hall, Zucker downplayed the impact of AT&Ts decision to merge WarnerMedia, CNNs parent company, with Discovery. Asked about whether CNN could be spun off as part of the deal, the network chief said he did not think that was in the cards.And when pressed on his own future at the network, Zucker said he plans to have conversations with the right people very soon.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
MIDDLETOWN  The New Year is off and running, and the chamber team is on the move.

The first week of the year is a busy one, with a number of important virtual meetings and events. The first major meeting of 2021 takes place on Monday with a virtual gathering of the chambers Executive Committee, which features a variety of business and community leaders from a number of industry sectors.

Mondays meeting will be led by Chairman Tom Byrne, and, along with important updates on chamber activities, it will feature updates from the public health and banking sectors in Middlesex County.

This week also features important meetings of our Portland and East Hampton Division, Environment and Infrastructure Committee, Central Business Bureau, Down County Division, and a virtual gathering of our Strategic Planning Committee, which has been very helpful as we have steered the chamber through this challenging time.

On Thursday, we look forward to conducting an important virtual discussion with Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz on supporting small businesses in 2021. Federal, state and local leaders will be on hand to update employers and employees about relief programs for businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Panelists include District Director for the U.S. Small Business Administrations Connecticut District Office, Catherine Marx, and Connecticut Department of Economic & Community Development Commissioner David Lehman. I thank Lt. Gov. Bysiewicz for reaching out to our team to schedule this event, and look forward to a productive discussion.

As you can see, the chamber calendar is off to a real fast start in the new year.

In addition to these important meetings that are specific to our chamber, this week features a number of other meetings that are important to the business community throughout our state. On Tuesday, I look forward to my weekly virtual meeting with the leaders of the Metro Chambers of Commerce in our state. The metro chambers collectively represent thousands of Connecticut businesses, and these meetings always feature productive discussions about collaboration and joint advocacy for the business community. These partnerships are more important now than ever before.

A busy Tuesday continues with the first 2021 meeting of the Community Foundation of Middlesex County Board of Directors. President and CEO Cynthia Clegg and her team do great work in our community, and I look forward to supporting their efforts moving forward.

Finally, on Friday, I will attend a virtual meeting of the Workforce Alliance Racial Equity & Accountability Initiative. This important effort, led by Workforce Alliance Chairwoman Robin Golden and President Bill Villano, brings together a variety of stakeholders from throughout the alliances 30-town service area. I look forward to working with all of them in the new year as we continue our efforts to strengthen what is an inclusive, resilient, and vibrant state of Connecticut.

Before closing, I ask that members and other interested parties look ahead to next weeks chamber calendar and save the dates for two important virtual workshops. On Jan. 12, the chamber will continue the very successful KeyBank Workshop Series, which has gone virtual due to COVID-19.

Next weeks session, sexual harassment prevention training, will be held via Zoom at 8 a.m. The definition of sexual harassment, liability, and the prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace will be discussed, and the session meets state of Connecticut requirements for employers.

On Jan. 13 at 9 a.m., we will host a panel discussion with leaders from some of our local health departments titled, Rising to the Challenges of COVID-19. Our local health directors and other public health professionals have worked tirelessly since the beginning of this crisis, and we thank them for taking the time to provide real time information on everything from vaccine roll-out, to testing and more. I will have much more on these two workshops in next weeks chamber column.

I am afraid I must close this weeks column on a sad note after the recent passing of Richard Wrubel at 85. Richard was a wonderful man who led an inspired life full of leadership, service and kindness. We are all so fortunate that Richard called Middletown his home for his entire life. He loved this city and thoroughly enjoyed its history, culture, civic organizations, and, most importantly, its people.

Richard can be described in a variety of ways: an intellect, musician, proud veteran of the U.S. Army, businessman, and a true and beloved family man. I got to know him first in the 1970s when he was a parent and a supporter of Mercy and Xavier high schools, and then through this professional career in the retail business and in the residential real estate business.

He was a great supporter of our chamber and of me personally, going all the way back to when I started in this position in 1983. He would delight our staff with his periodic pop-ins into our office, and I will always be grateful for his counsel and his friendship over the years.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife of 56 years, Marcia, his entire family, and his vast network of friends and colleagues. Richard Wrubel was as good as it gets, and he will be missed by many.

Larry McHugh is president of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce in Middletown.
Brisbane City Council has issued 850 enforcement notices for construction or development breaches in the past two financial years, new data shows.

Enforcement notices are often issued under the state's planning legislation for issues such as construction being completed without development approval, or not in line with an approval.

Brisbane City Council is responsible for enforcing planning legislation. Credit:Paul Jeffers

Enforcement notices may also be issued if a building is in a dilapidated or dangerous condition, a council spokeswoman said, or if it's being used unlawfully.

A long-running saga over the condition of the heritage-listed, derelict, Broadway Hotel in Woolloongabba took another step toward restoration in 2020 with the council approving a demolition application to remove sections of the site, with the gothic facade retained.

Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today announced worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $39.4 billion for the month of November 2020, an increase of 7.0 percent compared to the November 2019 total of $36.9 billion and 1.1 percent more than the October 2020 total of $39.0 billion. Monthly sales are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average. SIA represents 98 percent of the U.S. semiconductor industry by revenue and nearly two-thirds of non-U.S. chip firms.

"Global sales of semiconductors continued to rise in November, increasing on a year-to-year basis by the highest percentage since March," said John Neuffer, SIA president and CEO. "Annual sales in 2020 are tracking well ahead of the total from 2019, despite substantial headwinds caused by the pandemic and other macroeconomic factors. Sales into the Americas remained strong in November, increasing year-to-year by a double-digit percentage for the eleventh consecutive month."

Regionally, sales increased on a year-to-year basis in the Americas (12.5 percent), China (6.5 percent), Asia Pacific/All Other (6.5 percent), and Japan (5.1 percent), but decreased slightly in Europe (-0.7 percent). On a month-to-month basis, sales increased in Japan (5.2 percent), Europe (3.6 percent), the Americas (2.1 percent), and China (0.1 percent), but ticked down in Asia Pacific/All Other (-0.5 percent).

For comprehensive monthly semiconductor sales data and detailed WSTS forecasts, consider purchasing the WSTS Subscription Package. For detailed historical information about the global semiconductor industry and market, consider ordering the SIA Databook.

November 2020





Billions





Month-to-Month Sales





Market Last Month Current Month % Change Americas 8.29 8.46 2.1% Europe 3.22 3.34 3.6% Japan 3.11 3.28 5.2% China 13.85 13.86 0.1% Asia Pacific/All Other 10.53 10.48 -0.5% Total 39.00 39.41 1.1%







Year-to-Year Sales





Market Last Year Current Month % Change Americas 7.52 8.46 12.5% Europe 3.36 3.34 -0.7% Japan 3.12 3.28 5.1% China 13.02 13.86 6.5% Asia Pacific/All Other 9.84 10.48 6.5% Total 36.85 39.41 7.0%







Three-Month-Moving Average Sales





Market Jun/Jul/Aug Sept/Oct/Nov % Change Americas 7.89 8.46 7.3% Europe 2.93 3.34 13.8% Japan 3.03 3.28 8.2% China 12.59 13.86 10.1% Asia Pacific/All Other 9.94 10.48 5.4% Total 36.38 39.41 8.3%

Media Contact

Dan Rosso

Semiconductor Industry Association

202-446-1719

[email protected]

About SIA

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) is the voice of the semiconductor industry, one of America's top export industries and a key driver of America's economic strength, national security, and global competitiveness. Semiconductors  the tiny chips that enable modern technologies  power incredible products and services that have transformed our lives and our economy. The semiconductor industry directly employs nearly a quarter of a million workers in the United States, and U.S. semiconductor company sales totaled $193 billion in 2019. SIA represents 98 percent of the U.S. semiconductor industry by revenue and nearly two-thirds of non-U.S. chip firms. Through this coalition, SIA seeks to strengthen leadership of semiconductor manufacturing, design, and research by working with Congress, the Administration, and key industry stakeholders around the world to encourage policies that fuel innovation, propel business, and drive international competition. Learn more at www.semiconductors.org.

About WSTS

World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) is an independent non-profit organization representing the vast majority of the world semiconductor industry. The mission of WSTS is to be the respected source of semiconductor market data and forecasts. Founded in 1986, WSTS is the singular source for monthly industry shipment statistics.

SOURCE Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA)

Related Links

https://www.semiconductors.org


When Bria Hutson was growing up in East Oakland, California, she had a routine. Every day after school, she and her friends would stop at a corner store and load up on chips, sodas and other junk food. The nearest grocery store was miles away and her mom didn't drive.

Everyone around her ate fast food regularly, and when it came to fruit and vegetables, her exposure was limited to iceberg lettuce, apples and other basic fruit and vegetables sold in the local bodegas.

But when Hutson's son was born in 2012, she knew she needed to change her unhealthy habits. She began buying more produce and learning creative ways to cook so her son and daughter, born two years later, would not grimace at the kale, broccoli and other greens on their plates.

Healthy cooking became a passion, so much so that she began taking orders from friends, neighbors and others in the community. She'd make foods like a burger made with jackfruit instead of meat, and healthy nachos loaded with vegetables and quinoa instead of processed cheese.

With the help of Mandela Partners, a nonprofit that supports local food entrepreneurs and works to increase access to healthy food in low-income communities, Hutson received training for how to run a food business, help with permits and, perhaps most importantly, operate a kiosk, rent-free for three months, in a community market.

"Deep East Oakland is still a food desert and residents have to travel to a different community to access healthy food, which is a problem," said Hutson, now 27. "This experience led me to start my business, Ju'C Fruits. I am the change that I want to see."

Founded in 2004, Mandela Partners was born out of a community effort to bring a grocery store to West Oakland. Over the years, Mandela has expanded to include business incubation and entrepreneur training services, a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program and a produce distribution network that connects more than a dozen local farmers to local retailers.

So, farmers get access to customers and a fair price for their produce, while residents in Oakland and the surrounding area get access to healthy and affordable food.

The nonprofit's work is driven by a vision that locally owned enterprises can be a vehicle for both economic empowerment and a healthier community. Instead of waiting for national retailers to set up shop in the neighborhood, provide jobs and investment, Mandela helps locals do it themselves.

"The mission is bigger than just food justice," said Ciara Segura, director of programs and policy at Mandela Partners. "It's about creating a locally owned economy so that the money that is being made in this community stays in the community."

The organization also runs a Healthy Retail Network that consists of 10 small grocers and corner market owners, and eight community produce stands at schools, libraries and a senior center. Since the start of the pandemic, the produce stands have been replaced by a fully subsidized CSA program that provides fresh produce for 400 low-income families per week.

Mandela Partners was recently awarded funding by the American Heart Association's Bernard J. Tyson Impact Fund, which invests in under-resourced communities.

Meanwhile, Hutson is pushing ahead with her new business and is busier than ever. Thanks to Mandela, she now has a contract to cook 200 meals a week for a local women's shelter. Hutson also is making plans to open a brick-and-mortar location.

"It feels really amazing to be a blessing to people," she said, "and be blessed to do something you love."

Explore further Study aims to connect the dots on food access

Copyright  2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
IKE has signed an agreement to acquire certain assets of Visual Globe LLC, a US-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) and low code/no code software company that specializes in the automated analysis of power poles.

This strategic acquisition complements IKEs existing offering and aligns with the Companys vision to become the standard for collecting, analysing and managing power pole information.

Visual Globes AI platform provides the potential for IKE to grow its addressable market within the electric utility and communication industries and to significantly increase the number of transactions that can process efficiently on its platform.

The addition of Visual Globes technology will enable IKE to process pole data that can be collected from new additional sources including drones and smartphones, making the Companys platform even more attractive to electric utilities and communications groups in the North American market.

Commenting on the acquisition, IKE CEO, Glenn Milnes, said:

This transaction with Visual Globe allows IKE to expand our addressable markets and adds important advanced bulk data collection & analysis capability. This enables IKE to continue to disrupt often inefficient or manual work practices across the electric utility and communications markets. Maximizing the volume of pole transactions on the IKE platform is our key revenue driver and we believe this acquisition has the potential to accelerate our business. We have been impressed by what Visual Globe has achieved technically and look forward to adding their team, and this AI capability, to our offering for the benefit of customers."

Visual Globe Chief Technology Officer and co-founder, Trevor Chandler, said:

The combination of IKE and Visual Globe will be formidable. We are delighted to join a business with the position that IKE has established across the North American market and are aligned with IKEs focus to solve the biggest problems for pole owners and network funders. I am excited to be alongside the IKE team and to be driving towards the IKE vision.

See the links below for more details:

IKE acquires assets of Artificial Intelligence software business

Source: ikeGPS Group Limited

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TEXAS and ARIZONA, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Almost 800 Teamsters who work at Albertsons' [NYSE: ACI] Southwest and Southern distribution centers are participating in "just practicing" picketing today. The actions protest the company's refusal to comply with COVID-19 safety guidelines and federal labor law.

The 800 drivers and warehouse workers, who service over 200 grocery stores in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Texas are concerned that the company's failure to fully comply with COVID-19 safety guidelines and its refusal to provide information about the company's COVID-19 safety plan is putting the safety of workers, their families and the communities they service at risk.

At the Albertsons distribution center in Tolleson, Arizona, which services over 175 stores including Safeway in Arizona and New Mexico, Vons in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Albertsons in Arizona, New Mexico, Southern Utah and El Paso, Texas, drivers and warehouse workers represented by Teamsters Local Union 104 report that the company is refusing to allow for social distancing in the company's warehouse and refusing to provide an adequate amount of quarantine and emergency sick leave pay to workers that are required to isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19.

"Since the pandemic began, our brave members have worked up to 14 hours a day, six days a week to keep grocery stores stocked and provide food to our communities," said Russell Medigovich, Business Agent with Teamsters Local 104. "We expect Albertsons to follow the recommendations of public health experts to protect frontline workers and their families. If Albertsons continues to put our Teamster brothers and sisters at risk, we are prepared to take on that fight."

At Albertsons' Dallas distribution center located in Roanoke, Texas, 78 Randalls, Tom Thumb, and El Rancho Supermercado drivers and spotters represented by Teamsters Local 745 report that the company is failing to comply with COVID-19 guidelines, including providing workers with adequate supply of personal protective equipment and deep cleaning vehicles presumably contaminated with COVID-19. Several workers report that they have been forced to supply their own PPE and cleaning supplies to stay safe at work. In addition, Albertsons is currently refusing to provide Teamsters Local 745 with a COVID-19 safety plan for the facility, in violation of federal labor laws.

"Albertsons is raking in huge profits from COVID-19, but it's our members who are risking their lives and those of their families by working up to 14-hour shifts, six to seven days a week for the past eight months to keep market shelves stocked," said Brent Taylor, Secretary-Treasurer and Business Manager of Teamsters Local 745. "It's outrageous that Albertsons is refusing to provide us with the information we need to protect our members."

Albertsons operates more than 2,200 stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under 20 brands including Albertsons, Randalls, Safeway, Tom Thumb and Vons. During the pandemic, Albertsons has almost tripled its profits, raising its operating profits by 182 percent from $355 million in Q2 of 2019 to $1.0 billion in Q2 of 2020.

Albertsons employs roughly 270,000 employees, including approximately 185,000 covered by collective bargaining agreements. The Teamsters represent over 11,000 Albertsons distribution, warehouse, dairy and food processing workers.

Contact:

Local 104: Dawn Schumann, (602) 300-5650

[email protected]

Local 745: Brent Taylor, (214) 417-6455

[email protected]

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Related Links

http://www.teamster.org


New Delhi, Jan 4 : The talks between the farmers unions and the government ended without any breakthrough on Monday. After the meeting, the government issued a statement in which it mentioned that the Agriculture Minister said in the meeting that they are ready to consider amendments to the new farm laws.

"We will discuss pointwise on the farm laws, and on whichever laws you have objections to we are ready to consider amendments," said Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.

The next meeting will take place on January 8. The meeting started with paying tributes to the farmers who have lost their lives during the protest.

The Agriculture Minister said the government is ready to resolve the impasse and is discussing all the issues with an open mind. He said that both the sides should move forward and the government will discuss these laws with other farmers unions also.

Yudhvir Singh of the Bhartiya Kisan Union said the, "Government wants to take us towards amendments but we will not accept this proposal .The minister wanted us to discuss the laws point-wise. We rejected it and said that there is no point in discussing the laws because we want their complete rollback." The meeting on Monday had started around 2.30 p.m. at Vigyan Bhavan in the presence of Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Rail & Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal and Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash.

Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal and other Ministry officials also attended the meeting.

Since the sixth round of talks held at the same location on December 30 ended on a positive note with the government agreeing on two points, the government will try to persuade the farmers to end their agitation by adopting a middle path or forming a committee to resolve the issue.

Krantikari Kisan Union President (Punjab) Darshan Pal, Bharatiya Kisan Union's Jagjeet Singh Dalewal and Balbir Singh Rajewal, Jamhuri Kishan Sabha Punjab General Secretary Kulwant Singh, and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Uttar Pradesh) President Rakesh Tikait are among the 41 farm union leaders who participated in the meeting.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Founded in March 2013, DOOGEE is a rugged smartphone brand that strongly advocates quality and experience. The company aims to create durable phones with the potential to withstand weather conditions, impacts, dust and just about anything nature can through their way.

SHENZHEN, China, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Smartphone company DOOGEE will welcome the upcoming new year with the global launch of its latest super-rugged smartphone creation: the S59 Pro. The incredibly resistant device seeks to provide its users with a wide array of features coupled with durability at an affordable price range. Some of the S59 Pro's most key features are its numerous durability certifications, a gigantic 10,050mAh battery and a powerful 2W loudspeaker.

As for the detailed durability specifications, the S59 Pro features an IP68/IP69K rating and military-grade MIL-STD-810 G rating. Users of the smartphone could be scientists, construction workers or adrenaline junkies heading out for their latest adventure. Regardless of the exciting lives that S59 Pro-owners may lead, they would not have to worry much because of the extremely rugged design and nature of the smartphone.

The DOOGEE S59 Pro touts a 5.72" display with Gorilla Glass and a 90Hz refresh rate for fluid, smooth usage. It has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor along with facial recognition capabilities, providing an added layer of biometric security. Despite the enormous battery size, users can charge up quickly thanks to the adaptive fast charge feature.

Other technical specifications of the S59 Pro include:

MediaTek Helio P22 CPU 2.0 GHz 12nm



4GB RAM+128GB ROM (expandable up to 256GB)



Samsung AI Quad 16MP main camera +8MP wide angle+8MP macro+2MP depth



Samsung 16MP front camera with Facial Recognition



NFC with Google Pay Support



Dual SIM Slots supporting global frequencies

DOOGEE has scheduled the international premiere of its rugged S59 Pro for Jan. 5, 2021. The global launch of the device will be live-streamed on DOOGEE's YouTube handle at 11:00 AM (BST). Moreover, the live broadcast will also serve as a conclusion to the company's ongoing giveaway for the handset. Those interested in participating still have time to enter the S59 Pro sweepstakes which can be found here. Results of the giveaway will be announced live on that day alongside the other launch day celebrations. Entrants stand a chance to win units of the DOOGEE S59 Pro on the release date.

To inaugurate the arrival of 2021 and the international release of the DOOGEE S59 Pro, the phone's maker has also decided to slash the price of the durable device for a limited time. While the durable smartphone will retail at $199.99 globally, DOGEE will reduce the price of the S59 Pro to as low as $139.99 on Jan. 5 exclusively. The special promo is a token of love on the fresh new year by the company for its dedicated community following.

To further share the joy and merriment of the new year, DOOGEE is currently giving away additional discount coupons worth $2 coupon (unlimited), $20 coupon (limited to first 50 pieces), and $10 coupon (limited to 100 pieces). Those interested in purchasing the S59 Pro can click here to get the coupons.

With the upcoming launch of the S59 Pro, DOOGEE hopes to further advance its position as a world-leading affordable rugged smartphone brand. DOOGEE has been pursuing rugged mobile phones with high specifications over the years and will continue to follow this path.

Jun & Bruno

+86 186 8143 3670

marketing@doogee.cc

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You could be forgiven if you didnt know about Whole Lotta Red.

The latest album by the Atlanta rapper Playboi Carti came out on Christmas Day, while streaming playlists were practically overheating with seasonal tinsel by Mariah Carey, Brenda Lee and Andy Williams. And Whole Lotta Red apparently went unreviewed by the music media.

Yet for a streaming star like Playboi Carti, all of that mattered less than the arrival of new content, although some controversy on social media may also have helped. Whole Lotta Red became the rappers first No. 1 on Billboards album chart, with the equivalent of 100,000 sales in the United States, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. The album, which features appearances by Kanye West, Kid Cudi and Future, was streamed 126 million times in its opening week.

Whole Lotta Red received some extra attention when the rapper Iggy Azalea complained on Twitter that Playboi Carti had ignored her and their young son, Onyx, on Christmas. In the days following, celebrity-watching social media roiled and Playboi Carti posted videos of him with his son in a studio.

Also this week, Taylor Swifts Evermore fell to No. 2 after two turns at the top. The Chicago rapper Lil Durks The Voice is No. 3, Pop Smokes Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon is No. 4 in its 26th week out and Ariana Grandes Positions is in fifth place.
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BOISE - The Idaho Division of Veteran Services will coordinate an all-expenses-paid deer or elk hunt for two disabled Idaho Veterans in 2021. The purpose of the hunt is to offer disabled Veterans (with a 40% Service-Connected Disability Rating or higher) an opportunity to participate in a big-game hunt when they might otherwise be prevented from doing so by the seriousness of their disability.

To be eligible for this hunt you must be a resident of Idaho and have a disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The application period will be open from January 2 to January 31, 2021.

Tags are provided at no charge to the successful applicant by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game under a special program. Specific tag information will be provided to the selected Veteran if selected.

The hunt will occur on a private ranch in Unit 45, north of Mountain Home, Idaho. Hunt dates will need to be coordinated well in advance, based on established seasons. In most cases, hunts occur in October or early November.

Hunters will be expected to provide their own transportation to Mountain Home. Rustic cabin/bunkhouse accommodations, meals and on-site transportation and assistance will be provided at the ranch at no cost to the Veteran. If the Veteran has or requires a medical caregiver, these items will also be provided at no charge for the caregiver. The cabin/bunkhouse is not barrier-free, so hotel accommodations in Mountain Home will be provided if necessary. Hunters will need to make arrangements for their prescription and medical supplies, if any. Hunters will be responsible for their own meat processing and mounting in the event their hunt is successful.

Please fill out the application found below and either mail it to Idaho Division of Veterans Services, Attn: Disabled Veterans Deer or Elk Hunt, 351 Collins Road, Boise,Idaho 83702; fax it to 208-780-1301 or email it to kevin.wallior@veterans.idaho.gov. All personal information submitted will be kept confidential and used only by the selection committee.

A committee consisting of past hunt participants, a representative from the Idaho Veterans Affairs Commission, Veteran service organization representatives and personnel from the Idaho Division of Veterans Services will make the final selections. The selected Veterans will be notified by IDVS and will be contacted by the ranch to coordinate hunt dates and other specifics.

To download an application, click HERE.
An Algerian supporter of the Hirak protest movement was sentenced to three years in jail Monday for satirical social media posts mocking the government and religion, a campaign group said.

Walid Kechida, 25, was accused of insulting President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and "offending the precepts" of Islam in internet memes and other online posts, said Kaci Tansaout, from the CNLD prisoners' rights group.

"Walid Kechida is sadly sentenced to three years in prison with a fine," Tansaout said, adding that lawyers would appeal.

Lawyer Moumen Chadi confirmed the sentence.

The public prosecutor in Algeria's northeastern Setif province had called for a five-year sentence, and Kechida has already spent eight months in detention awaiting trial.

Algerian authorities have arrested and prosecuted several activists in a bid to stem the Hirak protesters.

The CNLD says over 90 people, including activists, social media users and journalists, are currently in custody in connection with the country's anti-government protest movement or individual liberties -- mostly for dissenting social media posts.

Tebboune last week signed Algeria's new constitution into law, a change the government hopes will turn the page on the long-running Hirak mass protest movement.

The Hirak first launched vast street demonstrations in early 2019 to oppose then-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika's bid for a fifth term in office.

Following his resignation that April, the Hirak kept up the pressure to demand a full overhaul of the ruling system in place since the North African nation's 1962 independence from France.

A November referendum to approve the constitutional changes received the backing of less than 15 percent of the electorate, in a vote overshadowed by the novel coronavirus pandemic and Hirak calls for a boycott.

Short link:


Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 19:50:24|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

A staff member checks the packaging quality of COVID-19 inactivated vaccine products at a packaging plant of the Beijing Biological Products Institute Co., Ltd. in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

No serious side effects have been reported since the inoculations began.

BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- More Chinese people in key groups are receiving Chinese-developed COVID-19 vaccines in multiple places. No serious side effects have been reported since the inoculations began.





17:05

Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Roughly 500,000 people in key groups are receiving Chinese-developed COVID-19 vaccines in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the regional health commission said on Monday.

No serious side effects have been reported thus far since the inoculations began in the region on Dec. 22, 2020, according to the commission.

The key groups mainly comprise people working in industries with relatively high risks of infection, including those whose work relates to imported cold-chain products, customs entry and quarantine points, and medical disease control, as well as those who plan to work or study in medium or high-risk countries or regions.

Inner Mongolia plans to complete the inoculation of the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to all those in key groups by Tuesday, and the second doses by Feb. 5.

Local resident Huhbat was given his first vaccine dose on Monday in the Darhan Muminggan Joint Banner, which borders Mongolia.

"My colleagues and friends who were vaccinated did not feel much. Some experienced slight swelling or pain that soon disappeared," he said.

In Hohhot, the regional capital, a total of 47 inoculation points have been designated.

"We administer more than 1,200 doses daily," said Li Guimei, director of the No. 2 Hospital of Hohhot.





A medical worker inoculates a woman with a COVID-19 vaccine at a hospital in Jinan, capital city of east China's Shandong Province, on Jan. 4, 2021. (Xinhua/Guo Xulei)

16:14 Jinan, Shandong Province



A total of 217,158 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered to key groups with higher risks of infection in east China's Shandong Province, authorities said on Monday.

As of Sunday, no serious side effects have been reported among vaccine recipients, said the provincial health commission.

Related personnel in port cities are prioritized for inoculation.

China in mid-December officially launched a vaccination program for the winter-spring period targeting several key groups. These groups include those engaged in the handling of imported cold-chain products, customs officers, medical workers, and people working in public transport and fresh produce markets.

"I used to be worried about being infected with the virus as I'm in the cold-chain business. The vaccination has comforted me," said Xia Dongdong, a cold-chain food processing worker at a food company called Tanrun based in Tancheng County in the city of Linyi.

"I've had no adverse reactions," he said.

According to the commission, frontline customs inspectors involved in the import of frozen goods and loading and transporting personnel working at ports have received their first vaccine doses.
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As the Biden administration takes office, it will have to prioritize myriad critical global and regional challenges, ranging from terrorism to rebuilding alliances and improving intelligence collection. The past four years have seen foreign security agencies less interested in sharing intelligence with their U.S. counterparts, which in turn has deprived our national leaders of critical information.

A departing president usually shares with the incoming one the crown jewels of intelligence reporting, sources, methods, presidential findings and ongoing cases. Intelligence plays a critical role in informing policy decisions. That has not been the case with President Trump.

U.S. intelligence officers need to collect all source information across the globe relevant to important national security policies, including such existential issues as terrorism, nuclear proliferation and weapons of mass destruction.

ADVERTISEMENTSkip



................................................................

Although since 9/11 terrorism understandably has headed the list of critical national security issues against which intelligence is collected, other important targets have included weapons of mass destruction, nuclear programs and missiles, banking, trade sanctions, cyber security and hacking, and intellectual property theft.

Once they collect the information, these partners share it with American intelligence collectors, often at considerable risk. As they do so, they expect the information they share with their American counterparts to reach senior policymakers at the highest levels of government.

During my government career, I interacted with dozens of intelligence services across the globe and often realized how much the national security of the United States was enhanced by the information and analysis they provided. No matter how many American intelligence and national security officials are stationed overseas, they cannot possibly by themselves collect on all the critical national security threats facing the United States without collaboration with other intelligence services.

In his book At the Center of the Storm, former CIA Director George Tenet cites numerous trips he took to other countries in the Middle East, the Balkans, Asia and elsewhere for the purpose of further collaboration with other intelligence services. His personal contacts with the heads of those services helped cement intelligence sharing between the United States and other countries.

Partnering services continued to provide valuable information because they realized that senior policymakers in Washington, including the president of the United States, often relied on the collected information as they made decisions on terrorism and related issues.

During the past four years, however, as President Trumps negative attitude toward American intelligence agencies, especially the Central Intelligence Agency, became more strident and as he continued to ignore and denigrate intelligence warnings and briefings, bilateral and multinational collaboration began to dry up. Foreign sources became less inclined to risk their own lives and expend precious resources to collect information for their American partners. Some judged the potential risks to their agencies and staff far outweighed the benefits that would accrue from a disinterested Trump administration. Others were afraid he might reveal some of the classified information to third parties.

More importantly, Trumps disrespect of the intelligence community and inexplicable tolerance of the insidious behavior of unfriendly regimes, such as Russias President Vladimir Putin, has given them the audacity to wage dangerous social media, disinformation and hacking operations against American intelligence agencies and other government departments.

Pitfalls of sharing

Revitalizing bilateral and multinational intelligence exchanges requires rebuilding the trust that was lost in the past four years. Foreign services will have to believe that the intelligence they provide will be valued and protected and their sources and methods will be safeguarded. The complexity of transnational intelligence collaboration is a function of the partners professionalism, substantive and tradecraft training, political orientation, acceptance of shared values, and relationship to their countries national leadership.

Transnational intelligence agencies may be divided into different tiers: Commonwealth countries, other Western countries, East Asian countries, Arab and non-Arab Middle Eastern countries, Islamic countries and African countries. Working with different services varies significantly from one country or region to the next. American intelligence cooperation with Western and other industrialized countries is usually more encompassing and seamless because it reflects a commonality of concerns, values and professionalism. Governments and national security agencies in these countries believe intelligence is integral to international diplomacy and national decision making.

A key pitfall in intelligence sharing arises when a particular foreign intelligence agency is controlled by an adversarial or hostile regime and engages in obfuscation, disinformation, denial and deception.

As the incoming Biden administration begins to revitalize international intelligence exchanges, it will have to whittle away some of the key biases among international partners, for example in Muslim countries, that developed in the past four years because of President Trumps Islamophobic statements and executive orders restricting Muslim immigration into the United States.

The new administration will have to work hard to de-politicize and professionalize intelligence collaboration. For the United States, such a process should enhance the cause of diplomacy, identify and neutralize potential threats, and punish the hackers of American government and private institutions. It will also safeguard the national security interests of the United States.

Emile Nakhleh is research professor and director of the Global and National Security Policy Institute at UNM and a former senior intelligence service officer at the CIA. A longer version was published on The Cipher Brief.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 23:08:48|Editor: huaxia

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-- China has started inoculating some key groups with COVID-19 vaccines in this winter-spring period, which is expected to lower the risks of domestic outbreaks of the epidemic.

-- The vaccines have been given to priority groups, including frontline customs inspectors of imported cold-chain goods and personnel working in the overseas and domestic transportation sector.

-- A total of 73,537 people in Beijing have received COVID-19 vaccines at 220 inoculation venues, and Beijing will complete the inoculation for key groups before the Spring Festival, which falls on Feb. 12 this year.

BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- China is administering COVID-19 vaccines to key groups across the country, with Beijing slated to complete the inoculation for key groups before the Spring Festival, which falls on Feb. 12 this year.

Since the city began administering the jab among specific groups of people with high infection risks on Jan. 1, a total of 73,537 people received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at 220 inoculation venues on the first two days.

"I'm glad to receive the vaccine for I'm in charge of cold-chain food transportation. I feel much safer now," said a vaccinee surnamed Tong at a temporary vaccination site in Beijing's Chaoyang District.

After this round of inoculation, all the eligible people in Beijing will receive the COVID-19 vaccines as the vaccines receive market approval, along with a gradual increase in vaccine production.

People are inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccines at a healthcare center in Honglian Community in Xicheng District of Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 3, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

Liu Hong, director of the health service center in Puhuangyu Community, Fengtai District, said the center started reservation for vaccination in different time slots for different groups of recipients to avoid gathering as of Jan. 1.

The whole process lasted less than 10 minutes to reduce the waiting time and avoid cross-infection with other outpatient personnel, Liu said.

On Dec. 15, 2020, China officially launched a vaccination program for this winter-spring period targeting several key groups. These groups include those engaged in the handling of imported cold-chain products, customs officers, medical workers, and people working in public transport and fresh produce markets.

In east China's Shandong Province, a total of 217,158 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered to key groups, said the provincial health commission.

A medical worker inoculates a recipient with a COVID-19 vaccine at a hospital in Jinan of east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 4, 2021. (Xinhua/Guo Xulei)

As of Sunday, no serious side effects have been reported among vaccine recipients. Related personnel in port cities are prioritized for inoculation.

According to the commission, frontline customs inspectors involved in the import of frozen goods and loading and transporting personnel working at ports have already received their first vaccine doses.

Roughly 500,000 people in key groups are also receiving Chinese-developed COVID-19 vaccines in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the regional health commission said.

The inoculations began in the region on Dec. 22, 2020. Inner Mongolia plans to complete the inoculation of the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccines for all those in key groups by Tuesday, and the second doses by Feb. 5.

Huhbat, a local resident, was given his first vaccine dose on Monday in the Darhan Muminggan Joint Banner, which borders Mongolia.

"My colleagues and friends who were vaccinated did not feel much. Some experienced slight swelling or pain that soon disappeared," he said.

A total of 47 inoculation points have been designated in the regional capital Hohhot.

"We administer more than 1,200 doses daily," said Li Guimei, director of the No. 2 Hospital of Hohhot.

A medical worker inoculates a recipient with a COVID-19 vaccine at a hospital in Jinan of east China's Shandong Province, Jan. 4, 2021. (Xinhua/Guo Xulei)

China approved the emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines in June last year, targeting groups with a high risk of infection. By the end of November last year, more than 1.5 million doses of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines had been distributed for emergency use.

A total of 60,000 vaccinated people have traveled abroad to high-risk regions, with no severe adverse reactions reported, according to Zeng Yixin, deputy head of the National Health Commission.

By the end of December last year, the number of vaccine doses among the key groups exceeded 3 million.

"The 3 million vaccine doses plus the previous 1.5 million doses fully prove that Chinese vaccines are safe," Zeng noted.

China announced on Dec. 31, 2020, that it had granted conditional marketing authorization to its first self-developed COVID-19 vaccine. The inactivated vaccine got approval from the National Medical Products Administration. It was developed by the Beijing Biological Products Institute Co., Ltd. under the China National Biotec Group, affiliated with Sinopharm. 

(Reporting by Sun Wenji, Yu Jia, Yang Wen, Yan Xiangling, Qiang Lijing, Xia Ke, Chen Zhonghao; Video editor: Zhang Yucheng)

PUNE, India, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global demand for global healthcare consulting services Industry in terms of revenue was estimated to be 12.73 USD billion in 2018 and is expected to reach 20.01 USD billion in 2025, growing at a CAGR of 6.71% from 2019 to 2025. The global healthcare consulting services market is expected to grow at a significant growth rate due to the various number of driving factors.

Healthcare consulting services majorly includes; financial planning, operations management, feasibility study, strategic planning, marketing strategy, business report, branding, HR planning, hospital software, infrastructure planning and facility planning. All these services helps to foster the efficiency of the present system to be more productive and effective. These consulting services can upgrade the system and help the organization to compete strongly in the healthcare market. The major advantages of these services include; ability to focus on patient attention and care, increased flexibility, responsiveness and availability, predictable costs, integration and management of electronic health records (EHRs) and others which are expected to foster the growth of global healthcare consulting services market.

Request a Sample Report:@ https://brandessenceresearch.com/requestSample/PostId/438

Healthcare Consulting Industry leading market players:

Prominent market players analyzed in the Accenture, McKinsey & Company, Cognizant, Deloitte Consulting, KPMG, McKinsey & Company, The Boston consulting group, Huron consulting and Ernst & Young and others

Healthcare consulting market report is segmented on the basis of type of service, end-users and region & country level. Based upon type of service, healthcare consulting services market is segmented into IT consulting, digital consulting, financial consulting, operations consulting, strategy consulting, HR & talent consulting. Based upon end-user, healthcare consulting services market is segmented into life science companies, payers, providers, government bodies and others.

Healthcare consulting deals with offering specialist advice to healthcare-related businesses, such as pharmaceutical and medical device companies, hospitals, insurance providers, physicians, etc. Healthcare consulting service providers have the team of consultants/managers to work without disturbing any day-to-day activities of the institution. They are deputing their functional authorities to guide and train the workforce of that institution the way forward. Their team helps to get the right things done at the right time and the right place. To be precise, it acts as a catalyst to generate a positive product through this chemical reaction without getting affected either of the compounds. Moreover, healthcare consultants are management analysts employed by the healthcare industry. They examine the efficiency, profits and structure of the organization, and then offer suggestions on methods of improvement. As healthcare organizations continue to struggle with the reimbursement and the costs of technology and compliance, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have become an avenue for revenue and market share growth.

Major technological advancement such as interoperability, advanced analytics, machine learning, digitization, the Internet of Things etc. have found in large number of applications in healthcare and present important opportunities to address the half a trillion dollars of annual spending resulting from low productivity and waste. The rising costs of healthcare, mainly the result of an ageing population in combination with a rising life expectancy, is putting pressure on governments and healthcare institutions to manage spiraling cost levels. Also, changing consumer expectations are driving up expectations on all aspects of healthcare, from direct healthcare quality to the operations around health services.

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The increasing geriatric population base across the world, on-going technological advancements in the healthcare sector and the growing significance of value-based care are driving the healthcare consulting services. Furthermore, the demand for healthcare consulting services that support integrated payer-provider risk sharing, public-private partnerships, and other clinical integration agreements is increasing at a rapid pace, which is also fuelling this market development. However, data confidentiality concerns and the high price of services may hamper the healthcare consulting services market growth in the future. Alternatively, rapid digitization in the healthcare industry and the consolidation of the U.S. healthcare market are likely to create new growth opportunities in the healthcare consulting services market.

However, increasing end-user concerns regarding the confidentiality in healthcare consulting services may hamper for the market growth. Moreover, the need to optimize the operational dynamics of the global healthcare industry has given a strong impetus to the growth of the global market for healthcare consulting services. The efficiency of the healthcare sector largely depends on the proper management and training of workers and practitioners. This factor has also played an integral role in the growth of the global healthcare consulting services market.

The study provides a crucial view of global healthcare consulting Industry by segmenting the market based on service, end-user and region. On the Basis of service, the market is segmented into digital consulting, IT consulting, strategy consulting, operations consulting, financial consulting, and HR & talent consulting. On the basis of end-users healthcare consulting services market segmented into life science companies, payers, providers, and government bodies. The regions covered in global healthcare consulting services market are North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. On the basis of country level, global healthcare consulting services market sub-divided into U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Italy, China, Japan, India, South East Asia, Brazil, Mexico, GCC, Africa, etc.

Healthcare Consulting statistics:

Healthcare Consulting Growing by 6.71% CAGR during Forecast 2019 to 2025.

Healthcare Consulting industry Projected to Cross 20.01 USD billion in 2025.

billion in 2025. The global healthcare consulting services market is expected to grow at a significant growth rate due to the various number of driving factors.

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North America is dominating the global healthcare consulting Industry globally and held about 44.20%, in 2018. The increasing need for value-based care, rising geriatric population base, and technological advancements are prominent factors driving the North American healthcare consulting services market growth. The region is projected to hold the leading market position over the forecast period as well, owing to the growing pricing pressure on pharmaceutical companies and increasing merger and acquisition activities in the region. The U.S. is a major market in the region, followed by Canada. The U.S. dominated the North America healthcare consulting services market with a 78.84% share, due to the increasing number of partnerships among the healthcare companies, technological advancements, and growing adoption of healthcare consulting services by hospitals and healthcare service providers in this country.

In 2018, the second largest regional healthcare consulting services market was Europe, due to the increasing demand for healthcare consulting services for efficient delivery of healthcare services, a growing number of mergers and acquisitions among the healthcare players, and rising need to reduce healthcare costs. Germany, UK, and France are major countries in the European healthcare consulting services market in this region. Germany contributed the largest revenue share, of about 35.38%, followed by the UK.

To Check Complete Overview of [email protected] https://brandessenceresearch.com/healthcare/healthcare-consulting-services-market

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The Washington Post published the full transcript of the call between Donald Trump and Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, which has led to calls for Trump to face a criminal probe, accused by two House Democrats of conspiracy to interfere in elections.

On the call on Saturday January 2 were Trump, his chief of staff Mark Meadows, and Republican attorneys Cleta Mitchell and Kurt Hilbert, and from Georgia Raffesnperger and his general counsel Ryan Germany. Not on the call but mentioned was Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.

Here is the full transcript:

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows: Okay. Alright. Mr. President, everyone is on the line. This is Mark Meadows, the chief of staff. Just so we all are aware. On the line is secretary of state and two other individuals. Jordan and Mr. Germany with him. You also have the attorneys that represent the president, Kurt and Alex and Cleta Mitchell  who is not the attorney of record but has been involved  myself and then the president. So Mr. President, I'll turn it over to you.

President Donald Trump: Okay, thank you very much. Hello Brad and Ryan and everybody. We appreciate the time and the call. So we've spent a lot of time on this, and if we could just go over some of the numbers, I think it's pretty clear that we won. We won very substantially in Georgia. You even see it by rally size, frankly. We'd be getting 25-30,000 people a rally, and the competition would get less than 100 people. And it never made sense.

But we have a number of things. We have at least 2 or 3  anywhere from 250 to 300,000 ballots were dropped mysteriously into the rolls. Much of that had to do with Fulton County, which hasn't been checked. We think that if you check the signatures  a real check of the signatures going back in Fulton County  you'll find at least a couple of hundred thousand of forged signatures of people who have been forged. And we are quite sure that's going to happen.

Donald Trump (left) pressured Georgia's Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (right) to 'find' enough votes to overturn Joe Biden's win in the Peach State during an extraordinary leaked phone call on Saturday

Another tremendous number. We're going to have an accurate number over the next two days with certified accountants. But an accurate number will be given, but it's in the 50s of thousands  and that's people that went to vote and they were told they can't vote because they've already been voted for. And it's a very sad thing. They walked out complaining. But the number's large. We'll have it for you. But it's much more than the number of 11,779 that's  the current margin is only 11,779. Brad, I think you agree with that, right? That's something I think everyone  at least that's a number that everyone agrees on.

But that's the difference in the votes. But we've had hundreds of thousands of ballots that we're able to actually  we'll get you a pretty accurate number. You don't need much of a number because the number that in theory I lost by, the margin would be 11,779. But you also have a substantial numbers of people, thousands and thousands, who went to the voting place on November 3, were told they couldn't vote, were told they couldn't vote because a ballot had been put on their name. And you know that's very, very, very, very sad.

We had, I believe it's about 4,502 voters who voted but who weren't on the voter registration list, so it's 4,502 who voted, but they weren't on the voter registration roll, which they had to be. You had 18,325 vacant address voters. The address was vacant, and they're not allowed to be counted. That's 18,325.

Smaller number  you had 904 who only voted where they had just a P.O.  a post office box number  and they had a post office box number, and that's not allowed. We had at least 18,000  that's on tape, we had them counted very painstakingly  18,000 voters having to do with [name]. She's a vote scammer, a professional vote scammer and hustler [name]. That was the tape that's been shown all over the world that makes everybody look bad, you, me and everybody else.

Where they got  number one they said very clearly and it's been reported that they said there was a major water main break. Everybody fled the area. And then they came back, [name] and her daughter and a few people. There were no Republican poll watchers. Actually, there were no Democrat poll watchers, I guess they were them. But there were no Democrats, either, and there was no law enforcement. Late in the morning, early in the morning, they went to the table with the black robe and the black shield, and they pulled out the votes. Those votes were put there a number of hours before  the table was put there  I think it was, Brad, you would know, it was probably eight hours or seven hours before, and then it was stuffed with votes.

They weren't in an official voter box; they were in what looked to be suitcases or trunks, suitcases, but they weren't in voter boxes. The minimum number it could be because we watched it, and they watched it certified in slow motion instant replay if you can believe it, but slow motion, and it was magnified many times over, and the minimum it was 18,000 ballots, all for Biden.

You had out-of-state voters. They voted in Georgia, but they were from out of state, of 4,925. You had absentee ballots sent to vacant, they were absentee ballots sent to vacant addresses. They had nothing on them about addresses, that's 2,326.

And you had dropboxes, which is very bad. You had dropboxes that were picked up. We have photographs, and we have affidavits from many people.

I don't know if you saw the hearings, but you have dropboxes where the box was picked up but not delivered for three days. So all sorts of things could have happened to that box, including, you know, putting in the votes that you wanted. So there were many infractions, and the bottom line is, many, many times the 11,779 margin that they said we lost by  we had vast, I mean the state is in turmoil over this.

And I know you would like to get to the bottom of it, although I saw you on television today, and you said that you found nothing wrong. I mean, you know, and I didn't lose the state, Brad. People have been saying that it was the highest vote ever. There was no way. A lot of the political people said that there's no way they beat me. And they beat me. They beat me in the . . . As you know, every single state, we won every state. We won every statehouse in the country. We held the Senate, which is shocking to people, although we'll see what happens tomorrow or in a few days.

And we won the House, but we won every single statehouse, and we won Congress, which was supposed to lose 15 seats, and they gained, I think 16 or 17 or something. I think there's a now difference of five. There was supposed to be a difference substantially more. But politicians in every state, but politicians in Georgia have given affidavits and are going to that, that there was no way that they beat me in the election, that the people came out, in fact, they were expecting to lose, and then they ended up winning by a lot because of the coattails. And they said there's no way, that they've done many polls prior to the election, that there was no way that they won.

Ballots were dropped in massive numbers. And we're trying to get to those numbers and we will have them.

They'll take a period of time. Certified. But but they're massive numbers. And far greater than the 11,779.

The other thing, dead people. So dead people voted, and I think the number is close to 5,000 people. And they went to obituaries. They went to all sorts of methods to come up with an accurate number, and a minimum is close to about 5,000 voters.

The bottom line is, when you add it all up and then you start adding, you know, 300,000 fake ballots. Then the other thing they said is in Fulton County and other areas. And this may or may not be true . . . this just came up this morning, that they are burning their ballots, that they are shredding, shredding ballots and removing equipment. They're changing the equipment on the Dominion machines and, you know, that's not legal.

And they supposedly shredded I think they said 300 pounds of, 3,000 pounds of ballots. And that just came to us as a report today. And it is a very sad situation.

But Brad, if you took the minimum numbers where many, many times above the 11,779, and many of those numbers are certified, or they will be certified, but they are certified. And those are numbers that are there, that exist. And that beat the margin of loss, they beat it, I mean, by a lot, and people should be happy to have an accurate count instead of an election where there's turmoil.

I mean there's turmoil in Georgia and other places. You're not the only one, I mean, we have other states that I believe will be flipping to us very shortly. And this is something that  you know, as an example, I think it in Detroit, I think there's a section, a good section of your state actually, which we're not sure so we're not going to report it yet. But in Detroit, we had, I think it was, 139 percent of the people voted. That's not too good.

In Pennsylvania, they had well over 200,000 more votes than they had people voting. And that doesn't play too well, and the legislature there is, which is Republican, is extremely activist and angry. I mean, there were other things also that were almost as bad as that. But they had as an example, in Michigan, a tremendous number of dead people that voted. I think it was, I think, Mark, it was 18,000. Some unbelievably high number, much higher than yours, you were in the 4-5,000 category.

And that was checked out laboriously by going through, by going through the obituary columns in the newspapers.

So I guess with all of it being said, Brad, the bottom line, and provisional ballots, again, you know, you'll have to tell me about the provisional ballots, but we have a lot of people that were complaining that they weren't able to vote because they were already voted for. These are great people.

And, you know, they were shellshocked. I don't know if you call that provisional ballots. In some states, we had a lot of provisional ballot situations where people were given a provisional ballot because when they walked in on November 3 and they were already voted for.

So that's it. I mean, we have many, many times the number of votes necessary to win the state. And we won the state, and we won it very substantially and easily, and we're getting, we have, much of this is a very certified, far more certified than we need. But we're getting additional numbers certified, too. And we're getting pictures of dropboxes being delivered and delivered late. Delivered three days later, in some cases, plus we have many affidavits to that effect.

Trump was joined on the call by several of his most loyal allies, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows (left) and conservative lawyers Cleta Mitchell (center) and Kurt Hilbert (right)

Meadows: So, Mr. President, if I might be able to jump in, and I'll give Brad a chance. Mr. Secretary, obviously there is, there are allegations where we believe that not every vote or fair vote and legal vote was counted, and that's at odds with the representation from the secretary of state's office.

What I'm hopeful for is there some way that we can, we can find some kind of agreement to look at this a little bit more fully? You know the president mentioned Fulton County.

But in some of these areas where there seems to be a difference of where the facts seem to lead, and so Mr. Secretary, I was hopeful that, you know, in the spirit of cooperation and compromise, is there something that we can at least have a discussion to look at some of these allegations to find a path forward that's less litigious?

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger: Well, I listened to what the president has just said. President Trump, we've had several lawsuits, and we've had to respond in court to the lawsuits and the contentions. We don't agree that you have won. And we don't  I didn't agree about the 200,000 number that you'd mentioned. I'll go through that point by point.

What we have done is we gave our state Senate about one and a half hours of our time going through the election issue by issue and then on the state House, the government affairs committee, we gave them about two and a half hours of our time, going back point by point on all the issues of contention. And then just a few days ago, we met with our U.S. congressmen, Republican congressmen, and we gave them about two hours of our time talking about this past election. Going back, primarily what you've talked about here focused in on primarily, I believe, is the absentee ballot process. I don't believe that you're really questioning the Dominion machines. Because we did a hand re-tally, a 100 percent re-tally of all the ballots, and compared them to what the machines said and came up with virtually the same result. Then we did the recount, and we got virtually the same result. So I guess we can probably take that off the table.

I don't think there's an issue about that.

Trump: Well, Brad. Not that there's not an issue, because we have a big issue with Dominion in other states and perhaps in yours. But we haven't felt we needed to go there. And just to, you know, maybe put a little different spin on what Mark is saying, Mark Meadows, yeah we'd like to go further, but we don't really need to. We have all the votes we need.

You know, we won the state. If you took, these are the most minimal numbers, the numbers that I gave you, those are numbers that are certified, your absentee ballots sent to vacant addresses, your out-of-state voters, 4,925. You know when you add them up, it's many more times, it's many times the 11,779 number. So we could go through, we have not gone through your Dominion. So we can't give them blessing. I mean, in other states, we think we found tremendous corruption with Dominion machines, but we'll have to see.

But we only lost the state by that number, 11,000 votes, and 779. So with that being said, with just what we have, with just what we have, we're giving you minimal, minimal numbers. We're doing the most conservative numbers possible; we're many times, many, many times above the margin. And so we don't really have to, Mark, I don't think we have to go through . . .

Meadows: Right

Trump: Because what's the difference between winning the election by two votes and winning it by half a million votes. I think I probably did win it by half a million. You know, one of the things that happened, Brad, is we have other people coming in now from Alabama and from South Carolina and from other states, and they're saying it's impossible for you to have lost Georgia. We won. You know in Alabama, we set a record, got the highest vote ever. In Georgia, we set a record with a massive amount of votes. And they say it's not possible to have lost Georgia.

And I could tell you by our rallies. I could tell you by the rally I'm having on Monday night, the place, they already have lines of people standing out front waiting. It's just not possible to have lost Georgia. It's not possible. When I heard it was close, I said there's no way. But they dropped a lot of votes in there late at night. You know that, Brad. And that's what we are working on very, very stringently. But regardless of those votes, with all of it being said, we lost by essentially 11,000 votes, and we have many more votes already calculated and certified, too.

And so I just don't know, you know, Mark, I don't know what's the purpose. I won't give Dominion a pass because we found too many bad things. But we don't need Dominion or anything else. We have won this election in Georgia based on all of this. And there's nothing wrong with saying that, Brad. You know, I mean, having the correct  the people of Georgia are angry. And these numbers are going to be repeated on Monday night. Along with others that we're going to have by that time, which are much more substantial even. And the people of Georgia are angry, the people of the country are angry. And there's nothing wrong with saying that, you know, that you've recalculated. Because the 2,236 in absentee ballots. I mean, they're all exact numbers that were done by accounting firms, law firms, etc. And even if you cut 'em in half, cut 'em in half and cut 'em in half again, it's more votes than we need.

Raffensperger: Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is the data you have is wrong. We talked to the congressmen, and they were surprised.

But they  I guess there was a person named Mr. Braynard who came to these meetings and presented data, and he said that there was dead people, I believe it was upward of 5,000. The actual number were two. Two. Two people that were dead that voted. So that's wrong.

Trump: Well, Cleta, how do you respond to that? Maybe you tell me?

Trump attorney Cleta Mitchell: Well, I would say, Mr. Secretary, one of the things that we have requested and what we said was, if you look, if you read our petition, it said that we took the names and birth years, and we had certain information available to us. We have asked from your office for records that only you have, and so we said there is a universe of people who have the same name and same birth year and died.

But we don't have the records that you have. And one of the things that we have been suggesting formally and informally for weeks now is for you to make available to us the records that would be necessary 

Trump: But, Cleta, even before you do that, and not even including that, that's why I hardly even included that number, although in one state, we have a tremendous amount of dead people. So I don't know  I'm sure we do in Georgia, too. I'm sure we do in Georgia, too.

But we're so far ahead. We're so far ahead of these numbers, even the phony ballots of [name] , known scammer. You know the Internet? You know what was trending on the Internet? 'Where's [name]?' Because they thought she'd be in jail. 'Where's [name]?' It's crazy, it's crazy. That was. The minimum number is 18,000 for [name] , but they think it's probably about 56,000, but the minimum number is 18,000 on the [name] night where she ran back in there when everybody was gone and stuffed, she stuffed the ballot boxes. Let's face it, Brad, I mean. They did it in slow motion replay magnified, right? She stuffed the ballot boxes. They were stuffed like nobody has ever seen them stuffed before.

So there's a term for it when it's a machine instead of a ballot box, but she stuffed the machine. She stuffed the ballot. Each ballot went three times, they were showing: Here's ballot No 1. Here it is a second time, third time, next ballot.

I mean, look. Brad. We have a new tape that we're going to release. It's devastating. And by the way, that one event, that one event is much more than the 11,000 votes that we're talking about. It's, you know, that one event was a disaster. And it's just, you know, but it was, it was something, it can't be disputed. And again, we have a version that you haven't seen, but it's magnified. It's magnified, and you can see everything. For some reason, they put it in three times, each ballot, and I don't know why. I don't know why three times. Why not five times, right? Go ahead.

Raffensperger: You're talking about the State Farm video. And I think it's extremely unfortunate that Rudy Giuliani or his people, they sliced and diced that video and took it out of context. The next day, we brought in WSB-TV, and we let them show, see the full run of tape, and what you'll see, the events that transpired are nowhere near what was projected by, you know 

Trump: But where were the poll watchers, Brad? There were no poll watchers there. There were no Democrats or Republicans. There was no security there.

It was late in the evening, late in the, early in the morning, and there was nobody else in the room. Where were the poll watchers, and why did they say a water main broke, which they did and which was reported in the newspapers? They said they left. They ran out because of a water main break, and there was no water main. There was nothing. There was no break. There was no water main break. But we're, if you take out everything, where were the Republican poll watchers, even where were the Democrat pollwatchers, because there were none.

And then you say, well, they left their station, you know, if you look at the tape, and this was, this was reviewed by professional police and detectives and other people, when they left in a rush, everybody left in a rush because of the water main, but everybody left in a rush. These people left their station.

When they came back, they didn't go to their station. They went to the apron, wrapped around the table, under which were thousands and thousands of ballots in a box that was not an official or a sealed box. And then they took those. They went back to a different station. So if they would have come back, they would have walked to their station, and they would have continued to work. But they couldn't do even that because that's illegal, because they had no Republican pollwatchers. And remember, her reputation is  she's known all over the Internet, Brad. She's known all over.

I'm telling you, 'Where's [name] ' was one of the hot items . . . [name] They knew her. 'Where's [name]?' So Brad, there can be no justification for that. And I, you know, I give everybody the benefit of the doubt. But that was  and Brad, why did they put the votes in three times? You know, they put 'em in three times.

Raffensperger: Mr. President, they did not put that. We did an audit of that, and we proved conclusively that they were not scanned three times.

Trump: Where was everybody else at that late time in the morning? Where was everybody? Where were the Republicans? Where were the security guards? Were the people that were there just a little while before when everyone ran out of the room. How come we had no security in the room. Why did they run to the bottom of the table? Why do they run there and just open the skirt and rip out the votes. I mean, Brad. And they were sitting there, I think for five hours or something like that, the votes.

Raffensperger: Mr. President, we'll send you the link from WSB.

Trump: I don't care about the link. I don't need it. Brad, I have a much better 

Mitchell: I will tell you. I've seen the tape. The full tape. So has Alex. We've watched it. And what we saw and what we've confirmed in the timing is that they made everybody leave  we have sworn affidavits saying that. And then they began to process ballots. And our estimate is that there were roughly 18,000 ballots. We don't know that. If you know that . . .

Trump: It was 18,000 ballots, but they used each one three times.

Mitchell: Well, I don't know about that.

Trump: I do think we had ours magnified out.

Mitchell: I've watched the entire tape.

Trump: Nobody can make a case for that, Brad. Nobody. I mean, look, you'd have to be a child to think anything other than that. Just a child.

Mitchell: How many ballots, Mr. Secretary, are you saying were processed then?

Raffensperger: We had GBI . . . investigate that.

Germany: We had our  this is Ryan Germany. We had our law enforcement officers talk to everyone who was, who was there after that event came to light. GBI was with them as well as FBI agents.

Trump: Well, there's no way they could  then they're incompetent. They're either dishonest or incompetent, okay?

Mitchell: Well, what did they find?

Trump: There's only two answers, dishonesty or incompetence. There's just no way. Look. There's no way. And on the other thing, I said too, there is no way. I mean, there's no way that these things could have been, you know, you have all these different people that voted, but they don't live in Georgia anymore. What was that number, Cleta? That was a pretty good number, too.

Mitchell: The number who have registered out of state after they moved from Georgia. And so they had a date when they moved from Georgia, they registered to vote out of state, and then it's like 4,500, I don't have that number right in front of me.

Trump: And then they came back in, and they voted.

Mitchell: And voted. Yeah.

Trump: I thought that was a large number, though. It was in the 20s.

Ryan Germany, Raffensberger's General Counsel: We've been going through each of those as well, and those numbers that we got, that Ms. Mitchell was just saying, they're not accurate. Every one we've been through are people that lived in Georgia, moved to a different state, but then moved back to Georgia legitimately. And in many cases 

Trump: How may people do that? They moved out, and then they said, 'Ah, to hell with it, I'll move back.' You know, it doesn't sound like a very normal . . . you mean, they moved out, and what, they missed it so much that they wanted to move back in? It's crazy.

Germany: They moved back in years ago. This was not like something just before the election. So there's something about that data that, it's just not accurate.

Trump: Well, I don't know, all I know is that it is certified. And they moved out of Georgia, and they voted. It didn't say they moved back in, Cleta, did it?

Mitchell: No, but I mean, we're looking at the voter registration. Again, if you have additional records, we've been asking for that, but you haven't shared any of that with us. You just keep saying you investigated the allegations.

Trump: Cleta, a lot of it you don't need to be shared. I mean, to be honest, they should share it. They should share it because you want to get to an honest election.

I won this election by hundreds of thousands of votes. There's no way I lost Georgia. There's no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes. I'm just going by small numbers, when you add them up, they're many times the 11,000. But I won that state by hundreds of thousands of votes.

Do you think it's possible that they shredded ballots in Fulton County? Because that's what the rumor is. And also that Dominion took out machines. That Dominion is really moving fast to get rid of their, uh, machinery.

Do you know anything about that? Because that's illegal, right?

Trump suggested that Raffensberger and his general counsel Ryan Germany (pictured) could be subject to criminal liability if they failed to find that thousands of ballots cast in Fulton County had been illegally destroyed - despite no evidence supporting that allegation

Germany: This is Ryan Germany. No, Dominion has not moved any machinery out of Fulton County.

Trump: But have they moved the inner parts of the machines and replaced them with other parts?

Germany: No.

Trump: Are you sure, Ryan?

Germany: I'm sure. I'm sure, Mr. President.

Trump: What about, what about the ballots. The shredding of the ballots. Have they been shredding ballots?

Germany: The only investigation that we have into that  they have not been shredding any ballots. There was an issue in Cobb County where they were doing normal office shredding, getting rid of old stuff, and we investigated that. But this stuff from, you know, from you know past elections.

Trump: It doesn't pass the smell test because we hear they're shredding thousands and thousands of ballots, and now what they're saying, 'Oh, we're just cleaning up the office.' You know.

Raffensperger: Mr. President, the problem you have with social media, they  people can say anything.

Trump: Oh this isn't social media. This is Trump media. It's not social media. It's really not; it's not social media. I don't care about social media. I couldn't care less. Social media is Big Tech. Big Tech is on your side, you know. I don't even know why you have a side because you should want to have an accurate election. And you're a Republican.

Raffensperger: We believe that we do have an accurate election.

Trump: No, no you don't. No, no you don't. You don't have. Not even close. You're off by hundreds of thousands of votes. And just on the small numbers, you're off on these numbers, and these numbers can't be just  well, why wont?  Okay. So you sent us into Cobb County for signature verification, right? You sent us into Cobb County, which we didn't want to go into. And you said it would be open to the public. So we had our experts there, they weren't allowed into the room. But we didn't want Cobb County. We wanted Fulton County. And you wouldn't give it to us. Now, why aren't we doing signature  and why can't it be open to the public?

And why can't we have professionals do it instead of rank amateurs who will never find anything and don't want to find anything? They don't want to find, you know they don't want to find anything. Someday you'll tell me the reason why, because I don't understand your reasoning, but someday you'll tell me the reason why. But why don't you want to find?

Germany: Mr. President, we chose Cobb County 

Trump: Why don't you want to find . . . What?

Germany: Sorry, go ahead.

Trump: So why did you do Cobb County? We didn't even request  we requested Fulton County, not Cobb County. Go ahead, please. Go ahead.

Germany: We chose Cobb County because that was the only county where there's been any evidence submitted that the signature verification was not properly done.

Trump: No, but I told you. We're not, we're not saying that.

Mitchell: We did say that.

Trump: Fulton County. Look. Stacey, in my opinion, Stacey is as dishonest as they come. She has outplayed you . . . at everything. She got you to sign a totally unconstitutional agreement, which is a disastrous agreement. You can't check signatures. I can't imagine you're allowed to do harvesting, I guess, in that agreement. That agreement is a disaster for this country. But she got you somehow to sign that thing, and she has outsmarted you at every step.

And I hate to imagine what's going to happen on Monday or Tuesday, but it's very scary to people. You know, when the ballots flow in out of nowhere. It's very scary to people. That consent decree is a disaster. It's a disaster. A very good lawyer who examined it said they've never seen anything like it.

Raffensperger: Harvesting is still illegal in the state of Georgia. And that settlement agreement did not change that one iota.

Trump: It's not a settlement agreement, it's a consent decree. It even says consent decree on it, doesn't it? It uses the term consent decree. It doesn't say settlement agreement. It's a consent decree. It's a disaster.

Raffensperger: It's a settlement agreement.

Trump: What's written on top of it?

Raffensperger: Ryan?

Germany: I don't have it in front of me, but it was not entered by the court, it's not a court order.

Trump: But Ryan, it's called a consent decree, is that right? On the paper. Is that right?

Germany: I don't. I don't. I don't believe so, but I don't have it in front of me.

Trump: Okay, whatever, it's a disaster. It's a disaster. Look. Here's the problem. We can go through signature verification, and we'll find hundreds of thousands of signatures, if you let us do it. And the only way you can do it, as you know, is to go to the past. But you didn't do that in Cobb County. You just looked at one page compared to another. The only way you can do a signature verification is go from the one that signed it on November whatever. Recently. And compare it to two years ago, four years ago, six years ago, you know, or even one. And you'll find that you have many different signatures. But in Fulton, where they dumped ballots, you will find that you have many that aren't even signed and you have many that are forgeries.

Okay, you know that. You know that. You have no doubt about that. And you will find you will be at 11,779 within minutes because Fulton County is totally corrupt, and so is she totally corrupt.

And they're going around playing you and laughing at you behind your back, Brad, whether you know it or not, they're laughing at you. And you've taken a state that's a Republican state, and you've made it almost impossible for a Republican to win because of cheating, because they cheated like nobody's ever cheated before. And I don't care how long it takes me, you know, we're going to have other states coming forward  pretty good.

But I won't . . . this is never . . . this is . . . We have some incredible talent said they've never seen anything . . . Now the problem is they need more time for the big numbers. But they're very substantial numbers. But I think you're going to fine that they  by the way, a little information  I think you're going to find that they are shredding ballots because they have to get rid of the ballots because the ballots are unsigned. The ballots are corrupt, and they're brand new, and they don't have seals, and there's a whole thing with the ballots. But the ballots are corrupt.

And you are going to find that they are  which is totally illegal  it is more illegal for you than it is for them because, you know, what they did and you're not reporting it. That's a criminal, that's a criminal offense. And you can't let that happen. That's a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer. And that's a big risk. But they are shredding ballots, in my opinion, based on what I've heard. And they are removing machinery, and they're moving it as fast as they can, both of which are criminal finds. And you can't let it happen, and you are letting it happen. You know, I mean, I'm notifying you that you're letting it happen. So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have because we won the state.

And flipping the state is a great testament to our country because, you know, this is  it's a testament that they can admit to a mistake or whatever you want to call it. If it was a mistake, I don't know. A lot of people think it wasn't a mistake. It was much more criminal than that. But it's a big problem in Georgia, and it's not a problem that's going away. I mean, you know, it's not a problem that's going away.

Germany: This is Ryan. We're looking into every one of those things that you mentioned.

Trump: Good. But if you find it, you've got to say it, Ryan.

Germany: . . . Let me tell you what we are seeing. What we're seeing is not at all what you're describing. These are investigators from our office, these are investigators from GBI, and they're looking, and they're good. And that's not what they're seeing. And we'll keep looking, at all these things.

Trump: Well, you better check on the ballots because they are shredding ballots, Ryan. I'm just telling you, Ryan. They're shredding ballots. And you should look at that very carefully. Because that's so illegal. You know, you may not even believe it because it's so bad. But they're shredding ballots because they think we're going to eventually get there . . . because we'll eventually get into Fulton. In my opinion, it's never too late. . . . So, that's the story. Look, we need only 11,000 votes. We have are far more than that as it stands now. We'll have more and more. And . . . do you have provisional ballots at all, Brad? Provisional ballots?

Raffensperger: Provisional ballots are allowed by state law.

Trump: Sure, but I mean, are they counted, or did you just hold them back because they, you know, in other words, how many provisional ballots do you have in the state?

Raffensperger: We'll get you that number.

Trump: Because most of them are made out to the name Trump. Because these are people that were scammed when they came in. And we have thousands of people that have testified or that want to testify. When they came in, they were proudly going to vote on November 3. And they were told, 'I'm sorry, you've already been voted for, you've already voted.' The women, men started screaming, 'No. I proudly voted till November 3.' They said, 'I'm sorry, but you've already been voted for, and you have a ballot.' And these people are beside themselves. So they went out, and they filled in a provisional ballot, putting the name Trump on it.

And what about that batch of military ballots that came in. And even though I won the military by a lot, it was 100 percent Trump. I mean 100 percent Biden. Do you know about that? A large group of ballots came in, I think it was to Fulton County, and they just happened to be 100 percent for Trump  for Biden  even though Trump won the military by a lot, you know, a tremendous amount. But these ballots were 100 percent for Biden. And do you know about that? A very substantial number came in, all for Biden. Does anybody know about it?

Mitchell: I know about it, but 

Trump: Okay, Cleta, I'm not asking you, Cleta, honestly. I'm asking Brad. Do you know about the military ballots that we have confirmed now. Do you know about the military ballots that came in that were 100 percent, I mean 100 percent, for Biden. Do you know about that?

Germany: I don't know about that. I do know that we have, when military ballots come in, it's not just military, it's also military and overseas citizens. The military part of that does generally go Republican. The overseas citizen part of it generally goes very Democrat. This was a mix of 'em.

Trump: No, but this was. That's okay. But I got like 78 percent of the military. These ballots were all for . . . They didn't tell me overseas. Could be overseas, too, but I get votes overseas, too, Ryan, in all fairness. No they came in, a large batch came in, and it was, quote, 100 percent for Biden. And that is criminal. You know, that's criminal. Okay. That's another criminal, that's another of the many criminal events, many criminal events here.

I don't know, look, Brad. I got to get . . . I have to find 12,000 votes, and I have them times a lot. And therefore, I won the state. That's before we go to the next step, which is in the process of right now. You know, and I watched you this morning, and you said, well, there was no criminality.

But I mean all of this stuff is very dangerous stuff. When you talk about no criminality, I think it's very dangerous for you to say that.

I just, I just don't know why you don't want to have the votes counted as they are. Like even you when you went and did that check. And I was surprised because, you know . . . And we found a few thousand votes that were against me. I was actually surprised because the way that check was done, all you're doing, you know, recertifying existing votes and, you know, and you were given votes and you just counted them up, and you still found 3,000 that were bad. So that was sort of surprising that it came down to three or five, I don't know. Still a lot of votes. But you have to go back to check from past years with respect to signatures. And if you check with Fulton County, you'll have hundreds of thousands because they dumped ballots into Fulton County and the other county next to it.

So what are we going to do here, folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break. You know, we have that in spades already. Or we can keep it going, but that's not fair to the voters of Georgia because they're going to see what happened, and they're going to see what happened. I mean, I'll, I'll take on anybody you want with regard to [name] and her lovely daughter, a very lovely young lady, I'm sure. But, but [name] . . . I will take on anybody you want. And the minimum, there were 18,000 ballots, but they used them three times. So that's, you know, a lot of votes. And they were all to Biden, by the way, that's the other thing we didn't say. You know, [name] , the one thing I forgot to say, which was the most important. You know that every single ballot she did went to Biden. You know that, right? Do you know that, by the way, Brad?

Every single ballot that she did through the machines at early, early in the morning went to Biden. Did you know that, Ryan?

Germany: That's not accurate, Mr. President.

Trump: Huh. What is accurate?

Germany: The numbers that we are showing are accurate.

Trump: No, about [name] . About early in the morning, Ryan. Where the woman took, you know, when the whole gang took the stuff from under the table, right? Do you know, do you know who those ballots, do you know who they were made out to, do you know who they were voting for?

Germany: No, not specifically.

Trump: Did you ever check?

Germany: We did what I described to you earlier 

Trump: No no no  did you ever check the ballots that were scanned by [name] , a known political operative, balloteer? Did ever check who those votes were for?

Germany: We looked into that situation that you described.

Trump: No, they were 100 percent for Biden. 100 percent. There wasn't a Trump vote in the whole group. Why don't you want to find this, Ryan? What's wrong with you? I heard your lawyer is very difficult, actually, but I'm sure you're a good lawyer. You have a nice last name.

But, but I'm just curious, why wouldn't, why do you keep fighting this thing? It just doesn't make sense. We're way over the 17,779, right? We're way over that number, and just if you took just [name] , we're over that number by five, five or six times when you multiply that times three.

And every single ballot went to Biden, and you didn't know that, but now you know it. So tell me, Brad, what are we going to do? We won the election, and it's not fair to take it away from us like this. And it's going to be very costly in many ways. And I think you have to say that you're going to reexamine it, and you can reexamine it, but reexamine it with people that want to find answers, not people that don't want to find answers. For instance, I'm hearing Ryan that he's probably, I'm sure a great lawyer and everything, but he's making statements about those ballots that he doesn't know. But he's making them with such  he did make them with surety. But now I think he's less sure because the answer is, they all went to Biden, and that alone wins us the election by a lot. You know, so.

Raffensperger: Mr. President, you have people that submit information, and we have our people that submit information. And then it comes before the court, and the court then has to make a determination. We have to stand by our numbers. We believe our numbers are right.

Trump: Why do you say that, though? I don't know. I mean, sure, we can play this game with the courts, but why do you say that? First of all, they don't even assign us a judge. They don't even assign us a judge. But why wouldn't you . . . Hey Brad, why wouldn't you want to check out [name] ? And why wouldn't you want to say, hey, if in fact, President Trump is right about that, then he wins the state of Georgia, just that one incident alone without going through hundreds of thousands of dropped ballots. You just say, you stick by, I mean I've been watching you, you know, you don't care about anything. 'Your numbers are right.' But your numbers aren't right. They're really wrong, and they're really wrong, Brad. And I know this phone call is going nowhere other than, other than ultimately, you know  Look, ultimately, I win, okay? Because you guys are so wrong. And you treated this. You treated the population of Georgia so badly. You, between you and your governor, who is down at 21, he was down 21 points. And like a schmuck, I endorsed him, and he got elected, but I will tell you, he is a disaster.

The people are so angry in Georgia, I can't imagine he's ever getting elected again, I'll tell you that much right now. But why wouldn't you want to find the right answer, Brad, instead of keep saying that the numbers are right? 'Cause those numbers are so wrong?

Mitchell: Mr. Secretary, Mr. President, one of the things that we have been, Alex can talk about this, we talked about it, and I don't know whether the information has been conveyed to your office, but I think what the president is saying, and what we've been trying to do is to say, look, the court is not acting on our petition. They haven't even assigned a judge. But the people of Georgia and the people of America have a right to know the answers. And you have data and records that we don't have access to.

And you can keep telling us and making public statement that you investigated this and nothing to see here. But we don't know about that. All we know is what you tell us. What I don't understand is why wouldn't it be in everyone's best interest to try to get to the bottom, compare the numbers, you know, if you say, because . . . to try to be able to get to the truth because we don't have any way of confirming what you're telling us. You tell us that you had an investigation at the State Farm Arena. I don't have any report. I've never seen a report of investigation. I don't know that is. I've been pretty involved in this, and I don't know. And that's just one of 25 categories. And it doesn't even. And as I, as the president said, we haven't even gotten into the Dominion issue. That's not part of our case. It's not part of, we just didn't feel as though we had any to be able to develop 

Trump: No, we do have a way, but I don't want to get into it. We found a way . . . excuse me, but we don't need it because we're only down 11,000 votes, so we don't even need it. I personally think they're corrupt as hell. But we don't need that. All we have to do, Cleta, is find 11,000-plus votes. So we don't need that. I'm not looking to shake up the whole world. We won Georgia easily. We won it by hundreds of thousands of votes. But if you go by basic, simple numbers, we won it easily, easily. So we're not giving Dominion a pass on the record. We don't need Dominion because we have so many other votes that we don't need to prove it any more than we already have.

Trump attorney Kurt Hilbert: Mr. President and Cleta, this is Kurt Hilbert, if I might interject for a moment. Ryan, I would like to suggest that just four categories that have already been mentioned by the president that have actually hard numbers of 24,149 votes that were counted illegally. That in and of itself is sufficient to change the results or place the outcome in doubt. We would like to sit down with your office, and we can do it through purposes of compromise and just like this phone call, just to deal with that limited category of votes. And if you are able to establish that our numbers are not accurate, then fine. However, we believe that they are accurate. We've had now three to four separate experts looking at these numbers.

Trump: Certified accountants looked at them.

Hilbert: Correct. And this is just based on USPS data and your own secretary of state data. So that's what we would entreat and ask you to do, to sit down with us in a compromise and settlements proceeding and actually go through the registered voter IDs and the registrations. And if you can convince us that 24,149 is inaccurate, then fine. But we tend to believe that is, you know, obviously more than 11,779. That's sufficient to change the results entirely in and of itself. So what would you say to that, Mr. Germany?

Germany: I'm happy to get with our lawyers, and we'll set that up. That number is not accurate. And I think we can show you, for all the ones we've looked at, why it's not. And so if that would be helpful, I'm happy to get with our lawyers and set that up with you guys.

Trump: Well, let me ask you, Kurt, you think that is an accurate number. That was based on the information given to you by the secretary of state's department, right?

Hilbert: That is correct. That information is the minimum, most conservative data based upon the USPS data and the secretary of state's office data that has been made publicly available. We do not have the internal numbers from the secretary of state. Yet we have asked for it six times. I sent a letter over to . . . several times requesting this information, and it's been rebuffed every single time. So it stands to reason that if the information is not forthcoming, there's something to hide. That's the problem that we have.

Germany: Well, that's not the case, sir. There are things that you guys are entitled to get. And there's things that under law, we are not allowed to give out.

Trump: Well, you have to. Well, under law, you're not allowed to give faulty election results, okay? You're not allowed to do that. And that's what you done. This is a faulty election result. And honestly, this should go very fast. You should meet tomorrow because you have a big election coming up, and because of what you've done to the president  you know, the people of Georgia know that this was a scam  and because of what you've done to the president, a lot of people aren't going out to vote. And a lot of Republicans are going to vote negative because they hate what you did to the president. Okay? They hate it. And they're going to vote. And you would be respected. Really respected, if this thing could be straightened out before the election. You have a big election coming up on Tuesday. And I think that it is really is important that you meet tomorrow and work out on these numbers. Because I know, Brad, that if you think we're right, I think you're going to say, and I'm not looking to blame anybody, I'm just saying, you know, and, you know, under new counts, and under new views, of the election results, we won the election. You know? It's very simple. We won the election. As the governors of major states and the surrounding states said, there is no way you lost Georgia. As the Georgia politicians say, there is no way you lost Georgia. Nobody. Everyone knows I won it by hundreds of thousands of votes. But I'll tell you it's going to have a big impact on Tuesday if you guys don't get this thing straightened out fast.

Meadows: Mr. President, this is Mark. It sounds like we've got two different sides agreeing that we can look at those areas, and I assume that we can do that within the next 24 to 48 hours, to go ahead and get that reconciled so that we can look at the two claims and making sure that we get the access to the secretary of state's data to either validate or invalidate the claims that have been made. Is that correct?

Germany: No, that's not what I said. I'm happy to have our lawyers sit down with Kurt and the lawyers on that side and explain to him, hey, here's, based on what we've looked at so far, here's how we know this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong.

Meadows: So what you're saying, Ryan, let me let me make sure . . . so what you're saying is you really don't want to give access to the data. You just want to make another case on why the lawsuit is wrong?

Germany: I don't think we can give access to data that's protected by law. But we can sit down with them and say 

Trump: But you're allowed to have a phony election? You're allowed to have a phony election, right?

Germany: No, sir.

Trump: When are you going to do signature counts, when are you going to do signature verification on Fulton County, which you said you were going to do, and now all of a sudden, you're not doing it. When are you doing that?

Germany: We are going to do that. We've announced 

Hilbert: To get to this issue of the personal information and privacy issue, is it possible that the secretary of state could deputize the lawyers for the president so that we could access that information and private information without you having any kind of violation?

Trump: Well, I don't want to know who it is. You guys can do it very confidentially. You can sign a confidentiality agreement. That's okay. I don't need to know names. But on this stuff that we're talking about, we got all that information from the secretary of state.

Meadows: Yeah. So let me let me recommend, Ryan, if you and Kurt will get together, you know, when we get off of this phone call, if you could get together and work out a plan to address some of what we've got with your attorneys where we can we can actually look at the data. For example, Mr. Secretary, I can you say they were only two dead people who would vote. I can promise you there are more than that. And that may be what your investigation shows, but I can promise you there are more than that. But at the same time, I think it's important that we go ahead and move expeditiously to try to do this and resolve it as quickly as we possibly can. And if that's the good next step. Hopefully we can, we can finish this phone call and go ahead and agree that the two of you will get together immediately.

Trump: Well, why don't my lawyers show you where you got the information. It will show the secretary of state, and you don't even have to look at any names. We don't want names. We don't care. But we got that information from you. And Stacey Abrams is laughing about you. She's going around saying these guys are dumber than a rock. What she's done to this party is unbelievable, I tell you. And I only ran against her once. And that was with a guy named Brian Kemp, and I beat her. And if I didn't run, Brian wouldn't have had even a shot, either in the general or in the primary. He was dead, dead as a doornail. He never thought he had a shot at either one of them. What a schmuck I was. But that's the way it is. That's the way it is. I would like you . . . for the attorneys . . . I'd like you to perhaps meet with Ryan, ideally tomorrow, because I think we should come to a resolution of this before the election. Otherwise you're going to have people just not voting. They don't want to vote. They hate the state, they hate the governor, and they hate the secretary of state. I will tell you that right now. The only people that like you are people that will never vote for you. You know that, Brad, right? They like you, you know, they like you. They can't believe what they found. They want more people like you. So, look, can you get together tomorrow? And, Brad, we just want the truth. It's simple.

And everyone's going to look very good if the truth comes out. It's okay. It takes a little while, but let the truth come out. And the real truth is, I won by 400,000 votes. At least. That's the real truth. But we don't need 400,000 votes. We need less than 2,000 votes. And are you guys able to meet tomorrow, Ryan?

Germany: I'll get with Chris, the lawyer who's representing us in the case, and see when he can get together with Kurt.

Raffensperger: Ryan will be in touch with the other attorney on this call, Mr. Meadows. Thank you, President Trump, for your time.

Trump: Okay, thank you, Brad. Thank you, Ryan. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you very much. Bye.
(CNN)  Coronavirus restrictions in England are "alas probably about to get tougher," UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sunday, as the country battles to rein in a deadly surge in coronavirus infections.

In an interview on the BBC's "The Andrew Marr Show," Johnson was pressed over whether the restrictions currently in place in the worst-hit areas of England were doing enough, as hospitals fill up with COVID-19 patients.

"It may be that we need to do things in the next few weeks that will be tougher in many parts of the country, I'm fully reconciled with that," Johnson said. "I bet the people of this country are reconciled to that," he added.

Pressed to elaborate what those tougher restrictions might be, Johnson said: "There are obviously a range of tougher measures that we would have to consider. I don't want to speculate, I'm not going to speculate now about what they would be.

"Clearly, school closures that we had to do in March is one of those things (...)," he added, as the controversy over the government's mixed messages over schools reopening continues to dominate the headlines.

Echoing his warning on the same program in October last year, Johnson warned: "It is bumpy, and it's going to be bumpy."

But the Prime Minister insisted that by the spring the situation across the country should be improving as more people are vaccinated.

Under the current system, most of England falls under the toughest Tier 3 and Tier 4 restrictions -- with the latter in place for all of London -- with a strict stay-at-home message.

But some scientists have warned that stricter measures are needed if a new, more infectious variant of the virus, which has spread in recent weeks across London, southeast England and parts of Wales in particular, is to be brought under control.

Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, called Sunday for a nationwide lockdown to be imposed within the next 24 hours, saying the country "can't afford" further delay.

"The virus is clearly out of control and there's no good the Prime Minister hinting that further restrictions are coming into place in a week or two or three. That delay has been the source of so many problems," Starmer told reporters. "So I say, bring in those restrictions now, national restrictions within the next 24 hours -- that has to be the first step to controlling the virus."

Health workers are preparing to reactivate seven emergency Covid-19 field hospitals across England as regular hospital wards come under increasing strain.

Some London hospitals are now almost two-thirds full with COVID-19 patients, President of the Royal College of Physicians Andrew Goddard said Saturday.

Both primary and secondary schools across London and some other parts of southeast England will remain closed for at least the next two weeks for in-person learning, except for vulnerable pupils and children of critical workers. The return of secondary school pupils has been delayed across England, with students to be taught remotely rather than in classrooms.

Starmer said it was "inevitable" that more schools would have to close and urged the government to have a plan in place to ensure children's learning and help working parents manage homeschooling. However, school closures should be the last resort, he said.

The UK has now registered more than 50,000 new Covid-19 cases for six days in a row, with 54,990 new confirmed cases reported on Sunday. On Saturday, it recorded its highest daily rise in coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic, with 57,725 new coronavirus cases.

The UK also reported 454 new deaths Sunday within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test. The country has been among the hardest hit in Europe, with more than 2.6 million infections in total and more than 75,000 deaths.

Mass vaccination hopes

The UK government is pinning its hopes for a return to some kind of normality on a speedy rollout of vaccinations, prioritizing the elderly and those who are clinically vulnerable, as well as health and social care workers.

Asked about the number of doses available of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, which was approved by UK regulators on Wednesday, Johnson told Marr that 530,000 doses would be ready to be given from Monday, on top of "the million or so" Pfizer/BioNTechCovid-19 vaccine already distributed.

However, he was unable to say how many doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine were ready to be administered.

"We do hope that we will be able to do tens of millions [of Covid-19 vaccines] in the next three months, I can certainly give you that figure," the Prime Minister said.

Johnson said this strategy relied on using three vaccines, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines -- both of which were approved in the UK last month -- and the Moderna vaccine, which would be ready to use "soon."

Recalling what he said on the same program last October, Johnson said: "I thought by the spring things would be better. I stick to that."

Earlier on Sunday, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock tweeted that the country had administered 1 million Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine doses, saying "the end is in sight."

Batches of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine have begun arriving at hospitals ready for their use from Monday.

The vaccine is cheaper and easier to distribute than the Pfizer/BioNTech jab because it can be kept at regular refrigerator temperatures for at least six months. Both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines must be stored frozen.

New variant threat

First Minister for Scotland Nicola Sturgeon tweeted Sunday that her Cabinet would meet the next day to "consider further action to limit spread" of the more contagious variant that has driven up infection rates in England -- and that she would recall Parliament to hear its decision.

"We, like other countries, are in a race between this faster spreading strain of Covid and the vaccination programme," she said.

"All decisions just now are tough, with tough impacts. Vaccines give us way out, but this new strain makes the period between now (and) then the most dangerous since start of pandemic. So the responsibility of government must be to act quickly (and) decisively in the national interest," she said.

Johnson pushed back against a suggestion by Marr that his government had failed to prepare fully for the challenges of winter and the possibility of a mutation in the coronavirus, despite having been warned of the threats in a government-commissioned paper in July.

"This government has taken every possible step that we reasonably could to prepare this country for the consequences of winter," Johnson said. "What we could not have foreseen, I think, reasonably, was the arrival of a new variant of the virus, which was spreading between 50 and 70% faster. Once we did understand that on, I think, December 18... we took decisive action."

As of January 1, at least 30 countries, including the United States, had reported cases of the more infectious variant of the coronavirus first detected in the UK.

There's no evidence that the variant is any more deadly or causes more severe disease, according to health officials.

This stoy was first published on CNN.com, "UK Prime Minister 'reconciled' to tougher Covid-19 restrictions as cases soar."

A new and more infectious variant of the COVID-19 virus has shown up in separate cases in Colorado and California, weeks after it first emerged in the United Kingdom.

Doctors on the pandemic's front line say people shouldn't panic, but should definitely adhere even more closely to proven infection control measures, like mask wearing and social distancing.

"While the new strain is more transmissibleup to 70% by a recent analysisthe mutation itself has not previously been thought to be more virulent [able to cause harm] than the current strains that have been circulating in the U.S. and abroad," said Dr. Robert Glatter. He's an emergency medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

There is no evidence that the new variant makes people any sicker or increases the overall risk of death from COVID-19, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It also appears that COVID-19 vaccines should protect against it.

U.K. researchers first detected the new variant in September, and it now is highly prevalent in London and southeast England, the CDC says.

About 15% of people exposed to someone carrying the variant wind up infected, compared with a 10% infection rate associated with the standard COVID-19 coronavirus, according to a report by British public health officials.

But data from the United Kingdom has shown that the new variant doesn't appear to have any resistance against the COVID-19 vaccines being distributed across America, Glatter said.

"The new strain has not yet been shown to be more resistant to the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines that have recently been rolled out, along with other vaccine candidates in Phase 3 trials and yet to be granted emergency use authorization," Glatter said.

These mRNA vaccines are engineered to induce the immune system to produce antibodies to multiple areas of the spike protein, he said. The spike protein, found on the outer surface of the virus, is the primary way the virus attaches to cells in the body, he explained.

Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, R.I., agreed with Glatter.

"There's no evidence so farand we're still studying itthat it's any deadlier," Jha told ABC News. "And I'm not at all worried it's going to escape the vaccine."

However, the fact that a new variant has reared its head shows that researchers will need to maintain a constant watch, to make sure the coronavirus doesn't eventually mutate away from the protection afforded by these vaccines, Glatter added.

"We can't be complacent and must focus our attention on critical mutations by engaging in active genomic surveillance as the pandemic continues to rage throughout the U.S. and globally," Glatter said. "This may ultimately require us to adjust the makeup of current vaccines over the next several years."

The presence of this new variant provides additional impetus to protect yourself and those around you against the spread of the coronavirus, Glatter said.

"With the reality of a variant strain now circulating globally, the importance of adherence to tried-and-true measures of mitigationphysical distancing, wearing a mask and hand hygieneare now more important than ever to reduce transmission," he said.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

More information: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about new COVID-19 variants

Copyright  2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
According to this report, Israel has given coronavirus doses to more than 10 percent of its population of 9.2 million since it began administering Pfizer/BioNTechs vaccine on December 19. On a per capita basis it has administered doses to almost four times as many people as Bahrain, which comes in second.

The United Kingdom, which got a head start, comes in third. Israel has given doses to approximately eight times as many people per capita as the UK. (The U.S. comes in fourth.)

These numbers confirm the anecdotal evidence we received from my wifes cousins in Israel. Two of them, one in her early 60s and the other in her late 50s, were vaccinated last week. The younger of the two received a shot because the vaccination center had leftovers at the end of the day that it couldnt store.

Why is Israel doing so well? According to a news report we heard last night on a French television, the Israeli government was extremely aggressive in purchasing the vaccine. Reportedly, the government was willing to pay a premium price to obtain it.

In addition, the pharmaceutical companies reportedly were eager to supply Israel because its reputation for efficiency made it a good place to show off the vaccine. However, Israel has been administering doses so efficiently that it may be running out of the vaccine. There might be a brief pause in the process.

According to the same French news report, the military has supplied personnel in support of the effort to expedite the administration of shots. Apparently, Israel is mobilized to vaccinate in ways that other nations are not.

It helps that Israel is highly centralized. It doesnt have to rely on states, like the U.S., or cantons, like Switzerland. The report we heard on French television drew a sharp contrast between Israels early success and the faltering efforts (thus far) of the Swiss.

The mainstream media wants to attribute Israels success to its nationalized health care system. But most developed countries have nationalized health care systems. So this is not the explanation.

The mainstream media also moans that Palestinians who live in the West Bank or in Gaza arent getting the vaccine from Israel. However, there is no reason why Israel should help Palestinians receive the vaccine until Israel has vaccinated its entire population. At that point, it might be in Israels interest to help stop the pandemic in the adjacent West Bank.

In any case, the Palestinian Authority apparently hasnt requested that Israel provide access to the vaccine.

Israel is, of course, administering the vaccine to Israeli-Arabs. However, they are more hesitant than Jews to receive the shot. Last week, Prime Minister Netanyahu traveled to an Arab town to encourage Israeli-Arabs to turn out for the vaccine. He stated:

We brought millions of vaccines here, more than any other country in the world relative to its population. We brought them to everyone: Jews and Arabs, religious and secular.

Come and be vaccinated, he added in Arabic.

There were fears in some quarters that Israels ultra-Orthodox Jews might resist being vaccinated. However, according to the New York Times, these fears have dissipated. I wonder whether there was ever much of a foundation for them.

Its a credit to Israel, and to Netanyahu, that Israel is leading the race when it comes to vaccinating its population against the coronavirus. No one should be surprised that Israel is doing so well.
A Hanover Township, Northampton County man is accused of attacking his father with a hammer before leading a responding officer on a high speed car chase through a residential development.

Patrick J. Mayer, 21, of the 4300 block of Greenfield Road, is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangerment, eluding and harassment, as well as traffic offenses, in the Dec. 29 incident.

Colonial Regional police were called to Mayers home for a reported assault with a hammer. As the officer was en route, he learned Mayer allegedly fled the home in a grey 2011 Audi sedan. The officer then spotted the Audi at Toni Drive and Susan Drive and enacted emergency lights to stop the car, but Mayer allegedly fled the patrol vehicle.

A chase ensued with Mayer allegedly ignoring a stop sign at Maryann Lane and Hanoverville Road, and driving at speeds of more than 70 mph along Hanoverville Road, police said. The Audi continued on with Mayer ignoring a red traffic signal at Hanoverville Road and Bath Pike, causing an approaching northbound vehicle to swerve to avoid a collision, according to police.

Mayer continued lead police on the chase onto Jaindl Boulevard and Township Line Road, in which he finally pulled the Audi over at the side of the road, police said. During Mayers arrest, he allegedly told investigators he threw his father on the floor, causing him to hit his head.

Mayers parents each told investigators, however, their son had hit his father in the head with a hammer. City medics responded to the home to provide treatment to the male victim and police said injuries matched the account of the parents.

Mayer was arraigned Dec. 30 on the charges before District Judge Richard Yetter III, who set bail at $25,000. In lieu of bail, Mayer was sent to Northampton County Prison. Court records indicate he has since posted bail.

Mayer is due back in court for a preliminary hearing before District Judge Vivian Zumas, tentatively scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday.

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
The Centre will reportedly be sourcing 10% extra stock to keep in reserve.

The Centre has worked out the terms of the coronavirus vaccine purchase agreement with Serum Institute of India (SII), which is manufacturing Oxford University-AstraZenecas vaccine Covishield, sources told CNBC-TV18 on January 4.

The CNBC-TV18 report said the Centre will procure 6.6 crore doses of the coronavirus vaccine from SII for 30 million frontline and healthcare workers at Rs 200 per dose.

The government is likely to sign a Rs 1,300 crore purchase agreement with SII for the same soon.

Notably, the Centre will reportedly be sourcing 10 percent extra stock which will be kept in reserve to factor in wastages, etc.

India approves Covishield, Covaxin vaccines in fight against COVID-19

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 Coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford will cost $3-4 per shot (Rs 219-292) to the government and will be priced at double that rate in private markets, Adar Poonawalla, CEO, SII, said earlier.

He said: "We want the vaccine to be affordable and accessible to all. The government of India will receive it at a far more affordable price of $3-4, since they will be buying in a larger volume."

SII, which is the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, has a licence to produce the shot and has already manufactured nearly 50 million doses.

Follow our coverage of the coronavirus crisis here
Hundreds of Pakistani minority Shiites blocked a key road on the outskirts the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta for a second straight day to protest against the killing of 11 coal miners by ISIS.

The miners, members of the country's minority Shiite Hazara community, were abducted by ISIS militants in southwestern Baluchistan province on Sunday, taken to a nearby mountain and shot.

Six died at the scene and five, critically wounded, died on the way to hospital.

Hundreds of Pakistani minority Shiites today blocked a key road on the outskirts the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta for a second straight day to protest against the killing of 11 coal miners by ISIS.

The miners, members of the country's minority Shiite Hazara community, were abducted by ISIS militants in southwestern Baluchistan province on Sunday, taken to a nearby mountain and shot. Pictured: A man from the Shiite Hazara community mourns over the coffin of a miner today

Police video of the bodies revealed the miners were blindfolded and had their hands tied behind their backs before being shot. Picured: Shiite Muslims protest against the killing of the miners by ISIS today

Hundreds gathered yesterday to protest against the execution of the 11 miners in Karachi

Police video of the bodies revealed the miners were blindfolded and had their hands tied behind their backs before being shot. Their throats had also been slit, local reports claim.

The attack took place near the Machh coal field, about 30 miles east of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan.

The Sunni militant group has repeatedly targeted Pakistan's minority Shiites in recent years.

ISIS claimed responsibility quickly after the abduction of the miners.

The protesters brought the coffins with the miners' bodies to the Quetta road, insisting they would not be buried until authorities arrest the killers.

Under Islamic tradition, burials take place as quickly as possible after death.

The protesters carried the coffins today with the miners' bodies to the Quetta road, insisting they would not be buried until authorities arrest the killers

The crowd of about 1,000 today said it would hold the sit-in until their demands are met

Relatives mourn the loss of their loved ones today after they were killed by ISIS in a horrific attack

The crowd of about 1,000 said it would hold the sit-in until their demands are met.

Authorities say they are still trying to trace and arrest the assailants and that police raids were under way in the area.

Officials held talks with Shiite leaders to convince the Hazaras to end the protest as many at the rally, including women and children, wept over the miners' coffins.

'Whenever terrorists kill our people, the government sends its representatives, saying they will ensure our protection,' said Daud Agha, a prominent Shiite leader.

'We never got protection in the past. We want the arrest of the killers of our people.'

Authorities say they are still trying to trace and arrest the assailants and that police raids were under way in the area. Pictured: The coffins of the 11 miners who were shot and killed by ISIS yesterday

Officials held talks with Shiite leaders to convince the Hazaras to end the protest as many at the rally, including women and children, wept over the miners' coffins.

Protesters burned tyres and blocked a highway yesterday amid growing anger over the ISIS killing of 11 Shiite minority people

The killing of the miners was largely condemned across the country, with the country's Prime Minister Imran Khan promising the victims' families would be taken care of and that the perpetrators would face justice. Pictured: Protesters block a road and burn tires

He added: 'We will not end our protest until the arrest of all the assassins.

'The latest wave of killings will spread to other cities including Quetta if a decisive action is not taken at this stage.'

The killing of the miners was largely condemned across the country, with the country's Prime Minister Imran Khan promising the victims' families would be taken care of and that the perpetrators would face justice.

'The condemnable killing of 11 innocent coal miners in Machh Balochistan is yet another cowardly inhumane act of terrorism,' Mr Khan said.

Pakistan's Hazara community has been targeted many times in recent years by Sunni militant groups, including ISIS.

Shiite Muslims protest against the killing of miners of the Shiite Hazara community who were killed in an attack by ISIS

Pakistan's Hazara community has been targeted many times in recent years by Sunni militant groups, including ISIS. Pictured: Shiite Muslims protested today against the killing of the miners

IS has also declared war on minority Shiites in neighbouring Afghanistan, and has claimed a number of deadly attacks across the region since emerging in 2014.

A suicide bombing at an open-air market in Quetta in April 2019 killed 20 people.

At the time, IS said it had targeted Shiites and elements of the Pakistani army.

Last January, IS claimed responsibility for a powerful explosion that ripped through a mosque in Quetta during evening prayers.

The blast killed a senior police officer and 13 others, and wounded another 20 worshippers.

Pakistan's Baluchistan province has for the past decades also been the scene of a low-level insurgency by separatists demanding more autonomy and a greater share in the region's natural resources such as gas and oil.
BENGALURU (Reuters) - A top executive at an Indian biotechnology company defended its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, approved for emergency use by the government, and said it will produce efficacy data from late-stage trials by March.

The vaccine, COVAXIN, received emergency use approval from India's drugs regulator on Sunday, but the move faced questions after the regulator took the step without publishing information about its efficacy.

Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech had carried out "200 percent honest clinical trials", Krishna Ella, chairman and managing director, told reporters an online address on Monday.

Ella highlighted the company's experience and expertise in producing vaccines, its numerous patents and its presence in 123 countries.

The approval for COVAXIN, jointly developed with a government institute, was hailed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ministers as a success in India's self-reliance push.

Efficacy data from the company's ongoing late-stage trial should be available by March, Ella said.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan clarified on Twitter on Sunday that the emergency use approval for COVAXIN was "in clinical trial mode", wherein all recipients of the vaccine would be tracked and monitored as if they were in trial.

The company is also investing in four manufacturing facilities and is planning to make around 200 million doses in Hyderabad and 500 million doses in other cities this year. The company has 20 million available doses so far.

India has the second-highest number of coronavirus infections in the world, though cases have been steadily falling since a peak in September.

India also approved the use of a vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University which will be the lead vaccine in the country's immunisation programme.

(Reporting by Anuron Kumar Mitra in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Nick Macfie)
Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young speaks at a press conference as she gives an update on Queensland COVID-19 Border Controls in Brisbane, Australia on June 30, 2020. (Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

New COVID-19 Restrictions for Queensland Returnees

People who have travelled to Victoria will be restricted from visiting facilities like aged care homes, as Queensland records zero new cases of COVID-19.

Anyone who has travelled to Victoria, which has a new coronavirus cluster, in the past two weeks has been banned from visiting Queenslands aged care facilities and hospitals.

The new restriction came into force from 1 a.m. on Monday and also apply to people wanting to visit other vulnerable facilities like disability accommodation and prisons.

Were responding quickly to protect people in these facilities by restricting any visitors who have been in high-risk locations so we can keep them as safe as possible, Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said on Sunday.

At the same time, visitors from Victoria in Queensland are being advised to get tested for coronavirus and self-isolate until they get their test results.

Queensland recorded zero new coronavirus cases on Sunday, and the state has so far racked up 110 days without a case of community-based infection.

Recent positive cases have been reported in hotel quarantine, including a child who returned from Pakistan on the weekend.

There are 13 active cases in Queensland with seven quarantining on the Gold Coast, five in Brisbane, and one on the Sunshine Coast.

Its just important that people keep on testing, Young said.

She advised people to keep engaged while on holiday to stay alert because things could unfortunately rapidly change.

The Queensland border is already closed to anyone who has been in the COVID-declared hotspots of Greater Sydney and surrounding areas in the past 14 days. Those restrictions are expected to be reviewed on Jan. 8.

We dont need to extend any border restrictions to Melbourne or Victoria but were keeping a very close eye on that, she said.

Queenslanders whove been in Victoria on or since Dec. 21 have already been advised to get tested and quarantine at home until they get their results.

Border declaration passes are also needed for travellers who have visited NSW since Dec. 11.

AAP
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Local scores: Browns 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 22

The headlines

Vaccination progress: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine told CNNs Jake Tapper Sunday that coronavirus vaccinations are moving in the state, with more than 150,000 completed so far. But Jane Morice reports that when the states vaccination dashboard was updated Sunday afternoon, it showed 159,706 Ohioans had received their first dose. While that figure may sound large, it represents less than 2 percent of Ohioans. Ohio has administered the eighth highest amount of vaccines in the U.S., but ranks 51st (including Washington, D.C.) in the percentage of its prioritized population to receive a vaccine. Meanwhile, in Cuyahoga County, the Board of Health acknowledged its website accidentally allowed people not yet eligible to receive a vaccine to register for one, Cameron Fields reports.

Browns in playoffs: The Factory of Sadness turned into the Factory of Gladness, and 18 years of Browns heartache evaporated in the air above FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday as the Browns defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-22, to earn their first trip to the playoffs since the 2002 season. The Browns will face the Steelers again next Sunday night in Pittsburgh in their first-round playoff game ... a well-deserved reward for the teams long-suffering fans, Doug Lesmerises writes.

House Bill 6: Thousands of pages of recently released records offer a backroom view of the pressure former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and others placed on legislators in the days before last years vote on the tainted House Bill 6 nuclear bailout and the subsequent scandal that resulted in bribery charges against Householder and others. John Caniglia reports the papers, obtained through a public records request, include texts to and from legislators, drafts of bills, letters from constituents and hundreds of emails. They describe the insistence of Householders allies and Householders contempt for those who defied him.

Cleveland's homicide rate in 2020 the worst in recent history, including (clockwise from top left) Arthur Keith, Desmond Franklin, Anthony Hughes Jr., Erik Hakizimana and Dalion Mendoza.

Homicides surge: Both Cleveland and Akron saw significant increases in the number of homicides in 2020 as cities struggled with economic and social issues created by the coronavirus pandemic. Adam Ferrise reports Cleveland hit 185 homicides on Dec. 20, the most in a single year since 1982 when the city had 195 homicides and nearly 200,000 more people called the city home. Robin Goist reports Akron had 50 homicides in 2020, the most in a single year in the past decade. There were 33 homicides in 2019, 32 in 2018 and 40 in 2017.

Coronavirus numbers: The Ohio Department of Health reported Sunday that the number of confirmed or probable infections of the novel coronavirus had increased to 721,481, up 6,808 since Saturday. The number of Ohioans have died with the coronavirus rose by 59, to 9,076, Jane Morice reports. Coronavirus infections remain high in Ohio, with 84 of 88 counties shaded red, the next-to-highest level on the states ranking system, Laura Hancock reports.

Other headlines

Bar in Clevelands West Bank of the Flats receives second citation for violating coronavirus health orders Read more

The Velvet Dog bar in Cleveland cited again for violating coronavirus-related health orders Read more

Parma Heights bar cited for violating coronavirus health orders, Ohio Investigative Unit says Read more

Expansion urged for program that helps elderly, disabled Cleveland homeowners make repairs Read more

Ohio Department of Health posts conflicting numbers for coronavirus infections in schools Read more

Shaker Heights City School District employee arrested on child sexual abuse charges in Washington, D.C. Read more

Trump, in taped call, presses Georgia official to find Trump votes Read more

CNNs Jake Tapper interrupts Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine during voter security conversation, says concerns due to President Trumps lies Read more

Rebuilding economy and infrastructure after coronavirus are among New Years resolutions for Ohios Congress members Read more

Ohio Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman eye chairmanships in 2021 Read more

Wind turbines may still have a future in Ohio, but for now the emphasis is on solar power Read more

One dead, one injured in southwest Akron house fire, authorities say Read more

Boy abandoned at Hinckley cemetery reunited with his father; mother focus of our investigation, police say Read more

Gas station associate Ally Da Noriea exudes kind, caring nature to her customers: Homegrown Heroes 2020 Read more

Bicyclist involved in crash with car in Cleveland Heights last week dies, police say Read more
Chinese spies caught in Afghanistan espionage racket, return to Beijing on chartered flight

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 04: Days after busting a major Chinese spying racket, Afghanistan is said to have let go the 10 spies. The 10 Chinese spies are said to have allowed to return to China in a chartered flight organised by Beijing.

It may be recalled that in December, the agencies in Afghanistan busted a major Chinese spying racket and have arrested 10 spies. While the details of the terms of release is not known, Amrullah Saleh, the first vide president had said that no foreign national citizen has been arrested in an effort operation in the Khairkhaneh area. The arrested are palmadis that under the scope. A number of them have been arrested on the suspicion of being involved in assassination and kidnapping, he said.

Big Chinese spy racket linked to Pakistans ISI busted in Afghanistan

During the meeting of Saleh and Chinese envoy Wang Yu, the former had offered to release the 10 spies after Beijing submits a formal apology for betraying Kabul's trust. However Yu had insisted that the detentions are not declared by Kabul said a report in the Hindustan Times.

It had been found that both China and Pakistan had been working closely to undertake espionage activities in Kabul.

The Afghan National Directorate of Security recently discovered a dense network of Chinese spies, who were trying to influence the geopolitical dynamics in the region. The NDS had on December 10 cracked down on the network and arrested a Chinese intelligence operative Li Yangyang. He had been operating in the country since July. He was arrested from his Kabul residence and the NDS recovered arms, ammunition and explosives including Ketamine powder.

On the same day, the NDS arrested another Chinese spy Sha Hung from her Shirpur residence in Kabul.

The NDS recovered explosives and highly objectionable material from here residence.

Farmer Protest: What did Agricultural minister say on the 7th round of talks|Oneindia News

Both were kingpins of the espionage network and they were meeting with members of the Haqqani Network that is backed by the ISI. Officials tell OneIndia that both China and Pakistan are working to disrupt the Afghan peace talks. Both are trying to establish themselves as dominant forces in the region and influence the Taliban and Al-Qaeda once the US security forces withdraw.

The two arrested spies were also in touch with some Taliban leaders and were also tracking the moment of the Uighur activists who had fled to Afghanistan. They were focusing on the patches of Badakhshan and Kumar provinces. It was also found that they were in touch with the Haqqani Network and Al-Qaeda commanders.
POSCO Chairman Choi Jeong-woo speaks during a New Year's ceremony streamed online to employees, Jan. 4. Courtesy of POSCO





By Nam Hyun-woo, Kim Jae-heun







CEOs and heads of big-name companies here said in their New Year messages that they will focus on rescuing their businesses from the slump stemming from COVID-19.







Among these, steelmaking, shipbuilding, chemicals and construction businesses were hit particularly hard by the pandemic, and their CEOs echoed that ability to adapt to fast-changing industrial trends will be the most decisive factor for survival in the near future, and this year will be key to making necessary changes.







POSCO Chairman Choi Jeong-woo said in his New Year message that POSCO faced an "unprecedented crisis" in 2020 due to the pandemic, but managed to contain the impact through flexibility in production and cost-saving efforts.







"New opportunities and crises will coexist in the uncertainties filling this year," Choi said. "The steelmaking industry is taking on mega-changes in its trends, highlighted by new mobility, urbanization, digitization, carbon neutrality and post-globalization. And now the whole manufacturing industry's task will change from 'how to make it' to 'how to make it well,' and answers to the new question will be decisive in each company's survival."







Choi stressed that POSCO would consolidate its competitiveness in steelmaking and focus on growing new businesses in advanced mobility and renewable energy.







"This year, POSCO plans to concentrate its efforts on nurturing green energy and mobility businesses which can enable the group to seek fast growth and leadership in new industrial trends," he said. "In the rechargeable battery businesses, the group will strengthen its grip on the electric vehicle (EV) battery supply chain including lithium, nickel, graphite, anode and cathode materials. By expanding production capacity, the group should pursue a top-tier status in the global EV material market."







SeAH Group Chairman Lee Soon-hyung

SeAH Group Chairman Lee Soon-hyung also noted that the COVID-19 pandemic was a great threat for the steelmaking group, and it needs to break through these uncertainties.







"The COVID-19 pandemic last year had immense impact that changed the global trade order, social norms and people's daily lives, and a difficult task remains for us to contain risks and maximize opportunities," Lee said. "To secure sustainability and distinguished competitiveness, we have to nurture creativity and spirit to pursue innovation in every field of our business."











Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings Chairman Kwon Oh-gap said 2021 will be the year of significance for the shipbuilding conglomerate, as it plans to close two major M&A deals.







"In shipbuilding, we have a very important task of finishing the acquisition of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME)," Kwon said. "Though the authority's review on the acquisition is taking time, I expect the whole transaction process will end in the first half of this year."







Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings Chairman Kwon Oh-gap

Kwon said the acquisition will be "an inflection point" for not only the group but also the country's shipbuilding industry, and daunting tasks are waiting for Hyundai Heavy to create synergy with DSME and achieve the rebound of the Korean shipbuilding industry.







He also stressed that the new year will be important for its construction unit, Hyundai Construction Equipment, as the second-largest construction equipment maker in Korea is seeking to acquire Doosan Infracore, which is the firm's No. 1 domestic player.







"Through the acquisition of Doosan Infracore, Hyundai Construction Equipment is seeking to make it into the global top 5," Kwon said. "Though several tasks are remaining before the acquisition, we will make our best efforts to close the deal successfully."







Samsung Heavy Industries' new CEO Jung Jin-taek stressed the company should improve technological competence to optimize itself in the low-growth economy. He picked independence in LNG vessel technologies, autonomous sailing and fuel cell- or ammonia-propelled vessel technologies as key areas for growth momentum.







Cho Hyun-joon, chairman of chemical and textile conglomerate Hyosung, stated that now is "the time of singularity," and firms who fail to adjust to this will be unable to survive. In such a time, Cho stressed the group must reflect customers' wishes in its management of the firm and embrace more corporate strategies based on data.







Hyosung Chairman Cho Hyun-joon

"The answer always lies in the voice of customers, and if we neglect their opinions, we will end up being kicked out from the market," Cho said. "Even if we collected customers' opinions, we need to make decisions based on analysis of data. In the future, companies which can maximize their accumulated data will have opportunities to overcome crises."







Builders and construction firms started the new year relatively quietly, in what appears to be their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the top five construction firms in Korea  Samsung C&T, Hyundai E&C, Daelim, GS E&C and Daewoo E&C  only Daewoo E&C delivered its CEO's New Year's message through a press release, as of Monday 2:30 p.m.







Daewoo E&C CEO Kim Hyung said in his New Year's message that the company should explore new businesses to better cope with the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Korea's Green New Deal initiative. Also, he pledged that the company will strengthen its presence by winning overseas projects.







"I ask all employees to strengthen the company's capabilities in LNG and other renewable energies to create greater corporate value," Kim said. "We have to refrain from winning orders and projects that can only bring quantitative growth and expand our capabilities for profitable projects, so that we can stand as a global company."











Food firms and retailer owners have called for a paradigm shift and continuous growth in their New Year's address amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.







Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin

Many of the companies are going through hardships affected by the new coronavirus outbreak and shifting trends of digitalization and the leaders said they will take this as an opportunity to seek change.







Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin urged his workers to together build his company into a workplace at which employees wish to remain for a long time.







"Let's prepare countermeasures for the risks we've overlooked based on our accumulated capabilities. Let's not be intimidated by the surrounding risk factors and focus on creating synergy by combining the strengths and capabilities that each subsidiaries own," Shin said.







Shin added that his employees need to get ready to react immediately when the time comes for the economic recovery.







Vice Chairman of Shinsegae Group Chung Yong-jin viewed this time of difficulty as a chance.







Chung said the market environment is changing at a fast rate and this year is in fact the best opportunity for the company to grow.







Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin

"We should not lose this fight. Let's forget about our glory in the past  2021 will be a winning year," Chung said.







The vice chairman suggested three key points in finding new opportunity in such a crisis situation.







"We need loyalty towards our customers, good communication skills between coworkers and an organizational culture that accommodates diversity," Chung said.







CJ Group Chairman Sohn Kyung-sik promised innovation and challenge amid the unprecedented crisis.







"In the wake of the pandemic, we learned that our company has yet to develop a structural competitiveness that can overcome external shocks. This year is not going to be an easy one either," Sohn said. "We need to achieve a paradigm shift with the best talent and become a leader on the global stage."







Hyundai Department Store Chairman Chung Ji-sun emphasized the "intrinsic value of customers" as a key point in his New Year's management plan.







"Let's determine the values of our customers and prepare for the company's future growth. We need to make changes to our working style and business processes to find out what customers ultimately really want," Chung said.







The chairman said it is important to understand what their services and products mean to the customers and consistently try to figure out how to improve them to meet customers' fullest expectations.







"We need an organizational culture that encourages challenges," Chung added.







Vice Chairman of Nongshim, Park Jun, urged employees to prepare for upcoming changes in the food industry brought by COVID-19 and create a sustainable development system.







Nongshim Vice Chairman Park Jun

"We need to beef up our product portfolio in the global market to become a leader in the world. We will focus on completing the establishment of our second manufacturing line in the United States," Park said.







Nongshim's new factory will play a key role in ensuring a stable product supply in the American market as well as helping the firm to expand business in the South American market.


Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 06:11:49|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- The UN mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) has condemned, in the strongest terms, the assaults launched by armed groups in Damara on Saturday and Bangassou on Sunday.

"There is no doubt that all these attacks take place in a context of disruption of the elections - before, during and after the polls," the UN special representative and head of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in CAR (MINUSCA), Mankeur Ndiaye, said in a statement on Sunday.

Since Dec. 19, a coalition of rebel groups, which occupies two thirds of the CAR, has been reportedly carrying out offensive to disrupt the presidential and legislative elections that took place on Dec. 27.

According to UN News, despite attempts by rebel groups to obstruct presidential and legislative elections, nearly 2 million Central Africans cast their votes.

Ndiaye reminded that "within the framework of Resolution 2552, MINUSCA has a role of securing the elections."

"I reaffirm the mission's determination to keep this commitment," he added.

Armed elements allied with former Central African President Francois Bozize attacked the city of Damara in the prefecture of Ombella-M'Poko on Saturday morning, said UN News.

While the response of the national armed forces, called FACA, prompted the attackers to flee, the UN peacekeepers increased their patrols both within and around the city.

The next day, in the southeast Mbomou prefecture, attacks against Bangassou began around 5.30 a.m. in what Ndiaye described as "heavy weapon fire against the FACA military post."

"The MINUSCA peacekeepers immediately intervened to protect civilians, secure the local authorities and continue the robust patrols," said UN News, adding that "the force is also securing the camp for internally displaced persons."

The latest attacks followed violence in the western part of the country, which triggered civilians to flee and humanitarians to suspended much-needed aid. Enditem
After Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, bird flu has been detected in Kerala's Alappuzha and Kottayam districts. The administration has set up control rooms to monitor the situation.

According to officials, in the last week of December, many ducks were found dead in both the districts. Out of the eight samples sent for tests in Bhopal, H5N8 report was detected in five samples.

Around 1,500 ducks have died in the duck farm in Neendoor. Similarly, bird flu outbreak has been reported from some farms in Kuttanad region of Alappuzha district, sources said.

All birds within one km radius of the infected region will be culled to avoid further infection. Already over 12,000 ducks have died, another 36,000 may be killed to avoid further spreading, officials added. State Animal Husbandry Minister K Raju said in Thiruvananthapuram that the government will compensate farmers whose domestic birds will be culled.

Bird flu occurs naturally in wild waterfowl and can spread to domestic poultry, such as chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese.The disease is transmitted via contact with an infected bird's feces, or secretions from its nose, mouth or eye. The last major case of bird flu was reported in the state in 2016.

In Rajasthan, a bird flu alert has been sounded after the presence of the dreaded virus was confirmed in dead crows in Jhalawar and more avian deaths were reported in other districts, including Jaipur. On Sunday, seven crows were found dead at the iconic Jal Mahal, taking the toll to 252 in the state.

The flu was also detected in Madhya Pradesh's Indore where carcasses of 50 crows were found, putting the authorities on alert, a civic health official said on Friday. The authorities have now launched a drive to identify those with suspected flu symptoms in the area.

"Nearly fifty crows were found dead on the campus of Daly College on Tuesday. Some of the carcasses were sent for tests to Bhopal. They were found to be carrying the H5N8 virus," Indore Chief Medical and Health Officer Poornima Gadaria told PTI. A survey is being conducted to trace those with cold, cough and fever in the radius of five kilometers in the plush Residency Area where the college is situated, she said. Suspected patients' swab samples will be tested, she added.

The situation is worrisome in Himachal Pradesh too where the death toll of migratory waterbirds has risen to over 1,800, triggering suspicion of avian influenza. Chief Conservator Wildlife of Pong wetlands -- one of the largest in northern India, Upasna Patyal, told IANS the reason for the deaths is still a mystery. Their carcasses have been sent to different laboratories to determine the cause of death.

"The death of birds could be attributed to bird flu. We are expecting to get results by Tuesday evening. As a protocol, we have imposed prohibitory orders," she said.
On Sunday night, the 2020 World Series of Poker (WSOP) officially came to an end when Argentinas Damian Salas, a practicing lawyer back home, defeated Joseph Hebert in a heads-up finale to win $1 million, a coveted gold bracelet, and the title of WSOP Main Event champion.

The epic back-and-forth heads-up match that lasted a staggering 173 hands was actually the culmination of two $10,000 Main Events. The first was the international leg held on GG Poker, which attracted 674 runners and saw Salas claim a $1,550,969 top prize. The other was the domestic version, which drew 705 players to WSOP.com and saw Hebert turn a $300 satellite seat into a $1,553,256 payday.

Joseph was a very hard opponent, and he played really well. In a few instances, he was about to win, it was a real fight and he never slowed down, said the 45-year-old Salas, who finished seventh in the 2017 WSOP Main Event. Going into the championship, I felt all the energy and support from my family and friends in Argentina tonight, and that helped me.

Originally scheduled to play out on Dec. 30th, the event was postponed to tonight as Salas' entry to the U.S. was delayed due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

Heads-Up Action

The match started out with Salas taking a slight lead, but before too long Hebert pulled out in front. On Hand #71, Hebert won a big pot with trip kings to pull out to a more than 3:1 chip lead. Hebert, who was playing in his mothers memory (be sure to check out the #ForLinda story for more on the emotional story) set about extending that lead and at one point was out in front by an 8:1 margin.

However, Salas won the first all-in confrontation on Hand #83, and over the course of the next two and a half hours battled back and forth with Hebert. Eventually, the structure, which featured 20-minute levels, forced the action; in fact, in the end, there were just 20 big blinds in play.

Even so, neither player wanted to give an inch. Whenever one would get short, theyd double back. At times it looked like Salas was going to pull away, then Hebert would dig his heels in, win some pots, and put himself in the drivers seat. It really was anyones game.

On Hand #170, the players got it in with each holding an ace, but it was the kicker of Salas that would win him the pot and give him a near 4:1 lead. Hebert doubled back to nearly even, but two hands later on Hand #173 of the final table Hebert jammed with ace-queen and Salas called with king-jack. Hebert got it in good but Salas took the lead when a king spiked on the flop. The turn and river both paired the board to give the Argentinean a full house, and Hebert bowed out as the runner-up.

Both these men are champions in their own right and were a pleasure to host for this unique match, said Ty Stewart, Executive Director of the World Series of Poker. We thank everyone who participated in this chapter of WSOP history and cant wait to see you in Las Vegas later this year.

Whats Next for the WSOP?

While the status of a live 2021 WSOP in Las Vegas remains in limbo due to the ongoing pandemic, WSOP poker action will continue in 2021 with a year-long WSOP Online Circuit Series that will culminate in a gold bracelet event for invited players.

The Online Circuit Series will offer a slate of WSOP.com online events each month. Each tournament will award circuit rings, and there will also be $500,000 in added prizes throughout the year, including monthly $25,000 freerolls for qualifying players.

For more information, visit WSOP.com.
An 82-year-old retired maintenance manager has become the first person in the world to receive the Oxford University and AstraZeneca vaccine outside clinical trials.

Dialysis patient Brian Pinker received the jab at 7.30am on Monday from nurse Sam Foster at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusts Churchill Hospital.

Mr Pinker, who has been having dialysis for kidney disease at the hospital for a number of years, was pleased to be getting protection against coronavirus.

He said the jab will give him peace of mind as he continues to receive treatment, and he is now looking forward to celebrating his 48th wedding anniversary in February.

I am so pleased to be getting the Covid vaccine today and really proud that it is one that was invented in Oxford, Mr Pinker said.

The nurses, doctors and staff today have all been brilliant and I can now really look forward to celebrating my 48th wedding anniversary with my wife Shirley later this year.

Expand Close Trevor Cowlett (88) receives the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from nurse Sam Foster at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford Photo credit: Steve Parsons/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Trevor Cowlett (88) receives the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from nurse Sam Foster at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford Photo credit: Steve Parsons/PA Wire

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Alongside Mr Pinker, music teacher and father-of-three Trevor Cowlett, 88, and Professor Andrew Pollard, a paediatrician working at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust who also pioneered the Oxford jab, were among the first to be vaccinated.

Chief nurse Ms Foster said: It was a real privilege to be able to deliver the first Oxford vaccine at the Churchill Hospital here in Oxford, just a few hundred metres from where it was developed.

We look forward to vaccinating many more patients and health and care staff with the Oxford vaccine in the coming weeks which will make a huge difference to people living in the communities we serve and the staff who care for them in our hospitals.

Hundreds of new vaccination sites are due to open this week, joining the 700 which are already in operation, to administer the first 500,000 doses of the new vaccine.

The first Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccinations will be delivered in Oxford and five other hospital trusts  two in London, and others in Sussex, Lancashire and Warwickshire  to allow for monitoring before the bulk of supplies are sent to hundreds of GPs later this week.

NHS medical director Professor Stephen Powis said: The NHS biggest vaccination programme in history is off to a strong start, thanks to the tremendous efforts of NHS staff who have already delivered more than one million jabs.

Throughout the pandemic their response has been phenomenal, from introducing world-leading treatments for coronavirus which have saved patients lives as well as delivering the very first Covid-19 vaccines outside of a trial in a landmark moment in history, and now rolling out the new Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, chalking up another world first that will protect thousands more over the coming weeks.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: This is a pivotal moment in our fight against this awful virus and I hope it provides renewed hope to everybody that the end of this pandemic is in sight.

Prof Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group and chief investigator of the Oxford Vaccine Trial, added: It was an incredibly proud moment for me to have received the actual vaccine that the University of Oxford and the AstraZeneca teams have worked so hard to make available to the UK and the world.

As a paediatrician specialising in infections, I know how important it is that healthcare workers along with other priority groups are protected as soon as possible  a crucial role in defeating this terrible disease.

Last week, regulators and the four UK chief medical officers announced that the gap between first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine should be lengthened so that more people can be protected faster.

Second doses of either vaccine will now take place within 12 weeks rather than the 21 days that was initially planned with the Pfizer/BioNTech jab, following a change in guidance which aims to accelerate immunisation.

This has been defended by the UKs four chief medical officers following criticism, including from the British Medical Association (BMA).

The doctors union said it was grossly and patently unfair for at-risk patients whose imminent second jab appointments would now be rescheduled.

The Oxford/AstraZeneca jab is easier to transport and store than the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which needs cold storage of around minus 70C.

Because it can be stored at fridge temperatures, between two and eight degrees, it is easier to distribute to care homes and other locations across the UK.

Visit our Covid-19 vaccine dashboard for updates on the roll out of the vaccination program and the rate of Coronavirus cases Ireland

PA Media
[January 04, 2021] Geoffrey Hiscock to Join FrontWell Capital Partners as Senior Vice President, Originations

FrontWell Capital Partners ("FrontWell"), a private credit fund that provides transitionary senior debt financing to middle-market companies in the United States and Canada, today announced that Geoffrey Hiscock has been appointed Senior Vice President, Originations. Mr. Hiscock will join the firm on January 11, 2021 from Canadian asset-based lender Waygar Capital, where he served as Managing Director, Head of Originations. Mr. Hiscock, who brings more than 25 years of experience in origination, underwriting and portfolio management to FrontWell, will be based in the firm's Toronto headquarters. "We are extremely excited to welcome Geoff to FrontWell as we continue to partner with client management teams to help sustain and grow their businesses," said Patrick Dalton, FrontWell's CEO. "Geoff's exceptional track record has given him unrivaled relationships with companies seeking capital, as well as sponsors and intermediaries in the middle-market space. We are confident that his unique perspective and passion for delivering superior client service will help us grow our business." Mr Hiscock said, "I'm thrilled to join this talented team and be a part of FrontWell's true partnership approach to providing middle-market companies with creative and innovative financing solutions that help them achieve their full potential."



Prior to his tenure at Waygar Capital, Mr. Hiscock held progressively senior positions supporting multi-national transactions across a wide spectrum of industries at Wells Fargo (previously Congress Financial/Wachovia Bank), CIBC (previously CIT Business Credit), and PNC (News - Alert) Bank and Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). Mr. Hiscock is currently a member of the Turnaround Management Association and the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Bachelor of Life Science from Queen's University. About FrontWell Capital Partners

Headquartered in Toronto, FrontWell Capital Partners ("FrontWell") provides transitionary senior debt financing to middle-market companies in the United States and Canada. With committed seed capital of more than USD $350 million, FrontWell offers financing solutions, including asset-based (ABL) and cash flow loans, to maximize liquidity support for borrowers that are looking beyond traditional sources of capital. FrontWell's rigorous approach to origination, underwriting and risk management generates current income while prioritizing the preservation of principal over the chase for yield. FrontWell partners with private companies across several industries that display balance sheet capacity and that require liquidity to support a transition in their business, including turnarounds, restructurings, acquisitions and changes in ownership or control. For more information, please visit frontwellcapital.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005159/en/

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HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- QuantiTech LLC ("QuantiTech"), a portfolio company of Sagewind Capital LLC ("Sagewind"), announced today that it has acquired Systems Engineering Group, Inc. ("SEG" or the "Company") from Griffon Corporation (NYSE: GFF). Financial terms of the transaction were not announced.

Headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, SEG is a leading provider of threat engineering and modeling and simulation services to the U.S. Government, primarily supporting the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Missile Defense Agency, and Office of Naval Intelligence. SEG provides advanced, physics-based threat modeling, engineering, and analytics services in support of U.S. Government requirements for weapons and missile systems development, simulation, testing, and analysis. The management team and employees of SEG will continue with the business as a part of QuantiTech.

"We are extremely excited to welcome SEG to the QuantiTech family," said Randy Cash, Chairman of the Board of QuantiTech. "This combination brings together two companies with an extraordinary depth of talent and expertise in high-end engineering. By strengthening our capabilities in the missile defense, hypersonics, and intel markets, we will be even better positioned to continue serving the important missions of the U.S. Government."

"As announced this past summer, SEG has been looking to partner with a new parent organization that is more strategically focused on government technical services," said Michael Anderson, President of SEG. "We are thrilled to have found that partner in QuantiTech and are energized by the opportunities created through this combination. QuantiTech's complementary customers and capabilities will allow us to expand our presence as a leader in threat engineering and modeling & simulation."

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP served as legal advisor to QuantiTech. Chertoff Capital, LLC served as exclusive financial advisor and Dechert LLP served as legal advisor to Griffon Corporation.

About Systems Engineering Group

Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, SEG provides sophisticated, highly technical engineering and analytic support to customers. As a leading provider of combat, radar and missile systems engineering and analysis, SEG is a key source of systems engineering expertise for the U.S. Government, specifically within missile defense, hypersonics, and intelligence analysis. For more information please visit https://www.systemsengineeringgroup.com/.

About QuantiTech

QuantiTech is a leading provider of highly technical engineering services to the Army, Air Force, NASA, and various other key defense agencies responsible for maintaining technological superiority. Its capabilities are focused on high-end engineering, software services, modeling & simulation, cybersecurity, test & evaluation, and program management for key defense end-markets such as hypersonics, counter unmanned aircraft systems, and human spaceflight. QuantiTech was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Huntsville, AL. For more information please visit www.quantitech.com.

About Sagewind Capital

Sagewind Capital is a New York-based middle-market private equity firm that partners with exceptional management teams and focuses on significant capital appreciation by helping businesses grow organically and through strategic acquisitions. Sagewind invests across several industries, including government services, aerospace & defense, software, information technology, healthcare, and business services. The firm is focused on long-term capital appreciation and has the flexibility to own businesses for extended periods. For more information please visit www.sagewindcapital.com.

Contact

Mark Semer

Kekst CNC

(917) 439-3507

SOURCE QuantiTech LLC
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A gang leader's son is fighting for his life in a coma after surviving a double shooting in Christchurch, sparking fears of an all-out gang war.

Frontline officers have been given immediate arming orders after the son of Mongrel Mob Aotearoa president Joseph 'Junior' Wiringi was shot twice on Monday.

Fairmont Joseph Wiringi, also a member of the notorious New Zealand street gang, is in a critical condition in Christchurch Hospital after suffering from bullet wounds in his arm and torso.

Police were called to a Kaiapo property at around 3:30am on Monday morning

Fairmont Joseph Wiringi (pictured) is in a critical condition at Christchurch Hospital after being shot in the arm and torso on Monday

The Mongrel Mob Aotearoa Chapter (pictured) are a street gang in New Zealand

A second man who is a patched member of the Rebels Motorcycle Club, was also taken to Christchurch hospital at around 5am with a bullet wound in his arm.

In response to the double shooting, all frontline police staff have been issued an arming order effective Monday.

The decision was made after authorities were concerned the incident may spark future violence.

'The general arming order is due to the heightened risk to staff as a result of the shooting this morning and the ongoing inquiries into that', Acting Canterbury district commander Detective Superintendent Tom Fitzgerald told StuffNZ.

Mongrel Mob Aotearoa president Joseph 'Junior' Wiringi (pictured, left) is the father of Fairmont Joseph Wiringi

Fairmont Joseph Wiringi (pictured, left) is in a coma at Christchurch Hospital after suffering serious injuries after a double shooting at a Kaiapo property

'Until all those responsible are located, staff will be armed for the next 24 hours.'

Officers were looking for people who could be armed, and there were 'increased tensions' between those involved, he said.

Police cordoned off part of Whitefield and Aldersgate streets in Kaiapoi and part of Whitefield and Aldersgate streets in Kaiapoi on Monday as they investigated the double shooting.

An unnamed Whitefield St resident said she was asleep when the sound of police dogs barking woke her up in the early hours of the morning.

I put my head outside my bedroom window, and they (police) were screaming at me to come outside because at this point they had no idea what had happened  they didn't know whether there was someone in the house or not, and they were screaming at me to get out', she told StuffNZ.

She went outside while police went into her home to further investigate.

Police cordoned off part of Whitefield and Aldersgate streets in Kaiapoi after the double shooting of Fairmont Joseph Wiringi (pictured, left)

I had no idea what was going on, they were just all there standing with guns.

Despite have never seen Wiringi before, the resident described the ordeal as 'frightening'.

The double shooting follows a string of unlinked violent incidents in the greater Christchurch area over the last week which saw four men charged with the murder of a Christchurch man on New Year's Eve.
LONDON/DUBAI/MOSCOW:OPEC+ will resume talks on Tuesday after reaching a deadlock over February oil output levels as Saudi Arabia argued against pumping more due to new lockdowns while Russia led calls for higher production citing recovering demand.

The unusual decision to push negotiations into a second day was taken after a three-hour debate in a virtual meeting of OPEC+, which groups OPEC and other producers including Russia. The talks are scheduled to resume at 1430 GMT on Tuesday.

OPEC+ sources told Reuters that Russia and Kazakhstan had backed raising production while Iraq, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates suggested holding output steady.

On Sunday OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo had warned OPEC+ experts of downside risks facing the oil market.

On Monday, Saudi energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said OPEC+ should be cautious despite a generally optimistic market environment as demand remains fragile and the new variant of coronavirus is unpredictable.

In many parts of the world, where infection rates have increased worryingly, a new wave of lockdowns and restrictions are being put in place, which will inevitably impact the rate of economic recovery in those countries," he said.

The new variant of coronavirus, reported in Britain last month, is spreading globally and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was scheduled to set out tougher lockdown rules on Monday.

With benchmark Brent oil futures holding above $50 per barrel, OPEC+ took the opportunity to raise output by 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) this month as it looks to eventually ease cuts that stand at 7.2 million bpd.

OPEC+ producers have been curbing output to support prices and reduce oversupply since January 2017, with cuts reaching a record 9.7 million bpd in mid-2020 as COVID-19 hammered demand for gasoline and aviation fuel.

In previous meetings de facto OPEC leader Saudi Arabia has repeatedly suggested a cautious approach to restoring output while non-OPEC member Russia has backed a speedier increase.

Benchmark Brent prices topped $53 a barrel on Monday to hit their highest levels since March 2020 before falling back. [O/R]

Under the current output terms, surpluses are expected from February until April, before demand recovers from May onwards, so a possible OPEC+ decision to not increase production will keep balances at a manageable level," said Bjornar Tonhaugen from Rystad Energy.

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
Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money.

Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.
At least 25 people were killed and 20 others were injured as the roof of a structure in a cemetery in Muradnagar area here collapsed while they were sheltering under it amid heavy rains after attending a funeral on Sunday, officials said.

The incident was reported in the morning when around 50 people, who came for the last rites of a fruit-seller, took shelter under the roof of a recently-built corridor to save themselves from getting drenched. However, minutes later, the roof of the structure collapsed.

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were called to join the police and district administration for the operation to rescue those trapped under the debris as well as extricate the bodies of the deceased victims.

Ghaziabad Superintendent of Police Abhishek Verma said that of the 20 injured, eight are in a critical condition and are being treated in different hospitals.

"The corridor was almost 25 feet long and prima facie it seems it came down because of the heavy downpour," Verma said.

Police have lodged an FIR against the contractor and officials of the Municipal Corporation of Muradnagar under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), officials told IANS.

The FIR has been lodged against contractor Ajay Tyagi, engineer Niharika Singh, junior engineer Chandra Pal, supervisor Ashish, and an unnamed official of the corporation involved in the construction, under Sections 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 337 (Causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety), 338 (Causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 409 (Criminal breach of trust by public servant) and 427 (Mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees).

After the directions from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, an investigation into the matter, under the supervision of Meerut Divisional Commissioner and Inspector General of Police is underway. The officials of Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation (GMC) and Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) are also assisting them.

IANS has sourced a copy of the work order from the Muradnagar Municipal Corporation issued to Tyagi for the construction of the structure that collapsed. The work order, issued on February 4, mentioned the structure as beautification work of the crematorium.

While the deadline to finish the construction stated in the order was 60 days from the date of commission of the contract, Muradnagar MLA Ajit Tyagi said that it was completed just a couple of months ago.

"The waiting area was built only a couple of months back. It is a big question on the quality of the material used in the construction as a single downpour washed away the whole structure. Those guilty of laxity would not be spared," he said.

The locals present on the spot also raised concerns over the material used in the construction. They said the rubble showed that very little cement was used in construction.

The state government has announced an ex-gratia sum of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to people injured in the incident. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind also expressed grief about the incident.
And dont get me started on the demons. A reputable source in Georgia, who cannot be identified because he is a powerful spirit who communicates with me via an expired can of Spam, said many votes were cast under the following names: Belphegor; Morkaloth; Dingromed the Hideous; Jelmath, Slayer of Agmaron; and Molgrog the Sloth Devourer. There were also reports that Gargleflax the Unwell was spotted in the suburbs of Philadelphia telling people that if they didnt vote for Biden he would consume their skin.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar sent a long-awaited final report on the shooting deaths of a mother and her two daughters back to his detectives for further scrutiny Monday  trading insults with a lawyer for the family of one of the girls in the process.

The decision to take another look came just before the two-year anniversary of the killings of San Antonio hairstylist Nichol Leila Olsen, 37, and her two daughters, Alexa Denice Montez, 16, and London Sophia Bribiescas, 10.

The three were found shot to death Jan. 10, 2019, at the home where they lived in the gated Anaqua Springs Ranch subdivision near Leon Springs in far Northwest Bexar County. At the time, the residence was owned by Olsens boyfriend, Charles Edward Wheeler, now 33, who has since moved to Austin.

Within days, the Bexar County Medical Examiners Office declared Olsens death a suicide and her daughters deaths homicides. But the sheriffs office investigation proceeded until late last year.

Salazar previously described Wheeler as a person of interest, but not a suspect, and no one has ever been charged in the shootings. Wheelers attorneys have said he had nothing to do with the deaths and have called on the sheriff to close the case and publicly clear Wheelers name.

In November, in an email responding to public pressure for action on the case from Joe Hoelscher, a San Antonio attorney representing the youngest victims father and other relatives, Salazar said the investigation would soon be closed. His detectives had exhausted all resources and credible leads but had found no evidence to indicate the deaths were anything but a murder-suicide, the sheriff told Hoelscher.

On ExpressNews.com: A single mother, her millionaire boyfriend and how their storybook romance ended in horror

Salazar also told reporters he wanted his criminal investigations division to submit its final report on the case by Christmas. But now he and his command staff have shifted course.

After methodically reviewing this case in its entirety, the decision was made to send the case back to CID for further investigation, a statement released by the sheriffs office Monday said. Until every question in this case has been answered, the investigation will continue.

The statement took a swipe at Hoelscher, accusing him of seeking to profit from this tragedy and noting the lawyer will either have to proceed on his own or wait until all information is complete.

No lawsuits have been filed regarding the deaths. The two-year statute of limitations  a deadline to file civil claims  expires Sunday, the second anniversary of the crime.

On ExpressNews.com: Sheriff: Anaqua Springs killings most likely a murder-suicide, case may soon be closed

Hoelscher blasted Salazar for reversing course.

The family of London Bribiescas is disappointed that Salazar has broken his word, again, after declaring only weeks ago that all leads have been exhausted, Hoelscher said in a text message. Based on the information shared with us by BCSO investigators, there is no new evidence, nor any reasonable justification for this delay.

Hoelscher said Salazar was blaming the victims of this tragedy instead of taking responsibility for his own failures and noted his law firm has taken the case pro bono and wont make a penny for our efforts.

Like all of San Antonio, we want only justice and cannot understand why Salazar refuses to do his duty, he wrote.

The Bribiescas family hasnt yet decided if they will sue anyone for the shootings, Hoelscher said. Because the criminal investigation is still open, a lawsuit would have to name any and all defendants who could potentially bear responsibility for the deaths, instead of pursuing more narrowed, specific targets, he said.

If a lawsuit is ultimately filed, it will likely name Wheeler and Olsens estate as defendants, Hoelscher said.

A close friend of Olsen applauded the sheriffs office Monday for continuing to investigate the deaths.

The sheriffs office decision to continue the investigation is a prudent one, as there continues to be many questions and possible discrepancies to this case, San Antonio businesswoman Vanessa Turney said in an email to the San Antonio Express-News. As long as those questions remain, Nichol and her beautiful daughters deserve a thorough, detailed investigation  and for however long that may take.

pohare@express-news.net | Twitter: @Peggy_OHare
Rising Republican star Tom Cotton, a major ally for President Donald Trump, says he will not oppose Joe Biden's election victory.

On Wednesday, a joint session of Congress will count the certified electoral votes to confirm the Democrat as the new President.

But at least a dozen Republican senators have signaled they will stand in the way of the President-elect.

Rising Republican star Tom Cotton (pictured with his wife Anna Peckham), a major ally for President Donald Trump, says he will not oppose Joe Biden's election victory

Senator Josh Hawley said he will object to the certification and was the first Republican to do so last week.

He said he cannot assent to Biden's victory without 'raising the fact that some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own state election laws.'

Ted Cruz said he would lead the objection unless there was an emergency 10-day audit of the election results by an electoral commission.

The likely objections will force votes in the House and the Senate but they are not expected to pass.

On Wednesday, a joint session of Congress will count the certified electoral votes to confirm Joe Biden as the new President

Cotton said in a statement shared on Sunday night: 'I share the concerns of many Arkansans about irregularities in the presidential election, especially in states that rushed through election-law changes to relax standards for voting-by-mail.

'I also share their disappointment with the election results. I therefore support a commission to study the last election and propose reforms to protect the integrity of our elections.'

He added that states, not Congress, are entrusted to oversee elections and it would be a dangerous precedent for Congress to overturn the results of the November vote.

Cotton said: 'I will not oppose the counting of certified electoral votes on January 6.

At least a dozen Republican senators have signaled they will stand in the way of the President-elect in support of Trump

'I'm grateful for what the president accomplished over the past four years, which is why I campaigned vigorously for his reelection.

'But objecting to certified electoral votes won't give him a second termit will only embolden those Democrats who want to erode further our system of constitutional government.'

Cotton has now joined other Republicans Ben Sasse, Roy Blunt and Mitt Romney who have also spoken out against their party members challenging the election.

A number of Trump supporters have expressed their displeasure at Cotton's decision online.

Dan Whitfield, an Independent candidate for Senate from Arkansas, said: 'Cotton is only worried about his own presidential race in 2024.'
The year 2020 was typically a difficult year for everyone, full of crisis and the reason is one and only coronavirus. The year started out badly for the IPO markets due to COVID-19. But after a recovery in June, IPOs have delivered one record-breaking performance after the other. The year 2020 witnessed around 24 companies launching their IPOs and raising nearly 60 percent more cash than the previous year. Indian companies raised nearly 30,000 crore from investors in 2020. According to several analysts, the scenario of doing well will continue in the year 2021. It is expected that this year the healthcare, technology, and IT services stocks will remain in focus as the world adapts to a new way of life. The imminent arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine could boost the infrastructure sector too as companies set up cold storage facilities. Starting from the non-banking financial company (NBFC) to a restaurant franchise and online platform, a number of companies are set to hit the capital markets this year. Lets have a look at some of the likely IPOs which are scheduled for the year 2021.

Grofers

The Softbank-backed grocery startup Grofers Co-founder and CEO Albinder Dhindsa told PTI that the company started making an operational profit in January and expected to become cash positive by the end of the year 2020. Earlier the company had plans to go public in 2022. The company closed the financial year with a revenue of around Rs 2,500 crore and the valuation of Grofers is estimated to be close to Rs 6,000 crore. Grofers revised its plans and revealed that it may hit the capital markets by December 2020. Though, that hasnt happened yet. Hence it is now expected to launch it sometime early in the year 2021. The startup, which competes with BigBasket, Flipkart Supermart, and JioMart, hasnt revealed details about its IPO yet.

Kalyan Jewellers

Kerala based Indian jewellery showroom chain, Kalyan Jewellers is one of the leading designer, manufacturer and seller of gold and diamond jewellery. The company has 45 years of industry experience and brand presence in India and abroad. According to reports, at the end of June 2020, Kalyan Jewellers had 107 showrooms across 21 Indian states and union territories and 30 showrooms in the Middle East. In FY 2019-2020, the firm earned a revenue of 101,009.18 million. Kalyan Jewellers is also expected to launch a 1,750 crore initial public offering (IPO) in the first quarter of the calendar year 2021. The 1,750 crore IPO will be the largest in its sector. The issue will consist of a fresh fundraise of 1,000 crore and sale by promoter TS Kalyanaraman and the Warburg Pincus of 750 crore.

Life Insurance Corporation (LIC)

The IPO from LIC is one of the most awaited IPO of 2021. Established in 1956, the state-owned life insurer and investor is also the largest in the country. It has headquarter located in Mumbai and branches spread across different locations in India. In the budget session of FY 20-21, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the proposal of minority shares selling of LIC through IPO launch. Given the sheer size of the corporation, it will be the biggest IPO launch in India. The government has asked bids from at least two transaction advisors with previous experience in handling IPO size of 5,000 crores in a pre-IPO launch activity. The IPO is likely to be held in the first half of 2021. In Budget 2020, the government had set a target of 90,000 crore to be collected through selling stakes in LIC and IDBI Bank.

MTAR Technologies

MTAR Technologies, a Hyderabad-based precision engineering company announced its planning to file its draft initial public offering (IPO) papers soon. Backed by Mathew Cyriac, the former India private equity Co-Head of Blackstone, MTAR Technologies develops and manufactures components and equipment for the defence, aerospace and nuclear energy sectors. The company has a robust order book of over 300 crore and they are expecting another 200 crores of orders in Q4. The company is also in the process of setting up an additional facility at Adibatla (Telangana) which is expected to become operational soon. MTAR currently operates out of seven manufacturing facilities including, an export-oriented unit. MTAR works with clients such as Indian Space Research Organization, Defence Research and Development Organization, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd and US-based Bloom Energy Corp., besides catering to other well-known establishments like Bharat Dynamics, Hindustan Aeronautics, BrahMos and Rafael.

Zomato

Founded in 2008, Zomatos recent revenue performance was strong, growing 105 percent in FY 2020 from the previous year. Over the same period, the companys losses also grew by 47 percent. In the first quarter of 2020-21, the current fiscal year, the companys earnings stand at $41 million while the losses stand at $12 million. Last year, the company raised more than a billion dollars. The food delivery startup closed its pre-IPO funding of $660 million and is gearing up to hit the Indian capital markets. The funds have been raised at a post-money valuation of $3.9 billion. According to reports, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal, in an email to his employees, said that the company is looking to list publicly in the first half of 2021. Although there arent many details available on its IPO, it will be a top contender to watch out for in 2021.
Bypass censorship by sharing this link:

A so-called computer glitch fix in one of Michigans counties has led to 6,000 votes switching from President Trump to Joe Biden. The Head of the Republican Party has asked for an additional 47 counties be recounted after the fix since these 47 counties also use the same Dominion software.

(Natural News) (Article by Jim Hoft republished from TheGatewayPundit.com)

A so-called computer glitch has been uncovered in Michigan today and it resulted in swapping 6,000 votes from President Trump to Sleepy Joe.

UPDATE: Michigan's #AntrimCounty flipped to a win for #DonaldTrump after an election-software glitch was fixed today. Revised totals now show that Trump won by an estimated 2,500 votes. Michigan's GOP Chairwoman, Laura Cox is calling for 47 other counties in Michigan to  Scriberr News (@ScriberrNews) November 6, 2020

Dominion Software is used in 28 US states including ALL OF THE BATTLEGROUND STATES.

The Dominion software glitch ONLY took votes from President Trump and Republicans.

Dominion is used in 30 different states.
Members of the Proud Boys gather in support of President Donald Trump and in protest the outcome of the 2020 presidential election near freedom plaza on December 12, 2020 in Washington, DC. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

The Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, is being sued by a historic Black church for allegedly vandalizing their Black Lives Matter flag during a December pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C.

The Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church brought the suit against the group for "engaging in acts of terror and vandalizing church property," the filing said.

Footage shared widely on social media showed members of the Proud Boys burning Black Lives Matter flags from several churches.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A historic Black church in Washington, DC, has filed a lawsuit against the Proud Boys, alleging members of the far-right extremist group burned the church's Black Lives Matter flag during a pro-Trump rally in December.

The Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church brought the suit against the Proud Boys, its leader, Enrique Tarrio, and eight more unnamed defendants, for allegedly "engaging in acts of terror and vandalizing church property in an effort to intimidate the Church and silence its support for racial justice," according to Monday's filing.

Videos depicting the December 12 incident at the church, as well as others showing Black Lives Matter flags being destroyed, were shared widely online in December. Four churches were vandalized during the rally, according to the Washington Post.

Tarrio was arrested in DC on Monday evening on destruction of property charges related to the incident, a spokesperson for the DC Metropolitan Police Department confirmed in a statement. He was also hit with a possession charge after police found he was carrying two high capacity firearm magazines, the spokesperson said.

He had previously claimed responsibility for the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner from the Asbury United Methodist Church. "Against the wishes of my attorney I am here today to admit that I am the person responsible for the burning of this sign," he wrote in a Parler post. "And I am not ashamed of what I did because I didn't do it out of hate...I did it out of love."

Story continues

In a tweet, Kristen Clarke, the president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a civil-rights organization, which is representing the church alongside other groups, called the incident "a new chapter in a long and despicable history of mob violence targeting Black houses of worship."

Clarke continued, "Our suit seeks to hold accountable those responsible for vandalizing and terrorizing a historic Black church because of its support for racial justice."

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The complaint, filed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on Monday, alleges that members of the Proud Boys, which the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has deemed a hate group, "traveled to Washington D.C. for the purpose of committing further acts of violence."

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The Proud Boys are planning to descend on Washington once more on Wednesday, when Congress is expected to finalize the results of the presidential election. A far-right organization, the Proud Boys is aligned with President Donald Trump, and many of the group's members don't believe in President-elect Joe Biden's win.

Tarrio, who was arrested Monday night when traveling to DC for the event, said on Parler that the group's armed members will not be wearing their traditional black-and-yellow garb, but will wear all black clothing to be "incognito" in an effort to blend in with Antifa counter-protesters.

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The Proud Boys, which was founded in 2016 as a fraternity for "Western chauvinists," has become increasingly visible throughout the 2020 election. While the organization claims to disavow white supremacy, its members have included many white supremacists.

The group has also increasingly pro-Trump, as the president has appeared to show them support. During September's presidential debate, when asked to condemn white-supremacist groups like the Proud Boys, Trump told them to "stand back and stand by."

This article has been updated with the news of Enrique Tarrio's arrest.

Read the original article on Insider
Last Sunday, the Pentagon said that the USS Nimitz would be stationed in the gulf as Iranian hostility is prevalent. Nimitz will be the base to keep Naval air wings ready to strike targets in Iran.

USS Nimitz to Be in the Middle East to Deter Iranian Hostility

Amidst Tension in the Middle East as Iran will be placed under the Nimitz carrier strike group (CSG). Now more than ever, the Persian Gulf is more volatile than any other occasion.

Until further notice, the American aircraft carrier will be a projection of U.S. military power in the region, for now, said the Pentagon. Another is s deterrent to keep the Iranians on their toes, reported The Epoch Times.

Acting defense secretary Christopher Miller originally intended the massive warship to sail home, according to initial reports. But, in a surprise reversal, he was forced to keep the ship in the gulf after senior military officers disagreed.

Backtracking his position on the matter, Miller, in his statement that indicated vociferous vitriol against President Trump and U.S. officials, is considered a palpable threat. He decided to keep the carrier strike group ready for action.

His exact orders were to stop the redeployment of the Nimitz to another destination. The carrier will be under the U.S. Central Command area of operations until notice. It should be impressed that the U.S. resolution on any future action is not to be doubted.

Background on USS Nimitz's presence is the situation with Iran hostilities and tensions is the death of the Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani. He was assassinated using a drone, and it was successful; America killed an adversary. Soleimani is the head of the secret Quds Force within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Also read: US Warning to Iran: Sends B-52 Carpet Bombers to See If Nukes Were Built

According to President Hassan Rouhani, who said that Iran is keen on avenging his death, the top general's death is seen as a sore point for Iran.

Rouhani boasted that Trump would be threatened in power and his safety. He added that Trump would be disgraced for dealing with an Iran causing instability in the middle east last December 31.

Iran's leader went on the deep end of the pool when he accused Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Germany, and Britain of having a hand in the general's assassination.

To retaliate for the death of Soleimani's which prompted a rocket attack on American installations in the region. The fallen leader of the Quds force has been active in planning the deaths of American troops and civilians through the years. He was planning more attacks before remote weapons took him out.

Not taking chances are U.S. officials putting assets in the gulf on high alert to avoid potential casualties. Keeping and protecting interests in the Middle East is the priority. Iran is the number one suspect in the rocket attack in Baghdad that killed a civilian.

Trump posted a tweet that warned Iran to tread lightly if an American is killed and think it over on December 23.

American carrier strike groups (CSGs) are always deployed in the middle east, from the USS Abraham Lincoln deployed in 2019 to deter aggression against United States interests. Other bases are established in Saudi Arabia too.

The USS Nimitz should have been on the way back, but Iranian hostilities will need the CSG there until further notice.

Related article: US Sends B-52Hs Flight to the Middle East as a Warning to Iran

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Australian firefighters are battling an out-of-control bushfire that is threatening lives and homes in Perth

An out-of-control bushfire threatened lives and homes in Australia's west coast city of Perth Monday, with locals told to shelter in place from toxic fumes.

Residents in several suburbs south of Perth have been warned to be on watch as around 150 firefighters battled a blaze which has razed more than 230 hectares since Saturday.

The local emergency department downgraded the fire from earlier "emergency" level, but warned there was still "a possible threat to lives and homes as a fire is burning in the area and conditions are changing".

It is not known what triggered the fire.

Hazardous and reeking fumes emanating from a burning rubbish tip are also causing concern, with locals told to "shelter in place for safety".

Several roads were forced to close and motorists have been told not to travel to the fire-stricken area.

There are other wildfires in and around the Perth metropolitan area too, including one that forced the evacuation of a retirement village on Sunday in the southeast suburb of Gosnells.

About 60 people were moved to safety and an evacuation centre has been set up in the area.

Hot and windy conditions - pushing 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit)are forecast for Perth this week.

Residents in several Perth suburbs have been warned to be on watch as firefighters battle the blaze

Western Australia was spared the brunt of last summer's devastating climate change-fuelled wildfires, which mostly ravaged the country's two most populous states New South Wales and Victoria.

The fires razed more than 24 million hectares of drought-stricken bushland and forest across Australia in late 2019 and early 2020, killing more than 30 people and destroying thousands of homes.

Explore further New Zealand firefighters beating forest blaze

 2021 AFP
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Domestic sales of Indias largest manufacturer of two-wheelers, Hero MotoCorp, grew 3.16 percent in December to 425,033 units as against 412,009 units sold in the same month in 2019. The company said that consumer sentiments are expected to improve and the positive trend will continue. (Image: Hero MotoCorp)

The maker of Activa and Unicorn, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, saw its domestic sales in December rise 5 percent to 242,046 units as against 230,197 units clocked in the same month in 2019. 2021 marks the 20th anniversary year for Honda in India. (Image: Honda)

Pune-based Bajaj Auto, Indias third largest maker of two-wheelers, clocked 3.63 percent growth in December volumes to 128,642 units in the domestic market as against 124,125 units sold in December 2019. (Image: Bajaj Auto)

TVS Motor Company, the producer of Apache and Jupiter models, saw its domestic sales go up by 12.5 percent to 176,912 units during December as against 157,244 units clocked December 2019. (Image: TVS Motor Company)

Niche bike maker Royal Enfield clocked the best growth among its peers with volumes rising 35 percent to 65,492 units as against 48,489 units clocked in December 2019. The Chennai-based company which makes Interceptor and Classic range of bikes is Indias fifth largest bike maker. (Image: Royal Enfield)

India Yamaha Motors saw its domestic sales rise by 33 percent to 39,224 units in December as against 29,486 units clocked in the same month in 2019. The maker of Fascino and R15 models said it expects overall demand to continue growing in 2021. (Image: Yamaha)


By Ritah Kemigisa

The ministry of Health has announced that Uganda will access the COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca.

This is based on evidence available and recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Committee.

The resolution has been announced by the ministry permanent secretary Dr Diana Atwine following a meeting by the covid-19 task force team chaired by President Museveni at state house on Saturday.

Dr Atwine adds that government will also explore other traditional vaccines options such as the one from China, when they receive approval from the World Health Organization.

She meanwhile assures Ugandans that access of the vaccine will be done in an equitable manner starting with the most vulnerable and those at more risk.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are 48 vaccines under clinical evaluation in various countries with prospects of release this year.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Mumbai Police's crime branch had argued that Dasgupta, in connivance with another senior BARC official and ARG Outlier Media Pvt Ltd's owner Arnab Goswami, manipulated the TRPs of Republic TV and Republic Bharat (Hindi)

Mumbai: A local court on Monday rejected the bail plea of Partho Dasgupta, former CEO of the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), who was arrested in the alleged manipulation of TRP (Television Rating Points) scam.

Dasgupta had filed an application seeking bail on 30 December after the court remanded him to judicial custody. On Monday, a court of metropolitan magistrate in Mumbai rejected Dasgupta's application.

Dasgupta's advocate Kamlesh Ghumre said an appeal would be filed in the sessions court this week.

In his application, Dasgupta had claimed that he was only an employee of the BARC and not a "whole and sole (authority)", and that there are board of directors and a disciplinary committee above him in the council.

Mumbai Police's crime branch had, however, argued that Dasgupta, in connivance with another senior official from the BARC and ARG Outlier Media Pvt Ltd's owner Arnab Goswami, manipulated the TRPs of Republic TV and Republic Bharat (Hindi).

The police had claimed that Goswami paid in lakhs to Dasgupta in return for the manipulation.
Equity benchmark Sensex jumped nearly 300 points in opening trade on Monday, tracking gains in index majors ITC, Infosys and ICICI Bank as investors cheered domestic COVID-19 vaccine approvals. The 30-share BSE index touched its lifetime intra-day high of 48,168.22 in early trade. It was trading 272.73 points or 0.57 per cent higher at 48,141.71, and the broader NSE Nifty surged 90.90 points or 0.65 per cent to a record high of 14,109.40.

TCS was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 2 per cent, followed by ONGC, SBI, L&T, Infosys, HCL Tech, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank. On the other hand, HDFC, Asian Paints and Reliance Industries were among the laggards.

In the previous session, Sensex rose by 117.65 points or 0.25 per cent to close at a fresh lifetime-high of 47,868.98, while Nifty closed at an all-time high of 14,018.50. Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) were net buyers in the capital market as they purchased shares worth Rs 506.21 crore on a net basis on Friday, according to provisional exchange data.

Domestic equities continue to look firm. Strong economic key data in terms of GST collections, power demand and railway freight for December 2020 will continue to offer strength to the market, said Binod Modi Head-Strategy at Reliance Securities. Additionally, final approval for two COVID-19 vaccines and likely commencement of the inoculation process soon are positive for the markets and economy.

Positive FPI flows are expected to sustain in subsequent weeks. Further, DIIs turning net buyers on Friday was also a positive indication for the market. 3QFY21 earnings and Union Budget will be crucial events for the market in the near term, which will offer clarity about the sustainability of demand momentum, he stated. Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in Shanghai, Seoul and Hong Kong were trading on a positive note in mid-session deals, while Tokyo was in the red.

Meanwhile, the global oil benchmark, Brent crude futures, were trading 0.98 per cent higher at USD 52.31 per barrel.
Donald Trump is said to have ordered defense officials to keep the USS Nimitz in the Middle East after the Pentagon had said it would pull the aircraft carrier out of the region.

Acting defense secretary, Christopher C. Miller, announced its redeployment in a 'de-escalatory' signal to Tehran in the run-up to Sunday's one-year anniversary of the killing of General Qassem Soleimani, officials told the New York Times Saturday.

But the president is then said to have overturned Miller's order, a senior defense official told CNN. Miller said Sunday that the carrier would stay in the Middle East.

He said in a statement: 'Due to the recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President Trump and other U.S. government officials, I have ordered the USS Nimitz to halt its routine redeployment.

'The USS Nimitz will now remain on station in the U.S. Central Command area of operations. No one should doubt the resolve of the United States of America.'

A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters the carrier was expected to stay outside the Arabian Sea. On Monday the US Navy shared a series of pictures of the carrier helping off the coast of Somalia.

Acting defense secretary, Christopher C. Miller, had ordered the redeployment of USS Nimitz away from the region in a 'de-escalatory' signal to Tehran

The USS Nimitz had been ordered home on January 1; by January 4 it was told to remain in the Middle East at the direction of Donald Trump

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Mark Milley, and the head of U.S. Central Command, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie had objected to the move, officials told The Wall Street Journal.

Miller, who was installed as acting Pentagon chief after Trump fired Mark Esper just days after the November 3 election, reportedly overruled McKenzie, his top military commander in the Middle East.

The general wanted to extend the deployment of the Nimitz and keep it in the region as a deterrent, according to The New York Times.

The president, left, is said to overturned Miller's order, a senior defense official told CNN . Miller, right, then said Sunday that the carrier would stay in the Middle East

A NATO official told Business Insider: 'I suspect they will say there was new information or a new threat and that the Nimitz was needed to stay in the area but there will be widespread suspicions that Trump overruled the redeployment for his own political or emotional concerns.'

U.S. concerns have been tied to the approach of the January 3 anniversary of the American airstrike that killed Iran's top commander, Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of the killing of General Qassem Soleimani

Iran initially retaliated with a ballistic missile strike on a military base in neighboring Iraq that caused dozens of brain concussion injuries but no deaths among U.S. troops. But U.S. officials are concerned that Iran might be planning further retaliation.

Crowds chanted 'revenge' and 'no to America' in a protest in Tehran to mark the day.

Sharing pictures of the carrier Monday, the US Navy tweeted: '#USSNimitz provides close-air support to Operation Octave Quartz, a mission aimed at relocating @DeptofDefense forces in Somalia to other East Africa operating locations while maintaining pressure on violent extremists and supporting partner forces. #ForceToBeReckonedWith.'

The Nimitz, based in Washington state, has been in Gulf waters since late November. It was ordered Friday to 'transit directly home to complete a nearly 10-month deployment.'

It is not known how long it will now stay in the region.

On Monday the US Navy shared a series of pictures of the carrier, tweeting: '#USSNimitz provides close-air support to Operation Octave Quartz, a mission aimed at relocating @DeptofDefense forces in Somalia to other East Africa operating locations while maintaining pressure on violent extremists and supporting partner forces. #ForceToBeReckonedWith'

The Nimitz, based in Washington state, has been in Gulf waters since late November. It was ordered Friday to 'transit directly home to complete a nearly 10-month deployment'

A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the carrier was expected to stay outside the Arabian Sea. It is not known how long it will now stay in the region.

Trump recently cited 'chatter' that Iran might strike. Days after a December 20 rocket attack on the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad by Iranian-supported Shiite militia groups, Trump tweeted that Iran was on notice.

'Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over,' Trump wrote on Dec. 23. He added, 'We hear chatter of additional attacks against Americans in Iraq.'

Strategic calculations on both sides are further complicated by the political transition in Washington to a Biden administration that may seek new paths to dealing with Iran.

President-elect Joe Biden has said, for example, that he hopes to return the U.S. to a 2015 agreement with world powers in which Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.

Miller said in a statement: 'Due to the recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President Trump and other U.S. government officials, I have ordered the USS Nimitz to halt its routine redeployment. The USS Nimitz will now remain on station in the U.S. Central Command area of operations'

The U.S. has maintained a near-continuous aircraft carrier presence in the Persian Gulf region since the USS Abraham Lincoln was sent in May 2019 amid concerns that Iran was considering attacking U.S. interests in the region. The U.S. also sent additional land-based attack planes and reestablished a troop presence in Saudi Arabia.

The Nimitz deployed from the U.S. in April and was due to return before the end of the year.

In early December, its planned return was postponed, in part out of concerns about potential Iranian threats, and more recently it was ordered to provide support off the coast of Somalia for the movement of American forces out of the country.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-03 23:54:44|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Sunday called for collaborative action to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic as the country has started seeing an increase in cases in the second wave of the disease.

The Zambian president said COVID-19 was real and could only be defeated when all stakeholders acted together.

According to him, strict adherence to prescribed public health regulations was vital if the current outbreak was to be contained.

Zambia has been hit by the second wave of the pandemic, resulting in increased cases.

Reports in local media indicate that the country's main isolation center in Lusaka, the country's capital was at full capacity.

The Zambian president warned recently that the government will be forced to introduce tough measures in order to contain the pandemic if people continued disregarding preventive health guidelines.

Meanwhile, the country recorded 352 new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the cumulative cases to 21,582. Enditem
New York  Just weeks after Onondaga County agreed to pay the deadbeat owner of ShoppingTown Mall $3.5 million, the companys CEO bought a multimillion dollar condo in a Trump building in Manhattan.

Moonbeam Capital Investments CEO Steven Maksin and his wife Natalie bought the condo on Dec. 14 for $9 million, according to city records. Its located in Trump World Tower at 845 United Nations Plaza, according to The Real Deal, a New York City real estate news site

Onondaga County legislators approved buying ShoppingTown for $3.5 million on Dec. 1 as part of a court settlement over taxes owed by the malls owner, ShoppingTown NY LLC, a Moonbeam company.

The county had been trying to seize control of ShoppingTown for back taxes for over a year. In addition to the $3.5 million payment, the settlement deal forgives the malls $11 million tax debt.

But the settlement also puts the property in county hands at last. County Executive Ryan McMahon has said the goal is to find a new buyer for the mall who will redevelop it and return it to productive use after years of neglect by Moonbeam.

Moonbeam bought the mall at an auction in 2013 for $14.2 million. Maksin visited the property soon after and promised redevelopment. He said the company was committed to turning ShoppingTown around.

Moonbeam officials talked for years about a mixed-used redevelopment, but never followed through and back taxes piled up.

A stream of big-name national tenants left until only a handful of small, local retailers, dance studios and workout spaces remained. Even the malls pizza place eventually left.

The roof leaked constantly.

The tower thats home to Maksins new condo was developed by President Donald Trump and completed in 2001.

It was once considered the citys most valuable condo tower, according to The Real Deal. It was assessed at $238 million in 2016.

Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598
Regardless of what has happened since the election two months ago, or what may happen in the next few weeks, Joe Biden will almost assuredly be inaugurated the president on Jan. 20, and Donald J. Trumps official reign of presidential terror will end that day.

But, that is cold comfort, as we have trudged through these last months of President Trump trying, at every turn, to overthrow the will of the people by overturning the election he lost in November. Even if his ultimate loss is inevitably secured, it seems as though he is burning down the village as he retreats.

Trump has essentially claimed that fraud occurred during the election in large swing-state cities within counties that have large African-American populations  cities like Detroit, Milwaukee and Philadelphia. But theres a problem with that implicit theory, as The New York Times pointed out in November: All three cities voted pretty much the same way they did in 2016. Turnout barely budged, relative to other areas in these states. Joseph R. Biden Jr. saw no remarkable surge in support  certainly nothing that would bolster claims of ballot stuffing or tampered vote tallies. Mr. Trump even picked up marginally more votes this year in all three cities than he did four years ago.

Trump didnt lose this election in the cities, he lost it in the suburbs. But that thought is antithetical to the war Trump wants to wage in America between the suburbs and what he deems problematic inner cities and Democrat-run cities  code for where concentrations of Black people and other people of color live. That prevailing racialized perception in conservative politics is part of the danger that Trumps campaign to undermine the election poses: It threatens to strengthen efforts to disenfranchise Black voters and other voters of color who disproportionately vote for Democrats in the future.
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[January 04, 2021] Adviser to Ave Maria Mutual Funds Announces Portfolio Manager Promotions

Schwartz Investment Counsel, Inc. (the Firm), the investment adviser for the Ave Maria Mutual Funds, has announced portfolio manager promotions effective January 1, 2021. For the Ave Maria Value Fund (Ticker: AVEMX), Ryan M. Kuyawa, CFA was named co- Portfolio Manager, joining Lead Portfolio Manager Timothy S. Schwartz, CFA. For the Ave Maria World Equity Fund (Ticker: AVEWX), Anthony W. Gennaro, CFA, CPA was named co-Portfolio Manager, joining Lead Portfolio Manager Joseph W. Skornicka, CFA. George P. Schwartz, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Ryan and Anthony both joined the Firm in 2019 and have significant investment experience. In their tenures with Schwartz Investment Counsel, Inc. they have proven themselves as outstanding research analysts and we are confident in their abilities in their new roles as portfolio managers." About Ave Maria Mutual Funds Ave Maria Mutual Funds is the largest family of Catholic mutual funds in the U.S with over $2.6 billion in assets under management. The six no-load funds invest in companies that do not violate core values and teachings of the Catholic Church. The two largest funds are the $949 million Ave Maria Growth Fund (Ticker: AVEGX) and $858 million Ave Maria Rising Dividend Fund (Ticker: AVEDX). For moe information about Ave Maria Mutual Funds, call 1-866-AVE-MARIA (866-283-6274) or visit www.avemariafunds.com.



About Schwartz Investment Counsel, Inc. Schwartz Investment Counsel, Inc. is a Registered Investment Adviser. Founded in 1980, the Firm is headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan with a branch office in Ave Maria, Florida. In managing the Ave Maria Mutual Funds, investments are made only if companies meet the Funds' financial and moral criteria. As such, returns may be lower or higher than if decisions were based solely on investment considerations. The Funds' method of security selection may or may not be successful and the Funds may underperform or outperform the stock market as a whole. All mutual funds are subject to market risk, including possible loss of principal. For more information about Schwartz Investment Counsel, Inc., visit www.schwartzinvest.com.

Request a prospectus, which includes investment objectives, risks, fees, expenses, and other information that you should read and consider carefully before investing. The prospectus can be obtained by calling 1-866-283-6274 or it can be viewed at www.avemariafunds.com. Distributed by Ultimus Fund Distributors LLC. 11706403-UFD-12/23/2020 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005109/en/

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Hunterdon Care Center in Flemington is among the first facilities in New Jersey to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, the facility announced on Monday.

For us, this is like a dream come true, said Director of Nursing Sharon Slockbower. After so many months of caring for patients despite the risk to their own health, our caregivers are finally getting a huge boost of protection. Its like the light at the end of the tunnel!

In light of the overwhelming demand, and to maximize the vaccines effectiveness in eventually achieving herd immunity, the vaccine is being made available in stages. The first phase includes healthcare workers who come into contact with patients directly or indirectly.

The administration and nursing department set up a system to administer the vaccine to employees in a safe and efficient manner. Nurses, CNAs, therapists and other staff members eagerly signed up for their slot.

Thankfully, most residents are also getting the vaccine.

For the centers Robert Kovacs, who served as administrator until the outbreak of COVID, the breakthrough is especially poignant. Kovacs contracted the virus early on. Although he received a life-saving plasma transfusion, Kovacs had a protracted convalescence at home due to lingering effects of the virus. He recently returned to the center on a modified schedule.

Hunterdon Care Center is my second home, Kovacs said. Nothing could make me happier than knowing that my extended family of caregivers are getting the measure of protection they so deserve.

After his initial dire prognosis, Kovacs eventually rebounded. His discharge from the hospital several months ago, flanked by emotional hospital staff and family members, was broadcast on television. While recuperating, Kovacs maintained constant contact with the current administrator, Steven Lampert.

I look forward to the day that this pandemic will be completely behind us and we can return to the old normal of not so long ago, Kovacs said.
Name: Jim Chilton

Company: Cengage Learning

Job title: CIO

Date started current role: February 2017

Location: Boston, MA

Jim Chilton is CIO at Cengage, a $1.3B, global education and technology company based in Boston. Jim has more than 25 years of experience delivering technology and business system innovations. At Cengage, he is responsible for driving the companys digital transformation efforts and building successful internal technology strategies. He is also actively involved in Boston-area community work as a mentor and Advisory Board member for Apprenti. This non-profit organisation is a proven, reliable pipeline for underrepresented groups inclusive of all races, genders and veterans to gain training, certification and placement within the talent-hungry tech industry.

What was your first job? My first job in the technology world was at Dataproducts, a computer printer company, where I started on the assembly line to make and test computer printers. The company developed and manufactured computer printers for IBM, DEC, Wang and produced American Airlines first ticket printer. Oddly enough, no one really wanted to work on the toy computers associated with the low-end printers, providing an opening for someone like me who learned basic programming in my senior year of high school. This became my entry point into my love of both process-based manufacturing and computer technology. As a result, I began pursuing my degree in those disciplines while working at Dataproducts.

Did you always want to work in IT? Not really  my initial interest was in mechanical and process engineering. During my studies, computer science emerged as my preferred area of interest, so I changed my majors and later pursued my MBA. Since then, I have completed numerous certificates in technology, and additional executive programs. I believe that we never stop learning, and that insatiable appetite has served me well across several industries and five CIO positions.

What was your education? Do you hold any certifications? What are they? I began by pursuing a degree in Mechanical & Process Engineering. During my studies and my work at Dataproducts, computer science emerged as my preferred area of interest, so I changed my major and completed my Bachelor of Computer Science and went on to complete my MBA. Long before online school was an option, I was a night student, attending classes in the evenings while continuing my work in the computer printer industry. In my earlier days, I was a certified Novell Engineer, and an Aix, HPUX, and SunOS certified Administrator.

Explain your career path. Did you take any detours? If so, discuss. I have enjoyed a broad and varied career. Ive been lucky to have had a great number of opportunities which have allowed me to explore different aspects of business from a variety of vantage points and functions. For example, I was able to run operations at an enterprise software company while pursing my MBA. In this role, I led the professional services team, technical support and traditional IT organisations. It proved to be an amazing learning experience being able to see the enterprise implementation world from both sides of the table. Much later in my career at Dassault Systemes, I stepped into a Strategy and Sales operations leadership role as we focused on the transformation from on premise software to SaaS-based solutions. All of these experiences along the way have led me to becoming a more effective CIO.

What business or technology initiatives will be most significant in driving IT investments in your organisation in the coming year? Over the course of the past several years, our Global Technology Solutions (GTS) team has followed a consistent method of identifying and planning technology investments on a three-year basis. Using tools designed and developed by our team, we work with our business partners to understand their challenges and needs. By evaluating technology requests against a set of business strategy and technology criteria, were ensuring we focus our investments on efforts that produce the greatest business value and ROI. Examples of game changing technology implementations in support of business goals include:

Customer Facing initiatives including re-engineered business systems, infrastructure and cloud services critical to accommodate three times capacity required by the Cengage Unlimited product launch  the first, all-access subscription service for the college course materials market which today has more than 2.2M subscribers. We also implemented a subscription engine resulting in reduced call volumes for customer support, elimination of highly manual activities, and better tracking of student account handling. Powered by SAP, the Subscription Engine is ever more critical for our companys acceleration of digital transformation initiatives, with COVID-19 increasing the urgency to deploy digital solutions. Finally, we implemented com CRM, delivering service cloud/sales cloud implementations for our library business, GALE, as well as our higher ed business. This also established a foundation for a full 360-degree customer view in a simplified manner using an industry leading SaaS platform.

including re-engineered business systems, infrastructure and cloud services critical to accommodate three times capacity required by the Cengage Unlimited product launch  the first, all-access subscription service for the college course materials market which today has more than 2.2M subscribers. We also implemented a subscription engine resulting in reduced call volumes for customer support, elimination of highly manual activities, and better tracking of student account handling. Powered by SAP, the Subscription Engine is ever more critical for our companys acceleration of digital transformation initiatives, with COVID-19 increasing the urgency to deploy digital solutions. Finally, we implemented com CRM, delivering service cloud/sales cloud implementations for our library business, GALE, as well as our higher ed business. This also established a foundation for a full 360-degree customer view in a simplified manner using an industry leading SaaS platform. Internal efficiency implementations are focused on simplifying our data models and data management to accelerate business transformation and organisation of tomorrow. We also implemented OKTA with MFA presenting a roadblock that attackers must overcome, greatly reducing the number and impact of security events leveraging stolen employee credentials.

What are the CEO's top priorities for you in the coming year? How do you plan to support the business with IT? One of our strategic priorities is the continued transformation from textbook publisher to a digital-first education and technology company. Our world class content provided by some of the best minds in their fields, such as Harvard Professor Greg Mankiws Principles of Economics, delivered on our innovative SaaS-based platforms requires a foundational enablement provided by our technology solutions team.

My teams mission is to accelerate digital transformation by enabling innovation, simplifying our technology landscape, automating business processes, securing our environment and becoming customer focused. On top of this, we are ensuring safe and secure business continuity with 5,000 employees working from home, whilst still continuing our transformation of our industry by providing quality digital learning solutions for our customers. Our multitude of behind-the-scenes systems will support these initiatives and help accomplish their delivery.

Does the conventional CIO role include responsibilities it should not hold? Should the role have additional responsibilities it does not currently include? One of the real benefits of the CIO role is the ability to participate in every area of the business. While we must manage all the conventional responsibilities to earn the right to participate in other areas of the business, todays modern CIO is participating at the strategic level of the corporate, product and services capabilities. This is especially so for those companies aiming to transform their business models. CIOs must adapt to each unique role and defy boundaries for which a CIO has traditionally been expected to participate or lead in. I see the role of the CIO as expanding especially as the end-to-end experience is over traditional product use cases. At Cengage, we are working together with R&D and Customer Support to provide the best possible connected experience for our customers. This project would not be possible if we hadnt expanded the CIO role to oversee and ensure accountability from all teams involved. Depending on the company and industry, I see a CIO owning more on the product side, because most meaningful digital solutions today are an integration of products, back-office, web, and cloud to deliver a frictionless experience for the customer.

In terms of CIO responsibilities that should potentially live elsewhere, there are a few areas I have seen an evolution of in recent years that could necessitate a shift in structure. Recently Ive seen Security and Cloud separate, largely to do with the unique demands and needs. I have spent the majority of my career at Software and High-Tech companies, where we see additional value in these roles separated from the CIO team. As an example, a security company that is focused on selling to CSO/CISO, will have a great sales tool if their CSO is capable of being customer facing and able to help tell their story. Also, in highly regulated industries where security standing on its own, may provide additional visibility within the company. Unfortunately, I have also seen the downside of this as distance between the teams creates tougher work conditions as they really are interdependent between these groups.

I also see a benefit if more project management leadership and Program Management Office (PMOs) could roll up into the CIO. Today many business unit leaders from all functions find their ways into SaaS based solutions, getting deep into selection and implementation  and then stub their toes when it needs to be integrated into the rest of the eco-system. This is especially the case as they learn about compliance requirements for GDPR, CCPA, etc. and security and implications of PII. Many business leaders, albeit experts in their function, struggle to navigate these waters. Too often these leaders are not able to see beyond their function or business unit, leaving the systems to be recreated, replicated, or worse re-purchased somewhere else in the company. It is imperative that the CIO organisation is Business Unit and Function agnostic whose primary job is to see across the entire company and provide cost effective and capable systems to everyone, not just one part of the company.

When I think about digital transformation by companies moving toward SaaS and cloud-based solutions I see many opportunities for CIOs to take on additional duties and areas. As an example, I moved into a strategy role from the CIO role at Dassault Systemes as we began our transformation to lead our customers into the 3D experience from our legacy house of brands. It was my knowledge from the CIO lens that uniquely prepared me to help during this pivotal time for that team.

Are you leading a digital transformation? If so, does it emphasise customer experience and revenue growth or operational efficiency? If both, how do you balance the two? Cengage has transformed from a 100-year old traditional textbook publisher into a digital products and content SaaS provider to millions of students globally. We are changing our business to align with the needs of the market and our customers as opposed to doing what we have always done. We are changing the education industry to reflect our belief that learning should not be something that is only available to those who can afford it - but rather available to all who want to learn.

We are leading the way in customer experience  a big differentiator from other companies in our industry. All technology companies have challenges in their customers experience and the question that differentiates us from our competitors is how we deal with them during difficult times. As a result of COVID-19, we have moved all of our employees to remote work, including customer service agents who have to continually perform, especially during peak back to school season. To enable this from the technology side, we have accelerated our telephone remote capabilities, our chat capabilities, our complete deployment of SalesForce to enable this workforce and better support our customers. Though the short-term has been hard  including when 45,000 professors who were not customers called us in March to help finish their semester. We didnt ask for purchase orders, we just helped them. Cengage was the first publisher to offer free access to digital materials and learning platforms as well as support to educators and students across the country when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. We were able to quickly pivot to support students and instructors with online learning because of the Cengage Unlimited access model which made it easy to flip the switch  allowing educators and students to have access to all our content and learning tools.

Our teams are constantly working on finding the right balance between business viability and customer enablement. We are able to balance the two because our deep-rooted culture of meeting the needs and empowering students is leading us into markets where we can innovate and impact learners at scale.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a large effect on worldwide media.

There is some increased censorship and harassment of reporters in several countries. But there is also a growing belief in the importance of truthful reporting, media experts say.

In early December, the World Press Freedom Conference met online to discuss problems facing reporters. It said some small news organizations were forced out of business and reporters in some countries have faced threats.

But the group said the main problem for the news industry was an avalanche of disinformation.

Now more than ever we need news we can trust, said Jesper Hjberg. He is executive director of the Denmark-based nonprofit International Media Support (IMS). He spoke in a video to the members. He also said that the need for truthful information has shown the public the importance of critical, reliable information.

Some emergency measures taken because of the spread of COVID-19 have been used to restrict the media this year. The group IMS assists media in countries affected by conflict or insecurity. It contacted its partners to get an understanding of what is happening to press freedom in their countries.

We've been very conscious of the importance of fully understanding how COVID-19 has affectedthe reality of our partners, Hjberg told VOA.

The IMS findings showed both good and bad effects on the media, including an increase in readers and listeners.

Hojberg said his organization has seen officials blocking webpages that are trying to provide a different information reality.

But the IMS also saw a slow, but steady increase of trust in media and civil society as citizens looked for information they were unable to get from government officials.

Media survival

The media has experienced job losses and closures during the pandemic. Support for the media industry is part of a separate project by UNESCO and World Association of News Publishers.

Those organizations said in a joint statement that the decimation of solid, truthful reporting in many areas of the world is a growing threat.

Guy Berger is director of freedom of expression and media development at UNESCO. He told VOA the project is a way to help local media during the digital age, but also to assist with the COVID-19 pandemics effect on local economies.

The project covers many different news providers, including broadcast, community radio and news websites. The aim is to mainly deal with countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia, Berger said.

We will be looking at the markets, audiences, regulations, as well as the business and journalistic practices of individual media, Berger said. He added that they plan to have the research completed by the first half of 2021.

The research will lead to policy recommendations to help develop a strong and independent media environment, Berger explained.

UNESCO will also partner with a working group under the Forum on Information & Democracy. Several other organizations were working on the same issue so it made sense to cooperate, Berger said.

The two groups will inform each other about their work, as well as other stakeholders in the media development community. UNESCO will be an observer at the working group, he added.

The pandemic has revealed the importance of ensuring that local media survives.

I think some of the media that we work with also have gained a completely new sense of purpose, said Hjberg, of the IMS, adding that having independent media during such a crisis is extremely important.

Im Susan Shand.

Voice of Americas Aneeta Mathur-Ashton reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

____________________________________________________________

Words In This Story

censorship  n. a system of removing from books, movies, letter and other media unapproved material

harassment  n. repeatedly bothering or causing problems for someone

avalanche  n. a sudden amount of something; a large amount of snow or ice

reliable  adj. able to be trusted or believed in

decimation  n. to damage or destroy a large number of things or a large part of something

journalism  n. the job of collecting, writing and editing new stories for newspapers, magazines, television and radio

stakeholder  n. a person or business that has invested money in something, such as a company
Millions of Kenyan pupils returned to school on Monday for the first time since classes were dismissed 10 months earlier due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Mask-wearing students had their temperatures checked before entering school to repeat their lost academic year, in what was both a relief and a concern to their parents.

"As a parent I am pleased that the children are back in school," said mother Hildah Musimbi.

"At the moment we have got a lot of fear because we really don't know if other children in school have the virus or even if the teachers have the virus, or even if the support staff in school have the virus."

Kenya shut schools in March 2020 when the new coronavirus arrived in the country, and partially re-opened to select classes in October.

All primary and highschool students returned on Monday, while universities and colleges were free to open and would do so on varying dates.

"We are happy to be back in school, that was a long break," Mercy Nderi, a pupil at Kasarani Primary School in Nairobi said.

Teachers turned back students who were not wearing facemasks, while struggling to maintain social distancing in crowded classrooms.

"It is difficult because we don't have sufficient desks to ensure we keep children one metre (yard) away from each other but we are trying our best," said Mvurya Mumbia, a headteacher at Voi Primary School.

When schools were partially re-opened in October, there was a spike in COVID-19 cases, with pupils and teachers falling ill and at least one school principal dying.

Kenya has had almost 97,000 cases and over 1,600 deaths since the start of the outbreak, with a surge in its positivity rate of up to 20 percent in October decreasing to below five percent in the past week.

"The turnout is good and as you have seen, apart from crowding, all students are wearing their masks and teachers are ready to teach so let us support them," Education Minister George Magoha said when he toured Olympic Primary School in Nairobi's Kibera slum, the largest in the country with 4,700 pupils.

"There is no reason why parents should fail to send children to school," he said.

"We have put in place adequate safety measures but they need to ensure they give them masks."

President Uhuru Kenyatta this weekend extended a 10:00pm to 4:00am curfew until March 12.

Kenyans have been under some form of nighttime curfew since March 25 last year, when they were ordered to stay indoors from 7:00pm. In July this was moved back to 9:00pm and in September to 11:00pm, before being taken back to 10:00pm in November as cases soared.

Short link:


Online cancel culture is like a "medieval mob looking for someone to burn", Rowan Atkinson has claimed.

The star of Blackadder and Mr Bean has long advocated for free speech and has campaigned against legislation he believes stifles expression.

Atkinson, 65, is fearful of the online practice of silencing unpopular opinions by calling out those who hold them and making them pariahs. He has compared the trend to medieval societies rooting out heretics to burn at the stake.

Rown Atkinson says online cancel culture is equivalent to medieval societies rooting out heretics to burn at the stake. Credit:Quentin Jones

The actor believes this culture of "cancelling" individuals is a threat both to the victims of the online mob and to the future of free speech.
LONDON and NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Clayton, Dubilier & Rice ("CD&R") announced today an agreement to acquire Wolseley UK ("Wolseley"), a leading specialist distributor of plumbing, heating, climate control, pipe and infrastructure & utility products in the United Kingdom, from Ferguson plc. Through a carve-out transaction for a net consideration of 308 million, Wolseley will become an independent company wholly owned by CD&R funds and management.

The transaction represents the twelfth building products and industrial distribution investment completed by CD&R over the last decade. In 2020, CD&R carved-out White Cap, a leading distributor of specialty construction products, from HD Supply and completed a partnership investment in SIG plc, a UK-listed building products distributor.

The Wolseley brand dates back to the late 19th century and is one of the most respected and well-known in the UK. Today Wolseley is a leading distributor of plumbing and building materials and products, generating approximately 1.5 billion of revenue in FY2020. Nearly two-thirds of the company's revenue is derived from residential renovation, maintenance, and improvement activities. In addition to plumbing and heating products and the associated pipes, valves, and fittings, the company offers air conditioning and refrigeration products to commercial customers as well as products to the civil infrastructure and utilities markets.

Bruno Deschamps, Operating Advisor to CD&R funds and former COO of Ecolab, will serve as Chairman of Wolseley upon the close of the transaction, expected in the first quarter of 2021. Wolseley is led by Chief Executive Officer Simon Oakland, who will continue in that role.

"We believe that Wolseley, as a freestanding enterprise, can accelerate growth, enhance customer service, and create rewarding career opportunities for our colleagues," said Mr. Oakland. "CD&R has extensive experience supporting branch-based networks like ours and shares our vision to continue to build Wolseley's entrepreneurial culture and relentless focus on customer satisfaction."

"Wolseley is a market-leading distribution platform in an industry where CD&R has extensive prior experience and success, and we believe it represents a compelling opportunity to invest at an inflection point and work with a highly credible management team to drive operating improvements and accretive M&A," said CD&R Partner Christian Rochat.

"Providing strategic capital to corporate, family, and founder owned businesses has been a central tenet of CD&R's strategy for more than forty years," David Novak, CD&R Co-President, observed. "The disruption of the past ten months has demonstrated the constructive role that we can play providing both capital and operating capabilities to support good businesses. We have a great appreciation for the strengths of Wolseley and look forward to partnering with the leadership team."

Clifford Chance and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP served as CD&R's legal advisors in the transaction.

About Wolseley

Founded in 1887, Wolseley is a leading UK distributor of plumbing and heating products. The Company operates through 542 branches and three distribution centers and employs approximately 5,000 FTEs. For more information, visit www.wolseley.co.uk.

About Clayton, Dubilier & Rice

Founded in 1978, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice is a private investment firm with a strategy predicated on building stronger, more profitable businesses. Since inception, CD&R has managed the investment of more than $30 billion in 95 companies with an aggregate transaction value of more than $150 billion. The Firm has offices in New York and London. CD&R has been investing in Europe for more than 20 years, acquiring 19 businesses representing more than $6 billion of capital. For more information, please visit www.cdr-inc.com.

SOURCE Clayton, Dubilier & Rice

Related Links

https://www.cdr-inc.com


Here's how material shortages are hitting home construction

"It's not just that prices are going up; it's how quickly they're going up and nothing's coming down," said CEO of the PA Builders Association.
Nobody knows the exact date but it is believed the Baroque monument was damaged during the summer.

Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona has been damaged but nobody appears to know who is responsible or when the incident took place, reports Huffington Post.

The face of the Nile lion belonging to the 17th-century Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi is missing its lower jaw, together with teeth, tongue and the hair under its chin.

The damage was highlighted by the art historian Martin Raspe of the Hertziana Library in Rome, in an article by Teodoro De Giorgio in the Huffington Post, and reported subsequently by Artslife and Finestre sull'Arte.

It is not known when the damage occurred: De Giorgio carried out a search among hundreds of photographs available on the internet and found that on 21 June the lion's jaw was still intact.

There are various interpretations over when exactly the lion lost its jaw, with some people suggesting that the sculpture was still intact on 23 July but already damaged by 27 August, reports Finestre sull'Arte.

The fact remains, however, that nobody seems to have noticed, or reported, when the masterpiece was damaged or where the missing fragment is now. It is essential to find it, writes De Giorgio in Huffington Post, to proceed, without wasting further time, with the restoration.

The incident also raises questions about the surveillance of the Baroque monument, one of Rome's most majestic and most-photographed fountains.

With the exception of Dr Raspe, who reported the damage as soon as he became aware, De Giorgio asks why nobody else appears to have noticed, adding pointedly that the city's superintendence for cultural heritage is based at Palazzo Braschi, a stone's throw away from the fountain.

The apparent lack of awareness is compounded by the fact that the city staged an elaborate video-mapping light show on the fountain over the Christmas holidays, (defined by De Giorgio as an indecent spectacle that insults the memory of the most important Baroque artist and equates Rome with Las Vegas.)

As Finestre sull'Arte writes: "Now the most urgent hope is that the missing fragment will be found, understand who has damaged the work, and above all understand why no one has noticed."

Piazza Navona 03.00 on 13 July. Tourists swimming in Bernini's 17th-century fountain. Ph. Victoria Wyatt. pic.twitter.com/VYT2FWwcFr  Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) July 13, 2015

In recent years there have been numerous cases of people swimming in the waters of the fountain, some caught and fined by police, others not.

In one incident in 2013 around 20 foreign tourists splashed about in the fountain, with one girl photographed sitting on the fragile tail of the dragon.

A similar incident made international headlines in 2015 when three American tourists swam in the fountain's waters for around 20 minutes, without being arrested.

Cover photo: Finestre sull'Arte. Image on left: the whole lion (ph. Francesco Bini, 2006), on the right the lion without the jaw (ph. @Larissaromeguide via Instagram, 5 December 2020).
MONTREAL, Jan. 4, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - 363 scientists, occupational health specialists, engineers, physicians and nurses from across Canada are calling today on the Premiers and on public health officials from the federal, provincial and territorial governments, to recognize airborne transmission of COVID-19 and to act accordingly.

In July 2020, 239 international scientists drew the attention of global health authorities to this matter. Since the publication of their letter, the World Health Organization and the Public Health Agency of Canada have begun to recognize the transmission of COVID-19 by aerosols. In practice, however, this recognition has not resulted in any significant improvement in protective measures for health workers and other essential service workers.

"Prevention messages from provincial governments continue to be deficient," note the authors of the open letter sent today to Canadian premiers and health authorities. "They do not adequately inform the population about the risks of airborne transmission in shared room air. Employers in workplaces and public institutions must be fully aware of the risks of aerosol transmission and the measures that can be taken to properly limit these risks."

Supported by 34 international experts and 98 Canadian other professionals, the 363 signatories propose the following measures in particular:

- Update the directives and public health messages to take into account the risks of transmission of COVID-19 by aerosols;

- Order the inspection of ventilation systems and finance their upgrading in essential public institutions, such as schools and long-term care homes;

- Distribute portable air filtration units to filter bioaerosols when it is impossible to ventilate an interior space well;

- Ensure that no high-risk healthcare worker (HCW) or essential worker is denied access to a fit-tested respirator (N95, elastomeric or equivalent)

The open letter is available in French and English on the Ricochet Media (French and English), Masks 4 Canada and Covid-Stop websites.

SOURCE Masks 4 Canada

For further information: Requests for interviews with signatories can be made to: Kevin Hedges, [email protected], 647-835-9171; Jennifer McDonald, [email protected], 613-983-3457
New Delhi, Jan 4 : India has crafted a draft policy for the Arctic - the frozen northern cap of the sphere, which is ultra-rich in resources. Apart from the minerals including copious reserves of oil and gas, the Arctic is also opening new and cheaper shipping routes. With climate change also melting polar ice caps, new commercial ships can reach out to both North America and northern Europe, saving time and slashing costs. The government is now seeking feedback from the public so that the policy can be launched at the earliest.

The 'Roadmap for Sustainable Engagement' in the Arctic region and has five pivots - science and research; economic and human development cooperation; transportation and connectivity; governance and international cooperation; and national capacity building. Each of these supports have clear-cut objectives and Action Plans. In policy making circles many are burning the midnight oil to assign timelines, set up a review mechanism, and allocate resources for its implementation.

The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, which is the lead organization for India's Polar research programme, will serve as the nodal agency. As many as 15 other ministries, government departments and institutes will be associated with the implementation of the Policy including the Ministry of External Affairs that would provide the 'external interface' to the Arctic Council. The government also wishes to pursue a multi-stakeholder approach and involve the academia, research community, business and industry. Overall, it is a forward-looking policy with clear cut deliverables that can potentially generate numerous positive spinoffs across domains.

Although the Arctic is a recent entrant in New Delhi's foreign policy horizons, India's engagement in the Arctic dates back to over hundred years when it signed on February 9, 1920 the 'Treaty concerning the Archipelago of Spitsbergen' or the 'Svalbard Treaty'. At that time, India was part of the British overseas dominions and the King of Britain had signed the treaty as the Emperor of India.

India began to look towards the Arctic after its successes in scientific research in the Antarctic, where it set up research stations in the 1980s. It watched with interest the evolving climate-induced changes and strategic developments in the Arctic region. In 2007, a scientific research station 'Himadri' was established at Ny Alesund, Spitsbergen about 1200 kilometers from the North Pole which gave a thrust to India's endeavour in the advancement of polar sciences. Thereafter, in 2013, India was admitted as an Observer in the Arctic Council, a high-level intergovernmental forum for Arctic cooperation set up with the twin-mandate of environmental protection and sustainable development. This was based on India's professed commitment to pursue scientific and environmental research activities.

India's continued interest in the Arctic and the current policy pronouncement comes at a time when the Arctic region is witnessing significant changes. In 2020, the sea ice cover contracted to its second lowest extent in the last five decades. Besides shrinking, the sea ice is getting thinner which is a clear sign that the Arctic is warming rapidly due to heat waves from forest fires in Siberia, warmer temperatures over the Central Arctic, and the thawing permafrost in Russia. These can potentially affect the Indian Monsoon system and the glaciers in the Himalayas, also referred to as the Third Pole. Both issues figure prominently in India's thinking and find reference in the draft Arctic Policy.

India's engagement in the Arctic has predominantly been limited to studies related to polar science, oceanographic, atmospheric, pollutant and microbiology related studies, and continue to this day; but these have expanded the domain of resource development. Part of this shift can be attributed to the evolving geo-economic developments in the North pivoting on oil and gas, mining, opening up of new shipping routes connecting Asia and Europe which would be of immense economic value to India. Although the Arctic Policy acknowledges the economic wealth of the region, it notes the adversarial impacts of increased economic activity, which "necessitate the creation of effective mechanisms that promote responsible business activities based on the three pillars of sustainable development-environmental, economic and social".

The draft Arctic Policy also envisages connecting with the Arctic residents, especially indigenous communities and offer "viable opportunities in different sectors where Indian enterprises can be involved, become part of international commerce, promote traditional indigenous knowledge, businesses and best practices". This should trigger numerous opportunities for the indigenous communities' living in the Himalayan mountain region on issues of conservation and sustainable development of the local habitats and wellbeing of communities. It could very well herald exchanges between the Himalayan communities' and Arctic indigenous people on 'natural values and cultural heritage'. These can be synchronized and adapted to the Goal 11 of the SDG 2030.

India also wants to offer its technological prowess in the field of space technology. Its RESOURCESAT can offer a number of services in the Arctic regions such as land and water management, telecommunications and connectivity, maritime safety and navigation, search and rescue, hydrographic surveys, climate modelling, environmental monitoring and surveillance, mapping and sustainable management of marine resources.

It is important to mention that a considerable area of the Himalayan mountains is "underlain by frozen ice and is sensitive to climate change and global warming...while glaciers have been substantially studied in the northwestern Himalaya, permafrost is not observable spatially". It is also fair to argue that global warming combined with human intervention can result in landslides and avalanches. Also, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) can result in sudden releases of large quantities of water that can wreak havoc on mountain communities. Apparently, there are 47 such critically dangerous GLOFs which could burst, flooding downstream areas in Nepal, China and India.

The above issue is closely associated with the mountain communities and connectivity infrastructure in the Himalayan region. The later gains greater salience in the context of ongoing China-India military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). China has already built sophisticated road, rail and air infrastructure over permafrost to support military operations. India is beginning to invest in building tunnels, roads, airfields and other military related supply chains.

The Indian Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is entrusted with keeping key military infrastructure in the mountains fully operational. It is important for the BRO to study and ascertain through scientific modelling how climate induced changes along the LAC will impact on military preparedness in the coming decades under a variety of climate conditions. This will ensure the physical stability of military infrastructure and guarantee the Indian Army to detect and defend against the Chinese military adventurism.

(Dr Vijay Sakhuja is former Director National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi) (This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
Having said all that, Im kind of enjoying the thought that Trumps fulminations about the Georgia races being illegal and invalid are helping to further drive Democratic turnout while persuading potential GOP voters to stay away from the polls. It sort of reminds me of one of the final scenes in The Hunt for Red October, where the evil Russian captain Tupolev manages to steer his sub into the path of his own torpedo, and his first officer says, You arrogant ass, youve killed us! So if Democrats do take the Senate, at least theres a silver lining in further humiliating and repudiating Trump.
EDMONTON - Premier Jason Kenney has cracked down on members of his government's caucus and on staff who travelled out of the country during the holidays after he told Albertans to stay home.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney updates media on measures taken to help with COVID-19 on Friday, March 20, 2020, in Edmonton. The premier has changed course and sanctioned caucus members and staff for travelling out of country during the holidays. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

EDMONTON - Premier Jason Kenney has cracked down on members of his government's caucus and on staff who travelled out of the country during the holidays after he told Albertans to stay home.

Political analysts say Kenneys credibility and moral authority as a leader during the COVID-19 crisis remains profoundly damaged despite the move.

In a Facebook post Monday, Kenney said he had accepted the resignation of Municipal Affairs Minister Tracy Allard and had asked his chief of staff, Jamie Huckabay, to step down.

Other backbench members of his United Conservative caucus who travelled to sunnier climes despite government guidelines to avoid non-essential foreign travel were also stripped of responsibilities.

Jeremy Nixon is no longer parliamentary secretary for civil society and Jason Stephan is out at Treasury Board. Tanya Fir, Pat Rehn and Tany Yao lost their legislature committee responsibilities.

Kenney said he had listened to an angry public in recent days and acted.

By travelling abroad over the holidays, these individuals demonstrated extremely poor judgment, Kenney wrote.

Albertans have every right to expect that people in positions of public trust be held to a higher standard of conduct during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kenney had said at a news conference on New Year's Day that he would not sanction the travellers because what they were doing was within the rules, albeit unseemly given the government was asking Albertans to avoid travel and social gatherings.

Allard was part of Kenneys COVID-19 pandemic steering committee.

She had been promoted to cabinet from the backbenches four months ago. She said last week that she went with her husband and daughter to Hawaii over Christmas as part of an annual family tradition that has spanned 17 years. She said in hindsight it was insensitive and that she regretted it.

The drumbeats of anger from the public  through letters, calls and social media posts  rose through the weekend. Allard was nicknamed Aloha Allard. Angry constituents redecorated the outside of her Grande Prairie constituency office with leis and other Hawaiian accents.

All politicians sanctioned have since expressed varying degrees of penitence on social media posts.

In the coming days, Kenneys government has promised to revisit lockdown rules imposed in early December to try to stem the spread of COVID-19, including a ban on social gatherings. Alberta was a national leader in the first wave, but cases surged to dangerous levels in the fall. The numbers forced the government to double-bunk intensive care patients and to begin assembling a field tent hospital on the University of Alberta campus.

Add to that the rollout of vaccinations in Alberta has been slower than promised.

Opposition NDP Leader Rachel Notley said Kenney owes Albertans a better explanation than a social media post. She said the multiple vacations reflect a carefree ethos that starts with the premier.

"They really don't get how serious (COVID-19) is. They really don't get how significant the (health) measures need to be. And they don't get how it impacts real people," said Notley.

"If this premier thinks this written statement is all there is to it, then he's sorely misinformed."

Political scientists Duane Bratt and Jared Wesley, and Calgary-based pollster Janet Brown said Kenneys challenge now is whether he has the moral authority and credibility to lead the health crisis.

It (the announcement) is a bit of too little too late, said Bratt, who is with Mount Royal University in Calgary.

It illustrates the power of public opinion, because this isn't something (Kenney)wanted to do, and, in fact, argued against doing three days ago.

Wesley, with the University of Alberta, said Kenney applied the bandage, but is it actually going to stop the bleeding?

My greater worry is his ability to handle the pandemic. Hes lost a lot of credibility in the eyes of people across the political spectrum when it comes to speaking to public health orders.

Brown added: So many of (Kenneys) own staff and his own government decided the directives from the chief medical officer of health didnt apply to them, so in a strong sense he has lost the moral authority to lead on this file.

And this is why its so concerning, because were in a critical stage when it comes to hospitalizations and ICUs.

Transportation Minister Ric McIver will handle Allards portfolio on an interim basis.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 4, 2021.
Hong Kong: Coalition to run seniors' tech platform

The Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund) today announced the appointment of a collaborative coalition of 10 organisations led by the Council of Social Service as an intermediary to design, develop and operate an inclusive one-stop gerontechnology platform.

The three-year project, which commenced on January 1, aims to promote the development of the gerontechnology ecosystem in Hong Kong.

The Chief Executive announced in the 2020 Policy Address Supplement to design, develop and operate an inclusive gerontechnology platform under the SIE Fund to link different stakeholders on the supply and demand sides and enhance synergy through engagement, cross-sector partnership and collaboration.

The platform will comprise four basic functionalities, including a knowledge hub, network and capacity building, consultancy, localisation and testing support, as well as impact assessment.

These functionalities will enhance older peoples quality of life, independence and self-reliance and provide support to their families, caregivers, healthcare staff and institutions.

In 2017, the SIE Fund had funded the first landscape study on gerontechnology in Hong Kong. The study report summarised major difficulties the gerontechnology sector faced, including insufficient collaboration among stakeholders, difficulty in localising successful overseas products and a lack of a testing ground for product development.

Stakeholders from different sectors believed that the SIE Fund should consider establishing a gerontechnology platform that would link up different stakeholders to foster the development of the city's gerontechnology ecosystem.

Upon further consultation with stakeholders, the SIE Fund decided to engage an intermediary to design, develop and operate an inclusive gerontechnology platform.

It initiated an open invitation exercise in 2019 to invite interested parties to submit proposals to act as the intermediary.

The SIE Fund will oversee and support the intermediary to implement the project and closely monitor the project's progress, ensuring that the four basic functionalities will be rolled out on schedule during the three-year funding period.

This story has been published on: 2021-01-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Inconsistency: when is a young person old enough to decide matters for themselves?

When do young people become mature enough to make their own decisions? It sometimes seems like a movable feast. Until 1972, voters in Ireland had to be 21 to cast their vote, but it was then changed to 18. In Scotland, 16-year-olds can vote and there is quite a lobby to allow suffrage to 16-year-olds elsewhere, too.

Yet, a new regulation comes into force in Britain this year banning anyone under 18 from purchasing a lottery ticket, due to concern about youngsters being addicted to gambling. In many American states, a young person cannot purchase alcohol - or even enter a bar - before the age of 21.

The age of sexual consent is 17 in Ireland and 16 in Britain, but sometimes blind eyes may be turned to underage sexual activity and there have been many examples of the law being ignored.

Even in the tragic case of Ann Lovett of Granard, which so horrified Ireland back in 1984, it emerged last year that this poor young girl was only 14 (and her boyfriend 16) when they began a sexual relationship.

It would have been protective of the law to issue a warning about complying with the legal age of consent and might even have prevented a dreadful tragedy. But with intimate relationships, the law doesn't always seem keen to intervene.

When it comes to transitioning from one sex to another, it's been a learning curve.

At London's Tavistock Clinic, children as young as 10 had been considered competent to make their own decisions about changing sex - a serious and sometimes irreversible decision.

But then Keira Bell, who had transitioned from female to male at a teenager and then regretted that decision, brought a case against this well-known clinic.

Three High Court judges ruled that children under the age of 13 were not competent to make that choice and even between 14 and 16, it was "doubtful" youngsters could understand the full implications of such a momentous step.

Perhaps drawing a rigid line about when someone is old enough to make personal decisions is complicated because individuals vary so much in the rhythm of their maturing.

I have seen 13-year-old boys handle tractors with great skill - a youngster may drive a vehicle within the bounds of their own property.

But, however skilled that individual kid may be, the age of legal driving on the highway remains 17. And if some are adept at 13, some youngsters are still risk-taking drivers at 17, 18 and above. The line has to be drawn somewhere.

In recent decades, the law has often moved towards being more protective of young people and upping the age for conduct or behaviour that might be considered unwise.

In many countries, the police can apprehend any youngster under 16 seen smoking. And teenagers aren't allowed to buy cigarettes until they are 18 - again, in many American states, until 21.

This is a major change from my childhood days, when I was regularly sent around to the corner shop to purchase 20 Craven A for my mother.

Generally, regulations around alcohol have also shifted, and become more protective - there's research showing the earlier a person starts drinking, the more likely they'll have alcohol problems. The age of sexual consent, too, has been raised over the years. In Victorian times, it was 12 - it took the feminist Josephine Butler to get that changed.

The age of criminal responsibility has also altered in several of jurisdictions in recent years. In Ireland, it was raised from seven to 12 in 2006. Seven was once considered to be "the age of reason" - when a child could tell right from wrong. In Scotland, it was aged eight, until 2019, when it was raised to 12.

In England and Wales, it is 10, although there are campaigns to raise it, as being cruel to charge a young child with legal wrongdoing. Yet the original idea was to discourage "artful dodger" kids being exploited by criminals.

Sometimes, there is a difference between custom and law. Although the age of consent in some European countries was very young - traditionally 12 or 13 in Italy and Spain - there were duennas who chaperoned young maidens, defending them from sexual predators.

On the whole, childhood and adolescence seem to be growing longer. Gone are the days when youngsters were indentured into apprenticeships at 14.

In Gay Byrne's autobiography, he recalls that Guinness's brewery - where his father worked - had a gradation system for their employees, whereby an apprentice would join at 13 or 14, when he would be a "boy". At 18, he'd graduate to a "lad". And at 21, he'd be treated as a full adult employee.

Such hierarchies wouldn't suit our times, but there was a quite sensible idea behind it: that maturing is a process, not an overnight development.

Maybe that's why there's been so much inconsistency in deciding when youngsters are grown-up enough to decide matters for themselves.
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Reliance Industries (RIL) today (4 January 2021) has sought urgent intervention of government authorities to stop the vandalism of Jio mobile towers by protesters agitating against the Centre's new farm laws.

The petition for the same will be filed by the company's subsidiary Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJIL) in the Punjab and Haryana High Court today (4 January 2021).

"These acts of violence have endangered the lives of thousands of its employees and caused damage and disruption to the vital communications infrastructure, sales and service outlets run by its subsidiaries in the two states, the conglomerate said in a statement.

The company further said that the miscreants indulging in vandalism have been instigated and aided by vested interests and our business rivals. Taking advantage of the ongoing farmers' agitation near the national capital, these vested interests have launched an incessant, malicious and motivated vilification campaign against Reliance, which has absolutely no basis in truth.

"Reliance has nothing whatsoever to do with the three farm laws currently debated in the country, and in no way benefits from them. As such, the sole nefarious purpose of linking the name of Reliance to these laws is to harm our businesses and damage our reputation, it added.

The conglomerate said that Reliance Retail (RRL), Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJIL), or any other affiliate of RIL has not done any corporate or contract farming in the past, and has absolutely no plans to enter this business.

It further said that neither Reliance nor any of our subsidiaries has purchased any agricultural land, directly or indirectly, in Punjab/Haryana or anywhere else in India, for the purpose of corporate or contract farming and added that the company has absolutely no plans to do so.

Reliance Retail does not purchase any food grains directly from farmers. It has never entered into long-term procurement contracts to gain unfair advantage over farmers or sought that its suppliers buy from farmers at less than remunerative prices, nor will it ever do so.

Reliance and its affiliates are committed to doing everything to enrich and empower Indian farmers.

RIL, through its Petition in the High Court, has sought punitive and deterrent action against miscreants and vested interests, so that Reliance can run all its businesses smoothly in Punjab and Haryana once again.

RIL is India's largest private sector company. Its activities span hydrocarbon exploration and production, petroleum refining and marketing, petrochemicals, retail and digital services.

RIL's consolidated net profit fell 6.6% to Rs 10,602 crore on 25.5% decline in net sales to Rs 1,11,236 crore in Q2 September 2020 over Q2 September 2019.

The scrip gained 0.13% to Rs 1987.15 on Friday. It traded in the range of 1982.30 and 1997.30 during the day.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ONE voice that has been largely absent in the debate about reopening schools has been the students themselves.

Caillum Hedderman, a sixth year student from Ballybricken, says their voices needs to be heard.

"Education should never be a question of risking life or death, yet students and school communities are faced with this harsh dilemma with the planned reopening of schools approaching.

"Second level students have actively voiced their sincere concerns regarding the actions taken by the Department of Education since March of last year and the lack of clear communication and infrastructure planning during the pandemic - it seems lessons of the need for forward planning and clarity have not been learned.

"The exponential increase in confirmed cases of Covid-19 over the New Year period has highlighted questions on the feasibility of schools reopening and highlighted confusion and a lack of clarity for students across the country as infection transmission continues to grow," said Caillum.

He cites a survey conducted by RTE on the Leaving Certificate class of 2020 highlighted that 46% of polled students reported high levels of depression and/or anxiety due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"As a sixth year student, I believe that the current Governmental reaction to the prolonged effect of this pandemic will result in a similar, if not increasingly significant, pattern for students.

"If the safety of schools and the health and students and staff cannot be ensured during the reopening of schools this month then the Government is valuing school attendance and an educational system greater than the health of our school communities. This feels as if student health is being politicised. The Government's flagship plan to keep schools open is failing and we are caught in the middle.

"There is a growing sense of frustration and anxiety among students and their families as Minister for Education, Norma Foley, states her 'firm intention' to reopen schools next week, a holiday extension of only three days, despite the record increase in confirmed cases of Covid-19 and higher community transmission levels during the third wave of the pandemic in Ireland," said Caillum, who attends John the Baptist Community School in Hospital.

Upon the reopening of schools, he says second level students will be in contact with hundreds of fellow students and teachers which completely diminishes the principle of the holiday extension which Ms Foley states "affords families and society an opportunity to ensure their contacts are minimised".

"We cannot afford to risk the health of our school communities and unfortunately any fault in these policies is not an administrative or policy failure but it will have a clear and direct risk which could result in the significant loss of lives.

"We as students are faced with the incredibly unfair dilemma of placing our education over our personal health and those we live with. A combination of increased workload due to a loss of classroom time, looming examinations and project deadlines, very little social interactions, a lack of emotional supports along with the typical pressures of teenage life are inevitably impacting our mental health," said Caillum, who faces the reality of sitting his Leaving Certificate in June this year.

"As we see the increase in confirmed cases, an extension of the return to school post-Christmas and a clear lack of preparation from the Department of Education, we are gravely concerned that we will see a repeat of the disarray of the Leaving Certificate calculated grades process last year.

"The lack of specific detail and clarity regarding the state examinations in 2021 is not only taking a toll on our wellbeing but also heavily impacting the decisions on our continuation of studies next year, as 10% of students last year who received calculated grades lower than they should have due to a coding error which resulted in many students not receiving offers for their desired college course or any placement offers at all.

"As we concentrate on finding alternate solutions to the traditional reopening of schools, we are faced with many barriers. Remote learning was the direction of action in early March last year, launching students and teachers into months of online schooling with next to no preparation. Unfortunately, we have not seen any improvements or learning being introduced into this approach by the system. Blended learning serves as another option, with students attending schools in reduced numbers at intervals with a combination of online engagement."

Regardless of either approach, there is a clear disadvantage from school to school and household to household. he says.

"Access to education should never be an issue in our country yet many second level students found themselves unable to attend school due to not having the ability to engage in remote learning. Whether it was sharing one device between multiple family members or having access to a device at all, along with the prevalent broadband issues in rural Ireland, many students were left at a disadvantage to their peers due to these simple issues.

"As we are faced by these many barriers it is important to note, I am in no way negating the sacrifice and losses that this virus has brought on our communities and overall population. I strongly believe we need to recognise the personal sacrifices and efforts of our teachers, management and school staff, without their effort our schools would never have had the ability to reopen in September and function as they have. I wish to make a special mention of my own school, John the Baptist Community School in Hospital, who have worked diligently within the constraints of available government policies and support.

"Education is not just about homework, books, classrooms and progressing through a curriculum, we recognise these are essential elements but we also learn from our everyday life experiences and we are currently not being provided with an inspired example within the actions of our government towards students. We recognise that no one person has all the solutions but given the very changing nature of this pandemic, we need the Department of Education to learn from past experience and adapt policy to reflect the needs, rights and concerns of second level student as key stakeholders in our educational system. This urgently requires proactivity, not reactivity."

Caillum says these are his and his peers formative years where "we learn to deal and cope with the challenges and adversity of adolescent life but unfortunately the principle of education at all costs and a lack of government understanding of the concerns of students is not providing our generation with that opportunity".

"Without immediate clear and decisive action, we will lose the potential of another year of education across all forms of schooling. To many readers, losing one year of education may not seem like such a big issue in the context of a pandemic. To secondary students, especially us in our final year: it is our everything.

"The actions taken over the coming weeks and months will have a lasting impact on the direction many of us take. As future contributors to the economy and civil society, we are calling on the policy makers to recognise this and make the morally correct decisions based on public health advice and the evidence from last year."
Under the Trump administration, US-India tensions have increased over each sides tariff policies, a Congressional report has said, noting that the two sides have also held concerted negotiations to address these trade frictions.

The bipartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS), in its latest report, pointed out that Indias recent tariff hikes on cell phones and other telecommunication goods went up from zero per cent to 15-20 per cent in the last few years.

Under the Trump administration, bilateral tensions increased over each sides tariff policies. In general, India has relatively high average tariff rates, especially in agriculture. It can raise its applied rates to bound rates without violating its commitments under the WTO (World Trade Organization), causing uncertainty for US exporters, said the CRS report, which is prepared for the members of Congress ahead of trade decisions.

The United States and several other countries have requested to join various WTO dispute consultations against India, related to its technology tariffs, also questioning its compliance with the WTO Information Technology Agreement (ITA).

India opposes the 25 per cent steel and 10 per cent aluminum national security-based Section 232 tariffs that the Trump Administration imposed in 2018. India repeatedly delayed applying planned retaliatory tariffs against the United States in hopes of resolving the issues bilaterally, it said.

After India lost its eligibility for the US Trade Preference Program, India imposed higher tariffs of 10 per cent to 25 per cent, affecting about USD 1.32 billion of US exports, such as nuts, apples, chemicals, and steel, the report stated, adding that the two sides are challenging each others tariffs in the WTO.

Under the Trump administration, the United States and India held concerted negotiations to address trade frictions. A potential trade deal could include partial restoration by the United States of Indias GSP (Generalised System of Preference) benefits in exchange for certain market access commitments according to press accounts, CRS said.

Yet, the long expected limited trade deal has not materialised to date, the report said.

Negotiations under prior administrations on a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) are stalled due to differences on approaches on investor protection.

On the government-to-government trade policy, the CRS listed a set of key issues. Main among them was what aspects of bilateral trade relations would change or remain the same under a President-elect Joe Biden-led administration.

President Donald Trump, a Republican, is set to be succeeded by Biden, a Democrat on January 20 after he won the November 3 presidential election.

Other key issues were, what trade issues should the United States and India prioritise in future talks, the potential for broader trade agreement negotiations, will India and the United States renegotiate entry into the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), or potentially seek other ways to engage on regional issues, and are there opportunities for the United States and India to bridge differences on multilateral trade issues.

Noting that India and the US have signed defense contracts worth more than USD 20 billion since 2008, up from USD 500 million in all previous years combined, the CRS said the future big deals are the purchase of an Integrated Air Defense Weapon System, valued at nearly USD2 billion, and 30 MQ-9B Sky Guardian drones worth more than USD 3 billion.

India is eager for more technology-sharing and co-production initiatives, while the United States urges more reforms in Indias defence offsets policy and higher Foreign Direct Investment caps in its defence sector. Indias multibillion-dollar deal to purchase the Russian-made S-400 air defense system may trigger US sanctions on India under the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, the CRS said.
Bharat Biotech chairman and managing director, Krishna Ella, on Monday hit out at comments suggesting that its anti-coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine, Covaxin, was safe like water, and said that their Phase 3 efficacy data, likely to be out by February or March, will silence all critics.

Though he did not take any names, Ellas remarks appear to have sparked a rare war of words between vaccine-makers a day after Serum Institute of Indias (SII) CEO, Adar Poonawalla, told NDTV that only three vaccines had passed all the scientific evaluations -- Pfizer-BioNTech, Modera and Oxford-AstraZeneca -- and that while the others were safe, safe like water, their effectiveness had not yet been evaluated.

It is easy to target Indian scientists. I had to tell this because some other company has branded my product as safe like water. Some local company in press yesterday said that safety is like water of other companies. Only three companies have done efficacy, and other vaccine is like water. I want to deny that. It hurts us as scientists; we work 24 hours and dont deserve this type of bashing from people, Ella told a media briefing.

Read more| Give me one weeks time: Bharat Biotech chief on questions about Covaxin efficacy

He then appeared to question the results of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine that is being manufactured by SII.

You ask a question on the UK Astra-Zeneca clinical trial; whether 60%, 70% or 90% which one is the clinical efficacy? Nobody knows. One says high dose, high dose, low dose or high dose. If I had done that type of clinical trial in India, the drugs controller of India would have shut down the company on quality issues, he said.

SII declined to comment on the matter.

It also asked for a weeks time to prove with evidence that his vaccine also worked against the new UK variant of Sars-Cov-2 virus as 90% of the vaccines targeted just the spike protein of the virus but Covaxin was an inactivated whole virion vaccine.

The company is in the eye of a storm after Covaxin was granted restricted use in emergency situation approval, leading to many experts questioning the decision because of the shorter duration of human trials and relatively lower data published for the candidate, which is still in the process of its Phase 3 checks.

The Oxford vaccine, called Covishield, got the Drug Control General of India nod based on the safety, immunogenicity and efficacy data generated on 23,745 participants from overseas studies, as well as interim data from Phase 2/3 trials on 1,600 people in India. What boosted its case was that it was granted approval last week by the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority in the UK.

Experts pointed out that the government may have acted in haste, and the sentiment was echoed by some Opposition politicians who suggested that the Union government ignored scientific protocols to give the nod to a fully indigenous vaccine because it tied in with the Atmanirbhar Bharat slogan.

Read more| Bharat Biotech vaccine more likely to work against newer strains like UK variant: Vardhan

Ella contended that the criticism his company has faced since Sunday was unwarranted.

We are not a company without a vaccine experience; we have produced 16 vaccines, and are catering to 123 countries. We are conducting clinical trials not just in India but in more than 12 countries, including UK where we have conducted two clinical trials. WHO has said for typhoid vaccine that its a breakthrough vaccine for typhoid control, he said.

He also said that there was a 2019 Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) notification that allowed grant of emergency use authorisation without efficacy data.

Covaxin is a 2 dose Covid-19 vaccine to be given 28 days apart, and only vaccine allowed to be tested on children of 12 years and above. Ella said company currently has 20 million doses pre-produced at risk, of which five million doses are undergoing quality testing in a government lab. There are four dedicated facilities that can produce about 700 million doses in Hyderabad and Bengaluru, he added.

The DCGI clearance to Covaxin also triggered a political slugfest between the Opposition and ruling party leaders.

But it is typical of a govt that prefers slogans over substance. Chest-thumping vaccine nationalism, combined with the PMs atmanirbhar Bharat campaign, has trumped common sense and a generation of established scientific protocols, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said in a tweet on Sunday.

BJP president JP Nadda and aviation minister Hardeep Puri led a counter-attack, saying the Opposition was questioning the competence of Indian scientists just as it had doubted Indian soldiers during the Balakot operation.
[January 04, 2021] Yext CFO to Participate in 23rd Annual Needham Virtual Growth Conference

NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Yext, Inc. (NYSE: YEXT), the Search Experience Cloud company, today announced that Steve Cakebread, Chief Financial Officer, will participate in a virtual fireside chat discussion hosted by Needham & Company, LLC on Monday, January 11, 2021, at 10:45 a.m. ET / 7:45 a.m. PT. A live webcast will be available on the Yext Investor Relations website at http://investors.yext.com . For those unable to listen to the live audiocast, a replay will be available on Yext's webite shortly after the event.



About Yext The ultimate source for official answers about a business online should be the business itself. However, when consumers ask questions on company websites, too often they are left in the dark with wrong answers. Yext (NYSE: YEXT), the Search Experience Cloud, solves this problem by organizing a business's facts so it can provide official answers to consumer questions  wherever people search. Starting with the company website, then extending across search engines and voice assistants, businesses around the world, like T-Mobile, Jaguar Land Rover, BBVA USA, and Kiehl's  as well as organizations like the U.S. State Department and World Health Organization  trust Yext to radically improve the search experience on their websites and across the entire search ecosystem.

Yext's mission is to help businesses and organizations around the world deliver official answers everywhere people search. Yext has been named a Best Place to Work by Fortune and Great Place to Work, as well as a Best Workplace for Women. Yext is headquartered in New York City with offices in Amsterdam, Berlin, Chicago, Dallas, Geneva, London, Miami, Milan, Paris, San Francisco, Shanghai, Tokyo, and the Washington, D.C. area  and work-from-home offices all around the world. CONTACT: Amanda Kontor, pr@yext.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/yext-cfo-to-participate-in-23rd-annual-needham-virtual-growth-conference-301200058.html SOURCE Yext, Inc.

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Ten months after the state announced its first COVID-19 case, New Jersey on Monday reported 2,292 more positive PCR coronavirus tests and another 38 confirmed deaths.

Meanwhile, officials revealed for the first time that the state has recorded 50,838 positive rapid tests since the antigen tests started being administered last year.

Gov. Phil Murphy announced the update at his first coronavirus briefing of 2021 as the state continues to combat a second wave of the pandemic while also continuing the early stages of vaccine rollout.

We begin the new year much where we ended the old, Murphy said at the event in Trenton. We must begin the new year in the same war footing, and taking the same precautions, as we did the old. This remains a fight we must engage in together to save every life we can, to push these numbers down, and to gain the upper hand against this virus.

Statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations increased for the second straight day, to 3,633 patients being treated for confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases as of Sunday night. But thats much lower than the more than 8,000 patients at the peak of the first wave in April. And the recent spike has shown signs of leveling off, with hospitalizations dipping below 3,500 on Saturday for the first time in nearly a month.

Dr. Edward Lifshitz, director of the state Department of Healths communicable disease service, said its too early to tell if Christmas and New Years Eve led to a surge in new coronavirus cases. But he noted its reassuring that we have not seen any big jumps in hospitalizations so far.

The number of coronavirus patients in intensive care fell to 664 on Sunday, while the number on ventilators increased to 476.

The statewide rate of COVID-19 transmission was 0.92 for the second straight day. Thats the lowest its been since Sept. 1, as the rate has been steadily declining in recent weeks.

That is a good sign as it suggests that the spread of the virus is slowing, Murphy said. However, with 2,292 new cases announced today, that slowing is coming from a still very large top number.

Any transmission rate over 1 means each person who gets COVID-19 is spreading the virus to more than one person, and keeping the rate below 1 is key to suppressing the pandemic, officials have said.

Officials say the transmission rate is dropping because cases arent increasing at the same pace they were during the first wave in the spring, when the state was still learning how to fight the virus.

New Jersey has reported 494,317 total PCR (polymerase chain reaction) coronavirus positive tests out of more than 7.8 million tests since the state announced its first case March 4.

Rapid antigen tests have been in use for months but had not been included in the total positives due to reporting issues. The state on Monday reported 822 new positive antigen tests, bringing the cumulative total of available results to 50,838. The state is listing those as probable cases because PCR tests are considered more reliable.

The state of 9 million residents has now reported 19,244 COVID-19 deaths  17,223 confirmed and 2,021 probable fatalities from complications related to the virus.

The positivity rate for PCR tests administered on Dec. 31, the date with the most recent available data, was 11.27% based on 28,669 tests administered. Thats lower than the states recent average of 58,000 tests a day, Murphy said.

As we have noted over the past week, we have seen lower-than-average testing numbers over the past week, and we attribute at least a good part of that to the fact that those choosing to get tested during the holiday season are those who are more than likely showing symptoms, he added.

VACCINATIONS

Health officials have administered the first doses of two-dose COVID-19 vaccines to nearly 101,417 people, officials said Monday. Some healthcare workers began to receive their second doses Monday.

Officials hope to vaccinate 70% of New Jersey adult residents  about 4.7 million people  in the next six months. The state is rolling out the vaccine in phases, with healthcare workers and people who live in congregant settings like nursing homes and prisons in the first phase. Officials have said doses should be available for the general public by April or May.

COUNTY-BY-COUNTY NUMBERS (sorted by most new)

Ocean County: 33,958 total confirmed cases (226 new), 1,305 confirmed deaths (82 probable)

Middlesex County: 46,558 total confirmed cases (212 new), 1,475 confirmed deaths (219 probable)

Bergen County: 48,486 total confirmed cases (199 new), 2,079 confirmed deaths (263 probable)

Hudson County: 45,384 total confirmed cases (182 new), 1,546 confirmed deaths (168 probable)

Monmouth County: 33,326 total confirmed cases (172 new), 954 confirmed deaths (103 probable)

Essex County: 48,518 total confirmed cases (163 new), 2,154 confirmed deaths (250 probable)

Camden County: 29,615 total confirmed cases (151 new), 769 confirmed deaths (65 probable)

Passaic County: 40,747 total confirmed cases (117 new), 1,306 confirmed deaths (157 probable)

Morris County: 21,001 total confirmed cases (117 new), 787 confirmed deaths (178 probable)

Burlington County: 22,099 total confirmed cases (111 new), 581 confirmed deaths (51 probable)

Atlantic County: 12,754 total confirmed cases (106 new), 355 confirmed deaths (17 probable)

Gloucester County: 14,690 total confirmed cases (94 new), 381 confirmed deaths (17 probable)

Mercer County: 19,284 total confirmed cases (83 new), 687 confirmed deaths (40 probable)

Union County: 37,376 total confirmed cases (83 new), 1,383 confirmed deaths (181 probable)

Somerset County: 13,075 total confirmed cases (66 new), 581 confirmed deaths (88 probable)

Sussex County: 4,767 total confirmed cases (47 new), 173 confirmed deaths (43 probable)

Salem County: 2,906 total confirmed cases (41 new), 106 confirmed deaths (7 probable)

Hunterdon County: 3,914 total confirmed cases (32 new), 85 confirmed deaths (54 probable)

Warren County: 4,101 total confirmed cases (22 new), 170 confirmed deaths (13 probable)

Cumberland County: 8,148 total confirmed cases (21 new), 223 confirmed deaths (10 probable)

Cape May County: 2,477 total confirmed cases (15 new), 123 confirmed deaths (15 probable)

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

HOSPITALIZATIONS

The 3,633 patients hospitalized in New Jersey with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases as of Sunday night are 112 more than the night before.

That number included 664 patients in critical or intensive care (five fewer than the previous night), with 476 on ventilators (14 more).

There were 395 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals Sunday, while 295 were discharged, according to the states coronavirus dashboard.

SCHOOL CASES

There have been 108 in-school coronavirus outbreaks in New Jersey involving 546 students, teachers and staff since the school year began in late August, according to the states COVID-19 dashboard.

Those numbers do not include students or staff believed to have been infected outside school or cases that cant be confirmed as in-school outbreaks. Though the numbers keep rising every week, Murphy has said the school outbreak statistics remain below what state officials were expecting when schools reopened for in-person classes.

New Jersey defines school outbreaks as cases where contact tracers determined two or more students or school staff caught or transmitted COVID-19 in the classroom or during academic activities at school.

AGE BREAKDOWN

Broken down by age, those 30 to 49 years old make up the largest percentage of New Jersey residents who have caught the virus (31.4%), followed by those 50-64 (23.8%), 18-29 (19.1%), 65-79 (11.2%), 80 and older (5.7%), 5-17 (7.1%) and 0-4 (1.5%).

On average, the virus has been more deadly for older residents, especially those with preexisting conditions. Nearly half the states COVID-19 deaths have been among residents 80 and older (47.48%), followed by those 65-79 (32.14%), 50-64 (15.78%), 30-49 (4.19%), 18-29 (0.37%), 5-17 (0%) and 0-4 (0.02%).

The impact on seniors is overwhelming, Murphy said Monday.

Officials said Monday only four people under the age of 18 have died from the virus.

At least 7,547 of the states COVID-19 deaths have been among residents and staff members at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. That number has been rising again at a steeper rate in recent months, with deaths at the states nursing homes nearly tripling in December.

At least 310 long-term care residents and one staffer died of complications of COVID-19 in December, a death toll that exceeded September, October and November combined, according to an ongoing NJ Advance Media analysis of state data.

There are currently active outbreaks at 428 facilities, resulting in 5,962 active cases among residents and 6,446 among staffers.

GLOBAL NUMBERS

As of early Monday afternoon, there were more than 85.3 million positive COVID-19 tests around the world, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. More than 1.8 million people have died from coronavirus-related complications.

The U.S. has reported the most cases, at more than 20.6 million, and the most deaths, at more than 351,300.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com.
Oil prices touched multi-month highs on Monday on expectations OPEC and allied producers may cap output at current levels in February and on hopes that coronavirus vaccines may help curb the spread of the virus and drive a strong economic rebound in the new year.

Prices rose in line with broader financial markets with Brent crude futures reaching $53.33 a barrel, the highest since March 2020. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude touched $49.83 a barrel, the highest since February 2020.

March Brent crude futures were at $52.41 a barrel, up 61 cents, or 1.2%, by 0944 GMT and February WTI crude futures rose 35 cents, or 0.7%, to $48.87 a barrel.

"Price action today suggests that the market is assuming that OPEC+ keeps the level of cuts unchanged for the upcoming month," said ING commodities strategist Warren Patterson.

OPEC and allies, a group known as OPEC+, will meet on Monday. Most OPEC+ experts voiced opposition to increasing oil output from February when they met on Sunday, three OPEC+ sources told Reuters on Monday.

In December, OPEC+ decided to increase production by 0.5 million barrels per day (bpd) from January as part of a 2 million bpd gradual rise this year but some members have questioned the need for a further boost due to spreading coronavirus infections.

"The start of the new year is presenting challenges to the OPEC+ group, as the balance of risks to oil demand recovery has changed," BNP Paribas analyst Harry Tchilinguirian said.

"The OPEC+ producer group may have to re-schedule and delay further tapering of voluntary supply cuts in view of latest COVID developments," he added.

Mohammad Barkindo, secretary general of OPEC, said on Sunday that the group saw plenty of downside demand risks in the first half of 2021.

Kuwait's oil minister also said on Monday that he expected a gradual recovery in oil demand, particularly in the second half of 2021, as many countries around the world start to distribute coronavirus vaccines.

Britain began vaccinating its population with the COVID-19 shot developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca on Monday.

Weaker dollar and strong manufacturing activities in Asia also supported oil prices.

Also read: Passengers coming from UK between Jan 8-Jan 30 to be tested for coronavirus on arrival

Also read: Praj Industries bags Rs 226.90 cr order from Indian Oil Corporation
Tavares comes into the new role with a reputation as a cost-cutter and skilled manager, qualities he put to use as head of Nissans North American operations from 2009 to 2011 and in integrating Opel and Vauxhall into the PSA Peugeot family after buying them in 2017. Experts say he is likely to follow a blueprint that showed little tolerance for vehicles or ventures that didnt make money.
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Facebook shut down a fundraising page for Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) and David Perdue (R-Ga.) just days before voters head to the polls to decide between the Republicans and their Democratic challengers.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) runs the Georgia Battleground Fund, a joint fundraising committee for the NRSC and the campaigns for Loeffler and Perdue.

According to a screenshot from the committee, Facebook alerted them that the page for the fund was disabled for policy violation.

The page allegedly violated a policy against unacceptable business practices.

We dont allow ads that promote products, services, schemes, or offers using deceptive or misleading practices, including those meant to mislead or scam people out of money or personal information, the alert said. Big Tech is at it again, the NRSC said in a statement. This is unacceptable with only four days to Election Day.

A Facebook spokesperson told news outlets that what happened was a mistake .

An automated error caused this ad account to be disabled, the spokesperson said. The account has since been restored.

The Jan. 5 runoff elections could determine which party controls the Senate.
A girl walks between makeshift shelters on a site for internally displaced Nigeriens in Ouallam, January 2020.  UNHCR/Sylvain Cherkaoui

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, condemns in the strongest terms the twin attacks in western Niger that killed at least 100 people, injured 25 others, and forced hundreds to flee on 2 January.

Armed groups mounted coordinated attacks on the villages of Tchamo-Bangou and Zaroumdareye, in Nigers Tillaberi region near the border with Mali. Some of the injured were evacuated to Ouallam and Niamey, 80 and 120 kilometres away respectively.

We express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims of these outrageous attacks on peaceful communities, said UNHCRs Representative in Niger, Alessandra Morelli. Communities which are now torn apart by brutality and forced to flee in a region where tens of thousands of people displaced by violence are hosted and hoping to rebuild their lives.

According to local sources, the survivors of the attacks and the population of four other neighbouring villages have fled. At least 1,000 people are now on the move, trying to reach Ouallam. Many are making the journey on foot.

In Ouallam, UNHCR and its partners are already providing humanitarian assistance to refugees, internally displaced people, and the vulnerable among their hosts.

We are preparing to assist the people with essential care, shelter, and protection, but also psychological support to help them overcome the horror they have experienced said Morelli.

UNHCR and Niger authorities are exploring ways to increase the reception capacities in Ouallam.

Nigers Tillaberi and Tahoua regions, located near Liptako-Gourma which borders Burkina Faso and Mali, currently host 60,000 Malian refugees and nearly 4,000 who fled Burkina Faso. It also hosts 138,229 internally displaced Nigeriens, a number that increased by 77 per cent in 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic is complicating the humanitarian response.

Despite increased insecurity, Nigeriens continue to show their generosity to people fleeing violence in Africas Sahel and Lake Chad regions.

Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali in the Sahel are at the epicentre of one of the worlds fastest-growing displacement and protection crises. The region is already hosting 851,000 refugees and nearly two million displaced inside their own country.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
Owais Durrani does not have a job, a predicament that would have been almost unthinkable for a doctor with his skills a year ago.

At University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, where he is training in emergency medicine, Durrani has treated hundreds of covid-19 patients. He has dosed them with steroids, given them oxygen and carefully turned them onto their bellies to relieve respiratory distress.

"We have been seeing really, really sick people," he said. He had firsthand experience with the novel coronavirus, too - he caught it in March and recovered after a few feverish days.

Despite all that, the 29-year-old doctor cannot find a company in his hometown of Houston ready to hire him when he graduates next year. Durrani has searched since the summer, "getting on calls with recruiters and hospitals and whatnot," he said. "And I haven't locked anything down."

Like him, many in this class of emergency medicine physicians - young doctors, called residents, who are training in this specialty - are struggling to find full-time employment, even while they work on the front lines treating covid-19 patients.

The dearth of jobs is the result of a domino effect: Many people stayed away from hospital emergency rooms this past year, wary of contracting the virus. As patient numbers dropped, emergency departments brought in less money. As a result, cash-strapped employers stopped recruiting new doctors.

"We're putting our own lives at risk, our family's lives at risk," said emergency medicine physician R.J. Sontag, the president of the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association. "We're in, frankly, a financially precarious position with a ton of debt and limited income. And the fact of the matter is that employers just aren't hiring."

The pandemic exposed many perplexing vulnerabilities in the American medical system - as varied as critical staffing shortages of nurses and inadequate stocks of protective equipment. This is another one. Fewer places can afford newly minted emergency medicine doctors during a crisis in which it would seem they should be in high demand.

"Calling it a paradox is exactly right," said Janis Orlowski, the chief health-care officer at the Association of American Medical Colleges. "There's a need for more physicians. And yet we find ourselves in this situation."

New contracts have vanished with the "significant shortfall" in hospital and physician practice dollars, she said. The result is that after four years of medical school and up to four years of residency, some new doctors have no place to go.

"It's by far the tightest job market in emergency medicine that I've ever seen," said Mark Reiter, the chief executive of the consulting group Emergency Excellence and director of the emergency medicine residency program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Nashville. By his conservative estimate, at least a quarter of residents are having trouble finding work.

About 2,500 new emergency medicine doctors enter the workforce each year, Sontag said. They do so heavily in debt, he said, with half of them owing more than $200,000 in school loans, and one-fourth owing over $300,000.

Many of the newest crop have had contracts altered, if not rescinded. "I have a good friend who signed a contract, bought a home, moved his wife across the country," Sontag said, "and then he lost his contract after he'd already moved."

The Emergency Medicine Residents' Association does not have a tally of how many members are without jobs. But a survey from the American College of Emergency Physicians found that 20% of emergency medicine group practices laid off doctors this year, almost one-third furloughed them and more than half cut hours or wages.

"What we're watching now is frightening for the residents," said Mark Rosenberg, the American College of Emergency Physicians' president.

Sontag, who attended the UT Health San Antonio residency program, said that only one of 12 final-year residents there has secured a job. In a typical year, all of them would have contracts by now.

- - -

It wasn't unusual for Angela Cai, a physician in her final year of residency at SUNY Downstate's Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, to treat patients with strokes. But one man stood out - because he had waited nearly a day last April to call an ambulance.

"If people come in with strokes very early, ideally within three hours, there are some treatments you can offer to reverse the symptoms," she said. "But that was totally out of the question for him. He wasn't able to walk."

She asked the man why he had delayed. "He said he was watching everything on the news and he was afraid," she said.

That fear of catching the coronavirus fueled a sharp drop in visits to emergency departments. They plummeted by 40% in March and April, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's surveillance program, and children were kept away at even greater levels.

Although emergency departments in coronavirus hot zones are gateways to a flood of covid-19 patients, those zones have been distributed unevenly in time and space. Even in virus hotspots, Reiter pointed out, the pandemic can congest emergency rooms - some patients with covid-19 are kept in emergency department beds, which reduces capacity and causes waiting room delays.

The number of emergency department patients overall is 15% below last year's levels, Reiter said.

"In the thick of it, I definitely wasn't thinking about my job," Cai said. "I didn't really make the connection between how this unprecedented drop in [emergency department] volume would affect my job market." Cai is still finalizing her plans for what she will do after graduation.

- - -

Before the coronavirus, new emergency medicine doctors could expect to receive multiple offers in the last year of their residency programs.

"The residents had their pick of where they wanted to go," Rosenberg said. If a particular hospital didn't need more emergency staff, it was often the case another one nearby did.

Hospitals, outside of academic centers, rarely hire emergency doctors outright. Most medical centers instead have contracts with physician provider groups. Those can be small, doctor-run companies, or large corporations, backed by private-equity firms, that employ thousands of doctors who work at hundreds of hospitals.

More than half of the emergency doctors in the United States are employed by investment-firm-owned companies, Reiter said, and those companies have generally been "more aggressive" when cutting back doctors' hours amid the pandemic.

In the past, recruiters representing employers flocked to residency programs, offering salary advances or to pay moving expenses.

"Residency-trained emergency medicine doctors, for a couple of decades, have had the golden ticket," said Michael Belkin, a vice president at the physician-recruiting firm Merritt Hawkins. "They could call their shots; they could demand high dollars."

Since 2008, the number of emergency doctors in the United States has grown from 40,000 to almost 50,000; there are fewer of these specialists per person, though, particularly at rural hospitals. In that same period, the number of doctors enrolled in emergency residency programs grew from about 4,500 to nearly 8,000.

That growth has also increased the competition for jobs, Reiter said.

One doctor in a Midwestern city, a recent graduate of an emergency residency program who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid potential career harm, described a fraught path to employment: Last fall, several clinician groups offered the doctor a job. The physician decided to join a small, doctor-run firm.

In the late spring, the emergency department where the doctor was completing a residency began to cut back shifts as non-covid-19 patients stopped coming. The doctor received a call from the new employer, expecting to hear the company was reducing hours, too.

Instead, the firm withdrew the job offer, exercising a 90-day termination clause in the contract. The doctor asked the other groups, whose offers the physician had declined in the fall, for work. None hired the doctor, who has more than $300,000 of student debt.

The doctor found a temporary position at a hospital where, during the first wave of the pandemic, few people visited the emergency department. Now, though, that city is experiencing a surge in patients from the pandemic.

"The acuity of illness has gone up quite a bit in the past few months, particularly with respiratory complaints related to the coronavirus," the doctor said. "Our census within the hospitals has skyrocketed to pretty much 100% capacity." Amid this rise, the original firm agreed to hire the doctor to begin early this year.

Some residents have opted to apply for emergency medicine fellowships, which provide additional expertise in toxicology, ultrasounds, wilderness medicine or other subjects at academic centers.

"All fellowships have become more competitive this year," Sontag said. Opting for a fellowship also has financial consequences; the pay in a fellowship is closer to a resident's salary - an average of about $59,000 - than it is to a full-time attending physician's salary, an amount in the six figures.

- - -

U.S. hospitals - many of them operating on thin margins before the pandemic - lost $50 billion per month in the period from March through June, not including government relief money, according to an estimate by the American Hospital Association. A drop in emergency patients was not the only factor. Scheduled and elective surgeries, previously consistent revenue streams, were canceled. Health-care providers also had to spend money on protective gear and ventilators.

"Cash conservation is probably key for most of these places," said Kayla Cline, an expert in hospital finances at Texas A&M University.

Congress offered $175 billion of financial relief to the health-care system as part of the massive coronavirus aid packages passed earlier last year. But "often the money didn't trickle down as it was intended" to practice groups that employ physicians, Sontag said. At least $1.5 billion of interest-free loans went to hospitals and staffing companies owned by well-funded investment firms, according to a Bloomberg News analysis.

One consequence of the pandemic, though, may work to the advantage of new doctors seeking jobs: Some emergency medicine doctors are retiring sooner than they otherwise might have.

The crisis has made a difficult job more challenging. "There's a lot of depression, PTSD, suicide and the like," Rosenberg said. "And a couple of things that people like to do after a long shift - maybe go out for a beer, hug a friend, cry on a shoulder - we can't do any of them now."

Doctors who work in emergency departments are more susceptible to burnout than average physicians. "There's only so much trauma and so much - I don't know how else to say it, but - patient loss that one can handle," Belkin said.

Orlowski said that when elective surgeries were allowed to resume over the summer, with the drop in coronavirus cases, doctors told her "things were just going gangbusters." She predicted that patients will similarly return to emergency departments as vaccines against the novel coronavirus become more widely available.

But the job market's recovery could be slow.

"It's going to take hospitals two, three, four years to get beyond the financial problems that will occur from this year," Orlowski said. Until that happens, she said, she expects employers to be more conservative in hiring.
As a former prison guard in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), Mr. Ahn Myung-chul knew better than anyone what awaited people in the countrys political prison camps.

Now a founder of the non-governmental organisation, NK Watch, he and his colleagues have documented the suffering of hundreds of people from the DPRK and submitted detailed petitions on behalf of the victims and their families.

NK Watch recently shared 768 petitions with the UN Human Rights Offices information and evidence repository, which was specifically developed to preserve and analyse evidence and information on human rights violations in the DPRK. By consolidating large amounts of diverse information in one location managed by the UN, the repository can be useful for pursuing legal accountability, for truth-telling and developing a historical record.

Read more in this interview.

Can you tell us about your job in the DPRK?

My parents were both working for the DPRK government and we were very loyal to the regime. Because of my privileged background, I got a job as a guard in 1987 in a camp designed to detain political prisoners. My job was to guard the Total Control Zone - a camp where prisoners were held for life. I was brainwashed that the prisoners were traitors and enemies, not human beings. I had orders to kill prisoners if they tried to escape.

How did you decide to escape the DPRK?

The DPRK was experiencing an extreme famine in the mid-90s, and my father was framed as being responsible for the food shortages in my region. Based on the guilt by association policy, in which family members are also detained if one of their family members are accused of crime, my mother, brother and sister were sent to political prison camps. This was when I realised how the prisoners I had previously guarded had been unlawfully arrested and sent to these camps.

I knew better than anyone what would await us in the camp, so I decided to escape before being put in the camp when my surveillance lapsed. I escaped from the DPRK in 1994.

I still do not have information on the whereabouts of my mother, brother and sister.

Can you tell us about your journey as a human rights activist and your organisation, NK Watch?

In 1998, I was asked to testify at the United States of America Senate about the political prison camps in the DPRK. My testimony initiated dialogue on the human rights situation in the DPRK and the passing of the North Korean Human Rights Act in the United States.

I was determined to raise awareness on the human rights situation in the DPRK, and I founded NK Watch in 2003 with other survivors of the DPRK political prison camps and their families. We work to raise awareness throughout the world on the public execution, ruthless torture and beating, sexual violence, famine, disease, forced labour, and many more egregious human rights violations taking place in the DPRK, particularly in political prison camps.

How did you begin documenting human rights violations and submitting petitions to the UN human rights working groups?

Since 2013, NK Watch has submitted petitions on behalf of the victims to the UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and other special procedures mandate holders on issues related to arbitrary detention, disappearance, discrimination against women, the rights of children and the rights of DPRK migrant overseas workers. The submissions aimed at documenting potential crimes against humanity committed by the DPRK. NK Watch has submitted a total of 768 petitions.

In response to these petitions, NK Watch received some 40 letters from the DPRK and three from China. Addressing serious human rights violations against the people from the DPRK, such as human trafficking and forced repatriation needs support from China as well.

Are there specific cases that you recall working on?

One case I remember was in 2010 when a family of eight members were taken to a political prison camp. One of them was a pregnant woman. The woman was separately detained until she gave birth to a child. The baby, after the first 100 days, was taken to the political prison camp. Later, among them, the childs grandmother and aunt escaped. They filed a petition to the Working Group on Involuntary or Enforced Disappearance.

The grandmother was extremely concerned about the family in North Korea, and was also fighting stomach cancer. She wanted to know urgently about the fate of her family, and submitted a petition to the Working Group. DPRK responded to the petition, saying that the person mentioned in the petition did not exist.

How are you working with UN Human Rights to increase the impact of your work?

NK Watch shared 768 petitions with the UN Human Rights Seoul Office and is committed to sharing similar petitions on a quarterly basis. I hope the documents we shared will contribute to documenting the plight of the victims. I believe the UN is better positioned than a non-profit organisation to raise awareness about the human rights situation in the DPRK at the international level, and to pressure the DPRK authorities.

How can we achieve truth, justice and accountability in the DPRK? What can be done practically?

The activities of the UN and the international community, aimed at addressing the human rights situation in the DPRK, have contributed to some positive changes in the situation inside the country. For example, in the past, serious violence took place inside the political prison camps. However, according to accounts from recently arrived escapees, persons who were rearrested after attempting to escape the DPRK due to economic reasons are rarely beaten as a punishment these days.

In fact, the DPRK has been under serious pressure from the international community and the UN. Two political prison camps have been dismantled. Interrogation processes have become less harsh, and rights violations less severe than in the past.

I believe if the human rights situation in the DPRK improves, with the support of continuing measures to ensure accountability, victims and their families will provide more testimonies on human rights violations because they will be less afraid to come forward.

It is a tough road ahead. I am, however, still hopeful.

Disclaimer: The views, information and opinions expressed in this article are those of the persons featured in the story and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

4 January 2021


She's one of the stars of the popular TV series Riverdale.

And on Sunday, Camila Mendes was spotted running errands in LA's Studio City neighborhood.

The actress, 26, chatted on her phone as she walked carrying purchases in a large store paper bag.

Casually stylish: Riverdale star Camila Mendes ran some errands in LA Sunday wearing a tartan face mask along with a black top tucked into blue jean flares and a black lightweight jacket

Mendes wore a black top tucked into blue jean flares and added a black lightweight jacket.

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Her hair was loose and she had on a tartan face mask.

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She later met up with her boyfriend Grayson Vaughan in LA's Silverlake neighborhood and she clutched a cup of coffee to go as they chatted.

Vaughan, a model and photographer, was dressed in a long-sleeve black top and baggy black pants which he paired with pink socks and dirty white sneakers.

Dating: The actress, 26, later met up with her boyfriend Grayson Vaughan in LA's Silverlake neighborhood and she clutched a cup of coffee to go as they chatted

Camila confirmed her romance with the model and photographer in September. She previously dated her Riverdale co-star Charles Melton

Production on Riverdale was halted earlier in the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing its fourth season to an early end.

Filming on the fifth season resumed in Vancouver, Canada, in the fall and the first of the new episodes premieres on January 20 on The CW.

Meanwhile, the Brazilian-American actress has two high profile movie roles lined up: She's set to star with Pete Davidson and O'Shea Jackson Jr. in the upcoming film American Sole and will co-star with Stranger Things' Maya Hawke in the dark comedy Strangers for Netflix.
With China giving massive economic aid to Indias neighbourhood, India has stepped up its economic assistance to its neighbours

China too has considerable economic interests in Sri Lanka, which is why observers note New Delhi is going all out to keep the Chinese influence at bay. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: External affairs minister S. Jaishankar will go on a three-day official visit to Sri Lanka starting Tuesday. With China giving massive economic aid to Indias neighbourhood, from Nepal to Iran, India has stepped up its economic assistance to its neighbours as well as nations in the Indian Ocean Region, including Sri Lanka.

It may be recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a virtual summit with Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa on September 26. Ties between New Delhi and Colombo remain friendly despite the issue of Indian Tamil fishermen being caught by the Sri Lankan authorities, which the two nations are trying to resolve. India had said last month that there exists a common understanding to handle the matter in a humanitarian manner.

In a statement, the MEA said: At the invitation of Sri Lankan foreign minister Dinesh Gunawardena, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar will pay an official visit to Sri Lanka from 5-7 January 2021. He will hold discussions with his counterpart and Sri Lankas leadership on the entire gamut of bilateral relations.

The MEA added: This will be the first foreign visit by EAM in 2021, and also the first by a foreign dignitary to Sri Lanka in the New Year. As such, it signifies the priority both countries attach to strengthening their close and cordial relations in all spheres of mutual interest.

China too has considerable economic interests in Sri Lanka, which is why observers note New Delhi is going all out to keep the Chinese influence at bay. Government sources earlier told this newspaper that Indias total development assistance to Sri Lanka now exceeds $3.45 billion, of which $560 million is in the form of grant assistance. Indias aid programmes in Sri Lanka focus on capacity-building, human resources development connectivity and infrastructure development.

Not surprisingly, India has undertaken numerous development projects covering all provinces in Sri Lanka. The sources said these span a wide range of areas, from cultural conservation in the form of restoration of Thiruketheeswaram Temple to the construction of iconic landmarks like the Jaffna cultural centre to enhancing connectivity through restoration of railway lines. India has also renovated various schools, provided computers and created English language labs across the country, besides upgrading four vocational training centres in the island nation. But it is the Indian housing project to construct 50,000 houses in Sri Lanka that is Indias flagship and largest grant assistance project in Sri Lanka.
Despite the recent setback in Arunachal Pradesh where six of its seven MLAs joined the ruling BJP, the JD (U) has set its eye on northeastern states and has identified 32 out of 126 seats where the party may field candidates in Assembly polls due in April this year.

The party had contested our seats in the 2016 Assembly polls in Assam but drew a blank.

In 2020, the JD (U) became a recognised state party in Arunachal Pradesh where it won seven seats in the Assembly election.

In Tripura, where Assembly elections are due in 2023, the JD (U) has started strengthening its organizational set-up.

We want to capitalise on the sentiments prevailing against the All-India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) of Badruddin Ajmal. The BJP is a strong force in the state but it hardly fields candidates against Ajmals party, said JD (U) national secretary and in-charge for the northeast, Sanjay Verma.

What has added to our belief of a better performance in these two states is that people have great respect and trust on Nitish Kumar. The development works done by Kumar, especially in Assams Nagaon district, during his tenure as Union railway minister when rail lines were laid for over 120 km, is still remembered by people. This rail line became the lifeline for many and they profusely thank him for this, Verma said, and added that people believe in the partys secular credential, which will certainly pay rich dividends in the polls.

Verma also claimed that the JD (U) plans to cash in on sentiments against the AIUDF.

The party has identified at least 32 seats in districts such as Nagaon, Tinsukia and Barpeta and to encash sentiments against the AIUDF. The Congresss presence in Assam is virtually negligible and the AIUDF has also lost the peoples trust. A final decision will be taken by the senior party leaders, he said.

Verma said many young Muslims have been inducted recently into the party in Assam. They will have an added advantage of the partys secular image under Nitish Kumars leadership, he said.

The JD (U) general secretary said the party has also stepped up its activity in Tripura where it aims to fill up the political space vacated by the CPI (M) and is planning to take on the BJP. We have started strengthening the organizational set-up in the state, said Verma.

At its recent national executive meeting, JD(U) had announced its plan to contest the West Bengal assembly election as well.

The JD (U) suffered a setback recently when six of the seven MLAs in Arunachal Pradesh defected to BJP. The party had won seven seats in the 60-member assembly in the state, next only to the ruling BJP which bagged 41 seats and secured a majority.
Jan 4, 1921

Twice-kidnapped Scranton boy dies

Brewster Collins, a 9-year-old boy from Scranton, died in Newark, New Jersey.

Young Collins was the abductee in two sensational kidnapping cases to take place in Scranton over the past few years.

The boy was at the center of his parents separation.

Following his parents separation, a Lackawanna County judge gave full custody of Brewster to his mother. In 1918, his father, Charles, kidnapped the boy. It took Lackawanna County Chief Detective Phil Rinsland months to locate and return the boy to his mother.

The father would return to Scranton and kidnap the boy again in May 1919.

Mrs. Collins received word that Brewster took ill on the evening of Jan. 1 and he died the following day.

Mrs. Collins left Scranton immediately for Newark to bring her boy home.

But that did not happen . She

attended the funeral for her son and returned to Scranton in the evening of Jan. 5.

In the morning of Jan. 6, she met with Rinsland and members of the Lackawanna County district attorneys office. At the time, it was decided Mrs. Collins should leave the body of her son in Newark and file charges of nonsupport against her husband.

Clarke Brothers clearance sale

Womens warm coats were priced between $15 and $45, womens tailored suits were priced between $17.98 and $35, womens winter hats were either $5 or $9, mens suits and overcoats were $14.95 each, boys suits were $7.95, mens sweaters were priced between $6.37 and $13.50, womens shoes were $4.98.
(@FahadShabbir)

The US Congress has passed a bill named after Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai that expands the number of scholarships to women in Pakistan under a merit and needs-based programme, according to information posted on the congressional website

NEW YORK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Jan, 2021 ) :The US Congress has passed a bill named after Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai that expands the number of scholarships to women in Pakistan under a merit and needs-based programme, according to information posted on the congressional website.

The 'Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act' was passed by the House of Representatives in March 2020, and the US Senate adopted it by a voice vote on January 1, 2021.

It has now been sent to the White House for US President Donald Trump to sign it into law.

The bill requires the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to award at least 50 per cent of scholarships under a Pakistan-based higher education scholarship programme to Pakistani women, from 2020 to 2022, across a range of academic disciplines and in accordance with existing eligibility criteria.

The USAID is also required to consult with and leverage investments by the Pakistani private sector and Pakistani diaspora in the United States to improve and expand access to education programmes in Pakistan as per the norms of the bill.

The agency has to brief the Congress annually on the number of scholarships awarded under the programme, including breakdowns by gender, discipline, and degree type.

The percentage of recipients who were involuntarily pushed out of the programme for failure to meet programme requirements; and the percentage of recipients who dropped out of school, including due to retaliation for seeking education will also be calculated.

Since 2010, the USAID has awarded more than 6,000 scholarships for young women to receive higher education in Pakistan. The bill expands this programme.
Rising to the challenge: EGLE's "By the Numbers" series to highlight 2020's work

Rising to the challenge: EGLE's "By the Numbers" series to highlight 2020's work

Throughout the month of January, MI Environment will publish regular "EGLE 2020 By the Numbers" briefs highlighting the work of the agency's 1,200-plus employees who protect Michigan's environment and public health through wise management of air, water, land and energy resources. Look for tomorrow's "By the Numbers" piece on the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy's (EGLE) work to help property owners protect themselves from erosion caused by record-high Great Lakes water levels.

Today, we look back at EGLE's 2020 challenges, the most formidable of which was finding creative ways to continue protecting Michiganders from environmental hazards while practicing COVID-19-safe procedures that safeguard our staff, the public and our partners across the state.

Forced to recalibrate traditional work routines to adapt to challenges, including a global pandemic, threats from historic high water levels and a catastrophic dam failure, EGLE continued to protect Michigan's environment and public health during 2020 with resilience and adaptability.

Compliance inspections, permit issuances and drinking water and environmental testing at EGLEs laboratory continued; the Pollution Emergency Assistance (PEAS) hotline stayed at full throttle, dispatching personnel to reports of toxic trouble; and the agency expanded its transparency with more online accessibility to key documents and the fulfillment of thousands of open records requests.

EGLE gained international notoriety with an entertaining-but-expensive tale of an aggrieved bald eagle sending an EGLE drone to the bottom of Lake Michigan. Less visible but more vital to our mission was our work with communities to restore formerly-contaminated properties to productive use, more than 25,000 permits acted on, and tests on thousands of drinking water samples for contaminants ranging from lead to PFAS to harmful bacteria.

While maintaining "business-as-usual" during a global pandemic might be challenging enough, EGLE also moved forward several new, groundbreaking and historic initiatives designed to meet future challenges with a lens on fair and equitable treatment of all Michiganders regardless of income, geography, ethnicity or race:

In September Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the MI Healthy Climate Plan, a comprehensive plan to protect Michiganders' public health and the environment and help develop new clean energy jobs by putting Michigan on a path towards becoming fully carbon-neutral by 2050. EGLE's Office of Climate and Energy will help lead the state's climate work through innovative programs such as the Catalyst Communities, which provides training, education, planning and technical resources to communities preparing for climate impacts.

EGLE's Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate launched a number of new initiatives, including the Clean Water Ambassadors initiative, which recruited approximately 150 Michiganders to improve transparency and communication. The office also launched the EGLE online Drinking Water Concern System providing an avenue to investigate drinking water concerns. This system, which is available in English, Arabic, and Spanish, provides another mechanism to support our local partners and better serve Michiganders.

Twenty-one Michiganders were selected for Michigan's first Environmental Justice advisory council in 2020. The Michigan Advisory Council for Environmental Justice (MAC-EJ) is run through EGLE's Office of Environmental Justice Public Advocate and was created to advise the state on issues impacting Environmental Justice communities. The office also conducted training for more than 1,000 EGLE employees on integrating Environmental Justice and equity into their work.

A $500 million water infrastructure plan was launched in October by EGLE and Gov. Whitmer. The resources will provide clean, affordable water to Michiganders, direct investments into communities and support more than 7,500 clean water-based jobs.

There's much, much more that EGLE's 1,200-plus public servants accomplished during the course of a year that presented challenges unlike any other. Subscribe to MI Environment to keep abreast of EGLE's work on behalf of Michigan's environment and public health.

Like this content? Follow us on Twitter at @MichiganEGLE or on Youtube.com/MichiganEGLE

Take a short survey and let us know what you think about MI Environment.
A man was "not in his right mind" when he jumped onto the bonnet of a garda car after officers were called to the scene of a domestic dispute in west Dublin.

Mantas Simkas (34) was sentenced to three months in prison after a judge said his behaviour on the night was "appalling".

Simkas, a father-of-two from Orchard Lodge, Clondalkin, pleaded guilty to criminal damage to the patrol car as well as threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour and public intoxication.

Garda Sergeant Maria Callaghan told Blanchardstown District Court that gardai went to Ninth Lock Road, Clondalkin on March 12, as it was reported that a woman was in a verbal dispute with her husband and wanted him to leave.

Aggressive

Mantas became aggressive to gardai outside and jumped onto the bonnet of their car in an attempt to get away. "Minimal" damage was caused.

Simkas had been in Ireland for 15 years and was looking for work, his solicitor Valerie Buckley told the court.

She asked Judge David McHugh for leniency.

Judge McHugh said while the accused's guilty plea was "of value", the events of the night were "appalling" and he would impose a sentence.

Ms Buckley asked the judge to consider suspending it, saying she did not think her client was in his right mind at the time because of his level of intoxication.

Judge McHugh said the sentence was appropriate but set bail in the event of an appeal.

Herald
A 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers is being eroded and efforts to revive the pact face a new challenge with a decision by Tehran to resume 20% uranium enrichment at an underground nuclear facility.

The accords restrictions on Irans atomic work had one objective: to extend the breakout time for Tehran to produce enough fissile material for a bomb, if it decided to make one, to at least a year from about two to three months.

Iran maintains that it has never sought nuclear weapons and never would. It says its nuclear work only has civilian aims.

Tehran began breaching the deals curbs in 2019 in a step-by-step response to President Donald Trumps withdrawal from the deal in May 2018 and the reimposition of US sanctions.

This has shortened the breakout time but reports by the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which polices the deal, indicate that Iran is not moving ahead with its nuclear work as fast as it could.

European states have sought to save the nuclear deal, pressing Tehran to comply even as Washington has tightened sanctions, and holding out hopes of a change in US policy once President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20.

Biden was part of the US administration under Barack Obama that negotiated the 2015 deal.

What has Iran done till now?

Iran has contravened many of the deals restrictions but is still cooperating with the IAEA and granting inspectors access under one of the most intrusive nuclear verification regimes imposed on any nation.

* Enriched uranium - The deal limits Irans stockpile of enriched uranium to 202.8 kg, a fraction of the more than eight tonnes it possessed before the deal. The limit was breached in 2019. The IAEA report in November put the stockpile at 2,442.9 kg.

* Enrichment level - The deal caps the fissile purity to which Iran can refine uranium at 3.67%, far below the 20% achieved before the deal and below the weapons-grade level of 90%. Iran breached the 3.67% cap in July 2019 and the enrichment level has remained steady at up to 4.5% since then.

* Centrifuges - The deal allows Iran to produce enriched uranium using about 5,000 first-generation IR-1 centrifuges at its underground Natanz plant, which was built to house more than 50,000. It can operate small numbers of more advanced models above ground without accumulating enriched uranium. Iran had roughly 19,000 installed centrifuges before the deal.

In 2019, the IAEA said Iran had begun enrichment with advanced centrifuges at an above-ground pilot plant at Natanz. Since then, Iran started moving three cascades, or clusters, of advanced centrifuges to the underground plant. In November, the IAEA said Iran had fed uranium hexafluoride gas feedstock into the first of those underground cascades.

* Fordow - The deal bans enrichment at Fordow, a site Iran secretly built inside a mountain and that was exposed by Western intelligence services in 2009. Centrifuges are allowed there for other purposes, like producing stable isotopes. Iran now has 1,044 IR-1 centrifuges enriching there.

On Monday Iran said it was resuming 20 percent enrichment at Fordow, possibly complicating efforts by the Biden administration to rejoin the deal.

How close is Iran to having a bomb?

The breaches lengthened the breakout time but estimates still vary. Many diplomats and nuclear experts say the starting point of one year is conservative and Iran would need longer.

David Albright, a former UN weapons inspector who tends to have a hawkish position on Iran, estimated in November that Irans breakout time could be as short as 3.5 months, although this presumes Iran would use 1,000 advanced centrifuges that were removed under the deal.

What more would Iran need to do?

If Iran accumulated sufficient fissile material, it would need to assemble a bomb and probably one small enough to be carried by its ballistic missiles. How long that would take exactly is unclear, but stockpiling enough fissile material is widely seen as the biggest hurdle in producing a weapon.

US intelligence agencies and the IAEA believe Iran once had a nuclear weapons programme that it halted. There is evidence suggesting Iran obtained a design for a nuclear weapon and carried out various types of work relevant to making one.

Tehran continues to grant the IAEA access to its declared nuclear facilities and allow snap inspections elsewhere.

Iran and the IAEA resolved a standoff in 2020 that had lasted several months over access to two suspected former sites.

Cyber Attacks On US Government - New Evidence

The wide ranging and successful cyber attacks on US government agencies and numerous private companies, including Microsoft, widely believed to have been undertaken by state-sponsored Russian hackers which was first reported in December 2020, may in fact have begun much earlier.

US investigators originally thought that the attacks on government agencies and private industry targets began in March or April 2020, including breaches of Treasury, State, Commerce and Energy Departments. The Treasury and Commerce departments were both confirmed as having been affected and others may have been breached.

The hack, which may still be ongoing, appears to have begun as long ago as October 2019, when hackers first breached the Texas software company SolarWinds, which provides technology monitoring services to government agencies and 425 of the Fortune 500 companies. The hacking campaign entered US government and private systems by surreptitiously tampering with and inserting malware into updates released by SolarWinds.

The attacks work by hiding malicious code in the body of legitimate software updates that are provided to the hacking targets by third parties. That malicious code gave the highly professional hackers remote access to an organizations networks so they could steal information. State-backed Russian hackers were identified as the suspects, although Russia has firmly denied any involvement.

Microsoft said that the hackers were unable to get into emails or its products and services and that they were not able to modify the company's vital source code which they were able to view, Microsoft did not say how long hackers were inside its networks and initially denied that it was breached in the attack.

Hackers gained entry into networks by getting more than 18,000 private and government users to download a tainted software update. Once inside, they were able to monitor internal emails at some of the top agencies in the US. We still dont have for the private sector, or for that matter the public sector, any mandatory reporting on major hacking incidents, said senator Mark Warner, Vice-Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee said. The amount of time its taking to assess the (latest) attack, it is taking longer than we would like to take, he added. Warner also said the lack of US laws and policy to counter such major hacks is the product of a lack of policy" that precedes the Trump administration.

The massive data breach, revealed in the final weeks of Trump's administration is a dramatic finale for the Trump Presidency which has been accused of excessive deference to Russia and unsuccessful attempts to warm relations with President, Vladimir Putin. "There has been obviously a reluctance out of this White House to call out Russia repeatedly.... I dont believe that is a problem of the intelligence community. I think that is a problem of the White House" Senator Warner told reporters.

This large scale and sophisticated operation is perhaps the biggest known cyber attack against against US federal government networks in years.

New York Times: CNN: Yahoo: Guardian: Reuters:

You Might Also Read:

Is This The Hack Of The Decade?:
S cotland will be plunged into a new full lockdown from midnight tonight and schools will remain closed until February, Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

The First Minister said a legally-enforceable stay-at-home order will apply from Tuesday to areas currently under the countrys top tier  Level 4  which encompasses mainland Scotland and Skye.

Exemptions will be in place for carers, essential shopping, unlimited outdoor exercise and being part of an extended household, Ms Sturgeon confirmed.

She stressed that MSPs had to act quickly and decisively", describing the country as four weeks behind London".

Scotlands school shutdown Online learning for children in January Scotlands First Minister will close schools to most pupils until February 1 as part of her bid to curb the spread of coronavirus. She had previously announced that the Christmas holiday would be extended to January 11. But now children will have another two weeks of home working. Schools will only remain open to the children of key workers who cannot work from home and vulnerable youngsters.

Describing the situation as extremely serious, she added: "I can confirm nowthat we decided to introduce from tomorrow, for the duration of January, a legal requirement to stay at home except for essential purposes. This is similar to the lockdown of March last year."

Schools and nurseries will remain closed to most pupils until February, meaning an additional two weeks of home learning for most pupils.

Ms Sturgeon announced the changes in a statement at the Scottish Parliament, which was recalled from recess to discuss stricter measures, telling MSPs taking no action could see Covid-19 capacity in hospitals overrun within three or four weeks.

She said: We have an opportunity in Scotland to avert the situation here deteriorating to that extent but we must act quickly.

The First Minister said the lockdown decision was taken after a meeting of the Scottish Cabinet on Monday morning.

She admitted that she knew the decisions would not be welcome and that they had not been taken lightly.

The SNP leader said the measures were devastating and that lockdown would remain in place only if absolutely necessary.

The Scottish Government had already announced school holidays were being extended to January 11, with ministers having originally planned for remote learning until January 18.

However, schools will still be open for the children of key workers who cannot work from home, and for vulnerable youngsters.

Nicola Sturgeon acknowledged that the measures were devastating / PA

The First Minister said Scotland recorded 1,905 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, down from the 2,464 reported on Sunday. The daily test positivity rate is 15 per cent  a marginal drop from 15.2 per cent on Sunday.

Currently, the whole of mainland Scotland and Skye is under the toughest tier of restrictions, banning indoor visits except in limited special circumstances and restricting meetings outdoors to six people from two households.

The remaining island areas are in Level 3 and no change was announced from this.

For the rest of Scotland, people will only be allowed to meet one person from another household outdoors from Tuesday, applying to all aged 12 and over.

Coronavirus - In pictures 1 /80 Coronavirus - In pictures A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images Customers wearing face masks shop at the pork counter of a supermarket following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, Hubei province Reuters Westminster Bridge is deserted in London the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA Canadian passengers Chris & Anna Joiner ask for help onboard the MS Zaandam, Holland America Line cruise ship, during the coronavirus outbreak, off the shores of Panama City via Reuters A man crosses a nearly empty 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York City Reuters The London Eye is pictured lit blue in support of the NHS, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Commuters cope with Coronavirus Jeremy Selwyn Milan's Piazza del Duomo empty AFP via Getty Images People in protective clothing walk past rows of beds at a temporary 2,000-bed hospital for COVID-19 coronavirus patients set up by the Iranian army at the international exhibition center in northern Tehran, Iran AP Martina Papponetti, 25, an ICU nurse at the Humanitas Gavazzeni Hospital in Bergamo, Italy poses for a portrait at the end of her shift AP Pope Francis celebrating a daily mass alone in the Santa Marta chapel at the Vatican, as part of precautionary measures against the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Imag Vysheyshaya Liga - FC Torpedo-BelAZ Zhodino v FC Belshina Bobruisk - Torpedo Stadium, Zhodino, Belarus, March 27, 2020 Players in action during the match despite most sport being cancelled around the world as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Hanks and Wilson both have coronavirus Tom Hanks General view of an emergency makeshift field hospital as it is set up at Pacaembu Stadium for coronavirus (COVID-19) patients with a capacity of 200 beds in Sao Paulo, Brazil Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling on people to stay away from pubs, clubs and theatres, work from home if possible and avoid all non-essential contacts and travel in order to reduce the impact of the coronavirus pandemic PA Naomi Campbell catches a flight in a hazmat suit with goggles, a surgical mask and rubber gloves @naomi Sophie and Emily Ward pose for a photograph with their hand-drawn picture of rainbows and a message on their window in St Helens, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Corona virus outbreak. PA Shoppers queue outside a branch of Costco, in Croydon, south London, on the weekend after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered pubs and restaurants across the country to close PA Charing Cross Tube Bakerloo Line very quiet at 8.15am Jeremy Selwyn A woman with a plastic box over her head on the London Underground. PA A Racegoer attend Cheltenham Festival on Ladies Day wearing a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits a laboratory at the Public Health England National Infection Service in Colindale PA A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A couple kiss in Milano Centrale railway station in Milan on March 8, 2020 AFP via Getty Images A combination picture shows visitors wearing protective face masks following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) looking at blooming cherry blossom nd a pigeon walking at an closed cherry blossom viewing spot during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (not pictured) urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors, in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading Reuters This combination photo created on March 5, 2020 shows tourists visiting Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap province on March 16, 2019 (top) and on March 5, 2020 AFP via Getty Images Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump looks at the $2.2 trillion coronavirus aid package bill as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Vice President Mike Pence stand by during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House Reuters A satellite image shows an empty South Beach during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Miami, via Reuters General view inside the empty stadium as the two teams line up prior to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund at Parc des Princes UEFA via Getty Images A Sainsbury's supermarket in Cambridge is among those to sell out of antibacterial hand sanitizer PA Tents and ambulances are set up next to the Princess Cruises Grand Princess cruise as it sits docked in the Port of Oakland on March 09, 2020 in Oakland, California. The Princess Cruises Grand Princess has been held from docking until today as at least 21 people on board have tested positive for COVID-19 also known as the Coronavirus Getty Images Medical staff produce traditional Chinese medicine to treat patients infected by the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images Army soldiers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant as a precaution against the new coronavirus at a shopping street in Seoul, South Korea AP Russian President Vladimir Putin wearing protective gear walks at a hospital for patients infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the outskirts of Moscow via Reuters A woman who has recovered from the COVID-19 is disinfected by volunteers as she arrives at a hotel for a 14-day quarantine AFP via Getty Images Passengers on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship are seen as the ship arrives at Daikoku Pier where it is being resupplied and newly diagnosed coronavirus cases taken for treatment as it remains in quarantine after a number of the 3,700 people on board were diagnosed with coronavirus Getty Images Dave Abel pictured in hospital in Japan Manchester United fans in the stands during the Premier League match at Old Trafford PA Police officers wearing masks stand in front of the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel in La Caleta, in the Canary Island of Tenerife AP Carnival revellers wear protective face masks at Venice Carnival Reuters A general view is pictured of Burbage Primary School in Buxton, Derbyshire after the closure of the school as a pupil's parent has tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19 AFP via Getty Images People wearing face masks walk past the Olympic rings in front of the new National Stadium, the main stadium for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Game Getty Images People leave Kents Hill Park Training and Conference Centre in Milton Keynes where Coronavirus evacuees are due to be released from quarantine today and allowed to go home PA Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA A woman wears a mask while crossing London Bridg Getty Images A general view of Worthing Hospital in West Sussex PA Passengers relax on board the Holland America-operated Westerdam cruise ship, which has been denied permission to dock in Thailand over coronavirus fears via Reuters A child waves as she sits in a vehicle carrying residents evacuated from a public housing building, following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, outside Hong Mei House, at Cheung Hong Estate in Hong Kong Reuters A woman wearing a Minnie Mouse face mask looks at her mobile phone in Beijing on February 11, 2020 AFP via Getty Images The Costa Smeralda cruise ship of Costa Crociere, carrying around 6,000 passengers, is docked at the Italian port of Civitavecchia after a health alert due to a Chinese couple and a possible link to coronavirus on board, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters A patient covered with a bed sheet at an exhibition centre converted into a hospital as it starts to accept patients displaying mild symptoms of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan AFP via Getty Images A medical official takes the body temperature of a man at the departure hall of the airport in Changsha, Hunan Province, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus, China Reuters The view of the Wuhan International Conference and Exhibition Center Getty Images A plane carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, arrives at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire A police vehicle enters the gates of the Royal Air Force station RAF Brize Norton in Carterton AFP via Getty Images Passengers wear face masks as the push their luggage after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport AFP via Getty Images French citizens arrive and settle aboard of an evacuation plane with destination southeastern France, before departure from Wuhan Airport (WUH), China AFP via Getty Images Police stand at a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge that crosses from Hubei province in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China Reuters A member of staff at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside prepares for a bus carrying British nationals from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China PA Doctor Paul McKay, who is working on an vaccine for the 2019-nCoV strain of the novel coronavirus, poses for a photograph with bacteria containing fragments of coronavirus DNA, at Imperial College School of Medicine (ICSM) in Londo AFP via Getty Images Workers produce masks at the Thai Hospital Product Company Ltd. factory in Bangkok AFP via Getty Images Passengers wearing face masks are seen on a bus after disembarking from the Costa Smeralda cruise ship, after tests on a woman from Macau with suspected coronavirus came back negative, in Civitavecchia, Italy Reuters People hoard bottles of alcohol after the Philippine government confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the country, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines Reuters Taking precautions: with fears growing that the coronavirus will spread from China, a health official checks a womans temperature on the underground in Beijing Getty Images An empty road is seen in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on January 27, 2020, amid a deadly virus outbreak which began in the city AFP via Getty Images Students wearing masks meditate prior to a lesson at a high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia AP Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital wear protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus AFP via Getty Images Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China AP Workers driving excavators at the construction site of a field hospital In Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The builders will complete the 1,000-bed hospital by February 3 to cope with the surge of 2019-nCoV patients in the city Getty Images Buddhist monks wear masks as they walk near Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodi AP A woman and a child wearing protective masks walk toward check-in counters at Daxing international airport in Beijing AFP via Getty Images An employee sprays disinfectant on a train as a precaution against a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea AP A policeman wearing a mask walks past a quarantine notice about the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China at an arrival hall of Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan Reuters Paramilitary police wear face masks as they stand guard at Tiananmen Gate adjacent to Tiananmen Square in Beijing AP The resident wear masks to buy vegetables in the market in Wuhan Getty Images Staff sell masks at a Yifeng Pharmacy in Wuhan AP Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV AP

From Friday, places of worship will close to the public except for weddings or civil partnerships  limited to five people  or funerals, which will be restricted to 20 mourners. Wakes have been banned.

Ski centres, clinics offering cosmetic and aesthetic procedures and showrooms for larger retailers will have to close under a tightening of premises designated as essential retail.
New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that several regions in northern India and western Himalayan are likely to witness moderate to intense wet spell with fairly widespread to widespread precipitation accompanied with thunderstorm, lightning and hailstorm till the night of January 5, 2021.

The IMD also predicted that fresh northerly-northwesterly winds likely are to set in over plains of northwest India causing the cold wave to severe cold wave conditions at isolated places over Punjab, Haryana and north Rajasthan from January 7 onwards.

According to the National Weather Forecasting Centre of IMD:

 An active Western Disturbance lies as a middle and upper-level cyclonic circulation over Central Pakistan & neighbourhood with its induced cyclonic circulation over southwest Rajasthan & neighbourhood at lower levels.

A north-south zone of wind confluence also observed today from North Punjab to Northeast Arabian Sea, with strong interaction between south-westerly in association with the above Western Disturbance and lower level moist southeasterlies.

 All these favorable meteorological features are likely to persist till January 5 and continue to cause moderate to intense wet spell with fairly widespread to widespread precipitation accompanied with thunderstorm, lightning and hailstorm at isolated over northwest India till the night of January 5 with peak activities on January 4 and 5 over the western Himalayan region(Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan & Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand).

 After cessation of a wet spell, fresh northerly-northwesterly winds likely to set in over Plains of northwest India causing a cold wave to severe cold wave conditions at isolated places over Punjab, Haryana and north Rajasthan from January 7 onwards.



Weather Warning during the next 4 days:

4 January:

 Heavy rain/snow very likely at isolated places over Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Muzaffarabad and Himachal Pradesh.

 Heavy rainfall is very likely at isolated places over Punjab and Haryana & Chandigarh.

 Thunderstorm accompanied with lightning and hail at isolated places very likely over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and West Madhya Pradesh; with lightning over Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, Kerala & Mahe and Lakshadweep.

 Cold Wave conditions very likely in isolated pockets over Saurashtra & Kutch.

 Cold Day Conditions very likely in isolated pockets over Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi.

 Dense fog is very likely at isolated places over West Rajasthan and Odisha.

5 January:

 Heavy rain/snow very likely at isolated places over Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

 Heavy rainfall is very likely at isolated places over Tamilnadu, Puducherry & Karaikal.

 Thunderstorm accompanied with lightning and hail at isolated places very likely over Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Uttar Pradesh; with lightning over Tamilnadu, Puducherry & Karaikal, Kerala & Mahe and Lakshadweep.

 Cold Wave conditions very likely in isolated pockets over Saurashtra & Kutch.

 Dense fog is very likely at isolated places over West Rajasthan and Odisha.



6 January:



 Dense Fog likely in isolated pockets over Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

 Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry & Karaikal and Kerala & Mahe.

 Thunderstorm accompanied with lightning at isolated places over Coastal & South Interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry & Karaikal, Kerala & Mahe and Lakshadweep.

 Cold Wave to severe cold wave conditions likely in isolated pockets over Saurashtra & Kutch; Cold Wave conditions likely over Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

7 January:



 Dense Fog likely in isolated pockets over Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

 Thunderstorm accompanied with lightning at isolated places over Coastal & South Interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry & Karaikal, and Kerala & Mahe.

 Cold Wave to severe cold wave conditions likely in isolated pockets over Saurashtra & Kutch; Cold Wave conditions likely over Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
Monday, January 4, 2021

Join the Conversation in the Next Death Cafe!

The next Albuquerque Death Cafe will take place ONLINE on Sunday, January 24, 2020, 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. Due to self-distancing imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, we will meet through Zoom. RSVP to Gail [at] AGoodGoodbye.com to receive the link for the meeting.

The objective of the Death Cafe is to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives. Its an interesting, unstructured conversation with no specific agenda. The Death Cafe offers a relaxed, confidential and safe setting to discuss death. We drink tea (or your favorite beverage) and eat delicious cake or cookies.

Please provide your own refreshments. Have a cup of tea or coffee and a cookie or other snack handy.

The Death Cafe concept was started in the United Kingdom by Jon Underwood. He was influenced by the ideas of Swiss sociologist Bernard Crettaz, who started holding Cafe Mortel events in France and Switzerland. Albuquerque was the first city in the U.S. west of the Mississippi to hold a Death Cafe. Gail Rubin hosted it in September, 2012.

For more information about Death Cafes, visit this page at AGoodGoodbye.com or visit www.DeathCafe.com. Join the Albuquerque Death Cafe Meetup group to be kept apprised of upcoming events. Click here to go to the Meetup page.

Your Death Cafe Host

Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist, hosts the Albuquerque Death Cafe. She is a pioneering death educator. Rubin is a public speaker, a published author of three books, host of a TV interview series and podcast, a blogger, a funeral industry trade journalist, a Certified Funeral Celebrant, and an innovator in the funeral business. She created a conversation-starting game called The Newly-Dead Game, introduced the Death Cafe movement in the United States, and held the first Before I Die Festival west of the Mississippi in 2017. Albuquerque Business First named her one of their 2019 Women of Influence.

Related
Nearly 700 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Schuylkill County over the past five days, including a one-day record 363 added to the tally on Sunday. The total now stands at 8,491.

A surge of cases was expected after a pop-up testing location was operated in the county from Dec. 27-31 by AMI, a Virginia company that is contracted by the state Department of Health.

Anyone who showed up at the parking lot of the Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 in Mar Lin could get a test.

We did about 1,500 people, so were expecting to see a rise in the number of positive cases, John Matz, the county emergency management agency coordinator, said Monday.

Statewide, there were 3,226 additional cases of COVID-19 reported Monday, bringing the total to 665,097.

The case counts were unusually low as a result of technical maintenance to the data server on Sunday, the department reported.

That maintenance did not impact the death reporting system because that data comes from a different server, the state said.

There were 66 new deaths reported, for a total of 16,361 attributed to COVID-19.

Schuylkill Countys death count was at 252 on Monday, up from 245 on Thursday.

Statewide, there were 5,529 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19, including 1,149 in the intensive care unit, the state reported Monday.

In Schuylkill County, 73 people were hospitalized, including nine in intensive care and two on ventilators.

Early warning statistics

The state on Monday released the latest statistics from its COVID-19 Early Warning Monitoring System Dashboard for the seven-day period ending Thursday.

Numbers for Schuylkill County and the state and the change from the previous week include:

Case totals: County: 704, down from 828. State: 40,407, down from 48,883.

Cases per 100,000 people: County: 495.5, down from 582.8. State: 315.5, down from 381.7.

Percent positivity (PCR tests): County: 25.5, down from 25.8. State: 15, unchanged.

Average daily hospitalizations: County: 73.3, up from 67.1. State: 5,896.1, down from 6,080.9.

Average daily number of patients on ventilators: County: 1.4, up from 0.9. State: 713.7, down from 744.

Percent of emergency department visits for COVID-19-like illnesses: County: 1.2, up from 1.1. State, 1.2, down from 1.3.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Partly cloudy in the morning. Thunderstorms developing later in the day. A few storms may be severe. High 91F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 59F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Luxury Wine

Named after the fragrant Linden trees that surrounded a gazebo on the estate in the late 1800s, it is now the second label for Spottswoode. Did I say second label? Well if any winery other than Spottswoode made this wine, it would be their flagship, showing dark berry notes, all lilac and thyme with a ghost of oak and a mouthfeel without rival. Sign up to get on their list at spottswoode.com .

Winery of the Year

Iron Horse Vineyards located in the heart of Green Valley. Iron Horse is well known for its sparkling wine. But, Iron Horse is more than a sparkling wine house. Iron Horse was established in 1976 by pioneering founders Barry and Audrey Sterling, who saw the potential of Green Valley as a winegrowing region way before anyone else. Still family-owned and operated now by daughter Joy, CEO, and son Laurence, Director of Operations. Iron Horse has an extensive portfolio of both sparkling and still wines, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, all of which are estate-grown. Congratulations to Iron Horse Vineyards my 2020 Winery of the Year.
The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party have slammed actor Kangana Ranaut and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for her tweet on appeasing BJP and said this was proof that she was acting against the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government on direction of the party.

The ruling parties also said that the BJP had sinned and the sin could not be washed off even if the party apologised to the people of Maharashtra.

Also Read: Kangana Ranaut slams Urmila Matondkar amid reports that she bought Rs 3 cr office after joining Shiv Sena: Wish I was as smart as you

A day after Ranaut took a dig at Shiv Sena leader and actor Urmila Matondkar, the ruling parties said the people of Maharashtra will take a stand against the betrayal by the BJP.

Ranaut had criticised Matondkar over a new office purchased by the latter after joining Sena. Dear@UrmilaMatondkar ji the houses I constructed through my hard work were demolished by Congress. By appeasing BJP, I was handed just 25-30 cases. Had I been as smart as you, I would have appeased Congress. How stupid I am, right? Ranaut tweeted in Hindi.

Dear @UrmilaMatondkar ji maine jo khud ki mehnat se ghar banaye woh bhi Congress tod rahi hai, sach mein BJP ko khush karke mere haath sirf 25-30 cases he lage hain, kash main bhi aapki tarah samajhdar hoti toh Congress ko khush karti, kitni bevakoof hoon main, nahin? pic.twitter.com/AScsUSLTAA  Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) January 3, 2021

She was referring Matondkar purchasing an office in a plush commercial area for Rs3 crore weeks after joining the Shiv Sena. Matondkar replied to the allegation in a video on Sunday, in which she said the facts related to the office purchased by her were twisted.

It is true that I purchased an office at Pali Hill, but it has nothing to do with me joining the Shiv Sena. The office was purchased from the amount I had received after selling a flat in Andheri. Ever since I entered into politics, there have been attempts to defame me, but I am not going to deviate from my aim. These attempts are not going to make any difference to me. I am open to disclose all the documents of the transactions related to the office to anybody, she said. Matondkar also said the documents related to both her transactions (sale and purchase of the two properties) were available with the authorities concerned and she could make them available for media persons too.

Congresss state general secretary and spokesperson Sachin Sawant said it has been established that BJP was behind the conspiracy to defame Maharashtra and Mumbai.

Ranaut herself has admitted that she was trying to make BJP happy. This proves that BJP was behind the conspiracy [which according to the Congress was planned during the Sushant Singh Rajput death case probe] to defame Mumbai Police and Maharashtra. BJP cannot get wash off its sin even if it apologises to the people of Maharashtra. We condemn BJP, he said.

Sawant said it was unfortunate that BJP supported the actor who likened Mumbai with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and termed Mumbai Police mafia.

NCP legislator and party chief Sharad Pawars grandnephew Rohit Pawar, too hit, out at BJP. We should congratulate Kangana for her candid admission that she was targeting Maharashtra government to make BJP happy. By doing so, she has exposed BJP. Now the people of Maharashtra will decide about this betrayal by BJP, he tweeted in Marathi.

BJP spokesperson Vishwas Pathak dismissed the controversy. It is a battle between two film actors and no serious attention needs to be given to it. BJP has nothing to do with it, he said.
A London court will deliver a ruling on Monday on whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be extradited to the United States to face criminal charges.

Following are some key events and details in Assange's life:

July 1971  Assange is born in Townsville, Australia, to parents involved in theatre. As a teenager, he gains a reputation as a computer programmer, and in 1995 is fined for computer hacking but avoids prison on condition he does not offend again.

2006  Founds WikiLeaks, creating an internet-based "dead letter drop" for leakers of classified or sensitive information.

April 5, 2010  WikiLeaks releases leaked video from a U.S. helicopter showing an air strike that killed civilians in Baghdad, including two Reuters news staff.

July 25, 2010  WikiLeaks releases over 91,000 documents, mostly secret U.S. military reports about the Afghanistan war.

October, 2010  WikiLeaks releases 400,000 classified military files chronicling the Iraq war. The next month, it releases thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables, including candid views of foreign leaders and blunt assessments of security threats.

Nov. 18, 2010  A Swedish court orders Assange's arrest over rape allegations, which he denies. He is arrested in Britain the next month on a European Arrest Warrant but freed on bail.

February 2011  London's Westminster Magistrates Court orders Assange's extradition to Sweden. He appeals.

June 14, 2012  The British Supreme Court rejects Assange's final appeal and five days later he takes refuge in Ecuador's embassy in London and seeks political asylum, which Ecuador grants in August 2012.

May 19, 2017  Swedish prosecutors discontinue their investigation, saying it is impossible to proceed while Assange is in the Ecuadorean Embassy.

April 11, 2019  Assange is carried out of the Ecuadorean Embassy and arrested after Ecuador revokes his political asylum. He is sentenced on May 1 to 50 weeks in prison by a British court for skipping bail. He completes the sentence early but remains jailed pending extradition hearings.

May 13, 2019  Swedish prosecutors reopen their investigation and say they will seek Assange's extradition to Sweden.

June 11, 2019  The U.S. Justice Department formally asks Britain to extradite Assange to the United States to face charges that he conspired to hack U.S. government computers and violated an espionage law.

Nov. 19, 2019  Swedish prosecutors drop their rape investigation, saying the evidence is not strong enough to bring charges, in part because of the passage of time.

Feb. 21, 2020  A London court begins the first part of extradition hearings. On Oct. 1, 2020, Judge Vanessa Baraitser says she will give her ruling on Jan. 4, 2021.
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ALBERT LEA, Minn. - The cold weather couldn't stop many Minnesotans from protesting. Dozens took their voices to the streets on Sunday to march from city hall to the police department, to show they want the state to reopen. In November, Governor Walz rolled back on some of the restrictions leaving various individuals to be irritable and desperate to reopen.

"It's time to open back up Minnesota and start exercising and practicing our constitutional freedoms," said Lisa Hanson, a business owner who organized the protest.

Hanson is the owner of The Interchange Wine and Coffee Bistro. She is facing a five-year liquor license revocation for ongoing violations of the executive order. It's more than just unemployment, shutdowns, and closures people are over.

"It's time to quit with this bologna with the mask wrapping," said Jason Peterson.

Peterson was one of the people protesting because he believes the Coronavirus is a fake scam and that people aren't actually dying from it.

"The CDC has changed the rules and they're turning around and spiking the numbers on something ain't there," explained Peterson.

Even people like Charlie Graham who has health risks, came out to show their thoughts toward the virus.

"I would probably be in a bad place if I were to get it but I don't believe it would actually kill me," said Graham.

Just like Peterson, Graham doesn't trust the CDC, believes the numbers are not accurate, and isn't concerned about it.

Although most of the protestors are unhappy with the governor and the decisions he's made, there were some counter-protesters there thanking him and showing some positivity.
BEIJING, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), has signed an order to release revised regulations on military equipment.

Focusing on war preparedness and combat capabilities, the regulations define the basic tasks, contents and management mechanisms for military equipment work under the new situation and system.

Comprised of 100 stipulations under 14 chapters, the document adheres to the general principle of "the CMC exercising overall leadership, theater commands responsible for military operations and the services focusing on developing capabilities."

It took effect on Jan. 1, 2021.
W2 Mate users can E-File an unlimited number of W2 and 1099-NEC statements with New Jersey

Real Business Solutions (http://www.W2Mate.com/), tax software maker, has released a new version of W2 Mate 2020 to comply with the latest W2 / 1099 electronic filing specifications for the state of New Jersey.

Beginning with Tax Year 2020, New Jersey is implementing mandatory electronic filing for all employer year-end filings and statements. Use W2 Mate to create 1099-NEC e-File submissions that comply with "NJ-WT and the 1099 electronic filing standards outlined in Pub 1220" and W2 E-File submissions that comply with NJ-EFW2 Specifications for Reporting W-2 Information Via Electronic Filing.

W2 Mate 2020 is available for immediate download from http://www.W2Mate.com/ , employers can order the software and receive it instantly.

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The NSW Health Minister has come under fire after granting an exemption allowing yacht owners to enter the locked down zone of the northern beaches to go sailing.

Brad Hazzard on Saturday night quietly approved an exception to the public health orders which keep the area in lockdown until next Saturday.

The exemption allowed any person with a stake in a 'vessel' moored in Pittwater to enter the north zone for sailing purposes, beginning Sunday, along with a member of their household.

The exemption was revoked after less than 24 hours, at 12.01am on Monday, according to NSW Health.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard signed off on the exemption at 8.05pm on Saturday evening and it was in force for a 24 hour period. But the order was revoked without explanation on Monday

Sailing is a popular pasttime in the locked-down northern zone of Sydney's northern beaches. A view of Pittwater is above

The decision to grant the exemption had been hailed by yachtsmen affected by lockdown restrictions, but sparked fury from some locals.

'How stupid, we're in lockdown but they are able to enter our zone. P*** weak political backdown,' a member of the Pittwater Boaties Facebook group said.

Another critic wrote in to Daily Mail Australia: 'Obviously he (Mr Hazzard) has no respect for the people of the red zone.'

The exemption explicitly required sailors to take the most direct route to their vessel, to socially distance and wear a mask.

They were only permitted to sail with a member of their household and banned from disembarking elsewhere in the northern zone.

The exemption signed off by NSW Minister for Health and Medical Research Brad Hazzard on January 2. But the order was revoked effective 12.01am on Monday

The 'north zone' of the northern beaches remains in lockdown. The south zone - stretching down to the Manly peninsula - is now under the same conditions as Greater Sydney

Mr Hazzard said 'health advice' had always been in favour of encouraging outdoor recreation activities.

'NSW Health gave the approval for use of boats in the Pittwater,' he said.

'Yesterday, after indications of the speed at which the virus was transmitted in the BWS store in Berala, NSW Health determined it was appropriate to remove the order to minimise any risk to the Northern Beaches.'

The only other northern beaches lockdown exemption permits residents to leave their homes and care for their horses or other livestock in the Northern Beaches Local Government Area.

The northern zone of the beaches area remains in lockdown until January 9. 'Southern' beaches restrictions were eased at the weekend.
City, volunteers to line Highway 81 with flowers

The City of Watertown Parks and Recreation Department and volunteers will be planting flowers along Highway 81 starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 26.
SACRAMENTO  Gov. Gavin Newsom will propose a quick infusion at least $300 million to bolster Californias coronavirus vaccine distribution efforts in his forthcoming budget plan.

The money would be used to build out the vaccine management system, bulk up transportation and storage supplies and expand a public education campaign, Newsom said during a news conference Monday. The funding is part of a state budget proposal that the governor will announce later this week.

We are working with legislative leaders, who have been magnificent, about an early action strategy, Newsom said. We are working aggressively to accelerate our pace.

Newsom said his budget plan would also include additional money to support small businesses, bars, restaurants and families that have struggled through the lockdown orders that have brought some sectors of the state economy nearly to a halt. He did not offer specifics.

While California has received about 1.3 million vaccine doses and has another 611,000 on the way, Newsom said, only about 454,000 doses, or 35% of those available, have been administered so far. He acknowledged that is not good enough; we recognize that.

California ranks among the bottom 10 states in percentage of available doses used, according to a shot tracker managed by Bloomberg News.

Newsom said complicated logistics have slowed the distribution. The state is assigning vaccine amounts to local health departments, which are subsequently dividing those up among facilities in their communities. The facilities must then order the doses through the state, but they are delivered by the manufacturers.

The vaccines dont arrive magically in some state facility, Newsom said. They are at a myriad of sites, all up and down the state. Now its just about putting the pressure on distribution, making sure people are held accountable.

He said he recently took steps to make more people available to administer vaccines, including by deploying members of the California National Guard and giving pharmacy technicians and dentists permission to give the shots.

Mark Ghaly, Californias secretary of health and human services, said state officials are also discussing how to better align their regulations on who is eligible to receive a vaccine with who wants one, so doses are not sitting in storage unused.

Bringing those things together, he said, making sure that our prioritization allows us to stay focused on the equity and fairness principles that have driven our entire response, but also that facilitate (people) to get vaccinated.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff
Grayson Perry's wife Philippa has revealed their secret to never rowing is to discuss feelings rather than facts and reach a compromise - adding that it's a 'waste of love when couples don't know how to argue properly.'

The psychotherapist, 63, who lives in Islington, London, has been married to the Essex-born Turner Prize winning artist, 60 - who is famous for crossdressing as his alter-ego Claire  for 30 years.

'We do have our differences!' said Philippa, speaking to The Times. 'Quite a lot. But then we work out how much I can stand, how much he can stand, who can stand it the most, who can stand it the least.

And from that, if we're both kind of fair-minded, we can find a compromise.'

Philippa Perry, 63, has claimed its such a waste of time when couples dont know how to argue properly.' Pictured, at Red Magazine's 20th birthday party in London on 18 September 2018

Grayson Perry and Philippa Perry attend the 65th Evening Standard Theatre Awards in association with Michael Kors at the London Coliseum on November 24, 2019 in London

The author, whose husband often appears in public, as well as in his own artwork as his alter ego, explained that most people experience relationship problems because they dwell on petty facts, when they should just be honest and express how they're feeling.

'It's such a waste of love when people don't know how to argue properly,' she said. 'Don't talk about facts, talk about feelings.'

Philippa went on to say how the first month of the initial lockdown came as a relief to her as she was able to clear her diary which had 'got a bit out of control' and was causing her to get 'quite stressed'.

However, as time progressed and the novelty wore off, she admitted to 'not doing well under lockdown, at all'.

Grayson and Philippa Perry attend the Upstart Crow press night at Gielgud Theatre on February 17, 2020 in London

But for Philippa, the problem stemmed from a physical crisis rather than psychological factors - adding that she and Grayson reacted to the news of government guidelines very differently.

'I went, "Phew!" And Grayson went, "Well, I live in the future. My plans are what get me out of bed in the morning. Now Ive got nothing."

And then he really learnt all this stuff about appreciating the everyday, living in the moment, all of that.

'But I  Mrs Therapist-Pants  went the other way. Because my body needs to be around other bodies. The rule I find the most difficult is the two-metre rule.'

Philippa also recalled bursting into tears when her daughter Flo, 28, dropped a bag of food shopping on her doorstep.

She went on to explain that while she knew the important reason as to why Flo didn't hug her, her body made up its own reason and interpreted it as a form of rejection.

Philippa and Grayson married in 1992 and have one daughter, Florence together.
In one of the pictures, Kamya can be seen flaunting her toned body in a bikini. Along with the picture, the 40-year-old actress wrote," My body is my canvas, each mark tells a story and reminds me how Im braver than what caused it, each dot which at some point I may have tried to hide as a silly conscious younger self and the ever-changing pounds on me depending on my love for my baby and my love for food! I m proud of and own my canvas and cant wait to fill it with the brushes of my desires in the years to come (sic)." (Image: Instagram)
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the city is 113,523.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said 504 new active COVID-19 cases had been confirmed in the city in the past 24 hours as of January 4, 2021.

"In the past day, another 504 residents of Kyiv tested positive for the coronavirus, including 31 healthcare workers. There were 14 fatalities," Klitschko reported via Telegram on Monday.

"As of today, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the city is 113, 523."

According to the city mayor, 288 women aged 18 to 88 and 183 men aged 19 to 87 are among those infected.

The new cases include 15 girls aged one to 16 years and 18 boys aged one to 17 years.

Klitschko said 44 new patients had been hospitalized, while the rest were self-isolating, undergoing treatment at home under medical supervision.

He added that 120 people had recovered in the past day.

In total, 40,354 Kyiv residents have already tackled the coronavirus.

The highest number of the new cases in Kyiv was registered in Darnytsky district (192), Dniprovsky district (84), and Solomyansky district (51).

The death toll in the city stands at 1,977.

COVID-19 in Ukraine: Latest developments

Ukraine said 4,158 new active COVID-19 cases had been confirmed across the country in the past 24 hours as of January 4, 2021, marking yet the lowest daily drop in the last three months, after 3,774 new daily cases reported on October 5.

The figure was down following the New Year's weekend holidays, against 4,576 cases reported as of the morning of January 3, some 5,038 cases  as of January 2, and 9,432  as of January 1.

The total number of confirmed cases grew to 1,078,251.

Reporting by UNIAN
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The publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, and other activists who participated in the #CrossoverWithProtest which took place on the eve of new year, have been remanded in Kuje prison.

The activists were arraigned before Taye Maibel at the Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, on Monday by the police after spending four nights in detention.

Mr Sowore and four other activists who were arrested at Gudu junction in Abuja were arraigned on three counts of unlawful assembly, criminal conspiracy and inciting public disturbance.

The police lawyer, J. C. Idachaba, told the court that Mr Sowore and other activists were arrested for disturbing the peace of the nation.

When the charges were read, the activists were asked to take plea and they answered not guilty, saying all allegations against them were false.

Mr Idachaba told the court that the police would need more time to investigate, hence the defendants be remanded in custody or prison until the conclusion of investigation.

This was, however, countered by the lawyer representing the defendants from the Femi Falana Chambers, identified as Barrister Marshal.

Mr Marshal said all the defendants are entitled to bail and should be granted in the interest of justice. He then asked the magistrate to grant Mr Sowore and others bail.

After arguments between the two parties, Mrs Maibel asked the defendants counsel to formally apply for their bail.

The magistrate said she would sit on Tuesday so that the defendants bail could be filed formally.

In her ruling, she said all the charges are bailable, except if the defendants are deemed likely to evade trial or commit the same offence. She asked that the formal bail application should he brought before here at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday.

While the magistrate said the defendants should be taken to the Wuse police station, the telephone number of the DPO in Wuse could not be reached.

She later ordered that Mr Sowore and others should remanded in Kuje Prison pending the hearing of their bail application.
A LIMERICK man who is celebrating 50 years of menswear retail under his familys name has been honoured with the Limerick Person of the Month award.

The name Tony Connolly is synonymous with mens clothing. Tony opened his first shop in 1970 on Upper William Street in the city. Today he continues to operate stores in both the city centre and Clonmel catering for the fashion needs of men throughout Munster.

A native of Kileely, 14-year-old Tony Connolly got a job in a store on Patrick Street in the city in 1957. He worked there with Kingstons until he started his own business, Tony Connolly, in October 1970.

From the word go, it took off, Tony explained.

He then opened a shop in the Crescent Shopping Centre in 1975, also called Tony Connolly, which he had for 45 years. A couple of years after opening that store, Tony opened a second store in the Crescent.

We called the shop Nashville. At that stage jeans started to become very popular. Wrangler was the big name at that time. We ran it for years as a jeans shop and then we changed it to Chapps when a lot of younger clothing came along. A lot of ladies used to buy their jeans from us. Levis and Wrangler are still selling - its mainly the mature man buying them.

In a twist of faith, Tony returned to the premises on Patrick Street where he worked as a teenager to open his own store in 1978.

That was the one I worked in. I was managing that shop before I left it. It was Kingstons owned it originally but it was bought by Mr Coughlan. He was moving back out to Clare - we did a deal in 10 minutes over a cup of coffee, Tony explained.

While Tony no longer operates a shop in the Crescent, he still runs stores on Patrick Street and Bedford Row in the city and in Clonmel.

We have a Connolly Man, Chapps and a jeans shop side-by-side on Patrick Street, The Outlet Store on Bedford Row and another Connolly Man shop in Clonmel, he explained.

While Covid-19 is making trading difficult for retailers, the appetite for good quality clothing remains.

Since we reopened, quite frankly its been excellent, said Tony.

We were closed like every other shop for six weeks - a part of October and all of November. That is the time that Christmas shopping starts. Obviously we wont make up what we lost in that but it has been very, very, very good since we re-opened, thankfully.

I genuinely had an awful lot more good times than bad. I could never have done it alone, I had the help of a brilliant staff and a great family.

Tony is married to Rose and they live in Ballyneety. Their son David and daughter Noelle are both in the family business. Rose and all of their six children, David and Noelle along with Deirdre, Mary, Claire and Roisin worked at the shop at some stage with the family remaining at the heart of retail life in Limerick.

I love the city and Im very proud of it. I cant believe Im 50 years open. Its not my job, its my life, Tony smiled.
The situation as U.S. forces leave Afghanistan looks dire for the thousands of interpreters and their families that helped our troops. Read more
Court artist sketch of Julian Assange appearing at the Old Bailey (Elizabeth Cook/PA)

<strong>What did the US authorities accuse Julian Assange of doing?</strong>

Assange faces an 18-count indictment, alleging a plot to hack computers and a conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information.

It followed the publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents in 2010 and 2011 relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, as well as diplomatic cables.

The charges allege that Assange conspired with US defence analyst Chelsea Manning to unlawfully obtain classified material.

It was also claimed that he published unredacted classified information that put the lives of US sources at risk.

What did his defence say?

Assanges team argued the publication of classified documents exposed US wrongdoing and were in the public interest.

The WikiLeaks founder denied informants were put in harms way or that he plotted hacking with his source Ms Manning.

His legal team claimed the prosecution was politically motivated.

They also argued that Assange faced up to 175 years in jail, under a torturous regime.

They suggested he would be held in segregation under Special Administrative Measures at a supermax jail, conditions usually reserved for convicted terrorists.

The court heard evidence Assange is on the autistic spectrum, has suffered from severe depression and would be a serious suicide risk.

Expand Close Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange celebrate outside the Old Bailey, following the ruling that he cannot be extradited to the United States (Dominic Lipinski/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange celebrate outside the Old Bailey, following the ruling that he cannot be extradited to the United States (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

What did Judge Vanessa Baraitser find in her ruling?

The judge said the court trusted the US would protect Assanges right to free speech.

But she said: Free speech rights dont provide unfettered discretion for some, like Mr Assange, to decide the fate of others.

She said his dealings with Ms Manning went beyond the mere encouragement of a journalist.

And there was insufficient evidence to find prosecutors were pressurised by the Trump administration.

However, Judge Baraitser sided with Assanges defence that he was a serious risk of suicide in US custody.

On the basis of Assanges mental health alone, the judge rejected the extradition request.

Will Assange be freed from prison?

Not immediately. Assanges legal team will be asked to make a bail application on Wednesday with full details of the situation at Belmarsh jail, where he is being held, and details of any conditions aimed at reassuring the judge he will not abscond.

Even then, the US prosecution could appeal against a decision to grant conditional bail.

What else can the US prosecution do now?

The US prosecution has said it will appeal against the judges ruling.

They have two weeks in which to lodge the argument to overturn the decision.

PA
The MoF is aiming to boost tax revenue from cross-border online business activities

In a summary report regarding the national budget sent to the government in last December, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) noted that the estimated extra income for the national budget in 2021 will be VND1.34 quadrillion ($58.26 billion), up 1.5 per cent on-year. Of this, earnings in the local market will occupy about 84.4 per cent, equaling VND1.133 quadrillion ($49.26 billion).

Enhancing tax income from cross-border platforms, individuals, and organisations earning from them will play an important role in these targets, according to the MoF.

Speaking at a National Assembly meeting two years ago, a delegate said if the platforms fulfil their tax obligation in Vietnam, the national budget will receive a lift of trillions of VNDs (dozens of millions of US dollars).

In 2019, 2020, the General Tax Department under the MoF collected nearly VND1 trillion ($43.5 million), as stated by Deputy General Director Dang Ngoc Minh, who said, Much of the sum came from inspections with many measures aiming to verify and collect arrears.

As of the end of 2020, the tax authority performed about 79,560 inspections to collect about VND69 trillion ($3 billion) in tax arrears. VND19.112 trillion ($830.96 million) of this was collected, up 5.9 per cent on-year. Tax abatement amounted to VND2.118 trillion ($92 million). In comparison with 2019, the total tax arrears in 2020 dropped by 5.5 per cent.

In 2021, tax inspections will continue with greater frequency, especially targeting individuals and organisations running business on cross-border platforms. Vietnam is home to many individuals earning from online activities and the number is forecast to keep increasing.

Four months ago, the Hanoi Tax Department sent tax notices to 1,194 individuals with a total income of VND3.614 trillion ($157 million) generated from online activities. Two years ago, the Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department sent out some 14,000 notices to individuals and organisations but with little results.

To avoid repeating this failure, the General Tax Department said that the Hanoi authority is planning to partner up with market management authorities and payment intermediaries. Specifically, the authority is holding almost the entire data of the objects.

The authorities also required businesses providing cross-border platforms to perform their tax obligations in the country.

According to Decree No.126/2020/ND-CP detailing a number of articles of the Law on Tax Administration come into force from last December 5, General Department of Taxation will identify names and the websites of overseas suppliers who have not made a tax registration to banks and intermediary companies.

Once identified, banks & other payment intermediary entities will be responsible for withholding tax on the payment to these suppliers on a monthly basis. If the bank cannot withhold tax due to unforeseeable issues, such transactions will need to be reported to the GDT on a monthly basis for the purpose of tax assessment.

Banks are also required to provide bank account details of taxpayers to the tax authority within 90 days upon the effective date of this Decree. Further, information on bank account transactions of an entity must be provided to the tax authority upon official request during the course of a tax audit or tax inspection.
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There have been no headway in the latest and seventh round of talks between protesting farmers and the government. Farmer representatives refused to budge from their demand of repealing the new farm laws. The government also refused to budge from its stance. The government refused to repeal the three farm laws and asked the union leaders to point out what they considered objectionable.

"No outcome on repeal or MSP in today's meeting. Meeting ended for today. The farmers at the meeting only spoke about withdrawal of the farm laws and the government said they will consult further and get back. The next meeting will take place on January 8," sources told India Today.

The government is being represented by Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar, Piyush Goyal and Som Prakash. They told the farmers that the government is ready to review any clause the farmers do not agree with. Tomar said that these laws are beneficial to the farmers. Tomar said that laws have been brought through parliament and the government is ready to amend the laws and incorporate the suggestions of farmers.

"We wanted farmer unions to discuss the three farm laws clause-wise. However, we were unable to reach a consensus as farmer union remained adamant on the repeal of the farm laws laws. We are hopeful that we can find a solution in the next meeting on January 8," said Tomar.

The government also said that they first wanted to discuss the proposal on minimum support price (MSP) but the farmers did not agree. Following this they all headed to a snack break. Both the sides, unlike last time, did not share lunch brought by the farmers.

"The minister wanted us to discuss the law point-wise. We rejected it and said that there is no point in discussing the laws because we want a complete rollback of the laws. Government intends to take us towards amendments but we will not accept it," said Yudhvir Singh of Bhartiya Kisan Union.

Meanwhile, farmers unions have said that if both the sides do not end up agreeing then thousands of farmers will drive to Delhi with their tractors on Republic Day. They said they will hold a tractor parade once the January 26 parade is over.

Also read: Farmers' protests: Seventh round of talks between Centre, union members starts

Also read: Farmer protests: Narendra Tomar, Rajnath Singh discuss govt strategy to end deadlock
Varsha Raut, the wife of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, reached Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in Mumbai on Monday, news agency ANI reported. She was summoned by the ED to appear before it in connection with PMC Bank scam case.

The agency had said on Friday (January 1) last week said that it attached assets worth Rs 72 crore of a Maharashtra-based man whose wife allegedly transferred money in the account of Rauts wife.

The ED claimed that the arrested man, Pravin Raut, had siphoned off Rs 95 crore worth of funds from the scam-hit bank in the garb of loan, out of which he paid Rs 1.6 crore to his wife, Madhuri Raut, who subsequently transferred Rs 50 lakh in two tranches to Varsha Raut, wife of Sanjay Raut, as an interest-free loan.

Also Read | PMC Bank: ED attaches Rs 72-cr assets of man whose wife transferred funds to Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Rauts spouse

The ED has summoned Varsha Raut for questioning with regard to this transaction. She has skipped the agencys notice thrice.

The issue led to a political blame game between the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and the Bharatya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre.

Sanjay Raut said that the BJP wants to pull down the Maharashtra government and thus by issuing the notice to his wife, it was trying to put pressure on the Sena.

We have been getting messages from BJP leaders here [in the state] that they have prepared a list of 22 leaders from the three ruling parties to book them in various financial cases. Our MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) Pratap Sarnaik [who, along with his relatives, has also been questioned by ED in another case] is one of them. A few state BJP leaders regularly visit the ED office and obtain important documents related to leaders from the ruling parties in Maharashtra. The BJP is playing a dirty game in political rivalry by involving wives and family members of the leaders who speak out against them, Raut had claimed during a press conference on December 28.

He also said that details regarding the Rs 50 lakh transaction have already been submitted to the ED during the correspondence.

The ED had filed a criminal case of money laundering to probe the alleged loan fraud in the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank in October last year against Housing Development Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL), its promoters Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan, his son Sarang Wadhawan, its former chairman Waryam Singh and ex-managing director Joy Thomas.

It took cognisance of a Mumbai Police economic offences wing FIR against them that charged them for causing wrongful loss, prima facie to the tune of Rs 4,355 crore to PMC Bank, and corresponding gains to themselves.

The ED has attached assets of Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan, Wadhawan family trust and others worth Rs 293 crore and had seized jewellery worth Rs 63 crore.

A chargesheet had also been filed by it in this case.
Crayola Experience is set to reopen mid-week in downtown Easton and the Allentown Art Museum is expected to follow suit, re-opening later this week.

The Crayola attraction and museum both were ordered to shut down on Dec. 12 after Gov. Wolf announced a three-week closure of certain businesses in the states effort to curb a surging coronavirus. Crayola Experience plans to reopen on Wednesday; The Crayola Store will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.

The Allentown Art Museum, 31 N. 5th St. in the city, plans to reopen 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting this Friday and continue operating during those hours Friday through Sunday.

Both venues will continue with its rules and procedures in an effort to help thwart the spread of the novel coronavirus.

At Crayola, this includes wearing mandatory masks, taking cashless transactions, practicing social distancing, conducting temperature checks and operating at a maximum capacity of 50%. There also are additional hand sanitizer stations available throughout the building, according to a news release.

At the Allentown Art Museum, the building will operate at reduced capacity and limited hours, also mandating face masks, practicing social distancing, and offering hand-sanitizing stations throughout the building. Staff also will continue enhanced cleaning measures throughout the building and daily health screenings for all museum employees, according to a news release.

Patrons wanting to visit the museum are being encouraged -- but not required -- to reserve a timed ticket in advance on the museums website.

The museum also is moving forward with its much-anticipated exhibition Rembrandt Revealed, spotlighting the masters 1632 painting Portrait of a Young Woman, opening to museum members on Saturday, Jan. 23, and to the public on Sunday, Jan. 24. The painting returns to the Lehigh Valley following conservation in New York, uncovering new information about its creation.

Rembrandt Revealed will be on view through May 2, after which the painting will travel to Canada for exhibition in a Rembrandt show at the National Gallery in Ottawa before returning to Allentown for a second special exhibition in the fall. Additionally in January, the museum will present a week of virtual programing celebrating American Baptist minister and activist Martin Luther King Jr., from Jan. 16 through Jan. 22.

Crayola Experience additionally is promoting, Crayola Experience at Home, an activity kit launched in the fall that can be purchased online. The kit takes children on creative journeys with a blend of interactive, video content and hands-on activities. The self-paced adventures include Crayola crayon characters and come with all needed supplies to complete the activities. Guests can learn more about the kit here.

Crayola Experience includes more than 25 creative activities and attractions throughout 65,000 square feet of color. The flagship location is in Easton, which is the birthplace of Crayola crayons. The brands other attractions are located in Orlando, Florida; at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota; Plano, Texas; and Chandler, Arizona.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
Back in September 1969, two young lovers were snatching a secluded afternoon together beside a lake in Californias Napa County before heading off to university.

Cecelia Shepard and Bryan Hartnell were alone  or, at least, they thought they were.

As they cuddled on a picnic blanket under some oak trees, they spotted a man coming towards them. By the time they could make out he was wearing an executioners black hood, sunglasses and a weird white symbol on his chest that looked like the crosshairs on a gun sight, it was too late to flee.

Cecilia and Bryan were about to become the fifth and sixth confirmed victims of the Zodiac Killer who was terrorising the San Francisco Bay area. At gunpoint, the killer tied them up with plastic clothes line that he cut in advance, before savagely stabbing them with a knife.

Having communicated to police and press with a string of taunting and boastful handwritten letters  some containing cryptograms and others including evidence only the killer would know  Zodiac stopped writing and, it seems, stopped killing. PictureD: A police sketch of the Zodiac Killer

Ms Shepard later died with ten stab wounds, but Mr Hartnell  despite being stabbed in the back six times  survived. Before leaving, the killer wrote the dates of his earlier murders in felt-tip pen on the door of their car. They, too, were courting couples  one pair just high schoolers out on their first date.

Although the last confirmed victim of the man who called himself the Zodiac Killer was Paul Stine, a San Francisco taxi driver shot dead in his cab a month after the lakeside tragedy, the cold-blooded murderer claimed he actually slaughtered 37 people.

That astonishing death toll could never be confirmed as Zodiac was never found.

Having communicated to police and press with a string of taunting and boastful handwritten letters  some containing cryptograms and others including evidence only the killer would know  Zodiac stopped writing and, it seems, stopped killing.

Americas Jack the Ripper disappeared into the shadows and more than 50 years of police work have failed to shine any new light on him.

Given that the case is one of the most extraordinary in U.S. criminal history, its hardly surprising that the Zodiac killer has continued to enthral. The murders inspired two Hollywood films, the 1971 Clint Eastwood thriller Dirty Harry and Zodiac, a faithful 2007 dramatisation starring Robert Downey Jr and Jake Gyllenhaal as the newspapermen and Mark Ruffalo as the police officer who pursued the killer.

Amateur and professional cryptographers, including from the FBI, continued to pore over the unsolved coded messages, hoping that Zodiac was being sincere when he claimed that they contained his identity. Pictured: One of the Zodiac's ciphers

Dirty Harry substituted Eastwoods famous hard-nosed lawman Harry Callahan as the detective who eventually kills the psychopathic serial murderer (called Scorpio) after he kidnaps a busload of schoolchildren.

The real Zodiac has never been identified, let alone been brought to book, although there have been countless suspects. Meanwhile, amateur and professional cryptographers, including from the FBI, continued to pore over the unsolved coded messages, hoping that Zodiac was being sincere when he claimed that they contained his identity.

Now the case has suddenly sprung back into life. A code-breaking team from the U.S., Australia and Belgium  two computer programmers and an applied mathematician  announced that theyd cracked one of the biggest remaining Zodiac ciphers after running it through their own special software programme.

The 340 cipher, so called because it contains 340 characters arranged in a large block of letters and symbols, had been sent by Zodiac inside a humorous greetings card to the San Francisco Chronicle in November 1969.

While many ciphers simply consist of substituting letters for symbols, the 340 cipher was far more complicated  and over eight months, the trio tested some 650,000 different ways of reading the message.

Then, a few weeks ago, they discovered that by breaking it into three sections and reading the characters diagonally (as in a word search puzzle), the cipher began to unravel.

After discovering that Zodiac had made a mistake (a fact that might explain how it had defeated so many previous attempts), and rectifying it, they had a finished message.

Sadly, it didnt reveal his identity but read in part: I hope you are having lots of fun in trying to catch me I am not afraid of the gas chamber because it will send me to paradice [sic] all the sooner because I now have enough slaves to work for me Where everyone else has nothing when they reach paradice, so they are afraid of death.

Darlene Ferrin, 22, (left) and 19-year-old Mike Mageau were ambushed in their car just four miles away in the town of Vallejo. Cecelia Shepard (right) and Bryan Hartnell were about to become the fifth and sixth confirmed victims of the Zodiac Killer who was terrorising the San Francisco Bay area

It all stacked up. He had previously described his victims as slaves and misspelt many words including paradise. The cipher also tellingly referred to a recent incident in which a man had called into a local TV chat show claiming to be Zodiac and saying he was sick and scared of the gas chambers. (In the deciphered message, the killer insisted it hadnt been him.)

It is clear Zodiac had expected his cipher to be broken long before 2020. Dave Oranchak, the American member of the trio, who had been working on the 340 since 2006, said it had been a beast to crack.

Although it had turned out to be more of the same attention-seeking junk that was in Zodiacs letters, he said, it was on many peoples top unsolved ciphers of all time list.

The FBI confirmed the breakthrough but added that, given the Zodiac case remains an ongoing investigation, it would not be commenting further.

Its entirely fitting that the cipher should be broken by members of the public, as this was also the case on the only other occasion in which a Zodiac code was cracked. The first  a long cipher sent in three pieces to local newspapers in 1969  was more straightforward and quickly solved by a teacher and his wife.

Unfortunately, the latest cipher breakthrough may not take investigators much further. Zodiac littered his missives with awful spelling, but given that he had no trouble with far more complicated words and could quote lines from the comic opera The Mikado, some have dismissed it as a ruse to suggest he was far less educated than he was.

According to one school of thought, Zodiac realised he had come too close to capture in his last confirmed killing  shooting taxi driver Paul Stine (left) in San Franciscos smart Presidio Heights. Zodiac is widely thought to have killed Cheri Jo Bates (right), an 18-year-old student, in 1966  beating and stabbing her as she left a library

There are still two Zodiac ciphers left unsolved  one a letter in which he wrote, My name is  followed by 13 symbols. Mr Oranchak isnt hopeful about cracking this one as cryptographers need a much longer message if they are to spot patterns.

Besides, Zodiac experts doubt such a calculating killer ever intended to be caught  which only adds to the appeal of a case that remains tantalisingly open.

San Francisco had only a year earlier seen 100,000 hippies converge on its Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood for the Summer of Love, which is when the Zodiac killer said he first struck. Free love may have been a factor with Zodiac, as he targeted smooching couples parked down notorious lovers lanes.

His first victims  David Faraday, 17, and Betty Lou Jensen, 16  were on their first date one evening in December 1968 when they were shot dead as they kissed in a car.

Next came Darlene Ferrin, 22, and 19-year-old Mike Mageau, ambushed in their car just four miles away in the town of Vallejo the following July.

A car briefly parked next to them, drove away but returned 10 minutes later. The driver got out, blinding them by shining a powerful torch in their faces before shooting them with a 9mm Luger.

His first victims  David Faraday, 17, (left) and Betty Lou Jensen, 16 (right)  were on their first date one evening in December 1968 when they were shot dead as they kissed in a car

When he heard Mr Mageau moaning, he returned and shot each of them twice more. Half an hour later, an anonymous man with a low, monotonous voice rang police from a phone box to alert them to the attack and also to own up to the earlier double killing.

Despite being shot three times, Mr Mageau survived and identified his unmasked attacker as white, aged about 26 to 30, 5ft 8in tall and with short, light brown, curly hair. Four weeks later, Zodiac sent his first letter along with a 408-symbol cryptogram, split between three newspapers. He warned that if it wasnt printed on their front pages the following day, he would cruise around and kill a dozen people over the weekend. (His demand wasnt fully met but he didnt carry out his threat.) When decoded, this first cypher included a quotation from The Most Dangerous Game, a 1924 novel about a man who hunts people for sport.

He also claimed that killing is even better than getting your rocks off with a girl and that he was collecting slaves for the afterlife.

According to one school of thought, Zodiac realised he had come too close to capture in his last confirmed killing  shooting taxi driver Paul Stine in San Franciscos smart Presidio Heights and seen by witnesses hurrying away.

He was also spotted by a passing police car, but as theyd been mistakenly told to watch out for a black suspect, they drove on past.

Zodiac continued to write his demented letters, some of them containing bloody pieces of Mr Stines shirt as proof he did it. In one, he threatened to kill children on a school bus (a chilling concept that featured in Dirty Harry)  just shoot out the front tire & then pick off the kiddies as they come bouncing out, he scrawled.

The threat caused widespread panic and school buses were temporarily given police escorts.

Mercifully, it was bluster, as was a threat to put a bomb on a bus unless he saw people starting to wear some nice Zodiac badges bearing his logo.

However, there is compelling evidence that he killed  or came close to killing  others. The latter included Kathleen Johns who, with her ten-month-old daughter, had to accept a lift from a sinister stranger 90 miles east of San Francisco after he appeared to have surreptitiously disabled her car.

He refused to let her out but she jumped out with her child when the car stopped at a junction, hiding in a field until he left.

Johns described him as around 30 years old, 5ft 9in tall, with short dark hair and wearing heavy-rimmed glasses. Zodiac later mentioned a rather interesting ride with a woman and her baby.

Zodiac is widely thought to have killed Cheri Jo Bates, an 18-year-old student, in 1966  beating and stabbing her as she left a library. Typewritten letters signed with a symbol like a Z were sent to the police and the Press warning she is not the first and she will not be the last.

He has also been linked to the 1970 disappearance of a nurse near Lake Tahoe and the 1963 murder of a young couple on a beach, bound and shot near Santa Barbara in southern California.

The killer wrote his last letter as Zodiac in January 1974, signing off with a few lines from The Mikado and a threat to do something nasty if it wasnt printed.

Suspects over the years have included a Peeping Tom ex-sailor, a hippy newspaper editor, a doctor and a mentally-ill librarian.

David Toschi, the San Francisco detective who headed the Zodiac investigation, estimated he interviewed 5,000 people.

However, none of the suspects has attracted such strong suspicion as Arthur Leigh Allen. Military boot prints were found in the mud near the lakeside shooting and investigators said that forces training could explain Zodiacs skill with ciphers.

Allen was a large man whod left both the U.S. Navy and teaching under a cloud and whod been jailed for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy. He was reportedly obsessed with young children but hated women.

Even close family members were convinced he could be the killer, while a friend claimed Allen had told him he wanted to fix a torch to a gun and kill people, as well as change his name to Zodiac.

Police interviewed him several times but eventually dismissed the evidence against him as circumstantial. Handwriting and fingerprint experts also ruled him out, and in 1992 he died, aged 58, of a heart attack.

Inevitably, speculation about the identity of the killer will continue, and if, indeed, Allen wasnt Zodiac, then a dark, twisted soul may well still be out there, laughing at how he got away with it and delighted that hes back in the spotlight.
The judge agreed with the case put forward by Assange's lawyers that conditions in US supermax prisons, where Assange would probably be held if he were to face trial in the United States, could drive him to attempt suicide and that he would be successful. She said that she could not order his extradition on these sole grounds. Assange's fiancee, Stella Moris, wept and said outside the court that she'd had to rewrite her speech to the media. The win is a personal reprieve for Assange, who faces yet more legal battles in the saga that has stretched for more than a decade. But for those who saw the case as totemic for press freedom, the ruling is cold comfort. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video

Australian human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson of London's Doughty Street Chambers has represented Assange for more than a decade. She said there were serious concerns about the ruling and its implications for other journalists in the future "who ... do not have the same medical conditions as Mr Assange". "This was not a win from a free speech point of view. I think all journalists ought to be looking very carefully at this," Robinson said. Stella Moris wept as she addressed the media outside the Old Bailey. Credit:Getty Images Europe Nick Vamos, former head of special crime and head of extradition at the Crown Prosecution Service and now at the law firm Peter & Peters, told this masthead that the ruling was not a complete surprise.

"The judge has barred Mr Assanges extradition solely because of the risk that he would commit suicide if detained in the US," he said. "The decision is fact-specific and based on established legal principles. The judge rejected all of the arguments about political motivation, journalistic protections and freedom of speech, so those who see Mr Assanges prosecution as an affront to democratic values or a US political vendetta can take no comfort." The US Department of Justice said it would "continue to seek Mr Assange's extradition to the United States." The department expressed disappointment with the "ultimate decision" but said it was gratified that they had won on every point of law raised. Loading It will appeal the refusal to extradite.

Appeals to the High Court are not guaranteed but in this case a hearing is likely to be granted, during which, Vamos says, his lawyers will have the chance to cross-appeal all the arguments they lost. For the US government, the appeal is an opportunity to provide assurances guaranteeing the safe treatment of Assange in prison. "For example, it could agree not to detain him in a particular prison or under certain conditions or to beef up his health care or suicide monitoring," Vamos said. "However, the US authorities traditionally are very resistant to accepting conditions from foreign courts on how they should treat suspects, so it will be very interesting to see whether they offer anything new or different relating to Mr Assanges likely place or conditions of detention." An appeal could run for between two to three months, during which Assange is likely to remain in custody at Belmarsh prison given his record.

In 2012, he skipped bail and sought political asylum in Ecuador's embassy for nearly seven years to avoid being extradited to Sweden to face sexual assault allegations. The Swedish authorities dropped the case in November 2019. And Vamos says Assange's case could also go to the Supreme Court as the Swedish extradition proceedings did. "There is very little prospect of the US dropping the charges, even under the incoming Biden administration, and Mr Assange could still be arrested and extradited if he travelled abroad." Freedom might be one step closer for Assange but it remains beyond his grasp. If you or anyone you know needs support call Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.
Dubais Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) will be the host of the World Congress of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS World Congress) 2024, which marks the first time this signature event is held in the region since launched in 1994.

The event is being held for the first time outside the regions of Europe, North America, Australia and East Asia. The move comes following its nomination by ITS Europe, an organisation to which RTA has recently been affiliated.

The Congress is supported by three prominent entities of the industry - ITS Europe, ITS America and ITS Asia-Pacific.

Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, the Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, said: "Hosting the ITS World Congress 2024 in Dubai underscores the rising global standing of the Emirate in the field of ITS, the confidence of such reputed entities in the role of Dubai, and the ability of the city to stage successful global events."

"The Congress is widely regarded as the top global gathering of ITS and digital solutions of traffic, roads and transportation," said Al Tayer.

According to him, the hosting of the Congress comes in light of the massive steps made by Dubai in advancing ITS as witnessed by the portfolio of smart projects undertaken by RTA in anticipation of the future such as intelligent transport centres, and self-driving transport as well as the enablers of the 4th Industrial Revolution such as the IoT, AI applications, machine learning, big data, robotics, and mobility power solutions.

"RTA is keen to keep abreast of the governments future directions of transforming Dubai into a smart, innovative and sustainable city that uses cutting-edge telecommunication and digital technologies," stated Al Tayer.

"In this regard, RTA is proceeding ahead with the Dubai Smart Self-Driving Transport Strategy aimed at converting 25% of total mobility journeys in Dubai to smart self-driving journeys by 2030. As such, advancing the smart mobility is based on three elements: customers centricity, integrated and connected transport and driving innovation and public-private partnerships," he noted.

"The prestige of organising the World ITS Congress in Dubai is a further endorsement that we are moving on the right direction towards delivering on the ambitious vision of the Government to build the renaissance, wellbeing and the global image of Dubai," said Al Tayer.

"RTA is keen to make every endeavour to be a key and interactive contributor to the drive Towards the Next 50," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Mixed clouds and sun with scattered thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 81F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later at night. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 51F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.
The Delhi Traffic Police on Monday said that Chilla and Ghazipur borders will remain closed and urged commuters to take alternate routes due to ongoing farmers' protest.

"Traffic Alert: The Chilla and Ghazipur Borders are closed for traffic coming from Noida and Ghaziabad to Delhi because of farmer protests. Please take alternate route for coming to Delhi via Anand Vihar, DND, Bhopra and Loni Borders," the Delhi Traffic Police wrote on Twitter.

Also Read | A year on, China is shaking up the world

The police further informed that the Tikri and Dhansa borders are closed for any traffic movement, while the Jhatikara border is open only for LMV (Cars/ Light Motor Vehicles), two-wheelers and pedestrian movement.

The police said that the Jharoda (Only Single Carriageway/Road), Daurala, Kapashera, Badusarai, Rajokri NH-8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, Palam Vihar and Dundahera borders are open to Haryana.

Meanwhile, the central government on Monday will hold a fresh round of talks with leaders of farmer unions who have been protesting at different borders of Delhi for more than a month against the recently- enacted three agricultural laws.

Farmers began their protest since November 26 against the recently enacted 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 Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

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President-elect Joe Bidens low-key inauguration on January 20 will include a Pass in Review on the East Front, a presidential escort to the White House, and a virtual parade across America following his official swearing in at the US Capitol, the Presidential Inaugural Committee has announced.

After the official swearing-in ceremony on the West front of the US Capitol, the President-elect, First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff will participate in a Pass in Review on the East front with members of the military.

Pass in Reviews are a long-standing military tradition that reflect the peaceful transfer of power to a new Commander-in-Chief, during which the President-elect, hosted by the Commander of Joint Task Force-National Capital Region, will review the readiness of military troops.

Every branch of the military will be represented in this event. Participants will be socially distanced and the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC), a nonprofit tasked with planning the inauguration, will have vigorous Covid-19 health and safety protocols in place.

This is an exciting opportunity to work with Americans across the country to showcase President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris steadfast commitment to a diverse, inclusive, and unified nation. There are many grand traditions to the inaugural, and we plan to honor them by highlighting more of our nations people than ever before while keeping everyone safe, PIC CEO Tony Allen said on Sunday.

Thereafter, the President-elect will receive a Presidential Escort from 15th Street to the White House, providing the American people and world with historic images of the President-elect proceeding to the White House without attracting large crowds and gatherings.

Every branch of the military will be represented in the escort, including The US Army Band, a Joint Service Honor Guard, and the Commander-in-Chiefs Guard and Fife and Drum Corps from the 3rd US Infantry The Old Guard. Participants will be socially distanced and PIC will have vigorous health and safety protocols in place.

In light of the pandemic, the PIC will produce a virtual parade across America that will be televised for the American people and feature diverse, dynamic performances in communities across the country, the announcement said.

The parade will celebrate Americas heroes, highlight Americans from all walks of life in different states and regions, and reflect on the diversity, heritage, and resilience of the country as the country begins a new American era, it said, adding that the PIC will announce participants in the coming weeks.

This programming will honor long-standing inaugural traditions; provide the American people with the iconic images of a new president, a new vice president, and their families making their way to the White House; and feature musical acts, local bands, poets, dance troupes, and more paying homage to Americas heroes on the frontlines of the pandemic, it said.

We are excited about the possibilities and opportunities this moment presents to allow all Americans to participate in our countrys sacred inaugural traditions. This innovative programming will keep people safe and use new ways to bring in Americans across the country  from rural towns and urban cities to younger and older Americans to everybody and everywhere in between, said PIC Executive Director Maju Varghese.

This is an ambitious goal but we are committed to an inclusive and accessible celebration that brings Americans together and unifies our nation, especially during such a tough time for our country, he said.

Last month, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) had said Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris inaugurations will be a low-key affair restricted for the public, urging people to participate in the historic event from home in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

It said that invitations to members of the 117th Congress will be limited to themselves and one guest.

The PIC urged the public to refrain from any travel and participate in the inaugural activities from home.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she thinks Donald Trump should be impeached for his call to the Georgia secretary of state demanding he find votes to overturn his election loss.

The New York congresswoman said that the outgoing president should be quickly sanctioned for the shocking call to Brad Raffensperger.

"I absolutely think it's an impeachable offence, and if it was up to me, there would be articles on the floor quite quickly, but he, I mean, he is trying to  he is attacking our very election. He's attacking our very election," said Ms Ocasio-Cortez as the new session of Congress opened.

Throughout the Saturday call Mr Trump urged the Republican election boss to help him find the votes he needed to reverse his defeat in the state to Joe Biden.

But Mr Raffensperger and his officials repeatedly told Mr Trump that his opponents 11,779-vote victory in Georgia was fair and accurate.

And they repeatedly told Mr Trump that his claims of winning Georgia were based on a string of false and debunked conspiracy theories.

Mr Trump even told Mr Raffensperger that he was taking a big risk in nor pursuing his false claims.

"The people of Georgia are angry, the people in the country are angry, said Mr Trump.

And theres nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, that youve recalculated.

House Democrats voted in 2019 to impeach Mr Trump for abuse of power an obstruction of Congress.

They accused him of pressuring the government of Ukraine to open an investigation into president-elect Joe Biden.

But the Republican controlled Senate voted to acquit him when the proceedings came to them in February 2020.

California congressman Adam Schiff, who lead the House impeachment, was also asked if Mr Trump should be impeached for a second time.

"I would need to think about that, but, you know, if it's potentially criminal, then it's potentially impeachable, and even in the absence of a crime, it's potentially impeachable, he said.

Georgia representative Hank Johnson said he plans to introduce a resolution to formally censure Mr Trump over the call and urged the president to resign over it.
On the last day of 2020, even as the nation prepared for New Year festivities, motorcycle-borne terrorists shot dead 65-year-old Satpal Nischal in Srinagar. He was a jeweller who had lived and worked there for more than forty years. What grudge did the terrorists have against him? He was a Punjabi, who had recently availed himself of a domicile certificate after the abrogation of Article 370.

He was an innocent human being. He was an Indian. He is no more. Who bears responsibility for this horrific crime? Well, the terrorists do, of course. But does it stop there? Over the last few years, sections of the intelligentsia have argued that crimes having a political angle should be seen in larger context. They have tried to blame not just the perpetrators of the crime, but the political leanings of large groups of citizens, society itself and even the nation. This is where the campaign about an 'intolerant' India comes from. I do not support this approach. However, the least we can ask is that those who take this approach should also apply it to themselves. Otherwise, it is not an intellectually honest position on their part.

In this case, the terrorists who claimed the killing stated explicitly that those who receive domicile certificates in J&K are "occupiers" and "RSS agents" and resolved to eliminate them. Will sections of commentators who have called India an "occupier" in Kashmir take responsibility? Will those who raised terrifying slogans such as "Hindutva ki kabar khudegi" take responsibility?

In the months since August 2019, we have seen certain groups trying to paint the abrogation of Article 370 as some kind of anti-democratic move. The reality is that Article 370 was an apartheid law. And these terrorists have laid bare the xenophobia at the heart of it.

What did Article 370 provide for? Its purpose was to keep "outsiders" away. If they came in, they could remain only in a permanently disenfranchised state. How can Indian citizens be outsiders in their own country? Incidentally, many of those who protested the abrogation of Article 370 were also opposed to the Citizenship Amendment Act. They argued that the Indian state should treat all asylum seekers from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan equally, irrespective of their group identities. However, they did not appear to hold the same belief about all citizens of India. How does that work, exactly?

So who could be an "outsider" according to Article 370? Not just people like 65-year-old Satpal Nischal, who came to Kashmir as a young boy. Even the Gorkhas, whose families came to Kashmir in the mid-19th century, were considered outsiders. There are nearly one lakh Gorkhas in Kashmir today. Many of them have served in our armed forces, defending our country. But they were considered outsiders in their place of birth, all because they were Gorkhas. That's racism.

Members of the Valmiki community, who were invited to Kashmir during a municipal workers strike in 1957, were also considered outsiders. Not just them, but also their children and grandchildren. Even if they had a PhD, they were not allowed to have any job other than that of safai karmachari. This is indentured servitude. You can't make an excuse for this.

It is relatively well known that Article 370 also enabled the state government to legally discriminate against women. Additionally, the 2018 Supreme Court judgment legalising homosexuality did not apply to Jammu and Kashmir. How does all of this square with the supposed liberalism of those who opposed the abrogation of Article 370?

In both letter and spirit, Article 370 was more similar to old Jim Crow laws in the American south, which provided for segregation between white and black citizens. Ideally, those criticizing the abrogation should belong to the same quarter of history as racist crowds that opposed desegregation in America in the 1950s and 1960s. Instead, in a supreme irony, these critics have been able to claim for themselves the mantle of liberalism.

In the 1860s, the US government tried to abolish slavery. The states which insisted on keeping slavery revolted and civil war followed. A hundred years later, the US government tried to abolish racial segregation between white and black citizens in certain states. Again, the rallying cry of the opposition was "states' rights." In 2019 and 2020, the critics of Article 370 abrogation raise an eerily similar slogan. They argue that state governments which insist on discriminatory laws should be allowed to keep them.

In chilling fashion, the terrorists in Srinagar have shown what happens when hatred against "outsiders" is given a free run. It is time for the critics of the abrogation of Article 370 to consider and repent.

The writer is a mathematician, columnist and author. Views expressed are personal.
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Our colleagues from RTL met with the country's leading infectious disease expert to discuss potential implications following the arrival of the British variant of the coronavirus, as well as the ongoing vaccination campaign.

Dr Schockmel believes it to be crystal clear that the British virus variant, which is known to be more contagious, will lead to a quicker spread of Covid-19 in Luxembourg, naturally followed by more hospitalisations and deaths. He further noted that variants of the like will eventually become the dominant strands of the virus.

The important question is whether or not the current vaccine models will remain effective: "We are convinced that the vaccine will stay just as potent in counteracting this new variant. The dosis fosters several antibodies against different parts of the spike protein. Naturally, we are still awaiting extensive trials to see if there is a notable difference at all."

Dr Schockmel also highlighted the importance of having different vaccines at the ready, as some models were more favourable for certain groups of people.

 Didier Weber / RTL  Didier Weber / RTL  Didier Weber / RTL

The complete interview will be shown in tonight's edition of RTL Journal.
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Wisconsin state Sen. Fred Risser is Americas longest-serving legislator. When his current term ends at 2 p.m. on Jan. 4, 2021, it will mark the end of a 64-year career at the Capitol in Madison. Retiring at the age of 93, Risser was first elected to the Assembly in 1956 when he was 29. He is the fourth generation in his family to serve in the state Legislature, following in the footsteps of his great grandfather, grandfather and father. Even in retirement, the Capitol will never be far from Rissers mind. He lives directly across the street. In recognition of Sen. Rissers milestone of public service, we are rerunning a day-in-the-life photo essay, first published in 2012.The New York Times
Today

Partly sunny, breezy, hot again and more humid with a chance of a PM shower or t-storm. The record high for Allentown is 92 degrees set back in 2010.

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with a shower or t-storm possible.

Tomorrow

Mostly sunny. Not as hot and less humid.
CALGARY, Alberta, Jan. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PrairieSky Royalty Ltd. (TSX: PSK) (PrairieSky or the Company), Canadas leading energy royalty business, is pleased to announce that during 2020 it received high scores from several globally recognized rating agencies, including CDP and Sustainalytics, for demonstrating outstanding performance in environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and governance (ESG).



As a leading Canadian royalty business, we understand the important role we play in taking action to support best practices in governance, social responsibility and environmental stewardship, said PrairieSky CEO Andrew Phillips. The recognition by CDP and Sustainalytics, among others, is a testament to our leadership in this area and the importance our Board and the wider organization place on ESG as we execute our broader business strategy.

ESG Rankings 2020:

The following table highlights PrairieSkys key ratings and rankings achieved in 2020.

Rating Agency PrairieSky Score/Ranking Description of Ranking CDP  Climate Change A- Top Quartile Globally within industry group Sustainalytics ESG Risk (All Industries) 800 out of 12,826 Top 7% Globally Sustainalytics ESG Risk (Oil and Gas Producers) 1 out of 274 Top Overall Globally MSCI ESG Risk Ratings A Measurement of resilience to long-term, industry material environmental, social and governance risks on a relative ranking from AAA to CCC. ISS Environmental Quality Score 1 Denotes highest possible score ISS Social Quality Score 2 Denotes second highest possible score Globe and Mail Governance Rankings #41 Top Quartile, ranking 41 out of 211 companies in the S&P/TSX Composite Index assessing quality of governance practices.

CDP Highlights:



PrairieSky was awarded an A- rating in the 2020 CDP Climate Change survey results. A detailed and independent methodology is used by CDP, a recognized global leader in environmental reporting, with a full list of company scores available on the CDP website at https://www.cdp.net/en/companies/companies-scores .

An A- rating denotes global leadership and top quartile performance in our industry group as measured by CDP. Within the CDP ratings, PrairieSky received top A ratings for Governance, Risk Disclosure and Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, an improvement year over year as PrairieSky achieved net zero carbon emissions. Detailed information regarding PrairieSkys environmental record, including an independent verification of carbon neutrality, can be viewed on PrairieSkys website at https://www.prairiesky.com/responsibility/our-approach/ .

CDPs scoring methodology assesses companies on the comprehensiveness of their disclosure, awareness and management of environmental risks and demonstration of best practices associated with environmental leadership. In 2020, over 515 investors holding over US$106 trillion in assets and 150+ major purchasers with US$4 trillion in procurement spend, requested companies to disclose through CDPs platform. Over 9,600 companies responded to CDPs survey, being the highest ever.

Sustainalytics Highlights:

PrairieSky was also recognized as a leader across all industries by Sustainalytics Company ESG Risk Ratings, ranking 800 out of 12,826 in Sustainalytics Global coverage universe, within the top 7% of rated companies. On an industry specific basis, PrairieSky ranked #1 among oil and gas producers. The Sustainalytics ESG Risk Ratings measure a companys exposure to industry-specific material ESG risks and how well a company is managing those risks. Company specific information and ratings by Sustainalytics, including information regarding PrairieSky, are available at https://www.sustainalytics.com/ .

ISS Environmental and Social Ratings:

Throughout 2020, PrairieSky engaged with ISS (Institutional Shareholder Services) and made comprehensive submissions in line with ISS ESG research questionnaire. Following this engagement and review by ISS PrairieSky received a 1 rating on Environmental and a 2 rating on Social, being the highest and second highest rating, respectively, under ISS Quality Score ratings framework. ISS ESG ratings platform is designed to provide corporate and country ESG research and ratings to enable its clients to identify material social and environmental risks and opportunities.

Ongoing Sustainability Reporting and Diversity Initiatives:

PrairieSky includes comprehensive ESG disclosures in its annual Responsibility Report and other information contained on its website at https://www.prairiesky.com/responsibility/our-approach/ . This includes our Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Reference Index, our Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) Report, our progress report on principles set forth in the UN Global Compact, and independent assurance statements verifying key environmental data, greenhouse gas emissions and other key performance indicators, all of which is available on PrairieSkys website. PrairieSky intends to continually update its website and reporting documents to provide new and additional information to stakeholders, including a 2020 Responsibility Report by mid-year 2021, and additional TCFD and SASB Disclosures in 2021.

PrairieSky continues to be a leader in diversity and inclusion and is proud to have women in leadership roles at the Board, Executive and Senior Management level with over 75% of all employees across the organization comprised of women. In 2020, PrairieSky was honored as a 2020 Report on Business - Women Lead Here Recipient, being one of 73 companies identified at the forefront of women in leadership positions and a providing a benchmark for gender diversity in corporate Canada. For more information see https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/rob-magazine/article-introducing-the-2020-women-lead-here-honourees/ .

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. The use of any of the words "expect", "anticipate", "may", "will", "should", "believe", "intends", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include PrairieSky providing new and additional information to stakeholders in 2021.

With respect to forward-looking statements contained in this press release, we have made several assumptions including that new and additional information will be provided and the timing thereof. Readers and investors are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such forward-looking information and statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. Our actual results, performance, or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. We can give no assurance that any of the events anticipated will transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what benefits we will derive from them.

By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond our control. The foregoing and other risks are described in more detail in PrairieSkys MD&A, and the Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2019 under the headings "Risk Management" and "Risk Factors", respectively, each of which is available at www.sedar.com .

Further, any forward-looking statement is made only as of the date of this press release, and PrairieSky undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement or statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by applicable securities laws. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for PrairieSky to predict all of these factors or to assess in advance the impact of each such factor on PrairieSkys business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements contained in this document are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

About PrairieSky Royalty Ltd.

PrairieSky is a royalty-focused company, generating royalty revenues as petroleum and natural gas are produced from its properties. PrairieSky has a diverse portfolio of properties that have a long history of generating funds from operations and that represent the largest and most concentrated independently-owned fee simple mineral title position in Canada. PrairieSkys common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol PSK.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

PrairieSky Royalty Ltd.



Investor Relations

(587) 293-4000

www.prairiesky.com

PDF available: http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/4d38724c-dd93-4e12-b958-047a65111789
January 04, 2021 / 11:02 PM IST

system being retained. Multiple rounds of talks between the Centre and the farmers union leaders have ended in a stalemate. Protesting farmers fear that the new laws will dismantle the MSP system and corporatise farming. The Centre and farmers union leaders are holding the seventh round of talks.

Farmers' Protest News Highlights: The 'Delhi Chalo' farmers' protest at border points of New Delhi has entered the 40th day today. Thousands of farmers, especially from Punjab and Haryana, are staging a sit-in protest along Delhi borders. The protest started on November 26. The farmers are demanding a complete rollback of the new farm reform laws and a guarantee on the Minimum Support Price (MSP)

Texas Couple Adopts Four Siblings Over Zoom, Helps Others Become Fosterers

A Plano, Texas, couple has opened up their home and their hearts by becoming adoptive parents to four siblings from a neglected home. In a sign of the times, the adoption was finalized via Zoom on Dec. 15, 2020.

Both technology specialists, adoptive parents Yves and Khalila Hughes now hope to help other kids in need find their forever homes by employing the power of the internet; and thus theyve started their very own online fostering support system.

We always talked about adoption, Khalila told WFAA. Its something very important to us.

Shocked by the statisticsthere are almost 30,000 children in foster care in Texas alone, according to data from AdoptUSKidsthe couple decided to become licensed foster parents in 2018. However, their preference to foster a single, older child couldnt have been further from the fate that befell them.

Soon after becoming licensed parents, one day as Yves was out shopping, he received the call. Four siblings needed an urgent foster family. Nyla, 15, Marcus, 14, Aaliyah, 8, and Zayden, 6, had been removed from a neglectful home environment.

Yves and Khalila welcomed them with open arms.

While Khalila readily admitted, We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into at all, after the children arrived, the pieces fell into place magically before their eyes. [I]t became something where we were like, This is us, this is our family, she reflected.

God just prepared us and got us in the right place to be ready, claimed Yves.

From a Collin County courtroom, Judge Cyndi Wheless officiated the siblings adoption via Zoom as the Hughes family gathered in their living room. The extended family dialed in to witness the proceedings from different parts of the country.

Whelesss sign-off, Congratulations, Forever Mom and Dad, prompted a chorus of applause and a family rendition of All I Want for Christmas Is You to mark the precious moment.

When Nyla was asked by WFAA what the adoption meant to her, she responded by saying, Everything.

I just wanted them to know that we love them, Yves explained. [T]heyre safe, we have a home, and were a family.

Knowing all too well how daunting the application process can be for potential foster families with all the paperwork, Yves and Khalila are making it easier through their fostering support system.

I work for a company called Salesforce as a product manager and Khalila works at AT&T as a UX designer, Yves explained to The Epoch Times via email. Our goal is to use technology to help increase foster parents and more adoptions.

In response to an outpouring of support for Nyla, Marcus, Aaliyah, and Zayden on their ongoing journey, the Hugheses also set up a GoFundMe page.

[T]hose that know our story have asked for some way to bless our children on this tremendous occasion, the page states. We hope to raise funds to offset the many costs associated with long-term care of children with special needs.

Fostering isnt easy, the page further read, but the main thing that keeps us going is the commitment to the children, never giving up on them.

We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com
KYODO NEWS - Jan 4, 2021 - 23:21 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

TOKYO - Japan plans to declare a state of emergency in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures this week, possibly on Thursday at the earliest, and lasting for about one month to curb its largest-yet surge of coronavirus cases, government officials said Monday.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the government is considering the measure without specifying a start date or duration. It would be the second state of emergency in the country since the global pandemic broke out.

Government sources said the government plans to decide on the declaration possibly on Thursday, and put it into effect on the same day or Friday. The initial start date was being planned for Saturday.

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike and the leaders of Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama prefectures agreed to jointly ask residents to refrain from nonessential trips outside the house and call on dining and drinking establishments to close by 8 p.m., further cutting their operating hours from the 10 p.m. currently requested.

It was not immediately clear what another state of emergency would look like, with schools and some businesses closing during the previous one last spring.

Suga indicated in a New Year's press conference that social and economic activities are unlikely to be halted across the board this time, saying the measure should be implemented "in a limited and focused manner."

"It is a fact that the number of people infected with the novel coronavirus has not declined but remained high in Tokyo and the three adjacent prefectures," Suga said at the prime minister's office.

"Taking this seriously, we thought we need to issue a stronger message," he said.

The governors in the metropolitan area, which has accounted for about half of the nationwide coronavirus cases in recent weeks, on Saturday urged the central government to issue a second emergency declaration, days after the capital reported more than 1,300 new coronavirus cases in a single day for the first time.

Suga said the government will seek to begin vaccinations against COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus, by late February starting with front-line health care workers.

The 72-year-old prime minister said he would "set an example" by being among the first to be vaccinated.

While pledging additional financial support for hospitals combating the virus, he said a law revision aimed at providing benefits for those who comply with anti-virus steps and penalizing those who do not will be sought in a parliamentary session to be convened later this month.

The amendment is expected to be approved by lawmakers in early February as the Diet affairs chiefs of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan agreed on the plan.

Suga also said the entry into Japan of businesspeople now allowed from some designated countries will be stopped if a coronavirus variant is found there.

The prime minister reiterated his pledge to hold the Tokyo Olympics this summer and "bring hope and courage to the world."

But he struck a cautious tone over his signature "Go To Travel" tourism promotion campaign, which has been suspended nationwide until Jan. 11, saying, "It is difficult to restart it if a state of emergency is declared."

Following the press conference, Suga met with officials in charge of the government's response to the pandemic and instructed them to quickly consider the issuance of another declaration.

A state of emergency was previously declared in the capital and six prefectures in early April last year during Japan's first wave of infections, and expanded nationwide later that month, affecting school, sports, cultural and economic activities. It was lifted in steps the following month as coronavirus cases subsided.

Legislation giving the government the authority to declare a state of emergency was enacted in March last year.

It provides a legal basis for governors to ask residents in their prefectures to stay at home and also enables stronger steps to deal with outbreaks, including the requisition of medical supplies and food as well as expropriation of private land for emergency health facilities.

But the legislation does not provide a basis for imposing a lockdown with travel restrictions or fines for leaving the house, as some other countries have done.

The Tokyo government began asking that restaurants, bars and karaoke venues serving alcohol close by 10 p.m. in late November, offering them compensation, but the measure has so far been ineffective in lowering the number of virus infections.

The capital's call for shorter business hours was originally scheduled to end Dec. 17 but has been extended to Jan. 11. The three nearby prefectures have also taken similar steps.

Koike told reporters Sunday, "Since the Tokyo metropolitan area and surrounding prefectures are connected, we are coordinating with each other to implement effective measures."

The metropolitan government decided Monday to ask eateries that serve alcohol to close by 8 p.m., earlier than usual, from Friday. The step will then target all dining facilities including those which do not serve liquor from Jan. 12 through Jan. 31.

Saitama Prefecture will take a similar step, initially covering venues serving alcohol and later expanding it to all eateries.

According to sources familiar with the matter, compensation will be increased from current levels.

Meanwhile, elementary, junior high and senior high schools are unlikely to be asked to close at the same time, other government sources said.

The number of infected people who have developed serious symptoms in Tokyo stood at 101 on Sunday, the first three-digit figure since a state of emergency over the virus was fully lifted in late May last year.

Koike has expressed concern over the greater burden on medical institutions. On Monday, the number of people with severe symptoms in Tokyo hit a record 108.

The capital confirmed 884 new cases, bringing its cumulative total to 63,474, by far the largest among the country's 47 prefectures.

Related coverage:

FOCUS: Suga faces make-or-break election year as COVID rages, Olympics loom

Badminton: Japan's world No. 1 Kento Momota tests positive for coronavirus

FEATURE: Coronavirus rains on Tokyo's samba parade again
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 5)  President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday ordered his close-in security detail to ignore lawmakers if they are called to testify on their covert vaccination activity using unregistered drugs.

In his address to the nation, he told Presidential Security Group Chief Jesus Durante to disobey possible summons from the Congress to testify on the much-criticized inoculation as part of "self preservation." Should they decide to attend any legislative investigation, he told them not to disclose any information.

"I would ask the PSG to just shut up. Do not answer. Invoke the right against self-incrimination at wala kayong makukuha[ You won't get any information]. And do not force my soldiers to testify against their will," he said in his taped late-night address.

He warned members of the Congress to keep their hands off the PSG, saying there will be a "little crisis" if they cite his men in contempt for failing to attend hearings.

"I would like to call on Congress na hindi naman ako nakikiusap. Ang ano ko lang diretso na salita na do not tinker with the PSG. Im telling you as President," he warned. Pag ginawa ninyo yan, there will be a little crisis. Nasa inyo."

[Translation: I am not asking for a favor. I am telling you not to tinker with the PSG. I am telling you as the President. If you do that, there will be a little crisis. It's up to you.]

The Senate is scheduled to look into the government's COVID-19 vaccination plan on Jan. 11, but not specifically on the PSG's covert vaccination. The Makabayan bloc on Tuesday filed a House resolution to probe the "VIP vaccination."

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Tuesday said that it is within the President's power to invoke executive privilege by barring his personnel from attending legislative hearings. He said Congress can tap other sources to get to the bottom of the issue.

As PSG faces more heat, Duterte defends his personnel, saying they are just doing their job to protect him  as mandated by law.

"I am prepared to defend my soldiers. I will not allow them, for all of their good intentions, to be brutalized in hearings," he said.

The President denied knowledge of the underground inoculation and the brand of smuggled vaccines used by the PSG. This comes weeks after he admitted on national television that "almost all soldiers" have received China-made vaccine Sinopharm even without approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

"I dont know really if they were injected with the vaccine, what brand, hindi ko alam. Do not presume na sabi kino-cover up," he said.

PSG Chief Durante himself admitted that his team received vaccines, but refused to disclose the source of the unregistered drugs.
Ghaziabad, January 4: A large group of people along with family members of the victims of the roof collapse incident, which killed 23 people on Sunday, held massive demonstration in Uttar Pradesh's Muradnagar. In the wake of the protests, police personnel have been deployed to maintain the law and order situation in the area. On Sunday, as many as 23 people, most of them attending a funeral, were killed and about 15 others were injured when the roof of a shelter at a cremation ground collapsed.

Also Read | DLF Mall Roof Collapsed in Noida? Authorities Issue Clarification After Video Goes Viral

According to reports, several people had taken shelter under the recently constructed structure in Muradnagar, while it rained. The people who lost their lives, all of them men, were mostly relatives or neighbours of Jai Ram, who was being cremated at that time, police said. Reports inform that as soon as the incident was reported, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) unit along with cops reached the spot, pulling out the dead and the injured from the debris.

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President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended condolences on the horrific incident. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident. He directed officials to give financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased, a statement issued by the state government said.

Contractor Ajay Tyagi, executive officer of the municipality Niharika Singh, junior engineer Chandra Pal and supervisor Ashis were booked under relevant sections of the IPC, including 304 (causing death by negligence) on the complaint of a deceased''s son at the Muradnagar police station.
Developed by Fraunhofer ITEM, the P.R.I.T. ExpoCube enables exposure to various classes of inhalable substances and their testing with high re-producibility and with the requisite dosage control. Credit: Fraunhofer ITEM/Ralf Mohr

It is still the case that data from animal studies is required in order to evaluate the safety of a substance for humans. However, the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM has teamed up with 39 partners from 13 countries on a range of projects, all of which have a common aim: to bring about a paradigm shiftaway from animal experimentation and towards a deeper understanding of how chemical substances work.

In Germany, the number of test animals has broadly remained the same for a number of years now. According to the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), a total of 2,825,066 animals were used in animal experiments in 2018. Dr. Sylvia Escher, head of the Department of In-silico Toxicology at Fraunhofer ITEM in Hannover, is seeking to develop alternatives to animal testing. "At our institute, we work with various groups on new concepts for chemical risk assessment," the chemist explains. The two examples she names are the EXITOX and EU-ToxRisk projects. Both of these aim to develop test strategies based on human cell lines and organ sections, which are intended to reduce and, in the long term, replace animal experiments.

A better and more conservative alternative

The objective is to develop an alternative that is not only more conservative but also better. In conventional animal testing, scientists observe for the onset of toxic effects, such as inflammation or tissue changes in the relevant organ, following administration of the test substance. In particular, they seek to determine whether continuous exposure to a substance damages the organism or whether a low concentration, such as that absorbed daily from the air, remains uncritical. "In EU-ToxRisk and EXITOX, we're investigating the mode of action that leads to the observed toxic effect. And given that we're using human test systems rather than animal testing, we very much hope that the results will be more relevant to humans," says Escher, pointing out the benefits of this approach.

A number of working groups from Fraunhofer ITEM are involved in three of the nine case studies being conducted as part of the EU-ToxRisk project. Dr. Tanja Hansen, head of the Working Group on In-vitro Test Systems, is currently investigating the toxicology of volatile compounds, using diketones as an example. The best-known representative of this substance group is diacetyl, a chemical compound naturally found in butter. An industrially produced version is used to give a butter flavor to popcorn, for example.

Simulations with human tissue

What happens when people inhale diacetyl? Can it damage the lungs? To answer these questions, Escher and Hansen use an apparatus that was developed at Fraunhofer ITEM: the P.R.I.T. ExpoCube. This enables them to simulate the effect of volatile substances on cells and tissue.

In order to simulate the situation in the lung, the scientists use human bronchial epithelial cells that are cultivated on membranes at the airliquid interface. Gaseous diacetyl is passed over the surface of these cells by means of the P.R.I.T. ExpoCube. Biochemical methods are then employed to examine the effect on the cells. Following a comprehensive analysis of gene expression, researchers can identify which genes the cells have activated or deactivated. They then use this data to determine which signal pathways were activated within the cell. These might be signal pathways that lead to the production of messenger substances that cause inflammation.

In the next step, the investigation progresses to the organ level. Here, researchers use living tissue sections cultivated from human lungs, which possess many functions of the actual organ. As with the cell cultures, the lung sections are now exposed to diacetyl in the P.R.I.T. ExpoCube and then analyzed.

To simulate the behavior of inhaled substances in the body, the project partners use complex calculation models known as "in silico methods." These computer-aided models are able to reproduce to a high degree of accuracy how an organism absorbs, distributes and excretes an inhaled substance. "In combination, in vitro and in silico data provides a more accurate picture of how substances such as diacetyl damage the lungs," Escher explains.

Using data from similar substances

A first step towards incorporating alternative methods in risk assessment is the read-across approach. If a new chemical is to be approved in accordance with this method, the first task is to seek out similar substances for which toxicological data from animal testing already exists. In the read-across approach, this data is then applied to the new chemical. "This approach is already in use. In practice, however, it is still proving difficult to demonstrate that two chemicals are so similar that they indeed have the same toxicity," says Escher. "This is why read-across approaches are often not accepted by the regulatory authorities."

In the case studies, project teams investigated groups of closely related substances and gathered comprehensive in vitro and in silico data. On the strength of these investigations, they were able to show that the alternative methods are perfectly capable of determining the toxicity of structurally related materials.

Consultation with regulatory authorities

The EU-ToxRisk project involves not only universities, research institutes and companies but also regulatory authorities. Close consultation with toxicologists working for regulatory bodies is vital if these new integrated test strategies are to be a success. For it is only if national and EU authorities approve these newly developed processes for assessing toxicity that animal testing can be replaced.

Explore further Animal-free method predicts nanoparticle toxicity for safer industrial materials
MBABANE - Despite these areas being declared COVID-19 hot spots, youth around Msunduza and Mahwalala continue to breach COVID-19 regulations, disregarding the Operation Bopha.

As the nation grows anxious about the increasing cases of COVID-19 infections and deaths, the country embarked on Operation Bopha, which was launched by Acting Prime Minister Themba Masuku last Wednesday. Operation Bopha is an initiative which seeks to enforce compliance with COVID-19 regulations by arresting all those disregarding the regulations. During a visit around Mbabane townships yesterday, it was noted that young people seemed to care less about observing the COVID-19 regulations, despite the countrys health crisis.

Loitering

The youth was seen loitering in groups, not wearing masks while enjoying each others company.

Some were wandering aimlessly in the streets while others sat in groups, imbibing alcohol and having conversations.

Those who made the effort to wear masks put them under their chins.

It looked like a typical normal day where COVID-19 did not exist.

Worth noting is that the Hhohho Region has been recording the highest number of COVID-19 infections in the country for the past month.

On Saturday alone, the Hhohho Region recorded 56 cases.

By the time this report was being compiled yesterday, the Hhohho Region had recorded 3 951 confirmed COVID-19 cases since the emergence of the virus in the country in March.

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said the Hhohho Region was the hardest to control during the crossover weekend in comparison to the other regions in the country.

This resulted in a female Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) officer being injured while trying to disperse a crowd at Ngwenya during Operation Bopha. Vilakati said the people responsible for hurting the law enforcer were arrested. We are encouraged that some people complied with the regulations, however, some citizens did not comply as they hosted parties. The Lubombo and Shiselweni regions had a few cases where alcohol was being sold after the regulated hours, gathering throngs of people who were eventually dispersed.

The Manzini Region had a lot of house parties where people did not social distance. Those parties were dispersed as well. The Hhohho Region had multiple gatherings that were not easy to disperse, especially at Ngwenya, where a police officer was hurt, said Vilakati. She said the operation was still in motion and police were still going to be vigilant.






Samsung has announced its hotly-anticipated 'Galaxy Unpacked' event will take place on January 14.

The South Korean tech giant is expected to reveal its latest flagship smartphone range, including the 5G-compatible Galaxy S21, at the virtual unveiling at 10am EST (7am PST/3pm GMT).

In a 12-second video the company says 'welcome to the everyday epic' with an accompanying spinning cube.

Inside the cube appears to be a blurry render of the recently-leaked rear-camera module.

The South Korean tech giant is expected to reveal its latest flagship range, the 5G-compatible Galaxy S21, at the virtual unveiling at 10am EST (7am PST/3pm GMT). In a 12 second video the company says 'welcome to the everyday epic' with an accompanying spinning cube

Android Police last month revealed there will be three phones in the S21 range: the S21, S21 Plus and the S21 Ultra.

In three official-looking promotional clips, purportedly obtained from Samsung sources, a three-camera rear module is the star feature.

It appears the same camera setup is what is inside the spinning cube of the invitation to the upcoming Samsung event, all but confirming the imminent release of the latest Galaxy device.

Android Police recently revealed there will be three phones in the S21 range: the S21, S21 Plus and the S21 Ultra. In three official-looking promotional clips purportedly obtained from Samsung sources, a three-camera rear module is the central star (pictured)

Top expected CES 2021 announcements Televisions - A host of companies including LG and Panasonic are expected to unveil their most cutting-edge tellies. They will likely feature bendy screens and advancements on LED and OLED displays. Samsung - The South Korean tech giant is holding a separate non-CES event on January 14 which will likely tie in with its formal CES press conference. Outside of the Galaxy S21 there will likely be updates to its TVs as well as a potential chromebook and headphones. Sony - Son has kept its cards close to its chest regarding CES 2021 but the Japanese firm is known for making a large announcement at the showcase. It will likely focus on updates to the PS5 as well as audio hardware, potentially an update to the universally praised WF-1000XM3s. Advertisement

January's tech announcements are normally dominated by CES, the tech extravaganza held in Las Vegas, with Samsung settling into a yearly routine of holding its keynote event in late February.

But with Mobile World Congress  the annual February event in Barcelona where the year's upcoming mobile phones are often launched  moved to June due to the coronavirus pandemic, Samsung has decided to accelerate its usual timetable.

As a result the upcoming Samsung announcement will clash with the last day of CES, which will be held between January 11 and 14.

A series of leaks has provided a good ideas as to what the Samsung S21 range will look like, with three screen sizes  6.2, 6.7 and 6.9 inches.

All three handsets will have a high-end 120Hz display and a reduced bottom bezel as well as the camera module being thinner and flatter than on its predecessor.

Internal specs remain more elusive, with a speculated 8GB of RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor for US customers and an Exynos 2100 chip for the rest of the world.

But the focus of the new devices appears to be the camera, with a believed three lenses, probably a 12MP main, 12MP ultra-wide and 64MP telephoto.

With the module also appearing in the video teaser it seems set to be the focal point of the unveiling and the phone's design.
At least one Kentucky police officer connected to the fatal shooting of a Black woman, Breonna Taylor, is fighting a police move to terminate his employment.

An attorney for Louisville Metro Police detective Joshua Jaynes told The Associated Press on Wednesday that his client hasnt done anything wrong and shouldnt be disciplined in connection with a police raid in March that led to Taylors death. The shooting of the 26-year-old woman in her Louisville home sparked months of protests there amid national protests over racial injustice and police misconduct.

Im very troubled by the chiefs actions here, and I hope that we can challenge those proposed actions successfully, attorney Thomas Clay said.

A pretermination hearing for Jaynes, originally set for Thursday, was rescheduled for Jan. 4, Clay said.

The police department sent pretermination letters to Jaynes and Officer Myles Cosgrove, news outlets reported Tuesday. Jaynes sought the no-knock search warrant that led detectives to Tayors apartment and Cosgrove fired the fatal shot during the raid, authorities have said.

Police Chief Yvette Genry levied two charges against Jaynes: that he wasnt at the right location when the search warrant was executed and that he wasnt truthful in an affidavit seeking the warrant, Clay said.

He disputes both allegations. Clay said Jaynes was at the location specified in a final police briefing prior to the raid and he was truthful in the affidavit seeking the warrant.

The warrant asserted that Jaynes had confirmed with a U.S. postal inspector that an alleged drug dealer had been receiving packages at Taylors apartment. The warrant said it is not uncommon for drug traffickers to receive mail packages at different locations to avoid detection from law enforcement.

Jaynes has told Louisville police internal investigators that the affidavit could have been worded differently, but Clay said the detective didnt do anything wrong.

He didnt say hed talked to this USPS inspector. He said hed gotten information about it, which he did, from another member of LMPD, which certainly, I think, he was entitled to rely on. So when the chief says that he was untruthful when he put that in the search warrant affidavit, I believe that he was entirely truthful, Clay said.

Jaynes was sued by Taylors boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. In a motion asking a judge to dismiss him from the lawsuit, Jaynes acknowledged providing incorrect information in the warrant but argued that it was an honest mistake in an otherwise valid warrant. Jaynes motion was denied last month.

In a letter to Jaynes obtained by WDRB-TV, Gentry said there should have been better controls, supervision and scrutiny in preparing the warrant. Because the operations plan was not completed properly a very dangerous situation was created for all parties involved, Gentry wrote.

Cosgrove failed to properly identify a target when he fired rounds into Taylors apartment, killing her, according to a copy of his pretermination letter obtained by The Courier Journal.

Cosgrove, in his testimony to investigators, said the apartment was completely dark and he saw vivid white flashes and a distorted shadowy mass, a figure in front of me. He fired his handgun 16 times, according to ballistics evidence.

It wasnt clear whether Cosgrove has a pretermination hearing. His attorney, Jerrod Beck, and Louisville Metro Police declined to comment on Wednesday.

Officers were serving a narcotics warrant on March 13 when they shot Taylor, but no drugs or cash were found in her home. Taylor was an emergency medical worker who had settled in for the night when police busted through her door.

Former officer Brett Hankison was charged by a grand jury with wanton endangerment, a low-level felony, for firing into an adjacent apartment where people were present. The two officers who shot Taylor, according to ballistics evidence, were not charged by the grand jury, based on a presentation of the case by the office of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

One of those officers was shot by Taylors boyfriend during the raid and returned fire. Taylors boyfriend said he thought an intruder was breaking into her apartment.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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As part of the newly passed COVID-19 relief legislation, lawmakers are demanding answers from U.S. intelligence agencies and the Defense Department on the potential existence of UFOs and other unidentified aerial phenomena.

The $2.3 trillion omnibus appropriations legislation passed last month includes the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal 2021, which provides more resources toward investigation gathering and "strengthening open source intelligence" collection among the agencies, according to a release from Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who introduced the bill in June. The Senate passed the legislation in July.

Some of that information includes what the Pentagon, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and its counterparts know about unidentified aerial phenomena -- also known as "anomalous aerial vehicles." Lawmakers expect to see a report on the collected UFO data 180 days from the bill's passage, according to the legislation.

Read Next: National Guard to Deploy on DC Streets as Congress Meets to Affirm Biden's Victory

News website Complex was first to report the details. The report will be unclassified, but will include a classified supplement.

Lawmakers are concerned that there is "no unified, comprehensive process within the federal government for collecting and analyzing intelligence on unidentified aerial phenomena, despite the potential threat," which is why a sweeping report on all relevant information regarding UAPs is essential, according to the bill's text.

Lawmakers want information on any UAPs that were found using geospatial intelligence, signals intelligence, human intelligence, or measurement and signature intelligence, regardless of which agency or service collected the data, the bill states.

The UFOs don't have to be out of this world, either. The legislation requires information on any technologies China, Russia, Iran, North Korea or others may possess in this field, including "aerospace or other threats posed by the unidentified aerial phenomena to national security, and an assessment of whether this unidentified aerial phenomena activity may be attributed to one or more foreign adversaries," it adds.

In April, the Pentagon officially acknowledged three incidents reported by Navy F/A-18 Hornet fighter pilots after years of speculation that pilots were encountering alien spacecraft during training missions.

The Defense Department that month published videos of the incidents -- one taken in November 2004 and the other two in January 2015 -- "which have been circulating in the public domain after unauthorized releases in 2007 and 2017," officials said in a statement.

"After a thorough review, the department has determined that the authorized release of these unclassified videos does not reveal any sensitive capabilities or systems, and does not impinge on any subsequent investigations of military airspace incursions by unidentified aerial phenomena," Pentagon spokeswoman Sue Gough said at the time.

The video confirmation came a few months after Navy pilots got the word out there had been an increase of UFO sightings in recent years. As a result, the service issued new guidelines on how best to document sightings or encounters, according to a 2019 report from Politico.

The New York Times reported that pilots had sightings -- and, in one instance, a near collision -- while flying training missions off the East Coast between 2014 and 2015.

Then last August, Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist officially created the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force, a Navy-led unit, to hunt down any pertinent encounters service members may have had with aerial objects that pose a threat to national security.

The U.S. government has looked into UFOs for years, most notably between 2007 and 2012 when the Pentagon began its Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, an effort championed by then-Sen. Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada and the Senate majority leader at the time.

The program was meant to "pursue research and investigation into unidentified aerial phenomena," the Defense Department said, motivated by events such as the 2004 "Tic Tac" incident, which was documented in one of the Navy's released videos.

In that incident, F/A-18 pilots from the aircraft carrier Nimitz, operating off the San Diego coast, reported spotting a large, Tic Tac-shaped object that appeared to be floating without the assistance of an engine or exhaust plume.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

Related: 'Storm Area 51' Has Been Canceled, but the Air Force Isn't Taking Chances

New Delhi :

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Merkel on undertaken comprehensive review of coop'n at the Plenary Meeting of the Inter-Governmental Consultations. PM Modi and Chancellor Merkel also witnessed the exchange of a number of MoUs/JDIs between India and Germany during their meeting on .



Here's the highlights of PM Modi's speech at joint statement:

#Germany has extended 1.4 billion euros for development cooperation assurance, and 12 MoUs were signed between India and Germany



# PM closes his statement: Pace of development of our is fast, direction is positive & destination is clear. Germany will always find India as powerful, prepared and capable partner.



# Renewable Energy an important area of co-operation. India wants to generate 175 GW in RE by 2022. Till March, we have built capacity for 57 GW.



# German investments in Make in India has seen a significant increase, particularly by Mittelstand companies. German participation also important in Skill India Programme.





Germany's extensive work in skill development, that has set standards globally, can benefit the youth of India: PM Modi in Berlin pic.twitter.com/kPBPGlAzyl  ANI (@ANI_news) May 30, 2017

# Welcome role played by friendly countries in our dev. German business and industry is important partner in achievments of India's economic priorities.



# Our relations have a regional & global perspective. We discussed new and upcoming opportunities and challenges in Asia, Europe and the world.



# In 's IGC, we conducted a comprehensive review of bilateral relations with Chancellor Merkel & her team



# Whether it be bilateral relations, humanitarian issues, regional or global issues, every discussion with Chancellor has been very beneficial for me.



# Guten Tag Deutschland! This is my 2nd official visit to Germany for IGC



Earlier on the day, Chancellor Merkel received PM Modi at Schloss Messeberg before a private dinner and he was accorded ceremonial welcome at German Chancellery.



India is seeking to double the German investment in the country over the next five years from the current 9.5 billion euros and also wants a two-fold increase in the number of German companies, a former Indian Ambassador to Germany said on .



In recent times, India has attracted about 74 German companies which have business plans worth investment of USD 1 billion, Gurjit Singh told PTI as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and signed eight agreements.





#WATCH PM Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel issue joint statement in Berlin https://t.co/d0kNzSLDF0  ANI (@ANI_news) May 30, 2017

There are opportunities for German companies in India's infrastructure, defence sectors, railways, smart cities, renewable energy, ports and shipping, coastal shipping and inland waterways, he added.



"German investments in India is about 9.5 billion euros, made during 2000-2016, which can be doubled to 18 billion euros may be over the next five years. We (also) want to double the number of German companies in India to 3,600 from 1,800," according to Singh who retired in March this year after serving 37 years in foreign service with Germany being his last posting.



Singh said German companies were also being urged to form consortium with European and non-European companies to undertake mega projects in India, especially their participation in smart cities which would require different disciplines, expertise and technologies.



Germany's small and medium size companies, known for having good technologies, should take the lead in forming these consortium, he pointed out.



Joint ventures between German and Indian companies could also lead to building up consortium for undertaking mega projects in the country, he said after addressing the Institute of South Asian Studies, a think tank at the National University of Singapore.

Also Read: PM Modi meets German Chancellor Merkel, discusses Brexit, terrorism and radicalisation



Overall, the European investments in India should also be doubled to at least 1.5 per cent from the current nominal level of 0.7 per cent of their global investments, according to Singh who has also served as ambassador to Indonesia, Ethiopia, ASEAN and African Union.



He said Modi's ongoing to visit to Germany is well timed and would boost bilateral relations between the two countries.



With inputs from PTI

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY  Additional charges have been filed by St. Louis County prosecutors against two Missouri men accused of robbing a woman in the parking lot of the Glen Carbon Walmart.

Earl Barber, 41, of St. Louis, and Benjamin Smith, 48, both of St. Louis, were each charged Dec. 31 in Missouri with resisting arrest by fleeing, a Class E felony.

The two remain in custody  Barber in a St. Louis area hospital after being shot by a Madison County sheriffs deputy and Smith in St. Louis County Justice Services  while the investigation into the shooting continues. Bail was set at $25,000 each.

In addition, both face multiple felony charges in Illinois.

Barber was charged with two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, robbery and unlawful possession of weapon by a felon, all Class 2 felonies. Smith was charged with two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm and robbery, all Class 4 felonies, and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon and aggravated fleeing a peace officer, both Class 2 felonies.

Bail was set at $350,000 for Barber and $250,000 for Smith.

Barber was shot by a Madison County deputy who has not been named after allegedly attempting to flee on foot through a residential area of St. Louis County. Police said a weapon was recovered. Because the shooting occurred in Missouri, the St. Louis County Police Departments Bureau of Crimes Against Persons is leading the investigation.

The incident began at about 9:22 p.m. Dec. 30 when Glen Carbon police received a report of a strong-arm robbery in the Glen Carbon Walmart parking lot. They were later told the suspects had fled and were shooting at witnesses from their vehicle.

The victim was identified as a 45-year-old woman who was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The two suspects had allegedly attempted to steal her purse, then fled in a vehicle. Barber allegedly fired at several witnesses from that vehicle.

Glen Carbon, Pontoon Beach and Madison County officers pursued the pair to Shardell Drive and Poggemoeller Avenue in St. Louis County. At that point Barber left the vehicle and took off on foot. He was pursued by several officers and was eventually shot by the deputy.

Smith was taken into custody a short time later.

The exact details that led up to the shooting have not been released.

The deputy was described as 38, and an 11-year veteran of the Madison County Sheriffs Department.
Guangdong, Beijing, Jiangsu and Shanghai are the most innovative regions in China and own over 50 percent of the country's basic research funds, according to a recent report on China's regional innovation capability in 2020.

East Chinese regions remained the most innovative, grabbing five spots among the top 10, while Shaanxi, Chongqing and Sichuan led in innovation in the western regions of China, the report said.

Liu Xielin, head of the report research group and dean of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research Center at the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said leading regions have been increasing investment in science and technology.

The information technology revolution, represented by the Internet, big data and cloud computing, is breaking the geographical limitations of regional innovation and will also affect policymaking.

Let's see the top 10 innovative regions in China.

No 10 Chongqing

No 9 Shaanxi

No 8 Anhui

No 7 Hubei

No 6 Shandong

No 5 Zhejiang

No 4 Shanghai

No 3 Jiangsu

No 2 Beijing

No 1 Guangdong
An Armenian government statement said the Security Council meeting focused on issues related to the situation in Armenia and Artsakh, humanitarian affairs and security environment. It gave no details.

Ara Harutiunian, the Karabakh president, also attended the meeting. According to his office, Harutiunian, Pashinian, Armenias top security officials and other members of the council discussed the security of Karabakh, protection of the population, prisoner exchanges with Azerbaijan and the ongoing recovery of the bodies of Armenian soldiers and civilians killed during the recent war in Karabakh.

These issues were also high on the agenda of Pashinians talks with Overchuk held earlier on Sunday.

Pashinians press office said the two men spoke about the current situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, humanitarian assistance to Artsakh, the exchange of prisoners and the bodies of the dead as well as a wide range of issues on the agenda of Armenian-Russian relations.

Overchuk was reported to reaffirm Russias support to the friendly Armenian people during this difficult period and commitment to stepping up Russian-Armenian strategic cooperation.

For his part, Pashinian again praised Moscows role in stopping the six-week war and described the deployment of Russian peacekeeping troops in Karabakh as an important security factor and guarantee.

In a televised address to the nation aired on New Years Eve, Pashinian announced plans to further deepen Armenias relations with Russia. He said that his country needs new security guarantees after the war.
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Pamela Anderson has said the fight is not over after a British judge ruled WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the US to face spying charges.

The former Baywatch star, 53, has been a long-term vocal supporter of Assange during his legal battles with the US government over the publication of thousands of classified documents in 2010 and 2011.

The judge blocked the request because of concerns over Mr Assange's mental health and risk of suicide if he were to be extradited to the US.

After the latest development, the ex-Playboy Model shared a picture of a sunrise at the beach on social media and wrote: 'A special sunrise for my dear friend #JulianAssange - (not to be extradited) stay tuned, the fight is not over - but, a hopeful moment to breathe in - I can only imagine Julian (in court, still in that mask), taking that breath.. #humanrights #freespeech #pardonassange.'

This is just the latest show of support for Assange by Pamela Anderson.

Earlier this month, she published a photo of herself in a white bikini holding a sign saying 'Bring Julian Assange Home Australia' as well as a clothed photo with a sign that read: 'I am Julian Assange', on Monday afternoon.

Former Baywatch start Pamela Anderson has shared a message of support for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after a British judge ruled he could not be extradited to the US over concerns for his mental health and fears he may commit suicide

The former Playboy model posted a photo of herself on Twitter in December, 2020, in a bikini and holding a sign calling on US President Donald Trump to pardon Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in the remaining weeks of his premiership

Anderson was rumoured to have dated the now 49-year-old Assange, an Australian national, when he was living at London's Ecuadorian Embassy from 2012-2019, to avoid a rape allegation charge in Sweden, as well as espionage charges in the US.

Assange, who has been in Belmarsh high-security prison in London for 19 months, while he has been fighting extradition to the US, is wanted over the publication of classified documents in 2010 and 2011.

He is said to have plotted with defense analyst Chelsea Manning to crack an encrypted password on US Department of Defence computers.

If convicted, he faces a possible penalty of 175 years in jail.

Anderson and Assange's unlikely 'special relationship' started when they were introduced by fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood, sparking speculation over the nature of their friendship over the years.

She was photographed visiting him multiple times during his seven-year stint at the Ecuadorian Embassy, bringing him vegan cheeseburgers as well as publishing messages about him on her blog claiming he was just 'trying to help' and should not be 'illegally detained'.'

Pamela Anderson wore a 'freedom of speech' shawl to visit WikiLeaks founder Assange in Belmarsh prison in May 2019

In a poem in 2017, she wrote: 'My relationship with Julian - it's no secret. He is one of my favorite people and he might be the most famous, most politicized refugee of our time.'

After his arrest in April 2019 the mother of two visited him in Belmarsh prison and said in a statement afterwards that she 'loved' him.

She added that the WikiLeaks founder has been 'cut off from everybody', including his children, and does not have access to any information.

'He does not deserve to be in a super max prison. He has never committed a violent act, he's an innocent person', she said.

She added: 'He's a good man, he's an incredible person, I love him and I can't imagine what he's been going through,' Anderson said.

She previously called him 'world's most innocent man' and posted a photo of a handwritten message on Twitter signed by herself and British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood.

Anderson, who starred on Baywatch, also posted a second photo in December, calling for Assange to be freed. The model was rumoured to be dating him in 2017 and has previously described him as 'an incredible person' and said that she loves him

US officials said they were left 'extremely disappointed' over the decision by District Judge Vanessa Baraitser.

The sensational ruling at the Old Bailey in London this morning raises the prospect that the 48-year-old WikiLeaks founder could be freed this week - and, in a further development, Mexico have now offered him political asylum.

Australia-born Assange won his high-profile legal battle against US officials who wanted to put him on trial for conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law by releasing confidential cables.

A US Justice Department spokesman said today: 'While we are extremely disappointed in the court's ultimate decision, we are gratified that the United States prevailed on every point of law raised.'

The department pointed to Assange's claims he had been exercising free speech rights and that the US was pursuing a political vendetta, adding: 'We will continue to seek Mr Assange's extradition to the United States.'

Meanwhile, Mexico offered political asylum to Mr Assange this afternoon. The country's president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said: 'I'm going to ask the foreign minister to carry out the relevant procedures to request that the UK government releases Mr Assange and that Mexico offers him political asylum.'

He said Mexico would ensure 'that whoever receives asylum does not intervene or interfere in the political affairs of any country.'

The country has previously offered political asylum to high-profile international figures such as former Bolivian president Evo Morales.

Today in court in London, Assange, sat in a blue suit with crossed legs, wiped his brow after the decision was announced, while his fiancee, Stella Moris - with whom he has two young sons - wept.

Ms Moris, who fell in love with Assange while she was his lawyer, said outside the Old Bailey: 'Today is a victory for Julian. Today's victory is a first step towards justice in this case.'

She also issued a direct appeal to Donald Trump, which references President Ronald Reagan's 1987 appeal to Soviet lead Mikhail Gorbachev to 'tear down' the Berlin Wall.

'Mr President tear down these prison walls,' she said. 'Let our little boys have their father. Free Julian. Free the press.'

Assange's defence team, including celebrity barrister Jennifer Robinson, will return to the Old Bailey on Wednesday for a bail application. If they are successful, he could be a free man immediately afterwards.

However, this is thought to be unlikely given the US government's intent to appeal. They have 14 days to state their grounds, during which time Assange will stay on remand at HMP Belmarsh in south-west London.

Had Assange been convicted in the US, he would have been held in isolation at the notorious Supermax jail in Colorado, which has been described by a former warden as a 'clean version of hell' and a 'fate worse than death'.

Judge Vanessa Baraitser said there was an 'unmanageable high risk' of Assange taking his own life if he was housed amid the grim conditions as she revealed he has autism, Asperger's and a severe depressive disorder.

She accepted the evidence of medical experts who revealed that Assange had spoken openly about suicide while in Belmarsh and had prepared for it by writing a will. A razor blade was also found in his cell.

Julian Assange has won his legal battle against US officials who wanted to put him on trial for helping hack government computers and violating an espionage law by releasing confidential cables. He is sketched at the Old Bailey today

Assange's supporters cheered and hugged outside the court after the judge revealed she was blocking Assange's extradition

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's partner, Stella Moris, speaks to the media outside the Old Bailey in London today

Assange's fiancee Stella Moris, at court today, has said that sending her lover to the US would be an 'unthinkable travesty'

Assange, 49, faces an 18-count indictment, alleging a plot to hack computers and a conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information

Assange's supporters were overjoyed at the decision not to extradite him to the United States but expressed dismay that the ruling was made on health grounds rather than in defence of freedom of expression.

'Today is a victory for Julian': Assange's partner Stella Moris hails verdict Ms Moris, who fell in love with Assange while she was his lawyer, said outside the Old Bailey: 'I had hoped today would be the day Julian would come home. Today is not that day but that day will come soon. 'As long as Julian has to endure suffering in isolation as an unconvicted prisoner at Belmarsh prison, as long as our children continue to be robbed of their father's love and affection, we cannot celebrate. 'We will celebrate the day he comes home. 'Today is a victory for Julian. Today's victory is a first step towards justice in this case. 'On behalf of Julian and myself, I want to thank the millions of people around the world and the institutions that are already calling for this persecution to end. 'I ask you all to shout louder, you lobby harder, until he is free. I call on everyone else to come together to defend Julian's rights; not just Julian's rights, they are your rights too. Julian's freedom is coupled to all our freedoms and our freedoms are lost in the blink of an eye. 'I call on insiders to come forward to expose the full extent of the misconduct that has led to Julian's imprisonment. And I call on the president of the United States to end this now. 'Mr President, tear down these prison walls. Let our little boys have their father. Free Julian, free the press, free us all.' Advertisement

The activist has been backed by a raft of celebrities including Pamela Anderson, artist Al Weiwei and designer Dame Vivienne Westwood.

Assange's mother, Christine urged the US not to appeal, saying her son had suffered enough.

She tweeted: 'UK Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled against extraditing my son Julian to the US on medical grounds.

'US prosecutors state they will appeal. I implore Pres Trump & Pres elect Biden to order them to stand down. The decade long process was the punishment. He has suffered enough.'

Conservative MP David Davis said: 'Good news Julian Assange's extradition has been blocked. Extradition treaties should not be used for political prosecutions.'

Jeremy Corbyn, whose brother, Piers, was outside the Old Bailey today, said: 'Good news that the extradition of Julian Assange has been refused - my congratulations to him and his legal team. Extradition would be an attack on press freedom.

'And it is alarming that the judge has accepted US government arguments threatening freedom of speech and freedom to publish. There remains much at stake in his case, which is being observed by so many around the world. Assange should be released.'

The decision was also welcomed by other Labour MPs, including Richard Burgon and the former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott.

Mr Burgon said: 'It is entirely right that Julian Assange will not be extradited to the US. Julian Assange would have been extradited because, as a journalist, he dared to expose US war crimes.

'Any extradition would have been an unprecedented attack on press freedom.'

Ms Abbott called the decision an 'excellent ruling by the British judge'. She added: 'Congratulations to all the dogged campaigners on Assange's behalf.'

But the journalist Glenn Greenwald added a note of caution, saying the judge had endorsed most of the arguments put forward by the US in favour of extradition - including dismissing the idea that it was an attack on freedom of speech.

He said: 'This wasn't a victory for press freedom. Quite the contrary: the judge made clear she believed there are grounds to prosecute Assange in connection with the 2010 publication. It was, instead, an indictment of the insanely oppressive US prison system for security 'threats.'

Meanwhile, Edward Snowden - the whistleblower who worked with Wikileaks and is currently living in Russia after leaking U.S. surveillance secrets - called for an end to the proceedings, tweeting: 'Let this be the end of it.'

Amnesty International tweeted: 'We welcome the fact that Julian Assange will not be sent to the USA, but this does not absolve the UK from having engaged in this politically-motivated process at the behest of the USA and putting media freedom and freedom of expression on trial.'

Assange supporters celebrating outside court today after he was spared from being sent for trial in the United States

Piers Corbyn (left) outside the Old Bailey today alongside a crowd of pro-Assange protesters

How Assange is being defended by celebrity lawyer Jennifer Robinson - while judge overseeing case extradited Sarkozy fraud suspect Jennifer Robinson, a key member of Assange's defence team, is the go-to barrister for the rich and famous, most recently walking hand in hand with actress Amber Heard in her showdown against her ex-husband Johnny Depp in his acrimonious libel trial. She counts the Hollywood elite among her inner circle, travelling to George and Amal Clooney's wedding on a speedboat with actor Bill Murray. A self-confessed Kyle Minogue fan, who has 'nothing in her fridge but Champagne' , the human rights lawyer once set headlines alight after she was spotted canoodling with Jeremy Corbyn's former spin doctor, Seumas Milne. Australian human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson (left) with Assange's partner Stella Moris (right) at an earlier Old Bailey hearing Ms Robinson and Mr Milne - a then-married father-of-two - were photographed in a passionate embrace on the terrace of the Courthouse hotel in East London in 2017. The 39-year-old, who came from humble beginnings in Australia, has been known to use her social media as an outlet to criticise the Tories on their human rights record and tweet support for Corbyn. Less is known about Vanessa Baraitser, the district judge overseeing Assange's case. She appears to be a specialist in extradition cases and last year gave the go ahead for an associate of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy to be returned to France for trial. Alexandre Djouhri, who was arrested at Heathrow last year after arriving on a flight from his Swiss home, and is accused by French prosecutors of nine offences relating to money laundering and corruption. These are alleged to have been committed in circumstances connected to Mr Sarkozy's 2007 presidential campaign. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser delivering her verdict today Advertisement

Judge Baraitser ruled that Assange risked being held under Special Administrative Measures (Sams), which would have seen him in solitary confinement with limited access to family and only two phone calls per month.

She said: 'Faced with the conditions of near total isolation without the protective factors which limited his risk at HMP Belmarsh, I am satisfied the procedures described by the US will not prevent Mr Assange from finding a way to commit suicide and for this reason I have decided extradition would be oppressive by reason of mental harm and I order his discharge.

'Despite his lighter spirit at times, he's a depressed and sometimes despairing man who is genuinely fearful of his future. He represents an unmanageable high risk of suicide, both in Belmarsh and the US.'

She revealed that in 1991 Mr Assange had tried to take his own life and that there was a history of depression in the family.

His maternal grandmother and uncle both died by suicide, and Assange phoned the Samaritans most nights while in jail.

Australian-born Assange had been charged under the US's 1917 Espionage Act for conspiring with Chelsea Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst, to hack into a Pentagon computer network and publish secret documents related to 'national defence.'

The WikiLeaks founder faced a total of 18 charges and was also accused of putting the lives of US informants at risk by publishing the material.

Assange has been locked in a bitter dispute with US authorities since July 2010 when WikiLeaks started publishing hundreds of thousands of classified US military and political documents from the Afghan and Iraq wars.

As US officials pursued him through the British courts, in June 2012, Assange entered the Ecuadorian embassy, requesting political asylum, which was granted two months later.

Assange remained holed up at the embassy until April 2019 when Ecuador revoked his asylum status, leading to his arrest and kickstarting a legal battle that culminated in today's judgment.

During his time in the embassy, the WikiLeaks founder fathered two children with his partner Stella Morris.

For the past 19 months, Assange has been held at Belmarsh top security jail.

He first appeared at the Old Bailey last February, but the case was pushed back because of the coronavirus pandemic.

If Assange had stood trial in the US, he faced a possible 175 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

The controversial WikiLeaks founder has attracted a number of high-profile supporters including Pamela Anderson and Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel, who visited him at the Ecuadorian embassy.

Others to have lent their support include the artist Al Weiwei and designer Dame Vivienne Westwood.

Assange was represented at his Old Bailey trial last year by eminent lawyer Jennifer Robinson.

The court head extraordinary details of the lengths US authorities were prepared to go to ensure that Assange stood trial in the country.

This included hiring a US security contractor to bug Assange's meetings in the Ecuadorian embassy and even a possible kidnap or poison plot to end the stalemate.

Judge Baraitser heard that if convicted, Assange faced the prospect of being held in a Supermax ADX facility in Colorado, where convicted terrorist Abu Hamza has been housed under Sams in solitary confinement.

Psychiatrists for the defence said Assange had suffered from severe depression and was a high suicide risk.

But lawyers for the US Government claimed that the prospect of Assange being held under Sams was 'speculative' and the sentence was likely to be much lower.

Chelsea Manning had been sentenced to 35 years over her role in leaking classified material but was given clemency after seven years.

However, she was jailed again for contempt in 2019 and fined for refusing to testify in court about Assange.

Stella Moris, the mother of Julian Assange's children, Max and Gabriel (pictured left and right) this weekend said Britain 'would no longer be a haven for free speech' if he was extradited

A prison van - most likely carrying Assange - is seen coming into the Old Bailey for today's hearing
Welcome back, actor Park Hyung Sik!

Park Hyung Sik officially finished his military services on Jan 4., and the actor is also out for his final leave. For everyone's knowledge, soldiers do not return to the base after their final leave these days due to COVID-19 protocol. Last June 2019, Park Hyung Sik enlisted in the military after passing as a military police of the Metropolitan Defense. Now, that the actor is finally back, and as expected, he is already receiving different offers from various film and drama projects. So we're pretty sure the actor's currently busy selecting as to which projects he should accept.

Meanwhile, to give a glimpse of the actor's activities after his discharge, Park Hyung Sik teases fans with a nelwy released set of photos showcasing a simple yet chic style. The 29-year-old actor also shows a high interest in advertising, for he has been active as a model and ambassador for various products in the past years. With his unique and exquisite image, Park Hyung Sik was able to show his talent not just in acting but also in modelling.

Following his leave in the military services, Hyung Sik's agency, United Artists Agency (UAA), unveiled two photos the actor. It has been catching the attention of many, especially the fans. The newly released profile pictures features Park Hyun Sik's fresh aura which also symbolizes a fresh start for the year 2021.

After his latest Korean dramas "Strong Woman Do Bong Soon" and "Suits," many viewers and supporters from all over the world are already waiting for Park Hyung Sik's return on the small screen.

The actor has also shown different acting styles, from playing King Sam Maek Jong, a powerful and competitive King whose goal is to protect his people and their kingdom, in the historical comedy-drama "Hwarang." Who would have also thought that one of his closest friends, Park Seo Joon, joined the drama and became his biggest opponent?

Of course, one of the actor's most iconic roles was portraying the character of Ahn Min Hyuk in the hit romantic-comedy series "Strong Woman Do Bong Soon" alongside actress Park Bo Young. His adorable and charismatic side was shown in the drama. The viewers also loved how both actors gave justice to their roles. They also had solid chemistry that the audience was drawn to their onscreen love team.

These are just some of Park Hyung Sik's previous roles, and now that he is finally returning to work, fans can't hide their excitement for the actor. His upcoming projects will surely give a new kind of happiness to the audience. After almost two years of not being in the industry to fulfill his military duties, Hyung Sik will now be serving the people he cherished the most, and that is his fans and supporters. For sure, the actor is already preparing for a big comeback soon! Are you also excited?

What kind of Korean drama genre would you like to see Park Hyung Sik in? Please share your thoughts with us!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars.

Kdramastars owns this article.

Written by Shai Collins.
The UN mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) has condemned, in the strongest terms, assaults launched by armed groups in Damara and Bangassou on January 2 and 3 respectively. In a statement, Mankeur Ndiaye, the UN special representative and head of the Multi-dimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in CAR (MINUSCA) said that there was no doubt that all those attacks took place in a context of disruption of the elections - before, during and after the polls. Located in the heart of the African Continent, CAR held its presidential and legislative elections on December 27.

Over two-third of the country has been occupied by a coalition of rebel forces since 2019, whove carried out multiple assaults in the recent weeks. In an attempt to sabotage the national elections, which saw the participation of over two million voters, the rebel forces launched an offensive killing two army soldiers. In the clash that followed at least five rebels also lost their lives.

Read: Niger To Hold Second Round Of Presidential Vote Next Month

Read: Niger Polls Open For Presidential, Legislative Elections

Securing elections was UN's duty

Condemning the attacks, Ndiaye stressed that securing the elections is the role of MINUSCA under the framework of Resolution 2552 adding that the UN mission was still committed to the responsibility. "I reaffirm the mission's determination to keep this commitment," he stressed. Backed by former president Francois Bozize, the rebels launched successive attacks after countrys judicial system rejected Bozizes candidacy to challenge President Faustin-Archange Touadera.

"The MINUSCA peacekeepers immediately intervened to protect civilians, secure the local authorities and continue the robust patrols," said UN News, adding that "the force is also securing the camp for internally displaced persons."

Read: Niger PM Visits Villages After Deadly Attacks

The central African Republic, one of the poorest countries in the world, meanwhile is also contending with the spread of COVID-19. Although authorities made wearing masks and social distancing compulsory, it seems no one is really taking too much notice of the rules, AP reported.

Read: Attacks On 2 Villages In Niger Kill At Least 100 People

Image: UN_CAR/Twitter
1. President Trump goes down to Georgia a day after the stunning revelation that he had asked its Republican secretary of state to find more than 11,000 votes to reverse the results of the election.

Georgia elections officials have received at least two requests for investigations into whether Mr. Trump has violated state laws on election interference. As of this afternoon, it appeared no such investigation had been opened. Above, Georgias secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, who was told by Mr. Trump that he should change the vote count.

The president will appear tonight at a rally in Dalton, Ga., with two incumbent Republicans, Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, ahead of the states two runoff races on Tuesday, which will determine which party controls the Senate. Heres what we know about the vote in Georgia so far.
New Delhi:

A PhD student of IIT-Delhi was found dead under mysterious circumstances at her room in Nalanda Apartment on Tuesday, news agency ANI said on Tuesday. The woman research scholar was found hanging from the ceiling fan.

However, no suicide note was found from the woman's room who hailed from Bhopal. The police have launched a probe into the incident.

Earlier in March, a student of IIT-Delhi allegedly attempted suicide by jumping from the 4th floor of Vindyachal hostel.



Nitish Kumar Purthi, a student Engineering Physics from Ranchi, was admitted at AIIMS trauma centre with serious injuries.

(More details awaited)
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In case you havent heard, House Democrats want to remove all gendered language from their legislation, while the prayer to open the 117th Congress ended with, Amen and A-woman. I kid you not. Who would make up something so insane?

Lets start with the PC prayer, which has to be seen to be believed. It is offered in the name of the monotheistic God, Brahma, and god known by many names by many different faiths. And it concludes with, Amen and A-woman, as if the men of Amen was somehow a gendered term. How patriarchal and bigoted to use the men word in prayer!

Of course, Amen comes from the common Semitic root -m-n, with the word itself meaning, So be it. And it is used in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic liturgy, being found in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Arabic (along with English and many other languages).

But who said being PC had anything to do with truth or reality? To the contrary, it is quite often based on the denial of reality, or, in this case, complete ignorance of a common word.

Following the logic of this prayer, we would have to learn new phrases like, making awomends, since making amends contains the dreaded m- word. Or, we would have to learn to be awomenable, lest we allow a male-dominated word like amenable to remain on the books. (Go ahead and make up your own list of words containing men. This is madness.)

Not to be outdone, though, House Democrats have revealed their new, future-focused rules, which include the following: In clause 8(c)(3) of rule XXIII, gendered terms, such as father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, first cousin, nephew, niece, husband, wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, half brother, half sister, grandson, or granddaughter will be removed.

In their place, terms such as parent, child, sibling, parents sibling, first cousin, siblings child, spouse, parent-in-law, child-in-law, sibling-in-law, stepparent, stepchild, stepsibling, half-sibling, or grandchild will be used, instead.

So, this is what the future looks like? This is what it means to be inclusive?

A particular highlight of the new rules is this: The Office of the Whistleblower Ombudsman, for instance, is renamed in the rules to the Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds.

How can you not love this? How creative! How futuristic! How absurd!

The best response was that of the House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy who tweeted, This is stupid.

Signed,

- A father, son, and brother.

Well said. Stupid it is.

For others, however, these were bold and commendable reforms. As expressed by Rep. Ilhan Omar (with reference to the entire rules package, in particular, with regard to Medicare), End of Nov, the Progressive Caucus decided on a set of progressive rules reform priorities: Paygo reform and MTR reform ranked high on that list.

"So grateful to Chairman @RepMcGovern for helping us secure these reforms and setting the stage for us to push for bolder agenda.

But as easy as it is to poke fun at this ridiculous proposal, it is highly significant when one of our major government institutions wants to remove all gendered language. As the saying goes, this does not end well.

Looking to Canada as a case in point, the Religious Tolerance website reported that, The Ontario Court of Appeals issued a decision on 2003-JUN-10 requiring the province of Ontario to provide marriage licenses to, and to register the marriages of, same-sex couples. However 73 pieces of existing legislation in the province violated this court ruling by referring to wife, husband, widow, widower, and similar sex-related terms. In order to bring the legislation in synchronism with the court decision which legalized SSM [same-sex marriage], each of these laws had to be amended to include gender-neutral language.

You might say, So, whats the big deal. This is just technical, legal language. It hardly affects the person on the street.

Not so. This reflects both a mindset and a legal logic, and these things reflect where a culture is headed.

Consequently, over time, these things do trickle down, especially in the wake of the wave of transgender activism, where the war on gender-specific language becomes more pitched.

Thats why, in 2016, Canada passed Bill C-16, which critics claim was all about compelled speech, specifically with regard to charges of hate speech for failure to comply with transgender preferences.

The most famous critic was Prof. Jordan Peterson who rose to international fame when he said in an October 2016 interview, If they fine me, I wont pay it. If they put me in jail, Ill go on a hunger strike. Im not doing this. Im not using the words that other people require me to use. Especially if theyre made up by radical left-wing ideologues.

Having studied the methods of totalitarian regimes for many years, Peterson drew the line when it came to compelled speech. He knew all that it implied.

As to where this kind of legislation can go, in 2019, I spoke face to face with a Canadian man involved in a legal dispute over his daughters desire to transition to male. Not only did the court rule that he could not interfere with her getting hormone treatments, but he was forbidden to call his own daughter by her given, female name or to use female pronouns with reference to her, even in private, under penalty of immediate arrest.

And we have recently documented the new hate speech laws in Norway.

So, as laughable as the A-woman prayer might be, and as absurd as the Houses gender-inclusive rules might be, we should take both with complete seriousness and say, Not on my watch.

We can be compassionate to people in their struggles without engaging in gender madness.
PARIS and NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Societe Generale today announced the appointment of Stephane About as CEO, Societe Generale Americas, overseeing the bank's activities in the Americas region, effective January 4. He will also become a member of the Group's Management Committee.

Stephane About succeeds Slawomir Krupa who was named Deputy General Manager and Head of Global Banking and Investor Solutions of Societe Generale Group.

"We're pleased to have Stephane join our team. His track record of leadership and his experience in the Americas market are a strong fit for Societe Generale. Along with the rest of our local executive team, Stephane will look to continue building a sustainable, profitable and diverse franchise, serving both Americas-based clients as well as supporting our global clients to fully access the opportunities in the region. Stephane and the Americas teams are well positioned to further develop our client relationships and the diversified range of products and services we offer," said Slawomir Krupa.

Stephane About joins Societe Generale from Natixis, where he served as CEO, CIB of EMEA (except France) since 2019. Prior to that assignment, Stephane was the Natixis Americas CEO and served in that position from 2012 through 2019.

He will be based in New York, reporting to Slawomir Krupa.

Present in the U.S. since 1939, with offices across Latin America and Canada, Societe Generale in the Americas is focused primarily on corporate and investment banking activities and offers products and services through its two fully integrated Business Units: Global Markets, and Global Banking & Advisory.

In addition to corporate investment banking activities, SG Americas offers global transaction banking services, equipment financing, and alternative asset management through Lyxor Asset Management.

BIOGRAPHY

Stephane About began his career in 1986 as a trader for Credit Lyonnais in Paris. He joined Deutsche Bank in London in 1988 as head of European Currencies Trading then UBS in 1989 as Syndicate Manager European Currencies. He moved to S.G. Warburg Bank in 1994, first as head of Fixed Income in Paris and then as head of European Bond Trading based in London.

He joined CDC IXIS Securities Broker Action in 1995 as CEO and member of Board of Directors, becoming head of Capital Markets for IXIS Capital Markets North America in 2001 then global head of Fixed Income at IXIS CIB in 2003. He was named global head of Fixed Income, Commodities & Treasury at Natixis in 2010. In 2012, he was named Natixis Americas CEO, holding that role until 2019 when he became CEO, CIB of EMEA (except France).

Societe Generale

Societe Generale is one of the leading European financial services groups. Based on a diversified and integrated banking model, the Group combines financial strength and proven expertise in innovation with a strategy of sustainable growth. Committed to the positive transformations of the world's societies and economies, Societe Generale and its teams seek to build, day after day, together with its clients, a better and sustainable future through responsible and innovative financial solutions.

Active in the real economy for over 150 years, with a solid position in Europe and connected to the rest of the world, Societe Generale has over 138,000 members of staff in 62 countries and supports on a daily basis 29 million individual clients, businesses and institutional investors around the world by offering a wide range of advisory services and tailored financial solutions. The Group is built on three complementary core businesses:

French Retail Banking which encompasses the Societe Generale, Credit du Nord and Boursorama brands. Each offers a full range of financial services with omnichannel products at the cutting edge of digital innovation;

which encompasses the Societe Generale, Credit du Nord and Boursorama brands. Each offers a full range of financial services with omnichannel products at the cutting edge of digital innovation; International Retail Banking, Insurance and Financial Services to Corporates , with networks in Africa , Russia , Central and Eastern Europe and specialised businesses that are leaders in their markets;

, with networks in , , Central and and specialised businesses that are leaders in their markets; Global Banking and Investor Solutions, which offers recognised expertise, key international locations and integrated solutions.

Societe Generale is included in the principal socially responsible investment indices: DJSI (World and Europe), FTSE4Good (Global and Europe), Euronext Vigeo (World, Europe and Eurozone), four of the STOXX ESG Leaders indices, and the MSCI Low Carbon Leaders Index.

For more information, you can follow us on Twitter @societegenerale or visit our website www.societegenerale.com.

SOURCE Societe Generale

Related Links

http://www.socgen.com


FP Trending

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will be airing the departure of Cygnus spacecraft from the International Space Station (ISS) soon. The uncrewed spacecraft has been named in the memory of India-born astronaut Kalpana Chawla who was the first female astronaut of Indian descent. The Northrop Grummans resupply spacecraft will be returning back to Earth after spending the last three months on the ISS. According to the space agency, Cygnus has delivered about 8,000 pounds of supplies, scientific investigations, commercial products, hardware, and other cargo to the orbiting outpost when it flew towards its destination on 2 October 2020 and reached the station on 5 October 2020.

Now, the craft is scheduled to begin departure on 6 January 2021 at 8:15 pm IST (9.45 am EST). The release of the craft has been set for 8:40 pm IST (10.10 am EST) and the live coverage will be available on NASA Television and the agencys website.

Explaining the mechanism of the crafts departure, NASA said that some flight controllers on the ground will be sending commands to detach Cygnus from the ISS. The craft will be sitting in the Unity modules Earth-facing port, from where it will be manoeuvred into the correct place and finally released from the Canadarm2 robotic arm. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins has been given the responsibility to monitor all the systems of the spacecraft once it has departed from the space station.

But Cygnus is not coming back alone. As it carried a lot of material to the ISS, it will be also bringing back the Saffire V investigation, the SharkSat hosted payload, along with several thousand pounds of trash. Also, Cygnus return is not a straight path. It will be conducting an extended mission while in orbit.

Once the stipulated experiments are over, Cygnus will be performing a safe re-entry and burning up in Earths atmosphere, as per NASA.
She closed out 2020 by taking to Instagram and sharing a scintillating bikini snap with her army of almost 17 million followers.

And Salma Hayek treated her fans to another visual delight, when she returned to the image-sharing platform to post a photo of herself posing in swimwear on Sunday.

The 54-year-old actress looked incredible as she showed off her jaw-dropping curves in a cocoa brown halterneck bikini, which highlighted her enviably taut midriff.

Stunning: Salma Hayek treated her fans to another visual delight, when she returned to the image-sharing platform to post a photo of herself posing in a skimpy bikini on Sunday

Shielding her eyes with a pair of stylish tortoiseshell sunglasses, the screen star upped the glamour factor with a pair of sparkling gold necklaces.

Wearing her raven tresses in a wavy topknot, the mother-of-one highlighted her natural beauty with a light dusting of makeup that included baby pink lipstick.

The Oscar-nominated Frida star let her sizzling snap do all of the talking, opting to share the post, taken at an undisclosed beach location, without adding a caption.

Last week, Salma rang in the 'last days of 2020' with a pair of smouldering bikini shots from an undisclosed beach location this Tuesday.

Sensational: Last week, Salma rang in the 'last days of 2020' with a pair of smouldering bikini shots from an undisclosed beach location this Tuesday

Posing by the ocean, the agelessly beautiful star showed off her ample cleavage and enviably taut midriff in a clinging purple two-piece.

She accessorised the look with a summery chic straw hat and a pair of sunglasses, sweeping her hair back into a ponytail.

Salma added another stylish touch to the look by throwing on a white and royal purple floral wrap that fluttered in the breeze.

'Never been more grateful for being healthy and in contact with nature,' the Mexico native gushed in her caption before repeating her message in her native Spanish.

Grateful for being healthy: Posing up by the water, the agelessly beautiful 54-year-old showed off her ample cleavage and enviably taut midriff in a clinging purple two-piece

She hunkered down amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic with her French billionaire husband Francois-Henri Pinault.

Pinault is CEO and chairman of luxury fashion conglomerate Kering, which is the owner of high-fashion brands including Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, and Alexander McQueen.

The pair are famously private about their relationship, but have revealed that they first met during a lavish gala in Italy in 2006.

They got engaged in 2007, right around the same time that they announced Salma's pregnancy with daughter Valentina, now 13.

Lavish nuptials followed on Valentine's Day, 2009, in Paris. They then renewed their vows two months later in Venice.

Dashing: She hunkered down amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic with her French billionaire husband Francois-Henri Pinault. Pictured together in 2019

Stunning screen star Salma has previous gushed about their marriage - and even revealed the secrets to its success.

'[Pinault] is the best husband in the world,' she told Allure in 2015. 'I get to be who I am with him, and I dont feel that somebody tries to limit me.'

She has also insisted on remaining financially independent from the hugely successful businessman.

Salma revealed: 'I have a system in my life that I've chosen, where my expenses from before the marriage are my expenses. And he goes, "I know. That's why I want to marry you."

'Maybe that's also part of what works great in my marriage. I still have my independence. But he likes it. I get a lot of respect from him.'
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The Nashville bombing suspect sent packages consisting of writings and videos espousing conspiracy theories to people mere days before the explosion. Police officials identified Anthony Warner as the suspect in the December 25 bombing and stated he killed himself in the blast.

Nashville Bomber Sent Writings Before Blast

According to FBI Special Agent Jason Pack in a statement, authorities are "aware the suspect sent materials which espoused his viewpoints to several acquaintances throughout the country," reported Yahoo.

Warner, 63, was the suspect for the blast, which devastated dozens of buildings and injured numerous people. Police have not released a motive.

Federal law enforcement confirmed that the packages were postmarked December 23, which was two days prior to the bombing, and did not indicate a return address. The total number of packages Warner mailed were not immediately made clear, reported CBS News.

The owner of an art gallery heavily devastated by the explosion is already vowing to rebuild the establishment and reopen.

According to The Studio 208 owner Ashley Bergeron Segroves, "I'm resilient, our community is resilient... We've had the flood, the tornadoes, the pandemic and the riots, and now we've had this horrible, horrible situation downtown that has decimated an entire block of historic buildings that were built in the 1800s," reported Fox News.

Pack did not expound on additional details regarding what the packages contained, but he prompted anyone who may have received material from the detonation suspect to contact the FBI at 800-CALL-FBI.

The blast occurred Christmas morning before downtown streets were occupied with activity.

A recipient of one of the packages disclosed to local media that his letters contained ruminations about aliens and lizard people.

Also Read: How to Help Beirut, Lebanon Explosion Victims, and Other Causes

One of the suspect's friends divulged to local media that the package was full of peculiar musings. He stated he received a package from Warner, postmarked December 23, on January 1.

The packages consisted of at least nine typed pages of writings and two thumb drives comprised of videos. At least one of the packages included a letter that began, "Hey Dude, You will never believe what I found in the park."

During the incident, police responded to a report of shots fired on Friday when they encountered the RV blaring a recorded announcement that a bomb would implode in 15 minutes. Then, unexplainably, the audio switched to a recording of "Downtown" by Petula Clark shortly prior to the blast.

Segroves remarked the formerly bustling downtown area currently feels like a "war zone" as her gallery is one of the casualties.

According to Segroves, the front and backroom of her art gallery sustained the damage, and the force of the explosion came in, shattering glass everywhere.

Warner also wrote about lizard people and reptilians that he thought controlled our planet and had tweaked human DNA. He also wrote extensively about perception, citing that everything is an illusion and that death does not exist.

The letter prompted the recipient to watch the videos he included on the thumb drives. The letter was signed "Julio," a name he often reportedly used when signing emails.

Related Article: Debunked: Did 'The Simpsons' Predict the Beirut Explosion That Killed More Than 70?

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
New York, Jan. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "HR Advisory Services Global Market Report 2020-30: COVID-19 Growth And Change" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06001462/?utm_source=GNW





The global HR advisory services market is expected to increase from $85.85 billion in 2019 to $86.82 billion in 2020 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.12%. The slow growth rate is mainly due to the COVID-19 outbreak that has led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, remote working, and the closure of industries and other commercial activities resulting in operational challenges. The market is then expected to recover and reach $106.75 billion in 2023 at a CAGR of 7.13%.



The HR advisory market consists of the sales of HR advisory services by entities (organizations, sole traders and partnerships) that provide advice on human capital matters and/or offerings revolving around the HR function. HR advisory services are generally used by two types of clients  those aiming to improve their HR function by redesigning HR processes and those undergoing transformations such as mergers and acquisitions to ensure the new human capital is trained. Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included.



North America was the largest region in the HR advisory services market in 2019. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period.



In March 2020, Aon Plc, a London-based global provider of risk management services, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, and human resource consulting and outsourcing, acquired Willis Towers Watson (WTW), the UK-based risk management, insurance brokerage, and advisory company, for $30 billion. The acquisition will strengthen Aon Plcs expertise in cybersecurity, intellectual property, climate change, and health solutions. The combined entity would work together in risk, retirement, and health businesses. Willis Towers Watson (WTW) is a London-based company that helps clients around the world in 140 countries in global advisory, HR consulting and software, broking, and other solutions.



The HR advisory services market covered in this report is segmented by type into compensation consulting; benefits consulting; human resources management consulting; actuarial consulting; strategic consulting; others. It is also segmented by service into integration & deployment; support & maintenance; training & consulting and by end-use into IT services; manufacturing; financial services; mining and oil and gas; construction; others.



Cybersecurity threats for the human resource department is a major factor hindering the growth of the HR advisory services market. A cybersecurity breach is costly and equally destructive for all organizations - big or small. According to Heimdal Security, cyber-crimes costs the global economy $100 billion every year and $17 million in the USA alone. HR professionals maintain extremely private and sensitive information such as social security number, date of birth, address, and bank details. In addition to this, according to the Forrester Analytics Global Business Technographics Security Survey 2019, 52% of enterprise network security decision-makers experienced at least one data breach in the last 12 months, and 44% of breaches were caused by employees who intentionally or not, exposed sensitive data to data thieves or hackers. Companies rely on their HR department and do not outsource HR services because there is a risk of losing important employee data in availing external HR services, thereby restraining the growth of the HR advisory services market over the coming years.



Organizations across the globe are focusing on creating a digital workplace using cloud services and AI, which is gaining significant popularity in the HR advisory market. The digital workplace is a modern concept using digital transformation to align technology to achieve organizational goals with operational efficiency. Cloud services and AI are important parts of the digital workplace helping in removing geographic barriers for improved collaboration, increased productivity and employee engagement, improved decision making, and also in optimizing costs. For instance, in 2018, DBS bank created Jobs Intelligence Maestro (JIM), a virtual AI-powered bot to conduct candidate screening. JIM helped in reducing screening time to 8 minutes from 32 minutes and improved the completion rate of total applications for a job to 97% from 85%. The increasing use of AI and cloud services will bring significant changes in HR advisory services in the coming years.



The use of data-driven tools and analytics for employee engagement is a major driver contributing to the growth of the HR advisory services market. Employee engagement refers to a workplace approach that results in appropriate conditions for all the employees of the company to give their best performance every day by abiding by the values of the company with an enhanced feeling of their well-being. Professionals in human resource management are relying on data analytics and AI for key decisions. For instance, Genpact, an American professional services company, analyzes employee data, segments and categorizes it to find patterns such as at what age, salary range, or experience level, employees leave the organization. Predictive analytics is used to identify employees who are at high risk of voluntary attrition and interventions are designed to re-engage them. Further advances in data-driven tools and analytics are expected to drive the HR advisory service market.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06001462/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Like the little boy haunted by ghosts in the horror movie The Sixth Sense, President Donald Trump sees dead people everywhere. He thinks at least 5,000 of them voted in Georgia during the presidential election and were part of a broader conspiracy that deprived him of a victory in the state.

In an unhinged, extraordinary phone call Saturday with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, and Ryan Germany, Raffenspergers general counsel, Trump tried to strong-arm them into conceding that President-elect Joe Biden hadnt really secured 11,779 more votes than he did. And he encouraged them to find ways to invalidate those votes, according to a recording of the conversation obtained by the Washington Post (which broke the story) and Bloomberg News.

So what are we going to do here folks? Trump asked during the one-hour call. I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Trump, who oversees the Justice Department for 16 more days, also threatened both men, warning that they could be charged with a crime if they failed to support his voting fraud fairytales.

The phone call memorialized what corruption and a desire to orchestrate a political coup sound like and, happily, Raffensperger and Germany were unswayed. The challenge that you have is the data you have is wrong, Raffensperger told Trump, who continued trying to steamroll him anyway. What were seeing is not at all what youre describing, said Germany.

Trump has been at this for decades, so theres nothing surprising here. He spent years trying to bully, buy off or corrupt regulators, politicians, law enforcement officials and others he encountered as a developer, casino operator, media fixture and politician. He was impeached for trying to convince Ukraines president during a phone call to find dirt on Biden that would undermine his presidential candidacy.

But it is surprising how easily Trump continues to corrupt so many around him. Too few in his party are willing to tell the president, as Germany did, that reality doesnt comport with his lies. Cowed by Trumps political traction or eager to jump on his gravy train, too few are willing to abandon him publicly so voters faith in the electoral process, democracy and the rule of law isnt permanently undercut.

Story continues

Instead, were treated to some of Trumps more cartoonish and dangerous enablers getting in on the act. His chief of staff, Mark Meadows, encouraged Georgias officials on the call to look at the election results more fully and, in the spirit of cooperation, to find a path forward outside of the court system (which has already roundly rejected Trumps fraud claims). On Saturday night, Meadows took to Twitter to encourage members of Congress to object to certification of the presidential election Jan. 6. Its time to fight back, he advised.

Last week, Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, said he planned to object to certification, citing Pennsylvanias results specifically. Eleven other sitting and incoming Republican senators, including Ted Cruz, have since said theyll join Hawley. This is performance art for an audience in the Oval Office and in the senators home states. It wont stop Biden from becoming president, but further embeds Trumpism as an operating principle in the GOP and in the federal government.

Seven Republicans in the House of Representatives have broken with their party and said any effort to reject states electors is unconstitutional. A handful in the Senate, including Mitch McConnell, Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski and Pat Toomey, have said much the same. I may be missing a few other like-minded souls, but only a small portion of the 249 Republicans in Congress have spoken up. Imagine how the GOP would have responded if Barack Obama tried to corrupt a secretary of state to overturn election results, and ponder the radio silence enveloping the party now.

Even if Trump managed to overturn Georgias results, it wouldnt provide the electoral votes he needs to overcome Biden. Hes assuredly aware of this, but hes so unspooled  and so unable to come to terms with losing  that hes willing to try torching democracy to soothe himself. Hes also calling for rallies that may well turn into riots in Washington on Wednesday. How all of that unfolds will speak, in part, to the future of the institutions, processes and voters Trump has spent so much time poisoning.

An administration that began in the shadow of an Access Hollywood tape is winding down in the shadow of an Access Georgia tape. While its possible that Trump committed a crime by attempting to interfere with federal and state elections in the phone call, there may not be enough time or evidence to do anything about it.

What a schmuck I was, Trump said at one point, bemoaning the lack of support he felt he received from Georgias governor. But thats the way it is. Thats the way it is.

Indeed.

(Corrects number of votes to 11,779 in 2nd paragraph. Updates photo caption.)

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Timothy L. O'Brien is a senior columnist for Bloomberg Opinion.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
OPINION: Impeach or Legislate?

By Jim Waters, Bluegrass Institute



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LEXINGTON -When Amber, my server at a central Kentucky restaurant where I stopped to work and get some breakfast recently, saw my computer open to the petition on change.org labeled in big, bold letters: "The Impeachment of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear," she immediately asked: "Are they going to impeach the governor?"I explained that it was a petition started by citizens frustrated with Beshear's flood of executive orders locking down the state, including two stretches of prohibiting indoor dining and shutting down both bars and churches while allowing big box retailers, grocery stores, liquor establishments and even abortion clinics to remain open.I had the petition open to read its wording, which particularly takes aim at Beshear for "infringing on the rights of churchgoers" and says the governor "should be charged with malfeasance for his actions," and to see how many had signed  34,991 toward the goal of 35,000 signatures as of New Year's Eve day.At least one more signature was recorded after Amber got off work."I'm definitely signing," she said.While I wasn't campaigning for signatures and don't believe there's any realistic expectation the governor will be impeached for his response to the COVID-19 pandemic or that lawmakers should be focused on removing him, Amber's response revealed frustration among the citizenry at Beshear's heavy  and inconsistent  hand.The governor's never offered a reasonable explanation for why people should be able to pile into a Walmart at Christmas time while Amber and many others like her have had their livelihoods upended with the shutdown of indoor dining at restaurants.While Amber's neither an expert on Kentucky's Constitution nor a close follower of Frankfort's legislative happenings, her sentiment that "something's got to be done" is spot on.The Kentucky Supreme Court has offered no help in limiting or even defining the scope of Beshear's use of emergency executive orders beyond a "he can do whatever he wants" approach.That's in contrast with the Michigan Supreme Court, which reined in Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's power by ruling that the Emergency Powers of the Governor Act  a 1945 law she relied on to extend Michigan's state of emergency without lawmakers' approval  violates the state constitution and gives the governor an unlawful amount of legislative power.So, it's left to the legislature to act  at least in Kentucky.An impeachment process would provide a short-term appeasement of the anger felt by many Kentuckians deeply impacted by the chaos resulting from Beshear's orders, but it would do little to limit the actions of future governors.Instead, the legislature should focus its energies on passing or amending laws curbing the use of emergency powers in the future by the office of the governor  whomever the occupant -- rather than simply focusing on the current executive.Lawmakers must also do all they can to force governors to include them in the process of decision-making regarding dramatic events like this pandemic.Rep. Savannah Maddox, who's filed legislation to limit governors' emergency powers, told me in a Dec. 30 interview on Lexington's WVLK that "never again should the citizens of the commonwealth be left without a voice in a situation of this magnitude."In a post containing the interview on Maddox's Facebook page, Gwendolyn Joy captured the sentiment of those frustrated by Beshear but who understand the need for a longer-term solution: "Impeachment would be great, but tying his hands behind [his] back and putting a gag on him and letting him sit there 3 more years with no power might be just as enjoyable. Get the power back in the hands of the people!"We could do worse.
Police found a 37-year-old man dead and his wife lying unconscious at the couples apartment in South Delhis Chattarpur Extension, officials said on Sunday.

The deceased, Chirag, was lying on the floor on Saturday and his wife, Renuka, who was lying unconscious on the bed, is under treatment, they said.

Police suspect that the man was stabbed by someone.

A senior police officer said, We received a call from the landlord that his tenants were not opening their door. At the same time, we found a post on Facebook in which a woman had shared information about her husbands murder. We opened the door and found the couple lying in an unconscious condition. A case of murder has been registered against unidentified people. Efforts are on to identify the accused, he said.

The couple did not have a child and from initial inquiry, it was found that there were differences between them. They had been living at the apartment for seven years and worked at an insurance company, police said, adding further investigation is underway.
A 3-year-old girl lost her life at the Kalaburgi Central Prison on Saturday as the victims mother couldn't take her daughter to the hospital on time as she was arrested in an alleged rioting case.

The incident occurred after the girls relatives handed her over to the police so that the mother could tend to the ward. The mother, however, was lodged in jail in connection to a rioting case that took place during the results of the gram panchayat polls on Dec 30.

The victim was a native of Jainapur village in Jewargi taluk. It is learnt that on the day of the results of the panchayat polls there was a scuffle among villagers regarding the winning candidate after which a case was registered under Section 146 of the IPC at the Jewargi police station. 10 people were arrested in the incident including the girls parents.

Police, however, said that the incident wasnt a case of custodial death as the child has health issues previously.

"This cannot be called a custodial death. The minor had health issues from before. Even the post mortem results have come and a case of natural death has been registered at Farhatabad police limits. We can take action against the PSI in-charge of the rioting case if there is an enquiry called for," Manish Kharbikar, Inspector General Of Police North Eastern Range said.

Meanwhile, Congress MLA from Jewargi Ajay Singh demanded that action be taken against the Police sub-inspector for the negligence. " We conducted the victims last rites at 2 am after the assurance from the Kalaburgi SP that action would be taken against the officers involved. We are also demanding the district administration to compensate the family".
A Dalit family has left their home in a village here after they were allegedly beaten up and threatened with dire consequences by local strongmen for using a government hand pump, a family member claimed on Monday.

The police have booked three people in connection with the incident. However, they did not comment on the familys claim of leaving their house.

A member of the Dalit family from Tendura village under Bisanda police station told PTI that on December 25, he along with his father had gone to get water from the hand pump. Some strongmen living in their neighbourhood beat him and his 80-year-old father with sticks for using the hand pump.

He claimed the strongmen also threatened to burn him and his father alive in their home.

The family member said they left their home because of the fear of the strongmen and are now living in a hut in a farm.

In an application to the superintendent of police, the family alleged that though the local police has registered a case, there is no mention of injuries sustained by the octogenarian father.

SHO of Bisanda police station Narendra Pratap Singh told PTI that it is a case of beating that is being investigated by the Baberu circle officer. On the basis of the complaint lodged by the family, a case has been registered against three people.

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Villagers of Muong Nhe District in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien are warmer this winter thanks to thick clothes and blankets local soldiers gave them.

Dien Bien border guards disseminate information on national defence and security laws for students at Muong Nhe High School. VNA/VNS Photo Xuan Tien

Nearly 100 officers and soldiers of Regiment 741, Military Command of Dien Bien Province, travelled 200km this month to reach Pa My Commune where the temperatures often fall sharply in the winter to support villagers.

As well as giving villagers clothes and blankets for winter, the soldiers have helped the elderly repair houses and assisted local people to clean up and renovate roads.

Major Mua A Khuong, political chairman of Regiment 741, said the soldiers instructed villagers how to prevent winter diseases for themselves and their animals as well as disseminate Party and State policies on religion and free migration.

In one month at the village, the unit aimed to repair 5km of roads connecting villages, construct five wooden houses for old people living alone or from policy beneficiary families and build wooden bridges across streams, he said.

According to Giang A Tru, Secretary of Pa My Communes Party Committee, Pa My is a highland commune in extremely difficult conditions. Due to the mountainous terrain, for many years, local people have lacked land for production, increasing the rate of poor households. More than 80 per cent of local households are classified as poor.

Most of the villagers are of Mong ethnicity and work in the fields every day. Due to extreme weather, they often suffer from respiratory diseases. Soldiers teach local people preventive healthcare knowledge so villagers can protect themselves better in the winter.

Villagers feel excited being helped by soldiers to repair houses and expand roads. It is always freezing in the winter here but this year we are no longer afraid of the cold weather thanks to cotton blankets and warm clothes, said Chao Phu Tin, a 68-year-old living in Huoi Pet Village.

Major Mua A Khuong said the mission was conducted by the unit every year, focusing on communes in extremely disadvantaged circumstances in border districts.

Dien Bien Province has a border of more than 455km with China and Laos. Nearly 25,500 households from 16 ethnic groups live in the province, mostly in difficult conditions.

Soldiers have performed well in dissemination work, earning trust from local people, helping change the appearance of the border areas in a positive direction, consolidating the people's confidence in the Party and State, upholding territorial sovereignty, political security, social order and safety in the border areas.

That is the premise for people in border areas to overcome difficulties and escape from poverty, Major Mua A Khuong said. VNS

Border guards foster disadvantaged children in Ninh Binh Le Nguyen Cong Huy lost his father when he was just three years old.
Vietnam is not considering a resumption of international commercial flights with the Covid-19 situation remaining intense globally and vaccine distribution uncertain.

The pandemic has been complicated by the appearance of a new coronavirus variant, with no certainty a vaccine would be distributed on a large scale this year, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong told press Monday.

Resumption of tourism activities would only occur when deemed safe, he stressed.

Vietnam suspended commercial international flights in late March last year to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

However, the country still allows a limited number of flights for experts, businesspeople, workers and overseas Vietnamese, who are all quarantined by up to 14 days upon arrival.

Phuong said authorities are struggling to contain illegal immigration as travel demand spikes ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, or Tet, which falls in February this year.

Foreign arrivals last year fell nearly 79 percent to 3.84 million, according to the General Statistics Office.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Nancy Pelosi has been narrowly re-elected as House speaker.

Her victory gives her the reins of Democrats slender House majority as she and President-elect Joe Biden set a challenging course of producing legislation to tackle the pandemic, revive the economy and address other party priorities.

The California Democrat received 216 votes compared to 209 for California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who will be House minority leader.

Pelosi told lawmakers that her top priority will be defeating the coronavirus pandemic.

But from the House floor, McCarthy accused her of running a House that has done little, an accusation that Democrats dismiss.

But the comments offer a reminder that Congress' partisan divide is bitter.

(Copyright 2021 The Associated Press)
On New Years Day at Kaiser Permanentes medical center in this suburb east of Los Angeles, the overflowing emergency room spilled into the hallway. Doctors treated patients on oxygen in the waiting room after running out of beds. Some 80% of patients admitted in recent days have Covid-19.

In Texas, patients who need to be transferred from small facilities to big metropolitan hospitals sit in limbo for hours or days, putting them at risk of developing complications from delays. Desperate smaller hospitals have flown patients as far as Albuquerque, N.M., and Oklahoma City for an open bed.

In North Carolina, rising numbers of intensive-care patients in Charlotte have forced doctors to save those beds for the sickest of the sickest" from Covid and find somewhere else in hospitals for all other critically ill patients, one hospital official said.

Also Read | A year on, China is shaking up the world

Across the nation, the surge of coronavirus cases is crowding large metro hospitals with Covid-19 patients, pushing occupancy against the limits of space and overwhelming nurses and doctors. More than 40% to 60% of ICU patients in some metro areas are critically ill from Covid-19, according to an analysis of federal data by the University of Minnesota Hospitalization Tracking Project.

The crisis is a public-health threat that reaches far beyond major cities, say doctors, nurses, public officials and experts in health-care policy. The biggest hospitals in major metro areas often have specialists and lifesaving equipment lacking at smaller regional hospitals. They serve as a release valve when smaller facilities are overrun. As large hospitals fill, they close to local ambulances as well as most patient transfers, creating a far-reaching strain on regional heath-care networks.

Theyre all backed up," said John Friel, chief executive of the 30-bed hospital in Big Bear Lake, Calif., two hours east of Los Angeles. The hospital has no ICU and is using its emergency room to hold critically ill patients, he said. An air ambulance flew one patient to Reno, Nev., for an open bed.

Surges in the spring and summer also slammed hospitals in metro areas, but were more geographically concentrated into hot spots. The latest surge is more widespread, said Eric Toner, a senior scholar with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Nationally, Covid-19 patients in hospitals reached about 123,600 as of Jan. 2, data from the Covid Tracking Project show, with more than 21,200 hospitalized in California. What were seeing in California could happen in almost any other community in the United States in a matter of weeks," he said.

Deaths nationally from the novel coronavirus have surpassed 350,000, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Coming weeks are expected to further stress hospitals already in crisis, said doctors and public-health officials, with infections spread during holiday gatherings leading to more waves of patients in emergency rooms. Many hospitals have reached a crisis point and are having to make many tough decisions about patient care," said Christina Ghaly, director of the Department of Health Services in Los Angeles County, where Covid-19 deaths recently surpassed 10,000.

Los Angeles County has reported an average of 13,988 new cases per day for the past two weeks and infections appear to be increasing, based on the average during the prior seven days, Johns Hopkins University data show. The countys daily average new cases is three times as many as any other U.S. county.

Three hospitals have notified California officials of plans to implement crisis care," or standards used to decide how to prioritize treatment when there arent enough resources to care for all patients. The California Department of Public Health said the state immediately responded to mitigate the situation so that those three hospitals are not rationing or withholding careand are no longer in crisis care mode."

Doctors, two chaplains, a bioethicist and others met daily last week at the Methodist Hospital of Southern California to review intensive care and emergency room patients and available resources, but have not yet been forced to ration medical care, said the hospitals spokesman, Clifford Daniels. That committee would not be meeting if we didnt see the potential need," he said.

Hospitals urgently need staff, said officials, and are offering sizable bonuses to recruit new workers, asking retirees to return to the workforce and suspending some surgery to redeploy health-care workers from operating rooms to help out with other patients. Doctors and nurses are exhausted and anxious, they said, as they care for more patients.

As of New Years Eve, L.A. County health officials said they had vaccinated more than 11,000 front-line health-care workers.

Hospitals inundated by the surge are reporting shortages of critical supplies, including oxygen tanks for ventilators and sterile water, which is critical to safely operating machines that push air into the lungs.

We ran out of beds last week," said Chris Van Gorder, chief executive of Scripps Health in San Diego, which also asked the county for additional ventilators. A shipment of the machines he ordered in March arrived last week. The five-hospital system in late December got half its order of sterile water, as national demand exceeded supply.

Its a desperate time," Dr. Toner of Johns Hopkins said. This is what we have been warning about for a year now. If we let our hospitals get overrun, were going to see a lot more deaths, not only among Covid patients, but heart attacks and strokes."

At Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center, the crush of Covid patients has left almost no space in the emergency department. Offices have been converted into exam rooms and many non-Covid patients are sent to a tent outside.

An entryway between two sets of sliding doors had been repurposed as a space to treat people who came in by ambulance and needed emergency care before it was possible to determine whether they had Covid.

We have patients waiting 12 hours to get seen. A lot of patients give up and go home," said Dicky Shah, assistant chief of the emergency department at Baldwin Park Medical Center. It feels like were in wartime."

Baldwin Park is part of the corridor east of Los Angeles thats been pummeled by Covid-19. A working-class city of 75,000 people, 75% of its residents are Latino. Overall in Los Angeles County, Latinos are contracting the virus at more than twice the rate of white residents, according to data from the county, in part because they are more likely to be essential workers and to live in more crowded homes.

On New Years Day, Los Angeles county public-health officials reported 20,414 new daily cases, another record, and 207 deaths. More than 7,600 people in the county were hospitalized with Covid-19, with more than 1,590 of those in intensive care units.

At Baldwin Park Medical Center, the overcrowded ICU has meant emergency room doctors must raise the bar for who they admit, sending some home they would have typically kept, Dr. Shah said.

We dont have a choice," he said. Our hospital is so full that weve started admitting only patients once theyre really sick."

The hospital, which can typically manage 150 to 160 patients, has held more than 200 patients in recent weeks, said Ramin Davidoff, executive medical director of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group. What weve tried to do is to prepare for absolute worst-case scenarios," he said. Were right at that worst-case scenario."

The hospital has rapidly expanded to four intensive care units from one, and pulled nurses from across Kaiser to work in ICU teams, allowing nurses to care for more patients. The strategy hasnt compromised care, Dr. Davidoff said.

The staffing changes, rapid expansion and makeshift units have distressed some staff. Silvia Espinoza, a full-time ICU nurse, worked her first shift in an ad hoc unit Friday, starting at 3 a.m. She was still at work 15 hours later.

Its terrible," she said. We dont have the proper staff. We dont have the proper equipment. Our doctors are not here all the time because we now have three different ICUs." As a result, she was constantly running back and forth to the regular ICU to get supplies like rapid infusers and saline flushes, she said.

Staff propped doors open on the makeshift unit, allowing them to see into rooms but also allowing air to flow. Filters in patient rooms worked to suck air outside from contagious patient rooms.

Ms. Espinoza said she works alongside nurses deployed from elsewhere in the hospital and cares for a growing number of patients. Its actually very dangerous, because they go into a panic. They dont know what to do," she said of working with nurses not accustomed to the ICU. One ICU nurse should have max two patients. Thats not happening. We have three. Now theyre telling us theyre going to give us four."

In a statement, the hospital said it has had to move to a team-based nursing approach during the surge, which means that each patient actually has a larger clinical team assigned to them."

The staffing shortages have been the toughest to manage, Dr. Davidoff said. Kaiser Permanente is able to transfer patients across its 15 hospitals in Southern California to relieve strain on those hardest hit by the pandemic. The hospital has a better supply of personal protective gear for workers than it did in the summer, he said, and has enough ventilators.

Across Los Angeles, hospitals have been pushed to their capacity. Cedars-Sinai has halted 80% of scheduled procedures to free staff and space for coronavirus patients, helping to increase its ICU capacity by 50%, said Jeffrey Smith, its chief operating officer.

Yet Cedars-Sinai, which includes one of the largest hospitals in Los Angeles County, has stopped accepting transfers except those required under federal law. Our ability to take those now is really limited to the emergent cases," he said.

About 90 minutes east of Los Angeles, Mountains Community Hospital now largely cannot transfer patients to larger hospitals for intensive care. Every once and a while, I can pull a string and get someone really, really critical out of here, but thats few and far between," said Terry Pena, the hospitals chief nursing officer and chief of operations.

The small hospital has 17 beds, and added three in a conference room on New Years Eve. It has no intensive-care unit. A metal construction trailer in the snowy hospital parking lot now doubles as a morgue. On New Years Day, the hospital had 11 patients in an emergency room designed for about half that number.

Ms. Pena, who had time only for a handful of one-hour naps the night before, reviewed applications she received overnight after the hospital made a New Years Eve plea on Facebook for nurses, including students, paramedics and emergency responders.

We are experiencing a sudden surge of COVID cases in our community and temporary help is urgently needed," the post said. Covid-19 cases have been rising since November, Ms. Pena said, but lately soared. The hospital is located in mountainous Lake Arrowhead, Calif., and the local population swelled in the pandemic, as many fled there to live and work remotely.

Her staff is exhausted, she said. They will work themselves to death," she said. Everybodys trying, but they are burning out fast."

Delays have forced hospitals to look across state lines. In Hereford, Texas, the Deaf Smith County hospital is transferring patients to Albuquerque and Oklahoma City, with no beds available in nearby cities, including Dallas, said Jeff Barnhart, chief executive officer of the county hospital district.

Its all about just trying to find a bed," said Mr. Barnhart, who is also an emergency medical technician and who has joined ambulance crews for emergency calls and patient transfers during the pandemic. His 42-bed hospital has had to turn down transfer requests from smaller hospitals, which it had typically accepted.

The longer search for fewer open beds, a largely manual process in many states that requires dozens of phone calls, increases risks for patients left waiting, doctors said.

Baylor Scott & White Health has 51 hospitals in Texas. Its nine hospitals around Dallas and nearby Fort Worth are now turning down some transfer requests, asking outlying hospitals to try again in 12 hours, said Alejandro Arroliga, Baylor Scott & Whites chief medical officer.

As critical patients wait in limbo for hospital beds, their condition often becomes worse, Dr. Arroliga said. When you get transfers late, the patients tend to come in worse condition." The system has seen its Covid-19 patients soar 55% higher than its last peak in July.

In North Carolinas Mecklenburg County, ICUs for adults were 94% full in the week before Christmas, an analysis of federal data by the University of Minnesota Hospitalization Tracking Project shows, with half occupied by Covid-19 patients.

Katie Passaretti, medical director of health system infection prevention at Atrium Health, which includes one of the largest hospitals in Charlotte, N.C., said, Now, it really is becoming everywhere that only the sickest of the sickest are in the ICUs."

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.)

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The proposed Lone Star Coastal National Recreation Area (LSCNRA) includes the upper and middle Texas Gulf Coast from the Matagorda Peninsula to the Sabine Pass, across Brazoria, Galveston and Jefferson counties, all within an hour or two drive from Houston. By granting the region national park status, the group would be able to preserve important conservation areas while promoting nature and heritage tourism and enhanced outdoor recreation opportunities.

A 2017 economic impact study projected that the designation of the LSCNRA would likely add $140 million in local sales and 3,485 jobs to the four-county LSCNRA area in its first ten years of operation. Plans are being made to bring the important piece of legislation to Congress.

The new website, Explore Lonestar Coastal, launched last week with over 300 points of interest, itineraries, and trip planning tools. Local stakeholders have personally nominated all areas as standout attractions and experiences that highlight the area's uniqueness.

About Visit Beaumont: On the border between Louisiana and the Lone Star State, Beaumont is a little bit Cajun, a lot Texan, and 100% unique for the South. Come explore the bayous, birding, and unique culinary landscape and see where the world was changed forever in one of America's original Boomtowns.

SOURCE City of Beaumont - CVB

Related Links

beaumontcvb.com


By Ann Zlotnik

Whether you refer to the newborn Christs gift-bearing visitors as Magi, kings or wise men, their visit from afar begins to usher out the Christmas season on the Catholic liturgical calendar and usher in Ordinary Time. Ordinary, however, is not how many would describe these travelers. Artistic depictions of them in Nativity scenes are far from ordinary as well. From feathers to frogs, Nativities from the Marian Librarys Creche Collection represent this popular trio in vastly different ways.
There are more buyers than sellers in South West WA as realtors struggle to source enough high-end properties for rich clients seeking 'iso' retreats or a change of scenery.

The shortage of available properties is leading to a price bump in the region and tempting current landowners to test the market.

John Poynton and Di Bain's Sundance Lodge in Yallingup could fetch as much as $7 million after it was recently listed for sale. Credit:Stocker Preston

Perth power couple John Poynton  chairman of Crown Perth and a director of the Future Fund  and Di Bain  a Tourism WA board member and City of Perth councillor  have put their luxury Yallingup property up for sale with Stocker Preston amid the frenzy.

The 13 hectare property  which features a main residence with five king-sized rooms, two villas, a lodge, lake, helicopter pad and pool  was purchased 11 years ago for $4 million but could fetch about $7 million in the current market.
CAIRO, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Ministers of foreign affairs and irrigation of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia agreed on Sunday to hold a week-long round of negotiations to discuss the substantive aspects and controversial points over the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Agreement for the new round of talks came after the ministers from the three countries held a virtual meeting over the filling and operation of the GERD under the patronage of the African Union (AU).

The talks will be held in the presence of observers who participate in previous negotiations and the experts appointed by the AU Commission, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement after the meeting.

At the end of this week, the ministry added, another ministerial meeting will be held, chaired by South Africa, the current chair of the AU, to review the outcomes of the tripartite round of negotiations.

During the meeting, Egypt stressed the need to reach an agreement before the start of the second phase of filling the dam reservoir, in a way that achieves the common interests of the three countries.

Ethiopia started building the GERD in 2011, while Egypt is concerned that the dam might affect its 55.5-billion-cubic-meter annual share of Nile water. Sudan has recently been raising similar concerns over the dam.

Over the past few years, tripartite talks on the rules of filling and operating the GERD have been fruitless, including those hosted by Washington and recently by the AU. Enditem

[ Editor: SRQ ]
LADERA RANCH, Calif., Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. ("SmartStop" or the "Company") today announced that Bliss Edwards will be promoted to Executive Vice PresidentCanada, effective immediately. The promotion follows SmartStop's continued expansion in the region, as well as Edwards' ongoing contributions to the Company's growing joint venture with SmartCentres in Toronto.

"Bliss has been instrumental to our growth across the Greater Toronto Area, and has played an active role in all aspects of our business in the region  from sourcing new opportunities to negotiating deals," said H. Michael Schwartz, Executive Chairman of SmartStop. "It is truly a pleasure to promote Bliss and we are looking forward to continuing to benefit from her deep understanding of the self storage industry and Canadian markets, as we continue to expand the SmartStop brand across Canada."

Edwards joined SmartStop as Managing Director  Canada in 2019, and has overseen all areas of Canadian property acquisitions and development, growing the pipeline of net rentable square feet fourfold. Edwards previously spent four years with Dymon Storage as the company's Senior Director of Development, and prior to that, spent 10 years in land use planning approvals with public and private organizations. Edwards holds an Honors Bachelor of Environmental Studies in Planning from the University of Waterloo and is a Registered Professional Planner.

About SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. (SmartStop)

SmartStop is a self-managed REIT with a fully integrated operations team of approximately 390 self storage professionals focused on growing the SmartStop Self Storage brand. SmartStop, through its indirect subsidiary SmartStop REIT Advisors, LLC, also sponsors other self storage programs, including Strategic Storage Trust IV, Inc., a public non-traded REIT, and other private programs. SmartStop is the tenth-largest self storage company in the U.S., with approximately $1.7 billion of real estate assets under management, including an owned and managed portfolio of 149 properties in 19 states and Toronto, Canada and comprising approximately 100,000 units and 11.3 million rentable square feet. SmartStop and its affiliates own or manage 15 operating self storage properties in the Greater Toronto Area, which total over 12,000 units and 1.3 million rentable square feet. Additional information regarding SmartStop is available at www.smartstopselfstorage.com .

Contact:

Mark Barbalato

FTI Consulting

212.850.5707

[email protected]

SOURCE SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.smartstopselfstorage.com


Bigg Boss 14: Aly Goni, Jasmin Bhasin, Rubina Dilaik & Abhinav Shukla Nominated For Breaking A Big Rule

Breaking rules inside the Bigg Boss house is a big no no, but that hasnt stopped season 14 housemates from doing what they wish. Whether its speaking without the mic, whispering in someones ear or speaking in English, the contestants have been breaking one rule after another. The entire house even got nominated last week, except Vikas Gupta who was captain, when Nikki Tamboli and Aly Goni discussed nominations.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by ColorsTV (@colorstv)

Well, things are not going to change much in the house even after host Salman Khans angry Weekend Ka Vaar. The rule breakers of the house are going to strike once again and will have to sadly pay for it too. According to the latest buzz on social media, four contestants will be nominated for the week in tonights episode after Bigg Boss catches them discussing nominations. These contestants are none other than the two most adored couples of BB14-- Aly Goni, Jasmin Bhasin, Abhinav Shukla and Rubina Dilaik.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by MR KHABRI (@mr_khabrii)

Meanwhile, social media buzz also suggests that Rahul Mahajan will be evicted from the controversial reality show in tonights episode. He became the captain a few days ago and had immunity for the coming week, but he was nominated last Monday because of which he will have to leave the house today.
Representative image | Source: Unsplash

There has been a noticeable change in the composition of the Nifty50 pack in the past decade - from the year 2010 to 2020, said brokerage firm Motilal Oswal.

"In the Nifty50 pack, as many as 30 companies are common between 2010 and 2020. So about 40 percent of components present in December 2010 are no longer part of the Nifty," said a note from Motilal Oswal Financial Services.

"The 30 common stocks present in Nifty contribute 82.5 percent of weight today against 83.7 percent in December 2010  so broadly stable," the brokerage firm said.

As per the brokerage firm, prominent names that were part of Nifty in December 2020 but are no longer there are BHEL, Sterlite Industries, Jindal Steel, Ambuja, ACC, SAIL, DLF, Tata Power, IDFC, PNB, Cairn, Vedanta, Siemens, JP Associates, Rel Infra, RComm, Rel Power, Rel Capital, Suzlon and Ranbaxy.

The combined weight of these 20 stocks in December 2010 was 16.3 percent.

The 20 new stocks which were not a part of Nifty in December 2010 but were there as of December 2020 - Asian Paints, Britannia, Titan, Nestle, BAF, Bajaj Finserv, IndusInd, HDFC Life, SBI Life, Divis, Eicher Motors, Tech Mahindra, Ultratech, Shree Cement, Grasim, JSW Steel, Adani Ports, UPL, Coal India and IOCL.

The top five weights in Nifty in December 2010 were RIL, Infosys, ICICI Bank, L&T and HDFC.

In comparison, the top five weights in Nifty in December 2020 were RIL, HDFC Bank, Infosys, HDFC and ICICI Bank, Motilal Oswal said.

Sectors with the highest weight in Nifty in December 2010 were oil & gas (14.7 percent), private banks (14.5 percent), IT (14.3 percent), capital goods (8.7 percent), metals (8.4 percent). All these cumulatively contributed 60 percent.

In December 2020, sectors with the highest weight in Nifty are private banks (24.7 percent), IT (16.3 percent), oil & gas (12.5 percent), consumer (11.5 percent), non-banking financials (10.8 percent) that cumulatively contributed 76 percent, Motilal Oswal said.

As per the brokerage firm, sectors that gained the highest weight were private banks (1,020bps), consumer (470bps), NBFC (420bps), IT (200bps). The overall gain of these sectors was 21.1 percent.

On the flip side, sectors that lost the highest weight were metals (640bps), capital goods (610bps), PSU banks (310bps), utilities (240bps), auto (220bps), oil & gas (210bps). The overall loss of these sectors was 22.3 percent, Motilal Oswal said.

"In the decade - from 2010 to 2020 - the weight of BFSI increased from 26 percent to 39 percent while the weight of BSI + IT + consumer pack increased from 47 percent to 67 percent. The weight of metals + capital goods + utilities + oil & gas + real estate slumped from 37 percent to 19 percent," said Motilal Oswal.

The above report is compiled from information available on public platforms. Moneycontrol advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
For the first New Arrival of 2021, we are shining our big MoM spotlight on an apple brandy that was aged in Japanese whisky casks. Just dont call it Calvados.

Casks finishes are common in whisky but in the more conservative world of French brandy, they are rarer. We have covered Alexander Gabriels attempts to push the boundaries of what is allowed in Cognac. Now, its the turn of Calvados, the great apple and pear brandy from Normandy, with Christian Drouins Experimental series.

The first release was called Hampden Angels and it was finished in casks that formerly held Jamaican rum, and the second release has just arrived with us. This maverick expression is called Mars Angels and consists of a 13 year old Pay dAuge Calvados that is then transferred to casks that formerly held Komagatake single malt from the Mars distillery in Japan, hence the name. It stays here for eight months before bottling at 43% ABV and, like the first release, is sold as an Eau de Vie de Cidre as the Calvados laws do not allow for ageing in non-traditional casks. The Japanese whisky casks add sweet cereal notes to the fruitiness of the apple brandy. It is described as the result as a subtle marriage of Normandy and Japan.

The Drouin family are relative newcomers to Calvados. The firm was founded in 1960 by Christian Drouin the elder, an industrialist from Rouen in Northern France. He developed his interest when he bought a farm in Gonneville complete with cider apple orchards and decided to try to make the best Calvados he could. Its still a family business now run by the third generation and widely acknowledged as one of the best as well as most innovative producers in the region.

The family dont only age brandy in experimental barrels but they also send Calvados-seasoned casks so that other distilleries can create innovative expressions like Mackmyra Appelblom. Now wouldnt it be interesting to try a brandy aged in a cask that formerly held Mackmyra Appelblom? Or would that be taking things a bit too far?

Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt

Fragrant with citrus blossom and perfumed oak, with a hint of malty, hoppy brightness slowly developing. Soon enough, hints of cooked apple and baking spices appear.

Christian Drouin Mars Angels Eau de Vie de Cidre is now available from Master of Malt.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
San Antonio police are investigating the death of an Army drill sergeant found shot in a stalled vehicle on New Year's Day.

Staff Sergeant Jessica Mitchell, assigned to Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, was pronounced dead at 3 a.m. Friday.

Officers were called to the eastbound side of Interstate 10 at West Avenue for a stranded vehicle in the left lane that was causing a hazard, police said. They found a white Dodge Charger with multiple gunshots to the driver's side door and window.

READ ALSO: Sheriff sends Anaqua Springs shooting deaths case back to investigators for more scrutiny

The officers opened the door and checked the victim, later identified as Mitchell, for a pulse, but none was found. The 30-year-old was transported to University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

On Friday, police spokesperson Lt. Jesse Salame told the Express-News it was too early to know a motive.

Police are searching for a suspect vehicle, described as possibly red in color with damage to the passenger side. People with information about Mitchell's death are asked to call SAPD's Homicide Unit at 210-207-7635.

In a statement, Maj. Gen. Dennis LeMaster, who commands the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, said Mitchell's colleagues were "devastated by the tragic loss."

"Our sincere condolences go out to her family and friends," said LeMaster. "We are focused on supporting Drill Sergeant Mitchells family as well as her soldiers during this extremely difficult time."

Mitchell was on holiday leave at the time of her death. She leaves behind a 10-year-old son, according to WOAI-TV.

Her sister Ashley told the station, "We heard there was no witnesses. But it's a highway. Someone had to see something."
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Its been anything but slow since Slow Burn Coffee opened its doors in October.

The coffee shop at 821 Mountain NW has not only been serving up craft coffee and roasting its own beans in the last several months, but has also collaborated with other local coffee shops and breweries.

Jointly owned by Sister Bar owner Jesus Zamora and former Prismatic Coffee owner Grey Smith, Slow Burn was born from collaboration.

I really thought the quality of coffee that Grey was producing was spectacular and I felt like it was something I could get behind, Zamora said.

ADVERTISEMENTSkip



................................................................

Zamora said Smith approached him and asked if he would like to become an owner of Prismatic, but ultimately the duo decided in early 2019 to create an entirely new brand.

The coffee quality is on the same level, but I really wanted to kind of make Slow Burn a bigger space, Zamora said. A little bit more community-focused.

Zamora said he wanted to have the coffee shop embrace New Mexican culture by helping retain what makes New Mexico unique.

This is reflected in a menu that includes red chile chai and empanadas, and in the shop itself, which is housed in a nearly 100-year-old building.

Although coronavirus health restrictions have limited the number of customers able to dine on site, Zamora said he is hoping that the shop will be able to turn into a community hub.

Weve really settled in at this point and I feel like the neighborhoods really embraced us and its been really cool, he said.

Like Prismatic, Slow Burn roasts its own coffee, which is sourced from small farms.

Were willing to go that extra mile and spend that extra money on sourcing the best coffee we can, he said.

As a wholesale roaster, coffee beans roasted at Slow Burn can be found at other coffee shops or even in some local beers.

Zamora said the coffee shop has already collaborated with breweries like the recently opened Gravity Bound Brewing and Bow and Arrow Brewing Co. and food trucks.

I love being an active part of the community and organizing events and collaborations, he said. It makes the job more fun.

Goodman development

Another mixed-use development is in the works for the Winrock Town Center developers Goodman Realty Group, according to the company.

The new development, which will be located at Rio Bravo SW and Poco Loco SW, will include office and industrial spaces as well as spots for other retailers, according to Scott Goodman, Goodman Realty Group vice president.

Goodman said the company is selling three of the pads on the site, with two of those already planned to be used by national retailers.

This development is exciting because it provides a truly mixed-use environment in the South Valley while creating jobs and economic development, Goodman said in an email announcing the planned development.

The currently vacant lot is located in an area surrounded by homes and apartments and has great access from major roadways, he said.

Construction will begin early this year.

While Goodman was unable to announce which retailers have deals to open up locations on the property, he said one is a fast food restaurant and the other is a national dollar store.

Aside from mixed-use developments, Goodman Realty will also be continuing to pursue industrial developments like the planned conversion of the former Cinemark Movies 8 and iTZ buildings at Montgomery Plaza into industrial use buildings this year.

Goodman announced plans to turn Montgomery Plaza into an industrial use park in July and in December he announced that the former Movies 8 building at 4591 San Mateo NE was purchased by international environmental hotel supplier Green Suites Hotel Solutions.

We had multiple offers on the Movies 8 building, Goodman said. One of the reasons we picked to work with Dan Bornholdt at Green Suites was due to the shared environmental mission both of our companies share.

The company provides environmentally friendly cleaning solutions to hotels in every state and in 40 different counties, he said.

The future tenant of the iTZ building has yet to be announced.

Goodman estimates that the entire project will cost between $20 million to $25 million dollars to convert the buildings and shopping centers into an industrial use park.

Construction on the Movies 8 building is set to start this spring with construction on the iTZ building to begin in the fall, he said. Construction should be completed within a year for each building.

Pilar Martinez covers retail and commercial real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at pmartinez@abqjournal.com or by phone at 505-823-3887.
Several Massachusetts lawmakers denounced President Donald Trumps latest efforts to overturn the election, arguing Trumps pressuring of Georgia officials to find just enough votes to flip the state flies in the face of election laws and is the same behavior that got the president impeached.

Pressuring a public official to fix an election is illegal. Trump should be brought up on charges. https://t.co/NBi5wltTPM  Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) January 3, 2021

During an hour-long call obtained by The Washington Post, Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Saturday to find 11,780 votes. Doing so would theoretically reverse his 11,779-vote loss in that state to President-elect Joe Biden, which has already been certified by the state.

Trump unloaded a barrage of debunked claims of corruption and fraud throughout the call and threatened Raffensperger, a Republican, and his general counsel, Ryan Germany, claiming they were complicit in criminal activity. The state officials asserted the election was fair and the results were accurate, telling the president his data was simply wrong.

The president has no authority to instruct local election officials to stop doing their jobs, and several election experts and lawmakers argue Trumps effort to sway Raffensperger violated state and federal election laws.

Donald Trumps sickening hatred of our democracy, on tape for all the world to hear, Rep. Jim McGovern said. He wants to find the votes. To revise the count in his favor. To steal an election. Hes trying to overthrow the government. To become a dictator. We will not let him.

Sen. Ed Markey on Sunday said the president should be brought up on charges.

Pressuring a public official to fix an election is illegal, Markey said.

Michael Bromwich, a former Justice Department inspector general, tweeted Sunday afternoon that unless portions of the call negate criminal intent, Trump illegally pressured a state official to cook up a favorable election outcome.

His best defense would be insanity, Bromwich said. The entire call is astonishing. The bullying, the threats, the insults, the credulous embrace of discredited conspiracy theories. Like a crime boss, Trump occasionally says that all he wants is the truth. But he doesnt  he wants the win. Its pathetic.

Rep. Seth Moulton called Trumps actions a crime, plain and simple, arguing the president shouldnt be treated any differently than a local official.

If a small-town mayor did this, the FBI would make an arrest for corruption, Moulton said.

Trump, who continued to allege widespread election fraud on Twitter Sunday, accused Raffensperger of being unwilling or unable to answer questions.

The latest of several pressure campaigns to swing a battleground state in Trumps favor comes just days before Congress debates, and ultimately certifies, Bidens decisive 306-232 Electoral College victory.

At least a dozen Republican senators and more than 100 GOP House members plan to object to the certification of Bidens victory on Wednesday.

In dozens of court rooms, Trump and a host of other challengers have failed to produce hard evidence backing up consistent claims of widespread voter fraud. Former Attorney General William Barr, one of Trumps most loyal Cabinet members, said no evidence of widespread voter fraud was found. The Trump administrations own election security team, at the Department of Homeland Security, called the 2020 election the most secure in U.S. history.

Trump has already pressured Michigan and Pennsylvania leaders as well as Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to try to overturn the democratic process in states that proved crucial to Bidens win. Trump has also continued to publicly shame Republican lawmakers and state and local election officials who refuse to fall in line behind him.

This is exactly why Donald Trump was impeached, Rep. Katherine Clark said Sunday evening. Its straight out of his corruption playbook. Equally outrageous: the Members taking an oath to our Constitution and in the same breath falsely and dangerously attacking our elections and democracy.

Related Content:

The Abuakwa Divisional Police Command has arrested two bodyguards of popular Dancehall artiste Stonebwoy.

They were arrested for allegedly assaulting a driver after they were involved in a car crash on the Bibiani-Abuakwa road Saturday evening.



DEVTRACO THE PELICAN

According to Abuakwa Divisional Police Commander, Chief Supt. Yaw Obeng Asubonteng, the dancehall musician, and his team were travelling to Kumasi after a performance at Bibiani in the Western North Region when one of their vehicles was involved in a car crash.



He said two bodyguards of Stonebwoy attacked a driver in a Benz Bus and beat him up.



According to the information we had the vehicle which collided with the sprinter bus didnt even stop. The driver sped on and another vehicle which was following, two guys from that car accosted the driver that had the accident with that of the musician, Chief Supt. Yaw Obeng Asubonteng told Citi News.



They beat him and held him, hostage, in their car and they were sending him to either Kumasi or Accra, he said.







Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The states eviction moratorium that allows renters to defer rent is a charade (Oregon lawmakers finish third special session focused on aid to tenants, landlords, Dec. 21). I am a retired lawyer and residential landlord. My experience is that recovering delinquent rent is practically impossible. For government leaders to hide behind this theoretical possibility of deferred rent collection is at best naive and at worst a ruse to hide cynical exploitation of residential landlords.

Government leaders have shifted the burden of providing adequate rent assistance from the government, where it belongs, to private landlords. The landlord compensation fund adopted by the Legislature is expressly and clearly insufficient to come close to fully compensating landlords. Legislators could have granted tax credits to provide full compensation but instead created this token compensation fund to feign being fair to landlords.

The eviction moratorium is functionally the equivalent of telling grocers to give food to customers on credit with the burden of debt collection on the grocers. I bought residential units with my hard-earned income as a means of providing me and my spouse necessary retirement income. Many landlords are, like me, mom and pop seniors in retirement.

Taking rent from landlords is not a fair solution to pandemic caused tenant economic distress. The government must be that solution, but the states actions so far amount to an unconstitutional taking of landlords property without just compensation. That is why landlords have sued the state. Oregonians need to adopt the concept of fairness for everyone, including landlords.

Eugene L. Grant, Happy Valley
Russian police are hunting for two shirtless men who fought each other with fireworks in the street.

In a bizarre turn of events, the two men can be seen staging a Harry Potter style 'duel' with the colourful fireworks, as explosions and smoke surround them.

The pair move from side to side whilst shooting the fireworks at each other. They both try to avoid the sparks, which come dangerously close to them.

Russian police are hunting for two shirtless men who fought each other with fireworks in the street

In a bizarre turn of events, the two men can be seen staging a Harry Potter style 'duel' with the colourful fireworks, as explosions and smoke surround them

The two men took part in the dangerous 'duel' during their New Year's Eve celebrations shortly after the clocks struck midnight in Balashikha, a town near the capital Moscow.

Large explosions can be seen bouncing on the ground near the men's feet and some fireworks shoot up into the air, narrowly missing their heads.

A group of more than a dozen onlookers can be seen lining a nearby grocery store whilst cheering on the men.

The two men took part in the dangerous 'duel' during their New Year's Eve celebrations shortly after the clocks struck midnight in Balashikha, a town near the capital Moscow

Some of the fireworks came perilously close to the crowd, but no one was injured in the dangerous exchange.

'Harry Potter vs Voldemort. Moscow Region style,' a user said of the video clip, which has since gone viral, reports RT.

Local police are now investigating the incident, which violated safety regulations and could have resulted in a deadly fire.
India on Sunday authorized the emergency use of Serum Institutes Covishield and Bharat Biotechs Covaxin vaccines , clearing the way for millions of health workers and other vulnerable groups to start receiving their first shots in the next few days.

The formal authorization by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) follows recommendations of an expert panel. The vaccines will be first administered in two doses to health workers across the country.

Also Read | A year on, China is shaking up the world

The authorization is a major milestone in Indias battle against the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed nearly 150,000 lives and brought economic activity to a near standstill, costing crores of rupees in lost output and millions of jobs. With the approval, India became the first country in South Asia to authorize a shot for mass vaccination.

CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organization) has decided to accept the recommendations of the expert committee and, accordingly, vaccines of Serum and Bharat Biotech are being approved for restricted use in an emergency situation," said DCGI Dr V.G. Somani, who also heads CDSCO, the regulator for medical products in India.

The government is now likely to roll out the covid-19 mass immunization programme as early as this week. Adding to the governments concerns are reports of a fast-spreading strain of the virus, which was first detected in the UK in December and has now spread to other countries.

View Full Image Sarvesh Kumar Sharma/Mint





The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for covid-19 had recommended that the vaccine be first given to frontline healthcare workers comprising emergency medical staff, and integrated child development services workers, nurses and supervisors, medical officers, paramedical staff, support staff and students.

Welcoming the authorizations, Adar Poonawalla, chief executive of Pune-based Serum Institute of India, said all the risks (the company) took with stockpiling the vaccine have finally paid off. Covishield, Indias first covid-19 vaccine, is approved, safe, effective and ready to roll out in the coming weeks."

Senior government officials said the procurement deals with manufacturers will be signed this week and that the immunization programme is likely to start in the next 7-10 days.

Considering that the two vaccines have been given emergency authorization for restricted use, and not full approval, people intending to take the vaccines will have to sign an informed consent form while receiving the doses.

A senior CDSCO official on condition of anonymity said that the authorization to Bharat Biotechs vaccine has been given based on its strong safety and immunogenicity data due to the emergency situation created by the new UK mutant strain, while efficacy is still being established as the companys phase 3 trial continues.

Anybody who is taking the vaccine, even outside clinical trials, will have to sign an informed consent form. Otherwise, they will not be given the vaccine. We are in the process of finalizing the protocol for the informed consent," the official said.

The Bharat Biotech protocol will have certain criteria for eligibility, which will have to be met by the beneficiaries, the official said.

Some experts expressed shock at the authorization given to Bharat Biotech despite the lack of efficacy data. Government officials, however, said that the vaccine would only be used as a backup in the wake of the situation following the discovery of the new mutant strain.

While this vaccine addresses an unmet medical need during this pandemic, our goal is to provide global access to populations that need it the most. Covaxin has generated excellent safety data with robust immune responses to multiple viral proteins that persist," Bharat Biotech chairman and managing director Krishna Ella said in a statement.

On Sunday, the CDSCO also gave permission to Zydus Cadila to conduct its phase 3 clinical trial for establishing efficacy. In a statement, the company said it will now be initiating phase 3 clinical trial in around 30,000 volunteers. The vaccine, branded ZyCoV-D, was found to be safe, well-tolerated and immunogenic in phase 1 and 2 clinical trials, the company said.

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WASHINGTON  The extraordinary Republican effort to overturn the presidential election was condemned Sunday by an outpouring of current and former GOP officials warning the effort to sow doubt in Joe Bidens win and keep President Donald Trump in office is undermining Americans faith in democracy.

Trump has enlisted support from a dozen Republican senators and up to 100 House Republicans to challenge the Electoral College vote when Congress convenes in a joint session to confirm President-elect Joe Bidens 306-232 win.

With Biden set to be inaugurated Jan. 20, Trump is intensifying efforts to prevent the traditional transfer of power, ripping the party apart.

Despite Trumps claims of voter fraud, state officials have insisted the elections ran smoothly and there was no evidence of fraud or other problems that would change the outcome. The states have certified their results as fair and valid. Of the more than 50 lawsuits the president and his allies have filed challenging election results, nearly all have been dismissed or dropped. Hes also lost twice at the U.S. Supreme Court.

On a call disclosed Sunday, Trump can be heard pressuring Georgia officials to find him more votes.

The 2020 election is over, said a statement Sunday from a bipartisan group of 10 senators, including Republicans Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Mitt Romney of Utah.

The senators wrote that further attempts to cast doubt on the election are contrary to the clearly expressed will of the American people and only serve to undermine Americans confidence in the already determined election results.

Republican Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland said, The scheme by members of Congress to reject the certification of the presidential election makes a mockery of our system and who we are as Americans.

Former House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, said in a statement that Bidens victory is entirely legitimate and that efforts to sow doubt about the election strike at the foundation of our republic.

Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the third-ranking House Republican, warned in a memo to colleagues that objections to the Electoral College results set an exceptionally dangerous precedent.

The unusual challenge to the presidential election, on a scale unseen since the aftermath of the Civil War, clouded the opening of the new Congress and is set to consume its first days. The House and Senate will meet Wednesday in a joint session to accept the Electoral College vote, a typically routine process thats now expected to be a prolonged fight.

Trump is refusing to concede, and pressure is mounting on Vice President Mike Pence to ensure victory while presiding in what is typically a ceremonial role over the congressional session. Trump is whipping up crowds for a rally in Washington.

The president tweeted Sunday against the election tallies and Republicans not on his side.

Bidens transition spokesman, Mike Gwin, dismissed the senators effort as a stunt that wont change the fact that Biden will be sworn in Jan. 20.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a letter to colleagues that while there is no doubt of Bidens victory, their job now is to convince more of the American people to trust in our democratic system.

The effort in the Senate was being led by Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Hawley defended his actions in a lengthy email to colleagues, explaining that his Missouri constituents have been loud and clear with their belief that Bidens defeat of Trump was unfair.

It is my responsibility as a senator to raise their concerns, Hawley wrote late Saturday.

Hawley plans to object to the state tally from Pennsylvania. But that states Republican senator, Pat Toomey, criticized the attack on Pennsylvanias election system and said the results that named Biden the winner are valid.

Cruzs coalition of 11 Republican senators vows to reject the Electoral College tallies unless Congress launches a commission to immediately conduct an audit of the election results. They are zeroing in on the states where Trump has raised unfounded claims of voter fraud. Congress is unlikely to agree to their demand.

The group formed with Cruz, which presented no new evidence of election problems, includes Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Steve Daines of Montana, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Mike Braun of Indiana. New senators in the group are Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.

The convening of the joint session to count the Electoral College votes has faced objections before. In 2017, several House Democrats challenged Trumps win but Biden, who presided at the time as the vice president, swiftly dismissed them to assert Trumps victory. Rarely have the protests approached this level of intensity.

The moment is a defining one for the Republican Party in a post-Trump era. Both Hawley and Cruz are potential 2024 presidential contenders, cementing their alignment with Trumps base of supporters. Others are trying to forge a different path for the GOP.

Pence will be carefully watched as he presides over what is expected to be a prolonged showdown, depending on how many challenges are mounted.

The vice president welcomes the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections, Pences chief of staff, Marc Short, said in a statement Saturday.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has warned Republicans off such challenges but said little when asked about it as at the Capitol as the Senate opened Sunday.

Well be dealing with all of that on Wednesday, he said.

But Republicans simply said they do not plan to join the effort that will fail.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Sunday his colleagues will have an opportunity to make their case, but they must produce evidence and facts. They have a high bar to clear, he said.

Congress have been loathing to interfere in the state-run election systems, a longstanding protocol. States choose their own election officials and draft their election laws. During the coronavirus pandemic, many states adapted by allowing mail voting to ease health risks of voting in person. Those changes and others are now being challenged by Trump and his allies.

Trump, the first president to lose a reelection bid in almost 30 years, has attributed his defeat to widespread voter fraud, despite the consensus of nonpartisan election officials and even Trumps attorney general that there was none.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the latest challenge from Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, and a group of Arizona electors, who filed suit to try to force Pence to step outside mere ceremony and shape the outcome of the vote. The appellate court sided with the federal judge, a Trump appointee, who dismissed the suit.

--Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press
As a child, Prattville native Jeffrey Lee remembers playing in cotton fields. These days, his own son and daughter run in a much different crop.

Ive sat out there and watched my kids playing in all this hemp growing 10 or 11 foot high, Lee said.

Life as a full-time medicinal hemp farmer in Autauga Countys Booth community isnt something Lee would had envisioned for his family a couple of years ago.

Until fairly recently, he was the branch manager for a company that builds storm water retention ponds. Before that, the Prattville High School graduate worked 10 years at a funeral home.

Lees mom is a 15-year breast cancer survivor. The chemo and the radiation pretty much almost killed her, Lee said.

When the cancer came back a couple of years ago, Lee said he knew he had to make quality CBD (cannabidiol) and CBG (cannabigerol) products for her.

I just couldnt fathom her not being able to take medicine like this, Lee said.

The 2018 Farm Bill allowing hemp farming made it seem like the perfect time and crop, though hed only grown vegetables before. His research included trips to California and Colorado to see other growing operations.

Hes gone from seeds to shelf with a new line of CBD and CBG products from Alabama Hemp Crafters, the company he runs with childhood friend and licensed pharmacist Neal Jones.

I probably wouldnt have done it with anybody else, Lee said. Ive known Neal since we were about 10 or 11.

FROM TRIAL AND ERROR TO HEMP OILS

My son and daughter both helped me plant, Lee said. My whole family helped me.

What they planted was an acre of CBG Matterhorn seeds from Switzerland. With his first crop, Lee said there was a lot of trial and error, plus insects (he doesnt use pesticides) and weather issues. Still, he said the crop flourished.

Lee leaned on his storm water background to create a watering system, since his hemp was planted on an upward slope.

Ive got a pond thats artesian water, Lee said. I just pumped it up to my crop to a big reservoir. Id go up there to check on it. I even put some fish in it. It gave my plants all the nutrition they needed.

Lees hemp was used to make bottles of 3000 mg full-spectrum CBG tincture (concentrated extracts).

Lee and Jones also have CBD products from a hemp crop grown in Bullock County by another childhood friend, Tad Wildman. Were his distributor, Lee said.

They use a USDA certified organic processing plant in Colorado for their hemp because it offers CO2 extraction. That means their hemp oil doesnt have residual solvents.

Some people are making it using butane and ethanol, and thats going to end up in your end-product that people are taking and ingesting, Jones said.

Alabama Hemp Crafters also produces chewable tablets, gummies, gel capsules, and a pain cream compound. Those are all made by Jones using pure outsourced CBD isolates.

Alabama Hemp Crafters products are available across the River Region, including the House of Hemp in Prattville and Prattville Country Club, Tobacco Plus in Millbrook, CaliBama In Montgomery, and all Jones Drugs locations.

These kinds of products are currently unregulated by the FDA. Lee said hed welcome regulation.

Its kind of like the Wild West, Lee said. Youve got a lot of people trying to do this.

WHAT ARE CBD AND CBG?

CBD and CBG are two of more than 120 known naturally occurring cannabinoids found in hemp. Only a handful have been extracted, Lee said.

Jones said CBD and CBG act on an enzyme that prevents the metabolism of the bodys natural endocannabinoids  molecules naturally created by the body that are similar to cannabinoids.

It causes relaxation, better learning and memory, Jones said. Theyre also an appetite stimulant and anti-inflammatory.

While CBD is commonly sold these days, CBG is an emerging product.

(CBG) is the mother of the whole plant, Lee said. Its really the best cannabinoid that there is.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HEMP, MARIJUANA

While hemp and marijuana are both cannabis plants, the major thing that separates them is hemps extremely low THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). THC is the compound that gives marijuana its psychoactive effects.

Hemp has to be less than 0.3 percent THC, Jones said.

Lee said his hemp tested at less than 0.1 percent, and their products that use CBD isolates have no THC at all.
The main objective of the Left-Congress alliance is to stop the Bharatiya Janata Party from coming to power in the upcoming West Bengal assembly election but it wont ally with the ruling Trinamool Congress because of strong anti-incumbency factor, Communist Party of India (Marxists) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Monday

Yechury was in Kolkata to attend the first physical meeting of the CPI (M)s West Bengal state committee since March 2019.

After the two-day meeting ended on Monday afternoon, Yechury said some preliminary discussion on seat sharing for the upcoming assembly election has taken place with the Congress. The Left Front allies have also met.

A bipolarity has been created in Bengal (politics) by the BJP and TMC. This bipolarity suits both the parties. And it is also ably aided and abetted by the media, said Yechury.

He drew a comparison between discontent against policies of the Centre and the anti-incumbency factor in Bengal.

The basic issues involving peoples livelihood have been raised at the ongoing farmers rally in Delhi in the midst of the most severe cold wave. Nothing has affected the resolution of the agitators. This is remarkable, said the veteran Left leader.

The discontent building up against the Centres policies is there in Bengal as well. For example, farmers in Bengal are getting Rs 1,250 (per quintal) for selling paddy while the minimum purchase price in India is Rs 1,880, he added.

We will rupture the bipolarity by taking up the issues of peoples livelihood and focus on job, health and education. We have appealed to all parties, including the Congress, to join the demonstrations. The anti-incumbency against the TMC government is so deep and large that it will favour the BJP. Our primary objective is to not let the BJP benefit from the anti-incumbency, Yechury said.

Asked about CPI-ML (Liberation) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharyas statement last month that in Bengal the focus should be more on defeating the BJP and not the TMC, Yechury said, Politics does not run on assumptions. We work on reality. There is public anger against the TMC. If anyone takes a soft stance the entire advantage will go to the BJP.

Asked about the role Asaduddin Owaisi, leader of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) may play in the coming polls, Yechury said, It is not clear what mission the AIMIM has. We want to know where it stands when it comes to defeating the BJP. If its activities help the BJP then who is the ultimate beneficiary?

New Delhi: Even as India has given emergency use approval to Serum Institute's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin (Covaxin), a report coming in from the United States say that a startlingly high percentage of health care professionals and frontline workers throughout the country, who have prioritized as early receipts of the coronavirus vaccine, are hesitant or outright refusing to take it.

A Forbes report citing a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation has found that 29% of healthcare workers were hesitant to receive the vaccine, citing concerns related to potential side effects and a lack of faith in the government to ensure the vaccines were safe.

Frontline workers in the United States are disproportionately Black and Hispanic, said the report, adding that the pandemic has taken an "outsized toll" on this segment of the population, which has reportedly accounted for roughly 65% of fatalities in cases in which there are race and ethnicity data.

A study published by the journal The Lancet over the summer reportedly found "healthcare workers of color were more than twice as likely as their white counterparts" to test positive for the coronavirus.

According to a Pew Research Center poll published in December, vaccine skepticism is highest among Black Americans, as less than 43% said they would definitely/probably get a Covid-19 vaccine.

Dr Juvvadi told NPR that "there's no transparency between pharmaceutical companies or research companies  or the government sometimes  on how many people from" Black and Latino communities were involved in the research of the vaccine.

Dr Varon said that "the fact that [President] Trump is in charge of accelerating the process bothers" those individuals who refuse to be immunized, adding "they all think it's meant to harm specific sectors of the population."

Citing an op-ed published in the New York Times earlier this week, the Forbes report said that emergency physicians Benjamin Thomas and Monique Smith wrote that "vaccine reluctance is a direct consequence of the medical system's mistreatment of Black people" and past atrocities.

Key facts given by the Forbes report are:

1. Earlier this week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said he was "troubled" by the relatively low numbers of nursing home workers who have elected to take the vaccine, with DeWine stating that approximately 60% of nursing home staff declined the shot.

2. Dr Joseph Varon, chief of critical care at Houston's United Memorial Medical Center, told NPR in December that more than half of the nurses in his unit informed him they would not get the vaccine.

3. Roughly 55 percent of surveyed New York Fire Department firefighters reportedly said that they would not get the coronavirus vaccine, the Firefighters Association president said last month.

4. It also cited The Los Angeles Times report Thursday that said hospital and public officials in Riverside, California, have been forced to figure out how best to allocate unused doses after an estimated 50% of frontline workers in the county refused the vaccine.

5. Fewer than half of the hospital workers at St Elizabeth Community Hospital in Tehama County, California, were willing to be vaccinated, and around 20% to 40% of LA County's frontline workers have reportedly declined an opportunity to take the vaccine, the report added.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) under Directorate General of Health Services has approved two COVID-19 vaccines so far, including the indigenous vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech and ICMR, which has been named Covaxin, and other one manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII), Covishield.

Notably, several states have conducted dry runs in preparation for the massive inoculation drive on Saturday.
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Gurugram, Jan 4 : The Congress's Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Singh Hooda on Monday said that a special Parliament session should be called to debate on the demands of the farmers.

Hooda visited Gurugram, where he met the farmers sitting on protest in a ground near Rajiv Chowk and expressed his solidarity with them.

Hooda said that the Central government should abandon its arrogance and accept the demands of the farmers.

Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he said the saffron party is busy organising rallies in West Bengal, but has used the excuse of the Covid-19 pandemic to lock Parliament.

While addressing the people at the protesting site, Hooda said, "Lakhs of farmers are demonstrating for the past 40 days against the three black agricultural laws in the national capital and more than 50 farmers have been martyred so far but the government is adamant on its decision. The government should listen to them." "I have decided not to celebrate my birthday this year, which falls on January 4, until the demands of farmers are fulfilled," he said.

Former Union Minister Jai Parkash, who was also present at the site, said, "This fight is not just about the farmers but about people across the country. The Union government is adopting a dictatorial attitude against the farmers by not accepting their demands." Several other Congress leaders also joined the protest and said that the government should leave its stubborn attitude and accept the demands of the farmers.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association (PHHCBA) on Monday observed a hunger strike demanding resumption of physical hearings in high court.

PHHCBA president GBS Dhillon said that nearly 200 lawyers including the Bar body executive members and clerks observed a hunger strike between 10 am and 4 pm at the HC complex on Monday. The HC Bar executive committee is meeting tomorrow to chalk out a future course of action. Bars in Punjab and Haryana have also given an ultimatum to the HC court administration to decide on resumption of physical hearing by January 11 in the lower courts as well, he said.

The Bar body, which has nearly 4,000 members, is demanding that physical hearings, suspended since March 21 due to the Covid-19 outbreak, start in a phased manner. The closure has hit lawyers, Bar body employees as well as litigants, it says.

Lawyers argue that if 15 out of the 25 high courts are holding virtual and physical hearings , then the Punjab and Haryana HC too can go ahead with it.
Irelands mortality rate from Covid-19 is set to rise this month, with the chief medical officer warning current transmission levels put too many people in funeral homes.

Dr Tony Holohan has urged people to step up their efforts against the virus, saying public health chiefs havent been as concerned at any point in the pandemic as we are right now.

A Nphet briefing on Monday heard that the number of people in intensive care units could rise to between 200 and 400 by the middle of January if no action is taken.

That level of infection just simply puts too many people in hospital and it puts too many people, unfortunately, in funeral homes. Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan

It came against the backdrop of a record 6,110 new confirmed cases and six further deaths.

Dr Holohan said: That level of infection just simply puts too many people in hospital and it puts too many people, unfortunately, in funeral homes.

Thats the reality, we simply cant deal with levels of infection like this, as an acceptable level of infection.

He added: This is a really, really serious situation and one that demands immediate action.

The numbers are unsustainable and ultimately are going to lead to a very, very significant mortality rate that we are going to see, unfortunately, over the course of the month of January.

But we still have an opportunity to, as a country, come together and take action, to turn this around so that we can limit or mitigate the impact of this.

Were going to see a very significant impact on mortality.

Do you know what it means to arestrict your movementsa? At this critical time, itas vital that we all understand this public health term.



Please watch this video and RT. @CMOIreland #COVID19 #StayHome #holdfirm



pic.twitter.com/cXw4HwL9zw  Department of Health (@roinnslainte) January 4, 2021

Dr Holohan warned that the provision of non-Covid care in hospitals is now under threat, with non-urgent services to be scaled back from Wednesday.

There are now 3,000 hospital staff who are out of work because of Covid-19, either through infection or as a close contact.

Dr Liam Woods, HSE national director of acute operations, said the absences are affecting the operation of hospitals right across the country.

He said: That can be clearly very detrimental. The rate of infection, the rate of the virus in the community is fundamentally affecting whats happening in hospitals.

The high levels of transmission are also posing a risk to the planned reopening of schools after the Christmas break.

Dr Holohan said he met with the Taoiseach on Monday to discuss the issue.

While transmission rates in schools remain low, he said, the high level of transmission in the community now presents a risk to their ongoing operation.

The chief medical officer also urged employers to allow people to work from home where possible, saying they have a duty of care to their workers.

Anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms is now advised that they are unlikely to have anything other than Covid-19 and must self-isolate.

If you have these symptoms it's unlikely to be anything other than Covid at this point in time. chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan

Dr Holohan said: If we are individuals who are experiencing symptoms, and if you have symptoms that are flu like symptoms, now you might as well, accept that this is Covid.

The positivity rate in the community as weve heard is approaching 25% in the public labs.

If you have these symptoms, you know, its unlikely to be anything other than Covid at this point in time.

So if you have those symptoms, if youre waiting for a test, if youve been referred by your GP or if youre waiting for the results of a test, you must self isolate.

That means staying in your bedroom, away from other people in your house, and not coming into contact with other people.

As of 2pm on Monday, there were 776 patients in hospitals across the country with Covid-19.

The number of people in intensive care units are was 70, an increase of eight on the previous day.

There were an additional 92 hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

There is now a total of 107,997 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.

PA Media
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-05 05:19:18|Editor: huaxia

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street for the House of Commons in London, Britain, on Dec. 30, 2020. (Photo by Ray Tang/Xinhua)

In a televised address, Johnson urged people across the country to "stay at home" except for permitted reasons, echoing the message back in March 2020.

Under the lockdown, people are only allowed to go to work if it's impossible to work from home, such as construction workers.

LONDON, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Monday that England will enter a national lockdown from midnight, the third of its kind since the coronavirus pandemic began in the country.

In a televised address, he urged people across the country to "stay at home" except for permitted reasons, echoing the message back in March 2020.

Under the lockdown, people are only allowed to go to work if it's impossible to work from home, such as construction workers.

Britons are allowed to go out to shop for necessities including food and medicines, and to exercise, ideally once a day and locally.

Meanwhile, all schools and colleges will close from Tuesday (except for vulnerable children and those of key workers), and switch to remote learning until the middle of February.

Johnson said schools are "not unsafe" and children are "very unlikely" to be significantly affected by even the new COVID-19 variant, which is said to be 70 percent more transmissible.

But schools may "act as vectors of transmission -- causing the virus to spread between households," he said.

People walk along the Westminster Bridge in London, Britain, on Jan. 1, 2021. (Photo by Ray Tang/Xinhua)

The latest development came as another 58,784 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, marking the highest daily increase in coronavirus cases since the pandemic began in the country, according to official figures.

It was also the seventh day in a row that new cases have topped 50,000 in Britain. The country now has a total of 2,713,563 cases and 75,431 deaths.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also announced that Scotland would enter a new lockdown from midnight on Monday, as well as a shutdown of schools until Feb. 1.

Britain on Monday started the national rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

According to information released by the World Health Organization on Dec. 29, a total of 232 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 60 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain and the United States.

A man waits in the arrivals hall at Heathrow Airport in London, Britain, on Dec. 21, 2020. (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua)
The Sahel had just turned the page on a grim 2020 when the new year brought a chilling reminder of the region's vulnerability to ruthless, mobile jihadists.

About 100 people were slaughtered on Saturday in two villages in western Niger, according to local sources -- the biggest single massacre of civilians in the Sahel's eight-year-old Islamist insurgency.

The same day, two soldiers in France's Barkhane anti-jihadist mission were killed in Mali days after three of their colleagues were killed by a roadside bomb, bringing the total of French military deaths to 50.

Hit-and-run raids and roadside bombs are the deadliest tactics of a jihadist campaign that began in northern Mali before spreading into Niger and Burkina Faso.

Thousands have died and nearly three million have fled their homes, according to UN figures.

The latest attacks come as France contemplates cutting in its 5,100-man force, balancing the ability of Sahel states to defend themselves with French public opinion.

Defence Minister Florence Parly, confirming plans to withdraw an additional 600 troops deployed a year ago, told Le Parisien newspaper: "Reinforcements, are by definition, only temporary."

Defence sources in Paris have indicated that President Emmanuel Macron would like to bring home further troops before the next presidential election in 2022.

"Up until now the French have not really questioned France's role in the Sahel. But one has to be very careful. Public opinion can change very quickly," a government source told AFP recently.

- Mali 'void' -

Niger is caught in a pincer between jihadists crossing from Mali in its southwest and from Nigeria in its southeast.

Scores of armed men on motorbikes carried out Saturday's attack in the western Tillaberi region, an area that has been a hotbed of insurgents.

Interior Minister Alkache Alhada told AFP after a top-level security meeting on Monday that the country had decreed three days of national mourning.

Story continues

He promised to increase troop numbers near the Mali border to achieve "greater saturation".

"We have to stop incursions. We have to create a kind of security cordon, but one of the difficulties is that there's a void on the Malian side," he said.

Lacking decent equipment and training, Niger's armed forces have lost nearly 200 men to roadside bombs and camp raids in the last two years.

The government plans to double military personnel to "at least 50,000" over the next five years, raising questions about funding as defence already eats up 17 percent of the budget.

Mohamed Bazoum, a former interior minister who at the weekend was declared the winner of the first round of presidential elections, told AFP last month that there had been a shift in tactics on the ground.

The army dismantled static posts in the border area because they were so vulnerable to large-scale hit-and-run raids, and replaced them with patrols.

"We have drawn the lessons from our failures," Bazoum said.

- Ethnic friction -

Jihadist violence comes on top of heightened ethnic tension between rival communities in the Mali-Niger border area, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank.

Yvan Guichaoua, a researcher at the University of Kent in England, said jihadists stir tensions by recruiting from nomadic communities while regarding sedentary farming groups as "accomplices of the state".

Interior minister Alhada said the government would hold forums with ethnic and religious leaders to "prevent the risk of intra-ethnic conflict" in the border area.

"I was there yesterday with the prime minister," Alhada said. "It's hard -- we saw the graves, the victims' relatives. We have to hold back (anger) to prevent flareups. Some people are calling for weapons."

ah-bh/ri/jxb
A 2019 eruption of Steamboat Geyser in the Norris Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park. The geyser's first documented activity was in 1878, and it has turned off and on sporadically since, once going for 50 years without erupting. In 2018 it reactivated after a three-and-a-half-year hiatus, for reasons that are still unclear. Credit: UC Berkeley photo by Mara Reed

When Yellowstone National Park's Steamboat Geyserwhich shoots water higher than any active geyser in the worldreawakened in 2018 after three and a half years of dormancy, some speculated that it was a harbinger of possible explosive volcanic eruptions within the surrounding geyser basin. These so-called hydrothermal explosions can hurl mud, sand and rocks into the air and release hot steam, endangering lives; such an explosion on White Island in New Zealand in December 2019 killed 22 people.

A new study by geoscientists who study geysers throws cold water on that idea, finding few indications of underground magma movement that would be a prerequisite to an eruption. The geysers sit just outside the nation's largest and most dynamic volcanic caldera, but no major eruptions have occurred in the past 70,000 years.

"Hydrothermal explosionsbasically hot water exploding because it comes into contact with hot rockare one of the biggest hazards in Yellowstone," said Michael Manga, professor of earth and planetary sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, and the study's senior author. "The reason that they are problematic is that they are very hard to predict; it is not clear if there are any precursors that would allow you to provide warning."

He and his team found that, while the ground around the geyser rose and seismicity increased somewhat before the geyser reactivated and the area currently is radiating slightly more heat into the atmosphere, no other dormant geysers in the basin have restarted, and the temperature of the groundwater propelling Steamboat's eruptions has not increased. Also, no sequence of Steamboat eruptions other than the one that started in 2018 occurred after periods of high seismic activity.

"We don't find any evidence that there is a big eruption coming. I think that is an important takeaway," he said.

The study will be published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Manga, who has studied geysers around the world and created some in his own laboratory, set out with his colleagues to answer three main questions about Steamboat Geyser: Why did it reawaken? Why is its period so variable, ranging from 3 to 17 days? and Why does it spurt so high?

The team found answers to two of those questions. By comparing the column heights of 11 different geysers in the United States, Russia, Iceland and Chile with the estimated depth of the reservoir of water from which their eruptions come, they found that the deeper the reservoir, the higher the eruption jet. Steamboat Geyser, with a reservoir about 25 meters (82 feet) below ground, has the highest columnup to 115 meters, or 377 feetwhile two geysers that Manga measured in Chile were among the lowesteruptions about a meter (3 feet) high from reservoirs 2 and 5 meters below ground.

"What you are really doing is you are filling a container, it reaches a critical point, you empty it and then you run out of fluid that can erupt until it refills again," he said. "The deeper you go, the higher the pressure. The higher the pressure, the higher the boiling temperature. And the hotter the water is, the more energy it has and the higher the geyser."

To explore the reasons for Steamboat Geyser's variability, the team assembled records related to 109 eruptions going back to its reactivation in 2018. The records included weather and stream flow data, seismometer and ground deformation readings, and observations by geyser enthusiasts. They also looked at previous active and dormant periods of Steamboat and nine other Yellowstone geysers, and ground surface thermal emission data from the Norris Geyser Basin.

They concluded that variations in rainfall and snow melt were probably responsible for part of the variable period, and possibly for the variable period of other geysers as well. In the spring and early summer, with melting snow and rain, the underground water pressure pushes more water into the underground reservoir, providing more hot water to erupt more frequently. During winter, with less water, lower groundwater pressure refills the reservoir more slowly, leading to longer periods between eruptions. Because the water pushed into the reservoir comes from places even deeper than the reservoir, the water is decades or centuries old before it erupts back to the surface, he said.

In October, Manga's team members demonstrated the extreme impact water shortages and drought can have on geysers. They showed that Yellowstone's iconic Old Faithful Geyser stopped erupting entirely for about 100 years in the 13th and 14th centuries, based on radiocarbon dating of mineralized lodgepole pine trees that grew around the geyser during its dormancy. Normally the water is too alkaline and the temperature too high for trees to grow near active geysers. The dormancy period coincided with a lengthy warm, dry spell across the Western U.S. called the Medieval Climate Anomaly, which may have caused the disappearance of several Native American civilizations in the West.

"Climate change is going to affect geysers in the future," Manga said.

Manga and his team were unable to determine why Steamboat Geyser started up again on March 15, 2018, after three years and 193 days of inactivity, though the geyser is known for being far more variable than Old Faithful, which usually goes off about every 90 minutes. They could find no definitive evidence that new magma rising below the geyser caused its reactivation.

The reactivation may have to do with changes in the internal plumbing, he said. Geysers seem to require three ingredients: heat, water and rocks made of silicasilicon dioxide. Because the hot water in geysers continually dissolves and redeposits silicaevery time Steamboat Geyser erupts, it brings up about 200 kilograms, or 440 pounds of dissolved silica. Some of this silica is deposited underground and may change the plumbing system underneath the geyser. Such changes could temporarily halt or reactivate eruptions if the pipe gets rerouted, he said.

Manga has experimented with geysers in his lab to understand why they erupt periodically, and at least in the lab, it appears to be caused by loops or side chambers in the pipe that trap bubbles of steam that slowly dribble out, heating the water column above until all the water can boil from the top down, explosively erupting in a column of water and steam.

Studies of water eruptions from geysers could give insight into the eruptions of hot rock from volcanoes, he said.

"What we asked are very simple questions and it is a little bit embarrassing that we can't answer them, because it means there are fundamental processes on Earth that we don't quite understand," Manga said. "One of the reasons we argue we need to study geysers is that if we can't understand and explain how a geyser erupts, our hope for doing the same thing for magma is much lower."

More information: Mara H. Reed el al., "The 2018 reawakening and eruption dynamics of Steamboat Geyser, the world's tallest active geyser," PNAS (2020). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Mara H. Reed el al., "The 2018 reawakening and eruption dynamics of Steamboat Geyser, the world's tallest active geyser,"(2020). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2020943118
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 4) - The Cebu City Police Office on Monday has discouraged the city government from hosting the annual Sinulog Festival amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cebu City Police chief Col. Josefino Ligan said the local Inter-Agency Task Force has only approved the conduct of masses at the Basilica Del Santo Nino and not the street parades and performances.

Ligan noted that the police are only preparing for the masses and not for the cultural activities of the annual festivities.

"For the security cluster with the limited number of days left to prepare for the Sinulog activities, I would recommend na i-stop nalang gyud siya. I-cancel (I would recommend that they just stop it, just cancel)," said Ligan in a press conference.

Vice Mayor Michael Rama recently said the Sinulog Festival showdown will be held this year in an open parking space of a mall without any audiences on Jan. 17.

However, Ligan recommended that this years festivities be held in April instead in time for the 500th anniversary celebration of Christianity in the country.

"We can do it perhaps diri na sa later part or April. Ang mga Sinulog activities isabay nalang siya ug idungan diri sa 500 years so we have ample time to prepare," he said.

[Translation: We can do it perhaps later or in April. We can hold the Sinulog activities along with the 500th year celebration of Christianity, so we have ample time to prepare.]

Ligan also said that even without an audience and just the performers, the Cebu City Police will be overwhelmed without augmentation from other police offices which are also dealing with the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Rama said the city will present to the local IATF its preparation plans and seek approval of the Sinulog event.
As Biden tackles the problem of Afghanistan, he begins with a commitment to, as he pledged during the campaign, end the forever wars. Hes right, but its also time to change the narrative in Afghanistan. The conflict is far different now than it was a decade ago when the 2010 count of American service members killed in combat stood at 439. In 2020, four American soldiers were killed in combat in Afghanistan, according to iCasualties.org, which tracks U.S. service member deaths in conflicts around the world. Many more soldiers died in training accidents last year. Still, Afghanistan remains a bloody battlefield with periodic surges in violence.
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The U.S. set a new coronavirus hospitalization record for the fifth time in the last week on Sunday with more than 125,500 patients hospitalized, as American airports saw their busiest day since the start of the pandemic with more than 1.3 million passengers taking to the skies.

The latest figure came from the COVID Tracking Project, which noted that the true number is likely even higher as 14 states and territories had not yet published their tallies for Sunday.

It comes as the U.S. recorded 210,479 new cases and 1,349 deaths on Monday. According to a DailyMail.com analysis, this is the 19th time since November 27 that infections have surpassed 200,000.

The death toll, which currently stands at about 351,000, could be closer to half a million, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned the number of excess deaths could spike over the holidays.

Additionally, over the last week, the country has seen an average of one COVID-19-related-death every 33 seconds, according to a CNN analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.

Despite alarming surges over Christmas and New Year's, millions of Americans have ignored public health experts' pleas and continued traveling by air.

U.S. airports saw more passengers than any since the pandemic began with 1,327,289 people passing through checkpoints on Sunday, according to data from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

This marks the 11th time in the last 16 days that checkpoint volume has topped one million. Since December 18, more than 17.1 million people have passed through airport checkpoints.

Meanwhile, as coronavirus infections have continued to skyrocket around the country, only about 4.2 million people have been given their first vaccine dose.

But Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar claimed the administration's goal was have to 20 million first doses available, not 20 million people immunized, which directly contradicts comments made by health experts tied to the White House.

He also said he was 'surprised there haven't been more glitches' during the rollout.

A record 124,544 Americans are hospitalized with coronavirus as of Sunday, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project

On Monday, the US recorded more 210,479 new cases - the 19th time in about one month that infections have surpassed 200,000 - and 1,349 deaths

U.S. airports saw their busiest day since the start of the pandemic with 1,327,289 travelers screened on Sunday

This is the 11th time in 16 days that the number of passengers has exceeded one million. Pictured: Travelers wearing protective face masks gather in Concourse D at Miami International Airport, Monday, December 28

Despite warnings to Americans not to gather or travel over the holidays, pictures and videos surfaced of maskless people partying at Mar-a-Lago, President Trump's private club, on New Year's Eve.

Rapper Vanilla Ice performed and the president's son, Donald Trump Jr, was seen dancing among party-goers without face coverings or social distancing.

This has led a state representative from West Palm Beach to ask the Palm Beach County government to shut down the club for failing to abide by regulations.

Rep Omari Hardy sent a letter on Friday to Assistant County Administrator Todd Bonlarron, insisting that Mar-a-Lago be fined and closed for violating the county's mask mandate.

'I recognize that the President is a powerful person and that his business, Mar-a-Lago, is a daunting target for enforcement, but the law is the law,' Hardy wrote.

'The County's mask mandate applies to all businesses in Palm Beach County. The presidency does not confer to the President and his friends a special privilege to endanger the health and welfare of Palm Beach County's residents.'

Hardy said the party has the potential to be a 'super-spreader' event and should notbe above the law.

'Mar-a-Lago is a club. A club is a business. Businesses must comply with Palm Beach Countys mask order,' he wrote.

Despite warnings to Americans not to gather or travel over the holidays, pictures and videos surfaced of maskless people partying at Mar-a-Lago, President Trump's private club, on New Year's Eve

Rapper Vanilla Ice performed and the president's son, Donald Trump Jr, was seen dancing among party-goers without face coverings or social distancing (left and right)

Rep Omari Hardy sent a letter on Friday to Assistant County Administrator Todd Bonlarron, insisting that Mar-a-Lago be fined and closed for violating the county's mask mandate. Pictured: Members of the Trump family at Mar-a-Lago on New Years Eve

Daily coronavirus statistics have been skewed in recent weeks due to delays in reporting over the holiday period.

COVID Tracking Project noted in its Sunday update that seven states and territories out of 56 it tracks had not yet shared their daily data: Arkansas, Connecticut, Kansas, Michigan, Rhode Island, Washington and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Seven additional states did not report current hospitalizations: Hawaii, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon and Wisconsin.

Hospitalizations in the US have risen by 162 percent in the past two months, setting new records on five different days in the last week.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, and others have repeatedly warned that the spike in hospitalizations will inevitably be followed by a spike in deaths, with the CDC predicting a total of 383,000 to 424,000 COVID-19 fatalities by the week ending January 23, 2021.

On the high end of the model, that could mean that more than 73,000 people could die within the next three weeks.

President Trump attacked the CDC's tabulation methods in a tweet on Sunday, asserting that its tallies are blown out of proportion.

'The number of cases and deaths of the China Virus is far exaggerated in the United States because of the @CDCgov's ridiculous method of determination compared to other countries, many of whom report, purposely, very inaccurately and low,' he wrote.

He later added: 'Something how Dr. Fauci is revered by the LameStream Media as such a great professional, having done, they say, such an incredible job, yet he works for me and the Trump Administration, and I am in no way given any credit for my work. Gee, could this just be more Fake News?'

Fauci and US Surgeon General Jerome Adams defended the accuracy of CDC data in interviews on Sunday.

'The deaths are real deaths,' Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on ABC News' This Week. He added that jam-packed hospitals and stressed-out healthcare workers are 'not fake. That's real.'

Adams echoed Fauci's defense of the CDC on CNN's State of the Union, saying: 'From a public health perspective, I have no reason to doubt those numbers and I think people need to be very aware that it's not just about the deaths. It's about the hospitalizations, the capacity.'

Meanwhile, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests the true U.S. death toll could be approaching 500,000.

That's because the nation is waiting for new 'excess death' figures from the holiday season. Excess deaths are defined as over and above the number of people who would have died anyway - the typical mortality rate of a population.

According to the latest available numbers from the CDC, 456,580 more people than expected have died since the start of the pandemic.

However, that number only include deaths counted until the week ending on December 26. Since then, more than 19,730 people have lost their lives to COVID-19.

With excess deaths around 20 percent higher than average, that means the death toll is likely undercounted by about 4,000. This means excess deaths could sit at more than 480,000.

The high number of excess deaths might be due to the added risk of coronavirus in people with pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes and high-blood pressure.

Additionally, due to social distancing measures and the increasing demand place on hospitals, people may have delayed seeking life-saving medical care.

Deaths not linked to the virus may be from other pathogens circulating during the 2020-21 flu season.

Dr Anthony Fauci (left) and Surgeon General Jerome Adams (right) defended the accuracy of CDC data in interviews Sunday

Trump leaves office on January 20 after losing a bid for a second term to Democrat Joe Biden. He has frequently has downplayed the severity of the pandemic.

The president has also scorned and ignored federal recommendations for containing the spread.

Fauci told ABC: 'To have 300,000 cases in a given day, and between two- and three-thousand deaths a day is just terrible. There's no running away from the numbers.'

He added: 'All you need to do is go out into the trenches. Go to the hospitals and see what the health care workers are dealing with. They are under very stressful situations in many areas of the country. The hospital beds are stretched, people are running out of beds, running out of trained personnel who are exhausted.'

States have reported record numbers of cases over the past few days, and funeral homes in Southern California are being inundated with bodies.

Experts believe the real numbers of deaths and infections are much higher and that many cases were overlooked, in part because of insufficient testing.

Fauci and Adams expressed optimism that the pace of vaccinating Americans against the virus is accelerating after a slow start.

More than 13 million doses have been administered, but only about 4.2 million people have been inoculated since December 14 with one of two vaccines, according to the CDC's latest data.

This is far short of the Trump administration's goal of 20 million by the end of 2020.

'We wanted to get to 20 million, but some glimmer of hope is that in the last 72 hours, they've gotten 1.2 million doses into peoples' arms, which is an average of about 500,000 a day,' Fauci said. 'We are not where we want to be. There's no doubt about that. But I think we can get there.'

He said he believed that the number of daily vaccinations could be expanded to one million and called for 'a real partnership' between the federal and state governments.

Only 4.2 million people have received vaccines so far by HHS Secretary Alex Azar said on Good Morning American on Monday (pictured) he was 'surprised there haven't been more glitches'

Azar claimed the administration's goal was have to 20 million first doses available, not 20 million people immunized, which directly contradicts claims made by health experts tied to the White House

On Monday, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar contradicted Fauci's comments and claimed the administration's goal was have to 20 million first doses available, not 20 million people immunized.

'What we said our goal was was actually to have 20 million first doses available in the month of December. Those are available,' he told ABC's Good Morning America.

'But there's a lag between doses being available then being orders by the provider and the states, shipping and then eventual vaccination.'

Axar said he was actually surprised 'surprised there haven't been more glitches' since the rollout began last month.

'This is just - it's normal,' he told host Robin Roberts.

'This is the largest vaccination campaign in the history of the United States. I'm actually surprised there haven't been more glitches that we've seen so far.'
Actor-politician Urmila Matondkar on Sunday said she has bought a new office with her "hard-earned money" after Kangana Ranaut took a dig at the purchase, linking it with her joining Shiv Sena. Matondkar, who had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election from north Mumbai constituency as a Congress candidate, joined the political party, led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, on December 1.

Ranaut took to Twitter and shared a screenshot of a report which claimed Matondkar bought the office for over Rs 3 crore, "weeks after joining Shiv Sena". The "Queen" star claimed that Congress, Shiv Sena's ally in the state's coalition government, is trying to demolish her house and took a potshot at Matondkar for being "smart" enough to maintain good relations with her former political party.

Dear @UrmilaMatondkar ji maine jo khud ki mehnat se ghar banaye woh bhi Congress tod rahi hai, sach mein BJP ko khush karke mere haath sirf 25-30 cases he lage hain, kash main bhi aapki tarah samajhdar hoti toh Congress ko khush karti, kitni bevakoof hoon main, nahin? pic.twitter.com/AScsUSLTAA Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) January 3, 2021

"Dear @UrmilaMatondkar ji, the houses that I built from my hard-earned money are being demolished by Congress. I have only gotten 25-30 legal cases against me. "I wish I was as smart as you and would've kept Congress happy. How foolish of me, no?" the 33-year-old actor tweeted. Tagging Ranaut, Matondkar shared a video on Twitter and asked her to fix up a meeting where she would be present with all documents as fair proof.

"It has proof how I bought the flat in 2011 with my own hard-earned money after working for nearly 25-30 years. The document has papers of the sale of the flat in the first of week of March. "It also has papers of how I bought the office with that money, which I had earned through my hard work. The flat that I had bought was way before I entered politics," she said in the video.

Matondkar, 46, also took a dig at the Y-plus category security given to Ranaut "against the money of crores of tax paying citizens". In September 2020, Ranaut was given Y-plus category security by the Ministry of Home Affairs amid controversy over her comment that she feared Mumbai Police. Matondkar also asked the actor to present a list of people from the industry, who she had claimed were involved in drugs. "You had promised them (the government) that you have names of several people you wish to give to the Narcotics Control Bureau to fight the drug menace. I request you to please bring that list. I'll be waiting for your answer," she added.

In September, Ranaut had called Matondkar a "soft porn star", after the latter criticised her claims about nepotism in the industry and Bollywood being riddled with a drug problem.

.
3.5 mn to ProCredit Bank Skopje to increase access to finance for SMEs and home owners

EU, WBIF and Austria funds to identify best available equipment and incentives

Building green, competitive and well-integrated economy in North Macedonia

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing two loans of 3.5 million combined to ProCredit Bank Skopje in order to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to reach EU standards and residential home-owners to make their buildings more energy efficient.

The new funds come at a critical time as private businesses and citizens in North Macedonia feel the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The first part of the financial package consists of a 2.5 million loan to increase the competiveness of local SMEs. Funds will be lent on to businesses to upgrade their production processes and equipment to EU standards, in particular with regards to product quality and safety, health and safety measures and environmental preservation.

These investments are covered by the Western Balkans SME Competitiveness Support Programme, for which the EBRD provides loans and the EU incentive payments and technical assistance. The goal is to help SMEs to modernise their activities and take advantage of trade opportunities in the Western Balkans region and the wider European market.

The second part of the financial package is a 1 million loan to support individual investments in green materials, equipment and technologies for privately-owned residential buildings. It comes under the Green Economy Financing Facility (GEFF), which offers energy and resource-efficient solutions to build a greener and more sustainable economy.

The programme is supported by the European Union, the Western Balkans Investment Framework and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance.

Andi Aranitasi, EBRD Head of North Macedonia, said: We are very pleased that, together with our longstanding partner ProCredit Bank Macedonia, we can provide additional support to SMEs to invest in the competitiveness of their businesses and to citizens to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Strengthening the SME sector and investing in green economy are some of our key priorities in North Macedonia and this project will help us come a step closer to both of these objectives. We are also thankful for the support of EU, WBIF and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance, all of whom with their grant contributions, have helped make the programmes a big success and North Macedonia a regional leader in terms of utilisation of funds under both CSP and GEFF.

Janmaat Freek, Delegation of the European Union to North Macedonia, Head of Operations 1, said: Within the current health pandemic, provision of more favorable access to finance to small and medium sized companies is of outmost importance. While ongoing government measures do support companies to preserve jobs and survival of companies, the joint EU and EBRD programme SME financing facility, provides resources for completion of capital investments and future growth of companies. The combination of loan and grant has proven to be a strong tool to encourage companies to pursue the planned investments and expand business further. On the other hand, the facility is a booster for the financial intermediaries which in turn can take on more risk and expand lending activities from their own resources.
Pompeo said the Administration "pushed back hard on Russian aggression by supporting friends, not coddling Moscow."

Donald Trump's Administration has been the toughest on Russia compared to the predecessors, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has stated.

Since 2017, the Trump Administration "has imposed sanctions on 365+ Russian targets in response to Russia's destabilizing and aggressive actions in Ukraine and throughout Europe," Pompeo wrote on Twitter as part of a series of tweets addressing the Russia issue.

"No Administration has been as tough on Russia as we have. Period. Full stop. Look at the facts," Pompeo wrote in a separate tweet.

Also, Pompeo said the Administration "pushed back hard on Russian aggression by supporting friends, not coddling Moscow."

Related coverage

The U.S. House of Representatives and then the Senate overrode Donald Trump's veto on a defense policy bill that would provide, among other things, financial aid to Ukraine and sanctions on companies involved in the construction of Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Ukraine is looking forward to "rock'n'roll" with Joe Biden's new administration after he is sworn in as U.S. president.

"We want a very dynamic and drive-oriented relationship with the United States. America and Ukraine are strategic partners. This is de jure and de facto. So, we need to add even more volume to this song of the strategic partnership. We have security. This is a 100% priority. We have the transformation of Ukraine. This is where the U.S. could seriously help us in strengthening the country from within," Kuleba said.

Reporting by UNIAN
Larry Yu

Larry Yu, who did a nearly five-year stint as Facebooks director of corporate communications, has joined Brunswick in San Francisco as a partner focused on technology clients and issues.

Most recently handling marketing communications duties at venture capital firm Accel, Yu also held posts at Pramana Collective (partner), Google (senior manager product communications for Google Earth and Maps), MWWPR (group VP) and Cisco (manager, executive communications).

Ash Spiegelberg, Brunswicks SF office head, called Yu an outstanding operator who brings a strong network and seasoned perspective that will be hugely additive to our team and our clients.
Farmers' protest: Several roads remain closed in national capital

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

New Delhi, Jan 04: Routes connecting Delhi to Ghaziabad and Noida via Ghazipur and Chilla borders remained partially closed on Monday due to the farmers' protest against the Centre's agricultural reforms, the traffic police said.

They advised commuters to take alternative routes for coming to Delhi via Anand Vihar, DND, Bhopra and Loni borders. Farmers from different states have been camping at various border points of Delhi for 40 days now to demand the repeal of the three farm laws enacted in September and a legal backing for the minimum support price (MSP) The farmers had a difficult morning on Sunday as overnight rains left their tents waterlogged, firewood and blankets soaked, and intensified the cold.

Covishield: DCGI grants permission to Serum Institute of India to manufacture its COVID-19 vaccine

However, the farmers have said the weather will not dampen their spirit and they will continue the protest till their demands are met. Since the farmers arrived at the national capital's borders in late November, the Delhi Traffic Police has been posting alerts on its official Twitter handle to inform commuters about road closures across the city.

In a series of tweets on Monday, the traffic police said Singhu, Auchandi, Piau Maniyari, Saboli and Mangesh borders are closed for traffic movement. "Please take alternate route via Lampur Safiabad, Palla & Singhu school toll tax borders. Traffic has been diverted from Mukarba & GTK road. Please avoid Outer Ring Road, GTK Road & NH-44," it said.

Coronavirus cases: India records 16,505 new COVID-19 cases in last 24 hours

"The Chilla and Ghazipur borders are closed for traffic coming from Noida & Ghaziabad to Delhi because of farmer protests. Please take alternate route for coming to Delhi via Anand Vihar, DND, Bhopra & Loni Borders," it said.

The traffic police said Tikri and Dhansa borders are also closed for traffic movement. "Jhatikara Border is open only for LMV (Cars/Light Motor Vehicles), two wheelers and pedestrian movement," it said in another tweet.

According to the traffic police, people travelling to Haryana can take the routes via Jharoda (only single carriageway), Daurala, Kapashera, Badusarai, Rajokri NH-8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, Palam Vihar and Dundahera borders.

Vaccination Officer 1, 2,3: India readies for biggest COVID-19 vaccine rollout

After five rounds of inconclusive talks, the government and 40 farmer unions reached some common ground during the sixth round of negotiations on December 30 to resolve protesting farmers' concerns over rise in power tariff and penalties for stubble burning.

However, the two sides remained deadlocked over the main contentious issues of the repeal of the three farm laws and a legal guarantee for MSP. The seventh round of talks between the government and farmer unions is scheduled to be held later on Monday.

Farmer Protest: What did Agricultural minister say on the 7th round of talks|Oneindia News
A wild adult giant panda was found in the protected area of Fushou village, Pingwu county, southwest Chinas Sichuan province, according to publicity department of Communist Party of China (CPC) Pingwu county committee, Red Star News reported on Jan. 2.

Captured by an infrared camera positioned in the protected area of Fushou village, it is the first giant panda discovered in the area so far, the publicity department said on Jan. 2.

Photos taken by an infrared camera show an adult wild giant panda ambling in the protected area of Fushou village, Pingwu county, southwest Chinas Sichuan province. (Photo/Media Convergence Center of Pingwu county)

It passed by the camera without looking back, as shown in the three pictures taken by the camera, a staff member of the protected area said.

The protected area of Fushou village, which is adjacent to Laohegou nature reserve in Gaocun township and Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve in Qingchuan county, Sichuan province, is inhabited by protected wild animals including giant pandas, golden snub-nosed monkeys, and black bears.

In April and May 2020, staff members of the protected area of Fushou village found fresh giant panda feces, confirming for the first time that there are traces of giant panda activities in the area.
Lucknow, Jan 4 : Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Chief Mayawati has expressed grief over the death of 25 people after part of the roof fell on them when they had assembled for attending the funeral rites of a person in Ghaziabad district's Muradnagar area in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday. Mayawati has demanded a proper and timely investigation into the matter.

Mayawati said on Twitter, "Nearly two dozen people in Uttar Pradesh died due to the collapse of the roof of the cremation ground in Muradnagar area of Ghaziabad district which is extremely painful and disturbing. I have full sympathy towards the families of the deceased victims and may God give them the strength to bear this loss." The BSP supremo said the UP government must investigate this accident and ensure strict punishment to the culprits. The state government should not save the culprits and also provide proper financial assistance to the victims' families.

Nearly 25 persons were killed and 17 injured in the incident. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced a financial assistance of Rs two lakh each to the families of the deceased and also ordered a thorough investigation into the accident.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Bhubaneswar, Jan 4 : Odisha Health Minister Naba Kishore Das on Monday said the much-awaited Covid vaccine is likely to reach the state by January 30.

"The Odisha government is in touch with the Union government. I am hopeful that Covid vaccine will reach the state by January 30," said Das.

The Minister said that as per the protocols, the Covid warriors including frontline health workers will get the first dose of the vaccine in the first phase in the state.

Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET) Director CBK Mohanty said the vaccination drive will begin across the state as soon as the doses reach the state.

"As soon as the vaccines will reach Odisha, we will start the roll-out and administration to millions here on short notice," Mohanty told reporters.

Notably, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted emergency use approval to Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech for their respective vaccines.

"As per the decision, the Centre will start administering Covishield to people shortlisted for the vaccine. Serum Institute has over 5 crore vaccine doses. However, the state is not entitled to get those directly.A The Central government will decide how many doses Odisha will get," Mohanty informed.

A total of 3.2 lakh health workers have been selected to get the vaccine in the first phase.

The dry run for the administration of the Covid vaccine was held successfully in all the 30 districts of the state on Saturday.

Odisha has 1,222 cold chain points across the state and these are well-equipped for administering the vaccine, said a health official.
The US government is considering giving some people half the dose of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine in order to speed vaccinations, a federal official said on Sunday. Moncef Slaoui, head of Operation Warp Speed, the federal vaccine program, said on CBS' "Face the Nation" that officials were in talks with Moderna and the Food and Drug Administration about the idea. Moderna's vaccine requires two injections.

"We know that for the Moderna vaccine, giving half of the dose to people between the ages of 18 and 55, two doses, half the dose, which means exactly achieving the objective of immunizing double the number of people with the doses we have," Slaoui said. "We know it induces identical immune response" to the full dose, he added. Moderna and the FDA could not immediately be reached for comment.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had administered 4,225,756 first doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Saturday morning and distributed 13,071,925 doses. The US has also approved a vaccine from Pfizer, which like Moderna's requires two shots. Vaccinations have fallen far short of early targets, as officials had hoped to have 20 million people vaccinated by the end of the 2020.

Slaoui said he was optimistic vaccinations would continue to accelerate. He rejected the suggestion that officials should prioritize giving more people a single shot, rather than holding back doses for the second shot, saying that cutting Moderna vaccine doses in half was "a more responsible approach that would be based on facts and data."

Slaoui said it would likely not be known until late spring whether vaccinated people can still spread the disease to others.

Also read: Face masks may probably never go: ICMR chief Dr Balram Bhargava

Also read: UK set to roll out AstraZeneca-Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine
In a move that should surprise no one, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer formally launched a gubernatorial exploratory committee Monday with intentions of challenging California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Faulconer, a moderate Republican whose record indicates he would likely govern in a way similar to Govs. Larry Hogan of Maryland and Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, had been stating for weeks he is "seriously considering" challenging Newsom and has been sharply critical of the governor on Twitter.

The exploratory committee is not a formal campaign launch, which is expected sometime in the coming months. Exploratory committees are used at times for presidential campaigns, as Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren formed an exploratory committee Dec. 31, 2018, before formally announcing her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president Feb. 9, 2019, and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg formed an exploratory committee Jan. 23, 2019, before officially launching his campaign April 14, 2019.

The timing of Faulconer's formal launch may depend on the efforts to recall Newsom. Groups working to recall the governor have started to receive the large donations that will be necessary to gather the signatures required to force a recall election, and Faulconer endorsed the recall efforts over the weekend.

"Its a new year. We need a new governor," he tweeted Saturday. "Jobs are leaving, homelessness is skyrocketing, and the state cant even issue unemployment checks to people struggling right now to get by. California is better than this. Join me in signing the recall petition."

If the recall organizers can gather 1.5 million signatures by March 17, a recall election will likely be held sometime in the fall of this year. If organizers fall short, Newsom will be up for re-election in 2022.

MORE FAULCONER: How San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer handled the pandemic in his city

Faulconer probably has the best chance of being elected in a recall election.

If a recall election is held, the first item on the ballot would be a simple "yes" or "no" vote on whether Newsom should be recalled. The second item would then be a vote on Newsom's replacement, which would be negated if "no" receives more votes than "yes."

However, if "yes" wins, Newsom would automatically be disqualified from office and his successor would be chosen from one of the other candidates on the ballot  which would allow Faulconer to win on a plurality in the event there's a crowded field. In the 2003 recall of Gray Davis, 55% of Californians voted to recall the governor and Arnold Schwarzenegger subsequently won at the bottom of the ballot with 48.6% of the vote. The second and third place finishers were Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante (31.5%) and state Sen. Tom McClintock (13.4%).

If no recall election is held, Faulconer and Newsom would likely be the two candidates who win the state's top-two jungle primary and proceed to face one other in November 2022. In 2018, Newsom trounced Republican John Cox 61.9% to 38.1%.
COLUMBUS, OhioGov. Mike DeWine on Monday signed a controversial stand your ground bill that would eliminate Ohios duty to retreat before using force in self-defense.

Senate Bill 175, fast-tracked through the Ohio General Assembly last month by DeWines fellow Republicans, will make Ohio the 36th state to no longer require people to retreat before they can justifiably hurt or kill someone in self-defense.

The governor had previously hinted that he would veto SB175, saying he first wanted lawmakers to pass his package of gun reforms that they sat on for more than a year. But in a release sent Monday afternoon, the governor stated that the measure removes an ambiguity in Ohios self-defense law.

I have always believed that it is vital that law-abiding citizens have the right to legally protect themselves when confronted with a life-threatening situation, DeWine said in a statement. The governor added that he signed the bill in a spirit of cooperation with the newly seated 134th Ohio General Assembly.

Until now, under Ohio law, people have been justified in using deadly force in self-defense so long as they arent the aggressor, believe they are in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm, and are in their home or vehicle. The new law, which takes effect in 90 days, removes the home or vehicle requirement, and instead states that the defendant need only be in a place where they lawfully have the right to be.

Proponents of the measure say it gives law-abiding citizens the right to protect themselves. The Buckeye Firearms Association said in a release that DeWine promised them and other gun-rights groups multiple times that he would sign such a bill.

While this bill changes one technicality in Ohio law, it does not change the near universal and well-established standard for use of lethal force, nor does it give criminals a free pass to commit violent crime, Buckeye Firearms said in a statement.

Crimes can happen quickly and without warning. Most victims have a split second to react with the best course of action for their survival, said John Weber, Ohio state director for the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, in a statement. By signing SB 175, Gov. DeWine ensures the law favors victims and not criminals.

But Democrats, along with some Senate Republicans, have sharply criticized the bill, saying (among other things) that it would result in more violence and death -- particularly against minorities.

Only cowards would pass and sign a bill that has been proven to disproportionately harm Black people, said House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes, an Akron Democrat, in a statement. Only cowards would support a bill that allows people to shoot first and ask questions later. The blood of the lives lost from the signing and passage of this bill rest solely on those who supported it.

Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, a Democrat, said on Twitter that she cant express her level of disappointment with DeWine for signing the bill after he pledged to respond to public calls for him to do something against gun violence following a 2019 mass shooting in Dayton.

Gov. DeWine has made clear he opposes this dangerous policy, but he once again folded to the extreme elements in his own party, Whaley stated. Our state needs principled leaders who will stand up for what is right -- not what is politically easy.

DeWines gun-reform plan, which he proposed after the Dayton shooting, would create a voluntary state-level background check process for gun sales between private sellers and expand the states existing pink-slip law to allow authorities to send people with drug or alcohol problems to a psychiatric hospital, where they cannot legally have access to guns. The governor has also asked state lawmakers to toughen state penalties for a number of gun-related crimes.

Republican lawmakers wrapped up their session last month without taking any action on any of those proposals. Newly elected Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman, a Lima Republican, was lukewarm about the future of DeWines gun plan when talking with reporters Monday.

I do think that theres an opportunity to look at some of the issues that the governor brought up in his bill, or the bill that was introduced on his behalf, and to talk about some of the Second Amendment issues, Huffman said.

Cleveland.com politics reporter Laura Hancock contributed to this story.

Read more Ohio politics and government stories:

Ohio reports 5,942 new coronavirus cases, 67 more deaths: Monday update

From education funding changes to Aishas Law, incoming Ohio legislative leaders discuss priorities for 2021

Ohios Sen. Rob Portman wont support electoral vote challenges in Congress

Incoming Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman to take his oath of office at home after coronavirus diagnosis

President Trump to give Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan a Presidential Medal of Freedom
[January 04, 2021] Senseware's COVID-19 air-monitoring platform is focus of Jan. 7 "Catalyst for Change" webinar

The Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance (NOVA EDA) is presenting a free webinar: "Detecting COVID-19, Protecting People at Work: Senseware Sounds the Alarm," at 2 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, January 7. The webinar, part of the 10-session NOVA EDA "Catalyst for Change" webinar series, will feature Serene (News - Alert) Al-Momen, CEO and co-founder of Tysons-based Senseware, Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA), and Ilan Zachar, senior vice president and chief technology officer at Carr Properties. Click here to register for the webinar. Senseware is an IoT solution of hardware, software and cloud data. Its out-of-the-box smart building solution offers a simple way to integrate, monitor and control building systems in real time. Senseware adapted its ai quality monitoring platform to meet the urgency caused by COVID-19.



The webinar discussion will focus on when and how it will be safe to go back to work, what systems are need to ensure employee safety, and what employers and employees need to do to maintain a safe working environment. "It is now more important than ever to apply Internet of Things technology to bring awareness of what is happening in our physical environment in real time. Specifically, knowing if COVID-19 pathogen is in the air we breathe in real time will play a major role in safely repopulating spaces," Almomen said. "We are excited to share how we introduced this new innovation to help promote people safety and wellbeing during this critical time."

The NOVA EDA's Catalyst for Change series is focusing on how companies turn disruption into success. Click here to find out about the additional upcoming webinars, as well as to view recordings of past webinars. "The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority is pleased to present this webinar in conjunction with the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance," Hoskins said. "Safety is the critical component of bringing employees back into working on-site at offices during this unprecedented time." The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority promotes Fairfax County as a business and technology center. In addition to its headquarters in Tysons, Fairfax County's largest business district, the FCEDA maintains business investment offices in six important global business centers: Bangalore/Mumbai, Berlin, London, Los Angeles, Seoul and Tel Aviv. Follow the FCEDA on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. The FCEDA is a member of the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance, which promotes and markets Northern Virginia outside the region and conducts activities and events to build the regional business community. Other members: the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, Arlington County, City of Fairfax, City of Falls Church, Fauquier County, Loudoun County, City of Manassas, City of Manassas Park and the Prince William County Department of Economic Development. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005499/en/

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New Delhi, Jan 4 : The pristine environment ringed with lofty Himalayan peaks and habitat of many flora and fauna species makes the state of Uttarakhand a true adobe.

There are many destinations to explore here which make the wish list of travellers. Many have been known among the traveller communities but some are unexplored far from the hustle bustle of city life in the lapse of nature.

The hill station of Khirsu, is one such destination. Situated at an altitude of 1,700m in the Pauri district, it is a perfect gateway for peace seekers. One has to travel around 11km towards the north of Pauri town to reach this this quaint town.

As winter is here, it is a place that offers the spectacular wide panoramic view of snow covered Himalayas. The virgin landscape provide an amicable environment to find solace and to rejuvenate spiritually and physically from the overwhelming city life.

On a sunny day one can see the clear sky above with chirping of birds. Pine, Oak and Deodars, line elegant pathways covered with bright green moss and a fascinating growth of fern. The feeling of being lost and a renewed spirit to connect with the simpler things can make one happy and complete.

Amid Covid-19 workcation is a buzzing term especially in Uttarakhand. Khirsu is right choice for visitors who are looking for a combination of charm and peace which can increase the efficiency of office work at hand.

Image Source: IANS News

Speaking about the potential and development of Khirsu as one of the common hotspot of Uttarakhand, Dilip Jawalkar, Secretary, Uttarakhand Tourism said: "Uttarakhand is blessed with many beautiful and unexplored place such as Khirsu. Amid Covid, the trend of workcation is booming in the state. We are constantly working to turn this pandemic into an opportunity and offer more such options to the tourists visiting Uttarakhand." Elaborating more about the workcation facilities and footfall of tourists in Khirsu, District Tourism Development Officer (DTDO) Pauri Kushal Singh Negi said: "Khirsu which is situated in the outskirts of Pauri is indeed hidden gem for travellers. After travel restrictions were removed by the government in the state we have received good responses from the tourists. The authentic cuisine of any state is also one factor that attracts tourist from different places. As a result, we have Basa Homestay in Khirsu which is being run by the local women of the place. They offer some of the yummiest food to the visitors and share our folklores. Some similar projects are underway namely Basa Homestay 2, Hunter House and Fishery Homestay." Places to visit:

Jwalpa-Devi Temple: A well-known religious centre on Pauri - Kotdwar road, is renowned place among tourists. It is believed by the locals that any wish asked here with pure heart gets fulfilled. It opens round the year. During Navratras a big religious fair is held every year where many people come from all around the region. Many marriages also perform here with no cost.

Ghandiyal Devta Temple: The ancient temple of Ghandiyal Devta is also a renowned site among the local worshipers. Known as Rashak Dev - The Divine protector is believed to be an incarnation of Lord Abhimanyu, a devotee of lord Shiva. The Ghandiyal fair is the major attraction of this temple. It goes on for nine days and nine nights. Devotees with high religious spirit of nearby areas participate and perform rituals.

Beyond Khirsu Srinagar: Located on way to N.H. 58 on the bank of river Alaknanda. It was once the capital of Garhwal Kings and vital in the expansion of the rulers of the region. Currently, the centre of Garhwal University is situated here. It is the biggest township in the region.

Deval Garh: Situated at 16 km away from Khirsu towards Srinagar. It is one of the important Garh capitals of Garhwal kingdom. The testimony of the prosperous kingdom can be visited here. The Raj Rajeshwari & Gauri Devi temples are the are two important attractions in the vicinity.

Ulka Garhi: A 3 km picturesque drive from Khirsu (Chaubattakhal) takes one to the Ulkha-Garhi. The place is known for small Ulkeshwari temple and many significant structures of the Garhwal kingdoms are also dotted in the region.

Image Source: IANS News

Pauri: District Headquarter of Pauri Garhwal and Commissioner's Headquarter of Garhwal region is situated here. It is 20 km from Khirsu and 32 km from Srinagar. The attractive hill station of Pauri has many tourists Bungalow built in colonial architecture. One can find number of Private Hotels here for stay. The town has a big bazaar for shopaholic to buy local stuff made by the people of nearby villages.

Lansdowne: A hill station with the longest history is continuing to attracting tourists from all over the country. With a benefit of well-connected motorable roads it takes you on a journey to escape from the city life.

(Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in)

-- Syndicated from IANS
Amman, Jan 4 : Jordan's economy is expected to grow by 2.5 per cent in 2021 and the government will launch a program to address challenges in several sectors between 2021-2024, Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh said.

Khasawneh made his remarks on Sunday while delivering the cabinet's policy statement to the Lower House, reports Xinhua news agency.

He said the country's economy contracted by 3 per cent in 2020, adding that the budget deficit after foreign grants is expected to reach around 2.055 billion dinars ($2.9 billion), representing 3.7 per cent of the gross domestic product.

Noting that Jordan faced unprecedented circumstances during the coronavirus crisis, the Prime Minister added that the government will launch a program this year covering the period from 2021-2024 to address the various challenges in economic, social, and financial fields.

The program, he said, will focus on enhancing the competitiveness of these sectors to increase economic growth and help reduce unemployment and attract foreign investments and increase exports.

Khasawneh added that the government will also make efforts to improve the country's healthcare system.
The push to get more electric vehicles on Columbus, Ohio, roads and highways is also prompting a look at where all that energy will come from.Smart Columbus, an umbrella effort led by the Columbus Partnership, the city and others, has spent the last four years developing policy and other changes to transition the regions transportation sector into one that is more sustainable. It has included numerous campaigns to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles, among other projects.One of the questions we almost always inevitably get is, 'Well, what about the power that youre putting into those electric cars?' said Mark Patton, vice president of Smart Columbus at the Columbus Partnership, in a recent interview withThis inquiry led to the formation of Smart Columbus Energy, an energy aggregator and power broker. In short, Smart Columbus Energy works with large employers  who are generally large users of electricity  to secure renewable energy commitments from utility providers like American Electric Power (AEP) Energy, which owns or contracts with electric generation facilities.AEP has been committed to growing our renewable generation fleet for several years, said Scott Blake, a spokesman for American Electric Power, the parent company of AEP Energy. AEP currently has 5,300 megawatts of renewable energy generation, with plans to add about 8,000 megawatts of solar and wind power by 2030.We engaged with Smart Columbus Energy to help them learn the ins and outs of renewable energy markets and further their ability to help other customers in the future, said Blake via email. As a not-for-profit broker, they help customers navigate the complex renewable energy market options and use the proceeds to further fund programming for their mission to benefit central Ohio.Just as some of the regions large companies embraced the idea of installing EV charging on their corporate campuses, they are also interested in securing clean energy, said Patton. But they needed a partner to work out the arrangements with utility providers.It was pretty clear there was corporate interest, said Patton.A typical energy purchase contract ranges from one to three years, Patton explained. However, renewable energy contracts are generally spread over a longer period of 10 to 15 years, where buyers lock in a set rate.They [the utility] agree to deliver that power at a set price, with no escalator for the term of the agreement, said Patton. And the key is, that long-term commitment from the customers is what enables those projects to get financed and built.Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the energy generation sector is as much a goal of Smart Columbus as reducing climate-warming emissions from tailpipes.The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) ranked Ohio 37th in the country in its most recent state scorecard , falling four ranks since 2019. The Buckeye State earned only 0.5 points out of 12 possible for its energy efficient transportation policies. The report cited damaging legislation which rolled back energy efficiency programs and policies.However, Columbus may be the leader for not only central Ohio, but the state. The city, as part of its climate action plan, launched an initiative to be carbon neutral by 2050. In recent years, AEP invested $10 million to install 375 electric vehicle charging stations, in addition to other grid enhancements, said Blake.What's more, the incoming Biden administration could help to reset the table when it comes to energy efficiency and climate goals. The president-elect has said he plans have the United States rejoin the Paris Agreement, a set of broad policy goals to address climate change agreed upon by a number of nations.Our assumption is that having a new administration come in places, I guess, a higher priority on the environment, and those goals are probably going to be even more important, said Patton.There is quite a bit of demand that were seeing, from developers, companies, because the [renewable energy] costs have come down so much, he added. Ten years ago, if you were buying renewable energy you had to be willing to pay a hefty premium.
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The Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has berated the International Criminal Courts call for investigation into possible war crimes by the nations security forces as harassment.

In his first address to journalists in 2021, Mr Mohammed said the action could distract the troops from fighting insurgents in the country.

While our security agencies continue to battle these bandits and terrorists, the ICC and some international human rights organisations, especially Amnesty International, have Amnesty International constituted themselves to another fighting force against Nigeria, constantly harassing our security forces and threatening them with investigation and possible prosecution over alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes, he told journalists in Lagos on Monday.

Before the recent #ENDSARS protests against police brutality, there were reports of unlawful killings of civilians by Nigerian troops, an act both foreign and local human rights organisations have condemned and requested investigation into.

Despite evidence that troops opened fire on unarmed protesters during the #EndSARS protest at the Lekki toll gate, the information minister described the incident as massacre without bodies and faulted the evidence as fake.

He described the ICC, Amnesty International and other organisations that had condemned President Muhammadu Buhari-led administrations approach in managing human rights concerns as threats to the nations security.

Nigeria did not join the ICC so it can become a pawn on the courts chessboard. It beggars belief to see that a nation that is fighting an existential war against bandits and terrorists is constantly being held down by an international body which it willingly joined. Nigeria is a sovereign state and will not surrender its sovereignty to any organisation.

ICC, Amnesty International and their cohorts should desist from threatening our troops and putting the security of our country in jeopardy. Enough is enough. It is sad that these organizations mostly rely on fake news and disinformation to reach their conclusions, as witnessed during the Endsars protest when CNN  an otherwise respected global news network  went to town with fake news of a massacre.

As it turned out, it was a massacre without bodies. As you are aware, we called CNN out and also petitioned the network, Mr Mohammed said.

Highlighting the APC achievements in 2020, the minister claimed there has been tremendous progress in tackling bandits and the terrorists of Boko Haram.

PREMIUM TIMES has, in recent months, reported extensively on the deteriorating security situation across many parts of the nation even as the security outfits appear overwhelmed.
New Delhi: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut's wife Varsha Raut on Monday (January 4) afternoon reached the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office, Mumbai for questioning in connection with an alleged PMC Bank money laundering case. She reached the ED office at Ballard Pier in South Mumbai around 3 pm after she was summoned by the central agency. Varsha Raut was expected to visit the ED office on January 5.

Varsha Raut was summoned by the ED in connection with the alleged transfer of funds from the accounts of Pravin Raut, an accused arrested in the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank fraud case.

The central probe agency has alleged that Pravin Raut had "siphoned off" Rs 95 crore worth of funds from the scam-hit bank in the garb of loan, out of which he paid Rs 1.6 crore to his wife, Madhuri, who subsequently transferred Rs 55 lakh in two tranches to Varsha Raut as an "interest-free loan."

Pravin Raut was one of the directors in Guruashish Constructions, a subsidiary of Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL). He was arrested along with HDIL directors for illegally availing loans from PMC Bank. Earlier on Friday (January 1), the ED attached assets worth Rs 72 crore of Pravin Raut.

Recently, the ED summoned Varsha Raut for questioning with regard to this transaction and a few other deals leading to a political blame game between Maharashtra and the Centre. Varsha Raut skipped the agency's notice thrice and join the ED probe today.

In a press conference in Mumbai last week, Sanjay Raut had denied any wrongdoing on the part of his wife and said they were in correspondence with the ED in connection with the case for about one-and-a-half months.

Sanjay Raut, a Rajya Sabha MP, said details regarding the Rs 55 lakh loan transaction have already been submitted to the ED during the correspondence.

The ED earlier said to have provisionally attached Rs 72 crore worth of assets of Pravin Raut under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). According to the ED statement, "Probe revealed that Rs 95 crore has been siphoned off through HDIL by one of the accused Pravin Raut in active conspiracy and connivance with various persons. "The source of the funds were illegal availed loans/advances by HDIL from PMC Bank. There was no document or agreement in support of these payments made to Pravin Raut."

It had further said, "as per the ledger of HDIL, the funds were given to Pravin Raut for acquiring land in Palghar area," adding the probe found that Pravin Raut "paid an amount of Rs 1.6 crore to his wife Madhuri Pravin Raut from the proceeds of crime."

The probe found that Varsha Sanjay Raut and Madhuri Pravin Raut "are partners in Avani Construction and Varsha Raut has received Rs 12 lakh from this entity (as overdrawn capital converted to loan) on a contribution of mere Rs 5,625." "The loan amount of Rs 12 lakh still remains outstanding," the ED statement had said.

A criminal case of money laundering was filed by the ED to probe the alleged loan fraud in the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank in October last year.

(With Agency Inputs)
Fever clinic capacity has been boosted across Queensland after delays of up to six hours following a request from Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young for anyone who had travelled from Victoria since December 21 to self-quarantine until being cleared of COVID-19.

With two new locally acquired cases in New South Wales and only three cases reported in Victoria on Monday, all linked to existing clusters, Dr Young has also held firm on existing interstate travel restrictions.

Seven additional state-run testing sites have been opened since Sunday, with staff levels reinforced and opening hours extended, along with the reopening of Commonwealth clinics, acting Premier Cameron Dick said.

The state now has 83 government-run clinics open, 23 of which are located in the state's south-east, with a particular focus on extra facilities in the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Brisbane, Mr Dick told reporters on Monday.
Spain's frail-looking runaway former king Juan Carlos pictured in Abu Dhabi

It is the first to emerge of the ex-monarch since he arrived in the country

He checked into a 10,000-a-night presidential suite at the Emirates Palace

Spain's frail-looking runaway former king Juan Carlos has been pictured for only the second time in five months at his Middle East hideaway.

The ex-monarch, who turns 83 tomorrow, had to be helped to walk by two bodyguards at a pleasure port in Abu Dhabi.

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The photo, said to have been taken by Spanish tourists and published by Spanish TV station Telecinco, is bound to fuel new concerns about his state of health.

It is the first to emerge of Juan Carlos since he was pictured arriving in Abu Dhabi at the start of August following a shock departure from Spain after Swiss prosecutors opened an investigation into bank accounts he allegedly held in tax havens.

He checked into a 10,000-a-night presidential suite at the seven-star Emirates Palace following his arrival.

Spain's frail-looking runaway former king Juan Carlos has been pictured for only the second time in five months at his Middle East hideaway

The possibility he would return to Madrid for Christmas had polarised the political debate in Spain over the last few weeks before it was ruled out by Juan Carlos himself.

He attributed his decision to the coronavirus pandemic and the fact he was a high-risk person because of his age.

Reports at the time, refused by Spain's Royal Household, said he had been admitted to a private clinic in Abu Dhabi after testing positive for coronavirus.

Juan Carlos is facing three separate criminal probes in Spain.

One is related to the use of credit cards linked to foreign accounts after his June 2014 abdication when he lost his constitutional protection against prosecution as a serving monarch.

Prosecutors are trying to establish if the scandal-hit former king accessed funds deposited in accounts held by a Mexican businessman and a Spanish Air Force official.

Spain has also launched its own investigation based in part on information shared by Switzerland about cash Juan Carlos allegedly received as part of his involvement in a high-speed Saudi Arabia rail contract.

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Last month the ex-monarch's lawyer announced he had paid more than POUNDS 600,000 in back taxes with interest and surcharges for the years since his abdication.

Juan Carlos, who is married to Queen Sofia, 81, left Spain in August after it was claimed he allegedly received millions of euros from Saudi Arabia 's late King Abdullah. Pictured, Juan Carlos and Sofia in 2004

Spanish authorities responded by saying they were analysing the tax payments to see if they were 'spontaneous, truthful and complete.'

Juan Carlos' shock departure from Spain at the start of August led to an intense questioning of the country's monarchy led by its left-wing vice-president Pablo Iglesias.

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Several interviews by the former king's ex-mistress Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, now living in the UK, have not helped.

She was implicated in the scandal surrounding Juan Carlos' rule after it emerged he had given her a gift of EUROS 65 million.

The 56-year-old blonde has claimed he gave her the cash gift because he was 'adamant about taking care of her.'

She also insisted in a TV interview last year Juan Carlos was the 'architect of his own problems' and described his Middle East exile as the 'ultimate defeat.'

In 2014, King Juan swiftly abdicated in favour of his son Felipe (pictured with his wife Letizia in January)

Spain's current king, Juan Carlos' son Felipe VI, made a veiled dig at his exiled father and the scandals surrounding his family in his Christmas speech.

He said in a televised address 'ethics are above family ties.'

The new photo of Juan Carlos was taken on December 29 on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, home to the Yas Marina Circuit which is the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Juan Carlos, in his letter to Spain's current king Felipe VI announcing his decision to leave his homeland, wrote 'Guided by my conviction I can offer the best service to Spaniards, its institutions and to you as King, I am communicating my decision to move away from Spain.

'It's a decision I am taking with deep feeling but with great serenity. I have been King of Spain for almost 40 years and during that whole time, I've always wanted the best for Spain and for the Crown.'

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He signed off the letter: 'With affection as always, your father.'

It later emerged he had already left Spain by the time the letter was released by the Royal Household.

His departure sparked mixed reactions, with monarchists and right-wing politicians accusing the government of forcing him into exile and critics of the former king accusing him of an amateur attempt to protect himself and his son from the corruption scandals threatening the future of Spain's dwindling royal family.

A Byron Bay real estate agent who has sold homes to the Hemsworths and other celebrities insists Hollywood stars aren't the ones driving up property prices in the trendy coastal town.

While frustrated locals blame a few high-profile residents for the influx of wannabe models and social media 'influencers' to the area in recent years, Peter Yopp of LJ Hooker Byron Bay says it's not A-listers who are spending the most money.

Mr Yopp told Realestate.com.au the soaring house and rent prices in Byron Bay were actually the result of the 'secretly rich' splashing the cash.

Don't blame Thor: A Byron Bay real estate agent who has sold homes to the Hemsworths and other celebrities insists Hollywood stars aren't the ones driving up property prices in the trendy coastal town. Pictured: actors Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky at their $20million home in Broken Head, near Byron Bay

'To be honest, the people with the real money look like they don't have any money. You wouldn't even know who they are,' he said.

Mr Yopp also said sale prices were constantly rising, with new records being set whenever a luxury property changes hands.

'The latest sale is the new bottom,' he told the website. 'As soon as something else comes along, it supersedes it [in price].'

Blame game: While frustrated locals blame a few high-profile residents for the influx of wannabe models and 'influencers' to the area in recent years, Peter Yopp of LJ Hooker Byron Bay says it's not A-listers who are spending the most money. Pictured: Chris and Elsa's mansion

Rich man's playground: Mr Yopp told Realestate.com.au the soaring house prices in Byron Bay were actually the result of the 'secretly rich' splashing the cash. Above: Byron Bay Lighthouse

According to Domain, the median house price in Byron Bay is now more than $1.44million, which is up 22.8 per cent from last year.

Meanwhile, rent has 'jumped by a third in six months', reports Realestate.com.au.

Notable Byron Bay residents include actor Chris Hemsworth and his wife, Elsa Pataky, who own a $20million 'mega-mansion' in Broken Head; model and The Block winner Elyse Knowles, who bought a $2.3million beach house last year; and The Project host Carrie Bickmore, who rents out her $3million holiday home to visitors.

Secretly rich: 'To be honest, the people with the real money look like they don't have any money. You wouldn't even know who they are,' Mr Yopp told Realestate.com.au. Pictured: model, reality TV star and notable Byron Bay resident Elyse Knowles

Dream home: The Block's Elyse Knowles and her boyfriend, Josh Barker, bought this 1960s property in the old part of Byron Bay town last year

In addition to the famous locals, many Hollywood stars have rented in Byron Bay while visiting Australia, including Zac Efron, Natalie Portman and Mark Wahlberg, who spent his 14-day quarantine at a luxury $2,500-a-night retreat in the area.

Domain claims that nearby towns like Lennox Head, Suffolk Park, Pottsville and Brunswick Heads have seen an increase in tourism as Byron Bay becomes increasingly pricey.

But even those more humble towns are seeing property prices soar, with prices in Lennox Head going up 44.7 per cent. Pottsville has a median house price of $780,000, up from $500,000 five years ago.

Hot market: According to Domain, the median house price in Byron Bay is now more than $1.44million, which is up 22.8 per cent from last year. Pictured: The Project host Carrie Bickmore, who owns a $3million holiday home in Byron Bay
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Help.org, a trusted online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones, has announced the Best Rehab Facilities in Oakland, CA for 2021. The informational guide recognizes the top 9 rehab facilities based on cost, treatment options, location, accompanying services and more.

According to recent studies, drug overdose is the leading cause of death among people under age 50. In Oakland, deaths related to opioid abuse increased significantly from 2011 to 2015. Substance abuse among adolescents is also escalating in Oakland with 55 percent of high school students reported using alcohol, 38 percent reported using marijuana, 8 percent reported using prescription drugs without a valid prescription, and 2 percent reported using heroin. With the growing need for accessible and high-quality rehab programs, Help.org has developed a unique ranking process to help connect individuals with treatment providers that meet their needs.

The Help.org research team analyzed thousands of facilities across the country and then identified the most cost-effective and highest rated programs in larger cities like Oakland. Each facility was evaluated based on rehabilitation services, treatment approaches, cost, special programs for unique demographics and ancillary services. The website also provides information about drug use and side effects as well as educational articles. For a detailed listing of the Best Rehab Facilities in Oakland, CA please visit https://www.help.org/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-centers-in-oakland-ca/

2021 Best Rehab Facilities in Oakland, CA (in alphabetical order)

American Health Services  Lifeline Treatment Services

10429 International Boulevard Oakland, CA 94603

510-777-8448

Bay Area Community Services (BACS)  Thunder Road Youth Services

390 40th Street Oakland, CA 94609

510-613-0330

Friendship House Association of American Indians Inc., of San Francisco

56 Julian Avenue San Francisco, CA, 94103

415-865-0964

Horizon Services, Inc. (HSI)

3485 Telegraph Avenue Oakland, CA 94609

510-582-2100

LifeLong East Bay Community Recovery Project  EBCRP Project Pride

2545 San Pablo Avenue Oakland, CA 94612

510-446-7160

Magnolia Womens Recovery Programs Inc.

17 Embarcadero Cove Oakland, CA 94606

510-535-1344

New Bridge Foundation

2323 Hearst Avenue Berkeley, CA 94709

866-772-8491

Options Recovery Services

1630 10th Street Oakland, CA 94607

510-836-9501

West Oakland Health Council

700 Adeline Street Oakland, CA 94607

510-835-9610

ABOUT HELP.ORG

Help.org is an online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones. The website provides the latest research through scientifically proven methods, community recovery resources as well as information about local financial assistance. Help.orgs team of researchers, activists and writers work together with addiction counselors and other professionals to offer useful and accurate resources to help individuals seeking recovery. To learn more, visit https://www.help.org/.
Official White House Photo by D. Myles CullenBy BEN GITTLESON, ABC News



(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump's extraordinary call this weekend in which he asked Georgia's top election official to "find" enough votes for him to overturn the state's election results has threatened to exacerbate a schism among top Republicans -- and has put a renewed focus on Vice President Mike Pence.



While the vice president has over the past couple months voiced support for the president's baseless allegations of electoral fraud -- avoiding Trump and his allies' more incendiary charges -- all that may end Wednesday.



Pence will be tasked with overseeing a congressional session where the Electoral College vote will be certified, officially and finally determining former Vice President Joe Biden to be the president-elect.



Trump has pressured GOP senators and representatives to formally object to the results from key swing states, although doing so will only prolong the session -- rather than change the ultimate result.



Back from a reported vacation on the ski slopes of Colorado, and a day after swearing in members of Congress, Pence headed to Georgia on Monday to campaign for two Republicans competing in runoff elections that will determine control of the Senate for the next two years.



The vice president will likely be the most senior Republican official to react publicly to Trump's attempt to pressure Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes," one more than the number Biden won the state by in November.



Raffensperger pushed back, but the hour-long call put in stark contrast to the announcements by a dozen senators and 140 members of the House of Representatives -- all Republican -- that they would voice objections during Wednesday's congressional session.



Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., last week became the first senator to back the effort, and on Sunday, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced he and 10 others would join in, too.



The U.S. Constitution calls on the vice president, who also serves as president of the Senate, to oversee the session, which Trump and his allies have increasingly put their focus on.



Several Republican senators have forcefully criticized their colleagues for taking part in what will amount to a futile effort.



Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, called it "an egregious ploy" that "dangerously threatens our Democratic Republic," and Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said the challenge amounted to an attempt "to disenfranchise millions of voters."



On Twitter, Trump attacked a couple of those who have expressed reservations, including GOP Sens. Tom Cotton, of Arkansas, and John Thune, of South Dakota.



Pence himself has given no indication whether he will actually fulfill his role and preside over the session; he could skip it and pass the duty to the most senior member of the Senates majority.



His chief of staff, Marc Short, on Sunday said in a statement that "Vice President Pence shares the concerns of millions of Americans about voter fraud and irregularities in the last election" and that he "welcomes the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections and bring forward evidence before the Congress and the American people on January 6th."



There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud or irregularities that would affect the elections outcome.



The president said Sunday he would attend a Wednesday rally in Washington protesting the election. His supporters and far-right groups plan to gather to back the president, who is set to leave office just two weeks later.



Trump and his allies have thus far failed to overturn the election in his favor -- they lost around 50 court cases challenging the vote -- and the president has grown increasingly desperate in recent weeks. There has been no evidence of widespread voting fraud in the November election.



After audio of Trump's call with Raffensperger, which was first obtained by The Washington Post but also independently obtained by ABC News, Democrats raised questions about whether the president may have committed any crimes.



Democratic Reps. Ted Lieu, of California, and Kathleen Rice, of New York, said Monday they had sent a criminal referral to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.



The evidence of election fraud by Mr. Trump," they said in a statement, is now in broad daylight."



The White House declined to comment on reports about the call, which took place three days before the end of two Senate runoff races in Georgia that, if Democrats win, will flip control of the Senate.



Trump planned to headline a campaign rally for the two candidates, Sen. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, Monday night.



Pence planned to deliver remarks at a church in Milner, Georgia. Monday's trip marked his fifth visit to the Peach State since Election Day and his sixth rally on behalf of Perdue and Loeffler.



The vice president was recently the target of a lawsuit brought by Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, and Republicans from Arizona that sought to force Pence -- in his role at Wednesdays session -- to recognize a group of Republicans as Arizonas electors even though Biden won the state. A judge threw out that suit on Friday.



Pence had previously rallied behind long-shot Republican efforts to overturn the election results, most recently supporting a Texas-led lawsuit that was ultimately dismissed by the U.S. Supreme Court.



So far, just in the last few days, 18 states have joined the Lone Star State to defend the integrity of our elections before the highest court in the land, Pence said at the time, at a rally in Augusta, Georgia, on Dec. 10. President Donald Trump deserves his day in court, the Supreme Court. And all I can say is, God bless Texas.



Pence spent the Christmas and New Year's holidays vacationing in Vail, Colorado, the ski resort town, according to local media.



Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Its fair to say that 2020 didnt go the way that any of us would have planned. Its been such a tough year in many ways and Id like to say an enormous thank you to every person who has supported us in what has been undoubtedly the hardest year Ive ever experienced in my long career (and I opened our restaurant during a recession)!

I also have to say that Im extremely proud of the remarkable efforts that our restaurant and hospitality industry has collectively exhibited over the last year, bringing life, light, and hope to so many during these difficult times. Ive always known that the restaurant community is full of incredibly hard-working, creative and resourceful people, but even I have been pleasantly surprised at the strength, determination, resilience and creativity shown by so many fighting to keep their business alive under stringent safety guidelines and trying economic circumstances over the past year.

Almost every colleague I know faces the hardship of a challenging winter ahead, and I would like to encourage you all to patronize your favourite local restaurants, when they can finally reopen safely again, and support them through their pickup and delivery business, or by purchasing gift cards and vouchers in the meantime.

As I reflect on the many positives that have also come from the past twelve months, Im feeling hopeful and determined as we head into the New Year. I truly believe that our industry will we can come back stronger than ever if we can navigate through the next few months.

Restaurants have always been a place to break bread, a place to come together and share good times and great food with family and friends. Hopefully we will all be back soon as our guests mean the world to us and we cannot wait to have you smiling and enjoying warm, Mediterranean hospitality in the dining room in 2021!

This weeks recipe is creamy Piri-piri pork. Piri-piri is a spicy dish with roots in both Africa and Portugal. The dish was created in Angola and Mozambique when Portuguese settlers arrived with chilli peppers (known as piri-piri in Swahili). Its a new dish on our delivery service menu, weve added a little natural yoghurt for a light, creamy sauce and we absolutely love it!

Portuguese style creamy piri-piri pork fillets

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4

2 Fillets of pork, cleaned and diced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 red pepper, sliced

250g chopped tomatoes

100ml white wine

200ml Chicken stock

50ml natural yoghurt

1tbsp chopped parsley

Salt & pepper

Basic Piri-piri sauce:

4 red red chilies

2 garlic cloves, crushed

50m lemon juice

50ml olive oil

1tbsp paprika

2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

1tsp sugar

Seasoning

For the basic piri-piri sauce, place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend to a puree. Pour half the sauce over the pork pieces and marinate in the fridge for at least 4-6 hours.

Heat the olive in a heavy-bottomed pan and fry the pork pieces over a fierce heat for one minute.

Remove the pork and reduce the heat. Add the sliced red pepper to the pan and cook gently for about 1-2 minutes. Add the white wine, chicken stock and chopped tomatoes. Cook gently for 10 minutes and add the rest of the piri-piri sauce. Stir in the pork pieces and warm through. To finish, add the natural yoghurt, chopped parsley and season to taste. Serve immediately.
When it comes to the hit series Vikings, one of the main questions that fans are dying to have answered is what really happened to Floki (Gustaf Skarsgard) and will he return before the final season of Vikings is over? Vikings season 6B premiered on December 30 on Amazon Prime Video ahead of its premiere on History. Although there is a lot of action and storyline development, fans havent forgotten about their favorite famous boat builder.

[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from Vikings]

Gustaf Skarsgard in Vikings | Jonathan Hession/A+E Networks/History

What happened to Floki?

Floki hasnt been seen since season 5B, and his whereabouts are completely unknown going into season 6B. He went to Iceland to establish a settlement, but it hasnt been an easy process in the slightest. The people there turned on each other and started to kill one another. It was all too much for Floki to take, and he tells Kjetill (Adam Copeland), who has just slaughtered a number of people, that hed torture and kill him if he was still the man he once was.

Do with this place as you like, Im done with the humans, Floki tells him.

Later, fans see him go inside a cave, which he believes is the gate to Helheim, or the underworld in Norse mythology. Looking to find the gods, he gets further into the cave, which happens to be in a volcano. He finds a sculpture of a cross inside, and in disbelief, he laughs and cries. But the erupting volcano causes the cave to bury him inside the rubble.

Does Floki return for the final season?

It was unclear if Floki would be able to make it out of the cave, but apparently he does. In episode 19 of the new season, Ubbe (Jordan Patrick Smith), along with his wife, Torvi (Georgia Hirst), find their way to the Golden Land, upon which hes been searching after being in Iceland and Greenland. But it only comes after a long hard struggle that includes the loss of Asa, Torvis daughter, and the deaths of others.

When they notice that the leader of a Native American tribe in the area, Pekitaulet (Carmen Moore), can speak their language, they quickly learn why that is. Floki found his way to that place, and made himself a nice little set up where he carved into the trees different events from his past, including the face of Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel).

Ubbe, Torvi, and some of the others are taken to Flokis home that hes built in a treehouse style. He propels himself down on some boards from his house, and just laughs when Ubbe says, Hello Floki.

Jordan Patrick Smith in Vikings | Bernard Walsh/History/A+E Networks

RELATED: Vikings: How 1 Decision Changes Ragnar Lothbroks Future

Floki has certainly changed, and he appears much more passive now than in his aggressive days of the past. He reveals to Ubbe that the Native Americans took care of him when he arrived.

These people have always taken care of me, Floki explains to Ubbe. I would not have survived without them. When I arrived here, I was weak, unable to stand on my own feet. They brought him food and made him well again.

When Ubbe asks why he left Iceland, Floki replies with, I left when the sadness became too much. I was overwhelmed. I was imprisoned in sadness. I felt deserted by the gods. I called to them, but I no longer heard their voices. The world made no sense. He says he was sick to his very soul.

And so I found a boat, Floki reveals. Being a Viking, as I still was, I was always able to find a boat. When asked what made him so sad, Floki replies, I dont always remember.

Fans will be glad to know that Floki has returned for the final season of Vikings, and hes been reunited with a son of Ragnar.
Hawley is burnishing his credentials as the leader of post-Trump Trumpism. Photo: GREG NASH/Getty/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

In early December, Republican Alabama congressman Mo Brooks let it be known that he planned to challenge Joe Bidens election win when Congress convened on January 6 to execute the typically pro forma task of counting and confirming the Electoral College vote. Under the provisions of the Electoral Count Act of 1887, a challenge to any states electoral votes from one House and one Senate member triggers a two-hour debate in both chambers and then a vote in both houses on the challenge. Only if a majority of members in both houses vote to sustain the challenge does it have any effect. Given the impossibility of that happening, as Democrats control the House, the main effect of the gambit would be to force every Republican in Congress to go on record as crediting or discrediting Trumps absurd claims that he actually won the election by a landslide.

For that very reason Mitch McConnell has strongly discouraged the members of his conference from joining Brooks in his gesture and triggering an actual debate and vote on January 6. But it was probably just a matter of time before the prospect of maximum appreciation from Trump and the praise of hard-core MAGA bravos led a senator to break ranks, and one of the prime suspects all along has made it official:

Millions of voters concerned about election integrity deserve to be heard. I will object on January 6 on their behalf pic.twitter.com/kTaaPPJGHE  Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) December 30, 2020

Yes, the junior senator from Missouri, often described as a potential leader of a post-Trump conservative populist wing of the GOP, is fishing in the troubled waters of election-fraud conspiracy theories. His sos-your-old-man claim that hes just following precedents set by Democrats after the 2004 and 2016 elections isnt very sound. In the latter year there were protests from a smattering of House Democrats during the announcement of the electoral votes certifying Trumps win, but no senator joined them, and as it happens, Joe Biden (who presided over the joint session of Congress as vice-president) shut down efforts to talk about election disputes from the floor. In 2005, a senator (Barbara Boxer) did join a House Democrat (Ohios Stephanie Tubbs Jones) in objecting to Ohios electoral vote based on concerns about voting-machine irregularities; this triggered a debate, but the protesters made it clear they werent actually challenging the outcome. More to the point, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry did not support the protest at all. It was a very different kettle of fish from todays Trump-supported election-coup effort. If there is any analog at all to this situation, it would be the 2000 election, when Al Gore quickly conceded defeat after the Supreme Court shut down the Florida recount that might have reverse the outcome there, and then presided over the joint session of Congress that confirmed George W. Bushs dubious win without much of a peep of protest  even though Gore, like Biden this year, unquestionably won the popular vote.

While the Brooks/Hawley gambit is bad news for every Republican in Congress who does not want to displease Trump, which means most of them, the pol placed most dangerously in the spotlight is Mike Pence, who like Gore in 2000 and Biden in 2016 will preside over the joint session of Congress on January 6 and will be responsible for announcing electors from each state (though he could delegate that chore to clerks).

It has been reported that Pence has been present at White House meetings involving January 6 plotters like Brooks, along with Trump and his lawyers. One of those plotters, extremist Texas congressman Louie Gohmert, has filed a federal lawsuit aimed at declaring the Electoral Count Act of 1887 an unconstitutional limitation on Pences power to decide which electors deserve recognition (whether or not they have been state-certified as the Electoral Count Act provides, cutting off all later challenges). Nobody expects the suit to get a hearing before January 6, but its intended purpose may have been to smoke out Pence on his relative willingness to steal the election by announcing fake Trump electoral slates from close states as the actual winners. Now Politico is reporting that Pence rejected an opportunity to join in Gohmerts suit (he is in fact the named defendant, since hes the one who will supervise whatever happens on January 6).

So barring some reversal by Brooks and Hawley, the circus is definitely coming to Washington on January 6, and in the center ring Mike Pence may be forced to choose between his clear constitutional duty and pressure to tug his forelock one last time to the man who lifted him to the vice-presidency. If Pence does try to claim electors for Trump in states won by Biden, we could have a full-on constitutional crisis, or more likely a repudiation of Pence by both houses of Congress. As for the debate over Team Trumps claims, it clearly wont involve any more evidence than the allegations already rejected by federal and state courts from sea to shining sea.
One man is dead after crashing into the back of a flatbed truck Sunday, San Antonio police said.

The man was driving a 1999 Mercedes-Benz C230 at around 5:30 p.m. on the southbound access road of Interstate 35 when he crashed near Palo Alto Road, police said.

Police said the flatbed tow truck was stopped in the far lane of the access road with its emergency lights responding to a separate service call. The driver attempted to maneuver around the parked tow truck but ended up hitting the rear passenger side corner of the flat bed on the driver's side of the vehicle, according to police.

FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox

Police said the corner of the flat bed went through the windshield, hitting the victim in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The SAPD said sun glare may have contributed to the crash because responding officers reported that the sun was in their eyes as they approached the scene. The victim was wearing his seatbelt at the time and wasn't using his cell phone, but police said they believe he was speeding.

The man has not been identified.

Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway
Here's how material shortages are hitting home construction

"It's not just that prices are going up; it's how quickly they're going up and nothing's coming down," said CEO of the PA Builders Association.
New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to grant a stay on the conviction of Indian Police Service Officer (IPS) R S Bhagora in the 2002 Bilkis Bano case. A vacation bench of Justices A K Sikri and Deepak Gupta said that there is no urgency for hearing the matter as the convicted officer has already undergone the sentence.

The bench, however, listed the matter for hearing in the second week of July, observing the fine is of Rs 15,000 only. IPS officer R S Bhagora, currently serving in Gujarat, has been convicted along with four other policemen by the Bombay High Court recently after the trial court had acquitted them.

The counsel appearing for Bhagora said if the conviction does not stay, then he will be terminated from the service as per service rules. He said the court should grant stay on the conviction.

The Bombay High Court had on May 4 reversed the trial court verdict acquitting Bhagora and others and had upheld the conviction of 11 people (one convict is dead) in the Bilkis Bano gang rape case.

Along with five policemen, two doctors were also convicted by the HC. The High Court bench had said that the seven persons doctors and the policemenare convicted under sections 218 (not performing their duties) and section 201 (tampering of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

ALSO READ: Bilkis Bano gangrape case: Opposition Congress, activists welcome Bombay High Court judgement

A special court had on 21 January, 2008 convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment 11 men for raping Bilkis and murdering seven of her family members in the aftermath of the Godhra riots while acquitting seven persons including the policemen and doctors.

The convicts later approached the Bombay high court challenging their conviction and sought for the trial courts order to be quashed and set aside. The CBI had also filed an appeal in the high court seeking harsher punishment of death for three of the convicted persons on the ground that they were the main perpetrators of the crime.

According to the prosecution, on 3 March, 2002, Bilkis Banos family was attacked by a mob at Randhikpur village near Ahmedabad during the post-Godhra riots and seven members of her family were killed.

READ: Bilkis Bano rape case: Bombay HC upholds life imprisonment to 12 convicts

Bilkis, who was five months pregnant at the time, was gang raped while six other members of her family managed to escape from the mob.

The trial in the case began in Ahmedabad. However, after Bilkis expressed apprehensions that witnesses could be harmed and the CBI evidence tampered, the Supreme Court transferred the case to Mumbai in August 2004.

The convicts had challenged the order on three main grounds that all evidence in the case was fabricated by CBI, that Bilkis gave birth to a child after the incident, which proved that she could not have been gang raped, and the failure to find the bodies of some of her family members proves that they were not killed.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Despite Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerbergs current legal woes, whispers in the digital content sector speculate the Facebook chief is evaluating cannabis oriented social media service MjLink.com, a subsidiary of Social Life Network Inc (OTCMKTS: WDLF). After the U.S. House of Representatives landmark decision to federally legalize marijuana earlier this month, even one of the worlds top billionaires has to assess the cannabis sectors revenue potential. Rumor has it that Zuckerberg, 
President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden both head to Georgia Monday with control of the U.S. Senate in the hands of the state's voters hours after the leak of a bombshell tape of Trump trying to pressure a top state official to 'find' thousands of votes for him.

Trump's election eve visit comes follows the release of a leaked hour-long phone call where the president demanded Georgia's Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger 'find 11,780 votes'  one more than his deficit to Biden in the state-certified count.

Biden also will travel to Georgia for a last-minute rally ahead of the Tuesday runoff elections, which pit a pair of incumbent Republican senators against two Democratic challengers.

'I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have because we won the state,' Trump told Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in a leaked call. He heads to Georgia Monday

Republicans have warned that Trump's efforts to overturn the results of his own election could have a negative impact on the party's chances  and the president himself raised the issue in his call with Raffensperger, where he demanded state election officials meet Monday and 'work out on these numbers.'

'But I'll tell you it's going to have a big impact on Tuesday if you guys don't get this thing straightened out fast,' he told Raffensperger, who repeatedly resisted his demands on the call.

Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan warned Monday that Trump's flailing actions are a political anchor for his party.

'I can't think of a scenario where it helps,' Duncan told CNN. 'You know, if we look back to the last ten weeks, any Republican using this misinformation or election fraud is only an excuse, it's not a solution for us winning on Tuesday.'

If Republican Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue successfully defend their seats, their party would maintain a 52-seat majority in the 100-seat Senate, giving them the power to block much of Biden's agenda when he takes office on Jan. 20.

Perdue blasted the leak of the call  and downplayed the president's comments some legal experts are already saying could constitute criminal interference in the vote count, dismissing the idea it could hurt his own race.

'I don't think its really going to affect our election. Im still shocked that a member of the Republican Party would tape a sitting president and then leak that. Its disgusting in my view,' he told Fox News. 'But what the president said is exactly what he's been saying the last few months.'

He said the president just 'wants some answers.'

A sweep by Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff would hand control to Biden's party, as Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would hold the tiebreaking vote in the 50-50 chamber. That would make it easier for Biden to enact further coronavirus relief and tackle climate change, as Democrats also control the House of Representatives.

President- elect Joe Biden heads to Atlanta Monday

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger repeatedly resisted Trump's pressure tactics on the call

None of the candidates won a majority in their November races, which spurred the runoff elections.

Biden narrowly won Georgia in November, breaking years of Republican dominance in the state. Trump has refused to acknowledge his defeat and his campaign has unsuccessfully sought to overturn the results in Georgia and several other battleground states.

Trump pressured Georgia's top election official on Saturday to 'find' enough votes to overturn his defeat.

Biden will campaign for Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff

Republican Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue are each in runoff elections

'There's nothing wrong with saying, you know, that you've recalculated,' Trump said, according to an audio recording of the call released by the Washington Post. Raffensperger refused his request.

Democrats and election experts say Trump's efforts almost certainly broke the law.

It is not clear whether Trump's actions and his repeated claims of election fraud will affect the outcome of the Senate races. Strategists from both parties say the outcome could likely hinge on how many Republican voters participate on Tuesday, given strong Democratic early-voting turnout.

'If we get our vote out on Election Day then I think Perdue and Loeffler both have a very strong chance of winning,' Cobb County Republican Party Chairman Jason Shepherd told Reuters.

Trump warned Raffensperger on Saturday that Republican voters might be disheartened if Biden's victory is allowed to stand.

'Because of what you've done to the president a lot of people aren't going to vote, and a lot of people are going to vote negative,' he said on the call. He has previously called for both Raffensperger and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, both Republicans, to resign for not backing his unsupported allegations of election fraud.

The campaigns have obliterated spending records and spurred unprecedented turnout. More than 3 million Georgians have already cast their votes and political groups have flooded the southern state with a tsunami of advertising.

Trump is due to visit Dalton, a city in the state's heavily Republican northwest.

Biden will rally along with Ossoff and Warnock in Atlanta.

Ossoff runs a documentary film company and narrowly lost a race for a Georgia House seat in 2017. Warnock is senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the pulpit once held by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Azerbaijan has started commercial natural-gas supplies to the European Union via the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), as the region seeks to diversify energy supplies away from Russia. Gas pumped from the giant Shah Deniz 2 field in the Caspian Sea began flowing into Italy, Greece, and Bulgaria on December 31, Azerbaijans state energy company SOCAR said in a statement.

SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev hailed the development as a "historic day."

Some were skeptical about this project. Now the mission is accomplished -- Azerbaijans natural gas has arrived in Europe, he said.

The 878-kilometer TAP is a segment of the Southern Gas Corridor, which took more than $30 billion and seven years to build.

The overall project includes Shah Deniz 2, Azerbaijans largest gas deposit, and 3,500 kilometers of pipelines connecting the Caspian Sea with Western Europe via Georgia and Turkey.

Azerbaijan already supplies gas to Turkey and aims to supply European gas markets with 10 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas a year.

Analysts say Azerbaijani gas poses some threat to Moscow's share of the continent's gas market but is unlikely to change Russia's dominant position as a supplier.

Russia, which already accounts for about one-third of the regions gas supplies, plans to raise gas exports to Europe, including Turkey, to 183 bcm in 2021 from more than 170 bcm this year.

Related: 8 New Energy Technologies That Will Blow Your Mind

Moscow has recently accelerated efforts to complete its undersea Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline to Germany, a project that stalled a year ago due to U.S. sanctions.

Washington has strongly opposed the project as threatening the security of NATO allies in Europe by increasing dependence on Russia.

Later on December 31, Azerbaijan's SOCAR announced that it had signed a long-term contract with the Belarus Oil Company to supply oil to that country.

Belarus has intermittently been at loggerheads with Russian officials in recent years over oil supplies that for decades have been supplied at a heavy discount.

By RFE/RL

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 4)  The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation or PhilHealth said it has no power to reverse the law stating a yearly increase in member contributions.

"Batid na batid ng PhilHealth, at lubos na nauunawaan po ng ahensiya ang kasalukuyang situation ng marami nating kababayan, at yung sitwasyon ng maraming negosyo. Ngunit...wala sa kapangyarihan ng PhilHealth na hindi po ipatupad ang itinatadhana ng batas. Wala tayong authority para hindi ito iimplement," PhilHealth Spokesperson Rey Balena told CNN Philippines.

[Translation: PhilHealth knows and understands the current situation of the people as well as of many businesses. But it is not within our power to stop implementing what the law says. We do not have the authority to stop this from being implemented.]

Balena explained the rise in premiums among direct contributors started in 2019, rising gradually per year, until it reaches 5% in 2024.

Balena added any move to delay the hike in contributions would have to go through Congress.

"Tanging Kongreso lang ang may kapangyarihan na i-amyenda ang batas, at ipinababahala po natin sa mga mambabatas ang bagay na ito," he said.

[Translation: Only Congress has the power to amend the law, and we leave this issue to lawmakers.]

On Sunday, Anakalusugan Party-list Rep. Michael Defensor proposed a six-month reprieve from paying the higher contributions, saying it would not negatively impact PhilHealth.

On Monday, Senator Imee Marcos filed Senate Bill 1966, an act suspending the increase in PhilHealth contributions.

Marcos said suspending the increase was appropriate given the financial and economic difficulties faced by the public amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement in December, PhilHealth explained the increase is to "ensure sufficient funding for the health care of its 110 million members as mandated by Republic Act No. 11223 or the Universal Health Care Law."

The premium rate will be increased to 3.50% from the current 3.00%.

"The premium adjustment is provided for in Section 10 of the UHC Law and its implementing rules and regulations, the guidelines of which are contained in Circular 2020-005 published by PhilHealth on March 5, 2020," said PhilHealth.

Starting January 1, those who have a monthly basic salary of 10,000 and below shall have a fixed contribution of 350 a month. Those earning 70,000 and higher per month will pay a fixed rate of 2,450 monthly.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III backed the rise in premiums, saying it is needed to ensure the sustainability of the system.

However, according to Senator Bong Go, President Rodrigo Duterte said he would support the deferment of the hike, and was prepared to fund its augmentation.
Let us know what you're seeing and hearing around the community.

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Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan (centre) with Nphet colleagues at a Covid-19 update press conference at the Department of Health. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

There have been 6,110 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed by the Department of Health this evening while a further six people have died with the virus.

The 14-day incidence rate has risen to 583 cases nationally per 100,000 population.

There are currently 776 people hospitalised with Covid-19 as of this evening, with 70 of these in ICU. 92 people have been hospitalised in the past 24 hours.

Read More

"We are seeing numbers I never anticipated reporting," Professor Philip Nolan said.

Prof Nolan says the level of disease in the community is already having an "enormous" effect on the hospital system.

There have been 3,655 new cases confirmed in Dublin, 323 in Kildare, 291 in Cork, 234 in Limerick, 137 in Louth and the remaining 1,470 cases are spread across all other counties.

The positivity rate is just short of 20pc, Prof Nolan says, reminding people this was below 3pc in recent weeks.

Professor Nolan says that right now the amount of disease in the population is beyond what was experienced in March or April but pointed out recent figures feature cases that were backlogged. He estimated the true incidence rate nationally to be between 700 and 800.

Prof Nolan says projections are showing a possibility of up to 2,000 Covid-19 patients in Irish hospitals by mid-January, with between 200 and 400 people in ICU.

The incidence rate among 1924-year-olds is now at 900 per 100,000 over the last week, the Nphet modelling expert said.

Professor Nolan has said the number of people in intensive care units are rising "very sharply and rapidly".

"What we have done in the last week and what we do in the coming days dictates where this will go," Professor Nolan said.

Dr Holohan said Nphet "have never been as concerned throughout the whole pandemic as we are now" and says the challenges this will pose to society has "to concentrate the minds of everybody".

"This is a really, really serious situation and the numbers we are hearing from Prof Philip Nolan are simply unsustainable," Dr Holohan said.

Dr Holohan has said the case numbers we are seeing now will lead to a "significant amount of mortality" over the course of the month of January.

In relation to the opening of schools, Dr Holohan said that while the incidence in schoolchildren is below the national average, "it is increasing at a very, very fast rate".

Dr Holohan said he spoke with the Taoiseach Micheal Martin today in relation to this, giving the strongest indication yet that Nphet may change their advice to government on keeping schools open.

Dr Holohan issued a stark reminder that current levels of infection "put too many people in funeral homes."

He said: "We simply can't deal with levels of infection like this."

Dr Holohan reiterated that infection levels are now so high that Ireland has now moved to the mitigation phase, meaning "all resources now have to be redirected to protect the vulnerable from this disease".

Dr Holohan says if you have flu-like symptoms, it is "unlikely to be anything else other than Covid" such are the positivity rates in the community, which currently stand near 25pc.

"People should just accept it is Covid if they have such symptoms," Dr Holohan insisted.

There are currently 287 ICU beds in the system, Dr Liam Woods of the HSE said, while Prof Nolan earlier forecast between 200 and 400 people in need of ICU care by mid-January, highlighting the strain the health service may face.

Dr Holohan says that the HSE will publish daily figures of people vaccinated online and will also give updates in their weekly press briefings.

Liam Woods of the HSE has said the service will review their policy of suspending much of their non-urgent care in the coming weeks due to the worsening profile of the virus. There are currently 3,000 staff of the health service currently out of work that either are positive or are close contacts of Covid-19 patients.

This comes as the European Medicines Agency is set to authorise the use of the Moderna vaccine against the virus this evening, two days ahead of schedule, meaning the vaccination programme in Ireland may be accelerated in the coming weeks.

Earlier today Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said that up to 40,000 people per week would be vaccinated going forward, confirming a shipment of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine had arrived earlier than expected.

Elsewhere, there were 12 further deaths and 1,801 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed this afternoon in Northern Ireland as the first jabs of the Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine were administered in the country today.

Members of the Executive will meet this evening to discuss further restrictions to halt the spread of Covid-19. It is expected Northern Ireland will enter a full lockdown in harmony with the rest of the UK this evening after Boris Johnson addresses the UK this evening.

It is expected Prime Minister Johnson will announce the highest tier of restrictions for the United Kingdom and will keep schools closed as the country continues to struggle with escalating cases and hospitalisations.

Read More

Online Editors
Tamil Nadu government has allowed theatres to open with 100 per cent capacity. The decision comes after prominent actors like Vijay and Silambarasan requested the state government to allow cinema halls to function in full capacity as big films are slated to release around the Pongal celebrations.

In an official order, the state government wrote that the seating capacity of Cinemas/theatres/Multiplexes will increase from the existing 50 per cent to 100 per cent by following the Standard Operating Procedure issued already. "In order to create awareness among the spectators, the precautionary measures for Covid-19 shall also be screened during the showtime," the order added.

Actor Vijay's film Master and Silambarasaran's Eeswaran are both expected to release during the Pongal holidays. On December 28, the Kollywood industry's renowned actor Vijay met CM Edappadi Palaniswami over his upcoming release Master. At that time, the actor requested the Chief Minister to increase the capacity as against the current capacity of 50 per cent seating at theatres. Helmed by Lokesh Kanagaraj and produced by Xavier Britto, the film stars Vijay, Vijay Sethupathi, Andrea Jeremiah, Malavika Mohanan, and Arjun Das in pivotal roles.

Multiplexes/Cinema halls/theatres were closed for more than five months last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Tamil Nadu reopened the multiplexes on November 10, 2020, with only 50 per cent of sitting capacity following the Union home ministry's guidelines.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu reported 867 fresh coronavirus cases and 10 more deaths on Sunday. The active cases in the state have dipped to 8,127 and a total of 8,00,429 have got cured.

Also read: Brazil's private clinic seeks deal with Bharat Biotech for COVID-19 vaccine

Also read: No plans to buy agricultural land for corporate, contract farming: RIL
Recently, comedian Munawar Faruqui along with four others were arrested for allegedly insulting the religious sentiments of Hindus. However, a woman who attended the show took to Instagram saying that the comedian didnt make any derogatory remarks and the police officer also said that there were no videos showing him making the remarks.

The four others who were arrested included -Edwin Anthony, Prakhar Vyas, Priyam Vyas, and Nalin Yadav. This came after Eklavya Singh Gaur, the son of a BJP MLA Malini Laxman Gaur, filed a police complaint against them for passing derogatory comments about Hindu Gods and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the show. Also, the local court rejected their bail pleas and sent them directly to judicial custody.

He was allegedly also beaten and thrashed for his comments.

Comedian Munawar Faruqi beaten by Hundutva Mob

Alleged making derogatory comments about Hindu deities



Where are those Hindutva and Librandus Who were Supporting France in Name of Freedom Speech



Where is Freedom of Speech Of Comedian Munawar Faruqui pic.twitter.com/pNFJmW3KyH  faizan (@faizan0008) January 2, 2021

Here is a video of the show before he was arrested in Indore-

Video of Munawar Faruqui in Indore Munro cafe before he was arrested. https://t.co/oerI8yJa2l  Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) January 2, 2021

Now, several comics including Varun Grover, Vir Das, Kaneez Surka, Agrima Joshua, and Rohan Joshi, meanwhile, took to social media in support of Faruqui.

Varun Grover took to Instagram and said, A fellow Indian, a fellow comedian is in jail and got beaten up by a mob because of the words he uttered. Here hes trying to logically, calmly present his case but our systems now just want to brutally silence every voice They dont want to hear, they dont want to even argue  they want to simply erase every shred of individual thought, every iota of reason.

Vir Das also took to Twitter in support of the comedian. Check out the posts here-

I'm just going to leave this here. pic.twitter.com/C8eqqDzPya  Vir Das (@thevirdas) January 3, 2021

You can't stop jokes and laughter. Not because comedians are performing it, but because people need to laugh. Harder you try, the more you're going to be laughed at, now, and by history.



Anyone who has ever tried to control humour, now has a category of jokes devoted to them.  Vir Das (@thevirdas) January 3, 2021

Faruquis lawyer Anshuman Shrivastava also expressed that an FIR had been registered with a political motive and also said that constitutional provisions of freedom of speech defend comedians. What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below!
Rumours are strong that Alibaba founder and Chinese billionaire Jack Ma is missing after several media outlets reported that the high-profile businessman has not been seen in public for over two months now.

Jack Ma did not appear in the final episode of his own talent show, Africas Business Heroes. UKs Telegraph reported that Alibaba founder was supposed to be a part of the judging panel in November final but he was replaced by an Alibaba executive. Surprisingly, Jack Ma's picture was also removed from the website.

According to Financial Times, an Alibaba spokesperson said Ma failed to attend the final due to a schedule conflict.

It is to be noted that Jack Ma's huge business empire, Ant Group, has been under the scanner of Chinese government ever since the billionaire businessman delivered a speech on October 24 slamming Chinas regulation system for stifling innovation. He had also called global banking rules an old peoples club.

Todays financial system is the legacy of the Industrial Age, Ma said in the speech.

We must set up a new one for the next generation and young people. We must reform the current system, he added.

After a few days, Ants IPO which had already received permission from Chinas securities watchdog was suspended. The Shanghai Stock Exchange justified the sudden move saying Ant had reported significant issues such as the changes in financial technology regulatory environment.

It is learnt that an anti-monopoly investigation was launched by China against Alibaba in December and Ant Group was ordered to restructure its operations.

Ma has donated millions of face masks to Europe, the US and the World Health Organisation in order to curb the spread of coronavirus. He is known for his charity work with the Jack Ma Foundation focused on areas of education, entrepreneurship, female leadership, and the environment.

Forbes reported that Jack Ma Foundation has distributed or pledged more than USD 300 million for charity purposes.

Notably, Mas last tweet was on October 10, 2020.
A new conspiracy of China has come to light amid the simmering border tension between India and China on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. It is to be noted that China has deployed tanks in front of Indian posts sending a message that Beijing in unwilling to reduce tension along the LAC.

The exclusive video which is in possession of Zee News shows that China has deployed 30-35 tanks opposite Rezang La, Rechin la and Mukhosri locations. These hights were captured by Indian Army on August 29-30. These tanks are positioned against Indian positions. These tanks are light in weight and made using modern technology.

Live TV

Meanwhile, Indian forces are fully prepared to give a befitting reply to China in case it resorts to any misadventure at the LAC. Indian Army has deployed tanks at a height of 17000 feet for the first time to stop Chinese troops from intruding inside Indian territory. Indian Army has deployed these tanks at the hills of Rezang La, Rechin la and Mukhosri.

Few weeks ago, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had said that India's handling of the border dispute with China sent a message to the world that India was not weak and the country would not allow anyone to engage in any act of aggression.

Singh had asserted that New Delhi was willing to resolve the issue peacefully with Beijing but it will not tolerate any harm to its self-esteem.
The Uttar Pradesh government will rope in what it calls progressive farmers to help increase income of other farmers by guiding them to use advanced agri methods, said the state government in a statement.

These farmers will share their success stories and techniques with others at farmers fairs and seminars to be held at the local level.

From every district, the agriculture department will select 100 progressive farmers as role models for local farmers. They will also be given a platform to present their views in the Farmers Welfare Mission programmes, which will be held in 350 blocks from January 6, said the statement.

Farmers producers organisation (FPO) functionaries constituted at the block level will also be invited to the event. Along with giving certificates, the approved farm machinery bank and seeding equipment will also be distributed to the farmers.

The campaign will be monitored by the government and the agriculture department will create a microsite of Kisan Kalyan. All information will be posted on the web portal of the department and the information department will ensure publicity of this event on every platform.

District-wise information will also be collected about how many farmer interactions took place during the campaign. Mobile and WhatsApp numbers of the farmers concerned will also be collected and a database will be maintained, the statement said.

A committee will be constituted at the government level under the chairmanship of the agricultural production commissioner (APC) to conduct the campaign.

Considering the scant exposure of women in the agricultural sector, adequate participation of women will also be ensured in Mission Farmers Welfare, said the statement.
A Georgia woman was called a "miracle patient" after finally walking out of the hospital on New Year's Eve. the patient underwent treatments for COVID-19 and experienced 40 days in a medically induced coma.

Memorial Satilla Health said in a statement that Lisa Martin, 49-years-old, a mother of four, was first diagnosed at the hospital in Waycross, Georgia, in late September. The hospital wrote in a December 31 Facebook post, "Her amazing journey includes 59 days on a ventilator, 40 days in an induced coma, and surviving a frontal lobe stroke."

Waited several days before they decide whether to take off life support

The staff eventually called Lisa's family and asked them to decide if they will take off life support, as per the hospital. The family chose to wait for eleven days before deciding on what to do, the Insider reported.

However, God had other plans, the hospital said. "On the eleventh day, Lisa broke through the sedatives and began tracking Jeff with her eyes and she moved her hand," it added.

Martin was sent to two hospitals for additional treatment and rehabilitation, wherein she re-learn to talk, walk, swallow, and eat as part of her recovery, she told First Coast News.

Martin added to the news station that she has to wear oxygen the whole day and walk with a walker or wheelchair for long distances. The doctors thought she made a full recovery.

Martin's journey changed their family's lives for the better, one of her daughters, Madison, told PEOPLE. She continued and said that her mom almost died and is now fighting to get back to her everyday life. Madison thanked God for using her mom as an example of how to keep faith during the hard times.

Read also: Wisconsin Medical Worker Deliberately Destroys COVID-19 Vaccine Doses, Officials Say

Martin battled COVID-19 for three months

According to Fox29, Martin left the hospital after three months of battling with COVID-19. The Georgia patient was discharged on New Year's Eve. The hospital commended her incredible journey, including four days in an induced coma, 59 days on a ventilator, and surviving a front lobe stroke.

Martin was described as a "miracle patient," and the hospital posted a video of her leaving the hospital while staff members clapped with pride.

A #COVID19 miracle: Lisa Martin, a 49-year-old woman from Blackshear, Ga. left rehab today after battling #coronavirus for 95 DAYS! Doctors placed her in a medically-induced coma and on a ventilator. She had to learn how to walk again. Hear her amazing story tonight on @FCN2go. pic.twitter.com/pc5AUUArsL  Dawn White (@DawnWhiteNews) December 31, 2020

@Twitter

The US coronavirus cases continuously surge

Earlier this week, the deadly coronavirus strain was first identified. The U.S. surpassed 20 million cases in precisely one year of the pandemic, as per the Johns Hopkins University data. Last month, the U.S. reached 15 million cases amid the surge where over a million Americans fell ill to the coronavirus in the first five days of December.

Up to date, almost one-quarter of the more than 83 million COVID-19 cases globally are Americans, while the COVID-19 deaths in the nation have also totaled more than 346,000.

Read also: COVID-19 Vaccines: Inside the First Batch of Distribution in the US

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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Press Release

4 January 2021

Singapore Tourism Board and Studio Dragon Partners Up to Promote Singapore

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Singapore Tourism Board ("STB") signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding ("MoU") with Studio Dragon Corporation ("Studio Dragon"), one of South Korea's leading drama production, marketing, and distribution company, to promote Singapore to South Koreans through the production of Korean dramas in Singapore. The collaboration marks Studio Dragon's first collaboration with a National Tourism Organisation. STB will play an advisory role for Studio Dragon through determining locations, products, and cultural elements to be featured in dramas. Both parties will also embark on a joint marketing effort to promote activities related to the drama productions filmed in Singapore when travel restrictions ease. Mr Keith Tan, Chief Executive of STB, is confident that the partnership to co-produce Korean dramas in Singapore will boost Singapore's tourism recovery post-pandemic. The Chief Executive of Studio Dragon Corporation, Mr CK Kang, hoped that the partnership will also act as a platform to explore other IP-related projects focusing on dramas in the future. This partnership aligns with STB's key marketing strategy in South Korea, one of Singapore's top source markets that ranked ninth out of the 15 top visitor source markets in 2019. There were approximately 646,000 South Koreans that visited Singapore in 2019, a 3% increase from 2018.

Malaysia Launched 2020 - 2030 National Tourism Policy

The National Tourism Policy ("DPN") 2020-2030 which was launched virtually by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on 23 December 2020, aims to strengthen Malaysia's competitiveness as the preferred tourism destination, encourage sustainable tourism development and plan for disaster preparedness to drive new economic growth. The six-pronged strategy plan includes governance transformation, inclusive investment tourism zones, enhancing digitisation, enriching tourist experience and satisfaction, strengthening commitment to sustainable tourism, and increasing human capital capacity in tourism sub-sectors. Under the policy, Special Tourism Investment Zones will be created to enhance collaboration between the public and private sector and attract more local and foreign investments for tourism developments. Mr Muhyiddin also mentioned the importance of developing a digital technology-based tourism industry as it can strengthen the network between industries and promote new innovative sub-sectors in the tourism industry to create more business and employment opportunities. Additionally, he stressed the Perikatan Nasional government's commitment to balance the development, preservation and conservation of the environment, culture and heritage while promoting tourism development.

The Delivering Group and Valor Hospitality Partnership to Cater to Growing White-Label Demand in Asia Pacific

Hong Kong-based hospitality and tourism marketing company, The Delivering Group ("DG"), have entered a partnership with US-based white-label hotel management specialist, Valor Hospitality Partners ("VHP") to jointly leverage their services and client bases to provide white-label operational management services, as well as sales and marketing support to hotels and resorts globally. The partnership will prioritise independent hotels in the Asia-Pacific and Greater China regions, which is expected to gradually rebound from the coronavirus epidemic in 2021. Mr Mark Simmons, the co-founder of DG, stated that independent hotel owners in Asia are looking to expand their brand, and would require support from white-label hotel management specialists. This alliance is part of DG's strategy in forming a coalition that provides various solutions for travel and hospitality firms. To date, DG has partnered with six other solution providers: Absolute Hotel Services, Jiffy, Cube, Book Tech, Valor Hospitality Partners and Riviera. These firms specialise in a myriad of disciplines, which include sales, marketing, branding, public relations, digital marketing, revenue management, distributions, and operational management. VHP currently owns and operates over 75 hotels worldwide.

New Airline Plans Unveiled as Japan Eases Travel Restrictions

As travel restrictions in Japan ease, Hong Kong Airlines Limited plans to resume flights from Hong Kong to Osaka Kansai twice a week from 1 January 2021 onwards. Flights to Tokyo Narita will also be increased from once to twice a week. Visitors do not have to undergo Covid-19 testing prior to departure and upon arrival. However, visas will still be required, and visitors are subjected to a 14-day quarantine. Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Japan is looking to remove the 14-day quarantine and offer more airline routes with better flight connections. Meanwhile, Qantas Airways Limited and Japan Airlines Co. Limited ("JAL") have submitted their plans to form a five-year joint business venture to launch new routes between Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Once approved, the joint venture is expected to commence in July 2021. The venture is an expanded codeshare relationship with benefits including optimised schedules on flights, enhanced frequent flyer benefits, more premium travel opportunities, as well as the coordination of both airline's pricing, schedules, sales and tourism marketing to deliver new and improved travel products to customers.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump urged fellow Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, to "find" enough votes to overturn his defeat in an extraordinary one-hour phone call Saturday that legal scholars described as a flagrant abuse of power and a potential criminal act.

The Washington Post obtained a recording of the conversation in which Trump alternately berated Raffensperger, tried to flatter him, begged him to act and threatened him with vague criminal consequences if the secretary of state refused to pursue Trump's false claims, at one point warning that Raffensperger was taking "a big risk."

Throughout the call, Raffensperger and his office's general counsel rejected Trump's assertions, explaining that the president is relying on debunked conspiracy theories and that President-elect Joe Biden's 11,779-vote victory in Georgia was fair and accurate.

Trump dismissed their arguments.

"The people of Georgia are angry, the people in the country are angry," he said. "And there's nothing wrong with saying, you know, that you've recalculated."

Raffensperger responded: "Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong."

At another point, Trump said: "So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state."

He later added: "So what are we going to do here, folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break."

The rambling and at times incoherent conversation offered a remarkable glimpse of how consumed and desperate the president remains about his loss, unwilling or unable to let the matter go and still asserting that he can reverse the results in enough battleground states to remain in office.

"There's no way I lost Georgia," Trump said, a phrase he repeated again and again on the call. "There's no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes."

Several of his allies were on the line as he spoke, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and conservative lawyer Cleta Mitchell, a prominent GOP attorney whose involvement with Trump's efforts had not been previously known.

In a statement, Mitchell said Raffensperger's office "has made many statements over the past two months that are simply not correct and everyone involved with the efforts on behalf of the President's election challenge has said the same thing: Show us your records on which you rely to make these statements that our numbers are wrong."

The White House, the Trump campaign and Meadows did not respond to a request for comment.

Raffensperger's office declined to comment.

On Sunday, Trump tweeted that he had spoken to Raffensperger, saying the secretary of state was "unwilling, or unable, to answer questions such as the 'ballots under table' scam, ballot destruction, out of state 'voters,' dead voters, and more. He has no clue!"

Raffensperger responded with his own tweet: "Respectfully, President Trump: What you're saying is not true."

The details of the call drew demands from top Democrats for criminal investigations. Campaigning in Georgia, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris called Trump's conversation a "bald-faced, bold abuse of power by the president of the United States."

Biden's top campaign lawyer, Bob Bauer, said the recording "captures the whole, disgraceful story about Donald Trump's assault on American democracy."

Republicans, however, were largely silent. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, when asked about the call while campaigning in Georgia on Sunday for the two GOP senators who face a run-off Tuesday, dodged the question completely.

Trump's pressure campaign on Raffensperger is the latest example of his attempt to subvert the outcome of the Nov. 3 election through personal outreach to state Republican officials. He previously invited Michigan Republican state leaders to the White House, pressured Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in a call to try to replace that state's electors and asked the speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to help reverse his loss in that state.

His call to Raffensperger came as scores of Republicans have pledged to challenge the electoral college's vote for Biden when Congress convenes for a joint session on Wednesday. Republicans do not have the votes to successfully thwart Biden's victory, but Trump has urged supporters to travel to Washington to protest the outcome, and state and federal officials are already bracing for clashes outside the Capitol.

During their conversation, Trump issued a vague threat to both Raffensperger and Ryan Germany, the secretary of state's general counsel, suggesting that if they don't find that thousands of ballots in Fulton County have been illegally destroyed to block investigators - an allegation for which there is no evidence - they would be subject to criminal liability.

"That's a criminal offense," he said. "And you can't let that happen. That's a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer."

Trump also told Raffensperger that failure to act by Tuesday would jeopardize the political fortunes of David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, Georgia's two Republican senators whose fate in that day's runoff elections will determine control of the U.S. Senate.

Trump said he plans to talk about the alleged fraud on Monday, when he is scheduled to lead an election eve rally in Dalton, Ga. - a message that could further muddle the efforts of Republicans to draw out their voters.

"You have a big election coming up and because of what you've done to the president - you know, the people of Georgia know that this was a scam," Trump said. "Because of what you've done to the president, a lot of people aren't going out to vote, and a lot of Republicans are going to vote negative, because they hate what you did to the president. OK? They hate it. And they're going to vote. And you would be respected, really respected, if this can be straightened out before the election."

Trump's conversation with Raffensperger echoed his effort to persuade the Ukrainian president to investigate Biden on a call that led to his impeachment, and once again put him in legally questionable territory, legal experts said. By exhorting the secretary of state to "find" votes and to deploy investigators who "want to find answers," the president appeared to be encouraging him to doctor the election outcome in Georgia, which could violate state and federal law.

Trump's apparent threat of criminal consequences if Raffensperger does not act could be seen as an attempt at extortion and a suggestion that he might deploy the Justice Department to launch an investigation, they said.

"The president is either knowingly attempting to coerce state officials into corrupting the integrity of the election or is so deluded that he believes what he's saying," said Richard Pildes, a constitutional law professor at New York University, who noted that Trump's actions may have violated several federal statutes.

But Pildes said Trump's clearer transgression is a moral one, and he emphasized that focusing on whether he committed a crime could deflect attention from the "simple, stark, horrific fact that we have a president trying to use the powers of his office to pressure state officials into committing election fraud to keep him in office."

Prosecutors probably would exercise discretion in considering a case against an outgoing president, experts said.

Edward Foley, a law professor at Ohio State University, said that the legal questions are murky, and that it could be difficult to prove that Trump knew he was encouraging illegal behavior. But Foley also emphasized that the call was "inappropriate and contemptible" and should prompt outrage.

"He was already tripping the emergency meter," Foley said. "So we were at 12 on a scale of 1 to 10, and now we're at 15."

Throughout the call, Trump detailed an exhaustive list of disinformation and conspiracy theories to support his position. He claimed without evidence that he had won Georgia by at least a half-million votes. He floated a barrage of assertions that have been investigated and disproved: that thousands of dead people voted; that an Atlanta election worker scanned 18,000 forged ballots three times each and "100 percent" were for Biden; that thousands more voters living out of state came back to Georgia illegally just to vote in the election.

"So tell me, Brad, what are we going to do? We won the election, and it's not fair to take it away from us like this," Trump said. "And it's going to be very costly in many ways. And I think you have to say that you're going to re-examine it, and you can re-examine it, but reexamine it with people that want to find answers, not people who don't want to find answers."

Trump did most of the talking on the call. He was angry and impatient, calling Raffensperger a "child" and said law enforcement officials "either dishonest or incompetent" for not believing there was widespread ballot fraud in Atlanta - and twice calling himself a "schmuck" for endorsing Kemp, whom Trump holds in particular contempt for not embracing his claims of fraud.

"I can't imagine he's ever getting elected again, I'll tell you that much right now," he said.

He also took aim at Kemp's 2018 opponent, Democrat Stacey Abrams, trying to shame Raffensperger with the idea that his refusal to embrace fraud has helped her and Democrats generally. "Stacey Abrams is laughing about you," he said. "She's going around saying, 'These guys are dumber than a rock.' What she's done to this party is unbelievable, I tell you."

The secretary of state repeatedly sought to correct Trump, saying at one point, "Mr. President, the problem you have with social media, they - people can say anything."

"Oh, this isn't social media," Trump retorted. "This is Trump media. It's not social media. It's really not. It's not social media. I don't care about social media. I couldn't care less."

At another point, Trump claimed that votes were scanned three times: "Brad, why did they put the votes in three times? You know, they put 'em in three times."

Raffensperger responded: "Mr. President, they did not. We did an audit of that and we proved conclusively that they were not scanned three times."

Trump sounded at turns confused and meandering. At one point, he referred to Kemp as "George." He tossed out several different figures for Biden's margin of victory in Georgia and referred to the Senate runoff, which is Tuesday, as happening "tomorrow" and "Monday."

His desperation was perhaps most pronounced during an exchange with Germany, Raffensperger's general counsel, in which he openly begged for validation.

Trump: "Do you think it's possible that they shredded ballots in Fulton County? 'Cause that's what the rumor is. And also that Dominion took out machines. That Dominion is really moving fast to get rid of their, uh, machinery. Do you know anything about that? Because that's illegal, right?"

Germany responded: "No, Dominion has not moved any machinery out of Fulton County."

Trump: "But have they moved the inner parts of the machines and replaced them with other parts?"

Germany: "No."

Trump: "Are you sure? Ryan?"

Germany: "I'm sure. I'm sure, Mr. President."

It was clear from the call that Trump has surrounded himself with aides who have fed his false perceptions that the election was stolen. When he claimed that more than 5,000 ballots were cast in Georgia in the name of dead people, Raffensperger responded forcefully: "The actual number was two. Two. Two people that were dead that voted."

But later, Meadows said, "I can promise you there are more than that."

Another Trump lawyer on the call, Kurt Hilbert, accused Raffensperger's office of refusing to turn over data to assess evidence of fraud, and also claimed awareness of at least 24,000 illegally cast ballots that would flip the result to Trump.

"It stands to reason that if the information is not forthcoming, there's something to hide," Hilbert said. "That's the problem that we have."

Reached by phone Sunday, Hilbert declined to comment.

Mitchell contradicted Trump on several occasions on the call, saying, "Well, I don't know about that," when the president alleged that a Fulton County election worker had triple-counted 18,000 ballots for Biden. She claimed that the extent of the fraud is unclear because Raffensperger's office has not shared all the data Trump's lawyers have sought.

"We never had the records that you have," she said. Germany noted that the office is barred under law from sharing some voter information.

In the end, Trump asked Germany to sit down with one of his attorneys to go over the allegations. Germany agreed.

Yet Trump also recognized that he was failing to persuade Raffensperger or Germany of anything, saying toward the end, "I know this phone call is going nowhere."

"Why don't you want to find this, Ryan?" he asked of Germany. "What's wrong with you? I heard your lawyer is very difficult, actually, but I'm sure you're a good lawyer. You have a nice last name."

But he continued to make his case in repetitive fashion, until finally, after roughly an hour, Raffensperger put an end to the conversation: "Thank you, President Trump, for your time."

- - -

The Washington Post's Alice Crites contributed to this report.
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An incident that proves Mumbai Polices bravery has come to light recently when a police countable successfully managed to rescue a snake in Dharavi. The incident took place on Thursday, December 31.

As per the video shared by the Mumbai Police department on their social media, it can be seen that the policeman is rescuing the snake with his bare hands. Further, it has also been revealed that his leg was fractured when the incident occurred. However, the dedicated cop did not let any of these things come in the middle of his duty. The snake in question here was a six feet long India Rock python.

In the clip which has been recorded on a mobile phone, it can be seen that the brave official Murlidhar Jadhav is on a risen platform. As the video progresses, one sees how cautiously he is rescuing the snake which seems to be stuck between a wooden frame and a white coloured thing, which was most likely being used for partition.

One more person, who is clad in red round neck t-shirt, is seen assisting the policeman. After the snake is rescued from there, the cop puts it a green bag and closes it. In the background people, living in the area are seen hooting and cheering up for his heroic act.

It is safe to say that it is because of Jadhavs efforts that the panic created by the situation was brought under control. Later, the snake was released in its natural habitat.

Mumbai Polices social media handle also gave the entire incident a fun angle by calling the snake a gate crasher. In the tweet, they wrote, Escorting The Gatecrasher Out! A 6 feet long Indian Rock Python sneaked in a Dharavi home causing panic.

Escorting The Gatecrasher Out!A 6 feet long Indian Rock Python sneaked in a Dharavi home causing panic.A fractured leg didnt stop PC Murlidhar Jadhav from performing his duty, who rescued the python & released it in its natural habitat with help from the Forest Dept. pic.twitter.com/yURWjlugWh Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) January 1, 2021

Majority of the netizens have lauded the efforts of the police in the comment section of the video. One person has also mentioned how it is not always feasible to always call the forest department in such situations. In such cases, the snakes can be rescued by the experts, packed in a safe bag and handed over to the concerned authorities. Sometimes, the reptile can also be released safely in its natural habitat.
President of Mexico Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks at Palacio Nacional in Mexico City, Mexico, on Sept. 26, 2020. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

Mexican President Ready to Provide Political Asylum to Wikileaks Julian Assange

Officials in Mexico are ready to provide political asylum to Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange after a British court ruled the Australian publisher wont be extradited to the United States.

Im going to ask the foreign minister to carry out the relevant procedures to request that the UK government releases Mr. Assange and that Mexico offers him political asylum, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said during a press briefing on Monday.

Assange currently remains in the United Kingdom and was indicted by U.S. prosecutors on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse related to the 2010 WikiLeaks publication of leaked military and diplomatic documents in Afghanistan and Iraq.

During his hearing on Monday, British District Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected the U.S. extradition request out of concerns Assange might commit suicide.

The United States responded Monday they are planning to appeal Baraitsers decision to reject their request.

During Mondays conference, Lopez Obrador said he thinks Assange deserves a chance, adding that he is in favor of pardoning him and the country is ready to give him protection.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen in a police van, after he was arrested by British police, in London on April 11, 2019. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters)

The Mexican president also urged last year that Britain should release Assange, calling his detention torture and saying WikiLeaks documents had exposed the worlds authoritarian workings.

The 49-year-old publisher has spent most of the last decade either in prison or self-imposed confinement, following his release of thousands of secret classified files and diplomatic cables that caused embarrassment to many governments around the world.

Lopez Obrador, who took office in December 2018, has long railed against ruling elites and rhetorically has sought to break with establishment politics and economics.

Assange wouldnt be the first high profile case who has been offered political asylum by the Latin-American country. Former Bolivian President Evo Morales was also granted asylum after election fraud protests resulted in civil unrest last year.

Bolivias President Evo Morales addresses the media at the presidential hangar in the Bolivian Air Force terminal in El Alto, Bolivia on Nov. 10, 2019. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

Morales stepped down from his post on Nov. 10 in an undisclosed location amid mass protests and a loss of support from the police and military. He was being criticized for manipulating Bolivias laws and its 2009 Constitution so that he could run for president a fourth time.

Mexicos Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard granted Morales asylum request at a press conference on Nov. 11.

Epoch Times reporter Katabella Roberts and Reuters contributed to this report.
India Oil Corp Ltd has made booking Indane LPG cylinders a lot easier. The corporation on January 1, 2021, launched a missed-call facility for refill booking and other consumer-related initiatives.

The Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan launched the missed-call facility for refill booking of Indane LPG cylinders and also for getting a new LPG connection registration through a single number for the ease of the consumers.

How to book the LPG Cylinder?

Customers of Indane Oil LPG can use the number - 8454955555 - to make a booking for a refill cylinder from anywhere the country.

To book the LPG cylinder, customer can give a missed call on 8454955555 form their phone numbers.

What are the advantages of using the missed call facility?

Booking LPG cylinders will save a lot of time as customers will no longer have to be on long hold calls for booking a cylinder. Using this facility, they would be able to book a cylinder with just a missed call.

Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan took to Twitter to explain the missed-call facility and why it is advantageous. He wrote, "In line with PM Narendra Modi's vision for a Digital India, these consumer-centric initiatives will make LPG refill booking and new connection registration more convenient and free of cost. This will benefit consumers, especially the elderly and those from rural areas".

Meanwhile, Pradhan also launched the first batch of XP100, which is the country's first indigenously produced Octane petrol from Digboi Refinery in Assam.

He said, "The country's oldest operating refinery has joined the elite group of Mathura and Barauni refineries, which will produce this advanced version of petrol".

"XP 100 was rolled out in 7 more cities today- Bhubaneswar, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Indore, Kochi, and Kolkata. Earlier in the 1st phase, XP100 was launched in 10 cities, including Delhi. This is one more step towards our efforts to improve ease-of-living for citizens," the minister added.

Pradhan also congratulated Indian Oil for coming up with "customer-centric, environment-friendly products and services". "Congratulate @IndianOilcl for leading from the front in constantly innovating and developing customer-centric, environment-friendly and best in class products and services. These initiatives are reflective of the spirit of Aatmanirbhar Bharat," he stated.

Also Read: Tamil Nadu allows theatres to open with 100% capacity

Also Read: Jack Ma missing since October? Here's what we know so far
The Butt family, which owns the San Antonio-based grocery chain H-E-B, is among the wealthiest in the U.S., according to a ranking by Forbes.

On Dec. 17, the business magazine listed the family at No. 15 out of 50 families in its 2020 ranking of the richest families in America. The last time Forbes complied this ranking was in June 2016. At that time, the Butt family was the 23rd wealthiest family in the U.S.
Chinese billionaire, Alibaba founder Jack Ma suspected missing

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 05: There is speculation rife that Chinese billionaire Jack Ma is missing after reports surfaced that he has not made a public appearance for more than two months.

Jack Ma suspected missing after conflict with Xi Jinping | Oneindia News

He has also not turned up for the final episode of his own talent show, Africa's Business Heroes that gives budding African entrepreneurs the chance to compete for for USD 1.5 million. He was supposed to one of the judges, but was replaced by Alibaba executive in the final episode aired in November.

His business empire, Ant Group has been under scrutiny by Beijing ever since he delivered a controversial speech on October 24 in Shanghai. He criticised the Chinese regulation system for stifling information and likened the global banking rules to an odd people's club.

China halts Jack Mas worlds largest IPO by suspending his Ant Group's listing

He had said that today's financial system is the legacy of the Industrial Age. We must set up a new one for the next generation and young people. We must reform the current system, he also said.

In November officials in Beijing reprimanded Ma and suspended the USD 37 billion initial public offering of his Ant Group on the direct order of President Jinping, the Wall Street Journal had said in a report

A Bloomberg report said that he was then advised to remain in China before launching an anti-monopoly investigation into his Alibaba Group Holding on Christmas Eve. The Associated Press said that these moves are part of the Communist Party's efforts to curb the influence of tech companies as they move into the financial services sector at a time when Beijing is seeking to reduce financial risks.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, January 4, 2021, 11:57 [IST]
44 staffers at the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center Emergency Department tested positive for COVID-19 between December 27 to January 1

Officials are investigating whether an air-powered costume worn by one employee on Christmas Day may be linked to the outbreak

'Any exposure, if it occurred, would have been completely innocent, and quite accidental, as the individual had no COVID symptoms,' hospital officials said

The emergency staff were the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine less than 10 days ago, but would not have reached immunity yet without the second shot

All those infected are now isolating and the hospital is undergoing a deep clean

The giant inflatable Christmas tree costume linked with spreading COVID-19 to at least 44 California hospital staff, killing one, has been pictured on the wards.

At least 43 staffers have been infected with COVID-19 within the past week and officials are investigating whether the inflatable worn by an employee for the holiday may have caused the outbreak via its internal fan.

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The staffers at the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center Emergency Department tested positive between December 27 to January 1. The woman who died has not been named but was described as 'absolutely wonderful' by her colleagues.

Officials said a staffer briefly appeared at the emergency department on Christmas Day wearing an air-powered inflatable costume. The employee who wore the costume has not been revealed but it may have blown virus droplets across ward.

'A staff member did appear briefly in the emergency department on December 25th wearing an air-powered costume,' Irene Chavez, senior vice president and area manager of Kaiser's San Jose Medical Center said to the San Francisco Chronicle.

'Any exposure, if it occurred, would have been completely innocent, and quite accidental, as the individual had no COVID symptoms and only sought to lift the spirits of those around them during what is a very stressful time,' she said.

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a professor of medicine and infectious disease expert at UCSF told the paper: 'They're just acting as the mover of air in a huge way. It's like a fan that's kind of multidirectional and random.'

The giant inflatable Christmas tree costume linked with spreading COVID-19 to at least 43 California hospital staff, killing one, has been pictured on the wards

At least 43 staffers at the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center Emergency Department tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week and officials say an inflatable costume worn by a staffer on Christmas Day may be to blame

The emergency staff were the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine less than 10 days ago, but the hospital said they 'would not be expected to have reached immunity when this exposure occurred.'

Officials added: 'It is important not only for everyone to get vaccinated, but to receive the required two doses of vaccine to be protected.'

Health officials say people must receive the two doses of the vaccine to be protected.

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The hospital is now investigating the outbreak.

The hospital's emergency department is still open and safe to receive patients and all areas of the department are undergoing a deep cleaning, while those infected go into isolation.

Click here to resize this module

The emergency staff were the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine less than 10 days ago, but the hospital said they 'would not be expected to have reached immunity when this exposure occurred.' A view of a Kaiser Permanente staffer getting vaccinated on December 14 above

'Obviously, we will no longer allow air-powered costumes at our facilities,' Chavez said.

'At the same time, we are taking steps to reinforce safety precautions among staff, including physical distancing and no gathering in break rooms, no sharing of food or beverages, and masks at all times,' the hospital said, as per ABC7.

DailyMail.com has reached out for further details.

Nearly 40,000 health care workers at Kaiser Permanente have already received COVID-19 vaccines and more are anticipated soon.

The state Department of Public Health on Sunday reported another 181 deaths and more than than 45,350 new confirmed COVID-19 cases across California, bringing the case total to nearly 2.4 million.

More than 26,530 people have died from the virus in California, making it the third state to exceed 25,000 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic, behind New York with nearly 38,000 deaths and Texas with more than 27,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

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More than 20,600 people were hospitalized across California as of Sunday with COVID-19; 4,500 of them were in intensive care, according to state records.
The UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) will open the door wider for bilateral economic and trade ties and help form a solid foundation for their strategic partnership to reach a new height.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Tran Ngoc Anh (right) and British Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward sign the UKVFTA in London on December 29 (Photo: VNA)

The UKVFTA, signed on December 29, is said to be an achievement of breakthrough strides in the UK-Vietnam economic and trade cooperation during the 47 years since their diplomatic relations were established and 10 years since the strategic partnership was founded.

Between 2011 and 2019, bilateral trade grew 12.1 percent annually on average. Major Vietnamese exports included mobile phones and components, apparel, footwear, aquatic products, timber and wood products, computers and components, cashew kernel, coffee, and peppercorn. Meanwhile, the country mainly imported machinery, equipment, pharmaceutical, steel, and chemicals from the UK.

The commodities traded between them are complementary to, instead of compete with, each other.

The UK is currently the third largest trading partner of Vietnam in Europe, with their trade exceeding 6.6 billion USD in 2019, up 9.5 percent. It also views Vietnam as a very important trading partner in Southeast Asia.

Thanks to GDP growth among the highest in the region and the world for the last three decades and, especially, the early containment of COVID-19 and sustained growth, Vietnam is increasingly attractive to British businesses and investors.

The signing of the UKVFTA at this point of time is greatly significant and practical to both sides, particularly when countries around the world are wishing for stronger trade and investment links to swiftly recover their pandemic-hit economies.

Notably, the deal will keep bilateral trading activities uninterrupted when the UK concludes the Brexit transition period on December 31, after which the UK will no longer a member of the EU market and the EU Customs Union or benefit from preferential treatments under the EU-Vietnam FTA that took effect on August 1, 2020.

The deal will help the two countries increase exports to each others market considerably as right from January 1, 2021, it will slash tariffs on over 70 percent of Vietnamese exports and 65 percent of British exports, many of which will be subject to zero-percent duties. After six years, more than 99 percent of their commodities will benefit from a zero-percent tariff.

The UKVFTA will ensure 3,000 British firms continued shipments to Vietnam and, as Vice Chairman of the Vietnam-UK Network Paul Smith said, encourage more British businesses to choose Vietnam as their destination.

This will create more opportunities for British businesses to expand operations in the Southeast Asian nation since although the UK was the worlds fifth largest exporter in 2019, its products still account for less than 3 percent of Vietnams total imports. Major beneficiaries will be pharmaceutical, machinery, equipment, chemical, automobile, banking, and insurance sectors.

For Vietnam, tariff elimination under the agreement will generate many benefits for its key export staples like smartphones, electronic devices, textile-garment, footwear, wood products, ceramics, and such farm produce as rice, coffee, rubber, and aquatic products.

Speaking after the UKVFTA signing ceremony on December 29, Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Tran Ngoc An described this as a historic event, noting that the deal will elevate their strategic partnership in line with their aspirations and political resolve shown in the foreign ministers joint statement signed in September on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the strategic partnership.

Echoing the view, British Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward considered the deal signing as a turning point and a milestone in bilateral relations.

He held that it will present a big chance for the UK because amid the worst global economic crisis since World War II, Vietnam is expected to obtain growth of over 2.9 percent and be the worlds fastest growing economy in 2020.

The UKVFTA will ensure that bilateral trade will keep accelerating when the UK is paying more attention to relations in the Indo-Pacific region, he added.

Besides, via this FTA, Vietnam will become a gateway for British enterprises to get access to a large regional market.

During a trip to Vietnam last November to sign the minutes on the conclusion of the UKVFTA talks, British Secretary of State for International Trade Liz Truss noted that the two countries share a common strategic commitment to global trade and the liberalisation of capital flows and investment. Therefore, the deal is an important step forward as the UK is preparing to apply for membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in early 2021.

According the Vietnamese Ambassador, the UKVFTA will help the UK move closer to the target of becoming a dialogue partner of ASEAN and a member of the CPTPP as Vietnam is an active member of ASEAN and a founding member of the CPTPP.

Via the CPTPP, not only the UKs relations with Vietnam will be strengthened but its ties with 11 dynamic economies in the Indo-Pacific region will also be expanded, thus bringing about more benefits to the British economy and people./.VNA
Assam: Community fishing banned at Assam Ramsar site

January 04,2021 | Source: The Hindu

The Kamrup (Metropolitan) district administration has prohibited community fishing at Deepor Beel, a wetland on the south-western edge of Guwahati and Assams only Ramsar site. The prohibition order under Section 144 of the Cr.PC underlines the possibility of community fishing on January 3 and will remain beyond the mid-January Magh or Bhogali Bihu that is preceded by mass fishing in many parts of the State.



Some people from the villages around and adjoining Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary such as Keotpara, Mikirpara, Paspara, Azara, Tetelia, in tandem with people from various fringe parts of Guwahati city are likely to venture out to organise community fishing on January 3, 2021 and even after that also, said an order from Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), Guwahati. And whereas such ventures are absolutely illegal under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which will also cause irreparable as well as irretrievable damage to the ecosystem of the sanctuary as presented by the divisional forest officer (Guwahati Wildlife Division), said the order effective from January 1-31. District officials said the order was necessary to prevent fishing, excavation and construction in and around the wetland that has been shrinking over the years.



Deepor Beel was designated a Ramsar site in 2002 for sustaining a range of aquatic life forms besides 219 species of birds. A Ramsar site is a wetland designated to be of international importance under the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the Caspian Sea shore. According to hydrological experts, the area of the wetland was about 6,000 hectares in the late 1980s. Satellite imagery has revealed that its area has shrunk by at least 35% since 1991.



Deepor Beel officially has an area of 4,014 hectares or 15.5 square miles. One of the reasons the wetland is in a precarious state is that it is losing connectivity with small rivers like Kalmoni, Khonajan and Basistha that used to flow via the Mora Bharalu channel through Guwahati, said Bibhav Talukdar of green group Aaranyak. Expansion of the city, encroachment upon the natural channels through Guwahati and from the hills around, and a municipal waste dump at Boragaon almost on the edge of the wetland were the other factors, he added. Assam had 3,513 wetlands and a majority of them had water with low turbidity, officials said.
Jordanian capital Amman to receive new bus fleet under EBRD Green Cities programme

EBRD 14.8 million loan for 15 electric and 136 Euro V diesel buses

Co-financed with Green Climate Funds support for EBRD Green Cities

The population of Amman will benefit from the introduction of a new bus fleet in the Jordanian capital thanks to its participation in EBRD Green Cities, the Banks pioneering urban sustainability programme.

In a first Jordanian project under the initiative, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a 14.8 million financial package to Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) for the procurement of a new bus fleet. The new fleet will consist of 15 zero-emission electric buses, the first of their kind in Jordan, and 136 Euro V diesel buses. The electric buses will be financed with 2.8 million from the EBRD and the same amount from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), while the diesel buses will be purchased with a 12 million EBRD loan.

Relative to the current fleet, the new vehicles will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, while offering commuters easy access to a safe and comfortable means of transport. The city will also introduce new routes and refurbish its bus depot, which will be leased to a private-sector operator that will manage the facility.

The financing is a follow-on investment from Amman's Green City Action Plan (GCAP), developed as part of Ammans participation in EBRD Green Cities. Under the GCAP, the city aims to plan and invest in its green development by addressing key issues, such as managing solid waste, reducing pollution and energy consumption and tackling pressing climate and environmental challenges.

The investment will improve public transport in this city of four million inhabitants, while serving as a crucial first step in a transition to low-carbon transport infrastructure.

The partnership for transformation between the Green Climate Fund and the EBRD has seen the GCF support six EBRD programmes with US$ 830 million, catalysing more than US$ 3.6 billion in total project value. The GCF is the largest climate fund in the world to support the efforts of developing economies as they respond to the challenge of climate change.

Since the start of its operations in Jordan in 2012, the EBRD has provided more than 1.4 billion in 54 projects to the countrys economy. The Banks priority in Jordan is to support sustainable energy, finance private enterprises and promote infrastructure reform.
Mumbai, Jan 4 : The Indian equity market posted a healthy recovery during a volatile trade session Monday as investors resorted to "buying on decline".

Resultantly, the Indian benchmark equity indices ended at record closing level rising for the ninth consecutive session.

Initially, the market opened with a 'gap up' as positive macro indicators and vaccine advances in India buoyed sentiments.

Subsequently, the S&P BSE Sensex crossed the 48,000-mark.

However, the market could not sustain itself at higher zones. Just after the initial session, the key indices fell by around 150 points.

The dip in high valuations triggered investors' buying spree in the market.

Globally, stock markets around the world hit record highs on Monday as investors hoped the rollout of vaccines would ultimately lift a global economy ruined by the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, a possible tightening in virus rules for Tokyo pulled Japanese stocks off 30-year highs.

Back home, strong FIIs inflow continue to support the positive sentiments.

The day's FII inflows stood at over Rs 1,840 crore up from its recent average of over Rs 1,500 crore.

Besides, a gauge of activity across India's manufacturing sector remained steady even as employment fell for nine straight months.

Among sectors, metals, IT, auto, pharma, PSU banks rose the most, while Bank Nifty ended marginally in the negative.

The NSE Nifty50 closed at 14,132.90 points, higher by 114.40 points, or 0.82 per cent, from its previous close.

Similarly, the BSE Sensex made gains. It closed higher by 307.82 points, or 0.64 per cent, to 48,176.80 points from its previous close.

"The post holiday upbeat mood should sustain for another 1-2 sessions," said Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research at HDFC Securities.

"14,200 on the Nifty could be the near term target, while a breach of 13,950 could raise some concerns." Siddhartha Khemka, Head - Retail Research, Motilal Oswal Financial Services, said: "Volatility needs to sustain below 20 zones to support the bullish market setup and fuel the bulls with a higher market base. Going ahead, the market momentum seen in the last couple of months is likely to continue on the back of strong global cues, sustained inflows, and improving macros trends. Further highest ever GST collections for December at Rs 1.15 lakh crore can add to the positive momentum." "The December quarterly results and Union Budget around 1st Feb will be some of the key events for the market. As the long term market structure remains positive, we would advise investors to adopt Buying on Dips strategy to accumulate quality stocks." Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services said: "Every dip is being considered by the traders as an opportunity to buy. Today morning's volatility was brought, fueled by the early rollout of the vaccine in India and positive opening of the European market." "The leader was IT stocks boosted by the hope of a strong quarterly result, which will start soon. The global market has kicked off the year on a positive note as investors across the globe are optimistic about economic recovery on the report over vaccine approval & fiscal support."
Sports lie at the margins of our culture, different from how it is elsewhere in the world, and from how it used to be. This is one of the reasons why criminality among youth proceeds unchecked. There is no youth labour market, and the school system ruthlessly triages youth.
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





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BAD AXE  The Huron County Board of Commissioners has formally sent a letter to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pleading that the states orders on restaurant closures be lifted.

In it, Chairman Sami Khoury states that statistics show that only 4% of new cases of COVID-19 in the Upper Thumb region are attributed to restaurants, and that commissioners feel fines and penalties are detrimental to the regions economy.

Comparing the Thumb, especially Huron County, to any metro area just doesnt work, the letter says. The Port Austin area, with a population of just over 600, has at least 10 restaurants, some staffed with graduates and students from Schoolcrafts Culinary program. One of these restaurants was even started by a certified master chef that taught at Schoolcraft. These people know how to operate a restaurant, but not when their hands are tied with government restrictions making it impossible for them.

The letter further states that restaurants are held to a higher standard of cleanliness than most other businesses and limiting their operations is unjustified.

Our restaurants suffered tremendously this summer over your restrictions, many of which will continue to suffer greatly with restricted occupancy, the letter reads. They need to be open to survive another year. Weve already had some permanently close.

The letter acknowledges that putting up greenhouses like restaurants in metro areas will not work, since high winds can just blow them away. The only ways restaurants have been able to survive during the winter is with specialty nights in order to get customers coming back.

Since the summer season was so restricted, please consider giving them an opportunity to salvage the businesses they have toiled over for years by allowing them to re-open, the letter concludes with.

The commissioners had voted to send such a letter to the governor at a previous meeting.

Khoury said the commissioners are acting on behalf of business owners and concerned citizens who feel the restrictions have been too stringent on restaurants and bars.

Theyve lost the best part of their season between Thanksgiving and New Years, Khoury said, with the current order lasting until Jan. 14. Hopefully she thinks of opening up sooner and hopefully doesnt decide to extend it.

Khoury does not know whether the county should expect a response from Whitmer, but said he will wait and see.

Copies of the letter were also sent to state Rep. Phil Green and state Sen. Dan Lauwers.

At the beginning of December, the commissioners received a letter from the governors office explaining that the latest order put into effect on Nov. 18 was to limit skyrocketing COVID cases and deaths and to prevent the situation from getting worse in the winter.

That letter explained how the order was focused on limiting indoor gatherings, where the virus can easily spread from person to person.

We know that controlling the coronavirus outbreak is the foundation for a strong economic recovery, the letter reads. Im working hard with my partners in state government, business, labor, and more to protect our families.

The letter continued by saying how crucial it is for the federal government to work together on a bipartisan recovery package.

Khoury said he is not sure if that letter was sent to all the Michigan counties or if it was in response to anything. It was just a FYI for the counties on what the state government is doing.
MANISTEE  When Al Syverson, Stanley Preidis, Phil Sakkers and Robert Cromwell walked into the Manistee Veterans of Foreign Wars Walsh Post. No. 4499 on Wednesday, they did not know what to expect.

VFW Walsh Post No. 4499 commander Don Vadeboncoeur told them the where and when, but not the why.

To their surprise, the four men were called in to be awarded Quilts of Valor.

"I couldn't be happier," Syverson said. "There are a lot of veterans out there that deserve it. ... I didn't know we were selected, but it was nice. I'm very proud of it. We all are."

The Quilts of Valor program awards quality, handcrafted quilts to service members and veterans as a symbol of gratitude for their service, sacrifice and valor in serving the nation in combat.

Vadeboncoeur nominated Syverson, Preidis, Sakkers and Cromwell not only for their years of military service, but also their tireless efforts in supporting Post No. 4499.

"I nominated these four people because of the help they've given me. Coming in as a commander, I didn't know anything  I'm dumb," he said. "... Every one of them helped me get as far as I did. I couldn't do it without them, period. Everybody in this post helps  volunteers and everything. It's just a great post. I'm more than proud to be commander.

"One of these guys was severely wounded in Vietnam. He loves his country  shows no remorse," Vadeboncoeur continued. "He walks in a room with a smile, and when you look at that smile, you can't beat it. ... I'm so damn proud of this post. I can't say enough good about it."

Syverson served for 22 years in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a master sergeant. Preidis retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel after more than 26 years of service. Cromwell is a U.S. Navy brown water veteran who served two terms in Vietnam. He also served on the USS Orleans, which recovered the Apollo 14 crew. Sakkers is a U.S. Army veteran wounded in Vietnam. In his nomination letter, Vadeboncoeur said of Sakkers, his "love of country, this Post and the members can only be measured in his smile and dedication to duty."

Quilts of Valor was founded in 2003 and has awarded over 263,000 quilts nationwide.

Vadeboncoeur told Wednesday's Quilts of Valor recipients how much they mean to him, and how instrumental they have been in making Post No. 4499 such a special place.

"This is the best place I've ever been in my life. I love the people," he said. "I love everything that they do  and especially the four of you sitting here that have helped me from Day 1. I'm going to recognize you today. Hopefully you leave here with a smile on your face or a tear in your eye  I don't care which. I just want you to know that I appreciate everything you have done to help me."

Lynn Lebeck, Quilts of Valor state coordinator for Michigan, attended the event via telephone due to the coronavirus pandemic and encouraged Wednesday's four recipients to put their quilts to good use.

"Your Quilt of Valor is not meant to be folded up, put up on a shelf and saved for a special occasion. It is meant to go on that favorite recliner, easy chair, couch  wherever you spend time," she said. "When you're having one of those days  and we all have them  you wrap yourself in your quilt and feel the thanks and appreciation of everyone involved in Quilts of Valor.

"Gentlemen, it has been my honor to say thank you for your service, and welcome home."
New Delhi, Jan 4 : Income Tax department officials on Monday questioned Congress President Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra for over nine hours in connection with the probe into the 'benami' properties case.

However, Vadra described his questioning as "vendetta politics" and said that the government is trying to divert attention from the ongoing farmers' protest.

A team of I-T department sleuths on Monday morning arrived at the Sukhdev Vihar residential premises of Vadra who is married to Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Earlier in the day, an I-T department source related to the probe told IANS, "An I-T team is at Vadra's residence to record his statement in the benami properties matter." The team of sleuths left his residence at 6 p.m. The team arrived at his residence as he was unable to join the investigation due to Covid pandemic.

Speaking to the media outside his residence after the team left his house, Vadra said, "I replied to all the questions asked by the I-T department sleuths in nine hours. If they come once again, I will share my answers with them." He said that the I-T department questioned him about his business and work and he responded to their queries.

He maintained that there is "no tax evasion...whatever the notices and enquiries we get, we answer everything. We are here to answer and cooperate with any agency or anything they ask." When asked about the I-T department quizzing him about the benami properties case, Vadra said, "There is nothing related to that, whatever are the queries we will answer." On a question if he thinks that it is political vendetta, Vadra said, "Well everybody knows it. Priyanka (his wife) is in politics and is helping the farmers and raising the issues against the government. Then against whom they will come for, definitely it is Robert Vadra... I don't want to get into politics, they want to digress from the real issues, and I am here to answer every question of all the investigative agencies." When pressed further, Vadra said, "Definitely it is a witch hunt, this is going on for a decade. A lot of matters are sub judice and lot of matters are in court." "We are here to cooperate. We have answered everything. It was nothing related to benami property. Justice and truth will prevail. I have nothing to hide and worry. I will always cooperate," Vadra added.

Besides the I-T department, Vadra is also being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) pertaining to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property at 12, Bryanston Square, worth 1.9 million pounds. It is alleged that the said property is allegedly owned by Vadra.

Vadra is currently out on anticipatory bail.
Bangui, Central African Republic, Jan 4 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Jan, 2021 ) :Central African Republic President Faustin Archange Touadera has won re-election after the first round of voting, the electoral commission announced on Monday.

The 63-year-old incumbent won "an absolute majority" of the December 27 vote with 53.9 percent and is "declared elected", National Elections Authority (ANE) chief Mathias Morouba told reporters.

In a field of 15 contenders, the runner-up was former prime minister Anicet Georges Dologuele, who scored 21.01 percent, Morouba said.

The constitutional court will validate the result after any disputes are resolved. Last Wednesday, the opposition called for the vote to be annulled, calling it badly flawed.

Dologuele immediately cried foul, telling AFP: "It's a farce. There were many irregularities and instances of fraud." The presidential election, which coincided with legislative polls, took place against the backdrop of a new offensive by a coalition of armed rebel groups, with thousands of voters unable to cast their ballots.

According to official figures, voting did not take place at all in 29 of the country's 71 sub-prefectures and was curtailed in six others.

However, the ANE reported on Monday that turnout had reached 76.31 percent.

Touadera's government controls only about one-third of the former French colony, with militia groups that emerged from a conflict in 2013 controlling the remainder.

Unrest has persisted since the election, and rebels seized the city of Bangassou, some 750 kilometres (470 miles) east of the capital Bangui, on Sunday.

Earlier on Monday, car prosecutors said an investigation had been launched into former president Francois Bozize, accused by the government of plotting a coup with the help of armed groups ahead of the elections.
DOMINIC LAWSON: Brexit a threat to peace in Europe! Why can't the BBC Remoaners accept the war is over?













2.4k shares

The day the UK became fully self-governing again, January 1, 2021, was for many millions of Britons a reason to celebrate. But you wouldn't have picked that up from our national broadcaster. The BBC's reports were unrelievedly apprehensive.

And it provided a platform for Frankie Boyle  you know, the comedian who likes to poke fun at people with Down's Syndrome  to declare on his own New Year special: 'Having Brexit at the end of a year like this is like finding cancer has spread to the walls of your house.' Nice.

But no broadcaster has been as hysterically doom-laden as Dan Snow, presenter of various history programmes.

No broadcaster has been as hysterically doom-laden as Dan Snow (pictured), presenter of various history programmes

On January 1, he tweeted: '75 years ago, after history's bloodiest war, with its genocide and unimaginable brutality, a generation of survivors tried to prevent future war by building institutions to curb assertions of national sovereignty. The UK forged that. Now we help to dismantle it. Brexit is a tragedy.'

Nonsense

Snow's Twitter handle is @thehistoryguy. But he seems to have little grasp of the subject, in this matter.

The idea that peace in Europe has been guaranteed by the European Union  formerly the European Economic Community  is a familiar nonsense. David Cameron was rightly ridiculed when, during the 2016 referendum campaign, he warned that a vote to leave would put at risk 'peace on our continent'.

The BBC provided a platform for Frankie Boyle  you know, the comedian who likes to poke fun at people with Down's Syndrome  to declare on his own New Year special: 'Having Brexit at the end of a year like this is like finding cancer has spread to the walls of your house'

Yes, one reason for the founding of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951 (the forerunner of the Common Market) was to forge closer economic and political links between Germany and France, which had fought three wars against each other in the previous three quarters of a century. But does anyone seriously suggest that Britain's leaving the EU will tempt Germany to send tanks rolling across the French border?

In fact, the UK is increasing its financial and military commitment to keeping the peace in Europe through our membership of Nato  the organisation that protects European borders from being crossed by hostile powers.

Actually, Dan Snow, like many fanatical proponents of European political integration, doesn't like those borders much. In an interview last year he said: 'In 200 years' time, do I think that there will be states called Belgium, and the Netherlands, and Luxembourg and Britain? I think I probably don't, really. That will cause a democratic deficit, but what's the alternative?'

The alternative, Dan, is those countries still existing. Britons fought in Europe 75 years ago precisely to maintain nations' right to independence, not least those countries that Snow lists. It was for democracy, not to create the 'democratic deficit' about which Snow is so insouciant.

Perhaps he should travel to Estonia, a country seized by the Soviet Union when Stalin and Hitler carved up Europe into their respective spheres of interests. Following Vladimir Putin's annexation of predominantly Russian-speaking parts of Ukraine, Estonia feared the Russian president would use the fact that there is a large Russian community within its territory to mount a similar operation.

David Cameron was rightly ridiculed when, during the 2016 referendum campaign, he warned that a vote to leave would put at risk 'peace on our continent'

Click here to resize this module

Nato moved to protect the Estonian border  and the bulk of that battlegroup is provided by the British Army. This has nothing whatever to do with the EU, and our leaving the EU has not the slightest relevance to it.

There was one occasion since 1945 when Europe was faced with full-scale war, and acts of genocide were carried out. That was during the break-up of the former Yugoslavia in 1991. The Luxembourg foreign minister, Jacques Poos, declared that the EU would take the lead in sorting out the conflict: 'This is the hour of Europe, not the hour of the Americans.'

Boast

It was a hollow boast. It was only Nato, with U.S. stealth bombers and fighters, that prevented further massacres by the Serbian military and their leaders, who have since faced justice in The Hague.

Following Vladimir Putin's annexation of predominantly Russian-speaking parts of Ukraine, Estonia feared the Russian president would use the fact that there is a large Russian community within its territory to mount a similar operation

Aside from Nato, the other organisation established in the 1940s to ensure a more peaceful world was the United Nations, which also supplies, through its independent member nations, operations to keep formerly warring factions apart in various trouble spots.

Despite what Dan Snow seems to imply, Britain's membership of the UN's permanent security council is in no way linked to our erstwhile membership of the EU.

It was, in fact, absurd that the EU was in 2011 awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The committee judging the awards might as well have given the EU the Nobel economics prize for launching the single European currency. And if the EU itself does break up, that ill-judged venture will be the most likely cause: not our entirely peaceful departure.

Farage should have quit while he was ahead

Now that we are fully out of the EU, what will Nigel Farage do with his Brexit Party? Actually, we don't need to ask, because the man himself has told us. In November, he applied to the Electoral Commission to have the party renamed Reform UK.

And its main aim? Mr Farage set that out, too, declaring it would campaign to end the mandatory social restrictions imposed by the Government to suppress Covid-19.

He said Reform UK was fully behind 'the Great Barrington Declaration', which advocated a policy of herd immunity through infection, while somehow 'shielding' those thought most vulnerable from all the younger folk who were going to get the disease.

'That way, we build immunity in the population,' he wrote. The policy of intermittent lockdowns, he scoffed, 'is all about playing for time, in the hope that a vaccine miraculously comes along'.

Now that we are fully out of the EU, what will Nigel Farage do with his Brexit Party? Actually, we don't need to ask, because the man himself has told us

That was published on November 1. Nine days later, Sir John Bell of the Government's vaccine taskforce had his 'Yes, yes, yes!' moment on the BBC when the final results of the Pfizer vaccine tests came through, showing 95 per cent efficacy.

Farage also claimed that 'suicides are soaring' as a result of the lockdowns. This, too, was rubbish. Again, just days after Farage wrote that, the Government adviser on suicide prevention, Professor Louis Appleby, declared: 'Today, we're releasing suicide data for 2020 covering several parts of England. The month by month figures are reassuring: there has been no rise in suicide following lockdown.'

Farage went on to argue that Tory policy had condemned to misery '88-year-old ladies who cannot see their relatives and naturally wonder: what is the point of life?' Not only are those old ladies now being given the vaccinations Farage couldn't even imagine, his own preferred policy of letting the virus rip and 'shielding the vulnerable' would have isolated the elderly from their families even more.

Nigel Farage was 'depressed' when Sir Patrick Vallance (pictured) said that 60 per cent of the UK population needed to get Covid-19 to establish herd immunity

The most puzzling aspect is that in mid-March Farage had eloquently criticised the Government for flirting with a 'herd immunity' strategy, before changing course: 'I found myself feeling more depressed than I had been in my adult life by the words of the chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance. He said that 60 per cent of the UK population needed to get Covid-19 to establish herd immunity.

'I worked out pretty quickly,' Farage continued, 'that this tactic would trigger in the region of 400,000 deaths. Since then, I am pleased to say the Government policy has changed. Downing Street has recognised that a rapid spread of Covid-19 would overwhelm the NHS. The penny has dropped.'

Odd that Farage should have turned around 180 degrees, in precisely the wrong direction and with the worst possible timing. This political gambler should have quit while he was ahead.

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A Member of the European Parliament who represents Laois and other counties has hit out at the EU authorities demanding greater speed in the rollout of vaccination with less focus on cost.

Fianna Fail MEP, Billy Kelleher has called for an urgent review of the European Commissions Vaccine Purchase and Rollout programme.

It is clear that its not working as efficiently as it should be and that citizens are getting frustrated seeing non-EU countries power ahead with their own vaccine rollout, said the Ireland South MEP.

Mr Kelleher, who is a member of the Parliaments Public Health Committee, believes prices has been put before supply.

The purpose of Member States agreeing to co-ordinate their vaccine purchase and rollout through the Commission was to secure both price and rollout efficiencies.

What is now obvious is that only a price efficiency has been secured. In normal times, this may have sufficed. However, in the midst of a worsening pandemic, its simply not acceptable.

The cost of not vaccinating the population quickly enough, and thereby not opening up society and the economy quickly enough, is considerably greater than the savings made on bulk purchasing through the Commission.

Citizens across the Union are seeing non-member states accessing the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine much quicker than they are. We are seeing delays in deliveries, yet no response from the Commission to rectify this. I am very concerned that the pharma companies have taken the Commission for granted.

Furthermore, I am concerned by the bureaucratic delays in authorising of the use of the Moderna and Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccines. As WHO Emergencies Director, Mike Ryan said last spring, Perfection is the enemy of good in emergencies.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) should not be placing the greater bureaucratic red tape on vaccine producers than other countries. Of course, they must be confident in the efficacy and safety of vaccines, but I do not believe we need to reinvent the wheel.

The HSE and the Department of Health can only vaccinate the people of Ireland if they have enough vaccines. I am urging Minister Donnelly and the Taoiseach to raise these concerns at EU Council and Commission level. The people of Ireland, and indeed Europe, will not accept any unnecessary delays or failure when it comes to getting their vaccines, and neither should our government, concluded Kelleher.

Vaccination across 15 hospitals is due to begin in Ireland this week with the supply of vaccines to all the HSE hospital groups. This is taking place in tandem with the vaccination of

The Pfizer BioNtech vaccine was approved for use in the EU just before Christmas. The Moderna vaccine could be sanctioned on January 6 while an Astra Zeneca vaccine remains under consideration by the EMA.
NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Siris, a leading private equity firm focused on investing and driving value creation in technology and telecommunications companies, today announced that Harrison Lung has joined the firm as Partner, Portfolio Value Creation. He most recently served as Partner at McKinsey & Company. Mr. Lung will lead Siris' Operational Excellence group and work alongside Siris' teams and Executive Partners to deliver on the value creation potential of Siris portfolio companies across the entire deal lifecycle.

For the past decade, Mr. Lung has implemented pivotal strategies across McKinsey's digital technology and technology-media-telecom (TMT) clients, helping drive transformations and efficiency in digital and technology infrastructure, operations and organizational structures and processes. His combination of deep technology experience and history of improving global businesses will help Siris as it seeks to accelerate growth across its portfolio companies, while reducing costs and enhancing operational efficiency and sophistication.

Frank Baker, Co-Founder of Siris, said, "We are excited to welcome Harrison to lead our Operational Excellence group and look forward to benefiting from his experience at McKinsey transforming dynamic technology businesses. We are confident in his ability to help design and implement sophisticated, efficient solutions for our portfolio companies."

Mr. Lung said, "I am thrilled to join Siris as the firm continues to drive growth across technology and telecommunications businesses that deliver mission-critical products and services. I look forward to working with my new colleagues in Siris' Operational Excellence group to optimize the application of best practices across the portfolio."

Prior to joining McKinsey & Company in 2010, Mr. Lung worked in Accenture's System Integration, Technical Architecture (Mobile Solutions) and New Business groups, where he served as part of the leadership team that built and scaled an internally incubated startup  Accenture Mobility Operated Service  and facilitated transformative growth for Fortune 500 companies in the pharmaceutical, utility, telecom, chemical and energy sectors.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Lung served in technology operating roles in the telecom industry in Canada, at Bell Mobility and Sprint Canada, and was part of the leadership team that implemented Wireless Number Portability. Mr. Lung has been a member of Asia Society's Global Talent and Diversity Council since 2019 and an ambassador at the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network (CAAAN) since 2020.

Mr. Lung holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo and an Executive MBA from Cornell University and Queen's University.

About Siris

Siris is a leading private equity firm that invests primarily in mature technology and telecommunications companies with mission-critical products and services, facing industry changes or other significant transitions. Siris' development of proprietary research to identify opportunities and its extensive collaboration with its Executive Partners are integral to its approach. Siris' Executive Partners are experienced senior operating executives that actively participate in key aspects of the transaction lifecycle to help identify opportunities and drive strategic and operational value. Siris is based in New York and Silicon Valley and has raised nearly $6 billion in cumulative capital commitments. www.siris.com.

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The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has awarded a contract to a Chinese company, Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Company Limited, for the construction of a 5.6-kilometre underground stretch, from New Ashok Nagar to Sahibabad, of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS project.

The NCRTC, which is executing the countrys first Regional Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS), said the contract was awarded following the set procedure and guidelines.

Representational Image

"Approvals have to be taken at various levels for bids that are funded by multilateral agencies. This bid was also awarded following the set procedure and guidelines. Now, all the civil work tenders of the 82-km-long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor have been awarded and the construction is going on in full swing to commission the project in time, an NCRTC spokesperson said.

Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Corporation won the Rs 1,000-plus crore contract as it was the lowest bidder and fulfilled all the criteria for the project, which is being looked after by the Urban Development and Housing Ministry, a report in NDTV stated.



The development has not gone down well with many, considering the government is vehemently pushing for Aatmanirbhar Bharat while banning Chinese apps in the backdrop of border tensions between India and China.

So much anti-chinese political feelings in the country. So many Chinese apps banned. And now a china firm for metro project. U can fool all the people all the time... Proved  manasijbhattacharjee (@MBshon) January 4, 2021

Leave this aside..y GOI gives the Delhi meerut rapid transit metro's billion dollars project to Chinese firm..here whn nothing solved in the galwan valley our soldiers r still struggling thn y chosen Chinese firm over indian firm ..give it to L&T it has the capability. sentiments  simpy (@Simpysood) January 4, 2021

Chinese firm got the contract to build rail project in India.



To all andh bhakts who #BoycottChina :- pic.twitter.com/jR7CPaf3T1  Harmanpreet Kaur (@im_harmanpreet) January 4, 2021

#BoycottChina

After having absolutely no sensible answer to why Delhi-Meerut Rapid Rail Project was given to Chinese Firm, all BJP spokesperson be like : pic.twitter.com/WDfdqV8VS8  Anil Rawat (@anilrawatdoon) January 4, 2021

Modi- #BoycottChina

Also India- China firm wins contract to build 5.6km underground stretch of Delhi-Meerut rapid rail project



Is this campaign only for middle class?



For the 20 soldiers(RIP) who were killed by the chinese, we failed you.#BoycottChina  Concious_Electron (@I_Am_AngryRn) January 4, 2021

China firm wins contract to build 5.6km underground stretch of Delhi-Meerut rapid rail project



Seems like Boycott China was restricted to Chinese apps and crackers  Nehr_who? (@Nher_who) January 3, 2021





A controversy had erupted in June last year after the STEC emerged as the lowest bidder for the construction of the 5.6-km tunnel on one of the stretches of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS project amid a standoff between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.

The 82-km-long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor is being funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and procurement is governed by the guidelines of the bank and the government.
North Alabama law enforcement agencies are mourning the loss of a DeKalb County lieutenant to COVID-19.

Jeff Bain died Sunday. He was a senior lieutenant and patrol supervisor, according to his LinkedIn profile. Bain had been with the department since August 2002. A veteran of the U.S. Army, Bain was in law enforcement for over 30 years.

DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden said in a statement that Bain was a true patriot.

I definitely dont know where to begin and dont have the words, Welden said. Lt. Bain was the guy everyone looked up to and looked for when they needed answers and help. Ive known him for at least 21 years, and considered him one of the greatest friends Ive ever been blessed to know. But we werent just friends or co-workers, we were family! Everyone at DCSO is family, and times like this really hurt!

CASA of North Sand Mountain, a volunteer organization trained to investigate and advocate for abused and neglected children in the courtroom, said Bain worked on its CASA Closet for Children, which will be renamed in his honor.

Mr. Bain unknowingly brought a glimpse of hope to many children in DeKalb and Jackson counties, the organization stated on Facebook. The closet was created to provide children with clothing, shoes, diapers, wipes etc. Mr. Bain organized for the closet to be painted and shelving that was donated by the DeKalb County Sheriffs Office to be installed. Casa of North Sand Mountain is forever grateful to you Mr. Bain.

Other tributes on social media by friends called Bain one of the best lifelong friends a guy could ever have, while another said he was a wonderful person, a straight forward officer and an amazing dad, who loved his children immensely, a good husband and great friend to many.

The Dekalb County Sheriffs Offices front lobby is currently closed through Jan. 11 due to sickness, exposures, and quarantines within the office from the virus.
Former Dancing WIth the Stars contestant and nurse Grainne Gallanagh was diagnosed with Covid-19 on New Year's Eve

Former Dancing With The Stars contestant Grainne Gallanagh has been isolating at home after testing positive for Covid-19 on New Years Eve.

The Letterkenny General Hospital nurse had been spending Christmas with her family in Buncrana, Co Donegal, when she tested positive.

She said the diagnosis at Christmas as disaster, adding it was a horrible time of year to be sick.

A close contact let us know they were positive and we knew Dad had been in contact, so we decided to restrict our movements, the former Miss Universe Ireland winner said.

And then we got Dads test results on Christmas Eve, so we started to isolate as a family from then on.

I got my positive test result on New Years Eve, so it hasnt been the best Christmas holidays we have had.

Thankfully none of us are very ill. We have all been coughing and feeling tired and have flu-like symptoms.

The fact that 2020 has been such a write-off, I thought 2021 was going to be my year but it hasnt been the best start.

Hopefully it will only get better from here, she said.

Grainne (25), who appeared on RTEs DWTS last year, recently posted a photograph of her family on their ninth day in isolation.

She wrote: Day nine in isolation and we still havent killed each other. So 2020 really just said not finished with you yet.

Covid has a lot to answer for (Were doing fine, symptoms are mild.) Cheers to a better 2021.

Despite being unwell, Ms Gallanagh, her sister, mother and father, were in apparent good spirits.

The model posted a story on Instagram walking round her familys land, saying she was trying to get some steps in and fresh air.

In mid-December Ms Gallanagh reunited with DWTS friends Brian Dowling and hurler Aidan Fogarty at the Westbury Hotel in Dublin.

Before that she said she had had four Covid-19 tests. The nurse explained how the four work-related tests were unpleasant.

She also admitted feeling quite nervous before going to work, as the hospital had been badly affected by Covid-19.





Irish Independent
Aerial photo taken on Nov. 3, 2020 shows the container dock of Yangshan Port in Shanghai, east China.(Xinhua/Wang Xiang)

Globally, China's position in the global industrial chain will likely rise as "the first to pass the global stress test of the COVID-19 pandemic," Reuters quoted Xing Ziqiang, chief economist with Morgan Stanley China as saying.

BEIJING, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign trade, with its "dark horse" performance in 2020 amid a pandemic-induced global recession, is expected to further stabilize in 2021, Reuters said in a recent analysis.

Quoting several economic experts, the British news outlet wrote in its Chinese online edition that China's foreign trade is expected to sustain due to an early recovery from COVID-19.

China's foreign trade has shouldered the responsibility of filling the gaps in global industrial chains, Reuters said, acknowledging the Asian economy's key position in the global economic recovery.

The country's foreign trade of goods totaled 29.04 trillion yuan (about 4.45 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first 11 months in 2020, up 1.8 percent year on year in yuan terms, accelerating from an increase of 1.1-percent in the first 10 months, according to data from China's General Administration of Customs.

A China-Europe freight train carrying medical supplies bound for Madrid of Spain departs from the city of Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, June 5, 2020. (Photo by Lyu Bin/Xinhua)

The outlook for China's overall foreign trade is cautiously optimistic, provided that the epidemic remains under control in 2021, Bai Ming, deputy director of the international market research institute under China's Ministry of Commerce told Reuters.

Globally, China's position in the global industrial chain will likely rise as "the first to pass the global stress test of the COVID-19 pandemic," Reuters quoted Xing Ziqiang, chief economist with Morgan Stanley China as saying.

China's export momentum will be underpinned by a mild expansion of aggregate demand worldwide due in part to stimulus fiscal and monetary policies as well as the internal self-recovery of the world economy, Wu Ge, chief economist of Changjiang Securities told Reuters.

The economist projected China's exports to grow in the first half of 2021 and an overall better foreign trade performance in 2021 compared to last year.
California is using a smaller percentage of its available COVID-19 vaccine doses than every other large state in the country.

According to Monday figures from Bloomberg's state-by-state vaccine tracker, California has used just 28.1% of distributed doses, which is up from the 24.3% figure it was at last week, but below the national rate of 33.1%. Last week, the national rate was 19.3%.

Of the nation's six largest states, California is the only one with a usage rate below 30%:

-California 28.1 %

-Texas 40.0%

-Florida 31.9%

-New York 30.6%

-Pennsylvania 31.8%

-Illinois 42.1%

Overall, California ranks 41st out of 50 states.

Much has been made about the slow rollout of the vaccine nationally, with experts blaming a lack of federal resources, overmatched state and local health departments, a lack of holiday staffing and unnecessary squabbling over enforcing who gets the vaccine first.

California's struggles may be tied to the fact that it's currently one of the nation's hot spots, as doctors have expressed worry that there aren't enough hospital staff members to both care for COVID-19 patients swamping the state's hospitals and administer vaccines. The state's surge comes despite a strict new stay-at-home order, although some have theorized the state's restrictions  stricter than any other state over the duration of the pandemic  are to blame for the winter surge.

In any case, California now has the dubious distinction of being the state with some of the worst infection rates, hospitalization rates and vaccination rates while being the only one to shutter outdoor dining, indoor personal care services and most schools.

The only nine states doing worse than California on administering vaccine doses are Kansas (17.1% usage rate), Georgia, (17.2%), Virginia (23.2%), Mississippi (25.3%), Louisiana (25.4%), Idaho (26.6%), Alaska (26.7%), Michigan (26.8%) and Indiana (27.1%).

The five states administering the highest percentage of their available doses are South Dakota (70.3%), Connecticut (64.6%), North Dakota (63.6%), Maine (62.2%) and Ohio (54.9%).
Patna, Jan 4 : A video clip purportedly showing some police officials pointing pistols at two women while abusing and dragging one of them in Bihar's Vaishali district has gone viral.

However Vaishali SSP Gaurav Mangla told IANS that the claim has been made by the two women. "They have filed a court case and we are investigating the matter," the SSP said.

The incident took place near the Sadar police station in Hajipur on Sunday evening where three to four police officers allegedly pointed guns at the two women. They were allegedly looking for a person who was not present at the spot so they pressured the women while pointing guns at them.

Suman Devi, one of the victims said,"The police personnel came in the police van and were in a drunken state hurling abuses at me and my aunt. They threatened us with dire consequences while pointing guns at our heads. At one point, it looked like they would shoot us." Some local residents gathered at the spot but did not dare to intervene in the matter.

"The alleged police personnel openly abused the women here. They mercilessly dragged one of the women by her hair. There were no women police personnel present with the police officials at the spot," said a neighbour Kundan Kumar.
Rep. Chip Roy Challenges the Seating of House Members From 6 Contested States

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) on Jan. 3 challenged the seating of representatives from six states where election results are contested during the opening day of the 117th Congress.

The Republican from the Lone Star State made the objection on the House floor against delegations from Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin before the swearing-in of newly elected and returning members.

He argued in a statement that if systemic voter fraud and abuse had impacted the results of the presidential election, then the congressional election results in those states should be subjected to the same amount of public scrutiny to ensure the legitimacy of the results.

Such allegationsif trueraise significant doubts about the elections of at least some of the members of the United States House of Representatives that, if not formally addressed, could cast a dark cloud of suspicion over the validity of this body for the duration of the 117th Congress, Roy said.

After all, those representatives were elected through the very same systemswith the same ballot procedures, with the same signature validations, with the same broadly applied decisions of executive and judicial branch officialsas were the electors chosen for the President of the United States under the laws of those states, which have become the subject of national controversy.

And while the legislatures of those states have sent us no formal indication that the results of these elections should not be honored by this body, it would confound basic human reason if the presidential results were to face objection while the congressional results of the same process escaped without public scrutiny.

His efforts to challenge the seating of 67 representatives were quickly thwarted after House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) objected by offering a resolution to authorize House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to administer the oath to all House members. The resolution passed 3712, with Roy also joining the vote to pass the resolution.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) challenges the seating of lawmakers from Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin on the House floor in the Capitol on the first day of the 117th Congress in Washington on Jan. 3, 2021. (Bill Clark/Pool/Getty Images)

Roy is 1 of 7 Republican House members who say they will not participate in the upcoming efforts to object to the Electoral College votes in several disputed states during the joint session on Jan. 6 when the votes are formally counted.

The group, led by Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), said participating in such efforts would amount to unconstitutionally [inserting] Congress into the center of the presidential election process, which would steal power from the people and states.

They said Congress had no authority to make value judgments about presidential electors, nor the discretion to disqualify electors based on its own finding that fraud occurred in that states election.

Congress has one job here: to count electoral votes that have in fact been cast by any state, as designated by those authorized to do so under state law, the group wrote in a statement.

A growing group of Republican House members and senators have announced their intention to challenge Electoral College votes in several states where election results are disputed over allegations of irregularities and voter fraud. Republicans, in the lead-up to Jan. 6, have been picking sides in a last-ditch effort to ensure that allegations of voter fraud are transparently and independently resolved.

Twelve senators have expressed their intent to participate in the effort, and at least 50 House members have committed to objecting to the contested votes on Jan. 6, according to a tally by The Epoch Times. Meanwhile, at least two dozen lawmakers from both houses of Congress say they will not participate in the efforts.

Allegations about election fraud have been repeatedly denied by leading election officials and lawmakers, while critics and members of the media have characterized the claims as baseless. So far, a large proportion of cases filed by the Trump campaign and its allies have been thrown out by judges for procedural reasons, including by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, allegations that election rules and safeguards were changed or relaxed by state officials in violation of the U.S. Constitution and state election laws havent been fully scrutinized in state or federal courts. Several cases are currently sitting at the doorstep of the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking a determination on whether state officials or courts exceeded their powers when they modified election rules during the pandemic.
A pharmacist fills a syringe to prepare a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination site at Torrance Memorial Medical Center in Torrance, Calif., on Dec. 19, 2020. (Patrick Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Australia to Trial Tunable CCP Virus Vaccine for Mutating Strains

The University of Melbourne will get over $1.5 million to accelerate trials of two next-generation targeted and tunable COVID-19 vaccine. It comes as SARS-COV-2 mutations spread worldwide posing questions about the effectiveness of existing vaccines.

Announcing the funding on Dec. 3, Minister for Health Greg Hunt said: These vaccines offer a number of potential advantages to first-generation COVID-19 vaccines, and do not require storage in the extremely low temperatures needed for the Pfizer vaccine.

One of the universities vaccines is an mRNA vaccine similar to those produced by Pfizer/ BioNTech, used in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States. The other is a protein vaccine with tunable capabilities to tackle new strains such as those recently emerging from in the UK and South Africa, both of which are alleged to be more transmissible than the original CCP virus that spread from Wuhan, China, in 2019.

Head of the Vaccine and Immunisation Research Group (VIRGo) Professor Terry Nolan, who is heading up the trial, believes that new vaccines will provide a better response to any mutations COVID-19 virus makes as it spreads globally.

The mutations which are occurring are changing all the time, and there is no guarantee that they will protect into the long-term and we need other types of vaccines that will be able to be tuned should those mutations get to a point where the vaccines dont work, Nolan told the Australian on Monday.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has already warned Australia that the vaccines that we know most about dont appear to demonstrate any protection from transmission of the virus.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has his temperature checked at The Doherty Institute in Melbourne, Australia on Nov. 13, 2020. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

According to Nolan, the vaccine currently undergoing animal testing will be more effective as it focuses on a small part of the spike protein.

Its very likely that this type of approach is going to lead to a more efficient vaccine, which will also be less likely to cause side effects and so forth as well, he said.

Serious concerns about the side effects of the Pfizer vaccine were raised after the U.S. Centre For Disease Control reported in December that thousands of people experienced health impact events such as being unable to perform normal daily activities, unable to work, or required care from [a] doctor or health care professional.

Similar reports have surfaced in the UK.



Jose Bruballa, 86, receives one of the first Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines in Spain at the Somontano nursing home on Dec. 27, 2020, in Barbastro, Spain. (Alvaro Calvo/Government of Aragon via Getty Images)

The funding for the Safe, Effective, and Rapidly Tuneable SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine trial is part of a $10.1 million package for the Medical Research Future Funds Clinical Trials Activity Initiative.

The project is scheduled to move to human trials by mid-2021, with recruiters looking for volunteers aged between 18 and 75 years-old.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration is currently reviewing the Pfizer mRNA vaccine for usage in Australia. Federal health minister Greg Hunt has said that the government is ahead of schedule to roll-out the vaccine as early as March.
Kathmandu, January 4

There are 29,886 cooperatives across the country, according to the recent government data. These cooperatives have seven million and 7,462 people as members.

The Department of Cooperatives handed over a report of the recent count to Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel, and Nepal Rastra Bank Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari recently.

According to the department, 56 per cent of the members are women.

The department had conducted the count from August to November in all seven provinces of the country last year.

As per the count, there are 20 sectoral associations and federations of cooperatives, one national cooperative bank, one national federation, 70 district associations, and 241 sectoral district accotiations.

The cooperatives hold the share capital of Rs 94.105 billion in total whereas there is a saving of Rs 477 billion. The cooperatives have spent Rs 426 billion and employed 88,309 people directly.
The United Kingdom on Monday began vaccinating its people with the Covid-19 shot developed by Oxford University along with AstraZeneca. Oxford University Hospital tweeted that Brian Pinker, 82-year-old dialysis patient, received the first shot from nurse Sam Foster at the hospital.

'I'm so pleased to be getting the COVID vaccine today and really proud it is one that was invented in Oxford.'



82-year-old Brian Pinker became the first person in the world to receive the new Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine this morning at @OUHospitals.  pic.twitter.com/nhnd3Sx97m  NHS England and NHS Improvement (@NHSEngland) January 4, 2021

I am so pleased to be getting the COVID vaccine today and really proud that it is one that was invented in Oxford. The nurses, doctors and staff today have all been brilliant and I can now really look forward to celebrating my 48th wedding anniversary with my wife Shirley later this year, said Pinker, according to news agency Reuters.

Nurse Sam Foster, who administered the first shot, said, We look forward to vaccinating more patients and health and care staff with the Oxford vaccine in the coming weeks.

Earlier, British health minister Matt Hancock had said that he was delighted to roll out the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine and hailed it as a vital step in our fight against this pandemic. He had also said that hundreds of more vaccination sites were being activated across the UK to ensure the delivery of the new vaccine.

Britains National Health Service (NHS) said in a statement that it was the first health service in the world to deliver the AstraZeneca-University of Oxford Covid-19 vaccine and called it a life-saving jab.

Also read: All you need to know about AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine

Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group and chief investigator of the Oxford vaccine trial Prof Andrew Pollard too received the shot. He said protecting healthcare workers from Covid-19 is important in the fight against the disease. It was an incredibly proud moment for me to have received the actual vaccine that the University of Oxford and the AstraZeneca teams have worked so hard to make available to the UK and the world.

The UK government had already procured 100 million doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine and more than half a million doses were ready for administering on Monday, the BBC reported.
The Louisiana Department of Health reported 1,105 more confirmed coronavirus cases and 36 more confirmed deaths in its noon update Monday.

The number of hospitalizations increased by 58, and the number of patients in need of ventilators increased by three.

This is the highest number of coronavirus patients hospitalized in Louisiana since April 16, when there were 1,914.

There are also 29,997 total "probable" coronavirus cases in Louisiana, according to the agency's dashboard.

These are another few key statewide statistics as of Monday:

Total confirmed cases: 292,184

Total "probable" cases: 29,997

Total confirmed deaths: 7,198

Currently hospitalized: 1,891

Currently on ventilators: 207

Vaccine series initiated: 45,289 (updated twice weekly)

Vaccine series completed: 0

Presumed recovered: 263,712 as of Dec. 28 (updated weekly)

Note: The Advocate and The Times-Picayune staff calculates daily case count and confirmed death increases based on the difference between today's total and yesterday's total of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths. The Louisiana Department of Health releases a daily case count on its dashboard that includes probable cases as indicated by a positive antigen test. That case count can be different than the one listed here.

Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Are you 70 or older and looking for a coronavirus vaccine in Louisiana? Here are the steps Gov. John Bel Edwards and the Louisiana Department of Health said Monday 107 pharmacies across the state would began receiving coronavirus vac

Here are some of the parishes with the highest single-day increase in confirmed coronavirus cases, based on the Monday report:

Jefferson: 227

Orleans: 157

St. Tammany: 99

East Baton Rouge: 96

Caddo: 63

Lafayette: 47

Rapides: xxx

Bossier: xxx

You can view more graphs and charts breaking down the data by clicking here.

Louisiana began reopening for Phase 1 on May 15-16 then moved to Phase 2 on June 5. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards extended Louisiana's Phase 2 restrictions twice in August before moving the state to Phase 3 on Sept. 11. The governor then moved the state back to a modified Phase 2 near the end of November.

This is a developing story. More details and analysis to come.
MANZINI  As the COVID-19 statistics surge, Dups Funeral Home and Crematorium is struggling to cope with the collection of corpses from clinics and homesteads.

Chief Operations Officer (COO) at United Holdings (UH) Ltd, Mzingaye Ndlovu, said the spurt in the positive cases had a heavy impact on the companys operations as it was now full.

United Holdings (UH) Limited is an Associate of Dups Holdings Ltd.

Ndlovu said the funeral parlours storage capacity was slightly over 100 bodies; however, due to the increase in the number of people succumbing to COVID-19-related illnesses daily, they had stretched their resources and could no longer afford to meet the demand.

He said this was a global pandemic and no country had planned for it. Ndlovu said: We can no longer collect corpses from homesteads and clinics as the rate in which deaths are occurring is too high.

Overwhelmed

He said the company was overwhelmed just like public health facilities. Ndlovu said they were already engaging with relevant stakeholders in government on how best to deal with the situation as the high number of deaths was resulting in the company having to dig deep into its coffers as well.

Availing human resource for funerals of people who died due to COVID-19-related illnesses has become a public service.

Ndlovu said this was because government was not providing personal protective equipment (PPE) to them.

This, he said, meant that they had to dig deep into their coffers and procure the disposable suits.

He acknowledged that government availed disposable gloves; however, Ndlovu said they were minimal as within a day, the funeral parlours personnel used over 700 pairs.

In light of this, we are assisting government where we can, but the cost is too high.

Despite the precautionary measures the personnel of Dups Funeral Home take when engaging in their duties, Ndlovu said a substantive number of their staff members had contracted the virus while rendering their services.

This, he said, had compromised their turnaround time in terms of dealing with the demand of the facility. We buy PPE for our personnel to make sure that they are not exposed while rendering their services.

Worth noting is that the challenges reported by Dups Funeral Home came against the backdrop of 227 deaths as of Saturday, January 3, 2021.

This is a 105 increment from the 122 deaths that were recorded from March 13, 2020 until the end of November last year.

Surge

Also, this publication last Thursday reported that the Ministry of Health was under strain following the surge in COVID-19 infections. Principal Secretary (PS) Dr Simon Zwane said the country was currently under strain for beds and oxygen at the medical facilities treating people who had tested positive for the coronavirus.

He said there was a strain for space for beds to accommodate severely critical and critical patients. Dr Zwane said:There is currently no space for these beds at the Lubombo Referral Hospital and at the Luke Commission at Sidvokodvo.

Furthermore, he said the ministrys facilities were consuming about 700 cylinders of 10.2 kilogrammes of oxygen per day; which was a first for the country.

The PS said two companies came forth to assist government when the pandemic started as they doubled their production and started supplying them day and night as a response for the need of oxygen; however, this was not sufficient. According to the guidelines for treating COVID-19, oxygen is recommended for adults with the virus and acute hypoxemic respiratory failure despite conventional oxygen therapy, the panel recommended high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) oxygen over non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) (BI).

Dr Zwane further said there was a strain on human resource as some responders on the ground had tested positive for COVID -19. He said while the first responders were recovering, the human resource dealing with the surge came under pressure as they were already stretched. Given these challenges, Dr Zwane said: We cant say we are ready for the virus, but we are doing the best we can to respond to it. He said currently, the ministry was seeking authority from relevant authorities in government to recruit 70 personnel to fill vacant positions. Recently, the ministry had said there was a need for 700 employees to deal with its human resource shortfall.
One of the things I appreciate most about the team that I work with at Tablas Creek is the wide range of their interests and experiences. If you don't work at a winery, you might expect that those of us who do spend most of their time drinking their own wines, but in my experience, that's far from the case. Most people who find a career in wine do so because they find it fascinating, and that interest doesn't go away just because they've landed at a particular winery, even a winery that they love. And most people who work at wineries look at exploring other wines as an enjoyable form of continuing education.

This year, I asked our key people to share a wine that stuck with them from all the ones they'd tried in 2020. I wasn't sure what to expect, given the challenges that the year presented to all of us. Would it be the last wine that people enjoyed with friends before they learned the meaning of "social distancing"? A bottle that they enjoyed with a family unit? Something that reminded them of someone they lost? Some people couldn't find a wine that they wanted to remember, in a year they wanted to forget. And I get that. But there were plenty of reminders too that wine does serve to bring us together, and is still one of the best proxies for (and reminders of) travel that we have available to us.

Here's everyone's submission, in their own words and only very lightly edited, in alphabetical order (except mine, which is at the end):

Janelle Bartholomew, Wine Club Assistant

I couldnt choose just one memorable wine this year, so I included a couple that stuck out for me. As Im writing this, I realize both of these wines stick out likely because it was my first time ever to enjoy these varietals  which makes anything just a bit more special. The first wine that stuck with me is Meyer-Fonne Vieilles Vignes Pinot Blanc 2018. This wine hails from Alsace, a region that never seems to disappoint! Lovely white peach and honey resonate on the palate and lingers with a long elegant finish. My only qualm. I wish Id bought more! The second wine that immediately comes to mind is the 2019 (Tablas Creek) Bourboulenc. I was lucky enough to secure myself a single bottle this year, and enjoyed it with Thanksgiving dinner. What I loved most about the Bourboulenc was the texture of this wine, it has more body than I expected but still maintained a great amount of acidity that makes it quite lively. When I first tasted it, I thought if Roussanne and Grenache Blanc had a baby, this would be it! Such a treat and I cant wait for next years release!

Charlie Chester, Senior Assistant Tasting Room Manager

My most memorable wine of this year was just a few weeks ago. Saturday December 5th, the day before my fathers 80th birthday. My girlfriend Amber and I drove down to his house in Solvang, my sister and her husband, Matt drove up from Carpinteria and we cooked dinner for dad and his wife Diane. It was bound to be a great time that deserved a special wine. My sister, Kacey, was in charge of the main dish. She grilled a pork rib roast and it was delicious. I knew what was on the menu and I thought that the 2015 Esprit de Tablas would be nice with it so I got my hands on a magnum to compliment both the meal and the celebration. I think a magnum always boosts the level of celebration a bit and we were celebrating a monumental occasion and needed a bottle of size and quality to match. I brought a gold marker to let everyone sign and wish the dad a happy birthday. It was truly a great time with great company!

As you can see (right) I also got dad our new Tablas Creek Patagonia windbreaker and my sister's husband is a firefighter in Santa Barbara and styled him out with an SBFD hat and t-shirt.

Austin Collins, Cellar Assistant

Much of 2020 is a blur. Part of me still feels like it's March but, as I stare at the flickering lights on our Christmas tree I know that's not true. Another reminder is the upcoming new year and, for the first time I think most of us are celebrating the end of a year, not just the promise of a new one. In retrospect, it's statistically true that most of us drank a bit more this year! But, much like the year, a lot of the wines opened blend together in my head. So, two that I can remember are the 2017 Garance from Chateau de Bois Brincon (100% Pineau d'Aunis). Insane white pepper on the nose and a lovely rustic mouth with bright purple fruits. Secondly, a 2018 Gruner Veltliner from Hum Hofer. While not the best Gruner in the world I had it with my wife on our first wedding anniversary at the lovely eatery Bell's in Los Alamos. It also comes in a unique package: a 1000 mL bright green bottle topped with a crown cap. Here's to a better year ahead! Cheers!

Neil Collins, Executive Winemaker

So many bottles have crossed our table through these trying times, it is hard to narrow it down. We opened a bottle of Ojai Vineyards Sans Soufre. On the table with a group of much more expensive wines, Sans Soufre was head and shoulders the wine of the night.

As is tradition we tasted many great wines at the harvest lunch table, for me one of the stand out wines was the Lone Madrone 2001 Il Toyon Nebbiolo. Christmas morning opening presents, fire in the grate a bottle of Albert Boxler Riesling from Brand, a stunning bottle. Lucky we are!

Ian Consoli, Media and Marketing

In SLO County in 2020 I think we had one week where we could eat in a restaurant. Im exaggerating of course, but when the opportunity arose following previous shutdowns what restaurant do you think I chose to go to with my best wine drinking friends? Ember. Obviously. We took two bottles that both paired mind blowingly well with Chef Brians creations. A 2014 Chateau du Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape with a Duck Ragu and a 2016 Stephane Ogier Mon Village Cote-Rotie with the filet. To be sitting inside a restaurant experiencing pairings that had me melting into my chair took me all the way back to 2019.

Darren Delmore, National Sales Manager

My white wine of the year is Tablas Creek's 2014 Esprit de Tablas Blanc. It's not quite a tradition yet, but this will be a third Christmas Eve that I make Daniel Boulud's Onion Soup and follow his recommended pairing of Roussanne. When you taste the dense, slick, rooty, herbed broth and melted gruyere and salty crouton mixed in, you see why a low acid and equally rich viscous white like the Esprit Blanc is the ideal companion. 2014 was such a powerful vintage for Roussanne that I'm saving a couple bottles for the ten year mark.

My red wine of the year is The Other Right 2019 "Love Potion" Shiraz McLaren Vale Australia. Sulfite free Shiraz (the label says it's "Shiraz Juice") from a coastal site in a warm, drought affected vintage. The alcohol is moderate and the wine is full of power and energy - truly living wine. The whole clusters are fully integrated, likely aged in an old puncheon, and made with nearly zero electricity. I learned of the winemakers Alex and Galit on the excellent podcast Real Wine People out of Australia (very much worth a binge listening). Alex is a wine scientist at the Australian Wine Research Institute, and is jokingly the only wine scientist in the world to make natural wine. Plus who doesn't need a little Love Potion in a year like 2020?

Chelsea Franchi, Senior Assistant Winemaker



Most years, the most memorable wine for me is the bottle that has been opened to mark a special occasion, whatever that may be. Granted, for special occasions, we typically pull out something thats special to us! Domaine Tempier has been the go-to for my husband and me for the decade weve been married. Back in 2013 (photo above) we had the excellent fortune to go on one of the Tablas Creek cruises. One of the days on the cruise, we spent an afternoon visiting the domaine and fell even deeper in love with them. Many an anniversary has been marked with a bottle of red (or sometimes rose!) from this winery.

August of this year, we welcomed the arrival of our daughter, Bohdi, which meant I spent a good deal of this year abstaining. The night we brought Bo home, my mom came over to cook us dinner and then left us to enjoy our first meal at home as a newly minted family of three (amazing, right?!). Since my mom made some ridiculously beautiful rib eyes, it was only fitting that we open a bottle of red that could stand up to them. We had a bottle of Pour Lulu (Lulu is the matriarch of Domaine Tempier, who passed away this October at 102) in our stacks and it was decided that a bottle that was made in homage to a strong and beloved woman was the perfect way to honor the arrival of our new strong, beloved little girl. It needed a few hours of decanting, but when those tight, muscular wings started to open up, it was an utter delight and a perfect accompaniment (right) to one of the most exciting nights of our lives.

Barbara Haas, Co-Founder and Partner

I had a fun experience the other day with a wine I hadnt tasted in at least two years. I had prepared a nice braised chicken (with onions, garlic, herbs, and tomatoes), and I went downstairs to look for an appropriate wine. My guests were two old friends who refused to give me any guidance  even as to white or red. That was MY job, they said. They have had many bottles of Tablas here, particularly over this past year, so I wanted to offer them something different. But it didnt seem fair to submit an old Burgundy to the acidity of the tomatoes in the dish. As I was scanning the wine rack, I noticed a 2016 Julienas. Most Beaujolais should be drunk young, I know, but this was a cru and so I hoped it was still in good form.

It was lovely! Clean and pure and very Beaujolais, and so different from our Rhone-style wines. The very specific and unique taste reminded me how fun it is to vary the wines one drinks, and how silly not to when one has the chance. The experience is like trying different kinds of foods, or listening to different styles of music. It wakes the senses, which in turn wakes the brain, and gives delight.

I vow to add more variety to my wine-drinking in 2021. I always have the comfort of knowing I have a good selection of Tablas wines, and I believe that tasting the other wines in the cellar will give me a deeper appreciation of what we make and how it fits in with its colleagues.

Pam Horton, Assistant Controller

There are two wines that come to mind when I think about 2020. First, is the Tablas Creek Vineyard 2019 Bourboulenc. I have to say that I was intrigued by the name as I had never heard of this grape before. What a wonderful wine! I know that I wasnt the only one who loved it, because it was sold out in no time. I will be looking forward to the next release. My second favorite wine is from another Paso Robles winery, Tackitt Family Vineyards 2018 Willie Pete White. It is a really nice light Sauvignon Blanc which was wonderful to drink during the summer. Tackitt has two lines of wine, their Tackitt Family Vineyard and their EOD Cellars. Willie Pete White is part of the EOD Cellars line and all of the proceeds from the wine sold are donated to the EOD Warrior Foundation. So for me its a win-win as Im purchasing a wine I love and also supporting a great cause.

Ray King, Tasting Room

I have a few wines that stood out and provided fun relief in 2020.

All of the wines I picked were all a part of a meal, or in preparation for a meal. I truly love when great wines come together with great cuisine.

1) 2016 Domaine de La Pirolette, Saint Amour, Le Carjot. This Gamay noir I picked up while in France in 2019 and it was delicious . I served this with Ratatouille Gratin and grilled tri-tip in my backyard.

2) Hot summer evenings, while grilling, I would enjoy a slightly chilled 2018 Tablas Creek Counoise. While eating the dinner I grilled, usually a Ribeye served with Humboldt Fog cheese on top, I would enjoy the 2017 Tablas Creek Tannat. This combo made for great hot summer evenings.

3) Hot summer days, enjoying a cocktail in the afternoon. Aperol Spritz made with 2016 Caudrina Romano Dogliotti La Selvatica. This sparkling Asti is sweet and only 7% alcohol. This wine brought a nice, and new, twist on a classic summer cocktail.

4) 2018 Tablas Creek Marsanne. I drank this wine and used it in the cooking of my Grilled Chicken, Red Bell Pepper, Fettuccine Alfredo. The Marsanne added a nice kick of acid to this lovely, and rich, dish.

Misty Lies, Tasting Room Team Lead

When it comes down to picking my favorite bottle of wine for the year it will actually be a toss up for three bottles all shared between friends at an afternoon bbq. Before the world went crazy we had the pleasure of traveling to Melbourne Australia to visit a friend I hadnt seen in 33 years and new ones that were met along the way because of him. We had a great bbq one afternoon and did some sharing of wines. I brought down a bottle of our 2010 Tannat that went up against a 2001 Howard Park Cabernet Sauvignon as well as a 2015 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz. All three were fun wines and everyone was happy to finally try the Tannat I have been telling them about for a few years now. During the year with all the ups and downs, I have come back to this afternoon and appreciated every minute of that day. Wines have a way of making meals a little bit more special and as always are best shared around a table of good friends.

John Morris, Tasting Room Manager

My favorite wine of 2020? I havent enjoyed it yet, but Ill let you know on New Years Eve! I cant let it go unmentioned that Ive had the unique opportunity to taste the singular, spectacular 2017 Esprit de Tablas Blanc most days this year. This wine has gotten wide and much-deserved praise, and special attention in our blog published recently. It really is a knockout. And the 2017 Esprit de Tablas (red) is pretty special in its own right, perhaps my favorite vintage yet. Were super lucky to taste these wines on a regular basis. But as for my yet-to-be most delicious wine of 2020, I plan to head down to 15C in Templeton and ask for the best Champagne under $100, pop it 30 seconds after I walk in the door, raise a toast, and say good-bye to this most difficult year. Heres to 2021!

Rumyn Purewal, Tasting Room Team Lead

It is hard to believe that this year started out like many others. And it started with my favorite wine of the year. I went to dinner with my fellow pals, also Tablas Creek family, Leslie and Ian, at local eatery Heirloom. We got the food to go and had a picnic in the Adelaide with one of those pairings that takes you to a magical place. With all locally grown and sourced food prepared by amazing people and chefs we paired the meal with a Portuguese wine recommended by Darren Delmore, a Humus Vinho Regional Lisboa. A natural wine made with indigenous Portuguese grapes. It was an incredible experience that stuck with me throughout the year. I hope everyone has a happy and healthy New Years. Cheers!

Troy Tucker, Tasting Room

So I have 3 wines that stood out to me this year the most.

The first was the 2017 Thacher Cinsaut. A very unique and balanced wine full of character! A nerdy wine to say the least.

The second was the 2017 La Encantada Pinot Noir from Decroux/TH Estate. The vineyard really really makes this wine. Very expressive of terroir and captures the delicacy and complexity of Pinot Noir. I could go on and on about this wine!

And third is none other than the 2012 Esprit de Tablas Rouge (pictured right). Not to toot our own horns too much but, wow! So soft, so powerful, so many layers of clean vigorous personality. After 40 minutes in a decanter, it opened and gave one of the cleanest softest drinking wines I've had from Paso in a while! Paired amazing with the ribeye from McPhee's too!

Me

My mom is building a new house. As a part of that construction, earlier this summer we had to move a wine fridge that was inconveniently positioned in her garage right where a door needed to be cut. So, Meghan, the boys and I spent a few hours one afternoon in June emptying that wine fridge, moving the wines that were there into different storage, and identifying some bottles that were ready to open. One that I "rescued" was a bottle made by Jacques d'Angerville, the Burgundy proprietor who was my dad's closest friend in the region that made his reputation as an importer.

The wines from Domaine Marquis d'Angerville always speak to the elegant side of Pinot Noir. The bottle we opened was a Volnay Caillerets from 1979, reputed as a good but not great vintage, but the wine was sublime, with minerality and tension, crunchy red fruit even at age 40+, and the lovely loamy earth character I find so distinctive in mature Burgundy. It turned the meal of a simple roast chicken into one of the highlights of our dining year. In a year marked by losses and absences, I felt my dad's presence strongly that night. Wines have the ability to preserve a conjunction of place, time, and people. The Volnay evoked all that, while also being a testament to my dad's vision and foresight, and a lasting legacy to Jacques's genius, nearly two decades after his death.

A few concluding thoughts:

As you might expect, this was an eclectic list. Some wines are Tablas Creek, but most are not. Many were older, which says that for all the challenges of storing and being patient with wines, the rewards can be marvelous. But the thing that stood out most for me was the extent to which wines help mark and commemorate milestones our lives, or give regular moments additional depth and meaning. I have high hopes for 2021. May your food and wine experiences be memorable, and may we all find more to celebrate next year.
In the first wave of the pandemic last spring, villagers lined up in front of the pharmacy every day to hunt for vitamin supplements and face masks, he said. The four pharmacists  all members of the same family  worked long shifts and spent hours at the computer trying to help residents with paperwork. The shop became a communal clinic, the access point to online health services and an impromptu emergency room.

They are well organized, said Sonia Baldesi, a 67-year-old retiree who joked that she was old enough to remember when Mr. Berti started working as the towns pharmacist. They offer small services that allow us to skip a trip to Siena, and thats not a small thing these days.

Its a personal touch that is characteristic of the town. Masked, people greet each other on Castellinas street, even if they arent sure to whom they are speaking.

Residents all know each other and help each other if they can, said Roberto Barbieri, 52, who manages the villages Coop supermarket.

Castellina was not hit hard by the coronavirus in the spring, but clusters emerged in town by the fall. The virus was the topic of conversation on the street or at the supermarket, as relatives of people who tested positive hoped their loved ones would be spared.

So far, only one Castellina resident has died from the coronavirus, in November.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Partly cloudy in the morning. Thunderstorms developing later in the day. A few storms may be severe. High 91F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 59F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
These are the latest updates related to January 6, presented in the following order: Trump's call with state legislators, the objection process, congressional (past and present) cowards, Mitch McConnell's possible devious maneuver, Ted Cruz interview, rally update, and prayers.

Trump's call with state legislators

Trump spoke with 300 state legislators from the states in question on a Zoom conference call sponsored by Got Freedom?, an election integrity watchdog group. The call was organized at the request of state legislators from Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in order to review evidence of election fraud. Members of Congress have requested a similar briefing. Link to evidence here.

How the Electoral College vote objection process works

During an interview with Maria Bartiromo yesterday, Jim Jordan explained how the objection process works. (He and Mo Brooks also said they plan to object to six states: Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan.)

Here's how it works (or how it's supposed to work).

Each state is called one by one for the votes to be counted. When the first of the six states that will be challenged is called, Brooks, Jordan, and/or others (only one is necessary to trigger the process) will raise their objection. At that point, each chamber will debate for a maximum of two hours. During that time, members of the GOP who are objecting will try to convince others to join them while, undoubtedly, those with opposing views will be arguing their case as well.

After the debate, the joint session reconvenes, and the results of the debate are announced. It's at this point that the votes will either be accepted or rejected based on the determination made after debating.

The next time a state that will be contested is announced, the process starts all over again: each chamber separates and debates for up to two hours, and so on.

It is at each of these junctures that the truth has a chance to win.

We must contact our senators and congressional representatives (and I would suggest not only your own, but those in contested states) to pressure them to do the right thing.

Will it matter? I don't know. The cynic in me wants to say probably not. We're swimming against the tide, and the current is strong. But Trump has been doing this for all of us for four years. We must do it for him and for the country.

We must put forth this effort. Light up the phone lines; call after hours and leave messages (the main D.C. number will probably have a mailbox that's full, but if you call local offices, you're likely to find one where you can leave a message); send emails. No one has an excuse not to do this. It's the very least thing every single one of us can do. The very least.

Congressman Brooks has also implored everyone to do this, stating that our chance to win hinges on it. President Trump is urging the same.

Stand and fight. This is the fight right now, especially for people who won't be in D.C. Apply as much pressure as possible on elected officials (national and statewide in the key states in question).

Cowardly members of the GOP (the short list)

Here's what Kelly Armstrong (N.D.), Ken Buck (Colo.), Mike Gallagher (Wis.), Nancy Mace (S.C.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Tom McClintock (Calif.), and Chip Roy (Texas) have to say, as reported at Townhall:

"Absent such action, there is not a constitutional role for Congress to change the outcome of any state's vote," the statement explained. "The text of the Constitution is clear. States select electors. Congress does not. Accordingly, our path forward is also clear. We must respect the states' authority here," the coalition said. "Though doing so may frustrate our immediate political objectives, we have sworn an oath to promote the Constitution above our policy goals. We must count the electoral votes submitted by the states."

Liz Cheney is also on record claiming anyone objecting on January 6 would be engaging in behavior that's at odds with our Constitution and that it would "set a dangerous precedent." Someone might want to clue her in to the fact that objecting is constitutional, that there's a clear process outlined for how to do so, and that the dangerous precedent about which she speaks is having one party steal an election!

This group of gutless wonders in the House of Representatives is joined by several senators who have proclaimed that "the 2020 election is over" and that "it's time to move forward." These special snowflakes include Mitt Romney, who may soon find it difficult to stand upright, given the dilapidated condition of his spine. Pat Toomey is another member of the Club of Cowards. (Yesterday, Josh Hawley challenged him to debate the issue of election fraud on the Senate floor.) And you have the always predictable Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski joining the fray.

Then, late Sunday night, Tom Cotton put out a statement that he would not object to the votes. His primary argument seems to be that it will set a dangerous precedent (the talking points seem to have been distributed) and that the left will surely abuse it when it's in power.

He also asserted the idea that objecting would only be symbolic, as there is no hope it would change anything, while thanking Trump for all that he accomplished in four years.

Where to begin? Does Cotton not realize that the left abuses power however it sees fit? Why do Republicans get stuck on this idea that if they do something even somewhat bold, it will empower the left even more? The left is in full-throttle destruction mode. By any means necessary. Win Georgia and change the United States. Pack the court. Eliminate the Electoral College. Make D.C. and Puerto Rico states. End the filibuster. Flood the country with foreigners (legally or illegally) who will not contribute to any greatness at best and who hate us with a passion at worst.

And that's just them warming up.

I wonder what peach committee assignments Mitch promised these cowards and what punishment and threats he's leveraging against those who are standing up?

Embedded link to how to streamline the process of contacting politicians: here. (It was down for part of the day yesterday because it's overwhelmed with people taking action, so please don't give up. Keep trying. There's another resource here. If either or both aren't working, just do it the old-fashioned way with a (non-Google) search for whomever you want to contact and get going!

Paul Ryan

He just had to jump, didn't he? Well, yes, he did, proclaiming that "Joe Biden's victory is entirely legitimate."

Does Paul have mountains of evidence to support his pronouncement? Because if he does, we would surely like to see it. Maybe we could put all of this to rest. Come on, Paul. Cough up the goods. Let's see what you've got, because surely you wouldn't make such a bold claim without being able to back it up, would you?

(And while on the topic of Mr. Ryan, let's not forget that he's on the Board of Directors at Fox News  you know, the news organization that called Arizona for Joe Biden when there were massive numbers of votes yet to be counted and the margin between Biden and Trump was razor-thin.)

Mitch McConnell maneuvers

Jack Posobiec is reporting that McConnell is trying to broker a deal strong-arm senators who will be opposing the votes from certain states by promising a stimulus check deal if they will cooperate on January 6. If true, then this depraved Senate majority leader is trying to bribe senators with a backbone by holding stimulus checks over their (and Americans') heads. Then, I suppose, if they don't back down, Mitch will place the hold up on checks on them.

Call every senator who will oppose the votes, thank him, and urge him to stand strong. We cannot have a single one back down. If anything, we need more. And in light of Mitch's possible maneuver, they should all be revolted by this kind of manipulation and join the group so it grows larger and stronger. Assuming what Posobiec is reporting is true, what Mitch is planning would be sick beyond words.

(202) 224-2541: No one ever answers his phone at Mitch's office (which is ridiculous), and the mailbox is always full (which is also ridiculous). It's all intentional, I'm sure. It's been this way with him for as long as I can remember. There's no reason staffers can't answer the phone, or at least be retrieving messages and opening up the voice mail. In any case, there's always email, assuming anyone bothers to check it: mitch.mcconnell@senate.gov.

Former military have sent a warning to Trump

Every living former secretary of defense signed a letter that was published in the Washington Post op-ed section admonishing Trump for continuing his quest for honest election result, that the time for questioning the election results has passed, and that he'd better not involve the military in the election battle. Politico is reporting that the idea was developed by a NeverTrump and member of the Bush administration and that former vice president Cheney worked with him on the statement.

The long knives are out.

Folks, we are getting a taste of what President Trump has been up against for four long years.

Interview with Ted Cruz

On Sunday, Maria Bartiromo interviewed Ted Cruz about his plan for January 6. For video and transcript excerpts, see here and here.

January 6 rally

No one knows how many patriots will show up. Sundance at The Conservative Treehouse has been throwing around "millions," while Breitbart is writing about "thousands." It needs to be huge! Our presence must be overwhelming.

President Trump will be there. So should every able-bodied patriot.

Prayers

Please share them in the comments section if you are so inclined.

Caricature by Donkey Hotey CC By-SA 2.0 license.
From a low-cost destination 20 years ago, Vietnams tourism sector has made substantial breakthroughs and become a regular in the last five years on must-see lists for international tourists.

A view of Ha Long Bay

Destination known

Da Nang is the perfect example of the spectacular growth seen in local tourism. Twenty years ago, the central city held no position at all on Vietnams tourism map. Today, it has positioned itself in the minds of domestic and foreign visitors, according to Cao Tri Dung, President of the Da Nang Tourism Association.

Le Trung Chinh, the new Chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee, said that tourism has become an important economic sector that makes a considerable contribution to the citys socio-economic development as well as budget funds.

According to the Da Nang Department of Tourism, the sector grew 17.88 percent on average each year in the 2015-2019 period. It welcomed 8.69 million visitors last year, an increase of 85.7 percent compared to 2015, and earned nearly 31 trillion VND in revenue, up 141.6 percent.

Vietnams tourism sector froze this year because of COVID-19, but the country still surpassed many to win the World Travel Awards Worlds Leading Heritage Destination 2020.

Last year, for the first time, the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) put Vietnam among its top 10 hot destinations for US travellers, second only to Japan in Asia. Earlier, Australia News said that Vietnam has overtaken Bali to become the most popular destination for Australian tourists, thanks to the high level of safety and security, friendly people, unique culture, and diverse cuisine.

Figures from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) show that, in 2019, Vietnam welcomed nearly 18 million international arrivals, of which 78.1 percent were from Asia. The number of visitors from Europe rose 5.3 percent and from the Americas 6.2 percent year-on-year.

A place to visit at least once in your life

Along with prestigious awards, Vietnamese destinations have also been named among impressive global destinations or described as a place to visit at least once in your life.

The Golden Bridge in Da Nang was ranked among the top 100 Worlds Greatest Places in 2018 by Time magazine. Kem Beach on Phu Quoc Island, meanwhile, was rated among the 100 most beautiful beaches on the planet by 1,200 global travel experts on Fly Network in Canada.

The Hoang Lien Son mountain range in northwest Vietnam, together with the Guinness record-holding Fansipan Sapa cable network nearby, was named one of the worlds most exciting destinations in 2019 by the renowned National Geographic.

The capital Hanoi was 15th on a list of 25 cities in TripAdvisors best world destinations, overcoming popular names such as Chiang Mai and Bangkok in Thailand, Tokyo and Kyoto in Japan, and Rome.

A photo of the Golden Bridge taken by Jason Goh, a Malaysian tourist, went viral, receiving hundreds of comments like Got to go there, So keen to visit the bridge, and This is the coolest place on earth. Hope I get to visit someday.

Explaining the success Vietnams tourism sector has posted over the last five years, Jyotis, a travel expert from Flight Network, pointed to factors such as the maintenance of its traditional values.

Moreover, she added, Vietnam has always been a safe destination and an inspiring country./.VNA

Tourism industry still struggling because of Covid-19, directors sell food online The tourism industry has never before fallen into such a difficult situation. Many travel firms have had to shut down, while tour guides have had to take temporary jobs while waiting for opportunities to return.
A schizophrenic tree surgeon who brutally axed his cousin to death in the street was today sentenced to an indefinite hospital order.

Ashley Rowen, 32, was twice previously sectioned under the Mental Health Act before he launched a fatal attack on Ryan Lowry, 36, in Trafford, Greater Manchester, on February 27.

In 2014, Rowen was detained with a delusional disorder having threatened suicide, and again in March 2019 after he seriously assaulted his grandfather who sustained a bleed on the brain.

Sentencing at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, Judge Maurice Greene said Mr Lowry in effect then became Rowen's carer after he was 'somewhat surprisingly' discharged within two weeks of being detained at a hospital unit.

The judge said Mr Lowry, from Marple, was described by those who knew him as a 'born leader and inspiration' with a caring nature and who had clear concerns for Rowen up to his death.

He told the defendant: 'There was never any suggestion of any animosity by you towards him and in fact you had a great deal to be grateful to him for.'

On the night he died, racing driver and foster parent Mr Lowry had told his wife Michelle: 'Ashley will not hurt me. He listens to me.'

In the days leading up to the tragedy, Rowen behaved erratically and without reason had had various heated and angry exchanges with a number of people, the court heard.

Tree surgeon Ashley Rowen was previously sectioned under the Mental Health Act before he committed a brutal attack on Ryan Lowry (pictured) in Trafford, Greater Manchester

Following sentence, Mr Lowry's family said: 'We all still struggle to understand why Ryan, who was such a beautiful and caring man, lost his life so unnecessarily and in the way he did'

On February 25, he messaged a friend's wife: 'Should I go to freemasons or smash someone's face in?' and a day later sent a group chat message which read: 'Should I join the masons tomorrow? Im asking you all? As I will lick of (sic) someones head if you want to play.'

Mr Lowry persuaded Rowen to see his GP on the afternoon of February 27, who admitted he had stopped taking his anti-psychotic medication because it made him sleepy and put on weight.

The court was told he was on the medication from 2016 but took it sporadically and had been treated for mental illness since 2011.

Rowen, also known as Ashley Glennon, was given a further prescription and a community mental health team contacted him later, but he assured them he felt fine.

Later, Rowen attended the Masonic Hall in Urmston for his freemason initiation where a witness stated he did not behave in any way that caused concern and even gave a short speech.

A still concerned Mr Lowry went on to visit the defendant's home in Partington, and shortly before midnight was seen running from the property chased by the axe-wielding Rowen.

The defendant struck 13 blows to his cousin who died from multiple head injuries.

Rowen pleaded guilty last month to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility.

Judge Greene told him: 'The plea reflects the fact had you not been ill you would not have killed your cousin. In my judgment your mental illness at the time of the offence means that your culpability is low.'

Psychiatrists for the prosecution and defence agreed that Rowen is suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.

He will continue to be treated at Ashworth high security hospital in Merseyside until a specialist mental health tribunal decides it is safe to discharge him.

Sentencing at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, Judge Maurice Greene said Mr Lowry in effect then became Rowen's carer after he was 'somewhat surprisingly' discharged within two weeks of being detained at a hospital unit

The judge said: 'That may happen many many years in the future or it may not happen at all.'

Dr John Crosby, based at Ashworth, told the court he did not think there was 'very rigorous monitoring' of Rowen by his community mental team before the killing.

He explained that such services are 'stretched and very busy' and did not believe Rowen would have been seen as a priority.

Dr Crosby added Rowen would be subjected to 'significantly higher supervision' if he was ever released into the community.

Following sentence, Mr Lowry's family said: 'We all still struggle to understand why Ryan, who was such a beautiful and caring man, lost his life so unnecessarily and in the way he did.

'We have seen a report from the mental health trust that highlights many problems in the previous care and treatment of Ashley Rowen  including managing the known risks he posed to others.

'It seems that only now  after this horrific murder  will he be getting the effective care essential to ensure he will not commit serious harm to anyone again.

'We only wish he could have received that treatment beforehand. Because if he had, we believe Ryan would still be with us, and so much grief, suffering and trauma could have been avoided.'
Duncan Clarks flight was rolling down the runway in Paris in late October when President Emmanuel Macron announced a second national lockdown in France. The country had nearly 50,000 new Covid-19 infections that day. The United States had almost 100,000.

He sighed with relief. He was headed to China. That day, it had reported 25 new infections, all but one originating abroad.

Mr. Clark, a businessman and an author, returned to China after spending nine months in the United States and France, his longest time away from the country since he moved to Beijing in 1994. He had been spending more time outside China over the past few years to get away from air pollution, censored internet and an increasingly depressing political environment.

But when he returned in October, he felt something new: safe, energized and free.

The ability to just live a normal life is pretty amazing, he said.

He's certainly become popular after playing Simon Bassett, Duke Of Hastings in Netflix series Bridgerton.

And actor Rege-Jean Page, 31, has described his devilishly handsome character as 'very much the societal heartthrob. Darcy as a 21st century f***-boy.'

Bridgerton tells the story of the eldest daughter in a powerful and wealthy family, Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor), who wants to meet a man and get married.

'He's Darcy as a 21st century f*** boy': Bridgerton's Rege-Jean Page gave his verdict on his Duke role and hopes viewers don't view diverse series as a 'colourblind production'

Saucy: Bridgerton, tells the story of the eldest daughter in a powerful and wealthy family, called Daphne, (Phoebe Dynevor), who wants to meet a man and get married

She falls for the Duke, who tells her he will never marry - and what ensues is a rather complicated relationship full of misunderstandings and lots of sex scenes.

Bridgerton was produced by Shonda Rhimes, adapted from the bestselling novels from Julia Quinn, and features a diverse cast.

But talking to Square Mile, Rege-Jean, the son of a Zimbabwean nurse and an English preacher, said that the show is not a 'colourblind production'.

He said: 'I don't think it helps when folks say that they don't see colour... Please do. Because if you don't, you don't see me. And you don't see how I walk through the world, or have any understanding of the conversations that we're having about colour, because to you it doesn't exist.'

Rege-Jean said: 'I don't think it helps when folks say that they don't see colour... Please do. Because if you don't, you don't see me'

Rege-Jean added that the show has people of colour in it because people of colour existed in the 19th century.

He said: Once you watch the show, it's the most irrelevant thing in the world. It just slots into place. You go "holy s***, how were we never doing this before?"'

The star compares the concept to 'trying to explain the internet before we had the internet and said 'people won't get it and then they suddenly will.'

Rege-Jean grew up in Harare, spent his teen years in North London and much of his twenties in LA, and said he still doesn't know where he would call home.

While in London, he spent his teen years in a punk band with purple hair, but he refuses to give up the name of it.

Music was an outlet for his frustration over the world's injustices as he questioned why people weren't doing anything about them, but realises people have mortgages to pay.

He called it a 'healthy place to have opinions' that you could have 'very loudly.'
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

In retrospect, Mayor Tim Keller says he wishes hed known earlier about the serious problems the Albuquerque Police Department was having with its reform effort.

I think what we have learned is how deeply challenged some of these areas are, including self-monitoring, Keller said in a wide-ranging interview in December. For us at a senior level, we were led to believe  that things were much improved, and it turns out they werent as much.

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The city has been in the midst of reforming its Police Department for the past six years in accordance with a court-approved settlement agreement after a Department of Justice investigation found that officers had a pattern and practice of using excessive force.

Although more recently it has seemed like the department was making good progress  enough so that Keller said at his State of the City address last January that his administration was seeking to self-monitor parts of the settlement agreement  by summer it was clear that things were not nearly so rosy.

The independent monitor overseeing the reforms found that in the first seven months or so of 2020, APD failed miserably in its ability to police itself and said in court that we are on the brink of a catastrophic failure at APD.

Even before the monitors report was published in November, his criticisms were well known, prompting the mayor to ask Police Chief Michael Geier to retire in September.

The retirement started a bitter back-and-forth between Geier and the administration, including Harold Medina, who stepped into the chiefs job on an interim basis.

Now, entering the new year, the city is in the midst of searching for not just a new chief of police, but also a chief of public safety to oversee the new hire. The city hopes to have the police chief position filled by March but doesnt have a time frame for when it wants to have a chief of public safety in place.

Keller acknowledged that both are hard to recruit for given the position the city is in with crime and the reform effort as well as the fact that policing is not a popular career now and qualified people are leaving law enforcement.

Plus theres no guarantee the pick would have a job in 2022.

Basically, no matter who it is, and what combination, theyre going to have one year to prove themselves, he said. Because either Ill be gone  hopefully not, but you know, its an election year, so it could be a new mayor, in which case they probably change people  or Ill be going into the second term, and I will have a very clear opinion on whether or not those folks should stick around.

Making progress

But the year hasnt been all bad for APD, Keller said.

There was this vision that weve got to hire more officers, he said. And we have been able to hit our commitments on that  my goal was 100 every year. And we were able to do that, even despite the pandemic.

The department has 974 officers at last count, and an APD spokesman said 51 cadets are expected to graduate in March.

Keller said APD made technological strides when it got a ShotSpotter gunshot detection device, which it began using over the summer. The device is set up in areas with most gun violence and alerts officers within 60 seconds of shots being fired.

Also, Keller said, although other cities across the country have had increases  in some cases quite dramatic increases  in violent crime during the pandemic, Albuquerque has stayed relatively constant or even seen a slight decrease in some categories.

However, the violent crime rate remains above the national average, and one of the areas that have remained stubbornly high is shootings resulting in injury or death.

Interim Chief Medina said there is some reason for hope there too. Whereas in August there were more than 30% more shootings than during the same period the previous year, now there are 18% more  meaning the trend is on the slow decline.

He credits the decrease to his anti-crime operations that involve officers rounding up people wanted on warrants.

Hopefully, having a full year of this going on with these operations, well be able to start effecting some changes in the shooting rates and keeping the community safe, Medina said. But were also seeing our property crimes continue to decrease  we were very successful in those first two years. I think its really important that were able to bring this vision of being a proactive Police Department that works with the community to fruition and make sure that this is the direction of the Police Department.

Medina said one of the biggest challenges with taking over the Police Department came in the first couple of weeks when the Journal wrote an article about shootings he had been involved in during his career and the strong criticisms leveled against him and the administration by his predecessor.

He has applied for the permanent post and says he hopes that at this time next year the department will have reduced violent crime and institutionalized initiatives he started to hold APD accountable  including monitoring of chiefs overtime assignments, improving the quality of investigations, and the community ambassadors outreach program. Abuse of overtime was once again in the spotlight this year after the highly paid former APD spokesman Simon Drobik resigned amid an internal investigation into his overtime. The investigation eventually found he was gaming the system, APD said.

Theres going to be long hours next year and expectations that we will work as many hours as needed, as administrators, to ensure that our officers feel supported and the community feels that the leadership is in charge of the Police Department, Medina said. And that we continually are working to reduce crime and make the citizens in Albuquerque safe.

The city is working with Department of Justice attorneys on a plan to bring in outside experts to investigate use of force by officers to further its compliance with the reforms, a proposal Medina said he supports.

Community partner

In the search for the citys next top cop, the mayors staff and a hired consultant have conducted more than 40 virtual meetings with community groups and interested parties and received more than 2,200 responses to an online survey seeking feedback.

Alicia Manzano, a city spokeswoman, said five themes emerged from those meetings. She said the community expressed a desire for a chief to have an understanding of behavioral health issues, and a commitment to de-escalation, racial equity, transparency and community policing.

I think by and large, the community really wants to have someone that is a partner, Manzano said. And we look forward to seeing who emerges in that role to be that partner.

About 39 candidates have applied for the position, chief of staff Mike Puelle said, although not all meet the qualifications. The city expects to close the posting soon, but candidates may still trickle in.

In contrast to the heavily publicized chief search, the chief of public safety job posting hit the citys website with no fanfare a couple of weeks ago  catching some city councilors off guard.

That position will oversee APD, Albuquerque Fire Rescue and the Office of Emergency Management and report to the citys chief administrative officer. This would be a civilian post, according to a city spokeswoman.

Spokeswoman Jessica Campbell said the administration doesnt have a deadline for hiring a chief of public safety as we continue testing the water to see if there is a candidate up to the task. She said that as of Wednesday, seven people had applied.

Previous administrations have had a similar position called director of public safety, and Keller had explored the idea in the past and on the campaign trail. He said now the time is right because he can pick a chief of police and a chief of public safety who will work well together at the same time.

He said the chief of public safety will take on some of the responsibilities formerly handled by the police chief.

This Police Department is in a situation where I think its almost impossible for a singular chief to do everything they need to do, Keller said, citing challenges coming from staffing shortages, the CASA, and high levels of crime. Theres one obvious thing you can pull out that is a different skill set which is the associated compliance, accountability, all of the discipline. You can look at a separate leader looking at that, and then the other person really working on pushing crime down.
Most recently, Timnit Gebru, a leading artificial intelligence researcher and one of the few Black women in her field, said she was fired over her work to fight bias. Her offense? Conducting research that was critical of large-scale A.I. models and being critical of existing diversity and inclusion efforts. In response, thousands of our colleagues organized, demanding an explanation. Both of us have heard from colleagues  some new, some with over a decade at the company  who have decided that working at Alphabet is no longer a choice they can make in good conscience.

Workers have mobilized against these abuses before. Organized workers at the company forced executives to drop Project Maven, the companys artificial-intelligence program with the Pentagon, and Project Dragonfly, its plan to launch a censored search engine in China. Some of Alphabets subcontractors won a $15 minimum hourly wage, parental leave, and health insurance after an employee outcry. And the practice of forced arbitration for claims of sexual harassment was ended after the November 2018 walkout  albeit only for full-time employees, not contractors. A few months later, Google announced that it would end forced arbitration for employees for all claims.

To those who are skeptical of unions or believe that tech companies are more innovative without unions, we want to point out that these and other larger problems persist. Discrimination and harassment continue. Alphabet continues to crack down on those who dare to speak out, and keep workers from speaking on sensitive and publicly important topics, like antitrust and monopoly power. For a handful of wealthy executives, this discrimination and unethical working environment are working as intended, at the cost of workers with less institutional power, especially Black, brown, queer, trans, disabled, and female workers. Each time workers organize to demand change, Alphabets executives make token promises, doing the bare minimum in the hopes of placating workers.

Its not enough. Today, were building on years of organizing efforts at Google to create a formal structure for workers. So far, 226 of us have signed union cards with the Communications Workers of America  the first step in winning a recognized bargaining unit under U.S. law. In other words, we are forming a union.

We are the workers who built Alphabet. We write code, clean offices, serve food, drive buses, test self-driving cars and do everything needed to keep this behemoth running. We joined Alphabet because we wanted to build technology that improves the world. Yet time and again, company leaders have put profits ahead of our concerns. We are joining together  temps, vendors, contractors, and full-time employees  to create a unified worker voice. We want Alphabet to be a company where workers have a meaningful say in decisions that affect us and the societies we live in.
Kathmandu, January 4

The Ministry of Health and Population has informed that the countrys Covid-19 tally has reached 262,262 as of Monday afternoon.

The ministry says 403 new cases were confirmed in the country in the past 24 hours. Out of those, 185 have been reported in the valley.

In this period, 4,401 swab samples were tested. So far, 1 million and 952,903 people have been tested in the country.

As of today, 5,289 cases are active.

Of the total cases so far, 255,088 people have achieved recovery whereas 1,885 died, according to the ministry. In the past 24 hours, 594 people have been discharged whereas seven deaths have been reported.

Over 300 people are quarantined across the country.
Boris Johnson, visiting Chase Farm Hospital in north London on Monday, said he regrets having closed primary schools during the first lockdown. (PA)

Boris Johnson says closing primary schools his biggest regret from first COVID lockdown

PM insists primary schools are safe  with majority in England meant to return on Monday

Johnson facing revolt from unions that claim school returns will fuel pandemic further

Visit the Yahoo homepage for more stories

Boris Johnson has said he regrets having closed primary schools during the first national lockdown in March last year.

The prime minister said it was his greatest misgiving when looking back at his response to the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Monday, nearly 10 months after those school closures, Johnson was facing a third wave of COVID-19 infections with more than 75% of England facing the toughest Tier 4 restrictions.

This time, however, the majority of primary schools have been told to remain open.

Watch: Boris Johnson says primary schools are safe (from Sunday)

Insisting schools are safe, Johnson said on Monday: Its very important to understand that back in March, one of the things I look back on with the greatest misgivings was the closure of primary schools because its so important for young people to get an education.

Thats why closing primary schools is, for all of us, a last resort. Thats why we are looking at everything else we can possibly do to avoid that.

I would stress schools are safe and the risk to kids is very, very small.

All of Londons primary schools and those in some surrounding areas worst hit by COVID will not reopen until 18 January, with pupils elsewhere in England expected to return to class this week.

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Education unions have warned bringing all pupils back to class could fuel the pandemic further and put teachers at serious risk of falling ill.

Johnson, however, rejected this, saying: The risk to teachers is no greater than it is to anyone else.

The reasons for wanting to keep schools open I think are very, very powerful.

A lock hangs on a closed primary school gate in Deptford, London, on Monday. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

One expert, Dr Zubaida Haque, had earlier pointed out there is no evidence teachers do not face a greater risk because there have been no studies assessing the impact of the new coronavirus variant, which is said to be up to 70% more transmissible.

Story continues

The Independent Sage member tweeted:

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Meanwhile, secondary schools and colleges in England will have a staggered return, with those taking exams this year resuming in-person teaching on 11 January and other year groups on 18 January.

Watch: Should I book a holiday in 2021?
Panaji, Jan 4 : No discussion has been held with the Congress high command, over the issue of the resignation of state Congress president Girish Chodankar after the party's recent debacle in the Zilla Panchayat polls, Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat said on Monday.

Speaking to reporters here, after his recent visit to Delhi along with Chodankar, Kamat said he was not "in any race" for the top slot in the party's state organisational apparatus.

"I along with the state president were called to Delhi for a review of the actual situation in the state. We discussed issues related to the membership, booth committee organisation and an analysis of the ZP results. We had a detailed discussion about these aspects," Kamat said.

When he was asked whether the matter related to the recent resignation of Girish Chodankar in view of the drubbing the party received in the polls was discussed, Kamat said: "There was no discussion on the issue of state Congress president (resignation) during my visit to Delhi, therefore I cannot say anything about it".

"I am not in any race, irrespective of what anyone says," Kamat said, when asked if he had put up his candidature for the top post.

Chodankar had submitted his resignation to Congress president Sonia Gandhi on December 17, days after the party managed to win only four out of the 39 ZP seats in the December 12 elections. The BJP won 33 seats.

Party leaders, neither in Goa nor in the national capital have, however, confirmed whether the resignation has been accepted by the High Command. As a result of this, Chodankar continues to hold the top post of the party in the state.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Many Americans saw the latest COVID-19 stimulus check arrive in their bank accounts over the last several days. For others, the check is literally in the mail.

The second round of stimulus checks  up to $600 per individual or $1,200 for married couples with $600 for dependents  arrived via direct deposit starting last week.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced the IRS began mailing paper stimulus checks on Dec. 30 to those without direct deposit information on file with the agency. With the Jan. 1 holiday delaying service, many people will find their stimulus funds in their mailboxes today.

Meanwhile, those who havent received their stimulus checks are left waiting.

The IRS said it plans launch its Get My Payment tool, similar to the one used during the March CARES Act, in the coming days. Once that happens, people can input their information and track their stimulus funds.

The IRS is operating under a deadline. The stimulus package placed a Jan. 15 cutoff for the second round of paymebts to be distributed. People that dont receive the full payment by then are able to claim all or part of the missing amount when they file their federal tax returns in 2021 through the IRS Recovery Rebate Credit.

The second round of stimulus pays the full amount to individuals earning up to $75,000 and $1,200 for married couples earning up to $150,000.

Another stimulus

The $600 stimulus may be arriving but many people were hoping the second round would bring more  a lot more.

Congress has been considering a $2,000-per-person stimulus payment backed by the odd combination of both President Trump and Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, blocked attempts to move forward with the higher stimulus amounts, however, and now, it will be up the 117th Congress to craft its own plan.

President-elect Biden has signaled he support a third round, calling the $600 checks a down payment on future stimulus. When asked about the possibilities of another direct payment, Biden said it was negotiating issue but added It will, yet it will.

Biden is set to take office Jan. 20.
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Jacksonville Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Doris A. Law, 41, of Jacksonville and Lexi C. Rodden, 24, of Ashland were cited on charges of disturbing the peace at 11:37 a.m. Sunday after police were called about a fight in the 1200 block of Allen Avenue.

 Steven D. Tucker 30, homeless, was arrested at 9:28 a.m. Sunday on a theft charge in the 700 block of South Clay Avenue.

 Mario T. Jackson, 36, of 717 W. Beecher Ave. was arrested at 6:23 a.m. Saturday at a residence in the 700 block of Sheridan Street on charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of a controlled substance and on a Pike County warrant.

 A 14-year-old boy was cited on a curfew violation at 1:14 a.m. Sunday in the first block of Greenbriar Drive. Four other juveniles ran from officers, according to a police report.

 Christopher J. Tanner, 29, of 355 W. Lafayette Ave was arrested at 11:47 p.m Saturday on a domestic battery charge.

 Marlon K. Jackson, 31, of 800 Hoagland Blvd., Apt. 220, was arrested at 6:47 p.m. Thursday on charges of domestic battery and criminal trespass to a residence.

THEFTS, BURGLARIES

 A laptop computer was stolen from a garage in the 900 block of Huber Street, according to a report filed at 1:32 p.m. Sunday.

 A truck was stolen from the 900 block of Doolin Avenue, according to a report filed at 7:48 a.m. Sunday.

 A fuel container worth about $130 was taken from a residence in the 800 block of West College Avenue between 3 p.m. Wednesday and 4 p.m. Friday.

 About $3,500 was taken between Dec. 23 and Friday from a residence in the 300 block of Pine Street, according to a report filed at 10:05 p.m. Friday.

ACCIDENTS

 Crystell M. Bartlett, 72, of Jacksonville was treated at Passavant Area Hospital after an apparent medical condition caused her to drive drive off Mound Road at Forest Hill Road at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

OTHER REPORTS

 Two counterfeit $20 bills were used at a business in the 600 block of North Main Street, according to a report filed at 8:20 a.m. Sunday.

 A customer used a counterfeit $20 bill to buy four lottery tickets from a business in the 200 block of East Morton Avenue, according to a report filed at 5:54 p.m. Friday.

Compiled by David C.L. Bauer
As Charleston County students return to the classroom full time after winter break, some concerned parents and educators say the decision to keep school open is a dangerous mistake.

Students returned to school in person Monday following two weeks of winter break. Most Lowcountry school districts, including Berkeley, Colleton and Dorchester District 2 opted to temporarily halt face-to-face instruction, citing fears of a post-Christmas spike in COVID-19 cases.

But even as other districts announced plans to switch learning models, Charleston County School District officials remained steadfast, sparking concerns from legislators, parents and teachers alike.

More than three dozen teachers at Charles Pinckney Elementary School in Mount Pleasant signed a letter outlining their frustrations. The message was sent to school principals, school board members and Superintendent Gerrita Postlewait. Several other similar messages obtained by The Post and Courier were also sent to district officials from educators this weekend.

"It is greatly concerning that the Charleston County School District has made a decision which does not seem to be in the best interest of the health and safety of our faculty, staff, students or their families," one letter read.

The district has reported 555 total COVID-19 cases associated with its schools since the start of the new year in September. Of those, 136 were reported over winter break, according to the districts coronavirus dashboard.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the Palmetto State has climbed in recent weeks. On Monday, the states seven-day average rate of positive tests was more than 31 percent.

"Theres a lot of frustration, theres a lot of concern and worry," Patrick Kelly, director of government affairs for the Palmetto State Teachers Association, said of Charlestons decision to keep schools open five days a week after winter break.

"I think that its really causing some morale issues with teachers, but more importantly I think its causing a lot of teachers to worry about the safety and health of themselves, their colleagues and their students," he said.

Charlestons Chief Operating Officer Jeff Borowy said the district is well-equipped to bring students and staff back to school safely.

The district has installed more than 60 miles of clear plastic shields to separate students desks, he said, and teachers are vigilant about requiring students to wear masks inside.

During a Dec. 14 school board meeting, experts from the Medical University of South Carolina told board members that current data suggests the spread of the coronavirus within school settings has remained low.

Postlewait and other administrators used the guidance in its decision to continue with plans for in-person learning.

"Despite the rise in cases in Charleston County and in South Carolina, we feel very confident that the procedures and protocols that we have in place vastly outweigh the negative situation of sending kids out of school," Borowy said.

Other regions of the Palmetto State, including the Midlands and the Upstate, are experiencing a more severe surge in virus activity than whats being reported in the Lowcountry, he said.

To date, the district has needed to temporarily shut down only one classroom as a result of COVID-19 spread, Borowy said. This situation was necessary not because of a high rate of spread among students, but because of a staffing issue.

Still, he said, there were some situations reported during the week of Dec. 14, right before students were dismissed for winter break, that might have been a cause for concern.

"Technically we haven't had an outbreak yet but ... the number of cases at particular schools, that might have resulted in a classroom closure, but we didn't have to because we were out of school," Borowy said.

As a rule of thumb, situations where there have been three cases reported over a two-week period in one classroom might result in a classroom closure, Borowy said.

"Were looking at cases on an hour-by-hour, day-by-day basis to see if we need to flip that switch," he said. "But where we stand now, we strongly believe that weve managed this successfully."

Despite the recent outcry over Charlestons reopening plans on social media, not all teachers agree that the district should return to virtual-only learning.

Jody Stallings, a CCSD teacher and director of the Charleston Teacher Alliance, said a recent study of more than 700 educators found that 50 percent believed that the district shouldnt switch back to virtual learning during the pandemic. Thirty-eight percent said they supported online-only learning, and 12 percent said they didn't know what option was best.

"I just think theres a lot of division. There are some teachers who are very clear that it's dangerous for us to go back and there are others who think its just the best thing for the kids," Stallings said.

But many teachers are fearful, Starlings said, and if schools are to remain open going forward, district leaders need to ensure that classrooms are being properly cleaned, students are social distancing and mask wearing is enforced.

"I think they see death. Thats the bottom line," Stallings said.

Board member Kristen French said the "vast majority" of parents and educators who have contacted her over the past several days have been very concerned about the districts return to face-to-face learning.

Board members arent set to meet again until Monday, but French said shes asked to schedule a special-called meeting before then to discuss COVID-19 spread and the districts instructional model.

"When the community instance is high, we have to believe that its going to enter the schools. And it's in the schools, the more likely transmission is to occur in schools, so the risk is higher for everybody involved. Even though were using good practices. ... I think it would be really helpful if we dialed it back," she said.

Still, she said, switching everyone to virtual school would be a tremendously complicated task, and if the school were to reduce capacity by 25 or 50 percent, it would be hard to prioritize who gets to stay in person and who doesnt.
Chennai, Jan 4 : Online voting for electing the new office bearers for the All India Chess Federation (AICF) was progressing smoothly with voters getting the confirmation as to whom they have voted.

The AICF is divided into two factions -- one led by former president P.R. Venketrama Raja and the other by secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan.

"Polling is underway. It will be on till 4 p.m. It is progressing well," Chauhan told IANS. He also said the voters got the confirmation as to whom they have voted.

"Today (Monday) morning, the Election Officer had sent a mail saying the confirmation facility to whom the vote has been cast is available," Chauhan said.

On Sunday, IANS had reported the concerns raised by voters about the integrity and security of the online voting process for electing the new office bearers.

"The polling was smooth and there was no technological hitch," Sanjay Chadha, one of the voters, told IANS.

"The voting process took just two minutes. It was simple and there was no glitch. I got the confirmation as to whom I had voted. The confirmation was on the screen and the voters can take a picture," Atanu Lahiri belonging to the Raja camp told IANS.

"We have not pressurised any voter. Our supporters are voting from their homes," Lahiri had added.

Both the camps are claiming that they would win by securing 36 votes.

The electoral college for AICF consists of 32 state associations, with each association having two votes.

The online voting system is developed by Zoho Corporation, a city based software company.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in)
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Qualcomm has launched its newest 5G-ready Snapdragon 480 chipset. It features an eight-core Kryo 460 CPU clocked at 2.0GHz, an Adreno 619 GPU, and comes with Qualcomm's X51 5G modem. According to Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 480 is expected to make its debut in 'early 2021.'

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Qualcomm's commitment to bring 5G functionality to its low-cost offerings was evident when it launched the Snapdragon 690 chipset. Now, the company has stepped things up a notch by launching the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480. It is the first chipset in the Snapdragon 4xx series to come with 5G connectivity, and it comes with some exciting features.

The 8nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 feature a Kryo 460 CPU with a maximum clock speed of 2.0GHz. We are likely looking at a mix of two Kryo Gold and six Kyro Silver cores that aim to balance performance and efficiency. Things look promising on the GPU side of things, as the chipset features an Adreno 619 GPU; the same one found alongside the more impressively-specced Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G. As a result, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 supports FHD+ (1080 x 2520) panels up to 120 Hz. Similarly, HD+ (900 x 1600) screens can operate at 90 Hz.

Moving on to the 5G side of things, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480's X51 5G modem supports both sub-6GHz and mmWave networks. It can hit peak download speeds of up to 2.5Gbps and upload speeds of 600Mbps over a 5G network. It is also one of the first low-cost Wi-Fi 6-ready Qualcomm chipsets that allow compatibility with 802.11 b/g/n/ac/ax networks. Lastly, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 also supports Bluetooth 5.1, Qualcomm aptX Adaptive Audio, TrueWireless Technology and FastConnect 6200.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 480's Spectra 345 image signal processor (ISP) can handle up to a single 64MP camera module. Dual-camera configurations are capped at up to 25MP per lens. It can capture 1080p video at up to 60 fps and 720p content at up to 120 fps. These specs are strictly par-for-the-course, considering that the Snapdragon 480 is poised to be a low-cost offering.

Other Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 specs include support for Quick Charge 4+ that allows for fast charging at up to 18W. The chipset's eMMC RAM can run at up to 2,133MHz. It can be paired with UFS 2.2 storage. Qualcomm has said that the Snapdragon 480 will make its debut in 'early 2021', indicating that it shouldn't be too long before we see it in action. If Qualcomm's previous releases are anything to go by, the chipset will very likely make its debut alongside a Chinese-origin smartphone.
Nigerian senators boasted of achieving a lot in 2020.

One of their major duties is to make laws in the interest of the public, by sponsoring new bills or amending existing laws.

They also pass motions and carry out oversight on ministries, departments and agencies. Many lawmakers often use the number of bills or motions they sponsor to rate their performance at the end of their term.

Since their inauguration in 2019, senators have introduced over 500 bills while members of the House of Representatives have introduced almost 1,000.

The bills include electoral amendment bills, constitution amendment bills, bills that seek the creation of agencies and institutions as well as bills for social welfare and gender inclusion. Some of these bills have been passed while others are currently at different stages.

While some of the bills have been applauded by Nigerians, a few others generated controversy from the day they were introduced.

Some of the controversial bills have scaled first (and even second) reading at the Senate  despite outcry and rejection from Nigerians.

In this analysis, PREMIUM TIMES reviews some major controversial bills that were either introduced or deliberated in the Upper Chamber as well as their current status.

1. Social Media Bill

It is arguably the most controversial bill to have emanated from the Senate.

Although introduced in late 2019, other processes of the Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulations Bill, sponsored by Niger senator, Mohammed Musa, such as deliberation and public hearing, were done last year.

The bill, among other things, seeks to regulate the use of social media and curb fake news on the internet. Another objective of the bill is to end the financing of online media that transmit false statements.

It prescribed N200,000 fine or 12 months imprisonment (or both) for offenders.

The sponsor said it will address the growing threats which if left unchecked, can cause serious damage to the polity and disrupt peaceful coexistence. He also said one of the disadvantages of the internet is the spread of falsehood and manipulation of unsuspecting users.

But this was not welcomed by Nigerians as many said the bill is meant to gag the media and critical voices.

Individuals and civic groups rebuked the sponsor and the Senate for entertaining such legislation, accusing them of not being able to take criticisms from the masses.

Protests were also held at the National Assembly asking the Senate to drop the bill.

One would think the outrage triggered by the bill will cause the lawmakers to rescind their decision and possibly drop it but that was not the case.

The bill passed second reading after four lawmakers argued in support of the legislation and the public hearing was held in March  where Nigerians, again, condemned the bill.

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This paper reported the debate on the bill, the lawmakers who supported the bill and possible reasons why they did.

The bill is currently at the committee stage and the panel is expected to present its report to the Senate for further consideration and final passage.

2. Boko Haram Rehabilitation Bill

Senator Ibrahim Gaidam broke the internet with the introduction of this bill. The former Yobe State governor probably did not expect the bill to catch as much attention as it did.

Introduced in February, the bill seeks to establish an agency to oversee the rehabilitation, deradicalisation and integration of repentant insurgents in the country and make them useful to the society.

The bill is also aimed at providing encouragement for other members to abandon Boko Haram especially in the face of the military pressure.

However, critics, groups and other senators from the north condemned and rejected the bill.

Many fear that releasing the repentant Boko Haram militants could be counterproductive because they could return to the terror group to commit more atrocities.

On the day the bill was introduced, some senators could not hide their surprise.

These are criminals to whom life means nothing. So what type of rehabilitation are we going to give them? Do you even know if they are Nigerians? Most of them are not Nigerians. They are from Niger Republic and other neighbouring countries. They just believe that terrorising us and taking our resources is what is their major concern, Ayo Akinyelure, Ondo senator, told PREMIUM TIMES.

Amidst the controversy, Mr Gaidam, in his defence, said the proposed commission would help repentant insurgents to re-enter mainstream politics, religion and society. It would also promote reconciliation and national unity.

However, his colleague, Ali Ndume, who also kicked against the legislation, disclosed that some repentant Boko Haram members return to communities and provide intelligence to the insurgents. He blamed the death of an army colonel, D.C Bako, on one of such repentant members.

Though still at the early stage, the Senate is expected to further debate the bill as there are no signs that the legislation will be dropped.

3. Bill to ban importation of generators

Bima Enagi from Niger joined the list of senators who sponsored a controversial bill in the first year of the ninth Senate.

The introduction of the bill in March, made Nigerians question the priorities of the Niger senators as it came weeks after the hate speech and social media bills were presented. The sponsors of both bills are from Niger State.

The bill for an Act to prohibit/ban the importation of generating sets to curb the menace of environmental (air) pollution and to facilitate the development of the power sector prescribes, at least, 10 years imprisonment for any person who knowingly sells generator sets.

It mandates all persons to stop the use of electricity generating sets which run on diesel/petrol/kerosene of all capacities with immediate effect and ban the importation and use of generating sets (generators) in the country to curb environmental pollution.

The bill was greeted by criticisms from people who wondered why the lawmaker is seeking the ban on importation of generators when there is little or no electricity supply.

While there are also no signs as to whether the bill will be dropped, senators are expected to continue deliberation on it on another legislative day.

4. Water Resources Bill

For this bill, public outcry and backlash actually worked.

The House of Representatives, from where the bill emanated, was forced to withdraw it after public outcry.

The National Water Resources Bill, 2020, failed to get a concurrent passage by both Houses in the Eighth Assembly. It was reintroduced to the House, passed second reading and was even referred to a House committee.

Many Nigerians, including the Nigeria Labour Congress, frowned at some sections of the bill which, they said, will breach Nigerians right to water.

Some of these sections are section 98 which states that the use of water shall be subject to licencing provisions and section 107 which states that a licence may be cancelled if the licensee fails to make beneficial use of the water.

Section 120 makes it compulsory for Nigerians to obtain a drillers permit before sinking a borehole in their homes.

The basic facilitator of human existence, water  forget for now all about streams of righteousness  is to become exclusive to one centralised authority.

What next for the Exclusive List? The rains? I declare myself in full agreement with virtually every pronouncement of alarm, outrage, opprobrium and repudiation that has been heaped upon this bill and its parentage, both at its first outing, and since this recent re-emergence, Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka said as he warned President Muhammadu Buhari against signing the bill.

5. Infectious Disease Bill

Although a House bill, the move to repeal the Quarantine Act and enact the Control of Infectious Diseases bill stirred controversy.

The bill, sponsored by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, seeks to strengthen the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and make it more proactive and not just reactive and function when there is an outbreak.

It also seeks to empower the president, the minister of health as well as the director-general of NCDC to make regulations on quarantining, vaccination and prevention of infectious diseases in Nigeria. It prescribes between N200,000 and N5 million as well as jail terms for defaulters.

A senate version of the bill, with similar provisions, has also been introduced to the red chamber.

It came on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The legislation triggered criticism from all over the country as many, including the Nigeria Governors Forum, condemned it and asked that it be stepped down.

Many said it gave appointees, especially the NCDC director, too much power.

While the Senate bill is yet to be read for the second time, the House version has undergone the public hearing phase.

6. Peace Corps Bill

The only controversy emanating from this bill is the fact that it was treated and rejected in the eight assembly.

The Bill for an Act to establish the Nigerian Peace Corps is sponsored by Borno senator, Mr Ndume. He reintroduced the bill to the Senate after the president declined assent to it in 2017.

The president had cited security concerns amongst reasons for his decision. He also cited paucity of funds and duplication of duties of existing security agencies by the proposed corps as his main reasons.

The bill seeks to turn the Peace Corps, a non-governmental organisation, into a government paramilitary agency. It also sought to give legal backing to the establishment of the Peace Corps as a government parastatal, and allow its members to be absorbed into the proposed organisation at commencement.

Although Mr Ndume reintroduced the legislation in December 2019, it was not debated until December 2020.

It scaled second reading without an objection and was referred to the Senate Committee on Interior for further legislative work.

7. CAMA

It is safe to say the dust that followed the passage of the Company and Allied Matters Act did not settle immediately.

The bill, a resurrection from the 2018 version which was passed but not signed, seeks to enable individuals to register companies from any part of the world.

The legislation, which was signed into law in August, came 28 years after the passage of the original CAMA and is expected to make Nigeria the best country in Africa to do business in.

While it seeks to promote ease of doing business, Nigerians are angry about Section 839 which allows the government to appoint trustees over religious bodies and charity organisations.

Under the law, church trustees can be replaced if they (officials) reasonably believe there has been mismanagement, misconduct or fraud to protect its property in the public interest.

The CAMA Act is a diabolic and evil intended Act. It says they can change the board of trustees and no court can upturn it. Why will I respect an act that does not respect the law?, Suleiman Johnson of the Omega Fire Ministries said.

Religious bodies and civic groups have called for a review of the law.

Although it has been signed into law, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has asked Nigerians, especially clerics, to approach their lawmakers with their grievances as it can be reviewed.

8 Hate Speech Bill

It is difficult to exclude the aforementioned bill in a piece like this even though it was introduced to the Senate late 2019.

The bill, a bit similar to the Social Media Bill, prescribes death penalty for anyone found guilty of spreading falsehood that leads to the death of another person.

It also seeks the establishment of a National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speech to help investigate and prosecute offenders, among others.

It is sponsored by another Niger lawmaker, Sabi Abdullahi.

The bill, after its introduction for first reading, triggered outrage all over the country as many said it is meant to clamp down on free speech and silence critical voices.

The bill is unnecessary because the CyberCrime Act already has provisions and penalties for hate speech, Nigerias Minister of State for Transportation, Gbemisola Saraki, said.

The founder of the Living Faith Church, , described the legislation as deriving from a stone-age mentality.

After receiving calls to drop the bill, including death threats, Mr Abdullahi said the penalties will be reviewed. He also said the bill will not be passed if it will bring hardship to Nigerians.

He, however, said nothing about stepping down the bill.

It has been over a year now and nothing has been said about either stepping down or debating the legislation.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 22:08:04|Editor: huaxia

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MUSCAT, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Omani Health Ministry on Monday announced 180 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 129,584, the official Oman News Agency (ONA) reported.

Meanwhile, 106 people recovered during the past 24 hours, taking the overall recoveries to 122,372, while one reportedly died, pushing the tally up to 1,502, according to a ministry statement quoted by ONA.

The ministry urged everyone to adhere to social distancing instructions issued by the Supreme Committee and the Ministry of Health.

Oman had launched a free nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign with the Pfizer-BioNTech for citizens and residents. Enditem
The vaccination drive for the vaccine against COVID-19 is expected to begin in India in the coming days. The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) Dr VG Somani on Sunday (January 3) approved Serum Institute of India's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for emergency use against coronavirus. The much-awaited approval by DGCI paved the way for the roll-out of these vaccines in India.

Meanwhile, the Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla on Sunday revealed the prices of Covishield and disclosed that his company has fixed two different prices for the vaccine.

Poonawalla announced that Covishield will be given at Rs 250 to the government and the vaccine will be available in the private market for Rs 1,000. According to Poonawalla, Serum's Covishield is cheaper than the vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and its transportation is also easy as compared to Pfizer's vaccine. Poonwalla also said that his company, which is based in Pune, is making 50-60 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine every month.

The SII CEO said that the Indian government wants to vaccinate more than 130 crore people in the country by mid-2021. "We are ready to provide the vaccine for the government. We have sent our proposal and are waiting for the contract to be signed with the government. The vaccine will be made available to the government within 10 days of the contract," he said.

According to Poonawalla, Serum Institute is yet to receive permission from the government to export the vaccine. "We have bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia and some other countries. We have sought permission from the government in this regard. After getting this approval, we will be able to deliver our medicine to more than 50 countries of the world," he said.

The DGCI granted the approval to Covishield and Covaxin after a Subject Expert Committee of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) recommended these two vaccines for emergency use in India. It may be recalled that Covishield was recommended for emergency use on January 1, whereas Covaxin was recommended for restricted use on January 2. On Saturday, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had said the vaccines would be given free of cost to priority groups in the first phase.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has welcomed the DCGI decision and said that approval of two vaccines is a decisive turning point to strengthen a spirited fight.

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"DCGI granting approval to vaccines of Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech accelerates the road to a healthier and COVID-free nation. Congratulations India. Congratulations to our hardworking scientists and innovators," he said.
Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg shared a swimsuit selfie during a seaside vacation on Sunday - three days after celebrating her 74th birthday.

The Belgium-born grandmother-of-five - who boasts 255K Instagram followers - wrote: 'Am I crazy to post this? Own your age. It's a proof you have lived! Love to everyone.'

Diane's daring post received glowing comments from her celeb pals Kate Bosworth, Kris Jenner, Andie Macdowell, and Hamish Bowles.

Three days after celebrating her 74th birthday! Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg shared a swimsuit selfie during a seaside vacation on Sunday

The Belgium-born grandmother-of-five - who boasts 255K Instagram followers - wrote: 'Am I crazy to post this? Own your age. It's a proof you have lived! Love to everyone'

Von Furstenberg (born Halfin) spent Christmas apart from her billionaire second husband Barry Diller.

The InCharge with DVF podcaster and the 78-year-old media mogul will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on February 2.

Diane previously dated Hollywood heartthrobs like Warren Beatty, Richard Gere, and Ryan O'Neal.

Von Furstenberg - famed for her signature wrap dresses - founded her company in 1972 with help from Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland.

'Looking fantastic!' Diane's daring post received glowing comments from her celeb pals Kate Bosworth, Kris Jenner, Andie Macdowell, and Hamish Bowles

'Family Xmas on Zoom!' Von Furstenber spent Christmas apart from her billionaire second husband Barry Diller (pictured December 25)

Unconventional: The InCharge with DVF podcaster and the 78-year-old media mogul (R) will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on February 2 (pictured November 21)

But last June, the Legion d'Honneur winner's company nearly went bankrupt and she was forced to lay off 60% of her staff and close 18 of her 19 stores.

'I've lost an enormous amount of money in the last four years,' Diane admitted to the New York Times in July.

'There's no shame in admitting you are in trouble. It kills me, but it kills everybody. Every designer is calling me. I want to tell people this happens to everybody.'

On March 8, Phaidon Press will publish von Furstenberg's 168-page book Own It: The Secret to Life, which is a 'guide and manifesto for personal growth and for turning problems into assets.'

NYC shop: Diane - famed for her signature wrap dresses - founded her company in 1972 with help from Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland (pictured October 16)

'I've lost an enormous amount of money in the last four years': But last June, von Furstenberg's company nearly went bankrupt and she was forced to lay off 60% of her staff and close 18 of her 19 stores (DVF saleswoman pictured December 23)
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The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), late Sunday, said that 79 illegal migrants were rescued and eight others went missing off the Libyan coast.

IOM staff are providing emergency assistance to 79 migrants returned to Libya by the coast guard today, the UN body tweeted.

Among the rescued migrants were 13 women and seven children, it said.

Libya has been mired in the chaos following the ouster and killing of its leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for illegal migrants who intend to cross the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe.

Thousands of illegal migrants, who were either rescued at sea or arrested by the authorities, remain detained in overcrowded detention centres in Libya.

This is in spite of repeated international calls to close those centres. (Xinhua/NAN)
Doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and U.K.-based drugmaker AstraZeneca are logged by a technical officer, as they arrive at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, England, Saturday Jan. 2, 2021. The UK has 530,000 doses available for rollout from Monday. (Gareth Fuller/Pool via AP)

Britain on Monday took another giant step in the fight against COVID-19, ramping up its immunization program by giving the first shots in the world from the vaccine created by Oxford University and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.

Dialysis patient Brian Pinker, 82, was the first to get the new vaccine shot, administered by the chief nurse at Oxford University Hospital. Pinker said he was so pleased and that he can "now really look forward to celebrating my 48th wedding anniversary with my wife Shirley later this year."

Since Dec. 8, Britain's National Health Service has been using a vaccine made by Pfizer and the German firm BioNTech to inoculate health care workers and nursing home residents and staff. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine boosts that arsenal and is cheaper and easier to use since it does not require the super-cold storage needed by the Pfizer vaccine.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was being administered at a small number of U.K. hospitals for the first few days so authorities can watch out for any adverse reactions. But hundreds of new vaccination sitesat both hospitals as well as local doctors' officeswill launch this week, joining the more than 700 already in operation, NHS England said.

In a shift from practices in the U.S. and elsewhere, Britain now plans to give people second doses of both vaccines within 12 weeks of the first shot rather than within 21 days, to accelerate immunizations across as many people as quickly as possible.

In this Wednesday Dec. 30, 2020 file photo, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks at a press conference in 10 Downing Street, London. Johnson has warned that more onerous lockdown restrictions in England are likely as the country reels from a new variant of the coronavirus that has seen infection rates soar to their highest recorded levels. The U.K. is in the midst of an acute outbreak, recording more than 50,000 new coronavirus infections a day over the past five days. (Heathcliff O'Malley/Pool via AP)

The government's deputy chief medical officer, Jonathan Van-Tam, said Sunday that decision is "the right thing to do for the nation as a whole."

The U.K. is in the midst of an acute outbreak, recording more than 50,000 new coronavirus infections a day over the past six days. On Sunday, it notched up another 54,990 cases and 454 more virus-related deaths to take its confirmed pandemic death toll total to 75,024, one of the worst in Europe.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Sunday that more onerous lockdown restrictions in England are likely in the coming weeks as the country reels from a coronavirus variant that has pushed infection rates to their highest recorded levels.

Johnson, though, insisted he has "no doubt" that schools are safe and urged parents to send their children back into the classroom Monday in areas of England where schools plan to reopen. Unions representing teachers have called for schools to turn to remote learning for at least a couple of weeks more due to the variant, which officials have said is up to 70% more contagious.

Doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and U.K.-based drugmaker AstraZeneca arrive at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, England, Saturday Jan. 2, 2021. The UK has 530,000 doses available for rollout from Monday. (Gareth Fuller/Pool via AP)

Assistant Technical Officer Lukasz Najdrowski unpacks doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and U.K.-based drugmaker AstraZeneca as they arrive at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, England, Saturday Jan. 2, 2021. The UK has 530,000 doses available for rollout from Monday. (Gareth Fuller/Pool via AP)

Doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and U.K.-based drugmaker AstraZeneca arrive at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, England, Saturday Jan. 2, 2021. The UK has 530,000 doses available for rollout from Monday. (Gareth Fuller/Pool via AP)

Assistant Technical Officer Lukasz Najdrowski unpacks doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and U.K.-based drugmaker AstraZeneca as they arrive at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, England, Saturday Jan. 2, 2021. The UK has 530,000 doses available for rollout from Monday. (Gareth Fuller/Pool via AP)

Doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and U.K.-based drugmaker AstraZeneca arrive at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, England, Saturday Jan. 2, 2021. The UK has 530,000 doses available for rollout from Monday. (Gareth Fuller/Pool via AP)

The Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, England, where doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and U.K.-based drugmaker AstraZeneca arrived on Saturday Jan. 2, 2021. at The UK has 530,000 doses available for rollout from Monday. (Gareth Fuller/Pool via AP)

"We are entirely reconciled to do what it takes to get the virus under control, that may involve tougher measures in the weeks ahead," Johnson told the BBC.

Johnson conceded that school closures, curfews and the total banning of household mixing could be on the agenda for areas under the most stress.

London and southeast England are facing extremely high levels of new infections and there's speculation that restrictions there will have to be tightened. Some areas in the region have more than 1,000 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people.

Johnson's Conservative government is using a tiered coronavirus restrictions system to try to stop the spread of the virus. Most of England is already at the highest Tier 4 level, which involves closing non-essential shops, gyms and recreation centers and going to at-home instruction.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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DENVER  U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn on Monday became the second member of Congress from Colorado to join an effort against certifying the Electoral College victory of President-elect Joe Biden.

Lamborn joined the states newest member of the House, Republican Lauren Boebert, in opposing certification, a move that deepened the rift in the states Republican delegation.

U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, outgoing chair of the state GOP, said Sunday that he wont join dissident Republicans in challenging key states Electoral College votes. He said the Constitution doesnt give Congress the authority to do so.

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Congress is set to meet in a joint session Wednesday intended to take the final step in certifying Bidens win following numerous failed court challenges by President Donald Trumps campaign seeking to undo vote tallies in key states. Biden is set to be inaugurated Jan. 20.

Trump has enlisted support from at least a dozen Republican senators and roughly 100 House Republicans to challenge the vote when Congress considers Bidens 306-232 win in the Electoral College.

Accepting the Electoral College vote is typically a routine process. But Trump refuses to concede.

Lamborn, serving his eighth term representing conservative El Paso Countys 5th Congressional District, cited what he called serious irregularities and improprieties marring the 2020 election. He said hell object to certifying Electoral College votes of Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada and Michigan, all of which went to Biden. Colorados nine presidential electors also went for Biden.

My constituents deserve to know that the 2020 election was free of fraud, Lamborn said, despite repeated findings by federal and state elections officials  as well as courts  that there was no widespread fraud.

Boebert has parroted Trumps unfounded claims that the election was stolen and supports his refusal to concede.

Buck, serving his fourth term in Colorados expansive 4th District, claimed there were troubling irregularities in the six battleground states without offering evidence. But he rejected the dissidents strategy, saying only the states have authority to appoint electors.

Congress has only the narrow role in the presidential election process. Its job is to count the electors submitted by the states, not to determine which electors the states should have sent, Buck said in a statement co-signed by six Republican House members.

Colorados Democratic attorney general, Phil Weiser, joined elected officials in Wisconsin and Arizona on Monday in condemning the unprecedented move against Biden as undermining the democratic process.

Along with the Constitution, Weiser cited a failed Texas lawsuit that sought to overturn results in four swing states, as well as a Supreme Court ruling reasserting the states authority over the makeup of their Electoral College votes.

In a conference call for reporters organized by the Voter Protection Program, a bipartisan, nonprofit group, Weiser called the dissident effort an affront to the rule of law. Its a threat to our democratic process.  Im disheartened by how many people have signed on to this.
She celebrated New Year's Eve with her reality star pals in Dubai.

And Georgia Steel radiated happiness as she sat on the beach in the UAE on Monday.

The Love Island star, 22, relaxed in orange bikini bottoms and a rolled-up white vest top as her friend took the smiling snap.

'I'm the happiest I've been for a long time': Georgia Steel radiated happiness as she relaxed on the beach in orange bikini bottoms and a white rolled-up vest top in Dubai on Monday

The beauty removed her denim shorts and used them as a seat as she held onto the straw hat on her head.

She closed her eyes and smiled as she opted for natural make-up and wore her hair in a single plait down her back.

Georgia penned: 'This is a very candid photo my friend took of me on the beach today.

'Capturing a natural moment just goes to show I'm the happiest I've been for a long time, mentally I feel like the past year and half has been so testing for my little head.

'I feel like the past year and half has been so testing for my little head': The Love Island star, 22, opened up about how she has found the last year and a half difficult

'My friends and family are my world and I'm so lucky to be surrounded by the most amazing souls. This energy is infectious and I'm lovin' it.'

Georgia became one of the latest flood of the reality stars to jet off to Dubai after she jetted off last Monday.

She shared a series of snaps taken in Manchester Airport before setting off amid the city's Tier 3 status and guidelines - instructing against non-essential travel.

Wow! Georgia flaunted her washboard abs in a tiny white bikini while soaking up the sun in Dubai on Sunday after becoming one of the latest reality stars to jet to the city

On Tuesday, George joined fellow Love Islander Francesca Allen, 25, on a yacht in Dubai, as they ignored social distancing rules to embrace.

In Dubai, social distancing and the wearing of face masks is mandatory when away from your home. This also applies to visitors staying in hotels when they are not in their room.

The pair stripped down to their bikini as they posed and pouted up a storm, amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Georgia and Francesca have joined fellow Love Islanders Joanna Chimonides and Hayley Hughes in the UAE, amid growing fury over reality stars 'bending rules' while the UK goes into a third full national lockdown.

The city has been an ideal choice for many as visitors aren't currently required to quarantine upon their return to the UK.

Many stars have insisted their trips are for work as the government currently asks UK residents living in high-risk areas to avoid unnecessary travel.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 03:04:07|Editor: huaxia

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An Israeli medical worker prepares a vaccine against the COVID-19 at the northern Israeli town of Umm el-Fahm on Jan. 4, 2021. Israel's Ministry of Health reported 4,573 new coronavirus cases on Jan. 3, bringing the total number of infections to 438,372. On Jan. 1, the number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 in Israel surpassed one million, Israeli Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said on Twitter. This is about 10.8 percent of people vaccinated out of a population of nearly 9.3 million. (Photo by Muammar Awad/Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Israel's Ministry of Health reported 4,573 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, bringing the total infections to 438,372.

The death toll of the virus in Israel increased to 3,412 with 28 new fatalities, while the number of patients in serious condition rose from 739 to 761, out of 1,295 hospitalized patients.

Israel's governmental hospitals called for immediately tightening the COVID-19 restrictions after the recent jump in hospitalized patients.

The ministry also reported seven new cases of the new coronavirus variant. This increased the total number of patients who tested positive for the new strain in Israel to 30.
OTTAWA - Conservative MP David Sweet has resigned as chair of the House of Commons ethics committee after travelling to the United States over the holidays.

OTTAWA - Conservative MP David Sweet has resigned as chair of the House of Commons ethics committee after travelling to the United States over the holidays.

Sweet's resignation Monday followed the revelation that the Conservative leader in the Senate, Don Plett, took a personal trip to Mexico shortly after Christmas.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole asked all caucus members to refrain from international travel over the holidays. But his office said Monday that Sweet and Calgary MP Ron Liepert were given approval by the party's whip to undertake "essential travel" to the United States.

Liepert's travel related to "emergency repair" to property he owns in California.

Sweet also travelled to the United States for an unspecified "property issue." But, the leader's office said, Sweet then decided to stay in the U.S. "for leisure" without informing the whip.

Consequently, "Mr. O'Toole has accepted his resignation as committee chair."

Whether Plett will face any penalty for travelling briefly to Mexico remains to be seen.

His fate rests with his fellow Conservative senators, who elect their Senate leader.

Conservative Senator Don Plett speaks to media the Senate foyer on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Oct. 25, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

A spokesperson said the senator travelled to Mexico on Dec. 28.

Upon his arrival, the spokesperson said Plett "reflected on his decision to travel" and immediately made arrangements to return home to Manitoba on Dec. 31.

Plett's arrival in Mexico would have coincided with the furor that erupted over the Dec. 29 revelation that Ontario's finance minister, Rod Phillips, was vacationing on the Caribbean island of St. Barts. Phillips resigned several days later.

Plett is now quarantining for 14 days as required by Manitoba public health protocols.

His spokesperson said this was Plett's only trip outside the country since last March, when the COVID-19 pandemic first swept across Canada.

O'Toole's office said no other Conservative MPs have left the country since O'Toole became leader last August. It is not clear whether any other Conservative senators may have travelled outside the country.

Sweet and Plett are just the latest among a number of federal and provincial politicians to get into hot water for travelling outside the country at a time when ordinary Canadians are being advised to stay home and avoid any non-essential travel in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19.

New Democrat MP Niki Ashton was stripped last week of her critic role after travelling to Greece to see her seriously ill grandmother.

On Sunday, Liberal MP Kamal Khera resigned as a parliamentary secretary after travelling without her party whip's knowledge to the U.S. for a small memorial service for her father and uncle.

Montreal Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi similarly gave up his role on Commons committees after travelling to the U.S. to visit his wife's sick grandfather.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 4, 2021.
Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority have discovered an ancient ceramic oil-lamp workshop near Beit Nattif, a village about 20 km (12.4 miles) southwest of Jerusalem.

The archaeologists found hundreds of ceramic oil lamps, stone lamp molds and terracotta figurines at the Beit Nattif site.

The figurines and the motifs on the lamps from the Beit Nattif region tell the story of the Judean Hills in the period following the Bar Kokhba Revolt, said Dr. Benyamin Storchan, an archaeologist at the Israel Antiquities Authority.

From Josephus writings, we know that in during the Second Temple period, Beit Nattif was a regional administrative center, one of the 10 principal cities under the Hasmonean rule.

After the failure of the Bar Kokhba Revolt and Roman takeover of the region, the local Jewish population of the Judean Hills was greatly diminished. In turn, the region was settled by pagans. The many figurines unearthed at the site attest to this.

Simultaneously, a small number of the ceramic oil lamps area decorated with distinctively Jewish symbols such as the shofar, incense burner, and seven-branched menorah.

The Beit Nattif lamps are dated to the Late Roman period (3rd-4th century CE).

The fragment tells us that Jewish life continued to exist in the Judean Hills, well after the rebellions failure, Dr. Storchan said.

The oil-lamp workshop produced these lamps in response to continued demand in the region.

During this period, Christianity also began to emerge, and some of the Beit Nattif oil-lamps carry fish motifs, one of the symbols of Christianity.

Therefore, the sheer variety of lamps and figurines proves that the local population featured a mix of pagans, Christians, and Jews.

_____

This article is based on text provided by the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Streets Ice-cream have quietly launched a 'Caramilk flavoured' Magnum - and you can pick them up in the freezer section today.

The Luxe Gold Caramelised Chocolate Magnum is white chocolate ice-cream layered in a caramel sauce and caramelised 'golden' chocolate.

It launched as part of the brand's new Luxe range, which also includes a 'Chocolate Cake Batter' flavoured Magnum and a new salted caramal flavoured one-litre tub.

The ice creams retail for $10.50 in a pack of four and come after Cadbury's Caramilk chocolate went from overnight sensation long-standing fan-favourite

Poll Which Luxe flavour would you try? Caramilk Chocolate cake batter Raspberry pannacotta Which Luxe flavour would you try? Caramilk 24 votes

Chocolate cake batter 7 votes

Raspberry pannacotta 8 votes Now share your opinion





The ice creams retail for $10.50 in a pack of four and come after Cadbury's Caramilk chocolate went from overnight sensation long-standing fan-favourite.

In recent times home cooks have adopted the Caramilk flavour into their own cooking - creating delicious fudges and slices.

The much-loved flavour became a hit in Australia and New Zealand after a limited release - and was then brought back as a permanent flavour.

A Caramilk spread has also been released following the huge appreciation for the chocolate flavour.

Australians are drooling over new vanilla slices flavoured with Lotus Biscoff and Cadbury Caramilk
India on Monday strongly condemned the terrorist attacks in southwestern Niger that left over 70 civilians dead and many injured.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India has always opposed and rejected terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and urged concerted global action against the menace, including cross-border terrorism.

Over 70 people were killed and many injured in terror attacks on two villages in southwestern Niger on Saturday.

In a statement, the MEA said India stands in solidarity with the government and people of Niger in the fight against terrorism.

"India strongly condemns the terrorist attacks in southwestern Niger on January 2, where more than 70 civilians have been killed and many injured. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to the people and government of Niger," it said.

"India stands in solidarity with the Government and people of Niger in the fight against terrorism. India has always opposed and rejected terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and has urged concerted action by the international community against terrorism, including cross-border terrorism," it said.

Image Credits: PTI

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Earth Felt the Wound is a new website built to honor the teachers, administrators, cooks, secretaries, bus drivers and other K-12 personnel who have died from COVID-19 after being forced into unsafe work environments.

Every death is a catastrophe, Sudo emphasized to the World Socialist Web Site. He is the curator of Earth Felt the Wound and a former librarian, researcher, and data analyst. I took the phrase from Paradise Lost. I wanted to convey that we all feel this. These educators went to college to teach children, not to sign up to die.

There is no comparable resource anywhere in the US. Early on in the campaign to reopen schools, Trumps Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos stated the government has no role in compiling the names of educators losing their lives to the homicidal return to classrooms. Likewise, neither the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the National Education Association (NEA), nor any other education union has sought to highlight this terrible toll among educators. All of the unions are partnering with states and districts to keep schools open while covering up the spread of the virus.

Snapshot of part of Earth Felt The Wound

Kansas educator Alisha Morris developed a COVID-19 schools tracker but handed it over to the NEA in August. The union promptly buried it on their website and failed to keep it updated. Education Week, a media journal, has compiled a list. However, there is no accompanying information, only some black-and-white photos.

That it should fall to an individual to undertake this task is an indictment of the Department of Education, state and federal governments, the media, and the unions. Democrats and Republicans alike have concurred with Wall Streets insistence that schools reopen and sought to cover up the terrible social cost of innumerable workplace-linked deaths.

Sudos work is, therefore, all the more impressive. It is a testament to the growing social anger across the US and world, as capitalism openly treats workers as dispensable. Sudo expressed his horror that educators were being sacrificed for the economy and that their lives were lost without recognition. Asking to use this pseudonym, Sudo said he does not want any attention for himself, but for the lives of educators needlessly snuffed out. His interview is edited for length.

WSWS: How did you go about this and why?

Sudo: Someone needed to catalog these deaths and maintain a site. I have worked on the site since October, but just launched it. I wanted it to reflect the lives of our lost educators, and thats why I designed it the way I did, with their faces front and center. I didnt want a ticker; they are not just a statistic. But I am now up to well over 100, and I am just trying to highlight those cases where deaths occurred after the school year had begun.

I wanted their faces up front. Educators are supposed to be treasured. They are leaving behind lots of children and colleagues who will live with this trauma for the rest of their lives. Thats why I chose the title, Earth Felt the Wound; we all feel it. Ive been in a dark place reading these obituaries, but I wanted to find photos which show these people living their lives with their families, friends, whoever.

When searching for deceased educators, I perform Google searches using various parameters. I try to target especially the states that havent reported any or a lot of educator deaths, like Utah and Nevada, in case I missed something. Every day I spend several hours, looking multiple times a day for new names. The news is fragmentary; its tough to search comprehensively and I try to get corroboration. I go from one news article to another and follow all the prominent media in the states. Ill hear rumors, but have to be patient, keeping a spreadsheet until I get confirmation. Others have died, and Im waiting to see if an obituary comes out. Sometimes, the districts dont want to put it out there; they may just note that someone died, and a name gets mentioned later.

Obviously, my site is an undercount, and I dont know by what order of magnitude. Not everyone who dies of COVID is put on the internet. The government should be keeping these records. These are educators dying, and our Department of Education should be honoring them instead of pushing out the misinformation that kids dont spread the virus.

I agree with the WSWS that this is homicidal. My friends and family also feel this is important.

WSWS: What have you learned or been surprised by?

Sudo: The callousness, the disregard. All summer, I followed the negotiations over the opening of schools. We were reassured, Don't worry, schools wont open unsafely, then they all did. It was a creeping feeling of horrortheyre really going to throw these people out there? The hardest part to confront has been this callous disregard, of privileging economics over life.

Teresa Horn, 62, Tahlequah High School, OK. Special Education. Sudo researched these lives so that each personality could shine through. "Teresa graduated from the same high school where she taught. Working as a waitress at the Sirloin Stockade, she would meet and marry her best friend, Danny Horn. Upon her sister introducing them, Danny asking her out for a date, then promptly ran out of gas on the way home."

We have an oligarchy, and they want people to get to work. They sacrifice the workers. It keeps the engine running. The WSWS is right on point. In New England, we have liberal governors, but Democrats all want the economy open. I see nothing being done to protect the vulnerable. Its true, as one of your writers said, the Democratic Party is where socialist dreams go to die; we saw that with Bernie Sanders. Whichever party you put in there, its not going to be good for the economy or the people in it with this insistence to open schools and nonessential businesses.

Its criminal to have a country be so negligent to allow this virus to run rampant. Now everyone everywhere suffers because of the US policy. We have seen high-profile mutations already, and its possible that one eventually resists our vaccines. What happens to the people living in the underdeveloped world already the hardest hit?

WSWS: Why, in your view, does the pandemic continue out of control?

Sudo: These deaths are basically homicides. Why? Stock indexes have never been higher. When we look at the sacrifice on the population level, we know statistically many will die. They have calculated that some people have to die, so kids get back to school so workers can get back to work.

My site has an angry political component because this virus is politicized. Before I launched, I asked my wife what she thought about the site; and she said, You sound angry. I said, Good, we should be angry about this. I am angry about it.

What matters most to our leadersI think its been made pretty clearis keeping the machine turned on. That means we need somewhere to house children so their parents can get to work, regardless of safety. You cant have adults staying home because their kids arent in school. What profit does that generate?

So, we opened up schools based on flimsy research and motivated reasoning. Even well-meaning public health experts, I think, believed the all-too-convenient fiction that children didnt transmit SARS-CoV-2, as if this virus were dramatically different from other such respiratory viruses.

So, I think youre saying what needs to be said, that we need a culture, society, and world that values human life over dividends, and thats worth fighting for.

WSWS: You have a section in your introduction called Healthcare Inequality. You contrast the treatment given to educators with that provided to Trump, Giuliani, Chris Christie and others. Tell me what you learned.

Sudo: Many people died because they were not afforded timely and responsive healthcare services. COVID-19 is a lethal disease, and anyone experiencing serious symptoms like shortness of breath should be hospitalized. Unfortunately, that is not the case. We have built a system in which people cannot be guaranteed to receive emergency and supportive careunless they are establishment-level powerful.

One COVID-infected educator Ive been tracking (and who fortunately is doing better), 30-year-old Jacob Furse of Georgia, was hospitalized with shortness of breath, very high fever, low oxygen saturation, pneumoniain short, all the things that make him at risk of dropping dead, necessitating hospitalization and ongoing monitoring. But the doctors sent him home because they had no beds for him, only to have him return a few days later in even worse condition. A system that cannot treat its patients according to best practices has already collapsed.

Its bad. You read about dozens of people dying at home even though they got to the hospital because they were sent home. One educator died in the ambulance going there. Clarkster Toure, a deceased school bus driver from Texas, had to visit the hospital three times before its staff admitted her, the site notes.

Demetria Bannister, 28, Windsor Elementary School, Columbia SC, 3rd-grade teacher. Demetria and her mother Shirley Bannister died of COVID weeks apart. "I can honestly tell you that she was one of the most passionate people, and she had a purpose, and her purpose was children," Windsor Principal Denise Quickel said. Shirley was also an educator and a nurse who led the Midlands Technical College nursing department for seven years.

Our health care system isnt built to accommodate over 100,000 patients with COVID, and some patients requiring months to recover. No, the healthcare system is meant to generate profitto get people in and out as soon as possible. You wind up in a situation completely unprepared for something of this magnitude. But its a year later, and we are still unprepared. What was done over the spring and summer?

These teacher deaths have created a window into what is going with our general health care system. No one should die from a virus like this in the developed world. How tragic it is to have the vaccine, but only a certain number of people can get the doses? Where is it?

WSWS: Have you followed the attack on Florida data scientist Rebekah Jones?

Sudo: The case of Rebekah Jones is beyond the pale. She exposed the manipulation of data, the fabrication in Florida. It was a heroic act to stand up to that system. You can call her a whistleblower, but its really truth-telling. In retribution, Governor DeSantis fired her. Then they sent officers into her home with firearms. And its not just DeSantis, but the way [the New York Times ] discussed her, that she had an affair, etc. Its irrelevant. In the end, she was a data scientist, and she exposed that her state was manipulating COVID data.

We need more people like Rebekah Jones. She just didnt get fired and go into obscurity; she set up her own website. She tried to follow it more responsibly than the state of Florida. Unfortunately, it has come down to individuals like Jones to do this kind of work.

WSWS: What is your feeling about creating Rank-and-File Safety Committees to unify teachers with the entire working class to demand the shutdown of all nonessential workplaces, including schools?

Sudo: Rank-and-file safety committees are a great idea. Early on in the pandemic, everybody had the rhetoric that we will be safe, but then they realized how much work and money that would be.

Closer to the end of summer, nothing substantive was happening, just spacing desks three-five feet apart, not even the six feet. This virus is airborne; students and teachers need good ventilation. Instead of getting the air system retrofitted, they cracked a window or two. It was disheartening. So, it would be great for teachers to pull off rank-and-file safety committees or refuse to work.

Educators can peruse Earth Felt the Wound here. We urge readers to send their statement of support to Rebekah Jones here, and join the fight for Rank-and-File Safety Committees.
There has been a further six Covid-19 related deaths while 6,110 new cases of the virus has been confirmed by the Department of Health this evening.

There is now a total 107, 997 cases of Covid-19 in Ireland, while the death toll stands at 2,265.

So far, five deaths associated with Covid-19 have occurred this month.

Deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said 94pc of today's cases were tested since 29 December.

Of the cases notified today, 3,655 are in Dublin, 323 in Kildare, 291 in Cork, 234 in Limerick, 137 in Louth and the remaining 1,470 cases are spread across all other counties.

The median age is 36 years old and 63pc are under 45 years of age.

The national 14-day incidence rate is now 583 cases per 100,000 population. The five-day moving average 3,568 cases on average per day.

There are currently 776 patients with Covid-19 in hospital and 70 patients with the virus in critical care.

Speaking at a briefing at the Department of Health this evening, Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan said that the current situation is "extremely concerning", and that health officials "haven't been as concerned at any point in the whole pandemic as we are now."

He said the health system simply "can't deal with levels of infection as an acceptable level of infection."

Dr Holohan warned that individuals experiencing flu-like symptoms "might as well accept" they are likely to be infected with the virus as the level of transmission is now so high it is "unlikely to be anything else".

"It is incumbent on each one of us now to take onboard the public health message. If we are individuals who are experiencing symptoms," he said.

"And if you have symptoms that are flu like symptoms now, you might as well accept that this is Covid. The positivity rate in the community as we've heard is approaching 25pc in the public labs. If you have these symptoms, you know, it's unlikely to be anything else other than Covid at this point in time."

He urged those waiting for the results of a Covid-19 test and those with symptoms to self-isolate and restrict movements.

"That means staying in your bedroom, away from other people in your house, and not coming in contact with other people.

"If you live with somebody who is in that category has symptoms or has a positive test. You are a close contact and you must restrict your movements and that means not going to work means not going outside."

The National Public Health and Emergency Team's (Nphet) Professor Philip Nolan said: "The raw epidemological curve showing the number of cases confirmed per day, which in recent days may have been an underestimation but which is catching up as we speak, you can see that the recent daily counts are very significantly in excess of those that we saw in either of the two preceeding first wave of infections or the October surge in infections.

"We are seeing numbers which I never anticipated that I might have to report in this forum.

"Over the last seven days we've confirmed a little over 3,000 cases per day, on average, giving us a a 14 day incidence of 583 per 100,000. The situation in, in that level of disease is already having an enormous impact on our hospital system."

Meanwhile, HSE chief Paul Reid has warned Ireland is now in a "very serious situation" as Covid-19 cases are expected to surge to 7,000 per day over the coming week.

We have run out of adjectives to describe how serious it is at the minute, but we are getting into a very serious situation overall with the cases but also with hospitalisations, he said on Newstalk Breakfast.

We have about 50 ICU beds free and 500 general beds so we are still hoping, however, the trajectory were looking at would tell us within January we could be rising to 1,500-2,000 hospitalised cases, and a rise in ICU from anywhere from around 250 and 430.

Read More

There is currently 3,000 HSE staff currently off work due to having the virus or being a close contact.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said today that the Government is to make a decision on whether schools will reopen on Wednesday.

"We know from the first lockdown it had a big impact on children, particularly children from lower income areas, he said on RTE Radio 1s News at One.

We have to allow the experts time they need to examine the latest developments.

There are ongoing conversations obviously across government and as you were just reporting there the stakeholders are meeting today with the Minister (Norma Foley) and the public health teams.

However, I think it is reasonable to assume the government on Wednesday morning will make a decision on this.

He added: We want to strike a balance between giving the schools, parents and students as much time as possible and making sure were making the decision with the most up to date advice.

Earlier today, Minister for Children Roderic OGorman said that the Government is hoping to avoid a "large-scale" shutdown of schools.

However, he said that closures will be kept under review.

He told RTE's Morning Ireland: "The advice from Nphet is that schools are safe to open.

"The Government took a decision last week, that in light of the particularly high levels of Covid, we want to make a sustained effort to reduce movement this week and as such the reopening of schools was postponed.

"That situation is under constant review. We have always expressed the view that we want to keep childcare facilities and schools open.

"The long shutdown of schools at the beginning was not good for children.

Download the Sunday World app Now download the free app for all the latest Sunday World News, Crime, Irish Showbiz and Sport. Available on Apple and Android devices

Online Editors
Ex-mayor's sexual harassment case needs reinvestigation



The police have closed their investigation into the sexual harassment allegations involving the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, who committed suicide on a hillside in Seoul last July. They formed a taskforce consisting of 46 officers to investigate the case for 167 days, but said that it had unearthed nothing.



Seven of Park's aides, including the deputy mayor, were questioned on suspicions of abetting Park's alleged sexual harassment of one of his former secretaries, but they were cleared of all charges due to a lack of evidence. In concluding the investigation, the police sent a report to the prosecution with the recommendation to indict four citizens for causing secondary damage by posting malicious online comments targeting the victim. The prosecution was also asked to indict another 10 people for defamation.



It appears inevitable that the police closed Park's sexual harassment case without any recommendation owing to the death of the suspect. Yet there is every reason to believe that they didn't perform their duty when it came to uncovering suspicions about Park's aides. The victim testified that she had complained about Park's behavior to 20 city officials over the course of four years, but her pleas were ignored. Police even didn't request seizure warrants for the smartphones of the five aides who were named by women's rights groups as abetting the mayor's misconduct. This is why the police's determination to investigate the incidents is questioned.



As soon as police announced the results of their investigation, Park's aides raised questions regarding the authenticity of the victim's claim, saying they were cleared of suspicions of abetting Park's sexual misconduct. If their argument is correct, did the mayor commit suicide even though he had not harassed the victim?



The police's decision to close the case without reaching a clear conclusion has left many questions unanswered. Despite the need to be considerate of the deceased and his bereaved family, the police should have brought to light the minimum facts in consideration of the victim. The prosecution should consider reopening an investigation to uncover the truth.


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ANCHORAGE (AP)  Small businesses in Alaska say new federal coronavirus relief funds will provide needed aid, especially for those in the service industry facing their slowest time of the year.

The aid package grants almost $300 billion nationwide in new forgivable loans. The first round of federal aid in March provided about $1.3 billion to roughly 12,000 Alaska businesses, the Anchorage Daily News reported Tuesday.





. . .
On the outside, Prince Charles and Princess Diana seemed to have the perfect fairytale romance. Yet behind closed doors, both partners were miserable. Trapped in a loveless marriage, all Diana wanted was the proper care and respect that a husband usually provides for his wife.

Sadly, she seldom received affection from Prince Charles.

One of the most prominent examples of this was when the princess fainted in public from ill-health. Instead of being concerned for Dianas condition, Charles was furious. It became evident that the Prince of Wales seemed to care more about their public image than his wifes well-being.

Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales | Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images

What caused Princess Diana to faint?

Unfortunately, several factors led to Diana collapsing in public. Not only was the princess overly exhausted from being on her feet all day long, but she was also was dealing with an eating disorder.

Princess Diana | Jayne Fincher/Getty Images

According to her biography by Andrew Morton, In Her Own Words, Diana was bulimic. Although she never had issues with it before, all that changed after Prince Charles made a nasty comment about her weight.

I knew the bulimia started the week after we got engaged, Diana revealed in her tell-all book. My husband put his hand on my waistline and said: Oh, a bit chubby here, arent we? and that triggered off something in me- and the Camilla thing, I was desperate, desperate.

The lack of nutrients from her eating disorder, along with her lack of sleep, ultimately caused her to collapse.

Princess Diana fainted, and Prince Charles got mad at her for it

The Prince and Princess of Wales on the steps of St Peters Basilica | Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images

RELATED: Princess Diana Said She Cried Like Never Before After Confronting Camilla About Her Affair With Prince Charles

It was at the Expo in Canada where I passed out, she revealed in Mortons tell-all book. I remember I had never fainted before in my life. Wed been walking around for four hours, we hadnt had any food, and presumably, I hadnt eaten for days beforehand. When I say that, I mean food staying down. I remember walking around, feeling really ghastly. I didnt dare tell anyone because I thought theyd think I was whining.

In fact, Diana made a point not to complain as often as possible with the royal family because she knew they already considered her a problem.

Diana continues in her book, saying, My husband told me off (for fainting in public.) He said I could have passed out quietly somewhere else, behind a door. It was all very embarrassing. My argument was I didnt know anything about fainting.

Diana Spencer wanted to rest in bed after collapsing, but Prince Charles insisted she go out

Diana, Princess Of Wales, In Egypt Wearing A Headscarf | Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

RELATED: Why Prince Charles Friends Told Him To Put Princess Diana in a Home

Diana desperately pleaded with her husband, saying that she needed to spend the night in bed to get some much needed rest.

But Charles refused. He said, She must go out tonight. Otherwise, theres going to be a sense of terrific drama, and they are going to think theres something awfully wrong with her.

Diana claims that there was something awfully wrong with her, but she was too immature to voice it. As a result of not getting the proper care that she needed, she said, I just felt miserable.

How to get help: In the U.S. call the National Eating Disorders Association helpline at 1-800-931-2237.
Taking Off

Staying Put

(TNS)  Sukriti Chadha was working in New York as a developer for Yahoo, never imagining life outside of a major city, when the pandemic landed and changed all her plans."I never even envisioned going to even Chicago, to be honest," says Chadha, who has been working remotely and living with friends on Lookout Mountain since April. "In March, it felt really unsafe to be in New York. The numbers were going crazy. Chattanooga, Tenn., seemed like a really cool place to be."Now, Chadha says, she's wondering if life in a mid-sized city might suit her just fine."People with my skill set are in huge numbers in cities like New York, and here I've been able to meet so many people and build relationships because there aren't as many me's here," says Chadha, who landed a new job with Spotify in September. "I'm starting to think about maybe this makes sense for longer term, but I haven't made up my mind yet."The data is still wobbly, but there are strong indications that the pandemic will open up a world of possibilities for people who want to keep their big-city jobs but live in smaller communities, says Molly Blankenship, vice president of talent initiatives for the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce and executive director of Chattanooga 2.0."Certainly the pandemic has posed enormous challenges, but there are opportunities embedded in it, and we see a really timely opportunity to recruit remote worker talent," she says. "There's a pretty significant mass exodus from those larger markets."A survey from real estate data clearinghouse Redfin in May showed more than 50% of people in New York, Seattle, San Francisco and Boston would move if work-from-home arrangements became permanent."Redfin is preparing for a seismic demographic shift toward smaller cities," Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman writes in an online post about the findings.According to a Pew Research Center survey in July, 22% of U.S. adults either moved or know someone who moved during the pandemic. By comparison, in 2019, the Census Bureau reported fewer than 10% of Americans moved to new places, the lowest rate since it began tracking moves in 1947.Charles Wood, vice president of economic development for the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, says the exodus from big cities may be tough to quantify at the moment, but there's enough anecdotal evidence to suggest it's an important trend to chase. Chattanooga's reasonable cost of living, high-speed internet infrastructure and natural beauty are all selling points that appeal to folks looking to make a move, Wood says."We started polling some investors around should we be recruiting remote workers in spring and early summer  should be we doing it knowing we probably aren't going to be able to show specific results?" Wood says. "The feedback from investors was absolutely we should still do this. There's enough anecdotal evidence that this makes sense."And while individual data on the trend hasn't come into sharp focus just yet, it's clear that businesses are less likely right now to be making relocation decisions than their employees, he adds."Companies right now are not making location decisions for offices," he says. "The companies we're talking to are trying to reduce their corporate footprint, but the individuals who work for them are making those decisions."In 2019, Andrew Voss was living in Los Angeles and working at his dream job as a rocket scientist for SpaceX, but he was restless  and so was his wife, Adeline."She is the type of person who understands space and community and, like, being a human being more than a robotic engineer man," Voss laughs. "She got to L.A. and it became more apparent that was never going to be our forever place."Voss had moved to Los Angeles in 2016, after graduating from Vanderbilt University and working as an intern at SpaceX during college. Adeline joined him in the summer of 2019, after working for a while in Denmark after college.When they started considering moving out of L.A., they were initially targeting 2023 since Andrew had some financial incentives to stay at SpaceX for a few more years. But they also had the feeling they were burning daylight."In the fall of 2019, I started connecting some some dots in my head," Andrew says. "I had some revelations and prayer that maybe I didn't need all those incentives from SpaceX, and we could start our family now and just get started establishing ourselves in a new place."Andrew is from Columbia, South Carolina, and Adeline is from Birmingham, Alabama, and they had both been to Chattanooga for short visits during college."We had both been struck by the magic of Chattanooga from those trips," Andrew says.Adeline had a remote job with a tech company she could do from anywhere. Andrew knew he wouldn't find an aerospace job in Chattanooga, but he had an idea for a nonprofit educational startup  and knew the city had a growing entrepreneurial scene.In March, they made the leap. Two weeks after they got here, the pandemic hit."Those were a cool two weeks," Andrew says.His vision for launching rocketry teams at area schools was temporarily off course  he couldn't see trying to form a nonprofit and asking for funding in an environment where those resources should go to economic recovery. But he sold a few schools on the idea of a rocketry team and got his business, Tiger Team University, off the ground that way."I carried on, and just a handful of people gave me opportunities," he says. "This has been the linchpin of Tiger Team getting to be where it is today."He's also teaching at an online school called Astronova that began at SpaceX."I have online students from around the world," Andrew says. "I've got an unbelievable little rocket scientist in Sicily, and a ton in L.A."And Chattanooga feels like home, he says."I love outdoor beauty and to live in a nice quiet place with mountains and gorgeous stuff," he says. " Chattanooga has a very special outdoor scene."Chadha is also sold on the natural beauty of the area, she says."I've gotten to see a fair bit  coffee at Rembrandt's, the river, the Tennessee Aquarium," she says. "There's a good combination of all of that and things to do, but also the nature side of things. I haven't seen that combination anywhere else."Being in an unfamiliar place with a long-distance gig hasn't slowed her down a bit.Chadha, who moved to the U.S. from India in 2010 to attend Princeton, has completed her pilot's license at Lovell Field, worked with Red Bank High School students to develop technology for students on the autism spectrum, and collaborated with a technology accelerator in Australia."They normally don't collaborate with people here because of the distance," she says. "It's working beautifully."But the remote work trend isn't just drawing new people to the area  it's also allowing folks who want to stay in the Scenic City to take jobs out of town.After 23 years with family ministry First Things First in Chattanooga, CEO Julie Baumgardner is starting a new job with the WinShape Foundation in Mt. Berry, Georgia. The ministry created by Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy and his wife Jeanette is based in Mt. Berry, Georgia, which is 75 miles south of Chattanooga. Baumgardner will remain in Chattanooga, where she has lived since 1987, and work remotely much of the time, spending a day or two a week at the office."It's the best of both worlds," Baumgardner says.Most employees of the foundation are working remotely, and there's a growing acceptance of remote work that probably wouldn't have been possible without the jarring changes delivered by the pandemic, she says."It's been a game-changer for so many entities," Baumgardner says. "People can be productive at home. Yes, there are challenges, but I also think that people have done a lot of adapting and adjusting and getting in a groove and figuring things out."It's not clear whether this long-distance arrangement would have been possible without the pandemic, but she does know that the job wouldn't have been an option if she had been required to move, Baumgardner says. Her in-laws live next door, and her husband is a Chattanooga native."That could have potentially been a dealbreaker," she says.Chattanooga's proximity to major metros Atlanta and Nashville has always been a selling point, and works even more in its favor when it comes to remote work, Wood says. Even for remote workers, presence is sometimes important, and Chattanooga is nearby enough to make it feasible."It's likely companies will still want some proximity to a corporate location," Wood says. "Moving to Montana might be a challenge, but moving to Chattanooga where you can be in the office at 9 a.m. in Atlanta may not be a challenge."Baumgardner says the ability to easily be in the office a day or two a week was also a factor in her new long-distance job."They were very willing to be flexible, but they were very clear that presence mattered," she says. "Presence is super important when it's safe to be present."At the same time, the focus on recruiting remote workers doesn't come at the expense of work to train and recruit local talent, Wood says."This is no way takes away from the pipeline development of talent," he says.The Chamber launched a website in December  to connect local jobseekers to opportunities for employment and training, with a secondary focus on recruiting people who are considering moving to Chattanooga."We have a lot of people who are already here in Chattanooga who are a critical part of our pipelines and workforce," Wood says. "This is a unique opportunity to target people who could have a significant impact on Chattanooga, but not at the expense of our efforts locally."
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-05 01:58:16|Editor: huaxia

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DAMASCUS, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned attacks targeting civilians and military personnel in the desert region, according to the state news agency SANA.

In a statement, the ministry said that "the terrorist attacks on Syrian soil coupled with Israeli strikes show the link between Israel and the terrorist groups and their backers in the U.S. and Western countries."

A day earlier, nine Syrians were killed and four others wounded when armed men attacked three fuel tankers and three passenger buses in central Syria.

The attack came a few days after military buses were attacked in the desert in eastern Syria, resulting in the killing of 39 soldiers.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attacks were carried out by the Islamic State (IS) group. Enditem
With spray paint, fake blood and a pig's head, vandals defaced the homes of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., this week after Congress adjourned at the end of 2020 without the Senate passing a House bill approving $2,000 stimulus checks.

"WERES MY MONEY," an assailant wrote early Saturday morning on the front door of McConnell's Louisville home days after the lead Republican lawmaker dubbed $2,000 stimulus checks "socialism for rich people." "MITCH KILLS POOR" was scribbled on a window.

Early Friday morning, San Francisco police responded to Pelosi's home about a report of vandalism at her residence. On the garage door, "$2K" was written and crossed out in spray paint, along with "Cancel rent!" and "We want everything." Sitting in a pool of fake blood trailing down the driveway was a pig's head.

Investigations are ongoing into the vandalism at the homes of the two most powerful members of Congress, police in both cities confirmed to The Washington Post.

McConnell called the damage to his home a "radical tantrum" that would not deter him.

"I've spent my career fighting for the First Amendment and defending peaceful protest. I appreciate every Kentuckian who has engaged in the Democratic process whether they agree with me or not," he said in a statement shared with The Washington Post. "This is different. Vandalism and the politics of fear have no place in our society."

Pelosi's office did not respond to a request for comment about the incident.

On New Year's Eve, McConnell refused to allow debate on a bill passed by the House to increase the direct cash payments from $600 to $2,000 to qualifying American households. Among those who have supported $2,000 payments is President Donald Trump.

"The president of the United States has expressed his support for the $2,000," Pelosi said in a news conference Wednesday. "The Democrats and Republicans in the House have passed that legislation. Who is holding up that distribution to the American people? Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans."

In speeches in the Senate this week, McConnell compared the $2,000 checks to socialism and said that payments would need to be addressed along with Trump's other two demands of lawmakers: establish a commission to investigate the 2020 election and repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a regulation that provides legal immunity for Internet services for content posted on their platforms.

"The Senate is not going to be bullied into rushing out more borrowed money into the hands of Democrats' rich friends who don't need the help," McConnell said.
A man gives a thumbs-up as he sits with a group of people, thought to be migrants, crossing the Channel (Gareth Fuller/PA)

More than 8,400 migrants crossed the English Channel to the UK in 2020, quadruple the number for 2019.

Men, women and children took on the dangerous journey in everything from dinghies and kayaks to a paddling pool.

While thousands of people successfully made it to Britain, the perilous Channel waters tragically claimed several lives.

The Home Office has been accused of hostile rhetoric and squandering taxpayer cash in its quest to make the route unviable.

Despite another agreement being signed with French authorities in November, it is unclear if crossings will be reduced in 2021.

The PA news agency, which has tracked and analysed migrant crossings all year, can report that at least 8,417 people succeeded in reaching the UK in small boats.

Numbers peaked in September, which saw at least 1,951 crossings  more than the entire total for 2019.

A two-week stretch in August saw crossings every single day, with more than 1,200 people reaching the UK.

Meanwhile, it was on September 2 that 416 migrants travelled to the UK aboard small boats  a single-day record.

In October, a Kurdish-Iranian family including small children died when their migrant boat sank off the coast of France.

Expand Close (From left) Rasoul Iran-Nejad, 35, Shiva Mohammad Panahi, 35, Anita, nine, and Armin, six, who have been named as the four members of the Kurdish-Iranian family who died when their migrant boat sank (Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp (From left) Rasoul Iran-Nejad, 35, Shiva Mohammad Panahi, 35, Anita, nine, and Armin, six, who have been named as the four members of the Kurdish-Iranian family who died when their migrant boat sank (Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights/PA)

Their tragic deaths led to an outcry of grief and fury on both sides of the Channel, but many fear theirs will not be the last lives to be lost on the dangerous route.

Boats were intercepted by Border Force or landed on UK beaches more than 630 times in 2020 and more than one in every three days saw at least one crossing.

Home Secretary Priti Patel, who had pledged that crossings would be an infrequent phenomenon by spring 2020, has sought to level blame at activist lawyers and has vowed to overhaul the asylum system.

The Home Office also sought the assistance of the military in its efforts to reduce crossings, with RAF planes and an army drone taking to the skies over the English Channel.

Ms Patel was criticised by Bella Sankey, director of humanitarian charity Detention Action, who said millions of taxpayer cash had been squandered on the unicorn of unviability'.

She told PA: The Home Secretarys record on asylum in 2020 is one of failure and denial.

Her proposals for 2021 would breach the Refugee Convention and will see millions more wasted in unnecessary litigation as she tries to defend the indefensible.

If Priti Patel would only agree to meet those with an understanding of these issues, rather than using her platform to attack them, she could reduce the chaos and start to deliver competent and compassionate policy-making instead.

Expand Close A group of people thought to be migrants are brought into Dover by Border Force officers following a small boat incident in the Channel (Steve Parsons/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp A group of people thought to be migrants are brought into Dover by Border Force officers following a small boat incident in the Channel (Steve Parsons/PA)

Stephen Hale, CEO at Refugee Action, said: The men, women and children clinging to dinghies in the Channel are desperate to find safety.

After fleeing war and persecution they yet again put their lives on the line because there are so few safe and legal routes to seek refuge in the UK.

No-one wants to see people making these dangerous crossings but the Governments hostile rhetoric has done nothing to help.

It must stop trying to look tough and urgently create safe and legal routes for people to seek sanctuary in the UK.

Natalie Elphicke, Conservative MP for Dover and Deal, has been outspoken about the issue and said all options must be on the table.

She told PA: We need the French to stop the boats leaving in the first place, return boats in the Channel back to France instead of bringing them into Britain, and return people who come into our country through these illegal routes.

Looking ahead to 2021, I look forward to working with the Home Secretary to ensure the necessary legislation is in place to put an end to these dangerous small boats crossing once and for all.

Immigration minister Chris Philp says the Home Office is taking action at every level and claimed that more dangerous and illegally-facilitated crossings are being prevented than ever before.

He said: People entering the UK through illegally-facilitated routes are breaking our laws and this year we have taken unprecedented steps to make this route completely unviable.

We are targeting the criminal gangs breaking our laws, doubling the number of police officers on the ground in France, increasing surveillance and introducing new cutting-edge technology to enhance our effort and stop these crossings for good.

PA
Giebelstadt, Germany, January 4th, 2021:



After the success of SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated on PC and consoles, THQ Nordic family member HandyGames teamed up with Nickelodeon to bring SpongeBob SquarePants to iOS and Android as a premium title. Launching January 21, the world's most beloved sea dweller is getting ready to save Bikini Bottom on mobile device, and he brought all his friends (and enemies) to join in on the fun. Prepare yourself, for there is evil afoot!



SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom  Rehydrated is available now for pre-order on the Apple AppStore and pre-register on Google Play.



The spongetacular remake of this fan-favorite title will have players battle raging robots with bubble blasting abilities and show the evil Plankton once and for all that the secret formula belongs to no one other than Mr. Krabs himself. Play as SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy and use each one's unique set of skills. Run, bounce, and underpants-bungee-jump through Bikini Bottom and meet countless characters from the beloved television series. The battle is on!



SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated Mobile will release on January 21st, 2020, and be priced at $9.99 / 9.99 / 8.99



Pre-order now at the Apple AppStore:

https://apps.apple.com/app/spongebob-squarepants/id1523633394



Pre-register now at the Google Play Store:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hg.bfbb



About SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated Mobile:

The SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom  Rehydrated mobile port features all of the irreverent humor and Bikini Bottom adventures found in the PC and console game available at iOS and Google users fingertips. Originally released in 2003 and remade (some say with the help of a secret formula) in 2020, the Battle for Bikini Bottom is a cult-classic game featuring high-end visuals, modern resolutions and carefully polished gameplay. In the mobile version, the controls have been meticulously optimized for devices with touch screens, with a controller also available.



Features:
Mischa Barton broke it off last year with James Abercrombie, reportedly so she could focus on her career.

But the British-American actress is enjoying some quality romantic time with her new boyfriend, amid their budding relationship.

She color coordinated with her new beau Gian Marco Flamini in a brown Polo Ralph Lauren sweater, as they picked up dinner in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, after spending their first holidays together.

Matchy matchy: Mischa Barton color coordinated with her new beau Gian Marco Flamini in a brown Polo Ralph Lauren sweater, as they picked up dinner in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles

The 34-year-old complemented the oversized sweater with some skintight dark denim jeans and a pair of bronze western chic booties.

She was spotted stepping out with Flamini, who matched her in a brown suede jacket with a white t-shirt and faded jeans.

Barton was first romantically linked with the photographer during a romantic stroll through Echo Park back in September.

She previously called it quits with Australian model James Abercrombie last August, after they began dating in 2017.

Sweater weather: The 34-year-old complemented the oversized sweater with some skintight dark denim jeans and a pair of bronze western chic booties

Whirlwind romance: Barton was first seen with the photographer during a romantic stroll through Echo Park back in September

The Sixth Sense actress told The New York Times that he was there for her during GHB-related hospitalization and a revenge porn scandal with her ex: 'That's really I think the thing that drove us closest together.'

A source told E! news of the split: 'Mischa and James are over. The reason she broke up with him is to focus on her career.

'This is the first time Mischa is actually having a second life in her career, and she wants to focus on it. That's the reason she broke up with him.'

Calling it quits: She previously called it quits with Australian model James Abercrombie last August, after they began dating in 2017 (pictured in June, 2017)

Focus on career: A source told E! news of the split: 'Mischa and James are over. The reason she broke up with him is to focus on her career' (pictured in November, 2017)

The insider added: 'It's a new Mischa, and she is super happy about her future again. She is all focused on the best she can be. She is really focused on her career. She is changing her life.'

It came after The Hills: New Beginnings, a reboot of the 2006 MTV reality series, was renewed for a second season last July.

Barton joined the reboot in its first season, but it was revealed in March that she's not returning for season two, and she's reportedly been replaced with Caroline D'Amore.
1. The victims were tough nuts to crack

2. This was almost certainly the work of a nation  not criminals

file-20201223-49872-i98bca.jpg One of the targeted organizations, cybersecurity firm FireEye, would be a poor choice for cybercriminals but highly desirable for the Russian government or other adversaries of the U.S. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

3. The attack exploited trusted third-party software

4. The extent of the damage is unknown

file-20201223-23-161id6c.jpg Some of the exposed organizations, like Microsoft, made limited use of the SolarWinds software, which appears to have contained the damage they suffered. Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA

5. The fallout could include real-world harm

So much remains unknown about what is now being called the Sunburst hack, the cyberattack against U.S. government agencies and corporations. U.S. officials widely believe that Russian state-sponsored hackers are responsible.The attack gave the perpetrators access to numerous key American business and government organizations. The immediate effects will be difficult to judge, and a complete accounting of the damage is unlikely. However, the nature of the affected organizations alone makes it clear that this is perhaps the most consequential cyberattack against the U.S. to date.An act of cyberwar is usually not like a bomb, which causes immediate, well-understood damage. Rather, it is more like a cancer  its slow to detect, difficult to eradicate, and it causes ongoing and significant damage over a long period of time. Here are five points that cybersecurity experts  the oncologists in the cancer analogy  can make with whats known so far.From top-tier cybersecurity firm FireEye to the U.S. Treasury, Microsoft, Intel and many other organizations, the victims of the attack are for the most part firms with comprehensive cybersecurity practices. The list of organizations that use the compromised software includes firms like MasterCard, Lockheed Martin and PricewaterhouseCoopers. SolarWinds estimates about 18,000 firms were affected.As CEO of cybersecurity firm Cyber Reconnaissance Inc. and an associate professor of computer science at Arizona State University, I have met security professionals from many of the targeted organizations. Many of the organizations have world-class cybersecurity teams. These are some of the hardest targets to hit in corporate America. The victims of Sunburst were specifically targeted, likely with a primary focus on intelligence gathering.Criminal hackers focus on near-term financial gain. They use techniques like ransomware to extort money from their victims, steal financial information, and harvest computing resources for activities like sending spam emails or mining for cryptocurrency.Criminal hackers exploit well-known security vulnerabilities that, had the victims been more thorough in their security, could have been prevented. The hackers typically target organizations with weaker security, like health care systems, universities and municipal governments. University networks are notoriously decentralized, difficult to secure, and often underfund cybersecurity. Medical systems tend to use specialty medical devices that run older, vulnerable software that is difficult to upgrade.Hackers associated with national governments, on the other hand, have entirely different motives. They look for long-term access to critical infrastructure, gather intelligence and develop the means to disable certain industries. They also steal intellectual property  especially intellectual property that is expensive to develop in fields like high technology, medicine, defense and agriculture.The sheer amount of effort to infiltrate one of the Sunburst victim firms is also a telling sign that this was not a mere criminal hack. For example, a firm like FireEye is an inherently bad target for a criminal attacker. It has fewer than 4,000 employees yet has computer security on par with the worlds top defense and financial businesses.The hackers gained access by slipping their malware into software updates of SolarWinds Orion software, which is widely used to manage large organizational networks. The Sunburst attack relied on a trusted relationship between the targeted organization and SolarWinds. When users of Orion updated their systems in the spring of 2020, they unwittingly invited a Trojan horse into their computer networks.Aside from a report about lax security at SolarWinds, very little is known about how the hackers gained initial access to SolarWinds. However, the Russians have used the tactic of compromising a third-party software update process before, in 2017. This was during the infamous NotPetya attack, which was considered the most financially damaging cyberattack in history It will take time to uncover the extent of the damage. The investigation is complicated because the attackers gained access to most of the victims in the spring of 2020, which gave the hackers time to expand and hide their access and control of the victims systems. For example, some experts believe that a vulnerability in VMWare, software that is widely used in corporate networks, was also used to gain access to the victims systems, though the company denies it I expect the damage to be spread unevenly among the victims. This will depend on various factors such as how extensively the organization used the SolarWinds software, how segmented its networks are, and the nature of their software maintenance cycle. For example, Microsoft reportedly had limited deployments of Orion , so the attack had limited impact on their systems.In contrast, the bounty the hackers stole from FireEye included penetration testing tools , which were used to test the defenses of high-end FireEye clients. The theft of these tools was likely prized by hackers to both increase their capabilities in future attacks as well as gain insights into what FireEye clients are protecting against.There is a very thin, often nonexistent line between gathering information and causing real-world harm. What may start as spying or espionage can easily escalate into warfare.The presence of malware on a computer system that gives the attacker greater user privileges is dangerous. Hackers can use control of a computer system to destroy computer systems, as was the case in the Iranian cyberattacks against Saudi Aramco in 2012 , and harm physical infrastructure, as was the case Stuxnet attack against Iranian nuclear facilities in 2010 Further, real harm can be done to individuals with information alone. For example, the Chinese breach of Equifax in 2017 has put detailed financial and personal information about millions of Americans in the hands of one of the U.S.s greatest strategic competitors.No one knows the full extent of the Sunburst attack, but the scope is large and the victims represent important pillars of the U.S. government, economy and critical infrastructure. Information stolen from those systems and malware the hackers have likely left on them can be used for follow-on attacks. I believe it is likely that the Sunburst attack will result in harm to Americans.
[January 04, 2021] OPSWAT Relocates Corporate Headquarters to Tampa

TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OPSWAT, a leader in critical infrastructure protection (CIP) and trusted by more than 1,000 global organizations for providing comprehensive and scalable cybersecurity solutions to protect against malware and zero-day attacks, today announced they have moved their corporate headquarters and operations from San Francisco, California to Tampa, Florida. "Relocating our headquarters to Tampa is an incredible milestone that not only signals rapid growth but also our commitment to providing the best-in-class infrastructure protection to our global customers," said Benny Czarny, CEO and Founder of OPSWAT. "While San Francisco will continue to be a strategic office location given its proximity to Silicon Valley and our West Coast partners and customers, we are excited to strengthen our East Coast presence and join Tampa's emerging technology and cybersecurity ecosystem." The Tampa-based headquarters will serve as OPSWAT's 10th global office and its East Coast hub in the United States. The new headquarters location will position the company to better support its growing customer base. Over the next three years, the company plans to hire 100 employees in Tampa to add to its current 350-person global workforce and support its rapid growth. "We are thrilled OPSWAT has decided to relocate its headquarters to Hillsborough County with the addition of new high-quality jobs for our residents" said Pat Kemp, chair of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners. "We look forward to a strong partnership with OPSWAT and are committed to supporting the company's growth in Hillsborough County."



"OPSWAT's news is proof that Tampa's momentum for attracting exciting new companies remains strong," said Mayor Jane Castor, City of Tampa. "Tampa is home to a highly skilled and talented workforce and our hope is that other cybersecurity and technology organizations continue to recognize Tampa as an up-and-coming hub for innovation and opportunity." The Tampa expansion comes one year after OPSWAT acquired Tampa-based Impulse, a cybersecurity company with market-leading Software Defined Perimeter (SDP) and Network Access Control (NAC) solutions. The new offerings have significantly enhanced the company's Secure Access offerings and MetaAccess Platform.

"We're excited to kick off the New Year with such a big win," said Jim Weiss, chair of the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council and Credit Risk Executive with Fifth Third Bank. "Cybersecurity is one of our strategic growth areas and OPSWAT joins a growing list of cybersecurity companies that are thriving in Tampa due to our low costs, highly-skilled talent, and supportive technology ecosystem." About OPSWAT OPSWAT is a global leader in critical infrastructure cybersecurity that helps protect the world's mission-critical organizations from malware and zero-day attacks. To minimize the risk of compromise, OPSWAT Critical Infrastructure Protection solutions enable both public and private organizations to implement processes that ensure the secure transfer of files and devices to and from critical networks. More than 1,000 organizations worldwide spanning Financial Services, Defense, Manufacturing, Energy, Aerospace, and Transportation Systems trust OPSWAT to secure their files and devices; ensure compliance with industry and government-driven policies and regulations, and protect their reputation, finances, employees and relationships from cyber-driven disruption. For more information on OPSWAT, visit www.opswat.com. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/opswat-relocates-corporate-headquarters-to-tampa-301200448.html SOURCE OPSWAT

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Five new checkpoints are planned to be opened on the Ukrainian-Polish border in Lviv region.

The EU is ready to invest EUR 100 million in this project over the period of 2023-2026, according to a statement on the website of Lviv Regional State Administration.

During 2023-2026, the EU is ready to invest EUR 100 million in the construction of five new checkpoints in Lviv region. In particular, Variazh-Usmierz, Belz-Budynin checkpoints in Chervonohrad district, as well as Mshanets-Bandrow, Lopushanka-Michniowiec, and Boberka-Smolnik checkpoints in the newly created Sambir district will be opened.

"These additional checkpoints will link Ukraine with Europe. We are a European state with a European mentality. We need to finally establish a connection," Head of Lviv Regional State Administration Maksym Kozytsky said.

The region is currently preparing documentation to start repairing roads at the entrances to future checkpoints. In total, Ukravtodor will repair 170 km of roads within the framework of the Great Construction program.

Kozytsky also added that the construction works will be carried out at public expense. The government allocated UAH 100 million for road repairs.

ish
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Tottenham Hotspur have opened up initial dialogue with Harry Kane about a contract extension, which would keep him at the Premier League club for the prime of his career.

The striker last signed a six-year deal in 2018, but chairman Daniel Levy is conscious of keeping the clubs star fully content, especially amid interest from other major clubs.

Manchester City have long seen Kane as a potential successor to Sergio Aguero, and are known to at least be considering a move in the summer, while Paris Saint-Germain might act  partly on the influence of new boss Mauricio Pochettino  if Kylian Mbappe were to leave for Real Madrid.

READ MORE: Premier League table and fixtures  all games by date and kick-off time

Kane has for a long time made it known to the Spurs hierarchy that he is perfectly happy to stay so long as they are in contention for trophies, and the 27-year-old is currently content that is the case under Jose Mourinho.

The two have a good relationship, with Mourinho seeing Kane as a perfect modern centre-forward.

Levy feels it is worth rewarding this, while also securing the England captains future, and has been in contact with the players camp about a new deal that would go beyond his current wage of 200,000 a week.

While the talks have not reached any formal stage yet, Kane is known to be receptive.

Kane has been in fine form this season, scoring 10 Premier League goals while recording 11 assists in the division.

He opened the scoring from the penalty spot in Spurs 3-0 top-flight victory over Leeds on Saturday, before assisting Son Heung-min as the South Korea international doubled the hosts lead.
SPRINGFIELD  The coronavirus pandemic has not triggered a mass closing of Springfield restaurants, but insiders said the outlook is grim.

Ninety-seven businesses in Springfield, including restaurants, bars and clubs, have renewed their liquor licenses for 2021, out of 109 listed. The high number of renewals likely was aided by the city waiving its annual license fee, and by owners hopes for a better new year, officials said.

While the renewal rate was high, the businesses are hanging on by a thread, said Peter Sygnator, chairman of the License Commission.

I wish them all the best, Sygnator said. My heart just breaks for these businesses. Its terrible.

Springfield lawyer Daniel Kelly, who represents many of the businesses, said the waiver of the license fee was helpful, but the pandemic and state restrictions have crippled the businesses financially.

The outlook is grim, Kelly said. The idea that you can just pick up where you left off would only make sense to someone who has never been in business for themselves. It doesnt work that way.

Restaurants and bars that closed during 2020 included Samuels on West Columbus Avenue, whose owner said in June that the closing was permanent. He cited the hardships of COVID-19 as one factor.

The state closed bars that do not serve food and has issued varying caps on capacity for restaurants, among other restrictions since the pandemic began in March.

Your rent doesnt stop, Kelly said. Where are the employees? Where are your customers? Are they going to come back? What about your personal bills?

Kelly said decisions about the pandemic response are being made at the state level by government officials who have never missed a paycheck.

Every New Years Eve is a day of hope, Kelly said. Hopefully next year will be better.

The waived liquor license renewal fees ranged from $1,400 for a general beer and wine on-premises license to $2,800 for an all-alcohol license. The fee was waived for pouring establishments. It waiver did not apply to package stores, which continued to operate while bars and restaurants were shut down.

The city also waived a tax certification requirement for full liquor license holders, except for package stores, Sygnator said.

The dozen businesses that did not renew their liquor licenses included some that missed the deadline in late November and have not yet filed new applications, city officials said.

Typical Sicilian Ristorante and Golden Dragon restaurants were on the list of nonrenewals, but both said they missed the deadline and will remain open while seeking new liquor licenses. They cannot sell alcohol until they have the licenses approved by the city and state, officials said.

Others listed by the city as not having, or not yet having, liquor licenses for 2021 included: A Bica Bar & Grill, Better Life Whole Foods, Delhi to Kathmandu Cuisine, One Stop Mart, Panorama Restaurant, Soks Siam, Springfield Great Escape and St. Anthonys Mens Society.

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Egypt's health minister announced on Monday that non-hospitalised coronavirus patients across the country will be monitored at home starting Wednesday even if they were not initially diagnosed by the ministry's system.

In a press conference, Minister of Health Hala Zayed said that while non-hospitalized cases had previously been only contacted via phone, the new initiative aims to guarantee that cases in self-isolation which deteriorate do not reach hospitals in critical condition.

Minister Zayed explained that under the countrys coronavirus treatment protocol, patients with mild and moderate COVID-19 symptoms are treated at home to free up beds for critical cases at state-run isolation hospitals.

The new strategy will be applied to all cases quarantined at home, even if they are not registered among the health ministrys official tallies, according to Minister Zayed.

Zayed said the decision was made since many coronavirus patients who display mild symptoms do not seek PCR testing at the health ministry's laboratories, which is responsible for recording infections, and choose to be monitored by private physicians.

The number of home-treated cases, therefore, do not get included in the ministrys official tallies, Zayed explained.

She noted that the registered cases of coronavirus do not represent the real numbers on the ground throughout the world.

This always happens in pandemics the USA itself said the numbers of coronavirus infections on the ground are six to 24 times higher than the registered numbers, she stressed.

The new initiative will be implemented gradually as of Wednesday via the the 100 Million Health Programme, an Egyptian presidential plan that began in 2018 to screen Egyptians for non-communicable and chronic diseases through mobile health units countrywide.

According to Zayed, the 100 Million Health Programmes staff will follow up on the condition of all self-isolating coronavirus patients in all neighbourhoods nationwide and measure their oxygen saturation level, which is negatively affected by COVID-19.

Patients who are susceptible to deterioration will be given pulse oximeter devices so they can measure the level of oxygen in their blood themselves periodically. If their readings record a rate lower than 90 percent, they will be transferred to the hospital.

The initiative will cover 100 percent of non-hospitalised cases within two weeks, the minister said.

The minister also explained that the state has an electronic network by which it can easily identify the occupancy and ventilator use rates, as well as oxygen supply at each hospital in every Egyptian governorate.

The system allows the ministry to determine whether hospitals have enough beds to receive more critical cases, she explained.

Zayed added that the daily coronavirus infections toll recorded in Egypt has continued to decline for the fourth day in a row, with 1,277 new people testing positive for the virus on Monday.

The daily infection toll has been on a downward curve since this weekend, with 1,409 infections recorded on Friday, 1,407 on Saturday, and 1,309 on Sunday.

Since the last week of December, the country has been facing a second wave of the virus, with daily tolls above the 1,000-case threshold.

On Thursday, the country recorded the biggest-one day increase in almost five months, with 1,418 cases.

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Europes airlines, airports and air traffic controllers lost a combined 56.2bn last year, according to Eurocontrol, the agency that manages airspace across Europe.

The agency, headed by former Irish Aviation Authority boss Eamonn Brennan, said there were five million flights in Europe last year compared to 11.1 million in 2019.

Intra-European traffic declined 54pc, while traffic between Europe and the rest of the world slumped 59pc.

Ryanair remained the busiest airline in Europe during 2020, but with significantly reduced activity.

It operated an average of just 951 fights a day last year, compared to 2,323 a day in 2019  a fall of 59pc.

The average decline in daily flights among the top 10 European airlines was between 45pc and 67pc in 2020.

Major reductions in the number of flights were exacerbated by extremely low load factors, added Eurocontrol in a paper published over the weekend. Those flights that did take place in 2020 were typically at best half full.

Read More

Eurocontrol noted that 51pc of the European aircraft fleet was grounded at the end of December, with 4,118 of 8,048 aircraft parked up and inactive for more than seven days. In April, 87pc of them were out of service. There are 132 aircraft parked up in Madrid, with 92 in Istanbul.

Airlines have in parallel announced purchase deferrals and accelerated retirements of older aircraft, added the Brussels-based agency. Iconic types like the Boeing 747 and even some Airbus 380s are unlikely to return to passenger operations.

Of the losses racked up last year among Europes airlines, airports and traffic controllers, almost 34bn of them were at airports, according to the European arm of Airports Council International.

Eurocontrol said traffic in the first months of 2021 looks set to be between 50pc and 60pc down on 2019 levels. The agency said that it expects steady progress in the recovery of the aviation sector by summer 2021.

With regard to air traffic services, past mistakes need to be addressed head-on, and the status quo can no longer be maintained with regard to economic regulation and airspace management, it warned.

Online Editors
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain's existing 'extreme' measures weren't enough to slow the virus

New lockdowns were announced for England and Scotland Monday even as Britain began rolling out the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, a possible game-changer in fighting the disease worldwide, while EU nations were mired in finger-pointing over their own slow progress.

Following in the footsteps of the devolved Scottish administration, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said all of England, the UK's largest nation, would close down from Wednesdaypossibly into mid-February.

The latest virus moves are aimed at containing a severe wave of infections with a new coronavirus strain believed to spread faster.

"With most of the country already under extreme measures, it's clear that we need to do more, together, to bring this new variant under control while our vaccines are rolled out," Johnson said in a televised address.

Similar to a first March-June lockdown last year, the new moves include the closure of schools and a ban on leaving home for all but exercise and essential shopping.

As Britain handed out the initial shots in a first batch of 530,000 doses from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) did not authorise a coronavirus jab from US-based Moderna despite bringing forward a special meeting, saying it would meet again Wednesday.

The EMA has already said the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab is unlikely to secure European approval in January.

World map showing the number of Covid-19 deaths by country, as of Jan 4 at 1100 GMT

Although the Pfizer-BioNTech inoculation is cleared for use in the EU, just 200,000 in Germany and a few hundred in France have received itcompared with more than a million in each of Britain, the US and Israel.

"It's obvious that such a complex endeavour is always going to bring with it difficulties," European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer told journalists.

In Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel's government is under fire for relying on a Brussels-led vaccination procurement scheme, her spokesman Steffen Seibert said that "it was clear from the beginning that supplies would be limited at the start," blaming a lack of production capacity for the bottleneck.

Meanwhile in France, a suspect in their early 20s was taken into custody on suspicion of helping organise a New Year's Eve rave for 2,500 people in eastern region Brittany that was broken up by police after two nights.

One organiser of a 2,500-strong rave in France's Brittany region has been held in custody

'A bit of normal life'

High hopes have been placed in the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which does not have to be stored at the ultra-low temperatures required by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna alternatives.

That could mean greater access for less wealthy parts of the world in the fight against the coronavirus, which has infected more than 85 million people with more than 1.8 million known deaths.

With 75,000 killed by the virus in Britain so far, Johnson said he hopes to get shots to tens of millions in the next three months.

"The vaccine means everything to me. To my mind it's the only way of getting back to a bit of normal life," said 82-year-old Brian Pinker, the first to receive the AstraZeneca jab at Oxford's Churchill Hospital.

In Beijing, thousands lined up for vaccination as Chinese authorities raced to inoculate millions ahead of the Lunar New Year mass travel season in February.

82-year-old Brian Pinker was the first to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus shot

China has already administered around 4.5 million doses of largely unproven emergency vaccines this yearmostly to health workers and other state employees destined for overseas jobs, according to authorities.

In Kenya, millions of schoolchildren returned wearing masks to classes after submitting to temperature checks, getting started on making good a 10-month gap in their education since March.

"I am pleased that the children are back in school," said mother Hildah Musimbi, although "we have got a lot of fear because we really don't know if other children in school have the virus or even if the teachers have the virus."

Stumbling US vaccine rollout

Elsewhere, American officials on Sunday rejected claims by outgoing President Donald Trump that the country's death toll of more than 350,000 was exaggerated, as they defended the stumbling rollout of vaccines in the world's worst-hit nation.

Some people in the US were able to get vaccinated in their cars

The United States has a known caseload of more than 20 million, and the Trump administration has faced intense criticism for its handling of the pandemic, which has hammered the US economy.

The 4.2 million people vaccinated so far with the Pfizer and Moderna shots are far below the official predictions of 20 million by the new year.

More than 13 million vaccine doses have been distributed nationwide, but efforts to inoculate health workers and vulnerable people have been hampered by logistical problems and overstretched hospitals and clinics.

"There have been a couple of glitches, that's understandable," top US expert Anthony Fauci said, adding it was a challenge "trying to get a massive vaccine program started and getting off on the right foot."

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
Ishaan Khatter and Ananya Panday are fuelling relationship rumours. They were spotted at the Mumbai airport on Sunday evening, having returned from their trip to the Maldives.

The two were vacationing together and while they did not post many pictures with each other, most of them were clicked at the same locations and at the same time. Ishaan confirmed that the two indeed celebrated New Year together with a picture of Ananya sitting on a swing in Maldives and their arrival in Mumbai suggested the same.

Their fans are now wondering if the two are dating each other. Seeing their photos from the airport, one fan asked, Omg...ishanya, wrote one. Are they really dating each other??, wrote another. Ananya was seen in a white crop top and pants while Ishaan was seen in a shiny leopard print shirt and pink pants.

A couple of pictures of Ananya and Ishaan clicking selfies with their hotel staff in Maldives have also surfaced on social media.

On Instagram, they had been sharing regular pictures from their trip. Ananya shared a bunch of pictures in her bright and colourful, sunflower-inspired bikini while Ishaan shared videos of dolphin swimming next to his boat and of himself enjoying a dip in the bright blue waters of Maldives.

Ananya and Ishaan were seen together in Khaali Peeli. The film was directed by Maqbool Khan and arrived on Zee Plex. Ananyas next release will be Shakun Batras untitled film starring Deepika Padukone and Siddhant Chaturvedi. She also has Fighter with Telugu star Vijay Deverakonda.

Also read: Anil Kapoor reveals Kapil Sharma rejected his Mubarakan and 24, says if there is a role of your father or brother, tell me. Watch

Talking about her plans for 2021, she told Hindustan Times in an interview, Both are very different films. Shakuns film is what he calls a domestic noir, very different from whats been done before. Im very excited to be working with him, Deepika and Sid, weve all bonded and become really close. Plus, the shooting experience in Goa after so long, it feels like I have another family on that set. Shakun is my bucket list director. Working with Puri (Jagannathan, director of Fighter) sir was a completely different experience. Its an out and out masala action comedy, hes the best at that. Its a pan India film, releasing in four different languages.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

ott:10
New Delhi, Jan 5 : The number of Covid patients carrying the UK strain in the national capital has reached seven after three new cases were detected on Monday, whereas the tally of suspected carriers has reached 49, officials told IANS.

Dr Suresh Kumar, Medical Director of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital informed that the three new cases were detected from a laboratory in Delhi.

"The total number of patients suspected of being infected by the UK strain has reached 49. Of them, the strain is confirmed in the seven persons. Three new detections were reported from the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) in Delhi," he said.

Kumar also informed that of the total 49, seventeen are travelers while the remaining are their contacts. "Fifteen are those who came directly from Dubai while two other transited via Dubai to India," he said.

He also said that the health of all the seven confirmed patients are in stable condition. "Most of them are asymptomatic and mild in nature of the Covid. None of them have shown severe complications so far," Kumar added.

The seven patients who are positive for the UK mutation are lodged in separate rooms of a special ward. The ward has been earmarked for those who landed here from the UK. With a capacity of 60 rooms, the ward is spread across three floors with 20 rooms on each floor.

"We are ensuring that these patients don't mingle with the other Covid patients. All of them have been isolated separately in different rooms of a special ward designated for the patients suspected or found infected with the new variant," Dr Kumar told IANS.

Meanwhile, nine more Covid-19 patients have been detected carrying the new and highly infectious strain of novel coronavirus from the UK on Monday, taking the tally of cases to 38 in the country.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Thailand to get 2 million doses of China made vaccine

THAILAND: As the number of COVID-19 infections nationally continues to rise, it was confirmed today (Jan 4) that Thailand will receive 2 million vaccine shots from the Chinese manufacturer Sinovac next month.

ChineseCoronavirusCOVID-19drugshealth

By The Phuket News

Monday 4 January 2021, 02:57PM

Thailand will receive 2 million doses of the CoronaVac vaccine from Chinese based Sinovac starting next month. Photo: AFP.

As Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha issued a new set of new restrictions taking effect today, the Health Ministry confirmed that 2 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine, known as CoronaVac, would be available next month to begin inoculating people with the highest risks for infections, according to reports from Bloomberg News.

The Sinovac vaccine will arrive in three batches; the first 200,000 doses arriving in February, 800,000 in March, and another 1 million in April, stated the Health Ministry.

It also confirmed that local production is underway of AstraZeneca developed vaccines under a technology transfer agreement, expected to be ready for distribution in May.

Developed by Beijing based pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech Ltd, CoronaVac underwent trials in Brazil, China, Turkey and Indonesia. Last week Ukraine confirmed it has ordered 2 million doses.

At time of press, however, the vaccine has yet to pass phase three of clinical testing.

The vaccine works by exposing the bodys immune system to the virus via killed viral particles without risking a serious disease response.

CoronaVac is a more traditional method [of vaccine] that is successfully used in many well known vaccines like rabies, Associate Prof Luo Dahai of the Nanyang Technological University told the BBC.

PM Prayut said the government has targeted the inoculation of 50% of the population, about 33 million people, by the end of 2021 and will enlist vaccines from various sources, such as the World Health Organization-backed Covax program and other vaccine developers.

There were 745 new coronavirus cases recorded in Thailand today, the largest daily increase since the beginning of the pandemic. Of this number, 709 were local transmissions, bringing the total since COVID-19 first appeared in January 2020 to 8,439. One additional death was reported, raising the accumulated toll to 65.
The U.S. continues its run at the top of the list as the country with the most COVID-19 infections, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Early Sunday, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported the U.S. has 20.4 million of the world's 84.3 million COVID infections. India, the country with the second-largest number of cases has about half as many cases as the U.S. with 10.3 million. Public health officials warn, however, that India's caseload may be undercounted.

The U.S. has recorded more than 350,000 deaths related to the coronavirus. Funeral homes across the country are finding it difficult to keep up with the demand for their services.

A surge of cases in the coming weeks is expected, following the holiday season, public health officials say.
Thailand will get its first lot of Covid-19 vaccines from Chinas Sinovac Biotech Ltd. next month, allowing the country in the middle of a resurgence of the coronavirus outbreak to begin inoculating people with the highest risks for infections.

The Southeast Asian nation will receive the Chinese vaccine in three batches, with the first 200,000 doses arriving in February, 800,000 in March, and another 1 million in April, according to the Health Ministry. Thailand has also started local production of vaccines developed by AstraZeneca Plc under a technology transfer agreement, which is expected to be ready for distribution in May, the ministry said.

Thailand is racing to curb the spread of a new wave of local infections that started from seafood markets near Bangkok, the nations capital and the largest city. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha has imposed a new set of restrictions on businesses and gatherings in Bangkok and 27 of its worst-affected provinces from Monday to contain the outbreak.

Thailand, which was relatively successful in containing the pathogen after becoming the first country outside China to report the deadly virus, may see cases spike to about 1,000 a day even with strict control measures, according to the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The country reported 315 new virus cases on Sunday with 294 of them locally transmitted, taking the nations total to 7,694.

Prayuths government has set a target of inoculating 50% of its population, or about 33 million people, by the end of 2021 with vaccines from various sources, including the World Health Organization-backed Covax program. Its also negotiating with other vaccine developers for additional supplies, according to the health ministry.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
The United Kingdom is preparing to give the first shots of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine today in a race against a faster-spreading coronavirus variant thats prompted new lockdowns across much of the country.

U.K. regulators cleared the AstraZeneca-Oxford shot last week, marking its first approval worldwide. Its the second coronavirus injection to be authorized for emergency use in Britain, after one from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE received the go-ahead in early December.

Also Read | A year on, China is shaking up the world

More than 500,000 AstraZeneca-Oxford doses will be available as of Monday, and they will be delivered at hospitals for the first few days. The U.K. aims to expand the number of vaccination sites to more than 1,000, with as many as 100 more hospitals and 180 general practitioner-led services coming online this week. More than a million people in Britain have received injections of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, according to a statement from the Department of Health and Social Care.

The U.K. has moved more rapidly on vaccine approvals than the U.S. or the European Union, clearing the Pfizer-BioNTech shot first and giving the green light to the AstraZeneca-Oxford product despite clinical trials that involved a smaller number of participants and that were complicated by a dosing error. A regulatory decision to lengthen the interval between doses of the two-shot vaccines to as many as 12 weeks has prompted further questions.

Although the newly approved vaccine has shown lower effectiveness than the Pfizer-BioNTech one in clinical trials, it has some key advantages: Its cheaper and easier to transport and store, requiring only refrigerator temperatures rather than deep freezing.

The regulator has yet to publish full data backing its decision to opt for that regime, which has drawn opposition from the British Medical Association.

UK registers almost 55,000 COVID-19 cases in one day

The United Kingdom registered 54,990 COVID-19 cases within the past 24 hours, a drop from 57,725 the day before, according to government figures. This takes the total number of registered cases in the country to 2,654,779.

At the same time, an additional 454 fatalities, up from 445 on Saturday, put the overall death toll at 75,024. UK's health authorities do not keep a tally of recoveries, which leaves the number of active cases in the country unknown.

The UK may have been the origin of a new strain of the coronavirus which is believed to be 70 percent more infectious than its predecessor and may be driving the new wave of transmissions.

Much of the UK is under the strictest level of lockdown with the holiday season effectively cancelled this year.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Soldiers and airmen from the District of Columbia National Guard will be on the city's streets this week as Washington braces for protests when Congress meets to officially confirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the Nov. 3 presidential election.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser requested the Guard to have personnel on the streets Jan. 5-7 to help control traffic and perform other duties during expected protests.

"At the request of Mayor Muriel Bowser, District of Columbia National Guard is in a support role to the Metropolitan Police Department, which will enable them to provide a safe environment for our fellow citizens to exercise their First Amendment right to demonstrate," Maj. Gen. William Walker, commander of the D.C. Guard, said in a statement Monday.

Read Next: All 10 Living Former SecDefs: Keep the Military Out of Election Dispute

Several pro-Trump groups, such as the Proud Boys, have pledged to protest in D.C. on Jan. 6 -- the day Congress is set to conduct a formal count of Electoral College votes and officially name Biden as the next president of the United States.

About 340 Guard members will be in D.C. at traffic control points and Metro stations identified by Metro police, Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Craig Clapper told Military.com, adding that personnel will be in uniform but will not carry weapons or protective equipment.

"They will not be armed ... and they will not be wearing body armor," Clapper said.

Bowser asked people to stay away from downtown and avoid confrontations, but also cautioned protesters that they must remain civil during demonstrations.

"We will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents or cause destruction in our city," she said Monday at a press conference, according to The Associated Press.

The D.C. Guard has already begun planning its presence at the upcoming presidential inauguration, scheduled for Jan. 20. Approximately 30 states have pledged to send roughly 4,000 Guard personnel in what has become a tradition Guardsmen participate in every four years.

About 7,800 Guard personnel supported President Donald Trump's inauguration in 2016, but the restrictions in place for the COVID-19 pandemic mean that Biden's inauguration will be a smaller-scale event, Guard officials said in a Dec. 21 Army release.

This summer, more than 5,200 Guard members converged on D.C. to support police as tens of thousands of demonstrators protested the May 25 death of George Floyd, a Black man, while in Minneapolis police custody. Many demonstrators became violent, but Guard members mainly focused on manning roadblocks, preventing crowds from trespassing on White House grounds, and protecting key monuments in the city.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.

Related: Thousands of National Guard Troops Prepare to Support Biden's Inauguration
Bachelor in Paradise's Ciarran Stott and Married At First Sight's Nasser Sultan have clashed in an online exchange of harsh words.

The brawl began when The Wash Instagram account ran photos of Ciarran's new tattoos, which sit on either side of his head.

Reacting to the ink in the comments under the photos, Nasser, 53, wrote: 'This guy is all show no go!'

Hitting out: Bachelor in Paradise's Ciarran Stott (pictured) and Married At First Sight's Nasser Sultan have clashed in an online exchange of harsh words

Angered, Ciarran, 25, responded: 'You are a flea that just won't f**k off. Absolute bore you old man'.

Nasser attempted to hit back again: 'The only way you can get any attention is to do something stupid! Otherwise no one and I mean no one gives a sh*t about!!'

'Only The Wash. No other media so I think you should leave it now because your [sic] boring Australia,' he added, but Ciarran ignored those comments.

Tatt's fantastic! The brawl began when The Wash Instagram account ran photos of Ciarran's new tattoos, which sit on either side of his head

Reacting to the ink in the comments under the photos, Nasser, 53, wrote: 'This guy is all show no go!'

Angered, Ciarran, 25, responded: 'You are a flea that just won't f**k off. Absolute bore you old man'. Nasser then attempted to hit back again, but Ciarran ignored him

Fans appeared to side with Ciarran, whose attack on Nasser gained 65 likes, versus Nasser's comment, which had a paltry 18 likes.

Several people reading the spar supported Ciarran, too, with one fan writing: 'That's the pot calling the kettle black don't you think? They only time I ever see you pop up on social media is when you're bullying or belittling someone Nasser.

'Have a look at yourself, why does what this guy does to his own body cause you to make a d**k comment?'

Trolling: Nasser, 53, (pictured) has a history of taking swipes at younger reality stars, making a snarky post about Ciarran and his fellow Bachelor in Paradise co-star Timm Hanly, 27, in July

Hunks under attack: 'Coming soon Bill and Teds bogus adventure,' Nasser's post read, alongside two photographs of the men. Timm is pictured right

Nasser has a history of taking swipes at younger reality stars, making a snarky post about Ciarran and his fellow Bachelor in Paradise co-star Timm Hanly, 27, in July.

'Coming soon Bill and Teds bogus adventure,' Nasser's post read, alongside two photographs of the men.

Nasser was recently caught in the middle of an explosive argument with his Married At First Sight co-stars.

He was sent fleeing from filming at the reunion dinner party in December, after saying the cast made it clear his company wasn't wanted.

A 29-year-old woman died, while two others were injured after they were hit by a trailer on the old Mumbai-Pune highway at Panvel in the early hours of Monday.

According to the police, Mumbra residents Deepali Vittumal, Muzammil Rauf, 22, and Yasmin Ansari, 22, had been for a picnic at Lonavala with four other people on Sunday. The accident took place when they were on their way back to Mumbra the next day.

Assistant inspector Anil Devale from Panvel city police station, said, Rauf and Ansari were travelling on a two-wheeler. Vittumal was travelling with the other four members of the group in an autorickshaw. Around 5am, as they were entering the Panvel area, the auto stopped at a gas station to refill its tank. Rauf and Ansari were waiting along the highway outside the gas station. A while later, Vittumal felt suffocated inside the auto and came out of the vehicle to have a conversation with Rauf and Ansari. A trailer, which was also coming towards Panvel from Pune side, hit the three people.

All the three were rushed to a nearby hospital. Vittumal was declared brought dead by the doctors. Rauf and Ansari were shifted to another private hospital at Taloja and their condition is stable, said Devale.

The trailer driver, 33-year-old Omraj Anuragi, fled the spot after the accident. A few hours later, he surrendered before the police. The police booked him under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Motor Vehicle (MV) Act.
Aerial crews have dropped more than 75,000 litres of fire retardant in the area to help land crews holding off the fire front. There are up to 13 aircraft dispatched. "Speeds of 3-4km/h are extremely challenging to contain," DFES deputy incident controller Andy Duckworth said. "We are treating this extremely seriously." Easterly and north-easterly winds are expected to fan the flames on Wednesday when the mercury is set to reach 37C. The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting extremely hot and dry conditions going into next week, which only fuels the unpredictability of a fire threat.

Bureau spokesman Neil Bennett said easterly winds would usually last a day or two because of the presence of a high-pressure system moving through the Bight. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video However, this time the high was particularly slow-moving, resulting in easterly winds lasting longer. The fire is uncontained and uncontrolled. Warning areas

Residents in Oceans Farms Estate, Seaview Park and surrounding areas, in parts of Regans Ford, Red Gully, Cowalla, Moore River National Park, Nilgen, Mimegarra, Karakin and Orange Springs have been issued an emergency warning advising them they are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. A watch and act alert is also in place for parts of Wedge Island. People camping in the areas are urged to not attempt to leave south but leave and relocate to a safer place by heading north on Indian Ocean Drive. Burning embers are likely to start spot fires up to 100 metres ahead of the fire, and there is a lot of ash and dust blowing over the fire ground. "If you cannot leave, you need to get ready to shelter in your home," DFES advised. "Go to a room in your home away from the fire front and make sure you can easily escape.

"Choose a room with two exits and water such as a kitchen or laundry." The bushfire is approaching Lancelin and surrounds. Credit:DFES Roads have been closed including Indian Ocean Drive from K.W Road to Wedge Island Road, K.W Road (east of Indian Ocean Drive), Minegarra Road from Brand Highway, and Orange Springs Road West from Brand Highway, and from the intersection of Sappers Road, Nabaroo Road and Cowalla Road to Nine Mile Swamp Road. There are vehicle checkpoints in the area, including on Wedge Island Road, Lancelin Road, K.W Road, Cowalla Bridge and Orange Spring Roads. Access to Lancelin via Lancelin Road has been closed and there is no access north of Lancelin on Indian Ocean Drive but those leaving Lancelin can do so in a southerly direction.

Oceans Farms resident Amanda Solarino was on her way to Mindarie to buy a generator on Monday evening when she got the text message telling her and her partner to evacuate. She rushed back to Lancelin to pick up a friend's horse float before driving back to Ocean Farms to rescue her horse, chickens and goats. The blaze started on Saturday and has burned through more than 7200 hectares. Credit:Evan Collins In a daze, she managed to fit the four goats and four chickens inside regular cars and drove back to Lancelin, where she sought shelter at her in-laws' home. Ms Solarino, who has managed to house the horse in the backyard and the goats in the garage, said the flames got up to 8 kilometres from their home, but she said she wasn't worried.

"More pissed off. My boyfriend and I work at the Endeavour Tavern and we have been so busy since Christmas, we are so tired we hardly have the energy to cope with it all," she said. Loading In town, Lancelin Lodge owner Karen Stokke opened the doors of the hostel to families fleeing the blaze and farm workers stuck with nowhere to go. "It is so emotionally draining for families that are being affected. We will do everything we can to help them out and make things feel safer for them and less stressful," Ms Stokke said. Ms Stokke urged anyone in need of safe accommodation to call the lodge instead of booking online.

Wedge Island concerns Unexploded ordnance from the old Lancelin bombing range surrounding the suburb of Wedge Island, which is directly on the fire's path, is a major concern for firefighters. The winds are causing spot fires to ignite within 100 metres of the blaze. Credit:Nikki Woods Mr Duckworth said the ordnance prevented ground crews from accessing the area to battle the fire, which was quickly moving towards the suburb fanned by gusty winds. While he was confident the ammunition would not explode, he said it would be "extremely dangerous" for the flames to reach the area.

"There's a lot of bush around there and we are limited in our ability to fight the fire, we can use our aircraft to do it but not much else," he said. "We are not confident we can pull [the fire front] up before it reached Wedge Island by any means, that is why we are urging those residents to pay particular attention to the warnings." Strong easterly winds, hot temperatures set to continue The Bureau of Meteorology is also predicting extremely hot and dry conditions going into next week, which are expected to fuel the unpredictability of a fire threat. DFES Deputy Commissioner Craig Waters said climate change had caused fires to burn with the same intensity into the evenings, whereas before firefighters would get a lull or reprieve with cooling conditions.
Four passengers who arrived in Greece from the UK over the Christmas break have tested positive for the new, highly transmissible Covid variant.

The cases are the first of the fast-spreading coronavirus mutation to be found in Greece.

The four persons recently travelled to Greece from Britain, an unnamed health ministry official said. They are in quarantine.

The group were among a total of six UK arrivals  five Greek citizens and a Briton  over the Christmas holidays to test positive for Covid.

All are being looked after at a dedicated hotel while their condition is monitored by Greek health authorities.

Cases of the new variant were confirmed following three days of tests and analysis.

Authorities in Athens announced 40 deaths and 262 new coronavirus infections on Saturday.

Greece, which started its first vaccinations last week, has reported 140,099 confirmed coronavirus cases and 4,957 related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Dozens of countries have banned entry to arrivals from the UK in an effort to stop the spread of a mutated version of coronavirus discovered in Kent last year. A separate South African variant of the disease is also causing alarm.

 Coronavirus in numbers

The UK variant has been confirmed in countries as far away as Japan and Australia.

Recommended India extends ban on UK flights as more Covid variant cases detected

Greece accepts flights from Britain but passengers must provide a negative PCR test result within the last 72 hours and take a further rapid test on arrival. If the result is negative, arrivals must self-isolate for 10 days and then undergo a fresh PCR test in order to exit quarantine.

The strict travel measures come after Greek authorities implemented a national lockdown which is in place until 6am on 7 January.

This includes a curfew between 10pm and 5am, obligatory use of facemasks including in outdoor public spaces and a ban on non-essential movements.
J. Douglas Overbey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, on Monday announced changes in some of the management and supervisory personnel for the district, including Chris Poole who has been chosen to serve as the Chattanooga Division branch chief.

Francis M. (Trey) Hamilton III has been chosen to serve as the first assistant U.S. attorney for the district. Mr. Hamilton, a native of Nashville, joined the office in 2002, as an assistant U.S. attorney. He had previously served as a deputy chief and senior litigation counsel in the Criminal Division. Over his career, Mr. Hamilton has overseen and tried numerous complex prosecutions ranging from corporate fraud to civil rights deprivation. Most recently, Mr. Hamilton was awarded the Attorney Generals Claudia J. Flynn Award for Professional Responsibility. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorneys Office, Mr. Hamilton worked for two prominent national law firms where he engaged in complex civil litigation, and before that, he served as law clerk to the Honorable Jerome Turner, United States District Judge for the Western District of Tennessee. Mr. Hamilton received his law degree from Washington & Lee University School of Law, where he graduated summa cum laude, was inducted into the Order of the Coif, and served on the Washington & Lee Law Review. He earned his undergraduate degree from Rhodes College, where he graduated magna cum laude and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.

Caryn L. Hebets has been chosen to serve as chief of the Criminal Division. Ms. Hebets, a native of Dearborn, Mich., joined the office as an assistant U.S. attorney in October 2005. She most recently served as a deputy chief of the Criminal Division and as the lead Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force attorney for the district. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorneys Office, Ms. Hebets was an assistant prosecuting attorney for Berrien County, Mich., in addition to, working with the FBI. She received her law degree from Wayne State University and her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan. She is a member of the Michigan bar.

Matthew T. Morris has been chosen to serve as deputy criminal chief for the Knoxville offices white collar and general crimes unit. He joined the U.S. Attorneys Office in 1996. Since then, Mr. Morris has focused on prosecuting white-collar and child exploitation offenses, including environmental crime, fraud, public corruption, and child pornography. He has served as the U.S. Attorneys Offices Senior Litigation Counsel since 2018. Mr. Morris has previously headed up the offices Project Safe Childhood, Environmental Crime, Asset Forfeiture, and Affirmative Civil Enforcement programs. Prior to joining the office, he was an assistant regional counsel for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Atlanta for five years. Mr. Morris earned his law degree in 1990, from the University of Oregon School of Law and his undergraduate degree from Kent State University in 1986.

Tracy Stone has been chosen to serve as deputy criminal chief for the Knoxville offices violent crimes and drug trafficking unit. Since joining the office in January 2006, Mr. Stone had prosecuted violent crimes, firearms offenses, and large-scale drug cases. For most of his tenure with the office, Mr. Stone has been assigned to the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force. Established in 1982, to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations, the OCDETF program continues to be the centerpiece of the Department of Justices drug supply reduction strategy. Since 2010, Mr. Stone has dedicated significant time to battling the opioid epidemic, which hit the Eastern District of Tennessee particularly hard. Mr. Stone has successfully prosecuted hundreds of cases, including many successful jury trials. One of his more high-profile trials includes Eric Boyds federal trial for his role in the carjacking and murders of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom. Another is the recent four-month trial of Sylvia Hofstetter and three medical providers for their roles in operating illegal pill mills in Tennessee and Florida. Immediately prior to joining the United States Attorneys Office, Mr. Stone prosecuted a variety of criminal cases, including several homicides, as an assistant district attorney in Tennessees Fourth Judicial District (Sevier, Cocke, Jefferson, and Grainger Counties). Previously, Mr. Stone was in private practice with the Chattanooga firm of Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel. Mr. Stone holds a Bachelors in Agricultural Economics from The University of Tennessee and is a 1999 Cum Laude graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law.

David P. Lewen, Jr. has been chosen to serve as senior litigation counsel. Mr. Lewen joined the

U.S. Attorneys Office in December 2007. Since then, Mr. Lewen has prosecuted a broad spectrum of complex cases, including large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering crimes, multimillion dollar corporate fraud offenses, public corruption, and violent crimes, including bank robbery, extortion, kidnapping, and carjacking. In 2019, Mr. Lewen served a one-year international detail with the U.S. State Department to Timor-Leste, the youngest democratic nation in the Indo-Pacific, where he served as the U.S. Embassys Resident Legal Advisor, providing rule-of-law training and case-based mentorship to Timorese judges, prosecutors, and police. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorneys Office in 2007, Mr. Lewen served for five years on active duty in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate Generals Corps, which included service in Korea, Hawaii, and Fort Bragg, N.C. Mr. Lewen received his law degree in 2002, from the Georgia State University College of Law, and in 1999, received his undergraduate degree in political science from Norwich University in Vermont, where he was the class valedictorian, a Distinguished Military Graduate, and a Rhodes Scholarship nominee.

Chris Poole has been chosen to serve as the Chattanooga Division branch chief. Mr. Poole joined

the office in 2002, and, for the past 18 years, has focused on prosecuting violent crime. To that end, Mr. Poole presently serves as the offices Project Safe Neighborhoods coordinator and AntiGang coordinator. Prior to his employment with the U.S. Attorneys Office, Mr. Poole spent four years as an assistant district attorney in Hamilton County, where he was a Criminal Court Division supervisor. He received his undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University and his law degree from Georgia State University.

The Greeneville branch office continues to be supervised by Branch Chief Donald Wayne Taylor. Before joining the office as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 2007, Mr. Taylor served as the chief assistant commonwealths attorney in Floyd County, Ky. He also has experience as an associate in a private law firm. He received a law degree from Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Del., after receiving an undergraduate degree from Penn State University.

In the Civil Divisions Office, Loretta Harber remains chief of the Civil Division. Ms. Harber, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised in Lexington, Ky, began in the office as an assistant U.S. attorney in 1987. She received her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Tennessee.

And, Robert C. McConkey, III continues to serve as deputy chief of the Civil Division. Mr. McConkey has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney with the office since 2010. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorneys Office, he worked as an associate in private practice handling commercial and general civil litigation and served as a deputy law director for Knox County, Tn. He received his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University after receiving an undergraduate degree from East Tennessee State University.

The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee represents the interests of the United States in federal court in both civil and criminal matters. The eastern district is the largest federal district in Tennessee, with a population of more than 2.6 million, encompassing 41 of the states 95 counties, and spanning 420 miles. In addition to the headquarters office in Knoxville, there are branch offices in Chattanooga and Greeneville. U.S. Attorney Overbey, who was sworn in as the presidentially appointed, senate confirmed U.S. Attorney in November 2017, serves as

the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the district.
Coal and gas projects that could release more than 1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases have been given the green light by the NSW government in the two years since a Land and Environment Court ruling, which upheld the government's Rocky Hill coal mine refusal in part because of climate impacts.

The billion tonnes of greenhouse emissions would be generated by third parties like overseas power plants burning the coal and gas produced over the life of six projects approved since February 2019. The 1 billion tonne figure is nearly double Australia's entire annual greenhouse gas output.

Since a landmark court ruling to curb climate impacts from resources projects, NSW has approved coal and gas projects which would emit one billion tonnes of greenhouse gases. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Activist group Lock the Gate Alliance say NSW's project approval agency, the Independent Planning Commission, has been compromised by changes that were imposed by Planning Minister Rob Stokes after the Court rejected the Rocky Hill proposal.

Following that ruling, Mr Stokes issued a statement of expectations in May last year. It followed the commission imposing extra conditions on the Wambo coal mine, and rejecting a proposed coal mine in the Bylong Valley.
Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', former Nepal Prime Minister and chairman of a rival faction of the ruling Nepal Communist Party, will arrive in Mumbai on Monday for the treatment of his ailing wife Sita Dahal. According to ANI sources in the Indian mission, the Dahal couple would fly to Mumbai on Monday for treatment as the former First Lady has been combating Progressive Supranuclear Palsy for several years.

Former Nepal PM to arrive in Mumbai

"They will fly to Mumbai for treatment. All arrangements have been made on an urgent basis," the source confirmed without further details. Another leader from the rival faction of the ruling party as well as the Central Committee member of Dahal-Nepal faction further confirmed that Prachanda has informed the party members about his urgent visit to India.

"Chairman Dahal informed today's (Sunday) Central Committee meeting that he is flying to Mumbai, India along with his spouse Sita Dahal for the purpose of medical treatment," Beduram Bhusal, a Central Committee Member confirmed. Sita Dahal is undergoing treatment at Mediciti Hospital in Lalitpur District. She has also undergone treatment at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2019 along with other hospitals in India and Singapore.

Dahal, Nepal in bid to rope in other parties

Meanwhile, the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) faction led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal on Sunday held its Standing Committee meeting and decided to coordinate with all the political parties to explore the possibility of a joint protest against the dissolution of the House of Representatives.

READ | 'Prachanda' replaces Oli as NCP Parliamentary chief after Nepal's 'House dissolution'

READ | Nepal PM Oli 'tired of making deals with Prachanda'; Chinese ploy to restore unity fails

According to The Himalayan Times, Standing Committee member Lilamani Pokharel said the meeting discussed ways to make the partys protest against the dissolution of the HoR effective by mobilising all party units. He said Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was planning to prolong his stay at the helm by imposing emergency in the country and his party wanted to foil his move.

Pokharel said his party wanted to launch a joint protest with the NC and Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal, but the NC was confused as it wanted to prepare for election thinking they would be held on the stipulated dates.

Nepal plunged into a political crisis on December 20 after Oli, known for his pro-Beijing leanings, in a surprise move, recommended dissolving the 275-member House, amidst a tussle for power with Prachanda. Acting on the prime minister's recommendation, President Bidya Devi Bhandari dissolved the House the same day and announced fresh elections on April 30 and May 10, sparking protests from a large section of the NCP led by Prachanda, also a co-chair of the ruling party. Just days earlier, a top Chinese official who was dispatched by the Communist Party of China (CPC) to Nepal in an attempt to resolve the discord in the NCP returned to Beijing empty-handed.

READ | Nepal's feuding communist leaders welcome China's meddling as Xi's envoy goes on spree

READ | Amid Nepal crisis, intrigue over China envoy's activities; meets Prachanda after President

(With agency inputs)
She looked the picture of health as she returned to her presenting duties little over three months after she gave birth to her son Blake.

And Rochelle Humes wore a green wrap dress from Pretty Lavish with ankle boots by 4thandreckless as she joined Phillip Schofield, 58, on the show.

The 31-year-old mother-of-three showed no signs of sleepless nights but did admit to a wardrobe mishap on the show.

She's back! Rochelle Humes returned to This Morning presenting duties on Monday three months after giving birth to son Blake... as she admitted to having a wardrobe mishap

She said: 'Amber, who dresses me for This Morning, texted and me said, "Im not allowed up, take the stickers off your boots. I saw the text a bit late, do I still have stickers on my boots?"

'I do! My mum will be so disappointed, that is her biggest bug bear, stickers left on boots.'

Phillip said: 'Youll get them off eventually.'

Talking about Blake, Rochelle said: 'Hes 12 weeks now. Im just sort of sleeping. Hes doing well now. I dont really know where I am today.

'Its quite nice to get out! And not have children around me, its really nice! Should I just stay here a little while longer and pretend Im working?'

Her love: Rochelle gave birth to her third child, her first boy, Blake, 12 weeks ago

Oh no! Her stylist had messaged her to remind her to peel the stickers from her boots but she didn't see it in time

Back at my wall: Rochelle posed for a fashion shot outside the studio

His usual co-host, Holly Willoughby, 39, was not present as she has decided to take a couple more days off to spend with her family.

While on the show, they had a guest caller phone in to tell them they had got drunk and changed their name to Celine Dion, much to their amusement.

Rochelle and her husband Marvin recently took son Blake on his first family holiday as they shared a glimpse of their festive break to Dubai.

The name will go on... While on the show, they had a guest caller phone in to tell them they had got drunk and changed their name to Celine Dion, much to their amusement

The presenter shared a gallery of snaps from the first few days of their getaway after an eight hour journey with Blake and daughters Alaia, seven, and Valentina, three.

In the snaps Rochelle shared a glimpse of the lavish Jumeirah Zabeel Saray resort, where family sized rooms range from 750 to 1,200 per night, including the stunning swimming pool and sky-high ceilings.

Just days before the trip Rochelle confessed to fans she felt terrible after learning her eldest daughter Alaia needed glasses.

Travel: Rochelle recently took Blake on his first holiday to Dubai

She explained how her seven-year-old had been complaining about her eyes but she 'dismissed' it thinking the youngster was stalling before bedtime.

Taking to Instagram, Rochelle shared a sweet snap of her eldest child wearing her new round glasses.

Alongside the image, Rochelle penned: 'Honest Parent Post Alert!!! So...here goes...

'My Alaia has been complaining about her eyes and that she wants to sit at the front of the class with her friends so she can see better, she also says that her eyes are blurry every time it's time to go to bed.

'Being a Mum that normally knows when my kids are trying their luck I honestly have been dismissing it, I thought she was stalling going to bed and wanted to sit at the front of class so she could have a gossip with her best friends.

'Turns out I was wrong..she needs glasses...How do I feel? AWFUL! Being a parent isn't easy is it?'

Stand-in: Rochelle is filling in for Holly Willoughby, 39, who has decided to take a couple more days off to spend with her family
The Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways on Monday announced that it has kickstarted the process of commencing operations of the Seaplane services on select routes, including Delhi , Mumbai and Surat.

On the lines of the Sabarmati riverfront in Gujarat, the Yamuna riverfront in Delhi will also begin seaplane services soon.

The services will be under a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) framework through potential airline operators and will be executed and implemented through Sagarmala Development Company Ltd (SDCL), which is under the administrative control of the Ministry, the ministry said in a statement.

Here are 10 points on the proposed seaplane services:

1)The proposed Origin-Destination pairs under Hub and Spoke model include various islands of Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep, Guwahati Riverfront -& Umranso Reservoir in Assam, Yamuna Riverfront - Delhi (as Hub) to Ayodhaya, Tehri, Srinagar(Uttrakhand), Chandigarh and many other tourist places of Punjab & HP; Mumbai (as Hub) to Shirdi, Lonavala, Ganpatipule; Surat (as Hub) to Dwarka, Mandvi & Kandla; Khindsi Dam, Nagpur & Erai Dam, Chandrapur (in Maharashtra) and/or any other Hub & Spoke suggested by the Operator, the ministry said.

2) One such Seaplane Service is already in operation between Kevadia and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad, which was inaugurated by Honble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 31st October 2020.

3) To run more such services in the coastal areas or proximity to water bodies, SDCL is keen to associate with the interested scheduled / non-scheduled airline operators.

4) To provide proper connectivity and accessibility to remote locations, SDCL is exploring plans to leverage the potential of the vast coastline and numerous water bodies/rivers across India by commencing seaplane operations.

5) "Sea Plane will utilize the nearby water bodies for take-off and landing and thus connect those places in a much economical way as conventional airport infrastructure like a runway and terminal buildings are not required for seaplane operations," the ministry further stated.

6) Apart from providing air connectivity to various remote religious/tourist places, it will boost tourism for domestic and international holidaymakers, the ministry added. It will save travel time and stimulate localized short distance travelling especially in the hilly regions or across the rivers/lakes etc as well as boost tourism and business activities.

7) Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Mansukh Mandaviya stated, "The initiation of Seaplane operations align with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to improve connectivity across the nation and make India as an attractive destination for the tourists."

8)" It will generate employment opportunities and stimulate tourism on these new locations, which will consequently contribute to the countrys GDP in the long run," he added.

9) Earlier, the ministry sought information in detail from interested companies on the subject.

10) The seaplanes services will be a game-changer providing a supplementary means of faster and comfortable transportation across the nation," the Ministry said.

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A coronavirus outbreak at a convent near Albany has infected nearly half of its roughly 100 residents, leaving nine sisters dead in December, the convent and local officials said on Sunday.

The outbreak took place in the St. Josephs Provincial House in Latham, N.Y., the headquarters of the Albany Province of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Residents include sisters who are retired and who have long-term health care needs.

Forty-seven residents have been infected since October, according to Sister Joan Mary Hartigan, director of the Albany Province. She said that most have recovered but three are still being treated. She said 21 employees had previously tested positive for the virus and recovered, and five more have mild symptoms and are quarantining at their homes.

Those who died were between 84 and 98 years old.

We pray the increasing number of cases across our country is temporary, and we mourn the loss not only of our nine sisters who have succumbed to this awful disease, but also the loss of all life during this pandemic around the world, she said in a statement on Sunday. We look forward to the vaccine and the end of this worldwide health crisis.
President on Sunday said that the record-breaking numbers of new COVID-19 cases, nearly 300,000 in the past 24 hours, are exaggerated due to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) method of counting.

"The number of cases and deaths of the China Virus is far exaggerated in the United States because of @CDCgov ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)'s ridiculous method of determination compared to other countries, many of whom report, purposely, very inaccurately and low," Trump wrote in a tweet.

The outgoing president added, "'When in doubt, call it Covid.' Fake News!"

Trump in another tweet hit out at the mainstream media for not giving credit to him and his administration rather Dr Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert is being lauded for handling the pandemic.

"Something how Dr. Fauci is revered by the LameStream Media as such a great professional, having done, they say, such an incredible job, yet he works for me and the Trump Administration, and I am in no way given any credit for my work. Gee, could this just be more Fake News," the President wrote.

The US has the most COVID-19 cases in the world reporting over 20.5 million cases, according to Johns Hopkins University.

(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.)
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has won his fight to avoid extradition to the United States.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said at the Old Bailey in London on Monday that, due to the real risk of suicide, the 49-year-old should not be extradited by "reason of mental health".

Assange wiped his brow after the decision was announced while his fiancee, Stella Moris, with whom he has two young sons, wept, before she was embraced by WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson.

The US government has given notice it will appeal the decision and has two weeks to lodge grounds, while Assange has been remanded in custody ahead of a bail application.

He is wanted to face an 18-count indictment, alleging a plot to hack computers and a conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information.

The case followed WikiLeaks' publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents in 2010 and 2011 relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, as well as diplomatic cables.

Prosecutors say Assange helped US defence analyst Chelsea Manning breach the Espionage Act in unlawfully obtaining material, was complicit in hacking by others, and published classified information that put the lives of US informants in danger.

Assange denies plotting with Manning to crack an encrypted password on US Department of Defence computers and says there is no evidence that anyone's safety was put at risk.

His lawyers had said he faced up to 175 years in jail if convicted, although the US government said the sentence was more likely to be between four and six years.

Assange has been held in high security Belmarsh prison since he was carried out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London by police before being arrested for breaching his bail conditions in April 2019.

The defence legal team argued that the US prosecution is political and said Assange, who has been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and severe depression, is a high suicide risk if he is extradited.

Assange, who sat in the dock of Court 2 in a blue suit and wearing a green face mask below his nose, closed his eyes repeatedly as the judge read out her ruling, rejecting a string of defence arguments, including freedom of speech and that the prosecution was politically motivated.

She said: "If the allegations are proved then the agreement with Ms Manning and other groups of computer hackers took him outside any role of investigative journalism.

"He was acting to further the overall objective of WikiLeaks to obtain protected information by hacking, if necessary."

The judge said Assange's dealings with Ms Manning "went beyond the mere encouragement of a journalist" and that he was "well aware" of the danger to informants by disclosing unredacted names in leaked documents.

But turning to his mental health she said: "Notwithstanding the strong and constant support he received from his family and friends Mr Assange has remained either severely or moderately clinically depressed throughout his detention at HMP Belmarsh."

She said there was a real risk he would be submitted to Special Administrative Measures and detained at the ADX Florence Supermax jail if extradited.

"I'm satisfied that Mr Assange has the intellect and determination to circumvent suicide prevention measures," the judge said in her ruling.

"Faced with the conditions of near total isolation without the protective factors which limited his risk at HMP Belmarsh, I am satisfied the procedures described by the US will not prevent Mr

Assange from finding a way to commit suicide and for this reason I have decided extradition would be oppressive by reason of mental health and I order his discharge."

Online Editors
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.

Boston Dynamics robots dance to show off their agility

Boston Dynamics has released a new video of its entire range of robots, including Atlas, Spot, and Handle, dancing in unison to show off their versatility, and perhaps to celebrate Hyundais newfound interests in the MIT spinoff.

Massachusetts-based Boston Dynamics has thrown up an impressive and unnerving range of robots of varying shapes dancing to the tune of the Motown classic Do You Love Me.

The whole gang has hit the dance floor, including the humanoid Atlas first shaking its leg and then joined by Spot the quadruped mobile robot designed for sensing, inspection, and remote operation; Handle, the mobile manipulation robot for moving boxes in the warehouse; Pick, the vision processing solution that uses deep-learning to enable building and depalletising of mixed-SKU pallets, all dancing to the tune in an electrifying dance.

The worlds most dynamic humanoid robot, Atlas is a research platform designed to push the limits of whole-body mobility. Atlass advanced control system and state-of-the-art hardware give the robot the power and balance to demonstrate human-level agility.

Atlas has one of the worlds most compact mobile hydraulic systems. Custom motors, valves, and a compact hydraulic power unit enable Atlas to deliver high power to any of its 28 hydraulic joints for impressive feats of mobility.

Boston Dynamics dance video of the robots is meant to tell the world that the humanoids and the quadrupeds are as agile as living creatures and are capable of doing things that are now seen impossible.

Robots already operate in places where ordinary humans find it difficult to function. The bots are deployed to sniff out bombs, patrol oil rigs, monitor Covid-19 patients.

The moves are a bit janky at times, but the mobility and coordination of their routine is impressively fluid for lumps of metal and plastic.

Boston Dynamics said it got the gang together to celebrate the start of what is a happier year, it has not disclosed the power behind the robotic dance show.
Former Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt died without handing over a penny of the 1.6m (1.8m) damages that he and three others were ordered to pay the families of the victims of the Omagh bombing.

McKevitt, who headed the terror group formed in 1997 by dissident members of the Provisional IRA, died on Saturday of cancer.

The Dundalk father-of-six was found by the Belfast High Court to be centrally involved in planning the Omagh bombing, but he never paid any of the 1.6m judgment against him and the other three found liable for the atrocity.

McKevitt was never convicted criminally, but spent 13 years in prison after being found guilty by the Special Criminal Court of directing terrorism, a new statute enacted following the Omagh bombing.

Read More

Last night the father of one of the Omagh victims said McKevitt was able to pass away peacefully in his bed surrounded by his family, but those who perished in the August 1998 attack died in the street.

Michael Gallagher, who lost his 21-year-old Aiden, said: You have this man who passed away in the comfort of his own bed with his family around him, but our families died in the gutter in the main street of Omagh.

Twenty-nine people, along with unborn twins, died and more than 200 were injured in the bombing, which McKevitt always denied orchestrating.

The telephone message warning about the bomb delivered incorrect information, leading police to direct people towards the device rather than away from it.

But McKevitt was known as the founder and leader of the Real IRA, which was formed by those IRA members who were opposed to the peace process.

He was previously a Provisional IRA quartermaster and was central to moving arms and munitions from dumps for use by the breakaway group.

According to the official death notice, McKevitt died peacefully at home in the presence of his loving family.

He was married to Bernadette Sands McKevitt, the sister of Bobby Sands, and had six children, one deceased. He had two grandchildren.

A funeral mass will take place tomorrow morning at St Furseys Church in Haggardstown, Co Louth, following removal from the family home in Beech Park, Blackrock.

Ms Sands McKevitt founded the 32 Sovereignty Committee but retreated from the role as its public face following her husbands 2003 conviction for directing terrorism.

In 2009, McKevitt, Liam Campbell, Seamus Daly and Colm Murphy were found liable for the bombing and ordered to pay 1.6m damages to 12 relatives.

A fifth man, Seamus McKenna, was cleared of liability for the bombing.

McKevitt, Campbell and Murphy, all from Co Louth, were declared bankrupt by the High Court in Dublin last year on foot of an application by the families of the Omagh victims. They each had failed to pay 439,000.

While Mr Gallagher welcomed the successful pursuit of McKevitt civilly, he said: It is the 23rd year and not one person has been held criminally responsible for the murders.

Mr Gallagher added: None of the families have received any money as they have been able to dispose of their assets before the Cab (Criminal Assets Bureau) got hold of them.

It is always the victims that suffer and McKevitt escaped justice in this world. He will have to face his maker, as we all do.

But we wanted to hold these people accountable in this world, that is why we have a civilised society and laws.

"It is not an Old Testament eye for an eye because we are against murder.

On McKevitt's 2003 conviction, Mr Gallagher said: I think the authorities recognised he had to be taken out of the system because they knew he was a dangerous man.

But we are in a strange position because this year we are remembering the foundation of this State, yet the worst atrocity in its history  in the history of the island in recent years  and no-one has been held accountable.

That would not happen anywhere else, in Britain, in the US.

"There is something seriously wrong with that.

Mr Gallagher said he and the other families are still waiting to hear whether a public inquiry should be held into what the authorities North and South knew ahead of the bombing.

Kenny Donaldson, of Innocent Victims United, said his thoughts are with those who died in the Omagh bombing.

When a terrorist dies a wave of emotions are experienced by those who were impacted by their criminal actions, he said.

Do we take glee in his death? No we dont, because to do so would make us subhuman, like the manner which he chose to live his life.
A nurse shows a COVID-19 vaccine produced by Chinese company Sinovac Biotech at the Sao Lucas Hospital in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on Aug. 8, 2020. (Silvio Avila/AFP via Getty Images)

China Approves Homegrown COVID-19 Vaccine; Experts Skeptical of Effectiveness

The Chinese regime approved a COVID-19 vaccine developed by state-run firm Sinopharm on the last day of 2020. However, international experts are skeptical about its efficacy and safety, as little clinical data has been released so far.

A Chinese top expert also has expressed reservations about it.

On Dec. 31, 2020, Chinas State Council announced at a press conference that Sinopharms inactivated vaccine had been granted conditional approval by Chinas Drug Administration. The vaccine had an efficacy rate of 79.34 percent, according to state media reports.

By comparison, the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has an efficacy rate of 95 percent, and the Moderna vaccine 94.1 percent.

Lack of Supporting Data

Sinopharm didnt provide any breakdown of its clinical trial data, nor disclose the size of its testing sample.

In an interview with The Epoch Times, former U.S. Army Research Institute virology researcher Dr. Sean Lin said that without transparent data, its difficult to ascertain the Sinopharms vaccine efficacy rate.

Earlier in 2020, Sinopharm said its vaccine had entered clinical trials. Lin said its unlikely the company would have completed its phase III testingwhich is done on large groups of peopleso quickly.

This data needs to be collected after a large-scale experiment of tens of thousands of people  since officials did not publish the data, I have to put a few question marks, Lin said.

Sinopharm President Wu Yonglin revealed at the Dec. 31 press conference that phase III testing was conducted in foreign countries.

Lin expressed concerns over the vaccines efficacy on the Chinese population, given that the trial was conducted on people in foreign countries.

Because of differences in race and ethnicity, their immune systems may be somewhat different from Chinese people, he said.

In a Dec. 30 interview with the state-run media CCTV, Zhong Nanshan, a top respiratory expert who often advised the government on COVID-19 prevention measures, expressed his reservations about the efficacy of the Chinese vaccine.

It is wrong to put all hopes on the vaccine. After the vaccination, no one knows whether they will develop antibodies or not, or whether there are symptoms or not after being injected. As for whether [someone injected with the vaccine] can transmit the disease to others, no one knows either.

Mass Vaccination Before Approval

Even before the regime issued its official approval, Chinese authorities already had mandated that millions were to be injected with Chinese-made vaccines.

Zeng Yixin, deputy director of Chinas National Health Commission, told Chinese media on Dec. 31 that from June until the end of November, [COVID-19] vaccines had been administered to more than 1.5 million people, including approximately 60,000 Chinese workers who have been sent to work in high-risk areas abroad.

She claimed that there were no reports of serious infections.

According to media reports, hundreds of Chinese workers who went overseas to work in Serbia, Angola, and Uganda were confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 after being injected with Chinese-made vaccines.

Lin said that when theres no data during the initial stage of development, its irresponsible for authorities to inoculate millions of people with a vaccine.

Efficacy and Safety Concerns

Previously, The Epoch Times obtained through a Chinese source the results of an internal survey conducted at the Shanghai Yangpu District Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, where 93.4 percent of medical staff there said they wouldnt want to be injected with a COVID-19 vaccine.

Some researchers have also pointed to the fact that the CCP virus could mutate over time. Xu Nanping, deputy minister of Chinas Ministry of Science and Technology, responded to a reporters question at the Dec. 31 press conference about the efficacy of vaccines in protecting against mutated virus strains.

Virus mutation is normal and happens every day.  There is no evidence that the mutations we observe will have a substantial impact on the effectiveness of the vaccine.

But Lin says the jury is still out.

Whether this vaccine has any effect on this mutated virus should be determined by corresponding experiments immediately, instead of relying on empty words to say that there is no problem, he said.

China also has a history of health scandals related to botched vaccines.

In 2018, Chinese pharmaceutical company Changsheng Bio-technology was found to have shipped more than 250,000 doses of a faulty DTaP vaccine (a combination vaccine for diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus), affecting more than 200,000 children.

And in 2019, a Chinese hospital was found to have vaccinated people against the human papillomavirus (HPV) without obtaining a proper license.

Luo Yan contributed to the report.
Erstwhile Love Island star Ellie Brown is still in Dubai, with a slew of fellow ex-reality stars.

And sure to drive the point home that she's not locked away like the rest of the UK, she slipped into a couple of daring ensembles over the weekend.

The first, she modeled on a boat.

Making waves: Erstwhile Love Island star Ellie Brown was sure to drive the point home that she's not locked away like the rest of the UK, as she posed on a boat in Dubai on Sunday

Posing on the deck, she wore a very busty black swimsuit, barely containing her chest, a lilac wrap added around her waist.

Ellie wore her blonde locks loosely around her features and added a slick of mascara to her lashes and a dash of pink to her pout.

She completed the look with large gold hoop earrings.

She was seen in another snap, crawling around in a lacy white camisole and a tie-dye miniskirt, her locks swept back from her features this time.

Adding a diamond necklace to the look, she showed off her tanned limbs in the snap as she gazed sultrily down the camera lens.

While its all boats and crawling for Ellie, reality stars have been slammed for jetting off to the tropics while the rest of their native UK wallows in tired misery back home.

Perilous: She was seen in another snap, crawling around in a lacy white camisole and a tie-dye miniskirt, her locks swept back from her features this time

Another one-time star Kady McDermott was forced to hit back at trolls on Friday after she was criticised for her 'business trip' to the Maldives.

The former Love Island contestant took to Instagram to share a sunset photo of herself in a bikini, gazing out at the infinity pool and soaking up the evening heat.

'My favourite time of the day!' she captioned it, tagging @hardrockhotelmaldives and @trendingtravel.co.uk into the post.

Hitting back: Kady McDermott was forced to hit back at trolls on Friday after she was criticised for her 'business trip' to the Maldives

But one follower - who allegedly has been contacting her via direct message as well - was quick to slam Kady, 25, for being abroad while the majority of the UK are forbidden to travel and stuck in Tier 3 and 4 lockdowns.

'Breaking the rules again - don't see this as a business trip!' he remarked.

Unable to let it slide, Kady bit back: 'Oh so because you dont see it as a business trip it means it isnt? Oh ok lol.

'But if you mush know as you keep sending me DMS too I am here with @trendingtravel.co.uk and had a valid letter for travel from the CEO. Not everyones work is based in an office, David!' [sic]

Business or pleasure? The former Love Island contestant took to Instagram to share a sunset photo of herself in a bikini, gazing out at the infinity pool and soaking up the evening heat

Work or play? One follower - who allegedly has been contacting her via direct message as well - was quick to slam Kady, 25, for being abroad while the majority of the UK are forbidden to travel and stuck in Tier 3 and 4 lockdowns [above is her reply]

She went on: 'I understand some people may not see this as work but advertising fashion brands, companies, hotels etc is how I pay my bills.

'I dont question anyone on how they pay theirs so dont question mine. Happy new year!' [sic]

Others agreed with the original critic's comment, with one remarking 'God how easy is that flying somewhere nice and getting pictured' and another posting 'Got her fella with her so cant be that much of a business trip'.

Kady is away with her boyfriend, former TOWIE star Myles Barnett, 26, after they rekindled their romance following an on-off relationship.

She went on: 'I understand some people may not see this as work but advertising fashion brands, companies, hotels etc is how I pay my bills. I dont question anyone on how they pay theirs so dont question mine. Happy new year!'

Kady was also forced to hit back at another follower on Friday, who bizarrely posted: 'Congratulations on the pregnancy!'

Kady was also forced to hit back at another follower on Friday, who bizarrely posted: 'Congratulations on the pregnancy!'

To which Kady snapped back: 'Only thing in my belly right now is a pina colada and pad Thai!'

The snap saw Kady in a skimpy two piece, her long raven tresses falling loosely over one shoulder and covering her face and her torso.

It comes after a flurry of reality stars have been slammed over the past few weeks for jetting off to the lives of the Maldives, St Barts and Dubai.

Plus one: Kady is away with her boyfriend, former TOWIE star Myles Barnett, 26, after they rekindled their romance following an on-off relationship

Hard at it girls? Despite the coronavirus crisis worsening, stars of TOWIE, Love Island and Geordie Shore appear to be soaking up the sun around the globe in their droves. Pictured Malin Andersson, Chloe Ferry, L-R

While some jetted out prior to the UK's travel ban, when Prime Minister Boris Johnson enforced another lockdown on the nation, others have jetted off since then, under the 'for work purposes' loophole.

Despite the coronavirus crisis worsening, stars of TOWIE, Love Island and Geordie Shore appear to be soaking up the sun around the globe in their droves.

Most have flocked to Dubai, as the United Arab Emirates has played host to a number of stars over the past year, despite the consistent rules throughout advising against international travel, save for work or education.

Hot spot: Dubai has been the primary hot spot for reality star 'business trips', rule-bending and hard-partying throughout the pandemic, and stars continue to flock to the United Arab Emirates despite soaring infection rates

Amid yacht trips and wild nights out, a host of stars, including TOWIE's Amber Turner, Dan Edgar, Yazmin Oukhellou and James Lock, have all maintained their trips have been for business purposes with many confirming their work plans on social media or to publications through their representatives.

On December 20, London and surrounding areas were plunged into Tier 4, which saw travel abroad for leisure 'not permitted', with exceptions only allowed for reasons such as work, education and childcare, however Vogue Williams and her husband Spencer Matthews were spotted on a family holiday to St. Barts on Monday.

Government guidelines for international travel currently state: 'Following identification of a new variant of the virus, international travel from your area may be increasingly restricted because of domestic regulations...

Living it up: Amid yacht trips and wild nights out, a host of stars have maintained their trips have been for business purposes with many confirming their work plans on social media or to publications through their representatives [Love Island's Kaz Crossley and Ellie Brown, pictured]

Idyllic: The stars have also sauntered to the Caribbean while Brits languish at home

'Different rules apply in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. For example, those in tier 4 areas in England will not be permitted to travel abroad apart from limited exceptions, such as work purposes. Follow all the rules that apply to you.'

The general travel advice on the Gov.uk site reads: 'We continue to advise against all non-essential international travel to some countries and territories. You should check the country page for your destination....

'We are monitoring the international situation very closely and keeping this advice under constant review so that it reflects our latest assessment of risks to British people. We take a range of factors into account.

'For coronavirus, this includes the incidence rate and the resilience of healthcare provision in each country.'
Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, right, inspects EUV line of the company's Pyeongtaek foundry facility, Monday. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics



By Baek Byung-yeul



Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK, LG, Hanwha and other conglomerates here put their emphasis on corporate responsibility in their New Year addresses at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic still looms large, industry analysts said Monday.



The chiefs of the conglomerates also stressed they will work on turning the virus crisis into an opportunity by actively seeking new business chances this year.



Due to the pandemic, major conglomerates here skipped their usual offline New Year events.



Before the virus hit, the conglomerates used to hold annual "kick-off" meetings for the year with the leaders voicing their groups' vision, but these have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 situation.



Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong started his New Year by visiting the chip giant's Pyeongtaek Line 2 facility Monday to commemorate bringing in new foundry equipment.



The Line 2 facility is the world's largest semiconductor production line, manufacturing DRAM and NAND flash memory chips and foundry projects.



The Samsung Group leader inspected the operation of the facility and discussed cooperation with both domestic and international semiconductor equipment makers.



"Let's leap to a new Samsung in the New Year. Together, we can make our future wide open," Lee said during his visit. "By cooperating with partner firms, academia and research institutions, let's create a healthy ecosystem and create a new story," he added.



Lee's visit to the Pyeongtaek facility shows Samsung is seeking to strengthen its foundry business, or contract-based chip manufacturing. The global top memory chip maker is the runner-up in the foundry business behind Taiwan's TSMC which has more than half the global market share.





SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won already delivered his New Year message via email Jan. 1. In the message, he emphasized this is the time for people to have a new spirit of entrepreneurship that prioritizes working together to solve social issues.



Chey also suggested that employees expand the group's charitable program Happy Lunch Box nationwide. At a time when the country's food distribution agencies are struggling due to the virus pandemic, he proposed that the group needs to find a way to expand the program to more vulnerable groups in society.



"There will be no additional event given the virus pandemic is still rampaging," an SK Group official said. He added the group decided to donate the cost they would need to hold the annual event to support the socially vulnerable.





Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun has set this year as a turning point to change the automotive group into a future "mobility solutions" provider.



In an email sent to employees worldwide, Chung stressed that they were entrusted with a mission, to offer safe mobility to the world.



The chairman also said the group will concentrate on securing a bigger share in the eco-friendly vehicle market and future mobility technologies.



This year, the automotive group is scheduled to release new electric vehicles (EVs) based on its Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) in an effort to catch up with market leaders such as Tesla. The group said cars produced on the platform will be capable of a maximum driving range of over 500 kilometers on a fully charged battery.





LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo delivers his New Year's address online, Monday. / Courtesy of LG Corp.
Representative image

Corporate India is getting its plans in order to vaccinate employees after the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on January 3 granted the approval to Oxford COVID-19 jab Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), and indigenously developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech for restricted emergency use in the country.

Several companies including Biocon, Tata Steel, Whirlpool and Arvind Advanced Materials are planning for vaccination against the contagion, including sponsoring COVID-19 vaccines for employees, preparing lists prioritising those with comorbidities and paying for flu shots, The Economic Times has reported.

Biocon will provide free COVID-19 vaccination to its employees when it is made available after administering to priority population in the country, its chairperson Kiran Mazumdar Shaw told the publication. The Biocon group has more than 10,000 employees, it said.

Follow our LIVE blog for the latest updates of the novel coronavirus pandemic

According to the report, Whirlpool is already conducting a flu vaccination drive for its employees to have better immunity. The vaccination drive, which is voluntary, will give experience for the COVID vaccine, said the report citing Sarthak Raychaudhuri, Whirlpool Corps vice president, HR, Asia.

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

Various companies were waiting for the shot to get rolled out for the larger populace before taking a final call on its vaccine roadmap, said the report.

Also read | India's COVID-19 vaccine: Who'll get it, when and how - All you need to know

At Tata Steel, the company will bear all medical expenses for its employees and their families, including the test for detecting novel coronavirus infection and childrens vaccine. This free of cost facility will be extended to COVID-19 vaccines when they are made available, the report said.

Indias drug regulator has granted the approval to the two vaccines on the basis of recommendations by a COVID-19 Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).

Follow our full coverage on COVID-19 here
In its most recent exercise of liberal democracy, the state senate of Massachusetts voted 32-8 to override Gov. Charlie Bakers veto of what is called the Roe Act.

One day earlier, Monday, the state house had voted to override.

The Roe Act is now law in the Bay State. And what does it say?

Drafted and adopted to protect a womans right to an abortion, should Roe vs. Wade be overturned by the Supreme Court, it guarantees 16-year-old girls the right to abort their unborn children, without their parents consent, through the first 24 weeks of pregnancy.

At 24 weeks, an unborn baby has a 60% to 70% chance of survival.

But the Roe Act covers this problem as well. If the mental health of the teenager is imperiled, she can still get an abortion.

Valerie Richardson of The Washington Times quotes the reaction of the states Catholic Action League. This measure will reduce the age of parental or judicial consent for minors seeking abortions, remove born alive protections for infants who survived abortion, lower the medical criteria for late term abortions, and make abortions more dangerous for women by allowing (midwives) and nurse practitioners to perform them.

The ACLU, NARAL and Planned Parenthood hailed this as a victory for womens rights.

Speaking for the Catholic Action League, executive director C. J. Doyle blamed Catholic religious officials and Catholic organizations for their failure to rebuke lawmakers who routinely vote for abortion rights.

None of the Catholics who voted for this life-ending measure will suffer a word of rebuke from any priest or prelate in Massachusetts. ... There will be no articles or editorials critical of them in the Catholic press. No one will be denied Holy Communion. No one will be expelled from the Knights of Columbus.

This silence, said Doyle, equals consent. And given this silence, no rational person can reasonably be expected to take seriously Catholic opposition to the killing of the unborn in Massachusetts.

Former New England Patriots star Benjamin Watson, a pro-lifer, described the absurdity of what the legislature did. A teenage girl still needs her parents permission to get a Tylenol from the school nurse, but she doesnt need permission to have an abortion and kill their grandchild.

What the Bay State did, again in an exercise of democracy, raises questions that go beyond normal arguments among Americans on this most divisive of social issues since slavery.

In the 1950s, abortion was regarded as shameful, even criminal, mandating excommunication from the Catholic Church. Abortionists were social outcasts, often prosecuted and punished.

Now, within the span of a lifetime, abortion has been raised, in what was once Gods Country, into a constitutional and a human right.

To be accepted as a progressive today, it is almost an imperative to support a womans right to terminate the life of her unborn child.

Even devout Catholic Joe Biden has come around.

He now favors repeal of the Hyde Amendment he had supported in the past, which bars the use of federal funds to pay for abortion except to save the life of the woman or if the pregnancy arises from rape or incest.

Something comparable has happened with homosexuality and same-sex marriage. Also once regarded as shameful, this, too, is now a civil and constitutional right and the LGBT flag flies atop U.S. embassies during Gay Pride Month.

As abortion and homosexuality have become new constitutional rights, the old rights of the First Amendment have taken on new meaning.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof has been interpreted to mean that God, the Bible, the Cross, prayer and Christian symbols all have no place in the schools that educate Americas children.

Freedom of speech now protects blasphemy and the burning of the American flag.

Freedom of the press now protects dissemination of what used to be criminalized as pornography.

In brief, using democratic methods and means, and normal legal and judicial procedures, what was once immoral and even criminal has come to be officially declared both constitutional and morally correct.

Scores of millions in the silent majority may yet embrace the old beliefs about right and wrong and good and evil, and what is pro-American and what is not, but the nation has changed.

And it raises an even broader question.

Can moral truth be altered? Can the killing of unborn children, unjust and immoral in Christian teaching and Natural Law, be made right, and moral, if a legislature uses democratic processes to declare it so?

If right and wrong can be changed by plebiscites and political votes what do we do with those who refuse to go along?

Before we go to war again to defend American values, ought we not be told exactly for what values our soldiers are fighting?

For if democracy inevitably produces the consequences we see in America today, what is the argument for killing people to persuade them to embrace it?

Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of Nixons White House Wars: The Battles That Made and Broke a President and Divided America Forever. To find out more about Patrick Buchanan and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators website at www.creators.com.
New Delhi, Jan 4 : Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech said on Monday that its vaccine is efficient against the mutant strain of novel coronavirus found in the UK while announcing that its data would be made public within a week.

CMD Dr Krishna Ella, addressing a virtual press conference, said: "We have taken 3-4 strains and studied it. It will come in publication on Medrevix on January 10. In a week's time, our confirmative data would come." Covaxin, India's indigenous COVID-19 vaccine by Bharat Biotech, is developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) - National Institute of Virology (NIV). The inactivated vaccine is developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech's BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) bio-containment facility.

India's drug regulator has allowed restricted use of Covaxin in an emergency situation.

While the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII), has 70.42 per cent efficacy, the indigenous vaccine from Bharat Biotech does not have efficacy details because the trials are underway.

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) had said that the data available to date showed that Bharat Biotech's Covaxin is "safe" for administration.

During the press conference, Ella hailed the decision of the Indian drug regulator to approve Covaxin for emergency restricted use and termed it as a giant leap for innovation and novel product development in India.

Meanwhile, he lashed out at cynics who raised concerns over the transparency of approval procedures taken to authorise Covaxin, saying that the firm's Covid vaccine candidate is "no way" inferior to Pfizer in terms of transparency.

"People are talking about backlash on Indian companies. That is not done for us. We are the only Indian firm to have published five articles on the Covid-19 vaccine process," Ella claimed.

He also clarified in the conference that he and his family has no involvement with any political party. "Since the politicization over our vaccine has started, I want to clarify that neither I, nor my other family members are involved and working with any political party," Ella stated.
Saudi Arabia will reopen its airspace and land and sea border to Qatar as of Monday, Kuwait's foreign minister said in televised comments, citing a deal towards resolving a political dispute that led Riyadh and its allies to impose a boycott on Qatar.

Kuwait and the United States have been trying to end the row in which Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and non-Gulf Egypt severed diplomatic, trade and travel ties with Qatar in mid-2017, shattering regional unity which Washington says hinders efforts to contain Iran.

"An agreement has been reached to open airspace and land and sea borders between Saudi Arabia and Qatar as of this evening," Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Ahmad Nasser al-Sabah said on Kuwait TV ahead of a Gulf Arab summit in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Saudi state agency SPA quoted Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as saying the annual gathering of Gulf leaders would unite Gulf ranks "in the face of challenges facing the region".

Kuwait's foreign minister said a declaration would be signed at the summit, which was postponed from its usual December date as Riyadh pushed for an agreement towards ending the rift.

The four boycotting countries had accused Qatar of supporting terrorism. Doha denies the charges and says the embargo aims to curtail its sovereignty.

Doha had been set 13 demands, ranging from closing Al Jazeera television and shuttering a Turkish base to cutting links to the Muslim Brotherhood and downgrading ties with Iran.

Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, joined by Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz and Brian Hook, a special State Department adviser, were flying to the Saudi Arabia to attend the signing ceremony, a senior Trump administration official said.

On the other hand, Qatar's ruling Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani will attend a Gulf Arab summit in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the royal court said on Monday.

Meanwhile, a senior United Arab Emirates (UAE) official said on Monday that a Gulf Arab summit in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday would restore Gulf unity.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said in a Twitter post that "more work lies ahead and we are moving in the right direction".

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Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan gave a justification on the emergency approval of an indigenously developed coronavirus vaccine 'Covaxin' by Bharat Biotech after several opposition party leaders questioned its efficacy.

Harsh Vardhan wrote numerous tweets in support of Covaxin. According to Harsh Vardhan, "Vaccines approved globally based on gene encoding spike proteins have protective efficacy of over 90 per cent. However, COVAXIN based on the whole inactivated virus has other antigenic epitopes in addition to spike protein. So, it's likely to have similar protective efficacy reported for others."





Vaccines approved globally based on gene encoding spike proteins have protective efficacy of over 90%

However, COVAXIN based on whole inactivated virus has other antigenic epitopes in addition to spike protein

So,its likely to have similar protective efficacy reported for others pic.twitter.com/AOIONrxZcd  Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) January 3, 2021

He also added that Covaxin has better chances to act against new variant of COVID-19 called N501Y due to "antigenic drift as it contains immunogens (epitopes) from other genes in addition to those from spike protein Inactivated virus from NIV also had D614G mutation".

COVAXIN is more likely to work against newer variants like N501Y Variant (UK variant) & any other that may arise due to antigenic drift as it contains immunogens (epitopes) from other genes in addition to those from Spike protein

Inactivated virus from NIV also had D614G mutation pic.twitter.com/337EsOQMhG  Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) January 3, 2021

Additionally, the data from Covaxin's phase-1 and 2 trials had revealed that it not only produced neutralising antibodies in all participants but also sensitises CD4 T lymphocytes that impart durable immune response, Dr Harsh Vardha said.

The data from COVAXIN Phase I & II clinical trials reveals that it not only produces neutralizing antibodies in all participants but also sensitises CD4 T lymphocytes that imparts durable immune response@BharatBiotech@PMOIndia@ICMRDELHI@icmr_niv@MoHFW_INDIA@DBTIndiapic.twitter.com/SzS6lsOBBG  Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) January 3, 2021

The health minister also slammed senior Congress party leaders Shashi Tharoor and Jairam Ramesh, and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav for politicising the "critical issue".

The minister warned the oppositions not to discredit well laid out science-backed protocols followed for approving coronavirus vaccine.

Disgraceful for anyone to politicise such a critical issue.



Sh @ShashiTharoor, Sh @yadavakhilesh & Sh @Jairam_Ramesh don't try to discredit well laid out science-backed protocols followed for approving #COVID19vaccines



Wake up & realise you are only discrediting yourselves !  Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) January 3, 2021

He also wrote, "India celebrates the win but Opposition fails to applaud our prowess," in one of his tweets.

Whole world is cheering India for granting emergency approval to @SerumInstIndia , @BharatBiotech vaccines ensuring safety, efficacy & immunogenicity showcasing our scientific capability & innovation ecosystem. India celebrates the win but Opposition fails to applaud our prowess.  Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) January 3, 2021

Also read: 'Congratulations India!' say netizens as Serum, Bharat Biotech COVID-19 vaccines get emergency use approval

Also read: India's nod to indigenous vaccine condemned over lack of data released on efficacy

Also read: India approves Serum-Oxford, Bharat Biotech COVID vaccines for emergency use
Nicola Sturgeon is set to impose a new national coronavirus lockdown on Scotland from midnight this evening, according to reports.

The SNP leader is widely expected to announce the roll-out of a legally enforceable stay-at-home rule when she addresses the recalled Scottish Parliament later this afternoon.

Exercise and essential journeys are expected to be the only reasons why people will be allowed to leave their homes.

Meanwhile, schools are likely to remain shut for all of January as the Scottish First Minister tries to slow the spread of the disease.

The measures will effectively mean a return to the restrictions seen during the first UK-wide lockdown which was imposed at the end of March last year.

All of mainland Scotland is already placed in the highest tier of Covid-19 rules but Ms Sturgeon is further strengthening the measures amid a 'rapid increase' in infections.

Yesterday Scotland announced 2,464 new cases of the disease, with the latest figures for hospital admissions and deaths not due until Tuesday.

Ms Sturgeon's announcement will be closely watched by Downing Street and is likely to prompt speculation that England could soon be forced to follow a similar path.

All of mainland Scotland is already under the toughest tier of restrictions, but First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the nation must take 'all steps' to slow Covid-19

The Scottish Parliament has been recalled from its Christmas break to debate Ms Sturgeon's latest Covid-19 restrictions.

It is just the fifth time ever that Holyrood has been recalled and the second time within the last four weeks after it sat on December 31 to consider Boris Johnson's Brexit trade deal with the EU.

Ms Sturgeon set the stage yesterday for rolling out tougher coronavirus curbs as she tweeted: 'The rapid increase in Covid cases, driven by the new variant, is of very serious concern.

'The steep increases and severe NHS pressure being experienced in other parts of the UK is a sign of what may lie ahead. So we must take all steps to slow spread while vaccination progresses.

'We, like other countries, are in a race between this faster spreading strain of Covid and the vaccination programme.

'As we work to vaccinate as quickly as possible, we must also do more to slow down the virus  to save lives and help the NHS care for all those who need it.

'Following a meeting of the Scottish government resilience committee yesterday to assess latest situation, the Cabinet will meet tomorrow am to consider further action to limit spread and I've asked for Scottish Parliament to be recalled tomorrow afternoon so that I can set out our decisions in a statement.

'All decisions just now are tough, with tough impacts. Vaccines give us way out, but this new strain makes the period between now and then the most dangerous since start of pandemic.

'So the responsibility of government must be to act quickly and decisively in the national interest.'

The planned reopening of schools in Scotland on January 18 is expected to be pushed back under Ms Sturgeon's latest measures.

The Christmas break has already been extended to January 11 in Scotland, with teaching due to resume online until January 15.

Ms Sturgeon previously said that the 'planning assumption' was for schools to resume face-to-face learning on January 18.

All of mainland Scotland is now in Protection Level 4 - the highest tier in the Scottish government's current coronavirus rules system.

Level 4 restrictions ban separate households from mixing inside homes while a maximum of six people from two separate households are allowed to meet outdoors.

All pubs and restaurants have to close apart from for takeaways and all non-essential shops must shut.

People in level 4 areas have also been told not to travel outside the boundaries of their local authority unless it is essential.

The expected toughening of rules in Scotland came as the UK Government begins its roll-out of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine today.

Holyrood has been recalled for just the fifth time in its history today as Scottish MSPs discuss additional Covid-19 measures

In the biggest UK mass vaccination drive ever, half a million doses of the jab will be made available for vulnerable people this week with 'tens of millions' promised by April.

AstraZeneca has previously suggested up to two million doses a week could be ready by mid-January.

But Andrew Hayward, professor of infectious diseases epidemiology at University College London and a member of the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, said it could take longer to hit that number.

He told Good Morning Britain today: 'Due to capacity issues it may be we don't get to those levels until February for example. The earlier we can vaccinate people the better and the sooner will be able to control this.'

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'This is a pivotal moment in our fight against this awful virus and I hope it provides renewed hope to everybody that the end of this pandemic is in sight.'
Larry King continues to be hospitalized amid his battle with COVID-19, but hes out of ICU and breathing on his own.

Larry continues to improve, the King family said in a statement obtained by Yahoo Entertainment on Tuesday. He and his sons thank everyone for the outpouring of support and can't wait to get him home.

Larry King, pictured in November 2019, remains hospitalized with COVID-19, but he's out of the ICU, a source close to the family told NBC News. (Photo: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

The statement went on to say, They also thank the medical workers and staff at Cedars-Sinai and hospitals elsewhere who are providing care to so many people under extraordinary circumstances.

On Monday, David Theall, a spokesperson for Kings production company Ora Media, told the Associated Press that the 87-year-old broadcasting legend was moved from intensive care on Sunday and is breathing on his own.

King was even able to have a video phone call with his three sons  Larry Jr., Cannon and Chance.

Kings been in the Los Angeles hospital for about 11 days, according to NBC News. Theall said the journalist was moved to ICU on New Years Eve. While he was receiving oxygen, hes now breathing on his own.

NBC News also reported that that King believes he contracted the virus from a health care worker who visited his home. One of Kings sons also contracted the virus.

King, who retired from CNN in 2010 after hosting Larry King Live for 25 years and has been hosting Ora TVs Larry King Now since 2012, has had aseries of health problems throughout his life. He had a major heart attack in 1987, resulting in quintuple-bypass surgery. Hes since battled heart disease, lung cancer, prostate cancer and also has diabetes.

In 2019, King was in a coma for weeks after suffering a stroke and then had a heart procedure right after.

The year was rough in other ways with King divorcing his wife of nearly 22 years, Shawn Southwick King, with whom he shares two children. (She was the seventh Mrs. Larry King.)

King with his two youngest children, Chance and Cannon:

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In 2020, King endured further emotional distress after two of his older children died within weeks of each other. His 65-year-old son Andy King had a heart attack, and then his daughter Chaia King, 51, died from lung cancer.

This story was originally published on Jan. 4, 2021, at 10:11 a.m. and has been updated to include new information.

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Bharat Biotech Chairman Krishna Ella on January 4 said that it is unfair to accuse the company of inexperience as it is a global entity with experience in manufacturing vaccines in emergency situations when efficacy data is not available. The company's COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin's efficacy data will be released by March 2021, he stated.

Responding to criticism over conditional approval granted to Covaxin, Ella said Bharat Biotech doesnt deserve this backlash. "We have experience in bringing vaccines in emergency situations when efficacy data is not available," Ella said, adding, "It is not correct to say that we are not transparent with data. We have manufactured more than 16 vaccines and we don't deserve this backlash."

DCGI grants Bharat Biotech permission to conduct vaccine trials on children above 12: Report

He said the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI)'s 2019 guidelines says if a vaccine platform is established and approved, it can be cleared for trial. He mentioned multiple examples where emergency authorisation was given based only on the immunogenicity data.

On the issue of trials, he said: "Covaxin Phase-3 trials are on-going, it's a 2-dose schedule and 24,000 people vaccinated so far... We have 20 million doses, will have 500 million dose capacity by end of 2021."

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

The Bharat Biotech chief said in his defence that all the company's vaccine samples have been validated by NIV Pune, and the process is fully transparent. "Have published five articles on the vaccine. We are in no way inferior to Pfizer when it comes to publications, as it has zero publications. Safety data for Covaxin shows less than 10 percent side effects in trials."

Ella added that volunteers came forward without any financial incentives.

The DCGI on January 3 approved Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine 'Covaxin' for conducting trials on children above the age of 12 years. Ella even mentioned that no interim analysis of efficacy in Phase-3 has been done so far, while DCGI used animal challenge study data for approval of the vaccine.

Currently, the Hyderabad-based firm is conducting Phase-3 trials and yet to complete late-stage human clinical trials in India.
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Legendary talk show host and former CNN interviewer Larry King has Covid-19, according to a source close to the family.

King, 87, has been hospitalized at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for more than a week, the source said. Due to protocols at the hospital, King's three sons have been unable to visit him, according to the source.

King, who has Type 2 diabetes, has confronted a series of medical issues over the years, including several heart attacks and quintuple bypass surgery in 1987. In 2017, King revealed he had been diagnosed with lung cancer and successfully underwent surgery to treat it. He also underwent a procedure in 2019 to address angina.

His own medical issues inspired him to start the Larry King Cardiac Foundation, a non-profit aimed at helping those without health insurance afford medical care.

King hosted CNN's "Larry King Live" for 25 years, interviewing presidential candidates, celebrities, athletes, movie stars and everyday people. He retired in 2010 after taping more than 6,000 episodes of the show.

But he couldn't stay off the airwaves for long.

In 2012, he became the host of "Larry King Now," a thrice-weekly show on Ora TV, an on-demand digital network he co-founded with Mexican telecommunications mogul Carlos Slim, according to Forbes.

Last year, two of King's adult children died within weeks of each other. His son, 65-year-old Andy King, passed away of a heart attack in late July, followed by King's 52-year-old daughter Chaia King, who died in August shortly after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

King's Twitter feed, @kingsthings, has 2.4 million followers. His most recent tweet was on November 26, when he wished his followers a happy Thanksgiving.
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hooper, Lundy & Bookman announced today that eight attorneys have been offered equity partnership and/or promoted to partner, effective January 1, 2021. This reflects the firm's commitment to retaining and promoting the best talent in the health care industry. Consistent with the firm's dedication to advancing diversity and inclusion, six of the eight individuals are women.

"We congratulate these individuals, who exemplify the best of Hooper, Lundy & Bookman's strengths, and reflect the excellence and breadth of our health care provider practice," said Managing Shareholder Mark Reagan . "They provide legal services of the highest quality and their elevation reflects our continuing commitment to growing our next generation of leaders as well as increasing diversity at the senior levels of the firm."

The following individuals were offered equity partnership:

Nina Marsden (Los Angeles Office)  Nina is the chair of the firm's COVID-19 Task Force and practices in the firm's Regulatory Department, advising a variety of providers, including hospitals, pharmacies, physician groups, and laboratories on a range of complex regulatory matters, from licensure and certification and regulatory compliance to operational issues and ownership changes. In her national practice, she manages the regulatory processes associated with multi-state sales, mergers, and acquisitions of health care providers, carefully analyzing and addressing state and federal regulatory requirements while thoughtfully considering clients' real-time operational issues. In her California practice, she has extensive expertise in navigating the state's complex regulatory landscape and has longstanding experience in dealing with state regulatory agencies such as the California Department of Public Health and the California State Board of Pharmacy. Nina also advises clients on complex Medicare reimbursement issues and regularly handles appeals before the Provider Reimbursement Review Board.

David Schumacher (Boston Office)  David is co-chair of the firm's Fraud & Abuse Practice Group. He focuses his practice on white collar criminal defense and internal investigations in the health care space. A trial lawyer, David defends hospital systems, pharmaceutical companies, medical practices, pharmacies, laboratories and individuals in a wide range of health care enforcement actions. David was previously an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Massachusetts, where he served as deputy chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit. During his eight-year tenure as a federal prosecutor, he investigated some of the largest and most complicated health care fraud cases in the country, including cases involving pharmaceutical and medical device companies, home health care organizations, medical equipment companies, laboratories, physicians, and other health care providers, in cases involving violations of the federal health care fraud statute, False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback Law, HIPAA criminal violations, and the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

Ruby Wood (San Francisco Office)  Ruby is co-chair of the firm's Medical Staff Practice Group. She represents multi-institutional health systems, hospitals and/or their medical staffs, and medical groups in a variety of matters. These include internal operations and self-governance; bylaws, rules and regulations and policies; The Joint Commission and other regulatory compliance; credentialing and peer review matters; internal investigations and hearings; HIPAA issues; exclusive contracting and closed departments; and the application of the protections afforded to medical staffs under state and federal law (with an emphasis on California Evidence Code section 1157 protection). Her practice also includes matters related to representation in connection with healthcare litigation encompassing medical staff issues, including writ proceedings, subpoena responses, retaliation claims and related allegations. Ruby also advises clients on compliance and fair procedure considerations in connection with medical staff practices and procedures, including investigations and risk assessment. She has served as lead counsel in numerous medical staff hearings and litigation matters.

The following individuals were promoted to partner:

Kelly Carroll (Washington, D.C. Office)  Kelly is a member of the firm's Regulatory Department and Fraud & Abuse Practice Group. She assists health care providers, including hospitals, physicians, and long-term care providers, with a broad range of regulatory compliance, reimbursement, and fraud and abuse matters. Her practice focuses on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, and she regularly represents clients in reimbursement disputes before the Provider Reimbursement Review Board and in federal and state courts. In addition, she advises health care providers and state agencies on matters involving federal funding of state health care programs and disputes with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Kelly also provides guidance on legal and ethical issues relating to informed consent and clinical research.

Bridget Gordon (Los Angeles Office)  Bridget is a member of the Litigation Department, Managed Care Practice Group, and the Fraud & Abuse Practice Group. Her practice comprises a wide range of matters on behalf of hospitals, physicians, long-term care facilities, and other health care providers, with a focus on managed care litigation matters, as well as False Claims Act litigation. She has represented a variety of healthcare providers in both contracted and non-contracted managed care contexts, seeking to ensure providers are compensated appropriately for the valuable healthcare services they provide. She also frequently provides guidance for internal investigations, overpayment and recoupment audits, EHR vendor disputes, and managed care contracting negotiation and reviews.

Jordan Kearney (San Francisco Office)  Jordan is a member of the firm's Fraud & Abuse Practice Group. She provides regulatory and litigation counseling for a range of providers, including hospitals, long-term care providers, behavioral health providers, and home health and hospice companies. Her practice focuses on the defense of healthcare providers in government investigations and audits, including federal and state False Claims Act actions, actions under the California Insurance Fraud Prevention Act, and audits by Unified Program Integrity Contractors (UPICs). Jordan also regularly counsels providers on internal investigations of potential overpayments and any subsequent obligations to report and return under the 60-Day Rule.

Alicia Macklin (Los Angeles Office)  Alicia is recognized for her expertise in behavioral health law and EMTALA. Alicia regularly advises behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment providers on a broad range of legal and compliance issues, including Federal and California privacy and confidentiality requirements, Medicare and Medi-Cal reimbursement, county mental health plan contracting, and involuntary civil commitment under the LPS Act (Lanterman-Petris-Short Act). She also provides regulatory advice to hospitals, handling EMTALA investigations, compliance, training and counseling. Alicia assists clients with a broad range of regulatory and reimbursement matters and litigation, including Medicare and Medi-Cal appeals and medical staff issues. She previously clerked for the Honorable John A. Kronstadt, and she earned her MPH from UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health, where she currently co-teaches a graduate-level course in healthcare law. She is also passionate about understanding the social determinants of health, and how law can be used to further health equity.

Robert Miller (Los Angeles Office)  Robert is co-chair of the firm's Health Care Financial Restructuring Group and a member of the firm's Business Department and Digital Health Task Force. He advises a wide variety of health care companies on corporate and regulatory issues. Recognized for his creative problem-solving and unusually broad-based experience in both business and health law, Robert advocates for clients from Hawaii to Maine, including health systems, hospitals, technology companies, physician groups, management organizations, and investors in health care businesses. Clients turn to him when they're looking to gain solid commercial outcomes and drive their business goals forward through legal processes.

About Hooper, Lundy & Bookman: Founded in 1987, Hooper, Lundy & Bookman PC is the largest law firm in the country dedicated solely to the representation of health care providers and suppliers. With offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Denver, and clients in all 50 states, we meet the business, litigation, regulatory, and government relations needs of a broad array of health care providersranging from the largest national health care organizations to community hospitals and individual physician practices. We are pleased to be ranked by Chambers USA as Tier One: Health Care, California, and #1 for the West Region on the ABA Health Law Section's 7th Annual "Regional Law Firm Recognition Top 10 List." For more information, please visit our website at www.health-law.com .

CONTACT: Maura Fisher, Chief Marketing Officer

[email protected], 202-580-7714

SOURCE Hooper, Lundy & Bookman

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New Delhi, Jan 4 : The Supreme Court on Monday directed the counsel representing various banks, along with officials concerned, to meet the court-appointed receiver to finalise the proposal for financing of the unfinished Amrapali projects.

The receiver, senior advocate R. Venkataramani, informed a bench comprising Justices U.U. Lalit and Ashok Bhushan that he is not getting adequate response from the banks regarding his proposal for financing Amrapali projects. Following the receiver's submission, the top court directed the advocates representing the banks along with their officials to meet the receiver and prepare their final proposal for its consideration on January 18.

Kumar Mihir, advocate representing homebuyers, said the issue of project financing by banks for Amrapali projects is a very important issue which needs to be sorted at the earliest and the top court had repeatedly asked the banks to finalise their proposal for the same. "Once this issue of funding is sorted, we are sure that the Amrapali projects will be completed and delivered smoothly," he added.

On October 13, the Reserve Bank of India had informed the Supreme Court that banks are free to decide on the aspect of financing the Amrapali Projects in accordance with their commercial judgements.

In October, the top court had asked the RBI to depute a high-ranking officer to coordinate with the court-appointed receiver to conduct a meeting with banks to arrange funding of these projects.

In an affidavit, the RBI had informed the top court the banks are free decide on financing these projects and it has also written a letter to the Indian Banks Association to consider financing Amrapali projects. The top court had also allowed the receiver to independently try and arrange funding for construction.

On Monday, the top court also asked the receiver to go through the response filed by Anil Kumar Sharma, former director of Amrapali Group, and give a report regarding diversion of funds by him within three weeks. The court will consider this in the first week of February.

The top court also directed the Enforcement Directorare to file the status report on a co-developer with Amrapali Group within 3 days and listed the matter for further hearing on January 11.
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The view of Lujiazui area at the Bund in Shanghai, January 6, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]



Jia Guolong, the chairman of Xibei Group which operates more than 400 restaurants in over 60 cities across China, said that he believes that young people should first choose Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other big cities for development. His words went viral on Chinese social networking platform Sina Weibo with over 130 million views. Jia suggested his son and daughter to go wherever competition is fierce. The so-called "first-tier cities cannot tolerate the body, the third and fourth-tier cities cannot accommodate the soul." Do you think young people should choose first-tier cities?
Shares of Tata Steel rallied nearly 9 per cent in intraday trade to Rs 699.45 on the Bombay Stock Exchange on Monday after the steel major said it transferred its stake in two companies to Tata Steel Downstream Products Ltd (TSDPL), a wholly- owned subsidiary of the firm, as part of reorganising its India footprint. The shares of Tata Group company have soared 180 per cent from its 52-week low of Rs 250.90 as on March 30, 2020, while it gained 14 per cent over the last one month.

Earlier today, Tata Steel share price opened marginally higher at Rs 646.55 against the previous closing price of Rs 643.10 on the BSE. During the day's trade, the stock hit 52-week high of Rs 699.45, before settling at Rs 692.75, up 7.72 per cent. The market cap of the large cap stock increased to Rs 79,382.18 crore. Meanwhile, the BSE benchmark SENSEX ended at 48,176, up 307 points or 0.64 per cent.

On the volume front, there was surge in buying as 17.88 lakh shares changed hands over the counter as compared to two-week average volume of 5.88 shares on the BSE.

In an exchange filing on Friday, the country's largest steel maker said it transferred the 51 per cent stake it holds in Jamshedpur Continuous Annealing and Processing Company Private Ltd (JCAPCPL) and 50 per cent stake it holds in Tata BlueScope Steel Private Ltd (TBSPL) to TSDPL. As on March 31, 2020, the net worth of JCAPCPL stood at Rs 428.60 crore, while that of TBSPL was Rs 469.97 crore.

Also Read: Tata Steel Q2 results: Profit declines 59.5% to Rs 1,635 crore; net debt reduces by Rs 8,197 crore

The company said that the decision was taken to reorganise the company's India footprint into four clusters to drive scale, synergies and simplification and to create value for all stakeholders. Besides, it will help consolidate its downstream steel processing services.

TSDPL was created to bring steel service centre solutions for the first time to industrial customers. It was originally established in 1997 as Tata Ryerson Ltd, a joint venture between Tata Steel of India and Ryerson Inc. of the US. Later in 2009, Tata Steel acquired the entire equity stake of Ryerson Inc.

Also Read: Cap on steel prices not needed in an open economy: JSPL

Last month, S&P Global Ratings had revised outlook for Tata Steel to stable and affirmed 'B+' rating on hopes that the company's earnings would strengthen over the next 12-18 months, following a rebound in the second quarter of fiscal 2021, helped by a benign steel price environment and lower input costs.

Tata Steel reported 59.55 per cent year-on-year decline in its consolidated net profit at Rs 1,635 crore for the second quarter ended September 30, 2020, as against consolidated net profit of Rs 4,043 crore in the year ago period and net loss of Rs 4,609 crore in June quarter of the current fiscal. Consolidated revenue of the Tata Group company, however, rose by 59.69 per cent to Rs 37,154 crore in Q2 FY21 from Rs 34,579 crore in Q2 FY20. On the operational front, consolidated EBITDA surged 10.4 times QoQ and 60 per cent YoY to Rs 6,217 crore.




The mayor of Washington DC on Monday called in the National Guard to help manage potentially violent pro Donald Trump protests this week.

Muriel Bowser urged calm Monday as some 340 troops were activated ahead of Congress' expected vote to affirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory Wednesday. Road closures were also announced across the capital.

According to a U.S. defense official, Mayor Bowser put in a request on New Years Eve to have Guard members on the streets from January 5 to 7, to help with the protests.

The official said the D.C. National Guard members will be used for traffic control and other assistance but they will not be armed or wearing body armor. Her request was approved by Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller it was reported Monday.

Congress is meeting this week to certify the Electoral College results; President Donald Trump has so far refused to concede while whipping up support for protests this week.

At least a dozen Republican senators have also signaled they will stand in the way of the President-elect.

The president announced last month that he would be attending the 'wild' protest. He tweeted: 'Statistically impossible to have lost the 2020 Election. Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!'

He continues to share tweets about the event, writing Sunday: 'I will be there. Historic day!'

Mayor Muriel Bowser has called in the National Guard to help manage potentially violent pro Donald Trump protests this week

A member of the Proud Boys is stabbed during street fights in Washington DC after a Stop the Steal rally protesting the United States presidential election results on December 12

At least four protesters have been stabbed after violence erupted between the Proud Boys and Black Lives Matter counter-protesters following the second Million MAGA March in Washington D.C. last month

During a press conference on Monday, Bowser asked that people stay away from downtown D.C., and avoid confrontations with anyone who is 'looking for a fight.'

But, she warned, 'we will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents or cause destruction in our city.'

There will be about 115 Guard troops on duty at any one time in the city, said the defense official, who provided details on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Trump continues to share tweets about the event, writing Sunday: 'I will be there. Historic day!'

Congress is meeting this week to certify the Electoral College results, and President Donald Trump has refused to concede while whipping up support for protests

On Wednesday, a joint session of Congress will count the certified electoral votes to confirm Joe Biden as the new President

The official said Guard members will be used to set up traffic control points around the city and to stand with district police officers at all the citys Metro stops.

Acting Police Chief Robert Contee said Guard troops will also be used for some crowd management.

'Some of our intelligence certainly suggests there will be increased crowd sizes,' said Contee, adding, 'There are people intent on coming to our city armed.'

Because D.C. does not have a governor, the designated commander of the citys National Guard is Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy. Any D.C. requests for Guard deployments have to be approved by him.

The defense official said that there will be no active duty military troops in the city, and the U.S. military will not be providing any aircraft or intelligence.

Members of the far right group the Proud Boys and BLM activists have running street fights in Washington DC after a Stop the Steal rally protesting the presidential election results

Thousands of the presidents loyal followers gathered outside the Supreme Court to protest on December 11

The D.C. Guard will provide specialized teams that will be prepared to respond to any chemical or biological incident. But the official said there will be no D.C. Guard members on the National Mall or at the U.S. Capitol.

The rally is scheduled for January 6 - the same day Congress is scheduled to meet to accept the presidential election results.

The Trump campaign has continued to insist that the election results are illegitimate and have disputed them by launching several failed legal challenge.
Two back-to-back days of rainfall in Delhi pushed the temperature up on Monday, giving relief from the biting cold in the city over the past few weeks, and sent pollution levels down, giving residents the cleanest air in 38 days.

The minimum temperature lodged on Monday at Safdarjung Observatory, which is considered representative for Delhi, was 11.4 degrees Celsius, four notches above normal and the highest in the last 22 days, according to Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). The maximum temperature was 22.6 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal.

Weather scientists said the cloud cover in city helped bring the temperature up as clouds trap some of the outgoing infrared radiation and radiate it back downward, warming the ground. The inclement weather in the city is likely to persist till Wednesday, with moderate rains and thunderstorm likely on Tuesday as well, IMD scientists said.

There was a hailstorm in neighbouring areas of Delhi as per our radar images. Similar weather will continue on Tuesday, said Kuldeep Shrivastava, head, regional weather forecasting system.

On Monday, Delhi recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 151, placing it in moderate category  a substantial improvement compared to the past three days. On January 1, Delhis AQI was in 441, placing it in the severe zone; while it was 443 on January 2, also in severe category; and it was 354 on January 3 in very poor category.

Read more| 40mm rain in 36 hrs throws Delhi out of gear, more likely today: IMD

This was the first time since December 14, 2020, that the air in the city was in the moderate category (AQI of 160) and the cleanest air that Delhi has breathed since November 27, when the AQI touched 137.

Dense fog enveloped the city in the morning, with the visibility dropping to around 50 metres at Safdarjung.

Officials at Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport, however, said that the morning fog had no impact on flight operations on Monday. As many as 14 flights scheduled to depart from Delhi for Srinagar were cancelled due of poor weather conditions in Srinagar, while four flights scheduled to arrive at Delhi from Srinagar had to be cancelled as the flights could not take off from Srinagar, the official added.

Experts said that the rain and strong winds through Monday played a crucial role in bringing the pollution down.

The pollution has been washed away after intense rain on Sunday. Strong winds today blowing at 15 to 20 kmph hasnt allowed accumulation of pollutants. We are expecting air quality to remain in moderate to poor category till January 9. This is because wind speed is likely to remain moderate, which will help disperse pollutants continuously, said VK Soni, scientist at IMDs air quality division.

Several parts of north India witnessed light to moderate rains due to a western disturbance and above-normal temperatures on Monday, the IMD said. Several parts of northwest India are continuing to receive widespread and heavy rain with thunderstorms and lightning. There is likely to be hailstorms at many places on Tuesday, IMD said.

There is western disturbance as a cyclonic circulation over central Pakistan. There is a lot of moisture incursion due to southesterlies and a confluence or interaction of southwesterly and southeasterly winds is causing extreme weather. There is also an induced cyclonic circulation over Rajasthan. Our radar images are showing a lot of rain and thunderstorm over Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, east Rajasthan and Haryana. There may have been hailstorm also. Similar weather will persist tomorrow (Tuesday) but the spatial distribution and intensity may reduce from Wednesday, said K Sathi Devi, head, national weather forecasting centre.

The next western disturbance, which is likely to approach the region around January 7, will not bring much rain to the plains because its a feeble system. Its impact will be limited to the hills, Shrivastava said.

An active western disturbance lies as a middle and upper-level cyclonic circulation over Central Pakistan with its induced cyclonic circulation over southwest Rajasthan and neighbourhood. A north-south zone of wind confluence continues to exist from north Punjab to northeast Arabian Sea, with strong interaction between south westerly winds and and lower level moist southeasterlies. All these meteorological features favourable for rain are likely to persist over the next three days, according to the IMD bulletin on Monday.

Hailstorm in isolated places is likely over Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi on January 4 and 5 and over west Uttar Pradesh on January 5. Heavy rain or snowfall is also likely over Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan & Muzaffarabad on January 4 and 5; over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on January 5 and isolated heavy rainfall over northern parts of Punjab on January 4 and 5.

A fresh western disturbance is likely to affect western Himalayan Region from January 7. As a result, no significant change in minimum temperatures is likely during the next 2-3 days over northwest India, the bulletin said.
New Delhi: Zee News reporter Pooja Makkar on Monday (January 4) became the first female journalist to get coronavirus vaccine, Covaxin, in India. Covaxin is the indigenous vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech against COVID-19 in collaboration with ICMR.

Pooja Makkar got vaccinated at AIIMS, Delhi today in the afternoon at 2 pm after the requisite tests. She remained under observation and shared her experience later. The Zee News reporter, who is a health reporter, has extensively reported about the COVID-19 pandemic and its fallout besides keeping a tab on the vaccines being developed in the country to tackle this deadly virus.

Talking about her experience, Pooja said that after 5.30 hours she has not felt any complication, adding that she decided to undergo the vaccination as "it was necessary to instill confidence among common people that the vaccine is fully safe."

When asked about any physical or internal impact post-vaccination, she bravely stated in front of the camera that she is not having any problem so far.

Pooja has been given a sheet to fulfill the points asked about her experience. She has also been provided with a helpline number to contact AIIMS in case she confronted any problem in the coming days.

After 28 days, she will get another shot of Covaxin as this needed twice to remain safe against the deadly pandemic. Pooja remained on the frontline while covering all aspects related to the deadly virus.

Notably, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has recently provided emergency use approval of the two coronavirus vaccines.

Covaxin, the indigenous vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech against COVID-19 in collaboration with ICMR, is 200 percent safe, the company`s Chairman and Managing Director Dr Krishna Ella told ANI. He further said that it has shown less than 10 percent adverse reaction in trials so far.

Dr Ella's remarks came a day after DGCI granted permission for the restricted emergency use of Covaxin. The indigenous vaccine has been developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) - National Institute of Virology (NIV).

In a release earlier, Bharat Biotech had earlier said that Covaxin is a highly purified and inactivated two-dose SARS-CoV2 vaccine, manufactured in a vero cell manufacturing platform with an excellent safety track record of more than 300 million doses.

Earlier on Sunday, COVID-19 vaccines of Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech were granted permission for restricted use in an emergency situation by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).
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HONG KONG  The Chinese legal authorities have threatened to revoke the licenses of two lawyers hired to help a group of Hong Kong protesters who were arrested last year while trying to flee to Taiwan by speedboat.

Ten of the activists were convicted last week by a court in the mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen of illegal boundary crossing and sentenced to prison terms ranging from seven months to three years. Two other members of the group who were minors at the time of their arrest in August were returned to Hong Kong, a semiautonomous Chinese territory.

For Hong Kongs pro-democracy opposition, the case has highlighted fears of the Communist Party-controlled legal system on the mainland and the risks it poses to the citys tradition of an independent judiciary.

Most of the group faced charges in Hong Kong connected with antigovernment protests in 2019, including arson, rioting, assaulting police officers and weapons possession. One member, Andy Li, was under investigation on suspicion of violating the national security law imposed on Hong Kong last year. They were arrested by the Chinese Coast Guard on their way to Taiwan, a self-governing democracy that Beijing claims as its territory, and detained on the mainland.
Mexico to Get About 200 Million Doses of Covid Vaccine



Mexico expects to get deliveries of about 200 million doses of different coronavirus vaccines in 2021, Presidential spokesman Jesus Ramirez Cuevas reported last week via Twitter. Mexico City - Mexico expects delivery of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to increase to over 100,000 doses by Jan. 4 and more than 1.4 million doses by the end of the month, according to a schedule outlined by the president last week.



President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters at a news conference that about 50,000 Pfizer vaccines have already arrived, with another 53,000 expected by early this week. He stressed that the initial supplies will go to frontline medical workers who are treating sick patients.



U.S. drugmaker Pfizer's vaccine is the first of several expected to reach the country as the government presses companies to honor delivery commitments on time amid concerns of delays due to a global scramble to secure supplies.



Mexico expects to get deliveries of about 200 million doses of different coronavirus vaccines in 2021, Presidential spokesman Jesus Ramirez Cuevas reported.



"The Mexican Government has signed agreements to ensure millions of vaccines against COVID-19 for all Mexicans. 34 million Pfizer vaccines will arrive in 2021; 77.4 million from Astra Zeneca; 35 million from Cansino; 51.5 million from Covax," Ramirez said on Twitter.



The presidential spokesman added that Mexico is also analyzing ways of securing Russian and German vaccine deliveries.



After medical staff are vaccinated, the elderly will be next in line, which could begin in the second half of January.



"Finishing with health personnel... by the second two weeks of January, we start with the elderly," Lopez Obrador said in a video posted on Twitter, adding that the vaccine would be delivered to any who were housebound.



The vaccination strategy consists of five stages:



Stage 1 - From December 2020 to February 2021, front line health care workers will be vaccinated for COVID-19. (This stage has begun in specific locations and should be in all states of Mexico by mid to late January)



Stage 2 - From February to April 2021, the remaining health personnel and people 60 years and older will be vaccinated.



Stage 3 - From April to May 2021, people aged 50-59.



Stage 4 - May to June 2021, to people 40-49 years old.



Stage 5 - From June 2021 to March 2022; the rest of the population will be vaccinated.

many questions



In response to the many questions that were being asked by expat members of their Facebook group,



"Here are the facts that we know (which have been shared from a variety of sources, so please understand they are always subject to change):



1. If you have residency (not a travel permit, but temporary or permanent visa) and a CURP number then you will be able to be vaccinated via the public sector. (Locations for vaccination will be announced when they are determined.)



2. Vaccines at this point will only be issued during your appropriate tier on the distribution schedule (see below for age tiers and estimated distribution month).



3. As the vaccine will be issued via the public sector, it will NOT be for sale or issued at a price (via the private sector) until all Mexican citizens and residents have the opportunity to be vaccinated free of charge.



4. Distribution is being highly monitored and guarded to prevent theft.



5. There has been no announcement made regarding ability to cross state lines (ie, between Nayarit and Jalisco) to get vaccinated.



6. The distribution of available vaccines will be for the medical professionals in the hardest hit (highest number of active cases) hospitals and neighborhoods first.



As previously published, once the medical and healthcare workers have been vaccinated, only then will the distribution begin to high risk individuals and the age tiers (80+, 70-79, 60-69, etc).



At this time it is predicted that this will not begin until AT LEAST February 2021 and continue throughout the Spring and Summer. All timelines are estimates and are subject to change as vaccines become available."



Sources: - Mexico expects delivery of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to increase to over 100,000 doses by Jan. 4 and more than 1.4 million doses by the end of the month, according to a schedule outlined by the president last week.President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters at a news conference that about 50,000 Pfizer vaccines have already arrived, with another 53,000 expected by early this week. He stressed that the initial supplies will go to frontline medical workers who are treating sick patients.U.S. drugmaker Pfizer's vaccine is the first of several expected to reach the country as the government presses companies to honor delivery commitments on time amid concerns of delays due to a global scramble to secure supplies.Mexico expects to get deliveries of about 200 million doses of different coronavirus vaccines in 2021, Presidential spokesman Jesus Ramirez Cuevas reported."The Mexican Government has signed agreements to ensure millions of vaccines against COVID-19 for all Mexicans. 34 million Pfizer vaccines will arrive in 2021; 77.4 million from Astra Zeneca; 35 million from Cansino; 51.5 million from Covax," Ramirez said on Twitter.The presidential spokesman added that Mexico is also analyzing ways of securing Russian and German vaccine deliveries.After medical staff are vaccinated, the elderly will be next in line, which could begin in the second half of January."Finishing with health personnel... by the second two weeks of January, we start with the elderly," Lopez Obrador said in a video posted on Twitter, adding that the vaccine would be delivered to any who were housebound.Stage 1 - From December 2020 to February 2021, front line health care workers will be vaccinated for COVID-19. (This stage has begun in specific locations and should be in all states of Mexico by mid to late January)Stage 2 - From February to April 2021, the remaining health personnel and people 60 years and older will be vaccinated.Stage 3 - From April to May 2021, people aged 50-59.Stage 4 - May to June 2021, to people 40-49 years old.Stage 5 - From June 2021 to March 2022; the rest of the population will be vaccinated.many questionsIn response to the many questions that were being asked by expat members of their Facebook group, Covidinfo4mexico recently posted the following:Sources: Reuters a ANI a Covidinfo4mexico Facebook Group
Press Release

January 4, 2021 PCMC receives additional support under the 2021 GAA to provide even better services for children in need of medical attention -- Angara In order to provide quality medical care to more children, particularly those from families who cannot afford it, the Philippine Children's Medical Center (PCMC) was provided with more funds under the 2021 General Appropriations Act, Senator Sonny Angara said today. Cognizant of the special needs of children who require medical attention, Angara has long been supportive of the operation of PCMC, a specialized hospital under the auspices of the Department of Health (DOH) The budget of the PCMC was augmented by close to P900 million upon the initiative of Angara, primarily for the acquisition of various hospital equipment, the construction of a pediatric rehabilitation center and for assistance to indigent patients. "The PCMC plays a very important role in providing high quality medical care to Filipino children. We want to ensure that PCMC will be able to continue its mandate and serve even more patients, especially during these very challenging times," Angara said. With the augmentation of the PCMC's budget for 2021, Angara noted that children suffering from cancer will be able to undergo chemotherapy for free for the entire year. Angara said the PCMC will also be able to accommodate more children who need to undergo heart surgery. "Children who require heart surgeries are brought to the specialty hospitals, including the Heart Center. They would typically have to be put on queue because of the sheer number of patients who need to be operated on. The PCMC has the capability of performing these heart surgeries on the children who need it right away and shorten the waiting time for a lot of patients. This could mean life or death for many children," Angara said. As for the construction of the pediatric rehabilitation center at the PCMC, Angara said this will result in better services for a significant number of children patients suffering from various conditions. Pediatric rehabilitation is one of the primary services provided by the PCMC and covers a wide range of conditions including neurologic disorders, spinal cord injuries, and musculoskeletal conditions that affect the growth and development of children. As one of the specialty hospitals managed by the DOH, the PCMC serves a very important functionthat of providing high quality medical care for our children. Apart from providing pediatric care, the 200-bed PCMC also offers training programs for medical and allied health care providers. As chairman of the Committee on Finance, Angara has consistently supported the operations of government hospitals, be it through the efforts to increase their bed capacity, increasing their manpower or providing them with the equipment they need to improve their services. Angara is the author of Senate Bill 698, which seeks to authorize the DOH to set and approve the authorized bed capacities and the service capabilities of the hospitals under its supervision. The bill has been consolidated to Senate Bill 1876 that is up for approval on second reading.
As governments around the world rush to vaccinate their citizens, scientists and policymakers are debating whether to reserve the second doses everyone will need, or give as many people as possible just one shot now  potentially at the expense of giving second doses on schedule.

A number of countries in Europe are considering the options, or moving forward with the delay, despite a lack of evidence about how much protection a single dose of vaccine will provide and how long it will last.

Denmark on Monday approved a lag of up to six weeks between the first and second shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Reuters reported, although the vaccine is meant to to be given in doses three weeks apart. Germany and Ireland are considering similar moves.

Britain last week announced a plan to separate doses by up to 12 weeks. Britain has authorized Pfizers vaccine as well as the product developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, which is meant to be given in doses separated by four weeks.
When asked whether the acquisition would result in any layoffs or service cuts at Northwest Community, he said: The majority of NCH and NorthShore team members will have no change in their day-to-day jobs. While we recognize that there will be changes as we come together, it is premature for us to say how.
Dear Editor,

This letter is in response to Law enforcement coalition issues modernization strategy published in this weekends edition of The Telegraph.

I must admit I had never heard of the Illinois Law Enforcement Coalition until I read their lengthy 15-point plan in The Telegraph. Our nations police force is under increasing public scrutiny these days with good reason. This plan perhaps is an attempt to allay some of the legitimate concerns in our communities that are being raised concerning police conduct, funding, training and power.

I hope that the public will be given the opportunity to join in a productive conversation with this coalition concerning the role of the police in our ever diverse and complicated society. There is much to appreciate about our nations law officers. There is also much to be said for accountability now being asked of these same public servants.

Rev. Dr. Susan Mielke

Medora
A government body on Monday removed the word halal from a red meat manual that it issues to lay down the contours of meat export -- a move that came in the backdrop of allegations by some Hindu groups that the use of the term gives an unfair business advantage to Muslim exporters.

Halal is a term used for consumables permitted under Islam. Meat that is slaughtered in a certain way is also labelled as halal-certified. Several Islamic countries import only halal-certified meat.

A section of the older manual by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) -- it functions under the commerce ministry -- read: The animals are slaughtered strictly according to Halal method to meet the requirement of Islamic countries. In the revised version, that section reads: The animals are slaughtered to the requirement of importing country/importer.

Exporters pointed out that certification of meat was done in view of the requirements of the exporting country, as mentioned in the revised manual as well, and that the removal of the term halal had little or no implications on the ground, but admitted that it carried symbolic significance.

A debate has been raging with a section of Hindu groups complaining that use of the word in the manual implied that APEDA was making it mandatory for exporters to buy and acquire only halal-certified meat . They argue that apart from Islamic countries in West Asia, India also exports meat to countries such as China and Sri Lanka, where halal certification is not needed. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is among those vocal on the issue.

Read more| SDMC makes it mandatory for meat shops, restaurants to mention halal or jhatka

The manual is a compendium of information on issues such as quality and food safety standards to be followed, freezing, packaging and labelling requirements, edible offal and other by-products of meat. It also contains elaborate information on various government regulations for export of meat.

Another reference in the previous manual to animals slaughtered by halal method in the presence of representatives of recognised Islamic bodies for certification to meet the requirement of Muslim countries has also been replaced with: The animals are slaughtered to the requirement of importing country/importer.

APEDA officials did not respond to calls till the filing of this report. But on December 27, it clarified in a tweet that, as claimed by some Hindu groups, the government did not impose any condition that only halal meat was to be exported. ...It [halal meat] is requirement of majority of importing countries/Importers. Halal Certification agencies are accredited directly by respective importing countries. No Govt agency has any role in this, it said.

A group called Halal Niyantran Manch (Halal Regulation Forum) took credit after the APEDA move. It had been petitioning the government to do away with the word from the manual.

The Congress government had forced APEDA to come out with an order that all manufacturers or exporters of meat will have to compulsorily register with APEDA, and buy and acquire only halal-certified meat, HNM spokesperson Harinder S Sikka said.

As a result, Hindus, Sikhs, SC and STs (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) all went out of business, which is roughly 40 million-plus people. The governments reasoning then was that meat is primarily exported to the Middle East, where the requirement is halal meat. However, this is not the truth. The biggest market for Indian meat is China, which not does not require or give a halal certification. There are many countries such as Sri Lanka that have banned halal certification, he added.

BJP national spokesperson RP Singh welcomed APEDAs move.

A meat exporter in Delhi, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, however, stressed that the government had no role in the certification of meat for exports. Certification is done as per the requirements of the importing country. The removal of the term from the manual is of no significance on the ground, he said.
CHICAGO (AP)  The stage is set for a decisive legal battle in Illinois highest court between a large, well-established company and a far smaller upstart over a cannabis-growing license potentially worth millions.

The long-running case between Curative Health Cultivation LLC and Medponics Illinois LLC is expected to be heard by the Illinois Supreme Court early in 2021, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Aurora-based Curative _ owned by New York-based Columbia Care, one of the worlds largest cannabis operators _ was granted the coveted license in 2015, then lost it after a lower-court ruled against it, before managing to get that ruling reversed on appeal.

Medponics, which wants to set up operations in Zion, hopes that the high court will side with it, clearing the way for it to secure the license. It would use it to launch a large-scale cannabis business that would include a hydroponics greenhouse in Zion, just north of Chicago near the Wisconsin border.

The city of Zion has backed Medponics bid for the license, with expectations that a land-lease deal with the company could generate some $1.5 million in new revenue for the cash-strapped city that was hit hard financially by the closure of a major nuclear plant in 1998.

This is just the right thing to do  to award the license to them, said the citys administrator, David Knabel.

Many city leaders in Aurora, a suburb just west of Chicago, have been equally vocal in their support for Curatives claims to the license.

The license in question, which is among the last of its kind to be disputed in court, would enable the production of large amounts of marijuana for medical and recreational uses, making it more lucrative than more recent and restrictive permits, according to the Tribune.

Retail cannabis sales in Illinois were expected to top $1 billion for 2020, and the kind of large-scale operation envisioned by the holder of the contested license could be valued at around $100 million, financial analyst Matt Karnes, of Greenwave Advisors in New York City, estimated.

The legal issues in the case are complex. They are focused on the vetting process of the companies who vied for such licenses some five years ago. Medponics said that, while Curative did receive the highest rating of the companies considered, it should have been disqualified because its operations would be too close to an area zoned exclusively for residential purposes.

The lower court judge, Michael Fusz, agreed with Medponics in a lawsuit it filed in 2017, saying in his written ruling that Illinois agriculture department didnt properly apply state law in picking Curative.

The award of the license to Curative is therefore clearly erroneous; the Court has the definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been made, Fusz wrote.

But the judge also said his ruling wouldnt necessarily mean the license should go to Medponics, which garnered the fifth highest score during the vetting. He said the department should reevaluate and rescore the applicants. A state appeals court then partially overturned that ruling, reinstating the license, concluding that the zoning issue wasnt as clear cut as the lower court found.

According to the Tribune, even if the Illinois Supreme Court rules against Curative, it will likely still be up to the state to decide if Medponics or some other company ultimately gets that license.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
SPRINGFIELD  Like the draft report released in October, the final east-west passenger rail study issued Monday by Gov. Charlie Bakers administration casts doubt on whether there would ever be enough riders to meet federal benchmarks for funding.

A federal formula for a cost-benefit analysis is a major impediment to federal funding, said the final report, released Monday afternoon.

Because the federal methodology considers only a limited range of benefits, the Commonwealth could not obtain any federal funding for South Coast Rail and likely would not qualify for federal funding for East-West Rail, an executive summary said. MassDOT will work with the Congressional delegation and other key stakeholders to advocate for changes to the federal benefit-cost analysis method to better capture all of the potential benefits of investment in passenger rail.

But the final report still doesnt address major issues seen as opportunities by rail boosters who see a potential ally in incoming President Joe Biden. Those include the potentially transformative economic and demographic impacts and benefits of a rail line connecting cities like Springfield and Pittsfield to Boston.

The study also doesnt examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic  particularly the rise of working from home.

MassDOT will be evaluating how travel patterns have changed and may continue to change and apply this evaluation in a variety of contexts, not only to the demand for passenger rail but also to issues such as its effects on congestion in greater Boston and potential increases in off-peak travel demand, the report said. These analyses may also be useful in determining whether phasing development of the corridor could provide a more viable path forward. For example, because roughly 62% of the estimated ridership is expected to be trips between Springfield and Boston, this segment may be a worthwhile starting point. "

For supporters in western and central Massachusetts, the east-west rail plan is an opportunity to solve problems in Boston, with its high housing prices and tight labor supply, and the Springfield area  where there is housing, but fewer good-paying jobs.

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, as well as U.S. Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren all support the plan. Biden  known as Amtrak Joe for his years commuting by train when he was a senator by train  backs rail transit. And Bidens choice for federal Transportation Secretary is Pete Buttigieg, who has personal ties to state Sen. Eric Lesser, one of the most vocal east-west rail boosters.

Other supporters include the Boston Chamber of Commerce and Boston City Council, and state lawmakers as far west as Pittsfield.

All the stars are aligned here in a way that we are not going to see, said Ben Heckscher, co-founder of the advocacy group Trains In The Valley. And our challenge is Boston.

Thats because Gov. Charlie Baker and his transportation secretary, Stephanie Pollack, have been lukewarm on the idea at best.

Heckscher said COVID colors the discussion as well.

Everyone feels the weight of the pandemic, he said. Its hard to work on a transformative transportation project when people are being thrown out of their homes and there is a public health crisis. But were hoping that in a few months well be through the worst of the virus and we can focus on this.

In October, state Department of Transportation researchers released a preliminary report saying enhanced passenger rail service could attract 278,000 to 469,000 riders per year. But the cost for extensive track upgrades would range from $2.4 billion and $4.6 billion. At that ridership and cost, the project doesnt meet guidelines for federal funding.

Thats of course where the influence of Neal  who says he wont advocate in Congress for more MBTA funding if east-west rail doesnt get state backing  and the senators come in. As the senior member of the New England delegation to the House, Neal influences who gets on what committee. His committee also controls taxation and revenue and has a say in virtually every bill that spends money.

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, and Mayor Domenic J. Sarno spoke Friday, June 19, 2020, at Springfield Union Station about a $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill that could help fund east-west rail through Springfield. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican)

Lesser and others say the state also underestimates the potential ridership.

The study didnt account for induced demand, or extra ridership created as people change their habits  and where they live  if there were a rail option.

Connecticut has seen trackside housing developments after the opening of the Springfield-to-New Haven Hartford Line about three years ago.

MassDOT did base some ridership numbers on Connecticuts experience. But Lesser and others have said those numbers are too low because Hartford is smaller, and less prosperous, than Boston.

Advocates have called for passenger estimates based on Maines Boston-to-Portland service or Californias commuter rail in and to Silicon Valley and the Bay Area.
MTB BANK starts issuing payment cards of the UnionPay International System, which will be used to make payment transactions in China, Ukraine and other 177 countries and regions. Customers will also have the opportunity to take advantage of the UnionPay exclusive offers and discounts.

The international payment system UnionPay International (UPI) has already issued more than nine billion cards on the global market and successfully competes with other international players. "MTB BANK will provide UnionPay cardholders with world - class high-quality financial services," said Yuri Kralov, Chairman of the Management Board of MTB BANK. "This will increase the degree of MTB BANK integration into the global financial system and will help Ukrainian commercial enterprises and small businesses significantly expand their capabilities."

Yuri Kralov noted as follows: the issue of UnionPay Cards is only the first stage of cooperation. "Further cooperation plans with UnionPay include development and implementation of joint innovative payment products. This will not only increase the level of banking service for our Bank's customers, but also contribute to the payment industry modernization at the state level," said Yuri Kralov.

"It may safely be said that MTB BANK became one of the first UnionPay card issuers in Ukraine. This is a great success deserving special attention. I am confident that this is only the starting point of our long - term and successful path to building long-term cooperation relations," said Mr. Fan Jiguang, Chairman of the UnionPay International Regional Office.

In the spring, customers will be able to apply for UnionPay contactless cards (Classic and Diamond levels) in all cities of MTB BANK's presence, including 12 regions of Ukraine and more than 50 branches providing a full range of banking services. Such cards facilitate access to trading platforms-partners of the world's largest payment system and will be useful for those Bank customers who often visit China, Southeast Asian countries or do business with Chinese partners.

Reference. In July 2020, MTB BANK became a member (in the highest status of a principal partner) of one of the world's largest payment systems - UnionPay International. Today only three banks in Ukraine have the status of a member of the international payment system UnionPay International, including MTB BANK PJSC.

Back in 2019, MTB BANK created a processing platform based on the OpenWay solution; the Bank's processing center successfully passed testing and certification in the NPS "PROSTIR" (in July 2020, the inter-host online protocol ISO 8583 Native interface Tieto for the NPS "PROSTIR" was implemented) and this year, based on the same processing solution, it was successfully tested and certified in the IPS UnionPay International. On December 16, 2020, the Bank received Go live for IPS UnionPay International.

UnionPay International is a subsidiary of China UnionPay, the China's National Payment System. China UnionPay (CUP) payment system is the only national payment system in China, one of the largest payment systems in the world.

Reporting by UNIAN
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PHOENIX  Despite the states surge of coronavirus cases, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Saturday rejected the states top education officials call for him to order public schools to use only distance learning for the next two weeks unless they have waivers from health officials.

Given the severity of our states situation and the viruss trajectory after the holiday period, schools need a two-week quarantine period for education leaders and local officials to use local health data to decide the appropriate instruction model for their communities, Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman said in a Twitter thread.

Hoffman called for the two-week quarantine period for schools after the Department of Health Services on Saturday  the second day of the new year  reported nearly 8,900 additional known COVID-19 cases, giving the state a two-day pandemic high for new cases.

However, Ducey spokesman C.J. Karamargin said the governor will not be considering this request or issuing this kind of mandate. This is a local decision. The online option is already available, and the governor has repeatedly made his preference clear: Kids have already lost out on a lot of learning, and he wants schools opened, safely.

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Ducey, a Republican, and Hoffman, a Democrat, were aligned last spring when he ordered schools closed because of the coronavirus, but she voiced reservations during the fall as he urged schools to provide in-person learning.

Guidelines issued by Duceys administration during the fall let students remain in in-person classes beyond what earlier guidance would have recommended.

Many Arizona school districts in recent months have provided hybrid learning that includes both distanced and in-person instruction, while others either were already on remote learning or returning to it this month.

Many schools are set to resume classes in the coming week after the winter holidays.

Hoffman noted that educators are among groups included in a large category planned to be eligible fairly early for vaccinations against COVID-19, and she said she will continue to advocate that school personnel are prioritized for the shots so that our schools can safely provide in-person instruction as quickly as possible.

I look forward to a safe return of our teachers and students to the classroom. But now, we must do everything possible to help our health care workers and keep our teachers and students safe, Hoffman added.

Added to the 10,060 COVID-19 cases that the state reported Friday, the 8,883 cases reported Saturday produced a two-day total of 18,943. The states previous two-day high was 17,649 on Dec. 13-14.

The statewide overall tally of cases since the pandemic began now stands at 539,150.

Arizona also reported 46 deaths on Saturday, increasing the pandemics total to 9,061.

The number of infections is thought to be far higher than reported because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.

Arizona had the second-worst COVID-19 diagnosis rate over the past week, behind only California. The diagnosis rate is calculating by dividing the states population by the number of new cases over the past week.

Hospital occupancy has surged during December due to the outbreak, and hospitals statewide remain nearly full, with only 7% of all inpatient beds available and not in use, according to the states coronavirus dashboard.

There were 4,484 hospitalized COVID-19 patients as of Friday, down from the pandemic-high record of 4,564 on Wednesday, according to the dashboard.

COVID-19 patients were in three of every five intensive care beds statewide and about half of all hospital inpatient beds.

The crush of COVID-19 patients has caused some hospitals in metro Phoenix and Tucson areas to suspend elective surgeries and some have resorted to turning away patients being transported by ambulance or being transferred from other hospitals while still accepting walk-patients needing emergency care.

Hospital officials also have said the crush of COVID-19 patients may force imposition of triage protocols that the state could order to help hospitals decide how to decide which patients gets access to limited resources.
State Compensation Insurance Fund in California on Monday announced plans to distribute a $39 million dividend to its qualifying policyholders with policies that took effect between Aug. 27 and Dec. 31, 2020.

The dividend equals roughly 10% of the estimated annual premium reported during that time period. The announcement follows up State Funds August declaration of a roughly 10% mid-year dividend that applied to all policies incepted between Jan. 1 and Aug. 26, 2020. The dividend distribution for the entire year amounts to nearly $114 million.

Through 2020, State Fund reportedly roughly $1.13 billion in premium.

This has been a very challenging year for our policyholders and were glad we can continue to support them with this dividend declaration, State Fund President and CEO Vern Steiner said in a statement. We took a number of actions during 2020 to help our policyholders, including accelerating the delivery of our 2019 dividend payments and providing more than $40 million in COVID-19 safety support grants. This latest declaration continues that supportall qualifying State Fund policyholders now know they can expect another dividend payment next year.

State Fund policyholders will begin to receive dividend payments during the second half of next year. Since its creation in 1914, State Fund has paid out more than $5 billion in dividends to policyholders.

State Fund is Californias not for profit provider of workers compensation and funded solely by premiums and investment income.

Topics California
A cancer-specific L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) is highly expressed in cancer tissues. Inhibiting the function of LAT1 has been known to have anti-tumor effects, but there has been limited progress in the development of radionuclide therapy agents targeting LAT1. Now, a multidisciplinary research team at Osaka University has established a targeted alpha-therapy with a novel drug targeting LAT1.

The researchers first produced the alpha-ray emitter 211Astatine, no easy task given that Astatine (At) is the rarest naturally occurring element on Earth. Targeted alpha-therapy selectively delivers -emitters to tumors; the advantage over conventional -therapy is that alpha decay is highly targeted and the high linear energy transfer causes double-strand breaks to DNA, effectively causing cell death. The short half-life and limited tissue penetration of alpha radiation ensures high therapeutic effects with few side-effects to surrounding normal cells.

Next, to carry the radioisotope into cancer cells, the researchers attached it to -Methyl-L-tyrosine, which has high affinity for LAT1. This subterfuge exploits the elevated nutrient requirements of rapidly multiplying cancer cells.

We found that 211At-labeled -methyl-L-tyrosine (211At-AAMT) had high affinity for LAT1, inhibited tumor cells, and caused DNA double-strand breaks in vitro," reports. Extending our research, we assessed the accumulation of 211At-AAMT and the role of LAT1 in an experimental mouse model. Further investigations on a human pancreatic cancer cell line showed that 211At-AAMT selectively accumulated in tumors and suppressed growth. At a higher dose, it even inhibited metastasis in the lung of a metastatic melanoma mouse model." Kazuko Kaneda-Nakashima, Lead Author, Associate Professor, Osaka University

Professor Atsushi Shinohara, senior author, explains, "We could establish the efficacy of 211Astatine in the treatment of cancer including advanced and metastatic malignancies, as well as the utility of the amino acid transporter LAT1 as a vehicle for radionuclide therapy. As the drug is delivered cancer-specifically it can attack from inside the cell after being taken in as a nutrient."

Adding to efficacy is dosing convenience. As an injectable short-range radiopharmaceutical, 211At-AAMT may be administered in outpatient clinics, a huge advantage over conventional radiation protocols, and may even be an alternative to surgery in specific cancers. This approach has immense potential to revolutionize radionuclide therapy of not only pancreatic cancer but other malignancies that lack effective treatment including advanced or metastatic disease.
Amaravati, Jan 4 : In a new offensive against the erstwhile Telugu Desam Party regime over the alleged lag in building the Polavaram Project, Andhra Pradesh government juxtaposed the progress made under 12 heads to show that it is working with dedication to complete the project.

The government compared the progress made in the past 19 months during the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) rule with the five-year period from June 2015 to 2019 of the TDP rule.

"The previous government had completed 34 metre-level spillway concreting up to June 2019 whereas now, the length of the spillway being 55 metres, of which nearly 54 metres works are completed," said an official statement about the spillway works.

Likewise, the government alleged that the TDP government had publicized that the radial gates' installation was completed back then though the spillway pillars were not raised to the height of 54 metres.

"Nine radial gates have already been installed for a total of 48 radial gates. Work on the remaining gates is expected to be completed," said the statement.

According to the government, only 22 girders out of 192 were completed in five years, while the YSRCP government has built 170 girders in 18 months' time.

Similarly, the government alleged that no spillway bridge slab was built in five years' time compared to the 40 slabs being completed under the new government and the balance eight slabs scheduled to be completed by February 15.

These slabs are used to lift and lower gates from the side of the spillway to the other for continuous inspection and monitoring of gates by the officers and staff.

These slabs need to be constructed on top of the 48 columns, each with a length of 21.5 metres, 9.75 width and a thickness of 0.45 metres.

Though no trianon girders, crucial for installing, operating and maintaining the 48 gates on the spillway, were allegedly completed during the TDP regime, officials said that 40 of them were built and the balance nine will be completed by January end.

Regarding the excavation works for the foundation of the power house designed to generate 960 MW power, the statement said that the earlier government excavated only 18 metres.

"Excavation started at plus 92 meters and an average of 6,000 cubic meters per day work is being done. The front of one to six units is almost complete for a total of 12 units. All excavation work will be completed by March," said the statement.

Likewise, the government claimed that considerable progress has been made with respect to rehabilitation and resettlement, spill channel, cofferdam, gap-III concrete dam, gap-I clay and stone construction and tunnelling works on the left and right canals.

The state government released a bunch of "nadu-nedu" (then and now) photographs of the project to show the progress it made in the 19 months after it came to power.

The Polavaram Project, a national project located near the Ramayyapeta village in Polavaram Mandal of West Godavari district is aimed at providing water to thousands of hectares of land in West Godavari, East Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts.
The internet is dealing with a burning question: Where is businessman Jack Ma? Speculation around the Chinese billionaires whereabouts surfaced after reports of him not making an appearance in the public for more than two months did the rounds, as per a Business Insider report.

The founder of Alibaba was scheduled to appear for the shoot of the final episode of his own talent show Africas Business Heroes where he was supposed to be participating as a judge, but was later replaced by another Alibaba executive, according to Yahoo Finance which cited a news report in the UKs Telegraph.

A spokesperson of the company said that the tech tycoon was unable to join the adjudicating panel due to a conflict in the schedule, reported Financial Times.

Also Read | China targets Jack Mas Alibaba Group, orders probe for monopolistic practices

Buzz around Jack Mas disappearance from public space comes after Chinas antitrust probe on Alibaba and Ant Group. The antitrust probe on the e-commerce empire of the former school teacher alleging monopolistic practises came after China dramatically suspended Ant Groups $37 billion initial public offer (IPO), which was on the course to be one of the largest IPO in the world. The IPO was halted just 48 hours before its dual listing on Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchanges.

Ant Group was also under heavy scrutiny by the Chinese government after Jack Mas speech that criticised the regulation system of the country and called the banks pawnshops.

Todays financial system is the legacy of the Industrial Age, Ma added, We must set up a new one for the next generation and young people. We must reform the current system, reported Yahoo Finance.

Jack Ma has lost around $11 billion in the last three months, as per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
A group representing major US airlines on Monday urged the Trump administration to lift travel bans on passengers flying in from Brazil, Europe and the UK as the air travel industry continues to strain under the weight of the on-going coronavirus pandemic and as the UK announced a new international travel ban.

The plea came in a letter authored by Airlines for America (A4A), a trade group that represents most US airlines including international giants American, United and Delta, in which they backed a CDC proposal to implement a global testing program requiring negative tests for most international passengers returning to the US.

The letter, addressed to Vice President Mike Pence, called on the Trump administration to move ahead with recommendations to rescind current entry restrictions on travelers from Europe, the United Kingdom and Brazil as soon as possible.

The group said the entry restrictions should be removed concurrently with the testing program, which will provide yet another layer of safety in the travel journey.

The emergence of A4A's letter came on the same day that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new nationwide lockdown in the UK until mid-February, as the nation grapples to control a 'super' mutant strain of the virus that's causing cases to surge.

Airlines of America has urged the Trump administration to lift travel bans on passengers coming to the US in lieu of a negative coronavirus test before take-off (pictured: British tourists returning to UK check in their luggage in Spain)

The airline industry has been decimated by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with growth said to have been set back more than two decades in the last nine months

The UK lockdown forbids overseas travel except for only a handful of 'legally permitted' reasons, such as work, putting already-planned holidays on ice.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration in March banned most non-US citizens that have been in Europe from visiting the United States.

Then in November, a Reuters report revealed that the White House was considering rescinding restrictions from the 26 members of the Schengen area that allow travel across open borders, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Brazil.

We believe a well-planned program focused on increasing testing of travelers to the United States will further these objectives in a much more effective way than the blanket travel restrictions currently in place, the airlines' letter released Monday said.

A senior administration official said the CDC proposal to expand international testing requirements faces significant opposition from people at senior levels of the administration, including in Pence's office.

The CDC on December 28 began requiring all airline passengers arriving from Britain - including U.S. citizens - to test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of departure.

The move came after a highly contagious new strain of the virus was detected in the UK, though it has since been found in the US.

Airlines are seeking at least 14 days before new requirements take effect and consideration of inadequate testing and results availability in specific countries rather than a blanket worldwide requirement is also needed, the letter said.

The International Air Transport Association declared the financial impact of COVID-19 to be in the region of $118.5 billion in losses for 2020

Airlines for America Full Statement: Dear Vice President Pence: Airlines for America (A4A), on behalf of our member passenger carriers, is writing to express our support for a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) proposal to control the spread of COVID-19, including variants of the virus, by implementing a global program to require testing for travelers to the United States. A4A also urges the Administration to move ahead with recommendations to rescind current entry restrictions on travelers from Europe, the United Kingdom and Brazil as soon as possible. These entry restrictions should be removed concurrently with the testing program, which will provide yet another layer of safety in the travel journey. We are grateful for the support and relief that you and the Administration have provided to assist the airline industry during the pandemic. From the onset, we have worked with you and your colleagues on the Coronavirus Task Force to protect the health and safety of our passengers, crew members and communities while also continuing to provide the essential economic activities on which our country relies. We believe a well-planned program focused on increasing testing of travelers to the United States will further these objectives in a much more effective way than the blanket travel restrictions currently in place. Carriers have provided the CDC and other agencies feedback regarding how we can work to stand up an international testing program quickly. We strongly support CDCs decision to allow both molecular and antigen testing as a way of facilitating the ability of passengers to access testing. Among the items we discussed are an implementation timeline of at least 14 days so that carriers can effectively communicate new requirements to customers and train staff around the world. Consideration of inadequate testing and results availability in specific countries rather than a blanket worldwide requirement is also needed. Given the scope of this requirement, we would appreciate the governments consideration of making rapid testing available for this effort. Special consideration for unique circumstances such as connecting passengers and U.S. citizens on short round trip journeys need to be factored into the plan as well so as not to discourage travel and the benefits of increased testing. The CDC and other agencies have been open to our feedback and we appreciate the spirit of cooperation in support of the same objectives. Mr. Vice President, we share optimism that the end of this devastating pandemic is in sight now that safe and effective vaccines are being distributed. We and our employees are extremely proud of the role we are playing in that effort. However, we also know that additional vigorous action is needed in the months ahead to bring the virus under control. We are committed to partnership with the U.S. government in that effort as well, including on an international testing program, and any other ways we can work together to safely and responsibly restore domestic and international air travel. Advertisement

News of the letters existence came on the same day that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the UK would be heading back into lockdown for a third time, in a desperate attempt to keep the mutant coronavirus strain at bay.

The measures are due to be in place across the nation until at least mid-February, with schools and universities shuttered, non-essential businesses closed and the public ordered to stay home.

Britain is also currently grappling with a second new strain of the virus said to originate from South Africa. Experts have voiced fears that strain may not be picked up by vaccines and could also pose a more deadly threat.

As a result, British officials have put a halt to all non-essential travel, including international air travel. Within the UK, domestic holidays are also banned.

The UK Government stressed that Britons currently abroad do not need to rush back to the UK.

But ministers are poised to require a negative Covid-19 test for all UK arrivals to curb the spread of the disease.

UK Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove meanwhile today delivered a stark warning that lockdown will only start to be lifted gradually in March - and that timeline depends on the government meeting its highly ambitious targets for vaccination.

Airlines for America has not yet responded to a DailyMail.com request for comment as to how the UKs latest lockdown may affect their White House request.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that the UK variant of the virus has been found in upstate New York.

The governor said the man, who works at a jewelry store in Saratoga Springs, had COVID-19 symptoms but is 'on the mend.'

Three other people linked to the jewelry store have tested positive for COVID-19, but Cuomo said its unknown if they have the variant.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the UK would be heading back into lockdown for a third time, in a desperate attempt to keep a mutant coronavirus strain at bay

A report released Monday claimed that the coronavirus pandemic, which began in March, has in just nine months reversed more than two decades worth of airline growth.

According to Cirium, COVID-19 has reduced passenger traffic on global airlines to levels not seen since 1999.

More than 40 airlines completely ceased or suspended operations, and experts expect more to fail in 2021.

From January 1 to December 20, there were 16.8 million passenger flights completed globally  a 49 percent drop from the same time period in 2019 when 33.2 million flights were tracked, according to Cirium data.

There were 13 million scheduled passenger flights flown in 2020 and just 3.8 million international flights as a result international borders shutting down.

In comparison, in 2019, 21.5 million domestic flights were recorded in the same period, marking a 40 percent drop in domestic travel for 2020.

International travel, meanwhile saw a 68 percent drop year-over-year due to the pandemic, with 11.7 million international passenger flights recorded in the same period last year.

Cirium expects passenger demand for air travel to bounce back in 2024 or 2025, with domestic and leisure traffic being the first segments to show sustained recovery.

COVID-19 has reduced passenger traffic on global airlines to levels not seen since 1999, new data shows (Pictured LAX on December 23)

There were 13 million scheduled passenger flights flown in 2020 and just 3.8 million international flights as a result international borders shutting down - a dcrease of 67 percent Turin Airport, in Italy, pictured above last month)

American has been the hardest-hit airline by the pandemic, reportedly racking up net-debt of $25 billion

In November, and with no end to the pandemic yet in sight, the International Air Transport Association declared the financial impact of COVID-19 to be in the region of $118.5 billion for 2020.

Calling it, the airline industry's worst financial year, bar none, the announcement came as an update to a previous prediction in June that forecasted net losses of $84.3 billion.

For 2021, the IATA also doubled its original net forecast for this year from $15.8 billion to $38.7 billion.

The so-called Big Four - Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines  have been pleading for additional bailouts as the pandemic continues to crimp travel.

American, which has lapped up $13.5 billion in taxpayer cash, is in the worst position. The Texas-based carrier has $25 billion of net debt, roughly 6 times its forecast EBITDA for 2022, according to Refinitiv estimates that assume three-quarters of sales return in two years.
Gurgaon: Soaking in the sun in the lawns of her Gurgaon home, Shanta Kapoor Dhawan, 93, younger and favourite sister of theatre and movie star, the late Prithviraj Kapoor, describes another house with great accuracy: The one that her father built in Pakistans Peshawar. There were 40 rooms in our sprawling five-storey haveli, but our happiest moments were spent in the family baithak (sitting room) on the first floor in the evening where the elders would talk, sitting on the floor, their backs supported by bolsters dotting the carpeted floor. We children would huddle there munching on nuts and dry fruit after a long day of fun and play.

Dhawan has been relieved and thrilled in equal measure to learn that the threat to demolish the haveli has been averted and that the Pakistan government with the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtoonwala now plans to renovate and turn it into a museum.

Two years to build haveli

Aunt to the great showman Raj Kapoor, though two years younger to him, Dhawan says, My father Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor would tell us that it took two years to build the mansion which was completed in 1922. In fact my brother Trilok Kapoor and nephew Raj were born here. However, destiny took us to Kolkata and then Mumbai when Prithviraj Bhapa became a star. But I remember every nook and corner of the haveli the way it was, she says.

Dhawans adolescent school years were spent Kolkata and adulthood in the glamour of Mumbai with yesteryear heroines like Nargis, Meena Kumari and Munawar Sultana for friends. After marriage she moved to Jamshedpur with her engineer husband and brought up her two sons and two daughters there.

Now living with her younger son in Gurgaon, she says: Of late I still see the Peshawar home in my dreams with its floral patterns and jharokhas hanging over balconies and the large inner courtyard where I learned to hop, skip and jump. I yearn to go there just once as I am the last living Kapoor for whom it was home.

When Raj Kapoors sons visited

Earlier in 1990, actors Randhir and the late Rishi Kapoor, sons of Raj Kapoor, had visited the haveli and requested that it be preserved as a museum. It was after Rishi Kapoors death last April that the Pakistan government started finding ways and means to preserve the building as well as thespian Dilip Kumars family home close by. The final go- ahead for the museum came at the instance of Pakistan premier Imran Khan.

Dhawan recalls, Both Raj and Dilip Kumar were Peshawar friends and the friendship blossomed in Mumbai when both struggled and then rose to great heights in films. I am a witness to that era from Peshawar to stardom.
Home Secretary Priti Patel was today accused of forgetting about the 'practical issues' facing police because she is too focused on cutting illegal immigration.

Lord Blair, the former Metropolitan Police commissioner, rounded on the Cabinet minister as he tore into the Brexit deal, saying it had resulted in the UK having less crime-fighting powers.

Ms Patel at the weekend claimed police and security services would get 'tougher powers' to keep the country safe now Brexit has happened.

She claimed the Government would ban foreign criminals from entering, reject unreliable national identity cards, and crack down on smuggling from Europe.

But speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Lord Blair, now a crossbench peer, warned the new agreement would 'make us less safe'.

'I'm afraid it is basically the fact that we have lost powers, we have lost the European Arrest Warrant which we used to send 12,000 suspects back to Europe for trial in the last decade and (bring) 1,600 of our own offenders back,' he told the broadcaster.

'We have lost full access to Europe-wide interrogatable databases on criminal records, DNA, fingerprints, criminal intelligence.

'I think what the Home Secretary has been doing is concentrating on illegal immigration and this new idea about shortening the amount of time somebody has to spend in prison before they can be deported, here, and has forgotten the real, practical issues facing officers in their cars as we speak today.'

However, his interpretation was questioned, with a Home Office source saying: 'These are the same tired arguments we heard from people who didn't want to leave the EU, tried relentlessly to stop us leaving the EU, and now can't accept we have left.'

Ms Patel at the weekend claimed police and security services would get 'tougher powers' to keep the country safe now Brexit has happened

Lord Blair (left), the former Metropolitan Police commissioner, rounded on Ms Patel (right) as he tore into the Brexit deal, saying it had resulted in the UK having less powers to fight crime

Lord Ricketts, the former National Security Advidsor, added: ' I certainly don't see how we can be more safe by leaving a close partnership with our nearest neighbours.'

'The EU took the position throughout that it was legally impossible for them to offer SIS II (the Schengen Information System II database) to any third country outside the Schengen area.

'We will therefore use tried and tested mechanisms of cooperation via Interpol and bilateral channels, which we already use with the rest of the world  and which we used with EU Member States until 2015.'

The EU and UK have implemented limited information sharing and other measures to maintain security functions under the new trade deal.

The deal allows for 'effective co-operation' between the UK and the Europol and Eurojust policing and criminal justice agencies, in line with the rules for third countries under EU law.

However, Brussels has made it clear that under the agreement the UK does not enjoy the same level of 'facilities' on policing and security issues as before.

An EU briefing note said the UK would no longer have 'direct, real-time access' to sensitive databases covering freedom, security and justice.'

Lord Blair today highlighted the extradition of terrorist Hussain Osman, who was involved in the unsuccessful 21st July 2005 plot to target the London Underground.

He was arrested in Rome and extradited to Britain, and in 2007 was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Lord Blair told Today that if it happened now 'he might be arrested in Rome but it might take years to bring him back'.

Lord Ricketts, the former National Security Advidsor, added: ' I certainly don't see how we can be more safe by leaving a close partnership with our nearest neighbours.'

He conceded that the agreement was 'better than No Deal' and contained some 'reassuring detail.

But he added: 'What we lose is direct, real-time access to these databases.'

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Ms Patel said the agreement 'gives our police and security services the tools and partnerships to help keep the public safe.

'And having left the EU means we can give these agencies stronger powers to keep this country safe.

'That includes banning foreign criminals who have served more than a year in jail from entering the UK.

'We will refuse to accept insecure national identity cards and we will be able to crack down on illegal imports of goods through the introduction of pre-arrival data on goods being imported from the EU.

'We will also crack down on illegal immigration and reform the broken asylum system.'
CAIRO  Egypts Association against Smoking, Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases launched Dec. 22 the first observatory for tobacco control in Egypt and the Middle East to monitor any violations on the part of tobacco companies.

Essam el-Moghazy, chairman of the association, said in a phone interview with the Egyptian Mesat Channel Dec. 23 that Egyptians consume 4 billion packs of cigarettes annually, i.e., 80 billion cigarettes, at a cost of more than 70 billion Egyptian pounds ($4.4 billion). In addition, Egyptians consume 50,000 tons of muassel (tobacco used for hookah), costing 3 billion pounds ($191 million) a year, and other types of tobacco that include cigars and pipes.

Moghazy said that smoking reduces the bodys immunity system, making it vulnerable to complications from the coronavirus.

He also stressed that tobacco companies make profitable gains from this industry and do not prevent direct sales to minors or those under 18, adding that these companies even pay some scientists to claim that smoking protects against COVID-19 without relying on any scientific data.

Commenting on the mechanism of the assoctiation's work, Moghazy explained, One of the methods the association will follow is to prevent direct and indirect advertising of tobacco companies, prevent advertising campaigns that promote donations from such companies to hospitals or oncology institutes, while they are in fact promoting their own products and causing the death of thousands of citizens suffering from respiratory diseases and cancer.

The latest statistics of the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics showed that consumption of tobacco, alcoholic beverages and drugs amounted to 25% of the Egyptian households spending. The statistics also showed that 171,000 people die annually due to smoking-related diseases; smokers aged between 15 and 69 make up 22.7% of the total population, with those aged between 30 and 44 being the largest group. Male smokers who smoke daily make up 81.4% of the total male smokers, compared to 18.6% for nondaily smokers. Hookah smoking appears to be increasing with age, as the proportion of those aged between 15 and 29 is 17.2%, compared to 27.3% for smokers aged between 60 and 69.

Muhammad Amin, a doctor specializing in respiratory diseases and allergies, told Al-Monitor via phone, Smoking is extremely bad for the health under normal circumstances, and now with the coronavirus it amounts to a health disaster. The hot air resulting from smoking enters the lungs airways, where the hairs [cilia] that are similar to nasal hairs are shook 20,000 times. In addition, nicotine that fills the lungs is poisonous and destroys the respiratory systems cells, causing cancerous diseases and infections. Also, [smoking causes] normal cells to turn into carcinogenic cells inside the body  not to mention catarrh, bronchial asthma, pneumonia, enlargement of the heart muscle and respiratory failure.

Amin also explained the impact of smoking on coronavirus-related illness, saying, Exposure to cigarette smoke makes airway cells more vulnerable to infection with COVID-19. Smoking reduces the natural body defenses allowing the virus to enter and seize cells.

He said, COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory disease, meaning that it attacks the lungs. Comparing the lungs of smokers and non-smokers, we find that smokers lungs are twice or three times more susceptible to be infected with the coronavirus, noting that medical analysis shows that smoking reduces the immune response to the virus. If we are to compare the airways to high walls that protect a castle, then smoking is like making holes in these walls, he added.

Moreover, the World Health Organization stated, Tobacco use may increase the risk of suffering from serious symptoms due to COVID-19 illness. Early research indicates that, compared to non-smokers, having a history of smoking may substantially increase the chance of adverse health outcomes for COVID-19 patients, including being admitted to intensive care, requiring mechanical ventilation and suffering severe health consequences.

It continued, Smoking is already known to be a risk factor for many other respiratory infections, including colds, influenza, pneumonia and tuberculosis. The effects of smoking on the respiratory system makes it more likely that smokers contract these diseases, which could be more severe. Smoking is also associated with increased development of acute respiratory distress syndrome, a key complication for severe cases of COVID-19, among people with severe respiratory infections."

A 2019 statistical study by the Cairo Center for Economic Studies and Alastaratejah showed that Egypt was among the top 10 countries whose population smokes all kinds of tobacco, with daily consumption of 280 million cigarettes in 2017-18. According to the statistics, Egyptians consumed 83 billion cigarettes in 2017-18, at a cost of 73 billion pounds ($4.6 billion), while the consumption of muassel reached 50,000 tons a year, costing 3 billion pounds ($191 million).
A health worker checks the body temperature of a woman as a precaution against the coronavirus before allowing her to participate in a COVID-19 vaccine delivery system trial in New Delhi. (Image: AP)




The Head of State emphasized that only male judges have held such position since 1825, when Manuel Lorenzo de Vidaurre was appointed as the first Chairman of the Supreme Court.





"Today, for the first time, the presidency is held by a woman, the first chairwoman ," the President expressed.





"With this hopeful news, the country has started to see a change and a trend in gender justice is being consolidated. This is an excellent way to kick off the bicentennial year of Peru's independence," he added.





Additionally, he noted that, following the election of Barrios as head of the Judiciary, women have the majority in the Council of State for the first time.





Other female members include Congress Chairwoman Mirtha Vasquez, Constitutional Court Chairwoman Marianella Ledesma, Attorney General Zoraida Avalos, and Prime Minister Violeta Bermudez.





"That is extremely significant," President Sagasti underlined.





The Peruvian leader underscored that Barrios has extensive experience in the defense of human rights, the fight against corruption, and the defense of democratic value, adding that she has always been identified with the far-from-easy task of bringing justice closest to citizens.





(END) VVS/RMB

Peruvian President Francisco Sagasti on Monday affirmed that Elvia Barrios' assumption of duties as head of the Judicial Branch constitutes a historic event for the country and a good start of the Bicentennial year.Published: 1/4/2021
Kandi Burruss has been open about her support for the Black Lives Matter movement in the past.

And the Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member celebrated her co-star Porsha Williams' activism in a recent episode.

She wore black in honor of Breonna Taylor, as she joined pal Cynthia Bailey at the surprise party, taking to Instagram Sunday with some photos from the event, which took place over the summer.

Say her name: Kandi Burruss wore black in honor of Breonna Taylor, as she joined pal Cynthia Bailey at the surprise party, taking to Instagram Sunday with some photos from the event, which took place over the summer

The 44-year-old donned a '70s chic sleeveless jumpsuit, as she raised a Black Power fist for a photo op at the intimate gathering.

She captioned the post: 'I love that @lodwill put together a beautiful event to recognize @porsha4real for all her efforts to keep #BreonnaTaylors name uplifted.

'I especially loved the board that they had up with all the names & pictures of black people who had been killed by police in the US. Swipe left to see it & zoom in to read the names. #SayThereNames'

The party came amid nationwide protests over the unjust police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Black Lives Matter: The 44-year-old donned a '70s chic sleeveless jumpsuit, as she raised a Black Power fist for a photo op at the intimate gathering

Paying tribute: She captioned the post: 'I love that @lodwill put together a beautiful event to recognize @porsha4real for all her efforts to keep #BreonnaTaylors name uplifted'

The talk: Burruss opened up about her experience as a Black mother, after her son Ace, four, asked her: 'So, the police are the bad guys?'

Emotional: She told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live back in June: 'Now, isn't that crazy to have to explain that to a four-year-old? For you to be Black and have to worry about the police being the bad guys? I know yall say I cry all the time, but that's an emotional thing for me'

Burruss opened up about her experience as a Black mother, after her son Ace, four, asked her: 'So, the police are the bad guys?'

She told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live back in June: 'Now, isn't that crazy to have to explain that to a four-year-old?

'For you to be Black and have to worry about the police being the bad guys? I know yall say I cry all the time, but that's an emotional thing for me.'

Bailey, 53, also took to Instagram with a photo of her black ensemble from the event, writing: 'Proud Moment!'

Back in black: Bailey, 53, also took to Instagram with a photo of her black ensemble from the event, writing: 'Proud Moment!'

Systemic racism: The party came amid nationwide protests over the unjust police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor

Show of support: Filmed during the summer, it was a show of support for Williams, 39, who got arrested multiple times while protesting

Filmed during the summer, the event was a show of support for Williams, 39, who got arrested multiple times while protesting.

She told ET Online last month: 'I don't regret any of it. I don't regret one hour in jail, because our whole thing was to make sure that Breonna Taylor's name stayed in the forefront, and that people understood what was happening in Kentucky, and what their [Attorney General] wasn't doing and how the system had failed her family.'

Williams added of reliving these moments on the show: 'It's gonna be a very powerful piece of my story that I'm glad that they added in, because you need to see what we're going through.

'I mean, we're going through [the COVID-19] pandemic, but we're also going through another pandemic where we're being killed in the street. And that's something that's very real and it was very much the forefront, that was -- and still is -- the forefront of my life and what I'm focused on, and what I want to come to an end.'
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 21:02:24|Editor: huaxia

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JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- South African Police Service (SAPS) on Monday said they arrested three suspects who tried to smuggle gold weighing 73.5 kg worth R61 million (4.2 million U.S. dollars).

The police said the trio were arrested with gold as well as foreign currency in their hand luggage at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport international arrival terminals.

"The trio had just flown into South Africa from Madagascar and was en-route to Dubai via Ethiopia last week when they were apprehended. Upon questioning of the suspects and further inspection of their hand luggage, officials discovered the gold bars and some foreign currency," said police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe.

She said the gold bars and foreign currency of an undisclosed amount have been seized for further investigation.

The matter has been taken over by the SAPS organized crime unit for criminal investigations. The SAPS has been liaising with Interpol and authorities from various countries to determine the legitimacy of the certification papers provided by the three suspects. Enditem
New Delhi, Jan 4 : As the face-off between the farmers and government over new farm laws await a breakthrough, the onslaught of biting cold wave accompanied by thunderstorms and rain over the past days, have forced a vast populace awaiting at the Delhi border to innovate ways and means to survive the crisis.

At the Singhu border, adjoining Haryana, a Punjab-based farmer has turned his container truck into a makeshift home. There are others who have made makeshift gyms, libraries and community centres.

Harpreet Singh Mattu, the farmer from Jalandhar, who is part of the farmers unrest that has entered Day 40, has equipped his container truck with all kinds of basic amenities.

Image Source: IANS News

Mattu told IANS that it took him two days to build the temporary accommodation. He has also been serving 'langar seva' at the border since December 2, 2020.

The makeshift home is equipped with every facility you want in a normal functioning home. It has a TV and even a functional toilet along with mobile charging points, a bed and a few sofas.

Mattu told IANS: "I came here at the Singhu border on December 2 last year and since then started a 'langar seva' for the farmers who have been continuing with the protest till date." "On December 8, I turned my truck into a temporary accommodation, for which I have sought assistance from my colleagues," said the Jalandhar-based farmer.

"There are 12 other trucks owned by me which are busy serving other protesting farmers by providing them blankets to protect them from the biting cold."

Image Source: IANS News

-- Syndicated from IANS
A kind-hearted doctor erased $650,000 worth of debt for 200 of his cancer patients after he realized they were unable to pay when he closed his clinic.

Dr. Omar Atiq, founder of The Arkansas Cancer Clinic in Pine Bluff, had been operating on patients for close to 30 years before he was forced to close in March as a result of staff shortages.

The oncologist decided to send a Christmas card to former patients informing them that their outstanding balances had been wiped, ABC News reports.

When he shut down the clinic, which he opened in 1991, he worked with a billing company RMC of America to try and collect outstanding bills from patients for several months.

But, after struggling to recover the funds, he decided to stop trying and realized there were people who would never be able to pay.

Dr. Omar Atiq (pictured with his wife, centre) decided to wipe the outstanding debt of 200 patients, totalling $650,000, after spending months trying to collect it

The kind-hearted oncologist wrote Christmas cards to his former patients informing them that he was writing off their outstanding bills

The father of four, who is now working as a professor at the University of Arkansas, told Good Morning America: 'My wife and I, as a family, we thought about it and looked at forgiving all the debt.

'We saw that we could do it and then just went ahead and did it.'

Just before Christmas around 200 former patients, whose collective debt amounted to $650,000, received a card in the post telling them the good news.

KARK4 News reporter Hunter Hoagland shared a picture of the card on Twitter which reads: 'I hope this note finds you well. The Arkansas Cancer Clinic was proud to serve you as a patient.

'Although various health insurances pay most of the bills for majority of patients, even the deductibles and co-pays can be burdensome.

'Unfortunately, that is the way our health care system currently works. Arkansas Cancer Clinic is closing its practice after over 29 years of dedicated service to the community.

The doctor was forced to close his cancer clinic, which he set up in 1991, in March due to staff shortages and as since taken up a new role as a professor at the University of Arkansas

'The clinic has decided to forego all balances owed to the clinic by its patients. Happy Holidays.'

He said since be began practicing medicine he had felt uncomfortable that people who were sick were forced to worry about money as well as their wellbeing.

After being hit by the coronavirus pandemic himself and seeing how it had devastated families across the US he said he was thankful that he could do something to help others.

The president of RMC of America Bea Cheesman said: 'Dr. Atiq is a very caring individual and hes always been extremely easy to work with as a client.

Dr. Atiq said he hopes his kind gesture makes people's lives a 'little bit easier' this year. Pictured: Dr. Atiq, second from left, with his wife and their four children - all of which are doctors or studying to become doctors

'I think personally that its just a wonderful thing that he and his family did in forgiving this debt because the people with oncology bills do have more challenges than the bulk of the population.'

Mr Atiq, whose four children are doctors or studying to become doctors, made it his mission to ensure no patients were ever turned away from his clinic because they couldn't afford the treatment.

It provided a range of treatments including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and diagnostics, Arkansas Online reports.

He said he hopes his gesture will help make the lives of his former patients a 'little bit easier'.
A police sergeant raped a woman during his lunch break and then returned to work, a court was told.

Derek Seekings, 66, who is now retired, went round to the home of the woman while he was on duty.

He approached the woman, who was in an upstairs bedroom, and allegedly pushed her down on the bed and raped her.

The sergeant, an officer with Surrey Police, then left the house and went back to work as if nothing had happened, the court was told.

On a second occasion it is alleged that he raped the same woman once again and when she protested he replied: 'Just let me finish.'

Seekings has gone on trial at Brighton Crown Court charged with two counts of historical rape on the same woman between 1994 and 2000.

Smartly dressed in a suit and tie, the grey bearded, retired officer from Farnborough, Hampshire, denies both charges of rape.

Retired Surrey policeman Derek Seekings (right) arrives at Brighton Crown court at the start of his trial on multiple rape charges today

Jennifer Gray, prosecuting, told the jury both rapes happened without warning during a six year period.

She said at the time of the attacks Seekings was working as a custody sergeant with Surrey Police.

During one lunch break he went round to the home of the woman and pushed her onto a bed.

She said: 'Despite the fact she made it clear she did not want to have sex with him he carried on.

'He had sex with her without her consent. She was still very clearly upset and distressed.'

On a second occasion he is alleged to have raped the woman despite the fact she protested and attempted to get him to stop.

Seekings pictured arriving at Guildford magistrates court in August 2019

Seekings retired from the force in 2005. He was arrested and charged with rape after the woman made claims of historical rape against him.

The jury was played a video of a police interview with the victim who spoke about the horrific attacks.

During the interview the woman said Seekings went round to her house during a lunch break and pushed her back on the bed.

'I remember being pushed back on the bed. He was wearing his uniform. He had sex with me.'

Retired Surrey policeman Seekings arrives at Brighton Crown court at the start of his trial on multiple rape charges today

Retired Surrey policeman Derek Seekings (right) arrives at Brighton Crown court at the start of his trial on multiple rape charges today

She said she did not respond to his advances, didn't say anything and didn't make a sound or move during the attack.

The court heard that to distract herself she began to recite her seven times table in her head.

She said: 'I didn't want sex and I made that really clear. I didn't move, I was very still. He got dressed again and he went back to work.'

The alleged victim said on the second occasion she tried to push him off but he continued and told her: 'Just let me finish.'

She told the police interviewer: 'He went into the bathroom. I could hear him heaving, I don't know why.'

The trial continues.
The 20-trillion economic package announced by the Centre last year to offset the impact of covid-19 is expected to come under scrutiny, with members of the governments think-tank NITI Aayog set to brief a parliamentary panel later this week, said three people aware of the development.

The parliamentary standing committee on finance will examine the long-term impact of the pandemic on the economy in its first such meeting on Wednesday. A report would be presented to the members during the meeting titled long term impact of covid-19 pandemic on the global economy, trade flows and financial markets". This will be followed by a discussion on the pandemics impact on major economies worldwide.

Also Read | A year on, China is shaking up the world

The agenda of the meeting is not limited to the Indian economy. It will be a broad-based discussion about the impact of covid-19 on India and other major economies around the world. We are expecting a detailed presentation on the impact of covid-19 in some of the important sectors of the Indian economy while comparing it with global impact on the sector," said one of the people mentioned above.

The handling of the pandemic has been a key bone of contention, with several opposition parties flagging that the Centre has not done enough to help the poor and small and medium enterprises during this crisis.

The idea is to discuss the long-term impact that the pandemic has had on trade flows, financial markets and the economy in general. Anecdotally, we know that almost all sectors have been affected but we expect officials to give us some statistics on what the progress is in terms of the revival of the economy in the past few months," said the second person cited above, requesting anonymity.

Opposition parties are gearing up to push for their demand for direct cash transfers in the bank accounts of the financially weaker sections. The strict lockdown imposed in March triggered large-scale migration of workers and labourers with more than 7 million people travelling to their villages in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

A stimulus for the poor, or some kind of direct cash transfer in their bank accounts has been a long-standing demand of opposition parties. This demand was raised by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi several times. Opposition members would like to know why this demand was not met and also how the package announced by the Union government has transformed the lives of the poor and marginalized," the third person mentioned above said. Senior opposition leaders are keen to understand the unemployment caused by covid-19.





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Zulekha Hospital has introduced Zulekha Home Care in UAE, ensuring access to high quality healthcare from the comfort of ones home now.

The Home Care Services will cover visits by doctors & nurses, physiotherapy, investigations, medication management and medical equipment rentals. The introduction of Zulekha Home Care services bridges the virtual care gap by integrating physician-led telemedicine, followed by hands-on care from skilled clinicians and nursing professionals, improving patient outcomes and empowering all including the young and aged.

The current pandemic has placed additional stress on health systems whereby patients are avoiding clinics, delaying preventative and critical care, and facing financial strains in managing their health needs.

The hospitals Home Care service places patients back at the centre of care and is going the extra mile to make healthcare affordable and easily accessible.

Managing Director Taher Shams said: The pandemic has opened up more convenient avenues for patients, which are cost effective and time saving. Listening to our patrons needs and ensuring we are available anytime, anywhere is our intent. At the same time patients using our services after critical procedures, deliveries, extended treatments for chronic diseases etc. are able to access trusted medical expertise from the safety of their homes, ultimately resulting in better patient outcomes.

Individuals can call or WhatsApp message to book appointments for Home Care services from Zulekha Hospitals regular toll free number 600524442.

Appointments can be booked on the website as well. A Home Care team assesses the need of the patient and then proceeds to assist the patient with the requested services. -- Tradearabia News Service
EDITORS NOTE: This is the third of a three-part series in the Intelligencer examining how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the music business in Madison County.

EDWARDSVILLE  Music helped Rec Riddles get through 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic was never far from his mind.

Ive had three deaths in my family due to coronavirus, including my godfather, my aunt and my great-aunt, said Riddles, a Glen Carbon resident who is one of the most popular hip-hop artists in St. Louis. It touched home for me, but luckily it hasnt affected my immediate family, like my brother and my parents.

In the Edwardsville-Glen Carbon area, a lot of people have lost family members. Its a scary time, but hopefully, people can stay strong. This is a time for people to come together and bond and cherish the things that are most important.

The pandemic has also brought changes for the five members of Haze Bond, an Edwardsville-based rock band that released its first full-length album in September 2019.

The band, which consists of Chris Rieger (lead guitar), Eric Bearcat Toring (bass), Dallas Wesley (vocals, guitar), Aaron Kalina (drums) and Scott Yarnik (keyboards), saw its touring schedule drastically cut by the coronavirus.

In 2019, we did a tour and we had released a music video (for Angels in Disguise, one of the songs on the debut album), Kalina said. We had a great time playing some shows in North Dakota and then the coronavirus hit.

We were planning on doing a second tour for this year, but we ixnayed that immediately. There were a couple of festivals we had booked, but those were canceled as well.

Since its formation in 2017, Haze Bond has built a strong local following through its live shows.

Plans for many of those shows were scrapped for 2020, but the band did get to play a handful of live dates.

There were a couple of festivals that bucked up and got really responsible and they made it happen, Kalina said. We played at Framily Fest (in Effingham) and Bushfest (in Cottage Hills) and we did the Fourth of July at the Oyster Bar in Grafton.

We had a few other shows in the spring, the summer and the fall, but I dont think we played any indoor shows. As long as the weather permitted and people were responsible and the legislation let people get together, we did our best to play. Some of these shows were booked six or eight months in advance and we held up our end of the bargain.

Riddles, meanwhile, has stayed busy during the pandemic by creating new music.

In 2020, Riddles released six albums, including his latest, The Diary of Nobody, on Dec. 18.

Lyrically, Riddles tries to be topical, and that was especially the case for the title track of The Plague, which was released on July 3.

I wrote and recorded that song when things really started to kick up and get bad, when the death toll was getting astronomical, said Riddles, a New Jersey native who moved from Newark to Glen Carbon with his wife, Kristen, in August 2014. We had the stay-at-home order and I was inspired to write that song and that entire project as well.

I tried to share some hope but also to be realistic as far as how bad this thing could really get. Im 31 and Ive never experienced anything like this. It really shook up my generation as far as where the world is going to head after this.

Likewise, the pandemic has affected the musical direction for Haze Bond as it writes new material.

The band plans to record a new song, Syndrome, and will release another new song, Higher Place, on Feb. 1.

Work on the next Haze Bond album is about 75 percent complete, and the band is also working on an acoustic EP.

I think our overall direction has been on the darker side, Wesley said. There is an overarching cloud over everybody, and a lot of our music is representative of that. There are songs about things that may be hard to talk about.

On the first album, there is some light and there is some dark, but weve leaned into the dark a little more on the new songs, Kalina added. About four or five months before the pandemic hit, our guitar player Chris wrote a song called Syndrome, which is kind of a metaphor for being sick.

The chorus says, Im sick, but youre bittersweet, which is like I cant keep away from you even though Im sick. Then the pandemic hit, and we thought how weirdly relevant those words are.

For Riddles, the coronavirus was one of many lyrical topics he addressed during a tumultuous 2020.

With it being an election year and a pandemic and what happened in Minneapolis with (the death of) George Floyd and people reacting to police brutality, it gave me time to reflect and be inspired for all of the music that I have been putting out, Riddles said. I didnt want to leave any stone unturned.

What I want to do with my music, especially this year, is to create conversations and shed light on things that might be uncomfortable for some people to talk about.

While Riddles enjoys the creative process in the studio, he misses his connection with a live audience.

The pandemic forced Riddles to cancel three tours, which would have taken him over a good portion of the U.S.

I was heading to the East Coast, mainly the Northeast, and I canceled that tour, said Riddles, who also had several shows canceled in the St. Louis area. I was going to tour with a fellow rapper from Baton Rouge (Louisiana) by the name of Marcel P. Black, and we were going to tour extensively throughout the Midwest in early April.

The third tour I had to cancel was a West Coast leg, where I was going to start in San Diego and work my way up to Seattle, and it was about 15 shows that I had to cancel.

As with Riddles, Haze Bond enters the new year uncertain when it will be able to resume playing live shows.

For now, the band has no dates on its itinerary for 2021.

Nobody is even booking for next year, Kalina said. There are a couple of different paths going on right now with the virus and politics, so things could be very different in six months. Were just taking the time to double down on the creative process.

Even our practices have been affected. Band practice on Thursdays used to be a party, but now its just us. There has been a good silver lining for musicians like us because all of us have had way more time to practice and listen to music and get into our music.

The members of Haze Bond all have full-time jobs, which have brought in some much-needed revenue with live shows currently on hold.

I think many of us have been pretty lucky through the pandemic because weve kept our jobs and kept working, Yarnik said. Even with everything being weird, were all responsible at work, and then we meet up and we have our time to breathe and write our music.

For Wesley, the work/music dynamic has been a little more complicated, and now he is concerned that he might have the virus.

Im a hairdresser and we were put on furlough for three months, Wesley said. Now were down to 25 percent capacity at our salon, so I went from working 38 to 40 hours five days a week to 18 hours three days a week.

I had to quarantine from work when I found out my roommate was positive for coronavirus last week. I tested negative on Tuesday, but I lost my (sense of) taste and smell (Tuesday) night and I had the shivers and body aches.

Staying healthy is a constant concern as well for Riddles, who turns to music, family and friends to keep a positive outlook.

Like everyone else, Im trying to figure this out one day at a time, but I think we can get through this together, Riddles said. Hopefully, our officials and our government can figure it out sooner rather than later.
An inflatable Christmas costume is now the probable cause of dozens of coronavirus infections plaguing the staff of Kaiser Permanente San Jose Emergency Department.

Inflatable Christmas Costume Possible Cuplrit of COVID-19 Outbreak

According to officials of the medical facility, 43 staff members have tested positive within the past week.

Senior Vice President and area manager of Kaiser's San Jose Medical Center, Irene Chavez, shared in her written response to the questions sent to them that a staff member did appear briefly in the emergency department on December 25 wearing an air-powered costume, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.

She also added that any exposure when it happened would have been completely innocent, and quite accidental as the said person had no symptoms of coronavirus and only sought to lift the spirits of those around them during what is a very stressful time.

According to Newsweek, Chavez also mentioned that the department also included technicians, assistants, nursing, physicians, and those who are confirmed or suspected of having a coronavirus infection will follow protocols regarding isolation.

The Senior Vice President and area manager of Kaiser's San Jose Medical Center also stated that the Emergency Department is undergoing deep cleaning while their officials are conducting contact tracing.

In addition, Chavez also shared that all of their health care workers will be offered weekly testings for coronavirus and expedited testing for anyone with symptoms or even an exposure to a person with coronavirus.

Moreover, Chavez emphasized that masks are required in all areas as they are re-configuring their processes and common spaces, such as staff break rooms, in order to put limitations on any staff gatherings.

She also mentioned that the likes of the air-powered costumes will no longer be allowed in the facility.

Read also: Report: Another Increase in COVID-19 Infections Could Completely Damage the US Healthcare System

Chavez stated that they are currently taking steps in reinforcing safety precautions regarding their staff, which includes no gathering in break rooms, sharing of food or beverages, wearing masks of all times, and physical distancing, ABC News reported.

Despite the fact that close to 40,000 health care workers of Kaiser in Northern portion of California have received coronavrus vaccinations in order to help control the pandemic, Chavez shared that as of the moment, it is still not clear whether any of those affected by the said outbreak in their facility were among those who got vaccinated.

She mentioned that the health and safety of their patients, physicians, and employees are their highest priority and they were grateful on their nurses, employees, and physicians for their dedication in order to provide excellent and compassionate care every day.

The Emergency Department and the San Jose Medical Center will remain open as they were adding staff in place in order to cater the increasing cases of coronavirus in the Emergency room and the hospital, Chavez added.

The said outbreak is only a portion of a statewide surge in COVID-19 cases, as the intensive care capacity dipped to 5.1% in the Bay Area on Saturday.

In the county of Santa Clara, as of January 1, 682 patients were already hospitalized which more than twice the 293 patients reported a month ago.

Even ambulances in the county have been affected due to the surge of cases which caused delays in accepting process of patients.

Related article: New UK COVID-19 Mutation Detected in Colorado, Severity of Contagiousness not Determine

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion, Josepha Madigan TD today announced the publication of the evaluation report for the new In-School and Early Years Therapy Support Demonstration Project.

The purpose of the innovative project was to test a model of therapy supports within schools, by providing speech and language and occupational therapy services in 75 schools and 75 early years learning centres over the course of the 2018/19 school year. It took place in the Health Service Executive (HSE) Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO) 7 Region of South West Dublin, Kildare and West Wicklow. The project will now be expanded more widely in 2021.

This pilot complemented existing HSE-funded provision of essential therapy services.

The evaluation has found that there have been a number of very positive impacts for children and schools arising from the demonstration project, including:

Therapy supports established in schools and early learning centres serving more than more than 27,678 children.

established in schools and early learning centres serving more than more than 27,678 children. Training for over 1,155 educators including teachers, SNAs, managers and principals received through attendance at 75 separate education events during the first year of the project.

received through attendance at 75 separate education events during the first year of the project. 143 programmes delivered focused on engaging and supporting parents and other caregivers.

delivered focused on engaging and supporting parents and other caregivers. 1,736 occupational therapy and speech and language therapy interventions designed and implemented across participating schools.

designed and implemented across participating schools. 1248 (71 per cent) therapy interventions focused on providing universal therapy supports that would facilitate school participation for all children.

focused on providing universal therapy supports that would facilitate school participation for all children. Over 280 individualised supports and one-to-one interventions provided by therapists to children identified across all of the 150 participating schools (16 per cent of all interventions). This included 167 one-to-one therapy interventions for individual children within their schools or ELCs.

Welcoming the publication of the evaluation report Minister Madigan said: This is the first step in an important reform of our special education system that will see therapy supports provided in school settings.

It is important that we continue to develop and expand the range of supports that we can provide for children with special educational need in schools. This includes increasing the kind of interactions between educational and therapy services which can significantly impact on childrens development and education.

Providing early access to speech and language therapy or occupational therapy services can make a vitaldifference to childrens future opportunities.

I am committed to promoting and supporting the development of inclusion in education. This includes creating stronger linkages between parents, teachers and speech and language therapists.

In Budget 2021, I have secured increased investment in special educational services, with approximately 2 billion, or some 20 per cent of the Department of Educations budget due to be spent on special educational supports next year.

In addition to recruiting more special education teachers and special needs assistants we are also seeking to expand the extent and the kind of supports that can be provided for children in schools, to ensure that additional necessary supports such as therapy services, behavioural support, or nursing services can also be provided for children who need them in school.

I was very pleased be able to announce, as part of the 2021 Budget measures, that funding is being made available next year to extend the School Inclusion Model (SIM) to two other pilot areas in 2021. This evaluation demonstrates the potential that delivering in-school therapy supports has for improving outcomes for students and will assist us in developing and extending the services to other areas.

This project was developed by the Departments of Education, Health, Children, Equality, Disability Integration and Youth, and the Health Service Executive and was co-ordinated by the National Council for Special Education.

This evaluation was commissioned by the National Council for Special Education, and carried out by a team from University College Cork and Mary Immaculate College Limerick.

This evaluation report is being published today and will be available at https://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Demo-project-evaluation-fInal-for-web-upload.pdf

ENDS

Evaluation Report Outcomes:

An innovative tiered model of therapy support was developed within a tight timeframe by the project team.

This model of support was established in all participating settings, allowing for the delivery of speech and language, and occupational therapy support services to 150 schools and early learning centre (ELC) settings.

The project was successful in its aim to implement an in-school continuum of therapy supports in 150 schools and ELCs, serving more than 27,678 children.

During the first year of the project, over 1,155 educators including teachers, SNAs, managers and principals received training through attendance at 75 separate education events.

1,736 occupational therapy and speech and language therapy interventions were designed and implemented across participating ELC settings (897), primary schools, post-primary schools, special schools (839 across all three setting types).

Of the total number of therapy interventions, 1248 (71 per cent) were focused on providing universal therapy supports that would facilitate school participation for all children (Tier 1 interventions). These included 169 staff training and continued professional development interventions, and 123 whole-class inclusion initiatives.

Project teams delivered 143 programmes focused on engaging and supporting parents and other caregivers.

Therapists also delivered over 280 (16 per cent of all interventions) individualised supports and one-to-one interventions to children identified across all of the 150 participating settings (Tier 3 interventions). This included 167 one-to-one therapy interventions for individual children within their schools or ELCs.

The provision of therapy services continued in the pilot area as part of a wider pilot of a School Inclusion Model, over the course of the 2019/20, prior to school closures. This will continue into the current 2020/21 school year. However, the evaluation which is being published today relates to the demonstration project for therapy services only, which took place in 2018/19.
Turkish Bayraktar strike drones to be purchased for Ukrainian Navy in 2021

In December 2020, Ukraine and Turkey signed a technology transfer deal for the production of the ADA-type corvettes and Bayraktar strike drones.

Reporting by UNIAN

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Apple Inc. supplier Foxconn Technology Group is in talks to invest in embattled Chinese electric-vehicle startup Byton Ltd in a deal that could mark a large bet by the iPhone assembler on the car-making business, according to people familiar with the matter.

Foxconn, whose main listed arm is Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., plans to invest around $200 million and the companies aim to start mass production of the Byton M-Byte by the first quarter of 2022, one of the people said, declining to be named discussing information that isnt yet public. An announcement on the pact could come as early as Monday, the people said.

Such a deal, if it eventuates, would represent a lifeline for Byton, which is struggling to produce its first vehicle having unveiled its M-Byte concept car several years ago. Foxconn, based in Taiwan, is also talking to other Chinese electric-car makers on potential collaborations, another person said.

Foxconn representatives didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. Byton declined to comment.

Tech companies are increasingly pouring money into developing next-generation cars, including all-electric vehicles and the smart technologies that go with them like autonomous driving and car-to-car communication systems. Foxconn is the single most important production partner for Apple, which is reportedly considering developing a self-driving car of its own. Foxconn is also seeking to diversify a business that depends on the US smartphone giant for half its revenue.

In early 2020, Hon Hai announced a plan to form a joint venture with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV to develop and make electric vehicles in China, though it wont be involved in any assembly itself. In October, the Taiwanese company unveiled its first electric-vehicle chassis as well as an open software platform thats aimed at helping EV makers deliver models to the market faster. It will start shipping its first developer kit in April. The Foxconn group has been supplying parts to other major carmakers including Tesla Inc.

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On the surface, it might seem that Joe Biden is king of the world  assuming that the Electoral College names him president as expected by most. Putatively receiving more votes than any other man in the history of the world, with an ebullient political party about to assume near complete control of the House and maybe the Senate, it would seem that Lady Luck has been very, very kind to old Joe.

But, as the saying goes, those whom the gods would destroy they first make proud. Let's take a moment and analyze how Joe's situation is actually a terrible one.

First, and most obviously, he will be dogged by allegations of electoral fraud. Whether they are true or not, the perception of illegitimacy will begin to erode his authority from day one. Even if they aren't true, or simply can't be proven to criminal justice standards, the general air of election theft will taint his every proclamation. The constant drip of further reporting about what exactly happened on Election Night will encircle him like a poisonous mist, sapping his will and energy precisely when he needs to be vigorously cracking the whip across all the federal agencies.

Even a human dynamo like Donald Trump found his energies greatly dissipated by the bureaucratic processes of official Washington. If that bureaucracy chooses to resist anything Joe wants to do, Joe will find that his power ends at the Oval Office door. Expect the Pentagon to be one of the worst offenders in delaying obeying orders its people don't like, but I imagine that every agency will adopt a "slow roll" strategy in implementing at least parts of Joe's executive vision.

And if the fraud allegations are true, his position gets even worse. Somebody out there in the swamp was able to coordinate a coherent election theft across multiple states and cities. This person owns Joe and will not let him forget it.

Second, Joe's physical and mental health is in decline. It's not unusual for presidents to age rapidly, but Joe is sick going in. The stress of the presidency will come as near to killing him as humanly possible, I fancy. His chief of staff will be one of the most powerful people in the world, handling issues that the president is too ill or tired or confused to address.

Third, he's surrounded by horrible people. His wife and the vice president will engage in some of the most vicious backroom power struggles ever witnessed. It will be no holds barred, with "Dr." Jill vehemently preventing him from resigning while Kamala circles and provokes. White House staffers will be leaking the sordid details to media friends. Meanwhile, his Cabinet selections, chosen more to look diverse rather than for their experience, will not perform well. The burden of trying to achieve any policy goals in this climate would test the will of Alexander the Great. Imagine what it will do to poor old Joe.

Fourth, he's got former presidents out the wazoo. Trump won't be going away  he will likely be a thorn in Joe's side (and the establishment) for years to come. And President Obama will always be lurking in the media, tut-tutting Joe's every decision that doesn't align with his vision. Even Jimmy Carter can be relied upon to annoy a sitting president of whatever party. And Joe doesn't respond well to criticism.

Fifth, Joe himself is actually a pretty nasty man. He's mean to critics, is arrogant, and has a long history of behavioral improprieties that will continue to leak out. The pressure will eventually make him erupt in public. Even a compliant media won't be able to cover it up completely. The picture of the president screaming abuse at, say, U.S. service members will last longer than his term. The executive culture he will create will be septic, creating a raft of leakers and traitors across the entire government.

Sixth, the Democrats' buyer's remorse starts day one. Joe has already had to gently suggest that student loan forgiveness isn't going to happen. The voters who actually did turn out for him are going to lose enthusiasm as policy promises vanish into the wind. The sense that Joe shouldn't have won the Democratic primary at all will cause fissures in his own party's unity. While many voters have been gaslighted as to the bizarre process that elevated this man to head his party's ticket, the reality is that not many Democrats had him as their first choice. Eventually, the party faithful will sit bolt upright in the middle of the night and say, "Dear God, what have we done?"

Finally, the rest of the world isn't going away. No matter how well intentioned "multilateralism" is, or how generous Joe's nature is, the geopolitical realities of this world will not change. China will no doubt press on Taiwan, knowing that it will never have a better chance than after January 21 to achieve its strategic goal. The Russians will nod, and smile, and do whatever they want in Syria and the Caucasus, forcing old Joe to make hard decisions about U.S. troop deployments. If the Iranians don't get what they want in terms of sanctions relief, expect them to kill U.S. troops, either directly or through proxies  giving the Pentagon all the cause in the world to press for expanded troop commitments to the Middle East.

Yes, a new year has dawned. Have a sip of something delicious; hold your loved ones close; and be very, very grateful you are not Joe Biden.

Caricature by Donkey Hotey, CC BY 2.0 license.

BOSTON, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ajuma Technologies, Ltd. has announced their plans to launch in early 2021. Ajuma Technologies is reinventing how West Africans work by putting small businesses and self-employed workers at the center of the experience. Their mobile app, Ajuma, is a platform that combines a service marketplace and a business management/booking platform into a single app. It was built specifically with West Africa's numerous small businesses and freelancers in mind.

Ajuma Wallet and Debit Card Ajuma Service Provider

The interface is similar to a hybrid of QuickBooks and TaskRabbit. When someone needs a service, they can create a post on the Ajuma marketplace. Local businesses in that category are notified and can bid on the job. When a customer receives a bid, they can review the provider's profile and accept whichever quote they prefer. A contract is created and payment is held by Ajuma until both parties agree that the job is complete. Once finished, the service provider has access to their funds via the Ajuma mobile wallet or Mobile Money.

The app will allow users to track their income and expenses, get business reviews, create invoices, accept payments, and spend their money on virtual debit cards. "West Africa has about an 80% self-employment rate and very mobile-focused economies. There is no question that West Africa is ready for a revolution in the way people work," said Daniel Heinen, co-founder of Ajuma Technologies.

The company has bigger plans than just a mobile app. Sydney Vandyck, co-founder, said: "This company is geared towards making a difference in the lives of people of colour. When it comes to Africa, the continent has been disenfranchised for far too long."

About Ajuma Technologies

Ajuma Technologies is a Ghanaian and American tech startup founded by Sydney Vandyck and Daniel Heinen based in Boston, MA and Accra, Ghana. Ajuma is a job marketplace and business app for freelancers and small businesses in West Africa. With Ajuma, service based businesses can manage bookings, income, and savings, as well as bid on local jobs. The app has a built-in payment and invoicing system, as well as a mobile wallet and debit card. Learn more at ajuma.app

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Daniel Heinen at +1 (978) 483-0058 or [email protected].

SOURCE Ajuma Technologies, Ltd.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump urged fellow Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, to "find" enough votes to overturn his defeat in an extraordinary one-hour phone call Saturday that legal scholars described as a flagrant abuse of power and a potential criminal act.

The Washington Post obtained a recording of the conversation in which Trump alternately berated Raffensperger, tried to flatter him, begged him to act and threatened him with vague criminal consequences if the secretary of state refused to pursue Trump's false claims, at one point warning that Raffensperger was taking "a big risk."

Throughout the call, Raffensperger and his office's general counsel rejected Trump's assertions, explaining that the president is relying on debunked conspiracy theories and that President-elect Joe Biden's 11,779-vote victory in Georgia was fair and accurate.

Trump dismissed their arguments.

"The people of Georgia are angry, the people in the country are angry," he said. "And there's nothing wrong with saying, you know, that you've recalculated."

Raffensperger responded: "Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong."

At another point, Trump said: "So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state."

He later added: "So what are we going to do here, folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break."

The rambling and at times incoherent conversation offered a remarkable glimpse of how consumed and desperate the president remains about his loss, unwilling or unable to let the matter go and still asserting that he can reverse the results in enough battleground states to remain in office.

"There's no way I lost Georgia," Trump said, a phrase he repeated again and again on the call. "There's no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes."

Several of his allies were on the line as he spoke, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and conservative lawyer Cleta Mitchell, a prominent GOP attorney whose involvement with Trump's efforts had not been previously known.

In a statement, Mitchell said Raffensperger's office "has made many statements over the past two months that are simply not correct and everyone involved with the efforts on behalf of the President's election challenge has said the same thing: Show us your records on which you rely to make these statements that our numbers are wrong."

The White House, the Trump campaign and Meadows did not respond to a request for comment.

Raffensperger's office declined to comment.

On Sunday, Trump tweeted that he had spoken to Raffensperger, saying the secretary of state was "unwilling, or unable, to answer questions such as the 'ballots under table' scam, ballot destruction, out of state 'voters,' dead voters, and more. He has no clue!"

Raffensperger responded with his own tweet: "Respectfully, President Trump: What you're saying is not true."

The details of the call drew demands from top Democrats for criminal investigations. Campaigning in Georgia, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris called Trump's conversation a "bald-faced, bold abuse of power by the president of the United States."

Biden's top campaign lawyer, Bob Bauer, said the recording "captures the whole, disgraceful story about Donald Trump's assault on American democracy."

Republicans, however, were largely silent. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, when asked about the call while campaigning in Georgia on Sunday for the two GOP senators who face a run-off Tuesday, dodged the question completely.

Trump's pressure campaign on Raffensperger is the latest example of his attempt to subvert the outcome of the Nov. 3 election through personal outreach to state Republican officials. He previously invited Michigan Republican state leaders to the White House, pressured Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in a call to try to replace that state's electors and asked the speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to help reverse his loss in that state.

His call to Raffensperger came as scores of Republicans have pledged to challenge the electoral college's vote for Biden when Congress convenes for a joint session on Wednesday. Republicans do not have the votes to successfully thwart Biden's victory, but Trump has urged supporters to travel to Washington to protest the outcome, and state and federal officials are already bracing for clashes outside the Capitol.

During their conversation, Trump issued a vague threat to both Raffensperger and Ryan Germany, the secretary of state's general counsel, suggesting that if they don't find that thousands of ballots in Fulton County have been illegally destroyed to block investigators - an allegation for which there is no evidence - they would be subject to criminal liability.

"That's a criminal offense," he said. "And you can't let that happen. That's a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer."

Trump also told Raffensperger that failure to act by Tuesday would jeopardize the political fortunes of David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, Georgia's two Republican senators whose fate in that day's runoff elections will determine control of the U.S. Senate.

Trump said he plans to talk about the alleged fraud on Monday, when he is scheduled to lead an election eve rally in Dalton, Ga. - a message that could further muddle the efforts of Republicans to draw out their voters.

"You have a big election coming up and because of what you've done to the president - you know, the people of Georgia know that this was a scam," Trump said. "Because of what you've done to the president, a lot of people aren't going out to vote, and a lot of Republicans are going to vote negative, because they hate what you did to the president. OK? They hate it. And they're going to vote. And you would be respected, really respected, if this can be straightened out before the election."

Trump's conversation with Raffensperger echoed his effort to persuade the Ukrainian president to investigate Biden on a call that led to his impeachment, and once again put him in legally questionable territory, legal experts said. By exhorting the secretary of state to "find" votes and to deploy investigators who "want to find answers," the president appeared to be encouraging him to doctor the election outcome in Georgia, which could violate state and federal law.

Trump's apparent threat of criminal consequences if Raffensperger does not act could be seen as an attempt at extortion and a suggestion that he might deploy the Justice Department to launch an investigation, they said.

"The president is either knowingly attempting to coerce state officials into corrupting the integrity of the election or is so deluded that he believes what he's saying," said Richard Pildes, a constitutional law professor at New York University, who noted that Trump's actions may have violated several federal statutes.

But Pildes said Trump's clearer transgression is a moral one, and he emphasized that focusing on whether he committed a crime could deflect attention from the "simple, stark, horrific fact that we have a president trying to use the powers of his office to pressure state officials into committing election fraud to keep him in office."

Prosecutors probably would exercise discretion in considering a case against an outgoing president, experts said.

Edward Foley, a law professor at Ohio State University, said that the legal questions are murky, and that it could be difficult to prove that Trump knew he was encouraging illegal behavior. But Foley also emphasized that the call was "inappropriate and contemptible" and should prompt outrage.

"He was already tripping the emergency meter," Foley said. "So we were at 12 on a scale of 1 to 10, and now we're at 15."

Throughout the call, Trump detailed an exhaustive list of disinformation and conspiracy theories to support his position. He claimed without evidence that he had won Georgia by at least a half-million votes. He floated a barrage of assertions that have been investigated and disproved: that thousands of dead people voted; that an Atlanta election worker scanned 18,000 forged ballots three times each and "100 percent" were for Biden; that thousands more voters living out of state came back to Georgia illegally just to vote in the election.

"So tell me, Brad, what are we going to do? We won the election, and it's not fair to take it away from us like this," Trump said. "And it's going to be very costly in many ways. And I think you have to say that you're going to re-examine it, and you can re-examine it, but reexamine it with people that want to find answers, not people who don't want to find answers."

Trump did most of the talking on the call. He was angry and impatient, calling Raffensperger a "child" and said law enforcement officials "either dishonest or incompetent" for not believing there was widespread ballot fraud in Atlanta - and twice calling himself a "schmuck" for endorsing Kemp, whom Trump holds in particular contempt for not embracing his claims of fraud.

"I can't imagine he's ever getting elected again, I'll tell you that much right now," he said.

He also took aim at Kemp's 2018 opponent, Democrat Stacey Abrams, trying to shame Raffensperger with the idea that his refusal to embrace fraud has helped her and Democrats generally. "Stacey Abrams is laughing about you," he said. "She's going around saying, 'These guys are dumber than a rock.' What she's done to this party is unbelievable, I tell you."

The secretary of state repeatedly sought to correct Trump, saying at one point, "Mr. President, the problem you have with social media, they - people can say anything."

"Oh, this isn't social media," Trump retorted. "This is Trump media. It's not social media. It's really not. It's not social media. I don't care about social media. I couldn't care less."

At another point, Trump claimed that votes were scanned three times: "Brad, why did they put the votes in three times? You know, they put 'em in three times."

Raffensperger responded: "Mr. President, they did not. We did an audit of that and we proved conclusively that they were not scanned three times."

Trump sounded at turns confused and meandering. At one point, he referred to Kemp as "George." He tossed out several different figures for Biden's margin of victory in Georgia and referred to the Senate runoff, which is Tuesday, as happening "tomorrow" and "Monday."

His desperation was perhaps most pronounced during an exchange with Germany, Raffensperger's general counsel, in which he openly begged for validation.

Trump: "Do you think it's possible that they shredded ballots in Fulton County? 'Cause that's what the rumor is. And also that Dominion took out machines. That Dominion is really moving fast to get rid of their, uh, machinery. Do you know anything about that? Because that's illegal, right?"

Germany responded: "No, Dominion has not moved any machinery out of Fulton County."

Trump: "But have they moved the inner parts of the machines and replaced them with other parts?"

Germany: "No."

Trump: "Are you sure? Ryan?"

Germany: "I'm sure. I'm sure, Mr. President."

It was clear from the call that Trump has surrounded himself with aides who have fed his false perceptions that the election was stolen. When he claimed that more than 5,000 ballots were cast in Georgia in the name of dead people, Raffensperger responded forcefully: "The actual number was two. Two. Two people that were dead that voted."

But later, Meadows said, "I can promise you there are more than that."

Another Trump lawyer on the call, Kurt Hilbert, accused Raffensperger's office of refusing to turn over data to assess evidence of fraud, and also claimed awareness of at least 24,000 illegally cast ballots that would flip the result to Trump.

"It stands to reason that if the information is not forthcoming, there's something to hide," Hilbert said. "That's the problem that we have."

Reached by phone Sunday, Hilbert declined to comment.

Mitchell contradicted Trump on several occasions on the call, saying, "Well, I don't know about that," when the president alleged that a Fulton County election worker had triple-counted 18,000 ballots for Biden. She claimed that the extent of the fraud is unclear because Raffensperger's office has not shared all the data Trump's lawyers have sought.

"We never had the records that you have," she said. Germany noted that the office is barred under law from sharing some voter information.

In the end, Trump asked Germany to sit down with one of his attorneys to go over the allegations. Germany agreed.

Yet Trump also recognized that he was failing to persuade Raffensperger or Germany of anything, saying toward the end, "I know this phone call is going nowhere."

"Why don't you want to find this, Ryan?" he asked of Germany. "What's wrong with you? I heard your lawyer is very difficult, actually, but I'm sure you're a good lawyer. You have a nice last name."

But he continued to make his case in repetitive fashion, until finally, after roughly an hour, Raffensperger put an end to the conversation: "Thank you, President Trump, for your time."

- - -

The Washington Post's Alice Crites contributed to this report.
People across China mourned Yuan Longping, the father of hybrid rice who helped feed millions. Following the death of the iconic agronomist on Saturday, cities across the nation held memorial ceremonies. People lined up in rain to bid farewell to the scientist at the Mingyangshan funeral home in Changsha, where a service took place on Monday. Flowers were also laid in places Yuan had studied and worked

May 25, 2021 06:22 PM
The recent round of talks between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan concerning the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has gotten off to a rough start after Khartoum skipped Monday's meeting in objection to "not receiving a response to its request to grant experts participating in the negotiations a greater role."

After a one-month impasse, the three nations held a meeting on Sunday, agreeing to resume the talks under the brokerage of the AU for one week as of today, and to hold a follow-up meeting next Sunday, which will be attended by the three countries' irrigation and foreign ministers to review the outcome of the week-long round of talks.

After Sudan's decision, today's meeting was terminated by Egypt, Ethiopia and the AU observers, according to a statement issued by the Egyptian irrigation ministry, which said that "the negotiations require the participation of the three parties to reach a legally-binding agreement on the rules of filling and operating the GERD."

In an official statement, the Sudanese irrigation ministry said Khartoum voiced its reservation about participating in today's trilateral meeting without holding a bilateral meeting with AU's experts and observers on the same day.

"Based on the outcomes of the trilateral ministerial meeting held on Sunday, Sudan asked for holding a bilateral meeting with the African Union's experts as well as observers in the evening of the same day, [but] Sudan did not receive a response to its request," the ministry added.

The AU-mediated talks have been observed by representatives from the EU, the US, the AU, as well as legal and technical experts.

Sudan received an invitation to continue the direct trilateral negotiations, which prompted it to express its reservation about participating in [today's meeting]," the ministry said.

The Sudanese side reasserted its position about the necessity of giving a bigger role to the AU's experts to facilitate negotiations and reconcile opinions.

Also, the Sudanese irrigation ministry affirmed its adherence to the negotiation process under the aegis of the continental body in accordance with the principle of "African solutions to African problems," the statement added.

According to the Egyptian irrigation ministry, the participating parties in today's meeting agreed to refer the matter to South Africa, the current chair of the AU, to review the coming steps during the anticipated six-member meeting between the three countries' irrigation and foreign ministers next Sunday.

This is the second time Sudan has skipped AU-mediated meetings. In November, Sudan decided to not take part in a tripartite ministerial meeting that was scheduled to discuss guidelines for further negotiations, saying that the way previous talks were held proved to be "unproductive."

Ethiopia and the African Union have yet not commented on Sudans step.

Egypt and Sudan have been in talks with Ethiopia for a decade to reach a legally binding agreement on the filling and operating of the near-complete $4.8 billion mega dam.

The GERD, built 15 kilometres from the Ethiopian border with Sudan, has been a source of contention between the three countries since its construction began in 2011.

Cairo fears the project will significantly cut its crucial water supplies from the River Nile, while Sudan has concerns over how the reservoir will be managed.

Ethiopia says the massive project, which it hopes will make it Africas largest power exporter, is key to its development efforts.

Short link:


New Delhi, Jan 4 : Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), has submitted in its writ petition to the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the Court should order an investigation by the state and central governments to identify the vested interests and their sustained disinformation campaign being carried out against Jio.

Reliance Jio has also sought directions to the state and central governments to take necessary action including prosecution against the persons involved.

"Vested interests inimical to the petitioner and its parent company, Reliance Industries Limited and its affiliates with a view to advancing their own interests and agendas are actively engaged in spreading false rumours to the effect that Reliance and affiliates are somehow the beneficiary of the recent legislation passed by Parliament governing marketing of agricultural produce," the writ petition said.

Following these developments, Reliance has gone nationalistic in a big way. Jio is the only telecom company which has not used Chinese equipments and Airtel and Voda-Idea have used majority Chinese equipment's.

Jio has built India's own indigenous 5G technology, a major step in the direction of Prime Ministers "AtmaNirbhar Bharat" agenda. Sources said this is not digestible to all the foreign forces, political parties aligned to such foreign interests and businesses who are opportunistic at the cost of nationalism and they are together acting as vested interests.

Reliance Jio has already complained to DoT and TRAI against Airtel and Voda-Idea. Sources say these are majority controlled by multinationals are playing a dirty game rather than fighting in open markets. They had played similar games in 2016 when Jio launched it's service by denying interconnect to their network. TRAI and DoT both have imposed penalties of Rs 3,000 crore on Airtel-Voda-Idea but for unknown reasons DoT is not acting to collect such high amount of penalties. This has emboldened them to take law in their hand again.

Reliance Retail is the only retail company providing support to small merchant retailers to survive against the onslaught of Amazon and Walmart like giant and big purse multinationals. These multinationals are interested in damaging Reliance Retail so that they can use their money power to destroy Indian small merchants and retailers and establish their dominance in India's large market, they are trying the East India company's methodology of divide and rule by making Indians fight with each other.

There are large corporates and having interest in corporate farming are diverting attention of nation by false propaganda and blaming Reliance where there is no truth.
RICHMOND, Va., Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Markel Corporation (NYSE: MKL) announced today that Trevor Gandy has joined the company as Managing Director, Talent, Diversity and Inclusion, effective January 1, 2021.

In this new role, Gandy will further shape the company's diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy for its global workforce. He will work closely with the company's human resources leadership team and its global Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee on the continued development of employee awareness programs, training and education opportunities, recruitment outreach programs, and strategic partnerships. Gandy reports to Sue Davies, Chief Human Resources Officer.

Gandy has 25 years of management experience in the areas of diversity and inclusion (D&I), human resources, talent acquisition, and leadership development. He has been a consultant for Markel's D&I initiatives since 2020. Before joining Markel, he was the founder and President of TreGan Consulting where he helped companies promote and leverage the business value of D&I. He also previously served as Principal, Diversity and Inclusion at Amazon and Chief Diversity Officer at Chubb Insurance.

"Fostering a more diverse and inclusive organization is a business imperative. We are excited to have Trevor join Markel who is a valued advisor known for helping teams develop and promote a workplace culture of inclusion," said Davies. "Building on the foundation that our teams have created, I look forward to Trevor's leadership, influence, and contributions in helping further advance our progress."

About Markel Corporation

Markel Corporation is a diverse financial holding company serving a variety of niche markets. The Company's principal business markets and underwrites specialty insurance products. In each of the Company's businesses, it seeks to provide quality products and excellent customer service so that it can be a market leader. The financial goals of the Company are to earn consistent underwriting and operating profits and superior investment returns to build shareholder value. Visit Markel on the web at markel.com.

SOURCE Markel Corporation
State wildlife agents cited four men for allegedly harvesting oysters last week in polluted waters off Terrebonne Parish.

According to the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, agents caught Daniel J. Naquin, 30, Eric A. Rodrique, 32, James J. Naquin, 34, all from Chauvin, and Austin R. Cole, 24, from Montegut, dredging for oysters in two boats in the Point Au Chene area on Wednesday. State health officials said Monday that the area is closed due to high levels of fecal coliform bacteria, a sign of contamination from human or animal waste.

Agents found 29 sacks of oysters on the boats and returned them to the water. The boats and dredges were seized.

The penalty for taking oysters from a polluted area is a fine of up to $950 and up to 120 days in jail. The suspects could also have their oyster harvester licenses revoked for up to one year and be required to perform community service.

The case will be referred to Terrebonne Parish District Attorney Joseph Waitz, Wildlife and Fisheries said.

The polluted area had been closed by the state Department of Health. The source of the contamination is unclear, but common sources include leaky septic systems, waste dumped from boats and animal feces.

Environmental news in your inbox Stay up-to-date on the latest on Louisiana's coast and the environment. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

+15 Louisiana's citrus hub has struggled with hurricanes, erosion, aging farmers; What's next? From the top of the Mississippi River levee, the bright orange of hundreds of satsumas and navels stands out against the green leaves of the c

Fecal contamination typically closes several hundred acres off the Louisiana coast at any one time. Health officials regularly test for fecal contamination in oyster-growing areas. Closures usually last 21 days before additional testing is done.

The incident in Terrebonne was the second time in a week that agents caught men harvesting oysters in a polluted area. On Dec. 29, two men were cited for taking oysters from a polluted area in Plaquemines Parish. One of the men, Nelson Williams III, 45, of Port Sulphur, had been accused of the same crime on four other occasions, according to Wildlife and Fisheries.

New tool to help manage Gulf of Mexico oysters on the way thanks to a $557,000 grant With hundreds of millions of dollars expected to be spent on restoring and creating oyster habitat in the Gulf of Mexico, an environmental gro
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Jan. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Enzo Biochem, Inc.



Dr. Mary Tagliaferri, Director

Dr. Ian Walters, Director

Ms. Rebecca Fischer, Director

Mr. Dov Perlysky, Director

60 Executive Boulevard

Farmingdale, NY 11735



Independent Directors of the Board,

Earlier today Enzo Biochem Inc. (Enzo or the Company) held its 2020 annual meeting (Annual Meeting). Harbert Discovery Fund, LP and Harbert Discovery Co-Investment Fund I, LP (collectively HDF) currently own approximately 11.74% of the outstanding shares of Enzo, making us the Companys largest shareholder.

At the meeting the Company refused to disclose preliminary results of the shareholder votes.

We voted our shares on management's white proxy card Against the election of Dr. Elazar Rabbani (Dr. Rabbani), Dr. Mary Tagliaferri (Dr. Tagliaferri), and Dr. Ian Walters (Dr. Walters). We voted on management's card to ensure our votes were counted in light of the uncertainty surrounding whether votes cast on the green proxy card put forth by Roumell Asset Management, LLC ("Roumell") would be recognized. We would have preferred that the Company recognized Roumell's proxy card and given its shareholders the ability to choose between Roumell's candidates and those put forth by the Company, but the Companys stance is consistent with its unfortunate pattern over many years of disregarding the will of its shareholders. Our "Against" vote on Dr. Rabbani was a comment not only on Dr. Rabbani as a director but also as an executive. Accordingly, should Dr. Rabbani receive more "Against" than "For" votes we strongly urge Enzos Board of Directors ("Board") to accept Dr. Rabbani's resignation from the Board and to take steps to remove Dr. Rabbani as Chief Executive Officer.

Additionally, Enzo did not acknowledge or respond to the questions we submitted through the online portal. Consequently, we pose those questions here:

What is the succession plan for Dr. Rabbani?

Would Dr. Tagliaferri, Dr. Walters, and Ms. Rebecca Fischer please comment on how they intend to create shareholder value at Enzo?

Does the Company have a mechanism for concerned employees to report their concerns directly to the independent directors without a fear of retribution?

How do the independent directors evaluate the CEO?

Do the independent directors engage in dialogue with rank and file employees?

Is there a 360 degree review process that independent directors have access to?

Do the independent directors feel confident that they have absolute access to Company information without objection or resistance from senior management?

Why is someone who was voted off the Board still hosting the annual meeting and earnings calls?

What is the update on the engagement with Lazard?



We are disappointed that none of these questions were addressed during todays Annual Meeting. We have listed them here as we think it would be helpful and beneficial to Enzos shareholders to have answers. As independent directors of the Company with a fiduciary duty to its shareholders, we feel you owe it to us and the other shareholders to address these issues.

Sincerely,

Harbert Discovery Fund, LP

Harbert Discovery Co-Investment Fund I, LP

Kenan Lucas, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager of Harbert Discovery Fund GP, LLC and Harbert Discovery Co-Investment Fund I GP, LLC

Important Disclosure

THIS STATEMENT CONTAINS OUR CURRENT VIEWS ON THE VALUE OF SECURITIES OF ENZO BIOCHEM, INC. (ENZO). OUR VIEWS ARE BASED ON OUR ANALYSIS OF PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION AND ASSUMPTIONS WE BELIEVE TO BE REASONABLE. THERE CAN BE NO ASSURANCE THAT THE INFORMATION WE CONSIDERED IS ACCURATE OR COMPLETE, NOR CAN THERE BE ANY ASSURANCE THAT OUR ASSUMPTIONS ARE CORRECT. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND OR ADVISE, NOR DO WE INTEND TO RECOMMEND OR ADVISE, ANY PERSON TO PURCHASE OR SELL SECURITIES AND NO ONE SHOULD RELY ON THIS STATEMENT OR ANY ASPECT OF THIS STATEMENT TO PURCHASE OR SELL SECURITIES OR CONSIDER PURCHASING OR SELLING SECURITIES. THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT PURPORT TO BE, NOR SHOULD IT BE READ, AS AN EXPRESSION OF ANY OPINION OR PREDICTION AS TO THE PRICE AT WHICH ENZOS SECURITIES MAY TRADE AT ANY TIME. AS NOTED, THIS STATEMENT EXPRESSES OUR CURRENT VIEWS ON ENZO. OUR VIEWS AND OUR HOLDINGS COULD CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE AND WE MAKE NO COMMITMENT TO UPDATE THIS STATEMENT IN THE EVENT OUR VIEWS OR HOLDINGS CHANGE. INVESTORS SHOULD MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS REGARDING ENZO AND ITS PROSPECTS WITHOUT RELYING ON, OR EVEN CONSIDERING, ANY OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS STATEMENT.

About Harbert Discovery Fund (HDF)

HDF invests in a concentrated portfolio of publicly traded small capitalization companies in the US and Canada. We perform significant due diligence on each portfolio company prior to investing. In addition to researching all publicly available information and meeting with management, our diligence includes substantial primary research with industry experts, consultants, bankers, customers and competitors. We often spend months or years researching ideas before making an investment decision and we only invest in companies that we believe are significantly undervalued, and where there is the potential for change to enhance or accelerate value creation. In an effort to unlock this potential value, we seek to work directly with the boards and management teams of our portfolio companies privately and collaboratively, engaging with them on a range of factors including governance, board composition, corporate strategy, capital allocation, strategic alternatives and operations. We have effected positive, fundamental changes at our current and past investments through this behind-the-scenes, constructive approach.
Fallout from SolarWinds breach keeps growing

One of the most concerning consequences of the SolarWinds hack is that neither U.S. Cyber Command nor the National Security Agency uncovered the breach, which was first found by the cybersecurity firm FireEye.

If FireEye had not come forward, Im not sure we would be fully aware of it to this day, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told The New York Times. The size of it keeps expanding. Its clear the United States government missed it.

According to The Times, the breach is much broader than first estimated, with experts now saying Russia exploited as many as 250 government and private-sector networks. The Department of Homeland Securitys Einstein sensors failed to flag suspicious activity, and the governments focus on election security, combined with SolarWinds lackluster security for its products, likely contributed to the failure to detect the breach for more than a year after the infiltration began.

The attack highlights the vulnerabilities inherent in IT supply chains. Companies like SolarWinds that install software on clients networks can be an ideal Trojan horse for Russias hackers, according to The Times, which suggested the companys lax security policies and its Eastern European-engineered software may have created vulnerabilities.

Tracking down the breadth of the attack will be difficult enough, but rooting the Russians out of government networks will require a massive effort.

Some security experts said that ridding so many sprawling federal agencies of the S.V.R. [Russias foreign intelligence service] may be futile and that the only way forward may be to shut systems down and start anew, The Times said. Other experts countered, saying that rebuilding networks during the pandemic would be too time-consuming and expensive. Plus, they said, the Biden administration would have to work to identify and contain every compromised system before it could calibrate a response.

Intelligence officials told The Times that it could be months, years even, before they have a full understanding of the hacking.
Alibaba Group co-founder and former chairman Jack Ma attends the World Trade Organization (WTO) Forum "Trade 2030" in Geneva on Oct. 2, 2018. (Denis Balibouse/Reuters)

Chinese Regimes Targeting of Jack Ma Underscores Its Mafia Capitalism

Commentary

Entrepeneur Jack Mas downfall has been stunning in speed and magnitude.

Since Beijing suspended Ant Groups highly anticipated IPO in November 2020, Chinese entrepreneur Jack Ma has been met with one obstacle after another.

Ma, an apparent Chinese Communist Party (CCP) member, has also witnessed Chinese authorities launch an investigation into e-commerce giant Alibaba Group while being publicly rebuked in state media and at the same time, lose his status as Chinas richest person.

Mawhose Chinese name is Ma Yunhas long rankled CCP authorities, enjoys a larger than life rock star status among Chinese youth, and oversees a technology empire that pushes the regulatory envelope. Its understandable that CCP regulators are irked.

But Beijings sudden and draconian pushback against Ma underscores the problems within the countrys economic systema system that runs on mafia capitalism. The CCPs thin-skinned reaction to Ma proves that its political system continues to hold the country back.

Jack Ma isnt so different than Elon Musk or Jeff Bezosiconic entrepreneurs who lead a countrys innovation, assert dominance in a particular sector, and exert influence globally. Along the way, Musk and Bezos do push the regulatory envelope, impact established legacy industries, and sometimes exhibit monopolistic tendencies. Some would argue that is the necessary price to pay for true innovation.

Yet someone like Ma is invaluable for a countrys image. He is the international face of Chinas tech industry. He regularly attends global conferences, where his freewheeling and informal persona has earned him a following. He is effectively an unofficial ambassador for China.

All of this isnt to exonerate Ma. He operates within a Communist country, with himself likely a sanctioned product of the Party. But ultimately his outspokenness became his downfall.

At an international forum in Shanghai in November, Ma criticized Chinas regulatory regime, attacking state-owned banks as having a pawnshop mentality in demanding collateral from borrowers. This is in contrast to Ant Group, which apparently uses artificial intelligence and its own proprietary computer and data models to predict repayment probability, which could severely disrupt the banking and lending industry. Days later, new rules governing online lending industry were introduced and Ants IPO was pulled.

In December, Chinas State Administration for Market Regulation launched an investigation into Alibabathe e-commerce giant that Ma foundedfor alleged monopolistic behavior. China introduced more stringent antitrust rules earlier in the year apparently targeting not just Alibaba but also other online retailers.

Then in late December, regulators met with Ant Group executives and demanded that the payments and lending company overhaul its business. The demands could completely alter Ants business, bring parts of it under banking compliance regulations, and ultimately render it far less valuable than previously constructed.

The best solution is to break up Ant into a finance unit for its online lending, brokerage, and insurance businesses that will be under full regulatory oversight, and a less regulated technology and data unit, one unnamed former regulator told the Financial Times.

And herein lies the problem with Chinas economic system.

Ant, as a private company owned by private shareholders, is not the governments property for it to devise a solution. Ants lending model, while novel, is unproven and may not even work at scale. But instead of letting capitalism determine winners and losers, the CCP apparently didnt like the potential outcome and decided to step in.

Ma is a businessman and he also has the right to push the regulatory envelope to the extent allowed under the law. And the government has a right to set the regulatory framework. But the CCPs sudden pushback ultimately proves Mas point that the regulatory framework is a complicated messwhich set the stage for him to arbitrage cross-industry compliance in the first place.

The CCP and Ma have reportedly been at odds for years on these matters. But the regimes inability to work with him and other entrepreneurs to set agenda and map out a pro-innovation regulatory structure is concerning. The CCP decided it had to move the goalposts while neutering Chinas only international success story.

This should be very concerning to any aspiring Chinese entrepreneur. Despite Chinas goals of becoming a global power, its ruling regime continues to exhibit the capriciousness and insecurity of a mafia organization.

As long as the CCP remains in power, China can never reach its full potential.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
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Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Loading The US government had argued it was not prosecuting Assange for publishing the cables but for how they were obtained, alleging he conspired with Chelsea Manning, then an army intelligence officer, to hack into government systems to steal three-quarters of a million secret and classified cables. The Obama administration did not bring charges against Assange  they were brought by the Department of Justice under the Trump administration. Trump had benefited politically from a separate publication by WikiLeaks of the emails obtained from the Democratic National Committee's servers after a Russian hack. Trump is on record speaking both in favour of and against WikiLeaks. Baraitser did not read out her written judgment but rejected key arguments made by Assange's lawyers that his actions were justified because he was acting as a journalist when he encouraged Manning to hack into US systems. The cables were later published on the internet, unredacted.

"In the modern era, where 'dumps' of vast amounts of data onto the internet can be carried out by almost anyone, it is difficult to see how a concept of 'responsible journalism' can sensibly be applied," she said. In her judgment, Baraitser pointed to the condemnation of WikiLeaks issued at the time by former mainstream media partners, including The Guardian and The New York Times, which had both originally collaborated by publishing information deemed to be in the public interest. They had, however, redacted sensitive information. The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald also partnered with WikiLeaks in 2010 and were also critical of the organisation's approach to redaction, especially where it came to identifying individuals whose lives might be endangered. "In my judgment, Mr Assanges alleged activities went beyond the mere encouragement of a whistle-blower," Baraitser ruled. "Free speech does not comprise a 'trump card' even where matters of serious public concern are disclosed and it does not provide an unfettered right for some, like Mr Assange, to decide the fate of others, on the basis of their partially informed assessment of the risks."

She accepted that his conduct was capable of constituting criminal offences in England and Wales, a blow for those who have argued that Assange's actions were those of a free press and therefore should not be prosecuted. Assange had claimed he was being politically prosecuted by US President Donald Trump but the judge found "little evidence" of this. She had also rejected his claims that his human rights would be violated if he were sent to the United States to face judicial proceedings and said that he would get a fair hearing. But she accepted one crucial plank of Assange's case, relating to the near-solitary conditions in which he would be held in a US prison if extradited and the effects on his mental health, noting the Australian's family history of suicide and upholding evidence that he was depressed. "The overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man who is generally fearful about his future," she said.

The judgment was published online immediately after she delivered her verdict, and can be read in full here. The 49-year-old has been held at Belmarsh prison since September 2019. The US wants to try him on 17 charges that carry a total 175 years' jail. Stella Moris-Smith Robertson, Assange's fiancee and the mother of their two children, Max and Gabriel, was in court to hear the ruling and wept as it was delivered. She was comforted by WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson, with whom she had arrived at the Old Bailey. The judge had earlier rejected pleas to consider the impact his extradition would have on his young family saying it was "sadly nothing out of the ordinary in the context of extradition proceedings."

Editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks Kristinn Hrafnsson (left) and Julian Assange's girlfriend, Stella Moris-Smith Robertson (centre), arrive for the hearing. Credit:Getty Images A small throng of supporters chanted "free Julian Assange" as the pair arrived. Monday's ruling is a major development in the 10-year saga. Assange spent nearly seven years holed up at the Ecuadorian embassy in London to escape being extradited to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault. He was kicked out by his hosts in dramatic scenes in April 2019 when they invited Scotland Yard to enter the embassy and arrest their long-term resident. Assange has been held in custody ever since. If you or anyone you know needs support call Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.
The 'long-term solution' to the rift between Prince Harry and Prince William is for the Sussexes to 'enjoy the freedom of America' while the Cambridges dedicate their life to duty, a royal expert has claimed.

Prince Harry, 36, and Meghan Markle, 39, are currently residing in their $14million mansion in Santa Barbara with one-year-old son Archie, having stepped back from duty in March last year.

Speaking to Elle.com, royal biographer Robert Lacey said he thought 'there will be some sort of reconciliation' between the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Cambridge this year.

But he said the brother's relationship is 'never going to be the same', explaining: 'I expect that is the long-term solution here: Duty in the form of William and Kate will take over the situation, and Harry and his love will enjoy the freedom of America and, I hope, obviously there will be some sort of reconciliation.'

The 'long-term solution' to the rift between Prince Harry and Prince William is for the Sussexes to 'enjoy the freedom of America' while the Cambridges dedicate their life to duty, royal expert Robert Lacey has claimed

Robert said the brother's long 'history and texture' would always be there, suggesting they both 'took something different' from their parent's marriage breakdown.

The royal expert explained the Duke of Cambridge had found 'strength' in his duty, saying: 'At least he had this duty, this responsibility to be King, the future monarch, and he had to live up to that.'

Meanwhile he said Prince Harry 'took a different lesson' from the relationship, adding that the Duke was going to 'go for love...unapologetically.'

He added: 'His parents were locked into an arranged, loveless marriage, and hes not going to make that mistake.'

Prince Harry, 36, and Meghan Markle, 39, are currently living in their $14 million mansion in California, having stepped back from royal duty in March

It is believed the trigger that caused the rift to develop between William and Harry was when the Duke of Cambridge advised his younger sibling to 'take things slow' when he first began dating Meghan Markle in 2017.

Relations became so sour that they reportedly didn't talk for weeks after Harry's wedding, where William was best man. Then Megxit, and the way it was handled, left William and Charles devastated.

In a documentary in 2019 - Harry & Meghan: An African Journey - the Duke of Sussex, admitted he and William are 'certainly on different paths at the moment'.

He told ITV's Tom Bradby: 'Inevitably stuff happens. But we're brothers, we'll always be brothers.'

During lockdown, a source told Fabulous Digital that the brothers have been chatting via Zoom.

'William finds Zoom a good, informal way of keeping in touch, and some would say "tabs", on his younger brother,' they said, adding that the calls remain private between the two brothers, with a friend close to the pair claiming William is 'very anxious' to keep the calls 'low key and casual'.

Meanwhile there are hopes the unveiling of the new Princess Diana statue at Kensington Palace this summer 'will help to heal old wounds' for the brothers.

A statement on behalf of the Duke of Sussex and Duke of Cambridge issued by Kensington Palace in August read: 'The statue that Prince William and Prince Harry have commissioned to commemorate their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, will be installed next year on what would have been her 60th birthday.'

The couples were last seen together in public at the Commonwealth Day service in March of this year

The statue was commissioned to mark the twentieth anniversary of Princess Diana's death and recognise her positive impact in the UK and around the world.

Robert's comments about the brother's relationship comes days after royal biographer Angela Levin claimed Prince Harry has 'discarded life as an action man to become an airy-fairy do-gooder' with a 'woke West Coast life'.

Royal expert Angela, who wrote Harry: Conversations with the Prince in 2018, has claimed that the Duke has become a 'shadow of his former self' since moving to California.

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, she said while Prince Harry 'balked at being "the spare" to Prince William, he seems to accept being second to Meghan'.

The biographer said Prince Harry's recent appearances were 'out of character' from the royal she once knew, who would instantly identify with everyone he spoke to.

Robert's comments come days after royal expert Angela Levin said while Prince Harry 'balked at being "the spare" to Prince William , he seems to accept being second to Meghan'

Her comments come days after royal expert Hugo Vickers said Prince Harry is 'isolated from his family, the army, his friends, the Commonwealth' in the US, telling The Telegraph: 'Its a pointless existence in self-exile.'

The royal biographer compared Prince Harry's actions to those of Prince William and Kate, adding: 'During the NHS clapping, I thought how, after the Cambridges clapped, it would have been great to have heard from him.'

Earlier this week, the Duke and Duchess launched the website for their non-profit organisation Archewell, and set out their goal to 'build a better world' in an open letter posted online.

But the site prominently plugs the couple's commercial ventures - Archewell Audio, the brand they have chosen for their 30m podcasting deal with Spotify, and Archewell Productions, their chosen name for their Netflix production tie-up said to be worth as much as 100m.

The announcement follows their first Spotify podcast on Tuesday which saw their son Archie make his broadcast debut.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 4) The Philippine Red Cross is calling on the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation to immediately settle at least 500 million of its over 762 million debt, with the humanitarian organization warning anew of roadblocks in its coronavirus testing services.

They should pay at least half a billion right away, Red Cross chairman and Senator Richard Gordon told CNN Philippines The Source on Monday when asked about the deadline for the state health insurer.

As of January 3, PhilHealths unpaid balance to the organization has ballooned to around 762.8 million, Gordon noted.

The senator again raised alarm over this growing debt, which is seen to affect PRCs testing operations including those for returning overseas Filipino workers.

Habang lumalaki yan, natatakot kami dahil baka hindi namin maipagpagpatuloy [testing] sapagkat meron kaming mga cost na dapat bayaran, Gordon stressed. Ang pangako nila every three days. But you know, even every three days, kapos sila eh.

[Translation: While the debt is getting bigger, were getting scared because we might not be able to continue [testing] because we have costs that we need to settle too Their promise was every three days. But you know, even three days, they cant fulfill it.]

In response, PhilHealth said it would be releasing payment to PRC within the week, but did not specify an amount.

Katunayan niyan ay meron tayo inihahanda na payment within the week This week ay makakapagrelease po kami sa Philippine Red Cross (The truth is, we are already preparing a payment within the week. This week, well release a payment to the Philippine Red Cross), spokesperson Rey Balena said in an interview with CNN Philippines Newsroom Weekend.

The PRC temporarily suspended conducting COVID-19 tests charged to PhilHealth for around two weeks in October, as the agencys overdue balance spiked to nearly 931 million at the time. Testing services resumed after PhilHealth partially settled the debt.

Gordon said he would not want to resort to another suspension of testing operations.

Bakit binibitin bitin? Ano ba ang purpose niyan? Akala ko ba nagmamadali tayo sa testing? Pagkatapos kayo mismo ang hadlang sa patuloy na operations, he added.

[Translation: Why are you leaving us hanging? Whats the purpose? I thought we were trying to speed up testing? Then now, you are the one hampering continuous operations.]

Gordon said the Red Cross has no intention to file cases against PhilHealth, but warned that bureaucratic delay is also punishable under the law.
The Honor V40 has been in the news for quite some time now. Reports in the past have detailed the features and specifications of Honors upcoming smartphone. Now, a new report sheds light on the launch date of the phone.

A popular tipster who goes by the name Digital Chat Station on Weibo (via GizChina) has said that the Honor V40 will launch on January 12.

Launch date aside, the Honor V40 is expected to come with a 120Hz display. However, a Game Bench listing indicates that it will come with a 90Hz display for enhanced gaming performance instead of a 120Hz display. Leaked images of the Honor V40 hints towards the phone coming with a curved screen display with a dual selfie camera system that is housed inside a pill-shaped camera module that is placed towards the left side of the display.

In terms of performance, the Honor V40 is tipped to be powered by MediaTeks Dimensity 1000+ chipset and come with a standard Huawei HW-110600C0x charger with support for up to 66W charge pump fast charging. On the software front, the phone is expected to run on Googles Android mobile operating system but there is no whether or not it features support for Google Mobile Service (GMS).

ALSO READ: Huawei founder urges Honor subbrand to become competitor after split

As far as the rear camera setup is concerned, the Honor V40 is likely to come with a quad-rear camera system with an LED flash that is housed inside a circular camera module that is placed in the centre at the back. This camera module is likely to include a 50MP primary sensor, details about other camera sensors remain scarce as of now.

Beyond this, nothing much is known about Honors upcoming phone as of now. More details are likely to emerge as the Huawei V40 launches next week.
Two districts in Kerala, Alappuzha and Kottayam, have been put on high alert after bird flu cases have been confirmed in ducks, said state animal husbandry minister K Raju. He said at least 50,000 ducks will be culled to check the spread of the virus and the government will compensate farmers.

Fresh cases were detected after ducks started dying in large numbers, said Alappuzha district veterinary officer K Lekha. Later tests at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal confirmed the presence of the virus in dead birds. The minister has called a meeting tomorrow to coordinate steps to contain the outbreak.

In 2016, bird flu was reported in Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts and at least 2 lakh chicken and ducks were culled to control the outbreak. Highly contagious vet experts said all rearing birds in the vicinity will have to be culled to contain the disease. In the two districts, chicken prices have plummeted after the news surfaced.

Bird flu, also known as avian flu, is a variety of influenza caused by a virus in birds. It can spread to humans and can trigger a person to person transmission, experts say. There are many varieties of viruses and H7N9 is considered dangerous among them, they say. According to the World Health Organization, there are many subtypes of avian influenza virus and only some of them will be dangerous to humans. Winged guests are reported to be the main carriers of the virus.
Far From Raising a White Flag, Pences Response to Gohmerts Suit Was Strategic and Preserved His Options

Pence claims hes not the right defendant, without opposing Gohmerts constitutional claims

Commentary

Although the Department of Justice (DOJ) did file a short responsive brief on behalf of Vice President Mike Pence, who is the sole defendant named in the lawsuit recently filed by Texas Rep. Louis Gohmert and the Arizona Trump-pledged electors in a Texas federal court, the brief, in the main, argues that Pence isnt the proper defendant, but doesnt oppose, on the merits, the constitutional arguments advanced in the suit.

The Electoral Count Act Violates the 12th Amendment

As I wrote on these pages on Dec. 31, the Gohmert suit challenges the Electoral Count Act of 1887 (ECA) because it unconstitutionally varies the dispute resolution procedure set forth in the 12th Amendment, which applies when Congress is faced, as it now is, with dueling presidential electors.

Under the 12th Amendment, when neither candidate reaches the requisite majority of electoral votes (today 270) because, for example, the votes from states that sent dueling electors arent counted by the vice president, in his capacity as president of the Senate, at the joint session of Congress (this year, on Jan. 6), the race is decided by a contingent election held in the House of Representatives, with each state getting only one vote.

However, if the ECA (and not the 12th Amendment) is followed, the matter never reaches a contingent election in the House, because, instead, the dispute is resolved by virtue of the ECA providing that, should there be competing slates of electors, the slate certified by a governor controls, unless objections to that slate carry (by a majority vote) in both chambers of Congress.

Dueling Electors

In the 2020 election, competing slates of electors appeared and voted at the Dec. 14 Electoral College in New Mexico and six swing states: Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada. If Pence were to decline to rule on which slate should be countedindeed, the Democrats contend he has no power to decide which slate should be countedand instead decided not to count either slate, the matter would, under the 12th Amendment, go to the House for a contingent election, because neither candidate would, in that case, reach the 270 vote majority of all 538 electoral votes (though Trump, at 232, would have more of the counted electoral votes than Biden, at 227).

Because the ECA resolves that dispute in Bidens favor (by counting the governor-certified slates in the six disputed swing states) but the 12th Amendment requires the dispute be resolved by a contingent election in the House (which Trump would win because the Republicans control more states in the House than the Democrats do), and any statute that contravenes the Constitution is void, the Gohmert suit asks the court to declare the ECAwhich is universally regarded by constitutional scholars as poorly drawn and difficult to followunconstitutional and void.

Gohmert Sued Pence, but DOJ Says He Shouldve Sued the Senate and House

As noted above, Gohmert sued Pence and named no other defendants. The vice presidentwho, being sued in his official capacityis represented by the DOJ and had to respond in some way or default. That is, the DOJ, as counsel for the vice president, was confronted with three options: a response agreeing with Gohmert, no response (a default), or some other response.

Clearly, had the DOJ selected either of the first two optionsa response agreeing with Gohmert or a defaultBiden and the Democrats would have surely screamed the suit was rigged. After all, we do follow an adversary system of jurisprudence in which plaintiffs and defendants take opposing positions and the court decides who is right, and, of course, the vice president is Trumps running mate.

The DOJ Brief

The vice president and his DOJ lawyers chose the third option. The DOJ brief is only seven pages long, and its principal point is that the vice president is the wrong defendant. (pdf) Instead, the DOJ brief claims the correct defendants are the Senate and House of Representatives in that the members of those chambers would be deprived of the right to vote on objections under the ECA were Gohmert successful in his suit to strike down the ECA.

Indeed, as the DOJ brief notes, the House of Representatives (which is controlled by Democrats) intends to appear in the Gohmert suit and file an opposing brief (on the merits). The DOJ brief says it will defer to the legal arguments on the merits made by the correct party defendants (presumably the Democrat-controlled House). And, indeed, the House thereafter filed a brief seeking to dismiss the Gohmert suit, contending it lacks merit.

Thus, the DOJ brief takes no position on the merits of Gohmerts constitutional argument (that the ECA is unconstitutional), instead stating simply that Gohmert named the wrong party as defendanthe named solely the vice president, when, according to the DOJ, he should have named the House of Representatives and Senate.

Indeed, given that the position taken by Gohmert, if successful, would only enhance the power of the vice president (or at least free him of the ECA-imposed constraints), the DOJ calls the suit (to the extent its brought solely against the vice president) a walking legal contradiction.

No Case or Controversy?

The DOJ brief makes two additional related points. First, it argues that theres no ripe case or controversythe Article III jurisdictional predicate for any federal court actionbecause the vice president has never said hell follow the ECA (or not follow it), so theres no way for Gohmert and the Arizona Trump-pledged electors to know, at this juncture, that they need a judgment against Pence. That is, Gohmert and the other plaintiffs dont now know what Pence will do on Jan. 6.

Second, the DOJ argues, in all events, theres no need for injunctive relief against the vice presidentthat is, a court order directing the vice president to follow the 12th Amendment (and not the ECA). On this point I agree. I know of no reason to regard the vice president as anything other than a law-abiding officer of the executive branch, and if the court issues a declaratory judgment (as Gohmert also requested) that the ECA is unconstitutional, Im sure the vice president would follow that judgment without the need for him being further subjected to the coercive effects of an injunction, which, in any event, places a good deal of tension on the separation of powers of principle. That is, the courts, using the power of judicial review first enunciated in the landmark case of Marbury v. Madison (1803), can declare what the law is, but should assiduously avoid ordering the executive branch to perform in a given a way.

DOJs Interesting Mention of the Speech or Debate Clause

Interestinglyand augmenting its point that coercive relief isnt in orderthe DOJ tersely contends that the Gohmert suit doesnt take into consideration the Constitutions speech or debate clause. The speech or debate clause protects senators and representatives (along with the vice president in capacity as president of the Senate) from liability for whats said in a congressional debate and other legislative acts undertaken in the chambers of Congress. Although this is a bit of an oversimplification, I think its fair to say that the speech or debate clause is an incident of our separation of powers principle, and was crafted by the Founding Fathers to preclude excessive intervention by the courts into the inner workings of Congress.

But why would the DOJ mention the speech or debate clause in the short brief responding to the Gohmert suit? Again, though the mention of this clause of the Constitution is briefly made, the only sense I can make of its being mentioned at all, is that the vice president is saying he would be within his rightsunder the speech or debate clauseto speak his mind about the dueling slates and electoral fraud on Jan. 6, and should be able to to do so, without fear of reprisal or judicial interference.

Coupling this mention of the speech or debate clause with the overarching point of the DOJ brief that Gohmerts suing the vice president doesnt give rise to an Article III case or controversy because the vice president hasnt yet taken a position in favor of the ECA, a very different picture emerges of the essential nature of the vice presidents filing.

While most media outlets latched on to the single expression in the DOJ brief that the Gohmert suit is a walking legal contradiction, and the DOJs opposition to expedited scheduling of the case, as proof that Pence opposes Trumps plans, Id suggest exactly the opposite conclusion is warranted.

Pence, by the DOJ filing, seems to be saying: I got sued by Gohmert and Im not going to ignore the suit. Im not the right defendant, the Democrat-controlled House is, and theyll file papers opposing Gohmerts arguments on the merits (as indeed they just have). However, Im not going to take any position, one way or the other, on the merits, right now, but I note that whatever I do on Jan. 6 is protected by the speech or debate clausethe courts shouldnt intrudeand certainly have no business considering a coercive injunction against me, the vice president, which is both offensive and violates (or comes close to violating) our separation of powers principle.

Indeed, tellingly, the DOJ brief, not only opposes injunctive relief but also opposes expedited treatment of the suit by the Texas district court (here, Judge Jeremy Kernodle, who is a Trump appointee).

In short, reading the tea leaves, so to speak, I dont see Pences filing as one opposing the Gohmert position on the meritsexcept that my gut feeling is that Pence doesnt contend that he has the power, as Gohmert says he does, to choose which slate to count, but Pence might end up agreeing he has the power to decide not to count either set of electors in these unusual circumstances.

Thus, I see the filing as sending a message that Pence will do whatever he deems proper under the Constitution on Jan. 6, which may include taking a position compatible with Gohmerts argument, to the limited extent that he (Pence) isnt bound by the ECAs direction to give precedence to the governor-certified slates and is free (if not compelled) to follow the 12th Amendment and send the matter to the House for a contingent election, but that, either way, the courts should stay out of it.

Pences Strategy Worked Perfectly

In a carefully worded and scholarly 13-page opinion (pdf), dated Jan. 1, Kernodle dismissed the Gohmert suit. Kernodle ruled that neither Gohmert nor the Arizona Trump-pledged electors had standing. As for Gohmert, Kernodle found that he only alleged an institutional injury common to the House at large, and that under settled law that type of institutional (nonpersonal) injury was insufficient to confer Article III standing.

As for the Arizona Trump-pledged electors, Kernodle noted that the injury they allege was brought about by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (not Pence), who, they contend, improperly certified the Biden-pledged electors based on an allegedly fraudulent election and against the wishes of the Arizona legislature (in contravention of Article II, the electors clause, of the Constitution, which grants plenary power to the state legislatures to decide the manner of choosing presidential electors).

As a result, Kernodle determined that the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction. Because the court lacked jurisdiction, Kernodle dismissed the caseand this is crucialwithout prejudice.

While Kernodle didnt (because he couldnt, absent subject matter jurisdiction) comment on the merits of Gohmerts constitutional argument, he made the following interesting remarks related to the standing issue:

Here, Congressman Gohmerts alleged injury requires a series of hypotheticalbut by no means certainevents. Plaintiffs presuppose what the Vice President will do on January 6, which electoral votes the Vice President will count or reject from the contested states, whether a Representative or Senator will object under Section 15 of the Electoral Count Act, how each member of the House and Senate will vote on any such objections, and how each state delegation in the House would potentially vote under the Twelfth Amendment absent a majority electoral vote. All that makes Congressman Gohmerts alleged injury far to uncertain to support standing under Article III [of the Constitution].

In short, in carefully addressing Gohmerts lack of standing, Kernodle identified some of the possible paths that could be pursued by Pence and the federal lawmakers on Jan. 6, ruling that because no one could say today what would then happen, Gohmert lacked Article III standing.

As a result, all of Gohmerts constitutional arguments remain fully intact, and Pence remains free to comport himself as he believes the Constitution and his oath of office require.

What Should Pence Do on Jan. 6?

Though I think the DOJ response tactically preserved the vice presidents options, I cant tell you what Pence will do. What I can tell you is what I think he should do. If I were the vice president, I would, in my capacity as president of the Senate, open and read both of the dueling electors slates from the six disputed swing states (and New Mexico)and not just read the governor-certified Biden slates. I would then make a statement along these lines:

I preside over these proceedings under the 12th Amendment acting in my capacity as president of the Senate. The senators and representatives are at this stage mere observers. I do agree with my Democratic colleagues who have said the 12th Amendment does not empower me to decide which set of disputed electors to count and which not to count. That said, I cannot in good conscience simply rubber stamp the Biden-pledged electors because the governors have certified them. Yes, I am aware that the Electoral Count Act of 1887 provides, in general, for the governor-certified slates to take precedence. However, that is nowhere provided in the 12th Amendment, and here, on this record, my oath of office commands that I not do so.

Putting aside evidence of election fraud itself, which is massive and well documented, there is no question that the executive and judicial branches of state governments have overruled the state lawmakers in these seven states, and that in and of itselfwithout regard to any underlying election fraudis a wanton violation of Article II, the electors clause, which vests plenary power over the manner of choosing electors with the state legislatures. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that that power can be exercised at any time and may never be taken away or abdicated. Therefore, the lawmakers were free to send the Trump-pledged electors to the Electoral College on Dec. 14 as they did, after they heard the compelling evidence of widespread fraud.

That said, because I adjudge myself as not being empowered to decide which set of electors to countyet the gubernatorial certifications brazenly flout the state lawmakers plenary Article II powerI am not counting either set, as the Constitution, and in consequence, my solemn oath of office permits no other result.

In consequence, and because neither set of electors from these contested states is being counted, no objections will be taken to either set of electors in either chamber, so there will be no debate on objections. That leaves the electoral vote count at 232 for President Donald Trump and 227 for former Vice President Joe Biden. Neither candidate having achieved the requisite 270 electoral vote majority, I am sending the matter to the House for an immediate contingent election as the 12th Amendment unambiguously commands. The House must now immediately decide the dispute by a contingent election in accordance with the 12th Amendment. [gavel slams] This joint session of Congress is now concluded, and a contingent election in the House is hereby convened.

That of course would draw immediate legal action from Biden and the Democrats. I have a feeling the DOJs response to that suit against the vice president will more heavily focus on the Speech or Debate Clause. The question will then become whether the Supreme Court cites the separation of powers principle and speech or debate clause to decline further judicial intervention, or whether the Supreme Court tackles the issue of the constitutionality of the ECAand Pences actions on Jan. 6head on, and overturns the contingent election in the House. I suspect the court will consider overturning the contingent election an egregious violation of the separation of powers principle.

In short, while I dont know what the vice president will do on Jan. 6, I see Pences filing as strategic and thoughtfulvery far from raising a white flag and abandoning Trump. Indeed, Pences position led to a well-reasoned decision from Kernodle that preserves all the vice presidents options.

And thats a good thing, both for the Republic and Pences future career, as I cant see any of the 74 million people who voted for the president as supporting Pence were he to slavishly follow the corrupt, and unconstitutional, certifications by the governors.

Stephen B. Meister is a lawyer and an opinion writer. Twitter @StephenMeister. Opinions expressed here are his own, not his firms.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Democratic state lawmakers are calling for quick action on proposed legislation that would provide some breathing room for renters and homeowners worried about losing the roof over their heads once the COVID-19 disaster declaration ends.

The proposal would pause evictions for renters and mortgage foreclosures for 60 days after the governors declaration expires. Gov Tom Wolfs third and latest COVID-19 disaster declaration is due to expire on Feb. 23 but it can be extended in 90-day increments.

We need to be mindful that we are prepared to provide protections for folks so that they can make a safe and secure transformation and live in their apartment and live and thrive in their home, said Senate Democratic Appropriations Committee Chairman Vince Hughes of Philadelphia during a Monday Zoom call with reporters.

Sen.-elect Nikil Saval, D-Philadelphia, said depriving people of their home in a pandemic when people are asked to remain at home is not only cruel to individual people but counter to the health of whole communities.

He said evictions will swell the homeless population and can lead to increasing the spread of COVID-19.

More and more families were living paycheck to paycheck before the pandemic and they were facing rising rents and rising housing costs and now millions of them find themselves without that paycheck, said Rep. Sara Innamorato, D-Allegheny County.

So if we allow these actions to proceed, it is going to cause unspeakable pain for families, especially families with small children. Its going to add to the long-term damage of our economy and our economic recovery and it is going to increase the spread of the coronavirus and it will result in more deaths.

Senate Democratic Appropriations Committee Chairman Vince Hughes of Philadelphia said, "With this legislation, it gives folks time to get back on their feet." Jan. 4, 2021 Screenshot from Zoom call

They and others who participated in the Zoom call acknowledge this legislation is not the panacea to the housing issue. Rather it was referred to as a stopgap while work continues on other legislative solutions to mitigate this problem.

Pennsylvania is due to receive $832 million for rental assistance from the latest COVID-19 federal stimulus package Congress approved. But Hughes said the government has a role to step in to assist not just renters but also homeowners facing foreclosure as well as provide financial support for landlords and mortgage holders.

The housing crisis has put landlords, especially ones that own one or two rental properties, in a financial bind as well, Innamorato said.

Theyre asked to be a social safety net which they did not sign up for and arent rolling in a bunch of capital and dont have access to the same amount of capital that some corporate landlord would have, she said. That means that the face of our community will change. It means that were inviting faceless private equity firms and large corporate landlords to take ownership of the properties that exist in our communities. I know I for one, do not want that.

According to a report from the National Council of State Housing Agencies, an estimated 240,000 Pennsylvanians are at risk of eviction. Hughes said: With this legislation, it gives folks time to get back on their feet, get themselves in order, take advantage of hopefully the support and subsidies that will be coming from Washington and Harrisburg and local communities and really be our best selves in this process.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.
Lauren Mand has hit back at rumours she's split from former AFL player Jimmy Bartel.

In a telling move, the 31-year-old Melbourne socialite recently changed her profile picture on Instagram to a photo of herself and Jimmy.

The photo was taken on December 25 as the couple spent Christmas together with Jimmy's sons, Aston, five, and Henley, two.

Proof of life: Lauren Mand (right) has hit back at rumours she's split from former AFL player Jimmy Bartel (left). In a telling move, the 31-year-old Melbourne socialite recently changed her Instagram profile picture to this photo of herself and Jimmy on Christmas Day

The former Geelong star was dressed in white shorts and a khaki shirt, which he paired with grey Birkenstock sandals.

Meanwhile, office worker Lauren looked sensational in a white dress and heels.

The notoriously private couple rarely post photos together these days, and Lauren's Instagram account is private with only 54 followers.

Low-key couple: The notoriously private couple rarely post photos together these days, and Lauren's Instagram account is private with only 54 followers. Pictured: Lauren's account

Her boys: Lauren's profile picture was taken on December 25 as the couple spent Christmas together with Jimmy's sons, Aston and Henley. Jimmy also shared this photo to his own account of himself with his children, but didn't post a picture of Lauren and the boys together

They had been the subject of break-up rumours in December after fans noticed it'd been months since Jimmy had shared a photo with his girlfriend on social media.

The couple's last photo together on Jimmy's account was taken in March last year, during their holiday in Japan.

Jimmy's romance with Lauren first made headlines in 2019, following his very public split from his ex-wife, fashion designer Nadia Bartel.

Last sighting: They'd been the subject of break-up rumours in December after fans noticed it'd been months since Jimmy had shared a photo with his girlfriend online. The couple's last photo together on Jimmy's account was taken in March last year, during their holiday in Japan

The footy star's main Instagram feed now focuses solely on the two children he shares with Nadia, sons Aston and Henley.

Meanwhile, Lauren deleted her own Instagram account in October and created a private one with just a sprinkling of followers.

She may have made the transition to a private account after being bullied by trolls who believe they are supporting Nadia. (Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Nadia is involved in, or even aware of, the trolling against her ex-husband's new girlfriend.)

In August, she was targeted by an anonymous 'hate account' online, which uploaded several cruel posts about her and her relationship with Jimmy.

Despite the vitriol, she has maintained a dignified silence, declining interviews and refusing to comment on social media.

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A senior CAB officer has indicated that environmental crime is seen as a growth area for the bureau to explore in the coming years.

The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) is to look at expanding its current brief to include targets involved in environmental crime.

A senior officer with the CAB has indicated that environmental crime is seen as a growth area for the bureau to explore in the coming years.

Bureau legal officer Kevin McMeel said this was becoming an area of greater concern globally.

He said that, as part of its tradition of liaising with other external agencies, CAB could contact the Environmental Protection Agency, in relation to issues they were tackling, as well as local authorities.

Read More

Problems that could be tackled by the bureau include diesel laundering and related crime, and illegal dumping of rubbish.

We pride ourselves on having the expertise that we need to deal with the cases that we have, Mr McMeel said. We have the tools already there but we are always willing to collaborate with any agency and once there is a crime there and there are assets, we are happy to get involved.

Mr McMeel made his comments when he and bureau detective inspector Barry Butler made a four-hour online appearance before the Cullen Commission of Inquiry into money laundering in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

Money laundering has plagued the international economy with some studies estimating the flow of dirty money at 2-5pc of global GDP.

The government of British Columbia estimated that about $46.7bn (30bn) was laundered through the Canadian economy in 2018.

The Cullen Commission was set up as part of the response and invited the CAB officers to explain how it had been so successful since it was established in the wake of the murders of Sunday Independent journalist Veronica Guerin and Det Gda Jerry McCabe in 1996.

The CAB model has been used by countries around the world as a template to establish their own asset recovery agencies.

The two officers told the commission that the cases with the highest financial values were not necessarily at the top of the list as it was also important to tackle local criminals.

They said the decision in 2016 to lower the threshold of asset values for seizure from 13,000 to 5,000 allowed the CAB to focus also on lower-level criminals.

They said the participation by the CAB in meetings of joint policing committees countrywide led to local publicity and a big increase in citizen tip-offs.

Read More

Irish Independent
Xiaomis flagship Mi 11 smartphone will soon launch in global markets, the company has officially teased. The Chinese company unveiled the Mi 11 as the worlds first Snapdragon 888-powered smartphone on December 28 and now the phone is headed for a worldwide release. The company has released a teaser poster for the global launch of the Mi 11 series.

Testing the spotlights right now. The #Mi11Series global launch is about to happen.



Stay tuned for more details! #InnovationForEveryone pic.twitter.com/e5WMAheJjK  Xiaomi (@Xiaomi) December 28, 2020

Xiaomi has announced the Mi 11 but the Pro variant of the phone was surprisingly missing in action. However, the companys teaser mentions Mi 11 series which can be an indication that the Mi 11 Pro is on its way to a global unveil soon. Xiaomi is yet to reveal the exact dates of the global launch of the Mi 11 series.

As per previous reports, the Mi 11 Pro could be launched after the Spring Festival that starts from February 12. The Pro variant of the phone will likely have a new design, improved cameras and a larger battery to boot.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 features a 6.81-inch QHD+ (3200x1400 pixels) resolution display that uses an AMOLED panel with support for 120Hz refresh rate. It has a new design with curved edges and a squircle camera module. The screen is also topped with a layer of Gorilla Glass Victus for added protection.

The Mi 11 also has a triple camera setup on the back that consists of a primary 108MP camera with an f/1.85 aperture, a 13MP ultra-wide-angle camera with 123-degree field-of-view and a 5MP macro camera. On the front, there is a 20MP selfie camera housed within the punch-hole cutout. Xiaomi has equipped the Mi 11 with a 4,600mAh battery that supports 55W fast charging and 50W fast wireless charging.

Xiaomi is yet to reveal whether it plans to bring the Mi 11 to India anytime soon. However, considering the Mi 10 did arrive in India, we expect the company to launch the Mi 11 in India as well. There's no word on the exact date of the launch of the Mi 11 series globally as well as in India. You can read more about the Mi 11 here.




MILFORD  With COVID-19 vaccinations ramping up across the state, testing remains one of the most potent weapons against the spread of the virus, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said.

Bysiewicz visited the Community Health Center Inc. test facility at the Connecticut Post mall Monday, along with State Sen. James Maroney, retiring Rep. Kim Rose and Milford Mayor Benjamin Blake. The center is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Thursday and provides free tests on a walk-in or drive-in basis.

Even with more people getting vaccinated  57,727 as of last week  Bysiewicz said the infection rate, which is around 7 percent, continues to climb.

Were trying to keep the rate as low as possible, she said. Dont let your guard down.

Health officials are predicting a rise in infection rates in the coming weeks due to the number of families that hosted holiday gatherings, against state health recommendations.

The prediction is because of social activities around Christmas and the holidays, by mid-January, well see a peak in the infection rate, she said. Now is the time we want to encourage people to be tested, even if youre not having any symptoms. You can be asymptomatic and still be a carrier.

Amy Taylor, vice president of the Community Health Centers western region, said the group has seen a tremendous increase in the number of people seeking tests after the holidays. Demand has been so great, she said, that the center is using about 75 members of the state National Guard to speed the process.

Without that support, we would not have the necessary people to staff our test centers, she said.

According to Taylor, the location is administering about 300 tests per day, and looking to expand its hours to meet the demand. The Milford location is one of 18 that the center is operating in the state, in addition to mobile testing teams that travel to places like senior centers, homeless shelters and soup kitchens. Community Health Center is conducting about 10 percent of all the COVID tests in Connecticut, she said.

Opening a new location in Milford was important, Bysiewicz said, because New Haven County has the second-highest COVID infection rate in the state, behind Hartford County.

Blake agreed, calling the new test center a huge resource for the community.

Rose expressed her pride in Connecticuts efforts to distribute the vaccine, which is among the best in the country. She also praised the states testing efforts.

The No. 1 question I get asked by family members and constituents is, How do I get tested? she said. Now we have this area here. Just come on down.

While the states ongoing efforts to vaccinate nursing home residents and essential workers in Phase 1A, which includes first responders and other health care workers, social distancing, mask wearing and hand washing remain critical, Bysiewicz said.

Dont let your guard down, even if you have been vaccinated, she said.

deng@trumbulltimes.com
CRANFORD, N.J., Jan. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTC:ENZN) announced today that Andrew Rackear has communicated to the Board his intent to retire from his role as the Companys Chief Executive Officer effective February 26, 2021. Andy joined Enzon in 2010 as Vice-President and General Counsel and has served as CEO since 2016. Upon Andys retirement, Richard L. Feinstein, Enzons Chief Financial Officer, will also assume the role of Chief Executive Officer and Secretary, as well as remain the Companys Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Rackear will be available as a consultant to the Company following his retirement, as may be needed.



On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank Andy for his leadership and commitment to the company during his over 10 years with Enzon. Andy has led Enzon through its transition from a pharmaceutical company to a lean organization, and now with the completion of our rights offering, poised for future growth, said Randolph Read, Chairman of the Enzon Board.

It has been an honor and privilege leading Enzon through its transformative journey. Following the recent rights offering, the company is in a strong financial position. Under the leadership of the Board and Rick, I have no doubt that Enzon has an impressive and exciting future, Rackear said.

About Enzon Pharmaceuticals

Enzon is positioned as a public company acquisition vehicle, where it can become an acquisition platform and more fully utilize its net operating loss carryforwards and enhance stockholder value.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements contained in this press release, other than statements that are purely historical, are forward-looking statements, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as the words believes, expects, may, will, should, potential, anticipates, plans, or intends and similar expressions.

Such forward-looking statements are based upon managements present expectations, objectives, anticipation, plans, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, events or developments to be materially different from those indicated in such forward-looking statements. These statements reflect the Companys current views of future events and financial performance and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including the Companys ability to use the net proceeds of the rights offering to position itself as a public company acquisition vehicle, and the possibility that the anticipated benefits of the rights offering will not be realized. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. No assurance can be given that the future results covered by the forward-looking statements will be achieved. All information in this press release is as of the date of this press release and Enzon does not intend to update this information.

For further information, please contact:



Andrew Rackear, Chief Executive Officer

Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

20 Commerce Drive (Suite 135)

Cranford, New Jersey 07016

(732) 980-4500

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 4)  San Miguel Corporation bagged a 50-year franchise to build and operate a new international airport in Bulacan after President Rodrigo Duterte skipped signing the measure into law on time.

House Bill 7507 lapsed into law as Republic Act No. 11506 on December 20, 2020, records from the House of Representatives website showed, after Duterte failed to sign the bill within the 30-day period given for Malacanang's review.

The measure grants San Miguel Aerocity Inc. a franchise to construct, develop, operate and maintain the New Manila International Airport in Bulacan, which is seen to cater to travelers from northern and central Luzon. It is also located near the recently upgraded Clark International Airport in Pampanga.

San Miguel bagged the 736-billion project in August 2019 following an unsolicited proposal it submitted to the Department of Transportation. The airport will have four runways for domestic and international flights, which should cater to up to 200 million passengers yearly.

The conglomerate run by businessman Ramon Ang will build from scratch the planned 2,500-hectare aerocity, which is eyed to decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport once operational in a few years. It will be built in Bulakan town spanning Barangays Taliptip and Bambang  flood-prone areas which SMC assured will be addressed through engineering design.

READ: SMC taps Dutch firm for Bulacan airport project preparation

San Miguel Aerocity will own and operate the new airport for 50 years and will remit revenues to the government once profits are generated. The listed firm can also build, sublease, or collect income from infrastructure such as toll roads, railways, mass transport systems, hotels, warehouses, hangars, aircraft service facilities, and other developments "convenient or essential" to running an airport.

All developments must be aligned with environmental and sustainability standards and should be safe and inclusive especially for residents and the local government, the law read.

RELATED: SMC to build 200-MW solar farm to power its Bulacan airport project

The facility will eventually be turned over to the national government after the franchise period.

SMC will enjoy tax breaks during the construction period, which will last for a maximum of 10 years. This means that the conglomerate will not need to pay income taxes, value-added taxes, percentage taxes, excise taxes, documentary stamp taxes, customs duties and tariffs, as well as property taxes on land, buildings, and personal property.

SMC will also be exempt from paying business taxes, franchise taxes, and supervision fees collected by any national or local government authority. In turn, it must remit profits to the national government worth 12% of its internal rate of return per year once the Bureau of Internal Revenue deems that SMC has fully recovered the investment cost.

READ: Soon-to-rise 735-billion Bulacan airport project not a tax burden, says think tank

At times of war, rebellion, public peril, calamity, or "disturbance of peace and order," the law grants the President the power to temporarily take over and operate the airport.

SMC is given one year from the effectivity of the law to start building the Airport City and start commercial operations within the next 12 years. It must pay a cash bond to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, which will not be returned if the private firm fails to meet the conditions set by the franchise.

The books, accounts, and gross receipts related to the aerocity project must be submitted to the Commission on Audit. The company is also told to go public by offering at least 20% of shares to other investors.

SMC is also required to submit an annual report to Congress regarding its compliance with the terms of the franchise. Failure to do so will merit a 1 million fine per working day of delay or non-submission to Congress. Other penalties may be imposed by CAAP.

This privately-funded project is part of the Duterte government's flagship list of 104 projects under the "Build, Build, Build" program.
By Kim Ae-ran





Due to the pandemic in 2020, I could not easily engage in charity work for migrant workers. So instead, I tried to write more English essays to contribute to the Thoughts of the Times in the hope of reaching out to many people. But I have never forgotten to pray for the welfare of migrant workers.



One day, one of our sisters brought in two long padded coats, a jacket, cards, and stickers, with the intention of sharing them with migrant workers.



At that moment, I thought of sending a parcel to the parish where the migrant workers' center is located. Later on, another idea came to me: "Why not invite more sisters in the community to donate something for migrants?"



So, for three days, I put a notice on the community bulletin, appealing for donations of gifts for migrant workers.



Within three days, the drive had resulted in the donation of 600 items. I was so happy and grateful for the generous and willing participation of the community. People donated whatever they could. Some even donated the best things they had.



Using boxes, I classified and organized those collected items into categories and wrapped them up individually to give away as gifts.



Because of COVID-19, people are not able to attend mass frequently, but they are still under the same sky of Korea.



In the end, together with a companion, I visited the Gasan Migrant Workers' Center near Gasan St. Thomas Catholic Church in Pocheon in far northeastern Gyeonggi province to donate the collected items on behalf of our congregation.



When I arrived there, I found a sack filled with various shoes and some other little things on the tables in the office.



It is said that about 10,000 foreign workers from the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, and Mongolia are living in the Pocheon area, which means foreign workers employed by small and medium business organizations in the area represent 10 percent of the population in Pocheon. Along the way, I noticed there are many container houses in the Gasan area.



Since 2003, the Diocese of Chuncheon has been offering free medical care, with medical staff and interpreters volunteering their services. In August 2019, the diocese constructed a new medical service center called the Jericho Clinic with new facilities near Gasan Catholic Church. At present, the Jericho Clinic offers a range of medical services twice a month.



When everything was well before the pandemic, it was so beautiful to see Legion teams from another Korean Catholic Church took turns to provide them lunch every Sunday.



In this way, without forgetting our demanding times of struggling with poverty after the Korean War, we try to be considerate of helping those in need regardless of race or religion.



It was very interesting to listen to the pastoral works of Sr. Ahn Theresa from "Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd" (SJBP: Sorores a Jesu Bono Pastores). At present, being responsible for the pastoral works for migrants and multicultural families in Gasan, she is raising funds to promote some initiatives for migrant workers, like giving each worker a plane ticket as a reward if they finish writing the whole Bible.



Fr. Patrick from "Missionary Society of St. Columban" (S.S.C.) presides over English Mass at Gasan Migrant Workers' Center every Sunday.





The author is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul (Figlie di San Paolo) living and giving the Good News to the world by means of social communication. Learn more about the congregation at fsp.pauline.or.kr.




An Upstate New York congresswoman says that she will join the group of Republicans objecting to the Electoral College results, contesting President-elect Joe Bidens win and continuing her support of President Donald Trump.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, told the New York Post Monday that that she plans to object to certain contested electors on Wednesday, Jan. 6, during a joint session of Congress to certify the presidential election results. The Electoral College voted Dec. 14 in favor of Biden with 306 electoral votes to Trumps 232.

I do not take this action lightly. I am acting to protect our Democratic process, she said in a statement. Article II and the Twelfth Amendment of the Constitution make clear that I have an obligation to act on this matter if I believe there are serious questions with respect to the Presidential election. I believe those questions exist.

Tens of millions of Americans are rightly concerned that the 2020 election featured unprecedented voting irregularities, unconstitutional overreach by unelected state officials and judges ignoring state election laws, and a fundamental lack of ballot integrity and security... As a member of Congress, I am committed to restoring the faith of the American people in our elections - that they are free, fair, secure, and according to the United States Constitution.

Why I Will Object on Jan 6th



I am committed to restoring the faith of the American people in our elections - that they are free, fair, secure, and according to the United States Constitution.



WATCH  pic.twitter.com/crIgARuIzN  Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) January 4, 2021

Stefanik joins about 140 Republicans who will object to Biden electors, including a group of 11 senators led by Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

If at least one member from both chambers of Congress objects, then both the House and Senate will be required to separately debate the objections for a maximum of two hours. Both chambers must concurrently agree to sustain the objection, but its not expected that the Democrat-controlled House and the GOP-led Senate will both do so.

Trump has repeatedly claimed the election was stolen and rigged without evidence, and none of the objecting GOP members of Congress have provided any of their own evidence.

How can you certify an election when the numbers being certified are verifiably WRONG. You will see the real numbers tonight during my speech, but especially on JANUARY 6th, Trump tweeted Monday morning.

Election officials and former attorney general William Barr have confirmed there was no widespread fraud. Nearly all of the legal challenges put forth by Trump and his allies have also been dismissed by judges; the Supreme Court, which includes three Trump-nominated justices, also denied requests to hear cases attempting to invalidate the outcome of the election in key battleground states.

Stefanik, 36, is a Republican who was elected to Congress for a fourth term in November after beating Democratic challenger Tedra Cobb in Northern New Yorks 21st District. Stefanik gained national attention as an ally for President Donald Trump, defending him during the impeachment hearings and landing a speaking spot at the Republican National Convention.
Cultivate the Positive

An optimistic outlook does more than lift the spirit, it helps heal the body

Sixty-five years ago, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale revolutionized the publishing world with his enormously popular book The Power of Positive Thinking. Fifty-one years later, the equally popular book and video The Secret proposed the same argument: that focusing on the things that we want (i.e., being positive or optimistic) can pay big dividends.

Some people have interpreted this attitude as meaning that tangible material items (a bigger home, a new car, etc.) will come their way if they just focus on that object long enough and hard enough. But new studies indicate that the major benefit of thinking positively has less to do with our assets than our immune system.

Judith T. Moskowitz, a professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern Universitys Feinberg School of Medicine, is being hailed as the scientific patron saint of positivity. She has helped train patients who are coping with a variety of physical challenges to focus on a set of eight skills to create and maintain positive emotion. Years earlier, she and her colleagues at the University of CaliforniaSan Francisco found that using these skills helped newly diagnosed HIV patients combat their infection more effectively.

As most of us know, its no easy task to remain calm, feel happy, and experience satisfaction while coping with a health crisis. But Moskowitz and her colleagues encouraged their patients in both San Francisco and Chicago to study and retain at least three of the following eight skills, and to practice one or more of them every single day.

List a personal strength and how you have used it.

Practice mindfulness. Focus on the here and now.

Recognize and practice small acts of kindness on a daily basis.

Start a daily gratitude journal.

Set an attainable goal and note your progress.

Write down a minor stress in your life, and list ways to think of it positively.

Recognize at least one positive episode or occurrence every day.

Savor that event. Then, either log it in your private journal or tell someone else about it.

Moskowitz was gratified to discover that people with AIDS, Type 2 diabetes, and other chronic illnesses seemed to live longer if they demonstrated positive emotions. Obviously, the next step was to see whether others could be taught skills that would trigger positive emotions. According to Jane E. Brody of The New York Times, Moskowitz is not the only physician who believes that positivity has healing powers.

In Dallas, Dr. Wendy Schlessel Harpham has written several books designed to help people who are coping with cancer. Three decades ago, she was a practicing internist when diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system. Over the next 15 years, she dealt with eight relapses of her cancer, but she has now been in remission for more than a decade. Harpham makes sure to:

Do something good for someone else every day.

Keep a daily gratitude journal.

Surround herself with supportive people who lift her spirits.

Watch funny, inspiring, or elevating movies.

In one of her books, Happiness in a Storm: Facing Illness and Embracing Life as a Healthy Survivor, she encourages people who are dealing with cancer, diabetes, heart disease, or any prolonged illness to do all they can to overcome their disease and live life to the fullest. Harpham opens our eyes to the opportunities for happiness in life despite medical problems, and even because of illness.

Becca Levy and Avni Bavishi of the Yale School of Public Health published a study in the Journal of Gerontology that demonstrated the benefits of an upbeat outlook on life. They found that a positive view of aging can have a beneficial impact on both health outcomes and longevity. The bottom line is that being positive tends to lower blood pressure, reduce incidents of heart disease, contribute to better weight control, and have a positive effect on blood sugar levels.

Even if you tend to pessimistically see the glass as half empty, I cant help but feel that these findings are really something to smile about.

Marilyn Murray Willison has had a varied career as a six-time nonfiction author, columnist, motivational speaker, and journalist in both the UK and the U.S. She is the author of The Self-Empowered Woman blog and the award-winning memoir One Woman, Four Decades, Eight Wishes. She can be reached at marilynwillison.com. To find out more about Marilyn and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at creators.com. Copyright 2020 Creators.com
More than 100,000 total vaccinations have been administered in health agency's region

local
DGP said that a few sects of people are trying to deliberately disrupt peace and harmony and warned that the police would not tolerate such acts (DC Image: Narayana Rao)

VIJAYAWADA: DGP Gautam Sawang warned of stringent action against all those found guilty of the recent attacks on temples and vandalism. He directed the police department to enhance protection and security to temples across the 13 districts. He said that continuous surveillance, patrolling and visual policing has been ordered at all places of worship.

Sawang said that so far, a total of 236 people have been arrested in connection with acts of vandalism at temples. He stated that 87 persons were arrested in 49 cases before the Antervedi temple chariot burning incident and 149 persons in 78 cases after that incident. He said that the police department initiated measures for protection of temples under which as many as 37,673 CCTV cameras have been set up in 11,295 places of worship in the State.

The DGP appealed to the people to consider that it is everybody's responsibility to guard the sanctity of temples and sought them to give information if they come across any suspicious activity. He urged priests and temple administrators to be vigilant at all times and told them to call the police or dial 100 immediately after coming to know of suspicious activity. He stated that instructions have been issued to all district officials to monitor security measures of all temples. He said that a few sects of people are trying to deliberately disrupt peace and harmony and warned that the police would not tolerate such acts.

The DGP said that 1,196 culprits were bound over in the State involved in crimes, disturbances and vandalism in temples, history-sheets were opened and their movements are being monitored.

He recalled that the opposition parties dragged the Ganganamma Gudi hundi theft incident in Gudivada of Krishna district as a religious incident and protested. He clarified that the police arrested two persons in connection with the hundi theft. He said that an attempt was made to provoke the people as idols were being stolen from Allagadda Kalabhairava temple in Kurnool district. He clarified that, in fact, the police investigation has revealed that a man named Rajasekhar stole part of the idol for children.
Sharp Grossmont Hospital : Offers innovative, cutting-edge medical care as East San Diego County's largest healthcare facility, including one of the nation's most technologically advanced emergency rooms. It is uniquely qualified to care for older adults as accredited by the American College of Emergency Physicians.

: Offers innovative, cutting-edge medical care as largest healthcare facility, including one of the nation's most technologically advanced emergency rooms. It is uniquely qualified to care for older adults as accredited by the American College of Emergency Physicians. Southern Indian Health Council (SIHC ): Offers a comprehensive range of wellness, professional health care, dental, and social services to the members of SIHC's tribal consortium consisting of Barona, Campo , Ewiiaapaayp, JIV, La Posta, Manzanita, and Viejas, as well as to the members of other tribes and non-tribal members.

): Offers a comprehensive range of wellness, professional health care, dental, and social services to the members of SIHC's tribal consortium consisting of Barona, , Ewiiaapaayp, JIV, La Posta, Manzanita, and Viejas, as well as to the members of other tribes and non-tribal members. Indian Health Council, Inc. (IHC): Provides an array of health and wellness services and programs to the North San Diego County reservations of Inaja-Cosmit, La Jolla , Los Coyotes, Mesa Grande , Pala , Pauma, Rincon, San Pasqual, and Santa Ysabel .

Scott Evans, PharmD, MHA, Chief Executive Officer of Sharp Grossmont Hospital, stated, "We are incredibly grateful to Jamul Indian Village Tribe for their generous support of Sharp Grossmont Hospital's COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. The funds will go directly to support our efforts to care for our East County community and our caregivers as we continue to fight the pandemic."

An SIHC spokesperson commented that JIV's "generous donation will be used by SIHC to provide additional support, services, and activities for the Indian Child Social Services Department to promote stability and security for American Indian children and families." IHC will similarly use the JIV donations to support Native American children and families and its Chief Executive Officer Orvin Hanson stated, "We are very thankful for the Tribe's generosity!"

JIV Chairwoman Erica M. Pinto stated, "As we reflect on the past year, the Tribe wanted to give back to those who have been impacted by COVID-19. We are donating these funds to honor the courage and resilience of our front-line healthcare workers and to support the children and families who are suffering as a result of the pandemic. We are truly grateful for the extraordinary and tireless efforts of each of these organizations and their workers."

About Jamul Indian Village of California (JIV or Tribe)

JIV is one of 13 federally recognized tribes that are part of the Kumeyaay Nation, with roots in east San Diego County going back 12,000 years. The Tribe uses revenue and resources from Jamul Casino to fund educational opportunities, health care, and housing initiatives for its members, and projects that benefit the surrounding community, through a tribal-state gaming compact with the State of California signed in 2016. For more information about JIV, please visit jamulindianvillage.com .

About Jamul Casino

Opened in 2016, the Jamul Casino is located in Jamul, California, San Diego County, and is owned and operated by Jamul Indian Village Development Corporation (JIVDC), a wholly owned enterprise of the Tribe. The $430 million, award-winning casino features nearly 1,700 slot machines, 39 live table games, and a dedicated poker room and various restaurants, bars and lounges. Jamul Casino supports more than 1,000 permanent jobs in the region. For more information about Jamul Casino, please visit www.jamulcasinosd.com.

###

Media Contact: Beth Binger

BCIpr

619-987-6658

[email protected]

SOURCE Jamul Indian Village of California

Related Links

http://www.jamulindianvillage.com/


Posted Monday, January 4, 2021 8:50 am

Washington will neither gain nor lose clout in Congress as the once-a-decade reapportionment of the 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives plays out this year.

Due to population booms, seven states, led by Texas and Florida, are expected to gain House seats, while 10 stand to lose seats, including California for the first time, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Brookings Institution.

But Washington is projected to stand pat, with 10 House seats.

That could take some of the drama out of the state's 2021 redistricting process, set to begin this month. Unlike a decade ago, when the state was awarded an additional House seat, there will be no need to drastically redraw political boundaries to squeeze in a new district.

Still, political flashpoints loom as Republicans and Democrats prepare to hash out new maps for the state's 10 congressional and 49 legislative districts, a process controlled by a bipartisan redistricting commission.

A multiracial coalition is demanding the next round of maps stop dividing the Yakama and Colville Indian nations and provide more electoral power to communities of color. Some reformers say the political parties should be removed from the redistricting process entirely.

Above all, some civic activists want to boost public involvement in the decennial map-drawing that follows the U.S. census  a yearlong slog that is typically monitored mostly by self-interested lawmakers, partisan operatives, journalists and other political geeks.

Delays in the U.S. census could put pressure on the redistricting commission. The Census Bureau missed its Dec. 31 deadline for delivering state population estimates, citing potential problems with COVID-19 restrictions and with the accuracy of its data. The bureau issued a statement last week saying it hoped to complete its count "as close to the statutory deadline as possible," probably in early 2021.

"It affects every other issue you care about," said Alison McCaffree, who is leading redistricting efforts for the League of Women Voters of Washington, which has had a long history of involvement on the subject.

The organization is launching a series of "Speak Up Schools" to train people of all political views on how to offer effective testimony into the redistricting process.

Washington's redistricting system has been praised for avoiding the extreme gerrymandering seen in the majority of states where the party in control of the legislature simply draws maps.

In 1983, after decades of rancorous redistricting fights, the Washington state Legislature and voters amended the state constitution to place political mapping in the hands of a bipartisan commission.

The Washington State Redistricting Commission consists of four voting members  two Democrats and two Republicans  picked by the leaders of the Democratic and Republican caucuses in the state House and Senate. A fifth, nonvoting chairperson is then picked by the voting members.

For 2021, Democrats have picked April Sims, secretary treasurer of the Washington State Labor Council, and Brady Pinero Walkinshaw, a former state representative and CEO of Grist, the environmentalist media nonprofit. Republicans have yet to name their appointees ahead of a Jan. 15 deadline.

The commission will have until Nov. 15 to draw up new political boundaries for the congressional and legislative districts. At least three of four members must agree to the maps. The Legislature can make only minor changes to the commission maps and the governor has no role.

Under state law, districts must be made as equal in population as possible and aren't supposed to be gerrymandered for partisan advantage or discriminate against any group. They're also supposed to avoid splitting up cities and other political subdivisions.

That still leaves a lot of leeway for political horse trading. The redistricting process inevitably produces intrigue, with politicians chiming in publicly or secretly to request shifts in their districts to fend off electoral challenges.

Such maneuvers are a reminder that the commission remains under the control of Republican and Democratic party legislative leaders.

"It prioritizes the partisan interests of both parties, often leaving behind communities, and particularly communities of color," said Kamau Chege, managing director at the Washington Census Alliance, a coalition of 92 groups pushing for greater representation for historically marginalized communities.

Chege said the group's 2021 goals include redrawing Central and Eastern Washington legislative districts that split the lands of the Colville and Yakama Indian tribes. In addition, he pointed to districts in the Yakima area that divide Latino vote strength.

"That doesn't seem to be something we can tolerate moving forward," said Chege, calling the current maps "a real failure of having an all-white redistricting commission [in 2011]."

Some states, including Colorado, Michigan and California, have shifted toward more independently appointed citizen panels that include representation for voters unaffiliated with either major party.

Hugh Spitzer, a law professor at the University of Washington, said the state's redistricting commission was a step in the right direction. "You can't have one party running roughshod over the other party  that's good," he said.

But, Spitzer said a superior model would follow the lead of other countries, such as Canada and Australia, which have independent panels staffed by nonpartisan experts. He also suggested simply appointing a professional demographer to draw maps based on data.

That would, he argued, yield "fairly drawn maps that yield results that are closest to a democratic result  one person one vote."

Any such changes would require a state constitutional amendment  a big hurdle that would require broad bipartisan support in the Legislature. So far, lawmakers have turned down even relatively modest tweaks.

A proposal before the Legislature last year, House Bill 2575, would have required more public hearings, public-records training for redistricting commissioners and better translation services and accommodations for limited-English speaking persons at commission meetings.

It also would have paid commissioners an $80,000 salary, instead of the $100-a-day stipend they receive now. It would require hiring of additional staff.

The bill passed the state House but died in a Senate committee.

McCaffree and other supporters of the proposal were disappointed, saying such changes could have bolstered the redistricting commission's public outreach.

Despite the failure, McCaffree said the League of Women Voters will work to increase public involvement.

Ten years ago, she estimated about 840 people testified to the redistricting commission. Leaving aside lobbyists and others paid to attend the commission meetings, about 600 people chimed in.

McCaffree's goal is to more than double that to 2,000 participants, while also improving the quality of the public testimony.

"We know that we're stuck with this system until we change it, so we have got to make the most of it, and the way we make the most of it is get more people involved," she said.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
With the global economy still in the teeth of the Covid-19 crisis, the Eurasia group sees a divided US as a key risk this year for a world lacking leadership.

In decades past, the world would look to the US to restore predictability in times of crisis. But the worlds preeminent superpower faces big challenges of its own, said Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer and Chairman Cliff Kupchan in a report on the top risks for 2021.

Starting with the difficulties facing the Biden Administration in a divided US, the report flags 10 geopolitical, climate and individual country risks that could derail the global economic recovery. An extended Covid-19 impact and K-shaped recoveries in both developed and emerging economies is the second biggest risk factor cited in the report.

Biden will have difficulty gaining new confidence in US global leadership as he struggles to manage domestic crises, the report said. With a large segment of the US casting doubt over his legitimacy, the political effectiveness and longevity of his asterisk presidency, the future of the Republican Party, and the very legitimacy of the US political model are all in question, it added.

A superpower torn down the middle cannot return to business as usual. And when the most powerful country is so divided, everybody has a problem, said Bremmer and Kupchan.

The report warns that the pandemic and its broad impact will not vanish once vaccination becomes widespread. Uneven recoveries, variance in vaccine access and stimulus plans that fall short will push up debt levels, leave workers displaced and fuel opposition toward incumbent leaders.

For the US, this will increase the polarization that fed support for Donald Trump. For emerging economies, the debt crunch could lead to financial troubles, the report said.

Some concerns are more likely to be red herring risks that have been overplayed, the report adds. These include relations between Biden and Trumps fellow travelers such as Turkeys Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Brazils Jair Bolsonaro, the UKs Boris Johnson and Israels Binyamin Netanyahu. The Biden administration will engage on shared interests and leaders will adapt to the new status quo, the report says.

Fears over a global backlash against US big tech and an Iran-US confrontation are also seen as lower risks.
She jetted away with her sister Tiffany and fiance James Dunmore before London was plunged into Tier 4.

And Lucy Watson set the temperatures soaring once again as she flaunted her jaw-dropping figure on Monday.

The Made In Chelsea star, 29, stunned in a black bandeau bikini as she took in the sun on her idyllic Barbados break.

Wow! Lucy Watson set the temperatures soaring once again as she flaunted her jaw-dropping figure in a black bandeau bikini on Monday

In a series of snaps posted to Instagram, the TV personality showcased her toned physique as she lounged on a sun bed.

In the first picture, she displayed her peachy posterior as she lay on her side, with her brunette locks splayed out behind her.

She sat cross-legged in the second as she took off her aviator sunglasses to put them on the table beside her.

In the third, she rested her arms on the sides of the bed, with her sunglasses next to her, as she relaxed on her back.

Sensational: The Made In Chelsea star, 29, stunned in a black bandeau bikini as she took in the sun on her idyllic Barbados break

Peachy: In the first of the series of snaps posted to Instagram, the TV personality displayed her peachy posterior as she lay on her side, with her brunette locks splayed out behind her

Lucy jetted off to Barbados just before London was plunged into Tier 4 on December 20 and celebrated Christmas on the idyllic island.

She was cautious in posting holiday content to her 1.2 million followers and asked their views in advance of sharing her trip with fans, to avoid seeming insensitive.

The reality star was joined by her sister and MIC co-star Tiffany and her fiance James.

During the break, Lucy took to Instagram on Thursday to hit back at a social media user who asked if she was pregnant as she coined a cutting response.

'Seriously?' Lucy recently hit back at a fan on Thursday who asked if she's pregnant in a comment the Made In Chelsea star deemed as 'socially unacceptable'

'Pregnant'?: In a new Instagram post, Lucy displayed her slim figure in a white bikini top and shorts while tying a striped, loose cover up around her stomach

After a fan simply penned: 'Pregnant?' she swiftly responded: 'Seriously?'

Fellow critics quickly swarmed upon the commentator and lashed out at the comment given Lucy's tiny frame in the picture of her taut stomach.

The reality star took to her Instagram Stories, explaining that being asked if she's pregnant is 'socially unacceptable'.

She said: 'It is not and will never be socially acceptable to ask someone if they are pregnant, whether you know them or not.

'You're telling that person they look bigger': Lucy, who's engaged to marry James Dunmore after he popped the question in September, voiced her views on being asked if she's expecting

'You are basically telling that person they look bigger. Please stop.'

Lucy became engaged to her boyfriend of five years James in September last year after he popped the question during a romantic getaway in Greece.

The couple have been going strong ever since meeting on the E4 series back in 2015, following her ill-fated flings with Andy Jordan, Jamie Laing, Spencer Matthews and Oliver Proudlock.
The odd, wavy pattern that results from viewing certain phone or computer screens through polarized glasses has led researchers to take a step toward thinner, lighter-weight lenses. Called moire, the pattern is made by laying one material with opaque and translucent parts at an angle over another material of similar contrast.

A team of researchers from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, TUAT, in Japan have demonstrated that moire metalenses--tiny, patterned lenses composed of artificial "meta" atoms--can tune focal length along a wider range than previously seen. They published their results on November 23 in Optics Express, a journal of The Optical Society.

"Metalenses have attracted a lot of interest because they are so thin and lightweight, and could be used in ultra-compact imaging systems, like future smart phones, virtual reality goggles, drones or microbots," said paper author Kentaro Iwami, associate professor in the TUAT Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering.

The problem, Iwami said, is that to keep the metalenses compact enough for use in the desired applications, they have a limited focal tuning range for sight. Focal length, measured in millimeters, is the angle of view and strength of magnification and is dictated by the lens shape.

A convex lens, which has a positive focal length, brings light rays to a single point, while a concave lens, with a negative focal length, disperses the light rays. When combined in varifocal lenses, the result is a more complete, sharper image--but tuning the focal length from negative to positive in something as compact as a metalens is tricky, according to Iwami.

"We found that wide-focal length tuning from convex to concave can be achieved by rotational moire metalenses," Iwami said.

The researchers developed metalenses with high-contrast artificial "meta" atoms composed of amorphous silicon octagonal pillars. When they overlaid one meta lens over the other, creating the moire pattern, and rotated them, they could use infrared light to tune the focal length of the lenses.

Next the researchers plan to demonstrate wide-focal length tuning at a visible wavelength, and improve the quality of the lens, with the ultimate goal of realizing an ultra-compact imaging system.

###

This paper was co-authored by Chikara Ogawa, Tomoyasu Nagase and Satoshi Ikezawa.

This work was supported by the Nanotechnology Platform site at the University of Tokyo, which is supported by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology.

For more information about the Iwami laboratory, please visit

http://nmems. lab. tuat. ac. jp/ en/

Original publication:

Kentaro Iwami *, Chikara Ogawa, Tomoyasu Nagase, and Satoshi Ikezawa,

"Demonstration of focal length tuning by rotational varifocal moire metalens in an ir-A wavelength," Opt. Express 28, 35602-35614 (2020)

https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1364/ OE. 411054

*: Corresponding author

About Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT):

TUAT is a distinguished university in Japan dedicated to science and technology. TUAT focuses on agriculture and engineering that form the foundation of industry, and promotes education and research fields that incorporate them. Boasting a history of over 140 years since our founding in 1874, TUAT continues to boldly take on new challenges and steadily promote fields. With high ethics, TUAT fulfills social responsibility in the capacity of transmitting science and technology information towards the construction of a sustainable society where both human beings and nature can thrive in a symbiotic relationship. For more information, please visit http://www. tuat. ac. jp/ en/ .

Contact:

Kentaro Iwami, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Institute of Engineering,

Division of Advanced Mechanical Systems Engineering

Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT), Japan

k_iwami@cc.tuat.ac.jp
So far, there have been no discussions between Mr. Bidens representatives and the Russians about the treaty, transition officials said, because of what Mr. Sullivan referred to as the tradition of one president at a time.

Conversations four years ago between the Russian ambassador to the United States and Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, Mr. Trumps first national security adviser, led to the initial investigations of the administrations dealings with Russia. Mr. Bidens team said it was scrupulously avoiding contact with foreigners on any issue of significance until the afternoon of Jan. 20.

The idea of moving forward with a separate agreement with Iran on missiles is not new, but Mr. Trump made no effort to negotiate any limits after pulling the United States out of the nuclear accord in mid-2018.

Mr. Sullivan and Daniel Benaim, who was a Middle East adviser to Mr. Biden when he was vice president, argued in a Foreign Affairs article in May that the United States should, under a new president, immediately re-establish nuclear diplomacy with Iran and salvage what it can from the 2015 nuclear deal, and then work with allies and Iran to negotiate a follow-on agreement. At the same time, the United States would support what they called a regional track of negotiations that would include Saudi Arabia, Irans chief rival in the region, and one of the main targets of its missile program.

Any effort to resuscitate the Iran deal will undoubtedly open a new breach with Republicans, who have already argued that Mr. Biden was tied to a flawed nuclear accord. But the deal was never a treaty  it was an executive agreement, which Mr. Trump abandoned by declaration  and its restoration could also be done by executive order.

The key question is whether the Iranians are willing to go back to the old deal. It was widely unpopular in the country, where many believed that the United States never intended to allow Tehran to enjoy its economic benefits. And Iran is about to plunge into a presidential election of its own, in which a hard-line Air Force officer from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps is one of the leading candidates. Re-entering the limits of the existing deal, without extracting some kind of reparations from the United States for Mr. Trumps decision to reimpose sanctions, may be politically impossible before the election.

When pressed by his interviewer, Fareed Zakaria, on why the 2015 deal did not bring about an easing of tensions and new cooperation with Iran, Mr. Sullivan rejected the idea that the Obama administration had expectations beyond limiting the nuclear program.
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Co-founder of Integrated Logistics Services Nigeria Limited (Intels), Atiku Abubakar, has been selling his shares in Intels over the years.

A statement by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, on Monday in Abuja, said Mr Abubakar, former vice president and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2019 general elections, took the decision because the Muhammadu Buhari government has destroyed the economy.

It assumed greater urgency in the last last five years, because this Government has been preoccupied with destroying a legitimate business that was employing thousands of Nigerians because of politics,  a part of the statement read.

Mr Abubakar, who was Vice President between 1999 and 2007, said there should be a marked difference between politics and business.

The statement further said the former Vice President sold his shares in Intels and redirected his investment to other sectors of the economy for returns and creation of jobs.

Mr Abubakar has been having running battle with the Nigerian government over some remittances Intels ought to make into the governments coffers.
A saxophone solo and slew of thanks kicked off Kristin Grazianos new role as sheriff of Charleston County, marking the first moments of her tenure with pledges of atonement and accountability.

On Monday morning, Graziano was sworn in as South Carolinas first female and first openly gay sheriff. Shell officially take over the office at midnight Tuesday, and said she hopes to spend her first few months repairing law enforcements relationship with Black and Latino communities.

Clerk of Court Julie Armstrong swore Graziano in privately, then the pair went to a more formal ceremony in the old historic courthouse, where Graziano's wife, Elizabeth Graziano, held a Bible and Judge Michele Patrao Forsythe led the oath.

Though quick and small, Kristin Graziano said the ceremony humbled her. It was an appropriate end to a long year that showed how communities come together in hard times and made her especially thankful for the voters who believed in a new era for the Charleston County Sheriffs Office, she said.

They have hope because they believe its never too late to change, to forgive and to be our best selves, Graziano said.

The lesson reminded Graziano of her absent father, she said. He was a professional saxophonist who never acknowledged his youngest children. But she forgave him on his deathbed and later heard how he'd repented in the eulogy he recorded of himself.

So during her inauguration on Monday, Graziano stepped from the spotlight for a moment as supporter Chris Williams picked up her fathers old saxophone and played Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah for the crowd.

Williams called the moment soothing and fulfilling, saying he trusted Graziano to build up a trustworthy Sheriffs Office.

Instead of a long speech, Graziano looked around the room and called out thanks to her supporters, praising their vision for a more inclusive county.

It feels like Im the one that won, friend Jasmine Mazyck said after the ceremony. Graz saved my life, she cared about me and shes going to change things for the community.

She might have been a little late to work on Monday, but the mother of two said the swearing-in ceremony was too important to miss. Mazyck describes herself as a surly high school student when she met Graziano, who was then working as an officer at Mazycks school.

Thats the only thing that got me up every day, getting on the bus so I could go see her, Mazyck said. When nobody believed in me and I thought everyone was out to get me, she proved me wrong.

Mazyck hesitated for a moment when Graziano asked her to stand and thanked her in front of the crowd.

You are why I do what I do, and I thank you, Graziano told her.

Graziano campaigned on pledges of accountability and transparency in the department, leveraging over 30 years of law enforcement experience. Outgoing Sheriff Al Cannon, who held the office for over three decades, called her campaign insubordination and placed her on leave.

Since the election, Graziano has been reinstated to her position.
At Harris County Precinct 5 Constables Office, the Crime Victims Assistance Unit works to make sure victims find the resources they need to move forward.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Katy rice growers participate in holiday rice donation to needy

The unit helps them with services like navigating the courts system, relocation after domestic abuse and finding support groups. Each day, Victim Liaisons Barb McInnis and Karina Alcantara find victims by combing through the previous days police reports but also through community referrals, calls, emails and walk-ins.

McInnis said a lot of people dont really understand how the system works and that it can be frustrating because things tend to progress slowly. Without assistance, victims can turn into case and incident numbers.

If you arent a part of that system, you dont even know where to begin, where to get the social services that you may need, where to get the medical assistance that you may need, McInnis said.

In the cases of domestic violence or sexual assault at home, she explained much of the work is educating about where victims can go and find support. Developing a safety plan is also critical. McInnis said some victims think they are safe because their offender has been taken into custody, but particularly during the pandemic, offenders may be released just a couple of hours after their arrest. So McInnis and Alcantara try to contact the victims as quickly as possible.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Mala Sichuan Bistro opens Sugar Land location

Many victims of domestic violence and sexual assault do not report for different reasons, such as a fear of law enforcement, their immigration status or how their families might respond. (McInnis emphasized a victims immigration status is completely irrelevant.) Other victims may not realize they are experiencing domestic abuse, so she and Alcantara discuss the dynamics with them.

Victims can look up information online about their offender and learn when court dates are. Some will show up at all the proceedings, thinking it is important to be there. The assistance unit tries to help them understand which ones are necessary, especially because going to downtown Houston for court dates can be time-consuming.

So Im bilingual: I speak German. I also speak law enforcement and court system because for a victim, its like a foreign language. And, you know, its a whole new arena, McInnis said.

The unit doesnt fight the battle alone. McInnis and Alcantara work with not-for-profit agencies, other law enforcement agencies and the offices of the attorney general and district attorney to create what McInnis calls a web of support.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Nonprofit urges a look at personal finances amid new year

Law enforcement agencies in Texas are typically required to have someone on staff who works in victim advocacy. McInnis said Constable Ted Heap knows the value of having people that are informed in trauma and focused on victims. Most advocates have social work or psychology degrees, but in small agencies, a lead investigator might serve as the advocate.

McInnis has been with the constables office for three and a half years and previously worked for the Houston Police Department for nine years. She said while deputies and officers know about the assistance units, victims often do not. She called it the offices best kept secret.

During the pandemic, McInnis said the Crime Victims Assistance Unit has seen an increase in the needs of victims and the severity of domestic violence before victims reach out for help because people are spending a lot more time at home with the offender. She added another trend has been more males contacting the office about domestic abuse.

Because Harris County is so culturally diverse with many different languages spoken, McInnis said the unit reaches out to community partners to make sure victims are getting the cultural support they need.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Take Me Home program helps Fort Bend Sheriffs Office aid nonverbal residents

It also helps victims of financial crimes and fraud. McInnis said the Better Business Bureau offers great resources as well to those victims and people who believe they may be victims.

The work is not bound by geography. A victim that has recently relocated to Harris County Precinct 5 from another part of the state or country can still benefit from the services, McInnis said.

Our Victims Assistance Unit has been a valuable addition to Precinct 5, said Heap. Those who have been affected by crime often arent aware of the resources available to them. But our Victims Assistance Unit can help them navigate the process of getting the assistance they need to help them along the road to recovery.

He said the unit has benefited numerous people of all ages and added that the office has received a lot of positive feedback and plans to continue serving crime victims and families as they face difficult circumstances.

To learn more about the Crime Victims Assistance Unit, visit https://tinyurl.com/ycyt2pt2. If you are a crime victim, you can call 281-578-2513.

tracy.maness@hcnonline.com
The attempt to destroy precious doses of the vaccine came over the holidays as the state worked to administer vaccines quickly to frontline health care workers. As of Saturday, the state had received 159,800 doses of vaccines and had administered 64,657, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although the Moderna product is sometimes described as a genetic vaccine, it does not alter a persons genes in any way.

Image Police said Steven Brandenburg had twice removed a box of vials of the Moderna vaccine from the refrigerator for periods of 12 hours, rendering them useless. Credit... Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office, via Associated Press

The vials, which contained 570 doses of vaccine and which prosecutors said were worth between $8,000 and $12,000, were discovered sitting out on Dec. 26. Five days later, Mr. Brandenburg was arrested on felony charges of reckless endangerment and property damage, though prosecutors on Monday said the charges could be dropped to a single misdemeanor if the vials, which have yet to be tested, are still usable.

The prosecutor, Adam Gerol, said that Mr. Brandenburg was pretty cooperative and admitted to everything hed done, and that he expressed that he was under great stress because of marital problems. He said that according to co-workers, Mr. Brandenburg had brought a gun to work on two prior occasions.

Last month Mr. Brandenburg told his wife, who is in the process of divorcing him, that the world is crashing down around us, according to a motion she filed last week asking for sole custody of the couples two daughters, 4 and 6, after she learned he was under investigation in the incident at the hospital. She said she feared his reaction if he lost his job.

In her motion, Gretchen Brandenburg said that on Dec. 6, her husband picked up the children and dropped off a water purifier, a large bucket of powdered milk and two 30-day emergency buckets of food.
A leading family doctor has warned there is a 'real risk' that doses of the Pfizer vaccine could go to waste this week because of the Government's last-minute change on the second jab.

Dame Clare Gerada, a former chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners and a practising GP, said the timing of the decision to delay the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine for the elderly from 21 days to 12 weeks was 'wrong.'

She added that because of the difficulties in contacting about one million elderly people to cancel their second jab and arrange new appointments for others, many doses could be lost  spelling a 'disaster.'

Her comments came as members of the Doctors' Association described the decision to delay the dose as a 'gamble', which could dent public confidence in the entire vaccination programme.

Almost one million Britons, mostly in their 80s and older, were due to receive the booster dose over coming days.

A leading family doctor has warned there is a 'real risk' that doses of the Pfizer vaccine could go to waste this week because of the Government's last-minute change on the second jab. Pictured: The Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine [Stock photo]

Almost one million Britons, mostly in their 80s and older, were due to receive the booster dose over coming days. Pictured: Lorna Lucas, 81, reacts as she receives the first dose of the vaccine shortly before her husband Winston (left) in London on December 8, 2020 [File photo]

However on December 30, the Government's Join Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said that the second dose of the joint Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine would now be given 12 weeks after the first.

After a backlash from doctors, the British Medical Association has vowed to support GPs who decide to honour their January appointments.

The change in policy is designed to ensure as many people as possible are offered some protection against Covid-19.

But Dame Clare told the Daily Mail: 'There is a big possibility that vaccines could go to waste. It would be a disaster.

Imagine if you have had 1,000 delivered and you are in a rural area and you are suddenly having to find a new 600 people to be vaccinated.'

She added that she agreed with the science behind the decision to postpone the second vaccine, but not the execution.

'It's a mess,' she said. 'I don't think it's wrong to try to give as many people the first vaccine as possible, but I do think announcing it late on the 30th ...They could have delayed it a week. It would have been better to get the elderly back and done and dusted so we know they are safe.'
Infratil advises that an independent valuation of CDC Data Centres (CDC) as at 31 December 2020 indicates a significant increase in the value of Infratils investment in CDC since 30 September 2020. Infratils 48.1% investment in CDC is now valued at between A$2,039 million to A$2,334 million, up from A$1,597 million to A$1,807 million at 30 September 2020. Based on the NZD/AUD exchange rate on 31 December 2020, the NZD valuation of Infratils investment in CDC was $2,164.3 million to $2,478.7 million (with a midpoint of $2,313.5 million).

This valuation increase reflects the acceleration in demand that CDC is experiencing from new and existing customers across its portfolio, which is expected to result in its existing data centres reaching capacity earlier than expected, with a consequential effect on forecast growth. Infratil will provide a further update from CDC, including its growth plans, at Infratils Investor Day on 16 February 2021.

Impact on Estimated FY2021 International Portfolio Annual Incentive Fee

On 12 November 2020, as part of its interim results for the six months to 30 September 2020, Infratil provided an estimate of its FY2021 International Portfolio Incentive Fee accrual. Based on the 31 December 2020 independent valuation of CDC, Infratil advises that the estimated International Portfolio Annual Incentive Fee is now $147.6 million, an increase of $89.9 million since the 30 September 2020 accrual.

The assessment of the International Portfolio Annual Incentive Fee in relation to Tilt Renewables, Longroad Energy, RetireAustralia and Australian Social Infrastructure Partners has not been updated since the 30 September 2020 estimate. As at 30 September 2020, the value of Infratils shareholding in Tilt Renewables was the equivalent of $3.70 per Tilt Renewables share. On 7 December 2020, Infratil announced that it is undertaking a strategic review of its investment in Tilt Renewables, which it expects to conclude within six months. As the strategic review process is ongoing an updated assessment of the value of Infratils shareholding was not undertaken, however we note that the price per Tilt Renewables share on the NZX as at 31 December 2020 was $6.37. Infratil will continue to update the market of any material developments in relation to the strategic review.

Infratil notes that the actual International Portfolio Annual Incentive Fee as at 31 March 2021 will be determined based on independent valuations of each of the relevant investments. If an International Portfolio Annual Incentive Fee is ultimately determined to be payable at 31 March 2021, the fee will be payable in three equal tranches over the period to 31 March 2023, with the payment of the latter two tranches only being payable if the total valuation of the relevant investments as at 31 March 2022 and 31 March 2023 respectively, is no less than the total valuations determined as at 31 March 2021.

See the links below for more details:

CDC Data Centres 31 December 2020 Valuation - Increased Demand Driving Increase in Value

Source: Infratil Limited

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Syracuse, N.Y.  Syracuse police are investigating a shooting with injuries Sunday night on Interstate 690 West near the Teall Avenue exit, Onondaga County 911 dispatchers said.

My mother has been shot in the foot, the caller told 911 dispatchers at 7:20 p.m.

The 911 caller told dispatchers they had pulled over onto the side of the highway near Exit 14, the Teall Avenue exit, dispatchers said.

Syracuse police and American Medical Response (AMR) ambulance responded to the scene. When they arrived, they found a 31-year-old Syracuse woman had been shot in the area of her foot/leg, Syracuse police spokesman Sgt. Matthew Malinowski said.

The woman told officers someone in another vehicle shot her while she was driving on I-690, Syracuse police spokesman Sgt. Matthew Malinowski said. Police confirmed the womans 13-year-old son called 911. A 12-year-old girl also was in the car at the time, Malinowski said.

AMR transported the woman to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse with non life-threatening injuries, Malinowski said.

Syracuse police are continuing to investigate the shooting and have not yet commented on the other vehicle involved in the shooting, however according to police dispatches officers were looking for a gray Dodge Caravan believed to have been involved in the shooting. The suspect vehicle was last seen traveling westbound on I-690, according to the police dispatches.

The investigation is active and ongoing, Malinowski said.

Syracuse police ask anyone with information to call the Syracuse Police Department at (315) 442-5222.

Have a tip or a story idea? Contact Catie OToole: cotoole@syracuse.com | text/call 315-470-2134 | Twitter | Facebook
GBP/USD Exchange Rate Sinks as Concerns Grow for British Economy

The Pound to US Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate fell by 0.2% today, with the pairing currently trading around $1.36.

Sterling suffered today after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there was no question that England required tougher Covid-19 restrictions.

Mr Johnson said:

It may be that we need to do things in the next few weeks that will be tougher in  many parts of the country  Im fully, fully reconciled to that. And I bet the people of this country are reconciled to that.

Matt Hancock, the British Health Secretary, also said that the new Covid-19 variant has proved even more of a problem, leaving UK markets concerned about the UKs economic recovery in the months ahead.

In UK economic data, today saw the release of the UK Manufacturing PMI for December, which beat forecasts by rising to 57.5.

Rob Dobson, the director at IHS Markit, commented:

The Manufacturing PMI rose to its highest level in over three years in December, mainly reflecting a boost from last-minute preparations before the end of the Brexit transition period.

[However], the disruption to deliveries and production schedules, alongside the unwinding of Brexit inventories, may place the manufacturing recovery under greater threat in the coming months.

US Dollar (USD) Rises Despite Damping Demand for Safe-Haven Assets

The US Dollar (USD) struggled today as markets reacted positively to the rollout of the UK Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine rollout.

As a result, demand for the Greenback has fallen as investors become more optimistic that the coronavirus death toll and infections could be severely lowered by the rollout of the new vaccines.

Nonetheless, the USD/GBP exchange rate rose today, with some investors more concerned about South Africas Covid-19 variant, which could present an obstacle to vaccines in the near-future.

In US economic news, today will see the release of the US Markit Manufacturing PMI for December.

Any improvement in the outlook for the US economy could weaken demand for the Greenback.

Consequently, we could see the USD/GBP exchange rate begin to suffer as a combination of Covid-19 vaccine optimism and an encouraging outlook for the American economy dampens demand for the safe-haven USD.

GBP/USD Forecast: Could Sterling Fall as New UK Lockdowns are Revealed?

US Dollar (USD) investors will be awaiting tomorrows release of the latest US ISM Manufacturing PMI for December.

Again, any signs of the US economy steadily recovering would drag down demand for the safe-haven USD.

Meanwhile, Pound (GBP) traders will be eyeing Downing Street, with any further indications of tougher Covid-19 lockdowns to come being GBP-negative.

Additionally, any signs of the new Covid-19 variant from South Africa showing signs of resistance to the vaccines would also drag down the GBP/USD exchange rate.
Asiatic black bear, pictured here in a camera trap image, find habitat geared toward giant pandas doesn't meet their needs Credit: Fang Wang, Michigan State University Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability

Forgive Asiatic black bear if they're not impressed with their popular giant panda neighbors.

For decades, conservationists have preached that panda popularity, and the resulting support for their habitat, automatically benefits other animals in the mountainous ranges. That logic extends across the world, as animals regarded as cute, noble or otherwise appealing drum up support to protect where they live.

Yet in Biological Conservation, scientists take a closer look at how other animals under the panda 'umbrella' fare and find several species have every reason to be ticked at panda-centric policies.

"The popularity of giant pandas, as of the popularity of other beloved threatened animals across the world, has generated tremendous advances in protecting forests and other fragile habitats," said Jianguo "Jack" Liu, Michigan State University's Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability and a paper author. "But this is an important reminder that it can't assume that what's good for a panda is automatically good for other species. Different species have specific needs and preferences."

The authors of "The hidden risk of using umbrella species as conservation surrogates: A spatio-temporal approach" used camera trap data collected throughout mountain ranges to get a clear understanding of what and how animals were using protected habitats.

Animals like this forest musk deer in China, caught by a camera trap, don't necessarily thrive in habitat that specifically protects giant pandas Credit: Fang Wang, Michigan State University Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability

What they discovered is that while the pandas are doing very well (the species in 2016 was declared "threatened" rather than "endangered"a conservation point of pride). But three of the eight species focused upon in this studythe Asiatic black bear, the forest musk deer and the Chinese serow (a goat-like animal) seem to have suffered significant habitat loss and/or degradation under panda-centric habitat management. Pandas are picky about where they liveneeding lots of bamboo, a gentle slope and no contact with humans. And the managed habitats have largely delivered for them. Just not so much for others.

Fang Wang, the paper's first author, noted that earlier efforts at tracking how a broader range of animals fared were handicapped by turning a blind eye to different habitat preferences, and not spotting potentially different habitat trends of other animals. The authors suggested that the forests and shrublands in lower elevations next to the habitats that best serve pandas could be better for bear and deer.

Giant pandas in China have found their status upgraded to "threatened" thanks to conservation efforts. But new studies indicate what's good for the panda may not be optimal for other species Credit: Fang Wang, Michigan State University Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability

"China has made a tremendous achievement in establishing giant panda nature reserves, and now we're learning that one size does not fit all," said Wang, who with Liu and other authors is part of MSU's Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability. "China as well as other countries that face similar conservation challenges have the opportunity to move forward from rescuing single species to protecting animal communities and ecosystems."

More information: Fang Wang et al, The hidden risk of using umbrella species as conservation surrogates: A spatio-temporal approach, Biological Conservation (2020). Journal information: Biological Conservation Fang Wang et al, The hidden risk of using umbrella species as conservation surrogates: A spatio-temporal approach,(2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108913
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By Sam Richards

Bay City News Foundation

MARTINEZ (BCN)

Tony Jetland said that after he was injured on the job in early August, suffering a back injury and a double hernia simultaneously while working on an outside deck, "for three months, I literally laid around and stared at the ceiling."

The Martinez resident not only couldn't work, but also was grounded in his pursuit of his passion -- flying kites. This was painful, according to the man who has come to be known as the "Kite Man of Martinez" and flies large, expensive, elaborate kites everywhere from Europe to China (and, soon, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) to the Martinez marina.

He resumed his work as a general contractor in mid-November. But it wasn't until Dec. 27 that Jetland got a few of his kites out and brought them to the marina along the Carquinez Strait for what he calls "kite therapy." He said it took a few minutes for the outing to become therapeutic.

"I had all this nervous energy, like 'show time' -- I was shaking with nerves," Jetland said. "But when the first kite went up and caught air, it was like ... I can still do this! And your confidence starts coming back."

Jetland, 59, has become famous in Martinez and environs, having flown his kites at the marina, generally about twice a month, for the past two decades. In addition to his contractor business, he is a "global ambassador" with Seattle-based Prism Kite Technology, traveling the region and the world flying company kites in non-COVID-19 times.

When Jetland was injured, many of those who enjoyed his kites (and perhaps some who appreciated his repair and remodeling work) offered sincere condolences, and more.

"Once the word drifted out to the community that I was laid up and would be for the foreseeable future ... I had many, many offers from people to bring me food, cooked dinners, offers to grocery shop or run errands for me, take me to doctors' appointments and so on," Jetland said. "That's another reason I love this community."

He was hoping to fly again on Friday, New Year's Day, but weather conditions weren't right, he said.

He is excited about his planned trip in March to Saudi Arabia, where he will be only one of three Americans among a flight team 200 strong from around the world to fly at a nine-day kite festival in Riyadh. Anywhere from 400,000 to 500,000 people attend this festival each year, he said.

"It's an amazing honor, and I don't take it lightly," Jetland said of the Saudi Arabia trip.

While he says he flies his kites largely for his own edification, he also knows how much other people love watching them. When he and his "crew" of whomever he gets to help him man the big kites at the Martinez marina, word generally gets around; whereas a couple dozen folks may be at Ferry Point on a typical Sunday afternoon, a hundred or more could be there when the kites are up. Jetland estimates about 100 were there for his Dec. 27 flights.

Jetland's August 2019 wedding was held at the marina, attended by about 200 people and perhaps 10 flying kites.

"So now when I fly, it's not just for me," he said. "I owe it to the community."

Copyright  2021 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
Survivor Journeys is starting a Spanish-speaking virtual support group in February for individuals diagnosed with any form of cancer.

The group, facilitated by social worker Millie Culver, will meet for 90 minutes Wednesday, Feb. 3, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Zoom due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and continue monthly on the first Wednesday of the month.

Dr. Jay Burton, a primary care doctor and founder of the non-profit organization that offers various supports for cancer survivors, said the group is filling a need for area survivors who do not speak English as a second language or not at all.

Survivor Journeys has filled the void in cancer survivorship support services in our community, said Burton who started the organization several years ago after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a type of blood cancer.

Our organization and services have actually grown during the COVID-19 pandemic. We moved our support groups and our Cancer Survivorship 101 educational series to Zoom in April. Our collaborations outside our community are growing as well.

Participants are required to registered prior to the group by phone (413) 276-6100, or by email to survivorshipprogram@gmail.com.

Further information about Survivor Journeys is available on its website which has Google translate.

Related content:
China enters 2021 on a high. Even if it wasnt, Beijing would manufacture one. This is the Chinese Communist Partys 100th anniversary so there must be bells and whistles. However, Beijings leadership feels the imperial ambitions of the Middle Kingdom are going well. China, though its own bungling led to Covid-19 becoming a pandemic, is spreading the word about its success in stamping out the virus. Xi Jinping faces novice leaders in two of Chinas main rivals, the United States and Japan. Its sharply rebounding economy will be the driver of any global revival.

They started the fire, but want to be remembered as the phoenix who rose from the ashes. That is the narrative Beijing will push over the next few months. Its one reason China has gone hammer and tongs at Australia and others who have called for a robust investigation as to how the pandemic began. The other part of this Covid alt-news will be about how Sinopharms vaccine was the only one provided to the affected.

Read more| EU sets aside Chinas rights record, seals pact with Prez Xi that may upset US

Xi will see no reason to be less wolf warrior-ish this year. Things worked out reasonably well last year despite the pandemic. President Donald Trumps tariff strikes were hard but not true. The United States earned as much negative press as China for committing less sins. Foreign minister Wang Yi last month dismissed the USs attempts at stitching together an international coalition against China, correctly saying the overwhelming majority of [other countries] do not want to take sides. Beijings influence expanded across Eurasia, Africa and Latin America. Leaders from Germany to Sri Lanka offered economic concessions as tribute. Some things did not go as planned. Galwan Valley was supposed to bring India down a peg but backfired quite bloodily. No matter, as far as the Chinese public is concerned the incident never happened.

Read more| Chinese economy is recovering. But there are gaps | Analysis

Beijing will have more on its domestic plate in 2021. Besides the 100th anniversary party for the Party, it will also adopt its 14th Five Year Plan. Xi has promised some tectonic economic shifts. He has said the Chinese equivalent of vocal for local will play as great a role in growth as exports. He has also committed to creating a net zero carbon economy. Fluff or fact? That will depend on the Five-Year Plans fine print. But expect a template on how to set up a separate supply chain structure and universe of cyber standards independent of the West: decoupling with Chinese characteristics.

Beijing will accelerate its ambitions to create a new illiberal world order. This will also mean bad news for the likes of Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong who will recede further into darkness. If China is to create a sphere of influence across the world, it will have even less patience for different strokes among its own folks.

Read more| Chinese President Xi Jinping announces more commitments to back global climate actions

The keel of its fourth aircraft carrier will probably be laid this year. The airspace of Taiwan and Japan will be harassed endlessly by drones and fighters. Indian officials are braced for the possibility of border hostilities resuming in the spring. Yet Xi is likely to be more cautious about using Chinas still limited military capabilities.

Beijings main policy focus will be to roll out economic carrots and sticks to get other countries to sign on the dotted line of a Sinocentric economic order. In the case of India, it will largely be sticks designed to warn others of the dangers of trying to decouple from China. The Chinese economy will be Xis big red selling point. Despite being overloaded with debt and increasingly hostile to its own private sector, growth will clock in at 8% or more this year. GDP will nearly touch $16 trillion and probably overtake the European Union. These figures, Xi would hope, will ensure the world will forget about the curious incident at Wuhan in the night time and contemplate only the greater glory of the Chinese Communist Party.
With this letter by Jens Spahn, the vaccine disaster in the EU began

It is THE central document of the vaccination disaster.

A letter proves that the German Minister of Health, Jens Spahn (40, CDU) and his counterparts in France, Italy, and the Netherlands had to hand over the procurement of the life-saving vaccine to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen (62). They had to humbly apologize for their efforts to obtain the vaccine. This letter is exclusively available to BILD.

BILD has learned that both Chancellor Angela Merkel (66, CDU) and von der Leyen considered it important that the Letter by Spahn and his colleagues should sound as humble as possible.

The background is that Spahn and his colleagues had jointly tried to procure a sufficient amount of the vaccine for all Europeans. Merkel, however, wanted to make the procurement, as a big gesture, a matter of the EU.

The result is that the EU has failed disastrously to procure enough vaccine in time for all Europeans.

Auch Interessant



The letter says: Unfortunately, the parallel approach of the Alliance caused concerns. Therefore we believe that it is of utmost importance to have a common single and joint approach towards the various pharmaceutical companies () We also agree that speed is of the essence in this case. So we deem it very useful if the COM [Commission] takes the lead in this process. Of course, we are more than willing to continue our further support and expertise.

The first page of the letter, with letterhead Foto: Kein Credit

 and the second page with the signatures of the four ministers Foto: Kein Credit

Almost apologetically, the four Ministers of Health write that they have not started negotiations on the funding agreement of Astra Zeneca so far. Moreover: We would very much welcome if the COM were to take forward these negotiations.

BILD has learned that, as early as June 2020, the four ministers had serious doubts about the EUs ability to procure sufficient amounts of the vaccine in time. However, they were urged by their respective governments  i.e. in Germany, Angela Merkel  to hand over the process to Ursula von der Leyen.

What is striking: in contrast to the present claim by the EU, the chancellery, and Spahn, the letter at no point concerns negotiating good prices for the vaccine or preventing any vaccine nationalism. In contrast to the present portrayal of the matter, such considerations apparently played no role in the handing over to the EU.

All four ministers signed the letter in person. Then the vaccine disaster took its course 
Food Network personality Kerry Vincent has died at 75 from an undisclosed illness, according to a nonprofit organization she co-founded.

'It is with great sadness that I have to report the passing of Kerry Vincent earlier this evening,' a statement on the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show's Facebook page read. 'Being a very private person when it came to all things not cake, she did not want to put her illness out there to the public.

'Unfortunately her fight has come to an end but she will no longer have any pain. She will be sorely missed by all who she has touched through the Sugar Arts as will as personally.'

RIP: Food Network personality Kerry Vincent has died at 75 from an undisclosed illness, according to a nonprofit organization she co-founded

The organization said that 'there will be no services per her request,' thanking fans for their 'thoughts and prayers.'

The Wyalkatchem, Australia native had hosted the series Save My Bakery and had been a judge on Food Network Challenge and The Great Australian Bake Off.

An innovator in her field, Vincent 'invented unique techniques in sugar-craft, which include the Vincent Marquetry, and movement in stenciled or painted sugar flounces and skirting,' according to the Food Network.

In addition, in 2004, Vincent was put into the International Cake Exploration Societe Hall of Fame, and six years later, she was inducted into the Dessert Professional Hall of Fame.

The Wyalkatchem, Australia native had hosted the series Save My Bakery and had been a judge on Food Network Challenge and The Great Australian Bake Off

Out and about: She was snapped at a gala in January of 2012

A number of Vincent's peers and fans took to social media to pay memorial to the late culinary innovator.

'Very sad to learn that Kerry Vincent @KerryVincentArt has died,' Australian celebrity chef Dan Lepard tweeted. 'Judge on the first series of @BakeOffAU @Channel9 and founder of the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show. Kerry's vigour & fierce determination was an inspiration for so many.'

On Instagram Stories, Food Network's Zac Young said 'RIP Kerry Vincent. Original queen of cake thank you for sharing your wit and artistry.'

Vincent is survived by her husband Doug Vincent.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 19:54:30|Editor: huaxia

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People watch the sunrise at the Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong, south China, Jan. 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- China urges the United States to stop interfering with China's internal affairs and judicial sovereignty on Hong Kong-related issues, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Monday.

Hua made the remarks at a daily news briefing in response to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's remarks on the 12 Hong Kong residents who have been detained on the Chinese mainland for illegal entry.

"China is a country ruled by law and everyone should comply with the law. Anyone who violates the law must be punished," Hua said.

She said the Chinese judicial authorities handle cases according to law and the United States has no right to interfere, urging the U.S. side to stop slandering and smearing China.

The spokesperson noted that the right to life is the most important of all human rights. As for ruthlessness and disdain for people's rights, she said there have been more than 20 million cases of COVID-19 in the United States, with more than 350,000 deaths.

"Under the pandemic, inaction and carelessness are the real ruthlessness and disdain for human rights," Hua said. 
London: Britain's packed hospitals are three weeks away from being overwhelmed as a mutated coronavirus strain fuels a record-breaking surge in cases and triggers a third national lockdown.

Fending off claims the government had not acted fast or decisively enough to combat Europe's deadly second wave, Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday night said the United Kingdom "faced a pivotal moment" and the coming weeks would be "the hardest yet" in the pandemic.

"Our hospitals are under more pressure from COVID than at any time since the start of the pandemic," he said.

"In England alone, the number of COVID patients in hospitals has increased by nearly a third in the past week to almost 27,000 and that number is 40 per cent higher than the first peak in April."
The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike.

We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve.
With tier restrictions likely to be in place for a while, we've provided a round-up of some of the best streamed shows (live or pre-recorded) you can check out now!













21st Annual WhatsOnStage Awards

The WOSAwards are back but very different! This year we'll be streaming a digital concert celebrating you  the audience. The star-studded line-up is to be revealed... Captions will be available with tickets on sale now.





Brooklyn

The hit Off-Broadway show is getting a gorgeously shot filmed experience with a crack musical cast. One for March!





Brother

Robin Simoes da Silva and Annabel Mutale Reed's show will be live-streamed from home of all things new musical Southwark Playhouse! Worth a look, for sure. The venue is also streaming a new piece featuring Wendi Peters  the fun never ends.





Scaramouche Jones or the Seven White Masks

Shane Richie stars in a new revival of the much-loved play! Find out more.





Emilia

The award-winning show returns for March! Get those fists raised and those fires burning  Emilia is a smashing time.





Treason the Musical

Streamed over the course of three days later this year, the show is based on the infamous Gunpowder plot. Casting is rather sparky.  access options are tbd.





BBC iPlayer

A number of stage goodies are on the Beeb's streaming site, including Uncle Vanya and Matthew Bourne's The Red Shoes! A plethora have Audio description and captions. Oh, and be sure to check out the brand-new Musicals: The Greatest Show  available to watch for a year!





West End Bares: Turned On

The fab, ab-tastic charity fundraiser event is back with a variety of exciting acts  all raising money for a good cause! You can find out more via the West End Bares website. English subtitles available.





A Splinter of Ice

Ben Brown's new play is a political drama featuring iconic playwright Graham Greene. Expect thrills! Streaming from 15 April, courtesy of Original Theatre. English subtitles available.





The Color Purple

After working wonders with Sunset Boulevard, Curve Leicester will now team up with the Birmingham Hippodrome to create a concert version from the WhatsOnStage Award-winning production of The Color Purple. Curve will offer a range of accessible performances throughout the run, including captioned and audio described streams  from 16 February.





A Midsummer Night's Dream

Dan Stevens and Rebecca Hall will star in the one-night-only reading of Shakespeare's classic in March.





Northern Stage

The venue will be streaming a variety of bits and bobs across the coming months as part of its 2021 season.





Iris Theatre

The venue will host Platform in the Gardens, a series of performances recorded in the gardens of the Actors' Church during the company's outdoor summer festival in 2020. These are available until the end of March. Streams are fully captioned.





Barnes' People

Four Peter Barnes monologues will be available from 18 February to 31 July, led by top-tier stage and screen talent. English subtitles are available.





Sheffield Theatres

The venue is going to stream two productions from its main stage! You can read all about the first, streaming from 15 to 28 March 2021, now.





Rifco Theatre's Leave the Plastic On

The company's comedy series is available to watch now  top notch production values and some whip-sharp dialogue. The show has closed captions.





Gatsby

A Cadogan Hall recording will be made available for audiences next month  retelling F Scott Fitzgerald's great 20th century masterpiece. Accessibility options tbc.





National Theatre at Home

The National has its own streaming service! You can even catch its new pantomime on there, as well as a host of additional award-winning productions. Captioned and audio-described performances are available.





The Space

The venue will launch its second season of streamed work from Friday (8 January)  expect fresh and novel theatre from a groundbreaking organisation.





Until the Flood

The Traverse Theatre has uploaded this hit play from Dael Orlandersmith to its website so you can watch at your viewing pleasure. Well worth checking it out!





The cast of Uncle Vanya

 Johan Persson





Bristol Old Vic

The venue is presenting a variety of shows as part of a package until the end of spring. Contact the venue for access options.





The Theatre Channel

Some top tier musical performances are provided by the Theatre Channel, a new endeavour that sees West End staple The Theatre Cafe transformed into a luscious stage for vocalists. Captions available.





Original Theatre

One of the first companies to hit the ground running with streamed work was Original Theatre, who created masterpieces such as Birdsong Online. Their most recent show, The Haunting of Alice Bowles, is available now, as well as old hits like The Habit of Art.





Southwark Playhouse

The venue has dedicated itself to streaming new and innovative work since the most recent tier restrictions, with a plethora of work on offer. March will see The Sorcerer's Apprentice being made available.





Southwark Playhouse

 Southwark Playhouse





Stream.theatre

A new player in the streaming game already making waves, the site has the likes of The Last Five Years available, as well as ten hours of concert performances from the West End Musical Drive-In.
Tom Reel/Staff photographer

Gov. Greg Abbott says Austin and Travis County's new order  that bans dine-in restaurants and bars from allowing guests into their businesses between 10:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. from Thursday through Sunday  isn't allowed.

During those hours, the new order, announced by Austin Mayor Steve Adler Tuesday, allows businesses to continue to offer drive-thru and curbside services. Those who break the curfew could receive a fine up to $1,000, according to the order.
CRANSTON, R.I., Jan. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nelipak Corporation ("Nelipak"), a global leader in rigid and flexible packaging for the medical device and pharmaceutical sectors, announced today that Pat Chambliss has been named the company's Chief Executive Officer. Chambliss, current President and Chief Operating Officer of Nelipak, brings to the Chief Executive Officer role an extensive track record of senior leadership experience in the packaging industry, including previous roles at Packaging Dynamics Corporation and Novolex. Chambliss commented, "I look forward to leading Nelipak into the next phase of its development with a continued drive to excellence in innovation, growth and operational execution."



Chambliss will succeed Roger Prevot as the company's Chief Executive Officer. Prevot will continue in his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors, a position he has held since the acquisition of Nelipak by Kohlberg & Company in July 2019. Prevot commented, "I've had the opportunity to work alongside Pat for many years, and his distinguished track record and strong professional and personal values makes him an outstanding successor to lead Nelipak into the future. I am proud of the accomplishments we have achieved at Nelipak and I am excited to see continued success under Pat's leadership."

Seth H. Hollander, Partner of Kohlberg, commented, "On behalf of the Board of Directors of Nelipak, I wish to sincerely thank Roger for his distinguished service to the company and look forward to his continued role as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Roger has been instrumental in the creation of the current Nelipak and integration of the former European Healthcare Packaging business of Bemis Corporation. As a result of his vision, Nelipak is well-positioned to continue to execute upon transformational initiatives and drive continued excellence." Hollander continued, "As President and COO, Pat has been instrumental in leading day-to-day operations including initiatives which position the business for future growth through internal investment and strategic acquisitions. Pat's promotion to CEO is a natural progression that reflects his successful leadership at Nelipak. We are excited for him to step into the CEO role and lead Nelipak through its next phase of growth."

For further information on Nelipak and its various products, please visit www.nelipak.com.

About Nelipak Healthcare Packaging

Nelipak Healthcare Packaging is a leading global manufacturer of custom-designed rigid and flexible healthcare packaging used for Class II and Class III medical devices, and pharma drug delivery products. The company operates strategically located cleanroom facilities meeting customers' most stringent packaging requirements. Nelipak's experienced in-house design, development, prototyping, manufacturing and quality teams offer medical trays and blisters, surgical procedure trays, flexible sterile tray lidding and barrier pouches, pharmaceutical handling trays, custom built sealing machines and other value-added services. With a staff of over 1,400, the company operates from ten production facilities, five in the Americas (Cranston, RI.; Whitehall, PA; Phoenix, AZ.; Humacao, Puerto Rico; and San Jose, Costa Rica) and five in Europe (Venray, the Netherlands; Galway, Ireland; Clara, Ireland; Derry, Northern Ireland; and Elsham, England). For more information please visit www.nelipak.com.

Nelipak Healthcare Packaging is a trade name of Nelipak Corporation

About Kohlberg & Company, LLC

Kohlberg & Company, LLC.

Follow us on:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/nelipak1953

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nelipak

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/nelipakhealthcare
The Daily Beast

Theo WargoCNN boss Jeff Zucker on Tuesday addressed network staffers concerns over the revelations that primetime star host Chris Cuomo advised his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on how to respond to the multiple sexual harassment allegations against him.During a Tuesday afternoon town-hall meeting with staff, Zucker claimed he understood the unease over Cuomos conduct, saying in no uncertain terms that it was a mistake for the primetime star to participate in strategy calls advising his politically powerful brother.He did cross a line, Zucker said.Last week, The Washington Post reported that Cuomo joined strategy calls helping plan his powerful brothers rebuttals to mounting allegations that he harassed multiple women and made some female staffers feel uncomfortable. According to multiple sources who were present on one meeting, the CNN host even mentioned invoking cancel culture as a way to combat the claims.The CNN boss said he personally voiced his displeasure to Cuomo, and that he had considered the options for how to handle the star hosts unfolding scandal. Ultimately, Zucker said that rather than suspending Cuomo, the network decided the host should have to go on-air and personally apologize to his viewers.And so during his 9 p.m. ET broadcast, Cuomo declared that it will never happen again and insisted he knows where the line is.In a statement following the Post bombshell last week, CNN admitted it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governors staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward. The network added that Cuomo would not be disciplined further.But the top anchors decision to secretly participate in the strategy calls assisting his embattled brother has, indeed, irked numerous network staffers. CNN insiders who spoke with The Daily Beast this week expressed frustration with the networks handling of the incident, saying Cuomo should have faced more serious consequences.Im very disappointed in the network, said one current on-air personality. I think some disciplinary action, at a minimum, was required in this situation. The source added, As a woman who works here, I feel a little let down, to be honest.Staff were particularly interested in Tuesdays town hall following one of the more eventful weeks for the network following a high-profile sale and the departure of one noteworthy on-air contributor.During the call, Zucker said that Rick Santorum was given an opportunity to apologize for what the CNN boss referred to as the ex-senators inappropriate and racist comments about Native Americans, but because he refused to do so, the network ultimately fired the conservative pundit.And elsewhere in Tuesdays town hall, Zucker downplayed the impact of AT&Ts decision to merge WarnerMedia, CNNs parent company, with Discovery. Asked about whether CNN could be spun off as part of the deal, the network chief said he did not think that was in the cards.And when pressed on his own future at the network, Zucker said he plans to have conversations with the right people very soon.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
A local court on Monday rejected the bail plea of Partho Dasgupta, former CEO of the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), who was arrested in the alleged manipulation of TRP (Television Rating Points) scam.

Dasgupta had filed an application seeking bail on December 30 after the court remanded him to judicial custody.

On Monday, a court of metropolitan magistrate in Mumbai rejected Dasgupta's application.

Dasgupta's advocate Kamlesh Ghumre said an appeal would be filed in the sessions court this week.

In his application, Dasgupta had claimed that he was only an employee of the BARC and not a "whole and sole (authority)", and that there are board of directors and a disciplinary committee above him in the council.

Mumbai Police's crime branch had, however, argued that Dasgupta, in connivance with another senior official from the BARC and ARG Outlier Media Pvt Ltd's owner Arnab Goswami, manipulated the TRPs of Republic TV and Republic Bharat (Hindi).

The police had claimed that Goswami paid in lakhs to Dasgupta in return of the manipulation.
Prosecutors appealed when an appellate court slashed the sentence last year to 20 years by taking into account that she did not gain significant personal benefit from her offenses. Most of the loot went to her toxic confidante Choi Soon-sil.

Park was impeached in 2017 and sentenced in 2018 to a total of 30 years in prison for abuse of power, bribery, coercion and other offences (US$1=W1,088).

The Supreme Court will pass its final verdict on disgraced ex-President Park Geun-hye on Jan. 14 for abuse of power and corruption.

The Supreme Court is widely expected to uphold the appellate court's ruling. A court official said, "Key issues have already been decided, so there is very little chance of a different conclusion being reached this time." Park has already served a separate two-year sentence for meddling in the 2016 general election.

Earlier, former President Lee Myung-bak, who was convicted of corruption and embezzling funds from an automotive parts company, was sentenced to 17 years behind bars by the Supreme Court in October of last year.

Once the Supreme Court delivers its final ruling in Park's case next week, the appeals of both ex-presidents will have been exhausted, making them eligible for a presidential pardon. Only convicted prisoners are eligible for pardons or conditional releases, and both Lee and Park could benefit from a Lunar New Year amnesty.

Amid plummeting approval ratings for the ruling party and its potential presidential candidates, Minjoo Party floor leader Lee Nak-yon abruptly brought up the issue last week, saying that he would sooner or later urge President Moon Jae-in to consider pardoning the ex-presidents.

However, he instantly backtracked in the face of fierce opposition from within the ruling party. The MP held an emergency meeting on Sunday and issued a statement saying that Lee and Park must apologize for their offenses first and that the public's view must also be reflected. Lee Nak-yon said his remarks were based on a desire to "unite the public."

Park has been sulking since she was indicted in April 2017 and refused to defend herself or admit her crimes, so she is unlikely to apologize and may opt to sit out the current government in jail.
The Association of Romanian Communes (ACoR) has submitted a preliminary complaint with the Government, the ministries of Finance, Labour, Development and with the Ombudsman with regard to the Emergency Ordinance (OUG) that provides for the maintenance in 2021 of the gross amount of the public sector staff salaries at the level of December 2020, according to AGERPRES.

The association states that the ordinance was issued "in violation of legal provisions" and claims that the normative act was not put up for public debate.

Government Emergency Ordinance no. 57/2019 on the Administrative Code, with subsequent modifications and supplementing, stipulates that "in the process of drafting normative acts, public authorities and institutions have the obligation to inform and submit to public consultation and debate the draft normative acts and to allow citizens access to the administrative decision-making process, as well as to the data and information of public interest, within the limits of the law," mentions the association.

"ACoR considers that the Government Emergency Ordinance no. 226/2020 was issued in violation of the legal provisions, concluding succinctly and unequivocally that the Government of Romania has clearly exceeded its competence, acting arbitrarily, manifesting contempt towards the constitutional and legal provisions," stipulates the quoted source.

Government Emergency Ordinance no. 226 of December 30, 2020 regarding some fiscal-budgetary measures and for the amendment and completion of some normative acts and the extension of some terms stipulates among others that: in 2021, starting with January 1, the gross amount of basic wages/position pay/monthly employment allowances received by the staff paid from public funds are maintained at the same level as the one granted for December 2020 insofar as the staff holds the same position and carries out their activity under the same conditions; in 2021, the monthly allowances for the positions of public dignity and the positions assimilated to them will be maintained at the level of December 2020.
The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) plans to start work on the first detail of the Long Thanh International Airport project in the southern province of Dong Nai on January 5.

Long Thanh International Airport perspective

Specifically, the ACV, the investor of the third component project of Long Thanh airports first stage, will begin the construction of the project with bomb and mine clearance in Long Thanh district.

The corporation said earlier that it would invest nearly 100 trillion VND (4.3 billion USD) in the third component project.

Of the total capital, more than 36.1 trillion VND will be sourced from ACV and the remainder from loans and other legitimate sources.

The airport will be built in three phases over three decades, and is expected to become the countrys largest airport.

In the first phase, one runway with a length of 4,000m, taxiways, an apron, and a passenger terminal with other auxiliary works sprawling 373,000 sq.m will be built to serve 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tonnes of cargo each year.

The airport is expected to have four runways, four passenger terminals, and other auxiliary works to ensure a capacity of 100 million passengers and 5 million tonnes of cargo a year by 2040.

Covering a total area of more than 5,580ha, the airport will straddle six communes in Long Thanh district. It is expected to cost 336.63 trillion VND, with the first phase needing over 109 trillion VND.

Around 4,800 households and 26 organisations are expected to be relocated to make way for it.

Located 40km to the east of Ho Chi Minh City, the Long Thanh airport is expected to relieve overloading at Tan Son Nhat international airport in the city, now the countrys largest airport./.VNA

Long Thanh Airport: investment rate high, ACV may lack money The Ministry of Finance (MOF) has warned about problems with the Long Thanh International Airport project, citing capital arrangement capability.

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President-elect Joe Biden returned to Atlanta Monday to campaign for Senate hopefuls Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock ahead of the Democrats' must-win run-off races tomorrow.

Biden kept quiet about President Donald Trump's latest political scandal - that in a leaked tape with Geogia's secretary of state he called on him to 'find 11,780 votes' - enough to overtake Biden's Peach State win.

Instead the incoming president blasted the outgoing one for phoning it in.

'The president spends more time whining and complaining than doing something about the problem,' Biden said. 'I don't know why he still wants the job, he doesn't want to do the work.'

President-elect Joe Biden returned to Georgia Monday to campaign for Senate hopefuls Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock ahead of Tuesday's run-off races

Biden arrived at the Atlanta rally sporting his trademark aviator sunglasses. Voters in the state cast ballots in two Senate run-off races on Tuesday

Democratic Senate hopefuls Jon Ossoff (left) and Rev. Raphael Warnock wave to the crowd at an Atlanta rally Monday, headlined by President-elect Joe Biden

Trump has made few public appearances since Biden won the election.

Biden made the comments as he criticized the administration's coronavirus vaccine roll-out.

'It's a shame what's happening now,' Biden said.

'I've said it before, getting America vaccinated will be one of the most difficult operational challenges this nation has ever faced. But we've known it for the last months,' he continued.

'This administration has gotten off to a God awul start,' the president-elect said.

December ended with about 10 per cent of the vaccinations completed compared to the administration's original 20 million goal.

The Congressional session also ended without additional $2,000 stimulus checks getting passed.

Biden promised the Atlanta crowd that those checks would happen if Warnock and Ossoff were sworn in as senators.

'If you send Jon and the reverend to Washington those $2,000 checks will go out the door restoring hope and decency and honor for so many people who are struggling right now,' Biden said. 'And if you sent Senators Perdue and Loeffler back to Washington those checks will never get there.'

Perdue and Loeffler backed the increased $2,000 stimulus checks once Trump named that as the amount he would go for.

The president brought up $2,000 checks in the 11th hour, after the House and Senate had passed a giant COVID-19 stimulus and spending bill - holding Washington hostage for several days with a veto threat.

Trump ended up signing the bill and a stand-alone $2,000 checks bill passed in the House, but died in the Senate where Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell didn't support it.

With a new Congress sworn-in Sunday, the $2,000 checks bill will have to be passed again in the House.

McConnell remains against it.

'By electing Jon and the reverend you can break the gridlock that has gripped Washington and this nation,' Biden said. 'With their votes in the Senate we'll be able to make the progress we need to make on jobs, on healthcare, on justice, on so many things.'

He commiserated with supporters saying, 'I know this campaign has been exhausting.'

But begged them to vote or get out the vote, with just one day left.

'One more day of making calls, and safely knocking on doors,' Biden said.

If Ossoff and Warnock pull out a victory - and early numbers look promising for Democrats, though down-ballot wins are still considered a heavy lift in a state that's historically been red - Democrats will have evened out the Senate 50-50.

With Vice President-elect Kamala Harris available to make a tie-breaker vote, the party will gain control away from McConnell, who will likely be a political thorn in Biden's side.

In November, Biden, a Democrat, won Georgia for the first time since 1992.

Trump has continued to challenge the results in the state, while Republican officials were heard on a call with him Saturday saying they believed the state's election was run properly.

Harris, during a campaign stop in Savannah Sunday, called out Trump for his pressure campaign.

'Have ya'll heard about that recorded conversation?' she asked the crowd, who honked in affirmation.

Biden, Harris and other Democrats have been using drive-in style rallies to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

'Well, it was, yes certainly the voice of desperation, most certainly that, and it was a bald, bald-faced bold abuse of power by the President of the United States,' she said.

Biden side-stepped the issue at the Monday rally, instead trolling Trump about how many times he won Georgia.

'Your votes were counted, the will of the people prevailed,' Biden said. 'We won three times here. Each recount, you know what I mean?'

'I think we should count it as three states,' he joked. 'We won three times.'
(Newser)  As rebels entered Addis Ababa on May 27, 1991, ending 17 years of Marxist rule in Ethiopia, four senior officials in the Communist regime fled to the Italian embassy. The two surviving ones might finally be leaving soon. Berhanu Bayeh and Addis Tedla, who were sentenced to death for war crimes in 2008, had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment just before Christmas and have been granted parole by a federal court, meaning that after almost 30 years, they are finally free to leave the embassy without fear of execution or imprisonment, CNN reports. Bayeh served as foreign minister and Tedla was defense chief of staff for the Derg regime, which killed hundreds of thousands of people.

story continues below

The Italian government never granted the men's request for asylum, but it allowed the men to remain in the embassy because it was opposed to the death penalty. Hailu Yimenu, another official who fled to the embassy, is believed to have taken his own life. The fourth, Tesfaye Gebre Kidan, was fatally injured by Bayeh in a brawl in 2004. Temesgen Lapiso, a director in the Addis Ababa federal court attorney generals office, said the men's punishment for war crimes "shall not be commuted by pardon or amnesty," the Irish Times reports. But "given that the continued detention of these individuals for 30 years would not be conducive to the achievement of the cause of justice," parole will be granted. The men's embassy stay is believed to be the longest on record. Julian Assange spent seven years in Ecuador's London embassy. (Assange won't be extradited.)
BOSTON - A long-running debate over how an important gene-silencing protein identifies its targets has been resolved by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Their findings, reported in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, also explain certain mysteries about the behavior of this protein, known as Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2).

PRC2 helps regulate whether genes are active ("on) or silent ("off"). PRC2's role in gene silencing is critical throughout the lifespan, from embryo formation to old age. For example, PRC2 determines whether genes that suppress the growth of malignant tumors are turned on or off, which has made it the focus of pharmaceutical companies developing anti-cancer drugs.

But a mystery about PRC2 remained unsolved for years: How was the protein able to target specific genes? A major breakthrough occurred in 2008, when a team led by Jeannie Lee, MD, PhD, an investigator in the Department of Molecular Biology at MGH, proposed that RNA acts a recruiter for PRC2. RNA (or ribonucleic acid) is a molecule similar to DNA that's found in cells. RNA is usually a messenger that does DNA's bidding by spelling out the code to make proteins, but that is not the case here. Rather, Lee and her colleagues demonstrated that RNA acts as a "free agent" that binds to PRC2. RNA then targets PRC2 to a specific gene in order to silence it.

After Lee and her colleagues reported their discovery, dozens of other papers were subsequently published that supported the theory that RNA recruits PRC2 as a necessary step in gene silencing. However, studies from several prominent labs have challenged these findings, leading to an ongoing and often-heated debate about the relationship between PRC2 and RNA. These critics questioned Lee's discovery on two grounds:

PRC2 isn't specific and can bind with any RNA (some scientists noted that the protein is "promiscuous"), suggesting that RNA can't be a factor in targeting PRC2 for gene silencing.

The interaction between PRC2 and RNA often occur at genes that are active, an indication that this relationship isn't important for silencing specific genes.

The new study resolves both critiques. In the first case, explains Lee, think of PRC2 as a letter that needs to be delivered by a mail carrier, but lacks an address. How does the mail carrier know where to deliver it - that is, what is the "address" of the gene to be targeted for silencing? "The address is written on the RNA," says Lee. "RNA is an exact copy of DNA, where our genes are encoded." Lee and her colleagues identified "motifs," or unique sequences in RNA, which allow it to be recognized by PRC2. The RNA "address" then guides PRC2 to a specific gene location. This possibility had been proposed in the past, but Lee and her team now shed new light on how motifs make possible specific interactions between PRC2 and RNA that enable targeting.

Lee uses another analogy to explain why PRC2 and RNA often interact at genes that are not silenced. In the past, light bulbs could only be turned on or off, but the invention of the dimmer switch allowed for them to cast soft or bright light. Likewise, genes are not always turned completely on or off, and PRC2 acts like a dimmer switch. "We are saying that the genes are 'on,' but only yielding dim light," says Lee. "If you took away the Polycomb-RNA interaction, the genes would turn up and shine brightly."

By reconciling past disputes over how PCR2 interacts with RNA, says Lee, this new unified model advances basic science and provides invaluable insights for developers of new therapeutics.

###

Lee is senior author of the study. She heads the Lee Laboratory and is a professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. Postdoctoral fellow Michael Rosenberg, PhD, and research specialist Roy Blum, PhD, were the first authors of the study.

The work was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

About the Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital, founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The Mass General Research Institute conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the nation, with annual research operations of more than $1 billion and comprises more than 9,500 researchers working across more than 30 institutes, centers and departments. In August 2020, Mass General was named #6 in the U.S. News & World Report list of "America's Best Hospitals."
Mr Kofi Vinyo, the 2020 National Physically-Challenged Best Farmer has appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to prioritize and build irrigation facilities in his next government, to make agriculture attractive.



He emphasized that lack of irrigation facilities and dams remained huge challenges in the agriculture sector, and farmers, in general, expected the next Akufo-Addos government to address that and strengthened the Planting for Food and Jobs (PfFJs) programme.



Mr Vinyo who was also adjudged the National Best Maize Farmer in 2016, and Managing Director of the Kofi Vinyo Company Limited, an agro-processing company at Kwatire made the appeal in an interview with Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Kwatire in the Sunyani West Municipality.



The company, which has 50 employees and 200 casual workers processed tiger nuts, and plantain into powder for export and domestic consumption and it has 127 acres of tiger nuts, 50 acres of coconut, 6 million snails, 200 acres of cashew and over 100 acres of plantain and cocoyam.



Mr Vinyo indicated that the governments flagship One-Village-One-Dam and the PfFJs programmes were laudable to modernise agriculture, it would be difficult for farmers to improve productivity and expand their scope if adequate irrigation facilities were not provided.



He stressed that the impact of climate change was well felt, and that had changed the rainfall pattern, saying farmers could no longer rely on rains in the minor and major crop seasons any longer.



The physically-challenged farmer ruled-out the wrong perception that farming was reserved for the academically poor, and advised the teeming unemployed youth to engage in commercial farming as a lucrative business to better their lots.



I am a graduate of the KNUST, and clearly you see how I am doing in farming. Farming is a lucrative business, but the challenge making it unattractive is the lack of irrigation facilities and dams. If the government built more irrigation facilities, farming would be more attractive for the youth, he added.



Mr Vinyo appealed to the government to support the company to procure modern agriculture machines and logistics to improve its work and create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth in the area.

Source: GNA









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The UKVFTA was signed on December 29, 2020

About 65 per cent of the UKs import taxes were erased as soon as the agreement took effect from December 31, and the rest will be eliminated in the course of the next 10 years. Meanwhile, 81 per cent of Vietnams import taxes on UK goods will be cut and the remainder will be steadily removed in the next seven years.

Forbes Vietnam quoted Alex Falter, vice chairman of BritCham Vietnam as saying that the UKVFTA would optimise the advantages of the two sides and other third parties. Along with bilateral trade, investment flows from the UK to Vietnam will keep increasing.

According to BritCham Vietnam, Vietnam is the second-largest exporter in the region to the UK. Therefore, with the free trade agreement in effect, trade turnover will hopefully inflate. Of this, Vietnamese export goods like rice, seafood, timber, garments, and footwear are likely to proliferate in the UK, while Vietnam is looking forward to large UK investment in education, renewable energy, and infrastructure.

The UK is the sixth-largest economy in the world where Vietnamese companies must constantly renew themselves to approach effectively.

The nation is the third-biggest trade partner of Vietnam in the EU. According to the General Department of Customs of Vietnam, in 2019, bilateral turnover reached $6.6 billion, including $5.8 billion in export value and $857 million in import value. In 2011-2019, bilateral trade grew at an average 12.1 per cent, higher than Vietnam's average trade growth of 10 per cent with other countries.
House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff is entering his 13th term of office in the state House of Representatives. Before he was a state representative, he served as Centre County coroner. While his service in those elected positions may be common knowledge or readily available on his website, there are some other lesser known aspects of his life he recently shared with PennLive.

Here they are:

He is the father of five, his oldest is 38 years old and his youngest was daughter Ryleigh who died of cancer in 2010. She would have been 17 on Thanksgiving. He has seven grandchildren with another one on the way. They call him Pap Pap.

He was adopted as a child and his birth mother named him Steven John. He has a book inside him that he wants to write about his experience of tracking down information about his birth parents.

His first job was as a handyman, yard boy and snow shoveler for the wife of his family doctor. He earned $8.50 as his first paycheck plus two three-scoop raspberry ice cream cone, the first one fell on the ground after a couple of licks.

He is into woodworking and known in particular, for his cornhole boards but makes picture frames and trains too.

He enjoys tearing apart old houses, marveling over how they were constructed a century ago, and then remodeling them. He tacks a dollar bill in the walls so the next person that tears it apart can find a hidden treasure.

The first impression he  or rather his old rundown three-speed Ford truck with poor compression  made on Gov. Tom Ridge was during Benninghoffs first term in the House. The freshman lawmakers truck was parked on the ramp in front of the Capitol when it rolled down the hill smack into the front of the governors Lincoln Continental. He remembers the phone call he received from the governors office, The governor would appreciate it if you would remove the truck from the front end of his car.

No piece of lumber he gathers goes to waste. He repurposes it. For example, he plans to make a table from a 19-inch-wide piece of lumber he took off a wall in the house he is currently remodeling in Snowshoe, Centre County. Pieces that get too small become food for the wood burner in his garage.

He surrounds himself in his office with photos of his family and inspirational sayings such as one given to him by then-Rep., now-Sen. Scott Hutchinson that reads: Does this proposed legislation enhance or restrict our freedom.

He has a deep appreciation for history and relishes working in the ornate Capitol, taking in even the smallest detail of its architecture and artwork right down to the dents in the tile floor from the many shoes that have passed over it.
Tying Australians to their superannuation accounts could save them $1.8 billion in fees but risks leaving some workers in underperforming funds missing out on tens of thousands of dollars in retirement savings.

The effects of coronavirus on the economy will mean so many workers switching jobs that extra costs racked up through the creation of new super accounts could reach hundreds of millions of dollars annually, new analysis from the Financial Services Council shows.

Duplicate funds are an ongoing problem for the superannuation sector, but the industry is divided on how to tackle the problem. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

The analysis forms part of a submission from the council to Treasury's consultation on a swathe of changes for the superannuation sector, including the "stapling" of accounts to individuals to stop the creation of duplicate accounts. This requires employers to pay into an existing fund rather than create a new one automatically.

"Not only will there continue to be Australians starting new jobs, but there will be an additional, substantial cohort of Australians re-entering the workforce in new employment after having lost their job during shutdowns," the submission says. "These two scenarios combined will likely result in a higher than usual creation of new duplicate accounts and the charging of excess superannuation fees."
People are moving out of Connecticut - at least according to one moving company.

In its annual tally of national migration, United Van Lines ranked Connecticut among the top states for people booking more outbound moves than inbound moves. Connecticut fell behind New Jersey, New York and Illinois for the top spot.

In United's 2019 report, Connecticut also earned the fourth spot among the top states to move out of.

Despite Connecticut seeing an influx of people moving into the state due to COVID-19, United Van Lines reported that the number of outgoing residents still outweighed the number of incoming residents in 2020.

Some of the most significant factors for outbound moves in Connecticut included retirement, lifestyle change and job change.

To determine the rankings, United Van Lines tracked the company's own moves throughout the U.S. and documented the customers' reason for each move. From there, each state was ranked based on the individual inbound and outbound percentages.

Scroll below to see the top reasons people moved out of Connecticut in 2020, according to United Van Lines' report:
Giving oxygen to mothers during childbirth is an unnecessary intervention in the majority of cases, a new study claims.

The practice is a decades-long staple of labour to prevent the baby suffering a lack of oxygen, which can lead to significant health issues including brain damage.

If an abnormal foetal heartbeat is detected the mother is given oxygen, with the theory being it will increase the amount of oxygen the baby receives.

But this remains unproven and the true benefits of oxygen during childbirth have divided scientific opinion.

A new piece of research reviewing 16 separate studies has found no benefit in providing supplemental oxygen to mothers during labour and delivery.

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Giving oxygen to mothers during childbirth is an unnecessary intervention in the majority of cases, a new study claims. The practice is a decades-long staple of labour to prevent the baby suffering a lack of oxygen

The US researchers focused on the potential benefits of the practice to see if the cost of childbirth in the country can be minimised.

In the UK the NHS provides oxygen, and all other facets of the process, free of charge. But in the US, even women who have insurance can find themselves slapped with a hefty bill for unexpected expenses, including the supply of oxygen.

Study first author Dr Nandini Raghuraman at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, said: 'It is such a common practice because the thought is that by giving mum oxygen, we are increasing oxygen transfer to the baby.

'However, the results of this study suggest that oxygen is not helpful in these cases and that the practice could be safely discontinued for many women.'

Supplementation with oxygen is so common because an unusual heartbeat is tied to foetal wellbeing and oxygen deprivation.

Therefore the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recommends giving oxygen to a mother giving birth to a baby with an abnormal heartbeat.

'But about 80 per cent of the time, women giving birth fall into an intermediate category, in which cases are not completely benign but also not high-risk,' Dr Raghuraman says.

'And in cases such as these, supplementing oxygen offers no additional benefits.'

If an abnormal foetal heartbeat is detected the mother is given oxygen, with the theory being it will increase the amount of oxygen the baby receives. But this remains unproven and the true benefits of oxygen during childbirth have divided scientific opinion

1% of women have a gene that allows them to give birth without any anaesthetic Around one in 100 women carry a gene that raises their pain threshold and allows them to give birth without any anaesthetic, a study has revealed. The rare gene variant, called KCNG4, is believed to inhibit how pain is processed by the nervous system and acts as a 'natural epidural'. Researchers from the University of Cambridge found that it was present in women who had carried their first-born child to full term and did not request any pain relief during an uncomplicated vaginal delivery. It remains unknown whether some men also have the pain-resistant genetic variant, as the study only looked at women during the severe stress from childbirth. Advertisement

Researchers examined studies dating back as far as 1982 including thousands of women and children and compared the overall outcome.

Dr Raghuraman said: 'Overall, the studies produced mixed results, with some indicating a benefit and others indicating no benefit.

'That was the reason for doing a meta-analysis. By pooling the numbers of patients across the studies we could get a more definitive answer than looking at individual studies.'

The researchers evaluated the acidity of the babies' blood from samples taken shortly after birth and used this as a gauge for oxygen deprivation. Any reading lower than 7.1 is considered abnormal and an indicator for a lack of oxygen during birth.

Dr Raghuraman said: 'Comparing the health of the babies whose mothers received oxygen and those whose mothers didn't, we found that the differences were essentially zero.'

She said forgoing oxygen supplementation would help reduce an unnecessary intervention and likely reduce health-care costs.

Dr Raghuraman said: 'It's been shown that mums, despite having health insurance, often incur steep out-of-pocket costs related to childbirth.

'Although oxygen is generally an inexpensive intervention compared with other labour and delivery services, minimising any unnecessary procedure is important.'

The full findings are published in JAMA Pediatrics.
Press Release

4 January 2021

A potential revival or risk? The new big thing in aviation!

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"The Travel Bubble is an opportunity for businesses to reopen, and a glimmer of hope for the people that life is getting back to normal." - Saulius Skvernelis, Former Prime Minister of Lithuania.

Air bubbles, travel bridges, corona corridors, it goes by many names, but what is the latest trend in air travel all about?

The aviation industry is significantly affected in the last couple of months due to the current pandemic, and many countries' economies are suffering too. The lack of tourism significantly impacted overall wealth. As a response, many countries have decided to make travel arrangements between them and other select states to facilitate movement and restore their GDP.

It all started in May 2020 with three Baltic countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. They decided to have an exclusive trilateral agreement, granting entry to each other's territories and reactivating trade relations. Essentially, air bubbles are specific partnerships where selected countries that have shown success in containing the virus can enjoy free travel within the zone without on-arrival quarantine. It is important to note that transmitting the virus within the travel bubble is extremely unlikely as the countries involved have exhibited proper measures in managing the outbreak. However, the unpredictability of the virus does present a flight risk as the bubbles might burst leaving voyageurs having to cut their trips short and make it home in time.

Now that we know where travel bubbles originated and what it means, let us dive into everything you need to know about the new big thing in aviation.

Where are the Travel Bubbles?

Every day, more and more countries open their boarders to pre-arranged allies. The number of travel bubbles outside of Asia is rapidly expanding, with customised and constantly adjusted entry regulations. After the three Baltic pioneers, the "Re-Open EU" commission has enabled Europe to ease their travel restrictions inside the union and with outside countries.

Complete and updated list of existing Travel Bubbles

Photo: YHS Global

Pros vs. cons of the Travel Bubble strategy

Pros

The safe corridors allow citizens and residents of certain countries to travel freely within the bubble. This arrangement aims at bringing some degree of additional freedom without causing additional harm.

Photo: YHS Global

In the months of completely restricted travel there has been a profound impact on the global economy. The World Travel and Tourism Council has identified one in ten jobs related to travel and tourism, putting at least 100 million jobs at risk, as confirmed by UNWTO. The Aviation industry has lost billions of dollars in revenues already, and to keep the industry afloat it is essential to provide some relief with possible travel avenues.

While it is economically imperative, it is also a matter of safety. Thus, all travel alliances are based on the ability of partner countries to contain the outbreak of the virus. Travel Alliances are formed between countries that have very low or similar amount of risk and respond to the pandemic in the same way - with widespread testing, contact tracing and effective quarantining. "In such a case, for neither country there is a need to close the border to 'protect' the citizens from a higher incidence of cases due to travellers from the other country," says Per Block an Oxford University Researcher in Social Mobility.

The travel bubbles do come with certain testing requirements to avoid quarantine in a safe manner. For example, the Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania bubble requires a negative PCR test result not older than 48 hours and the Hong Kong-Singapore bubble will require a test taken not more than 72 hours prior to arrival. Additionally, Singapore plans to limit at a quota of 200 travellers per day into each city.

Having weighed the abilities and success of partner countries in mitigating the flare-up, the chances of travellers transmitting or contracting the virus within the travel bubble are extremely unlikely. This strategy becomes increasingly essential as industries and economies continue to suffer from a shut down.

Cons

While the travel bubbles support the tourism industry through these unprecedented times, they also pose additional health and security risks in an already complicated world.

Photo: YHS Global

Before analysing the evident health problems caused by travel bubbles, let us look at the tricky situation they have put many travellers in when bursting. For instance, when the travel bubble between the UK and Spain abruptly burst towards the end of July, British citizens were forced to rush home and enter a 14-day quarantine there. Furthermore, the bursting of travel bubbles has led to countless canceled bookings which travel insurances refuse to reimburse as they claim that travellers were aware of the risk while booking. However, most travellers suffer from sudden developments in the arrangements.

It has now been proven that 35% of COVID-19 cases worldwide are linked to tourism. Nevertheless, instead of controlling the outbreak, countries from the European Union tackled economic pressures by launching "Re-Open EU", a travel bubble including most countries forming the border-free Schengen zone last summer. With that bubble bursting this fall and most European countries currently undergoing another lockdown, the "Re-Open EU" commission has failed.

Asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic travellers entering foreign countries restriction-free might cause an outbreak. Their country of origin recording lower cases does not guarantee their health. Travellers responsible for new cases would be especially crushing for countries like Singapore or Hong Kong, that have excelled at containing the spread. As seen, the HK-SG bubble has been delayed due to paramount health concerns.

What do you think? Are travel bubbles safe?

*This article was originally published on the Young Hoteliers Summit News Room.

References:

Every year, YHS welcomes speakers and student delegates from over 40 leading hospitality institutions, as well as members of the media and other external guests at the summit. Building on a different theme each year, YHS serves as a platform for insightful and engaging debates and discussions on the most Topical issues of the hospitality industry. For more information on the panels, schedule, and YHS in general, please visit us at www.yhsglobal.com.
Leaving Microsoft after five years of working, Nguyen Song Ha moved to work at Code.org, a science education organization in Seattle.

Ha loved coding when he was a mathematics majoring student at the Ha Long High School for the Gifted.

Nguyen Song Ha

At that time, Ha developed a program with the Pascal language on how to play the piano. Programming, which turned his ideas into reality, excited him.

In 2005, after winning second prize in the national competitions for excellent students in informatics, Ha was admitted into the Hanoi University of Technology, a member school of Hanoi National University, without having to attend the entrance exam.

Path to Microsoft

After efforts to learn English and accumulate professional knowledge, Ha obtained a scholarship at Politecnico di Torino University in Turin, Italy for a masters degree. Later, he went to Pennsylvania in the US to obtain a masters degree in computer science (2011-2013).

After finishing studies, Ha decided to apply for the post of software engineer at Microsoft.

To be admitted to Microsoft, candidates had to go through five interview rounds.

One of the chief benefits of working at Microsoft was the opportunity to work with excellent colleagues.

Ha spent five years working for Microsoft as a software engineer on the Windows team.

Ha once represented a Windows team at UPF49 and UPF51, where specialists from all over the world came to co-develop the latest Bluetooth technology.

At one time, layoffs occurred.

There were 10,000-12,000 engineers working for Windows and about 10 percent of them needed to be cut. 1,000 engineers lost their positions, he said, adding that four out of 8 workers on his team were laid off.

His job was going smoothly when Ha realized that the post of software engineer at Microsoft could not satisfy his desire to make a contribution to the development of the community.

In late 2018, he decided to look for new opportunities. Ignoring offers with double the salary from four other leading technology firms, he decided to work for Code.org.

The technology education organization has more than 1 million teachers and 40 million students. The aim of the organization is to promote computer science to students in the US and all over the world.

This can help narrow the gap in educational opportunities between students in different socio-economic conditions.

The right decision

His job was going smoothly when Ha realized that the post of software engineer at Microsoft could not satisfy his desire to make a contribution to the development of the community.

After two years of working there, Ha believed that he had made the right decision. To help students learn programming and computer science at school, more teachers are needed.

Just within five years, Code.orgs training programs helped more than 100,000 general school teachers in the US become ready to teach computer science.

They were teachers of mathematics, history and arts who did not know much about computer science. However, they were ready after short term training.

Earlier this year, he joined STEAM for Vietnam, an organization with the mission of promoting activities related to STEAM education.

There are still many problems in technology teaching and learning in Vietnam. If the studying and exams continue following the current approach, we will lag further behind developed countries, he said.

Ha and other Vietnamese experts around the world have created a teaching program with the motto Everyone can learn computer science.

At the free programming summer camp which had 5,000 students, we gave an award to an 11-year old girl, a sixth grader. She was a little shy but she surprised us with her creativity, he said.

One boy programmed a game on a relay through cities in Vietnam. A turtle bearing Vietnamese flag started in Ha Long and overcame obstacles to give the flag to a pelican in Son Doong. Then the flag was transferred to a stork in Lao Cai. The stork overcame challenges and placed the flag on the top of Fansipan.

Ha and his co-workers are always thinking about how to bring products to children in remote areas.

We try to remove all obstacles so that every student can access programming. All training courses are free, which is an important factor, he said.

In addition, Ha and his co-workers have to consider other factors to allow students to have the best possible experience.

For example, they discussed whether to use Vietnamese or English for lessons. Using Vietnamese means they would have to spend time to change the programs, codes and materials. However, they finally chose Vietnamese, because this is the easiest way for students to take the first steps to learn to code.

Most of the students attending the first training course were from large cities. Ha hopes that more students from rural and remote areas will attend the next courses.

Le Huyen

From Olympiad bronze medalist to Google engineer A male student who won the bronze medal at the 2007 International Olympiad of Informatics (IOI) in Croatia is now a Google engineer in Silicon Valley in the US.
Australians can now treat themselves to Nutella bars loved by David Beckham.

The fan favourite hazelnut-flavoured bars have officially hit shores Down Under for the first time after taking Europe by storm.

Crunchy on the outside with a creamy hazelnut filling inside, Nutella B-ready consists of a wafer shell with wheat puffs.

From Monday, January 4, shoppers can buy an individual bar for $2 or a pack of six for $4.99 at supermarkets or convenience stores around the country.

Australians can now treat themselves to Nutella hazelnut-flavoured bars for the first time

The bars are a crowd pleaser overseas, with celebrities like David and Victoria Beckham among the huge fans. Posting a snap of his suitcase in 2018, David revealed daughter Harper, now aged nine, had sent him off with a stash of Nutella bars and a sweet accompanying note

The popular bars have been a rare find in Australia, with one Sydney convenience store revealing in September last year it was selling the sought-after product.

Dozens of customers said they couldn't wait to get their hands on the decadent treat after getting a taste of it during their European travels.

'I had these in Europe they are amazing,' one wrote, while another added: 'I first tried these in Japan and I am obsessed.'

Crunchy on the outside with a creamy hazelnut filling inside, Nutella B-ready consists of a wafer shell with wheat puffs

The bars are a crowd pleaser overseas, with celebrities like David and Victoria Beckham among the huge fans.

Posting a snap of his suitcase in November 2018, David revealed daughter Harper, now aged nine, had sent him off with a stash of Nutella bars and a sweet accompanying note.

Harper wrote: 'Safe flight. Love Harper. Miss you already. Enjoy your Nutella B-ready. Love Harper. Christmas card ready.'

Nutella's iconic chocolate spread was invented 55 years ago and the brand's products are sold in 160 different countries around the world.
Who can get a Covid vaccine?

Every adult in Britain will be able to get one unless doctors advise against it. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding can have the jab if medics believe the benefits outweigh the risks.

When will I get it?

The first people to get the jabs will be the 22million at the highest risk of dying from Covid and those who work for the NHS or in care homes. If you are not on the priority list, you are unlikely to get the jab until much later in the year.

Can I buy it?

The vaccines are provided free on the NHS and cannot be bought privately in the UK. The NHS will invite people for the vaccine by phone, text or letter.

Every adult in Britain will be able to get one unless doctors advise against it. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding can have the jab if medics believe the benefits outweigh the risks. Pictured: A vial of doses of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine

What if Ive had Covid?

You still need the vaccine because the immunity you get from being infected is believed to be only short-lived.

Do we have enough vaccines?

We have 530,000 doses of the Oxford vaccine ready to go, but 100million have been ordered. By the beginning of April about 10million people should have been vaccinated. Boris Johnson has promised that by Easter... things will be very much better. Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive of the NHS, believes the 22million people most vulnerable to the virus will have jabs by late spring.

How many people have been vaccinated so far?

Just under one million.

Where will I get it?

It will be available from GP surgeries, hospitals and mass vaccination centres in sporting venues and conference centres (see graphic right).

Which jabs are available?

The UK has approved two for use so far  one by Pfizer and BioNTech and the other by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca. You will not be able to choose which one you receive. Both vaccines require two doses.

What is the gap between doses?

The second Pfizer jab can be given three to 12 weeks after the first and the Oxford vaccine four to 12 weeks later. The Government last week ruled that the gap should be 12 weeks, saying that vaccinating a greater number of people with a single dose will prevent more deaths and hospitalisations than vaccinating a smaller number with two doses.

How effective are the jabs?

Trials suggest the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine is 73 per cent effective 22 days after the first dose, rising to 80 per cent if the second dose is taken after 12 weeks. Trials show the Pfizer vaccine is 95 per cent effective.

How long does it take for the vaccines to start to work?

About two weeks.

Will having the jab mean I can ignore local tier restrictions?

No. You will be bound by the law until the restrictions lift.

Why will the Oxford jab speed up vaccination?

The Oxford jab is cheaper  costing 3 a dose, compared to 15. It is also made in the UK, and does not require storage at extremely low temperatures of -70C, but can be kept in a normal fridge.

Are the vaccines safe?

Yes. Both have passed clinical trials and been tested on thousands of people.

A volunteer is given the Oxford Covid-19 vaccine, which has been hailed as a 'game-changer'

Will the jabs protect against the mutant variant of Covid?

Tests are being carried out but early indications are that both will protect against the latest variant of the virus.

Will children get a jab?

No. Children are not severely affected by Covid-19 so will not receive jabs.

As a Roman Catholic, should I get the vaccination?

The AstraZeneca vaccine has been developed from cell-lines originating from the cells of an aborted foetus, but the Catholic Church said Catholics may receive the jab in good conscience and they have a duty to protect others.
Blake, who is Black, was shot in the back seven times on Aug. 23 after walking away from a white police officer and two others who were trying to arrest him. The officer, Rusten Sheskey, shot Blake after Blake opened an SUVs driver-side door and leaned into the vehicle. Blake was left paralyzed from the waist down.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the Kochi-Mangaluru natural gas pipeline to the nation on Tuesday via video conferencing.

Tomorrow, 5th January is a landmark day in Indias quest for #UrjaAatmanirbharta! At 11 AM, the Kochi - Mangaluru Natural Gas Pipeline would be dedicated to the nation. This is a futuristic project that will positively impact many people, the Prime Minister tweeted from his handle.

Tomorrow, 5th January is a landmark day in Indias quest for #UrjaAatmanirbharta! At 11 AM, the Kochi - Mangaluru Natural Gas Pipeline would be dedicated to the nation. This is a futuristic project that will positively impact many people. https://t.co/T1NsFeAKWp pic.twitter.com/fmwlSw7f5Z  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 4, 2021

A statement accompanying the tweet said that the event marks an important milestone towards the creation of One Nation One Gas Grid.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, along with their Karnataka counterparts and Union minister for petroleum and natural gas, will also be present on the occasion.

The 450-km-long pipeline has been built by Gail (India) Ltd.

With a capacity of 12 million metric standard cubic metres per day, the pipeline will carry natural gas from the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) regasification terminal at Kochi in Kerala, to Mangaluru in Karnatakas Dakshina Kannada district.

The total cost of the project is about Rs 3,000 crore and its construction created over 12 lakh man-days of employment.

The pipeline will supply environment friendly and affordable fuel in the form of Piped Natural Gas (PNG) to households and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to the transportation sector, the statement said.

(With inputs from agencies)
Over 1 million was donated to farming charities last year as many face up to the reality of bankruptcy this year due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.

Twenty agricultural and rural-based organisations received funding worth 1,092,500 from NFU Mutual Charitable Trust as demand for their services grows due to the pandemic.

Figures show that one in 10 UK-based charities face bankruptcy this year as the sector has been one of the worst-hit by the coronavirus crisis.

The Trust's donations were made possible by an additional 750,000 pledge from rural insurer NFU Mutual, aiming to help charities maintain resilience.

The funds have helped support a range of initiatives, including projects that tackle rural isolation, support farmers' mental wellbeing, and enrich young lives through agri education.

The impacts of these initiatives included support for 523 households from the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI) and support provided over 1 million times by Samaritans via phone, email and letters.

Elsewhere, 16,309 hours of continual professional development for teachers was delivered by LEAF Education last year.

Lindsay Sinclair, group chief executive of NFU Mutual said: NFU Mutual is proud to have supported causes across all corners of the UK which are changing lives and giving hope for a better future.

While many fundraising events have had to be side-lined this year, the demand for these charities services has grown.

"We want to help them meet that need and build resilience for the future, maintaining practical and emotional support for our communities at a time which is proving especially difficult.

Charities which received donations include: Addington Fund; LEAF Education; National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (NFYFC); Open Farm weekend NI; Princes Countryside Fund; Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI); Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI); Rural Support; Samaritans; YFCU.
The world's most exclusive fashion houses are now selling incredibly elaborate designer face masks - with eye-wateringly expensive price tags to match.



Italian luxury labels including Fendi and Dolce & Gabbana have jumped on the bandwagon with vibrantly printed silk coverings that cost up to $890 (AUD).

Florentine heritage brand Salvatore Ferragamo has also answered the call for fashionable face masks with a thin monochrome strip of cotton that would complement almost any ensemble - though its virus-blocking ability is unclear.

But it's Parisian label Zadig & Voltaire that is spruiking the most striking style: a $104 cotton 'mask' that hangs over the face and neck like a cowboy bandana.

Scroll down for video

Face mask, but make it fashion: Parisian label Zadig & Voltaire's $104 bandana print mask that hangs over the nose, mouth and neck like a cowboy scarf

Italian luxury labels have jumped on the bandwagon with stylish coverings, with Dolce & Gabbana selling a $159 mask in its iconic print (left) and Salvatore Ferragamo launching a remarkably thin $180 style with a monochrome pattern (right)

This $890 Fendi mask, woven from pure silk, ties around the back of the head with a ribbon

All of the coverings - which Australians can order from the accessories tab on international high-end fashion site Farfetch - come with the caveat that they are for aesthetic purposes and cannot be used in place of medical-grade masks.

'This face mask is not a suitable substitute for PPE (personal protective equipment) and we cannot authenticate any claims of medical or protective benefits of its use,' a product description on the website reads.

Elsewhere online, equally attention-grabbing are being sold at more affordable prices.

Hong Kong clothing brand WEAT - an acronym for We Eat Avocado Toast, which pokes fun at the millennial penchant for the costly breakfast dish - has diamond-encrusted coverings that are guaranteed to make you stand out in a crowd.

German fashion influencer Leonie Hanne wears a $49 sequined mask from Hong Kong clothing brand WEAT - an acronym for We Eat Avocado Toast

The $49 sequined 'fashion masks' - which come in a range of glittering colours including black, gold and silver - are beloved by top Instagram influencers like Leonie Hanne, a German model with 3million followers.

The Hamburg native posted a series of outfit photos wearing a silver WEAT mask on December 23 with the caption: '2020 but festive... but 2020.'

Leonie's audience were quick to gush over the unique style, flooding the snaps with comments including 'wow' and 'love your sparkly mask'.

'All I want for Christmas is your mask,' one woman wrote.
Parties to an OPEC+ agreement to curtail production and prevent a collapse in crude oil prices were meeting Monday to discuss whether to lift output quotas again after allowing them to rise by 500,000 barrels a day in January.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak is calling for another 500,000 barrel per day increase in February, though at least one delegate is questioning that wisdom.

"Is the oil demand forecast for [the first-quarter] better than that forecasted in early December? one OPEC+ delegate told S&P Global Platts last week. I don't believe so, with the lockdown in many countries in Europe until the end of January.

OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo said during the weekend that OPEC+ could gradually put more oil on the market over the next few months, though the pace would be determined by market conditions. He added that there are still many downside risks to juggle.

RELATED: Energy leads wave of bankruptcies

Tracy Shuchart, an energy market strategist for Hedge Fund Telemetry in Quebec, said there are certainly many questions ahead, but felt 2021 would start on a positive note for oil markets.

Iran cut their export expectations from 2.3 million barrels per day to 1.5 million barrels and Libya just lowered their 2021 (production)forecast, she said. The alliance (OPEC+) will err on the side of caution in terms of production.

Theres a lot for markets to focus on this week. Escalating tensions between the United States and Iran in the waning days of the Trump presidency could add a risk premium, although that could be offset by the lockdowns in place to control the spread of COVID-19. Robert Gibbons, an independent analyst in New York, said demand indicators could determine where the market focus lies.



If data shows U.S. gasoline demand stayed above 8 million barrels per day last week," he said, "it indicates a new floor may have been put in place and there is potential for demand to reach 9 million barrels per day in first quarter 2021 as the virus is ignored and vaccines arrive."



The Energy Department reported that gasoline consumption over the four-week period ending Dec. 25, averaged 7.9 million barrels per day, down 13.2 percent from the same period last year.

RELATED: How renewable fuels can help aviations climate challenges



Elsewhere, investors will be looking to a runoff Senate race in Georgia on Tuesday and later the certification of the Nov. 3 election results in the U.S. Congress. If Republicans win either seat in Georgia, it would solidify their majority in the Senate and create uncertainties for President-elect Joe Bidens agenda, particularly on energy alternatives to oil.

A handful of Republicans, meanwhile, have said they would object to the results of a democratic election that determined Bidens victory, despite the lack of evidence of irregularities and likelihood that their efforts will fail.



Confidence appears to be returning. The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas last week reported the outlook in the U.S. shale patch was improving from the widespread negative attitudes that plagued the market in early 2020. The price for West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, averaged $47 per barrel during the latest Fed survey period and most respondents said they expected the price would improve to $50 by the end of next year.
Investigations editor

Larry Parnass, investigations editor, joined The Eagle in 2016 from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, where he was editor in chief. His freelance work has appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Hartford Courant and CommonWealth Magazine.
By Melissa Quinn

January 03, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Washington  On an hour-long phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Saturday, President Trump pressured him and other officials to "find" enough votes in the state's presidential election to make him the winner, according to audio of the call obtained by CBS News.

During the call, which Mr. Trump revealed occurred in a tweet earlier Sunday, the president told Raffensperger, "All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state." The Washington Post first reported on the contents of the call and published the audio. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows also participated in the discussion.

"The people of Georgia are angry, the people in the country are angry," Mr. Trump can be heard saying on the audio recording. "And there's nothing wrong with saying that, you know, um, that you've recalculated."

Raffensperger, a Republican, pushed back against Mr. Trump's suggestion, telling him "the data you have is wrong." He also repeatedly told Mr. Trump the results of the election were accurate and rebuffed the president's unfounded claims.

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Mr. Trump lost the presidential race in Georgia to President-elect Joe Biden by 11,779 votes. Since the November election, ballots cast in the state have been counted a total of three times, with the president-elect's win affirmed each time.

The president's call with Raffensperger marked a significant and stunning escalation in his attempts to reverse the outcome of the presidential election. In the weeks since November 3, Mr. Trump has mounted several campaigns in an effort to overturn the results, looking to the courts, then to state legislatures and now Congress to deliver him a second term.

But Mr. Trump's bevy of lawsuits have largely been dismissed, and the states have all certified their election results. Additionally, presidential electors from the 50 states and the District of Columbia convened December 14 to cast their votes, again reaffirming Mr. Biden's win.

Still, Mr. Trump has refused to accept the results of the election, especially in Georgia, and repeatedly attacked Raffensperger and Governor Brian Kemp, also a Republican. Mr. Biden's victory there marked the first time in nearly 30 years a Democrat won the state.

In addition to suggesting Raffensperger "find" the votes to reverse his defeat in Georgia, he also repeated unfounded conspiracy theories about Dominion Voting Systems, a company that provided software used in 28 states.

"Do you think it's possible that they shredded ballots in Fulton County? Because that's what the rumor is. And also that Dominion took out machines. That Dominion is really moving fast to get rid of their machinery. Do you know anything about that? Because that's illegal," Mr. Trump asked Raffensperger and his general counsel Ryan Germany, who was also on the call.

Germany told the president, "No, Dominion has not moved any machinery out of Fulton County" and repeatedly shot down Mr. Trump's continued claims as to whether Dominion "moved the inner parts of the machines and replaced them with other parts."

During the call, Mr. Trump called Raffensperger a "child" and "either dishonest or incompetent" for not believing there was voter fraud in Atlanta. The president called himself a "schmuck" for endorsing Kemp, and appeared to threaten Raffensperger and Germany over alleged fraud, though there has been no evidence to support his claims ballots were illegally destroyed.

"You know what they did, and you're not reporting it. That's a criminal, that's a criminal offense," he said. "And you can't let that happen. That's a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer. And that's a big risk."

Mr. Trump then claimed ballots were being shredded and machinery removed.

"You can't let it happen and you are letting it happen," he said, according to the audio. "I'm notifying you that you're letting it happen."

Mr. Trump said Raffensperger's refusal to reverse the outcome of the presidential race will deter Republicans from turning out to vote in a pair of runoff elections Tuesday, the results of which will determine which party controls the Senate.

"You have a big election coming up and because of what you've done to the president  you know, the people of Georgia know that this was a scam," Trump said. "Because of what you've done to the president, a lot of people aren't going out to vote, and a lot of Republicans are going to vote negative, because they hate what you did to the president. OK? They hate it. And they're going to vote. And you would be respected, really respected, if this can be straightened out before the election."

Mr. Trump referred to the call earlier Sunday on Twitter, saying he talked to Raffensperger about Fulton County and alleged voter fraud in the state.

"He was unwilling, or unable, to answer questions such as the 'ballots under table; scam, ballot destruction, out of state 'voters', dead voters, and more. He has no clue!" the president said.

In response to Mr. Trump's tweet, Raffensperger said, "Respectfully, President Trump: What you're saying is not true. The truth will come out."

Congress will convene in a joint session Wednesday to tally and certify the results of the Electoral College. More than 100 GOP House members are expected to object to some states' results, and a group of nearly a dozen Republican senators also plan to challenge the electoral results unless a commission to audit the results is appointed.

Their objections, however, are highly unlikely to succeed, as both chambers must separately vote to sustain an objection. With Democrats controlling the House, it's all but guaranteed lawmakers will not toss out Mr. Biden's electoral votes.
Srinagar, Jan 4 : Moderate snowfall in plains and heavier ones in the higher reaches covered the Kashmir Valley in a white blanket on Monday as the weather office said inclement weather will likely continue during the next 24 hours till Tuesday.

"Although there is no likelihood of any heavy snowfall in the two UTs during the next 24 hours yet inclement weather will continue in both regions during this period," an official of the MET department said.

The Srinagar-Jammu highway is closed for traffic due to heavy snowfall in the Bannihal sector.

Officials have advised travellers not to undertake the journey before contacting the traffic control rooms to know the latest status of the highway.

Snow clearance machines have been moved into action in all the districts of the valley.

Locals are complaining about the lack of electric power in most places especially in the rural areas of Kashmir.

The ongoing 40-day long period of harsh winter 'Chillai Kalan' will end on January 31.

Srinagar recorded minus 0.9, Pahalgam minus 6.7 and Gulmarg minus 5 degrees Celsius as the minimum temperatures of the day.

The lowest for Leh town of Ladakh was minus 14, Kargil minus 15 and Drass minus 12.1 degrees Celsius.

Jammu city recorded 12.2, Katra 9.4, Batote 1.5, Bannihal minus 0.2 and Bhaderwah minus 0.5 as their minimum temperatures.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
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NTU Singapore, Temasek Foundation host Asias young leaders regional dialgoue

Some 84 student leaders from Asia are meeting in person and virtually at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) this week to discuss potential solutions to the regions social inequality at the second Singapore Technologies Endowment Programme (STEP) Youth Regional Affairs Dialogue.

Lawrence Wong, Singapore Minister for Education and Second Minister for Finance, was the guest of honour. Photo courtesy: NTU

Held from January 3 to 9, the Dialogue, organised by NTU and Temasek Foundation, involves young leaders analysing and proposing fresh solutions to address social inequality. Five aspects of social inequality are being discussed: businesses and occupations; culture and heritage; gender and diversity; healthcare and well-being; and knowledge.

Lawrence Wong, Singapore Minister for Education and Second Minister for Finance, was the guest of honour today. He highlighted the impact the coronavirus pandemic had had on the world and Singapore before talking about inequality and how the government was dealing with it.

"Income inequality in Singapore is not something new. We have been dealing with this back in 1997, after the Asian Financial Crisis. After that happened, we saw incomes in Singapore starting to diverge, and have put in place programmes since then to strengthen social support," the minister said.

"If we all agree that we want to be greener, fairer and more giving, there are many things we can do: policy changes, attitude and mindset changes, and specific actions that we can all champion as well," he added.

The conversations are led and facilitated by professors from NTUs University Scholars Programme and their academic peers from Asian universities, as well as leading experts and social innovators. The guest speakers include Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Singapores former communications and information minister and current advisor to the president of Singapore Institute of Technology, and Ms Debbie Fordyce, president of Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), a Singapore society that seeks to promote the rights and wellbeing of migrant workers.

This years dialogue takes place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought to the forefront issues of stark inequality across the globe, such as access to healthcare, digital technology, education and jobs. As we begin to reimagine and rebuild a new post-COVID-19 world, there is no better time for us to come together to discuss and find fresh solutions to address these challenges, Professor Ling San, NTU Deputy President and Provost, said.

The participating students were selected from more than 380 applicants from universities in Singapore and the region. In total, 20 countries are represented, including the 10 ASEAN economies and other Asian countries, regions and territories, such as Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mongolia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Taiwan.

These conversations should begin with our youth leaders so that they can continue to build a stronger and more connected Asia together. With this second run of the STEP Youth Regional Affairs Dialogue, we hope the student leaders will take the opportunity to share and learn from ideas and perspectives from across the region and be inspired to create a better future for all, Benedict Cheong, Chief Executive of Temasek Foundation International, said.
By Aditya Kalra and Ritsuko Ando NEW DELHI/TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's beer maker Kirin Holdings will invest $30 million in New Delhi-based B9 Beverages, the companies said on Monday, as it seeks to secure a spot in India's growing craft beer market amid falling sales at home. The Japanese brewer will acquire a stake of under 10% in B9, the maker of India's popular craft beer Bira, a Kirin spokesman and Bira CEO Ankur Jain told Reuters. They declined to give further financial details. B9 had been in talks with international brewers - including Kirin - and other ...
An acting U.S. Attorney has been appointed for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Officials announced Monday that Bruce D. Brandler has been appointed following the resignation of former U.S. Attorney David Freed, which became effective Friday.

Brandlers appointment is for 300 days or until a presidential appointment is made, whichever happens first. He had previously served as U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania from October 2016 to November 2017.

Brandler began his legal career as an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn, New York, serving in that post from 1981 to 1985, then served as deputy chief and then chief investigative counsel of the New York State Senate Committee on Investigations, Taxation and Government Operations.

He was appointed assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania in 1986 and was promoted to the position of senior litigation counsel in 1992. In 2014, he became the chief of the criminal division and served in that position until his 2016 appointment as U.S. Attorney.

He specialized in complex white-collar prosecutions, including high-profile public corruption cases. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, some of the most notable cases he prosecuted are:

A tax evasion case against former Luzerne County Judge Arthur Dalessandro,

A perjury case against former State Rep. Frank Serafini,

A bribery and extortion case against former Lackawanna County commissioners Robert Cordaro and Anthony Munchak,

An illegal campaign contribution and fraud case against Renato Mariani, the former President of Empire Sanitary Landfill, Inc.,

A disadvantaged business enterprise fraud case against Joseph Nagle, the former president of Schuylkill Products, Inc.,

An accounting fraud case against Paul Polishan, the former chief financial officer for the Leslie Fay Companies, Inc.,

And an environmental crimes case against Chemical Waste Management, Inc. for illegal dumping activities at a Superfund site in Lackawanna County.

Brandler graduated from Stony Brook University in 1978, where he received a B.A. in political science with honors and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He received his law degree in 1981 from the Boston University School of Law.

He lives in Harrisburg.
PSG open talks over permanent deal for Kean

| Sunday, 03 January 2021



Kean, a 25m signing from Juventus in 2019, joined the French club during the summer transfer window after it became clear to him that his chances of starting regularly in the Blues' first-team were slim this season.

The terms of his loan move did not include an option to buy but Kean's success so far in Paris has prompted PSG to try and secure his services on a longer-term basis now rather than wait until the summer when they might face more competition.

The 20-year-old has made 16 appearances during his loan spell so far and scored eight goals to add to the two goals he scored for Everton in four appearances in all competitions in September.

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(L) Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event in Pittsburgh, Penn., on Aug. 31, 2020. (Alan Freed/File Photo, Reuters). (R) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks at a news conference in Washington, on Aug. 13, 2020. (Sarah Silbiger/Reuters)

Biden Praises Pelosi as One of the Most Effective and Accomplished Lawmakers in American History

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has congratulated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on her reelection as speaker, hailing her track record as a lawmaker and touting her as one of the most effective legislators in American history.

In a statement on Sunday, Biden welcomed news of Pelosis reelection, which took place in a narrow 216-209 vote, with two of her Democrat colleagues voting for different candidates and three others voting present. Pelosi has led the House Democrats since 2003 and was widely expected to retain her post despite a quiet effort to oust her.

Jill and I extend our warmest congratulations to Speaker Pelosi on her well-deserved reelection today as Speaker of the House of Representatives, Biden said in the statement, calling Pelosi a trailblazing leaderand one of the most effective and accomplished legislators in our nations history.

Pelosi was first elected to Congress in 1987 and has a long track record as a legislator, with her oldest key national vote, as logged by tracking site Votesmart.org, showing that in 1991 she sponsored the Conditional Extension of Most-Favored-Nation Trade Status to China act. The bill, called H.R.2212 (pdf), sought to impose stricter conditions on renewing Chinas preferential treatment as a so-called most favored nation, which was a status that granted China favorable access to the American market. It called for tougher treatment of China unless it improved its behavior in the area of human rights, forced labor, intellectual property theft, unfair trade practices against the United States, and weapons proliferation. The bill was ultimately vetoed by George H.W. Bush, who in his veto letter (pdf) argued for a policy of engagement with China rather than a get tough approach.

According to a Govtrack.us legislator report card, Pelosi was the primary sponsor of seven bills that were ultimately enacted, which ranged from major initiatives like the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 and the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, to lesser bills like the San Francisco Old Mint Commemorative Coin Act and the Winter Run Chinook Salmon Captive Broodstock Act of 1993.

Pelosi has long drawn the ire of conservatives for her support for left-leaning policies, particularly around sensitive issues like LGBT and abortion rights.

Biden, in his statement, said that he looks forward to working with Pelosi during the new Congressional term, adding, With Speaker Pelosis leadership, we will come together to defeat the ongoing pandemic, take on the existential threat of climate change, instill greater equity and justice in our society, and build our economy back better than before.

Pelosi, in remarks from the House floor on Sunday outlined some of the Democrats policy priorities during the 117th Congress, with a heavy focus on social justice.

We must pursue justice: economic justice, justice in health, racial justice, environmental, and climate justice. The list goes on, she added.

The prominence of social justice initiatives in Pelosis remarks will likely reinforce conservative worries about the Democrat Partys leftward drift, and fuel concern about the growth in profile of the partys far-left faction.
Then-Vice President Joe Biden (C), presides over the counting of the electoral votes from the 2016 presidential election during a joint session of Congress, in Washington on Jan. 6, 2017. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Congress Approves Rules Regulating Jan. 6 Electoral Vote Count

The House of Representatives and the Senate on Jan. 3 adopted rules that outline how the counting of Electoral College votes will take place on Jan. 6.

The rules were passed without recorded votes. Instead, a voice vote was used in both chambers.

The guidance, introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), says the chambers will meet in a joint session on Jan. 6 presided over by Vice President Mike Pence.

Pence, as president of the Senate, will open all the certificates and papers purporting to be certificates of the electoral votes, the rules state, a nod to the fact that seven states sent so-called competing electors to Washington, certificates for both Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and President Donald Trump.

The certificates and papers will be opened, presented, and acted upon in alphabetical order, starting with Alabama.

This is when dozens of Republicansat least 50 representatives and 12 senators, according to an Epoch Times tallyare planning to object to some certificates, alleging election irregularities including voter fraud and failure to follow state election laws.

That will trigger a withdrawal from the joint session and a two-hour debate followed by votes in each chamber. Only with a majority vote from both the House and the Senate would a challenge be upheld, which even supporters find unlikely, considering that Democrats, who control the House, and Senate Republican leadership, including McConnell, have expressed disapproval of the plan to object.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), in a letter to colleagues on Jan. 3, noted that objections can happen but said that at the end of the day, Biden will be officially declared the next president.

Our choice is not to use the forum to debate the presidency of Donald Trump, she said.

Reps. Ron Estes (R-Kan.), Tracey Mann (R-Kan.), and Jacob LaTurner (R-Kan.) said on Jan. 3 that theyll join in the objections, saying in a statement that several states are facing serious allegations of voter fraud and violations of their own state law.

This action is not taken lightly and comes after extensive study and research, they said. Kansans deserve to know that all legal, and only legal, votes were counted. We hope our actions begin to restore the confidence of tens of millions of our fellow Americans that feel their sacred right to vote is under attack.

Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) also announced on Jan. 3 that theyll object.

Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) speaks to reporters in Washington on Nov. 17, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

But seven Republican representatives, including several strong Trump supporters, said they wont join in the effort, and denounced the move.

Of the six states as to which questions have been raised, five have legislatures that are controlled by Republicans, and they all have the power to send a new slate of electoral votes to Congress if they deem such action appropriate under state law. Unless that happens between now and Jan. 6, 2021, Congress will have no authority to influence the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, the group wrote in a statement.

To take action otherwisethat is, to unconstitutionally insert Congress into the center of the presidential election processwould amount to stealing power from the people and the states. It would, in effect, replace the Electoral College with Congress, and in so doing strengthen the efforts of those on the left who are determined to eliminate it or render it irrelevant.

The weekend saw a flurry of action, with 11 senators following Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) in announcing theyd join in the objections unless Congress appoints a commission to examine alleged election irregularities. The idea is modeled on the panel formed in 1877 amid a contested election.

Hawleys Dec. 30 announcement triggered a number of House members to announce their intention to object. The number planning to do so has more than doubled since then.

A segment of Republicans are focusing on Pences role in the proceedings. They had sued the vice president and asked a court to rule that he has the exclusive authority to decide between dueling electors. A judge dismissed the case and an appeals court rejected an appeal.

Pence had asked the court to dismiss the suit but said through a spokesman on Jan. 2 that he supports efforts to challenge electoral votes.

Vice President Pence shares the concerns of millions of Americans about voter fraud and irregularities in the last election, Pences chief of staff, Marc Short, said in the statement sent to media outlets.
Today, Andrew Tobias looks at the priorities of Ohios statewide elected executives for 2021.

Gov. Mike DeWine

The early months of the new year will be difficult, DeWine says, and his administrations focus will be to stabilize Ohios coronavirus case numbers, as well as deploying the COVID-19 vaccine throughout the state. Beyond that, he said his administrations priorities include:

Pushing the state legislature to take up police reform. The governor is supporting House Bill 703, which hasnt gotten a committee hearing after it was introduced in June in the aftermath of the protests and unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd. The legislature should take that bill and go through the normal legislative process, DeWine said.

Using his 2021-2022 budget proposal to continue his priorities of emphasizing early-childhood education, Lake Erie water quality and mental health resources. These are long-term projects. Ive felt that the governor, particularly in the earlier years, needs to focus on long-term projects People might not immediately see the results, but they have a long-term impact.

More on the state budget. He said he doesnt expect there to be any major funding cuts. Youre going to see a lot of things flat-funded, but we hope to avoid any significant interruption or significant cuts. And thank heavens we have the rainy-day fund. Well have no hesitancy in spending it.

Promoting and improving Ohios state parks, which got an additional $253 million in his capital-budget bill. One of the great things coming out of this pandemic is that people are rediscovering our great state parks, he said. Its a gem of the state. Its open, free to the public and people can discover a new state park every weekend if they want to.

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted

Husted said his hope for 2021 is that once the vaccine has been distributed, the administration can put greater focus on its long-term educational and technological initiatives that were his priorities before the coronavirus pandemic. He said the pandemic only increases Ohios need to focus on workforce training and expansion of Ohios broadband network. But it created a new problem in that many students are now going to need to catch up for the classroom time theyve missed. He also said Ohio will continue to market itself to workers leaving higher-cost states, and could create additional innovation districts like the one created in Cincinnati in March. If we do these things right in Ohio, theyll pay off for generations, and I think thats what a lot of the things were working on can do, he said.

Attorney General Dave Yost

Yost plans to focus on building trust between law enforcement and communities by promoting better training and better accountability for the very few bad apples with a badge, according to a spokesman. Another focus will be to seek tougher penalties for human traffickers and people who pay for sex while reaching out to help survivors find their way back. He also said his office will focus on scammers and predatory telemarketers, as well as using the power of the office to restore trust of the people of Ohio that those who abuse power will be held accountable in a court of law, from PBMs to opiates to political corruption.

Secretary of Frank LaRose

LaRose wants to lobby state lawmakers to expand elections access by allowing people to apply for absentee ballots online and allowing counties to set up multiple early-voting centers if they choose. He also said he will continue to back a proposal to require greater disclosure in political spending, an effort to combat the dark money efforts like the one that underpinned the scandal-tainted House Bill 6 campaign. Asked if he thinks the legislature will be inclined to support changes to make early voting easier, he said: I think so I think thats the direction things are going. There may be some members who are skeptical, but I think when presented with the facts, its a pretty clear case. And I think theres a misguided view by some that things like this could have a benefit to one party. But the fact is it just doesnt play out that way, so its good to make it as convenient as it can be. LaRose also said he wants to offer a streamlined certification process for women-owned businesses and other disadvantaged groups.

Ohio Auditor Keith Faber

Fabers top priority for 2021 will be to continue helping local governments maneuver the intricacies of spending federal CARES Act funding and the accompanying ever-changing federal guidance, spokeswoman Allie Dumski said. Our local communities have been significantly impacted by the pandemic and the confusion associated with the CARES Act. Our office stands ready to provide direction and assistance to our partners about the appropriate use of these new federal funds, including encouraging CARES Act money to be used for programs that support people and business hit hard by COVID, she said.

Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague

Sprague said his office will focus on continuing its previous initiatives, as well as reach out to local government leaders to try to figure out how to support them. The treasurers offices has launched the formal application process for its ResultsOhio pay-for-success program, which aims to attract private funding to deal with social problems, and plans to also set up its Family Forward program to provide low-cost loans for parents to cover the costs associated with adoption. The decisions were making now will directly impact the positions of our communities and our state in the future, Sprague said in an email.

Birthdays

Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes

State Rep. Derek Merrin
Classes at Most Schools Resume Today

By West Kentucky Star Staff

WESTERN KENTUCKY - Here are back-to-school schedules for the new semester at western Kentucky schools:Ballard County - In person classes will be available Monday-Thursday starting January 4, with all students using virtual instruction on Fridays.Carlisle County - Classes resume January 4 with in-person instruction offered.Fulton County - Classes resume on January 4, with in-person instruction offered Monday-Thursday and all students virtual on Fridays.Fulton Independent - Classes resume January 4 with all students using NTI. Beginning January 11, schools will use an A/B hybrid rotation through January 14, and January 15 will be NTI for everyone. After a holiday on January 18, the A/B hybrid plan will be used January 19-21, and January 22 will use NTI. The week of January 25-28 will offer in-person instruction for all students with an NTI day on January 29. Future instruction will be similar to the last week of January.Graves County - Classes resume January 4 with in-person and virtual instruction offered.Hickman County - Classes resume January 4 with in-person instruction offered.Livingston County - Classes resume January 4, with in-person classes be offered beginning January 5 using an alternating A/B schedule. One group will attend in-person classes on Tuesday/Thursday, while the other group will attend on Wednesday/Friday. Monday will be virtual for everyone.Marshall County - Classes resume January 11, with instruction for elementary and middle school students available each day. High school students will offer a hybrid plan with all students virtual on Mondays. Orange group will attend Tuesday/Wednesday, and Blue group will attend on Thursday/Friday.Mayfield Independent - NTI classes for all students January 4-8. In-person classes available starting January 11.McCracken County - Virtual classes for all students January 4-8, then a hybrid model available starting January 11. All students will be virtual on Mondays, "A" group will attend on Tuesday/Thursday, and "B" group will attend on Wednesday/Friday.Murray Independent - Classes resume January 11 with in-person instruction offered.Paducah Public Schools - Virtual classes for all students January 4-8, then a hybrid model offered starting January 11. Blue group will attend on Monday/Tuesday, all virtual classes on Wednesday, and Tornado group will attend on Thursday/Friday.St. Mary - In person classes offered, classes start Monday, January 4.For additional information, see websites or social media pages for your district.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday stated that the world's biggest vaccination drive against COVID-19 is set to begin in India. The Prime Minister said this while virtually addressing the crowd at the inauguration of National Atomic Timescale and Bhartiya Nirdeshak Dravya at the National Metrology Conclave. These remarks come a day after drug regulators approved two COVID-19 vaccines - Covishield and Covaxin for restricted emergency use.

PM Modi lauded the efforts of the scientist and technicians for the "Made in India" vaccines. He added that the country is proud of these people. The Covishield vaccine has been developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca but is being produced in India by Serum Institute of India while the Covaxin vaccine has been indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech.

"World's biggest COVID-19 vaccination programme set to begin in India. For this, the country is proud of the contributions of its scientists and technicians," the Prime Minister said. "Today is also the day to remember the time when our scientific institutions, all of you, worked day and night together to develop the vaccine to defeat Covid," he added.

The PM stated that CSIR and other institutions collaborated to face every challenge and to find solutions for new problems. "With your support, awareness has been raised about these science institutes in the country today," he said.

"Today, India is among the top 50 countries in global innovation ranking. The collaboration between industry and institutions is being strengthened in India," Prime Minister Modi added

Taking further about 'Make in India', PM Modi said, "We have to ensure that there is not only global demand but also global acceptance of 'Make in India' products. We have to strengthen brand India on the basis of quality and credibility".

National Metrology Conclave 2021 is being conducted by the Council of scientific and industrial research-national physical laboratory (CSIR-NPL), New Delhi. This commemorates the 75th anniversary of the organisation's establishment.

Also Read: Tamil Nadu allows theatres to open with 100% capacity

Also Read: Jack Ma missing since October? Here's what we know so far
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The Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, has tested negative for COVID-19, after being treated for the disease.

The minister made this known in a statement on Monday in Abuja, advising the public to comply with the COVID-19 guidelines to be safe.

She thanked Nigerian women and the entire nation for the prayers and unshakeable dedication to the plight of those declared positive of the Coronavirus Disease.

Mrs Tallen, who was on New Year eve declared negative of COVID-19 by her doctor, rejoiced that she was part of the 2021 celebrations, and stressed the need for all to take responsibility for themselves and their families, to keep everyone safe.

She expressed commitment to promoting the development of Nigerian women toward national development, as well as promoting the rights of the vulnerable in society.

The minister prayed for a prosperous year full of exploits in the areas of innovations that would set the nation on a positive course and growth.

The minister had on December 27, 2020, disclosed her COVID-19 status on her Twitter handle.

She said she went into self-isolation and conducted a test after interacting with individuals that later showed symptoms of the disease, and her test returned positive.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) report as at Jan. 3 showed that 90,080 confirmed cases of the disease were recorded in the country, with 75,044 discharged and 1,311 deaths.

Mrs Tallen is one of a couple of political office holders who contracted the virus and recovered from it. Another example is the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

(NAN)
By Caitlin Johnstone

January 03, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - When it comes to human behavior, things only change for the better when there is a lucid and unobstructed perception of whats going on.

Self-destructive behavior patterns only go away when theres a lucid and unobstructed perception of the previously unconscious psychological dynamics which were driving them.

Victims of abuse only end their abusive relationships when they obtain a lucid and unobstructed perception of the abusive dynamics as they truly are.

Toxic social dynamics like racism, sexism and homophobia only begin moving toward health when society collectively begins gaining a lucid and unobstructed understanding of how disordered and damaging those dynamics really are.

It only becomes unacceptable to have a totalitarian monarch who tortures and executes people without trial, murders anyone who speaks ill of him, and rules by divine right when society begins collectively gaining a lucid and unobstructed awareness of how ridiculous, unjust and unacceptable such models of government are.

Whether youre talking about individuals or humanity in its entirety, the story of human progress has always been a story of moving from blindness to seeing. From unawareness to awareness. From the lights in the room being off to the lights being switched on.

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There is no progress without clear seeing. We cannot move in the direction of health and harmony if we cannot lucidly perceive the ways in which we are still sick and dysfunctional. We cant move forward if were unaware of the specific ways in which we are stuck in place.

Most of us, on some level, want things in our world to change for the better. Some few others want things to stay the same, because the status quo happens to be treating them quite well thank you very much. The struggle between the deep desire of the many for healthy change and the corrupt desire of the few to maintain the status quo is the struggle between turning the lights on and keeping them off. Between wanting to become aware of the various ways we are stuck so that we can move forward, and wanting the light of awareness as far away from our stuck points as possible.

The struggle for our species, which is really the struggle for our very survival, is therefore between the many who desire truth and the few who desire confusion. Weve got numbers and truth on our side, but they have power, wealth, and a remarkable knack for psychological manipulation.

We see this struggle playing out in many ways in our world right now. Between propaganda and those trying to learn and share the truth. Between the push for internet censorship and the fight against it. Between government secrecy and freedom of information. Between the campaign to imprison WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for exposing US war crimes, and the campaign to free him.

On Monday January 4th a UK judge will be ruling on whether or not to allow the process of Assanges extradition to the United States to move forward. Its important for opponents of this extradition to be aware that the fight will not end at this time; theres still a gruelling appeals process to go through which could take 18 to 24 months or longer in the likely event that the incredibly biased judge overseeing the case rules against Assange.

So as we prepare for the next stage in this fight, its important for us to be perfectly clear whats at stake here.

It is absolutely true that this case will have far-reaching implications for press freedoms around the world. The imperial narrative managers have been toiling for years to frame the persecution of Julian Assange as something other than what it is, but in reality this case is about whether the most powerful government in the world is allowed to extradite journalists anywhere on earth who expose its malfeasance. Whether or not the United States should be allowed to imprison journalists for exposing its war crimes.

If the US succeeds in normalizing the legality of extraditing any journalist anywhere in the world who exposes its wrongdoing, there will be a worldwide cooling effect on national security journalism which will greatly impede humanitys ability to form a lucid and unobstructed understanding of whats going on in the world. The largest power structure on earth will have succeeded in not just turning the lights off in the room, but in uninstalling the light switch.

There is no legal case in the world right now where the struggle for lucid and unobstructed seeing has so much on the line. For this reason, this isnt just about journalism: we really are collectively deciding the fate of our species with our response to the prospect of Assanges extradition.

Are we going to allow the most powerful government on the planet to set a legal precedent which allows it to obstruct truth around the entire world? Or are we going to oppose this tooth and claw?

Are we going to allow power to remain corrupt and unaccountable? Or are we going to insist on our right to know whats going on?

Are we going to let them keep the lights off? Or are we going to turn them on?

Are we going to let the bastards lock us into an omnicidal, ecocidal status quo while they drive us at a rapidly accelerating pace toward extinction and dystopia? Or are we going to move toward the kind of lucid and unobstructed perception of our situation which will allow us to progress into a healthy world?

These are the questions that we are in the process of answering together. I hope we can get everyone to very seriously consider what they want their own answer to be.

Caitlin's articles are entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, liking her on Facebook, following her antics on Twitter, checking out her podcast, throwing some money into her hat on Patreon or Paypal, or buying her book Woke: A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers. https://caitlinjohnstone.com
TORRINGTON  Baby Cullen Maddox Cote was in a bit of a hurry to meet his family.

He was born a week ahead of schedule, and is Charlotte Hungerford Hospitals first baby of 2021.

Cullen was born at 4:33 p.m. Jan. 3, and weighed in at 7 pounds, 14 ounces. His parents are Ronilyn Gilbert and Benjamin Cote, who live in Winsted. The couple has two daughters, Kaylee, 3, and Nola, 2.

I was supposed to be induced tomorrow, so he decided to come early, Gilbert said. It was quick, I have fast labors, and he was my longest, a couple of hours.

Gilbert was expecting to go home Tuesday with Cullen.

Dads home with the girls, she said. Hes very happy we have a boy now.

The couple included a quote in their birth announcement from the hospital Monday. In dark times comes forth a light, warmth of the heart and soul.

Cullens daddy picked that out, Gilbert said. Not sure who said it, but with everything going on in the world right now, the baby is the light in the darkness. Hes bringing a little bit of extra love into the family.

The newborns grandparents are Melvin and Cathy Cote of Florida; Wendy and Robert Cook of Granby; and Jay and Linda Gilbert of Simsbury.

Although theyre reluctant to travel at the moment, Gilbert said, theyll plan a visit soon.

Well get situated, and then well get together, she said. I saw my dad for the first time since August, just recently.

The Gilbert-Cotes also use Facetime on their phones to keep in touch with each other, she said.

Were going to do that with a couple of family members so they can see everyone, she said.

Following the hospitals annual tradition of welcoming the new years first baby, Gilbert and Cote received a large gift basket while in the maternity wing at CHH, filled with goodies for the newborn. The items are donated by local businesses.

I havent torn it apart yet, because Im afraid Ill lose something, Gilbert said. The things I can see right now are nice  there are stuffed animals, diapers, little mementos and lots of wrapped things. When I get home, Ill have my girls open them. Itll be like another Christmas. It was such a nice surprise to get the basket.

While she rests with the new baby, Benjamin Cote is home with the girls. Hes excited that he got his boy, even though hes still outnumbered, Gilbert said.

Shes a stay-at-home mom, and her husband works in construction. Theyve lived in Winsted for about two years. I like the town, she said. Its nice and quiet. We live by the lake.

Although the pandemic has changed life as they know it, with limited visits and few activities with family, Gilbert said the changes havent been dramatic.

Daddys still working, and (were) all at home, she said. We werent able to do a lot of the fun stuff during the summertime; no family parties or barbecues or going to the beach. But well get there.
Whose post-pandemic century? By Bill Emmott, exclusively for the Sunday Times in Sri Lanka View(s): View(s):

LONDON  In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was common to divide countries and their responses according to their political systems, with many attributing Chinas success in controlling the virus to its authoritarianism. As of late 2020, however, it is clear that the real dividing line is not political but geographical. Regardless of whether a country is democratic or authoritarian, an island or continental, Confucian or Buddhist, communitarian or individualistic, if it is East Asian, Southeast Asian, or Australasian, it has managed COVID-19 better than any European or North American country.

While this line is not exactly hemispheric, it is close enough to be suggestive. Even Asias worst performers (in public-health terms)  such as the Philippines and Indonesia  controlled the pandemic more effectively than did Europes biggest and wealthiest countries. Notwithstanding reasonable doubts about the quality and accuracy of the reported mortality data in the case of the Philippines (and India), the fact remains that you were much likelier to die of COVID-19 in 2020 if you were European or American than if you were Asian.

Comprehensive, interdisciplinary research is urgently needed to explain these performance differentials. Because much of our current understanding is anecdotal and insufficiently pan-regional, it is vulnerable to political exploitation and distortion. To help all countries prepare for future biological threats, several specific questions need to be explored. First is the extent to which the experience of SARS, MERS, Avian flu, and other disease outbreaks in many Asian countries left a legacy of health-system preparedness and public receptiveness to anti-transmission messaging.

Clearly, some Asian countries have benefited from existing structures designed to prevent outbreaks of tuberculosis, cholera, typhoid, HIV/AIDS, and other infectious diseases. For example, as of 2014, Japan had 48,452 public-health nurses (PHNs), 7,266 of whom were employed in public-health centers where they could be mobilised quickly to assist with COVID-19 contact tracing. Although occupational definitions vary, one can compare these figures with those for England, where just 350-750 PHNs served 11,000 patients in 2014. (Englands population is roughly half the size of Japans.)

We also will need a better understanding of the effect of specific policies, such as rapidly closing borders and suspending international travel. Likewise, some countries did a much better job than others at protecting care homes and other facilities for the elderly  especially in countries (notably Japan and South Korea) with a high proportion of people over 65.

Moreover, the effectiveness of public-health communications clearly varied across countries, and it is possible that genetic differences and past programs of anti-tuberculosis vaccination may have helped limit the spread of the coronavirus in some areas. Only with rigorous empirical research will we have the information we need to prepare for future threats.

Many are also wondering what Asia relative success this year means for public policymaking and geopolitics after the pandemic. If future historians want a precise date for when the Asian Century began, they may be tempted to choose 2020, just as the US publisher Henry Luce dated the American Century from the onset of World War II.

But this particular comparison suggests that any such judgment may be premature. After all, Luces America was an individual superpower. Emerging victorious from the war, it would go on to claim and define its era (in competition with another superpower, the Soviet Union). The Asian Century, by contrast, will feature an entire continent comprising a wide range of countries.

In other words, it is not simply about China. To be sure, the rising new superpower has been notably successful in coping with the pandemic after its initial failures and lack of transparency. But its scope for asserting systemic superiority is circumscribed by the fact that so many other Asian countries have been equally successful without Chinese assistance.

The post-war comparison also may be premature for economic reasons. Asian countries economic performance in 2020 did not match the success of their pandemic response. While Vietnam, China, and Taiwan have beaten the rest of the world in terms of GDP growth, the United States has not fared too badly, despite its failure to manage the virus. With forecasts pointing to a 3.6% contraction for the year, the US is in better shape than every European economy, as well as Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and others in Asia. The difference is largely a function of interconnectedness: compared to the US, many Asian economies are more exposed to trade and travel bans, which cut deeply into the tourism industry.

Although Chinas public-health and economic outcomes have been better than the Wests in 2020, it has neither found nor really sought a political or diplomatic advantage from the crisis. If anything, China has become more aggressive toward nearby neighbours and countries like Australia. This suggests that Chinese leaders are not even trying to build an Asian network of friends and supporters.

How China approaches the issue of international debt restructurings  especially those connected with its Belt and Road Initiative  will be a key test in 2021. But, of course, the US and the rest of the West also will be tested, and on a wide range of issues, from international finance to sociopolitical stability.

It may be too soon to announce a new historical epoch; but it is not too early to start absorbing the lessons of Asias public-health successes.

Bill Emmott, a former editor-in-chief of The Economist, is co-director of the Global Commission for Post-Pandemic Policy.

Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2020.

www.project-syndicate.org
A hot potato: For years, Google's internal conflicts with employees have been erupting to the public sphere with no apparent policy changes regarding pay, ethics, inclusion, and protection from harassment. Now those employees are forming a union to fight for those changes from the inside, a highly unusual move for workers in the tech industry.

Last December, Google fired AI researcher Timnit Gebru after she tried to be outspoken about unethical AI, which elevated public criticism of the company as well as internal dissent. Today, more than 225 Google employees announced they've created a union, which is a first for parent company Alphabet and a historic event for Silicon Valley.

The reveal came through a New York Times op-ed that tries to explain how a more organized workforce will help course-correct Google from within, after years of failing to do so through public pressure. After all, the company's previous motto used to be "Don't Be Evil" before it was changed to "Do The Right Thing" in 2015, and many Google employees increasingly feel like it's been the opposite -- a pursuit of higher profits for executives and investors in disregard of worker rights and the public good.

The rumors are true-- we've unionized!! I'm a proud card-carrying member of @AlphabetWorkers and I'm ready to make Google a more democratic and equitable place for workers and the world. Here's my thread on why #AWU is so important to me  https://t.co/6MqwErQo1d pic.twitter.com/TUdc8ZrU94  Raksha 4 Abolition (@raxsha) January 4, 2021

The newly formed union's leaders mention several instances in the last few years where Google employees tried banding together to protest questionable choices made by Google executives.

For instance, in 2018 thousands of Google employees expressed their distaste to the public discovery of a partnership with the Pentagon to develop drone footage-analyzing AI. The company responded by developing a set of ethical guidelines for military partnerships, but that wasn't enough to prevent several employees from leaving the company.

Later that year it was revealed that Google had protected 'Father of Android' Andy Rubin from allegations of sexual misconduct and had chosen to mask the scandal through an exit deal that involved a $90 million bonus. This was followed by a protest from 20,000 Googlers as well as a series of lawsuits from shareholders who found that other executives were similarly compensated as much as $240 million to leave after being accused of sexual misconduct. The sudden departure of Timnit Gebru for being critical of existing diversity and inclusion efforts was the last straw for some.

I'm a Google employee and, now, a proud card-carrying member of the Alphabet Workers Union.



Tech workers need a union because we can't rely on the good graces of tech leaders to do right by us and society. https://t.co/u9Q4CDRqDP  Dr. Alex Hanna (@alexhanna) January 4, 2021

As of writing, Google parent Alphabet has 130,000 employees that work under various contractual terms, including temporary and part-time workers. According to a joint statement from the Communications Workers of America and the newly formed Alphabet Workers Union, all are eligible to become members of the AWU, as it is meant to be "a democratic and open organization."

Kara Silverstein, who directs Alphabet's people operations, said in a statement that "Weve always worked hard to create a supportive and rewarding workplace for our workforce. Of course our employees have protected labor rights that we support. But as weve always done, well continue engaging directly with all our employees."

That will remain to be seen as Google isn't exactly known for taking kindly to workers attempting to unionize. Back in December, the National Labor Relations Board filed a formal complaint against Google for several violations of the National Labor Relations Act, from surveilling employees to firing them as a way to discourage others from engaging in union activities.
The pyrotechnics of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations will conduct mine clearance in Azerbaijans Aghdam district, liberated from Armenian occupation, the press service of the ministry said.

"On January 4, an IL-76 aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations with rescuers on board departed for Azerbaijan to carry out tasks for demining territories in Karabakh. As part of the humanitarian mission, pyrotechnics will work in the Aghdam district," TASS cited the ministry as saying.

"The group includes 20 pyrotechnics from the Leader Center of the Russian MES and the Noginsk Rescue Center. Three complexes with robots are flying together with them. All the outgoing personnel has undergone COVID-19 test," the MES press service added.
ALBANY  A man who possessed child pornography and victimized more than 100 women through identity theft was charged Friday with a new offense: trying to dupe the federal judge overseeing his case with a fake letter attributed to a top aide to U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik.

Michael P. Fish, 25, allegedly sent the phony letter to U.S. District Judge Mae DAgostino earlier this week. It purported to have been sent by Jonathan Carman, a district director for Stefanik, and attested to Fish's integrity and work ethic.

Carman briefly supervised Fish when he volunteered for Stefanik's 2016 campaign during Fish's time at the state University at Plattsburgh, and Carman had written a letter of reference for him before Fish's crimes came to light. The letter to the judge blended portions of that letter with new material referring to the criminal case.

On May 19, Fish pleaded guilty to computer intrusion causing damage, aggravated identity theft and possession of child pornography. He admitted in his guilty plea that between 2016 and 2019, while he was a student at SUNY Plattsburgh and later at Albany Law School, he accessed accounts of female students within the Plattsburgh schools computer network, created new passwords and gained access to their social media accounts and personal information. He downloaded sexually explicit and embarrassing photos stored in other accounts, and traded stolen photos and videos online.

Fish also created and distributed collages mixing sexually explicit photos with innocuous photos of graduations. And he identified the names of the women whose images he traded, possessing information from more than 100 students at Plattsburgh and elsewhere, the plea agreement said.

On Thursday, the Times Union contacted Stefanik's office inquiring about the letter. In response, Stefanik's senior advisor Alex DeGrasse said Carman had denied writing it, and that the letter was "a falsified document submitted to court, which is a crime."

On Friday, federal authorities arrested Fish, who had been free awaiting sentencing, and charged him with violating his conditions of release.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett said Fish had only been permitted to use a computer with prior approval from his probation officer. A petition alleged Fish "used a computer without authorization in connection with fabricating a character letter that he caused to be submitted to the court in connection with his sentencing," Barnett said in a statement.

An investigation by the FBI and U.S. Probation office in Albany indicated Fish took part of the genuine letter of recommendation and fabricated new material, Barnett said.

The fraudulent portion of the letter referenced the defendant's "mistakes": "Mike Fish has asked me to provide a letter of recommendation in support of his background and character," it stated, adding that its author "had the privilege of working closely with Mike" during the campaign.

"I knew of Mike by reputation first before I met him. SUNY Plattsburgh being my alma mater we had mutual friends and acquaintances who always spoke highly of him," the letter states. "Upon sitting down with Mike I was impressed by how motivated he was to learn and grow as an individual."

"I have every confidence in saying that Mike is not a threat to society, but someone who made his share of mistakes," it noted later in an allegedly fraudulent passage. "I wholly believe Mike's positive impact to society thus far serves as testament that his troubles were a matter of isolation and he has the character, work ethic, and skills to remain a law abiding citizen."

Several other letters were filed seeking leniency for Fish, with the authors identified as family members or former co-workers.

Fish's attorney, James Tyner, told the Times Union that the new allegations "are a complete surprise to me. Just like the government is investigating the situation, my office has undertaken a similar investigation to examine the validity of these claims." He would not elaborate.

It is unclear if the new allegations against Fish will push back his sentencing, which had been scheduled to take place on Jan. 8. Federal prosecutors in Albany had initially asked for a sentence of at least eight and a half years in prison. He also must pay the SUNY Plattsburgh $35,430.

Prosecutors asked the judge to "send a strong message that the defendants conduct  which will forever haunt and embarrass his victims in countless ways, including their lives as professionals, daughters, friends, wives, and mother  is illegal, cruel, and intolerable."

Fish's actions "reflected an eagerness to embarrass, shame, and dehumanize them," the memo stated.

Tyner, Fish's attorney, had asked the judge in a sentencing memorandum to impose minimal incarceration.
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Manars new job will pay $278,000 a year, with half of that coming out of the billionaire governors pocket, a Pritzker spokeswoman said. Since taking office, Pritzker has doubled the state salaries of a number of key staffers with his own money, which is funneled through a company called East Jackson Street LLC that was set up in December 2018.
UAEs Adnoc Distribution, a top fuel and convenience retailer, has signed an agreement to acquire 15 service stations in Saudi Arabia, bringing the companys total network to 17 across the Kingdom.



Already the only fuel retailer operating in all seven emirates in the UAE, the addition of these new stations highlights the long term smart growth strategy to also become a leading fuel operator in KSA. The company sees value creation potential coming from uplift in fuel margins and the companys integrated approach to managing fuel and non-fuel retail offerings.



The purchase consideration for this acquisition is AED36.7 million ($10 million). The acquisition is subject to certain conditions, including obtaining regulatory approvals.



Located in the eastern region, with sites dedicated to both highway commuters as well as in-community convenience, the new stations will be refurbished in line with Adnoc Distribution brand standards and offer high quality fuel and retail services to customers, including convenience stores;



Ahmed Al Shamsi, Acting CEO, Adnoc Distribution, said: Expanding our presence in Saudi Arabia is an important milestone for our company and part of our profitable growth strategy. We see this expansion as a natural progression since opening our first station in 2018 and look forward to significantly increasing our presence in the coming years. This is the first announcement of many we intend to make with Saudi being a key strategic market for us as we make Adnoc service stations a destination for all in Saudi. 



Adnoc Distribution opened its first service station in Saudi Arabia in December 2018, located on the Riyadh-Dammam highway around 40 km from the capital. It was followed shortly after by the second in the city of Hofuf within Al Ahsa Governorate.  TradeArabia News Service
Salma Hayek has started 2021 with a splash.

The 54-year-old actress shared another bikini shot from her extended New Years vacation and it certainly has people talking.

Salma Hayek, pictured in February, dazzles in brown bikini during getaway. (Photo: Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

50+ and still breaking hearts, eh? wrote one commenter on the Instagram photo. Another put, Gorgeous! 2021 looking great already! And yet another called the Mexican beauty, The most beautiful woman in this world.

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In the photo, Hayek rocked a brown halterneck bikini with red lining, which accentuated her tiny waist and curves, as she stood at the waters edge. A necklace disappeared into her decolletage. She had her hair up and tortoise shell sunglasses.

In just 14 hours, the photo is nearing 1.7 million likes. For reference, another smoldering bikini photo she shared last week has 1.3 million likes.

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Hayek, who has one daughter, Valentina Pinault, 13, with her billionaire businessman Francois-Henri Pinault, recently opened up about her fitness regimen, saying that if she has a choice between getting up to exercise or sleeping in, she chooses the latter.

Some people have the discipline to exercise in the morning, and I didnt develop that, she told People magazine in December.

In fact, she said she rarely hits the gym at all because shes working, including starring in 2020s Like a Boss and executive-producing Netflixs Monarca. She has three other movies scheduled to be released in 2021.

I dont have time to exercise. I am working. Ive had some 20-hour days, she said, adding that her secret is working with a woman in London, where she is based these days, who taught me how to hold my body in a way where the muscles are activated all day long. So even when you brush your teeth, youre working the muscles.

She said its a form of restorative yoga, explaining, She taught me to tone [my muscles] without clenching them. You relax them and focus on the parts that need to be used, but never with tension. If youre aware of your body, youd be surprised by the effect it can have.

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
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Speaking at a meeting in Coimbatore on Sunday, AIADMK leader and State Minister for Milk and Dairy Development KT Rajenthra Bhalaji lashed out at DMK after the attack on an AIADMK woman leader in MK Stalin's Gram Sabha meeting. Rajenthra Bhalaji said that AIADMK doesn't threaten anyone, or do goondaism. He also said that if AIADMK had sought revenge from DMK chief Stalin, his political career would have been decimated. His attack on Stalin came as the DMK chief is currently holding his Gram Sabha meetings in Coimbatore. While Stalin had targeted AIADMK MLA SP Velumani, the state minister highlighted the work he has done for the region.



READ | MK Stalin's estranged brother Alagiri lashes out at him, proclaims "You will never be CM"

Rajenthra Bhalaji said, "DMK president MK Stalin would have been decimated from his political career if we had decided to take revenge against him during the last ten years of our regime. Minister for Municipal Administration SP Velumani has carried out various infrastructure projects across the State, while Stalin has not done anything for Coimbatore. Unlike the DMK, the AIADMK cadre does not threaten or attack anyone."

Meanwhile, BJP leader and former IPS K Annamalai also lashed out at DMK and said, "What happened at Stalin's function in Thondamuthur today is condemnable! Chasing away a woman just because she questioned him & the party workers trying to assault her when she is in the custody of police reflects this - this party is not safe for a woman." BJP National General Secretary CT Ravi condemned the attack and said that this trailer of what will happen to the common man if Stalin comes to power.

Here is the trailer of what will happen to the "Common Man" if @arivalayam ever comes to power in Tamil Nadu.



A Woman is physically attacked in a public meeting by DMK Goons for asking a question.



Tamil Makkal have two choices before them - MODI or ROWDY.#TamilMakkalWithModi https://t.co/6AfT2Dx1z7  C T Ravi     (@CTRavi_BJP) January 2, 2021

READ | AIADMK woman neta manhandled by DMK cadre at chief MK Stalin's Gram Sabha meeting

DMK cadre attacks AIADMK woman neta

In a shocking incident in the poll-bound Tamil Nadu, a woman was manhandled by DMK cadre during a Gram Sabha meeting of MK Stalin. The incident happened in Devarayapuram in Thondamuthur, when the woman identified as Poongudi - AIADMK womens wing president. The woman allegedly asked Stalin as to why is he conducting gram sabha meeting in Coimbatore if he doesn't know the area well. Stalin responded by asking who she is, to which the woman answered - "I am an Indian citizen."

Moreover, after the woman revealed her hometown, the DMK chief told the crowd that AIADMK Minister and Thondamuthur MLA SP Velulmani had sent her. She was then attacked by DMK cadre who dragged the women out of the meeting. She was also attacked by DMK cadre outside the venue. While the police try to escort the woman, DMK cadre can be heard raising slogans against AIADMK.

READ | DMK embarrasses Owaisi; makes U-turn on Jan 6 meet invite amid alliance partners' outrage

Tamil Nadu Assembly elections

Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu are due during April-May 2021 and the political parties have started their campaign. While DMK's MK Stalin is eyeing becoming Chief Minister for the first time, AIADMK has arrived at reconciliation between two warring factions - of Deputy CM O Pannerselvam (OPS) and CM E Palaniswamy (EPS). Incumbent E Palaniswamy has been named as its CM candidate and O Panneerselvam as the chief of the 11-member steering committee. The BJP is yet to make a formal announcement of the alliance with AIADMK and is in talks with Stalin's estranged brother MK Alagiri. On the other side, AIADMK has said that they are the big-brother within the NDA alliance. Meanwhile, Kamal Hassan is on a campaign trail and Alagiri has said that the launch of his political party will be in January. Superstar Rajinikanth who was about to launch his party this year has backed out due to health reasons.

READ | On Rajinikanth's political exit, Kamal Haasan says 'health most imp'

Qatar's ruling Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani will attend a Gulf Arab summit in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the royal court said on Monday.

The confirmation of his participation came after a Kuwaiti minister announced that Saudi Arabia would reopen its airspace and land and sea border to Qatar, citing a deal towards ending a dispute in which Riyadh and its allies imposed a boycott on Qatar since mid-2017.

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[January 04, 2021] Desktop Metal Announces Participation at Upcoming Investor Conferences

Desktop Metal (NYSE: DM), a leader in mass production and turnkey additive manufacturing solutions, announced today it will present at two upcoming investor conferences. On Monday, January 11, 2021 the Company will participate at the 23rd Annual Needham Virtual Growth Conference. Members of management will present at 10:45 - 11:25 a.m. ET, with one-on-one meetings for institutional investors. On Wednesday, January 13, 2021 the Company will participate at the ICR Growth Conference. Members of management will present at 1:30 - 2:25 p.m. ET, with one-on-one meetings for institutional investors. Webcasts of both conference presentations will be available on the Events and Presentations section of Desktop Metal's investor relations site, accessible at www.ir.desktopmetal.com. About Desktop Metal Desktop Metal, Inc., based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is accelerating the transformation of manufacturing with end-to-end 3D printing solutions. Founded in 2015 by leaders in advanced manufacturing, metallurgy, and robotics, the company is addressing the unmet challenges of speed, cost, and quality to make 3D printing an essential tool for engineers and manufacturers around the world. Desktop Metal was selected as one of the world's 30 most promising Technology Pioneers by the World Economic Forum; named to MIT (News - Alert) Technology eview's list of 50 Smartest Companies; and recognized among the most important innovations in engineering in Popular Science's "Best of What's New." For more information, visit www.desktopmetal.com.



Forward-Looking Statements Legend This document contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements generally relate to Desktop Metal's future financial or operating performance. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions, including the negatives of such terms. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this document, including but not limited to: (i) the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken by Desktop Metal, its customers and suppliers, and governmental authorities in response thereto; (ii) the possibility that the Company may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors, including downturns in the highly competitive additive manufacturing industry; (iii) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations and identify and realize additional opportunities; and (iv) other risks and uncertainties set forth in the section entitled "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Statements; Market, Ranking and Other Industry Data" in the registration statement on Form S-4 initially filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the " SEC (News - Alert) ") on September 15, 2020, as amended, and the Company's other filings with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and the Company assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. The Company does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations.

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Filming for season 6 of the highly anticipated new season of Outlander is supposed to start in 2021, but that hasnt stopped fans from wondering how long it will be until then. Luckily, the actors who play our favorite characters are still active on social media in the interim. Sophie Skelton, who plays Brianna MacKenzie, recently wished her on-screen husband, Richard Rankin, a happy birthday with a behind-the-scenes picture.

Brianna and Roger raise their son, Jeremiah, together in North Carolina

Richard Rankin and Sophie Skelton | Michael Tran/Getty Images

Fans may recall how Brianna ends up in the past. She travels back to the past through the stones at Craigh na Dun to warn her parents of an impending fire in North Carolina. Roger MacKenzie (Rankin) travels after her, and they get married in a beautiful ceremony in season 5. Although they dedicated themselves to each other in a handfast ceremony in season 4, they made things official only recently.

Theyre raising their son, Jeremiah, or Jemmy, together. But Brianna was sexually assaulted by Stephen Bonnet (Ed Speleers), and at the time of his conception, its unclear who Jemmys biological father is. But Roger takes Jemmy in as his own, and he cares for him. Book readers know that Jemmy is in fact Rogers biological child.

But in episode 11, Jemmy touches Otter Tooths stone, complaining that its hot to the touch. Brianna and the others come closer, and all the time travelers  Bri and Roger included  start to hear buzzing. When Jemmy touches the stone, it cracks. His parents are hopeful that this is a sign that Jemmy is really Rogers child. Plus, the family is able to travel through the stones together, although they return back to North Carolina as soon as they leave.

Brianna and Roger raise their son on Frasers Ridge together with Briannas family including her mother, Claire Fraser (Caitriona Balfe), and her father, Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan).

Sophie Skelton wishes Richard Rankin a happy birthday

RELATED: Outlander Season 5 Spoiler: The Real Reason Claire Is in Danger

Skelton recently shared a fun birthday shoutout to her on-screen husband. Rankin turned 38 on January 4, and Skelton decided to share a humorous photo of him sitting on the ground with someone about to put a bag over his head. It was clearly taken during filming for the scene where Roger is hanged and left for dead in season 5. Rankin can be seen with a gag in his mouth as he flips off the camera with the crew all gathered around the shot. Its a hilarious image of Rankin, and one that fans will certainly appreciate.

Skelton captioned the post on Instagram: A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY! to our classiest cast member Richarddddd  I hope your day is filled with joy, cake, and allll the good things before were back working and you have to put up with me for another year. Muahahahahaaha  big love!    .

Skelton also added a birthday shoutout to Graham McTavish (Dougal MacKenzie) and Hannah James (Geneva Dunsany), who were on the show in the past. McTavish shares a birthday with Rankin, and he turned 60. Skelton also named Erin Cahill in her post for their birthday as well.

Roger is almost killed

Fans may recall that in season 5, episode 7, Roger is entrusted to deliver a message to Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser (Duncan Lacroix) before a battle between the British and the regulators. However, he stumbles on a woman who is actually his ancestor whom hes met before. But her husband, Buck, decides to beat Roger when he gets the wrong idea, and has him hanged with the prisoners of the British military.

But the next episode reveals Roger is still miraculously alive, but his airway is having difficulty getting air through when they cut him down. Claire uses her surgical skills to make a hole to allow air to escape his lungs. Roger has major issues trying to heal after the ordeal, but he eventually is able to talk again.

Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan joined in with their own birthday messages

Happy Birthday @RikRankin and @grahammctavish  I raise a glass to you both!  Caitriona Balfe (@caitrionambalfe) January 4, 2021

Caitriona Balfe also wished both Rankin and McTavish a happy birthday on Twitter. Happy Birthday @RikRankin and @grahammctavish I raise a glass to you both! She added with a party face emoji.

Sam Heughan took to Twitter as well to wish Rankin a happy birthday. Happy birthday Mr Rankin!!!!xx, he wrote after retweeting the official Outlander accounts post about it. He also wished Rankin and McTavish a happy birthday on his Instagram Story as well.

Hopefully Outlander will return sooner rather than later. In the meantime, we can always look forward to the actors posts on social media.
A woman who fell head over heels for her Airbnb host  despite their 27-year age gap  has got engaged just three months into their whirlwind romance.

Angie Lucas, from North Fort Myers, Florida, had been single for three years when she began to lose hope of finding her soul mate.

But to celebrate her 40th birthday in July she she booked a two-night solo staycation in a property owned by Dennis Weisse, 67, using rental app Airbnb.

He initially rejected her request after mistakenly believing she planned to throw a party which would have breached Covid-19 rules.

Once he realised his error, however, he allowed her to stay and even surprised her with birthday presents, cupcakes and tequila.

Angie Lucas, from North Fort Myers, Florida, who fell head over heels for her Airbnb host Dennis Weisse  despite their 27-year age gap  has got engaged just three months into their whirlwind romance

The pair then bonded over their love of old school hip hop and rock music before realising that despite an age gap of more than quarter of a century they had plenty in common.

A whirlwind romance followed, with former UPS driver Dennis proposing to Angie, a children's nanny, at sunset in September - just three months after they met.

Angie said: 'I was beginning to lose hope that I'd ever meet the love of my life.

'It may sound corny but Dennis has transformed my life and he treats me like a princess.'

The pair then bonded over their love of old school hip hop and rock music before realising that despite an age gap of more than quarter of a century they had plenty in common

A whirlwind romance followed, with former UPS driver Dennis proposing to Angie, a Children's nanny, at sunset in September - just three months after they met

Angie, whose own father is 63 and mother is 59, said her family had been supportive of her decision  and had joked with Dennis' 33-year-old son about being closer in age to him than her fiance.

In response to critics of age gap love, she said: 'I would just say "live and let live".

'If you find somebody you love and they happen to be much older or much younger than you, as long as you are not harming anyone else and it is consensual and you love each other, you should never let age get in the way of true happiness and the chance of love.'

For the four years before she met Dennis, Angie had been living just half an hour away in neighbouring Lehigh Acres, although their paths had never crossed.

To celebrate her 40th birthday in July Angie booked a two-night solo staycation in Dennis's property where he even surprised her with birthday presents, cupcakes and tequila

When Angie arrived on July 8  the day before her 40th  she said she was blown away by the gesture

Speaking about the encounter, Angie continued: 'It was actually the first time I'd ever used Airbnb.

'I wrote a very chatty greeting message for Dennis and told him it was my birthday.

'But he misunderstood and thought I was planning to have a party, which I was not  I'm very cautious about Covid  so he rejected my request.'

Realising his mistake, Dennis called Angie the following day to apologise  hoping to convince her to come for her trip as planned.

'I said I understood and was okay with the rejection, but he was so friendly and such an outgoing and gregarious character. We had a really nice chat,' Angie continued.

'In the end, he sweet-talked me and convinced me to go ahead with the trip.'

Angie, who works as a nanny, had been living just half an hour away from Dennis in neighboring Lehigh Acres

Now, Angie helps Dennis with his Airbnb bookings by getting the house ready for guests  and she loves telling them how they met

In another twist of fate, Dennis was not even originally supposed to be in the state at the time of Angie's visit.

The way Airbnb works means that hosts do not always stay at the property with their guests. Some rent out entire homes, while others offer a private room.

In Dennis' case, he had intended to be in Colorado, almost 2,000 miles away, meaning Angie would have the place to herself.

But when a couple who had been looking after the property back in Florida unexpectedly had to leave, he had no choice but to fly home and make sure the house was ready for her arrival.

And at the beginning of September, Dennis invited Angie to move in with him and got down on one knee to offer her the key

Giving his thoughts on the chance encounter, Dennis said: 'Because of all the confusion with the site, I wanted to do something really nice for her birthday.

'I had the couple who had been looking after the property arrange some balloons, a birthday banner, card, cupcakes and tequila on the kitchen counter before they left.

'If they hadn't left, I would never have come back to Florida, so never would have met Angie in person. The Lord works in mysterious ways.'

When Angie arrived on July 8  the day before her 40th  she was blown away by the gesture.

That night, Dennis came back home from Colorado and the pair spent the evening chatting, immediately hitting it off.

The proposal did not come as a big shock to Angie  because they spoke about marriage in late July, and picked out the ring together a couple of days prior to the engagement

Dennis stayed in his bedroom, while Angie slept in one of the guest rooms on the other side of the house.

She said she was a 'little bit nervous' about him being there for her stay, but because of the 'wonderful phone call' they had shared beforehand she already felt comfortable around him.

Angie said: 'The next morning  my 40th birthday  we had coffee and he made me breakfast. We drank champagne mimosas on his pool patio.

'The conversation got even easier and more relaxed. Despite our age difference it's very easy to get along and talk to each other.'

On July 10, she returned home to Lehigh Acres with thoughts of Dennis on her mind.

Angie, whose previous largest age gap in a relationship was five years, said she '100 per cent knew' there was a romantic spark between them.

Three days later, she went back to North Fort Myers to stay with him for a few days  and their relationship quickly progressed.

'We quickly started to fall in love and became basically inseparable,' Angie said.

Their first moment of intimacy sealed the deal for Dennis.

He said: 'We were floating in the pool and our first kiss was in the water. Again, the light-bulb went off and it was a kiss like no other.'

And at the beginning of September, Dennis invited Angie to move in with him.

She added: 'He entrusted me with a key and even got down on one knee to offer it to me.

'Living together is great. Dennis always cooks lovely meals for me. We make each other laugh, and dote on one another.'

Their relationship going from strength to strength, Dennis took things to the next level on September 11, when he got down on one knee for a second time and asked Angie to marry him on a trip to Captiva Island, 45 mins away from North Fort Myers on the Gulf of Mexico.

She recalled: 'We'd had dinner at a fancy restaurant, then afterwards, he got down on one knee again to propose marriage with a stunning sunset backdrop.

'It was so romantic.'

It did not come as a big shock to Angie  because they spoke about marriage in late July, and picked out the ring together a couple of days prior to the engagement.

She said: 'It was no big surprise  but it was a wonderful, wonderful moment.'

Now, the couple, whose family and friends are overjoyed for them, are planning an intimate wedding ceremony next year.

Reflecting on her amazing love story, Angie cannot believe what was supposed to be a quiet birthday staycation has changed her life so drastically.

She concluded: 'I could never have imagined I would fall in love with my Airbnb host. My life has been totally transformed.'

Echoing his bride-to-be's sentiments, Dennis, who had been single for four-and-a-half years before meeting Angie, admitted that he had his heart set on her before they even met.

He said: 'I kept staring at her picture on her profile on the Airbnb app. I was looking at it four or five times a day, I would blow it up to see every inch of her face. There was something about her, and I just couldn't get her out of my head.'

Now, Angie helps Dennis with his Airbnb bookings by getting the house ready for guests  and she loves telling them how they met.

She said: 'People get a real kick out of our story. They love it.'

While Angie is content to not have children, she is happy to be a grandmother if Dennis' son has a family one day.

She said: 'It could still happen, and that would be wonderful if it did.'
Phil Ni Sheaghdha has said that student nurses and midwives are deeply disappointed with the offer of a 100 weekly grant offer and with the report into the treatment of student nurses and midwives throughout the pandemic. Photo: Niall Carson/PA.

Student representatives of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) are deeply disappointed with a report into the treatment of student nurses and midwives and the offer of a 100 weekly grant from the Department of Health.

Nursing and midwifery students have strongly criticised the report into their treatment during the pandemic released tonight.

The student branch of the INMO said that the report does not reflect the high Covid-19 risk Irish hospitals now pose, nor the work they will be asked to do in the coming weeks and months.

Read More

The INMO has said the report does not address any issues for final year interns and said they have sought an urgent meeting with the Minister for Health to discuss the current reality faced by nursing and midwifery students and how it can best be dealt with.

INMO General Secretary, Phil Ni Sheaghdha, said: student nurses and midwives have been doing incredible work on the frontline. They engaged in this process in good faith and are deeply disappointed in this report.

The Covid situation has deteriorated rapidly. This report is already obsolete and no longer reflects the risk or work that students will be taking on in the coming weeks.

Its time for the Minister to do the right thing. He should pay students the healthcare assistant rate of pay  something which was done earlier in the pandemic.

This would better reflect the work and risks students are undertaking in Covid-intensive hospitals, Ms Ni Sheaghdha said.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald branded the 100 grant offer as a failure of government (again) to recognise & respect the essential work of these students on the frontline facing pressure & personal risk on Twitter.

Read More

Online Editors
BALA CYNWYD, Pa., Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Philadelphia Insurance Companies (PHLY) announces the acquisition of the Staffing Insurance Business offered by World Wide Specialty Programs, Inc., based in Melville, NY (World Wide). The insurance products comprising the business PHLY will acquire are designed and produced by World Wide to address the staffing industry's unique needs and will continue to do so in the future as part of PHLY's insurance offerings.

Both PHLY and World Wide Specialty have been doing business for over 50 years. The deal combines the premiere staffing insurance provider with the leading specialty commercial insurance carrier in the country. By adding World Wide's insurance products, PHLY will enhance its staffing insurance offerings and round-out its portfolio of more than 120 niche insurance products.

"The opportunity to join forces with the leading MGA (managing general agent) dedicated to the staffing space is unique," shared John Glomb, president and CEO of Philadelphia Insurance Companies. "The expertise and insurance solutions delivered by the World Wide team complement our existing specialty business and strengthens our service to customers. Access to their team during the pandemic this past year gives us great confidence that culturally this is a fantastic fit."

World Wide offers industry-specific coverage including employment practices liability, auto liability (hired and non-owned), and workers compensation to staffing firm clients and brokers. World Wide is the only insurance company and industry source that is an American Staffing Association (ASA) commercial insurance liability partner.

"This is an exciting time for World Wide. The acquisition combines two formidable forces, both of us dedicated to the staffing industry, resulting in unmatched service, product offering and reach," said Dorothy Taylor, CEO of World Wide Specialty. "We look forward to introducing our clients to the PHLY team and sharing our 50+ years of experience with Philadelphia brokers and their clients."

World Wide will operate as a division of Philadelphia Insurance Companies and assume responsibility for PHLY's book of staffing business, with support from PHLY's staff. The deal closed on December 31, 2020 and terms will not be disclosed.

About Philadelphia Insurance Companies

Philadelphia Insurance Companies designs, markets, and underwrites commercial property/casualty and professional liability insurance products incorporating value added coverages and services for select industries. The Company is rated "A++" (Superior) by AM Best Company and "A+" for counterparty credit and financial strength by Standard & Poor's. In business for nearly 60 years, PHLY is nationally recognized as a member of Ward's Top 50, one of the Best Places to Work in Insurance, and one of the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America. The organization has more than 50 offices strategically located across the United States to provide superior service. For more information, please visit www.PHLY.com.

SOURCE Philadelphia Insurance Companies

Related Links

www.phly.com


Japanese government is preparing to declare another state of emergency in and three neighbouring prefectures, due to the spike in infections in the country, Kyodo News reported citing a source on Monday.

Government Yuriko Koike and her counterparts in Chiba, Kanagawa, and Saitama prefectures on Saturday had urged the central government to issue a second declaration, days after the capital reported more than 1,300 new cases in a single day for the first time, Kyodo News reported.

Last year in April, the first state of emergency was declared in and six other prefectures during Japan's first wave of infections and expanded nationwide later that month.

In a recent move, Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa, and Saitama are apparently nearing a conclusion on stricter measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, including requesting restaurants to close by 8 pm.

According to Kyodo News, Tokyo reported 816 new infections on Sunday, bringing the cumulative total to 62,590, by far the largest among the country's 47 prefectures. Across the country, more than 3,100 new cases and 60 deaths were confirmed the same day.

(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.)
When movie studio Warner Bros last month announced it would be releasing all of its major 2021 movies in the US direct to its streaming service HBO Max on the same day as in theatres, cinema operators around the world shuddered.

For an industry already ravaged by the theatre closures and social distancing necessitated by the ongoing pandemic, as well as limited content due to Hollywoods COVID-delayed release slate, the studios spurning of the industrys traditional theatrical release window was another alarming development.

Roy and Sam Mustaca, owners and operators of United Cinemas, are lobbying the government to legislate minimum theatrical release windows. Credit:Steven Siewert

Roy Mustaca, owner of independent cinema chain United Cinemas which employs 450 staff nationally, calls it the toughest challenge hes faced in almost 40 years in the business.

Its never been this difficult. Cinemas cannot survive if [movies] are going to streaming day and date with the cinemas. Its a disaster waiting to happen, Mr Mustaca said.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Partly cloudy in the morning. Thunderstorms developing later in the day. A few storms may be severe. High 91F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 59F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Following the UK Central Criminal Court's decision not to extradite Julian Assange to the US, find out why the WikiLeaks founder was wanted by the US in the first place and why the Court ruled in Mr Assange's favour.

What did the US authorities accuse Julian Assange of doing?

Assange faces an 18-count indictment, alleging a plot to hack computers and a conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information.

It followed the publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents in 2010 and 2011 relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, as well as diplomatic cables.

The charges allege that Assange conspired with US defence analyst Chelsea Manning to unlawfully obtain classified material.

It was also claimed that he published unredacted classified information that put the lives of US sources at risk.

What did his defence say?

Assanges team argued the publication of classified documents exposed US wrongdoing and were in the public interest.

The WikiLeaks founder denied informants were put in harms way or that he plotted hacking with his source Ms Manning.

His legal team claimed the prosecution was politically motivated.

They also argued that Assange faced up to 175 years in jail, under a torturous regime.

They suggested he would be held in segregation under Special Administrative Measures at a supermax jail, conditions usually reserved for convicted terrorists.

The court heard evidence Assange is on the autistic spectrum, has suffered from severe depression and would be a serious suicide risk.

Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange celebrate outside the Old Bailey, following the ruling that he cannot be extradited to the United States (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

What did Judge Vanessa Baraitser find in her ruling?

The judge said the court trusted the US would protect Assanges right to free speech.

But she said: Free speech rights dont provide unfettered discretion for some, like Mr Assange, to decide the fate of others.

She said his dealings with Ms Manning went beyond the mere encouragement of a journalist.

And there was insufficient evidence to find prosecutors were pressurised by the Trump administration.

However, Judge Baraitser sided with Assanges defence that he was a serious risk of suicide in US custody.

On the basis of Assanges mental health alone, the judge rejected the extradition request.

Will Assange be freed from prison?

Not immediately. Assanges legal team will be asked to make a bail application on Wednesday with full details of the situation at Belmarsh jail, where he is being held, and details of any conditions aimed at reassuring the judge he will not abscond.

Even then, the US prosecution could appeal against a decision to grant conditional bail.

What else can the US prosecution do now?

The US prosecution has said it will appeal against the judges ruling.

They have two weeks in which to lodge the argument to overturn the decision.
WASHINGTON  Bracing for possible violence, the nations capital has mobilized the National Guard ahead of planned protests by President Donald Trumps supporters in connection with the congressional vote expected Wednesday to affirm Joe Bidens election victory.

Trumps supporters are planning to rally Tuesday and Wednesday, seeking to bolster the presidents unproven claims of widespread voter fraud. There are people intent on coming to our city armed, D.C. Acting Police Chief Robert Contee said Monday.

A pro-Trump rally in December ended in violence as hundreds of Trump supporters, wearing the signature black and yellow of the Proud Boys faction, sought out confrontations with a collective of local activists attempting to bar them from Black Lives Matter Plaza, an area near the White House.

On Monday, Metropolitan Police Department officers arrested the leader of the Proud Boys, Henry Enrique Tarrio, 36, after he arrived in Washington ahead of this weeks protests. Tarrio was accused of burning a Black Lives Matter banner that was torn down from a historic Black church in downtown Washington during the December protests.

A warrant had been issued for Tarrios arrest for destruction of property, police said. He was also facing a weapons charges after officers found him with two high-capacity firearm magazines when he was arrested, a police spokesman said.

Trump has repeatedly encouraged this weeks protests and hinted that he may get personally involved. Over the weekend, he retweeted a promotion for the rally with the message, I will be there. Historic Day!

At a November rally, which drew about 15,000 people, Trump staged a limousine drive-by past cheering crowds in Freedom Plaza, on the citys iconic Pennsylvania Avenue. And at the December rally, which drew smaller numbers but a larger contingent of Proud Boys, Trumps helicopter flew low over cheering crowds on the National Mall.

The protests coincide with Wednesdays congressional vote expected to certify the Electoral College results, which Trump continues to dispute,

Election officials from both political parties, governors in key battleground states and Trumps former attorney general, William Barr, have said there was no widespread fraud in the election. Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges, including two rejected by the Supreme Court.

Now with downtown D.C. businesses boarding up their windows, Mayor Muriel Bowser has requested a limited National Guard deployment to help bolster the Metropolitan Police Department. During a press conference on Monday, Bowser asked that local area residents stay away from downtown D.C., and avoid confrontations with anyone who is looking for a fight. But, she warned, we will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents or cause destruction in our city.

According to a U.S. defense official, Bowser put in a request on New Years Eve to have Guard members on the streets from Tuesday to Thursday to help with the protests. The official said the additional forces will be used for traffic control and other assistance but they will not be armed or wearing body armor. Congress is meeting this week to certify the Electoral College results, and Trump has refused to concede while whipping up support for protests.

Some 340 D.C. National Guard members will be activated, with about 115 on duty in the streets at any given time, said the defense official, who provided details on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The official said Guard members will be used to set up traffic control points around the city and to stand with district police officers at all the citys Metro stops. Contee said Guard troops will also be used for some crowd management.

Some of our intelligence certainly suggests there will be increased crowd sizes, said Contee.

D.C. police have posted signs throughout downtown warning that carrying any sort of firearm is illegal and Contee asked area residents to warn authorities of anyone who might be armed.

Because D.C. does not have a governor, the designated commander of the citys National Guard is Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy. Any D.C. requests for Guard deployments have to be approved by him.

The defense official said that there will be no active duty military troops in the city, and the U.S. military will not be providing any aircraft or intelligence. The D.C. Guard will provide specialized teams that will be prepared to respond to any chemical or biological incident. But the official said there will be no D.C. Guard members on the National Mall or at the U.S. Capitol.

At previous pro-Trump protests, police have sealed off Black Lives Matter Plaza itself, but the confrontations merely spilled out to the surrounding streets. Contee on Monday said sealing the area again was a very real possibility but said that decision would depend on the circumstances.

We know that historically over the last few demonstrations that BLM plaza has been a focal point, Contee said. We want to make sure that that is not an issue.

The National Park Service has received three separate applications for pro-Trump protests on Tuesday or Wednesday, with estimated maximum attendance at around 15,000 people, said Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst. On Monday, a stage was being assembled for one of the protests on The Ellipse, just south of the White House.

Organizers plan to rally on Tuesday evening at Freedom Plaza and again all day Wednesday on the Ellipse, including a 1 p.m. Wednesday march to the Capitol. Expected attendees include high-level Trump supporters like Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Republican strategist Roger Stone, a longtime Trump devotee whose three-year prison sentence was commuted by Trump. Stone was convicted of repeatedly lying to Congress during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

During the Dec. 12 pro-Trump protests, at least two local Black churches had Black Lives Matter banners torn down and set ablaze. Contee said the hate-crimes investigation into those incidents was still ongoing and that his officers would be out in force around area churches to prevent similar incidents.

We will be increasing out visibility around the churches in the area, he said.

On Monday the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law filed a lawsuit in D.C. Superior Court against the Proud Boys and Tarrio on behalf on one of the vandalized churches, Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church.

We will not allow white supremacist violence to go unchecked by the laws of the land, Rev. William H Lamar IV, pastor of Metropolitan AME, said in a statement.
Pipeline

4 January 2021

Follows announcement of new Okura hotel in Moscow, underlining the company's ambitious plans for the Russian market.

Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Hotel Okura Co., Ltd., has announced it will open the Hotel Okura Vladivostok, the first Japanese-run hotel in the Russian Pacific port city, in the second half of 2021. Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co., Ltd. and Joint Stock Company Mnogofunkcionalnii Gostinichnii Kompleks Zolotoi Rog signed an agreement covering the operation of the new property on December 29, 2020.

Hotel Okura Vladivostok will be located near the Golden Bridge, a popular tourist attraction from which visitors can enjoy beautiful views of the Zolotoy Rog, a sheltered horn-shaped bay on the Sea of Japan, and the surrounding scenery. It will offer 221 guest rooms each about 40 square meters in size, including 31 suite rooms. There will be a restaurant serving Japanese cuisine featuring a sushi counter and private dining rooms, as well as a teppanyaki restaurant and an all-day dining restaurant. The hotel will additionally offer a large banquet hall, an executive lounge and spa facilities.

Vladivostok, an important commercial port on the Pacific Ocean, is just a 2.5 hour flight from Tokyo. With its exotic landscape, the city is famous for being Russia's gateway to Eurasia yet relatively close to Japan. Surrounded by the sea on three sides, it is a hub for railway, ocean and aviation traffic as well as the eastern starting point of the world-famous Trans-Siberian Railway.

Since August 2017, Japanese citizens have been able to visit the Russian coastal region that includes Vladivostok with just an electronic visa. As a result, the number of visitors from Japan rose to more than 20,000 in 2018, and in 2019, visitor numbers were on the rise with 1.7 times or 35,000 more visitors than in 2018. Vladivostok is an important city in the development of the Russian Far East, which President Putin has made a key element of the country's overall development. Following former Japanese Prime Minister Abe's sharing of his proposed plan for economic cooperation between Russia and Japan with Russia's President Putin in 2016, various business initiatives are underway in both countries.

Overview of Hotel Okura Vladivostok
Saudi Arabia urged caution as OPEC+ gathered to discuss whether to hike supply again next month, with many countries wary of undermining a fragile recovery.

The kingdom highlighted the new risk to the oil market posed by a more infectious strain of the coronavirus, which has heightened the economic risks even as the roll-out of vaccines has buoyed prices.

At the risk of being seen as a killjoy in the proceedings, I want to urge caution, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said at the start of the groups video conference on Monday. The new variant of the virus is a worrying and unpredictable development.

Russia, the cartels de-facto leader alongside Saudi Arabia, publicly backed an additional boost in late December. At the opening session of Mondays meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak gave no clear signal about whether he is holding to that position. He highlighted the healthier shape of the market and the progress in vaccinations, but also warned of uncertainties ahead.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies must decide whether to add more barrels to the market. They are currently idling 7.2 million barrels a day, or about 7% of world supplies, and plan to return a further 1.5 million barrels a day in installments no larger than 500,000 barrels a day over the coming months.

The group is already taking a cautious approach, agreeing in December to meet every month -- rather than just a few times a year -- in order to fine-tune production levels more precisely and avoid capsizing the price recovery they spent most of 2020 working to achieve.

Talks between a panel of ministers that oversees the OPEC+ deal earlier on Monday concluded without a policy recommendation, leaving the decision to the full meeting of the entire group thats now underway.

Other prominent voices from the alliance echoed Prince Abdulazizs caution. Theres a need to be wary of the repercussions of theecond wave of the pandemic, state-run Kuwait News Agency reported on Monday, citing a statement from Oil Minister Mohammed Alfares.

OPEC Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo said at Sundays preparatory meeting that there are still many downside risks to juggle.

Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 1.1% to $51.23 a barrel as of 3:39 p.m. in London. Prices rallied earlier in the day on strong demand from Asia due to freezing weather, but faltered later amid signs of widening lockdowns in Europe.

The case for another small OPEC+ output increase in February is underpinned by a recovery in the oil prices, which have gained more than a third since the emergence of the first Covid vaccines last year.

The immunizations have created a healthier outlook for oil consumption, which will soon shift from reverse to forward gear, Barkindo said at the Joint Technical Committee meeting on Sunday. The panel assesses implementation on behalf of the 23-nation alliance.

Russias Novak signaled last month that he was ready to proceed, saying that prices are in an optimal range of $45 to $55 a barrel. If OPEC+ refrains from bolstering exports, its competitors will simply fill the gap, he said.

Gulf Allies

The market has underlying support and as such should shrug off a modest increase in OPEC+ supply, said Doug King, chief investment officer of the Merchant Commodity Fund, which manages $170 million.

Its not just Russia that might favor opening the taps. Last month, OPEC+ talks ran into a five-day stalemate as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- for years stalwart allies in both political and energy spheres -- disagreed over how quickly to revive the idled barrels.

While the kingdom wanted to delay any increases for three months, its neighbor -- eager to monetize investments in capacity and promote a new regional oil benchmark -- pushed for a speedier timetable.

That might also come as a relief to OPEC+ members like Iraq. Baghdad is engulfed in a mounting economic crisis that is only exacerbated by limits on oil sales, and is struggling to get through a backlog of overdue output cuts from 2020.

Barkindos Caution

Yet there are also reasons to think the group will take a more cautious approach.

We think the producer group will opt to forgo any further production increases for February with Covid-19 cases continuing to climb and the slower than expected vaccine roll-out, said Helima Croft, chief commodities strategist at RBC Capital Markets LLC.

Restrictions on movement are still in place in a number of countries amid a new strain of the virus, Barkindo said. Its too soon to know how key sectors of the economy will be affected, and for the tourism and leisure industries the return to pre-crisis levels could take a couple of years.

Oil inventories in developed nations remain 163 million barrels above their five-year average, Barkindo added. Despite the markets rebound, crude prices are far below the levels most OPEC members need to cover government spending.

While the IEA anticipates no fresh surplus, it warned that the existing inventory overhang will linger to the end of the year if OPEC+ opens the taps.

Bob McNally, president of consultant Rapidan Energy Group and a former White House official, initially said to Bloomberg Television that the meeting was a very close call. He later changed that position, predicting OPEC+ would decide not to increase output in February.

Wales could put forward positive credentials as the worlds most sustainable place to produce red meat as climate change is set to dominate 2021, according to an industry figure.

In his New Years Day message, Hybu Cig Cymru  Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) chairman Kevin Roberts painted an up-beat picture of the long-term future of Welsh red meat.

Mr Robertss reminded the food and farming industry that Welsh beef and lamb were strong brands that consumers could trust in uncertain times.

He pointed out that UK retail sales of lamb and beef had risen in 2020 as consumers supported domestic farmers, that European importers had stuck with Welsh meat through the worst of Brexit uncertainty, and that long-term work to develop new markets was paying off.

He also said that 2021 would bring a renewed focus on the environment, and that Wales could emphasise it was the worlds most sustainable place to produce red meat.

Mr Roberts said: This year will see the world gather in Glasgow for the COP26 climate summit. Inevitably, people will be discussing how we can feed a growing global population without damaging our environment.

"As weve shown in our pioneering The Welsh Way document lamb and beef produced in Wales  using low-intensity farming and natural grass and rainwater  has a much lower carbon footprint than meat produced in many other global regions.

"We can be part of the answer to climate change and food security."

He added that consumers were looking to choose foods they trusted; which were traceable to the farm, produced with the highest standards of welfare, and which were not expensive.

This is what red meat from Wales can offer. Thats why we saw increasing domestic retail sales last year despite the turbulence caused by Covid," he said.

"Thats why our loyal European customers stuck with us, and why markets such as the Middle East are growing quickly."

The Welsh red meat industry saw 50% year-on-year growth in lamb exports to Qatar in the first 10 months of 2020, and over 500% growth in sales to the UAE and Kuwait, with several new retailers coming on board.

But there are still uncertainties  not least the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Roberts explained.

"But now that the uncertainty of Brexit is largely behind us, we are well placed to deliver the targets set out in our Vision2025 document of a red meat sector which will lead the growth of Waless food and drink industry.
US: 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine found in watermelons

Tesla owners will be paid $ 16,000 each due to slow charging

Advisor to Armenia Prosecutor General provides details about incident with Armenian soldier killed in Verin Shorzha

Banksy's painting of punk Lenin sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 960,000

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US Congress members call on Biden to suspend all military assistance to Azerbaijan

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Indias leading Science-based Ayurveda Company Dabur India Ltd today announced the its entry into the Mouthwash category with the launch of Dabur Red Pulling Oil, an Ayurvedic mouthwash, creating a whole new category in the Oral Care market. The launch of this Ayurvedic Detox for Teeth and Gums marks another first for Dabur and for the Ayurvedic products industry in India, raising the standard of everyday Oral Care with an industry-first innovation under its flagship Ayurvedic Toothpaste Brand, Dabur Red brand, the #1 Ayurvedic Toothpaste in India.

Announcing the launch, Dabur India Ltd Marketing Head-Oral Care Mr. Harkawal Singh said: Dabur Red Pulling Oil is an Ayurvedic Mouthwash which contains Natural Oils and Herbs with no alcohol. The product is based on a process defined in Ayurvedic scriptures and introduces to the world the Kavala-Gandusha Therapy, an oil-based Oral Detox regimen. It contains Coconut Oil, which prevents gingivitis and plaque; Sesame Oil, which strengthens teeth and gums; Tulsi to prevent bad breath; Clove, which helps in reducing toothache; Cinnamon Oil that gives relief to sore throat; and Thyme Mint for preventing tooth decay. Besides its Oral Care benefits, the therapy is also known to provide relief from health problems with improved health of sinuses, improved hormonal balance and detoxification. Dabur Red Pulling Oil helps strengthen teeth and gums, and kills 99.9 % germs, thus, providing complete Oral Care.

Backed by our 136-year heritage and knowledge of Ayurveda, Dabur has launched this breakthrough innovation for improvement to their overall Oral health. Developed after extensive research, it is a known daily therapy for both oral and overall wellness of teeth and gums. Dabur Red Pulling Oil is made with pure and natural ingredients and is a complete solution for all dental problems, Mr Singh added.

Priced at Rs. 275 for a 195 ml pack, Dabur Red Pulling Oil is initially available across all leading e-commerce platforms and will soon be rolled out through regular retail channels too.
Colombo:

Teams from the Indian Navy have joined rescue efforts of Sri Lankan authorities in flood-hit regions as the death toll in the country's worst torrential rains since 2003 climbed on Tuesday to 193.



The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said the adverse weather condition had left 112 people injured.



Nearly 600,000 people have been forced to abandon their houses, with thousands suffering structural damage from flood inundation and landslides, it said.

The weather has begun to clear, and many of the more than 100,000 people, evacuated over the weekend, had returned home to clear debris and mud from their waterlogged homes.

Read | Sri Lanka floods: Death toll rises to 146, 112 still missing; rescue operations on

More than 80,000 others remained in relief camps as their homes were either destroyed or wiped out.

The Indian contingent of more than 300 navy personnel was assisting in the relief, with divers searching the brackish waters and medical teams seeing patients in makeshift tents set up at shelters.

INS 'Shardul' has nearly 200 personnel on board, including specialised rescue, diving and medical teams, as well as a large amount of relief material and Gemini inflatable boats.

INS 'Kirch' was carrying 125 personnel. It had diving teams, relief supplies, inflatable gemini boats and a mobile medical teams.

A third Indian naval ship arrived on Tuesday, bringing relief supplies including rice, lentils, sugar, milk and blankets for the displaced.

"Secy to President of SL and SL Navy chief receiving symbolically the relief material on board the 3rd relief and rescue ship INS Jalashwa," the High Commission of India in Colombo tweeted.

Lankan army trucks transported drinking water and food to affected areas. Helicopters ferried medicine, relief supplies and inflatable boats to remote areas, while small vessels plied the floodwaters in search of people.

Lankan cabinet spokesperson Rajitha Senaratne said foreign assistance is continuing to flow in with India, China and Pakistan among the countries sending ship loads of humanitarian aid.

Read | Sri Lanka witnesses worst rainfall since 1970, heavy floods and landslides kill around 90 people in country

The rebuilding effort was well underway with the government approving Rs 2.5 million for every damaged house. Over 900 hosues in 15 districts have been completely destroyed, the spokesman said.

The disaster is described as one of the worst-ever calamities since the 2003 floods. The official death toll was at 193, with 94 others listed as missing, the Colombo Gazette reported.

The MeT department in its weather forecast said the cyclonic storm MORA is expected to get weakened when it enters Bangladesh and the possibility for heavy rain and strong winds will be reduced by Wednesday.

However, under its influence cloudy skies, windy and showery conditions are expected over the country. The MeT department warned that the sea area off the coast extending from Puttalam to Trincomalee via Kankasanthurai and sea area off the coast extending from Galle to Batticaloa via Hambantota can be very rough at times as the wind speed can increase up to 70-80 kmph.

There were scattered showers in many parts of Sri Lanka in the past 24 hours but flood waters were rapidly receding, officials said. State television broadcast called for public assistance to clean drinking wells contaminated by the monsoon floods.

Lanka's water supply minister Rauf Hakeem said 40 per cent of those affected did not have access to piped drinking water, and there was an urgent need to clean contaminated wells in flood-affected areas.

"Our workers have volunteered to join a major clean up," the minister said, adding that water distribution stations were flooded, disrupting the piped supply.

In total, 545,243 people of 142,811 families were affected by the weather calamity. The South-West monsoon unleashed torrential rains, which ravaged fourteen districts in the western and southern parts on Friday and Thursday.

The DMC had issued an urgent evacuation warning last evening instructing residents living along the Kelani river and within the Divisional Secretariats of Kollonnawa, Kaduwela, Wellampitiya, Kelaniya, Biyagama, Sedawatte, Dompe, Hanwella, Padukka and Avissawella to move to safer areas.

It said water levels in the Kelani river were rising rapidly as indicted by the water gauges at Nagalagam Street, Hanwella and Glencourse and warned residents to move away from the vulnerable area as it was under an imminent flood threat. Those living along the banks of Nilwala Ganga, The Gin Ganga and Kalu Ganga were also asked to move to safer areas because of the rising water levels.

Meanwhile, the DMC requested the people to be vigilant on rising water levels. "Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Central and North-western provinces. Heavy falls (about 150 mm) can be expected at some places," it said.

Charities have warned on Monday that thousands of people affected by the floods and landslides are at the risk of potential fatal diseases such as dengue fever, as the death toll from the disaster continued to rise.

On Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's orders, Rs two billion have been set aside to help the small and medium scale businesses destroyed by the floods, Senaratne said. Senaratne has rejected criticism that the goverment was not prepared to face the disaster.

The government came under immense criticism over the absence of Minister of Disaster Management Anura Yapa who has not returned from a disaster management conference in Mexico.

Wickremesinghe left the country yesterday for medical treatment after postponing the visit over the last 18 months, Senaratne said. Sri Lanka had sought international assistance, with India sending three naval ships laden with supplies in the last a couple of days.

Following India's lead in sending out emergency relief to Sri Lanka, more countries started pledging assistance to provide relief to the flood victims. Australia has said it would provide 500,000 dollars. A Pakistani relief ship was also expected to arrive later today. At least three Chinese ships will come on Thursday.

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New Delhi: Amazon Prime Video on Monday released a gripping trailer of the political drama Tandav, after dropping a power-packed teaser of the film. The stunning trailer, starring Saif Ali Khan, makes viewers look forward to the release of the series.

Produced by Himanshu Kishan Mehra and Ali Abbas Zafar, Tandav is created and directed by Zafar making it his digital directorial debut.

The trailer of the show takes viewers behind the closed, chaotic corridors of power and politics of India.

The trailer begins with the demise of Saif Ali Khans father in the show who is serving as the Prime Minister of India and is not willing to retire anytime soon.

Following his father's demise, Khans character Samar feels that he would inherit the throne as his party had won the Lok Sabha elections.

Set in the capital of the world's largest democracy, the trailer then travels the gripping twists with several characters fighting each other to come into power. With the involvement of issues like student politics and the tussle for power between members of the same political party, the series showcases the extent to which people will go in the pursuit of power.

The nine-episode engrossing political drama is written by Gaurav Solanki and features a stellar ensemble cast including Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Dino Morea, Kumud Mishra, Gauahar Khan, Amyra Dastur, Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub, and Kritika Kamra, among others.

The show that sees Khan in the role of a charismatic political leader will release on Amazon Prime Video on January 15.
Droves of Hanoi residents returning from their three-day New Year holiday caused heavy congestion on entrance roads leading to the capital city on Sunday.

On Sunday afternoon, entrances to downtown Hanoi all experienced jams, with vehicles stuck in slow-moving flows caused by the overwhelming influx of inbound traffic after the holiday, according to the observation of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters.

An eight-kilometer delay was seen starting from the Ring Road 3 intersection to the Ngu Hiep District segment of Phap Van  Cau Gie Expressway at around 4:00 pm on Sunday.

Congested traffic is seen on the Phap Van frontage road, January 3, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

Meanwhile, the intersection between the Phap Van  Cau Gie Expressway and the Phap Van frontage road saw chaotic traffic due to the large volume of vehicles trying to depart the highway.

Traffic police were promptly mobilized to direct traffic and handle congestion at the intersection.

In a discussion with Tuoi Tre, Dinh Van Son, a traffic police officer on duty at the Phap Van - Cau Gie Expressway, pointed out that the profuse volume of traffic from all surrounding provinces to Hanoi caused a bottleneck situation on entrance expressways.

Also on Phap Van  Cau Gie Expressway, many inter-provincial buses were seen stopping on the side of the road to drop off passengers, many of whom jumped the fences and walked toward the frontage road to catch a xe om, or motorbike taxi, home.

Our unit has mobilized 100 percent of its manpower from the early afternoon, directing and guiding vehicles to help commuters get through easier, Son said.

A traffic police officer is seen orchestrating traffic on a road in Hanoi, January 3, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

The situation was similar on Vo Chi Cong Street, which connects Nhat Tan Street to central Hanoi.

As streams of traffic flowed in from outside of Hanoi, the line of delay stretched kilometers, causing vehicles to slowly creep through.

Despite all five lanes operating, motorbikes on Vo Chi Cong Street were still stuck in the lanes mixed with cars.

In the meantime, traffic heading toward Hanoi on Thang Long Highway also struggled to crawl through congestion.

Scores of residents heading back from surrounding provinces crammed Giap Bat and Nuoc Ngam Bus Stations, as well as nearby Giai Phong Street and Ngoc Hoi Street.

After disembarking the buses, passengers at the front gate of Giap Bat Bus Station were seen spilling onto Giai Phong Street, trying to book a ride home, which exacerbated the traffic.

A bus passenger is seen dropped off on the side of an expressway in Hanoi, January 3, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

Congested traffic is seen on an entrance road leading to Hanoi, January 3, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

The entrance of Giap Bat Bus Station is crammed with passengers, January 3, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

Congested traffic is seen on Giai Phong Street of Hanoi, January 3, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

Busy traffic is shown on Vo Chi Cong Street of Hanoi, January 3, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

Congested traffic is pictured on Thang Long Highway of Hanoi, January 3, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

Fresh produce is loaded on a motorbike heading to Hanoi after the New Year holiday weekend, January 3, 2021. Photo: Pham Tuan / Tuoi Tre

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Massive federal spending packages that included COVID-19 relief also appropriated more money for programs that have repeatedly benefitted Northeast Pennsylvania, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright said.

The programs include money meant to help pay for things like managing storm runoff, sprucing up mine-scarred land and expanding access to broadband internet service.

Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti said the new appropriations could help the city.

Funds for stormwater management, increased broadband, housing and VA medical care jump out as urgent needs here in Scranton, Cognetti said.

Cartwright, who expects to take over chairmanship of a House Appropriations Committee subcommittee next month, said the new money should help produce or keep local jobs. He expects his staff to get more aggressive about finding grants for local entities .

When Im in that position, it only makes sense for me to make doubly sure that our local agencies, and our municipalities and our police and fire companies, are applying for these grants. So 2021 will be a year when our economic development specialists, our grant assistance, will be moving into overdrive, Cartwright said.

The Democrat, of Moosic, who represents the 8th Congressional District, highlighted the programs, which include:

$87.5 million, $2.5 million more than fiscal year 2020, for a grant program that pays for projects that control rainwater. Using money from an earlier appropriation, Cartwright said his staff worked with the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority to apply for grants to modernize stormwater pipes and other infrastructure, which could lower stormwater fees on homeowners.

Scranton could apply for money from the program for its stormwater control projects, Cartwright said. The city faces multiple lawsuits over storm-damaged underground conduits that collapsed behind homes in the 1700 block of Wyoming Avenue.

$33.5 million, a $3.5 million increase, for a program that aids coal mining communities. Last December, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance obtained a $70,000 grant to develop a comprehensive economic development strategy for Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Wayne, Carbon and Schuylkill counties.

$180 million, a $5 million increase, for the Appalachian Regional Commission. Of that, $55 million is designated for the Power Plus Plan, which helps former coal-mining communities.

From previous appropriations, the commission awarded $1.5 million to the state prison at Waymart to develop a substance abuse treatment center for inmates; $148,750 to the Wayne (County) Economic Development Corp. for routers meant to bring broadband internet to 15 businesses and 100 households; and $97,546 to the Earth Conservancy in Luzerne County to train at least 20 unemployed or underemployed or residents in environmental jobs.

$60 million, a $10 million increase, for infrastructure in communities with national defense plants such as Tobyhanna Army Depot. Cartwright said Tobyhanna officials lobbied him for the increase. The bill also ensures about 2,000 hourly workers at Tobyhanna get at least a 1% pay raise this year.

$115 million, the same as before, for abandoned mine land reclamation. Cartwright said some former local mine sites may become the site of solar panel farms.

An extension of funding for community health centers. This includes money to train medical staff. In June, Cartwright announced $6,054,730 in federal funding from this program to help the Wright Center in Scranton train staff.
NEW DELHI: Provision for technology and innovation , more allocation for building infrastructure along Indias borders with China, an increase in budgetary support for the Indian navy and a 10,000 crore rupee hike for acquisition were among the priorities listed by experts who took part in a panel discussion on Monday in an hour-long discussion on Countering the China challenge: From the borders to Cyberspace."

The discussion was part of Mints Road to Recovery" series in the run-up to the Union Budget in February 2021 and included PS Raghavan, former Indian ambassador to Russia, G Mohan Kumar, former defence secretary, Laxman Behera, associate professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Rajeshwari Rajagopalan who deals with nuclear and space issues at the Observer Research Foundation think tank and Lt Gen (retired) S.L. Narasimhan.

Ahead of the 1 February budget, expectations are that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will announce a hike in spending for defence given the tensions but with a substantial chunk of the allocations being earmarked for salaries and pensions, the concern has been about the dwindling resources left for modernization and new acquisitions of military hardware  against the background of an Indian economy in recession.

While the panelists were not in accord on how much money should be allocated for defence  a parliamentary standing committee in 2018 had suggested that the defence budget should be 3% of GDP  all agreed that China was a major strategic threat that India needed to be prepared for.

Todays wars are not only fought on land, sea and air. They are fought with technology. So you have cyber, space, you have electronics, you have information (warfare). Many of these may not come directly in the defence budget. Let us see what we require for our national security and then see how we find the finances for it," said Raghavan, who was till recently the chairman of the National Security Advisory Board.

Our defence (budget) has a mix of revenue and capital expenditureWe need to see how we can increase the spend on hardcore defence," Raghavan said.

The backdrop to the debate is the ongoing military faceoff between India and China in Ladakh which this week enters its ninth month. In the past, India has tended to focus more on the threat of terrorism emanating from Pakistan -- a point alluded to by former defence secretary Mohan Kumar -- while expecting that a series of agreements signed with China between 1993 to 2013 would keep the border stable while two countries discuss the demarcation of the frontier.

But the situation has changed. China has become hegemonistic we cannot expect China to behave in a predictable fashion. Countering China is a big challenge for India because if you look at the expenditure that China incurs China incurs something like $270 billion dollars every year for its defence, whereas Indias total defence expenditure is $ 71 billion dollars. We have a peculiar task of being ready for any threat on both the borders," he said adding that Indias revenue budget  ie salaries and pensions  has been climbing steeply while money available for capital expenditure or modernization has been declining. if revenue expenditure erodes capital expenditure, we will not be able to go forward in capability building," he warned arguing for an increase in defence allocation equivalent to 3% of Indias GDP.

Rajagopalan from ORF said that the Indian defence budget had been disappointing year after year"  a reference to what other analysts have pointed to -- Indias defence budget as a proportion of central government expenditure and GDP decreasing over the past decade. In 2010-11, defence expenditure was 2.5% of GDP and 16.3% of central government expenditure, which has decreased to 2.1% of GDP and 15.5% of government expenditure in 2020-21. The Standing Committee on Defence (2018) had recommended that the Ministry of Defence should be allocated a fixed budget of about 3% of GDP to ensure adequate preparedness of the armed forces.

Lt General Narasimhan agreed that while Indias defence forces needed more money and modern equipment, we also need to anticipate the kind of incidents that happened during this summer." The reference was to the many incidents of incursions culminating in the violent flare-up at Galwan valley in which 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops were killed. This was a surprise," he said adding that India did not expect China to backtrack from all the agreements that were signed between 1993 and 2013.

China on its part has been steadily increasing its defence spends with conservative Chinese government estimates suggesting $ 178 billion budget last year while international think tanks estimate it at least $ 250 billion. Beijing had made substantial investments in artificial intelligence, drone technologies as well as cyber and space technologies.

To counter China, Mohan Kumar suggested that India look at establishing technology missions that would look at specific areas  from artificial intelligence to space and cyber security. Indian businesses should be encouraged to partner with the government to develop niche technologies and capabilities, he added.

India has already opened the doors for private sector participation in defence manufacturing including production of hardware with a number of incentives. The premier Defence Research and Development Organisation too has started the process of sharing technologies developed by it with the private sector for commercial production of weapon systems.

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First doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus jab are to be given as the UK accelerates its vaccine programme to tackle a surge in cases.



More than half a million doses of the vaccine are ready for use on Monday.



The health secretary described it as a "pivotal moment" in the UK's fight against the virus, as vaccines will help curb infections and ultimately allow restrictions to be lifted.



But the PM has warned tougher virus rules may be needed in the short-term.



Boris Johnson said regional restrictions in England are "probably about to get tougher" as the UK struggles to control a new, fast-spreading variant of the virus.



On Sunday more than 50,000 new confirmed Covid cases were recorded in the UK for the sixth day running, prompting Labour to call for a third national lockdown in England.



Northern Ireland and Wales currently have their own lockdowns in place, while Scottish cabinet ministers will meet later to consider further measures.



Six hospital trusts - in Oxford, London, Sussex, Lancashire and Warwickshire - will begin administering the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab on Monday, with 530,000 doses ready for use.



Most other available doses will be sent to hundreds of GP-led services and care homes across the UK later in the week, according to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).



'End in sight'



Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "This is a pivotal moment in our fight against this awful virus and I hope it provides renewed hope to everybody that the end of this pandemic is in sight."



But he urged people to continue to follow social distancing guidance and coronavirus rules to "keep cases down and protect our loved ones".



As the recent rise in Covid cases puts increased pressure on the NHS, the UK has accelerated its vaccination rollout by planning to give both doses of the vaccine 12 weeks apart, having initially planned to leave 21 days between jabs.



The UK's chief medical officers have defended the delay to second doses, saying getting more people vaccinated with the first jab "is much more preferable".

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Republicans have condemned a Democrat plan to eradicate gender-specific pronouns such as he and she from the rules of the US House of Representatives.

Nancy Pelosi, the Democrat Speaker of the House, announced the proposal as a bold and future-focused move, and said it would make the lower chamber of Congress the most inclusive in history for transgender and non-binary people.

The move would do away with any gender-specific references, such as man, woman, husband or wife in the 45-page text of the rules that will govern the House during the 117th Congress, which convened yesterday.

Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader in the House, wrote on Twitter: This is stupid. Signed  A father, son, and brother.

Kelly Loeffler, the Republican senator standing for re-election in Georgia tomorrow, added: The far-lefts priorities, everyone. If youd like to still be able to call yourself a father, daughter, mother or son, vote for me on Tuesday. Sincerely, A Proud Daughter.

Democrats said the aim was to ensure we are inclusive of all members and their families  including those who are non-binary.

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References to father and mother would be replaced by parent, while son and daughter would become child. Mentions of brother and sister would become sibling.

Other changes would include altering submit his or her resignation to resigns, chairman becoming chair, and seaman being changed to seafarer. The proposal was put forward by the Democrat-led House rules committee and backed by Ms Pelosi.

The committee said it aimed to honour all gender identities by changing pronouns and familial relationships in the house rules to be gender-neutral.

Ms Pelosi said it was a visionary rules package reflecting the views and values of our historically diverse house Democratic majority. She added: These proposals reflect our priorities as a caucus and as a country.

The rules will be voted on in the first few days of the new Congress where Democrats will hold a slim majority.

Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican congresswoman, added: Heres a gender-neutral word to describe this legislation: ridiculous.

Another recently elected Republican congresswoman wrote on Twitter: Blatant denial of truth and attack on families!

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money.

Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.
Real estate portal Housing.com has announced the launch of Housing Edge, a full-stack rental and allied services platform offering multiple digital services such as online rent payment, online rental agreements, tenant verification, relocation, furniture rental, home interiors and home services for tenants and landlords.

While most Housing Edge services are available in Delhi, Bengaluru, Gurugram, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune, plans are underway to offer these services in several other cities, the company said.

The company had decided to start the online rent agreement feature on Housing Edge in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that imposed tough restrictions on movement. Services have so far been rendered in over 80 cities across 14 states, which is an unprecedented reach for any online rent agreement service, made possible only because it is fully digital.

Nearly 2,000 users have already made use of the online rent agreement facility. The company plans to launch these services in more states.

The Pay Rent feature on Housing Edge, which was launched simultaneously for all platforms including Android, IOS and web, has facilitated more than 2,00,000 transactions in the past seven months and has processed pay rent requests exceeding Rs 600 crore, it said.

Packages meant for landlords and property seekers, have been well-received in both Tier-I and Tier-II cities.

Under the companys offerings for tenants, over 1,000 users have already availed of the services in the test phase that was launched in Bengaluru, wherein consumers have enjoyed the pocket-friendly packages that give access to exclusive properties listed directly by owners and helps customers to manage the transaction themselves and help save on brokerage.

In an attempt to further widen the scope of its services, Housing.com has tied up with brands such as Urban Company, RentoMojo, Livspace, HappyLocate and AuthBridge to provide renters assisted services on Housing Edge at attractive rates.

The Housing Edge platform brings exceptional technology-driven innovations that our brand is well-known for providing. We have already changed the way property transactions take place in India, by way of acting as a one-stop solution for a buyer, said Dhruv Agarwala, Group CEO, Housing.com, Makaan.com & PropTiger.com.

Rental housing has already emerged as a big opportunity in a developing economy like India, where the pace of urbanisation is accelerating. Even though property ownership will continue to be the preferred choice for people in India, rental housing will allow them to have the option of securing a short-term home of their choice, with convenience and affordability as they move to new cities. Through Housing Edge, we have attempted to make the end-to-end process of renting and moving into a home simple and hassle free, he said.

Our vision is to provide innovative products and services that would have a strong market impact and help develop the overall eco-system. In pursuit of that objective, we have launched simplified packages to provide professional assistance to both homeowners and home seekers. These strategic partnerships will truly help Housing Edge become a one-stop-shop for tenants and landlords in India, said Mani Rangarajan, Group COO, Housing.com
LISBON  A state trooper was injured in an accident Sunday after the suspect in an earlier car accident struck his police cruiser, officials say.

State Police say a preliminary report shows Troopers stationed at Troop E in Montville were dispatched to the area of Kinsman Hill Road just after noon on Sunday for a reported motor vehicle accident. Prior to their arrival, they said, it was learned that a red Chevy Cruz fled the scene of the accident.
(Mondays in Midland will appear in the Midland Daily News on the first and third Mondays of each month. This column will feature a brief portrait of people going about their daily lives. Whether they are front and center or behind the scenes, they make our day just by being where they are.)

Sara Lawrence of Sanford is a 2020 graduate of Calvary Baptist Academy. She enlisted in the U. S. Army National Guard last May.

A freshman at Cedarville University in Ohio, she is studying psychology.

I am thinking about being a therapist or working in a rehab facility that focuses on addictions, she said.

Lawrence leaves for basic training in May.

Im really excited about serving in the National Guard, she said. I have a few friends in the Air Force and the Navy. We all have some kind of passion for the military... When I was a freshman, I had no idea what I wanted to do, since there are so many options. One of my high school friends reached out and told me about this option  that I could join the Army.

After some research on her own, and talking with a recruiter, Lawrence settled on the Army National Guard.

Her grandfather, Frederick Bridges of Sterling Heights, also served in the U.S. military, which played a role in her decision as well.

When my grandpa was my age he was in the Air Force, she said. He loved it.

Lawrence takes part in Recruit Sustainment Program drills once a month. Her occupation in the Army National Guard, after basic training, will be motor transport operator.

During her free time, she enjoys painting and drawing, as well as running and riding her bike.

I also recently got into embroidery, Lawrence said. My mom, who is into arts and crafts, introduced me to that.

She has one sister, Faith Howell of Sanford, and four brothers: Adam Lawrence of Wyoming; Noah Lawrence of Midland; Tanner Howell of Warren and Matthew Lawrence, who lives with his wife, Lauren, in Port Huron.
Kishore Biyani

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Amazon wants Future Group to languish, founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kishore Biyani said. The comment comes while the two companies are locked in a legal battle over Futures deal with Reliance Industries (RIL).

Even after reaching out to Amazon eight times, the e-commerce giant did not provide any help, Biyani told The Economic Times.

"As part of the agreement, they could have provided us funds through affiliates or financial institutions by taking over loans from existing lenders but they never did despite the agreement clause and our request," Biyani told the paper.

In August 2020, Future Group agreed to sell its retail, wholesale, logistics and warehouse businesses to Reliance Retail Retail Ventures (RRVL) for nearly Rs 25,000 crore.

"The Reliance deal was a saviour for us and the employees, stakeholders, shareholders and creditors," he said.

Amazon has a small stake in Future Retail, after it acquired a 49 percent stake in Future Coupons in 2019.

Also read: Delhi HC says FRL-Reliance deal in accordance with laws, but can't stop Amazon from writing to regulators

"We also connected them with four-five investors but they never showed any interest in salvaging us and were only doing lip-service," Biyani told The Economic Times. "What is their intention? They want all employees, suppliers, vendors and lenders to suffer and the company to languish."

In a 12-page letter by Biyani to Amazon's global office, he denies the latter's claims that he breached contractual obligations, the report said. The letter dated December 31, 2020 was written by Biyani on behalf of promoter-led companies

"We had briefed Amazon about the Reliance transaction multiple times and they always supported and were never averse to the same," Biyani said.

The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) has ordered a stay on the Future-Reliance deal, after a plea by Amazon.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the transaction between Future Group and RIL.

Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd.
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A Nigerian born British, Moyosore Olowo, is suing a Turkish company for 1 million (N521m) over the death of his wife following liposuction treatment.

Liposuction is a surgical procedure that uses a suction technique to remove fat from specific areas of the body, such as the abdomen, hips, thighs, buttocks, arms or neck.

Abimbola Ajoke Bamgbose, a 38-year-old social worker, died in August after buying an overseas package deal with Mono Cosmetic Surgery.

Her husband, Olowo, is blaming the firm and the surgeon responsible, Dr Hakan Aydogan.

He wants 1 million for alleged medical negligence.

Proceedings have been issued in the Turkish courts.

The deceased had travelled to Turkey for the treatment at Mono Cosmetic Surgery Clinic in Izmir, a city on the country's Aegean coast.

Although she had initially hoped to have surgery in the UK, she looked abroad after finding it was too expensive, Mr Olowo said.

Having compared options, she eventually settled on spending 5,000 in Turkey, with Mono also providing airport transfers and accommodation.

Mr Olowo said Ms Bamgbose began experiencing severe abdominal pain after receiving the treatment.

Four days later, he said, she was seen by another specialist at the hospital and had a second surgery.

At this point, Mr Olowo, who said his wife was his best friend, flew to Turkey, where he was told by medical staff at the hospital an error in the initial procedure had led to complications.

After returning home to take care of his family, Mr Olowo then received a WhatsApp call from the surgeon, where he was told his wife had died. The couple, originally from Nigeria, had been together for 15 years.

In the post-mortem examination, the North West Kent Coroner Service found Ms Bamgbose died from peritonitis and multi-organ failure following a complication of the liposuction surgery.

Mr Olowo said his beautiful wife had suffered from low self-esteem after giving birth to her three children, Morayo, 13, Eyitayo, 10 and Titilayomi, seven.

Mr Olowo has not been able to return to work as a Network Rail contractor since she died because of childcare commitments.

He said he would advise anyone thinking of having surgery in Turkey to not go.

I am not going to label all medical practitioners in Turkey as below par, but there is the language barrier, he said.

He said he fears communication issues may have contributed to signs of her complications being missed. (Credit: The Nation)
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  In the face of unprecedented financial circumstances, New Mexico credit unions have found ways to expand and capitalize on the states need for financial support, local industry leaders said.

Despite the hurdles of helping members navigate rent assistance or secure emergency funding through the Paycheck Protection Program, New Mexico Credit Union Association President Paul Stull said there has been substantial growth and activity for credit unions.

Its been a crazy year, but its been a year that plans have been able to go forward, because new locations have opened up, Stull said. Its also an opportunity to put new resources into play  and it certainly is an opportunity to kind of meet the needs of a growing demand across the state.

ADVERTISEMENTSkip



................................................................

Stull said the permanent closure of some national bank branches have allowed smaller credit unions an unanticipated opportunity to expand.

There have been opportunities this year that were not available in the past, he said.  Some banks have shuttered their offices and thats freed up some space for credit unions to purchase and assume bank branches.

Stull said credit unions also are using this year to increase financial services like financial counseling in preparation for future needs and their now-larger membership base.

As we emerge from the pandemic, I mean obviously its needed now, but people are going to need a lot of help navigating their finances, he said.

Sandia Laboratory Federal

Sandia Laboratory Federal Credit Union is one of the many local credit unions that has been able to capitalize on the pandemic through expansion and mergers.

Robert Chavez, Sandia Laboratory Federal Credit Union CEO, said the credit union recently signed a deal to move into the former Wells Fargo branch at 7412 Jefferson NE.

The 55,000-square-foot location should be open by mid-year.

Chavez said while most branches have financial counselors, this location will differ by having many services all at one centrally located branch.

Were kind of designing it around what we refer to as a member mall concept where its kind of a one-stop-shop where a member can go, he said.

Sandia Laboratory Federal Credit Union will also be opening up a smaller 3,500-square-foot branch on Rio Grande north of Interstate 40 by this fall.

The credit union will also be picking up several Farmington branches thanks to an expected merger with Animas Credit Union.

While the merger has yet to be finalized, Chavez expects the deal to be completed next year.

We certainly have the breadth and depth to be able to support the Farmington community with business lending efforts, he said.

First Financial

First Financial Credit Union too is entering 2021 with a focus on branch expansion and bringing enhanced financial services to its members.

The credit union will begin the year with opening of its new headquarters location off Renaissance and Union Way, and company president Ron Moorehead said he is looking at bringing banking services to underserved portions of the state.

One of the reasons were doing this new corporate office is, aside from busting at the seams at the existing corporate headquarters, we wanted to put together a kind of new area where we could test out new technologies, he said.

Moorehead said the credit union is looking to establish a mobile bank branch that can travel to rural areas and provide financial advice and services.

There will also be a focus on technology as the next year progresses with plans to continue and institute technologies like self-service interactive teller machines, video services and guidance from financial counselors via the internet or telephone.

Moorehead said there are parts of New Mexico where banks and credit unions are kind of scarce.

What you have left are payday lenders, predatory lenders, predatory financial institutions, he said. And theyre the only ones left because the larger banks have left, and were not there yet so thats kind of where we want to be.

Los Alamos Schools

Even smaller financial institutions like the Los Alamos Schools Credit Union will see growth this upcoming year.

After close to 60 years operating inside of Los Alamos schools facilities, the Los Alamos Schools Credit Union will be moving its headquarters into its first free-standing building around May, according to CEO Matt Schmidt.

The new headquarters comes at a time when the credit union has seen substantial growth.

Just during this year when I was expecting to have a lot of our members hesitating and maybe not being able to borrow or being hesitant to borrow  weve seen  double digit growth in our deposits and our loans, Schmidt said.

Schmidt says he is looking forward to the credit union becoming more visible and expanding the membership.

Were just really excited to be more visible and to let the community see what cooperatives are all about, he said.

U.S. Eagle

U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union is also expanding with its 10th branch location opening at the beginning of next year, according to a spokeswoman.

Construction on the newest branch, at 1955 Juan Tabo NE, began in June. The branch will open in mid-January, public relations manager Nadine Buerger said in an email.

Its a 3,500-square-foot full-service branch and will (include) drive-thru lanes, as well as a user bar with devices to introduce members to online services such as their mobile app and online banking, Buerger said.

This branch design will be replicated in future U.S. Eagle Branches, she said.

The bank will also be relocating its branch at 201 Third NW to a new location that has yet to be announced by the middle of the year.

Buerger said the Third Street location has been closed since March due to the pandemic.

Chase Bank

Albuquerque is also adding a new name to its traditional bank roster next year with the opening of its first two Chase Bank branches.

Albuquerque is an incredibly important market to us as we look to grow our branches, said spokeswoman Maura Cordova. Our commercial bank has been serving the New Mexico region for 12 years now and in Albuquerque, we already have over 140,000 consumer customers and 6,200 business banking customers.

The first branch at 340 Eubank NE is planned to open by mid-year 2021 with a second branch at 6670 Indian School NE opening in the second half of next year, Cordova said.

Our footprint will include a mix of full services branches and enhanced ATMs in and outside of the branch that can perform close to 70% of routine transactions, she said.

Cordova said each branch will employ eight to 10 people.
After IPRA completed its investigation, city officials said, the Burg case was forwarded to the Police Department for review, which is routine in disciplinary cases against officers. In early 2015, the police had concerns about the case and sent it back to IPRA for an additional investigation, according to the officials, who did not detail those issues.
A staff member dressed as a smiling, red-nosed Christmas tree strolled through the emergency department at a San Jose hospital on Christmas Day, hoping to provide holiday cheer.

Days later, a coronavirus outbreak swept through the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center, eventually infecting 43 employees and killing one.

Hospital officials now say the "air-powered" Christmas costume is likely to blame for the 44 positive tests, all recorded between Dec. 27 and Friday. Experts said the fan inside the costume could have blown coronavirus-laden droplets throughout the department.

"Obviously this is a highly unusual situation involving a well-intentioned staff member acting on their own without advance notice or approval," said Irene Chavez, the hospital's senior vice president and area manager, in a statement to The Washington Post. "Any exposure, if it occurred, would have been completely innocent, and quite accidental, as the individual had no covid symptoms."

Late on Sunday, the hospital announced that a registration clerk in the emergency department had died of covid-19, NBC Bay Area reported. The woman was among the staffers who worked in the emergency department on Christmas Day and later tested positive. Employees told the station that they were devastated by the loss and described her as an "absolutely wonderful woman."

The outbreak comes as covid cases in California surge and hospitals struggle to keep up. This past week, hospitalizations in the state rose 7 percent, according to The Post's covid tracker. The state also confirmed last week that a Southern California patient had the second confirmed infection in the U.S. of what scientists believe to be a more contagious coronavirus variant first identified in Britain.

Santa Clara County, where Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center is located, has had more than 73,600 cases and 747 deaths. According to the county's coronavirus dashboard, almost 700 people are currently hospitalized and about 160 are in the intensive care unit. The non-ICU beds are at 100 percent capacity and ICU beds are 91 percent full.

The outbreak at the San Jose hospital was likely fueled by a battery-powered fan, which blew air through the holiday-themed costume to keep its shape. Because the virus primarily spreads through airborne transmission and respiratory droplets, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the fan could have circulated the virus as the staffer made their way through the emergency department.

Even if the costume isn't to blame, experts told the San Francisco Chronicle that the outbreak had to have been spread through the air given the number of people infected.

The hospital is still investigating the outbreak and using contact tracing to inform employees and patients who may have been exposed, Chavez said. Additionally, all emergency medical staff are being tested and the department is undergoing a deep clean. Those who tested positive were told to stay home and quarantine, Chavez said.

"We will ensure that every affected staff member receives the care and support they need," Chavez said. "The health and safety of our patients, employees, and physicians is our highest priority."

Chavez added that air-powered costumes are no longer allowed in Kaiser Permanente facilities. The incident has caused the hospital to "reinforce" safety protocols among staff, the hospital's vice president said, "including physical distancing and no gathering in break rooms, no sharing of food or beverages, and masks at all times."

Despite nearly 40,000 Kaiser Permanente health-care workers in Northern California having already received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, according to Chavez, the outbreak in San Jose was a reminder that it takes time to build immunity.

"Given the prevalence of covid-19 in the community we are all still vulnerable and it remains critical for everyone to continue using the methods to help protect ourselves and others," Chavez said.

She added that the costume incident "should serve as a very real reminder that the virus is widespread, and often without symptoms, and we must all be vigilant."
Russian TV bosses are to be 'punished' after Vladimir Putin's head was cut off during a broadcast of the president's New Year's Eve message.

The Kaliningrad-based station blamed a 'technical glitch' rather than a political protest for the embarrassing scandal.

Only the lower half of Putin's head was visible as he gave his longest-ever New Year's message from the Kremlin.

The president's address is traditionally broadcast a few minutes before midnight in each of Russia's 11 time zones, and is on par with the Queen's Christmas Day message in Britain.

Editors at Kaskad TV realised the error and aborted the broadcast on both television and the internet, replacing it with music.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's head was cut off by Kaliningrad-based station Kaskad TV

Stunned residents posted photos of the president's botched broadcast on social media

The president's annual address (left and right) is traditionally broadcast a few minutes before midnight in each of Russia's 11 time zones, and has a status akin to the Queen's Christmas Day message in Britain

A screenshot of Putin's address from the Kremlin on New Year's Eve

'Problems with the image during the broadcast of Vladimir Putin's New Year address were caused by a technical glitch in the broadcasting room,' said red-faced bosses at the channel.

'An investigation of the incident is ongoing. Those who are guilty will be punished. Kaskas Media Group offers sincere apologies to the viewers.'

The statement did not offer apologies to Putin and nor did it specify the punishments to be meted out.

Those 'guilty' were not named.

A few minutes earlier, a broadcast of New Year message by the regional governor Anton Alikhanov was screened without mishap.

Due to its location on the Baltic Sea, Kaliningrad is the last Russian region to hear Putin's address, an hour after Moscow.

Putin used the broadcast to lament about the difficulties caused by Covid-19, but also to urge Russians to have faith in themselves.

He noted that 'not all of us are at the New Year table right now' due to deaths and illness caused by the coronavirus, but praised the work of doctors and the emergency services.

Citizens arrive to watch fireworks show at the Manezhnaya Square in Moscow on New Year's Eve

Thousands flocked to the streets of Moscow on New Year's Eve to watch the fireworks

Fireworks go off over Moscow's Red Square marking the beginning of 2021

Putin said: 'True, the new dangerous virus has changed and turned upside down the customary mode of life, work and studies, and it forced a revision of and amendments to many plans. But such is our world that the trials of life are unavoidable.'

He told Russians: 'True, the new dangerous virus has changed and turned upside down the customary mode of life, work and studies, and it forced a revision of and amendments to many plans.

'But such is our world that the trials of life are unavoidable.'

He said: 'Today, it is especially important to believe in ourselves, not to retreat in the face of difficulties, to preserve our unity, as this is the basis of our future common success.

'I am sure we will overcome everything together, we will restore and maintain normal life, and keep solving tasks that Russia faces.'

His New Year broadcast lasted six minutes, a record for him, but shorter than his predecessor Boris Yeltsin's famous message ushering in the year 2000, which announced that former KGB spy Putin was the new acting president.
Last month, Telkom launched a legal challenge against ICASAs planned spectrum auction, which will give operators valuable radio frequency spectrum for their 4G and 5G networks.

Telkom argued that digital dividend spectrum is not currently commercially viable and that ICASAs plans have not taken the lack of competition in South Africas cellular market into account.

Telkom executive Siyabonga Mahlangu warned that if the spectrum licensing process were to continue as is, ICASA would mess up the industry for 20 years.

The latest legal challenge is nothing new. Telkom has been using regulatory and legal challenges for the last 25 years to keep competition at bay.

In 1997, for example, Telkom tried to stop competition in the Internet market by claiming that Internet services in South Africas fall under its telecommunications monopoly.

When the regulator (Satra) ruled that no single entity would have control over the countrys Internet, Telkom approached the Pretoria High Court to challenge this ruling.

Telkom was ultimately unsuccessful in claiming a monopoly on Internet services, but it then proceeded to engage in various anti-competitive activities in the Internet services market.

The Competition Tribunal found that Telkom had leveraged its upstream monopoly in the facilities market to advantage its own subsidiary.

Telkom admitted to excessive pricing and engaging in margin squeezing against competitors, which resulted in a R200-million settlement agreement.

It is now once again trying to keep competition at bay by preventing operators from getting more spectrum.

Additional spectrum will make it easier for mobile networks to drop data prices and create a more competitive mobile data market.

Telkoms main value proposition in the mobile market is lower data prices, and additional spectrum will erode this value proposition. It therefore wants to stop this from happening.

Expert opinion

World Wide Worx CEO Arthur Goldstuck told eNCA that ICASAs spectrum allocation process document is far from flawless.

It doesnt truly open the way to competition, and it does not create an equal playing field either, Goldstuck told ENCA.

Telkom does have a point that we will be stuck with this spectrum allocation for the next 20 or 30 years, so it should be carefully considered.

There is, however, a problem. Telkom and the government have held back the broadband industry in South Africa for 25 years.

Wanting to protect the next 20 years while ignoring the ills of the last 25 years is a little disingenuous, he said.

Goldstuck warned that while a revision of the current spectrum allocation process is possible, it could delay the handing out of spectrum for many years.

Now read: Telkom sues over 5G spectrum auction
CHICAGO, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hightower today announced that it has acquired Bel Air Investment Advisors LLC from Fiera Capital Corporation (TSX: FSZ). Bel Air, with US$8 billion in assets under management (AUM), is based in Los Angeles and provides customized wealth management services and investment solutions exclusively to ultra-high net worth individuals, families, trusts and foundations with $20 million or more in investable assets. This is Hightower's largest acquisition in its 12-year history.

Bel Air has 43 employees, including ten advisors who focus on bringing objectivity, comprehensive knowledge, and integrated experience to protect and preserve client wealth. Founded in 1997, Bel Air was acquired by Montreal-based Fiera Capital, a public company in 2013. Bel Air's move to Hightower, a privately held company, returns the firm to private ownership, with Bel Air's founders and leaders in key roles with equity in the company.

Bel Air Chairman Todd Morgan began his career at Goldman, Sachs & Co. in Los Angeles. After co-founding Bel Air, he oversaw the growth of the firm, now recognized as one of the nation's largest independent advisory businesses for the ultra-high net worth segment of the private wealth market.

"Bel Air is a successful, multi-generational wealth management business led by a group of highly talented and experienced advisors," said Bob Oros, CEO of Hightower. "We are honored to be welcoming Bel Air to Hightower and look forward to collaborating with the team and providing access to our strategic consulting services, which focus on organic growth and talent development, as well as offering additional scale through our middle- and back-office capabilities."

"As pioneers of the independent wealth management model, we are excited to have Hightower as our strategic partner as we continue to innovate and serve the needs and interests of wealthy individuals, families and foundations," said David Sadkin, President of Bel Air Investment Advisors. "Joining Hightower will enable us to continue to operate and build our platform while leveraging the firm's strategic advice, scale, technology, and infrastructure. This will allow Bel Air advisors to fully focus on providing distinctive investment advice and services to our clients."

Including Bel Air Investment Advisors, Hightower's M&A team has completed 14 M&A transactions since early 2019. As of Sept. 30, 2020, Hightower's assets under administration (AUA) were approximately $81.4 billion and its AUM was $61.6 billion. Hightower has 114 advisory businesses in 33 states.

"Hightower shares our philosophy of placing clients' interests first and providing them with comprehensive, transparent advice," said Bel Air's Morgan. "As we grow Bel Air, we will look to share our culture and vision and continue to grow our presence in California and across the country, and welcome Hightower's commitment to invest the resources needed to expand the Bel Air platform."

In the transaction, RBC Capital Markets and Stifel GMP served as financial advisors to Fiera Capital while also assisting Bel Air management in structuring the Hightower partnership.

About Hightower

Hightower is a wealth management firm that provides investment, financial and retirement planning services to individuals, foundations and family offices, as well as 401(k) consulting and cash management services to corporations. Hightower's capital solutions, operational support services, size and scale empower its vibrant community of independent-minded wealth advisors to grow their businesses and help their clients achieve their vision of "well-th. rebalanced." Based in Chicago with advisors across the U.S., the firm operates as a registered investment advisor (RIA). Learn more about Hightower's collaborative business model at www.hightoweradvisors.com.

About Bel Air Investment Advisors

Established in 1997, Bel Air Investment Advisors LLC is a prominent wealth management advisory firm, providing financial advisory, asset and investment management services to exclusively high net worth individuals, families, trusts and foundations with $20 million or more in investable assets. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif., Bel Air services over 300 families across the United States and oversees more than $8 billion in assets, including private foundation relationships. Known for its philanthropic leadership in the community, Bel Air's professionals serve on a variety of charitable boards. For more information, visit www.belair-llc.com.

Securities offered through Hightower Securities, LLC member FINRA/SIPC. Hightower Advisors, LLC is a SEC registered investment advisor.

Media Contacts:

For Hightower

Patty Buchanan

JConnelly

(973) 567-9415

[email protected]

For Bel Air Investment Advisors

Stefan Pollack

The Pollack Group

(310) 7802364

[email protected]

SOURCE Hightower

Related Links

http://www.hightoweradvisors.com


A mayors lawsuit is making baseless arguments as it seeks to overturn a medical marijuana initiative that Mississippi voters approved, state attorneys said in court papers filed Monday.

Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler filed the lawsuit in late October. She opposed Initiative 65 because it limits cities ability to regulate the location of medical marijuana businesses.

Voters on Nov. 3 approved Initiative 65 by a wide margin, but the court fight continues.

The attorney generals office filed arguments Dec. 28 on behalf of Secretary of State Michael Watson, attacking the premise of Butlers lawsuit. Butler argues that the initiative process in the Mississippi Constitution is outdated because it requires petitioners to gather an equal number of signatures from five congressional districts.

Mississippi dropped from five congressional districts to four after the 2000 Census. Butler argues that this creates a mathematical impossibility: With four districts, more than one-fifth of the signatures must come from each.

State attorneys argued last week that Mississippi law still mentions the state having five congressional districts.

Partisan fighting in the Legislature stalled congressional redistricting in the early 2000s, and the lines ended up being drawn by federal judges. State attorneys said in court papers Monday that legislators never updated state laws to reflect four congressional districts instead of five.

As a result, four congressional districts exist in Mississippi under a federal injunction for congressional elections, but five congressional districts exist under state law and may be used for anything but congressional elections, the state attorneys wrote.

The Mississippi attorney generals office issued a legal opinion in 2009 saying that initiative sponsors should collect signatures from the five congressional districts used in the 1990s. In September 2019, then-Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said the medical marijuana initiative qualified for the ballot because petition sponsors had enough signatures from each of those five districts.

In a Dec. 8 filing with the Mississippi Supreme Court, Butlers attorneys said legislators have known for years about the problem in the initiative process but have killed multiple proposals to fix it. The attorneys said the secretary of state should not have relied on an attorney generals opinion about signatures coming from the five outdated districts. They argued that doing so amounted to one executive-branch agency listening to another, when decisions should be made by the legislative branch.

Butler is a Republican, as are Attorney General Lynn Fitch, Watson and Hosemann.

Initiative 65 specifies that the state Health Department has until mid-2021 to establish rules for a medical marijuana program.

The Health Department, the Mississippi Municipal League and some others have filed briefs supporting Butlers lawsuit. The Health Department argued that Initiative 65 seeks to transform the department into something it is not, even as the department is stretched because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Rather than allowing the agency to focus its resources entirely on public health, it requires MSDH to get in the business of appropriations, agriculture, packaging and transport, advertising, marketing and penalty schemes  just to name a few, wrote attorneys representing the Health Department.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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The number of patients being forced to wait in ambulances is soaring amid rising hospital admissions, paramedics have warned - as it emerged the NHS is planning to send critically-ill patients from London to the West Country under emergency plans.

NHS data shows that the number of patients waiting more than an hour to be handed to hospitals in England increased from 273 on December 13 to 591 on December 27 - an increase of more than 100%.

Ambulances can be left waiting for an available space inside emergency departments for more than three hours, with some patients so ill that staff leave hospital to start treatment inside the vehicles, frontline paramedic Will Broughton told The Daily Telegraph.

'They're effectively turning the ambulance into another treatment room because they don't have any space left,' he said, adding that this meant patients making 999 calls are left waiting hours for a response.

'Our radios are calling out for any ambulances that are available to deal with so many emergency calls  but there is no one left to send,' he said.

On some occasions there were 'hundreds of emergency calls' waiting, colleagues told him, with some 'category two' patients  who should have an ambulance with them within around 18 minutes  left waiting 'upwards of five hours', Mr Broughton said.

His comments came after health officials warned that people as young as 30 'will die from Covid' as NHS hospitals in the West Country brace for an overspill of critically-ill patients from London under emergency plans.

Trusts in London and the south-east at the centre of the UK's epidemic are preparing to transfer patients to hospitals in the south-west while patients in the east of England will be moved to the Midlands.

An ambulance drops off a patient at the Royal London Hospital in east London in early January 2021

NHS data shows that the number of patients waiting more than an hour to be handed to hospitals in England increased from 273 on December 13 to 591 on December 27 - an increase of more than 100% (pictured: Ambulances are seen outside the Emergency Department of St Thomas' Hospital in London on January 3)

Ambulances lined up outside the Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham, Kent, one of the areas where hospitals have become stretched due to the faster spreading new strain of Covid-19

Ambulance workers outside the Royal London Hospital in London, Britain, 03 January 2021. Coronavirus cases are continuing to surge across England with hospital admissions reaching new highs

The massive Nightingale hospital at the London Excel Centre, which was created in record-time early in the pandemic only to be swiftly mothballed, is also expected to reopen within a fortnight, the Times reports.

National pairing arrangements have been put in place amid warnings from doctors that hospitals in the South have come under 'immense pressure' due to a surge in cases of 'mutant' Covid, with hospitals across the UK being told prepare to face the same Covid pressures as the NHS in the capital.

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said just a small number of patients from London would be transferred to the south-west and Midlands when space in neighbouring hospitals was exhausted.

He said: 'Hospitals are doing a great job creating extra surge capacity in London and the south-east to treat the critically ill. If it gets more difficult, we will find other ways to treat people within the region but we know there are some patients that can be moved to where the pressure is slightly less, for example the south-west and Midlands.'

Dr Alison Pittard, the dean of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, today hinted the NHS could collapse because 'very, very tired staff' may not have the energy to handle the deluge in 'mutant' virus cases.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, she also claimed that she had heard of cases of people as young as 30 suffering from coronavirus in ICU wards and claimed that 'younger people will die from Covid'.

It comes as experts call for school closures on grounds that the virus is spreading more rapidly among younger children. SAGE adviser Sir Mark Walport today claimed children aged between 12 and 16 are seven times more likely to 'infect' a household and suggested that Tier 5 restrictions would be necessary in curbing cases.

Boris Johnson refused to rule out a third national lockdown today, telling the BBC he is 'reconciled' to imposing further draconian restrictions on public life in a desperate bid to stamp out 'mutant' Covid.

In the latest twist and turn of the pandemic:

Boris Johnson told parents to send children to schools in Tier 4 areas tomorrow, but hinted he would close schools if cases rise in those areas;

Ofsted boss Amanda Spielman said children's learning cannot be 'furloughed';

Headteachers called for this summer's GCSE and A-level exams to be scrapped;

Experts leading the UK vaccination programme defended the decision to extend the gap between the two doses, insisting it is 'the way we save lives';

Health bosses last night insisted urgent cancer operations in London will not be scrapped to ease the strain on hospitals inundated with Covid patients;

Labour's shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens is being treated in hospital for coronavirus, her aides announced last night;

Another 57,725 had positive test results and recorded 445 deaths yesterday;

A London children's hospital consultant blasted 'irresponsible' nurse who gave a BBC interview claiming her hospital has a 'whole ward of children' with Covid;

Young non-voting women are most likely to turn down a Covid vaccine if it were available tomorrow, the Find Out Now poll has found;

The PM faces losing most of the 'Red Wall' seats that delivered his historic election victory a year ago and his own seat, according to a massive poll.

Health officials today warned that people as young as 30 'will die from Covid' as NHS hospitals in the West Country brace for an overspill of critically-ill patients from London (Above, a patient at the Royal London Hospital yesterday)

Dr Alison Pittard, the dean of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, warned that the NHS is concerned about staff who are 'very, very tired' from the pandemic. Boris Johnson today prepared the ground for tighter restrictions as he told Marr he is 'reconciled' to imposing further curbs on freedom as the number of coronavirus cases rises

Two thirds of England's population is now in Tier 4, with the remainder living in Tier 3 lockdowns. Only the Isles of Scilly, off the coast of Cornwall, is in the looser Tier 2

Although ICU capacity has been increased, three intensive care units were full every day last week: the Walton Centre in north-west England, and Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells and Portsmouth University hospitals in the south-east.

Fourteen intensive care units were at least 95 per cent full throughout Christmas week, five of them in London, according to the Times.

Doctors who spoke on condition of anonymity told the newspaper how consultants were choosing who to admit to intensive care by assessing which patient 'has the best chance of surviving'.

Britain records more than 50,000 coronavirus cases for the FIFTH day in a row - but deaths dip to 445 - as doctors warn crisis will get much worse and situation in packed London hospitals is 'MILD compared to what's coming next week' Britain has recorded more than 50,000 Covid-19 cases for the fifth day in a row but hospital deaths from the virus have dipped to fewer than 500. Another 57,725 had positive test results in the last 24 hours, meaning 2,599,789 have had the disease in the UK since the pandemic began. The country also saw an additional 445 deaths, taking the total official count to 74,570 - but 90,000 people in total have died with Covid-19 written on their death certificate. And experts are warning jam-packed hospitals that the current number of coronavirus cases is 'mild' compared to what is coming next week - as the new more-contagious Covid strain continues to wreak havoc on the UK. President of the Royal College of Physicians Professor Andrew Goddard also noted healthcare workers in Britain are 'really worried' about the battle against the virus over the next few months. Today's grim figures come as the first batches of the newly-approved coronavirus vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca arrive at UK hospitals ahead of the jab's rollout tomorrow. Some 530,000 doses of the jab will be available from Monday - with vulnerable people taking priority - as Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the inoculation drive is 'accelerating'. One of the first hospitals to take delivery of a batch on Saturday morning was the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, which is part of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust. But Sir John Bell, a Regius professor of medicine at Oxford University and member of SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies), said insufficient investment in the capacity to make vaccines has left Britain unprepared. He also said the country lacks medical supply firms to build essential components to make the jab, forcing Oxford scientists to import parts from abroad. Advertisement

One GP working in a west London hospital claimed: 'We could be like Lombardy [northern Italy] by next week. There is a high likelihood we're going to see a disaster.'

Dr Megan Smith, a consultant anaesthetist at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, said medics faced 'horrifying' decisions with patients 'in competition' for ventilators.

She told ITN: 'It's not a position any of us ever want to be in, and we're used to making difficult decisions as doctors, but deciding the outcome of, effectively a competition for a ventilator, is just not what anyone signed up for.

'In terms of the emotional trauma for those individuals, it's horrifying. We shouldn't be having to do it, but we are.'

Asked about the hospitals crisis in London and the surrounding areas, Dr Pittard said the trusts are 'under immense pressure'.

'It's really difficult for staff because obviously we want to make sure everyone is cared for, but also need to look after the staff as well,' she said. 'So it's really difficult for everyone working in NHS hospitals at the moment, particularly in my area of intensive care.'

She also admitted that the NHS would have to postpone 'some of the more non-urgent stuff', adding: 'obviously that is one of the ways the NHS managed in the first wave, was to reduce the normal activity so that we could focus on Covid patients.

'One of the things that we have done now during the second wave is to continue normal activity alongside other Covid-related activity. And we want to continue that at all costs... but of course some of the more non-urgent stuff will need to be postponed'.

Dr Pittard also revealed that NHS hospitals are seeing greater numbers of younger people being admitted for treatment than during the first wave of the epidemic last spring.

'The age group is a lot lower than it was during the first wave, and I think that's probably because more people are getting Covid and it is affecting younger people, perhaps younger people are realising how serious it is and they need to seek input as well,' she told the Andrew Marr Show.

'It does affect younger people, so just because you're not in the older age bracket doesn't mean you're immune.'

She went on: 'One of the downsides is that because we have been through it all before staff are very, very tired and that is the thing that concerns me.

'We can't just create staff overnight. We can get more drugs. We can get more beds and equipment but we can't just get more staff, so that is the real concern this time around.'

Having dealt with the first wave of the virus, staff are now better prepared in terms of how they manage patients when they come into hospital and how their treatment in intensive care, she said.

'It is almost like we know what is coming our way so we know how to deal with it.'

It comes as hospitals across the UK are told to prepare to face the same Covid pressures as the NHS in London and south-east England.

Professor Andrew Goddard, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said the virus's highly infectious new variant was spreading nationwide.

He said the current case numbers at more than 50,000 per day for the past five days, were 'mild' compared with where he expected them to be next week and warned that doctors are 'really worried' about the coming months.

'There's no doubt that Christmas is going to have a big impact, the new variant is also going to have a big impact, we know that is more infectious, more transmissible, so I think the large numbers that we're seeing in the South East, in London, in South Wales, is now going to be reflected over the next month, two months even, over the rest of the country,' he told BBC Breakfast yesterday.

Prof Goddard added: 'All hospitals that haven't had the big pressures that they've had in the South East, and London and South Wales, should expect that it's going to come their way.

'This new variant is definitely more infectious and is spreading across the whole of the country. It seems very likely that we are going to see more and more cases, wherever people work in the UK, and we need to be prepared for that.'

The UK recorded a record 57,725 Covid-19 cases yesterday, the most since the pandemic began and the fifth day daily infections surpassed 50,000.

The country also saw an additional 445 deaths, taking the total official count to 74,570 - but 90,000 people in total have died with Covid-19 written on their death certificate.

London is now the epicentre of the UK's outbreak and its hospitals are being stretched with the flood of patients. The weekly rate of cases is double the national average at 858 per 100,000 people. Now the capital's weekly rate of cases is 858 per 100,000 people  double the UK average.

One doctor at a busy London hospital laid bare the pressure frontline medics are up against. Dr Katie Sanderson told the Sunday Mirror: 'Things are incredibly difficult now. Hospitals are doing everything they can  with all hands on deck, even flying patients out to other parts.'

She added that 'nurses are stretched ever thinner' and that staff are 'scared' because of 'woefully inadequate' PPE.

London Ambulance staff stretcher a patient from the ambulance into The Royal London Hospital in east London, on Saturday

London is now the epicentre of the outbreak and its hospitals are being stretched with the flood of patients. The weekly rate of cases is double the national average at 858 per 100,000

Cases in Liverpool have almost trebled in the past two weeks to 350 per 100,000, despite the city successfully leading on the national pilot for community testing which led to it being the first city to be taken out of Tier 3 and into Tier 2, according to official figures

Medics transport a patient on a stretcher from an ambulance to the Royal London Hospital on Friday

Government scientists today hinted a third national lockdown including mass school closures may be required to suppress Covid as he insisted 'keeping people apart' stops the virus from spreading.

Professor Sir Mark Walport claimed the 'mutant' Covid was transmitting rapidly among children, with those aged between 12 and 16 seven times more likely to 'infect' a household.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show as Liverpool's leaders called for a blanket shutdown, he said it would be 'very, very difficult' to keep the disease under control 'without tighter social distancing measures'.

'Children's lives can't just be put on hold': Ofsted chief Amanda Spielman warns pupils' education cannot be 'furloughed' as left-wing councils and teaching unions demand schools are closed for WEEKS amid mutant Covid crisis The head of England's schools watchdog today warned that education cannot be 'furloughed' as Left-wing councils joined the revolt against Government plans to keep schools open. Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said school closures should be kept to the 'absolute minimum', revealing that the first lockdown disrupted children's learning and wider development. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, she said Ofsted had found some younger children had 'forgotten how to hold a pencil or use a knife and fork, and had regressed in basic language numbers'. In older children, Ms Spielman said the schools watchdog had noted 'increases in eating disorders and self-harm, and anti-social behaviour at some schools' during the coronavirus crisis. Most primaries in England are expected to open their doors tomorrow, while secondary schools will reopen on a staggered basis later this month with plans to test every student weekly. But yesterday the UK's largest teaching union advised members it was not safe to return to the classroom and demanded a move to online teaching. Headteachers are now urging the Government to scrap this summer's GCSE and A-level exams amid outrage over Education Secretary Gavin Williamson's plans to keep schools open. Ms Spielman rubbished calls for remote education, arguing that it would maximise the disparities in the circumstances of the home lives of children. She added that schools 'have become society's collective eyes and ears, keeping a caring watch over those who need it most' as she warned 'risks of abuse, neglect or exploitation increase' when schools stay closed. The Ofsted boss wrote: 'There is a real consensus that schools should be the last places to close and the first to re-open, and having argued for this since last spring, I welcome it. Because it is increasingly clear that children's lives can't just be put on hold while we wait for vaccination programmes to take effect, and for waves of infection to subside. 'We cannot furlough young people's learning or their wider development. The longer the pandemic continues, the more true this is.' Advertisement

Sir Mark also suggested the UK has struggled to keep cases down because it is a 'western liberal democracy', hinting that draconian countermeasures adopted in unfree countries like Vietnam had suppressed the virus.

Asked if Tier 4 restrictions were enough, the former Chief Scientific Adviser today said: 'It's the Tier 4 restrictions, it's obeying them.

'It is thinking about breaking essentially every possible route of transmission we possibly can. Those are the things that are absolutely necessary and it is pretty clear we're going to need more.'

Talking about 'mutant' Covid, he said: 'We now have a much more transmissible variant and I'm afraid this is the natural evolution of viruses.

'The ones that can transmit most effectively have an advantage over other variants and so it is clear this variant is transmitting more readily. It's transmitting more readily in younger age groups as well.

'It's good to note it doesn't appear to cause worse disease or that it is going to be more resistant to the effects of the vaccine, but it is going to be very, very difficult to keep it under control without tighter social distancing measures.'

Sir Mark continued: 'The thing that actually stops the virus, and we know that it can do, is keeping people apart. The virus can only get from one person to another through proximity, and so it really is about doing everything we possibly can to keep ourselves as safe as possible.'

He also claimed that locking down earlier would have reduced cases and deaths, telling the Andrew Marr Show: 'It's absolutely clear we can see other countries, Vietnam for example, which has managed to keep its cases down.

'But we can see that western liberal democracies much harder. The UK is not alone in this, but that doesn't necessarily make it any better.'

He also urged people who have had a coronavirus vaccine not to 'go out and party' as he admitted 'there are lots of things we don't know about the vaccines'.

Sir Mark's interview comes as the PM signalled that anti-Covid measures were likely to get tougher.

Asked whether he could guarantee schools will open on January 18, Mr Johnson told Marr: 'Well, obviously, we're going to continue to assess the impact of the Tier 4 measures, the Tier 3 measures.'

On whether GCSE and A-Level exams should be cancelled, the PM said: 'We've got to be realistic, we've got to be realistic about the pace of which this new variant has spread... we've got to be realistic about the impact that it's having on our NHS... and we've got to be humble in the face of this virus.'

Mr Johnson indicated tougher restrictions may be introduced, saying: 'It may be that we need to do things in the next few weeks that will be tougher in many parts of the country. I'm fully, fully reconciled to that.'

He added: 'There are obviously a range of tougher measures that that we would have to consider... I'm not going to speculate now about what they would be, but I'm sure that all our viewers and our listeners will understand what the sort of things... clearly school closures, which we had to do in March is one of those things.'

Mr Johnson said: 'What we are doing now is using the tiering system, which is a very tough system... and, alas, probably about to get tougher to keep things under control. But, we will review it.'

He added: 'And we have the prospect of vaccines coming down the track in their tens of millions. And that, I think, is something that should keep people going in what I predicted, back on your show in in October, will be a very bumpy period right now. It is bumpy and it's going to be bumpy.'

Meanwhile, Liverpool's council leaders today called for a third national lockdown to contain the new 'mutant' strain of Covid and prevent a 'catastrophe'.

The city's acting mayor, Wendy Simon, and the Labour-run city council's cabinet say the speed of the rise in coronavirus cases have reached 'alarming levels' and urgent action is now required to save lives and the NHS.

The new 'mutant' strain of Covid is thought to have a higher rate of transmission and is most prevalent in London and the South East, where health bosses say hospitals have become stretched.

Headteachers call for GCSE and A-Level exams to be scrapped this summer amid school closure chaos Head teachers are calling on the Government to scrap this summer's GCSE and A-level exams amid outrage over Gavin Williamson's plans to keep schools open. Most primaries in England are expected to re-open their doors tomorrow, while secondary schools will reopen on a staggered basis later this month with plans to test every student weekly. Yesterday, however, the UK's largest teaching union advised members it was not safe to return to the classroom - with several left-wing councils demanding their primary schools move to online teaching only. And in another blow to the Education Secretary 's plans, UK head teachers are now calling for this year's exams to be scrapped to prioritise 'wider public health, pupil and staff safety'. They also claim it would be unfair to force students to sit exams when those whose schools were open earlier would have more contact time than those with later start dates. The WorthLess? campaign group - a collection of 2,000 head teachers in 80 local authorities - said: 'Wider public health, pupil and staff safety should be prioritised ahead of examinations. 'Public safety should not be risked or driven by an inflexible pursuit of GCSE and A-levels.' Head teacher of Tanbridge House School in Horsham - and one of the WorthLess? leaders - told The Times : 'There is great scepticism that exams can now go ahead fairly.' Advertisement

It is believed the strain is spreading from south to north, leading to increasing pressure on the NHS.

Cases in Liverpool have almost trebled in the past two weeks to 350 per 100,000, despite the city leading on the pilot for community testing which led to it being the first city to be moved from Tier 3 down to Tier 2.

The call for a new lockdown was made in a statement from Cllr Wendy Simon and Cabinet Member for Public Health Cllr Paul Brant.

The current mayor of the city, Joe Anderson, is on police bail on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation.

The statement said: 'It is clear that the country is now at a crossroads with Covid-19. The stark reality is that today this virulent new strain of the virus is very much on the rise and we need to act now to prevent a crisis that will unleash even more pain and anguish.'

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said the Government would 'not hesitate to take actions necessary to protect local communities'.

England is edging closer towards a blanket shutdown after government efforts to reopen schools were thrown into disarray by Left-wing councils and teaching unions.

Gavin Williamson confirmed on Friday that all London primary schools will remain shut to most pupils next week - rather than just those in certain boroughs as set out earlier in the week - but teaching unions say all schools should close for the next two weeks.

Last night, the Department for Education said remote learning was 'a last resort' and classrooms should reopen 'wherever possible' with appropriate safety measures to help mitigate the risk of transmission.

'As we've said, we will move to remote education as a last resort, with involvement of public health officials, in areas where infection and pressures on the NHS are highest,' the spokesperson said.

Hundreds of new vaccination sites are due to be up and running this week as the NHS ramps up its immunisation programme with the newly approved Oxford University and AstraZeneca jab.

Some 530,000 doses of the vaccine will be available for rollout across the UK from Monday and more than a million patients have already had their first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine which was the first to be approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

But Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said children's education cannot be 'furloughed' for months while vaccinations are rolled out and time absent from the classroom should be kept to an 'absolute minimum', the Sunday Telegraph reported.

Children's Commissioner Anne Longfield told the newspaper that schools should be the last to close and first to open, when safe to do so, adding: 'I hope, for children and parents' sake, that is measured in days not weeks and I would be particularly keen for primaries to stay open if at all possible.'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the vaccine roll-out was 'our great hope', adding: 'I want the Government to throw everything it can at this, harnessing the extraordinary talents of our NHS so we can be vaccinating at least two million Brits a week by the end of the month.'

But, writing in the Sunday Mirror, he criticised 'a chaotic last minute U-turn on schools', adding: 'Confusion reigns among parents, teachers and pupils over who will be back in school tomorrow and who won't.'

General secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), Mary Bousted, said schools should stay closed for two weeks to 'break the chain' of transmission and prevent the NHS becoming overwhelmed.'

The union, which represents the majority of teachers, has advised its members it is not safe to return to classrooms on Monday.

NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said the union had started preliminary steps in legal proceedings against the Department for Education, asking it to share its scientific data about safety and transmission rates.

Unions have also called for the reopening of schools in Wales next week to be delayed with Laura Doel, director of school leaders' union NAHT Cymru, saying 'the latest data shows that in large parts of Wales, control of infection has been lost'.

From January 4, all London primary schools will be required to provide remote learning for two weeks to all children except vulnerable children and those of key workers, who will be allowed to attend.

Mr Williamson said the January 1 decision to expand closures to the nine remaining London boroughs and the City of London was a 'last resort'.

Under the Government's initial plan, secondary schools and colleges were set to be closed to most pupils for the first two weeks of January, while primary schools within 50 local authorities in the south of England, including 23 London boroughs, were also told to keep their doors shut until January 18.

Green Party-led Brighton and Hove City Council has advised primary schools in the Tier 4 area not to return in person, except for vulnerable children and those of key workers, until January 18 despite the Government's plan for most schools to open in person.

Linda Bauld, a professor in public health at the University of Edinburgh, said transmission among primary school pupils was 'still very limited' while secondary school pupils, particularly older teenagers, can pass on the virus in the same way as adults.

But health professionals have warned of growing pressure on services with Prof Goddard telling the BBC current case figures are 'fairly mild' compared to what is expected in a week's time.

Mutated super-infectious coronavirus strain was spreading quickly among children DURING November lockdown and only closing schools can keep it contained, new Imperial report warns

Pictured: A graph in the Imperial College London report showing the prevalence of the new strain of coronavirus (shown in orange) in different age groups

The mutated super-infectious coronavirus strain was spreading quickly among children during the November lockdown and only closing schools can keep it contained, a new report from Imperial College London has warned.

The study confirmed that the new mutant variant of SARS-CoV-2 - known as B117 or 'Variant of Concern' (VOC) - is indeed more infectious than previous variants, just as scientists feared, and that the November lockdown did little to suppress it.

The variant was most prevalent among the 10-19 age group, the data shows, with more coronavirus cases in the age group being found to be the new strain than of the original.

In order the tackle the spread of the VOC in Britain, 'Social distancing measures will need to be more stringent than they would have otherwise,' the report said.

'A particular concern is whether it will be possible to maintain control over transmission while allowing schools to reopen in January 2021.'

Analysis of the data by Imperial College London researchers found that the new strain may be nearly 50 percent more transmissible, based on samples taken from nearly 86,000 Britons.

In the study posted online, which is yet to be peer-reviewed, Imperial College researchers determined that the 'R' number for the new B117 variant is between 0.4 and 0.7 points higher than other variants.

The study compared samples of the mutated virus taken from nearly 2,000 people in the UK to another 84,000 taken from people with other variants

The 'R' number of a virus describes the average number of additional cases that each infection leads to.

In the UK, the latest R number stands between 1.1 and 1.3, government figures show. This means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 11 and 13 other people.

Graphs from the new study show how, over eight weeks, the new variant became increasingly common (dots higher on each chart) in the UK and became more transmissible (dots further the right on each chart show rising R numbers, or transmission rates

In a series of graphs, the report outlined case trends in a subset of NHS England Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) areas - (a geographic subdivision of NHS Regions).

It is clear in the graphs that while the November lockdown worked to bring down the rates of the original strain of coronavirus, it did little to suppress the spread of the mutated strain in England.

This is demonstrated by the graphs with three lines showing case numbers.

The thick line shows the total number of cases in the respective region found among the people included in the study. The green line shows the original strain of Covid-19 (S+), while the yellow line shows the new variant (VOC).

The thick line at the top of the graph showing the total number of cases in each area changes colour between green and yellow based on the number of tests showing instances of the VOC among those included in the study.

Pictured: Screen-grabs from the Imperial College report showing case trends involving the new strain of coronavirus, where the % S- rate indicates a case of the new variant. During the lockdown, Kent and Medway showed increasing numbers of the new Covid-19 strain. Mid and South Essex saw a similar rise in cases in the weeks before and after the lockdown ended. Both regions saw cases of the VOC overtake case numbers of the original strain

The dates of the second lockdown in November are indicated by the vertical red lines, between which the spread of Covid-19 and the VOC are demonstrated.

Areas in the South East of England - including London - show a rapid rise of the mutated strain of Covid-19, while the original strain kept at relatively low levels during the lockdown - showing the prevalence of the new strain in those areas.

These include Kent and Medway, Mid and South Essex; South West London Health and Care Partnership; and Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West.

In areas outside of the regions most effected by the VOC , total cases are shown to have dropped during the lockdown.

These include Birmingham and Solihull; Devon; Herefordshire and Worcestershire; Cheshire and Merseyside; and Humber, Coast and Vale.

Cases of the VOC in South West London Health and Care Partnership also rose in the final weeks of lockdown, and have continued to do so since. The number of cases of the new strain over took those of the original. Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West also saw rising case numbers in the last week of lockdown, with numbers of the new strain rising

In both Bingmingam and Solihull and in Devon, case number of the first Covid-19 strain dropped during the lockdown, while cases of the VOC remained low into the last weeks of 2020

In Herefordshire and Worcestershire, and Cheshire and Merseyside, total cases dropped during lockdown without the spike in new cases of the VOC

Humber, Coast and Vale also saw cases of the original strain of Covid-19 drop during lockdown and avoided the rise in new cases of the VOC. Right: A graph showing ratio age share among S- cases / age share among S+ cases

The new variant was first detected in the UK in September, the study states, but at the beginning of December, it exploded and has driven a surge in infections among Britons.

The spread of the new novel SARS-CoV-2 variant, or Variant of Concern 202012/01 (VOC), in England comes despite a tiered system being in place as part of efforts to bring the spread of the virus under control.

What is the 'mutant COVID strain' and why are experts concerned? Coronaviruses mutate regularly, acquiring about one new mutation in their genome every two weeks. Most mutations do not significantly change the way the virus acts. This super strain, named B.1.1.7, was first identified in the UK in November. It has since been found in France, Spain, Italy, Iceland, Japan, Singapore, Australia and now the United States. The new COVID-19 variant has a mutation in the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein at position 501, where amino acid asparagine (N) has been replaced with tyrosine (Y). It is more infectious than previous strains and potentially more harmful to children. It is not, however, believed to be any more lethal. Public Health England researchers compared 1,769 people infected with the new variant, with 1,769 who had one of the earlier strains of the virus. Forty-two people in the group were admitted to hospital, of whom 16 had the new variant and 26 the wild type. Twelve of the variant cases and 10 of the 'older' virus cases died within four weeks of testing. Neither the hospitalization nor the mortality differences were statistically significant. Advertisement

The majority of England is under 'Tier 4', the strictest tier, yet is still seeing record numbers of daily Covid-19 infections despite the measures.

Imperial College London researchers sequenced the genomes of 1,904 people infected with the new variant and compared how quickly the virus spread to a broader sample of other specimens taken from more than 48,000 people in England.

As they expected, they found that the new virus did indeed have a 'selective advantage over circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants in England,' they wrote in the print posted online on Thursday.

The variant was also disproportionately common among people in their 20s, and those living in South East and East England and London.

The findings of the new study mean each person who catches this mutated virus will pass it on to up to 0.7 more people on average.

So far, there isn't evidence to suggest the new variant causes any more serious illness or is more fatal.

Encouragingly, virologists and public health experts believe that vaccines made by companies like AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna will still be effective against the new variant of coronavirus.

But the new variant heats up the race between the spread of the virus and vaccination campaigns in the UK, the US - where the new variant has now been found in Colorado, California and Florida - and at least 31 other countries where the more infectious form of coronavirus has been detected.

With more than 186,000 people newly infected in a single day on average in the US, the 48 percent higher transmissibility rate of 1.85 could drive new infections per day beyond 275,000.

It could spell disaster for hospitals in hotspots like California where some health care systems and regions are already out of ICU beds, in states of 'internal disaster' and rationing care.

There are similar fears in the UK over the National Health Service (NHS) and its capacity to cope with the number of coronavirus patients that are expected as the new variant of the disease continues to spread.

Sharing data from a separate study done by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Deepti Gurdasani - a senior lecturer at Queen Mary University of London in Epidemiology and statistical genetics - warned that 'B117 is either dominant, or very close to dominant in most regions' in England.

Over the course of six weeks, the researchers saw how the new coronavirus variant's transmission rate (R) became higher (orange) than those of other variants, especially in South East England, East England and London

By comparison, on average in the US, each infected person currently leads to 1.15 more infections, according to daily calculations from RT.live.

By this measure of transmissibility the R number in the US ranges from about 0.86 in Alaska to 1.23 in Maine, which has emerged as a hotspot this week.

Only 3.17 million Americans had been vaccinated as of Friday, according to a Bloomberg News tally.

The CDC's tally puts the number even lower. The agency's site says its vaccination tracker will be updated every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but at the time of publication, the tool showed Wednesday's numbers, with 2.79 million people vaccinated.

Bloomberg's higher estimate means Operation Warp Speed has vaccinated just 16 percent of the 20 million Americans it promised to inoculate by the end of the year.

At this pace, it would take nearly a decade to vaccinate all adult members of America's population of 331 million people.

And many Americans remain on the fence about getting a vaccine even when one is available. Some 60 percent of nursing home workers in Ohio said they would refuse a shot.

Sluggish, dysfunctional vaccine distribution and Americans' distrust of of the shots could jointly offer the B117 variant just the opening it needs to spread like wildfire through the country infecting millions beyond the 20 million people who have already had the infection in the US, and killing thousands.

Surge in ward cases 'could fill 12 hospitals': Number of beds take up by Covid-19 patients surged in the eight days since Christmas, new figures show

Beds occupied by Covid patients increased in the eight days from Christmas

East of England, London and South East recorded largest percentage increases

On New Year's Eve, three intensive care units in London were reportedly full

The number of beds occupied by Covid patients increased by the equivalent of '12 full hospitals' in the eight days from Christmas, NHS figures show.

Between December 25 and January 2, the total number of inpatients suffering with coronavirus in England jumped from 17,701 to 23,557  up 33 per cent.

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, described the increase as the equivalent of '12 extra full hospitals, full of Covid patients'.

The East of England, London and the South East recorded the largest percentage increases in hospital admissions for those suffering with the virus as the new, more infectious strain continues to take hold.

Doctors treat a patient suffering from coronavirus at an Intensive Care ward at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey

Mr Hopson said: 'You can imagine why people in the NHS are worried about how quickly this virus is spreading.'

Meanwhile, emergency plans are being drawn up to move critically-ill patients hundreds of miles as part of a 'pairing' scheme designed to ease pressure on regions where the NHS is struggling to cope.

Those in the East of England could be moved to hospitals in the Midlands while health trusts in the South East are preparing to send patients to the South West. It is believed to be the first scheme of its kind in NHS history.

Mr Hopson said it would involve only a small number of patients being moved from London when space in neighbouring hospitals was exhausted.

'If it gets more difficult, we will find other ways to treat people within the region but we know there are some patients that can be moved to where the pressure is slightly less, for example the South West and Midlands,' he told the Sunday Times.

On New Year's Eve, three intensive care units in London were reportedly full, with seriously-ill patients awaiting transfers to units elsewhere.

North Middlesex University Hospital, Barnet Hospital and Whittington Hospital, in the north and north-west of the capital, described various issues including patients receiving oxygen in A&E, in an email leaked to Sky News.

Dr Alison Pittard, the dean of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, said the NHS is trying to continue with its other services and treat patients while also dealing with the second coronavirus wave.

The total number of inpatients suffering with coronavirus in England jumped from 17,701 to 23,557, up 33 per cent, between December 25 and January 2, NHS figures show. Pictured: Healthcare workers in an NHS hospital ward amid the coronavirus pandemic

London Ambulance staff transport a patient into The Royal London Hospital in east London

She told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: 'One of the things I would like to tell the public is that if you have any concerns, whether it is about Covid or not, you must seek advice and help.'

She said there are 'logistical issues' with the temporary Nightingale hospitals, some of which have been used to support diagnostic services.

Yesterday NHS bosses denied reports that cancer operations would need to be delayed to ensure there were enough beds in London.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

GENEVA, Jan 4 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Jan, 2021 ) :UN human rights investigator Agnes Callamard on Monday hailed the news of a British court ruling that WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange will not be extradited to the US.

In its ruling in the months-long case, the Central Criminal Court, also known as the Old Bailey, said Assange could not be extradited due to concerns over his mental health.

"Superb news from the UK," tweeted Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions.

"Assange will not be extradited to the US. This was the only valid decision under international human rights law," she added.

She also paid tribute to Nils Melzer and human rights campaigner Rebecca Vincent, two other UN experts who advocated the court's move.

"All my respects to @NilsMelzer, @rebecca_vincent, and many others who have campaigned tirelessly for such an outcome," said Callamard Melzer, the UN special rapporteur on torture, on Dec. 8 appealed to British authorities to immediately release Assange from prison or place him under guarded house arrest during his US extradition proceedings.

Speaking on Monday's ruling, Old Bailey Judge Vanessa Baraitser said of Assange: "The overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man fearful for his future. "The US government will have 14 days to appeal the decision.

If he were extradited to the US, Assange would face 18 counts of hacking US government computers and violating the espionage law and a possible 175-year sentence.

The US accuses Assange of espionage after WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of pages of government documents, emails, and other communications, including ones concerning possible war crimes by US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Prosecutors argue that Assange assisted then-defense analyst Chelsea Manning, an accusation the 49-year-old WikiLeaks co-founder denies.

He was dragged out of Ecuador's Embassy building in London in 2019, where he had taken refuge for more than seven years. The British police said he was arrested for skipping bail in 2012 and on behalf of the US due to an extradition request.
The head of the US federal governments Covid-19 vaccine program said Sunday that health officials are exploring the idea of giving a major group of Americans half volume doses of one Moderna Incs vaccine to accelerate the rollout, CNBC reported.

Moncef Slaoui, the head of Operation Warp Speed, told CBS that one way to speed up immunizations against Covid-19 was to give two half-volume doses of the Moderna vaccine to some individuals.

We know that for the Moderna vaccine giving half the dose for people between the ages of 18 to 55two doses, half the dose, which means exactly achieving the objective of immunizing double the number of people with the doses we havewe know it induces identical immune response to the 100 microgram dose, Slaoui said.

And therefore, we are in discussions with Moderna and with the FDAof course ultimately it will be an FDA decisionto accelerate injecting half the volume, he added.

Slaoui said he thought it would be a mistake to make a decision that was not supported by the trial data.

To note, American Armenian businessman Noubar Afeyan is the co-founder and chairman Moderna Inc.
Tatas hike AirAsia India stake to 83.67% ahead of Air India bid

Tata Group has increased its stake in AirAsia India, its joint venture with Malaysias Air Asia Berhad to 83,67 per cent by acquiring an additional 32.67 per cent for $37.66 million (Rs276 crore).

Tatas also has the option to buy the remaining 16.33 per cent stake for $18.83 million.

This move comes as the race for Air Indias divestment heats up, with its second phase beginning on January 5.

Tatas have shown preliminary interest in bidding for the cash-strapped national carrier. Last week, Tata Sons filed an Expression of Interest to acquire Air India.The government will announce the names of qualified bidders in the second phase of the divestment process.

AirAsia Group Berhad also made an announcement that it would sell 32.67 per cent stake in AirAsia India to Tata Sons for $37.66 million (?276 crore).

Tata group earlier owned 51 per cent of the stake in the joint venture. This move gains significance as the race for Air India heats up, and

The second phase of the strategic disinvestment of Air India will start on 5 January, with the announcement of the names of the shortlisted bidders allowing them to file a request for proposal (RFP) and thereafter there will be a transparent bidding process, said a presentation by the ministry.

Earlier this year, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ( RSS) had raised their opposition against the sale of Air India to foreign airlines and conveyed their concerns to the government. RSS had said that the national carrier must be only sold to an Indian entity. Other Swadeshi lobbies, including Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), had raised their resistance as well.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, BJP MP Subramanian Swamy had urged the government to disqualify Tata Sons from the Air India disinvestment process till a final decision on his plea against Tata Sons and AirAsia India is taken by the court. Subramanian in 2013 had filed a petition in the Delhi high court challenging the illegal grant of licence to Air Asia India.

This transaction is in line with our initiatives towards reducing cash utilisation for the Group and will allow us to use cash to grow market share in our core markets in Asean, particularly in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines as well as for our future expansion into Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam., said President (Airlines) of AirAsia Group, Bo Lingam.

India will remain an important market for AirAsia. TSL has been an excellent partner and we look forward to continue working closely together in other areas of growth, he added.

Cash-strapped Air Asia Berhad in a Malysian stock exchange filing said the cash received as purchase consideration will be utilised as working capital in Q1 for the parent company.

The company also hinted at further liquidation of its assets saying as India is a non-core market for AirAsia (being a non-ASEAN country), the company will continue to regularly reassess its business strategies and dispose of non-core investments to augment its liquidity.
Mollusks build shells to protect their soft tissues from predators. Nacre, also known as the mother of pearl, has an intricate, highly regular structure that makes it an incredibly strong material. Depending on the species, nacres can reach tens of centimeters in length. No matter the size, each nacre is built from materials deposited by a multitude of single cells at multiple different locations at the same time. How exactly this highly periodic and uniform structure emerges from the initial disorder was unknown until now.

Nacre formation starts uncoordinated with the cells depositing the material simultaneously at different locations. Not surprisingly, the early nacre structure is not very regular. At this point, it is full of defects. "In the very beginning, the layered mineral-organic tissue is full of structural faults that propagate through a number of layers like a helix. In fact, they look like a spiral staircase, having either right-handed or left-handed orientation," says Dr. Igor Zlotnikov, research group leader at the B CUBE - Center for Molecular Bioengineering at TU Dresden. "The role of these defects in forming such a periodic tissue has never been established. On the other hand, the mature nacre is defect-free, with a regular, uniform structure. How could perfection emerge from such disorder?"

The researchers from the Zlotnikov group collaborated with the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble to take a very detailed look at the internal structure of the early and mature nacre. Using synchrotron-based holographic X-ray nano-tomography the researchers could capture the growth of nacre over time. "Nacre is an extremely fine structure, having organic features below 50 nm in size. Beamline ID16A at the ESRF provided us with an unprecedented capability to visualize nacre in three-dimensions," explains Dr. Zlotnikov. "The combination of electron dense and highly periodical inorganic platelets with delicate and slender organic interfaces makes nacre a challenging structure to image. Cryogenic imaging helped us to obtain the resolving power we needed," explains Dr. Pacureanu from the X-ray Nanoprobe group at the ESRF.

The analysis of data was quite a challenge. The researchers developed a segmentation algorithm using neural networks and trained it to separate different layers of nacre. In this way, they were able to follow what happens to the structural defects as nacre grows.

The behavior of structural defects in a growing nacre was surprising. Defects of opposite screw direction were attracted to each other from vast distances. The right-handed and left-handed defects moved through the structure, until they met, and cancelled each other out. These events led to a tissue-wide synchronization. Over time, it allowed the structure to develop into a perfectly regular and defect-free.

Periodic structures similar to nacre are produced by many different animal species. The researchers think that the newly discovered mechanism could drive not only the formation of nacre but also other biogenic structures.

###

Dr. Igor Zlotnikov is a leader of a multidisciplinary group at the B CUBE, TU Dresden. The group studies the interplay between physics of materials and cellular control. The Zlotnikov group implements state-of-the-art techniques from a large spectrum of fields in life and physical sciences to address the fundamental question of how the nature uses thermodynamic principles to generate complex structures. The group is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF; grant 03Z22EN11).

Publication:

Maksim Beliaev, Dana Zoellner, Alexandra Pacureanu, Paul Zasklansky, and Igor Zlotnikov: Dynamics of Topological Defects and Structural Synchronization in a Forming Periodic Tissue. Nature Physics (January 2021)

doi: 10.1038/s41567-020-01069-z

B CUBE - Center for Molecular Bioengineering was founded as a Center for Innovation Competence within the initiative "Unternehmen Region" of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. It is part of the Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB). B CUBE research focuses on the investigation of living structures on a molecular level, translating the ensuing knowledge into innovative methods, materials and technologies.
A London judge blocked Julian Assange's extradition to the U.S. on health grounds, a victory for the WikiLeaks founder after close to a decade of imprisonment or self-imposed exile.

Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled Monday that his extradition to face espionage charges would be oppressive because of his mental health, saying he was clearly "a depressed and sometimes despairing man genuinely fearful about his future."

Assange, 49, could be released from the high-security Belmarsh prison as soon as Wednesday, when his lawyers will return to court to make what they say are the "strongest grounds to granting bail" in light of Monday's ruling.

Baraitser spent the first part of her ruling dismissing Assange's arguments that prosecutors faced political pressure to send him to the U.S. and that he couldn't receive a fair trial there. She said, however, that Assange would face "conditions of significant isolation" in U.S. prison. She cited Jeffrey Epstein's 2019 death as an example of when preventive measures weren't able to protect inmates from suicide. The U.S. financier reportedly hanged himself in jail in New York while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy.

"In these harsh conditions, Mr. Assange's mental health would deteriorate causing him to commit suicide with the 'single-minded determination' of his autism-spectrum disorder," Baraitser said.

The ruling is "going to be difficult to appeal because it's a factual decision on his mental health," said Ben Keith, an extradition lawyer in London who doesn't represent anyone in the case.

Lawyers for the U.S. immediately said they would appeal the decision, a process that could take years.

American prosecutors will likely "do their utmost" to offer assurances to the court that Assange would be given specialist care, said Daniel Sternberg, an extradition lawyer.

"If the U.S. is determined to pursue him, they will throw everything at it to try to deal with the judge's concerns," said Sternberg, who isn't involved in the case. "It's very far from the end."

Assange wore a dark navy suit and tie in the court, with a dark gray mask covering his mouth but not his nose. Throughout the judge's hour-long ruling, his hands were clasped on his left knee.

The decision will be a surprise to the Australian's supporters, who have openly been pinning their hopes on a pardon from U.S. President Donald Trump. Assange's fiancee, Stella Moris, has spent the last few months making direct pleas for clemency to Trump via Twitter and appearances on Fox News.

Assange initially sought refuge in the Ecuadoran embassy in 2012 rather than face questioning in a Swedish sexual assault case, which was later dropped. Last year, when he was expelled from the embassy, he faced American charges related to WikiLeaks disclosures.

Assange is accused of working with U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to get classified documents from databases containing about 90,000 Afghanistan war-related activity reports, 400,000 Iraq War-related reports and 250,000 State Department cables.
The clash has played out in the wake of the countys Dec. 18 stay-at-home order, which it passed amid a surge in coronavirus infections  and a sharp drop in intensive-care capacity at hospitals  locally and statewide from November onward. Outdoor restaurant dining and wine tastings were among the activities prohibited for at least three weeks under the order, which took effect after the Bay Area ICU vacancy rate dropped below 15%. Hair salons, movie theaters, breweries and bars also were instructed to close, and capacity reduced at groceries and other retail stores.

Napa County reported 2,674 new coronavirus cases in December, more than doubling its November count, and 5,741 cases for 2020. Twenty-nine residents died as a result of COVID-19 during the year, including 11 in December, with the county reporting the last fatality on New Years Eve.

Fume argued the latest rules have unfairly targeted restaurant owners while other businesses classified as essential are allowed to remain open. Our industry cannot survive this uncalled for restriction, the eaterys letter stated, claiming that less than 2% of positive cases have been traced to restaurants.

Upton, responding to the statement, said that statistic refers to the percentage of industry workers testing positive for the virus, not to the rate of community spread linked to eateries.
Nigerias government condemned the International Criminal Court (ICC) for recommending a full investigation into possible war crimes by the nations security forces.

ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said last month a preliminary probe concluded that there is a reasonable basis to believe members of the Boko Haram militant group and security forces from the West African country committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. Judges at the Hague-based tribunal must approve her request in order for it to proceed.

The ICC is acting like another fighting force against Nigeria, constantly harassing our security forces and threatening them with investigation and possible prosecution, Information Minister Lai Mohammed said in a statement emailed January 4. Bensoudas actions are an unbridled attempt to demoralize our security men and women as they confront the onslaught from bandits and terrorists, he said.

Boko Haram insurgents have waged a violent campaign in northeastern Nigeria since 2009 to impose the groups version of Islamic law on Africas biggest oil producer, leaving thousands of people dead and millions displaced. The ICC opened its preliminary investigation a decade ago.

The probe found that, while the Islamist group and its splinter organizations are responsible for the vast majority of criminality, allegations against Nigerian security forces are also sufficiently grave to warrant investigation, according to a December 11 statement from Bensoudas office.

Nigeria did not join the ICC so it can become a pawn on the courts chessboard, Mohammed said. It beggars belief to see that a nation that is fighting an existential war against bandits and terrorists is constantly being held down by an international body which it willingly joined.
The number of coronavirus patients with serious symptoms in Tokyo hit a record 108 on Monday, exceeding the previous high of 105 logged in April last year during the state of emergency amid concerns over hospital capacity.

The metropolitan government reported 884 new infections the same day, bringing its cumulative total to 63,474, by far the largest among the country's 47 prefectures.

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike and her counterparts in Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama prefectures on Saturday urged the central government to issue a second state of emergency declaration for their areas, days after the capital reported more than 1,300 new coronavirus cases in a single day for the first time.

A government source said a fresh virus emergency declaration could be made later this week. But Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga hinted Monday that social and economic activities are unlikely to be halted across the board this time, saying the state of emergency should be implemented "in a limited and focused manner."
Chennai, Jan 4 (UNI) Nissan Motor India Private Limited



on Monday announced that it would soon export its new



compact SUV 'Magnite' to Indonesia and South Africa.



Talking to reporters, Company Managing Director Rakesh



Srivastava said the priority would be the domestic Indian



market where it has 32,800 confirmed bookings out of the



more than 1.20 lakh enquiries.



'The first two countries to which 'Magnite' will be exported



will be Indonesia and South Africa', he said.



He said in view of the good market response for the



'Magnite', its JV car plant with Renault near here



would commence third shift operations from next month.



UNI GV 1445
During her 40 years of working at the Jacksonville Walmart, Jennifer Furlong has noticed that old is often new again.

When I worked in toys, the big thing was Tickle Me Elmo. Now all of a sudden, Elmo is coming back. Care Bears are coming back. I think its nostalgia, everything is going retro, Furlong said. Record players are coming back out, you see a lot of vinyl records now, its all going back to the way it was when we were kids. So we may have to get our old bell-bottoms back out.

Furlong is a Jacksonville native who has lived in New Berlin for the past 33 years. She started her Walmart employment in 1980 at age 19, and the part-time job soon turned full-time. Walmart had taken over the old Mohr Value store in 1977, so Furlong has been employed by the local retail giant for almost its entire Jacksonville history.

They had only become Walmart a few years before, so I got in on the ground floor, Furlong said. I didnt know if I would stay for a long period of time, because I was young. But then I liked it very much so I stuck it out and made it a career.

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Furlong is a team lead in charge of the pets, health and beauty, pharmacy, paper goods and chemicals sections. She and her fellow associates have daily duties that include price changes, moving products and sales fixtures, checking in merchandise that arrives on trucks, plus special projects assigned by management.

But the primary duty of all Walmart associates is customer service.

Our customers are our number one priority. Without them, we dont have jobs, so we take care of them the best way that we can, Furlong said. I like helping the customers and I like to go beyond what they expect.

You have to want to be with people, Furlong said. You deal with customers whether they are happy or upset about something, we still have to treat all of the customers the same, with kindness no matter what.

Sometimes those customer relations are easy, especially when the associates notice acts of kindness from the customers themselves.

Weve had customers come in and pay for peoples layaways at Christmas. Thats a really nice thing to do, Furlong said. People just take care of each other. You might see it at the register, if someone doesnt have enough money to pay for their items, someone may hand them a few dollars to cover it.

On other days, the customer relations may be a bit more challenging.

My husband couldnt believe it was as crazy as it was the day after Thanksgiving, Furlong said. He actually saw somebody take something out of somebody elses shopping cart. He said I cannot believe they just did that, and I said oh, it gets better, just watch. People arguing over one dollar washcloths, things like that.

Sometimes, what customers do can be touching, or simply bizarre.

We had a customer and an associate who got married in the layaway section of the store because thats where they met, Furlong said. We also had a customer that mistook the fitting room for a restroom.

Furlong has been pleased to see the customers reactions to the COVID-19 precautions that Walmart has put in place.

Its been a little difficult at times with COVID but the customers have been really good, going along with whatever we can do, Furlong said. They really appreciate it.

Furlong said Walmart employees on every shift must perform temperature checks twice a day to guard against COVID-19 infections. Associates now park on the side of the building rather than in the front so they can enter the store through a separate entrance prior their temperature checks. Associates must also complete a thorough health self assessment before each shift, and they try to maintain social distancing between customers and other associates.

Furlong said the increased use of technology over the years has made it easier to do routine tasks in the store.

We have hand-held computers that we take out to the floor, where before you had to hand-key everything in the back room while everybody was trying to get on the computer to do it, Furlong said. So it takes less time to do certain things now. But there can be glitches when the computers go down.

Furlong just worked her 40th Christmas shopping season, which she said is her favorite time of year to be a Walmart associate.

I try to get people interested in different things, something they might not have seen before, Furlong said. I enjoy showing them how to use this or that, the positives or negatives about something.

Furlongs career has been full of memorable moments. She met Walmart founder Sam Walton when he visited the first Jacksonville store location and found that Walton was very kind and genuine and cared about his associates. The company sent Furlong and her husband to Walmart headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, for her 35th and 40th employment anniversaries and we were treated first class all the way, Furlong said.

Furlong hopes to retire from Walmart in the next couple of years. She and her husband have two grown children and a granddaughter that they will spend more time with after her retirement.

I have absolutely no regrets about my years with Walmart, its a great company for anybody to work for, Furlong said. I really like the people that I work with. They are my second family.
66 Shares Share

The COVID-19 vaccine has failed.

I dont mean that the vaccine itself doesnt workfar from it. I mean the ineffective way such an important lifesaving, pandemic-ending vaccine is being rolled out. The slovenly effort is putting the lives of millions of Americans at risk. At the vaccines current injection rates, or even if they got it to 1 million a day, itll still take a year before all Americans are fully vaccinated! With 3,000+ people dying from COVID-19 every day, every minute matters. We are running out of time.

With health care still in unqualified government officials hands, states have failed to deliver the vaccine to the American people. Once again, the government-run system has failed.

This feet in cement comedy of errors exemplifies why U.S. health care is failing: The government is running it. Health care has become increasingly entrenched in bureaucracy, and health care providers have little to no say in giving effective, efficient care to their patients.

The heroic efforts by Pfizer and Moderna to develop, test, and distribute this vaccine are spectacular. But, getting this vaccine into the arms of patients has exposed the incompetence of the government-run system. The American people are seeing this fiasco play out in the front row of a bad movie. Now they know what weve known for years!

Speed and efficiency, when it counts, has been sacrificed.

Doctors cant even get paid fairly without deciphering endless walls of medical codes only intelligible to trained professionals.

Staff at insurance companies with no medical training dictate what constitutes reimbursable care. Their interference fundamentally disrupts the doctor-patient relationship, delays or prevents care delivery, and presents new obstacles to new approaches that would improve patient outcomes and reduce costs.

Since the Affordable Care Act, health care in America has become an even greater bureaucratic nightmare than before. What started as incremental interference in the relationship between doctor and patient with the passage of the Medicare Act of 1965 is now an impenetrable barrier made up of governmental and health care insurance industry red tape. The result is higher costs and greater inefficiencies.

Despite the political debates and media coverage on health care policy and reform, there remains little or no feedback from the people in the trenchesthe physicians and other health care professionals who provide care to the patients. It is imperative that we, as clinicians, challenge the increasingly entrenched bureaucracy in our health care system. Doctors, nurses, and patients need to have a voice in the problems engulfing care.

Like many who set out to be doctors, I went into health care because I wanted to help and to heal. I want to provide my patients with the care they need, at the time they need it, minimizing any interference to that process.

It is imperative that we educate Americans on the root causes of our health care systems problems and demand meaningful reformnot just reform for reforms sake.

As a profession, we must accept some blame for many of the developing problems in health care delivery. No, I am not suggesting that we caused the problem. I am stating that we have had ample opportunities to manage the debacle and even reverse some disturbing trends, yet we rarely allow our voices to be heard.

Is health care reform impossible? It certainly isnt. But we, as doctors, need to step up to the plate, to stand up to the growing bureaucracy in the system, and make sure our voices are heard. Change will be long, slow, and painful, but we cant allow the system to continue to swallow us whole. We cant allow a broken system to continue to mismanage something as important as the COVID-19 vaccine.

Fellow health care providers, the change must come from us.

Alejandro Badia is an orthopedic surgeon and author of Healthcare from the Trenches. He can be reached at Healthcare from the Trenches and on Facebook and Instagram @badiahandtoshouldercenter.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (round blue objects), also known as novel coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19, emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab which was isolated from a patient in the United States. (NIAID-RML/Handout via Reuters)

Chinese Authorities Block Foreign Medias Probe Into Origin of CCP Virus Prior to WHOs Visit

The BBC and the Associated Press (AP) recently reported that Chinese authorities prevented their journalists from visiting mineshafts and bat caves in Chinas Yunnan Province, where a team of Chinese scientists conducted research on the source of the CCP virus, which sparked the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization will send a team of scientists to China this month to investigate the origin of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, known by the scientific name SARS-CoV-2. But the international community has questioned WHOs role in enabling the Chinese regime to conceal the spread of the virus in the early stages of the outbreak.

The bat caves are located in an abandoned copper mine deep in the mountains of Tongguan, a town in Mojiang county of Yunnan Province, in southwestern China. The BBC pointed out that many samples taken from the caves have been transferred to the Wuhan Institute of Virologya lab located near the Huanan food market that authorities initially hypothesized as the source of the outbreak.

According to the BBC, when its team tried to visit the caves, they were followed by plainclothes police officers and other officials in unmarked cars.

The AP also reported that its journalists were tailed by Chinese security personnel and denied entry into one of the caves in late November. The report pointed out that samples taken from the caves by a bat research team were confiscated. However, some scientists who are affiliated with the Chinese military are allowed on the site, but the Chinese regime is closely monitoring their findings and mandates that the publication of any research must be approved by a new task force managed by the central government, under direct orders from Chinese leader Xi Jinping, according to internal documents obtained by the AP.

The abandoned copper mine in Tongguan that the BBC team wanted to visit may have been infected with bat coronavirus as early as 2012, when six copper mine workers contracted a mysterious disease, which eventually claimed the lives of three of them, the Sunday Times reported in summer 2020.

Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli is seen inside the P4 laboratory, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, in Wuhan, capital of Chinas Hubei Province, on Feb. 23, 2017. (JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images)

Virologist Shi Zhengli of the Wuhan Institute of Virology published her findings on the bat coronavirus RaTG13 in the scientific journal Nature in February. She claims the whole genome homology with the COVID-19 in this outbreak is 96.2 percent. The state official media China News reported on Sept. 21 that there was a sequence named TG13 in the database of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which had been previously discovered by Shis team in a Yunnan mineshaft in 2013.

Shi and her team have taken samples from the bat caves for five years and detected 293 kinds of coronaviruses in the collected samples. And bat coronaviruses have been found to infect people at the end of 2017, according to the BBC report.

On Feb. 5, 2020, the Chinese state-run media The Beijing News published an article which claimed that Shis team discovered that the bat coronavirus infected people. The report said that in October 2015, the team tested blood serum samples from 218 villagers who lived near two of the bat caves in Yunnan. Six people tested positive for a coronavirus similar to SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome).

Scientists say it is likely SARS-CoV-2 originated in animals, though they are still unclear how the virus jumped to humans.

The chief virus expert of the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences and major general Chen Wei said in a speech that the authorities began producing COVID-19 vaccines on Feb. 26, just one month and three days after the authorities announced that Wuhan was sealed off due to the outbreak, according to Chinese news portal Sohu. The outside world generally questioned how Chens team developed a vaccine in such a short time.

Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Dec. 21 that she doesnt doubt that for one second that the CCP has deliberately blocked information about the danger of the virus, causing it to spread.

U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) said in an interview with Fox Business News: China knew about this virus. They failed to warn us. They lied to us and they covered up and then denied doing that.

The WHO and Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus have been criticized by the international community for enabling the Chinese regime to cover up the severity and scale of the CCP virus when it first broke out in Wuhan city a year ago, despite evidence that authorities suppressed those who tried to sound the alarm about the disease. The WHO repeatedly praised Beijings handling of the situation and waited until Jan. 30 to declare the outbreak a global health emergency.

The WHO announced in July that it would send an investigative team to Yunnan to identify the source of the CCP virus. According to Reuters, the group is expected to go to China in the first week of January.
The unexpectedly rapid rise of renewables is driving more and more clean and cheap energy into the electricity grid, but urgent reforms are needed to avoid price rises and power failures, according to the Commonwealth's Energy Security Board.

A deluge of new wind and solar projects, in addition to household rooftop solar, is outstripping predictions.

Renewable energy is on track to grow from its current 37 per cent market share to supply 94 per cent of the grid by 2040. Credit:Janie Barrett

Energy Security Board chair Kerry Schott said the current growth in renewables was on track with the fastest rate of change foreseen by the Australian Energy Market Operator, released in its official modelling in July.

The market operator's "step change" scenario anticipates renewables will grow from 37 per cent of the energy mix in 2020 to 63 per cent by 2030 and 94 per cent by 2040.
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Prosecutor General Andrei Shved to receive his report on 4 January, BelTA reported.

We planned to talk about certain issues, which we outlined earlier. You have been on this post for four months, which is equivalent to one year given the current Belarusian realities. I think you have your own opinion, have made certain conclusions. I would like to hear from you the assessment of those many cases, which were meant, according to our rivals and opponents, to paralyze the law enforcement system. Nothing got paralyzed. The law enforcement system works as it should, the president noted.

The head of state noted that over time the situation regarding the fight against crime will be analyzed together with all law enforcement agencies. Please think over how we do it. We need to carry out this comprehensive analysis and draw appropriate conclusions. We should look at the legislation. Now all countries are improving their laws. For example, the Russian Federation has revised the basic laws to beef up the defense and security of citizens," the president noted.

As I predicted before the presidential election, the pandemic would be used by major players on the international stage to divide the world. From a purely medical problem, the pandemic has grown into not just an economic problem, but a geopolitical one. This was to be expected as it never was a medical problem. Nevertheless, we need to keep this in mind to stay afloat in the year ahead. 2021 will be a challenging year for Belarus and we need to do our best to stand firm and preserve our sovereignty, stressed Aleksandr Lukashenko. He added that all the issues that have been planned for discussion during the meeting are related, one way or another, to politics.
Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, on his second visit in two weeks time to West Bengal, engaged with Matuas, a Dalit refugee group with origins in Bangladesh and whose influence is spread over 50 assembly seats in the state.

Maurya, an OBC leader, not only connected with Matuas, but also spoke of the alleged neglect of Bangladeshi Hindu community, who he claimed were denied citizenship rights due to vote bank concerns, said BJP men accompanying Maurya on his Bengal campaign.

As soon as we form our government in West Bengal, we will restore the dignity of Bangladeshi Hindus and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) could well help to ensure that they get their due. The BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modis leadership has been doing a series of things for the poor but the benefits arent reaching Bengal, Maurya said while addressing a meeting of intellectuals in Uluberia assembly segment.

Maurya played up the Hindu factor with a reason. In the 2018 Lok Sabha bypolls in Uluberia, the BJP had put up a Hindu candidate while TMC, Left and Congress had fielded Muslims. It stood second in the bypolls after TMC, pushing the Left behind and relegating the Congress to the fourth position, BJP leaders said.

Engaging with such key vote banks as indeed playing the Hindu card is part of BJPs plan in West Bengal for which a host of senior party leaders from UP are being drafted and with a reason.

In the 2017 UP polls, the BJP had targeted OBCs and Dalits in a big way to come to power in the most populous state after 14 years. Ever since, the BJP has continued to connect with OBCs and backwards to retain its political dominance.

A series of meetings featuring chief minister Yogi Adityanath too are being drafted.

The BJP has drafted battle hardened leaders from UP to Bengal who have started mixing patriotism, Bengali culture and Hindu pride to create a potent mix, which they believe would help them form their first ever government in Bengal, said Maluka Khanna, a political science professor from Lucknow University.

There is great demand for Yogi Adityanaths rallies in WB, a senior BJP leader said.

Various cadres from UP, committed to the party and its ideology, including those who know Bengali language and culture would be regularly sent to Bengal to establish connection with the electorate there through road corner meetings, party leaders said.

Even bigger leaders would be holding local meets, some of them even making door-to-door visits, a BJP leader said, adding that close to the elections, a massive blitzkrieg would be unleashed.

Khanna said that the partys growing vote share in Bengal has made the BJP more confident about Mission Bengal than it ever was.

Since 2016 the BJP has been playing up the issue of incidents like clashes in Dhulagarh where it charged the TMC government of remaining quiet on the issue of atrocities on Hindus who it claimed were at the receiving end of clashes. In the 2016 assembly elections, the BJP improved its vote share to 10.3 per cent against 4.1 per cent votes it got in the 2011 polls. In the 2014 LS polls, the BJP got 17 per cent votes and won two seats too. In the 2019 LS polls the BJP won 40.3 per cent vote. So the partys graph has been growing, said Maluka Khanna, a professor of political science from Lucknow University (LU).
Zara Holland has been charged with breaking coronavirus laws in Barbados

She tried to flee isle with boyfriend Elliott Love after he tested positive for Covid

The duo 'were given red wrist bands' but allegedly cut them off and tried to flee

Police found the pair's 300-a-night hotel room empty when they raided it

Officers then raced to the airport where they said that they 'intercepted' the pair

Former Love Island star has since issued an apology to the people of Barbados

Police in Barbados today released details (above) of Zara Holland's dramatic arrest

Zara Holland was 'intercepted at the airport' after fleeing her hotel in Barbados, police today revealed.

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Officers on the Caribbean island found the Love Island star's 350-a-night hotel room empty when they raided it last Sunday, a police statement revealed.

Police on the island gave full details of the 25-year-old's arrest after she tried to leave the country when her boyfriend Elliott Love, 30, tested positive for Covid.

Miss Holland will appear in court on Wednesday where she faces up to a year in prison and an 18,000 fine.

Entitled Breach of Quarantine, the statement says: 'Police at Hastings Worthing Police Station have warned Zara Holland, 25 years old, a citizen of Great Britain and staying at the Sugar Bay Hotel, Hastings, Christ Church of intended prosecution for the offence of Breaching Quaratine.

Facts. The accused arrived on the island on Sunday, December 27th, 2020, and was tested for the Coronavirus on December 28th, 2020, and reportedly instructed to remain at the Sugar Bay Hotel, Hastings, Christ Church untilt the results were known. On Tuesday December 29th 2020 Personnel from the COVID-19 Unit visited the hotel and discovered that Zara Holland had left without permission.

Miss Holland, 25, has been charged with breaking coronavirus laws after she tried to flee Barbados with her boyfriend. Pictured: The model on holiday in Barbados in 2019

The former Miss England and her partner Elliott Love (pictured together) breached quarantine conditions to remain at their hotel when Mr Love tested positive for the virus on Tuesday

Police found the star's 300-a-night room at the Sugar Bay resort hotel (pictured) empty after they raided it and officers raced to intercept the couple at the airport as they tried to leave

Click here to resize this module

She was intercepted at Grantley Adams International Airport attempting to leave the island.

On Saturday January 02, 2021, Zara Holland presented herself to Hastings Worthing Police Station accompanied by an Attorney at law, she was served with a summons in respect of the mentioned offence and is expected to appear at the District A Magistrates Court on Wednesday 06th 2021.

The couple were initially placed in isolation at a specialist Covid-19 quarantine facility in northern Barbados but Miss Holland has since been released after testing negative for a second time for the virus and is now confined to her hotel room.

When Mr Love tested positive for Covid on arrival last Sunday, the couple were given red wristbands and told to remain in their room at the 300-a-night Sugar Bay Hotel until they were taken to a quarantine centre on the north of the island.

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Instead, they booked a British Airways flight, cut off their wristbands and took a taxi to the airport where, according to a local source, their names raised some red flags with airport officials because of their short turnaround time in the country. Police were then alerted.

Miss Holland issued a grovelling apology to Barbados after what she called a 'mix up'

They were arrested and taken to St Lucys District Hospital, a basic unit where tourists quarantine until they can provide two negative tests. Mr Love remains at the hospital.

When Zara, from North Ferriby, East Yorkshire, was released, she returned to the Sugar Bay Hotel where she had been staying but was asked to leave by the manager and relocated to the Hilton.

'She went back to the Sugar Bay hotel after she was released from quarantine but the manager told her she had to leave because she had brought shame on the hotel by breaching the Covid-19 protocol,' added the source.

On Saturday she issued a grovelling apology to the islands government and its furious residents, claiming the couples actions were the result of a massive mix-up and misunderstanding.

She told island newspaper Barbados Today: 'I want to apologise to the entire country of Barbados for what has been a massive mix-up and misunderstanding. I would never do anything to jeopardise an entire nation that I have nothing but love and respect for.

It comes as a petition calling for the the Love Island star and her partner to be jailed was reached more than 1,000 people on Change.org today.

The petition read: 'They broke the law, but also broke the trust of the wonderfully open, kind and welcoming people of Barbados. They acted with a level of selfishness and entitlement that beggars belief.

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'They undermined the huge amount of work that had been done by the government and people of Barbados to suppress community transmission and the didn't just risk the livelihoods of Bajans, the risked their lives.'

In Barbados this week, the Daily Nation reported: 'The couple, who have been dating for four years, arrived here last Sunday aboard a Virgin Atlantic flight and were to be quarantining in a Christ Church hotel. Visitors have to be cleared after two mandatory tests, which usually take about three days.

Mr Love is holed up at The Paragon Isolation Centre (above) after he tested positive for Covid

'However, after Ministry of Health officials informed them that one of them had tested positive, the couple apparently removed their red wristbands, boarded a taxi to Grantley Adams International Aiport and attempted to book a flight back to the United Kingdom aboard British Airways.

'Sources said while the male is in isolation until he recovers from the virus, the 25-year-old model who won a major beauty contest in the UK, was under quarantine until tests prove that she did not have the virus. However, if she turns out to be positive, she too will be isolated.'

A tourist was jailed for six months earlier this week for breaching Barbados' strict Covid-19 protocols, even though he had only popped out for a drink.

Dean George Scott, 49, from Jamaica, admitted leaving quarantine to 'buy Fanta' and other snacks after arriving on the holiday island at the beginning of December, when he appeared in court.

Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes said the sentence served as a 'clear warning' to others.

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He said: 'I got to send a message to you and to all the other people that this cannot be tolerated. We have made too much gain, so you have to do six months. Walking out of quarantine no man, this cannot be allowed.'
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No decision has been made on school closures yet (stock image)

Schools may remain closed until the end of the month under plans being considered by government to stop the rapid spread of Covid-19.

Primary and secondary schools were due to reopen next Monday but the Cabinet is set to consider keeping them closed for another two or three weeks.

The moves comes as 6,110 new Covid-19 cases were recorded along with six deaths. Meanwhile, 776 patients remained in hospital last night after testing positive for Covid-19 while 70 people were in intensive care units.

Read More

A Cabinet Committee on Covid-19 will meet to discuss the escalating public health crisis and a key focus of the meeting will be on schools.

Party leaders and ministers will consider asking schools to remain closed to stop the spread of the virus among students, teachers and their parents.

Plans are also being discussed to keep some schools open for the children of frontline workers and those with disabilities or from disadvantaged areas.

A Government source said schools would be closed not because they are unsafe but to stop the movement of around a million people.

A decision on schools in Ireland is not expected until Wednesday when Cabinet meets to discuss recommendations from Nphet.

However, a Fine Gael minister told Independent.ie: schools will not fully reopen next week. A Fianna Fail minister said they would be very surprised if the Government did not to keep schools closed for longer after delaying their reopening until January 11.

A government spokesperson said: Schools will be discussed at cabinet committee and then Cabinet.

The Taoiseach had discussions with the opposition leaders today to update them on the situation, he added.

Education Minister Norma Foley will update the cabinet sub committee on the school situation tomorrow morning.

Today she met the education partners and also listened to concerns expressed by members of the Opposition

Ms Foley said tonight that she was acutely aware of the challenges facing the reopening of schools due to the rapid spread of Covid-19 through society and shares the concerns raised in this regard.

The minister noted the huge efforts made by school communities in the last term and the successful and safe operation of schools to date and gave a reassurance that funding was in place to ensure that all schools would be able to meet their PPE costs during these challenging times.

Meanwhile, Green Party deputy leader Catherine Martin is understood to be cautious about the reopening of schools.

Ms Martin, a former school teacher, believes that even if Nphet recommend opening schools it will have to be done very differently to ensure teachers, pupils and their parents are kept safe.

However, Minister of State in the Department of Education Josepha Madigan insisted today that there is no advice against reopening schools next week.

If schools do reopen the primary teachers union INTO wants them to have the flexibility to shut and switch to remote learning if Covid makes it too difficult for them to stay open.

That was part of a back-up plan presented by the INTO to Education Minister Norma Foley today.

The union is concerned that some principals may find themselves facing high levels of Covid-related staff absence and will not be able to secure a substitute to allow them to open the school safely.

Amid mounting concerns about the rapid increase in cases, Ms Foley is attending a series of meetings with education partners, such as teacher unions and school management bodies, and Opposition politicians today.

Up to now, schools had no authority to close to deal with the fall-out from a Covid outbreaks unless Public Health officials made such a recommendation.

In the first term, some schools took a unilateral decision to shut but were forced into a U-turn by the Department of Education.

But if the Government decides that school are to re-open in the current rapidly deteriorating circumstances INTO says principals must have more autonomy .

We flagged a potential problem where large numbers of school staff may be absent when schools do reopen, and we want flexibility to move to remote learning where necessary.

We are expecting staffing to become an issue because we are expecting more people to have to self-isolate. We already know there is tremendous pressure on a lot of schools in relation to accessing subs and we know it will become harder for some schools, an INTO spokesperson said.

While accepting that the opening or closure of schools generally depends on public health advice, the INTO says up-to-date information must inform the decision.

Among the issues about which the INTO is seeking a better understanding is around the transmissibility of the new UK variant  which some scientists believe spreads more easily among children - and whether existing social distancing rules still work.

The union is also asking that education staff be moved up the vaccination priority lists and want Public Health to conduct a review of the wearing of face masks by primary pupils and staff.

Under the existing rules, pupils are not required to wear face coverings and staff have certain discretion about when the wear them.

Groups advocating for students with special needs want Education Minister Norma Foley and Junior Minister for special education Josepha Madigan to ensure that provision is in place for children with special needs should schools not return on schedule

The autism charity, AsIAm, Down Syndrome Ireland and Inclusion Ireland have previously expressed concerns that the system failed children with the greatest needs during last years education lockdown.

They have written to the two ministers on the matter this evening and want the authorities to explore a range of options to allow for continuity of learning for vulnerable pupils in the event of a second closure.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said Ms Foley will report to Cabinet on Wednesday.

Nphet will also provide advice on that. But before any of that we have a Covid Cabinet subcommittee meeting tomorrow so we will look at it there before going into Cabinet, he said.

That balancing equation is between the public health benefit, which is real, of having or not having our children in school, versus whatever's happening in the wider pandemic, Mr Ryan said. But our schools have shown they can operate safely in difficult circumstances. So, we'll wait for that advice.

Asked if Ireland had to follow Britain automatically if the UK decides to extend school holidays, Mr Ryan said Ireland was taking independent advice from Nphet and from the Department of Education.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said public health officials had not made a recommendation to keep schools closed, but that discussion on the issue are ongoing.

He told RTEs News at One: We have to allow the experts time they need to examine the latest evidence.

We have to wait until Wednesday or Thursday before theres a decision in relation to this.

There are ongoing conversations obviously across government, and with the public health team.

However, I think it is reasonable to assume that government on Wednesday morning will make a decision on this.

Mr Donnelly acknowledged that parents, teachers and students need clarity on the issue as soon as possible.

He said: Now I understand, Im a dad myself, Ive got three young children. Im in the same position as a lot of people listening right now.

I understand people need clarity. Parents want clarity, students want clarity, teachers and principals, obviously, they want clarity and they want as much notice as possible. That is right and proper that they would seek those things, he added.

Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan will make a presentation to the Cabinet Sub Committee on Covid-19 tomorrow on the escalating situation which has seen new cases skyrocket since Christmas.

The meeting will be attended by the leaders of the three Government parties along with several senior ministers and their officials.

After the meeting, ministers will discuss the best course of action for dealing with the third wave of Covid-19.

Once a decision is made, a memo will be drafted and brought before Cabinet on Wednesday.

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Irish Independent
Zero new locally acquired COVID-19 cases were reported in NSW on Monday, but two new cases recorded after the reporting period in Sydney's west indicate the state is not out of the woods yet.

The two cases, which will be included in Tuesday's numbers, were both linked to the Berala cluster in western Sydney: a man in his 40s who visited BWS Berala on December 24 and a woman in her 40s who had attended the BWS as well as the suburb's Woolworths.

Zero cases: Acting NSW Premier John Barilaro addresses the media on Monday. Credit:Brook Mitchell

Health authorities have again asked anyone who attended BWS Berala between December 22 and December 31 to get tested and self-isolate for 14 days.

People who attended Berala Woolworths on December 24 from 9pm to 9.30pm, December 26 from 7pm to 7.30pm, December 28 from 7.15pm to 7.45pm and December 31 from 10am to noon should also get tested and self-isolate until they receive a negative result.
After 2020, we are all ready for a little more hope in the New Year. And what better place to start than with hopeful New Year Bible verses to guide us?

Hope can be a frightening prospect when so much has let us down for so long: our state of public health, our economy, and our faith in a society that seems broken in far too many ways.

But as Christians, we have a hope greater than anything our mortal world can offer. A hope that springs eternal from the one who will never forsake us. The only power strong enough to work all things for the good.

So as we look to a new year of renewal, lets take a moment to consider where our true hope comes from and draw strength from the promises in his word. 48 verses that remind us of the new covenant, new creation, new hope, and new song that walking closely with him will bring us, no matter the road.

What Does the Bible Say about the New Year?

According to the Old Testament, New Years is a 10-day festival in the seventh liturgical month, the September holiday we know as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (Leviticus 16:29-34). It is a time of repentance and atonement. A celebration of life and death. Sacrifice and hope.

Under the old law, the New Year was the most important time of the year to reconcile yourself to God. It was a time of atonement and cleansing of sin. A time when your name could either be inscribed in the book of life or condemned to death without the proper repentance rituals.

It was the kind of New Year celebrated by Jesus and his disciples. But it ended on a very ironic note in the last year of Jesuss life.

The high priest in that day, the only one approved for entry into the Holy of Holies in the New Year, was none other than Joseph ben Caiaphas, the Pharisee who rejected the life offered by our Savior and condemned him to death with the Sanhedrin he later led.

Much like the dysfunction we see in our world today, a system, even one delivered by a perfect and unerring God, quickly became broken in the hands of its human stewards.

For Christians, this signifies the birth of a new covenant and a new set of spiritual guidelines for the New Year and every day of our lives.

How Should Christians View the New Year?

While we are not bound by Mosaic law, some of the traditional New Year principles can still be relevant to our new covenant in Christ.

Although Jesus has replaced the sacrificial animals and scapegoats demanded by Yom Kippur, it is helpful to reflect on the sacrifice that was required to free us of our sins. A time to pledge death to the things that draw us away from God as we look forward to the renewal that a life aligned with him will always give us.

After the challenges of 2020, I think it is particularly helpful to let go of the despair that was all too tempting to give into and remember that we have a God who will always be greater than any giant we face. A pledge to silence the noise that distracts us from him as we renew our faith in our creator, redeemer, and helper.

And what better way to do that than by starting the year with 48 New Year Bible verses that remind us of the new covenant, new creation, new hope, and new song God has promised us?

48 Hopeful New Year Bible Verses

There are countless Bible verses on the new life and new promises God offers, far too many to discuss in a single article. However, focusing on the new covenant, new creation, new hope, and new song God promises can give us a good starting point as we look to a new year.

12 Hopeful Verses for Our New Covenant

Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all Isaiah 65:8.

Although Isaiah is likely referring to the Jewish elect here, new wine is one of Jesuss hallmark descriptors of his new covenant. Therefore, Christians can be reminded that we are endowed with a spiritual new wine that will save us from judgment and destruction whatever the year may bring.

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah Jeremiah 31:31.

For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah Hebrews 8:8.

In his 31st chapter, Jeremiah describes a new covenant that will herald the Messianic era. Paul echoes these words in his letter to the Hebrews to remind the Jewish people that their sin problem has only one solution. But this is also relevant to Christians as we look to a new year. All of the woes that plagued Gods people in the Old Testament and the sins that still torment us today have been reconciled by our Savior in a new and unbreakable covenant.

For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom Matthew 26:28-29 (Mark 14:24-25, 1 Corinthians 11:25).

The new covenant of Jesus came at the costliest price possible: the death and blood of God incarnate, our righteous Messiah. Because of his sacrifice, we can join him in the kingdom he has prepared for us. A kingdom greater than anything we could ever imagine on earth. The New Year is the perfect time to remember that just as Jesus had to suffer to give us a new beginning, we are going to face trials that will nonetheless lead to a brighter tomorrow if we stay faithful to the covenant where our eternal hope lies.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life John 3:16.

Our new covenant was the greatest act of love our world has ever known. Our creator who loved us enough to save us with the sacrifice of his only son, if only we believed in him. Knowing this should renew our hope far beyond the new year to the greater life to come. A life bought with the love and sacrifice of a father who will never forsake us.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life John 5:24.

Even though God doesnt promise us our lives will be easy, all we have to do is believe and we can look forward to a forever life, and a forever new year.

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another John 13:34.

As we start the new year, the best way to be faithful to the God who loves us is to show that love to our neighbors. It is one of the greatest commandments of our new covenant in Christ.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends John 15:13.

This is a powerful reminder that we are loved by the greatest love of all, no matter what challenges the new year may bring.

Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life 2 Corinthians 3:6.

But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter Romans 7:6.

And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritanceHebrews 9:15.

Paul repeats in several different letters that we are living under new covenant that replaces the old redemption statutes. Although we rarely quibble over Mosaic law, sometimes Christians get hung up on details that dont really matter in Gods eyes. Maybe we dont always get ourselves together with grace or flair for Sunday services. Maybe a pandemic has forced us to miss them entirely. But Christs sacrifice is all we need to inherit Gods promises. Gods spirit is our one true source of power and life. None of the outer trappings or things of the flesh are needed.

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby 1 Peter 2:2.

As we begin a new year, one of the best ways to grow in service to God is to study his word.

14 Hopeful Verses for our New Creation

And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh Ezekiel 11:19.

Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Ezekiel 18:31.

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh Ezekiel 36:26.

Even though we are not under Old Testament law, being faithful to our new covenant in Christ will give us a new heart and save us from death and destruction, as the prophet described.

And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name Isaiah 62:2.

Being faithful to God will give us a new name and a new light to shine into the world in the new year and all the years to come.

No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved Matthew 9:16-17 (Mark 2:21-22, Luke 5:36-37).

Jesus explained that living under his grace will require us to become changed people and new creations.

Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old Matthew 13:52.

Following the teachings of Christ will make us richer and of greater value than following any other teaching, even that of the Old Testament.

Jesus answered Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit John 3:5-6.

Being a Christian requires us to be born again as a new creation in the eternal realm of the spirit. The most important things to look forward to in the new year are not the things that belong to the world, but to Gods eternal kingdom.

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit John 3:8.

If we belong to Christ, we will be free of the world. Like the wind, we cannot be held to it, no matter what the year may bring.

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life Romans 6:4.

Following Christ will put the ways of sin to death and raise us up into a higher calling and life in the spirit.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Belonging to Christ will make us a new creation and a new person. We should all challenge ourselves to let Christ be the one to make us new this year, not a date on the calendar.

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Ephesians 4:24.

Being a new creation in Christ means striving to please God with righteous thoughts and actions.

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him Colossians 3:10.

Being a new creation to Christ means striving to know him better so we can reflect his image.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it Revelation 2:17.

Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. Revelation 3:12.

Even in the last days, being faithful to God will give us an eternal identity and a new name in his mysterious, supernatural kingdom.

12 Hopeful Verses for a New Hope

Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness Psalms 65:11.

This is the perfect New Years verse to remind us that God is our crown of goodness and abundance for every year and that all good things we hope to look forward to come from him.

For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind Isaiah 65:17.

In the New Year, the prophets of old remind us that we can look to a new day where all our struggles and sorrow will be behind us forever.

For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain Isaiah 66:22.

God is not only preparing a new world but wants to write our names into eternity with him.

Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of themIsaiah 42:9.

The new year is a perfect time to remember that we have already been told of the new hope and new promises to come.

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert Isaiah 43:19.

Even in harsh places, even when it seems impossible, God will fulfill his promises.

Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them Isaiah 48:6.

God wants us to remember his promises and put them where they belong in our lives: first above all the idols of the world.

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness Lamentations 3:23.

Even when we get discouraged, God will always be faithful to us. His blessings await us every morning if we put our focus, trust, and hope in him.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth out of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim Joel 3:18.

Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness 2 Peter 3:13

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea Revelation 21:1.

And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband Revelation 21:2.

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful Revelation 21:5.

Many prophets have received visions of the new world that awaits us, but even they couldnt fully comprehend the magnitude of the new life God is planning to give us. As Christians, it is our responsibility to look to this hope above the world that competes for our allegiance and to tell others about it, as the Lord commanded the disciples and the prophets to do.

10 Hopeful Verses for a New Song

Songs are instruments of joy and praise. The hallmark of celebration. A practice the prophets describe continuing for eternity in heaven. Despite the struggles of a difficult year, God does not want to see his faithful downcast. To be filled with God is to be filled with joy. And songs are one of the greatest expressions of joy in the spirit. So perhaps the most hopeful verses of the new year remind us that God wants to bless us with an unending supply of joy and songs to share now and every new year to come.

Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise Psalm 33:3.

And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord Psalm 40:3.

Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery. Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day Psalm 81:1-3.

O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth Psalm 96:1.

O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvelous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory Psalm 98:1.

I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto theePsalm 144:9.

Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints Psalm 149:1.

Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof Isaiah 42:10.

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation Revelation 5:9.

And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth Revelation 14:3.

Prayer for the New Year

Dear Lord, as we look to a New Year, help us not to look away from you, the renewer of all. Help us to be faithful to our new covenant in Christ, transformed as a new creation in your image, patient as we await the new hope of your perfect promises, and joyful in new songs of praise you earn every day of our lives.

Photo credit: GettyImages/Anastasia Dobrusina

Work looks a lot like fun for Kristi Cain and includes inspirational blogging, writing fantastical stories of Christian fiction, teaching English to teens, and being able to say, Im a former journalist. Home is nestled in the Smoky Mountain foothills with her husband and teenage children. If you ever want a little encouragement in your day, visit her blog. You can also check out her website for her latest happenings and join her Facebook group, a lively, faith-based community.
A Delhi court has dismissed an application filed by JNU student and Pinjra Tod member Natasha Narwal, for preservation of mobile numbers, customer application forms, and call detail records of witnesses, including police officials, in the conspiracy case related to the north east Delhi riots.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat said Narwal seemed to be doing a fishing and roving enquiry as she had sought for a wholesome call detail records (CDRs) of the witnesses including protected witnesses for a period of many months and it was not for a specific instance or a date and with certainty.

The court said privacy was also an issue while stating that there were various issues of safety and security of police officials and their informers which has to be accounted for while dealing with such an application.

The application had sought preservation of call detail records of 26 witnesses, including protected witnesses and police officials, from December 2019 to April 2020 and from the period of April 2020 till date of recording of their statements. It had said that there were reasons to believe that the witnesses were not present at the sites of the protests as indicated in their statements.

It further alleged that the witnesses were called to the Special Cell police station several times prior to the actual date of recording of their statements.

Narwal, along with another Pinjra Tod member Devangana Kalita, has been arrested for hatching a conspiracy to orchestrate riots.
Bharat Biotech aims to recruit 26,000 volunteers across the country for the Phase-3 trials; it has crossed the 23,000-volunteer mark. (AFP)

Hyderabad: City-based Bharat Biotech on Sunday described the permission for emergency use of Covaxin, the companys homegrown vaccine for Covid-19, as a giant leap for innovation and novel product development in India.

Serum Institute of India (SII) said it is ready to roll out Covishield vaccine in the coming weeks.

Happy new year, everyone! All the risks @SerumInstIndia took with stockpiling the vaccine, have finally paid off. Covishield, India's first Covid-19 vaccine is approved, safe, effective and ready to roll-out in the coming weeks, SII Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla said in a Tweet.

The company has stockpiled around 5 crore dosages of the vaccine and aims to produce up to 10 crore per month by March next year.

Bharat Biotech Chairman and Managing Director Krishna Ella said, The approval of Covaxin for emergency use is a giant leap for innovation and novel product development in India. It is a proud moment for the nation and a great milestone in India's scientific capability, a kickstart to the innovation ecosystem in India.

While this vaccine addresses an unmet medical need during this pandemic, the company's goal is to provide global access to populations that need it the most, Ella said in a statement. Covaxin has generated excellent safety data with robust immune responses to multiple viral proteins that persist.

Covaxin has been indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology. Bharat Biotech aims to recruit 26,000 volunteers across the country for the Phase-3 trials; it has crossed the 23,000-volunteer mark.

Zydus Cadila said it has received DCGI approval to initiate phase III clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D. It will be initiating a phase III clinical trial in around 30,000 volunteers.

ZyCoV-D was found to be safe, well-tolerated and immunogenic in Phase I and II clinical trials, Zydus Cadila said in a statement.

The Phase II study of ZyCoV-D had been conducted in over 1,000 healthy adult volunteers as part of the adaptive Phase I/II dose-escalation, multi-centric, randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled study, the drug firm said.

We are reaching a critical milestone in our vaccine development programme and towards our goal of helping people fight the pandemic with an indigenously discovered, safe and efficacious vaccine, Zydus Group Chairman Pankaj R. Patel said.

The launch of the Phase 3 trial will determine the efficacy of the company's vaccine in preventing Covid-19, which continues to pose a major threat world over, he added.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Love Island Australia's Tayla Damir has lashed out at popular Instagram account Celeb Spellcheck for poking fun at influencers by correcting their poor spelling.

The reality star, 23, was left mortified on Saturday after Celeb Spellcheck reposted one of her recent Instagram posts in which she misspelled the word 'tournament'.

The image showed Tayla and her boyfriend, AFL player Nathan Broad, posing in matching pyjamas on New Year's Day, alongside the caption: 'Beer pong tornament [sic].'

Hitting back: Love Island star Tayla Damir has lashed out at popular Instagram account Celeb Spellcheck for poking fun at influencers by correcting their poor spelling

Celeb Spellcheck shared the image on Saturday, adding the snarky caption, 'Nothing's fine I'm torn' - referencing the lyrics from the Natalie Imbruglia song Torn.

Tayla promptly retaliated, writing a lengthy rant on Instagram accusing the account of 'opening up the door for bullies'.

'A couple of months ago I came across an account called celebspellcheck,' she began.

The post that spelled disaster: Tayla, 23, was left mortified on Saturday after Celeb Spellcheck reposted one of her recent Instagram posts in which she misspelled the word 'tournament'. Pictured with her boyfriend, AFL player Nathan Broad

Caught out: Celeb Spellcheck shared the image on Saturday, adding the snarky caption, 'Nothing's fine I'm torn' - referencing the lyrics from the Natalie Imbruglia song Torn

'At first, I thought this account was a bit of a laugh and didn't see the harm in it (probably because I had never been posted on it, which is naive on my behalf),' Tayla continued.

'I didn't follow the account or think about it again until yesterday. I was posted on this account which made me dive deeper into their content. I am all for a bit of a laugh and fun, but this account opens the door for straight up bullying.'

Tayla went on to remind fans to be 'kind and understanding of one another'.

Not happy: Tayla promptly retaliated, writing a lengthy rant on Instagram accusing the account of 'opening up the door for bullies'

The former Miss Universe WA finalist also defended her spelling mistake, explaining that she is 'slightly dyslexic'.

'For me, maybe I'm sensitive about this because I'm slightly dyslexic and struggled so much throughout school,' she wrote, adding that she'd 'pushed through' and 'got an amazing degree' despite her learning disorder.

Tayla has a degree in communications, majoring in journalism and broadcasting, from Western Australia's Edith Cowan University.

The truth: The former Miss Universe WA finalist also defended her spelling mistake, explaining that she is 'slightly dyslexic'

Tayla urged her fans to 'do better' by thinking twice about following pages like Celeb Spellcheck.

'I urge you to do better and be better if you are someone who has followed this page, commented on this page or any pages similar to this,' she wrote.

Accounts like Celeb Spellcheck are constantly on the hunt for such slip-ups by well-known personalities.

Impassioned essay: Tayla remind her fans to be 'kind and understanding of one another'

In August, the account famously shared an Instagram post by The Block winner Elyse Knowles in which she misspelled the word 'voila' as 'wallah'.

The post later went viral in December when American social media sensation Josh Ostrovsky, a.k.a. The Fat Jewish, shared it with his 10.6 million followers.

Mr Ostrovsky shared a screenshot of Elyse's typo, and wrote: 'Spending an unhealthy amount of time thinking about how this influencer spelled "Voila".'

Since then, scores of Instagram users have been trolling the pregnant model by commenting 'wallah' on her posts.

For confidential support in Australia, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit www.lifeline.org.au. Alternatively, call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800
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The Income Tax department on Monday visited the premises of Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, to record his statement in connection with its probe against him under the benami assets law, official sources said.

They said Vadra was asked to join the investigation at the tax authoritys office but as he cited Covid-19 restrictions, a team of officials visited his premises in Delhis Sukhdev Vihar area.

A department team has gone to record Vadras statement under the provisions of the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, they said.

The department has been probing Vadra, the husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on charges of alleged possession of some undisclosed assets in the UK.

The Enforcement Directorate too is investigating these charges, under the anti-money laundering law, against the businessman.

Vadra had denied any wrongdoing in the past even as the Congress party had called the action political vendetta.
An Iranian architect shared a design that protects endangered penguins and stops the melting of polar ice in Antarctica.

The concept is a two-part system that uses igloos both above the ground and under the water.

The upper structures provide penguins with man-made habitats for breeding, along with enough space for a waddle to keep eggs warm.

The lower igloo features crater-like holes that mimic a sea sponge and is connected to a submerged swinging pendulum.

As the pendulum is moved by waves, it produces electricity to cool the surrounding ice halting the frozen sheets from melting.

Scroll down for video

An Iranian architect shared a design that protects endangered penguins and stops the melting of polar ice in Antarctica. The concept is a two-part system that uses igloos both above the ground and under the water

The concept, called Penguin Protection System, is the brainchild of Sajjad Navidi and although it is still a conceptual project, Navidi hopes it will address polar ice melting while creating habitats for penguins.

Melting ice is pushing emperor penguins into extinction because the birds rely on the frozen landscape to live and breed.

With this in mind, Navidi has set out to create a solution for both events.

The protection system consists of an above water igloo that allows penguins to huddle together inside, along with a safe enclosure for laying eggs.

The upper structures provide penguins with man-made habitats for breeding, along with enough space for a waddle to keep eggs warm

Navidi also notes that the igloo is designed to protect the birds from temperatures that can fall to -50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Below the water is an inverted igloo that is designed like a sea sponge to stop ice from melting on the surface.

The key feature is an attached pendulum that when moved by waves, generates electricity to power a cooling system that includes a water cooling fan.

The mechanical structures push cold air into the surrounding water as well up onto the surface.

The protection system consists of an above water igloo that allows penguins to huddle together inside, along with a safe enclosure for laying eggs

. The lower igloo features crater-like holes that mimic a sea sponge and is connected to a submerged swinging pendulum

This system is independent in nature and, when needed, smartly separates and moves towards them by identifying melting ice areas, Navidi shared on his Instagram page.

Emperor penguins have been listed as endangered for years and a study from 2019 notes these majestic creatures could be wiped out by climate change within the next 80 years due to their shrinking habitats.

Ice must be locked in to the shoreline of the Antarctic continent, while close enough to open seawater for the birds to access food for themselves and their young.

The key feature is an attached pendulum that when moved by waves, generates electricity to power a cooling system that includes a water cooling fan. The mechanical structures push cold air into the surrounding water as well up onto the surface

As the climate warms, this sea ice will gradually disappear  robbing the birds of their habitat, food sources and ability to hatch chicks.

'If [the] global climate keeps warming at the current rate, we expect emperor penguins in Antarctica to experience an 86 percent decline by the year 2100,' said seabird ecologist Stephanie Jenouvrier of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

'At that point, it is very unlikely for them to bounce back.'
Tobago recorded its 7th covid19 death since the start of the pandemic, with a record forty-two covid19 cases reported in the last 24 hours. The latest victim, Carmen Yorke of Bon Accord Tobago.
Columbia, MO (65201)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 65F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 4)  Senators will open an investigation on January 11 on the governments COVID-19 vaccination plan, Senate President Tito Sotto said on Monday.

But Sotto said he will need to consult his peers if the issue of the immunization of President Rodrigo Dutertes close-in security personnel can be included in the discussion or another hearing will be scheduled for it.

The original question of the hearing is Bakit wala pa tayong vaccine? Kailan at paanong i-distribute at paano storage? samantalang ang issue nila Bakit meron vaccine ang iba, he said in a text message. Baka (Maybe) next time if we need to.

[Translation: The original question of the hearing is Why do we still have no vaccine? How and when will this be distributed and how will these be stored? while their issue is why do others have vaccine?]

On December 28, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said members of the Presidential Security Group, who are tasked to primarily protect the President, already got vaccinated against COVID-19, but he did not disclose what vaccines were used and how they were administered.

Duterte earlier claimed in a weekend address that many Filipinos, including some military men, already got shots of the still-unregistered vaccine developed by China's Sinopharm.

Sotto questioned these claims and asked if there are laboratory reports to prove that such drug has been administered.

Paano nila nalaman? Ni-lab test ba nila? Eh kung anti-flu pala yun, illegal ba yun?, Sotto asked, even as the PSG's commander, Brig. Gen. Jesus Durante III, himself admitted publicly that the security group's members received COVID-19 vaccines in September and October.

[Translation: How did they know? Is there a laboratory test? What if its anti-flu, is that illegal?]

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the vaccines used were smuggled in small batches to escape authorities' notice. The matter is already being investigated by the Food and Drug Administration and the Bureau of Customs.

The National Bureau of Investigations Special Action Unit has been also assigned to look into the matter.

The FDA already allowed Janssen Pharmaceuticals Company of Johnson & Johnson to hold the first COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial in the country. Chinese vaccine manufacturers Sinovac Biotech and Clover Biopharmaceutical have also applied, but are still completing their documents.

Meanwhile, no vaccine has been issued yet with emergency use authorization in the country.
Albany, N.Y.  Schools in areas of New York with over 9% of tests coming back positive for Covid-19 can stay open with extra testing, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today.

Cuomo said last year that any areas with a positive test rate over 9% would be required to close school buildings and switch to remote learning. Today, he said schools in those areas can stay open if they test and find a lower positive rate in their buildings than the average in the surrounding community.

The ultimate decision on whether to stay open will be up to individual districts, Cuomo said.

Testing in schools throughout the state has found they often have a much lower positive test rate than the community at large. That makes them the safest place for kids to be, Cuomo said.

My position has always been if the children are safer in the school than they are on the streets of the community, then children should be in school, he said. But that will be up to the school districts across the state.

A number of districts in Central New York, including the Syracuse City School District, switched to remote learning for at least some period of time after the holiday break as coronavirus cases have continued to rise in the region.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

4-year-old CNY boy who died of Covid complications had been healthy: I lost my miracle baby

Syracuses Christmas tree goes dark to memorialize Covid-19 deaths (photos)

Can New York force you to get a coronavirus vaccine?

Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com

Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598
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Two Michigan Republicans announced they will object to President-elect Joe Bidens victory when Congress meets to certify electoral votes later this week.

U.S. Reps. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, and Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, issued a joint statement Monday expressing concern about issues that brings into question the results of the 2020 election and puts faith in future elections in jeopardy. They join a growing number of House Republicans committed to challenging electoral votes in several states Biden won, but the effort is not expected to gather enough representatives needed to change Bidens victory.

Bergman and Walberg called for an emergency commission to audit election results before Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20. All 50 states certified Nov. 3 election results and conducted the vote of their electors before the New Year.

Michigans Republican representatives are split on whether there is evidence of significant election issues. U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, released a statement Monday saying there have been no cases of fraud that would overturn Bidens 154,000-vote victory in Michigan.

U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Bruce Township, said shes open to opposing the Electoral College vote. McClain said Monday she will vote accordingly if Wednesdays proceedings further confirms the concerns voiced to me by folks in the 10th District.

Bergman and Walberg said constituents in their congressional districts, where a majority of voters supported President Donald Trump, have demanded an investigation into potential fraud and election irregularities. An email to constituents details irregularities in Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania.

The very foundation of our Democracy lies in the tenets of a free, fair, and secure election, Bergman and Walberg said in a joint statement. Americans deserve to know only legal votes are counted and reports regarding irregularities, fraud, and failure to follow election laws are thoroughly investigated.

Congress is scheduled to meet in a joint session at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 6 to certify the Electoral College vote. A least one lawmaker from both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate is required to formally object to a states Electoral College votes being counted.

A majority vote is needed in both the House and Senate for the challenge to be successful. Democrats hold a majority in the House, so challenges from Republicans are not expected to gather enough votes.

In an email to constituents, Bergman pointed to issues with Republican poll watchers in Michigan. Bergman said GOP poll watchers were denied entry to ballot processing centers, which casts doubt on the entire process, but does not provide evidence that Michigans electoral results were affected.

Michigans Republican-led Legislature is in the process of investigating various election issues. Republican House and Senate leaders said those investigations revealed no evidence of fraud that should prevent Michigans 16 electors from voting for Biden on Dec. 14.

Bergman also cited issues in several other states that mirror claims made by White House trade adviser Peter Navarro. The report claims 300,000 Georgia voters received an absentee ballot despite applying for one past a legal deadline.

The 300,000 figure was included in a lawsuit filed by Trump against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and other officials. The lawsuit was dismissed.

The Washington Post released audio of a one-hour phone call between Trump and Raffensperger over the weekend, which shows Trump asking Georgia election officials to help him find votes that would overturn Bidens win in their state.

Bergman also cited allegations in an Arizona court case that alleged 75,000 absentee ballots were incorrectly reported as unreturned, then replaced by election workers. That lawsuit was also dismissed.

Bergman, in the email to constituents, also pointed to several issues in Pennsylvania. This includes the allegation from a Republican state representative that vote tallies were incorrectly recorded. However, Pennsylvania election officials said this is not true.

Results certified by Pennsylvania counties in November found more than 6.9 million voters cast ballots in the 2020 election, with Biden winning by more than 80,000 votes.

Bergman claimed the Pennsylvania Supreme Court contravened state legislative power when it ruled that ballots received after Election Day can be counted with a valid postmark before Nov. 3.

Bergman also said Pennsylvanias top election official violated the Constitution by allowing counties to count reject mail-in and absentee ballots if a voters signature on the outer envelope does not match whats on file. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the changes were legal in October.

While the easy answer is ignoring election irregularities  we will not stand idly by without taking every lawfully available option to ensure the outcomes of our elections can be trusted, Bergman and Tipton said in the joint statement. This includes objecting to the electoral votes from disputed states where there is evidence warranting an investigation.

Bergman and Walberg previously supported a lawsuit filed by Texas asking the Supreme Court to overturn Michigans election results. The Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit.

MLive reached out to all seven Republicans in Michigans congressional delegation inquiring about their position on upholding the vote of electors. None replied as of Monday afternoon, but some representatives released their own statements.

Newly-elected U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Grand Rapids, previously said he accepts Biden as the president-elect. U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, told constituents in December that he would not challenge Michigans electoral votes, but didnt say whether he would support challenges of other states.

U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, has not defined his position as of Monday afternoon. He and Huizenga also joined the Texas Supreme Court lawsuit.

READ MORE ON MLIVE:

Michigan Republican congresswoman open to voting against Electoral College certification

Trump repeats false claims about Michigan election in leaked Georgia phone call

Misinformation and conspiracies took starring role in Michigans political movements

Michigan likely to lose congressional seat after 2020 census count
Thunderstorm, rain warning for many parts of northwest India from March 6

Northwest India to receive rain, thunderstorms till Tuesday

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

New Delhi, Jan 04: In a recent development, several parts of northwest India continue to receive widespread and heavy rain with thunderstorm and lightning.

According to reports, moderately intense rain is likely occur over Alwar, Tizara, Kotputli, Deeg, Bharatpur in Rajasthan; Aligarh, Jattari, Iglas, Khair, Sahaswan, Hathras, Barsana, Khurja, Anupshahar, Gabbana, Chandausi, Bhajoi, Sambhal in UP; Palwal, Hodal, Aurangabad, Nuh in Haryana during the next two hours according to India Meteorological Department.

Congratulations India: PM Modi on emergency approval of vaccine

Meanwhile, Delhi recorded 39.9mm rain between 8.30am on Saturday and 2.30pm on Sunday - far higher than the 21.7mm average rain quota for all of January.

According to IMD scientists, more rain, as well as hailstorm and thunderstorms are expected till Tuesday.

An active western disturbance is lying as a middle and upper level cyclonic circulation over central Pakistan with its induced cyclonic circulation over southwest Rajasthan. A north-south zone of wind confluence is also observed from north Punjab to northeast Arabian Sea, with a strong interaction between southwesterly winds and lower level moist southeasterlies.

All these favourable meteorological features for rain are likely to persist till January 5 and continue to cause moderate to intense rain with thunderstorm, lightning and hailstorm at isolated places in northwest India till the night of January 5 with peak activity on January 3 and 4 over the plains (Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh and north Rajasthan ) and on January 4 and 5 over the western Himalayan region (Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand).

Farmer Protest: What did Agricultural minister say on the 7th round of talks|Oneindia News

Northerly-northwesterly winds likely to set in over northwest India causing "cold" wave to "severe cold" wave conditions at isolated places over Punjab, Haryana and north Rajasthan from January 7.

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Story first published: Monday, January 4, 2021, 8:57 [IST]
Massachusetts State Police troopers were kept busy New Years Eve despite the ongoing coronavirus public health crisis.

With the aim of improving safety on state roadways, the agency deployed extra patrols to its five geographic areas on Dec. 31 and stationed its two breath alcohol testing mobiles on busy highways, including one on Route 16 in Medford and Everett and the other on Interstate 290 in Northborough.

By the end of the night, troopers issued three criminal summonses, made four arrests and slapped 137 people with citations for alleged unsafe driving offenses, among them 66 speeding tickets, according to a Facebook post from state police.

Even though bars and restaurants closed early because of the ongoing pandemic curfew, we realized that there were still many opportunities for drivers to consume alcohol at private gatherings, the post said.

The holiday night became even more eventful as it progressed.

Roughly 30 minutes before midnight, patrols from Troops B and C in Western and Central Massachusetts were sent to Springfield to help with the investigation into the shooting of a trooper on Nursery Street.

The trooper, who was shot through his vehicle while responding to a report of gunfire, suffered injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening. Christopher Gardner, a 31-year-old Springfield resident, has since been charged in connection with the shooting.

Around the same time patrols from Troops B and C responded to the Springfield shooting, troopers from Troop H in Metropolitan Boston were sent to the scene of a crash in Stoughton that took the life of a Boston man.

According to state police, a Nissan Altima was traveling south on Route 24 near Exit 20 when the driver lost control of the car, struck a guardrail and slammed into a Honda Accord.

The 25-year-old passenger in the Nissan suffered minor injuries, but the driver, who has since been identified as 34-year-old Brandon Rose, was fatally wounded after exiting the car and being struck by Jeep Grand Cherokee, authorities said.

The drivers of the Honda and the Jeep were not injured, according to officials.

The crash remains under investigation.

We deployed extra patrols on New Year's Eve to enhance safety on our roadways. Even though bars and restaurants closed... Posted by Massachusetts State Police on Monday, January 4, 2021

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Alabamas two freshman congressmen, three days after being sworn into office, will take to the U.S. House on Wednesday and back an effort to overturn the presidential election.

Republican Reps. Barry Moore of Enterprise and Jerry Carl of Mobile have both said they support an effort, pushed by their Alabama colleague Rep. Mo Brooks of Huntsville, to toss out Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden. Congress meets Wednesday to count and confirm each states Electoral College votes, and approximately 140 GOP representatives have indicated they plan to challenge Bidens 306-232 victory in the electoral count.

Carl, during an interview with Mobile-based radio show host Jeff Poor on Monday, said hes concerned about the election-related activities that occurred in Georgia. He said there was a huge movement in support of challenging Bidens Electoral College win among Republicans on Capitol Hill, and said he plans to support the challenge.

I dont take it lightly at all, said Carl, a former member on the Mobile County Commission. Its not an anger vote. I need to have some answers. The people of my district have to have answers.

Carl said hes unsure about the outcome of effort. National media reports indicate that Congresss confirmation of Bidens electoral college win is a formality since Democrats own a majority in the U.S. House, and not enough Republicans in the Senate support the push to toss out the votes in battleground states over baseless claims of voter fraud by President Donald Trump.

Its pitting brother versus brother, said Carl, in describing how Republicans are mixed over how to approach the effort. In Alabama, freshman U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville has indicated he supports the effort while longtime Republican Senator Richard Shelby publicly said last month that it was time to move on from the presidential election.

I have legitimate concerns about the integrity of our elections process, and there are serious questions my colleagues... Posted by Jerry Carl For Congress on Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Moore was among the first of the freshman lawmakers to publicly say he had concerns about the November 3 election, according to Fox News. AL.com first reported the congressmans position in supporting Brooks efforts on December 4 , based on an interview he had on Fox News.

We got to get it right, Moore said. We got to make sure that either 70 or 80 million people dont feel disenfranchised and feel like it was stolen, regardless of which direction it goes.

Moore has continued to push for the effort on social media. He said he was pleased to have Republican Missouri Senator Josh Hawley join in the effort on December 30. Hawley was the first Senator to publicly state his support to toss out the Electoral College votes in key battleground states which Trump has alleged voter fraud.

I am pleased to have @HawleyMO joining us to protest the electoral certification process. #ElectionIntegrityMatters #StopTheSteaI2020 https://t.co/PKyx9fikvf  Barry Moore (@BarryMoore) December 30, 2020

Moore and Carl represent deep red congressional districts; Moores 2nd congressional district is rated as a +16 for the GOP, according to Cook Political Report. Carls 1st congressional district is a +15 for the GOP and hasnt elected a Democrat to the seat since 1960.

Carls 1st congressional district consists of Mobile, Baldwin, Washington, Escambia, Monroe and parts of Clarke County in Southwestern Alabama. Moores 2nd congressional district consists of parts of Montgomery County and all of Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Pike counties in Southeastern Alabama.

Moore replaced Rep. Marth Roby, who decided not to run for re-election. Carl replaced Rep. Bradley Byrne, who unsuccessfully ran for the Senate last year and opted not to seek another term in the House.

Moore and Carl survived bruising Republican primaries and runoff elections ahead of easily winning their congressional seats during the November 3 general election.
Zach Braff called his girlfriend Florence Pugh a 'gift to the world' in a glowing birthday tribute on Sunday.

The 45-year-old Scrubs actor began dating Florence in August 2018, and proved they are still going strong despite vocal critics over their 20 year age gap.

Offering fans a rare glimpse into their relationship, Zach marked his girlfriend's 25th birthday by dubbing her the 'most fun person' he's ever met.

'You are a gift to the world': Zach Braff, 45, said he feels 'blessed' to have met girlfriend Florence Pugh as he posted a gushing tribute on her 25th birthday on Instagram on Sunday

Sweet: The Scrubs actor shared a series of sweet snaps of them together on social media

Cute: Offering fans a rare glimpse into their relationship, Zach marked his girlfriend's 25th birthday by dubbing her the 'most fun person' he's ever met

He wrote: 'Happy Birthday to the most fun person I've ever met. I would have felt blessed to have smiled with you for one night.

'I can't believe I get to giggle with you everyday. What a pleasure it is to know you. What a gift to the world it was that you were born. '

Midsommar star Florence then shared her boyfriend's post on her own Instagram Stories and responded with a single red heart emoji.

Sweet: The 45-year-old Scrubs actor began dating Florence in August 2018, and proved they are still going strong despite vocal critics over their 20 year age gap

Into her: The star also shared this lovely natural shot of his love on his Stories

Pensive: There was also this lovely shot that Zach shared with his followers

The sweet post comes after Florence defended the 20-year age gap between herself and her boyfriend.

Speaking in a Sue Perkins podcast interview last July, she said: 'I've always found it funny, how I can be good enough for people to watch my work and support my work and pay for tickets and I'm old enough to be an adult and pay taxes but I'm not old enough to know who I should and should not have sex with.

'Once again making a young woman feel like s*** for no reason,' she added.

Bright lights in the big city: In his photo montage, Zac shared a black-and-white photograph of his girlfriend Florence sitting behind the famous Hollywood sign

Fun times: Zach also shared a snap of the actress demonstrating her flexibility by bending backward in another picture

The Little Women actress also said she struggled with 'admitting' how bad the negativity made her feel, but has since realized it's 'ridiculous' for strangers to comment on who she chooses to date.

She added: 'I think I did feel s*** for a while about admitting that. Then I thought how ridiculous is that? I'm 24 and I can't choose who I love.

'People just want to have a say on who you go out with, where you go for lunch. For me, I've always found that part of this life, even when I grew up watching actresses, I've always found that weird how people have a say over your private life.

'I'm not a reality TV star, I don't let people into my life like that so since when has it been OK for someone to shout at someone for their relationship?'

Zac and his former Scrubs co-star Donald Faison, 46, in March launched their Fake Doctors, Real Friends podcast on iHeart Radio in which they rewatch the series while sharing their stories and experiences of shooting the show.

Florence can next be seen in the Black Widow superhero film starring Scarlett Johansson, 36, scheduled for release in May after being postponed twice due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

She is also currently working with Harry Styles on Olivia Wilde's upcoming new thriller Don't Worry Darling.

And the busy star is among the rumored line up of actresses to play Madonna in her upcoming biopic, which the Queen of Pop, 62, is set to co-write and direct with the Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody.
A man wearing protective gear walks past shops in Wuhan, in China's central Hubei Province on May 18, 2020. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

Wuhan Residents Say the Chinese Regime Has Lied About the Pandemic

A year after COVID-19 first broke out in Wuhan city, Chinese authorities claimed at a recent regular press briefing that China has been open and cooperative with the World Health Organization (WHO) in its handling of the CCP virus. However, some residents who spoke with The Epoch Times arent buying the regimes claims.

At a press conference on Dec. 29, a reporter asked about the allegations regarding the Chinese regimes initial attempts to cover up the outbreak. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, claimed that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was open, transparent, and timely in its COVID-19 response.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin takes a question during a daily Foreign Ministry briefing in Beijing on July 24, 2020. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

Skeptical Residents

A Wuhan resident surnamed Wu, who lives near the Huanan seafood market, told The Epoch Times that the CCP has lied about informing the people about the initial outbreak in a timely manner. Wuhan authorities initially claimed that the virus likely originated from the seafood market, though studies have since shown that some of Wuhans first patients had no link to the market.

Wu cited an investigative report by Beijing-based business magazine Caixin, which claimed that Chinese authorities destroyed virus samples.

The Feb. 26 article, titled, Tracking the Source of Novel Coronavirus Gene Sequencing: When the Alarm Goes Off, was deleted just hours after it was published online. According to the report, a source from a gene sequencing company revealed that on Jan. 1, 2020, he received a call from the Hubei Provincial Health Commission. He was informed that the examination of samples of new COVID-19 cases must stop; existing virus samples should be destroyed; sample information cannot be disclosed; and related papers and data cannot be released to the public.

If you detect it [CCP virus] in the future, you must report it to us, the commission warned the source.

The report also mentioned that the General Office of the National Health Commission issued a notice on Jan. 3, asking relevant institutions not to provide biological samples or other COVID information to other organizations or individuals prior to their approval.

The National Health Commission issued a notice on May 15, vaguely stating that it ordered the destruction of virus samples in labs on Jan. 3 for the purpose of biological security in lab settings.

Screenshot of the Jan. 3 document issued by Chinas National Health Commission showing evidence that the Chinese regime ordered the destruction of virus samples. (National Health Commission website)

Another Wuhan resident, surnamed Gao, told The Epoch Times, The first virus case seemed to appear last November [in 2019]. But Wuhan hadnt declared a lockdown until Jan. 23 [2020].

They (Chinese authorities) are lying through their teeth, Gao added.

The earliest CCP virus patient was detected on Dec. 1, 2019, according to a paper published on Jan. 24, 2020, in the medical journal The Lancet, authored by Chaolin Huang and his colleagues from Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital.

Earlier yet, the first confirmed case was traced back to Nov. 17, 2019, according to a report by the South China Morning Post, in an article published on March 13 that cited Chinese government data.

CCP Placed People Under Control Instead of the Pandemic

Gao rebuked the CCPs claim that it succeeded in controlling the pandemic, and instead, the regime controlled the people.

He said the local authorities confined residents to their homes and brought them under harsh surveillance. Anyone who broke the rules would face a 14-day quarantine at his or her own expense.

Gao added, The local government often sent a drone to take pictures and patrol high in the sky. Even if you come out to the rooftop of your own apartment building to get some fresh air, you may get caught and face a penalty.

He also said that the CCP intentionally concealed the actual number of infections. Local authorities declared that the outbreak had been placed under control after hundreds of quarantined patients were transferred from a local hospital to a different area.

No reporting, no infections. Thats their logic. They can say whatever they like. If we say something different, theyll call it spreading a rumor, or picking quarrels and provoking trouble, or subverting state power, Gao said. Those charges are often used by authorities to detain outspoken critics or activists.

Wuhans Official COVID-19 Death Toll Doesnt Add Up

Gao believes the CCP has been concealing the actual COVID-19 death toll from the public.

He claimed that local funeral homes were in desperate need of incinerators and that mobile incinerators from other areas were brought into Wuhan and they operated 24 hours a day.

Even at a single funeral home, at least 6,000 bodies were burned, he added.

Workers set up beds at a Fangcang hospital (makeshift hospital) in Wuhan, China on Feb. 4, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

A worker at one funeral home told Gao that 600 urns were distributed on the day that residents were allowed to pick up the cremated remains of their family member(s), and that continued for 12 days.

Gao said that this particular funeral home isnt the largest one in the city, and there are ten others that are about the same size. And based on that calculation, the death toll would have been tens of thousands in Wuhan, far surpassing the official death toll of 3,869 as of April 17.

Research studies, interviews with Wuhan locals, and internal government reports obtained by The Epoch Times also reveal that Chinese authorities have been significantly understating the gravity of the outbreak.

The CCP Are Gangsters

Gao concluded that the West should impose sanctions on the CCP instead of holding a dialogue.

It is a shame to the civilized world that (citizen journalist) Zhang Zhan was sentenced to four years in prison despite the lack of evidence, her hunger strike, and grave concern in the international community, he said.

Zhang Zhan, a female activist and former lawyer, posted information about the Wuhan outbreak on her social media accounts upon arriving there in February last year. On Dec. 28, she was sentenced to four years in prison by a Shanghai court on the charges of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, and subversion of state power.

Gao added: Many Western nations still wish to negotiate with the CCP. Basically, (they are) having a peaceful dialogue with gangsters. This shouldnt happen at all. The CCP shows neither respect to people nor to their lives, to say nothing of their freedoms. In the CCPs eyes, an ordinary persons life may even be inferior to an ants; and his or her death cannot be counted as a figure after they leave the world.

Luo Ya, Zhang Dun, Gu Qinger, and Annie Wu contributed to this report.
If you ask me what is a well-off life, I think you can just see the changes in the life of my family and youll know, Morigendaoriji, a local herdsman who lives in the hinterland of Kubuqi Desert in north Chinas Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, told Peoples Daily Online jauntily in front of his familys white yurt, while pointing to a cowshed, a large flock of sheep, and a car.

Now my family has more than 500 sheep and over 40 head of cattle. The rose willows we planted in the early years for desertification control can bring us an annual income of up to 60,000 yuan ($9,204), said Morigendaoriji.

In fact, just two decades ago Morigendaorijis family was struggling to make ends meet.

Morigendaorijis family has lived in Aolengwusu village, Duguitala township, Hangjin banner, Erdos city, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, for generations. Located deep in the Kubuqi Desert, known as the sea of death, Aolengwusu village had long been suffering from a harsh natural environment and poor traffic condition.

For most of his life, Morigendaoriji has been fighting against desertification in the Kubuqi Desert. His grandfather told him that there were once good spots with grass and water in his hometown, but those were only stories to Morigendaoriji when he was young, as he had never seen such places for himself.

When I was young, there was hardly any grass in the place. Our doors and sheepfold were often buried in sand during windy weather, Morigendaoriji recalled, adding that the only things his grandfather left when he passed away were several sheep and rose willows, as well as a wish to make plants and sheep thrive in the desert.

Keeping the last words of his grandfather in mind, Morigendaoriji was determined that he would not move away no matter how hard life could be. In the meantime, he swore that he would try his best to bring the sand under control.

There was no road at that time. Our only transportation tool was a cart pulled by a donkey. Since the wheels frequently sank into the sand, we would often get into the situation where we had to push the cart and drive the donkey rather than sit on the cart. During windy days, when sand was blown up by strong winds, the path would disappear and we would often get lost in the desert, Morigendaoriji told Peoples Daily Online.

The most difficult part for him was to get seedlings of salix mongolica and rose willows from Duguitala township, located 40 kilometers away, according to Morigendaoriji, who said a round trip to the township took him four to six days.

Day after day, Morigendaoriji would spend all of his time looking for willows, planting trees, finding roads and selling sheep. Until one day, he heard that a highway was about to be built in his hometown, and he knew good changes would happen.

On June 16, 1997, dozens of thousands of people came to the Kubuqi Desert and started to build a highway in the sea of death. Because there was neither road nor water or electricity in the desert, all of the builders had to take food with them and live in the desert. In the scorching weather and frequent sandstorms, they didnt have modern machinery, so everything they needed to build had to be completed with their own hands.

One time, we woke up to find that our tents were blown away by strong winds in the night, and even a section of roadbed we just finished was gone, recalled Guo Shudong, director of the planning department of the transport bureau of Hangjin banner.

To make the villages and pastures no longer isolated from the outside world and bring their life on track was both our goal and responsibility, Guo said, adding that the highway through the desert not only bore the hope of herdsmen, but was also an important approach to economic development, social progress, and ecological improvement of Hangjin banner.

Finally in October 1998, the 115-km-long third-level highway S215 with sand-gravel surface, the first road that passed through the hinterland of Kubuqi Desert, opened to traffic. In May 1999, the phase two project to lay asphalt concrete on the sand-gravel surface of the road kicked off. By October 1999, the project was successfully completed.

A total of more than 60,000 people took part in the construction of this important road, which is now surrounded by endless green grass.

After the road opened to traffic, sheep dealers could get to my home much easier, so the sheep I raised could be sold at good prices. I have paid off more than 100,000 yuan of bank loans and all of the money I borrowed from others, Morigendaoriji said with a big smile.

As greater changes have continued to happen in Morigendaorijis hometown, three brand new highways through the Kubuqi Desert, including the newly renovated section of S215 between the townships of Duguitala and Xini, opened to traffic on Sept. 18, 2019, when the old highway through the desert became the county-level highway X651.

The new S215 was built according to the standards of first-level highways. Broader and more convenient, now herdsmen can bring their sheep and cows to the fair and send their children to schools faster. The new highway also linked resources of the locality such as cashmere, liquorice, mirabilite, argil, and natural gas, forming an important economic belt, Guo said excitedly.
Dublin-born poet Eavan Boland, who died last spring at the age of 75, has posthumously won the prestigious Costa Poetry Award for her final collection of poems. The former professor of English and humanities as well as the director of the creative writing program at Stanford University in California, won the prize for The Historians which was described by the judges as some of the finest lines of poetry written this century.

They describe the collection as the culmination of her signature themes, exploring the ways in which the hidden, sometimes all-but-erased stories of womens lives can powerfully revise our sense of the past.

Read More

Described by the New York Times as a disruptive Irish poet in its obituary following her death last April, Ms Boland had returned to Dublin to be close to family during the initial outbreak of the pandemic and was teaching an online seminar on 20th century Irish literature.

She grew up in London and New York before returning to Dublin where she received a bachelors degree in 1966 from Trinity College, followed by the publication of her first collection of poetry New Territory the following year.

The other winners of the category awards announced yesterday, are Ingrid Persaud, for the Costa First Novel Award for Love After Love, beating out Irish author Michelle Gallen who was shortlisted for Big Girl Small Town.

The Costa Novel Award went to The Mermaid of Black Conch: A Love Story by Monique Roffey. Lee Lawrence, who is the son of London gun victim Cherry Groce, won the Costa Biography Award for his memoir The Louder I Will Sing while Natasha Farrant won the Costa Childrens Book Award for Voyage of the Sparrowhawk.

The awards are given to writers living in Ireland and the UK.

Read More

Online Editors
Images of Vietnams flag flying at the Army Games 2020, UN peacekeeping operations, and ASEAN meetings over the years prove the significant role of defence diplomacy in improving the prestige and position of Vietnam in the international arena.

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Defence diplomacy is not merely external relations work by the Ministry of Defence, but also includes foreign activities in the defence field with countries and international organisations relating to the independence, sovereignty, and national interests of Vietnam and regional and global peace and security. During its ASEAN Chairmanship in 2020, Vietnam actively promoted its host role to successfully organise conferences and activities, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and actively participated in multilateral defence cooperation mechanisms within the framework of ASEAN and where ASEAN plays the leading role.

Vietnams participation in UN peacekeeping operations is also a spotlight in the international arena. Since its official participation began in 2014, the country has to date dispatched 50 official arrivals to UN missions in the Central African Republic and South Sudan, together with two field hospitals in South Sudan with 126 officials and medical workers. Vietnamese officials also hold key positions in other activities, proving the prestige of Vietnams army in international activities.

At the Army Games 2020, the Vietnamese team was honoured once again as the winner of Group 2. This is not only a military playground but also where the strength and capacity of countries armies are seen.

With successes in defence diplomacy, Vietnams national flag will continue to fly over all parts of the country, asserting its national sovereignty while affirming a peaceful Vietnam as a reliable and responsible partner of the international community./.VNA

Vietnam successfully escorts ASEAN through a tough year Vietnams ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020 has officially concluded, with the country successfully leading the association through a challenging year and continuing to promote its role in the region and seize new opportunities.
Ethos is a nationally recognized, award-winning independent student publication. Our mission is to elevate the voices of marginalized people who are underrepresented in the media landscape, and to write in-depth, human-focused stories about the issues affecting them. We also strive to support our diverse student staff and to help them find future success.



Ethos produces a quarterly free print magazine full of well-reported and powerful feature stories, innovative photography, creative illustrations and eye-catching design. On our website, we also produce compelling written and multimedia stories.



Ethos is part of Emerald Media Group, a non-profit organization thats fully independent of the University of Oregon. Students maintain complete editorial control over Ethos, and work tirelessly to produce the magazine.



Since our inception as Korean Ducks Magazine in 2005, weve worked hard to share a multicultural spirit with our readership. We embrace diversity in our stories, in our student staff and in our readers. We want every part of the magazine to reflect the diversity of our world.
COLUMBIA, Mo., Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The News Leaders Association (NLA) announced today that it is accepting submissions for the 2021 News Leaders Association Awards with a deadline of February 5, 2021. In a year unlike any other, NLA modified its annual awards to reflect the extraordinary journalism produced in 2020, with reorganized categories that consider the remarkable stories and events of the year.

"The News Leaders Association Awards aim to shine a light on the most outstanding journalism from an incredibly challenging year," said NLA board president George Stanley, editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Award categories reflect NLA values and emphasize the key events of the past year  reporting about the pandemic, justice and equity, and holding those in power accountable. We will also honor innovation that improved independent journalism, and for the first time, award a News Leader of the Year."

This year's categories include:

Dori J Maynard Justice Award

Batten Medal for Coverage of the Coronavirus Pandemic

Deborah Howell Award for Writing Excellence

Award for Writing Excellence Frank A. Blethen Award for Local Accountability Reporting

Award for Local Accountability Reporting Burl Osborne Editorial and Opinion Award

Punch Sulzberger Innovator of the Year Award

News Leader of the Year Award

With the new award category, "News Leader of the Year," NLA will recognize a leader or team of editors who have displayed strong leadership in matching the extraordinary moment of an unprecedented year through great journalism and vital decision making.

All news websites, news services (including radio, TV stations and magazines) and newspapers are eligible to enter. This year there will not be separate award categories for small and large newsroom divisions.

NLA Executive Director Fran Reilly said, "We urge news organizations of all sizes to enter. Our jury will take into consideration the special circumstances that many news organizations, including smaller ones, had to face to produce excellent journalism in a challenging year."

2021 News Leaders Association Award sponsors include:

Advance Publications, Inc.

The Dallas Morning News

Editors from the former Knight Ridder company

The New York Times

O'Brien Fellowship at Marquette University

The Seattle Times

Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute

View the Awards site to submit entries to the 2021 News Leaders Awards, or visit the NLA website for more information.

About News Leaders Association

News Leaders Association provides a network that empowers news leaders to build diverse, sustainable newsrooms that use fact-based information to inform and engage the communities they reflect and serve. Formerly the ASNE and APME, the newly combined organization fosters the highest standards of trustworthy journalism, advocates for a free and independent press, and nurtures the next generation of news leaders.

Media Contact:

Fran Reilly

[email protected]

SOURCE News Leaders Association

Related Links

https://www.newsleaders.org


The tangled tale of President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election took a new turn this weekend.

A group of 11 Republican senators led by Texas Senator Ted Cruz announced plans Saturday to object to the certification of the Electoral College on Jan. 6. It's a Trump loyalty-litmus test like none other, and approximately 140 of House Republicans are expected to join their Senate colleagues in objecting to the Electoral College votes, according to Forbes' Andrew Solender.

While these moves were being telegraphed, a recording of a potentially incriminating phone call between President Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was released by several major American news outlets Sunday. Trump's demands on the call have been characterized as "impeachable" by leading Democrats, according to The Hill's Cristina Marcos.

The president is overheard urging Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes" that would put him in the lead over President-elect Joe Biden in Georgia, according to the Washington Post's Amy Gardner.

In an interview with Chron, University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus discussed the likelihood of Trump's most recent efforts affecting the election's outcome.

Chron: Did Trump actually break the law in his call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger?

Rottinghaus: It has the potential to violate both state and federal laws when it comes to pressuring officials on election-related matters. It's hard to know definitively how the state or federal officials might treat thiscollecting evidence of indicting a public official. The statutes require a very clear statement from the person that they are pressuring that there has to be some consequence. It's hard to know how the officials might treat an ex-president given the nature of the office and given the nature of the president.

Do you think this scandal over Trump's call will derail his effort to overturn the election?

I've been looking at scandals and how they affect presidential popularity and survival in office. Scandals in recent years have had a very little effect on politicians. A decade ago, it might have been a debilitating scandal. We also know executive officials typically survive in office. It's hard to get an incumbent president out of office through scandal. The president has shown himself to be a survivor politically. Trump is like political Teflon.

Prominent lawmakers like Illinois Senator Dick Durbin and New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are calling Trump's call an "impeachable offense." Is it too late to impeach President Trump now?

Generally speaking, it's never too late to impeach a president, but obviously there are firm deadlines approaching that the chambers would have to meet to schedule such an endeavor. Usually an impeachment takes a while because it requires a formal investigation, hearings and the actual process of impeaching the president. There's time technically, but it might be a challenge to squeeze all that in before the president leaves office.

Do you ultimately think that Trump's bid to overturn the election on January 6 stands any chance of succeeding?

I think it will be a lot of show, fireworks, but ultimately it will not have any effect on the bottom line. These politicians are for political reasons pursuing this line of attack. Even though it won't change the outcome, it has political legs. They are going to hope to ride it to the next election.

Do you think Vice President Mike Pence will support Trump's bid to overturn the election?

I don't believe at this point that the Vice President sees himself as a centerpiece to overturning the election. He seemed to be reluctant to join in efforts to engage in activity to manipulate the Electoral College vote. But it's unknown at this point, since the political pressure is pretty strong. The likelihood is that they will certify the votes. You'll see that happen a couple of hours after the discussion begins. It will ultimately go to Biden again. I can't imagine that any debate at this point would lead to any conclusion other than the one that would lead to certifying the electors of each state.
After rumours, Samsung has officially confirmed the launch of Galaxy M02s, the companys new budget smartphone in the Galaxy M series in India on January 7th after the launch of Galaxy M01s back in July. The company has confirmed 6.5-inch HD+ Infinity-V display, 4GB of RAM and a 5000mAh battery.

Based on earlier rumours the phone will be powered by Snapdragon 450 SoC, come in 3GB RAM with 32GB storage and 4GB RAM with 64GB storage options. Samsung says that the Galaxy M02s will offer the best of streaming, gaming, photography and browsing experience.

Samsung has also posted a new teaser video that shows volume rockers and the power button on the right side, bottom-ported speakers and triple rear cameras.

The Samsung Galaxy M02s will be priced under Rs. 10,000 and will be sold on Amazon.in in addition to Samsung India store. We should know more details including the exact price when it goes official on Thursday.
SPRINGFIELD  Multiple religious leaders will gather with the pastor of Martin Luther King Jr. Presbyterian Church on Monday to discuss rebuilding the church one week after it was heavily damaged in a fire.

Archbishop Timothy Paul, pastor of Christian Cathedral and president of the Council of Churches said he will join Rev. Terrlyn L. Curry Avery, pastor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Church and some parish members, on Monday afternoon at 14 Concord Terrace to announce the creation of a rebuilding fund.

The Council of Churches are also standing in solidarity with the parish members after the loss of their church, Paul said in a press release.

The announcement will be made on the same day that Dushko Vulchev, of Houlton, Maine, is to be arraigned in Pittsfield District Court on three counts of attempted arson to the church and multiple causes of malicious damage. He was arrested by Pittsfield Police on Thursday on a Springfield warrant accusing him of attempting to set the church on fire on Dec. 13 and twice on Dec. 15, officials said.

Fire investigators from Springfield Fire Department, the federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the State Fire Marshal have been combing through the remains of the church for a week and said the investigation is continuing. No cause has been determined yet.

On New Years Eve Mayor Domenic J. Sarno announced investigators arrested Vulchev on unrelated charges. He said he is a suspect in the Dec. 28 blaze, which he and Fire Commissioner Bernard J. Calvi said was highly suspicious hours after the flames were extinguished.

I have just been informed by Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood and Fire Commissioner BJ Calvi that during the course of this investigation an individual has been arrested for unrelated crimes and other charges could be pending depending on the outcome of this investigation, Sarno said Thursday evening.

A few hours later, Curry Avery released her first public comments on the fire, thanking Sarno and local, federal and state investigators who have been working on the fire as well as area church parishes.

I want to thank community leaders and my fellow faith leaders who have expressed their concern for, and support of, our members and about the impact that this burning has on a community that is already besieged. I thank everyone else who has offered prayers, kind words, and support to the members of MLK Church, Curry Avery said.

I want to thank Mayor Sarno who is keeping me informed about the investigation and is in daily contact with me. I also thank him for his promise to continue to assist the church with its rebuilding, she said.

Donations to help the church are currently being accepted at psne.org/donate, Curry Avery said.

She also asked for forgiveness for Vulchev.

Although we have suffered a tremendous loss and certainly believe that whoever committed this atrocity should be held accountable for their actions, we also recognize that the person is clearly a wounded soul. As such, we offer forgiveness, along with our prayers for his spiritual, emotional, and psychological healing, she said.

The fire caused about $100,000 damage to the interior of the building. Preliminary inspections show firefighters were able to save the exterior structure and the foundation and firefighters also carried out a bible and other religious artifacts during the blaze, Fire Capt. Drew Piemonte said.

According to city records, the church was built in 1950 and the building and land are valued at $261,000.

Religious leaders from a variety of different faiths have also offered their support and assistance.

Related content:
A total of 38 people have tested positive for the new UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 in India so far, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. These include the 29 cases which were announced till Friday.

All these people have been kept in single room isolation in designated healthcare facilities by respective state governments and their close contacts have also been put under quarantine, the ministry said.

Of the 38, the mutated UK strain was detected in eight samples at National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), New Delhi, 11in theInstitute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Delhi, one in the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG), Kalyani (near Kolkata), five in the National Institute of Virology in Pune, three in Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB)in Hyderabad and 10 were sequenced at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences Hospital (NIMHANS),Bengaluru.

As many as eight returnees to Maharashtra from the UK have been found to be infected with the new COVID-19 variant detected in the European country, said Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope on Monday evening, adding that five UK returnees from Mumbai, one each from Pune, Thane and Mira Bhayandar have tested positive for the new strain.

   8          5, ,          .          .#CoronaVirusUpdates  Rajesh Tope (@rajeshtope11) January 4, 2021

Three more people who returned from the United Kingdom have tested positive for the mutant strain of coronavirus, taking the total of such cases to ten in Karnataka, Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said on Monday. He also said 75 people who returned from the UK were yet to be traced and the Home department and the city corporation authorities have assured to locate them soon.

"Thirtyfour UK returnees tested positive for COVID-19. Mutant coronavirus is found in ten people among them and all of them are recovering in government hospitals," Sudhakar told reporters here. On tracing of the other returnees from the UK, where the new strain has been detected recently, he said three of them have given foreign addresses and efforts were on to reach them.

Six UK returnees from Kerala have also tested positive for the new strain of the virus, Health Minister K K Shailaja said on Monday. "Six people who recently returned from the UK have tested positive for the new strain. We have placed them under surveillance.Their samples had been sent to NIV, Pune and results received today," the minister told reporters tonight. While two persons each from Alappuzha and Kozhikode have tested positive for the new variant, Kottayam and Kannur districts have reported one case each, she said. The six are under isolation and observation, the minister added.

The NCBS, InSTEM in Bengaluru, CDFD in Hyderabad, ILS in Bhubaneswar and NCCS in Pune have so far found no UK mutant virus, the ministry said. "A total of 38 samples have been found to be positive with the new UK variant genome," the ministry said.

It said comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others. Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on, it added. "The situation is under careful watch and regular advice is being provided to the states for enhanced surveillance, containment, testing and dispatch of samples to INSACOG labs," the ministry stated.

The positive COVID-19samples are being tested at 10 INSACOG labs (NIBMG Kolkata, ILS Bhubaneswar, NIV Pune, NCCS Pune, CCMB Hyderabad, CDFD Hyderabad, InSTEM Bengaluru, NIMHANS Bengaluru, IGIB Delhi and NCDC Delhi) for genome sequencing. The presence of the newUKvariant has already been reported by Denmark, Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore.

The government of India took cognizance of the reports of virus reported from theUKand put in place a proactive and preventive strategy to detect and contain the mutant variant, it said. This strategy includes temporary suspension of all flights coming from the UK witheffectfromthemidnightofDecember23 till January 7 and mandatory testing of allUK-returned air passengers through RT-PCR test.

The samples of allUKreturnees found positive in RT-PCR test will be genome sequenced by a consortium of 10 government labs  INSACOG. Further, all the international passengers who have arrived in India between December 9 to 22, if symptomatic and tested positive for COVID-19, will be subjected to genome sequencing as part of the Centre's strategyto detect the mutatedUKvariant in them.

Others will be followed up by the respective state and district surveillance officers and will be tested as per ICMR guidelines (even if asymptomatic)between fifth and tenth day, according to the Union Health Ministry's guidance document on genomic sequencing. Further, epidemiological surveillance of the passengers, who have arrived in India since November 23 will be conducted in the community through active follow up. Besides, standard operating protocol for states and UTs to tackle the mutant variant of SARS-CoV-2 was issued on December 22.
Fashion designer Tallulah Willis sure is a brave woman as she was seen taking a dip in snowy Idaho on Sunday.

The 26-year-old daughter of exes Demi Moore and Bruce Willis was pictured in a bright pea green bikini with a hot pink cap as she posed in an icy stream.

Holding her hands was her boyfriend Dillon Buss, a film director and photographer.

Brrr: Fashion designer Tallulah Willis sure is a brave woman as she was seen taking a dip in snowy Idaho on Sunday with her boyfriend Dillon Buss

Tallulah looked happy with her experience as she smiled for the camera. Her beau had on black swim trunks and a dark beanie cap with black lens sunglasses as he wore a more serious expression.

The background was majestic with snow-covered tree branches and boulders as well as snow creeping from the hillside into the water.

During the day in Idaho it has been hovering in the low 40 degrees F but at night it dips down to 30 degrees F.

All the budding artist wrote in her caption box was, 'Bun buns' which won her almost 13K likes in a matter of 20 hours. She has over 300K followers on Instagram.

Tallulah and Dillon have been dating since early 2020. The star told People in August that Buss has helped her feel more secure about her figure as she battles Body Dysmorphic Disorder, which is a mental illness involving an obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in appearance.

Fun colors: The 26-year-old daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis was pictured in a bright pea green bikini with a hot pink cap as she posed in an icy cold stream

She has been in Idaho with her mom Demi as well as sisters Rumer, 32, and Scout, 29, for several months as they lockdown together amid the spread of COVID-19.

This comes after her dad Bruce posed with his wife Emma and their kids Evelyn, aged six, and Mabel, aged eight, in front of a Christmas tree.

The family wore red and black plaid pajamas as they stood outside their impressive mansion.

In her caption, Emma said that she put her camera on a ladder, set a timer and crossed her fingers.

So happy together: Tallulah looked pleased with her experience as she smiled for the camera

He calms her down: Willis said in August she is 'grateful' to have boyfriend Dillon in her life

She added 'that's 2020 for you' as she said a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to her followers.

'From our party of four to yours,' added Emma. Bruce shared the image as well with the same caption and tagged his ex wife Demi Moore as well as the three daughters he had with her.

Another smooch to stay warm in the cold

'We miss you guys,' added Emma. The modern family is very close and often spend time together in Idaho.

Moore and Willis were wed from 1987 until 2000.

This posting comes after Rumer Willis has urged people to 'wear a damn mask' after being exposed to coronavirus.

The movie star has ranted on social media after being in contact with someone who didn't tell her they had experienced symptoms, and wasn't wearing a face covering, leaving her 'exposed' to the virus.

His tribe: Bruce Willis rarely shows photos with his wife Emma and their two daughters. But on Christmas day he did just that as the 65-year-old actor posed proudly with Evelyn, aged six, and Mabel, aged eight, in front of a Christmas tree

Taking to her Instagram Story, she wrote: 'It's not up for discussion anymore! I don't really care what you want to do for yourself but for others WEAR A DAMN MASK!

'I was exposed to covid today because someone didn't feel the need to speak up about symptoms or wear a mask and I'm gonna be honest I'm pretty freaked out and angry. It's not that difficult to be a decent human being and protect yourself and others. (sic)'

Her comments come after California Governor Gavin Newsom warned that the state was heading into a stay-at-home lockdown due to the pandemic.

Demi time: Demi shared her own Christmas images with her kids as well as several friends as they spent time in Idaho

Cases are rising in the state, and on Thursday (03.12.20), Los Angeles County reported a record daily case count of 7,854, along with 44 more deaths.

Meanwhile, back in September, Rumer revealed she had taken a 'class' aimed at 'learning about self directed kindness' and was focusing on positive thoughts and loving herself.

She wrote at the time: 'Working through breaking down the walls of the ego voice that is constantly coming at you with judgement can be extremely challenging. It is so easy to let the negative self fulfilling prophecy of failure or unworthiness cloud what is the real truth about who we all are on a basic level ... Maybe just for today what if you allowed yourself to see you as others do, to love yourself as others do and receive that love.'
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The Iranian government has passed a bill that criminalizes violence against women, including action or behavior that causes physical or mental harm to women.

The bill was passed by the cabinet on January 3, Massoumeh Ebtekar, Irans vice president for womens and family affairs, announced on Twitter, saying the bill was the result of "hundreds of hours of expertise."

The bill, which has been under review since September 2019, will have to be adopted by parliament to become law.

The New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in early December that the draft bill falls short of international standards, despite having a number of positive provisions.

While the draft law defines violence against women broadly and criminalizes various forms of violence, it does not criminalize some forms of gender-based violence, such as marital rape and child marriage, HRW said in a December 2020 report.

"The draft law also does not tackle a number of discriminatory laws including personal-status laws that lawyers said leave women more vulnerable to domestic violence," the report added.

Media reported that the bill specifies punitive action, including legal punishments, civil redress, and prison sentences for those threatening the physical and mental safety of women.

According to the bill, the judiciary will be tasked with setting up and sponsoring offices that provide support for women who suffer some type of violence or who are susceptible to violence. The bill also requires the establishment of special police units to ensure the safety of women.

An Iran researcher for Human Rights Watch, Tara Sepehrifar, said on Twitter on January 3 that the Iranian parliament "should waste no time in addressing the remaining gaps and pass the draft into law."

The bill follows several cases of violence against women that have caused public outrage, including last May's beheading of 14-year-old Romina Ashrafi by her father, in an apparent honor killing."

Days after the gruesome killing, Iran passed a law aimed at protecting children from violence.

Iran is one of four countries that have not ratified the United Nations Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Surge Copper Corp. (TSXV: SURG) ("Surge" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Leif Nilsson as Chief Executive Officer of Surge. Dr. Shane Ebert will continue as President and VP Exploration of the Company.

Surge Copper Corp. Logo (CNW Group/Surge Copper Corp.)

Mr. Nilsson has dedicated the last 15 years to a career in mining advisory and investment banking for various Canadian and international firms, most recently serving as Senior Vice President at an Australian multinational investment bank with a market leading mining advisory practice. He has advised on many high-profile M&A and Canadian capital markets transactions and has built a reputation for excellence and integrity. Mr. Nilsson holds an Honours Bachelor of Science in Physics and Exploration Geophysics from the University of Toronto and a Master in Finance from INSEAD.

Dr. Shane Ebert, President of Surge, commented: "As part of the recent rejuvenation of activity at Surge, including the addition of new board members and the acquisition of the Berg project, we set out to establish new leadership for the next phase of growth at Surge. The Company requires an executive with specific skills that Leif brings to bear, and both myself and the rest of the board are very pleased to welcome Leif to the team."

Pat Glazier, Chairman of Surge, commented: "I am delighted to have Leif lead the business as we advance our projects, continue to build out and develop the team, and pursue further growth initiatives. With Leif's expertise, Shane's deep knowledge and experience with the Ootsa project, and the acumen brought by the recent additions of highly experienced board and advisory team members, I am excited by what our growing team will deliver."

Leif Nilsson commented: "I am thrilled to be joining Surge at this point in the Company's trajectory. Surge controls unique and high-quality assets which form an excellent foundation to build shareholder value. The Company's board and management team have the right skills and track record to deliver on our ambitions and I look forward to collaborating with all of the Company's stakeholders to build sustainable value."

Story continues

The Company also announces that the board has approved the grant of 7,965,000 options to certain employees, executives, directors, and consultants of the Company. The options have been granted pursuant to the Company's option plan, are subject to vesting provisions, have an exercise price of $0.69 per share, and expire five years from the date of grant.

About Surge Copper Corp.

The Company owns a 100% interest in the Ootsa Property, an advanced stage exploration project containing the East Seel, West Seel and Ox porphyry deposits located adjacent to the open pit Huckleberry Copper Mine, owned by Imperial Metals. The Ootsa Property contains pit constrained NI 43-101 compliant resources of copper, gold, molybdenum and silver in the Measured and Indicated categories. There are 2 drills working at the project with drilling focused on defining the extent of the large West Seel deposit and testing new targets along the Seel Trend.

The Company is also earning into a 70% interest in the Berg Property from Centerra Gold. Berg is a large, advanced stage exploration project located 28 km northwest of the Ootsa deposits. Berg contains a large copper-molybdenum-silver mineralized zone with historical resources. Combined, the adjacent Ootsa and Berg properties give Surge a dominant land position in the Ootsa-Huckleberry-Berg district and control over four advanced porphyry deposits.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"Leif Nilsson"

Chief Executive Officer

For more information, please contact:

Leif Nilsson Chief Executive Officer Email: leif.nilsson@surgecopper.com Riley Trimble Corporate Communications Telephone: +1 604-416-2978 Email: info@surgecopper.com

To find more information on Surge Copper Corp., please visit: http://www.surgecopper.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This News Release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "will", "may", "should", "expects", "plans", or "anticipates" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward looking statements, including but not limited to the Company's plans regarding the Berg Property and the Ootsa Property. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking-statements. Such uncertainties and risks may include, among others, actual results of the Company's exploration activities being different than those expected by management, delays in obtaining or failure to obtain required government or other regulatory approvals or financing, inability to procure equipment and supplies in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis, equipment breakdown and bad weather. While these forward-looking statements, and any assumptions upon which they are based, are made in good faith and reflect the Company's current judgment regarding the direction of its business, actual results will almost always vary, sometimes materially, from any estimates, predictions, projections, assumptions or other future performance suggestions herein. Except as required by applicable law, the Company does not intend to update any forward-looking statements to conform these statements to actual results.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/surge-copper-appoints-leif-nilsson-as-chief-executive-officer-301200574.html

SOURCE Surge Copper Corp.
An aspiring influencer who took part in a viral Tik Tok challenge crawling and writhing around in the water at a beach has filmed the exact moment she found out she had been turned into a meme.

Sydneysider Alyssa Sinacori shared a video to her Tik Tok account back in September of herself miming the lyrics to 'Lay All Your Love on Me' by ABBA.

In the footage, Ms Sinacori crawled out of the ocean as waves lapped behind her, flicking her hair before rolling backwards and flinging herself backwards toward the camera.

The video was part of a challenge imitating a scene between Sky and Sophie in the hit 2008 movie Mamma Mia, in which the couple danced and sung the song to one another on the beach.

An aspiring influencer who took part in a viral Tik Tok challenge crawling and writhing around in the water at a beach has filmed the exact moment she found out she had been turned into a meme

What Ms Sinacori didn't immediately realise is that she'd attracted a crowd of onlookers, many of whom were also filming her.

While some people ignored the young girl, who was on the beach with two friends at the time, others were caught up in the performance.

Ms Sinacori has since come across several different versions of her video, many which don't seem to realise what exactly she was doing.

'If ya gunna act like a goose, might as well be a cooked one,' Brown Cardigan wrote alongside a version of the footage, along with the hashtag #doheapsless.

But the Instagrammer doesn't seem too bothered by the attention, going so far as to create a new video which was shared to her page and called out the popular page for sharing her footage without tagging her.

The Instagrammer doesn't seem too bothered by the attention, going so far as to create a new video which was shared to her page and called out Brown Cardigan for sharing her footage without tagging her

In the footage, Ms Sinacori crawled out of the ocean as waves lapped behind her, flicking her hair before rolling backwards and flinging herself backwards toward the camera

Several of her fans also responded to the video urging them to tag her account in their post.

On Sunday, she uploaded a new Tik Tok video titled: 'Yep I'm that b***h on the beach'.

'Within five minutes of it being posted on that stupid page I had over 30,000 messages,' she told her followers.

'When I go out people refer to me as that b***h on the beach... but I wouldn't have it any other way.

'That is me, shaking my a**.'

Ms Sinacori said while she was filming the original video, she noticed one other girl filming and 'stared at her', hoping that she would stop.

She then came across the footage on social media and re-posted it, because she thought it was 'funny' that somebody had gone out of their way to post her interpretation of the challenge.

Ms Sinacori, who has a background as a dancer, has since amassed 35,000 followers on Instagram.

Ms Sinacori said while she was filming the original video, she noticed one other girl filming and 'stared at her', hoping that she would stop

'Within five minutes of it being posted on that stupid page I had over 30,000 messages,' she told her followers
The state forest and wildlife authorities are on alert at Harike Pattan wetland after scores of migratory birds were found dead under mysterious circumstances in Pong Dam sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh.

The cause behind the mortality of birds in the neighbouring hill state over the past few days is being investigated as the reports of samples sent for testing is awaited. Ferozepur divisional forest officer, wildlife, Nalin Yadav said on Monday that teams have been deputed to ensure extra vigil around Harike Pattan to spot any incident of bird casualty.

Around 60,000 migratory birds are estimated to have already arrived at the wetland. Though no avian has been found dead in and around the water body so far, our teams are on alert in case of any suspicious incident, he said.

The Harike wetland is located on the border of Ferozepur and Tarn Taran districts, where the Sutlej and Beas rivers merge.

Besides migratory birds, including gulls, terns ruff and reeve, Harike attracts resident migratory birds such as black-headed ibis and woolly-necked stork every winter.

Yadav said he is in touch with the wildlife authorities at Pong Dam for any development.

The Himachal Pradesh authorities have sent samples to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute at Bareilly to ascertain the cause of the birds death. There is still no indicator behind the sudden avian mortality, he said.

In November 2019, over 18,000 migratory birds perished due to avian botulism, a bacterial disease, at Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan.

According to experts, avian botulism does not transmit to humans but this fatal bacterial infection is fatal for birds. It spreads through carcasses of fish and other aquatic life.
Amid questions raised by industry experts and opposition parties on the emergency approval to its vaccine without publication of efficacy data, Bharat Biotech's chairman on Monday hit out at critics saying his firm had carried out "200 per cent honest clinical trials".

At a media conference, Krishna Ella said his firm has a track record of producing safe and efficacious vaccines and was transparent with all data.

"We are not just conducting clinical trials in India. We have done clinical trials in more than 12 countries including the UK," he said. "Many people are just gossiping everything in a different direction to just backlash on Indian companies, that is not right for us. We don't deserve that."



Covaxin addresses an unmet medical need and has generated excellent safety data with robust immune response to multiple viral proteins that persist, he said.

Ella said his company had carried out "200 per cent honest clinical trials".

"Give me one week's time, I will give you confirmed data," he said.

has manufactured 16 vaccines, he said. "Don't accuse us of inexperience. We are a global company."



Without naming Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla, who had termed vaccines other than that of Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca as "just like water", Ella said, "We do 200 per cent honest clinical trials and yet we receive backlash. If I am wrong, tell me. Some companies have branded me like water."He also said the vaccine is not inferior to that developed by Pfizer.

Ella said it was wrong to say was not transparent with data and went on to cite the number of publications by the company in comparison with industry peers.

"People should have the patience to read and see how many articles we have published," he said. "We are the only company that has got such extensive experience and publication (in peer reviewed journals)."



The approval by the Indian drug regulator to Covaxin without revealing its efficacy results has been questioned by industry experts and opposition Congress.

"Don't accuse us of inexperience... we are not just an Indian company, we are truly a global company," Ella said, adding Covaxin Phase-3 efficacy data will be available by March.

No interim analysis of efficacy in Phase 3 has been done so far, he said.

Defending the decision to award Covaxin emergency approval, he said the emergency use authorisation was based on 2019 rules of the Government of India and went on to state that even the US grants emergency authorisation to a company with good immunisation data.

Bharat Biotech was the first to identify the Zika virus and the first to file global patents for the Zika and Chikungunya vaccines, he said. "It is not correct to say that we are not transparent with data... we don't deserve the backlash."



He further said the company has already produced 20 million doses of Covaxin and is aiming to achieve 700 million doses capacity in four facilities -- three in Hyderabad and one in Bengaluru by 2021.

(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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Tonight

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External Article

4 January 2021

Hospitality union Unite Here has called Omni Hotels & Resorts' use of millions in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding into question, claiming the luxury hotel chain has failed to rehire workers in line with PPP provisions. Omni has refuted the allegations.

In a letter to the Small Business Administration and the Department of the Treasury, Unite Here executive vice president Carlos Aramayo urged "strict scrutiny" into Omni's PPP activity, citing "direct knowledge" around the use of nearly $15 million in funding received by the Omni New Haven in Connecticut, the Omni Parker House in Boston, the Omni Providence in Rhode Island, the Omni William Penn in Pittsburgh and the Omni San Francisco.

According to Aramayo, three of those five properties  the Omni Providence, Omni San Francisco and Omni William Penn  remain closed, with no union members having been rehired or paid. He also alleged that the Omni New Haven and Omni Parker House have yet to fully ramp up operations and that those hotels have failed to recall more than 80% of union members who work at the properties.
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A policewoman who gave birth to a miracle baby boy after being told she'd never have children has revealed the heartbreaking moment she was told the child might not survive.

Michelle Carlon, 30, was left in tears when the paediatric cardiologist at Royal Womens Hospital in Sydney delivered the devastating diagnosis in 2018.

'They gave us three options - to terminate, to choose palliative care and let him naturally die, or they could attempt to save him with absolutely no guarantees,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

DNA testing had found her baby, Mason, had an Aortic Stenosis which was likely to develop into Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), a crippling heart condition.

'I told them Id rather die than terminate my baby,' she said while opening up about her horrific journey to motherhood which included being told multiple times to terminate, a massive hemorrhage and the baby growing into her spine.

Michelle Carlon, 30, was told she was infertile and could never have children before suffering through a 'heart-wrenching' pregnancy to have her son Mason

Ms Carlon previously struggled through multiple rounds of IVF treatments and suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis

Ms Carlon, from Jervis Bay on the South Coast of NSW, married her first husband in 2016 but they struggled to conceive through multiple rounds of IVF treatments.

'Immediately I knew something was wrong and each month I would cry not understanding why I couldnt conceive,' she said.

'I was convinced being a parent was a dream Id never have. I ended up going through a soul destroying divorce, partly due to my inability to conceive.'

Ms Carlon, who had endometriosis and polycystic ovaries, began dating a recently separated father-of-one, now Mason's dad Michael Suesskow, at the end of 2018.

'I told him I was infertile and that was something I wanted to be clear about. Children would never be in my future,' she said.

'He stated that he had one so he didnt need to have more children. As I spent time with his son William I fell in love with him and I felt content that I had my son.'

Children born with HLHS (Mason pictured) often appear to have bluish or ashen skin

Ms Carlon overcame Hyperemesis Gravidarum, a pregnancy illness that made her 'unable to eat anything and vomit constantly', while carrying Mason

Ms Carlon said she gave up hope of having her own baby but then suddenly discovered she was pregnant.

'One month I felt so sick. I was sure it was my endometriosis. I was cramping and was in pain. I wasnt myself. I took a pregnancy test and instantly two lines came up,' she said.

'We were in complete denial. I went to the doctor thinking I had a hormonal problem causing the false positive. I was in complete shock.'

HYPOPLASTIC LEFT HEART SYNDROME HLHS is a birth defect that affects normal blood flow around the body The left side of the heart does not form correctly as the baby develops The baby's heart cannot properly support blood circulation Babies and people with HLHS are often said to have 'half a heart' Children with HLHS are very sick after they are born and often need urgent surgery to survive Symptoms at birth include problems breathing, a pounding heart, weak pulse and ashen skin Children who survive the surgeries will continue to need special care and attention throughout their life to manage the complex condition Advertisement

Ms Carlon was also diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum, a pregnancy illness that made her 'unable to eat anything and vomit constantly'.

'I spent so much time in hospital the first three months the doctors recommended I terminate for my own health.

At her 20-week scan, Ms Carlon was told 'something was wrong' with her baby's heart and the couple was forced to attend the Royal Womens Hospital in Sydney.

'The doctor comes in and says "its really, really bad. Would you like to terminate today?". I screamed "no!",' Ms Carlon said.

'I was 23-weeks, four-days pregnant. My son was moving in my stomach. He was my miracle.

'My partner breaks down in tears and is whispering to me "well try again".'

Ms Carlon told the paediatric cardiologist at Royal Womens Hospital she wanted to do everything possible to save Mason but she 'became sicker and sicker as the pregnancy progressed'.

'At 30 weeks I had a massive haemorrhage and was rushed lights and sirens to Westmead Hospital,' she said.

'I didnt go back to work after that and spent the majority of the next nine weeks in hospital.

'My son had grown into my spine so I could barely walk and crushed my internal organs.

'They told me usually they would never keep someone pregnant in my condition but they had a very fine line to walk, as my son could not survive if born prematurely.

At 39 weeks, Ms Carlon was taken into surgery for a c-section after pleading with doctors to deliver the baby.

'I was wheeled into theatre to meet my little boy... They let me touch him very briefly before they took him and my partner away,' she said.

Ms Carlon had dubbed Mason (pictured together) her 'triple miracle boy' after their journey

The rare condition means the baby's heart cannot sufficiently pump blood around the body

Her egg donations were successful twice but she was forced to stop after complications

Ms Carlon runs social media pages about Mason, BabyMayo, to raise awareness on HLHS

Ms Carlon lived in the hospital's Ronald McDonald House for the next five months as Mason underwent open heart surgery at both five-days-old and three-months-old.

'He had some complications with his second surgery but bounced back fine and has been amazing so far,' Ms Carlon explained.

'He can still die, that is always a possibility of his condition, and his life will always be unknown but hes the absolute light of my life and reason for breathing.

Ms Carlon met Mr Suesskow (pictured together with Mason) after her first marriage ended in 2018. The mum also considers her step-son William a part of their tight-knit family

Ms Carlon has now donated her eggs to give other women the chance of becoming mothers.

'Thats why I wanted to donate my eggs. I couldnt picture myself having more children. How can I when my son is going to die? How can I parent once he is dead?'

Ms Carlon was able to help two families have a baby with her donated eggs but was forced to stop after 'a very severe reaction'.

She is now focused on running Babymayo, social media pages for Mason, to 'bring awareness to the condition and also the ongoing effects on families'.

'I am now in talks with psychologists to study the psychological effects of the trauma heart families suffer, such as developing PTSD,' Ms Carlon explained.

Ms Carlon conducted a pregnancy photoshoot when she was unsure if Mason would survive

'I have been in contact with the prime minister Scott Morrison who was interested in learning how we can do more to support our families.

'Ive also had contact with Greg Hunt, David Elliott, Ray Hadley and met Peter Overton.

'Every time someone contacts me it validates the heart-warming and heart- wrenching journey we have been through and I hope theres so much more we can do to help.'
A 15-year-old was today convicted of shouting 'I don't want your coronavirus in my country' to a Singapore law student before punching him in the face during a random racist street attack.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty of racially aggravated grievous bodily harm for the attack on February 24 this year.

UCL law student Jonathan Mok, 24, said the boy told him, 'I don't want your coronavirus in my country', before punching him in the face in an unprovoked attack outside a souvenir shop on Oxford Street, central London.

The teen is said to have kicked him and punched him twice.

Another youth is said to have begun the confrontation by barging into the student and saying 'coronavirus' in his ear, starting an argument, and punching him twice.

UCL law student Jonathan Mok (pictured after the attack), 24, said the boy told him, 'I don't want your coronavirus in my country', before punching him in the face in an unprovoked attack outside a souvenir shop on Oxford Street, central London

The defendant admitted assault, but had denied it was racially motivated.

At the trial at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court, he claimed he could not have made the comments as he thought Covid-19 was 'b******s' until his grandfather died of the virus around six weeks after the incident.

Magistrates were shown CCTV from the Gifts of London shop which displayed aspects of the attack at 9.15pm on February 24 this year.

Other nearby witnesses heard 'I don't want your diseases' and 'You're diseased. Don't come near me.'

Following the assault, an anti-racism Facebook post by Mr Mok went viral with over several thousand shares and covered by national and international media.

Mr Mok, who gave live evidence via videolink from Singapore, said at a previous hearing: 'My interpretation was that he believed I was the one that brought coronavirus to this country or at least people that look like me.

Another youth is said to have begun the confrontation by barging into the student (pictured after the attack) and saying 'coronavirus' in his ear, starting an argument, and punching him twice

'I was quite shocked because I never expected to face this kind of incident or the kind of comments. I had never heard these kinds of comments while studying in London so I was quite shocked to hear it.'

The law student also posted pictures of his bloodied nose and swelling and bruising to his face and eye following the attack.

Magistrate chair Lesley Ward, in the bench's ruling, said: 'We heard from Mr Mok and found his evidence to be clear, cogent and consistent.

'He was walking on Oxford Street when a group of white males attacked him. One bumped into him, and that led to an altercation and Mr Mok was punched unprovoked.

'He admits he was angry and squared up to the attacker. A second man, who later turned out to be [the defendant], got involved in the altercation.'

Ms Ward added: 'Apart from Mr Mok, there were several independent witnesses who were standing three to five metres away.

At the trial at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court, the attacker claimed he could not have made the comments as he thought Covid-19 was 'b******s' until his grandfather died of the virus around six weeks after the incident

'We do not believe [the defendant's] version of the events. He was in full knowledge of the racial aspect and the attack was fuelled by those words.

'We can be sure beyond reasonable doubt that it was racially motivated and therefore we find you guilty.'

Considering sentencing, she said: 'As an adult, it would be a custodial sentence.

'You are only 15 and you are of previous good character. We give you great credit for your early guilty plea and that you handed yourself into the police station.

'We would like you to talk to the [Youth Offending Team] and for a report to be completed so the sentencing is appropriate'.

The teenager, who was accompanied by his mother today, will be sentenced on January 27 at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court.
[January 04, 2021] A World In Recovery: RANE Releases 2021 Stratfor Geopolitical Forecast

NEW YORK, Jan. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RANE (Risk Assistance Network + Exchange) identifies the core trends and constraints that will shape global developments in the 2021 Annual Geopolitical Forecast, now available on Stratfor Worldview.

Fresh from the end-of-year vaccine rollouts, the first half of 2021 will still be defined by the coronavirus pandemic. But thanks to those vaccines, the global economy will begin to reawaken, with China leading the way. Recovery elsewhere is expected to be uneven, and much of the world will not reach pre-pandemic levels of GDP until 2022, including the United States and Europe. A "two-speed" economic recovery will occur in Europe, opening the door for civil unrest and fractious relationships in the EU. Steve Roycroft, CEO of RANE, says that, In the upcoming year, RANE analysts will be focused on assessing the risk landscape in the wake of COVID-19, as well as arming clients with the geopolitical intelligence they need to address a range of significant, material risks as we enter 2021. Our Annual Foreast provides foundational insights into these risks and identifies opportunities for future action.



Other primary drivers of global geopolitical risk in 2021 include great power competition among the US, China, and Russia. As recent nation-state hacks of SolarWinds and other businesses demonstrate, cybersecurity will continue to be a major geopolitical point of contention. The Biden administration will maintain an aggressive stance on China, but it will attempt to build a more cohesive international alliance against it. A key focus of the Biden administration will be on China's tech sector; however, it will be less focused on targeting specific companies, preferring instead to target broad sectors. In the South China Sea, both the Philippines and Vietnam will increasingly reach out to the United States for cooperation.

The US will reopen talks with Iran in early 2021. But Iran's recent passage of a law is likely to force the incoming Biden administrations hand on the nuclear issue. And watch for a global push in 2021 to establish attainable medium-term emissions targets by both national governments and corporations. RANEs complete 2021 Annual Forecast is now available on Worldview.Stratfor.com. About RANE

RANE (Risk Assistance Network + Exchange) is a network-based risk intelligence company. We connect risk and security professionals to critical insights and expertise, enabling them to more efficiently address their most pressing challenges and drive better risk management outcomes. RANE members receive exclusive access to community-driven risk intelligence and a range of support services and risk management programs. In 2020, RANE acquired Stratfor, the world's leading geopolitical intelligence platform, to enable organizations to more confidently navigate an increasingly complex international environment. For more information, contact :

Emily Donahue

pr@ranenetwork.com

512.744.4309



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Chinese Citizens Find More COVID-19 Cases Than Officially Reported as Doctor Suspects New Variant Emerging

The Chinese cities of Beijing and Dalian announced more restrictions as authorities struggle to contain a burgeoning CCP virus outbreak.

Beijing banned all passenger vehicles from going to regions that were designated medium and high risk for virus spread.

Taxis and ridesharing cars are also not allowed to leave Beijing beginning on Jan. 4.

Dalian residents posted videos online showing local officials forcibly preventing residents from leaving their homes.

Meanwhile, a netizen in Shijiazhuang city of northern Chinas Hebei Province leaked an internal report from the city government onto social media, which showed that authorities covered up the number of diagnosed patients.

Also, a doctor in northern Shenyang said he suspected a new virus variant that is more contagious is spreading across the city.

People wait to board shuttle buses to a COVID-19 vaccine center in Beijing, China on Jan. 4, 2021. (GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images)

Lockdowns

A resident of Jinzhou district in Dalian told the Chinese-language Epoch Times that her entire district was locked down and no one is allowed to leave their homes. Only medical staff and epidemic prevention staff can freely move about.

The city government ruled on Monday that any resident in a controlled zone who is discovered to have left their home would be immediately sent to a quarantine center. The person must stay for 21 days, all expenses to be paid out-of-pocket.

At the same time, all other people who live in the same building as that individual would be required to stay at home for 21 days and take at least four nucleic acid tests for COVID-19.

Dalian netizens shot videos showing the current living situation in Jinzhou district.

One video was shot at the Shenglixi Residential Compound on Jan. 3, showing five workers dressed in protective suits who were sealing off the entrances of buildings by welding a steel board onto the doors.

Another video was shot at the Ziran Tiancheng C1 residential compound on the evening of Jan. 3, showing busloads of people who had to move to quarantine centers because one resident was diagnosed with COVID-19 that day. More than ten buses arrived to transport them, according to residents.

A woman is tested for COVID-19 in Shenyang, China on Jan. 1, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Underreported Outbreak

On Monday, Chinas National Health Commission only reported one case from Shijiazhuang city.

A netizen from Shijiazhuang posted on Weiboa Twitter-like social media platforma document from the city government, which listed six COVID-19 patients with their names, ID numbers, and basic information.

The first patient on the list is the only one that authorities announced: a patient who visited the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University on Jan. 2 and was then diagnosed.

The other five patients are: a baker from Zhengding county who was diagnosed during a routine nucleic acid test; a patient who visited Xinle City Hospital; a patient who visited Xinle Chinese Medicine Hospital; and two people who received nucleic acid tests at No. 3 Hospital in Shijiazhuang, according to the document.

The Epoch Times could not independently verify the authenticity of the document.

It should be noted that Shijiazhuang city announced that it entered wartime status on Sunday afternoonthe first cases authorities confirmed since about half a year ago.

People are lining up for the COVID-19 test in Shenyang, China on Jan. 2, 2021. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

New Variant?

The Shenyang government announced on Monday that 16 regions in the city were designated as medium-risk regions. Though officials said on Dec. 28 that the latest wave outbreak was under control, more and more residents have become infected.

Netizen from Shenyang shared a video with The Epoch Times, in which a man talked about the local outbreak on Jan. 2. The netizen said the man is a doctor from a large-scale hospital, the Shenyang Emergency Center.

In the video, the doctor said the outbreak in Shenyang was very serious and the virus was spreading very quickly.

I need to go out [to pick up patients] four or five times every day, the doctor said, with many likely to test positive.

He observed that the virus was very contagious, with one patient capable of spreading the virus to many others who are just walking by or staying in the same room.

As an example, the doctor said he picked up a patient on Dec. 31, 2020. The patient did not know any of the previously diagnosed patients, nor did he talk with or face toward them. After he visited the No. 8 Hospital around the same time as a previously diagnosed patient, he became infected.

The doctor then concluded: I suspected the virus [in Shenyang] is a new variant.

The Huarun Oak Bay housing community in Shenyang city, China, is locked down due to a local surge of COVID-19 cases, on Dec. 23, 2020. (Provided to The Epoch Times by interviewee)

The Epoch Times could not independently verify the doctors comments.

But state-run media Health Times reported on Jan. 2 about a patient who spread the virus to 18 people within a short period of time.

The superspreader was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Dec. 23. The patient visited two hospitals and one clinic before she was diagnosed. After the superspreader was diagnosed, many of her doctors, nurses, family members, and neighbors were diagnosed with COVID-19.
US: 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine found in watermelons

Tesla owners will be paid $ 16,000 each due to slow charging

Advisor to Armenia Prosecutor General provides details about incident with Armenian soldier killed in Verin Shorzha

Banksy's painting of punk Lenin sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 960,000

CSTO Deputy Secretary-General: Escalation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border requires undertaking of urgent measures

Catholicos of All Armenians receives newly appointed Ambassador of Japan

Australia closing its embassy in Kabul for security reasons

Biden to discuss issues related to Belarus and Ukraine with Putin

Armenian acting FM meets with ambassadors of CSTO member states accredited to Armenia

Armenia Ombudsman presents human rights protection in post-war period to CoE Programmes Directorate General

Germany is investigating Google's position in market

France: Sanctions against Belarus will continue

Armenia opposition party MP: Azerbaijan is a terrorist state, negotiations can't be led with such a country

US to reopen its Consulate General in Jerusalem

EU expects to receive over 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine by end of September

Armenian MFA strongly condemns Azerbaijan's blatant armed encroachment on Armenia's sovereign territory

UN still awaits strong evidence that Dubai ruler's daughter is alive

Opposition Bright Armenia Party urges Government to immediately address UN Security Council

Armen Sarkissian receives Russia Ambassador to Armenia

Armenia President, France Ambassador discuss situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border

Overchuk: We hope unblocking of links between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a success

Armenia police officer commits suicide, criminal case launched

Armenia Environmental Protection and Mining Inspection Body has new deputy heads

Zarif, Aliyev discuss railway routes connecting Iran, Azerbaijan and Armenia

EU leaders agree to donate at least 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to poor countries

Armenian serviceman Mher Hovhannisyan fires gunshot at his head, criminal case launched

Soldier who died in Armenia's Verin Shorzha was son of ARF-D member, father of 2

Blinken promises to continue close consultations with Israel on Iran

Armen Sarkissian: Armenia's relevant state institutions need to take the tightest measures

Armenian soldier commits suicide, opposition speaks on tense situation on border, 25.05.21 digest

Yerevan man's body found at Tatul Krpeyan Park

Armenia MOD: Reports about Armenian soldiers being injured in Sisian section of border not confirmed

EU summit calls for rarly implementation of vaccination certificates

Parliament of the Netherlands adopts resolution, EU must demand that Azerbaijan pull out troops from Armenia

Kremlin: Russian and US presidents to meet in Geneva on June 16

Spokesperson of community council of Armenia's Sisian: Men got enlisted and climbed to military posts

Bright Armenia Party: We are not satisfied with CSTO response

EU leaders urge council to review internal border guidelines by mid-June

Armenia MOD: Fixed-term serviceman receives lethal firearm injury in head area

Dollar still stable in Armenia

Armenian Catholic Catholicos-Patriarch passes away

Kathimerini: US seeks to increase military presence in Greece due to doubts about Turkey's reliability

US Congress members call on Biden to suspend all military assistance to Azerbaijan

Armenia acting economy minister receives Montenegro's newly appointed Ambassador

Armenia MOD: Soldier killed during shootings from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha

Russian MP: Azerbaijani leadership interested in Armenia acting PM's victory in snap elections

Armenia MOD reports shooting from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha border section

Armenia opposition MP: Authorities promised to separate business from politics, but they're failing to fulfill promise

There will be post-election processes if authorities try to rig voting, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

CNN: Putin and Biden will meet on June 15-16 in Geneva

Latin America has the highest poverty rate in 20 years

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia applying to CSTO: No one will help you if you do nothing to solve your problems

Armenia ruling Civil Contract Party presents list of first 10 candidates ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Armenia acting justice minister discusses broad range of cooperation issues with top CoE official

Armenia former President Kocharyan: This guilt, this criminal article is on these authorities

Man survives after spending 17 days in desert

Azerbaijan continues course towards systematic extermination of Armenian heritage in Shushi

Armenia Syunik Province ex-governor: Azerbaijani soldiers advanced along length of border two days ago

Newly appointed Ambassador of Montenegro presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Its about bringing Karabakh issue back to right to self-determination, says Armenia ex-President Kocharyan

Iran FM to arrive in Armenia

Ara Aivazian and Austrian counterpart hold phone talks, focus on Azeri army's infiltration into Armenia's territory

Kocharyan: Elect todays political team if you are ready to live squatting

Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 30 million

2nd President Kocharyan on Armenia Security Council chief: Do you take that person seriously?

"Key" to settlement of Karabakh conflict cant be in one place, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Texas may permit carrying of pistols without special permission

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia acting PM Pashinyan's high popularity rating: We will wear it down to the root

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Election bloc format must be workable in some logical sense

Attorney: Political persecution against Robert Kocharyan is becoming more noticeable during election campaign

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: We must do everything so that our domestic politics is not dictated by Azerbaijan

Armenian acting defense minister meets Russian peacekeeping mission chief

Congress predicts US nuclear spending to reach $ 634 billion by 2030

Russian MP: The effectiveness of military cooperation with Armenia depends on Yerevan as well

Delimitation now may create some problems in Karabakh negotiation process, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan on relations with 3rd President Sargsyan: We go our own way they go their own

Judge adjourns hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM for 3 weeks

Court hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM

2nd President Kocharyan: Armenia must show that it will not be subjected to such pressures

Kocharyan: You may find yourself in stupid situations if you come to negotiations without any baggage

Armenia Investigative Committee: Criminal case opened into soldiers death

157 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

EU helps UN World Food Programme provide humanitarian assistance for conflict-affected people in Armenia

Yerevan municipal council convenes regular session

Armenia legislature speaker on situation at Syunik Province: CSTO still has procedures

Blinken arrives on his first official visit to Israel

World oil prices going up

Provincial hall issues statement on Tavush section of Armenia border with Azerbaijan

MFA statement: Azerbaijan continues to use Armenian POWs as political hostages

Newspaper: There are last-minute changes on Armenia ruling party electoral list

Armenia parliament starts regular sessions

Newspaper: Armenia 3rd President Sargsyan intensively engaged in election campaign

EU leaders call for ban on Belarus airlines flights to their countries

Quake hits Georgia, also felt in Armenia

2nd President Kocharyan: Process of obtaining Armenia citizenship shall be simplified, shall take only few months

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Appointments in army were not based on knowledge but on loyalty

Robert Kocharyan: Armenia must not go back to the past and stay there, just like the incumbent authorities did

Armenia 2nd President on recent Karabakh war, consequences and the signed document

Armenia 2nd President: Current authorities don't have remorse, aren't conscious and patriotic

Armenia 2nd President on black PR and management system in the country
London, Jan 4 : A court in London has blocked the extradition request of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the US, citing concerns over his "mental health and "risk of suicide".

The 49-year-old is wanted over the publication of thousands of classified documents in 2010 and 2011.

The US claims the leaks broke the law and endangered lives. Assange had fought the extradition and says the case is politically motivated, the BBC reported.

The US authorities have 14 days to lodge an appeal and are expected to do so.

Assange will now be taken back to Belmarsh Prison, where he is being held and a full application for his bail will be made on Wednesday.

His lawyer Ed Fitzgerald told the court there will be evidence to show Assange will not abscond.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that while US prosecutors met the tests for Assange to be extradited for trial, the US was incapable of preventing him from attempting to take his own life.

She outlined evidence of his self harm and suicidal thoughts and said: "The overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man fearful for his future." She said: "Faced with the conditions of near total isolation without the protective factors which limited his risk at HMP Belmarsh, I am satisfied the procedures described by the US will not prevent Mr Assange from finding a way to commit suicide and for this reason I have decided extradition would be oppressive by reason of mental harm and I order his discharge." Assange faces an 18-count indictment from the US government, accusing him of conspiring to hack into US military databases to acquire sensitive secret information relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, which was then published on the Wikileaks website.

He says the information exposed abuses by the US military.

But US prosecutors say the leaks of classified material endangered lives, and so the US sought his extradition from the UK.

Assange was jailed for 50 weeks in May 2019 for breaching his bail conditions after going into hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. He sought refuge in the embassy for seven years from 2012 until he was arrested in April 2019.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Egypt has delivered to six companies nine permits to search oil and natural gas in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea concession areas, Arab Finance reports.

The agreements will bring a minimum investment of over $1 billion targeting 17 new exploratory wells in concession areas.

Tariq Al-Mulla, Minister of Oil and Mineral Wealth signed the agreement with the global companies as part of Egypts 12 agreements with the largest global companies to search for oil and gas in the Mediterranean and Red Bahrain.

The companies include American Exon Mobil, American Chevron Company both of whom form Natural Gas Holding Company, Shell International.

The North African country according to Mulla is expected to sign to three other agreements in the near future.

Egypt is emerging as a regional gas hub. The country discovered in 2015 the giant Zohr field, the largest ever in the region. The field has an estimated capacity of 30 trillion cubic feet of lean gas.
People who have previously caught Covid-19 are immune to developing symptoms if they come into contact with the coronavirus again, a study suggests.

Researchers scrutinised data from more than 11,000 healthcare workers at Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals (NUTH) NHS Foundation Trust.

Staff were encouraged to get a Covid-19 test if they developed any symptoms and others were recruited to take antibody tests to gauge disease prevalence.

Of these, more than 1,000 either had coronavirus antibodies or tested positive via a PCR swab between 10 March and July 6 2020, during the UK's first wave of the virus.

The researchers specifically focused on how many of the 1,038 hospital staff who had been infected previously went on to develop symptoms and test positive during the autumn second wave, defined as being between July 7 to November 20.

Only 128 such people reported developing coronavirus-like symptoms in this window but none of them tested positive for Covid-19.

Researchers scrutinised data from more than 11,000 healthcare workers at Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals (NUTH) NHS Foundation Trust. Of these, more than 1,000 either had coronavirus antibodies or tested positive via a PCR swab between 10 March and July 6 2020. None developed symptoms and tested positive in second wave (stock image)

In the second wave window of the study, 2,115 people in the study who had not previously had the virus reported developing symptoms and had a swab.

More than one in eight of these people (290) tested positive.

When looking at the 11,000 hospital workers in total, none registered a positive test who had previously been infected.

The researchers specifically focused on how many of the 1,038 hospital staff who had been infected previously went on to develop symptoms and test positive during the autumn second wave, defined as being between July 7 to November 20. Only 128 such people reported developing coronavirus-like symptoms in this window but zero tested positive for Covid-19

Can you catch Covid twice? Top scientist says risk is 'low' People who have already had Covid-19 'should not be blase' about the virus because up to one in 10 people could catch it again, a top scientist has warned. Professor Danny Altmann, an immunologist at Imperial College London, today said the rate of coronavirus reinfection is 'quite a lot higher' than data suggests. His comments came in November as Prime Minister Boris Johnson self-isolated for a fortnight after coming into close contact with an MP who later tested positive. The PM claimed he was 'bursting with antibodies' after he ended up in intensive care during his own severe bout of Covid-19 in the country's first wave. Professor Altmann, however, said although the risk of catching the disease again is 'low', it could happen to as many as one in 10 people and recovered patients should still take it very seriously. Scientists have reported a handful of cases of coronavirus reinfection  but the circumstances around them are often hazy. Most scientists investigating the topic agree that it's unlikely survivors will be struck down again within a year. The Imperial expert said there had been around 25 'hard confirmed cases' in the world of people catching Covid-19 twice, but that researchers think it is far more common. Advertisement

'We conclude that SARS-CoV-2 infection appears to result in protection against symptomatic infection in working age adults, at least in the short term,' the researchers write in their study.

Reinfection with the coronavirus is not unheard of, but is uncommon.

Previous studies have recorded instances where people have registered a positive test after recovering from a first bout of the disease. There have also been claims of people dying after reinfection.

But details and specifics around these cases are often scarce, with experts debating how much protection previous infection gives.

However, the latest research boosts confidence that people who have recovered from Covid-19 do at least have some level of protection.

While the peer-reviewed study shows symptoms may not manifest in people, the picture is less clear for asymptomatic infection.

In the Newcastle study, people were only given swabs if they had symptoms, potentially missing people who were asymptomatic.

There is as yet no clear verdict on whether these people pose an infection risk to other people.

The researchers did have a quick look into whether reinfection can occur in people with no symptoms.

'Asymptomatic PCR screening was undertaken on a pilot basis in an additional 481 healthcare workers, 106 with past infection and 375 without,' the researchers wrote.

'There were similarly no positive results in the group with previous infection 0/106, compared to 22/375 positive PCR results in the group without previous infection, consistent with results of symptomatic testing.'

However, due to limitations of the study, the researchers remain 'uncertain' if previous infection confers complete protection against asymptomatic reinfection.

The full findings are published in Journal of Infection.
Last month Google's alleged Union busting efforts was reported to be under Federal Investigation. A Vanity Fair article in Mid December 2020 stated that Google's apparent resistance to its employees' unionization efforts came under scrutiny in November, as the tech giant generated headlines for firing four employees who were active in the burgeoning organizing movement. While Google insisted that the terminations were instead because the employees were "searching for, accessing, and distributing business information outside the scope of their jobs," employees have contended the firings were an act of retaliation. The federal investigation, which is expected to take three months, comes as Google has seemingly started taking steps toward quashing its employees' organizing efforts.

It's being reported today that employees of Google and parent company Alphabet Inc. announced the creation of a union, escalating years of confrontation between workers and management of the internet giant.

The Alphabet Workers Union said it will be open to all employees and contractors, regardless of their role or classification. It will collect dues, pay organizing staff and have an elected board of directors.

The unionizing effort, a rare campaign within a major U.S. internet company, is supported by the Communications Workers of America as part of a recent tech-focused initiative known as CODE-CWA. Googlers who join the Alphabet Workers Union will also be members of CWA Local 1400.

We will hire skilled organizers to ensure all workers at Google know they can work with us if they actually want to see their company reflect their values, Dylan Baker, software engineer at Google, said in a statement.

A successful Alphabet union could limit executives authority, while inspiring similar efforts across Silicon Valley, which has mostly avoided unionization so far. The group said it plans to take on issues including compensation, employee classification and the kinds of work Google engages in.

Google has clashed with some employees in recent years over contracts with the military, the different treatment of contract workers and a rich exit package for an executive ousted for alleged sexual harassment.

CWA has been supporting Google activists since at least 2019, when the union filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging workers were fired for taking collective action. In December, the agencys general counsel took up some of those allegations, accusing Google of illegally firing, interrogating and surveilling activist employees. Google has denied wrongdoing, saying it supports workers rights and that the employees in question were punished for serious violation of our policies and an unacceptable breach of a trusted responsibility. For more on this read the full Bloomberg report.

A successful Google Union could just be the beginning in Silicon Valley. It's very possible that we may see such unions expand to Facebook, Twitter and even Apple. Stay tuned. The old saying of "Never say Never" applies to future unions creeping into other major tech companies.

In the past, there have been efforts to unionize Apple Store employees. Back in 2011 Cory Moll, a part-time employee at an Apple store in San Francisco, was working to form a union to fight for better wages and benefits and to address what he says are unfair practices in the company's glass-and-steel retail showrooms. Moll left the company in 2013.

Another report in 2011 titled "Apple Prepares to Crush Apple Store Unions" by Gawker, stated that Apple Store managers would have to undergo euphemistically-titled "union awareness" training, to learn about attempts by employees to unionize. It's safe to say Apple doesn't want unions getting in the way of their creepily efficient customer service.

In 2016 Apple shuttle drivers agreed to unionize. It was reported by USA Today that unionized service workers at Apple reached an agreement to receive basic perks like pension contributions and holiday time.

Thirty-three Apple unionized shuttle drivers employed by Loop Transportation agreed to a contract to receive health benefits, pension contributions, holiday time, vacations and overtime.

The Apple drivers were represented by Teamsters Local 853 in San Leandro, Calif., a union representing more than 11,000 workers in Northern California.

Once again, with a successful Google Union, it's very possible that the unions will work hard toward unionizing other major tech companies and Apple will certainly be a huge target.
London, Jan 4 : The University College Hospital, one of London's biggest, is battling to accommodate the accelerating number of Covid-19 infected persons across the British capital, saying that it was "on track to be almost Covid-only" as intensive care patients was soaring.

The hospital is scrambling to convert operating theatres and stroke wards into intensive care units (ICU), Xinhua news agency quoted the Guardian newspaper as saying in a report on Sunday.

Critical care matron Elaine Thorpe told the newspaper that she and her colleagues had set up 20 new ICU beds on Christmas Eve, which were full by New Year's Eve.

"The biggest thing for me is I'm dreadfully worried about my team. Nurses are having to spread themselves thinly. We're going back to the levels where we were before, where it was one ICU (intensive care unit) nurse looking after what will be four patients, or more. And we've had lots of tears already," she was quoted as saying in the Guardian report.

The 500-bed hospital had 220 Covid-19 patients as of December 31, 2020, with the numbers increasing by 5 per cent a day, according to the newspaper.

However, the real pressure is on the ICUs where there are now 70 seriously ill patients, and the number is rising fast, chief executive of the University College London hospitals trust Marcel Levi told the the Guardian.

Latest figures from the National Health Service (NHS) suggested that 629 patients with Covid-19 symptoms were admitted to hospitals across London on December 27, 2020, 22 more than the previous day and extending a steady upward curve in recent weeks.

Across London, the number of hospital beds filled with Covid-19 patients stood at 5,371 on December 29, 2020, more than 400 above the previous day's total and nearly double the level on December 19, 2020, the London-based Evening Standard newspaper reported.
Australia has resubmitted its Paris climate goal and modified its target as "a floor" that can be met without using credits from the previous accord, but has omitted any indication it will join other nations in raising its ambition.

In its first update in five years to the so-called nationally determined contribution (NDC), the federal government defended its unchanged plan to cut 2005-level emissions by 26-28 per cent by 2030 as an "ambitious, fair and responsible" effort to keep global average temperature rises to below two degrees.

Australia has formally updated its Paris commitments, leaving the option open to more ambitious emissions cuts in the future. Credit:AP

"The target is a floor on Australias ambition," the statement, released to the United Nations without any media release, said. "We are aiming to over-achieve on this target and newly released emissions projections show Australia is on track to meet and beat our 2030 target without relying on past over-achievement."

Australia was one of dozens of countries to submit updated NDCs late in 2020. Most of the country's biggest trading partners have set targets for reaching net-zero, and some of them - including the United Kingdom, the European Union and South Korea - have also lately lifted their previous 2030 goals.
Mohammad Reza Naqdi has confirmed that the number of Iranian fighters killed was suppressed and that the Syrian regime is to blame for Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian militias reports Alsouria Net.

Leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), Mohammad Reza Naqdi, has admitted to concealing the exact death toll in the ranks of the IRGC in Syria following their intervention alongside Assads forces.

We used to hide the [number of the] fighters that were killed in Syria, saying instead that they were martyred in the west of the country, which was not a lie, for Syria also exists in the west, said Reza Naqdi, who assists in coordination work for the IRGC, according to Iranian media.

The leader added, Everyone was blaming and mourning when Qasem Soleimani (former Quds Force commander) waged wars in the region. However, now we are proud to say that we went into Syria and fought as defenders of the Temple Mount.

Naqdi confirmed that Soleimani went to Syria on the orders of Ali Khamenei, and, landed on the airport runway (without naming it), which was besieged by the enemy in a plane carrying dozens of explosives and weapons.

Tehran has provided military support to the Assad regime since 2011, sending fighters and supporting militias from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, all under the supervision of the Revolutionary Guard, to support Assads forces in suppressing the Syrian revolution.

The Secretary-General of the Lebanese Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, confirmed, a few days ago, that Soleimani met with Russian President, Vladimir Putin, in 2015, for more than two hours in order to persuade him of the need for Russia to send military forces to support the pro-regime Iranian militias.

Moreover, Reza Naqdi acknowledged that during the past 30 years, Tehran spent more than 17 billion dollars on defense and cultural activities in the region, under the supervision of Soleimani, who died one year ago in Iraq, in a US attack.

Last year, the US Department of States Special Task Force on Iran published a report stating that Iran had spent 16 billion dollars since 2012 to support Bashar al-Assad and his allies in Yemen and Iraq.

Regarding the Israeli raids on areas in Syria, Naqdi affirmed that part of the raids have been targeting the forces he described as the forces allied with Iran.

He attributed the repeated Israeli raids to the failure of the Assad regime to respond to the attacks, saying that, the continuation of these attacks is due to Syrias policy of not responding to these attacks.

The Israeli army confirmed the launching of 50 airstrikes against targets in Syria during the past year, the most recent of which was the targeting of the Scientific Studies and Research Center in Masyaf, on Thursday night.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Dr. Kriti Bharti and her Saarthi Trust are warriors against child marriage in Jodhpur. As per a report in The New Indian Express, Nimbu, who was in unwanted child marriage, officially got her freedom thanks to them. In 2002, at the age of 2, she was set to be married to a boy.

As she grew up, she tried to get out of it and the community leaders threatened to boycott her family from the community. She then approached Dr. Bharti.



This marriage had ruined me. Kriti didi has given me a new life.

EPS

"I will now study and become a police officer, said Nimbu.



We will make efforts for full rehabilitation of Nimbu, said Bharti.



While child marriage has been a crime for decades in India, it is still pretty prevalent, especially in rural parts of the country.



Bharti's own childhood was traumatic. Her doctor father left her mother even before she was born. A difficult childhood is what made her fight for what is right. She has annulled 41 child marriages till now. It is her own personal crusade.

iStock

After you stop child marriage, the girl child is treated as a social outcast. It becomes important to rehabilitate her and help her become a part of the society, she added.

I tell them that they will have to restart their studies from wherever they had left off. Many victims are not too keen to study again, but when they realise that they may not get my help without restarting their education, they agree, she went on to say.

Her campaign is part of the CBSE Class XI syllabus.

This lady is waging a war on child marriage. We need more like her.


.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Even a once-in-a-century pandemic couldnt stop economic development efforts in Albuquerque and New Mexico.

Despite the challenges of 2020, which included record-setting unemployment, state and local economic development organizations welcomed new leadership, facilitated deals with large companies and launched advertising designed to encourage big-city workers to relocate to New Mexico. Here are a few economic development highlights from a dark year.

At the state level, Alicia Keyes, New Mexicos economic development Cabinet secretary, said she has been surprised by how active the office remained even after the COVID-19 pandemic reached the state in March, as businesses re-evaluated offices in large, crowded cities.

We have been busier than ever, in terms of people wanting to move out of Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Keyes told the Journal.

In 2020, the state provided job-training reimbursement to 75 companies through its Job

ADVERTISEMENTSkip



................................................................

Training Incentive Program, which will support 2,380 jobs. Additionally, the states Economic Development Department invested in 18 companies to support around 2,500 jobs over the next several years through the Local Economic Development Act, which provides state funding to help attract relocating or expanding companies that meet certain criteria.

While projects like Netflixs announced expansion attracted a significant share of attention, Keyes said she was excited about several smaller projects that will help create jobs in rural communities.

One example was McKinley Paper upgrading its equipment to continue operating in Prewitt, New Mexico, after the nearby Escalante Generating Station closed. Earlier this year, EDD pledged an investment of $5 million in the company, which will go toward construction of a new boiler and associated equipment, as well as inbound water systems and wastewater treatment. This, in turn, is expected to help the company  which previously relied on the generating station for steam power  stay in business for at least the next decade and retain 125 jobs in northwest New Mexico.

Another example Keyes pointed to was Ascent Aviation Services choosing to expand to the Roswell Air Center and hire 360 employees, as lower-profile deals that helped smaller communities.

That gets me out of bed in the morning, to be able to bring 360 to more of a rural area, Keyes said.

Overall, 29% of JTIP funding went to rural communities, from Clovis to Deming.

Still, the states largest city was the recipient of several high-profile deals, including the aforementioned Netflix expansion, which makes Albuquerque the streaming giants largest North American production hub.

Synthia Jaramillo, Albuquerques director of economic development, said the deal with the streaming giant took about six months to complete and required a variety of state and local organizations to work together.

To help fund the expansion, New Mexico will provide up to $17 million in funding through the Local Economic Development Act, and the city will contribute $7 million, according to earlier reports.

Despite the hefty price tag, Jaramillo said she believes the expansion, which includes an additional $1 billion in production spend and $150 million in capital expenditures from the streaming giant, will pay dividends for the city. She said the expansion is slated to create around 1,000 production-based jobs, along with nearly 1,500 construction jobs, and the impact will carry over into other industries.

Its truly a game-changer for our small-business community, Jaramillo said.

Separately, the city approved a site plan that would allow Group Orion, a Washington D.C.-based aerospace company, to develop a campus on a large parcel of land near the Sunport. Jaramillo said the company still needs to secure approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, but was optimistic the deal would reach the finish line.

Its looking incredibly positive, Jaramillo said.

On the back of those two projects, Jaramillo said the city launched a marketing campaign in three Western cities in December. The multi-platform campaign will primarily target remote workers and former New Mexico residents in Houston, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, promoting Albuquerques abundant sunshine, short commutes and access to outdoor recreation.

Jaramillo said the campaign builds on trends toward remote work, while dovetailing with the citys larger efforts to attract talent in five main sectors: Film & digital media, smart-city technology, space technology, directed energy and bioscience.

Were telling stories that position Albuquerque as the Southwest premier mid-sized city, Jaramillo said.

The year also brought the retirement of Gary Tonjes, the longtime leader of Albuquerque Economic Development, the citys private, nonprofit economic development organization. In October, AED named Danielle Casey as its new president.

Casey, who previously worked for the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, said the pandemic has forced economic development folks to adapt in unpredictable ways in Albuquerque and across the country.

While no one knows what 2021 will bring, Casey said she believes Albuquerques quality of life, diversity and outdoor opportunities give it a chance to be competitive as the pandemic wanes.

Main streets and urban cores will never be the same, Casey said. The hard part is predicting what that new normal is going to be like and get ahead of the curve.

Stephen Hamway covers economic development, health care and tourism for the Journal. He can be reached at shamway@abqjournal.com.

Here's how material shortages are hitting home construction

"It's not just that prices are going up; it's how quickly they're going up and nothing's coming down," said CEO of the PA Builders Association.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
MJFelt/iStockBy IVAN PEREIRA, ABC News

(SAN JOSE, Calif.) -- Health officials said they are conducting an investigation into a COVID-19 outbreak among the emergency room staff at a San Jose, California hospital that has infected 44 people since Christmas, when a staffer wore an "air-powered" costume to cheer everyone up.



The Kaiser Permanente San Jose Emergency Department employees tested positive between Dec. 27 and Jan. 1, according to Irene Chavez, the hospital's senior vice president and area manager.



The infected employees are isolating and not coming into work, Chavez told ABC News in a statement.



"We will ensure that every affected staff member receives the care and support they need," Chavez said in the statement.



Chavez added that the hospital's emergency room has undergone a deep cleaning and the medical facility is open and safe for patients.



Chavez said contact tracers are looking into an incident on Christmas where one staff member wore an air-powered inflatable suit in an activity that was not planned or approved by hospital officials.



"Any exposure, if it occurred, would have been completely innocent and quite accidental, as the individual had no COVID symptoms and only sought to lift the spirits of those around them during what is a very stressful time," she said. "If anything, this should serve as a very real reminder that the virus is widespread and often without symptoms, and we must all be vigilant."



Chavez said the hospital has informed the staff that those costumes and devices aren't allowed and they need to adhere to health guidelines and precautions.



Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
US: 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine found in watermelons

Tesla owners will be paid $ 16,000 each due to slow charging

Advisor to Armenia Prosecutor General provides details about incident with Armenian soldier killed in Verin Shorzha

Banksy's painting of punk Lenin sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 960,000

CSTO Deputy Secretary-General: Escalation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border requires undertaking of urgent measures

Catholicos of All Armenians receives newly appointed Ambassador of Japan

Australia closing its embassy in Kabul for security reasons

Biden to discuss issues related to Belarus and Ukraine with Putin

Armenian acting FM meets with ambassadors of CSTO member states accredited to Armenia

Armenia Ombudsman presents human rights protection in post-war period to CoE Programmes Directorate General

Germany is investigating Google's position in market

France: Sanctions against Belarus will continue

Armenia opposition party MP: Azerbaijan is a terrorist state, negotiations can't be led with such a country

US to reopen its Consulate General in Jerusalem

EU expects to receive over 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine by end of September

Armenian MFA strongly condemns Azerbaijan's blatant armed encroachment on Armenia's sovereign territory

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Armen Sarkissian receives Russia Ambassador to Armenia

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Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
On This Day The Day Myanmars Rebellious Prince Died in Exile

Prince Saw Yan Paing

Yangon  On this day in 1946, Prince Saw Yan Paing, a grandson of King Mindon, who attempted to fight the British with military assistance from China, died in Mengzi in Chinas Yunnan Province. He was 81.

He and his brother, Saw Yan Naing, the sons of the prince of Mekkhaya, were known as the Chaunggwa princes as they rose against the British based in Chaunggwa, Inwa (then Ava), after King Thibaw was sent into exile. The British colonial authorities offered rewards for their arrest.

A plot was hatched in 1887 in Mandalay to put Prince Saw Yan Paing on the throne. The plan was foiled by the British, who arrested his brother, Saw Yan Naing. He then fled to Shan State and continued his resistance movement with support from a feudal Hsenwi lord and Kachin chieftains.

Following fierce attacks by the British in 1890, the prince relocated to Yunnan. He rejected repeated British offers to return and sought assistance from the Manchurian government to oppose the British. He asked the Guangxu emperor, Zaitian, in China to give him troops but the emperor asked him to stay in China and see how matters developed.

Prince Saw Yan Paing was kept informed about the independence movement by Burmese Buddhist monks. He also asked Sun Yat-sen for help when the nationalist leader took power.

With the rise of Burmese nationalism in the 1920s, he asked his sons who had grown up in China to challenge British rule in Hsenwi and Muse in Shan State and Myitkyina and Bhamo in Kachin State. He asked his son, Saw Ne Win, to live in Yangon (then Rangoon), so he could participate in Burmese politics. He met Saya San, who would later lead a peasants rebellion against British rule, and Thakhin Kodaw Hmaing, who the British labeled an enemy of the state.

Chiang Kai-shek and Japan refused to support the prince as Sun had.

The prince moved to Mengzi when Japanese forces attacked Tengchong in southwest China in 1942. The prince, known by the Chinese name Chiang-Kuo, reportedly participated in the anti-Japanese movement. He purportedly liked to wear Chinese clothes and spoke fluent Chinese. He allegedly asked that the phrase the tomb of Prince Chiang-Kuo, the eldest grandson of Burmese King Mindon, who lived in Tengchong be written in Chinese on his grave.

Burmese independence was secured on Jan. 4, 1948, exactly two years after the death of Prince Saw Yan Paing, who had lived in Yunnan for more than five decades.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko

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When Justice Rogers handed down the provisional liquidation order on Mirror Trading International (MTI), it was mainly because of the work of Vaughn Victor.

Victor is an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa who is embroiled in several other cases against scams such as VaultAge Solutions, Bitclub Network, BTC Global, and Thrive International.

At this stage he is acting pro bono in all of these cases, Victor told MyBroadband.

Assisted by Yasin Alli, an attorney from Vezi & De Beer Inc, Victor was able to lodge a successful application for the provisional liquidation order against MTI within the span of five days.

MyBroadband was introduced to Victor through a source. We asked him about the liquidation application and the various liquidators competing for the endorsement of MTI members who have lost their money.

Our application succeeded because we showed the court that we are serious, Victor said.

He explained that when he cited the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) as the second respondent in their High Court filing, he acted against the advice he received from other advocates who warned him not to over-complicate the application.

By citing the FSCA, Victor said they not only acknowledged the FSCA as important in this matter, they also demonstrated to the court that matter is extremely serious.

Most importantly, in the end, their application succeeded.

Victor said that he began working on it on Saturday 19 December, when MTI first disclosed that Johann Steynberg was missing.

The nights they worked on the legal documents paid off, as they were first to lodge their application with the Western Cape High Court on 23 December.

As they lodged the application on an urgent basis, it was heard on 24 December. However, a group calling themselves the MTI Recovery Action Group (RAG) were opposed to liquidation and asked for the hearing to be delayed.

MTI RAG had withdrawn their objections by the time of the next hearing on 29 December, and the High Court granted the provisional liquidation order against MTI.

Head of investigations and enforcement at the FSCA, Brandon Topham, told MyBroadband that they did not object to the application for provisional liquidation as it is probably the best course of action to recover money from persons who may have assets of investors and from investors who will need to repay their profits.

Topham said that anyone who was been preferred will also have to repay the money they have extracted from the scheme so that all investors receive fair treatment in the end.

A curatorship would be another option, but as this is an unlawful business we would prefer not to curate and normally prefer a liquidation route under these circumstances, stated Topham.

We will work with liquidators and law enforcement to recover [what we can] but the process will be slow, legally and jurisdictionally complicated, and investors should expect the worst but hope for some recovery at the end of the process.

Choosing the right liquidator

Victor said that the most important issue now is for the right liquidator to be appointed.

He explained that there will likely be multiple liquidators assigned to the MTI case, but members should still consider carefully which liquidator they choose to nominate.

Victor, together with Vezi & De Beer, have asked MTI members to nominate a company called Investrust, where an attorney called AW van Rooyen handles liquidations.

We arent affiliated with Investrust or Van Rooyen in any way, but they have a proven track record when it comes to dealing with fraudulent business practices, Victor said.

Specifically, Van Rooyen was appointed the liquidator for QSG Investment Scheme and VaultAge Solutions.

VaultAge Solutions has come up during MyBroadbands investigations into MTI as the CEO of VaultAge also appeared to be invested as a member of MTIs exclusive Founder Pool.

Victor said that Investrust is the only liquidator hes worked with that gives constant feedback to creditors.

Most importantly, Van Rooyen has the best interests of the creditors at heart.

I work only with people that I vet. I cant jeopardise my name as its only me and a colleague of mine that specialise in cybercrime in South Africa, stated Victor.

We dont want another Krion scenario where the only people who win are the liquidators, Victor said.

Learning from Krion

The Krion scenario Victor referred to is the infamous Krion investment scheme which ran from 1998 to 2002.

Krion was declared a Ponzi-type scheme by the High Court of South Africa. Around 14,000 investors and R1.5 billion were involved in the scheme.

Police arrested the mastermind behind Krion, Marietjie Prinsloo, on 23 July 2002 along with her family, who were accused of perpetrating the scheme with her.

While Krion was liquidated on 4 June 2002, it took 11 years before the liquidators filed their first liquidation and distribution account.

The criminal case against Prinsloo and her co-conspirators was only finalised in 2015.

Business Day reported in 2013 that liquidators and other collectors had taken R84 million from the Krion estate over the course of 11 years, while only recovering around R100 million.

After paying the South African Revenue Service and other expenses, less than R10 million remained to repay investors the money they had lost in the scheme.

Citizen reported that liquidators also sued people who had invested in Krion to pay back any money they had received from the scheme, even if they hadnt actually made a profit.

It provided the example of one investor who had deposited R400,000 into Krion and received R220,000 from the scheme in profits. She was sued for the R220,000 even though she had suffered a net loss.

Paying back the money

Victor echoed Tophams statements, saying that unfortunately in a scheme like MTI people will need to repay the money they withdrew.

This is why its essential to appoint a good liquidator that has experience in dealing with fraudulent business practices and understands cryptocurrency.

Some MTI members have raised concerns about the cost of the liquidation, to which Victor said that there is no cause for concern yet.

He explained that there are maximums on how much a liquidator can charge for providing their service:

1% of any money found in a bank account

3% on all immovable assets

10% on all movable assets, including bitcoin

In the unlikely event that the liquidators recover the over 23,000 bitcoin that has flowed through MTI, the liquidator will not be able to keep 10%.

Victor said that the Master of the High Court can determine that a liquidators fees are exorbitant and put a cap on it.

The nomination form for Investrust is embedded below. MTI members who wish to nominate Investrust may also visit the insolvency practitioners website.

Now read: Criminal case opened against Mirror Trading International
A conservative activist who bragged on social media about crossing the NSW-Queensland border has apologised after being chided by Queensland's police chief.

Former managing director of the Australian Christian Lobby, Lyle Shelton, posted on Twitter about a 'sneaky run across the border and back' on Saturday night.

After receiving criticism from Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll and Police Minister Mark Ryan on Monday, Mr Shelton apologised and said he didn't intend to waste resources.

Religious activist Lyle Shelton apologised to police for wasting their time with a border stunt. He qualified his apology however by complaining his tweet had been blown out of proportion

Lyle Shelton (pictured) shared a selfie, claiming to have snuck into NSW from Queensland, avoiding police. He had a G-pass so he was allowed to cross - unlike the suggestion in his tweet

'My solo jog seems to have received a disproportionate social media response compared to that of the tens of thousands who apparently breached Covid rules to protest at the height of the pandemic,' he said in a tweet on Monday afternoon.

Ms Carroll described Mr Shelton's actions as a poor attempt at humour.

'He can cross the border, I understand he has a G-pass, so it was just a funny tweet, which in the end is not really that funny,' she said on Monday.

'We want people to freely move, do their exercise, do the right thing and not brag about it on Twitter.'

Mr Ryan said Mr Shelton had potentially created confusion about what was allowed on the border.

'Not only does it divert police resources, but it also creates a sense of confusion in the community around certain actions,' he said.

Lyle Shelton, former Australian Christian Lobby managing director, claimed he made a 'sneaky run' across the border, avoiding police. Instead, he had a G-pass - so he was allowed to cross

The tweet prompted police to investigate Shelton's claimed violation of the covid border rules

One of the images Shelton shared after claiming to have snuck into NSW on Sunday during a jog

Border declaration passes are needed for travellers to Queensland who have visited NSW since December 11 after recent coronavirus cases in Sydney.

Queensland's border is also closed to anyone who has been in the COVID-declared hotspots of greater Sydney and surrounding areas in the past 14 days.

Queensland Police on Sunday replied to Mr Shelton's initial tweet stating it was making inquiries, to which Mr Shelton tweeted he was happy to explain his run along the coast from Coolangatta to the Tweed.

'There were no checkpoints for joggers, walkers or lizards,' he said.
Jack Ma, the Chinese billionaire and founder of Alibaba, who is under the scanner of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has reportedly not been seen in public for several weeks. This has led to speculations that Ma could be missing. He also failed to appear as scheduled in the final episode of his own talent show, Africas Business Heroes, which gives budding African entrepreneurs the chance to compete for a slice of US $1.5 million. He last tweeted on 10 October last year.

Where is Jack Ma?

Jack Ma was supposed to be part of the show's judge panel, but was replaced by an Alibaba executive in the November final, UKs Telegraph reported. His picture was also taken off the website. According to Financial Times, an Alibaba spokesperson said Ma was unable to take part in the judging panel "due to a schedule conflict."

The 56-year-old hasn't been seen publicly after officials hit back at him following an October speech in which he complained at a business conference that China's regulators and state-run banks are hampering opportunities. "Todays financial system is the legacy of the Industrial Age," Ma said in the speech. "We must set up a new one for the next generation and young people. We must reform the current system," he said.

READ | China blocks Jack Ma's Ant Group Co from making biggest stock market debut

READ | Jack Ma lost $11 billion in last two months amid increased scrutiny by China: Report

Chinese regulators order Ant Group to rectify its businesses

In November, officials in Beijing reprimanded Ma and suspended the $37billion initial public offering of his Ant Group on the direct order of President Jinping, the Wall Street Journal reported. He was then advised to remain in China before launching an anti-monopoly investigation into his Alibaba Group Holding on Christmas Eve, according to Bloomberg.

As per the Associated Press, the moves are part of the Communist Party's efforts to curb the influence of tech companies as they move into the financial services sector during a time when Beijing is seeking to reduce financial risks. Chinese regulators also ordered Ant Group, the worlds largest financial technology company, to rectify its businesses and comply with regulatory requirements amid increased scrutiny of anti-monopoly practices in the countrys internet sector.

Alibaba and a company spun off by Tencent Holding Ltd. were fined last month for failing to apply for official approval before proceeding with some acquisitions.

READ | China's crackdown on Jack Ma worsens, pressure mounts on Ant Group to shake up its lending

READ | China intensifies Alibaba crackdown with anti-monopoly probe; Xi unrelenting on Jack Ma
The three countries announced the decision in a joint communique issued following a video meeting on Sunday in presence of the African Union (AU) experts and the international observers, reports Xinhua news agency.

Khartoum, Jan 4 (IANS) Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia have agreed to suspend the tripartite talks over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) built on the Nile River, for one week.

"The meeting adopted a proposal by Sudan to devote this week for bilateral meetings among the three countries and the team of experts and observers," the communique said.

It added that South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor, who chaired the meeting, demanded that the meetings should focus on determining the points of agreement and difference among the three countries, provided that the tripartite meetings are to resume on January 10.

The communique further said that the three countries reviewed during the meeting their positions regarding possibility of reaching a formula that would allow resumption of the talks in light of the positive development with the African experts presenting a memorandum of agreement for the three countries.

Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia have been negotiating under the AU over technical and legal issues related to the filling and operation of the GERD.

Ethiopia, which started building the GERD in 2011, expects to produce more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity from the project.

But Egypt and Sudan, downstream Nile Basin countries that rely on the river for fresh water, are concerned that the dam might affect their water resources.

Over the past few years, tripartite talks on the rules of filling and operating the GERD have been fruitless, including those hosted by Washington and recently by the AU.

--IANS

ksk/
New Delhi, Jan 4 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday lauded the efforts of the Indian scientists involved in developing the vaccine for Covid-19, and said India is soon going to start the largest vaccination programme in the world.

Modi made the remarks after inaugurating the National Metrology Conclave virtually and also dedicated the National Atomic Timescale and Bharatiya Nirdeshak Dravya to the nation.

He also laid the foundation stone for the National Environmental Standards Lab.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said, "The new year has brought with it a new achievement. Indian scientists have not developed just one, but two Covid vaccines." He said, "We are on the threshold of starting the 'largest vaccination programme in the world'. The entire country is indebted to all scientists and technicians," he said.

The Prime Minister also urged the scientists of CSIR to discuss and converse with the students of the educational institutions in the entire country and share their experiences with the next generation.

"This would help in developing the next generation of young scientists," he said.

The Prime Minister further said the quality of services and products in our country, both in the public or private sector, will determine India's strength in the world.

"No research is complete with comparing and calculating. We also need to calculate our achievements as well," he said.

He said, "We have to ensure that there is not only global demand but also global acceptance of 'Make in India' products. We have to strengthen brand India on the basis of quality and credibility."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The Kenya National Union of Teachers' boss Wilson Sossion has expressed concern over the safety of students and teachers as schools in the country reopened on Monday.



He described the level of preparation on coronavirus safety measures as "quite inadequate", in an interview with the BBC's Newsday programme.



Mr Sossion said day schools, which number more than boarding schools, are disadvantaged as many do not have running water for handwashing.



He said the government had not released funds to schools for the purchase of thermometers, sanitizers and other required items.



Quote Message: When you give such directives to schools and you don't give them funding... how are they expected to implement? When you give such directives to schools and you don't give them funding... how are they expected to implement?





The government has asked teachers to implement social distancing and hygiene guidelines to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Source: BBC









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A Florida taxi driver and his wife had seen enough conspiracy theories online to believe the virus was overblown, maybe even a hoax. So no masks for them. Then they got sick. She died.

A college lecturer had trouble refilling her lupus drug after the president promoted it as a treatment for the new disease. A hospital nurse broke down when an ICU patient insisted his illness was nothing worse than the flu, oblivious to the silence in beds next door.

Lies infected America in 2020. The very worst were not just damaging, but deadly.

President Donald Trump fueled confusion and conspiracies from the earliest days of the coronavirus pandemic. He embraced theories that COVID-19 accounted for only a small fraction of the thousands upon thousands of deaths. He undermined public health guidance for wearing masks and cast Dr. Anthony Fauci as an unreliable flip-flopper.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

But the infodemic was not the work of a single person.

Anonymous bad actors offered up junk science. Online skeptics made bogus accusations that hospitals padded their coronavirus case numbers to generate bonus payments. Influential TV and radio opinion hosts told millions of viewers that social distancing was a joke and that states had all of the personal protective equipment they needed (when they didnt).

It was a symphony of counter narrative, and Trump was the conductor, if not the composer. The message: The threat to your health was overhyped to hurt the political fortunes of the president.

About PolitiFact PolitiFact is a fact-checking project to help you sort out fact from fiction in politics. Truth-O-Meter ratings are determined by a panel of three editors. The burden of proof is on the speaker, and PolitiFact rates statements based on the information known at the time the statement is made. See More Collapse

Every year, PolitiFact editors review the years most inaccurate statements to elevate one as the Lie of the Year. The award goes to a statement, or a collection of claims, that prove to be of substantive consequence in undermining reality.

It has become harder and harder to choose when cynical pundits and politicians dont pay much of a price for saying things that arent true. For the past two months, unproven claims of massive election fraud have tested democratic institutions and certainly qualify as historic and dangerously bald-faced.

Meanwhile, the coronavirus has killed more than 300,000 in the United States, a crisis exacerbated by the reckless spread of falsehoods.

PolitiFacts 2020 Lie of the Year: claims that deny, downplay or disinform about COVID-19.

I always wanted to play it down

On Feb. 7, Trump leveled with book author Bob Woodward about the dangers of the new virus that was spreading across the world, originating in central China. He told the legendary reporter that the virus was airborne, tricky and more deadly than even your strenuous flus.

Trump told the public something else. On Feb. 26, the president appeared with his coronavirus task force in the crowded White House briefing room. A reporter asked if he was telling healthy Americans not to change their behavior.

Wash your hands, stay clean. You dont have to necessarily grab every handrail unless you have to, he said, I mean, view this the same as the flu.

Three weeks later, March 19, he acknowledged to Woodward: To be honest with you, I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down. Because I dont want to create a panic.

His acolytes in politics and the media were on the same page. Rush Limbaugh told his audience of about 15 million on Feb. 24 that coronavirus was being weaponized against Trump when it was just the common cold, folks. Thats wrong  even in the early weeks, it was clear the virus had a higher fatality rate than the common cold, with worse potential side effects, too.

As the virus was spreading, so was the message to downplay it.

There are lots of sources of misinformation, and there are lots of elected officials besides Trump that have not taken the virus seriously or promoted misinformation, said Brendan Nyhan, a government professor at Dartmouth College. Its not solely a Trump story  and its important to not take everyone elses role out of the narrative.

Hijacking the numbers

In August, there was a growing movement on Twitter to question the disproportionately high U.S. COVID-19 death toll.

The skeptics cited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data to claim that only 6 percent of COVID-19 deaths could actually be attributed to the virus. On Aug. 24, BlazeTV host Steve Deace amplified it on Facebook.

Heres the percentage of people who died OF or FROM Covid with no underlying comorbidity, he said to his 120,000 followers. According to CDC, that is just 6 percent of the deaths WITH Covid so far.

That misrepresented the reality of coronavirus deaths. The CDC had always said people with underlying health problems  comorbidities  were most vulnerable if they caught COVID-19. The report was noting that 6 percent died even without being at obvious risk.

But for those skeptical of COVID-19, the narrative confirmed their beliefs. Facebook users copied and pasted language from influencers like Amiri King, who had 2.2 million Facebook followers before he was banned. The Gateway Pundit called it a SHOCK REPORT.

I saw a statistic come out the other day, talking about only 6 percent of the people actually died from COVID, which is very interesting  that they died from other reasons, Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Sept. 1.

False information moved between social media, Trump and TV, creating its own feedback loop.

Its an echo effect of sorts, where Donald Trump is certainly looking for information that resonates with his audiences and that supports his political objectives. And his audiences are looking to be amplified, so theyre incentivized to get him their information, said Kate Starbird, an associate professor and misinformation expert at the University of Washington.

The vaccine war

The vaccine disinformation campaign started in the spring but is still underway.

In April, blogs and social media users falsely claimed Democrats and powerful figures like Bill Gates wanted to use microchips to track which Americans had been vaccinated for the coronavirus. Now, false claims are taking aim at vaccines developed by Pfizer and BioNTech and other companies.

A blogger claimed Pfizers head of research said the coronavirus vaccine could cause female infertility. Thats false.

An alternative health website wrote that the vaccine could cause an array of life-threatening side effects, and that the FDA knew about it. The list included all possible  not confirmed side effects.

Social media users speculated that the federal government would force Americans to receive the vaccine. Neither Trump nor President-elect Joe Biden has advocated for that, and the federal government doesnt have the power to mandate vaccines, anyway.

As is often the case with disinformation, the strategy is to deliver it with a charade of certainty.

People are anxious and scared right now, said Dr. Seema Yasmin, director of research and education programs at the Stanford Health Communication Initiative. Theyre looking for a whole picture.

Most polls have shown far from universal acceptance of vaccines, with only 50 percent to 70 percent of respondents willing to take the vaccine. Black and Hispanic Americans are even less likely to take it so far.

Meanwhile, the future course of the coronavirus in the U.S. depends on whether Americans take public health guidance to heart. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projected that, without mask mandates or a rapid vaccine rollout, the death toll could rise to more than 500,000 by April 2021.

How can we come to terms with all that when people are living in separate informational realities? Starbird said.

Politifact staff researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.
The new South African coronavirus variant is not anticipated to bypass the protection of current vaccines, an expert has said.

Scientists say not enough is known about the mutation to make assumptions, and the changes to the virus are consistent with it being more transmissible.

However, it is not known whether they will affect disease severity.

Scientists at Porton Down are researching whether vaccines will be effective against the variant from South Africa, and the new variant spreading across the UK.

On Monday, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was incredibly worried about the South African variant, describing it as a very, very significant problem.

On December 23, he said two cases of the strain had been identified in the UK.

Francois Balloux, professor of computational systems biology and director, UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, said: The South African variant carries a mutation in the spike protein called E484K, which is not present in the UK strain.

The E484K mutation has been shown to reduce antibody recognition.

As such, it helps the virus Sars-CoV-2 to bypass immune protection provided by prior infection or vaccination.

It is not anticipated that this mutation is sufficient for the South African variant to bypass the protection provided by current vaccines.

Its possible that new variants will affect the efficacy of the Covid vaccines, but we shouldnt make that assumption yet about the South African one.

On Sunday, John Bell, regius professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford, suggested the variant circulating in South African could be resistant to the vaccine.

He added that it could take just six weeks to develop a new jab if one was needed.

Mr Bell told Times Radio he felt the current vaccines would be effective against the new UK strain, but there was a question mark over the South African mutation.

Lawrence S Young, virologist and professor of molecular oncology, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, said: While changes in the UK variant are unlikely to impact the effectiveness of current vaccines, the accumulation of more spike mutations in the South African variant are more of a concern and could lead to some escape from immune protection.

Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, said: The variant found in South Africa which is now also seen in the UK, is another mutated version of the coronavirus which is causing significant problems.

The South African variant has a number additional mutations including changes to some of the virus spike protein which are concerning.

They cause more extensive alteration of the spike protein than the changes in the Kent variant and may make the virus less susceptible to the immune response triggered by the vaccines.

While it is more infectious, it currently remains unclear whether it causes a more severe form of the disease.

Moreover, the South African variant is a more difficult virus to track as it lacks some mutations in the spike found in the Kent virus which make it easily detectable by the PCR test used by the NHS.
The Supreme Court Monday said it would hear on January 7 the appeals of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and BJP MLA Madan Dilawar against the Rajasthan High Court order asking the Assembly Speaker to decide within three months a disqualification petition against all the six BSP MLAs merging with the ruling Congress party.

A bench of Justices S Abdul Nazeer and K M Joseph listed the appeals for further hearing on Thursday.

On August 24, the high court had asked the Rajasthan Assembly Speaker to decide within three months the disqualification petition filed by Dilawar against the merger of six BSP MLAs with the Congress. Allowing Dilawars plea partially, the high court had set aside the July 22 order of the Speaker rejecting the disqualification petition filed by him in March last year.

It had dismissed a writ petition filed by the BSP in the matter, while giving the party liberty to file a disqualification petition with the Speaker. Dilawar had filed the petition in the high court challenging the merger of six MLAs - Sandeep Yadav, Wajib Ali, Deepchand Kheria, Lakhan Meena, Jogendra Awana and Rajendra Gudha - with the Congress and demanded a stay on the execution of the order passed by the Speaker.

The top court had on the same day disposed of as infructuous Dilawars plea seeking stay on the Rajasthan Speakers decision, which allowed the six BSP MLAs to merge with the Congress after the high court had passed its order on the same issue.

The six MLAs had contested and won the 2018 assembly elections on BSP tickets but later defected to the Congress party in September 2019.The MLAs had submitted an application for the merger on September 16, 2019 and the Speaker issued an order on September 18, 2019.

Dilawar has said that the six BSP MLAs have been wrongly allowed by the Speaker to merge with the ruling Congress party. The merger was a boost to the Ashok Gehlot-led state government as the tally of the Congress increased to over 100 in the house of 200 MLAs.
"We're thrilled to welcome Richard to our growing European team," said Christopher Ladd, Chief Executive Officer of Coravin. "He brings the type of strategic leadership that will take Coravin to the next level in this region. I am looking forward to the contributions I know he will make to help establish Coravin as a global leader in wine technology."

After spending more than 16 years with the storied Moet Hennessy group in a variety of roles, Yeomans brings broad global experience in premium wines and spirits, across multiple channels including on premise, off premise and e-retail. He also shares his luxury brand building expertise, having led various international businesses with the world's most prestigious wine and spirits company.

"Coravin is a company I have admired for many years," said Yeomans. "I am delighted to be joining the team at such a pivotal moment in the wine industry, and to play a part in their next stage of growth in the European market. The highly innovative and transformative technology they have developed has the power to revolutionize how the world drinks wine, which is truly exciting."

Coravin opened its European office in Amsterdam in September 2014, and products are sold in premium wine and non-wine retailers in more than 50 markets, including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Switzerland.

For more information on Coravin, please visit www.coravin.com

About Coravin Inc.

Coravin, Inc. is a privately held company located in Bedford, Massachusetts focused and the leader in wine tech around the world. Coravin designs and markets Coravin Wine Preservation Systems for wine enthusiasts, restaurants, wine stores and wineries. Coravin offers a range of products designed to meet a variety of preservation needs, from a few weeks, to several months, to years, ensuring the last glass tastes just as amazing as the first. With a presence in more than 60 countries, Coravin branded systems power some of the best wine by-the-glass programs around the world. For more information, please visit www.coravin.com.

SOURCE Coravin

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A Perth woman has described horrid scenes of sustained racial abuse aimed at AFL footballer Lewis Jetta and his family at a New Years Eve function at Gloucester Park race course.

Lewis Jetta won two premierships with the Swans and the Eagles.

Dee, who did not reveal her last name, told Radio 6PRs Breakfast she and her family sat next to the Jetta family at the Gloucester Park trots among about 4500 people to ring in the new year.

We were sitting next to Lewis Jetta and his family and the way that they were treated was disgraceful. I was so embarrassed to call myself an Australian, she said.

She claimed that over several hours, Jetta was racially abused and taunted over his football career.
By Scott DiSavino

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Oil prices slipped from multi-month highs to end more than 1% lower on the first trading day of the year after OPEC+ failed to decide on Monday whether to increase output in February and agreed to meet again on Tuesday.

Brent futures settled 71 cents, or 1.4%, lower at $51.09 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 90 cents, or 1.9%, to settle at $47.62.

Earlier in the session, WTI hit its highest since February and Brent its highest since March. The premium of Brent over WTI reached its highest since May.

The S&P 500 and the Dow also fell from record levels as President Donald Trump travels to Georgia in a bid to keep the U.S. Senate in the hands of his Republican Party ahead of Tuesday's run-off election in the battleground state.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, known as OPEC+, will resume talks on Tuesday after reaching a deadlock over February oil output levels as Saudi Arabia argued against pumping more due to new coronavirus lockdowns while Russia led calls for higher production citing recovering demand. [nL1N2JF0I6]

"Anything can happen, but Russia may not want to lose face and capitulate so easily. It looks like we may be in for some lengthy negotiations," said Bjornar Tonhaugen, head of oil markets at Rystad Energy.

In Europe, England was set for a new lockdown to try to slow a surge in COVID-19 cases that threatens to overwhelm parts of the health system, while Germany was weighing whether to allow a delay in administering a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to make scarce supplies go further.

In the Middle East, meanwhile, the news was mixed.

Oil prices gained some support earlier in the day after Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized a South Korean-flagged tanker in Gulf waters and Iran resumed uranium enrichment at an underground nuclear facility.

But later in the day Kuwait's foreign minister said Saudi Arabia will reopen its airspace and land and sea border to Qatar as of Monday as part of a deal seeking to resolve a political dispute that led Riyadh and its allies to impose a boycott on Qatar.

(Additional reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in London and Florence Tan in Singapore; Editing by Marguerita Choy, Barbara Lewis and Alexander Smith)
[January 04, 2021] Wells Fargo Names Tomomi Kikuchi President and Representative Director of Wells Fargo Securities Japan

Wells Fargo (News - Alert) & Company (NYSE: WFC) announced that Tomomi Kikuchi has been named the new president and representative director of Wells Fargo Securities Japan (WFSJ), effective Dec. 3, 2020. Kikuchi is based in Tokyo and reports to Mandy Wan, head of Asia Pacific Markets, Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005464/en/ Tomomi Kikuchi (Photo: Wells Fargo) Kikuchi will oversee all business activities and functions of WFSJ and continue to lead initiatives to enhance the breadth and depth of the securities platform in Japan. With more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, Kikuchi has most recently led the Japan distribution team and U.S. residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) trading for the APAC region at Wells Fargo. He joined Wells Fargo in 2014 from Bank of America Merrill Lynch (now BofA Securities) where he headed the non-yen sales business and was the RMBS product manager for the APAC region. He has also held leadership positions at J.P. Morgan. Prior to his sell side experience, he managed the fied income portfolio at Bank of Tokyo (now MUFG Bank).



"Kikuchi-san brings more than 25 years of experience to this role, elevating the value we bring to our clients," Wan said. "With his deep product knowledge and client connectivity, I am confident Kikuchi-san will build upon our success as we continue to strengthen our capabilities and serve our clients in this very important market." Wells Fargo Asia Pacific serves large corporations including financial institutions, non-bank financial institutions, insurance companies, and asset managers doing business across the region. It has branches in Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei, and Tokyo; representative offices in six other countries; and other operating entities in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and New Zealand.

About Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.92 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo's vision is to satisfy our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 7,200 locations, more than 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 31 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 30 on Fortune's 2020 rankings of America's largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories. Additional information may be found at www.wellsfargo.com | Twitter (News - Alert) : @WellsFargo. News Release Category: WF-LO View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005464/en/

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The Covid-19 vaccination program has got off to a slow start in the Madrid region, despite the expectations created by the regional premier, Isabel Diaz Ayuso of the conservative Popular Party (PP). The Madrid government had, by the weekend, administered the first dose of the immunization to 3,090 people since the Europe-wide campaign got going last Sunday. This is a very slow rate, and accounts for just 6% of the 48,750 doses that the region will receive from the central government on a weekly basis until the end of March.

The slow administration rate is in contrast to the haste with which Ayuso wanted to begin the program, voicing complaints that the Health Ministry had not allocated enough doses to the region. For much of the pandemic, Ayuso has been a highly vocal critic of the central administration  run by a coalition of the Socialist Party (PSOE) and junior partner Unidas Podemos  for its handling of the health crisis.

Vaccination is a national problem. The strategy is a national problem and the government of Spain should be at the helm, as should our fleeing minister, so that all regions receive the same number of doses, transparency and aid, said Ayuso on Monday, alluding to the fact that Health Minister Salvador Illa is going to step down so he can run for office in the Catalan elections of February 14 with the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC).

The slow rollout of the vaccination program, which has been seen in other areas such as Catalonia, has raised doubts among experts over whether the governments objective of vaccinating 70% of the Spanish population before the end of the summer will be possible.

Vaccination is a national problem. The strategy is a national problem and the government of Spain should be at the helm Madrid regional premier Isabel Diaz Ayuso

Madrids deputy health chief, Antonio Zapatero, explained during a press conference on Saturday that there had been a number of obstacles in the way, ranging from a one-day delay of the vaccines arrival early last week due to a logistical problem with manufacturer Pfizer, to the difficulty of administering the shots in senior homes, given that many residents had opted to spend the Christmas holiday with relatives.

Last week was practically a lost week for the program, since no vaccinations were administered between December 31 and January 3, given the weekend and the New Year holidays. The regional health department has not reorganized the timetables of medical workers so that they can be on hand to administer the vaccine on weekends.

It wasnt the best week, said Zapatero on Saturday, adding that this week around 15,000 people would be vaccinated and arguing that the regional health department is prepared to ramp up the rate at which vaccines are administered. Sermas [the Madrid Health Service] has the capacity to vaccinate more people, but fundamentally we are limited by the number of vaccines we receive each week, he said.

The region has trained 46 pairs of nursing staff, who are administering the vaccines to seniors in residences  the first group that has been chosen to be immunized, given their vulnerability to the coronavirus. Each nurse has been given an objective of 25 doses a day, which will rise to 50 in the coming weeks according to the staff themselves.

But there have been other problems, according to health workers consulted by EL PAIS. They report having to work with a registration system where the clinical history of the patient does not appear, meaning they lack information such as allergies, and that they were also given syringes initially that did not allow them to regulate the dose to the required 0.3 milliliters. They also report lacking protective equipment against accidental needle jabs, and also cite the fragile health of the seniors receiving the vaccine. One man fainted after receiving the vaccine and we had to treat him, one nurse, who requested to remain anonymous, reported. If they want to speed up the rhythm of vaccination there will be no other option but to increase the number of nurses.

On Monday, the Madrid regional health chief, Enrique Ruiz Escudero, argued that the process had been slower given that senior homes requested that the campaign begin after December 31 to avoid coinciding with a time when many residents were staying with relatives.

Ruiz Escudero also opened the door to the campaign being placed in the hands of private companies. Given the situation, he said, all resources necessary will be used, whether they are public or private ones as needed.

Catalan plans

Josefa Perez, 89, was the first person to be vaccinated in Catalonia. Alejandro Garcia / EFE

The process has also gotten off to a slow start in Catalonia, which will receive 60,000 doses a week. By Sunday, the region had administered the vaccine to 7,774 people, barely 13% of the number who should have got it during the first week of the campaign, according to forecasts. The Catalan health department announced on Sunday that from now on it will be administering vaccines every day of the week (including holidays) in order to speed up the process. We were, perhaps, too optimistic, said Carmen Cabezas, in charge of the vaccination process in the region, adding that there were problems in recruiting nursing staff for the program.

The central Health Ministry wants this first phase, which is due to run until the end of March, to see all seniors and their carers in the countrys residences vaccinated, along with front-line medical staff. The objective of vaccinating 70% of the population by the end of summer appears to be too optimistic. In other developed countries the immunization process has also begun slower than expected.

Some epidemiologists consulted by this newspaper said that they thought the vaccination data from the first week was disappointing, but they understand that the process would be difficult. Its not unusual for there to be a certain sluggishness at the start until the machine is well oiled, said Fernando Garcia, spokesperson for the Madrid Public Health association. It will have to speed up to reach the planned rhythm and also to compensate for the delays in these first weeks.

Madrid has been particularly hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, and has confirmed nearly 400,000 cases of the coronavirus according to the latest Health Ministry report, released on December 31. This is the highest figure for all of Spains territories, followed by Catalonia with 356,724. The number of confirmed Covid-related deaths currently stands at 11,828 in Madrid, and 8,723 in Catalonia.

English version by Simon Hunter.
Rabble Wines, a Paso Robles brand that attracts younger drinkers with digital, interactive labels, has been sold to ONeill Vintners and Distillers, which is becoming one of the largest wine companies in California. The deal includes the Rabble brand and inventory, but Rabble founder Rob Murray is retaining the tasting room for his other brands, including Tooth & Nail. A purchase price was not disclosed.

Jeff ONeill, the ONeill Vintners CEO, said his companys research has shown that Rabbles wines and packaging really resonate with 21- to 35-year-olds, a segment that the ONeill portfolio has not yet captured.

He cited the augmented reality labels on Rabble wine bottles as a particularly strong asset: When a smartphone scans the Rabble labels, which depict woodblock carvings from a 15th century illustrated encyclopedia, the illustration becomes animated. A red blends label, for example, enacts a lightning siege on a city, complete with thunderous sound effects, while a rose shows a siren-like mermaid causing pirates to shipwreck.

Weve got a number of brands like Line 39 and Robert Hall that skew toward Gen X, said ONeill, who now controls 15 wine labels in national distribution, and we want to make sure that in the future we have products that are resonating with Millennials and Gen Z.

Now Playing: Video: William Carle

The Rabble wines are mainly bold, fruity, high-octane reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Tempranillo and red blends, ranging in price from $16 to $25. They fit into an increasingly popular niche also occupied by California red blends like the Prisoner and Michael Davids Freakshow label: big fruit flavors and dark, moody, artsy-looking labels.

Rabbles output is around 50,000 cases per year, and that will rise under the new ownership. Since its largely only distributed in California today, we think the opportunity to grow the brand is quite large, ONeill said.

That opportunity is greater in Paso Robles than in Napa or Sonoma, where higher fruit costs drive up wine prices. You cant grow brands at that scale in Sonoma County or Napa any longer unless youre willing to get into the $60, $70, $80 range, ONeill said.

The average price of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in Napa County was $7,900 per ton in 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which would typically translate to a $79 bottle of wine. That same figure for the region that includes Paso Robles, meanwhile, was an estimated $1,700, resulting in a $17 bottle.

Silicon Valley Bank

Murray, a longtime vineyard manager in Paso Robles, founded Rabble in 2010. His business has expanded significantly since then: Under his Tooth & Nail Wine Co. umbrella, he also makes the Amor Fati and Stasis brands. According to a Rabble analysis of Nielsen data, the sales of Rabbles four highest-volume wines grew by 51% from 2019 levels by late November.

One impetus for selling Rabble, Murray said, was that he could no longer keep up with the growth without outside investment. The bigger the winery, the bigger the problems, he said.

In 2018, Murray introduced the augmented reality labels; he believes Rabble was the second wine company to use the technology, following Treasury Wine Co.s use of augmented reality for its 19 Crimes wines.

That sort of interactive element has proven appeal with the younger drinkers that ONeill Vintners hopes to attract, ONeill said, adding that he sees a big future for technology like this now that the coronavirus pandemic has introduced virtual wine experiences to a larger audience.

Californias wine industry faces considerable hurdles when it comes to appealing to younger drinkers. Millennials (ages 24-39) make up 29% of the population, but they account for only 20% of all wine consumed, while Generation Z represents 9% of drinking-age adults but only 3% of the wine consumed, said Rob McMillan, executive vice president of Silicon Valley Banks wine division.

Tooth & Nail Wine Co.

While the wine industry is still relying disproportionately on drinkers ages 40 to 74, its failing to win over these younger drinkers, who may favor hard seltzer, canned cocktails and craft beer over wine. The acquisition suggests that ONeill understands the importance of a brand like Rabble in overcoming those challenges.

The entire history of ONeill Vintners, in fact, suggests a deep understanding of the U.S. wine business. ONeill started the company after selling his previous one, Golden State Vintners, to the Wine Group for $82 million in 2004. The new business was originally a bulk spirits producer, then it expanded into the bulk wine market and developed a strong business with private labels  essentially custom wine brands created for a client, usually using bulk wine. It still makes more than 5 million gallons of spirits annually and has a large winery in the Central Valley with the capacity to crush 155,000 tons of grapes.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Six years ago, ONeill began working with premium wines. It acquired existing brands (like Robert Hall Winery in Paso Robles) and created others from scratch (like Intercept, a partnership with former NFL player Charles Woodson).

ONeill Vintners now produces about 1.7 million cases of wine per year, said its CEO, and the 2019 Gomberg Fredrikson Report identifies it as one of the 15 largest U.S. wine companies by case sales. The business owns 870 acres of vineyard land throughout California, including 120 acres in Paso Robles.

We have big ambitions, said ONeill, who runs his business from Marin County. I dont know if we can continue to grow at this 30% pace that weve been doing, he added, but said more brand acquisitions are probably in store.

The guiding principle for the future, ONeill continued, is to release wines that already have a proven audience and that can fill an existing need. Its a practical, profit-oriented approach that marks a departure from the romantic tone many California wine companies have historically tried to strike.

The days of making a wine and just slapping a label on it are gone, ONeill said. Winemakers always have an idea of what they think the consumer wants. Our view is: Lets see what the consumer wants and then make sure we have the right brands.

Murray, meanwhile, said he would soon announce plans for his Tooth & Nail Wine Co. To be honest, giving Rabble up was hard, he said. But it was also about my personal life, he added. My wife and I want to spend more time together.

Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
MDOT virtual public meeting Jan. 13 to discuss US-23 Flex Route extension project in Livingston County

MDOT virtual public meeting Jan. 13 to discuss US-23 Flex Route extension project in Livingston County

Aaron Jenkins, MDOT Office of Communications, 517-243-9075 Transportation

WHAT:

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) invites the public to attend a virtual public meeting regarding the upcoming extension of the US-23 Flex Route from M-36 to the I-96/US-23 interchange. Work is currently scheduled to begin in 2024. During this virtual meeting, there will be a brief presentation followed by a question and answer session. Questions can be submitted during the meeting using the chat function.

WHO:

MDOT staff and contractors

Community stakeholders

Local businesses

Interested residents

WHEN:

Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021

2 p.m.

How:

Click here to join the Microsoft Teams Live Event

To listen by phone without using Internet, please call 866-434-5269.

Access Code: 7117521 #

How to attend a live event in Microsoft Teams

Accommodations can be made for persons with disabilities and limited English-speaking ability. Large print materials, auxiliary aids or the services of interpreters, signers, or readers are available upon request. To make a request, please send it at least seven days prior to the event to:

Orlando T. Curry

425 W. Ottawa St.

Lansing, MI 48909

Phone: 517-241-7462

Fax: 517-335-0945

TTY: 844-578-6563

CurryO@Michigan.gov

BACKGROUND:

The US-23 Flex Route extension project is designed to improve traffic safety, operations, infrastructure condition, and the directional peak period congestion along the US-23 corridor. The goal is to develop safe, efficient, and sustainable improvements to address current and future highway traffic and operations with the use of state-of-the-art traffic control measures and improved infrastructure.

COMMENT FORM:

Public input is being sought to help MDOT recognize and address any concerns that may result from the project. Please submit public comment by Feb. 4, 2021. Provide concerns/comments discussed at this meeting regarding the project using the online comment form or by mail, e-mail or phone to MDOT Public Involvement Specialist and Hearings Officer Monica Monsma at MonsmaM@Michigan.gov or:

Monica Monsma

MDOT Environmental Services Section

425 West Ottawa St.

P.O. Box 30050

Lansing, MI 48909

517-335-4381
The Ghazipur and Chilla borders connecting Delhi to Ghaziabad and Noida continue to remain partially blocked on Monday with only one carriageway open for those leaving Delhi. At both the borders, traffic going towards Delhi was diverted, with farmers blocking one carriageway as their agitation against three new farm bills continues. The Singhu and Tikri borders, however, continue to remain completely blocked since November.

A senior police officer said traffic moving from Delhi to Noida is smooth as usual at Chilla border, while the carriageway leading to Delhi remains blocked. Farmers also continue to block one carriageway on the Delhi-Meerut elevated expressway, while the other one for those exiting Delhi is open with normal traffic, he said.

Also Read: Farmers protests: Heavy rain hits UP Gate, Noida sites, but fails to dampen spirits

We have sufficient deployment of security personnel at both the borders to ensure law and order, the officer said.

At the Ghazipur border, the NH-24 service lane that has been blocked by the farmers November 27 onwards, also continued to remain closed for traffic on Monday.

Apart from the Chilla and Ghazipur borders, seven border that continue to remain completely blocked, are Singhu, Tikri, Auchandi, Jharoda, Piau Maniyari, and Mangesh borders.

Delhi traffic police, in its advisory, asked people to use alternate routes to enter Delhi via Chilla, Anand Vihar, DND, Apsara and Bhopra borders. The traffic police said that the currently open borders to Haryana are the following Jharoda (only single carriageway), Daurala, Kapashera, Badusarai, Rajokri NH 8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, Palam Vihar and Dundahera borders.

Traffic Alert

Singhu, Auchandi ,Piau Maniyari, Saboli & Mangesh borders closed. Please take alternate route via Lampur Safiabad, Palla & Singhu school toll tax borders.Traffic has been diverted from Mukarba & GTK road. Please avoid Outer Ring Road, GTK Road & NH-44.  Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) January 4, 2021

In one of their tweets, the Delhi traffic police said, The Chilla and Ghazipur Borders are closed for traffic coming from Noida & Ghaziabad to Delhi because of farmer protests. Please take alternate route for coming to Delhi via Anand Vihar, DND, Apsara, Bhopra & Loni Borders.

Police also tweeted, Singhu, Auchandi ,Piau Maniyari, Saboli and Mangesh borders closed. Please take alternate route via Lampur Safiabad, Palla & Singhu school toll tax borders.Traffic has been diverted from Mukarba & GTK road. Please avoid Outer Ring Road, GTK Road & NH-44.
By Kim Byoung-joo





A committee under the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) on Dec. 15 made a critical decision to spend 960 billion won ($872 million) on the Military Operational Helicopter Batch 2 program to purchase 12 U.S.-made MH-60R Seahawk helicopters.





The Seahawk is a twin-engine helicopter made by Sikorsky, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin. Back in 2013, I remember that Seahawk had was not selected for the MOH Batch 1 program due to a failure in price negotiations. The AW159 Wildcat, a European multi-purpose military helicopter developed by Leonardo, was selected instead.







Some say that the U.S.-made Seahawk has better capabilities. However, what is equally important is the price we pay. As for the price tag, the European Wildcat is said to have the upper hand.







As for weapons systems, the Wildcat can carry the domestic Blue Shark torpedoes developed by LIG Nex1, the integration of which can contribute to the administration's commitment to the growth of the domestic defense industry.







New procurements should also consider integration and interoperability with existing weapon systems. The ROK Navy already operates Wildcats and the helicopters are said to be popular among Navy pilots. The additional Wildcats would have provided sufficient operational capabilities while also establishing economies of scale in terms of maintenance and operation.







Considering these facts, it is only natural to question the selection of the Seahawk and what other important rationale was behind the decision. In that regard, some may say that the biggest contributing factor might have been U.S. influence.







During the ROK-U.S. summit in April 2019, President Donald Trump mentioned that "South Korea has decided to buy a lot of U.S. weapons." In return, President Moon Jae-in stressed the importance of the ROK-U.S. alliance and briefed his counterpart on Seoul's three-year plan to buy American weapons, although without specifying the exact amount or type of weaponry involved.







South Korea has been shielding itself fairly well for the past four years against the Trump administration's continued demand for a hefty increase in defense cost-sharing.







Purchasing U.S. weapons has been pointed out as useful leverage, amid Trump even signaling the potential withdrawal of the U.S. troops in South Korea. Some suspected that Trump may have a "weapons purchase bill" in his hand, sparking media speculation over the Seahawk's "victory."







The decision behind the MOH Batch 2 program may have also been based in consideration of the new Biden administration. This could have been a meaningful goodwill gesture to the new White House that upholds the traditional value of the ROK-U.S. alliance.







It will certainly contribute to shaping a positive environment to improve the bilateral relations. Considering all those factors, the result may have been preordained to an extent.







Meanwhile, this puts DAPA in a difficult situation. The agency has been stressing a fair and transparent process to companies, but it does not seem entirely free from making decisions without considering politics.







Fairness and transparency have been the governing philosophy of the organization since the Roh Moo-hyun administration, and DAPA is advised not to forget its duty to engage in clear and transparent communication with its stakeholders, including the bidders and the National Assembly.







It is time to have a thorough discussion to find the right balance in our approach to diplomacy. We must find a way to continue our relationship with not only the U.S. and China, but other countries around the world which share common values and interests.







South Korea must devise a diplomatic strategy to engage with the international community and brand itself as "a faithful and trustworthy partner" committed to the principles of multilateralism.



Kim Byoung-joo ( bjkimkorea@gmail.com ) is affiliate professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
A radical Indonesian cleric linked to the deadly Bali bombings will be released from prison this week, authorities said Monday, after an earlier bid to free him early was axed following a public uproar.

Abu Bakar Bashir, 82, once synonymous with militant Islam in the world's biggest Muslim majority nation, will be freed Friday after completing a 15-year prison term for helping fund paramilitary training in conservative Aceh province.

He was sentenced in 2011, but the firebrand preacher's time was cut due to regular sentence reductions handed to most prisoners in Indonesia.

"He will be released on January 8, 2021, as his prison term expired and ended," Rika Aprianti, spokesman for Indonesia's corrections agency, said in a statement.

Bashir's lawyers had appealed for early release citing his old age and risk of contracting COVID-19 in the Southeast Asian nation's notoriously overcrowded prison system.

Bashir, a key figure in militant group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), was previously jailed over the Bali bombings, but that conviction was quashed on appeal.

He has repeatedly denied involvement in the 2002 bombings that killed more than 200 people -- most foreign tourists -- in Indonesia's worst terror attack.

Two years ago, plans to grant the ageing Bashir early release on humanitarian grounds sparked a backlash at home and in Australia.

Dozens of Australians were killed in the Bali attacks, and the early release plan was shelved.

Bashir has since been regularly taken to hospital over his deteriorating health.

The 2002 bombings prompted Jakarta to beef up counter-terror co-operation with the US and Australia.

Al-Qaeda-linked JI was founded by a handful of exiled Indonesian militants in Malaysia in the 1980s and grew to include cells across Southeast Asia.

As well as the 2002 Bali bombings, the radical group was blamed for a 2003 car bomb at the JW Marriott hotel in Jakarta and a suicide car bomb the following year outside the Australian embassy.

Story continues

This week Indonesian police said they had discovered videos showing members of JI training at what they described as terrorist training camps.

The dramatic footage, including kidnapping and weapons simulations, was found on the laptop of a recently arrested terror suspect, they said.

dsa/pb/fox
The RBI is a well-respected regulator that has won praise for the way it has guided the Indian banking sector through multiple financial crises. Representational image

The Reserve Bank of Indias handling of the failure of financial institutions has dominated the talk around the countrys banking sector in recent years. While the regulator swung into action, albeit a bit late, to hammer out rescue deals for troubled Yes Bank and Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB), the resolution at Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank (PMC), a well-known multi-state cooperative bank in Maharashtra that plunged into a crisis in late 2019, is a pending task. The RBI also didnt see the trouble that was brewing at IL&FS and Dewan Housing.

The fact remains that under the RBIs watch, four financial institutions met with a crisis situation in the last two yearsIL&FS, Dewan Housing and Finance Corporation, LVB and Yes Bank. The reasons for crisis in each of these institutions were different but all of these companies were under the watch of the regulation and supervision of the RBI.

The regulator conducted periodical scrutiny of these companies just like all other regulated financial entities but didnt see what was coming. The signs of wrongdoings and financial regularities were detected, in almost all these cases, at the final stages. By then, it was too late.

Could the regulator have acted earlier?

There is a section of analysts and banking industry experts who believe that had the RBI acted earlier, the cost of bail-outs and financial loss to a certain category of investors would have been lower.

For instance, the Yes Bank bail-out helped to protect the interest of depositors and shareholders but resulted in massive wealth erosion for the additional Tier 1 bond-holders of the bank, as Rs8,400-crore worth AT1 bonds were written off as part of the reconstruction scheme. Similarly, in the LVB-DBS merger deal, the RBI could save depositors but the entire paid-up equity capital of the bank was written off. Who will compensate these investors?

One can argue these actions were as per rules and necessary to pull off major bank rescues but the problems at Yes and LVB didnt happen overnight.

In the case of Yes Bank, the signs of major regulatory rule violations were visible from 2017-18. It was an open secret in the banking industry that the bank promoter was riding a tiger, embracing risky corporate loans and engaging in rampant careless lending aiming for personal gains. Back in 2015, a prominent research house had published a report forecasting major asset-quality issues. Except the regulator, everyone else seemed to know the problem.

The recent developments at Kerala-based Dhanlaxmi Bank are even more intriguing. At the Annual General Meeting of the bank on September 30, 2020, a few prominent shareholders voted out CEO Sunil Gurbaxani, whose appointment was approved by the Reserve Bank of India for a three-year term. It was probably the first instance where an RBI-appointed CEO of a private bank was ousted by the shareholders. The RBI has now asked the bank to get the shareholders approval first before taking the name of the next CEO to the regulator for the final approval. Clearly, the central bank is on the backfoot in this case.

The Dhanlaxmi case showed that RBIs appointments could be cancelled by the shareholders and the regulator was not above shareholders. There are no proven charges of wrongdoings against Gurbaxani. In multiple interviews, including to Moneycontrol, the former CEO has contested his sacking and has sought a probe into the manner and reasons leading to his ouster. The regulator has, to date, not clarified the case. It has simply asked the bank to get the name of the new CEO vetted by the shareholders first. This case sets a precedent for the appointment of CEOs in other private banks too.

RBI-Kotak episode is another case where the regulator was dragged to a compromise formula by a bank promoter. According to the RBI norms, Kotak had to pare promoter stake below 20 percent before December 31, 2018 from around 30 percent. In August 2018, the bank announced the completion of the perpetual noncumulative preference share issue (PNCPS), which it interpreted as cutting the promoter stake to 19.7 percent.

The bank claimed it was complying with the RBIs licensing norms but the regulator didnt buy it. The regulator said the preference share allotment route wasnt sufficient to meet the promoter dilution rule requirement. But the banks legal argument was PNCPS was part of the paid-up capital. With the impasse continuing and the deadline for stake dilution fast approaching, KMB finally decided to move the Bombay High Court.

In January, the RBI let KMB retain the 26 percent promoter stake with some riders.

The RBI let the promoters, Uday Kotak and family, retain a 26 percent stake but capped the voting rights at 15 percent by April. KMB withdrew the case and some interpreted this as a win for Uday Kotak. In June, Kotak sold 5.6 crore shares for more than Rs 6,900 crore in a block deal, bringing down his stake to 26.1 percent, inching closer to the RBIs stipulated level.

The RBI is a well-respected regulator that has won praise for the way it has guided the Indian banking sector through multiple financial crises. The central banks timely response to the COVID-19 crisis is commendable. Yet, some of the above-mentioned instances and events raise a question mark on the RBIs role and response time on critical banking sector issues. The RBI is answerable to the government on its actions but in reality, there is no evaluation of the central banks performance.

Weak regulation, which contributed to the collapse of institutions that resulted in huge losses to the investors who trusted the central bank, exposes the weak link in RBIs supervision. The events of 2020 are a reminder why the RBI needs to be more accountable and raises questions about its efficiency and ability to supervise financial institutions dealing with public money.
BENGALURU (Reuters) - India's Reliance Industries on Monday asked government authorities to help stop attacks against its telecommunication masts by protesting farmers, who have alleged that the conglomerate has profited from farm reforms at their expense.

Reliance, controlled by one of Asia's richest men, Mukesh Ambani, will file a petition on the matter in the Punjab and Haryana High Court later on Monday, it said in a statement to stock exchanges.

In India's biggest farm unrest in years, tens of thousands of growers  largely from the states of Punjab and Haryana in India's north  have been protesting near New Delhi against the laws, which seek to allow farmers to sell to institutional buyers and big retailers such as Reliance Retail, Walmart and Cargill.

The farmers, who form a powerful political constituency, fear the laws passed in September could see the government stop buying grains at guaranteed prices, leaving them at the mercy of private buyers that may not pay guaranteed prices for food grains.

Reliance, which also operates India's largest retailer, said it would insist that its suppliers abide by these minimum support prices or any similar mechanism that may be implemented by the government.

The company also said it had not done any corporate or contract farming in the past and has no plans to enter the business.

Protesters have attacked hundreds of telecommunications masts of companies such as Reliance's Jio in recent weeks, resulting in damage or their power supply being cut off. Jio is India's top telecom provider by subscribers.

Reliance said "these acts of violence have endangered the lives of thousands of its employees and caused damage and disruption to the vital communications infrastructure, sales and service outlets run by its subsidiaries."

More than 1,400 of Reliance's 9,000-plus telecom masts had been hit, with power supply and fibre cut by unidentified people, Reuters reported last week.

(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar in Bengaluru and Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
Century Plaza is officially gone. In just two months, the states once largest mall has been razed and construction for a new Amazon distribution center is about to begin. Posted by al.com on Monday, January 4, 2021

Birminghams Century Plaza, once the largest mall in Alabama, is no more.

Demolition work began in November on the once-bustling Birmingham shopping mall, which will become an Amazon distribution center.

As the 2020 holiday season ended, most of the surviving structure was no longer visible at the old mall site. The property sold in November ahead of its planned redevelopment.

On AL.coms Facebook account, the news was met with a mix of sadness and nostalgia. Connie Johnson Brasher wrote, Sad to see this totally gone. So many memories growing up. Eric M. Dunklin remembered buying my first pair of Nikes with my deceased Dad GOD rest his soul. Jay Battle, however, wrote, Im here for it! Although my memories of the mall is 20+ years old....its time to upgrade the East Side....jobs & development.

Once home to more than 100 stores, Century Plaza will be razed to make way for a $60 million, 200,000-square-foot Amazon center, with construction expected to begin quickly. Lumpkin Development owned the mall for the past two years.

Since its closing, various plans for the propertys redevelopment were floated but didnt quite materialize, such as converting it to storage space or a church. Mercedes-Benz briefly parked newly manufactured cars there last year while dealing with production issues.

14 The demolition of Century Plaza in Birmingham

See inside Century Plaza

The Amazon center is expected to bring 300 full-time jobs and more than 1,000 part-time jobs. Packages destined to be delivered will arrive boxed and ready for van delivery to addresses across the Birmingham area.

Birminghams Century Plaza through the years

The 750,000-square-foot Century Plaza first opened in 1975 and was a mainstay of Birminghams retail landscape through the end of the century, situated near the now-demolished Eastwood Mall. Century Plaza hosted special events, including toy shows and modeling contests and is remembered for its holiday decorations.

Memories of Alabama malls include food, fun, friends

13 Century Plaza demolition 1-4-2021

But over time, neighborhoods began springing up to the south and east of the city, along with other shopping options, such as Hoovers Riverchase Galleria and Trussvilles Colonial Pinnacle at Tutwiler Farm. The slow decline of the enclosed shopping center, a national phenomenon given the rise of online shopping, was then accelerated by the recession of 2008. Sears, the first store to open, was the last retailer to close, in 2009.
A Time for Choosing: A Test for Our Souls

The political crisis the United States is now facing brings into the open a contest for the soul of our country. As important as this recent election is, the stakes transcend particular political arrangementsthey go to fundamental issues, about which each of us must make a choice and take a stand.

A peculiarity of our current situation is this: While every American is intricately familiar with the pandemic and the effect it has had on our lives, this is not the case for voter fraud, despite the evidence being overwhelming.

Some Americans are ignorant of these facts because they have been misinformed by a media that willfully withholds information. The reason for this might surprise you.

There has been a force quietly at work in our country, in plain sight, that has gradually taken over ideological control of most of our institutions, businesses, and media, and even our culture.

This force is Marxism and communism. For those who have been following this story, there is no surprise here. For those who have never heard of this, it may sound far-fetched and unbelievable.

Its not that we werent alerted. It was the stated goal of the Soviet Union to infiltrate our political parties, media, and academia, in an effort to subvert America from within. This process is now almost complete.

This decades-long communist subversion of our nation came to a head in the 2020 election.

While before our major political parties didnt differ that much on a fundamental level, gradually one of the parties was subverted by communist groups.

During past elections, both parties would wave the American flag and sing the national anthem, but now one side believes America is a fundamentally flawed nation.

Over the summer, Marxist groups such as Black Lives Matter (BLM), which was founded by self-proclaimed Marxists who have hijacked genuine concerns over racism for political purposes, and the far-left Antifa group were behind riots and violence. These groups have direct ties to communist groups connected to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Among the statues torn down in these riots were those of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Francis Scott Key, St. Junipero Serra, and even of Jesus.

For those who escaped communism, the assault on our nations heritage felt no different from the Cultural Revolution seen during the 1960s in communist China. Wherever communism goes, it targets a countrys history, principles, and beliefs in an effort to force control.

During the Cultural Revolution, the media relentlessly attacked then-Chinese leader Liu Shaoqi. Liu was removed and suffered a miserable death.

The young Red Guards destroyed all the antiquities and cultural relics they could find. They beat anyone who had knowledge of traditional culture, and they tore down temples and destroyed statues.

The exact same communist ideology is driving todays BLM and Antifa movements in the United States. They are trying to destroy our traditional morality and the traditional structure of society. Anything that reminds people of tradition inherently reveals, by contrast, how communism is against society and against humanity.

Communism is not merely a bad economic model; it is an evil system responsible for the killing of more than 100 million innocent people over the past 100 years. It has destroyed civilizations and the good traditions and cultural heritage of many countries. And it has incited hatred in people everywhere it goes.

Chinese Communist Party Subversion

The CCP sees the free worldand especially the United Statesas a mortal threat to its dictatorial rule. It will do everything to defeat and destroy America.

Over the past two decades, the decline of moral standards in our own country has made it possible for communist China to take advantage of our system.

It has systematically bought and blackmailed our key elites in government, media, academia, and business. The honey trap that Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) appears to have fallen into is only the tip of the iceberg.

Using women and money, the CCP was able to bring many elites under its control. It has also bought influence over Wall Street. The Wall Street eliteresponsible for pressuring companies to move to Chinamade the most profit from this shift of Americas manufacturing base to China. Meanwhile, it is Wall Street money that has supported key businesses in China, including Chinas military development.

As Chinese professor Di Dongsheng, associate dean of the School of International Studies at the Renmin University of China in Beijing, recently revealed, the CCP has used its good friends in Wall Street to manipulate the United States, politically and financially, for decades.

The CCP has studied America in great detail. It has analyzed every congressman, senator, and governor, and even each lobbyist, and it has figured out exactly how our system works and how to corrupt the key people in our country. This is why the CCP was able to be so deeply involved in the 2020 election while at the same time remaining mostly invisible.

Remaking the US

This corruption and manipulation are for the sake of reordering the United States, and then the world, according to the CCPs principles.

The CCP teaches struggle, materialism, and atheism.

Struggle involves fighting to get ones way. The fighting may be physical or psychological. In any case, law and truth are set aside for the sake of power.

Materialism involves understanding ourselves from the bottom up. Humanity is described as a collection of desires such as hunger, fear, and lust. Higher things, such as conscience or spirituality, are not recognized.

Atheism involves denying the existence of God. With that denial, humanity loses the morality and true independence that come with belief.

The CCP has developed a regime of censorship, propaganda, and social control that is enabling it to put in place the most perfect tyranny known in history.

Should the CCP complete its conquest of the United States, then the forms of that tyranny will be introduced into the United States, and Americans will learn to live, feel, and think according to CCP principles. The United States and the world will enter a seemingly endless night in which the light of meaning and truth will have been snuffed out.

A Choice

That moment hasnt come yet. All Americans hold their destiny in their hands. And by determining their own fate, they can help determine the future of our country.

The fundamental basis of any nation is its morality.

While the CCP has for decades sought to corrupt our morality, individual Americans can choose to reject the blandishments of communism in favor of traditional morality.

Americans can choose honesty instead of fraud; personal responsibility instead of socialism; truth and freely reported news over propaganda and censorship; and belief over atheism.

This is the sure path to finding safety.

As we are facing an unsettled election and the resurgence of the CCP virus, positioning ourselves on the righteous side is more critical than ever. In both Western and Eastern ancient cultures, plagues had reasons for their attack, and people with honesty and a righteous mind could survive.
Google Home is the latest technology with smart speaker integration to release compared to its rivals, the Apple HomePod and Amazon Alexa which also specializes in house technology with AI assistants. These products are the cheapest smart home upgrade anyone can readily buy, without the need for dramatic installations and expensive costs.

Smart homes are evolving nowadays, which before mainly rely on a smartphone or remote-controlled systems, but now, these devices control the smartphones or other home appliances. Some of the top technology companies in the world, Google, Apple, and Amazon, are leaders in this area, to provide an alternative and affordable experience that gets the job done.

Read Also: PS5 Restock Times and Dates: Here's When Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Walmart and MORE Will Likely Restock!

Smart Home Devices: Google, Amazon, and Apple Rivalry

Google's Assistant, Amazon's Alexa, and Apple's Siri are AIs that assists in the commands made by the user. Apple specializes in Apple products like Apple TV, Macs, and the iPhone, while Amazon and Google mainly focus on separately sold products that complement their home systems.

According to CNet, Google Home essentially beats these two home systems in terms of features and technology despite being the underdog compared to both techs from the companies. Amazon Alexa and the Echo is the top-selling compared to the three, while Apple already has an exclusive niche for its devices.

Google Home's Top 5 Features that Beat Apple and Amazon

Google Nest and Google Home are one of the most advanced systems present, despite not being that known compared to Apple and Amazon who initially dominated the market with their tech and features. Google has redefined itself and proved that their home assistant is worth trying and using, all focusing on smart home integration.

Hey Google, Schedule Tasks via Voice Command

Users that are in for a busy day do not need to go to their phones and individually set reminders or alarms for different tasks as Google Home would take care of everything that is linked to its systems. "Heater or Airconditioning? "OK Google, Turn off Airconditioning Systems."

Google Home's Brief Mode

Different chimes correspond to various commands or devices that the Google Nest is linked and controls. Targetting a single system may be hard in a network of smart speakers but the Google Home can do it, with a little tweak that asks users to guise it under a "light" setting. Chimes that confirm the command can easily turn it on or off.

Music and Multimedia Controls via Google Home App

Going to another room? Bring your gadget and control different speakers to come with you to the living room, along with the music or movie that plays on your smartphone. The Google Home app is one of the most intuitive compared to Amazon and Apple.

"Stop" Function for Google Home's Alarm

No more shouting or saying long phrases to stop the annoying alarm (which sometimes rattles you up). Just say "Stop" and Google will do the rest.

Workday and Family Bell Schedule for an Entire Day

The Google Home app provides different reminders and set of functions for different settings. Working? Use the Workday to set your goals and reminders. Family day? Use the Family Bell to remind the home needs of your loved ones.

Related Article: Google Wings Respond to FAA's Stricter Rules About Drones in the United States





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Written by Isaiah Alonzo

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During the celebration ceremony for completing the journey, Hongqi inked a strategic cooperation agreement with Dunhuang Academy, a leading institution in the field of cultural relics in China and responsible for the conservation, management, and research of the millennium-old and UNESCO World Heritage Site Mogao Grottoes. Under the agreement, the two parties would co-build national culture IP while jointly developing cultural and creative products, and launch co-branded cars while deriving new forms to pay tribute to classics.

Embarking right after its official debut at the 2020 Boao Forum for Entrepreneurs earlier in December 2020, the journey was dubbed "a tribute to China" and ran across Shenzhen, Guiyang, Wuhan, Xi'an, and Dunhuang - five cities marked out to mirror the country's development speed, ecological wisdom, confidence and unity, aesthetic root, and cultural legacy.

As a new family member and the very first luxury e-SUV model of Hongqi, the new E-HS9 presents the brand's own story of speedy growth as well as a development philosophy of bold innovation upon inheritance. It boasts traditions such as the logo of its vintage classic CA72 model and palace lantern style tail lights, which fit naturally with modern and smart designs such as one-piece surround screen, AR real-scene navigation, smart sensor steering wheel, autopilot system, and L3+ automatic parking.

The journey itself not only enriches what "Hongqi" stands for, but strengthens the message that the brand is communicating to its customers, the China FAW Group said.

The sales of Hongqi, the iconic brand of China's leading automaker China FAW Group, reached record high this year, with the number of vehicles manufactured and sold both exceeding 200,000 units as of December 25.

Hongqi, meaning "red flag", is China's iconic sedan brand. Established in 1958, it has been used in parades at major national celebrations, thus featuring symbolic importance in China's auto industry.

Founded in 1953 in Changchun, capital of Jilin Province in northeast China, China FAW Group is regarded as the cradle of China's auto industry.

See the original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/318715.html

SOURCE Xinhua Silk Road
The Most Reverend Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Coast, says the countrys future is bright.



He has, therefore, called on Ghanaians to demonstrate patriotism and eschew any form of pessimism.



We must claim a better future because the future is bright for us as a people," he said and urged Ghanaians to be grateful to God for the blessings He has bestowed on the nation over the years.



In an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Cape Coast, the Most Rev Palmer-Buckle said his New Year Message to Ghanaians was that they should appreciate Gods protection over the nation in the wake of the Covid-19 and seeing her through a successful general election.



He asked Ghanaians to reflect on the meaning and significance of the colours of the National Flag as they hoped for a better 2021.



The colour Gold means Ghanaians should always go for the good and strive to be the best in every facet of national life to spearhead development, he said.



The colour Red represented sacrifices the citizens made towards the accelerated development of the nation, hence the people must be ready to offer voluntary support for the less privileged to enable them live decent lives.



The Most Rev Palmer-Buckle said the Green represented hope of the nation and a call to protect the environment and its ecology to reduce the effects of climate change.



He encouraged all to adhere to the COVID-19 protocols to protect the nation from its resurgence.

Source: GNA









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People on the streets of Portstewart at the weekend

People on the streets of Portstewart at the weekend

DUP MP Sammy Wilson has defended a trip to Portrush at the weekend after returning home from London.

It comes amid anger after day trippers flocked to the scenic Causeway Coast at the weekend despite lockdown rules discouraging non-essential travel.

On Saturday a Twitter user said they had walked past the East Antrim MP while on Portrush East Strand and questioned if he should be isolating after returning from his work as an MP in London.

London is currently under the UK Government's Tier 4 strictest coronavirus regulations preventing non-essential travel as a new strain of Covid-19 spreads across the UK and Ireland.

Non-essential travel is also discouraged as part of the Executive's six-week lockdown.

"Would be curious too to find out why he thought his trip to Portrush was essential," the Twitter user wrote.

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Responding Mr Wilson quoted from the regulations which state that "people who routinely cross the border for essential purposes are not subject to these requirements".

Mr Wilson has courted controversy throughout the pandemic by questioning the need for restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the virus. He has also been photographed on a number of occasions incorrectly or declining to wear a face covering.

Photographs from the weekend showed maskless visitors queued up outside takeaways as nose-to-tail traffic choked the famous promenade at Portstewart.

The Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens council, Mark Fielding, said local residents were angry that crowds had descended on the seaside town.

"It looked almost like a normal weekend - but these are not normal times," he said.

There was little for visitors to do, Mr Fielding said.

"At the end of the day the shops aren't open. You'd wonder why there are so many people here," he added. "And they should definitely be wearing their masks.

"I think people would be better not travelling - they'd be better staying at home.

"The idea of the lockdown is to discourage people from travelling.

"I don't know where these people are all coming from but some of them must be coming from some distance, and that's what has annoyed local people."

UUP councillor Joan Baird agreed. "People are not taking this as seriously as they should be," she said, adding that Whitepark Bay and the Dark Hedges had also been crowded.

Alliance councillor Chris McCaw said there had been traffic issues at Portrush and Glenariff.

"In any other situation you love to see people coming to Portrush and Portstewart - but with everything that's going on, it 's very worrying - especially for people at risk," he said.

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As such, the speculative rendering before your eyes makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Coming courtesy of Kleber Silva , the unibody truck also stands out from a stylistic standpoint. Lest we forget, the only rivals the Santa Cruz will have are the Honda Ridgeline and Ford Maverick.No less than $410 million will be poured into Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama as part of an expansion project that will add 1,200 direct and indirect jobs to the production facility. That bundle of cash will go into additional space in the stamping, welding, and parts processing areas, and this has led many to believe that the Santa Cruz will ride on an evolution of the Santa Fes chassis. You know what that means, right?Its natural to assume that Hyundai will borrow at least one engine and transmission from the mid-size crossover, which has received a 2.5-liter powerplant and an eight-speed automatic for the 2021 model year . The base drivetrain is joined by a 2.5-liter turbo and a, but the dual-clutch transmission doesnt make sense in this application.Hyundai is also gearing up for hybrid and plug-in hybrid options, which arent suitable for the unibody pickup either. As such, my two cents go on the torque-converter automatic and the base engine with 181 horsepower and 181 pound-feet (245 Nm) of torque at the crankshaft.According to Hyundai, the Santa Cruz is aimed at those who want all the traditional attributes of a compact utility vehicle, but need the day-to-day versatility of an open bed. Its the crossover that creates a whole new segment that successfully combines capability and utility to meet the unspoken needs of a new generation of buyers, especially millennials.
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US officials were left 'extremely disappointed' today after a British judge decided Julian Assange cannot be extradited there to face spying charges due to the risk of him taking his own life in an American jail.

The sensational ruling at the Old Bailey in London this morning raises the prospect that the 48-year-old WikiLeaks founder could be freed this week - and, in a further development, Mexico have now offered him political asylum.

Australia-born Assange won his high-profile legal battle against US officials who wanted to put him on trial for conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law by releasing confidential cables.

A US Justice Department spokesman said today: 'While we are extremely disappointed in the court's ultimate decision, we are gratified that the United States prevailed on every point of law raised.'

The department pointed to Assange's claims he had been exercising free speech rights and that the US was pursuing a political vendetta, adding: 'We will continue to seek Mr Assange's extradition to the United States.'

Meanwhile, Mexico offered political asylum to Mr Assange this afternoon. The country's president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said: 'I'm going to ask the foreign minister to carry out the relevant procedures to request that the UK government releases Mr Assange and that Mexico offers him political asylum.'

He said Mexico would ensure 'that whoever receives asylum does not intervene or interfere in the political affairs of any country.' The country has previously offered political asylum to high-profile international figures such as former Bolivian president Evo Morales.

Today in court in London, Assange, sat in a blue suit with crossed legs, wiped his brow after the decision was announced, while his fiancee, Stella Moris - with whom he has two young sons - wept.

Ms Moris, who fell in love with Assange while she was his lawyer, said outside the Old Bailey: 'Today is a victory for Julian. Today's victory is a first step towards justice in this case.'

She also issued a direct appeal to Donald Trump, which references President Ronald Reagan's 1987 appeal to Soviet lead Mikhail Gorbachev to 'tear down' the Berlin Wall. 'Mr President tear down these prison walls,' she said. 'Let our little boys have their father. Free Julian. Free the press.'

Assange's defence team, including celebrity barrister Jennifer Robinson, will return to the Old Bailey on Wednesday for a bail application. If they successful, he could be a free man immediately afterwards.

However, this is thought to be unlikely given the US government's intent to appeal. They have 14 days to state their grounds, during which time Assange will stay on remand at HMP Belmarsh in south-west London.

Had Assange been convicted in the US, he would have been held in isolation at the notorious Supermax jail in Colorado, which has been described by a former warden as a 'clean version of hell' and a 'fate worse than death'.

Judge Vanessa Baraitser said there was an 'unmanageable high risk' of Assange taking his own life if he was housed amid the grim conditions as she revealed he has autism, Asperger's and a severe depressive disorder.

She accepted the evidence of medical experts who revealed that Assange had spoken openly about suicide while in Belmarsh and had prepared for it by writing a will. A razor blade was also found in his cell.

Julian Assange has won his legal battle against US officials who wanted to put him on trial for helping hack government computers and violating an espionage law by releasing confidential cables. He is sketched at the Old Bailey today

Assange's supporters cheered and hugged outside the Old Bailey after the judge revealed she was blocking Assange's extradition

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's partner, Stella Moris, speaks to the media outside the Old Bailey in London today

Assange's fiancee Stella Moris, seen outside the Old Bailey today, has said that sending her lover to the US would be an 'unthinkable travesty'

Assange, 49, faces an 18-count indictment, alleging a plot to hack computers and a conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information

Assange's supporters were overjoyed at the decision not to extradite him to the United States but expressed dismay that the ruling was made on health grounds rather than in defence of freedom of expression.

'Today is a victory for Julian': Assange's partner Stella Moris hails verdict Ms Moris, who fell in love with Assange while she was his lawyer, said outside the Old Bailey: 'I had hoped today would be the day Julian would come home. Today is not that day but that day will come soon. 'As long as Julian has to endure suffering in isolation as an unconvicted prisoner at Belmarsh prison, as long as our children continue to be robbed of their father's love and affection, we cannot celebrate. 'We will celebrate the day he comes home. 'Today is a victory for Julian. Today's victory is a first step towards justice in this case. 'On behalf of Julian and myself, I want to thank the millions of people around the world and the institutions that are already calling for this persecution to end. 'I ask you all to shout louder, you lobby harder, until he is free. I call on everyone else to come together to defend Julian's rights; not just Julian's rights, they are your rights too. Julian's freedom is coupled to all our freedoms and our freedoms are lost in the blink of an eye. 'I call on insiders to come forward to expose the full extent of the misconduct that has led to Julian's imprisonment. And I call on the president of the United States to end this now. 'Mr President, tear down these prison walls. Let our little boys have their father. Free Julian, free the press, free us all.' Advertisement

The activist has been backed by a raft of celebrities including Pamela Anderson, artist Al Weiwei and designer Dame Vivienne Westwood.

Assange's mother, Christine urged the US not to appeal, saying her son had suffered enough.

She tweeted: 'UK Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled against extraditing my son Julian to the US on medical grounds.

'US prosecutors state they will appeal. I implore Pres Trump & Pres elect Biden to order them to stand down. The decade long process was the punishment. He has suffered enough.'

Conservative MP David Davis said: 'Good news Julian Assange's extradition has been blocked. Extradition treaties should not be used for political prosecutions.'

Jeremy Corbyn, whose brother, Piers, was outside the Old Bailey today, said: 'Good news that the extradition of Julian Assange has been refused - my congratulations to him and his legal team. Extradition would be an attack on press freedom.

'And it is alarming that the judge has accepted US government arguments threatening freedom of speech and freedom to publish. There remains much at stake in his case, which is being observed by so many around the world. Assange should be released.'

The decision was also welcomed by other Labour MPs, including Richard Burgon and the former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott.

Mr Burgon said: 'It is entirely right that Julian Assange will not be extradited to the US. Julian Assange would have been extradited because, as a journalist, he dared to expose US war crimes.

'Any extradition would have been an unprecedented attack on press freedom.'

Ms Abbott called the decision an 'excellent ruling by the British judge'. She added: 'Congratulations to all the dogged campaigners on Assange's behalf.'

But the journalist Glenn Greenwald added a note of caution, saying the judge had endorsed most of the arguments put forward by the US in favour of extradition - including dismissing the idea that it was an attack on freedom of speech.

He said: 'This wasn't a victory for press freedom. Quite the contrary: the judge made clear she believed there are grounds to prosecute Assange in connection with the 2010 publication. It was, instead, an indictment of the insanely oppressive US prison system for security 'threats.'

Meanwhile, Edward Snowden - the whistleblower who worked with Wikileaks and is currently living in Russia after leaking U.S. surveillance secrets - called for an end to the proceedings, tweeting: 'Let this be the end of it.'

Amnesty International tweeted: 'We welcome the fact that Julian Assange will not be sent to the USA, but this does not absolve the UK from having engaged in this politically-motivated process at the behest of the USA and putting media freedom and freedom of expression on trial.'

Assange supporters celebrating outside the Old Bailey today after he was spared from being sent for trial in the United States

Piers Corbyn (left) outside the Old Bailey today alongside a crowd of pro-Assange protesters

How Assange is being defended by celebrity lawyer Jennifer Robinson - while judge overseeing case extradited Sarkozy fraud suspect Jennifer Robinson, a key member of Assange's defence team, is the go-to barrister for the rich and famous, most recently walking hand in hand with actress Amber Heard in her showdown against her ex-husband Johnny Depp in his acrimonious libel trial. She counts the Hollywood elite among her inner circle, travelling to George and Amal Clooney's wedding on a speedboat with actor Bill Murray. A self-confessed Kyle Minogue fan, who has 'nothing in her fridge but Champagne' , the human rights lawyer once set headlines alight after she was spotted canoodling with Jeremy Corbyn's former spin doctor, Seumas Milne. Australian human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson (left) with Assange's partner Stella Moris (right) at an earlier Old Bailey hearing Ms Robinson and Mr Milne - a then-married father-of-two - were photographed in a passionate embrace on the terrace of the Courthouse hotel in East London in 2017. The 39-year-old, who came from humble beginnings in Australia, has been known to use her social media as an outlet to criticise the Tories on their human rights record and tweet support for Corbyn. Less is known about Vanessa Baraitser, the district judge overseeing Assange's case. She appears to be a specialist in extradition cases and last year gave the go ahead for an associate of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy to be returned to France for trial. Alexandre Djouhri, who was arrested at Heathrow last year after arriving on a flight from his Swiss home, and is accused by French prosecutors of nine offences relating to money laundering and corruption. These are alleged to have been committed in circumstances connected to Mr Sarkozy's 2007 presidential campaign. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser delivering her verdict today Advertisement

Judge Baraitser ruled that Assange risked being held under Special Administrative Measures (Sams), which would have seen him in solitary confinement with limited access to family and only two phone calls per month.

She said: 'Faced with the conditions of near total isolation without the protective factors which limited his risk at HMP Belmarsh, I am satisfied the procedures described by the US will not prevent Mr Assange from finding a way to commit suicide and for this reason I have decided extradition would be oppressive by reason of mental harm and I order his discharge.

'Despite his lighter spirit at times, he's a depressed and sometimes despairing man who is genuinely fearful of his future. He represents an unmanageable high risk of suicide, both in Belmarsh and the US.'

She revealed that in 1991 Mr Assange had tried to take his own life and that there was a history of depression in the family.

His maternal grandmother and uncle both died by suicide, and Assange phoned the Samaritans most nights while in jail.

Australian-born Assange had been charged under the US's 1917 Espionage Act for conspiring with Chelsea Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst, to hack into a Pentagon computer network and publish secret documents related to 'national defence.'

The WikiLeaks founder faced a total of 18 charges and was also accused of putting the lives of US informants at risk by publishing the material.

Assange has been locked in a bitter dispute with US authorities since July 2010 when WikiLeaks started publishing hundreds of thousands of classified US military and political documents from the Afghan and Iraq wars.

As US officials pursued him through the British courts, in June 2012, Assange entered the Ecuadorian embassy, requesting political asylum, which was granted two months later.

Assange remained holed up at the embassy until April 2019 when Ecuador revoked his asylum status, leading to his arrest and kickstarting a legal battle that culminated in today's judgment.

During his time in the embassy, the WikiLeaks founder fathered two children with his partner Stella Morris.

For the past 19 months, Assange has been held at Belmarsh top security jail.

He first appeared at the Old Bailey last February, but the case was pushed back because of the coronavirus pandemic.

If Assange had stood trial in the US, he faced a possible 175 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

The controversial WikiLeaks founder has attracted a number of high-profile supporters including Pamela Anderson and Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel, who visited him at the Ecuadorian embassy.

Others to have lent their support include the artist Al Weiwei and designer Dame Vivienne Westwood.

Assange was represented at his Old Bailey trial last year by eminent lawyer Jennifer Robinson.

The court head extraordinary details of the lengths US authorities were prepared to go to ensure that Assange stood trial in the country.

This included hiring a US security contractor to bug Assange's meetings in the Ecuadorian embassy and even a possible kidnap or poison plot to end the stalemate.

Judge Baraitser heard that if convicted, Assange faced the prospect of being held in a Supermax ADX facility in Colorado, where convicted terrorist Abu Hamza has been housed under Sams in solitary confinement.

Psychiatrists for the defence said Assange had suffered from severe depression and was a high suicide risk.

But lawyers for the US Government claimed that the prospect of Assange being held under Sams was 'speculative' and the sentence was likely to be much lower.

Chelsea Manning had been sentenced to 35 years over her role in leaking classified material but was given clemency after seven years.

However, she was jailed again for contempt in 2019 and fined for refusing to testify in court about Assange.

Stella Moris, the mother of Julian Assange's children, Max and Gabriel (pictured left and right) this weekend said Britain 'would no longer be a haven for free speech' if he was extradited

A prison van - most likely carrying Assange - is seen coming into the Old Bailey for today's hearing
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President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration will include a virtual parade as part of a series of events on Jan. 20 that have been scaled-down because of the coronavirus pandemic, the inaugural committee said Sunday.

After being sworn in on the west side of the Capitol, Mr. Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and their spouses will participate in Pass in Review, a military tradition that reflects the peaceful transfer of power and will include every branch of the military, according to the committee. Mr. Biden is expected to review the readiness of the troops and will then be escorted from 15th Street to the White House by members of the military.

Also Read | A year on, China is shaking up the world

With the coronavirus still raging across the country, the inauguration committee will be holding a virtual parade instead of the traditional in-person parade and balls. The planned programming is expected to feature Americans across the country along with musical acts, local bands and poets to pay tribute to front-line workers during the pandemic.

There are many grand traditions to the inaugural and we plan to honor them by highlighting more of our nations people than ever before while keeping everyone safe," said Tony Allen, chief executive of the inaugural committee, in a statement.

The committee said earlier this week it would host a memorial on Jan. 19, ahead of the inauguration, to remember those who lost their lives to Covid-19. The memorial ceremony in Washington, D.C., will feature a lighting around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

The inaugural committee also has told people not to attend the inaugural activities and hired a chief medical adviser, Dr. David Kessler, to help plan the event based on health safety protocols.

Mr. Bidens inaugural committee is accepting donations of up to $500,000 from individuals and up to $1 million from corporations to fund the event, but it has said it would ban donations from lobbyists and the oil-and-gas industry.

Donors were informed earlier this month of their planned perks associated with the inauguration.

For instance, if an individual gives $500,000 or bundles $1 million for the inauguration, the person would be invited to virtual events with Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris and their spouses, according to a document reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

The person also would be granted preferred viewing" for the virtual inauguration, included in a virtual concert during inauguration week, invited to virtual briefings with Biden leadership, and given VIP tickets to a future in-person event.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.)

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(Newser)  With US vaccination numbers way behind schedule, health authorities are sounding out a number of possibilities to get the numbers up. One is to halve the dose of the Moderna vaccine in order to stretch out supplies, a proposal the FDA is expected to consider this week. But as the New York Times reports, another controversial proposal is in wide circulation, one that calls for delaying the second shotthe "booster" shotso more people can get their initial shot. Three vaccines now in use around the world, those from Moderna, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca, call for people to get a second dose about three or four weeks later, per the Hill. But advocates say pushing back that timeline would allow more people to get their first shot and acquire at least a measure of protection. Not everyone, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, agrees.

story continues below

"I would not be in favor of that," he said last week, and he added Sunday that the strategy "goes against science," reports CNBC. Not enough data exists to support the notion that the plan is safe, says Fauci. But in a Washington Post op-ed, two health officials argue that delaying the second shot makes sense. Cases are surging and supplies are limited, and something has to give, write Robert Wachter of the University of California at San Francisco and Ashish Jha of Brown University. Yes, the data isn't complete, but what we do have is "reassuring," they write. "In a perfect world, there would be no trade-offs. But if 2020 taught us anything, its that we dont live in a perfect world." The UK has adopted the approach of delaying the second shot, notes the Hill. About 4 million Americans have been vaccinated, well below the goal of more than 20 million by now. (Read more coronavirus vaccine stories.)
Contributed Photo / Connecticut State Police

NEWTOWN  A man from White Plains, N.Y., is facing several charges after wrong-way driving and crashing on Interstate 84.

The crash happened near Exit 9 around 11 p.m. Saturday, when a 2010 Hyundai Genesis heading east on the westbound side of the highway veered into the shoulder and crashed into a concrete ramp.
The worlds poorest countries are in grave danger from the long-term spread of COVID-19 after some of the richest nations, representing just 14 percent of the global population, have bought 53 percent of the most promising vaccines so far.

As a result, it could take until late 2022 or early 2023 before even half the population in low-income countries are vaccinated.

Many underdeveloped nations have reported relatively few COVID-19 cases and deaths, with the entire African continent of 54 countries reporting fewer deaths than France, but this is a gross underestimate of the real number. The shocking lack of resources to test for infection, the stigma attached to acknowledging the disease, and even the lack of universal death registration systems render the official statistics all but meaningless.

COVID vaccine (Stock image credit: Envato)

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), welcomed the vaccines, saying they provided a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel. He nevertheless insisted, we will only truly end the pandemic if we end it everywhere at the same time, which means its essential to vaccinate some people in all countries, rather than all people in some countries.

Ghebreyesus added, vaccines will complement, but not replace, the many other tools we have in our toolbox to stop transmission and save lives. We must continue to use all of them.

In reality, the plight of the working class in the advanced capitalist and oppressed nations bear a remarkable similarity. While the imperialist centres have a monopoly on the vaccine, the anarchy of the market and the indifference of the financial oligarchy toward the lives of millions, makes for a vaccine rollout plagued by obstacles and half-measures.

It is doubtful that any country can end its epidemic via vaccination alone. About 70 percent of the worlds population would need to be immunized to achieve herd immunity, a target unlikely to be met in the short-term, in part because most of the vaccines have not been approved for the under 16 age group.

The race to procure vaccines against a fast-spreading virus that travels unimpeded by border controls has set in motion a ferocious national competition that threatens to prolong and intensify the pandemic.

The irrationality of the capitalist system of production for private profit, not the public good, means the pandemic will kill many more people worldwide for years to come and resurge even in nations that manage to control it through vaccination. In addition to causing immense and unnecessary loss of life, the continuation of the pandemic will plunge billions of people into poverty.

Tackling COVID-19 in Hebron, the epicentre of the outbreak in Palestine (credit: MSF.org)

A handful of giant drug companies that own patents on the vaccines, resulting from costly research carried out largely in publicly funded laboratories, will rake in obscene profits for years to come.

The manufacturers of just three vaccines, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca, expect to produce around 5.3 billion doses in 2021 to vaccinate about 2.6 billion people (two doses are needed to protect against the coronavirus). With rich countries having already pre-ordered large quantitiesmore than half of all the promising vaccinesthe Peoples Vaccine Alliance, including Amnesty International, Oxfam and Global Justice Now, warns there is not enough vaccine to go round.

According to the Alliance, wealthier countries have bought enough doses to vaccinate their entire populations three times over, with Canada ordering enough vaccine to protect each citizen five times. The US has pre-ordered 1.1 billion doses of several potential vaccines, nearly double the number needed. Just three countries, Australia, Canada, and Japan, have secured more doses of potential vaccines than all of Latin America and the Caribbeanwhich have with more than 17 percent of global coronavirus cases.

During the swine flu (H1N1) outbreak, the US and other rich countries bought up nearly all the available vaccines. Swine flu killed more than a quarter of a million people worldwide in 2009-10. Wealthier nations agreed to share some vaccines with low-income countries only after satisfying their own needs.

In the HIV/AIDS epidemic, poor nations were priced out of the market for life-saving medication as companies imposed a uniform international price. As a result, the cost of anti-retroviral drugs on a per capita GDP-adjusted basis was higher in South Africa than in Sweden or the US, putting it beyond the reach of the millions of South Africans with HIV/AIDS.

Pharmaceutical companies, with the backing of the US Clinton administration and some European governments, sued the South African government that had bought cheaper generic drugs abroad, naming Nelson Mandela, the president of South Africa, as the lead defendant and only abandoning their lawsuit in the face of mass international protests.

Earlier this year, instead of coordinating the production and distribution of personal protective equipment, ventilators, and medicines that they had failed to prepare for a future pandemic, the European Union (EU) along with another 70 countries, imposed bans or limits on their export.

Belgiums Budget State Secretary, Eva De Bleeker, revealed the massive scale of profit gouging by Big Pharma. She posted on Twitterthen quickly deletedthe prices the EU negotiated to pay as a bloc, for the leading Covid vaccines. The information exposed wide variations in prices between manufacturers, with Moderna, whose research was funded by the US government, charging 10 times the price of Oxford/AstraZeneca, whose research was funded by the UK government:

Oxford/AstraZeneca: 1.78/$2.16

Johnson & Johnson: $8.50/$10.33

Sanofi/GSK: 7.56/$9.19

Pfizer/BioNTech: 12/$14.59

CureVac: 10/$12.16

Moderna: 14.80/$18

The US paid $1.2 billion to secure 300 million Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine doses for Americans, even before they were proved safe or effective, a sum equal to $4 per dose, twice as much as the EU paid. The US paid $19.50 per dose for the Pfizer vaccine compared to $14.59 by the EU, fuelling outrage in the US Congress. In contrast, Modernas vaccine will cost $18.00 a dose in the EU compared with $14.80 in the US.

If or when the richest countries share their excess doses, they will likely donate or sell them at low cost bilaterally to their allies and client states, as an instrument of political power, instead of distributing the vaccines through multilateral public health initiatives.

Children in Hebron, Palestine practising preventive health, September 2020 (credit: MSF.org)

Anna Marriott, Oxfams health policy manager, said, No-one should be blocked from getting a life-saving vaccine because of the country they live in or the amount of money in their pocket. But unless something changes dramatically, billions of people around the world will not receive a safe and effective vaccine for Covid-19 for years to come.

Last October, India and South Africa asked the World Trade Organization to waive intellectual property protection for the vaccines and allow developing countries to manufacture or import generic versions. The US, the EU and the UK all rejected the proposal.

Unable to pay the exorbitant prices demanded by Big Pharma, some 94 poor and middle-income countries have signed agreements with Covax, a Public-Private Partnership comprising international health organizations including the World Health Organisation, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance. But this initiative will at best provide vaccines for 20 percent of the participating countries population.

The Covax vaccine sharing scheme is one of three arms of the Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) accelerator, set up by the WHO, the European Commission, and the French government. It is part of a broader restructuring of the global public health industry following the debacle of the HIV/AIDS lawsuit, away from WHO and towards the private sector. The new initiatives empower donor nations, philanthropies including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and new consortia such as GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance (that includes vaccine producing corporations), and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

Recipient countries must sign opaque deals with strings attached, paying up-front without knowing which vaccine they will receive or when the doses will arrive. Covax provides an estimate of price per dose, but the purchaser must bear the risk if actual costs run higher, if the vaccine fails or if anything goes wrong. Seth Berkley, GAVIs chief executive, said it could secure an initial two billion doses with more later, but refused to disclose information on its deals with the drug companies, describing them as commercially confidential. He did not explain when supplies would arrive, or where the $6.8 billion to purchase them will come from, or how distribution networks, already compromised by the economic impact of the pandemic, would cope.

Many poor countries will be almost entirely dependent on international aid organisations to get some vaccines for free or at low cost.

While publicly funded laboratories have made possible the rapid development of vaccines, the disastrous response of all the major capitalist powers to the global COVID-19 pandemic makes clear the need to put an end to capitalism and the subjugation of human health to private profit. The international working class must intervene to expropriate the pharmaceutical giants and every major industry sector, transforming these monopolies into publicly-owned and democratically-controlled utilities to serve the needs of humanity.
Photo taken on Jan. 2, 2020 shows worker assembling the main part of new energy vehicles in a workshop in Technology Development Zone of Chuzhou, E China's Anhui Province. Despite the New Year's Day, the production was still in full swing to make sure that the cars can be delivered on time. (Li Xiaocun/Guangming Picture)

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[ Editor: WXL ]
After telling Dartmouth Colleges four graduates who are heading into the military that family members would not be allowed to attend their commissioning ceremonies, the school retreated Tuesday.
More than 27,000 education professionals in Malaga, including teachers, administration staff, sign interpreters and monitors have been called to take voluntary Covid-19 rapid tests that will be carried out this Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

In Malaga city they have been summoned to the Teatinos campus where two mobile 'Covid response' teams from the Junta de Andalucia have set up.

The mass screening is being done with rapid antigen tests and the regional government says it is one of the measures being adopted to "guarantee the safety of the educational system" before the return to the classrooms after the Christmas holidays.

The Junta claims that, as of 21 December, 98.9 per cent of Andalusian educational centres were free of the coronavirus.

Two mobile teams from the Junta de Andalucia have been installed at the Teatinos campus in Malaga. / SALVADOR SALAS

Screening for the virus was also carried out in September, for the beginning of term. Of the 88,911 tests carried out on teachers and workers in Andalusian schools, only 135 were positive, an incidence level of just 0.1 per cent.
A sailor helped free a baby dolphin which became entangled in discarded fishing line.

Phil Robertson was out foil boarding off Kawau Island, on New Zealand's North Island, when he came across the dolphin struggling to move through the water.

'This lone animal was swimming slowly and erratically, so we drove over to have a closer look,' Mr Robertson posted on Instagram alongside a video of the encounter.

Mr Robertson's interest in the dolphin was piqued as he said they were not usually found in shallow enclosed bays such as where he was boarding.

A baby dolphin was discovered entangled in fishing nylon off New Zealand's North Island on Sunday after it was seen to be swimming 'slowly and erratically'

'It's unusual to find individual common dolphins like this, as they are very social animals, usually found in pods of 10+ animals and sometimes super pods of over a thousand,' he said.

Mr Robertson, who was accompanied by underwater photographer Steve Hathaway during the encounter on Sunday, said on closer inspection it was revealed the juvenile dolphin had fishing nylon wrapped around its tail.

'We confirmed it was dragging a tangled mess of fishing nylon around its tail and was obviously tired and struggling, so Steve devised a plan to rescue it, as it would 100 per cent die if left it as it was,' he said.

Mr Robertson said once the dolphin was cut-free from the nylon, it 'swam off rapidly' but 'there was already a deep fresh cut at the base of the dorsal from the nylon'.

He was unsure if the dolphin was able to survive the ordeal.

'We're not sure if this animal will survive but it definitely has a lot higher chance than if it was still attached to the nylon,' he said.

Sailor Phil Robertson was out foil boarding with underwater photographer Steve Hathaway when the dolphin was discovered off Kawau Island, on New Zealand's North Island

A plan was devised to rescue the dolphin and free it from the fishing nylon to allow for the best chance of survival

Mr Robertson said the entanglement was a reminder to keep the ocean free of abandoned fishing line.

'This is one of many reasons why we should never discard fishing nylon in the ocean,' he said.

'Just because it's out of sight and out of our minds doesn't mean that it doesn't have an impact on something else.'
Senior pastor of the Christ Embassy Ministries, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, has once again come out to express doubts over the COVID19 pandemic.



Oyakhilome while speaking in his church recently, wondered what scientific evidence there is to prove that wearing face masks or enforcing a lockdown contains the spread of COVID19 which according to him is not a killer disease.



The clergyman while ministering said



It is wrong to compel everybody to follow the findings of questionnable individuals. It is wrong. I say this to you, these are simple things., simple truths. If you cannot ask the right questions, then you open yourself to destruction.



Ask yourself, what is the evidence that wearing of masks works? They told you so. I have done enormous research on it. The question is, have you?



Don't just listen because somebody said so or the W.H.O said so. I disagree with the W.H.O for clear reasons. They have made too many mistakes and they don't apologise. They just change their minds and expect us to just follow. Remember, they didn't drop from heaven into W.H.O. We can ask them questions. They are not gods. Even God accepts questions and he answers. Why can't we asks these ones?



If you have the scientific evidence that lockdown works, provide it. So far, the nations that have been most compliant have had their numbers skyrocketing because they are not true''



Speaking further, he said



''I have sent people to go to the hospitals we were told were full. In many of the hospitals, they found very few or no sick people or patients. A lot of the hospital wards were empty and I have videos to provide you. So this was all a fraud and this COVID19 is not a killer disease as you were told.''





Watch the video of him saying this below















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Tenerife is known for its incredible volcanic landscape and for being a sunseeker's party paradise.

But there's also an eerie, disturbing side to the island - in the form of a ghost town.

Sanatorio de Abona, on the island's southeast coast, was designed in 1943 as a leper colony.

Sanatorio de Abona, on Tenerife's southeast coast, was designed in 1943 as a quarantine station

The half-finished church in the purpose-built town, which was meant to accommodate ill people to prevent the spread of leprosy. Following the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, there were around 200 leprosy cases on Tenerife

The community, designed by Spanish architect Jose Enrique Marrero Regalado, was set to feature 40 buildings including a church, a hospital, a crematorium, and accommodation blocks

Following the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, there were around 200 leprosy cases on Tenerife.

The only remedy was to isolate the sick as there was no cure available at the time.

Spanish architect Jose Enrique Marrero Regalado designed a quarantine station to house patients and officials picked a remote spot on the coast for the small purpose-built town. It was believed the warm sea air would help keep bacteria at bay.

The community was set to feature 40 buildings including a church, a hospital, a crematorium, and accommodation blocks.

However, in 1945, before the town was completed, an effective leprosy treatment was pinpointed.

A peek inside one of the derelict buildings in the ghost town. Over the years the site has been used for rallies and festivals

In the 1960s the site was used as a military camp and there were plans to develop it into a holiday resort after an Italian developer purchased the land, but the development didn't get the go-ahead

Officials picked a remote spot next to the coast for the small purpose-built town, with the warm sea air believed to help keep bacteria at bay

The discovery of dapsone, a bacteria-killing medicine, rendered the sanatorium obsolete and construction work ground to a halt and the half-finished buildings abandoned.

In the 1960s the site was used as a military camp and there were plans to develop it into a holiday resort after an Italian developer purchased the land, but the development didn't get the go-ahead.

Today Sanatorio de Abona serves as an off-the-beaten-track tourist attraction and it has also been used to host rallies and festivals. Graffiti adorns many of the buildings.

Travel writer Jack visited the ghost town in 2013 and said it 'exudes a slightly disturbing air'.

He wrote via The Real Tenerife: 'The other strange thing about the ghost town is that it sits like a shadow beside what actually is a newish development at Abades on Aricos coast.

'If anything, with its church, the ghost town looks more like a real town than the small settlement below it, which has more of the appearance of an out-of-place housing scheme.'

Before the town was completed an effective leprosy treatment was pinpointed in 1945. The discovery of dapsone, a bacteria-killing medicine, rendered the sanatorium obsolete and construction work ground to a halt

Today Sanatorio de Abona serves as an off-the-beaten-track tourist attraction
President Donald Trump will make his last stand to overturn his election loss on Wednesday when Vice President Mike Pence presides over a congressional session to ratify Novembers results, an event that threatens to strain the relationship between the two men.

Trumps refusal to concede and his obsession with overturning the will of voters means the ceremony poses a test for his most loyal subordinate.

The vice presidents top aides are developing options for him to acknowledge the reality of the November election result while also nodding, in a possible statement, to the presidents unfounded accusations of vote fraud.

Development of the plan has fallen to Pences chief of staff, Marc Short, and General Counsel Greg Jacob, both of whom realize the potential tension in the situation, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Pence just has to play it straight. He has a specific job as defined in the Constitution, said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a long time Trump ally. He doesnt have the burden of having to force something to happen. All he has to do is preside over it.

In a statement over the weekend, Short said that Pence shares the concerns of millions of Americans about voter fraud and irregularities in the last election.

Yet the president himself is unlikely to let the day pass without comment -- and that, along with following the law, is what most concerns Pences friends and advisers.

Congress ratifies the results of the election in a joint session every four years, as mandated by the Constitution. Typically, the session is routine and brief.

Some of Trumps allies now argue that Pence has the power to single-handedly change the outcome of the election. Last week, several House Republicans, led by Representative Louie Gohmert of Texas, filed a federal lawsuit seeking to force Pence to reject Electoral College votes from several states where Trump has, baselessly, claimed that President-elect Joe Biden won only thanks to vote fraud.

On Thursday, the Justice Department, on behalf of Pence, asked a judge in Texas to deny Gohmerts request. A federal appeals court threw out the Gohmert suit on Saturday after it was first knocked back Friday by a Trump-appointed judge.

These recent machinations place enormous pressure on the vice president. Through four years in the White House, hes remained unfailingly loyal to Trump, neither publicly disagreeing with any policy nor offering the slightest criticism of his boss.

Pence, 61, has long been expected to mount his own campaign for president in 2024, a bid that would depend heavily on support from the presidents base. The possibility that Trump himself might run again has complicated that decision for Pence and other potential candidates.

One former Trump campaign official called the Wednesday event one final stress test, arguing that it creates another inflection point for Trump supporters to re-litigate the results of the election.

Both Trump and his fans -- thousands of whom are expected to gather on the streets of Washington -- may react with anger should Pence stand silently by as Congress ratifies the presidents defeat. Some Republican House members and at least 11 senators have said theyll challenge Electoral College votes, forcing lawmakers to vote to accept the results.

That would place congressional Republicans in the position of either aligning themselves with Trumps claims, or risking his wrath by affirming Bidens victory.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated he doesnt want the ratification of election results to become a spectacle -- especially if it causes discomfort for fellow Republicans up for re-election in 2022. But GOP senators led by Ted Cruz of Texas are planning just that.

Constitutional scholars roundly reject the proposition that the vice president plays any substantive role in the process. The Constitution says only that the president of the Senate -- Pence -- shall open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted.

These arguments havent swayed the president, whos spent the past last several weeks consumed by his election loss, even as Covid-19 cases surged, Congress narrowly passed a major coronavirus relief package, and federal agencies dealt with a massive hack of data that has been blamed on Russia.

In telephone calls with allies and advisers over the last two weeks, Trump has repeatedly discussed what he regards as rampant voter fraud. On Saturday he was scheduled to address an election integrity watchdog group call with state legislators to review alleged irregularities and lawlessness in the 2020 election. And hes recently turned his attention toward the ceremony with Pence, who spent the holidays on vacation in Vail, Colorado.

In anticipation of the vote ratification, the right-leaning group Club for Growth spent $25,000 to run a commercial on Fox News last week in the Palm Beach, Florida, market while Trump was staying at his Mar-a-Lago resort. The ad tried to counter a critical ad on Pence created by the Lincoln Project, a Trump opposition group, and highlighted Pences loyalty to the president.

The Club for Growth is run by David McIntosh, a former member of Congress from Indiana and close friend of Pence, who was governor of the state. McIntosh recently traveled with the vice president to campaign in Georgias runoff Senate election, and said that during the flight, he and the vice president discussed the Lincoln Project ad.

Pence wanted to make sure the president understood he remained a good friend, McIntosh said.

Pence has privately tried to steer clear of the more conspiracy-minded advisers in Trumps orbit, according to people close to him.

The relationship between Trump and Pence has always been a delicate one that the vice president and his team have taken great care to manage. During his 2016 campaign, Trump wavered between choosing Pence and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for his running mate.

To the Trump team, Pence brought strong conservative credentials and the support of anti-abortion groups and evangelicals -- along with a close-knit group of aides which has been far more disciplined than many of Trumps West Wing staff.

The vice president has amicably accepted Trumps toughest assignments, including leading the federal governments response to the pandemic.

Yet despite Pences loyalty and conservative bona fides, rumors abounded before the 2020 election that Trump had mused about replacing him. A senior administration official said Pence and Trump still talk frequently and over the past week, spoke at least every other day.

Wednesdays election certification ceremony may mark the ultimate loyalty test for the vice president, and one which Trump will watch closely. Bidens team called the ratification of the election results merely a formality, one that Biden himself presided over in January 2017, certifying Trumps victory.

Regardless of whatever antics anyone is up to on January 6, President-elect Biden will be sworn in on the 20th, said Jen Psaki, the incoming White House press secretary.

Following Wednesdays ceremony, Pence intends to hold a series of domestic events during which hell highlight the presidents legacy, said a second senior administration official, including potential speeches on the economy, China or foreign policy.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  A state agency that promotes economic development doesn't have to release records related to trying to persuade Amazon to open a second headquarters in Indianapolis, an appeals court said.

The documents held by the Indiana Economic Development Corp. consisted of records of negotiations and not a final offer of public financial resources," Judge L. Mark Bailey wrote Thursday.

A financial publication, Tax Analysts, had sued to try to get the records under Indiana's public records law.

Were talking about public resources that could be spent on other things, attorney Cornish Hitchcock told the Indianapolis Star. IEDC is a public agency, and theres a public interest in knowing how it proposes to use scarce public resources.

The IEDC has said discussions on economic development projects must remain confidential until an incentive package is agreed upon.

Amazon ultimately picked northern Virginia, outside Washington, as the location.
The management of the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) announced last month that its 71st edition will be divided into two stages: Industry related activities will be held online in March 2021, while the public event will take place in June.

This new festival format has been developed due to the current COVID-19 situation, the press release clarifies.

The industry related activities will include platforms such as European Film Market, Berlinale Co-Production Market, Berlinale Talents, and the World Cinema Fund. They will take place online between 1 and 5 March.

In June, there will be a summer event with numerous film screenings for public audiences  in cinemas as well as out in open air. The exact dates and programme are yet to be revealed.

There is a great desire to meet face-to-face. The current situation does not allow a physical festival in February. At the same time, it is important to offer the film industry a market within the first quarter of the year, says Berlinale Executive Director Mariette Rissenbeek.

With the change in the festival format in 2021, we will have the chance to protect the health of all guests and to support the restart of the cinema industry. With the summer event, we want to celebrate a festival for the cinema and offer the Berlinale audience the long-awaited community experience of cinema and culture.

The current process of selecting films for the competition and the sections will be continued. The programme will be published in February and presented to the film industry at the virtual European Film Market in March.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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On Jan. 4, 1964, Harold Franklin walked onto Auburns campus as the first Black student in school history, pursuing a masters degree that he never received after his thesis was repeatedly rejected, as late as 1969.

On Sunday, May 3, 2020 at Auburns spring commencement for the College for Liberal Arts, Franklin, then 87, was to have finally received the masters he earned.

However, the ceremony was postponed due to the COVID pandemic. Instead, Franklin received his degree in the mail.

An Auburn task force has recommended that the administration enhance the historical marker located on the green space between the Draughon Library and Mary Martin Hall, and that the marker be a part of campus tours from now on.

Im honored, Franklin said in February 2020. Im happy they finally decided after all these years. Ill be there at graduation and get that degree.

Scenes from Auburn University on Jan. 4, 1964, when Harold Franklin became the first black student to enroll. (Tom Self, Ed Jones, The Birmingham News archives/AL.com) BNBN

Franklin defended his masters thesis successfully on Feb. 19, 2020, said Keith Hebert, associate professor of history at Auburn, the chair of the thesis committee.

Hebert said the current administration at the university learned about Franklins rejected masters thesis after AL.com did an interview with Franklin on Aug. 30, 2020 regarding Gov. Kay Iveys blackface incident.

Ivey and Franklin were students at Auburn at the same time.

First black student at Auburn University reflects on Gov. Kay Ivey.

Harold Alonza Franklin Sr. arrived as a graduate student at Auburn in 1964 after suing the university.

Federal Judge Frank Johnson ruled in 1963 that Auburn had to allow him to enroll.

Franklin had graduated from Alabama State College in 1962 and wanted to get a masters degree in history from Auburn. He worked selling insurance while he waited on the judges ruling in his lawsuit.

I won two cases against them, Franklin said. I was a 31-year-old married agitator. George Wallace was governor. I dont have to tell you what he was like.

Wallace sent state troopers to impede Franklins enrollment, but he was escorted onto campus by an FBI agent. Franklin was assigned to a dormitory wing all to himself.

Franklin said he spent 12 months at Auburn working on a masters degree in history and clashed with his professors over the topic of his thesis.

I wanted to write on the civil rights struggle, Franklin said. One of the professors told me it was too controversial.

He instead wrote a thesis about Alabama State College, the historically black institution that he had graduated from.

Harold Franklin, Auburn University's first black student, gets his master's degree.

I thought I did a good job on the thesis, Franklin said.

One professor told me mine had to be perfect. I came back and made the adjustments they suggested.

Still, he couldnt get his thesis approved.

They still complained about this or that, Franklin said.

I had been to the thesis room and read the white kids thesis. I couldnt understand why mine wasnt acceptable and the others were.It became clear by 1969 that Auburn would not approve his thesis.

Finally I said, Hell, what youre telling me is I wont get a degree from Auburn, Franklin recalled.

Scenes from Auburn University on Jan. 4, 1964, when Harold Franklin became the first black student to enroll. (Tom Self, Ed Jones, The Birmingham News archives/AL.com) BNBN

In 2001, Auburn awarded Franklin an honorary doctorate of arts.

It was a really nice gesture, Hebert said. For Harold, the honorary degree was nice. He displays it. Its on the wall. Hes Dr. Harold Franklin. But there was an incompleteness. He had earned all the credits, he did all the courses, he had written the thesis.

Here are more vintage images and stories of Alabamas past .

Hebert said that after he read the story about Franklins reflections on Ivey, in which he described Auburns treatment of him at the time, he took several faculty to visit Franklin at his home in Sylacauga.

We reached out to Harold and went to visit him in early November, Hebert said. We wanted to hear his story.

Then Hebert asked if Franklin still had his thesis.

He pulled it right out, Hebert said. He held onto it. It still means something to him.

Franklin said he always had it handy.

I keep it right here on the sofa next to me, he said.

Hebert scanned the thesis and distributed copies to faculty.

We tried to evaluate it from the era it was written, which was 1969, to read what was approved that year, Hebert said. He had written a well-researched masters thesis. He had, more than 50 years earlier, fulfilled all requirements. We organized a defense. Its shameful that it had to take this long.

Scenes from Auburn University on Jan. 4, 1964, when Harold Franklin became the first black student to enroll. (Tom Self, Ed Jones, The Birmingham News archives/AL.com) BNBN

Auburn located his student records, which wasnt easy, Hebert said.

A formal apology for the delay in awarding the degree was attached to the approval of the thesis.

Its not his first earned masters degree. After leaving Auburn, Franklin went on to earn a masters degree in international studies at the University of Denver.

Born on Nov. 2, 1932, Franklin grew up in Talladega and retired from his career as a history teacher. He taught at Tuskegee University from 1965-68, and later Talladega College, where he was an assistant professor of history from 1968 until his retirement in 1992.

In 2015, Auburn unveiled a historic marker on campus recognizing Franklins bravery and resolve as he enrolled in 1964 and pursued his studies.

Franklin said hes grateful that his masters degree work has finally been recognized, despite the delay.

Im not angry about it, Franklin said. Ive never felt angry about it. Life goes on. Nothings perfect in this world.

Editors note: This article appeared shortly before Auburn awarded Franklin his masters degree. It appears here in a slightly edited form.
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Trip Lee warns against 'reality show righteousness' at Cross for the Nations 2020

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Christians should live out the righteousness of Jesus instead of acting out reality show righteousness, said Christian rapper Trip Lee.

Social media and a culture that teaches people to film and publicize their own actions often engenders an attitude of performative goodness, said Lee in a Dec. 29 speech to the Cross for the Nations 2020 conference. He called this attitude reality show righteousness.

Reality shows play into things about human nature that were true even before reality shows existed. We love drama, but also we love to be seen, he said.

Just like reality show contestants change their behavior because they know people are watching, Christians often perform actions to impress God and others, Lee said.

What happens when somebodys watching you? You begin to change how you act. The eyes start to compete with the task itself, and it can get in the way, Lee said. Jesus wants more from us than just doing the right stuff. Jesus also wants that stuff to come from the right heart. If were doing good things for bad reasons, were robbing ourselves of good rewards, and thats at the heart of what Jesus is talking about.

Lee said that Jesus teaching on how to pray tells Christians that they should concentrate on loving God, not on seeming good in the eyes of other people.

When Jesus explains how to pray in Matthew 6, He includes a comedic description of people who pray to impress others. He calls them hypocrites, the Greek word for actors.

Rephrasing the passages story, Lee humorously described a hypocrite who blows trumpets before he gives money to the poor to make sure he gets enough public attention.

Now isnt that the most ridiculous thing youve ever heard? said Lee. Jesus paints a hilarious picture of the hypocrite. Jesus wants us to laugh at them. Jesus wants us to be so disgusted by how foolish that looks that we run in the other direction.

Instead of performing to impress God and others, Christians should do good without fear of what it makes other people think, he said. They should trust God to reward them as a loving father would.

What do those rewards even look like? The Bible doesnt give us that line by line exactly.

It only says we will gain or lose rewards based on how faithful we are to Jesus, said Lee. Trading His rewards for earthly rewards is like trading real money for Monopoly money.

When Christians obey God without worrying about what other people think, they feel free, he added. A missionary should go to the mission field because they feel a passion for their work and a calling from God.

There is a freedom knowing that there is approval for you in Jesus. When we know we have Gods approval in Jesus, we can fear God and do what we want. We can give freely without wondering how holy we look to people around us. We can rejoice in God alongside others instead of trying to use them, instead of envying them because they look holier than us, Lee said.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

As investigations continued into the massive data breach linked to Austin-based software company SolarWinds, experts say the attack could lead to long-term changes in cybersecurity policies and procedures for government entities and private companies alike.

News of the cyberattack broke on Dec. 13, with Reuters news service reporting that a sophisticated hacking group backed by a foreign government might have stolen information from U.S. government agencies, including email traffic. The breach appears to have affected nearly every level of government, as well as potentially hundreds of private companies.

As many as 18,000 SolarWinds customersout of a total of 300,000might have been running SolarWinds software containing a vulnerability that allowed hackers to penetrate various networks.

The Homeland Security Department's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has called the hack a grave risk to government and private networks, and experts say the damage will be difficult to detect and undo.

So far, the investigation has revealed a number of high-profile targets of the attack, including the Department of Treasury, Homeland Security, the Department of Energy and Microsoft.

While federal government officials have yet to say who they believe is responsible, The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, reported that the attack was carried out by Russian government hackers who go by the nicknames APT29 or Cozy Bear and are part of that nation's foreign intelligence service.

Daniel Ives, an analyst with Wedbush Securities, said the attack is the among the largest breaches in U.S history, and that it could take years to fully understand the full extent of the attack, which has "broad ramifications" going forward, he said.

"This scale, the scope of this attack is jaw-dropping," Ives said. "I think how pervasive potentially (the hackers) got within the confines of the government and enterprises is a major wakeup call."

SolarWinds finds itself caught in the middle of an escalating cyberwar and a broader scale of supply chain attacks, in which another company could have just as likely ended up the target, Ives said. SolarWinds, which makes network and IT management software, has more than 3,000 global employees. It was founded in 1999 and moved to Central Texas in 2006.

The hackers are believed to have made their way into a number of systems by tampering with an update server of the SolarWinds network management systems. Through it, the hackers were able to gain remote access and insert malicious code that hitched a ride on a software update.

SolarWinds has released a number of software updates to patch the problem. Reuters also reported a possible second breach around the same time in the SolarWinds system, which also has since been patched.

In a written statement, the company said it is working closely with federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to investigate the attack and whether it was backed by a foreign government. The company said it is also working with third-party cybersecurity experts.

"We are solely focused on helping the industry and our customers understand and mitigate this attack, and quickly released hotfix updates to customers that we believe will close the vulnerability. While our investigation is ongoing, we are committed to being transparent with our customers and will continue taking all appropriate steps to protect them," the company said.

Widespread implications

The attack could have widespread implications for the cybersecurity industry at large, as companies and the government have become increasingly reliant on online and cloud systems. Gartner, an organization that researches technology industry trends, predicted cybersecurity spending would reach about $123.8 billion this year.

Ives said the number of cyberattacks are growing, as is their level of sophistication.

"It speaks to a cyberwar, cyberespionage, that's been going on for a number of years but it's continuing to get ratcheted up," Ives said.

Ives said this particular breach is a concern for both the amount of time it might have gone undetected and its pervasiveness. It's a "nightmare situation," he said.

"SolarWinds was the target of this attack. The next attack it could be another software," Ives said. " As much as this is a black eye for the industry, I think it's more the fear of what this means in terms of a supply chain attack, going through the front door versus the back door."

Ives said he also thinks SolarWinds has the ability to bounce back and recover its reputation after the attack. He said the company has worked fast and been transparent throughout the aftermath of the attack.

"This is going to be a chapter in history in terms of the supply chain book," Ives said. "But SolarWinds didn't get to where they are today by not being aggressive and a global brand in terms of IT management software. It's a dark chapter, but it's how they navigate that chapter."

'Like bed bugs'

Cybersecurity experts said it's not possible to fully know yet if all the hackers' access points have been removed from the systems they breached, on both the government and business level.

"It's a little bit like bed bugs," said David Springer, an Austin-based lawyer for Bracewell LLP who specializes in securities litigation including cybersecurity counseling and policy. "You can do a lot to try to eradicate them, but sometimes the problem gets so bad, and they're just so into everything you kind of have to just burn your mattress. And that's kind of where we find ourselves here."

Springer said it has become clear that once in these systems, the hackers moved around the network and breached a number of systems.

"Fixing SolarWinds is preventing another attack to get in that way, but it doesn't do anything to take the hackers off the network. They're already there, and now have enabled multiple other entry and exit points," Springer said.

Springer said the breach has renewed conversations about cybersecurity and better steps for transparency, security and securing networks. That includes supply chain security and making sure that when the government or large corporations acquire software or updates, there is increased transparency about what's in that software package, and having the ability to audit what's in there to ensure it hasn't been altered, he said. There's also a renewed focus on internal security programs.

"A lot of times, historically, you view securing a network as a perimeter defense. The vast majority of defending you do is at the perimeter. You're just trying to keep that guy out of your network. But then once something is happening inside your network, it's kind of presumed to be OK," Springer said. "Within a network, there's not a ton of security internally. There's definitely a renewed focus on within network."

From a government perspective, Springer said he expects there to be stricter security mandates considered for the vendors that government agencies use.

"There needs to be a maintained focus on ensuring ... that the private companies are doing the right things from a security point of view, that it doesn't become the way that attackers are going to constantly get into government networks, just by penetrating these people were supplying software to it," Springer said.

The same applies to private companies. Ives predicted the average company will be spending more on cybersecurity in the next year, a pattern that has only been sped up by the breach.

"Security has to stay one step ahead of the bad actors," Ives said. "In this case, it didn't. I think the industry learns from it, adjusts and just gets further blockades going forward, both within the confines of an organization as well as within the cloud."

Explore further Data crunching consequences of SolarWinds cyberattack

2020 Gannett Co., Inc.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Scottish National Party MP Margaret Ferrier has been arrested and charged after an alleged breach of coronavirus rules.

The 60-year-old had the SNP whip removed after last year it emerged she made a trip from Glasgow to the House of Commons while waiting for results of a Covid-19 test - and a return journey after being informed she had the virus.

Police Scotland on Monday confirmed a 60-year-old woman, understood to be Ferrier, had been arrested and charged in connection with alleged culpable and reckless conduct.

Margaret Ferrier spoke in the Commons while ill before returning to Scotland in September

A spokeswoman for the force said: 'We can confirm that officers today arrested and charged a 60-year-old woman in connection with alleged culpable and reckless conduct.

'This follows a thorough investigation by Police Scotland into an alleged breach of coronavirus regulations between 26 and 29 September 2020.

'A report will be sent to the procurator fiscal and we are unable to comment further.'

In October the Metropolitan Police said they would take 'no further action' against the MP following an investigation.

Ms Ferrier gave a four-minute speech in the House of Commons during a debate on coronavirus on Monday September 28.

She also told a national newspaper in October she felt 'hung out to dry' by the SNP which withdrew the whip from her an hour after she released a statement about the incident.

Despite pressure to resign her seat, Ms Ferrier is now an independent MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West.

Scottish Labour launched an online petition calling for her to quit as an MP while Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer hosted a virtual meeting with residents in Ms Ferrier's constituency in early October.

After news broke of the arrest on Monday night, Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said: 'Margaret Ferrier has apologised for her selfish and dangerous actions, but so far she has continued to insist she is fit to represent her constituents in the House of Commons.

'I hope her arrest leads her to reconsider this arrogant position, and the people of Rutherglen and Hamilton West get the opportunity to return an MP who puts their interests first.'

An SNP spokesman said: 'Ms Ferrier remains suspended from the SNP and we will not comment further on live police proceedings.'

The Metropolitan Police said in October that because Ms Ferrier took a coronavirus test on September 26 - and travelled to London two days later - she could not face action under the Health Protection Regulations 2020, because they only came into effect on September 29.

The force confirmed they had referred the case to Police Scotland.

The new law introduced a 4,000 fine for people who 'recklessly' breach lockdown.

Despite facing pressure to resign her seat, Ms Ferrier, who was stripped of the nationalist party's whip, is now an independent MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West.
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Shanghai (Gasgoo)- GAC NIO said on Dec. 31 via its Weibo account that it becomes the first Chinese automaker that accepts Bitcoin for payment, but later the announcement was amended, whereby Bitcoin was changed to digital currency. The statement was cancelled then.

Photo credit: GAC NIO

Shortly afterwards, the automaker apologized for announcing the decision without giving adequate consideration and receiving regulatory permission. It said GAC NIO has a continuous focus on the People's Bank of Chinas policies on the pilot project of digital currency, and the launch of its digital currency is on the drawing board.

As one of parent companies, NIO said it has never drawn up any scheme for buying cars with Bitcoin. Meanwhile, the startup noted GAC NIO is co-invested by GAC and NIO, while independently operates business. Both two parents have not dispatched personnel to the joint venture and not involved in GAC NIO's operation or management businesses. GAC NIO has its own brand dubbed HYCAN, and will not produce GAC or NIO-branded vehicles. All in all, NIO is nothing more than an investor.

Founded in April 2018, GAC NIO involves a registered capital of 500 million yuan ($76.47 million), which are together invested by such companies as GAC Group, GAC NE and Shanghai NIO Automobile Co.,Ltd. It is principally engaged in the R&D and sale of all-electric vehicles, and other supporting services like EV charging, the installation and management of charging piles, as well as EV rental service.

GAC Group agreed on December 18 to offer GAC NIO a loan of 15 million yuan ($2.294 million) with an one-year tenure, according to the GAC's announcement.

some officials from Beijing municipal government visited GAC NIO's headquarters in early Dec. to negotiate with Liao Bing, founder of the startup, about an investment plan, according to a local media outlet. If the discussion goes smoothly, GAC NIO's headquarters or new manufacturing base is likely to be moved to Beijing.
Department of Service Statistics of NBS

China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing(CFLP)

1. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index

In December 2020, China's Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) was 51.9 percent, down by 0.2 percentage point from last month, which was above the threshold for ten consecutive months, indicating that the manufacturing industry continued to recovery steadily.

In terms of enterprise scale, the PMI of large enterprises was 52.7 percent, which was 0.3 percentage point lower than that of last month, but still higher than the threshold; the PMI of medium-sized enterprises was 52.7 percent, which was 0.7 percentage point higher than that of last month, and continued to be above the threshold; the PMI of small enterprises was 48.8 percent, which was 1.3 percentage points lower than that of last month, which was lower than the threshold.

According to the classification index, the five sub-indices composing PMI, the production index and new orders index were both above the threshold, while raw materials inventory index, employment index and supplier distribution time index all stayed below the threshold.

Production index was 54.2 percent, down by 0.5 percentage point from last month, but still stayed above the threshold, indicating that the growth rate of manufacturing production has slightly slowed down.

New orders index was 53.6 percent, down by 0.3 percentage point from last month, but still stayed above the threshold, indicating that the demand of the manufacturing industry continued to improve.

The inventory index of raw materials was 48.6 percent, unchanged with last month, indicating that the inventory of major raw materials in the manufacturing industry has declined over the previous month.

The employment index was 49.6 percent, slightly up 0.1 percentage point from the previous month, indicating a slight improvement in the employment outlook of manufacturing enterprises.

The supplier delivery time index was 49.9 percent, which was 0.2 percentage point lower than the previous month, indicating that the delivery time of raw material suppliers in manufacturing industry was slightly slower than that of last month.

China's Manufacturing PMI (Seasonally Adjusted) Unit: % PMI Production Index New Orders Index Main Raw Materials Inventory Index Employed Person Index Supplier Delivery Time Index 2019-December 50.2 53.2 51.2 47.2 47.3 51.1 2020-January 50.0 51.3 51.4 47.1 47.5 49.9 February 35.7 27.8 29.3 33.9 31.8 32.1 March 52.0 54.1 52.0 49.0 50.9 48.2 April 50.8 53.7 50.2 48.2 50.2 50.1 May 50.6 53.2 50.9 47.3 49.4 50.5 June 50.9 53.9 51.4 47.6 49.1 50.5 July 51.1 54.0 51.7 47.9 49.3 50.4 August 51.0 53.5 52.0 47.3 49.4 50.4 September 51.5 54.0 52.8 48.5 49.6 50.7 October 51.4 53.9 52.8 48.0 49.3 50.6 November 52.1 54.7 53.9 48.6 49.5 50.1 December 51.9 54.2 53.6 48.6 49.6 49.9

Related Indicators of China's Manufacturing PMI (Seasonally Adjusted) Unit: % New Export Orders Index Import Index Purchase Quantity Index Main Raw Material Purchase Price Index Producer Price Index Finished Goods Inventory Index Open Orders Index Production And Business Activities Expectation Index 2019-December 50.3 49.9 51.3 51.8 49.2 45.6 45.0 54.4 2020-January 48.7 49.0 51.6 53.8 49.0 46.0 46.3 57.9 February 28.7 31.9 29.3 51.4 44.3 46.1 35.6 41.8 March 46.4 48.4 52.7 45.5 43.8 49.1 46.3 54.4 April 33.5 43.9 52.0 42.5 42.2 49.3 43.6 54.0 May 35.3 45.3 50.8 51.6 48.7 47.3 44.1 57.9 June 42.6 47.0 51.8 56.8 52.4 46.8 44.8 57.5 July 48.4 49.1 52.4 58.1 52.2 47.6 45.6 57.8 August 49.1 49.0 51.7 58.3 53.2 47.1 46.0 58.6 September 50.8 50.4 53.6 58.5 52.5 48.4 46.1 58.7 October 51.0 50.8 53.1 58.8 53.2 44.9 47.2 59.3 November 51.5 50.9 53.7 62.6 56.5 45.7 46.7 60.1 December 51.3 50.4 53.2 68.0 58.9 46.2 47.1 59.8

2. Non-manufacturing purchasing managers index

In December, the non-manufacturing business activity index was 55.7 percent, which was 0.7 percentage point lower than that of last month, but it continued to be in a relatively high economic zone, and the non-manufacturing industry continued to recover steadily.

In terms of industry, the construction industry business activity index was 60.7 percent, 0.2 percentage point higher than that of last month. The business activity index of service industry was 54.8 percent, 0.9 percentage point lower than that of last month. From the perspective of industry situation, the business activity index of air transportation, post, telecommunication, radio and television satellite transmission services, monetary and financial services, and capital market services was in the high prosperity range of more than 60.0 percent; the business activity index of catering, real estate, ecological protection and environmental governance stayed below the threshold.

The index of new orders was 51.9 percent, down 0.9 percentage point from the previous month, indicating that the growth of demand in the non-manufacturing market has slowed down. By industry, the new order index of construction industry was 55.8 percent, up 1.8 percentage points from last month; the new order index of service industry was 51.2 percent, down 1.4 percentage points from last month.

The price index of inputs was 54.3 percent, up 1.6 percentage points from last month, indicating that the prices of inputs used by non-manufacturing enterprises for business activities continued to rise. By industry, the price index of construction inputs was 61.2 percent, up 3.7 percentage points from last month; the price index of service inputs was 53.1 percent, up 1.2 percentage points from last month.

The sales price index was 52.3 percent, up 1.3 percentage points from last month, indicating that the overall sales price of non-manufacturing industry continued to rise. By industry, the sales price index of the construction industry was 54.0 percent, up 2.7 percentage points from the previous month; the sales price index of the service industry was 52.0 percent, up 1.1 percentage points from the previous month.

The employment index was 48.7 percent, down 0.2 percentage point from the previous month, indicating that the employment outlook of the non-manufacturing industry has dropped slightly. By industry, the employment index of construction industry was 52.7 percent, down 1.7 percentage points from last month; the employment index of service industry was 48.0 percent, up 0.1 percentage point from last month.

The expected index of business activities was 60.6 percent, down 0.6 percentage point from last month, but it continued to be in the high economic zone, indicating that most non-manufacturing enterprises were still optimistic about the stable recovery of the industry. In terms of different industries, the expected index of business activities in the construction industry was 63.5 percent, up 1.7 percentage points from last month; the expected index of business activities in the service industry was 60.1 percent, down 1.0 percentage point from last month.

Main Indices of China's Non-manufacturing PMI (Seasonally Adjusted) Unit: % Non-manufacturing PMI New Orders Index Input Price Index Sales Price Index Employment Index Business Activities Expectation Index 2019-December 53.5 50.4 52.4 50.3 48.3 59.1 2020-January 54.1 50.6 53.3 50.5 48.6 59.6 February 29.6 26.5 49.3 43.9 37.9 40.0 March 52.3 49.2 49.4 46.1 47.7 57.3 April 53.2 52.1 49.0 45.4 48.6 60.1 May 53.6 52.6 52.0 48.6 48.5 63.9 June 54.4 52.7 52.9 49.5 48.7 60.3 July 54.2 51.5 53.0 50.1 48.1 62.2 August 55.2 52.3 51.9 50.1 48.3 62.1 September 55.9 54.0 50.6 48.9 49.1 63.0 October 56.2 53.0 50.9 49.4 49.4 62.9 November 56.4 52.8 52.7 51.0 48.9 61.2 December 55.7 51.9 54.3 52.3 48.7 60.6

Other Indices of China's Non-manufacturing PMI (Seasonally Adjusted) Unit: % Foreign New Orders Index Unfilled Orders Index Stock Index Supplier Delivery Time Index 2019-December 47.8 44.5 47.2 52.2 2020-January 48.4 43.6 47.2 52.1 February 26.8 35.2 39.3 28.3 March 38.6 43.0 46.1 46.4 April 35.5 43.4 47.0 51.0 May 41.3 44.3 47.8 52.9 June 43.3 44.8 48.0 52.1 July 44.5 44.9 48.1 51.9 August 45.1 44.6 48.5 52.4 September 49.1 46.3 48.5 52.2 October 47.0 44.9 48.7 52.3 November 49.0 45.2 48.8 51.8 December 47.5 44.7 47.0 51.2

3. Composite PMI Output Index

In December, the comprehensive PMI output index was 55.1 percent, which was 0.6 percentage point lower than that of last month, but it was in a relatively high boom range of more than 55.0 percent for four consecutive months, indicating that the production and operation activities of Chinese enterprises continued to recover in the near future.

Annotations:

1. Explanatory Notes

Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) is an index summarized and compiled through the results of the monthly survey of enterprises purchasing managers. It covers every links of the enterprises, including purchasing, production, logistics, and so on. It is one of the leading indices which was commonly adopted by international society to monitor the macroeconomic trends, and played an important role in forecasting and monitoring. The Composite PMI Output Index, belonging to the PMI indicator system, is a composite index reflecting the changes in the output in current period of the entire industry (manufacturing and non-manufacturing industries). The threshold of PMI is usually using 50 percent as the cut-off point for economic performance. If PMI above 50 percent, it reflects the overall economy is expanding; if less than 50 percent, it reflects the overall economy is in recession.

2. Statistical Coverage

The survey involves 31 divisions of manufacturing industry in the Industrial Classification for National Economic Activities (GB/T4754-2017), and 3000 samples, as well as 37 divisions of non-manufacturing industry, and 4000 samples.

3. Survey Methods

PPS (Probability Proportional to Size) sampling method was adopted in purchasing managers survey. Using the divisions of the manufacturing or non-manufacturing industry as the selecting strata, the sample size of each division is proportional to its proportion of the value-added of the division to the total value-added of the manufacturing or non-manufacturing industry. Within the stratum, the samples are selected according to the probabilities proportional to their principal business revenues of the enterprises.

The survey was organized and conducted by staff members of survey offices, monthly through Online Reporting System of NBS by sending survey questionnaires to the purchasing managers of the selected enterprises.

4. Calculation Methods

(1) Calculation Methods of Sub-indices.

The indicator system of manufacturing purchasing managers survey covers 13 sub-indices such as production, new orders, export orders, existing orders, finished goods inventory, purchase, import, purchase price, producer price, raw materials inventory, employees, suppliers, delivery time, production and business activities expectation. Non-manufacturing purchasing managers survey involves 10 questions on production, new orders (business required), export, existing orders, finished goods inventory, intermediate input price, subscription price, employees, suppliers delivery time, and business activities expectation. The indicator system of non-manufacturing purchasing managers survey covers 10 sub-indices such as business activities, new orders, new export orders, existing orders, finished goods inventory, intermediate input price, subscription price, employees, suppliers delivery time, and business activities expectation. Sub-indices adopt diffusion index calculation method, i.e. percentage of positive answers in number of enterprises plus half of the percentage in the same answers. Due to the lack of synthesis of non-manufacturing integrated PMI index, the international society often used business activity index to reflect the overall changes in non-manufacturing economic development.

(2) Calculation Methods of Manufacturing PMI.

Manufacturing PMI was calculated according to five diffusion indices (group indices) and their weights. 5 group indices and their weights are determined in accordance with their leading impact on the economy. Specifically, new orders index weighted 30 percent; production index weighted 25 percent; employees index weighted 20 percent; supplier delivery time index weighted 15 percent; raw materials inventory index weighted 10 percent. Of which, the supplier delivery time index is a converse index, and contrary calculation is needed when combines it into PMI.

(3) Calculation Methods of Composite PMI Output Index.

Composite PMI Output Index was calculated by weighted summation of the manufacturing output index and non-manufacturing business activity index. Their weights are determined by the proportion manufacturing and non-manufacturing industries in GDP.

5. Seasonal adjustment

The purchasing managers survey is a monthly survey, the data of the survey fluctuates very much for the influences of seasonal factors. The released PMI composite index and sub-indices are seasonally adjusted data.
She's raised eyebrows over the past several days, after being spotted spending time with a hunky mystery man on the French-Caribbean island of Saint Barthelemy.

But Wendi Deng, 52, opted to step out with a female pal on Monday morning, ahead of the Caribbean heat intensifying.

The Chinese-American businesswoman  who was married to Rupert Murdoch, 89, from 1999 to 2013  showed off her svelte frame as she roamed the ritzy locale in a pair of tiny polka dot shorts teamed with a sheer white top.

Working on their fitness: Wendi Deng was spotted out and about with a pal after the pair went for a morning jog in St Barts on Monday

Complementing her casual ensemble with a crop top and black running shoes, Wendi wore a pair of sunglasses atop her raven locks, which were styled in a bun.

After their run, Wendi and her pal were seen merrily chatting away with her friend as they meandered through the sun-kissed streets.

On Saturday, Wendi was seen shopping with her mystery male companion, days after they were spotted frolicking on the beach together.

Her outing came days after she was seen looking sensational in a turquoise bikini as she frolicked and larked around with her companion on Monday.

Svelte: The Chinese-American businesswoman showed off her svelte frame as she roamed the ritzy locale in a pair of tiny polka dot shorts teamed with a sheer white top

Ensemble: Complementing her casual ensemble with a crop top and black running shoes, Wendi wore a pair of sunglasses atop her raven locks, which were styled in a bun

Wendi wowed in the stylish two piece, which featured a bandeau top with halter strings extending from the centre of the bust, while the low-slung bottoms showed off her taut stomach.

Upping the glamour and adding a kooky touch, she shielded her eyes with a pair of stylish red sunglasses while her long, loose raven locks added to the overall beach babe vibe.

Her companion meanwhile was flaunting a ripped beach body and highlighting his tan with bright white shorts.

The duo looked to be getting along famously as they chatted in the water before running through the sea and then collapsing into fits of giggles and later joining a larger group on the shores.

Fun and frolics: Her outing came days after she was sen looking sensational in a turquoise bikini as she frolicked and larked around with her mystery male companion last Monday

Following the dissolution of her marriage to media mogul Murdoch, who she wed two years after they met while she was working as an executive at his company Star TV in Hong Kong, Wendi has found love and lost elsewhere.

Back in 2016, it was revealed that Wendi had started dating Hungarian model Bertold Zahoran, 25, when they were seen packing on the PDA on the shores of St Barts, however they parted ways two years later.

A friend of Ralph Lauren model Bertold revealed at the time of the split: Theyre not together any more, but theyre still on very good terms.

'They decided it was best to cool things down because theyre both so busy and it was just too hard to make it work with conflicting schedules.

Wendi resides in a $49million (36million) home in New York, which she received as part of her 2013 divorce settlement from Rupert, whom she wed in 1999.

Former husband: Wendi, 52, was married to media mogul Rupert Murdoch from 1999 to 2013

The businesswoman, who is the mother of two of Murdochs children, Grace, 19, and Chloe, 17, has previously hit headlines with her romantic life.

In 2014, a love note she had written to Tony Blair was published in Vanity Fair, in which she lusted after his good body and piercing blue eyes.

The former prime minister, who is the godfather to her daughter, Grace, strongly denied allegations of an affair.

She is known for keeping former flames close, and remains good friends with Murdoch  now married to Mick Jaggers ex, Texan bombshell Jerry Hall, 62  whom she memorably defended in 2011 by lunging at a foam pie-throwing protester who attacked him.

Most recent romance: The businesswoman dated model Bertold Zahoran from 2016 to 2018

Prior to her relationship with Bertold, Wendi was rumoured to be dating British classical violinist Charlie Siem.

Photos of the two holding hands and looking enamoured with one another while attending the Giambattista Valli show during Paris Fashion Week in March 2016 appeared to confirm the rumours.

It was only a few months after her fashion show date with Siem that Deng and Zahoran were spotted together at supermodel Naomi Campbell's birthday party.

The bash was held in New York City on the rooftop of the Dream Hotel, and a photograph from the event shows Wendi and sitting together on a banquette, with the model's arm around his older girlfriend.
On Sunday, Republicans joined the new Congress, with their Senate influence on the line in Georgia within two days, heavily divided on the core problem of whether to accept that President Trump had lost the presidency or to support his efforts to reverse the outcome of the elections.

GOPs Start New Congress on Feud Over Bid To Overturn Election

The Republican Party divided badly as the new Congress was sworn in on Sunday, with at least 12 senators decided to join about 140 House members to challenge Joe Biden's electoral victory. The pressures are so great that multiple GOP senators are already arguing directly, with Sen. Pat Toomey alleged some Republicans of violating the right to be involved in direct elections and Sen. Josh Hawley condemning the claims and "shameless personal attacks" of Toomey.

"I'm concerned about the division in America, that's the biggest issue, but obviously this is not healthy for the Republican Party," Sen. Ben Sasse stated. "This is bad for the country and bad for the party."

On Wednesday, the fight over the fundamental foundations of American democracy will take place on the floor as the Senate will conduct two debates on the votes in the electoral college of every state that had received objections and lawmakers from both houses fear that such move will be destructive.

Moreover, outside of Georgia, the Republican issue had consequences for the willingness of party representatives to cooperate with each other and after Jan.20, for Republicans on the midterm ballot in 2022 and for the presidential sector of the party in2024, a new Democratic White House.

It was a scenario that Senator Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican and majority leader for at least a few more days, had rigorously attempted to prevent.

Cheney denied claims of systematic voting irregularities in her 21-page memo, summarized the long list of court decisions against the president and cautioned fellow Republicans that they had been making a massive mistake.

"Such objections set an exceptionally dangerous precedent, threatening to steal states' explicit constitutional responsibility for choosing the president and bestowing it instead on Congress," Cheney's memo stated. "This is directly at odds with the Constitution's clear text and our core beliefs as Republicans," it continued.

Meanwhile, some Republicans has stated that the push by senators fighting the elections for a special commission to "audit" outcomes in key battleground states within 10 days was ill-conceived and impossible to implement.

In opening the new session of the Senate, McConnell did not directly address the fight, but he alluded to it, conceding that there were "plenty of disagreements and policy differences among our ranks."

McConnell did not mention the dispute outright at the start of the new Senate conference, yet he referred to it, admitting that there have "plenty of disagreements and policy differences among our ranks."

Many backed their decision to contest Biden's win as senators have been sworn into their new six-year terms. Sen. James Lankford argued that the initiative was really about "getting the facts" and not so much about Trump's allegiance.

"None of us want to vote against the electors but we all want to get the facts out there," Lankford stated. "If we can get to some kind of commission which we understand is highly unlikely then we don't have to vote against electors."

READ MORE: Hong Kong Activists Face Up to Three Years Jail Time in China Following Attempt to Flee to Taiwan via Boat

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Brown fat is that magical tissue that you would want more of. Unlike white fat, which stores calories, brown fat burns energy and scientists hope it may hold the key to new obesity treatments. But it has long been unclear whether people with ample brown fat truly enjoy better health. For one thing, it has been hard to even identify such individuals since brown fat is hidden deep inside the body.

Now, a new study in Nature Medicine offers strong evidence: among over 52,000 participants, those who had detectable brown fat were less likely than their peers to suffer cardiac and metabolic conditions ranging from type 2 diabetes to coronary artery disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States.

The study, by far the largest of its kind in humans, confirms and expands the health benefits of brown fat suggested by previous studies. "For the first time, it reveals a link to lower risk of certain conditions," says Paul Cohen, the Albert Resnick, M.D., Assistant Professor and senior attending physician at The Rockefeller University Hospital. "These findings make us more confident about the potential of targeting brown fat for therapeutic benefit."

A valuable resource

Although brown fat has been studied for decades in newborns and animals, it was only in 2009 that scientists appreciated it can also be also found in some adults, typically around the neck and shoulders. From then on, researchers have scrambled to study the elusive fat cells, which possess the power to burn calories to produce heat in cold conditions.

Large-scale studies of brown fat, however, have been practically impossible because this tissue shows up only on PET scans, a special type of medical imaging. "These scans are expensive, but more importantly, they use radiation," says Tobias Becher, the study's first author and formerly a Clinical Scholar in Cohen's lab. "We don't want to subject many healthy people to that."

A physician-scientist, Becher came up with an alternative. Right across the street from his lab, many thousands of people visit Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center each year to undergo PET scans for cancer evaluation. Becher knew that when radiologists detect brown fat on these scans, they routinely make note of it to make sure it is not mistaken for a tumor. "We realized this could be a valuable resource to get us started with looking at brown fat at a population scale," Becher says.

Protective fat

In collaboration with Heiko Schoder and Andreas Wibmer at Memorial Sloan Kettering, the researchers reviewed 130,000 PET scans from more than 52,000 patients, and found the presence of brown fat in nearly 10 percent of individuals. (Cohen notes that this figure is likely an underestimate because the patients had been instructed to avoid cold exposure, exercise, and caffeine, all of which are thought to increase brown fat activity).

Several common and chronic diseases were less prevalent among people with detectable brown fat. For example, only 4.6 percent had type 2 diabetes, compared with 9.5 percent of people who did not have detectable brown fat. Similarly, 18.9 percent had abnormal cholesterol, compared to 22.2 percent in those without brown fat.

Moreover, the study revealed three more conditions for which people with brown fat have lower risk: hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease--links that had not been observed in previous studies.

Another surprising finding was that brown fat may mitigate the negative health effects of obesity. In general, obese people have increased risk of heart and metabolic conditions; but the researchers found that among obese people who have brown fat, the prevalence of these conditions was similar to that of non-obese people. "It almost seems like they are protected from the harmful effects of white fat," Cohen says.

More than an energy burning powerhouse

The actual mechanisms by which brown fat may contribute to better health are still unclear, but there are some clues. For example, brown-fat cells consume glucose in order to burn calories, and it's possible that this lowers blood glucose levels, a major risk factor for developing diabetes.

The role of brown fat is more mysterious in other conditions like hypertension, which is tightly connected to the hormonal system. "We are considering the possibility that brown fat tissue does more than consume glucose and burn calories, and perhaps actually participates in hormonal signaling to other organs," Cohen says.

The team plans to further study the biology of brown fat, including by looking for genetic variants that may explain why some people have more of it than others--potential first steps toward developing pharmacological ways to stimulate brown fat activity to treat obesity and related conditions.

"The natural question that everybody has is, 'What can I do to get more brown fat?'" Cohen says. "We don't have a good answer to that yet, but it will be an exciting space for scientists to explore in the upcoming years."

###
Washington, 4 January 2021 (SPS) - Egypt denied on Saturday that it intends to open a diplomatic representation in Western Sahara, refuting rumours relayed by Moroccan media.



"Egypt's position remains unchanged on the western Sahara issue and it is aligned with UN resolutions calling for a referendum allowing Sahrawis the choice to be under Moroccan rule or regain their independence," Rokha Hassan, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFA), told the Washington-based news website Al-Monitor.



"Egypt has not expressed any intention regarding this territory," said the member of ECFA, an organization under the Egyptian foreign ministry.



He questioned the relevance of the articles published in the Moroccan press that spoke of planned opening of an Egyptian consulate in El Aaiun, in the Sahrawi territories.



In an article published on 21 December, "Moroccan website 360 announced that Egyptian President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi had announced his intention to send his Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry to Rabat, where he is supposed to coordinate the opening of an Egyptian consulate in Western Sahara with his Moroccan counterpart, Nacer Bourita," reported Al-Monitor. This information categorically denied by Mr. Rokha.



The opening of consulates in Western Sahara is a way of recognising Morocco's alleged sovereignty over the territory, despite the fact that the United Nations had adopted resolutions calling for a referendum on self-determination to enable the Saharawi people to decide their future.



On December 10, outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump announced the recognition of alleged Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in return for the normalization of relations between Morocco and Israel.



The announcement was made a little less than a month after the resumption of armed clashes, on 13 November 2020, between the Moroccan army and the Polisario Front, the representative of the Saharawi people.



On 24 December, Italy and Portugal also denied the content of an article published in the Spanish online magazine EL Espanol, which lent these two states the intention of opening diplomatic representations in the Saharawi territories. Like Egypt, these two countries have pledged to support the efforts of the United Nations in the resolution of the conflict. (SPS)



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Many people also wonder as to what is spiritual politics. Certainly, it is not religion or caste oriented politics. No less a person than Mahatma Gandhi advocated sort of spiritual politics, where non violence, truth and probity in public life would be the central theme.

by N.S.Venkataraman

In all countries in the world, whether democracies or dictatorial regimes or feudal systems, politicians and consequently politics have been marked by rivalries, sinister moves to downplay others and in many cases favourtism, corruption and nepotism. Even highly developed countries like USA, Japan, Britain are not exceptions to such prevailing political scenario.

The recent Presidential election in USA, which country is generally viewed as having one of the best democratic systems in the world , more than clearly reveal how politics has descended to abysmally low level . A former Prime Minister of Japan was accused of indulging in corrupt practices and court verdict went against him. So many other similar examples can be readily shown in almost all countries in the world these days, clearly pointing to the need to reform politics across the world.

In such world scenario, one film actor in India who is 70 year old and still acting, declared that he would start a political party to fight for the concept of spiritual politics and would practice spiritual politics if and when elected in the forthcoming election. However, before the announced date of starting the political party, this actor took a U turn and said that he would not start the political party in view of his poor health conditions , though his poor health conditions was known much earlier. By this act of the actor, the discussion on spiritual politics took the shape of a cinematic style comedy !

Nevertheless, the concept of spiritual politics caught the imagination of many people who want clean politics. However, the concept of spiritual politics has also raised doubts and misgivings , making many people wonder as to whether spiritual politics is possible at all in the present conditions in the world and they think it can only be a mirage.

Many people also wonder as to what is spiritual politics. Certainly, it is not religion or caste oriented politics. No less a person than Mahatma Gandhi advocated sort of spiritual politics, where non violence, truth and probity in public life would be the central theme. Though Mahatma Gandhi advocated this concept, he did not have the opportunity to experiment with this idea and prove its worth in practice, as he had never been in charge of the government.

In such circumstances, one need not be considered to be wrong if he would think that spiritual politics, where honesty in purpose and action at the highest level amongst the politicians, should be the goal that the world should seek to achieve.

In the past, some ardent thinkers have advocated world government, where one government would rule the entire world, as the ultimate solution to resolve the conflicts in the world and promote lasting peace. Mr. C. Rajagopalachari, former Governor General of India , Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, former President of India and a well known academician and Mr. Jayaprakash Narain, a towering political leader in India also advocated the concept of world government in the past.

Many people think that this concept of borderless world could never be achieved and perhaps, not thought to be possible even by those who advocated it. Nevertheless, this concept has its own merits and value , as this advocacy would give a sense of direction to the world thought process in a positive way.

In several fields, many targets have not been achieved but setting such targets have provided a sense of purpose and motivation to those involved.

In a similar way, setting spiritual politics as a target for the world need not be straightaway ridiculed as impossible goal or an utopian view. On the other hand, setting such target would certainly provide a new bench mark to the world civilization.

There have been many worthy philosophers and thinkers in all countries who have been demanding probity in public life and truth in thoughts and actions . Every great religion have advocated this but this has not happened. This does not mean that the philosophy espoused by these religions and thinkers are unrealistic.

It is high time that the United Nations Organisation should ponder seriously on the subject of spiritual politics and give a lead to the world in debating about the possibility and methodology of achieving spiritual politics. Certainly, this concept should be the ultimate standard for the world civilization.

Possibly, a worldwide movement must be launched to promote the concept of spiritual politics, that would create an appropriate and progressive climate to achieve this lofty goal.
What is Bubonic Plague or Black Death? China sounds alert as new disease reported in Bayan Nur

What is Pneumococcal disease? Is there a vaccine? If so, what are the side effects? Your FAQs answered

Disease X: Are you ready for the next pandemic?

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Jan 04: From battles on the front lines to social distancing from friends and family, COVID-19 has caused a massive shake-up of our daily lives in 2020. However, as the world had just started to go back to normal in 2021, after the vaccines being rolled out in some part of the world it seems, that the threat of health crisis is not over yet.

This good news has been now tempered by the emergence of new, potentially more infectious strains of the virus.

According to recent news reports, the world could soon be hit bu another deadly termed virus,'Disease X'.

Disease X is the mysterious name given to the very serious threat that unknown viruses pose to human health.

Disease X is on a short list of pathogens deemed a top priority for research by the World Health Organization, alongside known killers like SARS and Ebola.

Scientists who have discovered the Ebola virus have warned that in the coming days, the world could face more than 1 million people. Professor Jean-Jacques Muenbe Tampham, who assisted in the discovery of Ebola in 197.6, claimed that 'Disease X' is hypothetical, but could be deadly and might lead to another pandemic, wreaking havoc all around the world.

In fact, a woman in the African Republic of Congo has been diagnosed with a dangerous virus that has been hospitalized for Ebola screening.

Farmer Protest: What did Agricultural minister say on the 7th round of talks|Oneindia News

Along with disease X, the WHO named seven other potential global disease threats, each lacking an effective drug or vaccine. Each year the WHO updates the list with guidance from experts in all fields of scientific.

They are:

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF);

Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus disease;

Lassa fever;

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS);

Nipah and henipaviral diseases Rift Valley fever (RVF) and

Zika.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, January 4, 2021, 12:18 [IST]
The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has put forward a proposal to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on banning incoming flights from countries where a new variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 was detected.

In the proposal, the Ministry of Health asked for the PMs direction to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Public Security, Transport, and National Defense, as well as relevant agencies to stop organizing and restrict the licensing of flights to Vietnam from countries and territories that have been confirmed with the mutant coronavirus strain, which the World Health Organization (WHO) announced its identification in the UK on December 18, 2020.

The ban is meant to continue to control and prevent the spread of the pandemic in Vietnam.

According to scientists, the mutated coronavirus may be up to 70 percent more transmissible than the old one.

So far, about 35 countries in the world have recorded patients infected with the new strain, most of whom came from the UK and South Africa, the first two countries to record the strain, the ministry said.

As a result, more than 40 countries have imposed entry restrictions and border closures, and banned flights to and from the UK and countries that have identified the new variant of the coronavirus, the proposal reads, with Germany, the Netherlands, and Bulgaria being the pioneers.

In Asia, Japan has banned entry for people from all countries until the end of January, and Indonesia has stopped receiving people from the UK.

In Vietnam, the first imported case of the new coronavirus variant was announced on Saturday.

The variant was detected in a 44-year-old woman returning to Vietnam from Britain, who was quarantined upon arrival and was confirmed positive for the virus on December 24.

Researchers ran gene-sequencing on the patients sample and found the strain is a variant known as VOC 202012/01, the ministry said in a statement.

As of Monday afternoon, Vietnam has still allowed repatriation flights to bring its citizens stuck in the UK home amid the pandemic.

The country has recorded 1,497 infections as of Monday night, with 1,339 recoveries and 35 virus-related deaths, according to the Ministry of Health statistics.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Manali, Jan 4 : It was 'Team Raptors', who voluntarily came to the rescue of nearly 100 tourists stuck on the icy roads overlooking the picturesque tourist resort of Manali in Himachal Pradesh at altitudes ranging above 3,000 metres this weekend, and won accolades for their exemplary act.

The heavy snowfall on Saturday evening coupled with slippery roads in the 12-km avalanche prone stretch between the Solang ski slopes and the newly opened Atal Tunnel Rohtang turned joy into a nightmarish experience for the nearly 300 tourists.

The tourists were trapped in their vehicles. It was Team Raptors, comprising seven local youths, who are experts in off-road motoring, that came to the rescue of nearly 100 tourists.

They assisted the local administration and the police in the night-long rescue operation that ended on Sunday. The remaining tourists were rescued by the administration.

Ace off-road rallyist Suresh Rana, founder of Team Raptors, told IANS on Monday that the rescue operation was tricky owing to poor visibility and inclement weather.

"A large number of panicky tourists along with children left their vehicles behind and started trudging on snow-laden road towards Manali," Rana, who captured the Raid-de-Himalaya -- one of the world's toughest off-road motor rallies -- 11 times in the four-wheeler Xtreme category, told IANS.

He said seven members of Team Raptors first started rescuing those who were walking with no idea about reaching their hotels.

"Initially, our team members safely transported the tourists back to Manali in their respective hotels. Later, we told the administration to make their arrangement for transportation mid-way so that timely assistance could be extended to more stranded tourists," Rana said.

He said most of the tourists, who left their vehicles behind, were rescued in 4X4 vehicles. "The sigh of relief on their faces was priceless." "I am extremely grateful to Team Raptors for rescuing me and my entire family," said Akhil Dubey, a tourist from Delhi.

"Our vehicle broke down while hitting a snow-laid boulder when we were coming back from the Atal Tunnel. There was no help in sight. They were a godsend for us. As we faced snow for the first time, we all were panicky and shivering badly. They dropped us to our hotel in Manali," he added.

Besides Rana, the other members of Team Raptors were journalist Sandeep Singh, Jony Singh, Vishal Bodh, Anmol Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Vikas Kohli, Parveen Sood and Hitesh Sharma, all motorists who normally participate and organise off-road Himalayan rallies.

"It took six hours to cover just 24 kms between the Atal Tunnel and Manali due to lack of traffic management and slippery road conditions with the onset of snowfall on Saturday," Akshay Thakur, a resident of Manali, told IANS.

He blamed tourists for irresponsible driving and traffic snarls.

Thakur along with his family was stuck while coming from Keylong via the Atal Tunnel.

A tourist, Dinesh Gupta, echoes another concern: "I was charged Rs 1,000 per family member by a taxi driver for dropping us to our hotel in Manali. Since our vehicle got struck and even walking was risky, we preferred to take a cab. There is no mechanism to regulate the private taxi operators. They are robbing the tourists in the hour of crisis," said Gupta, a tourist from Chandigarh.

He said the next day the local administration assisted in getting the vehicle retrieved from the snow.

Most of the tourists blame the local administration for ill-equipped and poor vision to handle any exigency.

"The much publicised tourist destination Manali has no disaster management strategy," remarked tourist Shalini Verma.

"The roads often get clogged, and the snow makes it risky to drive on them, especially for non-Himachali motorists. Nobody is there to assist in case of a natural calamity. When the administration knows about the prediction of heavy snowfall, why they allowed hundreds of tourists to move towards the high hills," she asked.

The 9.02-km long horseshoe-shaped Atal Tunnel -- the world's longest motorable tunnel, under the 3,978-metre Rohtang Pass in the Pir Panjal range -- has 45 avalanche-prone spots, official said.

Most of the avalanche-prone areas are located on the south portal of the tunnel towards Dhundi, 25 km from here. At a couple of points on the route, avalanches occur every year.

Chandigarh-based Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (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.

Three snow galleries have been constructed at the tunnel's south portal from the Manali side. The length of a gallery varies from 40 metres to 130 metres.

The other mechanical structures on the 12-km stretch towards the south portal are five deflector steel walls and a bridge to withhold an avalanche.

Officials said the local administration should restrict the movement of vehicles, especially during the peak tourist season, towards the tunnel during the winter and the monsoon when chances of road slips are high.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Gettyimagesbank



By Lee Hyo-jin



A local court ruled that rejecting the naturalization application of a foreign national who was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol was legitimate, as he failed to meet the requirements of having a "good moral character" under the Nationality Act.



The Seoul Administrative Court ruled that a Ministry of Justice decision to deny naturalization for a Nepalese man was proper Monday, rejecting his petition against the decision.



The man, who came to Korea in March 2014 and acquired a marriage visa (F-6-1 visa) after marrying a Korean woman in June that year, applied for naturalization in May 2018.



But the ministry denied the application in February 2020, citing his failure to "behave appropriately" as he had been convicted of drunk driving and fined in November 2019, during the examination period for his naturalization application.



During the hearing, the man claimed that the court should take into consideration the circumstances of his drunk driving, as he was taking his wife to the hospital after she was found unconscious in a car following a dinner gathering and he was concerned "it might be hypothermia or a stroke."



However, the court did not accept the claim, saying, "His crime cannot be justified as the reason he misunderstood his wife's condition seems to have been due to excessive drinking."



At the time of the drunk driving, his blood alcohol content was 0.186 percent, well beyond the level for license cancelation of 0.08 percent, according to the court.



"Also, committing a DUI offense during the examination period for his naturalization permit makes it difficult to recognize him as having sufficiently good conduct to be accepted as a member of Korean society," it said.



The court added that as naturalization applications can be made an unlimited number of times, he may be able to apply again after proving his good moral character by following the law.


Photo: The Canadian Press Julian Assange supporters in London, Monday.

A British judge on Monday rejected the United States request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face espionage charges, saying he was likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions.

In a mixed ruling for Assange and his supporters, District Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected defence arguments that the 49-year-old Australian faces a politically motivated American prosecution that rides roughshod over free-speech protections. But she said Assange's precarious mental health would likely deteriorate further under the conditions of near total isolation he would face in a U.S. prison.

"I find that the mental condition of Mr. Assange is such that it would be oppressive to extradite him to the United States of America," the judge said.

She said Assange was a depressed and sometimes despairing man who had the intellect and determination to circumvent any suicide prevention measures taken by American prison authorities.

The U.S. government said it would appeal the decision. Assanges lawyers said they would ask for his release from a London prison where he has been held for more than a 18 months at a bail hearing on Wednesday.

Assange, who sat quietly in the dock at London's Central Criminal Court for the ruling, wiped his brow as the decision was announced. His partner Stella Moris, with whom he has two young sons, wept.

Outside court, Moris said the ruling was the first step towards justice, but it was not yet time to celebrate.

I had hoped that today would be the day that Julian would come home," she said. Today is not that day, but that day will come soon.

The ruling marks a dramatic moment in Assanges years-long legal battles in Britain  though likely not its final chapter.

Its unclear whether the incoming Biden administration will pursue the prosecution, initiated under President Donald Trump.

Assange's American lawyer, Barry Pollack, said the legal team was enormously gratified" by the British court's decision.

We hope that after consideration of the U.K. courts ruling, the United States will decide not to pursue the case further," he said.

Moris urged Trump to pardon Assange before he leaves office later this month.

Mr. President, tear down these prison walls, she said. Let our little boys have their father.

U.S. prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks publication of leaked military and diplomatic documents a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.
SAVANNAH, Ga. - Georgia's two Republican Senate candidates careened over the weekend toward a rocky end to their high-stakes dual runoff races, trying hard to avoid becoming collateral damage in a series of raging disputes that have embroiled the GOP.

Neither Sen. Kelly Loeffler nor David Perdue - whose Senate term expired Sunday - cast votes one way or the other Friday when the Republican-led Senate handed President Donald Trump his first veto override. Perdue and Loeffler are facing challenges in Tuesday's election from Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, respectively.

Loeffler and Perdue aligned themselves with Trump's call for $2,000 stimulus checks to be sent to Americans, even as the idea was blocked by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who likened it to "socialism."

And on Sunday, Perdue and Loeffler sidestepped questions about their role in an effort being orchestrated by some of their Senate GOP colleagues - in defiance of McConnell's wishes but in sync with Trump's quest to overturn his election defeat - to oppose certifying President-elect Joe Biden's electoral college victory when Congress convenes Wednesday for what is typically a ceremonial act.

"I'm looking very, very closely at it, and I've been one of the first to say, everything is on the table," Loeffler said during a "Fox News Sunday" interview, repeatedly dodging questions from host Bret Baier about how she would vote.

Perdue, appearing on Fox News's "Sunday Morning Futures," said that he would not be eligible to participate in the Wednesday vote because the results of his runoff would not be certified in time. But he suggested that he would be on board with the idea if he could be there.

"The technical problem is that I won't be certified until this election is certified some week to 10 days after the election, when we win on Tuesday," Perdue said. "But I'm encouraging my colleagues to object."

On the line in the remarkable twin runoffs is control of the Senate. If Ossoff and Warnock win, the Democrats will take control of the chamber, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris casting the deciding vote once she takes office Jan. 20, making it easier for the Biden administration to enact its agenda.

Harris campaigned here Sunday, and both Biden and Trump are scheduled to headline rallies Monday in the closing hours of the campaign.

But the runoffs are ending just as the Republican Party is becoming increasingly embroiled in open warfare, presenting challenges for Perdue and Loeffler.

Especially contentious has been Trump's increasingly frantic efforts to overturn his election defeat. Perdue and Loeffler have echoed Trump's baseless claims of fraud in Georgia and other battlegrounds, calling for the resignation of Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican who has denounced the president's claims and stood by the integrity of the vote.

On Friday, Trump tweeted that the Georgia runoffs are "both illegal and invalid" and would not be legitimate because of one of the state's legal settlements. He said he would still rally for the Republican candidates, with his trip to the state scheduled for Monday in Dalton. He also told Georgians to "get ready to vote on Tuesday."

But his consistent claims mean that Republican voters continue to hear a contradictory message from their party: vote in large numbers in a system that the GOP's most popular politician says is riddled with fraud.

On Saturday, a growing coalition of Republican senators announced plans to block formal certification of Biden's victory and called for an emergency 10-day audit to investigate Trump's unfounded claims. Trump tweeted afterward that there would be "plenty more to come." Like previous attempts to overturn the election results, the bid probably will fail. But the controversy will command attention at a time when Republicans want GOP Georgians to be hear one unified message: vote.

Also on Saturday, Trump raised the topic of the runoffs in his phone call with Raffensperger, in which he pressed the secretary of state to change the outcome of the presidential race, according to a recording of the conversation obtained by The Washington Post.

"You have a big election coming up, and because of what you've done to the president - you know, the people of Georgia know that this was a scam," Trump said. "Because of what you've done to the president, a lot of people aren't going out to vote, and a lot of Republicans are going to vote negative, because they hate what you did to the president."

Democrats on Sunday sought to leverage the Republican infighting.

Harris, appearing with Warnock and Ossoff, referred to Trump's call with Raffensperger as the "voice of desperation" and a "baldfaced, bold abuse of power by the president of the United States."

Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, a Democrat, called Perdue and Loeffler "feckless hypocrites" in their handling of the issues confronting Republicans.

"They have waffled back and forth on whether they care about the future of Georgia, and they've done very little to show any real concern for Georgia lives," Abrams said on NBC News's "Meet the Press."

Democrats and independent groups have aggressively courted Black voters, hoping to form the same coalition that helped Biden win the state in November. They have been bolstered by early-voting numbers that have shown high turnout in areas with more Democrats and have sought to press any advantage by casting Republicans as wrong on economic issues and overly deferential to a president trying to overturn the will of the American people.

"If you send me and Reverend Warnock to the Senate, we'll deliver the $2,000 stimulus check that people need to stay in their homes, that families need to stay on their feet," Ossoff said Saturday.

Ossoff and Warnock have used the drama of the past week to paint their Republican counterparts as out-of-touch millionaires who worked to shore up their own pre-pandemic finances while delivering paltry support to struggling Georgians.

The events of the past week underscored the challenges facing Perdue and Loeffler as they seek to retain their seats.

Both had voted in favor of a stimulus measure that included $600 checks for many Americans. Trump, who had remained mostly on the sidelines while his administration negotiated the legislation, stunned Republicans when he called it a "disgrace" and said the amount that goes to Americans should be increased to $2,000.

Loeffler and Perdue later publicly agreed with Trump - and congressional Democrats - who sought to increase the stimulus checks to that amount.

But McConnell said he saw no path for the legislation to pass, effectively killing the legislation.

Then, both senators avoided casting a politically awkward vote late last week when the Senate voted overwhelmingly to override Trump's veto of a defense authorization bill - but Georgia's senators were not there.

Asked by Baier on Sunday why she did not vote to protect Trump's veto, Loeffler demurred.

"Well, look, I stood with the president 100% of the time. He's putting America first. He's fought for our men and women in the military. He restored our strength in our Department of Defense and our national security," she said. "But, look, I have to be out across the state campaigning to make sure that Georgians turn out and vote on January 5, because none of this will matter if we don't win on the 5th."

When Loeffler repeatedly declined to say how she would have voted on the veto had she been present, Bair concluded: "That's not a yes or no."

"That's right," Loeffler replied.

- - -

The Washington Post's David Weigel and Paulina Firozi contributed to this report.
Arash Beral, Partner, Blank Rome LLP

Arash Beral, Partner, Blank Rome LLP

Los Angeles, CA, Jan. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that Arash Beral has joined the Firms Los Angeles office as a partner in the Corporate Litigation group. Arash regularly represents clients in complex and high-stakes business litigation matters, many of which have national and international implications. Arash joins the Firm from Freeman, Freeman & Smiley LLP.

We are excited to welcome Arash to our Firm, said Grant S. Palmer, Blank Romes Managing Partner and CEO. Arash is a skilled practitioner and leverages his breadth of experience to develop sophisticated litigation strategies for his clients. Arash has a successful track record of counseling clients at the start of a dispute through trial and appeal, if necessary. His approach will help our clients maximize litigation outcomes whether through securing settlements, judgments, or dismissals.

Arash has considerable litigation, first-chair trial, and appellate experience. He represents clients in everything from complex business and commercial matters to trade secrets, lending, partnership, corporate governance, shareholder, and real estate disputes. Beyond his litigation counsel, Arash has also helped clients facilitate multiple transactions ranging from private equity, investment, and financial services transactions to real estate dispositions and acquisitions of more than one billion dollars in assets to date.

2020 was an unprecedented year, and, this year, we expect an uptick in litigation as businesses, and in some cases their employees, seek relief from the pandemic, said Gregory M. Bordo, Partner and Co-Chair of Blank Romes Litigation Department and Chair of the Firms California offices. From complex commercial litigation to employment and workforce disputes, insurance coverage contests, and more, we expect a rise in cases across the litigation spectrum. Arash joins our team of more than 300 litigators and trial attorneys who are ready to evaluate each dispute and help our clients weigh the risks and rewards when determining whether to engage in strategic litigation.

Story continues

Blank Rome is a powerhouse firm that any litigator would love to be a part of, but what really won me over are its collaborative culture and history. The many Blank Rome attorneys and professionals whom I have met are simply extraordinary and true team players, said Beral. Beyond that, the history of Blank Romes founding partnerstwo Jewish lawyers who were refused jobs at large firms simply because of their faithis tremendously moving. I vow to continue to honor that legacy and help enhance the Firms genuine commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

About Blank Rome

Blank Rome is an Am Law 100 firm with 14 offices and more than 600 attorneys and principals who provide comprehensive legal and advocacy services to clients operating in the United States and around the world. Our professionals have built a reputation for their leading knowledge and experience across a spectrum of industries and are recognized for their commitment to pro bono work in their communities. Since our inception in 1946, Blank Romes culture has been dedicated to providing top-level service to all of our clients and has been rooted in the strength of our diversity and inclusion initiatives. For more information, please visit blankrome.com.

###

Attachment

CONTACT: Kate Tavella Blank Rome LLP 215.988.6988 tavella@blankrome.com




The Nagol is Back! VTOs guide to this years Nagol, plus where to stay and play in south, central and north Pentecost.
Mumbai, Jan 4 : Actress Deepti Naval is apprehensive about the possible side effects of the forthcoming Covid vaccine. At the same time, she wants the vaccine to reach people across all strata of society, especially those who cannot afford to buy it.

"I hope whatever vaccine they are saying is going to be available, that should not have any side effect. Also, if it is good, then it should be available to everyone. People who cannot afford to buy should have access to it, so that they can get back to a normal life," Naval told IANS.

"I hope people come back wiser, and everyone gets a chance to realise that you are running after things that are really not significant, and the crux of the whole thing is to just be a better human being and not carry hatred and animosity. Amid all the man-made chaos in the world, I hope when people come out of the pandemic they come out wiser, mature and more tolerant of each other, and a little closer to humanity," she added.

Naval features in the new web series Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors. How was the experience of shooting amid the pandemic? "We had almost finished with the series, maybe a few more days were left but there was such panic everywhere in the world and so we had to stop," she recalled.

"Then there was a big gap, and so much scepticism about what should we do and how. Actors don't have the luxury to keep the mask on all the time, so we are the most vulnerable. If you go for a shoot as an actor, you have to be without the mask on the set. Otherwise, it was well organised by the unit and they took a lot of care," Naval added.

Summing up the year 2020 for herself, the actress concluded: "Professionally I would say it has been a bit of a downer due to the pandemic, as one is not really able to go out to work with a relaxed mind. It has been very chaotic but I was working on my book, and I did get to do a lot of work on it during the pandemic because I was at home. I am almost at the end of it now. That was the one good thing I did."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Local governments can also cut costs by streamlining charger permit approvals, but many jurisdictions lag behind here. California passed legislation in 2015 to weave together our patchwork of permitting policies, and the Governors Office of Business and Economic Developments plug-in readiness guidebook can help local governments expedite charging installations.

Zoning laws governing parking minimums dictate off-street parking availability at different buildings but can force charging spaces to compete with  and often lose to  these requirements in areas with constrained and expensive land. As Californias vehicles electrify, this problem will worsen as charging demand requires more charging spaces. Local governments can amend these policies, but the state Legislature should also pass legislation to overcome this growing barrier.

California faces challenges ensuring affordable clean transportation options for all residents, not just wealthier ones with an easier path to electric vehicles. While the state is directing investments toward communities that need it most, it must also enact policies to make going electric easier and more affordable.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce new coronavirus restrictions tonight with a third national lockdown for England looking almost inevitable.

Parliament will be recalled from recess on Wednesday to debate the latest changes after a surge in cases forced the premier into action. He will speak on television at 8 p.m. on Monday. In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon appeared to anticipate the move and said shell implement a lockdown from midnight.

A faster-spreading mutation of the virus threatens to overwhelm hospitals and has thrown the premiers plan to get English children back into classrooms into disarray. He had hoped Mondays focus would be on celebrating the delivery of the first shots of a Covid-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca Plc.

The spread of the new variant of COVID-19 has led to rapidly escalating case numbers across the country, Johnsons office said in a statement on Monday afternoon. The prime minister is clear that further steps must now be taken to arrest this rise and to protect the NHS and save lives.

Johnsons government is back in crisis mode, with new virus cases exceeding 50,000 a day and hospital admissions soaring past the peak of the first wave in April. Johnson, who ended the year on a high by securing a last-minute trade deal with the European Union, on Monday warned a surging epidemic means stricter rules are coming.

ITV reported the government plans to put the whole of England into Tier 4, the highest level in its system of restrictions, meaning non-essential shops will have to close and further curbs will be placed on socializing. Tier 4 rules effectively mirror the second lockdown in November, and already govern about 75% of Englands population.

If you look at the numbers theres no question were going to have to take tougher measures and we will be announcing those in due course, Johnson said in a pooled TV interview earlier Monday. We will do everything we can to keep the virus under control.

Sturgeon stole a march on Johnson by ordering people to remain at home and by keeping schools closed. The resurgent virus gave her no choice, she told Scots. We are now in a race between the vaccine and the virus, she said.

Former Conservative Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt was among those calling for Johnson to impose an immediate national lockdown. Writing on Twitter, he said schools and borders should be closed and all household mixing banned.

Hunts successor Matt Hancock warned Monday there would be some very difficult weeks ahead.

Its a far cry from the governments optimism in early December, when the arrival of vaccines was dubbed the scientific cavalry to the rescue. The picture changed dramatically when the emergence of a faster spreading strain of Covid-19 led to the introduction of a stricter fourth tier of regional coronavirus rules that hammered retailers reliant on Christmas shoppers.

School Dilemma

In the November shutdown, schools remained open, reflecting the governments promise to keep in-person classes going. On Monday, Johnson gave mixed messages on schools, saying that while they are safe to open, all measures are under review because of the role they play in spreading the virus.

The issue is the extent to which the mingling of kids in schools by putting lots of households together cause the epidemic to spread even faster, Johnson said. Well have to look very hard at what we do with secondary schools later on in the month.

In the meantime, many schools have openly defied orders to open. Opposition Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer said the country should immediately return to a full lockdown, and unions on Monday called for employers to offer parents paid time off to cope with childcare if schools remain closed.

Matt Ashton, director of public health in Liverpool, said much stronger national controls are needed now. We cannot afford to wait any longer, he said on Twitter.

Government U-Turns

Throughout the pandemic, the government has been forced to backtrack on efforts to reopen the economy, especially as the resurgent virus pushes public health services to the brink. Most recently, Johnson was forced to curtail plans to relax social-distancing over Christmas.

But tougher restrictions are likely to cause Johnson more trouble among Conservative Party MPs, many of whom oppose any action that would further damage the economy.

Mark Harper, chairman of the Covid Recovery Group of Tory MPs who oppose curbs on peoples freedoms, said on Monday vaccination of the over 65s must mark a clear threshold for when a substantial relaxation in restrictions can begin.

The government must urgently set out exactly how the vaccination roll-out will translate into a return to normal life for us all in 2021, he said in a statement. He called on the government to set out how and when it will lift restrictions and when our freedoms, economy and health prospects will be fully restored.

Much will now depend on how fast the National Health Service can administer vaccine doses. Johnson said there is a massive ramping up operation now going on to vaccinate the UK population, promising that tens of millions of doses will have been delivered by the end of March.
In a standoff between farmers from Indias northern breadbasket and the government that has convulsed the country, the farmers have a 21st-century ally: a handful of supporters scattered around the world running a Twitter handle. The farmers have paralysed some traffic in and out of New Delhi, protesting recent agriculture laws that they fear could eventually eliminate government-guaranteed minimum prices for their crops. . But the demonstrators, many of them from the Sikh religious minority, say they are also battling a social media campaign by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya ...
Sam and Phoebe Burgess reportedly finalised their divorce just before Christmas, after five tumultuous years of marriage.

And the retired NRL star, 32, couldn't wipe the smile off his face on Monday as he visited Sydney's Coogee Beach with his children, Poppy, three, and Billy, two.

After officially becoming a single man once again, Sam headed down to the sun-soaked hotspot to enjoy some quality time with his family.

Something to smile about? Sam Burgess couldn't wipe the grin off his face on Monday as he visited Sydney's Coogee Beach with his children, Poppy, three, and Billy, two

The former South Sydney Rabbitohs player wore a tiny pair of multi-coloured budgie smugglers, which left little to the imagination.

He accessorised with a black Nike cap and a pair of oversized sunglasses.

Sam looked confident as he showed off his muscular physique and kept a watchful eye on his little ones as they played along the shore.

Just divorced! After officially becoming a single man once again, Sam headed down to the sun-soaked hotspot to enjoy some quality time with his family

Turning heads: The former South Sydney Rabbitohs player wore a tiny pair of multi-coloured budgie smugglers, which left little to the imagination

Stylish: He accessorised with a black Nike cap and a pair of oversized sunglasses

Hunk: Sam looked confident as he showed off his muscular physique and kept a watchful eye on his little ones as they played along the shore

Splitsville: Sam and Phoebe Burgess (right) reportedly finalised their divorce just before Christmas, after five tumultuous years of marriage

The trio then sat underneath an umbrella in the shade, where the youngsters built sandcastles and drank apple juice

They later splashed around in the ocean, and Sam was seen giggling as he playfully lifted his daughter in and out of the surf.

Poppy looked cute in a floral swimming costume and pink cap, while Billy wore a shark-themed rash vest and blue bucket hat.

After news of their divorce made headlines, Phoebe shared a photo to Instagram of her left hand, which was free of her wedding and engagement rings.

Tiny: Sam certainly wasn't shy as he sported the attention-grabbing swimming attire

Adorable: Poppy looked cute in a floral swimming costume and pink cap, while Billy wore a shark-themed rash vest and blue bucket hat

So much fun! The trio splashed around in the ocean, and Sam was seen giggling as he playfully lifted his daughter in and out of the surf

Splash: Sam held on to his son, while his daughter was a little more daring in the water

All smiles: Sam couldn't help but smile as he enjoyed a day out with his children

End of the road: Sam and Phoebe separated in September 2019, and reportedly legally divorced last month, just before Christmas

Single lady: After news of their divorce made headlines, Phoebe shared a photo to Instagram of her left hand, which was free of her wedding and engagement rings

The Burgesses separated in September 2019, and reportedly legally divorced last month, just before Christmas.

Phoebe is said to have walked away with 70 per cent of the couple's marital wealth, including Sam's F45 gym franchise, which she has since sold.

The former journalist, who now promotes herself as a brand ambassador, also kept a $100,000 Range Rover, which she is regularly seen driving around Bowral.

Thirsty work! The trio sat underneath an umbrella in the shade, where the youngsters built sandcastles and drank apple juice

Dad duties: Sam put up an umbrella to protect the little ones from the sun

Playing around: The father of two helped his children build sandcastles

Sassy! Poppy was seen pointing her finger in Sam's face as they played on the beach

Not amicable: The Burgesses separated in September 2019, and reportedly legally divorced last month, just before Christmas

Settlement: Phoebe is said to have walked away with 70 per cent of the couple's marital wealth, including Sam's F45 gym franchise, which she has since sold

The exes sold their property in Maroubra in January last year for $5million.

Meanwhile, they remain involved in an ugly legal dispute following their split.

Sam is accused of intimidating Phoebe's father, Mitchell Hooke, at his Southern Highlands home on October 19, 2019.

Sold: The exes sold their property in Maroubra in January last year for $5million

The ex-Rabbitohs player is also charged with common assault in relation to the same alleged incident. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Police have also taken out an interim AVO to allegedly protect Mr Hooke from Sam, who has had no contact with his former father-in-law for more than a year.

The hearing will continue in Moss Vale Local Court on January 22.
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James Bond star Tanya Roberts, right, is still alive despite widespread reporting she had died, her publicist had said (PA)

James Bond star Tanya Roberts is still alive, her publicist has said, after earlier being quoted as saying she was dead.

Mike Pingel, the actresss representative, was quoted by US website TMZ saying Roberts had died aged 65.

The outlet had quotes from her partner and tributes were paid on social media to Roberts, who starred as Stacey Sutton opposite Sir Roger Moore in his final Bond film, A View To A Kill.

Mr Pingel has now told the PA news agency Roberts was still alive at 10am local time (6pm GMT) on Monday and the family was waiting for further news from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles.

He added: It does not look good.

TMZ first reported her death, saying she had collapsed while walking her dogs on December 24 and was admitted to hospital.

Lance OBrien, Roberts partner, was interviewed by US news show Inside Edition and answered a phone call from the hospital on camera, telling him she was alive.

He broke down in tears at the news and said: Im so happy.

Born Victoria Leigh Blum in 1955, Roberts grew up in New York before moving to Hollywood in 1977 in search of fame.

Her chance came when she replaced Shelley Hack in TV series Charlies Angels, becoming the third Angel alongside Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd.

Following her appearance in 1985s A View To A Kill, she was nominated for a Golden Raspberry award for worst actress.

PA Media
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) of Iran has seized a South Korea-flagged tanker in the Gulf, the semi-official Iranian Tasnim News Agency reported on Monday.

The IRGC Navy seized the ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the most crucial oil chokepoint in the world, early local time on Monday, according to various reports.

The IRGC, including its Al Quds Force, was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States in 2019.

"The South Korean tanker was stopped in the waters of the Persian Gulf" because of environmental pollution, the IRGC Navy said, as carried by the Iranian Fars News Agency. The ship is headed to one of the ports in Iran, where the issue "will be examined," according to the IRGC Navy, quoted by Fars.

The reported incident in the Gulf comes amid strained relations between Iran and South Korea, which has frozen Iranian oil money accounts due to the U.S. sanctions, maritime security experts say.

The South Korea-flagged tanker, Hankuk Chemi, was traveling from Al Jubail in Saudi Arabia to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) carrying ethanol when it was stopped by vessels of the IRGC Navy in the Strait of Hormuz early on Monday.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, UKMTO, said it was "aware that an interaction occurred this morning" within the Strait of Hormuz between a merchant vessel and the Iranian authorities. "As a consequence of this interaction the Merchant Vessel made an alteration of course North and proceeded into Iranian Territorial Waters," UKMTO said.

Maritime security firm Dryad Global said that the tanker "has likely been detained by Iranian forces in the Straits of Hormuz while inbound to Fujairah."

"Iranian-South Korean relations have dramatically declined over the last two years, with Tehran expressing hostilities over South Korea's refusal to release Iranian oil-revenue from South Korean banks," Dryad Global noted.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
By Doug Uncola Lynn via TheBurningPlatform.com

Janus is an ancient Roman, a composite god who is associated with doorways, beginnings, and transitions. A usually two-faced god, he looks to both the future and the past at the same time, embodying a binary.

 Source

If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they dont have to worry about answers.

 Thomas Pynchon, Gravitys Rainbow (1973)

Two years ago, also during the month of Janus, I wrote a speculative article on Trump as two faces on the same coin and, specifically, considered the president as the most interesting man in the world: an enigmatic ringleader, of sorts, who always keeps us guessing between transitional episodes:

In so many ways, Trump is the perfect foil to usher in a new epoch a forerunner of sorts before another ringleader takes center stage. To be sure, President Trump is like a flip-sided Obama the way hes branded upon Americas psyche. And, like Obama, hes a walking, talking, Rorschach test. For good? Or bad? Either way: We all have our suspicions and are becoming more certain with each passing day.

And here we are today, two years later, still wondering.

In the wake of Russiagate, the Mueller Show, the 2018 Midterms, the Ukraine impeachment debacle, Covid, and, now, a stolen presidential election, it calls to mind the following questions:

What if the innermost circle of The Borg, or, at least, the mid-level components like the Deep State, Orwellian Media, Dems, Rinos, and punditry, were actually caught off guard by Trumps 2016 win  simply as a result of underestimating the awareness and will of the American voters who overwhelmed The Borgs systemic election fraud four years ago? What if Trump were real and Spygate, Mueller, Ukrainegate, and Covid, were the means to gaslight the dupes and tie-up the president as much as possible over the previous four years?

In consideration of Occams Razor: What if everything we have seen during Trumps presidency was merely a natural progression of events?

Then, what if the same voter fraud occurred in the 2020 Election except, this time, The Borg was caught red-handed?

Certainly, the Orwellian Medias anointing of Dementia Joe was, in part, a plan conceived and launched by the bipartisan Transition Integrity Project (T.I.P.) under the cover of Covid and using technologies and methodologies defecated straight from the bowels of Langley.

Everything about November 3, 2020, and the ensuing post-election narrative propagated by the Orwellian Media smacks of desperation by those attempting to pull off the coup. Does it not?

Or it could be another show: A really, super-big, gigantic, end-of-America-type media event.

During the holiday break, I listened to attorney Sidney Powell and Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX) interviewed by a guest host on the Rush Limbaugh radio program. To hear Powell and Gohmert outline the overt suppression of evidence of fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election was staggering, to say the least. But, that very evening, the nightly news, instead, showed Kamala Harris receiving her Covid vaccine. The Vice President-Elect, then, through her mask, and with her trademark nasal whine, implored Americans to follow her lead and get their shots in the arm too.

What is occurring in America now may seem surreal but it is, indeed, actually happening.

In early December, President Trump, by his own admission, gave what may have been the most important speech of his lifetime, and it was not given one iota of coverage on my local nightly news. Instead, we were informed on President-Elect Joe Bidens virtual round-table of small business owners who were impacted by the Covid pandemic as well as the number of new Covid cases in the country that day.

Furthermore, if you go to YouTube and query Trumps most important speech december 2, 2020 this is what appears: Fact-check videos on Trumps baseless voter fraud claims and speech riddled with falsehoods.

Now try this: Search for the word Plandemic on the Duck Duck Go search engine, and you will see the website for PlandemicVideo.com appearing at the top of the results. But if you search the same term on Google, the Plandemic video website does NOT show. Instead, you will see a Wikipedia link labeling Plandemic as misinformation and a science magazines website fact-checking unsubstantiated claims and accusations.

Consider for a moment the kind of power we are witnessing: The mainstream media, the FBI, the Justice Department, the CIA, Big Tech, The Drudge Report, most of Fox News, and, now, even the American electoral system and Supreme Court ALL assimilated by The Borg.

How could this all-inclusive collusion exist?

What follows will provide some of the answers to that question.

Catherine Austin Fitts is a former banker turned whistleblower and served as the Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the late nineteen-eighties under Bush the Elder. A few days before Christmas 2020, an interview of Fitts was posted whereby she described five pillars of a Transhumanist Technocracy currently being constructed in plain sight by The Borg. The five pillars are as follows:

1.) Tech engineers building The Cloud and Intel communications

2.) The military installing satellites in space in conjunction with Operation Warp Speed here on earth

3.) Big Pharma designing vaccines and injection mechanisms

4.) The Mainstream Medias ever-spinning propaganda machine

5.) The Central bankers creating crypto systems designed to enslave the masses

Fitts claimed these pillars are painstakingly being kept separate by the Borg until they can be integrated into our bodies, and our minds, by means of our own blood and DNA  like a trap being sprung at just the right time; and the reason we are not completely caught in the trap yet, is because The Borg has not quite finalized construction of the five pillars.

In her interview, Fitts described our current circumstances as a war between those who consider mankind as individuals with rights divinely ordained and against a High Tech Oligarchy (i.e. The Borg) who views the citizens of the world as cattle and chattel.

While listening to Fitts speak in the above-linked video, I was reminded of a June 2017 article I wrote entitled A Digital Noose Round Every Corner. The article was about our progressively encroaching electronic enslavement and in relation to a 2013 book called The Circle that was later released as a movie in 2017 featuring the actor Tom Hanks. In that article, the following was written:

The elite cynically oppress the proles while telling them its for their own good; for their safety, or for the good of Mankind overall. While, at the same time, they shroud themselves in secrecy and corruption, shielding their own asses, and wallets, with the unadulterated power of an avant-garde, weapons-grade, nation-state working in collusion with multifarious, multi-national corporations. Even after American citizens paying full price for products today, or through taking advantage of free services offered by U.S. corporations, these companies in turn, demand we click to accept the terms of our surrender; including our Fourth Amendment rights and usually in deference to the proprietorial protection of the corporate entitys intellectual property rights; and, always without an attorney present. Then, global corporate monoliths like Microsoft, Apple, Samsung, Amazon, and Facebook, additionally, share our personal information with the NSA, or CIA, or FBI, et al, all for our own protection, and the common good. Yet, somehow, elite billionaires like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk regally rise above the fray and escape the daily drudgery of the little peoples. They preach diversity and open borders from within their gated compounds; and advocate equality while claiming some are more equal than others.

In reality, the five pillars as described by Fitts could also be considered as circles, not yet closed, and still separated for now, but soon to be conjoined like Olympic Rings.

Were talking about total control: a system of economic slavery and the end of privacy. But please understand the transition is even more than that  it is an operation to bring about the end of Man in order to give birth to a new, transhumanist, world order. And should the circles be allowed to close, it means there will be those inside, and outside, of the circle, or closed system, or corral, if you prefer. It means people will need to choose.

In fact, we are being forced to decide even now.

Just prior to the New Year, the internet was saturated with videos of robots dancing and it was a sobering opportunity to see how the techno-circle/pillar is approaching completion. Im of the opinion the videos are merely demonstrations of The Borg arrogantly bragging or, rather, they are released onto the net as a means to show off the ingenuously spooky creations. Truly, it has been stunning to see the progressive advancement of these types of machines. Like their creators, they appear alive but have no soul.

Is this the future we want?

Most of you reading this likely understands how critical thinking takes effort whereas passive compliance is easier; at least in the near term. Very few people want to contemplate the world as a sinister place. After all, they consider themselves intelligent and of good character and so there is less cognitive dissonance for them to perceive government officials, DARPA, the WHO and CDC as trusted servants and protectors.


VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 4, 2021 / CIBT Education Group Inc. (TSX:MBA)(OTCQX:MBAIF) ("CIBT" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned education subsidiary, Sprott Shaw College, has formed a collaborative effort with Covenant House Vancouver, a youth social services organization, to establish a scholarship program (the "Program") with a scholarship fund of $0.5 million expandable up to $1 million over two years.

The objective of this initiative is to educate homeless and at-risk youth. The Program offers Sprott Shaw College's career-oriented programs to candidates recommended by Covenant House Vancouver. The successful candidates will reside in one of Covenant House Vancouver's housing facilities until they reach the age of twenty-five, while CIBT will cover the cost of all tuition fees, textbooks, and a laptop for the candidates for the duration of their studies (one to two years) at Sprott Shaw College. A partial list of educational and healthcare-related career development programs such as Construction Electrician, Interior Designing, Industrial Designing, Legal Office Administration, Medical Office Assistant, General Office Administration, Early Childhood Education, Community Support Worker, and Healthcare Assistant will be available to the candidates, subject to meeting the admission requirements. For a complete list of Sprott Shaw College's 130+ programs, please visit https://sprottshaw.com/a-z-program-list/. Once the successful candidates have graduated, Sprott Shaw College's job placement department will help them find employment in their related fields at no cost.

"This initiative is our way of giving back to the community," commented Toby Chu, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of CIBT. "We want to offer an opportunity to the youth from Covenant House Vancouver to be able to establish a successful career for themselves. By leveraging Sprott Shaw College's education platform and Covenant House Vancouver's supportive programs including housing, we can offer a solution that could better the lives of unfortunate youth in Vancouver."

"Covenant House Vancouver is grateful for the incredible partnership with Sprott Shaw College. Access to education is a life changing opportunity for the youth at Covenant House," said Tracy Brown, Director of Development for Covenant House Vancouver. "Thank you Sprott Shaw College for providing vulnerable young people in our community with the opportunity to further their education."

"Sprott Shaw College has a long history of giving and working with community partners for the betterment of all," commented Victor Tesan, President of Sprott Shaw College and Chief Operating Officer of Education Services at CIBT Group, "Covenant House Vancouver is an amazing organization that provides so much support and love to homeless and at-risk youth, and it is truly a humbling experience for us to be able to work with Covenant House Vancouver and our parent organization, CIBT, to facilitate this initiative. This relationship also aligns intricately with our values and the spirit of giving embraced by our organization, and will afford us the opportunity to play such an integral role in the betterment of the lives of so many young people. We can't change the darkness many of these young people have endured, but we can provide them with hope and opportunity for a brighter tomorrow."

About Covenant House Vancouver:

For over 20 years, Covenant House Vancouver has provided unconditional love and absolute respect to youth experiencing homelessness. Part of an international federation with over 30-chapters throughout the Americas' serving youth ages 16 to 24, they are a mission driven, values-based agency dedicated to service, organizational and stewardship excellence.

Covenant House Vancouver offers a continuum of services using evidence-informed theories and practices that ensure they care for the entire person - mind, body, and spirit. Services range from outreach and drop-in, to residential and support services that enable youth to transition into independence successfully.

In their 22nd year of providing care to youth experiencing homelessness in Vancouver, they do so with the strength of over 130 volunteers and 50,000 donors. Covenant House continues to augment their carefully designed Continuum of Care, driven by the ultimate goal shared by all Covenant House sites, that there be no youth on the street. Visit Covenant House Vancouver at https://www.covenanthousebc.org/ and their latest video on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWxi7PPWeA4

About Sprott Shaw College:

Over a century ago, Robert James Sprott partnered with William Henry Shaw of Shaw Colleges in 1903 to open the first Sprott Shaw school, called Vancouver Business Institute. Sprott Shaw has persevered through many challenges such as the Great Depression, several economic recessions, two World Wars, geopolitical strife, and numerous health pandemics and environmental crises. Today, as one of the oldest educational institutions in Canada, with over 118 years of continuous history, we are very proud of the role we play in educating students in British Columbia. Driven by our values, all members of our Sprott Shaw community benefit from over a century of learning, teaching, and guiding with a purpose.

Always striving to offer the right programs based on the needs of the community, Sprott Shaw designed programs to retrain military personnel after the Second World War. The training included Morse Code, Radio Broadcasting and Aviation. The College established a broadcast station for the school with a signal being picked up as far away as Hawaii. The station was known as CKMO, which is now 1410 CFUN. The legendary broadcasters Jack Cullen and Ernie Rose were graduates of the school. Many well-known students, including world-renowned artist Emily Carr, spent time with Sprott Shaw on their journey towards accomplishing their dreams.

Sprott Shaw has maintained a sharp focus on providing relevant skills for meaningful jobs in high growth industries. By employing adult education theory principles, the curriculum has expanded to include programs in nursing, trades, healthcare, tourism, hospitality, business, administrative and international studies.

The modern campuses of Sprott Shaw now educate over 4,000 students each year. All sixteen Sprott Shaw College locations feature comfortable class sizes, qualified instructors, hands-on training, and a friendly, appropriate learning environment for adults of all ages. During the past century, Sprott Shaw College has built a solid reputation with both the private sector and government. This reputation is based not only on training excellence but also on Sprott Shaw graduates enviable record of securing successful jobs after training. In all cases, the College's goal is to help students to obtain employment after their studies and open the door for lifelong learning.

About CIBT Education Group:

CIBT Education Group Inc. is one of the largest education and student housing investment companies in Canada, focused on the domestic and the global education market since 1994. CIBT owns business and language colleges, student-centric rental apartments, recruitment centres and corporate offices at 47 locations in Canada and abroad. Its education subsidiaries include Sprott Shaw College (established in 1903), Sprott Shaw Language College, Vancouver International College and CIBT School of Business. CIBT offers over 150 educational programs in healthcare, business management, e-commerce, hotel management, and language training through these schools. The total annual enrollment for the group in 2019 exceeds 12,000 students.

CIBT owns Global Education City Holdings Inc. ("Global Holdings"), an investment holding and development company focused on education-related real-estate such as student-centric rental apartments, hotel and education super-centres. Under the GEC brand, Global Holdings provides accommodation service to 72 schools in Metro Vancouver, serving 1,500 students from 77 countries. The total portfolio and development budget under the GEC brand exceeds $1.5 billion.

CIBT also owns Global Education Alliance ("GEA") and Irix Design Group ("Irix Design").GEA recruits international students for many elite kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities in North America. Irix Design is a leading design and advertising company based in Vancouver, Canada. Visit us online and watch our corporate video at www.cibt.net .

For more information, contact:

Toby Chu

Chairman, President & CEO

CIBT Education Group, Inc.

Investor Relations Contact: 1-604-871-9909 extension 319 or | Email: info@cibt.net

SOURCE: CIBT Education Group Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/623052/CIBTs-Sprott-Shaw-College-and-Covenant-House-Vancouver-Launch-Scholarship-Program-for-Homeless-and-At-Risk-Youth
The movement of the tiger has now spread across north Telangana districts (file image)

Adilabad: Unrest and fear is mounting among adivasis in particular and people living in the forest areas in general following reports of a tigers movements in their areas in erstwhile Adilabad district.

Adivasis charge that forest officials are deliberately avoiding efforts to catch the tiger.

Adding fuel is the recent statement by Adilabad MP Soyam Bapurao that adivasis must hunt the tiger as the animal was killing the tribe, though they worship the big cat as Vagoba and Duvval in Gondi.

Bapurao alleges that as part of a well-hatched conspiracy, forest officials released tigers in the agency areas so that they could adivasis from the forest and prevent issuing pattas for the podu agriculture lands they have been cultivating for generations together.

There is aguish among them, particularly after it was confirmed that the tiger had killed one Adivasi youth and a girl in two separate incidents.

However, forest officials are tight-lipped on the increase in tiger movement and about them attacking human beings.

Adivasis says that there are no serious efforts from forest officials to resolve the man-animal conflict in the agency areas, especially Komaram Bheem Asifabad.

It is said that the forest department is planning to catch the tiger and later release the animal somewhere else.

The movement of the tiger has now spread across north Telangana districts and it was reportedly spotted in Mulugu, Jayashankar Bhoopalpalli, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Komaram Bheem Asifabad and Mancherial, and Adilabad districts in the state.

It is learnt that Bapurao is likely to visit the villages where two persons were killed by the tiger in Bejjur and Penchikalpet mandals.
As we get ready for Budget 2021, its time to take a quick look at how Budget 2020 changed the way we invest and spend. Here are some of the significant moves that altered our personal finances.

New Income Tax Regime

Lower tax rates are constantly demanded every year from all quarters. Last year, the finance minister did so with a twist, by introducing a new regime of lower tax rates. But she laid out conditions and made the new income tax regime optional. Individuals and Hindu undivided families can opt for the new system if they forgo the tax savings from exemptions and deductions available under the existing structure.

So, if you earn Rs 15 lakh a year and do not opt for any deductions, your total tax payable under the new regime would be Rs 1.95 lakh, as against Rs 2.73 lakh in the existing tax system.

The insurance cover for bank depositors was hiked to Rs 5 lakh per depositor from Rs 1 lakh earlier, under the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC). The increase in deposit insurance limit was necessary, says, Rajnish Kumar, Chairman, State Bank of India. Bank customers are still recovering from the PMC Bank crisis and short-term restrictions that had been placed on Yes Bank and Lakshmi Vilas Bank.

Dividend distribution tax

Dividends were made taxable in the hands of the investors. And so, Budget 2020 abolished divided distribution tax (DDT). Earlier, DDT was 29.12 percent for debt funds at the time of distributing dividends, 11.648 percent for equity funds and 34.944 percent when companies used to pay out dividends on their shares.

At the same time, dividends are now subject to tax deduction at source, if they exceed Rs 5,000 a year. The abolishment of DDT helped people pay taxes on dividends proportionate to their income. Earlier, a person in 30 percent tax bracket as well one in the 5 percent slab were paying the same DDT, says Karan Batra, founder and CEO of Chartered Club.

Housing

The Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also extended the period for affordable home purchase to claim tax deduction by a year to March 31, 2021. An additional deduction of upto Rs 1.5 lakh against interest paid on loans for affordable house purchase can be claimed, provided the loan has been sanctioned before March 31, 2021.

Pension

An aggregate limit of Rs 7.5 lakh has been introduced on the tax-exempt employers contribution to recognized provident fund, superannuation fund and NPS in the accounts of an employee. Any aggregate amount contributed by employers beyond Rs 7.5 lakh would be taxed, says Homi Mistry, partner at Deloitte India.

Tax Administration

Budget 2020 introduced a taxpayers charter that laid down the rights of the tax-payer and pledged more transparency. To reduce the physical interaction of taxpayers with income tax officials, a faceless assessment scheme was introduced for a transparent and an accountable assessment process.

Rahul Garg, senior Tax Partner at PwC India, says, Faceless assessment is great; it will help increase transparency, reduce cost and time spent as well as minimise distraction of businesses around compliances.

To reduce the litigations pending at various tribunals, forums and courts, Budget 2020 also introduced a new scheme called Vivad Se Vishwas. The scheme allows taxpayers the choice of settling their income-tax disputes and would they get a complete waiver of interest and penalty. Only the amount of the actual disputed tax needs be paid.

NRIs

To qualify as an Indian resident for taxation purpose, the time of stay in India was reduced to 120 days from 182 days. Also, it was proposed that an Indian citizen, who is not liable to tax anywhere, would be deemed to be a resident in India and accordingly tax would be applicable.

The provision of resident but not ordinarily resident was relaxed so that a resident who has been non-resident in seven out of ten previous years would be considered resident but not ordinarily resident.

ESOPs

Tax deferment was offered on Employee Stock Options (ESOPs) offered to employees by start-ups. The tax would be deferred for five years or until the employee leaves the company or sells the shares.
Reverend Albert Addae, Ho-Kpodzi Parish Pastor of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana, has entreated Christians to exhibit persistence in their prayer life and refrain from targeting December 31 for redemption.



He said "pray as fervently as one can in the 365 days in 2021 and stop investments in crossover prayers, which cannot sustain Christians all year round.



Rev Addae, who was preaching the sermon at the Ho-Kpodzi Dela Cathedral on the first Sunday of 2021 under the theme, "Christ, The Light To All Men," said persistent prayers removes delays and denials of unanswered prayers.



He urged Christians to persistently pray asking God for his will be done in individual's life.



He asked Christians to avoid coming to God or Church with fixed minds but allow God to exhibit his will.



Pastor Addae said every day of the 12 month calendar is darkness in face of mankind with only two days being completed, "it is expected only Christ, who comes as light will redeem us."



He said Jesus the Christ has been kind to the nation, seeing us through the Coronavirus pandemic to where we find ourselves now and the general elections.



Rev Addae expressed the belief that the harsh economic condition brought to the global economies and issues of health from COVID-19, would be fixed in 2021, saying "with Christ in the lead, he expects sufficient provisions, changing mourning to joy and poverty to riches".



He appealed to all living beings to avoid compounding the economic hardship being experienced by escalating prices of goods and services in this season urging them to live like Christ did on earth.

Source: GNA









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Both chambers of Congress have a traditional duty on Wednesday that normally doesnt get much attention  certifying the Electoral College results of the presidential election. This years proceedings will be different, and not in a good way. Numerous Republicans in the House and Senate, including local representatives Brian Babin of Woodville and Randy Weber of Friendswood, along with Sen. Ted Cruz, have already committed to challenging those results.

This is more than just a doomed political stunt that will undermine respect for our Constitution and the rule of law. It is a direct assault on our democracy, a blatant effort to overturn the decision of the voters on Nov. 3 and award the presidency to the candidate who lost.

This is outrageous, and most of the members of Congress attempting it know better. They know that Joe Biden won fair and square, but they cant admit that for fear of being branded as disloyal to the outgoing president. So they back almost anything he claims, hoping to gain his blessing in future campaigns.

Think about it like this: How would Texans feel if liberals from another state tried to overturn the results of their vote and award our states electoral votes to Biden? Fortunately, in both chambers this ploy will be voted down by all Democrats and, we hope, many Republicans.

Despite that certainty, Cruz and 11 other senators have committed to joining the challenge in their chamber, asking that the baseless claims of widespread voter fraud and counting irregularities be investigated one more time. They ignore the fact that these wild charges have been rejected in more than 50 lawsuits filed by the president and his allies, often by Republican judges, sometimes by judges appointed by this Republican president. These judges did that because there is zero evidence of significant fraud or miscounting. Wednesdays challenge will simply regurgitate these hollow arguments.

This is also not the first time Babin, Weber and other Republicans have played these post-election games.

Weber quickly supported Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons ridiculous challenge to the election results in four battleground states that Joe Biden won. When Babin wasnt among the first group of backers, we thought that there were some lines he wouldnt cross. It turns out that we overestimated his reverence for basic constitutional principles. He later supported Paxtons lawsuit, which was turned away by the U.S. Supreme Court without a hearing. All three of the justices nominated by our current president joined in that rejection.

On Wednesday Republicans in the House and Senate can do the right thing, or they can debase themselves one more time for a person who has lowered our political standards to a point we never thought would be reached. Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has done almost everything this president wanted over the past four years, but even he opposes this nonsense.

In fact, McConnell has called this vote one of the most important ones in his 36-year career. He is right, and all Republicans must be thinking seriously about this defining moment in history. They must be able to tell their constituents  and their grandchildren  that they did their constitutional duty and stood up for democracy instead of undermining it. This is a test they must not fail.
Texas officials are investigating the death of female Army Drill Sgt. Jessica Mitchell after she was found fatally shot on a San Antonio interstate on New Year's Day.

Police officers responded to a call of a stranded vehicle in the fast lane on Interstate 10 shortly after 2 a.m., according to a USA Today report.

They found a white Dodge Challenger with multiple bullet holes to the driver's side door and window, according to San Antonio police.

Police checked her pulse as the victim appeared to have been hit several times. Mitchell was brought to University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The highway was shut down and the scene inspected by crime scene technicians and homicide detectives.

Related story: Foul Play Suspected as Another Missing Fort Drum Soldier Found Dead





Probe still on-going to determine victim's death

The investigation is ongoing, according to police. Joint Base San Antonio released a statement, saying Mitchell's death is being investigated by Army's Criminal Investigation Division.

Mitchell was a dental specialist at Army Medical Center for Excellence. She was on a holiday leave when the incident happened.

Mitchell's childhood friend, Francesca Toby, said that Mitchell had a 10-year-old son. In an interview, she said that Mitchell was a "beautiful woman" loved by everyone around her.

She had a son, and he's without his mom, and I just want to give my prayers to her family, to her son, to her son's father," Toby was quoted on a WOAI-TV report.

Mitchell's faither said that his daughter was a fifth-generation member of the military. In 2017, her 18-year-old brother named Justice was shot and killed.

Her father, Mayo Mitchell, said that his daughter wanted to be the best that she can be in her military career, however, that was cut short.

"I told all my children, I want you to do better than what I have done," Mayo Mitchell was quoted on a report.

Her mother, Deborah Mitchell, said that she had just spoken to her daughter earlier that week. Mitchell's mother said that Jessica was just telling them her dreams. The Mitchell family calls on anyone who may have seen something to call the police.

Ashley Mitchell said that they heard there were not witnesses, according to a WTVM News report. Ashley added that it is a highway and that someone must have seen something.

Mitchell's commanding officer, Maj. Gen. Dennis LeMaster, said that he was devastated by the tragic loss. LeMaster offered their condolences to Mitchell's family and friends.

He added that they are focused on supporting Mitchell's family as well as her soldiers during this time. No arrests have been made and police are still investigating if Mitchell was targeted.

Rising cases of suspicious army deaths

Meanwhile, another unrelated death was also reported.

Nineteen-year-old Pfc. Asia M. Graham was discovered dead in her military barracks on New Year's Eve, according to an ABC News report

The two consecutive deaths happened after Congress started an investigation into the number of deaths that were taking place at Fort Hood.

One includes the disappearances of three soldiers who were later found dead, such as the case of Spc. Vanessa Guillen.

Related story: Hispanic Group Asks Latinas Not to Join the Military After Vanessa Guillen's Death




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[January 04, 2021] Wisebitcoin Launches to Provide Faster and Easier Crypto Trading

Singapore , Jan. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wisebitcoin, a new cryptocurrency exchange offering deep liquidity and around-the-clock customer service, has announced its official launch today, after years of development in stealth mode. Wisebitcoins unique offerings include cloud services that anchor over 200 other cryptocurrency exchanges worldwide and connect to the cloud of 15 million users and 280+ merchants. Wisebitcoin features up to 100X leverage, $6 billion daily trading volume, and over 2.3 million tps single trading pairs. "I am thrilled to announce that Wisebitcoin has launched today after many months of development. Wisebitcoin is a new exchange that will be the preferred method of buying and selling crypto for professional traders around the world, said Wisebitcoins adviser Junghwan Cho. After launching a beta version in 2018, the team at Wisebitcoin upgraded the system and set up a connection to the cloud last year. The platform offers over 50 cryptocurrencies for spot trading, including BTC, USDT, ETH and other digital assets. It features perpetual trading for USDT swaps and coin swaps in the futures exchange, and offers over 100 trading pairs and over 30 cryptocurrency depoits and withdrawals including BTC, ETH, and USDT.



With a simple, user-friendly interface, a mobile app and an insurance fund to protect assets, Wisebitcoin aims to become the exchange of choice for professional crypto traders and margin traders around the globe. About Wisebitcoin

Headquartered in Singapore, Wisebitcoin is an innovative global decentralized exchange platform for professional traders. With a multicultural team of over 50 specialists, Wisebitcoin provides unparalleled levels of service including 24/7 live phone support, cloud service, an affiliate program, deep liquidity and more. To learn more, please visit www.wisebitcoin.com or https://twitter.com/wisebitcoin. Contact info: Robert Penington Robert@thronepr.com Singapore, January 4, 2020 News via KISS PR News







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CHESTER COUNTY, PA  Chester County Prison has reported more than 100 cases of COVID-19 since the coronavirus pandemic began and the death of a corrections officer last April remains the only one among either prison staff or inmates, the county reports.

In all 112 cases of COVID-19 cases have been reported at Chester County Prison as of Jan. 4. Of those 77 are inmate cases, and all 77 are currently considered recovered, according to the Chester County website page that posts information about the prison at 501 South Wawaset Road.

Staff in the prison have seen 35 positive COVID-19 cases and of those 30 are reported recovered.

The 58-year-old corrections officer who died in April lived in Delaware County had been hospitalized for some time before his death. The county reported the officer has underlying health conditions as well as COVID-19. The county has withheld the officer's name who died.



In response to the pandemic, the county prison instituted quarantines on its housing units, a way of forcing the practice of social distancing, the county explained on its website.

"We must take this step to contain the virus within an 'exposed' area in hopes of keeping it from spreading throughout the facility. Taking this action is consistent with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections current response to COVID-19," the county stated.

In addition to the housing-unit quarantines, inmate visitation has been closed to the public. All non-essential activity was halted last spring, including volunteer services to prisoners.

Attorneys are among the few encouraged to visit. They and other professional visitors may meet with their clients during regular business hours.

Global Tel Link (GTL) is the prison's inmate calling service. As in-person visitation was cut off, the company added one free five-minute call per week for inmates.

The county posted the company's statement. "GTL understands the impact that family and friends can have on boosting morale but recognizes that sometimes financial difficulties get in the way of connecting. In an effort to keep inmates connected to their loved ones, GTL will be providing an additional free phone call of up to five minutes per week, in addition to the current two free calls."

Story continues

The Chester County Health Department's most recent accounting of COVID-19 cases countywide said there have been 19,787 cases in Chester County and 504 deaths. Chester County Prison inmate positive case numbers are included within the county's COVID-19 data, said Chester County Health Department Director Jeanne Casner.

State Correctional Institutions have not fared as well recently as Chesco's facility. In the early December surge of COVID-19 across Pennsylvania, the state Department of Corrections called on facilities to function in "cohorts of 8 persons" to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among prison populations. State Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel said the cohort size could be increased to 16 by Dec. 24 if data allowed, but he extended the limit of 8 until Jan. 4.

The nearest state prison is in Chester, Pa., where 168 cases of COVID-19 have been reported and there have been four deaths. About 12 percent of COVID-19 tests given in the Delaware County facility have positive results, according to DOC data updated Jan. 1.

The Phoenix State Correctional Institute in Montgomery County is seeing around 8 percent of its tests come back positive, the state reported.

An outbreak at the Dallas SCI in Luzerne County was reported in late December and by Jan. 1, 35 percent of tests were coming back positive, according to Department of Corrections reports. DOC data reported 502 positive cases at the correctional facility on Jan. 1 though some sources reported hundreds more over the weekend.

This article originally appeared on the West Chester Patch

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Texas pastor shot dead by man hiding in church after police chase

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A 21-year-old man hiding from police in the bathroom of an East Texas church killed a pastor and injured two other people, including the pastors wife, on Sunday.

The suspect, identified as Mytrez Beunte Woolen, shot Mark McWilliams, the pastor of the Starrville Methodist Church in Winona, while he was preparing for Sunday morning service, according to ABC13.

Woolen also shot at the pastors wife, Rosemary, but she escaped. However, she injured her shoulder after she fell down while running away, KHOU11 reported. The suspect also shot a male victim, Mike Sellers, who received non-life-threatening injuries.

Our hearts are with the victims and the families of those killed or injured in this terrible tragedy, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. I am grateful for the law enforcement officers who apprehended the suspect, and I ask Texans to join Cecilia and me in praying for those affected by this horrific shooting. The State of Texas is working closely with first responders and local officials to ensure that justice is served and that the Starrville community has the resources it needs during this time.

Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith narrated the shooting incident.

As the pastor opened the bathroom door, he was confronted by the individual who had been hiding in the church. Apparently, he fled in the woods, and when everyone had left he retreated into the church, Tyler Morning Telegraph quoted Smith as saying. He had one of those red bank bags that belonged to the pastor. The pastor, who had a firearm himself, apparently drew his firearm on the individual and ordered him to stop. He came toward the front door then lunged at the pastor and disarmed the pastor. He then used the pastors firearm.

After the shooting, the suspect stole the pastors vehicle, a 2018 GMC truck, and fled. We were able to work through some OnStar technology to find the vehicle. A Harrison County deputy was able to get behind it and it was disabled, Smith said.

Police had been chasing Woolen since Saturday evening after reports that he brandished a shotgun out of the sunroof while driving a dark-colored Volkswagen Jetta. When a deputy tried to stop him while he was at a convenience store, the suspect drove off. He eventually ran into the woods behind the church and police were unable to locate him for several hours. Police found his identification and a shotgun inside his car at the church property.
Roderic OGorman said the decision was taken to reduce movement this week (Niall Carson/PA)

Irelands Minister for Children has said the Government wants to avoid a large-scale shutdown of schools, but that closures are being kept under review.

Roderic OGorman said the long shutdown of schools at the beginning of the pandemic was not good for children.

He added that health guidance from the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) states that childcare settings and schools are safe.

The Government made the decision to postpone to reopening of schools until next Monday, January 11.

The levels of incidence of Covid in schools and creches have been low compared to other sectors of society Roderic O'Gorman

Mr OGorman said the decision was taken to reduce movement this week.

The public health guidance has always been that childcare settings are safe and that continues to be the public health guidance, he told RTE Morning Ireland.

They are safe because of the huge work that childcare providers and professionals have undertaken since the reopening to make sure the various health measures for creches and childcare facilities are implemented.

The levels of incidence of Covid in schools and creches have been low compared to other sectors of society.

The advice from Nphet is that schools are safe to open. The Government took a decision last week, that in light of the particularly high levels of Covid, we want to make a sustained effort to reduce movement this week and as such the reopening of schools was postponed.

That situation is under constant review. We have always expressed the view that we want to keep childcare facilities and schools open.

The long shutdown of schools at the beginning was not good for children.

As part of the national effort to cut contacts, the reopening of ECCE is postponed until 11 Jan. Other childcare & childminder facilities will open Jan 4, for children of essential workers and vulnerable children. Asking that children outside these catagories stay home next week  Roderic OaGorman TD (@rodericogorman) January 1, 2021

We want to avoid a large-scale shutdown but we are keeping the situation under review.

He said the number of Covid-19 cases is concerning and there is a real sense of nervousness among the public.

Childcare providers and creches are allowed to reopen from January 4 to children of essential workers.

However, the list of essential workers is extensive and there have been calls from childcare providers to refine the definition of essential workers.

Mr OGorman admitted it was a complicated list, but said that creating a separate list for the childcare sector would not be beneficial.

I think that would have create additional confusion, he added.

PA Media
Primary analysis also confirms safety of Vi-DT

Vi-DT typhoid conjugate vaccine, developed jointly by the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and SK bioscience, has met the primary endpoints in a phase III study in Nepal. The primary endpoints were based on immune non-inferiority with the WHO-prequalified typhoid conjugate vaccine, Typbar-TCV, in terms of serconversion rate, which confirms the new candidate TCV induces an immune response that is not inferior to Typbar-TCV.

Three different production lots of vaccine were administered in the clinical trial, and the analysis also shows that these different batches were similar in immunogenicity. Lot-to-lot consistency in manufacturing is an important requirement to ensure the quality of Vi-DT.

In addition to immune non-inferiority, the Vi-DT vaccine was also shown to be safe in all 1,350 participants ranging in age from 6 months to 45 years.

This study is a significant milestone in an effort to license Vi-DT TCV. Another phase III study is nearing completion in the Philippines and SK bioscience plans to submit a Marketing Authorization request to the Korean Ministry of Food & Drug Safety in January 2021. After the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approves the vaccine, it will be submitted for pre-qualification review at the World Health Organization. WHO pre-qualification is necessary for a vaccine to be sold to United Nations agencies responsible for vaccine purchases.

It was a challenging project to get the sites in Nepal ready, said Dr. Tarun Saluja, MD, the project lead of this study. However, with the help of the authorities in Nepal and our collaborators, we managed to complete this study within timeline and with quality.

These data are the culmination of 10 years of work at IVI, said Dr. Sushant Sahastrabuddhe, MD, Director of IVIs Typhoid Program. With the successful initial results from phase I and II studies in the Philippines, this phase III study was critical to make sure Vi-DT vaccine completes the regulatory milestones for use in endemic countries.

With this encouraging data from the Phase 3 trial, we have taken a step closer to the commercialization of the vaccine, said Jae-yong Ahn, CEO of SK bioscience. In collaboration with IVI and other partners, we will develop a vaccine that is universally accessible to help free children in developing countries from typhoid.

Vi-DT was developed at IVI and its technology was transferred in 2013 to SK bioscience in South Korea for manufacturing and commercialization. A Phase I safety trial of Vi-DT was first conducted in the Philippines in volunteers aged 2-45 years and showed that the vaccine was safe and immunogenic four weeks after first dose. Following the successful completion of a Phase II trial with infants under 2 years, large-scale Phase III studies with a single-dose of Vi-DT started in the Philippines and Nepal this year.
Tamil Nadu School Education and Youth Welfare Minister KA Sengottaiyan said that suggestions will be obtained next weekend from parents, students and from Parents-Teachers Associations about reopening of the schools

Tamil Nadu School Education and Youth Welfare Minister KA Sengottaiyan on Monday said a decision on reopening schools in the state shut since the COVID-19 enforced lockdown would be taken by the chief minister after suggestions are obtained from parents and students.

A final decision on reopening schools will be taken by the Chief Minister K Palaniswami, he told reporters at Gobichettipalayam near Chennai after inaugurating the distribution of Rs 2,500 cash and gift hamper to ration card holders.

"On behalf of the School Education Department, suggestions will be obtained from parents, students and from Parents-Teachers Associations also about reopening of the schools in Tamil Nadu. They will be collected till this weekend," the minister said.

Schools in the state have been closed since the nation-wide lockdown was imposed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic in March last.

The Minister said practical examinations for Classes 10 to 12 will be conducted and the schedule would be released soon.

Sengottaiyan said in Erode district alone 7,10,966 ration card holders would receive Rs 2,500 cash and gift hamper for the Pongal festival.

He also said the free gifts would be given till 13 January in the PDS outlets.
Georgia voters on Tuesday will determine the balance of power in Washington for at least the next two years  whether President-elect Joe Biden and congressional Democrats will run the table with full control of the executive and legislative branches or Republicans will retain the Senate majority and the ability to temper Democrats agenda.

Tuesdays results will also put a contentious political theory to its first test: whether assertions by President Trump and his supporters of widespread vote fraud in the 2020 presidential contest will boomerang against Republicans by undermining trust in the election system and depressing GOP votes.

Top Republican officials have openly fretted that Trumps refusal to concede and his near daily rants that Democrats stole the election from him are dampening GOP turnout in the crucial runoffs. Senate Republicans must retain at least one of the seats held by Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler to keep control of the upper chamber. Both senators failed to receive more than 50% of the vote in November and again face Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnoff, respectively.

A record 3 million early votes had been cast in the runoffs as of Thursday, the deadline for early voting, with data showing that turnout is lagging in the states more rural, northwestern conservative strongholds. More than 114,000 Georgia voters who didnt participate in the general election have cast ballots so far in the runoffs, and those who have voted are more racially diverse than the states electorate, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In-person Election Day voting will determine if Republicans can play catch-up and hold onto at least one of the seats.

Trump is heading to Dalton, Ga., Monday night to rally his supporters to cast their ballots for Perdue and Loeffler the following day. But with his time in the White House dwindling, hes worked to sow distrust in both the integrity of the runoffs process and his own election loss in November. But his efforts in the latter regard may have backfired when he made an extraordinary phone call Saturday to fellow Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state. Trump pressed Raffensperger to find enough votes to overturn his defeat in the state and threatened him if he refused to act. A recording of the one-hour call was leaked to the Washington Post on Sunday.

You have a big election coming up and because of what youve done to this president  you know, the people of Georgia know that this was a scam, Trump told Raffensperger. Because of what youve done to this president, a lot of people arent going to vote, and a lot of Republicans are going to vote negative, because they hate what you did to this president. Okay? They hate it. And theyre going to vote. And you would be respected, really respected, if this can be straightened out before the election.

Trump previously pressed Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to overrule Raffenspergers certification of the November outcome and to intervene by replacing that states Electoral College slate. When Kemp refused, Trump called him a fool and a clown and urged Georgia voters to demand Kemp call a special session of the state legislature to reject the electors.

Otherwise, could be a bad day for two GREAT Senators on Jan. 5, Trump tweeted in a prediction some Republicans worry was all too prophetic because of Trumps statements.

On Friday evening, the president continued to raise supporters doubts about the Georgia election system by labeling the two Senate races illegal and invalid in a Twitter thread. He also claimed that massive corruption took place in the general election, the reversal of which would give us far more votes than is necessary to win all the Swing States.

Other voices on the right also have tried to undermine trust in Georgias election system. At a rally last month, Lin Wood, a pro-Trump lawyer unaffiliated with the campaign, urged state Republicans not to vote in the runoffs because the system cant be trusted. Wood filed an election lawsuit aimed at halting the runoffs, but a federal judge dismissed the suit early last week.

But its not just fringe elements of the party sounding the alarm. Over the weekend, Ted Cruz and 10 other Republican senators and senators-elect said they plan to object to certifying Bidens win on Wednesday because of unprecedented allegations of voter fraud. The push has sparked an intra-party fight over whether it will undermine Republican election prospects in the short and long term. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had previously warned his GOP colleagues not to vote against certifying the Electoral College result, warning that it isnt in the best interest of everybody.

Cruz, and the other senators, including Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, and Mike Braun of Indiana, announced they would follow Missouri Sen. Josh Hawleys lead and vote against certifying the 2020 results unless a 10-day audit of the vote in key states is conducted. Theres no chance their objections will force such an audit, so the action is largely a protest vote -- but it represents a rare break with McConnells firm control of his conference.

Whether or not our elected officials or journalists believe it, that deep distrust in our democratic processes will not magically disappear, said Cruz, who has presidential aspirations for 2024. It should concern us all. And it poses an ongoing threat to the legitimacy of any subsequent administrations.

Throughout his four years in office, Trump often has been his own worst enemy, needlessly shooting himself in the foot. In his final days in office, the presidents attacks on the integrity of the election process in the critical swing states are giving Democrats more rhetorical ammunition to turn out voters either sympathetic to their cause or simply eager to oppose Trump.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, while campaigning Sunday night in Savannah, Ga., said Trumps phone call to Raffensperger showed that he is growing increasingly desperate in his failed attempts to overturn the presidential election results.

Have yall heard about that recorded conversations? Harris asked the crowd at an event for Ossoff and Warnock. Well, it was certainly the voice of desperation, most certainly that. And it was bald, bald-faced, bold abuse of power by the president of the United States.

In her remarks, Harris also criticized Trump over his characterizations of the runoffs as illegal and invalid, saying that he is suggesting that the people of Georgia are trying to commit a crime.

And I raise all of this to remind us to ask a question always when we see these powerful people that are trying to make it difficult, trying to make it confusing, trying to invalidate our voice, she said.

Biden will travel to Georgia on Monday for an event urging Democrats to turn out for Ossoff and Warnock.

As Republicans warn that attacking the election process could backfire, Democrats are thanking Trump for handing them another powerful issue. Several also thanked him for his botched attempt to increase by $1,400 the $600 stimulus checks Congress passed late last month, which aligned him with the opposition party and put Republican leaders in the awkward position of opposing the increase just a week and a half before the runoffs.

Though Perdue and Loeffler voted in favor of the $600 COVID relief checks, both quickly pivoted in support of the beefed up version. They also scrambled to introduce a legislative package -- designed to fail -- that linked the $2,000 checks to the creation of a bipartisan commission to review the presidential election and make recommendations for reforms to Congress, along with a full repeal of legal protections for social media and other tech companies.

On Sunday, Stacey Abrams, who waged a close but unsuccessful battle for Georgia governor in 2018, argued that GOP leaders opposition to the larger checks has galvanized Democratic voters to turn out on Tuesday for Ossoff and Warnock.

Its the Republicans who have done it for us, she said during an appearance on ABCs This Week.

Those types of self-inflicted wounds are exactly what McConnell and Georgia Republicans are worried about  even as Perdue and Loeffler have little choice but to welcome Trump to Georgia Monday in a final plea for Republican votes.
SACRAMENTO  Should California require its police officers to have more education or life experience before allowing them to join the law enforcement ranks?

As a new legislative session approaches, that question has been thrust to the forefront of a debate about what changes state lawmakers should adopt after a summer of protest over police brutality.

Even major law enforcement groups have endorsed the idea of raising the standards for police certification, citing research indicating that more highly educated officers use less force. But competing proposals will test just how far the state is willing to go, especially as concerns mount that the effort could undermine another major goal  diversifying police forces.

I find it super encouraging that the state is grappling with this issue, said William Terrill, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at Arizona State University who has researched the effect of education and experience on police behavior. But, he added, its not as easy as saying that higher education is universally beneficial.

Democratic legislators push to overhaul policing practices in California last session fell short of expectations, and the most sweeping proposals were largely shelved or vetoed. Many of those have returned, with lawmakers reintroducing bills to create a process for decertifying officers who break the law, open more records of police misconduct, and limit the use of tear gas and rubber bullets at protests.

But the question of whether to require California police to be more educated is new to the conversation, though its an idea that has circulated for decades.

State law allows citizens or permanent residents to pursue a career in law enforcement if they are at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma or equivalent, and have no felony record. Some individual departments, especially in larger cities, set higher minimum ages or require some college education; San Francisco and Oakland require officers to be 21 or older.

Assembly member Reginald Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles, is pursuing legislation that would raise statewide standards to among the strictest in the country. His AB89 would require candidates to have at least a bachelors degree, or wait until they are 25 years old, to enter a police academy.

Were talking about, at the front end, that we make sure we have the best-educated and the most mature individuals coming into law enforcement, Jones-Sawyer said.

Chelsea Guglielmino / Getty Images 2019

Four states  Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey and North Dakota  require a bachelors degree or commensurate combination of college credits and professional experience. An additional 18 states mandate at least some college for officers.

Even without a comparable statewide requirement, California has among the most educated police forces in the country. Nearly 40% of officers have a bachelors degree or higher, according to a 2017 survey of hundreds of police agencies nationwide by a Cal State Northridge professor.

Jones-Sawyer said his bill would ensure that California hires officers who have a better understanding of the law and more fully formed critical thinking skills. He cited research showing that peoples brains dont finish maturing until age 25, which was the basis for another law three years ago allowing someone sentenced to a lengthy prison term for a crime committed before turning 26 to seek parole through a special youth offender process.

Why arent we doing that with law enforcement officers? Were giving them a gun, a badge, Jones-Sawyer said. They have to have the mental ability to be able to handle that.

But after being swamped by the flood of policing legislation last session, law enforcement organizations have tried to reset the discussion on their own terms.

Peter DaSilva / Special to The Chronicle

The California Police Chiefs Association and the Peace Officers Research Association of California, a statewide federation of police unions, introduced their own education proposal in November. It would require the state to establish a supplemental curriculum of college courses on mental health, social services, psychology, communication and other topics that officers would need to take to receive their certification, but it would not mandate that they complete a degree.

The plan, which has not yet been introduced as a bill, would also create a state fund to pay for higher education for disadvantaged students who commit to careers in policing and expand law enforcement recruitment at K-12 schools and community colleges.

At a virtual news conference, representatives for the organizations stressed their desire to keep the applicant pool for officers open by maintaining the statewide standard at a high school diploma. They argued that requiring more focused coursework, rather than a degree in any subject, would provide greater benefits to police.

Disrespect for law enforcement has become a cultural norm nationwide, making it even more difficult to recruit qualified men and women into the field, said Brian Marvel, president of the Peace Officers Research Association of California.

Terrill, the Arizona State professor, said studies have found tangible benefits to hiring college-educated officers  including higher citizen satisfaction ratings and fewer complaints  that lawmakers will need to weigh against the potential drawbacks.

Peter DaSilva / Special to The Chronicle

His research has determined that officers with at least some college rely on verbal commands and threats less often than those with a high school education, while those who have completed a four-year degree are less likely to resolve an encounter with force.

Experts theorize that officers who have gone through college have a broader exposure to the world, different types of people and conflict resolution, Terrill said. Theyre not always looking to use the hammer, he said.

The effects of age on police behavior have been less studied, though Terrill has also found that officers with more experience, an imperfect proxy for age, generally use less force.

Higher education standards, however, could leave out many low-income or Black and Latino candidates, who are less likely to have a college degree.

That argument resonated with lawmakers at a recent Capitol hearing on policing standards, which may portend significant obstacles for the Jones-Sawyer bill. Several legislators expressed skepticism at the idea of mandating a college degree, instead prioritizing recruiting efforts to diversity police forces and better represent the communities they serve.

If we dont have police officers that look like the community, then were always speaking different languages, said Assembly members Blanca Rubio, D-Baldwin Park (Los Angeles County).

Nishant Joshi, an Oakland police captain, said the department values education but does not consider it to be the end all, be all. The qualification to become an Oakland officer is a high school education or equivalent, though the department offers incentives, such as tuition assistance, for further study. Joshi himself finished college and earned a masters degree this way.

The Oakland Police Departments focus is instead on recruiting pipelines, such as an program for teens and internships for young adults to help them through school and bridge the gap until they are eligible to enter the police academy. Joshi said he would rather hire officers who are creative thinkers and from the community than strictly those that have an advanced education.

There are other ways to help develop a thoughtful and compassionate police officer, he said. Theres some people who have access to things and some people who dont. And just because you have access to something doesnt mean youre the right person for this job.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff
[January 04, 2021] What Challenges Are Hampering Growth in the Telecom Industry? Infiniti's Industry Experts Highlight and Discuss the Ideal Solution

The telecom industry is currently plagued with various challenges, and companies have been struggling to propel growth. Changing regulations, increasing demand for connectivity, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and cyber-security vulnerabilities have become increasingly demanding problems for telecom companies. Additionally, newer innovations and widespread digitization have made it necessary for telecom industry players to improve their offerings and services in multiple ways. Therefore, industry leaders have chosen to leverage market intelligence solutions and make data-driven strategic decisions. With Infiniti's market intelligence solutions, telecom companies can identify challenges and develop sustainable strategic solutions. To tackle industry challenges, prepare for the post-COVID era, and stay a step ahead in the challenging telecom industry with our market intelligence solutions, request a free proposal. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005260/en/ Significant Challenges in the Telecom Industry: Cyber-Security Issues, Changing Regulatory Framework, Growth in IoT and 5G (Graphic: Business Wire) The rapidly evolving telecom industry has grown exponentially over recent years. Various advancements in technology and the sudden upsurge of digitization have led to the industry's growth and simultaneously posed multiple challenges for industry players. Telecom companies need to expand and accommoate quick networking and the increasing importance of connectivity. This has led to companies needing more hardware, introducing more services, and improving customer experiences. Our market intelligence solutions help telecom companies address industry challenges, prepare for changing market dynamics, and provide their customers' ideal offerings and services. However, to properly tackle the obstacles, telecom industry players must identify and evaluate significant industry challenges. Therefore, Infiniti's experts highlighted and discussed the most significant challenges currently plaguing the telecom industry in their recent article.



Unsure of how various telecom industry challenges can be addressed? To learn how Infiniti's market intelligence solutions help telecom companies identify, address, and overcome industry challenges, request more information. "Telecom industry players have faced various challenges over recent years, ranging from the sudden upsurge in telecom needs, rising dependency on telecommunications, and quick expansion of the networking world. Although the industry is plagued with challenges, it continues to grow at a considerable rate," says a telecom industry expert at Infiniti Research.

Infiniti's market intelligence experts analyzed the following significant telecom industry challenges and highlighted solutions to address changes in the telecom industry efficiently: Changing regulatory framework: The increasing digitization and need for networking has led to increased government intervention and new policies.

The increasing digitization and need for networking has led to increased government intervention and new policies. Cyber-security issues: The connectivity of cloud-based networks and the high amount of personal data available on the internet have led to increased cyber-threats and the need for cyber-security.

The connectivity of cloud-based networks and the high amount of personal data available on the internet have led to increased cyber-threats and the need for cyber-security. Growth in IoT and 5G: Upgrading hardware to match customers' expectations and keep pace with new telecom innovations has become increasingly challenging and require appropriate inventory management.

Upgrading hardware to match customers' expectations and keep pace with new telecom innovations has become increasingly challenging and require appropriate inventory management. Gain in-depth insights regarding significant telecom industry challenges, and learn how our solutions can help address them by reading the complete article. About Infiniti Research Established in 2003, Infiniti Research is a leading market intelligence company providing smart solutions to address your business challenges. Infiniti Research studies markets in more than 100 countries to analyze competitive activity, see beyond market disruptions and develop intelligent business strategies. To know more, visit: https://www.infinitiresearch.com/about-us View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005260/en/

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Amelia Gray Hamlin and Scott Disick are not being shy about their full-fledged romance.

The 19-year-old model and her 37-year-old beau rang in 2021 together in Mexico as they spent some quality time during their tropical getaway.

On Saturday the pair were seen lounging on the beach as they laughed and soaked up some rays with a friend, as Amelia put on a very cheeky display in a black thong bikini.

Romantic getaway: Amelia Gray Hamlin, 19, and boyfriend Scott Disick, 37, ring in the new year together in Mexico as their romance continues to develop on a beach getaway

Amelia was not shy about her feelings for Scott as the pair seemed to get a bit handsy as they gestured to each other.

She was seen resting her hand on Scott's arm while they tanned and talked, before she got up to grab a refreshment and he motioned to her with his arm outstretched.

The model put on a show in a tiny black bikini as she pranced around the beach while Scott looked on.

She added a headscarf for a glamorous touch as Disick leaned into his tropical side in a blue hawaiian shirt.

Reaching out: Amelia rested her hand on Scott's arm as they were deep in conversation

Cheeky: Upon turning around to get something, Amelia put her full behind on display

Squad: The budding couple were seen with a few friends as they all relaxed on the beach

At ease: No worries besides her bathing suit's positioning the model looked at ease

Model figure: She showed off her bronzed tan in the tiny swimsuit

The pair seemed deep in conversation during the relaxing beach day and appeared to only have eyes for each other.

They were seen joking around as she reached for Scott's sunglasses as they playfully flirted.

Despite only being 19, it appeared the DNA founder had a margarita near by as the legal drinking age in Mexico is 18.

Like many celebrities the duo flocked to Mexico for some vacation time due to the country's open borders and COVID-19 leniency.

The group was seen without masks as they leaned into full service treatment at a beach side cabana.

Hands on: Scott touched the silk scarf wrapped around her head

Tropical flex: The KUWTK star leaned into his tropical side in a blue hawaiian shirt

Gift from Scott: She was seen in a pair of Yeezy slides that possibly came from Scott

Don't go!: Scott reached out for Amelia as she got up from the lounge chair

Sidepiece: Despite their blossoming relationship, Amelia's parents are concerned about Scott's intentions

Perhaps a Christmas gift, Amelia was seen rocking a pair of Yeezy slides on the beach as she got up to take a phone call.

First linked around Halloween, things between the she and Disick have continued to heat up as they have been spotted getting cozy in Malibu together and even went away to Santa Barbara.

When Scott seemed to be in the market for a new house, Amelia was by his side as they fueled rumors they were scoping out a potential joint pad, albeit a very fast move.

Recently defending her romance with the much older Keeping Up With The Kardashians star who has been known to have a predilection for younger girls, the youngest daughter of Real Housewife Lisa Rinna took to social media to hit back at haters.

Heating up: Her black bikini accentuated all of her curves as she stayed hydrated with some bottled water

Gimme: She seemed to reach for Scott's glasses as if to try them on

Handsy: The two looked to be enjoying each others company as they got animated with each other

Lubricated: The couple and a group of friends enjoyed some refreshments on the beach

Stretch it out: After some time on the lounge chair Amelia was seen going for a brief stroll with her phone in hand

Body: Not shy about her figure she wore as little as possible to ensure a good tan

'ppl r extra weird and judgmental these days...people can embrace themselves however they feel fit for them at that moment in time. people grow. people learn to love themselves more and more.'

Despite seeming to be all in with Disick, Amelia's parents were not so sure based on his track record with public relationships as well as his seeming playboy ways.

On Christmas the family celebrated without him even though sister Delilah Belle's boyfriend Eyal was present as they all dressed up in matching red pajamas.

A source told The Sun that Lisa and dad Harry Hamlin are 'worried' for Amelia.

Cocktail time: Despite being only 19, the legal drinking age in Mexico is 18

Stayin cool: The pair and friends baked in the sun as they cooled off with refreshments

Ring ring: She and pal were seen chatting by their beachfront lounges

Silky smooth: Amelia was seen walking away from the lounge chairs as she seemed to be getting some service

Cabana life: The group was seen without masks as they enjoyed some cabana time

New girl: Scott has been known to have a predilection for younger ladies as it seems once Sofia was out Amelia was his new interest

'She really does like Scott but both her and Harry don't want someone that age with so much baggage to be with their baby girl, especially given Amelia's own mental health issues.'

Also not pleased about the new pairing, Disick's ex of three years, Sofia Richie, 22, was very hurt that Scott moved on so fast.

Reportedly the Hamlins and the Richies were family friends but the relationship caused Sofia to unfollow all of them on Instagram.

Over the pair flaunting the relationship, sources told ET that Sofia was not having it.

Quick break: Both she and Scott were seen holding what appeared to be vaping devices

Easy does it: The pair flexed their vacation style while on their seaside getaway

Over it: Disick's ex Sofia has been hurt by Scott's decision to move on so fast after their three-year relationship

Full service: The group made the decision to travel to Mexico despite non-essential travel orders in Los Angeles

'Sofia was a bit hurt that Scott was flaunting his relationship with Amelia Gray Hamlin so freely. Scott has been preoccupied with Amelia and Scott is the type of guy who can't be alone and always needs someone there.'

Ex partner Kourtney Kardashian - with whom he shares Mason, 11, Penelope, eight, and Reign, six, is not bothered by the relationship at all according to the source.

'Kourtney isn't bothered that Scott is hanging out with Amelia Gray Hamlin and is so far past thinking about him in a romantic way. She knows Scott better than anybody and she is supportive.'

While the Kardashians opted for a winter getaway in Aspen, Disick took to warmer waters to heat things up with Amelia.

Sultry moments: She showed off their luxurious vacation as she laid by the pool

Not shy about her affection for Disick she said she was thankful for him on Thanksgiving.

Though both try and keep a low profile on social media, they two continue to spend extended periods of time together.

The group was seen going on a boat ride as they took advantage of the lavish vacation.

Amelia posted some steamy photos of herself on social media as she joked, 'i rly love laying on hard stone so comfy.
Kishore Biyani

To

Amazon.com NV Investment Holdings LLC

Dear Sir,

1. This communication is addressed on behalf of Future Corporate Resources Private Limited (FCRPL), Mr. Kishore Biyani and other Promoters (collectively referred to as the Promoters), in response to the captioned correspondence.

2. At the outset, the 3rd October FCPL Notice, 3rd October FRL Notice, the 29th October FCPL Letter, the 29th October FRL Letter, the 9th November Letter, and the 2nd December Letter collectively allege multiple, repeated, and egregious breaches of the FCPL SHA and the FRL SHA. Whilst we deny the alleged breaches of the FCPL SHA, as more particularly dealt with herein after, we wish to remind you that you are not aparty to the FRL SHA. Accordingly, the allegations of breaches under the FRL SHA made by you, are ludicrous and warrant no response.

3. At the further outset, we deny that we have acted contrary to and reneged on contractual obligations for personal gain orbenefit, as alleged or at all. Such assertions are wholly unsubstantiated.We deny that there has been any Event of Default,as alleged or at all, and that we are liable for damages or liquidated damages either in law or in terms of Section 23.2(4) of the FCPL SHA.In any event, nothing in the 3rdOctober FCPL Notice,3rdOctober FRL Notice, the 29thOctober FCPL Letter, the 29th October FRL Letter, the 9thNovember Letter, and the 2nd December Letter, shall be deemed to be admitted by us for want of specific traverse.

4. As can be seen from Recital F of FCPL SHA, the Promoters had approached you to invest in FCPL, with a view to strengthen and augment the Business and unlock the value in FCPL. Business is defined in Annexure 1.1 of the FCPL SHA, and means, the business of wholesale trading of goods and merchandise and marketing and distribution of corporate gift cards, loyalty cards, and reward cards to corporate customers, and such other business conducted by FCPL, from time to time, in accordance with its Organisational Documents and the approved Company business plan. Based on this objective, you invested in acquiring 49% of the share capital of FCPL, in terms of the Share Subscription Agreement (SSA).

5. At the time when the FCPL SHA was executed, you were aware that the Future Group, which consisted of 8 Listed Entities and its promoter group companies, had borrowed amounts from various banks and other financial institutions for the purposes of investment into its listed entities and business operations. These borrowings were securitised inter alia, by pledging shares held by the Promoters and Promoter Entities in the listed entities, primarily being Future Retail Ltd (FRL), Future Consumer Ltd (FCL) and Future Lifestyle Fashions Ltd. (FLFL), pursuant to the execution of various loan documents and/or agreements (existing loan documents). Lender-wise details of the encumbrances under the existing loan documents were furnished to you at the time of signing of the FCPL SHA, as also subsequently, before you subscribed to the shares of FCPL. There is no change in the business of FCPL, as defined in the FCPL SHA.

6. You were also aware that as part of the pledge of FRL shares under the existing loan documents, security cover of a specified multiple of the outstanding loan amount was to be provided at all times, and in the event of fall in the security cover, it was incumbent to top up the same, either with security of additional shares or cash security, as the case may be. Consequently, your awareness, at all times, of the risks associated with the existing loan documents, cannot be lost sight of. It therefore follows that the FCPL SHA was signed subject to the existing loan documents.

7. Section 17.2 of the FCPL SHA must be construed in the above backdrop. It must also be read as a whole. Whilst it is true that Section 17.2(i) provides that the promoter shall, at all times during the tenure, agree and undertake that the Promoter FRL security, representing at least 16.8% of the issued, and paid-up equity share capital of FRL, on a fully diluted basis shall be free from, and not subject to, any encumbrances (referred to therein as the Minimum Shareholding), there is, however, an implied condition under Section 17.2(i), to the effect that the same is subject to the existing loan documents as on August 22, 2019. In other words, any fall in the Minimum Shareholding, as a result of discharge of the obligation by the Promoters or FCPL, under the existing loan agreements in force with existing lenders, as on the date of signing of the FCPL SHA, simply does not, and cannot constitute a breach of Section 17.2(i).

8. On a true and correct interpretation of Section 17.2, and as intended by the parties, the agreement and/or undertaking by the Promoters to maintain the Minimum Shareholding, means that the Promoters shall not pledge further shares against new or fresh loans or funding, such that it results in the fall of the Minimum Shareholding. That the Promoters did not, from the date of signing of the FCPL SHA until March 2020, i.e. when the fall in the Minimum Shareholding began, borrow any amounts against the pledge of FRL shares, is not in doubt and/or dispute.

9. Furthermore, sub-sections (iv) and (v) of Section 17.2 must be read harmoniously with Section 17.2(i). When so done, it becomes manifest that the parties did, in fact, contemplate the prospect of a breach and/or an occurrence of an Event of Default under the existing loan documents, and the way forward in that case.

10. Section 17.2(iv) provides that in the event of a breach or an Event of Default under any agreement entered into by the Promoters or a Promoter affiliate, with a Promoter lender, namely, the existing loan documents, where under, the Promoter lender makes or is entitled to make a claim for interest over the Promoter FRL shares, you shall, upon immediate notice by the Promoters and in good faith, discuss the manner in which an alienation or disposal of FRL shares can be prevented, including without limitation, by you providing finance directly or through your affiliates, or facilitate financing the financial institutions, on such terms as may be agreed for the purposes of discharging the obligations towards the Promoter lenders. Though Section 17.2(iv) also provides that there is no commitment or obligation on your part to discharge the obligations of the Promoters towards the Promoter lenders, nonetheless, you did not show any good faith.

11. In fact, during the period March to August 2020, all your actions lacked good faith. Except for offering lip service and perfunctorily attempting to show your concern, there were no serious or genuine efforts made by you. The correspondence during this period bears out that you really had no intention to assist the Promoters/FCPL in preventing the alienation or disposal of the FRL shares. What you merely did, was put up a facade of facilitating the raising of finance by the Promoters.

12. Section 17.2(v), on the other hand, provides that you have a right, exercisable in your sole and absolute discretion, requiring the Promoters to fully and duly replace all the then existing Promoter lenders with Replacement Financial Institutions (RFIs), who, pursuant to their appointment, shall provide the requisite financing, so as to fully discharge the outstanding debt of the existing Promoter lenders. In this regard, it further bears noting that the terms of funding/borrowing offered by the RFIs shall commensurate, and be no less favourable than, the terms that would have been ordinarily offered for financing of the like.

13. A holistic reading of Section 17.2 clearly brings out the intention of the parties. It was to ensure that the Promoter FRL Securities were, at all times, to be protected and prevented from alienation or disposal. To this end, you too had a role to play. Ever since, and for that matter, even before the execution of the FCPL SHA and the SSA, you knew that Promoters had borrowed around Rs. 10,000 crores from various lenders, including Indian Banks like the Vijaya Bank, Syndicate Bank, Punjab National Bank, Central Bank of India and financial institution like IFCI Limited. Given the existing debt situation at the time of signing the FCPL SHA, you knew very well that in order to preserve the Call Option you had thereunder between the 3rd and 10th year, the FRL Shares had to be protected.

14. The reason for such a long duration vis-a-vis the Call Option is well known. It is because both, at the time of signing the FCPL SHA and presently, Indian laws do not permit you to invest in multi-brand retail businesses, without prior government approval. Hence, inter alia preserving FRL Shares was, one of the key elements at all times to the arrangement encapsulated under the FCPL SHA. It is not as if once you subscribed to the shares by investing Rs.1410 crores, we alone would be responsible for protecting the FRL Shares, given the pre-existing debts of the Future Group. You therefore walked in to the transaction having full knowledge of the risk of not being able to preserve and protect the FRL shares, without further investment from your side.

15. Until the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, we did all that was required to protect the Promoter FRL Securities. The situation in March 2020 went beyond the Promoters control.

16. Since March 2020, the situation was as follows:i. Retail businesses were among the worst hit, on account of nation-wide lockdown announced by the Central and State Governments in India;ii. All 1534 stores of FRL were shut and ceased operations from March 23, 2020, with the exception of supplying essential goods, which too had minimal output, inter alia due to logistical and inventory constraints;iii. FRL sales dropped significantly resulting in the funding requirement to service its debt and fixed costs, to continuously increase;iv. FRL could not find lenders by reason of falling revenues and increasing costs and debts, resulting in a sharp and sudden fall in the market price of FRL shares, which, in turn, had a cascading effect on the Promoter FRL Securities;v. The free fall of the market price of FRL shares meant that the existing Promoter lenders called for a top-up in the Security Cover, by way of the pledge of additional FRL shares or cash security;

vi. In view of the prevailing market conditions, caused mainly on account of COVID- 19 pandemic, the Promoters had the ability to raise further funds, particularly given the restriction to do so under Section 17.2(i) of the FCPL SHA.

17. In light of the aforesaid, the Promoters promptly notified you about the occurrence of Event(s) of Default under the existing loan documents. The first such communication was addressed on March 16, 2020.

18. It is, however, a matter of record that you failed to nominate any RFIs . No written intimation to this extent was even sent by you. Your failure to exercise this right, when the circumstances warranted the same, contributed to the loss of control over the Promoters FRL Securities.

19. Needless to add, you are fully aware of the laws of India. A corporate debtor, who is unable to discharge its debt, can be made subject to a restructuring or resolution process, where the management not only loses all control, but the promoter equity holding is also at the risk of being wiped out. Banks and other lenders, on account of mounting debt, which had increased to around Rs. 11,250 crores as of June 30, 2020, started to exert tremendous pressure to restructure the businesses, failing which, they would be compelled to initiate action. Any such action would have resulted in the collapse of the entire business. These facts were also known to you.

20. In such dire circumstances, you were not expected to sit on the fence by simply calling for information and data and doing nothing to prevent the alienation and disposal of the Promoter FRL Securities. The least you could have done, was to nominate RFIs as soon as possible, or within reasonable time. By not nominating any RFIs, you contributed to the deterioration of the asset value of Promoters FRL Securities.

21. At that stage, the options were limited. One was to allow the law to take its own course. The other, was to salvage the value of the Promoter FRL Securities. Disappointed with your lackadaisical conduct in protecting the Promoter FRL Securities, of which, you were to be ultimate beneficiary through the Call Option, and under pressure from other lenders and bankers, we started parallel discussions with other potential investors to avoid any harsh steps from the lenders and bankers. One of the potential investors was the Reliance. This fact was well publicised in the media since June 2020. You were apprised about the same during various discussions. In fact, the exclusivity condition imposed by the Reliance, while conducting due diligence and negotiating the deal, was also categorically communicated to you. However, for 3 months, until the end of August 2020, you came up with no concrete proposal to prevent the disposal and/or alienation of Promoter FRL Securities. You, therefore, abandoned your right to nominate RFIs, leaving the Promoters/FCPL with no choice but to consent to FRLs proposed transaction, so as to salvage the: overall residual value in Promoter FRL Securities; and, the interest of all other stakeholders of FRL, as also the other companies involved in the transaction.

22. In this factual background, since we took all reasonable steps to prevent the alienation of FRL Shares, albeit without success, on the one hand, and given the lack of good faith on your part coupled with the abandonment of your right to nominate RFIs, under Section 17.2(iv) and Section 17.2(v) of the FCPL SHA respectively, on the other, we stood absolved of the obligations, if any, under the FCPL SHA.

23. As aforesaid, Section 17.2.(i) is impliedly subject and/or subservient to the existing loan documents. All the existing loan documents were fully honoured until the outbreak of the COVID- 19 pandemic. Protecting FRL shares is inter alia key and fundamental to the FCPL SHA, as also accepted by you, being a valuable investment by FCPL. All other rights and obligations of the parties to the FCPL SHA are concomitant with and revolve around the protection of Promoters FRL Shares. If the transaction with the Reliance/MDA Group was not finalised, FRL would inevitably have faced insolvency and/or liquidation, in which event, the entire equity would have been wiped out, leaving you with nothing. We therefore deny having acted for personal gain, as alleged or at all. We have, in fact, acted in public interest, namely, in the interest of the banks, other lenders, and public shareholders. We have also ensured that the investments of FCPL continue to remain encumbrance free.

24. On account of breach of the FCPL SHA on your part, as stated above, we are absolved and/or discharged of the obligations under the FCPL SHA, including those Section 8, Section 13.1, Section 13.2, and Section 14.

25. Given that FCPL is discharged of its obligations inter alia under Section 13.2, you were not entitled to exercise the rights vested in your favour under Clause 13.2.4 of the FCPL SHA to act as the Constituted Attorney of FCPL, which could have only been exercised upon the occurrence of a breach under the FRL SHA. You have, however, illegally exercised your rights thereunder by addressing letters dated October 3, 2020, October 28/29, 2020, and November 8/9, 2020 to SEBI, the stock exchanges, FRL, the Audit Committee, and the Independent Directors of FRL, as the Constituted Attorney of FCPL, and alleged breaches under the FRL SHA.

26. There is yet another breach by you. It is your case that there is a single integrated transaction arising out of the FRL SHA and the FCPL SHA. This directly contravenes Section 15.17 of the FCPL SHA, which states:

15.17. For the avoidance of doubt, Parties hereby expressly record their understanding that the Promoters and the Investor have no agreement or understanding whatsoever in relation to the acquisition of shares or voting rights in, or exercising control over, FRL and that the Company, the Promoters and the Investor otherwise do not intend to act in concert with each other in any way whatsoever.27. Your contention, that there is a single integrated transaction, also violates the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA). Therefore, the two SHAs must be regarded as independent. This contention is also in breach of Section 27.2 of the FCPL SHA, by which, the parties have agreed that the FCPL SHA is the sole repository of the contractual terms between the parties. Moreover, Section 27.4 of the FCPL SHA provides that any modification / variation / alteration of the FCPL SHA can only be in writing and executed between parties.

28. It may also be noted that by failing to fund and/or facilitate the funding required by the Promoters, you lost the ability to become the single largest shareholder of FRL by exercising the Call Option vested in your favour under Section 15 of the FCPL SHA. Such ability was lost in April 2020, as it is an admitted position that as on April 9, 2020, the unencumbered Promoter FRL Securities constituted only approximately 0.5% of the shares in FRL, excluding the shares held by FCPL. The shares held by FCPL in FRL have been duly protected from encumbrances by us till date, in accordance with the terms of the FCPL SHA. Therefore, it is apparent that on the one hand you did not bother to preserve your protective, special, and material rights under the FCPL SHA, by protecting your right and ability to become the single largest shareholder of FRL, whilst on the other hand, you seek to contend that the FRL SHA and FCPL SHA constitute a single integrated transaction to protect your protective, special, and material rights under the FCPL SHA. Your conduct smacks of mala fides, with a view to obstruct the merger with the Reliance and cause wrongful gain to yourself. Furthermore, even if your above contention is accepted, it would involve FCPL and the Promoters in a transaction, which would be illegal as per the applicable FEMA Regulations. This was never the intention of FCPL as well as the Promoters.

Re: 2nd December Letter

29. You have, at paragraph 5 of this letter, briefly set out the communications exchanged on behalf of the promoters with you. You have been selective in your references. You have not referred to the complete chain of communications through emails, text and WhatsApp messages, and oral discussions and presentations. These communications took place simultaneously at different levels and between different persons. Significantly these communications, will show that (i) we put-forth various alternative proposals for your consideration, including a proposal to increase Amazons effective shareholding in FRL from 4.8% to 19.1%, by investing an additional INR 1,470 Crores, (ii), we made attempts to negotiate with other financial institutions and/or funds (for example Samara) to prevent alienation or disposal of Promoter FRL Securities, (iii) we could not go ahead with Samara because they wanted your NOC which was not forthcoming; (iv) we also explored the possibility of forming a consortium of financial institutions including other investors (eg Premji) , who wanted your participation, which you did not consent to, using FDI laws as the reason, (iv) you were at all times fully aware of the exclusivity period with Reliance of 4 weeks from 2nd July,2020 and its extension upto 14th August, but as party to FCPL SHA made no concrete plan or proposal.

30. What is of equal significance, however, is that in your own narration, you have not been able to show any positive measure or steps adopted by you to achieve the objective of protecting the Promoter FRL Securities from alienation, including but not limited to nominating RFIs. The only irresistible conclusion is that neither were you interested in making further investment, nor were you in a position to find an alternative investor to do so, leaving us with no choice to save FRL from ostensible liquidation.

31. You were well aware that in light of the disruption caused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the lenders were chasing various companies of the Future Group for honouring their obligations. Being totally disillusioned and fed up with your lackadaisical attitude, we were left with no option, but to accept the offer from the Reliance. Given the fact that Reliance is one of the largest conglomerates in the country and globally, we believed that this was the best deal in the interest of all the stakeholders of various companies of Future group including FRL, as it addressed the concerns of the lenders, employees, shareholders (public shareholders of the listed companies) of the Future Group companies including FRL. You, alone, are responsible for contributing to this situation, having failed to bail out FCPL and/or the Promoters from preventing alienation or disposal of the Promoter FRL Securities.

32. Your contention that we were required to take your consent before giving our consent to FRL for going ahead with the composite scheme of arrangement, assumes significance only if we could mutually save the Promoter FRL Securities from alienation and/or disposal. This never happened, despite our best efforts. Accordingly, the consent was appropriately granted by FCPL on 29 August 2020. For the reasons mentioned above this consent which was granted does not amount to any breach as alleged by you or otherwise.

33. We are fortified in our above contentions, by the order dated December 21,2020 of the Honble Delhi High Court in Suit CS (COMM) 493/2020 filed by Future Retail Ltd. And in particular paragraphs 9.14 to 9.18 and 10.1 to 10.31 thereof.

34. In the circumstances, we were released of our obligations under the FCPL SHA.

Yours sincerely,

Future Coupons Private Limited

Future Corporate Resources Private Limited

Promoters (through their Authorised Representative)
Samsung confirmed today that its latest Galaxy flagship smartphone will launch next week on January 14th at 8:30 PM IST.

The Galaxy Unpacked event will be Samsungs first major announcement of the year and will take place on the last day of CES.

 LetsGoDigital

Over the past year, mobile technology has taken centre stage in everyday life as people are working remotely and spending more time at home, Samsungs invitation reads. The accelerated transition to a mobile-first world brings with it the need for devices that can transform everyday life into an extraordinary experience.



Much like before any event, a lot of information on the upcoming smartphone has already leaked such as features, the design and what we can expect from the smartphone.

Samsung has not officially detailed which smartphones are expected to launch, however, its all but certain that Samsung will be announced the new Galaxy S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra.

The company is also expected to announce a new pair of Galaxy Buds and possible a tracker much like the Tile products.

 Github

While we can expect the usual slew of information about the phone unveiling next week, one particular leak has been rather persistent.



It seems like the company will be bringing stylus support to at least one of the models where the device will be able to function similarly to the Galaxy Note series.

Samsung is also expected to push more accessible foldable smartphones in 2021 and we could expect the company to announce something along those lines at the event.

The new range of foldable phones is also expected to have support for Samsungs S Pen stylus as it was the only missing feature needed for the companys foldable lineup.

Samsung smartphone chief TM Roh has already discussed the possibility openly and we should know more once the event kicks off next week.

 LetsGoDigital

To know more about the Galaxy S21, check out all of the previous rumours here.


Jan. 4

6:21 a.m. | The suspect has been identified as 21-year-old Mytrez Deunte Woolen of Marshall, Texas. He is accused of shooting Pastor Mark Allen McWilliams, 62, with McWilliams' gun.

Jan. 3

7:00 p.m. | The male suspect stole the pastor's vehicle and fled east before being arrested by deputies in nearby Harrison County, Smith said. He said the man was hospitalized Sunday afternoon with gunshot wounds to his hand, but that it's unclear when he was shot.

2:30 p.m. | A pastor at the church was killed after pulling a gun on a suspect who had been hiding out in the church, a local sheriff said. No church services were happening at the time.

12:30 p.m. | A Sunday shooting in Starrville, Texas has left one dead and injured others, according to Larry Christian with the Smith County Sheriffs Office. Governor Abbott offered condolences to victim's families and loved ones in a statement. No further details on the shooting have been released by Smith County law enforcement.
Dhaka, Jan 4 (UNI) Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday asked the police personnel to stop cybercrimes alongside money laundering, human trafficking, terrorism, militancy, abuse of drugs, gangster culture and repression on women and children.

The most important thing is that the trend of crimes is changing with the advent of newer technologies as it is an era of technology. Cybercrimes are increasing drastically and we have to prevent it, she said.

While addressing virtually the passing-out parade of the 37th BCS batch of assistant superintendents of police (ASPs) from her official Gonobhaban residence in the capital, the prime minister also said that the crimes which are being committed using technology must be stopped.

Bangladesh police organised the programme at the Bangladesh Police Academy, Rajshahi.

The Prime Minister called upon the police personnel to always serve the people with honesty, dedication, moral values and discipline and thus achieve the trust, confidence and love of the people.

In case of discharging professional duties, the police personnel have to give utmost priority to the peoples fundamental rights, human rights and the rule of law, she said.

Noting that money laundering, cybercrime and human trafficking have global phenomenon, Sheikh Hasina said, We have to protect our country from the menaces.

The Prime Minister highly praised the police personnel for playing a significant role in controlling militancy and terrorism in the country. Police have to play a stronger role in curbing militancy and terrorism alongside stopping the abuse of drugs. Many police personnel have sacrificed their lives for the noble cause.

She asked the police personnel to prevent the repression on the women and children with more efficiency alongside stopping other social crimes such as spreading rumours and gangster culture.

We have to bring to normal life the teenagers who are involved in crimes using various apps, she said.

The Prime Minister asked the police personnel to stay alert so that none could spread rumour to destabilise the country.

Describing training as the most important thing to make the police personnel capable to fight the crimes, she said, We have taken measures to train the police personnel accordingly at home and abroad and it must be continued.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, MP, and senior secretary of public security division Mostofa Kamal Uddin spoke on the occasion while Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed gave a welcome address at the function.

On behalf of the Prime Minister, the Home Minister distributed prizes among apprentice ASPs -- Abul Hossain, Snehasish Kumar Das, Md Fayejul Islam and Md Abul Hossain for their best performances in various fields. Among them, Snehasish Kumar Das was adorned with the best all-round performance award.

The newly commissioned police officers also took formal oaths on the occasion.

Bangladesh police arranged a spectacular parade marking the occasion which the prime minister witnessed virtually from the Gonobhaban.

The Prime Minister said that her governments topmost priority is to ensure peace and security of the people by strengthening democracy.

She called upon the police personnel to stand beside the people in their bad days to gain their confidence, trust and love. The number of the police would not matter if you can gain confidence, trust and love of the people and you can contain any crime with the help of people.

In this connection, the prime minister said, quoting Bangabandhu, Bear in mind that the people will love you instead of fearing. You know, people love police in many countries. You have to learn how to earn honour.

Briefly highlighting various measures taken by her government for the overall development of police, Sheikh Hasina said her government has formed, Anti-Terrorism Unit and Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes (CTTC) Unit to enhance efficiency of the police personnel in containing the terrorism and militancy.

The government also has established Special Security and Protection Battalion, Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), Tourist Police, Naval Police and Industrial Police to effectively fight all sorts of crimes, she continued.

The Prime Minister said they have formed armed police battalions for ensuring security at airports while two armed police battalions have also been formed to maintain law and order at camps in Coxs Bazar where around 1.1 million Rohingyas took shelter and one female armed police battalion has also been formed.

Ms Hasina said that the budget for police was only Tk 8.50 billion when the Awami League assumed office in 1996, adding that the government increased the amount to Tk 12 billion in its first budget.

Noting that after coming to power for the second time in 2009, her government found that no more allocation was made for the police in the national budget, she said, We have increased the allocation for Bangladesh police to Tk 160 billion (16,000 crore) in the national budget announced for the FY 2020-21.

The Prime Minister said she herself as the head of the government has established a 10-storey hospital for police at Rajarbagh Police Lines after coming to power in 1996 and stressed the need of forming a separate medical unit for ensuring medicare services for the police.

She said that her government has rented a private hospital for giving proper treatment to the policemen infected with COVID-19.

Ms Hasina also said her government has been taking measures to establish educational institutes in the divisional cities for ensuring proper education for the children of the police personnel.

The Prime Minister said that the police have to play a great role in establishing a developed and prosperous country free from poverty, hunger and religious disharmony as envisioned by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

UNI XC MAZ SB 1403
A leading teaching union has demanded an answer as to why nursery schools and special schools in Northern Ireland are not being afforded the same safety approach in line with rest of the education sector.

Special and nursery schools returned as normal on Monday morning, while primary school children moved immediately to remote learning and those in secondary schools are now continuing their education under revised safety measures as the number of Covid cases in Northern Ireland continues to rise daily.

Chair of the Northern Committee of the Irish National Teachers Organisation, Caroline McCarthy, said the lack of forward planning has left teachers feeling unprotected.

The chaotic approach of the minister to the management of the pandemic at a system level could be easily averted by real steps to improve safety such as informed and timely communication with the workforce he is depending on, she said.

Special school and nursery school teaching and non-teaching staff have been ordered back into a school environment that the Minister himself has stated needed additional safety mitigations.

She said the Minister had failed to support their needs.

The only additional mitigation he has mentioned, compulsory face coverings in post primary schools, does not apply to either of these settings. The Minister has failed to show them any level of additional support, she said.

All staff in school are entitled to the protections necessary to keep them and the children in their classroom safe. The obligation to provide these protections rests with Minister Weir, Boards of Governors, Employing Bodies and school managements. INTO remains ready as always to assist these individuals and bodies in this work.

We demand to know why the special and nursery sectors are not afforded the same consideration of their safety as applied to other school sectors. INTO calls on the Minister to demonstrate immediately protection for the staff in these settings.

Mr Weir and his Executive colleagues would do well to concentrate their efforts in support of their expressed wishes to keep schools open by having vaccinations made available to members of school staffs who wish to take it.

The organisation is now demanding that the very real concerns of teachers

INTO repeats its call to the Minister, the Department of Education, Department of Health and the Executive to take seriously the valid concerns of its members, said Caroline.

We will only be reassured that safety is the Departments primary concern when we see evidence of forward planning and an end to last minute and contradictory decision making.

Belfast Telegraph
The main element of the undermining from within the Ukrainian society in the framework of the hybrid aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine is the manipulation of protest sentiments, built, inter alia, on patriotic feelings, the website of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (SVR) reported about the main external threats to Ukraine.

"The language and religious issues, the problem of external control of Ukraine, including through dependence on the IMF and other Western institutions and governments, are actively used ... Provocations with attacks by alleged 'nationalists' on representatives of 'opposition' of pro-Russian forces are being inspired and inflated with information," the message says.

The SVR also names one of the forms of pressure on the Ukrainian state the confessional situation and the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine. "The Russian special services, having leverage on the religious sphere, use the Russian Orthodox Church at the same time both as 'tough' (inspiration of protest actions, which can easily develop into demonstrative clashes with law enforcement officers or provocateurs), and as 'soft' power (influence on the minds of believers). In this direction, Russia uses all available technologies to counteract the process of the formation of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, manipulating the feelings of Ukrainian believers and trying in every possible way to preserve its influence on them," the message says.

The Service also states about threats to create paramilitary formations within religious communities, endowing them with law enforcement functions, and also note the intensification of the activities of pro-Russian "Cossack" organizations, which are trying to duplicate the functions of the police in protecting public order at the local level.

"A comprehensive assessment and response of the Ukrainian state aimed at curbing Russian information aggression requires the activities of pro-Russian television channels in Ukraine," the SVR emphasizes.

The ministry notes that the Ukrainian intelligence also pays special attention to countering threats in cyberspace. "Hacker interventions into the operation of critical infrastructure facilities in Ukraine, inspired by the Russian Federation, are the same instrument of a hybrid war against our state, just like armed aggression .... The cybermilitarization of Moscow threatens not only Ukraine, but also other countries that the Russian Federation considers its enemies or competitors. It is not only about cyberattacks and gaining unauthorized access to information and telecommunication systems, but also about attempts to use social networks to manipulate public opinion, destabilize the socio-political situation - the so-called operations of influence," the SVR said in a statement.
Bexar County Sheriff's Office

A 26-year-old San Antonio man is facing multiple charges after he was accused of soliciting a child online for sex, according to an arrest affidavit.

Daniel Vidales was charged with online solicitation of a minor with intent for sexual contact, possession of child pornography, promotion of child pornography, sexual assault of a child and sexual performance by a child.
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump spent an hour on the phone with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) in an attempt to convince the state's top election official to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state. Even for Trump, it was a remarkable moment -- an attempt to lean on an elections official to find more votes that would somehow alter the outcome of the election.

Thanks to The Washington Post, which broke the news, the full audio of the call is available. I went through the transcript of the call and pulled out the lines you need to see. They're below.

1. "We won very substantially in Georgia. You even see it by rally size, frankly. We'd be getting 25-30,000 people a rally and the competition would get less than 100 people."

Well, I'm convinced! Trump has always been entirely convinced that having large rallies = winning. Of course, even if Trump had 30,000 people at a rally, that's roughly .6% of the 4.9 million votes cast in Georgia this fall. Math! And away we go!

2. "We have at least 2 or 3 -- anywhere from 250-300,000 ballots were dropped mysteriously into the rolls. Much of that had to do with Fulton County, which hasn't been checked."

I am not sure what Trump is talking about here. (This will be a running theme.) My guess is that he is equating the entirely legitimate process of early votes being tabulated and included in the statewide totals as votes being "mysteriously" dropped.

3. "We think that if you check the signatures -- a real check of the signatures going back in Fulton County you'll find at least a couple of hundred thousand of forged signatures of people who have been forged."

There is zero evidence for this claim.

4. "But it's much more than the number of 11,779 that's -- The current margin is only 11,779."

Fact Check: True!

5. "But you also have a substantial numbers of people, thousands and thousands who went to the voting place on November 3, were told they couldn't vote, were told they couldn't vote because a ballot had been put on their name."

There's zero evidence for this claim. The closest I could find was back in September when Raffensperger announced that roughly 1,000 people had tried to double-vote.

6. "Late in the morning, they went early in the morning they went to the table with the black robe, the black shield and they pulled out the votes. Those votes were put there a number of hours before the table was put there."

"It's all nonsense." -- The Washington Post

7. "They weren't in an official voter box, but they were in what looked to be suitcases or trunks, suitcases but they weren't in voter boxes. The minimum number it could be because we watched it and they watched it certified in slow motion instant replay, if you can believe it, but slow motion and it was magnified many times over and the minimum it was 18,000 ballots, all for Biden."

This isn't true. (See No. 6.) Also, "slow motion instant replay"!!!!

8. "You had out-of-state voters. They voted in Georgia but they were from out of state, of 4,925. You had absentee ballots sent to vacant, they were absentee ballots sent to vacant addresses."

"Every one we've been through are people that lived in Georgia, moved to a different state but then moved back to Georgia legitimately." -- Ryan Germany, lawyer for the Georgia secretary of state's office

9. "And I know you would like to get to the bottom of it, although I saw you on television today and you said that you found nothing wrong. I mean, you know, and I didn't lose the state, Brad."

"I saw you on television today." -- The President of the United States

10. "People have been saying that it was the highest vote ever. There was no way. A lot of the political people said that there's no way they beat me."

So, if it was "the highest vote ever," Trump couldn't have lost? Yeah, this checks out.

11. "As you know, every single state ... we won every state."

Mr. President, I have the Electoral College map on line one for you.

12. "And we won the House, but we won every single state house and we won Congress, which was supposed to lose 15 seats, and they gained, I think 16 or 17 or something."

Mr. President, I have Speaker Nancy Pelosi on line two for you.

13. "So dead people voted and I think the number is close to 5,000 people."

There is zero evidence for this claim.

14. "The bottom line is, when you add it all up and then you start adding, you know, 300,000 fake ballots ..."

It appears as though he literally just made this number up.

15. "And this may or may not ... because this just came up this morning that they are burning their ballots, that they are shredding, shredding ballots and removing equipment."

NOPE!

16. "You're not the only one, I mean, we have other states that I believe will be flipping to us very shortly."

Oh really? Give me a list of those states. I'll wait ...

17. "But in Detroit, we had, I think it was, 139% of the people voted. That's not too good.

Turnout in Detroit was 51% of eligible voters. Which is less than 139%.

18. "In Pennsylvania, they had well over 200,000 more votes than they had people voting."

[narrator voice] They didn't.

19. "But, uh, they had as an example, in Michigan, a tremendous number of dead people that voted."

Nah, bro.

20. "And we won the state and we won it very substantially and easily and we're getting, we have, much of this is a very, you know they're certified, far more certified than we need."

This stuff isn't just being certified. It's being "far more certified than we need." So you know it's good.

21. "But we only lost the state by that number, 11,000 votes, and 779."

So, the 11 is in the thousands column, the 7 is in the hundreds column, the 7 is in the tens column and the 9 is in the ones column ...

22. "Because, what's the difference between winning the election by two votes and winning it by half a million votes. I think I probably did win it by half a million."

OK, so Trump is saying that rather than losing Georgia by 11,770 votes, he won it by 500,000 votes? Man, these Georgians need to get their math straight!

23. "And they say it's not possible to have lost Georgia."

Well, if "they" say it ...

24. "And the people of Georgia are angry, the people of the country are angry. And there's nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, that you've recalculated."

In which the President of the United States suggest Georgia's top election official redo the results of a vote that has already been certified and validated by the state's electors. Very normal stuff!

25. "They did it in slow motion replay magnified, right?"

The only thing missing here is from Trump to break out the telestrator to explain it all.

26. "Where were the poll watchers and why did they say a water main broke, which they did and which was reported in the newspapers? They said they left. They ran out because of a water main break, and there was no water main. There was nothing. There was no break."

Gabriel Sterling, the voting system implementation manager, said this in December when the water main issue first appeared: "You'll see when they walk in, and they see the obvious water leak on the floor. You will see when they move all the stuff out of the way. You will see the Zamboni, little carpet-dryer thingy driving around. I mean, you can see all the things happen, you can see the table get put in place." He also said at the time that no ballots were damaged or altered, according to surveillance video footage.

27. "There's no way I lost Georgia. There's no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes."

Yes, you've said that a few times now ...

28. "Oh this isn't social media. This is Trump media. It's not social media. It's really not, it's not social media. I don't care about social media."

"I don't care about social media." -- Donald Trump, with a straight face, apparently.

29. "And they're going around playing you and laughing at you behind your back, Brad, whether you know it or not, they're laughing at you and you've taken a state that's a Republican state, and you've made it almost impossible for a Republican to win because of cheating, because they cheated like nobody's ever cheated before."

This is a common Trump tactic to bend people to his viewpoint: People are laughing at you behind your back! Which is obviously something he worries a lot about for himself and thinks others do, too.

30. "And you are going to find that they are -- which is totally illegal, it is more illegal for you than it is for them because, you know what they did and you're not reporting it. That's a criminal, that's a criminal offense. And you can't let that happen. That's a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer."

In which Trump not-so-subtly threatens Raffensperger (and his lawyer Ryan Germany) that in defending this allegedly corrupt election they are putting themselves in some sort of legal jeopardy. Totally fine!

31. "And flipping the state is a great testament to our country because, cause you know, this is -- it's a testament that they can admit to a mistake, or whatever you want to call it."

Oh, so overturning a certified election result is actually a good thing for our country because it, uh, shows we can admit we made a mistake?

32. "But I mean, all of this stuff is very dangerous stuff. When you talk about no criminality, I think it's very dangerous for you to say that."

This feels very ominous from Trump. Very.

33. "But, but I'm just curious why wouldn't, why do you keep fighting this thing? It just doesn't make sense. We're way over the 17,779, right?"

First of all, the margin is 11,779. Second, the reason the election officials "keep fighting this thing" is because you don't get to overturn an election just because you didn't like the result.

34. "Because you guys are so wrong. And you treated this. You treated the population of Georgia so badly. You, between you and your governor, who was down at 21, he was down 21 points. And like a schmuck, I endorsed him and he got elected, but I will tell you, he is a disaster."

"[Brian Kemp is] an incredible fighter and tireless champion for the people and values of Georgia." -- Donald Trump, November 2018

35. "And you would be respected. Really respected, if this thing could be straightened out before the election."

Another classic Trump persuasion ploy: If only you would overturn this election, people in Georgia would love you! They would respect you!

36. "They don't want to vote. They hate the state, they hate the governor and they hate the secretary of state. I will tell you that right now. The only people like you are people that will never vote for you."

Trump suggest here that if Republicans lose the two Senate runoffs on Tuesday it's because of Raffensperger's refusal to give the state to Trump. Which, uh, well, OK.

37. "And the real truth is I won by 400,000 votes. At least. That's the real truth. But we don't need 400,000. We need less than 2,000 votes."

I thought he need 11,779 votes +1? Now it's 2,000. How? Why? Yeah, this feels like a good place to end.
By Reuters Staff

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists are not fully confident that COVID-19 vaccines will work on a new variant of the coronavirus found in South Africa, ITV's political editor said on Monday, citing an unidentified scientific adviser to the British government.

Both Britain and South Africa have discovered new, more infectious variants in the coronavirus in recent weeks that have driven a surge in cases. British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Monday he was now very worried about the strand found in South Africa.

Scientists including BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin and John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford, have said they are testing the vaccines on the new variants and say they could make any required tweaks in around six weeks.

"According to one of the government's scientific advisers, the reason for Matt Hancock's 'incredible worry' about the South African COVID-19 variant is that they are not as confident the vaccines will be as effective against it as they are for the UK's variant," ITV political editor Robert Peston said.

Public Health England said there was currently no evidence to suggest that vaccines will not be effective against the new strain. The health ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report.

The world's richest countries have started vaccinating their populations to safeguard against a virus that has killed 1.8 million people and crushed the global economy.

There are currently 60 vaccine candidates in trials, including those that are already being rolled out from AstraZeneca and Oxford, Pfizer and BioNTech, Moderna, Russia's Sputnik V and China's Sinopharm.

That has helped to lift global financial markets, but the discovery of the new variants has raised fresh alarm.

Scientists say the new South African variant has multiple mutations in the important "spike" protein that the virus uses to infect human cells.

Story continues

It has also been associated with a higher viral load, meaning a higher concentration of virus particles in patients' bodies, possibly contributing to higher levels of transmission.

Oxford's Bell, who advises the government's vaccine task force, said on Sunday he thought vaccines would work on the British variant but said there was a "big question mark" as to whether they would work on the South African variant.

He told Times Radio that the shots could be adapted and "it might take a month or six weeks to get a new vaccine".

BioNTech's Sahin told Spiegel in an interview published on Friday that their vaccine, which uses messenger RNA to instruct the human immune system to fight the coronavirus, should be able to cope with the variant first detected in Britain.

"We are testing whether our vaccine can also neutralise this variant and will soon know more," he said.

Asked about coping with a strong mutation, he said it would be possible to tweak the vaccine as required within six weeks - though it might require additional regulatory approvals.
China will open its 500-meter (1,600 foot) telescope to the global scientific community starting on April 1st, Chinas Global Times reported. The Sky Eye parabolic dish is the worlds largest Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) used for spotting pulsars and other energetic astronomical targets. It will also be used occasionally to search for alien life.

Foreign scientists will be able to submit applications to Chinas National Astronomical Observatories online, according to Chinas Xinhua news agency. After review, observation times will be doled out starting on August 1st. Around 10 percent of observation times will be allotted to global astronomers this year, according to FASTs chief engineer Jiang Peng.

The telescope was officially put into service on January 11th, 2020. However, it started observations well before then and has so far imaged 240 pulsars. One of the most significant was found in the Messier 92 star cluster. Its a so-called millisecond pulsar that spins much faster than normal pulsars at an incredible 316.5 rotations per second (18.990 RPM), while sucking in and ejecting matter from its companion star.

Chinas Sky Eye is the largest FAST telescope in the world and the only one that can do specific types of observations following the collapse of the Arecibo Observatory radio telescope in Puerto Rico. The US National Science Foundation said it would tear down the observatory, but theres some glimmer of hope it may be rebuilt after Puerto Rico pledged $8 million in aid.
Joe Bidens fate will be sealed over these next two days. On Tuesday, local time, Georgia votes. If the Democratic challengers defeat the two incumbent Republican Senators, President Biden will control the Senate with much better prospects for his program in Congress. President Trump is trashing Georgias Republican officials because they certified Bidens victory in November, with rifts in the party threatening to depress Republican turnout. But beating both Republicans would be an epic upset.

On Wednesday, the House and Senate will meet in joint session to formally count the Electoral College votes, affirming Joe Biden as the duly elected president. But well over 120 Trumpist Republicans in both chambers will trigger a process that seeks to challenge the Biden electoral votes from swing states that Trump lost, such as Pennsylvania.

This is not unprecedented. In both 2000 and 2004, recalcitrant Democrats protested the defeats of Al Gore and John Kerry by George W. Bush. Twenty years ago, vice-president Gore had to preside over the joint session that affirmed his Electoral College defeat. And yet Gore said, "May God bless our new president and our new vice-president and may God bless the United States of America." Will Vice-President Mike Pence fulfill his duty to the constitution or his fealty to Trump?

In the American experience, there has not been anything like the living history we are now witnessing: a defeated president who does not concede and works to sear into the minds of millions that the election was redolent of fraud and stolen and that Joe Biden is therefore an illegitimate president.
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Zephyr Energy PLC - oil & gas company based in the Rocky Mountain region of the US - Says drilling crews at the State 16-2 well site at Paradox Basin, Utah, have been operating since the December spud and progress so far is fully in line with the company's expectations. Company has received the third USD600,000 tranche of the USD2 million grant funds allocated by the US Department of Energy and its National Energy Technology Laboratory for the drilling of the well. The final balance of USD200,000 will be received following the completion of drilling operations. Says management continues to assess acquisition opportunities with the potential to deliver near-term cash flow at attractive valuations.

"The goal for Zephyr over the next twelve months is straightforward - we want to transform the company into a well-capitalised producer of oil and natural gas, with strong positive cash flow and significant growth potential in its asset portfolio, and one which has developed its assets in an environmentally responsible way. The first step on that journey begins with the safe and successful completion the State 16-2 well," says Chief Executive Colin Harrington.

Current stock price: 0.900 pence

Year-to-date change: down 4.5%

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Five Jewish-themed, award-winning documentary films produced in the United States, Italy and Canada will be shown virtually on five consecutive weeks beginning Tuesday, Jan. 19. To register to view films visit www.jewishchattanooga.com. A subscription for all five films is $36. Films can be viewed one film at a time for $12 each.



All films will screen virtually for 48 hours beginning at noon the day listed (Tuesday) and ending at noon 48 hours later (Thursday). Some films have scheduled discussions. These discussions will take place virtually at 7 p.m. on the Thursday of that films screening. Virtual screenings must be pre-paid in advance by visiting www.jewishchattanooga.com. You will receive the login code the first morning of the screening and a Zoom code for discussions, if one is scheduled, on Thursday. These films have garnered international film awards and nominations, and have received recognition at film festivals throughout the United States, Europe and Israel.



The DOC Series schedule is as follows:



Jan. 19-21: Shared Legacies: The African American-Jewish Civil Rights Alliance. This film is about the often forgotten story of the coalition and friendship between the two communities. Thursday evening there will be a Zoom panel discussion about Chattanoogas African American-Jewish role in the Civil Right Movement. English, 96 minutes.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4Sdvi4ZWsc



Thursday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. A panel discussion about Chattanoogas African American-Jewish role in the Civil Rights Movement will take place via Zoom.



Jan. 26-28: Syndrome K. This film is about a highly contagious, highly infectious fake disease created by three Roman Catholic doctors to hide Jews during the holocaust. Jan. 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Italian, subtitles, 80 minutes.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB008vwd-LQ



Feb. 2-4: Rabbi Goes West. A Chabad, orthodox rabbi and his wife adapt to their new home in Montana. English, 73 minutes.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cec5iiTWD6s



Feb. 9-11: Chewdaism: A Taste of Jewish Montreal. Two Montrealers discover their Jewish heritage as told through an entire days worth of eating in and around the city. English, 62 minutes, followed by the short film Gelfite, about the making of this special Jewish dish, 11 minutes



Thursday, Feb. 11, 7 p.m. local Canadian-American cook Stephen Black will demonstrate one of the films favorite dishes.



Feb. 16-18: Nobody Was Interested, Nobody Asked. The story of holocaust survivors experience in Canada. Thursday evening there will be a Zoom discussion with director Max Beer, and producer Deena Clusy-Apel. English, 60 minutes.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzb8eJqDV5g&t=90s



Thursday, Feb. 18, 7 p.m., Director Max Beer, and Producer Deena Dlusy-Apel will hold a Zoom conversation about the film.



A committee of volunteers reviews an average of 20 films each year in order to choose four documentary films. Films screened at major national and international film festivals, those recommended by peers throughout the United States and those brought to the committees attention by filmmakers are included in the selection process.



The Jewish Cultural Center, funded by the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga, offers programs, classes and exhibits, social services and a preschoolall rooted in Jewish values. The facility enables the Jewish community to raise its visibility, foster relationships and strengthen its identity in the Chattanooga area. Located at 5461 North Terrace, the Center and its programs are open to everyone regardless of religious affiliation.
US prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks publication of leaked military and diplomatic documents a decade ago

London: A British judge on Monday rejected the United States request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face espionage charges, saying he was likely to kill himself if held under harsh US prison conditions.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected allegations that Assange is being prosecuted for political reasons or would not receive a fair trial in the United States. But she said his precarious mental health would likely deteriorate further under the conditions of near-total isolation he would face in US prison.

"I find that the mental condition of Mr Assange is such that it would be oppressive to extradite him to the United States of America," the judge said.

She said Assange was a depressed and sometimes despairing man who had the intellect and determination to circumvent any suicide prevention measures taken by American prison authorities.

The US government said it would appeal the decision. Assanges lawyers said they would ask for his release from a London prison where he has been held for more than a year-and-a-half at a bail hearing on Wednesday.

Assange, who sat in the dock at London's Central Criminal Court for the ruling, wiped his brow as the decision was announced. His partner Stella Moris, with whom he has two young sons, wept.

Assange's American lawyer, Barry Pollack, said the legal team was enormously gratified by the UK courts decision denying extradition.

The effort by the United States to prosecute Julian Assange and seek his extradition was ill-advised from the start, he said. We hope that after consideration of the UK courts ruling, the United States will decide not to pursue the case further.

The ruling marks a dramatic moment in Assange's years-long legal battles in Britain  though likely not its final chapter.

US prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks publication of leaked military and diplomatic documents a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.

Lawyers for the 49-year-old Australian argue that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections of freedom of speech for publishing leaked documents that exposed US military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The judge, however, said Assange's actions, if proven, would amount to offenses in this jurisdiction that would not be protected by his right to freedom of speech.

The defense also argued during a three-week hearing in the fall that extradition threatens Assanges human rights because he risks a grossly disproportionate sentence and detention in draconian and inhumane conditions that would exacerbate his severe depression and other mental health problems.

The judge agreed that U.S. prison conditions would be oppressive. She accepted evidence from expert witnesses that Assange had a depressive disorder and an autism spectrum disorder.

I accept that oppression as a bar to extradition requires a high threshold. ... However, I am satisfied that, in these harsh conditions, Mr Assanges mental health would deteriorate causing him to commit suicide with the single-minded determination of his autism spectrum disorder," the judge said in her ruling.

Lawyers for the US government deny that Assange is being prosecuted merely for publishing the leaked documents, saying the case is in large part based upon his unlawful involvement in the theft of the diplomatic cables and military files by US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.

The prosecution of Assange has been condemned by journalists and human rights groups, who say it undermines free speech around the world.

They welcomed the judge's decision, even though it was not made on free-speech grounds.

"This is a huge relief to anyone who cares about the rights of journalists," The Freedom of the Press Foundation tweeted:

The extradition request was not decided on press freedom grounds; rather, the judge essentially ruled the U.S. prison system was too repressive to extradite. However, the result will protect journalists everywhere.

Assanges legal troubles began in 2010, when he was arrested in London at the request of Sweden, which wanted to question him about allegations of rape and sexual assault made by two women. In 2012, to avoid being sent to Sweden, Assange sought refuge inside the Ecuadorian Embassy, where he was beyond the reach of U.K. and Swedish authorities  but also effectively a prisoner, unable to leave the tiny diplomatic mission in Londons tony Knightsbridge area.

The relationship between Assange and his hosts eventually soured, and he was evicted from the embassy in April 2019. British police immediately arrested him for jumping bail in 2012.

Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in November 2019 because so much time had elapsed, but Assange remains in Londons high-security Belmarsh Prison, brought to court in a prison van throughout his extradition hearing.
The families of the two of the three young men who were killed in an encounter by security forces on December 30 protested in Srinagar on Monday demanding their bodies that have been buried in Ganderbal and impartial investigation into the encounter.

While the army and police have insisted that they were militants, the youths families continued to claim that they were innocent.

The police also released purported videos of the cordoned house where the trio  Zubair Ahmad from Turkawangam Shopian, Ajaz Maqbool and Athar Mushtaq(16-17 years) from Putrigam Pulwama - was killed in Hokersar-Lawaypora Srinagar claiming that they were repeatedly asked to surrender on the night of December 29 and in the morning of December 30.

The family members of Athar Mushtaq and Zubair Ahmad converged at Press Colony in Srinagar carrying banners which read Stop innocents killings and We want complete investigation. Amid wails, the protestors including elderly and women were shouting slogans demanding justice. The protest lasted about an hour with a few dozen people participating in it.

He had bullets in his chest. The mothers and sisters of soldiers then congratulate them saying that you have shot terrorists on the front. But he was just a 16-year-old child, a wailing Mushtaq Ahmad, father of Athar said.

Are the soldiers happy now snatching a piece of my heart? You killed my son to feed your children. Shame on you, he said.

While the police and army have said that the trio was killed in exchange of fire at Hokersar-Lawaypora in Srinagar, their families have rebutted the claim and said that they were civilians. Athar was a class 11 student, Aijaz was pursuing graduation while Zubair was a skilled worker, according to their families.

Mushtaq said that he wanted justice. I dont want money. I just want the body of my son, he said.

He lies buried there in the snow (in Ganderbal). Whom should I tell? Arent people of India listening? I want to tell people of the world that I want justice. I want my son, he is just 16. I am already dead. Either give me my son or bury me there, he said.

As part of the protocol, the authorities have been burying the bodies of militants far away from their homes only allowing a few family members to be part of the burial arranged by police. The trio killed on December 30 was taken to Ganderbal, some 110 km from Pulwama, for burial.

The police have rejected the claims of the families but promised to probe the case from all possible angles.

On Monday, the police released two videos of the surrounded house purportedly showing forces asking those inside to surrender. On 29/12/20 evening after the cordon at Hokersar, troops are repeatedly appealing to the trapped terrorists to come out and surrender with assurances that they will not be harmed, Kashmir police said in a tweet.

At Hokersar on 30/12/2020 in the morning hours, troops are once again appealing the trapped terrorists to come out in the ground and surrender before them, it said in another tweet with a video.

Almost all the mainstream political parties in Kashmir have raised questions over the encounter after the claims of the families.

National conference vice president Omar Abdullah on Monday asked lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha to facilitate the handing over of the bodies. The LG has promised a fair & speedy probe in to this encounter when JKNC Lok sabha member Hansain Masoodi spoke to him about it recently. In the interim we hope the LG will order the handing over of the bodies to the families, he said in a tweet.

It is very important that the probe in to this encounter be concluded at the earliest. Only a fair & transparent probe, already promised by @manojsinha, will satisfy the families who have lost their loved ones who they insist were innocent, he said.

However, police have said that their checks have revealed that the Aijaz and Athar were over ground workers of militants.

Background checks also revealed that Aijaz and Ather Mushtaq, both OGWs (over ground workers of militants) variously provided logistic support to terrorists. Antecedents and verifications too shows that both were radically inclined and had aided terrorists of LeT (now so-called TRF) outfit, the police said in a statement.
She earned a new title on her resume: mom.

Witney Carson announced the birth of her first child, a boy, with husband Carson McAllister on Monday afternoon.

The 27-year-old Dancing with the Stars professional revealed just a glimpse into her journey giving birth as she shared updates with her fans on Instagram before welcoming her little one into the world.

Congrats! Witney Carson announced the birth of her first child, a boy, with husband Carson McAllister on Monday afternoon

Witney posted a heartwarming black-and-white snap holding her newborn's hand with her husband's finger clasping her grip.

'After a really hard 24 hour labor, and an unexpected c-section we are all healthy and well,' she shared. 'We are so grateful & we've been soaking up every moment with our perfect angel boy. Thank you for all the prayers!'

McAllister stayed by his wife's side throughout the day-long delivery as the pair reveled in their final moments as a family of two.

Bliss: McAllister stayed by his wife's side throughout the day-long delivery as the pair reveled in their final moments as a family of two

'Never loved this man more than I do right now,' she wrote across a photo with her husband. 'He's an actual angel.

From the comfort of her hospital bed, Witney shared that she received an epidural to help with pain management.

'Contractions are actual hell but the epidural is heaven.... so I'm doing great,' she captioned a shot as Carson massaged her hand.

Whatever it takes: From the comfort of her hospital bed, Witney shared that she received an epidural to help with pain management

'After a really hard 24 hour labor, and an unexpected c-section we are all healthy and well,' she shared. 'We are so grateful & we've been soaking up every moment with our perfect angel boy. Thank you for all the prayers!'

'Passed by this mirror today and couldnt believe how big this boy has gotten,' she wrote. 'Im officially DONE & so ready to meet him! Any suggestions on how to start this labor?!'

Just days ago, Witney revealed she was 39 weeks along and ready to meet her baby boy any day now.

'Passed by this mirror today and couldnt believe how big this boy has gotten,' she wrote. 'Im officially DONE & so ready to meet him! Any suggestions on how to start this labor?!'

Witney and Carson were married on Jan. 1, 2016 in a ceremony of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at the Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City and celebrated their five-year wedding anniversary on Friday.
Scientists are not fully confident that COVID-19 vaccines will work on a new variant of the coronavirus found in South Africa, ITV's political editor said on Monday, citing an unidentified scientific adviser to the British government.

Both Britain and South Africa have discovered new, more infectious variants in the coronavirus in recent weeks that have driven a surge in cases. British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Monday he was now very worried about the strand found in South Africa.

Scientists including BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin and John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford, have said they are testing the vaccines on the new variants and say they could make any required tweaks in around six weeks.

Also Read: Second COVID-19 mutant found in UK; even more infectious than previous strain

"According to one of the government's scientific advisers, the reason for Matt Hancock's 'incredible worry' about the South African COVID-19 variant is that they are not as confident the vaccines will be as effective against it as they are for the UK's variant," ITV political editor Robert Peston said.

Public Health England said there was currently no evidence to suggest that vaccines will not be effective against the new strain. The health ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report.

The world's richest countries have started vaccinating their populations to safeguard against a virus that has killed 1.8 million people and crushed the global economy.

There are currently 60 vaccine candidates in trials, including those that are already being rolled out from AstraZeneca and Oxford, Pfizer and BioNTech, Moderna, Russia's Sputnik V and China's Sinopharm.

That has helped to lift global financial markets, but the discovery of the new variants has raised fresh alarm.

Also Read: UK kickstarts Oxford-Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine rollout with 82-year old dialysis patient

Scientists say the new South African variant has multiple mutations in the important "spike" protein that the virus uses to infect human cells.

It has also been associated with a higher viral load, meaning a higher concentration of virus particles in patients' bodies, possibly contributing to higher levels of transmission.

Oxford's Bell, who advises the government's vaccine task force, said on Sunday he thought vaccines would work on the British variant but said there was a "big question mark" as to whether they would work on the South African variant.

He told Times Radio that the shots could be adapted and "it might take a month or six weeks to get a new vaccine".

Asked about coping with a strong mutation, he said it would be possible to tweak the vaccine as required within six weeks - though it might require additional regulatory approvals.

Also Read: UK Covid-19 strain: Total infected patients in India rise to 38

BioNTech's Sahin told Spiegel in an interview published on Friday that their vaccine, which uses messenger RNA to instruct the human immune system to fight the coronavirus, should be able to cope with the variant first detected in Britain.

"We are testing whether our vaccine can also neutralise this variant and will soon know more," he said.

Asked about coping with a strong mutation, he said it would be possible to tweak the vaccine as required within six weeks - though it might require additional regulatory approvals.
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The new lockdown in England at a glance England will be put into a full national lockdown that will last until the February half term. According to the new rules: All primary and secondary schools will close with immediate effect

Classes will remain only for vulnerable pupils and the children of key workers.

The plan is for them to reopen after the February half-term break.

A-Level and GCSE exams are unlikely to go ahead as planned in the summer.

Universities will also remain closed to students until mid-February.

Nurseries will remain fully open.

The public should stay at home unless they need to leave for one of just five reasons: If they cannot work from home, shopping for necessities, exercise, to give care and for medical treatment or emergencies.

All non-essential retailers, hospitality and 'personal care' like hairdressers must close.

Restaurants and other eateries can continue to operate for takeaways and deliveries.

But pubs will no longer be allowed to offer take-away alcohol sales.

Children's playgrounds will remain open.

All indoor and outdoor sports venues, including golf courses, gyms, swimming pools and tennis courts must close, and team sports cannot take place, even outdoors.

Elite sports like the Premier League can go on under their own schemes. The guidance is for people who are fit and well. There is additional advice for people who are clinically extremely vulnerable to coronavirus and households with a possible or confirmed coronavirus infection. They should not attend work, school, college or university, and limit the time you spend outside the home. The guidance says you should only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential. The rules for all people in England also state: You cannot leave your home to meet socially with anyone you do not live with or are not in a support bubble with (if you are legally permitted to form one).

You may exercise on your own, with one other person, or with your household or support bubble.

You should not meet other people you do not live with, or have formed a support bubble with, unless for a permitted reason.

Stay 2 metres apart from anyone not in your household. Detailed guidance on the national lockdown: You must not leave or be outside of your home except where you have a 'reasonable excuse'. This will be put in law. The police can take action against you if you leave home without a 'reasonable excuse', and issue you with a fine (Fixed Penalty Notice). You can be given a Fixed Penalty Notice of 200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of 6,400. A 'reasonable excuse' includes: Work - you can only leave home for work purposes where it is unreasonable for you to do your job from home

Volunteering - you can also leave home to provide voluntary or charitable services

Essential activities - you can leave home to buy things at shops or obtain services. You may also leave your home to do these things on behalf of a disabled or vulnerable person or someone self-isolating

Education and childcare - you can only leave home for education, registered childcare, and supervised activities for children where they are eligible to attend.

Meeting others and care - you can leave home to visit people in your support bubble ( if you are legally permitted to form one), to provide informal childcare for children under 14 as part of a childcare bubble (for example, to enable parents to work), to provide care for disabled or vulnerable people

Exercise - you can continue to exercise alone, with one other person or with your household or support bubble, limited to once per day, and not outside your local area

Medical reasons - you can leave home for a medical reason, including to get a COVID-19 test, for medical appointments and emergencies

Harm and compassionate visits - you can leave home to be with someone who is giving birth, to avoid injury or illness or to escape risk of harm (such as domestic abuse).

You can also leave home to visit someone who is dying or someone in a care home (if permitted under care home guidance), hospice, or hospital, or to accompany them to a medical appointment

Animal welfare reasons  you can leave home for animal welfare reasons, such as to attend veterinary services for advice or treatment

Communal worship and life events - You can leave home to attend or visit a place of worship for communal worship, a funeral or event related to a death, a burial ground or a remembrance garden, or to attend a wedding ceremony. There are further reasonable excuses. For example, you may leave home to fulfil legal obligations or to carry out activities related to buying, selling, letting or renting a residential property, or where it is reasonably necessary for voting in an election or referendum. Advertisement

Boris Johnson plunged England into a national lockdown in some ways even more brutal than last March last night in a desperate bid to keep the mutant coronavirus at bay while vaccines are rolled out.

Just a day after he urged parents to send their children back, the PM declared in a sombre address from No10 that primary and secondary schools will be shut from today until at least February half-term, with only the vulnerable and offspring of key workers allowed to go in.

University students are being told to stay at home and study remotely, while exams will not go ahead as planned. Nurseries can stay open.

Under the the new guidance, published overnight, non-essential retail, all hospitality, gyms and swimming pools will be ordered to close across the country.

Cafes, bars and restaurants will be allowed to serve takeaway - but in a tightening from the draconian measures last spring, they will not be allowed to serve any alcohol. Vulnerable people are being told to shield where possible. Communal worship can continue with social distancing in place.

The public will once again only be allowed to leave home for one of six reasons: to go to work if essential, shop for necessities, exercise - allowed with one other person from another household, care for someone, or to seek medical help or flee threat of domestic violence.

Those who break the rules face a 200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of 6,400.

The extraordinary third national squeeze will come into effect in the early hours of Wednesday after the regulations are laid today, but Mr Johnson urged the public to adopt the new rules now. MPs will get a vote on them on Wednesday when Parliament is recalled, although there is no prospect of them being defeated.

With his hands clasped together and seated behind a desk in Downing Street, Mr Johnson made clear there is no chance of them being lifted for at least seven weeks - and possibly longer if the vaccine rollout does not go well.

'Our hospitals are under more pressure than at any time since the start of the pandemic. It's clear we need to do more.. while our vaccines are rolled out,' he said.

He said it would not be 'possible or fair' for exams to go ahead this summer as normal.

'The weeks ahead will be the hardest but I really do believe that we are reaching the end of the struggle,' he said, pledging that by mid-February the top four categories on the vaccine distribution list will have had their first jabs.

There are 13.2million people in the top four groups on the vaccination list - care home residents and the over-80s, frontline healthcare workers, the over-70s and the clinically vulnerable.

But the Prime Minister admitted that he could only give assurance that the situation will improve assuming that 'our understanding of the virus does not change again'.

He said: 'By the middle of February, if things go well and with a fair wind in our sails, we expect to have offered the first vaccine dose to everyone in the four top priority groups identified by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

'That means vaccinating all residents in a care home for older adults and their carers, everyone over the age of 70, all frontline health and social care workers, and everyone who is clinically extremely vulnerable.

'If we succeed in vaccinating all those groups, we will have removed huge numbers of people from the path of the virus.

'And of course, that will eventually enable us to lift many of the restrictions we have endured for so long.

'I must stress that even if we achieve this goal, there remains a time lag of two to three weeks from getting a jab to receiving immunity.

'And there will be a further time lag before the pressure on the NHS is lifted. So we should remain cautious about the timetable ahead.

'But if our understanding of the virus doesn't change dramatically once again...

'If the rollout of the vaccine programme continues to be successful...

'If deaths start to fall as the vaccine takes effect...

'And, critically, if everyone plays their part by following the rules...

'Then I hope we can steadily move out of lockdown, reopening schools after the February half-term and starting, cautiously, to move regions down the tiers.

Mr Johnson said he was left with no option after being confronted with catastrophic figures about the burden on the NHS by science chiefs today.

Hospital patients with coronavirus had risen by 40 per cent over a week, and are now higher than at the peak of the first wave.

The scale of the problem was underlined as the latest grim daily tally was released, with 58,784 new cases - a 42 per cent rise on last Monday.

It means the UK has passed the milestone of 50,000 infections every day for a week, suggesting that the easing of restrictions at Christmas helped fuel the outbreak.

Department of Health chiefs also posted 407 more deaths, up just 14 per cent on the figure recorded last week. But it can take infected patients several weeks to fall severely ill and succumb to the illness, meaning fatalities have yet to reach their peak and will continue to rise. The UK recorded almost 1,000 deaths twice last week, in grisly tolls not seen since the darkest days of the spring.

Nicola Sturgeon announced a drastic crackdown in the Scottish Parliament on Monday afternoon, with a legally-enforced stay at home order from midnight and schools north of the border set to stay closed until February.

Even the Scilly Isles has not escaped, shifting from Tier 1 straight to full lockdown when the restrictions come into force.

No10 sources insist that the government wants to go back into a tiering system when the virus subsides and vaccinations make it possible.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said the crackdown was 'essential' and his MPs will support them, effectively guaranteeing their approval in the Commons.

Senior Tory MPs had joined the Opposition in called for the introduction of another national lockdown. But the idea of hardening the restrictions is likely to spark fury from other Conservatives, who insist the country's experience of the pandemic shows that lockdowns do not work and are crippling the economy.

On another grim day of coronavirus chaos:

Matt Hancock said he is 'incredibly worried' about a new South African variant of coronavirus that experts fear might not be caught by the current crop of vaccines;

Brian Pinker, an 82-year-old retired maintenance manager from Oxford, has become the first to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine outside of trials;

Teaching unions launched a concerted bid to shut down all classrooms despite Boris Johnson's plea to stay open, leaving millions of parents to begin homeschooling their children for at least a fortnight with often only a few hours' notice;

The latest data show a 33 per cent rise in the number of confirmed coronavirus patients in hospital in England between Christmas Day and January 2.

In an address from Downing Street, Mr Johnson said: 'Our hopsitals are under more pressure than at any time since the start of the pandemic. It's clear we need to do more.. while our vaccines are rolled out.'

Downing Street issued a series of slides showing the problem the country faces due to the new variant of the virus

Hundreds of thousands of non-essential retailers will have to keep their doors closed under England's third nation-wide lockdown

The Joint Biosecurity Centre has recommended today that the Covid-19 alert level be reduced

ALL YOUR LOCKDOWN QUESTIONS ANSWERED By Claire Ellicott, Political Correspondent for the Daily Mail and Henry Martin for MailOnline Why is England going into lockdown again? Cases caused by the new, more infectious variant of Covid-19 are surging rapidly in every part of the country. In the past week they have gone up by 30 per cent, and the number is 40 per cent higher than the peak of the first wave in April. Medical experts have warned the NHS could be overwhelmed in 21 days unless action is taken. How long will it last? Until mid-February. It will then be subject to a review. Can I see family and friends? The mixing of households indoors is not allowed outside of support bubbles. You can meet one other person outside your household for outdoor exercise. If I am in a bubble with someone, can I still see them? The support bubble system  where a person living alone can pair with another household  can continue. Childcare support bubbles are also still allowed. Are schools closing? Yes. All primary and secondary schools and colleges have to close and switch to online learning, except for the children of key workers and the most vulnerable. Universities must also stay closed. Early years providers, such as nurseries, and special schools can stay open. Will GCSEs and A-levels be cancelled? Boris Johnson said it would not be possible, or fair, for all exams to go ahead as normal this summer. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will work to put alternative arrangements in place. Will churches and other places of worship stay open? Yes, they are allowed to open for individual prayer and communal worship. Can I go on holiday in the UK or abroad? No. Only essential travel is allowed. Will playgrounds stay open? Unlike the first lockdown, yes. Can I move home? Yes, you can still view houses and move home. Can I let my cleaner or plumber into my house? Yes, essential visits by tradesmen can continue. Can I still exercise? You can exercise outdoors with your household, your support bubble or alone with one other person from another household. Exercise should be limited to once a day and should be local, meaning you should not drive to a beauty spot. Can I play golf or tennis? No. Courses and courts must shut. Is professional sport affected? No. Elite sports that are Covid-secure and have bubble systems can continue. Will there be extra financial support? The furlough scheme will remain in place until April. Can I leave my house to get a Covid vaccine? Yes, you can leave your home for all medical appointments. Will garden centres be open? Yes. Are restaurants open? Not for eating inside, but cafes, restaurants, pubs and bars can serve takeaway food and non-alcoholic drinks until 11pm. Will non-essential retailers such as clothes shops be open? No. But click-and-collect services will be permitted to continue. What about hairdressers and beauty salons? No, they are among the non-essential shops that must close. Can I go to work? Only if you 'absolutely cannot' work from home. This means the construction industry can continue and key workers can continue to go to work. Can I get married? Only in exceptional circumstances, for example in cases where people are dying or have debilitating conditions. I had to 'shield' last time  will I have to do this again? Yes. Those who are clinically vulnerable and who were previously told to shield should stay at home and leave only for medical appointments or exercise. They will receive a letter shortly informing them about this. Can I travel to my second home? Travel is allowed only for essential work, shopping for necessities, exercise, caring for the vulnerable and medical reasons. What shops are open? Food shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, garden centres, building merchants and suppliers of building products and off-licences are allowed to remain open, along with market stalls selling essential retail. Can I go to the bank? Banks, building societies, post offices, short-term loan providers and money transfer businesses can stay open. Can I take my pet to the vet? Vets and retailers of products and food for the upkeep and welfare of animals can stay open, along with animal rescue centres What about public facilities? Car parks, public toilets and motorway service areas, along with outdoor playgrounds, outdoor parts of botanical gardens and heritage sites for exercise can stay open Advertisement

In his speech to the nation, the Prime Minister said the previous tiers would have been enough to cope with Covid as it was originally, but the new variant  which is 50 per cent to 70 per cent more transmissible  was spreading in a 'frustrating and alarming' manner.

'As I speak to you tonight, our hospitals are under more pressure from Covid than at any time since the start of the pandemic,' he said.

Mr Johnson said that in England the number of Covid patients in hospitals has increased by nearly a third in the last week to almost 27,000  some 40 per cent higher than the first peak in April.

On December 29 'more than 80,000 people tested positive for Covid across the UK', the number of deaths is up by 20 per cent over the last week 'and will sadly rise further'.

'With most of the country, or maybe under extreme measures, it's clear that we need to do more together to bring this new variant under control while our vaccines are rolled out,' he said.

'In England we must therefore go into a national lockdown which is tough enough to contain this variant.'

Mr Johnson said parents 'may reasonably ask why' decisions on schools were not taken 'sooner'.

'The answer is simply that we've been doing everything in our power to keep schools open because we know how important each day in education is to children's life chances,' he said.

'And I want to stress that the problem is not that schools are unsafe for children. Children are still very unlikely to be severely affected by even the new variant of Covid.

'The problem is that schools may nonetheless act as vectors for transmission, causing the virus to spread between households.'

Mr Johnson said the move on schools means 'it's not possible or fair for all exams to go ahead this summer, as normal'.

He said Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will work with regulator Ofqual to put in place 'alternative arrangements'.

The PM added: 'We will provide extra support to ensure that pupils entitled to free school meals will continue to receive them while schools are closed, and we will distribute more devices to support remote education.'

The premier suggested England could 'steadily' move out of lockdown from mid-February - but he heavily caveated his optimism, in a sign that the crisis could drag on much longer.

'If our understanding of the virus doesn't change dramatically, once again, if the rollout of the vaccine programme continues to be successful, if deaths start to fall as the vaccine takes effect and  critically  if everyone plays their part by following the rules, then I hope we can steadily move out of lockdown, reopening schools after the February half-term and starting cautiously to move regions down the tiers,' Mr Johnson said.

He rounded off his downbeat address by repeating the mantra from the first lockdown, 'stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives'.

'I want to say to everyone right across the UK that I know how tough this is,' he said.

'And I know how frustrated you are and I know that you have had more than enough of Government guidance about defeating this virus.

'But now, more than ever, we must pull together.'

He warned that 'the weeks ahead will be the hardest yet' but 'with every jab that goes into our arms, we are tilting the odds against Covid and in favour of the British people'.

'Thanks to the miracle of science not only is the end in sight but we know exactly how we will get there.'

Businesses voiced dismay at the new clampdown that threatens to wreak more havoc on the economy.

British Chambers of Commerce director general Adam Marshall said: 'Businesses will understand why the Prime Minister has felt compelled to act on the spiralling threat to public health, but they will be baffled and disappointed by the fact that he did not announce additional support for affected businesses alongside these new restrictions.'

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said: 'A third lockdown is yet another blow to our sector. Particularly after it has faced an abysmally quiet Christmas and New Year's, which saw many pubs remain closed over what is meant to be their busiest time of the year.

'The announcement today adds to the woes of pubs as it shows they are a long way from reopening properly. The road to recovery for the pub sector just got longer.'

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the Government should have gone further by extending the rules on wearing face masks to cover busy outdoor areas and toughening up controls at the borders.

'This announcement by the Government of a full national lockdown was inevitable,' Mr Khan said.

'It is unclear why it took Boris Johnson so long to reach this conclusion.'

Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy tweeted: 'This is beyond chaos. How can learning go online tomorrow when teachers were told to spend the last two weeks planning for reopening?

'What will replace exams? And since the PM was told by SAGE that this would almost certainly be necessary on 22 December why is he so unprepared?'

Mr Johnson confirmed this morning that 'tougher' measures were coming despite the optimism sparked by the first Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine doses being administered - although at that point he appeared to hint he would prefer to stick with the Tier system in England.

SAGE has cautioned that it is probably impossible to control the new coronavirus variant while they remain open - although experts say a total shutdown still might not be enough to bring the 'R' reproduction rate below one.

Michael Gove held a conference call with the First Ministers from the four nations to coordinate strategies. But in a sign of splits, Wales has said it will push ahead with reopening schools over the next fortnight unless there is new evidence about the variant strain.

Summer exams are off as schools, colleges and universities shut Schools and colleges across England will be told to shut until the middle of February under Boris Johnson's new national coronavirus lockdown. Primary and secondary schools will have to shift to remote learning for the overwhelming majority of pupils, with only vulnerable children and the children of key workers allowed to attend classes in person. Meanwhile, university students will be banned from returning to campuses and will be told to study remotely from home as the Prime Minister desperately tries to get the rate of Covid-19 infection back under control. The restrictions and school closures are expected to last until the February half-term which is due to begin on February 15. The massive disruption to learning means the Government will rethink its current plan for pupils to sit GCSEs and A-levels broadly as normal in May and June. However, pupils and parents face an uncertain next few weeks, with the Department for Education and exam regulator Ofqual yet to hammer out the details of the updated exams plan. Despite the school closures, early years settings like nurseries, as well as special schools, will be allowed to remain open during lockdown. Announcing the shutdown of the nation's schools during an address to the nation from Downing Street this evening, Mr Johnson said the Government had no choice but to take the drastic action as ministers 'do everything we possibly can to stop the spread of the disease'. The Prime Minister said he 'completely understands the inconvenience and distress this late change will cause millions of parents' and that 'we recognise that this will mean it is not possible or fair for all exams to go ahead this summer as normal'. Mr Johnson said Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will announce 'alternative arrangements' for the assessment of pupils in the coming weeks. Advertisement

Earlier, ex-health secretary Jeremy Hunt joined demands from Labour and Tory MPs for an immediate national squeeze with schools and borders shut and a ban on all household mixing.

Mr Hunt warned that mutant Covid has put the NHS under 'off the scale' pressure compared to normal winters and the government 'cannot afford to wait' even one more day.

Mr Hunt posted on Twitter: 'To those arguing winter is always like this in the NHS: you are wrong. I faced four serious winter crises as Health Sec and the situation now is off-the-scale worse than any of those.'

Mr Hunt said the 'No1 lesson' from the pandemic is that countries can 'save lives and get their economies back to normal faster' if they 'act early and decisively'.

'We therefore cannot afford to wait: all schools should be closed, international travel stopped, household mixing limited and the tier system reviewed so that the highest tier really does bring down infection levels,' Mr Hunt said.

'The good news is that unlike before these restrictions will be time limited to the 12 weeks or so it will take to get the vaccine out to those most vulnerable to covid - so there is light at the end of the tunnel.'

Mr Hunt was among a growing band of Conservative MPs, including ex-No10 adviser Neil O'Brien, urging emergency steps to tackle the coronavirus surge.

Labour has also been pushing for a squeeze, with Sadiq Khan saying Mr Hunt was 'spot on'.

Earlier Matt Hancock suggested the first step will be to escalate even more of the country into Tier 4, saying Tier 3 did not seem able to hold back the more infectious version of the deadly disease.

He insisted the problem was partly down to people failing to obey the rules, amid calls from some MPs for police to be given more powers.

But there were questions about how much more impact extending the coverage of Tier 4 could have, given three-quarters of England is already subject to the harshest bracket, where only essential shops such as supermarkets are allowed to open and people are meant to stay at home.

Dr Yvonne Doyle, medical director for Public Health England (PHE), said the latest daily figures were a 'bitter warning' about the threat.

'The continuous rise in cases and deaths should be a bitter warning for us all. We must not forget the basics  the lives of our friends and family depend on it,' she said.

Speaking during a visit to Chase Farm Hospital in north London yesterday morning, Mr Johnson warned of 'tough tough' weeks to come.

He added: 'If you look at the numbers there's no question we will have to take tougher measures and we will be announcing those in due course.'

Mr Johnson tried to strike a positive note, promising there will be a 'massive ramp up' in vaccination numbers.

BORIS JOHNSON'S LOCKDOWN ANNOUNCEMENT IN FULL 'Since the pandemic began last year, the whole United Kingdom has been engaged in a great national effort to fight Covid. 'And there is no doubt that in fighting the old variant of the virus, our collective efforts were working and would have continued to work. 'But we now have a new variant of the virus. It has been both frustrating and alarming to see the speed with which the new variant is spreading. 'Our scientists have confirmed this new variant is between 50% and 70% more transmissible - that means you are much, much more likely to catch the virus and to pass it on. 'As I speak to you tonight, our hospitals are under more pressure from Covid than at any time since the start of the pandemic. 'In England alone, the number of Covid patients in hospitals has increased by nearly a third in the last week, to almost 27,000. 'That number is 40% higher than the first peak in April. On 29 December, more than 80,000 people tested positive for Covid across the UK - a new record. 'The number of deaths is up by 20% over the last week and will sadly rise further. My thoughts are with all those who have lost loved ones. 'With most of the country already under extreme measures, it is clear that we need to do more, together, to bring this new variant under control while our vaccines are rolled out. 'In England, we must therefore go into a national lockdown which is tough enough to contain this variant. 'That means the Government is once again instructing you to stay at home. 'You may only leave home for limited reasons permitted in law, such as to shop for essentials, to work if you absolutely cannot work from home, to exercise, to seek medical assistance such as getting a Covid test, or to escape domestic abuse. 'The full details on what you can and can't do will be available at gov.uk/coronavirus. 'If you are clinically extremely vulnerable, we are advising you to begin shielding again and you will shortly receive a letter about what this means for you. 'And because we now have to do everything we possibly can to stop the spread of the disease, primary schools, secondary schools and colleges across England must move to remote provision from tomorrow, except for vulnerable children and the children of key workers. 'Everyone will still be able to access early years settings such as nurseries. 'We recognise that this will mean it is not possible or fair for all exams to go ahead this summer as normal. The Education Secretary will work with Ofqual to put in place alternative arrangements. 'We will provide extra support to ensure that pupils entitled to free school meals will continue to receive them while schools are closed, and we'll distribute more devices to support remote education. 'I completely understand the inconvenience and distress this late change will cause millions of parents and pupils up and down the country. 'Parents whose children were in school today may reasonably ask why we did not take this decision sooner. 'The answer is simply that we have been doing everything in our power to keep schools open, because we know how important each day in education is to children's life chances. 'And I want to stress that the problem is not that schools are unsafe for children - children are still very unlikely to be severely affected by even the new variant of Covid. 'The problem is that schools may nonetheless act as vectors for transmission, causing the virus to spread between households. 'Today the United Kingdom's chief medical officers have advised that the country should move to alert level 5, meaning that if action is not taken NHS capacity may be overwhelmed within 21 days. 'Of course, there is one huge difference compared to last year. We are now rolling out the biggest vaccination programme in our history. 'So far, we in the UK have vaccinated more people than the rest of Europe combined. 'With the arrival today of the UK's own Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, the pace of vaccination is accelerating. 'I can share with you tonight the NHS's realistic expectations for the vaccination programme in the coming weeks. 'By the middle of February, if things go well and with a fair wind in our sails, we expect to have offered the first vaccine dose to everyone in the four top priority groups identified by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. 'That means vaccinating all residents in a care home for older adults and their carers, everyone over the age of 70, all frontline health and social care workers, and everyone who is clinically extremely vulnerable. 'If we succeed in vaccinating all those groups, we will have removed huge numbers of people from the path of the virus. 'And of course, that will eventually enable us to lift many of the restrictions we have endured for so long. 'I must stress that even if we achieve this goal, there remains a time lag of two to three weeks from getting a jab to receiving immunity. 'And there will be a further time lag before the pressure on the NHS is lifted. So we should remain cautious about the timetable ahead. 'But if our understanding of the virus doesn't change dramatically once again... 'If the rollout of the vaccine programme continues to be successful... 'If deaths start to fall as the vaccine takes effect... 'And, critically, if everyone plays their part by following the rules... 'Then I hope we can steadily move out of lockdown, reopening schools after the February half-term and starting, cautiously, to move regions down the tiers. 'I want to say to everyone right across the United Kingdom that I know how tough this is, I know how frustrated you are, I know that you have had more than enough of government guidance about defeating this virus. 'But now more than ever, we must pull together. 'You should follow the new rules from now, and they will become law in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Parliament will meet - largely remotely - later that day. 'I know that the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland share my conviction this is a pivotal moment and they're taking similar steps. 'The weeks ahead will be the hardest yet but I really do believe that we are entering the last phase of the struggle. 'Because with every jab that goes into our arms, we are tilting the odds against Covid and in favour of the British people. 'And, thanks to the miracle of science, not only is the end in sight and we know exactly how we will get there. 'But for now, I am afraid, you must once again stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives. 'Thank you all very much.' Advertisement

Lockdown 3: what 'non-essential businesses must close? Non-essential retail, such as clothing and homeware stores, vehicle showrooms (excluding rental), betting shops, tailors, tobacco and vape shops, electronic goods and mobile phone shops, auction houses (except for auctions of livestock or agricultural equipment) and market stalls selling non-essential goods. (These venues can continue to be able to operate click-and-collect off-premises, and delivery services). Hospitality venues such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs (they can remain open for takeaway and delivery of food and non-alcoholic drinks). Accommodation such as hotels, hostels, guest houses and campsites, Leisure and sports facilities such as leisure centres and gyms, swimming pools, sports courts,fitness and dance studios, riding arenas at riding centres, climbing walls, and golf courses. Entertainment venues such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, amusement arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, skating rinks, go-karting venues, indoor play and soft play centres and areas (including inflatable parks and trampolining centres), circuses, fairgrounds, funfairs, water parks and theme parks Animal attractions (such as zoos, safari parks, aquariums, and wildlife reserves) Indoor attractions at venues such as botanical gardens, stately homes and landmarks - though outdoor grounds can stay open for exercise. Personal care facilities such as hair, beauty, tanning and nail salons. Tattoo parlours, spas, massage parlours, body and skin piercing services must also close. They can also not be done in private homes. Community centres and halls. Advertisement

He added: 'There's a massive ramp up operation now going on.

'The rate limiting factor is now not supply of vaccines although we want that to go faster, it's getting them properly tested and getting them to the NHS.

'It's not the ability to distribute the vaccine, it's not the shortage of staff.

'It's getting it properly tested. That will ramp up in the weeks ahead.'

Asked in a round of interviews about the prospect of a national lockdown, Mr Hancock said: 'We don't rule anything out, and we've shown repeatedly that we will look at the public health advice and we will take the public health advice in terms of what is needed to control the spread of the disease.'

Pressed whether changes could be announced over the next 24 hours, he replied: 'We have shown we are ready to move incredibly quickly... We look at the data on a daily basis.'

Mr Hancock said the 'old tier system is no longer strong enough' because the new variant is 'much easier to catch, it is much more transmissible, and we're now seeing the effect of that in lots of different parts of the country'.

Challenged on Sky News over whether Tier 4 restrictions work, Mr Hancock said: 'It is down to people's behaviour, frankly. What matters is, yes of course, the rules that we put in place, but it is also about how people act.

'And frankly what I would say is this: it is critical that everybody in the country does all that they can to reduce the spread of the virus.'

In a stark message about the length of the fight the UK faces, Mr Hancock said the problem was 'how we collectively as a society keep this under control for the next couple of months... until the vaccines can make us safe'.

The Government's 'Covid-O' committee, which makes decisions on lockdown restrictions, is thought to have meet today to decide on the next steps to take.

Ms Sturgeon announced this afternoon that Scotland will be plunged back into a national coronavirus lockdown from midnight.

The SNP leader said the new crackdown, lasting all of January, will include a legally enforceable stay-at-home rule.

Exercise and essential journeys will be the only reasons why people will be allowed to leave their homes.

Who has to work from home now and how strictly will it be enforced? Boris Johnson plunged the country into a third national lockdown ordering everyone to work from home if they can. However, the criteria on who can stay out of the office has caused some confusion with the exception applying only to people who 'absolutely cannot work from home'. The Government's official website states this category includes - but is not limited to - 'people who work within critical national infrastructure, construction or manufacturing that require in-person attendance'. Roles such as these - which include water service and telecoms workers - are 'essential to keeping the country operating and supporting sectors and employers', guidance states. Those working in childcare or education are deemed to be providing an essential service, meaning they should continue to go into work. People who need to work in others' homes - such as nannies, cleaners or tradespeople - are also able to do so. To facilitate working from home, employees are encouraged to provide both IT equipment and the services to enable remote working. Those who are out of the house without a 'reasonable excuse' - including those who are working outside when it is not essential - can be slapped with a 200 fine. This figure can increase to up to 6,400 for repeat offenders. Advertisement

The planned reopening of schools on January 18 is also being pushed back to February 1 at the earliest while workers are being instructed to work from home wherever possible.

Rules on outdoor gatherings will be tightened to allow a maximum of just two people from two households to meet.

Meanwhile, places of worship will be closed from this Friday but weddings and funerals will still be allowed to go ahead.

A maximum of 20 people will be allowed to attend funeral services and a maximum of five people will be allowed to attend weddings.

Ms Sturgeon said the tough new curbs are necessary because of the 'steeply rising' rate of infections north of the border as she warned the lockdown could be extended beyond January if necessary.

The measures effectively mean a return to the restrictions seen during the first UK-wide lockdown which was imposed at the end of March last year.

All of mainland Scotland is already placed in the highest tier of Covid-19 rules but case numbers have prompted Ms Sturgeon to take more drastic action after 2,464 new cases were announced yesterday.

Mr Johnson said yesterday that he is also considering further closures of schools.

But Mr Hancock said this morning that people should keep obeying the rules - which mean most primaries are meant to be back this week.

He told Times Radio that people understood why the Government was changing its position.

He said: 'One of the big challenges in the middle of a pandemic is that the data changes, and therefore the public health advice rightly changes, and we have to change our position.

'One of the interesting things as Health Secretary I've noticed over the last year is that people get that, right?

'People get that the virus moves  we've seen this new variant making things much, much harder because it spreads so much easier and then we have to update our position based on updated public health advice.

'On schools, our approach is we should follow that public health advice.'

First Briton to get Oxford jab outside trials is 82-year-old dialysis patient Britain has started to dish out Oxford's game-changing Covid vaccine in what has been called a 'pivotal moment' in the fight against the pandemic, with an 82-year-old dialysis patient becoming the first person to receive the jab. Brian Pinker, a retired maintenance manager who describes himself as Oxford born and bred, said he was 'so pleased' to be getting the vaccine and was 'really proud' it was developed in his city. Mr Pinker, who is now looking forward to celebrating his 48th wedding anniversary next month with wife Shirley, received the coronavirus vaccine at 7.30am at Oxford's Churchill Hospital. In the biggest vaccination drive in British history, half a million doses of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca jab will be made available for vulnerable people this week with 'tens of millions' promised by April. Chiefs at AstraZeneca had previously suggested up to 2million doses a week could be ready by mid-January and officials have promised to deliver the jabs as quickly as they get them. But that ambitious target may be further off than hoped, with fears that the UK won't receive enough supplies until February. Matt Hancock today revealed increasing the country's manufacturing capacity was 'a big medium-term project'. And he said the 'bureaucracy' involved in signing up to be a volunteer vaccinator is being reduced, after it was revealed last week that thousands of retired medics who are trying to help dish out the jabs were tied up in red tape. Advertisement

However, in a joint statement, education unions said staff were at 'serious risk' of infection.

The statement, signed by GMB, NAHT, NASUWT, NEU, Unison and Unite, said: 'The Government's chaotic handling of the opening of schools has caused confusion for teachers, school staff and parents alike.

'Bringing all pupils back into classrooms while the rate of infection is so high is exposing education sector workers to serious risk of ill-health and could fuel the pandemic.

'Unions have called for a pause in the reopening of schools for anyone other than vulnerable children and children of key workers, and a move to remote learning for all while Covid-secure working arrangements are reviewed. All school staff continuing to work in schools should be given priority access to Covid-19 vaccinations.

'Instead of casually asserting that schools are safe, the Prime Minister should sit down with unions to discuss a joint approach to ensuring safe working arrangements in all schools and prioritising enabling all pupils to have the equipment and access they need to receive a high standard of remote learning until the safety of them and the staff in their school can be guaranteed.'

SAGE member John Edmunds said tonight that the UK was on track to record more than 100,000 deaths.

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine scientist told BBC Radio 4's PM programme: 'We're in a really difficult situation.

'The new strain is significantly more transmissible than the old strains. So we have to take significant extra measures to stop the NHS from becoming overwhelmed with Covid patients.

'Unfortunately we are going to have to take some really major additional measures, I can't see any other way out of it.

'The biggest lever that has only partly been pulled is school closures. That would have the biggest effect of a single measure and I can see that happening.'

He later added: 'What we have to do now, and it's horrible I know, but we have to take really quite stringent steps right now and as stringent as we can right now.'

Prof Edmunds rejected suggestions that a lack of public compliance with restrictions is a major issue, saying: 'I don't think that's a major issue myself, I think people are pretty compliant.'

As pressure grew on the PM earlier, the Labour leader of Birmingham City Council joined calls for a new 'lockdown' amid rising case rates.

Speaking to BBC Radio WM, Cllr Ian Ward said that in the past week there had been a 36 per cent increase in the city's seven-day case rate.

He added: 'The NHS here in the city is under intensive pressure. University Hospital Birmingham has 98 per cent of its intensive care beds occupied and Sandwell and City (hospitals trust) has 100 per cent of its intensive care beds occupied.

'We need decisive action now and the Government needs to act early for once and get ahead of the curve.'

On a more optimistic front, the UK today started to dish out Oxford's game-changing Covid vaccine in what has been called a 'pivotal moment' in the fight against the pandemic, with an 82-year-old dialysis patient becoming the first person to receive the jab.

If, If, If, If . . . Boris lays out best case timetable to vaccinate all 13.2 million over-70s, frontline workers and vulnerable people by February Boris Johnson vowed to give one dose of a coronavirus vaccine to the 13.2 million care home residents, over-70s, frontline health workers and Britons classified as 'vulnerable' by mid-February. It is the first time that the government has put outlined a target number of vaccinations, amid fears the government is delivering doses too slowly to lift restrictions by Easter as the Prime Minister has suggested will be possible. But the PM included a number of caveats in his target and said it would be dependent on everything going in the government's favour. The PM said: 'By the middle of February, if things go well and with a fair wind in our sails, we expect to have offered the first vaccine dose to everyone in the four top priority groups identified by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. 'That means vaccinating all residents in a care home for older adults and their carers, everyone over the age of 70, all frontline health and social care workers, and everyone who is clinically extremely vulnerable. 'If we succeed in vaccinating all those groups, we will have removed huge numbers of people from the path of the virus. And of course, that will eventually enable us to lift many of the restrictions we have endured for so long.6' It comes after experts today warned that Britain may not be free of coronavirus restrictions until next winter unless the NHS hits its ambitious target of vaccinating 2million people every week. In his televised address this evening, the Prime Minister said there was 'one huge difference' compared to last year: 'We're now rolling out the biggest vaccination programme in our history.' 'So far we in the UK have vaccinated more people than in the rest of Europe combined,' he added. He said the pace of vaccination was 'accelerating' with the arrival of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. Mr Johnson outlined the NHS's 'realistic expectations' for the vaccination programme in the coming weeks. The Prime Minister said that meant all people over 70 and those with the most serious long-term health conditions are at 'high risk' from Covid. Others in the high-priority group are health and social care workers who could all be given a single dose each within seven weeks at the ambitious rate of 2million per week, so by mid-February. 'If we succeed in vaccinating all those groups, we will have removed huge numbers of people from the path of the virus,' the Prime Minister said. 'And of course that will eventually enable us to lift many of the restrictions we've endured for so long.' Advertisement

Brian Pinker, a retired maintenance manager who describes himself as Oxford born and bred, said he was 'so pleased' to be getting the vaccine and was 'really proud' it was developed in his city.

Mr Pinker, who is now looking forward to celebrating his 48th wedding anniversary next month with wife Shirley, received the coronavirus vaccine at 7.30am at Oxford's Churchill Hospital.

In the biggest vaccination drive in British history, half a million doses of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca jab will be made available for vulnerable people this week with 'tens of millions' promised by April.

Chiefs at AstraZeneca had previously suggested up to 2million doses a week could be ready by mid-January and officials have promised to deliver the jabs as quickly as they get them.

But that ambitious target may be further off than hoped, with fears that the UK won't receive enough supplies until February. Matt Hancock today revealed increasing the country's manufacturing capacity was 'a big medium-term project'.

And he said the 'bureaucracy' involved in signing up to be a volunteer vaccinator is being reduced, after it was revealed last week that thousands of retired medics who are trying to help dish out the jabs were tied up in red tape.

Mr Hancock insisted the manufacturing process will be the deciding factor in how fast vaccines can be deployed, rather than the NHS operation.

He told BBC Breakfast: 'If the NHS needs to go faster, then it will go faster. If there were two million doses a week being delivered, then the NHS would deliver at that speed.

'That's the critical question, but that supply isn't there yet, and we are working very closely with the manufacturers.'

Sir Keir Starmer had demanded an immediate nationwide lockdown as he warned the 'virus is clearly out of control'. The Labour leader added: 'Let's not have the Prime Minister saying, 'I'm going to do it, but not yet'.

'That's the problem he has made so many times. Nationwide lockdown  the Prime Minister has hinted that that's going to happen, but he's delaying again; and we can't afford that again.'

Appearing on The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One, Mr Johnson said he was 'entirely reconciled to doing what it takes to get the virus down' and warned of a 'tough period ahead'.

He said vaccinating more people would provide a way out of restrictions and that he hoped 'tens of millions' would be vaccinated in the next three months.

The Prime Minister stuck by his prediction that the situation would be better by the spring, but added: 'It may be that we need to do things in the next few weeks that will be tougher in many parts of the country.

'I'm fully, fully reconciled to that  and I bet the people of this country are reconciled to that because until the vaccine really comes on stream in a massive way, we're fighting this virus with the same set of tools.'

Mr Johnson said the Government was assessing whether Tier Four restrictions were tough enough to control the spread of the virus or if further steps were needed, adding: 'We've got to keep things under constant review.'

Asked whether people could be restricted to an hour's exercise a day or a complete ban on any households mixing could be introduced, he replied: 'There are obviously a range of tougher measures that we would have to consider. I'm not going to speculate now about what they would be.

'Clearly, school closures  which we had to do in March  is one of those things. It's not something we necessarily want to do.'

Government sources confirmed ministers were looking at putting even more areas of England into Tier Four - although curfews are not currently thought to be imminent.

But Tory former minister Sir Desmond Swayne was among those condemning the idea of tightening the curbs. 'What more pain do they want to cause us? What are they going to stop us doing now?' he told the Telegraph.

'Close down essential shops and the takeaways? The whole thing is madness - it's going beyond ridiculous.'

THE FULL GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE FOR NEW NATIONAL LOCKDOWN

You must stay at home. The single most important action we can all take is to stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives.

You should follow this guidance immediately. The law will be updated to reflect these new rules.

Leaving home

You must not leave, or be outside of your home except where necessary. You may leave the home to:

shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person

go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home

exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person, this should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.

meet your support bubble or childcare bubble where necessary, but only if you are legally permitted to form one

seek medical assistance or avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse)

attend education or childcare - for those eligible

Colleges, primary and secondary schools will remain open only for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. All other children will learn remotely until February half term. Early Years settings remain open.

Higher Education provision will remain online until mid February for all except future critical worker courses.

If you do leave home for a permitted reason, you should always stay local in the village, town, or part of the city where you live. You may leave your local area for a legally permitted reason, such as for work.

If you are clinically extremely vulnerable you should only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential. You should not attend work

Meeting others

You cannot leave your home to meet socially with anyone you do not live with or are not in a support bubble with (if you are legally permitted to form one).

You may exercise on your own, with one other person, or with your household or support bubble.

You should not meet other people you do not live with, or have formed a support bubble with, unless for a permitted reason.

Stay 2 metres apart from anyone not in your household.

Detailed guidance on the national lockdown

Who this guidance is for

This guidance is for people who are fit and well. There is additional advice for people who are clinically extremely vulnerable to coronavirus and households with a possible or confirmed coronavirus infection. If you are clinically extremely vulnerable you should not attend work, school, college or university, and limit the time you spend outside the home. You should only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential.

Hands. Face. Space.

Approximately 1 in 3 people who have coronavirus have no symptoms and could be spreading it without realising it.

Remember - 'Hands. Face. Space.'

hands  wash your hands regularly and for at least 20 seconds

face  wear a face covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult, and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet

space  stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place (such as wearing face coverings)

In all circumstances, you should follow the guidance on meeting others safely.

When you can leave home

You must not leave or be outside of your home except where you have a 'reasonable excuse'. This will be put in law. The police can take action against you if you leave home without a 'reasonable excuse', and issue you with a fine (Fixed Penalty Notice).

You can be given a Fixed Penalty Notice of 200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of 6,400.

A 'reasonable excuse' includes:

Work - you can only leave home for work purposes where it is unreasonable for you to do your job from home, including but not limited to people who work within critical national infrastructure, construction or manufacturing that require in-person attendance

Volunteering - you can also leave home to provide voluntary or charitable services.

Essential activities - you can leave home to buy things at shops or obtain services. You may also leave your home to do these things on behalf of a disabled or vulnerable person or someone self-isolating.

Education and childcare - You can only leave home for education, registered childcare, and supervised activities for children where they are eligible to attend. Access to education and children's activities for school-aged pupils is restricted. See further information on education and childcare. People can continue existing arrangements for contact between parents and children where they live apart. This includes childcare bubbles.

Meeting others and care - You can leave home to visit people in your support bubble ( if you are legally permitted to form one), to provide informal childcare for children under 14 as part of a childcare bubble (for example, to enable parents to work, and not to enable social contact between adults), to provide care for disabled or vulnerable people, to provide emergency assistance, to attend a support group (of up to 15 people), or for respite care where that care is being provided to a vulnerable person or a person with a disability, or is a short break in respect of a looked-after child.

Exercise - You can continue to exercise alone, with one other person or with your household or support bubble. This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.You should maintain social distancing. See exercising and meeting other people.

Medical reasons - You can leave home for a medical reason, including to get a COVID-19 test, for medical appointments and emergencies.

Harm and compassionate visits - you can leave home to be with someone who is giving birth, to avoid injury or illness or to escape risk of harm (such as domestic abuse). You can also leave home to visit someone who is dying or someone in a care home (if permitted under care home guidance), hospice, or hospital, or to accompany them to a medical appointment.

Animal welfare reasons  you can leave home for animal welfare reasons, such as to attend veterinary services for advice or treatment.

Communal worship and life events - You can leave home to attend or visit a place of worship for communal worship, a funeral or event related to a death, a burial ground or a remembrance garden, or to attend a wedding ceremony. You should follow the guidance on the safe use of places of worship and must not mingle with anyone outside of your household or support bubble when attending a place of worship.Weddings, funerals and religious, belief-based or commemorative events linked to someone's death are all subject to limits on the numbers that can attend, and weddings and civil ceremonies may only take place in exceptional circumstances.

There are further reasonable excuses. For example, you may leave home to fulfil legal obligations or to carry out activities related to buying, selling, letting or renting a residential property, or where it is reasonably necessary for voting in an election or referendum.

Exercising and meeting other people

You should minimise time spent outside your home.

It is against the law to meet socially with family or friends unless they are part of your household or support bubble. You can only leave your home to exercise, and not for the purpose of recreation or leisure (e.g. a picnic or a social meeting). This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.

You can exercise in a public outdoor place:

by yourself

with the people you live with

with your support bubble (if you are legally permitted to form one)

in a childcare bubble where providing childcare

or, when on your own, with 1 person from another household

Public outdoor places include:

parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, forests

public gardens (whether or not you pay to enter them)

the grounds of a heritage site

playgrounds

Outdoor sports venues, including tennis courts, golf courses and swimming pools, must close.

When around other people, stay 2 metres apart from anyone not in your household - meaning the people you live with - or your support bubble. Where this is not possible, stay 1 metre apart with extra precautions (e.g. wearing a face covering).

You must wear a face covering in many indoor settings, such as shops or places of worship where these remain open, and on public transport, unless you are exempt. This is the law. Read guidance on face coverings.

Support and childcare bubbles

You have to meet certain eligibility rules to form a support or childcare bubble. This means not everyone will be able to form a bubble.

A support bubble is a support network which links two households. You can form a support bubble with another household of any size only if you meet the eligibility rules.

It is against the law to form a support bubble if you do not follow these rules.

You are permitted to leave your home to visit your support bubble (and to stay overnight with them). However, if you form a support bubble, it is best if this is with a household who live locally. This will help prevent the virus spreading from an area where more people are infected.

If you live in a household with anyone aged under 14, you can form a childcare bubble. This allows friends or family from one other household to provide informal childcare.

You must not meet socially with your childcare bubble, and must avoid seeing members of your childcare and support bubbles at the same time.

There is separate guidance for support bubbles and childcare bubbles.

Where and when you can meet in larger groups

There are still circumstances in which you are allowed to meet others from outside your household, childcare or support bubble in larger groups, but this should not be for socialising and only for permitted purposes. A full list of these circumstances will be included in the regulations, and includes:

for work, or providing voluntary or charitable services, where it is unreasonable to do so from home. This can include work in other people's homes where necessary - for example, for nannies, cleaners, social care workers providing support to children and families, or tradespeople. See guidance on working safely in other people's homes). Where a work meeting does not need to take place in a private home or garden, it should not - for example, although you can meet a personal trainer, you should do so in a public outdoor place.

in a childcare bubble (for the purposes of childcare only)

Where eligible to use these services, for education, registered childcare, and supervised activities for children. Access to education and childcare facilities is restricted. See further information on education and childcare.

for arrangements where children do not live in the same household as both their parents or guardians

to allow contact between birth parents and children in care, as well as between siblings in care

for prospective adopting parents to meet a child or children who may be placed with them

to place or facilitate the placing of a child or children in the care of another by social services

for birth partners

to provide emergency assistance, and to avoid injury or illness, or to escape a risk of harm (including domestic abuse)

to see someone who is dying

to fulfil a legal obligation, such as attending court or jury service

for gatherings within criminal justice accommodation or immigration detention centres

to provide care or assistance to someone vulnerable, or to provide respite for a carer

for a wedding or equivalent ceremony in exceptional circumstances and only for up to 6 people

for funerals - up to a maximum of 30 people. Wakes and other linked ceremonial events can continue in a group of up to 6 people.

to visit someone at home who is dying, or to visit someone receiving treatment in a hospital, hospice or care home, or to accompany a family member or friend to a medical appointment

for elite sportspeople (and their coaches if necessary, or parents/guardians if they are under 18) - or those on an official elite sports pathway - to compete and train

to facilitate a house move

Support groups that have to be delivered in person can continue with up to 15 participants where formally organised to provide mutual aid, therapy or any other form of support - but they must take place at a premises other than a private home.

Where a group includes someone covered by an exception (for example, someone who is working or volunteering), they are not generally counted as part of the gatherings limit. This means, for example, a tradesperson can go into a household without breaching the limit, if they are there for work, and the officiant at a wedding would not count towards the limit.

If you break the rules

The police can take action against you if you meet in larger groups. This includes breaking up illegal gatherings and issuing fines (fixed penalty notices).

You can be given a Fixed Penalty Notice of 200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of 6,400. If you hold, or are involved in holding, an illegal gathering of over 30 people, the police can issue fines of 10,000.

Protecting people more at risk from coronavirus

If you are clinically vulnerable, you could be at higher risk of severe illness from coronavirus. There is additional advice for people who are clinically extremely vulnerable to coronavirus. Those who are clinically extremely vulnerable should not attend work, school, college or university, and limit the time you spend outside the home. You should only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential.

Travel

You must not leave your home unless you have a reasonable excuse (for example, for work or education purposes). If you need to travel you should stay local  meaning avoiding travelling outside of your village, town or the part of a city where you live  and look to reduce the number of journeys you make overall. The list of reasons you can leave your home and area include, but are not limited to:

work, where you cannot reasonably work from home

accessing education and for caring responsibilities

visiting those in your support bubble  or your childcare bubble for childcare

visiting hospital, GP and other medical appointments or visits where you have had an accident or are concerned about your health

buying goods or services that you need, but this should be within your local area wherever possible

outdoor exercise. This should be done locally wherever possible, but you can travel a short distance within your area to do so if necessary (for example, to access an open space)

attending the care and exercise of an animal, or veterinary services

If you need to travel, walk or cycle where possible, and plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes on public transport. This will allow you to practice social distancing while you travel.

Avoid car sharing with anyone from outside your household or your support bubble. See the guidance on car sharing.

If you need to use public transport, you should follow the safer travel guidance.

International travel

You can only travel internationally  or within the UK  where you first have a legally permitted reason to leave home. In addition, you should consider the public health advice in the country you are visiting.

If you do need to travel overseas (and are legally permitted to do so, for example, because it is for work), even if you are returning to a place you've visited before, you should look at the rules in place at your destination and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice.

UK residents currently abroad do not need to return home immediately. However, you should check with your airline or travel operator on arrangements for returning.

Foreign nationals are subject to the 'Stay at Home' regulations. You should not travel abroad unless it is permitted. This means you must not go on holiday.

If you are visiting the UK, you may return home. You should check whether there are any restrictions in place at your destination.

Staying away from home overnight

You cannot leave your home or the place where you are living for holidays or overnight stays unless you have a reasonable excuse for doing so. This means that holidays in the UK and abroad are not allowed.

This includes staying in a second home or caravan, if that is not your primary residence. This also includes staying with anyone who you don't live with unless they're in your support bubble.

You are allowed to stay overnight away from your home if you:

are visiting your support bubble

are unable to return to your main residence

need accommodation while moving house

need accommodation to attend a funeral or related commemorative event

require accommodation for work purposes or to provide voluntary services

are a child requiring accommodation for school or care

are homeless, seeking asylum, a vulnerable person seeking refuge, or if escaping harm (including domestic abuse)

are an elite athlete or their support staff or parent, if the athlete is under 18 and it is necessary to be outside of the home for training or competition

If you are already on holiday, you should return to your home as soon as practical.

Guest accommodation providers such as hotels, B&Bs and caravan parks may remain open for the specific reasons set out in law, including where guests are unable to return to their main residence, use that guest accommodation as their main residence, need accommodation while moving house, are self-isolating as required by law, or would otherwise be made homeless as a result of the accommodation closing. A full list of reasons can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England.

Accommodation providers are also encouraged to work cooperatively with local authorities to provide accommodation to vulnerable groups, including the homeless.

Going to work

You may only leave your home for work if you cannot reasonably work from home.

Where people cannot work from home - including, but not limited to, people who work in critical national infrastructure, construction, or manufacturing - they should continue to travel to their workplace. This is essential to keeping the country operating and supporting sectors and employers.

Public sector employees working in essential services, including childcare or education, should continue to go into work.

Where it is necessary for you to work in other people's homes - for example, for nannies, cleaners or tradespeople - you can do so. Otherwise, you should avoid meeting for work in a private home or garden, where COVID-19 Secure measures may not be in place.

Employers and employees should discuss their working arrangements, and employers should take every possible step to facilitate their employees working from home, including providing suitable IT and equipment to enable remote working.

The risk of transmission can be substantially reduced if COVID-19 secure guidelines are followed closely. Extra consideration should be given to those people at higher risk.

Going to school, college and university

Colleges, primary (reception onwards) and secondary schools will remain open for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. All other children will learn remotely until February half term.

In the circumstances, we do not think it is possible for all exams in the summer to go ahead as planned. We will accordingly be working with Ofqual to consult rapidly to put in place alternative arrangements that will allow students to progress fairly.

Public exams and vocational assessments scheduled to take place in January will go ahead as planned.

Universities

Those students who are undertaking training and study for the following courses should return to face to face learning as planned and be tested twice, upon arrival or self-isolate for ten days:

Medicine & dentistry

Subjects allied to medicine/health

Veterinary science

Education (initial teacher training)

Social work

Courses which require Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) assessments and or mandatory activity which is scheduled for January and which cannot be rescheduled (your university will notify you if this applies to you).

Students who do not study these courses should remain where they are wherever possible, and start their term online, as facilitated by their university until at least Mid-February. This includes students on other practical courses not on the list above.

We have previously published guidance to universities and students on how students can return safely to higher education in the spring term. This guidance sets out how we will support higher education providers to enable students that need to return to do so as safely as possible following the winter break.

If you live at university, you should not move back and forward between your permanent home and student home during term time.

For those students who are eligible for face to face teaching, you can meet in groups of more than your household as part of your formal education or training, where necessary. Students should expect to follow the guidance and restrictions. You should socially distance from anyone you do not live with wherever possible.

Childcare

There are several ways that parents and carers can continue to access childcare:

Early Years settings (including nurseries and childminders) remain open

Vulnerable children and children of critical workers can continue to use registered childcare, childminders and other childcare activities (including wraparound care)

parents are able to form a childcare bubble with one other household for the purposes of informal childcare, where the child is under 14. This is mainly to enable parents to work, and must not be used to enable social contact between adults

some households will also be able to benefit from being in a support bubble

nannies will be able to continue to provide services, including in the home

Care home visits

Visits to care homes can take place with arrangements such as substantial screens, visiting pods, or behind windows. Close-contact indoor visits are not allowed. No visits will be permitted in the event of an outbreak.

You should check the guidance on visiting care homes during COVID-19 to find out how visits should be conducted. Residents cannot meet people indoors on a visit out (for example, to visit their relatives in the family home). There is separate guidance for those in supported living.

Weddings, civil partnerships, religious services and funerals

Weddings, civil partnership ceremonies and funerals are allowed with strict limits on attendance, and must only take place in COVID-19 secure venues or in public outdoor spaces unless in exceptional circumstances.

Funerals can be attended by a maximum of 30 people. Linked religious, belief-based or commemorative events, such as stone settings and ash scatterings can also continue with up to 6 people in attendance. Anyone working is not counted in these limits. Social distancing should be maintained between people who do not live together or share a support bubble.

Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies must only take place with up to 6 people. Anyone working is not included. These should only take place in exceptional circumstances, for example, an urgent marriage where one of those getting married is seriously ill and not expected to recover, or is to undergo debilitating treatment or life-changing surgery.

Places of worship

You can attend places of worship for a service. However, you must not mingle with anyone outside of your household or support bubble. You should maintain strict social distancing at all times.

You should follow the national guidance on the safe use of places of worship.

Sports and physical activity

Indoor gyms and sports facilities will remain closed. Outdoor sports courts, outdoor gyms, golf courses, outdoor swimming pools, archery/driving/shooting ranges and riding arenas must also close. Organised outdoor sport for disabled people is allowed to continue.

Moving home

You can still move home. People outside your household or support bubble should not help with moving house unless absolutely necessary.

Estate and letting agents and removals firms can continue to work. If you are looking to move, you can go to property viewings.

Follow the national guidance on moving home safely, which includes advice on social distancing, letting fresh air in, and wearing a face covering.

Financial support

Wherever you live, you may be able to get financial help

Businesses and venues

Businesses and venues which must close

To reduce social contact, the regulations require some businesses to close and impose restrictions on how some businesses provide goods and services. The full list of businesses required to close can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England, but includes:

non-essential retail, such as clothing and homeware stores, vehicle showrooms (other than for rental), betting shops, tailors, tobacco and vape shops, electronic goods and mobile phone shops, auction houses (except for auctions of livestock or agricultural equipment) and market stalls selling non-essential goods. These venues can continue to be able to operate click-and-collect (where goods are pre-ordered and collected off the premises) and delivery services.

hospitality venues such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs; with the exception of providing food and non-alcoholic drinks for takeaway (until 11pm), click-and-collect and drive-through. All food and drink (including alcohol) can continue to be provided by delivery.

accommodation such as hotels, hostels, guest houses and campsites, except for specific circumstances, such as where these act as someone's main residence, where the person cannot return home, for providing accommodation or support to the homeless, or where it is essential to stay there for work purposes

leisure and sports facilities such as leisure centres and gyms, swimming pools, sports courts,fitness and dance studios, riding arenas at riding centres, climbing walls, and golf courses.

entertainment venues such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, amusement arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, skating rinks, go-karting venues, indoor play and soft play centres and areas (including inflatable parks and trampolining centres), circuses, fairgrounds, funfairs, water parks and theme parks

animal attractions (such as zoos, safari parks, aquariums, and wildlife reserves)

indoor attractions at venues such as botanical gardens, heritage homes and landmarks must also close, though outdoor grounds of these premises can stay open for outdoor exercise.

personal care facilities such as hair, beauty, tanning and nail salons. Tattoo parlours, spas, massage parlours, body and skin piercing services must also close. These services should not be provided in other people's homes

community centres and halls must close except for a limited number of exempt activities, as set out below. Libraries can also remain open to provide access to IT and digital services  for example for people who do not have it at home  and for click-and-collect services

Some of these businesses and places will also be permitted to be open for a small number of exempt activities. A full list of exemptions can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England, but includes:

education and training  for schools to use sports, leisure and community facilities where that is part of their normal provision

childcare purposes and supervised activities for those children eligible to attend

hosting blood donation sessions and food banks

to provide medical treatment

for elite sports persons to train and compete (in indoor and outdoor sports facilities), and professional dancers and choreographers to work (in fitness and dance studios)

for training and rehearsal without an audience (in theatres and concert halls)

for the purposes of film and TV filming

Businesses and venues which can remain open

Other businesses and venues are permitted to stay open, following COVID-19 secure guidelines. Businesses providing essential goods and services can stay open. The full list of these businesses can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England, but includes:

essential retail such as food shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, garden centres, building merchants and suppliers of building products and off-licences

market stalls selling essential retail may also stay open

businesses providing repair services may also stay open, where they primarily offer repair services

petrol stations, automatic (but not manual) car washes, vehicle repair and MOT services, bicycle shops, and taxi and vehicle hire businesses

banks, building societies, post offices, short-term loan providers and money transfer businesses

funeral directors

laundrettes and dry cleaners

medical and dental services

vets and retailers of products and food for the upkeep and welfare of animals

animal rescue centres, boarding facilities and animal groomers (may continue to be used for animal welfare, rather than aesthetic purposes)

agricultural supplies shops

mobility and disability support shops

storage and distribution facilities

car parks, public toilets and motorway service areas

outdoor playgrounds

outdoor parts of botanical gardens and heritage sites for exercise

places of worship

crematoriums and burial grounds

Public services

The majority of public services will continue and you will be able to leave home to visit them. These include:

the NHS and medical services like GPs and dentists. We are supporting the NHS to carry out urgent and non-urgent services safely, and it is vital anyone who thinks they need any kind of medical care comes forward and seeks help

Jobcentre Plus sites

courts and probation services

civil registrations offices

passport and visa services

services provided to victims

waste or recycling centres

getting an MOT, if you need to drive when lawfully leaving home

What do the new lockdown rules mean for you? Schools and universities closed, the vulnerable told to shield, next summer's exams cancelled or under threat and pubs are barred from selling take-away alcohol

Boris Johnson tonight plunged England into a new lockdown as he set out emergency measures to control the spread of new strains of coronavirus amid concerns the NHS risks being overwhelmed.

Schools, shops and sports venues will close their doors for six weeks from early on Wednesday in scenes not witnessed since the original lockdown last March, with exercise pretty much the only reason to regularly leave home.

The Prime Minister's address from 10 Downing Street came after Nicola Sturgeon plunged Scotland into a new lockdown there from midnight tonight.

Wales has been in lockdown since before Christmas, and Northern Ireland's executive is due to announce its own measures when it meets tomorrow.

The latest figures showed a further 407 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Monday and there were a record 58,784 more lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.

So what are the new rules for Covid-hit Britain?

Schools, shops and sports venues will close their doors for six weeks in scenes not witnessed since the original lockdown last March. Only exercise and essentials shopping will be allowed

The Prime Minister's address from 10 Downing Street came after Nicola Sturgeon plunged Scotland into a new lockdown there from midnight tonight

England

England will be put into a full national lockdown that will last until the February half term.

All primary and secondary schools will close with immediate effect, remaining open only for vulnerable pupils and the children of key workers. The plan is for them to reopen after the February half-term break.

A-Level and GCSE exams are unlikely to go ahead as planned in the summer, with Mr Johnson saying: 'We recognise that this will mean it is not possible or fair for all exams to go ahead this summer as normal.'

Universities will also remain closed to students until mid-February.

Nurseries will remain fully open.

The public should stay at home unless they need to leave for one of just five reasons:

Work, if it cannot be done from home, such as construction and key public functions.

Shopping for necessities like food and medicine.

Exercise, ideally no more than once a day. You can exercise with anyone in your support bubble, or one other person, with social distancing.

To give care to someone else.

For urgent or pre-arranged medical care, or fleeing an emergency.

All non-essential retailers, hospitality and 'personal care' like hairdressers must close if they have not yet done so under the tier system.

Restaurants and other eateries can continue to operate for takeaways and deliveries.

But pubs will no longer be allowed to offer take-away alcohol sales, because of the number of people gathering outside to drink.

The lockdown will see more than 550,000 business closures in England, according to real estate adviser Altus Group.

The company said this included 401,690 non-essential shops, 64,537 pubs or restaurants, 20,703 personal care facilities and 7,051 gyms or leisure centres.

It added that 21,119 local council schools as well as 2,645 private schools will also have to close in England.

Children's playgrounds will remain open.

All indoor and outdoor sports venues, including golf courses and tennis courts, must close, and team sports cannot take place, even outdoors.

Elite sports like the premier league can go on under their own schemes.

Exercise is one of the few reasons people will regularly leave the house across Britain, along with shopping for necessities.

PE lessons for those children still in school are allowed.

People who are extremely critically vulnerable (ECV) should stay at home even if they cannot work.

They can leave to get necessities like food and medicine but they should avoid busy areas.

Scotland

Scotland will be plunged back into a national coronavirus lockdown from midnight this evening, Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

The SNP leader said the new crackdown, lasting all of January, will include a legally enforceable stay-at-home rule.

Exercise and essential journeys will be the only reasons why people will be allowed to leave their homes.

The planned reopening of schools on January 18 is also being pushed back to February 1 at the earliest while workers are being instructed to work from home wherever possible.

Rules on outdoor gatherings will be tightened to allow a maximum of just two people from two households to meet.

Pubs across the UK will remain closed and in England, those that were allowed to sell takeaway drinks will not be allowed to, because of fears over people congregating outside

Meanwhile, places of worship will be closed from this Friday but weddings and funerals will still be allowed to go ahead.

A maximum of 20 people will be allowed to attend funeral services and a maximum of five people will be allowed to attend weddings.

Ms Sturgeon said the tough new curbs are necessary because of the 'steeply rising' rate of infections north of the border as she warned the lockdown could be extended beyond January if necessary.

The measures effectively mean a return to the restrictions seen during the first UK-wide lockdown which was imposed at the end of March last year.

All of mainland Scotland is already placed in the highest tier of Covid-19 rules but case numbers have prompted Ms Sturgeon to take more drastic action after 2,464 new cases were announced yesterday.

Schools in England will close immediately, joining those in Wales and Scotland. The latter two nations have already cancelled this summer's exams and it may also happen in England, with plans yet to be confirmed.

Setting out the measures to come into force from Tuesday, the First Minister told MSPs in Holyrood: 'It is no exaggeration to say that I am more concerned about the situation we face now than I have been at any time since March last year.'

Senior Cabinet minister Michael Gove was understood to be discussing restrictions with the leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in a call ahead of Mr Johnson's statement.

The latest data show a 41 per cent rise in the number of confirmed coronavirus patients in hospital in England between Christmas Day and January 3, figures which have caused alarm in Whitehall and the health service.

The 2021 Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers exams had already been cancelled.

Wales

Wales has been under a full lockdown since December 20.

The restrictions mean non-essential shops, gyms and hospitality venues must stay closed.

After three weeks the rules will be reviewed.

The current rules mean non-essential retailers, hospitality services and close contact services such as hairdressers must close.

Only essential travel is permitted, and working from home must take place 'wherever possible'.

Two households can form a support bubble, permitted to meet in private gardens or indoors on Christmas Day only.

House parties, gatherings and events are banned, and schools should use online learning.

A single person household will be permitted to join with one other household throughout the level four restrictions.

Schools and colleges across Wales will move to online learning until January 18, the country's education minister said today.

Kirsty Williams said the Welsh Government would use the next two weeks to work with local authorities and education settings to 'best plan for the rest of the term'.

The government had previously arranged for schools to have flexibility over the first two weeks of the spring term, allowing them to choose when students would return to in-person learning.

Universities in Wales are due to begin a staggered start to term and students should not return for face-to-face learning unless notified that they can do so, she added.

Exams in Wales due to be held in the summer had already been cancelled.
Hyderabad: Trouble is brewing in Telangana Congress because of the delay in the appointment of the next TPCC President. With many leaders crossing the party line, AICC Telangana Congress in-charge Manickam Tagore is caught in a Catch-22 situation.

The latest trouble has come in the form of Munugodu MLA Komati Reddy Rajagopal Reddy, who openly issued a statement on Thursday that he is quitting the party and would be joining BJP.

On the one hand, the Telangana Congress party is already divided between the old and new guard with regard to the selection of the new PCC president, while on other hand senior leaders like V Hanumantha Rao are openly criticising the in-charge and praising Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao

Despite holding consultations for four days and meeting over 160 leaders, the high command has not been able to take a decision on the next president. The grapevine is that Tagore is unable to convince the high command over the choice, thanks to some leaders who went to Delhi and tried to meet Sonia Gandhi.

MLC T Jeevan Reddy challenged Rajagopal Reddy to resign from the party and Assembly membership and then contest on the BJP seat. No other prominent leader has reacted to Rajagopal Reddys announcement.

The statement of Rajagopal Reddy has come as a fresh headache for Bhuvanagiri MP Komati Reddy Venkat Reddy, who is trying hard for the TPCC president post, and has also met Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi separately.

With the crisis deepening by the day, it remains to be seen how Tagore will tackle the issue and ensure a win-win situation.
A Shavano Park Fire Department captain has filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against the small city in North Bexar County, claiming he wasnt hired for the fire chiefs job because he is Hispanic.

Capt. Ivan Hernandez, 47, who has worked at the department for almost 20 years, accuses the city of passing him over almost two years ago and hiring someone less qualified to lead the department. City officials gave the top job to former Castle Hills fire chief Darrell Dover in January 2019.

Dover, who is white, is not mentioned by name in the lawsuit. His LinkedIn page shows he has worked for various local fire departments for more than 25 years, including 20 years at the Castle Hills department, where he rose to the rank of captain before becoming its chief in 2017.

Hernandez was first hired by the Shavano Park Fire Department in 2001 and also worked for a time at the Seguin Fire Department. He continues to work full time as a fire department captain in Shavano Park, an affluent community of almost 3,800 residents, where whites account for 71 percent of the population and the median annual household income is $204,737, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data.

Hernandez is concerned that he might face retaliation because of the discrimination claims raised by his Dec. 22 lawsuit, said his attorney, Alfonso Kennard Jr., who runs a labor and employment law firm in Houston.

The city has not yet been served with the lawsuit, Shavano Park officials reported.

Mayor Bob Werner denied racial bias played any role in any of the citys personnel matters. In an email Thursday, he defended the decision to hire Dover, calling him an excellent choice and the best candidate for the job.

The citys hiring and firing decisions have never been made based on a persons ethnicity, Werner wrote.

The mayor said the city makes every effort to follow best practices in all personnel matters, weighing the recommendations of an ethnically diverse selection panel on hirings or promotions for all community director positions, including the fire chiefs job.

On ExpressNews.com: Remarks by two San Antonio Fire Department leaders prompt federal discrimination complaints

Hernandez wants things to be done right, his attorney said.

He is not greedy, and he is not looking for a windfall, Kennard said. When you file a lawsuit, it becomes public record. He was willing to sacrifice his own reputation in doing so because he felt strongly enough that it was the right thing to do. Its not like it did him any favors moving forward.

In late 2018, Hernandez applied for the Shavano Park fire chiefs position and was interviewed for the job. City officials never offered him an explanation as to why they hired Dover, the lawsuit states.

Hernandez then examined the citys selection process. He filed an open records request for the fire chiefs job posting, the job requirements, the scoring of the applicants and the interview notes.

It became obvious that the scoring was biased toward the applicant from outside the department, especially on items Mr. Hernandez was clearly more qualified or knowledgeable on, the lawsuit states. This was not a fair evaluation. It made no sense.

Going into the process of selecting a new chief, Mr. Hernandez recognized that those on the selection committee had already picked their horse in the race, and the city council rubber stamped it, just as it had always been.

Hernandez enjoys his job, but believes that the city councils and the selection committees conduct was discriminatory, the lawsuit noted.

When we compare (Hernandez) to the individual that he was up against, we believe that in a court of law, we will show conclusively that he was the most qualified, Kennard said.

Dover did not respond to requests for comment.

On ExpressNews.com: Employee sues San Antonio River Authority for racial discrimination, retaliation

Kennard said the city has a history of discrimination. Hernandez could not recall Shavano Park officials ever naming a non-white or Hispanic employee as the head of any city department in the nearly 20 years he has worked there, the lawsuit stated.

But the mayor disputed that Thursday, noting Shavano Parks current city secretary-human resources director is Hispanic, as was the person who previously held that position. Werner also said one of the citys former public works directors and a former city manager were Hispanic.

Werner said in the five years he has served as Shavano Parks mayor, each review panel has made unanimous recommendations on which applicants should be selected for department directors positions.

Prior to each (council) vote, the resumes of the top candidates are reviewed by council members, along with our city managers recommendation, which has historically followed the panels results, Werner said.

Hernandez and his attorney havent yet decided if they will seek a specific amount of monetary damages or press for him to be given the Shavano Park fire chiefs job.

Shavano Park officials let Hernandez get to a certain point, but they werent going to let him get to the top, Kennard said. And thats a shame.

As recently as Dec. 21, a photo showing the fire captain receiving his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine was posted on the Shavano Park Firefighters Facebook page.

It takes a strong individual to continue to serve his community in that fashion, Kennard said.
Few rockstars have had an impact on classic rock the way that Eddie Van Halen and Michael Jackson have. Combined, the two musicians have racked up numerous Grammy Awards and dozens of number-one Billboard hits. They have both also been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (in Jacksons instance, twice). But theres a hidden connection between the two late musicians that even some of their most loyal fans dont know about, and it comes with a surprising twist thats hard to beat  pun intended.

Eddie Van Halen | David Tan/Getty Images

Eddie Van Halen and Michael Jackson cast big shadows over the American music landscape

RELATED: What Was Eddie Van Halens Net Worth at the Time of His Death and What Was Van Halens Most Successful Hit?

Eddie Van Halen and his brother Alex Van Halen formed the rock band Van Halen back in 1972. The group first experienced commercial success with their self-named debut that was released in 1978, which quickly went on to become certified Diamond. Some of Van Halens biggest hits include Panama, Runnin with the Devil, and Eruption. The group disbanded in 2020 shortly after Eddie passed away from cancer.

Michael Jackson first rose to fame as a member of the Jackson family, singing with his older brothers as part of the Jackson 5 group. Hes best known for albums like Thriller, which won eight Grammy awards at the 1984 Grammy Awards.

Eddie Van Halens trademark sound was his finger-tapping guitar solo technique. His solos are consistently listed in best-of ranking lists by outlets like Rolling Stone and GuitarWorld. And they once caught the attention of Jacksons team.

Eddie Van Halen helped create the guitar solo in Michael Jacksons hit song Beat It

RELATED: Eddie Van Halen Told No One About His Beat It Guitar Solo

Quincy Jones was a producer for three of Michael Jacksons albums (1979s Off the Wall, 1987s Thriller and 1987s Bad). Jones was also friends with Eddie Van Halen, and he once called Van Halen to ask a quick favor: Would Van Halen help him out by recording a short guitar solo for a new song by one of Jones clients?

That client was Michael Jackson.

I  wasnt 100% sure it was him, recalls Van Halen in an interview with CNN, saying he thought the whole thing was a prank at the time. But he decided to show up at the studio anyway, and he was shocked to see that it really was Jackson and his whole production team.

Van Halen asked Jones what to do, and Jones told him he could listen to Jacksons in-progress song Beat It and come up with whatever he wanted. Jones says he listened to the song and did a couple of sample guitar solos in under 30 minutes.

I was just finishing the second solo when Michael walked in, says Van Halen. I didnt know how he would react to what I was doing. So I warned him before he listened. I said, Look, I changed the middle section of your song. [] And so he gave it a listen, and he turned to me and went, Wow, thank you so much for having the passion to not just come in and blaze a solo, but to actually care about the song, and make it better.'

Although the whole process took just a few minutes, Beat It  featuring Van Halen and his iconic guitar solo in an uncredited role  would go on to win several Grammys and two American Music Awards. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame now lists it as one of the top songs that forever shaped rock and roll.

But Van Halen spent so little time making the guitar solo, and never played it again, that something strange happened down the road.

Van Halen actually forgot how to play his Beat It guitar solo

RELATED: Beat It: Eddie Van Halen Never Saw a Penny From His Iconic Guitar Solo on the Michael Jackson Hit: I Was A Complete Fool

You would imagine that a guitar solo as unique and famous as the one in Beat It would be emblazoned on its creators memory forever, but that wasnt the case. Years later, Van Halen had trouble remembering how to play it.

Jennifer Batten was one of the guitarists who played for Michael Jackson, and she was the one who would play the guitar solo in Beat It when Jackson performed it on stage. In an interview with GuitarWorld, Batten says she had a chance run-in with Van Halen in the late 1980s after Beat It had come out.

Eddies tech came over and asked if I would come and meet him, she recalls. And as soon as I walked in the room, he put his guitar on me and wanted me to play the [Beat It] solo. So, of course, I did.

She says Van Halen then put on a guitar and asked her to walk him through it again and remind him how it went. Because its not something he had played with Van Halen  it was a one-off in the studio and then he went on his way, she remembers. But Id say he picked it up again mighty quickly!
Phyllis McGuire, the lead singer and last surviving member of the McGuire Sisters, who bewitched teenage America in the 1950s with chart-topping renditions of Sincerely and Sugartime in a sweet, innocent harmony that went with car fins, charm bracelets and ducktail haircuts, died Tuesday at her home in Las Vegas. She was 89.

The Palm Eastern Mortuary in Las Vegas confirmed the death but did not specify a cause.

McGuire, with her older sisters Christine and Dorothy, shot to success overnight after winning the televised Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts contest in 1952. Over the next 15 years, they were one of the nations most popular vocal groups.

The sisters epitomized a 1950s sensibility, wearing identical coifs, dresses and smiles; moving with synchronized precision; and blending voices in wholesome songs for simpler times. Their music contrasted starkly with the rock n roll craze that was taking the world by storm in the mid- to late 50s.

In 1965, as the trios popularity began to fade, Phyllis McGuires image as the honey-blond girl next door was shattered by published reports linking her romantically with Sam Giancana, a Chicago mobster with reputed ties to the Kennedy administration and a CIA plot to enlist the Mafia in what proved to be unsuccessful attempts to assassinate Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

The McGuire Sisters retired from public appearances in 1968, Christine and Dorothy to raise families, Phyllis to continue as a soloist. She appeared regularly in Las Vegas, where she lived for the rest of her life.

Phyllis McGuire was born in Middletown, Ohio, on Feb. 14, 1931, the youngest of three daughters of Asa and Lillie (Fultz) McGuire. The sisters began singing in church when Phyllis McGuire was 4.

The McGuire Sisters were one of the many white groups that covered 1950s R&B hits, many by Black artists, in what critics called blander versions, yet better-selling ones. They also sang for Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and for Queen Elizabeth II.

Phyllis McGuires 1952 marriage to Neal Van Ells, a broadcaster, ended in divorce in 1956. They had no children.

Dorothy McGuire died in 2012 and Christine McGuire in 2019. Phyllis McGuire is survived by nieces and nephews. Her longtime companion, Mike Davis, an oil and gas magnate, died in 2016.

Robert D. McFadden is a New York Times writer.
Nursing Homes Ireland has welcomed the commitment of the Minister for Health and HSE CEO Paul Reid that rollout of the vaccine will move to 35,000 doses this week and will move to seven days a week, incorporating all healthcare settings.

Also read: Staggering rise in new Covid-19 infections as Longford records another double-digit increase

Tadhg Daly, NHI CEO states: Today the Minister and the HSE CEO have made commitments on the vaccine and we especially welcome that vaccination rollout will be across seven days and this will encompass all healthcare settings. There is an overwhelming desire within the private and voluntary nursing home sector to accommodate and indeed assist to administer vaccination of residents and staff so the commitment to move to seven days is very positive. To facilitate timely rollout, nursing home staff who are experienced peer vaccinators require Covid-specific training to support in the administration of the vaccine to nursing home residents.

It is right that a priority within the vaccination rollout programme should be the 600 nursing homes across the country. There is great willingness within our sector to support efficiency and flexibility in enabling the rollout of the vaccine be achieved in as short a timeframe as possible.

Were further encouraged by the commitment to administer 35,000 vaccines this week and at least 40,000 vaccines every other week, with supply being the only limiting factor. The continued prioritisation of nursing home residents and staff will hopefully achieve all being vaccinated in a time period quicker than that scheduled for the end of February for completion of the nursing home programme.

Also read: Schools reopening should be delayed in a bid to tackle escalating Covid19 cases

We have engaged with the HSE on a constant basis with regard to the vaccine rollout within nursing homes and remain committed to supporting it in achieving rollout in as quick a timeframe as possible. We find ourselves seeking to navigate a very dangerous juncture. Vaccination is in sight for all nursing homes but the multiplying of cases in our communities has a direct consequence for nursing homes, with health experts nationally and internationally stating high-incidence in community has an inevitable impact on nursing homes. Every persons actions have a real impact on our goal to supress transmission of the virus. We urge people to be cognisant of nursing home residents, the most susceptible to the virus, and the staff striving to keep them staff. Please heed the public health advices to support nursing home residents through this pandemic.
An aspiring beauty queen has revealed Princess Eugenie inspired her to be confident after the royal unzipped her dress and showed off her scoliosis scars in a private meeting.

Poppy Gerrard, 18, from Liverpool, was invited to meet the 30-year-old Princess after winning Alesha Dixon's golden buzzer while auditioning for Britain's Got Talent as part of the dance group, Mersey Girls.

The dancer and model who was then just 15 had been using the platform to raise awareness of scoliosis which her friend Julia Carlile was diagnosed with - and is a condition which causes a curvature of the spine, and with which Princess Eugenie was born.

After inspiring the Queen's granddaughter with their message, Poppy and the rest of the group were invited for afternoon tea to meet the royal and was even invited to her wedding with Jack Brooksbank in 2018.

Poppy Gerrard, 18, from Liverpool, has revealed Princess Eugenie inspired her to be confident after the royal unzipped her dress and showed off her scoliosis scars in a private meeting

Poppy (pictured, second from left) was invited to meet the 30-year-old Princess after winning Alesha Dixon's golden buzzer while auditioning for Britain's Got Talent as part of the dance group, Mersey Girls

On her wedding day in 2018 to Jack Brooksbank, Eugenie wore a dress which proudly displayed the scar on her back

'I will never forget that day, explained Poppy. It was just like we were talking to a friend.

'She told us about her scoliosis journey and what she had been through with her operations.

'At one point she unzipped her dress and showed us her scar. It gave me goosebumps that a princess was so proud of her imperfections and that she was prepared to share something like that with us.'

After their royal encounter, the Mersey Girls finished in ninth place on BGT but inspired by the meeting Poppy has entered the 2021 Miss England pageant in a bid to show more young women that they can achieve anything they put their minds to.

Poppy and the rest of the group were invited for afternoon tea to meet the royal and was even invited to her wedding with Jack Brooksbank in 2018 (pictured)

The dancer (pictured) told how Princess Eugenie told the group about her scoliosis journey and what she had been through with her operations

After their royal encounter, the Mersey Girls finished in ninth place on BGT. Pictured, Poppy

After receiving four A* grades in her recent A-levels, the young student (pictured) is due to start her degree in Mathematics at the University of Manchester next year while balancing her endeavours in modelling and acting

Princess Eugenie underwent surgery on her spine at the age of 12 so titanium could be added to repair the curvature which scoliosis had caused. Pictured, at a royal engagement in March

After receiving four A* grades in her recent A-levels, the young student is due to start her degree in Mathematics at the University of Manchester next year while balancing her endeavours in modelling and acting.

'After the Golden buzzer but before the finals someone got in touch by email on behalf of the Royal Family,' said Poppy.

What is scoliosis? Scoliosis is the abnormal curvature of the spine in an S-shape. Signs include a visible curve in the spine, one shoulder or hip being more prominent than the other, clothes not hanging properly and back pain. Pain usually only affects adults with the condition. In most cases, the cause of the scoliosis is not known but it can be caused by cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy. In the UK, scoliosis affects three to four children could of every 1,000. It is also thought that as many as 70 per cent of over 65s have some degree of scoliosis. It is more common in women than in men. Most children with the condition do not require treatment as it is mild and corrects itself as the child grows. However, in severe cases the child may need to wear a back brace until they stop growing. Occasionally, a child needs surgery to straighten their spine. In adults, it is usually too late to treat the condition with a back brace or surgery so treatment revolves around reducing pain. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

'We had some correspondence with them via letter and that was really cool because it was all on Palace letter-headed paper.

'The Palace was just stunning and after we chatted to her she kept in touch and she invited us to her Royal Wedding.

'It was just a dream come true because there's a little girl you dream of tea parties palaces and princesses.

'She was so inspiring and down to earth and friendly.

'It was just nice to see that the royals are just normal people and they are that genuine, kind and real.'

Eugenie underwent surgery on her spine at the age of 12 so titanium could be added to repair the curvature which scoliosis had caused.

The scar was also brought to the forefront of public attention on Eugenie's wedding day to husband Jack Brooksbank.

The princess chose a stunning gown with a drop back that showed off her scar. Speaking at the time, Eugenie said it was important to highlight her journey with the condition.

The royal has stepped up her advocacy work in recent months.

She shared a post on International Scoliosis Awareness Day in June that read:

'I just wanted to share my scar and encourage anyone out there who's gone through something similar to share theirs with me.

'Let's be proud of our scars! I'd love to repost any of your images on my stories so please tag me and I will share. #internationalscoliosisawarenessday.'

The royal has highlighted stories shared by followers with the condition in the months since.

Eugenie is also the Royal Patron of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital where she had her childhood surgery.

You can now vote for Poppy or your favourite Miss England candidate on the free Miss England app.
Listen to article

The Prominent Civil Rights Advocacy group-: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has condemned the move by some law makers to amend the electoral Act to allow for under age girls who are married to vote saying that it will write to the European Union and the United Kingdom to probe some of the legislators for possible links to paedophilia.

"We are definitely going to send powerful letters to member nations of the European Union, the United King, the United States of America, Australia and Canada to call their attention to the possibility of a network of paedophiles in the current National Assembly of Nigeria".

"We will be asking these developed societies to take steps to impose travel restrictions against these identified members of the National Assembly who may actually be running a network and a gang of Paedophiles. We are disappointed that in a time like this, when nation's around the World are using their instruments of legislation to advance Women's Rights and stop gender based violence, the Nigeria's national Assembly is busy drafting a pro-paedophilia bill to enable UNDER-AGE MARRIED girls to enjoy voting rights which inevitably amounts to legislating Paedophilia into law in the Federal Republic of Nigeria."

HURIWA recalled that the national assembly joint committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is recommending that married underage girls be recognised as eligible voters even when the Nigerias constitution currently pegs the eligible age for voting at 18.

HURIWA recalled that the national assembly joint panel made the recommendation to a technical committee which will work on the new electoral act proposed by the federal lawmakers even as the technical committee is made up of lawyers, lawmakers, INEC officials and civil society organisations (CSOs).

HURIWA recalled that at a public hearing organised by the joint panel about two weeks ago, some stakeholders recommended that married underage girls should be considered as voters.

The Rights group said the decision by the joint Committee of the National Assembly to promote this sort of anti-social behaviour of encouraging Under age marriages with all the attendant health complications such as VesicoVaginal Fistula (VVF) which is scientifically caused by early marriage is one of the greatest set backs we are witnessing since the coming of Constitutional democracy in the Country and this must never be allowed to happen.

The Rights group said it was shocking that even ad the nation has spent millions of public funds to try to rehabilitate underage married girls suffering from VVF, the National Assembly is busy seeking to pass a bill to unleash more VVF sufferers on the National health sector that is weak and grossly underfunded.

HURIWA however expressed shock that whilst speaking at the inauguration of the technical committee in Abuja, Kabiru Gaya, chairman of the senate committee on INEC, said the recommendation is a unanimous decision by the joint panel saying thus: The joint committee has proposed that if a lady who is not up to 18 years is married, she should be considered to be mature enough and be eligible to vote, Gaya said.

HURIWA applauded Professor Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, who said the issue of voting age is a constitutional matter, adding that the law also recognises 18 as marriageable age just as the Rights group said the hierarchy of the Independent National Electoral commission headed by Professor Mahmoud Yakubu should refused to capitulate to the primitive lifestyle of those who actively supports Paedophilia because apart from it being an illegality, the practice of Under age marriages comes with devastating consequences for the girl child because it inherently denies the girl her fundamental human rights to pursue her academic and other developmental goals in her chosen careers apart from the serious health problems associated with early marriage which includes VVF.

HURIWA said it will be tasking the member nation's of the European Union and other Western Civilised Societies to impose travel bans on all the law makers promoting the bill to legalise early marriage because there is a very thin line between showing passion for early marriage and practicing Paedophilia which is a very serious crime all around the World.

"We will be writing to these nations to investigate these members of the joint Committee on the Electoral Act amendments with a view to ascertaining if any of them is a Paedophile so the person can be stopped from travelling around the World to avoid contaminating other teenage girls of other nations since they are in a position to have access to slush funds to fund such an illicit lifestyle. They should be investigated thoroughly because at this time everyone is talking against early marriage and other sexual violence against girls, here in Nigeria there are persons whose passion is to move to legalise early marriage in Nigeria. We as a civilised constitutional democracy must resist and reject this obscene and immoral lifestyle".
[January 04, 2021] Kasasa Celebrates Financial Institution Clients in 2020 Kasasa Nation Awards

Kasasa, an award-winning financial technology and marketing provider, is thrilled to recognize three financial institution clients for their accomplishments in the 2020 Kasasa Nation Awards. Winners were selected in three categories: Impact Award, Culture Award and Innovation Award. The Impact Award recognizes the incredible investment that a community financial institution has made or is making in the community they serve. This year's winner, First Capital Federal Credit Union, instituted their "First Cap Gives Back" program, asking employees to nominate charitable organizations near and dear to their hearts for financial support, helping their local community and giving team members a voice in which organizations receive assistance. UNCLE Credit Union received the Culture Award, which acknowledges the "x-factor" or "secret sauce" that makes a team special. UNCLE's culture is maintained not just by managers, but by employees at every level. The credit union has a Spirit Boosters Committee, made up of employees from every division, and meets regularly to plan parties, spirit days, community events and more.



Kasasa's Innovation Award was given to New Orleans Firemen's Federal Credit Union (NOFFCU) for providing innovative tools and services to its members, maintaining a competitive edge. NOFFCU recognized the predatory lending in underserved areas where bank branches had disappeared, and as a result created "The Faith Fund" to offer micro loans as a payday loan alternative. "As this challenging year, full of ups and downs, comes to a close, we wanted to acknowledge Kasasa financial institutions for all of the good they do in their local communities," said Jill Feiler, EVP, Client Success at Kasasa. "Community banks and credit unions have a great opportunity to impact in the lives of their customers, be innovative, make a change and maintain an amazing culture. First Capital Federal Credit Union, UNCLE Credit Union and NOFFCU are just three examples of financial institutions keeping their industry alive. They're superstars."

More than 30 Kasasa banks and credit unions self-nominated themselves at the beginning of the year. Each nomination was reviewed by a diverse, cross-functional committee at Kasasa that narrowed down each award category to three finalists. Voting was then opened to clients to determine the winners. About Kasasa Based in Austin, Texas with 500 employees, Kasasa is a financial technology and marketing provider committed to driving results for over 900 community financial institutions by attracting, engaging, and retaining consumers. Kasasa does this through branded retail products, world class marketing, and expert consulting. For more information, please visit www.kasasa.com, or visit them on Twitter or LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005454/en/

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Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Monday that his office, along with 40 other plaintiffs, have filed a lawsuit to stop the sale of the National Archive building in Seattle, which could be on the market in a matter of weeks if not blocked.

"To be blunt, these federal agencies don't give a damn about their legal obligations or what these documents mean to our region," Ferguson stated. "Consequently, this lawsuit is our only recourse to compel the government to follow the law and respect the fact that these irreplaceable records contain the DNA of our region."

Twenty-nine federally recognized tribes signed onto the lawsuit, including tribes in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska.

Many of the tribal leaders involved in the lawsuit said that the federal government failed to engage in any consultation regarding the sale, calling it an affront to tribal sovereignty.

"Sovereign tribal nations have an absolute right to weigh in and make a decision on critical things that affect our lands, territories and resources," said Fawn Sharp, President of the Quinault Indian Nation.

Located in the quiet Windermere neighborhood, the 73-year-old building holds the historical records of 272 federally recognized Native American tribes and over 50,000 files from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, making it a vital source of historical information in the region.

It also includes Alaskan documents and records sent to the facility after the National Archives building closed in Anchorage back in 2016. Very little of the data has been digitized.

Back in January 2020, the facility was closed and authorized for sale by the government along with 12 other "high value" federal properties.

At the time, the government estimated that the sale could take 18 months and "requested to stay in the building for an additional three years following the sale," according to a news release.

However, the Public Buildings Reform Board decided to accelerate the sale of the properties during an Oct. 1 meeting. The board justified that an expedited sale of all 12 properties was necessary due to the impacts of COVID-19 on the commercial real estate market and discussed hiring a broker.

Despite those meetings, the federal government never alerted any local or tribal entity about the impending sale.

"If any consultation would happen, the [federal government] would have found out that the tribes really desire to have these materials close to us, so we can verify the things we've been told over the years, that we've learned through oral histories," said Jeromy Sullivan, chairman of the Port Gamble SKlallam Tribe.

Ferguson's office has filed multiple federal Freedom of Information Act lawsuits to access documents regarding the sale, but remarked that the documents they received were highly redacted.

If sold, the content is expected to be split up between archive centers in Riverside, California and Kansas City, Missouri, meaning researchers and citizens would have to travel to access the documents.

Leaders in the Asian and Pacific Islander American communities also spoke how the archives are crucial to preserving their history.

"Most Chinese Americans left few records of their lives and history prior to 1950, making the Archives treasure trove of files related to the Chinese Exclusion Act all the more precious," said Connie So, president of OCA Asian Pacific Advocates  Greater Seattle Chapter.

The lawsuit is expected to go before a judge in a matter of weeks.
A grandmother was "at a loss" to explain why she shoplifted two jackets from a city centre store, a court heard.

Carol Rooney (60) was caught as she tried to flee with the property, worth a combined 500.

Judge Bryan Smyth fined her 200 when she appeared in Dublin District Court.

Rooney, with an address at St Mary's Mansions in Dublin's north inner city, pleaded guilty to theft.

The court heard it was reported to gardai that Rooney had taken two jackets worth 500 from Mountain Warehouse on O'Connell Street Lower on February 7 last year.

Arrested

She was stopped and arrested and the goods were recovered.

The court heard Rooney had previous convictions for offences including theft and possession of drugs.

Rooney, who had undergone treatment for medical issues, was at a loss to say what she was thinking on the day of the theft, her solicitor Yvonne Bambury said.

What happened was "out of character at this point in her life", Ms Bambury said.

Rooney was of "limited resources" and did not have much by way of finances, she said.

The judge fined and convicted Rooney.

Herald
(Newser)  A British judge has rejected the United States request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face espionage charges, saying it would be oppressive because of his mental health, reports the AP. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said Monday that Assange was likely to commit suicide if sent to the US. The US government said it would appeal the decision. American prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks publication of leaked military and diplomatic documents a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.

story continues below

Lawyers for the 49-year-old Australian argue that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections of freedom of speech for publishing leaked documents that exposed US military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. The judge rejected claims by the defense that Assange was protected by free-speech guarantees, saying his conduct, if proved, would therefore amount to offenses in this jurisdiction that would not be protected by his right to freedom of speech. But she said Assange suffered from clinical depression that would be exacerbated by the isolation he would likely face in US prison. The judge said Assange had the intellect and determination to circumvent any suicide prevention measures the authorities could take. (Read more Julian Assange stories.)
With Donald Trump in the White House and Republicans in control of the Senate, there was no chance of striking Faircloth from the books. But a Biden presidency with a Democratic Senate  or even a bare Republican majority that hinges on a few persuadable moderates, like Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska  could offer an opportunity for a legacy-defining initiative.

Ms. Ocasio-Cortez was able to engineer the repeal by attaching it as an amendment to a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan that passed the House in July. If Republicans retain control of the Senate, this is probably the most realistic path to repeal. Infrastructure spending has drawn bipartisan support and killing Faircloth in an amendment is easier politically, since it wont force an up-down vote from conservative Republicans. Still, its easy to imagine conservatives turning the expansion of public housing as a culture war issue, casting it as a giveaway to cities.

Striking down Faircloth, though, is worth a fight. The amendment was passed in 1998, when Republicans controlled Congress and President Bill Clinton had soured on public housing. Unfairly characterized as mere dens of sin and vice  and increasingly neglected as whites moved out and poorer, nonwhite residents moved in  public housing was largely viewed as a liberal failure, with Democrats and Republicans both cheering on its destruction. Instead, politicians argued that Section 8 housing vouchers were sufficient, even though landlords were able to discriminate against tenants who received such federal housing assistance.

Since the 1990s, some 250,000 public-housing units have been demolished. Many major cities, including Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia and New Orleans, have chosen to eradicate much of their public-housing stock. New York City, one of the last holdouts, is considering various privatization schemes to raise funds for its crumbling buildings. At the minimum, these units can be returned without repealing Faircloth, but to go beyond the 1990s standard  and give the nation the housing expansion it needs  the law must go.

Though technocratic-minded politicians believed offering families housing vouchers instead of apartments in decaying developments would give them better choices, all it really created was more precarity and instability, more ways to be priced out in a fevered housing market. In the 2010s, rent skyrocketed in many American cities with wealthy newcomers swarming once overlooked neighborhoods, cities blocking affordable housing proposals and real estate developers filling skylines with pricey condominiums.
Several parts of northwest India continue to receive widespread and heavy rain with thunderstorm and lightning.

Moderately intense rain is likely to occur over Alwar, Tizara, Kotputli, Deeg, Bharatpur in Rajasthan; Aligarh, Jattari, Iglas, Khair, Sahaswan, Hathras, Barsana, Khurja, Anupshahar, Gabbana, Chandausi, Bhajoi, Sambhal in UP; Palwal, Hodal, Aurangabad, Nuh in Haryana during the next two hours according to India Meteorological Department.

Delhi recorded 39.9mm rain between 8.30am on Saturday and 2.30pm on Sunday  far higher than the 21.7mm average rain quota for all of January.

Also Read: 40mm rain in 36 hrs throws Delhi out of gear, more likely today: IMD

More rain, as well as hailstorm and thunderstorms are expected till Tuesday, according to IMD scientists.

An active western disturbance is lying as a middle and upper level cyclonic circulation over central Pakistan with its induced cyclonic circulation over southwest Rajasthan. A north-south zone of wind confluence is also observed from north Punjab to northeast Arabian Sea, with a strong interaction between southwesterly winds and lower level moist southeasterlies.

All these favourable meteorological features for rain are likely to persist till January 5 and continue to cause moderate to intense rain with thunderstorm, lightning and hailstorm at isolated places in northwest India till the night of January 5 with peak activity on January 3 and 4 over the plains (Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh and north Rajasthan ) and on January 4 and 5 over the western Himalayan region (Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand).

Northerly-northwesterly winds likely to set in over northwest India causing cold wave to severe cold wave conditions at isolated places over Punjab, Haryana and north Rajasthan from January 7.

When there is an induced cyclonic circulation in association with a western disturbance, the system is very intense. Moisture is feeding in from the Arabian Sea, so we are seeing widespread snowfall in the hills and intense thundershowers in the plains. We are expecting hailstorm in some parts of the city on Monday and thundershowers on Tuesday. Once the western disturbance moves away, minimum temperatures are likely to fall again to 4 to 5 degrees Celsius but they may not fall as low as 1 or 2 degrees Celsius, Kuldeep Shrivastava, head, regional weather forecasting centre, said on Sunday.
U.S. President Donald Trump addressed 300 state legislators on Saturday in a Zoom conference meeting on Saturday in a Zoom conference meeting.

The legislators were from Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.

The conference meeting was hosted by a non-profit election integrity watchdog group Got Freedom?, according to a Breitbart News report.

The non-profit organization has been urging those lawmakers to review evidence that the election process in their states were unlawful, as well as consider decertifying the results of the November presidential election.

Trump was in the call for 15 minutes.

He was invited to speak by Rudy Giuliani, who was the previous New York City mayor.

Giuliani current serves as the president's personal attorney.

The group released a statement after the call, saying that they conducted the executive national briefing to review the evidence of irregularities and lawlessness in the 2020 presidential election.

Got Freedom? also noted that a similar beefing is scheduled in Washington, D.C. at the request of Members of Congress.

Read more: Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley to Object Electoral College Vote on January 6



Objection to Electoral College Results

Some Republicans plan to reject presidential electors from states that they considered disputed. This if the Congress does not create a commission to investigate their claims of fraud.

Vice President Mike Pence has supported on Saturday night the effort, which was triggered by baseless allegation of voter fraud, according to an NPR report.

The lawmakers are the latest Republicans to oppose President-elect Biden's certification of Electoral College victory. The move will not alter Biden's road to presidency.

However, this will draw out a normally routine process.

Several senators issued a joint statement on Saturday claiming allegations of voter fraud, lax enforcement of election law, and other voting irregularities.

These senators were Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Mike Braun of Indiana, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Steve Daines of Montana, and John Kennedy of Louisiana.

The statement urges for the creation of an electoral commission, which will have an authority on full investigation and fact funding, as well as to do an emergency 10-day audit of the election results in the disputed states.

"Accordingly, we intend to vote on January 6 to reject the electors from disputed states as not 'regularly given' and 'lawfully certified' (the statutory requisite), unless and until that emergency 10-day audit is completed," the statement was quoted on a report.

Related story: Electoral College Gives Biden a Solid Majority, Confirming Win



Confirm the Legitimacy of The Allegations

Meanwhile, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas on Sunday required his GOP colleagues to vote to affirm the legitimacy of the down-ballot election results in key states that they plan to challenge.

Roy said that if voter fraud in those states had changed the results of the presidential vote then it would cast doubt on the outcome of House races as well, according to a Forbes report.

Roy said that the representatives were voted through the same systems and procedures, which they are currently questioning.

More than 140 House Republicans are expected to join with at least a dozen GOP senators to object certifying Biden's electoral votes in each of those states.

Trump has baselessly claimed that those were won through widespread voter fraud.
The complaint was lodged by Rajya Sabha member and YSRC leader V. Vijayasai Reddy, alleging that Telugu Desam leaders and cadre threw stones at his convoy. (Image: Twitter/VSReddy_MP)

VISAKHAPATNAM: Nellimarla police have registered cases against TD activists following a complaint lodged by Rajya Sabha member and YSRC leader V. Vijayasai Reddy that Telugu Desam leaders and cadre had thrown stones and damaged vehicles as his convoy was passing through Ramateertham in Vizianagaram district.

The incident took place after Vijayasai Reddy had inspected the beheaded idol of Lord Rama at the Sri Kodandarama Swamy Temple in Ramateertham and performed pujas along with some YSRC leaders.

In his complaint, the MP alleged that when he went to visit the temple where Lord Ramas idol had been desecrated on December 29, people gathered with ulterior political motives and attacked with stones and sharp objects with an intention of killing him. YSRC activists and police present managed to protect him. However, one of his bodyguards Hari had sustained injuries in the assault launched by TD leader Kala Venkata Rao and his henchmen as per directions of TD chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu.

Vijayasai Reddy mentioned in the complaint that Kala Venkata Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and K. Atchennaidu had directed their party activists to create a law and order issue at Ramateertham and also kill him. In the attack, even his bulletproof vehicle had got damaged. The MP appealed to the police that appropriate action be against all culprits involved in the incident after a detailed enquiry.

Nellimarla police said that they have registered cases against some TDP activists under relevant sections and efforts are on to nab the attackers.
Ben Craig went from short stack to victor to take down the 57-entry Bally's Main Event Mania $1,500 Main Event for $25,834. He start the eight-handed final table with less chips than all of his opponents, several of whom had more than 100 big blinds, but it just proved to be a generous head start that Craig made up over the course of the next several hours.

With the win, the 32-year-old software engineer from Chicago added to $118K in career cashes, all coming since 2017.

"I've tried a couple of times going pro," he said. "I love coming to Vegas for tournaments."

Official Final Table Results

Place Player Prize 1 Ben Craig $25,834 2 Pete Dailey $15,964 3 Lewis Robledo $10,467 4 Viny Lima $7,195 5 Terry Fleischer $5,196 6 Mike Shin $3,954 7 Daniel Sepiol $3,178 8 Ryan Lenaghan $2,708

Craig hung around with a short stack as a fast pace was set by the other players to get down to the final table  and the money  over the first few hours of the day. Plenty of late-registering players helped boost the prize pool, with the likes of Mike Shin and Pat Lyons among those showing up to fire.

Pete Dailey, Lewis Robledo and Viny Lima had heaps going in, and indeed those three wound up four-handed with Craig while experienced players like Shin and Terry Fleischer went bust.

It looked like Craig would be headed to payouts in fourth when he got it in dominated with queen-jack suited against Lima's jacks, but a queen on the turn saved Craig and he then busted Lima in a flip.

Robledo and Dailey seemed determined to play huge pots, something Craig was all too happy to do as he caught fire, showing down some huge holdings such as full houses and aces up when he was committing large portions of his stack. A massive flip for more than 60 big blinds went his way to bust Robledo, and he suddenly had a large lead against Dailey heads up.

They played a big one on an ace-high board that Craig didn't mean to make large, but he misclicked in a min-raise when he meant to call a turn bet and faced a big three-bet from Dailey. Holding an ace and a weak kicker, Craig stayed sticky.

"I just thought he was spazzing versus the misclick," Craig said. "I thought about jamming. He was frustrated. I was making a lot of big hands.

"But, I figured if he river wasn't a diamond [to make a three-flush] and he bluffed, I could get the rest."

It was a diamond, but Dailey gave up, and Craig had him on the ropes. He gambled with a flush draw and an overcard and got there versus top pair to seal it.

Craig said he plays most of his volume online, but he's been increasing his play as the live scene slowly kicks back up. He said he's on his third trip to Vegas since the summer, and he's $25K richer for his next shot, whenever that comes.
Manitobas highest court has given a court-appointed receiver the green light to proceed with the sale of one of Peter Nygards flagship business properties.

Manitobas highest court has given a court-appointed receiver the green light to proceed with the sale of one of Peter Nygards flagship business properties.

The transaction had been put on hold in advance of a Nygard appeal to have the receiver discharged.

However, in a written decision released Dec. 31, 2020, Manitoba Court of Appeal Justice Janice leMaistre quashed a stay halting the sale of Nygards Inkster Boulevard property by Richter Advisory Group.

Sale of the property had been initially approved by Queens Bench Justice James Edmond in November 2020, with a set closing date of Jan. 18.

Richter lawyers had argued any further delay could jeopardize the real estate deal, which they described as a "hard-fought transaction," and the only offer made on the Winnipeg property since it went on the market last April.

"In my view, the relative prejudice weighs in favour of cancelling the stay," leMaistre said. "If the stay is not lifted, the sale agreement will come to an end.

"Despite the prior extensions which arose due to the condition of the Inkster property, and which resulted in a reduction in the purchase price, I am not prepared to speculate the closing date might be extended beyond Jan. 18, 2021."

The Nygard Group of Companies was placed in receivership in March 2020 to repay a US$25-million debt to American lenders White Oak Commercial Finance and Second Avenue Capital Partners.

Nygard lawyers argue that debt has been paid in full, and have filed an appeal with the Manitoba Court of Appeal to have the receiver discharged.

At a hearing last month, lawyer Colby Linthwaite argued Nygard Properties Ltd.  the owner of the Inkster Boulevard property, and one of nine companies controlled by the Nygard Group  has satisfied its debts and cant have its assets sold to pay the debts of other companies in the group.

"The reality of the situation is that my client, NPL, is the owner of the property and owes nothing more to the lender," Linthwaite said.

LeMaistre said that position ignores the distinction between a privately appointed receiver and a court-appointed receiver, the latter of which acts for the benefit of all stakeholders.

"In my view, it is clear from the record that there are a number of issues that have yet to be determined in the receivership," leMaistre said. "(The) assertion that the lenders have been paid overly simplifies a complicated factual matrix."

Peter Nygard, 79, was arrested and taken into custody in Winnipeg last month on a U.S. extradition warrant to face racketeering and sex offences that allegedly took place over decades. He is set to apply for bail Wednesday.

Ten months ago, a class-action lawsuit was filed in the U.S., alleging a decades-long pattern of sexual abuse involving dozens of women and girls.

Nygard maintains his innocence, alleging he is the target of a vast conspiracy.

Meanwhile, Nygard IT systems were the target of a ransomware attack Dec. 12, Richter said in court documents filed last week.

"By reason of the size and complexity of the IT system, and the caution needed in taking steps to assess the ransomware attack, the full scope and impact of the ransomware attack is not yet certain," Richter said.

A ransomware attack encrypts targeted files so they are no longer accessible by the file owners, who are then demanded to pay a "ransom" in exchange for their return.

A message posted to a website hosted by the attackers demanded $3.6 million  later doubled to $7.2 million  in return for a "decrypter" program, and threatened to make the files public if the receiver did not comply by Jan. 2.

"Payment of the ransom payment will not be considered by the receiver," Richter said.

Richters IT division traced the attack to Netwalker, a ransomware created by Circus Spider, a "highly sophisticated cybercrime group" that sells its services on the dark web.

"This malicious business model involves Circus Spider recruiting affiliates to help cybercriminal groups execute nefarious activities and spread the Netwalker malware in return for affiliate payments," Richter said.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
THE rollout of the vaccinations for residents and staff in nursing homes in Cork is due to start next week

The first vaccinations are being administered today nationally and Cork nursing home jabs are scheduled to begin on Monday, January 11 when Amberley Home in Fermoy and Fairfield Nursing Home in Drimoleague will be the first recipients.

Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI) CEO Tadhg Daly is delighted the vaccination programme is "great news" but a big challenge for the HSE.

Mr Daly, who hails from Drimoleague, is hopeful the vaccination process in all nursing homes will be completed towards the end of February.

The vaccine gives us all great hope," he said.

Mr Daly added: "Twenty-five nursing homes will be completed nationwide before the end of the first week. There will then be a three-week plan going forward from January 11. At the end of those three weeks, there will be a loop of a further three weeks. It is great news and if it could be expedited it would be even better. There are 75,000 people between residents and staff across nursing homes nationwide. It will be a big challenge for the HSE. The sooner it is rolled out the better, he said.

Administrating the second dose will push out the completion of the vaccinations to the latter part of February. All residents and staff will get their first dose before they will then be administered with the second dose 21 days later. It will crank up big time on Monday, January 11. There are a lot of vaccinations scheduled to take place in the various nursing homes in Cork that week, he added.

Tadhg Daly CEO Nursing Homes. Photo:Gareth Chaney/Collins

The commencement of the vaccination in nursing homes has been warmly welcomed by Mr Daly, who has presided over a sector that has been hugely affected by the outbreak of Covid-19.

The vaccine gives us all great hope. It will provide peace of mind for residents and staff alike. The nursing homes sector has suffered hugely. The high number of positive cases in recent days is very worrying. HSE officials are already warning that with the high rate of community transmissions it would nearly be impossible to keep it out of hospitals or nursing homes which is worrying.

The vaccinations are a big step in the right direction. We will still have strict public health measures in place and infection prevention control will still be a big issue for the foreseeable future until the whole community is vaccinated. I am very positive the vaccines will prove a huge success.

Mr Daly paid tribute to all the nursing home staff who have displayed great resilience throughout the pandemic. The staff have been brilliant and so heroic. It is a very tough time for everybody. Many of them are concerned about the recent increase in cases in communities. Covid still remains a big challenge. We have to remain positive and believe that with the right measures we can get it under control in the community. The vaccine gives us great hope. Hopefully, a brighter picture will emerge in the next few weeks, he added.
The widow of an RAF hero who survived two Nazi 'death marches' has sold his poignant wartime archive 76 years later.

Sergeant John Morton was captured after he jumped out of a blazing Lancaster bomber as it was shot down in a raid over Berlin.

He was taken to a prisoner of war camp in Lithuania but was forced to march hundreds of miles west in appalling conditions as Russian allies advanced from the east.

Many of the PoWs were weak and starving and were bayoneted or shot because they could not sustain the hellish pace.

The widow of an RAF hero Sergeant John Morton, who survived two Nazi 'death marches', has sold his poignant wartime archive 76 years after his plane was shot down over Berlin

Morton was captured after he jumped out of a blazing Lancaster bomber as it was shot down in a raid over Berlin. But after being taken to a PoW camp in Lithuania, he survived two gruelling 'death marches' back towards Germany

Having survived the first long march, Sgt Morton was faced with an even more gruelling trek in January 1945 during the coldest winter in 50 years.

The men marched over 500 miles in 60 days to the camp near Hamburg, with the constant threat of being executed by tyrannical German guards.

It is believed that about 3,500 Allied PoW's died during the forced marches.

Sgt Morton survived but was so starved he spent a month in hospital upon his return home to Britain at the end of the war.

He recovered and subsequently worked as a graphic artist and was a talented painter whose work was showcased at the Royal Academy.

Pictured: The medal set awarded to Leading Aircraftsman John Morton, comprising of a 1939-1945 Star with Bomber Command clasp, Air Crew Europe Star, War and Defence Medals

Sgt Morton survived the marches but was so starved he spent a month in hospital in Britain upon his return home at the end of the war. Pictured: The letter sent to Leading Aircraftsman John Morton's family informing them that he was missing

Sgt Morton died aged 76 in 1997 and now his prized possessions have been sold at auctioneers Dominic Winter, of Cirencester, Gloucestershire.

His wife Valerie Morton, 83, from Weybridge, Surrey, sold the archive as she wanted it to go to a home where it would 'truly be appreciated'.

It fetched 1,100 including fees.

She said: 'My late husband did not like to talk about the war but I know his plane was on fire when he parachuted out of it.

'During his years as a PoW, he started drawing and found he had an exceptional talent.

'This was encouraged, not just by his friends in the camp but also by his commanding officer.

His wife Valerie Morton (pictured left together), 83, from Weybridge, Surrey, sold the archive as she wanted it to go to a home where it would 'truly be appreciated'.

Sgt Morton (pictured) died aged 76 in 1997 and now his prized possessions have been sold at auctioneers Dominic Winter, of Cirencester, Gloucestershire

'At the end of the war, when on the long march, due to his deteriorating health, he was unable to carry his artwork and threw it all into a hand cart.

'Had he fallen behind he would have been shot.

'Unfortunately it got lost on the march and he was never able to retrieve his work.

'He died in 1997 and I've kept hold of these items since then but I'd like them to go to a home where they will be truly appreciated.'

The archive includes his campaign medals, RAF log books, photos and a Caterpillar Club badge he was awarded for successfully bailing out of a downed aircraft.

Also sold were his cigarette lighter which is engraved 'John Morton, Stalag Luft VI Heydekrug Deutschland' and his RAF officer's service dress hat.

A Dominic Winter spokesperson said: 'It was a difficult decision for the family to sell this emotive archive but we are delighted to have had the opportunity to assist them in placing the collection in the hands of someone who will also appreciate it.' Pictured: Morton's flight logbook for the month of January 1944

In February 1944 his Lancaster was shot down by a Junkers 88 aircraft over Erfurt. His flight logbook shows his last flight recorded on February 15 where he is marked 'missing'

A Dominic Winter spokesperson said: 'It was a difficult decision for the family to sell this emotive archive but we are delighted to have had the opportunity to assist them in placing the collection in the hands of someone who will also appreciate it.'

Sgt Morton joined the RAF aged 20 in September 1941.

He trained in Ontario, Canada, before qualifying as an air bomber in December 1942.

He served in 626 Squadron based out of RAF Wickenby, Lincs, and flew in 11 bombing operations.

In February 1944 his Lancaster was shot down by a Junkers 88 aircraft over Erfurt.

All seven men of the crew bailed out of the bomber but the co-pilot was critically injured and dies several days later.

His medal group consists of a 1939-45 Star with Bomber Command clasp, Air Crew Europe Star, War and Defence Medals.
When Vice-Admiral Art McDonald takes over as Canadas top military commander on Jan. 11, hell have his work cut out for him.

Editorial

When Vice-Admiral Art McDonald takes over as Canadas top military commander on Jan. 11, hell have his work cut out for him.

Some huge tasks will be logistical in nature, such as overseeing the COVID-19 vaccine rollout through Operation Vector.

But another responsibility, no less daunting but perhaps harder to solve, will be a priority identified in December by both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan: cracking down on right-wing extremism, hate and white supremacy in Canadas Armed Forces.

The problem has reared its ugly head in different places across Canada in recent years, and spilled across the border. Researchers at the University of New Brunswick show in a forthcoming study that right-wing extremism has been on the rise in Atlantic Canada over the years 2000-2019. A July 2017 disruption of a Mikmaq ceremony in Halifax by members of the Proud Boys included five off-duty members of the Canadian Armed Forces. The five were then suspended while their conduct was investigated. One left the military of his own accord. The other four were later allowed to resume their duties and no charges were laid.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Proud Boys are known for anti-Muslim and misogynistic rhetoric, and one of its members helped organize the so-called "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Va., later that year, in which multiple white nationalist groups demonstrated.

Closer to home, Manitoba military reservist Master Cpl. Patrik Mathews was revealed by reporting in the Winnipeg Free Press to be a neo-Nazi member and recruiter for The Base, a white-power group centred in the U.S. Mr. Mathews was fired from his military position after his neo-Nazi sympathies were made public, and subsequently fled Canada, joining compatriots in Michigan.

He was later caught, along with other members of the group, by the FBI before a January gun rights rally in Richmond, Va., and faces numerous charges.

The obvious danger in white supremacists and members of hate groups receiving military training  which they could pass on to other extremists in training camps such as those conducted by The Base  is to their targets. If members of such groups serving in any capacity in the Canadian military are not identified and isolated or removed from service, they present a grave domestic terror risk.

They also tarnish the reputation of the Armed Forces as a whole and diminish the trust Canadians rightfully put in members of our military. Its an insult to veterans who served and fought against the forces of fascism and Nazism to have the current men and women in uniform share ranks with avowed white supremacists.

In July, the Armed Forces issued orders to take a proactive approach on rooting out hateful conduct, including requiring troops to report any such incidents and commanders to take action when those are brought to their attention. A database has been created to track these incidents.

In October, in an interview with the Toronto Star, Mr. Sajjan warned extremists, "One thing I can assure you: we will find you, and you will be dealt with."

Those are strong words; as for the actions to back them up, that task falls to Vice-Admiral McDonald. As the new year unfolds, rooting out extremists in the military should be considered an urgent matter of public safety.
House GOP Leader McCarthy Says He Supports Electoral College Vote Challenge

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Sunday he supports the bid to challenge the Electoral College results when the Joint Session of Congress meets on Wednesday.

I think its right that we have the debate. I mean, you see now that senators are going to object, the House is going to objecthow else do we have a way to change the election problems? McCarthy told The Hill on Sunday.

Its not clear if McCarthy will be one of the objectors in the House.

The move is being led in the House by Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), who told The Epoch Times in November he is mounting the challenge. Last week, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) became the first senator to join the House GOP challenge, as the effort requires a representative and a senator to carry out.

Dozens of House Republicans have said they would join Brookss efforts, including prominent members such as Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). A group of senators led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also said they would object to the Electoral College results for key states if no emergency audit is held.

A lawmaker, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), said he believes that upwards of 100 GOP House representatives will partake in the effort, while one anonymously sourced report puts that number at over 140.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) previously urged Republicans in the Senate not to challenge the votes, while his No. 2, Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), said the challenge will fail.

House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the third-highest ranking Republican in the House, sent a memo to lawmakers urging them not to challenge the electoral votes. Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, said the challenge would sow doubts about the U.S. election system, although she didnt address the outstanding allegation of fraud and irregularities during the Nov. 3 election.

As you will see, there is substantial reason for concern about the precedent Congressional objections will set here. By objecting to electoral slates, members are unavoidably asserting that Congress has the authority to overturn elections and overrule state and federal courts, she wrote.

Such objections set an exceptionally dangerous precedent, threatening to steal states explicit constitutional responsibility for choosing the President and bestowing it instead on Congress. This is directly at odds with the Constitutions clear text and our core beliefs as Republicans, she added. Cheney, however, pointed to Democrats in the House and Senate objecting to electoral votes in prior contests, such as during the 2004 presidential election between former President George W. Bush and Democrat John Kerry.

McCarthys comment came after he was reelected as House minority leader. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) again regained her speakership role on Sunday
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The day the UK became fully self-governing again, January 1, 2021, was for many millions of Britons a reason to celebrate. But you wouldn't have picked that up from our national broadcaster. The BBC's reports were unrelievedly apprehensive.

And it provided a platform for Frankie Boyle  you know, the comedian who likes to poke fun at people with Down's Syndrome  to declare on his own New Year special: 'Having Brexit at the end of a year like this is like finding cancer has spread to the walls of your house.' Nice.

But no broadcaster has been as hysterically doom-laden as Dan Snow, presenter of various history programmes.

No broadcaster has been as hysterically doom-laden as Dan Snow (pictured), presenter of various history programmes

On January 1, he tweeted: '75 years ago, after history's bloodiest war, with its genocide and unimaginable brutality, a generation of survivors tried to prevent future war by building institutions to curb assertions of national sovereignty. The UK forged that. Now we help to dismantle it. Brexit is a tragedy.'

Nonsense

Snow's Twitter handle is @thehistoryguy. But he seems to have little grasp of the subject, in this matter.

The idea that peace in Europe has been guaranteed by the European Union  formerly the European Economic Community  is a familiar nonsense. David Cameron was rightly ridiculed when, during the 2016 referendum campaign, he warned that a vote to leave would put at risk 'peace on our continent'.

The BBC provided a platform for Frankie Boyle  you know, the comedian who likes to poke fun at people with Down's Syndrome  to declare on his own New Year special: 'Having Brexit at the end of a year like this is like finding cancer has spread to the walls of your house'

Yes, one reason for the founding of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951 (the forerunner of the Common Market) was to forge closer economic and political links between Germany and France, which had fought three wars against each other in the previous three quarters of a century. But does anyone seriously suggest that Britain's leaving the EU will tempt Germany to send tanks rolling across the French border?

In fact, the UK is increasing its financial and military commitment to keeping the peace in Europe through our membership of Nato  the organisation that protects European borders from being crossed by hostile powers.

Actually, Dan Snow, like many fanatical proponents of European political integration, doesn't like those borders much. In an interview last year he said: 'In 200 years' time, do I think that there will be states called Belgium, and the Netherlands, and Luxembourg and Britain? I think I probably don't, really. That will cause a democratic deficit, but what's the alternative?'

The alternative, Dan, is those countries still existing. Britons fought in Europe 75 years ago precisely to maintain nations' right to independence, not least those countries that Snow lists. It was for democracy, not to create the 'democratic deficit' about which Snow is so insouciant.

Perhaps he should travel to Estonia, a country seized by the Soviet Union when Stalin and Hitler carved up Europe into their respective spheres of interests. Following Vladimir Putin's annexation of predominantly Russian-speaking parts of Ukraine, Estonia feared the Russian president would use the fact that there is a large Russian community within its territory to mount a similar operation.

David Cameron was rightly ridiculed when, during the 2016 referendum campaign, he warned that a vote to leave would put at risk 'peace on our continent'

Nato moved to protect the Estonian border  and the bulk of that battlegroup is provided by the British Army. This has nothing whatever to do with the EU, and our leaving the EU has not the slightest relevance to it.

There was one occasion since 1945 when Europe was faced with full-scale war, and acts of genocide were carried out. That was during the break-up of the former Yugoslavia in 1991. The Luxembourg foreign minister, Jacques Poos, declared that the EU would take the lead in sorting out the conflict: 'This is the hour of Europe, not the hour of the Americans.'

Boast

It was a hollow boast. It was only Nato, with U.S. stealth bombers and fighters, that prevented further massacres by the Serbian military and their leaders, who have since faced justice in The Hague.

Following Vladimir Putin's annexation of predominantly Russian-speaking parts of Ukraine, Estonia feared the Russian president would use the fact that there is a large Russian community within its territory to mount a similar operation

Aside from Nato, the other organisation established in the 1940s to ensure a more peaceful world was the United Nations, which also supplies, through its independent member nations, operations to keep formerly warring factions apart in various trouble spots.

Despite what Dan Snow seems to imply, Britain's membership of the UN's permanent security council is in no way linked to our erstwhile membership of the EU.

It was, in fact, absurd that the EU was in 2011 awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The committee judging the awards might as well have given the EU the Nobel economics prize for launching the single European currency. And if the EU itself does break up, that ill-judged venture will be the most likely cause: not our entirely peaceful departure.

Farage should have quit while he was ahead

Now that we are fully out of the EU, what will Nigel Farage do with his Brexit Party? Actually, we don't need to ask, because the man himself has told us. In November, he applied to the Electoral Commission to have the party renamed Reform UK.

And its main aim? Mr Farage set that out, too, declaring it would campaign to end the mandatory social restrictions imposed by the Government to suppress Covid-19.

He said Reform UK was fully behind 'the Great Barrington Declaration', which advocated a policy of herd immunity through infection, while somehow 'shielding' those thought most vulnerable from all the younger folk who were going to get the disease.

'That way, we build immunity in the population,' he wrote. The policy of intermittent lockdowns, he scoffed, 'is all about playing for time, in the hope that a vaccine miraculously comes along'.

Now that we are fully out of the EU, what will Nigel Farage do with his Brexit Party? Actually, we don't need to ask, because the man himself has told us

That was published on November 1. Nine days later, Sir John Bell of the Government's vaccine taskforce had his 'Yes, yes, yes!' moment on the BBC when the final results of the Pfizer vaccine tests came through, showing 95 per cent efficacy.

Farage also claimed that 'suicides are soaring' as a result of the lockdowns. This, too, was rubbish. Again, just days after Farage wrote that, the Government adviser on suicide prevention, Professor Louis Appleby, declared: 'Today, we're releasing suicide data for 2020 covering several parts of England. The month by month figures are reassuring: there has been no rise in suicide following lockdown.'

Farage went on to argue that Tory policy had condemned to misery '88-year-old ladies who cannot see their relatives and naturally wonder: what is the point of life?' Not only are those old ladies now being given the vaccinations Farage couldn't even imagine, his own preferred policy of letting the virus rip and 'shielding the vulnerable' would have isolated the elderly from their families even more.

Nigel Farage was 'depressed' when Sir Patrick Vallance (pictured) said that 60 per cent of the UK population needed to get Covid-19 to establish herd immunity

The most puzzling aspect is that in mid-March Farage had eloquently criticised the Government for flirting with a 'herd immunity' strategy, before changing course: 'I found myself feeling more depressed than I had been in my adult life by the words of the chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance. He said that 60 per cent of the UK population needed to get Covid-19 to establish herd immunity.

'I worked out pretty quickly,' Farage continued, 'that this tactic would trigger in the region of 400,000 deaths. Since then, I am pleased to say the Government policy has changed. Downing Street has recognised that a rapid spread of Covid-19 would overwhelm the NHS. The penny has dropped.'

Odd that Farage should have turned around 180 degrees, in precisely the wrong direction and with the worst possible timing. This political gambler should have quit while he was ahead.
OTTAWA - Conservative MP David Sweet has resigned as chair of the House of Commons ethics committee after travelling to the United States over the holidays.

OTTAWA - Conservative MP David Sweet has resigned as chair of the House of Commons ethics committee after travelling to the United States over the holidays.

Sweet's resignation Monday followed the revelation that the Conservative leader in the Senate, Don Plett, took a personal trip to Mexico shortly after Christmas.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole asked all caucus members to refrain from international travel over the holidays. But his office said Monday that Sweet and Calgary MP Ron Liepert were given approval by the party's whip to undertake "essential travel" to the United States.

Liepert's travel related to "emergency repair" to property he owns in California.

Sweet also travelled to the United States for an unspecified "property issue." But, the leader's office said, Sweet then decided to stay in the U.S. "for leisure" without informing the whip.

Consequently, "Mr. O'Toole has accepted his resignation as committee chair."

Whether Plett will face any penalty for travelling briefly to Mexico remains to be seen.

His fate rests with his fellow Conservative senators, who elect their Senate leader.

Conservative Senator Don Plett speaks to media the Senate foyer on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Oct. 25, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

A spokesperson said the senator travelled to Mexico on Dec. 28.

Upon his arrival, the spokesperson said Plett "reflected on his decision to travel" and immediately made arrangements to return home to Manitoba on Dec. 31.

Plett's arrival in Mexico would have coincided with the furor that erupted over the Dec. 29 revelation that Ontario's finance minister, Rod Phillips, was vacationing on the Caribbean island of St. Barts. Phillips resigned several days later.

Plett is now quarantining for 14 days as required by Manitoba public health protocols.

His spokesperson said this was Plett's only trip outside the country since last March, when the COVID-19 pandemic first swept across Canada.

O'Toole's office said no other Conservative MPs have left the country since O'Toole became leader last August. It is not clear whether any other Conservative senators may have travelled outside the country.

Sweet and Plett are just the latest among a number of federal and provincial politicians to get into hot water for travelling outside the country at a time when ordinary Canadians are being advised to stay home and avoid any non-essential travel in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19.

New Democrat MP Niki Ashton was stripped last week of her critic role after travelling to Greece to see her seriously ill grandmother.

On Sunday, Liberal MP Kamal Khera resigned as a parliamentary secretary after travelling without her party whip's knowledge to the U.S. for a small memorial service for her father and uncle.

Montreal Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi similarly gave up his role on Commons committees after travelling to the U.S. to visit his wife's sick grandfather.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 4, 2021.
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The University of Lagos (UNILAG) community has been thrown into mourning following the death of its former vice-chancellor, Oye Ibidapo-Obe.

Mr Ibidapo-Obe, 69, was, until his death, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council of First Technical University, Ibadan.

The deceased was a professor of Applied Mechanics and Systems Engineering, He was the Unilag vice-chancellor between 2000 and 2007. He was born in Ile-Ife, Osun State, and attended Ilesha Grammar School and Igbobi College between 1962 and 1971.

According to the current vice-chancellor of the school, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, the news of the dons death came to the University Community as a rude shock, because of the great service and dedication he has put into developing the institution since he joined as a student in 1968, later as a staff and eventually as the 8th Vice-Chancellor (2000  2007).

His commitment, vision, resilience and tenacious nature helped to shape the University in many ways.

It is painful that Professor Ibidapo-Obe is exiting the world at a time that his experience is in dire need for nation-building.

For us at the University of Lagos, we take solace in his many enduring legacies and footprints which will remain with us for many years to come, Mr Ogundipe noted in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES.

In a similar vein, a former colleague in the institution and a Professor of Science Education, Peter Okebukola, said the death of Mr Ibidapo-Obe is one of shock to him.

Even now, I am unable to process the news that came filtering in from late afternoon of January 3. Can my friend of about 21 years go just like that? Our close interaction started while he was vice-chancellor, University of Lagos and I was executive secretary, NUC.

He said his impressive leadership qualities and eminence of scholarship attracted the deceased to him.

Like twins, Oye and I offered service in several national and Africa regional academic engagements and I found him a clear-headed partner and deep thinker who offered solutions to knotty problems that will overwhelm most. We were together on December 9, 2020 at the convocation ceremony of Crawford University where he served as Chairman of Council and I as Chairman, Board of Trustees. Bubbling with energy and full of life, we had drawn up plans for 2021 but God had other plans of taking him home.

Nigeria has lost a university administrator of special ilk and a scholar of immense lustre. I lost a friend and brother. May his soul rest in perfect peace, he prayed.
Brenntag has signed an agreement to acquire Alpha Chemical Ltd. Alpha Chemical, headquartered in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, is a full-line chemical distributor with a focus on several key industries including Oil & Gas, Mining, Water Treatment and Aquaculture.

Lars Schneider, President Brenntag Canada, underlines the potential of the acquisition: Alpha Chemical has had an impressive track record of growth and high level of customer satisfaction over the past two decades. The companys infrastructure, capabilities and personnel will support the expansion of our new Brenntag Essentials and Brenntag Specialties divisions in Canada. The acquisition will allow Alpha Chemical and Brenntag Canada to provide even stronger value to our customers and supply partners in Atlantic Canada. I am thrilled to welcome the Alpha Chemical team to Brenntag.

Anthony Gerace, Managing Director Mergers & Acquisitions at Brenntag Group, explains the geographic advantages of the acquisition: Alpha Chemical is a well-established business with a stellar reputation for quality and service in the region. In addition to providing ready access to the Oil & Gas offshore upstream market in Atlantic Canada, the state-of-the-art facility in Newfoundland will allow us to better service the other important regional markets as well. As the fourth acquisition in Canada in as many years it reinforces Brenntags strong commitment to the Canadian market.

Currently, the acquired business generates annual sales of approximately USD 12 million. Closing of the transaction is expected to be completed in early January 2021, subject to customary closing conditions.
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Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

President Donald Trumps revolving door of legal advisers has spun faster than ever in recent weeks as his attempts to overturn the 2020 election have grown more desperate. And in a recording published on Sunday, a now infamous conference call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger revealed that the star conservative attorney Cleta Mitchell had apparently joined the fold as the presidents latest free lawyer.

Over the course of the phone call, first published by The Washington Post, Mitchell could be heard going to bat for Team Trumps anti-democratic interests.

I think what the president is saying and what weve been trying to do is to say, look, the court is not acting on our petition. They havent even assigned a judge, Mitchell told Raffensperger after a blistering rant from Trump about the secretary of states unwillingness to change the results of the election. But the people of Georgia and the people of America have a right to know the answers and you have data and records that we dont have access to. And you keep telling us and making public statements that you investigated this and, you know, nothing to see here.

Until her name appeared in the Post story, Mitchell had conducted her legal work for Trump and his team almost entirely out of the public eye, instead opting to appear sporadically on Trump-friendly media, mostly without disclosing her own role. In one little-noticed podcast appearance, she described herself as a volunteer with the Trump campaigns long, long, long shot legal battle. Though the extent of her current role in Trumps cause had not been widely known prior to this weeknot even to her own law firm, apparentlyknowledgeable sources say that it was underway before Thanksgiving.

Moreover, Mitchell had previously repped Trump in a 2011 matter, according to official documents and contemporaneous accounts.

She wasnt a big presence in the media officially representing the presidents post-election legal team, unlike Trump lawyers such as Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, or the on-again-off-again Trump adviser Sidney Powell, and her name has been absent from the past two months of legal paperwork or court filings that Trumps team has lodged during the presidents flailing effort to nullify Joe Bidens decisive victory in the 2020 presidential election, according to a Daily Beast review of records.

Story continues

But Mitchells involvement with Trump, his senior staff, and his legal team on baselessly challenging Bidens win dates back roughly two months, according to two sources with knowledge of her presence on the team, as well as text messages reviewed by The Daily Beast. In behind the scenes work and legal paperwork, she has become the Team Trump point person for attempting to overturn the voting results in Georgia and has been in contact with Trump and the White House multiple times on these efforts since November. She is viewed by others on the legal team and Trumps staff as being an ally of Mark Meadows, Trumps White House chief of staff.

It is unclear why Mitchells role was kept largely quiet for as long as it was, though she wouldnt be the only lawyer who has worked with Trumps legal team whos also kept mostly silent about it. In late November, The Daily Beast reported that Christina Bobb, an on-air host at the Trump-endorsed channel One America News Network, had been quietly doing legal work for the presidents so-called elite strike force, and had been showing up at campaign headquarters. She did so without disclosing it in her TV coverage of the very same legal efforts.

Donald Trumps Newest Lawyer Is a Kamala Harris Birther

Mitchell, the White House, a Trump campaign spokesman, and Giuliani did not respond to messages or phone calls seeking comment on this story. But on Monday, Mitchells own law firm put out a statement reacting to Sundays news of her role in President Trumps anti-democratic mission in the lead-up to Bidens inauguration in Washington, D.C., on January 20.

The firm did not sound pleased.

Foley & Lardner LLP is not representing any parties seeking to contest the results of the presidential election, the statement reads. In November, the firm made a policy decision not to take on any representation of any party in connection with matters related to the presidential election results. Our policy did allow our attorneys to participate in observing election recounts and similar actions on a voluntary basis in their individual capacity as private citizens so long as they did not act as legal advisers. We are aware of, and are concerned by, Ms. Mitchells participation in the January 2 conference call and are working to understand her involvement more thoroughly.

Reached on Monday afternoon, the firms spokesman, Dan Farrell, said they didnt have more to share beyond that official statement at this time.

Before Sundays call, Mitchells public involvement was mostly as an advocate in Trump-friendly media. She made two appearances on Fox Business with Maria Bartiromo to complain about (unsubstantiated) allegations of voter fraud after the election, on Nov. 10. I've been in Georgia since the middle of the night she mentioned offhand and said, I hope to be talking to Mayor Giuliani today about what we're seeing in Georgia.

In a separate appearance on Fox News with host Sandra Smith, Smith was caught on a hot mic rolling her eyes at Mitchells fraud allegations and muttering, What is happening?

In a November 30 podcast interview with Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, Mitchell said, Ive been working as a volunteer with the Trump campaign and the legal team in Georgia."

In a separate interview a week later, she told Perkins, "I'm a volunteer. We have some other volunteers helping because there's just so much that needed to be included. The goal was to create a public record that demonstrated the extent of the violations and the illegality.

In her podcast interviews, Mitchell claimed that thousands of ineligible voters had voted in the election and laid the blame at the feet of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. This election was not valid. Those results are not valid. Whatever anybody says, those are not valid. The secretary of state has a lot to answer for, she claimed groundlessly.

Over the years, Mitchell earned a reputation as a top-tier campaign finance lawyer for conservative candidates and activist groups with legal problems before the IRS and Federal Election Commission.

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During the Obama presidency, Mitchell was a go-to lawyer for the Tea Party movement and the candidates it spawned. When Nevada state legislator Sharron Angle ran against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on a Tea Party platform, she hired Mitchell, who blasted the top Senate Democrat in a fundraising letter for allegedly trying to steal this election if he can't win it outright" through the alleged use of free food at campaign rallies.

Over the past few years, Mitchell has represented a whos who of prominent Trumpworld people, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Steve Bannon, and prominent conservative activist groups like the NRA and the Rebuilding America Now Super PAC founded by former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort in 2016.

When the IRS investigated and delayed granting tax-exempt status to a range of conservative nonprofits in the wake of the Citizens United decision, Mitchell represented True the Vote, a conservative activist group focused on election law, in a suit alleging that the IRS unfairly targeted the group based on its ideological affiliation.

Mitchells relationship with Trump dates back at least to 2011, when she represented him against a Federal Election Commission complaint, subsequently dismissed, which alleged that Trump and his attorney Michael Cohen violated campaign finance laws with illegal in-kind contributions when Trump mulled a run for president in 2012.

Shawn Thompson, a former campaign aide to then Rep. Ron Paul, filed an FEC complaint against me for use of Trumps 727 aircraft to go to Iowa in 2011, Michael Cohen, Trumps former personal attorney and fixer, told The Daily Beast on Monday. Cohen said he sought out Mitchell to fight the complaint on the strength of her reputation as a skilled campaign finance law attorney.

At the time, she didnt have a close working relationship with Trump, Cohen said, but her victory in getting the complaint dismissed did create an impression. By the time the 2016 campaign began, Donald Trump already saw her as a winner, according to Cohens account.

The two have appeared to grow closer in recent years. Trump invited Mitchell to a White House ceremony commemorating the centenary of womens suffrage in August 2020 and singled her out for praise as a great attorney... beyond an attorney.

With additional reporting by Justin Baragona

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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By Suleiman Al-Khalidi

AMMAN (Reuters) - At least nine Syrian army soldiers were killed on Sunday in an ambush on their bus on a main highway in the central Syrian desert in the second such incident in less than a week by suspected Islamic State militants, residents and defectors said.

Syrian state media earlier said six people, without identifying them as soldiers, were killed near Wadi al Azeeb in the western part of the Syrian desert known as the Badia, east of the city of Hama, when their bus was targeted while on the road.

Russian jets flying from a major air base in the area at high altitudes bombed its vicinity in the surprise attack that left at least twenty two soldiers injured, several seriously, according to two military defectors in touch with their coordinates on the ground.

State media said last Wednesday twenty-eight people were killed in a similar "terrorist" attack on a bus along a main highway in Deir al-Zor province that borders Iraq.

Pro-Syrian army supporters later published on social media burning army vehicles in what residents and defectors said was an ambush on buses transporting soldiers returning to their barracks after leave. [L1N2JA1FW]

Military defectors gave a higher toll that exceeded thirty dead saying they were recruits from the Syrian army's elite Fourth Brigade, which has a strong presence in the rich oil-producing province since Islamic State fighters were ousted at the end of 2017.

Islamic State's Amaq news agency a day later claimed responsibility for the ambush, saying it had killed 40 Syrian army soldiers and badly wounded six others. L4N2JB1YY

Western intelligence sources say there has been a rise in recent months of ambushes and hit-and-run attacks by remnants of Islamic State militants who take shelter in caves in the mainly rugged sparsely Syrian Badia.

They also say in the last few months, Arab Sunni tribes who inhabit the area have been angered by executions by Iranian Shiite militias operating in the area of dozens of Arab nomads suspected of affiliation to Islamic State militants.

(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; editing by Diane Craft)
Just when we thought we were about to defeat Covid-19 by launching our Oxford vaccine, an alarming strain of the virus has emerged to strike fear into the ministers and experts fighting the pandemic.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock admitted yesterday that he is incredibly worried about the fast-spreading mutant strain that has emerged in South Africa.

The new variant appears to have evolved weapons that may defeat both the Oxford jab  finally launched in the UK yesterday  and Pfizers vaccine, which was first administered a month ago.

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Hancock warned that the South African strain may cause even more problems than the strain first discovered in Kent and which is blamed for propelling the surge in infections currently crippling Britain.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock (pictured) admitted yesterday that he is incredibly worried about the fast-spreading mutant strain that has emerged in South Africa

Indeed, several countries  including the UK  have now banned all flights from South Africa.

The Health Secretary is not alone in his concerns. One of the Oxford vaccine teams key members, Professor Sir John Bell, has also expressed concern.

Nevertheless, cynics are swarming on social media to accuse Hancock of fearmongering in order to frighten the country into tighter lockdowns.

A cool look at the evidence suggests that Mr Hancock is wise to be alarmed. The South African mutant, 501.V2, has already been found in two places in Britain.

South Africa has now confirmed 1.1 million Covid-19 infections and almost 30,000 deaths since the outbreak began in March.

Doctors there are already struggling with the new strain, which seems to spread far more easily than its predecessors.

Swabs from patients there show that the mutant strain multiplies far more vigorously in the nose and mouth  which can make it easier to spread via talking and breathing.

This boosted virulence may also defeat robustly youthful immune defences. South Africas health minister has warned that young, previously healthy people are now becoming very sick.

Click here to resize this module

Prime Minister Boris Johnson after addressing the Nation from inside No.10 Downing Street, on the new Covid-19 Lockdown restrictions on Jan 4

Perhaps most worrying of all, the mutant strain could beat antibodies that people had developed by surviving previous Covid-19 infections. Doctors are now reporting a growing numbers of patients contracting Covid-19 a second time.

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Such reinfections were considered exceedingly rare. Now, patients are reportedly catching the new mutant within three months of suffering from earlier strains.

Laboratory reports show that the strain has changed its structure to make it resistant to antibodies from those who survived previous Covid-19 infections.

This is why, sadly, it may beat our current vaccines. The approved jabs protect against the virus by teaching our immune systems to recognise proteins on the viruss surface as targets for destruction.

The South African strain appears to have altered its signature surface proteins in two ways, making it unrecognisable to immune systems that have encountered earlier strains of the virus.

The Kent mutation, meanwhile, has changed its signature protein only in one way, which makes it easier to attack with existing vaccines. As South African scientists warn that the new strain is now dominant there, could the same happen here?

The new variant appears to have evolved weapons that may defeat both the Oxford jab  finally launched in the UK yesterday (pictured)  and Pfizers vaccine, which was first administered a month ago

Mr Hancock has said: Weve got to keep an eagle eye on this one, because it is even harder to deal with than the UK [Kent] variant. Thats why we are restricting all movement from South Africa and insisting that anybody whos been to South Africa self-isolates.

However, experts such as professor Lawrence Young, a molecular oncologist at the University of Warwick, suspect that the two cases seen in the UK are the tip of the iceberg.

You can identify it in a couple of people but therell be more, for sure, he warns. Some cases will be from people spreading it in the UK. Some will be from other introductions from South Africa.

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However, Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, says his team is trying to establish if current vaccines can beat the new mutants. He believes there is still room to manoeuvre, because the vaccines worked much better than any of us thought they were going to.

Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, says his team is trying to establish if current vaccines can beat the new mutants. He said: 'Were now in a game of cat and mouse. Because these are not the only two variants were going to see. Were going to see lots of variants

I think its unlikely that these mutations will turn off the effects of vaccines entirely  I think the jabs will still have a residual effect, he said.

Sir John believes it is perfectly possible to adjust existing vaccines quickly, so everybody should stay calm. Its going to be fine.

He added: But were now in a game of cat and mouse. Because these are not the only two variants were going to see. Were going to see lots of variants.

Cat-and-mouse sounds like a slow game. The reality will be much more frantic, given the speed at which mutant strains of Covid are emerging, and thus the speed at which scientists must race to fight them.

The various mutants and their swift rise reinforces the need for mass vaccinations and lockdowns.

The more people that Covid infects, the more opportunities it has to mutate  which often happens when the virus swaps genes with other viral infections inside the patient.

Keeping infection numbers down, therefore, inhibits Covids ability to acquire lethal new tricks.

Nevertheless, as Professor Bell predicts, many more mutants may still arise. Vaccination against Covid-19 looks set to mirror flu-jab campaigns: they will be an annual event, aimed to protect against each years worst new strains.

It looks most likely, too, that jabs will never eradicate Covid-19 in the way they killed smallpox.

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Instead of cat-and-mouse, we appear fated continually to be playing a life-or-death game of whack-a-mole, against a fast-moving and wily target.
'Soho Karen', Miya Ponsetto, was questioned by a reporter for the first time since her alleged attack in a New York City hotel on a 14-year-old black boy

Ponsetto broke her silence to say that she was 'good' but did not refer to the attack during brief questions in a California parking lot

She was stopped as she was going to McDonald's on Saturday

On December 26 she was caught on camera assaulting the teen at the Arlo Hotel

Ponsetto allegedly attacked him in a row over a missing cell phone

Nicole Ponsetto, 43, the mother of Miya, was also spotted on Sunday being pulled over by Ventura County Sheriffs in the town of Fillmore, California

It happened just a few miles from their Piru, California home

Two patrol cars were summoned to the scene but it is unclear why

The woman dubbed 'Soho Karen', 22-year-old Miya Ponsetto, who was filmed assaulting a black boy who she accused of stealing her iPhone, has spoken out for the first time since the incident in a New York hotel last month.

In video shared on social media by the NYPD, Ponsetto can be seen suddenly running at 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. and grabbing him by the waist in the Arlo Hotel.

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The teen was tackled to the ground. Ponsetto is yet to be charged with any crime but she was stopped by a reporter as she went to pick up McDonald's on Saturday.

Miya is asked how she is holding up but ignored the reporters' questions and refused to answer directly.

'Soho Karen' Miya Ponsetto could be seen getting out of a car on Sunday

The mother of 'Soho Karen' Miya Ponsetto, Nicole Ponsetto, is spotted talking to cops from her Range Rover a few miles from her home on Sunday

On Saturday, Miya Ponsetto was seen for the first time since the viral video she was featured in as she was caught accusing the 14-year-old son of jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold of stealing her iPhone

A reporter asked Miya for her reaction to the recent incident but she had very little to say

Miya Ponsetto was spotted making a food run to McDonald's Saturday when she was stopped by a reporter. New details have also emerged about Ponsetto's long rap sheet

Ponsetto was pictured in the parking lot of a McDonalds in Fillmore, California

'Do you have any regrets about what happened the other day?' the reporter asks.

'I'm good,' Miya replies. 'Have a very good day. Take care of yourself,' she responds.

'Are you worried that the police are looking for you? Are you concerned about the warrant for your arrest? Why did you do it? ' the reporter probes.

'I'm actually 22, so I don't know what the problem is here - and I'm also Puerto Rican. Take care of yourself!' Miya responds.

Miya was seen in exclusive DailyMail.com photos making the quick trip to the fast foot restaurant in Fillmore, California - her first outing since being unmasked as the woman who accosted Keyon Jr.

Click here to resize this module

'Do you have any regrets about what happened the other day?' the reporter asks. 'I'm good,' Miya replies. 'Have a very good day. Take care of yourself,' she responds

Ponsetto, 22, is wanted by the New York City police for tackling a 14-year-old black boy who she falsely accused of stealing her iPhone at a Manhattan hotel on December 26

Miya was seen with her dog at one point as she got out of the family's Range Rover as she arrived home

Ponsetto could be seen wearing a denim jacket and black woolly hat as she got out of her car

Miya Ponsetto grabbed her Chihuahua dog as she climbed out of the family's SUV

She had been lying low at her family's $389,000 home in Piru, California north of LA

Until now, she has been laying low at her family's $389,000 home in Piru.

Miya's mother, Nicole Ponsetto, 43, also appeared to get into a spot of bother over the weekend after being stopped by Ventura Country sheriff's officers on Sunday.

At least two patrol cars were on scene as she traveled through Fillmore close to her home in Piru, a small farming town approximately 30 miles north of Los Angeles.

In exclusive DailyMail.com photos, Nicole was seen without wearing a face mask as a deputy approached her car before eventually putting one on.

After a short while, another officer appears on scene, however it is not clear why the Range Rover she and he daughter both drive was stopped just a few miles from their home.

Initially, Nicole did not have a face mask on after she was instructed to pull over by police

Nicole Ponsetto, 43, the mother of Miya Ponsetto, dubbed 'Soho Karen' was spotted being pulled over by Ventura County Sheriffs in the town of Fillmore, CA

Two police cruisers attended the traffic stop by which point Nicole had put on her face mask

Nicole Ponsetto is seen in black leggings and a white t-shirt as she walks across the parking lot

Miya was dressed in a black woolen hat and black sunglasses as she climbed out of the vehicle

The mother and daughter are reunited in the parking lot in the town of Fillmore, California

In another shot, Miya is seen to be ducking in an attempt to avoid being photographed

In another series of pictures, Miya Ponsetto can be seen running to speak with her mother after her interaction with police. She had by then pulled up in a nearby parking lot.

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It was revealed this weekend that Miya had been arrested in February with her mother for drunkenly refusing to leave a hotel in Los Angeles - three months before she was arrested again for DUI.

Miya and her mother, Nicole, 43, were at The Peninsula hotel in Beverly Hills when staff ordered them to leave.

They refused, and police were called.

Law enforcement sources told TMZ that when they arrived at the hotel and tried to get Ponsetto and her mother to depart, her mother allegedly pushed and kicked a cop.

Nicole was arrested on charges of battery on a police officer and being drunk in public, and Miya was arrested on a charge of being drunk in public. They have a court hearing later this month.

The L.A. County District Attorney charged both women on May 27, and the following day Miya was arrested again, for DUI.

She pleaded no contest and was sentenced to three years probation, 30 hours of community service and ordered to take a nine-month alcohol/drug counseling program.

Ponsetto seven months later allegedly assaulted a 14-year-old black boy, Keyon Harrold Jr, at a New York City hotel on December 26, in a row over a phone.

Keyon Jr's father, Grammy-winning jazz artist Keyon Harrold, tweeted a video of the 22-year-old grabbing at the child while repeatedly accusing him of snatching her phone.

He captioned it: 'On Saturday, December 26, the woman in this video falsely accused an innocent 14-year-old teenager of stealing her cellphone.

Ponsetto and her mom Nicole, 43, were arrested at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills

Ponsetto was arrested for being intoxicated in public by Beverly Hills PD in February

'She then proceeded to physically attack him and fled the location before police officers arrived on scene.'

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A second video released by the NYPD shows Ponsetto, who was swiftly dubbed SoHo Karen, running at the child and grabbing at his waist.

Moments after the video ended, an Uber driver arrived with Ponsetto's phone, which she had left in the vehicle.

Harrold, along with Keyon's mother Kat Rodriguez and civil rights attorney Ben Crump, are now urging officials to bring charges against her over the incident.

Ponsetto's legal problems now look set to increase, with the NYPD considering bringing charges against her over the December 26 incident.

Officers confirmed on Tuesday that they are looking at a variety of options, including assault, grand larceny and attempted robbery.

Ponsetto is seen at home in California. It's not clear when she departed New York City

Ponsetto shot to infamy after Keyon Jr's father, Grammy-winning jazz artist Keyon Harrold, posted a video of the 22-year-old grabbing at the child while repeatedly accusing him of snatching her phone

She was spotted back at home in California a week after the incident at a Manhattan hotel

Ponsetto has denied assaulting Keyon and on Thursday, provided a rambling 20-minute phone interview to CNN

She was spotted grabbing McDonald's in Fillmore, California

Ponsetto has denied assaulting Keyon Jr, and on Thursday provided a rambling 20-minute phone interview to CNN.

In it, she claimed she was assaulted during the altercation with Keyon Sr. and his son, though failed to provide further details, including who allegedly assaulted her.

Her allegation has not been corroborated by investigators or any witnesses to the December 26 incident.

The NYPD has released new surveillance footage of Ponsetto, dubbed 'SoHo Karen', tackling the 14-year-old son of a black musician to the ground in a New York City hotel while accusing him of stealing her phone

The video, shared on social media Wednesday night by NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison, shows Ponsetto suddenly run at Keyon Harrold Jr. and grab him by the waist in the Arlo Hotel on Saturday

New footage, released by NYPD, casts new light on Saturday's events in the lobby of the Arlo Hotel in Manhattan.

It shows four people - the woman identified as Ponsetto, Keyon, Keyon Jr. and another individual - standing at the bottom of the stairs in the lobby.

Keyon Jr. starts to walk away in the direction of the hotel doors.

At this point, Ponsetto runs and grabs the 14-year-old around the waist, latching onto him as the boy's father runs after them.

They pass through the automatic doors in the lobby as the boy tries to shake her off, turning around as she appears to tackle him to the ground.

A close-up of Ponsetto's face is shown with 'wanted' emblazoned across it as the police urged anyone with information about her whereabouts to contact the NYPD.

'On Saturday, December 26, the woman in this video falsely accused an innocent 14-year-old teenager of stealing her cellphone,' Harrison tweeted.

'She then proceeded to physically attack him and fled the location before police officers arrived on scene.'

The new footage casts new light on Saturday's events in the lobby of the Arlo Hotel in Manhattan. It shows four people - identified as Ponsetto, Keyon, Keyon Jr. and another individual standing at the bottom of the stairs in the lobby

She latches on to him as the boy's father runs after them. They pass through the automatic doors in the lobby as the boy tries to shake her off

Keyon Jr. starts to walk away in the direction of the hotel doors. At this point, the woman runs and grabs the 14-year-old around the waist

Ponsetto appears to tackle the boy to the ground in the altercation. Its release comes just hours after the 22-year-old gave a rambling interview to CNN where she denied racially profiling the boy and claimed it was her who was assaulted in the dispute

The woman's claims she was assaulted are so far unfounded

She reportedly stopped replying to CNN's messages after agreeing to provide evidence

Harrold Sr. and Keyon Jr.'s mother, Kat Rodriguez, held a rally in Manhattan for their son on Wednesday, alongside civil rights attorney Ben Crump (right) and Rev. Al Sharpton (left)

Harrold and Keyon Jr.'s mother, Kat Rodriguez, staged a rally in Manhattan on Wednesday alongside their attorney Ben Crump and Reverend Al Sharpton.

'When I saw this story, I thought about how I was one of those kids whose father never took him anywhere for Christmas, never had brunch with my father,' Sharpton said.

'And for this black man to take his black son, put him in a hotel during a pandemic, and spend Christmas with him, raising him, and to be assaulted because of the color of their skin, I wanted to stand with this man and this woman who provided for their son, and they're being criminalized for it.

'The arrogance and audacity of this woman.'

Harrold added that had he not come down into the lobby with his son when he did, something 'could have gone very wrong.'

'The idea of trauma goes above any charge that we may have...I bring my son places where he shouldn't have to deal with injustices and shouldn't have to be profiled,' he said.

An emotional Rodriguez also spoke during the rally, taking her opportunity to let it be known she is unhappy with the way the hotel handled the situation, and also called on 'SoHo Karen' to be charged with assault.

'All that we are asking is for the police to do the right thing, for the DA to do the right thing, to charge this woman with assault of a minor,' she said.

'To the hotel, which I'm equally angry at, you are trained to use those tools. I called the hotel right after it happened, and I gave them a chance to make it right, and they didn't.

'You know when they made it right? When my tribe, my community spoke up.

'It breaks my heart that this is happening to our son. This incident could have been avoided in so many ways,' she said.

Crump, meanwhile, called the incident an example of 'racial injustice' - an all-too common narrative that 'needs to change'.

'Can you imagine what the narrative would have been if Keyon Harrold had not videoed the incident on his cellphone?' Crump asked the crowd.

Keyon Harrold Sr. then played a trumpet rendition of 'America the Beautiful' and 'We Shall Overcome,' drawing applause and a few tears, according to ABC7.

At one point in the video Ponsetto is shown on the floor. It's unclear where this has anything to do with her claims of assault

Kat Rodriguez, center, mother of Keyon Harrold Jr., speaks as attorney Ben Crump, right, Rev. Al Sharpton, left, and Keyon Harrold Sr. listen during a news conference on Wednesday

No decision has yet been made by either the Manhattan District Attorney's Office or the NYPD as to whether the woman will be charged.

Keyon Sr first shared footage of the incident on Instagram, writing that he and his son had left their room to get breakfast when they came into contact with Ponsetto in the lobby.

He said she had been staying at the hotel but had checked out three days earlier.

It's unclear what happened in the moments before he started filming, but in the video, Ponsetto can be heard screaming at Keyon Jr., telling him to show her his phone.

The minute-long video shows the woman and the hotel manager in the lobby with Harrold recording on his cell phone.

'This is my phone,' Harrold's son, who is not seen in the footage, is heard telling Ponsetto and the manager.

'You don't have to explain nothing to her,' Harrold tells his son.

Ponsetto then points to the phone and tells the manager that the case is the same one that she has.

'That's mine,' she tells the manager. She then tells the manager: 'Get it back.'

Harrold responds to Ponsetto, saying: 'Are you kidding me? You feel like there's only one iPhone made in the world?'

When Ponsetto asks Harrold to see the phone, he replies: 'No, get a life.'

Harrold then tells the woman that she should use the Find My app, which helps locate missing Apple devices.

Ponsetto tells Harrold that the Find My app can only be accessed through the phone.

The video then shows the manager approach Harrold's son asking him to see the phone.

'No, you can't,' Harrold tells the manager.

'I'm the manager of the hotel,' the manager tells Harrold, who replies: 'I don't care!'

The incident happened in the lobby of the boutique Arlo Hotel last Saturday

Arlo Hotels apologized for the 'recent incident of baseless accusation, prejudice, assault against an innocent guest of Arlo hotel' on Instagram saying: 'No Arlo guest  or any person  should be subject to this kind of behavior. We want to apologize to Mr. Harrold and his son for this inexcusable experience, and have reached out to them directly to express our sincere regret and to offer help in dealing with the traumatic event'

During the exchange, Ponsetto continues to encourage the manager to retrieve what she believes is her iPhone.

Harrold tries to plead his case, saying it wasn't plausible that his son would have someone else's phone since he just got to the lobby from the elevator.

'Didn't you see me just come downstairs out of the f***ing elevator?' Harrold tells the manager.

The manager protests, saying: 'I'm trying to help.'

Harrold replies: 'My son has nothing to do with her.'

Ponsetto once again repeats her demand to see the phone, saying: 'No, he's not leaving. Show me the proof.'

Harrold refuses and begins to walk away from the lobby toward what appear to be the elevators.

'You better get on,' Harrold tells Ponsetto.

Ponsetto, who appears to be highly distressed, walks toward Harrold and his son, saying: 'No, I'm not letting him walk away with my phone.'

While the video is not clear, she appears to lunge toward Harrold and his son.

In the next frame, she is seen on the ground as the manager helps her back to her feet.

'No, please get my phone back,' Ponsetto begs the manager.

The video clip ends with Ponsetto once again approaching Harrold in an attempt to get the phone.

In one frame, she is seen on the ground as the manager helps her back to her feet

Keyon Harrold Sr. played the trumpet during the news conference, which was held as officials weigh charging Ponsetto

The trumpeter said he suffered slight injuries in the incident though his son was not harmed.

Keyon Jr. spoke alongside his father to ABC on Tuesday, telling the network he's still 'shell shocked' over what happened.

'I don't know what would have happened if my dad wasn't there. These past few days, still kind of shell-shocked, but I'm hanging in there.

'For me I was confused because I had never seen that lady ever and I didn't know what to do in the moment. That's why I was happy to have my dad here to help me,' he said.

Earlier this week, Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City, on Twitter called the incident 'racism. Plain and simple.'

'It would be horrific at any age, but it's especially offensive that it happened to a child,' he wrote.

'To Keyon Harrold Jr. and his family: I am so sorry this happened to you.'

Amid the fallout, Arlo Hotels has also apologized for its role in the incident, saying its workers could have done better to 'de-escalate the dispute.'

'We're deeply disheartened about the recent incident of baseless accusation, prejudice and assault against an innocent guest of Arlo hotel,' a company statement said.

'In investigating the incident further, we've learned that the manager on duty promptly called the police regarding the woman's conduct and that hotel security intervened to prevent further violence .... No Arlo guest - or any person - should be subject to this kind of behavior.'

Famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump is leading the charge of outrage against the woman's actions, and also called out the hotel for 'empowering' her accusations by asking Harrold's son to prove his innocence.

'As this year of racial awareness is drawing to a close, it's deeply troubling that incidents like this one, in which a Black child is viewed as and treated like a criminal, continue to happen,' Crump said in a statement.

'We strongly urge Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. to bring assault and battery charges against this woman to send the message that hateful, racially motivated behavior is unacceptable,' Crump added.

ADVERTISEMENT

'This is what it will take to drive change. We also call for a civil rights investigation into the Arlo Hotel for its implicit bias in its treatment of Keyon.'
New York, Florida tell hospitals to speed covid-19 vaccinations or lose supply

The governors of New York and Florida sought to accelerate the slower-than-expected rollout of coronavirus vaccines by warning hospitals on Monday that they would reduce future allocations to those that fail to dispense shots quickly enough.

In New York, hospitals must administer vaccines within a week of receiving them or face a fine and loss of future supplies, Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

"I don't want the vaccine in a fridge or a freezer, I want it in somebody's arm," the governor said. "If you're not performing this function, it does raise questions about the operating efficiency of the hospital."

The US federal government has distributed more than 15 million vaccine doses to states and territories around the country, but only around 4.5 million have been administered so far, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on Monday.

In Florida, where officials have put senior citizens ahead of many essential workers for getting the vaccine, Governor Ron DeSantis announced a policy under which the state would allocate doses to hospitals that dispense them most quickly.

"Hospitals that do not do a good job of getting the vaccine out will have their allocations transferred to hospitals that are doing a good job at getting the vaccine out," DeSantis said at a briefing.

"We do not want vaccine to just be idle at some hospital system," he added, though he did not say they would face fines.

Florida will also deploy an additional 1,000 nurses to administer vaccines and will keep state-run vaccination sites open seven days a week, he said.

(Reuters; photo: REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo)
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi inaugurated on Monday the countrys first exhibition showcasing technologies for converting vehicles to run on natural gas, presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said.

This comes as part of an Egyptian strategy to convert hundreds of thousands of vehicles to run on natural gas, instead of, or along with, gasoline.

The strategy aims to reduce fuel imports, decrease pollution from harmful emissions, ensure the safety of drivers and passengers, and tap into the potential of unexploited auto factories.

The exhibition, dubbed Go Green, is set to be on show until 6 January at the Egypt International Exhibition Centre in Cairo.

The president was accompanied by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait, Trade and Industry Minister Nevine Gamea, Petroleum Minister Tareq El-Molla, Transport Minister Kamel El-Wazir and Local Development Minister Mahmoud Shaarawy, in addition to the presidential advisor for financial affairs Mohamed Amin.

The inauguration was also attended by several representatives from major auto manufacturing companies in Egypt that are participating in the initiative.

At the exhibition, the president reviewed plans and programmes of ministries and government authorities within the framework of the initiative, especially the programmes to finance or facilitate the conversion process for citizens, Radi said.

The programmes are also meant to provide information to citizens about the initiative, including its financial, economic and environmental benefits, as well as the states efforts to establish a comprehensive infrastructure for vehicles running on natural gas.

El-Sisi inspected the governmental pavilion allocated for the ministries of trade and industry, finance, military production, local development, environment, interior and transport as well as the Central Bank of Egypt and the Arab Organisation for Industrialisation.

He also inspected major international and local companies specialised in the field, Radi said.

The president reviewed the latest models of vehicles running on natural gas and the comprehensive solutions to supply vehicles with gas, as well as the latest developments in the industry.

Initiative based on in-depth and integrated scientific studies

El-Sisi also met with a number of representatives from auto manufacturing companies in Egypt.

He followed up on their cooperation with government agencies in light of the national initiative to replace and convert vehicles to run on natural gas.

President El-Sisi stressed on the "special" attention the country is giving to the conversion and replacement initiative given its "direct" benefit for citizens, who are provided with new, low-cost gas-consuming models with low-interest financial facilities and long-term instalment programs.

"The initiative is in line with the state's strategy to raise citizens' standards of living," El-Sisi added.

Egypt has launched this plan in accordance with in-depth and integrated scientific studies and after the provision of all needed infrastructures, including the establishment of a network of gas-fueling auto stations and service and maintenance centres nationwide, as well as offering affordable financing mechanisms, he added.

The auto companies' representatives expressed their hope to cooperate with the Egyptian government and "actively" contribute to provide the best offers and models with the latest technologies and technical specifications.

With the aim of preserving the environment and making use of the countrys plentiful natural gas production, the Egyptian government plans to scrap old and rickety cars manufactured over 20 years ago and replace them with new ones running on natural gas, as well as to convert hundreds of thousands of vehicles to gas-powered models.

In December, El-Sisi demanded to offer citizens, who own rickety vehicles, an appropriate cash incentive to encourage them to replace their vehicles with new ones that run on natural gas.

Short link:


Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders explains that health-care providers shipped the vaccine are not allowing any doses to go to waste.

First-Responders to Start Receiving Vaccinations Jan. 11

BOSTON  First-responders in the commonwealth will be able to receive COVID-19 vaccinations starting Jan. 11, and Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday said he expects them to be enthusiastic participants in the vaccination program.

Police officers, firefighters and emergency medical services workers will be part of the next wave of the state's program, which began last month with health-care workers and residents of long-term care facilities.

Later this week, Berkshire County first-responders will be able to start signing up for appointments at one of three county vaccination centers, according to the state's website : St. Elizabeth's Parish Center in North Adams, Berkshire Community College's Paterson Field House in Pittsfield and the W.E.B. Du Bois Middle School in Great Barrington.

"With respect to first responders, I think that obviously we all agree that distribution can't happen soon enough, but the process also needs to be thoughtful and thorough," Baker said during his midday news conference. "While hospitals and long-term care facilities continue to distribute doses, we've been finalizing plans with other groups."

Baker and Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders faced questions from the Beacon Hill press corps about reports that some first-responders were expressing hesitancy about receiving the vaccine.

But Sudders said she heard no such concerns in a conference call last week with nearly 600 "police, fire and emergency colleagues."

"There were two questions that came up in the hour meeting, and they were very specific questions," Sudders said. "Someone had a very specific medical condition and wanted to know if they should take the vaccine, and in those very specific medical concerns, we say the best thing for you to do is to go back to your health-care provider and ask them. For someone who is receiving treatment for, say, cancer, and whether they should receive a vaccine, that is such a specific medical situation -- that's not a 'frequently asked question' kind of response.

"We are building out public awareness, per se, but it really didn't come up. It was more the mechanics of: How will the vaccine program work out?"

First-responders on the conference call were more concerned about the logistical decisions of holding drive-in clinics versus requiring appointments, Sudders said.

Baker said officials anticipated there would be some people in all walks of life who would be hesitant to be the first in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but he believes that first-responders, in general, are eager to be vaccinated so they can protect themselves and, more importantly, their families.

"I don't think anybody expected at the beginning of this process that there wouldn't be people who would think about this as a 'wait and see,' " Baker said. "That's not unusual.

"I will say this: Generally speaking the first-responder community has been justifiably concerned about their health and the health of their family members ever since this pandemic began. And many of them have advocated to the committee that the secretary set up that they should be early in the process, given the role they play, what they do and how they are affected by their time at work with regard to their exposure to COVID. We agree with that.

"I'll tell you the reason I believe the vast majority of them will accept the vaccine. They, like many of the folks in the health-care community and the long-term care community say the same thing when they talk to the lieutenant governor and me, which is, 'I'm out there all the time. I worry about the places and spaces I'm in. I'm worried that if I get it I might give it to family members.' They are exactly the kind of folks who talk a lot about protecting their family, and that's why I believe, in the end, the vast majority of them will step up and get it."

Baker reported Monday that the commonwealth has shipped 287,000 doses of vaccines to health-care providers and, as of Monday morning, just more than 116,000 had been reported as having been administered. But both Baker and Sudders said there is a lag of a couple of days in reporting those vaccinations, so they expect the number of doses actually received to be higher.

As for COVID-19 cases in the commonwealth, the state Department of Public Health reported 3,110 new cases on Sunday, and the state currently has 2,291 COVID-19 cases in hospitals with 416 in intensive care units.

In response to a question, Baker said that, so far, his sense is that the post-Christmas "surge" is not as great as the one Massachusetts saw after Thanksgiving, but he cautioned that it is early, since the year's last major holiday, New Year's Eve, was just a few days earlier.

As usual, he pleaded with Bay State residents to continue to follow face-covering and social-distancing guidelines, and he said he would have an announcement later in the week about whether he plans to continue the current restrictions on commerce that are in effect through Jan. 10.

Baker also seized on a question about the current political climate in Washington, D.C., to chastise politicians for paying more attention to doomed efforts to overturn the presidential election than to responding to the pandemic.

"We just finished 20 minutes of Q&A with you all about the largest and most significant and potentially life-saving vaccine rollout in U.S. history that I think everyone at this point would say can't happen fast enough," Baker said, pounding his hands together for emphasis. "I think everybody would also agree that there have been bumps associated with the rollout that we all expected and anticipated with the notion that the world would eventually start to spin and things would work the way they should.

"That, in my view, is where our colleagues at the federal level should be focusing their time attention: doing everything they all, together, can do to make sure every vulnerable American, every health-care worker, every long-term care resident, every long-term care staff member and everybody else gets access to those two doses as soon as is practically possible. That should be the focus, right now, of what our colleagues in Washington are up to."

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India`s Covid-19 total tally at 1.03 crore, active cases now stands at 2,47,220



India on Sunday recorded 18,177 fresh cases of coronavirus in a span of 24 hours. As the infection tally stood at 10,323,965, the number of active cases Covid-19 also dipped to 247,220 even as the countrys death toll rose to 149,435. The Union health ministrys Covid-19 dashboard at 8am showed there were 20,923 recoveries between Saturday and Sunday morning, which have taken the total number of patients cured of the viral disease to 9,927,310 and the national recovery rate to 96.15%. With this, the total number of active cases in the country now stands at 2,47,220.



So far, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has tested 9,58,125 samples for Covid-19 on Saturday. The total number of samples tested so far stands at 17,48,99,783, the ICMR informed.



The dip in fresh cases of the coronavirus disease comes on a day the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) is likely to formally announce the approval for two vaccines by Oxford-AstraZeneca and Bharat Biotech. Experts at Indias drug regulators have recommended that the Oxford-AstraZeneca and Bharat Biotech Covid-19 vaccines be allowed for use in India, which is the worlds second worst-hit country.



A day after India gave green signal to the emergency use of two vaccines against Covid-19, Prime Minister Narendra ModiPrime Minister Narendra Modi today said that India is on the threshold of starting the largest vaccination programme in the world. "World's biggest COVID-19 vaccination programme set to begin in India. For this, the country is proud of the contributions of its scientists and technicians," Modi said while addressing at the National Metrology Conclave via video conferencing.
New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell announced on Monday the city would be doing away with furloughs for public safety workers that were put in place due to the fiscal crisis brought about by the coronavirus pandemic by tapping into a line of credit it took out last year.

But in doing so, Cantrell and other city officials said they were banking on another round of federal stimulus payments to cities and an improved outlook for tourism to help cover the costs. If not, they warned, layoffs could come later this year.

In her first press conference of the new year, Cantrell said that thousands of first responders, including employees with the New Orleans Police Department, Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services, would no longer be required to take an unpaid day off every two weeks. Those furloughs were put in place for all employees last fall and extended through this year in the city budget approved in December.

To pay for the extra hours for the city's public safety employees, the administration plans to borrow $16 million from a line of credit it took out last year. Administration officials said during last year's budget hearings that they did not want to tap into that line, which give the city the ability to borrow up to $50 million, unless it was having cash flow issues.

Chief Administrative Officer Gilbert Montano said the city expects to be able to afford bringing public safety workers back full-time because officials are optimistic about the prospects for another round of federal stimulus money for cities and the possibility that the roll-out of vaccines across the country would boost tourism revenues.

Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

If neither of those come to pass, Chief Financial Officer Norman White warned the city could be forced to lay off employees to make ends meet. Officials will be re-evaluating the budget on a monthly basis to determine whether that is necessary, White said.

CAO Gilbert Montano: In no situation did we get any influx of cash...what we are hopeful for is the future horizon of the stimulus funding and the (impacts of the vaccine program)  Jeff Adelson (@jadelson) January 4, 2021

Follow the press conference below. Can't see the module? Click here.
She has been soaking up the sun in Tulum, Mexico, alongside her Chainsmokers beau Drew Taggart.

And Chantel Jeffries showcased her sensational beach body on Sunday in a striking blue two-piece.

The model, 28, displayed her toned midriff and uploaded the sizzling snap to her Instagram account.

Beautiful: Chantel Jeffries showcased her sensational beach body on Sunday in a striking blue two-piece from her Tulum break in Mexico, alongside her Chainsmokers beau Drew Taggart

Chantel completed the look with a gold necklace and swept her wavy chocolate tresses behind a chic hairband.

She sported a natural make-up look and she captioned the photo: 'Blueprint'.

The budding songstress was recently spotted relaxing on the beach with her musician beau, 31.

Smitten: The model, 28 and her beau, 31, had been the subject of a swirl of romance rumours for five months until Chantel finally went Instagram official with Drew in late July

Chantel and Drew had been the subject of a swirl of romance rumours for five months until the model finally went Instagram official with her beau in late July.

The duo spent New Year's Eve in the fashionable holiday destination, which also happened to be the birthday of Drew.

Chantel, who has also joined her boyfriend's profession of being a DJ, showered praise on him on Instagram for his big day.

'You make this planet feel like home. Happy birthday I love you as much as pie and I'll love you as long as pi continues,' she wrote.

'Ceejay the Deejay,' as she is now known, added: '(wish I was saying this out loud so it would be punnier anyways can't wait to do everything on earth with you.'

Since becoming a musical artist she has released five singles in the past three years - Wait, Both Sides, Better, Facts and Chase The Summer.

She has also built an established career as a social media model, having represented brands such as Fashion Nova and PrettyLittleThing.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Nancy Pelosi was narrowly reelected Sunday as speaker, giving her the reins of Democrats' slender House majority as President-elect Joe Biden sets a challenging course of producing legislation to tackle the pandemic, revive the economy and address other party priorities.

The California Democrat, who has led her party in the House since 2003 and is the only woman to be speaker, had been widely expected to retain her post. Pelosi received 216 votes to 209 for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who again will be the chamber's minority leader.

To gain her victory, Pelosi had to overcome some Democratic grumbling about her longevity, a slim 222-211 edge over Republicans after November's elections and a handful of absences because of the coronavirus. There were two vacancies in the 435-member House, and whatever happens Democrats will have the smallest House majority in two decades.

Democrats gave Pelosi a standing ovation as the final tally was annnounced, while the Republican side of the chamber was nearly empty.

The new Congress convened Sunday, just two days after lawmakers ended their contentious previous session and with COVID-19 guidelines requiring testing and face coverings for House members. There was widespread mask-wearing and far fewer lawmakers and guests in the chamber than usual, an unimaginable tableau when the last Congress commenced two years ago, before the pandemic struck.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., formally nominated Pelosi for the job, calling her a notorious negotiator and a legendary legislator for such a time as this."

Jeffries, a member of House leadership who's expected to contend for the speakership whenever Pelosi steps aside, said that as Pelosi prepares to work with Democratic President-elect Joe Biden, Brighter days are ahead in the United States of America. This is the day of great renewal in the House of Representatives.

To be reelected, Pelosi needed a majority of votes cast for specific candidates and could afford to lose only a handful of Democratic votes. House rules give her a bit of wiggle room because lawmakers who are absent or who vote present are not counted in the total number of those voting.

Sundays vote lasted just over two-and-a-half hours, an unusually long time, as lawmakers voted in groups of around 72 each to minimize exposure to the virus.

Pelosi kept Democratic defections to a minimum, winning over colleagues who'd voted against her when she was elected speaker in January 2019 and many progressives who were seen as potential opponents.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a progressive leader, backed Pelosi and told reporters that Democratic unity was important at a time when the Republican Party is attempting an electoral coup. She referred to the support many congressional Republicans are giving outgoing President Donald Trump's baseless effort to reverse the election results.

Ocasio-Cortez said she and other progressives have been in conversations and negotiations with Pelosi, but did not describe what they accomplished.

With every vote at a premium, workers had constructed an enclosure in a balcony overlooking the House chamber so lawmakers exposed to or testing positive for the coronavirus could more safely vote. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, voted from there, with a spokesman saying he was being cautious after exposure to someone who'd tested positive. Ryan has tested negative twice, the spokesman said.

Two Democrats who tested positive for the virus last month and say they have recovered voted for Pelosi from the House floor: Wisconsin Rep. Gwen Moore and Washington state Rep. Rick Larsen.

Pelosi won plaudits from many Democrats for two years of leading their opposition to President Donald Trump, largely keeping her party's moderates and progressives united on their joint goal of defeating him and raising mountains of campaign funds. No Democrat has stepped forward to challenge her, underscoring the perception that she would be all but impossible to topple.

But Pelosi is 80 years old, and ambitious younger members continue chafing at the longtime hold she and other older top leaders have had on their jobs. Democrats were also angry and divided after an Election Day that many expected would to mean added House seats for the party but instead saw a dozen incumbents lose, without defeating a single GOP representative.

Pelosi recently suggested anew that these would be her final two years as speaker, referencing a statement she made two years ago in which she said she would step aside after this period.

The speaker's election was coming 17 days before Biden is inaugurated. Yet rather than a fresh start for him and Pelosi, there were issues and undercurrents that will be carrying over from Trump's tempestuous administration.

Though Congress enacted  and Trump finally signed  a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package late last month, Biden and many Democrats say they consider that measure a down payment. They say more aid is needed to bolster efforts to vaccinate the public, curb the virus and restore jobs and businesses lost to the pandemic.

Many Democrats, with the unlikely support of Trump, wanted to boost that bill's $600 per person direct payments to $2,000 but were blocked by Republicans. Democrats want additional money to help state and local governments struggling to maintain services and avoid layoffs.

Biden's priorities also include efforts on health care and the environment.

Guiding such legislation through the House will be a challenge for Pelosi because her party's narrow majority means just a handful of defectors could be fatal.

In addition, cooperation with Republicans could be made more difficult as many in the GOP are continuing to demonstrate fealty to the divisive Trump, backing his unfounded claims that his reelection loss was tainted by fraud. Congress will meet Wednesday to officially affirm Biden's clear Electoral College victory over Trump. Many House and Senate Republicans say they will contest the validity of some of those votes, but their efforts that are certain to fail.

There was no widespread fraud in the election, which a range of election officials across the country, as well as Trumps former attorney general, William Barr, have confirmed. Republican governors in Arizona and Georgia, key battleground states crucial to Bidens victory, have also vouched for the integrity of the elections in their states. Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges, including two tossed by the Supreme Court, which includes three Trump-nominated justices.

Meanwhile, it's not clear which party will control the Senate, which Republicans will hold unless Democrats win both Senate runoff elections in Georgia on Tuesday.

In the House, one race in New York is still being decided and there is a vacancy in Louisiana after GOP Rep.-elect Luke Letlow, 41, died after contracting COVID-19.
Himachal Pradesh on Monday became the fourth state to report cases of bird flu after Rajasthan, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, with officials confirming that migratory birds found dead at Pong Dam Lake in Kangra district have tested positive for the dreaded avian influenza.

In Rajasthan, deaths of more than 170 new birds were reported from some districts on Monday, taking the total fatalities in recent days to over 425. Bird flu has been confirmed only in Jhalawar (district). Report of other deaths is yet to come, according to the state animal husbandry department.

As some parts of Kerala too reported the influenza outbreak, authorities have ordered culling of ducks, hens and other domestic birds within one km radius of the affected areas in Kottayam and Alappuzha districts. Officials said some 40,000 birds will have to be culled to check the spread of the H5N8 virus.

A farm in Keralas Kottayam has recently seen deaths of around 1,500 ducks due to bird flu recently.

Bird flu is a highly infectious and severe respiratory disease in birds caused by the H5N1 influenza virus, which can occasionally infect humans as well.

In Himachal Pradesh, around 1,800 migratory birds, most of them bar-headed geese, have been found dead in the Pong Dam Lake sanctuary.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Archana Sharma said the laboratory at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly detected avian influenza in the samples of dead birds, while citing the information conveyed by the Centre.

At the same time, she said that her department was awaiting confirmation by the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, as it was the nodal body for testing this disease.

Northern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Jalandhar has also suspected avian influenza in the bird samples, she added.

Kangra District Magistrate Rakesh Prajapati has prohibited slaughtering, sale, purchase and export of any poultry, birds, fish of any breed and their related products, including eggs, meat, chicken, etc, in Fatehpur, Dehra, Jawali and Indora subdivisions of the district. Exercising his powers under Sections 34 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the official said that shops selling these products would also remain closed in these four subdivisions. Prajapati also banned the movement of locals and tourists within a kilometre radius of Pong Dam. In Himachals Pong Dam Lake wildlife sanctuary, wildlife staff first reported the sudden death of four bar-headed geese and one common teal in the Fatehpur area last Monday.

The next day, over four hundred migratory waterfowl were found dead in Majhar, Bathari, Sihal, Jagnoli, Chatta, Dhameta and Kuthera areas in the wildlife ranges of Dhameta and Nagrota. Subsequently, hundreds of more birds were found dead each day, totalling 1,773 till Sunday, she said.

She said that more than 90 per cent of the dead birds were bar-headed geese, the most common migratory species at the lake who arrive here from Central Asia, Russia, Mongolia and other regions in winters after crossing the Himalayan ranges. There are eight-nine other bird species whose members have been found dead.

Last year, more than one lakh migratory birds had camped at the lake by late January and this year, over 50,000 have arrived so far.

The dead birds are being disposed off as per bird-flu protocol, officials said, adding that no such deaths have been reported so far from other water bodies in the state.

Wildlife, veterinary and animal husbandry staff across the state have been put on alert and asked to immediately report the death of any bird or animal. The Gopalpur zoo in Kangra which is situated near the Pong Lake has been put on high alert.

Recently, a bird flu alert has been sounded in Rajasthan after crows were found dead in half a dozen districts. Bird flu cases were also confirmed in dead crows in Indore in Madhya Pradesh.

Bird flu virus was detected in around 50 crows whose carcasses were found in Indore in Madhya Pradesh last week, prompting authorities to issue an alert.

In Rajasthan, 80 bird deaths were reported in Bikaner on Sunday, 42 in Sawai Madhopur, 12 in Kota, 12 in Baran, eight each in Pali and Jaipur, six in Dausa, five in Jodhpur and two in Jhalawar, according to the state animal husbandry department. The deaths have been reported in 15 districts of the state.

Kerala, which saw the last major case of bird flu in 2016, has sounded high alert in the affected districts considering the potential of the virus to infect humans, even though officials said that the situation was under control.

Five rescued from drifting Isla Mujeres boat

Isla Mujeres, Q.R.  Five adults have been rescued from a drifting vessel off the coast of Isla Mujeres. On Saturday night, the Secretariat of the Navy of Mexico reported receiving an emergency call from a vessel that was adrift after experiencing mechanical failure.

The rescue was carried out after receiving an emergency call in the Command and Control Room of the Naval Command through which it was reported that a Sea Ray type vessel with four Mexican crew members and an American on board (a woman and four men, including an American) was adrift after having presented mechanical failures in the propulsion system, the agency said in a statement.

All five were returned to land without incident

Navy personnel set out in search of the Sea Ray, locating it approximately four nautical miles or 7.4 kilometers southwest of Isla Mujeres. The boat and its five crew were transferred to the maritime dock of Puerto Juarez where authorities from the Regional Port were waiting to begin with officials procedures.

All five crew were reported in good health, none of which, required medical attention.

Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 08:54:10|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON -- Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi of California was reelected on Sunday as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, where her party has a narrow majority.

Pelosi received support from 216 Democrats, with two of her colleagues voting for someone else and three others voting present. (US-House-Speaker-Pelosi)

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UNITED NATIONS -- The UN mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) has condemned, in the strongest terms, the assaults launched by armed groups in Damara on Saturday and Bangassou on Sunday.

"There is no doubt that all these attacks take place in a context of disruption of the elections - before, during and after the polls," the UN special representative and head of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in CAR, Mankeur Ndiaye, said in a statement on Sunday. (UN-CAR-Attacks-Statement)

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ALGIERS -- Two armed militants and one soldier were killed on Sunday in a counterterrorism operation in northwest Algeria, the Algerian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The statement said that in the second day of a search operation, "the army forces eliminated two terrorists, while one soldier was killed on Sunday afternoon." (Algiers-Clashes)

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DAMASCUS -- Six Syrian soldiers were killed and eight others wounded on Sunday by an Islamic State (IS) attack in the desert region in central Syria, a war monitor reported.

The IS militants ambushed the bus that was carrying Syrian soldiers on the Raqqa-Salamiyeh road, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (Syria-IS-Attacks) Enditem
Singapores government has announced its police force will be able to obtain data from its coronavirus contact-tracing technology to use for criminal investigations.

The TraceTogether system currently in place is one of the most widely used in any nation, taken up by nearly 80% of the 5.7 million population, and so the decision is likely to raise privacy fears.

When concerns were raised previously about the nature of the phone app tracing, the authorities assured citizens that the data is encrypted, stored locally and only tapped by authorities if an individual tests positive for coronavirus.

But now, Minister of State of Home Affairs Desmond Tan has stated The Singapore Police Force is empowered ... to obtain any data, including TraceTogether data, for criminal investigations.

Questioned about the TraceTogether privacy statement by an opposition MP, Mr Tan continued: We do not preclude the use of TraceTogether data in circumstances where citizens' safety and security is or has been affected, and this applies to all other data as well.

Singapore has been ruled by the same party since its independence in 1965 and is known for its widespread surveillance, restrictions on public assembly and tight legislation.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has previously said privacy concerns about the technology must be balanced against the need to curb the spread of the virus and keep the economy afloat.

Singapore has recently eased social restrictions as the government turns its focus to retaining the islands status as a global business hub and limiting the current recession.

The city-state has only reported a handful of coronavirus cases over the last few months through intense social distancing measures, stringent testing and strict quarantines.

Its success in curbing infections has won international praise, including from the World Health Organisation and the World Economic Forum.

The worry surrounding privacy in Singapore has been mirrored in other countries across the world. Amongst the governments utilising surveillance tracking the most are China, Israel, India, Bahrain, Kuwait and Norway, according to IFSEC international.

Amnesty Internationals Security Lab has reviewed a number of contact tracing apps, and highlighted those used in Bahrain, Kuwait and Norway as highly invasive surveillance tools which go far beyond what is justified in efforts to tackle coronavirus.

Countries restricted by pre-existing legislation like the EUs General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), are less likely to be found intensely tracking their citizens.

With additional reporting from Reuters
For Georgia Republicans, Jan. 6 Electoral Vote Count Most Important

MILNER, GeorgiaA crowd of hundreds of Georgia conservatives, who flocked to Rock Springs Church on Monday to listen to a speech by Vice President Mike Pence, served as a barometer for the mood among GOP voters ahead of the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.

Lawmakers on Wednesday are scheduled to vet each states Electoral College votes.

The crowd was loudest when Pence passed on his greeting from President Donald Trump. They broke into chants of four more years and stop the steal, which showed their support for the presidents ongoing challenges to the presidential election.

Pence traveled to Georgia to rally supporters to vote for Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate David Perdue. The vice president made the case for why reelecting Loeffler and Perdue would be crucial for the conservative agenda. The crowd responded well to his appeal but the sporadic interjections from the attendees all suggested that Trumps base is most concerned about the outcome of the electoral challenges.

We want you to do the right thing on January 6, a man from the crowd shouted as Pence was asking the supporters to do the right thing and vote for Loeffler and Perdue. A few minutes later, a woman shouted a similar request.

I know we all got our doubts about the last election, Pence said when the crowd chanted stop the steal.

I promise you, come this Wednesday, well have our day in Congress. Well hear the objections. Well hear the evidence, but tomorrow is Georgias day.

The rural community surrounding the church was still peppered with Trump-Pence 2020 flags and lawn signs on Jan. 4, another suggestion that Trumps supporters here dont consider the election over.

During a media availability earlier the same day, Loeffler sidestepped questions about a recording of Trumps conversation with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. During the conversation, the president itemized a long list of categories of potentially illegal votes cast during the general election in the Peach State. The president urged Raffensperger to order a signature audit in Georgias Fulton County. Legacy media outlets focused their coverage on Trumps remarks about how many votes he needs to overturn the election, while brushing past the presidents specific concerns.

My full focus is on tomorrow, January 5th. In this election, everything is at stake for this country. I am focused on that exclusively because this affects every single Georgian, Loeffler said.

A group of 12 Republican senators and at least 55 members of the House have committed to lodging an objection on Jan. 6 to Democratic slates of electors from Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico. The House and Senate will hold separate sessions for up to two hours of debate for each state objection, followed by a vote on which electors to count. Republican electors in the seven states have cast procedural votes for Trump, which will be opened alongside the state-certified votes for Biden.
When the first price list arrived from the cloud companies, everyone reacted like a kid in a penny candy shop with a $100 bill. Theres no reason to devote hours to pondering the advantages and disadvantages when you can just grab a shovel and fill a big laundry bag. Many cloud prices are much less than a penny. How can you go wrong if the price rounds off to zero?

Those days are long gone. Many of us have already survived dozens of difficult meetings with the bean counters who received the monthly cloud invoice and hit the DEFCON alarm siren. The prices may be low but they add up. So we sit around the table wondering why. Is there some way around that? Is there something we can do? Is there some secret lever we can pull? Some secret dial to turn?

Netflix may be the best example of a company that thrives in the cloud. Every Friday and Saturday night, demand starts to skyrocket as people want to relax. Netflix spins up thousands of new instances to handle the load and then gives them up a few hours later when people go to bed. A week has 168 hours but Netflix only pays for their machines in the few hours that their customers need them.

Not all jobs, though, have such wonderfully distinct peaks and valleys. If youre going to be running your instances 24x7, well, the advantages of the cloud start to fade because the price can be high even after the discounts.

Here are 11 reasons for the rest of us to hate the cloud model.

Dividing costs is hard

If you buy a server, its all yours and so you pay 100% of the cost. If you want to share a server, well, youve got to split up the resources. Dividing the costs evenly is something that only works at a restaurant, and even then the people who didnt order alcohol go away miffed.

Trying to be accurate about cloud costs is surprisingly difficult for a commodity product. Should work at prime time cost the same as background computation that can be interrupted and deferred? What if the utility charges less for electricity at night or maybe on sunny days when the solar farm is flush with electrons? What if one customer wants a service-level agreement but the other is willing to be more relaxed about downtime?

Cloud companies have tried to guesstimate a price thats low enough to capture the customers attention but high enough to have a decent profit margin. Theyve come up with a way to divide the cost of a machine into many thin slices but it doesnt mean they did much more than eyeball it.

Modern architectures encourage consumption

Mathematicians like to ponder the Banach-Tarski paradox, a strange theorem that is better known as the Pea and Sun paradox. Its an algorithmic slight-of-hand by which a pea can be sliced into a finite number of pieces and then be re-assembled to be as big as the Sun. Of course it wouldnt work in the real world, but it all makes sense in the netherworld of topology.

Sometimes it feels like the cloud encourages the same game. The hot architectural approach to development is to slice up your big single application into dozens or maybe hundreds of different services, each running multiple times as containers juggled by Kubernetes. The good news is that when the load rises, Kubernetes steps in and starts buying new instances to keep everyone happy. The bad news is that no human can follow how many containers or instances are running at any one time. Our knowledge of this is literally cloudyat least until the bill comes. What was once a cute little app running on one server is now generating bills as big as the Sun.

Free can be expensive

We all love free. Giving developers a chance to try out your product for nothing is the best form of marketing around. But at some point someone needs to pay and its hard to manage that huge step from free to paid. It may just be pennies, but the increase on a percentage basis is infinite!

All of the free fun makes it hard for developers to predict the real costs. There are plenty of stories of companies brought low by the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that come from the viral infatuation of the digital mob. Everyone cheers when the content goes viral, but then the bill comes at the end of the month and its so much larger. It seemed cheap when it was free.

Good products are sticky traps

The cloud may be all about freedom but somehow we get locked in anyway. For instance, good developers try to shoehorn their app into the smallest, cheapest instance. It runs fine for a while but then the load spikes when something goes viral or a major shopping holiday comes along. The devops team will dutifully boost the RAM or the virtual CPUs and everything will be fine again but unless the devops team is on top of things, the configurations will stick at the higher prices.

The ratchet effect is even more prominent in the disk space assigned to each instance. Its often easy to add more space but hard to reduce it, even if the disk space is unused. There are 23 steps in this particular guide for shrinking the size of your volume.

Sometimes location matters

The data centers in the cloud dont have fixed addresses and they seem barely connected to the planet earth. Theyre just hovering off in some nether region.

Sometimes, though, location makes a difference with the price. Alibaba, for instance, charges more for instances that run on Chinese soil. Amazon charges $0.0056 per hour for a t3.nano machine in Ohio but $0.0062 in Northern California. This Azure price index shows that prices in North Central United States may be half the prices of South Central United States.

Is it because the real estate is more expensive in some places? Are the taxes higher? The electricity? Maybe we dont want to spend the time to understand. The cloud is supposed to free us from such earthly worries.

Discounts require a commitment

One of the big selling points of the cloud is that you can turn on the machines whenever you want and use them for just as long as you need. Its all about freedom. But youll end up paying dearly for this flexibility. The regular price list is pretty steep and youll need to make serious commitments to drive your price lower. Some of the cloud companies dont require a literal commitment because they apply the volume discounts automatically, but the effect is the same. As the t-shirts say, Freedom aint free.

Moving is harder than it looks

When you first set up a cloud machine, its so easy to move in. The networks are fast and theres often no charge for bringing data into the cloud. Getting the data out, though, isnt so easy. Its not that its forbidden; its just that the mechanism isnt as greased.

This makes it hard to take advantage of price differences by moving your computation to the cheapest data centers. If your workload is heavy on computation and light on data access, its not hard to spin up new machines where the price is cheap. But if you want to move data, youre doing to need to pay for the flow over the network. Often, the meters count the bytes flowing out and send you a data egress bill.

Sometimes its just open source

The cloud companies are full of innovation but sometimes they wrap a clever name around open source projects and resell them as a service. This isnt unfair. Its not just the servers that cost money. Keeping the software installed, upgraded, secure, and running smoothly takes time and skill. Some open source projects resent the cloud companies that make money this way and others see them as potential partners.

The tricky question for development teams is whether the paid service is a good deal. Many times it is much cheaper than getting some team members to shoehorn even more arcane knowledge into their brains. But if someone understands the software, setting up your own machine can be much cheaper. This is especially true if your usage pattern hits the expensive parts of the cloud providers pricing equation.

Death by a thousand line items

The cloud companies are not opaque secret societies that send you a magical bill each month with no explanation. Not at all. You get plenty of details about the thousands, millions, or maybe even billions of events that added up to that bill. You can slice and dice them with your own reporting software all day long. But even after a long weekend with spreadsheets and report generators, most of us are left scratching our heads and saying, Gosh, thats more than I thought.

The details are all there but that doesnt help to make the cognitive leap to an explanation. Youve got to do that yourself and as you start to wade into the endless logs, you realize that the data is getting in the way. The truth doesnt set you free. It just gives you millions of data points to analyze.

No one really knows the right price

The price list looks reassuring because numbers mean science, especially when there are so many digits of precision. But the prices reflect a thin slice of a huge basket of shifting commodity costs. The price we pay bundles together the prices for real estate, electricity, computer hardware, engineering staff, and federal, state, and local taxes. Oh and donuts on Friday too. All of these costs shift periodically, sometimes dramatically. Yet the business model is to hide all of this and just offer a nice, flat price by the minute or even second. How can one price ever be right?

We asked for this

Humans like to throw up their hands in frustration and blame someone or something else. The cloud, though, is the sum total of every IT departments desires. We asked for billing transparency. We asked to be capricious and buy when the whim strikes us. We asked for the freedom of no commitments. We asked to get what we want with a few clicks. Then the bill arrives and all of the transparency of a thorough tabulation doesnt make it any easier to pay.

This is the essential paradox of the economics of cloud computing. The world has never had so much price transparency and so much deep numerical insight into any part of the economy before. But when the bill comes, were still sitting there like a sailor at the end of shore leave wondering where all the money went. We know but we dont know.
Mumbai: Comedians Varun Grover, Vir Das and Rohan Joshi, have rallied behind Munawar Faruqui criticising the arrest of the stand-up comic, a day after he was held for alleged indecent remarks made against Hindu deities and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a show in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

Munawar Faruqui who is a comedian from Gujarat, was arrested along with four others on Saturday after the son of a BJP MLA complained against him.

A local court later rejected their bail pleas and sent them in judicial custody.

Grover took to Instagram and alleged that Faruqui was "beaten up".

The "Sacred Games" writer shared a video where the comedian is trying to reason with Eklavya Singh Gaur, son of local BJP MLA Malini Laxman Singh Gaur, who had filed the complaint.

"A fellow Indian, a fellow comedian is in jail and got beaten up by a mob because of the words he uttered. Here he's trying to logically, calmly present his case but our systems now just want to brutally silence every voice.

"They don't want to hear, they don't want to even argue - they want to simply erase every shred of individual thought, every iota of reason. And we the people of the greatest civilization of earth are ok with it," Grover wrote.

Das took to Twitter and wrote that it is futile to stop humour and to try and "control" it.

"You can't stop jokes and laughter. Not because comedians are performing it, but because people need to laugh. Harder you try, the more you're going to be laughed at, now, and by history.

"Anyone who has ever tried to control humour, now has a category of jokes devoted to them," Das tweeted.

You can't stop jokes and laughter. Not because comedians are performing it, but because people need to laugh. Harder you try, the more you're going to be laughed at, now, and by history. Anyone who has ever tried to control humour, now has a category of jokes devoted to them.  Vir Das (@thevirdas) January 3, 2021

He also posted screenshot of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2017 tweet, when he talked about the importance of humour.

"I think we need more satire and humour. Humour brings happiness in our lives. Humour is the best healer," the prime minister had said in the tweet. Das captioned the image: "I'm just going to leave this here."

I'm just going to leave this here. pic.twitter.com/C8eqqDzPya  Vir Das (@thevirdas) January 3, 2021

According to Gaur, he and his associates had gone to watch the show and when they heard the "indecent" comments, they forced the organisers to stop the programme.

As per the complaint, indecent remarks were passed against Hindu gods and goddesses and the Union home minister during the show, in-charge of Tukoganj police station Kamlesh Sharma said.

Comedian Rohan Joshi shared Faruqui's video where he is trying to reason with those offended with his jokes.

"Turns out now you can just assault people while they're doing their job and the cops will take 'them' to the police station," Joshi captioned the video.

Comedian Kaneez Surka and Abish Mathew also shared the clip of Faruqui on Instagram.

"Watch this, that's all and then share it," Surka wrote.

While Mathew added, "Seven minutes of @munawar.Faruqui trying to reason but still...'

"High risk individuals to be vaccinated first. So comedians must be up there on the list, wrote comic Neeti Palta alluding to the incident in a Facebook post as India approved Oxford's and Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccines for restricted emergency use on Sunday.

On Saturday, Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Aman Singh Bhuria refused to grant bail to Faruqui and other four and remanded them in judicial custody till January 13.
The Safety Committee of Teachers, Students and Parents in Sri Lanka is holding an open webinar discussion on Thursday January 7 at 7p.m. [Sri Lankan time] on How to fight the reopening of schools under unsafe conditions.

President Gotabaya Rajapakses government has announced that Sri Lankas entire school system will reopen on January 11, even as COVID-19 continues to spread across the country and internationally.

Medical experts have pointed out that the opening of schools and factories has been a major factor in the spread of the coronavirus, and that children are similarly at risk as adults from this life-threatening disease.

Sri Lanka webinar notice

Even the limited PCR testing conducted in Sri Lanka has revealed that the number of infections rose sharply in the month when all schools, apart from those in the Western Province, were open for the final term from October 23.

All schools, including pre-schools, primary schools and day care centres, will reopen on January 11, under even more dangerous conditions than in October. A new, more infectious strain of the virus, which originated in Britain, has now spread to the European continent and throughout many other countries. Epidemiologists have warned that it could enter Sri Lanka.

Governments around the world have ignored basic scientific truths and placed the profit interests of a handful of capitalists above human lives. The Rajapakse government opened airports for tourists on December 29, and has opened factories under unsafe conditions, calling on employees to return to work.

Reopening schools under these conditions is like pushing teachers and students into a blazing fire. The public is being endangered by COVID-19, despite the discovery of scientifically-proven vaccines.

The urgent action needed to save lives, and to secure the right to education, against the criminal policies of the Rajapakse government, will be discussed at the webinar. We invite teachers, students and parents to register and actively participate to this vital event.
Diogo Dalot is determined that his disappointing early days at Manchester United will make him stronger after describing his loan move to AC Milan a bittersweet feeling.

Dalot joined United in 2018 for 19million but fell down the pecking order following the signing of Aaron Wan Bissaka and the emergence of Brandon Williams.

Dalot bemoans injuries robbed him of important playing time at Old Trafford but insists he does not 'regret' or look back on his time at United with 'disappointment'.

Diogo Dalot described his loan move from Manchester United to AC Milan as 'bittersweet'

Having only made 20 Premier League appearances in his first two seasons at United, Dalot revealed the mix of emotions he felt joining AC Milan.

He told Record 'Of course, the feeling is a little deeper, more because I didn't have the time I liked physically.

'I spent great moments at United. I played very important games for me and the team.

Dalot transferred to AC Milan (above) in October following a series of injuries at United

Dalot joined Manchester United in 2018 for 19million but fell down the pecking order

'I left with a bit of a bittersweet feeling for not being physically available for all those games I lost due to injury.

'But it is what it is. I wouldn't change anything because what I learned was very important for my future and how I am now.

'I don't regret it or look back with disappointment.'

Following his success in Italy, Dalot was delighted to have built up a rapport with both the Italian and the English fans.

However, Dalot excelled in the Europa League for AC Milan, starting all six group stage games

It is believed Stefano Pioli's side are keen to keep hold of Dalot for the foreseeable future

'It is always positive to see the feedback from Milan fans and the affection that United fans have for me. It's fantastic to feel that,' he said.

The full-back excelled in the Europa League for AC Milan - starting all six games of the group stage and providing one goal and two assists for the Italian club.

However, he will be looking to kick on in Serie A - having only started one match before Christmas.

There have already been rumours that Milan are keen to keep hold of Dalot. However, United still have him under contract until 2023.
Among the actors, athletes and NHS heroes recognised in the most diverse New Year honours list ever, one name was once again absent. It was that of Tony Blair, former Prime Minister and, by some measure, the most successful leader of the Labour Party in its history.

More than 13 years have elapsed since Mr Blair left Downing Street after three consecutive general election victories. And in the years since, he has inevitably accumulated a clutch of awards, including a Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W Bush in 2009.

But beyond his 1994 appointment as a Privy Councillor, which grants him the abbreviation the Rt. Hon., there have been no honours showered on him by his own country.

Last week it was reported that his failure to receive the decoration normally handed to retired prime ministers  after which he would be entitled to call himself Sir Tony  has become a source of anxiety within the Royal Household because it was, in effect, bedblocking honours for other senior figures.

These include Mr Blairs successors at No 10: Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Theresa May.

Former PM Tony Blair was absent again from the Queen's New Year's honours list. All but one of the Queens nine prime ministers before Blair has been made a Knight (pictured together in 1999)

Palace officials were reported to be concerned that an apparent political imbalance had arisen, with Tory politicians outnumbering their Labour counterparts by more than five to one.

According to the reports, efforts to induct Mr Brown in the highest honour, the Order of the Garter, have stalled because the Queen is reluctant to confer the same gift on Mr Blair over still-simmering resentment at the latters handling of the death of Princess Diana in 1997.

But can it really be true that such animosity would prevent the normal conventions taking place? Royal aides dismiss the notion that any sort of personal enmity could possibly influence who does and does not receive membership of the most distinguished orders: the Garter, the Thistle, the Order of Merit and Companion of Honour.

(Knights of the Garter and the Thistle are entitled to style themselves Sir or Dame; not so those awarded the Order of Merit or Companion of Honour.)

It is absurd to suggest that there may be something churlish in the way honours are decided, says a figure close to the Queen. It suggests a pettiness that simply does not exist.

But it is also convention that no prime minister can receive honours until his or her predecessor has received theirs, hence the current logjam.

Nevertheless, the honours system is shrouded in mystery  especially at the top.

Reports say the Queen is reluctant to confer the honour on Mr Blair over resentment at the handling of the death of Princess Diana in 1997. Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II recording her annual Christmas broadcast for 2020

Former Tory Prime Minister Edward Heath had to wait 18 years after leaving Downing Street before being installed as a Garter knight. Margaret Thatcher, on the other hand, received her invitation to the Garter a mere five years after she was bundled out of office in 1990.

John Major, for his part, made it into the Garter in 2005, eight years after leaving Downing Street.

Mr Blair was 43 when he became the Queens tenth  and youngest  Prime Minister in May 1997.

Within months of his arrival in No 10, Dianas death in Paris tested the traditional etiquette that exists between premier and monarch like no other before or since.

Dealing with his attempts to take control over the Royal Familys response to the tragedy was one thing, but his later decision to publicise it all in his memoir was what really infuriated the royals.

It wasnt just that he trampled over protocol by disclosing so many private details, but that he also appeared to be grandstanding in his perceived role of saving the royals at their most perilous hour.

He described the princesss death as menacing for the Royal Family and he was critical of the way the Palace operated.

He suggested that forcing William and Harry to go to church just hours after their mothers death looked to some incredibly, almost blatantly insensitive.

This he blamed on the fact that the Palace had no Alastairs [Campbell, the Downing Street spin-doctor] in the entourage.

Within months of Tony Blair's arrival in No 10, Dianas death in Paris tested the traditional etiquette that exists between premier and monarch like no other before or since. Pictured: Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife, Cherie at the funeral of Princess Diana

Blair suggested that forcing William and Harry to go to church just hours after their mothers death looked to some incredibly, almost blatantly insensitive

Revealingly, he said he had a problem with the Queen during the Diana crisis because there was no easy point of connection in age or outlook or experience, adding: I didnt trust myself fully to go straight to her and be as blunt as I needed to be.

After the princesss funeral, Mr Blair and the Queen met at Balmoral, and he admitted he talked perhaps less sensitively than I should have about the need to learn lessons, adding that at points during the conversation she assumed a certain hauteur.

Many might conclude that letting slip such indiscretions would be reason enough to deny anyone, let alone a prime minister, the nobility of honours.

But Mr Blair did not confine his remarks about the royals just to the Queen.

Recalling how, during their first weekend visit to Balmoral, his wife Cherie invited the Princess Royal to call her by her first name, Anne replied: Actually, I prefer Mrs Blair.

He later wrote of this apparent put-down: At one level, it is stunningly rude and discordant in our democratic age.

But then Mrs Blair had hardly endeared herself to the royals, not least over her refusal to bow or curtsy.

On one occasion, the Queen was reported to have told friends: I can almost feel Mrs Blairs knees stiffening when I come into the room.

But while the Queen was said to be amused rather than offended by Mrs Blairs public refusal to curtsy, she was less pleased by her toe-curlingly intimate memoir.

In it, the human rights lawyer shared the details of how she became pregnant with Leo, her unplanned fourth child, at the age of 45, during another visit to Balmoral.

She wrote how she had left her contraceptive equipment at home because she had been horrified on a previous stay when royal servants unpacked her clothing and other personal effects for her. In 1999, out of sheer embarrassment she left her contraception behind.

Of that night, she wrote breezily: As usual up there it had been bitterly cold, and what with one thing and another . . . 

All in all, hardly the discretion expected of the wife of a Knight of the Garter, the most ancient British order of chivalry, founded by King Edward III in 1348.

All but one of the Queens nine prime ministers before Mr Blair was made a Knight. It is limited to 24 people at any one time.

The only exception  Alec Douglas-Home  was given the Order of the Thistle.

Courtiers are understood to have suggested Mr Brown, like Douglas-Home, a Scot, be made a Knight of the Thistle to avoid the embarrassment of leapfrogging Mr Blair to the Garter. But this seems unlikely. Of course, the Queen could solve the whole conundrum at a stroke.

This leaves one tantalising question: does Tony Blair even want the knighthood and blue sash that comes with the order? Might Mr Blair actually have turned it down? In 2013 there were rumours that a public figure had declined to join the order

There are currently three vacancies in the Garter, one long-term and two caused by the deaths of Field Marshal Lord Bramall, in 2019, and Lord Ashburton, patriarch of the Barings banking clan, in 2020.

This leaves one tantalising question: does Tony Blair even want the knighthood and blue sash that comes with the order?

As one Labour figure says: He would not accept it if he felt it would bring him mockery.

Hes also still working, and the Garter is traditionally seen as an honour for people who have completed their public life. And then there will be all that attention on how much money he has made since leaving office.

So might Mr Blair actually have turned it down? In 2013 there were rumours that a public figure had declined to join the order.

At the time there were two vacancies  positions only come up when a Garter member dies  and just one was filled.

Appointments are at the Queens discretion, though she usually chooses from a list of five names submitted by the Garters chancellor  currently the Duke of Abercorn.

After the controversy of the cash-for-honours scandal during his premiership, many are still wondering if Tony Blair will ever be bestowed with the blue mantle and velvet hat as a Garter knight  and finally join the fancy dress party.
Despite a recovery in the final months of this year, the aviation industry is forecast to face further difficulties in 2021.

2021 will still be a difficult year for the industry as it has no room for further recovery until international flights are reopened.  VNA/VNS Photo

The recent recovery was thanks to a complete restoration of domestic routes and the continued good performance of freight transport.

As of November, the total number of flights decreased by 23 per cent compared to the same period last year but strongly recovered from a decrease of 92 per cent in April.

The most effective route was HCM City - Hanoi with 540 flights per week, reaching an occupancy rate of about 90 per cent.

However, commenting on the prospects of the aviation industry, Mirae Asset Securities Vietnam Co (MASVN) believes 2021 will still be a difficult year for the industry as it has no room for further recovery until international flights are reopened.

MASVN explained the current low fares are helping push up the demand for air travel on domestic routes. However, airlines cant further cut the fares as they are too low. If airlines continue to reduce fares, it will be difficult to make profits.

"In the context of a fiercely competitive domestic market, we believe that the business situation of Vietnamese airlines will hardly improve further until the international routes are reopened," MASVN experts told vietnamfinance.vn.

With only domestic routes operating, the competition in the aviation industry next year will be fiercer. All aircraft are now converging on domestic routes to improve cash flow. Meanwhile, Vietjet Air has received 11 new aircraft, bringing the total number of aircraft in operation to 88. Bamboo Airways reduced two A320s but received four small aircraft E195, bringing its fleet to 26.

In addition, the aviation industry also has to compete against other transportation means like passenger cars and trains which have also applied fare discounts from 15 per cent to 50 per cent.

MASVN experts estimated it would take about four months to vaccinate 30 per cent of the US population and it was the minimum rate required to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. For other countries less developed than the US, the time to hit 30 per cent will be longer.

"International flights are likely to reopen as soon as the pandemic is repelled and the transport of international passengers will begin to recover gradually from that time. However, we expect the recovery rate will be slow, caused by isolation rules and restricted tourism demands in the wake of difficulties due to the pandemic, the experts said. VNS

Covid-19 takes a heavy toll on Vietnam aviation industry The aviation industry has experienced a sharp decrease in passenger volume this year.
When the Ohio General Assembly adjourned in 2020, members left behind several high-profile bills that never made it to the governors desk  such as a school funding overhaul and a sweeping domestic violence bill that would require police to screen victims for their risk of murder and help connect them to job training and other resources. Lawmakers will arrive in Columbus in 2021 with pressure to pass a two-year state budget, and will likely continue to wrestle with Gov. Mike DeWine on whether to limit his authority to create public health orders.

Below are the priorities of legislative leaders in both chambers and parties.

Sen. Matt Huffman, Lima Republican and presumed Senate president for 2021

Huffman was elected president by the Senate Republican caucus in November. Hes arranged to be sworn in from his home because he has the coronavirus.

-K-12 funding overhaul. The Ohio House passed House Bill 305, after years of work on the issue, with broad bipartisan support. The bill died in the Senate during the lame duck, but Huffman said that he wants to get funding reform passed in the first six months of 2021. With the Houses plan, I think that tees things up, he said. The Ohio Supreme Court decided the states school funding scheme was unconstitutional nearly 25 years ago.

-A review and possible changes to how the state and local health departments make public health decisions -- and how the legislature stays involved, Huffman said.

-Changing the amount of assets and wealth people can have before they qualify for public benefits. Huffman believes some Ohioans have a relatively high level of wealth and assets but still qualify for benefits. He said this results in less money being available to people who really need assistance.

-Requiring more transparency around hospital ownership of small clinics. Huffman said theres been a trend of hospital systems increasingly buying smaller clinics and physician practices. This is hiking up the amount insurers and government health programs pay for services, he said.

-A review and changes to the cost of public higher education. Students take on tremendous debt to get educated, and sometimes they dont graduate, or they take years to obtain their degree, Huffman said.

Senate Minority Leader Kenny Yuko, a Richmond Heights Democrat:

Were going to have a lot to do next year to make sure we meet the needs of the families and small businesses that have been most impacted by the pandemic, and that starts with passing a fair budget that puts workers first and helps our economy recover. Well also have to tackle two major issues that have set Ohioans back for years: gerrymandered districts and unconstitutional school funding. My hope is that 2021 will be the year that we fix both once and for all so Ohioans have a better chance at receiving a good education and fair representation, no matter which ZIP code they live in.

Ohio House Speaker Bob Cupp, a Lima Republican:

Ill be discussing with our caucus new and returning members regarding House priorities for 2021. However, retaining and creating jobs, keeping our local businesses and our states economy open, and a new funding framework for local schools will certainly continue to be a priority for our members, as will a number of other issues, such as education, health care and COVID-related issues.

Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes, an Akron Democrat:

House Democrats will be focused on many of the same things we were focused on in 2020 that the Republican supermajority never allowed to get done, like a real, statewide plan to control the virus, protect workers, boost consumer confidence and invest in an economy that works for all of us.

Sykes said that Democrats are committed to repealing House Bill 6, which sought to bail out nuclear power plants formerly owned by a FirstEnergy subsidiary but is now associated with a federal corruption investigation of whether $60 million in bribes were paid to benefit the political career of former House Speaker Larry Householder. She also wants to pass Aishas Law, which seeks to protect domestic violence victims by requiring police to screen for whether they face the risk of murder, among other requirements. She would like the legislature to pass measures for paid family and sick leave, criminal justice system reform, commonsense gun safety and House Bill 305, the school funding overhaul that died in the Senate.

We may be the minority, but our caucus represents millions of Ohioans. Their voices matter and so does ours. Our constituents know we work for them, not special interests, in the Statehouse and in 2021, we will continue to fight to restore the Ohio Promise for all.
When details of the above-average profits of insurance companies were published last year, it triggered frustration among the thousands of Irish customers paying overpriced premiums.

The insurance sector is scrambling to restore public confidence after a turbulent year which left many questioning why they pay for cover.

Publicans are suing one of the countrys biggest insurers after it refused to pay out on business interruption claims during the Covid-19 pandemic, motorists are still being hit with expensive premiums despite a fall in claims and international insurers have quit the Irish market in droves.

Moyagh Murdock, who left her role with the Road Safety Authority (RSA) after six years to take up the top job at Insurance Ireland, knows she has her work cut out for her.

Read More

The toxicity of the word insurance at the moment is being felt at all levels, but theres a real desire to do something about it, she told the Irish Independent.

Insurers raked in profits of 142m on motor cover in 2019, according to Central Bank figures.

Irish policyholders were left with more questions than answers after the Central Bank also revealed how premiums have risen by 35pc over the last 10 years, yet the cost of claims has fallen by 9pc.

It also uncovered how the majority of insurers use dual pricing across the private car market, a practice where insurers use data to target those who are less likely to shop around and charge them artificially high premiums. Insurers are entitled to make a return on their investment, Ms Murdock said.

The companies here have a viable business and we dont want to see any more firms leaving the market. We need a healthy insurance market and we want to expand the products on offer.

When Ms Murdock took over the role at the start of the pandemic, she outlined how her focus would always be the customer and the need for improved transparency.

A serious bugbear with consumers is how personal injury claims for minor incidents are often settled by insurance companies without their knowledge  and for extortionate amounts.

The Irish Independent previously revealed how a young mother who rolled into the back of a car while in rush-hour traffic was last year notified by her insurer that a claim had been settled for 62,000 after the woman she hit sued for a whiplash injury.

The legal costs amounted to just over 30,000.

When another woman notified her insurer that the woman suing her was in a video on Facebook doing cartwheels down a city street at a hen party, just weeks after she claimed to suffer a back injury, she was told it would be cheaper to settle instead of fighting the case.

The most recent Central Bank report highlights the cost of pursuing compensation cases in court versus if they are settled, and the cost of litigation is 15 times the amount, Ms Murdock said.

We need to settle more cases, but we dont want to make it too easy to settle either. Not every case should be settled, there are definitely cases that should be challenged, but the actual cost of fighting a case over a small amount of money can be extremely expensive for insurers.

A total of 124,686 motor insurance claims were settled last year at a cost of 680.4m.

Sinn Feins finance spokesman Pearse Doherty introduced legislation which will prevent insurers from settling claims without the permission of policyholders.

Despite passing all stages of the Oireachtas in December 2019, certain sections of the Consumer Insurance Contracts Act will not be enacted until September 2021.

This includes making it harder for insurance companies to avoid paying valid claims on spurious grounds and increasing transparency on premium costs on renewal.

When it comes to settlements, it isnt as simple as just putting it down to insurers paying out too quickly, there are a whole raft of issues and they need to be addressed in tandem, Ms Murdock said.

We need to address this as part of the reform agenda or well keep languishing.

One of the issues Ms Murdock is referring to is legal costs.

When the Government launched its 66-step action plan for insurance reform at the start of December, it outlined how it intended to increase the powers of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB) in a bid to bring down the cost of personal injury claims.

This is a move which will also see lawyers income take a substantial hit.

The average legal costs associated with PIAB cases is 791, compared to 15,891 for cases which make it to court.

The need for legal support and legal advice should be mitigated as much as possible, Ms Murdock said.

Im not saying solicitors and barristers shouldnt be part of the solution, but I do think things are unnecessarily complex.

The problem in this country, well, a lot of it comes down to the quantum of awards being of such a scale. That tends to become an incentive to take a claim.

"There is a perception youre going to get more compensation if you go to court. We need to raise awareness that going the legal route isnt going to get you more money.

"If you feel they arent going to be able to settle it directly with the insurer, obviously the legal profession has a role to play in helping citizens and consumers, but it shouldnt be the only route. The PIAB is much cheaper.

If there is compensation to be awarded it should reflect the nature of the inconvenience. Were not there yet and thats something that needs to be reviewed, but I think personal responsibility has to come into it more.

"The pandemic is a good example as a lot of small businesses were worried about being able to open due to the risk of being sued over someone contracting Covid.

Ms Murdock knew her task wasnt going to be an easy one  but it has been made increasingly difficult by the pandemic.

Theres a long road ahead of us to try and change the landscape and work with insurance members to change the outcomes and bring more consumer focus to insurance than previously was there. I have been working remotely since starting and I havent even met all the team yet.

Am I still as motivated for the job? Absolutely. I do love the job. I enjoy what Im doing.

"In terms of the pressure, the insurance companies are not immune to the discourse out there. They are anxious to change that rhetoric, but all sectors of insurance are being tarred with the same brush. The insurance industry is massive. We have three billion in assets and there is a lot of good being done too. The insurance sector does a lot for the economy in terms of employment.

While some viewed her move from the RSA as a big change, she points out there was a lot of synergy between the two.

The career change was also based on personal reasons.

I loved that job but it was time to move on to the next challenge. It provided a good opportunity to move back to Dublin, as my partner is based here.

"Insurance Ireland is a good fit for me as if we improve driver behaviours, that has a positive impact on motor insurance and road safety too.

There is definitely a lot I can bring to the table. I saw the benefit of having a Government strategy on road safety, and having the equivalent strategy on insurance reform, I would be very optimistic about the future.

Read More






As U.S. officials ramped up efforts to vaccinate more Americans, scientists around the world wrestled with whether it would make sense to delay the second doses everyone will need so more people can be vaccinated more quickly.

Since even the first shot offers some protection, there are experts who believe that the fastest way to get the pandemic under control is to give first injections as widely as possible now, The New York Times reported. By Saturday, only 4.2 million Americans had gotten their first dose of vaccine, though that number is likely an underestimate because of reporting lags, the newspaper noted.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday that the country has fallen far short of its goal of vaccinating 20 million Americans by the end of 2020. But he also added that he's seen "some little glimmer of hope" after 1.5 million doses were administered in the previous 72 hours, the Associated Press reported.

Fauci also said he was optimistic that the momentum will pick up by mid-January and that ultimately Americans will be vaccinated a at rate of 1 million per day.

"The goal of vaccinating 100 million people in the first 100 days [of 2021] is a realistic goal," Fauci added.

Even so, any delays in vaccinations are troubling as a more infectious variant of the coronavirus has been detected in at least 33 countries, the Times reported. While Britain has already chosen to delay second doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines in an effort to try and vaccinate more people, U.S. health officials are so far opposed to the idea, the newspaper said.

However, one top official of Operation Warp Speed suggested yet another alternative on Sunday: Halve the dose of each shot of Moderna's vaccine, to potentially double the number of people who could receive it.

Data from Moderna's trials showed that people between 18 and 55 who received two 50-microgram doses had an "identical immune response" to the standard of two 100-microgram doses, Dr. Moncef Slaoui explained, the Times reported. Each vaccine would still be delivered in two doses given four weeks apart.

Slaoui said that Operation Warp Speed was discussing the dose-halving option with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Moderna. The company did not respond immediately to a request for comment, the Times reported.

Natalie Dean, a biostatistician at the University of Florida, agreed that there might be more data to support half-doses rather than delayed doses.

"There is a path forward if you can show that two lower doses yield a similar immune response," Dean said.

Some experts argue that concentrating on first doses may save more lives than making sure half as many individuals receive both doses on schedule, the Times reported.

Not everyone agrees, however: Some scientists fear the delayed-dose approach could be a huge mistake, particularly in the United States, where logistical hurdles and a patchwork approach to prioritizing who gets the first shots have slowed the vaccine campaign rollout.

"We have an issue with distribution, not the number of doses [available]," Saad Omer, a vaccine expert at Yale University, told the Times. "Doubling the number of doses doesn't double your capacity to give doses."

New coronavirus variant now spotted in 3 U.S. States

On Dec. 31 Florida joined California and Colorado as states with a known case of the new and more contagious variant of the coronavirus.

Experts believe the new variant is probably already spreading elsewhere in the United States.

"The virus is becoming more fit, and we're like a deer in the headlights," Dr. Eric Topol, head of Scripps Research Translational Institute, told the AP.

Topol said that the United States does less genetic sequencing of virus to discover variants than other nations, and thus was probably slow to detect this new mutation.

Other states are analyzing suspicious virus samples for the variant, Dr. Greg Armstrong, who directs genetic sequencing at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the AP last week.

No evidence has been found that this variant is more deadly or causes more severe illness, and scientists are saying that the vaccines will be effective against it. But a faster-spreading virus could swamp hospitals with seriously ill patients.

Researchers estimate the variant is 50% to 70% more contagious, Dr. Eric France, Colorado's chief medical officer, told the AP.

"Instead of only making two or three other people sick, you might actually spread it to four or five people," France said. "That means we'll have more cases in our communities. Those number of cases will rise quickly and, of course, with more cases come more hospitalizations."

The rapid spread of the new variant within Britain has caused a virtual shut down there, with many countries banning or restricting flights from the United Kingdom.

A global scourge

By Monday, the U.S. coronavirus case count passed 20.6 million while the death toll passed 351,000, according to a Times tally. On Monday, the top five states for coronavirus infections were: California with over 2.4 million cases; Texas with more than 1.8 million cases; Florida with over 1.3 million cases; New York with just over 1 million cases; and Illinois with more than 982,000 cases.

Curbing the spread of the coronavirus in the rest of the world remains challenging.

In India, the coronavirus case count was over 10.3 million on Monday, a Johns Hopkins University tally showed. Brazil had over 7.7 million cases and more than 196,000 deaths as of Monday, the Hopkins tally showed.

Worldwide, the number of reported infections passed 85.1 million on Monday, with more than 1.8 million deaths recorded, according to the Hopkins tally.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

More information: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the new The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the new coronavirus

Copyright  2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Some churches in Orava remained open despite ban

The police will deal with the incidents.

video //www.youtube.com/embed/i9NdHC1qjck

At least two parishes in the Orava region in northern Slovakia did not respect a ban in order to keep churches open for the public. This was one of the measures introduced after the December 31 cabinet session, which came into force on January 1.

Our paywall policy: The Slovak Spectator has decided to make all the articles on the special measures, statistics and basic information about the coronavirus available to everyone. If you appreciate our work and would like to support good journalism, please buy our subscription. We believe this is an issue where accurate and fact-based information is important for people to cope.

A public mass was held on the morning of January 1 in Liesek. There is even a video depicting dozens of people leaving the church, some not wearing masks, the Myorava.sme.sk website reported.

The police have confirmed that they are investigating the incident. The Regional Public Health Authority in Dolny Kubin will have final say, which can penalize those who violate the rules.

Another public mass was held in Habovka, also broadcast live by the local TV station, Myorava.sme.sk wrote.

A permission from hygienist questioned

The administrator of the parish in Liesek, Stefan Pitak, has confirmed that they held the mass on January 1, explaining that they received an email from the Trstena dean Juraj Spuchlak that morning masses in the Tvrdosin district could be held.

Related article Closed ski centres and churches, stricter curfew. Cabinet toughens up measures Read more

One of the aims was to tell believers that other masses will be cancelled, Pitak said, as quoted by Myorava.sme.sk.

About 200 people came to the church, which has 960 seats. Pitak stressed that they observed all counter-pandemic measures.

Spuchlak added that Bishop Jan Kubos agreed on the masses with the regional hygienists on the evening of December 31, before the ban was issued by the chief hygienist. He consulted the case with the bishops office, which said the masses could be held in the morning. Churches were supposed to close afterwards, he explained to Myorava.sme.sk.

Regional hygienist Maria Varmusova admitted that she was talking to the bishop. However, she said she did not cancel the ban to keep churches closed for the public as it would have to be officially published. If she permitted the masses, it would have to be properly explained.

As she said, the bishop probably misunderstood her, Myorava.sme.sk reported.

Read more about the coronavirus outbreak in Slovakia:

4. Jan 2021 at 11:45 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Israel's defence minister said on Monday that he wants the country to buy a third squadron of stealth F-35 warplanes from the United States, and that he hoped a deal could be clinched before President Donald Trump steps down on Jan. 20.

Israel has been in talks with Washington on how to preserve its military advantage after the Trump administration approved a possible F-35 sale to the United Arab Emirates last year. The plane was previously available only to Israel in the region.

"Without doubt, we need to expand the F-35 array. Right now we have two squadrons. I reckon we will expand that. That is what I requested of the Americans," Defence Minister Benny Gantz told Ynet TV.

"I would buy another F-35 squadron and then examine what to do with the balance - continuing to expand the F-35 (procurement), going for F-15s?"

Gantz did not specify the number of F-35s in the proposed new squadron. Defence officials have said the two squadrons already ordered by Israel consist of 50 planes.

Gantz's coalition government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fell apart last month, triggering a March 23 ballot. Both men remain in their posts until a new government is formed after the ballot.

Asked if Israel might complete a defence procurement deal with the United States before Trump steps down, he said: "I hope so. I think the defence budget needs to be handled properly, to be safeguarded. It is a kind of active insurance policy."

The F-35 is made by Lockheed Martin Corp and the F-15 by Boeing Co.

Short link:


Representative image: Reuters

Pune-based Serum Institute of India may play a crucial role in supplying the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to Kenya and other poor countries.

Kenya, which has applied for 24 million free doses through Covax, may receive doses to cover 1.4 million individuals by June and the rest in the second half of 2021, Kenyan news website The Standard reported citing initial reports from Covax. Most of these doses will likely come from SII.

Kenya has also ordered 12 million doses that will be paid for, which will be delivered in 2022.

Also read: India approves Covishield, Covaxin vaccines in fight against COVID-19

Covax is an initiative supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and Gavi to help poor and/or developing countries gain access to COVID-19 jabs.

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

In August 2020, SII signed a deal with Gavi to manufacture up to 100 million doses of two different vaccines from AstraZeneca and US biotech company Novavax.

AstraZeneca has contracted SII to make 1 billion doses of the vaccine for developing nations.

The vaccine candidate developed by British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford has been approved for emergency use in India and the UK.

"This will go towards helping developing countries access vaccines, including the Oxford/AstraZeneca candidate," the British High Commission in Nairobi told The Standard.

But, SII CEO Adar Poonawalla has said it will prioritise India, where the government plans to inoculate 300 million people by mid-2021.

The Indian government has currently not permitted SII to export vaccines against the coronavirus, Poonawalla told Associated Press.

On December 9, 30 leading German cultural institutions issued a statement opposing a resolution directed against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement passed by the German parliament (Bundestag) a year and a half ago. More than 1,000 artists from Germany, Israel and around the world have lent their support to the statement.

The Bundestag resolution Resolutely confronting the BDS movementcombating anti-Semitism was put forward by the parliamentary groups of Germanys governing grand coalition of the conservative Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) and Social Democratic Party (SPD), together with the opposition parties Free Democratic Party and the Greens. The resolution accused the BDS of anti-Semitism.

Modelled on the movement against apartheid in South Africa, BDS calls for a boycott of Israel and demands, among other things, an end to the occupation of Arab lands, the demolition of the wall around the occupied territories, legal equality for Jews and Arabs and the right of return for Palestinian refugees, as agreed in UN Resolution 194.

Caption: Press conference of the GG 5.3 Weltoffenheit initiative at the Deutsches Theater Berlin (video excerpt)

The Bundestags condemnation of BDS served to denounce and suppress as anti-Semitic any criticism of the policies of the Israeli government, which is at the centre of imperialist preparations for war in the Middle East. The Bundestag resolution demanded the withholding of any public spaces and financial support to organisations and individuals with any sort of connection to BDS, or who sympathise with its aims. This meant, de facto, the suppression of any criticism of the foreign policy of the German government, which, despite occasional tactical differences, pursues its own imperialist goals in the Middle East in close cooperation with Israelone of the most important markets for Germanys arms industries.

It is highly significant that the Bundestag resolution also received support from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which plays down the crimes of the Nazis and tolerates numerous anti-Semites and neo-Nazis in its ranks. When it came to the vote, the AfD faction abstained only because it had put forward its own, even harsher motion, calling for a ban on BDS. The Left Party also introduced its own motion, which condemned BDS in the same manner as the government motion but included a few phrases about reconciliation between Jews and Palestinians.

The December statement by the cultural institutions now makes clear that the real aim of the all-party Bundestag resolution was not to combat anti-Semitism, but rather to suppress freedom of expression. Since the passing of the Bundestag resolution, numerous artists and intellectuals, including Jews, have been disinvited from scheduled events or boycotted because they criticise the policies of the Israeli government or defend the rights of Palestinians.

A key part of the statement by cultural institutions reads: In the name of this resolution, significant voices and critical positions are being suppressed on the basis of false accusations of anti-Semitism. The cultural institutions formed a working group titled Initiative GG 5.3 Weltoffenheit, in whose name they published their declaration. The name refers to the clause dealing with the freedom of art and science enshrined in Article 5 (3) of Germanys Basic Law.

The cultural initiative was supported by internationally renowned institutions such as the Berliner Festspiele, the Deutsches Theater Berlin and the Alliance of International Production Houses, academic institutions such as the Einstein Forum Potsdam, the Berlin College of Science, the Centre for Research on Anti-Semitism at the Technical University of Berlin, as well as state-related organisations such as the Goethe-Institute, the Federal Cultural Foundation, the Humboldt Forum Foundation and Berlins House of World Culture.

The latter organisations fear that the suppression of all criticism of Israel will endanger their work in other countries, but the main driving force of the declaration is the concern that suppressing critical views plays into the hands of right-wing, authoritarian tendencies and stifles the freedom of culture.

The common fight against anti-Semitism, racism, right-wing extremism and any form of violent religious fundamentalism is at the heart of our initiative, the statement reads. Germanys historical responsibility should not lead to a blanket moral or political delegitimisation of other historical experiences of violence and oppression. Confrontation and debate must be possible, especially in publicly funded cultural and discursive spaces.

The declaration ends with the statement that a society open to the world and that permits public discourse and dissent is the basis which allows the arts and sciences to continue to exercise their own function: i.e. critical reflection on the social order and an opening up to alternative world concepts.

As an example of the negative consequences of the Bundestag resolution, the declaration cites the case of the Cameroonian historian and political researcher Achille Mbembe. Mbembe was invited to give the opening speech to this years Ruhrtriennale but was then confronted with a wave of accusations of anti-Semitism after he described the Israeli occupation of Palestine as a form of colonialism and compared it to the apartheid policy of South Africa. The artistic director of the Ruhrtriennale refused to turn down his invitation and the administration of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia cancelled the meeting in the meantime, citing the coronavirus pandemic.

Mbembe is only one of many who have been accused and censored as a result of the Bundestag resolution. Artists who have been accused of anti-Semitism include the London-based author Kamila Shamsie, who was stripped of the Nelly Sachs Prize by the city of Dortmund, and the rapper Tali Kweli, whose invitation to participate at the Open Source Festival in Dusseldorf was withdrawn. The most recent and notable case involved Israeli students at Berlins Weiensee Art Academy, who were prevented from carrying out a series of meetings critical of Zionism by the university administration.

There have been previous cases of attempts to suppress the BDS. On December 13, 2017, Munichs city council banned by a large majority any meetings in municipal premises that deal with, support, follow or promote the BDS. A motion opposing this ban was initially rejected by Germanys Administrative Court. Following an appeal, Germanys Higher Administrative Court justified the plaintiffs motion in November 2020.

In 2018, the director of the Jewish Museum in Berlin, Peter Schafer, was forced to resign after holding a podium discussion with the Jewish philosopher and feminist Judith Butler and the anti-Zionist professor Micha Brumlik. More than 400 Jewish scholars, mainly from the United States, Israel and Germany, protested against Schafers resignation, which came in the wake of huge political pressure from the Israeli embassy. Brumlik criticized the accusations against Schafer as a sign of the decline in left-liberal cultural circles, likening it to a new form of McCarthyism directed against all those suspected of some sort of support for the BDS.

The artistic director of the Berliner Festspiele, Thomas Oberender, who signed the declaration against the governments BDS resolution, said in practice it led to revoking invitations to artists and scholars who have worked in Germany for many years and whose work has never violated the values of our Basic Law.

Hartmut Dorgerloh, the general director of the Humboldt Forum Foundation in Berlin, pointed to the growing influence of far-right radicalism in German public life and declared, We are living at a time when rational behaviour is being disregarded at the highest political level. [...] a time when critical positions toward the Israeli government are equated with anti-Semitism, while nationalist and openly racist forces gain momentum.

The American philosopher Susan Neiman, director of the Einstein Forum Potsdam for the past 20 years, told Deutschlandfunk radio that as a Jew she reacted angrily when no reference was made of the broad range of Jewish discussion worldwide, but instead only very conservative voices could be heard. Criticism of the Israeli government must be possible, she said: According to the logic of the BDS resolution, neither Albert Einstein nor Hannah Arendt would be allowed to give a lecture in Germany because, although they supported the state of Israel, they were both very critical of the unjust treatment of the Palestinians.

The accusation of anti-Semitism against leftists and intellectuals plays into the hands of right-wing radicals and fascistssuch as Donald Trump, Viktor Orban, Matteo Salvini, Rodrigo Duterte and the AfDwho identify with the racist policies of the Israeli government and have been greeted jubilantly as state guests in Jerusalem. In Germany, the number of anti-Semitic crimes by far-right radicals increased sharply last year and more and more cases of anti-Semitism and pro-Nazi tendencies have been uncovered in the German police and the armed forces. At the same time, accusations of anti-Semitism are levelled against any leftist who criticises the policies of the far-right Israeli government.

The German government and its anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, have sharply rejected the statement by cultural activists. The German government repeated its mantra that the State of Israels right to exist was non-negotiable. A spokesman for the Foreign Office said that its officials had ruled out any cooperation with the BDS movement before the resolution was passed and had refrained from supporting any means which could promote the BDS. The CDU faction of Leipzig City Council is seeking to take action against the director of the citys annual Documentary Film Festival (DOK), who signed the statement by cultural bodies.

The basis for this slanderous campaign is the definition of anti-Semitism laid down by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which is enshrined in the Bundestags BDS resolution and bluntly criminalises political criticism of the state of Israel.

Internationally, the accusation of anti-Semitism is being used to persecute even the mildest critics of Israel. In the UK, former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn was suspended temporarily and tens of thousands of his supporters purged from the party on drummed-up charges of anti-Semitism.

BDS co-founder and well-known Palestinian politician Omar Barghouti was denied entry to the US where he was scheduled to give a lecture at Harvard University, while the Netanyahu government denied entry to US members of Congress Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. The Israeli state has drafted an extensive blacklist of individuals who are denied entry to the country due to links to BDS.

Anti-Semitism, i.e., the racial hatred of Jews, is an ideology associated with the extreme right. In Germany, it assumed the most pernicious, murderous form with the Holocaust. But in other countries, it also serves the ruling class as a means of deflecting the anger of mostly petty-bourgeois layers of the population threatened with social decline by directing them against the Jewish part of the population. Socialists, on the other hand, have always fiercely fought against the poison of anti-Semitism and repeatedly opposed all forms of discrimination against Jews.

The denunciation of left-wing criticism of the reactionary, anti-democratic policies of the Israeli government as anti-Semitic, alongside the political campaign to denigrate Islam, reflects the rightward shift of the ruling class. Domestically, it is aimed at criminalising those critical of the government and, in terms of foreign policy, justifying militarism and oppression in the Middle East and other parts of the world.


Adani Cementation awarded new jetty clearance

04 January 2021

Adani Cementation has been authorised by the state environment ministry to build a captive jetty in Raigad district, India.

The new jetty will supply the companys planned cement plant, near Shahbaj village, in Alibag taluka. The proposed site consists of a berth head, conveyor line and mooring facilities. For the jetty, 2ha of land are to be prepared and a further 1.5ha for the conveyor corridor and approach road. The facility will be able to handle fly ash, slag and cement. The materials will be brought from Gujarat by barges and conveyed by pipe conveyor to the blending units.

The company has plans that have been on hold for a 10Mta cement plant at Lakhpat in Kutch district, Gujarat, India.

Published under
The probe of China's first Mars mission Tianwen-1 had traveled more than 400 million kilometers by Sunday morning and is expected to enter Mars orbit next month, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

The probe is in stable condition at a distance of around 130 million kilometers from Earth and 8.3 million kilometers from the red planet after 163 days of flight, said CNSA.

The distance between Mars and Earth varies periodically, from about 50 million kilometers to over 400 million kilometers.

The probe is traveling at a speed of 23 kilometers per second, covering about 2 million kilometers a day. It flies at a speed of 21 kilometers per second relative to Earth's velocity, which means it is moving roughly 1.8 million kilometers away from Earth while 200,000 kilometers towards Mars every day, according to Li Zhencai, deputy commander of the Mars probe under China Academy of Space Technology.

When the probe approaches Mars, it would have flown 470 million kilometers and be 190 million kilometers away from Earth.

Prepare for 'braking'

The Mars probe will perform a critical "braking" maneuver to slow down before being captured into the orbit around Mars.

The long distance makes it a highly challenging task, as the communication will delay for over 10 minutes, leading to no real-time control or intervention from the ground crew.

Usually, the ground team gives instruction to start up the engine, said Li, while "this time, the probe will do that automatically, and the ground team will only know about the status from telemetry data nearly an hour later."

A fourth orbital correction may be implemented in order to obtain relevant orbital parameters of the point where the probe will be captured, Li added.
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Union Minister of State for



Finance on Monday slammed the over its outsider-insider debate, saying that if a Union minister is termed as an outsider in West Bengal, then people from which place are considered as insiders.

Maintaining that is an important part of the country, Thakur wondered whether it is a crime for a Union minister to visit the state.

"If a minister of the Indian government coming to is termed as an outsider, then I want to ask that people from which place are considered as insiders," he told reporters at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here.

Thakur, who has come to visit ailing BCCI president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly at a city hospital, said that has given stalwarts in various fields to the country, while people from all parts of India have settled in the state and participated in its advancement.

He questioned the thought process that leads to such labelling of fellow country and asked whether it should be allowed to flourish or checked.

The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress has alleged that the BJP is bringing in "outsiders" to fight the state assembly elections due in April-May.

(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.)
UK scientists expressed concern on Monday that Covid-19 vaccines being rolled out in Britain may not be able to protect against a new variant of the coronavirus that emerged in South Africa and has spread internationally.

Both Britain and South Africa have detected new, more transmissible variants of the Covid-19-causing virus in recent weeks that have driven a surge in cases.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Monday he was now very worried about the variant identified in South Africa.

Simon Clarke, an associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, said that while both variants had some new features in common, the one found in South Africa "has a number additional mutations ... which are concerning".

He said these included more extensive alterations to a key part of the virus known as the spike protein - which the virus uses to infect human cells - and "may make the virus less susceptible to the immune response triggered by the vaccines".

Lawrence Young, a virologist and professor of molecular oncology at Warwick University, also noted that the South African variant has "multiple spike mutations".

"The accumulation of more spike mutations in the South African variant are more of a concern and could lead to some escape from immune protection," he said.

Scientists including BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin and John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford, have said they are testing the vaccines against the new variants and

say they could make any required tweaks in around six weeks.

Public Health England said there was currently no evidence to suggest COVID-19 vaccines would not protect against the mutated virus variants. Britain's health ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The world's richest countries have started vaccinating their populations to safeguard against a disease that has killed 1.8million people and crushed the global economy.

There are currently 60 vaccine candidates in trials, including those already being rolled out from AstraZeneca and Oxford, Pfizer and BioNTech, Moderna, Russia's Sputnik V and China's Sinopharm.

Scientists say both the South African and UK variants are associated with a higher viral load, meaning a greater concentration of virus particles in patients' bodies, possibly contributing to increased transmission.

Oxford's Bell, who advises the UK government's vaccine task force, said on Sunday he thought vaccines would work on the British variant but said there was a "big question mark" as to whether they would work on the South African variant.

BioNTech's Sahin told Germany' Spiegel in an interview published on Friday that their vaccine, which uses messenger RNA to instruct the human immune system to fight the virus, should

be able to protect against the UK variant.

"We are testing whether our vaccine can also neutralise this variant and will soon know more," he said.

Reuters
Lad Wallace thought himself lucky: There were 51 homes in his Bonny Doon neighborhood before the fire, and his was one of only 13 that survived. But the privately maintained road leading to his property was destroyed by trucks operated by PG&Es tree crews, the same crews that came on his property without his permission and left his land strewn with felled trees.





A couple of years ago PG&E did some tree removal, Wallace said. In those cases, they removed everything they cut. This time they cut it and left it where it lay. Getting rid of trees is not an insignificant cost.

Crews told the Andersons that their trees had commercial value, but no local buyers want Douglas fir, especially since the company short cut the logs. The old-growth redwoods they cut were dropped and left in a messy stack, said Brian Anderson.

Meanwhile, the couples misery mounts. They were grinding their teeth at night and now wear mouth guards. Their doctor prescribed medication for sleep and stress.
The Romanian Hotels and Restaurants' Employers Association (HORA) calls for the immediate reopening of indoor restaurants, with the implementation of health safety measures, and removing them from the rule of 3 per thousand population incidence of COVID-19 spread, informs an open letter addressed to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Health and the Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism, according to AGERPRES.

"Given the losses incurred by this sector and the risk of bankruptcy that threatens more than half of the operators in the field, we urgently request the following measures: 1. Urgent reopening of indoor restaurants, with the implementation of health safety measures. 2. Removing restaurants from under the 3 per 1000 population rule, from the list of activities at risk of spreading COVID-19 and, thus, allowing the smooth functioning, with a set of measures previously agreed with industry representatives and respected by all operators, reads the document.

The letter drafted by the Romanian Hotels and Restaurants' Employers Association is addressed to Prime Minister Florin Citu, Minister of Health Vlad Voiculescu, and Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism Claudiu Nasui.

The Romanian Hotels and Restaurants' Employers Association points out that before the COVID-19 crisis, 40,000 companies with 100 pct Romanian capital were active in the HoReCa sector, with a turnover of 5 billion euros, employing approximately 190,000 employees, namely 10 pct of the total number of employees working in the private sector.

"As a result of the crisis due to the pandemic and the restrictive measures imposed by the authorities, our industry is currently the most affected, registering a sharp decline that has led today to a decrease in turnover by about 70 pct in the first six months of 2020 compared to the same period last year, it triggered the suspension of the activity in the case of over 40 pct of the operators," according to the text of the letter published by HORA.

The restaurant employers' organization notes that the contribution of HoReCa to the Gross Domestic Product amounts to approximately 5.07 pct, of which 3.42 pct direct financial impact, 0.91 pct social impact (employee salaries and consumption contribution) and 0.74 pct indirect financial impact (suppliers and investments).
US senator Bernie Sanders joined his Democrat counterparts in criticising Republicans who are planning to vote against accepting the results of the presidential elections unless theres a 10-day audit. Their move reportedly cannot change the outcome of the elections but can delay president-elect Joe Bidens inauguration beyond the expected date of January 20.

The move to challenge the election results is being led by two prominent Republican figures, Senator Josh Hawley of Montana and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. Senators from Alabama, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Wyoming, Louisiana, Kansas and Montana have now joined the coalition to reject the Electoral College tallies unless Congress launches a commission to immediately conduct an audit of the election results. Hawley is particularly opposing the election results in Pennsylvania, where Donald Trump lost by a margin of 80,000 votes, a state he won in 2016. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit by the Trump campaign to overturn the states election over unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.

Sanders invoked the Pennsylvania Supreme Courts judgement in his letter stating that all prior attempts to overturn election results have been duly discredited even by judges appointed by President Trump.

In the two months since the election, more than 80 judges, including some who were appointed by the President, have rejected Donald Trump and his allies attempts to overturn the election. There are no cases pending that will have any impact on the results. There have been numerous recounts, audits and verifications, including in the most closely contested states. Donald Trumps Department of Homeland Security even called this the most secure election in American history, he said.

It will not work. Joe Biden will be President at noon on January 20. This spectacle by Republican lawmakers only demonstrates their disdain for voters, democracy and the will of the American people, Sanders added.

The veteran senator from Vermont, who ran for president himself in 2020, tweeted his support of Republican Mitt Romneys stance on his senate colleagues continued efforts at delaying Joe Bidens confirmation. I dont often agree with Sen. Mitt Romney. But in describing the tactics of his GOP colleagues to undermine Joe Bidens victory, he is right when he says, I could never have imagined seeing these things in the greatest democracy in the world. Has ambition so eclipsed principle?, Sanders tweeted.

Bipartisan support against Hawley and Cruzs attempts have been taking shape in the House. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has even warned Republicans against mounting any such challenge, reported Reuters.
Even if he wanted to, Vice President Mike Pence can't on his own declare President Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 presidential election when he announces the electoral vote count at a joint session of Congress on Wednesday - thanks, in part, to a snowstorm in Wisconsin in late 1856.

At the presidential count ceremony in 1857 a dispute erupted over Wisconsin's five electoral votes, which had been delivered a day after the deadline because of a blizzard. The dispute didn't affect the election of Democrat James Buchanan as president. But Congress decided to take actions that might keep future elections from being hijacked.

The precedent of 1857 led to procedures that are in place for Wednesday's congressional certification of the election. Regardless of growing Republican efforts to disrupt the ceremony, the electoral votes will be counted out loud to certify the election of Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as vice president.

Still refusing to concede the election, Trump is falsely suggesting the ceremony is a last-minute chance for congressional Republicans to reverse the election. A federal judge threw out a lawsuit seeking to allow Pence to reject electoral votes on his own; even Pence opposed that suit. On Saturday, the president called Georgia's secretary of state, pressing Republican Brad Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to overturn his defeat in the state.

The 12th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution requires that the president of the Senate - the vice president - "shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted."

So every four years in the first week of January, House and Senate members assemble in the House chambers along with public spectators for a joint session of Congress. Pages carry in two mahogany wood boxes filled with the sealed envelopes of certified electoral votes from the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The vice president pulls out each envelope and hands it to one of four lawmakers designated as "tellers" who tally the vote. The vice president announces the final count, so Pence will announce the defeat of the Trump-Pence ticket.

Photo by Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post.

Usually this ceremony is simply ceremonial. That's the way the one on Feb. 11, 1857, started out - back when the presidential inauguration wasn't until March 4.

"At an early hour the galleries and lobbies were crowded with eager spectators, awaiting the opening of a ceremony imposing alike for its simplicity and for the dignified formalities which attend the final consummation of a Presidential election," the Washington Intelligencer reported.

At 12:20 p.m. the doors of the House chamber were thrown open and in trooped the U.S. senators as House members stood. Senate President Pro Tempore James Mason, a Virginia Democrat and a grandson of Founding Father George Mason, served as the presiding officer because the vice president, William King, had died six weeks after being sworn in and had never been replaced.

Mason proceeded with the traditional drawing of the votes. But when he announced Wisconsin's votes for Republican John Fremont, Rep. John Letcher, D-Va., jumped up and objected that the Wisconsin tallies were illegal because they had been filed in the state capital of Madison one day after the required deadline.

Mason didn't know what to do; he ruled Letcher's objection out of order and finished the count including the Wisconsin votes. The final result was 174 electoral votes for Buchanan, 114 for Fremont and eight for Millard Fillmore of the Know-Nothing Party.

Kentucky's Sen. John Crittenden, a member of the Know-Nothing Party, demanded to know if by accepting Wisconsin's vote, Mason was assuming "the privilege of determining a presidential election and saying who shall be President? I protest against any such power."

Sen. Andrew Butler, D-S.C., chimed in that such use of "arbitrary power could make a president of the United States without an election."

The Wisconsin votes didn't make any difference in the outcome of the 1856 election. But some lawmakers warned that permitting the presiding officer to accept a state's illegal vote could set a "dangerous precedent," according to Congress's record of the debate in the Congressional Globe.

"Suppose the result of the election would depend on the vote of that state," said Rep. James Orr, D-S.C.

If anybody was going to decide if votes were valid, it should be Congress, argued Sen. Robert Toombs, D-Ga.

"I do not consider that the Presiding Officer has a right to close the mouths of Senators and Representatives here, in whose hands the decision of this question must rest," Toombs said.

Mason protested that he was just doing his job. "Much confusion prevailed" with "half a dozen gentlemen striving at the same time for the floor," the New York Times reported. At this point, the senators decided to return to the Senate chamber to hash out the issue.

"I will trust no man to determine for me who shall be president of the United States in his arbitrary decision," Butler told his colleagues. Suppose the presiding vice president had to consider two opposing electoral vote totals from the same state, wouldn't he be inclined to go with votes for the candidate of his own political party?

"I assure you, sir," Butler said. "It is a power which in the time of temptation - and God knows when the time of temptation may arrive for someone to desire to be President to rule in this country - I would not like to trust too many people."

The discussions went into the next day. Then the Senate returned to the House, and eventually a compromise was agreed on. Wisconsin's votes were counted because Congress had agreed that an "Act of God" had prevented the electors from reaching the state capital of Madison on time.

The process created a sort of unwritten precedent if reforms were made. Cries for reform escalated after the 1876 presidential race between Republican Rutherford Hayes and Democrat Samuel Tilden. Three Southern states filed opposing elector slates. Congress had to create an Electoral Commission that in 1877 by a party-line vote gave the presidency to Hayes over Tilden, who had 200,000 more votes.

The fears raised in 1857 were "prophetic of the issue to arise in 1877," a Richmond newspaper noted in 1887, because they raised fears about challenging votes in a close election. That year Congress finally passed the Electoral Count Act of 1887.

The official name of the measure was: "An act to fix the day for the meeting of the electors of President and Vice-President, and to provide for and regulate the counting of the votes for President and Vice-President, and the decision of questions arising thereon."

As the title suggests, the act is downright confusing. One observer called it "unintelligible." But the 809-word act became the framework for the presidential electoral count that Congress uses now.

Following the precedents of 1857, the act bars the vice president from arbitrarily deciding to reject state votes. If there are any valid objections, the House and Senate withdraw to confer separately. Objections must be stated in writing in advance and signed by at least one member of both the House and Senate.

The requirements hardly ever come up. The last time was 2005 when several Democrats unsuccessfully challenged Ohio's electoral votes for George W. Bush.

Now some pro-Trump lawmakers vow that they will seek to block the certification of Biden's victory. The effort is all but certain to meet the same fate as the one in 2005: failure.

- - -

Shafer is a former editor at the Wall Street Journal and the author of "The Carnival Campaign: How The Rollicking 1840 Campaign of Tippecanoe and Tyler Too Changed Presidential Elections Forever."
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LONDON, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- University College hospital, one of London's biggest hospitals, is battling to accommodate the fast-rising number of COVID-19 patients across the capital, warning that it is "on track to be almost COVID-only" as intensive care patients soar, local media reported.

The hospital is scrambling to convert operating theaters and stroke wards into intensive care units, the London-based The Guardian newspaper reported.

Critical care matron Elaine Thorpe told the newspaper that she and her colleagues had set up 20 new intensive care beds on Christmas Eve, which were full by New Year's Eve.

"The biggest thing for me is I'm dreadfully worried about my team. Nurses are having to spread themselves thinly. We're going back to the levels where we were before, where it was one ICU (intensive care unit) nurse looking after what will be four patients, or more. And we've had lots of tears already," she was quoted as saying by the major British newspaper.

The 500-bed hospital had 220 COVID-19 patients as of Thursday, with the numbers increasing by 5 percent a day, according to the newspaper.

However, the real pressure is on intensive care where there are now 70 seriously ill patients, and the number is rising fast, chief executive of the University College London hospitals trust Marcel Levi told the newspaper.

Latest figures from the British National Health Service (NHS) suggested that 629 patients with COVID-19 symptoms were admitted to London hospitals on Dec. 27, 2020, 22 more than the previous day and extending a steady upward curve in recent weeks.

Across London, the number of hospital beds filled with COVID-19 patients stood at 5,371 on Dec. 29, 2020, more than 400 above the previous day's total and nearly double the level on Dec. 19, 2020, the London-based Evening Standard newspaper reported.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in some countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 232 candidate vaccines were still being developed worldwide -- 60 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States, according to the World Health Organization.
A former librarian at a Washington DC school has been charged with repeatedly having sex with a student beginning when he was just 14 years old more than a decade ago.

Joan Meyer, 45, was arrested in Warrensville Heights, Ohio, on Friday on a charge of first-degree child sexual abuse stemming an inappropriate relationship with a male student that lasted five years, according to police.

Police said the sexual abuse took place between 2009-2014 while Meyer, then in her mid-30s, worked as a librarian at Two Rivers public Charter School in Northeast DC.

Joan Meyer, 45, has been charged with first-degree child sexual abuse for allegedly carrying on a five-year relationship with her student at Two Rivers Charter School in Washington DC (pictured), beginning in 2009 when he was just 14 years old

According to an affidavit, the suspected misconduct came to light in June of 2019, when the alleged victim, identified in the document only as Z.J., reached out to his former principal and accused Meyer of abusing him, WJLA reported.

The school principal contacted the Child and Family Service Agency to report the alleged abuse, leading to a criminal investigation.

The 24-year-old man claimed that he first came in contact with Meyer in 2007, when he was 12 years old. He told police he and Meyer bonded over their love of books, essays and music. The sexual acts between them allegedly began two years later and continued until the student turned 19.

Some of the encounters were said to have taken place inside Meyer's van and at her home, according to the affidavit.

The accuser said Meyer's husband caught him inside the couple's home on two separate occasions. He also claimed that the teacher plied him with alcohol and marijuana.

Z.J. told police his grades suffered and he struggled to form meaningful relationships with his peers because Meyer 'would get jealous.'

The teacher and her former student broke up in 2014, but they briefly rekindled their relationship in 2018 after the young man reached out to her, seeking to get back together. Z.J. told police he split up with Meyer for good last year.

Detectives learned from court records that Meyer had been investigated for abusing the same student twice before, in 2010 and 2012, but both investigations were closed due to lack of evidence after the teacher and student denied the claims.

After the first investigation, Meyer was fired from Two Rivers for 'using bad judgment,' but that did not stop her from finding employment at a different school.

Meyer's attorney denied that his client broke any laws, arguing that her first sexual contact with the accuser took place when he was 18 years.

'Ms. Meyer vehemently disputes the allegations against her and we expect to mount a vigorous defense against the charge,' Jay Mykytuk said in a statement.

Since August 2019, Meyer has been employed as a librarian at Onaway Elementary School in Shaker Heights, Ohio. She is currently on paid administrative leave.

Shaker Heights City School District Superintendent Dr. David Glasner said in a statement to Cleveland19 that prior to her hiring, Meyer passed a background check and had her employment history reviewed.

Meyer is out of jail and is due back in court on June 4.
Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

Royal Dutch Shell will lay off 698 workers as it closes its Convent refinery in Louisiana, part of a company effort to reduce carbon emissions.

The layoffs will begin in March and be completed by the end of August when the plant closes, according to information filed with the Louisiana workforce commission last month.
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Australia's James Pattinson has been ruled out of the third Test against India

Australian fast bowler James Pattinson was Monday ruled out of this week's third Test against India in Sydney after hurting his ribs during a fall at home, team officials said.

The 30-year-old, in the squad as back-up to established pace spearheads Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, will be assessed ahead of the fourth and final Test in Brisbane.

"Pattinson injured his ribs in a fall at his property while on approved leave from the Melbourne (coronavirus) hub following the Boxing Day Test," Cricket Australia said.

"He will not be replaced in the squad at this time and will be assessed further leading into the Brisbane Test match."

Fellow fast bowlers Sean Abbott and Michael Neser are also in the squad, with the series finely poised after Australia won the first Test in Adelaide and India the second in Melbourne.

The third Test starts on Thursday.

Australia squad: Tim Paine (capt), Pat Cummins, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner

mp/arb/axn
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WASHINGTON  Democrats returned Representative Nancy Pelosi of California to the House speakership on Sunday for what may be her final term, handing a tested leader control of the slimmest majority in almost two decades as Washington prepares for a new Democratic president.

The nearly party-line vote punctuated an opening day marked more by precaution than pomp, as the 117th Congress convened under the threat of a deadly pandemic and awaited a pair of Senate runoffs in Georgia that will determine control of that chamber. Several House members sick with Covid-19 missed the session altogether and others cast their votes from behind a plexiglass enclosure specially constructed in a gallery overlooking the chamber.

Her victory means that after two years as President Trumps most outspoken antagonist, Ms. Pelosi will now be responsible for trying to shepherd through Congress as much of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.s agenda as possible.

Scripture tells us that to everything, there is a season: a time for every purpose under the heavens; a time to build, a time to sow, a time to heal, she said in a speech after winning the speakership. Now is certainly a time for our nation to heal. Our most urgent priority will continue to be defeating the coronavirus. And defeat it, we will.
[January 04, 2021] Growing Urbanization and Towering Traffic-Related Issues are Fueling Prodigious Demand Avenues in Cargo Bike Market: TMR

ALBANY, N.Y., Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In recent few years, there is remarkable growth in the use of cargo bike from all across the globe, specifically in developed countries. This growth is attributed to considerable awareness about the economical and environmental advantages of these vehicles. Owing to this factor, vendors from the global cargo bike market are projected to gather promising sales opportunities from several developed regions of the world. The researchers at Transparency Market Research (TMR) highlight that the global cargo bike market is likely to expand at CAGR of ~15% during the assessment period of 20202030. Thus, the market is expected to reach to the valuation of over US$ 6.3 Bn by 2030. The government bodies of many countries across the globe are growing focus toward encouraging for the use of environmental-friendly transportation mode. This scenario is promoting cargo bike manufacturers to design electric models. Owing to this factor, the global cargo bike market is slated to experience promising pace of expansion during the forecast period of 2020 to 2030. Download PDF Brochure  https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=80620 Cargo Bike Market: Major Takeaways Cargo Manufacturers Focused on Innovating Products The companies working in the global cargo bike market are increasing investments in research activities. This move is helping enterprises in the development of technologically advanced products. For instance, many players are in the process of developing self-driving cargo bikes. These products are intended to be used for executing delivery operations without any human involvement. This scenario shows that the global cargo bike market will gain prodigious expansion opportunities in the year ahead. Growth in Number of Commercial Deliveries Spurs Demand for Cargo Bikes The increased penetration of Internet all over the world has resulted into growing number of people shopping through online sales channels. As a result, there is considerable growth in the commercial deliveries worldwide. This factor is creating prominent sales opportunities in the global cargo bike market. Explore 300 pages of superlative research, current market scenario, and extensive geographical projections. Gain insights into the Cargo Bike Market (Number of Wheels: Two Wheeled, Three Wheeled, and Four Wheeled; Application: Courier & Parcel Service Provider, Large Retail Supplier, Personal Tansportation, Waste, Municipal Services, and Others; Propulsion: Electric Cargo Bike and Diesel/Gasoline Cargo Bike; and Ownership: Personal Use and Commercial/Fleet Use)  Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2020-2030 at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/cargo-bike-market.html



Cargo Bike Market: Growth Boosters Cargo bikes are gaining huge popularity in recent few years. This scenario is due to the ability of these vehicles to provide high user convenience together with minimum requirement of maintenance. Apart from this, one of the important factors pushing the adoption of cargo bikes is rising traffic-related issues in many urban regions of the world. Owing to all these factors, there is remarkable growth in demand for products from the global cargo bike market from developed countries.

The government bodies of many countries worldwide are taking initiatives to minimize the negative impact of increased number of vehicles and growing urbanization in the world. Many government as well as non-government bodies across the globe are utilizing the cargo bike services for several disaster relief activities. This factor is likely to boost demand opportunities in the global cargo bike market in the years ahead. Analyze global cargo bike market growth in 30+ countries including US, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Russia, Poland, Benelux, Nordic, China, Japan, India, and South Korea. Request a sample of the study

Cargo Bike Market: Well-Established Participants The report profiles following important players operating in the cargo bike market: Butchers & Bicycles

BMW Group

Energica Motor Company

Govecs Group

Cezeta

Douze Factory SAS

Hero Electric

Harley Davidson

KTM AG

Johammer E-Mobility GmbH

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. Request the Covid-19 Impact Analysis at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=covid19&rep_id=80620 Explore Transparency Market Research's award-winning coverage of the Global Automotive & Transport Industry: Folding Bikes Market  global folding bikes market is estimated to surpass a market valuation of US$ 213,200 Mn by 2026, expanding at a CAGR of 5.2% during the forecast period (2017-2026). Increasing focus on innovation continues to create new growth avenues in the bike manufacturing industry Microcars Market  Growing environmental concerns, increasing fuel prices, and traffic congestion globally have laid emphasis on improving transportation facilities. Thus, vehicle manufacturers are focusing on the development of comfortable, affordable, and fuel-efficient small vehicles. This is likely to boost the microcars market during the forecast period. About Transparency Market Research Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyse information.



Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports. Contact Mr Rohit Bhisey

Transparency Market Research

State Tower,

90 State Street,

Suite 700,

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USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453

Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com

Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Press Release Source: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/cargo-bike-market.htm

Blog: https://tmrblog.com/ View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/growing-urbanization-and-towering-traffic-related-issues-are-fueling-prodigious-demand-avenues-in-cargo-bike-market-tmr-301200093.html SOURCE Transparency Market Research

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
MASON CITY, Iowa - With many travel plans put on hold in 2020, you might be having a pent up pitch of cabin fever. But can you be safe while traveling in 2021?

Like many of us, Sara Broers had some trips lined up in 2020 that were put on halt due to the pandemic.

"I began to get a lot of questions from other people through social media and through my blog. People asking about travel and how to do it, so I knew I needed to get out there and get going. So I did quite a bit of traveling."

In addition to changing her travel plans, Broers, along with several other Midwest travel writers and bloggers, recently released a book titled "Midwest Road Trip Adventures", with each writer sharing road trip ideas from their respective state.

"There are so many places out there in the Midwest they don't know about or they do know about. Right here in North Iowa - how many people can say that they live where the last known hotel in the world designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is?"

If you're looking to travel around the 12-state Midwest region, or elsewhere, this year, Broers advises travelers to plan a visit to an area similar to your home area, and at your comfort level, as well as making sure to have a mask on hand.

"The American road trip is back. Try some road trips that are close to home, pack a lunch, and make sure your car is gassed up."

"If you're traveling out of state, find a state that is functioning like your home state. In Iowa, pretty much everything is open. In Florida, almost everything is open. Obviously, the northeastern part of the United States is not somewhere I'm going to be comfortable traveling to right now."

If you're looking at camping this year, Broers advises to start looking at campgrounds now and book a reservation early, as she notes that there is a high demand for it.
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hooper, Lundy & Bookman announced today that eight attorneys have been offered equity partnership and/or promoted to partner, effective January 1, 2021. This reflects the firm's commitment to retaining and promoting the best talent in the health care industry. Consistent with the firm's dedication to advancing diversity and inclusion, six of the eight individuals are women.

Founded in 1987, Hooper, Lundy & Bookman, PC, is the largest law firm in the country dedicated exclusively to the representation of health care providers and suppliers. With offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Boston, Denver, and Washington, D.C., and clients in all 50 states, we are pleased to be ranked by Chambers as Tier One: Healthcare, California. For more information, please visit our website at www.health-law.com. (PRNewsfoto/Hooper, Lundy & Bookman)

"We congratulate these individuals, who exemplify the best of Hooper, Lundy & Bookman's strengths, and reflect the excellence and breadth of our health care provider practice," said Managing Shareholder Mark Reagan . "They provide legal services of the highest quality and their elevation reflects our continuing commitment to growing our next generation of leaders as well as increasing diversity at the senior levels of the firm."

The following individuals were offered equity partnership:

Nina Marsden (Los Angeles Office)  Nina is the chair of the firm's COVID-19 Task Force and practices in the firm's Regulatory Department, advising a variety of providers, including hospitals, pharmacies, physician groups, and laboratories on a range of complex regulatory matters, from licensure and certification and regulatory compliance to operational issues and ownership changes. In her national practice, she manages the regulatory processes associated with multi-state sales, mergers, and acquisitions of health care providers, carefully analyzing and addressing state and federal regulatory requirements while thoughtfully considering clients' real-time operational issues. In her California practice, she has extensive expertise in navigating the state's complex regulatory landscape and has longstanding experience in dealing with state regulatory agencies such as the California Department of Public Health and the California State Board of Pharmacy. Nina also advises clients on complex Medicare reimbursement issues and regularly handles appeals before the Provider Reimbursement Review Board.

Story continues

David Schumacher (Boston Office)  David is co-chair of the firm's Fraud & Abuse Practice Group. He focuses his practice on white collar criminal defense and internal investigations in the health care space. A trial lawyer, David defends hospital systems, pharmaceutical companies, medical practices, pharmacies, laboratories and individuals in a wide range of health care enforcement actions. David was previously an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Massachusetts, where he served as deputy chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit. During his eight-year tenure as a federal prosecutor, he investigated some of the largest and most complicated health care fraud cases in the country, including cases involving pharmaceutical and medical device companies, home health care organizations, medical equipment companies, laboratories, physicians, and other health care providers, in cases involving violations of the federal health care fraud statute, False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback Law, HIPAA criminal violations, and the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

Ruby Wood (San Francisco Office)  Ruby is co-chair of the firm's Medical Staff Practice Group. She represents multi-institutional health systems, hospitals and/or their medical staffs, and medical groups in a variety of matters. These include internal operations and self-governance; bylaws, rules and regulations and policies; The Joint Commission and other regulatory compliance; credentialing and peer review matters; internal investigations and hearings; HIPAA issues; exclusive contracting and closed departments; and the application of the protections afforded to medical staffs under state and federal law (with an emphasis on California Evidence Code section 1157 protection). Her practice also includes matters related to representation in connection with healthcare litigation encompassing medical staff issues, including writ proceedings, subpoena responses, retaliation claims and related allegations. Ruby also advises clients on compliance and fair procedure considerations in connection with medical staff practices and procedures, including investigations and risk assessment. She has served as lead counsel in numerous medical staff hearings and litigation matters.

The following individuals were promoted to partner:

Kelly Carroll (Washington, D.C. Office)  Kelly is a member of the firm's Regulatory Department and Fraud & Abuse Practice Group. She assists health care providers, including hospitals, physicians, and long-term care providers, with a broad range of regulatory compliance, reimbursement, and fraud and abuse matters. Her practice focuses on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, and she regularly represents clients in reimbursement disputes before the Provider Reimbursement Review Board and in federal and state courts. In addition, she advises health care providers and state agencies on matters involving federal funding of state health care programs and disputes with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Kelly also provides guidance on legal and ethical issues relating to informed consent and clinical research.

Bridget Gordon (Los Angeles Office)  Bridget is a member of the Litigation Department, Managed Care Practice Group, and the Fraud & Abuse Practice Group. Her practice comprises a wide range of matters on behalf of hospitals, physicians, long-term care facilities, and other health care providers, with a focus on managed care litigation matters, as well as False Claims Act litigation. She has represented a variety of healthcare providers in both contracted and non-contracted managed care contexts, seeking to ensure providers are compensated appropriately for the valuable healthcare services they provide. She also frequently provides guidance for internal investigations, overpayment and recoupment audits, EHR vendor disputes, and managed care contracting negotiation and reviews.

Jordan Kearney (San Francisco Office)  Jordan is a member of the firm's Fraud & Abuse Practice Group. She provides regulatory and litigation counseling for a range of providers, including hospitals, long-term care providers, behavioral health providers, and home health and hospice companies. Her practice focuses on the defense of healthcare providers in government investigations and audits, including federal and state False Claims Act actions, actions under the California Insurance Fraud Prevention Act, and audits by Unified Program Integrity Contractors (UPICs). Jordan also regularly counsels providers on internal investigations of potential overpayments and any subsequent obligations to report and return under the 60-Day Rule.

Alicia Macklin (Los Angeles Office)  Alicia is recognized for her expertise in behavioral health law and EMTALA. Alicia regularly advises behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment providers on a broad range of legal and compliance issues, including Federal and California privacy and confidentiality requirements, Medicare and Medi-Cal reimbursement, county mental health plan contracting, and involuntary civil commitment under the LPS Act (Lanterman-Petris-Short Act). She also provides regulatory advice to hospitals, handling EMTALA investigations, compliance, training and counseling. Alicia assists clients with a broad range of regulatory and reimbursement matters and litigation, including Medicare and Medi-Cal appeals and medical staff issues. She previously clerked for the Honorable John A. Kronstadt, and she earned her MPH from UCLA's Fielding School of Public Health, where she currently co-teaches a graduate-level course in healthcare law. She is also passionate about understanding the social determinants of health, and how law can be used to further health equity.

Robert Miller (Los Angeles Office)  Robert is co-chair of the firm's Health Care Financial Restructuring Group and a member of the firm's Business Department and Digital Health Task Force. He advises a wide variety of health care companies on corporate and regulatory issues. Recognized for his creative problem-solving and unusually broad-based experience in both business and health law, Robert advocates for clients from Hawaii to Maine, including health systems, hospitals, technology companies, physician groups, management organizations, and investors in health care businesses. Clients turn to him when they're looking to gain solid commercial outcomes and drive their business goals forward through legal processes.

About Hooper, Lundy & Bookman: Founded in 1987, Hooper, Lundy & Bookman PC is the largest law firm in the country dedicated solely to the representation of health care providers and suppliers. With offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Denver, and clients in all 50 states, we meet the business, litigation, regulatory, and government relations needs of a broad array of health care providersranging from the largest national health care organizations to community hospitals and individual physician practices. We are pleased to be ranked by Chambers USA as Tier One: Health Care, California, and #1 for the West Region on the ABA Health Law Section's 7th Annual "Regional Law Firm Recognition Top 10 List." For more information, please visit our website at www.health-law.com .

CONTACT: Maura Fisher, Chief Marketing Officer

mfisher@health-law.com, 202-580-7714

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hooper-lundy--bookman-elevates-eight-partners-301200462.html

SOURCE Hooper, Lundy & Bookman
The long-running crime drama Spiral  its title in France, where it premiered on Canal+ back in 2005, is Engrenages, or Gears  does not take place in a postcard Paris. Tourist landmarks and picturesque boulevards are scant; the Eiffel Tower occasionally appears in the hazy distance, like a mirage. The shows eighth and final season begins with a shot of Sacre-Coeur, but the camera pans down to the working-class Barbes district, where the dead body of a homeless Moroccan teenager is found inside a launderette washing machine.

And the Paris police officers of Spiral are cut from the same rough cloth. Their toolbox includes blackmail, intimidation and a disingenuousness so routine its like breathing  you can tell theyre lying in the presence of their superiors because their lips are moving. Theyre not good cops, but of course theyre good cops. Spiral may be an unusually tense, granular and absorbing cop show, but its still a cop show. Theres no doubt whom were rooting for.

Season 8, whose 10 episodes aired in France in September and begin streaming Tuesday on MHz Choice, carries on a series-long exploration of the need to break the rules in a justice system hobbled by bureaucracy, careerism and politics. With the end in sight, however, the key is lower, less sensational, more twilight.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
PLAINSBORO, N.J., Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Novo Nordisk announced the extension of its COVID-19 Patient Assistance Program until June 30, 2021, for those who have lost health insurance coverage because of a change in job status due to the pandemic.

The company also would like to remind people who are currently using the My$99Insulin program that they must reregister to determine if they are eligible for the cash card program.

For people looking to find out what option makes the most sense for their particular situation, information and eligibility criteria about these and other offerings are available online at NovoCare.com or by calling 1.844.NOVO4ME (1.844.668.6463).

"Last January, we created new programs to meet the varying needs of patients whether they have insurance or don't and made them available on Novocare.com. Then, the pandemic hit and patients faced new challenges - millions of people lost their jobs and very likely their health coverage so we knew we needed to do more specific to the pandemic," said Doug Langa, Executive Vice President, North America Operations and President of Novo Nordisk Inc. "The need is still present - our nation is not back to normal and our economic and public health reality is still challenging. So, we're continuing our COVID -19 assistance program and encouraging anyone facing affordability challenges to visit our one-stop support resource to find the option most suitable to them."

Important updates in Novo Nordisk's affordability programs

COVID-19 Patient Assistance Program: Launched in April 2020 , people with diabetes using Novo Nordisk insulin who lost health insurance coverage because of a change in job status due to the COVID-19 pandemic could enroll in our Diabetes Patient Assistance Program (PAP) and receive insulin free of charge for 90 days. The program has been extended until June 30, 2021 . Eligibility criteria can be found on NovoCare.com or by calling 1.844.NOVO4ME (668.6463)

Launched in , people with diabetes using Novo Nordisk insulin who lost health insurance coverage because of a change in job status due to the COVID-19 pandemic could enroll in our Diabetes Patient Assistance Program (PAP) and receive insulin free of charge for 90 days. The program has been extended until . Eligibility criteria can be found on NovoCare.com or by calling 1.844.NOVO4ME (668.6463) My$99Insulin: My$99Insulin enables eligible patients to purchase up to three vials or two packs of FlexPen/FlexTouch/PenFill pens of any combination of insulins for $99 . Patients who enrolled in the My$99 Insulin program in 2020 should review the details of the program on NovoCare.com to determine if they are eligible to re-register in 2021

Novo Nordisk offers a number of other affordability programs, including:

Our long-standing Patient Assistance Program (PAP) , which has provided free medicines to eligible patients since 2003, has been enhanced to reflect today's public health crisis. Historically, more than 50,000 patients have received free insulin each year through this program. Effective April 1, 2020 , Medicare patients who qualify for PAP are no longer required to pay $1,000 for medicines before being eligible for the Novo Nordisk PAP

, which has provided free medicines to eligible patients since 2003, has been enhanced to reflect today's public health crisis. Historically, more than 50,000 patients have received free insulin each year through this program. Effective , Medicare patients who qualify for PAP are no longer required to pay for medicines before being eligible for the Novo Nordisk PAP Unbranded biologic insulins: Unbranded biologics of NovoLog  and NovoLog  Mix, from Novo Nordisk Pharma, Inc. (NNPI), a Novo Nordisk A/S US company, can be ordered at one's local pharmacy and cost 50 percent off the current list prices of the branded medicines

Unbranded biologics of NovoLog and NovoLog Mix, from Novo Nordisk Pharma, Inc. (NNPI), a Novo Nordisk A/S US company, can be ordered at one's local pharmacy and cost 50 percent off the current list prices of the branded medicines Immediate Supply: We also know that there may be instances when people are struggling and need insulin immediately because they might be at risk of rationing. People in this situation can call us at 1.844.NOVO4ME (1.844.668.6463) or visit NovoCare.com to see if we can provide a free, one-time, immediate supply of up to three vials or two packs of pens of Novo Nordisk insulin for individuals with a prescription

We also know that there may be instances when people are struggling and need insulin immediately because they might be at risk of rationing. People in this situation can call us at 1.844.NOVO4ME (1.844.668.6463) or visit NovoCare.com to see if we can provide a free, one-time, immediate supply of up to three vials or two packs of pens of Novo Nordisk insulin for individuals with a prescription Novo Nordisk human insulin is available at national pharmacies like Walmart and CVS for about $25 /vial. About 500,000 Americans are using Novo Nordisk human insulin through these retailers

is available at national pharmacies like Walmart and CVS for about /vial. About 500,000 Americans are using Novo Nordisk human insulin through these retailers Copay Savings Cards can help defray the costs for commercially insured patients who are experiencing high out-of-pocket costs

To learn more about these offerings and view full eligibility requirements, please visit NovoCare.com.

Additionally, we'll continue working towards longer-term reform that makes it easier for people who need our medicines to get them. For instance, we advocate that payers adopt a 2019 IRS rule classifying insulin as preventive care, which could help a significant number of people overcome affordability barriers.

About NovoCare.com

NovoCare.com is Novo Nordisk's go-to resource for all US patient affordability and access support programs. Available 24 hours a day, NovoCare.com provides all necessary information, including eligibility details, affordability options, assistance programs for those in need of insulin. Help is also available at 1.844.NOVO4ME (668.6463).

About Novo Nordisk Inc. (NNI)

NNI is a US affiliate of Novo Nordisk. The company is based in Plainsboro, NJ and is responsible for commercialization of Novo Nordisk brands in the US and management of clinical trials in the US. For more information, visit novonordisk.us , Facebook , Instagram and Twitter .

About Novo Nordisk Pharma, Inc. (NNPI)

Novo Nordisk Pharma, Inc. (NNPI) is a newly established Novo Nordisk A/S US company that is also based in Plainsboro, NJ. The company was formed in March 2019 to bring unbranded biologics of Novo Nordisk insulin products at a reduced list price for people facing affordability challenges.

SOURCE Novo Nordisk

Related Links

http://www.novonordisk-us.com


Making bold assertive statements is never a prudent strategy for any analyst, regardless of the topic to be examined. Risking the peril of not seeing the sudden twist behind the corner, a seemingly unavoidable assumption is to be put forward  this year is going to be much weaker for the European LNG market than was generally assumed. Moreover, the prime reason for LNG failing to repeat the all-time highs of the 2019/2020 winter season lies not with COVID-19 and its ramifications but with impressive competition between Europes pipeline suppliers between each other as well as between pipeline gas in general and LNG deliveries from other continents. With this, the battle for a European market share begins once again. Graph 1. LNG Imports into Europe in 2017-2020 (million tons LNG per month).







Source: Thomson Reuters.

Especially now, with Denmark announcing its gradual phasing out of North Sea production and abandoning oil and gas production altogether by 2050, Europe is poised to become the battlefield of Russian and US energy interests. The attentive reader might have come across news headlines that lauded the highest-ever volume of US LNG exports last month, however the overwhelming part of this can be accounted for by great netbacks in Asia. Europe, on the other hand, has been faltering amid robust Russian and Norwegian supplies and the overall volume of incoming LNG remains equivalent to that of the 2018/2019 winter season, with monthly volumes hovering between 5 and 6 million tons LNG. To put this into context, the highest-ever volume of LNG imports into Europe took place in March 2020 when a total of 10.1 million tons made its way to European LNG terminals.

Related: Oil Rises As Market Awaits OPEC+ Production Decision



Graph 2. Gassco Gas Flows in 2015-2020 (in Gigawatt-hours per month).

Source: Thomson Reuters

One of the main reasons for such a slump is intense price competition from suppliers of pipeline gas. Autumn exports of Norwegian gas to buyers in the United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and elsewhere have bounced back really robustly, to the extent that healthy demand and a positive futures market have compelled Equinor, the operator of the Troll and Oseberg fields (the largest ones on the Norwegian continental shelf with some leeway in terms of additional production capacity), to consider maximizing output in 2021. Needless to say, both Troll and Oseberg were held back in the past two years as gas prices in Europe were suboptimal for the producers. In addition to Norwegian volumes, Europe can avail itself of even cheaper gas coming in from Russia.

Gazprom recently reiterated that its pricing is split roughly along the following lines: one-third is straight out oil-indexed, one-third is hub-indexed and the remaining one-third is a hybrid of the two. The fact that Russias pipeline gas deliveries are priced in with a 6-to-9-month lag has rendered prices in the 2020/2021 winter season ideal for the buyers  for instance, the May 2020 Brent price averaged 29 USD per barrel. This might be the reason why Gazprom has stopped informing the market of its average monthly European landed price, generally assumed to have stayed below 100 USD per MCm from May/June 2020 onwards. Expecting all the pandemic fallout the only thing that could mitigate further Russian pipeline gas exports to Europe this winter is the relatively mild weather forecast, heretofore true to life.

Despite looking good in terms of pricing and availability, Russian pipeline exports have been heavily curtailed by the COVID-induced market slump. After two years of exports around 200 BCm per year in 2018 and 2019, this year will see a mere 170 BCm of gas supplies and Gazproms cautious utterances about 2021 indicate that Russia does not expect a quick rebound anytime soon (the current assumption is that next year will be around 183 BCm), especially with no definite understanding of when Nord Stream-2 could be ramped up. The Russian pipeline export monopoly has managed to safeguard its main export outlets (for instance, supplies via Nord Stream-1 in Jan-Nov 2020 have already surpassed the total annual throughput of 2019) but has lost some ground in nearer markets such as Finland where the increasing interconnectivity of EU countries has allowed for a higher penetration of LNG.

Graph 3. US LNG imports to Europe in 2017-2020 (in million tons LNG).



Source: Thomson Reuters.

Interestingly, all the above is taking place amid a rather beneficial pricing environment for LNG cargoes. Landed prices for LNG deliveries into the United Kingdom, Spain or France are all well above the $6/MMbtu threshold, i.e. they have gone back to where they were last in March 2019. As attractive as that might seem, it lags far behind the Asian market where Chinese, South Korean and Japanese landed prices have surpassed $11/MMbtu amid robust interest and tight shipping availability. In effect, additional LNG volumes from the United States might almost seamlessly counteract the underutilized capacities from Australia, Indonesia and partially Egypt. Hence, if US companies are aiming to maximize profit following a tough 2020, they would naturally opt to satisfy Asian demand.

In addition to the above, a rather unforeseeable factor contributing to the weak LNG winter in Europe are the maintenance travails of one of Europes most cost-competitive suppliers, Qatar. Qatars gigantic 77mtpa Ras Laffan liquefaction plant witnessed a string of setbacks as first Train 5 (nominal capacity of 7.8mtpa LNG) was taken offline in mid-November for planned maintenance and then Train 4 went off-stream for several weeks in November-December 2020 in what was rumoured to be caused by faulty compressor issues. Such a liquefaction squeeze has resulted In Qatar underperforming its European deliveries, all the while seeing to that its traditional buyers in Asia have all their requirements met (in Asia, the attractiveness of Qatari LNG was boosted by the usual thorn in flesh, its oil linkage).

By Viktor Katona for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
To mark their first attendance of 2021, Rhea Chakraborty and brother Showik Chakraborty were seen at the Narcotics Control Bureau office today. They arrived along with father Indrajit Chakraborty.

According to her bail condition, Rhea has to repot to NCB on first Monday of every month for six months.

Yesterday, Rhea and Showik were spotted together. If reports are to be believed, they were hunting for a house in Bandra. Once again, Rhea's T-shirt that read, "Love is power" caught people's attention.

Twitter

Rhea's friend and filmmaker Rumi Jaffery has revealed that she is all set to make a comeback after the traumatic year. She will resume work in 2021.



"The year was distressing for everyone. But in Rhea's case the trauma was of another level altogether. We can't even imagine that a girl from a well-to-do middle class family has to spend a month in jail. That crushed her morale completely.

Instagram

"She will get back to work early next year. I met Rhea recently. She was quiet and withdrawn and I can't blame her after what she has gone through. Once the dust settles I am sure Rhea has a lot to say."



On the other hand, Rhea's lawyer Satish Maneshinde has called the case against her "bogus."



Agencies

"I welcome the statement of Shri Anil Deshmukh, Home Minister, Government of Maharashtra calling for the CBI to make the report public in the case of death of Sushant Singh Rajput. A hue and cry was made when the Mumbai Police took about 2 months into the investigations and the report remained to be made public. An FIR was filed in Patna making false allegations against Rhea Chakraborty and her family in July 2020. The Mumbai Police, ED, NCB and CBI including Patna Police have conducted investigations against Rhea. She was arrested in a bogus case with no evidence by NCB. She was harassed by various agencies and remained in custody for almost a month till the Bombay High Court released her on Bail," he said in a statement quoted by Indian Express.

This comes after Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh urged CBI to reveal its finding in the Sushant Singh Rajput's death case.



"The people of Maharashtra and the country are eagerly waiting for the CBIs report on its investigation into Sushant Singh Rajputs death case. People ask me about the status of the case. I request the CBI to reveal whether it was a suicide or murder. Five to six months have passed since the case was handed over to the CBI. Hence, the agency should make public its report as soon as possible to clear whether it was suicide or murder," he said.

Also Read: After 3-Month Jail, Court Says Drugs Trafficking Charge Doesn't Apply To Showik Chakraborty
Justin Bieber has revealed that he has severed ties with the Hillsong Church in the wake of the controversial exit from former minister Carl Lentz, while also denying reports that he was studying to replace him as a minister.

'IM NOT STUDYING TO BE A MINISTER OR ANYTHING EVEN CLOSE TO THAT. HAVE NO DESIRE FOR THAT THIS IS FAKE NEWS,' Justin, 26, posted to his Instagram Stories on Monday morning.

The post comes just days after a report from OK! Magazine alleged Justin had taken interest in seeking a leadership role at Hillsong Church, following his former mentor Lentz leaving amid a cheating scandal.

'Fake news': Justin Bieber has denied reports he is studying to become a minister

Shutting it down: Bieber said he had 'no desire' for such a role

In follow-up posts, Justin clarified his relationship with Hillsong Church - clarifying he is no longer with the organisation, and is now part of Beverly Hills-based religious organisation Churchome.

'AND BTW HILLSONG IS NOT MY CHURCH..' The pop star continued in a separate post. 'FOR CLARITY I AM PART OF CHURCHOME.'

'Church is not a place,' Justin continued. 'We are the church. We don't need a building to connect with god. God is with us wherever we are.'

Justin, whose wedding to Hailey Bieber was officiated by Churchome's Judah Smith, has previously credited Hillsong for pulling him out of his most 'dark' times.

Clarifying: Bieber clarified his relationship with Hillsong in a separate post

'We are the church': Bieber shared an uplifting message about his faith

Though Bieber's relationship with Lentz was close and very public - even calling the pastor 'second father' according to TMZ - the pair appeared to have distanced themselves, even prior to the cleric's ouster from Hillsong.





Lentz was fired from Hillsong for what the church called 'leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures' in November.





Even as early as 2018, there were reports that Justin and Carl had cut ties after Bieber's failed romantic reconciliation with fellow Hillsong-er and on/off ex Selena Gomez months prior, a reunion which Lentz was reportedly integral in.

Shortly after Bieber began dating now-wife Hailey and by September 2018, the pair were married in a quickie ceremony at an NYC courthouse.

Straying from the flock: Lentz exited the church after what founder Brian Houston described as 'leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures.' He's seen in 2017 above

Estranged: Bieber's relationship with Lentz was close and very public, even calling the pastor 'second father' at one point according to sources. They're seen in 2017 above

And while Lentz was a guest at their official church-sanctioned South Carolina nuptials the year later, Bieber seemed to have moved on from their relationship, choosing new spiritual guide, Judah Smith of Churchome, to officiate.

And after this November's revelations about Lentz's behaviour, he and wife Hailey made their break official on a digital level - offering the ultimate blow after both stars unfollowed the disgraced pastor on Instagram.

Earlier this month Lentz entered an outpatient facility for treatment for 'depression, anxiety, and pastoral burnout,' according to source with People magazine.

No longer on top: While Lentz was a guest at the Bieber's official church-sanctioned South Carolina nuptials the year later, Justin chose new spiritual guide, Judah Smith of Churchome to officiate (above

'He wants to be better for his family and is dedicated to doing the work,' the source told the outlet. 'His family is supporting him and hopes their privacy will be respected on this journey.'

The source noted that Lentz harbors 'has no ill will towards the church and recognizes that they needed to take some course of action to address his missteps.'

In November Hillsong founder Brian Houston went public with his former colleague's departure, sharing a statement saying Lentz had broke ties with the church amid 'ongoing discussions in relation to leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures.'

'They have a heart for people and we are confident that after a time of rest and restoration, God will use Carl in another way outside of Hillsong church,' he said in the statement. 'In terminating his tenure, we in no way want to diminish the good work he did here.'
The U.S. government is thinking of giving people half doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in order to speed up inoculations, a federal official said on Sunday.

Moncef Slaoui, head of federal vaccine program Operation Warp Speed, the federal vaccine program, told CBS's "Face the Nation" that officials from both Moderna and the Food and Drug administration are already looking into the idea of giving half doses.

Moderna has to give two injections for their vaccine to be effective, but Slaoui argued that by giving half doses, the number of people who will gain immunity from it will be doubled.

He also noted that the half dose of only 50 micrograms will induce an "identical immune response" to the full 100 microgram dose, reported Reuters.

The usage of half dosages will apply to those aged 18 to 55 years old, said a report from Politico.

The final decision on the matter will lie on the FDA but it has not yet been reached for comment, along with Moderna.

Slaoui Said Splitting Vaccine Doses 'Based on Facts'

During the interview, Slaoui said the prospect of splitting up Moderna vaccine doses was "based on facts and data to immunize more people."

He added that even though doses may be split in half, manufacturing vaccine doses would still continue.

Since Saturday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had already administered some four million first doses of COVID-19 vaccines and has also distributed more than 13 milllion.

The first vaccine to start distribution was Pfizer/BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine. It also requires two shots to be considered fully effective.

US Falling Behind in Vaccine Doses

Reports of the possible splitting of doses came as news outlets noted that the country has been lagging behind in its promise to deliver vaccines.

Related Story: Operation Warp Speed Behind Schedule: Vaccinating Americans Could Take 10 Years at Current Pace

The government's initial goal for the end of 2020 was to vaccinate 20 million Americans, but that was not met and is actually far off.

About 80 percent of the U.S. population would have to be vaccinated for the country to start seeing the effects of herd immunity.

With more than 20 million cases of the virus and 350,000 related deaths recorded so far, officials are looking into more ways to ramp up production and distribution of vaccines.

One of the other tactics to vaccinate more people, as seen in Britain was delaying the administration of the first vaccine dose so a larger chunk of the population gets doses.

But Slaoui pointed out that the U.S. is unlikely to take this route since there was little to no data that dose delays would be helpful in immunizing the population, reported Seattle Times.

Read also: Fact Check: Did Experts Say Asymptomatic Patients Can't Spread COVID-19?

CNBC also said the Operation Warp Speed head was hesitant to take on an approach that was not supported by the trial data.

For him, injecting half the dosage might be a "more responsible approach that will be based on facts and data to immunize more people."

Slaoui remains optimistic that vaccinations would continue to ramp up distribution.

He also said it might take until late spring before people start feeling the effects of vaccination and whether it can stop the spread of the disease to others.
By Li Ruijing and Wang Yi

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) recently published a set of data showing a total of $175 billion in US government-authorized arms exports, a 2.8% increase year-on-year and taking up about 40% of the global arms trade. While making a fortune by selling weapons worldwide, the US has had various adverse effects on worldwide peace and stability.

Americas ever-expanding arms sale is primarily driven by its unleashing of production capacity of the military industry and the urge to boost economic growth. Domestically, the military industry has become one of the pillar industries as important as high-tech industries like finance and computing. Statistically, in the US, arms produced worth $130 billion means a 1% increase of contribution to the GDP, and every $1 billion of arms order creates over 10,000 jobs.

Thats why the Obama administration seriously ruffled American military giants feathers when it signed the Arms Trade Treaty in 2013. But Trump has kept relaxing the arms export restriction after he took office, and the US arms export to foreign countries went up 36% during his first year in office.

In 2018, Trump signed two documents to streamline the procedures of arms export and facilitate the sales of more UAVs and other conventional weapons to allies. In April 2019, he even announced at the annual meeting of the National Rifle Association (NRA) to revoke the former administrations signature on the Arms Trade Treaty.

Thanks to the Trump administrations relaxed arms sale policy, the US has exported one-third of the worlds total arms trade in the past five years.

The US has a unique way of continuously expanding its arms export by creating regional tension and stimulating weapon demand. To feed its own pocket, Washington often takes advantage of historical and realistic problems to intentionally stir up trouble, create tension and hype up security threats, with the only aim of seducing relevant countries to buy more weapons and equipment, thus plunging regional security down a vicious spiral.

In Asia-Pacific, 25 countries and regions reached arms deals with the US in 2020. Following its previous procurement of 42 F-35 fighter jets, Japan signed a new agreement on buying another 105 in July this year in a wild endeavor to rebuild its air force superiority in East Asia.

Saudi Arabia signed a $110 billion arms deal with the US in 2017, together with a defense cooperation agreement involving $350 billion worth of arms deals in the next decade. Countries like the UAE and Bahrain followed in Saudis steps to pay tributes to the US in response to the regional arms race.

A geopolitical consideration for Americas growing arms export is to besiege and suppress strategic rivals militarily. The most prominent adjustment of Americas military strategy in Trumps era is the return to great-power competition.

In Washingtons opinion, arms export not only generates exorbitant economic profits but also serves its military, strategic visions because selling weapons to certain countries and regions could indirectly curb its strategic rivals and give it a kind of remote control across oceans.

In addition to consistently selling weapons to its allies, including Japan and the Republic of Korea(ROK), the US has increased its arms export to countries and regions around the South China Sea. Trump has greenlighted arms sales to Taiwan 11 times during his term of office in an attempt to strain Chinas military strengths strategically.

In the Middle East, the US has sold a vast amount of sensitive weapons and equipment to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to isolate and strategically contain Iran. In Europe, it has sold the state-of-the-art F-35 fighter jets to several countries to form a ring of encirclement comprised of 4th-generation fighter jets against Russia.

The US tries to kill several birds with one stone by selling more weapons worldwide, but its ill-intended arms sales will aggravate global tension and throw relevant regions into a rat race.
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Japan's economy is expected to make its sharpest rebound in decades this year, with consumption set to pick up toward the end of 2021 as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the broader economy eases.

The world's third largest economy is projected to grow 3.42 percent in the next fiscal year to March 2022 following a 5.37 percent shrinkage this fiscal year, according to the average forecast of 35 economists polled by the Japan Center for Economic Research.

If the estimate is borne out, it would see a turnaround from the worst contraction to the highest growth since fiscal 1995, when comparative date became available.

The government aims to bring the economy back to pre-pandemic levels with help from stimulus measures next fiscal year. But economists said such a view seems too optimistic and that a recent resurgence of infections with new virus variants emerging could even stall the recovery in early 2021.

Consumer spending is poised to gather momentum as COVID-19 vaccines become available for widespread use by summer and would also get a one-off boost if the postponed Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics go ahead from July as currently planned.
Media cheered when Reagan was shot By Thomas M. Sipos

Before Trump Derangement Syndrome, there was Reagan Derangement Syndrome. I witnessed it in the Eighties, when students and TV producers laughed and cheered at news reports about the assassination attempt on President Reagan. In January of 1981, while still an undergraduate at NYU, I began interning at the Channel L Working Group. The CLWG was described to me as an "independent nonprofit" co-funded by Manhattan Cable TV (Time-Warner) and the City of New York. Offices in the massive government building at 51 Chambers Street. The CLWG produced programming for City Channel L, Manhattan Cable TV's community access channel. Not to be confused with public access or paid access channels, community access channels were required by their franchise contract with the city to provide free time to "the community" (i.e, politicians, school board members, "community activists," etc.). Their programming had to be "in the community interest." The CLWG produced some (not all) of the shows on Channel L. Its staff was small: two paid administrators (Chuck and John), a CETA worker, and interns. It leased a TV studio, for one night every week, on Lexington Avenue. During my interview with the CLWG, John emphasized that their programming was heavily political and "community-oriented." He asked if that interested me. I said yes. John repeated his question several times, altering his words. As if trying to draw me out. I considered providing examples of my job-related interest. You're supposed to do that in an interview, no? I was a member of the conservative Young Americans for Freedom, and had been a campaign volunteer for the Republican and Conservative Parties in the 1977 local elections. But I sensed John's discomfort with me. I wondered whether I was confronting bias, or was merely being paranoid. Still, I kept mum about my political affiliations. Instead, to demonstrate my interest, I said I knew who my local representatives were. "Well, that's more than most people know," replied John, squirming. "I still don't get a sense if you're really interested in this job." Perhaps because he failed to find a smoking gun, I was hired. (No salary; it was a student internship.) My work entailed producing and directing talking head shows, with an occasional "man on the street" taped insert. A few weeks later, I returned from a taping to the CLWG offices. I found everyone crowded around the TV. President Reagan had just been shot. Everyone was cheering, laughing, clapping. The news reported that doctors weren't sure whether to remove the bullet or leave it in. "He wants to keep his war wound!" laughed Chuck, prancing about with his open shirt, as though he were Reagan displaying his wound. Many begged for Reagan to die. A side debate ensued whether Vice President Bush would be worse. Since my taping was done, I excused myself and left the building, before I said the wrong thing. At 19, I didn't know if the CLWG could blacklist me. My internship lasted through May 1981. I saw other examples of Leftist media bias, though none so revolting. In spring, we produced a show on crime. During our taped interviews in the park facing City Hall, the intern who was hosting that week sought "minority voices" -- and was miffed when every black she approached said something like: "Well, you know. You do the crime, you do the time." After an hour of this, I said, "We have enough tape." The intern/host scowled, "Yeah, but nobody's saying what I want them to say." Yes, the folks at the CLWG were that blatant. Although an "independent nonprofit," the CLWG was required by their charter to provide access for state and local politicians. This created a crisis when one "extreme right-wing" politician (i.e., a machine Democrat) requested time on one of our shows. During our weekly production meeting, Chuck pondered for plausible excuses to legally deny, or at least delay, granting the request. One intern (a self-described "socialist") suggested that acquiescing to the politician might not be so bad. "Then everyone will see the slime dripping off him." "These right-wingers are smarter than that," Chuck chided. "They take classes. They know how to present themselves on TV." I managed one tiny victory, while directing a call-in talk show featuring Councilwoman Miriam Friedlander. One caller became abusive. The technical director asked me if I wanted to cut off the caller. "Let him talk," I shrugged. Not because the caller was conservative. I was simply being a knee-jerk free speecher. During the next production meeting, Chuck chewed me out. Apparently, Friedlander -- who sat respectfully still while the caller was venting -- excoriated Chuck after the show. Although reputedly a "liberal," Friedlander expected us to bump hostile callers. Instead, I allowed her to be publicly humiliated. Not that Channel L had a huge audience. I tried to cover my tail with a liberal rationale (that also happened to be true). "But, I thought we should support the First Amendment." Chuck sighed. "But that doesn't mean you can let anyone on the air!" Oh. Okay. My introduction to liberal media bias occurred while I was in high school. I'd volunteered for Barry Farber's 1977 Conservative Party mayoral campaign. I hand-delivered press releases to news outlets on Friday afternoons. I assumed the media would provide equal and adequate coverage of all candidates, but Farber (who also ran in the Republican primary) was largely ignored. To my best knowledge, WINS-AM newsradio was the only media outlet that ever reported from one of our press releases. What I saw at the Channel L Working Group shocked me at the time, but since then leftist hate seems to have increased and gone mainstream. The CLWG operated on the fringes of the media, but today's mainstream media employees would likely have cheered far louder had Trump been shot during his term. Thomas M. Sipos writes horror fiction and film criticism. His website: http://www.CommunistVampires.com Home
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President Donald Trump boards Air Force One while departing from Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Dec. 31, 2020. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Democrats Suggest They Wont Try to Impeach Trump Over Georgia Phone Call

Democrats on Jan. 4 suggested they wouldnt try impeaching President Donald Trump over his phone call with Georgias secretary of state, although several asked the FBI to open a criminal probe.

Speaking on Capitol Hill, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, noted that there are only 16 days until Inauguration Day.

Were not looking backward; were looking forward to the inauguration of Joe Biden on January 20, he said, referring to the Democratic presidential nominee who has claimed victory in the 2020 election.

House Democrats will keep focusing on the public health and economic crisis stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.

In a tweet, Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.) sounded a similar theme.

I guess we need to consider something we never had to pre-Trump: continuing to commit new impeachable offenses gets easier as your term winds down because theres no more time to impeach you, he said.

Democrats are upset because Trump, during a call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, asserted that he won the state and asked the election official to probe election irregularities.

The bottom line is, when you add it all up and then you start adding, you know, 300,000 fake ballots, Trump alleged, mentioning evidence pointing to possible illegal votes.

Were looking into every one of those things that you mentioned, one official told Trump on the call. Let me tell you what we are seeing. What were seeing is not at all what youre describing.

Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller said the full recording showed Trump was spot-on in his criticisms of the terrible job Raffensperger did.

Georgia is one of six swing states that Trump claims he won, even as those states have certified Biden as the winner. Competing electors for seven states were sent to Washington, which will be dealt with on Jan. 6.

In a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) asked the bureau to launch a criminal probe, quoting the portion of the call where Trump asked Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) speaks in Washington on Dec. 9, 2019. (Doug Mills/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

As Members of Congress and former prosecutors, we believe Donald Trump engaged in solicitation of, or conspiracy to commit, a number of election crimes. We ask you to open an immediate criminal investigation into the President, they wrote.

Raffensperger, meanwhile, said on Jan. 4 that his office probably wouldnt open an investigation into the call but suggested Fulton Countys district attorney could start one.

I understand that the Fulton County District Attorney wants to look at it. Maybe thats the appropriate venue for it to go, he said on ABCs Good Morning America.

The Fulton County district attorney couldnt immediately be reached by The Epoch Times.

Bidens running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), told a rally in Georgia on Jan. 3 that the call was certainly the voice of desperation, most certainly that, and a boldfaced abuse of power by the president of the United States.

They filed six lawsuitsnot one, not twosix lawsuits trying to challenge your voice in that election. And they failed every time. And the peoples voice remains standing, she added.

But David Perdue, who is running for another six years in the Senate after his first term expired on Jan. 3, defended the call.

Trump and others went to court, but the courts have denied us hearings, saying its more of a legislative issue, Perdue said. So what the president said in this tape today is no different than what hes been saying for the last few months.
techConnect award logo

2020 TechConnect Award

2020 TechConnect Award

Houston (TX), Jan. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RadioMedix Inc. Houston-based clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company is proud to announce that the company was selected for the 2020 TechConnect Innovation Award. The annual TechConnect Business Innovation Awards program recognizes the top 15% of submitted technologies as ranked by the selection committee in multiple categories from the Energy, Nanomaterials, Health and Medicine, AI, Robotics, and others. The Summit is co-organized by SBIR/STTR Innovation Program and co-located with Defense Innovation Summit.

RadioMedix received the TechConnect Innovation Award based on the early results of the clinical studies of the targeted alpha-emitter therapy of cancer and its potential impact on cancer treatment. The company is developing and commercializing the platform of alpha-emitter-labeled drugs to selectively deliver a high dose of radiation to cancer cells with a limited negative effect on the surrounding normal cells. AlphaMedix , 212Pb-labeled peptide targeting somatostatin receptors overexpressing cancer cells, is co-developed in collaboration with Orano Med, and the project was funded in part by multiple NCI SBIR Contract awards.

Targeted alpha-emitter therapy can overcome the limitations of the currently available methods of treatment due to the unique properties of alpha-emitting particles. This new therapeutic approach has brought new hope to our patients with advances neuroendocrine cancer, said Dr. Ebrahim S. Delpassand, CEO of RadioMedix.



TechConnect Award recognizes the team efforts of RadioMedix, Orano Med, and Excel Diagnostics and Nuclear Oncology Center to accelerate the development of the targeted alpha-emitter therapy. We are grateful for the opportunity to present our technology at the TechConnect Summit and recognition by the selection committee, said Izabela Tworowska, Ph.D., CSO of RadioMedix.

To learn more about the award please visit https://events.techconnect.org/TCB/participate/innovation/awards.html

Story continues





More about RadioMedix

RadioMedix, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company, based in Texas, focused on innovative targeted radiopharmaceuticals for diagnosis, monitoring, and therapy of cancer. The company is commercializing radiopharmaceuticals for PET imaging and targeted alpha and beta-emitter therapy. RadioMedix has established research and contract service facilities for academic and industrial partners at two locations: the cGMP Dose Manufacturing and analytical suites for clinical trials, and the drug discovery and pre-clinical core facility in Houston, TX. In addition, a new state of art commercial manufacturing facility, Spica Center, located in Humble, TX has been established to provide scale-up late phase IND and post-approval commercial-scale manufacturing of radiopharmaceuticals. To learn more, visit www.radiomedix.com . For more information about this press release, please contact media@radiomedix.com .

About AlphaMedixTM

AlphaMedixTM is a radiolabeled SSTR-targeting therapeutic investigational drug for the treatment of NETs patients. The product consists of SSTR-targeting peptide complex radiolabeled with 212Pb and serve as an in vivo generator of alpha-emitting particles. 212Pb isotope is particularly suitable for SSTR therapy applications based upon its half-life, high energy, the short path length of decay and irreversible damage of double-stranded DNA.

About TechConnect

TechConnect is the global research and innovation event and media leader with more than 20 years of experience connecting emerging technologies with unique funding and partnership opportunities. TechConnect actively supports student, governmental and global science and technology initiatives through its event platforms and over 10,000 open-access publications. TechConnects Innovation Awards showcase new technologies in energy, materials, manufacturing, environmental sustainability, artificial intelligence, medical technology, and more.

Attachment

CONTACT: Izabela Tworowska, PhD Chief Scientific Officer RadioMedix Inc itworowska@radiomedix.com




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US: 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine found in watermelons

Tesla owners will be paid $ 16,000 each due to slow charging

Advisor to Armenia Prosecutor General provides details about incident with Armenian soldier killed in Verin Shorzha

Banksy's painting of punk Lenin sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 960,000

CSTO Deputy Secretary-General: Escalation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border requires undertaking of urgent measures

Catholicos of All Armenians receives newly appointed Ambassador of Japan

Australia closing its embassy in Kabul for security reasons

Biden to discuss issues related to Belarus and Ukraine with Putin

Armenian acting FM meets with ambassadors of CSTO member states accredited to Armenia

Armenia Ombudsman presents human rights protection in post-war period to CoE Programmes Directorate General

Germany is investigating Google's position in market

France: Sanctions against Belarus will continue

Armenia opposition party MP: Azerbaijan is a terrorist state, negotiations can't be led with such a country

US to reopen its Consulate General in Jerusalem

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Armenian MFA strongly condemns Azerbaijan's blatant armed encroachment on Armenia's sovereign territory

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Opposition Bright Armenia Party urges Government to immediately address UN Security Council

Armen Sarkissian receives Russia Ambassador to Armenia

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Armenia police officer commits suicide, criminal case launched

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Armenian serviceman Mher Hovhannisyan fires gunshot at his head, criminal case launched

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Blinken promises to continue close consultations with Israel on Iran

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Armenian soldier commits suicide, opposition speaks on tense situation on border, 25.05.21 digest

Yerevan man's body found at Tatul Krpeyan Park

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EU leaders urge council to review internal border guidelines by mid-June

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Dollar still stable in Armenia

Armenian Catholic Catholicos-Patriarch passes away

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US Congress members call on Biden to suspend all military assistance to Azerbaijan

Armenia acting economy minister receives Montenegro's newly appointed Ambassador

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Russian MP: Azerbaijani leadership interested in Armenia acting PM's victory in snap elections

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Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia applying to CSTO: No one will help you if you do nothing to solve your problems

Armenia ruling Civil Contract Party presents list of first 10 candidates ahead of snap parliamentary elections

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Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 30 million

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Armenian acting defense minister meets Russian peacekeeping mission chief

Congress predicts US nuclear spending to reach $ 634 billion by 2030

Russian MP: The effectiveness of military cooperation with Armenia depends on Yerevan as well

Delimitation now may create some problems in Karabakh negotiation process, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

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Judge adjourns hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM for 3 weeks

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[January 04, 2021] Haug Partners LLP Welcomes New Partners Sheila Mortazavi and Mark Chapman

Haug Partners LLP is excited to welcome Sheila Mortazavi and Mark Chapman (News - Alert) as partners in its New York office effective January 1, 2021. Sheila and Mark are both experienced patent litigators who join the firm from Hunton Andrews Kurth (after Hunton absorbed the lawyers of Kenyon & Kenyon, where Sheila and Mark were also partners). The addition of Sheila and Mark will further strengthen the firm's patent litigation experience and expertise in several key technical industries, including the automotive and technology fields. Sheila Mortazavi is a nationally recognized Intellectual Property patent attorney, and was named one of only 38 Women of Influence by the New York Business Journal in 2018 as well as one of the Top Women in Law by the New York Law Journal in 2016. Sheila handles all phases of the Intellectual Property lifecycle - procurement, enforcement, advising clients on litigation strategy, transfer of rights, and negotiation of licenses. Sheila has extensive experience litigating cases in both federal and state courts, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), and the International Trade Commission (ITC). Her practice has covered a wide rang of industries including consumer electronics, manufacturing processes, computer hardware and software, telecommunications, automotive components and systems, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. Sheila has counseled global companies as well as smaller start-up companies and entrepreneurs.



Mark Chapman has over twenty years of experience litigating patent cases, primarily for technology, automotive, aerospace and medical device clients. In addition to litigating in district courts and the ITC, Mark has also represented clients in inter partes reviews and inter partes reexaminations in the PTAB, as well as patent appeals to the Federal Circuit from both courts and the PTAB. Mark has also coordinated and supported foreign patent litigation, working with patent litigation counsel in Canada and Europe. Mark has extensive experience litigating patent cases in the automotive field, including cases that involved a wide variety of automotive safety and other systems. Mark also has substantial experience litigating patent cases in the technology field, including cases that involved a variety of consumer electronic technologies.

Ed Haug, Chairman of the Firm had this to say about Sheila and Mark's addition: "As we start the new year in 2021, we are very excited to welcome Sheila Mortazavi and Mark Chapman as our two newest partners in the Firm. Both Sheila and Mark not only have impressive credentials, but have enjoyed a track record of very successful litigations for global companies including Toyota, Airbus, Sony, Kawasaki and Bosch. We look forward to the future as we continue to expand our partnership in all areas of technology." Haug Partners LLP is a national law firm that provides integrated, multidisciplinary legal services in the areas of Intellectual Property, FDA law, and antitrust and commercial transactions. The firm has offices in New York, Washington, D.C., and Boston. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005551/en/

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-05 03:55:46|Editor: huaxia

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KUWAIT CITY, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia and Qatar will reopen land, air and sea borders starting from Monday evening, Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah said Monday.

"The Kuwaiti emir made a phone call with the Qatari emir and Saudi Arabia's crown prince, who both confirmed their intention to start a new beginning in their relations," the minister said in a televised address.

"Based on a suggestion from the Kuwaiti emir, the two countries have agreed to reopen the land, air, and sea borders between the two countries as of today's evening," he added.

"The Kuwaiti emir expressed his confidence in the keenness of the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Egypt to end the Gulf crisis and address all relevant matters," the minister said.

The Kuwaiti emir will attend the 41st Gulf summit to be hosted by Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, according to Kuwait News Agency.

The emir expressed on Jan. 1 his optimism for the summit, saying it will bring together leaders of the GCC countries and strengthen their brotherhood and solidarity against the challenges in the region.

An Arab quartet of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar in June 2017 and has since imposed an embargo on the Gulf state, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism. Qatar has repeatedly denied all the charges. Enditem

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The Kapil Sharma Show is one of the popular shows on television. Many celebrities grace the show, especially to promote their film or series on it. Recently, Anil Kapoor graced the show to promote his film AK Vs AK. The makers shared a promo, in which the Bollywood actor revealed that Kapil Sharma rejected Mubarakan and web series 24. The actor also said that he is ready to play the role of Kapil's father or brother in a film or show.

In the promo, Anil was seen saying, "I have offered you so many films, you turn them down. Why?" To this, Kapil said that when he was offered 24, he was happy, but they were starting their new show at that time because of which he couldn't do his web series.

Anil then jokes and says, "Then you did the right thing by not accepting the show." Kapil then went on to say that Anil had suggested him to make Woh Saat Din again. Anil reminded Kapil that he had also rejected Mubarakan and Priyadarshan's film Tezz. The comedian-actor then folds his hands and says, "Sir, please continue offering me good projects."

Anil replies to Kapil, "You know I do supporting roles, character roles, father roles these days. If there is a role of your father or brother, tell me." To this, Kapil jokes, "Both our eyes get shut when we laugh, we will even look like father and son. But I am afraid that you may be signed on for the role of the father and I may be the one looking like the father on screen."

Watch the promo here

Well, on a serious note, we are sure that fans would love to watch Kapil and Anil together on-screen!

Also Read: Period Drama Punyashlok Ahilyabai Starring Aditi Jaltare & Rajesh Shringarpure To Premiere Today

Also Read: KBC 12 Finds Its Fourth Crorepati In Dr Neha Shah Who Will Also Be Seen Flirting With Amitabh Bachchan
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CNRP vice president Mu Sochua is shown during an interview with RFA in a screen shot from video, Jan. 4, 2021.

A planned return to Cambodia Monday by senior opposition official Mu Sochua and other opposition figures to face legal action in the courts has now been moved to Jan. 15, party sources say.

Speaking in a TV interview on Monday, Mu Sochua told RFA that her plan to return from exile with other Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) officials has been pushed back because the flight she had booked for leaving from the U.S. was canceled due to renewed concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.



She and other returning CNRP officials had already bought their airline tickets, she said, adding that she plans to return to Cambodia to face charges in the Cambodian court even without a Cambodian entry visa, which the Cambodian consulate in Massachusetts has so far refused to give her.

I hold a U.S. passport because my Cambodian passport was canceled by Hun Sens government. So to go to Cambodia, I need a visa, and I have applied online for a visa with the Cambodian consulate in Massachusetts, but they have not replied to my request yet, she said.

As far as I know, though, arrival visas are no longer an issue. These kinds of obstacles are beyond our control, Mu Sochua said, vowing to go back to Cambodia anyway.

Also speaking to RFA, senior CNRP official Buth Buntenh confirmed the new date for Mu Sochuas return to Cambodia, adding, Our Jan. 15 plan to repatriate is proved by our Singaporean airline tickets and our scheduled sending-off party on Jan. 10 at the Phnom Serey Buddhist temple in Massachusetts.

Mu Sochua has committed herself to return even without a visa, he said.

Party members arrested

At least 10 members of Cambodias banned CNRP were arrested by authorities between November and December last year ahead of the announced return of Mu Sochua and the other party members from exile, Cambodian sources say.

Ten of those arrested have been charged with incitement, conspiracy to topple the government, and insulting Cambodias king, Sam Sok Konga lawyer working to defend the grouptold RFAs Khmer Service on Monday.

The arrested activists had only exercised the right to freedom of expression as citizens of a democratic country protected by law, he said.

They had simply called for the release of other CNRP members and social activists who had been arrested and jailed earlier, and my own opinion is that their struggle to demand the release of jailed activists is not an offense, Sam Sok Kong said.

They were acting within the rights of all [Cambodian] citizens that are guaranteed by national and international law, and in particular our Constitution.

Based on information received from the CNRP, more than 10 party members may have been arrested in recent weeks, but relatives of these activists have not yet asked him for legal help, he added.

Yen Vanneth, a CNRP activist currently living in Malaysia, said that her fatherthe vice-chairman of the CNRP executive committee for Tbaung Khmum provinces Suong cityhad been arrested by provincial authorities on Dec. 28 but had not committed any crime.

Following the CNRPs banning in November 2017, her father had given up political activities and had worked only as a farmer, Yen Vanneth said, adding that authorities have not said why he was arrested or allowed family members to visit him.

My fathers arrest is an injustice for my family, and I therefore appeal to national and international organizations to help monitor his case, she said.

Phon Sophal, a representative of a farmers community in Tbaung Khmums Memot district, is also being held on an unclear charge after being arrested on Dec. 30, Coalition of Cambodian Farmers Communities head Theng Savoeun told RFA on Monday.

I think that this was an attempt to threaten and intimidate land and farm activists who have been active in the past in helping communities and carrying out social work, Theng Savoeun said, adding that he is now looking for a lawyer to help defend the member of his group.

Before making any arrest, Cambodian authorities always have arrest warrants and sufficient evidence to proceed, said Chhay Kim Khoeun, a spokesperson for the National Police General Commissariat, speaking to RFA.

No one bans citizens from exercising rights protected by the Constitution, Chhay Kim Khoeun said. But the law will not permit anyone to exercise their rights in ways that violate other peoples rights as well.

Violations of basic rights

Authorities and court officials always claim that they make such arrests in accordance with the laws and procedures of Cambodia, said Am Sam Ath, deputy director of the Cambodian rights group Licadho.

But international human rights organizations, the United Nations, and UN special rapporteurs believe that these arrests are made in violation of the fundamental rights of our citizens.

Authorities arrests of CNRP party members in advance of the planned return of party vice-president Mu Sochua are like the arrests carried out ahead of the announced return from Paris more than a year ago of acting CNRP president Sam Rainsy, Am Sam Ath said.

Sam Rainsy had promised to return on Nov. 9, 2019 to lead nonviolent protests against Prime Minister Hun Sen, urging Cambodian migrant workers abroad and members of the military to join him. However, his plan to enter Cambodia from Thailand was thwarted when he was refused permission to board a Thai Airways plane in Paris.

CNRP President Kem Sokha was arrested in September 2017 for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government, and two months later the Supreme Court banned the CNRP for its supposed role in the scheme.

The move to dissolve the CNRP marked the beginning of a wider crackdown by Prime Minister Hun Sen on the political opposition, NGOs, and the independent media that paved the way for his ruling Cambodian Peoples Party to win all 125 seats in the countrys July 2018 general election.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Sovannarith Keo and Sok Ry Sum. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-05 03:24:55|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Libyan navy said on Monday that it rescued 82 illegal immigrants off the coast of Khoms city, some 120 km east of the capital Tripoli.

"A rubber boat was successfully rescued with 82 migrants on board off the coast of Khoms city after a distress call was received by the Libyan Search and Rescue team," the Libyan navy said in a statement.

The rescued migrants, including eight women and 39 children, were taken to Tripoli's naval base, provided with humanitarian and medical assistance, and handed over to the anti-illegal immigration department, the statement noted.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), however, has repeatedly said Libya is not a safe port for disembarkation of rescued migrants.

Libya has been mired in chaos since the ouster and killing of its former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants who intend to cross the Mediterranean Sea toward Europe.

Thousands of illegal immigrants, who were either rescued at sea or arrested by the authorities, remain detained in overcrowded detention centers in Libya, despite repeated international calls to close them. Enditem
A probe has been ordered after officials of the Himachal Pradesh police were seen thrashing a man inside the Atal tunnel in a video that has been widely circulated on social media.

One person was from border road organization and one cop from Himachal Pradesh police, we have initiated inquiry into the matter, said Kullu superintendent of police Gaurav Singh.

In the video, seen by HT, the officer on duty can been seen kicking the man, who is seen squatting, inside the tunnel as the traffic moved slowly. The incident is said to have taken place on Saturday.

Officials said several incidents of hooliganism have been reported from the tunnel since it was inaugurated.

Numerous incidents of tourist dancing with loud music inside the tunnel have been reported to the police. Tourists dont keep a check on the speed limits inside the tunnel, officials said.
Representative image

Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL) will file a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking the intervention of the government to stop vandalism of its communication infrastructure by miscreants, the company said on January 4.

In a media statement, the company said the acts of violence have endangered the lives of thousands of its employees and caused damage and disruption to the vital communications infrastructure and service outlets run by its subsidiaries in the states of Haryana and Punjab.

In recent weeks, there have been reports of around 1,500 mobile towers and telecom gear owned by Jio being vandalised in Punjab, allegedly by farmers protesting against the new farm reform laws that seek to liberalise the market for agricultural produce and commodities.

In November, some groups of farmers had shut down Reliance Fresh stores in parts of Punjab. Some farmers fear that the new laws will pave the way for corporate exploitation and their land could be "snatched" by big firms.

RIL said those involved in vandalism were instigated and aided by vested interests and business rivals.

The conglomerate alleged that these vested interests had launched an incessant, malicious and motivated vilification campaign against Reliance by taking advantage of the ongoing farmers protests along Delhis borders.

The company said it would seek punitive and deterrent action against those involved, so that it can run all its businesses smoothly in the two states.

The falsehood of the campaign becomes crystal clear from the following irrefutable facts, which we have placed before the Honourable High Court. These facts establish that Reliance has nothing whatsoever to do with the three farm laws currently debated in the country, and in no way benefits from them, Reliance said in the statement.

The sole nefarious purpose of linking the name of Reliance to these laws is to harm our businesses and damage our reputation, the company added.

Thousands of farmers, especially from Punjab and Haryana, have been staging a sit-in along Delhi's borders since November 26. The farmers are demanding a complete rollback of the three farm laws and a guarantee that the MSP system will not be done away with.

Follow LIVE updates of the farmers' protest here

Multiple rounds of talks between the Centre and the farmers union leaders have ended in a stalemate. Protesting farmers fear that the new agricultural reform laws will dismantle the MSP system and corporatise farming. However, the Centre has maintained that these reforms will benefit farmers.

In the statement, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) also said that it has no plans to enter contract or corporate farming and it is committed to empowering farmers. The conglomerate said that it had never bought agricultural land for corporate or contract farming and had no plans to do so either.

Also read: No plans to enter contract farming, won't purchase any agricultural land, says Reliance Industries

RIL said that its subsidiary Reliance Retail does not purchase food grains directly from farmers. "We shall insist on our suppliers to strictly abide by the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism, and/or any other mechanism for remunerative price for farm produce, as may be determined and implemented by the government," Reliance said.

Seeking to address farmers' concerns, the company said it had "never entered into long-term procurement contracts to gain unfair advantage over farmers or sought that its suppliers buy from farmers at less than remunerative prices, nor will it ever do so".

Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd which publishes Moneycontrol.
CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio -- Hawken School senior Heather Arslanian is embarking on a mission to plant 200 trees to replenish the more than 2 million sheets of paper she estimates were used for schoolwork on the campus during the 2018-19 academic year.

Working with an organization called Tree-Plenish, Heather is asking property owners to participate by spending $5 to have a student plant a tree in their yard on Sunday, April 11. Residents can choose from several species that are native to the region and grow well in the local climate.

Tree-Plenish has worked with about 85 schools to help students calculate paper usage and organize tree-planting events.

Heather sees climate change as a major issue, and believes collective events such as planting trees can improve the environment, increase biodiversity and inspire more acts to achieve eco-friendly changes.

Tree-Plenish is a non-profit, student-led organization with the goal of encouraging youth involvement in building sustainable communities. To have a tree planted in your yard, contribute to the organization or gain more information, contact tree-plenishevents.org/hawken.

Call for insect art: Artists are invited to share their insect- and arachnid-inspired art for inclusion in the Geauga Park Districts Whats the Buzz exhibition.

Up to five pieces in almost any media can be entered. Drop- off days are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27, and noon to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28 at The West Woods Nature Center, 9465 Kinsman Road in Russell Township.

The 10-week exhibit opens Saturday, Feb. 13, and runs through April 26. Contact geaugaparkdistrict.org for details.

Go fish: If wintry weather and the post-holiday blues have you thinking of spring, you can start planning how you want to stock your pond for the summer.

The Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District is currently taking orders for fingerling-size fish and pond safety kits. The annual fish sale will be held from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 15, on the midway of the Geauga County Fairgounds in Burton.

Included are largemouth bass, channel catfish, bluegill/sunfish, minnows, redear sunfish, white amurs and yellow perch. Proceeds from the sale support GSWCDs education programs.

The order deadline is Friday, April 9. Contact geaugaswcd.com or 440-834-1122.

Attention farmers and forest owners: You can sign up for cost incentives to implement conservation improvements to farms, fields or forests with financial resources and one-on-one help through the U.S. Department of Agricultures Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Financial assistance is available in agricultural categories such as cropland, organic and pasture operations. Several special projects are available to address water quality, forestry management, pollinator populations, wildlife habitat, pasture improvements and more.

The deadline to submit an application is Friday, Jan. 15. Contact the office in Orwell at 440-437-5888 or nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/oh/contact/local/.

Congratulations graduates: In its recent graduation ceremony, Kent State University Geauga and the Twinsburg Academic Center recognized more than 80 students who received their associate or bachelors degrees. Among those receiving associate degrees from Chagrin Falls were William Widner Black, in arts; Breanna Love Bodak, in science; and Alivia McGonnell, in technical studies.

Colleges announce scholars: The University of Mount Union has named 638 students to its fall semester Deans List. Included were Natalie Engle of Auburn Township; Thomas DiGiampietro, Connor Kenosh, Corenna Maynard and Justin Rayner of Chagrin Falls; and Jordan Morlani of Solon. Located in Alliance, the four-year college is centered in the liberal arts and offers career-specific programs.

Capital University in Columbus has announced its Presidents List honors for the fall semester. Making the grade point average of 3.85 and above were Skyla Caito of Solon and Kayleigh Fisher and Amelia Morra, both of Chagrin Falls. Deans List recipients with a grade point average of 3.5 and higher include Danny Burke of Moreland Hills and Izzy Rothenfeld of Solon.

Darius Harrison of Solon was named to the fall Deans List at Mansfield University, located in the north-central region of Pennsylvania.

Biology major Alexandria Beresford of Chagrin Falls made the recent Deans List at the University of Sioux Falls. Located in South Dakota, it is described as a Christian liberal arts school with 1,500 students.

Mariana Silvestri of Solon is on the Deans List at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus.

Accounting major Joseph El Biri of Solon made the grade for Deans List at Marietta College.

Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., recognized area students for making its recent Deans List. Included are Isaac Mauldin and Alex Huang of Solon, and Allison Pilotti, Ella Murray, Julia Morey and Ryan Kohn of Chagrin Falls.

To post your news and events, contact Rusek at jcooperrusek@gmail.com.

Read more from the Chagrin Solon Sun.
House Bill 133 aims to extend Medicaid coverage to eligible new mothers. The House version of the bill calls for a one-year extension, whereas the Senate version calls for a six-month extension. Advocates say the bill could reduce the states maternal mortality rate. Currently, the state offers Medicaid for two months after giving birth. Should Texas extend Medicaid for eligible new mothers for six months or one year?

You voted:
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ATLANTA  Watchdogs and the U.S. intelligence community observed with growing concern as domestic extremist groups rose in prominence in recent years, escalating into a crescendo of chaos and violent outbursts around the presidential election.

They are not going away in 2021, experts told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Things indeed are escalating, said Eric Ward, executive director of the Western States Center, a progressive nonprofit that promotes democratic engagement. We have elected officials who are now being escorted into legislative session by law enforcement because of the level of threats they are experiencing. ... Political violence is going to be part of our reality in 2021.

Mark Pitcavage, senior research fellow at the Anti-Defamation Leagues Center on Extremism, said radical extremist groups may actually grow in 2021 and find new energy.

Thats particularly true for movements with an anti-government ideology, like the far-right paramilitary militia movement. Pitcavage said the militia movement has an odd relationship with President Trump, admiring him for his outsider demeanor while mistrusting the government he leads.

With Joe Biden in power, that may change, Pitcavage said. There is a very legitimate chance we could see a resurgence of the militia movement, he said.

As president, Biden wants to renew the assault weapons ban, expand background checks and ban high-capacity magazines, which have the potential to trigger militia groups.

With a Biden administration coming in, the militia movement is no longer going to be limited in its anger at the federal government as it has been, Pitcavage said.

If Trump remains a visible force in American politics over the next four years, Pitcavage said fringe right-wing groups could be further energized by his rhetoric.

One such group is the Proud Boys, which gained national notoriety during the first presidential debate when Biden called on Trump to denounce the group. Trumps cryptic statement to stand back and stand by was enthusiastically taken by the group as a presidential endorsement, despite a subsequent rejection by the president on Fox Newss Hannity.

Since the election, the Proud Boys have been involved in numerous street demonstrations, including a protest earlier this month in Washington, D.C., that included violent altercations with left-wing counter protesters, and resulted in several stabbings.

The group styles itself as a sardonic drinking club, but watchdogs describe it as anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim and deeply misogynistic. The ADL notes that, while not a white supremacist organization itself, some of its leaders have engaged in racist and anti-Semitic rhetoric.

Recently, national leader Enrique Tarrio took part in a protest outside the Capitol in Atlanta after November general election.

They are one of very few far-right extremist groups that have multiple chapters on the ground across the country, Pitcavage said.

One of the more perplexing questions of 2021 is what will become of the QAnon conspiracy theory and its adherents. The phenomenon burst into the national consciousness this summer as Facebook scampered to ban fast-growing QAnon groups which organized around coordinated Save Our Children marches across the country. One such march in August in Woodstock drew hundreds of marchers.

The QAnon community has long held that Trump is waging a secret war against a globalist cabal of Satanic pedophiles that would culminate in mass arrests of prominent Democrats and celebrities. Alex Newhouse, a researcher with the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism at Middlebury Colleges Institute of International Studies, said the conspiracy is too robust to fade away, but what shape it will take as Trump exits the White House is unclear.

There will be some period of turmoil and soul-searching for some of them, he said. Some fringe adherence might peel off and lose faith, but the core of the movement will still be there.

The conspiracy theory may be bolstered by newly elected congresswomen Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgias 14th District, both of whom have embraced it. Greene and Boebert will get attention if they choose to push the conspiracy from their new posts in Congress, Newhouse said.

Trumps potential to spread the conspiracy is a more serious concern. Newhouse said the president remains the central figure in the widening QAnon universe, and that may outlast his presidency.

In the short term, Newhouse said he is concerned about how QAnon adherents will react to Bidens inauguration.

There are a lot of far-right groups that are really pushing for physical, real-world accelerationist action, he said.

Acclerationists are among the most extreme radicals, encouraging violent action to bring about the downfall of the United States as a way to achieve their political goals. If QAnon goes that way, they become much more dangerous, Newhouse said.

If they take that turn, they instantly become the largest right-wing accelerationist group in the world, he said.

Another trend in 2020 likely to continue in the new year: More guns in the hands of fringe actors.

While far-right groups are more likely to bring weapons to street protests, in the past year more left-wing groups began arming themselves. A militia-led protest in Stone Mountain in August was met with a large number of black-clad counter-protesters armed with assault rifles and sidearms. Groups like the Socialist Rifle Association and the Coalition of Armed Labor advocate carrying weapons to demonstrations for self-defense.

Several experts said the development is concerning.

The first thing we have to do is start the conversation by saying there is no room for political violence in a functioning democracy and it doesnt matter where it comes from along the political spectrum, Ward, with the Western States Center, said.

Statements from federal law enforcement and academic studies show armed violence is vastly more likely to come from far-right groups, while leftist groups are more likely to damage property. Ward said there is no equivalence between harming a building and taking a life, but there should be a consensus that neither is acceptable.

We cannot be so cavalier to believe that property destruction doesnt have an impact, he said.

Pitcavage said he anticipated the resurgence of a more radical far left for years.

What it took was 2020 and the BLM protests, and especially the reaction to the 2020, ... for the left to show up armed, he said.

Loose collections of radicals who identify as antifa have long engaged in brawls with the far-right, but Pitcavage said armed groups are a new feature. But he said it is harder to predict how these groups will develop since they tend to react to unpredictable events like high-profile police shootings.

Stall said armed far-left groups likely will remain reactive to the activities of the far-right, showing up as a counter-protest force. I dont think thats going away, he said. That said, Stall said he does not believe far-left organizing is going to pose the same problems, in part because the politics of the extreme left  communism or anarchism  are even more taboo to American politics than white nationalism.

Ward, who spent decades in various organizations confronting authoritarian and nationalist groups, said history suggests that such groups may find a fertile recruiting environment in the coming years.

If we look at the Reagan presidency and the Clinton presidency and Obamas first term, those were all moments when authoritarian movements were in ascendance, he said.

Reagan, a racial moderate and staunch anti-communist, was seen as a stealing the steam from fringe groups. Clintons presidency and use of executive law enforcement powers angered the burgeoning militia movement. And extremists thrived as Obamas race, false claims about his birth and his positions on immigration angered radicals. In each of those periods, they treated those events as existential crises, Ward said. Based off of those three periods, it is likely we will see a re-energized or desperate white nationalist movement.

Ward said he is worried mainstream Democrats and Republicans are ill-equipped to speak with a unified voice against radical groups.

Were in a moment where we have social movements in our country that are driven by nihilism, that believe that the answer to the worlds and the countrys problems is to burn everything down, he said. Those of us in the middle cannot buy into that narrative. There is no race war or civil war brewing in America. What there is is a small minority that is ... trying to divide our society.

Leaders from both parties need to focus on what is driving Americans toward the fringes  growing income inequalities, racism, and a lack of educational and economic opportunity, he said.

We need to hold the middle, but ... we shouldnt ignore the legitimate grievances that may be driving that narrative, he said.
The UK's National Health Service (NHS) on Monday began rolling out the Oxford University vaccine developed by AstraZeneca as protection against COVID-19, with an 82-year-old Oxford-born dialysis patient becoming the first to receive the new jab.

Brian Pinker is among the first to be vaccinated by the Oxford University Hospital's (OUH) chief nurse, hailed as a major milestone in the phased vaccination programme being undertaken by the NHS as the Oxford jab became the second vaccine approved for rollout after the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

A retired maintenance manager who has been having dialysis for kidney disease at the hospital for a number of years, Pinker said he was pleased to be getting protection against the virus, giving him peace of mind as he continues to receive treatment.

"I am so pleased to be getting the COVID-19 vaccine today and really proud that it is one that was invented in Oxford. The nurses, doctors and staff today have all been brilliant and I can now really look forward to celebrating my 48th wedding anniversary with my wife Shirley later this year, he said.

Also read: COVID-19 vaccine: US considers administering half dose of Moderna jab to speed up immunisation

Also read: 'World's biggest COVID-19 vaccination drive set to begin in India,' says PM Modi
On December 30 multiple Minneapolis police officers shot and killed 23-year-old Somali-American immigrant Dolal Idd of Eden Prairie outside a Holiday gas station. It was the first documented police killing by the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) since the May 25 murder of George Floyd, which sparked thousands of protests in the US and internationally against police violence.

The latest killing prompted multiple multiracial protests in Minneapolis against the police in the ensuing days, including the night of the killing and over the weekend. On Sunday, hundreds of community and family members gathered at the gas station where Idd was killed to demand justice and call out the police for a menacing raid conducted on his family hours after he was gunned down.

At roughly 2:15 a.m. Thursday morning, less than eight hours after Idds death, more than a dozen heavily armed cops from the Hennepin County Sheriffs Office conducted a raid on Idds home, holding his parents and younger siblings at gunpoint. Idds father, Bayle Adod Gelle, told the Sahan Journalthat he was very scared throughout the raid and that I thought they were going to kill us.

Raid on home of Mr. Gelle (Screenshot from Hennepin County Sheriff's Office

Video later released by the Hennepin County Sheriffs Office shows police pointing semi-automatic rifles at Gelle and his children, who were barely dressed after being awoken in the middle of the night. Gelle said police did not tell him initially why they were there, only that they had a warrant and for him to shut up. The police zip-tied Gelle and his wifes hand and proceeded to ransack the home over a period of two hours while their children, ages 4, 7, 9, 18 and 19, were huddled into the living room with their parents.

Gelle told the Journal that police did not show him the search warrant until after they went through the home. It was also at this time that Gelle first found out that Minneapolis Police had killed his son.

Imagine your son getting killed, and then getting a visit from those who killed him and they terrorize you in your home? Bayle told the Journal .

Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson released a statement along with the video of the raid claiming that the deputies acted appropriately, respectfully and followed...procedure for high-risk warrants.

The circumstances surrounding the latest killing are still murky as police work in tandem with Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey to tamp down simmering anger within the community and cover up the polices role in yet another state-sanctioned murder. As news of the killing spread through the city and on social media, over 100 protesters gathered in the below-freezing temperatures outside the gas station, which is less than a mile from where Floyd was murdered earlier this year, to demand answers.

In response, the MPD released a 27-second clip of the encounter the following day which begins with police already pointing their weapons at Idd while using their sport utility vehicles to kettle Idd, who was driving a white car. Police allege that Idd shot through the drivers side window in the direction of the cops, which prompted a fusillade of bullets in response, killing the Normandale Community College student. Neither the unidentified female passenger nor any police were injured during the altercation, which the Hennepin County Medical Examiner listed as a homicide after determining that Idd had died due to multiple gunshot wounds.

Dolal Idd (Family Photo)

Police have refused to state how many shots were fired into the vehicle nor have they publicly released the names of the officers responsible.

While there is more video footage of the incident, including gas station recordings as well as other bodycams, Minneapolis police spokesperson John Elder said that the 27-second video is the only footage the department will be releasing as of now, citing the ongoing investigation. Elder noted that the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is leading the investigation and was also involved in the raid on the family home, is in possession of other videos from the encounter.

Unverified social media reports claim the police had blocked Idds car and had their guns drawn on him before announcing themselves. It also appears police refused to render first aid or call an ambulance for Idd after shooting him.

During a press conference last Thursday, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo gave scant details about what led to the shooting, stating that the police were executing a traffic stop on Idd as part of a probable cause weapons investigation. Arradondo refused to give additional details of the raid on the Gelles home, stating that his officers were not involved.

The latest police killing, and cover-up in process, exemplifies the futility of attempting to reform or reimagine the police into a more humane and transparent organization. Despite mountains of empty platitudes from Democratic Party politicians following the police murders of George Floyd, Casey Goodson, Breonna Taylor, Hannah Fizer, Jared Lakey, Andres Guardado and many others, police departments, abetted by the bipartisan political establishment, continue to kill with impunity, assured that they will be protected by bourgeois law that is designed to exonerate them, regardless of the circumstances.

While President Donald Trump has been overt in his fascistic appeals to the police, President-elect Joe Biden has been just as vociferous in his denunciations of anti-police violence protests. Throughout his presidential campaign Biden worked to blend the racial identity politics of the Democratic Party with a law and order message, releasing campaign ads denouncing protesters as looters'' while pledging to increase funding to police departments.

In December, The Intercept obtained a video recording between Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and various civil rights leaders in the orbit of the Democratic Party taken during a civil rights summit.

An advocate of shooting them in the leg instead of the heart, Biden tamped down any expectations of reform, chastising those who pleaded with him to use the presidents executive powers to increase transparency while at the same time warning that he didnt think we should get too far ahead ourselves on dealing with police reform, in that, because theyve already labeled us as being defund the police...

Instead, Biden upheld the nomination of Raytheon board member and war-criminal retired General Lloyd Austin, who is African American, to lead the Pentagon as an example of the type of racial equity that will be championed in his administration.

According to the Washington Post police shot and killed 989 people in 2020, while MappingPoliceViolence.org recorded 1,116 people killed by police over the same period. The fight to end police violence requires an understanding of their role in capitalist society, namely to enforce private property rights and uphold the unequal distribution of societys resources through lethal force. Their abolition can only come about through a unified international socialist movement of the working class to put an end to the capitalist system.




Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha called Monday for early high-level exchanges with the incoming U.S. administration of Joe Biden to cement the bilateral alliance, and for continued global cooperation in fostering lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.





Kang made the remarks in a New Year's address, as Seoul seeks to revive stalled nuclear diplomacy with North Korea through closer cooperation with the Biden administration, set to be launched later this month, and other regional partners.





"On the occasion of the launch of the new U.S. administration, we will have to develop the South Korea-U.S. alliance by realizing early high-level exchanges and through other measures," Kang was quoted by her office as saying.





"We will also have to further cement cooperation with neighboring countries, such as China, Japan and Russia," she added.



The minister stressed the importance of "stably" managing the peninsula situation, as Seoul seeks to create new diplomatic opportunities to reengage with Pyongyang that has shunned cross-border dialogue amid an impasse in its nuclear talks with Washington and the COVID-19 pandemic.





"We have to continue cooperation with the international community so as to revive momentum for dialogue for the complete denuclearization and establishment of lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula," she said.





Kang also called for efforts to make more progress in her ministry's push to diversify diplomacy through such initiatives as the New Southern Policy aimed at strengthening relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. (Yonhap)


In December the Russian Northern Fleets the Project 22350 frigate Admiral of the Soviet Union Fleet Gorshkov successfully conducted a test-launch of a Tsirkon hypersonic missile. It was fired from the Russian warship in the White Sea against a target 450 km away in the Barents Sea.

It was the third test in as many months of the Tsirkon, which has been undergoing test flights since 2015. In the 2020 tests, the Tsirkon missiles were fired from the 3S-14 universal naval missile launchers installed on Project 22350 frigates and Project 20380 corvettes. The earliest trials of the Tsirkon were conducted from coastal platforms while subsequent trials included launches from Russian Air Force modernized Tu-22M3 bombers

A roughly 20-second video of the Tsirkon test launch from November 2020 was posted to YouTube, and according to Russias Ministry of Defense, all of the recent tests have been considered successful.

In his February 2019 State-of-the-Nation Address to the Federal Assembly, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the work on the Tsirkon hypersonic missile was proceeding as scheduled  and the Russian leader said the missile platform was capable of reaching speeds of about Mach 9 and that its strike range exceeded 1,000 km (600 miles). At such speeds, it could reach a target at that distance in just seven minutes.

Also known as the 3M22 Zircon, the Tsirkon has been in development for more than 20 years and has been seen as a key next step for Putins military buildup. The combination of speed, maneuverability, and altitude could make tracking and intercepting such hypersonic weapons quite difficult.

Warship testing Tsirkon Hypersonic Missile. Image: Russian Federation.

The weapons were designed to attack ships as well as ground targets, and Russias latest frigates will be armed with the weapons. The sea-based Tsirkon utilizes a multi-stage launch system, which includes a booster, a solid-propellant booster stage, and a scramjet-powered warhead.

While President Putin has touted the capabilities of the platform, including its range, some experts have questioned how large a warhead such as a missile could carry something. According to analysis from the Jamestown Foundation, such range is plausible if the warhead were limited to 300 kilograms and the missile had an optimized trajectory achieving maximum range with its high point at 30-40 km. To utilize a larger warhead and fly at lower flight altitudes to reduce enemy detection, the operational range of around 700-750 km.

The issue of the warhead could be moot  especially if used against a warship or specific target, as a hypersonic missiles speed and force are so significant that it can inflict damage by its sheer kinetic impact without even needing explosives. Another threat is that the missiles plasma cloud  which completely covers the vehicle in flight  could absorb any rays of radio frequencies and thus make the missile invisible to radar. That allows the missile to remain largely undetected on its way to a target.

The Russian Navy could begin arming its warships with the missiles by 2023, and the Russian Ministry of Defense announced at the end of December 2020 that serial deliveries of the missiles to Russian units would begin in 2022.

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He regularly writes about military small arms, and is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com.

This article appeared originally at 1945.
A new battery can be purchased at Roberts Toyota for $179.95 not including installation

Roberts Toyota, a Nashville area dealership located in Columbia, is currently offering a service special coupon for the purchase of a new vehicle battery. The coupon gets customers a reduced price of $179.95 on a vehicle battery from now until Feb 28, 2021. The coupon includes the price of the new battery but does not include the installation fee. Customers can get the battery installed at Roberts Toyota if they wish to for an additional fee.

Customers who are interested in purchasing a new vehicle battery this month or next month are encouraged to take advantage of this coupon. To use this coupon, customers are asked to print it off of the dealerships website, robertstoyota.com, and to present it when the order is written. The coupon can be found on the site on the Service Specials page, which is linked under the Specials and the Service drop-down menus. Drivers who do not need a new battery right now can check the dealerships other current offers on the same page. These include a special offer for genuine Toyota accessories, an engine air filter, a cabin air filter and more.

To schedule a service appointment at Roberts Toyota, drivers can use an online form, call the dealership or visit the dealership in person. The online form is located under the Service drop-down menu on the dealerships site. The Roberts Toyota service center can be reached at 931 388-3006. Roberts Toyota is located at 1027 Nashville Highway in Columbia, TN near Nashville.
Trusts in London and the south-East are preparing to transfer critically-ill Covid patients to south-west trusts

Patients in the east of England will be moved to hospitals in the Midlands under emergency plans

Health officials have warned that people as young as 30 'will die from Covid' and are 'not immune' to virus

Number of patients waiting in ambulances outside hospitals is soaring amid rising admissions, medics warn

The number of patients being forced to wait in ambulances is soaring amid rising hospital admissions, paramedics have warned - as it emerged the NHS is planning to send critically-ill patients from London to the West Country under emergency plans.

NHS data shows that the number of patients waiting more than an hour to be handed to hospitals in England increased from 273 on December 13 to 591 on December 27 - an increase of more than 100%.

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Ambulances can be left waiting for an available space inside emergency departments for more than three hours, with some patients so ill that staff leave hospital to start treatment inside the vehicles, frontline paramedic Will Broughton told The Daily Telegraph.

'They're effectively turning the ambulance into another treatment room because they don't have any space left,' he said, adding that this meant patients making 999 calls are left waiting hours for a response.

'Our radios are calling out for any ambulances that are available to deal with so many emergency calls  but there is no one left to send,' he said.

On some occasions there were 'hundreds of emergency calls' waiting, colleagues told him, with some 'category two' patients  who should have an ambulance with them within around 18 minutes  left waiting 'upwards of five hours', Mr Broughton said.

His comments came after health officials warned that people as young as 30 'will die from Covid' as NHS hospitals in the West Country brace for an overspill of critically-ill patients from London under emergency plans.

Trusts in London and the south-east at the centre of the UK's epidemic are preparing to transfer patients to hospitals in the south-west while patients in the east of England will be moved to the Midlands.

An ambulance drops off a patient at the Royal London Hospital in east London in early January 2021

NHS data shows that the number of patients waiting more than an hour to be handed to hospitals in England increased from 273 on December 13 to 591 on December 27 - an increase of more than 100% (pictured: Ambulances are seen outside the Emergency Department of St Thomas' Hospital in London on January 3)

Ambulances lined up outside the Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham, Kent, one of the areas where hospitals have become stretched due to the faster spreading new strain of Covid-19

Ambulance workers outside the Royal London Hospital in London, Britain, 03 January 2021. Coronavirus cases are continuing to surge across England with hospital admissions reaching new highs

The massive Nightingale hospital at the London Excel Centre, which was created in record-time early in the pandemic only to be swiftly mothballed, is also expected to reopen within a fortnight, the Times reports.

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National pairing arrangements have been put in place amid warnings from doctors that hospitals in the South have come under 'immense pressure' due to a surge in cases of 'mutant' Covid, with hospitals across the UK being told prepare to face the same Covid pressures as the NHS in the capital.

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said just a small number of patients from London would be transferred to the south-west and Midlands when space in neighbouring hospitals was exhausted.

He said: 'Hospitals are doing a great job creating extra surge capacity in London and the south-east to treat the critically ill. If it gets more difficult, we will find other ways to treat people within the region but we know there are some patients that can be moved to where the pressure is slightly less, for example the south-west and Midlands.'

Dr Alison Pittard, the dean of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, today hinted the NHS could collapse because 'very, very tired staff' may not have the energy to handle the deluge in 'mutant' virus cases.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, she also claimed that she had heard of cases of people as young as 30 suffering from coronavirus in ICU wards and claimed that 'younger people will die from Covid'.

It comes as experts call for school closures on grounds that the virus is spreading more rapidly among younger children. SAGE adviser Sir Mark Walport today claimed children aged between 12 and 16 are seven times more likely to 'infect' a household and suggested that Tier 5 restrictions would be necessary in curbing cases.

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Boris Johnson refused to rule out a third national lockdown today, telling the BBC he is 'reconciled' to imposing further draconian restrictions on public life in a desperate bid to stamp out 'mutant' Covid.

In the latest twist and turn of the pandemic:

Boris Johnson told parents to send children to schools in Tier 4 areas tomorrow, but hinted he would close schools if cases rise in those areas;

Ofsted boss Amanda Spielman said children's learning cannot be 'furloughed';

Headteachers called for this summer's GCSE and A-level exams to be scrapped;

Experts leading the UK vaccination programme defended the decision to extend the gap between the two doses, insisting it is 'the way we save lives';

Health bosses last night insisted urgent cancer operations in London will not be scrapped to ease the strain on hospitals inundated with Covid patients;

Labour's shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens is being treated in hospital for coronavirus, her aides announced last night;

Another 57,725 had positive test results and recorded 445 deaths yesterday;

A London children's hospital consultant blasted 'irresponsible' nurse who gave a BBC interview claiming her hospital has a 'whole ward of children' with Covid;

Young non-voting women are most likely to turn down a Covid vaccine if it were available tomorrow, the Find Out Now poll has found;

The PM faces losing most of the 'Red Wall' seats that delivered his historic election victory a year ago and his own seat, according to a massive poll.

Health officials today warned that people as young as 30 'will die from Covid' as NHS hospitals in the West Country brace for an overspill of critically-ill patients from London (Above, a patient at the Royal London Hospital yesterday)

Dr Alison Pittard, the dean of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, warned that the NHS is concerned about staff who are 'very, very tired' from the pandemic

Boris Johnson today prepared the ground for tighter restrictions as he told Marr he is 'reconciled' to imposing further curbs on freedom as the number of coronavirus cases rises

Two thirds of England's population is now in Tier 4, with the remainder living in Tier 3 lockdowns. Only the Isles of Scilly, off the coast of Cornwall, is in the looser Tier 2

Although ICU capacity has been increased, three intensive care units were full every day last week: the Walton Centre in north-west England, and Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells and Portsmouth University hospitals in the south-east.

Fourteen intensive care units were at least 95 per cent full throughout Christmas week, five of them in London, according to the Times.

Doctors who spoke on condition of anonymity told the newspaper how consultants were choosing who to admit to intensive care by assessing which patient 'has the best chance of surviving'.

Britain records more than 50,000 coronavirus cases for the FIFTH day in a row - but deaths dip to 445 - as doctors warn crisis will get much worse and situation in packed London hospitals is 'MILD compared to what's coming next week' Britain has recorded more than 50,000 Covid-19 cases for the fifth day in a row but hospital deaths from the virus have dipped to fewer than 500. Another 57,725 had positive test results in the last 24 hours, meaning 2,599,789 have had the disease in the UK since the pandemic began. The country also saw an additional 445 deaths, taking the total official count to 74,570 - but 90,000 people in total have died with Covid-19 written on their death certificate. And experts are warning jam-packed hospitals that the current number of coronavirus cases is 'mild' compared to what is coming next week - as the new more-contagious Covid strain continues to wreak havoc on the UK. President of the Royal College of Physicians Professor Andrew Goddard also noted healthcare workers in Britain are 'really worried' about the battle against the virus over the next few months. Today's grim figures come as the first batches of the newly-approved coronavirus vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca arrive at UK hospitals ahead of the jab's rollout tomorrow. Some 530,000 doses of the jab will be available from Monday - with vulnerable people taking priority - as Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the inoculation drive is 'accelerating'. One of the first hospitals to take delivery of a batch on Saturday morning was the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, which is part of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust. But Sir John Bell, a Regius professor of medicine at Oxford University and member of SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies), said insufficient investment in the capacity to make vaccines has left Britain unprepared. He also said the country lacks medical supply firms to build essential components to make the jab, forcing Oxford scientists to import parts from abroad.

One GP working in a west London hospital claimed: 'We could be like Lombardy [northern Italy] by next week. There is a high likelihood we're going to see a disaster.'

Dr Megan Smith, a consultant anaesthetist at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, said medics faced 'horrifying' decisions with patients 'in competition' for ventilators.

She told ITN: 'It's not a position any of us ever want to be in, and we're used to making difficult decisions as doctors, but deciding the outcome of, effectively a competition for a ventilator, is just not what anyone signed up for.

'In terms of the emotional trauma for those individuals, it's horrifying. We shouldn't be having to do it, but we are.'

Asked about the hospitals crisis in London and the surrounding areas, Dr Pittard said the trusts are 'under immense pressure'.

'It's really difficult for staff because obviously we want to make sure everyone is cared for, but also need to look after the staff as well,' she said. 'So it's really difficult for everyone working in NHS hospitals at the moment, particularly in my area of intensive care.'

She also admitted that the NHS would have to postpone 'some of the more non-urgent stuff', adding: 'obviously that is one of the ways the NHS managed in the first wave, was to reduce the normal activity so that we could focus on Covid patients.

'One of the things that we have done now during the second wave is to continue normal activity alongside other Covid-related activity. And we want to continue that at all costs... but of course some of the more non-urgent stuff will need to be postponed'.

Dr Pittard also revealed that NHS hospitals are seeing greater numbers of younger people being admitted for treatment than during the first wave of the epidemic last spring.

'The age group is a lot lower than it was during the first wave, and I think that's probably because more people are getting Covid and it is affecting younger people, perhaps younger people are realising how serious it is and they need to seek input as well,' she told the Andrew Marr Show.

'It does affect younger people, so just because you're not in the older age bracket doesn't mean you're immune.'

She went on: 'One of the downsides is that because we have been through it all before staff are very, very tired and that is the thing that concerns me.

'We can't just create staff overnight. We can get more drugs. We can get more beds and equipment but we can't just get more staff, so that is the real concern this time around.'

Having dealt with the first wave of the virus, staff are now better prepared in terms of how they manage patients when they come into hospital and how their treatment in intensive care, she said.

'It is almost like we know what is coming our way so we know how to deal with it.'

It comes as hospitals across the UK are told to prepare to face the same Covid pressures as the NHS in London and south-east England.

Professor Andrew Goddard, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said the virus's highly infectious new variant was spreading nationwide.

He said the current case numbers at more than 50,000 per day for the past five days, were 'mild' compared with where he expected them to be next week and warned that doctors are 'really worried' about the coming months.

'There's no doubt that Christmas is going to have a big impact, the new variant is also going to have a big impact, we know that is more infectious, more transmissible, so I think the large numbers that we're seeing in the South East, in London, in South Wales, is now going to be reflected over the next month, two months even, over the rest of the country,' he told BBC Breakfast yesterday.

Prof Goddard added: 'All hospitals that haven't had the big pressures that they've had in the South East, and London and South Wales, should expect that it's going to come their way.

'This new variant is definitely more infectious and is spreading across the whole of the country. It seems very likely that we are going to see more and more cases, wherever people work in the UK, and we need to be prepared for that.'

The UK recorded a record 57,725 Covid-19 cases yesterday, the most since the pandemic began and the fifth day daily infections surpassed 50,000.

The country also saw an additional 445 deaths, taking the total official count to 74,570 - but 90,000 people in total have died with Covid-19 written on their death certificate.

London is now the epicentre of the UK's outbreak and its hospitals are being stretched with the flood of patients. The weekly rate of cases is double the national average at 858 per 100,000 people. Now the capital's weekly rate of cases is 858 per 100,000 people  double the UK average.

One doctor at a busy London hospital laid bare the pressure frontline medics are up against. Dr Katie Sanderson told the Sunday Mirror: 'Things are incredibly difficult now. Hospitals are doing everything they can  with all hands on deck, even flying patients out to other parts.'

She added that 'nurses are stretched ever thinner' and that staff are 'scared' because of 'woefully inadequate' PPE.

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London Ambulance staff stretcher a patient from the ambulance into The Royal London Hospital in east London, on Saturday

London is now the epicentre of the outbreak and its hospitals are being stretched with the flood of patients. The weekly rate of cases is double the national average at 858 per 100,000

Cases in Liverpool have almost trebled in the past two weeks to 350 per 100,000, despite the city successfully leading on the national pilot for community testing which led to it being the first city to be taken out of Tier 3 and into Tier 2, according to official figures

Medics transport a patient on a stretcher from an ambulance to the Royal London Hospital on Friday

Government scientists today hinted a third national lockdown including mass school closures may be required to suppress Covid as he insisted 'keeping people apart' stops the virus from spreading.

Professor Sir Mark Walport claimed the 'mutant' Covid was transmitting rapidly among children, with those aged between 12 and 16 seven times more likely to 'infect' a household.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show as Liverpool's leaders called for a blanket shutdown, he said it would be 'very, very difficult' to keep the disease under control 'without tighter social distancing measures'.

'Children's lives can't just be put on hold': Ofsted chief Amanda Spielman warns pupils' education cannot be 'furloughed' as left-wing councils and teaching unions demand schools are closed for WEEKS amid mutant Covid crisis The head of England's schools watchdog today warned that education cannot be 'furloughed' as Left-wing councils joined the revolt against Government plans to keep schools open. Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said school closures should be kept to the 'absolute minimum', revealing that the first lockdown disrupted children's learning and wider development. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, she said Ofsted had found some younger children had 'forgotten how to hold a pencil or use a knife and fork, and had regressed in basic language numbers'. In older children, Ms Spielman said the schools watchdog had noted 'increases in eating disorders and self-harm, and anti-social behaviour at some schools' during the coronavirus crisis. Most primaries in England are expected to open their doors tomorrow, while secondary schools will reopen on a staggered basis later this month with plans to test every student weekly. But yesterday the UK's largest teaching union advised members it was not safe to return to the classroom and demanded a move to online teaching. Headteachers are now urging the Government to scrap this summer's GCSE and A-level exams amid outrage over Education Secretary Gavin Williamson's plans to keep schools open. Ms Spielman rubbished calls for remote education, arguing that it would maximise the disparities in the circumstances of the home lives of children. She added that schools 'have become society's collective eyes and ears, keeping a caring watch over those who need it most' as she warned 'risks of abuse, neglect or exploitation increase' when schools stay closed. The Ofsted boss wrote: 'There is a real consensus that schools should be the last places to close and the first to re-open, and having argued for this since last spring, I welcome it. Because it is increasingly clear that children's lives can't just be put on hold while we wait for vaccination programmes to take effect, and for waves of infection to subside. 'We cannot furlough young people's learning or their wider development. The longer the pandemic continues, the more true this is.'

Sir Mark also suggested the UK has struggled to keep cases down because it is a 'western liberal democracy', hinting that draconian countermeasures adopted in unfree countries like Vietnam had suppressed the virus.

Asked if Tier 4 restrictions were enough, the former Chief Scientific Adviser today said: 'It's the Tier 4 restrictions, it's obeying them.

'It is thinking about breaking essentially every possible route of transmission we possibly can. Those are the things that are absolutely necessary and it is pretty clear we're going to need more.'

Talking about 'mutant' Covid, he said: 'We now have a much more transmissible variant and I'm afraid this is the natural evolution of viruses.

'The ones that can transmit most effectively have an advantage over other variants and so it is clear this variant is transmitting more readily. It's transmitting more readily in younger age groups as well.

'It's good to note it doesn't appear to cause worse disease or that it is going to be more resistant to the effects of the vaccine, but it is going to be very, very difficult to keep it under control without tighter social distancing measures.'

Sir Mark continued: 'The thing that actually stops the virus, and we know that it can do, is keeping people apart. The virus can only get from one person to another through proximity, and so it really is about doing everything we possibly can to keep ourselves as safe as possible.'

He also claimed that locking down earlier would have reduced cases and deaths, telling the Andrew Marr Show: 'It's absolutely clear we can see other countries, Vietnam for example, which has managed to keep its cases down.

'But we can see that western liberal democracies much harder. The UK is not alone in this, but that doesn't necessarily make it any better.'

He also urged people who have had a coronavirus vaccine not to 'go out and party' as he admitted 'there are lots of things we don't know about the vaccines'.

Sir Mark's interview comes as the PM signalled that anti-Covid measures were likely to get tougher.

Asked whether he could guarantee schools will open on January 18, Mr Johnson told Marr: 'Well, obviously, we're going to continue to assess the impact of the Tier 4 measures, the Tier 3 measures.'

On whether GCSE and A-Level exams should be cancelled, the PM said: 'We've got to be realistic, we've got to be realistic about the pace of which this new variant has spread... we've got to be realistic about the impact that it's having on our NHS... and we've got to be humble in the face of this virus.'

Mr Johnson indicated tougher restrictions may be introduced, saying: 'It may be that we need to do things in the next few weeks that will be tougher in many parts of the country. I'm fully, fully reconciled to that.'

He added: 'There are obviously a range of tougher measures that that we would have to consider... I'm not going to speculate now about what they would be, but I'm sure that all our viewers and our listeners will understand what the sort of things... clearly school closures, which we had to do in March is one of those things.'

Mr Johnson said: 'What we are doing now is using the tiering system, which is a very tough system... and, alas, probably about to get tougher to keep things under control. But, we will review it.'

He added: 'And we have the prospect of vaccines coming down the track in their tens of millions. And that, I think, is something that should keep people going in what I predicted, back on your show in in October, will be a very bumpy period right now. It is bumpy and it's going to be bumpy.'

Meanwhile, Liverpool's council leaders today called for a third national lockdown to contain the new 'mutant' strain of Covid and prevent a 'catastrophe'.

The city's acting mayor, Wendy Simon, and the Labour-run city council's cabinet say the speed of the rise in coronavirus cases have reached 'alarming levels' and urgent action is now required to save lives and the NHS.

The new 'mutant' strain of Covid is thought to have a higher rate of transmission and is most prevalent in London and the South East, where health bosses say hospitals have become stretched.

Headteachers call for GCSE and A-Level exams to be scrapped this summer amid school closure chaos Head teachers are calling on the Government to scrap this summer's GCSE and A-level exams amid outrage over Gavin Williamson's plans to keep schools open. Most primaries in England are expected to re-open their doors tomorrow, while secondary schools will reopen on a staggered basis later this month with plans to test every student weekly. Yesterday, however, the UK's largest teaching union advised members it was not safe to return to the classroom - with several left-wing councils demanding their primary schools move to online teaching only. And in another blow to the Education Secretary 's plans, UK head teachers are now calling for this year's exams to be scrapped to prioritise 'wider public health, pupil and staff safety'. They also claim it would be unfair to force students to sit exams when those whose schools were open earlier would have more contact time than those with later start dates. The WorthLess? campaign group - a collection of 2,000 head teachers in 80 local authorities - said: 'Wider public health, pupil and staff safety should be prioritised ahead of examinations. 'Public safety should not be risked or driven by an inflexible pursuit of GCSE and A-levels.' Head teacher of Tanbridge House School in Horsham - and one of the WorthLess? leaders - told The Times : 'There is great scepticism that exams can now go ahead fairly.'

It is believed the strain is spreading from south to north, leading to increasing pressure on the NHS.

Cases in Liverpool have almost trebled in the past two weeks to 350 per 100,000, despite the city leading on the pilot for community testing which led to it being the first city to be moved from Tier 3 down to Tier 2.

The call for a new lockdown was made in a statement from Cllr Wendy Simon and Cabinet Member for Public Health Cllr Paul Brant.

The current mayor of the city, Joe Anderson, is on police bail on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation.

The statement said: 'It is clear that the country is now at a crossroads with Covid-19. The stark reality is that today this virulent new strain of the virus is very much on the rise and we need to act now to prevent a crisis that will unleash even more pain and anguish.'

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said the Government would 'not hesitate to take actions necessary to protect local communities'.

England is edging closer towards a blanket shutdown after government efforts to reopen schools were thrown into disarray by Left-wing councils and teaching unions.

Gavin Williamson confirmed on Friday that all London primary schools will remain shut to most pupils next week - rather than just those in certain boroughs as set out earlier in the week - but teaching unions say all schools should close for the next two weeks.

Last night, the Department for Education said remote learning was 'a last resort' and classrooms should reopen 'wherever possible' with appropriate safety measures to help mitigate the risk of transmission.

'As we've said, we will move to remote education as a last resort, with involvement of public health officials, in areas where infection and pressures on the NHS are highest,' the spokesperson said.

Hundreds of new vaccination sites are due to be up and running this week as the NHS ramps up its immunisation programme with the newly approved Oxford University and AstraZeneca jab.

Some 530,000 doses of the vaccine will be available for rollout across the UK from Monday and more than a million patients have already had their first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine which was the first to be approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

But Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said children's education cannot be 'furloughed' for months while vaccinations are rolled out and time absent from the classroom should be kept to an 'absolute minimum', the Sunday Telegraph reported.

Children's Commissioner Anne Longfield told the newspaper that schools should be the last to close and first to open, when safe to do so, adding: 'I hope, for children and parents' sake, that is measured in days not weeks and I would be particularly keen for primaries to stay open if at all possible.'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the vaccine roll-out was 'our great hope', adding: 'I want the Government to throw everything it can at this, harnessing the extraordinary talents of our NHS so we can be vaccinating at least two million Brits a week by the end of the month.'

But, writing in the Sunday Mirror, he criticised 'a chaotic last minute U-turn on schools', adding: 'Confusion reigns among parents, teachers and pupils over who will be back in school tomorrow and who won't.'

General secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), Mary Bousted, said schools should stay closed for two weeks to 'break the chain' of transmission and prevent the NHS becoming overwhelmed.'

The union, which represents the majority of teachers, has advised its members it is not safe to return to classrooms on Monday.

NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said the union had started preliminary steps in legal proceedings against the Department for Education, asking it to share its scientific data about safety and transmission rates.

Unions have also called for the reopening of schools in Wales next week to be delayed with Laura Doel, director of school leaders' union NAHT Cymru, saying 'the latest data shows that in large parts of Wales, control of infection has been lost'.

From January 4, all London primary schools will be required to provide remote learning for two weeks to all children except vulnerable children and those of key workers, who will be allowed to attend.

Mr Williamson said the January 1 decision to expand closures to the nine remaining London boroughs and the City of London was a 'last resort'.

Under the Government's initial plan, secondary schools and colleges were set to be closed to most pupils for the first two weeks of January, while primary schools within 50 local authorities in the south of England, including 23 London boroughs, were also told to keep their doors shut until January 18.

Green Party-led Brighton and Hove City Council has advised primary schools in the Tier 4 area not to return in person, except for vulnerable children and those of key workers, until January 18 despite the Government's plan for most schools to open in person.

Linda Bauld, a professor in public health at the University of Edinburgh, said transmission among primary school pupils was 'still very limited' while secondary school pupils, particularly older teenagers, can pass on the virus in the same way as adults.

But health professionals have warned of growing pressure on services with Prof Goddard telling the BBC current case figures are 'fairly mild' compared to what is expected in a week's time.

Mutated super-infectious coronavirus strain was spreading quickly among children DURING November lockdown and only closing schools can keep it contained, new Imperial report warns

Pictured: A graph in the Imperial College London report showing the prevalence of the new strain of coronavirus (shown in orange) in different age groups

The mutated super-infectious coronavirus strain was spreading quickly among children during the November lockdown and only closing schools can keep it contained, a new report from Imperial College London has warned.

The study confirmed that the new mutant variant of SARS-CoV-2 - known as B117 or 'Variant of Concern' (VOC) - is indeed more infectious than previous variants, just as scientists feared, and that the November lockdown did little to suppress it.

The variant was most prevalent among the 10-19 age group, the data shows, with more coronavirus cases in the age group being found to be the new strain than of the original.

In order the tackle the spread of the VOC in Britain, 'Social distancing measures will need to be more stringent than they would have otherwise,' the report said.

'A particular concern is whether it will be possible to maintain control over transmission while allowing schools to reopen in January 2021.'

Analysis of the data by Imperial College London researchers found that the new strain may be nearly 50 percent more transmissible, based on samples taken from nearly 86,000 Britons.

In the study posted online, which is yet to be peer-reviewed, Imperial College researchers determined that the 'R' number for the new B117 variant is between 0.4 and 0.7 points higher than other variants.

The study compared samples of the mutated virus taken from nearly 2,000 people in the UK to another 84,000 taken from people with other variants

The 'R' number of a virus describes the average number of additional cases that each infection leads to.

In the UK, the latest R number stands between 1.1 and 1.3, government figures show. This means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 11 and 13 other people.

Graphs from the new study show how, over eight weeks, the new variant became increasingly common (dots higher on each chart) in the UK and became more transmissible (dots further the right on each chart show rising R numbers, or transmission rates

In a series of graphs, the report outlined case trends in a subset of NHS England Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) areas - (a geographic subdivision of NHS Regions).

It is clear in the graphs that while the November lockdown worked to bring down the rates of the original strain of coronavirus, it did little to suppress the spread of the mutated strain in England.

This is demonstrated by the graphs with three lines showing case numbers.

The thick line shows the total number of cases in the respective region found among the people included in the study. The green line shows the original strain of Covid-19 (S+), while the yellow line shows the new variant (VOC).

The thick line at the top of the graph showing the total number of cases in each area changes colour between green and yellow based on the number of tests showing instances of the VOC among those included in the study.

Kent and Medway

Mid and South Essex

The dates of the second lockdown in November are indicated by the vertical red lines, between which the spread of Covid-19 and the VOC are demonstrated.

Areas in the South East of England - including London - show a rapid rise of the mutated strain of Covid-19, while the original strain kept at relatively low levels during the lockdown - showing the prevalence of the new strain in those areas.

These include Kent and Medway, Mid and South Essex; South West London Health and Care Partnership; and Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West.

In areas outside of the regions most effected by the VOC , total cases are shown to have dropped during the lockdown.

These include Birmingham and Solihull; Devon; Herefordshire and Worcestershire; Cheshire and Merseyside; and Humber, Coast and Vale.

South West London Health and Care Partnership

Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West

Birmingham and Solihull

Devon

Herefordshire and Worcestershire

Cheshire and Merseyside

Humber, Coast and Vale

Ratio age share among S- cases / age share among S+ cases

The new variant was first detected in the UK in September, the study states, but at the beginning of December, it exploded and has driven a surge in infections among Britons.

The spread of the new novel SARS-CoV-2 variant, or Variant of Concern 202012/01 (VOC), in England comes despite a tiered system being in place as part of efforts to bring the spread of the virus under control.

What is the 'mutant COVID strain' and why are experts concerned? Coronaviruses mutate regularly, acquiring about one new mutation in their genome every two weeks. Most mutations do not significantly change the way the virus acts. This super strain, named B.1.1.7, was first identified in the UK in November. It has since been found in France, Spain, Italy, Iceland, Japan, Singapore, Australia and now the United States. The new COVID-19 variant has a mutation in the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein at position 501, where amino acid asparagine (N) has been replaced with tyrosine (Y). It is more infectious than previous strains and potentially more harmful to children. It is not, however, believed to be any more lethal. Public Health England researchers compared 1,769 people infected with the new variant, with 1,769 who had one of the earlier strains of the virus. Forty-two people in the group were admitted to hospital, of whom 16 had the new variant and 26 the wild type. Twelve of the variant cases and 10 of the 'older' virus cases died within four weeks of testing. Neither the hospitalization nor the mortality differences were statistically significant.

The majority of England is under 'Tier 4', the strictest tier, yet is still seeing record numbers of daily Covid-19 infections despite the measures.

Imperial College London researchers sequenced the genomes of 1,904 people infected with the new variant and compared how quickly the virus spread to a broader sample of other specimens taken from more than 48,000 people in England.

As they expected, they found that the new virus did indeed have a 'selective advantage over circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants in England,' they wrote in the print posted online on Thursday.

The variant was also disproportionately common among people in their 20s, and those living in South East and East England and London.

The findings of the new study mean each person who catches this mutated virus will pass it on to up to 0.7 more people on average.

So far, there isn't evidence to suggest the new variant causes any more serious illness or is more fatal.

Encouragingly, virologists and public health experts believe that vaccines made by companies like AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna will still be effective against the new variant of coronavirus.

But the new variant heats up the race between the spread of the virus and vaccination campaigns in the UK, the US - where the new variant has now been found in Colorado, California and Florida - and at least 31 other countries where the more infectious form of coronavirus has been detected.

With more than 186,000 people newly infected in a single day on average in the US, the 48 percent higher transmissibility rate of 1.85 could drive new infections per day beyond 275,000.

It could spell disaster for hospitals in hotspots like California where some health care systems and regions are already out of ICU beds, in states of 'internal disaster' and rationing care.

There are similar fears in the UK over the National Health Service (NHS) and its capacity to cope with the number of coronavirus patients that are expected as the new variant of the disease continues to spread.

Sharing data from a separate study done by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Deepti Gurdasani - a senior lecturer at Queen Mary University of London in Epidemiology and statistical genetics - warned that 'B117 is either dominant, or very close to dominant in most regions' in England.

Over the course of six weeks, the researchers saw how the new coronavirus variant's transmission rate (R) became higher (orange) than those of other variants, especially in South East England, East England and London

By comparison, on average in the US, each infected person currently leads to 1.15 more infections, according to daily calculations from RT.live.

By this measure of transmissibility the R number in the US ranges from about 0.86 in Alaska to 1.23 in Maine, which has emerged as a hotspot this week.

Only 3.17 million Americans had been vaccinated as of Friday, according to a Bloomberg News tally.

The CDC's tally puts the number even lower. The agency's site says its vaccination tracker will be updated every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but at the time of publication, the tool showed Wednesday's numbers, with 2.79 million people vaccinated.

Bloomberg's higher estimate means Operation Warp Speed has vaccinated just 16 percent of the 20 million Americans it promised to inoculate by the end of the year.

At this pace, it would take nearly a decade to vaccinate all adult members of America's population of 331 million people.

And many Americans remain on the fence about getting a vaccine even when one is available. Some 60 percent of nursing home workers in Ohio said they would refuse a shot.

Sluggish, dysfunctional vaccine distribution and Americans' distrust of of the shots could jointly offer the B117 variant just the opening it needs to spread like wildfire through the country infecting millions beyond the 20 million people who have already had the infection in the US, and killing thousands.

Surge in ward cases 'could fill 12 hospitals': Number of beds take up by Covid-19 patients surged in the eight days since Christmas, new figures show

Beds occupied by Covid patients increased in the eight days from Christmas

East of England, London and South East recorded largest percentage increases

On New Year's Eve, three intensive care units in London were reportedly full

The number of beds occupied by Covid patients increased by the equivalent of '12 full hospitals' in the eight days from Christmas, NHS figures show.

Between December 25 and January 2, the total number of inpatients suffering with coronavirus in England jumped from 17,701 to 23,557  up 33 per cent.

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, described the increase as the equivalent of '12 extra full hospitals, full of Covid patients'.

The East of England, London and the South East recorded the largest percentage increases in hospital admissions for those suffering with the virus as the new, more infectious strain continues to take hold.

Doctors treat a patient suffering from coronavirus at an Intensive Care ward at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey

Mr Hopson said: 'You can imagine why people in the NHS are worried about how quickly this virus is spreading.'

Meanwhile, emergency plans are being drawn up to move critically-ill patients hundreds of miles as part of a 'pairing' scheme designed to ease pressure on regions where the NHS is struggling to cope.

Those in the East of England could be moved to hospitals in the Midlands while health trusts in the South East are preparing to send patients to the South West. It is believed to be the first scheme of its kind in NHS history.

Mr Hopson said it would involve only a small number of patients being moved from London when space in neighbouring hospitals was exhausted.

'If it gets more difficult, we will find other ways to treat people within the region but we know there are some patients that can be moved to where the pressure is slightly less, for example the South West and Midlands,' he told the Sunday Times.

On New Year's Eve, three intensive care units in London were reportedly full, with seriously-ill patients awaiting transfers to units elsewhere.

North Middlesex University Hospital, Barnet Hospital and Whittington Hospital, in the north and north-west of the capital, described various issues including patients receiving oxygen in A&E, in an email leaked to Sky News.

Dr Alison Pittard, the dean of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, said the NHS is trying to continue with its other services and treat patients while also dealing with the second coronavirus wave.

The total number of inpatients suffering with coronavirus in England jumped from 17,701 to 23,557, up 33 per cent, between December 25 and January 2, NHS figures show. Pictured: Healthcare workers in an NHS hospital ward amid the coronavirus pandemic

London Ambulance staff transport a patient into The Royal London Hospital in east London

She told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: 'One of the things I would like to tell the public is that if you have any concerns, whether it is about Covid or not, you must seek advice and help.'

She said there are 'logistical issues' with the temporary Nightingale hospitals, some of which have been used to support diagnostic services.

ADVERTISEMENT

Yesterday NHS bosses denied reports that cancer operations would need to be delayed to ensure there were enough beds in London.
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Japanese auto major Nissan on Monday said it along with its dealer partners will hire 1,500 people in India to enhance production and reinforce sales force on the back of robust response to its newly launched compact SUV Magnite.

The company plans to start a third shift at its Chennai plant to increase the output of Magnite to around 3,500-4,000 units per month by February from the current level of about 2,500 units per month.

Nissan Motor India has received around 32,800 bookings for Magnite since launching it on December 2 and the waiting period currently stretches to several months.

"We would like the customers to enjoy their Magnite at the earliest and towards that we are working towards enhancing the production. We plan to start a third shift at the plant and towards the same will be recruiting almost 1,000 plus workforce at the plant," Nissan Motor India Managing Director Rakesh Srivastava told reporters in a virtual press conference.

Another 500 workforces would also be added at the company's dealerships to enhance customer experience, he added.

The company's plan is in contrast to its announcement in 2019 to cut over 1,700 jobs in India, mostly in manufacturing operations, as part of a global exercise to reduce headcount by over 6,000 across different locations.

Nissan India currently produces around 2,500 Magnite units per month which would go up to 3,500 to 4,000 units after the third shift comes into play, Srivastava said.

"We aim to bring down the waiting period on the model to 2-3 months," he added.

The Renault-Nissan alliance has an installed annual capacity of 4.8 lakh units at Chennai plant, and exports to over 100 countries.

Srivastava said that barring entry level Magnite trim, the company would not be increasing prices of other variants of the compact sport utility vehicle (SUV).

"We have decided we will not be increasing the prices of Magnite for most of the variants other than the entry trim," he said.

The company had earlier announced to hike prices of its vehicles by up to 5 per cent across models from January to offset the increased input costs.

Commenting on the export strategy, Srivastava said the company is looking to dispatch Magnite to Indonesia and South Africa.

"We have identified these two markets for Magnite exports, although our prime focus would remain to cater to the domestic market," he added.

When asked about the company's other products like Datsun RediGo and GO Plus, Srivastava said the models have been upgraded to comply with the new BS-VI emission norms and other safety standards, and would continue in the market.

Commenting on the company's future product plans, Srivastava said with SUVs being the most sought after, not just globally but also in India, Nissan will rely on its global portfolio of SUVs and will bring the appropriate product at the right time.

For electric vehicles, he said Nissan has demonstrated the technology through its Leaf model, but there are challenges currently in India in terms of charging infrastructure and supply chain for batteries, and the company would continue to evaluate the market.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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Sen. David Perdue supports Republican lawmakers in challenging and objecting next week the certification of Presidential election results.

Sen. Ted Cruz and other Republican Senators will object Wednesday next week to the certification of the Nov. 3 presidential election results.

Lawmakers asserted that an audit committee must be created to validate the votes in the recent election.

Sen. David Perdue supports GOP lawmakers

Lawmakers from the House of Congress will convene next week to certify the results of the recent Presidential election. They will declare Joe Biden as the country's 46th President but Republican Senators will object to the certification.

Sen. Ted Cruz together with other Republican lawmakers will object to the certification next week.

They will demand a 10-day audit of the results by an electoral commission. This is composed of five Senators, five House Members, and five Supreme Court Justices.

Read also: Sen. Ted Cruz Leads GOP Lawmakers to Object Presidential Election Results

Meanwhile, Sen. David Perdue expressed his support to Cruz and other Republican lawmakers ahead of his own runoff election in Georgia, according to Fox News.

He said that he supports the efforts of his fellow Republican lawmakers to contest the results of the electoral votes in some states.

He told Fox News during Sunday Morning Future, "You know when I first saw the magnitude of the irregularities back in December, early December, about our November race, I called for the resignation of our secretary of state, I repeatedly called for a special session of the General Assembly to investigate."

Perdue also continued that none of his calls was addressed and so he called out and said that the only way to help Pres. Trump is to object to the certification of the Presidential election results.

Trump praised Sen. Perdue after he expressed his position to challenge the presidential election results.

Sen. David Perdue is battling his own race

Sen. David Perdue is battling his own race against his Democratic opponent Jon Ossoff. This means that Sen. Perdue will not be in the House of Senate on Wednesday. Despite this, he reaffirmed his whole-hearted support for his colleague's efforts.

Perdue accused that Ossoff has lied about other Chinese ties such as payment from Hong Kong company PCCW Media Limited, which is connected to the Chinese government.

"He was paid by them for two years, he's been encouraging people to follow the Chinese propaganda, that's what Xinhua does and that's what PCCW does, and he participated in that for two years."

Perdue also claimed that China has targeted young Americans whom they could influence. He explained, "He hid it from the people of Georgia during his primary, got caught, lied about it, finally disclosed it, and then lied about it again."

The Republican Senator also said that Ossoff never answered the question about his relationship with the CCP. Meanwhile, Ossoff gave his comment on Thursday though Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy and described charges that he knowingly failed to disclose compensation from PCCW as "utter nonsense."

Read also: Many Qualified Americans Start to Receive $600 Stimulus Checks
Undated file photo of George Blake, double KGB agent, who escaped from Wormwood Scrubs prison in London, after serving five and a half years of his 42-year sentence for giving away Government secrets.

The amazing story of how an Irishman broke notorious British spy George Blake out of Wormwood Scrubs is to be retold in a blockbuster movie.

Days after Blake died at the age of 98, Co Down crime writer Colin Bateman revealed he had been writing a screenplay about the infamous breakout for two years.

Bateman - who collaborated with Belfast-born director Nick Hamm to make The Journey about Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness - is now hoping the spy film can grace our screens once the pandemic is over.

"It's an amazing true story," said Bateman. "I'm hoping it will get made into a movie when the world returns to normal.

"I've spent a good part of the last two years writing the screenplay about Blake - who has just died in Moscow - and his relationship with the Irishman who broke him out of prison, Sean Bourke."

Posh Blake and his cell-mate, Limerick-born petty criminal Bourke, formed an unlikely friendship in the famous London prison and plotted to escape.

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Unmasked as a Soviet spy in 1961, Blake was sentenced to 42 years in London's Wormwood Scrubs prison.

He escaped in 1966 with the help of Bourke and two peace activists, and was smuggled out of Britain in a camper van.

He made it through Western Europe undiscovered and crossed the Iron Curtain into East Berlin.

He spent the rest of his life in the Soviet Union and then Russia, where he was lauded as a hero. In 2007 President Vladimir Putin recognised Blake's 85th birthday by awarding him the Order of Friendship, one of Russia's highest honours, for services to Soviet espionage.

Looking back on his life in a rare interview in 1991, Blake said he had believed the world had been ready to welcome communism.

"It was an ideal which, if it could have been achieved, would have been well worth it," he said.

"I thought it could be, and I did what I could to help it, to build such a society. It has not proved possible. But I think it is a noble idea and I think humanity will return to it."

Years later, Bourke recalled the first time they spoke about staging a jailbreak. "I had less than a year to serve and he walked up to me one day in the cell block and said 'Sean, will you help me escape?'"

Bourke told him: "You've come to the right man." After his own release in August 1966, Bourke arranged for a walkie-talkie handset to be smuggled in to Blake. Three parcels containing a car jack, a hacksaw blade - both for use on the bars of the cell window - and clothing were also brought in shortly before the escape.

Expand Close Undated file photo of George Blake, double KGB agent, who escaped from Wormwood Scrubs prison in London, after serving five and a half years of his 42-year sentence for giving away Government secrets. PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Undated file photo of George Blake, double KGB agent, who escaped from Wormwood Scrubs prison in London, after serving five and a half years of his 42-year sentence for giving away Government secrets.

Bourke would follow Blake to Moscow in early 1967.

But the reunion didn't go well and, after falling out with his former friend, he returned to Ireland soon after.

He successfully fought an extradition case by Britain the following year and, in 1970, published a book called The Springing Of George Blake for a fee of 100,000.

But he wasted the money and ended up living in a caravan in Kilkee, Co Clare.

He died aged 47 while out for his daily stroll. Although the coroner's report gave the cause of death as a coronary blood clot, a KGB officer later claimed Bourke had been poisoned to prevent him revealing any intelligence to the British authorities.

Sunday Life
Farmers, most of them from Punjab and Haryana, want the new farm laws scrapped.

live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

The farmers protests against the three farm sector laws is at the risk of being hijacked by a few vested interests. The protests have become ammunition in a political war, and the assets and reputation of large corporate organisations such as Reliance Industries are collateral damage.

Our democracy gives everyone the right to protest, whether or not we agree with their views. But this has to be within the laws of the land. The only way that the farmer movement can remain focused and gain traction is by following the law. Farmers are fast losing friends by choking up the highways leading to the National Capital Region inconveniencing the general population, let alone the vandalism in Punjab.

It is also unfortunate that farmers have dragged a company that has nothing to do with the farm sector into the protests. Large companies, irrespective of their contribution to the countrys growth, development, and employment, seem fair game to anyone who wishes to fling mud at the government. Moreover, how can the farmers and their leaders justify the vandalism unleashed on RIL and its subsidiaries in Punjab and Haryana by way of damaging telecom towers?

In this instance, RIL has nothing to do with farms and contract farming, as it has said in a petition. Through its subsidiary Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (RJIL), in a petition filed at the Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 4, RIL said it has nothing whatsoever to do with the three farm laws and in no way benefits from them. As such, the sole nefarious purpose of linking the name of Reliance to these laws is to harm its businesses and damage its reputation.

RIL has further explained in the petition that it has not done any corporate or contract farming in the past, and has no plans to enter this business. Neither Reliance nor any of our subsidiaries have purchased any agricultural land, directly or indirectly, in Punjab/Haryana or anywhere else in India, for corporate or contract farming it said in a statement.

The company also said it has never entered into the long-term procurement contracts to gain an unfair advantage over farmers or sought that its suppliers buy from farmers at less than remunerative prices, nor will it ever do so.

The company has effectively staked its corporate reputation by making this statement to the courts and stock exchanges. A globally respected brand can ill afford to risk dilution, let alone the upkeep of its promise and what it has committed in the courts and to the regulator.

If farmers and their leaders are serious about the cause, they should focus their arguments against the government and take up the fight in the judiciary. Launching an unprovoked attack on corporate entities and individuals is nothing but pure theatrics.

Even if these are symbolic, they will only weaken the actual cause especially if the action brings economic loss, social unrest, and inconveniences the common man. It will prove detrimental to achieving the ultimate objective. In this case, the repeal of the three farm acts.

Vandalism can never be a means to a just end. More than 140 lakh RJio subscribers in Punjab and more than 40 lakh subscribers in Haryana, were incapacitated by the towers' attack. Who benefitted? Only the competitors of Reliance and a few vested interests.

Did it serve the purpose for which the farmers have been agitating for more than 40 days in the severe cold and rain? Certainly not. On the contrary, it will be seen as a loss of public property, which has nothing to do with three farms acts.

Allegations, till proven with facts and evidence in the courts, have no value. So, if farmer leaders are preaching that a few corporate actors are the architects behind the three farm acts, let them prove it in the courts and let the law take its course.

They should focus their attention and energy on the government if they wish to achieve what they have set out to do. If they can convince the government or courts, that the three farm acts are faulty, de facto, corporates become inconsequential.

Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd.
The Africa Pay-TV Forecasts report envisages solid growth across the region, characterised by a secular decline in the hitherto dominant satellite sector. Indeed the report notes that while at the end of 2020, leading provider Multichoice had 15.51 million subs across its DStv satellite TV platform and GOtv DTT service, this total will grow to 19.67 million by 2026, with a marked slowdown of satellite TV growth.Looking at other operators, China-based StarTimes/StarSat will enjoy the most impressive growth: from 10.11 million subs at end-2020 to 16.86 million by 2026. Frances Vivendi had 5.41 million subs to its Canal Plus satellite TV platform and Easy TV by end-2020, which will climb to 7.90 million by 2026.Regarding the hot countries for pay-TV across the continent, the Africa Pay-TV Forecasts report predicts that by 2026 Nigeria will have close to 11 million subs, with South Africa bringing in another 9 million.
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[January 04, 2021] Russell Health: 'Most Promising Bio Tech Startups 2020'

WILLOWBROOK, Ill., Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Based in Willowbrook, Illinois, Russell Health, a national marketer and distributor of specialty medical products and services has recently been awarded "Most Promising Bio Tech Startups 2020" by Startup City. About Russell Health: Russell Health and its partners have distributed regenerative therapy products nationwide and achieved profound clinical outcomes in multiple therapeutic areas including cosmetics, wound care, pain management, podiatry, orthopedics, dentistry and gynecology. With their partners and suppliers, they work to provide innovative life-changing and sustaining products and therapies to patients and healthcare providers around the world. Stem Cell Recruitment Therapy is Russell Health's revolutionary procedure to help rejuvenate, regenerate and lubricate ailing joints as well as help to increase mobility while decreasing pain. Responsibly sourced acellular tissue allografts are helping people of all ages to recover from injuries and get their life back. In honor of their achievements, StartUp City has featured an article about the innovators titled: "Russell Health: Bringing Life-Changing Innovation through Regenerative Medicine." Read the full article here. Article Quote: "Jonathan Benstent notes: Regenerative medicine is transforming healthcare innovations that have shown to provide improved patient care and increased quality of life. The cutting-edge and less invasive technologies help the body repair itself through its unique healing capabilities and are a powerful alternative to risk-prone surgeries. When Ryan Salvino, an MBA graduate and an enthusiast in medicine, experienced this revitalizing effect first-hand while working as a sales epresentative for a regenerative medicine company, and it was nothing less than a miracle. "I saw the before and after effect in patients intimately and it's incredible how effective, painless, and safe these products are for the treatment of multiple disorders throughout the body," recalls Salvino. (startupcity.com, 2020)



Client Testimonials: "The customer service from the company has been exceptional. Russell Health is easily reachable by phone and always happy to provide guidance as needed." (Dr. Yula Indeyeva, MD)

"Thank you so much for training each of our departments from our medical staff to front desk to the billing department. I thought I was going to have to do everything BUT you did it for us. The staff loved the training and each department knows exactly what they must do to implement this product." (Dr. Chris Pellow) Visit Russell Health online to learn more about Stem Cell Recruitment Therapy. For media inquiries or to contact the Russell Health team directly. Please visit www.russellhealth.com or email marketing@russellhealth.com. Contact: Veronica Bennett Phone: 312-919-1896 Email: marketing@russellhealth.com Mailing Address: 621 Plainfield Rd., Willowbrook, IL 60527 Online: www.russellhealth.com Related Files cropped-RussellHealth-Tagline-FullColor-RGB-300x179.png pp540_3003008541984.jpg Related Images russell-health-most-promising.png

Russell Health - Most Promising BioTech Startups 2020

Startup City - Most Promising BioTech Startup of 2020 - Russell Health - Ryan Salvino Related Links Stem Cell Recruitment Therapy - Info Stem Cell Recruitment Therapy - Explainer Video View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/russell-health-most-promising-bio-tech-startups-2020-301200383.html SOURCE Russell Health

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DAMASCUS, Ore., Jan. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In celebration of a new baby girl becoming a part of her cherished church community, Joan Segrin wrote The Sweet Sound of Laughter to honor young girls and their God-given gifts. This delightful childrens book follows four young ladies as they receive personal gifts by the King. One in particular, Dorothy, was confused by her gift, and it takes her until the end of the story to figure out how magnificent it truly is.

Dorothy was given a ladder and dragged it along as she and her friends traveled to make a difference in peoples lives. Dorothy found herself acting as the comic relief as they tended to members of their community, making a sick boy feel better, entertaining a traveler and bringing joy to a crabby woman who hadnt shown it in years. Even without a full understanding of her gift, Dorothy was still able to make a difference in the lives of those around her.

With The Sweet Sound of Laughter I want young readers to realize that they are unique and specially gifted to make a positive difference in the lives of their family, neighbors, friends and community, said Segrin. Discovering who you are is always an adventure!

The Sweet Sound of Laughter reminds all children, especially young girls, that they have God-given talentseven when they are unsure of what those talents actually are. Parents, foster and adoptive families, and grandparents can use this book as a tool to help children develop self-love, confidence and faith at a young age.

The Sweet Sound of Laughter

By Joan Segrin

ISBN: 978-1-6642-0305-1 (softcover); 978-1-6642-0307-5 (hardcover); 978-1-6642-0306-8 (e-book)

Available at the WestBow Press Online Bookstore, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

About the author

Joan Segrin, a natural story-teller, wrote The Sweet Sound of Laughter when she was tasked with developing a devotional at her friends adoption shower. Setting out to speak to women and girls, Segrin put pen to paper and asked the Lord for guidance. Then, one hour later and with help from God, this delightful childrens book was born. Segrin loves Jesus because He has beautifully rewritten her own life story. Joan is a wife, mother and grandmother who resides in Damascus, Oregon. To connect with Segrin regarding her book, please visit her website: www.jsegrin.com.

About WestBow Press

WestBow Press is a strategic supported self-publishing alliance between HarperCollins Christian Publishing and Author Solutions, LLC  the world leader in supported self-publishing. Titles published through WestBow Press are evaluated for sales potential and considered for publication through Thomas Nelson and Zondervan. For more information, visit www.westbowpress.com or call (866)-928-1240.

Attachment
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday plunged the UK into a new national lockdown until at least mid-February to combat the super-infectious mutant coronavirus that is already spreading across the United States

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has plunged England into a new national lockdown until at least mid-February to combat the super-infectious mutant coronavirus that is already spreading across the United States.

Johnson on Monday ordered people to stay at home again, as they were ordered to do so in the first wave of the pandemic in March, because the new virus variant was spreading in a 'frustrating and alarming' way.

Schools and non-essential businesses have also been ordered to close after the UK has battled an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, which officials have blamed on the mutation that is more contagious than existing variants.

The mutant strain currently plaguing the UK has already been detected in ten people across four states: New York, California, Colorado and Florida.

Health officials do not yet know how widespread the UK strain is in the US but some fear it could have started spreading back in October.

The US on Monday recorded 210,479 new cases and 1,394 additional fatalities as a result of COVID-19.

UK health authorities have recorded more than 50,000 new infections daily since passing that milestone for the first time on December 29. On Monday, the UK reported 407 virus-related deaths.

The UK currently has more cases and deaths per million people than the US.

The mutant strain currently plaguing the UK has already been detected in New York, California, Colorado and Florida. New York Gov Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday that his state had found its first case of the more contagious UK strain

New York Gov Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday that his state had found its first case of the more contagious UK strain, raising concerns about threats to hospital capacity should it spread rapidly in the former epicenter state.

He said a man in his 60s, who lives in a town north of Albany, was recovering from the new strain. The man had not traveled recently, which suggests community spread is taking place.

New York has carried out 5,000 tests for the new strain - and so far has only found the one case. Cuomo said it could be a 'game changer' if the new strain increases hospitalizations and forces regions to close down.

The first case of the UK strain was detected last week in a nursing home in a remote Colorado town where a National Guard member in his 20s, who had been assigned to help at the facility, tested positive.

The strain was then found in California and Florida before being detected in New York on Monday.

The discovery of the new variant led the CDC to issue new rules on Christmas Day for travelers arriving to the US from the UK, requiring they show proof of a negative COVID-19 test.

Scientists in the UK believe the variant is more contagious than previously identified strains.

The cases have triggered questions about how the version circulating in England arrived in the US and whether it is too late to stop it now, with top experts saying it is probably already spreading elsewhere in the country.

Health experts have warned that the new strain could have started spreading in the US as early as October.

The United States on Monday recorded 210,479 new COVID-19 cases

UK health authorities have recorded more than 50,000 new infections daily since passing that milestone for the first time on December 29

The UK currently has more infections and deaths per million people that the US

Dr Ali Mokdad, of the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics & Evaluation, said it was a 'race against time' to detect and stop the spread of the new variant - especially given the cases detected so far have not been linked to travel.

'That means that somebody else in Colorado had introduced that mutation and that person got it. So that's a little bit scary more than we expected because it means there's a circulation of that virus already,' he told King5.

'In the United States we need to have a surveillance for the genetic typing of this virus, and we need to stay on top of it, not only in the United States but elsewhere as well.'

Dr Anthony Fauci has already said it was 'inevitable' that the UK strain would spread to the US.

'Obviously, we don't want to see a virus that has a greater capability of spreading,' he told NBC's Today.

'The good news is that it does not appear to be... making people more sick and leading to more death. The other thing that is important and a favorable thing, it does not seem to evade the protection that's afforded by vaccines that are currently being used.'

Fear has been growing about the variant since the weekend before Christmas when British officials first revealed the strain was spreading rapidly through the UK.

South Africa has also discovered a highly contagious COVID-19 variant, which was also detected in the UK prior to Christmas.

So far, no cases of the South African variant have been detected in the US.

Under the UK's strict new lockdown rules, which took immediate effect, elementary and secondary schools and colleges will be closed for face to face learning except for the children of key workers and vulnerable pupils.

University students will not be returning until at least mid-February.

All nonessential shops, personal care services like hairdressers and gyms will also be closed. Restaurants can only operate takeout services.

News of the new strict lockdown in the UK came on the day British health authorities began putting the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine into arms around the country, fueling hopes that life may begin returning to normal by the spring.
New Delhi, Jan 4 : Japan's Kirin Holdings is set to invest $30 million in beer maker B9 Beverages for a sub-10 per cent stake in the New Delhi-based company.

B9 Beverages was in talks with several international brewing majors, including Kirin, and other investors to sell a stake of up to 20 per cent in the company, media reports said.

The investment comes as a major boost for the beer maker amid the severe impact of the pandemic. The company has reported losses in the recent year. B9 expects this investment to help the company reach break-even in the upcoming financial year.

As per the reports, both the companies will explore business synergies post the investment. It would also boost Bira's plans to launch products in Japan later this year.

The deal is likely to complete in the next few days.

According to industry estimates, B9 Beverages is currently valued at around $300 million.
Iranian state television has acknowledged that Tehran seized a South Korean-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.

The report on Monday alleged that the MT Hankuk Chemi had been stopped by Iranian authorities over alleged oil pollution in the Persian Gulf and the strait.

The semiofficial Fars news agency said Irans Revolutionary Guards naval forces seized the ship.

Satellite data from MarineTraffic.com showed the MT Hankuk Chemi off the port of Bandar Abbas on Monday afternoon without explanation. It had been traveling from Saudi Arabia to Fujairah in the UAE. The ships owners could not be immediately reached for comment.
The chart compares the spread of the virus in each of those two countries with the spread in a group of nearby countries. As you can see, cases have surged in Britain and South Africa since the variants first surfaced  while holding fairly steady in the rest of western Europe and southern Africa.

The new variants may not be the only reason. Britain and South Africa differ from their neighbors in other ways, as well. But there is no obvious explanation for the contrast besides the viruss mutations.

This suggests the rest of the world may now be at risk of a new Covid-19 surge.

The variants already seem to have spread around much of the world. More than 30 other countries, including the U.S., have diagnosed cases with the variant first detected in Britain, which is known as B.1.1.7. Scientists say that it could soon become the dominant form of the virus.

The B.1.1.7 variant appears to be between 10 percent and 60 percent more transmissible than the original version. One possible reason: It may increase the amount of the virus that infected people carry in their noses and throats, which in turn would raise the likelihood that they infect others through breathing, talking, sneezing, coughing and so on.
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New South Wales has recorded zero new local cases of coronavirus for the first time since 15 December - but at least two new cases in western Sydney will be included in Tuesday's figures.

Health bosses fear more cases will be recorded after thousands of people went to a BWS in Berala in the city's west while it was exposed to the virus from 22 December to 31 January.

There were no new cases on the Northern Beaches, raising hopes the cluster of 148 which emerged on 16 December has been contained.

Acting Premier John Barilaro, who is filling in for Gladys Berejiklian while she has a week off, said there would be no lockdown for western Sydney for now - but it could happen in the future.

A Covid-19 cluster in Berala has been caused by a patient transfer worker who took a family of returned overseas travellers to a health facility

'We leave everything on the table, but I can make this clear today - there won't be any lockdown of the Cumberland area, no other lockdown in any other parts of Sydney,' he said.

'The restrictions we have in place are strong enough to deal with what we have in front of us and, of course, the mandating of makes gives us an ability for mobility and to go forward.'

Masks were made compulsory for the first time in Sydney from Monday morning, enforced by a $200 fine.

They must be worn in shopping centres, on public transport, in places of worship, hair and beauty premises, entertainment venues such as cinemas and other indoor venues like post offices and banks. Hospitality workers are also required to wear one.

Mr Barilaro said he was confident the Australia-India Test match will go ahead safely at the SCG on Thursday but urged regional Australians not to go.

'The risk would be that if someone from the regions comes to Sydney they could take [coronavirus] back to a regional area. My advice to people would be - think about it, reconsider, maybe this year isn't the year to come to Sydney,' he said.

Regional New South Wales has not had a case of Covid-19 for weeks and has much more relaxed restrictions than Sydney.

There were 22,275 tests reported to 8pm on Sunday, compared with the previous day's total of 18,923 - but health bosses wanted more than 30,000 tests per day to be sure the virus isn't spreading undetected.

There were seven cases in hotel quarantine and Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant warned more infected people are entering Australia as the virus spreads rapidly in Europe and the US.

The Berala BWS was exposed after a Covid-19 patient transport worker unknowingly visited the store while infectious before Christmas.

This infection was first passed from a family of returned travellers with the virus to a patient transport worker.

This worker then passed it to a colleague, who attended the BWS at Berala without symptoms for a short amount of time on 20 December. It is believed a BWS worker then caught the virus without knowing and served thousands of customers.

Shoppers wear masks as they walk around a shopping precinct in Sydney on Sunday. Masks are mandatory in Sydney

A security guard takes the temperature of a customer at a shopping precinct in Sydney on Sunday

Berala BWS: Exposure times Anyone who visited BWS at Berala Shopping Centre at certain times from December 22 through to New Year's Eve is considered a close contact and should get tested and self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of the test result: Tuesday 22 December 2020 between 12:41pm to 9:15pm Wednesday 23 December 2020 between 12:45pm to 9:15pm Thursday 24 December 2020 between 12:45pm to 9:30pm Saturday 26 December 2020 between 9:55am to 7:30pm Sunday 27 December 2020 between 12:45pm to 8:15pm Monday 28 December 2020 between 8:30am to 7:45pm Tuesday 29 December 2020 between 1:45pm to 9:15pm Wednesday 30 December 2020 between 12:45am to 9:15pm Thursday 31 December 2020 between 8:30am to 5pm Advertisement

People who attended BWS or Woolworths in the Berala shopping centre on Sunday 20 December between 12.30pm and 2pm are being urged to get tested immediately and self-isolate until a negative result is received.

Tens of thousands of people have been asked to isolation after more than 1,000 people attended the shop on Christmas Eve alone.

Mr Barilaro said on Monday the government had no qualms about tightening restrictions around Berala if unsourced Covid-19 cases began to emerge.

He admitted contact tracing at the BWS was a colossal task, as QR codes are not mandatory at NSW bottle shops.

'We will always consider what we can do in relation to a lockdown, further restrictions, especially where there is a hot spot,' Mr Barilaro told the Nine Network.

'One of the things we said when we were lifting restrictions was that if we had to respond, it would be fast and it would be hard and local, just like we have done for the (northern beaches) peninsula.'

The NSW government has set a target of 20,000 or 30,000 tests a day while it tackles the outbreaks.

The northern beaches cluster on Sunday lifted by two to 148 people, with the northern part of the peninsula still under stay-at-home orders. Those orders will remain in place until at least Saturday.

NSW Health is currently treating 125 people with Covid-19, none of whom are in intensive care.

Meanwhile, police say a southwest Sydney venue operator will be fined $5,000 after hosting a wedding attended by at least 600 people.

Officers attended the venue on Spencer St in Fairfield on Saturday and estimated at least 600 people were at the wedding, despite a COVID-safe capacity of 350.

Guests at the wedding are yet to be penalised.

Police Minister David Elliot has described a breach of public health orders by a venue operator which allowed 700 people to attend a wedding at its southwest Sydney site on Saturday as 'baffling'.

Police say the operator will be fined $5000 after officers attended the venue on Spencer St in Fairfield on Saturday. It has a COVID-safe capacity of 350.

'It is a terrible start to the police week ... and it is baffling that somebody would breach it so badly,' Mr Elliot told the Nine Network on Monday.

'This isn't one or two people coming from an area in lockdown or, you know, this isn't a dozen people that turned up unannounced, this is twice the amount of people that were allowed to attend that wedding reception in an area not far from Berala.'

Earlier on Monday Victoria recorded three new coronavirus cases after thousands of shoppers were left exposed amid a contact tracing bungle.

The infections bring the state's number of active cases up to 36 after more than 32,000 tests were processed on Sunday.

All new cases are close contacts of existing infections in Mentone and Mitcham, which are linked to the Northern Beaches outbreak in New South Wales.

Melbourne's Federation Square and several major shopping stores have been added to Victoria's growing list of exposure sites.

Pictured: Healthcare workers are seen at drive through testing facility at Springers Leisure Centre in Cheltenham, Melbourne on December 31

Melbourne's Federation Square (pictured on December 31) has been added to Victoria's growing list of exposure sites

A case attended the CBD hub on December 23 from 11am to 11.30am.

Anyone who attended the site at those times should monitor for symptoms, and undergo testing and isolate if they develop.

The same advice applies to those who visited IKEA Springvale from 4pm to 6pm on December 29, as well as Kmart and Coles in Burwood East the day before.

Five other venues have also been added to the hotspot list after managers took it upon themselves to warn patrons to get tested because health authorities were slow to ask them to shut their doors.

With AAP

All hospitality staff are required to wear a mask, with anyone disobeying the health order to be fined $200 from Monday
New York Theatre Barn will host a free preview of Joe Iconis's Love in Hate Nation, and Rob Rokicki and Sarah Beth Pfeifer's Experience Marianas, on January 20 at 7pm ET. The one-hour show will include musical excerpts from both new musicals, as well as conversations with the writers and creative teams.

Love in Hate Nation will feature performances by Sydney Farley, Amina Faye, Jasmine Forsberg, Lauren Marcus, Kelly McIntyre, Lena Skeele, Emerson Mae Smith, and Tatiana Wechsler, all of whom appeared in the musical's world premiere production at Two River Theater in 2019. The show features book and score by Iconis, and is set in a reformatory for young women in the 1960s.

Experience Marianas reunites The Lightning Thief composer Rokicki with co-star Sarah Beth Pfeifer. Rokicki (book and score) and Pfeifer (book) will perform excerpts from their show, which is described as a "wild sapphic rock musical adventure about one woman's journey to escape an oceanic cult."

The event will be available for free viewing on YouTube.
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The Founder who doubles as the Leader of Alive Chapel International, Archbishop Elisha Salifu Amoako has expressed his disappointment in some bloggers for twisting his prophecy about the Finance Minister Hon Ken Ofori Atta on December 31, 2020 night.



According to him, it is erroneous for some bloggers to peddle a falsehood on social media that he [Elisha Salifu Amoako] has made a definite prophecy that the Minister of Finance Ken Ofori Atta will die this year 2021 in March.



Addressing the media on Sunday, January 3, 2021, at his office, Archbishop Elisha Salifu Amoako debunked the allegation and went on to give a detailed account of the December 31, 2020 prophecy that God rather revealed a sickness which has been targeted at the Finance Minister.



He added that the prophecy was such that without prayer being offered on behalf of the Finance Minister, the sickness can lead to his death from the December 31 night to March 2021; thus, there was no definite prophecy that the Finance Minister would die this year.



He indicated that per the directive of the prophecy, prayer has been offered to God on behalf of the Minister of Finance, noting that he [Archbishop Salifu Amoako] fasted and prayed for the Minister of Finance and God has stopped the evil attack on him.



God revealed detailed prophecies to me and the spirit of God took me to the Bank of Ghana and the Ministry of Finance. I saw a picture at the Ministry of Finance and when I got closer, it turned into the image of the Minister of Finance.



God told me that we should pray for him because there are people who have plotted evil death against him. So, if we dont pray for him from December 31 to March, he can fall ill and the sickness can lead to death. And so, we prayed for him and the next day on January 1, I fasted the whole day and I saw that God has touched the man and cancelled the death from him.



Whenever God reveals something, it means that He wants to work on it and those that He does not reveal, nothing can be done about them. So, I didnt say that the Minister of Finance will die at all cost. I mentioned what God has revealed to me, however, we prayed for him and God has restored him again, he debunked.



Therefore, I want to correct the erroneous statement being peddled by some bloggers that I made a definite prophecy that the Finance Minister will die. The bloggers have twisted my prophecy about the Finance Minister, he reiterated.



Touching on the revelation about the First Lady Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, Archbishop Elisha Salifu Amoako said that his prayer team has prayed for her over a spiritual breast cancer thrown at her to break her down.



He again mentioned that President Akufo-Addo is also saved from some people who are planning to end his life in order that he will not be able to cover his 4-year term.



God has saved everyone that the devil wanted to touch and destroy. There is nobody here on earth who is above prayer; God revealed something about the Ministry of Finance to us and we have worked on itwe dont want any blogger to twist my prophecies, he cautioned.



He said that his over 35 years in the prophetic ministry have not been doubted as his predictions have come to pass from the 90s till date; thus, he has integrity in the prophetic ministry which is known by all the prophets who are being attacked.



I will plead with the bloggers to write as I have said without twisting my words; dont give a wrong caption for people to insult me. I never said that the Finance Minister will die and so I want to correct this erroneous statement being circulated on social media by some bloggers, he pleaded.

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









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Featured Video
President Donald Trump's desperate attempts to pressure Georgia's Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to 'find' enough votes to overturn Joe Biden's victory in the Peach State have been revealed in a leaked phone call.

The Washington Post obtained audio of the extraordinary hour-long call on Saturday, in which Trump berated Raffensperger and Gov Brian Kemp to do anything they could to change the outcome of the Georgia election.

An agitated Trump was heard repeatedly insisting: 'There's no way I lost Georgia. There's no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes.'

He told the Republican officials: 'So look. All I want to do is this  I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state.

'There's nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, that you've recalculated.'

Raffensperger pushed back hard, and often, at one point telling Trump: 'Well, Mr President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong.'

Donald Trump (left) pressured Georgia's Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (right) to 'find' enough votes to overturn Joe Biden's win in the Peach State during an extraordinary leaked phone call on Saturday

Trump's comments sparked fury among Democrats, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris calling them 'the voice of desperation' and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez branding the call 'an impeachable offense'.

The president was joined on the call by his Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and two top conservative attorneys, Cleta Mitchell and Kurt Hilbert.

Raffensberger was joined by his General Counsel Ryan Germany and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.

Below is a full transcript of the call first published by the Post:

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows: Okay. Alright. Mr. President, everyone is on the line. This is Mark Meadows, the chief of staff. Just so we all are aware. On the line is secretary of state and two other individuals. Jordan and Mr. Germany with him. You also have the attorneys that represent the president, Kurt and Alex and Cleta Mitchell  who is not the attorney of record but has been involved  myself and then the president. So Mr. President, I'll turn it over to you.

President Donald Trump: Okay, thank you very much. Hello Brad and Ryan and everybody. We appreciate the time and the call. So we've spent a lot of time on this, and if we could just go over some of the numbers, I think it's pretty clear that we won. We won very substantially in Georgia. You even see it by rally size, frankly. We'd be getting 25-30,000 people a rally, and the competition would get less than 100 people. And it never made sense.

But we have a number of things. We have at least 2 or 3  anywhere from 250 to 300,000 ballots were dropped mysteriously into the rolls. Much of that had to do with Fulton County, which hasn't been checked. We think that if you check the signatures  a real check of the signatures going back in Fulton County  you'll find at least a couple of hundred thousand of forged signatures of people who have been forged. And we are quite sure that's going to happen.

Another tremendous number. We're going to have an accurate number over the next two days with certified accountants. But an accurate number will be given, but it's in the 50s of thousands  and that's people that went to vote and they were told they can't vote because they've already been voted for. And it's a very sad thing. They walked out complaining. But the number's large. We'll have it for you. But it's much more than the number of 11,779 that's  the current margin is only 11,779. Brad, I think you agree with that, right? That's something I think everyone  at least that's a number that everyone agrees on.

Who was on Trump's leaked call? Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp

Raffensperger's General Counsel Ryan Germany

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows

Trump attorney Cleta Mitchell

Trump attorney Kurt Hilbert Advertisement

But that's the difference in the votes. But we've had hundreds of thousands of ballots that we're able to actually  we'll get you a pretty accurate number. You don't need much of a number because the number that in theory I lost by, the margin would be 11,779. But you also have a substantial numbers of people, thousands and thousands, who went to the voting place on November 3, were told they couldn't vote, were told they couldn't vote because a ballot had been put on their name. And you know that's very, very, very, very sad.

We had, I believe it's about 4,502 voters who voted but who weren't on the voter registration list, so it's 4,502 who voted, but they weren't on the voter registration roll, which they had to be. You had 18,325 vacant address voters. The address was vacant, and they're not allowed to be counted. That's 18,325.

Smaller number  you had 904 who only voted where they had just a P.O.  a post office box number  and they had a post office box number, and that's not allowed. We had at least 18,000  that's on tape, we had them counted very painstakingly  18,000 voters having to do with [name]. She's a vote scammer, a professional vote scammer and hustler [name]. That was the tape that's been shown all over the world that makes everybody look bad, you, me and everybody else.

Where they got  number one they said very clearly and it's been reported that they said there was a major water main break. Everybody fled the area. And then they came back, [name] and her daughter and a few people. There were no Republican poll watchers. Actually, there were no Democrat poll watchers, I guess they were them. But there were no Democrats, either, and there was no law enforcement. Late in the morning, early in the morning, they went to the table with the black robe and the black shield, and they pulled out the votes. Those votes were put there a number of hours before  the table was put there  I think it was, Brad, you would know, it was probably eight hours or seven hours before, and then it was stuffed with votes.

They weren't in an official voter box; they were in what looked to be suitcases or trunks, suitcases, but they weren't in voter boxes. The minimum number it could be because we watched it, and they watched it certified in slow motion instant replay if you can believe it, but slow motion, and it was magnified many times over, and the minimum it was 18,000 ballots, all for Biden.

You had out-of-state voters. They voted in Georgia, but they were from out of state, of 4,925. You had absentee ballots sent to vacant, they were absentee ballots sent to vacant addresses. They had nothing on them about addresses, that's 2,326.

And you had dropboxes, which is very bad. You had dropboxes that were picked up. We have photographs, and we have affidavits from many people.

I don't know if you saw the hearings, but you have dropboxes where the box was picked up but not delivered for three days. So all sorts of things could have happened to that box, including, you know, putting in the votes that you wanted. So there were many infractions, and the bottom line is, many, many times the 11,779 margin that they said we lost by  we had vast, I mean the state is in turmoil over this.

And I know you would like to get to the bottom of it, although I saw you on television today, and you said that you found nothing wrong. I mean, you know, and I didn't lose the state, Brad. People have been saying that it was the highest vote ever. There was no way. A lot of the political people said that there's no way they beat me. And they beat me. They beat me in the . . . As you know, every single state, we won every state. We won every statehouse in the country. We held the Senate, which is shocking to people, although we'll see what happens tomorrow or in a few days.

And we won the House, but we won every single statehouse, and we won Congress, which was supposed to lose 15 seats, and they gained, I think 16 or 17 or something. I think there's a now difference of five. There was supposed to be a difference substantially more. But politicians in every state, but politicians in Georgia have given affidavits and are going to that, that there was no way that they beat me in the election, that the people came out, in fact, they were expecting to lose, and then they ended up winning by a lot because of the coattails. And they said there's no way, that they've done many polls prior to the election, that there was no way that they won.

Ballots were dropped in massive numbers. And we're trying to get to those numbers and we will have them.

They'll take a period of time. Certified. But but they're massive numbers. And far greater than the 11,779.

The other thing, dead people. So dead people voted, and I think the number is close to 5,000 people. And they went to obituaries. They went to all sorts of methods to come up with an accurate number, and a minimum is close to about 5,000 voters.

The bottom line is, when you add it all up and then you start adding, you know, 300,000 fake ballots. Then the other thing they said is in Fulton County and other areas. And this may or may not be true . . . this just came up this morning, that they are burning their ballots, that they are shredding, shredding ballots and removing equipment. They're changing the equipment on the Dominion machines and, you know, that's not legal.

And they supposedly shredded I think they said 300 pounds of, 3,000 pounds of ballots. And that just came to us as a report today. And it is a very sad situation.

But Brad, if you took the minimum numbers where many, many times above the 11,779, and many of those numbers are certified, or they will be certified, but they are certified. And those are numbers that are there, that exist. And that beat the margin of loss, they beat it, I mean, by a lot, and people should be happy to have an accurate count instead of an election where there's turmoil.

I mean there's turmoil in Georgia and other places. You're not the only one, I mean, we have other states that I believe will be flipping to us very shortly. And this is something that  you know, as an example, I think it in Detroit, I think there's a section, a good section of your state actually, which we're not sure so we're not going to report it yet. But in Detroit, we had, I think it was, 139 percent of the people voted. That's not too good.

In Pennsylvania, they had well over 200,000 more votes than they had people voting. And that doesn't play too well, and the legislature there is, which is Republican, is extremely activist and angry. I mean, there were other things also that were almost as bad as that. But they had as an example, in Michigan, a tremendous number of dead people that voted. I think it was, I think, Mark, it was 18,000. Some unbelievably high number, much higher than yours, you were in the 4-5,000 category.

And that was checked out laboriously by going through, by going through the obituary columns in the newspapers.

So I guess with all of it being said, Brad, the bottom line, and provisional ballots, again, you know, you'll have to tell me about the provisional ballots, but we have a lot of people that were complaining that they weren't able to vote because they were already voted for. These are great people.

And, you know, they were shellshocked. I don't know if you call that provisional ballots. In some states, we had a lot of provisional ballot situations where people were given a provisional ballot because when they walked in on November 3 and they were already voted for.

So that's it. I mean, we have many, many times the number of votes necessary to win the state. And we won the state, and we won it very substantially and easily, and we're getting, we have, much of this is a very certified, far more certified than we need. But we're getting additional numbers certified, too. And we're getting pictures of dropboxes being delivered and delivered late. Delivered three days later, in some cases, plus we have many affidavits to that effect.

Trump was joined on the call by several of his most loyal allies, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows (left) and conservative lawyers Cleta Mitchell (center) and Kurt Hilbert (right)

Meadows: So, Mr. President, if I might be able to jump in, and I'll give Brad a chance. Mr. Secretary, obviously there is, there are allegations where we believe that not every vote or fair vote and legal vote was counted, and that's at odds with the representation from the secretary of state's office.

What I'm hopeful for is there some way that we can, we can find some kind of agreement to look at this a little bit more fully? You know the president mentioned Fulton County.

But in some of these areas where there seems to be a difference of where the facts seem to lead, and so Mr. Secretary, I was hopeful that, you know, in the spirit of cooperation and compromise, is there something that we can at least have a discussion to look at some of these allegations to find a path forward that's less litigious?

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger: Well, I listened to what the president has just said. President Trump, we've had several lawsuits, and we've had to respond in court to the lawsuits and the contentions. We don't agree that you have won. And we don't  I didn't agree about the 200,000 number that you'd mentioned. I'll go through that point by point.

What we have done is we gave our state Senate about one and a half hours of our time going through the election issue by issue and then on the state House, the government affairs committee, we gave them about two and a half hours of our time, going back point by point on all the issues of contention. And then just a few days ago, we met with our U.S. congressmen, Republican congressmen, and we gave them about two hours of our time talking about this past election. Going back, primarily what you've talked about here focused in on primarily, I believe, is the absentee ballot process. I don't believe that you're really questioning the Dominion machines. Because we did a hand re-tally, a 100 percent re-tally of all the ballots, and compared them to what the machines said and came up with virtually the same result. Then we did the recount, and we got virtually the same result. So I guess we can probably take that off the table.

I don't think there's an issue about that.

Trump: Well, Brad. Not that there's not an issue, because we have a big issue with Dominion in other states and perhaps in yours. But we haven't felt we needed to go there. And just to, you know, maybe put a little different spin on what Mark is saying, Mark Meadows, yeah we'd like to go further, but we don't really need to. We have all the votes we need.

You know, we won the state. If you took, these are the most minimal numbers, the numbers that I gave you, those are numbers that are certified, your absentee ballots sent to vacant addresses, your out-of-state voters, 4,925. You know when you add them up, it's many more times, it's many times the 11,779 number. So we could go through, we have not gone through your Dominion. So we can't give them blessing. I mean, in other states, we think we found tremendous corruption with Dominion machines, but we'll have to see.

But we only lost the state by that number, 11,000 votes, and 779. So with that being said, with just what we have, with just what we have, we're giving you minimal, minimal numbers. We're doing the most conservative numbers possible; we're many times, many, many times above the margin. And so we don't really have to, Mark, I don't think we have to go through . . .

Meadows: Right

Trump: Because what's the difference between winning the election by two votes and winning it by half a million votes. I think I probably did win it by half a million. You know, one of the things that happened, Brad, is we have other people coming in now from Alabama and from South Carolina and from other states, and they're saying it's impossible for you to have lost Georgia. We won. You know in Alabama, we set a record, got the highest vote ever. In Georgia, we set a record with a massive amount of votes. And they say it's not possible to have lost Georgia.

And I could tell you by our rallies. I could tell you by the rally I'm having on Monday night, the place, they already have lines of people standing out front waiting. It's just not possible to have lost Georgia. It's not possible. When I heard it was close, I said there's no way. But they dropped a lot of votes in there late at night. You know that, Brad. And that's what we are working on very, very stringently. But regardless of those votes, with all of it being said, we lost by essentially 11,000 votes, and we have many more votes already calculated and certified, too.

And so I just don't know, you know, Mark, I don't know what's the purpose. I won't give Dominion a pass because we found too many bad things. But we don't need Dominion or anything else. We have won this election in Georgia based on all of this. And there's nothing wrong with saying that, Brad. You know, I mean, having the correct  the people of Georgia are angry. And these numbers are going to be repeated on Monday night. Along with others that we're going to have by that time, which are much more substantial even. And the people of Georgia are angry, the people of the country are angry. And there's nothing wrong with saying that, you know, that you've recalculated. Because the 2,236 in absentee ballots. I mean, they're all exact numbers that were done by accounting firms, law firms, etc. And even if you cut 'em in half, cut 'em in half and cut 'em in half again, it's more votes than we need.

Raffensperger: Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is the data you have is wrong. We talked to the congressmen, and they were surprised.

But they  I guess there was a person named Mr. Braynard who came to these meetings and presented data, and he said that there was dead people, I believe it was upward of 5,000. The actual number were two. Two. Two people that were dead that voted. So that's wrong.

Trump: Well, Cleta, how do you respond to that? Maybe you tell me?

Trump attorney Cleta Mitchell: Well, I would say, Mr. Secretary, one of the things that we have requested and what we said was, if you look, if you read our petition, it said that we took the names and birth years, and we had certain information available to us. We have asked from your office for records that only you have, and so we said there is a universe of people who have the same name and same birth year and died.

But we don't have the records that you have. And one of the things that we have been suggesting formally and informally for weeks now is for you to make available to us the records that would be necessary 

Trump: But, Cleta, even before you do that, and not even including that, that's why I hardly even included that number, although in one state, we have a tremendous amount of dead people. So I don't know  I'm sure we do in Georgia, too. I'm sure we do in Georgia, too.

But we're so far ahead. We're so far ahead of these numbers, even the phony ballots of [name] , known scammer. You know the Internet? You know what was trending on the Internet? 'Where's [name]?' Because they thought she'd be in jail. 'Where's [name]?' It's crazy, it's crazy. That was. The minimum number is 18,000 for [name] , but they think it's probably about 56,000, but the minimum number is 18,000 on the [name] night where she ran back in there when everybody was gone and stuffed, she stuffed the ballot boxes. Let's face it, Brad, I mean. They did it in slow motion replay magnified, right? She stuffed the ballot boxes. They were stuffed like nobody has ever seen them stuffed before.

So there's a term for it when it's a machine instead of a ballot box, but she stuffed the machine. She stuffed the ballot. Each ballot went three times, they were showing: Here's ballot No 1. Here it is a second time, third time, next ballot.

I mean, look. Brad. We have a new tape that we're going to release. It's devastating. And by the way, that one event, that one event is much more than the 11,000 votes that we're talking about. It's, you know, that one event was a disaster. And it's just, you know, but it was, it was something, it can't be disputed. And again, we have a version that you haven't seen, but it's magnified. It's magnified, and you can see everything. For some reason, they put it in three times, each ballot, and I don't know why. I don't know why three times. Why not five times, right? Go ahead.

Raffensperger: You're talking about the State Farm video. And I think it's extremely unfortunate that Rudy Giuliani or his people, they sliced and diced that video and took it out of context. The next day, we brought in WSB-TV, and we let them show, see the full run of tape, and what you'll see, the events that transpired are nowhere near what was projected by, you know 

Trump: But where were the poll watchers, Brad? There were no poll watchers there. There were no Democrats or Republicans. There was no security there.

It was late in the evening, late in the, early in the morning, and there was nobody else in the room. Where were the poll watchers, and why did they say a water main broke, which they did and which was reported in the newspapers? They said they left. They ran out because of a water main break, and there was no water main. There was nothing. There was no break. There was no water main break. But we're, if you take out everything, where were the Republican poll watchers, even where were the Democrat pollwatchers, because there were none.

And then you say, well, they left their station, you know, if you look at the tape, and this was, this was reviewed by professional police and detectives and other people, when they left in a rush, everybody left in a rush because of the water main, but everybody left in a rush. These people left their station.

When they came back, they didn't go to their station. They went to the apron, wrapped around the table, under which were thousands and thousands of ballots in a box that was not an official or a sealed box. And then they took those. They went back to a different station. So if they would have come back, they would have walked to their station, and they would have continued to work. But they couldn't do even that because that's illegal, because they had no Republican pollwatchers. And remember, her reputation is  she's known all over the Internet, Brad. She's known all over.

I'm telling you, 'Where's [name] ' was one of the hot items . . . [name] They knew her. 'Where's [name]?' So Brad, there can be no justification for that. And I, you know, I give everybody the benefit of the doubt. But that was  and Brad, why did they put the votes in three times? You know, they put 'em in three times.

Raffensperger: Mr. President, they did not put that. We did an audit of that, and we proved conclusively that they were not scanned three times.

Trump: Where was everybody else at that late time in the morning? Where was everybody? Where were the Republicans? Where were the security guards? Were the people that were there just a little while before when everyone ran out of the room. How come we had no security in the room. Why did they run to the bottom of the table? Why do they run there and just open the skirt and rip out the votes. I mean, Brad. And they were sitting there, I think for five hours or something like that, the votes.

Raffensperger: Mr. President, we'll send you the link from WSB.

Trump: I don't care about the link. I don't need it. Brad, I have a much better 

Mitchell: I will tell you. I've seen the tape. The full tape. So has Alex. We've watched it. And what we saw and what we've confirmed in the timing is that they made everybody leave  we have sworn affidavits saying that. And then they began to process ballots. And our estimate is that there were roughly 18,000 ballots. We don't know that. If you know that . . .

Trump: It was 18,000 ballots, but they used each one three times.

Mitchell: Well, I don't know about that.

Trump: I do think we had ours magnified out.

Mitchell: I've watched the entire tape.

Trump: Nobody can make a case for that, Brad. Nobody. I mean, look, you'd have to be a child to think anything other than that. Just a child.

Mitchell: How many ballots, Mr. Secretary, are you saying were processed then?

Raffensperger: We had GBI . . . investigate that.

Germany: We had our  this is Ryan Germany. We had our law enforcement officers talk to everyone who was, who was there after that event came to light. GBI was with them as well as FBI agents.

Trump: Well, there's no way they could  then they're incompetent. They're either dishonest or incompetent, okay?

Mitchell: Well, what did they find?

Trump: There's only two answers, dishonesty or incompetence. There's just no way. Look. There's no way. And on the other thing, I said too, there is no way. I mean, there's no way that these things could have been, you know, you have all these different people that voted, but they don't live in Georgia anymore. What was that number, Cleta? That was a pretty good number, too.

Mitchell: The number who have registered out of state after they moved from Georgia. And so they had a date when they moved from Georgia, they registered to vote out of state, and then it's like 4,500, I don't have that number right in front of me.

Trump: And then they came back in, and they voted.

Mitchell: And voted. Yeah.

Trump: I thought that was a large number, though. It was in the 20s.

Ryan Germany, Raffensberger's General Counsel: We've been going through each of those as well, and those numbers that we got, that Ms. Mitchell was just saying, they're not accurate. Every one we've been through are people that lived in Georgia, moved to a different state, but then moved back to Georgia legitimately. And in many cases 

Trump: How may people do that? They moved out, and then they said, 'Ah, to hell with it, I'll move back.' You know, it doesn't sound like a very normal . . . you mean, they moved out, and what, they missed it so much that they wanted to move back in? It's crazy.

Germany: They moved back in years ago. This was not like something just before the election. So there's something about that data that, it's just not accurate.

Trump: Well, I don't know, all I know is that it is certified. And they moved out of Georgia, and they voted. It didn't say they moved back in, Cleta, did it?

Mitchell: No, but I mean, we're looking at the voter registration. Again, if you have additional records, we've been asking for that, but you haven't shared any of that with us. You just keep saying you investigated the allegations.

Trump: Cleta, a lot of it you don't need to be shared. I mean, to be honest, they should share it. They should share it because you want to get to an honest election.

I won this election by hundreds of thousands of votes. There's no way I lost Georgia. There's no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes. I'm just going by small numbers, when you add them up, they're many times the 11,000. But I won that state by hundreds of thousands of votes.

Do you think it's possible that they shredded ballots in Fulton County? Because that's what the rumor is. And also that Dominion took out machines. That Dominion is really moving fast to get rid of their, uh, machinery.

Do you know anything about that? Because that's illegal, right?

Trump suggested that Raffensberger and his general counsel Ryan Germany (pictured) could be subject to criminal liability if they failed to find that thousands of ballots cast in Fulton County had been illegally destroyed - despite no evidence supporting that allegation

Germany: This is Ryan Germany. No, Dominion has not moved any machinery out of Fulton County.

Trump: But have they moved the inner parts of the machines and replaced them with other parts?

Germany: No.

Trump: Are you sure, Ryan?

Germany: I'm sure. I'm sure, Mr. President.

Trump: What about, what about the ballots. The shredding of the ballots. Have they been shredding ballots?

Germany: The only investigation that we have into that  they have not been shredding any ballots. There was an issue in Cobb County where they were doing normal office shredding, getting rid of old stuff, and we investigated that. But this stuff from, you know, from you know past elections.

Trump: It doesn't pass the smell test because we hear they're shredding thousands and thousands of ballots, and now what they're saying, 'Oh, we're just cleaning up the office.' You know.

Raffensperger: Mr. President, the problem you have with social media, they  people can say anything.

Trump: Oh this isn't social media. This is Trump media. It's not social media. It's really not; it's not social media. I don't care about social media. I couldn't care less. Social media is Big Tech. Big Tech is on your side, you know. I don't even know why you have a side because you should want to have an accurate election. And you're a Republican.

Raffensperger: We believe that we do have an accurate election.

Trump: No, no you don't. No, no you don't. You don't have. Not even close. You're off by hundreds of thousands of votes. And just on the small numbers, you're off on these numbers, and these numbers can't be just  well, why wont?  Okay. So you sent us into Cobb County for signature verification, right? You sent us into Cobb County, which we didn't want to go into. And you said it would be open to the public. So we had our experts there, they weren't allowed into the room. But we didn't want Cobb County. We wanted Fulton County. And you wouldn't give it to us. Now, why aren't we doing signature  and why can't it be open to the public?

And why can't we have professionals do it instead of rank amateurs who will never find anything and don't want to find anything? They don't want to find, you know they don't want to find anything. Someday you'll tell me the reason why, because I don't understand your reasoning, but someday you'll tell me the reason why. But why don't you want to find?

Germany: Mr. President, we chose Cobb County 

Trump: Why don't you want to find . . . What?

Germany: Sorry, go ahead.

Trump: So why did you do Cobb County? We didn't even request  we requested Fulton County, not Cobb County. Go ahead, please. Go ahead.

Germany: We chose Cobb County because that was the only county where there's been any evidence submitted that the signature verification was not properly done.

Trump: No, but I told you. We're not, we're not saying that.

Mitchell: We did say that.

Trump: Fulton County. Look. Stacey, in my opinion, Stacey is as dishonest as they come. She has outplayed you . . . at everything. She got you to sign a totally unconstitutional agreement, which is a disastrous agreement. You can't check signatures. I can't imagine you're allowed to do harvesting, I guess, in that agreement. That agreement is a disaster for this country. But she got you somehow to sign that thing, and she has outsmarted you at every step.

And I hate to imagine what's going to happen on Monday or Tuesday, but it's very scary to people. You know, when the ballots flow in out of nowhere. It's very scary to people. That consent decree is a disaster. It's a disaster. A very good lawyer who examined it said they've never seen anything like it.

Raffensperger: Harvesting is still illegal in the state of Georgia. And that settlement agreement did not change that one iota.

Trump: It's not a settlement agreement, it's a consent decree. It even says consent decree on it, doesn't it? It uses the term consent decree. It doesn't say settlement agreement. It's a consent decree. It's a disaster.

Raffensperger: It's a settlement agreement.

Trump: What's written on top of it?

Raffensperger: Ryan?

Germany: I don't have it in front of me, but it was not entered by the court, it's not a court order.

Trump: But Ryan, it's called a consent decree, is that right? On the paper. Is that right?

Germany: I don't. I don't. I don't believe so, but I don't have it in front of me.

Trump: Okay, whatever, it's a disaster. It's a disaster. Look. Here's the problem. We can go through signature verification, and we'll find hundreds of thousands of signatures, if you let us do it. And the only way you can do it, as you know, is to go to the past. But you didn't do that in Cobb County. You just looked at one page compared to another. The only way you can do a signature verification is go from the one that signed it on November whatever. Recently. And compare it to two years ago, four years ago, six years ago, you know, or even one. And you'll find that you have many different signatures. But in Fulton, where they dumped ballots, you will find that you have many that aren't even signed and you have many that are forgeries.

Okay, you know that. You know that. You have no doubt about that. And you will find you will be at 11,779 within minutes because Fulton County is totally corrupt, and so is she totally corrupt.

And they're going around playing you and laughing at you behind your back, Brad, whether you know it or not, they're laughing at you. And you've taken a state that's a Republican state, and you've made it almost impossible for a Republican to win because of cheating, because they cheated like nobody's ever cheated before. And I don't care how long it takes me, you know, we're going to have other states coming forward  pretty good.

But I won't . . . this is never . . . this is . . . We have some incredible talent said they've never seen anything . . . Now the problem is they need more time for the big numbers. But they're very substantial numbers. But I think you're going to fine that they  by the way, a little information  I think you're going to find that they are shredding ballots because they have to get rid of the ballots because the ballots are unsigned. The ballots are corrupt, and they're brand new, and they don't have seals, and there's a whole thing with the ballots. But the ballots are corrupt.

And you are going to find that they are  which is totally illegal  it is more illegal for you than it is for them because, you know, what they did and you're not reporting it. That's a criminal, that's a criminal offense. And you can't let that happen. That's a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer. And that's a big risk. But they are shredding ballots, in my opinion, based on what I've heard. And they are removing machinery, and they're moving it as fast as they can, both of which are criminal finds. And you can't let it happen, and you are letting it happen. You know, I mean, I'm notifying you that you're letting it happen. So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have because we won the state.

And flipping the state is a great testament to our country because, you know, this is  it's a testament that they can admit to a mistake or whatever you want to call it. If it was a mistake, I don't know. A lot of people think it wasn't a mistake. It was much more criminal than that. But it's a big problem in Georgia, and it's not a problem that's going away. I mean, you know, it's not a problem that's going away.

Germany: This is Ryan. We're looking into every one of those things that you mentioned.

Trump: Good. But if you find it, you've got to say it, Ryan.

Germany: . . . Let me tell you what we are seeing. What we're seeing is not at all what you're describing. These are investigators from our office, these are investigators from GBI, and they're looking, and they're good. And that's not what they're seeing. And we'll keep looking, at all these things.

Trump: Well, you better check on the ballots because they are shredding ballots, Ryan. I'm just telling you, Ryan. They're shredding ballots. And you should look at that very carefully. Because that's so illegal. You know, you may not even believe it because it's so bad. But they're shredding ballots because they think we're going to eventually get there . . . because we'll eventually get into Fulton. In my opinion, it's never too late. . . . So, that's the story. Look, we need only 11,000 votes. We have are far more than that as it stands now. We'll have more and more. And . . . do you have provisional ballots at all, Brad? Provisional ballots?

Raffensperger: Provisional ballots are allowed by state law.

Trump: Sure, but I mean, are they counted, or did you just hold them back because they, you know, in other words, how many provisional ballots do you have in the state?

Raffensperger: We'll get you that number.

Trump: Because most of them are made out to the name Trump. Because these are people that were scammed when they came in. And we have thousands of people that have testified or that want to testify. When they came in, they were proudly going to vote on November 3. And they were told, 'I'm sorry, you've already been voted for, you've already voted.' The women, men started screaming, 'No. I proudly voted till November 3.' They said, 'I'm sorry, but you've already been voted for, and you have a ballot.' And these people are beside themselves. So they went out, and they filled in a provisional ballot, putting the name Trump on it.

And what about that batch of military ballots that came in. And even though I won the military by a lot, it was 100 percent Trump. I mean 100 percent Biden. Do you know about that? A large group of ballots came in, I think it was to Fulton County, and they just happened to be 100 percent for Trump  for Biden  even though Trump won the military by a lot, you know, a tremendous amount. But these ballots were 100 percent for Biden. And do you know about that? A very substantial number came in, all for Biden. Does anybody know about it?

Mitchell: I know about it, but 

Trump: Okay, Cleta, I'm not asking you, Cleta, honestly. I'm asking Brad. Do you know about the military ballots that we have confirmed now. Do you know about the military ballots that came in that were 100 percent, I mean 100 percent, for Biden. Do you know about that?

Germany: I don't know about that. I do know that we have, when military ballots come in, it's not just military, it's also military and overseas citizens. The military part of that does generally go Republican. The overseas citizen part of it generally goes very Democrat. This was a mix of 'em.

Trump: No, but this was. That's okay. But I got like 78 percent of the military. These ballots were all for . . . They didn't tell me overseas. Could be overseas, too, but I get votes overseas, too, Ryan, in all fairness. No they came in, a large batch came in, and it was, quote, 100 percent for Biden. And that is criminal. You know, that's criminal. Okay. That's another criminal, that's another of the many criminal events, many criminal events here.

I don't know, look, Brad. I got to get . . . I have to find 12,000 votes, and I have them times a lot. And therefore, I won the state. That's before we go to the next step, which is in the process of right now. You know, and I watched you this morning, and you said, well, there was no criminality.

But I mean all of this stuff is very dangerous stuff. When you talk about no criminality, I think it's very dangerous for you to say that.

I just, I just don't know why you don't want to have the votes counted as they are. Like even you when you went and did that check. And I was surprised because, you know . . . And we found a few thousand votes that were against me. I was actually surprised because the way that check was done, all you're doing, you know, recertifying existing votes and, you know, and you were given votes and you just counted them up, and you still found 3,000 that were bad. So that was sort of surprising that it came down to three or five, I don't know. Still a lot of votes. But you have to go back to check from past years with respect to signatures. And if you check with Fulton County, you'll have hundreds of thousands because they dumped ballots into Fulton County and the other county next to it.

So what are we going to do here, folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break. You know, we have that in spades already. Or we can keep it going, but that's not fair to the voters of Georgia because they're going to see what happened, and they're going to see what happened. I mean, I'll, I'll take on anybody you want with regard to [name] and her lovely daughter, a very lovely young lady, I'm sure. But, but [name] . . . I will take on anybody you want. And the minimum, there were 18,000 ballots, but they used them three times. So that's, you know, a lot of votes. And they were all to Biden, by the way, that's the other thing we didn't say. You know, [name] , the one thing I forgot to say, which was the most important. You know that every single ballot she did went to Biden. You know that, right? Do you know that, by the way, Brad?

Every single ballot that she did through the machines at early, early in the morning went to Biden. Did you know that, Ryan?

Germany: That's not accurate, Mr. President.

Trump: Huh. What is accurate?

Germany: The numbers that we are showing are accurate.

Trump: No, about [name] . About early in the morning, Ryan. Where the woman took, you know, when the whole gang took the stuff from under the table, right? Do you know, do you know who those ballots, do you know who they were made out to, do you know who they were voting for?

Germany: No, not specifically.

Trump: Did you ever check?

Germany: We did what I described to you earlier 

Trump: No no no  did you ever check the ballots that were scanned by [name] , a known political operative, balloteer? Did ever check who those votes were for?

Germany: We looked into that situation that you described.

Trump: No, they were 100 percent for Biden. 100 percent. There wasn't a Trump vote in the whole group. Why don't you want to find this, Ryan? What's wrong with you? I heard your lawyer is very difficult, actually, but I'm sure you're a good lawyer. You have a nice last name.

But, but I'm just curious, why wouldn't, why do you keep fighting this thing? It just doesn't make sense. We're way over the 17,779, right? We're way over that number, and just if you took just [name] , we're over that number by five, five or six times when you multiply that times three.

And every single ballot went to Biden, and you didn't know that, but now you know it. So tell me, Brad, what are we going to do? We won the election, and it's not fair to take it away from us like this. And it's going to be very costly in many ways. And I think you have to say that you're going to reexamine it, and you can reexamine it, but reexamine it with people that want to find answers, not people that don't want to find answers. For instance, I'm hearing Ryan that he's probably, I'm sure a great lawyer and everything, but he's making statements about those ballots that he doesn't know. But he's making them with such  he did make them with surety. But now I think he's less sure because the answer is, they all went to Biden, and that alone wins us the election by a lot. You know, so.

Raffensperger: Mr. President, you have people that submit information, and we have our people that submit information. And then it comes before the court, and the court then has to make a determination. We have to stand by our numbers. We believe our numbers are right.

Trump: Why do you say that, though? I don't know. I mean, sure, we can play this game with the courts, but why do you say that? First of all, they don't even assign us a judge. They don't even assign us a judge. But why wouldn't you . . . Hey Brad, why wouldn't you want to check out [name] ? And why wouldn't you want to say, hey, if in fact, President Trump is right about that, then he wins the state of Georgia, just that one incident alone without going through hundreds of thousands of dropped ballots. You just say, you stick by, I mean I've been watching you, you know, you don't care about anything. 'Your numbers are right.' But your numbers aren't right. They're really wrong, and they're really wrong, Brad. And I know this phone call is going nowhere other than, other than ultimately, you know  Look, ultimately, I win, okay? Because you guys are so wrong. And you treated this. You treated the population of Georgia so badly. You, between you and your governor, who is down at 21, he was down 21 points. And like a schmuck, I endorsed him, and he got elected, but I will tell you, he is a disaster.

The people are so angry in Georgia, I can't imagine he's ever getting elected again, I'll tell you that much right now. But why wouldn't you want to find the right answer, Brad, instead of keep saying that the numbers are right? 'Cause those numbers are so wrong?

Mitchell: Mr. Secretary, Mr. President, one of the things that we have been, Alex can talk about this, we talked about it, and I don't know whether the information has been conveyed to your office, but I think what the president is saying, and what we've been trying to do is to say, look, the court is not acting on our petition. They haven't even assigned a judge. But the people of Georgia and the people of America have a right to know the answers. And you have data and records that we don't have access to.

And you can keep telling us and making public statement that you investigated this and nothing to see here. But we don't know about that. All we know is what you tell us. What I don't understand is why wouldn't it be in everyone's best interest to try to get to the bottom, compare the numbers, you know, if you say, because . . . to try to be able to get to the truth because we don't have any way of confirming what you're telling us. You tell us that you had an investigation at the State Farm Arena. I don't have any report. I've never seen a report of investigation. I don't know that is. I've been pretty involved in this, and I don't know. And that's just one of 25 categories. And it doesn't even. And as I, as the president said, we haven't even gotten into the Dominion issue. That's not part of our case. It's not part of, we just didn't feel as though we had any to be able to develop 

Trump: No, we do have a way, but I don't want to get into it. We found a way . . . excuse me, but we don't need it because we're only down 11,000 votes, so we don't even need it. I personally think they're corrupt as hell. But we don't need that. All we have to do, Cleta, is find 11,000-plus votes. So we don't need that. I'm not looking to shake up the whole world. We won Georgia easily. We won it by hundreds of thousands of votes. But if you go by basic, simple numbers, we won it easily, easily. So we're not giving Dominion a pass on the record. We don't need Dominion because we have so many other votes that we don't need to prove it any more than we already have.

Trump attorney Kurt Hilbert: Mr. President and Cleta, this is Kurt Hilbert, if I might interject for a moment. Ryan, I would like to suggest that just four categories that have already been mentioned by the president that have actually hard numbers of 24,149 votes that were counted illegally. That in and of itself is sufficient to change the results or place the outcome in doubt. We would like to sit down with your office, and we can do it through purposes of compromise and just like this phone call, just to deal with that limited category of votes. And if you are able to establish that our numbers are not accurate, then fine. However, we believe that they are accurate. We've had now three to four separate experts looking at these numbers.

Trump: Certified accountants looked at them.

Hilbert: Correct. And this is just based on USPS data and your own secretary of state data. So that's what we would entreat and ask you to do, to sit down with us in a compromise and settlements proceeding and actually go through the registered voter IDs and the registrations. And if you can convince us that 24,149 is inaccurate, then fine. But we tend to believe that is, you know, obviously more than 11,779. That's sufficient to change the results entirely in and of itself. So what would you say to that, Mr. Germany?

Germany: I'm happy to get with our lawyers, and we'll set that up. That number is not accurate. And I think we can show you, for all the ones we've looked at, why it's not. And so if that would be helpful, I'm happy to get with our lawyers and set that up with you guys.

Trump: Well, let me ask you, Kurt, you think that is an accurate number. That was based on the information given to you by the secretary of state's department, right?

Hilbert: That is correct. That information is the minimum, most conservative data based upon the USPS data and the secretary of state's office data that has been made publicly available. We do not have the internal numbers from the secretary of state. Yet we have asked for it six times. I sent a letter over to . . . several times requesting this information, and it's been rebuffed every single time. So it stands to reason that if the information is not forthcoming, there's something to hide. That's the problem that we have.

Germany: Well, that's not the case, sir. There are things that you guys are entitled to get. And there's things that under law, we are not allowed to give out.

Trump: Well, you have to. Well, under law, you're not allowed to give faulty election results, okay? You're not allowed to do that. And that's what you done. This is a faulty election result. And honestly, this should go very fast. You should meet tomorrow because you have a big election coming up, and because of what you've done to the president  you know, the people of Georgia know that this was a scam  and because of what you've done to the president, a lot of people aren't going out to vote. And a lot of Republicans are going to vote negative because they hate what you did to the president. Okay? They hate it. And they're going to vote. And you would be respected. Really respected, if this thing could be straightened out before the election. You have a big election coming up on Tuesday. And I think that it is really is important that you meet tomorrow and work out on these numbers. Because I know, Brad, that if you think we're right, I think you're going to say, and I'm not looking to blame anybody, I'm just saying, you know, and, you know, under new counts, and under new views, of the election results, we won the election. You know? It's very simple. We won the election. As the governors of major states and the surrounding states said, there is no way you lost Georgia. As the Georgia politicians say, there is no way you lost Georgia. Nobody. Everyone knows I won it by hundreds of thousands of votes. But I'll tell you it's going to have a big impact on Tuesday if you guys don't get this thing straightened out fast.

Meadows: Mr. President, this is Mark. It sounds like we've got two different sides agreeing that we can look at those areas, and I assume that we can do that within the next 24 to 48 hours, to go ahead and get that reconciled so that we can look at the two claims and making sure that we get the access to the secretary of state's data to either validate or invalidate the claims that have been made. Is that correct?

Germany: No, that's not what I said. I'm happy to have our lawyers sit down with Kurt and the lawyers on that side and explain to him, hey, here's, based on what we've looked at so far, here's how we know this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong.

Meadows: So what you're saying, Ryan, let me let me make sure . . . so what you're saying is you really don't want to give access to the data. You just want to make another case on why the lawsuit is wrong?

Germany: I don't think we can give access to data that's protected by law. But we can sit down with them and say 

Trump: But you're allowed to have a phony election? You're allowed to have a phony election, right?

Germany: No, sir.

Trump: When are you going to do signature counts, when are you going to do signature verification on Fulton County, which you said you were going to do, and now all of a sudden, you're not doing it. When are you doing that?

Germany: We are going to do that. We've announced 

Hilbert: To get to this issue of the personal information and privacy issue, is it possible that the secretary of state could deputize the lawyers for the president so that we could access that information and private information without you having any kind of violation?

Trump: Well, I don't want to know who it is. You guys can do it very confidentially. You can sign a confidentiality agreement. That's okay. I don't need to know names. But on this stuff that we're talking about, we got all that information from the secretary of state.

Meadows: Yeah. So let me let me recommend, Ryan, if you and Kurt will get together, you know, when we get off of this phone call, if you could get together and work out a plan to address some of what we've got with your attorneys where we can we can actually look at the data. For example, Mr. Secretary, I can you say they were only two dead people who would vote. I can promise you there are more than that. And that may be what your investigation shows, but I can promise you there are more than that. But at the same time, I think it's important that we go ahead and move expeditiously to try to do this and resolve it as quickly as we possibly can. And if that's the good next step. Hopefully we can, we can finish this phone call and go ahead and agree that the two of you will get together immediately.

Trump: Well, why don't my lawyers show you where you got the information. It will show the secretary of state, and you don't even have to look at any names. We don't want names. We don't care. But we got that information from you. And Stacey Abrams is laughing about you. She's going around saying these guys are dumber than a rock. What she's done to this party is unbelievable, I tell you. And I only ran against her once. And that was with a guy named Brian Kemp, and I beat her. And if I didn't run, Brian wouldn't have had even a shot, either in the general or in the primary. He was dead, dead as a doornail. He never thought he had a shot at either one of them. What a schmuck I was. But that's the way it is. That's the way it is. I would like you . . . for the attorneys . . . I'd like you to perhaps meet with Ryan, ideally tomorrow, because I think we should come to a resolution of this before the election. Otherwise you're going to have people just not voting. They don't want to vote. They hate the state, they hate the governor, and they hate the secretary of state. I will tell you that right now. The only people that like you are people that will never vote for you. You know that, Brad, right? They like you, you know, they like you. They can't believe what they found. They want more people like you. So, look, can you get together tomorrow? And, Brad, we just want the truth. It's simple.

And everyone's going to look very good if the truth comes out. It's okay. It takes a little while, but let the truth come out. And the real truth is, I won by 400,000 votes. At least. That's the real truth. But we don't need 400,000 votes. We need less than 2,000 votes. And are you guys able to meet tomorrow, Ryan?

Germany: I'll get with Chris, the lawyer who's representing us in the case, and see when he can get together with Kurt.

Raffensperger: Ryan will be in touch with the other attorney on this call, Mr. Meadows. Thank you, President Trump, for your time.

Trump: Okay, thank you, Brad. Thank you, Ryan. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you very much. Bye.
Longford community and voluntary groups are receiving 52,000 in funding from money raised during RTE Does Comic Relief in a major round of grants to support under-pressure lifeline services.

The money is being distributed through The Community Foundation for Ireland which has provided over 60 million to communities during the past 20-years.

Projects supported range from mental health and awareness for services for people of all ages through Family Resources and other care in the community initiatives. In total services in Longford will be receiving nine grants.

Longford grant recipients  (note some organisations have been awarded separate grants under different categories and are listed for each grant individually);

Bridgeways Family Resource Centre 2,263.95;

Midlands Polish Community 2,922;

Longford School of Rock 2,856.75;

Longford Womens Link 10,000;

Longford Womens Link 5,000;

St Christophers Services CLG 20,000;

Co Longford Social Services CLg 3,000;

Rath Mhuire & Dolmen Community Services Ltd 1,602.40;

Lus na Greine Family Resource Centre Ltd 5,000
The Hague, Jan 4 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Jan, 2021 ) :The EU medicines watchdog said it could decide later on Monday whether to authorise Moderna's coronavirus vaccine, bringing forward the date from Wednesday.

"There is a meeting of EMA's human medicines committee (CHMP) today, Monday, 4 January, to discuss the Moderna vaccine," the Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency said in a statement.
3D print of a spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19--in front of a 3D print of a SARS-CoV-2 virus particle. The spike protein (foreground) enables the virus to enter and infect human cells. On the virus model, the virus surface (blue) is covered with spike proteins (red) that enable the virus to enter and infect human cells. Credit: NIH

The emergence in Britain and South Africa of two new variants of SARS-CoV-2, which are potentially far more infectious versions of the virus, has prompted widespread concern. Here is what we knowand what we don'tabout the mutations.

What are they?

All viruses mutate when they replicate in order to adapt to their environment.

Scientists have tracked multiple mutations of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, since it appeared in China in late 2019.

The vast majority of mutations did not materially alter either the virus's virulence or transmissibility.

However, one mutationvariant B117, which likely emerged in southeastern England in September, according to Imperial College Londonhas now been detected in countries across the world, including the US, France and India.

Another variant, 501.V2, was detected in South Africa in October, and has since spread to several nations, including Britain and France.

Both have multiple mutations to the virus, most notably on its spike proteinthe part of the virus that latches on to human cells and helps it spread.

Specifically, the mutated versions have an altered receptor binding domain known as N501Y, which is situated on the virus' protein spike and which allows easier access to the ACE2 receptor in human cells.

This makes the mutated versions potentially more infectious than other strains.

The European Centre for Disease Control says that while there is "no clear relationship" between enhanced ACE2 binding and increased transmissibility, "it is plausible that such a relationship exists".

Are they more contagious?

Indeed, several recent studies yet to be peer-reviewedhave concluded that the British variant of SARS-CoV-2 is likely to be far more transmissible than other strains.

The NERVTAG expert committee which advises the British government on disease control has estimated the new mutation is between 50 percent and 70 percent more transmissible.

A team at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) concurs, with experts putting increased transmissibility in the 50-74 percent range.

Last week researchers at Imperial College London released the results of a study into thousands of genetic sequences of SARS-CoV-2 found in Britain between October and December.

They found that the new variant had a "substantial transmission advantage", with a reproduction rate between 0.4 and 0.7 higher than the unmutated virus.

Preliminary studies on the South African variant have also concluded it is more contagious than regular SARS-CoV-2.

Although initial data seems to confirm that the two new versions are more contagious, experts have urged caution.

Bruno Coignard, head of infectious diseases at France's heath authority Sante Publique France, told AFP that the British variant's spread was due to "a combination of factors".

"These concern the virus' characteristics but also prevention and control measures put in place," he said.

Are they more dangerous?

There is currently no evidence to suggest that the mutated viruses are any stronger than normal.

But increased transmissibility alone poses an enormous problem, given that a small but consistent percentage of COVID-19 patients require hospital care.

"Increased transmissibility eventually translates to a far higher incidence rate, and even with the same mortality, this means significant pressure on health systems," said Coignard.

Adam Kucharski, an epidemiologist at LSHTM, said that a virus that is 50 percent more contagious would be a "much bigger problem" than one that is 50 percent more deadly.

In a Twitter thread, he explained how a disease such as COVID-19, with a reproduction (R) rate of 1.1where each patient on average infects 1.1 othersand a mortality rate of 0.8 percent would be expected to produce 129 deaths within a month.

If the mortality rate increased 50 percent, the number of deaths would rise to 193.

But due to the exponential growth in cases with a more contagious variant, a disease with a 50 percent higher transmission rate would see the death toll hit 978.

Arnaud Fontanet, an epidemiologist with France's science council, admitted on Monday that the new British variant was "extremely concerning right now".

Initial studies also concluded that the British variant was significantly more contagious among young people, which raises the issue of whether or not to keep schools open.

The LSHTM study concluded that lockdowns similar to those seen across Britain in November would be insufficent to stem the new variant's spread "unless primary schools, secondary schools, and universities are also closed".

Will vaccines still work?

As vaccination campaigns get underway across the world, is there any reason to fear that the new mutations may not respond to the host of vaccines already on the market?

After all, the messenger RNA vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna trick the body into reproducing the virus's spike proteinthe precise part of the pathogen that has mutated in the new versions.

The ECDC said it was too soon to know if the mutations will impact vaccine efficacy.

Last week Henry Walke from the American Centers for Disease Control told reporters that "experts believe our current vaccines will be effective against these strains".

On Monday however, Francois Balloux, professor of Computational Systems Biology and Director at University College London's Genetics Institute said that the South African variant's spike protein mutation "helps the virus to bypass immune protection provided by prior infection or vaccination".

German vaccine developer BioNTech has said that if needed it could develop a new vaccine that would work on mutated versions within six weeks.

What can we do about them?

Coignard said it was impossible to eradicate the new viral variants entirely, although the goal from policymakers should be "maximum delay" of their spread.

The ECDC says that in countries currently unaffected by the new mutations, "efforts to delay the spread should mirror those made during the earlier stage of the pandemic".

These include tests and quarantining of new arrivals, contact tracing and limited travel, it said.

By sheer luck, certain existing PCR tests can detect the British variant.

Fontanet therefore advocated "extremely aggressive surveillance" through widespread testing.

"We need to be even more vigilant in our prevention measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 by wearing masks, staying at least six feet apart from people we don't live with, avoiding crowds, ventilating indoor spaces and washing our hands," said Walke.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
An Indian comedian has been beaten by a mob and arrested for making 'indecent comments' about Hindu gods during his stand up routine.

Munawar Faruqui, 28, was detained with five other comics in the city of Indore on Friday after violence erupted when he allegedly poked fun at deities and the ruling right-wing BJP party.

Police arrested Mr Faruqui and the other performers after complaints were made by the son of the local BJP mayor Malini Laxman Singh Gaur who was attending the event.

Footage shows scuffles breaking out among the crowd before Mr Faruqui and his colleagues Edwin Anthony, Prakhar Vyas, Priyam Vyas, and Nalin Yadav were taken into custody.

Footage taken at the event shows scuffles breaking out among the crowd before Mr Faruqui and his colleagues Edwin Anthony, Prakhar Vyas, Priyam Vyas, and Nalin Yadav were taken into custody

Munawar Faruqui, 28, (pictured at another stand up event) was detained with five other comics in the city of Indore on Friday after violence erupted when he allegedly poked fun at deities and the ruling right-wing BJP party

The mayor's son, Eklavya Singh Gaur, told India Today: 'The show mocked Hindu deities by passing indecent comments. The Godhra incident and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were also mentioned inappropriately.

'We shot a video and stopped the show by taking the audience out of the cafe.

'Then we caught the comedians and organisers of the show and took them to Tukoganj police station.'

Friends of Mr Faruqui have alleged that he was beaten up with his fellow comics by the mob who were led by Mr Singh Gaur.

Mr Singh Gaur denies the claims.

A police spokesman said: 'The FIR (first information report) was registered following video evidence submitted to us in which the content was found to be objectionable.'

The men were charged with deliberate and malicious acts which 'intended to outrage religious feelings' by insult.

They were further charged with breaching social-distancing requirements under coronavirus legislation.

Munawar Faruqui, 28, was charged with deliberate and malicious acts which 'intended to outrage religious feelings' by insult

There had been around 100 people attending the event in a small hall, allegedly without the permission of authorities.

A local court rejected the comedians' requests for bail and remanded them in custody.

Varun Grover, another Indian comedian, took to Instagram to complain about Mr Faruqui being 'beaten up.'

He wrote on Instagram: 'A fellow Indian, a fellow comedian is in jail and got beaten up by a mob because of the words he uttered. Here he's trying to logically, calmly present his case but our systems now just want to brutally silence every voice.

'They don't want to hear, they don't want to even argue  they want to simply erase every shred of individual thought, every iota of reason. And we the people of the greatest civilisation of earth are ok with it.'
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and the former sarpanch of Pedagarlapadu village, 55-year-old Puramsetti Ankulu, was killed in Andhra Pradeshs Guntur district late on Sunday night, sparking a political row with the TDP accusing the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) of perpetrating political violence in the state.

Ankulu is the second TDP leader to be murdered in a week; a district spokesperson, Nandam Subbaiah, was killed in Proddaturu village in Kadapa soon after posting comments on social media about alleged irregularities in the state governments house sites distribution programme.

The YRSCP has denied a role in both deaths.

According to police, Ankulus body was found late Sunday night at an under-construction site in Dachepalli town with multiple stab wounds and a slit throat.

The superintendent of police for Guntur (rural), Vishal Gunni, said that three special teams have been formed for a probe in the case. We are inquiring into all angles in the murder, including factional violence and financial disputes between Ankulu and others, Gunni said.

He said the preliminary investigation revealed that four people may be involved in the murder. It came to our notice that in the past, too, Ankulu escaped a murder attempt. We are yet to trace his mobile phone, which can provide vital clues, the SP said.

A case of murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been filed.

Ankulus family members said in their police complaint that he received a phone call at around 7pm on Sunday, and left home to meet someone. The callers may be involved in the murder, the family alleged.

On Monday, TDP members assembled at the spot of the murder and raised slogans against the YSRCP. It is a cold-blooded murder by YSRCP leaders, former TDP legislator Yarapathineni Srinivasa Rao said.

The partys general secretary Nara Lokesh, who attended Ankulus funeral on Monday afternoon, said there was a lack of policing in the state. It looks like there is no police system to protect the lives of the people in Andhra Pradesh. Opposition leaders are under constant threat to their lives under this faction-driven, heartless government, he said.

Condemning the murder, TDP president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu also alleged that the YSRCP was indulging in murder politics against the Opposition.

Naidu said that over 16 TDP leaders have been killed in the last 19 months of chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddys rule. The murder of Subbaiah in Proddaturu and Ankulu in Dachepalli holds a mirror to the criminal intolerance of the YSRCP leaders, who are not able to digest the reality when Opposition leaders question the governments failures, corruption and negligence, Naidu said in a statement.

The YSRCP, however, dismissed the allegations. Our party has nothing to do with the murder of Ankulu. TDP leaders are making baseless allegations only for political gains. We have asked Director General of Police Gautam Sawang to make an impartial inquiry into the murder, the partys Gurajala legislator Mahesh Reddy said.
Photo: Contributed

A police officer killed while attempting a traffic stop last week was looking forward to becoming a father for the first time, his family said in a statement Monday.

Sgt. Andrew Harnett, who was 37, had pulled over an SUV in Calgary on New Year's Eve and was hit and dragged when the vehicle took off. He died about an hour later.

"The last few days have been indescribable and overwhelming. The outpouring of support you have shown us is helping to carry us through this difficult time," Hartnett's family said.

"It is also a reflection of how many people Andrew touched and the legacy of the loyalty and kindness he will leave behind."

Harnett leaves behind his wife, Chelsea, and an unborn child.

"Andrew and Chelsea were also expecting their first child together in the summer of 2021. Andrew couldn't have been more excited to be a loving and dedicated father and now a piece of his legacy will live on as part of the CPS family," the statement read.

It said Harnett knew the risks of the job but showed up every day because he was passionate about his role in the community.

"Andrew would have given everything for the police, and he did. He earned the respect of those that knew him, worked with him and of his community."

Harnett had been with the Calgary Police Service for 12 years and before that had served as a military police officer with the Canadian Forces.

A spokesman with the police said a memorial for Harnett was still being planned.

Also Monday, the two teens accused in the officer's death made their first court appearances while a memorial of flowers and balloons continued to grow at the site where he was killed. Blue ribbons were tied to trees, light standards, mailboxes and police cars.

A 17-year-old, who police believe was driving the SUV, and an alleged passenger, 19-year-old Amir Abdulrahman, listened by phone while their case came up in court.

Both are charged with first-degree murder. The Crown noted the most serious charge is automatic in deaths involving a police officer.

A bail hearing for the 17-year-old, who turns 18 next Monday, has been scheduled for Jan. 19. He cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

After his arrest, he was put in 14-day isolation to help prevent the possible spread of COVID-19. He won't be able to attend court in person until that ends.

"The young person has a right to be present during the proceedings and I do have concerns respecting a telephone appearance," said Crown prosecutor Doug Taylor.

"The attorney general is obliged to put on the record that we are opposed to the young person's release."

Taylor said he would be calling a witness and showing a video during the bail hearing.

Defence lawyer Balfour Der, who will be representing Abdulrahman, asked the court to adjourn his client's matter until Feb. 4 so Der could review the file.

Abdulrahman is facing four other outstanding charges related to an assault last fall and failures to appear in court.

Der, who was previously a prosecutor, said he understands how strongly the community feels when a police officer is killed.

"It's always difficult in a case like this," Der said outside court.

"It's about me representing the interests of this young man, finding out what is there for evidence, and giving him the advice that he needs one way or another."
ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 04th Jan, 2021) Abu Dhabi University (ADU) has signed a collaboration agreement with the Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang (USM), a public institution of higher learning and a pioneering, transdisciplinary research-intensive university.

The agreement focuses on both universities' mutual goals, including promoting and establishing partnerships to develop, support, and enhance research activities, educational programmes, and training in media and communication.

Professor Waqar Ahmad, Chancellor of the Abu Dhabi University, and Professor Faisal Rafiq Mahamd Adikan, Vice-Chancellor of the Universiti Sains Malaysia, signed the agreement in the presence of Dr. Sreethi Nair, Dean of ADU's College of Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Nurzali Ismail, Dean of the school of Communication at USM.

USM will work with ADU on exchange programmes, programme development, research, and other educational projects of common interest.

USM is Malaysia's premier research university and one of the top public universities in Malaysia. It is rated 142 in the QS Global World University Rankings 2021. The 50-year-old School of Communication is one of the leading schools for media and communication in Asia.

"We are ecstatic to team up with a global brand like USM. Their experience will enable ADU and USM students to learn from professionals in the field of arts and sciences and offer them an eye-opening experience that will be a stepping stone into their future career.

Such relationships let academic institutions come together to exchange information that will empower the youth of today and nurture their sense of curiosity and develop their intellectual potential," Professor Waqar said.

The research partnership is one of the key areas where both institutions will be collaborating, researching topics of mutual interest that will contribute to the development of local and global knowledge connected to media and communication. Both institutions are looking to expand their research subjects into diverse fields, including media literacy, environmental communication, pedagogy, and corporate communication.

Adikan, in turn, commented, "We are proud to be partnering with one of the UAE's top academic institutions to bring academic and research expertise to students across the country and enhance their learning journey. Partnering with ADU, a world-class institution that considers diversity to be among its key strengths, is aligned with our efforts to foster a culture of diversity and inclusion among our students and faculty from a myriad of nationalities. We are optimistic that this collaboration will be fruitful in the domains of research and professional development."

Within the memorandums framework, this agreement will pave the way for cooperation in developing a master's programme for ADU in the most sought-after fields of communication such as integrated marketing communication, digital media production, and multimedia.
The Government is coming under pressure to ensure a proposed 1m 'village hub' earmarked for a former Tidy Towns winning village in south Longford is not compromised by fears over broadband connectivity.

Contracts designed at creating a remote working hub for economic and enterprise development in Abbeyshrule were signed off on earlier this summer.

The project, however, has come in for renewed discussion over concerns telecoms company Eir is "unwilling" to provide a dedicated fibre connection to underpin the project's emergence.

Fianna Fail Longford-Westmeath TD Joe Flaherty raised the issue in the Dail, saying the topic was one which could scupper the venture's long term viability.

"This is not the first time we have heard criticism of Eir in recent months," he said.

"It has been challenged on billing issues and customer service and, increasingly, it is being challenged on its ability to deliver the roll-out of broadband. This latest saga certainly does not bode well.

In singling out the efforts of local committee members, Cllr Mick Cahill and local entrepreneur Garret Flower of ParkOffice, Mr Flaherty said government chiefs were obligated to ensure Eir kept up its end of the national broadband bargain.

"If my premises was flagged amber or worse in terms of the roll-out plan for County Longford, I would be seriously concerned about the ability and eagerness of Eir to ever deliver fibre to my home," he said.

"We need to hear that Eir will provide whatever infrastructure is required to make this project work as, otherwise, it is a credibility issue for the company and its willingness and eagerness to deliver broadband to rural Ireland."

In response Minister for State Frank Feighan said because the building earmarked for the yard hub is currently designated as a derelict building with no GeoDirectory building ID or Eircode postcode, it would be be treated like a new build premises.

In the event of any difficulties the promoters behind the venture were invited by Mr Feighan to make contact with Department of Communications officials for the purposes of further investigation.
In 2021, Ukraine is planning to perform lung transplants for the first time, as well as upper and lower extremities, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said during a press briefing in Kyiv on Monday.

"Our goal in 2021: a minimum of 250 transplants. In 2021, we plan not to send people abroad for kidney and liver transplants, our doctors are able to do these transplants. We also plan to perform lung, upper and lower extremities transplants this year," he said.

The minister added that it is also planned to introduce a package of the Medical Guarantee Program to accompany patients after transplantation.

"We need to introduce a package of the Medical Guarantee Program with medical services for post-transplant support. We will also develop a mechanism for involving all types of transport, including civil aviation, aviation transport of the State Emergency Service, the National Police, the State Border Guard Service, in the transportation of anatomical materials and recipients," Stepanov said.

"In addition, we plan to introduce tools for assessing the quality of the work of intensive care units and a mechanism for assessing the management of patients with brain damage in medical institutions. The issue of improving medical education, professional development of specialists is also acute. For this, we will introduce programs for sending our specialists for internship abroad," he said.

Stepanov said that since January 1, the Unified Public Organ and Tissue Transplantation Information System, which connects the donor and the recipient, has been available in Ukraine.
The National Council of Students (CNE) on Monday asked the Ministry of Education to decentralize the decision-making process for reopening schools, depending on the incidence rate at the local level, and to initiate discussions on the organization of the national exams, so as to have a number of scenarios ready and ensure that the exams will indeed be held.

"The winter holiday ends on January 11 and the students will return to school online, according to the announcement made by the Ministry of Education. Ever since the suspension of face-to-face classes in November, the National Council of Students remained in touch with students nationwide. Most of our colleagues have told us that online school is tiresome, inefficient and unsustainable in the long run. Considering that the national exams are almost here and that we are close to entering the second half of the school year, and also considering that many localities in the country are still below 3 cases per thousand inhabitants incidence rate, we ask the Ministry of Education to decentralize the decision-making process in the case of the reopening of the education units, depending on the local incidence rate, while ensuring at the same time the necessary health supplies for the classes to unfold safely," shows a press release of the National Council of Students sent to AGERPRES on Monday.

According to the same source, "it is absolutely imperative to develop a feasible remedial learning strategy to ensure that the gaps that many students have accumulated since the beginning of the pandemic and during this school year of online learning, do not become more acute, thus becoming impossible to recover."

"The Ministry of Education must respond with celerity to the needs of the education system: physical attendance of courses, where the epidemiological situation allows it, and coming up with a remedial plan for the students to recover what they have missed by not being able to attend the online courses, as they had no devices by which to be able to access the Internet. Otherwise, the long-term results will be disastrous (...) We call on the Ministry of Education to initiate the dialogue with the social partners to find the best solutions to restart courses," Rares Voicu, head of the National Council of Students, reads the same press release.
VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Surge Copper Corp. (TSXV: SURG) ("Surge" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Leif Nilsson as Chief Executive Officer of Surge. Dr. Shane Ebert will continue as President and VP Exploration of the Company.

Mr. Nilsson has dedicated the last 15 years to a career in mining advisory and investment banking for various Canadian and international firms, most recently serving as Senior Vice President at an Australian multinational investment bank with a market leading mining advisory practice. He has advised on many high-profile M&A and Canadian capital markets transactions and has built a reputation for excellence and integrity. Mr. Nilsson holds an Honours Bachelor of Science in Physics and Exploration Geophysics from the University of Toronto and a Master in Finance from INSEAD.

Dr. Shane Ebert, President of Surge, commented: "As part of the recent rejuvenation of activity at Surge, including the addition of new board members and the acquisition of the Berg project, we set out to establish new leadership for the next phase of growth at Surge. The Company requires an executive with specific skills that Leif brings to bear, and both myself and the rest of the board are very pleased to welcome Leif to the team."

Pat Glazier, Chairman of Surge, commented: "I am delighted to have Leif lead the business as we advance our projects, continue to build out and develop the team, and pursue further growth initiatives. With Leif's expertise, Shane's deep knowledge and experience with the Ootsa project, and the acumen brought by the recent additions of highly experienced board and advisory team members, I am excited by what our growing team will deliver."

Leif Nilsson commented: "I am thrilled to be joining Surge at this point in the Company's trajectory. Surge controls unique and high-quality assets which form an excellent foundation to build shareholder value. The Company's board and management team have the right skills and track record to deliver on our ambitions and I look forward to collaborating with all of the Company's stakeholders to build sustainable value."

The Company also announces that the board has approved the grant of 7,965,000 options to certain employees, executives, directors, and consultants of the Company. The options have been granted pursuant to the Company's option plan, are subject to vesting provisions, have an exercise price of $0.69 per share, and expire five years from the date of grant.

About Surge Copper Corp.

The Company owns a 100% interest in the Ootsa Property, an advanced stage exploration project containing the East Seel, West Seel and Ox porphyry deposits located adjacent to the open pit Huckleberry Copper Mine, owned by Imperial Metals. The Ootsa Property contains pit constrained NI 43-101 compliant resources of copper, gold, molybdenum and silver in the Measured and Indicated categories. There are 2 drills working at the project with drilling focused on defining the extent of the large West Seel deposit and testing new targets along the Seel Trend.

The Company is also earning into a 70% interest in the Berg Property from Centerra Gold. Berg is a large, advanced stage exploration project located 28 km northwest of the Ootsa deposits. Berg contains a large copper-molybdenum-silver mineralized zone with historical resources. Combined, the adjacent Ootsa and Berg properties give Surge a dominant land position in the Ootsa-Huckleberry-Berg district and control over four advanced porphyry deposits.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"Leif Nilsson"

Chief Executive Officer

For more information, please contact:

Leif Nilsson Chief Executive Officer Email: [email protected] Riley Trimble Corporate Communications Telephone: +1 604-416-2978 Email: [email protected]

To find more information on Surge Copper Corp., please visit: http://www.surgecopper.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This News Release contains forward-looking statements, which relate to future events. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "will", "may", "should", "expects", "plans", or "anticipates" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are forward looking statements, including but not limited to the Company's plans regarding the Berg Property and the Ootsa Property. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking-statements. Such uncertainties and risks may include, among others, actual results of the Company's exploration activities being different than those expected by management, delays in obtaining or failure to obtain required government or other regulatory approvals or financing, inability to procure equipment and supplies in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis, equipment breakdown and bad weather. While these forward-looking statements, and any assumptions upon which they are based, are made in good faith and reflect the Company's current judgment regarding the direction of its business, actual results will almost always vary, sometimes materially, from any estimates, predictions, projections, assumptions or other future performance suggestions herein. Except as required by applicable law, the Company does not intend to update any forward-looking statements to conform these statements to actual results.

SOURCE Surge Copper Corp.

Related Links

https://surgecopper.com/


By staying resiliently focused and connected with the community, I am proud that we were able to assist so many individuals and families during their times of need. Our focus has been to address the myriad of issues that impacted the hundreds of thousands of residents in the township and the surrounding area, Mrvan said in the statement.
Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller announced Sunday night that he was reversing his order to withdraw the aircraft carrier Nimitz and its strike group from the Middle East, acknowledging threats of imminent revenge from Iran for the killing of a key military leader last January.

"Due to the recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President Trump and other U.S. government officials, I have ordered the USS Nimitz to halt its routine redeployment," Miller said in a brief statement that did not reference particular threats.

He said the Nimitz and its strike group, the guided-missile cruisers Princeton and Philippine Sea, and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Sterett, will now remain on station in the U.S. Central Command area of operations.

On New Year's Eve, the Pentagon announced that Miller had ordered the withdrawal of the Nimitz and its strike group from the region. The ships, along with the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group carrying 2,500 Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, had been operating off the Somali coast to safeguard the withdrawal of hundreds of U.S. troops.

As the Nimitz prepared to withdraw, however, Iran continued threatening retaliatory violence ahead of the anniversary of the Jan. 3, 2020, U.S. drone strike at Baghdad's main airport that killed Iranian Quds Force Commander Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, leader of the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia in Iraq.

In recent weeks, the U.S. has flown B-52 Stratofortress bombers near Iran on 36-hour round-trip missions from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota in a show of force -- an acknowledgment of escalating tensions.

In Baghdad Sunday, thousands of demonstrators held a mock funeral procession to the airport and rallied in the city's main square to chant anti-American slogans and call for revenge over Soleimani's killing. The U.S. blamed the Soleimani-led Quds force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for the killings of hundreds of U.S. troops in the Iraq war.

On Twitter, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran had intelligence that "Israeli agency provocateurs" might attack Americans to provoke a war with Iran. That would put Trump "in a bind with a fake casus belli," Zarif said.

Iranian Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Amir Hatami pledged revenge for Trump's "criminal and cowardly" order to kill Soleimani, Iran's Tasnim news agency, which has close ties to the IRGC, reported Sunday.

On Dec. 20, Trump took to Twitter to warn Iran of swift retaliation for any revenge attacks on Americans.

"Some friendly health advice to Iran," he wrote. "If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over."

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
SULLIVAN, Ind. (WTHI) -- Its no surprise that many small businesses continue to struggle as the pandemic wears on. Many restaurants, stores, even cupcake shops are hoping theyll make it one more day.

Many small towns have been largely impacted by the ongoing pandemic, but one town banded together to try and help all the small businesses in their community.

Karas Kupcakes in Sullivan Indiana was one of those businesses that are extremely thankful for her community.

Sullivan County created a Facebook Page at the start of the pandemic to help out local restaurants.

The owner of Karas Kupcakes Kara Elkins said this was a saving grace to her shop.

She said, That was a really great platform for all of us to use. Basically, you would post what you had for the day, or what you were offering. If you were offering curbside, or local deliveries, things like that.

She said using this platform helped her store reach more people than she couldve imagined. Elkins told News 10 many people found out they could do curbside pickup and local delivery from the Facebook Page.

She said she was surprised when people wanted to use local delivery because the order wasnt always going directly to the customer.

Elkins said, We had some really generous customers several times call in, place an order, and had us take it to hospitals, the fire department, the sheriff's office, things like that.

Elkins News 10 the local delivery helped keep her business afloat and thank all those first responders that help her community.

She said shes very lucky to be a part of such a generous community.

Elkins said, I don't know what I would've done if I was in a different community, because Im not sure other communities have this sort of support from one another. We dont ever try to tear one another down, we truly try to help one another.

Elkins said the best way you can help your community is by shopping locally.

For more information on The Sullivan County Take out the Facebook Page, you can click here.
More than ever, the country is fractured along economic, partisan, racial, and cultural lines, and if theres a plausible way to bridge the divide, we have yet to hear it.

In other words, Happy New Year, just dont expect prevalent happiness.

To examine the stigmata of 2020 and where were heading in the post-Trump era, we turned to Princeton historian Kevin Kruse, who studies the political environment in granular detail in his most recent book, co-written with colleague Julian Zelizer.

Entitled Fault Lines, the book examines America since Vietnam and Watergate triggered national paroxysms of doubt and distrust in government, and explains how it all set the table for You Know Who.

Kruse, whose half-million Twitter followers know why one publication calls him historys attack dog, spoke with Dave DAlessandro of the Star-Ledger Editorial Board last Wednesday, with remarks edited for brevity.

Q. A New Yorker piece pointed out that 2020, this wretched year of death and distress and privation and protest is largely the culmination of what Donald Trump has wrought. Did America, at least, get a harsh lesson in the power of the presidency and the value of competence?

Kruse: Thats a fair way to say it, and I think we got a lesson in the fact that our institutions dont run on auto-pilot, that it takes informed and capable leadership to make them work. A lot of things Americans had taken for granted in our lives  that things would run fine in the background, that you could rely on the CDC, that the Justice Department would do the right thing  a lot of people have been disabused of that in the last 12 months, for good reason.

Q. What about the 70 million who voted for Trump last month? What lesson will they take from 2020?

Kruse: There are a lot of lessons they could take. Youd think theyd take the lesson that your politics simply cant be about owning the libs and voting for someone because you think hell upset the people you dont like  that theres more to it than that, and that were in it together. But Im worried the lesson theyll take is an entirely fabricated one  that the election was rigged and that Joe Biden isnt a legitimate president. Thats the lesson Trump seems to want his followers to believe on his way out.

Q. This epistemological crisis has existed for years, long before Kellyanne Conway introduced the doctrine of alternative facts. His acolytes were content to repeatedly lie, and those lies seem to resonate. You ever fear our two jobs could be obsolete someday?

Kruse: God, I hope not. But our two jobs have become more complicated and confrontational than ever before. Where simply reporting the facts were things Americans welcomed in the past, now theres a segment that believes truth is inimical to their purposes. I say this with all humility: I think were needed more than ever, because most Americans are searching for truth and context despite the flood of misinformation. Its only made them value and recognize the importance of what journalists and historians do.

Q. Still, the tribal loyalty seems indelible. Facts dont seem to matter, though Ill cite election integrity as this years blessed exception.

Kruse: Its still a problem. I would have thought going into this year that something on the scale of this pandemic might have shaken Trump loyalists awake to see what was going on. And now we have a 9/11 every day. To think about how rapidly and deeply Americans have restructured their lives and norms after 9/11, and the refusal to do that again, its disturbing.

Q. So when you write the final draft of history, what will the epitaph for 2020 be?

Kruse: I think 2020 will be remembered as one of the most chaotic and divisive years in American history. Over the past 100 years the only ones that stand close would be 1968 and 1919, when we dealt with as wide an array of problems  economic collapse, a deadly pandemic, government corruption, social unrest, racial turmoil, impeachment of a President  all at the same time. Its a firehose of problems, and I dont think it ends with Biden, but maybe he can alleviate some of it.

Q. So what might change with a new occupant in the White House?

Kruse: Well see real improvement in areas that matter. One example: Biden will handle the vaccine rollout much better  theres been a total abdication of responsibility from Trump on that  and I think that leads to lives saved and economic recovery. I think well also see some semblance of progress on racial issues. But there will be backlash on the right to most changes.

Q. As we speak, Mitch McConnell is holding COVID relief hostage, attaching two poison pills to the $2,000 check proposal. Is that a preview of what Biden can expect if the Republicans keep the Senate?

Kruse: If McConnell remains Majority Leader, hell do everything he did when Obama was president. He made it clear to his caucus that obstruction was the goal (in 2009)  George Voinovich, the congressman from Ohio, said it plainly: If Obama was for it, we had to be against it. So they literally voted against Republican tax cuts in the stimulus program. When he modeled Obamacare on Republican proposals, they opposed it. No matter how far he extended the olive branch, they slapped it away. That strategy works for McConnell. He went from Minority Leader to Majority Leader, controlled the agenda, blocked a Supreme Court appointment, and theres no reason to think he wont do the exact same thing if he holds the Senate again.

Q. If the Democrats sweep Georgia Tuesday and gain the majority, should they kill the filibuster?

Kruse: I think they need to do it. Under McConnell, the calls for cloture skyrocketed, and it has ground the Senate to a halt. Again, the filibuster isnt an invention of the Founders, its one we cobbled together along the way, and we could just as easily do away with it. I dont think Biden will embrace it, but its not his call: If Schumer and leadership want to do away with it  theyve become more radicalized, though theyre still institutionalists  they could go for it. The odds arent good, but from my perspective, the time is certainly right.

Q. How does 2021 play out for Trump? Will he keep his followers or does he retreat to that psychic bunker of his own making, accompanied only by Lou Dobbs?

Kruse: I think he will hold considerable sway, because hell have a media platform  Fox & Friends, One America News, Breitbart, Twitter. There are still many people willing to amplify what hes saying, and that will give him influence over the party. Usually after a president is defeated after one term, they dont dominate the party, but the party seems intent on ceding that role to Trump. I dont see that changing anytime soon. He is setting the stage to be a president-in-exile from Mar-a-Lago.

Q. But the minute he leaves office, we may see a pile of civil charges unsealed, aimed at Trump and his businesses. Does the country need to see that happen?

Kruse: Yeah, we do. It doesnt have to be a witch hunt, even if he characterizes it as that. But we constantly say in this country that no one is above the law, and that the president is accountable to the law just like everyone else. And then we go out of our way to not apply the law to the president.

Q. Your last book opens with such a pivotal moment.

Kruse: Right. When Ford pardoned Nixon, I think it was a legitimate desire on his part to heal the country. But we never got a full accounting from Nixon, and the lesson taken from that  as he said in that interview with David Frost in 1977  is that when the president does it, its not illegal. That sets a really bad principle, and politicians from both parties push the boundaries of what a president can do. Whether a president crosses the law in the national interest  which is how Reagan characterized Iran-Contra  or commits grift and fraud, he must be held accountable. Otherwise, the message is that the laws apply to ordinary people, not to the rich and powerful. And we see this as Trump pardoning friends who have been convicted of crimes: There is no accountability, and that creates an untenable situation.

Q. Did you have a positive event from 2020 that youll hold fondly in your memory?

Kruse: Well, thats easy  my Chiefs won the Super Bowl. I waited my whole life for this.

Imagine being so far gone that you characterize the extremely radical act of overturning a free and fair election as the right thing to do. https://t.co/Osjru5cO7b  Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) January 1, 2021

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Prior to this agreement, Yara owned 50% of LIFECO, while NOC and LIA each held a 25% stake. Yara's book value of the investment is zero, and Yara expects to book a minor pre-tax gain in its fourth-quarter 2020 results following the transaction. Contact Thor Giver, SVP Investor Relations Mobile: About Yara Yara grows knowledge to responsibly feed the world and protect the planet. Supporting our vision of a world without hunger, we pursue a strategy of sustainable value growth, promoting climate-friendly and high-yielding crop nutrition solutions for the world's farming community and food industry. Yara's ambition is to be the Crop Nutrition Company for the Future. We are committed to creating value for our customers, shareholders and society at large, as we work to develop a more sustainable food value chain. To achieve our ambition, we have taken the lead in developing digital farming tools for precision farming, and work closely with partners throughout the food value chain to improve the efficiency and sustainability of agriculture and food production. Founded in 1905 to solve the emerging famine in Europe, Yara has established a unique position as the industry's only global crop nutrition company. With our integrated business model and a worldwide presence of around 16,000 employees and operations in over 60 countries, we offer a proven track record of responsible and reliable returns. In 2019, Yara reported revenues of USD 12.9 billion. www.yara.com This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act

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City approves first reading of temporary medical marijuana ordinance

With state officials still putting together the oversight rules for medical marijuana establishments, local governments need temporary ordinances.
Steve Hughes, Times Union, Albany, N.Y. (TNS)

Jan. 3ALBANY  A city councilman is proposing Albany look at changing its flag because the Dutch flag it is based on was later used by Dutch Nazis.

Councilman Owusu Anane said the city needs to have a discussion about what the citys flag represents and if it represents Albany correctly.

Many residents have noted the inherent hypocrisy of a city that talks about equity and diversity and promoting our diversity when our flag resembles white supremacy. This is not new, he said during a Common Council caucus meeting Wednesday.

Anane wrote a resolution that would authorize Mayor Kathy Sheehan to form a commission to study the issue.

Much of the resolutions language appears to be based on an online petition to change the citys flag started by Adam Aleksic, a Harvard University student from Albany. In addition to pointing out the flags connection to the Dutch Nazi Party and other white supremacist groups, Aleksic said the flag is poorly designed, according to vexillologists, or those who study flags.

For those who havent seen Albanys flag, it includes orange, white and blue stripes. Inside the white stripe is the citys 1789 coat of arms  a farmer and an Native American standing on either side of a shield containing wheat sheaves and a beaver chewing a tree, topped by a Dutch sailing sloop. Underneath that is a scroll containing the city motto: Assiduity, which means the quality of acting with constant and careful attention.

A city councilman wants Albany to consider changing its flag because of its connections to the Dutch Nazi Party and other white supremacist groups. https://t.co/D97depbf9u  Times Union (@timesunion) January 3, 2021

It was created as part of the 1909 Hudson Fulton Celebration, which commemorated both Dutch explorer Henry Hudsons exploration of the Hudson River and Robert Fultons invention of steam-powered navigation.

Aleksic, in a Dec. 3 letter to the Times Union, notes that citys flag is based on the orange, white and blue striped flag of the Dutch Republic, also known as the Princes Flag, which flew from the late 16th century until 1795 when the Dutch government was overthrown.

The Princes Flag later became a symbol for the Dutch Nazi Party in the 1930s and is still flown by some far-right politicians in the Netherlands. It also served as the backdrop for the South African flag during the apartheid era and was flown by the Dutch East India Co., which was part of the slave trade.

Albany isnt the only city in the country to use the Princes Flag in its own design. New York Citys flag is similar, though the stripes runs vertically, rather than horizontally. Nassau County, the Bronx, and Jersey City, N.J., also have blue, orange and white stripes in their flags.

Ananes resolution doesnt specifically call for any single redesign. Instead, its limited to calls for a study.

Councilman Kelly Kimbrough questioned whether the resolution was needed and said the council cant authorize the mayor to form a commission.

Im not sure this is necessary, he told Anane. Changing the flag is necessary and a discussion should be had.

Its unclear whether the resolution will result in a commission being formed but Sheehan has already moved away from using the citys seal, which includes the coat of arms displayed on the city flag.

In a Dec. 22 interview with WAMC, Sheehan said the city was using a logo designed by St. Rose students for most letters and documents, except when legally required. Sheehan said she cant change the seal on her own because the design is part of the citys charter.

I do think we need to revisit the city seal. In my office and throughout the city were going to be shifting away from using the city seal, she said.

Sheehan noted other cities across the country had taken similar steps.

In June, Sheehan made a move to counter hurtful New York history by announcing her intention to move the statue of Philip Schuyler, Revolutionary War general and owner of enslaved persons, from its almost century-old perch in front of City Hall.

A spokesman for Sheehan did not immediately return a request for comment Friday on whether the mayor supported changing the citys flag.
MADISON, Wis. - A Wisconsin pharmacist convinced the world was crashing down told police he tried to ruin hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine because he believed the shots would mutate peoples DNA, according to court documents released Monday.

This Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020 photo shows the Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, Wis. A pharmacist at the suburban Milwaukee medical center deliberately removed hundreds of coronavirus vaccine doses from refrigeration and left them out overnight twice, not just once as officials initially believed, the health system's chief medical officer said Thursday. (Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP)

MADISON, Wis. - A Wisconsin pharmacist convinced the world was crashing down told police he tried to ruin hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine because he believed the shots would mutate peoples DNA, according to court documents released Monday.

Police in Grafton, about 20 miles (32 kilometres) north of Milwaukee, arrested Advocate Aurora Health pharmacist Steven Brandenburg last week following an investigation into the 57 spoiled vials of the Moderna vaccine, which officials say contained enough doses to inoculate more than 500 people. Charges are pending.

Hed formed this belief they were unsafe, Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol said during a virtual hearing. He added that Brandenburg was upset because he and his wife are divorcing, and an Aurora employee said Brandenburg had taken a gun to work twice.

A detective wrote in a probable cause statement that Brandenburg, 46, is an admitted conspiracy theorist and that he told investigators he intentionally tried to ruin the vaccine because it could hurt people by changing their DNA.

In this booking photo provided by the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office Monday, Jan. 4, 2021 in Port Washington, Wis. Steven Brandenburg is shown. The Wisconsin pharmacist, accused of intentionally spoiling hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine, convinced the world was "crashing down" told police he tried to ruin hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine because he felt the shots would mutate people's DNA, according to court documents released Monday. (Ozaukee County Sheriff via AP)

Misinformation around the COVID-19 vaccines has surged online with false claims circulating on everything from the vaccines ingredients to its possible side effects.

One of the earliest false claims suggested that the vaccines could alter DNA. The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine as well as the Moderna vaccine rely on messenger RNA or mRNA, which is a fairly new technology used in vaccines that experts have been working on for years. MRNA vaccines help train the immune system to identify the spike protein on the surface of the coronavirus and create an immune response. Experts have said there is no truth to the claims that the vaccines can genetically modify humans.

Advocate Aurora Health Care Chief Medical Group Officer Jeff Bahr has said Brandenburg admitted that he deliberately removed the vials from refrigeration at the Grafton medical centre overnight on Dec. 24 into Dec. 25, returned them, then left them out again on the night of Dec. 25 into Saturday.

A pharmacy technician discovered the vials outside the refrigerator on Dec. 26. Bahr said Brandenburg initially said he had removed the vials to access other items in the refrigerator and had inadvertently failed to put them back. The Moderna vaccine is viable for 12 hours outside refrigeration, so workers used the vaccine to inoculate 57 people before discarding the rest. Police said the discarded doses were worth between $8,000 and $11,000.

Bahr said the doses people received Dec. 26 are all but useless. But Gerol said during the hearing that the vials were actually retained and Moderna would need to test the doses to make sure theyre ineffective before he can file charges.

Brandenburgs attorney, Jason Baltz, did not speak on the merits of the case during the hearing. Gerol held off on filing any charges, saying he still needs to determine whether Brandenburg actually destroyed the doses.

Judge Paul Malloy ordered Brandenburg to be released on a $10,000 signature bond, surrender his firearms, not work in health care and have no contact with Aurora employees.

Brandenburg's wife of eight years filed for divorce in June. The couple has two small children.

According to an affidavit his wife filed on Dec. 30, the day before Brandenburg was arrested in the vaccine tampering, he stopped off at her house on Dec. 6 and dropped off a water purifier and two 30-day supplies of food, telling her that the world was crashing down and she was in denial. He said the government was planning cyberattacks and was going to shut down the power grid.

She added that he was storing food in bulk along with guns in rental units and she no longer felt safe around him. A court commissioner on Monday found that Brandenburgs children were in imminent danger and temporarily prohibited them from staying with him.

Online court records indicate Brandenburgs divorce attorney withdrew from the case on Dec. 28.

Associated Press writers Doug Glass in Minneapolis and Beatrice Dupuy in New York contributed to this report.

This story was first published on Jan. 4, 2021. It was updated on Jan. 5, 2021 to correct that Brandenburg was arrested Dec. 31, not Dec. 30. The story was earlier corrected to show that Brandenburg was released on a $10,000 signature bond.
New York can't buy its way out of coming blackouts By David Wojick

New York City will soon be home to the worlds biggest industrial-scale battery system. Its designed to back up the citys growing reliance on intermittent renewable electricity. At 400 megawatt-hours (MWh), this cluster of batteries will be more than triple the existing 129 MWh world leader in Australia. Mark Chambers, NYCs Director of Sustainability (I am not making this title up), is ecstatic. Expanding battery storage is a critical part of how we advance momentum to confront the climate emergency, he brags, while meeting the energy needs of all New Yorkers. Today's announcement demonstrates how we can deliver this need at significant scale. [emphasis added] In the same nonsensical way, Tim Cawley, president of Con Edison, New York states power utility, gushes thus: Utility-scale battery storage will play a vital role in New Yorks clean energy future, especially in New York City, where it will help to maximize the benefit of the wind power being developed offshore. In reality, the scale here is vanishingly insignificant. The official enthusiasm puts the Con in Con Edison. (And few New Yorkers and other East Coast residents are going to tolerate thousands of 850-foot-tall wind turbines off their shores. People dont want them in their onshore backyards either.) When it comes to the scale needed to reliably back up unreliable pretend-renewable electricity generation  and keep business, industry, social media and civilization functioning  New Yorks and Americas policy makers need to start living in the Real World. Otherwise blackouts will become common. For simplicity, lets suppose New York City is 100% wind powered. (Including solar in the generating mix makes it more complicated but does not change the unhappy outcome very much.) NYC currently peaks at around 13,000 MW  just to keep the city running during extreme summer heat. If Mr. Biden makes all the cars and trucks electric, total demand could eventually hit 20,000 MW. But lets stick to present day reality. This peak occurs because of enormous air conditioning demand during summer heat waves, which is bad enough. But to make matters even worse, those heat waves are caused by stagnant high pressure systems called Bermuda highs. These highs often last for a week and because they involve stagnant air masses  and an absence of breezes  there is no wind power generation. Wind turbines require something like sustained winds of 10 mph to move the blades and more like a whistling 30 mph to generate full power. During a Bermuda high, folks are happy to get the occasional 5 mph breeze. These huge highs cover many states, so it is not like we can get the juice from next door. So for reliability we need, say, seven days of backup: 168 hours. Heres the math: 13,000 MW x 168 hours = 2,184,000 MWh of stored juice needed to just make it. Mind you, for normal reliability we usually add 20% or so as a safety measure. Did I mention electric cars? Replacing natural gas with electricity for cooking, water heating and other needs? Charging all those batteries? Maybe they need to add 40% to account for all this, plus emergency circumstances. But lets ignore that for now. Lets also ignore the energy and raw materials required to manufacture (and replace) all those batteries. The key point is, 400 MWh is not significant scale. It is trivial, infinitesimal scale. Virtually nothing. Nada. A piddling 0.02% of what the City would need amid a 7-day heat wave. It might as well not exist. It might be enough to power Gracie Mansion and City government offices during a summer heat wave, but thats about it. More specifically, 2,184,000 divided by 400 = 5,460. That means New York City just needs another 5,459 additional battery clusters to meet those peak needs. On the other hand, this measly 400 MWh battery array may well cost half a billion dollars, which is significant, especially to the New Yorkers who will have to pay for it. No cost figures were given, because the system is privately owned (and the numbers would be hugely embarrassing). However, the Energy Information Administration says the average utility scale battery system runs around $1.5 million per MWh of storage capacity. That works out to $600 million for this insignificant climate-obsessing toy. So what would it cost to reliably back up wind power, at this MWh cost and NYC scale? Just over $3,000,000,000,000. THREE TRILLION DOLLARS! I have not seen this stupendous sum reported in the media. Perhaps Con Ed has not mentioned it. (You think?) They certainly know about it. But hey, maybe the cost will come down a trillion  though not if we create a sellers market by rushing into intermittent renewables, which is certainly where we are headed. After all, this is just New York City. Imagine what backing up America with batteries might cost. Dont bother because it is impossible. I should also add that we have no idea how to make 2 million MWh of batteries work together. The tiny 400 will be a challenge. Millions of megawatt hours on demand may not be possible. Then too, New York State has the same problem. Only much bigger if New York City is included, which it often is. New York State peaks at about 32,000 MW, which works out to 5,376,000 MWh of stored juice at a cost of EIGHT TRILLION DOLLAS for enough batteries to make 100% wind reliable. And again, this is without phasing in electric cars and trucks, phasing out gas heat, a 20-40% reserve, etc. Note that New York State has a law saying they will build at least 3,000 MWh of batteries over the next decade. Like NYCs grand 400 MWh battery system, this is nothing compared to what is needed to keep the lights on. Nor does the New York Power Authority mention the many trillions of dollars needed to make renewables reliable. All of this battery backup hype is a scam, and not just in New York. The papers are full of this con, from coast to coast. Solar plus batteries or wind plus batteries, as though the batteries mattered, when they do not. The utilities know perfectly well that these loudly touted battery buys are a hoax, but they are getting rich building the mandated and subsidized wind and solar systems the politicians are calling for. Adding a trivial battery makes it sound like renewables work. Which they dont. On a larger scale, consider PJM. This is the electric power coordinating group of utilities that oversees the central part of the Eastern USA (not including New York State). Its primary mission is system reliability, so it should be very interested in this impossible battery cost problem. PJM peaks at around 150,000 MW, so a week of backup battery juice is 25,200,000 MWh. At $1,500,000 per MWh, that is just under a mere THIRTY-EIGHT TRILLION DOLLARS! This too is without electrifying all our fossil fueled cars, trucks, buildings, appliances and whatever else the climate emergency central planners can think of. Yet PJM says not a mumbling word about the impossibility of delivering reliability using all renewables and batteries. The voters are oblivious to these impossible numbers, since they are repeatedly told that intermittent wind and solar are cheaper than reliable coal, gas and nuclear. That may be true only when the sun shines bright and the wind blows hard, which is not all that often. Now do the math for the entire United States. Maybe fracked geothermal, the only reliable renewable, is the answer. Or how about reliable coal, oil, gas and nuclear power? Too bad they are all out of fashion. Reality is just sitting there, waiting. 100% renewables cannot work, so they will not work. At this point it is just a question of how and when we find out the hard way. The key then is for voters and electricity users to learn this stuff, ask hard questions, demand honest answers, and not be Conned any longer. David Wojick is an independent analyst specializing in science, logic and human rights in public policy, and author of numerous articles on these topics. I Home
A father with a known history of domestic violence went on a rampage on Friday night, killing his two young daughters before shooting himself dead.

Aaron D. Williams, 32, from Columbus, Ohio shot his two little girls in their apartment on the city's Far West Side.

Officers were called out to their block at around 10:22pm on Friday when neighbors heard arguing.

Sisters Alyse, 6, and Ava Williams, 9, were shot dead by their father Aaron D. Williams, 32

Police were called to the home after neighbors heard gunshots and found the little girls suffering from gunshot wounds

The police did not manage to get there in time and as they arrived heard gunshots ring out only to find six-year-old Alyse Williams and her nine-year-old sister, Ava, had been shot.

Their father, Aaron D. Williams, was also found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound according to the Columbus Dispatch. He was pronounced dead by suicide at 11:32pm.

The girls were taken to OhioHealth Doctors Hospital and both of them passed away shortly after midnight within half an hour of one another.

'The girls, they were just so bright and full of energy,' said Erica Osborn, a family friend.

The girls were both transported to Doctors West Hospital where they were pronounced dead early on Saturday morning

'The girls, they were just so bright and full of energy,' Erica Osborn, a family friend said

The girls were both transported to Doctors West Hospital where they were pronounced dead early on Saturday morning

'Every time I knocked on the door to drop a meal off or pick one up, they would come running. The first thing they tell you is that they love you. I just cannot believe they're gone,' Osborn said.

'They were part of a loving family, and this was very unexpected. From every angle we could tell, their father loved them. I just can't imagine. I don't know how he did it. I don't know how he was able to do this to them,' she continued.

'To lose everybody in one night...,' Osborn said. 'I can't believe it.'

'Our hearts break for their devastated mother, and all who loved them,' Columbus police Chief Thomas Quinlan said in a statement on Saturday.

Pictured Left to Right: Alyse, Ava and mother Vanecia Shameer Kirkland, right

The little girls, Ava, 9, and Alyse, 6, were said to the best of friends

'Behind every badge is a human  a mother, father, sister or brother,' Quinlan said. 'And while we have a job to do  a job we signed up for  we hurt too. We grieve with these families,' Quinlan noted.

He said he is working to make sure the officers who responded to the call have the support they need.

Williams had faced previous domestic violence charges in the past and had been charged by Columbus police in September 2018, with intent to harm and assault to which he pleaded guilty.

He was given a three-day suspended sentence at the time.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the girls' mother, Vanecia Shameer Kirkland, pay for funeral expenses.
All prediabetes is not the same: in people in the preliminary stages of type 2 diabetes, there are six clearly distinguishable subtypes, which differ in the development of the disease, diabetes risk, and the development of secondary diseases. This is shown in a study by the Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen at the University of Tubingen, Tubingen University Hospital and the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD). The results have now been published in Nature Medicine. The new classification can help in the future to prevent the manifestation of diabetes or the development of diabetes complications through targeted prevention.

Diabetes is a worldwide pandemic. Since 1980, the number of people with diabetes has quadrupled worldwide. In Germany alone, 7 million people suffer from it. And the trend is still rising. By 2040, the number of people with type 2 diabetes could increase to as many as 12 million. But type 2 diabetes does not develop from one day to the next. People often go through a longer preliminary stage of diabetes, in which blood glucose levels are already elevated but people are not yet ill. "For people with prediabetes it has not been possible until now to predict whether they would develop diabetes and be at risk for serious complications such as kidney failure, or whether they would only have a harmless form with slightly higher blood glucose levels but without significant risk," said Professor Hans-Ulrich Haring, who initiated the study 25 years ago. However, such a distinction is important for the targeted prevention of the metabolic disease and thus for counteracting the diabetes pandemic. Researchers from Tubingen have now achieved an important breakthrough. Using cluster analysis* in people with prediabetes, they have discovered six distinct subtypes with different diabetes risk. A differentiated classification of prediabetes and diabetes makes it possible to carry out individual and early prevention and therapy of diabetes and its secondary diseases in a way that is adapted to the development of the disease.

Prediabetes: Six different clusters identified

The research group led by Professor Haring and Professor Fritsche at the University Hospital in Tubingen has conducted detailed studies of the metabolism of people with prediabetes who are still considered healthy. The test persons (n=899) are from the Tubingen Family Study and the study of the Tubingen Lifestyle Program. They have repeatedly undergone intensive clinical, laboratory chemical, magnetic resonance imaging and genetic examinations in Tubingen over the past 25 years. Based on key metabolic parameters such as blood glucose levels, liver fat, body fat distribution, blood lipid levels and genetic risk, the researchers were able to identify six subtypes of prediabetes. "As in manifest diabetes, there are also different disease types in the preliminary stage of diabetes, which differ in blood glucose levels, insulin action and insulin secretion, body fat distribution, liver fat and genetic risk," said first author Professor Robert Wagner from the DZD Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen at the University of Tubingen, summarizing the results of the study.

Three of these groups (clusters 1, 2 and 4) are characterized by a low diabetes risk. The study participants in clusters 1 and 2 were healthy. Slim people are the main members of cluster 2. They have a particularly low risk of developing complications. Cluster 4 consists of overweight people, whose metabolism is still relatively healthy. The three remaining subtypes (clusters 3, 5 and 6) are associated with an increased risk of diabetes and/or secondary diseases. People who belong to subtype 3 produce too little insulin and have a high risk of developing diabetes. People in cluster 5 have a pronounced fatty liver and a very high risk of diabetes because their bodies are resistant to the blood glucose lowering effect of insulin. In subtype 6, damage to the kidneys occurs even before diabetes is diagnosed. Here, mortality is also particularly high.

But can the classification into six prediabetes subtypes also be confirmed in other cohorts? To investigate this, the researchers extended the analysis to include almost 7000 subjects in the Whitehall II Cohort in London and there, too, identified the six prediabetes subtypes.

More targeted prevention measures

The researchers are already making further plans. "Next, in prospective studies, we will first seek to determine to what extent the new findings are applicable for the classification of individual persons into risk groups," said Professor Andreas Fritsche of Tubingen University Hospital. If this is the case, people with a high risk profile could be identified early on and receive specific treatment.

About the study

These results are based on research conducted by the Diabetes Research Department at Tubingen University Hospital over the past 25 years to characterize people with an increased risk of diabetes. The study was funded by the German Research Foundation, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the State of Baden-Wurttemberg.

"One of the DZD's goals is to develop precise prevention and therapy measures, i.e. the appropriate prevention or treatment for the right group of people at the right time. The combination of in-depth clinical and molecular research with state-of-the-art bioinformatics has made this internationally important result possible. The identification of subtypes in the preliminary stages of type 2 diabetes is an important step towards precision medicine in the prevention of diabetes and its complications," says DZD Executive Director Prof. Martin Hrab? de Angelis.

###

Original Publication:

Robert Wagner et al: Pathophysiology-based subphenotyping of individuals at elevated risk for type 2 diabetes. Nature Medicine. DOI: https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1101/ 2020. 10. 12. 20210062

https:/ / www. nature. com/ articles/ s41591-020-1116-9

Scientific Contact:

Prof. Dr. Robert Wagner

Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of the Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen at the Eberhard-Karls-University of Tuebingen

72076 Tubingen

Phone: 07071/29-82910

robert.wagner@uni-tuebingen.de

* Cluster analysis:

Cluster analysis is a method through which the objects of investigation (e.g. persons) can be grouped on the basis of given criteria and characteristics. The groups found in this way - also called clusters - then contain cases that are similar to each other. A formed cluster should be maximally homogeneous in itself, but at the same time it should differ as much as possible from the other clusters. Here, six different clusters could be identified in test persons with pre-diabetes on the basis of eight core parameters important for metabolism (including blood glucose levels, liver fat, body fat distribution, blood lipid levels and genetic risk).

Further Information

In the German Diabetes Study, researchers from the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) and Lund University in Sweden have discovered various clusters that allow diabetes to be divided into subtypes. By means of cluster analysis, five different subtypes with different risks for secondary diseases were identified.

https:/ / www. dzd-ev. de/ en/ latest/ news/ news/ article/ a-new-diabetes-classification-subgroups-of-type-2-diabetes-have-specific-risk-of-diabetes-associate/ index. html

The German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) e.V. is one of six German Centers for Health Research. It brings together experts in the field of diabetes research and combines basic research, epidemiology and clinical application. By adopting an innovative, integrative approach to research, the DZD aims to make a substantial contribution to the successful, personalized prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diabetes mellitus. The members of the association are Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen - German Research Center for Environmental Health, the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) in Dusseldorf, the German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE) in Potsdam-Rehbrucke, the Institute of Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen at the University of Tubingen, and the Paul Langerhans Institute Dresden of Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen at the University Medical Center Carl Gustav Carus of TU Dresden, associated partners at the universities in Heidelberg, Cologne, Leipzig, Lubeck and Munich, and other project partners. Further information: http://www. dzd-ev. de

As German Center for Environmental Health, Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen pursues the goal of developing personalized medical approaches for the diagnosis, therapy and prevention of major common diseases such as diabetes mellitus and lung diseases. To achieve this, it investigates the interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle. The head office of the center is located in Neuherberg to the north of Munich. Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen has approximately 2300 staff members and is a member of the Helmholtz Association, a German research organization comprised of 18 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with a total of about 37,000 staff members. http://www. helmholtz-muenchen. de
DALLAS, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- We are pleased to announce that Safe Harbor Marinas has acquired Rybovich, the premier US destination and service provider for the superyacht industry.

"We're extremely excited about what this means for our people, our customers, and our partners," said Wayne Huizenga Jr., owner and CEO of Rybovich. "We share with Safe Harbor a fundamental commitment to excellence in service and hospitality. We believe this transaction will allow us to deliver on that commitment at more and more locations over time."

"Not only are our people continuing at Rybovich," said Carlos Vidueira, who will oversee Safe Harbor's superyacht marinas "but we will have access to more resources and a larger, growing network. Our commitment to our community, our team members and their families, and to the yacht owners, their captains and crews has never been stronger. We've been searching for the right way to serve them all from a larger platform and we've found it."

"Our plan is to serve Rybovich with excellence so they, in turn, can do what they do so well at more locations throughout the country and perhaps the world," said Baxter Underwood, CEO of Safe Harbor. "We are humbled and honored to be on their team."

About Safe Harbor Marinas

Safe Harbor is the largest owner and operator of marinas in the world. Based in Dallas, Texas, the company is dedicated to providing exceptional service and memorable experiences to the global boating community.

About Rybovich

Rybovich strives to deliver unparalleled customer service from its two superyacht marina and service centers based in Palm Beach County, Florida. Rybovich built its internationally-renowned reputation by meeting their commitments, one relationship at a time.

Resources for additional information

[email protected]

www.shmarinas.com

www.rybovich.com

Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements

This press release contains various "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Sun Communities, Inc. and/or its affiliates ("Sun") intend that such forward-looking statements will be subject to the safe harbors created thereby. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "will," "may," "could," "expect," "anticipate," "believes," "intends," "should," "plans," "estimates," "approximate," "guidance," and similar expressions in this press release that predict or indicate future events and trends and that do not report historical matters.

These forward-looking statements reflect Sun's current views with respect to future events and financial performance, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, some of which are beyond its control. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors may cause the actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and related stay-at-home orders, quarantine policies and restrictions on travel, trade and business operations; national, regional and local economic climates; difficulties in the ability to evaluate, finance, complete and integrate acquisitions, developments and expansions successfully; the ability to maintain rental rates and occupancy levels; competitive market forces; the performance of recent acquisitions; changes in market rates of interest; changes in foreign currency exchange rates; the ability of purchasers boats to obtain financing; and the level of repossessions by boat lenders. Further details of potential risks that may affect Sun are described in its periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the "Risk Factors" sections of its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statement was made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in its expectations or otherwise, except as required by law.

Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. All written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements.

SOURCE Safe Harbor Marinas

Related Links

shmarinas.com


(Newser)  When employees at a cafe and juice bar in North Miami Beach saw the tip a regular customer left Friday, they asked her if there'd been a mistake. The woman had left a tip of $2,021. "We thought it was $20.21," one of the owners said. It wasn't. "I'm so grateful for you guys and I want to give back," the customer told employees. "I want to start the new year out right and give this to you guys." The tip, on a $71.84 check, came to 2,814%, KCCI reports. The money will be split among the 25 people who work at Miami Squeeze. "A beautiful client of ours blessed our whole team," said owner Warren Amar, per WSVN.

story continues below

Kelly Amar said that when the pandemic began, the cafe laid off many of its employees. These days, she said, it's mostly her family filling orders at the 30-year-old cafe. Business has rebounded, she said, and her family expects to open another location. "2020 is over and 2021 is off to a good start so far!" Amar said. Miami Squeeze posted a photo of the check on Instagram. "Even though we are just a small juice bar we pride ourselves in taking care of our guests," the caption says. (Tom Selleck is among the diners who've left $2,020 tips recently.)
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The new SARS-CoV-2 variant is growing rapidly, is more transmissible than other variants, and affecting a greater proportion of under 20s.

The new variant has a transmission advantage of 0.4 to 0.7 in reproduction number compared to the previously observed strain.

The findings come in a pre-print authored by a collaborative team from Imperial College London, University of Edinburgh, Public Health England (PHE), the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Birmingham and the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium+.

New variant of concern

All viruses undergo genetic changes which are called mutations, and through selection pressure can result in different variants. The variant of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus causing COVID-19) originally termed lineage B.1.1.7, was detected in November 2020 and is rapidly spreading across England. Several genetic changes (substitutions and deletions) have immunological significance and are associated with diagnostic test failures. The absence of S gene target in an otherwise positive PCR test appears to be a highly specific marker for the B.1.1.7 lineage, which has now been designated a Variant of Concern (VOC) 202012/01 by Public Health England.

Using a variety of statistical approaches, the team evaluated the relationship between transmission and the frequency of the new variant across regions in the UK over time.

Greater transmission

Using whole genome prevalence of different genetic variants through time and phylodynamic modelling (dynamics of epidemiological and evolutionary processes), researchers show that this variant is growing rapidly.

The study finds a high correlation between VOC frequency and something called S-gene target failure (SGTF) in routine PCR testing of community cases. This allowed the researchers to use SGTF frequency as an estimate for VOC and non-VOC occurrence by region over time showing that VOC frequency is associated with epidemic growth in nearly all areas.

There is a consensus among all analyses that the VOC has a substantial transmission advantage (increased transmission compared to non-VOC), with the estimated difference in reproduction numbers between VOC and non-VOC ranging between 0.4 and 0.7, and the ratio of reproduction numbers varying between 1.4 and 1.8.

These higher infection levels took place despite the high levels of social distancing in England. Extrapolation to other transmission contexts requires caution, the researchers note.

Under 20s more affected

The study finds that individuals under 20 years old make up a higher proportion of VOC cases than non-VOC cases. However, it is too early to determine the mechanism behind this change according to the researchers. They explain that it may partly have been influenced by the variants spread coinciding with a period where lockdown was in force but schools were open. Further research is ongoing on the specific nature of any changes in how the virus affects this age group.

Dr. Erik Volz of Imperial College London, said: "All viruses evolve, and very rarely a virus will change in a way that requires us to re-evaluate public health policy. We find overwhelming evidence of a change in transmissibility of the B.1.1.7 variant that should be taken into account when planning our COVID-19 response in the new year."

Prof Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London, said: "These analyses, which have informed UK government planning in recent weeks, show that the new variant of concern, B.1.1.7, has substantially higher transmissibility than previous SARS-CoV-2 viruses circulating in the UK. This will make control more difficult and further accentuates the urgency of rolling out vaccination as quickly as possible."

Prof Axel Gandy of Imperial College London, said: "Until a very high proportion of the population has been vaccinated, strong social distancing measures are needed to control this more transmissible variant of COVID-19. Everybody that can be vaccinated should be vaccinated."

Dr. Meera Chand, incident director for COVID-19 at PHE, said: "These new analyses provide further evidence of the increased transmissibility of the novel variant of COVID-19.

"We now have two licensed vaccines, but this research underlines the importance of doing everything we can to reduce the spread of the virus while the vaccines are being rolled out. The basics remain very important: Comply with social distancing and abide by the restrictions in place."

Jeffrey Barrett of the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: "Bringing the UK's high-throughput genomic surveillance together with data from community testing from around the UK and advanced statistical models has enabled us to understand how the new variant of the COVID virus spreads. It's a real testament to scientific teamwork that everything has come together so quickly."

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

More information: Report 42 - Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Lineage B.1.1.7 in England: insights from linking epidemiological and genetic data: Report 42 - Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Lineage B.1.1.7 in England: insights from linking epidemiological and genetic data: www.imperial.ac.uk/mrc-global-  -sars-cov-2-variant/
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
In a blow to President Donald Trump in his last few weeks in office, Congress overrode a veto of the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, a $740 billion bundle affecting the Savannah River Site.

The override easily cleared the House, 322-87, and the Senate, 81-13, with the needed two-thirds supermajorities, signaling widespread rejection of the presidents complaints and targeted tweets.

South Carolinas nine-member delegation, records show, was divided on the matter.

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and U.S. Reps. Jim Clyburn, Joe Cunningham, William Timmons and Joe Wilson, a mix of Democrats and Republicans, voted in favor of the override. Wilson is a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and was intimately involved with the NDAA's crafting; Scott was once a member of the Senate counterpart.

U.S. Reps. Jeff Duncan, Ralph Norman and Tom Rice, all Republicans, stuck with the president and voted against the override.

I voted to sustain the President's veto on NDAA for the same reasons I voted against it when it last came before the House, Duncan wrote on Twitter. The congressman previously took issue with what he saw as overt politicization: The bottom line is this years NDAA was a flawed process and flawed policy. Our troops deserve better than this.

Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham did not vote  neither did Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, Georgia Republicans whove walked a tightrope ahead of runoff elections. Graham, also a former member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he would not vote to override presidential veto unless effort is made to wind down Section 230.

The internet-speech provision  under mounting scrutiny  provides publishers broad immunity for content posted on their sites. Trump wanted, among other demands, a repeal of it included in the National Defense Authorization Act.

Lawmakers had argued the defense bill was not the right place for that. Another legislative vehicle is necessary, according to U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., an ally of the president.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith on New Year's Day hailed the veto override, a first for the Trump presidency, as a bipartisan success.

After a years worth of difficult work and thorough negotiations, the Washington Democrat said in a statement, the legislature has once again fulfilled our constitutional obligation to provide for the common defense.
Samsung has finally announced its Galaxy Unpacked event for the Samsung Galaxy S21 series. After all the rumours and reports surrounding the upcoming Samsung flagship, the company has finally confirmed the January 14 launch date for the Galaxy S21 series, in line with past reports that have suggested the same. Samsung made the announcement online and sent out press invites for the Galaxy Unpacked event, saying that its first major smartphone launch of the year will take place virtually at 10AM ET (8:30PM IST) and will be streamed on Samsung's main website (samsung.com).

The accelerated transition to a mobile-first world brings with it the need for devices that can transform everyday life into an extraordinary experience," Samsung said in its invite. While the company did not explicitly say that the Unpacked event is for the Galaxy S21 series, it released a small clip which shows the Samsung Galaxy S21's camera module inside a translucent glass cube, confirming the fact that the Galaxy Unpacked event is for the Galaxy S21 series. This means that we will be getting our first official look at the new Galaxy S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra, possibly alongside a new set of wireless Galaxy Buds. Samsung is expected to unveil the Samsung Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra in the Galaxy S21 series. The announcement from Samsung came after months of rumours and speculation around the South Korean giant's flagship smartphone series. Given the amount of interest in the Galaxy S21 series since the past couple of months, we already have a fair idea about a few things Samsung has in store for us. Here is all we know so far:

Starting with the basics, the Samsung Galaxy S21 series is reported to include the regular Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra. The Galaxy S21 Ultra may come with stylus (or Galaxy S Pen) support. Notably, reports have suggested that the South Korean tech giant may ditch the USB charger from its official packaging, despite mocking Apple for doing the same with its iPhone 12 series. A known tipster has claimed that Samsung may include the USB charger for limited markets. Additionally, all the devices in the lineup may feature 5G connectivity and may not come with a microSD card slot for expandable storage. Galaxy S21 series is also said to come with Android 11-based One UI 3.0 out-of-the-box.

Samsung Galaxy S21

The vanilla Galaxy S21 will reportedly sport a 6.2-inch full-HD+ Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection. Under the hood, it is expected to pack the Exynos 2100 SoC (in Europe) or Snapdragon 888 SoC (in the US) coupled with 8GB RAM and up to 256GB internal storage.

The Galaxy S21 is also reported for house a triple rear camera setup that could include a 12-megapixel primary camera with f/1.8 aperture and OIS, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture and finally, a 64-megapixel telephoto camera with f/2.0 aperture, OIS, and 3x hybrid optical zoom. Up front, it is rumoured to house a 10-megapixel camera inside the hole-punch cutout.

In terms of battery, the Galaxy S21 may pack a 4,000mAh battery with support for both fast wired and wireless charging. Other rumoured features include Bluetooth v5, USB Type C port, NFC, Wi-Fi 6, and three colour variants.

Samsung Galaxy S21+

The Samsung Galaxy S21+ is said to be identical to the vanilla Galaxy S21 in terms of specifications, apart from the larger battery and screen size. The Galaxy S21+ is has been reported to come with a 6.7-inch full-HD+ Infinity-O AMOLED display and 4,800mAh battery. Its camera features will reportedly be the same as the Galaxy S21.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

The top-end Galaxy S21 series model, Galaxy S21 Ultra may feature a 6.8-inch Infinity-O-Edge Dynamic AMOLED display with a resolution of 3,200x1,440 pixels (WQHD+), 515ppi, 1600 nits peak brightness, and 120Hz refresh rate. In terms of cameras, the phone is expected to carry a quad rear camera setup that reportedly houses a 108-megapixel primary sensor with f/1.8 wide-angle lens and auto-focus capabilities. There's also a 12-megapixel sensor with f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle lens and 120-degree field of view, a 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, and finally, a 10-megapixel periscope-style secondary telephoto camera with OIS and 10x optical zoom. The rear camera system further houses a laser autofocus system that replaces the Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensor available on the Galaxy S20 Ultra, the report indicates. For selfies and video calling, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is said to carry a 40-megapixel shooter housed inside the hole-punch cutout.

Other rumoured features on the phone include dual-SIM + eSIM (varies by region), 5G, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, GNSS, NFC, an IP68 rating, and support for S Pen stylus (optional). The Galaxy S21 Ultra may pack a 5,000mAh battery with 45W wired fast charging, fast wireless charging, Wireless PowerShare (reverse wireless charging) support.
Almost exactly a year ago, the World Health Organisation issued a warning that the Chinese authorities had alerted it to an outbreak of 'pneumonia of unknown cause' in Wuhan.

Forty-four cases had been reported, with 11 severely ill, all linked to the Huanan seafood market. The news, so ominous in hindsight, passed largely unremarked.

Around the same time, there were also reports on recent Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and a new MERSCoV case in Saudi Arabia, and it seemed like just another disease in faraway lands.

Strange days: Lives and businesses have changed in ways that would have been unimaginable at the start of 2020

On January 31, two Chinese tourists visiting York were Britain's first publicised coronavirus victims. In the months that followed, lives and businesses have changed in ways that would have been unimaginable at the start of 2020.

New Year is always a time for reflection but never more so than the strange, muted first days of 2021. So what have we learned? Perhaps the most important lesson for business is the way Covid-19 has delivered a coup de grace to the weak, the debt-ridden, the hot air merchants and the greedy. A number of high-profile collapses, including Debenhams and Sir Philip Green's Arcadia, were in trouble before the virus, which merely accelerated their demise.

In a pandemic, well-run companies are also vulnerable  but firms with good governance, sensible debt and a solid business model stand more chance of survival.

The second lesson is that so-called efficiency is over-rated, at least in the sense of adopting the cheapest and fastest possible methods of operating, with not a millimetre of slack.

George Stigler, a leading light at the Chicago School of Economics, famously observed that if you never miss a plane, you are wasting too much of your life at the airport. Just-in-time supply chains are an example of this philosophy in action.

But the pandemic  and Brexit  have taught us the value of running with a margin for error, just-in-case.

Thirdly, too much debt is dangerous. This ought to be obvious, but apparently isn't. Businesses and individuals up to their necks in borrowing fall into trouble very quickly.

The country now has a millstone of more than 2trillion of debt, which is not an immediate problem but leaves us less firepower for the next crisis.

The fourth lesson is that the technology revolution is in its infancy and will transform our lives more than anything we have witnessed. Productivity could finally be turned around through smarter, tech-enabled ways of working. Robotics and artificial intelligence could revolutionise everything from food shopping to elder care.

Lesson five is that we can all achieve more at work and in life than we think possible.

However incompetent the Government is about the rollout of a vaccine, the fact that Pfizer and AstraZeneca produced their jabs in such a short time scale is phenomenal.

On a lesser level, supermarkets made sure the nation was fed. No-one needed to panic buy that toilet tissue, and could have stuck to a just-in-time purchasing strategy.

As individuals, many of us acquired new skills, including my mum, who learned to use Skype and Zoom to bridge the gap of separation from children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
In this photo taken on Friday, Dec. 25, 2020, Virologist Sunday Omilabu speaks, during an interview with The Associated Press, in Lagos, Nigeria. A Nigerian scientist has spent the holiday season in his laboratory doing genetic sequencing to learn more about the country's COVID-19 variant, as cases increase in the country. Virologist Sunday Omilabu says the information he gathers about the variant will help battle the spread of the disease in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with 196 million people. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)

A Nigerian scientist has spent the holiday season in his laboratory doing genetic sequencing to learn more about the country's COVID-19 variant, as cases increase in the country.

Virologist Sunday Omilabu says the information he gathers about the variant will help battle the spread of the disease in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with 196 million people.

Nigeria has confirmed 89,163 COVID-19 cases, including 1,302 deaths, according to the figures Sunday from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"The variants discovered in the U.K. and South Africa, they are distantly different from the variants discovered in Nigeria," said Omilabu, who said it is not unusual for viruses to mutate and cause variants.

Nigeria is seeing more infections of COVID-19 but it is not yet certain if that is from the variant, said Omilambu, the director of the Center for Human and Zoonotic Virology at the Lagos University College of Medicine and Teaching Hospital.

"What we could say clinically is that we have more people coming down with severe signs and symptoms," he said, describing how one person can spread the disease to four or five family members, which is a higher rate of transmission than had been recorded earlier.

In this photo taken on Friday Dec. 25, 2020, Virologist Sunday Omilabu in a lab, during an interview with The Associated Press in Lagos, Nigeria. A Nigerian scientist has spent the holiday season in his laboratory doing genetic sequencing to learn more about the country's COVID-19 variant, as cases increase in the country. Virologist Sunday Omilabu says the information he gathers about the variant will help battle the spread of the disease in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with 196 million people. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)

"That shows us that something is happening. There's a surge so we are recording that but we are yet to sequence any of those isolates," to determine if the increased transmissions are caused by the variant, said Omilabu.

"I think we need to calm our mind down, there are going to be more variants to come," he said.

"We need to be monitoring the virus, we need to sequence. If we sequence then we would have more information about what is in circulation and then, of course, we need to continue with surveillance, we need to monitor how active the virus is in the environment ... so the public health experts, they have work to do and then government must support all these."

As lab work is being done to learn more about the variant, Nigerians should remain vigilant to avoid spreading the virus, he said.

People wait for transportation at a bus stop in Lagos, Nigeria, Thursday Dec. 31, 2020. A Nigerian scientist has spent the holiday season in his laboratory doing genetic sequencing to learn more about the country's COVID-19 variant, as cases increase in the country. Virologist Sunday Omilabu says the information he gathers about the variant will help battle the spread of the disease in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with 196 million people. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

"People still go and party. They still go to the club and without putting on face masks," he said. " We talk of social distancing, people are not respecting that. We talk of using face masks. People are not doing that. You see them in the market places, they are not doing that. So how do you now control it?"

With COVID-19 variants emerging in Nigeria and South Africa, the World Health Organization said Africa needs to do more genetic sequencing, such as what Omilabu is doing.

"The emergence of new COVID-19 variants is common. However, those with a higher speed of transmission or potentially increased pathogenicity are very concerning. Crucial investigations are underway to comprehensively understand the behavior of the new mutant virus and steer response accordingly," said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

The new variants have emerged as COVID-19 infections are on the rise in the 47 African countries, nearly reaching the peak the continent saw in July, she said. In the past 28 days, 10 countriesAlgeria, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa and Ugandahave reported the highest number of new cases, accounting for 90% of all the infections in Africa, she said.

A woman wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus, walks on a street, in Lagos, Nigeria , Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. A Nigerian scientist has spent the holiday season in his laboratory doing genetic sequencing to learn more about the country's COVID-19 variant, as cases increase in the country. Virologist Sunday Omilabu says the information he gathers about the variant will help battle the spread of the disease in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with 196 million people. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

The new virus variant in South Africa is now the dominant one there and appears to be more contagious, according to John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Earlier this week South Africa exceeded 1 million confirmed cases and is leading the continent's new surge of COVID-19, which is coming "back with a vengeance," Nkengasong said Thursday.

"Variants are a hallmark of this type of RNA virus," said Nkengasong to a briefing of journalists. "The more we do sequencing of this virus, the more variants we will see ... We remain optimistic that the different vaccines will remain effective against these variants."

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Matt Chandler warns love has been 'emptied of its meaning' in post-truth culture

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Village Church Pastor Matt Chandler said Christians must recapture the biblical meaning of "love" to have an impact in a post-truth culture where the word has more to do with Tinkerbell and Peter Pan than it does with the Holy God of the Bible.

The darker it gets, the brighter you're going to shine, the Flower Mound, Texas-based pastor told hundreds of thousands of young people gathered virtually for the Passion 2021 Conference on New Years Eve.

If you're going to make the kind of impact in these days that I think God's going to help you make, you're going to need two things. You're going to need the love of God and the power of God."

According to Chandler, love is a word that has been emptied of its meaning in a largely post-truth culture.

If we don't recapture the biblical meaning of this word, how will we ever love the world with the love of God? he asked. The love of the world for the world will be completely inadequate for us to shine like stars in the darkness.

To define love, Chandler cited 1 John 4, which reads in part: This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

You cannot rightly define love by looking at humanity alone, he said. God's love is made visible and defined in Jesus initiating His love toward you ... He came towards you, not from you.

Because God is loving, He is violently hot with wrath toward sin and the sinner, Chandler said.

Yet today, love has a lot more to do with Tinkerbell and Peter Pan than it does with the Holy God of the Bible, Chandler cautioned.

In our day and age, love and wrath cannot commingle, he said. That word is so thin, what we ended up doing is we just embrace the thinness of these ridiculous sayings like love is love and God hates the sin and loves the sinner.

If you cant define a word, you're left with slogans, Chandler, who is also president of Acts 29, contended. The Bible says God hates sin, and He hates the sinner. God hates sin and He hates sinners because they destroy the beauty and glory of His name, fame, beauty and grace.

Chandler explained that to say that God has no wrath toward sin and sinners is to say that God doesn't love anything enough to be wrathful. Yet the love and goodness of Jesus are so great that He absorbs all of God's wrath towards you so that those of you who believe by faith are fully truly and forever forgiven, the pastor said.

This is the only kind of love that can heal the world. This love made manifest in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the kind that expands across the globe.

One way to tangibly live out Gods love in a sinful world is through vibrant prayer, Chandler said, adding that the prayers of the people of God can move the Heavens.

Prayer is the hard work of the saints, he said. If you do anything in 2021, learn how to contend in prayer will rock the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Chandler emphasized that believers need only to look to the reality of the cross and reality of Hell to see how deep and severe Gods love is for His people.

Love does not look like you get whatever you want, whenever you want it, he declared. That's not love. That's actually wrath.

It is the love of God that confront sin in your life. It is the love of God that calls you into holiness. It is the love of God that empowers you by His Holy Spirit to live into the life of Christ that the Spirit is sealed inside me.

Passion Conferences were launched in 1997 by Pastor Louie Giglio and grew to be one of the largest Christian young adult gatherings. Its mission is to call "students and leaders from campuses across the nation and cities around the world to live for what matters most."

Though the annual Passion Conference was forced to largely go digital this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, the message of this years conference remained the same: To do whatever it takes to make sure the Good News is spread around the world.
ALTON  The Lewis and Clark Community College Veterans Club will host an American Red Cross Blood Drive 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 14, at The Old Bakery Beer Company, 400 Landmarks Blvd., Alton.

To schedule an appointment, visit www.redcrossblood.org and enter Sponsor Code: LewisClark1 or call 800-RED CROSS. Walk-ins are always welcome, but scheduling an appointment online helps the Red Cross make sure they have the right number of people and supplies on hand for the drive.
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 17:56:26|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- A total of 3.5 million tourists visited Egypt in 2020 compared to 13.1 million in 2019, according to Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled al-Anany.

The revenues of tourism in 2020 hit 4 billion U.S. dollars, said al-Anany on Monday, compared to 13.03 billion U.S. dollars in 2019.

"Occupancy of the hotels constituted only 10-15 percent of the percentage in 2019," said al-Anany, noting that the ministry has signed a contract with a foreign company to draw a strategy for promoting the tourism map in 2021.

The Tourism Activation Authority earlier said that 65 percent of the tourists who visited Egypt in 2020 came in January and February.

The country lost at least one billion dollars for each month during the travel ban, according to the statement.

It predicted the recovery will start in March 2021 but the number will still be less than that in 2019.

The tourism industry, a key pillar of Egypt's economic revenues and hard currency, had started to show signs of recovery after years of political turmoil since the 2011 uprising that toppled late president Hosni Mubarak. However, it has suffered a heavy blow with the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Enditem
AMBLER, Pa., Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bradford White Corporation, an industry-leading manufacturer of residential, commercial, and industrial heating solutions and storage applications, announced they have concluded their asset purchase of Keltech, Inc. from Bradley Corporation. Keltech is a manufacturer of commercial and industrial tankless electric water heaters.

The acquisition expands Bradford White's portfolio of commercial and industrial electric products to help satisfy the needs of a broader customer base and better position them for the on-going adoption of electrification initiatives in communities throughout North America.

The Keltech acquisition also begins a new partnership between Bradford White and Bradley Corporation. Bradford White will supply Bradley with the electric commercial tankless water heaters that complement their safety products such as emergency eye wash and emergency safety shower stations.

According to senior director of Marketing Communications, Carl Pinto, Jr., "Initially, Bradford White's Laars Heating Systems subsidiary will have primary responsibility for the sales and marketing of the Keltech electric tankless water heater line. Bradford White Water Heaters and Niles Steel Tank customers interested in the Keltech products can reach out to their representatives regarding product availability."

Until further notice, current Keltech customers should continue to use their existing Keltech contacts for sales and service support.

About Bradford White Corporation

Bradford White Corp. is a full-line manufacturer of residential, commercial and industrial products for water heating, space heating, combination heating and storage applications. The company maintains headquarters in Ambler, PA and has manufacturing facilities in Middleville, MI; Niles, MI; and Rochester, NH; and distribution and training centers in Halton Hills, ON Canada. For more information, visit www.bradfordwhitecorporation.com.

About Laars Heating Systems

Laars Heating Systems, headquartered in Rochester, NH, manufactures and distributes products widely used in residential and commercial space heating, radiant floor heating, volume water heating, and in industrial process markets. For your home, business or commercial heating needs Laars products are the quality choice. For more information, visit www.laars.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

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Parties to an OPEC+ agreement to curtail production and prevent a collapse in crude oil prices were meeting Monday to discuss whether to lift output quotas again after allowing them to rise by 500,000 barrels a day in January.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak is calling for another 500,000 barrel per day increase in February, though at least one delegate is questioning that wisdom.

"Is the oil demand forecast for [the first-quarter] better than that forecasted in early December? one OPEC+ delegate told S&P Global Platts last week. I don't believe so, with the lockdown in many countries in Europe until the end of January.

OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo said during the weekend that OPEC+ could gradually put more oil on the market over the next few months, though the pace would be determined by market conditions. He added that there are still many downside risks to juggle.

RELATED: Energy leads wave of bankruptcies

Tracy Shuchart, an energy market strategist for Hedge Fund Telemetry in Quebec, said there are certainly many questions ahead, but felt 2021 would start on a positive note for oil markets.

Iran cut their export expectations from 2.3 million barrels per day to 1.5 million barrels and Libya just lowered their 2021 (production)forecast, she said. The alliance (OPEC+) will err on the side of caution in terms of production.

Theres a lot for markets to focus on this week. Escalating tensions between the United States and Iran in the waning days of the Trump presidency could add a risk premium, although that could be offset by the lockdowns in place to control the spread of COVID-19. Robert Gibbons, an independent analyst in New York, said demand indicators could determine where the market focus lies.



If data shows U.S. gasoline demand stayed above 8 million barrels per day last week," he said, "it indicates a new floor may have been put in place and there is potential for demand to reach 9 million barrels per day in first quarter 2021 as the virus is ignored and vaccines arrive."



The Energy Department reported that gasoline consumption over the four-week period ending Dec. 25, averaged 7.9 million barrels per day, down 13.2 percent from the same period last year.

RELATED: How renewable fuels can help aviations climate challenges



Elsewhere, investors will be looking to a runoff Senate race in Georgia on Tuesday and later the certification of the Nov. 3 election results in the U.S. Congress. If Republicans win either seat in Georgia, it would solidify their majority in the Senate and create uncertainties for President-elect Joe Bidens agenda, particularly on energy alternatives to oil.

A handful of Republicans, meanwhile, have said they would object to the results of a democratic election that determined Bidens victory, despite the lack of evidence of irregularities and likelihood that their efforts will fail.



Confidence appears to be returning. The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas last week reported the outlook in the U.S. shale patch was improving from the widespread negative attitudes that plagued the market in early 2020. The price for West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, averaged $47 per barrel during the latest Fed survey period and most respondents said they expected the price would improve to $50 by the end of next year.
The West Bengal government would set up a dedicated team, comprising 800 volunteers, which would help millions of Ganga Sagar pilgrims to maintain Covid-19 safety protocols.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee also directed officials to ensure that all pilgrims undergo Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) before they could reach the mela ground and added that wearing masks should be made mandatory.

We would hold the Ganga Sagar mela at a smaller scale this year. We have somehow managed to control the Covid-19 situation and cannot afford to have another spike. We dont want to close down. But the mela needs to be scaled down this year, said Banerjee.

This year the Ganga Sagar mela - the second largest congregation of pilgrims in India after the Kumbh Mela in Prayag - would be held between January 8 and January 16. Millions of pilgrims are expected to take the holy dip between 6:02 am on January 14 and till 6:02 am on January 15.

We would try to limit the mela this time because of Covid-19. Last year five million pilgrims had attended the mela. Even if a million or two come this year, it could trigger a pandemic. We would not be able to stop anyone from coming. We need to stay alert and work responsibly, said Banerjee, urging officials to discourage pilgrims from attending the fair this time.

Also read: Farm laws wont be repealed, govt tells farmers; next round of talks on Jan 8

Screening camps at 13 entry points of the mela ground, a 600-bed Covid-19 hospital, six wellness centres, eight safe homes, 11 quarantine centres and five isolation centres are being set up as a part of an elaborate Covid-19 management plan. Drones, water ambulance and air ambulance would be pressed into action.

As pilgrims would be coming from across the country it would be better if they could be made to undergo RAT the moment they enter the state. Camps with RAT facilities could also be set up at various locations en route so that there is no rush at the camps on the Island, Banerjee said.

She asked officials to coordinate with other state governments so that the West Bengal government could have prior information on the number of pilgrims expected to arrive in Bengal.

We would form a dedicated team comprising 800 volunteers which would help pilgrims maintain the safety protocols such as wearing masks, maintain social distance and use hand sanitisers. The team has been named Sagar Bondu (Sagar Friend), the chief minister said.

For the first time, provisions have been made for pilgrims to take the holy dip sitting in the comfort of their home (e-snan) and be part of the mela via the website. Pilgrims can book online a tirtha samagri pack comprising Ganga Jal in a container, prasad and the holy tika.
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Tata Chemicals said that its subsidiary Tata Chemicals (Soda Ash) Partners (TCSAP) has served a notice to withdraw from American Natural Soda Ash Corporation (ANSAC) effective 31 December 2022.

TCSAP will continue to fulfil all its obligations as a member of ANSAC until the termination date including utilising ANSAC as its exclusive export sales outlet for all of its U.S. produced soda ash sold to all territories serviced by ANSAC.

"Tata Chemicals will focus on developing an integrated world class customer centric global sales organisation, serving customers diverse needs from locations in India, UK, Kenya and USA," the company said in a BSE filing made after market hours on Friday (1 January 2021).

Shares of Tata Chemicals were up 2.05% at Rs 489.60. In the past on year, the stock has gained 67.63% while the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex has added 16.10% during the same period.

Last week, a domestic brokerage reportedly recommended hold rating on Tata Chemicals with a target price of Rs 490.

Tata Chemicals is a global company with interests in businesses that focus on basic chemistry products and specialty chemistry products. Currently it is the world's third largest producer of soda ash with manufacturing facilities in Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. The company has a strong position in the crop protection business through its subsidiary company Rallis India.

On a consolidated basis, the chemical maker's net profit declined 64% to Rs 132.09 crore on 5.8% fall in net sales to Rs 2,609.35 crore in Q2 September 2020 over Q2 September 2019.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US: 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine found in watermelons

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Kocharyan: Elect todays political team if you are ready to live squatting

Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 30 million

2nd President Kocharyan on Armenia Security Council chief: Do you take that person seriously?

"Key" to settlement of Karabakh conflict cant be in one place, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Texas may permit carrying of pistols without special permission

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia acting PM Pashinyan's high popularity rating: We will wear it down to the root

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Election bloc format must be workable in some logical sense

Attorney: Political persecution against Robert Kocharyan is becoming more noticeable during election campaign

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: We must do everything so that our domestic politics is not dictated by Azerbaijan

Armenian acting defense minister meets Russian peacekeeping mission chief

Congress predicts US nuclear spending to reach $ 634 billion by 2030

Russian MP: The effectiveness of military cooperation with Armenia depends on Yerevan as well

Delimitation now may create some problems in Karabakh negotiation process, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan on relations with 3rd President Sargsyan: We go our own way they go their own

Judge adjourns hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM for 3 weeks

Court hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM

2nd President Kocharyan: Armenia must show that it will not be subjected to such pressures

Kocharyan: You may find yourself in stupid situations if you come to negotiations without any baggage

Armenia Investigative Committee: Criminal case opened into soldiers death

157 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

EU helps UN World Food Programme provide humanitarian assistance for conflict-affected people in Armenia

Yerevan municipal council convenes regular session

Armenia legislature speaker on situation at Syunik Province: CSTO still has procedures

Blinken arrives on his first official visit to Israel

World oil prices going up

Provincial hall issues statement on Tavush section of Armenia border with Azerbaijan

MFA statement: Azerbaijan continues to use Armenian POWs as political hostages

Newspaper: There are last-minute changes on Armenia ruling party electoral list

Armenia parliament starts regular sessions

Newspaper: Armenia 3rd President Sargsyan intensively engaged in election campaign

EU leaders call for ban on Belarus airlines flights to their countries

Quake hits Georgia, also felt in Armenia

2nd President Kocharyan: Process of obtaining Armenia citizenship shall be simplified, shall take only few months

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Appointments in army were not based on knowledge but on loyalty

Robert Kocharyan: Armenia must not go back to the past and stay there, just like the incumbent authorities did

Armenia 2nd President on recent Karabakh war, consequences and the signed document

Armenia 2nd President: Current authorities don't have remorse, aren't conscious and patriotic

Armenia 2nd President on black PR and management system in the country
Police on Monday busted a drug smuggling gang, arrested one of its members and seized 181 kg of charas worth around Rs 2.25 crore in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district, officials said.

The seizure was made after police, acting on a tip-off, intercepted a truck and a car near Lank outpost on the Karnal-Meerut Highway, SP Sukirti Madhav told PTI.

During checking, five bags containing the drugs were found in the truck. Truck driver Vajid was arrested, police said. However, the car driver, Arvind, fled the scene, they said.

The drugs were being smuggled from Nepal, the SP said.

The drug smuggling gang was active in Bihar, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, he said, adding efforts are on to nab the remaining accusedse.

The SP announced a reward of Rs 15,000 for the Kotwali police team for the seizure and the arrest. According to police, it is one of the biggest drug seizures in western UP.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
India's Bharat Biotech is aiming to have a production capacity of about 700 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine this year, according to a top executive of the biotechnology company. The vaccine candidate, COVAXIN, received emergency use approval from India's drugs regulator on Sunday, a move that faced questions from industry experts and opposition lawmakers due to lack of efficacy data. Efficacy data from the company's ongoing late-stage trial should be available by March, Krishna Ella, chairman and managing director of Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, said in an ...
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Venezuelas rapidly disintegrating oil industry, which is the backbone of its economy, is a mere shadow of what it once was, despite the founding OPEC member possessing the worlds largest proved oil reserves totaling 303 billion barrels at the start 0f 2020. Even the intervention of Russia, China, and Iran has done little to revive Venezuelas rapidly crumbling petroleum industry. There is an emerging opinion, in light of the failure of crippling U.S. sanctions to trigger regime change, that a different approach needs to be taken if Venezuela is not to become a failed state. While there is no consensus as to what that approach will be, it is likely that President-Elect Joe Biden will seek a less confrontational and more political as well as humanitarian approach to resolving Venezuelas long-running crisis. A crucial element of any strategy is the participation of Western energy majors in rebuilding Venezuelas shattered hydrocarbon sector. By the end of November 2020, OPECs Monthly Oil Market Report for December 2020 revealed that the strife-torn countrys oil output had plummeted to almost a sixth of what it was a decade earlier. That startling deterioration can be squarely blamed on government mismanagement, malfeasance, and corruption as well as the impact of crippling U.S. sanctions. Regime change may not be enough to resuscitate Venezuelas vital oil industry, which is a key step to rebuilding the strife-torn Latin American countrys shattered economy. In early 2020 the White House ordered Chevron, the last U.S. energy major operating in Venezuela, to cease drilling, wind down operations and cease operations in the country by 1 December 2020. That demand also included oil services companies operating in the crisis-racked country including Halliburton, Schlumberger, Baker Hughes, and Weatherford International. This was viewed by the Trump administration as a crucial element of the sanction-based strategy designed to prevent Caracas from accessing international financial and energy markets to obtain the capital, technology, and expertise required to revive Venezuelas crumbling oil industry. By ratcheting up existing sanctions and cutting Caracas off from any remaining access to capital and technology, the White House hoped to spark a political transition and Maduros removal from power. There was, however, one flaw; if Chevron left Venezuela Maduro would have taken control of the oil majors assets, which have an estimated value of $2.6 billion, further strengthening the pariah socialist regimes position.

Related: The Russian Energy Giant Mining Bitcoin With Virtually Free Energy



Thus far, Washingtons hard-nosed strategy has failed. Ever-stricter U.S. sanctions have only served to strengthen Maduros grip on power. Despite political, financial, diplomatic, and economic sanctions becoming a key U.S. foreign policy tool since the end of World War Two, there are few examples of when they have been successfully achieved the desired goal. In most cases, they have only triggered regime change when directed at smaller weaker countries and been used in conjunction with other policies designed to destabilize the targeted government. The failure of White House policy to initiate a political transition can be attributed to sanctions making the cost of relinquishing power for Maduro and his supporters far greater than the benefits offered by relief from sanctions. Ever stricter U.S. sanctions forced Maduro to look elsewhere for support, notably Russia, China, Cuba, and Iran. While the loans, investments, aid shipments, and support provided by those countries have done little to rebuild Venezuelas disintegrating oil industry and shattered economy, they have slowed the decay and provided some financial relief.

Russia, China, and Irans support provide Maduros pariah regime with the ability to skirt U.S. sanctions and export crude oil to generate urgently needed fiscal income. Moscow has become a lender of last resort to Caracas and remains resolute in the face of U.S. sanctions to financially prop-up its erstwhile Latin American ally with oil-backed loans. There are signs that all four countries are unwilling to dial-down their support, further decreasing the likelihood that crippling U.S. sanctions can initiate regime change and remove Maduro from power. The severity of the OPEC members economic crisis, where it is estimated that 90%, or potentially more, Venezuelans live in poverty, means most people are simply incapable of providing support to the opposition as they are too busy trying to survive. Related: Chinas Oil Giants Face NYSE Delisting



There is a mounting realization that when a political transition occurs massive amounts of capital, technology and skilled labor will be urgently required to rebuild Venezuelas broken oil industry. That includes mopping up much of the environmental damage caused by Maduros attempts to wring oil out of PDVSAs failing energy infrastructure and oil fields regardless of social and environmental impacts. The only means of obtaining the necessary capital, skilled labor, and technology required will be to attract substantial investment from international energy majors. Nonetheless, Venezuelas high operating costs, with breakeven costs averaging $41.97 to $56.06 per barrel, coupled with the additional expenses associated with operating in a nearly failed state means substantial incentives will be required to attract investment. It is Western energy majors that possess the capital, technology, and skilled labor required to revive Venezuelas oil industry.

Restoring the founding OPEC members shattered oil industry is the lynchpin of Juan Guaidos plan to finance the reconstruction of Venezuelas ruined economy. The November 2020 U.S. Treasury announcement that it had extended Chevrons sanctions waiver until 3 June 2021, from an earlier 1 December 2020 deadline, was an important development. This means the energy major can keep operating and maintaining its Venezuelan assets, ensuring that they do not deteriorate or are seized by Caracas, which was a likely scenario if Chevron was forced to abandon the country. U.S. Treasury also awarded 6-month extensions to oil services companies Halliburton, Schlumberger, Baker Hughes, and Weatherford. While it is unlikely that those companies can provide additional momentum to trigger urgently needed regime change, if allowed to maintain their operations they will form the core of a revival of Venezuelas oil industry when Maduro is ultimately ousted. Chevron has a long history of successfully navigating politically hazardous jurisdictions. It was among the first of the international oil majors to invest in developing the Vaca Muerta, Argentinas world-class shale oil and natural gas play. Chevron pressed ahead with that $1.2 billion investment, gaining a first-mover advantage, despite other international energy companies being deterred by the 2012 nationalization of YPF.

Chevrons ongoing presence in Venezuela will allow it to become a key player in the OPEC members recovery when a political transition finally occurs. For that reason, the oil major could play a central role in rebuilding the oil-rich countrys shattered oil infrastructure including corroding pipelines, erratically functioning refineries, and deteriorating oilfields, giving oil production and ultimately government revenue a solid lift. This is a particularly important point because if the expectations of the Venezuelan people are not carefully managed and a tangible economic recovery does not occur within a relatively short period, then it could spark greater political chaos. That could bolster support for the remnants of Maduros regime and the socialist Bolivarian revolution adding to the political, social, and economic chaos that will emerge during and after the political transition.



By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Bexar County Sheriff's Office

A 26-year-old San Antonio man is facing multiple charges after he was accused of soliciting a child online for sex, according to an arrest affidavit.

Daniel Vidales was charged with online solicitation of a minor with intent for sexual contact, possession of child pornography, promotion of child pornography, sexual assault of a child and sexual performance by a child.
TipRanks

Lets talk about risk, reward, and pennies. The three are related, of course. Theres no reward in the stock market without taking on some risk  and penny stocks offer investors an optimum combination of both. The pennies are the lowest cost stocks on the public markets, typically priced below $5 per share. At such a low share price, even a small gain  a share price increase of mere pennies  can quickly translate into a high-percentage return. However, there is a but here. The critics point out that there could be a reason for the bargain price tag, whether it be poor fundamentals or overpowering headwinds. So, how are investors supposed to determine which penny stocks are poised to make it big? Following the activity of the investing titans is one strategy. Enter Israel Izzy Englander, who is widely known for his impressive stock picking abilities. Englander expressed interest in the stock market since he was young, and in 1989, co-founded hedge fund Millennium Management with Ronald Shear. Using a broad range of strategies involving a variety of predominantly liquid asset classes, Englander was able to take the $35 million the fund was started with and turn it into a $45+ billion Wall Street behemoth. With an estimated net worth of $9.6 billion in 2021, its no wonder Wall Street focus locks in on the guru when he makes a move. Taking all of this into consideration, we used TipRanks database to take a closer look at two penny stocks Englander snapped up recently. The platform revealed that both Buy-rated tickers have earned the support of some members of the analyst community as well. T2 Biosystems (TTOO) Well start in the healthcare industry, where T2 Biosystems is working to revolutionize diagnostics. The company offers diagnosticians and medical labs a range of devices based on its T2 Magnetic Resonance (T2MR) tech to quickly and accurately diagnosis a variety of septic illnesses. As the company notes, sepsis claims more lives annually than AIDS, breast cancer, and prostate cancer combined. Rapid and accurate diagnosis is the key for patient survival, and this is the niche that T2 aims to fill. The companys technology enables diagnostic blood tests with results available in a matter of hours, compared to the 1 to 5 days currently taken by most medical lab tests. Available testing products include the T2Bacteria Panel and the T2Candida panel, which are the only FDA-approved blood tests for septic agents that do not need to wait for a blood culture. A T2SARS-CoV-2 Panel is also available, using upper respiratory samples. T2 has an active product pipeline, with rapid diagnostic tests on the drawing board for a variety of illnesses. Upcoming products include the T2Cauris panel and the T2Resistance panel. These testing products are currently designated for research use only (ROU) in the US. The T2Lyme panel, which will allow for faster diagnosis of the difficult-to-determine Lyme disease, is at an earlier stage of the development. All of T2s products operate on the same T2Dx instrument, allowing for interchangeability in the lab environment. The device offers a simple user interface, and operates with just 4ml of whole blood. T2 boasts that its device is in use in more than 200 hospitals worldwide. In the first quarter of 2021, T2 saw top-line revenue grow by 173% year-over-year, to $7 million. This was driven by a 345% yoy increase in product revenue, to $4.7 million. Sepsis test utilization in the US rose by 85% yoy in the quarter, showing increasing acceptance of the device and technology. Izzy Englander is among those that have high hopes for this healthcare name. In Q1, Englander's Millennium picked up over 1.36 million shares of TTOO stock, now valued at $1.5 million. This increased Englanders stake in the company to 2.68 million shares, with a market value of $2.9 million. 5-star analyst Charles Duncan, of Canaccord, also counts himself as a fan. Duncan gives TTOO shares a Buy rating along with a $3.50 price target. This target conveys his confidence in TTOO's ability to soar 212% higher in the next twelve months. (To watch Duncan's track record, click here) T2s +345% Y/Y product revenue growth is a positive datapoint for the company's post-pandemic commercial strategy, which is being supported by a scaling to just under 10 direct sales reps in Q1. We view the acquisitions of Cepheid, BioFire, GenMark, and Luminex as validation that the hospital lab is an attractive industry segment, given clinicians (and patients) desire to shift away from centralized testing strategies to a more decentralized approach. With these four companies off the table, T2 should benefit from scarcity value. Separately, a more aggressive approach towards commercial execution should marry well with rising awareness around antimicrobial resistance and sepsis, in a post-pandemic environment that prioritizes infectious disease diagnostics," Duncan noted. It turns out that other analysts also have high hopes. With 4 Buys and a single Hold, the word on the Street is that this stock, which currently going for $1.10 apiece, is a Strong Buy. In addition, the $2.83 average price target puts the upside potential at 156%. (See TTOO stock analysis on TipRanks) Sesen Bio (SESN) The second stock were looking at, Sesen Bio, is a pharmaceutical company. Sesen works in the cancer treatment segment, developing antibody-drug conjugate therapies. The program takes a fusion protein approach, tethering tumor-targeting antibodies to cytotoxic proteins. The result is a single protein molecule that kills cancer cells with minimal toxic effects on the body  and that generates a complementary response from the patients natural immune system. Sesens pipeline currently includes one drug candidate, vicineum, which is under investigation on several tracks concurrently. The main track, which has completed clinical trials and initiated the submission process of the biologic license application (BLA), is for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. The BLA was accepted for filing by the FDA this past February, and the company is on track for potential approval on August 18, 2021. European approval of vicineum for bladder cancer treatment is expected early in 2022. The companys other pipeline projects are at earlier stages. Vicineum is under investigation as a treatment for head and neck cancers, and is in Phase 2 trials. Other investigative tracks remain at pre-clinical stages. Clinical-stage biopharma companies are always highly speculative, and in this case, Englander did not mind speculating. In Q1, his firm bought 987,926 shares of SESN, increasing its stake in the company by 156%. Englanders holding in Sesen is now valued at $2.9 million. Weighing in on SESN for H.C. Wainwright, 5-star analyst Swayampakula Ramakanth sees an opportunity as well. "Given the favorable risk/benefit profile of Vicineum demonstrated in the Phase 3 VISTA study, we believe the drug has a high likelihood to receive regulatory approvals from the FDA and EMA. Sesen is actively preparing for the potential launch of Vicineum. The company has selected Syneos, a leading contract sales organization, as a partnerto build and manage a 35-people sales force to target approximately 2,000 high prescribers of BCG. We expect the drug to be commercially available immediately upon approval. We project Vicineum to achieve risk-adjusted sales of $516M by 2030E, growing from $9M in 2021E," Ramakanth opined. Ramakanths comments support his Buy rating on the stock, as does his $8 price target. At current valuations, that target implies an upside potential of 170% for the next 12 months. (To watch Ramakanths track record, click here) Sometimes, the penny stocks can slide under the radar; this one has attracted only two recent analyst reviews. Both agree, however, that this is a stock to buy, making the Moderate Buy consensus unanimous. The shares are priced at $2.94 with a $7.50 average price target that suggests an upside of 155% in the coming year. (See SESN stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for penny stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
Bharat Biotech claims its Covaxin is effective against mutant Covid-19 strains as well

Bharat Biotech on Tuesday said its vaccine candidate, Covaxin, will be effective in dealing with new strains of coronavirus, even as the expert panel meting on 30 December left a decision on the likely approval for vaccines developed by Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India for 1 January.

Krishna Ella, chairman and managing director of Bharat Biotech, said the protein components of inactive Covaxin will take care of mutations.

His comments came amid growing concerns over new strains of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, especially the variant that was detected recently in the UK, that is said to be spreading fast.

Delivering the ninth Dr Manohar VN Shirodkar Memorial Lecture organised by the Telangana Academy of Sciences, Krishna Ella observed that that any virus is expected to have a lot of mutation.

Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has developedg Covaxin in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). It has completed phase 1 and 2 clinical trials. The phase 3 efficacy trials of Covaxin were in progress with 20,000 volunteers, Ella said.

However, the Subject Experts Committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), which met on 30 December, couldn't take a decision on SII's Covid-19 vaccine, as it needed more data.

SEC will meet tomorrow (1 January) to further review the emergency use applications of vaccine candidates developed by both Bharat biotech Serum Institute of India (S II).

"The additional data and information presented by SII and Bharat Biotech were perused and analysed by the SEC. The analysis of the additional data and information is going on. SEC will convene again on 1 January 2021 (Friday)," the CDSCO said in a statement.

The CDSCO said Pfizer requested more time to make its presentation for its vaccine.

The UK government on 30 December approved the use of Oxford University-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine after a "thorough analysis of the data by experts at the MHRA, which has concluded that the vaccine has met its strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness".

UK nod will strengthen the case for quick approval of the Serum Institute of India's emergency use authorisation application. SII is a partner of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca and is manufacturing the vaccine in India.

AstraZeneca said it would continue to work with regulatory authorities around the world to support their rolling reviews for emergency supply or conditional marketing authorisation. AstraZeneca is also seeking emergency-use listing from the World Health Organization for quick vaccine availability in low- and middle-income countries.
Tel Aviv: Israel has inoculated nearly half of its most at-risk citizens and more than 10% of the population in two weeks as authorities accelerate a Covid-19 vaccination drive after early hiccups had led to wasted shots.

The small countrywith roughly nine million people, about the same as New York Citynow aims to immunize the majority of its people by early spring. Israels vaccination campaign is relatively simple compared with the mass mobilizations needed by countries with many more people and a greater sweep of geography.

Israel started with vaccinating its health-care workers and those over the age of 60 on Dec. 20 after receiving early shipments of Pfizer Inc.s vaccine. By Saturday, it had administered 12.59 doses per 100 of its people, according to the Oxford University-based research group Our World In Data. That rate of inoculation is nearly four times quicker than the second-fastest nation, the tiny Arab Gulf state of Bahrain.

The health system is proving itself," said Health Minister Yuli Edelstein in an interview Thursday with The Wall Street Journal. Israel boasts of a technologically advanced health-care system to which everyone in the country is registered by law.

The rollout offers insights into how authorities are attempting to maximize the campaigns coverage for the most vulnerable while minimizing wastage of doses, which must be kept extraordinarily cold to keep them from going bad.

After Israel was forced to dump hundreds of doses as fewer-than-expected people turned up to be inoculated, authorities cut back on the number of vials being dispatched to vaccination centers and allowed anyone willing to get jabbed to jump the queue. Those steps allowed Israel to quickly cut wastage and reach out to more people, officials say.

Pfizers vaccine, made with partner BioNTech SE, must be administered within a five-day window after it leaves the main storage center, and six hours once out of a fridge, according to Israeli authorities, who say they are following Pfizers rules.

To cope with that short shelf life and help authorities reach less populated and isolated areas, Israel began splitting some of Pfizers 1,000-dose packages into smaller consignments of a few hundred each. The system, in which workers repackage the vials in workstations within massive freezers, was approved by Pfizer before being implemented, Mr. Edelstein said.

Israel also enacted a policy that allows vaccine centers facing soon-to-be wasted surplus to inoculate anyone who shows up. This has led to scenes around the country of citizens both young and middle-aged queuing up at vaccine centers, hoping to get an early shot.

But by doing this, Israel also risks running out of its current supply of vaccines before its most vulnerable are fully inoculated. Israel has purchased 8 million doses from Pfizer, 6 million from Moderna and 10 million from AstraZeneca, but it isnt clear when the shipments will arrive. Vaccine makers say it takes two doses to be fully effective.

Authorities by mid-January will also stop vaccinating new patients for a two-week period. The current plan is that those already vaccinated will begin receiving their second doses during this break.

Israels health minister defended the current plan as balancing the needs of the most at-risk with the rest of the country.

I dont think it would be the right decisionto give the vaccine only to those eligiblefor example, 1,000 vaccines a day with zero mistakes[but] then vaccinate the country in a year," Mr. Edelstein said. Meanwhile, we would have people who will die just because they didnt get the vaccine on time."

Israel is currently amid its third national lockdown to contain a resurgence in Covid-19 casesone that health officials say isnt working because there are too many exceptions.

The decision to impose the lockdown in late December came as new daily infection rates reported in Israel reached more than 3,000. They are now averaging more than 5,000 daily, with 50,299 active cases in total.

In total, 3,391 Israelis have died from the virus, with a mortality rate of 0.8%. Fatalities have steadily increased since the start of December.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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Like many things in India nowadays, the science of vaccine approval has also run into the politics of chest-thumping nationalism.

Alongside authorizing Covishield, the covid-19 protection developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca Plc, and manufactured by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India Ltd, the countrys drugs regulator on Sunday gave a go-ahead to an indigenous vaccine for which critical phase three trial data isnt yet available.

The hasty nod for Bharat Biotech International Ltds Covaxin, developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and National Institute of Virology, has raised eyebrows in the scientific and healthcare communities about a public rollout of an untested product", according to a national network of non-government organizations.

This is unfortunate. With more than 10 million coronavirus infections recorded so far, India is the worlds second worst affected nation after the United States. New Delhis strategy for vaccinating 1.3 billion people will matter greatly for bringing the global pandemic to a decisive end. The countrys virus-battered economy and its overstretched health systems are also yearning for a reprieve. It will be dangerous to allow political calculations to enter the equation and shake peoples confidence in whats being offered to themand on what basis.

Thats just what seems to be happening in India with the unusual approval for Covaxin, which comes with the odd caveat that its use will be restricted to public interest as an abundant precaution, in clinical trial mode, especially in the context of mutant strains."

Nobody seems to know what that will mean on the ground. Who will get Covishield and who will be given Covaxin? More importantly, wholl decide? In a country beset by massive inequalities in income, wealth and social status, these arent trivial questions.

When opposition leaders raised doubts about the vaccine selection process, a minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modis cabinet likened their objections to questioning the valour of our soldiers".

To be sure, India is not even in the front row of vaccine nationalism. China and Russia appear more desperate to beat the West in saving the world. But, as my colleague Clara Ferreira Marques has noted, both these countries vaccine candidates face a transparency deficit, which could limit their global acceptance.

Thats a risk that India, which manufactures more than 60% of the worlds vaccines, should avoid at all cost.

According to media reports, Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has enlisted 23,000 volunteers for phase three clinical trials. Thats encouraging because another report, published last month, had cited a major New Delhi-based research hospital as saying that it could not find enough subjects for the study. If the drug proves to be effective, introducing it even at a later date should pose no problems.

Naming Covaxin as an alternative even in the absence of phase three trial data could be a commercial tactic to squeeze better discounts" on bulky Covishield purchase contracts, according to the brokerage Jefferies. Still, cutting corners with science isnt exactly the best strategy to negotiate drug prices.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin-backed Sputnik V is also undergoing trials in India, in partnership with local manufacturer Dr. Reddys Laboratories Ltd.

The Ahmedabad-based Cadila Healthcare Ltd is also in the race to develop an indigenous covid-19 vaccine.

Ultimately, it does not matter whether Indias homegrown shots make the final cut. Serum Institute, the worlds largest producer of vaccines, has already stockpiled 70 million doses of Covishield, according to media reports. Big parts of the developing world will rely on Indian manufacturers to supply easy-to-administer, affordably priced vaccines in large quantities.

Nationalism can only muddy the waters with vacuous slogans and irrational goals. Last year, the Indian Council of Medical Research was pushing Bharat Biotech to launch Covaxin by 15 August, Indias independence day. Thankfully, that deadline came and went. But the impatience we saw back then is once again rearing its head when the message for India should be the exact opposite.

Properly designed and implemented studies, honestly reported side effects, and transparently-shared efficacy data will boost the worlds confidence in Made in India jabs. Cutting corners will damage trust. Itll be helpful to leave soldiers alone, and stick to scienceand established scientific protocols. bloomberg

Andy Mukherjee is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist

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In a farewell letter to Congress on Monday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos urged lawmakers to reject President-elect Joe Bidens education agenda, while imploring them to shield Trump administration policies that Biden has promised to eliminate.

DeVos does not explicitly acknowledge President Donald Trumps election defeat nor does she refer to Biden by name. Instead, her letter offers lawmakers some encouragement and closing thoughts. As DeVos prepares to exit the Education Department, she says the coronavirus pandemic has exposed much that is not encouraging about U.S. education.

While my time as Secretary is finite, my time as an advocate for children and students knows no limits, she said in the letter, obtained by The Associated Press. It was sent to leaders in the House and Senate and to committees that oversee the Education Department.

DeVos offered an unemotional farewell to a Congress that had a chilly relationship with her from the start. Her 2017 Senate confirmation required a tiebreaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence, and she remained a persistent target for Democrats in both chambers.

DeVos made no mention of those disputes but instead offered sincere gratitude for your partnership on a range of education issues. Most of her major policies, however, were enacted through federal rulemaking and not through legislation passed by Congress. In her letter, she pledged to continue working with Congress doing whats right for Americas students.

 READ MORE: Urging calm, D.C. mayor calls in National Guard for protests over Electoral College count

Much of the letter serves as a final appeal for school choice legislation that DeVos pushed for nearly two years while failing to gain support from Democrats and many Republicans. The proposal would provide tax breaks for donations to organizations that sponsor students attending private schools or other alternatives to traditional public education.

Critics have said the idea amounts to a federal voucher program, but DeVos said it would empower families to choose the best options for their children  an issue that she said has become increasingly important amid the pandemic.

Many students  particularly our most vulnerable students  are suffering immeasurable harm as a result of schools failing to reopen and failing to educate, she wrote. Quite frankly, the system has never figured out how to remediate students at scale, and Im concerned it is incapable of achieving any kind of academic recovery now.

While her letter condemns schools response to the pandemic, DeVos does not outline how to reopen. She has previously denied that its her job to orchestrate a reopening, saying decisions are best left to local leaders.

For months, Trump and DeVos have pressed schools to reopen for in-person classes even as many school leaders say they lack the resources to do so safely. Biden has made it a priority to reopen schools within his first 100 days and says federal agencies will guide districts in their decisions.

More broadly, DeVos urged Congress to direct federal education funding directly to families rather than to schools. She argued that that teachers unions and interest groups are more concerned with supporting the system than students. She said funding for elementary and high schools should be treated more like federal grants for college, which go directly to students to attend schools of their choice.

Given this precedent of choice and empowerment, it is impossible to understand how it is acceptable for federal taxpayer dollars to support a student attending the University of Notre Dame, but not for a student who wants to attend Notre Dame Prep High School, she wrote.

Throughout his campaign, Biden characterized DeVos as an enemy of public schools, unqualified to lead the Education Department. He drew support from teachers unions after he vowed to nominate an education chief who, unlike DeVos, had experience working in public education.

Bidens nominee, Miguel Cardona, is the state education chief in Connecticut and a former teacher and assistant superintendent in a public district. He has drawn attention for his work to close student achievement gaps and to advocate for schools to reopen during the pandemic.

DeVos letter directly opposes several of Bidens top education priorities, including his proposal to triple federal Title I funding for schools serving low-income students. The letters says federal education funding has already tripled since 1960 but has failed to translate to better outcomes on standardized tests.

She also blasted proposals to make college free for certain students and to erase huge swaths of student debt, which have both been backed by Biden.

I hope you also reject misguided calls to make college free and require the two-thirds of Americans who didnt take on student debt or who responsibly paid off their student loans to pay for the loans of those who have not done the same, she said.

At the same time, she asked Congress to preserve her recently enacted rules on the handling of campus sexual assaults. The policy bolsters protections for the accused and narrows the scope of cases colleges must investigate. DeVos says it ensures fairness for all students, but survivor advocacy groups argue it weakens protections for victims.

Biden has vowed to reverse DeVos policy and bring back Obama-era guidance that it replaced. In her appeal to Congress, DeVos says her regulation restores fairness on campuses by upholding all students rights.
Former Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt died without handing over a penny of the 1.6m damages that he and three others were ordered to pay the Omagh families.

McKevitt, who headed the terror group formed in 1997 by dissident members of the Provisionals, died on Saturday of cancer.

The Dundalk father-of-six was found by Belfast High Court to be centrally involved in planning the Omagh bombing, but he never paid any of the 1.6m judgment against him and the other three found liable for the atrocity.

McKevitt was never convicted criminally, but spent 13 years in prison in the Republic after being found guilty by Dublin's Special Criminal Court of "directing terrorism", a new statute enacted following the attack on Omagh.

Last night the father of one of the Omagh victims said McKevitt was able to pass away peacefully in his bed surrounded by family, but those who perished in the August 1998 attack died in the street.

Michael Gallagher, who lost his 21-year-old Aiden, said: "You have this man who passed away in the comfort of his own bed with his family around him, but our families died in the gutter in the main street of Omagh."

Twenty-nine people, along with unborn twins, died, and more than 200 were injured, in the bombing, which McKevitt always denied orchestrating. The telephone message warning about the bomb delivered wrong information leading police to direct people towards the device rather than away.

But McKevitt was known as the founder and leader of the Real IRA, which was formed by those IRA members opposed to the peace process. He was previously a PIRA quartermaster and was central to moving arms and munitions from dumps for use by the breakaway group.

According to the official death notice, McKevitt died "peacefully at home in the presence of his loving family". He was married to Bernadette Sands McKevitt, the sister of Bobby Sands, and had six children, one deceased. He had two grandchildren.

A funeral Mass will take place on Tuesday morning at St Fursey's Church in Haggardstown, Co Louth, following removal from the family home in Beech Park, Blackrock.

Ms Sands McKevitt founded the 32 Sovereignty Committee but retreated from the role as its public face following her husband's 2003 conviction for directing terrorism.

In 2009, McKevitt, Liam Campbell, Seamus Daly and Colm Murphy were found liable for the bombing and ordered to pay 1.6m damages to 12 relatives. A fifth man, Seamus McKenna, was cleared of liability for the bombing.

McKevitt, Campbell and Murphy, all from Co Louth, were declared bankrupt by the High Court in Dublin last year on foot of an application by the families of the Omagh dead. They each had failed to pay 439,000.

While Mr Gallagher welcomed the successful pursuit of McKevitt civilly, he said: "It is the 23rd year and not one person has been held criminally responsible for the murders."

Mr Gallagher added: "None of the families have received any money as they have been able to dispose of their assets before the CAB (Criminal Assets Bureau) got hold of them.

"It is always the victims that suffer and McKevitt escaped justice in this world. He will have to face his maker, as we all do.

"But we wanted to hold these people accountable in this world, that is why we have a civilised society and laws. It is not an Old Testament eye for an eye because we are against murder."

On his 2003 conviction, Mr Gallagher said: "I think the authorities recognised he had to be taken out of the system because they knew he was a dangerous man.

"But we are in a strange position because this year we are remembering the foundation of this state, yet the worst atrocity in its history, in the history of the island in recent years, and no-one has been held accountable.

"That would not happen anywhere else, in Britain, in the US. There is something seriously wrong with that."

Mr Gallagher said he and the other families are still waiting to hear whether a public inquiry should be held into what the authorities north and south knew ahead of the bombing.

Kenny Donaldson, of Innocent Victims United, said his thoughts are with those who died in the Omagh bombing.

"When a terrorist dies a wave of emotions are experienced by those who were impacted by their criminal actions," he said.

"Do we take glee in his death? No we don't because to do so would make us subhuman alike the manner which he chose to live his life.

McKevitt's family, in the death notice, gave "heartfelt thanks to the medical staff of St James' Hospital, Beaumont Hospital, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital...the Irish Cancer Society, Dundalk Medical Centre and McQuillan's Pharmacy Blackrock."

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WALNUT CREEK, Calif., Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Heffernan Insurance Brokers, one of the largest full-service, independent insurance brokerage firms in the United States, has merged with Porter & Curtis LLC, a consultative commercial property and casualty insurance broker, effective December 31, 2020. Porter & Curtis represents Heffernan's first office on the East Coast and its founders, William (Bill) P. Curtis, Jr. and Kenneth (Ken) F. Porter, will continue to lead the operations, located in Media, Pennsylvania.

Founded in 1998, Porter & Curtis LLC is a superior insurance advisory firm, with market-leading expertise in religious organizations and sharing economy companies. Its risk management capabilities, claims advocacy and captive services are sought after and highly valued by clients. Heffernan and Porter & Curtis LLC look forward to combining their respective capabilities and strengths in these and other industries to become the preferred destination for clients across the country.

"Our firm would not have been possible without the support of the late Frank Heffernan, the father of Mike Heffernan," said Bill Curtis, Jr. and Ken Porter. "Frank believed in our idea for a consultative model characterized by private ownership, transparency, high quality service and real advocacy. In developing our long-term plans it was clear that Heffernan's ability to support that model is unique among its peers."

"We are thrilled to have Porter & Curtis, LLC on board and to be able to start working closely with Bill Curtis and Ken Porter," said Michael Heffernan, President and CEO of Heffernan Insurance Brokers. "Their expertise in large risk management accounts and complicated insurance placements will be a valuable addition to the Heffernan Group. We look forward to seeing them lead the way in expanding our footprint in the Pennsylvania area and beyond."

As part of the next phase of Heffernan's growth strategy, we are interested in collaborating with privately held independent brokers across the United States. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Matt McKenna, Director of Corporate Development, at 925-746-7962 or [email protected].

About Heffernan Insurance Brokers

Heffernan Insurance Brokers, formed in 1988, is one of the largest independent insurance brokerage firms in the United States. Heffernan provides insurance and financial services products to a range of businesses and individuals. Headquartered in Walnut Creek, Calif., Heffernan has offices in San Francisco, Petaluma, Menlo Park, Truckee, Bakersfield, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles and Irvine, CA; Phoenix, AZ; Portland, OR; Seattle and Olympia, WA; St. Louis, MO; and London UK.

Employee-owned, Heffernan Insurance Brokers was named the Top Mid-Sized Broker in the United States to work for in 2009 by Business Insurance Magazine. The firm has been among the Top Greater Bay Area Philanthropists since 2003.

For more information, visit www.heffins.com. License #0564249

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A new so-called British Covid-19 strain was confirmed in Georgia. Paata Imnadze, Deputy Head of the National Center for Disease Control, told journalists at a press conference at the Ministry of Health, Trend reports citing 1TV.

Imnadze said they examined three samples for the new strain. Two were negative, while the third was positive for a new mutant Covid-19 strain.

Infected is a patient over 50 years of age who feels well. The patient is isolated.

According to Paata Imnadze, the biological material of his contacts is being studied. According to Imnadze, the person infected with the new strain did not travel to Britain. Imnadze did not specify the travel history of the patient.




The 117th US Congress will convene on January 3, 2021, and it will formally certify Joe Biden's election victory three days later. After Biden finally takes power on January 20, US foreign policy shall go through some relatively obvious adjustments.

Some people described Biden's policies as a sharp reversal of Donald Trump's, to achieve "anything but Trump". However, Biden still faces many challenges in trying to upend Trump's foreign policy including China policy.

Biden and Trump's foreign policy are not completely different. Their ultimate goals coincide in maintaining US hegemony, but there are differences in the way and approach of achieving it. Biden and his team believe that during Trump's tenure, the international system constructed carefully by the US has been falling apart, and American credibility and influence in the international community have been weakening. Therefore, restoring America's leadership in the world will be Biden's main focus.

As for China policy, the temporarily vanished voice of prudence in the US may be re-activated, and some subtle changes may usher in China-US relations. However, the overall US policy towards China will not change, and the relationship between the two countries will not return to the state during the Obama administration. Competition will still be the mainstream of US policy, but there are some differences in terms of the approaches. In addition, as far as the policy orientation of the new generation of the Democrats is concerned, many of them support keeping Trump's "effective" strategy on China, rather than completely overturning it.

The biggest challenge for Biden to adjust China policy is the constraint from the new Congress. First, the new Congress will not change its anti-China attitude and possibly further poison the atmosphere. During the Trump administration, the Congress has passed numerous anti-China legislation on issues of Taiwan, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Tibet Autonomous Region which are all sensitive issues in bilateral relations. The China hawks are still there, and many anti-China acts are waiting for going through the procedure after the new Congress is in place.

Second, with a possible slim majority in Congress, Biden lacks room to bargain on China issues. When Donald Trump became the president in 2017, he owned a sold political basis to wield power and push forward his domestic policies. Biden may not have such a honeymoon period if the Democrats could not win both Senate election runoffs in Georgia. His capability to deliver a bold agenda will be greatly constrained by his status as the first president in more than three decades to take office without his party controlling both chambers of Congress. A semi-lame-duck status might force the president to concede more on China issues in return for the Republican's support on his domestic agenda including fighting COVID-19 and revitalizing US economy.

Third, Biden and the Democrats are not willing to entirely abandon Trump's legacy of China policy. Biden must not only break the shackles of Trump's China policy, but also accept the bipartisan strategic consensus on China. The new generation of the Democrats have realized that Trump's tough policy toward China was not completely invalid, and it made some progress that the Democrats hoped for but didn't accomplish. For example, in terms of tariffs on China, Biden is unlikely to relax it in the short term, but to continue using it to force China to make concessions.

Therefore, it is better to be cautiously optimistic on changes in China-US relations after the new US government forms and the new Congress convenes. On one hand, Biden's China policy will return to a bit of rationality and the administration is likely to restart the high-level strategic dialogues between the two countries beyond the economic and trade talks. The Biden administration might also restore some of the cultural and people-to-people exchanges and seek cooperation on global governance such as combating COVID-19, tackling climate change and recovering global economy.

On the other hand, Biden's priorities before the 2022 midterm elections will be his domestic agendas. The China issues might be used as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the Republicans. It is the easiest way for Biden to make some minor changes to Trump's "strategic competition" framework towards China, adding some calibrated cooperation from the US strength without fundamentally altering the course to deal with China.

By Sun Chenghao, an assistant research professor at the Institute of American Studies under the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations based in Beijing. (Source: CGTN)




Loading The US government had argued it was not prosecuting Assange for publishing the cables but for how they were obtained, alleging he conspired with Chelsea Manning, then an army intelligence officer, to hack into government systems to steal three-quarters of a million secret and classified cables. The Obama administration did not bring charges against Assange  they were brought by the Department of Justice under the Trump administration. Trump had benefited politically from a separate publication by WikiLeaks of the emails obtained from the Democratic National Committee's servers after a Russian hack. Trump is on record speaking both in favour of and against WikiLeaks. Baraitser did not read out her written judgment but rejected key arguments made by Assange's lawyers that his actions were justified because he was acting as a journalist when he encouraged Manning to hack into US systems. The cables were later published on the internet, unredacted.

"In the modern era, where 'dumps' of vast amounts of data onto the internet can be carried out by almost anyone, it is difficult to see how a concept of 'responsible journalism' can sensibly be applied," she said. In her judgment, Baraitser pointed to the condemnation of WikiLeaks issued at the time by former mainstream media partners, including The Guardian and The New York Times, which had both originally collaborated by publishing information deemed to be in the public interest. They had, however, redacted sensitive information. The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald also partnered with WikiLeaks in 2010 and were also critical of the organisation's approach to redaction, especially where it came to identifying individuals whose lives might be endangered. "In my judgment, Mr Assanges alleged activities went beyond the mere encouragement of a whistle-blower," Baraitser ruled. "Free speech does not comprise a 'trump card' even where matters of serious public concern are disclosed and it does not provide an unfettered right for some, like Mr Assange, to decide the fate of others, on the basis of their partially informed assessment of the risks."

She accepted that his conduct was capable of constituting criminal offences in England and Wales, a blow for those who have argued that Assange's actions were those of a free press and therefore should not be prosecuted. Assange had claimed he was being politically prosecuted by US President Donald Trump but the judge found "little evidence" of this. She had also rejected his claims that his human rights would be violated if he were sent to the United States to face judicial proceedings and said that he would get a fair hearing. But she accepted one crucial plank of Assange's case, relating to the near-solitary conditions in which he would be held in a US prison if extradited and the effects on his mental health, noting the Australian's family history of suicide and upholding evidence that he was depressed. "The overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man who is generally fearful about his future," she said.

The judgment was published online immediately after she delivered her verdict, and can be read in full here. The 49-year-old has been held at Belmarsh prison since September 2019. The US wants to try him on 17 charges that carry a total 175 years' jail. Stella Moris-Smith Robertson, Assange's fiancee and the mother of their two children, Max and Gabriel, was in court to hear the ruling and wept as it was delivered. She was comforted by WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson, with whom she had arrived at the Old Bailey. The judge had earlier rejected pleas to consider the impact his extradition would have on his young family saying it was "sadly nothing out of the ordinary in the context of extradition proceedings."

Editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks Kristinn Hrafnsson (left) and Julian Assange's girlfriend, Stella Moris-Smith Robertson (centre), arrive for the hearing. Credit:Getty Images A small throng of supporters chanted "free Julian Assange" as the pair arrived. Monday's ruling is a major development in the 10-year saga. Assange spent nearly seven years holed up at the Ecuadorian embassy in London to escape being extradited to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault. He was kicked out by his hosts in dramatic scenes in April 2019 when they invited Scotland Yard to enter the embassy and arrest their long-term resident. Assange has been held in custody ever since. If you or anyone you know needs support call Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.
A CNN report on the Department of Defenses aggressive plan for distributing COVID-19 vaccines included a photo of a little-known aspect: the vaccination card.

According to the report, vaccination cards are intended to be the simplest way to keep track of COVID-19 shots for a vaccine that requires multiple doses.

For most COVID-19 vaccine products, two doses of vaccine, separated by 21 or 28 days, will be needed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Second-dose reminders for vaccine recipients will be critical to ensure compliance with vaccine dosing intervals and achieve optimal vaccine effectiveness.

Every dose administered will be reported to the CDC, said Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers. And vaccination clinics will also keep a record of who got what dose, so that way youre not getting the second dose of a vaccine before you got the first.

Not to mention that every shot will be tracked by state and local health departments, too.

In Virginia, for example, state officials said people who get the vaccine will be put into a registry. Its just a reminder they need to come back for a second dose. Its going to help us know what shot you got and which one you need, said Dr. Ryan Light with the Tidewater Physicians Multispecialty Group.

In Kentucky, Public Health Commissioner Steven Stack explained to state residents that receiving the vaccine would put them on the National Immuno Registry.

The federal government is going to provide vaccination cards that we will provide for people when they get a vaccine, Stack said. I dont want to minimize this. This, and other parts of this, are just parts of what makes this a complex undertaking.

Reminding people they need to come back for a second shot is innocuous. But will governments really limit this datas use to a calendar entry? And what about private businesses? Or will they use it to sort non-card-carrying citizens as part of a public health strategy?

Its not a new idea. In March, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed a reopening strategy for his state that included antibody testing results. Younger people can go back to work  people who can get this antibody test  show they have had the virus and resolved  can go back to work, Cuomo said.

A few weeks later, Americas COVID czar Anthony Fauci said he was open to the idea as well: Its one of those things that we talk about when we want to make sure that we know who the vulnerable people are and not, he said.

Supporters of this approach argue its an efficient way to balance public health concerns with reopening the economy  for some. Just as the work of licensed truckers benefits those unable to drive, the increased safety and economic activity enabled by immunity licenses would benefit the unlicensed, wrote Ezekiel Emmanuel, one of the health experts behind Obamacare.

Opponents fear it could lead to what Noah Rothman of Commentary Magazine calls an Immunity Caste system. Establishing infection as the criterion to re-engage in economic activity would create some rather perverse incentives for individuals to become infected, Rothman notes.

In many states, restaurants are already required to collect the names and contact information of their dine-in customers and make it available to health departments as part of contact tracing efforts. Why not demand to see their vaccination papers as well? If private businesses know potential employees or customers have vaccination cards in their wallets, will it be No Shirt, No Shoes, No Shots  No Service?

In May, electronic health records company EPIC said it was looking into developing a phone app that will say whether you are tested and youre clear, whether you are currently not safe, whether you have COVID right now. According to CEO Judy Faulkner, the app would show red for someone who has COVID-19, green for someone whos clear and yellow if the status is unknown.

There needs to be legislation barring private interests from using this [vaccination cards] to de facto stratify society, says Rothman. And it needs to be done now.

Michael Graham is political editor at InsideSources. He can be reached at michael@insidesources.com.
The dashing son of French fashion billionaire Bernard Arnault has announced his engagement to his glamorous accessories designer girlfriend.

Rimowa CEO Alexandre Arnault, 28, the second oldest son of LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard, 71, proposed to Geraldine Guyot, founder of French accessories brand DEstree, shortly before Christmas and shared the news on social media last week.

Posting a photo of a romantic rooftop table for two, Alexandre proudly declared: 'Engaged to my soulmate and my best friend'.

Bride-to-be! Rimowa CEO Alexandre Arnault, 28, the second oldest son of LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard, 71, announced his engagement to Geraldine Guyot, founder of French accessories brand DEstree, by sharing this photo on Instagram

Jet-setters: The couple have been dating since at least August 2019, when Alexandre first shared a photo of Paris-based Geraldine on Instagram. Pictured, in Japan together

Sweet selfie: Alexandre and Geraldine, who was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 list for retail and e-commerce last year, have both shared this holiday snap on Instagram

Geraldine, who was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 list for retail and e-commerce last year, shared the same photo with the caption: 'Yes a million times over'.

The couple have been dating since at least August 2019, when Alexandre first shared a photo of Paris-based Geraldine on Instagram.

In the months since, Geraldine has travelled the world with her beau, joining him on trips to Japan, Greece and Italy.

Alexandre made headlines around the world when he was named CEO of Rimowa in 2017 at the age of 24 after he played a crucial role in LVMH's decision to buy an 80 percent stake in the high-tech luggage maker for 640 million euros ($716 million), its first acquisition in Germany.

Matching masks: Alexandre shared this photo to mark his girlfriend's birthday last month

Summer sun: The glamorous young couple pose for a photo on a visit to Italy last year

Fashion power couple: Alexandre and Geraldine are both forging careers in the industry

Bernault likes to keep business in the family. His eldest son Antoine, 43, who married Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova last year, is CEO of Berluti, while his daughter Delphine is director and executive vice president of Louis Vuitton. His 26-year-old son Frederic is CEO of Tag Heuer.

The French billionaire, who has been married twice, also has a younger son, Jean, 23.

Geraldine studied at Central Saint Martins in London before returning to Paris in 2015 to found DESTREE, which creates 'high-end fashion accessories', including hats and jewellery.

Beyonce is among her celebrity fans and the brand is sold at 100 retailers around the world.

The Arnault family turned out in force when Antoine married long-term partner Natalia in a low-key civil ceremony in Paris in June. The couple have two sons.
News

Phoenix, Arizona - Governor Doug Ducey released a video looking back at 2020, thanking all who stepped up to help others, and showing how Arizonans bolstered their communities throughout this challenging year.

"Through grit, determination and a fighting spirit, we'll overcome this virus and emerge stronger than ever."
Dubai, UAE, Jan. 03, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Is it possible to get 30% off Kohls coupons? Of course, yes. Kohls does indeed provide its customers with a 30% off coupon at least once every month.

Kohls.com: 30% Off Coupon And Deals

Kohls.com: View All Current Coupons

You can also find Kohls 30% off coupons during special events like Black Friday or holidays such as Christmas. The coupons normally appear on the first or second week of each month and usually last for around 7 to 10 days.

At present, the next Kohls 30% off coupon is expected on January 14th, 2021. So, if youre a Kohls Card Holder, you can use Kohls Promo Codes or Kohls Coupons to get a 30% discount on your purchase every month and on special events and holidays.

All you need to do is to sign up or sign in to Kohls account, follow a few steps, and apply the coupon to your cart.

If youre not a cardholder yet, go ahead and register today and youll even receive 35% off when you first buy something.

About Kohls and What They Sell

Kohls is among the largest retailers in the United States with an extensive range of products, brands, and departments.

The company was founded back in 1962 as an offshoot of a supermarket chain in Milwaukee before expanding to diverse locations in the US.

Much of the companys growth happened during the 2000s when it expanded further into the West and Southeast parts of the US.

At the time of writing, Kohls has over 1,150 stores across the United States with more than 40,000 employees. It also enjoys a strong and popular online presence through its Kohls.com website. The online site has the same inventory as the physical Kohls stores.

Kohls specializes in everyday products with a special focus on men, women, and childrens fashion items. It has an extensive range of fashion products including jackets, dresses, pants, shirts, kids clothes, shoes, and accessories for the whole family.

They also have fashion items from leading brand names such as Levis, Sonoma, and Chaps as well as exclusive brands such as Vera Wangs Simply Vera, Princess, and Rock and Republic. Kohls also sells watches, jewelry, fragrances, and other accessories.

The company is also known for high-quality home products such as bed and bath products, home decor items like photo frames and wall art, kitchen appliances, and products, and luggage.

Kohls range of products is so extensive that you can safely assume that theres something for everyone at their online and offline stores.

How to Save Money with Kohls Deals

Saving money with Kohls deals is quite simple.

Just head over to your local Kohls.com store or do an online search for the nearest Kohls store then follow these easy steps to make great savings on your purchases.

The first thing youll need to do is to sign up for a membership at Kohls. Once youve registered for Kohls Membership, youll start receiving emails with flyers showing you the current and future deals from the company once every month. Just keep your eyes open for Kohls emails to get the best deals.

You can also save money by shopping atKohlsduring selected department category sales events. Another easy way of making more savings from your purchases at Kohls is by taking advantage of Kohls Stackable Codes. These coupon codes are often offered in specific departments and could quite easily save you an extra $10 on your purchases at the online store.

Another easy way of saving at Kohls is by using Kohls Cash, which is awarded when your balance gets to a given dollar amount. Kohls Cash offers can be used to pay for future purchases of $10 to $15. Keep in mind that the Kohls Cash offers should be redeemed within two weeks after you get them. There are no codes for Kohls Cash but you can always check if they are available in Kohls Cash Balance.

If youre not a Kohls Card Holder yet, you can also take advantage of the companys discounts by waiting until the next Kohls Friends and Family Sale promotion period. During this period, everyone including people who arent holders of MVC Cards gets a 20% discount sitewide.

You can also sign up for the companys Yes2You Rewards program to save more on your purchases. The program allows you to earn points for every purchase you make at Kohls. Every dollar you spend at the online store gives you 1 point. You will get a $5 reward for every 100 points youve earned through the program.

Kohls also runs a price matching program in which they match their competitors prices. What this means is that if you come across the same item sold on Kohls being offered at a lower price in another store, bring the item to their attention and they will give you the same price found in the other store. Whats more, if you buy something today at Kohls and later on find that the price has gone down the company will give you a price adjustment. Just bring back your receipt within 2 weeks after purchase and they will gladly refund you the difference in the prices.

Are you serving or have served in the military? Kohlssupports you too by offering active military personnel and veterans as well as their family a 15% discount on each and every Monday.

There are also Kohls Secret Sales held at their events. To participate just get a scratch-off ticket at their checkout counter and you may get 15%, 20%, or even 30% off from your purchases.

Dont forget that Kohls offers Free Shipping for any purchase worth $75 or more. Just ask for Free Shipping if you buy goods worth $75 or more.

Save Big by Becoming a Kohls MVC Card Holder

The easiest way of saving big at Kohls is by joining the most Valued Customer Charge Card Holder program.

To sign up just go to apply.kohls.com and follow the simple steps outlined there.

There are many benefits of being a Kohls MVC Card Holder. For instance, Kohls will send you an email each month with a flyer showing you the current and upcoming sales.

Youll also receive the upcoming Kohls 30% off coupons for the month as well as other stackable coupon codes including $10 off every $50 spent on womens clothing or $10 off every $30 spent using Kohls Cash.

When you have spent $600 on purchases paid by your card, youll get 6 extra special offers for the rest of the year. As an MVC Card Holder, youre automatically eligible for Kohls MVC Free Shipping for all purchases you make during the companys monthly events.

What Other Coupons Does Kohls Have?

Besides the popular Kohls 30% Off Coupons, there are other money-saving Kohls deals such as the 15% off coupon offered for every $100 you spend.

The company holds Flash sales and Friends and Family events each month in which they offer 20% discounts.

Kohls also provides a Senior Discount of 15% for purchases made in-store on Wednesdays. You must be 60 years and above to be eligible for the Senior Discount offer so make sure to bring along a valid identification to verify your age.

You cant use the discount with other coupons and promo codes with a percentage-off offer.

How Many Coupons Can Use at the Same Time?

You can use a maximum of 4 coupon codes in the same order at Kohls but only two if youre placing your order via a mobile device.

This basically means that you can apply several coupons on the same order although Kohls has restrictions on how you do it. The company allows multiple department-specific promos as well as dollar-off discounts such as Kohls Card.

However, guests only get one site-wide promo coupon per order. You also have the option to use together Kohls coupons in what they call Stackable Codes.

When combining coupon codes, departmental coupons take precedence followed by dollar-off coupons, and the site-wide percentage off coupon last.

When Does a Kohls Coupon Expire?

Some Kohls coupons come with an expiry date either printed on the physical coupon or indicated on the digital coupon that you intend to use. Kohls Cash offers also have an expiration period.

You cannot use expired Kohls Cash on any order so make sure to use all the added Kohls cash in your balance within the 10-day grace period.

Kohls 30% off coupons and other Kohls deals provide a great way to save money while shopping.

To take advantage of the promo coupons and discounts make sure that youre signed in to Kohls online account before you shop and remember to click the Kohls Cash & Promos APPLY button in your order summary before checkout.

Stay tuned for the next Kohls credit event which will run from January 14th through January 27th, 2021. Alternatively, you can keep up to date with Kohls offers, sales, and promos by signing up for the Most Valued Customer Charge Card Holder program.

Theyll send you flyers with the current and upcoming credit events, sales, and coupon codes every month among other benefits.



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RTHK: UK court blocks Julian Assange extradition to US

A British judge has rejected the United States request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face espionage charges, saying it would be oppressive because of his mental health.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said on Monday Assange was likely to commit suicide if sent to the US.

The US government said it would appeal the decision.

American prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks publication of leaked military and diplomatic documents a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.

Lawyers for the 49-year-old Australian argue that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections of freedom of speech for publishing leaked documents that exposed US military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The judge rejected claims by the defence that Assange was protected by free-speech guarantees, saying his conduct, if proved, would therefore amount to offences in this jurisdiction that would not be protected by his right to freedom of speech.

But she said Assange suffered from clinical depression that would be exacerbated by the isolation he would likely face in US prison.

The judge said Assange had the intellect and determination to circumvent any suicide prevention measures the authorities could take.

The prosecution of Assange has been condemned by journalists and human rights groups, who say it undermines free speech around the world.

The mere fact that this case has made it to court, let alone gone on this long, is an historic, large-scale attack on freedom of speech, said WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson. This is a fight that affects each and every persons right to know and is being fought collectively."

Assanges legal troubles began in 2010, when he was arrested in London at the request of Sweden, which wanted to question him about allegations of rape and sexual assault made by two women. In 2012, to avoid being sent to Sweden, Assange sought refuge inside the Ecuadorian Embassy, where he was beyond the reach of UK and Swedish authorities, but also effectively a prisoner, unable to leave the tiny diplomatic mission in Londons tony Knightsbridge area.

The relationship between Assange and his hosts eventually soured, and he was evicted from the embassy in April 2019. British police immediately arrested him for jumping bail in 2012.

Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in November 2019 because so much time had elapsed, but Assange remains in Londons high-security Belmarsh Prison, brought to court in a prison van throughout his extradition hearing. (AP)

This story has been published on: 2021-01-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The Prime Minister will make a televised address at 8pm after coming under intense pressure to announce a new national lockdown amid soaring Covid-19 cases.

And Boris Johnson's address to the nation has forced rival soaps EastEnders and Coronation Street into TV clash - although the BBC's timings are subject to change to accomodate for the PM.

Currently, BBC's EastEnders will now air at the later time of 8.35pm, meaning it will be in direct competition with ITV soap Coronation Street's second episode which begins airing at 8.30pm.

Soap clash! Boris Johnson's address to the nation at 8pm has forced rival soaps EastEnders and Coronation Street into TV clash - although the BBC's timings are subject to change

Soap fans took to Twitter to voice their upset at the timing of Boris' address to the nation, with one person tweeting: 'WHY DOES THE CONFERENCE HAVE TO BE AT 8PM HE ALWAYS HAS TO RUIN THE ENTIRE EVENING.'

'Apparently #Eastenders is on at 8.35pm tonight to allow for the speech from Boris Johnson. Therefore it will clash with #Corrie.' wrote another

Another soap fan tweeted: 'And has caused Corrie and Eastenders to clash! He is a secret soap hater.....'

'EastEnders always seems to get bumped for Boris's national addresses. Hope it's not cos he's a Corrie fan we don't want him x,' wrote someone else.'

Oh no! Currently, BBC's EastEnders will now air at the later time of 8.35pm, meaning it will be in direct competition with ITV soap Coronation Street's second episode

A head start: Corries' second episode begins airing at 8.30pm just five minutes earlier

In his 8pm address, Boris Johnson will set out emergency measures to control the spread of coronavirus amid concerns the NHS risks being overwhelmed.

The latest figures showed a further 407 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Monday and there were a record 58,784 more lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.

A No 10 spokesman said: 'The spread of the new variant of Covid-19 has led to rapidly escalating case numbers across the country.

'The Prime Minister is clear that further steps must now be taken to arrest this rise and to protect the NHS and save lives.'

Fuming! Soap fans took to Twitter to voice their upset at the timing of Boris' address to the nation

Professor John Edmunds, who works on the Government's coronavirus response as part of the scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage), warned that 'really major additional measures' are needed immediately, with school closures being the 'biggest lever' available.

Earlier, Mr Johnson had said there was 'no question' that further action was needed and there would be 'tough' weeks ahead.

After a recommendation from the Joint Biosecurity Centre, the UK's four chief medical officers said the UK alert level should increase to level five 'in light of the most recent data'.

Emergency: In his 8pm address, Boris Johnson will set out emergency measures to control the spread of coronavirus amid concerns the NHS risks being overwhelmed

In a statement, they said: 'Cases are rising almost everywhere, in much of the country driven by the new more transmissible variant.

'We are not confident that the NHS can handle a further sustained rise in cases and without further action there is a material risk of the NHS in several areas being overwhelmed over the next 21 days.'

The latest public data show a 41% rise in the number of confirmed coronavirus patients in hospital in England between Christmas Day and January 3, figures which have caused alarm in Whitehall and the health service.

Ministers hope the Oxford vaccine  which is easier to distribute than the other approved jab from Pfizer/BioNTech  could provide a route out of the coronavirus crisis, but it could be months before sufficient numbers have received their first shot.
More than 100,000 total vaccinations have been administered in health agency's region

local
New Delhi, Jan 4 : The seventh round of meeting of the farmers' organisation with the government at Vigyan Bhawan on Monday remained inconclusive as the farmers were adamant about withdrawal of the three farm laws.

Two issues were to be discussed in the meeting but due to the stalemate over the withdrawal of the farm laws, demand for legal guarantee on MSP couldn't be discussed. Now, the discussion over the MSP will be held on January 8.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said in the meeting that the farm laws are beneficial for the farmers across the country, therefore, decision will be taken after consulting farmers of all the states.

Taking up the issue of the farmers who lost their lives during the protest, representatives of 40 farmers' organisation proposed to start the meeting by offering condolences to them. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal and Union Minister of State Som Prakash along with the farmers' leaders offered condolences by keeping a two-minute silence.

Sources said that the three ministers asked the farmers' leaders to start the discussion on the three laws and discuss the issue related to MSP after that as these were two issues to be discussed today. Farmers' leaders demanded the withdrawal of the three laws to which Tomar said that these laws have been enacted after much deliberation. They will surely benefit from them.

"As farmers of many states have supported the laws so we can't take any decision without listening to them," Tomar said.

Tomar also said that we will discuss every clause of the farm laws, and on whichever laws you have objections to we are ready to consider amendments.

On this, the farmers' leaders refused to accept any amendments and unanimously demanded withdrawal of the three laws. The demand for withdrawal of the laws was put down by the Union Ministers.

After discussion of around 1.30 hours, the meeting was called-off for lunch. Last time the ministers and the farmers' leaders had lunch together at a langar but this time they had it separately.

The farmers were adamant on their demand of withdrawal after lunch also. They said that they won't end the protest on the borders of the national Capital till the laws are withdrawn.

Shivkumar Sharma 'Kakka', a farmers' leader who was in the meeting, told IANS, "Legal guarantee of the MSP couldn't be discussed today as the talks revolved around withdrawal of the laws. The ministers said that it takes around 20 years to bring a law to which all the farmers' leaders said that the law should be beneficial for the public too. When we raised the issue of MSP after the lunch, the ministers said that it is a complicated matter so it will be better if both the parties can do a thorough preparation on it and discuss it in next meeting." Kakka said the farmers are ready to end the protest if the government is ready to repeal the laws. "We will continue to protest for years to get these laws rolled back," he added.

Bharatiya Kisan Union (Uttar Pradesh) President Rakesh Tikait said, "It is the tension of the government to end the protest not ours. Today's meeting was inconclusive. Everything depends on government's stand. Farmers don't come to Delhi again and again. Now, they have come here so they don't want to go back without any result." (Navneet Mishra can be contacted at navneet.m@ians.in)
Aviation Capital Group Announces Closing of $500 Million Unsecured Loan

On December 24, 2020, Aviation Capital Group LLC ("ACG") closed a $500 million unsecured loan with Mizuho Bank Ltd. The loan matures in December 2023 and is supported by an Overseas Untied Loan Insurance policy from Nippon Export and Investment Insurance ("NEXI"), the official export credit agency of Japan. Tokyo Century Corporation helped arrange, lead, and support the transaction.

"This transaction is another significant milestone for ACG as we continue to diversify our funding sources," said Madhu Vijay, Executive Vice Presidnt and CFO of ACG. "We are very appreciative of Mizuho's continued support of ACG and Tokyo Century, and grateful to our parent, Tokyo Century, for their key role in identifying and arranging NEXI support for this transaction."







About Aviation Capital Group

Aviation Capital Group was founded in 1989 and is one of the world's premier full-service aircraft asset managers with approximately 450 owned, managed and committed aircraft as of September 30, 2020, which are leased to approximately 85 airlines in approximately 40 countries. ACG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo Century Corporation.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005197/en/
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
LANDOVER, Md., Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Giant Food, the leading greater Washington D.C. regional grocery chain, announces today a donation of toilet paper and hand sanitizer valued at $2 million dollars to eleven local nonprofit organizations: Capital Area Food Bank, Maryland Food Bank, Food Bank of Delaware, Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank, USO-Metro, Donate Delaware, US Dream Academy, Salvation Army, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and United Way.

Giant is also proud to have supported its communities during the holiday season through its "Lend a Hand for Hunger" Holiday Program which raised over $550,000. The campaign gave customers an opportunity to get involved in supporting their neighbors during the holiday season by rounding up their change on their in-store purchases to the nearest dollar amount at checkout. The donations have been distributed to Giant's five area food bank partners  Capital Area Food Bank, Maryland Food Bank, Food Bank of Delaware, Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank and Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, all part of the Feeding America network.

"Our nonprofit partners continue to see a high demand for essential supplies such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer as the coronavirus crisis continues to put many under extraordinary pressure," said Ira Kress, President of Giant Food. "It's important for us to do all that we can as a neighbor to serve our communities and we are humbled to be able to support our nonprofit partners with monetary and supply donations during this time."

"During this pandemic, items like hand sanitizer and toilet tissue are some of the most essential supplies to ensure health and wellbeing, yet have also been the hardest to come by  especially for people who are already struggling to afford food," said Molly McGlinchy, the Capital Area Food Bank's Sr. Director of Procurement and Direct Programs. "Giant's generous donation of these items is making a big difference for thousands of our neighbors in the midst of this incredibly challenging time."

"USO-Metro is humbled to receive such a generous and impactful donation from our partners at Giant Food. While the pandemic has taken a toll on everyone this year, we are especially grateful to be able to offer in-kind goods to our local military community who have been impacted by COVID-19," said Elaine Rogers, Chief Executive Office of the USO-Metro. "This donation could not have come at a better time, and we can't thank Giant Food enough for their longstanding partnership with our USO and their commitment to give back to our service members."

"At a time when so many retailers are understandably limiting the amount of hand sanitizer and paper products available for purchase, we are beyond grateful for Giant's generous donation of these items, which will help our statewide network of community partners remain open and operational while ensuring Marylanders can effectively minimize the spread of COVID-19," said Carmen Del Guercio, Maryland Food Bank President & CEO. "Giant's timely gift proves that there are many ways to help our neighbors in need, and highlights the value of donations of all kinds during these challenging times."

To learn more about Giant's efforts to support the needs of its communities and hunger relief during this challenging time, please visit giantfood.com.

About Giant Food

Giant Food is headquartered in Landover, Md. and operates 164 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia with approximately 20,000 associates. Included within the 164 stores are 153 full-service pharmacies, 82 full-service PNC Banks and 24 Starbucks locations. Giant fits all the ways today's busy customers want to shop - whether in store or online. With 142 Giant Pickup locations and Giant Delivery available to all our market areas in DC, MD, VA and DE, customers have even more convenient options right at their fingertips to get the best product and prices, whenever and however they want it. For more information on Giant, visit: giantfood.com.

SOURCE Giant Food

Related Links

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RAF Sergeant John Morton bailed out of a burning Lancaster bomber over Berlin

He was captured and taken to prisoner of war camp in Nazi-controlled Lithuania

The hero airman survived two hellish 'death marches' towards camp in Hamburg

Returning to Britain after the war he retrained as a graphic artist and died in 1997

His widow Valerie, 83, has now sold his poignant wartime archives for 1,100

The widow of an RAF hero who survived two Nazi 'death marches' has sold his poignant wartime archive 76 years later.

Sergeant John Morton was captured after he jumped out of a blazing Lancaster bomber as it was shot down in a raid over Berlin.

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He was taken to a prisoner of war camp in Lithuania but was forced to march hundreds of miles west in appalling conditions as Russian allies advanced from the east.

Many of the PoWs were weak and starving and were bayoneted or shot because they could not sustain the hellish pace.

The widow of an RAF hero Sergeant John Morton, who survived two Nazi 'death marches', has sold his poignant wartime archive 76 years after his plane was shot down over Berlin

Morton was captured after he jumped out of a blazing Lancaster bomber as it was shot down in a raid over Berlin. But after being taken to a PoW camp in Lithuania, he survived two gruelling 'death marches' back towards Germany

Having survived the first long march, Sgt Morton was faced with an even more gruelling trek in January 1945 during the coldest winter in 50 years.

The men marched over 500 miles in 60 days to the camp near Hamburg, with the constant threat of being executed by tyrannical German guards.

It is believed that about 3,500 Allied PoW's died during the forced marches.

Sgt Morton survived but was so starved he spent a month in hospital upon his return home to Britain at the end of the war.

He recovered and subsequently worked as a graphic artist and was a talented painter whose work was showcased at the Royal Academy.

Pictured: The medal set awarded to Leading Aircraftsman John Morton, comprising of a 1939-1945 Star with Bomber Command clasp, Air Crew Europe Star, War and Defence Medals

Sgt Morton survived the marches but was so starved he spent a month in hospital in Britain upon his return home at the end of the war. Pictured: The letter sent to Leading Aircraftsman John Morton's family informing them that he was missing

Sgt Morton died aged 76 in 1997 and now his prized possessions have been sold at auctioneers Dominic Winter, of Cirencester, Gloucestershire.

His wife Valerie Morton, 83, from Weybridge, Surrey, sold the archive as she wanted it to go to a home where it would 'truly be appreciated'.

It fetched 1,100 including fees.

Click here to resize this module

She said: 'My late husband did not like to talk about the war but I know his plane was on fire when he parachuted out of it.

'During his years as a PoW, he started drawing and found he had an exceptional talent.

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'This was encouraged, not just by his friends in the camp but also by his commanding officer.

His wife Valerie Morton, 83, from Weybridge, Surrey, sold the archive as she wanted it to go to a home where it would 'truly be appreciated'. Pictured: John Morton with his wife Valerie on their wedding day

His wife Valerie Morton, 83, from Weybridge, Surrey, sold the archive as she wanted it to go to a home where it would 'truly be appreciated'.

Sgt Morton (pictured) died aged 76 in 1997 and now his prized possessions have been sold at auctioneers Dominic Winter, of Cirencester, Gloucestershire

'At the end of the war, when on the long march, due to his deteriorating health, he was unable to carry his artwork and threw it all into a hand cart.

'Had he fallen behind he would have been shot.

'Unfortunately it got lost on the march and he was never able to retrieve his work.

'He died in 1997 and I've kept hold of these items since then but I'd like them to go to a home where they will be truly appreciated.'

The archive includes his campaign medals, RAF log books, photos and a Caterpillar Club badge he was awarded for successfully bailing out of a downed aircraft.

Also sold were his cigarette lighter which is engraved 'John Morton, Stalag Luft VI Heydekrug Deutschland' and his RAF officer's service dress hat.

A Dominic Winter spokesperson said: 'It was a difficult decision for the family to sell this emotive archive but we are delighted to have had the opportunity to assist them in placing the collection in the hands of someone who will also appreciate it.' Pictured: Morton's flight logbook for the month of January 1944

In February 1944 his Lancaster was shot down by a Junkers 88 aircraft over Erfurt. His flight logbook shows his last flight recorded on February 15 where he is marked 'missing'

A Dominic Winter spokesperson said: 'It was a difficult decision for the family to sell this emotive archive but we are delighted to have had the opportunity to assist them in placing the collection in the hands of someone who will also appreciate it.'

Sgt Morton joined the RAF aged 20 in September 1941.

He trained in Ontario, Canada, before qualifying as an air bomber in December 1942.

He served in 626 Squadron based out of RAF Wickenby, Lincs, and flew in 11 bombing operations.

In February 1944 his Lancaster was shot down by a Junkers 88 aircraft over Erfurt.

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All seven men of the crew bailed out of the bomber but the co-pilot was critically injured and dies several days later.

His medal group consists of a 1939-45 Star with Bomber Command clasp, Air Crew Europe Star, War and Defence Medals.
They joyously bid farewell to 2020 from the comfort of their luxe lodgings in celeb-friendly Aspen, Colorado.

But vacation came to an end for Kylie Jenner, her older sister Kendall, 25, and their mother Kris, 65, as they arrived back in Los Angeles via private jet on Sunday.

The makeup mogul, 23, who brought her two-year-old daughter Stormi on the trip, attempted to make the flight pass quickly by playing a Disney film in the air.

Farewell! Vacation came to an end for Kylie Jenner, her older sister Kendall, 25, and their mother Kris, 65, as they arrived back in Los Angeles from Aspen, Colorado via private jet on Sunday

Kris was the first to touch down in Los Angeles with her boyfriend Corey Gamble, 40, while the Jenner girls spent some extra time in the ski-resort city.

The Kardashian-Jenner matriarch looked ultra chic in a taupe fur coat that she layered over a black mock neck top.

She had a designer scarf wrapped around her neck and a cloth mask over her face as she waited for her and Corey's bags to be loaded into their chauffeured SUV.

Kris, rocking her signature raven pixie cut, looked eager to return to her Hidden Hills mansion.

Happy to be home: Kris was the first to touch down in Los Angeles with her boyfriend Corey Gamble, 40, while the Jenner girls spent some extra time in the ski-resort city

Kid-approved: The makeup mogul, 23, who brought her two-year-old daughter Stormi on the trip, attempted to make the flight pass quickly by playing a Disney film in the air

As they waited for the jet to return for them, Kylie and her daughter Stormi - Kendall was seemingly MIA - partook in a snowboarding lesson.

Kylie captured the entire session on her Instagram Story, including her hilarious reaction to Stormi's impressive snowboarding skills.

The little one, whom Kylie shares with rapper Travis Scott, 28, looked undeniably sweet in a neon green helmet with matching goggles and a fitted grey snowsuit.

One last ride: As they waited for the jet to return for them, Kylie and her daughter Stormi - Kendall was seemingly MIA - partook in a snowboarding lesson

What a champ! Kylie captured the entire session on her Instagram Story, including her hilarious reaction to Stormi's impressive snowboarding skills

Sunday's lesson was just one of many snowboarding lessons that Stormi indulge in during her family's extravagant New Year's trip.

Once darkness fell, the remaining members of the Jenner family hopped aboard the Kylie Cosmetics CEO's luxurious private jet and headed home.

For their short flight, Kylie had her auburn tresses styled into a ponytail and she appeared to be wearing an ivory sweater.

Extravagance: Before fleeing Aspen, Kylie treated her 207million followers on Instagram to a virtual tour of the opulent vacation home her and her family stayed at

Big spenders: The four-story mansion cost the group and their other guests a shocking $450,000 for a month's-long stay, or $25,000 for daily rentals

A place for everyone: The massive mansion covers 20,000sq ft with seven bedrooms, seven full bathrooms and half bathrooms

Her older sister Kendall, who cuddled up close to one of the jet's windows, wore her brunette hair down and bundled up with a knit cardigan.

Before fleeing Aspen, Kylie treated her 207million followers on Instagram to a virtual tour of the opulent vacation home her and her family stayed at.

The four-story mansion cost the group and their other guests a shocking $450,000 for a month's-long stay, or $25,000 for daily rentals.

Stunning: On her Instagram Story, the mother of Stormi captured just one of the four floors, starting with an expansive bar set-up that looked out onto a slender pool

Idyllic: The family were surrounded by fresh snow and all the picturesque views one would hope for in the ski-resort city

All the views: Jenner also panned over the living space, which featured plenty of seating, a pool table, and floor-to-ceiling windows

The massive mansion covers 20,000sq ft with seven bedrooms, seven full bathrooms and half bathrooms.

On her Instagram Story, the mother of Stormi captured just one of the four floors, starting with an expansive bar set-up that looked out onto a slender pool.

Jenner also panned over the living space, which featured plenty of seating, a pool table, and floor-to-ceiling windows.

Yikes: The home's open-level approach may not appeal to people with a fear of heights, as the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star revealed that the home has a glass floor surrounded by sofas that appeared to overlook the front entrance

Happy New Year: Kylie and her vacation crew arrived to their snow-filled destination just in time to ring in 2021; Kris and Kylie pictured on January 1

The home's open-level approach may not appeal to people with a fear of heights, as the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star revealed that the home has a glass floor surrounded by sofas that appeared to overlook the front entrance.

Kylie and her vacation crew arrived to their snow-filled destination just in time to ring in 2021.

Missing from the memorable trip were older sisters Kourtney, 41, Kim, 40, and Khloe, 36, as well as their significant others and kids.

Despite not holding their annual Kardashian-Jenner Christmas Eve party this year due to COVID-19, the entire family did attend a family-only celebration at Kourtney's house.
People have called 2020 "The Year of the Mask." I disagree. This past year is clearly the year when the left, media, and big tech dropped their masks and let us know they were no longer going to waste their time trying to convince us. They are going seize this nation, and they care not whether we know it.

A dude with the appellation "Emanuel" quoted Churchill as a means of counseling the left to never allow a crisis to go to waste. But awaiting a crisis to exploit is so 2009. Today, a crisis created is far more effective. The China Flu and all the riots are two prime examples.

COVID may have been accidental (I say "may"), but Democrats sure picked up the ball and ran with it, destroying our economy and people's lives for no nobler a reason than to kill Trump's re-election chances. Leftists do not care about us and are no longer trying to even maintain the pretense that they do. They crossed the Rubicon, deciding that if we must die for them to get and hold power, they can live with it.

They were ecstatic when China deliberately infected the world with its virus. The only problem was, it killed only old people with comorbidities and those who were already sick.

They had to sell it  so they went wild with the pandemic porn.

They joined with media and Big Tech in overstating the danger, classifying almost every death as COVID to hype the number of cases and increase the panic. They then used the contrived fear to seize power and destroy the economy. Along with their minions in media, they blamed it all on Trump, while Big Tech skewed results and censored dissent to prevent people from understanding what was truly happening.

It may be the "Wuhan Virus," but for the "rebel in us," it can more easily be described as the "Anti-Trump Virus"  the disease that allowed the left to cheat just enough to steal an election and prevent the actual will of the people being enforced.

The riots were the same thing but more visual. Just as they did with the deaths from the pandemic, they blamed the violence and destruction on Trump's "hatred, racism, and incompetence."

COVID was perfect. It came along just in time to be an effective weapon against a president who was looking unbeatable, apparently damaging him just enough for the fraud and various other dastardly schemes to effectively steal the election. Sure, the corpulent cutie has yet to sing, as they say, but it looks truer with every passing day.

For Dems, COVID relief and elections are the same: cheat as much as they can as close to the time when it becomes too late for anyone to do anything about it.

Yet there is only so much our erstwhile kings can do to impoverish their subjects before they begin to realize the danger is not quite as dangerous as was claimed and these kings do not have their people's best interests at heart. When the sky does not fall, subjects tend to notice that the sky is not falling. Then you get rebellion.

A new crisis was needed. It is just another stroke of good fortune that the Democrats had another crisis warming up in the bullpen, ready to torture the innocent into submission.

Enter, the fictive President Select, Asterisk Joe, the King of Aphasia, that addle-pated masked man, our very own epigone president, Joooey Biden, who has called "climate change" the biggest threat to not only America, but also the world.

As a means to reorder society, you cannot get much better than "climate change" and its prescribed solution, the mirific Green Raw Deal. Once people accept that it is real, or at least can be forced to obey a new societal regimen as if it were so, it becomes an immediate emergency.

If Americans enjoyed the emergency COVID diktats from our Democrat tyrants, wait until they see the climate lockdowns, where people are not allowed to own a car or drive, gasoline costs $15 a gallon, private air-conditioners are outlawed (for us, not them), and electricity is five times more expensive and rationed.

Our elite overlords will again rule by fiat  all while they accumulate power and wealth for themselves. Make no mistake: everything the Democrats do has a "make me rich" component.

There is no mercy on the left, even for its own, but especially for us. The ideology is so comprehensive and strict, and ironclad in its expectation of total loyalty and devotion, that any deviation must be met with not only the harshest of immediate punishment but also the cancelation for all time of the deviator.

All those 74 million people who voted for Trump  they are (we are) canceled, and the left will try to make sure there is not a damn thing we can do about it.

They believe they can do this to America and Americans. Yet, as Yogi said, "It gets late really early around here." This game has just begun, and they take us lightly at their own risk.

The author can be followed on Twitter at @williamlgensert.

Image: Chris Dodds via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
(HealthDay)High blood pressure and pre-eclampsia during pregnancy may follow women through the years, causing lower scores on tests of memory and thinking skills, a Dutch study suggests.

The study of nearly 600 pregnant women included 481 with normal blood pressure and 115 who developed high blood pressure during their pregnancies.

Of those 115 women, 70% had gestational hypertension, which is high blood pressure that starts after 20 weeks of pregnancy in women who previously had normal readings. The other 30% had pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy complication marked by high blood pressure and elevated protein levels in the urine that develop after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

"Women with high blood pressure that starts in pregnancy, as well as women with pre-eclampsia, should be monitored closely after their pregnancy, and they and their physicians should consider lifestyle changes and other treatments that may help reduce their risk of decline in their thinking and memory skills later in life," said study author Dr. Maria Adank. She is with the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Adank's team tested the study participants after 15 years, asking them to recall a list of 15 words, first right away and then again after 20 minutes.

On the immediate recall test, which was given three times, women who had no high blood pressure problems 15 years earlier scored an average 28 points out of a possible 45. The women who had high blood pressure during pregnancy posted an average score of 25.

After adjusting for other factors that could affect thinking skills, such as a woman's weight before pregnancy, her education and ethnicity, the researchers found that women who had high blood pressure during pregnancy performed worse on the immediate and delayed recall task.

The investigators found no differences between the two groups on tests of fine motor skills, verbal fluency, processing speed and visual-spatial ability.

The women were not given memory or thinking tests before or during their pregnancies, the authors noted in the report published online Dec. 30 in the journal Neurology.

Adank said the study does not show a cause-and-effect relationship between high blood pressure and test scores, only an association.

"It's important to consider gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia as risk factors for cognitive impairment that are specific to women," Adank said in a news release from the American Academy of Neurology. "Many women may think of this as a temporary issue during pregnancy and not realize that it could potentially have long-lasting effects."

More study is needed to learn whether early treatment can prevent thinking and memory problems in women with a history of high blood pressure in pregnancy, she added.

Explore further Even slightly elevated blood pressure early in pregnancy a bad sign

More information: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on Journal information: Neurology The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on high blood pressure during pregnancy

Copyright  2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 11:07:35|Editor: huaxia

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GABORONE, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Botswana announced on Sunday extension of nighttime curfew up to Jan. 31 following the emergence of a new and more transmissible strain of COVID-19.

Minister of Health and Wellness Edwin Dikoloti made the announcement through national television, saying the curfew, enacted by the president on Dec. 23, will continue to be enforced between 20:00 and 04:00 (1800-0200 GMT) daily.

Virus-related risks have increased in Botswana according to evidence submitted by the director of health services, the minister said, stressing that curfew is effective to curb rising coronavirus infections.

Dikoloti that rising COVID-19 cases during the Christmas and New Year holidays showed that people have not been strictly abiding by the set regulations to prevent spreading of the virus. Enditem
President Trump, in an hourlong telephone call with Georgias Republican secretary of state, repeated a number of false and misleading claims about election results in the state that have been circulating on social media. Heres a fact check.

What Mr. Trump Said

Then it was stuffed with votes. They werent in an official voter box, they were in what looked to be suitcases or trunks, suitcases but they werent in voter boxes. The minimum number it could be because we watched it and they watched it certified in slow motion instant replay if you can believe it, but it had slow motion and it was magnified many times over, and the minimum it was 18,000 ballots, all for Biden.

False. Mr. Trump was most likely referring to debunked claims that a water leak at a vote counting location in Fulton County forced an evacuation and made it possible for trunks full of ballots to be rolled in. Election officials have said and surveillance videos show that this did not happen.

A water leak caused a delay for about two hours in vote counting at the State Farm Arena, but no ballots or equipment were damaged. Georgias chief election investigator, Frances Watson, testified that a review of the entire security footage revealed that there were no mystery ballots that were brought in from an unknown location and hidden under tables.
It seems like 2021 may be a blessed year for agri-input firms . But several stocks have already clocked good gains in 2020, and the high base this year could weigh on growth rates.

Some of the factors that have aided the sectors performance could continue. Crop seasons have been good. Rising farmer incomes, too, ensured greater demand for seeds, crop protection chemicals and fertilizers. That helped increase agrochemical production 11.4% in H1FY21. Good rains drove key domestic agrochemicals companies revenue growth to 16% on average.

The outlook for the ongoing rabi season is encouraging, and fertilizer and agrochemicals manufacturers would report healthy performances in H2 FY21," said Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltds analysts in a client note.

View Full Image Profit data

Demand for phosphatic and nutrient-based fertilizers meant healthier financials of fertilizer firms. Favourable conditions may keep domestic demand for agrochemicals and fertilizers high, say experts. Good soil moisture and adequate water levels in reservoirs boosted prospects of winter crops. Acreage is also set to improve. Besides, bright prospects of key agrochemicals exporters such as PI Industries Ltd also helped. After logistical hiccups initially in FY21, exports have been good. Exports, primarily directed towards Brazil, the US, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Australia, Costa Rica, France and Indonesia, grew 13.4% H1, suggests Care Ratings data.

Increases in soy and corn acreage kept Latin American demand firm, and would continue driving more purchases of agrochemicals. Favourable weather patterns ensure strong US demand, too. Besides, easing trade tensions with China reduced concerns and better prices of grain in the US is likely to remain favourable for agri-input firms. Demand from Europe has been largely unaffected even after the second covid-19 wave, though one needs to watch the situation.

Even so, agri-input stocks valuations reflect much of the better market conditions. Stocks such as PI Industries, Rallis India Ltd and Dhanuka Agritech Ltd have gained 56-86% in the past year.

Note even with the promising outlook overall, agri prospects hinge on continuing favourable climatic conditions such as good monsoons. Further, the high base of last year may also weigh on the upside.

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Rupert Murdoch and the Grip of Fashions Tyranny

Commentary

In 2019, when I was puzzled by the hostile attitude taken by The Times of London toward Brexitthe then-prospective and now just-completed exit of Britain from the European UnionI asked a friend of mine who also knows the papers owner, Rupert Murdoch, why it had done so.

How could such a famously (or notoriously) conservative and anti-establishment newspaper mogul, who also owns the New York Post and The Wall Street Journal, among others, have allowed his flagship paper in Britain to lead the charge against the Conservative government of the day? How could it have taken the side of the deep-state Euro-establishment and its sclerotic bureaucracy against the British working classes, whose favor the Murdoch papers had most often tended to seek in the past?

My friend, it turned out, had asked Murdoch the same questionto which the answer was as follows: Thats what the readers of The Times want.

I thought of those words a few days ago when, as you may have heard, Murdochs New York Post splashed a front-page editorial, headed: Mr. President, STOP THE INSANITY. You lost the electionheres how to save your legacy.

Two weeks earlier, after the rejection by the U.S. Supreme Court of the suit brought by the attorneys general of Texas and other states to stop the certification of results in states where fraud was alleged, The Wall Street Journal had already, but more discreetly, advised the president to concede.

Since the election and even before it, numerous pro-Trumpers have also complained that the Murdoch-owned Fox News, previously mostly friendly toward the president, had turned against him, citing among other things the obvious bias against President Donald Trump of the networks anchor Chris Wallace in moderating the first presidential debate.

Was this turn away from the president what the watchers of Fox News and the readers of the Murdoch papers wanted?

Maybe. But I think its a little more complicated than that.

Slowly, almost imperceptibly over the past 20 or 30 years since the advent of the internet-borne media, we have all come to expect that the role of the media is no longer to report the truth to citizens, but to give to customers what Murdoch now says he means to give themnamely, what they want.

They may still call it the truth, but that word as it is used by most people in the media now means something different. It means the media narrativea communal construction, like a medieval cathedral and similarly intended to stand for the ages as a symbol of the builders faith.

When formerly informed citizens instead became customers for news and opinion that had been ready formed for them into a standardized narrative, they started wanting different things. Like customers in other areas of life, they mainly wanted to be in the fashion.

Younger readers may find it hard to believe that political fashions used to be largely unchanging and almost entirely specific to regions or classes or institutional affiliations outside politics. The famously solid South was Democratic, while New England was nearly as solidly Republican.

Labor was Democrat; management was Republican. Catholics and Evangelicals tended to vote Democratic, while mainstream Protestants leaned Republican. Or, like my great-grandfather, Prohibitionist.

Joe Biden this year campaigned as if that old paradigm is still prevalent, claiming to be the candidate of Scranton, Pennsylvania, rather than Wall Streeteven though he got far more votes and raised far more money from Wall Street than Trump did. The working man appealed to by Lunchbucket Joe can scarcely even be said to exist anymore.

Now, everybody works. Or wants to.

More importantly, everybody is now more or less unmoored from those old regional or economic or religious constants, so that fashion, political and otherwise, tends to be dictated by the celebrity culture and the social and cognitive elite represented by the mainstream media.

As intellectuals, of course, these elites would be embarrassed to call themselves mere trendsetters, so they have invented a new, high-brow-sounding name for fashion in its political aspect.

This is the so-called Overton window used to describe the fashionably permissible range of opinion across the political spectrum. Anything outside that window can be labeled extremistor the nowadays more fashionable white supremacistand relegated to both the political and the social fringe.

With the advent of cancel culture, that marginalization of so-called extreme opinionseven though they might have been, such as opposition to gay marriage or transgender children, entirely mainstream only a few years agohas become more scary. While the Fashion Police used to be a joke, as the newly fashionable idea of hate crime begins to shade into what Orwell called thought crime, their place is poised to be taken by the actual police.

Murdoch couldnt have had the sort of successes he has had over the years as a newspaper proprietor without a lively appreciation of this change in the media landscape and a willingness to accommodate it. Like Chief Justice John Roberts, he knows which way the political winds are blowing and trims accordingly. His abandonment of Trump is just one more indication of the tightening grip of fashions tyranny among the elites.

James Bowman is a resident scholar at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. The author of Honor: A History, he is a movie critic for The American Spectator and the media critic for the New Criterion.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
This Vadodara based University has been preparing its students for careers beyond the scope of the industry, by nurturing,motivating and encouraging students to take up national service from their college days. In addition to the academics, Parul Universitys students have been engaging with the National Cadet Corps on various levels and they have been excelling all throughout these initiatives. Cadet Cpl Dheeraj Singh, an NCC Cadet who is under NO.1 Gujarat Air Squadron NCC, Vadodara and a third year student of Computer Science Engineering at Parul University, has been chosen as Best Cadet in the Gujarat Directorate, and selected to represent in the 2021 Republic Day Camp.

The Republic Day Camp is a highly esteemed annual parade which is held at the Garrison Parade Ground in New Delhi. For participation in this parade, notable NCC cadets are selected from across the States and Union Territories representing the rich diversities of India. Even amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the students of Parul University have been continuing their training and active participation in various teaching and learning processes revolving around the Armed Forces and the NCC. The University, through its Armed Forces Motivational Cell has been continuously motivating ,nurturing and encouraging the students to remain committed in their path towards national service.

In order to qualify for this Camp, Dheeraj had to undergo a series of screening levels tests which were strategically designed to assess his competencies and skill sets in various aspects. The selection was conducted on various levels which included screening at Unit level , which was held in Vadodara, followed by a Group Level selection with further subdivisions of Pre RDC -1, Pre RDC-2 and Pre RDC-3, which were conducted in Ahmedabad. For all its students. Parul University has commissioned Armed Forces Motivational Cell which is headed by Retired Officers of the Indian Armed Forces who are committed and dedicated towards making the efforts to prepare the students for their participation in the various NCC related initiatives.

As a University our goal has not only been to focus on preparing students for their careers upon completing their studies, but also to ensure that as they pursue their medical, legal, pharmaceutical and technical studies, they also get to develop within them a strong desire and passion for national service. Having our students excelling on such prominent state-wide levels of the National Cadet Corps is by all means a moment of great pride for us, and I am sure we will have many more students coming to display such an essence of patriotism, said the Universitys Vice Chancellor, Dr. M. N. Patel.

Disclaimer: This is a company press release. No HT journalist is involved in creation of this content.
The Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday blocked the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States on health grounds, saying that there are concerns over his mental health and risk of suicide.

Assange, 49, is wanted in the US over the publication of thousands of classified documents in 2010 and 2011. According to his defence team, the case is politically motivated. The courts ruling is expected to appealed by US authorities in the high court.

Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that the US was incapable of preventing Assange from attempting to take his own life, adding: The overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man fearful for his future.

Faced with the conditions of near total isolation without the protective factors which limited his risk at HMP Belmarsh, I am satisfied the procedures described by the US will not prevent Mr Assange from finding a way to commit suicide and for this reason I have decided extradition would be oppressive by reason of mental harm and I order his discharge.

Assange has been in jail serving a 50-month sentence since May 2019 for breaching his bail conditions after being holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for seven years since 2012.He was arrested in April 2019.

He earlier faced extradition to Sweden on allegations of sexual assault which he denied. The case was later dropped.
New Delhi:

A massive suicide car bombing occurred in Kabul, Afghanistan on Wednesday morning in an area close to foreign embassies and the presidential palace. Afghanistan Ministry of Health has claimed that 80 people have been killed and 350 wounded in the attack.

The blast took place near Wazir Akbar Khan area, Kabul PD 10 and sources claim that the Iranian embassy was the target. The Indian embassy located at a distance of 1.5 kilometers from the Iranian one, is reported to be safe.

ALSO READ: Islamic States bomb kills 10, hurts 22 in ice cream shop in Baghdad; Twitter gasps at horror

''Buildings, including ours, suffered considerable breakages, but all our staff are safe'' said Indian ambassador in Kabul Manpreet Vohra

Buildings, including ours, suffered considerable breakages,but all our staff are safe: Indian ambassador in Kabul Manpreet Vohra #KabulBlast  ANI (@ANI_news) May 31, 2017

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that the Indian Embassy staff are safe in the blast.

By God's grace, Indian Embassy staff are safe in the massive #Kabul blast, tweets EAM Sushma Swaraj pic.twitter.com/2jYpSV8Osa  ANI (@ANI_news) May 31, 2017

There have been sporadic deadly attacks on Kabul in recent months, all of which have highlighted the worsening security situation across Afghanistan.

We strongly condemn the terrorist blast in Kabul. Our thoughts are with the families of the deceased & prayers with the injured.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 31, 2017

Indian PM Narendra Modi condemned the Kabul blast while claiming that India stands with Afghanistan in fighting all types of terrorism. He also said that forces supporting terrorism need to be defeated.

India stands with Afghanistan in fighting all types of terrorism. Forces supporting terrorism need to be defeated.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 31, 2017

READ: Manchester attack: UK Police arrests 23-year-old suspect; death toll rises to 22

#WATCH Visuals from the blast site in Kabul, Indian embassy staff safe. AP reports 50 people have been killed or wounded #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/a6rC71DKea  ANI (@ANI_news) May 31, 2017

Pictures of immediate aftermath of Kabul explosion, Afghan Health Ministry says 60 people wounded so far. pic.twitter.com/Jxjl6JTIIk  ANI (@ANI_news) May 31, 2017

Earlier in May nearly eight civilians were killed in a suicide bomb attack on a Nato convoy as it was passing the US embassy. Photos posted on social media display a large plume of smoke in the sky above the war-torn city.

No group has yet said it carried out Wednesday's attack, but in April the Taliban had announced the start of a major spring offensive, saying their main focus would be foreign forces, targeting them with a mix of conventional, guerrilla, insider and suicide attacks. The US has about 8,400 troops in Afghanistan, with another 5,000 from Nato allies.

Explosion in Kabul, reportedly near Wazir Akbar Khan area, Kabul PD 10: Afghan Media pic.twitter.com/5joCXNwkqV  ANI (@ANI_news) May 31, 2017

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Honestly, I dont have anything to hide. Its a big thing for me to face it because I have guilt from what happened. I feel bad that I hurt somebody so bad. It happened in a split second, and I do feel that I paid my debt to society for the crime that I did, Moss told the Tribune. As far as my karma or what I owe to God for helping me through everything, I know I have a lot more to do. I have to face the music and accept what I did and move on. I dont want to hide it.
KIIS FM radio host Kyle Sandilands has had his fair share of fan encounters over the years, but the latest one may be the most bizarre yet.

During a recent segment of The Kyle And Jackie O show, a devoted fan called in to make a rather bizarre confession - that she makes her husband wear a mask with the 49-year-old shock jock's face on it whenever the couple have sex.

Footage of the hosts' horrified reaction to the call was posted on KIIS FM's official Instagram page, along with the caption: 'Do you call yourself a fan? THIS is a fan.'

During the call, listener Faye explained that she and her husband enjoy role playing in the bedroom.

'Kyle, I have a mask on your face on it and I make my husband wear it when we have sex,' she said in the footage shared on Instagram.

Jackie responded with laughter and said, 'You're lying!'

Bizarre sex confession: Kyle Sandilands, 49, (pictured) was left horrified during a recent on-air segment, when a caller revealed she makes her husband wear a mask with the shock jock's face on it whenever the couple have sex

Insisting she was telling the truth, Faye continued, 'Don't worry Jackie, he loves you too.'

'I wear Jackie's and we pretend we are Kyle and Jackie O,' she later added.

During the segment, Faye also admitted that her husband often wore a mask featuring the face of UK pop star Ronan Keating.

'I wear Jackie's and we pretend we are Kyle and Jackie O': Jackie (pictured) looked mortified when the caller revealed she often wore a mask depicting Jackie's face during sex with her husband

Three's a crowd! Faye also admitted that her husband often wore a mask featuring the face of UK pop star Ronan Keating - to which Kyle responded: 'I don't want that dog! This is not a three-way with Ronan.'

Kyle, who has been locked in a 'feud' with Ronan for years, responded in disgust: 'I don't want that dog! This is not a three-way with Ronan.

The radio duo took the confession in good humour, with Kyle declaring at the end of the segment, 'Well there's one way Jackie and I are having sex, that's with the art of mask-wearing.'

Kyle and Jackie first teamed up back in 2000, and 20 years later, they're still going strong.

Popular: Kyle and Jackie first teamed up back in 2000, and 20 years later, they're still going strong

Speaking at the Radio Alive conference in Brisbane in October 2019, Kyle revealed he was instantly attracted to Jackie when he first met her.

'I thought she was f**kable,' he said simply, as reported by The Daily Telegraph at the time.

Speaking exclusively to the newspaper later on, Kyle confessed he still found his co-host to be very attractive.

'She is f**kable was and is,' he clarified.

In November, the shock jock laughed off reports he and Jackie were headed for a professional split, branding the rumours 'bulls**t'.
The city of Westfield received $45,000 this fiscal year that it didnt get last year.

Quite the story in a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has hurt city finances and everything  especially the revenue picture  seems to turn out worse than expectations.

The payment, for the fiscal years first quarter, came from the state as the citys share of marijuana taxes collected this year for the first time. The citys first marijuana retailer, Cannabis Connection, opened in June.

Westfield is not alone in seeing new money from the states growing cannabis industry. But cities and towns, and the businesses themselves, dont necessarily know what will happen next. As the industry begins to mature, there is burgeoning competition and market fluctuations as consumer acceptance and habits change following pandemic-related lockdowns.

Will the end of COVID-19 restrictions mean more business? Will new shops that open dilute receipts, or will greater social acceptance lead to more sales? Will new shops in neighboring communities  Springfields first opened in September, and its taxes arent in yet  change the bottom line in communities that had monopolies in the early days?

And will Massachusetts cannabis industry feel it if Connecticut  where the governor is pushing for legalization  and New York make adult-use marijuana legal? Voters in New Jersey approved legalization in November.

Westfield Mayor Donald Humason, who opposed legalization as a state lawmaker, said hes budgeting revenues very carefully because of all the variables.

Even those in the industry are cautious.

Its kind of unknown at this point, said Tom Keenan, CEO of Cannabis Connection.

He said more competition will cut into his business, at least initially.

The market will expand. Its just a matter of how quickly, he said.

Right now, the bottleneck is getting products tested according to state standards. Westfield recently approved an agreement with a marijuana laboratory that plans to open in an industrial building near Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport.

Municipal revenue stream

In Massachusetts communities, the tax on recreational marijuana can add up to 20%: a 6.25% sales tax, a 10.75% excise tax and a local option tax for cities and towns of up to 3%. Communities also impose impact fees not only on marijuana retailers but also on growing and processing facilities.

Only recreational marijuana retailers generate sales tax. Medical marijuana is not taxed.

Recreational marijuana brought in $14.9 million for cities and towns in the fiscal year that ended in June 2020. Thats up from the nearly $2.9 million in local marijuana tax revenue statewide between December 2018 and May 2019, according to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.

As of the end of October, Massachusetts 80 operating marijuana retailers topped $1 billion in total gross sales, according to the states Cannabis Control Commission. The milestone was reached two years after the first two pot shops opened in November 2018. They were the first legal recreational marijuana shops on the East Coast.

A customer shops at the Cannabis Connection marijuana dispensary in Westfield in December. (Don Treeger / The Republican)

The state does not break down revenue by cities and towns, but area communities provided figures to The Republican.

Northampton is home to three marijuana shops  including NETA on Conz Street, which was one of the first two legal marijuana shops in the state. Colonial Cannabis Co. on Bridge Street opened in June and Resinate on Pleasant Street opened in November.

The city took in $1.6 million in marijuana taxes in fiscal 2020, up from $980,000 the previous fiscal year. Revenue from impact fees also grew to $1.8 million in fiscal 2020, up from $808,000 the year before.

In Boston, the business is new. The city budgeted $1.25 million in tax revenue and another $1.25 million in host community agreement money after not having the items in its previous budgets.

In Worcester, a recent audit report said the city has received $1.1 million in marijuana-related revenue in fiscal 2021, including nearly $991,000 in fees and more than $141,000 in taxes. Thats compared with full-year receipts in fiscal 2020 of $1.7 million, which included $1.2 million in fees and over $499,000 in taxes.

The city saw $230,000 in total marijuana-related revenue in fiscal 2019.

Pittsfield took in $824,116 in sales tax for the most recent fiscal year and $167,500 in host community payments.

So far in fiscal 2021, Easthampton received $502,646 in taxes and fees from its marijuana businesses. Of that, $179,540 was tax, $15,000 was from host community agreements and $308,106 came from impact fees. In the full 2020 budget year, the total was $1.5 million, up from $258,000 in fiscal 2019.

Chicopee received sales tax payments in March and June 2020 totaling $337,300 from cannabis retailers Theory and Mass Alternative Care. The city has received over $21,000 in a cannabis impact fees from Theory.

The city has not updated cannabis revenue estimates for fiscal 2021, said Auditor Sharyn Riley.

Greenfield received host agreement payments of $15,000, impact fees of $260,383 and taxes of $188,139 in the 2020 calendar year.

Putting the money to work

In Pittsfield, the money is divvied up between a tax stabilization account, the citys general fund and a dedicated fund for public works improvements, said Finance Director Matthew Kerwood.

At Cannabis Connection in Westfield, Keenan said his business hasnt had an impact on city services beyond some added traffic near an already busy highway interchange. The buildings extensive state-mandated alarm system tripped itself a few times, too.

Holyokes first recreational marijuana store, Canna Provisions, opened in early 2020.

The city received $50,00 in host community agreement revenues in fiscal 2019. After sales began, the city received $349,725 in tax revenue in fiscal 2020. The latest tax figure available for fiscal 2021 was $14,696.

Marcos Marrero, the outgoing head of the citys economic development department, said that in addition to tax revenue, the cannabis industry boosts city finances by creating demand for commercial space that otherwise would be vacant.

Its also increasing your tax base in a classical way, which is by having a new business, he said. So how do we take this money and help small local businesses?

Marrero said that means using the marijuana stores as lures to bring foot traffic to other businesses. It also means taking advantage of all the work created by the industry  both work at retail outlets and work for plumbers, electricians, alarm companies and other contractors.

Meanwhile, the marijuana tax money pays for city staffers like teachers, maintenance workers and police.

You dont have to take on the argument that this awful and youre just tolerating it, Marrero said.
Students at University College London (UCL) have been not to come back onto campus until the end of February at the earliest.

Bosses at the central London institution fear the number of cases in the capital is rising rapidly and their partner hospitals are 'at or beyond their capacity'.

All teaching and meetings will be moved online except for students taking courses in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and teacher training.

In a letter setting out the changes, UCL's provost Professor Michael Arthur said he believed it would be unlikely that case rates would 'reduce sufficiently to allow students to return to campus', hinting the closure could be extended into March.

Bosses at the central London institution fear the number of cases in the capital is rising rapidly and their partner hospitals are 'at or beyond their capacity'

The move goes against government advice for students to return to university at the end of January.

Only days ago, Michelle Donelan, the universities minister for England, said the government was planning 'to allow a staggered returnfrom the week commencing 25 January, at the earliest'.

But, she added the situation 'continues to evolve', which could potentially mean even more time out of lectures and tutorials, except for those studying priority subjects like medicine.

In the statement, UCL said it wanted to be 'honest and transparent' about its decision to remain closed.

It said: 'Our current and most realistic assessment is that it is unlikely that case rates will have reduced sufficiently to allow students to return to campus before at least mid-February, and quite possibly the end of March.

'We will therefore be moving all teaching and other face-to-face, in-person activities online from the start of term until the end of reading week. There will be no in-person teaching on campus until Monday 22 February, at the earliest.'

It comes as all primary and secondary schools in London are closed on what would have been the first day of the school term. All schools are to move to remote learning (file image)

It added: 'We are aware that this is later than the government is advising but we believe this is the most responsible course of action in this complex situation.'

It comes as all primary and secondary schools in London are closed on what would have been the first day of the school term. All schools are to move to remote learning.

Several other schools in parts of Lancashire, Manchester and Cumbria said some schools had chosen to remain closed to prevent potentially spreading the virus.

Vulnerable pupils and the children of key workers can continue to attend school.

England's secondary schools and colleges receive packs of 1,000 Covid swab kits as rapid-testing drive begins All England's secondary schools and colleges today received up to 1,000 Covid tests to get children back into class - just as Boris Johnson prepared to keep them all shut into February. Staff at secondaries across the country started unpacking the kits after the Prime Minister admitted that reopening them on January 18 may be delayed because of the fast spread of the mutant strain of coronavirus. Primary schools are also set to be sent more tests for staff in the next few weeks - but the children will not have to be swabbed if they are allowed back to class. But Mr Johnson is set to unveil a brutal new national lockdown tonight in a desperate bid to keep the mutant coronavirus at bay while vaccines are rolled out - including a blanket schools closure. Students at the University of Hull have arrived back on campus and were pictured swabbing themselves for coronavirus after Christmas at home with their families. It is not known if they will have to leave Humberside again. The Oasis Trust will be piloting the testing in three of its schools in London and Bristol. John Murphy, CEO of Oasis Trust, who unpacked the kits in their Coulsdon school today said: 'What we know for sure is that our young people make the best progress with quality first teaching, with their teachers, in the classroom with their friends. 'Therefore, once effectively delivered, we are assured that mass testing in schools will provide additional confidence to our children, parents, teachers and staff, and has the potential to greatly reduce disruption to learning, alongside our existing Covid controls. Boris Johnson pictured today at Chase Farm Hospital in north London 'In January we will be piloting the testing in a number of our schools before implementing this to all our secondary academies across the country.' Once up and running, rapid testing will be available to students and staff who are close contacts of those who test positive, according to the Department for Education (DfE). Testing is repeated every weekday for seven days and weekly testing will be available for staff. Schools began to receive initial deliveries of up to 1,000 test kits on Monday, the DfE said, with more arriving later in the week along with a handbook and 'how to' guide to setting up a test site. It said schools will also be provided with comprehensive online training modules with 1,500 military personnel on hand to provide advice and guidance on establishing the process. Schools will be expected to test staff and students already on site from next week ahead of the planned return of most children for face-to-face teaching in the week beginning January 18. Advertisement

Covid class war: Now Boris Johnson hints secondary pupils won't return until FEBRUARY as unions unite to keep schools SHUT after hundreds of primary heads defied PM by cancelling first day of new term

Boris Johnson today prepared to shut all classrooms after teaching unions and headteachers united en masse in revolt after the PM insisted schools are Covid safe.

All of Britain's teaching unions today called for classroom teaching to be 'paused' until staff are vaccinated. In a joint statement the leaders of the GMB, NAHT, NASUWT, NEU, UNISON and Unite unions have said they want 'an immediate nationwide move to remote education for all pupils in primary, secondary and special schools and colleges'.

On a visit to a London hospital to see the rollout of the new Oxford University/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, Mr Johnson hinted that secondaries may shut for longer when closures are reviewed before January 18 - and insisted the risk to teachers from Covid was no greater than to anyone else working during the pandemic.

'We will have to look very hard at what we do with secondary schools later in the month. Closing primary schools is, for all of us, a last resort. That's why we are looking at everything else we can possibly do to avoid that. I would stress schools are safe and the risk to kids is very, very small', he said.

The Prime Minister added: 'The risk to teachers, and of course we will do everything we can to protect teachers, but the risk to teachers is no greater than it is to anyone else. The reasons for wanting to keep schools open I think are very, very powerful.'

Boris Johnson (pictured today at Chase Farm Hospital in north London) says he had had 'no doubt' that classrooms were safe but many headteachers have ignored him and closed anyway leading to the PM hinting he may now shut secondaries into February

Children enter Manor Park School and Nursery in Knutsford, Cheshire, as schools across England return after the Christmas break - but unions are demanding that all schools are closed immediately

Euan Stanton, a year 7 pupil at a secondary school in Ashford, Kent, studies at home as many schools switch to online learning from today for at least a fortnight

Hours later it emerged that Mr Johnson is set to unveil a brutal new national lockdown tonight in a desperate bid to keep the mutant coronavirus at bay while vaccines are rolled out.

All schools in London are closed today along with the majority of Covid-19 hotspots in Essex, Kent, East Sussex, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire after a Department for Education diktat last week. But headteachers told to remain open in areas such as in Surrey, Gloucestershire, Newcastle, Norfolk, Liverpool, County Durham, West Sussex, Sheffield, Wolverhampton, Leeds and Lancashire have shut down anyway.

There is growing rumours that the Government will soon cave in and close all schools in yet another embarrassing U-turn for Education Secretary Gavin Williamson as the NEU union said that 6,000 primary schools still open today have been told formally by staff that it is 'unsafe' to come into work, leaving parents with an anxious wait to hear if their school will be next to shut.

Closing schools will consign millions of children to 'sub-standard' online learning experts say can 'set back' children years, especially those from working class families while Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman has warned schools not to 'furlough' children by shutting down again.

Parents took to social media this morning describing their anxiety at trying to care for their children at home at the 11th hour while trying to hold down a full time job with many slamming the decision by schools to close unilaterally as 'staggering'.

Northfield St Nicholas Primary Academy in Lowestoft, Suffolk, announced it was closing on Facebook with parent Rebecca Kane venting: 'Nice finding this out via a friend at 8.30pm.... no email or text to let us know. CAN'T say I'm surprised.'

Other parents in all parts of the country said they are fearful for their children because for many homeschooling in the first lockdown last year amounted to 'here do your times tables' and 'no actual teaching'.

John Murphy CEO of Oasis Community Learning unboxes COVID-19 testing kits and rubber gloves at Oasis Academy Coulsdon, south London today. Every secondary school and college will receive 1,000 testing kits in the post today with students expected to swab themselves under supervision when they return

But Lady Eleanor Holles School in Hampton was closed today after all children in the capital were forced into online learning

Schoolchildren make their way to primary school in Leeds (left) and Cheshire (right) - but millions of children are now at home for at least a fortnight

Naomi Carpenter, a 20-year-old sports rehab student at Hull University, takes a swab for a lateral flow Covid-19 test at the campus sports facilities as students return to the university

The area in red is where the Government ordered all schools to shut. The areas in pink are where headteachers have shut down anyway

Schools announced they were shutting at the 11th hour - leaving parents irate and often hearing the news second hand

Official figures show there had been a further 54,990 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, up 80 per cent from last week's case figure of 30,501, while the number of deaths had increased by 43 per cent from last Sunday to 454

Where have schools been shut down in England until January 18? Shut by Government London All 32 boroughs Essex Brentwood Epping Forest Castle Point Basildon Rochford Harlow Chelmsford Braintree Maldon Southend on Sea Thurrock Kent Dartford Gravesham Sevenoaks Medway Ashford Maidstone Tonbridge and Malling Tunbridge Wells Swale East Sussex Hastings Rother Brighton Buckinghamshire Milton Keynes Hertfordshire Watford Broxbourne Hertsmere Three Rivers Shut by headteachers Remainder of Essex Slough Surrey Cheltenham Newcastle Leicester Norfolk Portsmouth Liverpool Buckinghamshire County Durham West Sussex Sheffield Cumbria Bedford Bristol High Wycombe Eastbourne Wolverhampton Leeds Lancashire Advertisement

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: 'The Government's own advice from Sage makes it clear that opening schools to all pupils now risks increasing the infection rate. That's in no-one's interests.

'Instead of creating chaos for parents and exposing workers to risks, the Prime Minister should be talking to trade unions about what steps are needed to make sure all schools are Covid-secure.'

NASUWT general secretary Dr Patrick Roach called for a move to remote learning for all pupils nationwide.

He said: 'The NASUWT is completely committed to ensuring that children can return to school as quickly as possible.

'However, it is now abundantly clear that the pandemic is seriously impacting on the ability of all schools and colleges to continue to operate normally.

'The NASUWT is calling for an immediate nationwide move to remote education for all pupils in primary, secondary and special schools and colleges.'

The Prime Minister told families yesterday that children should return to school in all areas where they were due to open today and tomorrow. But as Covid-19 rates soar, teaching unions said that a 'snowball effect' was shutting scores of schools despite the official advice to stay open.

One mother said she finds it 'staggering' that her child's primary school will not be opening on Tuesday, and said she wants the school listening to scientists rather than unions.

The woman, who does not want to be named, received an email from the headteacher of Anlaby Primary School in East Yorkshire on Sunday afternoon advising that pupils should not come back to school on Tuesday.

She told Hull Live that online home learning is 'not good enough', adding: 'I find it staggering how the school is choosing not to take government advice - I am really not bothered about what their union thinks.

'I take my advice from the government scientists who are saying it's safe for children to return to school and so should the school.

'There was no teaching it was just 'here do your times tables' and there was no actual teaching, which created massive amounts of stress in the household as I not only had to teach my child, but I had to work as well.'

Childminder Juliet Voisey wrote online: 'More notice is required. I am a self-employed childminder. I haven't applied for the grant from the government for this period as I am due to open next week. There's a deadline to apply for the grant.'

One parent, who asked to remain anonymous, said she would not be sending her children to school due to her coronavirus safety concerns.

As she has severe asthma, the woman told the PA news agency she could not risk her children bringing the virus home, so would be teaching them herself.

She said: 'We have all managed to avoid catching Covid so far, but with this new strain, I don't think it's safe at all.

'We should never have been taken out of lockdown over the summer. The economy will recover in time, but people's lives won't. And you can't run an economy with the dead, can you?

'Human life is far more important than shops and restaurants opening.

'How can schools be safe if the Houses of Parliament are not safe?'

Some parents have expressed their concern about sending their children back to school in an area where Covid infection rates are rising fast.

Children in Sunbury on Thames, Surrey, returned as normal while less than three miles away in London borough of Richmond all primary schools remained closed, despite having a lower infection rate.

At the school gates of St Ignatius Catholic Primary School in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne anxious parents dropped their children at the school gates.

'My daughter was excited to go back in year two, but I do have my concerns' said Fernando Jardin.

'All the schools in neighbouring London boroughs are closed but the schools here in Sunbury are open.

The infection rate in our borough of Spelthorne is similar to that in Richmond.

'Not sure how one school can stay open while others are closed'

Francesca Yaite admitted to having mixed feelings about sending her daughter back to school after the Christmas break.

She said: 'If am honest I have been worrying about this day.

'The school has been fantastic, but as a parent you have concerns but I do agree with keeping them open . It is so beneficial for the children'

Sophie Symes, a year 7 pupil at Knutsford Academy in Cheshire, studies at home as many schools switch to online learning

Boris Johnson visits Chase Farm Hospital and greets a pensioner given the Covid-19 vaccine as he faces growing pressure to shut schools and impose a new national lockdown

Three miles away in the Hampton every school was closed. It was the same picture in neighbouring London borough of Hounslow.

PM refuses to rule out cancelling exams Boris Johnson has refused to rule out cancelling GCSE and A-Level exams this year. Asked about the possibility, the PM said: 'We've got to be realistic, we've got to be realistic about the pace of which this new variant has spread 'We've got to be realistic about the impact that it's having on our NHS and we've got to be humble in the face of this virus.' Advertisement

While primary schools were closed on the orders of the Education Secretary Secondary schools are not due back until next week with a staggered start for students.

Latest data shows the borough of Richmond has an infection rate of 550 per 100,000 people while in Spelthorne the rate is at 669 per 1000,000.

A mum waving goodbye to her daughter at St Ignatius said she thought the Government should have closed all schools.

'It doesn't make sense than two adjoining boroughs have different policies' said the mum of two who asked not to be named.

'The virus doesn't stop at boundaries. People are goi g about their daily lives so the virus can easily transmit'

A dad who held his five year old son's hand as he walked him to the school gates said he had agonised over the weekend whether to send his son back to the classroom.

'My son only started in September and he lives it' said the dad.

'He wants to be with his friends. They are kept in a bubble in school but with this new variant there is much more to worry about.

'If the government do a sudden U-turn and the deadline is passed for the grant I'm then out of pocket. I don't want to claim money if I'm able to work.'

Conservative former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has called for the closure of schools and borders and a ban on household mixing 'right away' as he warned that the pressures facing hospitals are 'off-the-scale worse' than previous winter crises.

The chairman of the Commons Health and Social Care Committee wrote on Twitter: 'Time to act: thread on why we need to close schools, borders, and ban all household mixing RIGHT AWAY.

'To those arguing winter is always like this in the NHS: you are wrong. I faced four serious winter crises as Health Sec and the situation now is off-the-scale worse than any of those.

'It's true that we often had to cancel elective care in Jan to protect emergency care but that too is under severe pressure with record trolley waits for the very sickest patients.

'Even more worryingly fewer heart attack patients appear to be presenting in ICUs, perhaps because they are not dialling 999 when they need to.

'Full credit to NHS for keeping cancer services open but in Wave 1 there was still a 2/3 drop in cancer appts: people didn't come forward to GPs or want to go to hospitals, with many potentially avoidable cancer deaths. We hoped to avoid that this time but now looking unlikely.'

Schoolchildren walk to school on the first day of a new term in Tier 4 Manchester today

Rachel Allen, 40, is a single mother to Lewis, seven, (pictured together) and runs a social media consultancy from her Tier 4 home in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. She says: 'As a self-employed single parent trying to maintain a business that was decimated at the start of lockdown, school is a lifeline for me'. Ella Brucher, 35, a self-employed cleaner, has two children, Scarlet, six, and Dominic, ten, (pictured together) in Purley which is in Tier 4. Ms Brucher said: 'After not being able to work at all for three months earlier in the year, it's very difficult  and more than that, it's hard for the children, too. They want to be back at school.'

Parents shared their stories of being told of school closures at the very last minute

Pinehurst Primary School in Anfield, Liverpool this morning, which announced that they will not be opening as planned this week

Defiant primary head: I won't shut my school A primary school head teacher in Tier 4 today told how he had defied calls to keep the doors shut and welcomed back children following the Christmas break. Hethersett Primary School (pictured today) is one of just a handful of primaries in Norfolk to go back, with more than 110 others remaining closed, according to the county council, which has left the decision up to head teachers. Head Matthew Parslow-Williams spoke of the 'horrible' situation parents face with conflicting information from politicians and unions as they struggle to combine work with childcare. 'It wasn't an easy decision to take,' he told MailOnline, 'We had to close the school two weeks early before Christmas because of a covid outbreak which hit seven out of our 10 bubbles. 'The unions are calling for schools to stay closed, but our staff made up their own minds and we took advice and weighed things up and decided we can to provide a safe environment to teach the children and decided to open. 'I'm a parent of two myself and my wife is shielding, so I fully understand people's concerns. It's a horrible dilemma for parents right now as the rates are going up. 'But we are taking stringent precautions to minimise the risk, and it's very important that children get their education.' Asked whether he thought schools would be likely to remain open, he said: 'The Prime Minister sounded as if complete closure might be a possibility, and we will obviously have to switch to home learning if that's the case.' Covid rates in South Norfolk, where Hethersett is, are the worst in the county, with 410 cases per 100,000 people in the latest figures, which is slightly under the national average of 450, but has soared from 244 per thousand the previous week. Parents arriving at the school today were full of praise for the way their children's school have handled things during the pandemic. Mother-of-two Danielle Gilbert, 31 who is a GP, said the school had been 'brilliant' in keeping her informed. 'I have no qualms about letting my son go to school today,' she said. Her son James, four is in reception at the school. 'I think it's been confusing for parents with the mixed messages they are receiving nationally,' she said 'and I think parents, especially those who are working, need more than a day's notice to be told whether schools are going to be open or shut.' Mrs Gilbert, 31, whose husband is also a doctor, arrived at school with her 18-month older daughter Lily on the back of her bicycle and James on his own bike. 'James is loving school and he would have been very disappointed not to come in today,' she said. 'I wouldn't be surprised if all schools are closed soon under a more widespread lockdown, but the school is very good about home educating, so I'm confident they'll handle it well.' Hethersett Primary School parents Pauline and Tim Booth, who both work for Sainsbury's, were happy to see their seven-year-old son Brad go to school this morning. 'He's been looking forward to it and wants to see his mates again, especially after the extra-long Christmas break,' said Tim, 40. 'The school has kept us informed and we got a lot of assistance when we were doing home learning during the first lockdown,' said 42-year-old Pauline. 'But you never know for sure if it's all going in, so in the classroom is definitely preferable. My parents live nearby and although we were able to see them on Christmas Day, we've not seen much of them otherwise.' Mum-of-two Melissa Rollison, a 41-year-old HR manager said she was pleased that her nine-year-old daughter was going back to school. 'I've got a son of 11 who's at high school, so he's still off, and I'm working from home. I'm confident that the school will handle things well, whether it's in-school or home-learning, as we had before. 'They were able to give me a lot of help when we were doing that, but obviously it's better when she's actually in school.' Advertisement

Dianna Nicholas, 35 a stay at home mum from Castle Bromwich, Birmingham with two children at Firs Academy, aged five and six, said: 'Both my children have got learning difficulties so routine and structure is very important for them.

'They have looked forward to going back to school for the whole of the last week.

'For them the interaction with friends and getting up in the morning and coming home, the whole thing, I think they need it.

'There's been so much uncertainty with everything taken away from us over the last year.

'It's unfair on the children and on us as parents. I think they need a bit of normality.

'Their education is very important because both of mine have got autism and global development delay and getting them to where they need to be is very important.'

Jahangir Ahmed, 51, from Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, who has one eight-year-old son in Year 3, said: 'Most parents aren't happy sending their children to school after the new coronavirus strain started.

'It's spreading so fast and I heard in London one of the school children who died was only eight.

'This school has said Year 4 and 6 are not supposed to come in because of Covid.

'I don't understand this - apparently this coronavirus cannot attack Years 4 and 6?

'What about the others, what is going to happen to them?

'I have met so many parents who have said they don't have any choice because if they don't send their child to school they will start being fined.

'I know that parents are not happy. I also think that every single parent you ask will say the same, didn't they have enough dying last time from coronavirus?

'And now it's going to start having a go at the children.

'We are not happy, we want our children to be educated but their life is more important than anything.

'If they are not going to live then what can they do with their education?

'I want them to make their minds up. If they want to send the children in, send them all, not just some. Or just shut the doors.'

Kuntaea You, 37, who is unemployed and from Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, has two sons aged ten and nine. She said: 'Some people are saying it's not safe but the school is open so we have to send our children to school today.

'I'm okay with my children going into school but only one of my sons has gone in today.

'He's ten and in Year 5 but my other son he's nine and hasn't gone into school as he's in Year 4 and they have not gone in.

'I'm a bit unsure on it all but happy for my children to go into school today.'

Mum-of-four Athena Davidson, 35, a care assistant from Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, said: 'If the government doesn't shut the country down and do what they are supposed to do then the schools have got to remain open.

'But I think the government should just do a full lockdown as this makes it more difficult for parents that go to work.

'Because if the kids go in and someone from their class or a teacher has Covid then they have got to isolate for two weeks.

'But then that parent has got to take time off of work so I don't think the government is considering the people.

'I think they are just all in it for themselves.

'I have got four children and one on the way and have two in school. One is aged nine in Year 5, and I have a five-year-old in reception.

'I just think the government needs to just sort it out. They should just lock the country down again if that is what is needed.'

Leader of Kent County Council Roger Gough urged Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to keep all primary schools in the county closed, saying it is 'very hard to justify' letting some schools open while others are closed.

Primary school pupils in Thanet, Canterbury, Dover and Folkestone and Hythe are expected to return on Monday while the other districts in Kent will learn remotely for the first two weeks of term.

Yesterday council leaders in Cumbria, Brighton, Birmingham and Wolverhampton all formally requested permission for schools in their area to stay shut.

While it waits to hear back from Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, Brighton and Hove City Council has advised all primary heads to shut their schools, apart from for vulnerable children and those of key workers, and to move learning online.

In Southampton the city council warned that some schools 'do not have enough staff to reopen safely to all children', while Slough Borough Council said some primaries would stay closed amid 'confusion across the board' caused by the Department for Education.

Boris Johnson says harsher Covid lockdown IS coming despite Tory fury at warnings it will need to last MONTHS to combat 'out of control' mutant strain  with vaccines only hope of escape Boris Johnson gives a thumbs up as he has his temperature checked during a visit to Chase Farm Hospital in north London today, with the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine launching Boris Johnson today confirmed that tougher coronavirus lockdown is coming amid hints the whole of England will be under Tier 4 within days - and enforcement could be hardened. The PM put Britons on notice that stronger restrictions will be needed for months, despite the optimism sparked by the first Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine doses being administered. Speaking during a visit to Chase Farm Hospital in north London, Mr Johnson warned of 'tough tough' weeks to come. He added: 'If you look at the numbers there's no question we will have to take tougher measures and we will be announcing those in due course.' Earlier Mr Hancock responded to demands from Labour and scientists for a national lockdown by saying all options are on the table. But he suggested the first step will be to escalate even more of the country into the harshest restrictions, saying Tier 3 did not seem able to hold back the more infectious version of the deadly disease. Advertisement

A headteacher in Berkshire has told parents not to send their children to school tomorrow amid soaring cases of the more-infectious Covid variant - despite assurances from Boris Johnson that schools are 'safe'.

Slough headteacher Gil Denham said she can't 'guarantee that pupils or staff will not be exposed to the virus' if they return on Monday and parents should only send their children in if they feel the risk is not 'too high'.

Most primaries in England are expected to re-open their doors tomorrow, while secondary schools will reopen on a staggered basis later this month with a weekly-testing scheme.

But in a series of embarrassing blows to Gavin Williamson's plans, councils across the country are defying Government orders and demanding their primaries continue to teach remotely as the new Covid mutation wreaks havoc.

Britain yesterday recorded a further 54,990 coronavirus cases in 24 hours - marking the sixth day in a row that daily infections exceeded 50,000.

Cumbria, Brighton, Kent, Birmingham and Wolverhampton have asked the Department for Education for permission to keep primaries closed tomorrow, demanding learning be delivered remotely.

In the mean time, Brighton and Hove City Council has ordered primary schools in the area to shut, while several schools in Wolverhampton, Derbyshire, Merseyside and Nottinghamshire have also refused to open.

And yesterday afternoon, Essex County Council ordered all schools in the only three districts earmarked by the Government for reopening to move to online learning only.

Leader of Kent County Council Roger Gough urged Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to keep all primary schools in the county closed, saying it is 'very hard to justify' letting some schools open while others are closed.

Primary school pupils in Thanet, Canterbury, Dover and Folkestone and Hythe are expected to return on Monday while the other districts in Kent will learn remotely for the first two weeks of term.

Yesterday council leaders in Cumbria, Brighton, Birmingham and Wolverhampton all formally requested permission for schools in their area to stay shut.

While it waits to hear back from Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, Brighton and Hove City Council has advised all primary heads to shut their schools, apart from for vulnerable children and those of key workers, and to move learning online.

In Southampton the city council warned that some schools 'do not have enough staff to reopen safely to all children', while Slough Borough Council said some primaries would stay closed amid 'confusion across the board' caused by the Department for Education.

Tony Blair: 'Step change' in vaccines is the only way to save schools Tony Blair urged the government to target five million vaccinations a week - saying it was hard to see how schools could stay open otherwise. The former PM told Times Radio: 'If I was the prime minister right now I would be saying to the team in Downing Street, 'I need you to give me a plan to get this up to five million (vaccinations) a week'. 'Provided we've got the vaccine available and we should have them available. I mean AstraZeneca will, not this week or next week but the week after, be able to get up to two million doses a week, that's just AstraZeneca. 'They could probably do more if they knew that the system was capable of absorbing the amount of vaccines that they would produce. 'You should get clearance for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the end of January, that's when they complete their trials and then we should be able to get that on stream as well in February.' Mr Blair said a 'step change' in the vaccination programme was the only real prospect of keeping children in schools. He said: 'On the one hand, it's a disaster for school children, particularly poorest school children if they're not getting educated. 'But it's also completely understandable that teachers and parents say, not because they think their children the risk to children is very, very small, it's the risk to transmission rates and it's the risk to teachers and parents, and therefore to those that their parents mix with. 'So for all of those reasons, it just emphasises yet again why it's so important to get vaccination under way.' Advertisement

Colchester, Tendring and Uttlesford have been told to open classrooms on Monday - but the council has now written to Mr Williamson demanding 'urgent clarity' over whether they should still do so as infections continue to soar.

Ms Denham - headteacher of the Marish Academy Trust which operates two primary schools in Slough - wrote a letter to parents saying they can keep their children at home if they feel it is safer, Berkshire Live reports.

The letter read: 'As a parent and grandparent myself, if I feel that the risk of my child or someone else in my family contracting Covid-19 is too high, if they attend school from Monday, I would keep them at home.

'It may be that this is the decision some of you come to for your own families.'

She stressed that online teaching will be available to parents who refuse to send their children in.

She added: 'Neither I, or any other school leader in Slough can guarantee that pupils or staff will not be exposed to the virus in school or on the way to or from school, when our experience has already shown us that Covid-19 can easily spread through a community.'

Slough Borough Council later said it will allow individual schools to make the call about whether or not to open.

Norfolk, Greater Manchester and Southampton have also allowed schools to make their own decisions about sending pupils back.

Their defiance came as the Prime Minister today told parents that it was 'safe to send their children back but refused to rule out a full shutdown to control the mutant coronavirus strain - as Keir Starmer demanded a new national lockdown within 24 hours.

Now nearly a third of the country  some 17million people  are living in areas where primaries have been told to close by the Government, or where councils have said they will back heads who decide to close their gates. Despite the unfolding chaos, Mr Johnson said yesterday that he had 'no doubt' that classrooms were safe. He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: 'Schools are safe. It is very, very important to stress that.

'The risk to kids, to young people is really very, very small indeed. The risk to staff is very small.'

He added: 'I understand people's frustrations, I understand people's anxieties but there is no doubt in my mind that schools are safe and that education is a priority.'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his plans were insufficient and it was 'inevitable' many would stay closed today.

The unofficial closures came after Britain's biggest teaching union, the National Education Union, called an online meeting attended by 400,000 teachers and supporters where they were told to 'say no' to reopenings.

Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said school closures should be kept to the 'absolute minimum' as Education Secretary Gavin Williamson urges teachers and parents to 'move heaven and earth', adding the young must not 'bear the heaviest cost' of the pandemic

Scotland faces new lockdown: Nicola Sturgeon expected to announce another national shutdown TODAY Nicola Sturgeon is expected to announce tougher coronavirus restrictions for Scotland today in a move which could see schools closed until the middle of February. The SNP leader will meet with senior ministers this morning to agree new curbs before then delivering an urgent statement to a recalled Scottish Parliament this afternoon. All of mainland Scotland is already placed in the highest tier of Covid-19 rules but Ms Sturgeon is due to further strengthen the measures amid a 'rapid increase' in infections. Yesterday Scotland announced 2,464 new cases of the disease, with the latest figures for hospital admissions and deaths not due until Tuesday. It is thought Ms Sturgeon's further crackdown will effectively amount to another national lockdown, potentially lasting until the spring. The planned reopening of Scottish schools on January 18 is widely expected to be pushed back, with reports suggesting they could be told to stay shut until the middle of next month. A tougher stay-at-home message is also thought to be under consideration as well as a tightening of rules around meeting other households. Ms Sturgeon's announcement will be closely watched by Downing Street and is likely to prompt speculation that England could soon be forced to follow a similar path. Advertisement

Kevin Courtney, its joint general secretary, told teachers who dialled in that they should protest against returning to school  and that this could lead to a 'snowball effect'. Within hours, the message appeared to be having an effect.

By last night, many schools had made the decision not to open, despite being outside the Government's 'contingency framework', which mandates closures, with some citing union advice. The Daily Mail has learned of many schools being forced into 11th-hour decisions in the face of staff shortages. For example, Lea Community Primary School, in Preston, said that 'due to health and safety, a rising increase in transmission and infection rates and following advice of unions' it was unsafe for it to open.

And St Mary's Catholic Primary School, in Birmingham also said 'insufficient staff' was the reason behind its decision to close. All classes would be taught via 'live' lessons delivered online instead.

Bedford Primary School, in Bootle, Merseyside, said it would be shut to pupils, apart from those of key workers, for at least a week 'due to reduced staffing ratios.'

Salford mayor Paul Dennett wrote to Mr Williamson last night saying he wanted face-to-face learning to be looked at again. He said he would 'support any Salford school leader who assesses that it is not safe to open their school'.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Mr Williamson gave no indication he was considering widening school closures. 'The safety of teachers and pupils will always be paramount, but we must all move heaven and earth to get children back to the classroom where they best thrive,' he wrote.

Dozens of parents arrived at Perry Court E-ACT Academy in Hengrove, Bristol, which was open to reception, Year three and Year six pupils, as well as vulnerable children and those of key workers.

Law firm worker Lisa, 37, took her four-year-old son Brennon in.

She said: 'In terms of primary schools staying open I'm absolutely fine because they've got lower numbers.

'Secondary school is different. But in Primary schools - groups have been segregated going back now.

'I would be annoyed if the primary school had to close - whether they should be closed or not I'm not sure.

'I'm working from home so my work has been brilliant with having kids at home.

'It's easier for me but for others it's not, it's really difficult, I can imagine their struggles.'

A headteacher in Berkshire has told parents not to send their children to school tomorrow amid soaring cases of the more-infectious Covid variant despite assurances from Boris Johnson that schools are 'safe' (file image)

Victoria, 37, who works in finance and accompanied by her son Oliver, aged four, said: 'I'm very happy with kids going back to school, I agree.

'I believe when teachers stay at home during these situations - they're on furlough, being paid - I'm being paid for my job.

'I'm not paid to be a teacher and I don't have special education to teach my child.

'I don't have knowledge of how to teach my child correctly.

'I'm doing my best, but being in quarantine was a nightmare for me. I had to juggle between being a mum, doing my job and teaching my child - It's hard.

'So I believe the best solution would be that home learning shouldn't just be homework, it's not the same thing.

'If we do have home learning teachers should provide 100% online classes.

'So then my job is to take my child in front of his computer at the right time and make sure he sits there and listens.

'The rest should be their responsibility because i think basic education is for free in this country, I pay my taxes to have this right.

'I shouldn't have to be a mummy, a teacher and carry on with my own job, unless I was being paid extra.'

Unemployed Shirelle, 29, mother to 11-year-old Keira, said: 'I have four kids at home and only one can return today.

'She has to go because she's in year six, she's preparing for her SATs.

'But ideally it's not safe enough for them to go home. I think a full shutdown needs to be done.

'This makes me anxious. We have a vulnerable child at home as well, but education is important and for as long as the schools open I have to send them otherwise I'll get fined.

'I would probably home school them until this was all over. It's not very safe, we don't feel safe.'

Unemployed Hollie, 35, mother to five-year-old Zeus, said: 'I've got seven children so Zeus is the only one out of the seven coming back.

'He was kept home from school before Christmas due to having to isolate.

'My personal opinion is that I'd rather have them all home where I know they're going to be safe.

'But then again I know the school takes the measures to keep the children safe and keeps us up to date with any confirmed cases.

'So as much as I would rather have him home with the others I do feel safe knowing that the school is taking the relevant steps and precautions.

'I think they're education is important but obviously so is our health and their safety. I'd rather have all my children home safe with me until this has all passed.'
US: 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine found in watermelons

Tesla owners will be paid $ 16,000 each due to slow charging

Advisor to Armenia Prosecutor General provides details about incident with Armenian soldier killed in Verin Shorzha

Banksy's painting of punk Lenin sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 960,000

CSTO Deputy Secretary-General: Escalation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border requires undertaking of urgent measures

Catholicos of All Armenians receives newly appointed Ambassador of Japan

Australia closing its embassy in Kabul for security reasons

Biden to discuss issues related to Belarus and Ukraine with Putin

Armenian acting FM meets with ambassadors of CSTO member states accredited to Armenia

Armenia Ombudsman presents human rights protection in post-war period to CoE Programmes Directorate General

Germany is investigating Google's position in market

France: Sanctions against Belarus will continue

Armenia opposition party MP: Azerbaijan is a terrorist state, negotiations can't be led with such a country

US to reopen its Consulate General in Jerusalem

EU expects to receive over 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine by end of September

Armenian MFA strongly condemns Azerbaijan's blatant armed encroachment on Armenia's sovereign territory

UN still awaits strong evidence that Dubai ruler's daughter is alive

Opposition Bright Armenia Party urges Government to immediately address UN Security Council

Armen Sarkissian receives Russia Ambassador to Armenia

Armenia President, France Ambassador discuss situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border

Overchuk: We hope unblocking of links between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a success

Armenia police officer commits suicide, criminal case launched

Armenia Environmental Protection and Mining Inspection Body has new deputy heads

Zarif, Aliyev discuss railway routes connecting Iran, Azerbaijan and Armenia

EU leaders agree to donate at least 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to poor countries

Armenian serviceman Mher Hovhannisyan fires gunshot at his head, criminal case launched

Soldier who died in Armenia's Verin Shorzha was son of ARF-D member, father of 2

Blinken promises to continue close consultations with Israel on Iran

Armen Sarkissian: Armenia's relevant state institutions need to take the tightest measures

Armenian soldier commits suicide, opposition speaks on tense situation on border, 25.05.21 digest

Yerevan man's body found at Tatul Krpeyan Park

Armenia MOD: Reports about Armenian soldiers being injured in Sisian section of border not confirmed

EU summit calls for rarly implementation of vaccination certificates

Parliament of the Netherlands adopts resolution, EU must demand that Azerbaijan pull out troops from Armenia

Kremlin: Russian and US presidents to meet in Geneva on June 16

Spokesperson of community council of Armenia's Sisian: Men got enlisted and climbed to military posts

Bright Armenia Party: We are not satisfied with CSTO response

EU leaders urge council to review internal border guidelines by mid-June

Armenia MOD: Fixed-term serviceman receives lethal firearm injury in head area

Dollar still stable in Armenia

Armenian Catholic Catholicos-Patriarch passes away

Kathimerini: US seeks to increase military presence in Greece due to doubts about Turkey's reliability

US Congress members call on Biden to suspend all military assistance to Azerbaijan

Armenia acting economy minister receives Montenegro's newly appointed Ambassador

Armenia MOD: Soldier killed during shootings from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha

Russian MP: Azerbaijani leadership interested in Armenia acting PM's victory in snap elections

Armenia MOD reports shooting from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha border section

Armenia opposition MP: Authorities promised to separate business from politics, but they're failing to fulfill promise

There will be post-election processes if authorities try to rig voting, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

CNN: Putin and Biden will meet on June 15-16 in Geneva

Latin America has the highest poverty rate in 20 years

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia applying to CSTO: No one will help you if you do nothing to solve your problems

Armenia ruling Civil Contract Party presents list of first 10 candidates ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Armenia acting justice minister discusses broad range of cooperation issues with top CoE official

Armenia former President Kocharyan: This guilt, this criminal article is on these authorities

Man survives after spending 17 days in desert

Azerbaijan continues course towards systematic extermination of Armenian heritage in Shushi

Armenia Syunik Province ex-governor: Azerbaijani soldiers advanced along length of border two days ago

Newly appointed Ambassador of Montenegro presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Its about bringing Karabakh issue back to right to self-determination, says Armenia ex-President Kocharyan

Iran FM to arrive in Armenia

Ara Aivazian and Austrian counterpart hold phone talks, focus on Azeri army's infiltration into Armenia's territory

Kocharyan: Elect todays political team if you are ready to live squatting

Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 30 million

2nd President Kocharyan on Armenia Security Council chief: Do you take that person seriously?

"Key" to settlement of Karabakh conflict cant be in one place, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Texas may permit carrying of pistols without special permission

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia acting PM Pashinyan's high popularity rating: We will wear it down to the root

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Election bloc format must be workable in some logical sense

Attorney: Political persecution against Robert Kocharyan is becoming more noticeable during election campaign

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: We must do everything so that our domestic politics is not dictated by Azerbaijan

Armenian acting defense minister meets Russian peacekeeping mission chief

Congress predicts US nuclear spending to reach $ 634 billion by 2030

Russian MP: The effectiveness of military cooperation with Armenia depends on Yerevan as well

Delimitation now may create some problems in Karabakh negotiation process, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan on relations with 3rd President Sargsyan: We go our own way they go their own

Judge adjourns hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM for 3 weeks

Court hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM

2nd President Kocharyan: Armenia must show that it will not be subjected to such pressures

Kocharyan: You may find yourself in stupid situations if you come to negotiations without any baggage

Armenia Investigative Committee: Criminal case opened into soldiers death

157 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

EU helps UN World Food Programme provide humanitarian assistance for conflict-affected people in Armenia

Yerevan municipal council convenes regular session

Armenia legislature speaker on situation at Syunik Province: CSTO still has procedures

Blinken arrives on his first official visit to Israel

World oil prices going up

Provincial hall issues statement on Tavush section of Armenia border with Azerbaijan

MFA statement: Azerbaijan continues to use Armenian POWs as political hostages

Newspaper: There are last-minute changes on Armenia ruling party electoral list

Armenia parliament starts regular sessions

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Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Appointments in army were not based on knowledge but on loyalty

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Last Wednesday morning an incident interrupted production at the General Motors Stamping Plant in the small town of Marion, about 60 miles northeast of Indianapolis, that will likely haunt the workers who witnessed it for the rest of their lives.

The plant forms sheet metal body parts to supply the Fort Wayne Assembly Plant, which manufactures Chevy and GMC full-size pickup trucks, as well as shipping to truck assembly plants in Michigan, Texas, Kansas and other states.

Production and shipping schedules require the Marion plant to store between one and two days of buffer product. They use 4-inch-by-4-inch horizontal steel tubing welded into moveable wall sections that span from the factory floor to the roof structure 20 feet overhead to separate the storage racks loaded with body parts from other areas in the plant where workers are engaged in production.

GM Marion Metal Center, Marion, Illinois (WSWS photo)

Since 2007, the company with the complicity the UAW has outsourced janitorial and machine cleaning services to replace GM workers who previously did that work. On Wednesday the contractor Caravan was using at least one giant fork truck to move a steel wall section that is 40 feet long by 20 feet high and weighs approximately 7,000 pounds when a malfunction caused the wall to crash to the floor slab crushing an electrician who was working in the vicinity.

His name was Mark McKnight, a highly skilled and careful worker who was 57 years old. Everybody liked him, a co-worker commented, the nicest guy you could ever meet.

It just literally smashed him, another worker reported to the World Socialist Web Site. His head was smashed flat. There were bones everywhere. Blood was all over the floor. It was just horrible.

Normally they chain these wall sections to the fork truck. For some reason, they needed to put the section down, and the fork truck moved, bumping the wall and causing it to tip over.

A report by Stephen D. Dorsey, deputy chief of the Marion Police Department on December 30, 2020, states: Officers spoke with Robert Ogden, Sight (sic.) Director of General Motors whostated that employees in that area were moving a floor to ceiling wall unit of 4x4 metal tubing welded together. The wall unit had not been secured to the floor or a connecting wall beam. [when the] floor to ceiling walltipped over, Mr. McKnight was unable to avoid being struck by the falling wall which ultimately caused his death.

The plant of 2.758 million square feet opened in November 1956. In 1970 the town was home to 40,000 people. Since then the area has been devastated by deindustrialization, with the census count dropping to just over 28,000 in 2017.

Like autoworkers around the country, Marion workers have been subjected to an endless cost-cutting and speedup campaign, aided and abetted by the UAW, which has undermined safety conditions and eliminated longstanding job protections, leading to a sharp increase in outsourcing and subcontracting.

In 2011, GM closed its Indianapolis stamping plantwiping out 650 jobsafter workers rebelled against demands by the corporation and the United Auto Workers union that they accept a 50 percent wage cut to attract a new owner to buy the plant.

As recently as 2014 GM Marion Stamping employed 1,600 workers. Todays workforce stands at just under 800 workers, who are all members of UAW Local 877.

Median household income stood at $37,684 in 2017 while the same figure for the state was $54,181, and nationally was $61,372. The same year fully one out of four, or 25.9 percent of residents, lived in poverty.

Indiana and its automotive towns like Marion, Muncie, Kokomo, Ft. Wayne and Andersonlong identified with militant struggles by autoworkershave been laid waste by the downsizing of the auto industry with the complicity of the UAW. Between 2007 and 2009, auto parts suppliers eliminated more than 22,000 jobs, and the sector now employs 30 percent fewer workers than a decade ago, according to the Times of Northwest Indiana web site.

In July 2014 a chemical explosion involving a chlorine dioxide tank and another sub-contractor, Quaker Chemical, at the plant killed one worker and injured eight others.

McKnight's death is not an isolated incident. It is the second fatal industrial accident in the auto industry which the World Socialist Web Site has reported on in as many months. In mid-November, 42-year-old parts worker David Spano was crushed to death by a 25,000-pound manufacturing mold at the Romeo RIM plant in suburban Detroit.

Moreover, the death of Mark McKnight takes place in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed over 350,000 in the United States and dozens in the auto industry. However, the true death toll is being deliberately concealed by the auto companies, with the support of the UAW, in their bid to maintain brutal speedup to keep production at pre-pandemic levels. On the basis of mass infection and death, the auto companies actually made more profits in the third quarter of 2020 than in the previous year.

This includes a plan by Fiat Chrysler to impose 84-hour workweeks on skilled trades at its Sterling Heights Assembly Plant north of Detroit. The automaker was forced to temporarily shelve its plans after outrage from autoworkers in the plant and around the country, which was given voice in extensive coverage in the World Socialist Web Site.

On December 16, the Socialist Equality Party published a statement,  For emergency action to save lives! Close schools and shut down nonessential production! Full compensation for workers!, which proposed that workers prepare for such action by organizing around the following demands:

 The immediate shutdown of nonessential production

 The closure of all schools and universities to in-person instruction

 Full compensation for workers during the shutdown, including the immediate reinstatement of the $600-per-week supplemental unemployment benefits.

To fight for these demands, the WSWS and the SEP have helped autoworkers to form a network of rank-and-file safety committees at workplaces and schools around the country.

As the Autoworker Rank-and-File Safety Committee Network wrote in its own statement on December 23, The capitalist class will never agree to such demands willingly, and all appeals to reason and humanity will fall on deaf ears. This struggle will pit workers directly against Biden and the Democrats, who, no less than Trump and the Republicans, defend the interests of Wall Street. Therefore, workers must organize themselves as an independent force, opposing both management and their paid stooges in the UAW.

We have already founded rank-and-file safety committees at several major FCA and Ford assembly plants, and we note with pride the founding in December of a committee by parts workers at Faurecia Saline. We also urge Ventra parts workers in Sandusky, Ohio, as well as GM workers to contact us to begin setting up their own committees at their factories. The Rank-and-File Safety Network must be expanded, with committees organized in every plant. Now is the time to stand together!

To build a mass political and socialist movement against both corporate-controlled parties, autoworkers should join and build the Socialist Equality Party as the leadership for the coming struggles of the working class.

For more information and to join or build a committee at your plant, contact us at autoworkers@wsws.org.
Brexit trade deal: Fishing industry needs Scotland to grasp opportunities not grievances  Brian Wilson

by Brian Wilson

January 04,2021 | Source: The Scotsman

Betrayal, con-trick, sold down the river weve been hearing it for decades; inside and outside the EU, whoever was in government.



The audience for these rituals is never meant to notice (and generally doesnt because it is a complex subject) that despite all of the above, our Scottish fishing barons become even richer and more powerful.



Five families effectively control nearly half of Scotlands quotas. Before the law took an interest, it was reckoned more black fish were landed in Scotland than under EU quotas.



While the barons prospered mightily, it has been a different story in many of Scotlands traditional fishing communities which were marginalised under the Common Fisheries Policy and survive largely on shellfish.



For them, increased quota is a far less significant issue than access to markets. The real damage to these Scottish fishermen and businesses would have been from no deal with the EU. Why would anyone, at this juncture, vote for that?



Whatever one thinks of Brexit, a fishing deal that gives increased quotas, a five-year transition to full control of UK waters and  critically  continuing access to EU markets is a betrayal of nothing. The question is whether Scotland will take advantage of these opportunities  not a word we hear much of.



The real con-trick is the pretence there is a single entity called the Scottish fishing industry rather than a series of regional industries which, historically and currently, have different and often conflicting interests. This is largely disguised by rhetoric from the most powerful.



This dichotomy is reflected in the Western Isles  where I live  which is why most fishermen here voted for Brexit. They saw an opportunity for decades of disadvantage to be reversed if lost rights could be restored.



The same applies in many parts of Scotland which associate the decline of local, non-intensive fishing industries with a more general economic malaise and lack of employment opportunities.

 JPIMedia Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved

Theme(s): Post Harvest Technology and Trade.
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Archbishop Eamon Martin, the Irish Catholic Primate, deserves great credit for his recent courageous message criticising nationalist and republican politicians for failing to engage with the commemoration of the centenary of Northern Ireland in 2021.

Writing about the centenary in the Irish Catholic newspaper he stated: "For unionists and indeed loyalist communities in Northern Ireland it represents for them a significant moment in the establishment of the Northern Ireland state.

"I would like to see the 2021 centenary as an opportunity for greater mutual understanding, for opportunities to build further reconciliation and peace".

He added: "I am somewhat disappointed that many of our nationalist and republican political leaders have dismissed the centenary of 2021 altogether because for me I think it's really important to seize it as a moment to reflect on where we've come from."

While clearly identifying himself as a nationalist, he went on to state: "If we could accept that people on this island approach their belonging from very different perspectives - that was the key to the Good Friday Agreement; that we would recognise legitimate aspirations on the island, and that to me is something that we're better not to run away from, but to face."

In my opinion Archbishop Martin's statement is one of the most important I have read from any Irish Church leader in the two decades during which I have reported for this newspaper on religious matters.

The late Cardinal Cahal Daly was a most charming man who worked tirelessly with the former Church of Ireland Primate Archbishop Robin Eames to build bridges during their shared times of office. However he was infinitely layered, and almost Jesuitical, in his public statements, apart from those in which he relentlessly criticized the Provisional IRA.

Cardinal Sean Brady is also a most charming man who was starting to make significant speeches about the moral perils of the Celtic Tiger until he was overtaken by events which were partly beyond his control.

He had a warm regard for the Protestant community, and I once told him personally that he often wrote and spoke like a Protestant evangelical from east Belfast - a point which amused him greatly.

However he was not in office long enough to take a significant position on constitutional matters of the kind which Archbishop Martin has just made.

He too is a charming, warm-hearted man with a sense of humour, as I discovered in an in-depth interview with him for this newspaper some time ago. His criticism of national and republican political leaders was tactfully worded.

The days when a Catholic leader can criticize people publicly with "a belt of the crozier" have gone, but there is no mistaking his clear disappointment with his fellow nationalists, and republicans; and when a Primate speaks in this way about politicians he is also sending a message to the faithful Catholics in (and often out of) the pew.

There is no doubt that the unionists made mistake after mistake since the establishment of Northern Ireland.

There was indefensible gerrymandering, and discrimination in housing and employment, and the current DUP has totally lost its way since the politically astute Peter Robinson resigned some years ago and sought refuge -though not entirely - in his retirement.

However the sectarianism was not only one-sided.

I recall as a young boy in nationalist Newry fearfully watching local people hurling chairs onto the stage of the Town Hall when the National Anthem was being played at the end of a concert staged by the-then forerunner of the Arts Council.

Of course it is difficult for nationalists and republicans to swallow hard and overlook the past, but as Archbishop Martin has pointed out: "If there is ever to be greater mutual understanding and living together on the island of Ireland, then we need to be able to face difficult moments and difficult episodes from our history and we need to be able to face this openly." As a practicing Protestant (and a proud holder of British and Irish passports) I too am very disappointed by the current attitude of the SDLP, for which I have great respect. I wonder if John Hume would have taken the same line in his heyday.

Sadly, I am not surprised by the reaction of Sinn Fein which stated: "The centenary of partition is nothing to celebrate for Irish republicans, nationalists and democrats. Partition has been to the detriment of citizens across this island, and continues to restrict our social and economic potential."

Unfortunately, the leadership of Sinn Fein knows no better and it will take decades for the party to begin to understand the true meaning and challenges of democracy. Meanwhile it is important to acknowledge the importance of Archbishop Martin's solo run in speaking out to his flock in the North, and also being aware that his words will be read carefully by policy-makers and very many others in the Republic.

We sometimes forget that not only the Catholic Church but also the Presbyterian, Methodist and Church of Ireland congregations belong to all-island Churches.

The current Moderator the Rt Reverend David Bruce has spent a significant part of his career working with churches and organisations in the Republic, and the Methodist President-elect the Reverend Dr Sahr Yambasu, originally from Sierra Leone, is based in the Irish Republic where he has served widely in different parishes.

Perhaps it is time for the Irish Churches, north and south, to engage further in this important debate about the long-term peaceful relationships among people within and across both jurisdictions.

In the past the Churches were accused, not entirely unfairly, of being part of the problem, but 2021 provides a further opportunity to prove that they can be part of the solution. What better challenge for the Churches than to promote honest engagement, understanding and hope for the future...

Alf McCreary is Religious Correspondent for the Belfast Telegraph


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Larry King was reportedly moved out of the ICU on Sunday (3 January) after being hospitalised with Covid-19 for more than 10 days.

The 87-year-old broadcast giant had been at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after contracting the novel coronavirus, allegedly from a home health worker visiting his home, according to NBC.

King is considered to be at an elevated risk, given his senior status and range of health conditions such as type two diabetes and a history of lung and prostate cancer. He also suffered a heart attack in 1987, resulting in quintuple-bypass surgery.

Read More: Larry King hospitalised with Covid-19 in California, report says

One of his sons has also contracted Covid-19, according to a source who spoke to NBC.

Messages of support poured onto social media over the weekend, with CNN's Christaine Amanpour writing, "Get well Larry, Im pulling for The King."

Political commentator Keith Olbermann wrote, "Its been easy to kid him but Larry is a loyal friend and his skill at, and knowledge of broadcasting, is limitless. He also treats every small kindness as if its the most generous act ever. Prayers."

Its been a tough few years for the Peabody award-winning journalist. In 2019, King said he had suffered a stroke that put him in a coma for "a couple weeks". "It's been a rough year," he told Extra at the time.

In 2020, King's son Andy King, 65, died of a heart attack, and his daughter Chaia King, 51, died after battling lung cancer. The two died only weeks apart from one another.

In 2019, it was also announced that King was divorcing his seventh wife, Shawn King. The two were married 22 years and share two children, Chance and Cannon.

King retired from CNN in 2010 after hosting Larry King Live for 25 years and has been hosting Ora TV's Larry King Now since 2012.
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DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 04th Jan, 2021) DMCC - a Free Zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise  has registered a record breaking 2,025 new companies in 2020, the highest number of registrations in five years.

Despite an overall business environment shaped by the pandemic, the record-breaking registrations are a testament to Dubais continued appeal to investors and the trust they place in the worlds leading Free Zone, DMCC said in a statement.

DMCCs strong performance is primarily due to the Business Support Package launched in March 2020 that saw interest from companies in 149 countries. This was the business hubs largest ever commercial offer, offering a wide range of incentives and value added services to both existing and new companies in the Free Zone.

Supporting its member companies in the community, more than 8,000 member companies availed over 13,000 offers and incentives granted throughout 2020.

Commenting on the achievement, Ahmed bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DMCC, said, "Despite the countless challenges at our doorstep, the UAEs visionary leadership and prompt and decisive actions meant that our economy remained resilient throughout. DMCCs strong performance, which saw 2025 companies set up in our Free Zone during a global crisis, is a clear indication that the UAE and Dubai remain the chosen place to do business. We know that 2021 will not be without its obstacles, but we are optimistic about our growth trajectory and our continued ability to attract foreign direct investment to the Emirate."

The record-breaking number of new company registrations is also the result of significant enhancements to DMCCs customer service, its simplified and fully digitalised set up processes and easier onboarding.

By providing customers a seamless, digital company set-up experience, and significant focus on digital marketing, the Free Zone has seen more than a 50 percent drop in walk-ins and physical visits, with existing and new members preferring to conduct their transactions online.

Also, 95 percent of new companies in the Free Zone start their journey with DMCC digitally.

In light of global travel restrictions, DMCC hosted 19 virtual sessions in key markets including China, Israel, Russia, Switzerland, Germany, Angola, South America, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine and the UK. During these virtual roadshows, attendees were familiarised with the benefits and opportunities of setting up in Dubai and DMCCs unique and thriving business ecosystem.

DMCCs Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer also hosted a series of virtual briefings with UAE Ambassadors and representatives across key markets, including China, India, the UK, Germany, Canada and Colombia.

The Free Zone also shifted all of its networking events and learning seminars online. Its member companies were provided access to 83 webinars, averaging two sessions per week. Overall, DMCC gathered 11,000 attendees virtually in 2020.

Through its Dubai Diamond Exchange, DMCC signed a collaboration agreement with the Israel Diamond Exchange in September 2020 to promote bilateral trade opportunities and drive innovation in the diamond industry. Shortly after, DMCC inaugurated its representative office in Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv, Israel.

China remains a key target market for DMCC, and saw a 20 percent increase year-on-year in Chinese companies joining the Free Zone in 2020. In November 2020, DMCC inaugurated a representative office in Shenzhen, China, which is expected to usher in a new wave of business opportunities to Dubai.
Trot Insider has learned that multiple Ontario Sires Stakes winner Beaumond Hanover has been sold in advance of his four-year-old campaign.

The son of Sportswriter-Bittersweet Terror amassed a solid 6-6-1 summary as a sophomore for owner and trainer Jack Darling after an abbreviated freshman season with four wins and five starts. A $45,000 yearling, Beaumond Hanover banked $432,352 in his 20 lifetime starts while taking a mark of 1:49.1 in OSS action at Woodbine Mohawk Park in July.

Darling admitted that it will hard to see a horse of that caliber leave his stable but the reality of racing a four-year-old with his credentials surely equates to a fair amount of travel on the Grand Circuit.

"The thing with a horse like him: to make that kind of money, you've got to travel, you've got to race him in some stakes. And I just don't want to do that myself anymore. I would have had to send him to a trainer down there.

"That's how I make my living. If you can buy them, make some money with them, and then sell them for a good profit at the end of it, that's as good as it gets."

Beaumond Hanover was sold for an undisclosed amount to Pollack Racing LLC of Venetia, Penn. and trainer Jeff Cullipher. The sale leaves Darling with a stable of 10 horses -- five two-year-olds and five three-year-olds, with hopes that another promising young horse like O'Brien Award finalist Bulldog Hanover can take over the role of stable star.

"He is a special type of horse and you wouldn't mind keeping a horse like [Beaumond Hanover] around, but the right price came along."
Home Search ICH Question Everything! Purpose and Intent of this website: Outposts of the U.S. Surveillance Empire: Denmark and Beyond By Ron Ridenour anuary 03, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Denmarks military allows the United States National Security Agency (NSA) to spy on the nations Finance Ministry, Foreign Ministry, private weapons company Terma,[1] the entire Danish population, and Denmarks closest neighbors: Sweden, Norway, France, Germany and the Netherlands (NL). Information that the NSA acquired, with the aid of Denmarks Defense Intelligence Service (FE) under the command of the Defense Department, was used to convince the government to buy Lockheed-Martins Joint Strike Fighter F-35 capable of carrying nuclear weapons, albeit Denmark forbids the possession of nuclear weapons on its territory.[2] Such favoritism for both the U.S. government and the countrys private weapons industry knocked out European competition from the Eurofighter GmbH Typhoon and Swedens Saab Gripen-fighter. Boeings Superhornet was also a competitor. In 2016, the government decided to buy 27 F-35s to replace F-16s. The price today is around $10 billion, which is double the countrys annual defense budget. After years of technical problems, the first F-35 for Denmark is just about to reach the assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas. The Danish government ignored its own national audit agency, which had identified serious shortcomings in the decision-making process and calculations used as the basis for selecting the aircraft. FE is comparable to the U.S.s CIA. It is unknown if FE has informed its own government leaders of all its spying for NSA/CIA and for private concerns. No member of the government, parliament, military, or the civilian-led Danish Intelligence Oversight Committee (TET) will comment. DR, Denmarks public-service broadcaster and online medium, recently reported these developments based on revelations that one or more intelligence whistleblower(s) provided. No major English-language media have covered this most serious revelation of extensive spying in Denmarks history, at least not that I could find in two hours of searching. Danish Journalists Could Be Imprisoned in U.S. for Whistleblower Revelations Ironically, Denmarks media, both DR and newspapers, have not covered the extradition trial of the Australian Julian Assange in England. The U.S. government had long denied that Assange is a publisher but changed course mid-trial. It now contends that he is a publisher, and thereby asserted that any journalist anywhere in the world can be prosecuted in the U.S. for reporting national security secrets. DR foreign news editor Niels Kvale answered my complaint of suppression of this important news, writing that DRs decision of what to cover is based on importance is the most important criterion. Extraditing a journalist-publisher to the United States, which could imprison Assange for 175 years for 17 alleged violations of its Espionage Act, is apparently not important enough. By not covering this not important trial, DR may not realize that its reporters and editors can be prosecuted for violating the 1917 Espionage Act for revealing NSA-FE national security secrets. In 1961, the U.S. Congress removed language that restricted the acts application to U.S. territory and its inhabitants. Now U.S. law applies to every human being in the world, including journalists. If NSA-CIA get angry enough, they could order whatever president is in office to demand that Denmark extradite bad guy journalists for letting the public know of its war crimes. We can be certain that, whichever political party is in office in Denmark, it will obey orders while saluting. Motives for revealing war crimes are not allowed as a defense in U.S. courts. That is a warning to all humans that the U.S. does not abide by basic democratic rights of free press and free speech. I spoke on the telephone with DR editor Kvale about this U.S. government threat. He replied: I was not aware of that. This sounds interesting. Send me your article and I will inform our journalists. The British magistrate, Vanessa Baraitser, will make her decision on extraditing Assange on January 4, 2021. Whatever her decision, it will be appealed by one or the other party while Assange rots in isolation, in Belmarsh high security prison for 20 months. Last month, Manoel Santos killed himself in a cell in Assanges wing. He had lived in England for 20 years, but the Home Office served him with a deportation notice to Brazil, and imprisoned him at Belmarsh. Assange knew him and is devastated, according to his partner Stella Moris, who is the mother of two of Julians children. Many doctors, and the UN Rapporteur on Torture, Nils Melzer, judge that Assange is being psychologically tortured, and that suicide is a possibility. No Advertising - No Government Grants - No Algorithm - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter NSA-FE New Deal NSA and FE signed an agreement in 2008 that enables NSA to tap huge amounts of data sourced from Danish fiber-optic communication cables passing through Denmark. This metadata is stored by the Danish Defense Intelligence Service in a center built with NSA guidance and technical assistance on the small Danish island of Sandagergaard to which the NSA has access. Sandagergaard is one of three Danish military-intelligence listening posts which trawls through and analyzes global internet data, seeking information, for example, on what Terma, Denmarks largest weapons firm, has. This is clearly an intrusion on capitalisms basic principle and need for free-market competition. A military whistleblower first reported on illegal espionage to the military leadership in 2015. His reports to superiors were ignored. Four years later, he revealed illegal spying to the Danish Intelligence Oversight Committee. This undermanned five-person civilian oversight committee has only eight employees and a paupers budget of $1.3 million. It has no power to interrogate or even to see secret documents the FE wishes to hide.



The Defense Intelligence Services budget is $160 million (2020). How the funds are used is secret, and no oversight committee, parliamentary or civilian, knows how the money is used nor can they determine its usage. NSA with FE are deep inside and digging into some Danish industrial secrets, which is usually what we accuse the Chinese of doing all the time [Huawei, for example], Tobias Liebetrau, intelligence researcher for the Center for Military Studies at the University of Copenhagen, told DR. Another DR report the same day headlined: Headache for Denmark: USA Used Danish Access to Spy Against Our Neighbors. Sub-head: It is a real losing cause to set foot against Denmarks most important partner in the intelligence world, experts assess. Those two juxtaposing headlines show, perhaps unwittingly, a deep dilemma for Danes. Do they want sovereignty or rather to be lackeys for Big Daddy? Without having taken a poll, my guess is that nine out of ten would choose the latter. There is no doubt, say Danish experts in intelligence and military services, that Denmarks military (and thereby the government) is spying on its own people, its friendly neighbors, providing information asked of it by the U.S. government-military-intelligence services, and doing favors for U.S. private war industry. This includes spending billions in Danish taxes to buy war weaponry, in my words, with the intent of murdering people the U.S. wants it to murder. Nevertheless, Liebetrau dismissed these crimes as being decisive: Because you can hardly gain anything by going public about it. You can only lose. You can lose in relation to your European allies, and you can lose in relation to the very big player with whom you have an incredibly great interest in having a strong relationship. Secret Revelations Background In my August 27 dispatch in CovertAction Magazine, I reported what TET revealed to the media. It listed six major critical areas of concern. Withholding key and crucial information to government authorities and the oversight committee between 2014 and today;

Illegal activities even before 2014;

Telling lies to policy makers;

Illegal surveillance on Danish citizens, including a member of the oversight committee. [At that point, it was not known that the foreign intelligence service mentioned was the U.S.s NSA, but it could not have been any other];

Unauthorized activities have been shelved; and

The FE failed to follow up on indications of espionage within areas of the Ministry of Defense. The Defense Minister, Trine Barmsen, temporarily suspended three, then four, then five FE leaders, including its current director, Lars Findsen, and its previous director, Thomas Ahrenkiel. They received full salary ($20-25,000 per month) while on leave. She refused to be interviewed, but stated that an investigation would take place before she could decide on their future. Bramsen met with extreme criticism by the previous war minister, the neoliberal partys Claus Hjort Frederiksen. He accused her of opening the biggest threat to our security. All the major parties joined in and called for her to be fired. They said she should have forbidden the civilian committee from releasing any information to the media. The public should not know what occurs behind Defense Intelligence Services barricades. Bramsen reinstated the five suspended suspects, albeit in different posts, because of opposition by the blue blockas those opposing social democrats and its small support parties in the red block are calledand even before the investigative committee had begun its work. This will be the first time that FE is actually under investigation. A new format is being constructed under the Ministry of Justice. Bramsen said it will be able to see secret documents and make recommendations, but not for public disclosure. We cannot know how deep the anonymous investigators will be able to dig or whether crimes have been committed. Following these developments, and with the civilian oversight committee maintaining silence, the whistleblower decided to reveal more evidence, this time directly to DR. Reporters wrote that they knew the code name for the new advanced spy system but chose not to reveal it. They wrote that NSA personnel traveled to the new facilities regularly to help FE build the necessary hardware and install the needed software. On September 24, DR published articles (and broadcasted) exposed more illegal activity. FE may have violated one of the clear rules that apply to the Danish military and foreign intelligence service: FE is only set in the world to protect Denmark from external threats and to safeguard Danish interests abroad. FE may therefore only come into possession of Danish information by chance. Fiber optic cables suck up and copy metadata, sms, chat, telephone calls, emails. The cables fetch data over Danish internet traffic, tapping into Russian communication, as well as German and other European countries internet world. Whatever this new equipment is, it probably is similar to or more advanced than XKEYSCORE, which Denmark also possesses. Sources of XKEYSCORE data. [Source: the intercept.com] Source: the intercept.com] XKEYSCORE was, in 2013, NSAs most advanced electronic surveillance program, which Edward Snowden exposed. Another NSA whistleblower, William Binney, had designed a program prior to XKEYSCORE, which could be used for extensive surveillance. He opposed using it to spy on entire populations, and resigned in 2001 after 30 years service. When XKEYSCORE was designed, it had greater capabilities than ECHELON[3] in that it could access all users emails, all computer communications, and even spy on us when our televisions have cameras. At the time of Snowdens expose, he told The Guardian newspaper, Any analyst at any time can target anyone I, sitting at my desk, had the authority to wiretap anyone, from you or your accountant to a federal judge to even the president if I had a personal email. Snowdens disclosures helped reveal that NSA was continuously spying on France and Germanys state leaders and many more in dozens of countries. NSA gets so close that private mobile telephones of state leaders, United Nation leaders, and any and all political party members are heard. Denmark is a special helping hand in aiding the U.S. in its global spying with the purpose of dominating the world; that is what globalization is all about. When Snowdens revelations were in the news, Denmarks first woman prime minister was another Social Democrat, Helle Thorning-Schmidt. Some members of parliament were asking if NSA was also spying on Denmark. She waved it off: Pour a little cold water in the blood. Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt poses for a selfie with spy-king Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron at Nelson Mandelas funeral. [Source: news.wjct.org] Most countries have their own signals intelligence agency (SIGINT), which focuses on intelligence gathering for national security interests. Some SIGINT also conduct counterintelligence and law enforcement operations. But NSA and the CIA have taken the actual national security intention far beyond self-defense with the aim of spying upon the entire world, in order to influence foreign governments and private business decision-making and actions. Even before the XKEYSCORE program, ECHELON was used to undermine a deal between the European firm Airbus, and Boeing-McDonnell Douglas with which it was trying to secure a $6 billion contract. Raytheon was among other weapons companies garnering such favors from the NSA, whose information gained from spying helped Raytheon win a $1.3 billion contract to provide radar to Brazil, edging out French company Thomson-CSF. This was yet another example of Snowdens point about how mass surveillance had transcended any legitimate security function, and was instead being used to benefit multinational corporations and solidify corrupt arms and other business deals. Spying Eyes Ready for Nuclear World War NSA shares XKEYSCORE with selected allies, who submit to the U.S. as the worlds policeman. The first is the UK. The UKUSA Agreement was signed on March 5, 1946, to spy upon the Soviet Union. Already the year before, at the close of the war in Europe, Winston Churchill had devised Operation Unthinkablea surprise army attack upon Soviet forces in Europe with the possible use of atomic weapons against Moscow, Stalingrad and Kiev. The U.S. was still constructing its first atomic bombs (Manhattan Project). President Harry Truman told Churchill he did not have enough nuclear bombs as the first two were to be used against Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Operation Unthinkable was put on the shelf as the Labor party won the July 5, 1945, elections. The following year, however, Truman incorporated Churchills atomic bomb strategy against the Soviets in his Operation Pincher. Fortunately, the Soviet Union acquired its own atomic weapons in 1949 before the US-UK had sufficient atomic bombs for a first strike. Nuclear weaponry balance of power has prevented a nuclear world war, although today we stand at 100 seconds before midnight per the Doomsday Clock.[4] In 1955, the UKUSA pact was extended to Canada, Australia and New Zealand. These Anglophone countries, known as Five Eyes, later shared the first global electronic spying ECHELON program started in the late 1960s. This network of military espionage evolved into a global system for intercepting private and commercial communications, industrial espionage. In 1972, the left-wing Ramparts Magazine first exposed ECHELON, NSA analyst Perry Fellwock blew the whistle on its existence under the pseudonym Winslow Peck. He showed the widespread involvement of NSA and CIA personnel in drugs and human smuggling, and that CIA operatives were burning villages in China in an attempt to undermine the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). The only official restrictions set upon Five Eyes is that they must not spy on their own citizens. Snowden proved that the U.S. does, however. While U.S. authorities have lied about the fact that they do not spy upon everyone in the U.S., England passed a law, the Investigatory Powers Act of 2016, granting the state the power to record anyones browsing history, text messages, and connection logs. The USA PATRIOT Act, following 9/11, allows the government to force social media to turn over any information they have on customersthat means all of us. Israel is suspected of being the sixth eye, but this has never been confirmed, just as its illegal nuclear bombs have never been officially acknowledged. Following the formation of Five Eyes, in 1976, Denmark took the initiative, with U.S. approval, to form what is today 9 Eyes, adding Denmark, Norway, France and the Netherlands (NL). 9 Eyes are of second rank in the spying club to 5 Eyes. The same applies to the last of the spying partners, 14 Eyes, adding Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Sweden to the list of U.S. vassal states. The network of military espionage has evolved into a global alliance for intercepting private and commercial communications. Originally known as the 5 Eyes, then the 9 Eyes, and now the 14 Eyes. [Source: vpmentor.com] NSA uses some Asian countries in a parallel network (Japan, South Korea and Singapore). Snowden, and now Denmarks newest whistleblower, showed that countries in the Eyes alliances engage in regular mass surveillance of their own citizens and freely share that intelligence with other nations, representing an even stronger threat to ordinary people using the internet. Besides land-based electronic surveillance, there are hundreds of transoceanic submarine cables carrying information between many countries. For decades, Denmark has had a key European cable connected to the U.S., which NSA taps into. In addition, there are new submarine commercial cables. Earlier Intelligence Whistleblower Jailed Denmarks first defense intelligence whistleblower, Major Frank Grevil, leaked secret information in 2004 that there was no evidence that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. This information was forwarded to then Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who lied to the public, stating he was absolutely certain Iraq had such weapons. He convinced a majority in parliament to declare war on Iraq, the only nation to actually declare war, and hundreds of Danish soldiers were sent to kill people in Iraq. This was the first time that Denmark had declared war since 1864, then against Germany, which turned out to be a foolish disaster. Whistleblower Frank Grevil. [Source: faglbladet3f.dk] Authorities discovered Grevil to be the whistleblower. He was arrested for divulging state secrets. U.S. whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg came to Denmark to help his defense. Grevil was found guilty and served four months in prison, while war criminal Rasmussen served two terms as Prime Minister. The U.S. then rewarded him with the top post in NATO. Conclusion No consequences! Regardless of the conspiracy in commission of crimes between Denmarks military intelligence and the United States intelligence agencies, the Danish government, parliament, military and so-called civil oversight committee will do absolutely nothing to correct these illegalities and illegal business will continue as usual. That is, in my words, the essence of what the DR news analysis program Deadline concluded on November 26. The secretive investigation just set up will take at least a year. Only five parliamentarians, representing five of the eight parliamentary political parties, will see what investigators decide to present; in any case, the politicians cannot say anything about it to anyone. The ministers of state, justice and war will see the report. The TET committee may or may not get to see it. Will the latest revelations about illegally collecting information in the interest of private corporation Lockheed Martin, and rampant spying upon Denmarks European neighbors be part of the investigation? We dont know. Nor do we know if the unknown investigators even have the power to interrogate suspects and see all relevant documents. No relevant leaders would answer Deadline reporters questions. Representatives of two political parties were on the program. The Conservative Party spokesperson, Naser Kadar, said, Everybody spies. If it is OK or not [legal or not], it is a consequence of our joint security with the United States. Kristian Hegaard, a spokesperson for the Liberal-Center party (Radikal Venstre), agreed that secrecy is preeminent, but added that the civilian control committee could have more access to FEs activities, as is the case with several European countries. In Sweden, parliamentarians have open debates on how much surveillance should be allowed on its citizenry. In a 2009 law, several restrictions were enacted on collecting massive information through fiber-cables. Its civilian oversight committee has greater control powers than in Denmark. The same is the case in Holland. Following Snowdens revelations, a referendum majority voted against a government measure allowing intelligence services to tap into fiber-cables. The government then made several adjustments, including three-stage legal guarantees with some openness about what is collected. In Germany, and even Hungary, parliament has greater control over intelligence services than in Denmark. Kaders reply is what most Danes think, and why there is no hue and cry: Confidentiality is more important than my [our] curiosity. I wont have so much to know. I trust our military intelligence. Ron Ridenour is a U.S.-born author and journalist, anti-war and civil rights activist since 1961. After working for Cuban national media (1988-96), he now lives in Denmark. CAM co-founder Phil Agee wrote commentaries to two of his dozen books: Yankee Sandinistas: Interviews with North Americans Living and Working in the New Nicaragua and Backfire: CIAs Biggest Burn. See: The Russian Peace Threat: Pentagon on Alert and Winding Brook Stories at Amazon and Lulu. Other work can be found at ronridenour.com; ronrorama@gmail.com - " Source " - [1] Terma is Denmarks largest weapons firm. It specializes in electronic parts for war aircraft, including the F-35, and has been charged with illegal sale of war equipment to Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates in their war against Yemens population.



[2] Lockheed Martin is the worlds largest war contractor: 85% of its sales are to the U.S. government-military; 13% to foreign governments-military. Its 2019 revenues were $60 billion. It also works in surveillance for NSA/CIA/FBI. It donates $15-20 million annually to U.S. politicians campaigns. According to a Sludge review of financial disclosures, 51 members of Congress and their spouses own between $2.3 and $5.8 million worth of stocks in companies that are among the top 30 defense contractors in the world. Eighteen members of Congress, combined, own as much as $760,000 worth of stock of Lockheed Martin. The value of Lockheed Martin stock surged 4.3% the day after Irans top General, Qassem Soleimani, was assassinated by a Trump-ordered drone. The Members of Congress Who Profit From War  Sludge (readsludge.com)



Four companiesLockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, and General Dynamicsmake up 90% of arms sales to Saudi Arabia in deals worth over $125 billion, according to a July 2019 report by the Center for International Policy. American-made weapons have been used to murder more than 100,000 people in Yemen.



[3] ECHELON was exposed in the mid-1990s for its electronic spy stations around the globe, which intercept data transmitted via telephones, faxes and computers. See The 14 eyes, 9 eyes, 5 eyes agreements (Explained)  ProtonVPN Blog.



[4] See my book, The Russian Peace Threat: Pentagon on Alert, chapters 10-11. Amazon.com: The Russian Peace Threat: Pentagon on Alert (9780996487061): Ridenour, Ron: Books. See also Daniel Ellsbergs latest book, The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner. The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner | IndieBound.org regarding Operations Unthinkable and Pincher. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists invented the Doomsday Clock as a weathervane of how close humanity is to a global apocalypse, including nuclear war. In 1947, at its inception, we were seven minutes to midnight. In January 2020, the clock was set at 100 seconds to midnight. See Doomsday Clock. Post your comment below Registration is necessary to post comments. We ask only that you do not use obscene or offensive language. Please be respectful of others. See also Search Information Clearing House The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load.
In an essay for JSTOR, Livia Gershon writes about the meaning of the prohibition of marks in the Torah:

But in the ancient Middle East, the writers of the Hebrew Bible forbade tattooing. Per Leviticus 19:28, You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves.

Historically, scholars have often understood this as a warning against pagan practices of mourning. But language scholar John Huehnergard and ancient-Israel expert Harold Liebowitz note that the appearance of the ban on incisionsor tattooscomes right after words clearly related to mourning, perhaps confirming the original theory. And yet, looking at whats known about death rituals in ancient Mesopotamia, Syria, Israel, and Egypt, they find no references to marking the skin as a sign of mourning. They also note that there are other examples in Leviticus and Exodus where two halves of a verse address different issues. So that could be the case here, too.

What tattoos were apparently often used for in ancient Mesopotamia was marking enslaved people (and, in Egypt, as decorations for women of all social classes). Egyptian captives were branded with the name of a god, marking them as belongings of the priests or pharaoh. But devotees might also be branded with the name of the god they worshiped.
India has a dismal ratio of doctors and hospital beds, and the fragility of our healthcare infrastructure was amplified in 2020, when a global pandemic threatened to overwhelm our hospitals and medical centres. Covid-19, the gravest health threat in recent memory, has now pushed the countrys apex business chambers to also emphasise the need for hiking government health spend in the upcoming Union Budget for 2021-22. Typically, business chambers and India Inc send a wish list to the government for Budget each year, which includes some sectoral demands, suggestions on lowering the incidence of taxation on companies and individuals and for boosting infrastructure spending. Healthcare rarely finds a mention in such a wish list. But this year, things are different.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) have both sought a significant increase in the Centres budgetary allocation for healthcare, among other demands, for the FY22 Budget. The Budget is widely expected to be presented by the month end.

Ficci wants the government to spend an additional half a per cent of the countrys GDP every year, for the next five years, on healthcare. This means the chamber is asking the government to increase health spend by nearly Rs 1 lakh crore each year till 2025. And CII wants the government to almost double its healthcare spend in three years to 3% of GDP. In 2020-21, the budgeted spend for healthcare was Rs 67,112 crore, which was just about 1.5% of the countrys GDP.

The rare emphasis by these two business chambers on hiking health spend follows close on the heels of some Members of Parliament ticking off the government for inadequate health infra. A parliamentary standing committee has already underlined the paucity of hospital beds, doctors, nurses and other medical infrastructure.

The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare has pointed out that the total number of beds in government hospitals was grossly inadequate in view of the rising Covid-19 cases. Latest data suggest there are 7,13,986 beds in government hospitals or one bed for 1,818 Indians (0.55 bed per 1,000 population). And a dozen states have an even worse ratio of beds to population. Obviously, such shortage of beds along with inadequate ventilator numbers further complicated pandemic mitigation. As the number of cases was on the rise, a frantic search for vacant hospital beds became quite harrowing. Instances of patients being turned away from overburdened hospitals due to lack of vacant beds became the new normal. The scenario of patients holding oxygen cylinders rushing from pillar to post in search of bed in AIIMS Patna is a testimony to the fact that tear apart humanity. The committee is aggrieved at the poor state of healthcare system and therefore, recommends to the government to increase the investment in public health and take appropriate steps to decentralize the healthcare services/facilities in the country.

An analysis by PRS Legislative on the Budget announcements for the healthcare sector in 2020-21 shows that between 2014 and 2018, the number of registered doctors in India increased by nearly a fourth, but despite this increase, there was a steady rise in the shortfall of doctors, specialists and surgeons. "As of 2018, there is a shortfall of 46% of doctors, and 82% of specialists including surgeons, obstetricians, gynaecologists, physicians, and paediatricians in Primary Health Centres across India," the analysis said, adding that filling up healthcare human resource gaps in 16 states would require an outlay equivalent to 0.6% to GDP.

Jobs: The pandemic has exacerbated the already rising unemployment levels, both in rural as well as urban markets. Job losses have been unprecedented in the formal and informal sectors but the two chambers have suggested no concrete steps to boost employment. Ficci has spoken of incentivising investments in infrastructure, which would revive the growth cycle and thus lead to enhanced job creation. And CII has merely spoken of raising the ceiling of deductions on salaries (for income tax purposes) of existing employees. Both the chambers have underlined the need for measures to boot private investments too, so that more jobs are available.

Revenue: CII has asked the government to go for an aggressive disinvestment target for both, profit-making and loss-making public sector undertakings to generate additional revenue besides also looking at avenues to monetise surplus land. Ficci has gone a step further in the zeal to generate revenue from PSUs, suggesting that the government could pledge PSU shares to the RBI and thus raise resources at low rates.

The market value of government shareholding in PSUs will be around Rs 15 lakh crore. A third of the shares can be pledged to RBI and government can raise Rs 5 lakh crore. This can be a loan at a low rate of interest  repo rate, Ficci has said. The chamber has also asked for an accelerated disinvestment programme. This, when the government has been unable to meet even the disinvestment target for 2020-21  reports suggest only about 5% of the proceeds targeted at the beginning of the year have been earned.
Around 80 per cent of Australians are not saving enough to live well in retirement, new figures reveal.

Research by Canstar showed that women in their 60s are the worst off when it comes to their superannuation, recording an average balance of $154,896 when $430,000 is needed for a comfortable retirement.

Australians in that age bracket did not contribute to a super account during the first 10 years of their working lives.

Research by Canstar showed women in their 60s are the worst off, with an average of $154,896 in superannation when $430,000 is needed for a comfortable retirement (stock image)

Pictured: The graph shows how much super Australians need to have according to their age bracket

Women who are divorced or out of work are also disproportionately disadvantaged.

Women and men in their 30s would need to have $61,000 of super put away right now in order to retire comfortably.

Canstar's finance expert Steve Mickenbecker said most age groups have only got a third of the super they need.

'A comfortable retirement means holidays and dining out, not yachts and fine wine, and the number assumes you're living in your own home without a mortgage,' he told news.com.au.

Women and men in their 30s need to have $61,000 in super right now in order to retire comfortably (stock)

Mr Mickenbecker said there was still time for young Australians to catch up, but it's far tougher for older workers to make up the difference.

Money educator and finance expert Vanessa Stoykov said people need to put 10 per cent into their super - whether they manage it or it is paid by an employer.

'If you put four per cent more into your super your 20s then you'll recover your balance, you'll be OK and four per cent isn't much for young people. You won't feel it. You won't have to give up much,' Ms Stoykov said.

She said it is a matter of spending now or saving for the future.

'It's $43,000 for a single and $62,000 as a couple and you've got to own your own home. You've got a massive gap,' she said.

Houstons Health Department launched an online portal for residents to apply for an appointment at its COVID-19 vaccine clinic Monday but quickly ran out of available slots for the remainder of the month.

The response to Houstons first COVID-19 vaccine clinic was massive, quickly filling the appointment slots for the departments current vaccine allocation, Mayor Sylvester Turner said at a City Hall news conference where he was about to get his own shot in the arm.

The vaccine clinic appointments are booked for the rest of this month, and the department is not taking additional appointments at this time.

Turner said the city is working to set up additional sites and create additional capacity, although it is unclear when new appointments will be available. Turner said the city hopes to open a mega site on Saturday.

The portal, available at houstonemergency.org/covid-19-vaccines, added another way for qualifying residents to book for an appointment. A hotline also is available at 832-393-4220.

The city clinic vaccinated nearly 2,000 residents with the Moderna vaccine in two days. It is accepting residents from the first two phases of the states distribution plan, which include front-line emergency workers, people 65 and older, and those over 16 with certain high-risk health conditions.

Those conditions include cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart conditions, solid organ transplantation, obesity, pregnancy, sickle cell disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Turner said he spent a lot of time at the clinic over the weekend and was concerned about the lack of people of color there. The mayor said he and other city leaders were getting their vaccines in public in a bid to ease residents concerns about the process.

The point is, for people of color in this diverse community, this is not the Tuskegee Project, Turner said, referring to an unethical 40-year study in which several hundred Black men infected with syphilis were misled by government researchers and left without treatment for the disease. We recognize the hesitations people have, the fear people have, but many people are coming to get the vaccine. This is not the time for people of color to stay away from the vaccine.

Police Chief Art Acevedo, Fire Chief Sam Pena, and Councilmembers Letitia Plummer and Michael Kubosh were among those who also received the vaccine at City Hall on Monday.

Demand for the vaccine overwhelmed the citys call center when the clinic opened Saturday, forcing officials to use on-site registration instead.

Harris County Public Health took down its portal Friday evening, after the department mistakenly let residents who did not qualify sign up. The agency said it would conduct vetting on site to ensure the vaccine only goes to people allowed to receive it.

Martha Marquez, a spokeswoman for the department, said it is waiting for more shipments of the vaccine before it begins accepting new applications.

Hospitals and other providers in the Houston area also have started vaccinating seniors and some with high-risk conditions. The state maintains a database of vaccine providers on its website, and recommends residents call their providers for more information about availability.

dylan.mcguinness@chron.com
Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money.

Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.
In a bathroom inside Shore Medical Center in Somers Point, Desmond Causey-Jones logged on virtually for his bi-weekly drug court session on Dec. 17. A room over, his labor-induced girlfriend was laying in a hospital waiting for the arrival of the couples third child.

Just 10 minutes into the session, Causey-Jones heard some commotion through the wall.

All I heard was the nurse doing the counts ... having my girlfriend push, said Causey-Jones, of Wildwood, a father of three. I heard that and I said (to the judge) Im sorry, but my daughter is getting ready to come out right now.

Thirty minutes later, his daughter Jade Aaliyah Ruth Jones, was born.

His probation officer was aware Causey-Jones girlfriend had been in labor in the hospital for two days and gave him permission to skip the session. But the 25-year-old, who says he views drug court as a second chance, was determined not to miss any of the meetings.

By all means, drug court had every opportunity and every chance to send me up to prison and say Youre done, thats it. (But) they gave me another chance. They see something in me that I didnt see, Causey-Jones said in an interview with NJ Advance Media. They gave me the seat I sit in in recovery court. I owe it to them, in a sense.

Once you take (drug court) seriously, they actually support you and see something in you to where theyre going to put their arm out to help you stand up, he said.

Causey-Jones first ended up in drug court after being arrested for possessing and distributing heroin in 2015.

At first, Causey-Jones says he took the probationary program seriously, knowing the alternative could have been up to 11-and-a-half years in prison. He saw it as an opportunity, and kept busy working three jobs.

But then, in his second or third year in the program, Causey-Jones said one of his friends died and he started hanging out with old acquaintances who were a negative influence on him. He fell back into drugs and alcohol, and was charged in 2018 with operation of a motor vehicle while in possession of narcotics by Wildwood police, according to court records.

He said he spent six days in jail for failing a drug test for alcohol, and missed his oldest daughters birthday. Thats when he knew he had to make a change.

Causey-Jones began committing himself to the recovery program again, which he said he must participate in for maximum of five years but possibly less.

My kids are really what changed me... the charges didnt change me. The drinking didnt mean anything to me. It was my kids, he said.

He says being apart of the program has been therapeutic for him and allowed him to talk about his feelings.

(The judge) always has a question of the week when he comes in the court with like How was your day? Causey-Jones said. I dont have not one friend from the past... Once you change everything, you dont really get phone calls on a daily basis of people asking how your day was. So small stuff like that means a lot to me... asking me how my day is allows me to open up. It keeps me moving.

State Superior Court Judge Jeffrey J. Waldman, the recovery court judge in the Atlantic and Cape May counties, said he was struck by Causey-Jones dedication to the program.

This participant has taken his recovery so seriously that when offered a pass from his court session, he decided to participate, nonetheless. On a more personal level, we as a recovery court team are flattered that of anyone he could have possibly chosen to bring into the delivery area with him, he chose us. It was moving beyond belief to all of us who were there, Waldman said in a news release.

Causey-Jones says his fathers death when he was younger contributed to his drug problems.

When he was 11, he lost his father, who was murdered. Not knowing how to cope with the loss, Causey-Jones said he turned to drugs and alcohol only a few months later. Causey-Jones said he wants different for his children. Now, he works multiple jobs, including as a cook at the restaurant Watering Hole and at Island Water Sports, both in Stone Harbor.

His newborn daughter, Jade, is doing well and already weighs one pound above her original birth weight, Causey-Jones said. His oldest daughter, who is 6, is loving having a younger sister and holding the baby, he said.

When someone comes from having that missing link, Causey-Jones said, either they are going to follow the same footsteps or theyre gonna be the best dad they can be. I was fortunate to be the best dad I can be.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo.
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Some New York City public school teachers want schools to close again for in-person learning as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the five boroughs continues to rise, according to a report from Gothamist.

The UFT Solidarity caucus of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) union is demanding schools return to full-time remote learning until the positivity rate drops again and vaccinations are more widespread, Gothamist reported.

Lydia Howrilka, a social studies teacher in Brooklyn who co-founded the caucus in 2014, told Gothamist that teachers need to focus their attention on remote learning at least through the rest of the winter and part of the spring. The caucus, which has about 4,000 members, collected over 3,000 signatures in an online petition urging city and state officials to close schools.

After examining the citys safety plan and recalling the track record of city officials thus far, public school educators affiliated with the second-largest caucus of the United Federation of Teachers have concluded that too many students, families and staff will become sick if the current position on keeping schools open despite how high the infection rate is in New York State and New York City is, the caucus wrote about the petition.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

New York City opened school buildings to students in September, before they eventually shuttered in mid-November after the city hit a 3% positivity rate, the former threshold Mayor Bill de Blasio said would close all schools.

A new plan was later created to reopen schools under a phased approach and stricter testing, starting with the youngest and most in-need students. In order for students to attend class, parents are required to submit a consent form for weekly testing for students in first grade and higher  a stricter protocol from the previous monthly testing.

Most public elementary schools and pre-K, 3-K centers, as well as District 75 schools, which serve students with special needs, reopened in early December. They returned to school buildings on Monday following the holiday break.

There isnt a clear timeline for when middle and high schools will reopen, although de Blasio said it could be in early 2021.

Howrilka told Gothamist that the testing mandates arent frequent enough, and shared concerns that testing isnt required for children in 3-K, pre-K, and kindergarten. She also said she fears a post-holiday surge in coronavirus cases as students and staff return from celebrating the holidays and possibly bring the virus into classrooms, the media outlet reported.

We have the gold standard in safety measures, including weekly testing and mandatory face coverings, and dont hesitate to temporarily quarantine a classroom or building in order to keep schools safe, Miranda Barbot, a spokesperson for the city Department of Education (DOE), told Gothamist in a statement.

Gothamist reported that UFT leadership isnt advocating for school closures. A UFT spokesperson told the media outlet in a statement that there has been an increase in coronavirus infections during the holidays as medical experts predicted.

Our experience so far has been that the actual infection rate in schools has been very small, including in hard-hit neighborhoods, but we will be monitoring results closely as in-school testing begins again Monday, the spokesperson said to Gothamist.

The spokesperson added that the rise in cases underlines the urgency for the city and state to speed up distribution of the coronavirus vaccine, according to Gothamist.
The seventh round of talks between the central government and farmers' representatives have started at Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan. Before the start of the meeting, Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar, Piyush Goyal and Som Parkash along with government officials and representatives of farmers observed a two-minute silence for farmers who died during the ongoing protest.

Farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and some other states are camping at several entry points of the national capital blocking the highways for the past 39 days. They have demanded that the Centre must repeal the farm laws and give legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

After five rounds of inconclusive talks, the government and 40 farmer unions reached some common ground during the sixth round of negotiations on December 30 to resolve protesting farmers' concerns over rise in power tariff and penalties for stubble burning. However, the two sides remained deadlocked over the main contentious issues of the repeal of the three farm laws and a legal guarantee for MSP.

Also read: Farmer protests: Narendra Tomar, Rajnath Singh discuss govt strategy to end deadlock

Enacted in September 2020, the government says these laws are major farm reforms and aimed at increasing farmers' income, but protesting farmers have raised concerns that these legislations would weaken the MSP and mandi systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporates.

Meanwhile, ahead of today's talks, the Congress said it would be a "true test of nationalism". Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Twitter, "Today is the true test of 'Nationalism'. Will Modi Government act in 'National Interest' or 'Crony Corporate Interest'." The Congress has been demanding the repeal of the three farm laws whose enactment has triggered a massive protest by farmers.

With PTI inputs

Also read: Farmers protests: Arvind Kejriwal urges Centre to accept all demands, repeal farm laws
Matt Hancock was asked how he could look any health worker in the face and claim he was managing the pandemic properly by an intensive care unit nurse this morning.

The Health Secretary was confronted with a pre-recorded question from Dave Carr in an excruciating live TV interview.

Mr Hancock was caught on camera glaring at the comments from the NHS worker, before shaking out of it after being pushed for an answer.

Nurse Mr Carr asked: How can he seriously look any health worker in the face and tell us he is stewarding the NHS and managing this pandemic properly?

We are doing this understaffed, we are doing this underpaid. The insult we got earlier this year with no pay rise with what we done in Covid really, really hurt us.

Matt Hancock gives the thumbs up today leaving the Milbank television studios in Westminster

Matt Hancock was shown glaring at ICU nurse Dave Carr during his pre-recorded question

It came after the government announced a further 54,990 coronavirus cases and 454 deaths in a bleak weekend update.

And so far 2,599,789 have had the disease in the UK since the pandemic began, with 74,570 killed by the virus.

Hancock, who was staring at the grimly at the GMB video, was asked for his response by host Susanna Reid and quickly snapped out of the glare.

He said: Well the staff across the NHS have done an absolutely brilliant job, there are huge pressures now in some parts of the country, including in London.

There had been a further 54,990 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus and 454 more deaths

Britain records more than 50,000 coronavirus cases for the FIFTH day in a row - but deaths dip to 445 - as doctors warn crisis will get much worse and situation in packed London hospitals is 'MILD compared to what's coming next week' Britain has recorded more than 50,000 Covid-19 cases for the fifth day in a row but hospital deaths from the virus have dipped to fewer than 500. Another 57,725 had positive test results in the last 24 hours, meaning 2,599,789 have had the disease in the UK since the pandemic began. The country also saw an additional 445 deaths, taking the total official count to 74,570 - but 90,000 people in total have died with Covid-19 written on their death certificate. And experts are warning jam-packed hospitals that the current number of coronavirus cases is 'mild' compared to what is coming next week - as the new more-contagious Covid strain continues to wreak havoc on the UK. President of the Royal College of Physicians Professor Andrew Goddard also noted healthcare workers in Britain are 'really worried' about the battle against the virus over the next few months. Today's grim figures come as the first batches of the newly-approved coronavirus vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca arrive at UK hospitals ahead of the jab's rollout tomorrow. Some 530,000 doses of the jab will be available from Monday - with vulnerable people taking priority - as Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the inoculation drive is 'accelerating'. One of the first hospitals to take delivery of a batch on Saturday morning was the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, which is part of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust. But Sir John Bell, a Regius professor of medicine at Oxford University and member of SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies), said insufficient investment in the capacity to make vaccines has left Britain unprepared. He also said the country lacks medical supply firms to build essential components to make the jab, forcing Oxford scientists to import parts from abroad. Advertisement

Im very pleased that actually earlier in the year we were able to give a pay rise, a significant pay rise to all NHS nurses, right across the board

There is a mission in the NHS which is to care for people and theyre working  all colleagues in the NHS  are working incredibly hard to do that.

But he was pressed further by Susanna on a shortage of nurses available to work on treating sick patients.

She asked him: When are you going to fill the nursing shortage, firstly on the pay rise, significant is not the way Dave Carr described that pay rise, but what about the numbers, you are so short of nurses its not surprising, some of these nurses he says are experiencing PTSD, you are going to lose nurses rather than gain them right now.

But Mr Hancock shot back and insisted: Over the past year we have seen an increase of 13,000 of the number of nurses we have in the NHS, including some retired nurses coming back, but largely thats new nurses coming into the NHS.

The fact that a vocation in healthcare and the NHS is so rewarding has in fact been reinforced so I know a lot of people thought we would lose people from the NHS because of the pandemic and because of the pressures of work

That 40,000 figure doesnt include people that fit spaces on a temporary basis. We have managed to increase the number of doctors.

But NHS hospitals in the West Country are already braced for an overspill of critically-ill patients from London under current emergency plans.

Trusts in the capital and the south-east are preparing to transfer patients to the south-west.

Patients in the east of England will be moved to the Midlands while the massive Nightingale field hospital at the London Excel Centre is also expected to reopen within a fortnight amid warnings the health service could collapse in the event that 'very, very tired' staff are unable to cope with a deluge of cases.

Dr Alison Pittard, the dean of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, claimed that people as young as 30 are suffering from coronavirus in ICU wards and said 'younger people will die from Covid'.

The surge in cases and deaths could lead to a third national lockdown as Sir Keir Starmer yesterday demanded a new blanket squeeze to control the virus while Boris Johnson admitted tougher measures were 'probable'.

The Labour leader dramatically called for draconian countermeasures to come into force within 24 hours, condemning the PM for 'hinting' at action while dragging his heels.

'The virus is clearly out of control,' Sir Keir told Sky News. 'It is no use the PM hinting that more restrictions are coming.

'I say bring in those restrictions now.'

He added that it was 'inevitable' more schools will have to close: 'The longer you delay the decisions the worse it is.'

Health officials have warned that people as young as 30 'will die from Covid' in the pandemic

Two thirds of England's population is now in Tier 4, with the rest living in Tier 3 lockdowns

The PM has refused to rule out a third national lockdown, telling the BBC he is 'reconciled' to imposing further massive restrictions on public life in a bid to stamp out the virus.

Mr Johnson's effort to reopen schools was shattered by councils and unions who claim schools are too unsafe for children and staff, while scientists insist 'mutant' Covid spreads more rapidly among younger people.

SAGE adviser Professor Sir Mark Walport has also hinted the virus could not be controlled unless 'tighter social distancing measures' were brought into force, and predicted Tier 5 curbs.
A drug used to treat head lice could cut the risk of death for hospitalised Covid patients by up to 80 per cent, a study suggests.

Ivermectin, a prescription-only drug that can cost as little as 1.50 for a course of treatment, was also found to potentially halve the time critically-ill patients needed care for.

Dr Andrew Hill, a virologist from Liverpool University behind the analysis, claimed the drug could be 'transformational' in the battle against the virus.

But other scientists were sceptical of the finding, saying more data would be needed before it could be used as a potential treatment.

They pointed out other drugs, such as hydroxychloroquine and tocilizumab, showed great promise in early trials only for scientists to discover they had no benefit.

Results from 11 studies suggest ivermectin - used to treat head lice - could help protect coronavirus patients. Scientists have sounded a note of caution, however, and said more research is needed

Leaked slides published before the study was released reveal only eight of the 573 Covid-19 patients who got the drug died, compared to 44 of the 510 who didn't get it

They also suggested the drug could speed up the removal of the virus from the body. The Egyptian study involved 100 patients with moderate symptoms who got the drug and 100 with severe symptoms who got the drug. The same number was used for the control group. In the Bangladesh study 72 Covid-19 patients were involved

WHAT IS IVERMECTIN USED FOR? What is Ivermectin? It is an anti-parasitic drug developed during the 1970s. What is it used for? Today the medication is prescribed for treating scabies, head lice and rosacea. Nice, the UK health watchdog, recommends the drug should be given for rosacea, strongyloides infection (round worm), onchocerciasis (river blindness) and scabies. Can it REALLY treat Covid-19? The jury is out on whether it can provide a 'miracle cure' for Covid-19. Analysis of 11 studies has suggested it can cut the risk of death and recovery times in infected patients. But scientists have cautioned these results are preliminary, and said more data is needed before any concrete conclusions can be drawn. Advertisement

Ivermectin was discovered in the 1970s and has fast become an essential medicine for a vast number of parasitic infections, such as head lice and scabies.

It is branded as Stromectol, an oral tablet for scabies and Soolantra, a skin cream for rosacea. It is branded as Sklice for treating head lice, which was approved in the US this year.

Today it is prescribed on the NHS and in the US for these conditions, but some scientists argue it could also be useful against Covid-19.

Scientists investigating the drug believe it works by paralysing the SARS-CoV-2 virus and 'overwhelming its nervous system', to prevent it from replicating.

In leaked slides published ahead of the study's release next month, the scientists behind the research combined results from 11 trials of the drug involving more than 1,400 patients.

This revealed only eight Covid-19 patients out of 573 who received the drug died, compared to the 44 out of the 510 who received a placebo.

The time taken to get rid of the virus from the body was also faster when ivermectin was taken, two studies included in the research suggested.

In a trial in Egypt, 100 patients with mild symptoms cleared the virus within five days, on average, when they got the drug. For comparison, the figure stood at around 10 days for 100 patients who did not receive the drug.

And in 100 patients battling severe symptoms they removed Covid within six days when they got the drug, on average, compared to 12 days for the 100 control patients.

Similar results were also seen in a study carried out in Bangladesh.

The studies were carried out mainly in developing countries - including Bangladesh, Argentina and Egypt - and the research was commissioned by the World Health Organization.

Patients received doses of ivermectin between 0.2 to 0.6mg/kg, but in one study they got as much as 12mg.

Early analysis suggests the drug may help patients suffering from the virus, but scientists have cautioned against these conclusions as yet.

The studies compared used different dose amounts of ivermectin, time spans and differed in how they treated their control groups.

Some were double-blinded - the 'gold standard' - meaning no volunteers were aware who was getting the drug, and others were open label, meaning participants knew whether they were getting the drug or a placebo.

'If we see these same trends observed consistently across more studies then this really is going to be a transformational treatment,' Dr Hill said in the presentation.

Trials involving a further 7,100 participants are expected to be published in the coming months, with three more due to be released in January.

The study took in data from 11 trials involving more than 1,400 patients mostly in developing countries. It will be published next month. Above is the number of patients in the trials included in the study by country

The researchers said more studies on Ivermectin were expected to be published in the coming months. Above is the number of participants in all trials involving ivermectin - published and ongoing - by country

Ivermectin has proved controversial in the scientific community, with some researchers viewing it as yet another 'wonder' treatment.

The head of pharmacy at the University of Sydney, Professor Andrew McLachlan, said in August there remained 'huge uncertainty' about whether the treatment was safe and effective in tackling coronavirus 'despite the favourable headlines'.

'All we have are observational studies and clinicians' opinions,' he said.

'Many of the current studies have low numbers of participants, weak study designs, and inconsistent (and relatively low) ivermectin dosing regimes, with ivermectin frequently given in combination with other drugs.'

Side-effects from the drug include swelling of the feet, constipation and inflammation in the eye.

Many fear it could follow the path of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which US President Donald Trump touted as a game-changer.

But leading scientists were quick to point out the drugs effectiveness against the virus was still yet to be proven.

More recent studies have concluded it does not help patients suffering from the virus.
The South African government has arrested hundreds of Zimbabweans jumping the countrys border illegally in search of jobs as the economic situation worsens in the neighboring nation.

Home Affairs Minister, Pakishe Aaron Motsoaledi, said thousands of Zimbabweans are being sent back home after attempting to cross the border illegally or being found with fraudulent COVID-19 free certificates.

They catch 500 people turn them back. They are people who are being helped to cross by Zimbabwean soldiers. I saw it with my own eyes and police and they pay something like R100  Now because we know that we are putting a lot of firewalls.

He said many people are presenting fake COVID-19 free certificate at the countrys border post. We check COVID-19, we check the passports, we search the buses, the police boats in the water are chasing them.

Speaking on VOA Studio 7 Livetalk, human rights lawyer, Dewa Mavhinga, described South Africas clampdown on Zimbabweans as xenophobic.

Millions of Zimbabweans are living and working in South Africa without proper immigration documents.

Zimbabwe Community in South Africa chairperson, Ngqabutho Mabhena, said President Cyril Ramaphosa should openly discuss problems affecting Zimbabweans in order to create a conducive economic environment in the neighboring nation.

Its clear that the economic crisis in Zimbabwe is due to bad economic policies and corruption. This is forcing thousands of people, especially youth, to leave the country for South Africa to look for jobs.

Zanu PF spokesperson for the local branch, Kennedy Mandaza, urged South Africa to treat Zimbabweans fairly at all border posts.

We would want to advice and urge the South African government to make sure that those who seek to enter legally are allowed to do so and we would also want to urge our fellow brothers and sisters that want to go to South Africa to make sure that they do so legally and they also carry the right document is expected in any country.

Thuso Khumalo also contributed to this article
In 1991, Howard Corscadden picked up the Irish Independent and saw a castle for sale.

It was on the front page of the Property section, he recalls. It said: Castle ready to be moved into. Now, it wasnt quite ready to move into...

But he bought it.

Since then, he and his family have spent millions upgrading not just Cabra Castle in Co Cavan, but Bellingham Castle in Co Louth, Ballyseede in Tralee and Markree in Co Sligo as the Romantic Castles of Ireland collection.

The last time we met, in February, Howard was overseeing the completion of a revamped, 280-capacity ballroom at Cabra. Then came Covid.

Whod have thought? he sighed when I called to catch up before Christmas. The big question will be next March, what level of restrictions there will be coming into next season. Everyones on tenterhooks... at the moment, you just cant plan.

Expand Close Howard Corscadden, Managing Director Romantic Castles of Ireland, next to Rory OSullivan, Lily Mae OSullivan and Marnie Corscadden of Ballyseede Castle in Co Kerry / Facebook

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Whatsapp Howard Corscadden, Managing Director Romantic Castles of Ireland, next to Rory OSullivan, Lily Mae OSullivan and Marnie Corscadden of Ballyseede Castle in Co Kerry

Howards love of castles began with a stint working at Dromoland. His parents and grandparents both owned hotels, and when Cabra came along, they teamed up to invest.

You could see there was a market for a castle product maybe not charging those prices, he says. It gave people an alternative.

Read More

Their collection, along with other reboots like Kilkea Castle, Lough Rynn and Kilronan Castle, created a whole new tier of Irish castle hotels.

Overseas visitors love castles, but locals have responded too.

People will travel to a castle, Howard says. Its the atmosphere. We have beautiful public rooms, cellars, nooks and crannies, steps up to lovely little seating or window areas where you can sit and read your book.

Expand Close Howard Corscadden with Oscar the wolfhound at Cabra Castle / Facebook

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Whatsapp Howard Corscadden with Oscar the wolfhound at Cabra Castle

All Corscadden castles have open fires and wolfhounds, too. Things like that make it different to a normal hotel stay.

Castles are money pits (You can put an extra zero onto every job you have to do, he laughs), but the philosophy is clear:

The day you stop spending is the day you go backwards. Even this year, with business down 80pc, theyve been planting trees around Cabra, and plan to add nine new bedrooms to Bellingham Castle by summer.

Covid has throttled tourism, but Howard is confident castles will make a comeback. In a hi-tech world, he says the old-school hospitality, ambiance and personal touch will be a bigger draw than ever.

If youre going to celebrate something special, you want to talk to a human being, he says.

Pandemic supports have helped keep the business afloat, and with many 2020 bookings moved to 2021, this could even be a bumper, bumper year... pandemic restrictions permitting, of course.

Im curious. Would Howard buy another castle?

Im always on the lookout, he laughs. But the rest of the family might have something to say about that!

Online Editors
The National Police of Ukraine received information about possible person who ordered the hit of journalist Pavlo Sheremet, including documents and audio recordings made no later than 2012.

"The documents and audio recordings, the last of which are dated 2012, have already delivered at the disposal of the investigation and are of interest from the point of view of identifying those who ordered the crime," the National Police said in a statement on its website on Monday.

According to the department, in December 2020, the investigation with the help of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine received certain information that is relevant in the investigation into the murder of Sheremet, committed in 2016. "Fragments of information that are at the disposal of the National Police investigation have been released on the Internet. Unidentified persons are discussing the murder of journalist Pavlo Sheremet in the published records. In particular, the option of poisoning with the use of toxic substances, as well as detonation, is noted," the department said in the statement.

In addition, the investigation of the National Police of Ukraine received permission to conduct investigative actions in one of the European countries, the disposer of the transmitted information was invited to conduct investigative actions, the website of the National Police said. "Currently, the investigation of the National Police of Ukraine has received permission to conduct investigative actions in one of the European countries, in addition, the person in charge of the transmitted information was invited to carry out the necessary investigative actions," the National Police said on its website.

The National Police said that the case against the perpetrators of Sheremet's murder has been brought to court, and for the persons ordering the hit it has been separated into another criminal proceeding, the investigation into which is ongoing. "The National Police appeals to everyone, both Ukrainian citizens and foreigners: who knows any information about the order for the murder of Pavlo Sheremet, please contact the police," the department said.

Earlier on Monday, the Ukrayinska Pravda Internet edition with reference to the published audio recordings and the EUobserver Belgian edition said that the murder of Sheremet was prepared by the special services of Belarus. As follows from the recording of the conversations of head of the State Security Committee of Belarus in 2008-2012 Vadim Zaitsev, transferred to Ukrayinska Pravda by the Belarusian opposition, the secret services of Belarus in 2012, by order of President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, discussed the possibility of detonating Sheremet with explosives, which was carried out four years later.

"The recording contains the words of Zaitsev, recorded by a hidden device on April 11, 2012, during the briefing of officers of the KGB's Alpha Group, an elite counter-terrorist unit, in Zaitsev's office in Minsk. The KGB also discussed killing Pavlo Sheremet, who was living in Russia at the time. The task is to blow it up. And to do it so that this murder becomes a public message," Ukrayinska Pravda said. Ukrayinska Pravda cites Zaitsev's words published in EUobserver: "We have to work on Sheremet, which is a big headache [...] we will plant a bomb [...] the president [Lukashenko] is waiting for these operations."
The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) on Monday said their government has agreed to make special arrangements for the Indian pilgrims visiting the neighbouring country on the 100th anniversary of Saka Nankana Sahib (Nankana massacre).

Usually, such protocol is extended only to four jathas that visit Pakistan every year on the occasion of Baisakhi, Guru Nanaks birth anniversary, Guru Arjan Dev Shaheedi Divas and Maharaja Ranjit Singhs death anniversary. It involves special security arrangements such as deployment of paramilitary personnel during the visit.

The PSGPC office-bearers and government authorities including officials of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) on Monday met at Lahore to discuss the arrangements of the centenary function. ETPB chairman Ameer Ahmed and secretary Tariq Wazir attended the meeting.

As Saka Nankana Sahib does not come under the protocol of four jathas coming from India, it was a big issue for us. But it is certainly a good development for the sangat that the Pakistan government has given nod for the similar protocol for this special jatha, PSGPC president Satwant Singh said on phone.

Also, there is no cap on the number of pilgrims. We will host all the pilgrims coming from India on the historic occasion, added Singh.

Nearly 260 Sikhs were killed in the massacre that took place at Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib on February 20, 1921. The gurdwara reform movement started in the wake of the episode.

After the PSGPC got the nod of the Pakistan government for the event, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) initiated the visa process for pilgrims willing to go to Pakistan to attend the centenary event.

SGPC chief secretary Harjinder Singh said, A jatha to be sent by the SGPC will include prominent personalities and sangats. The pilgrims who want to visit Sri Nankana Sahib on this day can submit their passports along with recommendation of their area members of the SGPC by January 15.

Gurdwara body president Jagir Kaur said the PSGPC chief has personally invited her and Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh for the event.
The Calgary Police Service headquarters in Calgary, Alta., on April 9, 2020, amid a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. (The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh)

Bail Hearing Scheduled Today for Teens Accused in Death of Calgary Police Officer

CALGARYTwo teens charged with first-degree murder in the death of a Calgary police officer are due in court today for a bail hearing.

The accused19-year-old Amir Abdulrahman and a 17-year-old boywere arrested on Friday afternoon after turning themselves in.

They had been wanted in the death of 37-year-old Sgt. Andrew Harnett, who was killed while conducting a traffic stop on New Years Eve.

Calgary police have said Harnett pulled over an SUV, which then struck and killed him.

Theyve alleged the younger of the two accused was behind the wheel, while they say Abdulrahman was a passenger.

The pair had their first court appearance on Saturday.
Help.org, a trusted online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones, has announced the Best Rehab Facilities in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for 2021. The informational guide recognizes the top 10 rehab facilities based on cost, treatment options, location, accompanying services and more.

According to recent studies, drug overdose is the leading cause of death among people under age 50. In Milwaukee, deaths related to opioid abuse increased significantly from 2011 to 2015. Substance abuse among adolescents is also escalating in Milwaukee with 55 percent of high school students reported using alcohol, 38 percent reported using marijuana, 8 percent reported using prescription drugs without a valid prescription, and 2 percent reported using heroin. With the growing need for accessible and high-quality rehab programs, Help.org has developed a unique ranking process to help connect individuals with treatment providers that meet their needs.

The Help.org research team analyzed thousands of facilities across the country and then identified the most cost-effective and highest rated programs in larger cities like Milwaukee. Each facility was evaluated based on rehabilitation services, treatment approaches, cost, special programs for unique demographics and ancillary services. The website also provides information about drug use and side effects as well as educational articles. For a detailed listing of the Best Rehab Facilities in Milwaukee, Wisconsin please visit https://www.help.org/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-centers-in-milwaukee-wi.

2021 Best Rehab Facilities in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (in alphabetical order)

First Step Community Recovery Center

2835 North 32nd Street

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Ravenswood Clinic

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Rock Valley Community Programs Inc.

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The enormous wave of Covid-19 level infections is going to have a significant impact on mortality and lead to more people ending up in funeral homes due to the coronavirus, the Chief Medical Officer has warned.

Dr Tony Holohan raised the alert about what is going to happen during January due to a wave of infections over Christmas.

Figures published by the National Public Health Emergency Team there are now 776 people in Ireland by 2pm on January 4 with 70 in ICU. They warn that this is going to have an enormous impact on the hospital system.

There are now on average 22,000 tests per day being carried out. The positivity rate has risen from 3% to 20% during December. There daily average of new cases is 5,000 per day.

The incidence is high among all age groups but is the highest incidence is among those aged 19 to 25 where there is a rate of 900 per 100,000. The rate is 400 per 100 k for the 25-65 age group. The incidence among the 13-18 year group is 200 per 100k. The over 65 incidence is 300k. It is lowest but still high at up to 150 k among the under 13 age group.

Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said a radical reduction is needed. He said that the incidence of the disease is now 'certainly higher' than March. He warned of the impact.

"Scenario models raise the possibility of 1,500-2,000 people in hospital, and 200-400 people in ICU by mid-January, if we do not act to radically reduce transmission and incidence. It will take all of us, adopting the public health measures of staying home and reducing contacts, to suppress current levels of disease, he said.

Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, called for a single national effort to mitigate the impact but he warned that the enormity of the wave means there will be more deaths. He said the aim now is to reduce the impact.

"The level of infection puts too many people in funeral homes," he warned at the NPHET press briefing.

In his written daily statement, Dr Holohan called for a community effort.

Leaders and organisations in communities across the country now need to support their colleagues, neighbours, family and friends to keep to the spirit of public health advice. We must restrict our movements, we have to limit the people we interact with outside of our households if we are to suppress the virus and sustain our essential services, he said.

Dr. Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, urged people with vulnerable conditions to stay at home.

People particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 include older persons and people with pre-existing medical conditions including cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and cancer. The incidence of disease in the community is now at a level where vulnerable people need to stay at home unless absolutely essential.

Mr. Liam Woods, HSE National Director, Acute Operations, said hospital services have to be cut back.

We are introducing curtailments in non-essential services in adult hospitals in order to cope with increasing COVID-19 admissions. This will be subject to ongoing review. In the event of emergency attend an Emergency Department as usual and if you have any concerns regarding your health, COVID or non-COVID related, always contact your GP in the first instance, he said.

Professor Karina Butler, Chair of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee, said wanted vaccination will be speeded up.

The vaccination programme has commenced for the first priority groups. The roll out has been accelerated this week. As we continue to provide vaccines across the population we urge anyone with concerns or questions to contact their GP, pharmacist or healthcare service provider for factual and reliable information. The HSE.ie website also provides reliable information around vaccine efficacy and safety, he said.
New Delhi, Jan 4 : A team from the Special Cell of Delhi police in a joint operation with Bihar police has arrested a notorious extortionist Aditya Tiwari ,24, a resident of Gopal Ganj in Bihar. Tiwari is involved in 26 cases of murder, attempt to murder, assault on police, robbery/dacoity, kidnapping, hurt, criminal intimidation, arms act, explosive act etc. in Bihar. Presently, he was wanted in more than 16 fresh cases committed by him and his associates in Bihar in the last 5 months.

Aditya Tiwari is a notorious gangster of Bihar. He alongwith his associates Manish and others was running an extortion racket in the state. He used to extort big money from businessmen and other rich persons in Bihar by threatening them. He and Manish (also wanted in more than 16 cases and having a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head) had arrived in Delhi-NCR about four months back. Since then, both were hiding at various places here.

"About 10 days ago, Aditya Tiwari and Manish had threatened a complainant in a case of extortion in Bihar through a voice message on his mobile phone. In one such voice message, Aditya and Manish had also asked the victim to convey to SI Dinesh, SHO of PS Vishambharpur in Gopalganj, of dire consequences if he continued chasing them," said PS Kushwah, DCP Special Cell.

Specific information was received on January 1, 2021 that Aditya Tiwari would come near Rajokari flyover, Gurgaon-Kapashera link road, Delhi to meet one of his contacts. A joint team of Delhi police Special Cell along with Bihar police nabbed him after a scuffle. One semi-automatic pistol of .32 bore along with 5 live cartridges was recovered from his possession.

Aditya and members of his gang had in July 2020, fired at a doctor who is also the owner of a hospital in Gopalganj, Bihar to terrorize him as he was reluctant to pay extortion money to the gang. Thereafter, they had hurled four hand grenades at his hospital to pile on the pressure. When the doctor still did not yield to their demands Aditya and his associates had fired with AK-47 and carbine machine-gun at the hospital to pressurize the doctor to pay extortion money.

Tiwari has been taken into police remand. Efforts to arrest his co-accused Manish are being made by police.
Boulder, Colo., USA: Europe's largest gas field, the Groningen field in the Netherlands, is widely known for induced subsidence and seismicity caused by gas pressure depletion and associated compaction of the sandstone reservoir. Whether compaction is elastic or partly inelastic, as implied by recent experiments, is key to forecasting system behavior and seismic hazard.

Bart Verberne and colleagues sought evidence for a role of inelastic deformation through comparative microstructural analysis of unique drill-core, recovered from the seismogenic center of the field in 2015, 50 years after gas production started, versus core recovered before production (1965). Quartz grain fracturing, crack healing, and stress-induced Dauphine twinning are equally developed in the 2015 and 1965 cores, with the only measurable effect of gas production being enhanced microcracking of sparse K-feldspar grains in the 2015 core.

Interpreting these grains as strain markers, Verberne and colleagues suggest that reservoir compaction involves elastic strain plus inelastic compression of weak clay films within grain contacts.

###

FEATURED ARTICLE

Drill core from seismically active sandstone gas reservoir yields clues to internal deformation mechanisms

Berend A. Verberne; Suzanne J.T. Hangx; Ronald P.J. Pijnenburg; Maartje F. Hamers; Martyn R. Drury; Christopher J. Spiers

CONTACT:

Suzanne Hangx,

s.j.t.hangx@uu.nl,

Utrecht University, Dept. of Earth Sciences, Utrecht.

Paper URL:

https:/ / pubs. geoscienceworld. org/ gsa/ geology/ article/ doi/ 10. 1130/ G48243. 1/ 593344/ Drill-core-from-seismically-active-sandstone-gas
NEW HAVEN  A 49-year-old woman died and two other people are hospitalized after a fire swept through a multi-family home in the 100 block of Saltonstall Avenue, according to the citys top fire official.

Firefighters got a call at 1:30 a.m. Monday reporting heavy fire and smoke coming out of the three-story building, Chief John Alston Jr. said. The woman, whose identity has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene, he said, while the two injured were initially taken to Yale New Haven Hospital.

One of the injured, who was in critical condition, was later taken to the Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital, according to Alston.

Vanessa Torres and her husband, Julio Ruiz, live in one of the Saltonstall Avenue apartments with their four children. Torres was at work and her husband was staying with the children when he heard crackling sound and then a boom.

The children are pretty traumatized by all of this, she said. We have not been able to get back into the apartment, but they let us take a look through the door and theres a lot of water all over the floor.

Despite being forced out of their home, Torres family got a pleasant surprise when fire investigators discovered the family cat, Moo-Moo, unharmed inside one of the rooms. The cat was brought safely out and returned to the family.

The fire was raised to a second alarm, sending additional manpower to the scene to help extinguish the flames.

Photos shared from firefighters at the scene showed flames burning through the roof of the structure, which was built in 1900.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, Alston said.

The multi-family dwelling is owned by an LLC affiliated with Mandy Management, one of the citys largest landlords. Torres said she and her family have lived in their apartment for about 18 months.

Officials with the company were not available for comment regarding the fire on Monday.

Two limited liability companies, which records at ctcompanydir.com show are affiliated with Mandy Management at 399 Whalley Ave., have owned the multi-family home over the past eight years.

The first, Netz-TE LLC, bought the property for $120,000 in April 2012, online tax records show. The property was then transferred to another Mandy Management affiliate, Club 100-New Haven 2 LLC in May 2019, the online records show.

A total of 12 people were displaced by the fire, Mayor Justin Elicker said.

He said the death of the woman is heart breaking.

Were offering service emergency support and mental health counseling to those who were impacted by this, Jocelyn Hillard, a spokeswoman with the Connecticut chapter of the American Red Cross said.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
Radical measures needed to increase childbirth



South Korea's population reached 51,829,023 as of Dec. 31, down 20,838 from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety. This represents the first statistical decline in the population since the country introduced the resident registration system in 1962.



Of particular note, the number of births plunged 10.6 percent to 275,815 from the year before, dropping below 300,000 for the first time. Contrasting this, the number of deaths reached 307,764, up 3.1 percent from 2019. This marked the first time for the country to see the "death cross" phenomenon of deaths surpassing births.



What is also serious is the rapid graying of the population. A quarter of the population are in their 60s or older, along with a steady decline in the number of young people. The number of young and elderly people living alone continued to increase significantly, pushing the entire number of single households to reach 9 million which accounted for 39.2 percent of the total.



As seen in industrialized Western countries and Japan, falling childbirths and an aging society may lead to a shortage in the workforce and a consumption decline, causing dwindling production and a depletion of the state budget.



The Moon administration should learn a lesson from the fact that previous governments have largely failed to find a solution though they threw 180 trillion won to raise the falling birthrate over the past 15 years. The nation's birthrate tumbled to 0.92 in 2019, the lowest among OECD member countries.



Well aware of the problem, the Moon administration announced a package of measures last month to cope with the low birthrate and population aging. The birth-stimulating measures will be implemented from March 2022, affecting births next year.



The steps include providing parents with a 300,000 won ($270) allowance per child each month. Also a maximum of 3 million won will be given to each parent for three months during which parents of a child take parental leave. But these steps seem insufficient to avoid a looming demographic crisis.



It is high time for the Moon administration to tackle negative factors related to marriage and births. And it needs to drastically increase financial support for childcare, education and housing. We must have a future-oriented mindset to embrace diverse family types including multicultural families.



A continued population decline will hamper economic vitality and growth potential, thus weakening the national capacity overall. The Moon administration should focus on improving the people's livelihoods instead of taking expedient steps to boost childbirth and slow population aging. It also needs to take drastic steps to create more jobs and expand the supply of houses led by the private sector for young people.


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MARBLEHEAD, MA  Jason Santos admits it will be a bittersweet trip back in time to a much different place when the 19th season of "Hell's Kitchen" debuts on Fox Thursday night.

The Boston celebrity chef, and owner of Marblehead's B&B Fish that opened in September, filmed two seasons of Gordon Ramsay's hit show three years ago when everything involved with the restaurant business was much different than it has become in the past 10 months of the coronavirus health crisis.

"The business has changed forever," Santos, who is a sous chef for one of the teams in the show, told Patch on Monday. "They talk about things getting back to normal. But it's well past that at this point.

"It's going to be cool to watch the dining room full. But it also reminds you of what you don't have."

Santos said he now has a very successful Marblehead location that has been embraced in the town and is thriving with its mostly takeout model. For his flagship Boston locations, however, navigating the state's shifting capacity restrictions and conflicting public messages about the safety of indoor dining amid virus surges have made operating those locations a matter of survival over making money.

"It's just slim margins in restaurants," he said. "We went from wanting to make a profit to that you just don't want to lose people. I am in business to keep my staff working and feed people. We aren't making money. That I can keep everyone employed and not lay people off is the goal now. You just want to sustain enough to cover costs.

"It's not just the 25 percent (temporary capacity restriction). It's also the message it sends. It scares people and makes it worse."

Gov. Charlie Baker said on Monday the two-week restrictions, which are set to expire on Sunday, will be revisited later this week.

Did you find this article useful? Invite a friend to subscribe to Patch.



Story continues

Santos said B & B Fish has benefited from the takeout trend as business has stayed strong despite the colder weather.

"It's doing phenomenal actually," he said. "It's unbelievable. I'm pleasantly surprised. I figured it would be super sleepy in the winter."

Santos said 95 percent of B&B Fish's business is takeout, while some are still choosing to sit outside when the weather is bearable.

"The amount of return customers has been great," he said. "Marblehead, as a community, has been unbelievable in supporting us. What made us most nervous when we were opening is that people kept saying: 'Hopefully Marblehead likes you.' It's such a tight-knit community.

"But it's been fantastic. People here don't shy away from giving you their opinion. But so far it's been positive."

More Patch Coverage: Baker Lowers MA Business Capacity Limits Amid Coronavirus Surge

Salem Seeks 'Regional Strategies' On New Coronavirus Restrictions





This article originally appeared on the Marblehead Patch
A Chinese court has annulled a couple's marriage after the husband had failed to inform his fiancee that he has AIDS before tying the knot with her.

The court in Shanghai's Minhang District ruled in favour of the wife who accused her partner of deliberately hiding his illness from her until after their shotgun marriage last June.

The wife, who initiated the lawsuit, claimed that she could not accept the fact that her spouse is HIV-positive - even though his condition is under control - the court said.

A Shanghai court ruled in favour of the wife, Ms Li, who accused her spouse of deliberately hiding his illness from her until after they got married due to her pregnancy (file photo)

The woman, who did not contract the disease, went for an abortion. She then submitted her petition for an annulment to the court.

The verdict was handed out on Monday by Shanghai Minhang Courthouse, the court said through a social media post.

It was one of the first marital disputes to be ruled under China's new Civil Code - instead of the previous Marriage Law - which came into force on January 1.

The case was ruled on Monday by Shanghai Minhang Courthouse. It was among the first marital disputes to be judged under China's new Civil Code, which kicked in on January 1

According to the court, the plaintiff, known by her surname Li, and her ex, known by his surname Jiang, were introduced by a mutual friend. The pair soon fell in love and moved in together.

In June last year, Ms Li discovered that she had fallen pregnant, so she and Mr Jiang got married.

The court said that not long after their ceremony, Mr Jiang 'confessed' to his wife that he had suffered from AIDS for many years and had to take medication long-term.

It said that Mr Jiang insisted it was 'nearly impossible' for his wife and their baby to catch the virus from him because of his medication, but Ms Li was 'unable to' accept her husband's condition.

The Civil Code stipulates that citizens must 'truthfully inform' their significant others if they have 'major diseases' before registering for marriage. The above file picture shows people lining up at an office to register for marriage or divorce in Shanghai on March 6, 2013

Although Ms Li felt that she and her partner had a good relationship, she went for an abortion after 'much struggle and deliberation' before seeking to void their marriage from the court, the court added.

The court permitted the annulment based on the newly launched Civil Code.

The law, which replaced the country's Marriage Law on January 1, stipulates that citizens must 'truthfully inform' their significant others if they have 'major diseases' before registering for marriage.

In comparison, the previous Marriage Law did not include AIDS in the list of diseases that could lead to an annulment.

Although the husband insisted that it was 'nearly impossible' for his wife and their baby to catch the virus from him because of his medication, the wife refused to accept his condition

On Weibo, the Chinese equivalent to Twitter, most readers hailed the court's decision and condemned Mr Jiang for failing to tell his fiancee about his illness. Some called for imprisonment of the man.

China's Civil Code is a wide-ranging legislative package that includes 1,260 articles in seven parts, ranging from personality rights to marriage and family affairs, according to state-run newspaper The Global Times.

One of its most controversial clauses requires all divorcing couples to observe a 30-day 'cool-off period' before they can officially part their ways.

The strict rule reportedly led marriage bureaus to be inundated with unhappy couples who wished to finalise their divorce last month before the decree took effect in the new year.
Police allegedly found up to 700 guests and breaches of COVID-19 restrictions on dancing at a wedding in Sydney's west on Saturday night.

Officers attended the Imperial Paradiso reception venue in Fairfield at about 9.30pm and estimated there were double the number of guests permitted under the COVIDSafe plan the operator is required to implement under the state's public health order.

A video uploaded to Snapchat appears to show police attending the Paradiso wedding venue in Fairfield on Saturday.

Police advised the venue operator a large number of guests would have to leave. He complied and on Sunday the licensee was issued with a $5000 fine for the alleged infringement.

A police source told the Herald the venue was also failing to comply with other conditions of its plan, including restrictions on dancing and movement of people through the venue.
This Sept. 19, 2019 photo shows Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos arriving to a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington. Bezos is willing to testify to the congressional panel investigating the market dominance of Big Tech, but along with other tech industry CEOs, lawyers for the company say, according to a published report Monday, June 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

The world's richest person made the single-largest charitable contribution in 2020, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy's annual list of top donations, a $10 billion gift that is intended to help fight climate change.

Amazon's founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, whose "real-time" worth Forbes magazine estimates at roughly $188 billion, used the contribution to launch his Bezos Earth Fund. The fund, which supports non-profits involved in the climate crisis, has paid out $790 million to 16 groups so far, according to the Chronicle.

Setting aside Bezos' whopping gift, though, the sum total of the top 10 donations last year$2.6 billionwas the lowest since 2011, even as many billionaires vastly increased their wealth in the stock market rally that catapulted technology shares in particular last year. According to the left-leaning Americans for Tax Fairness and the Institute for Policy Studies, from March 18 through Dec. 7, 2020, Bezos' wealth surged by 63%, from $113 billion to $184 billion.

Phil Knight, who with his wife, Penny, made the second- and third-largest donations last year according to the Chronicle, increased his wealth by about 77% over the same March-to-December period. Knight and his wife gave more than $900 million to the Knight Foundation and $300 million to the University of Oregon.

Fred Kummer, founder of construction company HBE Corporation, and his wife, June, gave $300 million to establish a foundation to support programs at the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, delivered the fourth-largest donation on the Chronicle's list: A $250 million gift to the Center for Tech and Civic Life, which worked on voting security issues in the 2020 election. Zuckerberg, whose wealth nearly doubled to $105 billion in the March-to-December period according to Americans for Tax Fairness and the Institute for Policy Studies, has been widely criticized and been called to testify before Congress for his company's handling of disinformation in the runup to the 2020 presidential election.

In the fifth spot was Arthur Blank, co-founder of Home Depot, who gave $200 million through his foundation to Children's healthcare of Atlanta to build a new hospital.

Bezos and the Zuckerbergs made up the next spots on last year's top 10 list, with $100 million donationsBezos for Feeding America to aid food banks across the country and the Zuckerbergs to the same election security group.

They were followed by Stephen Ross, founder of real estate firm Related Companies; David Roux, co-founder of Silver Lake Partners, a private-equity firm, and his wife, Barbara; George and Renee Karfunkel, real-estate investors; Bernard Marcus, co-founder of Home Depot; and Charles Schwab, founder of Schwab Financial Services, and his wife, Helen.

Two billionaires who donated heavily to charity last yearMacKenzie Scott, Bezos' former wife, and Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitterdid not make the Chronicle's list because no single donation of theirs was large enough to qualify. In February, the Chronicle will publish its list of the 50 biggest donors, which counts cumulative donations, not individual gifts.

Explore further Zuckerberg tops US donations with $1 bn

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
SPRINGFIELD - The man accused of attempted murder in the New Years Eve shooting of a Massachusetts State Police trooper on Nursery Street was ordered held without right to bail at his arraignment Monday in Springfield District Court.

Christopher Gardner, 31, entered an innocent plea at his arraignment before Judge John Payne. He is charged with two counts of armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a firearm, assault with a dangerous weapons, unlawful possession of a firearm, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building.

Payne ordered that Gardner be held without the right to bail pending a dangerousness hearing, which he scheduled for Thursday.

The Hampden District Attorneys Office requested the hearing because of the severity of the charges. It will determine what if any conditions are necessary to allow for Gardner to be released from custody prior to trial. The hearing could also determine that he is too much of a risk to be released, in which case, the state could hold him in custody for up to 120 days.

Gardner appeared for the arraignment via a Zoom feed feed from the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow.

Payne also agreed that he qualifies for a public defender for his trial.

He is accused of shooting a state trooper at roughly 11:30 p.m. on Thursday as the trooper was responding to a report of gunfire in the area of Nursery and Stafford streets. The round went through the cruiser and struck the trooper in the leg.

Springfield police, who were also responding to the scene, applied an emergency tourniquet before EMTs arrived, and the trooper was rushed to Baystate Medical Center. The trooper, whose name was not disclosed publicly was released from the hospital Friday morning, and will be on sick leave until he is able to return to work.

According to state police, the trooper, a recent graduate from the state police academy and assigned to the Springfield barracks, was responding along with Springfield police to a report of gunfire.

State police said Gardner and another man got into an altercation and began shooting at each other. Gardner suffered a minor foot injury in the exchange that needed treatment.

As cruisers responded to the scene, Gardner is accused of shooting at them. In addition to the state police cruiser being struck, another round also hit a Springfield police cruiser but no one was injured.

State police recovered two handguns from the scene.

A state police K-9 team spotted someone running down Stafford Street who matched a description of one of the suspects. The trooper chased the man into a yard but lost sight of him.

A short distance away, Springfield police spotted Gardner and took him into custody.

The other man remains at large.

The incident remains under investigation by state police detectives assigned to the Hampden District Attorneys Office.
Dialysis kits in Bamenda now lie in ruins Archives

The days ahead for scores of persons suffering from chronic kidney disease in Bamenda are uncertain following controversies surrounding the functionality of the hemodialysis center.

Earlier on Sunday, January 3, 2021, Dr. Denis Nsame, Director of the Regional Hospital announced the temporal closure of the Haemodyalisis Centre of the Bamenda Regional Hospital.

He told the public and dialysis patients in particular that due to unforeseen acute breakdown of the machines in the Dialysis Centre, the Hemodialysis Centre has been temporarily closed and patients transferred to other General and Regional Hospitals of the country pending a lasting solution to the machines of the center.

While Dr. Nsame was expressing regrets at the inconveniences the situation may cause, Dr. Kinsgley Che Soh, North West Regional Delegate for Public Health came out to say that the hemodialysis center has not been closed.

He however confirmed the fact that the dialysis machines are nonfunctional and as such, patients cannot be attended to.

In what appears to be a confrontation between the two medical administrators, the regional delegate wrote, The population of the North West Region is hereby informed that contrary to the Radio announcement issued by the Director of the Regional Hospital this morning, the Hemodialysis Centre of the Regional Hospital has not been closed.

Rather, the Hemodialysis machines which have been serving patients for more than eight years now are progressively being replaced by H.E. the Minister of Public Health, and the new machines shall go operational in the days ahead, said Dr. Che Soh.

The Regional Delegate claims that the patients who have left Bamenda to seek dialysis elsewhere are doing so voluntarily. He urges others to remain patient.

His words: While some patients have voluntarily moved to seek care in some other Hemodialysis Centers in the country during this short period, we are calling on all the others to exercise a bit of patience, as they shall be informed as soon as the new machines are installed.

The shortage of hemodialysis kits is a recurring problem in Cameroonian hospitals. A few weeks ago, the hemodialysis centers of Bertoua and Maroua experienced a breakdown in their kits, causing patients to agonize.

Months back, kidney patients blocked a major road in Yaounde following a breakdown of dialysis kits at the teaching hospital.

Reports say the government has long placed an order for 15,000 dialysis kits to curb the shortage. It has also denied claims that many people have died because of the breakdown in dialysis kits.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held talks with the co-chair of the Russia-Azerbaijan intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk on Sunday, focusing on bilateral cooperation in 2021.

"The sides discussed areas of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia in the fields of economy, energy, transport and agriculture in 2021, and expressed confidence that bilateral relations will continue to expand," the AzerTAc news agency reported.

The Russian deputy prime minister conveyed greetings from President Vladimir Putin to Azerbaijans head of state.

Aliyev and Overchuk hailed the successful development of Azerbaijani-Russian friendly relations based on strategic partnership. They noted that despite the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the economic relations have developed.
There will be an extended period of remote learning for schools in Northern Ireland, the Executive has said.

It's after after a meeting between ministers on Monday evening to discuss the introduction of further lockdown measures to stem the spread of Covid-19.

First Minister Arlene Foster and deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill spoke to Cabinet minister Michael Gove in a phone call at 5pm in response to the "rapidly escalating" numbers of infections following the emergence of the new variant, according to a No 10 spokesperson.

It followed a televised address from Prime Minister Boris Johnson at 8pm in which he set out new emergency measures to control the spread of coronavirus in England.

Read More

All schools are to move to remote learning only as part of the new measures announced by Mr Johnson.

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said remote learning will be extended in the North, while there will be legal backing to the stay-at-home message. No decision is believed to have been taken on exams.

It comes as Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride said the health service in Northern Ireland is likely to come under "extreme pressure" in the coming weeks due to the impact of the rise in cases in Covid-19.

Speaking to the BBC, Dr McBride said the current surge is due to a combination of factors, including the relaxation of restrictions pre-Christmas, the time of year and intergenerational mixing.

He said the "deeply troubling figures" are set to "work [their] way through admissions to hospitals, admissions to intensive care and sadly, deaths."

But he said advisors "don't yet think the new variant is playing a significant part", adding it is not yet the dominant strain.

"We can't undo the contribution of the Christmas period or the relaxations but what we can do is all act to make sure the situation doesn't get worse and that includes working to make sure this variant doesn't become established here.

Earlier on Monday, the Department of Health said a further 12 people have died in Northern Ireland after contracting coronavirus.

The death toll, according to the department, is now 1,366.

Ten deaths occurred between 10am on January 3 and 10am January 4, with one person passing away outside of the reporting period.

Another 1,801 people have tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of infections to 79,873 since reporting began.

There are 513 Covid patients in hospital in Northern Ireland, with 39 in intensive care. Twenty-nine patients are ventilated.

Hospital occupancy is 99pc and there are 119 active outbreaks in care homes.

Read More

Belfast Telegraph
Concerns over new coronavirus cases in Sydney and Melbourne look unlikely to prompt an accelerated approval and rollout of vaccines in Australia, with the local regulator still waiting on further data from AstraZeneca about its vaccine.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca product is the only vaccine set to be made in Australia at this stage, with biotechnology giant CSL set to produce 50 million doses this year, subject to approvals.

AstraZeneca has said it can roll out millions of doses of vaccine for Britons "very rapidly". Credit:University of Oxford

AstraZeneca has long hoped for approvals and rollout across the globe by the end of January, however, neither the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) nor AstraZeneca have confirmed when they expect the process to be completed.

The product was approved for use in the UK on December 30.
Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young speaks at a press conference as she gives an update on Queensland COVID-19 Border Controls in Brisbane, Australia on June 30, 2020. (Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

5 New Hotel Quarantine Cases in Queensland

Queensland has recorded five new COVID-19 cases in quarantine, as restrictions on aged care facilities and hospitals for Victorian visitors come into force.

Each of the infections was diagnosed in hotel quarantine and acquired overseas.

People who have been in Victoria since Dec. 21 are now banned from visiting vulnerable facilities, including aged care facilities, hospitals, disability accommodation and correctional facilities.

Were responding quickly to protect people in these facilities by restricting any visitors who have been in high-risk locations so we can keep them as safe as possible, Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said on Jan 3.

On Saturday, anybody who had been in Victoria since Dec. 21 was told to get tested and self-isolate until they get their results.

We have been working to increase capacity across the state, particularly in the south east corner, by mobilising additional clinics and staff, and extending hours at existing clinics, Young said.

There are now 17 active cases in Queensland and the state has gone 111 days without a case of community-based infection.

The only recent positive cases have been reported in hotel quarantine, including a child who returned from Pakistan on the weekend.

Young advised people to keep engaged while on holiday in the state because things could unfortunately rapidly change.

The Queensland border is already closed to anyone who has been in the COVID-declared hotspots of Greater Sydney and surrounding areas in the past 14 days. Those restrictions are expected to be reviewed on Jan. 8.

We dont need to extend any border restrictions to Melbourne or Victoria but were keeping a very close eye on that, she said.

Border declaration passes are also needed for travellers who have visited NSW since Dec. 11.

Nick Gibbs in Brisbane
[January 04, 2021] Bitwise Surpasses $500 Million In Assets Under Management, As Crypto Demand Surges Amongst Professional Investors

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bitwise Asset Management , a leading provider of crypto index funds, announced today that it recently surpassed $500 million in assets under management (AUM), after reporting $100 million in AUM on October 28, 2020 . The Bitwise 10 Crypto Index Fund (OTCQX: BITW), which seeks to track an index of the 10 largest cryptoassetsincluding Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoinhas seen the strongest demand, recently crossing over $400M in AUM. The Bitwise Bitcoin Fund and Bitwise Ethereum Fundwhich provide low-cost, professionally managed exposure to Bitcoin and Ethereum, respectivelyhave seen increased demand as well. "The speed at which professional investors are moving into crypto right now is remarkable," said Hunter Horsley, cofounder and Chief Executive Officer of Bitwise. "While adoption of crypto as an asset class and conviction around its role in portfolios rapidly expands, we continue to urge all investors to consider the risks associated with investing in cryptocurrencies in general and the Bitwise Funds in particular." Bitwise saw record inflows into its funds during Q4 2020, surpassing the total cumulative inflows of 2018 and 2019 combined. The increased demand came primarily from Bitwise's core audience, investment professionals, including financial advisors, hedge funds, corporate balance sheets, and other institutional investors. Bitwise specializes in educating and supporting professional investors, with a senior team and staff from firms like BlackRock, Fidelity, Eaton Vance, Wealthfront, Facebook, J.P. Morgan, and iCapital. The Bitwise Funds offer ongoing private placements to accredited investors via www.bitwiseinvestments.com About Bitwise Asset Management Bitwise Asset Management is a leading provider of index and beta crypto funds. Based in San Francisco, Bitwise's team combines expertise in technology with decades of experience in traditional asset management and indexingcoming from firms including Facebook, Google, Wealthfront, BlackRock, Fidelity, Deutsche Bank, IndexIQ, and ETF.com. Bitwise is backed by leading institutional investors and asset management executives, and is a frequent commentator on crypto in the press. It has been profiled in Institutional Investor, CNBC, Barron's, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and many other leading publications. The firm is a trusted partner to financial advisors, RIAs, multifamily offices, hedge funds, and other professional investors as they navigate the crypto sace. For more information, visit: www.bitwiseinvestments.com.



Disclosure Forward-Looking Statements: This communication includes forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical information provided herein are forward-looking and may contain information about known uncertainties. Some of these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "should," "expects," "may," "will," "should," "seeks," "approximately," "intends," "plans," "estimates," and "anticipates" and the negative thereof and other variations thereof and comparable terminology, and by discussions of strategy, plans, intentions, and unrealized investment results. These statements involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that may cause actual results or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this communication, we caution you that these statements are based on a combination of facts and factors currently known by us and our projections of the future, about which we cannot be certain. We caution the reader that actual results could differ materially from those expected, depending on the outcome of certain factors, including, without limitation, regulatory developments. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

This press release is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation for an offer to buy Interests in any Fund. Any such offer or solicitation will be made solely through definitive offering documents, identified as such, which will contain information about each fund's investment objectives and terms and conditions of an investment, and may also describe risks and tax information related to an investment therein, and which qualifies in its entirety the information set forth in this press release. Prospective investors must not construe the contents of this document as legal, tax, investment, or other advice. Each prospective investor is urged to consult with its own advisers with respect to legal, tax, regulatory, financial, accounting and similar consequences of investing in any Fund. The Units and the Shares (the "Interests") of the Funds have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933 ("the Securities Act"), the securities laws of any state, or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction, nor is such registration contemplated. The Interests will be and have been offered and sold under the exemption provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 506 of Regulation D promulgated thereunder and other exemptions of similar import in the laws of the states and jurisdictions where the offering will be made. The offer and sale of the Interests have not been registered with or approved or disapproved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") or the securities commission or regulatory authority of any state or foreign jurisdiction. The Funds mentioned herein are not registered as investment companies under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and Bitwise believes that such registration is not required. The Shares of Funds that are publicly quoted on the OTCQX Best Market are Shares that have become "unrestricted" under Rule 144 of the Securities Act one year and a day subsequent to the date that the Shares were originally issued (although Shares held by affiliates and insiders will be subject to additional restrictions on resales, including restrictions on the number of Shares that may be resold within any three-month period). Shares that have become unrestricted may be quoted on the OTCQX Best Market and may be purchased and sold throughout the trading day through any brokerage account with access to such markets. No Advice on Investment; Risk of Loss: Prior to making any investment decision in respect of any Fund or Shares of any Fund, each investor must undertake its own independent examination and investigation of the Fund, including the merits and risks involved in an investment in the Fund or Shares, and must base its investment decisionincluding a determination whether Shares would be a suitable investment for the investoron such examination and investigation, and must not rely on Bitwise or the Funds in making such investment decision. Prospective investors must not construe the contents of this website as legal, tax, investment, or other advice. Each prospective investor is urged to consult with its own advisors with respect to legal, tax, regulatory, financial, accounting, and similar consequences of investing in any Fund, the suitability of the investment for such investor, and other relevant matters concerning an investment in the Fund. This press release contains limited information regarding the terms of the Fund. The summary set forth on this document does not purport to be complete, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the definitive offering documents relating to each Fund and/or in each case, if available in addition, the Fund's Annual Report or Information Statement and Quarterly Reports, which can be found on www.otcmarkets.com for the Bitwise 10 Crypto Index Fund (Symbol: BITW). Do not place undue reliance on this press release. Information May Change and Be Inaccurate, Incomplete, or Outdated: The information in this document is for discussion purposes only, and no representations or warranties are given or implied. All of the information presented herein is subject to change without notice. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bitwise-surpasses-500-million-in-assets-under-management-as-crypto-demand-surges-amongst-professional-investors-301200059.html SOURCE Bitwise Asset Management

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
KANAZAWA, Japan, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Factor-pooling by ribosomes caught on video using state-of-art high-speed atomic force microscopy technology.

Ribosomes are the complexes of ribonucleoproteins at the heart of protein synthesis in cells. However in the absence of conclusive evidence, how these complexes operate has been open to debate. Now Hirotatsu Imai and Noriyuki Kodera at Kanazawa University, alongside Toshio Uchiumi at Niigata University in Japan, show visualizations of the structural dynamics and factor pooling that take place at ribosome stalk proteins as they build new proteins.

Ribosomes were first discovered in the 1950s and their broad function has been widely understood for some time  they read messenger RNA sequences and from that generate sequences of correctly ordered amino acids into new proteins. The ribosome stalk protein in particular plays an integral role in the protein synthesis process by recruiting protein factors responsible for translation and elongation of the amino acid sequence. However it has been hard to satisfactorily establish the structure of the bound ribosome stalk protein because of its flexibility. Here the high resolution and fast image capture of high-speed atomic force microscopy proved invaluable.

Atomic force microscopy uses a nanoscale tip to feel samples, much like a vinyl record player needle scanning over a record, except that the details identified by an atomic force microscope can have atomic-scale resolution. The versatility of the technique for different surfaces was already a huge advantage for biological studies, but with the advent of high-speed atomic force microscopy the technique was able to capture dynamic processes for the first time as well. Imai, Uchiumi and Kodera used the technique to reveal that the stalk protein actually flips between two conformations  one that agrees with previous structural models and one entirely unexpected new conformation.

As for how the ribosome operates, a two step mechanism had been previously proposed to describe how genetic information is translated through proteins known as "translational GTPase factors". The first step is the recruitment of the factors to the factor-tethering site on the protein stalk, thereby increasing the concentration of factors there  so-called factor pooling. The second step is the binding and stabilizing of a translational GTPase on the ribosomal factor-binding center to catalyse GTPase hydrolysis. From their high speed atomic force microscopy study the researchers were able to obtain the first visual evidence for the translational GTPase factor pooling mechanism by the ribosomal stalk.

Although the study was unable to give conclusive evidence of the action of the factors once bound, the researchers did note that the factors appeared to be retained in the vicinity once GTPase hydrolysis was complete, suggesting a potential role of the stalk protein in further stages of protein synthesis. The researchers conclude, "future work with HS-AFM will provide further important information to understand the dynamic behaviors of these complex translational machineries."

Illustrative image for contents of the publication described in this release

https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/image.pdf

Image caption

Model of translating ribosomes and elongation factors. EF1AGTPaatRNA and EF2 assemble to the ribosomal stalk on the translating ribosome. The translation factor pool contributes to efficient protein synthesis in a crowded intracellular environment. Credit: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Background

High-speed atomic force microscopy

Atomic force microscopy was developed in the 1980s and brought the atomic scale resolution achieved by scanning tunnelling microscopy (which won the 1986 Nobel Prize for Physics) to non-conducting samples. It works using a tiny cantilever with a nanoscale tip at the end, which feels the surface. The interactions between tip and surface provide a signal that can be used to generate an image of not just the topography but also in some cases an indication of the chemical composition of structural features in a sample.

While the non-conducting surface imaging of atomic force microscopy brought huge benefits to biological research, these studies were able to move up a gear again when Toshio Ando and his team at Kanazawa University reported an atomic force microscope that operates at high speed. Atomic scale resolution images became movies bringing not just structures but also dynamics within grasp.

Ribosomes

Ribosomes are the protein factories found in all living cells. The genetic DNA sequence that encodes for a series of amino acids in the protein is transcribed to messenger RNA, to which the ribosome binds. The correct amino acids for the protein under construction are then fed to the ribosome by means of transfer RNA.

Translational GTPase factors take on the task of translation and elongation of the amino acid sequence for the protein under construction, making their role critical to the process. The mechanism by which they work with the ribosome in this operation has now been visualized by Imai, Uchiumi and Kodera using high-speed atomic force microscopy.

Reference

Hirotatsu Imai, Toshio Uchiumi, Noriyuki Kodera. Direct visualization of translational GTPase factor-pool formed around the archaeal ribosomal P-stalk by high-speed atomic force microscopy, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2020) https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/12/04/2018975117

Further information

About WPI nanoLSI Kanazawa University

Hiroe Yoneda

Vice Director of Public Affairs

WPI Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI)

Kanazawa University

Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +81 (76) 234-4550

About Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI)

https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/en/

Nano Life Science Institute (NanoLSI), Kanazawa University is a research center established in 2017 as part of the World Premier International Research Center Initiative of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The objective of this initiative is to form world-tier research centers. NanoLSI combines the foremost knowledge of bio-scanning probe microscopy to establish 'nano-endoscopic techniques' to directly image, analyze, and manipulate biomolecules for insights into mechanisms governing life phenomena such as diseases.

About Kanazawa University

http://www.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/e/

As the leading comprehensive university on the Sea of Japan coast, Kanazawa University has contributed greatly to higher education and academic research in Japan since it was founded in 1949. The University has three colleges and 17 schools offering courses in subjects that include medicine, computer engineering, and humanities.

The University is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in Kanazawa  a city rich in history and culture. The city of Kanazawa has a highly respected intellectual profile since the time of the fiefdom (1598-1867). Kanazawa University is divided into two main campuses: Kakuma and Takaramachi for its approximately 10,200 students including 600 from overseas.

SOURCE Kanazawa University
From setting up a national university and a monument to forming a state planning commission and publishing books, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced her extensive plans to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose right from January 23 till the end of 2021.

Banerjee announced that January 23 will be celebrated with a grand parade in Kolkata and the Independence Day parade in the city will be dedicated to Netaji.

The monument, to be named after Azah Hind Fauj, the army Bose led against the British, will come up at Rajarhat in the eastern outskirts of Kolkata and the university, to be funded entirely by the state, will have tie-ups with foreign universities, said the chief minister.

Coming months before the crucial assembly polls, Banerjees announcements on outreach programmes and her plans to translate Netajis writings into all Indian languages and languages spoken by Dalit and tribal communities appeared significant in view of the competition over nationalism that the states Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders often engaged in.

Addressing a virtual meeting attended by members of the celebration committee who include US-based Nobel Laureate economist Abhijit Binayak Banerjee, vice-chancellors of several universities and acclaimed writers, poets and educationists, Banerjee said, A vast majority of Indians have forgotten the great message Netajis life had been to his people. The young generation needs to learn from his life.

Netaji was the first to set up a national planning commission. We dont have a planning commission anymore. It has been replaced by Niti Ayog. Let us set up a state planning commission named after Netaji. It will have a vision for the nation and the world. Let us not bother about whether others follow it, said Banerjee.

I request people from all sections of the society and Indian who live abroad to blow a conch shell or do something similar at 12.15 pm, the time of Netajis birth, on January 23. I request Indian missions across the globe to do it as well, said Banerjee

The real evaluation of Netaji has not been done in India after Independence. This is unfortunate. Also, although we know on which day he was born, the nation does not know what happened to him at the end. I demand that his birthday be declared a national holiday and all records relating to his disappearance be made public, said Banerjee

We assumed that the Government of India would form a committee to celebrate Netajis 125th birthday. We have done it. I hope the Centre will do it too, said Banerjee.

The chief minister announced that every school and college will have an Azad Hind Bahini which will be similar to the National Cadet Corps but will be run by the state government.

Award-winning Dalit writer Manoranjan Byapari, who is president of the newly-formed Dalit Academy, has been entrusted with the task of translating Netajis writings.

Banerjee also announced that January 23 will be celebrated as Desh Nayak Diwas. She demanded that the Centre should do the same.

Most of the senior state BJP leaders were attending rallies and did not react till Monday evening.
Niamey, Niger: A hundred civilians were killed in attacks by suspected militants in the west African nation of Niger, according to government officials.

Armed men shot men and boys in what was said to be a revenge attack on the villages of Tchoma Bangou and Zaroumadareye. The villages are in the south-western region of Tillaberi, where civilians have increasingly come under attack in the past two years.

"They opened fire on everybody," said Jahafar Koudize, a resident of Tchoma Bangou who managed to escape.

Saturday's attack, which came just a week after Niger's presidential election, is one of the country's deadliest ever. Prime Minister Brigi Rafini, in remarks broadcast on Sunday (Niger time) on national television from a visit to the area of the assaults, put the death toll at 100 but did not say who was responsible, Reuters reported.

In December 2019 and January 2020, Nigerien security forces suffered huge losses in the same region, which is also where four US Special Forces soldiers were killed alongside five of their Nigerien colleagues in 2017.
But he also did not want to be in a position where were suggesting setting aside the results of an election, just because the candidate that we supported didnt happen to prevail.

Thats not a principled constitutional position, Mr. Cruz added.

Mr. Cruzs call to reject the election outcome is backed by Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, both of Tennessee; Mike Braun of Indiana; Steve Daines of Montana; Ron Johnson of Wisconsin; John Kennedy of Louisiana; James Lankford of Oklahoma; Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming; Roger Marshall of Kansas; and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.

Together with Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, who announced last week that he would object to Congresss certification of the election results, they bring to nearly one-quarter the proportion of Senate Republicans who have broken with their leaders to join the effort to invalidate Mr. Bidens victory. In the House, where a band of conservatives has been plotting the last-ditch election objection for weeks, more than half of Republicans joined a failed lawsuit seeking to overturn the results, and more are expected to support the effort to challenge the results in Congress on Wednesday.

Those involved have conceded their effort is unlikely to be successful. Any such challenge must be sustained by both the House, where Democrats hold the majority, and the Senate, where top Republicans, including Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, have tried to shut it down.

But even as Mr. Cruz casts his move as a legitimate attempt to get to the bottom of fraud allegations, other Republican senators  even some of Mr. Trumps strongest supporters  saw his call for a commission as a populist play to gain support among the presidents base.

Proposing a commission at this late date  which has zero chance of becoming reality  is not effectively fighting for President Trump, Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, wrote on Twitter. It appears to be more of a political dodge than an effective remedy.

Senator Roy Blunt, the No. 4 Republican, said he too believed Mr. Cruzs plan had no chance of success.
M&A

We return to work with a familiar start: six M&A deals

Today (Monday) is only the first official work day of 2021, which is already looking like 2020 when it comes to mergers and acquisitions in the government market.

Here is a rundown of six deals announced or completed over the past week as WT re-opens for business again after a holiday hibernation.

Vectrus

What was acquired Zenetex, first announced Dec. 28 and completed on New Years Eve.

What is being paid: $112 million, net of $11 million in expected tax benefits.

Who the target is: A provider of IT, logistics, engineering, communications and other services to U.S. government and allied military customers with a more-than $700 million backlog

What the buyer gets: Expands operations overseas to at least 40 countries that Zenetex works in and advances the Navy campaign to include Naval Air Systems Command and Naval Supply Systems Command.

Who helped make the deal happen: Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP; Ernst & Young; Covington & Burling LLP; and Wolf Den Associates advised Vectrus. KippsDeSanto & Co. and Greenberg Traurig LLP advised Zenetex.

Vectrus (again)

What was acquired: HHB Systems, announced Monday.

What is being paid: Undisclosed amount of cash and credit

Who the target is: A provider of IT-enabled asset management and logistics services to intelligence community agencies.

What the buyer gets: 50 employees of whom 90 percent have Top Secret or higher clearances and an expanded set of physical and digital infrastructure management offerings.

The backstory in both Vectrus deals: Pushing to be a leader in converged infrastructure, where digital tools are used as a lever to support mission areas such as base operations and supply chain management.

Huntington Ingalls Industries

What was acquired: The autonomy business of Spatial Integrated Systems and completed on New Years Eve.

What is being paid: Terms are undisclosed.

Who the target is: A maker of technologies focused on multi-vehicle collaborative autonomy, sensor fusion and perception for unmanned surface vehicles.

What the buyer gets: 50 employees that develop solutions for coordinating and controlling multiple collaborative unmanned vehicles.

Who is joining: Sam Lewis, president and chief operating officer of SIS, will lead HIIs unmanned surface vessel work.

The backstory: HIIs push to be an unmanned maritime leader included last years acquisition of Hydroid, equity investment in Sea Machines and groundbreaking on a new unmanned center of excellence.

Teledyne Technologies

What is being bought: FLIR Systems, announced Monday and anticipated to close in the middle of this year pending regulatory and shareholder approvals.

What is being paid: $7.36 billion, an all-time record price for Teledyne and not including the assumption of FLIRs debt.

Who the target is: A maker of imaging, robotic and other sensory technologies for government and certain commercial industrial applications that has used acquisitions to grow the unmanned business.

What the buyer sees it becoming: A $5 billion pro forma revenue entity with greater capacity to make sensors for different types of platforms, plus unmanned and autonomous systems for various domains.

Who is working the deal: Evercore and McGuireWoods LLP are advising Teledyne. Goldman Sachs and Hogan Lovells US LLP are advising FLIR.

How investors are reacting: FLIRs stock soared 19 percent in late afternoon trade but Teledynes was down 7 percent.

Quantitech

What was acquired: Systems Engineering Group (SEG) formerly a part of Griffon Corp, announced Monday.

What is being paid: Terms are undisclosed

Who the target is: A provider of threat engineering and modeling and simulation services to U.S. military customers such as the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Missile Defense Agency and Office of Naval Intelligence.

What the buyer gets: Additional services to support programs involving weapons and missile systems development, simulation, testing and analysis.

Who helped make the deal happen: Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP was legal adviser to QuantiTech. Chertoff Capital and Dechert LLP both advised Griffon.

The backstory: QuantiTech is backed by private equity firm Sagewind Capital and this is its second acquisition made with that support.

Mercury Systems

What was acquired: Physical Optics Corp, first revealed Dec. 7 and announced as completed Dec. 30.

What is being paid: $310 million in cash and credit

Who the target is: A maker of data transfer systems, flight data recorders, mission computers, high-definition data and video recorders and advanced encryption devices.

What the buyer gets: Increased access to platform and mission management content technologies for use in defense applications such as those involving digital convergence.

The backstory: Mercury has been one of the defense technology arena's most active acquirers, including four deals closed in 2019 that preceded this most recent transaction for POC.
Sajid Javid is preparing to make a Cabinet comeback to help lead the recovery from the pandemic.

Boris Johnson will reshuffle his top team as Britain gets ready to host a United Nations climate change conference later this year.

The Prime Minister has agreed to make Business Secretary Alok Sharma full-time president of the Cop26 summit, the Mail can reveal.

Mr Javid, 51, who resigned as Chancellor last February following a clash with Boris Johnsons then chief adviser Dominic Cummings, is in the running to replace Mr Sharma at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Ex-Chancellor Sajid Javid, 51, (pictured) is set to make a Cabinet comeback as he is in the running to replace the Business Secretary in reshuffle later this year

It would mark a return to the department he used to run after five years away for Mr Javid, who was said by colleagues to refer to himself in the third person as The Saj, but he denies this.

The job would be sold as a key role in getting the economy firing on all cylinders again.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, whose International Development Secretary post disappeared when the foreign aid department was scrapped in September, has also been promised a Cabinet return.

She could replace Gavin Williamson as Education Secretary after he has faced a series of crises including last summers A-levels fiasco and the delayed reopening of schools this month. Mr Johnson may seek to keep him close by offering him another job.

The PMs fiancee Carrie Symonds, who was an aide to Mr Javid during his time as Communities Secretary, is understood to want him back in the Cabinet. It has been rumoured that he could be made Foreign Secretary as Dominic Raab is believed to be open to a move to the Home Office.

But supporters of current Home Secretary Priti Patel have warned that she would resist a shift to another role such as party chairman. She is also the only woman in one of the great offices of state. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who has been seen as at risk of the chop, is understood to be safe now.

The Prime Minister has agreed to make Business Secretary Alok Sharma (pictured) full-time president of the Cop26 summit, the Mail can reveal

Mr Johnson has declared that 2021 will be a hugely important year for Britain on the world stage as it takes over the presidency of the G7 group of powerful industrial nations and hosts the Cop26 summit in Glasgow.

Mr Sharma was appointed to the dual role of Business Secretary and president of the conference last February after the sacking of former energy minister Claire ONeill. But concerns have been voiced that he is overloaded.

Former Energy Secretary Amber Rudd, who led the UK delegation to the 2015 UN climate change conference in Paris, has said it seemed an impossible ask for him to do his Cabinet job and put in the effort, the work, the thought, the corralling of different interests and to make Cop a success.

Mr Johnson and Mr Sharma have talked recently about choosing one of the roles full-time. A source close to the Business Secretary said no decision has yet been made.

The Cop26 conference will be attended by world leaders in November  a year later than planned because of the pandemic.
After all the gung-ho about banning the Chinese apps and products, the National Capital Region Transport Corporation has now given a contract to a Chinese company, Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Company Limited, for the construction of a 5.6-kilometer underground stretch of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS project.

The stretch will be made from New Ashok Nagar to Sahibabad. Approvals have to be taken at various levels for bids that are funded by multilateral agencies. This bid was also awarded following the set procedure and guidelines. Now, all the civil work tenders of the 82-km-long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor have been awarded and the construction is going on in full swing to commission the project in time, an NCRTC spokesperson told PTI.

The 82-km-long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor is being funded by the Asian Development Bank. The time to commute from Delhi to Meerut will be only one hour as opposed to the earlier which took around 4 hours. The entire corridor will be operational in 2025.

After the news started to go viral, people started to question the whole idea of being atmanirbhar and attacked the Modi government. They have also started to trend #BoycottChina on Twitter.

Heres what people have to say:

This is extremely bad example to the national sentiments of anti china movement. Govt gives rail contract to Chinese co. This is not acceptable

Delhi-Meerut #BoycottChina pic.twitter.com/d6VrpiHMa2  S.SHAHID(   ) (@pintu_army) January 4, 2021

Were Our Army soldiers martyred for this hollowness??This government is neither of Kisans nor Jawans.



The Modi regime only use Jawans and Kisans for their political benefit not for nation First.#BoycottChina #JaiJawanJaiKisan pic.twitter.com/AG3clLSEG1  AryanKumar (@IAryanKr) January 4, 2021

#DelhiMeerutRapidRailProject:- This is an extremely bad example of the national sentiments of #antichinamovement. Govt gives rail contract to Chinese co. This is not acceptable Angry face#BoycottChina pic.twitter.com/8gBauS90sv  Piyush Goyal (@goyalpp) January 4, 2021

The Prime Moron banned Tik Tok , PUBG and useful apps in garb of #BoycottChina and now giving million dollar contracts to China . Hypocrisy level: 56 inch  Sahil Prasad (@laxmi407) January 4, 2021

However, the same PTI article also mentioned that the NCRTC had invited bids for the construction of the tunnel. It also added that according to the ADBs procurement guidelines, vendors from all member countries of the bank are eligible to participate in the bidding process without any discrimination.

Five firms qualified for the technical bid evaluation but it was the Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Company Limited that emerged as the L1 bidder for the tender after qualifying on all the parameters. This is why the contract was awarded to the Chinese based company.

What do you have to say about this after knowing the whole story? Let us know in the comments section below.

How much indulgence does a committed right-winger on Capitol Hill owe President Donald Trump, as he keeps looking for ways to deny his defeat? On Saturday, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and a band of 11 Republican senators announced they would vote to reject electors from disputed states during Congress tally of Electoral College votes on Jan. 6. Theyll get the opportunity to vote on each state against whose electors a House member and a senator lodge matching objections. Plenty of House members are lining up to object to various states, and Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley has said that he will object to at least one state.

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On Sunday, however, Rep. Chip RoyCruzs no-less-conservative former chief of staffforced House Republicans who would dispute the election results to put the insincerity of their claims on the record. As the new Congress gathered for its first day, Roy objected to the seating of 67 House members, representing Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Those are the states carried by Joe Biden whose electors Trump-y members of the House would try to block.

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Roys explanation was ruthlessly logical: Trumps defenders plan to object to the electors due to their deeply held belief that those states conducted elections plagued by statewide, systemic fraud and abuse that leaves them absolutely no way for this chamber or our constituents to trust the validity of their elections. But the 67 members of the House from the states would claim their own seats based on the results of those very same elections.

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Such allegations, he wrote, if true, raise significant doubts about the elections of at least some of the members of the United States House of Representatives that, if not formally addressed, could cast a dark cloud of suspicion over the validity of this body for the duration of the 117th Congress. Nevertheless, in the first roll-call vote of the 117th Congress following the election of the speaker, the Houseincluding the would-be Trump dead-endersvoted almost unanimously to endorse the election results and swear those members in.

Trump waited until the final weeks of his presidency to deliver congressional Republicans one of his most debasing loyalty tests: demanding they vote to overturn the results of a presidential election he lost fair and square, to which any challengestypically based on social media disinformation, or pure hallucinatory fantasyhave been dismissed time and again in court.

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The plan has no chance of changing the election outcome. For a slate of electors to be rejected, both the House and Senate would have to vote against them. Democrats control the House, and the Senate Democratic minority will have more than enough Republicans joining them against such challenges.

Instead, the question of whether to go along with Wednesdays shenanigans is a choice between risking a Trumpier-than-thou primary challenge or breaking new ground in the deterioration of American democracy. Many Republicans up for election in 2022 would rather have avoided either option, which is why Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell strongly urged members of his conference against objecting to any electors. Once Hawley announced his intention to object, however, the seal was broken.

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You might expect, in a free vote where the ultimate outcome isnt in doubt, for Republicans to make their decisions according to the gradient of redness in their district or state, when theyre next up for reelection, or what higher ambitions they harbor. Thats true in a lot of cases. Dozensmaybe a majority?of congressional Republicans in safe seats will avoid putting primary targets on their backs by voting to reject tainted electors. Hawley (raising the objections) and Cruz (leading the group to sustain the objections) are both positioning themselves for a 2024 presidential primary, and earning the enmity of their establishment colleagues is a textbook first step. Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford, one of the more surprising members of Cruzs coup troupe, is conservative, but typically keeps his distance from the extracurricular activities of the fringe right. Hes up for reelection in 2022, though, and the only way he loses is through a primary.

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But as the split between Roy and Cruz shows, the breakdown defies simple analysis. Partisanship, or the incentive to act more partisan, doesnt predict all the ways that Republicans are dividing themselves. Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, could build back credibility with a Trumpist right thats already leery of her by voting to reject electors; instead, she sent a sharp letter to her conference warning them against doing so. Another group of seven House Republicans, including Roy and mostly hailing from safe seats, released a joint statement declaring that we must count the electoral votes submitted by the states even though it might frustrate our immediate political objectives. New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, on the other hand, fully completed her transition from establishment moderate to Trump lackey by joining up with the objectors.

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Most notable of all, though, was the statement of a particular Trump loyalist from a deep-red state whos also widely expected to launch a presidential campaign: Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton announced Sunday night that he will not oppose the counting of certified electoral votes on January 6.

The cynical read on Cottons decision is that he saw potential presidential rivals Hawley and Cruz take the lead in supporting Trumpist Lost Cause advocacy and, rather than appear to be scrambling after them, he took the other side of the bet, setting himself apart if their radical tactic turns out to age poorly. Still, Cotton gave three reasons for not voting to overturn the election: that it would take away the power to choose the president from the people, which would essentially end presidential elections and place that power in the hands of whichever party controls Congress; it would imperil the Electoral College, which gives small states like Arkansas a voice in presidential elections; and it would take another big step toward federalizing election law, another longstanding Democratic priority that Republicans have consistently opposed.

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The first is the duh reason, and the third is a wishful account of the highly situational Republican approach toward federal election intervention. The second, thoughthe imperilment of the Electoral Collegeis the one that gives Republicans the political incentive they need to counter the wrath of Trumps tweets.

Cottons specific defense of the Electoral College as giving small states like Arkansas a voice in presidential elections is one of the traditional, senselessly rote claims on the systems behalf that doesnt really stand up to scrutiny. The Electoral College doesnt give Arkansas a voice; it allows presidential candidates to ignore it completely, as a minor prize whose entry in the Republican column is a foregone conclusion, while they pour resources and attention into states that have more competitive mixes of metropolitan and rural populations.

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What the Electoral College does do, at least under the existing party coalitions, is give Republicans a chance to keep winning presidential elections against the wishes of a majority of the countrys voters. The statement that the seven House Republicans released supporting the counting of electors spelled this out more explicitly.

From a purely partisan perspective, Republican presidential candidates have won the national popular vote only once in the last 32 years. They have therefore depended on the electoral college for nearly all presidential victories in the last generation. If we perpetuate the notion that Congress may disregard certified electoral votesbased solely on its own assessment that one or more states mishandled the presidential electionwe will be delegitimizing the very system that led Donald Trump to victory in 2016, and that could provide the only path to victory in 2024.

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If the choice were strictly between appeasing Trump to avoid a primary and Doing the Right Thing, wed have something close to a party-line vote on whether to overturn a presidential election. Instead, were seeing the Republican Partyespecially in the Senatebreak down into factional struggle after an era of ruthless partisan discipline under Trump. Even Mitch McConnell, whose willingness to defend and protect the president seemed to know no limits, is prepared to cut him off. He wont do so because his heart grew three sizes over Christmas, either. He recognizes that its essential to preserving the working of the antiquated, Rube Goldberg electoral system that gives Republicans their only fighting chance nationally.
The COVID-19 vaccine has failed.

I don't mean that the vaccine itself doesn't workfar from it. I mean the ineffective way such an important lifesaving, pandemic-ending vaccine is being rolled out. The slovenly effort is putting the lives of millions of Americans at risk. At the vaccine's current injection rates, or even if they got it to 1 million a day, it'll still take a YEAR before all Americans are fully vaccinated! With 3,000+ people dying from COVID-19 every day, every minute matters! We are running out of time!

With healthcare still in the hands of unqualified government officials, states have failed to deliver the vaccine to the American people. Once again, the government run system has failed.

This 'feet in cement' comedy of errors exemplifies why U.S. healthcare is failing the government is running it! Healthcare has become increasingly entrenched in bureaucracy, and healthcare providers have little to no say in how to give effective, efficient care to their patients.

The heroic efforts by Pfizer and Moderna to develop, test and distribute this vaccine are spectacular. But, getting this vaccine into the arms of patients has exposed the incompetence of the government run system. The American people are seeing this fiasco play out in the front row of a bad movie. Now they know what we've known for years!

Speed and efficiency, when it counts, has been sacrificed.

Doctors can't even get paid fairly without deciphering endless walls of medical codes only intelligible to trained professionals.

Staff at insurance companies with no medical training dictate what constitutes reimbursable care. Their interference fundamentally disrupts the doctor-patient relationship, delays or prevents delivery of care, and presents new obstacles to new approaches that would improve patient outcomes and reduce costs.

Since the implementation of the U.S. Affordable Care Act, healthcare in America has become an even greater bureaucratic nightmare than before. What started as incremental interference in the relationship between doctor and patient with the passage of the Medicare Act of 1965 is now an impenetrable barrier made up of governmental and healthcare insurance industry red tape. The result is higher costs and greater inefficiencies.

Despite the political debates and media coverage on healthcare policy and reform, there remains little or no feedback from the people in the trenchesthe physicians and other health care professionals who provide care to the patients. It is imperative that we, as clinicians, challenge the increasingly entrenched bureaucracy in our healthcare system. Doctors, nurses, and patients need to have a voice in the problems engulfing care.

Like many who set out to be doctors, I went into healthcare because I wanted to help and to heal. I want to be able to provide my patients with the care they need, at the time they need it, minimizing any interference to that process.

It is imperative that we educate Americans on the root causes of the problems in our healthcare system and demand meaningful reformnot just reform for reform's sake.

We, as a profession, must accept some blame for many of the developing problems in healthcare delivery. No, I am not suggesting that we caused the problem. I am stating that we have had ample opportunities to manage the debacle and even to reverse some of the disturbing trends, yet we rarely allow our voices to be heard.

Is healthcare reform impossible? It certainly isn't. But we, as doctors, need to step up to the plate, to stand up to the growing bureaucracy in the system, and make sure our voices are heard. Change will be long, slow, and painful, but we can't allow the system to continue to swallow us whole. We can't allow a system this broken to continue to mismanage something as important as the COVID-19 vaccine.

Bottom line: I urge Americans to demand more from our governmental officials and compel them to perform to their highest possible capabilities. We must get this vaccine into the arms of the people so we can stop this dreadful pandemic. We cannot afford to continue at this slow pace.

About the Author:

Dr. Alejandro Badia, MD, FACS, is a hand and upper extremity orthopedic surgeon at Badia Hand to Shoulder Center in Miami, Florida and previously served as Chief of Hand Surgery at Baptist Hospital of Miami. He studied physiology at Cornell University and obtained his medical degree at New York University, where he also trained in orthopedics. He is the founder of OrthoNOW, a network of orthopedic walk-in care centers, the Miami Anatomical Research Center (MARC Institute) and the author of Healthcare from the Trenches, an Amazon best-seller. For more information on Dr. Badia, visit DrBadia.com, Orthonowcare.com, and DoralDOC.com and DrBadiaBook.com.

Media Contact: For a review copy of Healthcare from the Trenches or to arrange an interview with Dr. Alejandro Badia, contact Scott Lorenz of Westwind Communications Book Marketing at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090. Follow Lorenz on twitter @abookpublicist
In a welcome development for the central government employees, the Narendra Modi-led government has taken a decision to extend "Disability Compensation" to all employees in service. This will be applicable for employees who get disabled in the line of duty and are retained in service notwithstanding the disability.

The order comes as a huge relief for the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel including the serving employees in BSF, CRPF, CISF etc, given the hostile conditions in which they have to perform their duty.

The order seeks to remove an anomaly in existing service rules, that is, the Central Civil Services(CCS) (EOP) Rules which did not provide such compensation to employees appointed on or after January 1, 2004 and covered under National Pension System (NPS).

Under the new rules ordered by the Department of Pensions of the Ministry of Personnel, the government servants who are covered under the NPS, will also be eligible to get benefits under the rules of Extra Ordinary Pension (EOP).

This means that any government employee who is retained in the service after getting disabled in the line of duty will be provided with a lump sum amount as compensation. The amount will be decided on the basis of the capitalized value of the disability element, by referring to the Commutation Table which specifies it and is updated from time to time.

The (Narendra) Modi Government is making all efforts to simplify the rules and to do away with discriminatory clauses, said Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh. He added that the new initiatives will provide ease of living for the government employees ven after they have superannuated and become pensioners or family pensioners or elder citizens.

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1685413

In another significant decision taken recently, the Ministry did away with the minimum qualifying service period of 10 years to be eligible for pension, if a government employee is incapacitated and retired from service. The amended Rule 38 of CCS (Pension) Rules states that Invalid Pension will be provided at 50 per cent of the last pay, even in case the employee has not finished the 10-year minimum service.

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Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349
US: 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine found in watermelons

Tesla owners will be paid $ 16,000 each due to slow charging

Advisor to Armenia Prosecutor General provides details about incident with Armenian soldier killed in Verin Shorzha

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Armenian acting FM meets with ambassadors of CSTO member states accredited to Armenia

Armenia Ombudsman presents human rights protection in post-war period to CoE Programmes Directorate General

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France: Sanctions against Belarus will continue

Armenia opposition party MP: Azerbaijan is a terrorist state, negotiations can't be led with such a country

US to reopen its Consulate General in Jerusalem

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Armenian MFA strongly condemns Azerbaijan's blatant armed encroachment on Armenia's sovereign territory

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January 04, 2021

British Judge Rejects Assange Extradition

This was unexpected. The British district court judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected the U.S. extradition request against Julian Assange:

BREAKING: Judge rules against US extradition of Julian Assange, contending extradition would be oppressive by reason of Assanges mental health

The British judge said that the U.S. prison system is too brutal to be trusted with the health of Assange.

Baraitser says Assange is at high risk of suicide and that there is a "real risk" he will be detained subject to special administrative measures (SAMs) in US prison, especially because intelligence community is hostile to him

Baraitser: Extradition would be oppressive by reason of Assanges mental health

The United States government's mass incarceration system just lost them their case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange

Holy shit, the judge ends saying she is satisfied that procedures described by US would not prevent Assange from finding a way to commit suicide in US supermax prison

The judge and defense are discussing an application for bail. US government is going to immediately appeal.

The full ruling is available here.

Caitlin Johnstone @caitoz - 11:14 UTC  Jan 4, 2021 UPDATE: Judge ordered no extradition for Assange, and orders him released from Belmarsh Prison, both due to suicide risk concerns. The US has confirmed that it will appeal extradition ruling. He's still jailed, court is in recess and then they'll discuss possible bail or release. It's likely they'll keep him jailed until after the US appeals the ruling, as Medhurst explains. We're definitely not out of the woods yet. But getting out of Belmarsh is excellent.

This is not a win for freedom of speech or a free press. The judge has accepted the U.S. prosecution arguments against Assange. The extradition rejection is solely on humanitarian grounds.

Anyway, the British government seems to have grown a spine? We can then hope that the U.S.government's appeal will fail.

Posted by b on January 4, 2021 at 11:19 UTC | Permalink

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ATLANTA, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ProLogic ITS, the national technology-focused integration company, announces that on December 30, 2020, an agreement was reached with TransComm Services and Gulf Coast Upfitters, finalizing the sale of the vehicle fleet service companies. ProLogic ITS will incorporate the acquired companies, employees and valued customers into their overall operations in both Georgia and Florida.

With this acquisition, ProLogic ITS continues the significant recent expansion of its public safety solutions business, fortifying their reach across the Southeast with strategic vendors, partners and customers.

"While 2020 was a very challenging year due to COVID-19, ProLogic's diverse array of offerings across several business sectors not only allowed us to weather the storm, it provided new opportunities that lead to substantial annual growth," says Paul Sprayberry one of the Managing Partners at ProLogic ITS. "In 2021, we will continue to strengthen ProLogic's portfolio of technology solutions through new partnerships and strategic acquisitions that complement and enhance our holistic array of offerings."

Prior to their acquisition by ProLogic ITS, TransComm Services and Gulf Coast Upfitters established themselves as providers of high-quality emergency equipment and fleet management services. Both companies have built long-term relationships by demonstrating their commitment to first-rate installations, timely delivery of critical solutions and a responsive customer service ethic. These characteristics and achievements are expected to continue and grow as TransComm Services and Gulf Coast Upfitters become part of the ProLogic ITS organization.

ProLogic ITS is headquartered in Acworth, GA with corporate offices, warehousing, vehicle upfitting facilities, and mobile technicians across the US that support and service state-of-the-art solutions for government agencies, education systems, hospitals and commercial businesses.

To find out more about ProLogic ITS, visit http://www.ProLogicITS.com

About ProLogic ITS, LLC.

ProLogic ITS has over 200 employees providing a broad range of technology products, services and integrated solutions to an equally broad range of clients, including the federal government, state governments, commercial businesses, the military, hospitals, K-12 and higher educational facilities. Our turn-key business model meets the specific needs of customers while providing solutions focused on excellent performance and value throughout the complete lifecycle of their technology investments.

Media Contact:

Grant Bennion

[email protected]

(866) 923-0513

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Ever since the creation of the universe, our planet earth faced many catastrophic Pandemic, including the end of the Cretaceous era, about 66 million years ago, resulting in the mass extinction of many animal species around the world, including the large and diverse family of dinosaurs. Many theories were propounded over these mass extinctions of life on earth, but the two main theories are the gradualist and the catastrophic. The catastrophic are of the view that a large celestial object had collided with the Earth at the time that the mass extinctions had occurred, and that mass celestial object is what we know today as the Planet X or Neburio, while the gradualist argued, on the other hand, suggests that the time frame of the process of extinction from a biological viewpoint was very long and that the various species had declined in number over many generations. Although the debate between the gradualists and the catastrophists appears to be still unresolved, both groups of paleontologists do agree that the dating of dinosaur fossils ended in the era of the Chicxulub impact event. Even if the diversity of dinosaur species had been in decline, the gradualists do acknowledge that the worldwide environmental changes caused by that impact could have led to their final extinction.

Not only this but even the Bible describes a worldwide flood covering even the highest mountains of the earth and the construction of a huge boat that transported animals, at least two of a kind of all land animals on the earth. The Qur'an has almost a duplicate story with a similar huge boat that transported animals and a worldwide flood. Besides, two older stories exist in ancient Babylonian epics that describe a huge flood. One is the Epic of Gilgamesh, describing a flood on the Euphrates River. The other is the Epic of Atrahasis, which has a huge flood on the Tigris River. Surprisingly, like those typical stories of Noah, Zecharia Sitchin (1920-2010), an eminent biblical scholar and internationally acclaimed author of The Anunnaki Chronicles, which according to him is the oldest civilizations ever known to mankind, with the narrative of the creation of human being, including the destruction of the human being by floods by God, but a handful of people and animal species were saved by Enki, the son of God, by instructing its faithful servant to built a boat to save them from the great Deluge by the flood. Astonishingly, the characters of Enki resembled the Hindu yogic lore of Lord Shiva, or popularly known as Adiyogi, who landed in India some 60 to 70 thousand years ago. Indeed, many religious leaders, scholars, spiritual leaders, anthropologists, and archeologists, etc; have started to take a deep interest in investigating the great Annunaki Chronicles, also known as the Sumerian civilization. The most striking futures of Zecharia Sitchin, is his finding based on existing evidence in different parts of the world, unlike the imaginary and fantasy world.

The next known catastrophic pandemic, occurred in Byzantine Empire, during the reign of the emperor Justinian I (527-565 CE), one of the worst outbreaks of the plague took place, claiming the lives of millions of people. The plague arrived in Constantinople in 542 CE, almost a year after the disease first made its appearance in the outer provinces of the empire. The outbreak continued to sweep throughout the Mediterranean world for another 225 years, finally disappearing in 750 CE. According to Wendy Orient, author of Plague, the disease spread in two directions: north to Alexandria and east to Palestine. This bubonic plague better known as the Black Death killed more than 50 million people or nearly half the entire population. From time immemorial, history has shown that human civilizations were ravaged not only by wars but by natural calamities such as earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricane, storms, tidal waves, and plagues of every kind including the plagues of every 100 years, such as the great plagues of 1720 from Marseille, France, the Cholera of 1820, Calcutta, India, Spanish flu of 1920, and now the most deadly novel Coronavirus pandemic of 2020 from Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. Three historically important epidemics have occurred since 2000: severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-1) also from China, in 2003, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2013, and Ebola virus disease in 2014. The first two were caused by coronaviruses and the third by the Ebola virus. All three were eventually contained using now-familiar public health measures.

Thus any catastrophic or pandemic is not new to our planet earth, but what single out COVID-19, ' the World Health Organizations shorthand for Coronavirus Disease 2019,(1), from all other catastrophic pandemic is that the COVID-19 pandemic, for the first time affected international relations and caused enormous diplomatic tensions, as well as resulted in a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding a global ceasefire. The diplomatic relations have been affected much due to the tensions around trade and transport of medicines, diagnostic tests, and hospital equipment for coronavirus disease 2019. Leaders of some countries have accused other countries of not containing the disease effectively and resulting in the uncontrolled spread of the virus. Developing nations like Latin America and Africa cannot find enough materials for testing for coronavirus disease, partly because the United States and countries in Europe are outspending the resources. Amid this battle against an unknown and unseen deadly virus, with thousands of death every day in different parts of the world, members of the international community started fighting against one another with a blame game rather than collectively fighting against the virus. By way of illustrations let me cite a few of them:

Both the Chinese government and the United States started the blame game with 'you did it: No you did it, just a blame game of twiddle dee twiddle dum in the handling of the pandemic. In Brazil, Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of President Jair Bolsonaro, tweeted a message saying: "The global coronavirus pandemic has a name and surname: the Chinese Communist party." Yang Wanming, China's top diplomat in Brazil, retweeted a message that said: "The Bolsonaro family is the great poison of this country."

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned that there is "a geopolitical component including a struggle for influence through spinning and the politics of generosity.

While in Germany, because of China's perceived mishandling of the coronavirus epidemic, the largest tabloid newspaper in Germany put together 130 billion euros of damage that they would like for China to pay to Germany. China responded that this act stirs up xenophobia and racism.

Spain, Turkey, and the Netherlands announced that thousands of testing kits and medical masks exported from China are below standard or defective. The Dutch health ministry recalled 600,000 face masks, Spain encountered problems with 60,000 test kits and Turkey had problems with the accuracy of some test kits.

Jean Rottner, the President of France's Regional Council of Grand Est, accused the United States of disrupting face mask deliveries by buying at the last minute. French officials stated that Americans came to the airport tarmac and offered several times the French payment as the shipment was prepared for departure to France.

Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister, order to investigate allegations that medical supplies originally intended for Canada were diverted to the United States.

German politician Andreas Geisel accused the United States of committing "modern piracy" after reports that 200,000 N95 masks meant for German police were diverted during an en-route transfer between airplanes in Thailand to the United States but later changed his statement after he clarified that the mask orders were made through a German firm, not a U.S. firm as earlier stated, and the supply chain issues were under review.

Donald Trump warned India of retaliation if the government does not release hydroxychloroquine medicine to the US. Following this, India lifted the temporary export ban on the drug paving the way for shipping it to the United States.

On 2 April 2020, President Trump halts exports of masks to Canada and Latin America. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that it would be a mistake for both their countries to limit trade of essential goods or services, including medical supplies and professionals, and remarked that this moves in both directions.

Debates over how to respond to the epidemic and its economic fallout have opened up a rift between Northern and Southern European member states, reminiscent of debates over the 2010s European debt crisis. Nine EU countriesItaly, France, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and Luxembourgcalled for "corona bonds" (a type of Eurobond) to help their countries to recover from the epidemic, on 25 March.

JapanSouth Korea relations worsened as a result of the pandemic. After Japan declared it would start quarantining all arrivals from South Korea, the South Korean government described the move as 'unreasonable, excessive and extremely regrettable, and that it couldn't "help but question whether Japan has other motives than containing the outbreak".

Russia-Saudi Arabia relations: In response to a dramatic drop in oil consumption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Saudi Arabia attempted to orchestrate a worldwide decrease in oil production to keep prices at a moderate level. However, when Russia refused to reduce oil production, Saudi Arabia triggered an oil price war in March 2020.

Indo-Chinese relations worsened in the Himalayan region which nearly triggered the second Indo-Chinese war, thus Covid-19 deeply affected diplomatic relations, trade, and commerce, political, socio-economic, relations among the community of nations, plunging our planet earth into a great deluge, and this beg the question 'Can China be held liable? Of course, all these skirmishes among the Community of Nations, reminds us of Rome Emperor Nero, playing the violin while Rome was burning.

The question is: "Can China be held Liable? From day one since the outbreak of Covid-19, China, was blamed for the Covid-19 pandemic, and China was even dragged to the court in various parts of the world including international criminal court, by a lawyer based in Mumbai, India, and by 4th April 2020, All India Bar Association, filed a case against China, before the Human Rights Council, while a class-action suit was filed in the USA seeking US$20 trillion from China for the 'creation and release, accidental or otherwise, of the virus known as COVID-19 by China and its agencies. The petition claims that China unleashed the Coronavirus as a 'biological weapon in violation of Chinas agreements under international law, such similar cases were filed against China in various parts of the world. Amid this disarray, many conspiracy theories started doing the rounds. The origin of the virus is widely considered to be from Wuhan wet market, Wuhan, China. Some claim that the virus originated from a lab in China and that the pandemic is a Chinese attempt to unleash bioweapon, likewise, many other countries dragged china to the court for the spread of COVID-19, and this begs the questions under what laws china can be held liable, in fact, I have also tweeted that China should be held liable including the WHO Director-General and its officials, only to change my mind after balancing various factors on the issues, but of course, this is my personal views based on the findings of the eminent scientist on virology from different universities such as Dr. David Dowdy, of Johns Hopkins University, Tulane virologist Prof Robert Garry, Ph.D., of Tulane University, Linda Saif. Distinguished University Professor, Food, Animal, and Health Research program Ohio University, and the Department of U.S. intelligence community, and many others including materials from The Lancet, all these researchers analyzed the genome sequence of the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and found no evidence that the virus was made in a laboratory or otherwise engineered.

Analysis of legal norms

I am of the view that, from a Jurisdictional point of laws, China as a Sovereign Nation, cannot be dragged before the International Court of Justice without its consent, but can we indirectly file a complaint about its nondisclosure of the spread of COVID-19, to do that we need to demonstrate solid evidence like the Trail Smelter case between the United States of America and Canada covering a period of 13 years from 1928 to 1941, in which the United States of America, proved its case against Canada with clear, clinching and convincing evidence, causing crops damages in America by smelting zinc and lead by Canada, and this classic case is now cited in almost every modern environmental dispute as opinion juris. This also triggered the question of whether China violates WHO legal regimes? Under Article 6 of the IHR, four main criteria have been laid down, but ironically the violations of those criteria fall under international soft law regimes. Moreover, China as a member of the United Nations Security Council, it possesses veto power, and that the United Nations can invoke chapter VII of the UN Charter only and only on clear violations of breach of international Peace and Security by China. Yes, in recent years, after the outbreak of Ebola, the United Nations has passed two important Resolutions declaring a pandemic as a breach of international peace, but the text of the two resolutions falls within the soft law regimes. It is also important to note that, the United Nations can ask an army of a Nation to withdraw, but certainly it cannot order the virus to withdraw, which is scientifically proved as a natural pathogen and not a manufactured pathogen from a lab. Under International Law, State obligation towards all or Erga Omnes including Jus Cogens principles applies to China, but in terms of environmental issues and pandemic there are still many rabbits hole and obstacles to address the problems under international legal regimes as demonstrated by the ICJ advisory opinion on the Legality of the Threat of Nuclear Weapon case, and the Chernobyl accident causing enormous harm to many European countries, but none of them even attempt to claim compensation from the Soviet Union based on political restraint and legal uncertainty.

This is not to say that everything is alright within China. At the time of writing this article, it is reported that 1.1 million people have died by the coronavirus pandemic, and the world health organizations efforts to win access and cooperation from China, remains an elusive dream, which crippled the organizations efforts to conduct independent and transparent investigations into the source of the virus. The organizations leadership is also severely castigated for negotiating terms that sidelined its experts. The sudden and mysterious death of Vice President of Corporate Communication for Huawei, Joe Kelly, an Irish businessman reminds us of the death of English businessman Neil Heywood, who was murdered with poison by some top Chinese leaders. The cold war between the US and China, in trade, commerce, electronic, technology, and artificial intelligence has reached a stage with serious inside debate in the US, to compete with China with quantum technology, and once the US resort to quantum technology, natural intelligence will pave the way for Artificial Super Intelligence, and Artificial Super Intelligence will be a blow to the growth of spiritual consciousness, but whether Artificial Super Intelligence will prevail over Spiritual consciousness or vice versa is a matter of time for all to be seen in some distant future.

The majority of the world environmental scientist is of the view that the COVID-19 pandemic, has its origins in the inability on the part of the international community to protect our forests, its wildlife and govern land use, which has led to the disappearance of the traditional buffer zones that used to separate humans from animals and their pathogens (UNEP 2016). Constrained by traditional legal structures, international environmental law has been unable to fully adopt an eco-systemic approach that appreciates the interconnections between the health of our planet, biodiversity, and humans. More specifically, if the hypothesis that the virus originated in a live animal market in Wuhan were confirmed, it would be a painful demonstration of the failure of existing legal regimes to protect the wildlife. The possibility that the pangolin might have been an intermediary host turns the spotlight on the challenges facing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and this is the same with the whale, dolphin, penguin, and other endangered spices.

For many years, popular belief prevails that changing our way of life drastically to mitigate climate change would be impossible, and lived under the impression that economic growth would always be prioritized over environmental protection. But the COVID-19 pandemic is a striking note that teaches us that we have destabilized the fragile equilibrium of our planets ecosystems and are now facing the direct consequences. The pandemic is nevertheless a chance to remedy this and build new foundations forging ahead with competent and the necessary tools under international laws.

In conclusion, I would like to remind everyone of us what my spiritual guide says, 'If all the worms die, within 12 to 18 months all life will cease to exist on earth, and If all the insects die, within 2 and a half to 4 years all life will cease to exist on earth, but if all human beings got extinct the Planet earth will bloom and flourished to the brim. Time for us, human beings to think and live for a better tomorrow by reminding ourselves of books like Rachel Carson's 'Silent Valley and 'Our Common Future as declared in the Brundtland Report.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) was holding a meeting on Monday, two days ahead of schedule, that could decide to recommend approving Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, a spokesperson said.

The EMA's human medicines committee (CHMP) had been scheduled to meet on Wednesday.

The agency has set a Jan. 12 deadline for whether to recommend Moderna's vaccine. It recommended a COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech on Dec. 21.

"In the event that the CHMP reaches an opinion at todays meeting, we would send out a press release as soon as possible after the meeting," it said in a statement.

A CHMP meeting scheduled for Wednesday was still planned "in case the committee does not reach a decision today," it added.

Short link:


Washington: Democrats returned Nancy Pelosi of California to the House speakership on Sunday for what may be her final term, handing a tested leader control of the slimmest majority in almost two decades as Washington prepares for a new Democratic president.

The nearly party-line vote punctuated an opening day marked more by precaution than pomp, as the 117th Congress convened under the threat of a deadly pandemic and awaited a pair of Senate runoffs in Georgia that will determine control of that chamber. Several House members sick with COVID-19 missed the session altogether and others cast their votes from behind a Plexiglas enclosure specially constructed in a gallery overlooking the chamber.

Democrat Nancy Pelosi waves the Speaker's gavel during the first session of the 117th Congress in the House Chamber in Washington on Sunday, January 3. Credit:Bloomberg

Her victory means that after two years as President Donald Trump's most outspoken antagonist, Pelosi will now be responsible for trying to shepherd through Congress as much of President-elect Joe Biden's agenda as possible.

"Scripture tells us that to everything, there is a season: a time for every purpose under the heavens; a time to build, a time to sow, a time to heal," she said in a speech after winning the speakership. "Now is certainly a time for our nation to heal. Our most urgent priority will continue to be defeating the coronavirus. And defeat it, we will."
Russia is planning to flight test its new intercontinental ballistic missile which it claims is capable of destroying an area the size of France.

The RS-28 Sarmat will be capable of unleashing ten large thermonuclear warheads or 16 smaller ones, or a combination of both, to overwhelm enemy missile defences, according to the Russian Ministry of Defence.

The 100-ton strategic missile is said to be able to travel around 6,200 miles and has the capacity to wipe out areas the size of Texas or France.

Each of the warheads are allegedly capable of being aimed at a different target.

Russia is planning to flight test its new intercontinental ballistic missile which it claims is capable of destroying an area the size of France. Pictured: The RS-28 Sarmat missile in 2018

The development comes as Russia's defence minister reported to President Vladimir Putin that a new hypersonic weapon of intercontinental range became operational in December following years of tests.

The testing of the Sarmat missile has faced a number of delays but now officials say it will enter service with Russia's Strategic Missile Forces in 2022.

Alexey Krivoruchko, the country's Deputy Minister of Defence told military newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda that flight tests of the missile are imminent.

'I would like to note that today the Sarmat missile ejection tests have been completed with a positive result,' he said.

'In the near future, we will begin flight tests of this missile system.'

The ejection tests, or drop tests, limit the firing to the first-stage engine forcing the missile out of the silo into the air.

Russia is planning on conducting the flight tests after missile ejection tests, or drop tests, have had positive results. Pictured: A drop test of the RS-28 Sarmat missile in 2018

'By virtue of its capabilities, no missile defence weapon, even the most advanced, can hinder it,' Krivoruchko added.

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said the ministry planned to create a testing range for the Sarmat flight trials in Siberia's Krasnoyarsk Territory, reports TASS news agency.

Russia's Strategic Missile Forces commander Sergey Karakayev said in December the Sarmat will enter combat duty by 2022.

'At present, defence industry enterprises continue to get ready for state flight trials of the Sarmat ICBM system,' he said. 'It is scheduled to enter combat duty in 2020.'

Putin confirmed in December the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic system was nearing completion.

Putin confirmed in December the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic system was nearing completion

'Work on the Sarmat proceeds actively, and is now at the final state,' he told TASS news agency.

The RS-28 Sarmat, known as Satan in the West, is intended to replace the Soviet-designed SS-18 Voyevoda, the world's heaviest intercontinental ballistic missile.

The missiles are capable of striking targets via both the North and South poles.

The Sarmat missile is also capable of carrying up to 24 of Russia's new Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles, designed to sit atop of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The development comes as Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu informed Mr Putin in December that the first missile unit equipped with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle entered combat duty, the Defence Ministry said.

'I congratulate you on this landmark event for the military and the entire nation,' Mr Shoigu said later during a conference call.

A new hypersonic weapon of intercontinental range has become operational in Russia. Pictured: an intercontinental ballistic missile lifts off from a truck-mounted launcher in Russia

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in March that modernization of production lines, needed for launching serial production of the state-of-the-art Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles, had been completed.

The Strategic Missile Forces chief, General Sergei Karakayev, said during the call that the Avangard was put on duty with a unit in the Orenburg region in the southern Urals Mountains.

Mr Putin unveiled the Avangard among other prospective weapons systems in his state-of-the-nation address in March 2018, noting that its ability to make sharp manoeuvres on its way to a target will render missile defence useless.

The Russian leader described the nuclear-capable missile as a technological breakthrough comparable to the 1957 Soviet launch of the first satellite.

The Russian leader noted that Avangard is designed using new composite materials to withstand temperatures of up to 2,000C (3,632F) resulting from a flight through the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds.

Earlier this week, Mr Putin emphasised that Russia is the only country armed with hypersonic weapons.

He noted that for the first time in history Russia is now leading the world in developing an entire new class of weapons, unlike in the past when it was catching up with the United States.

The military said that the Avangard is capable of flying 27 times faster than the speed of sound.

It recorded a speed of 7,000 miles per hour during its first testing in 2016 and the blast yield of a nuclear warhead carried by the Avangard is reportedly more than 2 megatons TNT.

Russian media reports indicated that the Avangard will first be mounted on Soviet-built RS-18B intercontinental ballistic missiles, code-named SS-19 by Nato.

It is expected to be fitted to the prospective Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile after it becomes operational.

The Defence Ministry said in November that it demonstrated the Avangard to a team of US inspectors as part of transparency measures under the New Start nuclear arms treaty with the US.

The US has mulled new defence strategies to counter hypersonic weapons developed by Russia and China.

In December, Mr Putin emphasised that Russia is the only country armed with hypersonic weapons

US officials have talked about putting a layer of sensors in space to more quickly detect enemy missiles, particularly the hypersonic weapons.

The administration also plans to study the idea of basing interceptors in space, so the US can strike incoming enemy missiles during the first minutes of flight when the booster engines are still burning.

The Pentagon also has been working on the development of hypersonic weapons in recent years, and US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said in August that he believes 'it's probably a matter of a couple of years' before the US has one.

He has called it a priority as the military works to develop new long-range fire capabilities.
The Vice President, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has called on all Ghanaians, irrespective of religious or political beliefs, to cherish the peace Ghana enjoys and work together for the collective good.



Dr Bawumia, who gave the admonition when he joined the congregation of the Power Chapel Worldwide Church in Kumasi, for the 31st December Watch Night Service, said God has been good and faithful to Ghana, and we can only show our appreciation by working together in peace and harmony to develop the nation.



The year 2020 like many others came with its own fortunes and misfortunes but as the Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, we should rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances, for this is Gods will for us in Christ Jesus. The deadly coronavirus could not kill us and neither the snares nor arrows of the devil targeted at us in 2021 shall locate us or hurt us, he indicated.



Vice President Bawumia urged Ghanaians to cherish and protect the peace Ghana enjoys, pointing out that trans-religious harmony has been the glue holding the nation together.



We have a country in which the Chief Imam (belonging to the Islamic faith) celebrates his birthday in a church. And today, like in many instances, we have the Vice President who is a Muslim worshiping with Christians to mark the end of the year. Two years ago also, during my Ramadan tour of the Ahafo region some pastors in the region joined me in the Kukuom Mosque to pray.



These are a few of the many instances of such religious tolerance and co-existence we enjoy in Ghana. Today, because of this trait of religious acceptance and tolerance Ghana is ranked as the most peaceful country in West Africa. This is credit to all of us but most importantly to the Almighty God.



Alluding to the just ended elections, Dr Bawumia emphasised that Ghanaians had proven their peace-loving nature once again, and it is time to move on.



The 2020 elections was just another furnace to test the robustness of the Ghanaian democracy and thankfully we sailed through peacefully and successfully. To President Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP the battle was the Lords and continues to be that of the Lords. We thank God and all Ghanaians for that victory but I must say it is a victory to God and all of us.



In the year 2021 there is a country to be run and managed well. It is an exercise that cannot be taken by one person or only a certain group of people. We all have a responsibility to ensure that the country Ghana is made a haven for our collective settlement and not a select few.



There is no doubt that some significant amount of foundation has already been laid for an accelerated development. And we are confident that, He who has begun the good works will help us to bring it to a perfect completion.



Speaking earlier at the St Cyprians Anglican Church and the Bantama Assemblies of God Church, Vice President Bawumia thanked God for his special favour on Ghana, saying there were times I feared the nation would go up in flames, but God was in control. The devil is indeed a liar. Let us give thanks and praise to the Lord. May his grace continue to be on this nation.



Dr Bawumia was accompanied by the Second Lady, Hajia Mrs Samira Bawumia; the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah; Mr Fred Oware, CEO of Bui Power Authority; Francis Asenso Boakye, Deputy Chief of Staff and MP-elect for Bantama; a number of Ashanti Region MPs and MPs-elect including Hon Eugene Boakye Antwi (Subin), Hon Emmanuel Marfo (Oforikrom), Hon Kennedy Kankam (Nhyiaeso), Vincent Ekow Assifuah (Tafo Pankrono), Dr Kingsley Nyarko (Kwadaso) as well as regional executives of the NPP.

Source: Graphiconline.com









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LONDON - A British judge ruled Monday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should not be extradited to the United States to face charges of violating the Espionage Act, because he is at extreme risk of suicide and might not be protected from harming himself in a U.S. prison.

Assange - who has been held at London's Belmarsh prison since the Ecuadoran Embassy revoked his political asylum two years ago - is charged with 18 federal crimes, including conspiring to obtain and disclose classified diplomatic cables and sensitive military reports from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A spokesman for the Justice Department said the U.S. government will appeal the judge's ruling. Prosecutors want Assange flown to northern Virginia to face the charges, which could lead to a life sentence in a maximum-security prison if he were convicted.

British District Judge Vanessa Baraitser did not object to the merits of the case. She rejected claims by Assange's legal team that the U.S. government was seeking to punish the 49-year-old Australian for his political opinions and that President Donald Trump wanted his head on a pike.

The judge said she had no doubt that Assange could have a fair trial with an impartial jury in the United States, and she was not concerned that his prosecution would upend protections for journalists and publishers. She said that in encouraging hackers to join the CIA or break into government computers to give WikiLeaks material to publish, Assange had not acted as a traditional investigative journalist.

But Baraitser blocked the high-profile extradition based on testimony from psychiatrists called by the defense, who stressed that Assange was actively planning to kill himself if ordered to face trial in the United States.

She said the defense had provided compelling evidence that Assange suffers from severe depression, that he has written a will, sought absolution from a priest and that a razor blade was found hidden in his cell at Belmarsh prison in London.

"The overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man fearful for his future," Baraitser said.

She focused on the harsh environment Assange could face if convicted. She described America's supermax prison, the Administrative Maximum Facility or AMX, in Florence, Colo., as a facility where inmates are kept in lockdown 23 hours a day with almost no human contact.

"Faced with the conditions of near total isolation without the protective factors which limited his risk at HMP Belmarsh, I am satisfied the procedures described by the U.S. will not prevent Mr. Assange from finding a way to commit suicide and for this reason I have decided extradition would be oppressive by reason of mental harm and I order his discharge," Baraitser said from the bench, reading from her ruling.

Assange was in the courtroom, sitting in a glass booth, wearing a dark blue suit and a green surgical mask, and he closed his eyes as he listened to the judge block his extradition. His partner and mother of their two children, Stella Moris, wept, as WikiLeaks editor in chief Kristinn Hrafnsson put his arm around her shoulders.

"I'm disappointed, certainly," said U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger, who brought the case against Assange. But Terwilliger said he was "pleasantly surprised" that the judge based her ruling narrowly on Assange's mental health and not on arguments about political motivation, fair trial or freedom of speech.

"That to me is a much easier burden to get over versus if they said, no, this is entirely political. ... We work through those issues all the time," he said. "But, obviously, those will be decisions for the next administration."

Although the Trump administration has sought to prosecute Assange, the president has praised the WikiLeaks activist for his role in releasing hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee. Assange supporters have urged Trump to issue a pardon before leaving office.

Outside the courthouse, Assange's fiancee implored, "Mr. President, tear down these prison walls. Let our little boys have their father."

Moris, who began a relationship with Assange while serving as his lawyer, said, "Let's not forget the indictment in the U.S. has not been dropped. We're extremely concerned that the U.S. government has decided to appeal this decision. It continues to want to punish Julian and make him disappear to the deepest, darkest hole of the U.S. prison system for the rest of his life."

She added, "Journalism should never be a crime."

U.S. prosecutors have sought to distinguish Assange and WikiLeaks from the media, arguing that no reporter would help a source try to break into encrypted files or expect legal protection if they did.

"Julian Assange is no journalist," Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said when the charges were announced. "This is made plain by the totality of his conduct as alleged in the indictment."

The British High Court will probably agree to hear the appeal, since the extradition case has been so long and complex, said Nick Vamos, formerly head of the extradition unit at the Crown Prosecution Service and now a partner at Peters & Peters law firm in London.

But the process could take several months - perhaps even longer because of Assange's poor health and the soaring outbreak of coronavirus in Britain, which has the capital city on near-lockdown.

Assange was returned to Belmarsh prison on Monday. He will seek release on bail, and his attorney Edward Fitzgerald said the defense will submit new evidence on Wednesday to counter a previous ruling that Assange is a flight risk.

After Monday's ruling, the Mexican government offered Assange asylum, with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador saying at a morning news conference the WikiLeaks founder "deserves a second chance."

A longtime standard-bearer for Mexico's left, Lopez Obrador said Mexico would guarantee that Assange "didn't interfere in the political issues of any country."

During hearings last year, Assange's British lawyers presented witnesses to testify that their client suffers from Asperger's syndrome, that his mental health is "fragile," and that he is at "high risk of suicide."

Michael Kopelman, professor of neuropsychiatry at King's College London, told the court in September that Assange suffers from anxiety, depression and auditory hallucinations, that he has planned and imagined taking his own life, and that faced with imminent extradition, "he would indeed find a way to commit suicide."

In her ruling, Baraitser twice referred to Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in a federal detention center last year while facing sex trafficking charges. His death came while he was on suicide watch after an unsuccessful attempt to take his own life.

"The suicide prevention strategy of the BOP is very good but it doesn't always work," a former warden of the New York facility told the British court.

Joel Sickler, a prison consultant who testified on Assange's behalf, said he believed Epstein's suicide was "an important factor" in the judge's decision. "Mr. Assange likely faced the same fate if transferred here, perhaps not in pre-trial detention but most assuredly at the Super Max," he said.

In 2017, the most recent year for which statistics from the Department of Justice are available, 33 people committed suicide while in federal custody.

This is not the first time a British court has denied a U.S. extradition request based on the same mental health grounds employed by the Assange defense.

On appeal, the British High Court in 2018 blocked the extradition of the activist Lauri Love, who was charged in 2013 with hacking into U.S. government computers to steal confidential data. Love's lawyers presented evidence that he suffered from depression and would try to take his life if extradited. U.S. prosecutors later dropped the charges.

In addition to his alleged violations of the Espionage Act and the publishing of classified documents, U.S. prosecutors have charged Assange with conspiracy to commit "computer intrusions" by helping U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning try to hack a password.

In a superseding indictment unsealed in June, prosecutors say he also solicited hackers to break into Icelandic government computers to steal information.

Barry Pollack, one of Assange's American attorneys, called the indictment and extradition request "ill-advised from the start." He said, "We hope that after consideration of the U.K. court's ruling, the United States will decide not to pursue the case further."

- - -

Weiner reported from Washington. The Washington Post's Mary Beth Sheridan in Mexico City contributed to this report.
The Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control on Monday said a suspected COVID-19 case has tested negative for the virus after an initial positive test last week.

The case is a 65-year-old man in Binh Chanh District, according to the centers report.

The man tested positive on New Years Eve but he already retested negative twice, the center said on Monday afternoon.

Further tests have been conducted on the man, pending results.

His contacts have been quarantined and tested for safety reasons.

A source from the Binh Chanh Peoples Committee told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Monday afternoon that it had received the report on the suspected case in the morning.

The 7A Military Hospital in District 5, where the man had visited, is in normal operation, with patients and visitors required to declare their health status and those exhibiting fever symptoms taken to an isolation area.

The 65-year-old man traveled in Sa Pa, located in the northern province of Lao Cai, from December 24 to 27, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control report.

He moved to Hanoi from Sa Pa in a tour package car before flying to Ho Chi Minh City on December 27.

On December 28, he suffered coughing and a fever so he bought some medications from a drugstore in the vicinity of his house for self-treatment.

He visited a private clinic near his house one day later and was prescribed some medicines.

On December 31, he was admitted to the emergency room of the 7A Military Hospital in District 5.

Doctors suspected him to have caught COVID-19, with such pre-existing conditions as hypertension and heart failure.

His sample was then taken and transferred to the Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute for further testing.

The man's retest returned negative for the pathogen at the institute on Sunday and Monday.

Vietnam has confirmed 1,494 coronavirus patients as of Monday morning, including 693 local infections, according to the Ministry of Health.

A total of 1,339 patients, including two announced on Sunday, have recovered from the respiratory disease while 35 have died, suffering from comorbid conditions.

The country has recorded zero domestic cases since December 2, with four infections detected since December 26 among a group of six Vietnamese who had made an illegal entry on December 24 to duck compulsory quarantine.

Two domestically-made vaccines are undergoing clinical trials in Vietnam, their rollout expected late this year or early next year.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) nominated the movie "Selena" to be included in the National Film Registry.

Members or lawmakers from the CHC nominated the Mexican American filmmaker Gregory Nava's 1997 movie "Selena" for inclusion in the National Film Registry.

This is part of the group to ramp up its effort in making sure that Hispanics and Latinos are well represented in the Film Industry.

Read also: Mexican Girl Abused by Parents Dies in ICU After Begging Doctors Not to Heal Her

CHC nominated "Selena" in the National Film Registry

It has always been the mission of CHC to ensure that Hispanics and Latinos are well represented in the different industries.

This time, the group of Democratic Latino lawmakers is pushing the film "Selena" to be included in the National Film Industry.

Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro wrote a letter to Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden on Friday and emphasized in his letter that the film industry continued to exclude Latinos and this is what they want to eradicate. This will help boost Latino visibility in the media.

Castro also told NBC News, "Selena is an American icon and she's so celebrated within the Latino community. I think part of the affirmation of that was, not only the success of the film but also the recent success of the television series."

It can be recounted that the film starring Jennifer Lopez depicts the life, remarkable rise, and tragic death of Tejano music legend Selena Quintanilla. I also touch on important themes of cultural identity and assimilation faced by Mexican American communities as they navigate their personal connections between two cultures and languages.

Read also: Remarkable Latino Icons Who Bid Goodbye This 2020

Big step for Latino film industry

Castro's letter to Hayden highlights the importance of this movie in Latino film industry. He also advised the panel to give 'careful consideration' to this movie, as it has become an instrumental part in Latino culture.

Meanwhile, filmmaker Gregory Nava, who directed the film, released a statement about the nomination. Nava claimed that Latino filmmakers have been "overlooked and underrepresented" in the film industry.

"Our community is important and growing and our stories need to be told. I applaud the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' efforts to bring attention to this and to honor the accomplishments of Latinx filmmakers."

Castro also added that Latinos have been left out of the representation of American culture by and large. The nomination of "Selena" is one of the efforts in making sure that Latinos are represented in the telling of American culture and the retelling of American culture.

Latino filmmakers are underrepresented

According to a recent study from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, it was found out that 44 of the 100 top movies in 2019 had absolutely no Latino characters with speaking roles. This result did not differ from the previous data in 2018 and 2015.

Additionally, only 4.9 percent of the speaking roles in last year's top 100 movies went to Hispanic actors even though there country's population is composed of 19 percent.

The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative also added that Latinos were the only major racial group that was underrepresented in on-screen speaking roles in 2019.
by Paul Nguyen Hung

An online mass, with Vietnamese participating from all over the world, presided over by the archbishop of Hue, Msgr. Joseph Nguyen Chi Linh. Our Lady is present in the midst of storms and floods and accompanies us. She is close to us even in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hue (AsiaNews) - A solemn mass dedicated to Mary Mother of God and to pray for peace in 2021 was held two days ago at the shrine of Our Lady of La Vang in the central area of the country.

The celebration was presided over by the Archbishop of Hue, Msgr. Joseph Nguyen Chi Linh, together with hundreds of priests, men and women religious and the bishop emeritus Msgr. Phanxico Xavie Le Van Hong. There were also lay faithful, representatives of the parishes of the archdiocese and other dioceses, but in small numbers, due to the pandemic. For the occasion, after mass, the archbishop met with his priests for the monthly retreat of the clergy.

The sanctuary complex stands on a plain in central Vietnam, in an area not yet reached by the rapid economic development that is transforming the country. It was built in memory of the apparition of the Virgin and Child, which took place over two centuries ago, in 1798 in the forest "Cay La Vang" (The trees of La Vang), in the province of Quang Tri (in the current territory of archdiocese of Hue).

The Virgin Mary appeared to a group of Vietnamese Catholics who, fleeing persecution, had taken refuge in the forest. Our Lady assured them of comfort and an end to the persecutions, indicating a herb ("La Vang") to cure diseases. Since then the sanctuary has been a pilgrimage destination for Christians, but also for Buddhists and animists, to ask for help and thanks.

In his homily, Msgr. Nguyen Chi Linh emphasized this universal dimension of prayer to Our Lady of La Vang. "We have come - he said - to thank the Mother of God for the past year. Few of us are here, but with the online broadcast, today's Mass is broadcast on a global scale. Many people and families are connected with us, in communion with the celebration. In the spirit of communion, we not only pray for one another, but through Our Lady of La Vang we ask God to bless everyone in this new year ".

The archbishop then listed the difficulties experienced by the Vietnamese population in the past year: first of all, the floods and deaths in the central provinces of Thua Thien Hue, Quang Tri, and others. Our Lady is present in the midst of storms and floods and accompanies us. She is close to us even in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our Lady - he concluded - understands our needs. We ask you to protect us not only in this celebration, but also after, when we return to our daily life.

In recent months, a series of storms have caused flooding in central Vietnam, causing hundreds of deaths and missing as well as destroying thousands of homes and crops. The Church, together with the local Caritas, has been close to the affected population.
Patna, Jan 5 : While Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was busy in taking a high-level meeting at the secretariat in Patna, one of his dream projects -- water connectivity to every house called "Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal" Program -- appeared not properly being implemented on ground at several places in the state.

A newly constructed overhead water tank built under "Saat Nishchay" scheme was collapsed within five minutes as a submersible pump was started to fill water in it in Beldhar Bigha village of Gaya district.

The incident has created chaos in the area. Fortunately, no one came under the debris of the tank. The villagers alleged that the contractor had used low-quality material in the construction of this tank.

This was not the first case, similar incidents have also been reported in Khagaria, Nalanda and Nawada districts as well.

This scheme is having a scope of scam and it is appearing from time to time in Bihar. Darbhanga police have also arrested a Ward Secretary and Ward Member in connection of alleged embezzlement of the government funds.

Darbhanga police have arrested Ward Secretary Vijay Yadav of Benipur Block for embezzling Rs 2,29,000 on Monday while Ward Member Shatrudhan Mukhiya was arrested for taking away Rs 13,48,400.

Anmol Mishra, Block Development Officer of Benipur in Darbhanga, had registered a complaint on November 26 after the detection of fraud. He said that the arrest was made after proper investigation by the police.

The Chief Minister on Monday held a high-level meeting on to analyse development projects in Bihar.

He took a review of "Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal" scheme. Besides, he also approved easy road connectivity to every village. As per the plan, he has given direction to the Road Construction Department to connect every village with important places.

An Additional Chief Secretary level officer of the Road Construction Department presented a plan to construct 120 bypass roads in important cities, sub towns and blocks across the state.

According to the plan, the total length of these roads is estimated to be 708 km. These will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 4,154 crore in 48 months. 31 bypasses will be constructed alongside national highways and the remaining 89 are on state highways.
She is proud mum to two daughters; Belle, six, and Penelope, three.

And Katie Piper has revealed spending time at home during lockdown has made her broody and want to try for another baby.

However, the charity founder said her husband Richard Sutton wasn't as keen to expand the family because he had outgrown the newborn baby stage after having their two girls.

Broody: Katie Piper has revealed spending time at home during lockdown has made her broody and want to try for another baby (pictured last month)

Katie, 37, told OK! Magazine: 'I think he just wouldn't really want to go back to the beginning stage.

'You know over lockdown how people bought loads of puppies? I was like, "We could have another baby! I'm at home so I could breastfeed on Zoom and it'd be great!"

'But then the world will go back to normal in spring and I'd be like, "Oh no, I'm eight months pregnant, that wasn't a good idea.'

Content: However, the charity founder said her husband Richard Sutton wasn't as keen to expand the family because he had outgrown the newborn baby stage (pictured in 2019)

Katie added they haven't ruled out having another child telling the publication: 'None of us know what's going to happen in life' but if she was to fall pregnant she didn't care about gender as long as the baby was healthy.

The couple recently celebrated their five-year wedding anniversary and Katie said they marked the occasion by making a homemade curry.

The television personality had originally planned to head out for dinner but decided to stay in because she couldn't fit into her dress because of a bloated stomach.

In November, Katie received a Honorary Doctorate Award of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland to mark her achievements as a healthcare leader.

Family: Katie is proud mum to two daughters; Penelope, three, and Belle, six

Last month, the activist was honoured for her groundbreaking work setting up the Katie Piper Foundation - which supports burns survivors, along with their families and carers.

The Foundation has also opened a rehabilitation centre in the UK - and reaches out to survivors to provide remote individually tailored programmes of rehabilitation.

Katie survived a sulfuric acid attack orchestrated by her ex-boyfriend in 2008, which caused significant damage to her face and left her blind in one eye.

The horrifying attack was organised by her obsessive ex-partner, Daniel Lynch, but was carried out by Stefan Sylvestre, 31.
Razak Kojo Opoku, the leader of the Concerned Voters Movement has urged Ghanaians to eschew religious extremism and embrace other faiths.



In the past few days, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has been slammed by a section of the public after he worshipped with churches on the night of 31st December 2020 in Kumasi.



Commenting on the issue, the NLA spokesperson said that Ghanaians should rather praise the Vice President for showing tolerance and maturity.



"There is absolutely nothing wrong with Bawumia visiting or worshipping with Christians likewise there would be no wrong if Alan or Mahama visit or worship with Muslims, he said in a social media post.



He cited a number of instances in the Bible and Quran where the Christian and Muslim faith connect.



Read his full statement below



Razak Kojo Opoku Writes: Religious Extremism is a Backward Philosophy



There is absolutely nothing wrong with Bawumia visiting or worshiping with Christians likewise there would be no wrong if Alan or Mahama visit or worship with Muslims. Ghana is a secular state with Christians Major and Islam Minor. It is important to also state that Abrahamic Religions in chronological order of founding are Judaism led by Moses, Christianity led by Jesus Christ and Islam led by Muhammad.



Both Ishmael and Isaac(the Covenant Child) are all biological sons of Abraham.



Muhammad is linked to Ishmael through the lineage of the patriarch Adnan.



Jesus Christ is linked to Isaac through the patriarch David.



Christians were the first people who received Muhammad in Madina when he runs away from Mecca to Madina for safety.



The first covenant agreement between Christians and Muslims for peaceful co-existence and tolerance was signed by Muhammad and Najran Christians in Madina.



The 1992 Constitution of Ghana has stated clearly that no person should be discriminated on the basis of Religion.



Tribal Politics and Religious Politics are illegal under the 1992 Constitution.



A Muslim leader would need Christian Votes to succeed.



A Christian leader would also need the votes of Muslims to succeed.



According to Hebrews 12:14, "Pursue peace with all men, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord".



And in Romans 12:18, "If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone".



In the past few days, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has been slammed by a section of the public after he worshipped with churches on the night of 31st December 2020 in Kumasi.



Commenting on the issue, the NLA spokesperson said that Ghanaians should rather praise the Vice President for showing tolerance and maturity.



"There is absolutely nothing wrong with Bawumia visiting or worshipping with Christians likewise there would be no wrong if Alan or Mahama visit or worship with Muslims, he said in a social media post.



He cited a number of instances in the Bible and Quran where the Christian and Muslim faith connect.







Source: Ghanaweb









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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Rewind, Review, and Re-Rate: Platoon: Soldiers AgreeMost Realistic War Movie Ever Made

R | 2h | Drama, War | 6 February 1987 (USA)

I used to tend bar near Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, which, in the early 90s, was Crack Cocaine Central. We had an interesting regular: Freddy, in his mid-30s, wore combat boots, an army jacket, skull tattoos, an drab-olive green bandana, and lamented that hed missed his mission in life. Freddy felt deeply that he should have been in The Nam. Oliver Stones Platoon shows why.

Lerner (Johnny Depp) in a scene from Platoon. (Orion Pictures)

The actual Vietnam War was hell on earth, yet enough time has passedand Hollywoods tendency to romanticize war being what it isthat, knowing America, a nostalgic subculture that romanticizes and fetishizes that war has been generated.

I feel it myself (as I imagine many men do, who never served) when Im in an Army-Navy store and see beret-wearing skulls on Vietnam-era patches saying 82nd Airborne, Death From Above, Mess With the Best, Die Like the Rest, Agent Orange: Sprayed and Betrayed, Di Di Mau Beaucoup Dinky Dau, or the spooky patch of the AC-130 Spectre Gunship. For civilians, these things have morphed into funhouse-horror items akin to Ed Big Daddy Roths Rat Fink 1960s hot-rod art.

Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger) telling the troops to lock and load, in Platoon. (Orion Pictures)

The quality Vietnam films are Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter, Full Metal Jacket, Hamburger Hill, Born on the Fourth of July, Good Morning Vietnam, Casualties of War, We Were Soldiers, and Rescue Dawn.

But it was director Oliver Stone, telling the tale of his own been-there-done-that experience, that above all others contributed to this American Nam-nostalgia. The Best Picture-winning Platoon is regarded by many in the military community as the most realistic combat film ever produced.

You Gotta be Rich to Think Like That in the First Place

In 1967, guilt-ridden Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) ditches his Ivy League education to go fight the Viet Cong with the 25th Infantry (Bravo Company). Which is exactly what Oliver Stone didditched Yale University and enlisted as a combat-infantry soldier.

Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) starting to realize what he got himself into, in Platoon. (Orion Pictures)

Taylor arrives starry-eyed and idealistic in Da Nang, South Vietnam, and first thing off the transport plane, hes seeing stacked black bodybags. The new recruits get catcalls from the outgoing troops: new meat! You dudes gonna love the Nam, for (expletive omitted) ever!

But its the sunken-eyed, thousand-yard stare of one gaunt-faced soldier that sears Taylors brain and kicks off a series of letters to his grandmother, which we hear via voice-over, about the nightmare he soon realizes hes strayed into: constant exhaustion, confusion, fear, fire ants, booby traps, cobras, virulent racism, rotting Viet Cong corpses in the jungle, and an endless panorama of bloody death. If it sounds familiar, its because Charlie Sheens dad, Martin Sheen, starred in, and did the same kind of narrative voiceover in Francis Ford Coppolas Apocalypse Now.

Taylors elite ivory tower swan dive into the mud of the Nam brings him in contact with salt-of-the-earth Americans; as he says: They come from the end of the line, most of them, small towns you never heard of: Pulaski, Tennessee; Brandon, Mississippi; Pork Bend, Utah; Wampum, Pennsylvania

(LR) Tony (Ivan Kane), Junior (Reggie Johnson), and Big Harold (Forest Whitaker), in Platoon. (Orion Pictures)

Taylor also encounters two sergeants. Theres the battled-scarred Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger), a hardcore, menacing, true representative of the USAs venerable Southern warrior tradition. He believes in the war and will run roughshod over anything and anyone to win it. On the other hand, the heartfelt hippie-warrior Elias (Willem Dafoe) has a moral compass that hasnt yet eroded into sociopathy. These two men are leaders of a cultural division within the platoon.

Heads Versus Drinkers

Taylor gravitates socially and ideologically to the Heads (potheads). The Heads sanctuary is a subterranean bunker festooned with Christmas-lights, nicknamed the Undergrounda sort of soldier speakeasy with a hidden entrance, counter-culture vibe, and dancing to Smokey Robinsons The Tracks of My Tears. Taylor undergoes an initiation rite of sortsinhaling the pot smoke Elias blows into the breach of a shotgun.

Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe), proffering a shotgun peace-pipe in Platoon. (Orion Pictures)

These two sergeants, pothead Elias versus hard-drinking Barnes, represent for Chris the battle between good and evil. The war becomes the manhood rite-of-passage Chris was seeking, which he expresses in the following monologue, at the end:

There are times since, Ive felt like the child born of those two fathers. But, be that as it may, those of us who did make it have an obligation to build again, to teach to others what we know, and to try with whats left of our lives to find a goodness and a meaning to this life.

Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) having a smoke and King (Keith David) enjoying the new meat-awkwardness, in Platoon. (Orion Pictures)

Clearly Oliver Stone was a disciple of Elias, and Platoon was Stone teaching what he knows in the name of goodness. Stones youthful idealistic sacrifice was noble, but as the platoons resident M-60 machine-gunner, King (Keith David), says, You gotta be rich to think like that in the first place. So what lessons does Stone teach? More on that in a minute.

Loss of Honor

The 25th Infantry (Bravo Company) moves out on patrol on a rainy night, in Platoon. (Orion Pictures)

Most of the war films made today are heavily influenced by, and mostly directly about, special operations military. Army Special Forces (Green Berets), The Unit (Delta Force), and the SEAL teams put a premium on maintaining the moral high ground. And the American military has always been about the flag and the Bible.

Manny (Corkey Ford), in Platoon. (Orion Pictures)

However, Stones authentic, gritty, re-creation of the infantry foot-soldiers Vietnam experience should be watched, keeping in mind what happens when largely uneducated American teenage soldiers, with no other career optionsgo to war. What happens when soldiers from broken homes, carrying dime-store versions of a moral compass, are put into the jungle with no adult supervision, no sleep, booze, pot, guns, knives, mortars, claymores, lots of killing, and the option to rape and pillage?

American soldiers burn a Vietnamese village, in Platoon. (Orion Pictures)

I saw Platoon in Germany when it first came out. Following its most controversial and brutal scene (most likely based on the horrific My Lai Massacre of March 16, 1968, where a Vietnamese village woman was murdered by U.S. forces to avenge recent deaths of fellow platoon members), theres a rape scene.

Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger) threatens to kill the village chiefs daughter (Li Thi Van) if he doesnt get some answers, in Platoon. (Orion Pictures)

Germany censors the opposite content of what the United States does; Germany censors violence and keeps anything sexual. The U.S. censors sexual content and keeps violence. Oliver Stone shot a horrifying rape scene. The Germans left that in, even though rape is both sex and violence. You cant find it now on American DVDs. Youll only (thankfully) find the extremely mild version. The original version was seriously disturbing.

What Does Stone Teach?

Director Stone shows us two things: 1) Platoons contribution is the depiction of how little-or-no-choice-having, U.S. drafted soldiers comport themselves, as opposed to true-calling, freedom-of-choice warriors like the elite Navy SEALS in Lone Survivor.



2) He gives us images of war so powerful that you know they were scorched into Stones memory: the haunting thousand-yard stares, and the perfect casting of the young Kevin Dillon (Johnny Drama in HBOs Entourage) as Bunny, the quintessential baby-faced all-American kid with an unholy appetite for destruction and a nightmarish mean-streak.

Bunny (Kevin Dillon, L) and Sergeant Warren (Tony Todd), in Platoon. (Orion Pictures)

Further stunning images: the unspeakable atrocities committed by Bunny and the sublime beauty of the jungle; artistic touches, such as the image of a monitor lizard slowly crawling up the stone visage of an ancient Buddha statue.

And again, theres that funhouse-horror atmosphere, like the one ineffably captured by Steven Spielberg in Schindlers List when the Nazis raid the Jewish ghetto. The climactic nighttime scene of Vietnamese-jungle foxhole-combat footage, lit by falling flares, makes you immediately understand why Freddy who-wished-he-was-in-the-Nam thinks he missed out on all the fun.



Bunny (Kevin Dillon, L) and Chris (Charlie Sheen), in Platoon. (Orion Pictures)

But the truly brilliant thing Oliver Stone did, and the true star of this movie is Stones choice of Samuel Barbers utterly haunting Adagio for Strings, which rivets the beauty and tragedy of this story in the soul like no other war movie before or since.

Lastly, Stones criticism of a politics-ridden (in the bad sense) American administration that tied the militarys hands, and didnt let it fight the war it was capable of, is caustic. America probably needed to be over there, policing the spread of communism.

Director Richard Linklater intended his first big movie, Dazed and Confused, to destroy any sense of nostalgia for high school, but ended up making the exact oppositea cult classic that exudes nothing but nostalgia. Similarly, Stone intended for Platoon to obliterate any romantic notions about the Vietnam War. And yet  now we have guys like Freddy running around wishing theyd been there. Any art that generates a tangible, true atmosphere will do this.

Platoon received eight nominations and won four Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Sound, and Best Film Editing). Stone was the first Vietnam vet to direct a movie about the Vietnam War. And it shows.

(LR) (standing) Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, (seated) Francesco Quinn, and Kevin Dillon on the set of Platoon. (Orion Pictures)

Platoon

Director: Oliver Stone

Starring: Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Keith David, Johnny Depp, Forest Whitaker, Kevin Dillon, John C. McGinley, Francesco Quinn, Reggie Johnson, Chris Pedersen, Corey Glover, Mark Moses

Running Time: 2 hours

Rating: R

Release Date: Feb. 6, 1987

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Representatives from Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Uzbekistan's National Children's Medical Center and other medical institutions of the two countries join the opening ceremony of Simulating Innovation Learning Center in the Uzbek capital city of Tashkent, Dec. 23. / Courtesy of KOICA



By Yi Whan-woo



Korea has completed building a children's hospital capable of conducting thousands of operations ever year in Uzbekistan, according to Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).



KOICA, the foreign aid arm of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the National Children's Medical Center in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent was constructed recently as an international development project supported by "Team Korea."



The team consists of KOICA, the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH) and the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF).



KOICA was in charge of strengthening the capabilities of medical personnel. KOFIH oversaw consulting on hospital operations and the EDCF funded the construction.



The hospital is the only pediatric institution of its kind in Central Asia, specializing in high-tech services for more than 5,000 complex medial operations to be carried out every year.



KOICA has begun its separate projects with the hospital. Among them are the Simulating Innovation Learning Center to cultivate a skilled medical workforce, a master plan for strengthening clinical capabilities for treating child patients and training of medical staff and pediatricians.



In particular, KOICA expected the learning center to present new possibilities and models for Uzbekistan's healthcare system as well as children's hospitals.



"The education and training center supported by KOICA is meaningful in that it can lay the foundation for Uzbekistan to become the best medical hub in Central Asia," Korean Ambassador to Uzbekistan Kang Jae-kwon said during the opening ceremony of the center in late December.



KOICA Vice President Baek Suk-hee said strengthening the capabilities of healthcare workers, especially doctors and nurses, "is the most direct asset needed in the post-COVID-19 era," adding, "We look forward to the full transmission of Korea's experience and knowledge in healthcare to the Uzbekistan government."



Kang and Baek were joined by Seoul National Children's Hospital Director Kim Han-suk, Uzbek Deputy Health Minister Elmira Basitkhanova and National Children's Medical Center Director Murod Jafarov.



The two countries also jointly ran a five-week online seminar until Dec. 26 to help Uzbekistan bolster its COVID-19 emergency response.



Jointly organized by KOICA and Yonsei University Medical Center, the seminar had more than 150 participants from Uzbekistan's Ministry of Health, Virus Research Institute and National Children's Medical Center, among others.



The seminar included discussion and customized consulting on epidemiological investigation, diagnosis, treatment and control of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.



Park Hye-jung, deputy director of KOICA's Uzbekistan office, expressed the seminar was helpful "to directly help most participants from the Uzbekistan medical field perform their duties."



"To respond quickly and effectively to COVID-19, it is important to strengthen the capabilities of medical professionals," Park said. "We will overcome the crisis together by transmitting Korea's antivirus experience and expertise."


During the conversation on Saturday, a recording of which was obtained earlier by The Washington Post, Mr. Trump never mentioned Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, except to threaten Brad Raffensperger, Georgias Republican secretary of state, that if he failed to find more votes for the president by Tuesday, youre going to have people just not voting in the runoff contests. Mr. Trump is scheduled to campaign in the state on Monday.

Most Republicans were mum on Sunday about the revelations, though Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, a frequent critic of Mr. Trump, called it absolutely appalling.

To every member of Congress considering objecting to the election results, you cannot  in light of this  do so with a clean conscience, Mr. Kinzinger wrote on Twitter, appending the hashtag #RestoreOurGOP.

Beyond Georgia, the Republican dilemma had implications for the ability of party members to work with one another and a new Democratic White House after Jan. 20, for Republicans on the midterm ballot in 2022 and for the partys presidential field in 2024.

It was a situation that Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader for at least a few more days, had assiduously sought to avoid.

He has worked feverishly to maneuver his party around Mr. Trumps outbursts and outrages since January 2017, hoping to reap the political and policy benefits of having a mercurial ally in the White House without having to pay too high a price. The bargain delivered him a personal legacy of 234 conservative judges along with business-friendly federal policies prized by Republicans. Mr. McConnell even delayed the traditional recognition of the presidential winner  a man he has known for decades and considers a friend  to mollify Mr. Trump until it became untenable with the initial tally of electoral votes on Dec. 14.

It was still not enough for Mr. Trump, who made clear that he expected Republicans to join him first in sowing doubt about the election results and ultimately in moving to overturn them.
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John and Irene Fay

"We were very provincial in those days. If you lived in the Ingleside, you stayed in the Ingleside. If you lived in the Parkside, you stayed in the Parkside."

28 May 2000 - For our latest interview, we traveled to Healdsburg to talk with John and Irene (Sullivan) Fay. The couple raised eight children over 33 years in the Sunset district, and had some vivid memories of their lives there.

Highlights of the interview included recollections of the grand novenas that drew thousands of Irish-Americans to St. Anne's Catholic Church each year.

Irene remembered the trips to Ocean Beach from her childhood home in the Potrero. Getting to the surf included four transfers on public transportation with her mother and three siblings.

Thank you John and Irene!

One of our primary missions is to record the memories of western neighborhoods people. We preserve these recollections for the future.

Also, you can contribute your own stories, here on our Web site.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
About 11 Hazara Shia muslim coal miners have been shot dead in in Pakistan by gunmen. ISIL (ISIS group) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

In a shocking incident that has jostled the international community, a group of minority Hazara Shia muslim coal miners have been shot dead in in Pakistan by gunmen. The attack, which took place on Sunday near the Mach coalfield, has killed about 11 Hazara Shia coal miners.

Condemning the incident, Pak PM Imran Khan has tweeted that the condemnable killing of 11 innocent coal miners in Mach Baluchistan is yet another cowardly inhuman act of terrorism. He further shared that he has asked Frontier Constabulary to use all resources to apprehend those killers.

Speaking about the incident, which is seen as a cold-blooded murder, Pakistani police and paramilitary officer Moazzam Ali Jatoi has revealed that the armed men took the coal miners to nearby mountains and shot fire on them. While six of them died on the spot, five others died on their way to the hospital.

He further said that the initial investigation has revealed that the attackers identified the miners belonging to Shia muslim community and executed them. They left the others unharmed.

In a video footage running on some of the local Pakistani channels, security troops can be seen diverting traffic, guiding ambulances to pick up the bodies and conducting a search operation in the mountainous region. ISIL (ISIS group) has claimed responsibility for the attack.
NEW HAVEN  It will be a story of love, family, racism and African American history.

City native Jill Marie Snyder, author of Dear Mary, Dear Luther: A Courtship in Letters, will participate in a Zoom presentation through the New Haven Museum Feb. 10, according to a release, talking about what she learned as she researched her complex family tree.

The book, which won the Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society Award for Nonfiction Romance/History Focus in 2019, came about after the death of Snyders mother, Mary, in 2007. Snyder transcribed letters between her parents throughout their relationship, the release said, something her mother had wanted published. To add context, Snyder began digging for details, the release said, and learned much.

Snyders genealogical journey led to a better understanding of her parents emotional connection, and some surprising discoveries, and it has become her post-retirement mission to show other African Americans the value, and the methodologies, of researching their own family trees, the release said.

I believe strongly that every Black family should document its history, Snyder said in the release. The Black history my generation learned in school was a single story  that Black people were enslaved in the south, there was a Civil War to free the slaves, and in the 1900s Black people left the south and went north to find work  end of story.

But she said she found there was much more to it.

The people I meet during book signings often share amazing anecdotes about their families  stories of hardship and suffering  sometimes almost too painful to bear, and uplifting accounts of family members persevering in the face of great odds, she said in the release. Its important to document these stories for historians to get a fuller view of the Black experience and to inspire future generations.

According to the release, the book details the relationship of Snyders parents, Mary (nee Brooks) and Luther Snyder, who met in 1935, as it moved through the years, including moving from city to city and finally landing in New Haven, where Snyder and her siblings were raised. At one point, the release said, every member of the family was employed by Yale University in various capacities, ranging from campus police to research assistant in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health.

Among the family history discoveries Snyder made along the way, the release said, the most surprising was finding her great-great grandfather, Henry Jones obituary, which documented his enslavement.

I knew as a person of African descent that I had ancestors who were enslaved, Snyder said in the release. But to have a name and a location (Winchester, Va.), and to learn that he escaped, was very moving.

The presentation will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 10 via Zoom. To register for the presentation, visit http://bit.ly/380Nk6a.
Laura Dundovic made quite an entrance as she arrived back in Brisbane following a week-long holiday on Hamilton Island.

The model and former Miss Universe Australia, 33, jetted into Brisbane Airport on Sunday via private jet following her summer getaway with friends.

The leggy blonde cut a stylish figure as she disembarked the plane with a group of pals, including celebrity publicist Sam Mangan.

Arriving in style: Model Laura Dundovic (left) made quite an entrance as she arrived back in Brisbane following a week-long holiday on Hamilton Island

Laura looked effortlessly chic in a pair of high-waisted cream pants, which she teamed with a white singlet.

Her long hair was pulled back into a topknot, and she appeared sun-kissed after her festive break.

Laura accessorised with tortoiseshell-patterned slip-on sandals and matching sunglasses.

Back home: The former Miss Universe Australia, 33, jetted into Brisbane Airport on Sunday via private jet following her summer getaway with friends

Cream of the crop: Laura looked effortlessly chic in a pair of high-waisted cream pants, which she teamed with a white singlet

She wore gold hoop earrings and carried a designer handbag as she stepped off the plane.

Laura seemed to be in high spirits, smiling widely as she made her way across the tarmac.

It's believed Sam footed the bill for the flight, which cost an estimated $40,000.

Jetting in: The group had most likely flown out to their destination via private jet too, with Laura sharing this photo of herself on a charter flight six days earlier

The group had most likely flown out to their destination via private jet too, with Laura sharing a photo of herself on a charter flight six days earlier.

'Next stop Hamilton Island,' she captioned the picture on Instagram.

After arriving in the Whitsundays, Laura continued to share a series of holiday snaps, captioning one bikini photo: 'Vacay mode.'
I feel like this is never going to end because there is no plan and nobody is doing anything to put any thought into planning, she said. I had a little bit of hope, and I feel like every day the hope is being taken away because things like this are happening.
The CPI(M)'s prime objective is to defeat BJP in the upcoming West Bengal polls but in the pursuit of this it doesn't want to take along the TMC because of strong anti-incumbency sentiment prevailing against Mamata Banerjee government which would drive people away from us, its General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Monday. Besides, the people are well aware of the TMC's track record in the last 20 years when it had alliance with the saffron party and its leaders served as ministers in the BJP- led NDA coalition, Yechury said.

Yechury, who was addressing media after attending the party state committee meeting here, said the Marxists will have poll understanding with the Congress and traditonal allies like the other Left parties and non-Left allies like NCP and RJD in Bengal elections. "The anti-incumbency sentiment against the TMC government runs so deep and so large that any unity of all the anti-BJP forces will only help the BJP more. It will be counter productive.

"People have great anger against the TMC. Aligning with Trinamool will therefore only turn people against us and help the BJP," the Communist Party of India(Marxist) leader said. Further elaborating on the issue, Yechury said,"Everyone knows the TMC track record in the last 20 years as how it entered into alliances with the BJP and even served as ministers in the NDA cabinet".

He said the BJP and the TMC are trying to turn the approaching elections in Bengal as bipolar event, but the forces opposed to them would "rupture" this. "Our objective is to defeat the BJP and isolate the TMC.

Give alternatives to people on the issues of their livelihood, focussing on the plank of job, food, health and education," he said. "The issue is whether lives of the people can be bettered after polls. On that issue, there is no solution from either the BJP or the TMC," he said.

Farmers agitation against agri laws, demand for proper procurement price for paddy and the issues of migrant labourers would be the dominant narratives in the polls, the CPI(M) leader said. The CPI(M) and the Congress, which have agreed to an alliance, are in the process of a seat sharing arrangement for the West Bengal assembly elections.

"Preliminary discussions have taken place with the Congrees and seat adjustment process is on," Yechury said. To a question if the Congress has asked for 120-140 seats in the polls, Yechury said "seat adjustment process is on.

But, there is no such demand from Congress." Elections to the 294-member Bengal assembly is due in April-May this year. He blamed the centre for the farmers agitation against the new agri laws.

Yechury said though the TMC is protesting against the centre on the new agri legislations, but the fact is that the farmers are not getting minimum support price of their produce under TMC regime in West Bengal as well. The CPI(M)-led Left Front which included CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc ruled Bengal for 34 years from 1977 and 2011.

Mamata Banerjee had demolished the left bastion in the state in 2011 and since then she is on the chief ministerial chair. The CPI(M) and its allies slide continue in the state politics and they failed to win even a single seat in Bengal in 2019 general elections. The Congress managed two seats.

The BJP has replaced the CPI(M) and the Congress as principal opponent to Trinamool Congrerss in Bengal winning 18 out of total 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state, only four less than the TMC's tally of 22. Since then the saffron party is making all efforts to win the coming state polls and form its government in Bengal.

On the issue of DCGI giving nod to vaccines for using in India's drive against COVID-19, Yechury said "India has a healthy tradition of providing safe scientifically sound vaccination to people as largest vaccine producer. "The scientific basis and universal access - there cannot be any compromise on that...In order to be in hurry there shouldn't be any compromise on safe and scientific trials." .
Ukreximbank provides Antonov with almost UAH 3 bln for construction of three An-178 aircraft for army

The state-owned Ukreximbank (Kyiv) has provided the Antonov State Enterprise with almost UAH 3 billion of loan for the construction of three An-178 aircraft for the Ukrainian army, Chairman of the Management Board Yevhen Metzger said.

"The state-owned Ukreximbank signed a loan agreement with [...] the Antonov State Enterprise for almost UAH 3 billion, which will go to the construction of three new An-178 aircraft for the Ukrainian army," he wrote on Facebook.

It is indicated that a state contract for ordering aircraft was concluded with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine for four years in the presence and with the assistance of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

As reported, in late December, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Antonov State Enterprise signed a memorandum of cooperation in the construction of aircraft for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Good morning.

Students across Manitoba are returning to school this morning, either in person or remotely, after the holiday break. A streak of warm temperatures continues on this first Monday of 2021 with a forecast high of 1 C (nearly 14 degrees above the average high for todays date). Two males charged with first-degree murder in the death of a Calgary police officer on New Years Eve are scheduled to appear in court for a bail hearing today. A judge in Britain has rejected a request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the U.S. to face espionage charges. And tensions between Iran and the West are escalating after the nation began enriching uranium up to 20 per cent and seized a South Korean-flagged oil tanker.

 Adam Treusch, assignment editor
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

American politicians have long been expected to uphold a certain veneer: powerful, influential and never vulnerable. New Penn State research has found that these idealized forms of masculinity may also help explain support for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election and in the days leading up to the 2020 election.

Across several studies, the researchers found that when men and women endorsed "hegemonic masculinity"a culturally idealized form of masculinity that says men should be strong, tough, and dominantthey were more likely to vote for and have positive feelings about Trump.

The researchers found this was true even when they controlled for political party, gender and how much the participants trusted the government.

Nathaniel Schermerhorn, a dual doctoral candidate in psychology and women's, gender, and sexuality studies, said the findingspublished in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of Americasuggest that while American society seems to be ready for a female president, an active rejection of hegemonic masculinity may need to happen first.

"The pervasiveness of hegemonic masculinity exists because we do not always know that our attitudes and behaviors are contributing to it," Schermerhorn said. "The success of Donald Trump's 2016 campaign shows that even if we, as a society, have made progress in saying that discrimination and prejudice is undesirable, we have not, as a society, fully interrogated the systematic ways in which those prejudices are upheld."

Because American politics are largely dominated by men, the researchers said political campaigns often emphasize traditionally masculine characteristics to convince voters of a candidate's competence and skill.

"Historically, American politics have been a masculinity contest about proving which candidate is better," Schermerhorn said. "Since the 1980s, the Republican party has used this to their rhetorical advantage by presenting the Republican candidate as masculine and feminizing the entire Democratic party, for example by calling them 'snowflakes.'"

Theresa Vescio, professor of psychology and women's, gender, and sexuality studies, said Trump's 2016 campaign was no exceptionhe often criticized his opponent's masculinity and displayed sexist attitudes toward Hilary Clinton while positioning himself as a tough, powerful and successful businessman.

Vescio said that while this may resonate with voters who share similar ideals of masculinity, such attitudes may not actually be realistic.

"In contemporary America, idealized forms of masculinity suggest that men should be high in power, status and dominance, while being physically, mentally and emotionally tough," Vescio said. "But this is an incredibly high standard that few can achieve or maintain. Therefore, this is an idea that many men strive to achieve, but few men actually exhibit."

Vescio said that while Trump's success with voters has been attributed to many different possible factors, she and the other researchers were specifically interested in to what extent hegemonic masculinity played a role with constituents.

The researchers recruited a total of 2,007 participants for seven different studies. In the first six studies, participants answered questions about their endorsements of hegemonic masculinity, trust in the government, sexism, racism, homophobia and xenophobia. They also indicated their political affiliation, how they voted in the 2016 presidential election, and their evaluations of Trump and Clinton.

In a seventh and final study, participants answered similar questions but also provided information about how they were going to vote in the 2020 presidential election, as well as their evaluations of Trump and Biden.

After analyzing the data, the researchers found that across all studies, participants who endorsed hegemonic masculinity were more likely to vote for Trump and to evaluate him positively. This was true for women and men, white and non-white participants, Democrats and Republicans, and across level of education.

"Additionally, we found that stronger endorsement of hegemonic masculinity was related to greater sexism, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, and Islamophobia," Vescio said. "But, hegemonic masculinity continued to predict support for Trump even when controlling for these prejudices."

Schermerhorn said the results can help shine a light on how both men and women respond to masculine and feminine candidates. He said that because hegemonic masculinity is embedded in social and political institutions, people may internalize the status quo as beneficial, even when it isn't.

"While endorsing hegemonic masculinity predicted a higher likelihood of supporting Trump, it did not necessarily predict negative support for Democratic candidates," he said. "This could suggest that hegemonic masculinity may actually be a predictor of maintaining the status quo and not the inverseworking against the status quo."

Explore further Toxic masculinity is unsafe... for men

More information: Theresa K. Vescio el al., "Hegemonic masculinity predicts 2016 and 2020 voting and candidate evaluations," PNAS (2020). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Theresa K. Vescio el al., "Hegemonic masculinity predicts 2016 and 2020 voting and candidate evaluations,"(2020). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2020589118
More than 100,000 people have received a vaccine for the coronavirus in New Jersey since the first doses were administered nearly three weeks ago with efforts expected to ramp up following the holidays, Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday.

The current total statewide number of people to receive at least one dose of the vaccine is 101,417, he said. The governor made the announcement the same day health care workers at University Hospital in Newark became the first people in the state to get the second dose of the vaccine.

New Jersey was awarded a little more than 400,000 vaccines in the month of December. Of that, approximately 120,000 doses have been reserved for long-term care facilities and 280,000 doses have been allocated to hospitals and community sites for front-line healthcare workers.

The state was awarded an additional 106,000 for the first week of January, according to the states website. Approximately 53,000 of those doses have been reserved for long-term care facilities with another 53,000 being allocated to hospitals and community sites.

State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said the total vaccinations are likely higher and there have been reporting delays from the sites, particularly at psychiatric facilities, on the shots being delivered.

Some of it is reporting, Persichilli said during the states latest coronavirus briefing in Trenton, noting the gap between available vaccines and the number that have been administered. Getting into the system has proven to logistically part of the problem.

In addition, the vaccination efforts were slowed by the holidays, she said. Some people elected to delay the shot due to potential short-term side-effects.

Murphy said he hopes to have the long-term care vaccinations completed by early February.

The next group of people  considered 1B  are expected to become eligible for the vaccinations in the coming weeks, though no timeline was available.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

Murphy announced the latest number of people to be vaccinated during his regular COVID-19 briefing in Trenton. As of Wednesday, the last time Murphy gave an update, there had been 62,901 people vaccinated.

Two vaccination mega-sites will open in Morris and Gloucester counties this Friday, Persichilli said. Each will administer 1,000 doses a week for health care workers.

We do not stockpile, Persichilli said.

The federal government sends the doses directly to the (vaccination) sites, she said. There is no stockpiling by the state. The (vaccination) site has to claim it and verify the numbers so its a process.

Health officials on Monday reported 2,292 more cases in the state and another 38 confirmed deaths.

New Jersey has reported 494,317 total PCR (polymerase chain reaction) coronavirus positive tests out of more than 7.8 million tests since the state announced its first case March 4.

Rapid antigen tests have been in use for months, but had not been included in the total positives due to reporting issues. The state reported 822 antigen tests on Monday, bringing the cumulative total of available results to 50,838. The state is listing those as probable cases as the PCR test is considered more reliable.

The state of 9 million residents has now reported 19,244 deaths  17,223 confirmed and 2,021 probable fatalities from complications related to the virus.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The EU medicines watchdog said it could decide later on Monday whether to authorise Moderna's coronavirus vaccine, bringing forward the date from Wednesday.

The Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency had already fast-tracked the decision from the originally scheduled date of January 12 under pressure from EU countries as infections soar.

"There is a meeting of EMA's human medicines committee (CHMP) today, Monday, 4 January, to discuss the Moderna vaccine," the regulator said.

The EMA said it would issue a statement as soon as possible "in the event that the CHMP reaches an opinion at today's meeting".

If it failed to make a decision on a year-long conditional marketing authorisation for the Moderna vaccine it would meet again on Wednesday, it added.

US-based Moderna's jab was found to be 94.1 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 compared to a placebo, in a clinical trial of 30,400 people.

The Moderna vaccine would be the second to be approved for the EU, after the EMA gave the green light for the Pfizer/BioNTech jab in another fast-tracked decision on December 21.

However the EMA said last week that the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, which was approved Wednesday in Britain, is unlikely to get a green light in the EU in the next month.

With Britain and the United States each having pushed through emergency authorisation of two vaccines, the EMA has been under pressure to speed up its regulatory process, notably from Germany.

The EMA moved from London to Amsterdam after Brexit.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
A 29-year-old army veteran died suddenly just before the New Year as his heartbroken family say the father-of-two was struggling with his mental health.

Former soldier Aron Jones, 29, from Rumney, Cardiff, died on Wednesday, December 30.

The father of two boys aged four and eight who served in the Army for ten years, was struggling with his mental health which had deteriorated in the past months according to his family.

Mr Jones served between 2008 and 2018 and travelled the country and the world during his career as a gunner in the Royal Artillery.

Former soldier Aron Jones, 29, died suddenly on Wednesday, December 30. Pictured with his mother Debbie Seward

He was stationed in Newcastle and spent a lot of his time in Germany and the USA.

His mother, Debbie Seward, who works for the NHS, said: 'Aron is my son. He is not perfect but he is my son and I love him so much.

'He is, however, a perfect dad to his two young boys. We all loved you but the demons would not let the love in. I am and will always be a proud mum.'

The 29-year-old who had six siblings has been described as a 'wonderful grandson' by his grandparents.

The father-of-two from Rumney, Cardiff, served in the Army for 10 years between 2008 and 2018

Family members have set up a fundraising page to help pay towards Mr Jones' funeral and to support his young sons.

They also said that some money could go towards a permanent memorial to the popular dad, son, brother, and grandson.

More than 6,000 has already been raised, which has left the former soldier's family 'totally overwhelmed'.

His family said in a statement: 'Our brother Aron battled mental health problems for a number of years. He served the country by being positioned in the Royal Artillery, which he and our family were proud that he was a part of.

'He doted on his two sons and enjoyed taking them to the skate park.

'He was a fun-loving dad who loved every minute of being with his two sons.

'After leaving the Army his mental health deteriorated and got progressively worse.

'With support from family members it was all too much and on December 30 he tragically lost his life to mental health.

'As a family we are trying to raise funds to help with the funeral costs and it is very difficult during these times. Aron will always be remembered for his quirky personality, being family-orientated, and most of all for being a good dad.

'If you could kindly donate it would help our family, especially in these unprecedented times. Thank you x.'

The family of the 29-year-old said his mental health had deteriorated in recent months. Pictured with his sister, Trina

Friends and former colleagues have paid tribute to Mr Jones.

One said: 'I'm so sorry to hear about his passing. He was an excellent soldier, one of the best. He was reliable, extremely hard-working, and a lovely guy. RIP.'

Another wrote: 'RIP Jonesy Bach. You'll be missed by many and it was always a pleasure to work with you.'

One person simply said: 'Once a gunner, always a gunner.'

For confidential support surrounding mental health the Samaritans can be contacted for free 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, on 116 123.
British troops burned down the White House in August 1884. On his way out of the executive mansion, Donald Trump is hurling metaphorical flaming torches at former allies and his own political party  even the capital city itself.

A presidency half-jokingly described by many Washington insiders as The Trump Show, a reality television approach to running a country, is fittingly ending with final episodes that are shaping up to be as dramatic  if predictable  as anything most Americans have ever seen. And the star of the show, Mr Trump, seems as desperate as ever while running out of ways to create a path to a second term.

He will return to the campaign trail Monday evening in Georgia. But GOP lawmakers and party insiders worry he will turn what ostensibly is a rally for the states two Republcian Senate candidates, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, into another form of his recorded phone call with state elections officials in which he asked them to find nearly 12,000 votes he needs to win the state.
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Kyiv is not going to buy the Russian vaccine Sputnik V, the head of Medical Procurement of Ukraine, a state enterprise, said.

"So far there is no rational basis for ordering the Russian product in a segment that offers cheaper, more effective and reliable vaccines," Arsen Zhumadilov wrote on Facebook on Sunday.

There is a lot of competition in the segment for vector-based vaccines, of which the Russian candidate is one, he said. "Globally, 18 manufacturers are at some stage of development. Among them are authoritative players on the international pharmaceutical market such as AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and others. AstraZeneca already has the license for use in a number of countries, including Great Britain," the director said.

"To rely on a state Russian company during a Russian armed aggression against Ukraine on the question of providing epidemic safety for the country is being ignorant to say the least."

On January 2 it was reported that a Kharkiv-based pharmaceutical firm, Biolik, had applied for the state registration of Sputnik V. On the same day, Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said that the RDIF could begin clinical trials on the AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccines in Ukraine.

"We are fully ready to transfer our technologies for production in Ukraine, to start clinical trials of the combined AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccine," Dmitriev said in an interview with Rossiya 1 (VGTRK) television channel.

Clinical trials of the Sputnik V were held or continue in Belarus, the United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, India, and several other countries.
A security upgrade for RSS, BJP leaders in Punjab is much needed: Here is why

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 04: The security of RSS and BJP leaders in Punjab will be upgraded owing to the protests against them over the farm laws.

The Punjab Police are in the process of reviewing the threat perception, following which the security would be upgraded.

While the security upgrade is being considered in the wake of the farmer protests, the RSS and BJP leaders in Punjab have been targeted in the past by extremist elements.

No avail! Indian security forces foil attempts by Pakistan to revive terror

Back in 2017, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) found that there was an international conspiracy to target BJP and RSS leaders in Punjab. This was found when the agency was probing the murder of Ravinder Gosain an RSS leader.

Targets in these incidents generally were members of the RSS and Hindu organisations. Besides, in July, 2017, they also murdered a Christian pastor named Sultan Masih in Ludhiana. It has also come to light that the above mentioned conspiracy to destabilize Punjab has been hatched by Sikh extremist elements and others located in various parts of the world including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, United Arab Emirates and Pakistan an official told OneIndia.

The NIA arrested Pahar Singh, a 48 year old arms dealer in connection with the murder. He is accused of supplying a country made weapon to the main accused in the case Hardeep Singh. During the course of the investigation, the NIA found that the conspiracy was hatched abroad and there was a systematic pattern to the murder and orders and funds had come from Canada and Italy.

Following the killing of Gosain, the Punjab police had taken into custody Ramandeep Singh and Hardeep Singh. They were then handed over to the NIA. During their examination, these accused persons admitted to their involvement in the previous eight incidents of murder or attempted murder in Punjab which have happened since January, 2016. Targets in these incidents generally were members of the RSS and Hindu organisations.

It has also come to light that the above mentioned conspiracy to destabilise Punjab was been hatched by Sikh extremist elements and others located in various parts of the world including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, United Arab Emirates and Pakistan, the NIA said.

Farmer Protest: What did Agricultural minister say on the 7th round of talks|Oneindia News

The investigation conducted so revealed channelling of funds from foreign countries for execution of the these incidents. The conspiracy also included an element of ideological brainwashing and incitement of the above accused persons on religious grounds by their mentors settled abroad, the NIA probe found.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, January 4, 2021, 10:56 [IST]
A leading epidemiologist has called for a ban on Australians returning home from overseas until all hotel quarantine workers are vaccinated against coronavirus.

Dr Tony Blakely, from the University of Melbourne, said halting international arrivals would prevent the mutant strain of the virus that has been wreaking havoc in the UK from entering Australia.

His comments come as NSW health authorities scramble to contain the state's latest outbreak, which is believed to have escaped from Sydney's hotel quarantine system.

A leading epidemiologist has called for a ban on Australians returning home from overseas until all hotel quarantine workers are vaccinated against coronavirus (Pictured: Passengers at Sydney International Airport arriving after flying in from Auckland, New Zealand)

Healthcare workers are seen with a luggage trolley outside of a hotel quarantine facility at Novotel Hotel South Warf in Melbourne

Staff members line up to enter the hotel quarantine facility at Novotel Hotel South Wharf in Melbourne

Dr Blakely told the Herald Sun there was a case for closing the borders until all quarantine workers are immunised as an outbreak of the new strain would be harder to control.

The Federal Government expects vaccinations to roll out in March after approvals are processed but it may take months before all hotel workers are immunised.

The rollout of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine in Australia is now facing a delay after a bungle with paperwork.

There has been a delay in delivering essential data to the Morrison Government, meaning the vaccine may not be ready for the public by March, as expected.

AstraZeneca, which is being made in Melbourne by CSL, won't be granted provisional registration by the Therapeutic Goods Administration until next month, the Daily Telegraph reports.

'The TGA is expecting further data from AstraZeneca in regard to their COVID-19 vaccine in late January 2021,' an administration spokeswoman said.

The vaccine rollout isn't expected to be approved by the government until the end of March, due to obstacles surrounding paperwork.

But Australians have been reassured medical experts have their 'finger on the pulse' of coronavirus vaccine development, despite no timeframe being put in place for the rollout.

A Victorian police officer stands guard at a hotel quarantine facility at Novotel Hotel South Wharf in Melbourne

A member of the Australian Defence Force speaks to a Victorian police officer outside a hotel quarantine facility at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Melbourne

Passengers are seen disembarking a SkyBus and entering a quarantine facility at Melbourne's Pan Pacific hotel

Both of Sydney's major clusters, in Berala to the south-west and Avalon on the Northern Beaches, are believed to be linked to failures in the quarantine system.

The evidence is clearest with the Berala cluster, where authorities have identified a quarantine transport driver as patient zero.

Officials said he was infected - despite wearing protective equipment - by a family who had returned to Australia from overseas.

The driver then unknowingly infected a colleague, who visited the Berala BWS bottle shop while asymptomatic. A BWS staff member was infected, leading to a second bottle shop worker catching the highly infectious virus.

The employees were at the shop each day between December 22 and December 31, sparking fears of a mass outbreak, given more than a thousand customers visited the store on Christmas Eve alone.

The new virus strain ravaging the United Kingdom has 17 mutations, largely to the spike protein, which is how the virus penetrates cells. British authorities believe the strain can be transmitted from person-to-person more easily than previous strains

AstraZeneca, which is being made in Melbourne by CSL, won't be granted provisional registration by the Therapeutic Goods Administration until next month

The virus has apparently escaped quarantine in Sydney three more times.

Another driver, a Sydney Ground Transport employee who ferried around air crew from the airport to their hotel, tested positive on December 16.

Contact tracers said the Avalon cluster strain appeared to be similar to a virus variant detected in a quarantined American traveller who tested positive last month.

However, just how the virus spread to Avalon - sparking 148 cases, many contracted at local pubs - remains unknown. 'We may never find a link back,' NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said.

A cleaner at Darling Harbour's Novotel quarantine hotel tested positive to the virus on December 2. She has not been linked to any further cases.

Fears have been raised over what could happen if the mutant strain managed to escape quarantine.

The mutant virus was first detected in Australia in a traveller from the United Kingdom in late November.

The mutant virus strain has been contained to hotel quarantine in Sydney so far. Above, testing queues

A second case was reported in the state's hotel quarantine system - which takes in more than half of the travelling population - on December 7.

Both patients tested positive to the virus early in their 14 day quarantine period.

Thirteen European countries and nations including Canada, India, Israel and Iran have each banned travel from the UK in the wake of a highly infectious virus surge in England's south-east.

SYDNEY'S FOUR HOTEL QUARANTINE BREACHES 1. Berala cluster: Quarantine driver is infected while ferrying a family to their hotel. Inadvertently spreads the virus to a colleague, who visited BWS bottle shop on December 20, sparking cluster 2. Avalon cluster: American traveller tests positive to virus in hotel quarantine in early December. Virus strain in northern beaches is similar to her case, unclear how it got there 3. Sydney Ground Transport driver is infected while ferrying air crew. Tests positive December 16 4. Novotel quarantine hotel cleaner is infected on December 2. No further cases Advertisement

British authorities cancelled Christmas gatherings amid claims the strain ravaging England's south-east is up to 70 per cent more transmissible than 'normal' Covid.

Mr Morrison said the Australian government wasn't planning to follow the lead of other countries by closing the door on UK return travellers.

'We have no plans to go down the path of (banning UK flights),' Mr Morrison told reporters at Parliament House.

Health Minister Greg Hunt has pointed to the country's hotel quarantine system as its first line of defence against the more virulent strain, and one which other countries don't have.

The new strain has 17 mutations, mostly in its spike protein, which experts said could possibly provide it with its incredibly infectious nature.

But there is no evidence the mutated virus causes a more severe form of disease and doctors, including Australia's chief health officer, have expressed skepticism about the British Government's claims.

'The strain circulating especially in the southeast of England at the moment has particular mutations related to the spike protein, important because it is the way the virus gets into the cells,' Dr Paul Kelly said.

'There is no definite evidence that this is a significant change.' Other experts have pointed out the virus's spread in England occurred during a period of relaxed restrictions and the depths of winter.

Amid concerns, the CEO of BioNTech - the joint manufacturer with Pfizer of the first vaccine against Covid - has said he is confident the jab will be effective against the virus variant.

Ugur Sahin told Germany's Bild TV the company will investigate the mutation but he viewed the matter with a 'degree of soberness'.
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PHOENIX  Authorities say one man died and another was critically wounded in a shooting following a weekend dispute at a Phoenix gas station.

Police responding to a call of a shooting a little before 9 p.m. Saturday found the injured man at the convenience store near 59th Avenue and McDowell Road, Sgt. Ann Justus said. He was taken to a hospital with critical injuries.

Officers found another man who had been shot in a vehicle he apparently drove a couple of blocks away, Justus said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Neither man was immediately identified and the motive for the shooting was being investigated.

Police learned the two men had been fighting in the area before the shooting occurred, Justus said.

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(@ChaudhryMAli88)

UNITED NATIONS, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Jan, 2021 ) ::UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned Sunday's terrorist attack and killing of at least 11 coal miners in the Balochistan, urging Pakistan to bring the perpetrators to justice.

"He extends his sincere condolences to the families of the miners and the people and government of Pakistan," Deputy spokesman for the Secretary-General, Farhan Aziz Haq, said in a statement.

"He trusts the Pakistani authorities will do everything possible to bring the perpetrators of this terrorist act to justice," the statement added.

The attack took place before Dawn on Sunday in Balochistan's Mach coal field while the miners were sleeping.
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For the international study, 547 people were analyzed who had been diagnosed with one of four genetic conditions, also known as copy number variants (CNVs), associated with a high chance of autism including 22q11.2 deletion, 22q11.2 duplication, 16p11.2 deletion and 16p11.2 duplication.CNV's occur when a small portion of a person's DNA is missing or duplicated and they have been linked to a range of health and developmental issues. CNV's can be inherited but can also occur randomly.The results of this study showed a high prevalence, ranging from 23 to 58 percent, of autism in individuals with these four genetic conditions.However, by using clinical cut-offs, it was foundConsiderable variation in the symptoms of autism was found between those who had the same genetic condition.Dr Samuel Chawner from Cardiff University's MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics said,He also stated that low awareness of genetic conditions can also be a barrier. It is necessary that all the clinicians are aware of the autism risk associated with certain genetic conditions in order to improve opportunities for early diagnosis and support.Data for the study was taken from Autism Diagnostic Interview - Revised (ADI-R) which is used internationally in research as well as in clinical settings for the diagnosis of autism. ADI-R involves an interview with guardian or parent and questions regarding the child's developmental history across areas of social skills, communication skills and repetitive behaviors are asked.Hermione 16 years old and she was diagnosed with 22q.11.2 deletion when she was four. This genetic condition was diagnosed after it was found that she had a cleft palate, which affected her speech. She has Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia (DVD) which makes it difficult for her to process and communicate language. She has also been diagnosed with anxiety.Hermione was formally diagnosed with autism last year even though researchers at Cardiff University and her school had previously flagged that she had autistic traits.Tracy Elliot, Head of Research and Information at charity Cerebra, said,Source: Medindia
By Sangmi Cha

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea expanded a ban on private gatherings larger than four people to the whole country, and extended unprecedented social distancing rules in greater Seoul as the number of daily cases bounced back to more than 1,000 in four days.

South Korea has been experiencing a prolonged surge in infections during the latest wave, which has led to a sharp increase in deaths.

The country reported 1,020 new coronavirus cases as of Sunday midnight, bringing the total to 64,264 infections, with 981 deaths, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

Only 657 cases reported over the weekend. A health official had said that the recent third wave of infections is being contained.

The extended social-distancing rules imposed on Seoul and neighbouring areas include curbs on churches, restaurants, cafes, ski resorts and other venues.

More than 60% of the cases are from Seoul, Gyeonggi province and city of Incheon, with mass cluster outbreaks centred around nursing homes and prisons.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun called for an all-out effort to prepare for the country's vaccination programme.

"The KDCA should perfectly ready for the entire process the moment the vaccine arrives - the distribution, storage, inoculation and follow-ups," Chung told a government meeting.

He also called on the related health, safety and transport ministries to help speed up the process so to not face the sorts of problems seen in the United States and some countries in Europe.

The country plans to start vaccinations in February, with health workers and vulnerable people first in line, but the government has been criticised for that schedule in light of vaccinations under way in the United States and European Union.

(Reporting by Sangmi Cha; Editing by Gerry Doyle)
The 25th season of The Bachelor starts at 8 p.m. tonight, Monday, Jan. 4, on ABC.

WATCH LIVE: fuboTV (free trial); Hulu Live TV (free trial)

The new season will star the shows first-ever Black bachelor - Matt James, 28.

ABC says, Matt James, the charismatic and engaging star of ABCs hit romance reality series The Bachelor, will hand out the roses for its momentous 25th season.

After meeting Matt as a prospective suitor for The Bachelorette, Bachelor Nation swooned when they learned he would take on the role as the lead of his own love story.

Matt is the total package with strong family values, a great career, and has used his growing platform for good. His emerging legion of fans cant wait to follow the 28-year-old real estate broker, entrepreneur and community organization founder on his journey to find love during this historic season.

Although Matt hasnt been in love before, he feels he is ready now to welcome it into his life  no matter what challenges he will face  as he starts his search for his happily ever after.

A record-breaking 32 exceptional, beautiful women have come from all over the country to leave their everyday lives behind for the opportunity to meet the accomplished, handsome heartthrob from North Carolina. The bachelorettes pull out all the stops to catch his eye. One woman causes a stir by arriving in nothing but black lingerie and asks Matt to help her pick out an outfit from a rack of clothes.

But the drama is ratcheted up when dueling ladies arrive: one in a chauffeur-driven gold Bentley, only to be upstaged by another being carried in on a throne like Cleopatra, wearing a gold crown. Behold the Queen!

However, nothing can stop the first blossoms of romance from blooming between Matt and the women. One who was born deaf and has a cochlear implant wins his admiration, but will she garner the coveted first impression rose?

Matt finds his first rose ceremony overwhelming, discovering it difficult to say goodbye to the women he really didnt want to disappoint. Twenty-four hopeful bachelorettes remain to join him on his romantic adventure to find the love of his life who could be his future wife.

These are the women:

Abigail, 25, a client financial manager from Beaverton, Ore.

Alana, 26, a photographer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Alicia, 24, a professional ballerina from New York City, N.Y.

Amber, 30, a nursing student from Costa Mesa, Calif.

Anna, 24, a copywriter from Chicago, Ill.

Bri, 24, a communications manager from San Francisco, Calif.

Carolyn, 30, a journalist from Los Angeles, Calif.

Casandra, 25, a social worker from Newport Beach, Calif.

Chelsea, 28, a runway model from Brooklyn, N.Y.

Corrinne, 22, a marketing manager from Pomfret, Conn.

Emani, 25, a realtor from Albuquerque, N.M.

Illeana, 25, a health food developer from New York City, N.Y.

Jessenia, 27, a social media marketer from San Antonio, Texas

Kaili, 26, a hostess from Chicago, Ill.

Katie, 29, a bank marketing manager from Renton, Wash.

Khaylah, 28, a healthcare advocate from Durham, N.C.

Kimberly, 28, an airline recruiter from Seattle, Wash.

Kit, 21, a socialite from New York City, N.Y.

Kristin, 27, an attorney from Jersey City, N.J.

Lauren, 29, a corporate attorney from Miami, Fla.

Magi, 32, a pharmacist from Adwa, Ethiopia

Mari, 24, a marketing director from Odenton, Md.

Marylynn, 28, an event coordinator from Studio City, Calif.

MJ, 23, a hairstylist from Hudson, Ohio

Pieper, 23, a graduate student from Happy Valley, Ore.

Rachael, 24, a graphic designer from Cumming, Ga.

Saneh, 25, an IT consultant from Denver, Colo.

Sarah, 24, a broadcast journalist from San Diego, Calif.

Serena C., 24, a flight attendant from San Francisco, Calif.

Serena P., 22, a publicist from Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Sydney, 28, a marketing specialist from Nashville, Tenn.

Victoria, 27, a queen from Los Angeles, Calif.

James season was reportedly filmed in a quarantine bubble at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Fayette County, Pa.
A new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 has been identified in the United Kingdom. Cases have been reported in two states and are not known to be linked to travel, which could indicate community spread. No cases caused by this new variant have been confirmed in Illinois yet. As more information is learned, IDPH will provide updates and notify the public if/when the variant is detected in Illinois. Illinois is increasing its surveillance for the variant by performing genomic sequence testing on an increased number of specimens that have been collected.

Viruses are constantly changing through mutation and variant virus are expected, said Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. At this time, we have no evidence that infections by this variant cause more severe disease or death. However, early study shows the variant may spread more easily and quickly. We will continue to work with academic partners, laboratory researchers, physicians, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor for cases.
Ghaziabad: An initial report of site inspection has indicated substandard material and design issues, which might have led to structural failure at the cremation ground in Muradnagar, resulting in the death of 24 people in a roof collapse on Sunday.

The report is now a part of the inquiry being conducted by the divisional commissioner (Meerut) and inspector general (Meerut range) into the incident.

The senior officers had called on the chief engineers of the Ghaziabad development authority (GDA) and the municipal-corporation for an initial site inspection of the cremation ground.

Inspection revealed that there were issues related to substandard material and design which finally led to structural failure. Upon inspection, the material appeared to be of inferior quality and more testing is to be done to ascertain the quality. The officials of Muradnagar Nagar Palika could not show us the proper designs of the structure, said VN Singh, chief engineer of the Ghaziabad development authority.

The executive officer of the Nagar Palika, besides a junior engineer and a supervisor, were arrested on Monday in connection with the incident.

The incident was more likely triggered due to rain and it seems that slabs of the structure were not properly bound, which led to the collapse of the entire structure, he added.

Officials said they also found out that the junior engineer of the Nagar Palika had allegedly signed the measurement book, while the executive engineer of the public works department, and their assistant engineer, had allegedly provided their signatures for forwarding of bills.

Manish Verma, executive engineer of the PWD, did not respond to calls.

The contract for the construction was given to Ajay Tyagi, who has been booked. The police said that the suspect is absconding.

The inquiry assigned to us is most likely to get complete by Tuesday and will be forwarded to the state administration. We are analysing all aspects and documents related to the incident, said Praveen Kumar, inspector general (Meerut range).

The inquiry at Muradnagar was directed by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday.

Meanwhile, it has come to light that Tyagi had allegedly also procured contracts for a number of civic infrastructural works with the Ghaziabad municipal corporation.

Tyagi has contracts with the corporation. At this point there are only allegations that inferior quality material was used at Muradnagar and this should be inquired. If there is some scientific report which confirms this, we will take up suitable action. The initial report was sought by the district magistrate and this needs to be investigated, said MS Tanwar, municipal-commissioner.

However, we are conducting random inspections of our works and are also checking up the quality of construction of works taken up by Tyagi, he added.

The structure which collapsed was about 40 feet in length and assigned to the contracture for Rs 50 lakh from the Fourteenth Finance Commission. Nagar Palikas executive officer Niharika Singh on Sunday said that construction was pending and had faced delays due to lockdown.

Meanwhile, hundreds of onlookers came to the Ukhlarsi cremation ground where leftover bags, shoes, helmets and other items of the victims were lying scattered in the debris.

It is one of the biggest incidents in the district where so many people have lost lives. The debris indicates that the material was inferior quality  parts of it can be broken down with a normal brick. There are no priests at the cremation ground as people attacked them after the incident on Sunday. They have locked their house and left the place, said Sunil Sharma, a local resident of Muradnagar.
Trump signs executive order to provide scholarships for in-person education options during pandemic

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As many schools remain shut due to COVID-19, President Donald Trump has signed an executive order providing scholarship funding to students for in-person learning through homeschooling and learning pods, among other such alternative means, amid the pandemic.

The order states that the scholarships are for affected disadvantaged families to cover the cost of private or parochial schools, homeschooling, learning pods, special education, and related services including therapies, or tutoring, or remedial education, according to The Epoch Times.

The funds will be made available through an existing Community Service Block Grant program under the Health and Human Services Department.

Many schools closed their doors and turned to virtual learning in February and March to curb the spread of the coronavirus and have remained closed for months. Churches and faith organizations have stepped in to provide spaces for students to learn as parents are unable to stay home or internet access is unavailable.

The prolonged deprivation of in-person learning opportunities has produced undeniably dire consequences for the children of this country, Trump says in the order. States have seen substantial declines in reports of child maltreatment while school buildings have been closed, indicating that allegations are going unreported. These reductions are driven in part by social isolation from the schoolteachers and support staff with whom students typically interact and who have an obligation to report suspected child maltreatment.

The President adds, Unfortunately, more than 50 percent of all public-school students in the United States began school remotely this fall. These children, including those with special needs, are being underserved due to the public education systems failure to provide in-person learning options.

In November, research on student grades conducted in one of the United States largest school districts in Virginia showed that the number of students getting F marks had increased by 83% last year due to the COVID-19-related restrictions on in-person learning, with students with disabilities bearing the brunt.

Among middle and high school students, there was an 83 percent increase in the number of students receiving two or more F marks, said the study on the Fairfax school system, which has 186,000 students.

Conducted by the Office of Research and Strategic Improvement, the study analyzed marks at the end of the first quarter in the school year 2020-21 compared to marks from the school year 2019-20 Q1. Overall, F marks increased from 6 percent of all marks to 11 percent of all marks, it found.

In November, CDC Director Robert Redfield said schools are the best place for children to be during the pandemic. The infections that weve identified in schools when theyve been evaluated were not acquired in schools, Redfield said at a coronavirus task force briefing held at the White House, according to Fox News. They were actually acquired in the community and in the household.

He continued: The truth is, for kids K-12, one of the safest places they can be, from our perspective, is to remain in school, and its really important that following the data, making sure we dont make emotional decisions about what to close and what not to close. Im here to say clearly the data strongly supports that K-12 schools  as well as institutes of higher learning  really are not where were having our challenges.

On Sunday, Trump approved a $900 billion relief package, which includes about $82 billion for education.
SOUTH LYON, MI -- Police have arrested a 19-year-old suspect in connection with the shooting death of a 17-year-old South Lyon teen last week. According to the Associated Press, the suspect turned himself in Friday, two days after Dylan Stamper was shot and killed at his home.

Dylans father, 43-year-old Kevin Stamper, was also shot during the incident and was last listed in critical but stable condition.

The identity of the suspect has not been released as he has yet to be formally arraigned on charges. Police said they have requested a warrant seeking murder charges in the case and have turned the case over to the Oakland County Prosecutors Office.

Dylan and Kevin Stamper were shot Wednesday evening in what is believed to be their home. They were discovered when a woman called 911 after hearing gunshots and what she thought was someone trying to break into the house. Both men were found on the floor of the house near the front door.

READ MORE:

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Alexander Ludwig and his fiancee Lauren Dear elope at The Lodge at Blue Sky in Utah, in a small ceremony with an only officiant, their dog Yam and a photographer on hand amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Both bride and groom to to Instagram to announce their nuptials, with a picturesque shot with a mountain in the background as they posed wedding gown and suit.

'We decided to elope,' the Vancouver, Canada native, 28, said on Instagram Sunday. 'It has been such a crazy year but it certainly put things into perspective. Life is too short [and I didn't] want to spend another day without calling this beautiful woman my wife.'

The latest: Alexander Ludwig and his fiancee Lauren Dear elope at The Lodge at Blue Sky in Utah, in a small ceremony with an only officiant, their dog Yam and a photographer on hand amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

The Vikings actor continued: 'Of course when things settle down we will have a proper celebration with our friends and family but for now - the love of my life, our dog yam, a yurt on a mountain top in the middle of nowhere sounded like the perfect beginning.

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Ludwig, who played the role of Cato in The Hunger Games, called his new bride, 'My wife, my best friend, the future mother of my children, my everything.'

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Dear also took an introspective tone when speaking on their decision to tie the knot to open the new year.

'This last year was filled with a lot of uncertainty and doubt but this was the easiest decision of my life. I think we all learned in some way or another to look inside ourselves and find what truly makes us happy,' she wrote. 'Thank you to 2020 for bringing this guy into my life. I will love you forever @alexanderludwig.

The Bad Boys for Life actor said of the engagement: 'Goldilocks and Bambi live happily ever after'

The duo confirmed in July that they were dating, and in November declared their engagement, showing Dear's diamond ring on social media.

'You continue to show me what life is truly about every day and how to be strong, resilient and courageous. I am a better person by your side.'

The duo confirmed in July that they were dating, and in November declared their engagement, showing Dear's diamond ring on social media.

The Bad Boys for Life actor said of the engagement: 'Goldilocks and Bambi live happily ever after.'

The Operation Christmas Drop actor was asked by ET last month about planning the wedding, and told the outlet, 'We're just going to ride the storm out and see where the wind takes us.'

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He added: 'We're over the moon... it's been the one light at the end of this pretty crazy tunnel we've all been in. But it definitely does put things into perspective and makes it really easy to pull the trigger on something like this when you find that person that you just know is going to support you through and through.'
In an extraordinary phone call, U.S. President Donald Trump pleaded Saturday with election officials in the southern U.S. state of Georgia to find him enough votes to overturn his pivotal loss there to President-elect Joe Biden.

So, look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state, Trump told the states top elections official, Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in a recording obtained by The Washington Post and published Sunday afternoon. (Read transcript of phone call)

In an hourlong call, Trump sometimes assailed Raffensperger and sometimes flattered him and his offices general counsel, Ryan Germany. The president disputed the accuracy of three separate vote counts in Georgia that showed Biden was the first Democratic presidential contender to capture the state since 1992.

On Sunday, Trump said on Twitter, I spoke to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger yesterday about Fulton County and voter fraud in Georgia. He was unwilling, or unable, to answer questions such as the ballots under table scam, ballot destruction, out of state voters, dead voters, and more. He has no clue!

I spoke to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger yesterday about Fulton County and voter fraud in Georgia. He was unwilling, or unable, to answer questions such as the ballots under table scam, ballot destruction, out of state voters, dead voters, and more. He has no clue!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2021

FILE - Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger speaks during a news conference in Atlanta, Nov. 11, 2020.

Raffensperger replied a few hours later, Respectfully, President Trump: What you're saying is not true. The truth will come out.

Respectfully, President Trump: What you're saying is not true. The truth will come out https://t.co/ViYjTSeRcC  GA Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (@GaSecofState) January 3, 2021

In the United States indirect form of democracy, Biden, by winning the popular vote in the state, won all 16 of Georgias electoral votes en route to a 306-232 margin in the Electoral College.

On Wednesday, a joint session of Congress with Vice President Mike Pence presiding will meet. At least a dozen Republican U.S. senators have said they will join an unknown number of House Republican colleagues in objecting to the certification of Electoral College votes for Biden.

Certification of 306-232 Electoral College vote favoring Joe Biden is last step before he is inaugurated as country's 46th president on January 20

The effort is expected to fail. Democrats hold the majority in the House and prominent Republican senators have said they wont back the challenge.

Bidens inauguration is set for January 20 on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

Even if Trump were to upend the Georgia vote, Biden would still have more than the 270-vote majority needed to win the presidency in the Electoral College.

Reaction to the call was swift Sunday afternoon.

Absolutely appalling, Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger, of Illinois, said of the call on Twitter. To every member of Congress considering objecting to the election results, you cannot  in light of this  do so with a clean conscience. #RestoreOurGOP

This is absolutely appalling. To every member of Congress considering objecting to the election results, you cannot- in light of this- do so with a clean conscience. #RestoreOurGOP https://t.co/5UzrK4G0Jn  Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) January 3, 2021

Republicans, there is no defense for this. None, Jeff Flake, a former Republican senator from Arizona, tweeted.

Republicans, there is no defense for this. None. https://t.co/YfVgJRgNfr  Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) January 3, 2021

I will not be silent as the outgoing president attempts to subvert the will of more than 5 million voters in my state, a Democratic representative from the state of Georgia, Carolyn Bourdeaux, said on Twitter. This country is a democracy, not a dictatorship  and I will use every power in my authority to reject Trumps attacks on our election.

I will not be silent as the outgoing president attempts to subvert the will of more than 5 million voters in my state. This country is a democracy, not a dictatorship  and I will use every power in my authority to reject Trump's attacks on our election.https://t.co/QqbsvYewYS  Carolyn Bourdeaux (@Carolyn4GA7) January 3, 2021

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., condemned Trumps actions as despicable abuses of power that are potentially impeachable.

The president wasnt without support, however. The Arizona Republican Party tweeted, President Trump sounded really good (strong, clear voice; no static) on the recording - he cares about #ElectionIntegrity, as all Americans do. Thank you, Mr. President!

President Trump sounded really good (strong, clear voice; no static) on the recording - he cares about #ElectionIntegrity, as all Americans do. Thank you, Mr. President!  Arizona Republican Party (@AZGOP) January 3, 2021

Trump asked the Georgia officials to recalculate the vote count and said that if Raffensperger refused to overturn the vote in the state, he would be taking a big risk.

Throughout the call, Raffensperger and Germany rebuffed Trumps assertions that he had been defrauded of a win in the state. Trump has lost dozens of legal challenges claiming vote and vote-counting irregularities cost him victories in Georgia and in other political battleground states.

Trump rejected the claims by Raffensperger and Germany that the Georgia outcome was legitimate.

The people of Georgia are angry, the people in the country are angry, Trump said. And theres nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, that youve recalculated.

Raffensperger responded: Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong.

Throughout the call, Trump repeated he had won the state. Theres no way I lost Georgia, he said at one point. Theres no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes.

The president linked his fate in the state to Tuesdays Senate runoff elections in which two incumbent Republican senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, respectively face Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock in contests that will determine control of the U.S. Senate during the first two years of the Biden presidency.

You have a big election coming up, Trump told Raffensperger, and because of what youve done to the president  you know, the people of Georgia know that this was a scam.

Because of what youve done to the president, Trump said, speaking of himself in the third person, a lot of people arent going out to vote, and a lot of Republicans are going to vote negative, because they hate what you did to the president. OK? They hate it. And theyre going to vote. And you would be respected, really respected, if this can be straightened out before the (Tuesday) election.

Trumps call to Raffensperger is Trumps latest effort to pressure state officials and lawmakers to overturn the votes in their political battleground states that Biden won or name Trump supporters as electors instead of ones supporting Biden.
Serum Institute, Bharat Biotech covid vaccines get emergency use authorisation

The union ministry of health and family welfare has granted conditional approval for restricted emergency use of corona vaccines developed by Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech International Ltd.

The grant of permission for restricted emergency use of Covishield vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India, Pune, in collaboration with Oxford University and AstraZenica is subject to multiple regulatory conditionalities, while the grant of permission for restricted use of Covaxin developed indigenously by Bharat Biotech International Ltd, Hyderabad in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is for emergency situation in public interest.

Bharat Biotechs Covaccine is in Phase III clinical trials and the emergency use permission has been granted as an abundant precaution, specially in the context of infection by mutant strains, the health ministry stated in a public announcement.

The SEC also granted permission for conduct of Phase-III Clinical Trial Protocol to Cadila Healthcare Ltd, Ahmedabad.

The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) which met on 1 and 2 January 2021 considered accelerated approval process request of Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech International Ltd as well as about Phase-III Trials of Cadila Healthcare Ltd.

States and union territories have also successfully conducted the dry run of the vaccination drive on 2 January and have expressed confidence in carrying out the vaccination drive.

The activities starting from beneficiary data upload, session site allocation and micro planning, vaccine allocation, session site management with test beneficiaries, reporting mechanism etc were covered in this one day dry run to execute the nearest possible simulation of the actual day.

The preparation to handle any adverse events following immunization (AEFI) at all session sites and functionality of the call centers was also tested.

The states/UTs have expressed complete satisfaction on the successful conduct of the dry run which included the operational process and its linkages with the Co-WIN Software.

The Co-WIN software has been developed by MoHFW for real time information of vaccine stocks, their storage temperature and individualised tracking of beneficiaries for Covid-19 vaccine. This software will assist the programme managers across all levels through automated session allocation for pre-registered beneficiaries, their verification and a digital certificate will be generated upon successful completion of the vaccine schedule.

More than 7.5 mllion beneficiaries have been registered on Co-WIN software till date.

The cold chain infrastructure is sufficient to ensure last mile delivery of Covid-19 vaccine in a temperature controlled environment across the country. Sufficient supplies of syringes and other logistics have also been ensured to begin Covid-19 vaccination drive.

Around 1,14,100 vaccinators have been trained on the process to be followed at the vaccination sites which includes beneficiary verification, vaccination, cold chain and logistics management, bio-medical waste management, AEFI management and uploading the information on Co-WIN software.

The entire operational planning and IT platform has been field tested in four states which include Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Punjab and Gujarat on 28 and 29 December 2020; and on the basis of feedback received, minor enhancements have been made in the IT system.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Look out, Popeyes. Move over, Chick-fil-A. Heads up, Wendys. McDonalds is entering the chicken sandwich wars.

The fast-food giants new Crispy Chicken Sandwich will debut nationwide on February 24. Similar to premium chicken sandwiches found at its rivals, McDonalds version features a breaded, all-white meat chicken filet topped with crinkle-cut pickles on a toasted, buttered potato roll. The sandwich will also be available in spicy and deluxe variants, with the latter adding shredded lettuce, Roma tomatoes and mayo to the party.

Weve heard our customers loud and clear, and we know theyre craving more chicken options, said McDonalds Vice President of Menu Innovation Linda VanGosen in a press release. Were confident all chicken fans  from traditionalists to spice enthusiasts  will discover a new menu favorite theyll come back for time and time again.

The new item joins McDonalds existing chicken lineup, which includes mainstays like Chicken McNuggets and the value-oriented McChicken sandwich.

Chicken has become an increasingly popular segment in the fast-food industry. Chick-fil-A is now the third-largest restaurant chain in the country, according to Nations Restaurant News. And Popeyes has increased same-store sales by double digits every quarter since unleashing its chicken sandwich in the fall of 2019, CNBC reported.

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A majority of OPEC+ members including Saudi Arabia were opposed to increasing oil output again next month, while Russia was proposing the maximum supply hike allowed by the groups agreement.

The difference of opinion between the two de-facto leaders of OPEC+ could make for another tricky meeting. While Russia appeared to be outnumbered, the group typically requires a consensus among all members before concluding talks.

The initial negotiating position of Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, who has consistently sought to keep a tight rein on supply, was to reverse the 500,000 barrel-a-day production increase the group made this month, delegates said. He also indicated he would accept rolling over current output levels into February, they said.

In his opening remarks, the prince highlighted the risks to the oil market from a more infectious strain of the coronavirus, which has heightened the economic risks even as the roll-out of vaccines has buoyed prices.

'DOWNSIDE RISKS': OPEC+ warns of risk to oil recovery as group plots next move

At the risk of being seen as a killjoy in the proceedings, I want to urge caution, Prince Abdulaziz said at the start of the groups video conference on Monday. The new variant of the virus is a worrying and unpredictable development.

Algeria, Nigeria, Oman and the United Arab Emirates were also in favor of holding supply steady in February, delegates said, asking not to be named because the meeting was private. Kazakhstan supported Russias position.

Russias Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak gave no public signal about his position, saying the market was in healthier shape but also warning of uncertainties ahead. Yet behind closed doors, delegates said he reiterated his position that the alliance should boost supply by 500,000 barrels a day next month, matching Januarys increase.

Cautious approach

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies are currently idling 7.2 million barrels a day, or about 7% of world supplies, and plan to return a further 1.5 million barrels a day in installments no larger than 500,000 barrels a day over the coming months.

The group is already taking a cautious approach, agreeing in December to meet every month -- rather than just a few times a year -- in order to fine-tune production levels more precisely and avoid capsizing the price recovery they spent most of 2020 working to achieve.

Talks between a panel of ministers that oversees the OPEC+ deal earlier on Monday concluded without a policy recommendation, leaving the decision to the full meeting of the entire group thats now underway.

Other prominent voices from the alliance have echoed Prince Abdulazizs caution. Theres a need to be wary of the repercussions of the second wave of the pandemic, state-run Kuwait News Agency reported on Monday, citing a statement from Oil Minister Mohammed Alfares.

OPEC Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo said at Sundays preparatory meeting that there are still many downside risks to juggle.

The case for another small OPEC+ output increase in February is underpinned by a recovery in the oil prices, which have gained more than a third since the emergence of the first Covid vaccines last year.

The immunizations have created a healthier outlook for oil consumption, which will soon shift from reverse to forward gear, Barkindo said at the Joint Technical Committee meeting on Sunday. The panel assesses implementation on behalf of the 23-nation alliance.

Russias Novak said last month that OPEC+ should proceed with its supply increase because prices are in an optimal range of $45 to $55 a barrel. If OPEC+ refrains from bolstering exports, its competitors will simply fill the gap, he said.

The market has underlying support and as such should shrug off a modest increase in OPEC+ supply, said Doug King, chief investment officer of the Merchant Commodity Fund, which manages $170 million.

A production boost might also come as a relief to OPEC+ members like Iraq. Baghdad is engulfed in a mounting economic crisis that is only exacerbated by limits on oil sales, and is struggling to get through a backlog of overdue output cuts from 2020.

Yet there are also reasons to think the group will take a more cautious approach.

Restrictions on movement are still in place in a number of countries amid a new strain of the virus, Barkindo said. Its too soon to know how key sectors of the economy will be affected, and for the tourism and leisure industries the return to pre-crisis levels could take a couple of years.
Beijing has been proactively questioning the widely-held view that the deadly outbreak broke out in a wet market in Wuhan where the live animals are sold

Beijing: China on Monday vehemently refuted the US charge that the novel coronavirus was leaked from a bio lab in the country and asserted that the pandemic was likely to have been caused by separate outbreaks in multiple places in the world.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying's remarks came amidst reports that a ten-member team of the World Health Organisation (WHO) scientists would visit China this month to probe the origin of the coronavirus , which emerged in Wuhan in December 2019.

Beijing is yet to confirm the visit by the WHO team and remained silent about granting permission for it to visit Wuhan city in central China.

"I have no detailed information for you," Hua told a media briefing here when asked about the visit of the WHO team and whether its schedule included a visit to Wuhan.

"China attaches high importance to cooperation with the WHO. We have been providing support and convenience for WHO's work," Hua said.

China has been proactively questioning the widely-held view that the deadly outbreak broke out in a wet market in Wuhan where the live animals are sold. The market remained closed and sealed since early last year.

In May last year, the World Health Assembly (WHA) - the governing body of the 194-member states of the WHO - approved a resolution to set up an independent inquiry to conduct an "impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation" of the international response as well as that of WHO.

It also asked the WHO to investigate the "source of the virus and the route of introduction to the human population".

"We raced against time and were the first country to report cases to the world, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in interviews with the official media over the weekend.

"More and more research suggests that the pandemic was likely to have been caused by separate outbreaks in multiple places in the world," he said.

"When hit by an unknown coronavirus , China took immediate actions to carry out an epidemiological investigation, identify the pathogen and publicise key information including the genome sequencing of the virus. All this sounded alarm bells across the world," Wang said, adding that China took the most rigorous control measures to fight the virus".

In her media briefing on Monday, Hua launched a scathing criticism against the US, saying Washington should produce evidence to back its charge that the virus emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

She in-turn called for a WHO probe into American military-run bio labs while replying to a question on the latest allegations by the US National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger that the COVID-19 has been leaked from the WIV.

"There is a growing body of evidence that the (Wuhan) lab is likely the most credible source of the virus," Pottinger, a staunch critic of Beijing, allegedly made the claim in a recent virtual meeting with UK officials, according to a British media report.

His allegation is nothing new as US President Donald Trump, who termed COVID-19 as "China virus", too had alleged last year that the institute may have been responsible and called for an inquiry.

"Maybe you could ask the senior US officials since they are considering origin tracing such a priority why doesn't the US invite the WHO experts to investigate the virus in the US considering the links between the Fort Detrick lab (in Maryland) and the major flu last fall and the pandemic," Hua said.

"Why doesn't the US invite journalists there," she asked.

Hua said, "regarding the Wuhan lab making or leaking of the virus almost all the scientists and experts in the world including Dr Anthony Fauci, (director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) openly denied this".

"Many media including American ones interviewed officials of Wuhan Institute of Virology to see the truth," she said.

"Pottinger is still hyping despicable lies and rumors. Does it reflect his own stand or that of the official stand of the US government? The US should present evidence on this. There are more reports showing evidence that pandemic broke out in multiple locations in 2020," she said.

"We hope that the WHO can lead the scientists in conducting the tracing of the organ of the virus so that we find out the truth at an early date," Hua said.
Congress convened Sunday for the start of a new session, swearing in lawmakers during a tumultuous period as a growing number of Republicans work to overturn Joe Bidens victory over President Donald Trump and the coronavirus surges.

Democrat Nancy Pelosi was reelected as House speaker by her party, which retains the majority in the House but with the slimmest margin in 20 years after a surprisingly strong GOP performance in the November election.

Opening the Senate could be among Mitch McConnells final acts as majority leader. Republican control is in question until Tuesdays runoff elections for two Senate seats in Georgia. The outcome will determine which party holds the chamber.

The House and Senate were required to convene Sunday, by law, and imposed strict COVID protocols. Elbow bumps replaced handshakes as senators took the oath of office. Fewer family members than usual joined lawmakers at the Capitol. A special enclosed seating section was designed for lawmakers in COVID quarantine.

But by days end, House lawmakers were hugging and congratulating one another after taking the oath of office in the crowded chamber, an alarming scene during the pandemic.

To say the new Congress convenes at a challenging time would be an understatement, McConnell said as the chamber opened.

Still, McConnell said with the start of a new year there are reasons for optimism, lets make the American people proud.

Pelosi said the top priority is defeating the coronvirus. And defeat it we will, she said to applause.

Its often said that divided government can be a time for legislative compromises, but lawmakers are charging into the 117th Congress with the nation more torn than ever, disputing even basic facts including that Biden won the presidential election.

Fraud did not spoil the 2020 presidential election, a fact confirmed by election officials across the country. Before stepping down last month, Attorney General William Barr, a Republican appointed by Trump, said there was no evidence of fraud that affected the elections outcome. Arizonas and Georgias Republican governors, whose states were crucial to Bidens victory, have also stated that their election results were accurate.

Nevertheless, a dozen Republicans bound for the new Senate, led by Sens. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, and even more in the House have pledged to become a resistance force to Bidens White House, starting with efforts to subvert the will of American voters. These GOP lawmakers plan to object to the election results when Congress meets on Wednesday to tally his 306-232 Electoral College victory over Trump.

Vice President Mike Pence, who as president of the Senate, presides over the session and declares the winner, is facing growing pressure from Trumps allies over that ceremonial role.

Pences chief of staff, Marc Short, said in a statement Saturday that Pence welcomes the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections.

Democrats, meanwhile, are pushing ahead, eager to partner with Biden on shared priorities, starting with efforts to stem the pandemic and economic crisis. They plan to revisit the failed effort to boost pandemic aid to $2,000 for most people.

This has been a moment of great challenge in the United States of America filled with trials and tribulations, but help is on the way, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the chairman of the House Democratic caucus, said in an interview.

America is a resilient nation, filled with resilient people, he said. We will continue to rise to the occasion, emerge from this pandemic and continue to march toward our more perfect union.

Among the House Republican newcomers are Trump-aligned Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who has given nod to conspiracy Q-Anon theories, and gun rights advocate Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who circulated a letter of support to retain the right of lawmakers to carry firearms in the Capitol.

Greene was among a group of House Republicans led by Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama who visited with Trump at the White House during the holiday season about their effort to undo the election.

The Jan. 6 challenge is on, Taylor Greene said in a tweet pinned to the top of her social media account. Boebert also tweeted support for those challenging Bidens victory.

House Republicans boosted their ranks in the November election, electing a handful of women and minorities, more than ever. Some of the new GOP lawmakers are being called the Freedom Force, and a counter to the squad  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and other liberal Democratic women who swept to office in the last session.

In a statement Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., the minority leader, said the new Republican members are a strong representation of who America is and where we come from.

Progressive Democrats bolstered their ranks with newcomers aligned with more liberal priorities.

The Capitol itself is a changed place under coronavirus restrictions. Lawmakers are arriving in Washington from all parts of the country potentially exposed to the virus during their travel.

Several lawmakers have been sickened by the virus and some will be absent Sunday. Also, a memorial was held Saturday for newly elected Republican lawmaker Luke Letlow, 41, of Louisiana, who died of complications from Covid-19 days before the swearing in.

The Office of the Attending Physician has issued several lengthy memos warning lawmakers off meeting in groups or holding traditional receptions to prevent the spread of the virus. Masks have been ordered worn at all times and Pelosi has required them to be used in the House chamber. Members are required to have coronavirus tests and have access to vaccines.

Do not engage any in-person social events, receptions, celebrations, or appointments, outside your family unit, and always wear a face covering outside your home, the physicians office warned in one memo. You should strictly avoid any type of office-based reception or celebration during the days ahead.

Even the traditional swearing in ceremonies will be limited in the House. No more big family portraits with new lawmakers taking the oath of office. Instead, each representative-elect can bring one guest in line with social distancing protocols.

The vice president typically swears in the senators and Pence elbow-bumped senators as he did.

Pelosi, who is returning as speaker, the first woman to hold the job, faced a tight race, with the House split 222-211, with one race still undecided and one vacancy after Letlows death.

The California Democrat won a majority of those present and voting to retain the speakers gavel.
Joey Bunch: "Lawmakers in Denver are frolicking about like kids writing their fiscal letters to Santa to spend money they dont have yet and won't have long. I think of what my Pop, a famous tomato farmer, practicing fiscal conservative and Southern philosopher, would say: 'Youre going to wish you hadnt done that.'"
Underworld don Chhota Rajan tests positive for COVID-19, admitted to AIIMS in New Delhi

Gangster Chhota Rajan gets 2 years in jail in extortion case

India

pti-Deepika S

Mumbai, Jan 04: A special CBI court in Mumbai on Monday sentenced gangster Chhota Rajan and three others to two years imprisonment in an extortion case.

CBI Judge AT Wankhede also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 each on the four in the case that pertained to 2015, said Special Public Prosecutor Pradip Gharat.

Rajan and the others were sentenced for threatening and trying to extort Rs 26 crore from builder Nandu Wajekar.

As per the court order, Wajekar had purchased a land parcel in Pune in 2015, and had agreed to give Rs 2 crore as commission to agent Parmanand Thakkar.

Thakkar, however, demanded more money from Wajekar, and when the latter refused, the agent approached Rajan. Rajan sent his men to Wajekar's office and demanded Rs 26 crore from him and threatened to kill him if he refused to pay.

The others who have been convicted are Suresh Shinde, Laxman Nikam, and Sumit Vijay Matre.
I was half a mile into the mine shaft, and my heart was racing. Hunched underneath the low ceiling and hardly able to see, I was following along by listening to the splashes of the mens steps in front of me. The water, dripping from above, was up to my ankles. Then we stopped. Wed come to a dead end, one of the miners said. In order for us to proceed, they needed to set off some dynamite.

In a matter of minutes, several packs of explosives were drilled into the mountain and ready to be detonated. I was told to open my mouth and not close it until the last of the dynamite had exploded.

The blasts began, and I sensed the mountain groaning around me. Then: complete silence. Ten seconds later, as the dust began to settle, one of the miners shouted, Lets go! Its time to see what we got.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
Sheffield United say they are investigating after pictures emerged online of striker Lys Mousset's wrecked 300,000 orange Lamborghini.

South Yorkshire police have confirmed that two men in their 20s were arrested on suspicion of drink driving after the supercar collided into parked cars in the early hours of Monday morning.

Both men were released under investigation after police questioning and it is not yet known whether there were any injuries.

A photo appears to show Lys Mousset's 300k Lamborghini after it smashed into parked cars

Mousset started for Sheffield United on Saturday but is yet to score a single goal this season

Mousset regularly posts pictures of his orange Lamborghini Aventador to his Instagram page

Mousset, 24, started for the Premier League's bottom club Sheffield United in their defeat against Crystal Palace on Saturday, but he has failed to score a single goal all season.

In a statement released on Monday, the club said: 'Officials at Sheffield United are aware of images circulating on social media and are currently making internal enquiries.'

Mousset, who earns 25,000 a week, signed for Sheffield United from Bournemouth in the summer of 2019 in a deal worth 10million.

He was their top scorer last season after netting six league goals, but has failed to find the net in six league appearances this term.

Alongside his orange Lamborghini Aventador, striker Mousset also owns a black Rolls Royce

Mousset is pictured battling with Crystal Palace's Cheikhou Kouyate on Saturday afternoon

In a statement, South Yorkshire Police said: 'Police were called at around 12.10am this morning following reports of a collision on Abbeydale Road South, Sheffield.

'It is reported that an orange Lamborghini was involved in a collision with a number of parked cars.

'Two men in their 20s were arrested on suspicion of being over the prescribed limit. Both have been released under investigation while enquiries continue.'

Mousset standing next to Manchester City's Benjamim Mendy while pair show off their cars

Mousset tries to tackle Paul Pogba (left) in the Blades' clash with Manchester United last month

The area of Sheffield is currently under Tier 3 Government restrictions, which allows residents to meet up in groups of up to six in public outdoor areas.

The crash occurred on Abbeydale Road South, which is under two miles from the club's Bramall Lane stadium.

Sportsmail has approached Mousset's representatives for comment.
FP Trending

NASA has said yes to two heliophysics missions to explore the Sun and will also observe the system that drives space weather near Earth. As per a statement by NASA, the Extreme Ultraviolet High-Throughput Spectroscopic Telescope Epsilon Mission (EUVUST) and Electroject Zeeman Imaging Explorere (EZIE) will help scientists understand the Sun and Earth as an interconnected system. Scientists are of the opinion that understanding the physics that drive solar wind and solar explosions could in the future help them predict events, which in turn can impact human technology as well as explorers in space.

With these new missions, were expanding how we study the Sun, space, and Earth as an interconnected system, said Peg Luce, deputy director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington said in a statement.

The Extreme Ultraviolet High-Throughput Spectroscopic Telescope Epsilon

The EUVST Mission is led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), in partnership with other international organisations. The EUVST is targeting a launch date in 2026. It is a solar telescope that will study how the sun's atmosphere releases solar wind and drives eruptions of solar material.

NASA's hardware contributions to the mission include an intensified UV detector and support electronics, spectrograph components, a guide telescope, software and a slip-jaw imaging system to provide context for the spectrographic measurement.

NASA's budget to the whole mission is $55 million and the principal investigator for the NASA contribution to EUVST is Harry Warren at the US Naval Research Laboratory in Washington.

The Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer

The EZIE mission is made up of three Cubesats which will study electric currents in Earth's atmosphere linking aurora to the Earth's magnetosphere.

According to NOAA, the magnetosphere is the region of space surrounding Earth where the dominant magnetic field is the magnetic field of Earth, rather than the magnetic field of interplanetary space. The magnetosphere is formed by the interaction of the solar wind with Earth's magnetic field.

The total budget for the EZIE mission is $53.3 million and is slated to launch in June 2024. The principal investigator for the mission is Jeng-Hwa (Sam) Yee at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.
MUMBAI: Former Bigg Boss contestant Nishant Singh Malkhani met with a car accident while he was on his way from Mumbai to Jaisalmer. The actor, who was travelling along with a bunch of friends for a work-cum-fun trip, to Jaisalmer, met with the accident shortly before the New Year.

He confirmed the incident to Jaipur Times and stated that he is safe and doing fine. He said the SUV in which they were travelling got totalled in the mishap.

Nishant's Instagram story read as "Waheguru! So this is how I entered the new year 2021. No one got hurt except the vehicle we were in which got completely totalled. What matters most is that everyone is safe."

Narrating the incident to Jaipur Times, he said that he was travelling to Jaisalmer when his car was hit by another car coming from the wrong side. "The road was quite steep and to save us, I went off the road but in vain. I shifted towards the left but this car rammed into mine. Thankfully, only the car got damaged and all of us were saved without any scratch. Surprisingly, the guy who rammed into our car immediately fled from the spot. Later, we somehow managed to reach our hotel," he told the publication.

He stated that he did not receive any injuries in the accident and it was only the car which got totally damaged. A crane was called to lift the car from the accident site, Nishant Singh Malkhani told the publication.

The road was quite steep and to save us, I went off the road but in vain. I shifted towards the left but this car rammed into mine. Thankfully, only the car got damaged and all of us were saved without any scratch. Surprisingly, the guy who rammed into our car immediately fled from the spot. Later, we somehow managed to reach our hotel."
The discovery of a passageway below the fencing on the India-Bangladesh border in Assams Karimganj district has sparked fears about possible illegal infiltration, smuggling and other criminal activities.

The district police had found the passage, initially reported as a 200-metre-tunnel connecting both countries, last Friday while probing a case of the alleged abduction of two Karimganj residents.

Officials of the Border Security Force (BSF) entrusted with manning the border area clarified that the so-called tunnel is actually a hume pipe (a concrete tube) placed underneath the border fencing to drain water.

Also Read: Assam to conduct class 10 and 12 board exams in May, results in July

On December 28, police in Karimganjs Nilam Bazar received a complaint that two persons from Karimganj had been abducted and taken to Bangladesh. During investigation into the complaint, police detected the underground passage.

We have arrested three persons in connection with the case and are conducting further investigation. These persons have a connection to cow smuggling, Karimganj superintendent of police Mayank Kumar said.

In a statement, BSFs Mizoram and Cachar Frontier mentioned that a hume pipe measuring around 30-40 feet in length and 3 feet in diameter was laid prior to construction of the international boundary border road (IBBR) and international boundary border fence (IBBF) to allow the flow of water from India to Bangladesh.

The BSF also contradicted the police version about abduction and said that the abducted persons had actually taken money from a Bangladeshi national to smuggle cows across the border. But when the duo failed to smuggle in the cattle, they were detained in Bangladesh.

They may have crossed into Bangladesh by themselves and the allegations that Bangladeshi miscreants abducted them and took them to Bangladesh as claimed by the individuals seems to be false and fabricated, said the statement.

The statement added that when the family members of the two individuals came to know that the BSF was aware about the duos presence in Bangladesh their families lodged a FIR claiming they had been abducted.

BSF has been making all efforts to curb infiltration/exfiltration and smuggling of all types in the border areas without bothering (about) the extreme climate and unforgiving conditions, it said.

In May 2018, police in Karimganj had detected a similar tunnel while probing a case of cattle smuggling. Karimganj shares a 92km-long border with Bangladesh and there are 22 unfenced patches.

In the present case, criminals could have been using the passage to cross over to Bangladesh and vice versa. There have been incidents in the past of criminals committing crime in India and going to Bangladesh and also of citizens of that country entering our territory, said a senior police officer on condition of anonymity.
Mr Phanuel Donkor Kadey, Adaklu District Chief Executive (DCE), has noted that the media is a key partner in the delivery of good governance and called for support for them.



"The media, we all are aware is key in the delivery of good governance, transparency and accountability as well as promoting greater participation of the citizenry."



Mr Kadey said it was therefore very important that any platform that sought to empower the citizenry by getting them involved in governance at all levels was supported.



The DCE said this when he addressed journalists at the Volta Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) end of year get-together in Ho.



He said the Assembly had chalked many successes including the engineering of Adaklu Waya-Kpatove roads with Tsrefe-Abuadi-Waya roads being contracted with the contractor already on-site.



"It should be noted that the New Patriotic Party under Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had ensured that over the last four years no district nor region was left behind when it came to sharing the national cake.



"Indeed, a good number of development projects have been implemented since the NPP came into power in January 2017 and my confirmation as the District Chief Executive in August 2017."



Mr Kadey said under the Free Senior High School (SHS) Education, a total of 926 students had benefited in Adaklu with 202 of them now graduates.



"The Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) which dwells on five pillars including the provision of fertilizer inputs, improved seeds, quality extension services delivery, marketing and E-Agriculture, witnessed the distribution of over 5000 bags of N.P.K. and 2500 bags of Urea fertilizers."



He said Adaklu raised 60,000 cashew seedlings which were distributed to 71 farmers of which 32 are females under the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD).



The District currently has 78 recruits of Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) who are actively engaged in Adaklu and working.

Source: BBC









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Featured Video
The US government is considering cutting some of moderna's COVID-19 vaccine doses in half so that they can vaccinate more people with supplies currently on hand.

Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the chief science adviser for Operation Warp Speed, made the announcement on Sunday during an interview with CBS' Face The Nation.

It comes as the US struggles to quickly vaccinate its population with available shots produced by Pfizer and Moderna.

Officials hoped to have at least 20 million people vaccinated by the end of 2020. On Saturday, the CDC stated that it had administered just 4.2 million first doses.

Speaking with CBS, Slaoui claimed research has shown that being injected with just half the dose of the Moderna vaccine 'induces an identical immune response' for people between the ages of 18 and 55.

Under a new proposal, all people in that age category would still be injected twice, but each dose would be halved.

Slaoui says that would allow medics to 'immunize double the number of people with the doses currently available'.

He said the government was in discussion with both Moderna and the FDA about the idea.

'I think it' a responsible approach that is be based on facts and data to immunize more people,' he stated.

The US government is considering cutting some of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine doses in half so that they can vaccinate more people with supplies currently on hand. Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the chief science adviser for Operation Warp Speed, made the announcement on Sunday during an interview with CBS' Face The Nation (pictured)

Slaoui said he was optimistic that the vaccination process would continue to accelerate in the coming weeks.

Both Moderna and Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccines require two doses taken either 21 days or 28 days apart.

More than 13 million vaccine vials have been distributed, but many of those shots are being held in storage to serve as the second dose for 4 million-plus people who have already had their first jab.

Some critics have argued that as many people as possible should be injected with their first dose now, and receive their second dose once supplies are topped up.

But Slaoui rejected that idea in his interview with Face The Nation.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has been injected with her first dose of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine

Officials hoped to have at least 20 million people vaccinated by the end of 2020. On Saturday, the CDC stated that it had administered just 4.2 million first dose. Seniors are seen waiting in line to receive their first dose of the Moderna vaccine in Delray Beach, Florida last week

'It's not reasonable when vaccines have been developed with two doses given 21 days apart or 28 days apart, and we have the data on that safety and that efficacy [to suddenly change plans],' he stated.

'We have no data [about what happens] if we leave people after one dose for one month, two month, three months, with maybe incomplete immunity, waning immunity, or even the wrong kind of immune response.'

Meanwhile, Slaoui said it would likely not be known until late spring whether vaccinated people can still spread the disease to others.

It comes as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens across the United States.

More than 300,000 Americans tested positive to the virus in a single day on Saturday, taking the total number of infections nationwide to 20.49 million.

More than 300,000 citizens have died from the disease.
(This story corrects to clarify COVAX is backed by the World Health Organization and other groups in paragraphs 6 and 7)

HANOI(Reuters) - Vietnam has agreed to buy 30 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by AstraZeneca Plc, the government said on Monday, adding that authorities are also seeking to purchase vaccines from other sources, including Pfizer Inc.

The Southeast Asian country has previously agreed to get a Russian vaccine though also said it would not rush to secure vaccine deals, citing the potential for high financial costs and after managing to contain its coronavirus outbreaks to only 1,494 cases, with 35 deaths.

The AstraZeneca and Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine is cheaper than some others and can be stored at fridge temperature, which makes it easier to transport and use, particularly in developing countries.

"We've already signed an agreement to guarantee the AstraZeneca vaccine for 15 million people, which is equivalent to 30 million doses," deputy health minister Truong Quoc Cuong told a government meeting.

Vietnam is also in talks to purchase vaccines from Pfizer Inc, Russia's Sputnik V and China, the deputy minister said. Cuong did not name the Chinese vaccine candidate.

Cuong also said Vietnam would be eligible to buy vaccines from the World Health Organization's COVAX programme to cover 16%, or 15.6 million of its almost 98 million population, but said more information would be available in the first quarter.

Vietnam, which has yet to give formal regulatory approval to any vaccine, is also developing vaccines domestically.

The country has conducted human trials of its 'Nano Covax' vaccine and a second home-grown vaccine is expected to start undergoing human trials this month.

Vietnam in August said it had signed up for 50 million-150 million doses of the Russian vaccine, though delivery remains unclear.

(Reporting by Phuong Nguyen; Editing by Ed Davies)
A BJP lawmaker was injured after his car collided head-on with a truck in Munger district on Sunday night, said police on Monday.

Police said Niki Membram, MLA from Katoria in Banka district was referred to Patna after getting first-aid treatment in Bhagalpur. Police suspect that the truck driver was driving under the influence of alcohol as he was driving rashly.

The first-time MLAs two bodyguards and driver were also injured and the SUV was also damaged. The three men are stated to be stable and would be discharged from the hospital in a few days.

In another incident in Gaya, two men heading to the railway station on a motorcycle were crushed to death after a truck loaded with rice bags toppled on their bike at Chakand station bazaar on Patna-Gaya road on Monday afternoon.

Gayas senior superintendent of police (SSP) Aditya Kumar said cranes had to be used to remove the truck.

The errant driver fled the spot. The circumstances of the mishap are still being probed, teh SSP said.

Irate over the incident, a group of people set the truck on fire. They also blocked vehicular traffic for more than three hours. The situation was brought under control in around two hours, officials said, adding that those involved in the vandalism and arson will be identified with the help of CCTV footage and booked.

In another incident, two people were killed at Sati-Pokhra village in Saran after an auto-rickshaw collided with a truck.

Police said the incident occurred when the speeding truck rammed into the autorickshaw killing two unidentified passengers. Police said prima facie it looks like the truck driver lost control and hit the autorickshaw. The police are investigating the matter.
SAGINAW, MI  Convicted at 18 of killing another teen, a Saginaw man is out of custody for the first time in years as he awaits a second trial.

Kareem A. Jeez Swilley Jr., 25, was released from the Saginaw County Jail on Dec. 23 after a bonding agency posted his bond.

Saginaw County Circuit Judge Andre R. Borrello had set Swilleys bond at $200,000 cash-surety or 10 percent when he granted Swilley pretrial release on Dec. 16.

Swilley is to wear an electronic tether while free on bond.

A jury in October 2014 found Kareem A. Jeez Swilley Jr. and two codefendants guilty of first-degree premeditated murder and numerous related offenses in the 2012 drive-by shooting death of DaVarion Galvin. Both Swilley and Galvin were 16 at the time.

Then-Saginaw County Circuit Judge Fred L. Borchard in December 2014 sentenced Swilley to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Two months later, Borchard resentenced Swilley to 37 to 75 years in prison.

Swilley appealed his conviction and the Michigan Supreme Court in July 2019 issued a unanimous decision that he be granted a new trial. The justices wrote Borchard at trial challenged testimony from a witness and rigorously questioned (him) in a manner that more closely resembled prosecutorial cross-examination, rather than a mere attempt at clarification.

Awaiting a new trial, Swilley is charged with first-degree premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit that crime, three counts of assault with intent to murder, seven counts of felony firearm, and single counts of carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent and receiving and concealing a stolen firearm.

On Dec. 8, Judge Borrello held a hearing regarding an emergency motion from Swilleys defense seeking pretrial release. The next day, Borrello issued an order declining to rule on the matter until he received a recommendation from pretrial services, court documents show.

Pretrial services subsequently recommended Swilley not be released pending trial in a Dec. 15 report.

However, Borrello on Dec. 16 granted Swilley pretrial release and set his bond at $200,000 cash-surety or 10 percent. In his order, Borrello wrote he considered the Michigan Constitution, case law, and recommendations from the Michigan Supreme Court regarding the spread of COVID-19 and its effect on Swilleys health and safety. He further stated that in his opinion it does not appear that proof is evident nor is the presumption (of guilt) great. Therefore, pretrial release is required.

Swilley, now 25, on Dec. 21 was moved from a Michigan Department of Corrections prison to the Saginaw County Jail.

Prosecutors are attempting to get Swilley back in custody before his next trial.

Saginaw County Assistant Prosecutor Melissa J. Hoover on Dec. 22 filed a motion asking Borrello to reconsider his prior order, describing the bond Borrello set for Swilley as an exceedingly low amount given the charges pending.

In her motion, Hoover argued there was enough evidence against Swilley to have allowed the judge to deny granting him pretrial release.

Hoover wrote Swilleys criminal record demonstrate(s) an escalation in (his) conduct involving weapons. Swilley is also affiliated with the East Side Right Back Blood Gang with MDOC staff having found him with two handwritten pages of Blood codes, color meanings, (and) dates associated with Blood history facts as recently as November 2019, Hoover wrote.

Swilley is represented by defense attorney Jeffrey J. Rupp. He and prosecutors have declined to comment on the matter when contacted by MLive.

A hearing before Borrello is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Jan. 20.

Case background

During Swilleys trial, prosecutors said he and codefendant Terrance D. Thomas opened fire on Galvin, his cousin Willie G. Youngblood III, and two of their friends about 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 21, 2012, on York in the Bloomfield neighborhood off South Washington near Sheridan in Saginaw.

Codefendant John H. Granderson was the driver of the car from which the men opened fire, prosecutors said. He and fellow codefendant Terrance D. Thomas, both 18 when the killing occurred, were sentenced to life without parole.

The motive for the killing, prosecutors said, was a rivalry between the East Side Gang and the Bloomfield Boys Gang, whose members also refer to themselves as the Narly Boys.

At trial, Swilley presented an alibi defense, asserting he was at city hall when the shooting occurred with his sister, grandmother, and grandmothers fiance. Both the grandmother and her fiance testified during the trial, corroborating Swilleys claim.

Read more:

Saginaw man convicted of murder at age 16 could walk free as he awaits new trial

Michigan Supreme Court orders new trial for Saginaw man convicted of murder, says judge acted like prosecutor

Saginaw teen resentenced in 2012 murder because of Juvenile Lifers law

Jury deliberating fate of alleged East Side Gang members charged in 2012 homicide
Stefan Rousseau/Reuters

EDINBURGH, ScotlandIts only been a few weeks since people in Britain were planning a relatively normal Christmas with their families thanks to relaxed pandemic rules. Now, with the mutant coronavirus variant fueling a near vertical spike in new daily cases, huge parts of the country are starting the new year by being slammed back into the harshest of lockdowns.

The speed of the turnaround has been astonishing and terrifying. At the end of November, following a nationwide lockdown in England, Britains case numbers had declined to around 13,000 a day. Now the country has recorded more than 50,000 cases for six days in a row. The message to the world appears to be clearthe new variant spreads faster, and, without strict preventative measures, this will happen to you too.

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Britains surge comes despite the planned Christmas relaxation being scrapped, schools closing down for Christmas, and the biggest city, London, being in the top tier of lockdown for two weeks. Experts have been warning for weeks that the new variant spreads so quickly that rules that may have worked last year are no longer enough. Political leaders are now scrambling to find how to knock it back, or face catastrophe.

Scotland went first. Its devolved nationalist government had already closed the border to England after Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that the new variant was running wild down south. On Monday, Scotlands first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, announced a lockdown every bit as strict as the one in spring. Her message: Stay at home, and keep your kids out of school, or well end up as screwed as England.

Sturgeon has estimated that Scotland is now about four weeks behind Englands surge, but the new ruleswhich force Scots by law not to leave their homes except for a few essential purposesare designed to prevent the country from spiraling out of control like its neighbors. Scotland is recording 188.3 cases per 100,000, less than half the rate of England over the past seven days, according to government figures.

Story continues

Meanwhile, Johnson has been under intense pressure for prevaricating while cases in England have seen spike upon spike upon spike. That came to an end on Monday evening, with the prime minister announcing a new lockdown in an address to the nation. Most schools will be closed and citizens must stay at home except to buy necessities or exercise until at least mid-February, he said.

Asked what was taking him so long to do something, Johnson said: What we have been waiting for is to see the impact of the tier four measures on the virus and it is a bit unclear, still, at the moment. But if you look at the numbers, there is no question that we are going to have to take tougher measures and we will be announcing those in due course.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has admitted that the rules that had worked since springs lockdown are no longer strong enough.

Even more worryingly, though, is Hancocks belief that the new British variant may not even be the biggest threat facing an already engulfed nation. He said Monday that hes incredibly worried about a South African variant that has been deemed even more transmissible than the British oneand two cases of it have been confirmed in Britain.

Hancock told the BBC on Monday: This is a very, very significant problem... even more of a problem than the U.K. new variant.

One reason for that concern may be that British experts have openly queried whether the current vaccines will work on the South African mutant. John Bell, a University of Oxford professor and government vaccine adviser, has said theres a big question mark as to whether the existing vaccines will work on the South African variant.

Its clear that Britain is in a bad situationwhats much less clear is if this is as bad as it will get, if new measures will be enough to control the virus mutant, and what happens if an even worse one takes hold.

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Mobile Countys slow population decline can partially be explained by migration flows - the number of people moving in or out of the county.

Alabamas second largest county lost more people through migration than any other county in the state over the last half decade plus, according to the latest available estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Between 2014 and 2018, Census estimates show nearly 15,500 people per year moved away from Mobile County, while just 12,700 people moved in. Thats a net loss of nearly 2,800 people per year - the largest net loss of any Alabama county over that time.

Mobiles net losses over that time were nearly double the next closest county - Autauga, just north of Montgomery, which averaged a net loss of around 1,500 people per year.

Where did people from Mobile move?

Mobile actually lost population both within and outside of Alabama, but the biggest destination for people leaving the county was just across the Bay.

[Cant see the map? Click here.]

Estimates from the U.S. Census Bureaus American Community Survey show 1,500 people per year moved from Mobile to Baldwin County, one of the fastest growing counties in the state.

The next biggest destination for people moving from Mobile was Jefferson County, home to Birmingham. Nearly 1,000 people per year moved from Mobile to Jefferson over that five-year stretch.

But most people who moved away from Mobile during that time actually moved out of state. Census estimates show just shy of 10,000 Mobile County residents per year moved out of state between 2014 and 2018. During the same time, only around 5,600 Mobile movers stayed in Alabama.

And there are some surprising out-of-state destinations. The two biggest for estimated out-migration destinations from Mobile were both in California - Orange and Stanislaus counties each got an estimated 600 people per year from Mobile, though both figures were within the Census Bureaus margin of error.

Some closer counties had more reliable estimates, including Jackson County, Mississippi, just over the state line. Around 450 people moved from Mobile to Jackson County over that time period.

Moving in

Mobiles population loss is striking, but it doesnt mean people arent moving in, too.

Around 8,500 people moved to Mobile from outside of Alabama - thats the fifth highest total in the state. Less than half that number moved from within the states borders.

Still, Mobile and neighboring Baldwin saw lots of people moving back and forth. More than 1,000 people per year moved from Baldwin to Mobile. That was still a net loss of around 500 people per year for Mobile, but Baldwin was sent by far the most people there between 2014 and 2018.

Mobile also got a sizable influx of people from Harris County, Texas, home of Houston, and Orleans Parish, Louisiana, home of New Orleans.

[Cant see the map? Click here.]

Do you have an idea for a data story about Alabama? Email Ramsey Archibald at rarchibald@al.com, and follow him on Twitter @RamseyArchibald. Read more Alabama data stories here.
Childrens Minister Roderic OGorman said a separate list for the childcare sector would be confusing. Stock image

Childcare professionals are calling on the government to have a different list of essential workers who can use their services, but Childrens Minister Roderic OGorman said this would be confusing.

The call comes as childcare services return today for essential workers. Elaine Dunne, Chairperson of the Federation of Early Childhood Providers (Feds), said if the cases continue to rise as they are pre-schools should only be open for frontline parents as the list of essential workers is as long as your arm.

Despite these calls, Childrens Minister Roderic OGorman said the government will not be creating a different list for childcare providers.

Read More

Im aware that it is a complicated list but I think it's important and I dont think creating a separate list just for the childcare sector would be beneficial. I think that would create additional confusion, he said on RTE Radio 1s Morning Ireland.

I think childcare providers and parents are making responsible choices in deciding whether they took up childcare this week or not.

As Ms Dunne prepares to open her pre-school tomorrow, she said she is worried and scared to return as this virus is spreading like wildfire.

We are leaving ourselves completely open here to catching this virus because we have no proper guidelines on what we need to look out for in a child, she told Independent.ie.

"Ive been lisaing with parents and a lot have decided not to send their children in. We gave them all the options that we were going to look after frontline workers first and essential workers after that.

Ms Dunne will be opening her doors to four children and three staff, she normally has 29 children in the morning and 55 for afterschool.

The four children all have parents who are frontline healthcare workers, however, it is not the case for all the Feds members that they are only taking frontline workers children as essential workers must currently be given the option too.

Im opening up tomorrow morning for essential workers and I am absolutely up the walls, she said.

"Out of 13 staff I have three going in, one of those is an SNA. They are scared, but they feel it is the right thing to open up for the frontline workers.

Ms Dunne added that she and her colleagues are now frontline workers but they are not getting the adequate help they need.

"We are now frontline workers with no extra help here whatsoever, she said.

"Its just go in get on with it and get on with your job. People are very very scared, Im very scared.

The Feds chairperson said childcare workers should be receiving the vaccine sooner than planned if they are to continue providing services.

Currently, early childhood workers are down to receive the vaccine 11th on the list along with primary and secondary school teachers.

"Doctors are saying everyone should stay at home yet here we are, and we want to work for the frontline but I dont think the service should be open for essential workers because the list is as long as your arm, Ms Dunne said.

"We dont want to be closed completely but we want them (the government) to prioritse that if this continues and numbers keep rising the way they are that we should only be open for frontline parents.

Minister OGorman said he maintains that the childcare sector is safe and said he agrees that frontline workers should be prioritised for childcare.

"The public health guidance has always been that childcare settings are safe and that continues to be the public health guidance, he said.

"I think they (frontline workers) should (get priority) and I think childcare professionals know the parents in their service and they know what sort of supports need to be provided.

"I know over the past number of days they have engaged very extensively over the past number of days and parents are taking very responsible decisions.

"And the fact that there is a 20pc to 50pc occupancy this week shows that parents and providers are taking those decisions and enabling us to provide childcare for those sections of the economy that really need it.

Read More

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A Perfect Planet

Rating:

The latest Attenborough spectacular is usually launched to the Press a month before it airs on the Beeb, at a screening in a hotel cinema. Theres warm wine, shiny brochures, the lot.

An assembly of journalists watches the first episode with surround sound loud enough to make everybodys ears ring. A question-and-answer session follows on stage, with producers, directors and the great naturalist himself.

This time was different. We tuned in via Zoom, using the split-screen video software BBC News loves so much.

In one box was Sir David, in front of an impressively stocked bookcase in his home.

Attenborough cameraman Matt Aeberhard shot a clip in 55c heat, of flamingos flocking by the million at the salt bed of Lake Natron in Tanzania

In the window next to him was interviewer Liz Bonnin, and below them sat veteran wildlife film-maker Alastair Fothergill, who was having problems with his microphone and spent most of the hour mouthing silently, like Marcel Marceau.

The fourth box was empty for 15 minutes, until cameraman Matt Aeberhard arrived  and the Q&A became instantly far more interesting than anything a hotel stage could offer.

Matt was in Africa, dialling in from a hut in what he described as the monkey capital of the world  Kibale in Uganda.

Wed just marvelled at a clip Matt shot in 55c heat, of flamingos flocking by the million at the salt bed of Lake Natron in Tanzania.

This sequence, the highlight of the opening episode, was kaleidoscopically beautiful: Sir David called it one of the most extraordinary I have seen on TV.

This sequence, the highlight of the opening episode, was kaleidoscopically beautiful: Sir David called it 'one of the most extraordinary I have seen on TV'

Hilariously offhand, Matt described the problems of filming in the foulest place on Earth, where the gloopy, sulphurous mud is as poisonous as bleach. The salts dry into razor-edged crystals that slash your legs, he said, causing sores that can take months to heal.

Filming there meant sitting all day in a hide as hot as a sauna, wearing snow shoes to prevent his feet from sinking into the mud. You get covered in salt, which dries and leaves you looking like the ghost of Sid Vicious. It is, he concluded, a cool place to work.

The footage he captured made all his suffering worthwhile. Also outstanding were the shots of hundreds of brown bears on Russias Kamchatka peninsula, gorging on salmon while boiling geysers burst up from the rocks.

Cameraman Rolf Steinmann took a step backwards and put his foot in a blistering hot pool. He kept filming  but when he returned home, he needed a skin graft.

When you watch the rest of this series (and its too good to risk missing a single minute), spare a thought for the exceptional people who make it possible.

The Serpent

Rating:

Missing a minute of The Serpent (BBC1) is dangerous because youll lose your place in its timeline. The narrative sways like a pendulum from the end of the story . . . to the start . . . to four months later . . . to two months earlier.

Coiled at the heart of The Serpent (BBC1) are the tales of two couples: Alain and his damaged, desperate girlfriend Marie-Andree (pictured together), and amateur detectives Herman and Angela

Its effect is like the moment psychopathic jewel dealer Alain (Tahar Rahim) scatters a bag of gemstone fragments across a desktop. Its dazzling and fascinating but you hardly know where to look.

Coiled at the heart of The Serpent are the tales of two couples: Alain and his damaged, desperate girlfriend Marie-Andree, and amateur detectives Herman and Angela (Billy Howle and Ellie Bamber).

But as their paths havent yet crossed, writer Richard Warlow has to leap back and forth in time between them.

It would have been simpler to concentrate at first on Marie-Andree. She is portrayed with gut-wrenching intensity by Jenna Coleman as a girl without family or friends who is losing the only thing she has left  her soul. A hypnotic performance.

Cheeky patter of the night: Cliff Richard paid tribute to his mate Jimmy Tarbuck in The Laughs Are On Me (C5). Could we appear at the Palladium together again? Cliff mused. Why not? Were available . . . but neither of us is cheap. Encore!
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
LONDON - Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday a new national lockdown for England until at least mid-February to combat a fast-spreading new variant of the coronavirus, even as Britain ramped up its vaccination program by becoming the first nation to start using the shot developed by Oxford University and drugmaker AstraZeneca.

FILE - In this Wednesday Dec. 30, 2020 file photo, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks at a press conference in 10 Downing Street, London. Johnson has warned that more onerous lockdown restrictions in England are likely as the country reels from a new variant of the coronavirus that has seen infection rates soar to their highest recorded levels. The U.K. is in the midst of an acute outbreak, recording more than 50,000 new coronavirus infections a day over the past five days. (Heathcliff O'Malley/Pool via AP)

LONDON - Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday a new national lockdown for England until at least mid-February to combat a fast-spreading new variant of the coronavirus, even as Britain ramped up its vaccination program by becoming the first nation to start using the shot developed by Oxford University and drugmaker AstraZeneca.

Johnson said people must stay at home again, as they were ordered to do so in the first wave of the pandemic in March, this time because the new virus variant was spreading in a "frustrating and alarming way.

As I speak to you tonight, our hospitals are under more pressure from COVID than at any time since the start of the pandemic, he said in a televised address.

From Tuesday, primary and secondary schools and colleges will be closed for face to face learning except for the children of key workers and vulnerable pupils. University students will not be returning until at least mid-February. People were told to work from home unless it's impossible to do so, and leave home only for essential trips.

All nonessential shops and personal care services like hairdressers will be closed, and restaurants can only operate takeout services.

82-year-old Brian Pinker receives the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from nurse Sam Foster at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, England, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. Pinker, a retired maintenance manager received the first injection of the new vaccine developed by between Oxford University and drug giant AstraZeneca. (Steve Parsons/Pool Photo via AP)

As of Monday, there were 26,626 COVID-19 patients in hospitals in England, an increase of more than 30% from a week ago. That is 40% above the highest level of the first wave in the spring.

Large areas of England were already under tight restrictions as officials try to control an alarming surge in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, blamed on a new variant of COVID-19 that is more contagious than existing variants. Authorities have recorded more than 50,000 new infections daily since passing that milestone for the first time on Dec. 29. On Monday, they reported 407 virus-related deaths to push the confirmed death toll total to 75,431, one of the worst in Europe.

The U.K.'s chief medical officers warned that without further action, there is a material risk of the National Health Service in several areas being overwhelmed over the next 21 days.

82-year-old Brian Pinker receives the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from nurse Sam Foster at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, England, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. Pinker, a retired maintenance manager received the first injection of the new vaccine developed by between Oxford University and drug giant AstraZeneca. (Steve Parsons/Pool Photo via AP)

Hours earlier, Scotland's leader, Nicola Sturgeon, also imposed a lockdown there with broadly similar restrictions from Tuesday until the end of January.

I am more concerned about the situation we face now than I have been at any time since March last year, Sturgeon said in Edinburgh.

The announcements came on the day U.K. health authorities began putting the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine into arms around the country, fueling hopes that life may begin returning to normal by the spring.

82-year-old Brian Pinker receives the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from nurse Sam Foster at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, England, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. Pinker, a retired maintenance manager received the first injection of the new vaccine developed by between Oxford University and drug giant AstraZeneca. (Steve Parsons/Pool Photo via AP)

The weeks ahead will be the hardest yet but I really do believe that were entering the last phase of the struggle," Johnson said.

Britain has secured the rights to 100 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which is cheaper and easier to use than some of its rivals. In particular, it doesnt require the super-cold storage needed for the Pfizer vaccine.

The new vaccine will be administered at a small number of hospitals for the first few days so authorities can watch out for any adverse reactions. Officials said hundreds of new vaccination sites  including local doctors offices  will open later this week, joining the more than 700 vaccination sites already in operation.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a visit to view the vaccination programme at the Chase Farm Hospital in north London, Monday Jan. 4, 2021, part of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. Johnson warned Sunday that more onerous lockdown restrictions in England are likely in the coming weeks as the country reels from a coronavirus variant that has pushed infection rates to their highest recorded levels. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool Photo via AP)

A massive ramp-up operation is now underway, Johnson said. The goal was that by mid-February, some 13 million people in the top priority groups  care home residents, all those over 70 years old, frontline health and social workers, and those deemed extremely clinically vulnerable  will be vaccinated, he said.

Brian Pinker, an 82-year-old dialysis patient, received the first Oxford-AstraZeneca shot early Monday at Oxford University Hospital.

The nurses, doctors and staff today have all been brilliant, and I can now really look forward to celebrating my 48th wedding anniversary with my wife, Shirley, later this year, Pinker said in a statement released by the National Health Service.

In this image taken from video, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes a televised address to the nation from 10 Downing Street, London, Monday Jan. 4, 2021, setting out new emergency measures to control the spread of coronavirus in England. (Pool via AP)

But aspects of Britains vaccination plan have spurred controversy.

Both vaccines require two shots, and Pfizer had recommended that the second dose be given within 21 days of the first. But the U.K.s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization said authorities should give the first vaccine dose to as many people as possible, rather than setting aside shots to ensure others receive two doses. It has stretched out the time between the doses from 21 days to within 12 weeks.

While two doses are required to fully protect against COVID-19, both vaccines provide high levels of protection after the first dose, the committee said. Making the first dose the priority will maximize benefits from the vaccination program in the short term, it said.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson rolls up his sleeves, during a visit to Chase Farm Hospital in north London, Monday Jan. 4, 2021. Johnson warned Sunday that more onerous lockdown restrictions in England are likely in the coming weeks as the country reels from a coronavirus variant that has pushed infection rates to their highest recorded levels. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool Photo via AP)

Stephen Evans, a professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said policymakers are being forced to balance the potential risks of this change against the benefits in the middle of a deadly pandemic.

As has become clear to everyone during 2020, delays cost lives, Evans said. When resources of doses and people to vaccinate are limited, then vaccinating more people with potentially less efficacy is demonstrably better than a fuller efficacy in only half.

Monday's urgent announcement was yet another change of course for Johnson, who had stuck with a regional alert system that stipulated varying restrictions for areas depending on the severity of local infections. London and large areas of southeast England were put under the highest level of restrictions in mid-December, and more regions soon joined them.

But it soon became clear that the regional approach wasn't working to tamp down the spread of the virus, and critics have been clamouring for a tougher national lockdown.

And while schools in London were already closed due to high infection rates in the capital, Johnson had said that students in many parts of the country could return to classrooms on Monday after the Christmas holidays, to the dismay of teachers' unions.

We are relieved the government has finally bowed to the inevitable and agreed to move schools and colleges to remote education in response to alarming COVID infection rates," said Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders.

Jill Lawless contributed to this report.

Follow AP coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at:

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
A British court has ruled that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange shouldnt be extradited to the US in order to stand trial. Judge Vanessa Baraitser said that, while Assange had exceeded the role of a journalist, the risk to his mental and physical wellbeing was too great. The US has already committed to appealing the ruling, and the case is likely to end up in the British Supreme Court, a process likely to take several years.

Wikileaks was founded in 2006, but received global attention in 2010 after publishing a series of documents about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The site would go on to publish leaked material from the State Department, Guantanamo Bay and the Democratic National Committee. Assanges critics in the US believe that he has received material from hostile nation-state actors, including Russia.

I accept that there are entries in the notes which indicate a much better mood and lighter spirits at times, however the overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man, who is genuinely fearful about his future, the judge said. For all of these reasons I find that Mr. Assanges risk of committing suicide, if an extradition order were to be made, to be substantial.

The 49-year-old Australian is wanted in the US on charges of espionage and conspiracy to commit computer hacking after working with whistleblower Chelsea Manning. In both the UK and US, advocates for Mr. Assange believe that his work does constitute journalism and, as such, extradition would be a violation of press freedom. In her judgment, Baraitser dismissed such claims, saying that Assange had previously encouraged people to join the US intelligence community in order to leak sensitive information.
Wilkes-Barre, PA (18701)

Today

Partly cloudy skies during the morning hours. Thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 91F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening, then mainly cloudy overnight. Low 61F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
New Delhi: Income Tax Department officials on Monday (January 4) reached at Robert Vadra's residence in Delhi Sukhdev Vihar to record his statement in the Benami properties matter. The I-T officials are currently recording the statement of Robert Vadra in connection with a Benami properties case, according to sources.

Robert Vadra, who son-in-law of Congress' interim president Sonia Gandhi, is married to Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi. He earlier failed to join the probe citing the Covid-19 pandemic situation.

He is being investigated by the Income Tax department in connection with the case involving properties worth around 12 million pounds in London that allegedly belong to him. The Enforcement Directorate had filed a case against Vadra in 2018.

Besides the IT department, Vadra is also being investigated by the Enforcement Department under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) pertaining to allegations of money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property at 12, Bryanston Square, worth 1.9 million pounds. It is alleged that the said property is allegedly owned by him. He is currently out on anticipatory bail.

A police case was also lodged against him and former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in 2018 for alleged irregularities in land deals in Gurgaon.

In September 2015, the ED had registered a money laundering case against Robert Vadra's company Skylight Hospitality alleging that the firm had acquired land meant for rehabilitation of poor villagers in Rajasthan's Bikaner.

The ED had further alleged Rober Vadra bought 69.55 hectares of land at a cheaper rate and sold to Allegenery Finlease for Rs5.15 crore through illegal transactions.
Predictions  especially those that relate to the political future  are a total mugs game. Yet they can be fun, though less so when some tedious pedant unearths them 12 months later to point out some, er, shortcomings.

But that is when we bounce right back with where we were right  and why we were wrong. Or, as one television news channels unofficial and whispered slogan would have it: Were never wrong for long, you know.

So, like a nutty winter swimmer, lets just plunge in and answer your eight key political questions for 2021 without hedging or equivocation:

1 Will there be an election in 2021?

No. An election in the coming year is in nobodys interest as the three Coalition parties know they must hang together or they will hang separately. An election poses too many Covid logistical challenges for the first half of the year at least.

But expect plenty of internal political attrition. It will be a huge surprise if the Green Party does not lose one, two or more TDs. Fianna Fail is unhappy in Government and Fine Gaels party leader, Leo Varadkar, could smug for Ireland.

2. Will the economy recover?

Yes. But that assumption is based on the Covid-19 vaccine being efficiently distributed across the nation  and also working effectively: two big ifs right now.

So far the Government has been able to avail of cheap money to pay reasonable welfare to virus-hit workers driven on to the dole and other supports to business. A late skinny Brexit deal also helps, but here again there will be need for business supports especially for farming and agri-food.

3. Will there will be a united Ireland in 2021?

No. But this topic is on the agenda to stay. Watch two things in 2021. First is the Northern Ireland Census, widely expected to deliver a majority of people from the nationalist community for the first time in the Norths history of existence. But dont get too carried away as many experts believe it will not lead to a majority favouring unity. Second is Scottish Assembly elections next May in which Nicola Sturgeons SNP are tipped to win. It makes another Scotland independence referendum likely in 2022 with huge potential fallout for the North.

4. Can our authorities get their national act together on the vaccine?

Yes. But it will be the most fraught topic of 2021. A glance at the foreign news coverage shows that most nations are afflicted by similar angst on this issue. Such a massive campaign has never been undertaken in this States history and the cautious opening gambits by the Irish health authorities do not inspire confidence.

They could deliver a happy surprise. But there are limits to peoples patience on this. The answer to this question impinges on most other issues cited here.

Read More

5. Is Brexit really over?

No. The sad part is that it is only beginning where Ireland is concerned. Watch for price rises and even some disruption of supplies.

However, there is no Border return and the common travel area between these islands persists. But Irish business faces huge challenges going from an estimated 1.5 million customs declarations in 2019 to a predicted 20 million in 2021. The Irish Government also faces a huge challenge in getting a fair share of a special 5bn EU Brexit aid fund. Some sectors, notably fisheries and agri-food, need special support.

6. How will EU developments affect us?

As of this week we are without our best EU ally, the UK. We need new alliances in a fast-changing European Union.

In September German stalwart Angela Merkel departs the scene. In May 2022 French President Emmanuel Macron is up for re-election, facing an uncertain fate. There are other huge changes afoot as EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen relied on this duos support to secure record budget funding.

Dublin will look to Irish Commissioner Mairead McGuinness, who remains largely untested in her new role. But the die is cast and Irelands fate happily rests with the EU.

7. How will Joe Bidens White House affect Ireland? And what about Boris Johnson?

Joe Bidens win was the best international news Ireland got in 2020. Irish opportunities to do some brokering on a new EU-US relationship are there. But President Biden is a traditional union man and any EU-US trade deals will be hard fought.

Boris Johnson knows little outside the elite of the south-east of England. Despite his huge majority he faces daunting challenges and it is hard to see him managing the Scottish issue, which has implications for the North too, well in 2021.

8. Will the Fine Gael versus Sinn Fein Punch and Judy Show continue?

Yes. It suits both parties to maintain their media profile and enthuse their grass roots. It also keeps the spotlight off others.

Its another reason Fianna Fail will struggle to maintain definition in government. But Micheal Martin may gain a dividend from association with a successful vaccine campaign  if such happens.

Mary Lou McDonald and her party will continue to do well until they become a normal party  that is, until they enter government and take ownership of harsh decisions around scarce resources.

But watch Alan Kelly and Labour, who have done well in the latter end of 2020. Like most Tipperary hurlers there may be a few pucks left in him for 2021 which he and others will ensure will not be dull.

So, there you have all you need to know about Irish politics in 2021. But, please, do not cut this out and keep it.
Google Streetview / Contributed Photo

WOODBRIDGE  Police are warning residents about scam phone calls after the landline number from the local UPS store was cloned.

The UPS Store employees told police their phone number was cloned and has been used to call residents, requesting personal information to facilitate UPS package deliveries, police said.
A conspiracy theorist who does not believe COVID-19 exists and posted online about her plans to leave hotel quarantine before allegedly breaking out has been granted bail.

Jenny Maree D'Ubios, 49, was seven days into her 14-day quarantine when she left allegedly the Pan Pacific Hotel in Perth on December 26 with no police guard to stop her.

She had arrived from Spain and was making social media threats to leave mandatory quarantine and at one point called the police informing them about her plan.

She was found 12 hours later where she was arrested and on January 4 was granted bail with the magistrate saying it's 'highly unlikely' Ms D'Ubios would go to jail if convicted, The West Australian reported.

Jenny Maree D'Ubios, 49, was seven days into her 14-day quarantine when she allegedly left the Pan Pacific Hotel in Perth on December 26 with no police guard to stop her (pictured)

Ms D'Ubios had returned from Spain where she was looking after her daughter before leaving hotel quarantine halfway

After leaving the hotel, Ms D'Ubios was spotted on Adelaide Terrace at 10.20am and a frantic alert was issued by WA police.

She then caught a bus towards Fremantle, went to the beach, and met a mother and daughter in Warnbro, police say.

Security camera footage allegedly captured Ms D'Ubios walking out from hotel quarantine

She then caught a taxi to Rockingham General Hospital where police took her into custody, it is alleged.

In a welcome relief for the authorities, she tested negative for coronavirus on December 27, after she had previously refused testing on day two of her mandatory quarantine.

Western Australia's Health Minister and Acting Premier Roger Cook said at that time that he would review the state's decision not to move Ms D'Ubios to a high-risk hotel.

'This is the first time that we have had an incident like this with an international traveller,' he said.

'We have been very successful in containing Covid-19 to hotels, preventing it from breaking out in the community.

'The next issue is how she managed to leave the hotel.

'The result of this is the woman is now in police custody and faces a substantial fine of up to $50,000 and up to 12 months imprisonment. The consequences of her actions are significant.

'I am disappointed and I'm angry. I'm particularly angry at the traveller who, by her actions, potentially put many people at risk.'

Doctors have slammed Western Australia's hotel quarantine system as 'voluntary' after Ms D'Ubios's escape.

Jenny Maree D'Ubios (pictured) was released on bail on January 4 after allegedly leaving hotel quarantine

Australian Medical Association WA president Dr Andrew Miller said the hotel quarantine system needed to be more 'humane', with fresh air available in order to prevent people from trying to flee.

He also wants a 'transparent and open' explanation of how the state's quarantine system is working following the incident.

'The quarantine seems to be a bit of a voluntary thing just now and the hospitals are overloaded,' Dr Miller told reporters on Sunday.

'We know there are going to be uncooperative people, we know mistakes are going to be made, but in my job we have to have systems in place that make up for that, otherwise people die.

'Now unfortunately that's also the case with hotel quarantine... so there's lots of work to be done because Covid is not taking the Christmas/New Year period off.'

Ms D'Ubios, who goes by the name Jennifer Gonzalez on social media, posted a video on social media at 6:54am on Saturday, saying she would leave the quarantine hotel.

In a series of videos believed to have been posted by Ms D'Ubios while in quarantine, she claimed coronavirus was fake

Jenny Maree D'Ubios, pictured, tested negative to coronavirus while in hotel quarantine

In the video she complained that she was forced to take antihistamines there because she was allergic to dust, wheat, dairy and sulfates.

She said the antihistamines gave her a rapid heart rate, low blood pressure and dehydration.

'I woke up this morning and I can't breathe again because I'm stuck in this f**king room,' Ms D'Ubios said in the video.

On Facebook she said she wanted a 'non-toxic safe place to quarantine', while also making several conspiracy theory claims.

'That's all I am asking for so they don't pump me with antihistamines or allergy drugs to cope with the toxic environment,' she wrote.

The Australian citizen had returned to Perth from living in Spain - which as of Sunday night had 1.87 million cases and almost 50,000 deaths according to statistics website Worldometers.

She has said she does not believe the coronavirus pandemic exists, yet in a strange contradiction has also claimed that it is the result of 5G technology.

'[The Government] is going to use an army to mass vaccinate you for a 0.03 per cent contraction rate for a virus that doesn't exist,' Ms D'Ubios said in a Facebook post.

She has also voiced a long rant about 'overthrowing the system'.
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A British judge ruled Monday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should not be extradited to the United States on espionage charges because he is a suicide risk, in a move that touches on media freedoms and the international reach of the U.S. justice system.

The legal saga has lasted for almost a decade, full of controversies that pitted Washington against rights campaigners who said the U.S. government tried to redefine what journalists can publish.

U.S. prosecutors said they would appeal the ruling.

Assange was indicted in 2019 by the Department of Justice on 18 counts, alleging 17 forms of espionage and one instance of computer misuse connected to WikiLeaks' dissemination of secret U.S. military documents provided to him by ex-U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. Assange denied the charges and claimed the documents exposed war crimes and abuses by the U.S. military in Iraq.

Judge Vanessa Baraitser told Londons Old Bailey Court that a request by the Department of Justice to have the Australian national, 49, sent to Washington to face the U.S. charges was denied because she couldn't be certain he wouldn't find a way to kill himself in a U.S. detention facility before or after any court case.

In her ruling, Baraitser outlined examples of Assange's poor mental health and history of self-harm and suicidal thoughts. "The overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man fearful for his future," she said, adding that Assange's high level of intelligence meant he would probably succeed in taking his own life.

"Faced with the conditions of near total isolation without the protective factors which limited his risk at HMP Belmarsh, I am satisfied the procedures described by the U.S. will not prevent Mr. Assange from finding a way to commit suicide, and for this reason, I have decided extradition would be oppressive by reason of mental harm," she said.

The ruling does not establish whether Assange is guilty of wrongdoing.

Story continues

Britain's home secretary has the final say over extraditions, meaning the case will probably drag on.

Assange could face 175 years in prison if convicted in a U.S. court.

In-depth: Julian Assange infuriated Washington. Now he faces life in prison

Assange and his lawyers have long maintained his innocence on the grounds that he simply did what any other journalist would do: publish information in the public interest. Assange's legal team argued the charges were politically motivated, his mental and physical health was at risk and conditions in U.S. prisons breach Britain's human rights laws.

The verdict was delayed several times because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Department of Justice argued, in its indictments and as part of the extradition case in Britain, that Assange should not be considered a journalist because he did not write or edit any of the material WikiLeaks published. U.S. authorities claimed he stole, or convinced Manning to steal, the secret documents.

Baraitser largely agreed with U.S. prosecutors on these points, saying Assange's alleged actions to encourage Manning and others to steal U.S. military documents "went beyond mere" journalism and should not be protected by free speech rules.

"While we are extremely disappointed in the court's ultimate decision, we are gratified that the United States prevailed on every point of law raised," the Department of Justice said in a statement. "In particular, the court rejected all of Mr. Assanges arguments regarding political motivation, political offense, fair trial, and freedom of speech. We will continue to seek Mr. Assanges extradition to the United States."

The First Amendment, as it applies to the press, restrains the government from jailing, fining or imposing liability for what the media publishes.

It does not shield journalists from criminal liability.

Assange describes himself as a political refugee.

He was charged in the USA under the 1917 Espionage Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

"If you are able to prosecute someone who has a strong case to be called a publisher, then who's next?" John Kiriakou, a former CIA analyst, told USA TODAY.

Kiriakou blew the whistle on a U.S. government-sanctioned torture program in 2007 that was approved by President George W. Bush because of the threats posed by the al-Qaida terrorist organization. He served jail time after pleading guilty to leaking the name of an officer involved in waterboarding.

Lockerbie bombing anniversary: AG Barr unveils new charges in 1988 attack

Since May last year, Assange has been locked up at London's Belmarsh Prison, a facility that houses some of Britain's most dangerous lawbreakers.

It was not immediately clear whether he will be granted bail while U.S. prosecutors lodge their appeal. If Assange is released, he may not be able to leave Britain without facing arrest if the United States issues an international arrest warrant.

Assange was found guilty of skipping bail in 2012. He fled to Ecuador's diplomatic compound in London rather than turn himself in to British authorities for possible extradition to Sweden. Investigators in the Scandinavian country wanted to question him over sexual assault allegations connected to two women.

Assange hid from British police in Ecuador's poky red-brick embassy building for seven years, yards from the famous luxury Harrods department store, because he feared Sweden would send him to the United States as part of an extradition request.

The Swedish case was dropped.

His extradition case in Britain began after Assange left the Ecuadorean Embassy and was arrested by police. Bail was denied because he was deemed a flight risk.

"The mere fact that this case has made it to court, let alone gone on this long, is an historic, large-scale attack on freedom of speech. The U.S. government should listen to the groundswell of support coming from the mainstream media editorials, NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) around the world such as Amnesty and Reporters Without Borders and the United Nations who are all calling for these charges to be dropped," said Kristinn Hrafnsson, Wikileaks' editor-in-chief, before the verdict. "This is a fight that affects each and every persons right to know and is being fought collectively."

Anas Mustapha, a spokesperson for CAGE, a U.K.-based organization that highlights what it describes as "repressive state policies," said it welcomed the blocking of Assange's extradition but was disappointed he was "spared only on account of his suicide risk." Mustapha said the "ruling makes it clear" that "dissent and truth-telling" are being criminalized.

Assange appeared in court Monday in a face mask. As the verdict was read, he closed his eyes and twiddled his thumbs. Also in the court was his fiancee, Stella Moris, and their two young sons. Moris wept as Baraitser read out highlights from her ruling.

Outside court, Moris said the ruling was "the first step towards justice," but it was not time to celebrate.

"I had hoped that today would be the day that Julian would come home," she said. "Today is not that day, but that day will come soon."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WikiLeaks' Julian Assange: UK rejects extradition, cites suicide risk
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The Delhi High Court on Monday sought response of the Delhi government on a plea seeking release of those undertrial prisoners (UTPs) on bail who have served more than half of the maximum sentence which would be awarded to them if convicted for lesser offence of all the other charges.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan issued notice to the Delhi government and sought its stand on the plea by a trust, India Undertrial Prisoner Support Forum, which has sought a direction to the UnderTrial Review Committee (UTRC) to expedite review of bails for UTPs.

It claimed that a large number of undertrial prisoners who have completed half of the lesser sentence in multiple offences are endlessly languishing in jail and awaiting justice. It also contended that granting bail to such UTPs would be a long term solution for decongesting the jails in the national capital which are presently housing prisoners nearly double their actual capacity.

The petitioner, through its advocates Vishal Gosain and Neeha Nagpal, told the bench that the Supreme Court had in 2015 and 2016 ordered setting up of a UTRC to consider cases of UTPs who were entitled to benefit of section 436A of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) which provides the maximum period for which a UTP can be detained.

The petition also contended that the holding capacity of the 16 jails in Delhi at Tihar, Mandoli and Rohini together was 10,026 prisoners, but they were housing 17,440 inmates out of which 14,355 were UTPs.

It has further said that if steps are not taken, the inmate population is expected to exceed 21,000 once prisoners who were granted bail as an interim measure to decongest the jail start surrendering.

The matter would be now heard on January 27.
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A stolen landscapers truck crashed in Hazle Twp. on Monday and the thief may be responsible for other crimes, too.

State police at Hazleton ask anyone with information to call them at 570-459-3890.

The Nause Landscaping Inc. white 2003 Ford F250 with Pennsylvania registration ZLR3587 was taken between 2:40 and 4 a.m. from Sunburst Drive in Hazle Twp., according to police.

Troopers responding to a 7:26 a.m. crash on Stockton Mountain Road in Hazle Twp. found the driver of the stolen truck hit a Verizon utility pole, causing heavy damage to the Ford and shearing the pole in half.

That same day troopers received numerous calls in reference to thefts from vehicles in Hazle Twp., Luzerne County, and in Banks Twp., in Carbon County, which involved the stolen Ford.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon attends a debate at the Scottish Parliament on the trade and cooperation agreement between the UK and the EU, in Edinburgh on Dec. 30, 2020. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Scotlands First Minister Announces New COVID Lockdown

Scotland will head into a new national lockdown from midnight, with the first minister giving just 10 hours notice of a new legal requirement to stay at home for all but essential purposes.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that the lockdown measures were similar to those put in place during the previous CCP virus peak in the spring.

She said the new variant of the virus in the UKwhich she cited as being 70 percent more transmissible, according to researchhad dealt a massive blow to the hopes raised by the rollout of vaccines.

Sturgeon said she wanted the lockdown to bring the virus under control before a surge in cases of the new variant reaches the levels currently seen in London and southeast England.

The NHS in Scotland has been coping better with the pandemic than other places in the UK until now.

Scotlands lockdown measures will last until the end of January when they will be reviewed.

The announcement came as the UK began the rollout of the Oxford University/AstraZenica vaccine.

Like a Race

Sturgeon likened the situation to a race.

In one lane we have vaccines: our job is to make sure they run as fast as possible, she told lawmakers in Scotland. But in the other lane is the virus whichas a result of this new varianthas just learned to run much faster and has most definitely picked up pace in the last couple of weeks. To ensure that the vaccine wins the race, it is essential to speed up vaccination as far as possible. But to give it the time it needs to get ahead, we must also slow the virus down.

Sturgeon said she is more concerned now than I have been at any time since March.

She said that when the latest figures for hospital patients and people in intensive care are published tomorrow, she expects them to be close to the April peak.

The latest figures (pdf) show that cases of the virus increased by 63 percent in Scotland in the last week of December.

She said that Scotland is likely three to four weeks behind the rising cases in London.

Different legislation has been enacted in Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to tackle the virus.

The new measures in Scotland include a maximum of two people from up to two households being able to meet outside.

Schools in Scotland will now be shut to most pupilswith exceptions for vulnerable children and children of key workersuntil February.

People will be required to work from home if they can do so, but shops and services deemed essential will remain open.

Travel measures are already in place with no-one allowed to travel into or out of Scotland unless it is for an essential purpose.
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However, after suddenly falling in the first quarter of the year, markets were seen to suddenly recover strongly in the second quarter, which was quite a paradox as the pandemic still continues to rage. Therefore, any forecasts for the global financial markets for the coming year will still remain uncertain and unpredictable.

Record price increase

At the beginning of the second quarter, when the stock markets rebounded surprisingly and real estate liquidity improved in the third quarter, suddenly the FOMO syndrome exploded on us. FOMO is a short form of fear of missing out. It is a real life phenomenon or experience that can cause a great deal of stress as people begin to feel they are missing out on good and better opportunities while other people are enjoying all the benefits. It exists in the form of a strong feeling or perception.

A huge number of new stock accounts began opening suddenly in the second quarter, and financial transactions across the US, Europe and Asia skyrocketed as people had more spare time and could work effectively online. In particular, when gold prices rose to historic highs in the middle of the year, the US, Asian, and European stocks also continuously kept reaching historic heights as well. Towards the end of 2020, when Bitcoin suddenly surpassed its previous peak of 2017 of USD 20,000 to USD 27,000, this currency increased by almost 35 million times since it was first traded eleven years ago. Currently, this Bitcoin accounts for about 70% of the crypto currency market and surpasses any other record price increase in the history of the financial market.

In 2020 alone, digital currency increased four times since the beginning of the year. Even the lowest level Bitcoin increased by almost seven times, surpassing the current popular Tesla stock. The phenomenally huge rise in Tesla stocks helped Elon Musk to rise from 40th ranking of the richest person in the world to a number two position. Elon Musk is also the first billionaire in history to earn nearly USD 150 bn in just one single year. Tesla also became the carmaker with the largest market capitalization, more than all the other six bigger car manufacturers, namely, Toyota, Volkswagen, Daimler, General Motors, BMW, and Honda.

In the domestic stock market, the VN Index only increased by about 20% compared to the beginning of 2020, but by 70% if calculated from the lowest level, and it reached to nearly 1,100 points, and the HNX Index more than doubled to approximately 200 points. Although the stock indexes are still quite far from reaching a historical peak, with this increase in 2020, the Vietnam stock market is seeing a leading historical high. The year 2020 also marked a phenomenally record high number of individual investors who opened accounts on a monthly basis accounting for the highest market liquidity in history.

However, there is a paradox that in the context of monetary easing by countries everywhere, the global economy is still in trouble and debts are piling up. Statistics from many sources show that global public debt is currently exceeding USD 80,000 bn. Total debts of public debt, corporate debt, household debt, and personal debt also have hit USD 280,000 bn. There is a lot of money, a lot of debt, but most of the above sources run into financial assets such as securities, real estate and gold. People can also now work online instead of going on the streets to make money, and avoid the infection in the pandemic. This is why the K-shaped model will be created in 2020, which will show that the economy is still struggling but the asset bubble is close by. This makes Bitcoin a safe asset and a haven for cash flow due to a limit of only USD 21 mn this year.

Rise of digital economy

All throughout 2020, digital economy and digital finance have been constant topics of discussion, especially with the coming of the 4.0 era. For example, recently, the billionaire Elon Musk used his online personal page to discuss with investors the ability of Tesla to convert "big deals" on Tesla's balance sheet into Digital Securities. Investors believe that Elon Musk's Tesla will soon digitize shares into Digital Securities.

Mr. Stani Kulechov, Aave CEO, wants Tesla to join Decentralized Finance (DeFi), a form of Stablecoin anchored with real stocks. Currently, many technologies and technology platforms are becoming more and more useful, and the speed of practical applications are increasing rapidly such as DeFi, Electronic Securities, and Digital Finance. For example, in just one year, DeFi's scale of application and investment in the world has increased hundreds of times.

In the stock markets in Vietnam, companies that are doing well create business efficiency that helps attract more investment capital, thereby positively affecting share prices. However, because the economy is still on a recovery momentum, but the financial assets have increased hotly, a bubble phenomenon easily occurs when the FOMO phenomenon spreads with F0 investors.

Therefore, in the coming year in 2021, stocks will show signs of differentiation, meaning that the stocks will be good and will effectively apply technologies to businesses, such as Tesla in 2020, and also there will be a rise of innovating products and services. The business environment will make an impression on investors, thereby attracting more cash flow. In contrast, companies that do not adapt will certainly go down. It is forecast that maintaining a strong cash flow will focus on key areas and sectors affected by the pandemic such as transport, tourism or energy, and stocks of those companies with good post-pandemic adaptability.

After a relatively positive year in the real estate market, with the sole exception of the rental segment, it is difficult to see prices fall on a large scale. Other segments of businesses all improved on liquidity in the second half of 2020, with even higher prices compared to 2019, mainly due to the cash flow pouring into investment channels and real estate benefiting from the traditional channel. However, in 2021 there will be a divergence when the cash flow is more regulated to boost and revive the economy and limit the risk channels with large speculation factors such as real estate, securities and non-priority segments.

On the other hand, although gold did impressively well in the first half of 2020, it fell in the second half of the year when stocks, real estate, and Bitcoin began to peak. However, gold will still remain a defensive channel, especially in a short bull-run cycle, while stocks and real estate have a long cycle, so gold is easier for quicker cash flow. When various policies direct cash flow to rebuild economy, the price of gold is forecast to go up and may even maintain the same strong growth rate as in the earlier part of 2020.

Phan Dung Khanh, Investment Advisory Director, Maybank Kim Eng Securities Joint Stock Company (MBKE)
Get an early head start and drive about 25 minutes southeast toward Henderson, Nevada. There, right in the middle of the arid desert, you'll find a fun open-air museum. The Clark County Heritage Museum is packed full of things to do and experience for kids and adults both indoors and outdoors.Firstly, inside the Heritage Gallery, find changing exhibits that feature art and artefacts in their historical context. Next, make your way outside to experience the open-air museum which is in the form of a neighbourhood from bygone days. Heritage Street homes offer doorways into past decades, from the 1910s to the 1970s. Stroll through all the town's displays at your leisure.Walk through live exhibits including a locomotive, a train depot, a working barn, ranches, a church, and more! Nostalgia is a side-effect of this tour, If you are American you're sure to see something that reminds you of grandma's house. Bonus points if you spot a roadrunner zooming around the museum!Plenty of bottled water and sunscreen. The gift shop has many treasures, so bring some spending money too.One dollar for seniors and two dollars for everyone else.Allow 2-3 hours to walk through the museum grounds.

Next, hop in your car and drive to the Eldorado Canyon pictured above, only 20 minutes south of the Heritage Museum and to the Eldorado Canyon Gold Mine . Here you'll see remnants of a working gold and silver mine. Today, the area around the mine is both a ghost town and an open-air museum ripe for exploring.When you arrive, say hello to Bruce and his family. Not only does Bruce own the mine, but he also cleared out this area as a youth and has renovated the land with authentic miners' artefacts. Notably, he is the foremost expert on the mine's history, including true stories of strange happenings surrounding some of the actual miners. Climb through 500 feet of the old mineshaft up in them thar hills. Old-fashioned lanterns light the way. You can even see veins of silver and gold that remain unmined in the rock walls.Sunscreen and a picnic lunch to eat at the outdoor picnic tables.$15/person.Allow 1 - 2 hours.





Just a short 20-minute drive south of the Vegas strip, discover one of the area's best-kept secrets,

. Not only is the 210-acre Nature Preserve trail is a favourite for wildlife viewing, but this lush green oasis is brimming with flora and fauna in a habitat that supports many indigenous plants and animals such as the Northern Flicker woodpecker pictured above. In addition, the Park has miles of walking trails and bike paths along with superb, picturesque scenery.

Since this land is vast and easy to lose your way, markers posted throughout the park guide you in the right direction. Don't forget to spend time at the onsite nature centre and exhibit hall, where the Park rangers often host engaging and interactive programs for all ages. The Park is open from dawn to dusk. There are benches to rest and bathrooms as well.

What to Pack -

Bring plenty of water, bug repellant, and snacks.

Admission -

Free.

Time -

Allow 1-5 hours or more.
Your Honor Part 5 Season 1 Episode 5 Editors Rating 4 stars * * * *  Previous Next  Photo: Skip Bolen/SHOWTIME

What if the Desiatos had done absolutely nothing? What if Michael simply drove home after discovering the hit-and-run victim was Jimmy Baxters son, scrubbed the Volvo of evidence as best he could, and simply left it at that? Theres no guarantee that people dont find out the truth of what happened, but what weve learned repeatedly in this first half of Your Honor is that the cover-up has only led to greater and greater exposure. Im reminded of a favorite image from Joel and Ethan Coens Blood Simple, where the effort to clean up a pool of blood merely ends up spreading more blood around into the floorboards, onto clothing, into the sink.

Every single effort to cover up the crime has backfired: Using political backchannels to dispose of the Volvo has resulted in the drivers arrest and murder, the death of his mother and three siblings in an explosion, and threat of an all-out gang war. Tasking extremely competent friends like Lee Delamere to serve as the drivers attorney and Nancy Costello to look into the car theft has resulted in a thorough and ongoing investigation on both their parts. Establishing a graveyard alibi the day after the incident has resulted in Adams grandmother puzzling over a very curious lie. And now, Michael getting drunk with a gas station clerk in a scheme to scrub the surveillance footage and get information on a possible witness has led to impending disaster.

Have I accounted for all the catastrophes, big and small? Probably not. But oh what a tangled web has been weaved by Michaels deceptions, and he doesnt even realize the full extent of just how badly things are going for him. At this point in the narrative, Walter White would be crafting improvised explosive devices or busting out a vial of ricin, but Michael doesnt have that scientific know-how at his disposal. All he has are his connections, which would seem to be powerful enough to get him out of trouble, but in fact are making things worse for him. Last time Your Honor dug the Desiatos this deep a hole was the moment that Kofi paid a visit to Carlo Baxter in jail, and the writers got them out of that pickle simply by having Kofi killed. Now the threats have metastasized.

Incredibly, the newest threat may be the weakest. While overseeing court, Michael keeps hearing the bleeping of a cell phone, which annoys him right up to the point where he realizes its coming from the drawer next to him. The text messages read: This is your new phone, Judge. I know it was him. Your son. Do you know where he is now? Later, a blackmail offer arrives, asking for $222,000, which Michael discovers he cant withdraw from the bank on so little notice. (But at least he adds two bankers to the list of people noting his suspicious behavior!) His one countermove is to have the burner phone traced to the Algiers neighborhood, but an attempt to call the blackmailers bluff fails when hes shown footage of his son at the gas station.

The possible silver lining to this damning piece of evidence is that it appears to come from the car that was waiting behind the Volvo at the gas station, and Michael was able to take a shot of that car before erasing the surveillance footage. But he doesnt realize that the biggest possible problem is coming to fruition: Jimmy Baxter knows that Kofi wasnt the one who ran over his son, because his son died on October 9 and Kofi was asked to steal the car on October 10. (A very big oopsie moment, incidentally, for Carlo for killing Kofi in prison and for Jimmy for having Kofis house blown up. Even if there was an Edible Arrangement large enough to compensate for the error, theres no residence for delivery.) Jimmy also knows from the gas station clerk that Michael was there and erased the surveillance footage.

With all thats going on, including the Desiatos dog falling gravely ill from seizures, its almost hilariously quaint that Adam is out there doing his best to fuck things up, too. Since the incident, Adam has taken his role both too seriously and not seriously enough: Hes clearly and understandably affected by what happened and his personal culpability in Roccos (and Kofis and Kofis familys) death, but hes not as invested as his father in protecting himself. His guilt has led him to tiptoe to the ledge, daring himself to jump, and last week it brought him to a candlelight vigil in Roccos honor, where he wound up face-to-face with Fia Baxter. Theres a strong part of him that wants to get caught.

And so while dad is out there dealing with a blackmailer and myriad other loose threads, Adam settles into a cafe with a copy of Infinite Jest and winds up flirting with a gangsters daughter. There are plenty of indications that Fia is not like her parents or her brothers. She remembers Rocco as an idiot and embraces Carlo only reluctantlyit seems likely that maybe she doesnt love being in a family of murderous goons. On the other hand, Adam ran her brother over with a car and then fled the scene, which might not sit well with her, either. For now, though, she and Adam are role-playing his upcoming college interview and basically having an informal, impromptu coffee date. Hes out there on the ledge again, daring a stiff breeze to knock him into the abyss.

The only question now is which Baxter will oblige.

Beignets:

 As a few readers pointed out, I incorrectly identified Margo Martindales character, Elisabeth, as Adams aunt on his mothers side last week when in fact she is his grandmother. A regrettable error, but in my defense, Martindale is only five years older than Bryan Cranston, who plays her son-in-law here.

 The look on Carlos face when he finds out Kofi wasnt responsible for his brothers death is absolutely priceless. Sometimes being a dumb, violent hothead doesnt pay off.

 A good chunk of the episode is devoted to Kofis little brother Eugene, the only surviving member of the Jones family. The one major drawback to Your Honor functioning more as a plot machine than a social drama is that it doesnt register the full weight of Eugenes loss or his subsequent adoption by the gang leaders who couldnt keep Kofi or the rest of his family safe. A scene where he gets his own bedroom for the first time is the rare moment the show pauses to register heavy emotion, but well see if theres any follow-through. He certainly has a key role to play.

 Your Honor surely wants to get some distance from Breaking Bad, but having Bryan Cranston peel across a mid-sized American city at high speed through traffic isnt going to shake those comparisons.
The Daily Beast

Theo WargoCNN boss Jeff Zucker on Tuesday addressed network staffers concerns over the revelations that primetime star host Chris Cuomo advised his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on how to respond to the multiple sexual harassment allegations against him.During a Tuesday afternoon town-hall meeting with staff, Zucker claimed he understood the unease over Cuomos conduct, saying in no uncertain terms that it was a mistake for the primetime star to participate in strategy calls advising his politically powerful brother.He did cross a line, Zucker said.Last week, The Washington Post reported that Cuomo joined strategy calls helping plan his powerful brothers rebuttals to mounting allegations that he harassed multiple women and made some female staffers feel uncomfortable. According to multiple sources who were present on one meeting, the CNN host even mentioned invoking cancel culture as a way to combat the claims.The CNN boss said he personally voiced his displeasure to Cuomo, and that he had considered the options for how to handle the star hosts unfolding scandal. Ultimately, Zucker said that rather than suspending Cuomo, the network decided the host should have to go on-air and personally apologize to his viewers.And so during his 9 p.m. ET broadcast, Cuomo declared that it will never happen again and insisted he knows where the line is.In a statement following the Post bombshell last week, CNN admitted it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governors staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward. The network added that Cuomo would not be disciplined further.But the top anchors decision to secretly participate in the strategy calls assisting his embattled brother has, indeed, irked numerous network staffers. CNN insiders who spoke with The Daily Beast this week expressed frustration with the networks handling of the incident, saying Cuomo should have faced more serious consequences.Im very disappointed in the network, said one current on-air personality. I think some disciplinary action, at a minimum, was required in this situation. The source added, As a woman who works here, I feel a little let down, to be honest.Staff were particularly interested in Tuesdays town hall following one of the more eventful weeks for the network following a high-profile sale and the departure of one noteworthy on-air contributor.During the call, Zucker said that Rick Santorum was given an opportunity to apologize for what the CNN boss referred to as the ex-senators inappropriate and racist comments about Native Americans, but because he refused to do so, the network ultimately fired the conservative pundit.And elsewhere in Tuesdays town hall, Zucker downplayed the impact of AT&Ts decision to merge WarnerMedia, CNNs parent company, with Discovery. Asked about whether CNN could be spun off as part of the deal, the network chief said he did not think that was in the cards.And when pressed on his own future at the network, Zucker said he plans to have conversations with the right people very soon.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
Zero new locally acquired COVID-19 cases were reported in NSW on Monday, but two new cases recorded after the reporting period in Sydney's west indicate the state is not out of the woods yet.

The two cases, which will be included in Tuesday's numbers, were both linked to the Berala cluster in western Sydney: a man in his 40s who visited BWS Berala on December 24 and a woman in her 40s who had attended the BWS as well as the suburb's Woolworths.

Zero cases: Acting NSW Premier John Barilaro addresses the media on Monday. Credit:Brook Mitchell

Health authorities have again asked anyone who attended BWS Berala between December 22 and December 31 to get tested and self-isolate for 14 days.

People who attended Berala Woolworths on December 24 from 9pm to 9.30pm, December 26 from 7pm to 7.30pm, December 28 from 7.15pm to 7.45pm and December 31 from 10am to noon should also get tested and self-isolate until they receive a negative result.




South Korea's drug safety agency said Monday it has begun the approval process of the novel coronavirus vaccine developed by British-Swedish bio giant AstraZeneca Plc.



AstraZeneca has filed an approval of a two full-dose regime of its COVID-19 vaccine with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, health officials said.



The approval would mark the country's first immunization campaign.



Two jabs of the AstraZeneca vaccine are needed to build COVID-19 immunity, with the vaccine showing efficacy of 70-90 percent in phase 3 trials.



AstraZeneca has said it will sell the vaccine at US$3 to $5 per dose.




To the Editor,

In a letter dated 12/26/20, Mr. Schwegel blames President-elect Biden and former President Obama for the depletion of PPE during their administration. That is completely false. Here are the facts.

Trump had three years to replenish it and failed. Also, Trump disbanded the pandemic office within the HHS in 2018. This demonstrates his lack of concern for a possible unknown pandemic outbreak. This office was created by President Bush in 2005 and continued through out the Obama-Biden administration employing 40+ people to deal with a future health crisis. In addition, on December 2, 2014, President Obama, speaking at a health conference warned that he feared a new airborne disease that could strike the U.S. in 5-10 years (he nailed it) that we need to prepare for. He pleaded with Congress to appropriate funds for PPE depleted from his dealings with H1N1 and Ebola. This video is available on-line. Recall, in 2014, the U.S. House was in GOP control and refused to cooperate in the slightest way to prepare for what was coming. The blame here goes to the GOP and President Trump. Lastly, President Obama left a pandemic playbook for the Trump administration. Where do you think that ended up?

In the same letter, Mr. Schwegel calls the Democrats divisive! Seriously, looking at the make-up of the two political parties, the Democratic base reaches out to a broader segment of our citizenry. Knowledgeable historians will confirm Trump as the most divisive president in the history of our country. Trump never reaches out to any segment of our society other than his base.

Finally, Mr. Schwegels criticism of the Democrats on a relief bill to aid small businesses and our citizens is totally bogus. The Democratic House passed the HEROES ACT on 5/15/20 which Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sat on for seven months before proposing a skeleton bill that was insufficient at best. The Democrats cut their proposal by about 35% while McConnell refused to compromise. He, and the Republican GOP, actually cut their initial proposal in half. Those are facts!

Mr. Schwegel is likely an intelligent person who happens to be a diehard Republican supporter. He, like many Republicans, live in a fantasy world of denial. Sad.

Buddy Wolke

Edwardsville
If official numbers are to be believed, the United States is one of the worst hit countries in terms of COVID-19 infections and deaths. According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at the time of writing, there are supposedly 19 million COVID-19 cases with an alleged 300,000+ deaths suggesting between a 1-2% chance of dying from COVID-19 if infected by it.

However, these numbers are problematic  even before questioning the validity of the statistics themselves leading to them.

For example  asymptomatic cases will likely go both untested and unreported, meaning many more people are actually being infected by COVID-19, exhibiting no symptoms, receiving no treatment, and most certainly not making it into the CDCs cases statistics.

This means that your chances of being infected by COVID-19 and dying are actually much, much less than the often touted claim of 1-2%. Only those who exhibit severe enough symptoms to be tested and/or treated will make it into the statistics of cases.

In terms of framing any pandemic, an exaggeration of the lethality of the virus becomes a fundamental issue. If this information by itself is carelessly or dishonestly presented to the public without mention of the many more people likely being infected and exhibiting no symptoms at all, panic can, and clearly has been spread across society and the world, enabling extreme policies to glide through approval, beginning the process of disfigurement society now suffers today.

This was a fact highlighted by the work of Dr. John Ioannidis who, even at the onset of COVID-19, attempted to raise the alarm about needlessly stoking public hysteria, the folly of driving public health policy without proper data, and the catastrophic impact it would have  and is now clearly having  on society if this trend isnt reversed.

A video interview conducted by Journeyman Pictures from April 2020 noted Dr. Ioannidis breakdown of data and the results of his own studies conducted to illustrate exactly this. His study included widespread serological (antibody) testing in Santa Clara County, California to see how many individuals may have been infected by COVID-19 but simply never exhibited symptoms, or symptoms serious enough to seek medical attention and be tested for COVID-19.

Dr. Ioannidis would note:

If you compare the numbers that we estimate to have been infected, which vary from 48,000-81,000, versus the number of documented cases that would correspond to the same time horizon around April 1st, when we had 956 cases documented in Santa Clara County, we realize that the number of infected people is somewhere between 50 and 85 times more compared to what we thought, compared to what had been documented. Immediately, that means that the infection fatality rate, the chance of dying, the probability of dying, if you are infected, diminishes by 50-85 fold, because the denominator in the calculation becomes 50-85 fold bigger. If you take these numbers into account, they suggest that the infection fatality rate for this new coronavirus is likely to be in the same ballpark as seasonal influenza.

Dr. Ioannidis also noted that there was a large gradient regarding death rates based on age and underlying medical conditions, with the risk of death for people under 65 with no underlying medical conditions being virtually negligible.

The need for wider testing to fully establish mature datasets  as Dr. Ioannidis and his team at Stanford illustrated  and efforts to communicate to the public the difference between the infection fatality ratio (IFR) and the case fatality ratio (CFR), have been neglected by Western governments and even more so by the Western corporate media. In some cases, efforts appear to be being made to deliberately obfuscate or confuse this crucial information in order to continue stoking panic and hysteria.

But in addition to this, there is the fact that governments  particularly in the West  have been caught using dubious or disorganized methods to tally COVID-19 deaths  meaning that both IFR and CFR numbers could be easily skewed.

For example, British state-funded media outlet, the BBC in an August 2020 article titled, Coronavirus: England death count review reduces UK toll by 5,000, would admit:

A review of how deaths from coronavirus are counted in England has reduced the UK death toll by more than 5,000, to 41,329, the government has announced.

The article also noted that:

The new methodology for counting deaths means the total number of people in the UK who have died from Covid-19 comes down from 46,706 to 41,329  a reduction of 12%.

The article revealed that Public Health England had included everyone who had tested positive [for COVID-19], even if they died months afterwards and their death may have had another cause.

Similar statistical gymnastics are being performed in the US. Even the New York Times raised the issue fairly early on in article, Is the Coronavirus Death Tally Inflated? Heres Why Experts Say No, clearly inferring that there may be a problem with the official methodology, and went on to explain throughout the article how it is impossible to ever know since accurate counts  or even accurate systems to use in counting  may not presently exist in the US.

In other words: the current systems are less than perfect and vulnerable to systemic distortions in the presentation of data. Again, this is a fundamental issue when public health policy is based on the perceived severity of the epidemic.

The Real Impact of COVID-19

Based on what were clearly misused and incomplete statistics, the US, the UK, and much of Western Europe have led the world in stoking unprecedented hysteria, enforcing travel restrictions and lockdowns, including the closing of businesses and schools, and grinding the economies of the world to a halt either directly or indirectly  in a manner similar to but with an impact much greater than the US-led global War on Terror starting in 2001.

RELATED: UK Variant Fears Are Over-Hyped Says Leading US Microbiologist

Pressure from international organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) using its UN-affiliated platform to declare a global pandemic, along with Western governments and the corporations that dominate foreign and domestic policy, has created a global crisis  not in terms of human health, but in terms of socioeconomics.

Businesses are closed  not because those who regularly run or patronize them are in hospital beds or dead  but by order of governments, and with official policy backing from organizations like the WHO.

The mainstream media has played a key role in this  not only repeating narratives provided by governments and healthcare institutions uncritically, but refusing to fulfill their role as watchdogs and investigators searching out impropriety.

It is a state of hysteria that is crippling small and medium-sized businesses (SME), but a boon to big-business.

Headlines from papers like the Wall Street Journal admit, Big Tech Companies Reap Gains as Covid-19 Fuels Shift in Demand, or as the Guardian reported, Amazon third-quarter earnings soar as pandemic sales triple profits, make it clear that some big-businesses are profiting from the hysteria.

Moreover, the Guardian report, The mystery of which US businesses are profiting from the coronavirus bailout, reveals how struggling big-businesses are being bailed out by government money  while the SME sector, the real pulse of any vibrant economy and society  is being left behind.

But there is one industry who stands out above all others to benefit, an industry notorious for its deeply rooted corruption, and an industry that has already been caught using its ties with international organizations like the WHO to declare pandemics, stoke hysteria, and profit handsomely from the resulting chaos.

Its the Wests pharmaceutical industry.

At no time in human history has it been more powerful and influential than it is now. And at no other time in human history has it been so dangerous.

Big-Pharma: The Least Trustworthy Pandemic Partner

Western Big-Pharmas profiteering and corruption under ordinary circumstances is already shocking. The current climate of public confusion, panic, and growing socioeconomic desperation only invites the industrys impropriety to new levels.

Pharmaceutical corporations like Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, and Moderna  having received billions of dollars directly or indirectly from taxpayers to develop COVID-19 vaccines  have long, documented histories of corruption, including bribing regulators, doctors, and governments.

They have also been caught falsifying safety and efficacy data. They have promoted the use of their products for patients in cases not approved of by regulators, including on children.

They have even been caught knowingly selling products they knew were dangerous or even deadly  withholding critical information from both regulators and the public.

Pfizer alone  as its COVID-19 vaccine began rolling out publicly  was under investigation this year, according to its own Security Exchange Commission (SEC) filing, for its Greenstone generics business over antitrust concerns, for manufacturing issues regarding Quillivant XR, regarding quality issues over the manufacturing of auto-injectors, over corruption inquiries regarding its Russian and Chinese operations, and in regards to lawsuits in Mexico over the manufacturing of Zantac and a cancer-causing chemical called N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) found in the product.

The investigation regarding Zantac finally prompted the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)  who had originally approved the drug  to request it be pulled from the market after finding it is indeed linked to an increased likelihood of causing cancer.

The Wall Street Journal in a 2020 article titled, Pfizer Receives Inquiry From SEC Bribery Unit, would note of Pfizers past scandals that:

Pfizer has had past run-ins with U.S. authorities over allegations of bribery among its operations abroad. The company in 2012 agreed to pay $60.2 million to settle investigations by the SEC and the Justice Department into alleged violations of the FCPA in several countries in Europe and Asia, including China and Russia.

The US Department of Justice in its own statement regarding part of the 2012 payout by Pfizer would note:

According to court documents, Pfizer H.C.P. made a broad range of improper payments to numerous government officials in Bulgaria, Croatia, Kazakhstan and Russia  including hospital administrators, members of regulatory and purchasing committees and other health care professionals  and sought to improperly influence government decisions in these countries regarding the approval and registration of Pfizer Inc. products, the award of pharmaceutical tenders and the level of sales of Pfizer Inc. products. According to court documents, Pfizer H.C.P. used numerous mechanisms to improperly influence government officials, including sham consulting contracts, an exclusive distributorship and improper travel and cash payments.

Such bribery might help explain why Pfizer and other pharmaceutical corporations are able to sell dangerous products like cancer-causing Zantac or  in the case of fellow COVID-19 vaccine producer Johnson and Johnson  cancer-causing baby powder  for years before mounting lawsuits and public outrage spur regulators to finally do their job properly.

In Johnson & Johnsons case, a Reuters investigation would note (emphasis added):

Facing thousands of lawsuits alleging that its talc caused cancer, J&J insists on the safety and purity of its iconic product. But internal documents examined by Reuters show that the companys powder was sometimes tainted with carcinogenic asbestos and that J&J kept that information from regulators and the public.

What this illustrates is a consistent pattern of corruption stretching across Pfizers (and Johnson & Johnsons) manufacturing process to their business practices and spanning years. It is an entire industry that repeatedly engages in dangerous impropriety, is repeatedly investigated and fined, but allowed to not only continue conducting business  but is still entrusted with matters critical to public healthcare.

The implications it has for the process of developing, approving, producing, and distributing vaccines for COVID-19 should be obvious.

The 2009 H1N1 Heist

Despite the immense amount of publicly-known corruption engaged in by the Western pharmaceutical industry and the obviously troubling implications it has for the current COVID-19 vaccine rollout  it is only one dimension of a much wider problem.

There is also the Western pharmaceutical industrys known history of creating public scares to attract massive government contracts and wield power and influence over public discourse regarding human healthcare issues.

The same large corporate media outlets today helping fuel public hysteria regarding COVID-19 and promoting big-pharmas vaccine rollout had previously reported on past instances of big-pharma crying pandemic, using its influence over international organizations like the WHO, and securing massive government contracts worth billions of dollars for unnecessary and ineffective medication and vaccines.

Think back to 2009 and the H1N1 Swine Flu scare. Following the WHOs dramatic declaration of a global pandemic, the headlines and articles from the mainstream Western media read almost identical to those being circulated today regarding COVID-19.

NPR in a 2009 article would claim:

Seven months into the flu pandemic of 2009, North America leads the world in cases, the WHO says.

Unlike elsewhere, the new H1N1 never exited stage left after its debut appearance in late April. In fact, its making more noise than ever. Mexico has experienced more cases of pandemic flu since September than it did over the first four months of the pandemic this spring.

The ratcheting up of hysteria continued both from the WHO and across the Western media, accompanied by drives to fund vaccine development and stockpile medication like Roches Tamiflu.

The UK Daily Mail in a 2009 article titled, Tamiflu: What you MUST know as swine flu threatens to strike, would claim:

The Government has announced that stocks of drugs  known as antivirals  to fight the imminent threat of a swine flu pandemic are being built up to cover more than 50million people  or 80 per cent of the countrys population.

But as hysteria faded, the truth emerged. Articles began to appear like this one from Reuters in 2014 titled, Stockpiles of Roche Tamiflu drug are waste of money, review finds, which noted:

Researchers who have fought for years to get full data on Roches flu medicine Tamiflu said on Thursday that governments who stockpile it are wasting billions of dollars on a drug whose effectiveness is in doubt.

The article also pointed out:

Tamiflu sales hit almost $3 billion in 2009  mostly due to its use in the H1N1 flu pandemic  but they have since declined.

There were also Roches financial ties to WHO experts who designated the appearance of H1N1 as a pandemic, helping pave the way for the public hysteria required to fuel Roches profits from selling what was essentially a useless drug to government stockpiles.

The BBC in their 2010 article, WHO swine flu experts linked with drug companies, would report:

Key scientists behind World Health Organization advice on stockpiling of pandemic flu drugs had financial ties with companies which stood to profit, an investigation has found.

Roche was mentioned by name by the BBC (emphasis added):

The advice prompted many countries around the world into buying up large stocks of Tamiflu, made by Roche, and Relenza manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline.

Despite these revelations post-H1N1 after 2009, the very same actors have taken the stage for a repeat performance in 2020  with little to no alarm from the same media organizations who ignored the H1N1 heist in 2009 and reluctantly reported on it only long after the damage was done.

Big-Pharmas Pandemic Industrial Complex

Over the past ten years  big pharmas control over the WHO and its influence over both the media and Western governments has only grown.

Powerful organizations like the Wellcome Trust  which claims to be an independent foundation funded through an investment portfolio  counts several large pharmaceutical corporations  Novartis, Roche, Johnson & Johnson, and Abbott Labs  on their list of significant directly held public equity holdings.

Its governance includes representatives from the pharmaceutical industry, various Western governments, academia, the media, and of course the WHO itself.

It is an institutionalization of the conflicting interests that have tolerated, accommodated, even helped expand the unwarranted power, wealth, influence, and corruption of big pharma.

And while Wellcome Trust claims to be independent of corporate and government ties, alongside the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation  it has helped create another front organization called The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)  through which it accepts and disperses huge amounts of Western taxpayers money.

The work of CEPI directly impacts the business prospects of many of the corporations Wellcome Trust owns stocks in  with its investments paying off above average amid this most recent round of public hysteria and government spending on this latest declared pandemic.

International Publishers Limited in an article titled, Wellcome Trust prospers under COVID-19 fallout with 12.3% return, would report:

Wellcome Trusts portfolio has not just survived, but prospered, in the highly volatile environment following the COVID-19 outbreak, according to Eliza Manningham-Buller, the charitys chair, introducing its annual report which unveiled a 12.3% return for the year to 30 September 2020, up on the 6.9% of the previous year.

The trust, which supports medical research worldwide, is the UKs largest charity, with a 29.1bn (31.9bn) portfolio at end-September 2020. Wellcomes investments have returned an average 12.1% a year over the past decade.

Its worth noting that back in March, both Wellcome and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provided $125 million in seed funding to accelerate certain pharmaceutical products claiming to treat COVID-19, including Gilead Sciences antiviral Remdesivir. Despite failing repeatedly in clinical trials, and after the National Institute of Health (NIH) was exposed attempting to rewrite the rules in their attempt to salvage the drugs reputation as a viable therapeutic for COVID-19  Remdedivir was continually hyped in the media by Bill Gates and NIH Director Anthony Fauci, and is still defended by the WHO to this day.

Its also important to note that as of 2020, the number one funder of the World Health Organization is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, who supplied the WHO with approximately $531 million in its 2018-19 biennial budget, roughly 12% of WHOs total budget.

Unlike the H1N1 scare and multiple scandals that emerged out from behind the smokescreen of public hysteria deliberately created around it, the COVID-19 crisis has been sustained for now nearly a year with enduring regiments being put in place to condition and control the public  and to control the flow of information through traditional channels as well as online and particularly across US-based social media platforms, and direct public funding into the coffers of the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry.

At the same time, other major industries are either being spared the same regulations and restrictions strangling smaller businesses out of existence, or being bailed out by public funding.

It has gone from the H1N1 Heist of 2009 to what appears to be a Pandemic Industrial Complex taking shape today.

How far this goes in shaping  or more accurately  disfiguring society, is up to those people who can clearly see public and private sectors conspiring together and consisting of the least reliable partners for actually taking on a real pandemic and protecting the public from it  if that is truly what we are facing.

On one hand, even if we believe the statistics and claims being made on a daily basis by the mainstream media and government representatives, we can see for ourselves the corporations elected by the government to create the solutions claimed are needed to end the crisis, are guilty of serial abuses including the production and distribution of entirely unsafe products  products developed and approved of by government regulators under normal conditions that would go on to making people ill or even killing them.

But the COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out now arent even going through that process. They have instead been rushed through approval and unpredictable results and adverse effects are already emerging.

It harkens back to another chapter involving a novel virus  1976s Swine Flu  where vaccines were rushed into production and resulted in mounting adverse effects, particularly paralyzing Guillain-Barre syndrome in over 400 individuals. And these were only the cases that were reported, as the true total of those who suffered varying degrees of complications will never be fully known.

In 1976, the vaccination program was abandoned and the governments response deemed a failure of historic proportions. But apparently the lessons learned then, or in 2009, have been lost entirely today  and in some cases  deliberately buried by a complicit media.

If COVID-19 is the crisis we are told it is  why isnt there a greater demand for more trustworthy and transparent partners to work with to face it? These would be partners capable of acknowledging past mistakes and explaining how their plan today differs from those in the past.

But unfortunately, history has already taught us that pandemics can be declared  not because they actually exist and/or pose as grave a threat as government, media and corporate stakeholders claim  but because profits are to be made by big pharma, in connection with those in organizations like the WHO who have the unique power to declare pandemics, and perpetuate them regardless of the truth.

We watched for two decades as the West orchestrated an entirely false War on Terror around the globe, justifying actions as extreme as invasions, wars, and illegal occupations of other countries and the expenditure of trillions of dollars of taxpayers money.

Is it really that hard to imagine as possible, this formula being reworked atop the 2009 H1N1 scandals and pushed forward aggressively?

***

Author Brian Berletic, formerly known under his pen name Tony Cartalucci, is Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher, writer and special contributor to 21st Century Wire. See more of his work at Tonys archive. Over the last decade, his work has been published on a number of popular news and analysis websites, and also on the online magazine New Eastern Outlook. Also, you can follow him on VK here.

Article References:

CDC  United States COVID-19 Cases and Deaths by State:

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid- data-tracker/#cases_ casesper100klast7days

Journeyman Pictures  Perspectives on the Pandemic | Dr. John Ioannidis:

https://youtu.be/cwPqmLoZA4s

MedRxiv  COVID-19 Antibody Seroprevalence in Santa Clara County, California:

https://www.medrxiv.org/ content/10.1101/2020.04.14. 20062463v2

WHO  Infection fatality rate of COVID-19 inferred from seroprevalence data:

https://www.who.int/bulletin/ online_first/BLT.20.265892.pdf

BBC  Coronavirus: England death count review reduces UK toll by 5,000:

https://www.bbc.com/news/ health-53722711

NYT  Is the Coronavirus Death Tally Inflated? Heres Why Experts Say No:

https://www.nytimes.com/ interactive/2020/06/19/us/us- coronavirus-covid-death-toll. html

Coronavirus outbreak declared a pandemic: what does it mean, and does it change anything?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/pandemic-coronavirus-who-what-impact-uk/

WSJ  Big Tech Companies Reap Gains as Covid-19 Fuels Shift in Demand:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/ amazon-sales-surge-amid- pandemic-driven-online- shopping-11604003107

Guardian  Amazon third-quarter earnings soar as pandemic sales triple profits:

https://www.theguardian.com/ technology/2020/oct/29/amazon- profits-latest-earnings- report-third-quarter-pandemic

Guardian  The mystery of which US businesses are profiting from the coronavirus bailout:

https://www.theguardian.com/ us-news/2020/jun/09/us- congress-billions-coronavirus- aid-relief-package

Pfizer SEC Filing For the quarterly period ended September 27, 2020:

https://d18rn0p25nwr6d. cloudfront.net/CIK-0000078003/ 5164adeb-657b-446f-820d- 6934e6484165.pdf

FDA  FDA Requests Removal of All Ranitidine Products (Zantac) from the Market:

https://www.fda.gov/news- events/press-announcements/ fda-requests-removal-all- ranitidine-products-zantac- market

WSJ  Pfizer Receives Inquiry From SEC Bribery Unit:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/ pfizer-receives-inquiry-from- sec-bribery-unit-11604674900

Reuters  Johnson & Johnson knew for decades that asbestos lurked in its Baby Powder:

https://www.reuters.com/ investigates/special-report/ johnsonandjohnson-cancer/

NPR  North America Leads Swine Flu Pack:

https://www.npr.org/sections/ health-shots/2009/11/north_ america_leads_the_pack_o.html

Daily Mail  Tamiflu: What you MUST know as swine flu threatens to strike:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ health/article-1176661/ Tamiflu-What-MUST-know-swine- flu-threatens-strike.html

Reuters  Stockpiles of Roche Tamiflu drug are waste of money, review finds:

https://www.reuters.com/ article/us-roche-hldg- novartis-search/stockpiles-of- roche-tamiflu-drug-are-waste- of-money-review-finds- idUSBREA390EJ20140410

BBC  WHO swine flu experts linked with drug companies:

https://www.bbc.com/news/ 10235558

Wellcome Trust  Directly held public equity holdings:

https://wellcome.org/about-us/ investments/direct-public- equity-holdings

Wellcome Trust  Board of Governors:

https://wellcome.org/about-us/ governance/board-governors

CEPI  Who We Are:

https://cepi.net/about/ whoweare/

IPE  Wellcome Trust prospers under COVID-19 fallout with 12.3% return:

https://www.ipe.com/news/ wellcome-trust-prospers-under- covid-19-fallout-with-123- return/10049623.article

Gates Foundation and Wellcome set up $125m coronavirus drug fund:

https://www.ft.com/content/566acfb0-6216-11ea-b3f3-fe4680ea68b5



New data on Gileads remdesivir, released by accident, show no benefit for coronavirus patients. Company still sees reason for hope:

https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/23/data-on-gileads-remdesivir-released-by-accident-show-no-benefit-for-coronavirus-patients/

Inside the NIHs controversial decision to stop its big remdesivir study:

https://www.statnews.com/2020/05/11/inside-the-nihs-controversial-decision-to-stop-its-big-remdesivir-study/

Remdesivir Fails to Prevent Covid-19 Deaths in Huge Trial:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/15/health/coronavirus-remdesivir-who.html

Big concerns over Gates foundations potential to become largest WHO donor:

https://www.devex.com/news/big-concerns-over-gates-foundation-s-potential-to-become-largest-who-donor-97377

Discover  The Public Health Legacy of the 1976 Swine Flu Outbreak:

https://www.discovermagazine. com/health/the-public-health- legacy-of-the-1976-swine-flu- outbreak

READ MORE COVID NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire COVID-19 Files
LIKE MANY voters I had heard about the 800+-page For the People Act (HR 1/SB 1) and a companion voting bill, The John Lewis Act (HR 4). I knew that these bills had been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and that they will soon be considered by the U.S. Senate. The sponsors believ


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India approved two of its top COVID-19 vaccine contenders Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for emergency use on Sunday. Meanwhile, the government has conducted two vaccine dry runs to identify the shortcomings of the process and rectify it. As per reports COVID-19 vaccine in the country is likely to be rolled out in January. Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India that is manufacturing Covishield had said that the company is ready to roll out its vaccine in the coming weeks.

However, some questions have emerged as India moves towards the vaccination drive. Here's all you need to know about India's vaccination drive:

WHO WILL GET COVID VACCINE FIRST?

The government has said that high-risk groups would be vaccinated on priority. This would include healthcare and frontline workers. People over 50 years of age and people with comorbidities will also be part of priority groups.

LIST OF COVID VACCINES IN INDIA

There are multiple candidates in India, all in different stages of the process. The leading two candidates Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and Serum Institute's Covishield have been granted approval for emergency use. Another candidate Zydus Cadila's vaccine ZyCoV-D has been given approval for Phase 3 trials.

Russian vaccine Sputnik V is also a contender. Dr Reddy's Laboratories is conducting phases 2 and 3 clinical trials of the vaccine. Serum Institute will also conduct the trials for Novavax's vaccine candidate in India as well as manufacture it. Biological E Limited, and Gennova Biopharmaceuticals have a candidate each. Bharat Biotech is working on another vaccine with Thomas Jefferson University. Aurobindo Pharma Ltd has also announced its own COVID-19 vaccine development programme.

HOW TO GET COVID-19 VACCINE?

Vaccine will not be accessible to the masses now. Once it is open to the public, beneficiaries will have to register and submit ID proof for vaccination. Registration on the Co-Win app will be required for the vaccination. Once the registration is complete, the beneficiary would receive an SMS on their mobile number regarding the due date, venue and time of vaccination.

At the time of registration, documents such as Aadhaar, driving licence, voter ID, PAN card, passport, job card or pension document must be produced. One can also submit Health Insurance Smart Card, MGNREGA card, official IDs issued by MPs, MLAs or MLCs. Passbooks issued by bank or post office and service ID card issued by state or central government and public limited companies would also be accepted.

The identity of the beneficiary would be verified before the vaccination.

CAN A PERSON GET COVID-19 VACCINE WITHOUT REGISTRATION?

No, registration is mandatory for vaccination. The information on time, date and venue will be shared only after the registration is complete.

IS IT MANDATORY TO TAKE THE COVID-19 VACCINE?

The coronavirus vaccine is voluntary and not mandatory. However, the government has advised people to take the vaccine and complete the entire dosage. If one has comorbidity including diabetes, hypertension, cancer then he or she would be in the high-risk category and must take the vaccine.

HOW WILL ONE KNOW IF THEY ARE ELIGIBLE FOR VACCINATION?

The eligible beneficiaries would be informed through their mobile number.

HOW MANY DOSES OF THE VACCINE WOULD BE REQUIRED?

The government has said that two doses of the vaccine 28 days apart must be administered for a beneficiary.

WILL THE COVID-19 VACCINE BE GIVEN TO EVERYONE SIMULTANEOUSLY?

No, the vaccination process would take place in phases. The first phase would include high-risk groups as aforementioned.

Also read: India approves Serum-Oxford, Bharat Biotech COVID vaccines for emergency use

Also read: India has barred Serum Institute from exporting coronavirus vaccine: Adar Poonawalla
SHOWS

February 22, 2021 10.00 am

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  High school students in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho and Valencia County are invited to apply for a free personal finance skills course offered by Nusenda Credit Union in partnership with Central New Mexico Community College, Albuquerque Public Schools and the APS Career Enrichment Center.

Students who participate in the Financial Services Career Exploration will learn how to create a budget, make a savings plan, manage credit and more, according to a Nusenda news release.

The virtual course will run Feb. 1 to April 25 via Brightspace, and will meet from 12:30 to 1:50 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays. Students who participate can earn dual high school and CNM credit for the class, the release said.

After students complete the course, theyre eligible to apply for an internship at Nusenda that is paid at the rate of $9 per hour, and also offers high school and college credit.

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To date, 491 students have completed a Nusenda-sponsored financial capability course, the release said. Since 2015, 149 interns have been selected, and 25 of these former interns are still full-time Nusenda employees placed in a variety of roles throughout the organization.

For more information and to register, visit cnm.edu/dualcredit.
A fifth woman has reported being punched by a stranger at the same Brooklyn subway station after a string of attacks since November.

Police charged a man in connection with the four nighttime attacks at the East Williamsburg station last week before he was released from custody by Friday, the New York Post reports.

The following day a 26-year-old woman reported being physically assaulted at the same Morgan Avenue station.

She told police a man wearing a face covering pushed her against a wall and repeatedly punched her in the head on the stairs of the stop on Saturday night.

Police said the attacker fled the scene and the victim was treated at the scene.

A fifth woman, 26, has been attacked at the Morgan Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, as she was on the stairs of the subway stop. Picture: Stock

Four other women have reported being assaulted at the L train station, the first on November 17 and the last, before the most recent attack, taking place on December 28.

All the women were aged between 24 and 32 and had been walking on stairs or ramps when they were attacked but were not robbed.

The November 17 attack took place at around 8pm when a woman, 24, who was punched in the face 'multiple times' when someone came from behind her on the stairs.

Again, the attacked fled the scene and the woman had cuts on her forehead and nose.

The next assault at the station happened on December 11 at around 9.15pm, with another 24-year-old victim.

Again, she was walking on the stairs when she was struck from behind on the left side of her face.

Four woman, aged between 24 to 32, had been walking on the stairs of the station when they were randomly attacked

On December 26 at around 8.50pm a third woman was punched in her left eye while she walked down the stairs at the Williamsburg station.

At around 4.55pm on December 28 a 32-year-old female reported someone she didn't know hit her in the face after she got off the train and walked to the token booth.

She was taken to Woodhull Hospital and and the attack is said to have caused 'laceration, bruising and swelling'.

The victim on December 26 identified a 50-year-old man, to police after they canvassed the area with her on Wednesday.

The man, whose last known address was a project in the East village, was arrested and charged with four counts of third-degree assault and was released by Friday.

It has not been confirmed as to whether the man has been arrested previously and no motive was given.

On Thursday two officers were seen patrolling the station before getting on the L train.
A proposal by one of Britain's greatest aviation inventors for a jet engine to power fighter planes was ignored by the government two years before the Blitz, a newly discovered memo has revealed.

Sir Frank Whittle described how his innovative design for powering aircraft would allow the RAF to intercept Luftwaffe bombers if they attempted to take over Britain's skies.

In a 1938 letter to the Air Ministry, Whittle even estimated the speeds that an aircraft using his engine would achieve at sea level as well as at altitudes of 10,000ft and 20,000ft.

A proposal by Sir Frank Whittle (bottom right), the future inventor of the jet engine, for an interceptor fighter plane to combat German craft was ignored by the British government two years before the Blitz

Pictured: The 1938 design of Whittle's jet engine and how it would sit on a fighter plane. Whittle suggested the new fighter would have 'so substantial an advance in performance', that it would double the chances of a successful interception of an enemy aircraft

Whittle described how his design for a new type of aircraft would allow the RAF to combat Luftwaffe bombers if they attempted to take over Britain's skies. Pictured: One sketch detailing blueprints for a jet engine devised by Sir Frank Whittle

Other genius inventions that faced early ridicule Light bulb The light bulb has become a universal symbol of good ideas, but when Thomas Edison first came out with his model, some people were less than impressed. To the relief of gas companies, in 1878, a British Parliament Committee declared that the light bulb was good enough for our Transatlantic friends but unworthy of the attention of practical or scientific men. A chief engineer for the British Post Office also called electric lights an absolute ignis fatuus  in other words, a sham. Telephone Alexander Graham Bell offered his 1876 patent for the telephone to the communications giant Western Union for $100,000. The king of the telegraph said no, citing the obvious limitations of his device, which is hardly more than a toy. Bell went it alone, founding the Bell Telephone Company in 1877 and selling more than 150,000 phones in his first decade. Umbrella You would think this invention was a no-brainer, especially since parasols had existed for thousands of years, but it took until the 18th century for Europeans to start using them in the rain. Around the year 1750, Jonas Hanway became the first Englishman to brave the streets with an umbrella in hand. But since the parasol had been primarily a womens fashion accessory, English men ridiculed him for carrying one. That is until they realised it actually worked. Advertisement

'The primary function of the interceptor fighter is to carry a pilot and his machine guns to within the vicinity of a raiding bomber for a sufficient length of time to enable him to achieve its destruction, preferably before it has reached its target,' he wrote at the time.

He believed the new fighter would have 'so substantial an advance in performance', that it would double the chances of a successful interception of an enemy aircraft.

But there is no record of the Air Ministry ever replying, and Britain's 'faffing about' meant a six-year wait until the project, which could have saved hundreds of lives in the Blitz, was fully realised.

Now a new book detailing Whittle's extraordinary life also looks into the missed opportunity by officials to turn a groundbreaking invention into a decisive weapon in the Second World War.

'It's quite a startling piece,' Duncan Campbell-Smith, author of Jet Man, told The Times of the memo discovered in Whittle's archive at Churchill College, Cambridge.

'[Whittle] definitely sent it but I don't think he ever received a reply. It encapsulates the whole story. The Brits faff about. They don't get into it until too late in the war. The more I read, the more I realised how very badly he had been treated.'

Though once rejected from joining the RAF on physical grounds, Whittle later made a successful application to the force and joined as an apprentice at RAF Cranwell in 1923.

Academically gifted, he was recommended for a cadetship and began RAF College at Cranwell, where students would write a scientific thesis every six months.

While studying, Whittle suggested the idea of a jet engine, which sucked in air, compressed and ignited it, then blasted it out of the back, propelling the plane forward.

He believed that the idea was the future of aviation and would propel planes, capable of flying at around 200mph at the time, at speeds of up to 500mph.

Even his lecturers found it difficult to comprehend, with one writing: 'I couldn't quite following everything you have written Whittle. But I can't find anything wrong with it.'

But Whittle struggled to attract any interest in the inter-war period of the late 1920s, and so made his designs public by registering a patent in 1930.

Yet the RAF refused to put it on the secrets list so when the patent was granted in October 1932, engineers from the Third Reich were free to analyse the plans.

The Blitz began on September 7, 1940, and was the most intense bombing campaign Britain has ever seen

Finally, Wilfrid Freeman, vice-chief of staff for the RAF, intervened and arranged for Rolls-Royce to take on the project. By early 1944 its engine was in the air, powering a Gloster Meteor which would reach speeds of 600mph. Pictured: A Gloster Meteor T7

The Gloster Meteor: How Britain's first jet fighter shot down V-1 rockets at 400mph The Gloster Meteor was the Allies first operational jet, with sorties starting in July 1944 with 616 Squadron. Designed by George Carter, the prototype took off in secrecy from RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire on March 5, 1943. Meteors were first based at RAF Culmhead in Somerset but were soon moved to Manston in Kent, closer to the action above occupied Europe and ready to intercept the dreaded German Luftwaffe. The aircraft was quickly sent up to combat the menace of V-1 flying bombs, pilotless pulse-jet projectiles that were the forerunners of todays cruise missiles. They were fired from the Continent to later crash to earth over southern England. With a top speed of more than 400mph, Meteors notched up their first kills of V-1s in August 1944. By the end of the war 16 RAF squadrons were equipped with Meteor F3s and soon after the F4 version was flown, which was 170mph faster than its predecessor. By 1951 there were 20 RAF squadrons flying the Meteor and it became one of the best-loved aircraft in the air force inventory. Advertisement

Famous German engineer Hans von Ohain would later tell him: 'If your government had backed you sooner the Battle of Britain would never have happened.'

But the Ministry of Aircraft Production was sceptical and regarded it as a distraction from the urgent need to put enough fighters into the air to drive back the Nazis.

They did however give the project to the Rover car company, Campbell-Smith said, because some 'very high-up people', including Winston Churchill, had seen it and couldn't ignore the idea completely.

But Rover never produced a engine that made it into the air.

Finally, Wilfrid Freeman, vice-chief of staff for the RAF, intervened and arranged for Rolls-Royce to take on the project. By early 1944 its engine was in the air, powering a Gloster Meteor which would reach speeds of 600mph.

Those present at a test flight were astonished to see a plane without a propeller take to the skies, and Sir Winston Churchill was said to have been so impressed that he said: 'I want 1,000 Whittles'.

Eventually it was the Americans who would seize on the opportunities provided by the jet engine, and he would be forced by the British Government to hand over the technology.

Whittle's son Ian, 86, recalled that his father threw everything into his work when war came.

'When the war started he got very serious. He would disappear in his uniform in the morning and get back after I went to bed. He got so used to the British government sticking the knife into him. By 1948 his health was so destroyed that he resigned from the RAF.'

Whittle retired with the rank of Air Commodore on the grounds of ill health in 1948 and was finally recognised for his achievements.

He was knighted and awarded 100,000 (equivalent to 3.3million today) by the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors and later married American Hazel Hall and emigrated to the US, where he died in 1996.
The Department of Justice on Monday said it is extremely disappointed in the UK courts decision not to extradite Julian Assange.

A British judge on Monday rejected the United States' request to extradite the Wikileaks founder to face espionage charges, saying he was likely to kill himself if held under harsh US prison conditions. The US has said it will appeal the decision.

In a statement to ABC a spokesperson for the DOJ said: 'While we are extremely disappointed in the court's ultimate decision, we are gratified that the United States prevailed on every point of law raised.

'In particular, the court rejected all of Mr. Assange's arguments regarding political motivation, political offense, fair trial, and freedom of speech.'

Assange's friend Pamela Anderson said Monday the fight is not over, telling her followers to 'stay tuned'. The sensational ruling at the Old Bailey in London raises the prospect that the 48-year-old WikiLeaks founder could be freed this week.

Journalist Glenn Greenwald said the decision was 'not a victory for press freedom' and whistleblower Edward Snowden called for an end to the legal proceedings against the Wikileaks founder.

Actress Anderson tweeted: 'A special sunrise for my dear friend #JulianAssange - (not to be extradited) stay tuned, the fight is not over - but, a hopeful moment to breathe in- I can only imagine Julian (in court, still in that mask), taking that breath.. #humanrights #freespeech #pardonassange.'

Assange's friend Pamela Anderson said Monday the fight is not over. She is pictured taking a vegan lunch to Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in July 2017 in London

Anderson tweeted this Monday morning following the news that a British judge had rejected the United States' request to extradite Assange to face espionage charges

The WikiLeaks founder today (when he is pictured) won his high-profile legal battle against US officials who wanted to put him on trial for helping hack government computers and violating an espionage law by releasing confidential cables

Greenwald on Monday praised the UK's decision to not extradite Julian Assange to America - but warned: 'This wasn't a victory for press freedom.'

The reporter, who worked with Snowden, hailed the decision 'great news', but warned: 'This wasn't a victory for press freedom. Quite the contrary: the judge made clear she believed there are grounds to prosecute Assange in connection with the 2010 publication.

'It was, instead, an indictment of the insanely oppressive US prison system for security 'threats.'

Snowden - the whistleblower who worked with Wikileaks and is currently living in Russia after leaking U.S. surveillance secrets - called for an end to the proceedings, tweeting: 'Let this be the end of it.'

He had earlier thanked 'everyone who campaigned against one of the most dangerous threats to press freedom in decades'. He also shared a number of retweets about the decision.

Glenn Greenwald, left, and Edward Snowden, right, on Monday both reacted to the news that british judge HAD rejected the US' request to extradite Assange to face espionage charge

Glenn Greenwald on Monday praised the United Kingdom's decision to not extradite Julian Assange to America - but warned: 'This wasn't a victory for press freedom'

Snowden - the whistleblower who worked with Wikileaks and is currently living in Russia after leaking U.S. surveillance secrets - called for an end to the proceedings

Greenwald, part of a team that won a Pulitzer for reports about government surveillance programs based on leaks by Snowden added: 'Ultimately, though, from a humanitarian *and* a political perspective, what matters most is that Assange be freed as soon as possible.

'The US Govt doesn't care what prison he's in, or why: they just want him silenced and in a cage. He should be freed immediately.'

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected allegations that Assange is being prosecuted for political reasons or would not receive a fair trial in the US.

But she said his precarious mental health would likely deteriorate further under the conditions of 'near total isolation' he would face in U.S. prison.

'I find that the mental condition of Mr. Assange is such that it would be oppressive to extradite him to the United States of America,' the judge said.

Julian Assange arrives at Westminster Magistrates Court in London in September last year

She said Assange was 'a depressed and sometimes despairing man' who had the 'intellect and determination' to circumvent any suicide prevention measures taken by American prison authorities.

Assange's lawyers said they would ask for his release from a London prison where he has been held for more than a year-and-a-half at a bail hearing on Wednesday.

Assange, who sat in the dock at London's Central Criminal Court for the ruling, wiped his brow as the decision was announced. His partner Stella Moris, with whom he has two young sons, wept.

His American lawyer, Barry Pollack, said the legal team was 'enormously gratified by the U.K. court's decision denying extradition.'

'The effort by the United States to prosecute Julian Assange and seek his extradition was ill-advised from the start,' he said. 'We hope that after consideration of the U.K. court's ruling, the United States will decide not to pursue the case further.'

Assange supporters celebrating outside the Old Bailey today after he was spared from being sent for trial in the United States

The ruling marks a dramatic moment in Assange's years-long legal battles in Britain  though likely not its final chapter.

U.S. prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks' publication of leaked military and diplomatic documents a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.

Lawyers for the 49-year-old Australian argue that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections of freedom of speech for publishing leaked documents that exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The judge, however, said Assange's actions, if proven, would 'amount to offenses in this jurisdiction that would not be protected by his right to freedom of speech.'

The defense also argued during a three-week hearing in the fall that extradition threatens Assange's human rights because he risks 'a grossly disproportionate sentence' and detention in 'draconian and inhumane conditions' that would exacerbate his severe depression and other mental health problems.

The judge agreed that U.S. prison conditions would be oppressive. She accepted evidence from expert witnesses that Assange had a depressive disorder and an autism spectrum disorder.

'I accept that oppression as a bar to extradition requires a high threshold. ... However, I am satisfied that, in these harsh conditions, Mr. Assange's mental health would deteriorate causing him to commit suicide with the 'single minded determination' of his autism spectrum disorder,' the judge said in her ruling.

Lawyers for the U.S. government deny that Assange is being prosecuted merely for publishing the leaked documents, saying the case 'is in large part based upon his unlawful involvement' in the theft of the diplomatic cables and military files by U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.

The prosecution of Assange has been condemned by journalists and human rights groups, who say it undermines free speech around the world.

They welcomed the judge's decision, even though it was not made on free-speech grounds.

'This is a huge relief to anyone who cares about the rights of journalists,' The Freedom of the Press Foundation tweeted:

'The extradition request was not decided on press freedom grounds; rather, the judge essentially ruled the U.S. prison system was too repressive to extradite. However, the result will protect journalists everywhere.'

Assange's fiancee Stella Moris, seen outside the Old Bailey today, has said that sending her lover to the US would be an 'unthinkable travesty'

Assange's legal troubles began in 2010, when he was arrested in London at the request of Sweden, which wanted to question him about allegations of rape and sexual assault made by two women.

In 2012, to avoid being sent to Sweden, Assange sought refuge inside the Ecuadorian Embassy, where he was beyond the reach of U.K. and Swedish authorities  but also effectively a prisoner, unable to leave the tiny diplomatic mission in London's tony Knightsbridge area.

The relationship between Assange and his hosts eventually soured, and he was evicted from the embassy in April 2019. British police immediately arrested him for jumping bail in 2012.

Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in November 2019 because so much time had elapsed, but Assange remains in London's high-security Belmarsh Prison, brought to court in a prison van throughout his extradition hearing.
An easier-to-spread variant of covid-19 detected in the U.S. for the first time last week could intensify the virus's surge, if it hasn't already, boosting the urgency for a speedier, more effective vaccine push.

Only three states -- Colorado, California and Florida -- have identified cases of the mutated strain that's been raging in the U.K. for months. But U.S. health officials say they don't yet know how far the variant may already have traveled in the U.S., or what it could mean for the future.

"I suspect it's more widespread than we know," said Michelle Barron, senior medical director of infection prevention and control at UCHealth, a health-care system with a dozen hospitals and hundreds of clinics in Colorado. "It's a function of 'if you look for it, you will find it.'"

The discovery of the mutant strain in the U.S. comes as the drive to vaccinate most Americans has been hampered by ineffective coordination and a lack of federal support for states and health-care systems. While more than 4.28 million Americans had been vaccinated as of Saturday evening, according to Bloomberg's vaccine tracker, that's far fewer than the 20 million doses U.S. health officials predicted for the end of 2020.

Meanwhile, the number of infections is surging, with almost 231,000 new cases reported in the U.S. on Thursday before the holiday weekend, when reporting can be sporadic. Four states -- including New York and California -- have surpassed 1 million infections overall, and more than 350,000 Americans have died.

"It is a race, and this variant has made the whole challenge more formidable," said Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California. "Whatever we saw in 2020 in terms of a challenging virus, it's going to be taken to a new level."

Distributing vaccines has been a challenge for a U.S. health system strained by a concurrent surge in infections. State and local governments are struggling with complex logistics to keep the shots cold, deciding who should get early access, and persuading vaccine skeptics.

To boost the amount of vaccine available, the U.S. government is considering cutting by half the dose of the Moderna shot given to those 18 to 55, said Moncef Slaoui, Operation Warp Speed's chief scientific officer, on CBS's "Face the Nation." He said there is evidence showing the half-dose provides the same level of protection for that age group.

Slaoui's comments came in response to a question about the U.K's decision to get as many people as possible their first dose of a vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech, while possibly delaying a second dose. He said such a shift would be a mistake for the U.S. since it wasn't supported by trial data.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently attempting to model what effect the variant could have on accelerating spread, according to Kristen Nordlund, an agency spokeswoman. At this time, though, "we do not have results," Nordlund said in an email.

Prior to November, only a select number of U.S. cases had been sequenced, a laboratory procedure that can determine the genetic makeup of the pathogen as it travels through the population. Since then, however, the CDC has launched a national program to detect novel strains, said Greg Armstrong, director of the CDC's advanced molecular detection program.

The CDC is now scaling up to sequence 750 samples on its own each week, according to Armstrong, and the agency is partnering with labs around the country to map the genetic material of about 1,750 virus samples weekly.

The agency is also exploring whether the mutations could make existing treatments less effective, according to Henry Walke, the CDC's covid-19 incident manager. Still, there's no reason that measures like wearing a mask and social distancing would be less effective in preventing transmission of the new strain, he said during a call with reporters last week.

Viruses have the opportunity to change through mutations that arise naturally as they replicate and circulate in their hosts. Some, like influenza, evolve quickly with thousands of mutations and distinct lineages, while others are more stable.

The new variant, known scientifically as B.1.1.7, contains a huge number of mutations, which is unusual, said Andy Pekosz, director of the Center for Emerging Viruses and Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins University. A particular concern is the change in the spike protein, which binds to human cells, allowing the virus to gain entry.

Scientists suspect these mutations are making it easier for the spike protein to attach. The new strain is thought to be 57% to 70% more transmissible than other strains of the virus.

In the U.K., the new variant was responsible for 62% of covid-19 infections in London in the week ending Dec. 9, up from 28% in early November, according to Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia's Norwich School of Medicine. Cases have also been identified in more than a dozen other countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Singapore and South Korea.

In Colorado, state scientists are attempting to do full genetic sequencing on any samples that show signs of the U.K. variant, according to state scientific director Emily Travanty. Samples are flagged when only two of the three genes targeted by the gold-standard PCR tests used by the state are found, indicating a mutation has occurred in the third -- the critical spike protein.

The missing gene is present, according to Travanty, but rendered undetectable by the test because of the mutation, making it a signature of the variant, she said. When laboratories find that red flag, it indicates more investigation is needed.

"There is a lot we don't know about this variant," Colorado Governor Jared Polis said last week after the first U.S. case was discovered in his state. "But if it does transmit more quickly, more people will get it and more people will be hospitalized."

Still, there are some positive findings related to the variant. It is apparently not any deadlier, though if more people are infected, there would be more deaths. And it is not thought to be able to overcome the two vaccines already being distributed in the U.S., the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, and the Moderna shot.

"There is a good news here," Topol said. "It will not affect the vaccine's efficacy. That's why there is this race. If we get ahead of this and get everyone vaccinated, if we do that quickly, we will have this virus under control."

Meanwhile, in the U.K., the added speed of transmission thought to be related to the new strain has been noticeable. The number of new cases has risen dramatically in recent weeks, even as the country instituted stronger and stronger lockdowns, said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

In the U.S., mask-wearing and social distancing have often been more a political issue than a public health one, with at least one adviser to President Donald Trump suggesting that herd immunity, which occurs when enough people become immune to a disease to make its spread unlikely, can be reached by simply letting the disease run free.

While that theory could be more easily tested by letting the new variant run wild, the cost would be considerable more cases and deaths among Americans. The best idea is to get the country to herd immunity based on higher rates of vaccination, not transmission, Osterholm said."Getting there with infection or vaccination, with protection or disease -- we will get there," Ossterholm said. "Our job is to minimize disease-related protection."

The virus's makeup will drift over time as is the case with all viruses, scientists suggest, and the changes could eventually warrant a new vaccine. But that could take years, they said.

Still, the risk exists that the virus could build off the new variant, creating more devastating mutations that could trigger more severe disease or render vaccines and therapeutics ineffective.

"Every time it accumulates new changes, it opens up the landscape for where the virus can evolve into," according to Pekosz at Johns Hopkins. "This virus is mutating, but is it evolving? We don't know yet. That's why we have to monitor the changes."Take influenza, for example. When it interacts with people who have immune protection, it will mutate to get around that immunity, Pekosz said. Measles, on the other hand, tends to die off.

"The coronavirus hasn't seen enough people with immunity to it to let us predict what it's going to do," he said.
Historic artwork honouring war effort presented to council



By Chris Cave - Local Democracy Reporter

An illuminated address has been presented to the Mayor of Douglas to mark 75 years since it was first given to a Royal Navy training facility.

It was initially awarded to the company of HMS St George, which was opened in 1939, by the local authority on December 1945.

Depicting the iconic Tower of Refuge, the artwork recognises the associations and friendships formed during the Second World War.

Mr Galt, 97, presented it to His Worship Jonathan Joughin JP at the Council Chamber in Douglas last month.

The veteran, who joined the Navy in March 1940, purchased the address from a private firm in London 30 years ago.

HMS St George was divided into components; including classroom training which took place at Ballakermeen High School.

Cadets were billeted at Cunninghams Holiday Camp, which had been requisitioned for the duration of the war and had served as a prisoner of war camp during the First World War.

Painted in watercolour by Manx artist John H Nicholson, a leading member of the Isle of Man Art Society and its president until his death in 1988., the closing words on of the tribute to the ships company read: the Council have been greatly honoured by their presence in the Borough.


Patrick Chevallereau, a former French military officer now at RUSI, a defense research institution in London, said that the Trump call shows that the current president is in a mind-set to do anything  absolutely anything  before Jan. 20. There is zero standard, zero reference, zero ethics. He added: Everything else than himself can be destroyed and collapse, including us.

Thomas Wright, an Irish-born expert on America at the Brookings Institution, said that People are worried for real that Trump will come back. The months since the election have shown people just how bad a second term would have been  the guardrails off, a completely personalized government and giving voice to his authoritarian tendencies, he said.

Now the rest of the world understands that Trump could actually make a comeback in 2024, so that is a shadow that he will cast over American politics, Mr. Wright said.

World leaders all know that Trump is sort of crazy, but its the extremity of his actions, the lengths to which he has gone, that he got 74 million votes and is not retiring but will be a force for the Republicans that is disconcerting, he added. People knew what Trump is like, but the importance is the shadow of the future.

Also troubling to many is the letter that the last 10 living secretaries of defense all signed urging the nation  and the military  to accept that the election is over and the time for questioning the results has passed.

Jean-Marie Guehenno, a former diplomat and the former president of the International Crisis Group, asked on Twitter: Should we be reassured on U.S. democracy when 10 former defense secretaries warn against use of the military to dispute election results, or terrified that they believe taking a public stance has become necessary?
The reaction to Vice President Mike Pences statement that he welcomed the efforts of a number congressional Republicans planning to challenge the election results was swift and harsh.

Conservative attorney and husband of former counsellor to the president Kellyanne Conway had a few choice words to describe the actions of Mr Pence.

At least 140 House Republicans and 12 in the Senate have announced that they plan to challenge the congressional certification on January 6. Mr Pence is to preside over the proceedings in the Senate.

Mr Pences chief of staff Marc Short put out a statement saying that Mr Pence shares the concerns of millions of Americans about voter fraud and irregularities in the last election, and that The vice president welcomes the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections and bring forward evidence before the Congress and the American people.

Mr Pence previously asked that a lawsuit attempting to give him the authority to overturn the election be dismissed.

Mr Pence is joining the election challenge along with several other Republicans who are thought to be eyeing presidential runs in 2024, like Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Missouri Senator Josh Hawley. To win the nomination they would likely have to become the heir-apparent in the eyes of Donald Trumps fervent supporters.

Mr Cruz, along with ten other Senators, put out a statement on Saturday, saying that Congress should immediately appoint an Electoral Commission, with full investigatory and fact-finding authority, to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in the disputed states.

Accordingly, we intend to vote on January 6 to reject the electors from disputed states unless and until that emergency 10-day audit is completed.

The statement cited the belief many voters hold that the election was rigged but no evidence that that was the case. No evidence has yet been found of widespread voter fraud and election security experts have said that the election was free, fair, and safe. A statement from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said: The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history.

Mr Trumps former Attorney General William Barr said on December 1 that We have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.

Mr Cruz statement noted that some Democrats have raised objections in the past and cited an electoral commission setup in 1877 after doubts were raised about the 1876 election. But this large a number of election challengers could rock the foundations of American democracy by turning what used to be procedure into a partisan fight.

The last standard-bearer of the Republican Party from the pre-Trump era, 2012 presidential nominee and now Utah Senator Mitt Romney put out a statement blasting the election challenge saying: The egregious ploy to reject electors may enhance the political ambition of some, but dangerously threatens our Democratic Republic.

Mr Romney called Mr Cruzs argument that challenging the results would restore trust in the system nonsense". finishing with: I could never have imagined seeing these things in the greatest democracy in the world. Has ambition so eclipsed principle?

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells former chief of staff predicted that those challenging the election will regret it in the future.

Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska slammed members of his own party saying: The president and his allies are playing with fire If you make big claims, you had better have the evidence. But the president doesnt and neither do the institutional arsonist members of Congress who will object to the Electoral College vote."

Mr Sasse joined Mr Romney in criticising the election challengers for putting political ambition ahead of integrity. He said: Lets be clear what is happening here: We have a bunch of ambitious politicians who think theres a quick way to tap into the presidents populist base without doing any real, long-term damage. But theyre wrong  and this issue is bigger than anyones personal ambitions. Adults dont point a loaded gun at the heart of legitimate self-government.
What does the future of the evangelical church look like amid intergenerational tensions?

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The mission of the evangelical Christian church going forward is fraught with tense, intergenerational challenges but great opportunity is ahead, according to Presbyterian Church in America leader Bryan Chapell.

In a meeting of the presbytery clerks that was held via Zoom earlier in December, leaders of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) spoke about how God intends to unite the generations amid different experiences and perspectives on how ministry is done.

Citing the words of Francis Schaffer, Chapell, the clerk pro tempore of the PCA, noted that the loss of truth has fundamentally changed the culture, noting that Truth with a capital T, has moved from truth being transcendent to truth with a lowercase t, which may be a relativist "what's true for me."

"Any church that says there is a transcendent truth has become anathema in culture," he said, because such a claim extends to many other realms like marriage, morality, and other values.

Churches have also dealt with significant loss of their youth in recent years, which has become apparent when children leave the home and Christian parents hope to see them live the faith they were raised in during their childhood years but they do not.

The relevant statistical data shows that two-thirds of today's evangelical youth will not continue to attend church after leaving home, he explained. Only about one-third of those two-thirds who have left will eventually return to church, usually when they start having families and children of their own. As Baby Boomers who still attend church in large numbers begin aging out, the statistics portend a "coming cliff."

What has surprised many evangelicals has not been the loss of the younger generation but the loss of the mature, those who have served as elders, Sunday school teachers, and other leaders within congregations are leaving in greater numbers.

"The people you thought would be the foundation of the church are, in fact, departing," he said.

The loss of denominational ancestry has contributed to this phenomenon in the transient culture which is modern America. The vast majority of Bible-believing Christians in PCA churches were not raised in Bible-believing PCA churches, he said.

"Mobility has taken people away from the churches of their childhood," he said. "And so if you are Bible-committed, the primary decision you are making about churches is 1) 'Do they teach the Bible?' and 2) Do they have a worship style that I like?"

Another reason PCA churches lose mature Christians is the lack of family consistency, he said. Though the actual percentage of Christian marriages that break up is debated  whether it mirrors the approximately 50% figure in the wider secular culture or is closer to 38%, which is what groups like Focus on the Family have maintained  there is little incentive for people to stay in their churches when their marriages fail. Most marriages break up within the first five years or when couples become empty nesters, he said.

The mature also leave churches when the activities of their children eclipse regular church attendance.

Many of the two-thirds of youth who leave church upon leaving the home were already not attending church in their upper teen years because of sports, SAT exam preparation, and jobs, all of which are now happening on Sunday mornings, he explained.

"We do not identify them as not attending church because they are still living with their parents, but the reality is that they've already stepped out," Chapell said.

Affluence has afforded many parents the privilege of traveling more, perhaps having a second home and if one is retired that frees up time to be away from church if they choose, he said, noting that many who consider themselves to be "regular" church attenders and members attend services three out of eight Sundays.

The rise of the "nones"  those who no longer identify with any particular religious affiliation  has happened as people emerge from a culture of nominal Christianity. Many nones say they are spiritual but not religious yet still believe in God. This group has grown 1% per year since the year 2000.

Given such rapid demographic changes, the experiences of older and younger pastors are widely disparate and thus present generational challenges when it comes to approaching ministry.



For those ministers over 50, the thinking was Christian majoritarian accompanied by the view that it was their spiritual obligation to take charge of the culture and stop the erosion of morality and ethics by reestablishing Judeo-Christian values through various political and economic means. This meant attempting to stop social ills and liberal causes like abortion, pornography, illegal drugs, gambling, radical environmentalism, and LGBT goals. Such spiritual motivation was bolstered by a prevailing anti-communist ethos that was especially strong in American political culture in past decades.

This way of thinking is increasingly less prevalent if not the opposite among those under 40, whose experiential grid differs vastly from how the older generation was raised, the PCA leader elaborated. The faithful among the younger generation see as their duty to make the Gospel message credible in a largely unbelieving society, which alters how they speak about issues, emphasizing Gospel-based, solutions-oriented approaches to problems instead of moral and political opposition.

The intergenerational chasm proves difficult to navigate, he explained, noting how the older generation accuses the younger generation of moral compromise and capitulating to culture. And the younger generation accuses the older of lacking compassion and hypocrisy.

Yet Chapell expressed optimism in that great opportunity for mission exists amid a culture that is increasingly hostile to Christian faith.

"If in fact you are a young person in the church today ... we probably have the best generation of evangelists in our churches than in any time of our history, because if you're willing to identify with Jesus Christ and the Scriptures in this culture, you are swimming upstream, you have taken a stand, and you actually want to make credible your Gospel to your family and to your friends and to your neighbors."

Being an intergenerational church is "amazingly powerful" for the purposes of God, Chapell said.

While most people come to faith in Christ before age 15, "that also means that the most powerful mechanism for spreading the Gospel is the covenant family. It always has been, it always will be."

"And if we are raising families with an understanding of their dynamics, we will change people, we will change the world. It's what God has called us to do. Outreach in fact occurs when we are able to be generation upon generation, faithful to the Scriptures, dealing with different contexts as we do it," he concluded.




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SALEM, Ore. (AP)  The farm impacts of a recreational trail southwest of Portland in Yamhill County weren't properly analyzed, so the project must be reconsidered, according to a state land use board.

County officials failed to comply with a prior order to make specific factual findings about whether the 3-mile Yamhelas-Westider trail will force a significant change in farming practices related to pesticide spraying, The Capital Press reported.





. . .
For a president about to be seated on the basis of electoral fraud, it probably shouldn't be surprising that his signature issue is lying, sometimes with statistics, and spewing hypocrisy with regards to President Trump.

Issues & Insights has a hit-it-out-of-the-park editorial, headlined:

Biden Then: Trump Is Rushing COVID Vaccine; Biden Now: Trump Is Going Too Slow

Which demonstrates, with brutal efficiency, just how dishonest Biden has been. First Trump was reckless and going too fast with the vaccine and the rest of his coronavirus response, according to the Biden narrative. Now he's supposedly dragging his feet on distribution of a vaccine, which by multiple standards isn't true. Issues & Insights points out how bad it is with this little summary:

Last week, Biden complained that at the current rate its going to take years, not months, to vaccinate the public. But its been only three weeks since the Food and Drug Administration granted emergency approval of Pfizers vaccine, and two weeks since it approved Modernas. And in that time, more than 13 million doses have been distributed and more than 4 million people have received at least the first of the two-shot series, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Whats more, the daily number of people getting the vaccine has been shooting up, going from 235,000 on Dec. 29 to 326,000 on Jan. 2, according to Our World in Data. The U.S. is now well ahead of every other major country in terms of the number of daily vaccinations per capita.

But rest assured, Old Joe, who botched the SARS pandemic, is just the guy to make it better.

What it shows is that COVID for Biden is a playground of lies.

Here's his first disgusting one, dating from the last presidential debate:

The expectation is well have another 200,000 Americans dead between now and the end of the year. If we just wore these masks, the presidents own advisors have told him, we can save a 100,000 lives. And were in a circumstance where the president thus far and still has no plan, no comprehensive plan.

"No plan"? That's a big Biden whopper.

Issues & Insights points out the speed of President Trump's PPE manufacture, fast hospital ship delivery, and swift clearing of the path for the vaccine to be developed most certainly looked like evidence of a plan. The editorial also points out that government approval on an emergency basis has only been out two or three weeks. Yet already Biden's yelling about Trump somehow being slow and behind.

Apparently, Biden thinks vaccine distribution on a nation of 300 million people is all done by magic wand.

Or more to the point, Trump is either too fast or too slow, heads Biden wins, tails Trump loses, and we're not supposed to notice this.

Issues & Insights points out that what's important is not numbers distributed, but whether the vulnerable get them. Not everyone needs the vaccine right away. The elderly, the service workers and the first responders do, the young and healthy and those who have had COVID can safely wait. Slow rollout? The issue is who goes first in line. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, age 31, and all her socialist staff certainly got theirs, as did Sen. Kamala Harris and her leftist staff. Maybe Joe can ask them how it is that Trump is to blame for that.

The other issue with the vaccine rollout, not mentioned in the I&I piece, is blue-state bottlenecks, which are contributing to fewer vaccinations. President Trump has pointed this out earlier, and I wrote about it here. Biden pins on Trump the effects of the Democrats' own doings.

Yet even with Democrat obstructions, the U.S. response has in fact, been the opposite of what Biden is claiming -- compared to the rest of the world, the U.S. is an ace.

Issues & Insights has a doozy of a chart showing that America's response to COVID in fact has been faster, gone farther, and vaccinated more per capita than any place else on earth. The rest of the world is a lot slower as the charts show, something Biden expects no one will notice.

Most of the time, though, Biden prefers outright lies.

In the first presidential debate last year, Biden (at 20:30) lied outright about President Trump's tough stance on China, falsely claiming Trump took no interest determining the Wuhan origins of the virus (President Trump responded: "Wrong"). He also made up false claims about President Trump attempting to take insurance away, particularly from those with pre-existing conditions, as is the case with some COVID sufferers. It was utterly false.

Biden also cited in both debates the Democrat-led state shutdowns and their effects on the economy, trying to pin those on Trump instead of his own fellow Democrats. The effects of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's shutdowns, inflated nursing home deaths, school closures, and bureaucratic bunglings, were all somehow all Trump's doing, while Trump's successes in delivering aid, delivering vaccines, shutting down foreign travel from China, and slashing costs and regulations were either lied about, distorted, dismissed. or ignored.

As for Biden's stated own plan, the only describable element of which is about everyone wearing masks, well...

I live in a house with two elderly family members afflicted with COVID right now as I write this and every last one of us carefully socially distanced, limited trips, skipped Christmas and Thanksgiving gatherings, and always wore masks. COVID came anyway. Don't talk to us about your great plan to wear masks. Biden's mask palaver as the one describable detail of his stated plan is downright insulting.

Biden's big plan in fact is to blame President Trump for everything. And with a presidency set for failure, that means a lot of heads-I-win-tails-you-lose. That's the way it goes with fraudsters. Just don't say nobody noticed.

Image credit: Screen shot from a camera aimed at a television set, processed with BeCasso.
A father drowned in front of his wife at a California beach while trying to save their two young children who got swept by large waves into the water and are still missing.

The tragic incident began unfolding just after 2pm on Sunday at Blind Beach in Jenner, California, as a seven-year-old girl and her four-year-old brother were playing in the sand by the water's edge under the supervision of their parents.

A high surf advisory was in effect along the coast at the time due to strong rip currents and swells of up to 24 feet.

Scroll down for video

Michael Wyman, 40, drowned at Blind Beach in Jenner, California, on Sunday afternoon while trying to save his two young children from being swept out to sea

First responders are seen standing on the beach during Sunday's search operation

According to officials, the children were too close to the water when waves pulled them into the ocean, reported KRON4.

Sonoma County Sheriff Lt. Michael Raasch said the siblings' 40-year-old father, identified on Monday as Michael Wyman, of Petaluma, jumped into the water after them and managed to grab hold of his son, but the rip current swept all three out to sea and caused the man to drown.

The victim's wife and some Good Samaritans were able to pull him out of the water and begin CPR until first responders arrived, but Wyman could not be saved. He was pronounced dead at the scene just after 3pm.

'The waves are very treacherous,' Raasch told KPIX. 'Even very strong swimmers would have trouble getting out of the water.'

Children, ages 7 and 4, were playing by the water's edge when massive waves swept them into the water. They are now missing and presumed dead

Rescue crews spent hours on Sunday searching for the missing brother and sister, but they only found a small jacket and shoes

Sonoma County sheriff's deputies, helicopters, a US Coast Guard crew, California Highway Patrol officers, firefighters and lifeguards together launched a large-scale search for the missing children, which lasted hours but only turned up a small jacket and a pair of shoes.

The search resumed on Monday morning, with the objective to recover the children's bodies. Officials with the sheriff's office said the brother and sister were presumed dead.

Raasch said the family had only recently moved to Sonoma County from out of state.

Monte Rio Fire Chief Steve Baxman told The Press Democrat the drowning incident has taken an emotional toll on first responders, who are aware that the victims' wife and mother had lost her entire family just three days into the new year.
Laredoans began to line up for the citys Monday vaccination clinic hours early, some getting there the evening before or in the early hours of Monday morning as early as 2 a.m. The drive-thru clinic didnt open up until 8:30 a.m. Monday.

The city had 1,200 vaccine doses to administer, mainly for qualifying members of the public  those over age 65 and people with comorbidities, or the simultaneous presence of two or more diseases or medical conditions, that put them at higher risk for COVID-19  plus a few for Laredo Police officers.

Officers notified drivers who got in line after the cutoff Monday morning and turned them away. Those who made it into the clinic were led through Texas A&M International University, their cars snaked through parking lots in the order in which they drove in, single file.

By 11 a.m., those near the end of the line had already been there for hours and had grown restless. People got out of their vehicles and roamed the parking lot. Some had their phones out to film the unmoving line of cars, others joined in a chorus of fruitless honking.

Earlier, volunteers had turned away people who had tried to cut the line. When other cars continued to drive by the parking lot, the people who had been waiting in their cars for hours assumed more cars were cutting in front of them. They began to gather around city staff to air their frustrations.

One man said he had been there since 2 a.m. and hadnt eaten; hes diabetic, he said. A woman said she had kids in the car with her and had been there since 3 a.m.

Staff reiterated that they would still be vaccinated that day, and that they just had to wait.

After making it through the parking lot, then snaking through another, drivers would proceed down the road to the drive-thru clinic. Volunteers were present to register each person and make sure that they qualified for Phase 1B of the vaccine and ask other pertinent health questions. They had to turn people away who could not prove that they met the criteria.

Once they completed their registration, drivers were split into four lines. Registered nurses in blue gowns, masks and face shields answered any remaining questions, sanitized the patients arm and gave them their shot. Patients were also given a CDC vaccination record card with the date of their first dose and a reminder of the date they should get their second dose.

Laredo Health Department epidemiologists had only begun planning for this clinic last Monday, and they worked through the New Years holiday to pull it off.

This was a three-day drive-thru clinic that vaccinated over 3,000 health care workers, frontline workers, people over age 65 and people over age 18 with qualifying health issues. They obtained these doses through a donation from Laredo Emergency Room.

Once the Health Department receives more, they plan to host more clinics such as this, according to Noraida Negron, public information officer for the city. However, this will not be the only way to get vaccinated; pharmacies and other health care providers should also be receiving more doses as well.

The people who were vaccinated through these clinics will need to receive a second dose within a month. The city hopes by then that patients will be able to make an appointment at a pharmacy.

Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com
(UPDATE: Another goal to achieve: Former Flint inmate describes life anew as community cook)

FLINT, MI -- The Genesee County Sheriffs Office is partnering with Mt. Morris Consolidated Schools on an inmate education program to break the cycle of generational incarceration thats negatively affecting families and communities.

The IGNITE (Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education) program, announced in September, expanded the jails education program beyond just the ability to earn a GED.

Inmates can now take classes for their GED, finish their high school diploma, enroll in credit-bearing college courses, earn a certification in food and beverage safety, and obtain a Commercial Drivers License (CDL).

Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said that IGNITE is the first program of its kind in Michigan. He said the rest of the expansion thus far is for career awareness, using multiple platforms to show inmates career options they didnt know existed otherwise.

From all that Ive known being in this field for a long time, every facility has a floor, a pod that teaches GED and diplomas. But, for an entire model to be education over incarceration, I dont know of another thats done that,' Swanson said.

Thats why we want to show that its an alternative where we are care, custody and control of inmates, but at the same time, were not going to not take advantage of the opportunity to change their mindset, whether they go to prison for the rest of their life or theyre only doing six months in jail.

There are many reasons inmates may not have received a full education including family struggles, addiction and lack of resources, Swanson said.

By the time we get them, theyve made bad decisions, so lets train them never to come back again, he said.

In one of his videos touting the program, Swanson said he wants to get inmates reenergized, ignited through education, so they come back to the facility with testimonies, not a new case.

The sheriffs department held a Dec. 23 graduation for Leon Mize, 50, the first inmate to graduate IGNITE. He received the ServSafe certification and IN2WORK certificate through a partnership with food service vendor Aramark while incarcerated.

Related: Flint man becomes first Michigan inmate to get ServSafe certified in jail

Currently, around 200 students are enrolled in the IGNITE program, of which 30 are age 19 or under.

Swanson said the concept for the program is still in the perfection stage.

What we have been asked by a number of national organizations is to design a teaching component on how we did it, he said.

The sheriffs department is working on a how-to guide to educate inmates in any facility, Swanson said. He said Michigans budget for incarceration is more than $2 billion and this cost is placed on taxpayers.

If we can break generational incarceration, then everybody wins when it comes to inmates being housed, he said.

Mickie Kujat, Superintendent of Mt. Morris Consolidated Schools said the school district has been working with the jail since 2004.

Mt. Morris has always had the heart to help people who might need a little extra help or help done in an alternative way, Kujat said about the expansion of the education program.

The school district plans to add staffing as needed as the sheriffs department continues to expand the program.

Al Peter, principal at the Mt. Morris Education and Community Center, which includes the IGNITE Academy and GED program, said the education program starts with inmates completing a basic evaluation of their education and reading level.

If inmates are determined to be at or below a ninth-grade reading level, teachers will focus on basic curriculum, he said.

Even if they are credentialed, even if they have a high school diploma from a few years back and theyre still struggling with reading comprehension, well approach that to hopefully make their life a little bit better moving forward,' Peter said.

Well help anybody.'

If inmates test above ninth grade, the district tracks where they were enrolled last and works to either help inmates get a diploma or GED.

Two teachers are at the jail five days a week. Two additional special education teachers come in two days a week, with a third helping with overflow and data tracking.

Officials partnered with Aramark to provide inmates the opportunity to receive certifications through the food vendors IN2WORK program.

A job navigator also helps inmates build resumes and hones their interview skills two days a week so they can continue their education outside of jail. The navigator can also facilitate virtual job fairs and help inmates interested in a postsecondary education after their release with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Peter said the program is in its infancy.

I cant wait to see what it looks like a couple months from now, just to see results and those students coming full circle.'

COVID-19 has disrupted much of the programming usually provided, Peter said. However, students that are released from jail can be split into pods to continue their education after their release. IGNITE works to provide transportation and other resources if needed.

The Mt. Morris Education and Community Center is available for inmates when they get out of jail.

On behalf of Genesee County Community Action Resource Department, Production Manager Garey West offered Mize a job working with the departments senior nutrition services program.

This is like a Christmas present for me, Mize said at his graduation.

Mize, who was in jail for a 2019 manslaughter with a motor vehicle case, served nearly two years. The crime has a maximum sentence of five years.

Good do come out of bad, you know? Im just thankful and grateful I was given this opportunity. It was a long journey, but I stuck through it, Mize said. I never would have thought that Id be the one standing up here before all of yall and the last man standing.

To help you navigate this complicated fall, were pleased to offer you a simpler way to get all of your education news: Our new Michigan Schools: Education in the COVID Era newsletter delivered right to your inbox. To receive this newsletter, simply click here to sign up.

Read more:

Five things to know about the high school fall sports restart in Michigan

Michigans next school semester might look more like 2020 than a new year

COVID-19 vaccine is not a golden ticket to normalcy in Michigan schools - yet
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A 23-year-old woman appeared in court today charged with murder after a 'happy-go-lucky' father was found dead on New Year's Day at a home in Essex.

Paul Fletcher, 30, who was known to friends as 'Dod', died at the property in Rayleigh after being discovered unresponsive in the early hours of January 1.

This morning, Hannah Sindrey, 23, who lived on the same road of Worcester Drive, appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court, dressed in red.

Essex Police said a 25-year-old woman from Basildon who was also arrested on suspicion of murder had been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Detectives added that a 39-year-old man who was also arrested on suspicion of murder has now been released without charge.

Paul Fletcher, 30, who was known to friends as 'Dod', died at a property in Rayleigh, Essex

Mr Fletcher died after being found unresponsive at the home in the early hours of January 1

At court today, Sindrey spoke only to confirm her name, age and address. The court clerk said the magistrates' court did not have the power to deal with the offence.

Sindrey was told she would appear at crown court in the next few days. The clerk told her that the crown court would consider whether she is eligible for bail.

Speaking to Sindrey, the chairman of the bench said: 'This matter will be sent to the crown court in the next 48 hours.'

Marco Guarnieri, defending, appeared in the court room while prosecutor Lesley Chipps appeared via videocall. A date for the next hearing is yet to be confirmed.

Mr Fletcher's sister said on social media last week: 'RIP little bro. I know we (didn't) see eye to eye a lot of the time but you are still my little brother and I love you. Wish we made peace. Love you always.'

Mr Fletcher was pronounced dead at the home on Worcester Drive in Rayleigh on January 1

A police officer with a dog patrols outside the home in Rayleigh on New Year's Day

His friend Crystalann Kelly, 35, told the Evening Standard: 'If anyone needed help he would be there to help them. I'm gonna miss him and so are all his friends and family.

'All of our friends are posting about it, his ex and mother of his child told me it was true. He is 30 years of age, he was taken way too soon.

'He was always happy-go-lucky lad and we always had a laugh and joke. He is a great dad to his son and I'm feeling sorry for him at this sad time.'

A relative told the Sun that Mr Fletcher was 'incredibly passionate about supporting his family and friends', adding: 'He never would let someone go without.'

Essex Police believe all the people involved knew each other. Forensic experts and an officer with a dog were pictured outside the property following the death.

Forensic experts and an officer with a dog were pictured outside the property on January 1

Essex Police initially arrested three people in connection with the murder on New Year's Day

An Essex Police spokesman said this morning: 'A woman will appear in court today, Monday 4 January, to face a charge of murder.

'Hannah Sindrey, 23 of Worcester Drive, Rayleigh will appear at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court to face the charge.

'Officers were called to an address in Worcester Drive, Rayleigh in the early hours of New Year's Day. A man in his 30s was found unresponsive inside the property and sadly later died.

'A 25-year-old woman from Basildon, also arrested on suspicion of murder, has been released on bail pending further enquiries.

'A 39-year-old man, also arrested on suspicion of murder, has been released without charge.'

Anyone with information is asked to call the Major Crime Team on 101 and quote incident 147 of January 1. Or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.


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He's the outspoken former Married At First Sight star who certainly isn't shy when it comes to airing his controversial opinions.

But Nasser Sultan, 52, crossed the line on Monday when he left a hurtful comment on Instagram about Sunrise host Sam Armytage's wedding to millionaire businessman Richard Lavender, 61.

Nasser commented 'Your dad looks great' below a photo of Sam, 44, and her new husband - seemingly mocking the pair's 18-year age gap.

Bitter: Married At First Sight's Nasser Sultan left fans furious on Monday when he made an outrageous comment about Sunrise host Sam Armytage's wedding to Richard Lavender

The cruel remark was met with disgust from fans, with one of Sam's supporters responding: 'No wonder you're not popular!'

'I thought the exact thing. Oozes bitterness from every pore,' another critic wrote.

A third added pointedly: 'Wow, you really are a tool, aren't you? A has-been reality "star" trying to stay in the spotlight.'

Cruel: Nasser commented 'Your dad looks great' below a photo on Instagram of Sam, 44, and her new husband, 61 - seemingly mocking the pair's 18-year age gap

Put a ring on it: Sam tied the knot with equestrian businessman Richard in a quaint ceremony at his country estate in Bowral on New Year's Eve, followed by a reception at a nearby vineyard

Nasser has been known to cause controversy ever since appearing on Married At First Sight back in 2018.

Most recently, he stormed out while filming the reunion special last month after his former co-stars turned on him at a dinner party.

The dramatic scene is set to air on Channel Nine in the coming weeks.

Absolutely shocking: The cruel remark was met with disgust from fans, with one of Sam's supporters responding: 'No wonder you're not popular!'

Just last week, Nasser, who bizarrely describes himself as 'Australia's favourite celebrity', had an unexpected reaction to being named the worst celebrity of the year by a Sydney newspaper.

Responding to the 'accolade' on Instagram, the former music promoter wrote: 'If 2020 has taught me anything it is to celebrate all wins. Number one. We made it!'

Meanwhile, Sam tied the knot with equestrian businessman Richard in a quaint ceremony at his country estate in Bowral on New Year's Eve, followed by a reception at a nearby vineyard.

Their wedding was kept under wraps until the 'eleventh hour', according to reports, and none of Sam's Sunrise co-hosts attended her big day.
The COVID-19 spread is increasing three times more in small restaurants, small churches, small gatherings. You cannot have social distancing. Theres a big restaurant, big church, big gathering, everybody wears their mask its not bad. The best place to stay is at home.

Pottsville



I see there President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are line jumpers. I want to be first! Give me the shot! To heck with the troopers, responders, health care workers, firemen, police, ambulance people. To heck with them. Give me mine first! Theyre already showing their true colors.

Pottsville



The people arent asking for Congress to give out more money. They are just asking for the people in the Legislature to redirect the millions of dollars that they are giving in aid to the other countries to help the people in their own country.

Shenandoah



This is to the caller from Frackville who calls Trump a good man. Number one, how many presidents do you know refuse to show their taxes, have private meetings with Putin of Russia all over $400 million that we know of and on and on and on. My point is this: If you reported all of the damage and lies that Trump was associated with, it would take up this whole paper.

Pottsville
A stalemate continued on January 4 between the government and a representative group of thousands of protesting farmers, as the unions stuck to their demand for the repeal of three farm laws right from the beginning of the meeting even as the ministers listed various benefits of the Acts. Protesting farmers who have been camping at Delhi borders for the last 40 days braving the bone-chilling cold and now rains have threatened to intensify their protest if their two major demands  repeal of the three new farm laws and legal backing for the minimum support price (MSP)  are not accepted by the government. The farmer unions have said they will take out a tractor parade towards Delhi on January 26, Republic Day, if their demands are not met. Farmer leaders protesting at Delhis Singhu border have also said they will celebrate the festival of Lohri on January 13 by burning copies of newly introduced agriculture laws. Stay tuned on DH for more latest updates.

Editors note: 2020 has been filled to the brim with notable news, and its not just all related to the coronavirus pandemic. LMT has been taking a look at the top stories of the year  both related to COVID-19 and not at all  in a four-part series. This is Part 4 of 4, reliving the timeline of COVID-19 in the Laredo area through 2020.

For nearly a full year, 2020 has been defined by the experience many have had battling COVID-19.

In March, many braced with fear for simply the first case to arrive, and now they live their daily lives with hundreds of new positives being announced each day. Its a surreal experience, and hopefully a once-in-a-lifetime one, that has taken many lives from not only the Laredo community but also all over the world.

Below is the complete timeline of the coronavirus arrival in the Gateway City:

First signs

While COVID-19 started to spread across the nation, it initially hit the Laredo area on March 16. It was a 40-year-old woman who worked at Zaffirini Elementary School that was the first to tackle the virus - public school employees accounted for five of the first 13 local positives - as the city finished the month with 45 cases. Just beyond the border, Nuevo Laredos first positive came March 31, reportedly a 70-year-old man who had traveled from New York.

Less than two weeks after the first confirmed case, Laredo suffered its first loss as a 70-year-old woman died on March 29. She reportedly had underlying conditions - a trait that Laredoans shared almost exclusively among the first 100 deaths in the area, although officials have since stopped providing those details to the public.

Shortly after the first case was announced, officials got to work trying to slow the spread. Laredo City Council unanimously approved a two-week mandatory lockdown on March 17 asking for the community to quarantine at home, leaving only for work or to buy necessary items such as groceries, medicine, take-out food from restaurants or home improvement materials. They also closed all public and private gatherings of more than 10 people. Their decision was counter to Health Department Director Dr. Hector Gonzalez, who not only didnt support a mandatory lockdown at the time but earlier had downplayed the coronavirus telling LMT in late February, Looking at the comparison, I am more concerned about the flu.

As streets appeared empty with many at home and the U.S.-Mexico border partially closing on March 20, city leaders continued prevention measures shutting down parks and recreational facilities before ordering citizens to shelter-in-place on March 28 - doing away with the 10 person gathering rule and simply forcing people to stay home unless seeking necessary services or going to work.

These local measures were among the strictest at the time in Texas, and Laredo went even further in April. Officials announced that beginning April 2, Laredoans would be required to wear a face covering over their nose and mouth while in public or else they would face a $1,000 fine. As the first city in the nation to require face coverings at all - let alone with the threat of a major fine - the decision was discussed across the country by numerous media outlets. At the time, many locals expressed their displeasure with the idea of being required to purchase a mask, feeling the city should provide them if they were mandated. But officials stressed it didnt have to be a high-end mask as a bandana, scarf or any other type of covering would do.

Courtesy

Struggles in testing, health care

As positive cases began to climb, simply getting a test for the coronavirus wasnt exactly a slam dunk during the first months of the pandemic. In fact, Laredo celebrated its acquisition early on of 5,000 rapid testing kits that would give locals a result within 15 minutes after a finger prick. However, the development was too good to be true.

The city announced on April 2 that these testing kits were likely fraudulent. They were purchased from Anhui Deep Blue Medical Technology Co. through a public-private partnership with Clear Choice ER, which itself had purchased around 20,000 kits for $500,000. They appeared to be the same kits that were already under investigation in Portland, Oregon - the first cases of alleged coronavirus fraud nationally, according to The Oregonian. Laredo was later featured as part of a 60 Minutes investigation due to the experience.

The city continued to test the only way it could, working with out-of-town labs by shipping samples. That method was slow, however, as results were taking around a week for citizens to get back. One month after the first positive was discovered, Laredo had 245 confirmed cases on just 936 people tested, giving it a total positivity rate of 26.2%.

Making matters worse, drive-thru testing also had a slow start. The concept arose on March 28 with the city making an announcement that it was forthcoming, and mobile testing sites started to emerge just two days later. But they were banking on using the potentially fraudulent tests, so the process fell through.

The city finally got its drive-thru clinic operational on April 16. But one day later, it was closed for the following three days as officials cited weather concerns.

The specific individuals who were testing positive early on were also a major problem as they were made up of a large number of health care workers. Traced back to an asymptomatic patient, an outbreak at Laredo Medical Center resulted in a total of 64 of its workers testing positive by April 17, making up over a fifth of the citys 245 total cases. And less than a month later on May 12, more than a fourth of the citys positives were health care workers, with 122 confirmed cases of the 444 reported.

May also featured the citys two foremost leaders in battling the coronavirus each announcing their sudden retirements less than a week apart.

Laredo Fire Chief Steve Landin announced on May 14 that the following day he would be leaving after 12 years with the department. He said he had planned to retire on April 30 on his 30th anniversary with the city but held off until the emergency had stabilized. The following month, however, he took a position with Webb County as its emergency management coordinator in what Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina described as the most essential position we probably have.

Meanwhile, Gonzalez announced less than a week later on May 20 that he would be retiring on May 22. He also stated he had planned his departure previously in December. Gonzalez, however, cited in a memorandum to the city manager and mayor that it was not an ideal time but that there are circumstances beyond my control and am compelled to take action at this time. City Manager Robert Eads told LMT afterwards that Gonzalez was a friend of 20 years but professionally were going in different directions.

Emergency Medical Services Deputy Fire Chief Guillermo Heard and Assistant Health Director for Programs and Services Richard Chamberlain took over the interim roles of fire chief and health director, respectively, with each later officially having their interim labels removed.

Sames Auto Arena /Laredo Morning Times file

Summer spike

For the most part, cases continued to emerge at a steady rate throughout the end of May. At that point through parts of three months, the most reported positives in a single day topped out at 20 while the Laredo area had a total of just 19 deaths. But as the summer months arrived, all that changed dramatically.

As the summer surge began, cases started rising in June. Laredos strict $1,000 fines were no longer enforceable after Gov. Greg Abbott earlier in the month prohibited any area from imposing mask requirements and penalties for those who didnt abide by local mandates. He even cited two Laredo beauticians along with Dallas salon owner Shelly Luther - all of which had been arrested - while stating that they would all face no punishment for violating the mandates by continuing to work. Council said on June 24 that it would be sending a demand letter to Abbott later in the month to allow them to again mandate individuals and open the city at their own pace, but local leaders werent able to reach the governor until more than a month later on July 31 when they finally communicated with him virtually.

Officials left that meeting under the impression that fines would be allowed again as long as jailtime was not on the table, and plans were discussed to not just bring back fines but potentially increase them to $2,000. But ultimately curfews and limits on local gatherings were the only safety measure the city was permitted to enact. Those efforts were also cut off at the knees as Abbott later allowed Texas essential businesses to open and supersede any local emergency rules, meaning curfews and gathering limits only really applied to the inside of peoples homes.

Additionally, as June began with lower case totals, officials questioned the need for coronavirus updates all seven days of the week, canceling them on weekends beginning June 6-7. But that didnt last long as they had to reverse course with increasing positives. A new record of 26 positives on June 9 was later bested by 43 on June 15 - although it was a three-day total due to these weekend stoppages, as the city never elaborated how many new cases applied to each day. The semantics of the new record hardly mattered as 38, 47 and 51 positives followed the next three days to officially set new single-day highs, and the area eclipsed triple-digits for the first time on June 26 and 27 with 111 and 227 positives announced, respectively.

June finished with 990 positive cases - well above the 548 from March through May combined. But the spike in deaths had not arrived with only six reported. All of that only got worse over the next two months.

The Laredo area had largely avoided any major holidays and get-togethers as many continued to stay home. But fatigue over not returning to everyday lives mixed with Independence Day on July 4 led to many gathering to celebrate, and a major spike followed soon after. On July 7, the area hit triple-digit positives for just the third time before July 9 kicked off a stretch of 17 straight days doing so, even setting a new record of 242 positives on the initial day. And reported deaths skyrocketed as well including a current high of 15 announced July 23 as well as another 10 on July 27.

All in all, July finished with 4,593 positives and 102 deaths. But August would not bring a reprieve, as it also became the new record-setter in each with 4,714 positives and 117 deaths. It even featured three out of four days of over 300 positives - including 374 on Aug. 10 - with most of the damage coming early in the month before the final 10 days started to see cases dip under 100 on multiple occasions.

Cuate Santos /Laredo Morning Times file

Troublesome figures and formula changes

During these days, Laredos COVID-19 figures were through the roof. The areas rolling seven-day test positivity rate, or the percentage of people who got tested and came back positive over the previous seven days, eclipsed 60% every day between July 12-18 - including a record 63.4% on July 17. It remained above 50% for the majority of the time through Aug. 11 before it dipped into the 40s in the middle of August. The total test positivity rate, which performs the same function of the seven-day just over the course of the entire pandemic, reached a new high of 39.4% on Aug. 13.

Abbott previously said that any rolling test positivity rate higher than 10% was a red flag.

However, officials for the first time made a major change. Laredo had previously counted its positive and negative results by person instead of tests taken. Thus if someone had two or three tests to ensure their initial result and received the same answer, they would only be counted once. On Aug. 17, however, they changed to a system of counting per test taken, citing the need to be more uniform with the state of Texas. This naturally skewed to a much lower figure. And as officials never went back to make the previous totals uniform, it effectively ended the usefulness of the total positivity rate statistic - which to this day has dropped steadily day after day ending 2020 at 14.5%.

Unfortunately, the rolling seven-day figure had its own issues soon after. On the day of the rollout, officials also stopped publicly releasing the figures for pending and negative cases, just simply providing the public with the rolling positivity rate and not the numbers used to calculate it. However, the figure immediately appeared incorrect - dropping from 41% to 28.5% in one day alone - and Chamberlain later confirmed LMTs suspicions that pending cases had been inadvertently left in the equation.

This, of course, makes a major impact. For example, if 10 people are tested with one coming back positive along with four negatives and five pendings, these results would show a positivity rate of 10% by adding the five pending cases to effectively make nine total negatives. But since they were yet to be determined, those five pendings could just as easily have been five positives, making the figure in reality 60%, which underscores the importance of leaving pendings out of the equation until they are truly known.

Officials fixed the problem the next day by listing pending cases once again and separating them, but it later once again returned to including pendings in its equation and eliminating their inclusion in daily updates, citing their effort to be uniform with the state. It later said it would update these to positives when discovered, but as results sometimes take longer than a week to come back, these cases would never be accurately reflected in the seven-day figure, only the total positivity rate statistic which already was rendered obsolete. And the citys announced rolling test positivity rate each day rarely matches up with its actual figure based on its own daily releases of positive and total tests recorded, thus eliminating the transparency of the statistic and making it less trustworthy.

Meanwhile back in June, the city also unveiled its color-coded advisory system, providing the city with an easily displayed guide on the highest warning level for COVID-19. It features four levels of risk ranging from the lowest level of Green, or Level 1, up to the highest level of Red, or Level 4. And each level is determined by how many active cases there are in the city, with Red being more than 250.

Unfortunately, the Laredo area has been at Red for the entirety of the advisory systems existence since it was unveiled June 23 with 404 actives. Laredo promptly skyrocketed above 1,000 cases in early July and peaked at 5,083 cases on Aug. 4 - more than 20 times the citys own measurement for the highest level of risk.

Foto por Cuate Santos /Laredo Morning Times

Capacity issues around city

Officials sounded the alarm during the summer that ICUs and even hospitals themselves were quickly filling up. Hospitalizations rose to their current record of 207 on July 31 where they were over that 200 mark for seven consecutive days. Officials explored ways to expand ICU space such as creating more units at Laredo Specialty Hospital but said the project would cost the city approximately $1 million per bed.

That also didnt account for staffing, which had its own issues. Laredo had reported frequently throughout the year that its ICU maximum space would constantly be in flux due to a shortage of staff, as capacity isnt technically determined by how many units the city has but how many can be staffed. Fortunately, the city was able to at least begin sending overflow patients to San Antonio as another option.

But the Laredo area came up with a unique idea in July that again made national news: the outfitting of a Red Roof Inn to become an alternate care site. The plan centered around the hotel acting as a step-down facility for those who were recovering from COVID and were no longer serious cases but also werent ready to go home.

While a promising idea in theory, the states strict requirements for admission to the facility kept most potential patients from being accepted. In fact, while the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) sent 140 health care professionals to work in the facility which featured 106 beds, there were never more than seven patients present at one time. It was officially demobilized by the state on Sept. 23, just over two months after it received its first patient.

Meanwhile, the citys remarkable success with nursing homes was about to come to an end. On June 11, a health care worker tested positive at Laredo Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for the citys first official case, just three days after an applicant of a local nursing home was discovered in preemployment to have tested positive. Considering how devastating the losses at nursing homes had been statewide - through early August, a third of all Texas COVID deaths had come from nursing homes - it was a remarkable accomplishment.

That success was not set to last, however. The city reported an outbreak at an unidentified nursing home on July 2, and multiple nursing homes began to quarantine throughout the remainder of the month. By late August, more than a fifth of Laredos deaths had come from nursing homes. On Aug. 26, it was announced that Laredo Nursing and Rehab would become an all-COVID nursing home facility, treating all ill nursing home residents in one location.

Danny Zaragoza / Laredo Morning Times file

Calm before the storm

After the highs of summer, cases started to drop a bit near the end of August, and September saw a small reprieve featuring 3,057 positive cases and 53 deaths. And while October recorded 59 fatalities, new cases dropped by nearly half at 1,553. In fact, September had 11 instances of triple-digit totals - five coming in the first five days of the month - and October had only three.

But for the most part, citizens had once again been home since the July 4 holiday, and a barrage of end-of-the-year get togethers was quickly approaching. That began with Halloween on Oct. 31, and officials from the health and police departments each recommended citizens not participate in traditional trick-or-treating.

As the situation improved and local leaders hoped the bridges would be reopened for the final three months of the year to boost the local economy, Abbott began to tout the importance statewide of a new statistic: COVID-19 hospitalization rate. He said this figure featured a benchmark of 15% for further reopening, citing that bars could open up and businesses could increase to 75% capacity if the respective area was below it. At the time of his announcement on Oct. 7, most of Texas was under this threshold and could take these reopening steps, but Laredo was one of only three regions that wasnt.

Officials were told to record a rate less than 15% for seven consecutive days to be able to take these measures. That was likely going to be a problem. In fact, Laredo had a rate of 21.2% on the day of Abbotts announcement, and the area had additionally been above 15% the previous 101 days.

Yet another change was made to how the city records its figures on Oct. 9, this one mandated by the DSHS. Not only would official recovery times be shortened from 14 to 10 days, but hospitalization rate - previously calculated as a percentage of total hospitalizations - would now be looked at as a percentage of total hospital capacity.

Sure enough, the Laredo area posted a rate of 14.1% on the very first day of the new formula on Oct. 10 and remained below 15% through the next six days. However, Tijerina insisted the area continue to show it could stay below this benchmark through Nov. 2 just to be safe, hopefully avoiding a potential Halloween spike in the process.

Interestingly enough, Laredo remained below 15% all the way until the very last day of its goal, with the DSHS reporting on Nov. 2 that the previous day featured a rate of 15% exactly. Yet despite the plans to not reopen if the area hit the mark, Tijerina sent the request to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission as bars reopened soon after and business occupancy expanded to 75%.

Cuate Santos / Laredo Morning Times file

The second wave arrives

The moment many officials feared came shortly into November as cases saw tremendous spikes following both Halloween and the citys further reopening. Just two days after the latter, Laredo had 117 new positives. A triple-digit total had been a rarity, with the region having only three such results in the previous 36 days. But it kicked off a massive surge of days above 100 cases, with only eight of the final 58 days of 2020 having results below the century mark.

Even with the new formula, Laredo found itself back above a 15% COVID-19 hospitalization rate as soon as Nov. 14. Conversely, they were told that seven consecutive days above the threshold would lead to the area closing bars and returning to 50% occupancy. But Laredo never came close to being below that figure again, finishing the year at 38.2% including 21 consecutive days leading all of Texas in COVID-19 hospitalization rate. The area was far and away on top of the crucial statistic, with no other region sporting a figure at 30% on Dec. 31.

November didnt see a smaller increase in positives the way June ramped up to the biggest summer months. In fact, it seemed to shoot right into where Laredo was at its highest points. Between Nov. 10-24, the area recorded four of its six highest single-day totals to that point, all of which surpassed 300 positives. And with those level of results, the month ended with 4,589 positives - the third-most of any month but the highest on average with 153 per day compared to the 31-day months of August (152.1) and July (148.2).

November also featured Thanksgiving, and it reflected in Decembers results as the figures rocketed to even greater highs. The month finished with a staggering 6,923 cases, or 223.3 per day - more than 30% higher than any other month. And while Novembers fatalities (47) didnt shoot up to record levels, Decembers were among the most of any month finishing tied for second with 102.

In total, December had only two days below 100 cases, and one of those was only nine positives off. It finished the month on the citys longest stretch of triple-digit totals at 20 straight days. And the month also featured five of the areas current highest single-day positives. That included the first three days to surpass 400 cases, including the new overall record with a whopping 569 positives on Dec. 9.

It wasnt all bad news over this time, however, as Laredo received eight testing kiosks located around different parts of the city. Officials felt that smaller sites in various locations would encourage more to get tested as opposed to holding large events at Sames Auto Arena or the LIFE Downs Indoor Pavilion. And through appointments set up online at curative.com, citizens certainly have a much easier experience to get tested as compared to the beginning of the pandemic.

Additionally, the COVID-19 vaccines also arrived in December which brought much-needed hope to the area in the middle of spiking totals. On Dec. 17, Laredos first vaccines were distributed to frontline health care workers and qualified residents of long-term care facilities, with Laredo Health Authority Dr. Victor Trevino there to have the first shot. And Laredo announced Phase 1B of vaccine distribution on Dec. 30 with a weekend drive-thru clinic planned for Jan. 2-3, allowing persons who have pre-existing conditions or those who would be at greater risk to get very sick or die to sign up.

Still, these recent skyrocketing positive totals from previous holidays has officials very concerned to see what impact Christmas and New Years Day will bring to the area. Trevino urged citizens to celebrate New Years at home, telling LMT on Dec. 30, The outcomes of additional surges may be devastating to our local hospitals and environment.

The year 2020 had plenty of storylines, but none dominated the way that COVID-19 did across the globe. And in Laredo alone, 26,967 had to battle the disease in 2020 with 505 members of the community succumbing to the virus. Adding in the 3,405 positives and 381 reported deaths from its Sister City of Nuevo Laredo, families, friends and loved ones all around the area have suffered tremendous pain and loss. Yet hopefully with the transition to 2021 and the beginning of the arrival of multiple vaccines, the community will begin to put COVID-19 in the rear-view mirror and return to the everyday life it once enjoyed.
For school pupils across the country, 2020 was a year like no other. Mark Bain speaks to four students about their experiences.

Beatrice Tinsley, Victoria College, Belfast

To say that school has changed this year is an understatement. It is certainly not what I imagined my final year would be, with no formal, 18th birthdays or nights out with my friends. However, it is not all doom and gloom for an Upper Sixth girl, and certain adjustments in school have made my life easier.

I think all schools had a bit of a mid-life crisis when Covid-19 came to Northern Irelands doorstep. My school had to adapt to create a Covid safe place which has done well, with only a small number of cases so far. Must be the Vicky girls spirit! Although these new measures have cancelled some Sixth Former privileges, such as our Sixth Form centre, there are some pros. I only go into school for classes, which was great at the start of the year as it gave me more time to do work and to sleep in after late-night essay writing.

Nevertheless, the extra time seemed to fall from my grasp after September when I began to study for Novembers mock exams and begin my Deputy Head Girl duties. As deputy head of the junior campus, going to other sites behind a mask when trying to create substantial links with the younger years has been difficult. The Senior Prefect team in general has had to conform to Victorias new standards, which was an arduous task at the beginning, but has definitely paid off.

A massive change for me was the boarding department closing in the summer due to the virus. I had been boarding for five years and was living a fully-fledged life in Drumglass. Of course, like any home, I was growing tired of the strict rules set in place and even now its not that I miss the boarding, I miss the people.

You could have a conversation with any year group, a boarding mistress or Matron about anything.

Being notified about the shutting down of boarding was also a bit of a surreal experience. It was not like I could change schools halfway through my A-levels. Mum said I would have hike up to Belfast everyday via the 212 Goldliner. I dont think she was kidding but thankfully that was not the case. Now me and my boarding friend Jenni live in an apartment quite close to school. Its a new adventure in itself with cooking most evenings and without a boarding mistress checking up on me at prep.

My final year at school has not been something I could have ever imagined as a 12-year-old arriving on the steps of boarding. In all honesty, when taking a step back from 2020, it looks like we are living in a Christopher Nolan film with no credits. But throughout the indecisions, online classes and confusion, I hope this years challenges in school and life have taught me to overcome misgivings in all forms.





Niamh Carroll, Bloomfield Collegiate, Belfast

Being in year 12 last academic year, I looked forward to knowing I had only one more year of doing certain subjects I didnt enjoy and having no free periods.

I knew that from September 2020 Id be in sixth form. Id be doing subjects I loved, with free periods, learning to drive, with access to a common room and being allowed to go out with friends more often. I couldnt wait.

When the pandemic peaked in March and lockdown began I was ultimately in the dark concerning my education. Teachers had never used online learning before and us students had no idea what the coming months had to offer and, most importantly to some, whether or not wed be taking our GCSEs in May and June.

I had a few farewell for now emails, a couple of powerpoints and a lot of question marks sent my way.

The rest of my year and I sat patiently (not like there was much else to do!) until the news of exams being cancelled was announced.

I still remember the relief I felt, and although mixed with a bit of uncertainty I was pleased to know I could relax until our results would be released.

August came around and there was the disaster of the A-level algorithm - and I feared this would affect me and my chances of getting back into school. Luckily it was removed and I ended up receiving grades that overall I was happy with, something needed desperately after the couple of months my friends and I had already had.

Now that I knew I had gotten a sixth form place, the anxieties around how school would operate began to creep in.

There were people who believed wed be returning in a similar state as we left and those who thought they would not open again for a long time. I was apprehensive, but craving any ounce of normality I could find. School could give me that.

My school, like many others, told us that we must wear masks at all times unless specifically told we may remove them, wipe down desks after use and avoid mixing bubbles.

In my school years 8-10 are in individual primary school class-like bubbles which dramatically cuts the risk of transmission from them to me. Its easy to bubble them since they share the same classes, but from year 11 up, its a different story.

We have individual timetables which means we move around and are constantly in different rooms. This made contact tracing a nightmare.

I was made to isolate in October and missed a large chunk of my course whilst others were in learning. I did my best to work from home but It is so different and the experience of a classroom cannot be replicated, and teachers are still trying to get to grips with online classes.

Outside of my classroom, I can no longer do any of the clubs I usually was a part of to distract me from the pressures of exams. All were cancelled with no return date in sight.

Life as a student in 2020  and 2021 probably  isnt great but were working together as students to help one another through it and hopeful that a return to the normal school life isnt too far away!





Danny Walsh, Holy Cross College, Strabane

Starting sixth form in September 2019, I had no idea the whirlwind of a journey that I was about to embark upon. I was Danny Walsh of Holy Cross College; Regular year 13 student. However, ever since March 2020, my sixth form experience was desolated and I wanted my voice to be heard.

We concluded for our St Patricks Day holidays as per usual, with online-learning seeming like a foreign concept. Now, its second nature.

Covid-19 rapidly encroached on our society, forcing countless people; countless students to adapt to a new-normal that no one was comfortable with. Exams were cancelled for all GCSE and A-level students because they spent a significant amount of their academic year in their homes; trying to learn new content over platforms like Teams and Google Classroom.

Im now almost halfway through year 14 experience and Ive had to make major adjustments.

From little things like wearing a mask in public areas, to extensive things like attempting to grasp new topics that I must know for an A-level exam through Zoom. How effective is this? Not very.

Teachers are assisting us in the best way they can. But there is only so much they can do. With our supposed education leaders directing us blindly, seemingly unaware of the academic desires a student has for this year, we are all feeling the pressure.

Being put under a microscope by universities is daunting enough, but in these unforeseen circumstances, it fills each and every student in Northern Ireland with dread. I am now competing with students whove been told not to worry about A-level exams yet Im being held to the same standard. This has had a detrimental effect on mental health.

The lack of clarity on exams is affecting the mental health of every student. Mental health is being forgotten about in this seemingly never-ending battle.

So what has the last school year been like? Soul-crushing. Life-changing. Infuriating. This is not what I signed up for.

It shouldnt be normalised for me to be able to do a history project on Charles Stewart Parnell at 5AM and calling that business as usual. We are in and out of school constantly and we dont know whether or not tomorrow will be the day we are off again or if were continuing to prepare for exams that we may not even be mentally capable of sitting.

The positive thing about the online learning from March to June was that we had hope. Hope that our leaders would come to their senses and help us. Now, we have lost that.

My younger sister is sitting her GCSEs this year with nothing in real terms removed from her courses. She has isolated twice this academic year. Is that Fair? Its far from fair.

How are any of us expected to succeed when we are getting no help from the people in control?

My last academic year in school has been disappointing - a far cry from how I always imagined my school days would end.





Alana Cahoon, Portadown College

Restarting school is never easy for any pupil. However this year, especially, I found starting year 14 absolutely terrifying.

Usually, our exams at the end of the year would only count for 60% of our overall grade, but due to the AS exam results being discarded, the first A level exams that myself and my year all over the country will sit in June will count for 100% of our grade and ultimately decide where we study next year and will follow us for the rest of our lives.

The stress and anxiety this notion has caused many young people is immense and the lack of clarity on our exams since the start of the year just heightened the uneasy feeling living inside so many of our students.

Where Im from in Portadown, I go to a Dickson plan school, Portadown College. This means that my school only accommodates 14 to 18-year-olds, making every student either a GCSE or A-level pupil.

It has been very clear to see the amount of pressure that the teachers in my school feel they are under to cover all of the curriculum for the exams whilst also dealing with full year groups being told to isolate.

There has been in particular a challenge for our Year 14s who normally begin learning for their A2 in May of the previous year. With so much less teaching time and the lack of experience that pupils now have given they didnt sit exams in June 2020 it feels simply impossible to know how we all will perform this time round and if it will be enough to get us all to university.

Another aspect of school that has been seriously impacted by the pandemic is the extra-curricular activities. At my school, we have a huge focus on music and pupils really look forward to our annual Rock Concert and House Music competition, without the buzz of students organising their acts and anticipating who will win and how their house will perform the school almost feels lifeless as this was such a big part of life at Portadown College.

With so much focus being placed on academics due to the pressure to cover all course content and perform in exams there just isnt time for fun in schools anymore which is totally damaging to the morale of pupils who have no choirs, bands or other activities to take part in.

Overall, being a final year pupil during the Covid-19 pandemic has not been ideal by any stretch of the imagination. To be the first year to sit a brand new GCSE specification, to having a full year of learning count for nothing with our AS exams and now were told were having our future decided by one paper per subject.

It has been extremely difficult but we are all persistent and the resilience of our students is remarkable. We have shown we will get through this all.
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For the rest button to work, the international community (whatever that means) has to consensually agree to what peace means.

by Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne in Montreal

You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending. ~ C.S. Lewis

2021 dawned on the world differently from other years, with glorious pyrotechnics illuminating a desolate and surreal world of dark skies and empty streets: fireworks that no one saw, and no one enjoyed in a gloomy and imprisoned world. It was a new year which nonetheless marked the perennial myth only we humans perpetuate - that by some miracle, the first day of a calendar year portends a reset that erases the misfortunes of a dead calendar year. In reality, as other animal species and mother nature follow, it heralds just the continuum of the misery we carry over from one calendar year to another.

But then we can ask, is this true for 2021?

The COVID-19 virus aside, which is the major misery we have to contend with, and which will eventually realise the futility of infesting the world where the might of human determination and the ingenuity of science will triumph at the end, there are many reasons to believe that a reset button which we can activate in 2021 really exists.

That reset button was given to us when the COVID-19 virus was yet to attack us, and way before we were even aware of the threat. On 17 September of 2019, the United Nations adopted Resolution 73/338 which designated 2021 as the International Year of Peace & Trust. The Resolution underscores that the International Year of Peace and Trust constitutes a means of mobilizing the efforts of the international community to promote peace and trust among nations based on, inter alia, political dialogue, mutual understanding, and cooperation, in order to build sustainable peace, solidarity and harmony. It calls upon the international community to continue to promote peace and trust among nations as a value that promotes sustainable development, peace and security, and human rights.

Resolution 73/338 goes on to invite all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system other relevant international and regional organizations and civil society, including non-governmental organizations, individuals, and other relevant stakeholders, to facilitate the observance of the International Year of Peace and Trust, in an appropriate manner and to disseminate the advantages of peace and trust, including through educational and public awareness-raising activities.

The key words here are mobilizing the efforts of the international community and disseminate the advantages of peace and trust, including through educational and public awareness-raising activities. To start with, we would have a new leader of the free world. Zanny Minton Beddoes  Editor in Chief of The Economist writes:  rather than attack with unilateral tariffs, Mr. Bidens team will focus on building a multilateral coalition to counter China. This is the mobilizing of the efforts of the international community that Resolution 73/338 talks of. Beddoes goes on: Expect talk of a Transatlantic grand bargain, where America assuages European concerns about tech giants, particularly the personal data they gather, and the tax they dont pay, in return for a joint approach towards Chinese tech companies. Expect talk of a new global alliance, building Asian democracies into the Western coalition to counter China  the basis, conceivably, of a new kind of American-led world order.

This by no means implies any negativity or disingenuity on the part of the manner in which China has grown, but rather reflects the ineptitude of the West to recognize over the past few years the value of creating trust among allies to ensure equality of opportunity to compete with the Asian giants, especially China. The reset button calls upon the new President of the United States to deviate his concentration from repairing yesterdays world (as Beddoes puts it) and to focus on tomorrows world. This is the precise meaning and purpose of the United Nations Resolution.

There is no room for doubt that in the world of science and technology, the world will surge ahead with its efforts in gene editing, quantum computing and Blockchain smart contracts. . However, the reset button should enable the powers that be to apply their focus on peace and trust in the deployment of their efforts. Tom Standage, Editor of The Economist lists as one goal to be achieved in 2021 patching up the new world disorder:  How much will Joe Biden, newly installed in the White House, be able to patch-up a crumbling rules-based international order? The Paris climate deal and the Iran nuclear deal are obvious places to start. But the crumbling predates Trump and will outlast his presidency. The last statement is what the United Nations Resolution seemingly wants to prove wrong.

Daniel Franklin, Diplomatic Editor of The Economist is more specific:  Who will run the world in 2021? International institutions such as the United Nations have been weakened by great-power rivalry. Russia will be a spoiler, not a leader. In Europe, Boris Johnson will have his hands full with the aftermath of Brexit, Germanys Angela Merkel will leave the stage and Frances Emmanuel Macron has limited means to pursue his grand ideas. China is the rising superpower, and an increasingly assertive one, but not yet keen, let alone able, to take on the burdens of world leadership. The question is whether America, under President Joe Biden, will be prepared to step back into the role

The International Year of Peace and Trust brings to mind post World War 11 efforts of the Western World. The Bretton Woods initiative; the unification of rules for commercial air transport; globalization of world trade, were all efforts to bring together a badly broken world and to make sense of a new world order. Obviously, 2021 will not be a full turnaround. However, the question remains as to whether the United States and its allies (those that are left) take some cognizance of the fact that if a reset button could work 75 years ago, it could work reasonably well to reverse the process aggravated by a virulent virus which as Zanny Minton Beddoes says: has changed the trajectory of the three big forces that are shaping the modern world: globalization which has been truncated (which was in the process of being badly damaged by populism in the world anyway); geo-political rivalry; and inequality.

For the rest button to work, the international community (whatever that means) has to consensually agree to what peace means. Former Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon said in 2014:  We know that peace cannot be decreed solely through treaties  it must be nurtured through the dignity, rights and capacities of every man and womanIt is a way of being, of interacting with others, of living on this planet more than ever, it means living with others on the basis of tolerance, respect and mutual understanding, In aviation terms, the Preamble to the Chicago Convention of 1944 talks of friendship and understanding among the people of the world.

Whether we can ever achieve this lofty ideal is another matter.
MONTREAL - Surges in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across several provinces prompted warnings on Monday from public health experts, who said stricter measures and adherence to guidelines are needed in the days and weeks ahead.

People wear face masks as they wait to be tested for COVID-19 at a clinic in Montreal, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021. Canadian public health experts are raising alarm over an ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in several provinces. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

MONTREAL - Surges in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across several provinces prompted warnings on Monday from public health experts, who said stricter measures and adherence to guidelines are needed in the days and weeks ahead.

Ontario reported 3,270 new cases of COVID-19 and 29 more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus on Monday, while officials in Quebec reported 2,546 new infections and 32 more deaths.

One expert in Quebec said the province should impose a curfew to ensure people are in their homes at a certain hour  a move that was recently imposed in France. "The government bet on a partial lockdown to reduce the number of cases. It didn't work," Roxane Borges Da Silva, a professor at Universite de Montreal's school of public health, said in an interview Monday.

She said the stricter measures could also include the closure of the manufacturing sector, which accounts for many COVID-19 outbreaks. "We don't have room to manoeuvre. We have no choice but to put in place strict measures that will really work. We can't afford to do more trial and error," Borges Da Silva said.

Quebec and Ontario imposed partial lockdown rules over the holiday period in an effort to get the pandemic under control and ease pressure on their strained health-care networks. But health-care workers and public health experts continue to raise concerns over rates of infections and hospitalizations in both provinces.

Quebec reported 1,294 hospitalizations on Monday, including 188 patients in intensive care, while Ontario said 1,190 people were currently hospitalized, including 333 in intensive care.

Dr. Nadia Alam, a family doctor in Georgetown, Ont., northwest of Toronto, and past president of the Ontario Medical Association, said many people are feeling "pandemic fatigue."

Alam said many Ontarians are following public health directives, but some, she said, do not have the social support they need to adhere to the regulations. Others, she said, are bucking the rules because they do not take the pandemic seriously.

The result is "a crisis in health care" and the exhaustion of health-care workers, particularly in long-term care homes and hospitals in Ontario, Alam said in an interview. "We're stretched so thin. It's a bit of a nightmare. The vaccine gave us all hope  and it is giving us hope  but right now are very difficult times."

In Atlantic Canada, New Brunswick reported 17 new COVID-19 cases Monday, the highest number of single-day infections in the province since Nov. 21.

Nova Scotia reported six new cases  two from Sunday and four on Monday  while Newfoundland and Labrador reported its first new COVID-19 infection of 2021.

Health authorities in Saskatchewan reported 286 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday and two more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus. The province said 180 people were in hospital, including 35 receiving intensive care.

Meanwhile, Canadian politicians at the federal and provincial levels are facing criticism for taking trips abroad despite advice to avoid non-essential travel. Frustrations have been especially high in Alberta, where at least six members of the provinces United Conservative government travelled outside the country during the holiday period.

On Monday afternoon, Premier Jason Kenney said he had accepted the resignation of the province's municipal affairs minister and asked his chief of staff to step down. Four other party members also lost their committee and other parliamentary responsibilities.

"By travelling abroad over the holidays, these individuals demonstrated extremely poor judgment," Kenney said in a Facebook post.

Dr. Alika Lafontaine, an anesthesiologist in Grande Prairie, Alta., and past president of the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada, said it was "disheartening" to see politicians ignore travel advice. "I'm actually quite concerned that Albertans will take that as a signal that maybe the pandemic isn't  as bad as it really is," Lafontaine said in an interview Monday.

Alberta's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, said Sunday an estimated 400 new COVID-19 cases had been identified in the province on Jan. 2. Hospitalizations and intensive care admissions were stable, she said in a tweet.

Lafontaine said, however, that ICU admissions are not decreasing fast enough, adding that he feared the health-care system as a whole  and regional hospitals like where he works, in particular  could be overwhelmed. "At the stage that we're at right now with hospitalizations, I think our system is on the verge of being overwhelmed if it does get worse," he said.

That's why public health guidelines need to be followed closely, Lafontaine said, adding that politicians should be setting an example. "We all have to treat this pandemic as the health crisis that it actually is, and that starts at the top."

That was echoed by Dr. Donald Vinh, an infectious disease specialist and medical microbiologist at the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, who said COVID-19 infections will only decrease if everyone follows public health measures.

"Collectively, we need to bend this curve down and we need to do it through intense adherence to public health measures, consistently, everywhere, by everyone," Vinh said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 4, 2020.

 With files from Sarah Smellie in St. John's and Stephanie Taylor in Regina.
Shots Fired from Across The Pond! Pfizer's COVID vaccine administration website says that the second dose should be given 21 days later. So why is the UK government now saying the second dose will be 3 full months not three weeks later? Could it be that the second dose provides the one-two punch of more severe side effects that are sure to turn OFF first dosers who may be in line? By waiting three months, you may have tens of thousands of first doses administered, doses that may have been refused had citizens heard about second dose adverse events.

Participants were more likely to report such symptoms following the second dose of the vaccine.

[The reaction to the second dose] tends to be a little more of an intense response, which does make sense, considering your immune system has been exposed already, Heinz said.

It gets hit with another dose of [the vaccine], and it has a sort of quicker and more robust response. That makes a lot of sense immunologically, he added. Source: www.healthline.com/health-news/what-we-know-about-the-side-effects-of-pfizers-covid-19-vaccine#Fatigue,-headache,-muscle-pain





https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/pfizer/index.html



From BBC News Coronavirus: BMJ urges NYT to correct vaccine 'mixing' article



The editor of the British Medical Journal has asked the New York Times to correct an article that says UK guidelines allow two Covid-19 vaccines to be mixed.

The US publication reported that UK health officials would allow patients to be given a second dose that is a different vaccine to their first.

Fiona Godlee pointed out in her letter to the NYT that it was not a recommendation.

She said the NYT's headline claiming UK guidelines say such substitutions "may happen" was "seriously misleading".

The UK has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab - but both require two doses which are now to be administered 12 weeks apart

Ms Godlee said the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) does not make any recommendation to mix and match - in other words, having a shot of one vaccine and then a different one 12 weeks later.
Woman Deals Instant Karma to Porch Pirate by Filling Fake Package With Cat Litter

When an Ontario woman got tired of having packages stolen from her front porch, she decided it was time to give the gift of instant karma to her (not-so-)friendly neighborhood porch pirates.

So, she decided to surprise the next burglar by emptying her cat litter into an Amazon box, resealing it, and placing it outside her front door. Predictably, the box was promptly stolen 40 minutes later.

Laurie Pringle has lost roughly a dozen packages from her front porch over the past three years. She told CBC the idea to repurpose the contents of her cat litter arose when she was discussing the problem with her neighbors.

We were chatting. I have a puppy, they have a German Shepherd, and we jokingly said, We should just fill it up with dog doo, Laurie told the news outlet a few days before Christmas. Of course, my little puppy couldnt fill a box if we waited a week.

However, she does have a cat, and it occurred to her that it could serve the same purpose.

While I was cleaning the cat litter, I thought, It wouldnt take much to fill a box with this stuff, she said. So I thought, You know, its Christmas time and maybe I should help Santa with the naughty list, and instead of coal, we can give the porch pirates some cat crap.

So, she dumped the used cat litter into an empty Amazon box, resealed it, and positioned it on her porch like any other delivered package with her Ring doorbell cam ready to catch the unsuspecting thief.

Then, she sat back and waited.

It didnt take long before a man walked right up to her doorstep, took the box, not realizing the package was full of cat poop, tucked it inside his jacket, and walked away.

Laurie said she didnt report the theft to the police. After all, reporting previous thefts did nothing to stop the problem.

She did, however, post about the prank on social media, and her post generated appreciation from other people whove experienced the same troubles.

It just goes to show you how many people are frustrated by this, Laurie said.

Niagara police say they have launched Operation Ama-gone to help prevent package theft and locate culprits.

Constable Krista-Lee Ernst says they see many repeat offenders, though the operation has already helped them tackle the problem.

In the meantime, police recommend taking precautions to protect your deliveries, including having packages delivered to your work, the local post office, or a nearby store. Online shoppers can also ask carriers to conceal packages out of sight, or arrange to have someone at home when deliveries are expected.

For now, Laurie is hopeful that the prank served its purpose and sent a message to the local porch shoppers.

We did a happy dance and celebrated our just desserts, she said.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired Newsletter here: https://www.theepochtimes.com/newsletter
A year after the Centre notified a policy to give ownership rights to people living in unauthorised colonies in Delhi, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has drafted norms for planned development in these areas. The new norms have provision for the amalgamation of plot, creating social infrastructure and redevelopment of colonies.

The norms were approved by the land-owning agency in a meeting, which was chaired by Delhis lieutenant governor Anil Baijal, in December end. A senior DDA official said that the rules will soon be put in public domain for suggestions/objections, after which it will be sent to the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs for notification and added in the Master Plan of Delhi-2021.

The DDA, along with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), is working on a new master plan (MPD-2041), which is the vision document for planned development of the city for the next 20 years.

In 2019, the Centre had passed the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Recognition of Property Rights of Residents in Unauthorised Colonies) Act, 2019, to confer ownership rights to residents living in 1,731 unauthorised colonies in the national capital. Under PM-UDAY (Pradhan Mantri- Unauthorized Colonies in Delhi Awas Adhikar Yojana), DDA has been giving ownership rights to property owners living in these colonies.

A senior DDA official said, The development control norms for unauthorised colonies is part of the NCT Regulations 2019. It is for the first time detailed norms have been prepared for unauthorised colonies. Now that they are getting the legal tag, there is a need to have norms for planned development/redevelopment in these areas.

The DDA has proposed two approaches for planned development: a regeneration scheme and regularisation of existing areas.

DDA officials say that regeneration or redevelopment schemes will help residents. Amalgamation of plots will be permitted. The minimum area required for availing the benefits under the scheme is 2000 sqm. For this, residents have to pool land and form a developer entity and submit a regeneration scheme to local authorities for approval, said the official.

The second option provided by DDA is for the regularisation of existing colonies wherein people can get the layout plans prepared and get individual building plans approved by the DDA. The unauthorised colonies will have to meet certain planning requirements such as having access for fire-tenders, open space for evacuation for effective disaster management, structural safety of buildings at plot level, provision for social facilities like healthcare and education facilities nearby etc, said the official.

The developer entity or the RWA or the plot owner will have to pay for civic infrastructure development charges (sewer, water) to the service providing agency.

Residents of unauthorised colonies say that the most important thing right now is ownership rights. Kuldeep Chillar, president of Raja Vihar colony where 10 residents were among the first to get ownership rights in January last year, said, The priority is to get ownership of the property first. Development or redevelopment of the area is secondary. People will be able to do or plan development of the colony only when the government acknowledges our ownership.

Regularisation of unauthorised colonies in Delhi has been a longstanding issue and a poll issue since early 2000. While the Congress-led Delhi government has announced regularisation of authorised colonies in 2008, it couldnt be done due to technical issues. Ahead of the assembly elections in 2020, the BJP had promised to confer ownership rights to residents of unauthorised colonies. In 2019, the BJP-led Centre passed a law in this regard.

While urban planning experts welcomed the move by DDA to draft these norms, they say that redevelopment norms should be further relaxed as some of the provisions will be difficult to be implemented.

Shamsher Singh, former chief town planner with erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi said, It is good that they have drafted special norms for these colonies. For any planned development in these colonies, redevelopment is the only option. But these norms are more builder-oriented, as it will be difficult for RWAs or individuals to comply with them. As for paying infrastructure development charges, it will be difficult to get people to agree to it as last time when similar efforts were made, RWAs had refused to pay for layouts, which were prepared by the corporations.

The DDAs decision to get a developer entity, Sabyasachi Das, former planning commissioner with DDA, said, might pose a hurdle in the entire process. In these colonies, on each plot there are three-four floors which have been sold individually. Getting people to agree to pool plots or amalgamate will be a challenge.
New Delhi: The coronavirus vaccine jointly developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford will be sold at USD 3-4 per shot (Rs 219-292) to the government and will be priced at double that rate in the private market once such sales open up, said the CEO of its Indian manufacturer on Monday.

Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, has a licence to produce the shot in India and has already manufactured close to 50 million doses.

Covid-19 vaccine

SII CEO Adar Poonawalla said that the company will start selling the vaccine (Covishield) to the Indian government and Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) countries in the first stage, followed by the private market.

Indian drug regulator on Sunday approved Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for restricted emergency use in the country.

"We want the vaccine to be affordable and accessible to all. The government of India will receive it at a far more affordable price of USD 3-4, since they will be buying in a larger volume," he said.

Only after meeting their requirements, "the private market will open up where the pricing would be USD 6-8 per done," he said.

Covid-19 vaccineSII is likely to have 100 million doses in a month and will possibly double it by April. The government has indicated that it may need 300 million doses before July 2021, with frontline health workers and the elderly being given priority.

Poonawalla said SII is in touch with the government for the vaccine's procurement. "Initially, we will supply 50 million doses and we will get more confirmations over the course of the next few days," he added.

When asked if the company was negotiating bilateral agreements with other countries too for the vaccine, Poonawalla said, "We have bilateral partnerships with nations like Bangladesh, Myanmar and Morocco.
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Police officers accused of extortion Isidore Delpierro

Four police officers in Cameroons southwestern town of Buea are accused of extortion, misconduct, harassment and "hostage-taking".

The quartet is accused of using their uniforms and guns to extort money from a young man in Molyko after confiscating his laptop.

On January 3, 2021, Isidore Delpierro says he was on his way to Douala when four police officers stopped him in Molyko and deprived him of an undisclosed amount of money.

The Software Engineer, a graduate of the University of Buea took to Facebook to recount his disappointment.

Earlier today (Sunday, 3rd Jan. 2021) I was on my way to Douala. Stepping out of the quarter in Molyko I ran into these four. They were putting on Police uniforms and walking lackadaisical in my direction. Mindful that the Police are supposed to protect civilians I kept walking. They stopped me and asked for identification. I showed them my ID and answered all their questions politely, said Isidore Delpierro.

The IT Solutions Architect, Developer, and Marketer furthered that the officers asked to see the content of his bag.

They asked to see what was inside my bag. I showed them and when they saw my laptop one of them grabbed it and said since it's a laptop and I'll have to come to the station to get it. Then they started walking away. I didn't even see where the plastic bag came from, but he already had my laptop inside. That was fast, I give him that, he said.

When they noticed I wasn't quick to follow them they stopped and asked for the receipt. I thought to myself since when do I have to walk around with the receipt for an old laptop like this one? When I told them I don't have it, they said I have to settle control. I did the math and recognized that it was a setup It's Sunday morning. Even if I get to the station they'll say they're not working. That means I'll have to wait till Tuesday, assuming the laptop successfully makes it to the station.

Isidore Delpierro says he did not understand how to settle control for an old laptop he has been using for as long as he could remember.

His words: I used to think only commercial inter-urban drivers settle control. It kinda pissed them off that I didn't speak their language. They held me hostage for close to two hours and the ring leader kept insisting on having me speak French. Then one of them cornered me and told me I have to give them money. I couldn't just give them my transport like that. What if...

I told them I have MoMo and one of them said they only have Orange money. Na new trouble that because Orange money account don empty as I use am buy data, all money be dey na for MoMo. I said okay let me do MTN to Orange and they told me it's not possible. After walking around for hours a kiosk in one corner.

I tried to cash out, but the dealer had no change. So I told him to withdraw from my MTN and cash into my Orange. He did and I walked back to meet the gang of four who were impatiently waiting outside (harassing young girls in the name of control). I initiated the transaction and asked for the Orange number so I could pay for my own laptop. One of them was about to provide a number when the ring leader stopped him and said ne donnes jamais le numero.

I was too focused on getting my laptop that I didn't pay attention to why he stopped him (it kinda pissed me off, though I kept my cool). That's when I noticed that they walk around with black plastic bags. I assume those are meant to serve as take-away (at least that's what they used for my laptop).

There was a man who had been standing on the side of the road observing, trying to get his sister off the hands of these people who are really supposed to be protecting her. I walked to him and asked if he could give me cash in exchange for MoMo. He'd been observing, so he understood. I paid them, collected my laptop, and walked away.

These are the four vendors who seized my laptop and made me re-buy it from them. The one with the black plastic is the ring leader and it's my laptop that's inside the black plastic he's holding. He's the one who kept forcing me to speak French. God alone knows what would have happened to my phone if they saw me take this photo, but at this point, I really didn't care.

On December 4, journalist Joseph Mbang Weno recounted how he witnessed one of the most dehumanizing forms of police brutality.

The police descended on Las Vegas snack Bar in Buea, on the night of Friday, December 4, 2020, and started beating up people indiscriminately. They actually came with a truck, and for no reason, they began to arrest everybody who was inside or outside the recreational facility; even persons who presented their ID cards were not spared, he said.

Cases of police exhortation are rife in Cameroons troubled North West and South West Regions where security forces are battling armed separatists. Human rights groups say the rights of civilians are continuously being violated and abused by the belligerents.
A mainland Chinese lawyer, who helped one of the 10 Hong Kong activists in crossing borders, has been informed by authorities that his license could be revoked for making inappropriate remarks on the internet. Lu Siwei was cautioned by Justice Department of the Sichuan province that he had three days to request a hearing before authorities would make a final decision on his professional qualification. According to a report by South China Post, if the lawyer fails to present himself on the marked days, then the lawyer would be regarded as having given up his rights.

Our investigation has discovered that you have repeatedly made inappropriate remarks on the internet, the time range and messages involved were large. [These remarks] have done serious damage to the image of the legal profession, and caused negative effects on the society...The department plans to impose an administrative punishment by revoking your license ... You have the right to make a statement, to defend yourself, and to request a hearing," a statement by Justice Department read.

While Chinese authorities claim to have summoned Siwei for publishing inappropriate speech online, experts tout another reason. Amidst, a heightened Chinese crackdown on Hong Kong, the lawyer was involved in the case of Hong Kong 12. The case refers to that of 12 fugitives who were caught by Chinese forces while fleeing to Taiwan from Hong Kong. In addendum, Siwei also represented Chinese dissident poet Wang Zang and his wife Wang Li, who was charged with subverting state power in July.

Read: Pro-democracy Activists Rally In Hong Kong

Read: China Emphasizes Rule Of Law Over Hong Kong Detained

'Hong Kong 12' trial begins

China on December 28 began the trial of a group of people who have been accused of trying to illegally flee the country earlier this year and were caught by the Chinese coast guards. The group, popularly known as the 'Hong Kong 12', was detained by the Chinese authorities in August who alleged that they were trying to flee to Taiwan by boat. The trial of the group began on Monday in Shenzhen as per the schedule.

Read: Ten Hong Kong Detainees Face Trial In China, US Calls For Their 'immediate Release'

Read: Trials Begin For 10 Charged In Hong Kong Flight Case

(With inputs from ANI)
New York, Jan. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Political Organizations Global Market Report 2020-30: COVID-19 Growth And Change" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06001430/?utm_source=GNW





The global political organizations market is expected to grow from $8.88 billion in 2019 to $8.98 billion in 2020 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.18%. The slow growth is mainly due to the COVID-19 outbreak that has led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, the closure of industries, and other commercial activities resulting in a slowdown of the economy forcing the government and other organizations to reallocate grants to emergency relief funds. The market is then expected to recover and reach $11.15 billion in 2023 at a CAGR of 7.48%.



The political organizations market consists of revenue generated through political services by entities (organizations, sole traders and partnerships) that are engaged in promoting the interests of national, state, or local political parties or candidates. This market includes political groups organized to raise funds for a political party or individual candidates. Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included.



In October 2020, the Mizoram Peoples Conference (MPC), a regional political party in Mizoram, merged with Peoples Representation for Identity and Status of Mizoram (PRISM) to form the Peoples Conference Party. The new party formed after the merger will work towards fulfilling the aspirations of underprivileged people in the region. PRISM was an anti-corruption watchdog before becoming the political party for the 2018 state polls.



The political organizations market covered in this report is segmented by organization into national; regional and by scope and services into campaign organizations; constituency associations; local political organization; political action committees (PACs); political campaign organizations; political organizations and clubs; political parties; riding association.



Social media platforms are increasingly being used by political organizations for campaigning. The utilization of social media is viable in reaching out to young voters. There are various ways by which a political party can conduct social media campaigns such as engaging with the public through live video, asking questions on social media such as Twitter and Facebook, being active on social platforms by posting daily updates of their political work, and many more. For instance, in the ongoing US presidential election campaign, the two candidates are paying millions of dollars to Facebook and Google ads to increase their visibility in the perspective of the users to increase their chances of a win in the November 2020 elections.



The initiatives taken by political organizations to improve the support from businesses in the region drive the market. For instance, the Bhartiya Janata Party government in India has promoted reforms that may boost the economy helping small and medium enterprises to expand their businesses. It launched the Make in India initiative to bring in businesses into the country to boost the economic activity and create jobs. These initiatives will help businesses to expand their revenue streams and in turn, encourage businesses to support the political organizations by funding them.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06001430/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.) The governor will start 2021 without a top official in Missouri's Veteran Commission after Tim Noonan, the commission chairman, quit on the eve of the New Year.

I wouldve run this thing as long and as hard as it took but what a fundamental value gets crossed its a straightforward decision and one of my fundamental values was crossed so I wish the team the governor, everybody, the best to get it fixed," Noonan said.

His resignation happened hours after the state Attorney General, Eric Schmitt ordered Noonan to release a 415-page investigative report and Gov. Mike Parsons addressing the issue at a news conference Wednesday.

"The veterans will be a priority. Im not going to worry about everybodys personal lives that sit on the commission, or the chairman. Im just going to absolutely worry about the veterans and thats my whole focus," Parsons said.

The Governor was responding to a question about whether he planned to make changes to Missouri Veterans Commission leadership in connection to an external review of the COVID-19 outbreak in Missouri's 7-state veteran's homes.

Parsons directed the commission chairman of Missouri Veterans Commission (MVC) to investigate how nursing home staff, state employees, and state officials responded to the pandemic following the death of dozens of Veterans across Missouri-run homes in September. To date at least 154 veterans have died in Missouri's care and of that, at least 39 were at Cameron Veterans Home.

After a competitive bidding process, Noonan hired Armstrong-Teasdale and the firm began its investigation on October 12. A summary of the findings was released in December. It cataloged failures up and down the chain of command to plan, see, and respond to the coronavirus outbreak in the homes.

But that was only the summary. News agencies began pressing Noonan to release the full 400-plus page report which he refused saying it was not a public document. He said the contract with Armstrong-Teasdale specifically called for a public summary of the findings and a detailed report.

"We specifically constructed the contract so that we could take constructive action without being distracted," Noonan said about the contract's language and the reason for shielding the full report from public view. "I do not believe that having that information publicly available does anything to drive a different outcome relative to what we are trying to do in the commission."

Last week, Parsons office and Schmitt's office sent letters to Noonan telling him his interpretation of the contract was wrong and the full report was fair game for a sunshine request. Noonan said he disagreed but would release it.

He said it was frustrating to hear Schmitt and Parsons make comments to the public about the report when he had asked for them in private more than a month ago.

I couldnt get an answer from the Governors office Id ask a question of and written form on 23 November and it took a spectacle to get an answer," Noonan said.

In emails starting Nov. 23, Noonan asked the Governor's Office and the Attorney General's Office whether releasing the documents create liability risks and whether he should wave an attorney-client privilege by releasing the document. He included copies of the emails and his concerns in his resignation letter.

Noon said the full report could be used as a roadmap for frivolous lawsuits.

What is the impact of releasing the names of frontline caregivers workers and workers when they been working 80, 90 to 100 hours a week? Whats the purpose of that? How does that help solve the problem? In addition, it is also prudent not to create a roadmap for a frivolous plaintive lawsuit," he said.

The failures cataloged in the report are not just by frontline caregivers, they can be traced all the way to the top of the command chain to the Fusion Cell, the Governor's handpicked team tasked with the state's response to the pandemic, and MVC officials.

"I think the investigation specifically in the more detailed report points to a significant lack of accountability up and down the chain of command, Noonan said.

He added the Commissioners have taken responsibility for the mistakes that led to more than 150 veterans losing their lives to COVID-19 but the Fusion Cell had the same data as MVC officials on September 10th and did nothing.

Noonan added he was willing to shoulder the responsibility as the Chairman up until the Governor's remarks Wednesday made clear he was going to do it without the Governor's support.

I was completely prepared to drive it forward. But I simply cant win when one of my fundamental values gets crossed which is that Im working for a guy thats not worried about me or that hes not worried about the personal life of me or my commissioners," he said.
Hudson County no longer has freeholders.

Instead, the elected county officials will be meeting as county commissioners for the first time on Monday at 4 p.m. in the County Commissioners Chamber on Pavonia Avenue in Jersey City.

At the re-organization meeting, the commissioners will appoint board member roles including chairperson, vice chairperson, clerk and more. They will also address finance and administration matters for the new year.

The in-person meeting is limited to 25 people, but attendees can opt for the virtual meeting through Zoom at 4 p.m. as well.

The Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders holds its reorganization meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)

In August, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill to eliminate the title freeholders and term board of chosen freeholders. The term will be replaced with board of county commissioners, which reflects on Hudson Countys website.

The changes went into effect on Jan. 1.

For years, critics have labeled the county title as racist.

Freeholder stems from a 15th century English legal term referring to a person who owned land free of debts or legal claims.

In the colonies, only freeholders could hold a position in office, and the only people who were able to own land free of debt, at the time, were white males.

New Jersey is the last state in the country to eliminate the term freeholder. These elected county officials are chosen by voters in the states 21 counties and oversee taxpayer-funded budgets like county parks, jails, roads and more.

The commissioners in Hudson County are: Kenneth Kopacz, Bill ODea, Jerry Walker, Yraida Aponte-Lipski, Anthony Romano, Fanny J. Cedeno, Caridad Rodriguez, Anthony Vainieri, Jr. and Albert Cifelli.

On Saturday, ODea took an oath into the Board of County Commissioners administered by Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop in Lincoln Park.

Counties have a year to update letterheads, stationery and other writings to the elected officials new title, but signs that display freeholder will not be replaced within the year as it would require extra money, NJ Advance Media reported.
[January 04, 2021] Empower Retirement Closes Acquisition of MassMutual Retirement Plan Business

Empower Retirement today announced the completion of the previously announced acquisition of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company's (MassMutual) retirement plan business, following the receipt of regulatory approval required by the agreement. As a result of the acquisition, MassMutual's retirement plan business transitions to Empower in a reinsurance transaction for a ceding commission of $2.35 billion. In addition, the balance sheet of the transferred business will be supported by $1 billion of required capital when combined with Empower's existing U.S. business. Empower is the nation's second-largest retirement services provider.1 The acquisition increases Empower's participant base to more than 12 million and retirement services recordkeeping assets to approximately $884 billion administered in approximately 67,000 workplace savings plans.2 "We are excited to welcome new clients and retirement savers to Empower and look forward to the opportunity to serve them on their journey toward creating a secure retirement," said Edmund F. Murphy III, President and CEO of Empower Retirement. "We are working to make the transition of plans to Empower seamless as we continue to enhance the customer experience by providing a personalized, holistic approach to retirement planning." More than 1,700 employees who had been affiliated with MassMutual's retirement plan business will join Empower to provide the full range of support services for financial professionals, plan sponsors and participants. Eversheds Sutherland served as legal counsel, and Goldman Sachs and Rockefeller Capital Management served as financial advisors to Empower. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP served as legal counsel and Lazard served as exclusive financial advisor to MassMutual. About Empower Retirement Headquartered in metro Denver, Empower Retirement administers approximately $710 billion in assets for more than 9.4 million retirement plan participants as of Sept. 30, 2020.3 It is the nation's second-largest retirement plan recordkeeper by total participants. Empower serves all segments of the employer-sponsored retirement plan market: government 457 plans; small, midsize and large corporate 401(k) clients; non-profit 403 (b) entities; private-label recordkeeping clients; and IRA customers. Personal Capital, a subsidiary of Empower Retirement, is an industry-leading hybrid wealth manager. For more information please visit empower-retirement.com and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. About MassMutual MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policyowners. Founded in 1851, the company has been continually guided by one consistent purpose: we help people secure their future and protect the ones they love. With a focus on delivering long-term value, MassMutual offers a wide range of protection, accumulation, wealth management and retirement products and services. For more information, visit massmutual.com.







1) Pensions & Investments 2020 Defined Contribution Survey Ranking as of April 2020. 2) Estimated joint assets under administration of Empower Retirement and MassMutual. 3) As of Sept. 30, 2020. Information refers to the business of Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company and its subsidiaries, including Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company of New York and GWFS Equities, Inc. GWLA's consolidated total assets under administration (AUA) were $709.9B. AUA is a non-GAAP measure and does not reflect the financial stability or strength of a company. GWLA's statutory assets total $54.8B and liabilities total $51.8B. GWLANY statutory assets total $1.69B and liabilities total $1.57B.

Securities offered and/or distributed by GWFS Equities, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. GWFS is an affiliate of Empower Retirement, LLC; Great-West Funds, Inc.; and registered investment advisers, Advised Assets Group, LLC and Personal Capital. This material is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide investment, legal or tax recommendations or advice. RO1464090-1220 FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS DISCLAIMER Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements, representing management's current view of future events based on reasonable assumptions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, as actual results may differ depending on the development and completion of this business combination. Consider these and other factors, uncertainties and potential events carefully and do not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Other than as specifically required by applicable law, forward-looking information as a result of new information, future events or otherwise will not be updated. Effective on the closing date of the transaction, Empower Retirement ("Empower") acquired the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company's ("MassMutual") retirement business. Through this transaction, business written by MassMutual is reinsured by Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company ("GWL&A"), and in New York by Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company of New York. Concurrently, MassMutual retroceded business it reinsures from a cedent, which MassMutual assumed in a previous transaction. On the closing date of the transaction, Empower will administer the business on MassMutual's behalf, with certain administrative services being performed by MassMutual and its affiliates during a temporary transition period. Additionally, GWFS Equities, Inc., will be the distributor of the MassMutual insurance products sold on Empower's platform. Empower Retirement refers to the products and services offered by GWL&A and its subsidiaries. GWFS Equities is a subsidiary of GWL&A and an affiliate of Empower Retirement, LLC; Great-West Funds, Inc.; and registered investment advisers, Advised Assets Group, LLC and Personal Capital. Empower is not affiliated with MassMutual or its affiliates. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005085/en/

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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Of the 5,300 children enrolled in the Ohio Behavioral Health Juvenile Justice Initiative since 2006, 21% reported that someone close them had been murdered in the past year. Nearly half of the boys and more than a quarter of the girls in the program have both a substance abuse and mental health disorder.

But there's good news, too: From 2017 through 2019, 81% of the participantsaged 10 through 17successfully completed the state's juvenile diversion program, and data indicated that 79% of youth reduced their contact with police while in treatment.

Those findings are from a new detailed evaluation of the Ohio Behavioral Health Juvenile Justice Initiative (BHJJ) by researchers at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University.

The key conclusion: Many youthful offenders can benefit from community-based diversion programs designed to address mental health and substance use issues in lieu of commitment to local or state-run detention centers.

"The majority of justice-involved youth have a history of mental health and/or substance-use issues, and have experienced a great deal of trauma," said Jeff Kretschmar, co-author of the study and the research associate professor at the university's Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education. "However, local jurisdictions are often ill-equipped to accurately assess youth for behavioral health problems and provide appropriate treatment. Ohio's Behavioral Health Juvenile Justice Initiative was intended to transform and expand the local systems' options to better serve these youths."

The report focused on youth currently enrolled in the program rather than retrospectively, Kretschmar said, to "identify emerging behavioral health trends and better understand the effectiveness of the model as it operates across Ohio today."

Report highlights include:

Youth reported a significant decrease in trauma symptoms and problem severity from intake to termination, and a significant improvement in functioning.

Since 2015, only 3.8% of youth enrolled in BHJJ were committed to a state-run detention facility after enrollment.

BHJJ costs about $5,200 per child, compared with $196,000 per child who enters a state-run detention facility.

"The breadth of the data provides us with an opportunity to examine outcomes for youth in BHJJ from a variety of angles and provides practitioners with enough information to match programming with behavioral health needs," said Fredrick Butcher, research assistant professor at the Begun Center.

Explore further Ohio's diversion program effective in helping juvenile offenders with mental health disorders
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(Natural News) The coronavirus bioweapon, forced lockdowns and dangerous covid-19 vaccines have all been rolled out for the same purpose: To carry out mass global genocide against humanity as part of an emergency depopulation order.

Election drama is merely part of the theatrical distraction from the much larger globalist agenda which targets all the masses  regardless of politics, race or gender  for terminal destruction.

The mRNA vaccine platform is described by Moderna as an operating system being installed in your body, upon which software in the form of mRNA is deployed and updated to produce applications which are proteins. This is all described on Modernas own web site.

The goal of installing this operating system in your body, of course, is so that globalist-linked corporations can exercise remote control over your physiology while claiming intellectual property ownership over your bodys cells.

In essence, all who take the mRNA vaccine are being branded like cattle and coerced into replicating patented mRNA strands at the cellular level, thus engaging in intellectual property theft, allowing vaccine corporations to claim ownership of your entire body.

The election situation has collapsed into chaos, with the 10-day emergency investigation commission now appearing to be yet another delay tactic to assuage patriots and Trump supporters all the way until January 20th, when Biden will be quietly sworn in (unless Trump and the patriots stop him first).

With the Reclaiming a Superpower report now published by a cyber warfare investigations team, its clear that literally every institution of government  the courts, SCOTUS, governors, congress, law enforcement, etc.  is completely corrupt and utterly unable to honestly examine the overwhelming evidence of election fraud that continues to emerge by the day.

There is no solution to corrupt government that can come from corrupt government itself.

It looks increasingly like the only real solution to all this will be an uprising of patriots who take down the entire corrupt system, most likely by force.

Here are the highlights of todays Situation Update podcast for January 4th:

Why many people who take mRNA vaccines will be infertile or dead within 5 years.

Why mass vaccinations are a globalist attempt to kill off billions of people before they can stage a mass uprising against globalist control.

Exodus chapter 14, verse 15.

Zombie-looking Nancy Pelosi re-elected Creeper of the House.

Ric Grennell confirms Trump is in a good position to challenge the fraudulent electoral votes.

Lin Wood implies he may soon release damning evidence that exposes Chief Justice Roberts.

Peter Navarro confirms VP Pence can move the inauguration to a later date.

The 10-day investigations commission effort may be a clever ploy to disarm patriots and delay any uprising until Biden can be secretly sworn in.

The composition of the commission will tell us everything: If Roberts is on it, the commission will be nothing but a whitewash effort to bury all the evidence and hide the truth.

Jake Tapper slams any effort to look into vote fraud as a bloodless coup, claiming anyone who doesnt blindly accept the Biden election fraud is a traitor. (Tapper spent the last four years questioning the 2016 election, FYI.)

400 ex-intelligence officers are reportedly involved in the investigation of election irregularities. This is necessary because the FBI, DOJ and CIA are hopelessly corrupt and even complicit in the election fraud.

Trump himself has the power to criminally indict anyone, just as if he were the AG.

Trump calls on state legislators to reject the fraudulent electoral votes.

Covid-19 vaccines already given to 4+ million Americans, which is a little over 1% of the population.

Trump reveals covid deaths are exaggerated. Hes onto the scam.

Exploration of the economic impacts of 40+ million Americans dying or becoming infertile from the vaccine over the next few years: Plunging real estate values, implosion of all government pensions and financial markets.

Moderna admits a strong immune system can destroy the mRNA sequences before they get into your cells. Discussion of possible topical applications which could be administered before or after an mRNA vaccine to protect the body from mRNA.

The intellectual property implications of allowing a vaccine operating system to be installed in your body via mRNA vaccines: Corporations own your proteins, which means they own your body.

Human beings who take the covid-19 vaccine (mRNA) are allowing themselves to be branded like cattle. Quantum dot tracking technology isnt simply about determining who has been vaccinated, but rather being able to scan the human herd and determine which subjects are owned by corporations. (You are a human resource and nothing more to the globalists.)

Watch and share:

Brighteon.com/6b4679ed-a868-4dda-b9a2-e0f0d510bf0e

Hear all the podcasts at:

https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport
[January 04, 2021] L&F Acquisition Corp. Announces the Separate Trading of its Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants Commencing January 7, 2021

L&F Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: LNFA.U) (the "Company") today announced that, commencing January 7, 2021, holders of the units sold in the Company's initial public offering of units, completed on November 23, 2020, may elect to separately trade the Class A ordinary shares and warrants included in the units. Those units not separated will continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the symbol "LNFA.U," and the Class A ordinary shares and warrants that are separated will trade on NYSE under the symbols "LNFA" and "LNFA WS," respectively. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Holders of units will need to have their brokers contact Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the Company's transfer agent, in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares and warrants. The units were initially offered by the Company in an underwritten offering. Jefferies LLC acted as sole book-running manager for the offering. A registration statement relating to the units and the underlying securities was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the " SEC (News - Alert) ") on November 18, 2020. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities of the Company, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. The offering was made only by means of a pospectus, copies of which may be obtained from Jefferies LLC, Attention: Equity Syndicate Prospectus Department, 520 Madison Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10022, by telephone at (877) 821-7388 or by email at Prospectus_Department@Jefferies.com.



About L&F Acquisition Corp. L&F Acquisition Corp. is a blank check company formed for the purpose of entering into a combination with one or more businesses, with the intent to concentrate on identifying technology and services businesses in the Governance, Risk, Compliance and Legal ("GRCL") sector. L&F Acquisition Corp. is sponsored by JAR Sponsor, LLC, a newly organized special purpose vehicle under the common control of entities affiliated with Chairman Jeffrey C. Hammes, CEO Adam Gerchen, and Victory Park Capital.

Forward-Looking Statements This press release may include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend" and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management team, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company's management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors detailed in the Company's filings with the SEC. All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are qualified in their entirety by this paragraph. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company's registration statement and prospectus relating to the Company's initial public offering filed with the SEC. Copies are available on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210104005797/en/

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Microsoft recently announced that its Windows source code had been viewed by the SolarWinds attackers. (Normally, only key government customers and trusted partners would have this level of access to the stuff of which Windows is made.) The attackers were able to read  but not change  the software secret sauce, raising questions and concerns among Microsoft customers. Did it mean, perhaps, that attackers could inject backdoor processes into Microsofts updating processes

First, a bit of background on the SolarWinds attack, also called Solorigate: An attacker got into a remote management/monitoring tool company and was able to inject itself into the development process and build a backdoor. When the software was updated through the normal updating processes set up by SolarWinds, the backdoored software was deployed into customer systems  including numerous US government agencies. The attacker was then able to silently spy on several activities across these customers.

One of the attackers techniques was to forge tokens for authentication so that the domain system thought it was getting legit user credentials when, in fact, the credentials were faked. Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) is regularly used to transfer credentials securely between systems. And while this single sign-on process can provide additional security to applications, as showcased here, it can allow attackers to gain access to a system. The attack process, called a Golden SAML attack vector involves the attackers first gaining administrative access to an organization's Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) server and stealing the necessary private key and signing certificate. That allowed for continuous access to this credential until the ADFS private key was invalidated and replaced.

Currently its known that the attackers were in the updated software between March and June 2020, though there are signs from various organizations that they may have been quietly attacking sites as long ago as October 2019.

Microsoft investigated further and found that while the attackers were not able to inject themselves into Microsofts ADFS/SAML infrastructure, one account had been used to view source code in a number of source code repositories. The account did not have permissions to modify any code or engineering systems and our investigation further confirmed no changes were made. This is not the first time Microsofts source code has been attacked or leaked to the web. In 2004, 30,000 files from Windows NT to Windows 2000 leaked onto the web via a third party. Windows XP reportedly leaked online last year.

While it would be imprudent to authoritatively state that the Microsoft update process can never have a backdoor in it, I continue to trust the Microsoft updating process itself  even if I dont trust the companys patches the moment they come out. The Microsoft updating process depends on code-signing certificates that have to match up or the system will not install the update. Even when you use the distributed patch process in Windows 10 called Delivery optimization, the system will get bits and pieces of a patch from other computers on your network  or even other computers outside of your network  and recompile the entire patch by matching up the signatures. This process ensures that you can get updates from anywhere  not necessarily from Microsoft  and your computer will check to make sure the patch is valid.

There have been times when this process has been intercepted. In 2012, the Flame malware used a stolen code-signing certificate to make it look as if it came from Microsoft to trick systems into allowing malicious code to be installed. But Microsoft revoked that certificate and increased the security of the code-signing process to ensure that the attack vector would be shut down.

Microsofts policy is to assume that its source code and network is already compromised and thus it has an assume breach philosophy. So when we get security updates, we dont just receive fixes for what we know; I often see vague references to additional hardening and security features that help users going forward. Take, for example, KB4592438. Released for 20H2 in December, it included a vague reference to updates to improve security when using Microsoft Edge Legacy and Microsoft Office products. While most of each months security updates specifically fix a declared vulnerability, there are also parts that instead make it harder for attackers to use known techniques for nefarious ends.

Feature releases often bolster security for the operating system, though some of the protections mandate an Enterprise Microsoft 365 license called an E5 license. But you can still use advanced protection techniques but with manual registry keys or by editing group policy settings. One such example is a group of security settings designed for attack surface reduction; you use various settings to block malicious actions from occurring on your system.

But (and this is a huge but), to set these rules means that you need to be an advanced user. Microsoft considers these features to be more for enterprises and businesses and thus doesnt expose the settings in an easy-to-use interface. If you are an advanced user and want to check out these attack surface reduction rules, my recommendation is to use the PowerShell graphical user interface tool called ASR Rules PoSH GUI to set the rules. Set the rules first to audit rather than making them enabled so you can first review the impact on your system.

You can download the GUI from the github site and youll see these rules listed. (Note, you need to Run as administrator: right mouse click on the downloaded .exe file and click on run as administrator.) Its not a bad way to harden your system while the fallout from the SolarWinds attack continues to unfold.
(@FahadShabbir)

Tehran, Jan 4 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Jan, 2021 ) :Iran said Monday it had started the process to enrich uranium to 20 percent purity, well beyond the threshold set by its 2015 nuclear deal with major powers, sparking international concern.

The move at its underground Fordow facility was confirmed by UN watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

It was the most important suspension yet of Iranian commitments under the landmark deal, a process it started in 2019 in response to US President Donald Trump's dramatic withdrawal from the accord the previous year.

"The process for producing 20 percent enriched uranium has started at Shahid Alimohammadi enrichment complex (Fordow)," government spokesman Ali Rabiei said in comments quoted by the state broadcaster.

President Hassan Rouhani had ordered the enrichment "in recent days" and "the gas injection process started as of hours ago," he said.

Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted that "we resumed 20% enrichment as legislated by our parliament," adding that the IAEA had been "duly notified".

He stressed that Tehran took the step "after years of non-compliance" by other parties and that "our measures are fully reversible upon FULL compliance by ALL".

The step comes less than three weeks before the end of the presidency of Trump, who has sought to economically punish and diplomatically isolate Iran with a "maximum pressure" campaign, including tough sanctions.

The Iranian government has signalled a readiness to engage with US President-elect Joe Biden, who has expressed willingness to return to diplomacy with Tehran.

- Israel warning - The IAEA confirmed that "Iran today began feeding uranium already enriched up to 4.1 percent U-235 into six centrifuge cascades at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant for further enrichment up to 20 percent".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted angrily and charged it proved Iran is seeking to build an atomic bomb -- a claim the Islamic republic has always denied.

"Iran's decision to continue violating its commitments, to raise the enrichment level and advance the industrial ability to enrich uranium underground, cannot be explained in any way except as the continued realisation of its intention to develop a military nuclear programme," Netanyahu said in a statement.

"Israel will not allow Iran to manufacture nuclear weapons." The European Union said Iran's enrichment programme would be a "considerable departure" from the deal.

Russia's envoy to the IAEA said that Moscow is "not enthusiastic" about Tehran's move but emphasised that "there is nothing to overdramatise".

"The nuclear programme remains fully transparent and verifiable," Mikhail Ulyanov wrote on Twitter. "We should focus on means to restore comprehensive implementation of the nuclear deal." - Bound by law - Iran had on December 31 informed the IAEA that it would begin producing uranium enriched to up to 20 percent, the level it had before the nuclear deal was reached.

According to the latest IAEA report available, published in November, Tehran was previously enriching uranium to levels greater than the limit provided for in the 2015 Vienna agreement (3.67 percent) but not exceeding the 4.5 percent threshold, and still complied with the agency's strict inspection regime.

But there has been turmoil since the assassination in late November of Iranian nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

In the aftermath of the attack, blamed on Israel, hardliners in Tehran pledged a response and the conservative-dominated parliament passed a bill "for the lifting of sanctions and protection of the Iranian people's interests".

The bill also called for the production and storage of "at least 120 kilogrammes per year of 20 percent enriched uranium".

It also mandated the administration to end UN inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities if the remaining parties to the deal -- Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- do not facilitate Iran's oil sales and guarantee the return of the proceeds.

Before the bill became law, Rouhani slammed it as "detrimental to the course of diplomatic activities." But the Guardian council, which arbitrates disputes between the parliament and the government, approved it last month.

Iranian officials, including Zarif, said the government would comply with the parliament's decision.

Quoted by the government's website, Rabiei said that the administration's stance towards the law is clear, "but the government considers itself bound to carry out the law".
PEOPLE

Lockheed exec Michele Evans has died

Michele Evans, executive vice president of the aeronautics segment at Lockheed Martin, died on Friday at age 55.

The cause of death was cancer, according to an obituary released by the family.

Michele Evans

Evans, a 34-year defense market veteran, had led Lockheeds largest business segment since 2018 and her role included oversight of the F-35 fighter jet, other high-profile aircraft programs and the Skunk Works advanced development shop.

She was actively involved in diversity and inclusion initiatives at Lockheed, including service as executive sponsor for the Womens Impact Network and Leadership Forum.

Evans had been on a temporary leave of absence since Dec. 1, 2020 "to address health issues unrelated to the coronavirus pandemic," Lockheed said then. Greg Ulmer has been acting executive vice president for aeronautics since Evans began her medical leave.

"Throughout her career, Michele led some of the most important programs that ensure the security of our nation and its allies and help make our world a safer place. She embodied our companys values in spirit and action every day -- to do whats right, respect others, and perform with excellence," Lockheed CEO Jim Taiclet said in a statement released by the company Friday. "Her example was an inspiration to those of us fortunate enough to have worked with her closely, and her leadership in the aerospace and defense industry will have a lasting impact for years to come. Our deepest sympathies go out to her family, the entire Lockheed Martin team, and everyone she touched in her remarkable life and career.

Evans graduated magna cum laude from Clarkson University in New York with a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering. She served on the boards of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and Girls Inc., a nonprofit group dedicated to empowering young women.

She is survived by her husband David, an acquaintance in high school who she reconnected with after college. Together they had two sons, Clark and Parker.
US: 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine found in watermelons

Tesla owners will be paid $ 16,000 each due to slow charging

Advisor to Armenia Prosecutor General provides details about incident with Armenian soldier killed in Verin Shorzha

Banksy's painting of punk Lenin sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 960,000

CSTO Deputy Secretary-General: Escalation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border requires undertaking of urgent measures

Catholicos of All Armenians receives newly appointed Ambassador of Japan

Australia closing its embassy in Kabul for security reasons

Biden to discuss issues related to Belarus and Ukraine with Putin

Armenian acting FM meets with ambassadors of CSTO member states accredited to Armenia

Armenia Ombudsman presents human rights protection in post-war period to CoE Programmes Directorate General

Germany is investigating Google's position in market

France: Sanctions against Belarus will continue

Armenia opposition party MP: Azerbaijan is a terrorist state, negotiations can't be led with such a country

US to reopen its Consulate General in Jerusalem

EU expects to receive over 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine by end of September

Armenian MFA strongly condemns Azerbaijan's blatant armed encroachment on Armenia's sovereign territory

UN still awaits strong evidence that Dubai ruler's daughter is alive

Opposition Bright Armenia Party urges Government to immediately address UN Security Council

Armen Sarkissian receives Russia Ambassador to Armenia

Armenia President, France Ambassador discuss situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border

Overchuk: We hope unblocking of links between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a success

Armenia police officer commits suicide, criminal case launched

Armenia Environmental Protection and Mining Inspection Body has new deputy heads

Zarif, Aliyev discuss railway routes connecting Iran, Azerbaijan and Armenia

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Beloved actress Tanya Roberts is still alive, her rep revealed on Monday - just hours after he and her husband announced that she had died. Roberts is pictured in 2017

Bond girl Tanya Roberts' partner learned she was alive during a TV interview - just hours after he and her representative both announced she was dead.

Obituaries for the 65-year-old former Charlie's Angels star were published across the world on Monday after her agent informed the media that she had died at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles on Sunday.

But in an emotional interview the following afternoon her partner Lance O'Brien broke down in tears as he received a phone call from the hospital.

'Now, you are telling me she's alive?' O'Brien said, his face torn in anguish.

Sobbing, he told the interviewer: 'The hospital is telling me she is alive. They are calling me from the ICU team.'

Despite O'Brien's joy on learning she was alive, he has since revealed her condition is 'dire.' Roberts is suffering from an unspecified illness which has caused liver and kidney failure and doctors have not given her long to live.

'Today the doctors told me that its best to let her die and to end her life,' he told The Sun on Tuesday.

Roberts, who had spent the day walking her dogs, complained of feeling unwell on Christmas Eve and collapsed in the night on the way to the bathroom.

She was rushed to hospital, where she tested negative for coronavirus, and was placed on a ventilator before her condition rapidly deteriorated.

O'Brien said he went to hospital on Sunday after doctors said the actress was fading fast and that she was going to die, TMZ reported. He said she opened her eyes and tried to grab him but that her eyes then closed again and she 'faded'.

Having said what he believed was his final words to her, he was left devastated and walked out of the hospital without speaking to medical staff.

On the same day, he appeared to claim that he had watched Roberts' 'last moments' and hours later news of her 'death' was being reported around the world.

He has since attempted to explain the confusion over how the death announcement came about and says he 'doesn't know' who to blame for the mix-up. The hospital has refused to comment on the case because of patient confidentiality.

'I turn around and she's completely passed out cold,' he told The Sun in a description of his harrowing visit to her bedside. 'I thought that was that, she wasn't going to recover.

'So when I came down the elevator I was distraught, I was lost, I was completely discombobulated. There was nobody there to guide me. I called her publicist Mike Pingel and I said I just said goodbye to Tanya.'

Scroll down for video

Lance O'Brien, who has identified himself both as Roberts' boyfriend and husband, was filming an interview for Inside Edition on Monday (pictured) when he received a phone call which he says was from the hospital where the former Bond girl is being treated

Video shows a look of shock washing over O'Brien's face as he cries into the phone: 'Now, you are telling me she's alive?' He then breaks down in tears and tells the interviewer: 'The hospital is telling me she is alive. They are calling me from the ICU team'

Roberts' rep, Mike Pingel (left with her), issued a press release on Sunday saying that the actress had died aged 65 on Saturday. But in a bizarre twist on Monday, Pingel announced that Roberts' husband informed him that she was still alive

Roberts is best known for appearing opposite Roger Moore as Stacey Sutton in the 1985 Bond film A View To Kill. She is pictured in a promotional photo for the film in 1984

Pingel later issued a press release saying that Roberts - best known for appearing opposite Roger Moore in the 1985 Bond film A View To Kill - had died.

TIMELINE OF ROBERTS' DEATH CONFUSION CHRISTMAS EVE: Roberts goes out to walk the dogs and returns home, complaining that she's feeling unwell and says she wants O'Brien to take her for a covid test the next day. CHRISTMAS DAY: At around 4am Roberts collapses on the way to the bathroom and O'Brien rushes to her aid. She is unable to control her limbs and he phones an ambulance. She tests negative for covid but is rushed into ICU for kidney and liver failure. Doctors say she has a blood infection with an ITU suspected as the cause. O'Brien says he is unable to visit her because of the hospital's covid rules. In the next few days, he receives a call from Roberts who tells him she has been placed on 50 percent oxygen. Down from 90 percent. He is later informed by medics that they should be able to discharge her soon but that she will need a colostomy bag for several weeks. But confusion ensues, he is later informed that she is going to die and is invited to say goodbye to her. SUNDAY, JAN. 3: O'Brien visits her and holds her in his arms as he says goodbye. Roberts is unable to speak but O'Brien claims he sees her eyes open. Doctors tell him it's a muscle spasm. He leaves her distraught and calls her agent Mike Pingel to say: 'I just said goodbye to Tanya.' On the same day, he appeared to claim that he had watched Roberts' 'last moments' and hours later news of her 'death' was being reported around the world. MONDAY, JAN. 4: The next afternoon, while giving an interview, O'Brien receives a phone call from the hospital informing him that Roberts is alive. He breaks down in tears of joy but later informs the media that Roberts' condition is still believed to be fatal. Advertisement

He explained: 'Lance truly believed Tanya had died.'

The rep said he'd learned the news of Roberts' 'death' from O'Brien, who told TMZ that he visited her at the hospital before she passed.

'As I held her in her last moments, she opened her eyes. I was able to see her beautiful eyes one last time. Tanya had the most beautiful eyes,' O'Brien said Sunday.

'When she saw me and I was there, I saw her eyes open up. I felt good. I said: "Hey, her eyes are opening. Her eyes are opening." They told me that's just a reflex.'

Then on Monday Pingel announced that the hospital had called O'Brien and informed him that Roberts was alive - as seen in the Inside Edition video.

Asked about the mix-up, a spokesperson for Cedars Sinai would only say: 'Due to patient confidentiality we cannot confirm or deny that anyone is a patient at Cedars Sinai.'

Pingel has since said that Roberts' condition is 'dire', telling People: 'Currently, it's not looking good. Hold her in your prayers.'

O'Brien told The Sun: 'Her kidneys are so far gone, her liver is so far gone, her gall bladder is so far gone. She also has a terrible blood infection. The doctors say it started out with a urinary tract infection.

'The doctors say theres no way shes going to be the same. She always told me she didn't want to be an invalid. She said if it got to this stage, end it for me.'

He said that he was unable to return to the hospital because he would need special permission due to the pandemic and would prefer to let her die in dignity.

O'Brien said he had told doctors not to keep her on life support just so that he could see her: 'I have seen her already, I got to hold her.'

He explained how sudden her illness had been, that Roberts was incredibly fit and would go hiking in the hills for up to four miles each day.

Roberts complained of feeling unwell on Christmas Eve and told O'Brien she wanted him to take her for a covid test the following day.

But early in the morning at around 4am she collapsed on her way to the bathroom and as Lance tried to pick her up she was unable to control her legs or her arms.

An ambulance was called and she was admitted but O'Brien was not allowed to visit.

Her coronavirus test was negative and he was later able to speak to Roberts on the phone. She told him that she was on 50 percent oxygen, which was an improvement to the 90 percent air she was breathing earlier.

'So Im figuring shes going to be home in a day or two,' O'Brien told The Sun.

Pingel (left with Roberts) did not explain what sparked the confusion over her health status

The next day things improved further, with O'Brien informed that Roberts might need a colostomy bag for her kidneys for four to six weeks but that she could return home.

But he added: 'Then they tell me shes not going to get out of this, its end of life and if you are gong to come see her, come see her.'

O'Brien remains confused about how he came to believe she was dead, saying that he was often speaking to different medics and, not being able to visit, it was hard to understand the time-frame when her prognosis was being relayed to him.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Pingel and Cedars-Sinai for clarification on how O'Brien could have thought his partner had died.

TMZ said it heard from several sources close to the family who claimed O'Brien called them with news of Roberts' death on Sunday.

Roberts appeared to be looking healthy and in good spirits late last year. She is pictured with Pingel in a recent photo

Roberts frequently uploaded photos to Instagram, including a snap that showed her wearing a mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic as she signed fan photographs

The outlet had originally reported that Roberts collapsed after she returned home from walking her dog on December 24.

She was rushed to a hospital and placed on a ventilator but 'never got better', Pingel said, adding that her 'death' was not related to COVID-19.

Before her collapse, insiders said Roberts seemed 'perfectly healthy' and was participating in video chats with her fans.

In his original statement to TMZ, O'Brien said he had not been allowed to visit his wife in the hospital due to coronavirus protocols, but that staff made an exception when her condition took a turn for the worse on Saturday.

It's unclear when O'Brien and Roberts tied the knot but reports indicated that the pair lived together at her home in Hollywood Hills.

Public records indicate that it was the same home Robert's shared with her first husband, screenwriter Barry Roberts, who died in 2006. Tanya and Barry had been married for 32 years and had no children.

In addition to being a Bond Girl, Roberts starred in the fifth and final season of Charlie's Angels between 1980 and 1981.

She is also famous for playing Midge Pinciotti in the hit sitcom, That 70s Show, appearing alongside Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis.

Roberts was born Victoria Leigh Blum in October 1955 in New York City, before starting her career as a fashion model in her late teens.

She married Barry Roberts when she was just 19 in 1974, and started studying to become an actress at The Actors Studio with Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen.

The leggy blonde made her film debut in 1975's Forced Entry.

Roberts tied the knot with screenwriter Barry Roberts in 1974. She was just 19 years old at the time. The pair are pictured together in 1981

Roberts played geologist Stacey Sutton alongside Roger Moore (above together) in his seventh and final James Bond movie in 1985

Roberts was chosen above 2,000 other actresses to replace Shelley Hack in the fifth and final season of Charlie's Angels, which aired between 1980 and 1981. She is pictured left

In 1998, Roberts returned to the small screen to play Midge in That 70s Show. She is pictured front row second from left. The show also starred Ashton Kutcher (back row second from left) and Mila Kunis (front row third from left)

Roberts and her husband relocated permanently to Los Angeles in 1977, which paid off in a big way three years later.

The beauty was chosen above 2,000 other actresses to replace Shelley Hack in the fifth and final season of Charlie's Angels, which aired between 1980 and 1981.

However, she became a global sensation several years later, when she was elevated to 'Bond girl' status in 1985's A View To A Kill.

In that film, she starred as sultry geologist Stacey Sutton alongside Roger Moore in his seventh and final James Bond movie.

Afterward, Roberts continued to work regularly with roles in films such as Body Slam, Twisted Justice, Purgatory and Legal Tender, which was written by her husband.

Roberts is is best known for appearing opposite Roger Moore in the 1985 Bond film A View To Kill (pictured)

Roberts and her husband, Barry, are pictured in 1985. Barry tragically passed away in 2006, leaving Roberts a widow after 32 years of marriage

In 1998, she returned to the small screen to play Midge in That 70s Show.

The hit Fox sitcom also starred Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Wilmer Valderrama and Topher Grace.

She left the show in 2004 to take care of her husband who was terminally ill at the time. He tragically passed away two years later.

Roberts did not appear in any more films or television shows following her first husband's death.

However, the beauty appeared to be looking healthy and in good spirits late last year.

She frequently uploaded photos to Instagram, including a snap that showed her wearing a mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic as she signed fan photographs.

Roberts is pictured with her dogs in a photo shared on her Instagram page last year. She had taken one of her canines out for a walk before she returned to her Hollywood Hills home and collapsed
Highlights Nokia 1.4 could be the next entry-level smartphone from HMD Global.

The Nokia 1.4 could cost around Rs 9,000 and come in blue, grey colours.

Nokia 1.4 might come with a fingerprint sensor on the back.

Nokia 1.4 might be the next entry-level smartphone from HMD Global. In fact, the Nokia 1.4 could be the model number TA-1322 that was spotted in the US FCC website a few days back. Contrary to some reports that suggested this model will launch as Nokia 7.3, India Today Tech reported it will be some other model. And that kind of holds true now, at least according to what a tipster has said. The Nokia 1.4 price has also leaked but there is no launch date right now.

According to the tipster @Sudhanshu1414, the Nokia device bearing the model number TA-1322 is the Nokia 1.4. That model was listed on the FCC website wherein the look of the device was revealed. The Nokia 1.4 will come with a circular island on the back, probably with a single camera and an LED light. However, some reports suggest there might be two cameras on the back of Nokia 1.4.

The Nokia 1.4 will also have a fingerprint sensor on the back while the speaker will also be there, according to the sketch on the FCC website. This device is also heavily rumoured to come with the 4000mAh battery, which is one of the three batteries that the company got registered with TUV Rheinland Japan. The other two might be for Nokia 6.3 or Nokia 7.3 or even Nokia 9.3 PureView; the details are unclear on that.

Taking over Nokia 1.3

Nokia 1.4 will come as the successor to the Nokia 1.3 that was launched by HMD Global in March last year. The device never made it to the Indian market but it was popular among affordable-range handsets in the European markets. The Nokia 1.3 packs a 5.71-inch HD+ screen, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 processor, 8MP rear camera, 3000mAh battery, and 1GB of RAM, which is why it runs on the Android Go software. The tipster has claimed the Nokia 1.4 will come with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. This means it might also come with Android Go software.

Additionally, the tipster has said that the Nokia 1.4 will cost EUR 100 for the 1GB RAM variant. This translates to roughly Rs 9,000 but it seems unlikely that the Nokia 1.4 will launch in India if HMD Global's decision for not launching the Nokia 1.3 here is anything to go by. The tipster has also leaked that the Nokia 1.4 will launch in grey and blue colourways, although their marketing names might differ and will be revealed as and when the company decides to launch the Nokia 1.4.
The title of Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President is a little misleading.

Sure, there are plenty of rockers in the documentary, which aired Sunday on CNN. The Allman Brother Band, Bob Dylan and Jimmy Buffett are all there, telling the story of how they helped put the Georgia peanut farmer into the White House in 1976,

But there are plenty of stars from other musical genres as well. Willie Nelsons in it. So are Dizzy Gillespie, Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash and Aretha Franklin.

The film, which was released theatrically in the fall and is available for $4.99 through Amazon Prime, tells the story of how musicians helped Carters presidential campaign, how they embraced him during his presidency and how Carters deep connection with music influenced nearly everything he did.

Its the first film that Chris Farrell has been involved with. Farrell, who works in the finance industry in New York and served as producer for Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President, grew up in Jacksonville and attended Episcopal High School and Stetson College, He said he still has family and friends in the area.

If it werent for COVID, we would have been there three or four times this year, Farrell said last week in a phone interview.

Farrell said he had been looking for a creative project for years and started work on a film about the roots of the Allman Brothers Band, the iconic Southern rock band that formed in Jacksonvilles Riverside neighborhood. Early on, though, it became clear that the Allmans werent the story he wanted to tell; Carter was.

As a producer, he said, it was his job to get things done, which included raising money, hiring a director and finding an audience for the film. He even formed a production company, Not Just Peanuts, for the project.

This was definitely a labor of love, Farrell said. We definitely had some dark moments. We ran out of money. I had open heart surgery and almost died during the making of the film.

Work on the film started in 2017, Despite the setbacks, he said he felt this was a story that people needed to know about.

Its almost like I didnt have a choice. Whatever obstacle there was, I was so passionate and convinced by the story I felt had to be told.

The central theme of the film is the way Carter used music to get things done. When he needed money for his campaign, it was musicians who stepped up and held fund-raising concerts. When he needed to do a little politicking, Carter wasnt afraid to musical connections to get things done, like the time a high-ranking Chinese official visited the U.S. and Carter sent him to Nashville to meet Johnny Cash.

Carter played host to a wide range of concerts at the White House, including jazz, country and blues shows. He was raised on gospel music (the film includes a stunning Aretha Franklin performance of God Bless America from his inauguration) and embraced music in all forms throughout his life, Farrell said.

The thing that we came around to is that rock is not just a style of music, its a kind of attitude, Farrell said. You think of Jimmy Carter as a cardigan-wearing, big smile, aw-shucks kind of guy, but he was a very independent thinker. Thats very rock and roll.

The hardest part of putting the film together was getting musicians to sit down and be interviewed. Chuck Leavell from the Allman Brothers was the last one to agree to an interview. Willie Nelson, Bono from U2, Jimmy Buffett, Nile Rodgers, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, Paul Simon and Larry Gatlin are all in there.

But the white whale was Bob Dylan, who provides the most Jacksonville moment of the whole film. There was a big fund-raising concert in the summer of 76 at the Gator Bowl, with .38 Special, Charlie Daniels and other Southern bands (Lynyrd Skynyrd was supposed to play but withdrew at the last minute), but that show doesnt even get a mention in the film.

But near the end, Dylan is talking about Carters humble roots and starts quoting the lyrics of Skynyrds Simple Man, which fit perfectly.

For as complicated as he is, in the end, the president is pretty simple. He has many different sides, but hes just a good person at his core.

Farrell said Dylans comment was impromptu.

Dylans Dylan, hes very elusive and hard to get, Farell said. He was very thoughtful. He and the president have a very special relationship. Its not like we scripted him. I kind of got chills.

___

(c)2021 The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville, Fla.)

Visit The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville, Fla.) at www.jacksonville.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Chinese Stocks Hit After US Delisting Notice

WASHINGTONChinese stocks trading on U.S. exchanges dipped on Jan. 4 after the New York Stock Exchange announced that it would delist shares of Chinas three large telecom companies in light of President Donald Trumps new executive order regarding companies with ties to Chinas military.

On the first trading day of 2021, a sharp fall in the shares of three Chinese telecom carriers led to an initial sell-off across Chinese shares on U.S. stock markets amid fears of further U.S. sanctions.

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) announced on Dec. 31 that it would delist the three state-owned companies China Mobile Ltd., China Telecom Corp. Ltd., and China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd.

The announcement came after Trumps executive order that banned investing in companies with ties to the Chinese military, formally known as the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA).

In the coming days, the NYSE will suspend trading of American depositary receipts (ADRs) of these three companies. While these companies are mostly traded in Asia, their ADRs enable U.S. investors to buy shares on American exchanges without the complexity of buying shares overseas.

Three telecom companies will see their securities suspended from trading between Jan. 7 and Jan. 11, according to the statement by the NYSE.

ADRs of China Mobilewhich is among the most valuable Chinese companiesdropped nearly 6 percent on Jan. 4 to a 2006 low. China Telecoms ADRs fell 5.5 percent to the lowest level since 2003, and China Unicom slipped more than 3 percent.

NYSE stated that the three companies have a right to a review of the delisting decision.

Trump issued the order in mid-November, banning U.S. investments in Chinese companies designated by the Pentagon as having ties to the PLA, citing threats to U.S. national security.

Last week, the Trump administration extended the investment ban to apply to any subsidiary of a communist Chinese military company. The extension was announced by the Treasury Department, which also stated that it planned to publicly list subsidiaries that were 50 percent or more owned or determined to be controlled by Chinese military companies identified in the executive order.

In addition, exchange-traded funds and index funds will be subject to the investment ban. U.S. investors will be forced to divest blacklisted companies if they bought the shares overseas through these passive funds.

Major index compilers such as MSCI and FTSE Russell have begun removing Chinese stocks from their benchmarks because of the executive order.

Last year, the Pentagon identified a total of 35 Chinese companies as having links to Chinas military, and the three Chinese telecom companies were among the designated companies.

On Jan. 4, Chinese oil companies also saw an initial sell-off as investors bet oil producers would be next in line for U.S. delisting.

CNOOC Ltd. (CEO), Chinas largest producer of offshore crude oil and natural gas, could be most at risk, according to Bloomberg, as its on the Pentagons list.

Other oil companies, such as PetroChina Co. and China Petroleum and Chemical Corp., also known as Sinopec, may also face sanctions, as theyre crucial businesses for Chinas military.

CNOOCs ADR fell 4.2 percent on Jan. 4, while PetroChina was little changed and Sinopec rose 3.5 percent after an initial decline.

Chinese internet stocks also came under pressure due to U.S. delisting news as well as Chinas tightened regulations on financial technology companies such as billionaire Jack Mas Ant Group.

The Pentagon is expected to add more than a dozen more Chinese companies to its blacklist in the coming days, according to a person familiar with the discussions. Hence, the investment ban will be expanded to include more listed PLA companies and their subsidiaries.

More Chinese companies face delisting risk due to other measures by the U.S. Congress. Last month, Trump signed legislation into law that would require foreign companies trading on American exchanges to meet U.S. accounting standards, a move that would end preferential treatment given to Chinese companies.

Under the law, Chinese companies that fail to comply with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Boards audits for three consecutive years will be subject to delisting from U.S. exchanges.

Frank Fang contributed to this report.
Commercial lines insurer CNA Financial Corp. and Enstar on Dec. 30, 2020 said they had reached an agreement to have a subsidiary of Enstar reinsure a legacy portfolio of excess workers compensation policies, representing $690 million in prior-year loss reserves.

Under the retroactive reinsurance agreement, CNA will cede net excess workers compensation liabilities relating to business written in 2007 and prior from its principal operating subsidiary Continental Casualty Co. to Enstars Cavello Bay Reinsurance Ltd. The reinsurance deal has an aggregate limit of $1 billion.

In a statement, CNA Chair and CEO Dino Robusto said the transfer of legacy reserves supports CNAs continued commitment to advancing its core business.

The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021, subject to regulatory approval and other closing conditions, at which time CNA expects to recognize an after-tax loss of approximately $12 million.

Sources: CNA, Enstar

Topics Workers' Compensation Excess Surplus Talent
Photo: (Photo : JeLi Martin / Facebook)

A mom miraculously wakes up from a coma a day before his family removes his ventilator. The Christian family believes that it is a "God thing."

According to a Facebook post, Lisa Martin got admitted to the Memorial Satilla Health emergency room in September. She had COVID-19 complications, so she was sent to the hospital in Waycross, Georgia.

Waking up from an amazing journey

The long post included a video of Martin using a rolling walker as staff cheered and clapped for her. The mom-of-four had an "amazing journey" as she fought off the deadly disease. She was on a ventilator for 59 days, in an induced coma for 40 days, and survived a frontal lobe stroke.

FIRST CASE REPORT: Toddler Suffers Stroke After Contracting COVID-19

The post wrote that the 49-year-old mom was comatose on October 20. The family decided to wait for 11 days before they said goodbye to Martin by removing her ventilator. Martin woke up on the eleventh day by breaking through the sedatives then she looked for her husband.

A work of God?

The Blackshear, Georgia, teaching consultant told PEOPLE about the unbelievable journey she has had. She believes that it is definitely God that let her wake up because she thought no one cared for her, but her experience taught her how loved she is.

HEARTBREAKING STORY: Man Writes Final Love Letter for Wife Before He Dies Due to COVID-19

Martin shares four children with her husband, Jeff Martin. Her firstborn, Madison, told the outlet that her mom is using a wheelchair and a walker to help her move. She also noted that her mom has an oxygen cannula to help her breathe.

Family's roller coaster ride

Madison described the experience as Disney World's roller coaster ride called Space Mountain. She said that their family had no idea how Martin's condition would progress because the twists and turns were all overwhelming.

The 27-year-old child also said that their lives have forever changed after going through the experience. She thanks God for using her mom to keep their faith during the darkest times because Martin almost died due to COVID-19.

READ: Georgia Schools That Required Masks Had No COVID-19 Cases During First Month of School

Shared wife's story to raise awareness

Jeff admitted to the outlet that he only took the virus seriously after his wife had contracted it. The 52-year-old hopes that his wife's story would "encourage and help" others who could have faced the same situation as Martin.

He said that he watched four people die while his wife was suffering from COVID-19. While he knows that doctors could treat patients from their sickness, he believes that healing comes from God.

Jeff also said that he is very thankful that his wife had survived the disease because he knows the pain of losing loved ones after seeing families experience it. He felt it is a shame that people have a hard time absorbing the simple things to stay safe. He ended by reminding people to cover their faces, maintain a safe distance, and wash hands.
Paris:

French customs personnel have intercepted about 135kg of Captagon, dubbed as the jihadists' drug, at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport this year, a first for the European country. Captagon, a type of amphetamine, is one of the most commonly used drugs among fighters in the Syrian war.



"It is the first time that this drug has been seized in France," the customs agency said in a statement.

Customs officials at Charles de Gaulle discovered 350,000 Captagon pills weighing 70 kilogrammes on January 4 hidden among industrial moulds exported from Lebanon and apparently heading for the Czech Republic.

An investigation was launched by German and Czech authorities "and it revealed that the real intended destination was Saudi Arabia, by passing through Turkey", the agency said.

Read | Painkillers worth $75 million sent from India to be sold to Islamic State terrorists seized by Italian Police

Another 67 kilogrammes of the drug were found at the airport in February, hidden in steel moulds. Captagon is classified by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime as an "amphetamine-type stimulant" and usually blends amphetamines, caffeine and other substances.

Fighters who have taken the drug say it helps them to stay up for days and numbs the senses, allowing them to kill with abandon.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
The United States continues to inoculate its citizens with the COVID-19 vaccine as cases continue to surge. According to the CDC tracker, more than 13 million coronavirus vaccines have been distributed in the region but only 4.2 million people have been inoculated. The doses that have been distributed belong to both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. The US remains the worst hit region by the virus with a total of 21,113,528 cases and 360,078 fatalities.

(Image Credits: covid.cdc.gov)

Current situation in the US

According to the official website of CDC, healthcare providers report doses to federal, state, territorial, and local agencies up to 72 hours after administration. Sometimes there can be a lag for data to be transmitted from the federal, state, territorial, or local agency to CDC. The difference in the number of doses distributed and the number of people initiating vaccination currently is due to various factors, including, delays in reporting of administered doses and management of available vaccine stocks by jurisdictions and federal pharmacy partners.

Read: US Registers Record-high 277,000 Cases Of Coronavirus In 24 Hours, ICU At 90% Capacity

(Image Credits: covid.cdc.gov)

$2 billion deal

Recently, the US signed a new $2 billion deal with Pfizer and BioNTech as a part of which, 100 million additional doses will be provided by mid-summer. This addition means the US pharmaceutical company and the German drugmaker will now be delivering a total of 200 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidates to the US. This will result in immunisation of nearly 100 million people against the highly-infectious disease. In a statement, the companies had announced their plan and said that all doses are expected to be delivered by July 31, 2021.

Read: US: Pelosi On Track To Be Speaker Again, Faces Difficult 2021

Hailing the deal Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said that following the delivery of 200 million doses, will enable the United States to protect more people and end up controlling the COVID-19 pandemic more quickly. He also said that the company is willing to work with the US government along with healthcare providers across the nation. In a statement, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Alex Azar noted that the US securing more vaccines has further expanded the governments supply of doses under the Operation Warp Speed portfolio.

Read: WikiLeaks' Assange Awaits US Extradition Ruling

Also Read: Fauci Dismisses Trump's Claim On 'exaggerated' Covid-19 Data, Says 'that's Not Fake'

(Image Credits: RepresentativeImage)


Experts advise Moon to adopt 'strategic patience' toward Pyongyang



By Kang Seung-woo



With former Vice President Joe Biden scheduled to be sworn in as the 46th U.S. president this month, his administration is highly expected to go down the road of "Anything but Trump" in his domestic and foreign policies.



However, diplomatic experts advised the upcoming president to honor at least some of what President Donald Trump has done with North Korea over the last four years, and not to move away from his policy toward Pyongyang.



"Many believe that Biden should try to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue based on what has been accomplished by Trump," said Kim Joon-hyung, the chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA).



The chancellor said Trump raised the priority of the North Korean nuclear issue that had been regarded as "critical but not urgent" in the U.S.' foreign policy and lowered the bar for a summit with the North, making it no longer a historic event. He also praised Trump for adopting an ideal approach in dealing with the reclusive country  top-down diplomacy  given that only North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has the authority to negotiate about denuclearization issues.



"Thanks to such contributions, the North and the U.S. could agree to the Singapore Joint Statement  and the North has not conducted any long-range missile or nuclear tests since Trump and Kim first met in June 2018, which is admirable for Trump. Given what Trump has done over the last four years, Biden needs to honor the joint statement, which would serve as a good signal to the North," he added.



Harry Kazianis, a senior director of Korean Studies at the Center for the National Interest, echoed the KNDA chief's view, saying, "The new administration should simply build on what Trump has done. In fact, Biden could signal that right now to North Korea in a simple statement or quote that he will not tear down what can only be described as a peaceful coexistence created by Trump between Washington and Pyongyang."



In that sense, Joseph DeTrani, a former U.S. special envoy to the six-party talks, recommended that the Biden administration embrace and build on the Singapore Declaration that many believe would be the first step toward opening the door to negotiations.



"The declaration succinctly articulates the need to transform bilateral relations, end the Korean War and pursue the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, in addition to repatriation of the troops killed during the Korean War. Those are the core objectives to what we pursued in 26 years of negotiations with North Korea," he said.



Despite the progress in bilateral ties, nuclear negotiations have been deadlocked since the Hanoi summit ended without a deal in February 2019, as the Trump administration clung to the hope that the North would agree to full denuclearization before getting anything in return, while the Kim regime wants Washington to take a step-by-step approach.



The experts concurred that the Biden team needs to take an incremental approach to resolve the denuclearization issues.



"To the Kim Jong-un regime, its nuclear weapons are more like regime survival. In that respect, it is hard to expect the North to agree to dismantle its nuclear program in a short period of time, so we are required to pursue North Korean denuclearization over the long haul, incrementally," said Cheong Seong-chang, a fellow at the Wilson Center's Asia Program.



Gallucci also said, "No one should expect this to happen very quickly for both technical and political reasons. Steps by the U.S. and the North to reduce tension and increase their investment in the process of normalization will be necessary, and quite likely will have to be linked together in some kind of reciprocal process," he added.



In terms of whether to ease sanctions to bring the North back to the negotiating table, they were mixed on the issue.



"Neither the U.S. nor the rest of the international community should have any enthusiasm for sanctions," Gallucci said.



"They may at times be necessary, but they represent the failure to achieve desired outcomes by negotiations. I think the new administration could show some flexibility in the application of sanctions without showing weakness."






After telling Dartmouth Colleges four graduates who are heading into the military that family members would not be allowed to attend their commissioning ceremonies, the school retreated Tuesday.
XUYI, Nov. 12, 2018 (Xinhua) -- Swans are seen at the Mao'er Lake wetland in Xuyi County, east China's Jiangsu Province, Nov. 12, 2018. Increasing number of migratory birds choose to spend winter in Xuyi in recent years.(Xinhua/Zhou Haijun/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Shimla, Jan 4 : With the toll of migratory waterbirds rising to over 1,800, and almost half of them being endangered bar-headed goose visiting the Pong wetlands, the Himachal Pradesh wildlife authorities on Monday suspected avian influenza as the cause.

Chief Conservator Wildlife of Pong wetlands -- one of the largest in northern India, Upasna Patyal, told IANS the reason for the deaths is still a mystery. Their carcasses have been sent to different laboratories to determine the cause of death.

"The death of birds could be attributed to bird flu. We are expecting to get results by Tuesday evening. As a protocol, we have imposed prohibitory orders," she said.

The local administration has already sounded an alert by banning all the human activities within 10-km radius of the Pong wetlands in Kangra district.

The bird flu can spread to human beings and turn fatal.

Besides the bar-headed goose, the other species were the shoveler, the river tern, the black-headed gull and the common teal.

Some birds -- including the bar-headed goose -- were seen acting strangely before their deaths, she said.

"When you're seeing that birds are not able to take the flight despite healthy wings, it's really disturbing. At some distance, you find their carcasses," she said.

The bird carcasses were sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly, the Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Jalandhar and the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun to know their cause of death.

The Rajasthan government last week sounded an alert after confirmation of avian influenza in crows that died in Jhalawar district. Indore in Madhya Pradesh has also reported death of crows.

The mass mortality of poultry birds was reported at one of the largest poultry belt at Barwala near Panchkula in Haryana.

According to the Bird Count India, a partnership comprising organizations and groups, over the past seven-10 days there have been reports of wild birds dying in separate incidents at different locations in the country.

That wild birds die is not necessarily worrying. But it is possible that some of these recent deaths are out of the ordinary, with large numbers dying or reports of diagnoses of H5N1 (avian influenza).

At the moment, no-one knows whether these are causes of larger concern, but it is worth keeping an eye on the situation, it said.

"If you encounter a wild bird that is dead or dying, do not approach it, and under any circumstances do not touch it given the possibility (however small) that it might be infected with avian influenza. H5N1 is a highly contagious virus that can cause severe illness in people," it warned.

Sensing gravity of the situation, Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) scientist K.S. Gopi Sundar told IANS that it's something an alarming situation.

"We are getting reports of death of birds in nature across India. It's likely to be a disease because the deaths are occurring in multiple locations involving multiple species. It is a dangerous situation and needs multi-stakeholder intervention on priority," he said.

At the Pong wetlands, preliminary findings of their post mortem have ruled out poisoning as the cause of their death, wildlife officials said.

Every winter, the Pong wetlands are home to over 100,000 birds of nearly 114 species. Among them the bar-headed goose, the northern pintail, the Eurasian coot, the common teal, the common pochard, the northern shoveler, the great cormorant, the Eurasian wigeon and the ruddy shelduck are notable.

According to the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), the Pong wetlands are the one wintering grounds in the globe to hold such a large congregation of bar-headed geese.

Most of the wetlands in India have been regularly getting bar-headed geese every winter. But Pong is the only habitat that holds the largest influx of bar-headed geese every winter, a BNHS ornithologist told IANS.
In context: Windows 10's design is a bit of a mixed bag. In some areas, it shows off Microsoft's 'Fluent Design' philosophy quite well (albeit at the loss of some functionality), but in others, you'll still find interfaces, menus, and settings from the Windows 7 era. To address these inconsistencies, Microsoft is reportedly planning a "sweeping visual rejuvenation" of Windows 10.

This information came to light thanks to a recent job listing posted by Microsoft. The listing calls for a software engineer who can work alongside Microsoft's "key platform, Surface, and OEM partners" to deliver said "rejuvenation."

The ultimate goal of the refresh would be to signal to Microsoft's customers that "Windows is BACK" (emphasis theirs), and that Windows is the "best user OS experience for customers."

It's difficult to say how a visual overhaul might accomplish that task, especially because we have no idea what Microsoft means by "best user OS experience."

Does it mean a more simplified or streamlined user experience? As enthusiasts and power users ourselves, we'd hesitate to call that the "best" outcome, but the alternative also doesn't seem likely: making things more complex isn't really Microsoft's thing. Not lately, anyway.

Some reports say changes are coming to the Start menu and File Explorer (as well as a host of pre-installed Windows apps), but we'll just have to wait and see what the tech giant has up its sleeve.

For what it's worth, this job listing has already been altered to remove any mention of a "sweeping rejuvenation," so Microsoft may have changed its mind. Or maybe the company is simply kicking itself for leaking the news so blatantly.
Automobile sales in India are poised to grow in double-digits in 2021, rebounding from the 15-20% drop last year, when the industry faced widespread disruptions from the pandemic.

Sales are expected to get a boost from a faster-than-expected recovery in economic activity and vaccination drive against covid-19, said industry executives and analysts. Increased preference for personal mobility is also likely to push sales of affordable cars and two-wheelers. Commercial vehicle sales are expected to recover after two years as government-funded infrastructure projects gather pace.

This will also benefit auto parts makers whose sales are expected to grow in double-digits following increased demand from automobile manufacturers as well as in the after-market segment. While temporary disruptions will impact production and sales in FY21, demand is showing signs of sustenance, supported by rural cash flows, demand for personal mobility, and easy liquidity in the market. The industry has reduced expenses on all other cost heads in H1FY21, and a part of this benefit will be carried forward in coming quarters also, according to credit rating agency Icra.

Vinkesh Gulati, president, Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (Fada) said since the lockdown was lifted, the industry has been witnessing one of the best V shaped recoveries in years, aided by good monsoons and better harvest, festive demand and wedding season.

Lately, we have seen good pent-up demand in passenger vehicles and hopefully, it will stay as safer mobility and new launches this year will keep the demand going. While the industry will witness an overall decline of around 20-25% on a financial year basis, things will start looking better from April, aided by lower base of last year, Gulati said.

Rajesh Menon, director general of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, said the industry saw one of the steepest downturn in years during Q1 due to strict measures. During this period, domestic sales plunged 75% from the year earlier to 1.5 million units, causing the industry to suffer revenue losses of over 2,300 crore each day.

Icra estimates auto parts industrys revenue to grow by 16-18% in FY22, supported by increasing content per vehicle, low base effect and higher realizations, partly from the pass through of the commodity price hike. However, higher freight rates along with a shortage of parts may remain a challenge.

The sentiment remains positive though there are concerns about availability of raw material and increase in commodity prices. As the unlock continues there will be more demand in the rural and urban markets. In FY22, vaccines for covid-19 will also be available which will help generate more demand. After two years, we are expecting recovery in business next year, said Deepak Jain, president, Automotive Component Manufacturers Association.

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DJ Fantan and his promoter popularly known as Dhama were on Sunday arrested for participating in a prohibited gathering on New Years Eve in Mbare.

Fantan, real name Arnold Kamudyariwa, 33, and Tinashe Dhama Chanachimwe, 27, were yesterday detained at Matapi police station and are expected to appear in court today.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrest urging people to take reports of Covid-19 death and positive cases seriously.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police would like to confirm arrest of Arnold Kamudyariwa and Tinashe Chanachimwe for contravening Section 5 (iii) of Statutory Instrument 77/2020 of participating in a prohibited gathering, said Ass Comm Nyathi. H Metro
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New York, US (PANA) - The United Nations Secretary-General has strongly condemned Saturdays attack by unidentified gunmen on two villages in western Niger, which reportedly left about 100 people dead
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Axie Navas bachelorette party was actually a backcountry ski trip with six friends to a hut deep in the mountains outside her hometown of Vail, Colorado.

As it turns out, it wasnt such a great idea.

Two feet of snow had fallen the night before, and while the skiers knew to avoid avalanche-prone areas, they had to break their own trail and didnt reach the hut until dark.

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A couple of us were struggling by the end, Navas says. We didnt know where the next group was, and we ended up doing a reconnaissance mission at night to bring them in. We might have been better served by staying home and roasting marshmallows on a fire.

Navas, the first director of New Mexicos nearly 1-year-old Outdoor Recreation Division, has spent much of her life outside, starting with ski lessons when she was 2 years old.

Her job is to promote the states outdoor places as a way to build revenues and employment opportunities. In fact, the division is located within New Mexicos Economic Development Department.

Its mission also includes conservation and access, partly through a special fund that helps disadvantaged youths get outside.

We want to sing from the rooftops what a great outdoor recreation destination this state is and talk about how we need to invest in these places both for the sake of New Mexicans, Navas says.  But then also because we recognize  that tourism can be a huge driver of rural economies.

Navas says, for her, the outdoors has always provided solace and a refuge from every day concerns. In fact, part of the lure is a sense of danger sometimes and the wisdom she gains from those experiences.

Some of my sharpest memories are probably the ones that are tinged with some fear about decision-making, that Ive tried to get better at and learn from, says Navas, who previously was digital editorial director at Outside Magazine. I think that realization that you can grow up and be comfortable in the outdoors, and yet theres still so much that one cant plan for and theres a lot of vulnerability there. It is almost part of the solace that Ive found in being outside, frankly.

How did you end up in New Mexico?

My mom loved to spend time in northern and southern New Mexico, like Las Cruces, Santa Fe. So we would do road trips all the time. My grandfather actually owned an art gallery for about 20 years in Santa Fe. So I  have felt a special affinity for this place, and it was just under 10 years ago, I was lucky enough to get a job that brought me here (an online gear review site) and havent left since then. Its very much my adopted home.

When you were a kid, is this what you envisioned doing?

At an early stage, I really wanted to fly F-16s and be a fighter pilot. It was early, and I dont think I had the vision for that, or just probably the stamina. So from middle school, I always thought I wanted to work in outdoor media  Outside or National Geographic  and back in middle school, you know what that looks like is, Oh, Im going to travel the world and write and be a photographer. There are people who do that, but also for a lot of people, youre behind a desk. So that dream evolved from traveling around the world shooting photos to working as an editor and being able to put forth good stories, excellent stories, about the topics that resonated for me for so long.

Such as?

Public land policy, conservation priorities, inclusion, too, thinking about how representation in the outdoor industry is really limited. I think thats changing and changing rapidly, probably, but it has been limited for a long time. There have been barriers to enter both that space as an industry, but also the places its been built upon. I think that a lot of legacy media  I think Outside would be one of the ones first to talk about this  is that representation there and in catalogs and in legacy media, gear catalogs, has historically been white and male, and that is changing.

Whats an example of something youre proud of as head of the outdoor division?

The specific project thats actually well under way that I get really excited about is that we invested $10,000 (through the Outdoor Equity Fund) in a Gallup-based nonprofit  with that money going toward a mobile bike shop thats traveling through  the Gallup area and also the Navajo Nation to fix kids bikes. Its super cool. Were working with a mechanic there whos from the Navajo Nation. Hes been donating his time to fix kids bikes who have been stuck inside for months and months and will continue to have to socially distance because of the pandemic.

Where are your favorite places?

Probably the three peaks of the Truchas range  whether you define them as one mountain or three summits, but just that Truchas cirque. Its so spectacular back there. I love the quintessential New Mexico, where you can hike for hours and just not see anyone and you get the landscapes that you dont get anywhere else. But I love southern New Mexico, looking out at the Organs from that stretch of highway and then actually getting to explore some of those bonier peaks has been pretty special. And I live in Taos County, and one of my favorite places is right here in my backyard. Gallina peak and Lucero up into the canyon of Taos Ski Valley.

What was your first job?

I worked in the information booth in Vail, Colorado. I manned the visitor center. I was 14 through 18 (years old). And then I was also a ski instructor for a decent chunk of that time.

How would you describe what you get from being in the outdoors?

I feel like both personally and professionally, Ive gotten so much. Id say its where I have found so much solace in many ways, where I feel most like myself, human, but also connected to this larger landscape and narrative that I am just a tiny, tiny part of. Its like you get a so-called reframing or sense of reality when youre out there in the big mountains. Its a good check on any hubris or stress we might feel. It puts that in perspective.

One-on-One
A 7-year-old Mexican girl begged doctors to let her die and not to heal her after she suffered physical abuse from her parents and was allegedly raped by her uncle.

The victim was admitted into a hospital after being severely beaten on August 21. Instead of asking the doctor to cure her of injuries and traumas she had, she asked instead to let her die and not to heal her because she does not want to get hurt anymore.

According to Daily Mail, the 7-year-old Mexican girl was a rape victim and was physically abused by her parents and uncle for years.

She was admitted to the hospital and treated at the ICU. However, the girl died months after in ICU.

Local authorities said that the young girl, Yatziri, died in the Hospital de Las Margaritas in the Mexican state of Puebla on December 28.

She was taken care of and given attention at the hospital and was treated in ICU. As reported, she was severely beaten.

Read also: 3 Suspects Arrested After Ex-Republican Candidate Abducted, Tortured on Christmas Eve

Victim experienced years of abuse

It was found out that the young Mexican girl suffered multiple organ failures but there were no further information was given, according to the local news outlet.

Meanwhile, a concerned neighbor had taken the girl to the hospital where she was diagnosed with internal bleeding, signs of rape, back burns, and a collapsed lung.

When they arrived at the hospital, the girl told the doctors, "I want to die, don't heal me anymore. I don't want to go back to my parents so they can keep hitting me."

According to The Sun, local authorities identified her parents as Rafael and Alejandra Viridiana who are now both detained and are being investigated for abusing their daughter.

Police authorities also continue to search and track the young girl's paternal uncle who allegedly raped her on different occasions. The police authorities chose not to name her uncle who remained at large until today.

Younger sister was also a victim

It was found out also that Yatziri had a three-year-old sister named Mitzy who was believed to have died of accidental asphyxiation in her sleep in June this year. However, police authorities decided to reopen the case following the death of the seven-year-old Mexican girl.

Additionally, Yatziri had previously been admitted to hospital with signs of trauma blows and serious injuries all over her body way back in 2019. She was also admitted in February, May, and August last year but there were no actions taken against the parents.

In August 2020, she was admitted with burns to her buttocks that had destroyed part of the muscle that was so severe medics had to do a skin graft.

The Government of Puebla said the actions that lead to the young girl's early passing will not go unpunished in the recent message announcing the tragic death of the young Mexican girl.

The investigation of continues and police authorities are now searching for the paternal uncle of the girl.

Related story: Suspect Arrested in Connection with Ghostbusters Star Rick Moranis Street Assault


As more people join their agitation, farmers protesting against the three farm laws at Delhi's Singhu border have installed giant LED screens and speakers to reach out to many protesters as possible.

As their agitation entered the 37th day, the teams managing of the farm unions have also quipped themselves with walki-talkies to get in touch with each other and send out messages.

From LED screens to blasting loudspeakers, the ongoing farmers' protest at the Singhu border has gone hi-tech to optimise accessibility for protestors.

With the number of protestors increasing, the management team of the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha realised that only a limited number of protestors could hear and see the leaders and hear their speeches.

To resolve this issue, two 8X10 feet LED screens were installed near the stage, and speakers have been put up every few kilometres throughout the at least 10-km long stretch.

Since the beginning of the protest, the stage has been at the centre of all broadcasts be it leaders giving speeches, or major announcements -- but until last week it was equipped only with a couple of speakers.

Only those present in front of the stage at the time could access the announcements and speeches.

According to Lakhwinder Singh of the Azad Kisan Committee, Dwaba, the Singhu border saw an influx of protestors following the conclusion of an annual religious sabha at Fatehpur Sahib in on December 26.

"All the people who were at Fatehpur Sahib are now joining the protest, and last week we realised the crowd in front of the stage had noticeably expanded.

"We had several people tell us that when far away from the stage, they could not see or hear the speakers properly, so we decided to put up the screens," he said.

To ensure that those engaged in other activities like doing 'sewa at langar' and medical camps, or simply resting in their trolleys at the fag end of the stretch, can also hear the speeches, speakers have been installed every "150-200 meters" along the length of the protest site.

"We want to make sure all our farmer brothers and sisters remain well informed about the details of our agitation, or the strategies that are shared by our leaders on the stage.

"And it is natural that not everyone can be in front of the stage at all times. People are doing so much work, but that doesn't mean they should miss what is being said. So the microphones help all the farmers stay connected," Lakhwinder, who is also part of the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha management team, said.

He added that more speakers and amplifiers have already been requested for to maximise the reach.

Technology has also helped the team behind these arrangements coordinate among themselves.

With shoddy mobile network at the protest site, the farmer leaders and key members of the management team have equipped themselves with walkie-talkies that keep them connected in a "2-3 km range".

"Our phones practically don't work here and the calls drop frequently, so the walkie talkies help us stay in touch within the site, especially in case of emergencies," said Jaskaran Singh, who has been looking after the stage, light and sound, and tent facilities.

Thousands of farmers have been protesting at multiple Delhi borders against the new farm laws, fearing that the legislations would eliminate the Minimum Support Price system, and leave them at the mercy of big corporates.

While the government in the last round of talks on December 30 met two of their demands, resolution on the remaining asks is yet to be reached.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, Deputy Director General of the Information Office of the Ministry of National Defense (MND) and Spokesperson for the MND

Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) of the People's Republic of China (PRC), answers reporters' questions at a regular press conference on December 31, 2020. (Photo: mod.gov.cn)

(The following English text of the press conference is for reference. In case of any divergence of interpretation, the Chinese text shall prevail.)

Question: At the recent military training meeting of the Central Military Commission (CMC), President Xi Jinping stressed the need to comprehensively strengthen military training under real combat conditions and improve the training level and the capability of winning wars. Please brief us on the overall situation and characteristics of the PLAs military training in 2020.

Answer: President Xi attaches great importance to military training. At the beginning of this year, he signed the CMCs Order No.1to launch annual military training. Recently, he attended the CMC military training meeting and delivered an important speech to guide and encourage all service members to conduct training under real-combat conditions and promote combat capabilities through training, continue to deepen military training in the new era and carry out higher-level actual combat training within the Chinese military.

First, the CMC held a military training meeting to review the training experience since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), analyze the new dynamics and tasks of training and readiness, and plan the establishment of a new-type military training system. The meeting is a milestone in strengthening the military in the new era.

Second, the military continued to strengthen targeted training in responding to real security threats in different directions and fields.

Third, led by the strategic level training, theater-command level joint training and training in services and arms put more focus on real combat. Compared with the same period last year, the number of training in high-altitude areas and has increased by around 30% and night training by 10%.

Fourth, to adapt to the needs of epidemic prevention and control, the military has adjusted its military training and exercise plans to focus on fighting against the pandemic and strengthening military preparedness.

Fifth, great efforts have been made to accomplish the tasks set in the 13th five-year plan for military training, and to plan and work out the 14th five-year military training plan.

Sixth, military training supervision and inspection has evolved into combat-oriented supervision and law-based inspection, having achieved noticeable effects on promoting training and military preparedness.

Seventh, efforts have been strengthened to create a joint training standard system and to continuously improve the regulations and textbooks on military training. More than 300 training outlines and 2,000 textbooks have been compiled and revised.

Finally, the supportive system for military training has been enhanced, and the training base construction has been advanced continuously. In the past year, our service members have trained hard and scientifically with stronger faith, and have gained better military competence. They have the confidence and determination to accomplish the missions and tasks entrusted by the Party and the people in the new era.

Question: A conference on political education in the military was held in Beijing in early December, which focused on strengthening the Partys political leadership over the military, and building an education system for the new era. Please brief us on the relevant arrangements.

Answer: Building a political education system for the new era is a major subject proposed by President Xi Jinping. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military, we held the conference on political education work in the military to study and implement Pr. Xis important instructions for strengthening and improving political education in the military. The meting focused on strengthening the Partys political leadership over the military, building an education system for the new era, and making innovations in the concepts, contents, methods, forces, and working and institutional mechanisms of education.

The conference studied and discussed three three regulatory documents on the militarys political education, and regulated the top-level guideline on system-building, basis for teaching, and required measures for implementation and supervision. A series of textbooks and supporting videos, as well as an APP named Xue xi Qiang jun, will be launched to help. Building the political education system for the new era will elevate the militarys political education to a new level, open a new horizon in that regard, and provide a strong political support for building a strong military.

Question: It is reported that the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress(NPC) recently deliberated and adopted the revised National Defense Law. Could you please comment on the significance of the revisions? What important institutional innovations have been made in the revised law?

Answer: National defense is the security guarantee for the survival and development of a country. The National Defense Law is the basic law of the state in the field of national defense to guide and regulate national defense and military development.

On December 26, the Standing Committee of the 13th NPC deliberated and passed the revised National Defense Law of the Peoples Republic of China at its 24th session. It was signed by President Xi Jinping through the No.67 presidential decree on the same day and will take effect on January 1, 2021. It is a significant milestone in Chinas national defense legislation.

Since it was promulgated in 1997, the previous edition of the National Defense Law has played an important role in building and consolidating national defense and advancing the modernization of national defense and the armed forces. However, with the development and changes of the world, the nation, the Party and the military, the previous edition no longer fully suits the new tasks and requirements of Chinas national defense and military development in the new era and needs to be revised and improved.

A strong country stands on the basis of a strong legal system. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the revised National Defense Law follows Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military, the overall national security outlook, and the military strategic guideline for the new era. Being target-oriented and problem-based, the revised National Defense Law emphasizes the Partys centralized and unified leadership, meeting reform requirements, taking in practical experience and addressing concerns of different groups. It will provide a solid legal guarantee for safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests and promoting national defense and military modernization.

The latest revisions have enriched the basic systems concerning national defense and military development in various fields and demonstrated the outcomes of major policy and institutional reforms.

First, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is established as the guiding thought over Chinas national defense activities.

Second, the national defense duties of relevant state institutions are adjusted. For instance, some national defense duties of Chinas State Council and the Central Military Commission (CMC) have been adjusted to adapt to the new structure and functions of the military, and the content regarding the system wherein the CMC chairman shall assume overall responsibility is added.

Third, the tasks and goals of Chinas armed forces are further enriched. For example, contents are added regarding the Chinese militarys missions and tasks in the new era, and the Partys objectives of building a strong military and the Party's basic guidelines on building and governing the military.

Fourth, the defense policies for major security fields are specified. For instance, to meet the defense needs of new types of security activities and interests, the traditional border, maritime and air defense is expanded to border defense, maritime defense, air defense and defense in other major security fields. The defense in such major security fields as outer space, electromagnetics, and cyberspace are clarified.

Fifth, the scientific research and production for national defense as well as military procurement institutions are improved.

Sixth, the institutions of national defense education and mobilization are enriched and perfected. For instance, contents are added about civil servants playing a leading part in participating in national defense education.

Seventh, the protection of the status, rights, and interests of military personnel is strengthened. Focusing on "making the military a profession respected by the whole society", the basic regulations for the status, honor, rights and related guarantees of service members have been laid down in particular.

Finally, the policies and institutions concerning foreign military relationship between China and other countries are refined. For example, contents are added regarding pursuing common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

In general, the newly revised National Defense Law, as the basic law in the field of national defense and military development, and the overriding law of other laws and regulations on that front, formulated the fundamental principles and norms governing major guidelines and principles, targets and tasks, and basic institutions for national defense activities. It revised the basic policies which can not meet the new circumstances and requirements, and will serve as a top-level institution that urgently needed in the new era.

To establish a complete and well-aligned system of military laws and regulations with Chinese characteristics,the framework and main contents of the revised law have been carefully designed.It will serve as a guidance for the draft or revision of other military laws and regulationsin the reform of military policies and institutions and has left space for new contents, making it a sound legislation better aligned to the political requirements and development of the times.

Question:In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc around the world and there have been profound changes in the international security environment. Nevertheless, the Chinese military has risen to the challenge and achieved fruitful outcomes in international military cooperation through innovative methods. The PLA Daily published an article on December 31, which reviewed and interpreted the highlights of Chinas international military cooperation in the past year. Please elaborate on that.

Answer: The year 2020 is an unusual year both for China and the world. The review of Chinas international military cooperation and its highlights published by the PLA Daily is a faithful portrayal of how we have overcome difficulties and made progress in international military cooperation. In the face of the sweeping outbreak of COVID-19 and complicated international security environment in 2020, the Chinese military, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, has strictly implemented the decisions made by the CPC Central Committee, CMC and President Xi on international military cooperation. Keeping in mind and focusing on the overall political and diplomatic interests of the Party and the country, the military has endeavored to foster opportunities out of crises and open a new horizon amid changes, making new a contribution to defending national interests, preserving world peace, and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

First, the military has been actively engaged in international cooperation with foreign counterparts in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders of the CMC have sent letters to the defense and military leaders of 28 countries and held phone talks with defense leaders of 12 countries, expressing sympathies to their pandemic situation and gratitude for their assistance to China. The PLA has provided anti-epidemic supplies to the militaries of 50 countries, sent experts to the militaries of four countries, held video conferences to share epidemic prevention and control experience with the militaries of 18 countries (international organizations), and offered assistance to foreign military personnel in China, making great contributions to building a community of common health for mankind.

Second, the Chinese military has fostered favorable strategic posture. The Chinese and Russian militaries have continuously deepened exchanges and cooperation in high-level exchanges, epidemic prevention and control, joint exercises and other fields, intensified strategic coordination and mutual support and maintained the high-level development of mil-to-mil relationship.

The Chinese and the US militaries have strengthened strategic communication, and managed and controlled risks and divergences to keep their relations generally stable.

China and Europe have steadily advanced defense and security cooperation and carried out institutional dialogues and exchanges. With neighboring countries, China has had active high-level exchanges to deepen practical defense cooperation and advance the construction of a neighborhood community with a shared future.

China has also kept close military relations with developing countries in Africa and Latin America.

Besides, China participated in the China-ASEAN defense ministers informal meetings and ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), and hosted workshops underthe Beijing Xiangshan Forum, doing its active part to respond to regional and global challenges. China has also engaged deeply in the international arms control cooperation and the global security governance, and consistently provided public security products in forms of peacekeeping operations and naval escort missions to safeguard global strategic stability.

Third, the Chinese military have focused on military preparedness and combat readiness. In implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military and the military strategic guideline for a new era, the military, while strictly carrying out anti-pandemic measures, has strengthened practical exchanges and cooperation with foreign counterparts on military training.

It organized the second China-Russia joint aerial strategic patrol, and participated in a list of international military events, including the Military World Games 2020, Kavkaz-2020 strategic exercise hosted by the Russian military, China-Pakistan Sea Guardians 2020 joint maritime exercise and Shaheen (Eagle)  IX joint air force training, China-Cambodia Dragon Golden 2020 joint training, and Cobra Gold-2020 multilateral military exercise.

These joint exercises and training have enhanced the mutual trust and exchanges between the Chinese military and its foreign counterparts, and improved realistic training of Chinese troops.

Fourth, the Chinese militaryhas defended national interests and dignity. Whenever foreign forces tried to pressure and provoke China on the Taiwan question and the South China Sea issue, the Chinese military has always made its stance known and firmly fought back.

The Chinese military has staunchly safeguarded national sovereignty and territorial integrity and strongly responded to the US arms sales to Taiwan, its military vessels trespassing into Chinese territorial waters off islands and reefs in the South China Sea, and its defense leaders groundless accusations against China.

Adhering to military and diplomatic channels, including border defense exchange, Chinese side has communicated and consulted with the Indian side, urging it to maintain peace and tranquility in the border area. Furthermore, the military has been committed to expose all kinds of disinformation, lies and slanders about the military, clarifying facts and truths.

Finally, the Chinese military has been sharing its vision with the world. The Chinese military has released a white paper titled Chinas Armed Forces: 30 Years of UN Peacekeeping Operations, which expounds on the original aspiration, policies, practices, visions and initiatives of China's participation in the UN peacekeeping operations.

In combination with the anti-epidemic aid to foreign counterparts, the Chinese military, taking into consideration of the recipients cultural features, has designed 50 bilingual posters that embody the essence of the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and sent them along with the anti-epidemic supplies, in a bid to pass confidence and strength to the peoples afflicted by COVID-19 .

The year 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC and the beginning of Chinas 14th Five-year Plan. No matter how the international situation changes, the Chinese military, under the guidance of the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, will continue to uphold the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, advance international military cooperation of the new era, and contribute to creating a beautiful world of lasting peace and universal security.

Question: The US Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard have jointly released a new maritime strategy, Advantage at Sea: Prevailing with Integrated All-Domain Naval Power, on December17, 2020. It accused China of strengthening military build-up in space and cyberspace, and threatening world peace and prosperity. Do you have any comment on this? In addition, what's your comment on the China-US mil-to-mil relationship this year? And what are your expectations for the future relationship between the two militaries?

Answer: We have noticed the US document. The paper deliberately exaggerated international strategic competition and the so-called Chinas military threat. Its intention is nothing more than to create an excuse for itself to seek absolute military superiority. China is firmly opposed to this. China adheres to the path of peaceful development and unswervingly pursues a defensive national defense policy. Meanwhile, China will resolutely safeguard its national sovereignty, dignity and core interests. To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Some people in the US still cling to the outdated Cold War mentality and the narrow-minded zero-sum game thinking. They always hypothesize other countries as threats, disregard international fairness and justice, frequently incite disputes and conflicts, and undermine the international system and order. We urge them to face reality, follow the general trend, correct mistakes, put the hammer down, and do more things conducive to world peace and common development.

As for the China-US mil-to-mil relationship, China has resolutely responded to the wrong actions of the US in provoking and exerting pressure on the issues involving China's core interests and major concerns, and vigorously safeguarded national sovereignty, security, and development interests since the beginning of this year. The relationship between the two militaries has been disturbed by the negative words and deeds of the US side, and has experienced some setbacks. However, the two sides have maintained strategic communication and risk management, and the relationship between the two sides is generally stable. China has always attached great importance to the military relationship between China and the US. Maintaining a sound and stable mil-to-mil relationship serves the common interests of both sides, and is also the common expectation of the international community.

In the new year, we hope that the US side could proceed from the overall perspective of the relations between the two countries and the two militaries, effectively reduce hostility and provocations towards China, work with the Chinese side towards the same goal, continue to strengthen cooperation in such areas as strategic communication, institutional exchanges, conflict prevention and crisis management, and jointly promote the stable development of the relationship between the two militaries.

Question: It is reported that Chinese and Russian defense ministers signed a protocol in mid-December to extend the Agreement on Mutual Notification for Launches of Ballistic Missiles and Carrier Rockets by another ten years. In late December, the Chinese and Russian militaries launched the second joint strategic air patrol. Commentaries say that the intensive military cooperation between China and Russia demonstrates the high level of strategic mutual trust between the two countries. What is your comment on the current mil-to-mil relationship between China and Russia?

Answer: Under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin, the relationship between the Chinese and Russian militaries has been running at high-level in 2020, and cooperation has been carried out in multiple areas including high-level exchanges, pandemic prevention and control, and joint exercises.

In high-level exchanges, State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe attended the military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Great Patriotic War and the joint meeting of defense ministers of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Russia. The defense ministers of China and Russia held a video conference and jointly announced to extend the period of validity of the Agreement on Mutual Notification for Launches of Ballistic Missiles and Carrier Rockets by another ten years, further strengthening the strategic cooperation between China and Russia.

In pandemic prevention and control, the two sides strengthened mutual support and close communication and cooperation through letters between leaders, material assistance, video conferences of military medical experts and other ways.

In joint exercises, the Chinese military went to Russia to participate in the International Army Games-2020 (IAG-2020) and the Kavkaz-2020 strategic exercise. Besides, the two militaries organized the second joint air strategic patrol. The bilateral military cooperation continued to deepen, which continuously enriched new connotations of the relations between the two countries and the two militaries, and fully reflects the high-level and special comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between China and Russia for a new era.

As an old saying in China goes, only heart-to-heart exchanges can last long. The year 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and FriendlyCooperation, which is of particular significance to China and Russia. In the new year, under the strategic guidance of the twoheads ofstate, China will continue to maintain close communication with Russia, strengthen practical cooperation, strive to promote the military relationship to a new and higher level and contribute more to maintaining world peace and stability.

Question: According to reports, Chinas State Councilor and Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe recently had a video call with Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, in which he mentioned speeding up the building of a maritime and air liaison mechanism. Please brief us on the latest progress of the mechanism.

Answer: The maritime and air liaison mechanism between the Chinese and Japanese defense departments has been operating well in general since its establishment in 2018and has played a positive role in maintaining peace and stability in the East China Sea. At present, after several rounds of consultations, the defense departments of the two countries have made positive progress on the direct telephone line under the maritime and air liaison mechanism. It is expected to start building as soon as possible.

Question: It is reported that Pakistans Chief of Air Staff recently called for a closer China-Pakistan partnership under the current global security situation at the closing ceremony of the joint exercise between air forces of the two countries. What's the comment of the Chinese side on this? How does China view its military relationship with Pakistan?

Answer: From December 7 to 25, the China-Pakistan Joint Air Force Exercise "Shaheen (Eagle) - IX" was held at the Pakistani air base in Bholari. The two sides conducted a series of realistic training during the joint exercise and achieved the preset goals.

China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners. The bilateral relationship will continue to improve in the future. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of their leaders, the two countries have constantly strengthened cooperation in various fields, firmly supported each other in issues concerning their core interests, and built a closer China-Pakistan community of shared future in the new era. The military relationship between China and Pakistan serve as an important pillar for their bilateral relations. Since the beginning of this year, the two militaries have maintained close high-level strategic communication and carried out practical cooperation in related fields, testifying their brotherhood and friendship enabling them to go through thick and thin together. The year of 2021 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China-Pakistan diplomatic relations. China is willing to strengthen cooperation with Pakistan in fields like epidemic control, joint exercises, military equipment and technology, and logistics to push their military relationship to a higher level.

Question: Since the eighth round of Corps Commander Level Meeting between Chinese and Indian militaries in November, the two sides have maintained close communication on issues such as continuing to promote disengagement of troops along the Line of Actual Control in the west section of China-India boundary. According to recent reports by the Indian media, the ninth round of Corps Commander Level Meeting will be held soon. Could you please confirm that?

Answer: Since the eighth round of Corps Commander Level Meeting between Chinese and Indian militaries, the two sides have maintained consultation on disengagement of frontline troops and strengthened management of border troops. The situation in the border areas is generally stable. China is willing to maintain communication with India via military and diplomatic channels. We hope that India will work with China towards the same goal, implement the consensus reached at the Corps Commander Level Meetings, and take solid measures to further abate the tension in border areas. The two sides are holding consultations onthe ninth round of Corps Commander Level Meeting.

Question: Reuters reported that a NATO report released in early December claimed that China's rise posed threat to the security of NATO. According to foreign media reports, the British Royal Navy announced that it would deploy its aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth to the South China Sea early next year. Please comment on that.

Answer: We have noticed relevant report, and we strongly oppose groundless and false accusations against China. China pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature and advocates common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. The development of Chinas national defense aims to contribute to the growth of the worlds peaceful forces, and the Chinese military has been a staunch force for world peace and stability. You see but your shadow when you turn your back to the sun. We hope relevant parties will broaden their vision, discard prejudices and establish correct views on China and security, and hold a rational attitude towards the development of China and the Chinese military.

China believes that the South China Sea should be neither an arena for major-power wrestling nor a sea dominated by warships. At present, the situation in the South China Sea maintains overall stability thanks to the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries. Some countries outside the region come from afar to flex their military muscles, ignite confrontations, and create tensions in the South China Sea, which is the root reason for the militarization of this region. The Chinese military will take necessary measures to resolutely protect Chinas sovereignty, security and development interests, and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.

Question: It is reported that a ship of PLA Hong Kong Garrison recently berthed at the Central Military Dock for the first time. Will you please provide more information on the military functions of the Central Military Dock and the intention of the berthing?

Answer: At the end of September this year, the government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Regionand the PLA Hong Kong Garrison signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Handover of Central Military Dock, and officially handed over the Central Military Dock to the PLA Hong Kong Garrison. The handover further enhanced the Garrison's ability to fulfill its defense responsibilities in accordance with the law.

In light of defense needs, the dock is mainly used for ship berthing, marine transportation, routine combat readiness enhancement, military exercises, etc. Recently, the PLA Hong Kong Garrison is debugging and testing relevant facilities of the dock, and the ship's berthing is part of the relevant testing work.

Since Hong Kongs return to the motherland, the PLA Hong Kong Garrison has performed its duties strictly according to the Basic Law and the Garrison Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China, and has become a mainstay in safeguarding the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. The PLA Hong Kong Garrison firmly obeys the direction of the CPC Central Committee, the Central Military Commission and President Xi Jinping, upholds the One Country, Two Systems policy, remains committed to its defense responsibility, resolutely maintains Hong Kongs long-term prosperity and stability, and safeguards Chinas sovereignty, security and development interests.

Ending Remarks

The year 2020 will soon be over. In the past year, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee, the Central Military Commission and President Xi Jinping, the Chinese military has made remarkable contributions to defending the country, serving the people and safeguarding peace.

Life or death, I will do whatever I can for the benefits of the country. In 2020, all service members have remained true to their original aspiration and spared no effort to strengthen combat readiness and safeguard national sovereignty and security with their loyalty, courage and dedication.

Always put the people and their lives first. In 2020, the peoples armed forces have kept in mind this fundamental commitment and taken their responsibilities to safeguard the safety and benefits of the people on numerous frontlines such as epidemic prevention and control, disaster relief, and poverty alleviation.

Stand together through difficulties and build a community with a shared future for mankind. This year, the Chinese military has been committed to its responsibility as the military of a major country, conducted in-depth international military cooperation, faithfully fulfilled its international duties and obligations, opposed the hegemony, tyranny and bullying, safeguarded international justice, defended world peace, and actively promoted the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

In the year to come, under the guidance of Xi Jinpings Thought on Strengthening the Military, the peoples military will continue to enhance their political loyalty and strengthen themselves through reform and technology, and run the army in accordance with the law. They will adopt a holistic approach to national security, and comprehensively strengthen the strategic capacities to safeguard the countrys sovereignty, security and development interests, fulfill the missions and tasks bestowed by the Party and the people, and accelerate the modernization of national defense and the military. Despite challenges and difficulties, they will bravely move forward towards the Partys goal of building a strong military in the new era.
Shareholders of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA, the French maker of Peugeot, Citroen and Opel cars, voted on Monday to merge in an effort to acquire the scale necessary to survive in an industry gripped by technological change and pummeled by the pandemic.

The new company, to be called Stellantis, will employ 400,000 people and include the Jeep, Ram Trucks, Alfa Romeo and Maserati brands. It would be the worlds fourth-largest carmaker, after Toyota, Volkswagen and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, based on vehicle sales during the first nine months of 2020.

Executives of Fiat Chrysler and PSA agreed at the end of 2019 to merge and have been working out the details and securing regulatory approval since then.

Together, the two companies believe they stand a better chance of surviving a transition to electric vehicles, which is happening faster than most analysts predicted.
North Alabama is still working to vaccinate health care workers, but up north in Tennessee, it's moved onto its next phase of vaccinations.

Huntsville Hospital CEO David Spillers says the hospital will only be vaccinating health care workers for several more weeks until the state gives them permission to vaccinate people outside of category 1A.

But in Lincoln County, Tennessee people over the age of 75 were able to get the vaccine this weekend.

"It went great. Actually, the smallest needle we've probably ever seen and you couldn't even feel the shot," said April Smith, vaccine recipient.

Smith was able to get the COVID-19 vaccine because she works in health care.

But her Grandmother and Great-grandmother got the vaccine because they are over the age of 75.

Health departments across the state, including in Lincoln County, began administering the vaccine to this age group Saturday.

"We have minimal tenderness at the injection site, but I mean it's very, very mild. I would say it's less than the flu shot," said Smith.

Smith and her family want to encourage people to get the vaccine.

They believe it will help stop the spread of the virus.

"The risk and side effects of the vaccine are minimal compared to what a lot of people are going through with the virus. Now I know there are asymptomatic people. There are people who have cold and allergy symptoms, but there are a whole lot of people that are sick. In the hospital, on ventilators and even dying," said Smith.

Smith and her family members will have to wait four weeks before receiving their second dose of the Moderna vaccine.

The Lincoln County Health Department has not scheduled another vaccine clinic for those unable to get the first dose Saturay.
According to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, over one hundred members of the House of Representatives plan on objecting to the electoral college votes during the January 6th joint session of Congress.

Were now at well over 100 House members and a dozen Senators ready to stand up for election integrity and object to certification. Its time to fight back, Meadows wrote in a tweet over the weekend.

According to the most recent tally, forty five representatives have publicly committed to objecting during the joint session. Eleven senators announced earlier Saturday they would object, joining Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.).

The forgotten men and women are speaking out and Washington D.C. is waking up, Meadows wrote in another tweet.

Representative Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) stated late last week that one hundred and forty one Republican House members have announced plans to object.

Republican Missouri Representatives Jason Smith, Billy Long, Sam Graves, and Vicky Hartzler said they will object to protect the integrity of each vote cast by every law-abiding Missourian. They alleged some states, such as Georgia and Nevada, failed to follow their own election laws.
Bank of Baroda, India's third largest Public Sector Bank, believes in having customers and their convenience as the brand philosophy and building on this ideology, the bank has launched a new campaign 'Ek Forever Rishta as an attempt to wish upon its customers a New Year filled with hope & optimism.

The bank has launched an impactful series of ads that reiterate Ek Forever Rishta among its audience across the country in 10 different languages. The objective of the campaign is to create brand awareness among the prospective customers, integrated with the product offerings. The bank desires to convey that they are always by customers side and want to support them in realizing their dreams with the help of their wide product range and one of the best-in-class offers.

Explaining the thought behind the campaign, Mr. Purshotam, Chief General Manager  Retail Liabilities, Wealth Management Services, Marketing, Demat & NRI Business said, We have always been there as a committed friend and caretaker of our customers individual journeys. Through this campaign we want to take it to the next level where the consumer can avail the loans conveniently and move forward to achieve their dreams.

Speaking on the advertising campaign Mr. Rakesh Sharma, Head  Marketing & Branding said, The storytelling had to be unique and impactful and thats why we chose the format of Brand Stoppers (15 seconds each), which focusses on our philosophy of customer centric services. We hope that the campaign translates and conveys our thoughts across all our audiences effectively.
Texas jails are perilous places: the site of more than 100 inmate deaths and 10,000 assaults in 2019. That same year, inmates tried to end their lives more than 1,000 times. And at least 750 times, guards injured inmates.

Most of those incidents  and everything else that happens in county jails  are hidden from public view. A lone state agency, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, is responsible for monitoring the states 239 county jails and ensuring they meet minimum safety standards designed to protect inmates and staff.

But a state government watchdog found that the agency is failing to provide needed oversight of local jails and that it has not proactively updated standards to keep pace with dynamic jail environments.

The findings were part of a critical 73-page report from the Sunset Advisory Commission, which took issue with many of the core functions of the jail commissions operations. The sunset commission, which reviews the performance of state agencies every 12 years, found numerous other problems with the jail commissions performance and effectiveness.

The sunset commission found that many of the jail commissions key standards were so vague as to be meaningless. One, for example, requires jails to develop procedures for communicating information about inmates who are potentially suicidal but does not include any details about what information jailers should communicate. The report also found that the commissions enforcement process doesnt mitigate risk in county jails and that it fails to make wayward jails fix their operations.

RELATED: Blistering government report blasts poor training, oversight of Texas law enforcement

Sunset staff found that over two fiscal years, after the agency warned jails they were not compliant with required standards, about a fifth of jails that received such warnings remained afoul of state rules for six months or longer.

At a hearing in early December, jail commission staff faced few questions from legislators, though John Cyrier, chair of the sunset commission, said they have a lot of work to do to prepare for the upcoming legislative session.

When he spoke before the sunset commission  comprising five representatives, five senators and two public members  Brandon Wood, executive director of the jail commission, agreed with the majority of the sunset staffs findings but said he did not favor one suggestion to use risk assessments to determine inspection schedules, which could lead to less frequent inspections of some institutions. Currently, jail inspectors visit each facility at least once a year.

Wood said because jails are such unique environments, in-person visits are important to make sure jail operators are running operations that keep inmates and jailers safe.

It causes a level of discomfort that is hard to put into words that we wouldnt be putting eyes on each jail at least once a year, he said.

In a written response to the sunset staffs findings, Wood agreed to adopt many of the recommendations, including conducting more internal analyses, creating a schedule to review standards, proposing a model incorporating escalating sanctions against noncompliant jails and developing a risk assessment process to determine which jails will be subject to a full re-inspection after being found noncompliant.

While critics have argued the jail commission does not punish noncompliant jails aggressively enough, Wood defended his agencys light-touch approach by saying the commission has attempted to remain respectful of local government while providing the flexibility they need in order to meet minimum jail standards.

He also asked for guidance from legislators in cases in handling inmate deaths at hospitals, cases that police agencies have argued didnt count as deaths in custody.

UNSOLVED: Houston's rate of unsolved murders is soaring. Experts blame changes at HPD.

The sunset report also found inconsistent treatment across jails and underdeveloped processes for conducting inspections, investigating complaints and cracking down on violations. It recommended requiring the agency to update how it performs its duties, including inspections and data collection.

The findings come amid a nationwide debate about how police and sheriffs treat civilians, particularly while they are in custody. The jail commission received little notice for decades  until the 2015 case of Sandra Bland, who died in the Waller County Jail three days after a contentious traffic stop with a now-retired state trooper.

The jail commission has an annual budget of about $1.4 million and 22 full-time employees. Sunset staff noted that just three inspectors were responsible for visiting the states 239 jails, giving them a far higher caseload than inspectors from other agencies with similar responsibilities, such as the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, which in 2019 employed 12 staff to conduct 92 comprehensive inspections.

In Texas, the jail commission does not have the authority to monitor many detention facilities, including municipal jails, the short-term lockups where a police department may hold people for a few hours before transporting them to a county or state jail, where people convicted of low-level crimes are incarcerated for sentences between 180 days and two years. The jail commission also does not oversee prisons or juvenile detention facilities.

The jails overseen by the commission have a collective capacity of about 95,000 beds. As of Sept. 1, jails were at about 70 percent capacity, according to the sunset commissions report.

MISSION CREEP: Border Patrol gave big firepower to small Texas towns for George Floyd protests

Sunset staff also found the jail commission lacks clear procedures when handling inmate complaints and doesnt provide adequate information about the complaints process, leading to inefficiency and unfairness. The sunset commission faulted the jail commission for lacking reliable complaints data  making it impossible to analyze how to address jail noncompliance.

The sunset staff report is one of two related to criminal justice issues. Along with the review of the jail commission, the advisory commission also reviewed the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, which it said is unable to provide any meaningful oversight of the states peace officers.

Texas Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, said the report underscored the need to provide more resources and additional guidance to the agency.

Four people reviewing 240 jails (per year) is cursory at best, he said. Not to mention getting bogged down with the bad actors.

Scott Henson, executive director of the justice reform nonprofit Just Liberty, said the jail commissions issues are less severe than TCOLEs but nevertheless face significant challenges.

They dont have the sort of staff to do a deeper dive when an agency has problems  they do inspection, and thats kind of all they have resources for  but they cant necessarily go further, he said. Their failures arent quite as overwhelming. Theyre at least able to do the once-a-year inspections, but then thats it.  They can identify problems but dont have (adequate) staff to help oversee solutions.

'You seem nervous to me': Why most police vehicle searches in Texas turn up nothing

Henson and other criminal justice experts and advocates said the report highlighted one of the agencys biggest shortcomings: vague standards.

Vague standards have real-life consequences, said Texas Jail Project co-founder Diana Claitor, pointing to medical standards that permitted jails to use virtually any medical professional, including those with extremely limited training or expertise, as a facilitys chief medical official.

Claitor pointed to cases in which pregnant women were shackled after giving birth, or other instances when jailers did not recognize women were in labor, leading to dangerous births.

The report also provided an opportunity for the jail commission to provide more detailed guidance to jails based on individual size, said Michele Deitch, an attorney and criminal justice consultant who teaches at the University of Texas at Austins LBJ School of Public Affairs.

These standards set a bare minimum, Deitch said. But that doesnt mean facilities that present different needs or risks shouldnt abide more tailored sets of standards.

This is an agency that does in fact have some teeth, Deitch said. Theres a great deal of potential that has gone unfulfilled, and with these recommendations, they could be so much more effective for the people in custody in these facilities as well as protecting county officials from liability.

st.john.smith@chron.com

twitter.com/stjbs
A conservative group led by an ally of Vice President Mike Pence ran $25,000 worth of ads on Fox News Channel in the Mar-a-Lago market to convince President Donald Trump that Pence remains loyal.

Pence is being put in a precarious position politically as he's supposed to preside over Wednesday's Congressional session that will eventually confirm the election victory of President-elect Joe Biden.

Pence, who long has had 2024 ambitions, has aides working out a way he can uphold his Constitutional duty, while not alienating Trump and his supporters.

A group allied with Vice President Mike Pence spent $25,000 on ads to run on Fox News Channel in the Mar-a-Lago market to convince President Donald Trump over winter break that his vice president remains loyal

Trump (left) has become increasingly reliant on Pence because Pence will president over Wednesday's Congressional session in which lawmakers will ratify the Electoral College results

The Club for Growth ran an ad in the Palm Beach market that countered a Lincoln Project spot that suggested Pence was 'backing away from [Trump's] trainwreck.' The Club for Growth ad called the Lincoln Project 'Never-Trump' and 'Never-Truth'

The Club for Growth ad said the Lincoln Project had run a 'fake ad attacking Pence' and argued that Pence has 'never stopped fighting for President Trump and he's not about to stop now'

Pence's hands will be tied and he will have to announce that Biden won the presidential election once the January 6 Congressional session wraps up. Aides are trying to determine if he can do that and read a statement to appease Trump and his base

Bloomberg reported Monday that Pence might deliver a statement acknowledging Trump's baseless claims of widespread election fraud - while announcing Biden the victor.

The news site also reported that the Club for Growth had bought ads that ran on Fox during Trump's winter vacation in Palm Beach, Florida, that tried to give Pence a boost in the eyes of the president.

The spot, called 'Never,' blasted the Lincoln Project for running an ad that suggested Pence was 'backing away from [Trump's] trainwreck.'

'When Mike Pence is running away from you, you know it's over,' the Lincoln Project's ad said.

The Club for Growth ad said the Lincoln Project was 'never Trump' and 'never truth,' and blasted the Pence ad for being 'fake,' calling the vice president 'Trump's trusted partner for the last four years.'

'He's never stopped fighting for President Trump and he's not about to stop now, the ad continues. 'That's why these Lincoln Project frauds are attacking the vice president.'

'Dishonest, Never Trumpers lying to you because Mike Pence stays true,' the ad says. 'Always has, always will.'

The Club for Growth is run by former Indiana Rep. David McIntosh, who's a close friend of Pence.

Pence was Indiana's governor and a lawmaker for the state before becoming vice president.

McIntosh told Bloomberg the reason why Club for Growth ran the ad was so Trump understood Pence 'remained a good friend.'

Trump has become increasingly reliant on Pence's role in Wednesday's Congressional session to hold onto power.

However, the Constitution doesn't give Pence, in his role as president of the Senate, much more power than to 'open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted.'

Last week, Rep. Louie Gohmert and 'alternate' electors from Arizona and later Michigan tried to change that by suing Pence in federal court with the aim of expanding his powers to that he could choose to count the votes of pro-Trump electors over actual Electoral College electors during the session.

A federal appeals judge threw out the case on Saturday.

The New York Times reported Friday that Trump had called Pence to tell him that he was surprised that the Department of Justice got involved on behalf of the vice president in the case.

The DOJ advised a federal judge to toss the case out.

The Times' Maggie Haberman reported that Trump had expressed even more displeasure to other aides.

There is a process for contesting Electoral College votes, but Congress has never thrown any out.

As the state tallies are read if a member of the House and the Senate signs on to an objection, House members and senators go back to their respective chambers, debate for two hours and then vote.

A simple majority is needed to overrule an objection. And with a House Democratic majority no objections will be successful.

But still at least 12 Republican senators and more than 100 GOP House members say they will object to the vote counts in certain states, claiming concerns about widespread voter fraud - which Trump has alleged, but provided no concrete evidence.

With Republicans ready to object the usually ceremonial procedure could stretch out for hours, even days.

And Pence will have to preside through it all - and, in the end, announce Biden the election winner.
BERLIN: Germanys health ministry is seeking advice on whether to delay administering a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from BioNTech and Pfizer to make scarce supplies go further, according to a document seen by Reuters on Monday.

The ministry is seeking the view of an independent vaccination commission on whether to delay a second shot beyond a 42-day maximum now foreseen, after a similar move by Britain, according to the one-page document.

The update, dated Sunday, follows widespread criticism over the weekend of Health Minister Jens Spahn - including from his conservative political allies - that Germany has failed to procure enough vaccine and been too slow to ramp up a nationwide inoculation campaign.

According to the latest daily update from the Robert Koch Institute, Germany has vaccinated around 239,000 people since starting its campaign on Dec. 27 - short of the 1.3 million doses that were delivered by the end of 2020.

Britains move to delay administering a second dose of the BioNTech/Pfizer shot has been welcomed by a number of German health experts and comes as governments try to provide protection against coronavirus to as many people as possible by giving them one shot as soon as possible and delaying a second.

Other points in the health ministry document include recommending that an extra, sixth dose be drawn from vials of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine - a practice the companies say is feasible with the right needle and syringe and has been allowed in several countries.

European Union approval for a vaccine from Moderna , expected on Wednesday, should add another 1.5 million doses of supply in the coming weeks, it also said. In total, Germany should get 50 million doses of the Moderna shot this year under EU-wide procurement contracts.

Regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine approved last week in the United Kingdom, the German Health Minister said the European Medicines Agencys (EMA) rolling review was proceeding at high pressure".

The goal is, as soon as possible, to decide on the way forward and on the scope of approval" for the AstraZeneca vaccine, the document said.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
India is all set to receive the 1st Covid-19 vaccines as the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved Oxford AstraZeneca's CoviShield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin for restricted use in India.

India is all set to receive the 1st Covid-19 vaccine as the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved Oxford AstraZenecas CoviShield and Bharat Biotechs Covaxin for restricted use in India. In a landmark decision, India is gearing up to begin the biggest vaccination drive for one nation in history. The government has primarily identified 3 priority groups for the vaccination, which include healthcare workers, frontline workers, and senior citizens above 50 years of age with co-morbidities.

While this vaccine addresses an unmet medical need during this pandemic, our goal is to provide global access to populations that need it the most. COVAXIN has generated excellent safety data with robust immune responses to multiple viral proteins that persist: Bharat Biotech MD https://t.co/WkHhnleh0A  ANI (@ANI) January 4, 2021

Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said that it was a watershed moment in Indias famed battle against COVID- 19 under the leadership of PM Modi. He added that the wait for the vaccine was over with Covishield from Serum Institue of India and Covaxin from Bharat Biotech approved for emergency use in India. The union health minister has ensured free vaccination for essential workers while PM Modi has hailed the fact that the approved vaccines have been made in India.

AIIMS director Dr. Randeep Guleria on Sunday clarified that COVAXIN, Bharat Biotechs COVID-19 vaccine is for an emergency situation and not emergency use authorization. As India gears up to roll out the vaccine strategy, a dry vaccine drive across states has also been announced which started from January 2. In the huge nation-wide exercise, an end-to-end mock drill on the vaccine administration was conducted in all States and UTs at 286 session sites spread across 125 districts. Each district conducted the dry run at three sites or more which included a public health facility (District Hospital/Medical College), Private Health Facility, and rural or urban outreach sites.

Also Read: Indias 1st Covid-19 vaccines LIVE Updates: PM Modi congratulates nation; DGCI gives nod to Covishield and Covaxin for emergency use

Also Read: Covid-19 dry run in India: Heres all you need to know

IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad recently announced the launch of the Covid-19 Vaccine Intelligence Network (CoWIN) system to manage and keep track of the country-wide immunization program. Under emergency authorization only officially designated entities will have access to and ability to give vaccines. The first recipient list has already been readied and there will be compulsory Registration and Cowin will communicate the date, time & slot for vaccination and also monitor side-effects & unusual symptoms.


Earn your Associate of Applied Business in Business IT (BIT) degree online from the University of Cincinnati. This program can be completed fully online, with curriculum customized to fit your schedule, interests and how quickly you want to complete your degree. Application deadline July 1, 2021. Learn More 

When it comes to an appetite for data, social media outfits are the most voracious, according to a recent study released this month by cybersecurity company Clario Tech.

The analysis of nearly 50 of the world's biggest brands found that Facebook collects more than 70 percent of all the data it can collect legally about someone using its service.

Other social media brands also collected a lot of data about their users. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, collects almost 59 percent of data available to it, while Tinder sucks up nearly 56 percent and Grindr nearly 53 percent.

- click image to expand -

"Ads are how Facebook makes the most of their money -- around [US]$16.6 billion to be precise, based on their 2018 reports -- so the more they know about you, the more they can sell on," explained Clario Content Manager Mary Atamaniuk, in a company blog."

"As well as the usual, such as your name, location, email address and date of birth, they also collect a whole load of things you might not be aware you gave away," she added.

In fact, of the 32 items of personal information identified as collectible by Clario, only seven aren't grabbed by Facebook -- height, weight, mother's maiden name, bank account details, salary, country of birth, allergies/intolerances and health and lifestyle information.

'People-based' Marketing

From its start, Facebook has differentiated itself from Google by offering people-based marketing -- highly detailed profiles on people and audience segments that can be targeted, explained Greg Sterling, vice president of market insights at Uberall, a maker of location marketing solutions based in Berlin, Germany.

"That has gotten them in a lot of trouble with privacy advocates because of the way the platform has been abused by third-parties," he told TechNewsWorld.

One reason social media platforms collect so much data is that consumers allow a lot of their data to be collected, observed Liz Miller, vice president and a principal analyst at Constellation Research.

"Everything from where they are, what they are doing, what they like, what they dislike, sentiment and mood at a moment, device details -- it's all data consumers are leaving behind on the network," she told TechNewsWorld.

"Social media organizations have done a great job of finding all that data, synthesizing and categorizing it in a way that, not only can be used by themselves, but can be sold as a service to advertisers or internal teams to expand their business."

Not all social media are greedy for data. The Clario analysis showed two popular platforms, TikTok (14.71 percent) and WhatsApp (11.76 percent), at the bottom of the data grabber's list. Ironically, TikTok's U.S. presence has been threatened by the Trump Administration for the Chinese-based company's collecting data on Americans.

Privacy by Design

The report also noted the retail sector, in general, collected less data about its customers than other sectors.

"Despite being the biggest online retailer in the world, (and spending around $11 billion on advertising in 2019,) Amazon only collects a fraction of data compared to other businesses, 23.53%," Atamaniuk wrote.

"Beyond the obvious things, like your name, email address, home address and bank details, it collects little else other than what it needs to run its business," she noted.

"What Amazon has intentionally set out to do is identify the quality data that directly leads to the kind of interaction that moves their business needle, compared to others who collect peta bytes of quantity data that some day might be meaningful," Miller added.

Amazon's approach to data collection appears to be in line with emerging attitudes toward information.

"One of the basic principles of modern data privacy is to collect as little information as needed and to store it for the least amount of time necessary," explained James E. Lee, chief operating officer at the Identity Theft Resource Center in San Diego.

"This is one of the bedrock principles of the European approach to privacy, often described as 'privacy by design,'" he told TechNewsWorld. "It is just now being seriously discussed in the U.S. as a result of state privacy laws, but we have a long way to go before businesses are actively practicing this principle."

How Collected Data Is Being Used

Other retailers with low marks for hoovering data included IKEA (23.53 percent), Nike (26.47 percent) and Depop (26.47 percent). All the outlets store names, email and home addresses, along with bank details to make online purchases easier. In addition, Nike and Depop gather height and weight data to help them target their customers with more appropriate clothes.

Retailers have a different purpose for the data they collect than social media platforms, which is why they may need to collect less of it. "They use it to create better products and better present their products," observed Rob Enderle, president and principal analyst at the Enderle Group in Bend, Ore.

"They consume the data they collect themselves. They don't sell it," he told TechNewsWorld. "The reason they don't sell it is they don't want a competitor buying the data and using it against them. Sharing data is anathema to how they operate."

Atamaniuk noted that given the wealth of data shared with businesses, it'd be no surprise to see some things revealed about consumers that they'd rather be kept private.

"However, thanks to [General Data Protection Regulation]...what companies can actually do with your data is quite limited," she wrote. "Beyond marketing to you and using your data to manage their website, business can't do a lot more."

"You shouldn't get cold calls from businesses you've never spoken to, for example, or find your details are being sold," she continued. "Your data is protected by the policies companies are forced to sign up for, and if they break these policies they could face big fines."

As well-intentioned as laws like the GDPR are, they may still be falling short for many consumers.

"In practice, these things aren't very effective," Sterling maintained. "They put tremendous burdens on the consumer."

He explained that many websites are complying with the letter of laws like the GDPR and California Data Privacy Act, but making it so onerous to do something like stop the reselling of personal data or manage cookies that consumers give up exercising their rights so they can get on with their lives.

"They make you work," he said. "The easiest option is to accept all because you want to get to the content."

John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.


Editor's note: This article is the final installment in a four-part series on how IT leaders can effectively address systemic racism in their organizations. Start reading here or jump to either the first article in the series, which lays the groundwork for effectively addressing systemic racism, the second article in the series, which outlines how IT leaders can begin creating a culture of inclusion and belonging, or the third article in the series, which offers a 5-step approach to building a fair, equitable, and just IT culture.

Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.  Ruth Bader Ginsburg, U.S. Supreme Court Justice

The decision to take a stand against systemic racism by actively supporting social justice reform can be a difficult and pivotal choice for any organization. In todays social and political climate, there are increased expectations by both employees and consumers for companies to get actively involved in supporting social justice initiatives moving forward.

According to the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer report, 64% of survey respondents say they believe that CEOs can create positive changes in prejudice and discrimination, while 54% say that CEOs should speak publicly on controversial political and social issues that employees care about. And 53% of consumers say that every brand has a responsibility to get involved in at least one social issue that does not directly impact its business.

By actively supporting social justice initiatives in their local communities, corporate leaders can realize several strategic benefits as it relates to the organizations DE&I strategy and cultivating a fair and equitable workplace culture. It demonstrates leadership accountability and organizational commitment to diversity and inclusion, promotes continuous learning opportunities for employees who volunteer their time to community organizations, and improves the overall sustainability of the DE&I strategy.

Developing a social justice reform strategy

IT leaders must be thoughtful, open-minded, and measured when determining if they should develop a social justice reform strategy. In a recent Harvard Business Review article, Paul Argenti, professor of corporate communication at the Tuck School of Business, proposes that corporate leaders should consider the following 3 questions to guide their approach:

Does the issue align with your companys strategy?

Can you meaningfully influence the issue?

Will your constituencies agree with speaking out?

Once corporate leadership decides to proceed with implementing a social justice initiative, it is critical for the leadership team to immediately start managing the new initiative as a core business strategy for the organization. Then, the leadership team must communicate the overall purpose of the social justice reform strategy to all employees and clearly explain how it aligns with the companys core values and strategic interests in the community.

During these early engagements, leaders should encourage all employees to get involved in supporting the new corporate initiative in various ways, if they are interested in doing so. Additionally, the board of directors, as well as other key constituents like customers or third-party vendors, should be engaged to support the new strategic imperative for the organization.

Leadership in action

Throughout 2020, many companies have issued corporate pledges and made financial commitments to demonstrate their support of various social justice initiatives in local communities. The most successful of these commitments identify a social justice initiative that both aligns with the companys core values and resonates with employees in a meaningful way. Here are several examples of companies demonstrating their commitment to social justice reform in their own way:

Netflix Inc.

In the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, Netflix announced a new corporate commitment to invest 2% of cash holdings into financial institutions and organizations that directly support Black communities across the Unites States. The initial investment into this social justice initiative will be up to $100 million, including $25 million to a new fund called the Black Economic Development Initiative and $10 million to Hope Credit Union. These capital investments will help promote economic opportunity in the communities both of these organizations serve.

A series of innovative leadership sessions led by Netflixs director of talent acquisition Aaron Mitchell and curated by Yardstick Managements CEO Dr. Ebbie Parsons helped shape this new social justice initiative. Mitchell collaborated with Parsons to facilitate conversations with Black executives from multiple industries and corporate functions across the United States. During these candid executive discussions, participants provided feedback regarding their personal experiences with racial inequalities in the workplace. The group was encouraged to openly discuss specific leadership actions that organizations can employ to effectuate meaningful changes in the future.

Author's note: I had the opportunity to participate in one of these engaging conversations in March, 2020, and found it to be a powerful example of the benefit of engaging a diverse group of talented individuals in open and deliberate dialog regarding DE&I opportunities in the workplace.

Connecticut Attorneys Title Insurance Company (CATIC)

In addition to enhancing CATICs focus on its internal DE&I strategy, the senior management team also identified a clear opportunity to leverage the companys strategic relationships with key constituents in the real estate industry and legal experts to begin actively addressing various housing inequities consistently encountered by people of color. (Disclaimer: The author is SVP and CHRO at CATIC, a member of the board of directors, and President of the CATIC Foundation)

The following strategic actions were initiated by the senior leadership team and the board:

Developed and incorporated a new social justice reform strategy into the companys strategic business plan and openly communicated the business rationale with all employees;

Launched an employee-led project team to focus on improving the historically low percentage of minority home ownership across the country, including establishing new partnerships with community organizations and key stakeholders in the home buying ecosystem;

Obtained full commitment from the board of directors to initiate a board-led project team focused on promoting fair housing standards; and

Expanded the scope of the CATIC Foundation, the companys philanthropic organization, to strategically support social justice initiatives through socially responsible investments and charitable donations to community organizations.

Rock Family of Companies

This summer, Jay Farner, CEO Rock Family of Companies, announced his commitment to promote racial equality for all Black employees and the residents of Detroit, as well. He outlined a comprehensive action plan for the organization, which includes specific DE&I strategies that will help cultivate a fair and equitable workplace culture for people of color. The company is also committed to leveraging its scale and influence in the mortgage and lending industry to actively address systemic policy issues with regard to fair housing standards across the country. Additionally, the company will create opportunities to directly partner with organizations like the Detroit Police Department to promote constructive dialog in the local community to help address difficult social justice issues.

Most importantly, Farner openly communicated the companys commitment to actively engaging all employees, clients, and the local community in social justice reform moving forward. Saying Black lives matter simply is not enough. We need to hold one another accountable in this pursuit of racial equity, and acknowledge that we will only succeed if we stand together. I invite all businesses across the country to set a course of action that will be the impetus for change that is far overdue in our country, Farner writes in an op-ed published in the Michigan Chronicle.

The power of collaboration

AT&Ts decade-long It Can Wait campaign against texting while driving is a great example of how companies, not-for-profit organizations, government agencies, and the community-at-large can successfully work together over an extended period of time to address a complex and pervasive issue in our society. Here is a timeline of several key outcomes over the past 10 years:

March 2010: AT&T launches the Texting & Driving, It Can Wait campaign.

May 2013: All major carriers, including Verizon Wireless, Sprint and T-Mobile, join the campaign along with more than 1,500 other companies.

April 2016: Research indicates that states with anti-texting laws experience significantly lower rates of texting while driving incidents.

June 2017: Only three states have not enacted legislation banning texting while driving.

September 2019: New collaborations are formed with companies such as General Motors and Swift Transportation to encourage consumers to speak up about the dangers of distracted driving.

Through this engaging and deliberate approach, AT&T created opportunities to actively involve all key constituents in their ecosystem to collectively address a serious issue that had an adverse impact on the quality of life for everyone, particularly young drivers who have a propensity for texting as a primary form of communication. Consequently, countless lives have been protected in our society as a result of this purposeful and collaborative effort in the community.

Following the texting while driving example, companies must create new opportunities to collaborate with one another as a corporate community to address issues of systemic racism. If companies thoughtfully and intentionally partner with other organizations that possess a similar desire to address social justice issues in their local communities, then the cumulative impact of their joint efforts will have a substantial impact on systemic racism over time.

For instance, a new corporate community was recently announced that will focus on training Black talent for a variety of corporate positions. According to the Wall Street Journal, The startup, called OneTen, aims to create one million jobs for Black Americans over the next 10 years and has so far recruited over 35 company backers and raised more than $100 million in seed funding. Furthermore, Nonprofits, community colleges and credentialing organizations will provide training to help them be successful in business, and the CEOs who have joined the effort are committing to hiring these workers. This is a great example of how companies can effectively leverage their tools and resources to collectively initiate meaningful actions that will directly address systemic racism over time.

The keys to future success

Throughout the Answering the Call series, Ive covered several critical topics that will help leaders begin the work of eradicating systemic racism in the workplace. To summarize, there are four fundamental actions that corporate leaders must execute when embarking on this transformational journey:

Lead with purpose and personal conviction. IT leaders must act now with clear purpose to begin the journey to eradicating systemic racism in the workplace and remain steadfast in their commitment to do so.

IT leaders must act now with clear purpose to begin the journey to eradicating systemic racism in the workplace and remain steadfast in their commitment to do so. Build genuine connections. Leaders must be committed to establishing genuine connections, rooted in mutual respect and trust, with a segment of the employee population that has historically been made to feel ignored and disconnected.

Leaders must be committed to establishing genuine connections, rooted in mutual respect and trust, with a segment of the employee population that has historically been made to feel ignored and disconnected. Take deliberate strategic actions. Developing a comprehensive DE&I strategy and seamlessly integrating meaningful inclusive practices into the workplace culture requires continuous commitment by the organization over time and the ongoing influence of authentic leaders with specialized skills.

Developing a comprehensive DE&I strategy and seamlessly integrating meaningful inclusive practices into the workplace culture requires continuous commitment by the organization over time and the ongoing influence of authentic leaders with specialized skills. Activate new community engagements. Building meaningful strategic partnerships with similarly committed institutions in the local community will have real impact on addressing issues of systemic racism in society.

It is also important for leaders to remember that taking specific actions to eradicate systemic racism in the workplace will be challenging, intimidating, and controversial at times. Leaders may become apprehensive about getting actively involved in social justice reform as they learn more about the vast complexities associated with the institution of systemic racism. Nonetheless, IT leaders must remain committed to creating a better workplace culture by taking one step at a time towards achieving a brighter future for Black talent. This requires a bold commitment to always demonstrating authentic leadership both at work and in the community.
Falun Gong practitioners demonstrate an illegal act of paying for human organs, which happens in China, in Washington, D.C., on April 19, 2016. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Leaked Report Reveals Systematic Malpractice in Chinas Organ Transplant System: Expert

Evidence of large-scale forced organ harvesting has cast a shadow on Chinas organ transplant system for more than a decade.

Now an internal document analyzing organ allocation and transplant data in a Chinese province has revealed systemic reporting anomalies by hospitals. The anomalies cast doubt on the credibility of Chinas official organ registration system, which may further point to state-sanctioned organ extraction from prisoners against their will, according to an experts analysis of the report findings.

The report, obtained from a trusted source, had been compiled by the China Organ Transplant Response System (COTRS), a body set up by Chinas National Health Commission (NHC) in 2011 to register and allocate organs. Under this regime, organs registered in COTRS are matched and allocated to patients in need.

It revealed that from Jan. 1, 2015, to April 13, 2018, nationally, 3,130 organs had been registered in COTRS only after the transplant had taken place.

This is really ridiculous, Dr. Torsten Trey, executive director of medical ethics advocacy group Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting, told The Epoch Times in an email. This large number of transplants being entered into COTRS only after the surgeries indicates systematic malpractice, he said.

Since 2015, the Chinese regime has been claiming that organs for transplant come only from voluntary donors. In an ordinary organ allocation program, potential organ donors should be reported to the allocation system (in this case, COTRS), which then matches the organs to suitable recipients.

But here, the organs [were] allocated without COTRS, Trey said.

This could be a strong hint that organs are harvested on demand.

In 2019, an independent tribunal found, after a year-long investigation, that the Chinese regime has forcibly harvested the organs of prisoners of conscience for the transplant market on a substantial scale, a practice that continues today.

The primary victims are detained Falun Gong practitioners, it found. Adherents of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice, have been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party for more than two decades, with millions having been detained in prisons, labor camps, and other facilities, according to the Falun Dafa Information Center.

Trey said that because thousands of organs appear to have bypassed the allocation process, the entire system cant be trusted.

If 3,000 organs are not entered, how can we guarantee that 30,000 organs are not entered? he said. Maybe they had 30,000 transplants and then decided to register 3,000 of them in COTRS.

Once the process is breached, anything can happen.

Trey suggested that COTRS might just be an empty shell or a sugar coating for Western doctors.

Western doctors are being deceived that COTRS is similar to other organ allocation programs, he said.

Reporting Breaches

The COTRS report analyzed organ allocation and transplant data in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang from Jan. 1, 2015, to April 13, 2018. Alongside COTRS data, the report draws upon data from companion NHC databases, the China Liver Transplant Registry, and the Chinese Scientific Registry for Kidney Transplantation, as well as information from hospitals organ procurement offices.

The report said that, nationally, 2,036 organs were registered in COTRS without sources specified. Trey said that this again demonstrated sluggish reporting not to the standard of Western allocation programs.

It also found that 104 organs were allocated to hospitals in Zhejiang but were ultimately not used for transplant. This figure represented 2.6 percent of the organs registered in COTRS in the province during the time period, according to data cited in the report.

That more than 100 organsor even any organwould be allocated to a hospital and not be used would be 100 percent impossible in other regions with developed transplant systems such as the United States and Europe, Trey said.

In the case of an organ recipient passing away before the transplant surgery, then the hospital would need to inform COTRS to suspend the organ transfer or reallocate it, he said, noting that it was unlikely that more than 100 patients would die before their transplant.

If those organs were not used, and not reallocated, that would suggest a sluggish organization or such an abundance of organs that really, nobody would care about them, Trey said.

In the report, COTRS also identified several issues in the system that indicated that hospitals in Zhejiang may have falsified medical data, manipulated organs distribution, and cheated [the COTRS system] to get donated organs.

It found more than 1,400 instances of a donors or recipients data being changed within one hour before transplant, or new recipients being added to the waiting list just before they received the transplant.

This is awful, Trey said, adding that it demonstrates fraudulent practice by hospitals.

If made public to the Western transplant community, it should cause outcry about bad practices.

The Epoch Times found that one of the hospitals identified in the report as an authorized hospital that performed transplant operations, Shulan Hospital, is not on the Chinese regimes official list of transplant hospitals.

If this hospital is not officially a transplant hospital, what other hospital is performing transplants [without authorization]? Trey said.

COTRS found that five hospitals that were not authorized to conduct organ transplants had performed 43 transplant operations during the statistical period.

This isnt the first time Chinas official organ transplant data has raised alarm bells.

A 2019 study published in the scientific journal BMC Medical Ethics found that there was highly compelling evidence that the Chinese regime was systematically falsifying its organ donation data. It found that the official figures conformed almost precisely to a mathematical formula, a quadratic equation.

Rising Ambitions

Despite heightened scrutiny on Chinas organ transplant practices, Beijing is gearing up to expand the industry.

Even as the CCP virus ravaged China in 2020, Chinas organ transplant industry conducted business as usual, with no obvious organ waiting time delays, according to a July investigation by the U.S. nonprofit World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong. One nurse in the Guangxi region told the investigators that, despite fears of COVID-19 infection, they would do the surgery whenever there is one, only that they wont go crazy like during the pre-pandemic times.

Huang Jiefu, former Chinese vice health minister and head of the China National Organ Donation and Transplantation Committee, boasted at a conference in October 2020 that China had become the second-largest organ transplant country in the world.

During this COVID-19 pandemic, organ donation and transplantation was developed in a very smooth and high efficient way in our country, Huang said.

He added that China could become the largest organ transplant country within three years if it could solve three bottleneck problems, being high cost, shortage of transplant capability, and lack of organs.

The NHC changed transplant rules in August last year to make it easier for doctors and hospitals to be authorized to perform organ transplants.

In December, U.S. lawmakers introduced bills that would sanction foreign officials involved in forced organ harvesting.

There is growing evidence that the Chinese Communist Party has and continues to harvest organs from prisoners and members of Chinese religious groups, bill co-sponsor Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said at the time.

Its past time to hold Beijing accountable for these heinous acts.

Eva Fu contributed to this report.
Rep. Liz Cheney, the Number Three elected House leader, has warned colleagues that an election challenge backed by a dozen GOP senators and dozens more House members threatens to 'steal' states' ability to run their own elections.

Cheney, who chairs the House GOP Conference and is the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, spelled out her concerns in a 21-page memo that shreds fraud claims put forward by President Trump and his lawyers  and quotes numerous admonitions from judges who slapped down 'kraken' lawsuits.

Amid the brewing civil war within the GOP, her lengthy summary calls out White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany for her claims about the import of a case that went bust, as well as former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, who has met with Trump at the White House to plot his strategy to overturn the election result.

Representative Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the House GOP Conference chair, takes apart fraud claims by Trump and his allies by quoting a series of judges, and warns against challenging electors in states Joe Biden won

'There is substantial reason for concern about the precedent Congressional objections will set here,' Cheney writes in advance of Wednesday's joint congressional meeting, where some Trump loyalists are vowing to object to seating electors in states that went for Joe Biden where Trump claims there was fraud.

'By objecting to electoral slates, members are unavoidably asserting that Congress has the authority to overturn elections and overrule state and federal courts. Such objections set an exceptionally dangerous precedent, threatening to steal states' explicit constitutional responsibility for choosing the President and bestowing it instead on Congress,' she writes, in a document obtained by DailyMail.com.

She also goes after White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany for her televised claim about a Nevada case that fell apart

Judicial takedowns of former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell are peppered throughout Cheney's document

UNITED STATES - JANUARY 3: Former Vice President Dick Cheney looks on as his daughter Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., takes the oath of office on the House floor on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017

She blasts an effort by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz to challenge electors in states Trump lost

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., was the first GOP Senator to say he would challenge electors in states Trump lost

'This is directly at odds with the Constitution's clear text and our core beliefs as Republicans. Democrats have long attempted, unconstitutionally, to federalize every element of our nationincluding elections. Republicans should not embrace Democrats' unconstitutional position on these issues,' according to Cheney.

She also blasts a proposal put forward by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and other Republicans to form a commission that would rush to put out a report on election fraud  despite the date set in statute for counting the votes of the Electoral College. Inauguration Day is just over two weeks away.

'The recent proposal for a new 'Commission' is even more problematic. It is not reasonable to anticipate that any commission so formed could wrap up its work in 10 days; indeed, the subsequent debate at both the state and federal level would likely require months,' she writes.

'Did those proposing a new commission realize that they were in essence proposing to delay the inaugural? Did they mean to set up a new future precedent where the inaugural is delayed and we have an 'Acting President?' For how long? Who decides when that process is over? Will that require another Act of Congress?'

She continued: 'Could the Acting President veto any such future Congressional action? If Congress has authority to create such a commission now, are state elections, recounts and state law legal challenges just 'make-work' until Congress gets around to investigating and deciding who should be President? Members who support the new commission proposal may need to answer each of these questions. And in particular, Members should be prepared to answer how such a commission would be justified by the actual text of our founding documents.'

Cheney then goes on to quote numerous judges who slapped down suits by Trump and his allies, including Powell, who once said she would unleash the kraken with her legal barrage.

She quotes Judge Timothy Batten, a federal Bush appointee in Georgia, slapping down one Powell kraken case.

'Finally, in their complaint, the Plaintiffs essentially ask the Court for perhaps the most extraordinary relief ever sought in any Federal Court in connection with an election. They want this Court to substitute its judgment for that of two-and-a-half million Georgia voters who voted for Joe Biden, and this I am unwilling to do,' she quotes Batten ruling.

She also goes after McEnany for her televised claim about a Nevada case that fell apart.

'The President's spokesperson, Kayleigh McEnany stated on television (Hannity, Dec. 2, 2020) that this was the 'most important case' and would finally vet the Trump legal claims. The Court did indeed vet all the legal claims, including allegations regarding Dominion voting machines, and issued a detailed ruling that the evidence presented did not support the President's claims,' Cheney writes.

Taking on conspiracy theory claims about Dominion voting machines that Trump continues to voice, she wrote: 'The Court assessed evidence submitted regarding the Dominion voting machine allegations specifically and concluded the evidence was not credible.'

'President Trump's legal team appealed each of the issues up through the Nevada Supreme Court. That Court unanimously affirmed the ruling of the trial court judge, explaining: 'Despite our earlier order asking appellants to identify specific findings with which they take issue, appellants have not pointed to any unsupported factual findings, and we have identified none,'' she notes.

She also quotes U.S. District Judge Linda Parker, whose blistering ruling told Powell that 'The people have spoken' in tossing out her suit.

'[T]o be perfectly clear, Plaintiffs' equal protection claim is not supported by any allegation that Defendants' alleged schemes caused votes for President Trump to be changed to votes for Vice President Biden,' Cheney quotes the Barack Obama-appointed judge ruling.

'For example, the closest Plaintiffs get to alleging that physical ballots were altered in such a way is the following statement in an election challenger's sworn affidavit: 'I believe some of these workers were changing votes that had been cast for Donald Trump and other Republican candidates.'

Cheney's paper is a departure from the line some Republicans have sought to straddle  stressing the possibility of fraud and Trump's right to allege it even after scores of legal rulings against Trump and his allies, recounts, and state certifications.

In his statement announcing he, too, opposed election challenges, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said: 'I share the concerns of many Arkansans about irregularities in the presidential election, especially in states that rushed through election-law changes to relax standards for voting-by-mail.'

'I also share their disappointment with the election results. I therefore support a commission to study the last election and propose reforms to protect the integrity of our elections,' he said.

But Cotton added that states, not Congress, are entrusted to oversee elections and it would be a dangerous precedent for Congress to overturn the results of the November vote.

'I will not oppose the counting of certified electoral votes on January 6,' Cotton, a potential presidential candidate, wrote.
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A woman arrested by anti-terror cops during an investigation into UDA drug dealing has been convicted of possessing cocaine, prescription pills and criminal property.

Chantelle Crozier will be sentenced in February after losing a contest hearing at Belfast Magistrates Court.

The 32-year-old admitted having cocaine, temazepam tablets and smuggled cigarettes during Paramilitary Crime Taskforce raids at her Carrickfergus home in September 2019. She was also found guilty of possessing criminal property.

However, the mum-of-one denied the more serious charges of drug dealing which were withdrawn by the prosecution.

Crozier was suspected of being part of a group of 'lily-white' females, with no criminal records, who the South East Antrim UDA used to move drugs around Carrickfergus.

This was to avoid attention from cops who have cracked down hard on the terror gang since its sickening murder of terminally-ill Glenn Quinn, who was beaten to death in the Co Antrim town a year ago.



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Loyalist sources say the female drug transport network was shut down after details of it were revealed in this newspaper last April following Crozier's first court appearance.

"The drugs and cigarettes Chantelle had in her possession belonged to the UDA," explained an insider.

"At the time it had a group of women who would move cocaine and cannabis around Carrick, but that was stopped after Chantelle was in the papers. They knew the cops were onto them."

Continuous pressure from the Paramilitary Crime Taskforce has backed the South East Antrim UDA's leadership into a corner, with its leaders fearing having assets seized and living like recluses as a result.



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Its veteran 'brigadier' Gary Fisher, once a fitness fanatic who would go on 50-mile cycles, now rarely leaves his home in the coastal town of Greenisland.

The UDA's Carrickfergus boss Clifford 'Trigger' Irons - a self-confessed cocaine user - has aged terribly having been forced to hand over his home to the National Crime Agency, and witness his wife Tanya convicted of benefit fraud.

Meanwhile, the once-feared UDA boss in the Rathcoole estate - which is the gang's powerbase - is living the life of a hermit after developing a serious cocaine addiction.

"The three of them are under real pressure, the Taskforce really has them rattled," said our source.

"Fisher is convinced he will be hit with an Unexplained Wealth Order when they become law here, that's why he moved from his house in Rathcoole to Greenisland.



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"Y (name withheld for legal reasons) is supposed to be in charge of the Rathcoole UDA, but the only thing on his mind is where he is getting his next line of coke.

"He was seen out at the shop last week, which isn't like him because he sits at home all day taking drugs. People couldn't believe how gaunt he was, he looked terrible," added our UDA source.

"The same goes for Trigger whose hair has fallen out with all the worry of losing his house and the wife being convicted of benefit fraud."

The South East Antrim UDA, which has approximately 2,000 members, is considered by police to be the biggest criminal gang in Northern Ireland. Led by Fisher, it controls drug turf stretching from Larne 20 miles along the east Antrim coast to north Belfast, and pockets of Newtownards.

Sunday Life
(Newser)  President Trump has fired back against a member of what he calls the "Surrender Caucus"also known as the majority of Republican senators. In a tweet Monday, the president slammed Arkansas GOP Sen. Tom Cotton, who said Sunday that he would not be joining the dozen or so senators who plan to object to the election results when Congress meets to certify them on Wednesday, the Hill reports. "How can you certify an election when the numbers being certified are verifiably WRONG," Trump said, adding that he would release the "real numbers" in his Monday night speech in Georgia. "Republicans have pluses & minuses, but one thing is sure, THEY NEVER FORGET!" he told Cotton.

story continues below

In a release Sunday, Cotton, normally one of Trump's closest allies in the Senate, warned that if Congress overturned the Electoral College vote, it "would essentially end presidential elections and place that power in the hands of whichever party controls Congress." Trumpwho urged Georgia's secretary of state Saturday to "find" enough votes to change the resulthas been praising Republicans who plan to challenge the results Wednesday and promoting primary challengers against those who don't plan to raise objections. "The 'Surrender Caucus' within the Republican Party will go down in infamy as weak and ineffective 'guardians' of our Nation, who were willing to accept the certification of fraudulent presidential numbers!" he said in another tweet Monday. (Read more Election 2020 stories.)
Liverpool travel to play Southampton tonight in the Premier League as Jurgen Klopps side looks for its first win in three games.

Southampton are also four games without a win, as it happens. Ralph Hasenhuttls side has struggled to find the net of late, with just one goal in those four matches for The Saints.

Klopp is without Joel Matip, Naby Keita, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Diogo Jota and Kostas Tsimikas for this game. Its possible that Matip, Keita, Jota and Tsimikas are all back in contention for the first team at some stage in January.

Gomez and Van Dijk face longer roads back and neither is expected to feature before May, or April at the very earliest.

Alisson Becker will continue in goals for Liverpool. In front of him, Klopp faces his first tough decision  who should partner Fabinho in central defence. I believe Rhys Williams could be called upon after missing out on The Reds 0-0 draw at Newcastle. Nat Phillips played at St James Park but its a toss-up between Williams and Phillips for this game.

The big news in midfield is that Klopp has said Thiago Alcantara could start.

Speaking at his pre-Southampton press conference about the return of Thiago and Xherdan Shaqiri as subs against Newcastle, Klopp said:

I think of the 20 minutes, 12 round about were brilliant and then he felt the intensity, but thats normal. He trained exactly twice with the team. There is still some physical work to do, still some rhythm to get. Shaq is back and thats, by the way, the best news  the boys are back and, as far as I know in the moment, nobody got injured, which is a very important thing. That means we can probably go with the same squad to Southampton.

It remains to be seen whether Klopp feels that Thiago is now fit enough to start at Southampton. Its more than likely that we will see the Spain international on the bench again. The Liverpool midfield could consist of Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. It would be a first Premier League start of the campaign for The Ox if so.

With Jota out injured and Divock Origi struggling to impress when he does get any game-time, Klopp will probably stick with a full-strength front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.

Predicted Liverpool lineup (4-3-3) vs Southampton: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Williams R, Fabinho, Robertson; Henderson, Wijnaldum, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Salah, Firmino, Mane

For the most in-depth tactical and statistical analysis regarding Liverpool FC, sign up now! The original home of Pressing Stats, Anfield Index also brings you the latest views from club legends such as Jan Molby.

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The global tally of cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has topped 85 million with more than 1.8 million deaths, the Johns Hopkins University tracker shows, even as vaccination drives are underway in several countries. On Sunday, India approved its first two Covid-19 vaccines and immunisation drive, likely to be the worlds largest, is expected to begin soon.

Here are some latest updates on the Covid-19 vaccine front:

1. Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Sunday announced it had given approval for use in emergency cases of the respective vaccines of Oxford University-AstraZeneca, and Bharat Biotech International Limited. Covishield, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, will be manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), while Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotechs Covaxin is the countrys first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine. A third vaccine candidate, ZyCoV-D of Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila, was given the nod for phase 3 trials.

Click here for full Covid-19 coverage

2. The United Kingdom will on Monday start giving shots of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine, which was approved by the countrys health regulators last week. Covishield will be the second Covid-19 vaccine to be used in the UK, which last month became the first country to start a vaccination drive, administering shots of the Pfizer Inc-BioNTech SE vaccine.

3. An association of private health clinics in Brazil confirmed on Sunday it was in talks to procure from Indias Bharat Biotech, five million doses of its Covaxin. The Brazilian Association of Vaccine Clinics (ABCVAC) confirmed on its website it had signed an MoU for Covaxin, which received authorisation in India on Sunday. Brazil is yet to get a Covid-19 vaccine and any deal will have to be approved by the South American countrys health regulator, Anvisa. Brazil is the third worst-hit country in the world, after the United States and India, respectively.

4. Jordans prime minister Bisher al-Khasawneh on Sunday announced his government had agreed to purchase vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech SE, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO). While 1 million doses will be purchased from Pfizer-BioNTech SE, 2 million will be procured from the WHO, under its COVAX programme. However, it was not specified when these vaccines would be received.

(With agency inputs)
Sarah Simental, an 18-year-old high school student from Tinley Park, Illinois, died December 26 just days after becoming sick with COVID-19. About one week before Christmas, Simental became ill with a headache and congestion. By December 23 her condition had rapidly deteriorated and she was taken to Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox. After it became apparent that she needed intensive care, Simental was airlifted to the University of Chicago Medical Center.

In a video interview shared by the press, Sarahs mother Deborah Simental reported that at first it seemed that her daughter may have only come down with the common cold. However, her symptoms quickly became more concerning. There was vomiting, and she was getting the chills, and the body aches, said Simental.

After having spent days in the hospital with no signs of improvement and being placed on oxygen machines, Sarah suffered a series of strokes which led to cardiac arrest. The Cook County medical examiners office reported that Simentals death was the result of acute hypoxic respiratory failure due to COVID-19 infection, with non-traumatic cerebral hemorrhages as a contributing factor. She had no prior health concerns and was in perfect health before becoming infected with COVID-19.

Sarah Simental (family photos)

Sarah Simental is now one of 483 Americans aged 15 to 24 years old to have died of COVID-19. Her mother told the press, Sarah is an example that it can happen to the youngest and healthiest people. Sarahs parents urged that people take the pandemic seriously and wanted to speak out on her daughters death to demonstrate that young people are also at risk of dying from the pandemic.

Sarahs mother, wanting others to understand her familys pain and hopefully prevent similar tragedies, urged others not to take any risks, saying, Youre going to have a Christmas next year. Youre going to have a Thanksgiving, youre going to have a birthday, and my daughter along with hundreds of thousands of other people are not going to have those things with their family members anymore. You need to take it seriously.

We are living it and it is an absolute nightmare, Deborah Simental told reporters. In the last conversation between the mother and daughter Sarah told her mother she was sorry that she would miss being home for Christmas. Deborah assured Sarah that she should not worry and that they would celebrate the holiday after she recovered. Deborah said that Sarah replied saying, Mom, its going to be okay, before adding through tears, And that was my last conversation with my daughter.

A senior at Lincoln Way East High School in Frankfort, Illinois, Simental was just a few months from graduating in the spring. In addition to being missed by her family and friends Sarah was known for her love of animals, especially the familys dog Bailey. She was a volunteer at a local pet rescue before having to stop due to the pandemic. Her mother recalled that Sarah often wanted to bring multiple dogs home from the shelter to give them a better home. In her memory, Sarahs family asked that donations be made to the PAWS animal shelter instead of sending flowers at her funeral.

Her life, like the other hundreds of thousands who have died, was cut short by the murderous policy of the US government that has refused to shut down schools, nonessential production and implement lockdowns that would have prevented the spread of the virus.

Sarahs death underscores the recklessness of the plans to reopen schools, which have and will become massive spreading centers of the virus. The claim that young people cannot be seriously affected by the pandemic is a lie. Particularly now, as vaccines have begun to be distributed which can help stop the pandemic in the future, is it more important than ever to avoid any unnecessary exposure to the virus and continued loss of life.

Despite story after story like Sarah, major cities like San Diego, Chicago, Tacoma, Seattle and New York are preparing to open schools and put millions in danger. In Chicago, where Sarah died, the city is planning to have students and teachers back in the classroom as early as January 11, 2021.

To prevent similar tragedy there must be an immediate shutdown of schools, all nonessential workplaces and consistent resources provided to prevent hunger and homelessness. Only after it has been scientifically proven that enough of the population has been inoculated with the vaccine and otherwise allow for safe gatherings should restrictions be lifted.

Students and youth who want to protect themselves and their families must actively take up this fight. We urge young people to join the International Youth and Students for Social Equality to help build a movement in the working class that can organize a response to the pandemic based on the defense of human life and not the defense of profits.
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WASHINGTON  Their candidate may have lost the election, but President Donald Trumps supporters have no intention of fading away. After spending weeks amplifying Trumps unfounded claims that the November election was rigged against him, many of his loyal fans are eagerly awaiting his next ventures, including a potential presidential run in 2024.

In the meantime, they present a daunting challenge for President-elect Joe Biden: how to govern a bitterly divided nation that now includes many who not only disagree with his policies, but view him as an illegitimate president who won only because of mass election fraud, which did not actually happen.

The effort by the Trump forces to delegitimize Biden has poisoned our political bloodstream so badly that it could take years to recover, said David Gergen, who served as an adviser to Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.

Trump will leave the White House on Jan. 20 with an iron grip on a Republican Party that has been transformed on his watch. Once known for its country club elites and embrace of military intervention and free trade, the GOP under Trump has become a populist party with an America first foreign policy that has alienated allies and fomented distrust in both international and domestic government institutions.

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I think the Republican Party today is the party of President Trump, and so his positions are the positions of the Republican voters, Sen. Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, recently told SiriusXM. The Utah senator said he believes Trumps enormous influence with the party is likely to wane to a certain degree as new faces step forward.

But among those that are circling the 2024 race, beyond President Trump, it seems that many of them are headed in the same, more populist-oriented direction, he said.

In any case, Trump has no intention of ceding the spotlight as he openly flirts with running again in four years.

Trump will loom very large over the Republican Party, predicted Alyssa Farah, until recently White House communications director. Dont expect Trump and Trumpism to go off into the sunset, Farah says.

Hes got the most energetic base in modern political history, she said. What the party is going to face is the reality that the president, even though it looks like he didnt win, got more votes than a Romney, than a McCain, than any Republican candidate in history. And we cant discount the voices of those 70 million Americans.

Exactly what Trumps post-White House future will look like is a work in progress.

He is expected to decamp to Florida with a small coterie of aides, where he will likely continue to use his Twitter bullhorn to reward allies and lash out at those who cross him as he mulls his next venture. That has put many of those eyeing taking on his mantle to run in 2024 in an awkward position.

Look, hes the leader of this movement. No matter what happens in 2020, 2024 is there for his taking, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a recent appearance on Fox News Channel. His base is strong, theyre not going away.

That also poses a conundrum for Biden, who will take an oath to lead a nation that appears more bitterly divided than at any time in modern history. Those divisions have only been exacerbated by Trumps campaign to cast doubt on the integrity of the election and overturn the will of the American people.

As a result, just 60% of Americans, including just 23% of Republicans, believe Bidens victory was legitimate, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll.

Trump has repeatedly blamed his defeat on widespread voter fraud, despite the consensus of nonpartisan election officials that there wasnt any. Of the dozens of lawsuits the president and his allies have filed challenging election results, nearly all have been dismissed or dropped.

Gergen said the future of Trumps base will likely depend on a number of factors, including how the media cover him post-presidency and whether he becomes embroiled in legal troubles. He predicted Trumps actions will make it far harder for Biden to govern.

Its going to be harder for a lot of Republicans to come to the negotiating table, Gergen said. He added that Trumps backers were likely to keep a lot of pressure on mainstream Republicans not to break too often.

Charlie Sykes, a conservative talk radio host-turned-Trump critic who bemoaned Trumps efforts to de-legitimize Bidens election, sees the potential for long-term damage to trust in fundamental Democratic institutions.

Trumpism is going to be a major force because hes both a cause and symptom of our division, Sykes said. And he leaves behind him a legacy of real distrust, real divisions, Americans really not trusting one another, not trusting institutions.

Biden is well aware of the difficult road ahead in uniting a divided nation. But his aides have expressed confidence, pointing to positive signs like General Motors recent decision to switch sides in its legal fight against Californias right to set its own clean-air standards. And they voice hope that Biden may be able to appeal to some of Trumps working-class voters with priorities like bolstering American manufacturing and ensuring critical supplies are made in the U.S.

We are realistic that there will always be folks who refuse to support the president-elects agenda that more than 81 million Americans voted for. But thats not everyone, said Biden transition spokesman TJ Ducklo. We believe there are a lot of Americans who voted for Donald Trump who just want their elected officials to deliver meaningful help during this once-in-a-generation crisis.

That will depend on people like Marthamae Kottschade, a self-described Trumper and member of Trumps Front Row Joes, who traveled the county attending the presidents campaign rallies.

Kottschade, who lives in Rochester, Minnesota, said she still has her Washington, D.C., hotel room booked for Inauguration Day and expects to see Trump sworn in again as president, even though Trump has no realistic path to overturn Bidens victory.

She said if Biden does end up in the White House, a lot of Trump supporters are ready to get more involved in politics at the local level before moving on to the next election.

I know its a movement. We firmly believe that as Trumpians, she said. A year from now we may have Joe Biden as our president.  We will have to accept it. This was the hand we were dealt with. And move on from there.

___

Follow Colvin on Twitter at https://twitter.com/colvinj
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For the first time, OPCW chief Fernando Arias was asked a series of direct questions at the United Nations about the cover-up of a Syria chemical weapons probe. He answered none of them.

Russias UN ambassador asked Arias about several damning leaks, some revealed by The Grayzone, as well as ongoing deceptive attacks on the veteran scientists who challenged the censorship of their investigation. Arias refused to answer in public session, and gave vague, non-substantive answers in private.

Aaron Mate recaps the unanswered questions to Arias, as well as recent attacks on the OPCW whistleblowers via Western state-funded outlets Bellingcat and the BBC.

Read more:

Draft debacle: Bellingcat smears OPCW whistleblower, journalists with false letter, farcical claims

Questions for BBC on new White Helmets podcast series attacking OPCW whistleblowers\

OPCW executives praised whistleblower and criticized Syria cover-up, leaks reveal
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 19:12:04|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- China will enhance the capacity and role of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) by building more TCM rehabilitation centers, noted an implementation plan issued recently.

According to the plan, jointly issued by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and other authorities, each provincial-level region of the country will have one tertiary rehabilitation hospital featuring TCM by 2025.

A batch of TCM rehabilitation centers will also be established to support talent cultivation and clinical research, the plan added.

Additionally, 85 percent of tertiary TCM hospitals and 70 percent of second-tier TCM hospitals in China will set up rehabilitation departments by 2025, according to the plan.

The plan also calls on other capable medical institutions to apply TCM to their rehabilitation services. Enditem
A few years ago I wrote a column about how Houstonians would be living in Charlottesville if Sam Houston had gotten his way. As the story goes, the hero of San Jacinto graciously told Charlotte Allen at a dinner party one night that she, and not her more famous brothers, was the reason the settlement on Buffalo Bayou even existed. The town should be called Charlottesville, he maintained.

Allen, astute businesswoman that she was, told ol Sam that he was the one everybody knew; his name would put the city on the map.

Charlotte Allen comes to mind because of last weeks column about Bettina, the short-lived commune in the Hill Country named for German writer, composer and early-day feminist Bettina von Arnim. As writer/rancher Jim Kearney of Weimar reminded me, Bettina is one of the few Texas towns or cities named after a woman.

Kearneys observation prompted me to explore what we have. So far, Ive found fewer than 30 towns, out of close to 4,000. Im probably overlooking some, but not many.

Three hours east of El Paso is a little town allegedly named for a character in Dostoevskys The Brothers Karamazov. The wife of the chief engineer for Southern Pacific was reading the novel and was taken with a servant in the Karamazov household. When the railroad reached a watering spot that needed a name, she suggested the servant, a woman named Marfa. (The late Lonn Taylor, author of Marfa for the Perplexed, believed its more likely that the town was named after a popular character in a Jules Verne novel, Michael Strogoff, Courier of the Czar.)

East of Marfa on U.S. Highway 90 is another town named for a woman who had nothing to do with the town itself. Langtry, home to the curmudgeonly Judge Roy Bean (the Law West of the Pecos), bears the name of English actress Lillie Langtry, with whom Bean was smitten, although he never met her. She paid a brief visit to Langtry in 1904, but the old judge had by then passed on to a higher court.

An hour or so northeast of Langtry is Iraan, a combination name in honor of Ira and Ann Yates. On Oct. 28, 1926, the ranching couple became instant millionaires when four oil gushers burst from beneath the parched and rocky ground of their spread.

Heading eastward toward Abilene, we come to Bronte, a settlement that sprang up on a branch of the Chisholm Trail in 1887. Its named for the English writer Charlotte Bronte and is near Tennyson, named for the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Turning north into the Panhandle  this trip is going to take a few days, you understand  we get to another amalgamation, Floydada. The Pumpkin Capital of Texas is named, perhaps, for Floyd and Ada Price, parents of Caroline Price, who with her husband, James, donated land for the town in 1890.

Northeast of Floydada is Estelline, county seat of Hall County. Established in 1892, its named for Estelle de Shields, daughter of an early settler. Be careful in the tiny town, population 145. According to Wikipedia, Estelline has had a reputation for being one of the most notorious speed traps in Texas.

Heading southeast out of Estelline, slowly, we get to The Pump Jack Capital of Texas, Electra, a few miles west of Wichita Falls. The town is named for the late Electra Waggoner, a sculptor and heiress to the famed Waggoner Ranch. Although the family sold the ranch not long ago, it remains one of the largest in the world. Electra Waggoner also bequeathed her name to the Buick Electra.

East of Wichita Falls is Henrietta. No one knows who Henrietta was.

Now, were headed southward. Near Waxahachie is A Pearl in the Heart of North Texas. Maypearl, population about 900, is the amalgamated name of two daughters of a railroad construction engineer. (The railroad also named two nearby towns, Penelope and Venus, for local girls.)

Continuing down Interstate 35, we get to Buda, until a few years ago a village south of Austin, now a booming bedroom community. Pronounced BEW-da, the name is likely a corruption of the Spanish word, viuda, or widow. The name may refer to a pair of widows who cooked at the popular Carrington Hotel in the 1880s, when the town was known as Du Pre.

Below San Antonio, we come to Charlotte, named for the daughter of Dr. Charles Simmons, a town founder. Two other Atascosa County towns are named for his daughters, Christine and Imogene.

Continued southward through the Brush Country, we get to Alice. The ranching community west of Corpus Christi was first called Bandana, then Kleberg and finally Alice, after Alice Gertrudis King Kleberg, daughter of King Ranch founder Richard King.

Southward into the Rio Grande Valley, we come to Donna, named for Donna Hooks Fletcher, daughter of an early Valley rancher and postmistress for the town that bears her name.

East of Donna is Mercedes, first called Diaz, in honor of Porfirio Diaz, then president of Mexico. It was renamed Mercedes Diaz and then Mercedes in honor of the presidents wife, although neither of his two wives was named Mercedes.

Headed northward out of the Valley, we pass Victoria  named for Gen. Guadalupe Victoria, first president of independent Mexico  and come to Inez. The little town was named in 1892 for a daughter of Italian Count Joseph Telfener, president of the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway between Rosenberg and Victoria. Another daughter bequeathed her name to the Jackson County seat, Edna. Nearby Louise is named for the counts sister-in-law.

Also in Jackson County is Lolita, named in 1909 for the granddaughter of Charles Keller Reese, a San Jacinto veteran. Nearly a half-century after the towns naming, Russian-born novelist Vladimir Nabokov published Lolita, a critically acclaimed novel about a grown mans romantic obsession with a teenage girl. Baptist deacon R.T. Walker may or may not have read the best-seller, but he was outraged about the title, insisting it besmirched his hometown. He circulated a petition asking the U.S. Postal Service to change the name. Sixty years later, its still Lolita.

Also in Jackson County is Francitas, named by a small colony of French families in the late 1890s. Francitas the person is a mystery.

Since were near the coast, we might as well meander over to Olivia, on a peninsula east of Port Lavaca. Olivia was established in 1892 by a Swedish Lutheran colony led by C.J.E. Haterious of Galesburg, Ill. He named the settlement after his wife.

A long drive eastward gets us to Evadale, northeast of Beaumont. The town was called Fords Bluff until 1893, when Houston timber magnate John Henry Kirby renamed it for Eva Dale, a teacher at Southeast Texas Male and Female College in Jasper.

Headed back west on Interstate 10, at Schulenburg we drop down to Hallettsville, county seat of Lavaca. The small town halfway between Houston and San Antonio is named for an early settler, Margaret Leatherbury Hallett.

I intended to close the column with Hallett, but theres too much to say about this remarkable woman, so look for her next week. Margaret Hallett symbolizes all we dont know, and should, about the women who built Texas, even if no one named a town after them.

djholley10@gmail.com

Twitter: holleynews
Unlike others, I suggest that the greater Charleston metro area is a very safe place to be.

One must keep in mind, however, that safety is a relative term.

Not all parts of North Charleston or unincorporated areas nearby merit the designation of safe. But most do.

Even in the more crime-plagued areas, officers find lovely folks, peaceful and law abiding, who choose to continue to live in their communities despite the challenges.

The same is true of James Island. Both city and county law enforcement find repeated violent crime in generally the same places it has continued to occur for 25 years.

In downtown Charleston, random crimes of opportunity give the impression of violence and murder unleashed upon an innocent populace.

Seasoned officers know they could be one block from a mugging or purse snatching yet be unable to deter it.

And those who choose to be involved with illicit drugs, assault others and steal are equally safe, as they employ deception and intimidation to hide actions from police.

Yes, safety is a relative concept. If we choose to cooperate with and support law enforcement and be mindful of our neighbors welfare, we can broaden the sense of safety throughout our community.

DANNY CROOKS

Harbor Oaks Drive

James Island

Trumps successes

What has President Donald Trump done in the past four years?

The arrogant man in the White House brokered two Middle East peace accords.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, the racist in the White House had a great impact on the economy, bringing jobs and lowering unemployment of the black and Latino population.

The buffoon in the White House turned NATO around and forced member countries to contribute more money.

The fool in the White House neutralized North Korea and stopped its leaders from sending missiles toward Japan and threatening the West Coast of the U.S.

The xenophobe in the White House turned our relationship with the Chinese around.

The clown in the White House has appointed three Supreme Court justices who believe in the rights of the unborn and close to 300 federal judges.

This same clown lowered taxes, increased the standard deduction on tax forms from $12,500 to $24,400 for married couples. The stock market rose to record levels, positively impacting the retirement accounts of tens of millions of citizens.

The clown in the White House fast-tracked the development of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Ill take the clown any day. I want a strong leader. Call me a chump, a racist or part of the basket of deplorables, I do not care. God bless Donald Trump, the most unappreciated president in U.S. history.

KATIE WINDMUELLER

Begonia Way

Hanahan

A dangerous man

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I have watched the drama in Washington with President Donald Trumps obsession to overturn a legitimate presidential election. He seeks to ignore the will of more than 80 million Americans who voted for President-elect Joe Biden.

If Trump succeeds, he would trigger havoc in American cities.

I agree with his niece, Mary Trump, who wrote in her book Too Much and Never Enough, about how our family produced the most dangerous man in the world.

G.A. MONOCRUSES

Savannah Highway

Charleston

Improve DHEC hiring

The Dec. 29 editorial regarding the Department of Health and Environmental Control is right on target.

It is past time that South Carolina joined the rest of the nation in understanding the necessity of having the leader of health and environmental issues properly prepared by education, training and experience.

Let us hope this will prompt the DHEC board, Legislature and Gov. Henry McMaster to assure development of basic qualifications, such as a medical degree, a masters degree in public health and experience in a similar position.

State leaders may wish to contact the Association of State and Regional Health Officers for assistance.

Thank goodness for Dr. Edward Simmer, the new head of DHEC.

I hope the hiring process in future searches will be transparent with qualified candidates.

MOULTRIE D. PLOWDEN

Wade Hampton Avenue

Walterboro

Flynn pardon is wrong

President Donald Trumps pardon of Michael Flynn is very disappointing. He did this even though Flynn admitted lying to the FBI twice.

His lying should have resulted in jail time.

I know that presidents have the power and right to pardon individuals. I do not agree with this and believe this practice needs to be revisited when Congress reconvenes in January.

I think the current practice is unjust, undermines our judicial system and is an affront to citizens and our idea of fairness. It also undermines confidence in our government.

DENNY CIGANOVIC

Carmel Bay Drive

Mount Pleasant

CORRECTION: The original letter to the editor about Michael Flynn contained an error. Flynn pleaded guilty to twice lying to the FBI.
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VALBONNE-SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS, France, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EPICNPOC, experts in the design and engineering of the user experience, is hosting its first exhibit at the all-digital CES 2021 in partnership with Business France North America and La French Tech. On showcase will be solutions that put user experience at the center of innovation to ensure that new products and services are easy and attractive for humans.

Applying broad expertise in software, innovation and design, EPICNPOC is launching BOWL - a groundbreaking starter kit that not only creates smart products faster, but also enables meaningful user experiences. It provides the ability to create new experiences using a designer mindset while ensuring engineering robustness. BOWL Automotive will debut at CES - the first domain in the portfolio with solutions for mobility, smart home, retail and smart furniture on the product roadmap for 2021.

Comprised of a set of functional software, hardware, and tools, BOWL Automotive provides a playground to quickly design, develop, validate and test new in-vehicle experiences. Working prototypes can be quickly socialized with project stakeholders to accelerate collaboration and user experience iteration. Once the project is complete, there is a set of reusable assets that can be handed off to the development team for rapid commercialization.

"We are excited to partner with Business France to exhibit at CES 2021. Desired user experiences enabled by digitization in mass market automotive requires a shift in the development paradigm from Engineering for Perfection to Design for Flexibility. To accelerate this shift, BOWL Automotive applies a methodology that is a blend of hard science: engineering and robust development technology with soft science: human factors and design thinking,"

Bertrand Stelandre, CEO of EPICNPOC

"We are excited to support EPICNPOC, along with other French startups, to showcase their compelling technology at the most influential tech event in the world,"

Georges Ucko, Head of Transportation, Business France

We invite you to visit the EPICNPOC virtual booth at CES 2021 to learn how to become an experience maker today! You can find us in the following product categories: Vehicle Tech, Startups, High-Tech Retailing, Smart Home & Appliances, and Smart City & Resilience. Our online press kit can be found at https://ces.vporoom.com/epicnpoc

About EPICNPOC:

Founded in 2018 by an expert team of innovators, designers and software developers, EPICNPOC is a thriving French startup that serves the automotive, mobility, IoT, smart home, exhibition and retail industries. Experts in the design and engineering of the user experience, we enable your teams to create smart products  better and faster. EPICNPOC's portfolio includes project support, research & consulting and software tools & products. Our software-centric approach and proven methodologies develop meaningful experiences, accelerate your innovation and provide a rapid path to production.

We have completed 20 high-profile Proof-of-Concepts in collaboration with global corporations, government and educational institutions. Our partner network is a testament to our promise to promote teamwork, advance innovation thinking and simplify complex systems. Partner with the team at EPICNPOC to Make Your Experience Real. Learn more at www.epicnpoc.com and www.experience-library.io

SOURCE EPICNPOC

Related Links

http://www.epicnpoc.com


The rollout of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine in Australia could be delayed by weeks due to a bungle with paperwork.

A delay in delivering essential data to the Morrison Government means the vaccine may not be ready for the public by March as expected.

More than 12.3 million doses of vaccines have so far been administered across 30 countries, including 4.33 million in the United States and 4.5 million in China, according to an analysis by Bloomberg.

AstraZeneca, which is being made in Melbourne by CSL, won't be granted provisional registration by the Therapeutic Goods Administration until next month, the Daily Telegraph reports.

'The TGA is expecting further data from AstraZeneca in regard to their COVID-19 vaccine in late January 2021,' an administration spokeswoman said.

A delay in delivering essential data to the Morrison Government means the vaccine may not be ready by March as expected

AstraZeneca, which is being made in Melbourne by CSL, won't be granted provisional registration by the Therapeutic Goods Administration until next month

'Australia is on track to have the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine provisionally registered by the end of January 2021, subject to regulatory requirements being met.'

The vaccine rollout isn't expected to be approved by the government until the end of March, due to obstacles surrounding paperwork.

But Australians have been reassured medical experts have their 'finger on the pulse' of coronavirus vaccine development, despite no timeframe being put in place for the rollout.

The federal government has supply contracts with three vaccine developers and the Therapeutic Goods Administration is working on approvals.

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said contracts were in place to deliver the first vaccine doses in the first quarter of 2021.

But he said ultimately it was a decision for the companies when the doses would be made available.

Australia has agreements with Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Novavax.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is being made in Melbourne by CSL.

Professor Kelly said health authorities were working closely with the companies and other nations to ensure the vaccines are safe and effective.

'We have the finger on the pulse ... we know what is happening in the regulatory space, but just as important what is happening in terms of the implementation of vaccination strategies in like-minded countries such as the UK, the US and Europe,' he told reporters in Canberra.

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said ultimately it was a decision for the companies when the doses would be made available

The federal government has supply contracts with three vaccine developers and the Therapeutic Goods Administration is working on approvals

'The approvals will happen when we have all the information we need ... and that will be fast-tracked as much as possible but no shortcuts will be made.'

NSW recorded no locally acquired cases in its reporting period for Monday while Victoria had three - all linked to the Black Rock outbreak which was seeded by NSW's northern beaches cluster.

Across the country there were 26 people in hospital but none in intensive care.

State premiers are keeping a close eye on developments in NSW and Victoria as they weigh up tougher border measures.

Sydneysiders who flout new mandatory mask rules risk a $200 fine.

'People being precautionary today and in the coming months while we're waiting for that vaccine is the way to go,' Prof Kelly said.
HSI ends first day of 2021 on positive note

The Hang Seng Index kicks off 2021 on a winning note, finishing nearly 1 percent higher on the first trading day of the year. Image: Shutterstock

Mainland telecom companies rebounded from early big losses here in Hong Kong prompted by a US delisting decision, while the Hang Seng Index wrapped up the first trading day of the year with gains as vaccine optimism propelled regional shares to new highs.



The local benchmark began the day more than 100 points lower, but soon reversed course to reach a 10-month high as a number of blue-chips touched new peaks. It closed 241 points or 0.9 percent higher, at 27,472.



Turnover was HK$182.6 billion.



The mainlands three biggest telco firms fell as much as nearly 6 percent during early trade on news that the New York Stock Exchange was delisting them. But they managed to recoup some of the losses later in the day. China Mobile trimmed 0.8 percent at close, China Telecom lost 2.8 percent and China Unicom put on 0.45 percent.



Heavyweights AIA and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing each rallied almost 4 percent. Tencent added 1.5 percent and Xiaomi jumped more than 6 percent to become the winner of the day, hitting a new peak of HK$35.4 before closing at HK$35.25.



Across the border, the Shanghai Composite Index went above 3,500 for the first time in three years. It finished up 0.9 percent, while the blue-chip CSI300 index climbed 1 percent. The Shenzhen Composite Index advanced 2.5 percent.



Elsewhere in the region, Seouls Kospi surged 2.5 percent above 2,900 for the first time, extending its winning streak to a sixth day. Taiwan also soared to another high and finished 1 percent higher. Australia gained 1.5 percent. Singapore put on half a percent. But Japans Nikkei gave up 0.7 percent on coronavirus concerns.



In commodities, oil prices touched multi-month highs as investors expected producers to cap output at current levels. Gold also rose to an eight-week high as a surge in virus cases drew money into the precious metal.
Massachusetts has announced that it will join California in banning the sale of fossil-fueled vehicles in the state by 2035 in line with its new Transportation and Climate Initiative Program. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has announced his government's 2050 Decarbonisation Roadmap, which requires 100% of new light-duty vehicles sold in the Commonwealth are zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs).

Read: Delhi Govt Launches Forum For Successful Implementation Of EV Policy

Plans to achieve Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050

Massachusetts is planning to build statewide charging infrastructure, including additional consumer incentives for residential EV charging systems. Switching from fossil fuel internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) to zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) represents the primary strategy for reducing emissions from the light-duty transportation sector to the near-zero levels required for achieving Net Zero emissions statewide, said the Massachusetts government.

Read: GM Expected To Announce Electric Vehicle For Tennessee Plant

"The people of Massachusetts are experiencing record droughts, increased risk of wildfire, severe weather, and flooding in our coastal communities. The costly impacts of climate change are on display in the Commonwealth, making it critical that we take action. I was proud to commit the Commonwealth to achieve Net Zero emissions, and the reports released today move the Commonwealth toward that goal equitably and affordably," said Governor Charlie Baker said in a statement.

Read: Apple Car Project: When Elon Musk Offered Apple CEO Tim Cook To Buy Tesla

The Massachusetts government said that all major automakers and several startups have already invested heavily in Electric Vehicle technology and by 2025 several high-end low-cost models are expected to come out in all categories, including SUVs, crossovers, and sedans. The government said that costs of EVs continue to fall, driven largely by battery cost reductions and other economies of scale. With these cost reductions, many vehicle categories of EVs are anticipated to become fully cost-competitive with fossil-fueled vehicles.

Read: 'During Darkest Days...': Elon Musk Reveals Apple CEO Snubbed Talks About Buying Tesla


Madison County authorities say they have arrested a man in connection with a weekend shooting who is also wanted for murder in Tennessee.

Caprice Lashon Peete, 22, is being held without bond in the Madison County Jail.

According to the Madison County Sheriffs Office, officers responded to a shooting over the weekend Saturday at a business along University Drive. Investigators say the shooting occurred in the parking lot following an altercation between two men. The shooting victim was transported to Huntsville Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The following day, investigators took Peete unto custody at a nightclub, according to police in Covington, Tenn.

Peete is one of two men wanted in a murder case in Tipton County, Tenn. Peete is suspected in what authorities called a gang-related shooting Dec. 27 in Covington, Tenn. Dontavious Edwards, 19, was shot and later died after being air-lifted to a Memphis hospital, according to The Leader.

Police believe Peete, who was himself shot on Christmas Day 2018, may also have been involved in a murder in Tennessee in September.
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ISTANBUL  Turkish students protesting the political appointment of a ruling party member to head one of the nations top universities were met with chemical irritants and rubber bullets in Istanbul Monday.

Riot police dispersed demonstrators outside Bogazici University, where Melih Bulu, a long-time member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), was appointed as school rector by a presidential decree issued Jan. 1.

The move has been condemned by students and faculty members in Turkish academia as an infringement on institutional independence and has sparked concerns over the increasing politicization of university administrations across the country.

A politician as a rector, appointed by presidential decree, is unacceptable, Zeynep Kurbanzade, a first-year political science student at Bogazici University, told Al-Monitor. It is not democratic in any way.

Kurbanzade joined protests Monday at the universitys south campus, where she said she was impacted by chemical irritants used by police to disperse demonstrators. Some protesters at the scene were detained by security forces. Kurbanzade said students have begun organizing additional protests for the coming days and were considering boycotting online courses as face-to-face classes have been temporarily halted due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Normally, a rector should be elected by academics or students, Kurbanzade told Al-Monitor.

While many of those opposing Bulus appointment cited his lack of academic credentials to head one of the nations most prestigious universities and reported accusations of plagiarism in his research, which Bulu has called lies, protesters mainly condemned the method in which he assumed the role of university rector.

Under the guidelines of Turkeys Council of Higher Education (YOK), rectors are chosen from a pool of candidates with the highest votes following elections held within academic institutions. This practice was first paused after a 1980 military coup in Turkey, then reinstated in the 1990s before being once again shelved in the aftermath of a 2016 coup attempt under a state of emergency rule.

Following the 2016 failed putsch, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appointed Mehmed Ozkan to head Bogazici University by presidential decree. The move was equally met with protest at the time, but faculty members said Ozkan was vice rector at Bogazici, whereas Bulu is being appointed from outside the university administration.

Now we are getting someone whos alien to the university  and his only credential is being a member of Erdogans party, Faruk Birtek, a former professor and chair of the Sociology Department at Bogazici University, told Al-Monitor.

Though Bulu completed his master's and doctoral work at Bogazici, he was a parliamentary candidate for the AKP in 2015 and is considered by protesters to be an Erdogan loyalist, as he has been involved in party politics since the AKPs founding in 2002. In 2016, Bulu served as president of Istinye University until he was appointed to head Halic University in January 2020.

In a Jan. 3 statement, Bogazici faculty members said Bulus appointment was yet another case of many ongoing anti-democratic practices since 2016 aiming at abolishing rector elections. The Bogazici University Alumni Association also published a statement this week condemning the move.

We do not accept the interventions made in the principles of our university, freedom of thought and will of choice, the association said.

In response, Bogazici students have begun social media campaigns under the hashtag #kayymrektoristemiyoruz, or we dont want a trustee rector. Amid the backlash, Bulu posted a statement titled Hello Bogazici to his Twitter account in which he lays out his vision for the university, saying he hoped to increase the schools global ranking and encourage entrepreneurship.

The latest protests at Bogazici follow 2018 demonstrations against Turkeys military operation in the northern Syrian district of Afrin in which dozens of students were detained and 27 were eventually given jail sentences for spreading terror propaganda.

Gunes Engin, a graduate student in the political science and international relations departments at Bogazici University, said she did not expect the current protests to reverse Bulus appointment but noted the school had a long history of upholding institutional independence and the academic community would continue its efforts to curb political influence on the nations campuses.

I dont expect a large reaction from other universities because we dont have the tools to react, Engin told Al-Monitor. Because of the oppressive policies of the AKP, people are very afraid.

Engin added circumstances would remain difficult in the coming years, but she said political dynamics could change in the long run.

We are very committed to the values we are defending  one day we believe democracy will be established again, Engin told Al-Monitor.
The Indian stock market is expected to open in the green as trends on SGX Nifty indicate a positive opening for the index in India with a 103 points gain.

The BSE Sensex was up 117.65 points at 47,868.98 on January 1 while the Nifty50 gained 36.70 points at 14,018.50. According to pivot charts, the key support levels for the Nifty are placed at 13,989.93, followed by 13,961.37. If the index moves up, the key resistance levels to watch out for are 14,048.43 and 14,078.37.

Stay tuned to Moneycontrol to find out what happens in currency and equity markets today. We have collated a list of important headlines across news platforms which could impact Indian as well as international markets:

Asian Markets

Asian share markets hit pause on Monday as reports of a possible tightening in coronavirus emergency rules for Tokyo pulled Japanese stocks off 30-year highs, while also lifting the safe-haven yen.

Japans Nikkei shed its early gains to fall 1.1% when Fuji TV reported the government was considering a state of emergency for capital Tokyo and three surrounding prefectures. MSCIs broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan edged up 0.1%, a whisker from a record high.

SGX Nifty

Trends on SGX Nifty indicate a positive opening for the index in India with a 103 points gain. The Nifty futures were trading at 14,119 on the Singaporean Exchange around 07:30 hours IST.

India approves Covishield, Covaxin vaccines in fight against COVID-19

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on January 3 granted restricted emergency use authorisation for the Serum Institute of India (SII)s Covishield and Bharat Biotechs Covaxin vaccines against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The Covishield vaccine, developed by University of Oxford and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, is being produced in the country by the Serum Institute. Bharat Biotech has developed Covaxin  Indias first indigenous vaccine against COVID-19.

Oil prices slip after OPEC warns of downside risks to demand in first-half 2021

Oil prices edged lower on Monday, the first day of 2021 trading, ahead of a meeting of OPEC and allied producers to discuss output levels for February with fears for first-half demand seeping into the market as the coronavirus pandemic lingers.

Brent crude for March was at $51.76 a barrel, down 4 cents or 0.08%, by 0038 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for February fell 9 cents, or 0.2%, to $48.43 a barrel.

Japan snaps 19-month decline in factory activity in December - PMI

Japans factory activity ended a record 19-month run of declines in December as output stabilised for the first time in two years, suggesting manufacturers are shaking off the negative impact from the coronavirus pandemic.

The final au Jibun Bank Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) rose to a seasonally adjusted 50.0 in December from the previous months 49.0 and a preliminary 49.7 reading.

China's Dec factory activity moderates, higher costs hit firms

Activity in Chinas factory sector rose in December as the worlds second-largest economy sustained its recovery to pre-pandemic levels, a business survey showed on Monday, however, increasing cost pressures slowed the pace of expansion.

The Caixin/Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) fell to 53.0 from Novembers 54.9, with the gauge staying well above the 50-level that separates growth from contraction but missing expectations and easing to the softest pace in three months.

Exports slip 0.8% in December 2020; trade deficit widens to $15.71 billion

The countrys exports declined marginally by 0.8 percent to $26.89 billion in December 2020, due to contraction in sectors like petroleum, leather and marine products, according to preliminary data released by the commerce ministry on Saturday.

The trade deficit in December widened to $15.71 billion, as imports grew by 7.6 percent to $42.6 billion, the data showed. Exports in December 2019 was $27.11 billion, while imports stood at $39.5 billion.

India's forex reserves dip by $290 million to $580.84 billion

After touching a record high, the country's foreign exchange reserves declined by $290 million to $580.841 billion in the week ended December 25, RBI data showed. In the previous week to December 18, the reserves had surged by $2.563 billion to a lifetime high of $581.131 billion.

In the reporting week, the drop in reserves was on account of a fall in foreign currency assets (FCA), a major component of the overall reserves. FCA slipped by $253 million to $537.474 billion, the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) weekly data showed.

RBI launches Digital payments index to track transactions

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on January 1 said it has constructed a composite Digital Payments Index (DPI) to capture the extent of digitisation of payments across the country. This is a significant development given the sharp pick-up in digital transactions seen in the recent past.

DPI score for March 2018 is set at 100. The DPI for March 2019 and March 2020 work out to 153.47 and 207.84 respectively, indicating appreciable growth. Going forward, RBI-DPI will be published on the RBIs website on a semi-annual basis from March 2021 onwards with a lag of four months, the central bank said. In February this year, the RBI had first announced the plan to launch the DPI.

FPIs invest record Rs 62,016 crore in equities in December

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) remained net buyers for the third month in a row by investing Rs 68,558 crore in Indian markets as global investors continued betting on emerging markets. For the equity segment, this is the highest quantum of money invested ever since the FPI data has been made available by the National Securities Depository Ltd.

The second highest amount into equities was invested by FPIs in November, when they had pumped in Rs 60,358 crore.

FII and DII data

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) net bought shares worth Rs 506.21 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) net purchased shares worth Rs 69.4 crore in the Indian equity market on January 1, as per provisional data available on the NSE.

With inputs from Reuters & other agencies
Milica Kastner, 49, is the daughter of American film producer Elliott Kastner

Her mother is interior designer and society swan Tessa Kennedy

She wrote about her terminal cancer battle in a moving Tatler magazine article

Paid tribute to her supportive friends and said she is 'choosing not to be a victim'

Joan Collins' film producer goddaughter has revealed she has terminal cancer in a moving first-person piece for Tatler magazine.

Milica Kastner, 49, is the daughter of American film producer Elliott Kastner and British celebrity interior designer Tessa Kennedy, and counts Robbie Williams, Jemima Khan and model Saffron Aldridge among her friends.

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The mother-of-two was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and stage 4 uterine sarcoma - a rare cancer of the uterus - in February 2019 and was told she had 'six months to live' if she didn't have treatment and '33 months' if she did.

Moving: Milica Kastner, 49, daughter of American film producer Elliott Kastner and British celebrity interior designer Tessa Kennedy, was diagnosed with cancer in February 2019. Pictured: Milica and Tessa with Piers Brosnan at an event in 2007. Milica was a close friend of Brosnan's daughter Charlotte, who lost her battle with cancer in 2013

'Scary': Now, almost two years after her diagnosis, Milica is sharing her story publicly for the first time. Pictured, Milica in a photograph shared on her Instagram account Two Stage Fours

Now, almost two years later, Milica is sharing her story publicly for the first time. 'Having had two stage 4 cancers I was inspired to share my story even if it helps four people,' she explained on her dedicated Instagram account, Two Stage Fours.

Milica was born in January 1972 to Kastner, whom she describes as a 'tough, Jewish, New York film producer with a heart of gold' and 'social swan' Kennedy, whose clients have included Elizabeth Taylor and King Hussein of Jordan (who was also Milica's godfather).

Click here to resize this module

Kennedy made headlines in the 1950s when, aged just 18, she defied her father's wishes and married painter Dominick Elwes, who was eight years her senior.

Her father Geoffrey obtained a restraining order preventing the couple from marrying in England or Wales, prompting the young lovers to travel to Cuba where they had a civil ceremony at a Havana hotel owned by notorious gangster Meyer Lansky.

Hollywood upbringing: Milica with her father Elliott Kastner, best known for Where Eagles Dare (1968), The Long Goodbye (1973) and Angel Heart (1987), in 2002. He died in 2010

They later fled the country and legally wed in New York before returning to England where Elwes was initially arrested and temporarily jailed for contempt of court.

She had three sons with Elwes, including actor and star of The Princess Bride Cary Elwes, before divorcing in 1967.

She married husband Kastner, best known for Where Eagles Dare (1968), The Long Goodbye (1973) and Angel Heart (1987), and had son Dillon before welcoming Milica.

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Princess Grace of Monaco and Princess Firyal of Jordan were named her godmothers. After Grace Kelly's death in a car crash, Dame Joan Collins stepped in.

In Tatler, Milica recalls the charmed upbringing she enjoyed as the daughter of a Hollywood producer.

'One of my earliest memories is a magical Easter at Frank Sinatra's house in Palm Springs,' she wrote. 'Grace Kelly (my godmother), the Grants, the Pecks and Roger and Luisa Moore (my brother Dillon's godparents), were all there.'

Milica, who befriended Robbie Williams when she moved in next door to him in Notting Hill, spent some time in Los Angeles before moving back to the UK, where she now lives with her two children.

She has a son Jack, 15, with American film producer Cary Woods, and daughter Sophia, 11, whose father is art dealer Alex Corcoran.

In 2010, shortly after Sophia was born, Milica's father died following a long battle with cancer. Three years later, in 2013, Milica lost her close friend Charlotte Brosnan, daughter of James Bond star Piers, to the disease. Milica is godmother to Charlotte's daughter Isabella, or Bella, now 22.

Close: Princess Grace of Monaco and Princess Firyal of Jordan were named her godmothers. After Grace Kelly's death in a car crash, Dame Joan Collins stepped in (pictured in 2011)

Support network: Milica and close friend model Saffron Aldridge, on her first day of chemo

Although she has seen the illness up close, Milica admitted her own diagnosis was 'shattering'.

'Having terminal cancer, it turns out, is scary,' Milica wrote. 'You can't control it - it controls you. Sometimes, I panic that I won't see my children grow up or get to watch what they do with their lives.'

As well as undergoing chemotherapy, Milica recently underwent an operation to remove a tumour from her brain after doctors discovered the disease had spread.

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However she ended the article on an optimistic note, saying she believes she 'has the power to floor the cancer, to beat it at its own game'.

She added: 'We all have a story and I am choosing not to be a victim in mine. When you do that, it's game over.'
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A UK court has ruled against extraditing Julian Assange to the United States where he faces espionage charges.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser gave the ruling Monday at the Westminster Magistrates Court, London, where she ruled that, although American authorities had brought forth the case in good faith, and that Mr Assanges actions went beyond simply journalistic, an extradition order would be oppressive because of Mr Assanges mental health.

Mondays ruling can still be appealed by the U.S. government which claims Mr Assange leaked U.S. secrets by publishing U.S. military and diplomatic cables using Wikileaks.

Prosecutors acting on behalf of the U.S. government have already said they will appeal the decision. They have fifteen days to do this.

If successful, Mr Assange, 49, could be extradited to the U.S., where he risks a maximum of 175 years jail term if convicted on the 17 espionage charges and a charge of computer misuse for which he was indicted.

Defence attorneys have argued that Mr Assange was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections of freedom of speech for publishing leaked documents.

Mr Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, has been in a British prison since April 2019, after his removal from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he took refuge for seven years over fears of possible extraditions to the U.S. related to his work with WikiLeaks and to Sweden over a sexual assault case that was subsequently dropped in 2015.

The hearing of the Australian national, a former computer hacker, in the UK has been stalled since last February due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

The United States has been on Mr Assanges trail for years after WikiLeaks began, in 2010, leaking a trove of American government diplomatic cables which indicted the U.S. military for wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan and accused the country of diplomatic connivance.

ALSO READ: Sweden drops rape charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange

In Nigeria, the contents of the leaks, published by the defunct Next Newspapers, also indicted several Nigerian politicians for passing information to Western diplomats, especially the United States.

But the U.S. argued that Mr Assanges exclusives, especially the leak of 700,000 classified documents handed to WikiLeaks by former US intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning (then Bradley Manning) in 2010, threaten its citizens and national security.

The case has since pitted national security against freedom of expression, with rights activist saying Mr Assange was advancing investigative journalism, while critics said he went overboard.

The Committee to Protect Journalists has, nonetheless, praised the British courts decision to deny the United States request to extradite Mr Assange, urging the U.S. Department of Justice to drop all charges against him.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-05 03:18:42|Editor: huaxia

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AMMAN, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Jordanian Health Minister Nathir Obeidat announced on Monday that the COVID-19 epidemiological situation in the country is good and improving.

A field hospital has started operations in the capital Amman to treat coronavirus patients, Obeidat said at a press conference, adding two others in Irbid and Aqaba will soon be opened and a fourth one will be established in the southern city of Maan.

"The improvement in the epidemiological situation does not mean we are safe, as we are still battling the virus, and more caution is needed. We all must adhere to physical distancing and wearing masks," the minister noted.

He revealed that Jordan will receive a new type of coronavirus testing kit that produces results faster and will be used in facilities such as schools and factories.

COVID-19 vaccines will be available in Jordan in three weeks, the minister said.

On Monday, Jordan reported 1,623 new COVID-19 cases and 16 more deaths, raising the total case load and the death toll to 299,831 and 3,919 respectively.

Meanwhile, 2,444 more recoveries from the virus were registered, bringing the total recoveries in Jordan to 278,929.

On May 31, 2020, China donated a batch of medical supplies to Jordan to help combat the coronavirus. The donation includes 10,000 medical protection suits, 60,000 medical face masks, 10,000 gloves, 200 body temperature scanning devices and 20,000 testing kits.

Later on April 4, a batch of medical supplies was donated to Jordan by China's Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation. On April 27, China's State Development & Investment Corporation (SDIC), a key partner of Jordan's Arab Potash Company, donated medical supplies worth 1.2 million U.S. dollars to help Jordan fight COVID-19. In April, Urumchi, capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, also donated a batch of medical equipment to Jordan's Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority. Enditem
Texas Sen. Ted Cruzs decision to lead efforts in the U.S. Senate to overturn the 2020 election is, in the first place, an audacious gamble. Hiding behind the phony claim that he is merely seeking to reassure a doubting electorate of the elections integrity  an election deemed the most secure in our history  he all but guarantees those misplaced and already addressed doubts will be trebled.

His plans to challenge the election on Wednesday, in what should be a pro forma vote in Congress certifying the Dec. 14 vote by the Electoral College, is one of the most disingenuous acts in modern American politics. Texans and all Americans should take note with lasting condemnation.

Just how brazen his decision is became even clearer when the Washington Post reported over the weekend on an hour-long call from President Trump to the secretary of state in Georgia in which Trump is heard trying to bully Brad Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes the president needed to beat Biden in Georgia. Any pretense Cruz may have had to hide behind was laid bare by Trumps extraordinary shakedown, which we can only call an attempted coup.

Cruz should reverse course ahead of Wednesdays session and admit that the president he has been covering for has stepped beyond all bounds and must be repudiated. As for Trump, had the American people not already shown him the door, he would be a prime candidate to become the only president in history to be impeached twice.

We dont expect Cruz to take our advice. Its clear hes chosen a path that his political calculations have told him will enhance his profile with the Republican base when time comes to run for president again. On Wednesday, we expect Cruz to lead a gang of irresponsible Republicans  abetted in the House by Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert  in a last-ditch attempt to overturn the results of the election.

This ploy will not prevent Biden from being sworn into office on Jan. 20. The shameless charade is designed to soothe the outgoing presidents infantile ego and stay in the good graces of his cult-like following.

They do not seem to care that their actions will damage confidence in our democracy while thumbing their noses at the peaceful transfer of power that has preserved the nation for more than 200 years and is crucial to our current circumstances.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other leading Republicans played a similarly cynical game in the weeks just after the election, gambling that it paid to humor Trump, reckoning that his efforts to overturn the election would run their course in the face of sturdy American institutions such as the Electoral College itself and the courts, which have ruled almost 60 times against claims of fraud by Trumps hapless legal team.

But even they had their limits, and after the Electoral College elected Biden last month McConnell and others spoke out, calling the election over.

But where others fear to tread, Cruz blazes ahead, letting nothing stand between him and his own undying ambitions. He and the rest of Congress would best serve the nation with the orderly acceptance of Bidens 306-232 Electoral College victory that has been documented and authenticated by electors and officials in all 50 states.

Cynical claims that Trump has a right to explore his legal options or raise concerns based on conspiracy theories, if they were ever valid, have long since been exhausted.

The votes in battleground states have been counted, recounted, recounted again and audited.

Trumps outrageous call Saturday to election officials in Georgia only underlines how much the presidents case is based on unfounded rumors, debunked allegations and conspiracy theories.

Instead of feeding Trumps fever dreams, Congress should be working with the new administration to confront the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, fix delays in the distribution of life-saving vaccines and address the damage being done to our economy.

Cruz, in laying out his case for delaying certification of the election for 10 days and creating a 15-member task force that could pave the way for state legislators rejecting the November results, pointed out that Democrats took similar action in 2005 after Republican George W. Bushs victory.

In that case, Ohio Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones and California Sen. Barbara Boxer objected to numerous, serious election irregularities, particularly in Ohio, that in their view led to a significant disenfranchisement of voters.

Our intent was not to overturn the election in any way, Boxer, now retired, said last week. Its not even a close comparison.

Democratic candidate John Kerry had conceded the election to Bush two months earlier, and pointedly did not challenge the results.

In 2001, some Democrats tried to push a challenge to the hotly contested and razor-thin results in Florida. But the effort was gaveled down by none other than Vice President Gore, the losing Democratic nominee who had conceded and had urged the nation to get behind President-elect Bush.

The Republican reaction is more like the Animal House frat boy response that a decisive defeat absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebodys part.

Members of Congress should know this is no time for futile and stupid.
President Trump called Georgia's secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, to get the latter to stop obstructing the fraud investigation in Georgia. Instead, after whining about the almost seven hours he's spent on the issue, Raffensperger refused to engage in an investigation and then leaked the call to the Washington Post, which promptly misrepresented its contents. Trump has now sued Raffensperger in both state and federal court for secretly recording and then disseminating a confidential settlement discussion.

There's something wrong with Brad Raffensperger. I don't know what it is  that is, whether he's generically corrupt or has a serious personality disorder  but it's not normal for a secretary of state to behave as he has when faced with the biggest election fraud claim in American history. If Raffensperger really believed there was no fraud, he would be going out of his way to make every bit of information available to President Trump's team to prove his point.

Instead, Raffensperger is putting up every barrier possible. This is a man who is desperate to hide from the world what happened in Georgia on and after the election. If the consciousness of guilt alone were proof of election fraud, Raffensperger would be Exhibit A in a slam-dunk case.

But it doesn't stop there. When President Trump called Raffensperger to see if he could cajole this lazy, arrogant, entitled man into at least working a little bit on the fraud matter, instead of reflexively resisting every fraud assertion, Raffensperger decided to play dirty. He recorded the call and then released it to the Washington Post, which did its usual black magic on anything connected with the president.

The WaPo sliced and diced the call, and then disseminated these mangled pieces to the public to set the narrative: according to the WaPo and every other mainstream media outlet, the story is that Trump demanded that Raffensperger fraudulently create over 11,000 votes for Trump, and when Raffensperger refused, Trump threatened him!

The transcript, which was released only later, after the narrative was in place, tells a story that is the exact opposite of what the media claim. In fact, Trump repeatedly asserted that he won the election based on mountains of evidence and asked only that Raffensperger start cooperating with an investigation instead of fighting it and forcing litigation.

Even that more detailed transcript left out something important: because there is ongoing litigation regarding events in Georgia, this was a settlement discussion. That means that it was confidential, and, apparently, Trump's team made that clear at the outset of the call:

The audio published by @TheWashingtonPost is heavily edited and omits the stipulation that all discussions were for the purpose of settling litigation and confidential under federal and state law.  David Shafer (@DavidShafer) January 3, 2021

President Trump has now sued Raffensperger in both state and federal court for violating the terms of a confidential settlement discussion:

President @realDonaldTrump has filed two lawsuits - federal and state - against @GaSecofState. The telephone conference call @GaSecofState secretly recorded was a confidential settlement discussion of that litigation, which is still pending.  David Shafer (@DavidShafer) January 3, 2021

I don't know about the law in Georgia, but in California, the courts take very seriously the privacy accorded to settlement discussions. The reason is that the courts want to encourage settlements. This can be done only if the parties have a reasonable degree of privacy in their discussions.

In a just world, Raffensperger will get his well deserved comeuppance. Lately, though, the world hasn't seemed very just. A little hope and a lot of prayer would be appropriate right about now.

Image: Brad Raffensperger. YouTube screen grab.
Tobago recorded its 7th covid19 death since the start of the pandemic, with a record forty-two covid19 cases reported in the last 24 hours. The latest victim, Carmen Yorke of Bon Accord Tobago.
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Taylina Rhoden says she "never in a million years" thought she'd be grabbed by a police officer or accused of doing something illegal. And she definitely wasn't expecting it the afternoon of Feb. 17, 2021, when she was brushing snow off her car and getting ready to pick up a few groceries with her roommate. "An officer put down his window and he said 'What are you doing over there by that car?' And I said 'It's my car, I'm brushing snow off of it,'" Rhoden recalls. The Ryerson University film student said the Toronto police officer got out of his car and asked her to talk. Rhoden says she was caught off guard and backed away, asked what he wanted to talk about and told him she didn't have to speak with him. "As I was walking away from him, he grabbed me by my arm and that's when I started to get really scared because you've been seeing all these things on the news and I've never been physically apprehended by anybody, let alone a police officer," she said. Rhoden says the officer threatened to charge her with auto theft. "I said 'This is my car. This is my registration. Just let go of me and I can show you the paperwork.' He wouldn't let go. I tried to loosen my grip and he grabbed me back harder and started shaking me and pulling me," she said. At this point, she said she was crying and screaming for help. She says the officer was also not wearing a mask. The Toronto Police Service says it is committed to being transparent and to building trust in the community through such measures as implementing anti-Black racism training and initiatives to address systemic racism. But one year after George Floyd's murder and several protests in Toronto calling for change in policing, advocates say incidents such as this one demonstrate that there is still a lot of work to be done. Black Lives Matter Canada continues to call for a portion of the police budget to be reallocated to community initiatives. Rhoden says it wasn't until her landlord came out of the building, and identified her as his tenant, that the officer moved on. "If my white landlord wasn't there to identify who I was, what would have happened?" Rhoden says she called police after the incident to report the officer and says she didn't get a proper follow up until 12 hours later. She has also filed a complaint with The Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) and secured legal representation. She feels she was stopped because of her race. "You don't have to be doing anything. You can just be outside existing and you get targeted." 'This has to be addressed,' lawyer says Knia Singh, principal lawyer at Ma'at Legal Services who is representing Rhoden, says incidents like this have been brought to his attention more frequently over the last few years as people use cameras on their cell phones to film police activity. "Somebody brushing snow off their car shouldn't be accused of auto theft," he said. Singh added it could have been a simple question and answer interaction, and Rhoden should have been given a chance to show the officer her licence and registration when she offered it. Instead, he says, her rights were violated. Knia Singh is the principal lawyer at Ma'at Legal Services and is representing Rhoden. He's also the co chair of the 'Know Your Rights Committee;' an initiative to educate the public about their rights during interactions with police.(Talia Ricci/CBC News) "What is important is these matters are dealt with right. And there may be many of these across the city, and unfortunately, most citizens don't have the resources to find counsel to help them. They may brush it off, or they may not have a witness," he said. Singh wants to see more discipline for police officers who abuse their power and says that discipline should go beyond a warning or a docking of pay. "This has to be addressed. We know the tensions across North America," he said. "I see change, but I think there's still a lot of work to be done." Black Lives Matter Canada calls for cut to police budget Syrus Marcus Ware, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Canada, says people are talking about policing more than they ever have and he's seeing more stories such as this one come to light. "We're hearing about the every day ways the police cross the line," he said. "It doesn't always end in a fatality. Sometimes it ends in an assault, or other kinds of violence." A summer of protests in 2020 called on the city to reallocate funds from the police budget into the community  housing, community centres and youth programs. Ware says those demands aren't being met. "We're still waiting for a 50 per cent reduction of the police budget to reinvest into the communities. That's something we're holding firm on." Ware says what happened to Rhoden was "outrageous." "We should be able to go out into the street, drive in our cars. We should be able to live in public space without fear of terrorizing from the police," he said. "Our goals are rooted in the idea that we can do better than we are doing now." Toronto police says it's taking steps to deliver fair policing Toronto police said it would be inappropriate for the service to comment on the incident because a complaint has been filed with the OIPRD. In a separate statement requested by CBC News on efforts over the last year to respond to calls for change, the service said: "As part of our commitment to deliver fair and non-discriminatory policing in Toronto, Our Equity, Inclusion and Human Rights Unit is implementing our Race-Based Data Collection Strategy, our Police and Community Engagement Review Committee helped us implement the Know Your Rights video campaign to educate the public about their rights during interactions with police, we have implemented anti-Black racism training, and we have introduced body worn cameras as part of our ongoing commitment to build transparency and public trust." The statement says Toronto Police Chief James Ramer has committed to accelerating the service's response to the 81 recommendations on police reform identified by its board, which includes "a commitment to learning and continuing to address the harmful impacts of systemic racism." Rhoden says incident was humiliating Rhoden and her lawyer say an officer working on her complaint came to her home unannounced on May 15, despite knowing she has legal representation. She said the visit came as a deadline imposed by the OIPRD was approaching to wrap up the case. But Rhoden refused to admit anything was resolved. While three months have passed since the initial incident, the 20-year-old says the experience remains with her. She says she's now afraid of police officers and didn't leave her house a few days after it happened. She says the service has tried setting up a meeting with her and the officer, but she isn't comfortable seeing him in person. "When I was screaming, he even looked at me and was like 'I don't care how much you scream, you can scream all you want.' It just felt like he didn't care what happened to me," she said. "Sometimes I still see his face in nightmares." Rhoden says she shared her story with friends and family and on social media, and received many supportive responses including from Black Torontonians sharing experiences of their own. Reflecting on that day in February, she describes it as terrifying, isolating and humiliating. "It didn't feel like he was following protocol," she said. "It felt personal." For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians  from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community  check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here. (CBC)
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Shareholders gave their blessing on Monday to a merger of carmakers PSA and Fiat Chrysler that catapults the new company "Stellantis" into fourth place globally, as the auto industry races to make the transition to cleaner cars.

Merger resolutions were approved almost unanimously at PSA's annual shareholder meeting, said PSA chief Carlos Tavares, who will take the helm of the new company.

Fiat Chrysler shareholders later gave similar backing and the two groups said the merger would be completed by January 16.

John Elkann, Fiat chairman and scion of Italy's storied Agnelli family, will retain his role at Stellantis in what he called "a challenging era."

"The coming decade will redefine mobility: we are intent on playing a leading role in building this new future," Elkann said after the vote.

The green light from shareholders had been widely considered a given, coming two weeks after the European Commission gave conditional approval to the deal announced in late 2019.

The 50/50 tie-up, which was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, is seen as crucial for the two groups to afford massive investments needed in clean car technology.

It also allows Fiat to strengthen its presence in its key European markets, while the French group will gain a foothold in the US.

"It's a very good operation," the EU's internal markets commissioner Thierry Breton told French TV channel BFM Business, welcoming the emergence of "very large European groups".

"The capacity to mutualise investments in research and development is very important," he said. But the market was undergoing transformation "and we mustn't be left behind", he said.

"This merger is a matter of survival for both Fiat and PSA," said Giuliano Noci, a professor of strategy at Milan Business School.

The accord combines PSA's Peugeot, Citroen, Opel and other brands with Fiat Chrysler's stable that includes their namesake brands as well as Jeep, Alfa Romeo and Maserati.

Story continues

By number of cars sold, Stellantis and its workforce of over 400,000 will now rank behind Volkswagen, the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, and Toyota.

But it will be the third-largest automaker by revenue, a testament to efforts to convince buyers to pay out more for their cars.

- Weathering Covid -

"Only the most agile, with a Darwinian spirit, will survive," PSA chief Tavares warned last November.

The European Commission had been worried the merger could affect competition in Europe's lucrative van market, with PSA and Fiat Chrysler together accounting for 34 percent of market share.

To assuage those concerns, the commission said PSA would continue an agreement with Toyota to manufacture vans to be sold under the Japanese brand in Europe.

The disruptions wrought by Covid-19, which ground manufacturing to a halt for several weeks in early 2020, forced PSA and Fiat to change the terms of their tie-up to ensure it remained a merger of equals.

FCA agreed to lower an exceptional dividend for its shareholders, while PSA agreed to share its 46 percent stake in the French automotive equipment maker Faurecia with all shareholders of the new company, rather than just its own as agreed previously.

The two companies have shown relative resilience in the face of the pandemic.

Fiat Chrysler posted a net profit of 1.2 billion euros ($1.5 billion) for the third quarter, compared with losses of 1.04 billion euros in the second quarter -- when auto sales plummeted as much of the world was in coronavirus lockdown.

PSA shares stood 1.6 percent higher at 22.67 euros in late Paris trading Monday, while in Milan, Fiat Chrysler stock was up 1.3 percent at 14.85 euros.

Stellantis shares will be traded in Paris, Milan and on the New York Stock Exchange.

- French union concerns -

PSA sold 589,000 fewer vehicles in the third quarter but sold them for more money as part of a strategy to maximise profitability and cash flow, which lifted turnover by 1.2 percent.

When the merger was announced, Tavares assured no plant would be closed, but unions in France remain sceptical.

"On the whole it's a good insurance policy for the future of our group. Those who don't make the shift risk being left by the wayside," said Franck Don, a representative for the CFTC union at PSA.

But he wondered: "What synergies will they find and what consequences will that have for sites in France?"

tsz-bh/cb/js/jh/spm/jxb
Director Subhash Kapoor known for helming films like Jolly LLB and Jolly LLB 2, is back with another political drama. Starring Richa Chadha as the main protagonist, the film titled Madam Chief Minister, is about a woman who chooses to debunk the men and society, that tried to shackle, demean and defeat her. The Subhash Kapoor directorial also stars Manav Kaul, Saurabh Shukla, Akshay Oberoi and Shubhrajyoti.

Richa Chadha took to her Instagram page to share the first look poster and wrote, "Proud to present to you all, my new cinema outing #MadamChiefMinister, a film I really believe in... a political drama about an 'untouchable' who rises to the top! Out in cinemas on 22nd January! Stay tuned!"

In the poster, Richa is seen sporting short hair and has dislevelled bruises on her face. She is seen holding a broom in her hand. We also get glimpse of her co-stars Saurabh Shukla and Manav Kaul on each of her side.

Meanwhile, Taapsee Pannu was all praise for the poster of Richa's new film and tweeted, "Go for it. looking forward to watching this one :)."

Earlier, Subhash Kapoor had revealed that he had cast Richa in his film because she is an "articulate, politically and socially aware actor."

Madam Chief Minister was shot in Lucknow in a 40-day start-to-finish schedule in 2019. The film was slated to release on July 17, 2020. However, the release got postponed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, this Richa Chadha starrer is scheduled to release in theatres on Junary 22, 2021.

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Richa Chadha On Working With Sumeet Vyas In Unpaused: He Had Directed Me In A Play Ten Years Ago

ALSO READ: Shakeela: Richa Chadha Reacts To Her Film Being Compared To Vidya Balan's The Dirty Picture
Lisa Kudrow has been lauded for her spot-on impersonation of non-official conservative spokesperson Jeanetta Grace Susan in Netflix's end-of-year special, Death to 2020.

The 57-year-old Emmy winner's character is meant to be an amalgam of Trump-era White House press secretaries like Kellyanne Conway, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and Kayleigh McEnany.

'The whole impeachment thing was baseless,' Jeanetta said.

Started streaming December 27! Lisa Kudrow has been lauded for her spot-on impersonation of non-official conservative spokesperson Jeanetta Grace Susan in Netflix's end-of-year special, Death to 2020

Alternative facts: The 57-year-old Emmy winner's character is meant to be an amalgam of Trump-era White House press secretaries like Kellyanne Conway, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and Kayleigh McEnany (pictured December 15)

'Okay, so the Democrats claim that [President Donald] Trump pressured Ukraine into digging up dirt on the Biden family and their only real "evidence" of that is the transcript of him doing it.'

When questioned further, Susan scoffed: 'What transcript? Check your tape I said no such thing. There's no such place as Ukraine. I choose to believe there is not.'

Fans went wild for Lisa's performance on Twitter, which is noteworthy considering the mockumentary's dismal 37% critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

'It was a chicken-and-the-egg situation in that sometimes there would be someone you would have in mind and start writing for them. And often, when you get them, they would have suggestions for their character,' Death to 2020 co-creator Charlie Brooker (Black Mirror) told THR last week.

Jeanetta said: 'The whole impeachment thing was baseless. Okay, so the Democrats claim that [President Donald] Trump pressured Ukraine into digging up dirt on the Biden family'

Susan continued: 'And their only real "evidence" of that is the transcript of him doing it'

When questioned further, she scoffed: 'What transcript? Check your tape I said no such thing. There's no such place as Ukraine. I choose to believe there is not'

'Lisa Kudrow is a national treasure!' Fans went wild for Lisa's performance on Twitter, which is noteworthy considering the mockumentary's 37% critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes

Death to 2020 co-creator Charlie Brooker (Black Mirror) told THR last week: 'Lisa Kudrow is a good example of someone who had a couple of specific suggestions that then found their way into the script'

Star studded: The ensemble also features Diane Morgan (T-L), Kumail Nanjiani (T-R), Hugh Grant (B-L), Leslie Jones (B-R), Laurence Fishburne, Samuel L. Jackson, Tracey Ullman, Joe Keery, and more

'Lisa Kudrow is a good example of someone who had a couple of specific suggestions that then found their way into the script. From a writer's perspective, it's always good to look at someone very skillfully performing this character  it makes you feel clever. That's always the thrill.'

The ensemble also features Diane Morgan, Kumail Nanjiani, Hugh Grant, Leslie Jones, Laurence Fishburne, Samuel L. Jackson, Tracey Ullman, Joe Keery, and more.

Kudrow is next scheduled to shoot the twice-delayed HBO Max Friends reunion - titled The One Where They Got Back Together - in March at Stage 24 of Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.

The 25 Words or Less executive producer portrayed massage therapist and musician Phoebe Buffay for 10 seasons on the entirely-Caucasian NBC ensemble sitcom, which concluded in 2004.

'Looks like we have a busy year coming up!' Kudrow is next scheduled to shoot the twice-delayed HBO Max Friends reunion - titled The One Where They Got Back Together - in March at Stage 24 of Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank
If you have been waiting for a Xiaomi foldable smartphone there is some good news. The wait is almost over. LetsGoDigital reported January 1 on patents for Xiaomi foldable smartphone plans. The Chinese company will officially enter the foldable market this year. Back at the beginning of 2019 Xiaomi showed off a double foldable display phone but has remained relatively quiet ever since.

On Christmas display analyst Ross Young took to Twitter to report Xiaomi had three foldable models in the pipeline for 2021.

The patent covers three types of foldable smartphones. All of which we have seen individually from other companies. Firstly, there is the clamshell model which is similar to both the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola RAZR.

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Secondly, there is the inward folding smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Fold 2. This style will keep the screen protected. Lastly, there will be an outward folding device similar to Huaweis Mate X.

Xiaomi has a few different designs for its foldable smartphones

The patents which popped up are very interesting. First, there is a patent for a clamshell phone with quad cameras. This design has a phone that when folded resembles the Galaxy Z Flip, but with a small screen to display information.

Once unfolded the user will be greeted with a large main screen which is protected when folded. There is no cutout for the selfie camera, so we could see Xiaomi use an under-screen selfie similar to ZTE. There are two designs shown. One with a large camera and flash, and another with four cameras with an extra sensor and a flash.

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There is also another clamshell patent that is similar to the previous one but with a few changes. Firstly, the outer screen is significantly larger. This would allow users to do more than just see notifications. They will be able to interact with content to some extent.

Secondly, there appears to only be two cameras on the back, but there seem to be two selfie cameras tucked away in the forehead of the device. This is similar in design to the Motorola RAZR, but the RAZR has a chin instead of the forehead seen here.

The next design is the one similar to the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Fold 2. This design folds and unfolds like a book. This will allow it to go from a compact device to a tablet. It will have four cameras on the outside of the device, and a wrap-around display. There is no selfie camera cut out again Again, no selfie camera is shown in this design either which could point to an under-screen selfie camera.

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There is a variant of the above design which has a large circular camera system instead of vertically aligned cameras. The report lists two other models along with the above-mentioned one that has similar designs with a few differences. You can see the other designs below.

The worlds polar bear capital started 2020 with an epic northern lights season. Following the 2018 reopening of its rail link washed out some 18 months before, Churchill wowed international visitors.

The worlds polar bear capital started 2020 with an epic northern lights season. Following the 2018 reopening of its rail link washed out some 18 months before, Churchill wowed international visitors.

The northern Manitoba town was again prepared to welcome the world, after appearing in the New York Times list of top places to visit in 2020. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

The locals made the most of their scaled-down summer tour season, and are hoping both to get the town thriving next year, and for more commercial traffic along the railway and port.

"The community has been really resilient, all along the way," said Churchill Mayor Mike Spence. "It gave us the opportunity to really build upon the potential that we have."

When the pandemic reached Manitoba in March, longtime tour operator John Gunter recalled a mad dash to get international visitors home as airlines started cancelling flights.

"That was a high point for 2020 for us," said Gunter, of Frontiers North.

His company employs 30, and normally takes on up to 115 extra short-term staff; it had fewer than 50 people working in total this year.

Gunter largely welcomed summer visitors from Western Canada, who did not have to quarantine under Manitobas public health rules.

John Woods / The Canadian Press Files When the first train in 18 months arrived on a repaired line to Churchill in November 2018, officials welcomed the rebirth of the towns tourism industry. Then COVID-19 hit 19 months later.

Tourists were physically spaced more than usual, including on the giant vehicles that roll across the tundra looking for polar bears. Gunter took the opportunity to refresh his marketing materials, filming socially-distanced guests wearing face masks.

He anticipates tourists will want to follow COVID-19 prevention practices for the near future  and visit the North for more than cuddly animals.

"Its building beyond belugas and polar bears, and really building on our northern lights," said Gunter, who is trying to start a restaurant aimed at tourists that runs beyond the fall.

This year, the Trudeau government aims to immunize every Canadian who wants to get vaccinated by September. Spence hopes it means more domestic visitors for Churchill, a town of less than 1,000, located some 1,000 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

"Its really important that more Manitobans, more Canadians come up and see the national wonders in your own backyard; youll be just blown away by it," the mayor said.

However, Gunter said hes more focused on "long-haul, high-yield guests" from abroad, who shell out for the unique experiences in the North.

Those overseeing the towns infrastructure also hope to get more international connections.

"We actually did pretty well at the Hudson Bay Railway and the Port of Churchill, considering the conditions with COVID," said Murad al-Katib, who speaks on behalf of local ownership group Arctic Gateway.

The port maintained its usual three grain shipments this year, after signing bargaining agreements with all staff and upgrading the track.

SUPPLIED Polar bears, beluga whales and the northern lights drive Churchills economy.

"Water management in northern Manitoba is among the most challenging rail conditions in the world," al-Katib said.

"This is why you need the continued support of all levels of government. This piece of infrastructure one day will become commercially viable, and the private sector will take over and invest."

Last summer, a First Nations chief who is part of the Arctic Gateway leadership claimed the railway could stop running by Christmas if it didnt receive more federal funds. However, al-Katib said it has managed to pull through.

Having locals run the assets is "part of Canadas long-term solution to systemic racism and class distinction," he said, because it will get more Indigenous people involved in the economy.

Meanwhile, Spence said the town is still moving ahead with its long-term strategy of trying to solidify itself as a hub for northern logistics.

The plan aims to help all of Manitoba, by getting more goods and fresh food to Nunavut towns and mines through Churchills railway and port, instead of the slower, more carbon-intensive route through the Saint Lawrence River.

This year, a University of Manitoba ice research facility is set to open, while the Northern Studies Centre is hoping to resume environmental research it paused during the pandemic.

Spence is effusive about the federal governments economic supports, both to weather COVID-19 and to help develop local businesses.

He now wants help expanding the airport, and hopes the military will re-establish a permanent presence.

"We can play an important role in Canadas future," Spence said.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
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Nigeria enters the new year draped in curious contradiction. A protracted sixtieth anniversary celebration has recently been interrupted by an untidy debate about the nation's very survival as a viable state. The question is simple: Is the Nigerian state failing?

Among most enlightened Nigerians, there is now an inconvenient consensus that the Nigerian state is in a free fall. Subscribers to the failing state submission concede that Nigeria may not have failed completely but that the state is in desperate disrepair. We are witnessing what we may call a 'failed state debate' which has now fanned out into two flanks. Majority of sensible citizens are warning that the general insecurity and severe widespread poverty in the nation indicate a free descent into a possible state failure.

On the contrary, the incumbent administration, its acolytes and spokespersons insist that all is well with the Nigerian state. The trouble is that professional trouble makers and habitual naysayers cannot appreciate the wonderful work of the Buhari presidency. At this point, the tentative concession is that while both sides wear a garb of patriotism, neither has a monopoly of it.

State failure is not such a complicated matter after all. Its symptoms show up in little things that ordinary people can measure in their very daily lives. Simply put, state failure occurs when the state serially fails to discharge its part of the social contract that binds people and their government. It means that people leave their homes unsure that they will return in safety because forces of violence have taken over the streets and highways. It means that when confronted with danger in the normal exercise of civic rituals, citizens can no longer trust in the capacity of the government to protect them from dangerous people. The superior coercive power of government that should serve as the amour of protection for the people is outgunned by non -state actors.

Children check into schools, left in the care of teachers, but are casually trucked away by vicious gunmen. They cry in fear and desperation for the state to come and save them. No one heeds their cry for days. A husband and wife set out on a journey. They are abducted by men of violence and the man watches rough bandits rape his wife and he dares not challenge them for fear of instant death. People get inured to providing nearly everything for themselves in the knowledge that the state is indifferent to their plight. Even the routine reassurances of government cannot be believed any more because of a long tradition of betrayal and disappointment. Basic trust in the authority and capacity of the state to act as the last guarantor of citizens rights is dismissed even by children as a crude joke. The open corruption of high state functionaries and even security officials is so rampant and commonplace that it has become the butt of beer parlor jokes.

A failing state crumbles in meeting its obligations to multiple constituencies. First, the state fails its citizens when it can no longer guarantee life, limbs or livelihood. Second, the state fails itself when it loses confidence in its own institutions and begins to incorporate crude things like 'civilian JTF' or hires local hunters to bolster up the sophisticated arsenal of the armed forces. Third, the state fails the comity of nations when its voice is muffled by ineptitude at home and manifest weakness abroad. In a failing state, the pursuit of happiness for the citizens becomes a futile race because lives cannot be guaranteed let alone thrive into contentment. Happiness becomes a rare commodity because basic survival is overwhelmed by existential hazards of an imminent nature. Dangerous obstacles block the aspiration of the majority to basic livelihood. A state in which the high priests of officialdom cannot agree among themselves on a credible explanation for any of its multiple policies is nothing but a confused rabble of disconnected egos, a discordant choir in a congregation devoid of a creed. A state that meets most of these embarrassing criteria is at best a faltering state teetering on the brinks of total failure. Nigerians have a right to decide for themselves how things stand in our commonwealth today.

The supporting indicators are not far fetched. It ought to concern the fierce defenders of today's incumbency that in today's Nigeria, the presidency sends out more condolence messages than it can find cause to send out congratulatory messages to Nigerians. Hardly a day passes without numerous reported incidents of kidnappings, abductions and unnecessary killings. Sometimes, whole urban neighbourhoods are cordoned off by marauding gangs of dangerous hoodlums and organized criminals. Sometimes, they openly address letters of intent to neighbourhoods and even copy the police, stating where they will strike next. Even when the police reassures people, they tend to believe the criminals, not the police.

What has driven many to the frightening conclusion that the Nigerian house could fall is the scope of blood letting and the industrial scale of loss of human lives that we now witness daily. It seems as if human sacrifice is feeding the insatiable appetite of some unkind gods. In the dark ancestry of our ancient cultures, human sacrifice was performed when the community was beset by forces that overwhelm the leadership. There was the belief that the human sacrifice would assuage the gods and bring peace, security and succor to the community.

In today's Nigeria, the state has unconsciously degenerated to a stage where many have come to see the spate of blood -letting that greets our daily experience as nothing short of human sacrifice to some insatiable blood deity. The incapacity of the state allows countless citizens to be wasted on a daily basis. But instead of bringing succor to our national community, the modern day mass human sacrifice of Nigerians by bandits, Boko Haram, armed robbers, the police and even the army does not bring Nigerians peace or succor. Instead, each serial murder breeds even more blood letting in a charmed cycle of violence that now defies rational explanation. The dividend of democracy should be order and security of life and limbs, not a harvest of orphans, widows and quantum misery

This is the effective background to the raging 'failed state' debate. Two strident voices from two complementary realms have come to dominate the conversation in recent days. The first is from a global instrument of power, the Financial Times of London. The second is the voice of a Nigerian citizen who is however empowered to speak on God's behalf, Bishop Mathew Kukah.

The Financial Times editorial of 22nd December, 2020, is not necessarily novel in inspration or original in content. It says nothing that the Nigerian media has not been trumpeting in the last three years or more. However, given the international audience, political gravitas, title integrity and respectability of the Financial Times (FT), the authorities in Abuja seem to have lost a bit of sleep in the aftermath of that largely advisory editorial. What FT did was merely to summarize the present state of the Nigerian reality by highlighting the sheer ineffectuality of the incumbent administration's strategies and policies. Widespread insecurity calls to question the basic obligation of the state to guarantee the life of the citizens. A regime of organized crime fuels unchecked corruption that drains the state of the money to pursue development and social services. In turn, a fairly stable democratic arrangement is made untenable by the dominance of too many bankrupt states presided over by overbearing autocrats as governors.

In the tradition of great journalism, however, FT is kind enough to point in the direction of redeeming ideas for the Nigerian state. These include a restructuring of the Nigerian federation to reduce the centers of fiscal waste and unproductive entitlement. In addition, a population with over 40% aged under 40 years can only hope to make progress if the affairs of state are managed by a younger population. Gladly, FT acknowledges the vast competence, talent and entrepreneurship of Nigerian youth, an energy that made a rowdy public showing during the recent ENDSARS protests all over the country. Predictably, FT is reluctant to credit the Buhari presidency with the sincerity and executive capacity to take the decisive steps required to rescue the Nigerian ship of state from perilous waters let alone unleash its monumental potentials.

On his part, Bishop Mathew Kukah, true to his known tradition of politically engaged theology, delivers an unsparing but true critique of the Buhari administration against the backdrop of the very obvious decay and near collapse of the Nigerian state. There is nothing in Bishop Kukah's Christmas message that is unpatriotic, subversive or even new. Nor is it fair for regime apologists and ethnocentric megaphones to brand his criticism unfair or minimally treasonous. The Bishop simply holds Mr. Buhari accountable for betraying his campaign undertakings as a politician. Nigerians have done that variously in recent times. The Bishop points to Buhari's undisguised nepotism and nativism in key federal appointments. The bulk of the Nigerian elite have been hammering on that repeatedly based on clear statistical evidence. Bishop Kukah drew attention to the obvious and quite embarrassing 'northernisation' policy of the Buhari administration. All this is squarely in the public domain and falls squarely within the purview of fair patriotic commentary by a concerned citizen of our republic.

There is also nothing In the Bishop's Christmas message that detracts from the responsibility of a man of God to his congregation or to his nation. To believe in God and truly worship Him, men and women must first be alive. A state that cannot guarantee the safety of life and property of its citizens is an aberration in the sight of God in any religion. The primary responsibility of religious leaders is in fact the duty to ensure that government is responsible for the basic needs of the people and guarantees the atmosphere of law and order which make the pursuit of all faiths possible. The will of God cannot be done on earth if the earth is emptied of its human content because princes and principalities have failed to protect those who live on earth. The recklessness of political leaders who betray their campaign promises is a reckless defiance not only of the social contract which binds people to their ruler but also a defiance of the bond between humanity and God in every religion. Therefore, Kukah's message is at once a correct civic duty, a spiritual service and a patriotic responsibility.

It becomes difficult to see the point in Minister Lai Mohammed's mischievous mischaracterization of Bishop Kukah's well intentioned Christmas message. There is nothing in Kukah's message that is more incendiary than the general outrage of Nigerians at repeated incidents of insecurity. Citizens ranging from the Sultan of Sokoto, Wole Soyinka to groups like the Northern Elders Forum, Ohaneze, Afenifere or the Ijaw leaders forum have raised their voices as well. Indeed every responsible editorial page of our myriad media titles has been an active voice in the quest for a more accountable and secure Nigeria.

For the custodians of the incumbent realm, the troubling crux of Bishop Kukah's message is its bold critique of the quality and orientation of the Buhari presidency, especially the matter of undisguised nepotism. There is nothing new in stating that the divisiveness and incompetence of this administration falls far short of the best that Nigeria is capable of. It has been repeatedly pointed out by the broad majority of enlightened Nigerians. At the root of the present crisis is the deliberate, systematic hijacking of the strategic heights of state power by President Buhari and its casual wholesale apportionment to the northern half of the nation. That apportionment also happens to coincide with a sectarian divide between Christians and Moslems, which makes it all the more dangerous for political stability and national security.

I suspect, however, that the allergy of Buhari's Information Commissar and other power apologists to the Kukah message is coming from concerns higher than the content of the Bishop's Christmas message. The trouble may be Bishop Kukah's strategic location in our contemporary national matrix. He is located in the middle of every conceivable fault line in today's Nigeria. He is a Bishop of the Catholic church with easily the largest Christian following of the traditional churches. He is based in Sokoto, headquarters of the historic Sokoto caliphate. He is a citizen of Kaduna state, a hotbed of the Christian-Moslem divide and the troubling settler indigene fractiousness. Above all, Bishop Kukah has grown a voice that is at once impeccably patriotic and unfailingly trenchant, articulate, courageous and sometimes fiercely libertarian. His views resonate with the media and elite circles from Lagos to Sokoto, London to Washington, Rome to Jerusalem and even Mecca. Therefore, Mr. Lai Mohammed's reaction to the Bishops' Christmas message is a cry of desperation from a sanctuary of power trapped in its own mesh.

Ruling party officials and the usual presidential messengers have added their voices to the defense of the realm. Copious rehashes of ongoing government projects and programmes have been cited as evidence that the state is all well and good. None of the programmes, I am afraid, addresses the raging storm of overwhelming physical and economic insecurity. No length of railway tracks or span of bridges and highways make it any safer to travel from one point to the other in this dangerous place. The expression of a desire to rescue a hundred million from poverty in ten years does not address the fact that most of those poor people will go to bed tonight without food. More of them will find it hard to sleep because they do not know which dark agents will come calling at night bearing violence in their hands and dark designs in their hearts. In any event, many of our poor will have died of starvation and deprivation long before the politically convenient 10 years expires.

In a democratic republic, only the people have the ultimate prerogative of judgment on matters of whether the state is alive, well or failing. It is blatantly insolent, even precipitously arrogant, for either a ruling party or the hirelings of the incumbent state to arrogate to themselves the onus of deciding when the state is fulfilling its part of the social contract with the people.

Ironically, Bishop Kukah and President Buhari converge on the way out of Nigeria's trajectory of failure. Kukah's fierce interrogation of the president's dismal performance leads him to an inevitable recourse to divine intervention and call for more prayers. As a man of God, Kukah has no choice than to invoke divine intervention in a situation that seems to have overwhelmed practical human governance. Curiously, President Buhari has also recently resorted to a helpless invitation of divine intervention on some pressing national problems. He was recently quoted as saying that only God can effectively police the border between Nigeria and Niger Republic!

We cannot outsource the effective governance of the Nigerian state to God. Governance is a very human enterprise. Divine inspiration can come in handy when those given a democratic mandate do their sincere best. There are immediate solutions that only the president can apply to stop the rapid descent into state failure. He can dissolve the present provincial high command of his government and replace it with a more diverse, representative and national assemblage. He can disband the present cabinet, retain the performing few and head hunt the best Nigerians, especially the youth, to constitute the bulk of a new knowledge driven and activist cabinet.

In the long term, the ultimate solution to state failure is the renewal of the apparatus of state through the democratic process at the next election cycle.

Credit: Chidi Amuta, Thisday
Following the renewed escalation of tensions and soaring fears of military conflict between the United States and Iran over General Soleimani's assassination, Washington on January 3 instructed its military aircraft carrier to remain stationed in the middle east. As the threat of the Iranian retaliation looms, US acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller reversed the earlier decision to pull out USS Nimitz from middle eastern waters, stating that the carrier will now remain on station in the US Central Command area of operations.

In a brief official statement issued by the US defense ministry, Miller ordered the US aircraft carrier to halt its routine redeployment immediately, adding that no nation must doubt the US resolve as he further pushed for USS Nimitzs deployment in the Persian Gulf to send a 'clear message' to Tehran, flaring tensions between the two nations.

US sources close to CNN revealed that Iran, amid the heightened tension, ramped up its military readiness as it moved the short-range ballistic missiles into Iraq and deployed Iranian maritime forces in the Gulf, to strike at the US military bases as the two countries edged towards an armed conflict. Iran had also warned the US that the new year might turn into mourning for Americans, as it brought the American militarys adventurism in the Gulf and the Oman waters to the United Nations Security Councils notice. On the occasion of the death anniversary of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed a "severe revenge ratcheting up potential conflict threats against US troops and diplomats in the Persian Gulf.

[USS Nimitz. Credit: US Navy]

[Credit: US Navy]

Read: Iran: Hezbollah Rally To Mark Soleimani's Killing

Read: Iran Hails Yemen Alliance, Promises To Fight US

The military advisers on the US side, according to several reports, suggested that Pentagon must bring military carrier Nimitz to its homeport of Bremerton, Wash., from the Middle East and Africa. But the US acting defense secretary ordered just the redeployment as a de-escalation signal, as American intelligence reports suggested that Iran was preparing to strike the US military to avenge the US killing of the commander of Irans elite Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Miller refused to out station Nimitz from the Middle East. Both Iran and the US have maintained their military posturing following the January 3 anniversary of the assassination of Gen. Qasem Soleimani.

Iran calls US killing 'unforgivable crime'

Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif accused US President Donald Trump of creating pretext of war in a state press address, berating his policy of maximum pressure against Iran. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a press address that President Donald Trump had committed an "unforgivable crime and that Iran had a definite plan for revenge, according to Iran's semi-official Fars news agency. Iran's Tasnim news agency reported Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, commander of Iran's army as saying that Iran was ready with a sword and a sledgehammer to strike against assassinators of IRGCs top commander.

The US, meanwhile, flew two B-52 Stratofortress bombers over the Persian Gulf this week, avoiding Iranian airspace in a 36-hour airforce mission from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, to reinstate the US military's commitment to regional security, according to a US Central Command release.

Read: Honduran Migrant Gives Birth On Mexico-US Border Bridge

Read: WikiLeaks' Assange Awaits US Extradition Ruling
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th January, 2021) US President Donald Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who is a Republican, clashed on Twitter over the November 3 election results on Sunday after the former reiterated allegations of voter fraud in the battleground state.

Trump first took to Twitter to report that he had a call with Raffensperger on Saturday "about Fulton County and voter fraud in Georgia." According to the incumbent president, the Georgia secretary of state was "unwilling, or unable, to answer questions such as the 'ballots under table' scam, ballot destruction, out of state 'voters', dead voters, and more." Trump argued that the Georgia official "has no clue."

In a couple of hours, Raffensperger responded to the tweet.

"Respectfully, President Trump: What you're saying is not true. The truth will come out," he wrote.

The two publicly locked horns after the call, i which Trump pressed Raffensperger to recalculate the votes in his favor, according to The Washington Post, which obtained a recording of the conversation.

In the hour-long call, Trump reportedly stated that he wanted to "find 11,780 votes," maintaining that "there's no way I lost Georgia."

According to the transcript, Trump takes turns flattering and then criticizing and even threatening Raffensperger. He stresses that the purported voter fraud is actually a criminal offense, and the official "can't let that happen."

Georgia, a traditionally red state, has already recounted its ballots three times, each time revealing that Democrat candidate Joe Biden beat Trump by a narrow margin. As a result, Biden won all 16 electors from Georgia.

Trump refuses to concede his defeat in the November race, alleging voter fraud, but his campaign has so far lost nearly all legal challenges. President-elect Biden's inauguration is scheduled for January 20.
The Ghana National Fire Service has been urged to regularly service their fire hydrants to facilitate the fight against fire outbreaks.



Apostle Osei Daniel, General Overseer of the Church of Guiding Light Prayer Fellowship, who made the call, also appealed to traders in the markets to observe best fire safety practices.



Apostle Daniel said the recent fire outbreaks could be averted if traders took safety practices seriously to save life and property.



Apostle Daniel was speaking at the End-of-Year Thanksgiving Service of the Madina Market Traders in Accra.



The service which was on the theme: It is good to Praise the Lord, was aimed at giving thanks to the Lord God Almighty for seeing the traders through a successful year.



Apostle Daniel said the fire outbreak at the Odawna, Agbogbloshie and the Kaneshie markets should be a wake-up call to all traders in the country to be vigilant.



On the Coronavirus pandemic, Apostle Daniel said the government had acted very well and fast to contain the spread of the virus.



He said Ghanaians should thank God for the minimal impact of the pandemic on the country compared with other parts of the world.



The General Overseer called for the strict observance of the protocols to curb the spread of the virus.

Source: GNA









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Since our inception as Korean Ducks Magazine in 2005, weve worked hard to share a multicultural spirit with our readership. We embrace diversity in our stories, in our student staff and in our readers. We want every part of the magazine to reflect the diversity of our world.
Actor Kangana Ranaut revealed in a new Twitter post that the makers of Dhaakad have roped in Tetsuo Nagata, an award-winning Japanese cinematographer based in France. She also said that a highly acclaimed international action crew is working on the film, which she promised will be a world-class spy thriller.

For #Dhaakad we have legendary french director of photography Tetsuo Nagata , his academy award winning work like La Vie en Rose has been an inspiration for whole world. Along with highly acclaimed international action crew @RazyGhai hoping to make world class spy triller, she wrote, sharing pictures with him and the others from a brunch hosted by her last week.

For #Dhaakad we have legendary french director of photography Tetsuo Nagata , his academy award winning work like La Vie en Rose has been an inspiration for whole world. Along with highly acclaimed international action crew @RazyGhai hoping to make world class spy triller  pic.twitter.com/zSA0wBSMck  Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) January 4, 2021

On New Year, Kangana hosted a brunch for the team of Dhaakad, and thanked them for working tirelessly even through holiday season. She shared pictures and videos from the get-together and expressed her excitement about the film.

Cheers to our Dhaakad team and our Chief.... our director Razy Ghai he is Indias top advert film maker, its his first film but so privileged to work with him, he is amazing, one of her tweets read.

In a teaser for Dhaakad, Kangana was seen firing a machine gun. In an earlier statement, she said that the film will be a turning point for Indian cinema, as it is a one-of-a-kind female-led action film being made on a lavish scale. If it is received well, there will be no looking back for women in Indian cinema, she had said.

Also read: Ishaan Khatter, Ananya Panday spotted together at Mumbai airport after Maldives trip, fans wonder if Ishanya are dating

Last year, in March, Dhaakad was at the centre of a controversy, when filmmaker Ahmed Khan was quoted as saying that Kanganas Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi was a flop and that Dhaakad was shelved as a result of losses suffered by makers.

Kanganas sister and manager Rangoli Chandel lashed out at Ahmed in a series of tweets and called him an atrocious filmmaker. The director and producer of Dhaakad also tweeted to confirm that the film was very much happening.

Later, Rangoli revealed that Ahmed called Kangana to apologise and said that he was misquoted, but they were still sending him a legal notice for claiming that Dhaakad was shelved.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

ott:10
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 49F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 49F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
More than 1.3 million travels were screened by TSA on Sunday, which represented the highest single-day number since the start of the pandemic. The total followed 1.19 million travels on Saturday, leading to the highest consecutive-day total since March.

The travel came despite many health experts and government officials advising families to spend the holidays at home and celebrate through virtual get together.

From Dec. 18 through Jan. 3, TSA screened more than 1 million passengers in a single day 11 times. From March 16 through Dec. 17, the agency saw more than 1 million people in a single day only five times - four of which came during the week of Thanksgiving.

On Sunday, 1,327,289 travelers passed through TSA, which was down 45% from last year. On Saturday, 1,192,881 travelers passed through TSA. Prior to Dec. 23, the number would have been the most since March. It now ranks as only the fourth highest since Dec. 23.

At New Englands six major airports, TSA screened 33,699 on Sunday, the second highest number of passengers during the end-of-year holiday season. Dec. 27 represented the highest total with more than 35,000.

With the increase in holiday travel, health experts anticipate a surge of cases of coronavirus in the middle of January.

Cases surged following increased travel during Thanksgiving. According to TSA data, millions of more people traveled during Christmas.

As of Monday morning, the United States had experienced more than 20 million cases of coronavirus with more than 351,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. Throughout the pandemic, at least 371,097 Massachusetts residents have contracted COVID-19 and 12,341 have died, according to public health officials.
Several mayors in Alabamas major cities have all announced that they have tested positive for COVID-19, two within the last 24 hours.

The mayors of Decatur, Florence and Auburn have all disclosed their diagnoses. Last week, Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin announced he was at home recovering after testing positive for COVID-19.

Today Florence Mayor Andy Betterton said he is experiencing mild symptoms. According to a news release, Andy Betterton is undergoing care from his primary healthcare provider. Betterton won the citys mayoral runoff back in October.

Upon receiving the notification, Mayor Betterton has followed all CDC/ADPH guidelines and responsibly informed any individuals who were in close contact with him prior to his diagnosis, the release stated.

City Council President Dick Jordan will represent the city in press conferences in the interim.

While respecting his privacy and that of his family, keep Mayor Betterton in your thoughts during his convalescence, a city announcement asks.

Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling announced last week that he had tested positive. Bowling said today that he is feeling better and that he received the monoclonal antibody infusion over the weekend.

This afternoon, Auburn Mayor Ron Anders said that he tested positive for COVID-19 over the holiday weekend, is exercising quarantine protocols and following doctors orders.

I look forward to getting back to work for Auburn in person in the very near future, once I have tested clear, Anders said. I just want to remind everyone to keep your masks on, keep up your social distancing and keep those hands washed, because anyone can be exposed to this virus.

Last July, longtime Clanton Mayor Billy Joe Driver died Thursday from COVID-19.
Candidates can raise their objections with the answer key by providing an appropriate representation on or before 8 January and submitting the request online

The answer key for Haryana Teachers Eligibility Test (HTET) 2020 has been released by the Board of School Education, Haryana (BSEH) on its official website. Candidates who have appeared in the examination can check the answer key by visiting bseh.org.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, candidates have the provision of pointing out their objections with the answer key. In order to raise an objection, they will have to provide an appropriate representation on or before 8 January and submit the request online.

There is also a cost for raising objections: Rs 200 will be charged for each question. But the report added that if the objections are found to be correct by the subject experts, then the fee will be refunded.

The board will publish the final answer keys after revision of objections.

Follow these steps to check the HTET 2020 answer keys:

Step 1: Visit the official site of BSEH at bseh.org

Step 2: click on the link that reads: HTET -2020 ANSWER KEY FOR ALL LEVEL on the homepage

Step 3: You will be redirected to another webpage where the subject-wise answer keys have been published

Step 4: Click on the subject you would like to see

Step 5: Now your answer key will be displayed on the screen

Step 6: Download the document and take a print out of the same for future use

Here is the direct link to check the HTET- 2020 answer key.

According to a report in The Times of India, the Haryana Board of School Education will not be accepting any objections through the offline mode. No correspondence made via mails, faxes or other offline modes will be acceptable.

Also, the 8 January deadline is final and no objection (online or offline) will be considered after this date.

To clear up their doubts, candidates can reach out to complaintshtet2020@gmail.com.
RAPID CITY  So far so bad when it comes to convincing Manitoba Infrastructure to pick up the pace in repairing the Rapid City dam.

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RAPID CITY  So far so bad when it comes to convincing Manitoba Infrastructure to pick up the pace in repairing the Rapid City dam.

As they affirmed in a written statement to the Sun on Sunday, the province is still looking at its original two-year repair timeline.

The communitys dam across the Little Saskatchewan River breached in June as a result of heavy rainfall, when water cut through the earth embankment to its immediate south.

In so doing, it drained the communitys reservoir, which approximately 22 residential properties on the north side of the river rely on for their wells.

Edie Evans, 85, is one of several of these property owners whose wells have since gone dry.

She spent $900 on a 330-gallon tank, which lasts her approximately two weeks and is refilled at a cost of $100.

The provinces disaster financial assistance program might cover a portion of this cost, but Evans said she will believe it when she has their cheque in hand.

"Maybe Im just getting impatient, but that gaping hole in the dam  its just ridiculous the way things work nowadays," she said. "Theres just so much bureaucracy, so many committees and so much red tape.  It had to have a study done, and engineers, but I guess everyone has to justify their jobs."

When Manitoba Infrastructure issued an approximately two-year timeline on getting the dam repaired late last year, residents spoke out against waiting so long for their water supply to be replenished.

A petition of 475 names indicating as much was presented to various municipal and provincial government officials at the time.

The effort appears unsuccessful thus far, with Manitoba Infrastructure issuing the following written statement to the Sun on Sunday:

"Manitoba Infrastructure is moving forward with the engineering work to repair/replace the structure. The process is anticipated to take approximately two years from start to finish."

That means two winters of water tanks, which some affected residents are less than thrilled about.

One visibly frustrated resident who didnt want her name used said the line to her outdoor tank has already frozen a couple of times. Given the mild temperatures theyve had so far this winter, she anticipates a lot more days without access to water.

Area residents Lloyd and Joanne Evans expressed similar frustration, having spent approximately $3,000 on their temporary water source thus far.

TYLER CLARKE/THE BRANDON SUN Rapid City resident Lloyd Evans is seen with the water tank in his garage  a common sight on the north side of the Little Saskatchewan River this year due to the reservoir drying up.

Their well ran dry the week before Christmas, prompting them to install a small water tank outside and a larger tank that now fills much of their garage.

"We did not buy these properties with hauling water," she said, adding that while some rural residents depend on trucked-in water, she is among "established residents who had a disaster and we lost our water."

The prevailing message among residents contacted for this story is that Manitoba Infrastructures dam broke and that they should fix it as soon as possible.

Rapid City and District Wildlife Association secretary-treasurer Bob Christie is among area residents with the strongest finger on the pulse of government goings-on, having kept an open line of dialogue throughout the process with the RM of Oakview and Manitoba Infrastructure.

Although he doesnt have anything to announce just yet, he said hes optimistic a fix will get rolling earlier than the province is currently saying.

According to the minutes from an Oct. 6 meeting that Christie attended alongside Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler and municipal officials, Schuler didnt rule out a temporary fix, but did clarify a proper fix would be preferred.

Schuler also affirmed that excavating the reservoir would be part of the project and, if approved, may begin this winter.

Alongside their push to get the dam repaired, residents are also in dialogue with the municipality about getting connected to municipal water. A water main was extended north of the river last year as a result of leftover funds that were raised to restore the communitys beach.

Some residents expressed frustration regarding the cost of getting hooked up, with some estimates hovering close to $30,000 per property, but Reeve Brent Fortune said the municipalitys conversation with property owners is ongoing.

"Its cost-prohibitive for a lot of small towns," he said of large water connection projects like this. "Its like everything else  everythings expensive nowadays."

As for dam repairs, he said he hasnt heard anything new from Manitoba Infrastructure since the fall and that its in the provinces hands.

"At the end of the day, its supposed to be put back the way it was before the flood."

Edie said that although she recognizes her neighbourhood "got off pretty easy" compared to others who suffered property damage as a result of last summers flooding in Westman, shes not letting up for fear of the issue being forgotten.

"Mostly Im complaining because if you dont keep the feet to the fire, its easy for Winnipeg to forget people are living out here," she said, adding that the problem with the dam stares her in the face every day.

"The gaping hole is still there."

 tclarke@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 21:44:59|Editor: huaxia

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JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) on Monday said the vaccine roll-out plan the state unveiled last night lacked details and was unclear on delivery timelines.

"The plan did not have a clear logistical roll-out plan for vaccination, for example in terms of training of the clinicians to vaccinate, geographic layout of the vaccination especially for the vulnerable cohorts," Nehawu General Secretary Zola Saphetha said.

This comes after Health Minister Zweli Mkhize unveiled South Africa's vaccine rollout strategy on Sunday night. Mkhize said the government hoped to roll out the vaccine next month.

"Hopefully as early as February 2021. This will very much depend on the success of current bilateral negotiations we are in the midst of with various companies," he said.

The minister said the plan was to vaccinate about 60 percent of the population by the end of this year.

"Unfortunately they did not meet our expectations because we had thought that by now we might have concluded negotiations and engagements with manufacturers and those that are responsible for the vaccine," said Saphetha.

"Furthermore, we demand that government engages both Russia and China on emergency procurement of their vaccines for healthcare workers whilst waiting for the Covax delivery," said the union. Enditem
Ms Sangalli said community members have been donating food and camping supplies to the site. "Locals around the area have really started to show up for this, we get new faces that come through every day asking how they can help," she said. "There's a constant growth, every day we're being asked for tents [by rough sleepers]. "We're trying to take the lead from the people we're providing for, so as long as they want us to be here we're going to try and be here." The site is a no drug and no alcohol zone and differs from 'tent city' near the Lord Street overpass in Perth as it has ready access to portable toilets, sleeping bags, sanitary products, clothing and shoes.

Dr Pettitt said government authorities and services would be engaging with people at the camp on Tuesday to try and match them up with organisations and accommodation. "We all know there is probably not enough accommodation to go around at the moment and that's the big challenge for us," he said. "The intent is this doesn't go on, that we do find a way of wrapping up the tents. "We want to do that in a compassionate and a fair way." John 'Ox' Kent is homeless and has been at the camp since the day it started and said it was a safe place.

"There's a pretty good vibe most of the time if we're all working together," he said. "We've got water and toilet facilities." About 50 tents have been pitched in Pioneer Park in Fremantle for homeless people. Credit:Erin Guy Mr Kent said he was not concerned if state or local governments wanted to move on the camp because at the end of the day the authorities needed to find somewhere for rough sleepers to live. "Why don't they come and sleep with us for a week, I bet there's lots of politicians who wouldn't even get through day two," he said.

Vanessa Culbong, who is a homeless advocate and sleeps rough herself, said the site had been good for Aboriginal people whose extended families could come to Fremantle and check in on them. She said more state government resources needed to be put into addressing the homelessness crisis. "We had two deaths in the north side, where all the homeless fellas camp in Mirrabooka this week," she said. "Some of the people out there ... they want to set tents up out there now. There's too much homelessness, 15,000 people and 13 year [public housing] waiting lists, it's ridiculous. "All the resources they're pulling out of the ground, all the taxes they've got, where's all that money going, because it's not going back into society where I can see it effectively contributing."

Loading Noongar elder and social advocate Uncle Ben Cuimara Taylor has been down to the camp and spoken with police and the Fremantle council. He said the people at the camp needed social housing and the state government needed to provide rehabilitation options and night shelters. Department of Communities service delivery executive director Lindsay Hale said the safety of the community is the primary factor when considering the current location of the camp. "The Department of Communities is committed to working with individuals so they can move out of homelessness into safe and stable accommodation," he said.

"The state government has invested significant new money to address homelessness, in addition to its almost $100 million in existing annual funding commitments. "Much of the additional funding committed to these services is available to people experiencing homelessness in the Fremantle area. "The most constructive way the community can get vulnerable people the help they need is to direct them to state government-funded homelessness services that have the necessary relationships and expertise." Dr Pettitt said the camp had fulfilled an important gap during the holiday season. "This was set up at a time in that Christmas-New Year period where normal services available to people who are sleeping rough arent available to the same extent," he said.
In my new role, I intend to focus on empowering ASHA members to advocate on behalf of the professions of audiology and speech-language pathology.

A. Lynn Williams, PhD, CCC-SLP, took office this month as the 2021 President of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

In her term, Williams will work to advance the objectives of ASHA and its more than 211,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students in communication sciences and disorders.

I am honored to serve as ASHAs 2021 President, Williams said. In my new role, I intend to focus on empowering ASHA members to advocate on behalf of the professions of audiology and speech-language pathology. As the country grapples with the health and educational consequences of the global pandemic; strives to address the pressing issues of diversity, equity and inclusion; and readies to inaugurate a new president who has been vocal about his experiences as a person who stutters, the importance of the professions is more apparent than ever.

Williams holds two positions at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) in Johnson City, Tennessee: Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences; and Professor in the Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. Part of her work there involves providing oversight and curriculum development for allied health professions taught at ETSU.

An international expert on intervention for speech sound disorders in children, Williams has produced and/or given more than 175 professional publications and presentations. With funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), she developed a model of intervention for children with severe speech disorders that has been used nationally and internationally. She also developed an app with NIH funding that will translate research to facilitate intervention to children with speech sound disorders.

From 2016 to 2018, Williams served as ASHAs Vice President for Academic Affairs in Speech-Language Pathology and was named an ASHA Fellow in 2006. Additionally, she was named a Distinguished Fellow at the National Academies of Practice; was inducted into the West Virginia University College of Human Resources and Education Hall of Fame; and was named an Erskine Fellow at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. The Erskine Programme annually invites 70 distinguished international visitors to lecture at the university.

Speaking of the challenges ahead of her as ASHAs 2021 President, Williams noted that she will address them with special motivation. It is the inspiring work of audiologists and speech-language pathologists, she said. Every day, across the country, they help advance ASHAs vision of making effective communication, a human right, accessible and achievable for all.

About the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)

ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 211,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students. Audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment, including hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists identify, assess, and treat speech, language and swallowing disorders.

View all ASHA press releases at http://www.asha.org/about/news.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Iran began enriching uranium Monday to levels unseen since its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and also seized a South Korean-flagged tanker near the crucial Strait of Hormuz, a double-barrelled challenge to the West that further raised Mideast tensions.

This Dec. 11, 2020, satellite photo by Maxar Technologies shows construction at Iran's Fordo nuclear facility. Iran has begun construction on a site at its underground nuclear facility at Fordo amid tensions with the U.S. over its atomic program, satellite photos obtained Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, by The Associated Press show. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Iran began enriching uranium Monday to levels unseen since its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and also seized a South Korean-flagged tanker near the crucial Strait of Hormuz, a double-barrelled challenge to the West that further raised Mideast tensions.

Both decisions appeared aimed at increasing Tehran's leverage in the waning days in office for President Donald Trump, whose unilateral withdrawal from the atomic accord in 2018 began a series of escalating incidents.

FILE - In this. file photo, released on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019 by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, a forklift carries a cylinder containing uranium hexafluoride gas for the purpose of injecting the gas into centrifuges in Iran's Fordo nuclear facility. An Iranian government spokesman said Tehran has begun enriching uranium up to 20% at an underground facility. The state-run IRNA news agency on Monday, Dec. 4, 2021, quoted Ali Rabiei saying President Hassan Rouhani had given the order for the move at the Fordo facility. (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran via AP, File)

Increasing enrichment at its underground Fordo facility puts Tehran a technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%, while also pressuring President-elect Joe Biden to quickly negotiate. Iran's seizure of the MT Hankuk Chemi comes as a South Korean diplomat was due to travel to the Islamic Republic to discuss the release of billions of dollars in Iranian assets frozen in Seoul.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif seemed to acknowledge Tehran's interest in leveraging the situation in a tweet about its nuclear enrichment.

Our measures are fully reversible upon FULL compliance by ALL, he wrote.

At Fordo, Iranian nuclear scientists under the watch of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors loaded centrifuges with over 130 kilograms (285 pounds) of low-enriched uranium to be spun up to 20%, said Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's permanent representative to the U.N. atomic agency.

The IAEA later described the Fordo setup as three sets of two interconnected cascades, comprised of 1,044 IR-1 centrifuges  Iran's first-generation centrifuges. A cascade is a group of centrifuges working together to more quickly enrich uranium.

Iranian state television quoted government spokesman Ali Rabiei as saying that President Hassan Rouhani had given the order to begin the production. It came after its parliament passed a bill, later approved by a constitutional watchdog, aimed at increasing enrichment to pressure Europe into providing sanctions relief.

The U.S. State Department criticized Irans move as a clear attempt to increase its campaign of nuclear extortion.

In this photo released Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, by Tasnim News Agency, a seized South Korean-flagged tanker is escorted by Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats on the Persian Gulf. Iranian state television acknowledged that Tehran seized the oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The report on Monday alleged the MT Hankuk Chemi had been stopped by Iranian authorities over alleged oil pollution in the Persian Gulf and the strait. (Tasnim News Agency via AP)

Iran informed the IAEA of its plans to increase enrichment to 20% last week.

Irans decision to begin enriching to 20% purity a decade ago nearly triggered an Israeli strike targeting its nuclear facilities, tensions that only abated with the 2015 atomic deal, which saw Iran limit its enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

A resumption of 20% enrichment could see that brinksmanship return. Already, a November attack that Tehran blames on Israel killed an Iranian scientist who founded the countrys military nuclear program two decades earlier.

From Israel, which has its own undeclared nuclear weapons program, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Irans enrichment decision, saying it cannot be explained in any way other than the continuation of realizing its goal to develop a military nuclear program.

"Israel will not allow Iran to manufacture a nuclear weapon," he added.

In this photo released Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, by Tasnim News Agency, the MT Hankuk Chemi, a South Korean-flagged tanker is escorted by Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats on the Persian Gulf. Iranian state television acknowledged that Tehran seized the oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The report on Monday alleged the MT Hankuk Chemi had been stopped by Iranian authorities over alleged oil pollution in the Persian Gulf and the strait. (Tasnim News Agency via AP)

Tehran has long maintained its nuclear program is peaceful. The State Department says that as late as last year, it continued to assess that Iran is not currently engaged in key activities associated with the design and development of a nuclear weapon. That mirrors previous reports by U.S. intelligence agencies and the IAEA, though experts warn that Iran currently has enough low-enriched uranium for at least two nuclear weapons if it chose to pursue them.

Meanwhile, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard seized the MT Hankuk Chemi, with photos later released showing its vessels alongside the tanker. Satellite data from MarineTraffic.com showed the tanker off the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on Monday.

The ship had been travelling from a petrochemicals facility in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. The vessel carries a chemical shipment including methanol, according to data-analysis firm Refinitiv.

Iran alleged it seized the vessel over it allegedly polluting the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, the gulf's narrow mouth through which 20% of the world's oil passes.

Calls to the ships listed owner, DM Shipping Co. Ltd. of Busan, South Korea, were not answered after business hours Monday. The South Korean news agency Yonhap quoted an anonymous company official denying the Iranian claim the ship polluted the water.

Graphic shows the process to enrich uranium to weapons-grade level.

The captain asked why we have to go and be examined and did not get any answer, Yonhap quoted the official as saying.

In past months Iran has sought to escalate pressure on South Korea to unlock some $7 billion in frozen assets from oil sales earned before the Trump administration tightened sanctions on the countrys oil exports.

The head of Iran's central bank recently announced that the country was seeking to use funds tied up in a South Korean bank to purchase coronavirus vaccines through COVAX, an international program designed to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to participating countries.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry demanded the ship's release, saying in a statement that its crew was safe. The crew included sailors from Indonesia, Myanmar, South Korea and Vietnam, according to the Guard. South Koreas Defence Ministry said it also was sending its anti-piracy unit near the Strait of Hormuz, which is a 4,400-ton-class destroyer with about 300 troops.

The State Department called for the tankers immediate release, accusing Iran of threatening navigational rights and freedoms in the Persian Gulf in order to extort the international community into relieving the pressure of sanctions.

Last year, Iran similarly seized a British-flagged oil tanker and held it for months after one of its tankers was held off Gibraltar.

The incidents coincide with the anniversary of the U.S. drone strike killing Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. Iran responded by launching ballistic missiles at U.S. bases in Iraq, injuring dozens of U.S. troops. Tehran also accidentally shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet that night, killing all 176 people on board.

As the anniversary approached and fears grew of possible Iranian retaliation, the U.S. dispatched B-52 bombers over the region and ordered a nuclear-powered submarine into the Persian Gulf.

Acting U.S. Defence Secretary Christopher Miller said late Sunday that he changed his mind about sending the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz home from the Middle East and instead will keep the vessel on duty. He cited Iranian threats against Trump and other U.S. government officials as the reason for the redeployment, without elaborating.

Last week, sailors discovered a limpet mine stuck on a tanker in the Persian Gulf off Iraq near the Iranian border as it prepared to transfer fuel to another tanker owned by a company traded on the New York Stock Exchange. No one has claimed responsibility for the mining, though it comes after similar attacks in 2019 near the Strait of Hormuz that the U.S. Navy blamed on Iran. Tehran denied involvement.

Associated Press writers Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel, Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, and Robert Burns and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
Rethinking trusted business models and facing changes head-on will be paramount to Northern Ireland's economic recovery in 2021, a business chief has said.

In his New Year message, the president of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber), Ian Henry, said that "2021 will require businesses to remain flexible and fleet-of-foot."

He said business would be grappling "with the changes brought by Brexit and further Covid-19 restrictions, with many having to rethink tried and trusted business models, supply chains and market strategies".

Mr Henry, who is also a director of Mid-Ulster construction business Henry Group, said: "2020 has been a year of disruption and frustration for so many businesses. As we enter 2021, businesses begin the year operating yet again under enhanced restrictions as a result of Covid-19.

"Our members want to be able to open without interruption, for their customers and suppliers to be able to come and go freely, for trade to recover and for confidence to return but we must do this safely and within the guidelines.

Expand Close NI Chamber president, Ian Henry Picture by David Cordner - david / Facebook

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"Without a doubt, the arrival of mass vaccination gives our business communities hope for a better year in 2021.

"Even with a Brexit deal, firms face an enormous amount of change in terms of how they trade. Responsibility rests squarely with the UK government to provide crystal-clear guidance that lets businesses plan into 2021 and beyond. The alternative is a new year that begins with even greater turbulence for supply chains, trade and markets - and higher costs for us all, leaving us with a disadvantage."

Mr Henry said businesses should look forward positively by putting plans in place, to help with economic recovery.

He added: "Recently, NI Chamber has been working alongside some of Northern Ireland's leading economists to deliver Thrive - a pragmatic plan for economic recovery. Thrive is an action plan which focuses on how we can start the recovery in Northern Ireland and ensure that enterprises are well placed to recover from the challenges and grasp new opportunities as they occur."

He said among the issues that must be addressed this year are the opportunities for businesses to trade globally, which will be supported by the Chamber. And skills are another priority, particularly in the wake of our new work from home culture, he said.

"The expected digitalisation of work has been rapidly accelerated. There is now a need to amend the curriculum for subjects at all levels to include 'systems skills' such as ICT and data analytics alongside 'human skills' like empathy and strategy. We must invest in languages to support international trade, focusing most on those used in growing economies like Asia. The government must also urgently prioritise the retraining of young people within disrupted industries for other opportunities."

The drive to net zero carbon emissions in 2050 will be a priority, said Mr Henry, who called for governmental support for fuel switching and major projects that will fast track this target.

"As they have done throughout the pandemic, business people are ready and willing to work collaboratively with the public, private, academic and voluntary sectors to build back a thriving economy for all.

"We call on the UK and Irish governments, the NI Executive and local authorities, academia and the voluntary sector to work together, regardless of location or political background, to make a better future a reality."

He concluded: "With the New Year comes renewed energy and hope that the next 12 months will provide companies with the certainty, conditions and support they need to prosper."

Download the Belfast Telegraph App Get quick and easy access to the latest Northern Ireland news, sport, business and opinion with the Belfast Telegraph App.

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Srinagar:

A man was injured on Wednesday in an explosion in Pulwama district of Kashmir, police said.

Ghulam Mohiudding Shah (45) found some unknown explosive by the roadside at Dalipora in Pulwama district and started fiddling with it, a police official said.

He said an explosion took place in which Shah was injured.

He was shifted to SKIMS Hospital here and his condition is stated to be stable.

In a separate incident, suspected militants shot at and injured two persons in Baramulla district of Kashmir, police said on Wednesday.

The ultras opened fire upon Abdul Rashid Lone and Tariq Ahmad Lone near their residence in Khanpora late last night, a police official said, adding the injured were shifted to a local hospital for treatment.

He said the duo was returning home after night prayers when the attack took place.

Police has registered a case and started investigations.

Also read: Curfew-like restrictions continue in parts of Kashmir after killing of Hizbul commander Sabzar Bhat

Also read: Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat says 'Dirty war in Kashmir has to be fought with innovative ways'



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Three-time Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone has reportedly purchased a Bermuda-style estate on the North end of Palm Beach in Florida for $35.375M.

The 74-year-old Italian stallion bought the 13,241-square-foot property in a sale recorded December 16 by the Palm Beach County Clerk's office - according to the Palm Beach Daily News.

Sly (born Michael) reportedly financed the sale with a $15M, 30-year mortgage.

Moving on up! Three-time Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone has reportedly purchased a Bermuda-style estate on the North end of Palm Beach in Florida for $35.375M

New digs: The 74-year-old Italian stallion bought the 13,241-square-foot property in a sale recorded December 16 by the Palm Beach County Clerk's office

Real estate news! The actor has an impressive portfolio of properties; seen on Wednesday on Instagram

The one-and-a-half acre property - built in 2014 - features seven bedrooms with 10 full and two half bathrooms total in the two-story main residence and two guesthouses.

Stallone's beautiful backyard cabana opens up to a keyhole-shaped pool, sandy beach, and dock with 253ft of Lake Worth Lagoon.

The Rambo: Last Blood action star's neighbors include Grammy winners Jon Bon Jovi and Rod Stewart as well as shock jock Howard Stern and Republican radio personality Rush Limbaugh.

French doors and floor-to-ceiling windows line several rooms of the lavish home featuring wood-clad cathedral ceilings.

Built in 2014: The one-and-a-half acre property features seven bedrooms with 10 full and two half bathrooms total in the two-story main residence and two guesthouses

Bird's eye view: Stallone's beautiful backyard cabana opens up to a keyhole-shaped pool, sandy beach, and dock with 253ft of Lake Worth Lagoon

Surrounded by palm trees! The Rambo: Last Blood action star's neighbors include Grammy winners Jon Bon Jovi and Rod Stewart as well as shock jock Howard Stern and Republican radio personality Rush Limbaugh

Lots of fresh air: French doors and floor-to-ceiling windows line several rooms of the lavish home featuring wood-clad cathedral ceilings

There's a spa, fitness room, bedroom-sized walk-in closets, and a formal dining room which can seat 14.

Sylvester might be a native New Yorker currently living in Los Angeles, but he has deep ties to sunshine state.

In 1999, Stallone - who attended two Miami colleges - reportedly sold his Coconut Grove home for $16.2M and, in 2016, he attended President Donald Trump's New Year's Eve bash at Mar-a-Lago.

Even the Rocky alum's late father Frank - who died, age 91, in 2011 - owned a house in Wellington for years.

Hungry? There's a spa, fitness room, bedroom-sized walk-in closets, and a formal dining room which can seat 14

Master bathroom: Sylvester might be a native New Yorker currently living in Los Angeles, but he has deep ties to sunshine state

Not his first Florida home: In 1999, Stallone - who attended two Miami colleges - reportedly sold his Coconut Grove home for $16.2M and, in 2016, he attended President Donald Trump's New Year's Eve bash at Mar-a-Lago

Living room: Even the Rocky alum's late father Frank - who died, age 91, in 2011 - owned a house in Wellington for years

Family of five: Sylvester has three adult daughters - Sophia, 24; Sistine, 22; and Scarlett, 18 - with his third wife Jennifer Flavin, whom he's been married to for 23 years (pictured April 12)

Sylvester has three adult daughters - Sophia, 24; Sistine, 22; and Scarlett, 18 - with his third wife Jennifer Flavin, whom he's been married to for 23 years.

Stallone also has a 42-year-old son Seargeoh with ex-wife #1 Sasha Czack, but their eldest Sage died age 36 from heart complications in 2012.

The Golden Globe winner executive produced and stars as superhero-turned-sanitation worker Stanley Kominski in Julius Avery's sci-fi flick Samaritan, which hits US theaters on June 4.

And in November, Sylvester filmed a mystery role in James Gunn's star-studded film The Suicide Squad, which hits US/UK theaters August 6.

Stallone also spent his COVID-19 quarantine penning a script on 19th century American poet Edgar Allan Poe, which he plans on directing.

Hitting US theaters on June 4! Stallone executive produced and stars as superhero-turned-sanitation worker Stanley Kominski in Julius Avery's sci-fi flick Samaritan (pictured November 18)

'I am a very lucky man to be surrounded by such talent!' And in November, Sylvester filmed a mystery role in James Gunn's (L) star-studded film The Suicide Squad, which hits US/UK theaters August 6 (pictured November 14)
Assange, 48, won his legal battle against US authorities who wanted to put him on trial over spying charges

The activist would have been held in the notorious Supermax jail in Colorado, called a 'fate worse than death'

His lawyers will return to the Old Bailey on Wednesday for a bail application, when he could be freed from jail

But is thought to be unlikely because US officials have declared intent to appeal decision to block extradition

Judge Vanessa Baraitser said that Assange was a severe suicide risk and he would not be protected at US jail

If you need help visit Samaritans.org or phone 116 123

US officials were left 'extremely disappointed' today after a British judge decided Julian Assange cannot be extradited there to face spying charges due to the risk of him taking his own life in an American jail.

The sensational ruling at the Old Bailey in London this morning raises the prospect that the 48-year-old WikiLeaks founder could be freed this week - and, in a further development, Mexico have now offered him political asylum.

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Australia-born Assange won his high-profile legal battle against US officials who wanted to put him on trial for conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law by releasing confidential cables.

A US Justice Department spokesman said today: 'While we are extremely disappointed in the court's ultimate decision, we are gratified that the United States prevailed on every point of law raised.'

The department pointed to Assange's claims he had been exercising free speech rights and that the US was pursuing a political vendetta, adding: 'We will continue to seek Mr Assange's extradition to the United States.'

Meanwhile, Mexico offered political asylum to Mr Assange this afternoon. The country's president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said: 'I'm going to ask the foreign minister to carry out the relevant procedures to request that the UK government releases Mr Assange and that Mexico offers him political asylum.'

He said Mexico would ensure 'that whoever receives asylum does not intervene or interfere in the political affairs of any country.' The country has previously offered political asylum to high-profile international figures such as former Bolivian president Evo Morales.

Today in court in London, Assange, sat in a blue suit with crossed legs, wiped his brow after the decision was announced, while his fiancee, Stella Moris - with whom he has two young sons - wept.

Ms Moris, who fell in love with Assange while she was his lawyer, said outside the Old Bailey: 'Today is a victory for Julian. Today's victory is a first step towards justice in this case.'

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She also issued a direct appeal to Donald Trump, which references President Ronald Reagan's 1987 appeal to Soviet lead Mikhail Gorbachev to 'tear down' the Berlin Wall. 'Mr President tear down these prison walls,' she said. 'Let our little boys have their father. Free Julian. Free the press.'

Assange's defence team, including celebrity barrister Jennifer Robinson, will return to the Old Bailey on Wednesday for a bail application. If they successful, he could be a free man immediately afterwards.

However, this is thought to be unlikely given the US government's intent to appeal. They have 14 days to state their grounds, during which time Assange will stay on remand at HMP Belmarsh in south-west London.

Had Assange been convicted in the US, he would have been held in isolation at the notorious Supermax jail in Colorado, which has been described by a former warden as a 'clean version of hell' and a 'fate worse than death'.

Judge Vanessa Baraitser said there was an 'unmanageable high risk' of Assange taking his own life if he was housed amid the grim conditions as she revealed he has autism, Asperger's and a severe depressive disorder.

She accepted the evidence of medical experts who revealed that Assange had spoken openly about suicide while in Belmarsh and had prepared for it by writing a will. A razor blade was also found in his cell.

On Monday, Assange won his legal battle against US officials who wanted to put him on trial for helping hack government computers and violating an espionage law by releasing confidential cables (he is seen in a court sketch)

Assange's supporters cheered and hugged outside the Old Bailey on Monday after the judge revealed she was blocking his extradition

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's partner, Stella Moris, speaks to the media outside the Old Bailey in London today

Assange, 49, faced an 18-count indictment, alleging a plot to hack computers and a conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information

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Assange's supporters were overjoyed at the decision not to extradite him to the United States but expressed dismay that the ruling was made on health grounds rather than in defence of freedom of expression.

'Today is a victory for Julian': Assange's partner Stella Moris hails verdict Ms Moris, who fell in love with Assange while she was his lawyer, said outside the Old Bailey: 'I had hoped today would be the day Julian would come home. Today is not that day but that day will come soon. 'As long as Julian has to endure suffering in isolation as an unconvicted prisoner at Belmarsh prison, as long as our children continue to be robbed of their father's love and affection, we cannot celebrate. 'We will celebrate the day he comes home. 'Today is a victory for Julian. Today's victory is a first step towards justice in this case. 'On behalf of Julian and myself, I want to thank the millions of people around the world and the institutions that are already calling for this persecution to end. 'I ask you all to shout louder, you lobby harder, until he is free. I call on everyone else to come together to defend Julian's rights; not just Julian's rights, they are your rights too. Julian's freedom is coupled to all our freedoms and our freedoms are lost in the blink of an eye. 'I call on insiders to come forward to expose the full extent of the misconduct that has led to Julian's imprisonment. And I call on the president of the United States to end this now. 'Mr President, tear down these prison walls. Let our little boys have their father. Free Julian, free the press, free us all.'

The activist has been backed by a raft of celebrities including Pamela Anderson, artist Al Weiwei and designer Dame Vivienne Westwood.

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Assange's mother, Christine urged the US not to appeal, saying her son had suffered enough.

She tweeted: 'UK Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled against extraditing my son Julian to the US on medical grounds.

'US prosecutors state they will appeal. I implore Pres Trump & Pres elect Biden to order them to stand down. The decade long process was the punishment. He has suffered enough.'

Conservative MP David Davis said: 'Good news Julian Assange's extradition has been blocked. Extradition treaties should not be used for political prosecutions.'

Jeremy Corbyn, whose brother, Piers, was outside the Old Bailey today, said: 'Good news that the extradition of Julian Assange has been refused - my congratulations to him and his legal team. Extradition would be an attack on press freedom.

'And it is alarming that the judge has accepted US government arguments threatening freedom of speech and freedom to publish. There remains much at stake in his case, which is being observed by so many around the world. Assange should be released.'

The decision was also welcomed by other Labour MPs, including Richard Burgon and the former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott.

Mr Burgon said: 'It is entirely right that Julian Assange will not be extradited to the US. Julian Assange would have been extradited because, as a journalist, he dared to expose US war crimes.

'Any extradition would have been an unprecedented attack on press freedom.'

Ms Abbott called the decision an 'excellent ruling by the British judge'. She added: 'Congratulations to all the dogged campaigners on Assange's behalf.'

But the journalist Glenn Greenwald added a note of caution, saying the judge had endorsed most of the arguments put forward by the US in favour of extradition - including dismissing the idea that it was an attack on freedom of speech.

He said: 'This wasn't a victory for press freedom. Quite the contrary: the judge made clear she believed there are grounds to prosecute Assange in connection with the 2010 publication. It was, instead, an indictment of the insanely oppressive US prison system for security 'threats.'

Meanwhile, Edward Snowden - the whistleblower who worked with Wikileaks and is currently living in Russia after leaking U.S. surveillance secrets - called for an end to the proceedings, tweeting: 'Let this be the end of it.'

Amnesty International tweeted: 'We welcome the fact that Julian Assange will not be sent to the USA, but this does not absolve the UK from having engaged in this politically-motivated process at the behest of the USA and putting media freedom and freedom of expression on trial.'

Assange supporters celebrating outside the Old Bailey today after he was spared from being sent for trial in the United States

Piers Corbyn (left) outside the Old Bailey today alongside a crowd of pro-Assange protesters

How Assange is being defended by celebrity lawyer Jennifer Robinson - while judge overseeing case extradited Sarkozy fraud suspect Jennifer Robinson, a key member of Assange's defence team, is the go-to barrister for the rich and famous, most recently walking hand in hand with actress Amber Heard in her showdown against her ex-husband Johnny Depp in his acrimonious libel trial. She counts the Hollywood elite among her inner circle, travelling to George and Amal Clooney's wedding on a speedboat with actor Bill Murray. A self-confessed Kyle Minogue fan, who has 'nothing in her fridge but Champagne' , the human rights lawyer once set headlines alight after she was spotted canoodling with Jeremy Corbyn's former spin doctor, Seumas Milne. Australian human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson (left) with Assange's partner Stella Moris (right) at an earlier Old Bailey hearing Ms Robinson and Mr Milne - a then-married father-of-two - were photographed in a passionate embrace on the terrace of the Courthouse hotel in East London in 2017. The 39-year-old, who came from humble beginnings in Australia, has been known to use her social media as an outlet to criticise the Tories on their human rights record and tweet support for Corbyn. Less is known about Vanessa Baraitser, the district judge overseeing Assange's case. She appears to be a specialist in extradition cases and last year gave the go ahead for an associate of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy to be returned to France for trial. Alexandre Djouhri, who was arrested at Heathrow last year after arriving on a flight from his Swiss home, and is accused by French prosecutors of nine offences relating to money laundering and corruption. These are alleged to have been committed in circumstances connected to Mr Sarkozy's 2007 presidential campaign. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser delivering her verdict on Monday

Judge Baraitser ruled that Assange risked being held under Special Administrative Measures (Sams), which would have seen him in solitary confinement with limited access to family and only two phone calls per month.

She said: 'Faced with the conditions of near total isolation without the protective factors which limited his risk at HMP Belmarsh, I am satisfied the procedures described by the US will not prevent Mr Assange from finding a way to commit suicide and for this reason I have decided extradition would be oppressive by reason of mental harm and I order his discharge.

'Despite his lighter spirit at times, he's a depressed and sometimes despairing man who is genuinely fearful of his future. He represents an unmanageable high risk of suicide, both in Belmarsh and the US.'

She revealed that in 1991 Mr Assange had tried to take his own life and that there was a history of depression in the family.

His maternal grandmother and uncle both died by suicide, and Assange phoned the Samaritans most nights while in jail.

Australian-born Assange had been charged under the US's 1917 Espionage Act for conspiring with Chelsea Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst, to hack into a Pentagon computer network and publish secret documents related to 'national defence.'

The WikiLeaks founder faced a total of 18 charges and was also accused of putting the lives of US informants at risk by publishing the material.

Assange has been locked in a bitter dispute with US authorities since July 2010 when WikiLeaks started publishing hundreds of thousands of classified US military and political documents from the Afghan and Iraq wars.

As US officials pursued him through the British courts, in June 2012, Assange entered the Ecuadorian embassy, requesting political asylum, which was granted two months later.

Assange remained holed up at the embassy until April 2019 when Ecuador revoked his asylum status, leading to his arrest and kickstarting a legal battle that culminated in today's judgment.

During his time in the embassy, the WikiLeaks founder fathered two children with his partner Stella Morris.

For the past 19 months, Assange has been held at Belmarsh top security jail.

He first appeared at the Old Bailey last February, but the case was pushed back because of the coronavirus pandemic.

If Assange had stood trial in the US, he faced a possible 175 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

The controversial WikiLeaks founder has attracted a number of high-profile supporters including Pamela Anderson and Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel, who visited him at the Ecuadorian embassy.

Others to have lent their support include the artist Al Weiwei and designer Dame Vivienne Westwood.

Assange was represented at his Old Bailey trial last year by eminent lawyer Jennifer Robinson.

The court head extraordinary details of the lengths US authorities were prepared to go to ensure that Assange stood trial in the country.

This included hiring a US security contractor to bug Assange's meetings in the Ecuadorian embassy and even a possible kidnap or poison plot to end the stalemate.

Judge Baraitser heard that if convicted, Assange faced the prospect of being held in a Supermax ADX facility in Colorado, where convicted terrorist Abu Hamza has been housed under Sams in solitary confinement.

Psychiatrists for the defence said Assange had suffered from severe depression and was a high suicide risk.

But lawyers for the US Government claimed that the prospect of Assange being held under Sams was 'speculative' and the sentence was likely to be much lower.

Chelsea Manning had been sentenced to 35 years over her role in leaking classified material but was given clemency after seven years.

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However, she was jailed again for contempt in 2019 and fined for refusing to testify in court about Assange.

Stella Moris, the mother of Julian Assange's children, Max and Gabriel (pictured left and right) this weekend said Britain 'would no longer be a haven for free speech' if he was extradited
New Delhi, Jan 4 : The Supreme Court on Monday told the Centre that rules notified in 2017 for confiscating animals of traders and transporters would be stayed if not either withdrawn or amended.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian asked the Centre to either withdraw or amend rules notified in 2017 for confiscating animals of traders and transporters during the pendency of trial in cases under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

The top court observed that the rules are contrary to the law, and insisted that the court would stay them.

The law provides that animals can be confiscated only if the owner is convicted under the Act. The court told the Centre's counsel that it cannot confiscate animals and keep them before the owner is convicted. "Your rules are contrary. You either withdraw it or we will stay it," noted the bench.

A plea by traders' associations have claimed the seizure of their livestock, which supports livelihood of their families, was being done under the 2017 rules. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Care and Maintenance of Case Property Animals) Rules, 2017 framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, were notified on May 23, 2017.

The top court emphasised that the animals are a source of livelihood for the people concerned. "Animals are a source of livelihood. We are not talking about pet dogs and cats. People live on the basis of their animals," said the bench.

Additional Solicitor General Jayant K. Sud, representing Centre, at the beginning of the hearing submitted before the bench that the 2017 rules have been notified. The bench replied the government cannot confiscate the cattle and keep them before a person is convicted.

Citing atrocities on animals, Sud submitted that the rules have been notified. The bench replied the rules are clear that only the person who is convicted can lose the animal. "We cannot have a situation where the rule is running contrary to the express provision of the Act," said the bench.

The bench scheduled the matter for further hearing on January 11, after Sud sought time to allow him to take instructions in the matter.

The Buffalo Traders Welfare Association had moved the top court challenging the constitutional validity of these rules. The traders have claimed they were being forcibly deprived of their cattle which are sent to 'gaushalas'. In July 2019, the apex court had asked for the Centre's response on the traders' plea.

The magistrate under the 2017 rules can forfeit the cattle of an owner facing trial under the Act. Later, the animals are sent to 'gaushalas' and offered for adoption.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text

In a year of despair and a world full of hate, one fast food manager is doing what she can to spread a message of love.

April DiDonna told a customer that she loved him after he ordered at the Wendy's drive-thru where she works in Oak Harbor, Washington. Three months later, she's told thousands of people "I love you."

"To know that the little three words could mean so much to so many people, it's overwhelming my heart with so much more love," DiDonna told CNN. "I truly believe that if we just love each other, the world would be better."

The love routine kept going and DiDonna started tallying how many people have said "I love you" back. About 2,700 customers have reciprocated the message since she began counting on October 3, as of Friday before her shift.

Each time a customer completes an order, the assistant manager sprinkles in her love message.

"I love you. You are loved. You matter. You do you. I love you," she says. "That's what I say."

David Antis, senior vice president of operations for WTC Ventures, the company that operates the Wendy's franchise, said he's proud of DiDonna for spreading a positive message.

"April is a valued team member at our Wendy's restaurant in Oak Harbor, Washington. Her kindness and positivity inspire us all, and we are grateful for the joy that she brings to our customers and restaurant team," he said.

Sometimes people are a little weirded out by hearing her message through a drive-thru speaker, DiDonna said.

"Sometimes people are unsure," the 35-year-old said. "Then I kind of just explain it. If people can hate for no reason, why can't I love?"

Usually, people see her point and many of them say "I love you too," she said.

Her message can change someone's day

Other times, the positive message changes a person's day more than anyone would know, DiDonna said.

One time an elderly woman asked to speak with the voice behind the message. When DiDonna went to the window, she saw the woman crying.

When DiDonna said she asked the woman if she was OK and what was wrong, the woman simply thanked her.

"Thank you for telling me that you loved me," DiDonna said the woman told her.

The customer told DiDonna that her husband had passed away and her brother had recently died. "I don't have anyone to tell me that they love me anymore and there is no one there to give me a hug," DiDonna said the woman said.

DiDonna, a widow herself and a mother of three boys, asked the woman to pull forward to the store's door. She asked if she could open the car door and then she hugged the woman.

"When I gave this woman a hug, she just melted in my arms and she just started crying," DiDonna said. "I told her that if she needs to be told that she's loved to come back, and I'd give her a hug anytime she wanted."

DiDonna told the woman her name was April and the woman said her name was Peggy.

Since hugging her on October 2, DiDonna said Peggy has been back to the Wendy's about five times. More hugs have been shared.

She found the light after a time of darkness

Peggy's story was echoed in the Facebook comments on the story first reported by local newspaper Whidbey News-Times.

"We love stopping through there when we're up on the north end and she makes us smile every time!" a woman commented on the paper's Facebook page. "Love you too April! You're the best!"

There was a time, however, when DiDonna was in a dark place, she said. Her husband died in 2019 and her "life just turned upside down," she said.

"I was lost for a long time," DiDonna said. "I was sad for a long time, but not anymore. There's so much light and I'm going to keep shining bright."

These days DiDonna tries to share her message of love with strangers daily, whether it's at the Wendy's, when she is walking down the street or when she's at a store in town, she said.

Nowadays, some customers tell DiDonna they love her before they even order, she said.

"I love the people that I see every day," she said. "There's just so much love now that I have that it's overflowing from me onto others."

For anyone left scarred by the many woes of 2020, DiDonna has a message of light.

"2021 is going to be a great year," DiDonna said. "The universe is changing. Everything's aligning."
#Ahora. Con la presencia del jefe de Estado, @FSagasti, y otras altas autoridades, Poder Judicial realiza acto solemne de asuncion al cargo de jueza #ElviaBarriosAlvarado como Presidenta de la Corte Suprema de Justicia. ????? pic.twitter.com/2YHXfTAZ8L
After the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved emergency restricted usage of two Covid-19 vaccines, the healthcare workers are concerned about the lack of clarity. Several senior doctors are planning to wait for a few months to get the first shot until the central government brings more transparency about the efficacy rate and side effects of the vaccines.

I would prefer to wait for at least six months before taking the first shot, said a senior officer who works with the state health department. A vaccines side effect is dependent on the chromosomes and genes of people, which differs from place to place. So, if a vaccine shows 100% efficiency rate in the United States (US) or the United Kingdom (UK), it may not be suitable in India due to differences in genome structure. So, we know Covishield has a 70% efficacy rate, but we dont know if they have found a similar result from the trials in India.

As reported, in the first phase of the mass immunisation programme, around 12 lakh healthcare workers in the state will be vaccinated as they are the most vulnerable in contracting Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Till December 25, as many as 16,102 healthcare workers in Maharashtra have contracted Covid-19. Out of these, almost 11,000 were working in the government sector. A total of 178 health workers have succumbed to the infection in the state. Among these, 46 were doctors, 11 were nurses and 121 were paramedical workers and other staffers who were involved in the Covid-19 treatment.

So far, 7.50 lakh healthcare workers including doctors, nurses, ASHA and Anganwadi workers, among others have registered for the vaccination. But the health officers speculate that due to the opaqueness of information, the central government has failed to gain their trust and many would avoid getting vaccinated, after the starting of the immunisation process.

I believe in scientific development, but it should also take people into confidence. In the US, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) holds public hearings where manufacturers present all data to the authorities, which are even available online for the public. Whereas in India, all the data is hidden. We dont know if Covaxin works or not, as the regulating body isnt providing its efficiency rate, said Anant Bhan, public health expert. Public wants to make an informative decision, he added.

The DCGI approved of Covaxin as clinical trial mode, but doctors arent aware if they will have to give written consent for the dosage, as done in clinical trials, and if a placebo (a replica of the actual drug) will also be part of it.

In clinical trials, volunteers are covered under insurance if they develop any adverse reaction. But in this case, I am not even aware if I will also get the benefit or not. If not, then why would any knowledgeable person take the risk? said a senior epidemiologist.

All India Drugs Action Network (AIDAN), a pan-India NGO has called Covaxin as an untested and unproven vaccine. Concerning Covaxin, we are extremely shocked that the regulatory body has approved of the vaccine without any efficacy data. The phase-3 trials are currently ongoing and it is too early for data to meet the criterion for an interim analysis. The only human data available on safety and immunogenicity is on 755 participants in phase 1 and 2 trials. Other than this, the only data available are from animal studies, said Malini Aisoli, co-convenor, AIDAN.

At present, the state has achieved almost 95% recovery rate. On Sunday, for the first time since March, the city reported the lowest mortality rate with only three deaths related to Covid-19.

In this background, the health workers are also contemplating to wait for a few months before taking the vaccine. The pandemic curve in the city has flattened and things are under control. So, I would prefer waiting for a few months and see how the vaccine works. I dont want to take the vaccine and worry about my health, said a nurse with 15 years of experience, from King Edward Memorial (KEM), Hospital.

Lastly, many senior doctors with over 25 years of experience in medicine have expressed dissatisfaction over the fact that they would have to go to vaccination centres for the dosages.

I am a resident of Bandra (West) but most of my hospitals where I consult are in South Mumbai. So, the question is, how the civic body would select my vaccination point. Also, it is impossible to stand in a long queue at these centres and leaving my patients and surgeries, to get vaccinated, said a senior neurosurgeon.
Because of the massive disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, most of 2020 was spent tracking very short-term statistics; from daily tests and new cases to monthly, even weekly indicators of economic activity. Important as they were and continue to be, the beginning of a New Year is an opportune time to take a long-term view of what India will be like 10 years from now. Here are five charts that can help give us an idea.

1. India will be the most populous country in the world

According to the World Banks projections, India will overtake China to become the most populous country in 2023, when its population will reach 1.42 billion. The United States will continue to be the third most populated country in this decade. There were 1.21 billion people in India according to the 2011 census and there is still uncertainty about whether or not the 2021 census will be completed on time. Chinas population will hit a peak of 1.425 billion in 2030 and start declining after that. Most countries experience this phenomenon as fertility rates fall below replacement levels. It will take at least until 2048 for Indias population to start declining after peaking at around 1.6 billion, according to estimates published by The Lancet.

2. This is the last decade to make the best use of demographic dividend in India

Contrary to what is often believed, a large population need not be an economic liability for nations. Countries with a high share of the working-age population  this is not a permanent phenomenon  also have more earning hands. If one takes 20-59 year olds as working-age population, its share in Indias total population will almost peak by the end of this decade. Indias working-age group population is projected to increase from 55.8% this year to 58.8% by 2031. This equals a growth of nearly 97 million people in the workforce, which means the country needs to create employment opportunities for a large number of people. The population of elderly is also projected to increase by 2 million, creating the need for social security measures to support the rising elderly population. To be sure, the growth in the working-age group population will not be the same across states and Union territories. States like Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh are projected to record the highest rise in working-age group population this decade (it will increase by 23% in these three states combined). On the contrary, the three southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are projected to record the lowest growth in this population (2.5% combined). This mismatch will mean that northern states will see a very high share of people looking for jobs, compared to those in the south, which may lead to a an increase in north-to-south migration for work.

3. Structure of political representation could veer away from federalism

The uneven growth in population in the northern and southern states will also have political consequences. The current state-wise distribution of parliamentary seats is based on the 1971 census. With the growing gap in the state-wise population, this distribution puts more voters per seat in some states than others. For example, if the latest (2020) electoral roll data is used, Tamil Nadu has 1.56 million voters per Lok Sabha member. This number is 1.8 million for Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. There is a constitutional freeze on the number of Lok Sabha seats from each state up to 2026. The next delimitation may not be conducted until the 2031 Census is completed. This means that the state-wise asymmetry in population will continue to increase. To be sure, there is another view to this story as well, which believes that a simple redistribution of seats by current population levels will penalise the states that have done well to bring down their population growth. Either way, the resolution will put Indias federal structure through a big test.

4. Consequences of climate crisis will make their presence felt

Indias first climate change assessment by the ministry of earth sciences (MoES), published in 2020. said that the climate change seen in the country since the middle of the 20th century is expected to continue in the future. For example, average temperature has risen by around 0.7 degree Celsius during 1901-2018, according to the assessment. By the end of the 21st century (2070-2099), this is expected to rise by around 4.4 degrees Celsius compared to the recent past (1976-2005). The frequency of summer (April-June) heat waves is also projected to increase 3-4 times. While monsoon precipitation (rainfall) has declined, there are more frequent dry spells and more intense wet spells, according to the report. According to a paper published by researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, last year (https://bit.ly/34WQLJ5) while rainfall of higher intensity will increase all over India, the degree of increase will be more in the south Indian region compared to north and central India by the end of the century. According to a 2018 World Bank report, a large part of South Asia would be climate hotspots  where changes in temperature and rainfall affect living standards adversely  by 2030.

5. How well will Indias economy grow?

Thanks to the disruption caused by the pandemic, the Indian economy will witness its first contraction in 41 years in 2020-21. If the 2020-21 gross domestic product (GDP) were to contract by 7.5% (the Reserve Bank of India estimate), 2010-11 to 2020-21 will see the lowest decadal growth in Indias GDP since the 1980s. There are divergent views on the prospects of the Indian economy going forward. The government and a section of economists see a rapid revival in economic activity. Others see a long-term loss of momentum. For example, Oxford economists expect potential growth for Indian economy at 4.5% over the next five years (till 2025) which is lower than 6.5% projected before the viral outbreak. Whether or not the Indian economy can rediscover its mojo will determine how the country deals with the challenges and opportunities presented by a high share of the working-age population.
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AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Epiphany Dermatology, a leading dermatology company committed to improving access to exceptional dermatologic care, announced today it recently expanded its presence in Iowa through its partnership with Infinity Skin Care.

Founded in 2004 by Kimberly Schulz, MD, Infinity Skin Care has a long-established reputation of providing high-quality cosmetic dermatology services to patients in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City market and surrounding communities. Dr. Schulz is a board-certified dermatologist who earned her medical degree and completed her dermatology residency at the University of Iowa College of Medicine.

Dr. Schulz commented, "We are very excited to form this partnership with Epiphany Dermatology. Our organizations are well-aligned in our commitment to clinical excellence and outstanding patient care. While this partnership offers new opportunities for growth, our location, quality of products and services, and amazing staff remain unchanged. As we move forward with Epiphany, we will continue to provide our valued patients with the same medically-based skin care and personalized attention they've come to expect from Infinity Skin Care."

Gheorghe Pusta, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Epiphany, said, "We are excited to welcome Dr. Schulz and her team to Epiphany. Through our interactions with Dr. Schulz, we were pleased to learn she is as committed as we are in delivering clinical excellence to the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City community and beyond. Dr. Schulz and her team provide thoughtful care for patients and offer a wide array of medically-based cosmetic and skin care services. This is a nice opportunity to further expand our provider network in Iowa. "

Through this partnership, Dr. Schulz and her staff gain additional resources to help with operations, marketing, human resources, recruiting, finance, IT, and other support services.

Mr. Pusta further commented that, "Despite unprecedented COVID-related challenges in healthcare and the broader economy, we remain fully committed to investing in our growth and are well-funded to do so. Since inception we have grown the right way, with a common-sense focus on sound operations and true integration, so that we can truly support our dermatologists and share the best practices that each partner brings to Epiphany. As an example, that approach has allowed us to collaboratively manage COVID-related challenges more safely and effectively. Likewise, our approach results in a resilient financial profile, which in turn allows us to weather the economic storm to be there for our patients and partners well into the future."

About Epiphany Dermatology

Epiphany Dermatology is a rapidly expanding dermatology company, driven by a passion to improve access to exceptional dermatologic care in a values-based manner. Through its partnership with leading dermatologists across 56 locations in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, Epiphany provides general dermatology, skin cancer care, Mohs surgery, cosmetic services, and additional dermatologic services. Epiphany raises the standard of dermatology care by making clinical excellence accessible to all patients, promptly and in a warm and inviting environment. Epiphany Dermatology is headquartered in Austin, Texas. For more details, please visit www.epiphanydermatology.com or call (512) 628-0465.

Ted Emmert

Chief Development Officer

Epiphany Dermatology

(512) 628-0465

[email protected]

Gheorghe Pusta

Chief Executive Officer

Epiphany Dermatology

(512) 628-0465

[email protected]

SOURCE Epiphany Dermatology

Related Links

http://www.epiphanydermatology.com


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This article is part of the Future Agenda, a series from Future Tense in which experts suggest specific, forward-looking actions the new Biden administration should implement.

When life moved online with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 77 million people were left behind. Those who lack an adequate home internet connection struggle to keep up with distance learning, stay in touch with family and friends, receive public health and emergency alerts, apply for jobs, and continue working from home.

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High service costs are a key reason why millionsincluding a disproportionate number of older Americans, veterans, Native Americans, Black, Hispanic, and low-income consumersdo not have home broadband. But it doesnt have to be this way. By expanding Lifeline, the only federal program dedicated to making telecommunications service more affordable, the incoming Biden administration can help connect more people and lead the way to universal broadband access.

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Lifeline was established during the Reagan administration to provide support for low-income households to purchase landline phone services, and its changed a bit since then. Currently, the Lifeline program provides a $9.25 monthly subsidy to qualifying households, with an additional $25 monthly for tribal participants, and it can only apply to one subscription to one of the following: phone, home internet services, or a bundled wireless phone and data plan. Individuals must apply to receive the subsidy, with those eligible having incomes at or below 135 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Households can also qualify for the program if an individual already participates in other federal assistance programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicaid, Veterans Pension, federal public housing assistance, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, and Bureau of Indian Affairs general assistance. Each household is restricted to just one subsidy, even if multiple eligible individuals live there.

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Currently, however, the Lifeline subsidy is not enough to cover the high cost of internet service in the United States. According to recent research from my organization, New Americas Open Technology Institute, the current $9.25 Lifeline subsidy only covers 14 percent of average monthly costs for fixed home internet service in the United States, which come to $68.38 a month. (New America is a partner with Slate and Arizona State University in Future Tense.) The subsidy is even weaker in the Navajo Nation, which has the countrys largest land area retained by an indigenous tribe, where the average monthly price for internet service is a steep $127.51. Although the tribal Lifeline subsidy is higher at $34.25, it doesnt come even close to covering the difference in average prices for internet service in tribal versus nontribal lands.

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Moreover, because the subsidy can apply to only one subscription, it does not even come close to covering the total costs a household might incur to stay connected. Subscribers are forced to choose between mobile service and home internet, even countless studies have demonstrated that mobile broadband is not a substitute for fixed broadbanda conclusion even the Trump FCC has agreed with.

The Biden administration should start by increasing the Lifeline subsidy from $9.25 to $50and $75 for tribal usersfor at least the duration of the pandemic. Enormous numbers of people are out of work, prices for broadband service are increasing, and internet in the home is more necessary than ever. But it would be even better to permanently increase the subsidy to help ensure those most in need can stay connected in both the short and long term.

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The incoming administration should also work to increase enrollment in Lifeline. Participation in Lifeline has dropped steadily year over year, from 33 percent of eligible households subscribing in 2016 to just 23 percent in July 2020. (Reasons for the steady decline include major carriers like AT&T leaving the program over the years, and the FCCs preoccupation with proposing harmful rather than helpful changes to the program.) The participation rate is significantly lower than participation rates in SNAP and Medicaid, even though it is through their participation in these programs that the majority of people qualify and enroll in Lifeline. Better cooperation with other federal assistance programs like SNAP and Medicaid would make it easier to ensure that those eligible for Lifeline apply for and receive additional help on their internet bills. Those working at other agencies responsible for programs where participation can be used to prove eligibility for Lifeline can ensure that when people sign up for their programs, they also know about and apply for Lifeline at the same time.

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There are a number of other, specific changes that would further improve the effectiveness of the Lifeline program, but two may be the most important. First, the FCC should immediately abandon the various death by a thousand cuts proposals for Lifeline that have been pending at the agency for several years. These proposals have all undermined Lifeline and its subscribers. For instance, some would monitor subscribers on their usage of the program and ban service providers from offering Lifeline customers handsets and other devices free of charge. Such devices faced particular backlash several years ago and were smeared as Obamaphones, even though companies, not the Lifeline program itself, offer these devices on their own dime, mobile service became a part of the program during the George W. Bush presidential administration, and people need devices to actually utilize their subsidized services. Second, the FCC and Congress should begin the process of reforming Lifelines contribution system to make the program sustainable long term.

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Access to the internet isnt a luxury or a nice-to-have, but absolutely essential. Currently, 15 million to 16 million children are unable to learn from home because their families dont have an internet connection or a device to support distance learning. The numbers are even worse for nonwhite households, with 26 percent of Latinx, 30 percent of Black, and 35 percent of Native American student households lacking adequate home internet access. Roughly 1 in 3 rural Americans are without broadband access, cutting them off from services like telemedicine during this health crisis. By making internet service accessible to those who normally cant afford it, Lifeline is well-positioned to improve digital equity. There is no need to reinvent the wheel hereLifeline is the governments only program specifically tailored to address the issue of low-income individuals afford communications services. Bolstering the program will be an easy and quick lift for the Biden administration to get more people connected.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
A much more dangerous side of Mr Trumps campaign to stay in office has come to light in an incredible recording of an hour-long phone conversation that emerged on Monday. In the call, recorded on January 2, Mr Trump tries to use the power of his office to bully election officials in the state of Georgia into recalculating the results and finding an additional 11,780 votes, which he needs for victory. He tells the election officials that they could face prosecution and the people of Georgia are angry.

Mr Trump has continued in this vein even after the courts have rejected his irrational and baseless allegations of ballot theft and voter fraud. The court battles were clumsy and aggressive, but at least they operated through the normal channels for challenging election results.

Donald Trumps disgraceful attempts to overturn the results of the presidential election would not be out of place in a banana republic. Since losing the poll on November 3  by 306 electoral college votes to 232  he has spent two months claiming that the vote was rigged.

The founding fathers of the United States virtually invented the modern concept of democracy, but in the past few weeks that same country has given the world a terrifying insight into how democracy can come unstuck.

Shockingly, it is not just Mr Trump who seems prepared to falsify the results of the election based on spurious conspiracy theories. Scores of Republican members of Congress, including 10 senators, have promised they will try to prevent the legislature from signing off on the election results at a session on Wednesday (US time). The congressional vote is usually a formality, but Mr Trump is hoping he can use it to launch a politicised audit that will delay the confirmation of the results and keep him in office.

Mr Trumps attempts to overturn the vote have been comical and haphazard. One thinks of the press conference by his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, mistakenly held in the car park of Four Seasons Total Landscaping rather than the famous hotel. But this does not mean they are not serious. Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said this week that Mr Trumps tactics dangerously threaten our republic, and asked how so many US politicians could put their own ambitions before principle.

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Some people are concerned that Mr Trump will go a step further and try to stage a military coup. A group of 10 former US secretaries of defence, including Mike Esper and Jim Mattis, who worked for Mr Trump, and arch-conservative Donald Rumsfeld, have issued an open letter calling for a peaceful transfer of power. Assuming the military is not interested in staging a coup, there are concerns that some of Mr Trump's more fanatical  and heavily armed  supporters might take it on themselves to defend their President.

These are worrying days, and the end of Mr Trumps presidency cannot come soon enough. Roll on January 20, when Joe Biden will be inaugurated as president. After that date, it will be possible to say with absolute certainty that US democracy has withstood the test. If so, it will be thanks to the US's sound institutions and government officials, including many Republicans, such as Brad Raffensperger, the Georgian Secretary of State whom Mr Trump tried to bully. Mr Raffensperger put principles before partisan ambition.
They're not social media stars like the Kardashians, but the U.S. Air Force has its own "influencers" working to engage the next generation of airmen, according to the service's head of recruiting.

In the past year, the Air Force has moved to a largely digital recruitment effort, including having one-on-one virtual meet-and-greets with recruiters and social media campaigns, an endeavor made more relevant by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is even promoting airmen who attract eyeballs to their Facebook or Instagram accounts, according to Maj. Gen. Edward Thomas, head of the Air Force Recruiting Service, or AFRS, part of Air Education and Training Command.

"They're not paid or sponsored," Thomas said in a recent interview with Military.com. "It's mostly people who are just passionate about what they do, passionate about being an airman and specifically passionate about helping increase the diversity in our ranks."

Read Next: All 10 Living Former SecDefs: Keep the Military Out of Election Dispute

AFRS stressed that it's not branding these airmen as "influencers" per se because many of their followers are already active or former military members. "That's not our target demographic," said spokeswoman Leslie Brown.

But their platforms give the recruiting service a taste of how it can use new ways to connect with prospective recruits by telling the service's story from one airman's point of view.

Some former military members have popular social media accounts. John "Rain" Waters, a retired major who was most recently the commander of the F-16V Viper demo team, has amassed nearly 120,000 followers on Instagram with his dazzling aerial videos.

And at least one of the popular accounts belongs to an actual recruiter: Tech. Sgt. Kelvin Boyington, aka "Sergeant B."

Stationed in Ohio, Boyington creates "his own videos where he plays multiple characters," Thomas said. "He dances; he does skits. I mean, he is super energetic in the way he's going out trying to attract people to the Air Force."

The recruiting service also has its "Detachment 1" unit, established in 2018 and headed by Lt. Col. Annie Driscoll, an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter pilot.

"Her whole mission is to be able to help increase diversity and rated career fields," Thomas said, referring to the Air Force pilot community.

Driscoll and her team have held webinars with more than 1,000 participants each, and have their own social media program showcasing how potential aviators can earn their wings. Detachment 1 also works with aerospace organizations and nonprofits such as Women in Aviation to increase the public's exposure to Air Force careers.

"They're sharing, they're posting, you know, they're building that network," Thomas said.

The AFRS may start an "Airman Ambassador'' program this year to highlight these airmen, Brown said. The goal is to have social media-savvy airmen host online chats or mentorship events to discuss their day-to-day service experience, she added.

Niche Marketing

Over the last few years, recruiters have had to get creative to tailor their messages to young people with different priorities and means of communication than their predecessors. As a result, niche marketing efforts are on the rise.

Air Force recruiters have gone to CrossFit competitions seeking aspiring special warfare candidates, online gaming forums to attract cyber experts, and even the FIRST Robotics Competition to woo those interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs, Thomas said.

"More and more and more, we have moved marketing to the local squadron-level recruiting office level to go get after that market," he said.

But with COVID-19, "[the] majority of our marketing effort has moved to online digital marketing," Thomas said, adding that it's unlikely the service will turn away from its heavy online presence.

"[It] allows us to be much more specific and much more niche [for] the different targets that we're hitting, so we're able to have a whole different suite and variety of the types of ads [we share]," he said.

But the Air Force isn't focusing on online gaming as heavily as its service counterparts, Thomas said -- an area where some have gotten into hot water.

Over the summer, the Army's esports team -- part of Army Recruiting Command -- received intense attention to its correspondence with potential recruits on Twitch, a popular game-streaming app. The team took a five-week pause following accusations that it was banning people from its channel, which some experts said violated users' First Amendment rights.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., questioned why the Army even uses the method to court "impressionable young people" and introduced legislation to forbid the practice.

The Air Force has sponsored a few e-gaming events, Thomas said, with a handful of airmen participating in tournaments. However, the recruiting service does not have a dedicated team, he added.

In 2018, then-Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast said the Air Force was working on its own aviation-themed game. Kwast, then commander of AETC and since retired, said the online game -- geared toward high school kids -- could be played anonymously, with the Air Force watching the player test his or her skills without violating their privacy.

"We are doing some different gaming prototypes right now," Thomas said, adding there's nothing available yet.

Mass Outreach

In the last two years, the AFRS has gone to a "Total Force" approach, Thomas added, bringing recruiting for the active-duty, reserve and Guard components under one umbrella.

Previously, "you could go to a job fair and have different tables set up ... and those Air Force recruiters would not even know the others were there," Thomas said. "Frankly, it sowed confusion. And it created an unhealthy competition amongst our own recruiters. So today, we have truly integrated all of the components of the Air Force into one recruiting service."

The Air Force reduced its active-duty recruitment goal from roughly 29,200 to 26,300 over the past year due to COVID-19, which prompted high retention rates.

In December, Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly, the deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services, said the Air Force experienced its highest service member retention rate in two decades, closing out fiscal 2020 well over its 333,700 goal. As a result, the service is working to voluntarily transfer some airmen into other specialties or the Air Force Reserve, he told reporters.

Thomas said he foresees special warfare; technical, STEM-related jobs; and aviation fields to remain "hot" in 2021.

"There's [also] a lot of excitement about Space Force," he said. "One of the challenges that we're working through is it's still a small, agile force so we will only be bringing in about 312 enlisted space professionals a year. To give you a sense of scope -- 312 a year, well, we bring in about 40,000 airmen a year. So the scale is still limited."

In the coming months, Thomas wants to make sure the Air Force assigns people into the jobs where they can best thrive.

While recruiting messages are becoming increasingly customized to people's specific interests, the AFRS shouldn't assign airmen to specialties before they can make a competent decision about their career choice, he said, adding that the Air Force wants young people to keep their options open.

"This is about having a conversation," he explained.

The question-answer portion of a recruitment event should look something like, "Would you like to serve full time? Would you like to serve part time? Would you like to serve in uniform? Or not in uniform? Would you like to stay close to your home? Or would you like to have assignments around the world?" Thomas said.

"We want [airmen] to have a realistic expectation of what they will do in our Air Force so that when they come in, there's not a mismatch of what they thought they were going to be doing," he said. "Right now, across our recruiting enterprise, optimism is high. We're going to continue to be able to bring people in, and we're going to continue to be able to meet goals in 2021."

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

Related: Air Force Will Set New Diversity Recruiting Targets in 2021
When youve got a Muscle Shoals sister act up for two of the Grammy Awards being handed out on Jan. 31, for a project mixed by a groundbreaking, Grammy-winning female engineer whos also based in Alabama, that seems like something worth talking about.

And talk they did, as Variety.com recently put the spotlight on sisters Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle, better known as the Secret Sisters, and Fairhope-based Trina Shoemaker, who had a big hand in creating their 2020 album Saturn Return. The Zoom-style video discussion also features artist Brandi Carlile, who co-produced the project and was instrumental in bringing the team together.

If you missed it, its probably because you were otherwise occupied when Variety dropped it on Dec. 24. But its still a fascinating look into a rare studio situation in which the artists, a producer and the mixing engineer were all women. Variety refers to it as a harmonic convergence of female energy and talent.

Some highlights of the interview by Chris Willman: Carlile describing how Shoemaker preferred to sleep and eat in the studio because, as Shoemaker told her, I dont leave the gear; Shoemakers thoughts on the rarity of women in her field; and the Secret Sisters thoughts on how womanhood and motherhood and maternity and grief influenced the themes of the record.

The Grammys will be broadcast by CBS on Jan. 31. Saturn Return is a contender for best folk album, and the track Cabin is among the nominees for best American roots song. Other nominees with Alabama ties include Chika, whos up for best new artist; Brittany Howard, whose six nominations include rock, folk and R&B categories; and Little Big Town, with nominations for best country album and best country duo/group performance.
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These fleeting disruptions, seen for the first time in lead hThese fleeting disruptions may help explain why lead hybrid perovskites are exceptionally good at turning sunlight into electrical current in solar cells

Polarons are fleeting distortions in a material's atomic lattice that form around a moving electron in a few trillionths of a second, then quickly disappear. As ephemeral as they are, they affect a material's behavior, and may even be the reason that solar cells made with lead hybrid perovskites achieve extraordinarily high efficiencies in the lab.

Now scientists at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have used the lab's X-ray laser to watch and directly measure the formation of polarons for the first time. They reported their findings in Nature Materials today.

"These materials have taken the field of solar energy research by storm because of their high efficiencies and low cost, but people still argue about why they work," said Aaron Lindenberg, an investigator with the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences (SIMES) at SLAC and associate professor at Stanford who led the research.

"The idea that polarons may be involved has been around for a number of years," he said. "But our experiments are the first to directly observe the formation of these local distortions, including their size, shape and how they evolve."

Exciting, complex and hard to understand

Perovskites are crystalline materials named after the mineral perovskite, which has a similar atomic structure. Scientists started to incorporate them into solar cells about a decade ago, and the efficiency of those cells at converting sunlight to energy has steadily increased, despite the fact that their perovskite components have a lot of defects that should inhibit the flow of current.

These materials are famously complex and hard to understand, Lindenberg said. While scientists find them exciting because they are both efficient and easy to make, raising the possibility that they could make solar cells cheaper than today's silicon cells, they are also highly unstable, break down when exposed to air and contain lead that has to be kept out of the environment.

Previous studies at SLAC have delved into the nature of perovskites with an "electron camera" or with X-ray beams. Among other things, they revealed that light whirls atoms around in perovskites, and they also measured the lifetimes of acoustic phonons - sound waves - that carry heat through the materials.

For this study, Lindenberg's team used the lab's Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), a powerful X-ray free-electron laser that can image materials in near-atomic detail and capture atomic motions occurring in millionths of a billionth of a second. They looked at single crystals of the material synthesized by Associate Professor Hemamala Karunadasa's group at Stanford.

They hit a small sample of the material with light from an optical laser and then used the X-ray laser to observe how the material responded over the course of tens of trillionths of a second.

Expanding bubbles of distortion

"When you put a charge into a material by hitting it with light, like what happens in a solar cell, electrons are liberated, and those free electrons start to move around the material," said Burak Guzelturk, a scientist at DOE's Argonne National Laboratory who was a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford at the time of the experiments.

"Soon they are surrounded and engulfed by a sort of bubble of local distortion - the polaron - that travels along with them," he said. "Some people have argued that this 'bubble' protects electrons from scattering off defects in the material, and helps explain why they travel so efficiently to the solar cell's contact to flow out as electricity."

The hybrid perovskite lattice structure is flexible and soft - like "a strange combination of a solid and a liquid at the same time," as Lindenberg puts it - and this is what allows polarons to form and grow.

Their observations revealed that polaronic distortions start very small - on the scale of a few angstroms, about the spacing between atoms in a solid - and rapidly expand outward in all directions to a diameter of about 5 billionths of a meter, which is about a 50-fold increase. This nudges about 10 layers of atoms slightly outward within a roughly spherical area over the course of tens of picoseconds, or trillionths of a second.

"This distortion is actually quite large, something we had not known before," Lindenberg said. "That's something totally unexpected."

He added, "While this experiment shows as directly as possible that these objects really do exist, it doesn't show how they contribute to the efficiency of a solar cell. There's still further work to be done to understand how these processes affect the properties of these materials."

###

LCLS is a DOE Office of Science user facility. Lindenberg is also an investigator with the Stanford PULSE Institute, which like SIMES is a joint institute of SLAC and Stanford. Scientists from the University of Cambridge in the U.K.; Aarhus University in Denmark; and Paderborn University and the Technical University of Munich in Germany also contributed to this study. Major funding came from the DOE Office of Science.

Citation: Burak Guzelturk et al., Nature Materials, 4 January 2021 (10.1038/s41563-020-00865-5)

SLAC is a vibrant multiprogram laboratory that explores how the universe works at the biggest, smallest and fastest scales and invents powerful tools used by scientists around the globe. With research spanning particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology, materials, chemistry, bio- and energy sciences and scientific computing, we help solve real-world problems and advance the interests of the nation.

SLAC is operated by Stanford University for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.
She has been reveling in the relaxation life, following a hectic holiday season with her famous family.

And Kourtney Kardashian appeared to have a blast 'skipping at sunset' with her gal pal Veronique Vicari Barnes in snapshots shared to Instagram on Sunday.

The POOSH founder, 41, could be seen playfully skipping around her backyard in a fluffy ivory sweatsuit by her sister Kim's shapewear line SKIMS.

The little things: Kourtney Kardashian appeared to have a blast 'skipping at sunset' with her gal pal Veronique Vicari Barnes in snapshots shared to Instagram on Sunday

Represent: The POOSH founder, 41, could be seen playfully skipping around her backyard in a fluffy ivory sweatsuit by her sister Kim's shapewear line SKIMS

Kourtney's cozy ensemble consisted of SKIMS Knit Zip Up Hoodie and a pair of SKIMS Knit Pants that slightly flared at the ankles.

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Veronique appeared to be wearing a charcoal toned variation of Kourtney's hoodie and pants, which are currently available on the SKIMS website.

Click here to resize this module

Kardashian had her raven hair tied up into a high ponytail and she appeared to be sporting her go-to makeup look, which often consists of a brown smokey eyeshadow look and a nude lip gloss.

Giving a nod to Kim's husband Kanye West, Kourtney slipped her feet into a pair of Adidas Yeezy 'Foam Rnnrs' that perfectly coordinated with her outfit.

Cozy: Kourtney's cozy ensemble consisted of SKIMS Knit Zip Up Hoodie and a pair of SKIMS Knit Pants that slightly flared at the ankles

Jump! The pair ran all around Kourtney's spacious backyard, before making their way towards a giant trampoline

Although though her and her pal posed for one snapshot, the rest of the photos in the KUWTK star's post were candid.

The pair ran all around Kourtney's spacious backyard, before making their way towards a giant trampoline.

Kardashian's playful post earned a 'like' from her little sister Kylie Jenner, 23, and a comment from her friend and model Nicole Williams English.

Candid moments: Although though her and her pal posed for one snapshot, the rest of the photos in the KUWTK star's post were candid

Feeling the love: Kardashian's playful post earned 'like' from her little sister Kylie Jenner, 23, and a comment from her friend and model Nicole Williams English

Kourtney's weekend of relaxation kicked off on Saturday, with the star lounging by he fireplace in her lavish Calabasas home.

Holding a cup of tea to her mouth, Kardashian explained to her 106million followers on Instagram that she relies on a non-melatonin based tea to calm her down at bedtime.

'Sleep is so important for our physical and mental health, and of course we all need our beauty sleep,' wrote Kourtney, who kept her fit frame concealed beneath a cozy blanket.

Relaxing: Kourtney Kardashian allowed herself to enjoy a day of relaxation on Saturday as she cozied up by the fireplace in her lavish Calabasas home

Her lengthy raven hair was tied up into a high ponytail and she appeared to be wearing a minimal amount of makeup.

The brunette beauty's fireplace blazed behind her as she leisurely sipped on her boiling hot cup of tea.

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After enjoying some alone time, Kardashian headed out into her backyard to catch the day's gorgeous sunset.

Stunning: After enjoying some alone time, Kardashian headed out into her backyard to catch the day's gorgeous sunset

Meanwhile: As the sun set, her two sons, Mason, 11, and Reign, five, wrestled with one another atop a trampoline

As the sun set, her two sons, Mason, 11, and Reign, five, wrestled with one another atop a trampoline.

The pair had on opposing costumes as they playfully writhed around.

'Brothers,' wrote Kourtney, who shares Mason and Reign, as well as eight-year-old daughter Penelope, with ex Scott Disick, 37.

Bon Apetit: Once night came, Kardashian headed into her spacious kitchen and decided to whip her family up a home cooked meal

Once night came, Kardashian headed into her spacious kitchen and decided to whip her family up a home cooked meal.

She prepared a green-toned pasta dish that required a ton of freshly minced garlic and half a stick of butter.

'I don't cook but when I do,' captioned Kourtney, who documented portions of her cooking process on her Instagram Story.

Whipping it up: She prepared a green-toned pasta dish that required a ton of freshly minced garlic and half a stick of butter

Going all out: 'I don't cook but when I do,' captioned Kourtney, who documented portions of her cooking process on her Instagram Story

Kourtney, who often referred to herself a homebody, has gotten to spend plenty of time with her three children amid the coronavirus lockdown in Los Angeles.

And on New Year's Day, the sister of Kim Kardashian could not help but express her gratitude over getting the opportunity to wake up with her children every morning.

'Feeling extra grateful this morning that I get to wake up with these cuties,' began the star, who included a photo of herself with Reign and Penelope.

Grateful: And on New Year's Day, the sister of Kim Kardashian could not help but express her gratitude over getting the opportunity to wake up with her children every morning

'[I am grateful] or all of the special time we got together this last year, for all of the reminders about what really matters, for slowing down.

'I learned so much this past year! Sending prayers of health and happiness to all. Happy New Year! (And yes, still in Christmas pajamas)' concluded Kardashian.

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As for New Year's Eve, Kourtney was able to showcase the glamorous, party side that all of her fans have grown to love since her Keeping Up With The Kardashians days.

Party time: As for New Year's Eve, Kourtney was able to showcase the glamorous, party side that all of her fans have grown to love since her Keeping Up With The Kardashians days

Bartending: 'tequila on the rocks with lime,' captioned Kardashian as she posed for some festive social media snaps in front of her swanky bar while shaking up some tequila cocktails

'tequila on the rocks with lime,' captioned Kardashian as she posed for some festive social media snaps in front of her swanky bar while shaking up some tequila cocktails.

The Kardashian/Jenner favorite is a simple mix of tequila over ice with lime, which she gladly whipped up for the evening.

She rocked a plunging patent leather party dress with high heels and a high ponytail
A deadly bushfire has spread through containment lines putting homes and residents in danger, with hundreds told to flee.

The dangerous fires in the Gingin and Dandaragan areas north of Perth started three days ago and were under control up until Monday afternoon.

But both fires have once again jumped containment lines and are moving in a westerly direction, covering 3km every hour.

They are also causing ash and dust blowing over the area where firefighters are placed while battling the blazes.

The dangerous fires in the Gingin and Dandaragan areas north of Perth started three days ago and were under control up until Monday afternoon (pictured)

Both fires have once again jumped containment lines and are moving in a westerly direction at a scary 3km per hour

The fires are also causing a lot of ash and dust blowing over the area where firefighters are placed while battling the blazes, and are now threatening homes (pictured)

Anyone in an area bounded by Brand Highway, Nammegarra Road, Mimegarra Road, Dingo Road, Nilgen Road, Indian Ocean Drive, K.W. Road, Sappers Road, Orange Springs Road and Nabaroo Road are in danger and need to act immediately to survive.

The fire is burning in parts of Regans Ford, Red Gully, Cowalla, Moore River National Park, Nilgen, Mimegarra, Karakin, Yathroo, Orange Springs, Lancelin and Ledge Point  including Ocean Farms and Seaview Park.

Anyone there is ordered to leave their homes immediately and seek shelter elsewhere. A shelter has opened up at Guilderton Country Club on Wedge Street, Guilderton,

'If you cannot leave, you need to get ready to shelter in your home,' Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) advised.

'Go to a room in your home away from the fire front and make sure you can easily escape.

'Choose a room with two exits and water such as a kitchen or laundry.'

Residents near the fires have been told to leave now and seek shelter elsewhere as firefighters battle to get the fires under control (pictured, locals gather ready to evacuate)

DFES Deputy Commissioner Craig Waters said it's been a crazy three days as brave firefighters struggled to get the blazes under control following temperates of 40C

DFES Deputy Commissioner Craig Waters said it's been a wild three days as brave firefighters struggled to get the blazes under control following temperatures of 40C.

'Whenever you come into a period of hot weather and gusty easterly winds in you're in for a world of hurt,' he said.

He also warned that other fires burning across the state are being managed but it's still too early to say 'we're out of the woods'.

The news comes as West Coast Eagle star Tim Kelly told Instagram followers that his family home was under threat from the Gosnells fire, sharing terrifying images that showed the blaze creeping onto his property.

West Coast Eagle star Tim Kelly (pictured) shared to Instagram that his family home was under threat from the Gosnells fire

'I've got the sprinklers and everything going on...not good,' the West Coast Eagles star said while sharing footage of the fire just outside his fences (pictured)

'I've got the sprinklers and everything going on...not good,' he said while sharing footage of the fire just outside his fences.

His wife a few hours later updated followers saying their home is safe 'for now'.

About 90 firefighters, emergency services and volunteers are battling the horrific blazes.

Residents are told to stay indoors and keep windows closed after the wind picked up and changed the direction of the fire which has already burnt 74 hectares.

'It's moving through some bushland mostly but it's headed towards some heavy infrastructure,' Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) district officer Adrian Hamill said.
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Madrid, Jan 5 : Spain's Ministry of Health on Monday reported 30,579 new coronavirus cases and 241 deaths during the New Year period between December 31 and January 4.

The country now has a total of 19,58,844 cases since the start of the pandemic, while 51,078 people have lost their lives to the virus, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the incidence of the virus has risen to 272 cases per 1,00,000 inhabitants over the past 14 days, considerably higher than the level of 180 cases per 1,00,000 inhabitants at the start of December, according to the ministry.

Health Minister Salvador Illa warned that the impact of the pandemic is in an upward trend in Spain, asking the citizens to be responsible.

"We still have some difficult weeks. Until a significant part of the population is immunised, we must be very careful," he told a press conference.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in some countries with the already-authorised coronavirus vaccines. Spain began its vaccination program on December 27.

A total of 232 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 60 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain and the US, according to information released by the World Health Organization on December 29.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
The International Space Station is expected to offer a prime naked-eye viewing opportunity as it passes over central Pennsylvania 3 times this week.

The ISS is expected to appear in our sky at 6:49 a.m. Monday, January 4, about the width of a fist at the end of an outstretched arms (10 degrees) above the northwestern horizon. Over the next 4 minutes it will move toward the east, rising to a maximum height of 59 degrees before disappearing about 36 degrees above the eastern horizon.

It will appear at 6:51 a.m. Wednesday, January 6, about 10 degrees above west-northwest. Over the next 5 minutes it will move toward the south-southeast, rising to a maximum height of 44 degrees before disappearing about 18 degrees above south-southeast.

The shuttles third appearance this week, at 6:05 a.m. Thursday, January 7, about 34 degrees above west-northwest, will be the best viewing opportunity. Over 3 minutes it will move toward the southeast, rising to a maximum height of 81 degrees before disappearing about 22 degrees above the southeastern horizon.

NASA explains, The horizon is at zero degrees, and directly overhead is 90 degrees. If you hold your fist at arms length and place your fist resting on the horizon, the top will be about 10 degrees. Each additional fist-width above the horizon is roughly another 10 degrees of elevation.

NASA doesnt issue one of its Spot the Station alerts for anything less than 40 degrees, and the space station is not expected to meet or top that point again this week.

According to NASA, the space station looks like an airplane or a very bright star moving across the sky, except it doesnt have flashing lights or change direction. It will also be moving considerably faster than a typical airplane (airplanes generally fly at about 600 miles per hour; the space station flies at 17,500 miles per hour).

Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.

Officials have reportedly recovered 400 gram of Mephedrone (MD) worth Rs 10 lakh during the operation

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) detained a Tollywood actress on Saturday night, 2 January during a raid at a hotel in Mumbais Mira Road area. She has been detained under the charges of alleged drug possession.

The raid was conducted after the police arrested an executive working at a multinational company near Bandra railway station on Saturday. The cops had recovered 400 gram of mephedrone (MD) from the suspect named Chand Mohammed Shaikh which is worth 10 lakh rupees. The Bandra resident was nabbed with the substance in his two-wheeler as per reports.

According to media reports, the 27-year-old suspect was interrogated and he revealed that he had procured the drugs from a dealer named Saeed. The report added that this man from Bhayandar area in Mumbai is a history-sheeter and is likely a major drug supplier in the western suburbs of the metropolitan.

Based upon the information given by the executive, the officials raided a hotel in Bhayandar, believing it to be the place where Saeed was currently staying at. However, the man managed to give a slip to the police according to the reports.

When the officials reached the room where Saeed was allegedly in, they only found an actress there. She has been detained by the drug control authority and is being interrogated at present. The police also found some substances from the room which are believed to be drugs and are being tested by the officials.

As per The Indian Express, the raid was conducted at The Crown Business Hotel and the NCB Mumbai have registered an offence against Saeed and currently are looking out for him.

On the other hand, a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered against Chand Mohammed Shaikh as per the statement given by Sameer Wankhede, NCBs Zonal Director to news outlets.
A high percentage of U.S. front-line workers have refused to take the COVID-19 vaccines, presenting an obstacle in the countrys rollout.

According to NBC News, 50 percent of healthcare workers at Californias Riverside County have refused vaccination, while 60 percent of Ohioan nursing home workers have declined it.

Californias Riverside County Public Health Director Kim Saruwatari told The Los Angeles Times that both hospital and public officials have met to discuss how to distribute the doses of the vaccine originally meant for healthcare workers who refused to take it.

While surveys or studies have revealed American discourse in skepticism versus support of the vaccines, some may be surprised that some healthcare workers are skeptical too, despite the scientific data backing the vaccines.

April Lu is a nurse at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center who declined COVID-19 vaccination because shes six months pregnant and concerned for the safety of the vaccine for pregnant women, as reported by The LA Times. While clinical trials havent been conducted on pregnant women, the CDC thinks there shouldnt be any risk on the demographic, according to the report.

Im choosing the risk  the risk of having COVID, or the risk of the unknown of the vaccine, Lu told The LA Times. I think Im choosing the risk of COVID. I can control that and prevent it a little by wearing masks, although not 100% for sure.

Lu also told The LA Times that I feel people think, I can still make it until this ends without getting the vaccine, in reference to some of her colleagues who believe they can make it to the end without taking the vaccine because theyve dodged COVID-19 this long.

Healthcare workers participation in taking a vaccine is reportedly lower than expected around the U.S.

A Kaiser Family Foundation survey recently found that 29% of healthcare workers were hesitant to take the vaccine, while 27% of the general public is skeptical.

Other studies have also shown skepticism or hesitancy across demographics in taking the vaccine, while conspiracy theories and the anti-vaccination movement has ran rampant on social media. Though, its reportedly unknown the weight of how either has impacted U.S. citizens getting vaccinated.

In Ohio, an estimated 60 percent of nursing home employees have refused COVID-19 vaccination, according to Gov. Mike DeWine during a news brief last week. Were not going to make them, but we wish we had a higher compliance, DeWine said, according to NBC News. And our message today is: The train may not be coming back for awhile. Were going to make it available to everyone eventually, but this is the opportunity for you, and you should really think about getting it.

A recent Pew Research Center study found that 2 in 10 Americans wont take any COVID-19 vaccine or change their mind, while 62 percent are hesitant about taking the vaccine right now.

While the rollout has been slower than expected, the U.S. has recently ramped up the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines during the late holiday season, with an estimated 4 million doses given out, according to The Associated Press.

Read more of this report at The Los Angeles Times:

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What's more difficult? Lugging six concert grand pianos  each weighing 500 kilograms  onto a stage? Or finding six diva-standard female concert pianists to share the spotlight as part of a unique two-performance highlight of the 2021 Sydney Festival?

In October, Tamara-Anna Cislowska (pianist, composer and presenter of ABC Classic's Duets program) was phoned by fellow Australian concert pianist Piers Lane, London-based artistic director of the Sydney International Piano Competition.

Pianists Tamara-Ann Cislowska and Bernadette Harvey will be performing in 12 Hands, 6 Grands. Credit:James Alcock

The prize for the top six 2020 competition winners had been set to perform together at the 2021 Sydney Festival, Lane explained. But because of COVID-19 the competition had been postponed.

Lanes plan B?
ATLANTA, Ga.  President-elect Joe Biden on Monday told Georgia Democrats they had the power to chart the course for a generation as President Donald Trump urged Republican voters to swamp the polls ahead of runoff elections that will determine control of the U.S. Senate.

Trump made his final-hours pitch to voters at a nighttime rally in north Georgia, where Republicans were banking on strong voter turnout Tuesday to reelect Sen. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue and hold control of the chamber.

Biden campaigned with Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in Atlanta, hoping he could recreate the coalition that secured him a narrow victory in the presidential race in November.

Folks, this is it. This is it. Its a new year, and tomorrow can be a new day for Atlanta, for Georgia and for America, Biden said at a drive-in rally. Unlike any time in my career, one state  one state  can chart the course, not just for the four years but for the next generation.

The stakes have drawn hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign spending to a once solidly Republican state that now finds itself as the nations premier battleground. Biden won Georgias 16 electoral votes by about 12,000 votes out of 5 million cast in November, though Trump continues pushing false assertions of widespread fraud that even his now-former attorney general and Georgias Republican secretary of state  along with a litany of state and federal judges  have said did not happen.

The presidents trip came a day after disclosure of a remarkable telephone call he made to the Georgia secretary of state over the weekend. Trump pressured Republican Brad Raffensperger to find enough votes to overturn Georgias election results ahead of Wednesdays joint session of Congress that will certify Bidens Electoral College victory. The call highlighted how Trump has used the Georgia campaign to make clear his continued hold on Republican politics.

Angry after the Raffensperger call, Trump floated the idea of pulling out of the rally but was persuaded to go ahead with it so he would have a chance to reiterate his claims of election fraud. Republicans were wary as to whether Trump would focus only on himself and fail to promote the two GOP candidates.

A top Georgia election official said hours before Trumps rally that he wanted to scream after hearing audio of the presidents call with Raffensperger.

 READ MORE: Georgia elections board member calls for probe into Trumps call seeking to change results

Do not self-suppress your own vote, said Gabriel Sterling, Georgias voting system implementation manager.

But Trump, at the rally in Dalton, Georgia, spent much of his address on message, making an impassioned case that Loefflers and Perdues races were among the most important Georgia voters would ever face and made the case that the fate of our country is at stake.

To be sure, he also spent a fair amount of time rehashing false claims that the November election was rigged. He fumed that Republican Gov. Brian Kemp was incompetent and replayed many of the same debunked claims that he raised days ago in his call with Raffensperger.

The Democrats are trying to steal the White House, you cannot let them, Trump said. You just cant let them steal the U.S. Senate, you cant let it happen.

Biden on Monday took aim at Trumps scheme by declaring that politicians cannot assert, take or seize power by undermining legitimate elections.

Biden said he needs a Senate majority to pass legislation to combat the coronavirus, and he blasted Perdue and Loeffler as obstructionist Trump loyalists. Loeffler says she will join other Republican lawmakers in objecting to the Electoral College certification of Bidens victory by Congress on Wednesday.

You have two senators who think theyve sworn an oath to Donald Trump, not the United States Constitution, Biden said.

Earlier Monday, Vice President Mike Pence told a crowd of conservative Christian voters at a campaign event in Milner, Georgia, to stop a Democratic takeover in Washington. Were going to keep Georgia, and were going to save America, Pence said at Rock Springs Church in Milner.

Perdue addressed the church crowd in Milner by telephone while quarantining over coronavirus exposure, claiming that the very future of our republic is on the line and declaring the duty to vote a calling from God.

Trump amplified the sentiment, warning that Ossoff and Warnock wins would lead to a sharp leftward swing in American policy making.

These Senate seats are truly the last line of defense, Trump said. He added, Its really fight for our country, not a fight for Trump.

Republicans need just one victory to maintain Senate control and force Biden to contend with divided government. Democrats need a sweep for a 50-50 split, giving the tiebreaking vote to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who will succeed Pence as the Senates presiding officer. That would give Democrats a Senate majority to go along with their control of the House and executive branch.

Pence, who will preside over Wednesdays congressional joint session, sidestepped Trumps denials Monday until a man yelled out that he must do the right thing on Jan. 6. Pence promised that well have our day in Congress, though he offered no details about what that might mean. Scores of Republicans in Congress have pledged to protest the Electoral College count, but Pence has no legal authority to override Bidens win.

Facing those passions from the Republican base, Perdue, whose first Senate term expired Sunday, and Loeffler, an appointed senator trying to win her first election, have run as unabashed Trump Republicans and spent the two-month runoff blitz warning of a radical and dangerous lurch to the left.

Ossoff and Warnock have countered with warnings that a Republican Senate will stymie Bidens administration, especially on pandemic relief.

Warnock pushed back at the deluge of Loeffler television ads casting him as a socialist. Have you noticed she hasnt even bothered to make a case, Georgia, for why you should keep her in that seat? Warnock said, speaking ahead of Biden. Thats because she has no case to make.

A closely divided Senate  with the rules still requiring 60 votes to advance major bills  lessens the prospects of sweeping legislation regardless. But a Democratic Senate would at least assure Biden an easier path for top appointees, including judges, and legitimate consideration of his legislative agenda. A Senate led by McConnell would almost certainly deny even an up-or-down vote on Bidens most ambitious plans.

More than 3 million Georgians already have voted. Mondays push focused on getting voters to the polls Tuesday. Democrats ran up a wide margin among 3.6 million early votes in the fall, but Republicans countered with an Election Day surge, especially in small towns and rural areas.

Amy reported from Milner, Ga. Associated Press writers Kevin Freking in Dalton, Ga., Aamer Madhani in Chicago, and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this article.
A Wisconsin pharmacist is accused of intentionally destroying hundreds of doses of moderna's COVID-19 vaccine because he allegedly felt the medicine wasn't safe.

Steven Brandenburg, 46, was arrested after the 57 spoiled Moderna vials were discovered at Advocate Aurora Health in Grafton, 20 miles north of Milwaukee, last week.

Officials say the vials contained enough doses to inoculate more than 500 people.

During a virtual court hearing on Monday, prosecutors said Brandenburg had told police he ruined the doses because he didn't think the vaccine was safe.

'He'd formed this belief they were unsafe,' Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol told the hearing.

Steven Brandenburg, 46, is accused of spoiling 57 vials of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which officials say contained enough doses to inoculate more than 500 people

He was arrested on suspicion of reckless endangerment, altering a prescription drug and criminal damage to property.

Charges are still pending and the FBI and FDA are also investigating.

He was arrested last week following an investigation into the 57 spoiled vials at Advocate Aurora Health in Grafton, Wisconsin

Advocate Aurora Health Care Chief Medical Group Officer Jeff Bahr has said the pharmacist admitted that he deliberately removed the vials from refrigeration at the Grafton medical center overnight on Christmas Eve.

He then returned them on Christmas Day before leaving them out again that night, Bahr said.

A pharmacy technician discovered the vials outside the refrigerator on December 26.

Bahr said the pharmacist initially said that he had removed the vials to access other items in the refrigerator and had inadvertently failed to put them back.

The pharmacist has since been fired.

The Moderna vaccine is viable for 12 hours outside refrigeration, so workers used the vaccine to inoculate 57 people before discarding the rest.

Police said the discarded doses were worth between $8,000 and $11,000.

The Moderna vaccine is viable for 12 hours outside refrigeration, so workers used the vaccine to inoculate 57 people before discarding the rest

Brandenburg has since been fired from Advocate Aurora Health in Grafton, 20 miles north of Milwaukee, after the spoiled vials were discovered last week

Bahr said the doses people received December 26 are all but useless.

Those who received the vaccine from the tampered vials have been notified and the company is working with Moderna and the FDA on a strategy to properly vaccinate those individuals.

Officials have said there should be no negative effects from receiving the vaccines that were rendered ineffective.

'Moderna reassured us there are no safety concerns with administering a vaccine that has been out of the fridge too long. We will partner with them and the FDA to figure out a strategy on the future vaccination of the affected 57 individuals,' Bahr said.

There is also 'no evidence' Brandenburg tampered with the vaccine in any other way other han removing it from the fridge, Bahr said.

Prosecutors said during the hearing that Moderna will need to test the doses to make sure they're ineffective before he can proceed with any charges beyond destruction of property.

Brandenburg's bond was set at $10,000 on Monday and his next court appearance is scheduled for January 19.
What happens to the African Energy Industry if Western Lenders cut off Loans for Fossil Fuel Projects? (By NJ Ayuk)
Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, have we become a nation of wimps?

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The cinema theatres in Kerala will reopen on Tuesday, after remaining shut for over nine months. They were shut in March due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic; Kerala had reported the countrys first Covid-19 case in January.

The theatres have been completely shut since nearly a year due to which thousands of people are facing severe crises. Taking this into account, the government has decided to reopen the theatres with restrictions, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters on New Years day.

However, Covid protocols will be in place and theatre owners have been asked to strictly follow them. Theatres will be allowed to admit only half of the capacity and Covid-19 protocol like maintenance of social distancing, wearing face masks and hand hygiene will be followed.

Stringent action would be taken against theatre owners if they flout the guidelines, according to the chief ministers office.

Similarly, temple festivals and other art festivals will also be allowed from January 5 but participants numbers will be restricted to 200 for outdoor events and 100 for indoor events.

Vijayan had said this will alleviate the suffering of artists. Many drama, orchestra, DJ and dance artists were wallowing in penury due to Covid-19 restrictions.

In January, a 20-year-old Kerala student had tested positive for the dreaded disease upon her return from Wuhan, the capital of Chinas Hubei province from where the contagion first emerged.

Two other students from the Chinese city also subsequently tested positive but all three had later recovered.

(With inputs from agencies)
Benchmark indices started first week of 2021 with record highs today in line with positive global equities. Investor sentiment turned upbeat after India, the country with the second-highest number of coronavirus infections in the world, gave emergency use approvals to two coronavirus vaccines.

Drugs regulator DCGI on Sunday approved Oxford COVID-19 vaccine Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute, and indigenously developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech for restricted emergency use in the country.

Extending gains for the ninth consecutive session, Sensex was trading 250 points higher at 48,129 and Nifty gained 80 points to 14,100.

During today's session, Sensex hit a lifetime high of 48,168 and Nifty rose to a new high of 14,116.

Although by the first hour of trade, indices pared gains and traded flat, amid weakness in banking and realty stocks.

Most banking and financial stocks traded in red today as Reserve Bank of India (RBI) warned banks of a deterioration in asset quality and said that lenders should brace themselves for a tough time once the policy support given during the pandemic is withdrawn.TCS, ONGC, SBI, L&T, Infosys, HCL Tech, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank were among the gainers. On the other hand, HDFC, Asian Paints and Reliance Industries were among the laggards.

Yash Gupta Equity Research Associate, Angel Brokingsaid," Covid-19 Dry run across India, another positive news for Indian market that the health ministry today asked states and union territories to conduct a dry run for the administration of vaccines on 2nd January 2020 i.e Saturday. To check and find out any loophole in the process of vaccination against covid 2019. In the dry run candidate approval is not required, after the successful dry run once candidate for initial phase is approved after that vaccine will be rolled out in India. In India two vaccines are in front lead i.e Bharat Biotech and Serum institute of India. Earlier it was decided that the dry run will only be conducted in 4 states of India but today the health ministry has decided to conduct a dry run across India. Any positive news of vaccine rollout in India will be a very positive Indian stock market."

As the first trading day of 2021 kicked off, markets globally were buoyed today. Key economic data out of China and Japan kept sentiments upbeat. A business survey on Monday showed that activity growth in China's vast industrial sector had slowed, raising doubts about a ift global economic rebound.

Further, the final au Jibun Bank Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to a seasonally adjusted 50.0 in December from the previous month's 49.0 and a preliminary 49.7 reading.

Investors also looked forward to data from the United States and Europe that is due later in the day and cautiously awaited runoff elections outcome in Georgia for two U.S. Senate seats, scheduled on Tuesday that will determine which party controls the Senate.

Sameet Chavan (Chief Analyst-Technical and Derivatives, Angel Broking) said,"The mankind had to witness a lot of unprecedented things in the year gone by. Initially it was very difficult to adjust with the forceful changes in our lives; but we always try to make our own ways in all the difficulties and this is exactly what has been proven all these months. The year 2020 was full of shocks and surprises, but as we always say "All's well that ends well". We not only stabilized from the March chaos but also managed to give a stupendous v-shaped recovery in the last nine months to even surpass pre-COVID highs with some authority.

During the concluding week of the calendar year, Nifty added another couple of percent to Bulls' kitty and importantly reached yet another milestone of 14000. Now, there are lots of expectations built as we step into the New Year. With a broader view, there is no brainer, we are heading for much bigger levels from here on; but it would be unfair to expect the similar kind of linear move that we have been enjoying since early November. In between, markets are likely to give some corrections, which would be a healthy sign. For this week, we expect the Nifty to slowly and gradually head towards 14150-14200; whereas the key support zone is placed at 13950 - 13850 levels."

On the currency front, rupee appreciated by 21 paise to 72.90 against the US dollar on Monday's opening trade supported by sustained foreign fund inflows and weakness of the American currency in the overseas market. Positive domestic equities and news on COVID-19 vaccine also improved sentiment.

Seven out of 10 firms add Rs 75,845 crore in m-cap; HDFC biggest gainer

Share Market News Live: Sensex rises above 48K for first time, Nifty at 14,100; SBI, M&M, ONGC top gainers

Stocks in news: Coal India, Hero MotoCorp, RCF, Cadila, BEML, TVS Motors
A period of remote learning for schoolchildren in Northern Ireland is to be extended amid soaring coronavirus cases, the First Minister has said.

Speaking on Monday night, Arlene Foster said ministers had reflected on the seriousness of the situation here before coming to the decision.

The Executive is to reconvene on Tuesday to confirm details of the proposal, but it is believed it could extend beyond January.

We think that is necessary given the huge rise in positive cases here in Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster

Mrs Foster said: I think its fair to say that we will have to engage in more remote learning at schools.

We want to look at the finer details of that in and around vulnerable children and special needs children.

One of the learning points from the first lockdown was the fact that a lot of special needs to children need to have the ability to go to their place of schooling so they can deal with medical procedures and issues like that.

The most recent plan was for primary pupils to be taught remotely for the week from January 4-8, while for secondary school Years 8 to 11, remote learning is due to last for the entire month.

It is expected that creches, nurseries and day care centres will remain open for children of key workers, as has happened in England.

In addition to the measures in schools, stay at home advice is to be put into legislation, while the Executive is also set to examine international travel advice.

Mrs Foster said: We will be putting that message of stay at home back into law again.

The message will be stay at home unless you have a reason to leave home. Those reasons will be put into law. We think that is necessary given the huge rise in positive cases here in Northern Ireland.

She added: In terms of travel as well, something we discussed today with the other administrations across the United Kingdom, because we recognise that international travel will have to be reviewed again as well.

Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill said that remote learning would be extended, stay at home advice will be put into legislation and travel rules will be updated.

In addition to the restrictions already in place....Remote learning will be extended. Stay at home will be put in to regulation. Travel will be revisited. Education & Health Minister to bring detail of proposals to meeting of Exec tomorrow to include recommendations on exams  Michelle OaNeill (@moneillsf) January 4, 2021

The Executive is to meet again on Tuesday, when the Education and Health Ministers are to put forward a set of detailed proposals, including recommendations on this years exams.

In a tweet following the meeting, Ms ONeill said: In addition to the restrictions already in place.Remote learning will be extended. Stay at home will be put in to regulation.

Travel will be revisited. Education & Health Minister to bring detail of proposals to meeting of Exec tomorrow to include recommendations on exams.

Ministers will update the Assembly on Wednesday on any decisions made at Tuesdays meeting.

Northern Ireland faces a dire situation as the pandemic worsens, Arlene Foster warned earlier.

We will be speaking with HMG at 5pm regarding a Coronavirus response across the four nations. There will be an Executive meeting at 6pm immediately afterwards.  Arlene Foster #WeWillMeetAgain (@DUPleader) January 4, 2021

The First Minister expressed disappointment about huge crowds gathered at coastal resorts.

The country is in the second week of a six-week lockdown in which non-essential retail is closed, and people are urged to stay at home.

But, amid soaring numbers of coronavirus infections, ministers took part in an urgent meeting on Monday evening, with Mrs Foster saying the Stormont Executive has very difficult decisions to take.

The most recent plan was for primary pupils to be taught remotely for the week from January 4-8, while for secondary school Years 8 to 11, remote learning is due to last for the entire month.

Mrs Foster said: The advice coming to us is that we will need to take action and that well need to take action very quickly.

She added: I was very clear that I would like to keep schools open for as long as possible but if it is the case that we do need to close schools as we did in March of last year, I will deeply regret that, but we will of course take whatever action is needed based on the medical evidence in front of us.

The First Minister also expressed disappointment at the number of gatherings, and said ministers will speak to police about enforcement.

She added: Just today I was sent photographs of Portstewart and Portrush over the past couple of days and there were huge crowds gathering together and I really regret that.

Almost 100 house parties were broken up by police in Northern Ireland over the last week, despite strict rules against indoor gatherings.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland also issued 339 200 fines for breaches of the coronavirus regulations.

Meanwhile, a pensioner who survived the Second World War Blitz expressed relief after receiving the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

Everyone aged over 80 will be inoculated in Northern Ireland within a few short weeks, health officials said, in a step change in the race against time to deliver immunity.

West Belfast GP Michael McKenna administered the first coronavirus jabs, releasing older people from the jail sentence they have been under while shielding for the last nine months.

Afterwards, white-bearded John Grey, 84, leaned on his walking stick and said: I am relieved, lets say that.

Expand Close John Grey, 84, receives the first of two doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine (Liam McBurney/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp John Grey, 84, receives the first of two doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine (Liam McBurney/PA)

Up to 11,000 people aged over 80 are set to receive the jab this week as the health service struggles with soaring number of hospital admissions.

Another 1,801 people have tested positive for Covid-19, the Department of Health said on Monday.

That makes 12,507 diagnoses over the last seven days.

Another 12 deaths have been reported.

Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill said urgent and decisive action was required.

ends

Download the Belfast Telegraph App Get quick and easy access to the latest Northern Ireland news, sport, business and opinion with the Belfast Telegraph App.

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SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hagens Berman urges Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (NYSE: NAK) investors to submit their losses now. A securities fraud class action is pending before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York and certain investors may have valuable claims.



Class Period: Dec. 21, 2017 - Nov. 25, 2020 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Feb. 2, 2021 Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/NAK Contact An Attorney Now: NAK@hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895

Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (NAK) Securities Fraud Class Action:



The lawsuit alleges Northern Dynasty and senior executives misled investors about the viability of the companys proposed Pebble Project, a large mining project in Alaska.

In past quarters, Northern Dynasty repeatedly touted its progress in obtaining the necessary permitting for the Pebble Project. The company and senior management also repeatedly assured investors that the Pebble Project design included a substantially reduced development footprint and meaningful new environmental safeguards and, as a result, would likely receive necessary permits from federal, state and local regulatory agencies.

Investors began to learn the truth through a series of partial disclosures beginning on Aug. 24, 2020, when the U.S. Army announced the Pebble Project would significantly degrade the environment, result in significant adverse effects on the aquatic system or human environment, and as proposed cannot be permitted. This news sent the price of Northern Dynasty shares crashing lower.

On Sept. 21, 2020, the Environmental Investigation Agency released recordings of conversations between Northern Dynasty senior executives and EIA investigators revealing the companys plans to expand the Pebble Project mine operations from 20 years to 180 - 200 years and to expand it geographically.

Finally, on Nov. 25, 2020, Northern Dynasty announced the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers rejected its Pebble Project permit application under the Clean Water Act, finding the project is not in the public interest. This news drove the price of Northern Dynasty lower again.

Were focused on, among other things, investor losses and proving that Northern Dynasty and its senior management intentionally misled investors and manipulated the permitting process to achieve personal compensation for having done so, said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.

If you are a Northern Dynasty investor, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman.

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Northern Dynasty should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email NAK@hbsslaw.com.

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman is a national law firm with nine offices in eight cities around the country and eighty attorneys. The firm represents investors, whistleblowers, workers and consumers in complex litigation. More about the firm and its successes is located at hbsslaw.com. For the latest news visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @classactionlaw .
Saudi Arabia will reopen its borders and airspace to Qatar, the Kuwaiti foreign minister said Monday, more than three years after Riyadh sealed both and led an alliance to isolate Doha.

"Based on (Kuwait's ruler Emir) Sheikh Nawaf's proposal, it was agreed to open the airspace and land and sea borders between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Qatar, starting from this evening," said Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Ahmad Nasser Al-Sabah on state TV.

The bombshell announcement came on the eve of a six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) annual summit in the northwestern Saudi Arabian city of Al-Ula, at which the dispute was already set to top the agenda.

Riyadh led a coalition of countries in the Gulf and beyond that cut ties with Doha, charging that it was too close to Tehran and backed radical Islamist groups -- allegations that Qatar has always denied.

Washington has intensified pressure for a resolution to what Doha calls a "blockade", insisting Gulf unity is necessary to isolate US nemesis Iran as the curtain falls on Donald Trump's presidency.

Many eyes have been on whether Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani -- who has skipped the annual GCC gatherings since 2017 -- attends this time around.

The GCC is a bloc that consists of boycotting countries Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, neutral Kuwait and Oman, and Qatar.

The Saudi-led GCC hawks, along with Egypt, in June 2017 closed airspace to Qatari planes, sealed borders and ports, and expelled Qatari citizens.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will learn on Monday whether a British judge has approved his extradition to the United States to face charges including espionage over the release of secret US military documents.

US authorities accuse Australian-born Assange, 49, of 18 counts of conspiring to hack government computers and of breaching a secrecy law by releasing vast troves of confidential military records and diplomatic cables over a decade ago.

If extradited and then found guilty of espionage, Assange could go to prison for 30 to 40 years, his lawyers say, though prosecutors say he would face no more than 63 months in jail.

Whoever loses Mondays ruling is likely to appeal to Londons High Court and the case could go the United Kingdoms Supreme Court, further delaying the final outcome.

US prosecutors and Western security officials see Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, as a reckless and dangerous enemy of the state whose actions put at risk the lives of agents whose names were in the material.

Supporters regard him as an anti-establishment hero who has been victimised because he exposed US wrongdoing in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and say his prosecution is an assault on journalism and free speech.

Assanges legal team said in its closing written submission to Judge Vanessa Baraitser that the prosecution had been politically motivated during a unique period of US history under the (US President Donald) Trump administration.

The legal team representing the United States has challenged that assertion, saying US federal prosecutors are forbidden to consider political opinion in making their decisions.

DIPLOMATIC CABLES

WikiLeaks published a US military video in 2010 showing a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters in Baghdad that killed a dozen people, including two Reuters news staff. It then released thousands of secret classified files and diplomatic cables.

The legal saga began soon afterwards when Sweden sought Assanges extradition from Britain over allegations of sex crimes. When he lost that case in 2012, he fled to the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he spent seven years, during which he fathered two children.

When he was finally dragged out in April 2019, he was jailed for breaching British bail conditions although the Swedish case against him had been dropped. Last June, the US Justice Department formally asked Britain to extradite him.

Assanges legal team say the charges are politically motivated, his mental health is at risk, conditions in US prisons breach Britains human rights laws, and he and his lawyers were spied on while he was in the Ecuadorean embassy.

The US legal team has said many of Assanges defence arguments are issues that should be addressed in a trial and have no bearing on extradition.

There is also a possibility that Joe Biden might reverse the decision to prosecute Assange after Biden succeeds Trump as president later this month.
Ji Chang Wook has once again proven that he is among South Korea's top leading men as the charming Park Jae-Won in "Lovestruck in the City."

Debuting last Dec. 22, the Kakao TV original "Lovestruck in the City" has also made its worldwide debut through the streaming service Netflix. In the new K-Drama, also known as "How to Love Men and Women in the City," Ji plays the role of the honest and passionate architect Park Jae-won.

Critics were quick to point Ji Chang Wook's wide-eyed expression of falling in love, demonstrated in its pilot episode where his character Jae-Won met Lee Eun-Oh, portrayed by Kim Ji-Won. Their characters met by fate at a travel destination, leaving Jae-Won smiling without him even realizing it. An equally compelling narration accompanied the perfectly captured sequence, "It felt like there were only two in the world, it was complete." At this moment, both Ji Chang Wook and Kim Ji-Won expressed how memorable yet ephemeral that meeting was, taking audiences for an emotional rollercoaster.

However, in the other scene, Chang Wook showed versatility as an actor, showing another side to Jae-Won's personality in trying to break up with Eun-Oh in the past. There was something that revealed how he truly felt, despite saying contrary words and bluff like "Love is nothing" or "Lee Eun-Oh is a bad girl." Despite his attempts at lying, Jae Won is difficult to hate, even gaining sympathy for the complexity of having to let go of unexpected love, and never being able to move on from it.

Fans of "Lovestruck in the City," now on its third episode, can watch the latest episodes every Tuesday and Friday at 5PM KST on Kakao TV, while fans from other parts of the world can follow Park Jae-Won and Lee Eun-Oh's adventures in search of love and life on Netflix at 7PM KST on the same days.

See the official trailer for "Lovestruck in the City" below:
Reps. Devin Nunes and Jim Jordan are expected to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The Medal of Freedom is known to the nation's highest civilian honor.

It will be awarded to Nunes and Jordan by President Donald Trump himself, a source familiar with the matter confirmed in a Sacramento Bee report.

Nunes, who is the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, is expected to get his Medal of Freedom on Monday while Jordan will have his by next week, said a report from Axios.

Trump's plan to give this award came less than three weeks before the January 20 inauguration day where President-elect Joe Biden will start his term in the White House.

Washington Examiner noted that Trump's public schedule which was released on Sunday evening did not include the said ceremony.

Both Nunes, Jordan Close Republican Allies

Nunes and Jordan are known to be two of the president's closest Republican allies.

Jordan led the Republicans' defense of the president during his impeachment hearings. Meanwhile, Nunes is a California Republican who's been one of the closes people to Trump in Congress.

Read also: Trump Urges Georgia Election Official To 'Find' Over 11,000 Ballots, Review Results

He also launched a fierce attack on Democrats during the said hearing which helped set the stage for the GOP to argue that the hearings were partisan and an extension of the 2016 Russian probe.

He defended the president during the Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation as well.

He accused members of the intelligence community that they were make improper revelations in officials working on the Trump campaign in 2016 which he believed should have been kept confidention.

At the time, he called both investigations a "hoax" an alleged that certain intelligence officials actually had personal biases against the president.

Trump clearly adored Nunes's work during the investigation since he still had him lined up for the awarded despite multiple lawsuits, said a report from Raw Story.

This is not the first time Trump expressed interest in giving Nunes an award.

It can be recalled that in 2018, Trump also called for Nunes to get the Medal of Honor, which can only be awarded to members of the military, The Washington Post reported.

He later corrected himself and said in an episode of Fox and Friends in 2018 that he actually meant the Medal of Freedom.

Read also: President Trump Considered as Frontrunner for 2024 Election, But Some Contenders Remain

In the past, the said award has been given to artists, athletes, politicians and military leaders. Some of the past recipients include actor Tom Hanks, poet Maya Angelou, author Harper Lee, and boxer Muhammad Ali.

Trump Calls Nunes 'A Hero'

Amid the praises he received from the president, Nunes was also called a "hero" by Trump.

"He became a hero because he found out what was going on in government, and he found out about the hoax," Trump said in February.

Alongside Jordan, a ranking member f the House Judiciary Committee, they were outspoken critics of the Justice Department and FBI's conduct during the Russian investigations, also dubbed by Trump as a "witch hunt."

Jordan is one of the House members to lead the GOP effort in contesting the Electoral College votes on Wednesday.
Weve known since November that among the first such objects to hit the market will be a 2007 Ferrari F430 Trump once owned. It is part of the lot of cars going under the Mecum hammer at the end of this week in Kissimmee, Florida, and the estimate is the vehicle will fetch up to half a million dollars.And that seems about right if you come to think of it. This particular one is part of the family of machines made by the Prancing Horse using this moniker from 2004 to 2009, a family that is fastly approaching collector status.Then, you have the fact the car was purchased by the man who would go down in history as one of (if not the most) controversial presidents of the United States. Its unclear how long Trump held on to the car, or for how long he drove it himself, but the abundance of documents coming with it (including a copy of original title with the address of Trump Tower in New York and Trump's signature) is more than enough to make the eyes of most car collectors glow with delight and anticipation.The F430 is in no way modified from stock, and it is not damaged either. The car uses Ferraris 4.3-liter V8 engine tied to a 6-speed transmission and breathing through a tuned free-flow exhaust, and it comes in Corsa Red over a beige leather interior.According to the auction listing , the F430 has just close to 7,000 miles (11,200 km) on it, and that makes it practically new.
Four of the seven deputies fired from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department in 2013 for being a part of the 'Jump Out Boys' gang have been reinstated, it has been revealed.

The clandestine brotherhood within the sheriffs department saw members get matching skull tattoos and they allegedly prided themselves on aggressive policing, the shootings of mostly Latino and black gang members, and shared a secret black book of shootings, as per the Huffington Post.

In 2013, the group was exposed to the public and seven officers were fired for their alleged membership.

However, four of those deputies have won back their sheriffs badges despite objections from the department, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

They are: Deputies Douglas Parkhurst, who is currently stationed at the narcotics bureau in Palmdale, as per anonymous sources, Jason Lanska and Ronnie Perez, who are stationed as courthouse security, and Deputy Anthony Paez, who left the department in February.

The firings were reversed after the deputies and their union filed lawsuits and multiple appeals to challenge their dismissals.

Those four claimed they had tattoos belonging to the group but didn't know about its creed. The three deputies who admitted to knowing about the group's mission Deputies Steve Vargas, Curtis Sykes, and Julio Martinez - did not win their appeals.

The Jump Out Boys was exposed in 2013 and they allegedly prided themselves on aggressive policing and officer-involved shootings. Members allegedly have matching tattoos depicting a skull, cards and a pistol. Those who have been involved in a shooting have smoke curling from the gun's barrel in their tattoos

Who are the Jump Out Boys? The Jump Out Boys are a gang of deputies within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office. The clandestine brotherhood allegedly takes pride in aggressive policing, the shootings of mostly Latino and black gang members, loyalty to one another and street justice. Members had matching tattoos of a skull holding a gun. Those who had been involved in officer-involved shootings would have smoke rising from the gun. They also allegedly shared a secret black book to document the date of shootings and the real names of members. The group was exposed in 2013 and officials said they had 'elements similar to those used to establish membership in a criminal gang.' Seven members were fired in 2013 for alleged membership but they contested the firings and were suspended instead. After repeated appeals four of their suspensions were overturned. Advertisement

The county Civil Service Commission found no proof that Parkhurst, Lanska, Perez and Paez subscribed to the rules of the Jump Out Boys and their firings were deemed improper.

Attorney Elizabeth Gibbons representing the deputies said: 'They were disciplined for something they never even knew existed,' she said.

Instead of firing them, the panel reduced their discipline to suspensions.

Then all four went to court to argue that they didnt deserved to be punished at all and won and were reinstated.

In July, a judge ruled in favor of the last deputy contesting the suspension.

They not only had their suspensions overturned, but were awarded backpay with interest and the discipline was wiped from their records.

However, the ruling came over repeated objections by the sheriffs department, according to court filings, which said the whole departments credibility would be on the line when deputies associated with the group made arrests or used force.

Paez successfully appealed his firing in 2018.

Three other deputies fired for their alleged membership had already been reinstated in 2015.

Paez left the department in February and was awarded interest on top of his backpay.

Payroll records, which dont include interest, reveal the county paid him close to $500,000 in 2018 and 2019.

The Los Angeles Sheriffs Department has been heavily criticized for not cracking down on these rogue deputy cliques that purportedly encourage violence and misconduct.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva adopted a policy against 'deputy sub-cliques' in February in a bid to discipline deputies who join and form such groups that engage in misconduct.

That statement said: 'The mere existence of the Jump Out Boys' creed and its rhetoric undermines the departments goals.'

However, some say the sheriffs department hasnt actually been active in meeting that goal.

An excerpt of the Jump Out Boys creed pictured above, describing the meaning of the tattoo

Sheriff Alex Villanueva has not commented on the reinstatement of the Jump Out Boys deputies

County Inspector General Max Huntsman said to the Times that Villanueva has aggressively blocked his office and the oversight commission from investigating his handling of deputy clubs.

Villanueva hasnt commented on the rehiring of the four Jump Out Boys deputies.

The Jump Out Boys arent the only illicit subgroup of officers that make up police and sheriffs departments.

Three decades ago a group called the Vikings emerged out of the Lynwood sheriffs department in California and a federal judge accused them of running a 'neo-Nazi, white supremacist gang.'

These groups are being investigated by the FBI. Some seem to have the same ideas  glorifying the use of force and targeting minority communities.

According to files from the sheriffs internal investigation into the Jump Out Boys, the department was reluctant to look into the clique.

On February 8, 2012, two supervisors discovered the groups manifesto in the trunk of a patrol car. It was found in a fitness magazine next to a news article about the Vikings deputy club.

When one of the supervisors brought the creed to a captain, a sergeant said, 'Oh, Jump Out Boys, thats old news.'

On April 20, 2012, when the LA Times ran a story about the secretive group who saw shootings as a 'badge of honor,' the department then launched a formal investigation the same day.

The firings were reversed after the deputies and their union filed lawsuits and multiple appeals to challenge their dismissals. The three deputies who admitted to knowing about the creed  Deputy Steve Vargas, Curtis Sykes, and Julio Martinez - did not win their appeals

According to investigation files, Deputy Steve Vargas was the first deputy with a Jump Out Boys tattoo to be questioned in the investigation.

He had helped write the mission statement of the group which described members as 'alpha dogs, who think and act like the wolf, but never become the wolf.'

The section said they weren't 'afraid to get their hands dirty, without any disgrace, dishonor or hesitation.'

In the probe, Vargas named the other six deputies who had the Jump Out Boys tattoo, all of whom contributed to the creed, he claimed. Nearly two weeks later all seven were placed on leave.

A review of controversial police shootings within the department shows that several involved members of the Jump Out Boys.

In one 2012 case Deputy Paez shot dead 22-year-old man Arturo Cabrales and his family filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

The officer was accused of raiding the home of Arturo Cabrales who was drinking in the front yard of his home with other deputies. An argument ensued and Paez entered the yard of the home, chased Cabrales and shot him twice through the side and four times in the back.

Paez said Cabrales had a gun, but in court an attorney for the family said the shooting investigation was corrupted by other Jump Out Boys.

Deputy Julio Martinez helped find a gun on the other side of a six foot fence, as per the departments investigative files and the medical examiner testified no one shot in the way Cabrales had been could have thrown the gun to where it was found.

The time logs for the shooting were also written by fellow Jump Out Boys Vargas and Sykes.

In the end none of the deputies were found to have engaged in misconduct. The county still paid $1.5million in 2014 to settle the case out of court.
The Cut, the New York Magazine style and culture website with a devoted following, named Lindsay Peoples Wagner as its new editor in chief on Monday.

Ms. Peoples Wagner, 30, will rejoin the publication after a two-year stint as the top editor of Teen Vogue, where she was the youngest editor in chief of a Conde Nast magazine and one of the few Black journalists to have led one of the companys publications. She was previously a fashion market editor for The Cut, which started out as a fashion blog on the New York Magazine website and became a stand-alone site in 2012.

The top job at The Cut came open in October, when the former editor in chief, Stella Bugbee, announced she was stepping aside to become an editor at large for New York Magazine. The magazine announced the appointment of Ms. Peoples Wagner as her successor on Monday.

Ms. Peoples Wagner described The Cut as a publication that has all the things that youre thinking about and talking about in group texts, from spiritual matters to social issues.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 13:59:02|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China stands ready to work with Argentina to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

China attaches great importance to bilateral ties, Xi said in a recent exchange of letters with Argentine President Alberto Fernandez, urging concerted efforts to sustain and deepen the development of the China-Argentina comprehensive strategic partnership.

Xi noted that since Fernandez took office, they have talked over phone and had multiple exchanges of letters, and have reached important consensuses on deepening bilateral relations and strengthening cooperation in areas such as battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic is a severe test for the whole world, Xi said, adding that in the face of the disease, the two nations have stood together and helped each other, and their traditional friendship has been further elevated in the joint battle.

China, he said, stands ready to strengthen cooperation with Argentina in research, development and application of COVID-19 vaccines, and will continue to provide as much support and assistance as its capacity allows for Argentina's fight against the pandemic. Enditem
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez still won't say if she plans to launch a bid against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer when he runs for reelection as New York senator in 2022  claiming she is 'indecisive' and still trying to figure out her role within the Democratic Party and Washington politics.

'I'm a no bulls**t kind of person,' Ocasio-Cortez told Punchbowl News in a Q&A published Monday morning.

'I'm not playing coy or anything like that,' she said in reference to dodging questions on potentially primarying Schumer, a three-term senator who served as a U.S. representative from New York for 18 years before that.

'I'm still very much in a place where I'm trying to decide what is the most effective thing I can do to help our Congress, our [political] process, and our country actually address the issues of climate change, health care, wage inequality, etc.,' AOC continued.

She said she is less concerned with focusing on moves within the party, whether that be to another chamber or to a leadership position.

'For me, the positional stuff, these are just tactical decisions,' she explained. 'Those choices have a lot more to do with 'the board', not just one person. Not just me as an individual.'

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she is 'indecisive' and still 'trying to decide what is the most effective thing I can do to help our Congress' when asked if she would run a primary race against Senator Chuck Schumer in 2022

She refused to say if she would try to primary Schumer, who would be running for his fifth term as a senator from New York

After becoming one of the most influential figures in the House of Representatives after serving just two years, there is constant speculation that AOC, which she was lovingly dubbed by her following, has higher ambitions in Washington.

The 31-year-old representative was just easily reelected November 3 for her second term in the House for New York's 14th congressional district, which emcompasses parts of Queens and The Bronx in New York City.

On Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez voted to reelect California Representative Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker for another term despite claiming before the vote that the Democratic Party needs new, more progressive leadership.

Her far-left 'squad,' which includes Representatives Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, and newly sworn in lawmakers Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman, also voted for Pelosi for her fourth term as speaker.

'Do you think Schumer's doing a good job?' Punchbowl News asked Ocasio-Cortez. 'And do you give yourself a time limit to make a decision on challenging him?'

'It's a hard thing to say,' the representative responded. 'We've had to deal with a fascist president and Mitch McConnell. There's this thing, 'Are we doing a good job?' There are things you can do in the minority. There are also things you couldn't do with this minority because Senate rules changed.'

'I like to think of myself as a good-faith actor and not make unfair critiques,' she continued. 'But I do wonder  on the one hand, we pushed it to the limit rules-wise, on other things, you look back and there are things that are hard.'

'I've worked with the senator,' Ocasio-Cortez said of her relationship within Schumer. 'He and I have an open relationship, we speak to each other regularly.'

Ocasio-Cortez is the presumed leader of the so-called 'squad' of young, progressive House members  which grew by two with swearing in on Sunday. Pictured from L to R: Democratic Representatives Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Jamaal Bowman (new member), AOC, Cori Bush (new member) and Ayanna Pressley

She also said she wasn't sure if Democrats losing the House would impact her decision on whether to run a primary race against Schumer.

'For me, I don't make these decisions based on these short-term factors,' AOC said. 'Also, I came in as a young member. I think how am I going to dedicate my life to change. So, two years, who cares about two years?'

She added: 'If I want to have a child, I would want my child - or my nieces or nephews - to have guaranteed health care by the time they're my age. And freedom from want. I'm also very indecisive.'

Ocasio-Cortez was recently denied a seat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, which she was seeking.

Those in Schumer's inner circle are concerned AOC could launch a bid and take out the 70-year-old senator in a primary race. Schumer thinks she would run instead for governor or lieutenant governor  no doubt wishful thinking from the New York senator.
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By Yang Zhongjie

The international situation has seen dramatic changes in 2020, with new military hotspots ever emerging. Lets take a look back on some hot events that will have significant impacts on the future international landscape.

1. The raging COVID-19 pandemic accelerates changes in the world

On March 11, WHO announced the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. As of December 30, Beijing time, more than 80 million people have been confirmed with novel coronavirus infection cumulatively worldwide with over 1.77 million deaths. In the face of the pandemic, people around the world have united in mutual assistance. Chinas contribution of wisdom and strengths to the global efforts to get through this tough period has been recognized and applauded by the international community.

The pandemic has accelerated the change of international landscape, hit hard the world economy, and incredibly complicated the international security situation. Combatting the virus and its fallout through solidarity and mutual assistance against all difficulties, the international community has shown how important it is to practice multilateralism and improve global governance, and the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind is deeply driven home.

2. The confrontation between NATO and Russia intensifies

The military confrontation between NATO and Russia escalated in 2020. Their targeted military exercises and other assertive military operations have caused a new round of regional turbulence. NATO has held large-scale joint military exercises such as Defender-2020 and Baltops-2020 on a high profile, intensified arms sales to countries like Ukraine, and kept reinforcing forward combat deployments in Poland and Estonia. In response, Moscow has strengthened its combat forces toward Europe and the reconnaissance of surrounding NATO member states.

Given the deep-rooted mistrust between NATO and Russia, if their consistent strategic gaming escalates, a high-intensity, head-on conflict is possible, which will quickly worsen the regional situation.

3. The US keeps quitting international organizations and treaties

As novel coronavirus outbreak kept wreaking havoc, the US government announced to withdraw from WHO on July 6 and refused to pay its outstanding dues for this year. On November 22, it announced to exit the Open Skies Treaty, incurring extensive attention and strong discontent from various parties.

Moreover, Washington has unilaterally loosened the Missile Technology Control Regime and UAV export restriction, been very passive about arms control, and owed more than 2 billion USD to the UN in membership dues and peacekeeping funds.

The US constant exit from international organizations and treaties fully attests to its obsession with the Cold War mentality, America First and unilateralism, and its betrayal of international commitments. These faith-breaking moves have undermined the military mutual trust and transparency among regional countries and negatively impacted global security. The worlds only superpower is now regarded as one of the biggest destabilizers for world peace.

4.Nagorno-Karabakh conflict draws extensive attention

On September 27, Azerbaijan and Armenia broke into a new round of conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Since then, the two countries have reached three ceasefire treaties under the mediation of Russia, the US, and France, but all failed. On November 9, leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia signed a declaration announcing a full truce in the region starting from 00:00 of November 10, Moscow time, finally bringing the conflict under control after a fashion.

The Nagorno-Karabakh issue is very complicated due to long-standing ethnic hatred, religious conflicts, and territorial disputes. Although the mediation by out-of-region countries has temporarily suppressed the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the outbreak of new conflicts remains highly likely.

5. Libyas way to peace is filled with twists and turns

On January 19, a UN summit on Libya was held in Berlin that showed a ray of hope for peace in the country. However, starting from March, the Government of National Accord (GNA) troops and KhalifaHaftars Libyan National Army (LNA) have engaged in multiple conflicts. The UN-led 5+5 Libyan Joint Military Commission held five rounds of talks successively. Eventually, it inked a ceasefire agreement in Geneva on October 23, which promised a complete and permanent ceasefire in the whole of Libya from the next day.

The Libyan situation has become increasingly complex due to meddling by NATO members, including the US and Turkey, and some Middle East countries. Domestic unrest and external interference have inflicted severe economic and humanitarian repercussions on the land. The ceasefire is just the first step, and the prospect of peace is anything but optimistic.

6. The rift within NATO reveals interest divergences

NATO member states have seen intense gaming revolving around regional hotspot issues and forward military presence in the past year. The rift within the military bloc has kept widening and deepening. On June 30, the Trump administration announced to cut its troops stationed in Germany from 34,500 to 25,000, which the German media called the symbol of a period of profound divergences in the bilateral relationship. Soon afterward, France and Greece also broke into fierce conflicts with Turkey due to interest divergences, and Washington sanctioned Istanbul for buying the S-400 air defense missile system from Moscow.

After the end of the Cold War, the value of NATO has been questioned, and its cohesion has been falling. Over recent years, NATO members and Turkey have been in a subtle relation with multiple arguments over hotspot issues in the Middle East. Washington and Berlin are also dissatisfied with each other for their widely different attitudes on the Iran nuclear deal, the Open Skies Treaty and other international treaties.

7. The US-Iran relations keep worsening

On January 3, the US military assassinated Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps elite Quds Force, following which Iran launched more than ten ballistic missiles at two American military bases in Iraq and suspended implementing phase-5 of the Iran nuclear deal. Since then, the US has exerted multi-faceted maximum pressure on Iran, further worsening the bilateral relation.

The complexity of the current confrontation and gaming between the US and Iran is never seen before. The US has been exerting maximum pressure on Iran on political, economic, military and diplomatic fronts, the adverse effects of its Middle East policy keep emerging, and the Iran nuclear deal is looking at a gloomy prospect  all these factors have added fuel to the chaotic Middle East situation.

8. The UK seeks global influence in the post-Brexit era

The UK officially left the EU on January 31, and the two sides reached a post-Brexit trade agreement on December 24. Worried about its falling presence in the international community after Brexit, the UK has taken intense moves to enhance its global influence. In September, the British government launched Integrated Reviewto enhance the countrys international standing in security, national defense, foreign policy, and other domains across the board. According to the plan, the UK will set up a Space Command, a National Cyber Force and an AI agency. On November 18, it further announced an additional 16.5 billion (about 143.8 billion yuan) defense budget that will mainly be spent on cutting-edge space and cyber technologies.

The official Brexit and inking of the trade deal are a significant relief for the UK, but the road ahead is no plain sailing. On the one hand, Brexit will strongly impact the British economy and trigger the split and opposition between social classes. On the other hand, the post-Brexit UK has a subtler relation with NATOs European members. It must intensify the interoperability with NATO members and allies and enhance its international influence through reinforced military presence.

9.The situation in Afghanistan is entangled

On February 29, the US and Taliban reached an agreement that American and NATO forces stationed in Afghanistan would leave the country before May next year. On September 12, the Afghan government and Taliban began peace talks in Doha, the capital of Qatar. On December 2, the two sides announced separately that they had come to an initial understanding of how to proceed with the peace negotiation in the future.

Despite the recent positive signs in Afghanistans security situation, the peace negotiation will be tough every step of the way as the constant attacks, grave political divide within the country, colossal losses resulting from decades of warfare, and the interference by out-of-region forces are pulling different factions in Afghanistan in various directions.

10. Terrorism is spreading in Europe

A shooting attack took place in Vienna, capital of Austria, on the evening of November 2. The shooter fired shots at six different locations in the downtown area, causing 4 dead and 17 injured, before he was shot by the police. The extremist organization IS later announced to take responsibility. The Vienna shooting was the third violent attack in Europe launched by extremists after a teacher was beheaded on the street of Paris on October 16 and the knife attack in Nice on the 29th of the same month.

The constant terror attacks in Europe show that non-traditional security threats represented by terrorism are seriously eroding world peace and stability. The localization of terrorist forces in Europe reveals the regions weak economic development and ineffective diversification policy. The counter-terrorism combat in Europe may get more severe.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  After anti-Semitic fliers claiming that Antifa [an anti-fascism group] is a Jewish communist militia were spotted in the New Dorp area on Saturday, Mendy Mirocznik, the president of the Council of Jewish Organizations of Staten Island (COJO-SI) condemned the action as it awaits more information from a police investigation.

Such types of behavior are unacceptable, inappropriate and we have full faith and confidence in the District Attorney and the police to conduct a thorough investigation to come to the proper conclusion, Mirocznik told the Advance/SILive.com on Sunday.

In bold text, the fliers read, The original Antifa was a Jewish anti-Nazi militia... There is a war against all non-Jewish European-American nationalists. Anti-Nazi, according to the flier, means anti-white nationalist, anti-American, anti-Christian. The flier also maintains that anti-fascism is equivalent to communism.

Multiple fliers were spotted by the Advance/SILive.com on Saturday, including a commercial stretch between Sterling and Penn avenues on Hylan Blvd.; a medical office building; a bus stop, and a pick-up sign in the Stop & Shop parking lot. A fifth flier was posted at 342 New Dorp Lane on Friday, according to the NYPD.

Until we have more information, as it develops, we condemn the act unacceptable, Mirocznik said. It should not be going on and were waiting to hear a conclusion from law enforcement and the DAs office on what exactly the story is.

An NYPD spokeswoman told the Advance/SILive.com on Saturday that the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force was notified. A spokeswoman said Sunday an investigation remains ongoing.

These postings in New Dorp espouse an ideology that is not only anti-Semitic, but deeply offensive to all who believe that the diversity of our borough, city, and nation make us stronger, said District Attorney Michael McMahon in a statement. Working with the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force we will investigate this incident, and together with our Staten Island Hate Crimes Task Force, we condemn these actions in the strongest possible terms and recommit ourselves to rooting out hate and bigotry wherever it rears its head.

The fliers appear to be a product of New Jersey European Heritage Association (NJEHA), which is listed at the bottom of the fliers.

The Anti-Defamation League lists NJEHA as a small, New Jersey-based white supremacist group that espouses racism, anti-Semitism and intolerance under the guise of saving white European peoples from purported imminent extinction.

According to the NJHEA website, the organizations mission is to secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.

NJHEA did not respond to the Advance/SILive.coms requests for comment on Saturday and Sunday.

In January 2020, similar fliers were posted in the New Dorp area by the organization. Those fliers claimed that 9/11 was an outside job, with anti-Israel statements and addresses for websites focused on Middle Eastern policy.

FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER.
A head constable has been suspended and booked for raping the 24-year-old wife of a factory worker at Mundian police post in Ludhiana, police said on Monday.

A case was registered against absconding head constable Rakesh Kumar at Jamalpur police station on Sunday night after a probe ordered by Ludhiana police commissioner Rakesh Agarwal on the womans complaint on December 17.

The police are also investigating the role of police post in-charge assistant sub-inspector Sukhwinder Singh. He, along with 11 cops from the police post, have been transferred to police lines following a departmental inquiry against them.

In her letter to the police commissioner, the woman said she was taken to the police post by three women and one of their sons, who accused her of having illicit relations with their relative who was her husbands friend and a frequent visitor. The woman alleged that the four had beaten her up, torn her clothes and even molested her besides making her video on their phone. The main accused is the aunt of her husbands friend.

The complainant said the four barged into her house and assaulted her on December 3 when her husband was away to see his mother. The next day, she lodged a complaint at the Mundian police post but no action was taken.

On December 5, the four again thrashed her and the next day, they forcibly took her and her husbands friend to the police post. At midnight, head constable Rakesh Kumar took the complainant to a room on the first floor of the police post on the pretext of questioning her in front of women police personnel, she complained, adding there was no woman present.

The head constable raped me in the room and threatened to implicate my husband in a false case if I reported the matter. I did not lodge a complaint for 11 days, but finally gathered the courage to report the matter to the police commissioner, she said.

Inspector Kulwant Singh, the station house officer at Jamalpur police station, said the head constable had been booked under Section 376-C (intercourse by superintendent of jail, remand home, etc), while the other accused were booked under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 354-B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe) of the Indian Penal Code.

The woman has alleged that the accused snatched her mobile phone and Rs 1,600. More sections will be added in the FIR after the allegations are proved, the inspector said, adding that a search was on for the head constable.
Havana, Jan. 3 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Jan, 2021 ) :As thousands in Cuba are set to return to work and school on Monday after Christmas break, the government strives to keep the COVID-19 pandemic in check amid a new surge in cases.

New statistics released by the health ministry shows that December 2020 has been the worst month in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba, with more than 3,000 infections.

So far, 147 people have died from the virus nationwide as Cuba on Sunday registered 199 new COVID-19 confirmed cases, bringing the national count to 12,424.

Francisco Duran, national director of epidemiology at the Cuban Ministry of Public Health, urged people to be cautious and minimize the risk of COVID-19 contagion.

"Discipline is required to slow the spread of the virus," Duran said on TV, adding that the government has paid 100 percent of medical attention to infected patients, their contacts and suspected cases. "Our intensive care units for the treatment of the disease have never collapsed." Local authorities have called for parents to step up measures to protect their kids as more than 1,200 children and adolescents have been infected with the virus since the onset of the pandemic on the island in March.

Clara Judith Abrahantes, a 39-year-old mother living in Havana's Camilo Cienfuegos district, told Xinhua that it is the paramount priority at present to keep safe from the virus.

"During the pandemic, parents have been thinking outside the box to raise awareness among kids about social distancing measures and COVID-19 protocols," she said. "I always find time to talk to my son about the pandemic, trying to hold a fun conversation.

" Cuban state tv has reported that the island expects to use local COVID-19 vaccine doses to completely immunize its population during the first semester of the year.Although vaccination could help protect the Cuban population from the virus, Manuel Calvino, a senior professor at the University of Havana's School of Psychology, said that it should not replace responsible behavior in regards to social distancing measures and safety guidelines.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the idea that people are the key players to manage their health condition," he said, adding "vaccination and self-care will lead to a substantial improvement of our health." "Most imported COVID-19 cases are Cuban nationals who come back home while the transmission rate among tourists who stay at hotels is low," said Lissete Sanchez, a senior expert, during a recent governmental meeting.

The island reduced the number of flights from the United States, Mexico, Panama, the Bahamas, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic as of Jan. 1.

In addition, as of Jan. 10, Cuba will require tourists to have negative COVID-19 test results from certified health institutions.

Armando Ruiz, a taxi driver outside Havana's Jose Marti International Airport, voiced confidence that Cuban people will continue to work hard to address the sanitary emergency.

"I feel fortunate not to have gotten infected with the virus. Life is too precious a thing to put it at risk," he said. "We can win the battle against this terrible disease, if we want to."
More turmoil in Chicago

Some Chicago teachers are due back in school buildings today as the city begins its bitterly contested return to in-person teaching. But not every teacher is showing up.

The Chicago Teachers Union, which has been pushing back against the citys reopening plan, said some of its members are refusing to return, citing safety concerns.

We dont want to lose our jobs, Lori Torres, a public-school teacher, said at a news conference, as reported by The Chicago Tribune. Many of us are the sole income earners in our homes. But the fear of this virus is greater than that fear.

I made the decision to refuse to re-enter the building because I think it is extremely unsafe and I am in fear for my life, added Quentin Washington, an elementary school music teacher and union member.
Washington, Jan 4 : A pastor was killed and two others were injured during a shooting at a church in the US state of Texas, police said, adding the perpetrator was arrested and charged.

The incident took place at around 9.20 a.m. on Sunday at the Starrville Methodist Church in Winona, about 360 km north of Houston, Xinhua news agency qooted Larry Christian of the Smith County Sheriff's Office as saying to reporters.

He said that no services were going on in the church when the 21-year-old old suspect opened fire.

Two people were also injured, one from a gunshot wound, and another from falling, CNN quoted Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith as saying.

According to a CNN report, the suspect has been identified as Mytrez Deunte Woolen and the victim as 62-year-old Mark Allen McWilliams.

The Smith County Sheriff's Office said that Woolen has been charged with aggravated assault while exhibiting a deadly weapon, aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury and first-degree capital murder.

Taking to Twitter on Sunday night, state Governor Greg Abbott said: "Texas will seek swift justice for the shooter. We thank law enforcement for their response. Keep the harmed in your prayers." In a separate statement, the Governor said the state was "working closely with first responders and local officials to ensure that justice is served and that the Starrville community has the resources it needs during this time".
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Kim Kardashian West and Kanye Wests relationship took a hit in 2020. For the first time, the two seemed to be publicly on the brink of divorce. Though reports have since come out saying that the pair is mending their relationship, Kanye is still largely living away from Kim.

Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West | David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

What happened between Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West?

Kanyes run for president put a strain on their relationship. During a rally, Kanye admitted that he and Kim almost aborted their first child, North. After the rally, Kanye took to Twitter to call out his wife.

Kim tried to bring a doctor to lock me up with a doctor, he wrote in a since-deleted tweet. If I get locked up like Mandela Yall will know why.

He then turned his sights on Kims mom, Kris Jenner.

Kriss dont play with me, he continued. You and that Calmye are not allowed around my children. Yall tried to lock me up.

Kim was trying to fly to Wyoming with a doctor to lock me up like on the movie Get Out because I cried about saving my daughters life yesterday, he said.

He also revealed that he was trying to separate from Kim.

It was perfect to dress up and celebrate w just the fam this year. I hope everyone had a healthy and happy holiday  pic.twitter.com/uzbpbOK5Kr  Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) December 26, 2020

RELATED: KUWTK Never Would Have Lasted Had It Not Been for Kris Humphries

I been trying to get divorced since Kim met with Meek at the [Waldorf] for prison reform, he wrote in a now-deleted tweet.

Kim Kardashian West defused the situation

After Kanyes Twitter tirade, everyone was looking to Kim to see how she would react. Eventually, the SKIMS owner took to Instagram to shed some light on what was going on with her husband.

As many of you know, Kanye has bi-polar disorder, she wrote. Anyone who has this or has a loved one in their life who does, knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand. Ive never spoken publicly about how this has affected us at home because I am very protective of our children and Kanyes right to privacy when it comes to his health. But today, I feel like I should comment on it because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health.

Kanye is taking space

Since the incident, the two have reportedly been back on good terms. Kim has been seen supporting her husband at his Sunday Service concerts and the two have presented a united front to the public. However, they are still living separately most of the time. Kanye has been spending most of his time at their residence in Wyoming.

Kanye is taking time and space to work on himself and is spending a lot of his time in Wyoming, a source close to the family told HollywoodLife.

Tahoe w the fam pic.twitter.com/wGqU76Ci6O  Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) December 23, 2020

RELATED: Why Kim Kardashian Has Someone Remove the Cardboard Sleeve of Her Coffee For Her

It sounds like he has no plans to return to LA anytime soon, at least not full-time, but Kim is OK with that, the source continued. He has an amazing support system around him which does help put Kim at ease.

According to the source, Wyoming is where Kanye thrives.

[Hes] in a better place when hes there and Kim needs to be in LA and wants the kids with her, the source said. She does her best to keep their lives normal. They communicate daily and hes in touch often on FaceTime and also the phone with the kids. Right now, Kanye is focusing on Kanye while Kim holds down everything in LA and keeps the kids lives normal.
Seven Australian universities are at risk of losing their Top 100 World Rankings due to an 'over-reliance' on international students from China.

Australian Catholic University Vice-Chancellor and President Greg Craven said local universities are 'addicted' to Chinese students, who pay $7billion to study in Australia each year.

Making matters worse, the Chinese Ministry of Education warned its students against studying in Australia amid a trade war between the two countries.

Australian Catholic University Vice-Chancellor and President Greg Craven (pictured) said local universities are 'addicted' to Chinese students, who pay $7billion to study in Australia each year

'The old system of relying on international students is over, it's finished,' Mr Craven said, according to The Australian.

'The wider market has collapsed and there is no certainty about when it will come back. And with the Chinese market  which universities were reliant on  there is not just the issue of Covid but possibly sovereign risk.

'They (university leaders) all knew about the issue with China. I would go on panels and publicly warn about this, and the other vice-chancellors would say nothing. It was like a drug-addiction.'

Mr Craven said Australian universities will be forced to reduce their spending and will therefore lose their Top 100 rankings.

Seven Australian universities are in the QS World University Rankings for 2021.

They are, in order, the Australian National University, the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne, the University of NSW, the University of Queensland, Monash University, and the University of Western Australia.

The only Group of Eight university not included in the Top 100 was the University of Adelaide, which was ranked 106.

A group of women at their graduation ceremony at the ACU. Mr Craven predicts Go8 universities will lower their admission marks in order to poach domestic students from mid-tier institutions like ACU

AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES IN THE WORLD TOP 100 ANU (Rank 31) University of Sydney (Rank 40) University of Melbourne (Rank 41) UNSW (Rank 44) University of Queensland (Rank 46) Monash University (Rank 55) University of WA (Rank 92) Advertisement

Mr Craven, who has been Vice-Chancellor and President of ACU since 2008, predicts Go8 universities will lower their admission standards to attract more domestic students.

He predicts this will make mid-tier institutions like ACU become 'zombie universities' since students will flock to more prestigious campuses.

Australia has 43 universities including 40 Australian universities, two international universities, and one private specialty university.

The slump in international students is worsened by the trade war between Australia and China.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an independent inquiry into the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic from its source in the Chinese city of Wuhan back in April.

China responded by slapping tariffs on Australian wine and barley, adding sanctions on beef, wheat, timber, cotton, lamb, coal and lobster.

Indian international students, who make up 15 per cent of all overseas enrolments in Australia, are considering going to Canada instead of Australia because of Covid-19 restrictions keeping them out of Australia.

Research from Victoria University's Mitchell Institute found Australia may lose up to $10billion by the middle of 2021 if the pandemic keeps Australia's borders closed.

Students lounge around in the quad at ACU. Mr Craven said mid-tier institutions like ACU will become 'zombie universities' since students will flock to more prestigious campuses

Australia's international student population will halve from 600,000 to 300,00 by the middle of 2021 if the international border doesn't open.

Dr Peter Hurley, the report's author, said the exodus of international students would continue to hurt cities across Australia.

'The initial population shock most affected regions where Chinese international students lived, but future declines are likely to involve international students from all countries,' he said.

'This means the impact of falling international student enrolments will become more widespread.'

Australia closed its borders to non-permanent residents or citizens on March 20, 2020 to stop coronavirus coming into the country from abroad.
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Rescue workers have uncovered a seventh body five days after a landslide in Ask

Norwegian King Harald visited the scene of the disaster near its capital, Oslo

Rescue teams are continuing the search for people still missing in the landslide

Ten people were injured in the landslide, including one seriously, say police

Rescue workers have uncovered a seventh body in the rubble of a Norwegian landslide, with a two-year-old girl and her father among the dead.

The rescuers are still working to find survivors five days after homes were buried in Ask, near Norway's capital.

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The landslide happened in the early hours of Wednesday morning when houses were destroyed and shifted hundreds of metres under a torrent of mud at the village of Ask, 15 miles northeast of Oslo.

Police said the latest body was found near where two others had been recovered on Sunday, but gave no further details.

A damaged house is seen at a landslide area in Ask, Gjerdrum county, on January 1, 2021, a few days after a landslide in a small Norwegian town north of Oslo

Rescue teams are still working following the discovery of a sixth victim of the disaster in the town near Norway's capital, Oslo

Emergency services near the site of a landslide in Ask, northeast of Oslo, Thursday, December 31. A landslide smashed into a residential area near the Norwegian capital Wednesday

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Police spokesperson Bjorn Christian Willersrud told journalists they hoped to find more survivors in the landslide zone.

'It is still a rescue operation until we decide otherwise,' he said.

Five of the recovered victims have been identified, including a two-year-old girl and her father, 40. A woman in her fifties and her 29-year-old son have also been identified, a police statement said.

The discovery of a fourth body had been made Saturday after three were recovered the day before at the bleak, snow-covered scene at Ask, in Gjerdrum municipality.

Police on Saturday identified the body of the first person found on Friday as 31-year-old Eirik Grnolen.

Earlier police published the names of all ten people, including the two-year-old and a 13-year-old, who went missing on Wednesday.

Destroyed houses are seen in a crater left behind by a landslide in the town of Ask, Gjerdrum county, some 40 km northeast of the capital Oslo, on December 31

A rescue helicopter hovers over a landslide area in Ask, Gjerdrum county, on December 31, one day after the landslide

A rescue crew are seen near the scene of devastation before they search the area for survivors on Saturday

Rescue crews gather inside a building in Ask in Gjerdrum,on January 2, following a landslide in the town some 40 km northeast of the capital Oslo

The head of the rescue operation, Goran Syversen, said on Sunday: 'We are working hard in the depression created by the landslide.

'We have five teams working at the same time. They are doing very difficult work which is not without risk. Nevertheless, we are making good progress.'

The rescuers received a visit Sunday from the Norwegian royal family, including King Harald, Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon, who lit candles for the victims in a local church.

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They also visited relatives and evacuees at Olavsgaard hotel in Skjetten.

'I'm having trouble finding something to say, because it's absolutely horrible,' the King said after the visit.

'This terrible event impacts us all. I sympathise with you who are beginning the new year with sadness and uncertainty,' he said in a televised statement.

Norwegian King Harald and Queen Sonja have arrived in Ask to visit the scenes of devastation following the landslide and meet survivors

King Harald lights a candle in Gjerdrum Church in memory of the victims of the landslide on Sunday

Several of 5,000 residents of Ask, Norway, have lit candles in memory of those who lost their lives in the disaster

Candles are placed on the snow in Gjerdrum on January 1, in tribute to the victims of a landslide in Ask

Residents of the town have lit candles in honour of those who lost their lives in the tragedy.

The authorities have banned all aircraft from the disaster area until 3pm Monday as they conduct aerial searches.

Ten people were also injured in the landslide, including one seriously who was transferred to Oslo for treatment.

About a thousand people have been evacuated out of a local population of 5,000, because of fears for the safety of their homes as the land continues to move.

'It is a completely surreal and terrible situation,' one of the evacuees, Olav Gjerdingen, said.

A mobile bridge from the Norwegian Armed Forces is seen as it is prepared for use in the rescue works in the crater of a landslide in the town of Ask on January 1

A rescue helicopter files near the site of a landslide in Ask on Thursday. A landslide smashed into a residential area near the Norwegian capital Wednesday

Search and rescue teams have been using sniffer dogs, helicopters and drones in a bid to find survivors.

The search teams were also digging channels in the ground to evacuate casualties.

Experts say the disaster was a 'quick clay slide' of approximately 300 by 800 metres.

Quick clay is found in Norway and Sweden and notorious for collapsing after turning to fluid when overstressed.

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Prime Minister Erna Solberg described it as one of the biggest landslides the country had ever experienced.
Vietnams total revenue from retail trade and services reached over VND5 quadrillion (US$219.5 billion) in 2020, representing a modest yearly rise of 2.6 per cent, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

Fruits being showcased at a VinMart supermarket in Hanoi.  VNA Photo

This years retail sales growth was much lower than 9.5 per cent seen in 2019 and was also the lowest rate in the 2011-20 period due to the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Revenue from retail sales of consumer goods exceeded VND3.9 quadrillion, up 7 per cent year-on-year or accounting for 79 per cent of the total. Especially, revenue increased by 10.7 per cent for food and foodstuff; 7.5 per cent for the group of household appliances, tools and equipment; 3 per cent for garments and 1 per cent for cultural and educational services.

Meanwhile, revenue from accommodation and catering services dropped by 13 per cent year-on-year to VND510.4 trillion, making up 10 per cent of the total. Last year, the revenue from these services saw a yearly increase of 9.8 per cent.

Other services also experienced a slight revenue decline of 4 per cent to VND535 trillion in 2020.

However, VNDirect Securities forecast that the nation's retail sales growth would bounce back to pre-COVID-19 levels next year, reaching 8.5-9 per cent year-on-year.

The projection was made on the back of the countrys successful containment of COVID-19, which was a major contributor to the economic rebound in the third quarter that saw unemployment fall 0.23 per cent against the previous quarter to 2.5 per cent.

VNDirect also predicted that consumer confidence would likely recover soon, against a backdrop of COVID-19 vaccines expected to be available in 2021.

With the rapid growth of the middle class and rising per capita income, domestic consumption remained the main growth driver of the retail industry, even during COVID-19.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade expected the domestic trade sectors added value to contribute 13.5 per cent to GDP by 2025 and total retail sales of goods and services to grow around 9-9.5 per cent annually over the next five years.

The ministry forecast that total retail sales would reach nearly $350 billion by 2025.

The markets recovery offers huge opportunities for retailers to expand their distribution networks.

Saigon Co.op is targeting to add at least 2,000 stores to its chain over the next five years, with revenue rising 8-10 per cent annually, vietnamplus.vn reported.

Major Japanese retailer Muji, which sells a wide variety of household and consumer goods, has opened its first store in Vietnam, in HCM City, and is planning to open another in Hanoi, it added. VNS

MoIT carries out solutions to boost domestic market growth The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) will promote domestic market consumption to contribute partly to enhancing socio-economic development.
Following Angelini Pharma's acquisition of Arvelle Therapeutics, Angelini Pharma will have the exclusive license to commercialize cenobamate in the European Union and other countries in the European Economic Area (Switzerland and the United Kingdom). Angelini plans to launch cenobamate after receiving approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which is expected in 2021.

Since its founding in 2019, Arvelle's management team has focused on bringing cenobamate to people with epilepsy in Europe, whilst also creating significant value for shareholders. They have worked in close collaboration with the European regulators to advance the marketing authorization application (MAA), and they have successfully prepared for launch by building an organization throughout Europe and ensuring launch readiness across key areas of the business.

Cenobamate is a Promising Innovative Medicine by the UK's MHRA for the treatment of drug-resistant focal-onset seizures in adults. Cenobamate is a small molecule with a unique dual complementary mechanism of action. It acts positively modulating the -aminobutyric acid (GABAA) ion channel and inhibiting voltage-gated sodium currents. Key study findings documented cenobamate's clinical efficacy by showing a significant greater reduction in median seizure frequency and more patients achieving a 50% or greater reduction in seizure frequency compared to the placebo group [1]. Cenobamate is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States as an anti-seizure medication (ASM) for the treatment of partial-onset (focal-onset) seizures in adults, and is available under the brand name XCOPRI (cenobamate tablets) CV.

"It's the most important investment in the history of our Group" - commented Thea Paola Angelini and Sergio Marullo of Condojanni, respectively executive vice president and CEO of Angelini Holding  "and it is the confirmation of the shareholder's commitment to pharma, which remains our biggest business. This acquisition represents a milestone in our growth path as it definitively drives us towards the multinational dimension, to which all the companies of Angelini Group are now looking at. We are proud that, for the second time in a year, we have managed to win a significant and coveted asset, which strengthens and positions us among the most important players in the market."

"At Angelini Pharma, we are thrilled to sign this promising agreement and are enthusiastic about the commitment and work that our colleagues at Arvelle have put into the business during the last years. We share the same patient-centric culture and agility attitude" says Pierluigi Antonelli, CEO Angelini Pharma. "This transaction will propel us into a leading European player, well positioned to address the needs of patients with different Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders through an innovative portfolio, distinctive medical capabilities and extensive commercial presence, also via the opening of direct affiliates in France, UK, Nordics and Switzerland by 2022."

"I am very proud of the team we have built at Arvelle and the progress we have made over the last two years in helping bring cenobamate to people suffering with epilepsy in Europe" said Mark Altmeyer, President & CEO of Arvelle Therapeutics. "We think there is an excellent strategic fit with Angelini Pharma and believe the acquisition of Arvelle, and the launch of cenobamate can help accelerate their goal of becoming a leading CNS industry player."

SK Biopharmaceuticals, a global innovative pharmaceutical company listed on the Korea Stock Exchange, announced that it has agreed to sell its 12 percent stake in Arvelle Therapeutics to Angelini Pharma. SK Biopharmaceuticals will remain eligible to receive all payments inherited by the license agreement signed between Arvelle Therapeutics and SK Biopharmaceuticals in February 2019. In addition, revenue share payments due to certain of the Arvelle shareholders will be assumed by Angelini Pharma.

"We are delighted to start a new working relationship with Angelini Pharma that will enable all of us to move a step forward in launching cenobamate in Europe as we have promised to the epilepsy community" said Dr. Jeong Woo Cho, CEO of SK Biopharmaceuticals. "This marks the beginning not only of a new relationship with Angelini, but also the year of our European entry. SK Biopharmaceuticals will continue its efforts with our partners to provide a new treatment option to patients worldwide."

For Arvelle, Centerview Partners UK LLP is acting as sole financial advisor and Sidley Austin LLP is acting as legal counsel and NautaDutilh N.V. is also providing legal counsel. For Angelini Pharma, White & Case (Europe) LLP is acting as legal counsel, with the support of KPMG for the due diligence Tax & Accounting.

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SOURCE Angelini Pharma
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilliard Martinez Gonzales LLP (HMG), an award-winning law firm that has represented clients throughout the United States and Mexico since 1986, is pleased to announce that it has added three new partners to the Firm, Marion M. Reilly, Gonzalo Joseph Barrientos and Matthew S. Scutt.

Marion M. Reilly is one of the most renowned trial and appellate attorneys in the nation. Through her unwavering commitment and service positions, Ms. Reilly continues her track record of success by providing exceptional client representation and outstanding results. After joining the firm in 2011, her practice is centered around personal injury, complex civil and multidistrict litigation, and wrongful death cases. Throughout her career, Ms. Reilly has argued multiple cases at the Federal Courts of Appeals, including the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Marion has also briefed cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second, Fifth, Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Circuits, as well as before the United States Supreme Court, Texas Supreme Court, and nearly all of the lower Texas appellate courts. She has been a valuable member of the trial team for numerous multi-million dollar verdicts obtained by HMG. For her outstanding work, Ms. Reilly was named a Texas Rising Star by Super Lawyers from 2017 through 2021, and was also recognized as the Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year by the San Antonio Young Lawyers Association in 2018. Ms. Reilly is a 2011 graduate of St. Mary's School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude and was honored with the Patricia L. Scott Award, which is given to the school's most outstanding advocate.

A former prosecutor with Travis County District Attorney's Office and chief prosecuting attorney in the 147th Judicial District Court, Gonzalo Joseph Barrientos handled many high-profile cases since joining HMG. In his practice, Mr. Barrientos regularly handles products liability cases, premises liability cases, and cases involving automotive and commercial accidents. He has successfully litigated against some of the most recognized companies in the world, including Ford, General Motors, Michelin, and Sears, just to name a few, and is always considered a formidable opponent and fierce advocate for justice. A graduate of the University of Texas of Texas Law School, Mr. Barrientos is an active leader in the legal community. He was appointed by the Texas Supreme Court to serve as a member of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, and he also served as President of the Corpus Christi Bar Association. Mr. Barrientos' great successes are revealed through his long list of jury verdicts in excess of a million dollars. Most recently, he obtained a substantial multi-million dollar verdict which was recognized as one of the Top 20 Motor Vehicle Jury Verdicts in the United States for 2019.

Matthew Scutt is the Chief Operating Officer of HMG. With more than two decades of valuable legal and business experience, Mr. Scutt has distinguished himself as a valuable leader at HMG. Prior to joining HMG, Mr. Scutt spent ten years serving in leadership roles at Texas personal injury firms. Mr. Scutt is a registered patent attorney, an honor secured by only 3% of attorneys nationwide, who was formerly an analytical chemist. Mr. Scutt has diverse work experience in litigation and general business, having also spent time in the sales and marketing divisions at Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and AT&T. Mr. Scutt earned his law degree from the University of Illinois Chicago John Marshall Law School and also holds an MBA from Indiana University.

Further information:

Hilliard Martinez Gonzales LLP

Robert Hilliard

Managing Partner

[email protected]

Schedule an Interview

Contact Lauren Gonzales at 361-960-3146

About Hilliard Martinez Gonzales, LLP

Hilliard Martinez Gonzales LLP (HMG) specializes in mass torts, personal injury, product liability, commercial and business litigation, and wrongful death. HMG has been successfully representing clients in the United States and Mexico since 1986. Our experienced, tenacious legal team has earned a national and international reputation for taking on large, powerful, wealthy companies and bringing them to justice for causing personal injury or wrongful death. Bob Hilliard obtained the Largest Verdict in the country in 2012 and the #1 verdict in Texas.

SOURCE Hilliard Martinez Gonzales, LLP

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By Robert Stack

The Murphy administration needs to act now to protect the lives of thousands of New Jerseyans largely forgotten during the pandemic.

More than 9,000 state residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities are living in crowded, congregate settings that put them in grave danger from COVID-19 as infections soar to new heights. According to a recent report issued by the nonprofit FAIR Health, these state residents are three times more likely to die of COVID-19 than the average citizen. That report codified an earlier study conducted by an adjunct professor at Syracuse University, which determined that pandemic mortality rates for the developmentally disabled was 16% in New York and 14% in Pennsylvania, compared to 8% among the general population.

Crowded together and warehoused in large congregate-care facilities, people with developmental disabilities are placed at even greater risk. But the greatest crime here is that these individuals should not be living within facilities at all. They were supposed to have been relocated to community-based housing decades ago.

More than 20 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Olmstead v. L.C. that unjustified segregation of persons with disabilities constitutes discrimination in violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Family and patient advocates called for and several states vowed to move individuals out of these human warehouses. But since then, fewer than 15 states have abolished state-funded large facilities in favor of community-based programs. And New Jersey is not among them.

This past November, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued guidelines in a digital toolkit to hasten the transition of these residents to safer community- and home-based settings. While decades late, and likely brought on by concerns during the pandemic, it was a welcomed move. But even now, New Jersey appears to have taken no concrete action on this life or death issue  prompting a call to action from the disability community that included a letter to Department of Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson.

In New Jersey, approximately 1,470 persons with disabilities remain in state-run or state-contracted institutions. We also crowd close to 8,000 persons with disabilities under the age of 64 into nursing homes.

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities in these settings already had a poor quality of life before the pandemic. They are often subject to physical restraints and far more vulnerable to abuse. With the onset of COVID-19, these outmoded forms of care are literally costing lives.

We in the disability community believe that the numbers cited for infection and mortality could be even higher. Data through most state health departments is inconsistent or nonexistent. This lack of information prompted U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH) to write a letter to CMS requesting that it issue guidance for mandatory comprehensive data collection and reporting on congregate care settings to better understand and address the impact of COVID-19 on people with disabilities and older Americans in these settings.

What we can say with confidence is that community-based settings are much safer for people with disabilities as the pandemic surges. Of the nearly 4,100 people in the care of my organization nationwide, only seven have passed away due to COVID-19, or .0017% of the people we support.

We cant simply wait for the vaccine to solve this life or death issue. We need to finally abandon the practice of warehousing people with disabilities in these dangerous settings. We urge the state of New Jersey to act promptly on the new federal guidelines to protect the lives of thousands of New Jerseyans. For their sake and their families and loved ones, we cannot afford further delays.

Robert Stack is the founder and CEO of Community Options, Inc., which provides housing and employment supports for thousands of people with disabilities from over 40 offices across 10 states, including New Jersey.

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A mile-long stretch of Lackawanna River Heritage Trail linking Dickson City and Olyphant is nearly complete, with plans for a pedestrian bridge and additional trail connections underway.

Construction is largely done on the new section of trail, which begins at Railroad Street and ends at Hull Creek, said Owen Worozbyt, the Lackawanna Heritage Valleys trail and environmental projects manager. Worozbyt expects work to wrap up at the end of the month, with the trail officially opening in late winter.

All thats left is to install wooden fencing along the trail, he said. Getting the pressure-treated lumber led to some delays, as did the onset of the pandemic, Worozbyt said. They planned to begin work on the trail in March, but COVID-19 shutdowns forced them to delay the project for two months, he said.

This spring, they plan to improve the aesthetic of the trail, planting trees and adding picnic tables and benches, Worozbyt said.

The entire project amounted to just over $1 million, he said, explaining they now have enough funds left over to install a pedestrian bridge over Hull Creek.

The bridge, which will cost about $30,000, will allow trail users to cross Hull Creek onto West Lackawanna Avenue. The project will be completed sometime between late summer and the end of 2021, depending on what permits the bridge requires, Worozbyt said.

With this stretch opening up, its just going to bring more people through, he said.

The LHV plans to further expand in Dickson City with a four-tenths of a mile strip of trail from Eagle Lane to Railroad Street, Worozbyt said. The LHV purchased the land in March 2019 from the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority for $90,000, according to a property transaction recorded March 11, 2019.

They made the purchase with a combination of funding from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Dickson City and the LHV, Worozbyt said.

The LHV also received $200,000 from the DCNR to cover the design and engineering of the trail, and they plan to seek additional funding through the state Department of Transportation, he said.

The new sections of trail tie into ongoing projects in Dickson City.

The borough previously paved a section of walking trail along its levee, beginning around Elm Street Park and continuing to Bridge Street, Borough Manager Cesare Forconi said.

That section of levee trail will take pedestrians near the boroughs Polonia Park, which will eventually have a pedestrian bridge connecting it to the upcoming Riverfront Park, Forconi said.

The planned park on the 800 block of Enterprise Street will include separate dog parks for large and small dogs, a picnic area with pavilions, places to fish along the Lackawanna River, a small playground and a walking trail. The borough plans to begin work on the park this year.

People will then be able to use the Eagle Lane bike lane to get from the park to the new sections of heritage trail, Forconi said.

Its all coming together, he said.
Ministers are finalising plans for a 100million post-Brexit fishing package

The scheme was promised last month as the government faced criticism

Fisherman said it compromised on important issues to finally secure a trade deal

Ministers are finalising plans for a 100million post-Brexit package to revive Britain's fishing fleet to help land catches normally taken by France and the Netherlands.

The scheme was promised last month as the government faced criticism by fisherman that it had compromised on important issues to finally secure a trade deal with the EU.

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It is thought that under the plans, British crews will be able to expand their fleet within a five-and-a-half year transition window to catch species that were traditionally only sought by French and Dutch teams, The Times reports.

The processing industry will also be expanded to make sure there is enough capacity to land the additional fish, reports say.

Ministers are finalising plans for a 100million post-Brexit package to revive Britain's fishing fleet to help land catches normally taken by France and the Netherlands. Pictured: Fishing boats at the fishing port at Bridlington Harbour in Yorkshire

This map shows the extent of the UK's Exclusive Economic Zone - the waters Britain controls after Brexit

A government source said Chancellor Rishi Sunak had discussed the plans with Boris Johnson before the Brexit deal had been agreed.

The source said: 'We took the view that the fishing fleet needed to be rebuilt to take advantage of the new access... We needed to invest a lot more into it if we were actually going to be able to catch the fish that we will be entitled to.

'Rishi said, ''Yes we can do that. The Treasury can find the money to help.'' '

The trade deal struck with Brussels allows the European Union to keep 75 per cent of the value of what it catches in British waters, while 25 per cent must be returned to British fisherman through the transition phase.

Four Naval ships, including HMS Tamar (pictured leaving Portsmouth on New Year's Eve), were sent into the English Channel to put a stop to illegal fishing on UK fishing grounds hours before the terms of the new Brexit trade deal came into force

Boats from France and the EU can still fish in British water but over the next five-and-a-half years a quarter of their quota will be handed over to the UK. Pictured: HMS Tamar leaving Portsmouth on New Year's Eve

Click here to resize this module

Britain will be able to cut quotas or exclude boats in a 6-12 nautical mile zone from summer 2026.

The news comes as the Royal Navy sent four warships into the English Channel to warn French trawlers to stay away from British fish amid the Brexit deal coming into force.

Hours before the deal took effect on New Year's Day the boats, armed with cannons and machine guns, left Portsmouth to put a stop to any illegal fishing in UK fishing grounds.

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The 100million ship HMS Trent led the mission, flanked by HMS Tamar, HMS Tyne and HMS Mersey - all of which have been assigned to protect the new fishing rights agreed in the trade deal.
A number of Republican Senators, including some who aspire to the presidency, have said they will oppose the counting of certified electoral college votes. In other words, they will support President Trumps effort to contest the electoral colleges count and, thereby, to have himself declared the winner.

However, Sen. Tom Cotton will not be part of this effort. His explanation is as follows:

I share the concerns of many Arkansans about irregularities in the presidential election, especially in states that rushed through election-law changes to relax standards for voting-by-mail. I also share their disappointment with the election results. I therefore support a commission to study the last election and propose reforms to protect the integrity of our elections. And after Republicans win in Georgia, the Senate should also hold more hearings on these matters. All Americans deserve to have confidence in the elections that undergird our free government.

Nevertheless, the Founders entrusted our elections chiefly to the statesnot Congress. They entrusted the election of our president to the people, acting through the Electoral Collegenot Congress. And they entrusted the adjudication of election disputes to the courtsnot Congress. Under the Constitution and federal law, Congresss power is limited to counting electoral votes submitted by the states.

If Congress purported to overturn the results of the Electoral College, it would not only exceed that power, but also establish unwise precedents. First, Congress would take away the power to choose the president from the people, which would essentially end presidential elections and place that power in the hands of whichever party controls Congress.

Second, Congress would imperil the Electoral College, which gives small states like Arkansas a voice in presidential elections. Democrats could achieve their longstanding goal of eliminating the Electoral College in effect by refusing to count electoral votes in the future for a Republican president-elect.

Third, Congress would take another big step toward federalizing election law, another longstanding Democratic priority that Republicans have consistently opposed.

Thus, I will not oppose the counting of certified electoral votes on January 6. Im grateful for what the president accomplished over the past four years, which is why I campaigned vigorously for his reelection. But objecting to certified electoral votes wont give him a second termit will only embolden those Democrats who want to erode further our system of constitutional government.

I agree with this statement in all material respects, and commend Sen. Cotton for taking such a principled position.
Sanaa, Jan 4 : An explosion caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) targeted a Saudi Arabian military unit deployed in Yemen's southern province of Abyan, a local government official said on Monday.

The official told Xinhua news agency that "the IED's explosion (on Friday night) struck a high school building used by Saudi soldiers as a temporary location in the country's coastal town of Shuqrah".

The explosion caused no casualties among the Saudi troops but partially damaged the exterior wall of Shuqrah's high school building, the official said.

The Saudi military unit based in Shuqrah was monitoring the ceasefire and supervising the mutual withdrawal of Yemeni troops from the flashpoint areas in Abyan, according to the official.

Following the explosion, a number of Saudi military trucks left their location in Shuqrah and headed to the southern port city of Aden, according to the official.

In December 2020, military officials of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition arrived in war-ravaged Yemen and began redeployment of forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and the government in the country's southern provinces.

Saudi Arabia sought to implement a long-delayed power-sharing deal signed between the STC and Yemen's government last year as well as putting an end for internal military conflict between its nominal allies.

In 2019, Saudi Arabia persuaded the STC and the Yemeni government to hold reconciliation talks, which succeeded in reaching a deal to form a new technocratic cabinet of no more than 24 ministers.

Yemen has been locked in a civil war since late 2014, when the Houthis overran much of the warn-torn Arab country and seized all the northern regions, including capital Sanaa.
Filipino authorities would investigate how unauthorized COVID-19 vaccines were given to President Rodrigo Dutertes security team and reportedly to thousands of Chinese workers, Philippines health secretary said. Speaking at a televised briefing, Francisco Duque stated that countrys Food and Drug Administration along with government investigators and customs officials were probing in the illegal entry and use of unregistered vaccines. With more and more vaccine candidates getting approval, illegal inoculation has become a juggernaut issue in several developed nations.

No vaccine candidate approved

The issue came into light last week after the countrys military confirmed that few of soldier working in the Presidents security team had already received vaccine jabs. In addendum, it was reported that over 100,000 Chinese nationals working in the country had also been inoculated as early as November 2020. As of now, the Philippines, with over 478,761 cases and 9,263 fatalities of coronavirus, has not approved any vaccine candidate. According to reports, the country is aiming to secure at least 80 million vaccines from pharmaceuticals including AstraZeneca Plc., Novavax Inc. and Pfizer Inc., with deals expected this month and shipments by the second quarter.

Read: Virtual Art Exhibit Aims At Strengthening Ties Between India, Philippines

Read: Philippines Set To Raise Age Of Sexual Consent From 12 To 16 To Protect Youngsters

Earlier this year, President of Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, lauded Russia for being the worlds first country to have found the vaccine and offered himself to be injected with it. Harry Roque Spokesman for the President reportedly said that if things go as planned, Duterte would be inoculated as early as May next year. His remarks come just a day after Filipino scientists met with the representatives of the Russian state research facility, Gamaleya, to secure the "complete dossier" on Russias coronavirus vaccine.

Read: Union Cabinet Approves Signing Of Revised Bilateral Air Service Agreements With Afghanistan, Philippines

Read: Philippines Set To Raise Age Of Sexual Consent From 12 To 16 To Protect Youngsters

Elaborating further, Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire said in a statement that the teams would hold a discussion on clinical trials and research that went into the development of the COVID-19 vaccine "Sputnik V". Further, she stated that it would be made clear if the international concerns about not enough scientific evidence about Russias vaccine holds true, reports confirmed.
Farmer protesters damage telecom towers in Punjab; source outside support

Protesters from Punjab and Haryana and their sympathisers demonstrating in the name of farmers continue to target telecom towers, especially those belonging to Reliance Jio Infocomm, whom the protesters claim are bent on usurping the rights of APMCs.

Reports say the protesters and their sympathisers have already damaged dozens of telecom towers in Punjab, ignoring the state government order to crackdown on those vandalising telecommunication masts.

Power supply to towers belonging to Reliance Jio was snapped and cables cut in parts of the state as farmers vented their anger on the infrastructure owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambanis firm.

The protestors say Ambanis Reliance group and infrastructure tycoon Gautam Adani are major beneficiaries of the three new farm laws, although neither Ambanis Reliance group nor Adanis companies are in the business of procuring food grains from farmers.

Reports citing sources with knowledge of the matter said as many as 63 towers were damaged in places such as Amritsar, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Firozpur, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Pathankot, Patiala and Sangrur, across the state on Tuesday.

Jio said they repaired some of the towers that were damaged over the past few days, adding that 826 sites were down as of Tuesday afternoon. Jio has more than 9,000 towers in the state.

Chief minister Amarinder Singh on Monday asked police to take action against vandalisers. The use of violence could alienate the protesters from the masses, which would be detrimental to the interests of the farming community, he said in a statement.

The chief minister said he will not let Punjab plunge into anarchy at any cost and that nobody will be allowed to take law into their hands.

Terming telecom services as lifeline for lakhs of customers, industry body COAIs director-general SP Kochhar said disruption of telecom services is causing immense inconvenience to the common man, for whom mobile services are essential.

While we respect peoples right to protest on any issue, sabotaging the telecom network infrastructure and disrupting telecom services as a form of protest by anyone is strongly condemned, COAI said in a statement.

Meanwhile, protesters at Singhu border has got strengthened as non-farmers claiming to be street vendors (who sell vegetables and fruits in streets) reached the dharna site to show solidarity with the protesting farmers.

Shaktiman Ghosh, who claims to be the all-India general secretary of National Hawker Federation from Kolkata, said that they have come to extend support to the protesters.

Sheikh Salman of National Hawker Federation (NHF) from Telangana, said 600-700 members, including women, have come to Singhu border to extend support to the protesting farmers.

Mohit Valecha, national president, youth wing NHF, said that members from places like Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Mumbai, Kadappa and Visakhapatnam have reached Singhu border.
More than 513 doctors including 103 from Delhi succumb to COVID-19 in second wave: IMA

Arbaaz Khan, Sohail and son booked for violating COVID norm

India

oi-Deepika S

Mumbai, Jan 04: Actor brothers Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan, and the latter''s son Nirvaan Khan, were booked by the Mumbai Police on Monday for allegedly violating the COVID-19 institutional quarantine norms, civic and police officials said.

The Khan trio was asked to stay at a hotel in suburban Bandra after they returned to Mumbai from the UAE in the penultimate week of December last year as per guidelines, but they went to their homes instead, a civic official said.

The case was registered against them under section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under provisions of the Epidemic Diseases Act, a Khar police station official said.

As per the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), passengers returning from counties in Europe and the Middle East must stay in institutional quarantine for seven days in view of the detection of the new strain of coronavirus in the UK.

'Tandav' about ambitious people and pressure: Saif Ali Khan

In his statement submitted in Khar police station in Mumbai, Dr Sanjay Funde, a medical officer of H/West ward, said that he received information on Monday that Arbaaz, Sohail and Nirvaan had returned from Dubai but didn''t go to institutional quarantine.

Dr Funde and Bandra police officials then reached Sohail Khan''s residence on Nargis Dutt Road in Bandra.

They were told by Sohail Khan that he and Arbaaz Khan had returned from Dubai on December 25 while Nirvaan Khan flew back on December 30, a police official said quoting Dr Funde''s statement.

Sohail Khan also told BMC officials that they had booked rooms in a five-star hotel in Bandra for quarantine stay, but decided to go home after their tests at the Mumbai airport confirmed that they were not infected with coronavirus, the official said.

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Story first published: Monday, January 4, 2021, 22:52 [IST]
File image: Larsen & Toubro office

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The Income Tax Departments investigation wing is conducting a survey of Larsen & Toubro group following inputs from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) department.

Sources said that the I-T department had received information from the GST department about the input tax credit availed by L&T. Officials of the I-T department are at the L&T headquarters in Mumbai.

Separately, the I-T department is also conducting a survey of the Zee Group. The GST department had found that the company had allegedly taken fake input tax credit.

The officials from the tax department have visited the offices of the company, with certain queries. The concerned officials of the company are providing all the required information and extending complete co-operation, Zee Groups spokesperson said.

In response to Moneycontrol's query, Zee Group said I-T Department officials have visited the offices of the company with certain queries. The company's officials are providing required information & extending complete co-operation.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
A number of politicians have admitted to leaving the country over the December holiday period, even as their constituents adhered to public health guidance meant to curb the spread of COVID-19 and hunkered down at home.

A number of politicians have admitted to leaving the country over the December holiday period, even as their constituents adhered to public health guidance meant to curb the spread of COVID-19 and hunkered down at home.

Here's a look at some of the lawmakers who took trips abroad despite public health appeals to avoid non-essential travel.

ROD PHILLIPS

When Rod Phillips jetted off for a sunny Caribbean vacation on Dec. 13, he touched off a political storm that engulfed him when he returned home to Ontario.

Phillips resigned as the province's finance minister on Dec. 31, hours after returning from a two-week trip in St. Barts.

Phillips, who will remain a member of the provincial legislature, called the decision a "significant error in judgement."

His apology did little to assuage criticism against Premier Doug Ford for not taking action when he first learned of the cabinet minister's travels shortly after Phillips left for warmer climates.



NIKI ASHTON

The federal New Democrats stripped the veteran member of Parliament of her cabinet critic positions after she travelled to Greece to visit her seriously ill grandmother.

The party released a statement on Jan. 1 saying Greek officials, who currently only permit visitors to enter the country if they can prove their trip is essential, approved Ashton's visit.

The party said Ashton, who represents the riding of Churchill-Keewatinook Aski, reached out to Canadian officials for "best practices,'' but did not notify leader Jagmeet Singh or the party whip of her travel plans.

The statement said party members sympathize with Ashton's situation, but noted millions of Canadians adhered to public health guidelines under similarly pressing circumstances.



KAMAL KHERA

The federal Liberal MP announced Sunday she was stepping down from her role as parliamentary secretary to the minister of international development after travelling to Seattle over the holidays.

The MP representing the Ontario riding of Brampton West says she flew to Seattle on Dec. 23 to attend a small memorial service for her uncle and father, who died within weeks of each other earlier in the year.

Khera has been back in Canada since the end of December.



SAMEER ZUBERI

The Liberal member of Parliament announced Sunday that he would step down from his committee roles after travelling to Delaware to be with his wife's ill grandfather.

Zuberi, who represents the Montreal riding of Pierrefonds-Dollard, said in a statement posted to Twitter that the trip was an "error in judgment."

He said he returned to Canada on New Year's Eve, and is abiding by the mandatory two-week quarantine.



PIERRE ARCAND

The former imterim head of Quebec's Liberal party expressed regret last month over his decision to vacation in Barbados with his wife.

Dominique Anglade, who currently heads the party, said she asked Arcand to return to Canada after word of his Caribbean travels got out.

Anglade told a Quebec radio station that she had known Arcand planned to leave and had tried to discourage him from doing so.

Arcand apologized for making the trip in his Dec. 29 statement.



YOURI CHASSIN

The member of the governing Coalition Avenir Quebec is currently in Peru visiting his husband, who he said he has not seen in about a year.

Chassin said in an interview that his trip is not a vacation and that he does not believe it contradicts the Quebec governments message of the need to follow public health guidelines.

He said he got permission from the government whip and Premier Francois Legaults office before leaving.



JOE HARGRAVE

Saskatchewan's highways minister apologized on Jan. 1 for travelling to California over the holidays, but gets to keep his seat in cabinet.

Hargrave said he went to Palm Springs for "necessary" personal business: finalizing a home sale and moving his belongings back to Saskatchewan.

He said he plans to return to Canada when he's out of a 14-day quarantine recommended for travellers to California on Jan. 5, and will self-isolate for two weeks upon his return to Canada.

While Opposition politicians have questioned whether Hargrave's trip was essential, Premier Scott Moe said he will stay on as minister despite his self-admitted "error in judgement."

Moe was informed of Hargrave's trip before he left on Dec. 22, a spokesman for the Saskatchewan Party government said.



TRACY ALLARD

A Hawaiian vacation from Alberta's municipal affairs minister touched off not only a new directive from the province's premier, but a spate of other revelations about holiday excursions by several of her cohorts in the United Conservative government.

Shortly after Allard's trip came to light, Premier Jason Kenney issued a directive summoning caucus members and senior staff back to the province.

Kenney said he ought to have issued such orders sooner, but said Allard and other party members who went abroad will not face sanctions as they did not violate any firm rules.

Allard held a New Year's Day news conference in which she apologized for taking the trip, describing the Hawaiian vacation as a long-standing family tradition.



JEREMY NIXON

The MLA for the Alberta riding of Calgary-Klein also opted to jet off to Hawaii over the Christmas break.

A spokesman for Kenney said he had been asked to return home on the earliest possible flight

Nixon said in a Facebook post that he would "work hard" to regain constituents' trust, adding he followed and followed public health guidelines while abroad.



PAT REHN

Nixon's legislative colleague, representing Lesser Slave Lake, spent part of the weekend returning from a "previously planned family trip" to Mexico.

He, too, apologized for his travels via Facebook.



TANYA FIR

Another social media apology came from yet another Calgary-area MLA after it was revealed she travelled to the United States to visit her sister.

The representative for the riding of Calgary-Peigan commended Alberta residents for their adherence to public health protocols in the face of the pandemic.

She said in a Facebook post that she apologized "wholeheartedly" for not doing the same and pledged to abide by Kenney's new directive.



JASON STEPHAN

The MLA for Red Deer-South in Alberta struck a different tone in his Facebook post in which he disclosed a recent trip to Phoenix, Ariz.

Stephan said he felt he was in compliance with public health guidelines and noted he had never asked other provincial residents to forego travel.

But Stephan said he would return home in accordance with Kenney's directive.

"There is already too much contention in our society and I regret if my actions have contributed to that," he wrote.



TANY YAO

A spokesman for the United Conservative Party caucus says the MLA for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo in Alberta is currently in Mexico, and party officials haven't been able to reach him.

Tim Gerwing says the party is still trying to contact Yao to tell him about the premier's directive to return home.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2021.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version had an incorrect spelling of Pat Rehn's last name.

Start the new year by asking your own relationship/dating/love-in-2021 question. Email [email protected] or fill out this easy form .

Dear Meredith,

I have fallen head-over-heels for a co-worker I met last year when I was substitute teaching. I am 29.

I am also a hopeless romantic who dreams of starting something similar to "Dinner with Cupid" because I believe there are good people in every city who want to meet other good people.

Back to this man. He is a little bit older and was not what I wanted on paper, but our chemistry is undeniable. It is truly something I have not experienced in past relationships. After our first outing outside of school, he immediately shot down the idea of us dating, denying his feelings. Well, his feelings began to show and we gave it a go for about a month.

I am 100 percent myself around him. I love that he shows his feelings, we can talk for hours, and I believe in him. Yet, he does not believe in himself. Our last in-person encounter outside of school ended with him abruptly leaving my house. I wound up chasing him down the street. He said he is not ready to accept my love and that I have so much love to give. He told me I need someone consistent. Hes right, but I also feel as though I need him. Did I mention his classroom is right next door to mine? And we work in person?

He hasn't let me go entirely. My hope is that he never does. Do you think he will ever chase me down the street?

 A girl who believes in herself ... but also believes in him
Red Hills Recreation Area View Photo

Sonora, CA  Over 99-percent of the Bureau of Land Managements federally owned land is open for recreational target shooting.

The federal agency oversees 245-million acres of land primarily situated in 11 western states. The bureau has released new guidance that it says stresses the protection of current recreational shooting opportunities, and it will also work to expand them in future years.

Casey Hammond, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, says, Recreational shooting is a longstanding tradition for millions of Americans, and the Department is proud to support this popular pastime as a key component of the BLMs multiple-use mission,

Locally, the Mother Lode Field Office of the BLM oversees 230,000 acres of land spread between 10 counties, Tuolumne, Calaveras, Mariposa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Stanislaus and Yuba.

BLM areas include the Cosumnes River Preserve; Pine Hill Preserve; Red Hills Area of Critical Environmental Concern; the North Fork American and Merced Wild & Scenic Rivers; as well as highly visited recreation areas along the South Fork American River, South Yuba River and Mokelumne River.

For more information on target shooting on BLM land, click here. It is typically allowed during the cooler and wetter months and prohibited during the summer fire season.
US surgeon general Jerome Adams on Sunday contradicted President Donald Trump's claim of "exaggerated" COVID-19 cases and deaths in the US saying that these numbers are real.

"I don't speak for the President. I speak for the office of the surgeon general and the public health service and I'm focused on making sure people get the information they need and wash your hands and stay your distance and get the vaccine when it's available," Adams told CNN.

He added that he has "no reason" to doubt the numbers. "From a health perspective I have no reason to doubt those numbers and I think people need to be very aware it's not about the deaths as we talked about earlier but the hospitalizations and the capacity," US Surgeon General said further.

He added, "These cases are having an impact in an array of ways and people need to understand there is a finish line in sight but we have to keep running towards it."

Dr Anthony Fauci, the US top infectious disease expert also echoed the same sentiment and added that the deaths due to COVID-19 are "real deaths".

"All you need to do is go out into the trenches, go to the hospitals, see what the health care workers are dealing with," Fauci said in an interview with ABC as quoted by CNN.

"They are under very stressed situations in many areas of the country. The hospital beds are stretched, people are running out of beds, running out of trained personnel who are exhausted right now... That's real. That's not fake. That's real," he added.

Trump on Sunday said that the record-breaking numbers of new COVID-19 cases, nearly 300,000 in the past 24 hours, are exaggerated due to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) method of counting.

"The number of cases and deaths of the China Virus is far exaggerated in the United States because of @CDCgov (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)'s the ridiculous method of determination compared to other countries, many of whom report, purposely, very inaccurately and low," Trump wrote in a tweet.

The outgoing president added, "'When in doubt, call it Covid.' Fake News!"

The US has the most COVID-19 cases in the world reporting over 20.5 million cases, according to Johns Hopkins University.

(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.)
Those with "negative mindset" had opposed the "Ram Mandir movement", and after PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the temple in Ayodhya they began stressing that " belongs to everyone", said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister on Sunday.

Addressing a public gathering here, Adityanath congratulated Prime Minister Modi for striving towards a coronavirus-free India and said that under his guidance the scientists of the country have come up with anti-COVID vaccines.

After inaugurating and laying foundation stones of 37 projects, worth Rs 500 crore, here he said, "Previous governments wanted to keep every dispute hanging. Those who used to say that was a fictional character, are now saying that He belongs to all... This is the transformation."



"Those who had fired bullets on the devotees of and used to say that Lord Ram doesn't exist, are now experiencing the strength of His devotees. Now, they are saying Ram belongs to all. At the time of Karseva, we used to say that Lord Ram belongs to all, and no one should oppose the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. Eventually, the service rendered by the devotees of Ram have emerged victorious," Adityanath said.

He said the laying of the foundation stone of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on August 5 by PM Modi proves that the "Ram Mandir movement was a positive one"



"Those opposing the movement had a negative mindset and hence tried to insult it. When they have failed in every field, then they are saying that Ram belongs to all. May this wisdom always remain."On two COVID-19 vaccines getting the drug regulator's nod, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister said India was the only country where two such shots got an approval.

"Under the guidance of the prime minister, the scientists of the country have come up with anti-Covid vaccine. India is the first country which has launched two vaccines at the same time.

"Modi ji is the first prime minister, who himself visited the COVID-19 laboratories for vaccines. As a result India is moving towards self-reliance. One vaccine came in the world, while in India, two vaccines came up together," he said.

Attacking the Samajwadi Party, Adityanath said, "Earlier, the investors were hesitant to purchase land in Uttar Pradesh, as they feared that SP goons might grab it. Same was the case during BSP rule. But now that is not possible, as those who used to spread fear, and themselves in fear.

(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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Boris Johnson is set to unveil a brutal new national lockdown tonight in a desperate bid to keep the mutant coronavirus at bay while vaccines are rolled out - after the UK racked up another record high of cases.

Amid a growing clamour for action from Labour and Tory MPs, the PM is set to make a televised statement on the 'next steps' in the crisis at 8pm, with Parliament being recalled on Wednesday.

MailOnline understands England is facing blanket restrictions starting at midnight similar to those imposed during the first lockdown last spring, with fears they will have to last for months until the most vulnerable get jabs.

Schools are set to be shut to all but vulnerable children and the offspring of key workers, but outdoor exercise will still be allowed. The Covid alert level is also being raised to the highest level of five.

A No10 spokesman said: 'The spread of the new variant of COVID-19 has led to rapidly escalating case numbers across the country.

'The Prime Minister is clear that further steps must now be taken to arrest this rise and to protect the NHS and save lives. He will set those out this evening.'

The scale of the problem was underlined as the latest grim daily tally was released, with 58,784 new cases - a 42 per cent rise on last Monday.

It means the UK has passed the milestone of 50,000 infections every day for a week, suggesting that the easing of restrictions at Christmas helped fuel the outbreak.

Department of Health chiefs also posted 407 more deaths, up just 14 per cent on the figure recorded last week. But it can take infected patients several weeks to fall severely ill and succumb to the illness, meaning fatalities have yet to reach their peak and will continue to rise. The UK recorded almost 1,000 deaths twice last week, in grisly tolls not seen since the darkest days of the spring.

Nicola Sturgeon announced a drastic crackdown in the Scottish Parliament this afternoon, with a legally-enforced stay at home order from midnight and schools north of the border set to stay closed until February.

Michael Gove is due to hold a conference call with the First Ministers from the four nations to coordinate strategies. But in a sign of splits, Wales has said it will push ahead with reopening schools over the next fortnight unless there is new evidence about the variant strain.

Earlier, ex-health secretary Jeremy Hunt joined demands from Labour and Tory MPs for an immediate national squeeze with schools and borders shut and a ban on all household mixing.

Mr Hunt warned that mutant Covid has put the NHS under 'off the scale' pressure compared to normal winters and the government 'cannot afford to wait' even one more day.

Mr Johnson confirmed this morning that 'tougher' measures were coming despite the optimism sparked by the first Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine doses being administered - although at that point he appeared to hint he would prefer to stick with the Tier system in England.

Parents faced chaos as many primary schools defied the government's previous orders to return after the Christmas holidays.

SAGE has cautioned that it is probably impossible to control the new coronavirus variant while they remain open - although experts say a total shutdown still might not be enough to bring the 'R' reproduction rate below one.

But the idea of hardening the restrictions has sparked fury from other Tory MPs, who insist the country's experience of the pandemic shows that lockdowns do not work and are crippling the economy.

On another grim day of coronavirus chaos:

Matt Hancock said he is 'incredibly worried' about a new South African variant of coronavirus that experts fear might not be caught by the current crop of vaccines;

Brian Pinker, an 82-year-old retired maintenance manager from Oxford, has become the first to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine outside of trials;

Teaching unions launched a concerted bid to shut down all classrooms despite Boris Johnson's plea to stay open, leaving millions of parents to begin homeschooling their children for at least a fortnight with often only a few hours' notice;

The latest data show a 33 per cent rise in the number of confirmed coronavirus patients in hospital in England between Christmas Day and January 2.

Boris Johnson visited Chase Farm Hospital in north London today, with the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine launching

The Joint Biosecurity Centre has recommended today that the Covid-19 alert level be reduced

Jeremy Hunt warned that mutant Covid has put the NHS under 'off the scale' pressure compared to normal winters and the government 'cannot afford to wait' even one more day

Three-quarters of England already subject to Tier 4, where only essential shops such as supermarkets are allowed to open and people are meant to stay at home

What will the new lockdown look like in England, and what else could be done? Boris Johnson will unveil a new national lockdown in a TV address at 8pm. The measures could come into force as early as tomorrow. Some three-quarters of England is already under the highest Tier 4 restrictions - with the rest in Tier 3, apart from 2,000 people on the Isles of Scilly. Matt Hancock suggested this morning that Tier 3 is no longer strong enough to contain mutant Covid. However, he hinted that Tier 4 controls could be if people were obeying the rules more carefully. Within the existing structure more primary and secondary schools could be shut, by designating more areas as high-infection 'contingency' zones. But many scientists do not believe that the curbs would be strong enough even then to arrest the spread. And there is rising anxiety that the outbreak is being fuelled by people travelling between tiers. National lockdown Mr Johnson appears to have heeded Jeremy Hunt, scientists and Labour calls for a blanket lockdown similar to that imposed in March. That will see all schools shut, and tighter limits such as on what retail - such as garden centres - counts as 'essential'. There is the potential to restrict how many times a day people can take exercise - as happened in March - and a broader crackdown on households mixing could block one-on-one mixing outdoors. Cranking up the legal framework with provisions for even heavier punishments for breaching the regulations could help with compliance, although it would provoke more howls of protest from libertarians. Ban on international travel There are a variety of other options that could be taken alongside a national lockdown. Jeremy Hunt's blueprint includes closing the UK's borders to all-but essential international travel. There has been some bewilderment that unlike other countries Britain has never insisted on negative coronavirus tests for arrivals. Ministers argue that single tests are not preferable to quarantine because they will not catch early stage cases. Restrictions at the border could help prevent the Kent variant spreading, but also offer protection against the South African strain, considered even more of a threat. Curfews Downing Street has been strongly playing down the idea of curfews that would stop people going outdoors after a certain time in the evening. Again, there would be a very strong reaction from libertarians, including large numbers of Tory MPs. However, curfews have been used in other countries. They could make it easier for the police to identify and deal with people who were flouting the rules. Advertisement

Mr Hunt posted on Twitter: 'To those arguing winter is always like this in the NHS: you are wrong. I faced four serious winter crises as Health Sec and the situation now is off-the-scale worse than any of those.'

Mr Hunt said the 'No1 lesson' from the pandemic is that countries can 'save lives and get their economies back to normal faster' if they 'act early and decisively'.

'We therefore cannot afford to wait: all schools should be closed, international travel stopped, household mixing limited and the tier system reviewed so that the highest tier really does bring down infection levels,' Mr Hunt said.

'The good news is that unlike before these restrictions will be time limited to the 12 weeks or so it will take to get the vaccine out to those most vulnerable to covid - so there is light at the end of the tunnel.'

Mr Hunt was among a growing band of Conservative MPs, including ex-No10 adviser Neil O'Brien, urging emergency steps to tackle the coronavirus surge.

Labour has also been pushing for a squeeze, with Sadiq Khan saying Mr Hunt was 'spot on'.

Earlier Matt Hancock suggested the first step will be to escalate even more of the country into Tier 4, saying Tier 3 did not seem able to hold back the more infectious version of the deadly disease.

He insisted the problem was partly down to people failing to obey the rules, amid calls from some MPs for police to be given more powers.

But there were questions about how much more impact extending the coverage of Tier 4 could have, given three-quarters of England is already subject to the harshest bracket, where only essential shops such as supermarkets are allowed to open and people are meant to stay at home.

Dr Yvonne Doyle, medical director for Public Health England (PHE), said the latest daily figures were a 'bitter warning' about the threat.

'The continuous rise in cases and deaths should be a bitter warning for us all. We must not forget the basics  the lives of our friends and family depend on it,' she said.

Speaking during a visit to Chase Farm Hospital in north London this morning, Mr Johnson warned of 'tough tough' weeks to come.

He added: 'If you look at the numbers there's no question we will have to take tougher measures and we will be announcing those in due course.'

Mr Johnson tried to strike a positive note, promising there will be a 'massive ramp up' in vaccination numbers.

He added: 'There's a massive ramp up operation now going on.

'The rate limiting factor is now not supply of vaccines although we want that to go faster, it's getting them properly tested and getting them to the NHS.

'It's not the ability to distribute the vaccine, it's not the shortage of staff.

'It's getting it properly tested. That will ramp up in the weeks ahead.'

Asked in a round of interviews about the prospect of a national lockdown, Mr Hancock said: 'We don't rule anything out, and we've shown repeatedly that we will look at the public health advice and we will take the public health advice in terms of what is needed to control the spread of the disease.'

Pressed whether changes could be announced over the next 24 hours, he replied: 'We have shown we are ready to move incredibly quickly... We look at the data on a daily basis.'

Mr Hancock said the 'old tier system is no longer strong enough' because the new variant is 'much easier to catch, it is much more transmissible, and we're now seeing the effect of that in lots of different parts of the country'.

Challenged on Sky News over whether Tier 4 restrictions work, Mr Hancock said: 'It is down to people's behaviour, frankly. What matters is, yes of course, the rules that we put in place, but it is also about how people act.

'And frankly what I would say is this: it is critical that everybody in the country does all that they can to reduce the spread of the virus.'

In a stark message about the length of the fight the UK faces, Mr Hancock said the problem was 'how we collectively as a society keep this under control for the next couple of months... until the vaccines can make us safe'.

The Government's 'Covid-O' committee, which makes decisions on lockdown restrictions, is thought to have meet today to decide on the next steps to take.

Ms Sturgeon announced this afternoon that Scotland will be plunged back into a national coronavirus lockdown from midnight.

The SNP leader said the new crackdown, lasting all of January, will include a legally enforceable stay-at-home rule.

Scotland in national lockdown from midnight Scotland will be plunged back into a national coronavirus lockdown from midnight this evening, Nicola Sturgeon announced this afternoon. The SNP leader said the new crackdown, lasting all of January, will include a legally enforceable stay-at-home rule. Exercise and essential journeys will be the only reasons why people will be allowed to leave their homes. The planned reopening of schools on January 18 is also being pushed back to February 1 at the earliest while workers are being instructed to work from home wherever possible. Rules on outdoor gatherings will be tightened to allow a maximum of just two people from two households to meet. Meanwhile, places of worship will be closed from this Friday but weddings and funerals will still be allowed to go ahead. A maximum of 20 people will be allowed to attend funeral services and a maximum of five people will be allowed to attend weddings. Ms Sturgeon said the tough new curbs are necessary because of the 'steeply rising' rate of infections north of the border as she warned the lockdown could be extended beyond January if necessary. The measures effectively mean a return to the restrictions seen during the first UK-wide lockdown which was imposed at the end of March last year. All of mainland Scotland is already placed in the highest tier of Covid-19 rules but case numbers have prompted Ms Sturgeon to take more drastic action after 2,464 new cases were announced yesterday. Advertisement

Exercise and essential journeys will be the only reasons why people will be allowed to leave their homes.

The planned reopening of schools on January 18 is also being pushed back to February 1 at the earliest while workers are being instructed to work from home wherever possible.

Rules on outdoor gatherings will be tightened to allow a maximum of just two people from two households to meet.

Meanwhile, places of worship will be closed from this Friday but weddings and funerals will still be allowed to go ahead.

A maximum of 20 people will be allowed to attend funeral services and a maximum of five people will be allowed to attend weddings.

Ms Sturgeon said the tough new curbs are necessary because of the 'steeply rising' rate of infections north of the border as she warned the lockdown could be extended beyond January if necessary.

The measures effectively mean a return to the restrictions seen during the first UK-wide lockdown which was imposed at the end of March last year.

All of mainland Scotland is already placed in the highest tier of Covid-19 rules but case numbers have prompted Ms Sturgeon to take more drastic action after 2,464 new cases were announced yesterday.

Mr Johnson said yesterday that he is also considering further closures of schools.

But Mr Hancock said this morning that people should keep obeying the rules - which mean most primaries are meant to be back this week.

He told Times Radio that people understood why the Government was changing its position.

He said: 'One of the big challenges in the middle of a pandemic is that the data changes, and therefore the public health advice rightly changes, and we have to change our position.

'One of the interesting things as Health Secretary I've noticed over the last year is that people get that, right?

'People get that the virus moves  we've seen this new variant making things much, much harder because it spreads so much easier and then we have to update our position based on updated public health advice.

'On schools, our approach is we should follow that public health advice.'

Health Secretary Matt Hancock put Britons on notice that stronger restrictions will be needed for months, despite the optimism sparked by the first Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine doses being administered

First Briton to get Oxford jab outside trials is 82-year-old dialysis patient Britain today started to dish out Oxford's game-changing Covid vaccine in what has been called a 'pivotal moment' in the fight against the pandemic, with an 82-year-old dialysis patient becoming the first person to receive the jab. Brian Pinker, a retired maintenance manager who describes himself as Oxford born and bred, said he was 'so pleased' to be getting the vaccine and was 'really proud' it was developed in his city. Mr Pinker, who is now looking forward to celebrating his 48th wedding anniversary next month with wife Shirley, received the coronavirus vaccine at 7.30am at Oxford's Churchill Hospital. In the biggest vaccination drive in British history, half a million doses of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca jab will be made available for vulnerable people this week with 'tens of millions' promised by April. Chiefs at AstraZeneca had previously suggested up to 2million doses a week could be ready by mid-January and officials have promised to deliver the jabs as quickly as they get them. But that ambitious target may be further off than hoped, with fears that the UK won't receive enough supplies until February. Matt Hancock today revealed increasing the country's manufacturing capacity was 'a big medium-term project'. And he said the 'bureaucracy' involved in signing up to be a volunteer vaccinator is being reduced, after it was revealed last week that thousands of retired medics who are trying to help dish out the jabs were tied up in red tape. Advertisement

However, in a joint statement, education unions said staff were at 'serious risk' of infection.

The statement, signed by GMB, NAHT, NASUWT, NEU, Unison and Unite, said: 'The Government's chaotic handling of the opening of schools has caused confusion for teachers, school staff and parents alike.

'Bringing all pupils back into classrooms while the rate of infection is so high is exposing education sector workers to serious risk of ill-health and could fuel the pandemic.

'Unions have called for a pause in the reopening of schools for anyone other than vulnerable children and children of key workers, and a move to remote learning for all while Covid-secure working arrangements are reviewed. All school staff continuing to work in schools should be given priority access to Covid-19 vaccinations.

'Instead of casually asserting that schools are safe, the Prime Minister should sit down with unions to discuss a joint approach to ensuring safe working arrangements in all schools and prioritising enabling all pupils to have the equipment and access they need to receive a high standard of remote learning until the safety of them and the staff in their school can be guaranteed.'

SAGE member John Edmunds said tonight that the UK was on track to record more than 100,000 deaths.

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine scientist told BBC Radio 4's PM programme: 'We're in a really difficult situation.

'The new strain is significantly more transmissible than the old strains. So we have to take significant extra measures to stop the NHS from becoming overwhelmed with Covid patients.

'Unfortunately we are going to have to take some really major additional measures, I can't see any other way out of it.

'The biggest lever that has only partly been pulled is school closures. That would have the biggest effect of a single measure and I can see that happening.'

He later added: 'What we have to do now, and it's horrible I know, but we have to take really quite stringent steps right now and as stringent as we can right now.'

Prof Edmunds rejected suggestions that a lack of public compliance with restrictions is a major issue, saying: 'I don't think that's a major issue myself, I think people are pretty compliant.'

As pressure grew on the PM earlier, the Labour leader of Birmingham City Council joined calls for a new 'lockdown' amid rising case rates.

Speaking to BBC Radio WM, Cllr Ian Ward said that in the past week there had been a 36 per cent increase in the city's seven-day case rate.

He added: 'The NHS here in the city is under intensive pressure. University Hospital Birmingham has 98 per cent of its intensive care beds occupied and Sandwell and City (hospitals trust) has 100 per cent of its intensive care beds occupied.

'We need decisive action now and the Government needs to act early for once and get ahead of the curve.'

On a more optimistic front, the UK today started to dish out Oxford's game-changing Covid vaccine in what has been called a 'pivotal moment' in the fight against the pandemic, with an 82-year-old dialysis patient becoming the first person to receive the jab.

Brian Pinker, a retired maintenance manager who describes himself as Oxford born and bred, said he was 'so pleased' to be getting the vaccine and was 'really proud' it was developed in his city.

Mr Pinker, who is now looking forward to celebrating his 48th wedding anniversary next month with wife Shirley, received the coronavirus vaccine at 7.30am at Oxford's Churchill Hospital.

In the biggest vaccination drive in British history, half a million doses of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca jab will be made available for vulnerable people this week with 'tens of millions' promised by April.

Chiefs at AstraZeneca had previously suggested up to 2million doses a week could be ready by mid-January and officials have promised to deliver the jabs as quickly as they get them.

But that ambitious target may be further off than hoped, with fears that the UK won't receive enough supplies until February. Matt Hancock today revealed increasing the country's manufacturing capacity was 'a big medium-term project'.

And he said the 'bureaucracy' involved in signing up to be a volunteer vaccinator is being reduced, after it was revealed last week that thousands of retired medics who are trying to help dish out the jabs were tied up in red tape.

Mr Hancock insisted the manufacturing process will be the deciding factor in how fast vaccines can be deployed, rather than the NHS operation.

Covid alert going to top level over fears NHS will not cope The Covil alert is being raised to its highest level over fears the NHS will not be able to cope with soaring cases. The UK's four chief medical officers have recommended the change from level four to five following advice from the Joint Biosecurity Centre. In a statement, they said: 'Many parts of the health systems in the four nations are already under immense pressure. 'There are currently very high rates of community transmission, with substantial numbers of COVID patients in hospitals and in intensive care. 'Cases are rising almost everywhere, in much of the country driven by the new more transmissible variant. 'We are not confident that the NHS can handle a further sustained rise in cases and without further action there is a material risk of the NHS in several areas being overwhelmed over the next 21 days. However, they urged people who need urgent attention to come forward stressing it is still possible to give 'lifesaving treatment'. 'It is absolutely critical that people still come forward for emergency care. If you require non-urgent medical attention, please contact your GP or call NHS111,' the statement said. Advertisement

He told BBC Breakfast: 'If the NHS needs to go faster, then it will go faster. If there were two million doses a week being delivered, then the NHS would deliver at that speed.

'That's the critical question, but that supply isn't there yet, and we are working very closely with the manufacturers.'

Last night Sir Keir Starmer demanded an immediate nationwide lockdown as he warned the 'virus is clearly out of control'. The Labour leader added: 'Let's not have the Prime Minister saying, 'I'm going to do it, but not yet'.

'That's the problem he has made so many times. Nationwide lockdown  the Prime Minister has hinted that that's going to happen, but he's delaying again; and we can't afford that again.'

Appearing on The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One yesterday, Mr Johnson said he was 'entirely reconciled to doing what it takes to get the virus down' and warned of a 'tough period ahead'.

He said vaccinating more people would provide a way out of restrictions and that he hoped 'tens of millions' would be vaccinated in the next three months.

The Prime Minister stuck by his prediction that the situation would be better by the spring, but added: 'It may be that we need to do things in the next few weeks that will be tougher in many parts of the country.

'I'm fully, fully reconciled to that  and I bet the people of this country are reconciled to that because until the vaccine really comes on stream in a massive way, we're fighting this virus with the same set of tools.'

Mr Johnson said the Government was assessing whether Tier Four restrictions were tough enough to control the spread of the virus or if further steps were needed, adding: 'We've got to keep things under constant review.'

Asked whether people could be restricted to an hour's exercise a day or a complete ban on any households mixing could be introduced, he replied: 'There are obviously a range of tougher measures that we would have to consider. I'm not going to speculate now about what they would be.

This map shows how the coronavirus variants have been tracked as they spread around the world

Social distancing signs displayed at Coldfall Primary School in Muswell Hill, London, on January 2 as Covid cases across the capital city have been putting rising pressure on the NHS

'Clearly, school closures  which we had to do in March  is one of those things. It's not something we necessarily want to do.'

Government sources confirmed ministers were looking at putting even more areas of England into Tier Four - although curfews are not currently thought to be imminent.

But Tory former minister Sir Desmond Swayne was among those condemning the idea of tightening the curbs. 'What more pain do they want to cause us? What are they going to stop us doing now?' he told the Telegraph.

'Close down essential shops and the takeaways? The whole thing is madness - it's going beyond ridiculous.'
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The Police Command in Yobe on Monday said it had arrested four men for allegedly gang-raping minors in various parts of the state.

The Commands Public Relations Officer, Dungus Abdulkarim, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu.

He said three of the alleged rapists, Musa Mohammed, 25, Mohammed Dahiru, 27, Adamu Saidu, 46, were arrested on December 25 by men of Potiskum Divisional Police Headquarters for allegedly gang-raping a 13-year-old girl.

Mr Abdulkarim said the rapists took advantage of Christmas break to lure the girl into Brema Primary School in the town and reportedly raped her.

Similarly, the spokesman said that the Geidam Divisional Police Headquarters had on December 26, arrested Bako Umaru, 35, for allegedly abducting and raping an 11-year-old girl at Hausari area, inflicting severe injury on her private part.

He said the girl lost excess blood in the act and was receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital in Damaturu, after Umaru forced himself into her.

Mr Abdulkarim also said Mohammed Jajere, 27, was on December 26, arrested by men of Gashua Divisional Police Headquarters for allegedly raping a young nursing mother at Garindalal area of Dagona Ward.

The spokesman said Mr Jajere raped the woman, who was recuperating from child birth, when he broke into her residence in the area with the intent to steal.

He said all the cases were undergoing discreet investigation in the command, assuring that the perpetrators would be prosecuted after investigations were completed.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that cases of the alleged rape, especially against minors, have continued to soar in the state.

Mr Abdulkarim said in December only, nine cases of alleged rape involving minors were reported in various divisional stations in the state.

He, however, said the command was combat-ready to deal decisively with criminals in the state.

The spokesman, therefore, appealed to citizens to always assist the police with credible information about crimes to safeguard lives and property. (NAN)
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Greece on Monday announced that the coronavirus death toll had exceeded 5,000 people, days after the government was accused of vaccinating too many state officials instead of health staff.

The state public health agency said it had recorded 54 deaths over the last 24 hours, raising the death toll to 5,011.

Over 140,000 people have been infected since the start of the pandemic, and over 400 are still in intensive care, it said.

The government last week said it was postponing dozens of "symbolic" vaccinations of state officials following complaints that health workers and the elderly were not being given adequate priority.

Government deputy spokeswoman Aristotelia Peloni told Parapolitika radio that over 60 officials had received jabs and the remainder "will be vaccinated when their turn comes."

The government had originally announced last month that 45 senior state, army and other officials would receive priority vaccination in January.

But over 120 people were subsequently placed on what media described as a 'VIP list', sparking outcry.

Over 9,500 vaccinations have been carried out in the country so far.

Greece weathered the first phase of the coronavirus pandemic with comparatively low cases and fatalities, but infections spiked in the autumn.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis faced criticism after relaxing lockdown restrictions for retail and churches over Christmas.

The governing body of the Orthodox church on Monday said it would ignore government requirements to keep places of worship closed to the public during Epiphany.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
Clarence Fanto can be reached at cfanto@yahoo.com, on Twitter @BE_cfanto or at 413-637-2551.
The people are unaware. Theyre not educated to realize that they have power. The system is so geared that everyone believes the government will fix everything. We are the government.John Lennon

No doubt about it: 2020a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year for freedomwas the culmination of a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad decade for freedom.

Government corruption, tyranny, and abuse coupled with a Big Brother-knows-best mindset and the COVID-19 pandemic propelled us at warp speed towards a full-blown police state in which nationwide lockdowns, egregious surveillance, roadside strip searches, police shootings of unarmed citizens, censorship, retaliatory arrests, the criminalization of lawful activities, warmongering, indefinite detentions, SWAT team raids, asset forfeiture, police brutality, profit-driven prisons, and pay-to-play politicians were accepted as the norm.

Heres just a small sampling of the laundry list of abusescruel, brutal, immoral, unconstitutional and unacceptablethat have been heaped upon us by the government over the past two decades and in the past year, in particular.

The government failed to protect our lives, liberty and happiness. The predators of the police state wreaked havoc on our freedoms, our communities, and our lives. The government didnt listen to the citizenry, refused to abide by the Constitution, and treated the citizenry as a source of funding and little else. Police officers shot unarmed citizens and their household pets. Government agentsincluding local policewere armed to the teeth and encouraged to act like soldiers on a battlefield. Bloated government agencies were allowed to fleece taxpayers. Government technicians spied on our emails and phone calls. And government contractors made a killing by waging endless wars abroad.

The American President became more imperial. Although the Constitution invests the President with very specific, limited powers, in recent years, American presidents (Trump, Obama, Bush, Clinton, etc.) claimed the power to completely and almost unilaterally alter the landscape of this country for good or for ill. The powers that have been amassed by each successive president through the negligence of Congress and the courtspowers which add up to a toolbox of terror for an imperial rulerempower whoever occupies the Oval Office to act as a dictator, above the law and beyond any real accountability. The presidency itself has become an imperial one with permanent powers.

Militarized police became a power unto themselves, 911 calls turned deadly, and traffic stops took a turn for the worse. Lacking in transparency and accountability, protected by the courts and legislators, and rife with misconduct, Americas police forces continued to be a menace to the citizenry and the rule of law. Despite concerns about the governments steady transformation of local police into a standing military army, local police agencies acquired even more weaponry, training and equipment suited for the battlefield. Police officers were also given free range to pull anyone over for a variety of reasons and subject them to forced cavity searches, forced colonoscopies, forced blood draws, forced breath-alcohol tests, forced DNA extractions, forced eye scans, forced inclusion in biometric databases.

The courts failed to uphold justice. With every ruling handed down, it becomes more apparent that we live in an age of hollow justice, with government courts more concerned with protecting government agents than upholding the rights of we the people. This is true at all levels of the judiciary, but especially so in the highest court of the land, the U.S. Supreme Court, which is seemingly more concerned with establishing order and protecting government agents than with upholding the rights enshrined in the Constitution. A review of critical court rulings over the past two decades, including some ominous ones by the U.S. Supreme Court, reveals a startling and steady trend towards pro-police state rulings by an institution concerned more with establishing order and protecting the ruling class and government agents than with upholding the rights enshrined in the Constitution.

COVID-19 allowed the Emergency State to expand its powers. What started out as an apparent effort to prevent a novel coronavirus from sickening the nation (and the world) became yet another means by which world governments (including our own) could expand their powers, abuse their authority, and further oppress their constituents. While COVID-19 took a significant toll on the nation emotionally, physically, and economically, it also allowed the government to trample our rights in the so-called name of national security, with talk of mass testing for COVID-19 antibodies, screening checkpoints, contact tracing, immunity passports, forced vaccinations, snitch tip lines and onerous lockdowns.

The Surveillance State rendered Americans vulnerable to threats from government spies, police, hackers and power failures. Thanks to the governments ongoing efforts to build massive databases using emerging surveillance, DNA and biometrics technologies, Americans have become sitting ducks for hackers and government spies alike. Billions of people have been affected by data breaches and cyberattacks. On a daily basis, Americans have been made to relinquish the most intimate details of who we areour biological makeup, our genetic blueprints, and our biometrics (facial characteristics and structure, fingerprints, iris scans, etc.)in order to navigate an increasingly technologically-enabled world.

America became a red flag nation. Red flag laws, specifically, and pre-crime laws generally push us that much closer towards a suspect society where everyone is potentially guilty of some crime or another and must be preemptively rendered harmless. Where many Americans go wrong is in naively assuming that you have to be doing something illegal or harmful in order to be flagged and targeted for some form of intervention or detention. In fact, all you need to do these days to end up on a government watch list or be subjected to heightened scrutiny is use certain trigger words (like cloud, pork and pirates), surf the internet, communicate using a cell phone, limp or stutter, drive a car, stay at a hotel, attend a political rally, express yourself on social media, appear mentally ill, serve in the military, disagree with a law enforcement official, call in sick to work, purchase materials at a hardware store, take flying or boating lessons, appear suspicious, appear confused or nervous, fidget or whistle or smell bad, be seen in public waving a toy gun or anything remotely resembling a gun (such as a water nozzle or a remote control or a walking cane), stare at a police officer, question government authority, appear to be pro-gun or pro-freedom, or generally live in the United States. Be warned: once you get on such a government watch listwhether its a terrorist watch list, a mental health watch list, a dissident watch list, or a red flag gun watch listtheres no clear-cut way to get off, whether or not you should actually be on there.

The cost of policing the globe drove the nation deeper into debt. Americas war spending has already bankrupted the nation to the tune of more than $20 trillion dollars. Policing the globe and waging endless wars abroad hasnt made Americaor the rest of the worldany safer, but it has made the military industrial complex rich at taxpayer expense. The U.S. military reportedly has more than 1.3 million men and women on active duty, with more than 200,000 of them stationed overseas in nearly every country in the world. Yet Americas military forces arent being deployed abroad to protect our freedoms here at home. Rather, theyre being used to guard oil fields, build foreign infrastructure and protect the financial interests of the corporate elite. In fact, the United States military spends about $81 billion a year just to protect oil supplies around the world. This is how a military empire occupies the globe. Meanwhile, Americas infrastructure is falling apart.

Free speech was dealt one knock-out punch after another. Protest laws, free speech zones, bubble zones, trespass zones, anti-bullying legislation, zero tolerance policies, hate crime laws, shadow banning on the Internet, and a host of other legalistic maladies dreamed up by politicians and prosecutors (and championed by those who want to suppress speech with which they might disagree) conspired to corrode our core freedoms, purportedly for our own good. On paperat least according to the U.S. Constitutionwe are technically free to speak. In reality, however, we are only as free to speak as a government officialor corporate entities such as Facebook, Google or YouTubemay allow. The reasons for such censorship varied widely from political correctness, so-called safety concerns and bullying to national security and hate crimes but the end result remained the same: the complete eradication of free speech.

The Deep State took over. The American system of representative government has been overthrown by the Deep Statea.k.a. the police state a.k.a. the military/corporate industrial complexa profit-driven, militaristic corporate state bent on total control and global domination through the imposition of martial law here at home and by fomenting wars abroad. The government of the people, by the people, for the people has perished. In its place is a shadow government, a corporatized, militarized, entrenched bureaucracy that is fully operational and staffed by unelected officials who are, in essence, running the country and calling the shots in Washington DC, no matter who sits in the White House. Mind you, by government, Im not referring to the highly partisan, two-party bureaucracy of the Republicans and Democrats. Rather, Im referring to government with a capital G, the entrenched Deep State that is unaffected by elections, unaltered by populist movements, and has set itself beyond the reach of the law. This is the hidden face of a government that has no respect for the freedom of its citizenry. This shadow government, which operates according to its own compass heading regardless of who is formally in power, makes a mockery of elections and the entire concept of a representative government.

The takeaway: Everything the founders of this country feared has come to dominate in modern America. We the people have been saddled with a government that is no longer friendly to freedom and is working overtime to trample the Constitution underfoot and render the citizenry powerless in the face of the governments power grabs, corruption and abusive tactics.

So how do you balance the scales of justice at a time when Americans are being tasered, tear-gassed, pepper-sprayed, hit with batons, shot with rubber bullets and real bullets, blasted with sound cannons, detained in cages and kennels, sicced by police dogs, arrested and jailed for challenging the governments excesses, abuses and power-grabs, and then locked down and stripped of any semblance of personal freedom?

No matter who sits in the White House, politics wont fix a system that is broken beyond repair.

For that matter, protests and populist movements also havent done much to push back against an authoritarian regime that is deaf to our cries, dumb to our troubles, blind to our needs, and accountable to no one.

So how do you not only push back against the governments bureaucracy, corruption and cruelty but also launch a counterrevolution aimed at reclaiming control over the government using nonviolent means?

You start by changing the rules and engaging in some (nonviolent) guerilla tactics.

Take your cue from the Tenth Amendment and nullify everything the government does that flies in the face of the principles on which this nation was founded. If there is any means left to us for thwarting the government in its relentless march towards outright dictatorship, it may rest with the power of juries and local governments to invalidate governmental laws, tactics and policies that are illegitimate, egregious or blatantly unconstitutional.

In an age in which government officials accused of wrongdoingpolice officers, elected officials, etc.are treated with general leniency, while the average citizen is prosecuted to the full extent of the law, nullification is a powerful reminder that, as the Constitution tells us, we the people are the government.

For too long weve allowed our so-called representatives to call the shots. Now its time to restore the citizenry to their rightful place in the republic: as the masters, not the servants.

Nullification is one way of doing so.

America was meant to be primarily a system of local governments, which is a far cry from the colossal federal bureaucracy we have today. Yet if our freedoms are to be restored, understanding what is transpiring practically in your own backyardin ones home, neighborhood, school district, town counciland taking action at that local level must be the starting point.

Responding to unmet local needs and reacting to injustices is what grassroots activism is all about. Attend local city council meetings, speak up at town hall meetings, organize protests and letter-writing campaigns, employ militant nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience, which Martin Luther King Jr. used to great effect through the use of sit-ins, boycotts and marches.

The power to change things for the better rests with us, not the politicians.

As long as we continue to allow callousness, cruelty, meanness, immorality, ignorance, hatred, intolerance, racism, militarism, materialism, meanness and injusticemagnified by an echo chamber of nasty tweets and government-sanctioned brutalityto trump justice, fairness and equality, there can be no hope of prevailing against the police state.

We could transform this nation if only Americans would work together to harness the power of their discontent and push back against the governments overreach, excesses and abuse.

As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, the police state is marching forward, more powerful than ever.

If there is to be any hope for freedom in 2021, it rests with we the people.

About the Author

Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute, where this article (2020: The Year The Tree Of Liberty Was Torched) was originally published. He is the author of A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State and The Change Manifesto.
A Chinese firm has bagged the contract to develop a 5.6-kilometer underground tunnel on one of the stretches of the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) project.

The National Capital Region Transport (NCRTC), which is executing India's first RRTS project, has awarded the contract to the Chinese firm, Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Company Limited (STEC) to construct a 5.6-kilometre underground stretch from New Ashok Nagar to Sahibabad.

The NCRTC said, "Approvals have to be taken at various levels for bids that are funded by multilateral agencies. This bid was also awarded following the set procedure and guidelines".

The NCRTC further informed that all tenders of the 82-km-long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor have been awarded and the construction is going on in full swing to commission the project in time.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is funding the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor. Besides, the procurement is governed by the guidelines of the bank and the government. According to the ADB's procurement guidelines, vendors from all member countries of the bank are eligible to participate in the bidding process without any discrimination.

The NCRTC had invited bids for the construction of the tunnel from New Ashok Nagar to Sahibabad of Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor on November 9, 2019. Five companies submitted technical bids and all five of them qualified in the technical bid evaluation.

Of the five firms, Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Company Limited emerged as the lowest bidder for the tender after qualifying on all the parameters, and the contract was awarded to it.

About RRTS train:

In September last year, the Union housing and urban affairs ministry had unveiled the first look of the RRTS train. The design of the train is inspired by Delhi's iconic Lotus Temple. It can attain a top speed of 180 kilometres per hour on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor. According to the ministry, the aerodynamic RRTS trains will be lightweight and fully air-conditioned.

The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor:

It is the first RRTS corridor being implemented in the country. The 17-km priority corridor of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS from Sahibabad to Duhai will be operational in 2023 and the entire corridor will be operational in 2025.

According to the officials, the time to commute from Delhi to Meerut will be reduced to less than an hour from the current three-four hours by road.

Also read: No plans to buy agricultural land for corporate, contract farming: RIL

Also read: Amazon didn't care to help, wants Future Group to languish: Kishore Biyani
Vietnam is set to be home to 26 airports by 2030, 14 of which will be international, according to a draft master plan on the development of the national airport network to 2030 and vision to 2050 from the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam.

Aircraft land at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi

Investment in the 2020-2030 period is estimated at some 365.1 trillion VND (16 billion USD), and the figure for the 2030-2050 one, 866.36 trillion VND.

It will be sourced from official development assistance (ODA), the State budget, loans from financial institutions, and public-private partnerships.

The Government will provide incentives for aviation infrastructure investors and help them take the initiative in the mobilisation and disbursement of capital.

Four new airports will be built in the 2030-2050 period, including a second in Hanoi and three others in Lai Chau city in Lai Chau province, Na San in Son La province, and Cao Bang city in Cao Bang province, all of which are in Vietnams north.

The priority to 2030 will be on the first phase of Long Thanh International Airport, serving HCM City, and Terminal 3 at the citys existing Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

Terminal 3 and the southern airfield at Hanois Noi Bai International Airport and the expansion of airports in Da Nang and Cam Ranh are also high on the agenda./.VNA
After months and months of political back-and-forth, people will finally start to receive their second round of stimulus checks in 2021. In fact, some people already have.

ABC 13 WBKO reports that people began seeing their payments via direct deposit as early as Dec. 29. The mailing of paper checks reportedly began the next day.

CNET states that this round of checks is being sent out at a far faster rate than the last one as the new COVID-19 relief bill dictates the government must stop sending checks after Jan. 15.

Despite this increased velocity, however, some may still be waiting weeks (or months, in some cases) for their financial relief to arrive. A separate CNET article lists factors such as a recent move may bar select members of the population from receiving payment right away.

Federal officials additionally confirmed that these payments will total $600 per individual, half of what was doled out last time. President Donald Trumps push for $2,000 direct payments was officially shot down by the Senate despite having the support of politicians such as Nancy Pelosi.

According to Liz Weston of NerdWallet, individuals who never received the first round of stimulus checks in 2020 can actually claim the missing money on their tax returns.

Those with questions about their stimulus payment can check out the FAQs page on the IRS website for help. Status of payments can be viewed by visiting the organizations Get My Payment section, although the influx of traffic may cause the site to crash occasionally.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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DecisionDatabases added the latest report with a global perspective on the Antipain Dihydrochloride Market studied under different segments, including type, application, and regions. The report is treated with size, trends, growth, share, and forecast till 2025. Besides, the research report studied the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on overall growth at the global level. This report also offers a lucrative area of the industry at the regional and country level.

The final report will cover the impact of COVID-19 on this industry.

The global Antipain Dihydrochloride market report presents a complete research-based study of the industry including details such as company shares, forecast data, in-depth analysis and an outlook of the market on a worldwide platform. The report further highlights the market drivers, restraints and the top manufacturers at the global and regional levels. For a thorough understanding, the report also offers market segmentation and regional analysis for the forecast period from 2020 to 2025.

Click here to get a Sample PDF Copy of the Antipain Dihydrochloride Market Research Report @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/download-sample-30055

According to this study, over the next five years, the Antipain Dihydrochloride market will register an xx% CAGR in terms of revenue, the global market size will reach $ xx million by 2025, from $ xx million in 2020. In particular, this report presents the global market share (sales and revenue) of key companies in the Antipain Dihydrochloride business, shared in Chapter 3.

This Antipain Dihydrochloride market report also splits the market by regions: Americas (United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil), APAC (China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, India, Australia), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, Spain), Middle East & Africa (Egypt, South Africa, Israel, Turkey, GCC Countries).

This report presents a comprehensive overview, market shares, and growth opportunities of the Antipain Dihydrochloride market by type, application, key manufacturers, key regions, and countries.

The key manufacturers covered in this report: Breakdown data in Chapter 3.

LifeSpan BioSciences

Carl Roth

Cayman Chemical

BioVision

Santa Cruz Biotechnology

Geno Technology

Boston BioProducts

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Bio Basic

LKT Laboratories

Aladdin

AdipoGen Life Sciences

Others

To inquire about report customization, feel free to reach out to our team of expert analysts @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/ask-questions-30055

This study considers the Antipain Dihydrochloride value and volume generated from the sales of the following segments:

Segmentation by type: breakdown data from 2015 to 2020, in Section 2.3; and forecast to 2025 in section 11.7.

Min Purity Less Than 98%

Min Purity 98%-99%

Min Purity More Than 99%

Segmentation by application: breakdown data from 2015 to 2020, in Section 2.4; and forecast to 2025 in section 11.8.

Cell Transformations

Identifying Proteases

In addition, this report discusses the key drivers influencing market growth, opportunities, challenges, and the risks faced by key manufacturers and the market as a whole. It also analyzes key emerging trends and their impact on present and future development.

Purchase the Complete Global Antipain Dihydrochloride Market Research Report @ https://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/buy-now-30055

Research Objectives

To study and analyze the global Antipain Dihydrochloride consumption (value & volume) by key regions/countries, type and application, history data from 2015 to 2019, and forecast to 2025.

To understand the structure of the Antipain Dihydrochloride market by identifying its various subsegments.

Focuses on the key global Antipain Dihydrochloride manufacturers, to define, describe, and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in the next few years.

To analyze the Antipain Dihydrochloride with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.

To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks).

To project the consumption of Antipain Dihydrochloride submarkets, with respect to key regions (along with their respective key countries).

To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.

To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.

About Us:

DecisionDatabases.com is a global business research report provider, enriching decision makers and strategists with qualitative statistics. DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research reports, customized research reports, company profiles and industry databases across multiple domains.

Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed.

For more details:

DecisionDatabases.com

E-Mail: sales@decisiondatabases.com

Phone: +91 90 28 057900

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Reference Source:

https://www.topnewscorner.com/global-antipain-dihydrochloride-market-report-2020-by-regions-upcoming-trends-industry-analysis-and-global-demand-till-2025/
Moldovan President Maia Sandu's administration has confirmed that she will pay her first official visit to Kyiv on January 12 and will meet with the top Ukrainian leadership, according to the website of the Presidency of the Republic of Moldova.

"On January 12, 2021, President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu will pay an official visit to Ukraine. Maia Sandu will hold an official meeting with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov," the statement reads.

The composition of the Moldovan delegation will be announced soon.

Earlier, Deputy Head of the Ukrainian President's Office, Diplomatic Adviser to the President Ihor Zhovkva announced the date for Sandu's visit to Kyiv in an article for the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia (Mirror Weekly) newspaper.

"We will start the new year by restarting bilateral relations with Moldova. President-elect Maia Sandu will pay an official visit to Ukraine on January 12. It will be her first visit since her election," he said.

Sandu said after a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Chisinau on December 10 that she was planning to visit Kyiv in January. "We reaffirmed our mutual support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of both countries. We agreed to organize a visit to Kyiv in January," Sandu wrote on her Facebook page.

Sandu also intends to visit Brussels in January. "We need to discuss a lot. Now the EU is planning how to distribute resources in the next five years, and we must clearly state what Moldova wants in its cooperation with the European Union," she said.

Sandu took office as President of Moldova on December 24, 2020, after winning the second round of the presidential election on November 15.

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Members of the All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN) have expressed disbelief over the approval of Bharat Biotech's vaccine COVAXIN

After the latest decision of DCGI to approve the vaccine jointly produced by UK-Swedish biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Oxford University as well as by Bharat Biotech for emergency use in India to immunise people against the COVID-19 virus; many experts are questioning the foundation of these approvals.

There has been ambiguity over AstraZeneca vaccine, ever since the data was published in the Lancet journal in the month of November last year proving that two full shots were 62.1% effective. AstraZeneca later announced plans to collaborate with Sputnik V whose efficacy showed to be 91.4% based on analysis of the data of the final control point of clinical trials.

Should not there be more consideration and time given here?

"According to The Lancet- In participants who received two standard doses, vaccine efficacy was 62.1% and in participants who received a low dose followed by a standard dose, efficacy was 90.0%. Overall vaccine efficacy across both groups was 70.4%. As India will possibly go by 2 full doses regimen, efficacy should have been quoted at 62.1%. The mention of the overall efficacy at 70% in this case is misleading. Moreover, AstraZeneca uses one and the same component for both inoculations, the Russian vaccine uses two different ones in two separate inoculations. Using the latter approach could prove more efficient in achieving a longer-lasting immune response, said Dr. Debkishore Gupta, Consultant Clinical Microbiologist and Head of Infection Control, CK Birla Hospitals, Kolkata.

"India has approved a full two-dose regimen with no dosing schedule specified. However, when the UK approved the same vaccine last week it was recommended that people get one dose followed by a second four to 12 weeks later in a bid to speed up the vaccination programme with officials claiming efficacy could be as high as 80 percent with three months between doses", he added.

On the other hand, members of the All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN) have expressed disbelief over the approval of Bharat Biotech's vaccine COVAXIN.

"It appears that no efficacy data for the vaccine candidate were submitted from the Phase 3 trials that are ongoing and being conducted by Bharat Biotech and ICMR.The only data for humans, available through publication pre-prints, are for safety and immunoogenicity from Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials, across a total of 755 participants. In the interest of transparency it will be in the fitness of things that the trial data on the basis of which decisions have been taken by the SEC are immediately made public", as stated by AIDAN.

In particular, the member of AIDAN have urged the DCGI to reconsider the recommendations of the SEC in granting the restricted emergency use (REU) approval to COVAXIN.

Adding to this debate is an observation by Dr Gagandeep Kang, Professor of Microbiology, at the Wellcome Trust Research Laboratory, Division of Gastrointestinal Sciences at the Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore, that there is not much awareness of any data on efficacy of the Bharat Biotech vaccine. She has openly expressed her confusion on this recent development by the government.

In response to these uncertainities, Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Biotech stated in a press conference that people should have the patience to read on the internet the published articles by the company. "Many people say that I am not transparent in my data. Our articles have been published in various international journals. Many people are gossiping, it's just a backlash against Indian companies", he added.

These recent approvals have also brought the focus on other vaccine candidates such as Sputnik V and Pfizer that might have been currently neglected by the regulatory body.

The approval of the Bharat Biotech and AstraZeneca vaccines on the primary basis will kickstart the vaccination campaign. However, in the longer run keeping in mind the demand of the largely populated country like India and Indias promises to other countries, approval of other vaccines such as Pfizer and Sputnik V which are in the queue, would also be very critical. Other players are equally important and in order to cater to the domestic and global demand, mass vaccination is the key, says Dr. Gajendra Singh, Public Health Expert.

It is interesting to note that what may have pushed AstraZeneca virologists to start work on combining their vaccines vector with that from Russias Sputnik V to see if that could help boost its vaccines efficacy. Unlike AstraZeneca, which uses one and the same component for both shots, the Russian vaccine uses two different ones for two separate inoculations and has much higher efficacy shown in Phase III clinical trials  91.4 percent", he added.

With these questions and recommendations by the experts, we hope that the government takes an informed decision for the benefit of the entire population.
Bismillah Adil Aimaq, an Afghan journalist and human rights activist was killed by unidentified gunmen in Dara-e-Taimoor village in Ghor province of Afghanistan on the first day of 2021. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its local affiliate, the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) condemn the heinous assassination and urge the government to urgently set up an independent inquiry and punish the guilty.

The assailants opened fire at Adil Aimaq , 28, editor-in-chief of Voice of Ghor radio, while he was travelling by car to return to Feroz Koh, the provincial capital after visiting his family in a nearby village. Media reported the provincial governor's spokesman, Arif Abir, saying that others who were inside the car including the journalists brother, were unharmed. The assailants immediately fled the scene. No group active in Afghanistan has so far claimed responsibility for the murder. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied their involvement.

Last week, the journalist had made public the death threat he received via Facebook. According to the AIJA, Bismillah Adil Aimaq was attacked twice in 2020. On November 8, he was attacked in his house and on November 12, he survived an assassination attempt. Despite formal complaints to police, including through the AIJA, the case was not taken seriously by the Afghanistan police. Bismillah Adel is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

Targeted killings of journalists, right activists, religious leaders and civil society activists have become more frequent in recent months as violence escalates in Afghanistan despite ongoing peace talks with the Taliban.

Adil Aimaq was the first journalist to be killed in the targeted attack in 2021 while he is the fourth journalist to be killed since the NATO and EU issued a joint statement on December 7, 2020 condemning attacks on journalists and religious leaders. Rahmatullah Nikzad, a reporter, photographer and chief of the Ghazni Journalists Union, was assassinated in the first district of Ghazni province on December 21 while on November 12, Radio Free Europe correspondent Elias Daei was killed in a targeted magnetic mine explosion in Lashkar Gah. Similalry, female reporter Malala Maiwand, and her driver Mohammad Tahir, were shot and killed when assailants opened fire on their car in December 10.

The AIJA said: The AIJA condemns the assassination and extends heartfelt condolence to the family- members of the deceased journalist Bismillah Adil Aimaq. We urge the security institutions to investigate the case and arrest the killers.

IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, said: The brutal murder of Bismillah Adil Aimaq on the first day of the 2021 indicates the fragile situation facing journalists in Afghanistan, which already saw at least eight journalists killed in 2020. The IFJ calls for an impartial investigation in to the case and for steps to be taken to punish the guilty. The IFJ once again demands that the Afghan government must increase its efforts to ensure the safety of journalists in this volatile space."
A seized South Korean-flagged tanker is escorted by Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats on the Persian Gulf (Tasnim news agency/AP)

Iran began enriching uranium up to 20% at an underground facility and seized a South Korean-flagged oil tanker in the crucial Strait of Hormuz, further escalating tensions in the Middle East between Tehran and the West.

The announcement of enrichment at Fordo came as fears rose that Tehran had seized the MT Hankuk Chemi.

Iran later acknowledged the seizure, alleging the vessels oil pollution sparked the move.

However, hours earlier, Tehran said a South Korean diplomat was expected to visit in the coming days to negotiate the release of billions of dollars in its assets now frozen in Seoul.

The dual incidents come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States in the waning days of President Donald Trumps term in office.

Expand Close A forklift carries a cylinder containing uranium hexafluoride gas for the purpose of injecting the gas into centrifuges in Irans Fordo nuclear facility (IAEA/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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During Mr Trumps tenure, the US leader unilaterally withdrew from Tehrans nuclear deal with world powers in 2018 and set off months of tense episodes that increasingly strained relations between the countries.

Iranian state television quoted spokesman Ali Rabiei as saying that President Hassan Rouhani had given the order for the move at the Fordo facility.

Irans decision to begin enriching to 20% purity a decade ago nearly triggered an Israeli strike targeting its nuclear facilities, tensions that only abated with the 2015 atomic deal.

PM Netanyahu: Iran's decision to continue violating its commitments, to raise the enrichment level & advance the industrial ability to enrich uranium underground, can't be explained in any way except as continued realization of its intention to develop a military nuclear program  PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) January 4, 2021

PM Netanyahu: "Israel will not allow Iran to manufacture nuclear weapons."  PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) January 4, 2021

A resumption of 20% enrichment could see that brinkmanship return as that level of purity is only a technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

From Israel, which has its own undeclared nuclear weapons programme, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised Irans enrichment decision, saying it cannot be explained in any way other than the continuation of realising its goal to develop a military nuclear programme.

Israel will not allow Iran to manufacture a nuclear weapon, he added.

Tehran has long maintained its nuclear programme is peaceful.

The US State Department says that as late as last year, it continued to assess that Iran is not currently engaged in key activities associated with the design and development of a nuclear weapon.

Expand Close The MT Hankuk Chemi (Tasnim agency/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Irans move comes after its parliament passed a bill, later approved by a constitutional watchdog, aimed at hiking enrichment to pressure Europe into providing sanctions relief.

It also serves as pressure ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who has said he is willing to re-enter the nuclear deal.

Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency last week that it planned to take the step.

The IAEA said that agency inspectors have been monitoring activities at Fordo and that its director-general Rafael Mariano Grossi planned to issue a report to member nations of the UN organisation later in the day.

Meanwhile, satellite data from MarineTraffic.com showed the MT Hankuk Chemi off the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on Monday afternoon, with no explanation as to the abrupt change in the vessels path.

It had been travelling from a petrochemicals facility in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, to Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.

The vessel had been carrying an unknown chemical shipment, according to data-analysis firm Refinitiv.

Calls to South Koreas Foreign Ministry and the ships listed owner, DM Shipping Co. Ltd of Busan, South Korea, were not immediately answered after business hours Monday.

Iran did not acknowledge the vessels location.

Irans semiofficial news agencies reported that authorities had arrested the crew members on the seized vessel, noting that they were citizens of Korea, Indonesia, Burma and Vietnam.

The gangas all here.@USNavy sailors perform turnaround inspections on F/A-18s aboard #USSNimitz, the flagship of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group. pic.twitter.com/TsUdyYTOei  Department of Defense  (@DeptofDefense) January 3, 2021

The Iranian report did not say how many sailors were on board, but Dryad Global, a maritime security firm, earlier said the ship had 23 sailors from Indonesia and Burma.

The vessel had been carrying 7,200 tons of ethanol, according to state TV-affiliated news sites.

The United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations, an information exchange overseen by the Royal Navy in the region, acknowledged an interaction between a merchant vessel and Iranian authorities in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all the worlds oil passes.

As a result, the merchant vessel made an alteration of course north into Irans territorial waters, the UKMTO said.

Over the past months Iran has sought to escalate pressure on South Korea to unlock some seven billion US dollars in frozen assets from oil sales earned before the Trump administration tightened sanctions on the countrys oil exports.

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Commander Rebecca Rebarich, a spokeswoman for the US Navys Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet, said authorities there were aware and monitoring the situation.

Irans announcement coincides with the anniversary of the US drone strike killing Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad last year.

Iran responded by launching a ballistic missiles at US bases in Iraq, injuring dozens of US troops.

Tehran also accidentally shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet that night, killing all 176 people on board.

As the anniversary approached and fears grew of possible Iranian retaliation, the US dispatched B-52 bombers over the region and ordered a nuclear-powered submarine into the Persian Gulf.

In a further sign of US-Iran tension, acting US defence secretary Christopher Miller announced that he changed his mind about sending the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz home from the Middle East and instead will keep the vessel on duty.

He cited Iranian threats against Mr Trump and other US government officials as the reason for the redeployment, without elaborating.

Last week, sailors discovered a limpet mine stuck on a tanker in the Persian Gulf off Iraq near the Iranian border as it prepared to transfer fuel to another tanker owned by a company traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

No one has claimed responsibility for the mining, though it comes after a series of similar attacks in 2019 near the Strait of Hormuz that the US Navy blamed on Iran.

Tehran denied involvement.

In November, an Iranian scientist who founded the countrys military nuclear programme two decades earlier was killed in an attack that Tehran blames on Israel.

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Customers dined along Manhattan Beach Boulevard before the shutdown in December. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

After Los Angeles County ordered restaurants to suspend outdoor dining in December because of a surge in coronavirus cases, the city of Manhattan Beach turned its outdoor dining areas into public seating where people could potentially eat during the holidays.

But on Sunday night, city officials announced that they would close the public seating areas following a record number of coronavirus cases in the coastal town.

Manhattan Beach City Manager Bruce Moe said in a written statement that the city has seen cases nearly double to 821 from 421 on Nov. 1. The daily count of new cases on Sunday was 26, a record for the city.

Restaurants remain open for takeout and delivery only, per the county order.

We must continue to respond to the ever-changing dynamics of this pandemic. We are asking residents to stay home if possible and mainly go out for work and essentials or to exercise outdoors, said Mayor Suzanne Hadley in Sunday's statement. This recent spike in the virus is significant, despite the good news last month of our Manhattan Beach firefighters receiving some of the first COVID-19 vaccinations."

Manhattan Beach officials are also concerned about the new, potentially more contagious coronavirus strain that has arrived in California. The most recent case was detected in Big Bear, bringing the total number statewide to at least six. While the new strain is more transmissable, experts say theres no evidence that it is deadlier, causes more severe illness or renders existing vaccines ineffective.

"With a new mutant strain of COVID now present in California, which is reportedly more easily spread than the original virus, we must continue to strive to reduce virus transmission," Manhattan Beach officials said in their statement.

Manhattan Beach's move to turn outdoor dining areas into public seating came after the county's order prohibiting outdoor dining at restaurants, breweries and wineries. The order was implemented due to the November surge in coronavirus cases.

In order to use the public seating areas, people were required to wear face coverings, practice social distancing and refrain from gathering with those from outside their household. Alcohol consumption was prohibited.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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Unlike some neighbouring Central Asian countries, Kyrgyzstan has developed an open telecom sector that has encouraged foreign and domestic investors.

The mobile platform accounts for the vast majority of voice and internet connections. The limited and declining number of fixed telephone lines has restricted the development of fixed broadband services, which has encouraged the mobile network operators to continue to invest in network upgrades. As a result, LTE services are available to about 99% of the population, while fixed-line networks only cover about 70%.

The number of mobile broadband subscribers has grown steadily in recent years, though as with the mobile sector it is expected that the pandemic will severely impact on this growth at least into 2021. From 2022 it is expected that growth will be stronger as subscribers respond to improved network capabilities. The network operators failed to show any interest in a spectrum auction to be held in September 2020 which was cancelled as a result.

BuddeComm notes that the outbreak of the Coronavirus in 2020 is having a significant impact on production and supply chains globally. During the coming year the telecoms sector to various degrees is likely to experience a downturn in mobile device production, while it may also be difficult for network operators to manage workflows when maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructure. Overall progress towards 5G may be postponed or slowed down in some countries.

On the consumer side, spending on telecoms services and devices is under pressure from the financial effect of large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes. However, the crucial nature of telecom services, both for general communication as well as a tool for home-working, will offset such pressures. In many markets the net effect should be a steady though reduced increased in subscriber growth.

Although it is challenging to predict and interpret the long-term impacts of the crisis as it develops, these have been acknowledged in the industry forecasts contained in this report.

The report also covers the responses of the telecom operators as well as government agencies and regulators as they react to the crisis to ensure that citizens can continue to make optimum use of telecom services. This can be reflected in subsidy schemes and the promotion of tele-health and tele-education, among other solutions.

Key developments:

Nur Telecoms LTE infrastructure expanded to cover 99% of the population;

State Communications Authoritys 2.3GHz spectrum auction fails to attract bids;

Fixed telephony continues its decline as customers migrate to the mobile platform;

SCA agrees to make available spectrum in the 3.3-5GHz, 2.425-2.95GHz and 3.7-4GHz ranges for mobile services;

Report update includes an assessment of the global impact of Covid-19 on the telecoms sector, telecom maturity Index charts and analyses, regulators market data for 2019, recent market developments.

Get a Full Copy of this Report

Developing Telecoms market report summaries are produced in partnership with BuddeCom, the worlds largest continually updated online telecommunications research service.

The above article is a summary of the following BuddeCom report:

Report title: Kyrgyzstan - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Edition: October 2020

Analyst: Sebastien De Rosbo

Contributing Analysts: Peter Evans, Phil Harpur

Number of pages: 78

Single User PDF Licence Price: US$750

For more information or to purchase a copy of the full report please use the following link: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Kyrgyzstan-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?r=83
(Natural News) A Nevada journalist found that the states signature verification process for mail-in ballots has an 89 percent failure rate, raising concerns regarding the strength of Nevadas anti-fraud security measures.

Victor Joecks, a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal conducted the experiment that found the staggeringly-high failure rate. According to Nevada state law, all mail-in ballots must have the signature of the voter on the ballot return envelope.

This signature is used to authenticate the voter and confirm that it was actually the voter and not another person who returned the mail ballot, reads a guide on the Nevada state website. (Related: Improper signature verification setting compromised 200,000 Nevada ballots, former attorney general warns.)

In his experiment, he got nine people to volunteer. Joecks wrote their names in cursive using his own handwriting, and the nine people then copied his version of their name onto their ballot envelope. Joecks had to do this two-step process to ensure nobody would break any state or federal laws.

During an interview with Clark County Registrar Joe Gloria, Joecks asked what would happen if a ballot was signed by somebody else. Gloria said that the signature will be able to verify the voters true identity.

When asked if they were confident in their security measures, Gloria said, Im confident that the process has been working throughout this process.

Unfortunately for Gloria, election officials accepted eight of the nine ballots. This means that the states signature verification process has an 89 percent failure rate.

Joecks has accused Clark County officials of not working proactively to figure out the extent to which unscrupulous actors have abused the vulnerability of their mail-in ballots. The County Registrars office, Joecks notes, has no investigatory team that can handle such cases of widespread voter fraud.

Willful ignorance isnt an election security strategy, said Joecks. Its clear signature verification isnt the fail-safe security check election officials made it out to be.

Listen to this episode of the Health Ranger Report, a podcast by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as he tells the American public to not allow the Democratic Party to get away with the massive voter and election fraud that they have orchestrated this election. If they do, he warns, they will steal every future election, and no election in the United States will ever be considered fair or free.

Nevada Republicans already calling for fresh elections amid allegations of voter fraud

Leave aside the presidential race, said Joecks. Fewer than 200 votes separate the leading candidates in senate district five. In 2018, state Sen. Keith Pickard won his race by 24 votes. Even small amounts of fraud can swing results.

This fact has not been lost on Nevada Republicans. Over allegations of massive voter fraud, congressional and state senate candidates have already filed a lawsuit seeking an emergency injunction. They are asking the judiciary to call for new elections.

Republican congressional candidate Jim Marchant lost to incumbent Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford. GOP state senate candidate April Becker also lost to Democratic state Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro. Their attorneys have filed a lawsuit with the Clark County District Court on Monday, Nov. 16.

Marchant is projected to lose by over 16,000 votes. Becker, on the other hand, lost to the incumbent by just 631 votes.

Marchant and Becker are arguing that the signature verification machines that were used to assess a percentage of the mail-in ballots violates the intentions of state law, which requires all ballots to be verified by human employees. They further assert that the plan put in place by state officials to allow for the observation of mail-in ballots was insufficient.

The complaint cites several issues with mail-in ballots, including an affidavit from a member of the Clark County counting board who testified that ballot counters did not care about verifying signatures and other irregularities.

Craig Mueller, one of the attorneys, wrote that due to the instances of voter fraud, including from 19 individuals who they claim were able to cast in-person votes despite having sent in their mail-in ballots, a new election is necessary. He adds that this redo election must put limitations on mail-in ballots due to the fraudulent signature verification process.

Learn more about voter and election fraud allegations and lawsuits in states like Nevada by reading the latest articles at VoteFraud.news.

Sources include:

WesternJournal.com

ReviewJournal.com

TheNevadaIndependent.com

USAToday.com
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Navi Mumbai: Heaps of onions at UP State Warehouse in Navi Mumbai, Monday, Sept 23, 2019. Onion prices are spiralling across the country, reportedly, due to shortage of supply. (PTI Photo) (PTI9_23_2019_000148B)

Though the Union government lifted the ban on onion exports from January 1 that was imposed from September 14, demand for it from importers is limited as competing nations have taken advantage of India's absence from the global market.

Countries that buy from India are now having surplus supply. Competitors such as Turkey, Egypt, and Holland have cashed in, said Madran Prakash, Director of Chennai-based Agricultural produce exporting firm Rajathi Group.

Sri Lanka, one of the main buyers of Indian onion, has 700-plus containers with onion from these countries. In the Philippines, about 2,000 containers have landed, Prakash said.

The market was good ten days ago, just before the Government announced the lifting of the export ban. Since then, prices have dropped in the global market, the Chennai-based export firm official said.

The export ban was lifted only from January 1. Hardly a week has got over. The trade, which ties up with importers, has not been able to supply during the last 3-4 months, said Dr PK Gupta, Acting Director, National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF), Nashik.

The trade will take time to renew their tie-ups, he said, adding: once that happens, exports will improve gradually.

Nashik District Onion Traders Association chairman Sohanlal Bhandari said that enquiries were being made for exports.

Trade sources said that Indias absence from the global onion market saw even those not connected with the commodity turn importers abroad.

For example, a cement importer in Sri Lanka turned an onion buyer, saying that there were good prospects in dealing with the vegetable.

Nashik trader Sushant Musale said that export demand was lukewarm as prices of Indian onion were higher.

Since the Centre announced the lifting of the ban on December 28, prices have increased by Rs 600-750 a quintal in Maharashtras Nashik district, the hub of onion trade, for the new onions.

On January 4, new onions were mostly traded between Rs 2,370 and Rs 2,500 in the district compared with Rs 1,550-1,750 a week ago.

We are getting packed cargo at Rs 28-29 a kg in Mumbai, said Prakash.

Bhandari and Musale said prices ranged between Rs 2,500 and Rs 2,900 a quintal for new onions currently.

Prices of old Rabi onions harvested in April last year are ruling around Rs 1,500 a quintal, up Rs 150 since last week.

Onions from old stocks are priced lower due to presence of black spots on them, Prakash said.

NHRDFs Gupta said onions have begun to arrive much faster now with a good late Kharif crop aiding arrivals.

Musale said arrivals will continue to be higher as the harvest of the late Kharif onion continues.

Agriculture Ministry data showed that arrivals of onion last month in Maharashtra were 3.19 lakh tonnes compared with 2.28 lakh tonnes in November. In December 2019, arrivals were 3.41 lakh tonnes and 2.07 lakh tonnes in November.

Onion prices had surged to Rs 100 kg in retail outlets across the country in the third and fourth weeks of October after rains under the influence of the South-West Monsoon affected the crops in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

Besides, a shortage of onion seeds and the onset of Anthronose and Twister bacteria in the crop also impacted the prices.

In order to hold the prices on the leash, the Centre banned exports and allowed duty-free imports of onions.

These measures paid dividends as onion prices crashed. With arrivals rising, farmers demanded the lifting of the ban, particularly after imports were permitted till the end of this month.

NHRDFs Gupta said that the sowing of the current Rabi crop was good and transplanting of the seedlings was on.

Onion in India is grown in three seasons  Kharif (summer), late Kharif and Rabi (winter). Kharif onions begin arriving in September, late Kharif after November and rabi from April onwards.
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese puts questions to the Prime Minister Scott Morrison during Question Time in the House of Representatives in Canberra, Australia on Feb 5. (Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)

Labor Concerned Over JobKeeper Reduction, But Treasurer Says Fewer Need Support

National Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has expressed concern about the reduction from Jan. 4 of the JobKeeper wage subsidy schemea federal government measure to cushion the economic impact of the CCP virus.

The economic measure was put in place when the pandemic first struck Australia and was intended to help businesses keep workers on the books.

Albanese told the ABC that while JobKeeper should be phased out, it will remove critical support from the economy to do it now.

The withdrawal of support when were still very much dealing with the economic impact of this crisis is premature, Albanese said.

But the support is being tapered off, not withdrawn.

JobKeeper was initially legislated to be in place until Sept. 28, 2020, but was extended until March 28, 2021, in two stages, and at reduced amounts.

At first, the wage subsidy provided businesses $1500 per fortnight, per employee during the height of the Australian outbreak.

After the Sept. 28 extension, it was reduced to $1200 ($750 for tier 2), and now it has been reduced to $1000 ($650 for tier 2).

A Covid-19 digital sign is seen on Dee Why beachfront in Sydney, Australia on Dec. 19, 2020. (Lee Hulsman/Getty Images)

Although the current tapering of the JobKeeper rates has been planned for months, the final phase of reductions comes as parts of New South Wales, and Victoria are experiencing fresh outbreaks of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus (novel coronavirus).

The Guardian reported that Labor finance spokeswoman Katy Gallagher said 1.6 million Australians relied on the payment.

These cuts will reduce critical support from the economy including from small businesses, regional communities, and vulnerable Australians at a time of heightened uncertainty and new COVID-19 outbreaks, she said.

The reduction comes as 2.2 million Australians are looking for work or more work, and government figures show unemployment is expected to hit 7.5 percent in the March quarter.

Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg speaks to the media during a press conference in Melbourne, Australia, Sept. 28, 2018. (AAP/David Crosling/via Reuters)

But Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said that fewer businesses need the support. He also noted that the government has always said that JobKeeper was a temporary measure designed to taper off as economic confidence and momentum builds.

Were seeing that through the 734,000 jobs created over the last six months, with fewer businesses and their employees in need of JobKeeper and other temporary economic support, Frydenberg said.

He said the governments economic recovery plan also included a range of stimulus measures to keep Australians in jobs and business in business, including personal income tax cuts and the JobMaker hiring credit.

With our economic recovery well underway, Australians have cause for optimism and hope as we emerge from the COVID-19 recession, he said.

That said, outbreaks of the CCP virus are impacting businesses during peak tourist seasons, particularly in parts of Sydney and surrounding regions.

Labor industrial relations spokesman Tony Burke said there was added stress on businesses during the Christmas and New Year.

Many business owners are seeing holiday bookings cancelled or empty tables in their cafes and restaurants at what is usually their busiest time of the year, he said.

AAP contributed to this article.
Pennsylvania has given COVID-19 vaccine to about 135,000 people and expects to receive about 250,000 more doses this week.

However, the doses are being allocated by the federal government at a pace that does fluctuate from week to week, potentially interfering with the pace of vaccination, state Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said Monday.

That means, with Pennsylvania still far from the end of vaccinating health care workers, emergency responders and the most vulnerable, it will take months before vaccine is freely available to the general public, Levine said.

Levine further said it means everyone must continue to social distance and take the other recommended steps to prevent spread of COVID-19.

We cannot let our guard down. We must continue to follow and to demonstrate our personal and collective responsibility to each other to prevent the spread of this virus, she said.

Overall, Levine gave an upbeat assessment of Pennsylvanias vaccine rollout, which began three weeks ago. She did so even as some national experts have become critical of the Trump administrations progress, which fell well short of a goal of vaccinating 20 million Americans by the end of 2020.

In addition to vaccination of thousands of hospital workers, Levine said vaccinations have been completed at 115 skilled nursing homes. She noted vaccination at those facilities is being handled by pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens under federal contracts, and the state expects to soon receive data on how many have been vaccinated at the facilities. Pennsylvania has nearly 700 skilled nursing homes.

She further said as of this week health care systems, which have received the bulk of the vaccine, are being required to reach out to local non-hospital health care workers, such as ambulance workers, and offer them vaccine. Levine has ordered the health care systems to set aside ten percent of their doses for those health care workers.

Levine on Monday said she is aware of no instances of COVID-19 vaccine, which requires extra-cold storage, being allowed to spoil and go to waste in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania is following a multi-phase plan that begins with vaccinating doctors, nurses and others who work with COVID-19 patients at hospitals. Next come additional front-line health care workers and first responders, as well as nursing home caregivers and nursing home residents who are at highest risk because of their age and medical conditions.

Meanwhile, two vaccine manufacturers which have received emergency approval for their vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, are essentially manufacturing vaccine as fast as it can be shipped.

Eventually, after all essential and high-risk groups have been vaccinated  and provided vaccine manufacturers reach their goals  Pennsylvania plans to have mass vaccination sites at places such as chain pharmacies to vaccinate the general public.

Keep in mind, the vaccine available so far requires two doses taken about three weeks apart to be fully effective. The federal government has been holding back the second doses; about 98,000 of the doses arriving in Pennsylvania this week will be used for second doses.

COVID-19 vaccine isnt mandatory for anyone, including front line health care workers. Levine on Monday had no data but said she has heard that some health care workers have refused, including some who work at nursing homes.

It is so important for everyone to realize that these vaccines have gone through very rigorous testing  these vaccines are safe and theyre effective, Levine said. I would encourage everyone that, if you have the ability to get the vaccine, as part of [the first phase] and other phases later, please do so, because thats how were going to stop the spread.
NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ACCESS, American Jewish Committee's young professionals network, and the Mimouna Association, an organization of young Moroccan Muslim leaders, are partnering to educate and build ties among their American, Israeli, and Moroccan peers.

The two organizations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that focuses on:

Annual joint missions to Israel and Morocco

and Convening virtual conferences on Jewish heritage and regional cooperation

Creating English and Arabic videos highlighting diversity and commonalities between Jewish and Arab peoples

Cooperation between AJC ACCESS and the Mimouna Association began in 2014, and centered on the importance of Jewish heritage to Moroccan identity and culture. In 2017, the two organizations held a conference in Essaouira, Morocco, to discuss interfaith approaches to advancing common understanding in the Middle East. A follow-up conference in 2018 examined the importance of education and social media in promoting interfaith cooperation.

"Two thousand five hundred years of Jewish history in Morocco has created unique ties between Morocco and the Jewish people," said Mimouna Association President Elmehdi Boudra. "AJC has been a committed partner of ours for many years. Together we are looking forward to strengthening the natural bonds between our communities and enriching the new period of engagement between Israel and Morocco."

Founded in 2007, Mimouna seeks to educate the Moroccan people about the Jewish culture and encourage harmony between Jews and Muslims. Since 2015, the Mimouna Association has participated in all AJC Global Forums, including in Jerusalem in 2018.

AJC ACCESS Director Dana Steiner said, "Formalizing relations between our two organizations will allow our young professionals to unite and work toward creating positive shifts between Jews and Arabs. There is no better organization with which to accomplish this goal than the Mimouna Association."

AJC delegations have been visiting Morocco regularly for decades. Last month, Morocco, home to a Jewish community that once numbered more than 300,000 and today remains the largest in the Arab world, became the sixth Arab country to normalize ties with Israel.

AJC for years has enjoyed an international association agreement with the Communaute Israelite du Maroc, the umbrella body of Moroccan Jewry, and consults and coordinates with its Secretary-General, Amb. Serge Berdugo, on communal, interreligious, and regional issues.

Building upon this vital foundation, AJC ACCESS and Mimouna will strive through their new partnership to usher in the next generation of cooperation and understanding among young Jews and Muslims.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org


Illinois can't force kids ministry to pay unemployment taxes, court rules

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A Christian afterschool ministry tied to The Moody Church in Chicago is sufficiently religious enough to qualify for an exemption from having to pay into a state insurance program, an appeals court ruled last week.

A three-judge panel of the Appellate Court of Illinois on Wednesday upheld a lower court decision and ruled 2-1 that the By The Hand Club for Kids should have been given an exemption to the states Unemployment Insurance Act.

The Illinois Department of Employment Securitys Board of Review concluded in 2017 that the By The Hand Club was not eligible for an exemption to the state unemployment insurance system.

In the majority opinion authored by Justice Margaret McBride, the court ruled that the board of review failed to recognize the pervasive religious nature of the student club.

This included the club requiring members and staff to be Christian, hosting Bible studies and chapel services and leading field trips to faith-based events like Christian music concerts.

The advancement of religion is unquestionably the stated primary purpose of the afterschool program; religion pervades every aspect of the program, and income from various donors enables By The Hand to operate entirely free-of-charge to the children rather than as a commercial enterprise with an eye toward profit, wrote McBride.

The Boards decision to the contrary is clearly erroneous. Based upon the law and record, we are left with a firm and definite conviction that a mistake has been made.

Justice Cynthia Cobbs authored a dissenting opinion, arguing that By The Hand should not be exempted since the ministry mostly performs secular activities like providing meals for underprivileged children and academic assistance.

It is clear that Christian ideals are promoted throughout the program. It is equally clear that a good many of the programs activities are secular in nature and are specifically geared towards education assistance with a focus on literacy, wrote Cobbs.

By The Hands recruitment effort offers tutoring to a targeted population of students deficient in reading skills, with information provided to its potential participants that religious training is a component of the program. Not the other way around.

Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Jeremiah Galus, who helped represent By The Hand,said in a statement released last Thursday that he was thankful for the ruling.

Were thankful that the Illinois Appellate Court has rejected the states flawed arguments and recognized that By The Hands provision of free food, free medical care, and free education is an act of worship, a genuine exercise of faith, stated Galus.

The state agency truly erred by recharacterizing them as secular activities and were hopeful that the courts important decision motivates other state governments to respect their faith-based allies and the important ways ministries serve under-resourced communities.

In 2016, Kim Wimberly, who formerly served as human resources director and volunteer coordinator, left the nonprofit and applied for unemployment compensation.

By The Hand rejected the request, arguing first that Wimberly left voluntarily and thus was ineligible to receive such benefits, and then that, as a religious group, they were exempted from paying unemployment taxes.

In March 2017, the Illinois Department of Employment Security held a hearing and concluded that By The Hand was not eligible for the religious exemption given their secular activities.

The club filed a complaint in response with Cook County Circuit Court Judge James M. McGing, who reversed the decision of the board in an order issued in July 2018.

Plaintiff is organized primarily for religious purposes as that term is understood in the Act. The Board clearly erred when it substituted its own judgment of religious purpose for Plaintiffs, concluded McGing.
Presidenta del Consejo de Ministros: Toda la ciudadania tiene que entender que la pandemia continua. Es necesario acudir a la posta a las primeras senales de alerta para que se nos oriente en el cuidado y no llegar al limite de buscar una cama UCI.
A self-pardon has precisely the same effect  albeit for the far more important class of criminal laws. These constrain the president from self-dealing with official power, the use of surveillance and violence against political foes or even selling secrets to foreign powers. A president need only reserve a self-pardon for the end of his or her term, and none of these laws will have any bite. For presidents cannot be prosecuted during their term, consistent with present Justice Department policy. Knowing that an eve-of-inauguration day self-pardon awaited, a president simply has no reason to fear the criminal law. This includes, of course, potentially illegal efforts to subvert election outcomes that go against his interests.
Senior HKSAR gov't official stresses "zero increase" as new COVID-19 cases drop

HONG KONG, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Matthew Cheung, chief secretary for administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, said on Sunday that the number of COVID-19 cases might rebound after holidays even though there's been a decline in cases recently.

In his weekly blog article, Cheung said the HKSAR government is doing whatever it could to curb the pandemic and achieve "zero increase" in new cases as soon as possible.

He also said that the government is striving for the early supply of vaccines, and urged all Hong Kong residents to take the jabs actively.

Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported 41 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, taking its tally to 8,964.

The new cases included 40 local infections, with 16 cases of unknown origin.

According to Hong Kong's Hospital Authority, 733 COVID-19 patients are currently being treated in public hospitals and the community treatment facility at AsiaWorld-Expo, and 49 patients are in critical condition.
Before Covid-19 came along, I was used to travelling more than 42 weeks a year. In the last eight months, I havent travelled further than my local grocery store. Yet, at the same time, I have had a ringside seat to a global crisis that is altering the course of an entire generation, with businesses in every sector, in every country, significantly impacted.



As businesses adapt to the market dynamics of what many are calling the new normal, it is time for them to consider their future in an emerging world beyond what we already know today: a future that is going to be our next normal.



The pandemic has forced many enterprises to re-think how they measure their success and performance. Before Covid-19, most businesses focused largely on managing profitability and growth. What this crisis has revealed is the importance of adaptability, resilience, and sustainability in its broadest sense.



We are all familiar with the huge challenges related to climate change. As per the United Nations (UN), we have entered the decade of action. A window of eight to ten years where as individuals and organizations we can still make the necessary changes to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. Sustainability, however, goes beyond environmental issues. It also has to do with promoting healthy and safe places to live, reducing inequality and ensuring accessible education for all, as embodied in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).



For many businesses right now, this expanded concept of sustainability has taken on a larger meaning. Even before the pandemic, businesses were being challenged to measure sustainability and business success more holistically, in a way that connects the classic triple bottom line elements of economic, social and environmental impacts.



Right now, the conversations I am having with many business leaders in our region focus on how enterprises will navigate uncertainty while building resilience and creating truly sustainable models that are fit for a post-pandemic economy  the next normal. If Covid-19 has done anything, it has not only significantly accelerated many companies goal of becoming truly sustainable, it has also led them to understand their sustainability advantage. And it will undoubtedly be sustainable businesses that attract funding, trade and consumer attention in the future.



So how do organizations realize their sustainability advantage? I have long believed in  and evangelized about  the business-critical role of technology in helping organizations achieve their goals and create lasting value. And the only way to achieve that is by streamlining business processes with emerging technologies to create an integrated, data-driven management and operational platform. Businesses that achieve this become Intelligent Enterprises.



During the darkest moments of the numerous Covid-19 lockdowns across the world, we saw automotive manufacturers start making ventilators, wineries producing high-quality hand sanitizer and thread manufacturers turn their hands to personal protective equipment. It certainly wasnt their core business. But they understood it was in line with their brand purpose, what their customers expected and how they could take action to help those in need. They were able to reconfigure themselves to adapt to market conditions and explore new business models, to scale up or down, and remain focused on their customers and employees.



In the midst of the pandemic, we saw the UAE-based agribusiness, Al Dahra, centralize its procurement functions to secure supply and faster delivery, and locate new suppliers to meet increased demand. Faced with huge project delays, Italian industrial engineering leader De Nora pivoted to a remote delivery model to ensure a successful water treatment systems implementation in the US. The Morocco Ministry of Health set up an SAP Digital Boardroom in just two weeks to provide real-time Covid-19 monitoring and tracking.



These businesses didnt get lucky or happen to be in the right place at the right time. They were able to make decisions based on real-time, contextual data from their operations, and combine that with customer and employee demands and experiences, to deliver great business outcomes. If anything, they are now better businesses than before the pandemic struck.



What this pandemic has shown us is that Intelligent Enterprises are, by definition, resilient and sustainable. This resilience allows them to address challenges holistically, while continuing to make a positive impact in their communities and the world in general. Even by the UN Development Programme expanded definition of sustainability, Intelligent Enterprises have the unique ability to become sustainable organizations because they are able to make quick, data-driven decisions along the entire value and supply chain.



Realizing true sustainability in a post-pandemic world is about knowing where the customers and stakeholders are, what they need right now, and how you can best serve them with appropriate products and services. Its knowing where the raw materials are and being able to pivot to new sources of supply when one closes off. Its about building sustainable talent pools for staffing in the face of rolling lockdowns and taking a new approach to travel as travel bans start lifting.



Most of all, its about using technology to build resilience, innovate and thrive. So when the next crisis comes along, your business will not only be better prepared to weather the storm, but identify and capitalize on moments of opportunity.



Now thats a next normal we can all get behind.



About the author



Claudio Muruzabal is President for Southern Europe, Middle East, and Africa at SAP, a market leader in enterprise application software.
Close

After the success of Chang'e-5 lunar mission, China sent a recovery team whose members wore exoskeletons to set up a temporary communication base to connect with the headquarters of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) located in Beijing.

The exoskeletons wore by the recovery team were last seen being used by Chinese soldiers in the Himalayas. The exoskeletons have also helped the members of the recovery team to trudge through the deep snows of Inner Mongolia.

China's Chang'e-5 lunar mission successfully brought back some lunar samples and the capsule landed back to Earth in Inner Mongolia during the early hours of Thursday, December 17.

Iron Man-Like Recovery Team

As soon as the capsule from Chang'e-5 lunar mission landed on Earth, members of the recovery team wearing an exoskeleton were immediately sent to recover the capsule carrying lunar samples.

The team was carrying the gear needed to create a temporary communication facility on the landing site in Inner Mongolia. The South China Morning Post reported that the task would have been harder if not for the exoskeletons the team was wearing.

One of the operators carrying a 50kg (110lb) pack said that he would have been easily exhausted after walking 20 to 30 meters through the frosty terrain to the site if it were not for the iron man-like suit. Overall, they needed to walk over 100 meters to reach the capsule of the Chang'e-5.

According to the state media, the exoskeletons have helped the members of the team carry more than twice of what they can carry compared to not having worn the wearable machines.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: China Moon Mission Attempts to Return to Earth First Lunar Rocks in Four Decades

Race to Producing Powered Armors

Previously, there have been reports that China has joined the United States and Russia in the race to creating and producing powered armors or exoskeleton suits, according to EurAsian Times.

There have been reports of China testing its invented exoskeletons last September and then in November. There have even video clips in this claim which was released by the China Central Television 7 (CCTV 7). The video showed that the troops of the People's Liberation Army at the Wuxi Joint Logistic Support Center in China has been using the exoskeletons to carry crates weighing 80 kg (175 pounds).

The Human Function Enhancement Technology Research Centre designed the exoskeletons specifically for soldiers working at high altitudes, like in the Himalayas, to enhance their performance.

The center's director Zhang Lijiang said that wearing the machine, which weighs about 4kg, could save the person around 10% of their energy while crying a 25kg load at high altitude.

Moreover, Global Times has reported that the production of all types of exoskeletons, may it be powered or non-powered, rigid, or flexible, lower-body, or full-body has already been happening across the country.

But unlike the exoskeletons in other countries, the one used by China does not have an active power source. This allowed the exoskeletons to keep on working despite being on high altitudes as the wearer would not have to worry about the bad weather that could cause the devices to fall, said Hong Kong physiotherapist Cecilia Chan.







READ MORE: Chang'e-5 Moon Probe Returns With New Photos of the Moon



Check out more news and information on Lunar Mission on Science Times.




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A day after Uttarakhand urban development minister Madan Kaushik wrote a four-page open letter to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) senior leader and Delhi deputy chief minister (CM) Manish Sisodia calling him a tourist politician, Sisodia on Monday alleged that Kaushik ran away from the debate as he had nothing to talk about on development in Uttarakhand.

Sisodia had reached Dehradun for the open debate challenge on Monday on which he had earlier written an open letter to Kaushik. Sisodia, during his first visit to Dehradun last month, had asked the Trivendra Singh Rawat-led BJP government to list only five development works in its three-and-a-half years of tenure so far.

Also Read: Most parents dont want schools to begin until April: Survey

To that Kaushik had said that he could list not just five but over 100 such works in a debate not in Uttarakhand but AAPs den, Delhi. Following that, Sisodia had said that he would be in Dehradun on January 4 for the one-on-one debate with Kaushik. Sisodia reached the pre-decided auditorium for the debate on Monday morning but Kaushik didnt appear.

After Kaushik accepted the debate challenge, I was happy that this would be good for a healthy democracy as leaders from two different governments would come face to face before the public and talk of their development works. But by not coming today [Monday], Kaushik seems to have run away from the debate, said Sisodia.

Alleging that Kaushik didnt come because he had no development work to list, Sisodia said the BJP government has done nothing for the people of state.

The 100 programmes that Kaushik was talking about must be only on paper. If they would have been implemented, then Kaushik would have come here today [Monday]. He didnt come because none of the programmes have been implemented, said Sisodia.

Addressing the gathering of AAP workers in the auditorium, the Delhi deputy CM termed BJP governance as the sting model of governance in a jibe on a sting on alleged corruption allegations on CM Rawat.

While our governance model in Delhi is the [Arvind] Kejriwal model of governance, the one here in Uttarakhand is the sting model of governance. We have worked to improve Delhis schools, hospitals, power and water supply and to generate jobs. All this cant be done by the BJP government because it is neck deep in corruption and focussing on stings, said Sisodia.

During the event, he asked the AAP workers to prepare for the 2022 assembly elections.

It is clear that the contest in 2022 would be between BJP and AAP and nobody else because it is only the AAP which can fulfil the dreams of Uttarakhand, said Sisodia.

He also invited Kaushik to Delhi on January 6 for the debate. If he comes to Delhi, then I will show him our works in education, health, power, water, women security and others.

Despite several attempts, Kaushik couldnt be contacted for a reply.

BJP state vice-president Devendra Bhasin meanwhile, termed the debate challenge in the auditorium as mere drama.

AAP and Sisodia did drama there by putting up their hoardings and gathering their own party members. They are not serious in state politics. We are always ready for a debate in a neutral forum and with a serious environment, said Bhasin.

Countering Sisodias sting model of governance jibe, Bhasin said, Kejriwals model of governance is tell lies and spread misconceptions. Their governance is also of betraying their own like what they did to Anna Hazare.
In an hour-long telephone conversation Saturday, leaked to the media and first made public Sunday by the Washington Post, President Donald Trump tried to bully the Georgia secretary of state into overturning the result of the presidential election in his state, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden.

I just want to find 11,780 votes, Trump told Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia official. That is one more than the margin of 11,779 votes by which Biden won the states 16 electoral votes. Raffensperger rejected the plea, declaring that he stood by the result of the vote, which has been recounted twice, including a hand recount of all ballots run through voting machines.

Trump threatened Raffensperger and his general counsel, Ryan Germany, with criminal prosecution for allegedly covering up acts of vote fraud in their state. He claimed that he had actually won the state by hundreds of thousands of votes, and that a defeat there was impossible. The people of Georgia are angry, the people in the country are angry, he declared. And theres nothing wrong with saying, you know, um, that youve recalculated. Raffensperger responded: Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong.

Donald Trump (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Trump used the language of a Mafia gangster in referring to a female election worker in Fulton County (Atlanta), who has been demonized on right-wing social media and repeatedly threatened after false allegations by the Trump campaign that she had triple-counted a stack of ballots from the heavily Democratic area.

After Raffensperger reiterated that there was no evidence of such actions and that Trump was mistaken, the president responded:

So what are we going to do here folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break. You know, we have that in spades already. Or we can keep it going but thats not fair to the voters of Georgia because theyre going to see what happened and theyre going to see what happened. I mean, Ill, Ill take on to anybody you want with regard to [name of election worker] and her lovely daughter, a very lovely young lady, Im sure.

This is nothing less than a threat of physical violence against the election workerwhose name has been withheldand her child, coming from the president of the United States, the commander-in-chief of a vast military and police apparatus, as well as the leader of the Republican Party, which has increasingly taken on the coloration of a fascist movement.

Who leaked the tape of the telephone conversation has not been made public. It could well have been officials on the Georgia end of the call, seeking to insure themselves against Trump putting his violent threats into practice. Equally likely, the leak could come from within the military-intelligence apparatus itself, which monitors all US telephone conversations and previously leaked Trumps phone call to the president of Ukraine, which led to his impeachment a year ago.

Whatever its source, the tape is ample evidenceif more were neededfor the indictment and prosecution of Donald Trump for conspiracy to overthrow the US Constitution and establish a presidential dictatorship. His co-conspirators would include White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who participated in the call, and several Trump campaign lawyers and aides.

Joining in as accomplices are a majority of congressional Republicans in Washington. As of Sunday, at least 140 Republican members of the House of Representatives had announced they would support a challenge of electoral votes cast by several states when Congress meets in a joint session January 6 to receive and count the ballots.

A dozen Republican senators have issued statements saying they would support such a challenge as well. Under the Constitution, any challenge to the electoral votes of any state must be supported by at least one member of the House and one member of the Senate. The two houses then must meet separately and vote on the challenges. These are expected to fail, given that Democrats have a majority in the House and many Republicans in the Senate have already conceded Bidens victory.

But it is unprecedented in American history for a sitting president to refuse to concede after a near-landslide defeat, by a margin of seven million votes, and for the majority of his party to treat the election as illegitimate and seek to overturn it.

The statements issued by Republican congressmen and senators backing Trumps challenge to the election have openly espoused an authoritarian political perspective. The lawsuit filed by Representative Louie Gohmert of Texas, for example, declared that Vice President Pence, who will act as presiding officer at Wednesdays joint session of Congress, has the authority to throw out a states electors and choose a competing slate, or discard a states electoral votes entirely.

The extraordinary level of tension within US ruling circles is revealed by the letter published Sunday evening, also in the Washington Post, by all 10 living secretaries of defense, rejecting Trumps claims of fraud and calling on Congress to engage in the formal counting of votes Wednesday and confirm Bidens victory in the Electoral College.

The bulk of the statement is directed to top civilian officials and military officers, warning them against any interference in the election. Efforts to involve the US armed forces in resolving election disputes would take us into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory, the statement reads. Civilian and military officials who direct or carry out such measures would be accountable, including potentially facing criminal penalties, for the grave consequences of their actions on our republic.

These words are all the more ominous given that one of the 10 signatories, Mark Esper, was just fired by Trump in November, in part because of his opposition to Trumps call to deploy the armed forces to suppress the mass demonstrations against police violence that erupted after the police murder of George Floyd last May 25. There have been open discussions in the White House about invoking the Insurrection Actas Trump threatened to do last summerto enforce a post-election coup that would maintain Trump in office.

Besides Esper, the signers include his predecessor, retired General James Mattis; Donald Rumsfeld, co-architect of the Iraq War, and his partner in crime Dick Cheney, secretary of defense under President George H. W. Bush before he became vice president for George W. Bush. Joining them were Robert Gates, William Perry, Leon Panetta, Ashton Carter, Chuck Hagel and William Cohen.

This group of war criminals of both parties, Democrats and Republicans, warns against military interference in the transfer of power because they regard Biden as a safe pair of hands for the affairs of American imperialism, and because they fear that further efforts by Trump to remain in office could provoke an unprecedented outpouring of political opposition from the American working class. This under conditions where thousands are dying every day from the coronavirus pandemic, and millions face unemployment, poverty and homelessness.

In the midst of this deepening social, economic and political crisis, the dominant sections of the ruling elite regard Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, and their cabinet nominees, drawn entirely from the corporate and national-security establishment, as a more viable means of maintaining their class rule.

For their part, the Democrats are doing everything possible to downplay the significance of Trumps actions and propel their 78-year-old president-elect across the finish line of Inauguration Day without a complete breakdown of the US constitutional order. Even at this point, barely two weeks away, a Biden succession is not a certainty.

Trumps actions and his demeanor in the phone call have a whiff of desperation, but the threats to democratic rights are intensifying. The president has summoned fascistic supporters like the Proud Boys to come to Washington on January 6, and he has promised to join them in the streets, giving support to the efforts of his henchmen inside the Capitol as they object to the votes cast by the American people.

Whatever the immediate outcome, the replacement of Trump by Biden in the White House would not mark the end of the political crisis, but only the beginning of a new and more explosive chapter. Trump is not playing by the rules of conventional American politics, and the Republican Party, increasingly under his personal control, is being transformed into the instrument of an authoritarian fascist movement.

If the Trump tape confirms anything, it is that the very presence of this gangster in the White House is an indictment of the American political system, its ruling elite, and its political-media establishment.

It was the Democratic Party, through the right-wing policies of the Obama administration and the right-wing campaign of Hillary Clinton, that paved the way for Trump. It was the Democratic Party, through its right-wing anti-Russia campaign, that sought to channel all popular opposition to the Trump administration behind its reactionary foreign policy agenda. And it is the Democratic Party which is seeking to blind the American people to the dangerous implications of the current political crisis.
Britain begins vaccinating its population on Monday with the COVID-19 shot developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, touting its position as the first Western country to roll out an inoculation programme against the novel coronavirus.

Britain, which is rushing to vaccinate its population faster than the United States and the rest of Europe in a bid to put the pandemic behind it, is the first country to roll out the Oxford/AstraZeneca shot.

It last year rolled out the Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech vaccine. The first people are expected to be vaccinated with the Oxford/AstraZeneca shot before 0800 GMT.

It has put more than 1 million COVID-19 vaccines into arms already - more than the rest of Europe put together, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said, adding that the roll out of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was a triumph.

"That's a triumph of British science that we've managed to get where we are," Hancock told Sky. "Right at the start, we saw that the vaccine was the only way out long term."

Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government has secured 100 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine which can be stored at fridge temperatures between two to eight degrees, making it easier to distribute than the Pfizer shot.

Six hospitals in England will administer the first of around 530,000 doses Britain has ready. The programme will be expanded to hundreds of other British sites in the coming days, and the government hopes it will deliver tens of millions of doses within months.

UK FIRST?

Britain last month became the first country to use a different vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech, which has to be stored at very low temperatures.

Other Western countries have taken a longer and more cautious approach to rolling out vaccines, though Russia and China have been inoculating their citizens for months with several different vaccines still undergoing late-stage trials.

China on Dec. 31. approved its first COVID-19 vaccine for general public use, a shot developed by an affiliate of state-backed pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm. The company said it is 79% effective against the virus.

Russia said on Nov. 24 its Sputnik V vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya Institute, was 91.4% effective based on interim late-stage trial results. It started vaccinations in August and has inoculated more than 100,000 people so far.

India approved the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on Sunday for emergency use.

Cases of COVID-19 in Britain have risen sharply in recent weeks, fuelled by a new and more transmissible variant of the virus. On Sunday there were nearly 55,000 new cases and in total more than 75,000 people in the country have died with COVID-19 during the pandemic - the second highest toll in Europe.

While the government has been keen to hail its vaccination programme as the furthest advanced in the world, it has had to balance the optimism of that message and plead with the public to stick to rules to prevent new infections.

Johnson said on Sunday that tougher restrictions were likely to be introduced, even with millions of citizens already living under the strictest tier of rules.

Asked whether the government was considering imposing a new national lockdown, Hancock said: "We don't rule anything out."

The spread of the variant virus has also forced the government to change its approach to vaccination. Britain is now prioritising getting a first dose of a vaccine to as many people as possible over giving second doses. Delaying the distribution of second shots should help stretch the supply.

The change of strategy has drawn criticism from some British doctors.

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The seventh round of talks between protesting unions and three central ministers ended inconclusively on Monday as farmer groups stuck to their demand for the repeal of three farm laws, while the government listed out various benefits of the new Acts for the growth of the country's agriculture sector. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said he remains hopeful of a solution in the next meeting on January 8, but asserted that efforts need to be made from both sides for a solution to be reached (taali dono haathon se bajti hai).

He also said no outcome could be reached in today's meeting as farmer leaders remained adamant on one issue of repeal of the laws, but the government wanted a clause-wise discussion on the legislations to take forward the talks. Farmer leaders, however, alleged that it was the government's "ego problem" that was coming in the way of resolving the issues and they insisted they would not relent on their key demands for the repeal of the three laws and a legal guarantee for the MSP (minimum support price) system for procurement of their crops.

The two sides took a long break after just about one hour of discussions, during which representatives of protesting farmers had their own food, arranged from langar (community kitchen), as they have been doing for the last few times. However, unlike the last round of talks on December 30, the ministers did not join the union leaders for the langar food and were seen having their own discussion separately during the break, which lasted for almost two hours.

The two sides got together again to resume their discussions at around 5.15 pm, but no headway could be made as the talks remained focussed on the farmers' demand for the repeal of the Acts. Farmer leaders said the government said it needs to consult internally and thereafter it would come back to the unions.

After the conclusion of seventh round of meeting with the famer leaders' today, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told media, "We wanted clause-wise discussion. We had some discussion on MSP also but couldn't reach any conclusion. Hence, both sides have decided to meet again at 2 pm on January 8. The meeting was cordial and doors haven't been shut. May be we will reach a solution in next meeting. If farmers didn't have faith in govt then we wouldn't hv agreed for talks on January 8."

"Looking at today's discussion, I hope that we will have a meaningful discussion during our next meeting and we will come to a conclusion," he added.

However, Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Yudhvir Singh said that they want a complete rollback of the three farm laws. "The minister wanted us to discuss the law point-wise. We rejected it and said that there is no point in discussing the laws because we want a complete rollback of the laws. Government intends to take us towards amendments but we will not accept it," ANI quotes Singh as saying.

Echoing the similar sentiments, All India Kisan Sabha General Secretary Hannan Mollah said that the government is under tremendous pressure. "Government is under tremendous pressure. We all said that this is our demand (repeal of the laws). We don't want discussion on any other topic except for on repeal of the laws. Protests will not be withdrawn until repeal of laws," he said.

The union leaders will also have their own meeting on Tuesday to decide their next course of action. In Monday's talks, the two sides did not even discuss another key demand of farmers for a legal guarantee to the Minimum Support Price (MSP) procurement system.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at various Delhi borders for over a month against the three laws. They have stayed put despite heavy rains and waterlogging at protest sites over the last couple of days, besides severe cold weather conditions prevailing in and around the national capital. Enacted in September 2020, the government has presented these laws as major farm reforms and aimed at increasing farmers' income.

During the meeting, the government listed various benefits from the three laws, enacted a few months ago, but farmers kept insisting that the legislation must be withdrawn to address their apprehensions that the new Acts would weaken the MSP and mandi systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporates. The government has maintained that these apprehensions are misplaced and has ruled out repealing the laws.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Railways, Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce Som Parkash, who is an MP from Punjab, are holding the talks with the representatives of 41 farmer unions at the Vigyan Bhawan. The meeting began with paying respects to the farmers who lost their lives during the ongoing protest, sources said.

On December 30, the sixth round of talks was held between the government and the farmer unions, where some common ground was reached on two demands  decriminalisation of stubble-burning and continuation of power subsidies. However, no breakthrough could be reached on the two main demands of the protesting farmers  a repeal of the three recent farm laws and a legal guarantee to the MSP procurement system.

On Sunday, Tomar met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed the government strategy to resolve the current crisis at the earliest, sources said. Tomar discussed with Singh all possible options to find a "middle path" to resolve the crisis, they added.

While several opposition parties and people from other walks of life have come out in support of the farmers, some farmer groups have also met the agriculture minister over the last few weeks to extend their support to the three laws. Last month, the government had sent a draft proposal to the protesting farmer unions, suggesting seven-eight amendments to the new laws and a written assurance on the MSP procurement system. The government has ruled out a repeal of the three agri laws.

The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), in the meantime, issued a press statement condemning the police action against protesting farmers in Punjab and Haryana and a ban on protests and dharnas imposed by the Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh government. It also said that an affidavit filed by Reliance Industries in the Punjab and Haryana High Court was "a ploy to save its business".

(with inputs from PTI)
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange greets supporters outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London on May 19, 2017. (Frank Augstein/AP Photo)

UK Judge Refuses Extradition of WikiLeaks Founder Assange to US

LONDONA British judge has rejected the United States request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face espionage charges, saying it would be oppressive because of his mental health.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said Monday Assange was likely to commit suicide if sent to the United States.

The U.S. government said it would appeal the decision.

U.S. prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks publication of leaked military and diplomatic documents a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.

Lawyers for the 49-year-old Australian argue that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections of freedom of speech for publishing leaked documents that exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The judge rejected claims by the defense that Assange was protected by free-speech guarantees, saying his conduct, if proved, would therefore amount to offenses in this jurisdiction that would not be protected by his right to freedom of speech.

But she said Assange suffered from clinical depression that would be exacerbated by the isolation he would likely face in U.S. prison.

The judge said Assange had the intellect and determination to circumvent any suicide prevention measures the authorities could take.

By Jill Lawless
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I feel like this is never going to end because there is no plan and nobody is doing anything to put any thought into planning, she said. I had a little bit of hope, and I feel like every day the hope is being taken away because things like this are happening.
Improving solar cell design is integral for improving energy consumption. Scientists have lately focused on making solar cells more efficient, flexible, and portable to enable their integration into everyday applications. Consequently, novel lightweight and flexible thin film solar cells have been developed. It is, however, not easy to combine efficiency with flexibility. For a material (usually a semiconductor) to be efficient, it must have a small 'band gap'the energy required to excite charge carriers for electrical conductionand should absorb and convert a large portion of sunlight into electricity. Till date, no such efficient absorber suitable for thin film solar cells has been developed.

Typically, charge carriers in a semiconductor are generated in pairs of negatively charged electrons and positively charged "holes" (essentially, the "absence" of electrons). For efficient electrical conduction, these electrons and holes need to be separated. A class of materials called "ferroelectrics" can greatly facilitate this separation, thanks to their spontaneous "electric polarization," a phenomenon analogous to spontaneous magnetization in iron. However, due to large band gaps and poor light-to-electricity conversion, they have seen limited photovoltaic applications.

In a new study published in Applied Materials and Interfaces, scientists from Korea addressed this issue and proposed a novel solution in the form of 'antiperovskite' oxides, denoted as Ba 4 Pn 2 O, with Pn as stand-in for Arsenic (As) or Antimony (Sb). Using density functional theory calculations, scientists investigated various physical properties of the antiperovskite oxides and revealed that they exhibit spontaneous electric polarization, making them ferroelectric in nature. Prof. Youngho Kang from Incheon National University, who led the study, explains, In the minimum energy configuration of the Ba 4 Pn 2 O structure, we found that the O ions and the Ba ions are displaced from their original positions in opposite directions. These displacements gave rise to a non-zero electric polarization, a classic signature of ferroelectricity."

Since the spontaneous polarization assists in the separation of electron-hole pairs, this implied that antiperovskite oxides could efficiently extract charge carriers. In addition, the calculations showed that their band gaps are ideal for efficient sunlight absorption, allowing even a very thin layer of Ba 4 Pn 2 O to yield substantial photocurrent.

Such promising results have excited the scientists about the future prospects of thin film solar cells. Prof. Kang surmises, "Our results are a firm confirmation that antiperovskites can make for efficient absorbers for thin-film solar cells. Given their versatility, there can be several real-life applications for these solar cells, even to charge cell phones when sunlight is available. Moreover, their flexibility can allow for making self-driving wearable devices like smartwatches."

More information: Youngho Kang et al, Antiperovskite Oxides as Promising Candidates for High-Performance Ferroelectric Photovoltaics: First-Principles Investigation on Ba 4 As 2 O and Ba 4 Sb 2 O, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2020). Journal information: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces Youngho Kang et al, Antiperovskite Oxides as Promising Candidates for High-Performance Ferroelectric Photovoltaics: First-Principles Investigation on BaAsO and BaSbO,(2020). DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c13034

Provided by Incheon National University
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TipRanks

Lets talk about risk, reward, and pennies. The three are related, of course. Theres no reward in the stock market without taking on some risk  and penny stocks offer investors an optimum combination of both. The pennies are the lowest cost stocks on the public markets, typically priced below $5 per share. At such a low share price, even a small gain  a share price increase of mere pennies  can quickly translate into a high-percentage return. However, there is a but here. The critics point out that there could be a reason for the bargain price tag, whether it be poor fundamentals or overpowering headwinds. So, how are investors supposed to determine which penny stocks are poised to make it big? Following the activity of the investing titans is one strategy. Enter Israel Izzy Englander, who is widely known for his impressive stock picking abilities. Englander expressed interest in the stock market since he was young, and in 1989, co-founded hedge fund Millennium Management with Ronald Shear. Using a broad range of strategies involving a variety of predominantly liquid asset classes, Englander was able to take the $35 million the fund was started with and turn it into a $45+ billion Wall Street behemoth. With an estimated net worth of $9.6 billion in 2021, its no wonder Wall Street focus locks in on the guru when he makes a move. Taking all of this into consideration, we used TipRanks database to take a closer look at two penny stocks Englander snapped up recently. The platform revealed that both Buy-rated tickers have earned the support of some members of the analyst community as well. T2 Biosystems (TTOO) Well start in the healthcare industry, where T2 Biosystems is working to revolutionize diagnostics. The company offers diagnosticians and medical labs a range of devices based on its T2 Magnetic Resonance (T2MR) tech to quickly and accurately diagnosis a variety of septic illnesses. As the company notes, sepsis claims more lives annually than AIDS, breast cancer, and prostate cancer combined. Rapid and accurate diagnosis is the key for patient survival, and this is the niche that T2 aims to fill. The companys technology enables diagnostic blood tests with results available in a matter of hours, compared to the 1 to 5 days currently taken by most medical lab tests. Available testing products include the T2Bacteria Panel and the T2Candida panel, which are the only FDA-approved blood tests for septic agents that do not need to wait for a blood culture. A T2SARS-CoV-2 Panel is also available, using upper respiratory samples. T2 has an active product pipeline, with rapid diagnostic tests on the drawing board for a variety of illnesses. Upcoming products include the T2Cauris panel and the T2Resistance panel. These testing products are currently designated for research use only (ROU) in the US. The T2Lyme panel, which will allow for faster diagnosis of the difficult-to-determine Lyme disease, is at an earlier stage of the development. All of T2s products operate on the same T2Dx instrument, allowing for interchangeability in the lab environment. The device offers a simple user interface, and operates with just 4ml of whole blood. T2 boasts that its device is in use in more than 200 hospitals worldwide. In the first quarter of 2021, T2 saw top-line revenue grow by 173% year-over-year, to $7 million. This was driven by a 345% yoy increase in product revenue, to $4.7 million. Sepsis test utilization in the US rose by 85% yoy in the quarter, showing increasing acceptance of the device and technology. Izzy Englander is among those that have high hopes for this healthcare name. In Q1, Englander's Millennium picked up over 1.36 million shares of TTOO stock, now valued at $1.5 million. This increased Englanders stake in the company to 2.68 million shares, with a market value of $2.9 million. 5-star analyst Charles Duncan, of Canaccord, also counts himself as a fan. Duncan gives TTOO shares a Buy rating along with a $3.50 price target. This target conveys his confidence in TTOO's ability to soar 212% higher in the next twelve months. (To watch Duncan's track record, click here) T2s +345% Y/Y product revenue growth is a positive datapoint for the company's post-pandemic commercial strategy, which is being supported by a scaling to just under 10 direct sales reps in Q1. We view the acquisitions of Cepheid, BioFire, GenMark, and Luminex as validation that the hospital lab is an attractive industry segment, given clinicians (and patients) desire to shift away from centralized testing strategies to a more decentralized approach. With these four companies off the table, T2 should benefit from scarcity value. Separately, a more aggressive approach towards commercial execution should marry well with rising awareness around antimicrobial resistance and sepsis, in a post-pandemic environment that prioritizes infectious disease diagnostics," Duncan noted. It turns out that other analysts also have high hopes. With 4 Buys and a single Hold, the word on the Street is that this stock, which currently going for $1.10 apiece, is a Strong Buy. In addition, the $2.83 average price target puts the upside potential at 156%. (See TTOO stock analysis on TipRanks) Sesen Bio (SESN) The second stock were looking at, Sesen Bio, is a pharmaceutical company. Sesen works in the cancer treatment segment, developing antibody-drug conjugate therapies. The program takes a fusion protein approach, tethering tumor-targeting antibodies to cytotoxic proteins. The result is a single protein molecule that kills cancer cells with minimal toxic effects on the body  and that generates a complementary response from the patients natural immune system. Sesens pipeline currently includes one drug candidate, vicineum, which is under investigation on several tracks concurrently. The main track, which has completed clinical trials and initiated the submission process of the biologic license application (BLA), is for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. The BLA was accepted for filing by the FDA this past February, and the company is on track for potential approval on August 18, 2021. European approval of vicineum for bladder cancer treatment is expected early in 2022. The companys other pipeline projects are at earlier stages. Vicineum is under investigation as a treatment for head and neck cancers, and is in Phase 2 trials. Other investigative tracks remain at pre-clinical stages. Clinical-stage biopharma companies are always highly speculative, and in this case, Englander did not mind speculating. In Q1, his firm bought 987,926 shares of SESN, increasing its stake in the company by 156%. Englanders holding in Sesen is now valued at $2.9 million. Weighing in on SESN for H.C. Wainwright, 5-star analyst Swayampakula Ramakanth sees an opportunity as well. "Given the favorable risk/benefit profile of Vicineum demonstrated in the Phase 3 VISTA study, we believe the drug has a high likelihood to receive regulatory approvals from the FDA and EMA. Sesen is actively preparing for the potential launch of Vicineum. The company has selected Syneos, a leading contract sales organization, as a partnerto build and manage a 35-people sales force to target approximately 2,000 high prescribers of BCG. We expect the drug to be commercially available immediately upon approval. We project Vicineum to achieve risk-adjusted sales of $516M by 2030E, growing from $9M in 2021E," Ramakanth opined. Ramakanths comments support his Buy rating on the stock, as does his $8 price target. At current valuations, that target implies an upside potential of 170% for the next 12 months. (To watch Ramakanths track record, click here) Sometimes, the penny stocks can slide under the radar; this one has attracted only two recent analyst reviews. Both agree, however, that this is a stock to buy, making the Moderate Buy consensus unanimous. The shares are priced at $2.94 with a $7.50 average price target that suggests an upside of 155% in the coming year. (See SESN stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for penny stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
(Natural News) A report put together by Department of Justice (DoJ) adviser John Lott shows that upwards of 368,000 excess votes across multiple swing states resulted in Joe Biden fraudulently winning the 2020 election.

The noted crime and gun researcher says that widescale voter fraud plagued the election, account[ing] for Bidens win in states such as Georgia and Pennsylvania.

Increased fraud can take many forms: higher rates of filling out absentee ballots for people who hadnt voted, dead people voting, ineligible people voting, or even payments to legally registered people for their votes, Lotts report explains.

The estimates here indicate that there were 70,000 to 79,000 excess votes in Georgia and Pennsylvania. Adding Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin, the total increases to up to 289,000 excess votes.

More related news about the fraudulent 2020 election can be found at Trump.news.

Lotts 368,000 figure is actually a gross underestimate, he says

Lott, who now serves as a Senior Adviser for Research and Statistics at the Office of Justice Programs, believes that his 368,000 estimate is actually too low, and here is why:

 The figures pulled from precinct level data assume that no fraud took place with in-person voting, which is likely not the case

 The voter turnout estimates do not account for any ballots for the opposing candidate that were lost, destroyed, or replaced with ballots that were filled out for the other candidate

Universal mail-in voting, Lott further added, is a hotbed for fraud. These unsecured absentee ballots, he writes, create the potential that either fraudulent ballots will be introduced or votes [will] be destroyed. Or both.

Functioning as a type of discovery in lieu of actual discovery, a request that has been mostly rejected by the courts thus far, Lotts report helps to quantify, at a bare minimum, the degree of fraud that took place to swing the election for Biden.

This papers approach allows us to quantify how large a potential problem vote fraud and other abnormalities might be in the 2020 election, he explains. The process is applicable to other states where precinct level data is available on voting by absentee and in-person voting.

Absentee voting is mostly banned in Europe because they know it creates fraud

We know that in Pennsylvania alone, hundreds of thousands of illegal votes were added to Bidens tally, pushing him over the edge. Similar voter fraud took place in other states, Lotts report reveals.

This is why mail-in and absentee voting is mostly banned in Europe, where only a very small number of areas allow it, though with very restrictive rules. Across the pond, it simply never would have been the case that mail-in ballots were sent out, unrequested, to tens of millions of people.

Many of these countries have learned the hard way about what happens when mail-in ballots arent secured, Lott warns, using Europe as a model for the United States to emulate in future elections.

They have also discovered how hard it is to detect vote buying when both those buying and selling the votes have an incentive to hide the exchange.

If the U.S. insists upon using absentee and mail-in ballots, the least it could do is impose safeguards such as signature matching and having to show proper identification. These two requirements alone would help to eliminate the type of voter fraud that was used to steal the election for Biden.

Vote fraud concerns are important in that they will not only alter election results, but they can also discourage voter participation, Lott warns.

If you would like to learn more about how attorney Sidney Powell is trying to fight voter fraud, you can do so by visiting her website.

Sources for this article include:

TheNationalPulse.com

NaturalNews.com
Syracuse, N.Y. -- Drone industry executive Ken Stewart has been named the new president and CEO of Nuair, the Syracuse-based unmanned aircraft systems alliance.

Stewart succeeds Mike Hertzendorf, a former Army special operations helicopter pilot who left Nuair last summer to take a job as vice president of member services at Helicopter Association International in Alexandria, Virginia.

Stewart most recently served as CEO of Boston-based AiRXOS, a part of GE Aviation, which provides services to drone operators.

Ken Stewart, who has been named president and CEO of Nuair, the Syracuse-based drone industry alliance. Provided photo

He will oversee Nuairs efforts to integrate drones into the national airspace, which includes the commercialization of New Yorks 50-mile Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management Corridor, one of just seven FAA-designated drone test sites in the United States. New York has invested $30 million to develop the corridor between Syracuse and Griffiss International Airport in Rome.

He also will oversee operations of the New York UAS Test Site at Griffiss.

I am excited to lead the Nuair team and support the regions unsurpassed innovation friendly environment for UAS research, testing and operations, Stewart said in a statement. Nuair has all the elements required and the ability to make a lasting impact on the UAS industry.

Nuair (Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance Inc.) is a nonprofit organization that manages the drone test site at Griffiss.

Hertzendorf joined the organization as its interim CEO in July 2018 and was named its president and CEO in October 2019. He succeeded retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Marke F. Hoot Gibson, who left Nuair in March 2019.

Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact him anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) speaks about the opioid crisis during his weekly news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on June 14, 2018. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Former GOP Speaker Ryan Denounces Effort to Object to Electoral Votes

Former Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan said he opposes efforts by GOP members of Congress to contest the electoral votes that will be counted in a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.

Ryan condemned the planned effort, implying the action undermines the rule of law.

Under our system, voters determine the president, and this self-governance cannot sustain itself if the whims of Congress replace the will of the people, Ryan said in a Jan. 3 statement.

It is difficult to conceive of a more anti-democratic and anti-conservative act than a federal intervention to overturn the results of state-certified elections and disenfranchise millions of Americans.

The former speakers statement comes in response to news that dozens of House members and at least a dozen senators will object during the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, with Vice President Mike Pence presiding over the proceedings.

Since the Nov. 3 election, President Donald Trumps legal team has tried to get courts to hear the cases of voter fraud and irregularities backed by sworn testimony from numerous witnesses. Trump lawyers and allies allege that widespread voter fraud occurred during the election, including with mail-in ballots and electronic voting machines.

Besides Ryan, a handful of other Republicans have come out against the planned objection, including Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who has been a strong ally to the president but said he wont join his colleagues in objecting.

Objecting to certified electoral votes wont give him a second termit will only embolden those Democrats who want to erode further our system of constitutional government, Cotton said.

Meanwhile, Ryan criticized Trumps effort to bring voter fraud claims to all levels of the U.S. courts, including the Supreme Court, claiming it was due to a lack of evidence.

The legal process was exhausted, and the results were decisively confirmed. The Department of Justice, too, found no basis for overturning the result, Ryan added. If states wish to reform their processes for future elections, that is their prerogative. But Joe Bidens victory is entirely legitimate.

Meanwhile, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) says that since the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to look at the evidence brought by cases related to the 2020 election, Congress has a responsibility to fill that role.

We have an independent responsibility to the Constitution. We have an independent obligation to the rule of law, Cruz also told Fox News Maria Bartiromo on Jan. 3.

Cruz is leading a group of at least 11 senators who are demanding that an electoral commission is established to perform an emergency 10-day audit into voter fraud allegations. He said that his proposal for an electoral commission is moored in the law and supported by historical precedents such as the 1876 presidential election.

The move to object to Electoral College votes was spearheaded by Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), who previously told The Epoch Times that objections are necessary in order to protect our election system from fraud and illegal conduct.

Allegations about election fraud have been repeatedly denied by election officials and lawmakers, while critics and members of the media have characterized the claims as baseless. So far, a large proportion of cases filed by the Trump legal team and the presidents allies have been thrown out by judges for procedural reasons, not a lack of evidence, including by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Janita Kan contributed to this report.
A man charged with murder in the stabbing death of a Salem City restaurant worker originally told police that he saw someone else commit the crime.

Sher Bahadar Poppi Khan, 59, was found dead behind the counter at King Fried Chicken around 3:45 p.m. on Dec. 29.

A tip quickly led police to Eugene Carr, 40, of Salem, who was allegedly seen running from the East Broadway establishment.

In an interview with investigators, Carr initially told them he was in the business and saw a man known to him as Trim Nuts stabbing the victim with a switch blade or butterfly knife, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case.

Carr claimed he tried to stop the assault, but was pushed away.

At one point, he described himself as standing over the victim next to Trim Nuts as the stabbing was occurring, investigators note in the affidavit. The defendant also stated that Trim Nuts approached him and gave him money and told him to keep his mouth shut.

Carr said the money had blood on it.

The next day, Carr contacted police and ultimately confessed that he was the one who stabbed and robbed Khan, according to investigators.

He was charged with murder, aggravated assault, robbery and weapons offenses.

Khan was well-known by regulars at the eatery and highly regarded in the community. He was working alone when he was killed.

By all accounts, Poppi Khan was a kind and generous man loved by all, Salem Police Chief John Pelura III said in announcing the arrest last week. I hope this arrest helps bring some closure for his family, who should know that we received vital information from members of the Salem community which helped solve this case so quickly.

Carr remains in Salem County Correctional Facility pending a detention hearing scheduled for Wednesday.

Khans death marked the 11th homicide in Salem City for 2020.

Less than an hour after the fatal stabbing, a Verizon subcontractor was shot in the mouth in the area of Oak and Carpenter streets in Salem. He was rushed to a trauma center for treatment and has since been released.

The victim and a colleague were approached by three young men asking for change, according to police.

When they said they had no change, one of the three pulled a gun and fired. No arrests have been made in that case.

Violence continued into the new year when three women were hospitalized in stable condition Saturday after they were shot outside a home on Olive Street in Salem. No one has been arrested in that case.

Anyone with information about the unsolved shootings is asked to contact 856-935-2TIP or Salem detectives at 856-935-0033.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.
The liberal veneer of Kashmiriyat once again slipped to bare the real agenda of separatism and terror in Kashmir: Islamist fundamentalism

Satpal Nischal had come to Srinagar as a young boy with his father. He worked as a goldsmith, living as a tenant, and worked his way up to build a house in upscale Indira Nagar. His family lived amicably with their Muslim neighbours for over four decades.

Then, at 65, he got his domicile as a resident of Kashmir after the Narendra Modi government scrapped Article 370 and Article 35A.

He could own land in Kashmir now. He was also a marked man.

Terrorists shot him at his shop last week. The Resistance Front (TRF), purportedly a Lashkar-e-Taiba front, took responsibility for the attack. It warned all outsiders like Nischal who had received domicile certificates: We know your names, we know where you live and we know what you do. We are coming for you.

Why such a vicious reprisal?

Pakistan, the vanguard and sponsor of terror in the subcontinent, has been nervous ever since the first official missile was fired against nearly a millennium of Islamist demographic takeover by scrapping Kashmir's special status. The new Jammu and Kashmir grant of domicile certificate procedure rules, 2020, has turned that nervousness into panic.

More than 25,000 individuals (outsiders, as separatists call them) reportedly got domicile under the new rules.

Domicile replaces the previously bigoted norms under which women, LGBTQIA individuals, Dalits and labourers settled for decades in the state and refugees were denied land rights in some form or the other. The new law extends domicile to persons who have lived in Jammu and Kashmir for 15 years, or have studied for seven years, or appeared in Class 10 or Class 12 exams, and refugees from west Pakistan.

Hostile officers cant stop its implementation. In case the domicile certificate is not issued within a period of seven working days, Rs 50,000 is to be recovered from the salary of the competent authority (tehsildar or Relief and Rehabilitation Commission-Migrants).

Against this backdrop, Nischal was killed. The liberal veneer of Kashmiriyat once again slipped to bare the real agenda of separatism and terror in Kashmir: Islamist fundamentalism.

But there was not a murmur among mainstream and social medias liberal circles. It was as if Nischal brought it upon himself by seeking his domicile status as a Kashmiri. All those who copiously outraged for migrants during the lockdown refused to see that this was a migrant who contributed to a state with his hard work, living in social harmony, till he aspired for domicile in the place he called home. That too in his own country.

Neither terrorists nor their sympathisers can now stop Kashmirs march out of the blood swamps. Both momentum and arithmetic have turned against them. Thousands of Nischals are submitting their applications, and slowly thumping on the cold desks seeking change.
BRUSSELS  President Donald Trumps extraordinary, wheedling telephone call to state officials in Georgia seeking to overturn the election results there has shaken many Europeans  not so much for what it reveals about Trump himself, but for what it may portend for the health of American democracy.

With just 16 days left in his presidency, Trumps capacity to shock the world with his epic self-centeredness and disregard for democratic and ethical norms is vanishing. The president has revealed himself many times before this latest episode  badgering and threatening Georgia officials to find him the votes needed to flip the state.

But even if Trump has not moved on, the world has. Foreign leaders are looking forward, but many worry that the Trump effect will last for years, damaging trust in American predictability and reliability.

A lot of people will just roll their eyes and wait for the clock to run down, said Leslie Vinjamuri, director of the U.S. and Americas program at Chatham House, the British research institution. But by far the most troubling thing is the number of Republicans who are willing to go along with him and what its doing to the Republican Party, playing out in real time.

A group of House Republicans has vowed to challenge Joe Bidens Electoral College win Wednesday when Congress meets to certify it, and at least a dozen Republican senators are expected to join them, forcing a vote, though it is all but certain to fail.

With Trump continuing to have such a hold over the party and winning more than 74 million votes in November, Vinjamuri said, It shows us that it will be incredibly difficult to govern the country in the next year or so.

If so many Americans feel that the election was fraudulent, it looks like America cant even secure the most fundamental norms of democracy, the peaceful transfer of power, when losers have to accept that they lost, she said.

Indeed to distant observers, the corrosive effects of Trumps presidency are not isolated to Trump himself but extend far beyond the president  to the deep coterie of enablers around him, in the White House and his party, and even to an American public in which significant numbers believe that their democracy has been compromised and cannot be trusted.

The dangers that entail for foreign allies are manifold and will not be easily dispelled even with a new president. But they are raising special concerns before Trump exits.

Patrick Chevallereau, a former French military officer now at RUSI, a defense research institution in London, said that the Trump call shows that the current president is in a mindset to do anything  absolutely anything  before Jan. 20. There is zero standard, zero reference, zero ethics. He added: Everything else than himself can be destroyed and collapse, including us.

Thomas Wright, an Irish-born expert on the U.S. at the Brookings Institution, said that People are worried for real that Trump will come back. The months since the election have shown people just how bad a second term would have been  the guardrails off, a completely personalized government and giving voice to his authoritarian tendencies, he said.

Now the rest of the world understands that Trump could actually make a comeback in 2024, so that is a shadow that he will cast over American politics, Wright said.

World leaders all know that Trump is sort of crazy, but its the extremity of his actions, the lengths to which he has gone, that he got 74 million votes and is not retiring but will be a force for the Republicans that is disconcerting, he added. People knew what Trump is like, but the importance is the shadow of the future.

Also troubling to many is the letter that the last 10 living secretaries of defense all signed urging the nation  and the military  to accept that the election is over and the time for questioning the results has passed.

Jean-Marie Guehenno, a former French and United Nations diplomat who is president of the International Crisis Group, asked on Twitter: Should we be reassured on U.S. democracy when 10 former defense secretaries warn against use of the military to dispute election results, or terrified that they believe taking a public stance has become necessary?

The current acting secretary of defense, Christopher C. Miller, has not cooperated fully with Biden's transition team, while Trumps former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn, whom Trump recently pardoned, has called for martial law and had a meeting at the White House, and that has clearly caused concern.

Its the things we dont know that are scary, Vinjamuri said. We dont know who else in the Pentagon is not cooperating, and its worrisome that these former secretaries clearly felt they had to issue a warning to people in the Pentagon that they need to uphold their oath to the Constitution.

Francois Heisbourg, a French security analyst, jokingly asked, How many wars can you start in 16 days? But he, too, was struck by the autocratic tone of the Trump call and the hold Trump continues to have on so many key members of the Republican Party.

If the Senate runoffs in Georgia produce Republican victories Tuesday despite this impeachable phone call, Heisbourg said, the international reaction will be that the Republicans are not going to divorce Trumpism  after all, while Trump lost, they didnt lose the legislative elections but did better than two years ago. Trump's ability to get a grip on the party and keep it to the end is what is stunning and what scares people outside, he said.

For others, Trumps behavior is by now taken for granted, but so are its debilitating effects on Americas democracy and its standing in the world.

Laurence Nardon, head of the North America program at the French Institute of International Relations in Paris, said that the Trump call was more of the same, so not especially shocking. American soft power, as a model of democracy, is damaged by Trumps actions, she said. But I think we have understood that his practice of power is an exception, even if his election is not an accident.

Robin Niblett, director of Chatham House, said that in general, Europeans are no longer surprised by anything Trump does, but more disbelief that someone like Trump was ever president.

There is confidence in the U.S. system, Niblett said. But what is more worrying is how many significant Republican players believe that it will do them good to play to this gallery, this scorched-earth, fake, disinformation politics, in which you raise doubts in peoples minds about your own democracy and than use those doubts politically.

The big risk, he said, is that even if the U.S. system can turn aside authoritarianism, there could be a really brutal dynamic that makes it hard for America to be the partner people overseas need and hope for.

After this phone call, Germans are holding their breath about what Trump might do next, said Jana Puglierin, director of the Berlin office of the European Council on Foreign Relations. News like this confirms everything that Germans have been hearing in the media for the past four years, she said.

The letter of the former defense secretaries was also an eye-opener in Berlin. They realized this is serious, Puglierin said. That they see a reason to write such a letter is shocking.

Sophia Gaston, director of the British Foreign Policy Group, a research institution, said that President Trumps desperate efforts to interfere with the election results and subvert Americas democracy are now almost universally regarded in Westminster as a pitiful last howl at the moon.

More optimistically, she said: What is clear is that the tremendous impact that Trumps administration has had on Americas standing in the world is coming to an end. There are high hopes for Biden to restore Americas moral mission, and the focus in Britain is entirely on looking forward, identifying areas of alignment and common interest with the new Biden administration.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
New Delhi: Over the past couple of days, Adani Wilmar-owned food brand Fortune found itself in a sticky situation as netizens started trolling its rice bran edible oil variant after its ambassador Sourav Ganguly was hospitalised after he suffered a heart attack.

Ganguly, appointed Fortune ambassador last year, has been seen in Welcome to the 40s' campaign which speaks about maintaining heart health and immunity.

Also Read | A year on, China is shaking up the world

Although it was a case of bad timing of the brand, the association took a political colour on social media with a section of users attacking Adani Wilmar for its stand on farmers' bill. The company was called out for importing raw material (soya in particular), sidelining local farmers. Ganguly's speculated political debut with the BJP was also dragged into the controversy.

Adani Wilmar has declined to comment on the development, but advertising and brand experts believe that in an increasingly polarized society, brands are beginning to get caught in the political crossfire, often inadvertently. Easy social media access and 'engineered' activism by motivated parties provides the much-needed oxygen to keep these issues alive.

"Companies and brands need to respect public sentiment as brands play a big part in influencing consumer behaviour and moulding opinion. Brand custodians need to be sensitive  so as not to needlessly offend any segment, but this should not stop them from doing what is right, in the larger context," said Lloyd Mathias, business strategist and former Asia marketing head of HP Inc.

Online food ordering platform Zomato, for instance, took a stand against religious discrimination when a customer refused to accept order from a Muslim delivery boy. It faced social media ire as angry users threatened to uninstall the food delivery app.

"...being circumspect is desirable, as is the need to do the right thing, even though it may have short-term implications for their business," added Mathias.

However, there have been cases where companies end up succumbing to the backlash and withdrawing the campaigns. Tanishq was viciously trolled for its festive campaign that featured an inter-faith couple where the Muslim in laws chose to celebrate their Hindu daughter-in-laws baby shower in traditional way respecting her faith. This portrayal also drew criticism from a section of the society that threatened violence against the brand, forcing Tanishq to withdraw its advertising and issue an apology.

Harish Bijoor, brand strategy expert and founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc believes that pulling out the advertisement simply means admitting to one's mistake which can go against a brand. According to him, brands should avoid reacting to such issues and fan the controversy further.

"Having said that, I cannot stress more on the importance of understanding the context in which companies market their products. In the current times, politics and religions have become holy subjects as people are extremely sensitive about them. Brands must not talk about politics at all in today's context. They shouldn't even attempt a campaign like Jaago Re (cause marketing initiative launched by Tata Tea around social issues around elections). Brands have no business to be in this space and make any strong comment," he added.

According to Sandeep Goyal, chairman of Mogae Media, a Mumbai-based marketing and communication agency, what has further fuelled the trend of politics enmeshing with advertising are consumers asserting themselves and getting into action mode whether it is active trolling or boycotting products.

"As we go forward, brands will have to look out for political landmines. This becomes important as corporations are seen to be aligned in a certain manner which creates a highly polarised consumer sentiment. Political takeouts from such controversies can also be at a different tangent. In Fortune Oil's case, for instance, it is no longer about Ganguly's health condition but Adani importing raw material and not supporting local farmers," he added.

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WASHINGTON -- One of the newest members of Congress, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., has kicked off the session with a viral digital ad proclaiming her right to carry a Glock on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol and in the streets of Washington.

Boebert, the gun-toting owner of a gun-themed restaurant in Rifle, Colo., released the video Sunday amid efforts by some Democrats to ban members of Congress from carrying guns on the grounds of the Capitol. On Monday, those efforts appeared poised to fail.

"Even though I now work in one of the most liberal cities in America, I refused to give up my rights, especially my Second Amendment rights," Boebert, who defeated Scott R. Tipton in the Republican primary, says in the ad. "I will carry my firearm in D.C. and in Congress."

The ad begins with Boebert strapping a Glock to her hip before appearing to embark on a walk through Capitol Hill, near federal buildings and through alleys.Although the neighborhood is one of the city's safest, she cites rising violent crime among the reasons she wants to be armed.

"I walk to my office each morning by myself," Boebert says. "So as a five-foot-tall, 100-pound woman I choose to protect myself legally, because I am my best security."

Boebert also accuses D.C. residents of not understanding "how we live in real America" - echoing the rhetoric of anti-statehood Republicans who have suggested that people who live in the nation's capital are somehow separate from the rest of the United States.

A spokesman for Boebert said she was not carrying the gun throughout the video shoot, despite the opening scene. D.C. gun laws do not recognize concealed-carry licenses from other states, and nonresidents are prohibited from carrying firearms unless they register them with the D.C. police.

A 1967 regulation exempts members of Congress from a federal law banning firearms on the Capitol grounds.

"Congresswoman Boebert is a fierce advocate for the Second Amendment, as such will comply with all applicable firearm laws and regulations," spokesman Ben Goldey said.

Asked about the ad Monday, acting D.C. police Chief Robert J. Contee III said Boebert would have to follow applicable laws if she wanted to carry the weapon in city streets, and would be subjected to the same penalties as anyone else if she does not.

"There are no exceptions in the District of Columbia," Contee said. "We plan to reach out to the congresswoman's office to make sure that she is aware of what the laws of the District of Columbia are, what the restrictions are."

Democrats supportive of the efforts to ban guns on the Capitol grounds slammed Boebert's ad Monday. Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said that "as a lifelong Washingtonian I would object that this is somehow one of the most dangerous places in America."

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D - the District's nonvoting member of Congress - said Boebert's comments suggesting D.C. was not "real America" were "an insult to the residents of the District of Columbia who were part of the United States before most states, including her state."

Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., who has led efforts among Democrats to ban guns on the grounds, called the ad "catnip to the gun-hugging donor class."

"That kind of grandstanding is clearly what this is about," Huffman said. "It's not about safety."

Washington Post photo by Bonnie Jo Mount

Boebert campaigned an ardent gun-rights supporter - whose restaurant staff openly carries firearms - and unfailing ally of President Donald Trump. She has pledged to join in the Republican effort to object to presidential electors on Wednesday - an effort that has divided the party. Boebert also flirted with support for QAnon, the baseless far-right conspiracy theory, before later distancing herself.

Shortly after the November election, she reportedly inquired with the U.S. Capitol Police about the rules for carrying guns on the grounds.

Weeks later, Democrats led by Huffman asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to amend gun regulations in a House Rules package to prohibit members of Congress from carrying guns. Huffman spearheaded a similar effort in 2018, without success.

Boebert, in turn, led more than 80 Republicans in asking Pelosi and McCarthy to leave the 1967 regulations in place. While Democrats have said they don't take issue with fellow lawmakers carrying guns elsewhere in the District, Republicans noted that banning guns on the grounds would make it difficult to carry a gun on their way to work.

"If Members can't carry on Capitol grounds, they can't protect themselves in D.C. while making their way to and from their offices to perform their official duties," the lawmakers wrote. "The 'last-mile' transition of self-protection is critical."

Gun regulations were not addressed in the House Rules package under consideration Monday. A spokesman for Pelosi, Drew Hammill, said Pelosi supports banning guns on the Capitol grounds but believed the regulations should be amended through the Capitol Police Board.

The board consists of the Capitol Police chief, the Architect of the Capitol and Sergeants-at-Arms in the House and Senate. A spokesman for House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving said he was unavailable to answer questions; the other officials could not immediately be reached.

The 1967 law prohibiting the public from carrying guns on Capitol grounds was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, D, in the wake of race riots - back when "the Capitol was lightly guarded and white members of Congress were terrified about the Black Panthers charging into their offices," as Huffman put it.

Regulations created by the police board days later exempted members of Congress from the law but still prohibited them from carrying firearms in either legislative chamber.

Huffman described the regulations as "woefully inadequate" because they contain no provisions on how to safely store guns in members' offices. Lawmakers don't have to seek permission from the Capitol Police, so it's unknown how many members actually carry on the grounds.

"Even the minimum guide rails are enforced on the loosest of honor systems," he said.
Angola, IN (46703)

Today

Showers with the chance of some thunder in the morning, then skies turning partly cloudy late. High 78F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

A mostly clear sky. Low 47F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 12:03:45|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China stands ready to work with Argentina to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

China attaches great importance to bilateral ties, Xi said in a recent exchange of letters with Argentine President Alberto Fernandez, urging concerted efforts to sustain and deepen the development of the China-Argentina comprehensive strategic partnership. Enditem
Bengaluru, Jan 4 : Bengaluru Central Crime Branch police busted a major fake Aadhar card, Permanent Account Number (PAN) card and vehicle registration card racket by arresting a 10-member gang involved in this, the Bengaluru City police commissioner, Kamal Pant said here on Monday.

The police has seized nearly 9,000 Aadhaar cards, 9,000 PAN cards, 12,200 fake RCs and 28,000 voter IDs, which did not bear any name but all the government symbols and seals. Beside this, the police also recovered 6,240 voter IDs and 250 RCs bearing names and addresses were also recovered from this gang.

According to the police one of the accused includes former employees of - Rosmerta Technologies - a firm contracted to print these ID cards and the accused had stolen two years old data.

Pant said that the fake document racket came to light with the arrest of Kamalesh Kumar Bavalia, a 33-year-old resident of Gullala village.

"Based on the tip off the police team raided Bavalia's residence from where he carried out his fake racket business," he added.

According to police, other accused have been identified as Lokesh alias Salabanna (37), resident of Puttenahalli; Sudarshan alias Satyanarayana (50), resident of Shantinagar; Nirmal Kumar (56), resident of Shantinagar; Darshan (25), resident of Kengeri; Sridhar (31), resident of Hassan; Chandrappa (28), resident of Janabharati; Abhilash (27), resident of Vijaynagar; Tejas (30), resident of Basaveshwara Nagar and Sridhar alias Aditya Bharati (35), resident of Vijay Nagar.

Joint Commissioner Crime (Bengaluru) Sandeep Patil told reporters that this gang was in touch with several vehicle lifters and helped them to get forged RCs so that they can sell the stolen vehicles in other parts of the country.

"This is a high profile development and case. Investigation is on to know the connections of the gang," Patil said.

He added that Nirmal Kumar and Satyanarayana who are residents of Shantinagar were running 'Brigade Prints' shop as a cover.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the IPC and further investigation is on.
People across China mourned Yuan Longping, the father of hybrid rice who helped feed millions. Following the death of the iconic agronomist on Saturday, cities across the nation held memorial ceremonies. People lined up in rain to bid farewell to the scientist at the Mingyangshan funeral home in Changsha, where a service took place on Monday. Flowers were also laid in places Yuan had studied and worked

May 25, 2021 06:22 PM
Chinese students pump $7billion into the Australian universities every year

The Chinese Government has warned its students against studying in Australia

ACU President Greg Craven said universities are 'reliant' on overseas students

He said universities will cut funding, which will result in losing Top 100 rankings

Mr Craven predicts big institutions will steal domestic students from small ones

Seven Australian universities are at risk of losing their Top 100 World Rankings due to an 'over-reliance' on international students from China.

Australian Catholic University Vice-Chancellor and President Greg Craven said local universities are 'addicted' to Chinese students, who pay $7billion to study in Australia each year.

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Making matters worse, the Chinese Ministry of Education warned its students against studying in Australia amid a trade war between the two countries.

Australian Catholic University Vice-Chancellor and President Greg Craven (pictured) said local universities are 'addicted' to Chinese students, who pay $7billion to study in Australia each year

'The old system of relying on international students is over, it's finished,' Mr Craven said, according to The Australian.

'The wider market has collapsed and there is no certainty about when it will come back. And with the Chinese market  which universities were reliant on  there is not just the issue of Covid but possibly sovereign risk.

'They (university leaders) all knew about the issue with China. I would go on panels and publicly warn about this, and the other vice-chancellors would say nothing. It was like a drug-addiction.'

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Mr Craven said Australian universities will be forced to reduce their spending and will therefore lose their Top 100 rankings.

Seven Australian universities are in the QS World University Rankings for 2021.

They are, in order, the Australian National University, the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne, the University of NSW, the University of Queensland, Monash University, and the University of Western Australia.

The only Group of Eight university not included in the Top 100 was the University of Adelaide, which was ranked 106.

A group of women at their graduation ceremony at the ACU. Mr Craven predicts Go8 universities will lower their admission marks in order to poach domestic students from mid-tier institutions like ACU

AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES IN THE WORLD TOP 100 ANU (Rank 31) University of Sydney (Rank 40) University of Melbourne (Rank 41) UNSW (Rank 44) University of Queensland (Rank 46) Monash University (Rank 55) University of WA (Rank 92)

Mr Craven, who has been Vice-Chancellor and President of ACU since 2008, predicts Go8 universities will lower their admission standards to attract more domestic students.

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He predicts this will make mid-tier institutions like ACU become 'zombie universities' since students will flock to more prestigious campuses.

Australia has 43 universities including 40 Australian universities, two international universities, and one private specialty university.

The slump in international students is worsened by the trade war between Australia and China.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an independent inquiry into the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic from its source in the Chinese city of Wuhan back in April.

China responded by slapping tariffs on Australian wine and barley, adding sanctions on beef, wheat, timber, cotton, lamb, coal and lobster.

Indian international students, who make up 15 per cent of all overseas enrolments in Australia, are considering going to Canada instead of Australia because of Covid-19 restrictions keeping them out of Australia.

Research from Victoria University's Mitchell Institute found Australia may lose up to $10billion by the middle of 2021 if the pandemic keeps Australia's borders closed.

Students lounge around in the quad at ACU. Mr Craven said mid-tier institutions like ACU will become 'zombie universities' since students will flock to more prestigious campuses

Australia's international student population will halve from 600,000 to 300,00 by the middle of 2021 if the international border doesn't open.

Dr Peter Hurley, the report's author, said the exodus of international students would continue to hurt cities across Australia.

'The initial population shock most affected regions where Chinese international students lived, but future declines are likely to involve international students from all countries,' he said.

'This means the impact of falling international student enrolments will become more widespread.'

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Australia closed its borders to non-permanent residents or citizens on March 20, 2020 to stop coronavirus coming into the country from abroad.
A teachers' union has called for all schools in Northern Ireland to stay shut until February at the earliest.

The NASUWT has said they agree with their counterparts in England that schools are "unsafe" and should stay closed, at least until the current lockdown ends.

Union official Justin McCamphill said he was "very disappointed" with First Minister Arlene Foster's proposal that remote learning should only be for a short period.

Mr McCamphill told the Belfast Telegraph that "blended learning", as he described it, "needs to continue for as long as is necessary".

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"We are calling on the Executive to review their position in relation to primary schools and to extend blended learning for them, at least until the end of January," he said.

"Our schools are not safe. With the massively increased number of Covid infections it's inevitable that coronavirus is going to spread within schools when they reopen therefore it's important that caution is applied."

He added: "The First Minister, the Education Minister and the Executive need to be guided by the science on this.

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"We are calling for blended learning for all school children except for the vulnerable and the children of key workers, to continue for the foreseeable future."

Mrs Foster said remote learning for school children should only be for a short period.

Speaking on the Andrew Marr show on the BBC, she also expressed concern about the life chances of young people during the pandemic. Primary pupils are to be taught remotely for the week from Monday until Friday, January 8 as the spread of coronavirus surges.

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But Mr McCamphill said all schools need to be closed until February to coincide with the current lockdown.

"There are two aspects to closing schools," he said. "There's the transmission that occurs in schools but then there's the associated transmission, such as children travelling on buses and parents dropping children off.

"If we want the lockdown to be effective, and if we want to get Covid under control, we must take all the necessary steps otherwise our health system won't be able to cope."

Mr McCamphill said he was disappointed after Mrs Foster told the BBC that keeping children in school was a priority.

The DUP leader said: "We will do all that we can to keep pupils in school. We do recognise that with this new mutant version of Covid-19 there are difficulties and it transmits among younger people, and we have to take that into consideration."

However, Mr McCamphill said the DUP need to start listening to the scientific advice and acting on it.

His comments come after all four teaching unions in England said it was "unsafe" for schools to reopen and called for their closure for the next two weeks.

But Boris Johnson said parents should send primary-age children back to schools that are open this week. The Prime Minister also said he has "no doubt" that classrooms are safe and that the risk to young people was "very, very small".

Mr Johnson told the Marr Show: "Schools are safe. It is very, very important to stress that.

"I would advise all parents thinking about want to do, look at where your area is, overwhelmingly you'll be in a part of the country where primary schools tomorrow will be open."

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland nursery schools leaders have urged Mr Weir to treat them the same as their primary and secondary school counterparts.

In a letter, the North and South Belfast Nursery Schools Principals Group urged him "to hear the voices from the sector working on the ground in these unprecedented times".

They added: "We urge you to apply the same safety measures around delayed opening for primary school to all nurseries and preschools, thus enabling them to offer the same essential care for key workers and vulnerable children, to minimise contact and the spread of the virus."
Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan (centre) with Nphet colleagues at a Covid-19 update press conference at the Department of Health. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

There have been 6,110 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed by the Department of Health this evening while a further six people have died with the virus.

The 14-day incidence rate has risen to 583 cases nationally per 100,000 population.

There are currently 776 people hospitalised with Covid-19 as of this evening, with 70 of these in ICU. 92 people have been hospitalised in the past 24 hours.

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"We are seeing numbers I never anticipated reporting," Professor Philip Nolan said.

Prof Nolan says the level of disease in the community is already having an "enormous" effect on the hospital system.

There have been 3,655 new cases confirmed in Dublin, 323 in Kildare, 291 in Cork, 234 in Limerick, 137 in Louth and the remaining 1,470 cases are spread across all other counties.

The positivity rate is just short of 20pc, Prof Nolan says, reminding people this was below 3pc in recent weeks.

Professor Nolan says that right now the amount of disease in the population is beyond what was experienced in March or April but pointed out recent figures feature cases that were backlogged. He estimated the true incidence rate nationally to be between 700 and 800.

Prof Nolan says projections are showing a possibility of up to 2,000 Covid-19 patients in Irish hospitals by mid-January, with between 200 and 400 people in ICU.

The incidence rate among 1924-year-olds is now at 900 per 100,000 over the last week, the Nphet modelling expert said.

Professor Nolan has said the number of people in intensive care units are rising "very sharply and rapidly".

"What we have done in the last week and what we do in the coming days dictates where this will go," Professor Nolan said.

Dr Holohan said Nphet "have never been as concerned throughout the whole pandemic as we are now" and says the challenges this will pose to society has "to concentrate the minds of everybody".

"This is a really, really serious situation and the numbers we are hearing from Prof Philip Nolan are simply unsustainable," Dr Holohan said.

Dr Holohan has said the case numbers we are seeing now will lead to a "significant amount of mortality" over the course of the month of January.

In relation to the opening of schools, Dr Holohan said that while the incidence in schoolchildren is below the national average, "it is increasing at a very, very fast rate".

Dr Holohan said he spoke with the Taoiseach Micheal Martin today in relation to this, giving the strongest indication yet that Nphet may change their advice to government on keeping schools open.

Dr Holohan issued a stark reminder that current levels of infection "put too many people in funeral homes."

He said: "We simply can't deal with levels of infection like this."

Dr Holohan reiterated that infection levels are now so high that Ireland has now moved to the mitigation phase, meaning "all resources now have to be redirected to protect the vulnerable from this disease".

Dr Holohan says if you have flu-like symptoms, it is "unlikely to be anything else other than Covid" such are the positivity rates in the community, which currently stand near 25pc.

"People should just accept it is Covid if they have such symptoms," Dr Holohan insisted.

There are currently 287 ICU beds in the system, Dr Liam Woods of the HSE said, while Prof Nolan earlier forecast between 200 and 400 people in need of ICU care by mid-January, highlighting the strain the health service may face.

Dr Holohan says that the HSE will publish daily figures of people vaccinated online and will also give updates in their weekly press briefings.

Liam Woods of the HSE has said the service will review their policy of suspending much of their non-urgent care in the coming weeks due to the worsening profile of the virus. There are currently 3,000 staff of the health service currently out of work that either are positive or are close contacts of Covid-19 patients.

This comes as the European Medicines Agency is set to authorise the use of the Moderna vaccine against the virus this evening, two days ahead of schedule, meaning the vaccination programme in Ireland may be accelerated in the coming weeks.

Earlier today Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said that up to 40,000 people per week would be vaccinated going forward, confirming a shipment of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine had arrived earlier than expected.

Elsewhere, there were 12 further deaths and 1,801 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed this afternoon in Northern Ireland as the first jabs of the Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine were administered in the country today.

Members of the Executive will meet this evening to discuss further restrictions to halt the spread of Covid-19. It is expected Northern Ireland will enter a full lockdown in harmony with the rest of the UK this evening after Boris Johnson addresses the UK this evening.

It is expected Prime Minister Johnson will announce the highest tier of restrictions for the United Kingdom and will keep schools closed as the country continues to struggle with escalating cases and hospitalisations.

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The government said on Monday that the seventh round of talks with the farmers remained inconclusive because the protesters were adamant over withdrawal of the three farm laws. Union agriculture minister Narendra Tomar said that he is hopeful that a conclusion will be found in the next round of talks which will be held on January 8.

We wanted farmer unions to discuss three laws clause-wise. We could not reach any solution as farmer unions remained adamant on the repeal of the laws, the minister told reporters after the meeting at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi.

Looking at todays discussion, I hope that we will have a meaningful discussion during our next meeting and we will come to a conclusion, he added. The minister also asserted that efforts need to be made from both sides for a solution to be reached. Taali dono haathon se bajti hai (both hands are needed to clap).

Meanwhile, farmers said that they will not back down until the government withdraws the three laws and gives them a legal guarantee over the MSP (minimum support price) system for procurement of their crops. Discussion took place on our demands - repeal of the three laws and MSP... kanoon wapasi nahi, to ghar wapasi nahi (We will not go home until the laws are withdrawn), news agency ANI quoted Rakesh Tikait, spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Union, as saying.

Also Read | Farm laws wont be repealed, govt tells farmers; next round of talks on Jan 8

Farmers have been protesting at the gates of Delhi since November 26 last year against the newly enacted farm laws - Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance, and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

Now, the next round of talks will take place on January 8 at 2 pm. The leaders of the farm unions will have their own meeting on Tuesday to decide their next course of action.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, are protesting at Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur border points of Delhi demanding the repeal of the three laws passed in September. They have stayed put despite heavy rains and water-logging at protest sites over the last couple of days, besides severe cold weather conditions prevailing in and around the national capital.

Last month, the government had sent a draft proposal to the protesting farmer unions, suggesting some amendments to the new laws and a written assurance on the MSP procurement system. The government has ruled out a repeal of the three agriculture laws.
Iran has resumed 20% uranium enrichment at an underground nuclear facility, the government said on Monday, breaching a 2015 nuclear pact with major powers and possibly complicating efforts by US President-elect Joe Biden to rejoin the deal.

The move is the latest Iranian contravention of the deal, which it started violating in 2019 in response to Washington's withdrawal from the agreement in 2018 and the reimposition of US sanctions that had been lifted under the accord.

"A few minutes ago, the process of producing 20% enriched uranium has started in Fordow enrichment complex," government spokesman Ali Rabeie told Iranian state media.

The step was one of many mentioned in a law passed by Iran's parliament last month in response to the killing of the country's top nuclear scientist, which Tehran has blamed on Israel. Such moves by Iran could hinder attempts by the incoming Biden administration to rejoin the deal.

The deal's main aim was to extend the time Iran would need to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear bomb, if it chose to, to at least a year from roughly two to three months. It also lifted international sanctions against Tehran.

On Jan 1, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Tehran had told the watchdog it planned to resume enrichment up to 20% at Fordow site, which is buried inside a mountain.

"The process of gas injection to centrifuges has started a few hours ago and the first product of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas will be available in a few hours," Rabeie said.

"The process has started after taking measures like informing the UN nuclear watchdog."

Iran had earlier breached the deal's 3.67% limit on the purity to which it can enrich uranium, but it had only gone up to 4.5% so far, well short of the 20% level and of the 90% that is weapons-grade.

US intelligence agencies and the IAEA believe Iran had a secret, coordinated nuclear weapons programme that it halted in 2003. Iran denies ever having had one.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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Talasari police on Monday arrested 38-year-old for allegedly raping a three-year-old girl. The survivor is undergoing treatment at Cottage Hospital in Dahanu.

According to police, the accused Rajen Burkhud is a resident of Patilpada, Talasari and worked at a factory at Kachigam, Daman. On Saturday, he abruptly entered a thatched hut, where the survivor was being breastfed by her mother. He snatched the child from the mother and ran into a thicket. The parents chased him, but he managed to escape. Burkhud took the survivor to a paddy field, sexually assaulted her and then threw her. The survivor has suffered injuries. However, the accused left his footwear behind, which helped us trace him, said senior inspector, Ajay Vasawe of Talasari police station. The police dog squad helped in tracking the accused.

We have arrested Burkhud under sections of 376(2) (rape) and 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012. Burkhud was produced before Palghar court on Monday and has been remanded in police custody till Wednesday. We are investigating further, said Vasawe.
A British judge on Monday blocked WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's extradition to the United States to face espionage charges, finding he was at serious risk of suicide.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said the 49-year-old Australian publisher faced "oppressive" conditions in maximum-security isolation if detained in the US.

In court, Assange wiped his forehead as the decision was announced while his fiancee Stella Moris burst into tears and was embraced by WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson.

Outside the Old Bailey court in central London, his supporters who had gathered since early morning erupted in cheers and shouted "Free Assange!"

Assange and his legal team have long argued that the protracted case, which has become a cause celebre for media freedom, was politically motivated.

Monday's ruling follows more than a decade of legal controversies.

However, the US government has given notice it will challenge the decision, and has two weeks to lodge its grounds to appeal.

- 'Oppressive' move -

Assange was remanded in custody until a bail hearing on Wednesday.

Any decision to block extradition should meet a high bar given Britain's treaty obligations, Baraitser said.

But facing the "harsh conditions" likely in the US jail system, Assange's mental health would deteriorate, "causing him to commit suicide" with the determination of a person with autism spectrum disorder, she ruled, siding with a diagnosis by psychologists.

Baraitser rejected US experts' testimony that Assange would be protected from self-harm, noting that others such as disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein had managed to kill themselves in custody despite wardens' supervision.

"For this reason I have decided extradition would be oppressive by reason of mental harm and I order his discharge," she said.

The US non-profit Freedom of the Press Foundation said the case against Assange was "the most dangerous threat to US press freedom in decades".

"The extradition request was not decided on press freedom grounds; rather the judge essentially ruled the US prison system was too repressive to extradite."

Fugitive US whistleblower Edward Snowden said he hoped Monday's ruling would mark "the end" of the case against Assange.

- History of depression -

Baraitser rejected claims of political motivation in the case and said Assange's actions went "well beyond" that of a journalist and he would have been "well aware" of the dangers the leak of documents posed.

Assange is wanted to face 18 charges in the United States relating to the 2010 release by WikiLeaks of 500,000 secret files detailing aspects of military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.

If convicted in the United States, Assange faces up to 175 years in jail.

Before the ruling, both Germany and a UN rights expert expressed concern over the human rights and humanitarian problems presented by the extradition.

Assange has a history of depression and a respiratory condition that makes him more vulnerable to Covid-19, which has infected several inmates at the high-security prison where he has been held in London.

He has also complained of hearing imaginary voices and music during his detention.

- 'Clear message' -

UN special rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer has urged US President Donald Trump to pardon Assange, saying he is not "an enemy of the American people".

"In pardoning Mr Assange, Mr President, you would send a clear message of justice, truth and humanity to the American people and to the world," he wrote in December.

"You would rehabilitate a courageous man who has suffered injustice, persecution and humiliation for more than a decade, simply for telling the truth."

The prospect of a possible pardon from the outgoing US leader has gained ground following a slew of others granted to a number of Trump's political allies.

Moris, with whom Assange has two young sons, also appealed to Trump directly.

The UK hearing was told Trump promised to pardon Assange if he testified Russia hacked into the computer servers of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) during the 2016 election campaign.

WikiLeaks later published the emails, which proved politically damaging to Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton before the vote.

Washington claims Assange helped intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to steal the 2010 documents before exposing confidential sources around the world.

After Sweden first issued an arrest warrant for Assange in 2010 over allegations of sexual assault, he sought asylum in Ecuador's embassy in London, where he remained from 2012 until 2019.

In April 2019, Ecuador, by then ruled by right-wing President Lenin Moreno, revoked his citizenship. British police dragged Assange out of the embassy.

He was arrested for breaching his bail terms but remained in custody pending the ruling on the extradition request.

The earlier Swedish assault investigation against him was later dropped due to lack of evidence.

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 17:05:58|Editor: huaxia

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HOHHOT, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Roughly 500,000 people in key groups are receiving Chinese-developed COVID-19 vaccines in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the regional health commission said on Monday.

No serious side effects have been reported thus far since the inoculations began in the region on Dec. 22, 2020, according to the commission.

The key groups mainly comprise people working in industries with relatively high risks of infection, including those whose work relates to imported cold-chain products, customs entry and quarantine points, and medical disease control, as well as those who plan to work or study in medium or high-risk countries or regions.

Inner Mongolia plans to complete the inoculation of the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to all those in key groups by Tuesday, and the second doses by Feb. 5.

Local resident Huhbat was given his first vaccine dose on Monday in the Darhan Muminggan Joint Banner, which borders Mongolia.

"My colleagues and friends who were vaccinated did not feel much. Some experienced slight swelling or pain that soon disappeared," he said.

In Hohhot, the regional capital, a total of 47 inoculation points have been designated.

"We administer more than 1,200 doses daily," said Li Guimei, director of the No. 2 Hospital of Hohhot. Enditem
A man who made history with his wife as the UK's first couple with Down's Syndrome to marry has died from Covid-19 - just two weeks after contracting the virus.

Tommy Pilling, 62, from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, lost his battle to coronavirus on January 1, leaving behind his doting wife Maryanne, 49, who says she is 'completely lost' without her love.

The couple had been shielding for ten months when Tommy, who was diagnosed with dementia six years ago, was taken to hospital for a chest infection on December 10.

There he contracted coronavirus which led to pneumonia. Tommy passed away at 1.40am on New Year's Day, just two weeks after testing positive on December 16.

Tommy Pilling, 62, from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, lost his battle to coronavirus on January 1, leaving behind his doting wife Maryanne, 49 (pictured together when they were young)

His devastated sister-in-law, Lindi Newman, 33, has spoken today to pay her respects to the 'one of a kind' Tommy.

Lindi said: 'We are all complete and utter shock. Tommy will stay in my heart forever.

'I am so thankful my mum Linda Martin, 70, unofficially adopted him 30 years ago and made him apart of our family.

'Maryanne and Tommy had never been apart for more than a few hours during all those years. She doesn't remember a life before Tommy.

The couple had been shielding for ten months. Here they are pictured on holiday together

The couple sharing a kiss. Tommy popped the question with a toy ring from a vending machine after 18-months of dating, the pair met in 1990

'The day she met him, she had the biggest smile on her face and she couldn't stop talking about him.

'She is absolutely devastated and in shock. One minute, she is hysterical and the next she is fine, then she cries again. It is so hard for all of us.'

Sadly the couple were separated for the very first time since they met when Tommy was hospitalised on December 10.

In July 2018, Tommy dissolved into tears while discussing his love for his wife on ITV's This Morning, as they spoke to Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.

The last photo the love-struck had together before he passed away

Maryanne's mother Linda was also on the show, saying the couple's relationship was 'magical', and told how she was criticised for letting her daughter get married.

The Pillings, Britain's first Down's syndrome married couple, first met at a day centre in Southend in 1990 and were instantly besotted with each other, dating for about 18 months before he proposed.

He popped the question with a toy ring from a vending machine, before the couple married in front of 250 guests at St Mary's Church in Shoeburyness in 1995.

For their first seven years of their marriage the couple lived with Maryanne's mother, Linda, but then moved out to live on their own next door.

Linda said: 'It is so cruel that he caught the virus in the hospital. He had no choice but to go in for treatment.

Maryanne and Tommy on their wedding day, in front of 250 guests at St Mary's Church in Shoeburyness in 1995

Maryanne and Tommy lived independently since tying the knot in 1995

The happy couple on the day of their wedding. The pair had not been apart for more than 24 hours in the years they were married until Tommy was hospitalized

'I will cherish thousands of memories I have with Tommy, from cinema trips to zoo visits. He would always thank me for taking them out for the day and compliment me - even when I looked horrendous.

'He was a true gentleman. He told Maryanne and I that he loved us daily. Marriage made him my brother-in-law but love made him my brother.'

Maryanne and Tommy lived independently since tying the knot in 1995.

Tommy was diagnosed with coronavirus on December 16. The family praise the NHS staff who nursed Tommy

But she had moved next door with her mother for daily support whilst Tommy, who also had dementia, was in hospital.

He spent one month in three different hospitals - Basildon hospital, Southend and Thurrock community hospital.

He was diagnosed with coronavirus on December 16. The family praise the NHS staff who nursed Tommy.

Linda said: 'Tommy has left a vast hole in our lives that nobody will ever fill.

'I considered him as my son and I've never regretted a single moment of the three decades he was in my care.

The couple were believed to be the longest married couple with Down's Syndrome - married 25 years

'He brought us all so much love and joy. I will always be thankful for the laughter and fun he brought to our lives.

'I cannot thank the staff enough, their care and compassion was outstanding - especially during these dreadful times.

'They were all rushed off their feet but still made time to inform me daily regarding his condition. They also commented on what a beautiful person he was.

'He was last at Basildon hospital with macmillan nurses by his side - they were also amazing.'

The family invite all to light a candle in his honour tonight [January 4] at 7pm and to post a photo on their Facebook page. The couple can be found on social media by searching @maryanneandtom.
Dhaka:

Cyclone Mora made landfall in Bangladesh with packing winds of up to 150 kilometres per hour and damaging several houses on Tuesday and there are reports of 6 people losing their lives to it. Authorities were scrambling to evacuate over half a million people from the coastal areas.

In a special bulletin, Bangladesh Meteorological Department said the severe cyclonic storm Mora moved northward over North Bay and started crossing Coxs Bazar-Chittagong coast at 6:00 AM (local time). It is likely to move in a northerly direction further, it said.

A man and woman were killed after getting hit by a falling tree as the cyclone cut its path through the tourist district of Coxs Bazar, police said.

A child was killed in Bhola, one of the most vulnerable districts in the south. In Rangamati town, trees uprooted by the cyclone fell on a woman and a child, leaving them both dead, Police Inspector Mohammad Rashid said.

Separately, in the district town of Coxs Bazar, an elderly woman died from cardiac arrest at a cyclone shelter, local media reported.

Under the cyclones influence, gusty or squally wind with rain or thunder showers were continuing over North Bay and the coastal districts and maritime ports of Bangladesh, the Daily Star reported.

Wind speed is estimated at 130 kmph in Saint Martins Island and 150 kmph Coxs Bazar port after it hit the area in between 6 AM and 7 AM, Coxs Bazar Met official A K M Nazmul Haque said.

Also read: Cyclone Mora: Monsoon arrives in India two days ahead of schedule; rains drench Kerala, North East

All flights were suspended to and from Chittagong international airport and the Coxs Bazar airports.

As many as 300,000 people had been taken to shelters in more than ten districts most vulnerable to the cyclone, Additional Secretary Golam Mostafa, a spokesman for the disaster management ministrys control room, was quoted as saying by BD News.

The people were moved out to at least 400 cyclone shelters or safer places like schools and government offices in the coastal areas, a disaster management ministry spokesman said.

There are also fears for the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees living in makeshift homes after fleeing violence or persecution in neighbouring Myanmar.

At least 2.5 million people in 10 districts risk falling in the way of the severe cyclonic storm.

The districts at risk were Coxs Bazar, Chittagong, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Feni, Chandpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barisal and Pirojpur.

However, the Met office has said that the cyclone has already started to lose strength, but strong winds and heavy rains in Coxs Bazar and Chittagong may continue.

Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader said that the government has disbursed cash assistance of 18.7 million taka for the affected areas. A navy ship is on its way to the St. Martins Island with relief supplies. The prime minister has instructed the army and air force to join the relief efforts.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is monitoring the situation from Vienna, where she has gone to attend a conference on atomic energy.

The prime minister is maintaining round-the-clock communication with Dhaka on the storm situation. She has ordered all-out preparation to tackle the storm, said Ihsanul Karim, Prime Ministers press secretary.

Under the influence of the cyclonic storm, the low-lying areas of the coastal districts and their offshore islands were likely to be inundated by storm surge of 4-5 feet height above normal astronomical tide, the Met office said.

All fishing boats and trawlers over North Bay and deep sea have been advised to remain in shelter till further notice.

The MeT office had issued the highest level of warning signal in a scale of 10 for two maritime ports after Mora developed into a severe cyclonic storm.

Habibur Rahman, a member of Saint Martins Island Union Parishad, told Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo that several houses were damaged in Saint Martins Island in the morning.

Also read: Cyclone Mora: Heavy rainfall with wind speed of up to 80mph expected in next 24 hrs over Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram

Bangladesh is often hit by bad storms between April and December that cause deaths and widespread destruction.

Cyclone Roanu hit the southern coast of Bangladesh last year, leaving 20 people dead and forcing half a million to flee their homes.

The Mora cyclone formed after heavy rains in Sri Lanka caused floods and landslides killing over 180 people.

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Susan Patrick, President and CEO of the Aurora Institute, issued the following statement on the nomination of Dr. Miguel A. Cardona as the next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education:

"The Aurora Institute congratulates Dr. Miguel A. Cardona on his historic nomination to serve as the next Secretary of Education. Dr. Cardona has a distinguished history as a strong advocate for educational equity, and his professional and personal commitment to the future success of all children makes us optimistic for the road ahead. We pledge our best efforts to support the incoming administration in what will inevitably be a challenging year of re-opening and recovery, restoring hope, expanding opportunity, and transforming education."

Dr. Cardona currently serves as the Education Commissioner in Connecticut, where he has led the state's successful reopening of schools, while narrowing a stark digital divide in service to reducing learning loss among students living in low-income households. Dr. Cardona is a former public school teacher, Principal of the Year, and assistant superintendent, as well as a first-generation college graduate.

The next Secretary of Education will be tasked not only with bringing the nation's elementary, secondary, and higher education systems back from the pandemic's disruption and resolving the considerable damage, but also with boosting federal funding for schools and enabling conditions for public schools to thrive by producing students equipped for "the economy of the future," as President-elect Joe Biden noted . This work includes addressing systemic inequities and modernizing and diversifying the educator workforce.

Because of his lifetime commitment to education and his depth of experience for leading through the kinds of change we need, the Aurora Institute is pleased with Dr. Cardona's nomination. We look forward to collaborating with the new administration to create a vision of what's possible with K-12 education. The monumental work required to help school systems rebound from the pandemic, as well as the high-stakes political processes through which this work will be accomplished, means the next Secretary will face the most urgent crises our education system has faced in many decades. We urge Dr. Cardona and other members of the Biden Administration to consider a holistic, student-centric approach on our road to recovery, one that increases access to quality teacher preparation programs, diversifies the teacher workforce, fosters balanced systems of assessments, invests in college preparation programs, and frees states from burdensome rules that prevent them from establishing future-focused, anytime, anywhere learning experiences.

Education is at a critical juncture. With unprecedented local and state revenue shortfalls, widening racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps, an ever-pressing digital divide, and a massive racial awakening spurred by the ongoing murders of innocent Black people, the time is evergreen to implement lasting changes to the methods with which we educate and serve our nation's learners. It is our belief that high-quality design and implementation of student-centered policies are effective approaches to support the racial and social justice outcomes that President-elect Biden has committed to achieving.

Our goal, which we believe Dr. Cardona and President-elect Biden share, is to help states and localities administer a transcendent education system that prepares all graduates with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to achieve success and advance our society. It will take strong leadership, such as that already exhibited by Dr. Cardona in Connecticut, to make this happen.

The Aurora Institute stands ready to support the federal ecosystem that administers the programs and services needed for all students and communities to prosper.

Aurora's mission is to drive the transformation of education systems and accelerate the advancement of breakthrough policies and practices to ensure high-quality learning for all. Aurora is shaping the future of teaching and learning for more than 14 million students through its work in policy advocacy, research, and field-building/convening. We work on systems change in K-12 education, promote best practices, examine policy barriers, and make recommendations for change. Aurora has a national and global view of education innovation and lifts up promising policies and practices that yield improved outcomes for students. Aurora envisions a world where all people are empowered to attain the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to achieve success, contribute to their communities, and advance society.

SOURCE Aurora Institute
A wine store in Cape Town, South Africa, displays a closed sign at it's entrance Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared the wearing of masks compulsory and has reimposed a ban on the sales of alcohol and ordered the closure of all bars and beaches as part of new restrictions to help the country battle a resurgence of the coronavirus, including a new variant. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)

Scientists in South Africa are urgently testing to see if the vaccines for COVID-19 will be effective against the country's variant virus.

The genomic studies come as Britain's health minister, Matt Hancock, and other experts in the U.K. have said they worry that vaccines may not be effective against the South African variant.

"This is the most pressing question facing us right now," said Dr. Richard Lessells, an infectious diseases expert who is working on the country's genomic studies of the variant.

"We are urgently doing experiments in the laboratory to test the variant," against the blood of people with antibodies and against the blood of people who have received vaccines, Lessells told The Associated Press Monday.

The tests, called neutralizing assays, will help determine the reliability of vaccines against the variant, he said.

The South African variant, 501.V2, is more infectious than the original COVID-19 virus and has rapidly become dominant in the country's coastal areas. It is expected that the variant will quickly become dominant inland in Johannesburg, the country's largest city, and the surrounding Gauteng province, he said.

South Africa is currently experiencing a resurgence of COVID-19 with rapidly rising numbers of cases and deaths that are surpassing what the country experienced in its first surge in late July last year.

Stacked beach chairs lay on the closed beach in Camps Bay, Cape Town, South Africa Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared the wearing of masks compulsory and has reimposed a ban on the sales of alcohol and ordered the closure of all bars and beaches as part of new restrictions to help the country battle a resurgence of the coronavirus, including a new variant. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)

People pass a sign at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, indicating a COVID testing station Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared the wearing of masks compulsory and has reimposed a ban on the sales of alcohol and ordered the closure of all bars and beaches as part of new restrictions to help the country battle a resurgence of the coronavirus, including a new variant. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)

South Africa has recorded more than 1.1 million cases of COVID-19, including 29,577 deaths, according to Monday figures from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

South Africa's seven-day rolling average of daily new cases has risen over the past two weeks from 14.68 new cases per 100,000 people on Dec. 20 to 23.20 new cases per 100,000 people on Jan. 3. The rolling average of daily deaths has doubled over the past two weeks from 0.34 deaths per 100,000 people on Dec. 20 to 0.68 deaths per 100,000 people on Jan. 3.

As South Africa's hospitals neared capacity, President Cyril Ramaphosa last week announced a return to restrictions designed to slow the spread of the disease, including a ban on the sales of liquor and the closure of many public beaches and banning public gatherings.

The COVID-19 virus is prone to mutations and the creation of new variants, Lessells said.

"As more genomic surveillance is done and better genomic surveillance is done, we will almost certainly see more variants in other parts of the world," he said.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

GREENWICH  A Greenwich financial executive and investor is facing legal scrutiny by the New York attorney general over the handling of funds in accounts.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has obtained an injunction placing restrictions on private equity fund ACP X, run by Greenwich resident Laurence G. Allen, and the various corporate entities he controls. The attorney generals office said it is investigating the fund and whether more than $13 million was misappropriated to enrich Allen and his companies between 2008 and 2018, according to a statement from James.

Allens investment company, based over the border from Greenwich in Rye Brook, N.Y., purchases interests in other private equity funds at a discount on the secondary market. According to the complaint from the attorney general, when one of Allens companies, NYPPEX Holdings, started to fail, Allen allegedly funneled ACP investor money into NYPPEX, and in turn, into his own pocket, according to the lawsuit.

A state Supreme Court justice in Manhattan held a hearing on the matter in early 2020 and approved the injunction on Allens companies, declaring that there appeared to be evidence of a shocking level of self-dealing, breaches of fiduciary duty, misappropriation of enormous sums of ACP capital, and outright fraud.

Make no mistake: There is no safe haven for white collar fraudsters in New York, said Attorney General James in announcing the lawsuit against Allens companies. My office will find and prosecute all who try to illegally profit from illicit activities and line their pockets with stolen funds.

A trial date has not been scheduled on the lawsuit, which is a civil matter, not a criminal one.

/ AP

Allen declined comment by email last week. Attorneys with his firm did not respond to requests for comment.

Allen and his wife, Michelle, founded a nonprofit research project, the Allen Research Endowment, to look at the ways in which drug addiction can be treated. His son, J. Bradley Allen, died of a drug overdose in 2014 at the age of 19. The Allen Research Endowment has also supported research on life-threatening diseases.

The Allens filed a lawsuit against the makers of Suboxone in early 2017 that was dismissed in late 2018 on procedural grounds.

The lawsuit against Indivior Inc. was filed in U.S. District Court in the northern district of New York, located in Syracuse. A judge there ruled the lawsuit was not in the proper venue, and said it should have been filed in Connecticut.

Bradley Allen was a college student who began taking painkillers after a car accident in 2010, and he became addicted. Allen was prescribed Suboxone, a common treatment protocol for opioid addiction. When the Suboxone prescription ran out, according to court papers, Allen acquired heroin and died of an overdose.

At the time of the dismissal, Laurence Allen declined comment.

rmarchant@greenwichtime.com
On 24 August, the high court had asked the Rajasthan Assembly Speaker to decide within three months the disqualification petition filed by BJP MLA Madan Dilawar against the merger of six BSP MLAs with the Congress

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday said it would hear on 7 January the appeals of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and BJP MLA Madan Dilawar against the Rajasthan High Court order asking the Assembly Speaker to decide within three months a disqualification petition against all the six BSP MLAs 'merging' with the ruling Congress party.

A bench of Justices S Abdul Nazeer and KM Joseph listed the appeals for further hearing on Thursday.

On 24 August, the high court had asked the Rajasthan Assembly Speaker to decide within three months the disqualification petition filed by Dilawar against the merger of six BSP MLAs with the Congress.

Allowing Dilawar's plea partially, the high court had set aside the 22 July order of the Speaker rejecting the disqualification petition filed by him in March last year. It had dismissed a writ petition filed by the BSP in the matter, while giving the party liberty to file a disqualification petition with the Speaker.

Dilawar had filed the petition in the high court challenging the merger of six MLAs  Sandeep Yadav, Wajib Ali, Deepchand Kheria, Lakhan Meena, Jogendra Awana and Rajendra Gudha with the Congress and demanded a stay on the execution of the order passed by the Speaker.

The top court had on the same day disposed of as "infructuous" Dilawar's plea seeking stay on the Rajasthan Speaker's decision, which allowed the six BSP MLAs to merge with the Congress after the high court had passed its order on the same issue.

The six MLAs had contested and won the 2018 assembly elections on BSP tickets but later defected to the Congress party in September 2019.

The MLAs had submitted an application for the merger on 16 September, 2019 and the Speaker issued an order on 18 September, 2019. Dilawar has said that the six BSP MLAs have been wrongly allowed by the Speaker to merge with the ruling Congress party.

The merger was a boost to the Ashok Gehlot-led state government as the tally of the Congress increased to over 100 in the House of 200 MLAs.

2021-01-01

Maeci

Italy firmly condemns the execution in Teheran, on 31 December, of Mohammad Hassan Rezaei, who was only 16 years old when he committed the crime for which he was sentenced to death.

In line with our strong commitment to human rights and the abolition of the death penalty, Italy strongly calls on Iran to apply a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

Capital punishment is an inhumane, cruel and degrading treatment and can be accepted under no circumstances. It has no value as a deterrent against crime.
An open letter written to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) against attempts being made to paint the protesting farmers as separatists has been converted into a public interest litigation and is expected to be heard by the Supreme Court in the coming days.

The letter written by 35 students of Panjab Universitys Centre for Human Rights and Duties on December 2 termed the course of action initiated by the government to address the farmers concerns as insensitive and sought intervention of the court to allow them to continue with their peaceful protest. The letter also attacked the media for trying to polarise the peaceful protest by associating farmers with separatists.

Gurmohan Preet Singh, a postgraduate student of the university, who is among the 35 signatories to the letter, said, On December 18, we received an intimation from the Supreme Court registry informing that our letter has been registered under the section of public interest litigation (PIL). We are hopeful that our letter will be listed in open court for hearing at the earliest.

Read more| Farm laws wont be repealed, govt tells farmers; next round of talks on Jan 8

The intimation received from the registry said, Your communication has been successfully registered as Diary no 67872/SCI/PIL(E) 2020. Singh said he had not received any intimation yet with regard to the listing of the case.

The letter aired a grievance over the manner in which water cannons, teargas shells and lathis were used against the protesting farmers. The 35 signatories, comprising human rights students, research scholars, and former students of the university demanded an enquiry into the illegitimate use of force by Haryana Police and withdrawal of all criminal cases registered against the protesting farmers by both Haryana Police and Delhi Police. In addition, the letter sought basic amenities to be provided to the protesters to ensure their safety.

One of the prayers in the letter stated, Take action to curb fake news and against media channels, engaged in misrepresentation, polarisation and sensationalisation of the whole issue.

The Supreme Court on December 17 considered the issue of farmers protesting at Delhis borders and proposed a solution be worked out by way of talks between the government and farmer unions by involving independent experts. The court maintained that it did not intend to curb the farmers right to protest peacefully but the same should not be at the cost of disruption of public order.

The letter said, When farmers decided to approach to the National Capital Territory of Delhi, the peaceful protesters (farmers) were thrashed and walloped that it seemed raising a voice for their Fundamental Rights as provided by the Supreme Law of the Nation is a dreadful crime (which it is not).
The recent attack by the Islamic State, which left dozens of regime soldiers dead, has shown the strength of the Islamic State and reaffirmed the need to confront them militarily writes Syria TV.

The Islamic State (ISIS) has returned in force to the Syrian scene through a series of operations targeting all parties in the Syrian Badia and east of the Euphrates. The most recent operation took place last Wednesday, in the Badia, between the countryside of Deir ez-Zor and Homs, and was the culmination of the operations that had begun to escalate gradually since the middle of last year.

The result of the operation came as a heavy burden on the Syrian regime, which canceled the New Years celebrations on state television, in solidarity with the families of the victims, some of whom denounced the regimes negligence in providing security to soldiers going on vacation. The ISIS statement, in which it claimed responsibility for the operation, stated that the death toll reached 40 among the soldiers belonging to the Fourth Division led by Maher al-Assad, which is taking part in Iranian militia operations in the eastern Euphrates region, especially in Abu Kamal, which has turned into an Iranian base called the Imam Ali Base, and is controlled by the Afghan Fatemiyoun militia and the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) under the supervision of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

Several observations can be made about the operations carried out by ISIS. The first is that they extend over a wide geographical area stretching from Hassakeh Governorate, and including Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa governorates in the direction of the Badia.

The second observation is that these operations have been targeting all the parties controlling this geography on an almost daily basis. Security and military leaders from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Russians, the regime, and the Iranian militias fell as a result of them. Perhaps the most prominent of the dead was the Russian Maj. Gen. Vyacheslav Gladkikh, who was killed along with a leader of the National Defense Militia, on Aug. 18, 2020, as a result of an explosive device in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor Governorate.

The third observation is that the operations are gradually escalating and their scope is expanding, intensifying remarkably as of late, despite the military counter-reinforcements.

As for the fourth observation, there has been a clear failure to stop or limit these operations, and this failure is the responsibility of the parties on the ground in these areas, namely Russia, the regime, SDF, and the Iranian militias.

It is known that, last summer, Russia announced a massive military campaign, under the name of the White Desert, with the aim of eliminating ISIS cells in the Badia, which led to the liquidation of 327 militants and the destruction of 134 shelters, 17 observation points, seven stores of ammunition, and five underground stores of weapons and ammunition, according to the official Russian statement about the outcome of the operation.

Experts from the region, where the operations are taking place, chalked up the escalation of ISIS activity to several reasons. The first is the full control of the SDF over the region, except for the Badia which is controlled by the regime and Russia. Undoubtedly, the SDFs political project in the region meets a general rejection from the Arab majority, especially in the governorates of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa, which have a 95 percent Arab majority. Since ISIS was eliminated, the two cities fell under the rule of the SDF, which has generated popular resentment fueled by accusations of discrimination, the seizing of wealth from the people of the region, as well as imposing academic curricula by the Kurdish Autonomous Administration.

The second reason is the Iranian militias control over large areas in the Deir ez-Zor countryside, bordering Iraq, and their practices against the people of the region, including the widespread Shiite campaigns that have been met with popular opposition by many.

Defeating ISIS would require a different kind of project; one that is based on addressing the major pain points that are due to the practices of the controlling parties.

The third reason is Russian attempts at rehabilitating the regime in the region, within the framework of the policy pursued by Moscow in all areas that it has controlled since its military intervention in September 2015. Those attempts have proven completely unsuccessful, as is the case in the south, where Russia has not even been able to, until this very day, to implement the 2018 agreements. As a result, the region is witnessing a state of total rejection of the regime as well as security chaos, despite Russias establishment of military formations, such as the Fifth Corps, which it is working to deploy in Deir ez-Zor.

Defeating ISIS requires handing over the administration of the region to its people and confronting ISIS militarily.

An important observation must be made, which is that ISIS is not popular in the region or with the population. However, no one in the region finds themselves interested in confronting ISIS, knowing that it would probably be in the interest of Russia, the regime and Iran.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.

Its been two months since Election Day, and President Donald Trump still has refused to concede the race to President-elect Joe Biden.

Despite dozens of lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign, the election results have been certified with 81,283,485 votes for Biden and 74,223,744 for Trump. Biden won the popular vote by more than 7 million and also won the Electoral College with 306 electoral votes to Trumps 232.

The Electoral College formally voted on Dec. 14. Congress will take the final step in reaffirming Bidens win by counting the electoral votes on Wednesday  two weeks before Inauguration Day.

But what happens if Congress objects to the Electoral College results?

Under federal law, Congress must meet in a joint session Jan. 6 to open sealed certificates from each state that contain a record of their electoral votes. Bipartisan representatives of both chambers read the results out loud and do an official count beginning at 1 p.m. ET. The president of the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence, presides over the session and declares the winner.

According to Newsweek, any member of the House can submit an objection to a states results in writing. If at least one member of the Senate also objects, then both chambers of Congress will be required to separately debate the objections for a maximum of two hours. Both chambers must concurrently agree to sustain the objection, but its not expected that the Democrat-controlled House and the GOP-led Senate will both do so.

Who will object to the election results?

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) says 140 Republicans will object to Biden electors, including more than 100 members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Elise Stefanik, who represents New Yorks 21st District, said Monday that she would object to protect our Democratic process.

Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) are leading a group of 11 senators who will object to the Electoral College results, including Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Steve Daines of Montana, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Mike Braun of Indiana. New senators in the group are Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, has reportedly urged his caucus that objecting isnt in the best interest of everybody. Several other prominent Republicans have criticized the effort as well, including Texas Sen. John Cornyn and South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican. The Associated Press reports Thune said last month that any objections will go down like a shot dog in the Senate.

Why would they dispute the results?

Trump has repeatedly claimed the election was stolen and rigged without evidence, while election officials and former attorney general William Barr confirmed there was no widespread fraud. Nearly all of the legal challenges put forth by Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges; the Supreme Court, which includes three Trump-nominated justices, also denied requests to hear cases attempting to invalidate the outcome of the election in key battleground states.

All of the Congress members contesting the presidential election results are Republicans, and loyalty to Trump could serve them in future elections; both Hawley and Cruz are potential 2024 presidential contenders. But its worth noting that some are objecting to the results in the same election they themselves won in November.

What if the election is still in dispute?

If election results from some states are somehow still in dispute, Vice President Mike Pence, who serves as president of the Senate, could opt to throw out both sets of votes from those states.

If neither candidate has 270 electoral votes, then Congress would vote for president and vice president. The House of Representatives would need a majority by 26 votes to choose a president and the Senate would need at least 51 votes to determine the VP; Trump could win if the House votes for him.

In that scenario, if the Senate somehow chooses a vice president but the House doesnt pick a president, the vice president-elect serves as president until all is resolved. (In this case, Pence or Kamala Harris could become president.)

If neither body of Congress can successfully vote by Inauguration Day, then the presidential line of succession takes effect and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) would serve as president until a new president is chosen.

What happens if Trump refuses to leave the White House on Jan. 20?

Do squatters rights apply at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? The 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is clear: The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

Trump could follow tradition and attend Bidens inauguration, much like how Biden, Obama and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton did in 2016. But if Trump opts to stay in the White House until Biden is sworn in, Biden has the right to order the Secret Service to physically remove Trump like any other trespasser.

...The United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House, Bidens campaign said in November.

Has this happened before?

The last time Congress objected to election results was in 2005, when Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio and Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, both Democrats, objected to Ohios electoral votes, claiming there were voting irregularities. Both the House and Senate debated the objection and easily rejected it. It was only the second time such a vote had occurred.

A handful of House Democrats objected to Trumps win in 2017, including Rep. Maxine Waters, over questions about voter suppression and American intelligence reports of Russian interference in the election in favor of Trump. Their objections were denied because they didnt have the support of any senators, and no debate occurred.

The joint session is the last official chance for objections, beyond court cases that have so far proven ineffective for Trump and his team.

I think there comes a time when you have to realize that, despite your best efforts youve been unsuccessful, Cornyn said earlier this month, according to the AP.

No presidential candidate in modern history has ever refused to concede. Even Al Gore conceded to President George W. Bush in 2000 after a recount in Florida ended 36 days of uncertainty.

I accept the finality of the outcome, which will be ratified next Monday in the Electoral College, Gore said. And tonight, for the sake of our unity as a people and the strength of our democracy, I offer my concession.
Paducah Traffic Stop Ends in Drug, Other Charges

By West Kentucky Star Staff

PADUCAH - A traffic stop on Monday led to drug and other charges for a Paducah man.A detective with the McCracken County Sheriff's Office pulled over a vehicle on Lane Road at 1:44 p.m. for an alleged traffic violation.After speaking with the driver, 47-year-old Robert Evans, detectives learned that his driver's license had been suspended due to a prior DUI conviction.Additionally, a search of the vehicle reportedly uncovered methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.Evans was arrested and charged with first degree possession of a controlled substance second offense (methamphetamine), operating a vehicle on a DUI suspended driver's license, possession of drug paraphernalia, expired registration plates, and no insurance.
We've managed to muscle through the year that was 2020. I, for one, am definitely glad that's over.

Americans faced a lot last year: an ongoing pandemic, a critical presidential election and a national movement centered around social injustice.

Now that we're entering a new year, here are five ways we can get ahead of the curve and take charge of our mental health.

1. Meditation and Yoga

Getty Images, Contributor / Getty Images/Westend61

Meditation is beneficial for reducing stress. According to Mental Health America, studies have shown that meditation can also reduce depression and anxiety, and help people manage chronic pain. Yoga, which goes hand in hand with meditation, is also a helpful tool in combating mental and emotional wellness.

Try to incorporate meditation and simple yoga stretches into your daily routine in the morning to kickstart your day.

2. Journaling

Karl Tapales/Getty Images

In the new year, we're getting back to writing it out. It'll be a step up from our teenage years of writing in our diary, but the same benefits still apply. You don't have to make it a daily habit, but writing down your thoughts and feelings can help you to understand them more clearly. Journaling can help you gain control of your emotions and improve your mental health.

3. Going to therapy

dima_sidelnikov/Getty Images/iStockphoto

With everything we dealt with in 2020, seeking a therapist isn't a bad idea. Sometimes our problems are a little bit too big to handle on our own, and a licensed therapist can help us work through those issues. I began seeing a therapist last year, and its improved my overall health and has helped me understand myself a little bit more.

LIFE CHANGES: Why I decided to find a therapist during the pandemic

4. Working out

Getty Images, Contributor / Getty Images/PhotoAlto

Exercise not only has physical benefits, but mental benefits as well. People who exercise regularly typically have a better sense of wellbeing. It's a great way to feel more energetic throughout the day, as well sleeping better at night. According to Help Guide, "regular exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on depression, anxiety, and ADHD."

5. Reframing Negative Thoughts

Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Changing the way you interpret circumstances is a great way to change your outlook on life.

While everyone isn't a natural-born optimist, the goal in reframing negative thoughts is to find a better alternative view of what is happening to you. Instead of thinking, "Why is this happening to me?' it can be empowering to shift your thinking to "What is this teaching me?"
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause

By Long Island Published: January 04 2021

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced the final deployment of rail cars to the states artificial reef network for 2020

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced the final deployment of rail cars to the states artificial reef network for 2020 which included the addition of seven rail cars to the Shinnecock Artificial Reef and four rail cars to the Moriches Reef. This final deployment of 2020 brings the total number of rail cars added to reefs in New York to 75 for the year. Rail cars were donated by Wells Fargo Rail Corporation during the third year of New Yorks historic expansion of artificial reefs.

New York has been a national model for protecting the environment, while helping stimulate economic growth, and our work to advance the states artificial reef network is a key component of those efforts, Governor Cuomo said. Not only does the continued expansion of our reefs help marine life and habitats thrive, but it will also strengthen Long Islands fishing, tourism and recreation industries which play an essential role in local economies all along the shoreline.

The rail cars used for the reef expansion are cleaned to mitigate potential impacts to sea life before being deployed to the reef sites. Once the rail cars settle to the sea floor, larger fish, such as blackfish, black sea bass, cod and summer flounder, move in to inhabit the new structures, and encrusting organisms such as barnacles, sponges, anemones, corals, and mussels cling to and cover the material. Over time, these recycled structures create a habitat like a natural reef.

The 35-acre Shinnecock Reef is located two nautical miles south of Shinnecock Inlet with a depth of 79-84 feet. Prior to the reef expansion, this reef was comprised of eight vessels, four barges, surplus armored vehicles, one drydock, rock, a steel and concrete tower, Tappan Zee bridge materials, steel and concrete bridge rubble, steel pipes, steel beams, and steel bridge trusses. State Department of Transportation (DOT) and New York Power Authority (NYPA)/Canal Corporation materials deployed at this reef in May 2018 include:

More than 1,093 tons of materials. Barges dropped 885 tons of clean, recycled Tappan Zee Bridge material, as well as deconstructed DOT project materials;

Thirty-five tons of triangular trusses;

One hundred tons of concrete deck panels;

Seven hundred and fifty tons of steel foundation pipes;

Six tons of steel lattice trusses;

13.1 tons of pieces of steel sheeting;

37 tons of steel beams;

13.8 tons of steel columns;

9.4 tons of steel girders;

0.9 tons of steel channels;

128 tons of steel pipes;

Three decommissioned Canal boats, including a 110-foot barge, 74-foot tugboat, and 40-foot tender.

The 14-acre Moriches Reef is located in the Atlantic Ocean 2.4 nautical miles south of Moriches Inlet. DOT, NYPA/Canal Corporation, and the Thruway Authority materials deployed in August 2018 and October 2018 to develop this reef include:

One 25x20 steel pump boat;

50x20 steel self-propelled scow #56;

Twelve steel bridge I-beams; and

Two barges of Tappan Zee Bridge material.

Beginning in September 2020, the first 16 of the 75 rail cars donated by Wells Fargo Corporation, as well as a steel turbine and the 70-foot tugboat Jane, were placed on Hempstead Reef. In October, 16 donated rail cars were deployed on the Atlantic Beach Reef. In November, 16 additional rail cars were deployed on the Fire Island reef, and 16 more rail cars were placed on the Twelve Mile reef.

Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said, The final deployment of donated rail cars to the Shinnecock and Moriches reefs further supports Governor Cuomos innovative approach to expanding New Yorks artificial reef network by putting materials to back to beneficial use to create healthier, more vibrant, and diverse marine ecosystems. Long Islands artificial reefs are providing new habitat for countless marine species and increased recreational opportunities for the regions sport fishing and diving industries. New Yorks Artificial Reef Program is a perfect example of how environmental initiatives support economic growth.

New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, The State Department of Transportation is proud to work with our sister agencies on this important program, repurposing transportation materials to expand artificial reefs and support biodiversity, fishing and tourism. It is another example of how New York State, under Governor Cuomos leadership, is taking bold steps to protect our ecosystems and foster sustainable economic growth that will benefit current and future generations of New Yorkers.

NYPA President and CEO Gil C. Quiniones said, NYPA and the Canal Corporation are proud to have a role in the Governors Artificial Reef Program. This innovative program is beneficial to the environment and our shorelines and offers new recreational opportunities for fishermen and divers as well as local economic benefits to our shoreline communities.

In his 2020 State of the State address, Governor Cuomo committed to doubling New Yorks existing reef acreage by expanding seven of 12 existing sites and creating four new artificial reefs in Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. This expansion will be complete by 2022. In April 2020, DEC finalized a Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) for the Artificial Reef Program to address advancements in science and expertise relating to artificial reef development. The SGEIS proposes expanding, creating, and continuing use of reef sites along New Yorks shores. The first Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) and Artificial Reef Plan was developed in 1993.

Earlier this month, the State released the Notice of Complete Application to expand seven of New Yorks 12 existing artificial reef sites and create four new sites for public review and comment. The Notice of Complete Application posted in DECs Environmental Notice Bulletin and on the artificial reef website here. DEC is accepting public comments on the proposal to grow the States Artificial Reef Network through Jan. 15, 2021.

New Yorks marine resources are critical to the states economy, supporting nearly 350,000 jobs and generating billions of dollars through tourism, fishing, and other industries. More than 500,000 anglers in the region will reap the benefits of the Governors initiative, supporting the regions growing marine economy which accounts for approximately 9.7 percent of Long Islands total GDP. Artificial reef construction is part of Governor Cuomos NY Open for Fishing and Hunting, an effort to improve recreational activities for in-state and out-of-state sportsmen and sportswomen and to boost tourism opportunities throughout the state. For more information about DECs Artificial Reef Program visit DECs website.

New Yorks Artificial Reef Program is an example of the Governors commitment to restoring marine ecosystems and economy. Coupled with the nations largest offshore wind agreement, record investments in the Environmental Protection Fund and Clean Water Infrastructure Act, a ban on offshore drilling, passage of the bunker bill to prohibit the use of purse seines to protect this keystone species, continued progress on the Long Island Shellfish Restoration initiative, and other programs to protect and improve water quality, the Governors efforts are realizing a cleaner and healthier marine environment for all New Yorkers.
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ALBANY  COVID-19 vaccines are not being distributed fast enough by many of New York's hospital networks, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said in a Monday press conference, and if the pace doesn't pick up, hospitals could be fined or could lose access to future tranches of vaccines.

Nationwide there have been issues with the delivery of the vaccines," Cuomo said. I want needles in arms and I want it done as quickly as possible."

Cuomo described his frustration with the slow roll-out as "constructive impatience." He also was criticizing the performance of a system his coronavirus task force had set up by putting regional hospitals in charge of a mass vaccination program that counties had for years been planning.

Across the state, less than half of the total vaccine allocation over the last three weeks has been used, 46 percent. About 300,000 vaccine doses have been administered in New York, and those 300,000 will need second doses over the next three weeks in order to gain full effect. Vaccines are being handled by pharmacy chains in New York's nursing homes and at certain hospitals, including a federal program to vaccinate nursing home residents that Cuomo said is lagging behind.

Under the new guidelines set by the governor, vaccines must be administered by hospitals within one week of receiving them, and if they are not, then those hospitals can be fined up to $100,000 and be disqualified from receiving further batches of vaccines.

Cuomo used a slide in his presentation to highlight the hospitals that have distributed the highest and lowest number of doses. The three best-performing hospitals were New York Presbyterian Health Care System, Oswego Hospital and Richmond University Medical Center, each above 90 percent in usage, and the three lowest-performing were Westchester Medical Center, New York City Health - Hospitals and Montefiore Healthcare System, each around 30 percent in usage.

The state's goal is for all nursing home residents to receive their first vaccine dose over the next two weeks, Cuomo said, and vaccinations for staff starting simultaneously. Front-line health care workers are being vaccinated at hospital facilities. The next phase will be "special efforts" for vaccinations, Cuomo said, including drive-ins, field hospitals and temporary facilities set up at churches, public housing facilities and community centers to prioritize vaccinations for people who are poor, or who are Black or brown.

Cuomo showed a slide of the leaders of public hospitals across New York  New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio, three county executives and one of the governor's longtime top aides, State University of New York Chancellor James Malatras, who oversees state university hospitals  saying they all need to do more to get the vaccines distributed quickly.

I need them to take personal responsibility for their hospitals. This is a management issue for their hospitals," Cuomo said.

The state is experiencing a surge of COVID-19 cases that began over the Thanksgiving weekend and has continued, even accelerating, during the winter holidays. The test positivity rate reported Monday was 8.34 percent, with hospitalizations up 288 and intubations and intensive care unit admissions up slightly.

There were 170 deaths reported, a higher daily number not seen since the early summer, and "a terrible way to start the new year," Cuomo said.

Hospital capacity remains a concern and the main metric that would trigger a full, red zone shut down for regions around the state. Only two regions of the state, the North Country and Southern Tier, still have more than half of their hospital capacity available. And the Capital Region has 32 percent capacity remaining. If any region is on track within 21 days to have less than 15 percent capacity remaining, a full shutdown would be triggered.

If the infection rate increases, then the region closes," Cuomo warned.
The Tories could gain up to ten seats when parliamentary constituency boundaries are redrawn, it has emerged.

A review into the size of MPs seats will benefit traditional Conservative heartlands, but will also mean the partys new blue wall seats are more vulnerable.

It will make welcome reading for Boris Johnson after a poll yesterday suggested that his support has collapsed during the pandemic. It found that if a general election were called tomorrow, the Tories would lose their majority and the Prime Minister would lose his seat.

The Tories could gain ten seats as the parliamentary constituency boundaries are redrawn tomorrow.

A review by the Boundary Commission into the sizes of the UKs 650 parliamentary constituencies will be announced tomorrow.

Second Scottish independence referendum 'not until 2055, says Prime Minister Boris Johnson A second Scottish independence referendum should not take place until 2055, Boris Johnson indicated. The Prime Minister signalled a hardline approach to dealing with Nicola Sturgeons continued demands for a fresh vote, claiming it should be a once in a generation event. The First Minister pledged that her SNP party will put holding a re-run of the 2014 vote at the centre of its campaign for Mays Scottish Parliament elections. But the PM told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show yesterday that the 41-year space between Europe referendums  1975 and 2016  was the right sort of gap, suggesting the next independence vote could be in 2055. The 2014 vote resulted in 55.3 per cent opposing Scotland going it alone. But 17 consecutive polls have found a majority backing independence. Advertisement

The last survey took place in 2000, meaning the current constituencies are 20 years out of date. Legislation passed last year means reviews will now take place more regularly to ensure constituencies keep pace with shifts in the population.

Parliament will not have a vote on the decision, which will come into effect automatically by 2023. The next election is set for 2024.

The new boundaries are expected to benefit the Conservatives because areas in traditional strongholds for the party, such as Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Kent, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, are likely to gain parliamentary seats.

This could give the Tories up to 14 seats, but they are likely to lose some of the more marginal ones that they gained from Labour in the North and Wales.

Lord Hayward, a Tory peer and political analyst, predicted the Tories would gain between five and ten MPs after losing some of the blue wall seats.

The extra seats are in what one would describe as Tory heartlands in the South. Creating an extra seat in those areas would effectively be giving it to the Tories, he said.

But the blue wall areas, which are on average small seats, are places which are going to lose seats.

Yes, the Tories did well in these territories but they are small seats. He added that Scotland could lose up to three seats, meaning the losses will not all be Labours.

Meanwhile, a Sunday Times poll, carried out over the festive period by Focaldata, found that neither the Tories nor Labour would win an outright majority if an election were held tomorrow. The MRP [Multi-level Regression and Post-Stratification] survey, supposed to be more reliable than traditional polling, gives the first major insight into how the pandemic is affecting Mr Johnsons electoral chances.

It was, however, conducted over four weeks in December  when Christmas was cancelled for millions, a new strain of the virus emerged and the UK faced the possibility of a No Deal Brexit.

The survey of 22,000 people suggested the Conservatives would lose 81 seats, wiping out Mr Johnsons majority.

This would leave them with 284, while Labour would win 282  an increase of 82.

The Liberal Democrats would be left with just two seats and the SNP would win 57 of the 59 seats in Scotland. Labour would win back half of its constituencies where voters backed the Tories for the first time in the last election.

Justin Ibbett, Focaldatas founder, said: It is clear that the Conservatives already have a lot of work to do if they are to replicate their 2019 success in future elections.

Schools reopened for classes 9 and 10 in Maharashtras Aurangabad district on Monday, even as two teachers have tested positive for coronavirus, a civic official said.

There was good response from students in the civic-run schools on the first day, the official said, adding that the exact number of students who attended the classes will be known by evening.

While permitting reopening of schools for Classes 9 and 10, which have been shut since March last year following the outbreak of COVID-19, the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation has made coronavirus test mandatory for teachers.

From December 28 till January 3, 1,358 teachers and other staff of various schools underwent RT-PCR tests. Out of them, two teachers and one staff member have so far tested positive for coronavirus, the official said.

When contacted, the civic bodys education officer Ramnath Thore told PTI that they have received good response from students.

However, some students were sent back home as they didnt have consent of their parents. The students are enthusiastic about coming back to school and we will surely see a rise in the number in the coming days, he said.

Ajay Nilangekar, a senior teacher from a private school here, said students came to attend classes in good numbers in the morning.

We have almost one-third strength on the first day.

The classes will take place for four hours every day.

Sanitisation of the premises is done before the school starts and will be done again after the classes are over, he said.

Aparna Jabras, mother of a Class 9 student who is currently attending online classes, said she will wait and watch before taking a decision on whether to send her son to school or not.

As going to school is optional, my son can attend the classes online, she said.

Anagha Vasekar, whose son is also studying in Class 9 in another private school here, said, I am ready to send my son to school. The studies have already been hampered a lot, hence I will send him to school. Till Sunday, the COVID-19 tally in Aurangabad was 45,762, while 1,206 people have so far died due to the disease, as per official figures.
Another prominent ethnic Pashtun rights activist, Said Alam Mahsud, has been arrested in Pakistan on charges of making anti-state and anti-military comments.

Sanna Ejaz, a leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), told RFE/RL that Mahsud appeared before a court in Peshawar on January 4 where a judge ordered him remanded in custody for four days.

Mahsud was arrested at his home in the northwestern city late on January 3 after he attended a protest earlier in the day demanding the release of other PTM leaders and activists from custody.

In a video widely circulated on Facebook and Twitter, Mahsud is seen greeting the policemen in Pashto and then asking, Am I being arrested? After a policeman says yes, he responds no problem in English and then accompanies them.

PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen called Mahsuds arrest an extremely oppressive act while Mohsin Dawar, a lawmaker and PTM leader, denounced what he called an undeclared crackdown" against the group.

PTM activists staged demonstrations on January 3 in several cities and towns in Pakistan, demanding the release of recently arrested leaders and members of the PTM, which has campaigned since 2018 for the civil rights of Pakistans estimated 35 million ethnic Pashtuns.

Ali Wazir, a lawmaker and PTM leader, has been arrested on sedition charges over accusations he made anti-state comments during an unsanctioned rally in Karachi on December 6.

His arrest triggered mass protests in dozens of cities and towns across Pakistan on December 18. After the protests, two other PTM members were arrested in Karachi.

The PTM has attracted tens of thousands of people to public rallies in recent years to denounce the powerful Pakistani Army's heavy-handed tactics in its fight against the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups in the country's northwest.
New fast moving strain driving infection growth in north east, says health minister

This article is old - Published: Monday, Jan 4th, 2021

Wales health minister has said a new strain of coronavirus identified before Christmas is driving the recent spike in cases across north Wales.

Level four restrictions were introduced across Wales two weeks ago in a bid to drive down the infection rate.

Whilst there has been a slight drop in infection rates in parts of North Wales  Wrexham and Flintshire have continued to see cases rise.

Wrexham has had 1,000 positive tests in the rolling seven day benchmark period, and is currently at 735.5 cases per 100,000  the second worst in Wales.





Flintshire is at 517 per 100k and saw 808 positive cases in the same seven day window.

During the first Welsh government press briefing of 2021, Health Minister Vaughan Gething said the new fast moving strain of the virus, which was first identified in the south east of England before Christmas, is driving the infection rates in north Wales.

He said: We continue to face a very serious situation. The new highly infectious strain of coronavirus which was identified just before Christmas is spreading quickly throughout Wales. Cases of the virus remain very high.

Rates have fallen back from the incredibly high levels we were seeing just before Christmas. The overall incident rate for Wales has fallen from a higher 636 cases per 100,000 people on December 17, to 446 cases today. Now this is still far too high.

Its too early to know if the falls [in other parts of Wales] are because of the Christmas period and fewer people coming for testing, or if they are early positive signs of a sustained slowing in this awful virus.

We continue to be cautious though because while the number of people being tested has fallen, the testing positivity rate remains very high at 25% across Wales.

He added:  Our NHS continues to be under intense pressure and it has experienced some very difficult days over the festive period. Those same pressures are being felt right across the UK at present.

I want to thank everyone working in our health and care services across Wales, you continue to do an incredible job under the most trying and difficult of circumstances.

There are now almost 2700 people with coronavirus symptoms being cared for in Welsh hospitals. There are 208 patients in critical care today, more than half of whom have coronavirus.

This is very close to people who experienced during the first wave in spring last year.

At todays press briefing we asked the health minister what information he has seen that points to the new variation driving transmission rates in Wrexham and what made Wrexham and Flintshire more susceptible to the variant.

Mr Gething said: The susceptibility is about where the new variant is, its then about transmission within the community and because its a more aggressive, faster spreading variant than what our scientists call the wild variant, thats the reason why it spreads .

The danger is the new variant is seeded everywhere and could eventually become the dominant strain, as it appears to be in the whole of the east of England.

This really is about understanding and tracking where it is. We know more about north Wales because of where some of Lighthouse samples get sent.

More north Wales samples get sent to the Lighthouse Labs who can test for a change in the structure, that allows us to understand this new variant.

We arent completely sure about picture in south Wales, thats why Public Health Wales are working with colleagues in England to make sure we have a representative group from south Wales to understand how far the new variant has spread.

When we publish our scientific update. the regular weekly update that we have been through the pandemic, I expect well be able to show more detail and I hope we can have a map within that to show where weve got confirmed cases.

I do think thatll show significant seeding across North Wales, some in south Wales. The cautionary note there is the south Wales is an understatement.

You can view the full briefing here:
Current Covid vaccines could be reprogrammed to target new strains in just 'a few days', experts said today in a bid to calm fears about the South African variant.

Top Government scientists have warned changes to the virus may mean the current wave of vaccines are less effective against it or don't work at all. Matt Hancock said he was 'incredibly worried' about the highly-infectious South African variant, which has already been spotted in two Brits.

But experts told MailOnline today there was no publicly-available data to suggest the strain possesses the ability to escape the current iteration of jabs, even though it is more transmissible.

Professor Ian Jones, a virologist at the University of Reading, claimed he was 'almost certain' the vaccines will still be effective at some level.

He added that, in the unlikely event any new strain does makes vaccines redundant, it would take 'a few days or less' to tweak the jabs to target them.

Experts are less worried about the Covid strain racing through the UK because it has less changes on its spike protein that would threaten how well vaccines work.

The mutations of the coronavirus has caused changes to the spike protein on its outside (shown in red), which is what the virus uses to attach to the human body (Original illustration of the virus by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Brian Pinker, 82, became the first person in the world to receive the Oxford University vaccine today

Q&A: Everything we know about the South African variant Has the variant been found in the UK? The variant was found in two people, one in London and another in the North West, who came into contact with separate people returning from South Africa. It was detected through the UK's world-leading genomics sequencing group, which constantly monitors how the coronavirus spreads and mutates. The two cases of the South African variant were detected through random routine sampling which picks out only around one in 10 tests carried out in the UK. This suggests there are many more cases of the variant already in Britain. Where has the new strain come from? The new variant emerged after the first wave of coronavirus at Nelson Mandela Bay, in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province, in mid-December. South Africa picked up the strain through genomic sequencing. It is believed to be the reason behind infections soaring from under 3,000 per day at the beginning of the month to over 9,000 by the end. Where else has the variant been found? Confirmed cases have been announced in France, Japan and Britain. It is likely to be circulating in many more countries but only a select few nations have the genomic sequencing ability to be able to spot it when it's present in low numbers. What has been done to tackle it? Both of the people in the UK who had the new strain of the virus were quarantined, along with their close contacts. Public Health England researchers are currently investigating the variant at their research laboratory at Porton Down in Wiltshire. All flights to and from South Africa have been banned. What does it mean for the fight against the virus? One mutation in the new strain, called N501Y, is thought to help the virus become more infectious  and spread more easily between people. That means measures such as social distancing, wearing masks and avoiding unnecessary contacts have become more important. Scientists tracking the strain's spread believe it is even more transmissible than the Kent strain currently plaguing the UK. The British strain is 50 per cent more infectious than regular Covid, so this new South African variant is likely to be higher than that. Studies are ongoing to put a figure on its transmissibility. What about the vaccine? Scientists are undecided about whether the South African strain will impact the current iteration of Covid vaccines. Dr Susan Hopkins, from Public Health England, said there is no evidence yet that it will impact any of the current jabs. But Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, argued the strain was more concerning than the Kent one. He said it has 'pretty substantial changes in the structure of the protein', meaning vaccines could fail to work. Scientists will test the blood of those who have been vaccinated against coronavirus, or have recovered from it, to ensure they can fight off the new strain. The strain has a series of mutates on its spike protein, which it uses to latch onto and enter human cells. Covid vaccines  including the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford University/AstraZeneca jabs currently being rolled out across Britain  work by training the body to spot the virus's spike protein. If the spike mutates so much that it becomes unrecognisable then it could render vaccines useless or make them less potent. Advertisement

Professor Jones told MailOnline: 'At the moment there is no data on the ability of either the UK or SA variants to evade the immune response generated by the vaccine.

'The vaccines all produced multiple antibodies that block the virus-receptor interaction and while the changes in the variants might dodge a few of these they are unlikely to dodge all of them so it is almost certain the vaccine will still be effective at some level.

'And as long as severe Covid is prevented even a partially effective vaccine would be useful. If a change in the vaccine was required the genetic alternation required could be done in a few days but of course the scale up to millions of doses will take time.'

Vaccine makers have said they are already looking at ways to tweak their jabs to protect people from new variants.

Professor Sarah Gilbert, one of the leading scientists behind the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, told the BBC today: 'We are looking at how well [the vaccines] work on these new variants and others that will come in the future.

'And we're also thinking about what we'll need to do if it ever becomes necessary to replace the version of the vaccine we're using now with a new one.

'We don't think we're at that point yet, there's no reason to suppose we need to make a switch now but it is possible that in the future we need to make a tweak, a change, to the vaccine.

'So, with my team, I'm still working on how we make that change really quickly if we ever need to.'

Asked how quickly that change could come if needed, Professor Gilbert added: 'We don't expect to have to make a switch in the near future. But we're thinking that this vaccine is going to be used over a period of many years probably.

'As with flu vaccines we have a new version every year, which takes into account the changes in flu viruses circulating. Something similar is probably going to have to happen with the coronavirus vaccines.

'I don't think it's necessarily going to be a very rapid switch that we have to make. But what we might be looking at is when we're coming round to planning vaccinations for next autumn, thinking about another wave at end of 2021, which is a theoretical possibility, we will be considering whether to continue with the same version [of the vaccine] or a different version.'

German firm BioNTech, which helped deliver the Pfizer vaccine approved in the UK last month, said it could use existing technology to produce a new vaccine against mutations of coronavirus in six weeks.

The team's vaccine uses brand-new mRNA technology, which BioNTech's chief executive says can be engineered much more easily than traditional vaccines.

The comments came after one of the Government's coronavirus advisers yesterday claimed there was a 'big question mark' over whether any of the current wave of jabs could protect against the mutant strain.

Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, argued the South African variant was more concerning than the Kent one because it has 'pretty substantial changes in the structure of the protein', meaning vaccines could fail to work.

Covid vaccines  including the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford University/AstraZeneca jabs currently being rolled out across Britain  work by training the body to spot the virus's spike protein.

If the spike mutates so much that it becomes unrecognisable then it could render vaccines useless or make them less potent.

The Covid vaccine protects against the disease by teaching the immune system how to fight off the pathogen.

It creates antibodies - disease-fighting proteins made and stored to fight off invaders in the future by latching onto their spike proteins.

But if they are unable to recognise proteins because they have mutated, it means the body may struggle to attack a virus the second time and lead to a second infection.

However, there is no concrete evidence to suggest the South African strain is more deadly or causes more severe illness than regular Covid.

But South Africa's health minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has warned there has been 'anecdotal evidence' of a 'larger proportion of younger patients with no co-morbidities presenting with critical illness'.

Discussing the threat posed by the South African variant, Mr Hancock told BBC Radio 4's Today programme today: 'I'm incredibly worried about the South African variant

'And that's why we took the action that we did to restrict all flights from South Africa and movement from South Africa and, in fact, to insist that anybody who'd been to South Africa to isolate.

'This is a very, very significant problem, in fact I spoke to my South African opposite number over Christmas and one of the reasons they know they have a problem is because, like us, they have an excellent genomic-scientific [programme] to be able to study the details of the virus and it is even more of a problem than the UK new variant.'

It comes after Sir John told Times Radio yesterday: 'The mutations associated with the South African form are really pretty substantial changes in the structure of the protein.

'My gut feeling is the vaccine will be still effective against the Kent strain

'I don't know about the South African strain - there's a big question mark about that.'
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Partly cloudy early with thunderstorms becoming likely during the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 88F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm during the evening, then some lingering showers still possible overnight. Low 57F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Pune: The Pimpri-Chinchwad police will have a dedicated, independent hospital as the state government approved recruitment for staff positions and asked the police leadership to look for space, according to an official present at a meeting with deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Monday.

The GR for creation of these hospital positions was issued in May 2018, but the positions were not getting filled and there was no dedicated space for the hospital. The government has now given a go-ahead for the health department to complete the recruitment and asked for a space to be found for the hospital, said Sudhir Hiremath, deputy commissioner of police, Pimpri-Chinchwad police.

The government resolution from May 2018 had made provisions for 2,633 hospital staff positions which had to be filled in three rounds - first round of 1568, second of 552 and third of 513.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on June 10, 2020. (Greg Nash/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

7 GOP House Members Say They Will Not Challenge Electoral College Votes on Jan. 6

Seven Republican House members said on Jan. 3 that they dont plan to join efforts to object to Electoral College votes during the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6.

The group, led by Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), said participating in such efforts would amount to unconstitutionally [inserting] Congress into the center of the presidential election process, which would steal power from the people and states.

They said Congress had no authority to make value judgments about presidential electors, nor the discretion to disqualify electors based on its own finding that fraud occurred in that states election.

Congress has one job here: to count electoral votes that have in fact been cast by any state, as designated by those authorized to do so under state law, the group wrote in a statement.

This comes as a growing group of Republican House members and senators announce their intention to challenge Electoral College votes in several states where election results are disputed over allegations of irregularities and voter fraud.

Twelve senators have expressed their intent to participate in the efforts, while at least 50 House members have committed to objecting to the contested votes on Jan. 6, according to a tally by The Epoch Times.

Many lawmakers have stated that they believe Congress has a duty to restore trust in democratic processes and has a check-and-balance role.

The ultimate arbiter here, the ultimate check and balance, is the United States Congress, and when something is done in an unconstitutional fashion, which happened in several of these states, we have a duty to step forward and have this debate and have this vote on the 6th of January, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told Fox News Maria Bartiromo on Jan. 3.

Meanwhile, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said since the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to take up any of the cases related to the 2020 election, Congress now has a responsibility to fill that role.

We have an independent responsibility to the Constitution. We have an independent obligation to the rule of law, Cruz also told Bartiromo on Jan. 3.

Cruz is leading a group of 10 senators who are demanding that an electoral commission be established to perform an emergency 10-day audit into voter fraud allegations. He said that his proposal for an electoral commission is moored in the law and supported by historical precedents.

He pointed to the 1876 presidential election between Republican nominee Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat nominee Democrat Samuel J. Tilden. During that race, three statesLouisiana, Florida, and South Carolinaas well as one electoral vote from Oregon remained in dispute. The three contested states, which were disputed due to voter fraud allegations and election irregularities, had submitted two sets of electoral ballots.

As a compromise, Congress in 1877 established a bipartisan electoral commission made up of five House members, five senators, and five Supreme Court justices to hear the claims and determine how the unassigned electoral votes should be awarded.

They considered evidence, they examined the ballots, and they made a determination based upon what the disputed ballots and what the outcome should be, Cruz said.

What Im arguing for is Congress ought to do the same thing.

Buck and his group of lawmakers acknowledged that there were significant last-minute changes to the election system made by officials in several states, which resulted in the relaxation of safeguards aimed to protect against voter fraud and to ensure election integrity.

It is shameful that between both chambers of the U.S. Congress, we have held precisely one hearing on election integrity since Election Day, the group stated.

The people cannot trust a system that refuses to guarantee that only legal votes are cast to select its leaders. The elections held in at least six battleground states raise profound questions, and it is a legal, constitutional, and moral imperative that they be answered.

But the group expressed concern that if U.S. lawmakers were to step in to challenge the votes, it would delegitimize the system and provide critics of the Electoral College with ammunition to argue for eliminating the system.

Instead, the group urged state legislators to convene and send a second slate of certified Electoral College votes for President Donald Trump before Jan. 6.

The text of the Constitution is clear. States select electors. Congress does not. Accordingly, our path forward is also clear. We must respect the states authority here, they wrote.

Bucks group of lawmakers will join more than a dozen Republican senators who say they wont participate in the objection efforts.

Other lawmakers in the group include Reps. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Tom McClintock (R-Cal.), and Chip Roy (R-Texas).
New Delhi, Jan 4 : India on Monday recorded 16,504 fresh cases, while 214 more people succumbed to the virus in 24 hours, pushing the overall tally to 1,03,40,469 and toll to 1,49,649 since the outbreak in January, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

This is the third time that daily count has remained within the 16,000 bracket after June 23 and December 28.

The total active cases in the country is 2,43,953. The total recovery stands at 99,46,867.

While the fatality rate stands at 1.45 as per cent, the recovery rate stands at 96.16 per cent.

Maharashtra continues to be the worst-hit state till date. The maximum mnumber of cases are from Kerala, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh among others.

Five states -- Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh contribute 62 per cent of the total active cases.

On Sunday, the Central Licensing Authority granted permission to Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech to manufacture 'Covaxin' for sale and distribution, after the indigenous coronavirus vaccine received regulatory approval for emergency use.

On Sunday, Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) V.G. Somani announced that Bharat Biotech's 'Covaxin' has been approved for "restricted use in emergency situation".

The approval has also been given to Serum Institute of India's 'Covishield' vaccine.

The Centre plans to vaccinate nearly 30 crore people in the first phase of drive. The vaccine will be offered to one crore healthcare workers, along with two crore frontline and essential workers and 27 crore elderly, mostly above the age of 50 years with comorbidities.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
US: 1,100 pounds of methamphetamine found in watermelons

Tesla owners will be paid $ 16,000 each due to slow charging

Advisor to Armenia Prosecutor General provides details about incident with Armenian soldier killed in Verin Shorzha

Banksy's painting of punk Lenin sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 960,000

CSTO Deputy Secretary-General: Escalation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border requires undertaking of urgent measures

Catholicos of All Armenians receives newly appointed Ambassador of Japan

Australia closing its embassy in Kabul for security reasons

Biden to discuss issues related to Belarus and Ukraine with Putin

Armenian acting FM meets with ambassadors of CSTO member states accredited to Armenia

Armenia Ombudsman presents human rights protection in post-war period to CoE Programmes Directorate General

Germany is investigating Google's position in market

France: Sanctions against Belarus will continue

Armenia opposition party MP: Azerbaijan is a terrorist state, negotiations can't be led with such a country

US to reopen its Consulate General in Jerusalem

EU expects to receive over 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine by end of September

Armenian MFA strongly condemns Azerbaijan's blatant armed encroachment on Armenia's sovereign territory

UN still awaits strong evidence that Dubai ruler's daughter is alive

Opposition Bright Armenia Party urges Government to immediately address UN Security Council

Armen Sarkissian receives Russia Ambassador to Armenia

Armenia President, France Ambassador discuss situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border

Overchuk: We hope unblocking of links between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a success

Armenia police officer commits suicide, criminal case launched

Armenia Environmental Protection and Mining Inspection Body has new deputy heads

Zarif, Aliyev discuss railway routes connecting Iran, Azerbaijan and Armenia

EU leaders agree to donate at least 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to poor countries

Armenian serviceman Mher Hovhannisyan fires gunshot at his head, criminal case launched

Soldier who died in Armenia's Verin Shorzha was son of ARF-D member, father of 2

Blinken promises to continue close consultations with Israel on Iran

Armen Sarkissian: Armenia's relevant state institutions need to take the tightest measures

Armenian soldier commits suicide, opposition speaks on tense situation on border, 25.05.21 digest

Yerevan man's body found at Tatul Krpeyan Park

Armenia MOD: Reports about Armenian soldiers being injured in Sisian section of border not confirmed

EU summit calls for rarly implementation of vaccination certificates

Parliament of the Netherlands adopts resolution, EU must demand that Azerbaijan pull out troops from Armenia

Kremlin: Russian and US presidents to meet in Geneva on June 16

Spokesperson of community council of Armenia's Sisian: Men got enlisted and climbed to military posts

Bright Armenia Party: We are not satisfied with CSTO response

EU leaders urge council to review internal border guidelines by mid-June

Armenia MOD: Fixed-term serviceman receives lethal firearm injury in head area

Dollar still stable in Armenia

Armenian Catholic Catholicos-Patriarch passes away

Kathimerini: US seeks to increase military presence in Greece due to doubts about Turkey's reliability

US Congress members call on Biden to suspend all military assistance to Azerbaijan

Armenia acting economy minister receives Montenegro's newly appointed Ambassador

Armenia MOD: Soldier killed during shootings from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha

Russian MP: Azerbaijani leadership interested in Armenia acting PM's victory in snap elections

Armenia MOD reports shooting from Azerbaijani side in Verin Shorzha border section

Armenia opposition MP: Authorities promised to separate business from politics, but they're failing to fulfill promise

There will be post-election processes if authorities try to rig voting, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

CNN: Putin and Biden will meet on June 15-16 in Geneva

Latin America has the highest poverty rate in 20 years

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia applying to CSTO: No one will help you if you do nothing to solve your problems

Armenia ruling Civil Contract Party presents list of first 10 candidates ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Armenia acting justice minister discusses broad range of cooperation issues with top CoE official

Armenia former President Kocharyan: This guilt, this criminal article is on these authorities

Man survives after spending 17 days in desert

Azerbaijan continues course towards systematic extermination of Armenian heritage in Shushi

Armenia Syunik Province ex-governor: Azerbaijani soldiers advanced along length of border two days ago

Newly appointed Ambassador of Montenegro presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Its about bringing Karabakh issue back to right to self-determination, says Armenia ex-President Kocharyan

Iran FM to arrive in Armenia

Ara Aivazian and Austrian counterpart hold phone talks, focus on Azeri army's infiltration into Armenia's territory

Kocharyan: Elect todays political team if you are ready to live squatting

Jean-Michel Basquiat's painting sold at auction in Hong Kong for $ 30 million

2nd President Kocharyan on Armenia Security Council chief: Do you take that person seriously?

"Key" to settlement of Karabakh conflict cant be in one place, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Texas may permit carrying of pistols without special permission

Ex-President Kocharyan on Armenia acting PM Pashinyan's high popularity rating: We will wear it down to the root

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Election bloc format must be workable in some logical sense

Attorney: Political persecution against Robert Kocharyan is becoming more noticeable during election campaign

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: We must do everything so that our domestic politics is not dictated by Azerbaijan

Armenian acting defense minister meets Russian peacekeeping mission chief

Congress predicts US nuclear spending to reach $ 634 billion by 2030

Russian MP: The effectiveness of military cooperation with Armenia depends on Yerevan as well

Delimitation now may create some problems in Karabakh negotiation process, says Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan on relations with 3rd President Sargsyan: We go our own way they go their own

Judge adjourns hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM for 3 weeks

Court hearing over case of Armenia 2nd President and ex-Deputy PM

2nd President Kocharyan: Armenia must show that it will not be subjected to such pressures

Kocharyan: You may find yourself in stupid situations if you come to negotiations without any baggage

Armenia Investigative Committee: Criminal case opened into soldiers death

157 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

EU helps UN World Food Programme provide humanitarian assistance for conflict-affected people in Armenia

Yerevan municipal council convenes regular session

Armenia legislature speaker on situation at Syunik Province: CSTO still has procedures

Blinken arrives on his first official visit to Israel

World oil prices going up

Provincial hall issues statement on Tavush section of Armenia border with Azerbaijan

MFA statement: Azerbaijan continues to use Armenian POWs as political hostages

Newspaper: There are last-minute changes on Armenia ruling party electoral list

Armenia parliament starts regular sessions

Newspaper: Armenia 3rd President Sargsyan intensively engaged in election campaign

EU leaders call for ban on Belarus airlines flights to their countries

Quake hits Georgia, also felt in Armenia

2nd President Kocharyan: Process of obtaining Armenia citizenship shall be simplified, shall take only few months

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Appointments in army were not based on knowledge but on loyalty

Robert Kocharyan: Armenia must not go back to the past and stay there, just like the incumbent authorities did

Armenia 2nd President on recent Karabakh war, consequences and the signed document

Armenia 2nd President: Current authorities don't have remorse, aren't conscious and patriotic

Armenia 2nd President on black PR and management system in the country
The Bachelor's Kelley Flanagan took to Instagram on Sunday to delve into detail about her recent parting with Peter Weber.

'I know a lot of you have already heard the news, but I wanted to take some time to process it for myself before sharing...,' the 28-year-old reality star wrote in a post. 'It saddens me to say this but Peter and I have decided to go our separate ways.

'Peter and I had some unbelievable times together and they will definitely be missed. Unfortunately him and I are in two different stages of our lives and saw our future paths differently.'

The latest: Kelley Flanagan, 28, took to Instagram on Sunday to delve into detail about her recent parting with Peter Weber, 29

Flanagan made clear she bore no ill will toward the pilot, 29, in the wake of their parting, saying, 'I wish Peter the absolute best and want to thank everyone for your continued support as I move on to my next chapter.'

Amid the former couple's planned relocation to Manhattan, the Chicago native said, 'Im still hoping to make it to New York one of these days, but for now I just want to focus on my happiness! 2021, I cant wait to see what you have in store!'

Weber, who left an emoji of a red heart on Flanagan's post, said on Wednesday that they had parted.

'Love is a funny thing. It can make you you feel on top of the world and it can make you feel a pain you wish didnt exist. Im here to share that Kelley and I have decided to go our separate ways,' he said in an Instagram post. 'While our relationship was filled with countless beautiful memories, our relationship simply didnt work out in the end. Kelley is someone I will always have a special love for.

Stunning: The reality star was snapped at an event on March 11, 2020 in LA

Reality romance: The couple dated for nine months until calling it quits

'Someone I have learned more from than she will ever understand. Someone I am so thankful came into my life and someone who I will always wish all of lifes greatest blessings on.

'These moments in life always hurt, but in my opinion that shows you it was worth the time you spent together. Thank you Kelley.

During Webers run on The Bachelor last year, Flanagan left the show in the seventh week; he initially selected Hannah Ann Sluss but their engagement collapsed amid his romantic attraction to Madison Prewitt. He was first linked to Flanagan last April.
Large gathering at NC church raises concerns over potential second outbreak

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A multi-campus evangelical Christian church in North Carolina, where nearly 200 people who attended an event in October tested positive for coronavirus, has been warned again by country officials after it announced another large-scale event over the weekend.

Mecklenburg County officials fear that more large-scale events at the United House of Prayer for All People Church might lead to another outbreak, months after a week-long convocation at the church resulted in nearly 200 people contracting the virus, out of which six died and at least 10 had to be hospitalized.

Concerns were expressed ahead of a service on Saturday night where hundreds gathered to celebrate Bishop C.M. Bailey, the leader of more than 140 United House of Prayer churches across the country, according to WCCB Charlotte.

Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Gibbie Harris released a statement, saying it is aware of the events and have been in conversation with church leadership.

We explained that now is not the time for this type of event considering the extent of the pandemic in our community, the official said. We have been assured by church leadership that they are implementing all necessary precautions and limiting the numbers in the church at any given time.

Harris added that the department was not restricting the events because at this point, were not in an outbreak status with the church, according to WBTV.

The official said the health department hopes we dont get to that point again, and they hope that they have their events because they seem to be determined to have the events and I think the bishop is coming but they do it as safe as possible and keep the numbers as small as they can as they move through this weekend.

Also on Saturday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported that over 3,400 people in the state were in the hospital with COVID-19 and 6,892 people had died from complications with the coronavirus.

In October, the church had been issued an Abatement of Imminent Hazard Order, prohibiting all in-person gatherings at the churchs Mecklenburg County locations until at least Nov. 5.

However, less than a week after the order went into effect, the United House of Prayer announced that it had reached an agreement with Mecklenburg County to reopen all 11 of its locations. Under the agreement, the United House of Prayer implemented measures including the required wearing of masks, availability of hand sanitizer throughout the Churchs buildings, social distancing, and the regular cleaning and sanitizing of Church facilities.

This is a great result for the United House of Prayer and for religious freedom and expression throughout Mecklenburg County, Apostle Ronnie White, pastor at the United House of Prayers Church location where the convocation was held, said at the time. Our congregants and members are looking forward to participating in daily services starting today and we and our leader, Bishop C.M. Bailey, are thrilled to welcome them back into Gods House.

Harris said at the time that the pastors and the staff at all of those sites have been very responsive and engaged and have been willing to work with us on this guidance.
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Market Reports on Saudi Arabia Provides the Trending Market Research Report on "Saudi Arabia Passenger Airlines Market to 2024 - Market Segments Sizing and Revenue Analytics (updated with COVID-19 Impact" under Leisure category. The Saudi Arabia Passenger Airlines Market is projected to exhibit highest growth rate over report offers a collection of superior market research, market analysis, and competitive intelligence and industry reports.

Passenger Airlines (Airlines whose primary business is the transport of passengers) market has evolved dramatically in the recent years. The report Saudi Arabia Passenger Airlines Market to 2024: Market Segments Sizing and Revenue Analytics provides deep dive data analytics on wide ranging Passenger Airlines market aspects including overall airlines no. of seats sold, load factor, passenger kilometers available etc. all categorized by different service offerings - Low Cost, Full Service and Charter Services. Furthermore, the report details out number of revenue-generating airline passenger kilometers since 2015 to 2024 along with other critical aspects of the Passenger Airlines market.

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- Overview of the Passenger Airlines Market in Saudi Arabia

- Revenue Analytics - Airlines Total Revenue, Revenue per Passenger and Revenue by Segment.

- Generating Airline Passenger Kilometers for the period 2015 to 2024.

- Analytics on Airline Seats Available and Sold, Load Factor, Passenger Kilometers Available and Revenues.

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1 Executive Summary

2 Saudi Arabia Passenger Airlines Seats Availability

2.1 Number of Airline Seats Available, 2015 - 2019

2.2 Number of Airline Seats Available, 2019 - 2024

3 Saudi Arabia Passenger Airlines Seats

3.1 Historic Number of seats sold, 2015 - 2019

3.2 Forecast Number of seats sold, 2019 - 2024

3.3 Historic Number of Low Cost Airlines Seats Sold by Passenger Type, 2015 - 2019

3.4 Forecast Number of Low Cost Airlines Seats Sold by Passenger Type, 2019 - 2024

3.5 Historic Number of Full Service Airlines Seats Sold by Passenger Type, 2015 - 2019

3.6 Forecast Number of Full Service Airlines Seats Sold by Passenger Type, 2019 - 2024

3.7 Historic Number of Charter Airlines Seats Sold by Passenger Type, 2015 - 2019

3.8 Forecast Number of Charter Airlines Seats Sold by Passenger Type, 2019 - 2024

4 Saudi Arabia Passenger Airlines Passenger Load Factor

4.1 Historic Load Factor, 2015 - 2019

4.2 Load Factor Forecast , 2019 - 2024

5 Saudi Arabia Passenger Airlines Kilometers Availability by Passenger

5.1 Historic Number of Passenger Kilometers Available, 2015 - 2019

5.2 Number of Passenger Kilometers Available Forecast, 2019 - 2024

6 Saudi Arabia Passenger Airlines Revenue-Generating Airline Passenger Kilometers

6.1 Historic Revenue- Generating Passenger Kilometers, 2015 - 2019

6.2 Revenue-Generating Passenger Kilometers Forecast, 2019 - 2024

7 Saudi Arabia Passenger Airlines Revenue per Passenger

7.1 Historic Revenue per Passenger, 2015 - 2019

7.2 Revenue per Passenger Forecast, 2019 - 2024

8 Saudi Arabia Passenger Airlines Total Revenue by Segment

8.1 Historic Total Revenue, 2015 - 2019

8.2 Total Revenue Forecast, 2019 - 2024

9 Appendix

9.1 What is this Report About?

9.2 Definitions

9.3 Summary Methodology

9.4 About GlobalData

9.5 Disclaimer

Browse our full report with Table of Contents: http://www.marketreportsonsaudiarabia.com/marketreports/saudi-arabia-passenger-airlines-market-to-2024-market-segments-sizing-and-revenue-analytics-updated-with -covid-19-imp / 2256728

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Market Reports on Saudi Arabia provides you with an in-depth industry reports focusing on various economic, political and operational risk environment, complemented by detailed sector analysis. We have an exhaustive coverage on variety of industries - ranging from energy and chemicals to transportation, communications, constructions and mining to Food and Beverage and education. Our collection includes over 2000 up-to-date reports all researched, analyzed and published by top-notch international research firms.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage will officially reopen to the public Jan. 18.

The Museum will be honoring the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a special event entitled, Hear Our Voices: Annual MLK Day Celebration.

The all-day celebration will include free physical admission to the museum, along with virtual family activities, and an online lecture featuring special guest, David Pilgrim.

Pilgrim is the founder of the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University in Michigan. Registrants are encouraged to take part in a free virtual tour of the Jim Crow Museum before the lecture and encouraged to bring questions before the discussion.

The lecture with Pilgrim will be at 3 p.m. via Zoom; registration can be found on the museums website.

All activities are free, with advance registration.

Here is the list of scheduled activities:

Visit the Maltz Museum, in person, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (timed tickets only)

Tour the Maltz Museums core collections at no cost. Discover the Jewish-American immigrant experience in An American Story and explore Judaica and ritual objects in The Temple-Tifereth Israel Gallery.

Stop the Hate Essay Writing Workshop, online,11 a.m. noon

Each year the Maltz Museum awards $100,000 in scholarships and prizes to Northeast Ohio student upstanders, as part of its annual Stop the Hate contest. During this one-hour workshop designed for 6th to 12th graders, Lake Erie Ink will provide insight on how to craft a personal essay that tells a powerful story. Learn tips and tricks for essay writing to give students an edge in the competition (and in future college applications).

March Toward Freedom, online, 1 p.m.  2 p.m.

Punch McHamm of BravoNation reads from the book As Good as Anybody by Richard Michelson and illustrated by Raul Colon, about the friendship of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. An interactive Q&A with Zelma Brown of SAFY follows. Then, get moving with an improv style theater activity by Talespinner Childrens Theater, exploring what it means to embody leadership characteristics.

Race, Racism, and the Jim Crow Museum: A Discussion with Dr. David Pilgrim, founder, and curator of the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia, online, 3 p.m.  4:30 p.m.

One of Americas most fascinating museums is housed inside Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia uses racist objects of intolerance to teach tolerance and promote social justice, examining the historical patterns of race relations and the origins and consequences of racist depictions. The aim is to engage visitors in open and honest dialogues about this countrys racial history. Founder and curator, David Pilgrim has said, We are not afraid to talk about race and racism; we are afraid not to.

Related coverage: MLK Day, MLK celebrations move online amidst covid, more
The mainstream media and Georgia's secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, are utterly disgraceful, dishonest, and manipulative people. Raffensperger released a private phone call that the media immediately claimed  falsely  showed Trump begging Raffensperger to fraudulently find enough votes for Trump to win. In fact, Trump called Raffensperger to get him to stop obstructing the fraud investigation. As Trump explained during the call, evidence proves Trump won Georgia by a massive margin, only to have victory stolen through equally massive fraud. Trump sought to avoid litigation forcing Raffensperger to do his job, which is to make at least a minimal effort to clear away enough fraud to allow Trump his actual and honest victory in Georgia.

Here are just two examples of the media's dishonest claim that Trump was trying to force Raffensperger to commit fraud. As you can see, their premise is that there is no evidence of fraud, so any action on Trump's part to claim victory is itself fraud. Theirs is a deliberate example of circular logic, where their premise and conclusion are the same thing.

Washington Post: "The Washington Post obtained a recording of the conversation in which Trump alternately berated Raffensperger, tried to flatter him, begged him to act and threatened him with vague criminal consequences if the secretary of state refused to pursue his false claims, at one point warning that Raffensperger was taking 'a big risk.'"

CNN: "In excerpts of the stunning one-hour phone call Saturday, Trump lambasted his fellow Republican for refusing to falsely say that he won the election in Georgia and repeatedly touted baseless claims of election fraud."

Here's what really happened on the phone call. First, Trump wasn't the only person on the phone. Also present were Mark Meadows, Mike Pompeo, and multiple attorneys. There isn't the slightest chance that they would have allowed Trump to beg Raffensperger for illegal votes or to threaten him.

Second, contrary to what the media implied, Trump was not operating off the premise that he lost Georgia. If that had been the case, it would indeed have been wrong for Trump to beg for Raffensperger to "find" votes for him.

Instead, Trump was operating from the assertion that he won Georgia. He opened the call with a strong recitation of the facts showing massive fraud on Raffensperger's watch. According to Trump's evidence, he didn't lose by 11,780 votes; he won by well over 300,000 votes, including votes for Trump that disappeared and illegal votes for Biden. Here are some of Trump's statements in that regard:

"I think it's pretty clear that we won. We won very substantially in Georgia."

"We have ... anywhere from 250300,000 ballots were dropped mysteriously into the rolls."

"We think that if you check the signatures  a real check of the signatures going back in Fulton County you'll find at least a couple of hundred thousand of forged signatures. ..."

"[I]n the 50s of thousands ... that's people that went to vote and they were told they can't vote because they've already been voted for."

"It's 4,502 who voted but they weren't on the voter registration roll which they had to be. ..."

"You had 18,325 vacant address voters. The address was vacant and they're not allowed to be counted."

Trump alluded to the faked water main break that allowed Fulton County election workers to count votes for hours after having sent observers home. He noted that the video of that after-hours voting indicated that at "the minimum it was 18,000 ballots, all for Biden."

Trump pointed to 4,925 illegal out-of-state voters, 2,326 absentee ballots from vacant addresses, 5,000 dead people voting, and improperly handled drop boxes. And he brought up the allegations that Georgia is shredding evidence as fast as it can.

The bottom line, as Trump accurately said, is that these infractions were "many, many times the 11,779 margin [sic] that they said we lost by."

Trump hammered over and over that he won the state. No matter how you look at it, he said he won, and he's got the evidence to prove it.

At this point, Mark Meadows stated what Trump's team wanted  and it wasn't to fake votes for Trump. It was, instead, an honest investigation: "What I'm hopeful for is there some way that we can ... find some kind of agreement to look at this a little bit more fully." Thus, Meadows sought an agreement "that we can at least have a discussion to look at some of these allegations to find a path forward that's less litigious."

Raffensperger pushed back, saying he'd already had to deal with lawsuits (ignoring that the courts refused to hear evidence). He also huffed that "we gave our state Senate about one and a half hours of our time going through the election issue by issue and then on the state House, the government affairs committee, we gave them about two and a half hours of our time, going back point by point on all the issues of contention. And then just a few days ago we met with our U.S. congressmen, Republican congressmen, and we gave them about two hours of our time talking about this past election."

Did you get that? The biggest election fraud claim in American history, the president on the phone, massive amounts of evidence, and Raffensperger whines that he's already given up six and a half hours of his time to the issue.

Trump again chimes in to say, "We won the state." In response to Raffensperger's complaint that he sacrificed six and a half hours to the matter, Trump suggests that Raffensperger does not need to invest massive time in investigating all 300,000-plus problematic votes. He just needs to investigate 11,779 to give Trump his rightful victory. For, as Trump says, "Because, what's the difference between winning the election by two votes and winning it by half a million votes? I think I probably did win it by half a million."

When Raffensberger pushes back again, saying his office disproved the cemetery vote contention, Cleta Mitchell, a Trump attorney, makes an important point: Georgia has been withholding records from the White House.

There's more in the conversation (much more, including a debate about the video showing Ruby Freeman repeatedly scanning the same ballots), but you get the gist. Trump won. A lazy, entitled, arrogant, and corrupt Raffensperger won't work with the White House to look for fraud (or prove the absence of fraud). And the corrupt, dissolute, dishonest American media, unless brought to heel, will be the downfall of our constitutional republic.

Image: Donald Trump "I'm just in the way" meme.

Fort Bend County officials said Monday the county is still waiting on a shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from the state to start the distribution process, but soon eligible residents can register online for an appointment to be vaccinated.

Residents who are 65 years and older, healthcare workers and those with serious underlying health conditions will be eligible to receive a vaccine through the county. Those eligible should monitor fbchealth.org for updates on how to register.

The county expects to set up sites for people to get vaccinated similar to the sites that were set up for COVID-19 testing. Once residents register online, they will be contacted by the county health department and directed to a site to receive the vaccine.

However, Fort Bend County Judge KP George said its unclear when the first shipment of vaccines will arrive.

Be patient, said George, during the Monday morning press conference. We came long way. More than 10 months. We never thought we are going to be living this long under COVID but we are here, and we survived.

Jacqueline Minter, director of Fort Bend County Health and Human Services, also said the county has been notified it will receive an allocation of vaccines sometime very soon.

Some hospitals and private healthcare providers within the county have already begun distributing the vaccine to front line workers, those 65 years and older and other priority groups, according to a letter sent by George to the community on New Years Eve.

Companies like Pfizer, Moderna, and others have developed the vaccine at Warp Speed, but, vaccine distribution has lagged in Texas and across the USA, wrote George in the letter. Even though the Governors executive orders severely limit what local governments can do in emergency situations, I have asked the State for more vaccines to Fort Bend, so we can get it out at hyper-speed to all that need and want them - with the goal of making it universally accessible.

The county currently has more than 32,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19; 358 people have died so far from the illness.

brooke.lewis@chron.com
"Today's victory is the first step towards justice in this case. We are pleased that the court has recognized the seriousness and inhumanity of what he has endured and what he faces. But let's not forget the indictment in the U.S. has not been dropped. We are extremely concerned that the U.S. government has decided to appeal this decision," Moris told reporters. "I call on the president of the United States to end this now."

Supporters of Assange celebrated outside the Old Bailey criminal court as the decision was read out. His partner, Stella Moris, called on the U.S. to drop the charges.

Assange faces 18 U.S. federal charges relating to allegations of hacking, theft of classified material, and the disclosure of the identities of U.S. informants. Prosecutors have already appealed the verdict.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser delivered the verdict Monday. "I am satisfied the procedures described by the U.S. will not prevent Mr. Assange from finding a way to commit suicide and for this reason I have decided extradition would be oppressive by reason of mental harm and I order his discharge," Baraitser told the court.

A British judge has ruled that Julian Assange, the founder of the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks, cannot be extradited to the United States because of the risk he could commit suicide in U.S. detention.

Baraitser concluded that Assange would have a fair trial at the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, and that he should answer the charges of hacking, theft and disclosure of the identities of U.S. informants. Baraitser said, however, that she had reached the verdict after considering evidence from psychiatrists who said that Assange was planning to commit suicide if he were to be extradited. She added that the conditions in which he would be jailed, in almost solitary confinement, meant that the U.S. prison system could not prevent him taking his life.

Assange's lawyers argued the entire prosecution was politically motivated and that extradition would pose a threat to journalism, claims U.S. prosecutors denied.

"The court today came to the right decision in barring his extradition, but her judgment made some incredibly problematic findings from a free speech point of view," Assange's lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, told the Reuters news agency. "I think British journalists and free speech organizations need to be taking a close look at this judgment, and, of course, we will be over the coming days. But this was not a win from a free speech point of view in terms of her findings on the criminalization of journalistic conduct and the application of the Official Secrets Act, and I think this will be a matter for discussion in the coming days."

Press freedom campaigners echoed those concerns. Rebecca Vincent, director of international campaigns at Reporters Without Borders, wrote on Twitter: "We fully believe that Assange was targeted for his contributions to journalism, and would have liked to see a strong position from the court in favor of journalistic protections and press freedom. That wasn't the case; extradition was prevented only on mental health grounds."

In 2010 and 2011, Assange oversaw the publication by WikiLeaks of tens of thousands of diplomatic cables and military reports relating to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Assange says the leak exposed abuses by the U.S. military.

The United States accuses Assange not just of leaking, but also of hacking and stealing classified material that endangered national security and put informants' lives at risk. Last year, the Justice Department said Assange played a central role "in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States."

Ultimately, the British judge ruled that concerns over Assange's mental health override the U.S charges, said Marcy Wheeler, an American author on national security and civil liberties, and founder of the website emptywheel. "This is the third time this has happened with the United States trying to extradite people from the U.K. And there have been cases where it has been closely fought for terrorism defendants as well," Wheeler told VOA.

Assange's lawyers plan to submit an application for bail in the coming days. It is possible that Assange could face prosecution in Britain, said Wheeler.

"I wouldn't rule out the United States and the U.K. cooperating to doing something like that because it is the kind of thing they do on national security cases. These (U.S.) charges argued that Assange revealed coalition informant identities, not just U.S. informant identities, which would be understood to include British informants."

Assange sought refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London in 2012 after facing accusations of rape in Sweden, a case that was later dropped. He stayed there for seven years until Ecuador allowed British police to arrest him in April 2019. He was then jailed for 50 weeks for breaching bail.

For now, Assange is back in London's Belmarsh prison pending his bail application. The appeal process against the ruling could take several months or more, with the British justice system facing severe disruption amid the coronavirus pandemic.


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Carlisles mayor announced on Monday that he is not seeking another term in office.

Instead of spending 2021 campaigning, Mayor Tim Scott said in a press release he intends to spend the final year-plus of his term focused on addressing the boroughs challenges.

He said stopping the spread of the coronavirus, protecting jobs and focusing on economic recovery, especially for the boroughs downtown, is going to take everything weve got.

This file photo shows Mayor Tim Scott being sworn in as Carlisle's mayor in 2014. He is the borough's first Black mayor and the first Democrat to win a mayoral race there in more than three decades.

I deeply appreciate the confidence in me shown by borough residents when they elected me to Borough Council in 2001, 2005, and 2009, and then mayor in 2013 and 2017. I am grateful to have had their support over the past two decades, he added. Together with my colleagues on Council and our fantastic staff members over the years, Im proud of the policy decisions and accomplishments weve made together on behalf of Carlisle Borough.

Scott is a 1988 graduate of Carlisle High School, a 1992 graduate of Old Dominion University in Virginia, and works for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Scott, who is in his second term, has the distinction of being the first Black mayor of Carlisle and the first Democrat to win a mayoral race there in more than three decades.
Image: Pixabay

The Nifty50 remained positive for most of the session and closed at a record high on January 4, boosted by the Indian drug regulator's emergency use nod to two COVID-19 vaccines and on positive global cues. Auto, technology, metals and pharma stocks led the rally.

After starting the day higher at 14,104.35, the Nifty turned volatile to hit an intraday low of 13,953.75 in the morning. The index immediately recouped losses and gains to hit the day high of 14,147.95. It closed at 14,132.90, rising 114.40 points.

It formed a small bullish candle with a long lower shadow, which resembled the Hanging Man pattern on the daily charts, indicating that bulls were dominating and every small decline was being bought.

A Hanging Man is a bearish reversal candlestick pattern usually formed at the end of an uptrend or at the top (around 804-point rally from its recent low of 13,328 recorded on December 21). In a perfect 'Hanging Man' pattern, either there will be a small upper shadow or no upper shadow at all, a small body and long lower shadow.

The current momentum can take the Nifty towards 14,300 but selling pressure will be seen if the index breaks 13,950, experts said.

As the momentum strongly favours the bulls, traders with a high-risk appetite should look to intraday dips with a stop below 13,950 for a target of 14,270, Mazhar Mohammad, Chief StrategistTechnical Research & Trading Advisory at Chartviewindia.in told Moneycontrol.

"As the price chart is looking extremely bullish, a weakness in the Nifty shall not be expected unless it breaches the critical short-term support present at around 13,950 levels on a closing basis," Mohammad said.

If the bulls manage to push the index beyond 14,148, then the rally shall initially extend towards 14,280 levels. If the Nifty breaches 13,950 on a closing basis, then it can trigger a downswing, offering an opportunity to trade on the short side, he said.

On the options front, maximum Put open interest was seen at 13,000 followed by 13,500 strike, while maximum Call open interest was at 14,000 followed by 14,500 strike. Options data indicates that the index can see a wide trading range of 13,700-14,500 levels, while the immediate range could be 13,900 to 14,300.

India VIX was up by 2.40 percent from 19.56 to 20.03. "Volatility needs to sustain below 20 zone to support the bullish market setup and fuel the bulls with a higher market base," said Chandan Taparia, Vice President | Analyst-Derivatives at Motilal Oswal Financial Services said.

The Bank Nifty opened positive at 31,485.15 but failed to surpass immediate hurdle of 31,500 and corrected in the initial hour of the trade to hit an intraday low of 30,893.65.

The banking index underperformed the Nifty and remained sideways unlike the broader market and closed flat, down 13.30 points at 31,212.50. It formed a Bearish Belt Hold candle on the daily scale that indicates hurdles at higher zones.

"Now the Bank Nifty has to continue to hold above 31,000 to witness an upmove towards 31,500 and 31,750, while on the downside, support is seen at 30,800 and 30,500 levels," Taparia said.

A positive setup was seen in Tata Steel, PVR, Hindalco, Cholamandalam Investment, SAIL, NMDC, Ashok Leyland, Cummins India, Amara Raja Batteries, Aurobindo Pharma, TCS, Bharat Electronics, Eicher Motors, GAIL, JSW Steel, Federal Bank, M&M Financial, HCL Technologies, Grasim, Muthoot Finance and Lupin, while weakness was seen in Hero MotoCorp, Power Grid and NTPC, he added.
Leonardo delivered the first two M-345 jet trainer aircraft to the Italian Air Force, which to-date has ordered 18 units from a total requirement for up to 45 aircraft. The new type of jet trainer aircraft, designated T-345A by the Italian Air Force, will gradually replace the 137 MB-339s which have been in service since 1982.

M-345 jet trainer aircraft

Marco Zoff, Leonardo Aircraft Managing Director, said Building on our heritage and expertise in jet trainers, the M-345 will allow our customers to achieve a significant improvement in training effectiveness while at the same time reducing operating costs. This first delivery to the Italian Air Force is a key milestone, the result of a longstanding and productive team working closely together with the operator.

The new M-345 jet trainer aircraft, designed to meet basic and basic-advanced training requirements, will complement the in-service M-346, which is used for advanced pilot training.

Integrated training system

Leonardos integrated training system developed around the M-345 platform is representative of the companys technological leadership in training pilots to fly current and future generation aircraft.

The system benefits from experience with, and technology developed for, the M-346, which includes a Live Virtual Constructive capability. This allows aircraft which are flying live training missions to incorporate simulated friend or foe elements into scenarios, allowing the pilot to be exposed to the full range of possible operational situations.

M-345 HET (High Efficiency Trainer)

The new M-345 HET (High Efficiency Trainer) reduces the time required for air forces to train pilots

The M-345 is a high-performance aircraft which supports a pilots transition from basic trainers to latest-generation fighters. The Italian Air Forces acquisition of the new aircraft is an important step forward in the modernisation of its fleet, with the M-345 replacing the MB-339A in Air Forces second and third military pilot training phases. The M-345 has also been chosen as the new aircraft of the Italian Air Forces acrobatic team, the Frecce Tricolori.

The new M-345 HET (High Efficiency Trainer) reduces the time required for air forces to train pilots. It also gives trainees the chance to fly an aircraft that features higher performance characteristics than other basic/advanced trainer aircraft currently in service around the world.

Delivering high quality training at low cost

The performance of the M-345 allows it to carry out the most demanding mission types found in a training syllabus, delivering high quality training at significantly lower cost. The M-345 cockpit architecture is the same as that of frontline fighters.

The aircraft is also able to perform operational roles, thanks to an extended flight envelope, with a high-speed maneuvering capability even at high altitudes, modern avionics systems, high load capacity and performance.

Health and Monitoring Usage System

The M-345 is designed with a long life-cycle and a two-level approach to maintenance

The M-345 is designed with a long life-cycle and a two-level approach to maintenance, eliminating the need for expensive general overhauls. The aircrafts Health and Monitoring Usage System (HUMS) also contributes to a lower cost of ownership.

A sophisticated on-board training simulator confers a number of benefits. For instance, M-345 pilots are able to plan maneuvers before live training, allowing for higher efficiency during flight.

Mission Planning and Debriefing Station

Trainees are also able to fly in formation with other pilots in the air and those training on the ground in simulators, via a real-time data-link. The aircrafts Mission Planning and Debriefing Station (MPDS) allow trainees to analyse the missions they have just flown.

The M-345s engine is a Williams FJ44-4M-34 turbo fan optimised for military and aerobatic use. The cockpit is based on HOTAS (Hands-On-Throttle-And-Stick) controls and features a glass cockpit with a three-colour MFD (Multi-function Display) touch screen. The aircrafts heads-up display is mirrored on a fourth screen in the rear seat.
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People wearing face masks ride a scooter in front of a banner welcoming New Year 2021 in Vung Tau city, Vietnam, Dec. 31, 2020. AP



Vietnam has agreed to buy 30 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by AstraZeneca Plc, the government said on Monday, adding that authorities are also seeking to purchase vaccines from other sources, including Pfizer Inc.



The Southeast Asian country has previously agreed to get a Russian vaccine though also said it would not rush to secure vaccine deals, citing the potential for high financial costs and after managing to contain its coronavirus outbreaks to only 1,494 cases, with 35 deaths.



The AstraZeneca and Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine is cheaper than some others and can be stored at fridge temperature, which makes it easier to transport and use, particularly in developing countries.



"We've already signed an agreement to guarantee the AstraZeneca vaccine for 15 million people, which is equivalent to 30 million doses," deputy health minister Truong Quoc Cuong told a government meeting.






Fort Polk, LA (71446)

Today

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.
Following up on my the adjacent post, I want to add a few comments to draw out facets of the phone call that have been shortchanged  i.e., suppressed  by the mainstream media.

 The fact that the call was secretly recorded is scurrilous. As is apparent at a couple of points, the call was for the purposes of settlement of the pending Trump lawsuit. Who secretly records settlement discussions?

 The Trump team contends that there were more illegal votes included in the Georgia certified election results than the number of voters separating Biden from Trump. Secretary Raffensperger et al. failed to respond to specific questions and to provide information or reports or records demonstrating that the numbers of illegal votes identified by the Trump team are incorrect. They just say it. They offer no evidence.

 At the end of the call Trump local counsel Kurt Hilbert stated: We would like to sit down with your office, and we can do it through purposes of compromise and just like this phone call, just to deal with that limited category of votes. Hilbert reiterated the request, seeking Raffensperger et al. to sit down with us in a compromise and settlements proceeding and actually go through the registered voter IDs and the registrations.

 Although Secretary of State general counsel Ryan Germany agreed to set up such a meeting, there has been no further response other than the release of the recording of the conversation by Raffensperger or someone acting on his behalf. It is reasonable to infer that Raffensperger doesnt want the meeting to happen.

 Cleta Mitchell, by the way, is a volunteer lending President Trump a hand by acting essentially as a liaison in the litigation. She is not not an attorney of record. The left media crowd on Twitter is now conducting a vile campaign against Cleta and her firm. These people are ignorant thugs.

 The election contest was filed one month ago and no judge has yet been appointed to hear the case.

 Marc Caputo summarizes the background of the recording and the leak in Politico Playbook this morning. Caputos comments channel Raffenspergers spin. Caputo reports on the release of the recording:

Raffenspergers team kept quiet about the [Saturday] call and the recording and waited. The president made the next move, claiming on Sunday morning via Twitter that Raffensperger was unwilling, or unable, to answer questions about his baseless claims of widespread voter fraud. Respectfully, President Trump: What youre saying is not true, Raffensperger replied at 10:27 a.m. The truth will come out. It wasnt an empty promise.

But Trumps summary was accurate. Thats my take.
An outgoing member of Montanas Public Service Commission has filed a $2.5 million damage claim against fellow members of the utility regulating board along with staff members after his emails were leaked to a right-wing webcast. An internal investigation also found false police reports were filed against Roger Koopman.

The legal notice filed with the Department of Administration lists Koopman, his wife and daughter as claimants. The agency confirmed receiving the complaint last week, but declined to release the document before reviewing it for privacy issues, The Billings Gazette reported.

Koopmans attorney, Chris Gallus, said the complaint alleged invasion of privacy, defamation and retaliation. Much of the information in the claim was released in September under a court order after the Gazette, Gannett Newspapers and Yellowstone Public Radio requested the results of internal investigations into animosity in the commission office.

The emails given to Northwest Liberty News included personal ones between Koopman and family members, emails he argued wouldnt have been released had someone made a public records request through the Public Service Commission, Koopman has said.

The damage claim filed with the state is a precursor to a possible lawsuit. The state has 120 days to respond and possibly negotiate a settlement or a complaint will be filed in District Court, Gallus said.

The rift dates back to at least late 2019 when Koopman began contacting the media with concerns about the amount of money fellow commissioners were spending on travel. He also questioned the work ethic of some commissioners and complained that a news release about the PSC delaying a rate case was false. He sent out his own statement saying regulators had approved a $6.5 million rate increase for NorthWestern Energy customers.

The emails released to Northwest Liberty News in January 2020 included Koopmans complaints about travel spending and his perception that other PSC members did little work.

Koopman argued his emails were leaked to the webcast in retaliation for his statement about the rate increase.

Commissioner Randy Pinocci and PSC spokesperson Drew Zinecker appeared on the Northwest Liberty News webcast in February 2020 to discuss accusations that Koopman was showing signs of being mentally and emotionally unstable and that Zinecker feared Koopman might bring a gun to the office and hurt him and others, the Great Falls Tribune reported at the time.

Pinocci told the Tribune it was concerns by staff that prompted him to make a public records request for Koopmans emails. He denied leaking them. The internal investigation determined Zinecker also had access to Koopmans emails and was the likely leaker.

In late February 2020, PSC staff attorney Zachary T. Rogala wrote a memo to staff that read: It is important to note that the Legal Division is aware of no credible threats from Commissioner Koopman to anyone in this office, including Mr. Zinecker.

Investigation results a judge ordered released in September indicated the Montana Highway Patrol was called to the PSC office after Zinecker reported he was fearful. The patrol noted Zinecker seemed giddy and thrilled at the prospect of needing additional patrol resources at the PSC.

The commissioners put Zinecker on paid leave in the spring. Zinecker, who said in September he was still on paid leave, declined to comment on the investigation at the time. He did not immediately return a text message Thursday seeking comment.

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Sri Lanka needs a confidence boost to lift it out of the morass it is in; Time for a National approach to governance?

by Raj Gonsalkorale

The year 2020 ended with the COVID pandemic raging unabated, not just in Sri Lanka but throughout the world and bringing down the world as we all knew it. Economies of countries from the superrich to the very poor have all crumbled and health services are bursting at the seams. Education has been disrupted and so has the functioning of society as we knew it. Confidence in governance models, particularly democratic models is shattering as a consequence of the Trump led attack on the US system. 2021 is heralded amidst challenges perhaps not witnessed during the life time of those who are alive today.

Sri Lanka is no exception in having to face these serious challenges and while there seems to be an increasing public opinion that the current government has retreated into a state of slumber, many overlook the fact that all countries in the world have been shaken to the core by the pandemic and that there are limits to what any government in the country could have done in the circumstances. There is also a tendency to blame a government while people themselves have chosen not to share their share of the responsibility and behaving in the most irresponsible manner endangering themselves and so many who could be infected by them.

However, this is not to say that things could have been done differently. What seems to be missing is a mindset that looks at things differently and then undertaking them differently. The need fora mindset change is not directed only at the government. It is directed at the Opposition, all political parties, public and private institutions, civil society organisations and religious institutions as well. In the post COVID world, one could argue quite rationally that it is essential to have a mindset change if Sri Lanka is to raise its head and keep it above the water that is drowning it.

Economically, from all accounts, Sri Lanka is perhaps at a stage when liquidators may have to be called in to manage a State that is either bankrupt or is heading towards it. It does not appear that the country could meet its debt obligations and finance its essential fuel requirements, health needs and food requirements without a substantial infusion of funds into the governments coffers.

All indications are that such an infusion will only be possible through massive loans from international finance institutions and/or countries able to provide such loans. Besides institutions such as the World Bank, IMF, ADB etc, the only country that would be able to provide a large loan would be China and China will want their pound of flesh if they were to provide such a loan. What that pound of flesh means and entails is the billion-dollar question.

If Sri Lanka succumbs, and there does not seem to be any other light at the end of a long and dark tunnel, the consequential international politics involving the USA and India is bound to have a serious impact on what is left of the countrys sovereignty.

Much of what the current government is facing today is a consequence of the disorder in the world as a result of the COVID pandemic. While it can be argued justifiably that some things could have been done better, it should be accepted, justifiably, that whatever government in power would have been subject to the helplessness the country is placed in at present.

In the present circumstances therefore a major mindset change that could help the country would be a national approach to governance rather than a partisan approach. Major issues faced by the country such as its economy, education, health, energy needs and very importantly, its food security could be approached from a national perspective where the government, the Opposition, all political parties, business and religious institutions, unions etc, agree on what should be considered as national priorities and also agree on strategies to address the challenges faced by such national priorities.

Partisan politics and other divisions should go into hibernation at least for a short period like 3-5 years during which time the welfare of the country rather than the welfare of individual institutions takes precedence. The issue in hand which is the survival of the country as a sovereign nation is what is at stake. This issue is bigger than any individual or any one institution.

Perhaps the President could lead the way and call for a summit meeting of concerned institutions and individuals in order to arrive at broad strategic policy and action parameters on key national priorities.

Such an initiative would lead to an increase in public confidence that the country has a way forward to the future, and it will increase business confidence that is currently at a very low ebb. It will also increase confidence amongst possible investors, local and foreign, that the country is stable, and able to withstand international pressures on account of its more inclusive and strategic policy and action settings.

To paraphrase Bernard Shaw, COVID offers several opportunities for the country to look at things as they never were and ask why not rather than continuing to look at things as they are and continuing to ask why.

We have a so called representative democracy that votes in peoples representatives which fundamentally does not represent the wishes of the those who vote in their representatives. The Parliament and Provincial Councils are a farce in this respect. There is hardly any consultation with the people on key policy matters.

The country s suffocating foreign debt has been incurred over the years without any discussion amongst stakeholders. Business institutions, unions, societal institutions, womens organisations, religious institutions and other entities that better represent their areas of interest have not been consulted although they should be part of a policy determination process. One should have a very serious look at the need for 225 Members of Parliament, in particular if they blindly follow their party positions rather than national priorities.

While the female population of the country exceeds the male population, there is hardly a voice for women in Parliament or in provincial councils. This is a major anomaly that needs to be addressed and a national approach to policy making would be an avenue to correct this major imbalance in governance in the country.

Amongst other key areas that needs a national approach is the ever smouldering ethnic issue concerning the Tamils of Sri Lanka and also the issues concerning the Muslim population of the country. A mechanism must exist to address these on a long term basis and also in an ongoing basis, but both from a national perspective outside of partisan politics.

Education is perhaps one of the most important areas considering that it is the sphere in which the future of the country is nurtured and moulded. A longer term national education policy particularly for secondary education is a must as such policies should not change every time a government changes.

The country cannot and should not revert to the failed political practices of the past 73 years. COVID has given an opportunity to look at new and alternative ways of governing the country. Affording an opportunity for people to vote every so many years and re-elect or change governments is not effective democracy while it is a vital element in a democratic system. Avenues have to be introduced for greater participation by people in formulation of key policy settings. The ever evolving developments in information technology provides these avenues to a large number of people. They can be consulted and they can be heard. In fact, this facility will negate the need to have so many members of Parliament as they have proven to be mostly ineffective and an utter waste of public funds.

The governance model has to change if Sri Lanka is to learn a lesson from its position as a State that seems destined to fail if life goes on as usual.
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The directorate of persons with disabilities, social welfare department, has requested the health department to consider disabled persons as part of the highly vulnerable group for Covid-19 vaccination drive in Bihar and vaccinate them on priority basis, said an official requesting anonymity on Sunday.

In a letter, the directorate has also requested the health department that serious cases among persons with disabilities be vaccinated in presence of doctors.

The directorate officials stated that persons with disabilities are often exposed to different infections as a majority of them are dependent upon others for routine activities.

Also Read: Centre draws plan for vaccine roll-out

The Covid-19 vaccination in Bihar will take place at polling booths and at each booth, 100 people will be vaccinated. As per the government plan, health care workers will be vaccinated first while frontline workers like police, bank employees and Aanganwadi workers will be vaccinated next.

In the third phase, people above 60 years of age will be be vaccinated. As per the government directive, public representatives, government department workers, businessmen in the market are to be covered in this phase.

The population of persons with disabilities in the state is around 5.1 million. Over 33% among them are serious cases. For any kind of movement, they are dependent either on their family members or on their attendants and are quite vulnerable, the commissioner, directorate of persons with disabilities, Shivajee Kumar said.

But they have not been included in any of the three phases under the vaccination drive.

Many disabled people may not be able to turn up at the vaccination centre and the department will have to arrange this facility at their places, Kumar said. Besides, there is also the need to administer the vaccine in presence of a doctor to avoid any kind of adverse impact, he added.

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President Moon Jae-in flies on the E-737 Peace Eye military aircraft early Friday to inspect combat readiness on New Year's Day. Yonhap



By Do Je-hae



For the first time, President Moon Jae-in's office will be run by an economic and ICT expert, a departure from the practice of filling the chief of staff post with political heavyweights with special personal ties to the President.



The presidential office on Thursday announced You Young-min, Moon's first science and technology minister with years of experience in the corporate sector, as successor to outgoing chief of staff Noh Young-min after almost two years on the job.



Moon also named Shin Hyun-soo, a former career prosecutor, as the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs. The announcement came just one day after Noh, civil affairs secretary Kim Jong-ho and the controversial chief of staff for policy Kim Sang-jo expressed their intention to resign on Dec. 30, 2020 in order to give the President a chance for a "fresh start."



Economy



The presidential office was initially planning on announcing the replacements after the New Year holidays, but made an urgent announcement on the last day of 2020. The unusual transition at the presidential office was seen to reflect the President's determination to put all of the controversies surrounding his leadership behind him and start what is widely seen as his last year in office with a new mindset and new team.



The President highlighted the economy as a priority in his New Year message, Friday, delivered through his Facebook account. In particular, Moon will prioritize Green New Deal projects for laying the ground for economic recovery and sustainable growth in the post-COVID-19 era.



Moon's office has explained that the appointment of an economy and ICT expert as the chief of staff reflects the President's resolve to put all of his energy toward reviving the economy and restoring the people's lives that have been hit by severe hardships from the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.





President Moon Jae-in, center, talks with employees during a visit to a hydrogen company based in the southern industrial center of Ulsan on Jan. 17, 2019. Green New Deal projects will become the focus on President Moon's final phase in office as he exerts all efforts to lay the ground for economic recovery and sustainable growth in the post-COVID-19 era. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae



"The pain our people have endured is immeasurable," Moon said during his last weekly meeting of 2020 with his senior aides on Dec. 28, 2020. "Not only those who have been infected with COVID-19 or have experienced death in their families from the pandemic, but also those who are struggling to make ends meet from the economic shock are dealing with an unprecedented ordeal. The frozen job market and loss of jobs are painful for those who have been affected and there are people who have been forced into unpaid leave. The government will never forget their hardships and will do our best to help them overcome the difficulties."









Stability



Cheong Wa Dae said that retaining the policy chief is a way to ensure stability in policy management. This is critical to avoiding an early lame-duck status ahead of the presidential election in March 2022. "Since there are many issues in progress, retaining Kim is a measure to ensure that they are not cut off and that projects underway are not disrupted," a presidential source said.



Keeping the policy chief, in addition to the recent series of Cabinet reshuffles which failed to stir much excitement among the public, is being viewed in a negative light by critics and the opposition. Moon recently announced replacements for the controversial Land Minister Kim Hyun-mee and Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae.



Some experts point out that the reshuffles at the presidential office and the Cabinet lack fundamental signals that the President is sincere about winning back public trust after a series of policy failures, particularly with housing, as well as the year-long conflict over his prosecutorial reform.



"The reshuffles show that the President wants to keep the existing policy and personnel framework overall," Choi Jin, director of the Institute of Presidential Leadership in Seoul, told The Korea Times. "The conflict between the justice ministry and the prosecution will continue to have political repercussions. In the case of real estate policy, if it hasn't worked for three and a half years, and we're going to need to see changes in its direction, but it looks like he wants to follow the existing policies. This is bound to result in stronger public backlash."



Moon did not accept the offer of resignation Kim Sang-jo, the chief presidential policy adviser. Kim oversees the Moon administration's economic and housing policies and has led taskforces on some of the key initiatives of the government. Kim led a taskforce for Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee's World Trade Organization (WTO) chief race and is also in charge of a taskforce for vaccination procurement, which has emerged as the core policy agenda.



Communication



The President is expected to be more forthcoming about communication amid intense criticisms of Moon's disregard for public opinion and the opposition.





President Moon Jae-in, left, and science and ICT minister You Young-min arrive at a Cabinet meeting on March 20, 2018. You was named Moon's third chief of staff on Dec. 31, 2020. Yonhap



The appointment of a new chief of staff came amid a significant drop in Moon's job approval rating in recent weeks, which has been stuck in the late 30 percent range. When this enters the low 30s, Moon is expected to find himself in real trouble, unable to lift himself out of lame-duck status as the people lose interest in him when the presidential campaigning begins in the latter part of this year. At such times, the willingness to communicate is critical, according to some experts.



"First of all, the President must show that he really respects the people's sentiments," Myongji University professor Shin Yul told The Korea Times. "Secondly, he must show sense of responsibility."



In his first press conference as chief of staff, You underlined his role as a messenger. "Above all, I will listen to the sentiments and opinions from the outside earnestly and deliver them to the President," he said.





President Moon Jae-in visits a traditional market during Chuseok holidays on Sept. 29, 2020. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae
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Chironomids, a group of aquatic insects closely related to mosquitoes, act as natural reservoirs of disease-causing cholera bacteria and can forewarn against possible outbreaks of the diarrheal disease, a new study suggests.

Cholera caused by the ingestion of food and water contaminated with Vibrio cholerae  infects an estimated 1.3 to four million people around the world annually, resulting to as much as 143,000 deaths. Cholera is endemic in 50 countries, mostly in Africa and south and South-East Asia. According to WHO, of the many serogroups of V. cholerae, only two, O1 and O139, cause outbreaks.

Israeli researchers Meir Broza and Malka Halpern had reported earlier that chironomids harbour V. cholerae. But the new study, published 23 December in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, establishes that chironomids form reservoirs for the toxigenic [cholera toxin-producing] serogroups O1 and O139.

The researchers assessed chironomids' capability to act as natural reservoirs of epidemic- and pandemic-causing O1/O139 serogroups of V. cholerae, by using molecular tools. They looked at 223 chironomid samples collected from India and Israel and found "the presence of V. cholerae serogroup O1 and cholera toxin genes in samples from all chironomid species".

However, V. cholerae serogroup O139 was detected in only two chironomid species, the researchers wrote in the study.

According to Halpern, an environmental microbiologist and a professor at the University of Haifa, monitoring and controlling chironomid populations in cholera endemic areas could potentially help predict and control outbreaks of the disease. She explains that chironomid populations peaked in spring and autumn followed by a relative increase in V. cholerae abundance in the insect.

"Cholera epidemics in the Bengal delta region also show a similar pattern of biannual [every spring and autumn] peaks," she notes.

Thus, a rise in chironomid populations in a cholera endemic area can predict a rise in V. cholerae abundance, Halpern tells SciDev.Net.

"[This] paper will bring new insights to a broad scientific community dealing with infectious diseases (e.g. epidemiologists, physicians and microbiologists) and may have an impact on [the] understanding of cholera pandemics, says senior co-author of the study, Bimalendu Nath, emeritus professor, department of zoology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, India.

"[Sampling] cum surveillance programme for chironomid population in different endemic areas of [cholera] in different parts of the world can be formulated which will be a novel tool for predicting the outbreak of cholera epidemics," Nath tells Scidev.Net.

Halpern recommends seasonal monitoring of chironomid populations and toxigenic V. cholerae serogroups.

The goal should be to find the threshold of chironomid population levels that will predict outbreaks and provide a tool for controlling cholera outbreaks in the future." Malka Halpern, University of Haifa

Anil Kumar, clinical professor and head of the department of microbiology, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kerala, India, comments that the study provides 'proof-of-concept' to use chironomid populations as a surrogate indicator for predicting cholera outbreaks.

However, Kumar notes that despite finding V. cholerae in most of the chironomid species in the study samples, there were no reports of outbreaks.

"Therefore, the concept of using chironomid as a surrogate indicator for predicting cholera outbreaks needs to be tested in [cholera] endemic areas," he tells SciDev.Net.
In spring, Dr. Philip Miner shut down his Castle Hills dental office in accordance with local and state mandates to protect his staff and his patients.

But the pressure was on to reopen his office almost from the beginning, despite the pandemic unknowns. Employees need their paychecks, after all, patients need their treatment and dentists, too, have families to support.

He finally relented after nine weeks, but its been a grueling test of resilience and ingenuity.

The coronavirus crisis has been that way for many small-business owners, especially for health care professionals who have the added costs of specialized personal protective equipment such as N95 masks. Those are needed to safely treat patients during procedures that could lead to aerosol distribution of the virus.

Miner has seen one positive on that front. A patient told him about a new device that has saved the dentist stress and money: a powered air-purifying respirator known by its acronym, PAPR.

The portable face mask, made by a startup called JustAir that recently relocated to San Antonio, provides a more comfortable, protected way to work during dental procedures that can take hours.

It filters out 99 percent of microscopic pathogens using a positive-pressure blower worn at the hip.

The mask retails for $249 and is reusable. That compares favorably with the cost of the disposable N95 masks; Miner recalls having to buy a box of 50 for about $1,000 near the start of the crisis as the world scrambled for ways to protect against the new threat.

On ExpressNews.com: Shortage of protective gear for COVID-19 inspires "maker movement" in San Antonio

So far, Miner has no complaints about the device.

What I found was that this was very effective for me, he said, noting the mask doesnt cause his telescopic goggles to fog up during procedures.

The company expects that the face masks design will soon earn federal certification for meeting standards set by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

NIOSH approval means the air-filtering device now sold to consumers online will be able to attract bigger buyers, including schools and governmental agencies.

The respirator was created 10 years ago by physician and bioengineering entrepreneur Dr. Dan Burnett of Theranova Medical Device Innovations, a San Francisco-based incubator founded in 2006.

A powered air-purifying respirator isnt exactly new technology. Major medical supplier 3M makes bulkier versions that start at $1,100.

But Burnetts is less expensive and more portable. It was first marketed as a way for consumers to combat pollutants and unsafe air quality in California, but in recent months the coronavirus has led to the demand for better consumer-friendly protective gear.

There will always be airborne issues that people will have to deal with whether it be smoke or airborne pathogens, said Tony Diamond, owner of TDThink, which was contracted to do product design for JustAir. When you wear it, youre getting that nearly 100 percent protection. This actually does give people some freedom because its wearable and compact.

The product can be worn continuously for 12 hours and has replaceable HEPA and mask filters.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently developing minimum filter efficiency standards for cloth masks and labels showing which products on the market meet those standards.

One of 17 Theranova spinoff companies, JustAir had long been courted by local investors to relocate its headquarters and manufacturing facility to San Antonio.

The company finally agreed and leased property in August at 4590 Lockhill Selma Road provided by venture capital and private equity firm Fountainhead Investment Partners.

JustAir has hired nine employees to assemble the masks, including two engineering interns from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

On ExpressNews.com: Major San Antonio hospitals say theyre ready for new elective surgery ban

Among its customers are frequent travelers, teachers and those who work in medical offices like Miners.

His office keeps up with stringent infection control protocols, and hes actually added extra staff since the pandemic to make sure the thorough cleaning gets done in between each appointment.

Once youve been battling the virus for almost 10 months, theres worry of dropping your guard, he said. But I have an incredible team here, and they take this very seriously.

Some dental practices have resorted to charging patients a fee to cover the cost of extra PPE and cleaning supplies  one local dental chain was charging patients an extra $10 a visit.

But others are just taking the financial hit, not wanting to add to their patients burdens.

Dr. Richard Potter, president-elect of the San Antonio District Dental Society, said hes only submitting the fee to insurance companies that have agreed to reimburse providers for the costs of the increased PPE standards.

Miner said he briefly considered it because of the extra equipment expenses and because his patient volume is only 85 percent of what it was before COVID-19.

We chose not to charge patients a surcharge, he said. The bottom line is that there are so many people affected. ... We dont want to pile on.

Laura Garcia covers the health care industry. To read more from Laura, become a subscriber. laura.garcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @Reporter_Laura
A North Bay hospital is one of the first in the state to receive help from emergency workers elsewhere as it tries to cope with the surge in COVID-19 patients.

The staff at Petaluma Valley Hospital is now being assisted by three firefighter paramedics from Solano County and six emergency medical technicians from elsewhere in Sonoma County. They arrived this weekend and will be on duty at the hospital for at least 14 days.

The facility has 82 beds, and roughly one-fourth of its current patients have COVID, according to Steven Buck, head of communications for the northern region of Providence St. Joseph Health, which operates Petaluma Valley and two other hospitals in the North Bay. Buck said the request for outside help was made earlier in December, as the regional surge began to gain momentum.

It wasnt that we had a specific surge one day last week that prompted the request, he said.

The program  which became active as of Dec. 30  is being managed by the states Office of Emergency Services using the same framework as when crews are sent to help cover large emergencies such as wildfires and floods. But this time the Fire and Rescue Mutual Aid System has been activated to assist emergency rooms and other vital medical areas in some of the most impacted hospitals in California, according to a news release Sunday from the office.

The other hospitals receiving deployments are in Irvine, Barstow (San Bernardino County) and Kern County. A spokesman for the state office could not be reached Sunday evening to say whether more deployments are scheduled in coming days.

According to Buck, when hospitals face staffing binds, the standard practice is to put out a request for traveling nurses. But with a statewide surge that shows no signs of breaking, theres so much competition for traveling nurses that they arent available, Buck said. He also indicated that similar requests have been made by St. Joseph hospitals elsewhere in Northern California.

At every hospital, medical staff are tired, said Buck, noting that they have spent more than nine months of doing their best to cope with a pandemic at a scale not seen in more than a century. This (deployment) is very welcome.

As of Sunday, Sonoma County had 94 COVID patients at county hospitals and 27 intensive care beds were available, according to state health data. For the Bay Area as a whole, ICU capacity on Sunday afternoon was at 8.4 percent.

John King is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jking@sfchronicle.com
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) listens during the nomination hearing of Kelly Craft, President Trump's nominee to be Representative to the United Nations, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington on June 19, 2019. (Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)

Cruz Pushes Back Against Critics Calling for His Arrest Over Election Audit

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Jan. 3 responded to criticism over his plan to challenge the electoral college results on Jan. 6 unless an emergency 10-day audit to assess election fraud allegations takes place.

Cruz and 10 other senators announced their intention to challenge Electoral College votes from contested states over concerns that the 2020 election featured unprecedented allegations of voter fraud, violations, and lax enforcement of election law, and other voting irregularities.

The senator from the Lone Star State said in a recent interview that after the senators made the announcement, Democrats began urging that Cruz should be arrested and tried for the crimes of sedition and treason.

Well, listen, I think everyone needs to calm down. I think we need to tone down the rhetoric, Cruz told Fox News Maria Bartiromo. This is already a volatile situation. Its like a tinderbox and throwing lit matches into it.

He said the hyperbole and angry language used to respond to his statement was not helpful and that it was Congresss responsibility to look at the allegations in order to restore trust in the democratic processes for the future.

Cruz stated that the rationale for forming an electoral commission to perform an emergency audit was to balance concerns from both sides. He said Congress shouldnt simply dismiss and ignore allegations of voter fraud but also that election results shouldnt be set aside because a lawmakers preferred candidate didnt prevail.

He said his proposal for an electoral commission was a third option that is moored in the law and supported by historical precedents.

He pointed to the 1876 presidential election between Republican nominee Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat nominee Democrat Samuel J. Tilden. During that race, three statesLouisiana, Florida, and South Carolinaas well as one electoral vote from Oregon remained in dispute. The three contested states, which were disputed due to voter fraud allegations and election irregularities, had submitted two sets of electoral ballots.

As a compromise, Congress in 1877 established a bipartisan electoral commission made up of five House members, five senators, and five Supreme Court justices to hear the claims and determine how the unassigned electoral votes should be awarded.

They considered evidence, they examined the ballots, and they made a determination based upon what the disputed ballots and what the outcome should be, Cruz said.

What Im arguing for is Congress ought to do the same thing.

The Texas senator said the Supreme Court is the better forum to hear voter fraud claims, but because the current panel rejected to hear some of the election disputes that have reached its doors, it is now Congresss responsibility to look at the issues.

We have an independent responsibility to the Constitution. We have an independent obligation to the rule of law, he said.

The plan by the group of senators comes after Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and dozens of Republican House members said they would challenge the electoral votes during the joint congressional session on Jan. 6, when votes are formally counted. During that session, Congress members can object to any vote.

Objections during the joint session must be made in writing by at least one House member and one senator. If the objection for any state meets this requirement, the joint session pauses and each house withdraws to its own chamber to debate the question for a maximum of two hours. The House and the Senate then vote separately to accept or reject the objection, which requires a majority vote from both chambers to pass.

If both candidates receive less than 270 electoral votes on Jan. 6, then a contingent election is triggered in which each states delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives casts one en bloc vote to determine the president, while the vice president is decided by a vote in the U.S. Senate.

Democrats and several Republican senators have opposed the plans to challenge the Electoral College results, including Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Pope Francis accepted his resignation yesterday, the day the prelate turned 75. The Belarusian archbishop was one of the main engines of the Catholic revival in the ex-Soviet world. For February 11-12, Lukashenko called a "Pan-Belarusian" Assembly with the aim of changing the constitution. The opposition: a show.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - The Archbishop of Minsk-Mogilev, Msgr. Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, who returned home at Christmas after four months of exile, has retired. Pope Francis accepted his canonical resignation on the day of his 75th birthday, yesterday January 3.

The negotiations between the Vatican and the Belarusian authorities for his return obviously presupposed the immediate departure of the prelate. The Dominican bishop Kazimierz Wielikoselec, auxiliary of the diocese of Grodno, will administer the archdiocese of Minsk for now.

Kondrusiewicz had led the archdiocese of the Belarusian capital since 2007. He had returned from a 16-year service at the head of the Catholic diocese in Moscow, immediately after the end of communism. His episcopal consecration even took place in 1989, even before the collapse of the Soviet Union, as bishop of the diocese of Grodno, his hometown. His transfer to Moscow was decided in late 1990, only to be announced in April 1991 after unsuccessful attempts to agree on his appointment with the leaders of the Moscow patriarchate.

In these 30 years, the Belarusian Archbishop has been one of the main engines of the Catholic revival in the ex-Soviet world, reopening over 100 parishes, rebuilding dozens of Catholic churches and structures, including the seminary of St. Petersburg and that of Grodno, and finally becoming the symbol of popular protest against the last Soviet satrap, the Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Lukashenko is also trying to save his presidency, in view of a less canonical exit than the Catholic one, but foreseen by the Moscow "supreme seat". The president has in fact convened a "Pan-Belarusian" Assembly for February 11-12 in order to change the constitution, imitating Vladimir Putin. This would secure the system of power, while Lukashenko could retire to the dacha on the outskirts of Moscow, where his children already live.

The opposition to the contested president, led by the exile of the excluded candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaja, has made it known that she does not want to participate in the assembly, which she considers similar "to a 21st century Communist Party congress", as stated by the spokeswoman for Tikhanovskaja, Anna Krasulina (photo 2).

She added that "no one has seen any reform project, and it is not clear what Lukashenko wants to achieve from this assembly, nor who should take part in it. It is not a discussion on the constitution, which should take place in parliamentary committees open to citizen participation We have nothing to discuss with Mr. Lukashenko, in 26 years we have understood that he is absolutely inadequate and now also illegitimate.

According to the opposition, the Assembly will be a preformance, a large demonstration with groups of people specially selected to "stage the Belarusian people" and have the opportunity to impose a new repressive wave in the country. "The assembly - said Krasulina - will take place not only in an emptied city, but also under the fire of the automatic weapons of the Omon".

The opponents' proposal is for Lukashenko to resign, and then return to the 1994 constitution, which the leader has already changed six times in his favour over the long years of rule.
ANN ARBOR, MI  Following through on a campaign promise, newly elected Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit has rolled out a policy seeking to end cash bail.

Savit, who started on the job Jan. 1, issued a 20-page policy directive to his staff Monday, Jan. 4, setting new standards for seeking pretrial detention of criminal defendants.

Cash bail is a system under which defendants are required to pay money to be released from jail pending trial.

Savits policy precludes prosecutors in his office from seeking cash bail as a release condition in cases.

Cash bail is inherently inequitable and unjust. The size of a persons bank account should never determine their freedom, Savit said in a statement.

To be clear, our policy still allows for the detention of people who pose an imminent threat to the community. Our office will never consent to pretrial release unless we are satisfied that conditions are in place to ensure public safety. But we will no longer perpetuate a system of wealth-based detention.

Savit sworn in as Washtenaw County prosecutor, begins work to reshape justice system

Forcing people to pay for release before theyre convicted is inconsistent with principles of American criminal law, punishing people who cant afford to pay, with disparate impacts on people of color due to racial wealth gaps, Savit argues.

By its very terms, cash bail is socioeconomically inequitable, the directive states. Under a cash bail system, poorer people  even those who are accused of relatively minor crimes  are forced to sit in jail for days, weeks or years. At the same time, cash bail allows wealthier people who are accused of serious crimes to go free pending trial.

The policy highlights the cascading consequences of that, saying it places poorer defendants at risk of losing their jobs and homes and can harm their children. Because people who lack wealth are disproportionately likely to be Black, it perpetuates the glaring legacy of American slavery, it states.

Assistant prosecutors may not seek cash bond in any case, the new directive states, though in appropriate cases they can seek unsecured appearance bonds, surety bonds and categorical denial of pretrial release, and they can seek non-monetary conditions of release.

They can recommend denial of pretrial release when the defendant is charged with murder, treason, rape, armed robbery or kidnapping with the intent to extort money or other items of value, and in violent felony cases when the defendant has a history of violent felonies within the last 15 years or was on probation, parole or released pending trial for another violent felony, the directive states.

In all cases, assistant prosecutors should seek the least-restrictive release conditions needed to ensure public safety, the directive states.

For most offenses, that will mean release on a personal recognizance bond, it states. Without more (i.e., repeated violations, or a pattern of escalating conduct), a defendant should generally be released without additional conditions if charged with an offense such as larceny, retail fraud, simple assault, uttering and publishing, a driving offense, a possession of contraband offense, fraudulent use of a financial transaction device, or breaking and entering into a motor vehicle.

In some cases, prosecutors can seek additional release conditions to ensure public safety or if theres a flight risk. All cases are different, though, and there is no set of standard conditions that apply across the board, the directive states.

The new policy offers guidelines for drug and alcohol testing and use of GPS tethers as release conditions, though it cautions, GPS tethers are highly restrictive liberty conditions and should be recommended primarily where there is a factual basis to believe that a specific person faces a realistic threat from a defendant if a GPS tether is not imposed.

Driving restrictions are generally disfavored as release conditions, as they can interfere with a persons ability to get to work or take care of their family, the directive states.

If a person is charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, particularly a repeat offense, breathalyzer locks are a preferred alternative to driving restrictions, it states.

The new directive also has guidelines for seeking no-contact orders, travel restrictions, house arrest, firearm and weapons restrictions and more. House arrest, meaning home confinement via tether, can be recommended in cases involving a particularly serious, violent offense, where necessary to ensure public safety, the directive states.

In some cases such as domestic violence cases, sexual assault cases or cases involving escalating cycles of violence, defendants could be released to the custody of a responsible member of the community who could monitor the defendant to ensure public safety, the directive states.

But a domestic abusers access to a firearm significantly increases the risk of a woman being killed, so defendants accused of domestic violence should be prohibited from possessing guns or being placed in the custody of anyone who has a gun that could be accessible, it states.

While Washtenaw County is the first jurisdiction in Michigan in which prosecutors will no longer seek cash bail, other places across the country, including Washington, D.C. and New Jersey, have effectively eliminated cash bail, showing it can be done without undermining public safety, Savit said.

Savit said all the policies hes releasing have come out of working groups with input from a wide range of people, including activists, law enforcement and others.

We also did a listening tour to make sure were hearing voices from across the community, he said. We were joined by our chief public defender, Delphia Simpson, by our chief trial court judge, Carol Kuhnke, and by Judge Pat Conlin, who is taking over a criminal docket in 2021.

So, its really been a collaborative effort and were looking forward to rolling out the policies and, in the longer term, some programs that ultimately are going to make our community a safer, healthier and more equitable place.

Savit said hes met with just about every judge and magistrate in Washtenaw County and theres been a great deal of receptiveness to moving forward together and doing things differently. Whether to impose cash bail in a case is ultimately up to the judge, but if the prosecutors office isnt seeking it, it likely wont be imposed, he said.

Savit also announced Monday a national organization called The Bail Project, which provides free bail assistance to those who cant afford it, will be expanding its partnership with the Washtenaw County Public Defenders Office to provide pretrial support to defendants released without bail under Savits new policy. The Bail Project will ensure indigent clients receive adequate support in returning to court and have their basic needs addressed during the pretrial process.

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Mirriad Uses AI Technology to Integrate Tecate Into Multicultural Music Content To Reach Fans It's a priority for Mirriad to authentically align brands to not only the right content, but the right moments," shared Maria Teresa Hernandez, VP of Brand Partnerships at Mirriad.

Mirriad, a leader in computer vision and AI-powered in-content advertising, today announced the integration of Mexican beer brand Tecate into artist Giovanny Ayalas music video. The videos release, timed to New Years Eve, features Tecate brand signage and product seamlessly integrated throughout Ayalas latest hit Pa' Que No Te Anden Contando distributed by music label Gerencia 360, the leading representation for Regional Mexican artists.

This partnership represents Mirriads proprietary technology and its ability to deliver authentic ad integrations for brands and artists, all completed in post-production. Mirriad was able to execute this initiative within hours, which is completely unprecedented in the product placement arena. The efficiency of the tech enables advertisers to access content that would be otherwise unavailable to them, creating new opportunities for brands to connect with their core consumers at scale.

The social movements of 2020 have inspired more companies to lean into multicultural consumers and allocate larger portions of their advertising budgets to diverse content that resonate with these communities. Mirriads multicultural content portfolio gives brands the chance to put action behind these objectives in an intuitive and thoughtful manner. Mirriads core tech capabilities take targeting a step further to go beyond demographics to also match artists and brands based on the context of scenes within the content.

It's a priority for Mirriad to authentically align brands to not only the right content, but the right moments. And for me as a Latina, I want to ensure that were enhancing those moments to highlight the multicultural experience without the cultural gaffes and stereotyping our communities have been subjected to for years, shared Maria Teresa Hernandez, VP of Brand Partnerships at Mirriad. Tecate and Ayala are a great example of an authentic partnership of brand and artist that will resonate and enrich the relationship with their loyal audiences.

Mirriads ability to broker this relationship in less than a day shows how valuable they will be to the music industry for creating and scaling brand deals and introducing viable and long-term revenue opportunities, said Luis Del Villar, CEO of Gerencia360. Ayala is a Tecate fan and honored to have the brand support his artistry.

Mirriad offered us an innovative solution to meet our consumers where they are by seamlessly placing Tecate in content we know they listen to and enjoy, stated Oscar Martinez, Senior Brand Director, Tecate. Were delighted to be working with up and coming artists, such as Ayala, in this popular music genre.

This partnership marks the end of a year where major CPG brands and artists had production partnerships halted due to Covid-19, but with the help of Mirriad were able to quickly pivot to deliver high-quality engaging content for fans. For more information about Mirriads work in the music industry, giving brands unparalleled access to music, television and digital content, please visit mirriad.com.

###

About Mirriad

Mirriads award-winning solution creates new advertising inventory for brands. Our patented, AI and computer vision technology dynamically inserts products and innovative signage formats after content is produced. Mirriads market-first solution creates a new revenue model for content owners distributing across traditional ad supported and subscription services, and dramatically improves the viewer experience by limiting commercial interruptions. Mirriad currently operates in the US, Europe and China.

About TECATE

Born in the bicultural borderland of Baja California, Mexico, TECATE embodies the unapologetic energy of Mexican-Americans in the USA. We are still proudly brewed in our namesake town of Tecate using the same high-quality recipe since 1944. TECATE is imported by Cervezas Mexicanas, White Plains, N.Y. For news and updates, follow us on Twitter & Instagram @Tecate, or visit TecateBeerUSA.com.

About Gerencia 360

Gerencia 360 is an independent Latin record label, music publisher, booking agency and management company under one roof, specializing in the development of artists and performances. Gerencia was started in 2013, founded and managed by a team of industry veterans with decades of experience. The label specializes in discovering and developing unique talents, leading them to become great idols of Regional Mexican music.
Washington: Veteran actress Tanya Roberts, best known for playing a Bond girl in A View to Kill and Midge Pinciotti on That '70's Show, passed away at the age of 65.

The actress collapsed while walking her dogs on December 24 and was admitted in Cedar-Sinar Hospital in Los Angeles thereafter. She died on Sunday, her longtime friend Mike Pingel told The Hollywood Reporter.

The cause of her death has not yet been revealed and she showed no signs of illness prior to the collapse. It was confirmed that her death was not COVID related.

Pingel told The Hollywood Reporter: I'm devastated. She was brilliant and beautiful and I feel like a light has been taken away. To say she was an angel would be at the top of the list. She was the sweetest person you'd ever meet and had a huge heart. She loved her fans, and I don't think she realized how much she meant to them.

Her most notable performance in a major film role was in the 1985 Bond film A View to a Kill. The film, starring Roger Moore as 007, saw her play Stacey Sutton, an American geologist who becomes a target of villain Max Zorin played by Christopher Walken.

Despite the global media attention that follows every Bond release, her movie career didn't take off as she had hoped.

Tanya Roberts is survived by her partner of 18 years Lance O'Brien, her sister Barbara and her beloved pet animals.
State governments across the country are waiting for instructions from the Centre on when to start the Covid-19 vaccination drive. Close to 300 million frontline workers are expected to get the vaccine dose in the first phase.

State government health officials said that in the second phase those above 50 and with co-morbidities would be given vaccine. To prepare for the vaccination, the state government officials said the data of frontline workers have been updated on the Central government portal. The officials said that various task forces have been set to implement the Centres guidelines on vaccination.

Heres a quick look at the level of preparedness ahead of the vaccination drive across states:

Maharashtra

Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said the state administration is waiting for a communication from the Centre on the availability of the Covid-19 vaccine and has done pre-runs for administering it. The approval for Serum Institute of Indias vaccine is only for emergency use and is subject to the consent of the patient, which means no one else would be held responsible for any health complications, if any, post-vaccination, he said.

Dr Subhash Salunkhe, chairman, communicable diseases prevention control and technical committee said the state has started preparing list of 7,58,000 Covid warriors, who will receive the vaccination in the first phase. A detailed district-wise list of health care providers have been provided to the Centre on its Co-WIN app, he said, adding that state will additionally provide vaccine to 30 million people.

Dr Shashank Joshi, member of the state vaccination task force, said, the Centre is expected to procure the vaccine and distribute to states. By when will this process start, we dont know, he said.

Also read: Farm laws wont be repealed, govt tells farmers; next round of talks on Jan 8

Rajasthan

Health minister Raghu Sharma said the state is fully prepared to execute vaccination from developing centres and ambulance service will be available at all the centres in case of any adverse reaction. We have conducted dry-run at 19 places including Jaipur and even at private hospitals, he said. Sharma said that the Centre is yet to communicate on the number of vaccines, its cost, and the procurement procedure.

Assam

Health officials in Assam said around 1.5 lakh healthcare workers and frontline staff registered with the government would be administered the vaccine in the first phase which will begin most likely in February. We have not received any confirmation from the Centre on the number of vaccine doses that Assam would get, said S Lakshmanan, director, National Health Mission, Assam. He said the state governments cannot directly purchase the medicines.

Karnataka

Dr K Sudhakar, medical education minister, Karnataka, said all corona warriors will be administered the vaccine in the first phase free of cost. We will also use the existing infrastructure and the Centre will augment the additional infrastructure as required, he said. The minister said that the vaccine is expected to be available in January itself. We are awaiting directions from the Centre on next steps, he said.

Punjab

According to Punjabs Covid nodal officer, Dr Rajesh Bhaskar, as of now, there is no information when will the vaccine be administered. State has also not received any tentative plan either, he said, adding the state has already submitted data of 1.6 lakh frontline workers to the Centre. Health secretary Hussan Lal said the vaccine will be given to about 70 lakh people in a phased manner.

Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh is waiting for Centres nod to start the vaccination drive. Health minister TS Singhdeo said the state will receive vaccines from the Central government and the exact date has not been decided. In the first phase, the vaccine would be given to 2.54 lakh registered health functionaries in the state, he said.

Also read: Give me one weeks time - Bharat Biotech chief on questions about Covaxin efficacy

Uttarakhand

Kuldeep Singh Martoliya, states nodal officer for Covid-19 vaccination said that the Uttarakhand government is expecting to receive vaccines from the Central government soon. We have been assured that vaccines will be provided to us by early 2021. Uttarakhand government has shared the data of over 94,000 health care workers with Centre, he said, adding that in the second phase, they will share data of citizens above the age of 50 and with co-morbidities.

Madhya Pradesh

About 4.5 lakh health workers will be administered vaccines at primary health centres, community health centres and district hospitals, said the nodal officer for vaccination Dr Santosh Shukla. He said more than 2,000 ice-lined refrigerators have been provided for storage of vaccines.

Whenever we receive the vaccines we will start the inoculation process within the next two days, he said, adding that all dry runs have been successful and vaccination will be done by maintaining social distancing norms.

Haryana

The Haryana health department will conduct a dry run across the state on January 7 as a precursor to the Covid-19 vaccine roll out to test preparedness. The department has already identified 19,000 vaccination session sites and about 5,145 vaccinators have been mapped for the process of administering the vaccine.

Additional chief secretary (ACS), health, Rajeev Arora said, The number of vaccines available and priority groups would depend on the Central government. We will expeditiously roll out the vaccine as soon as it is made available, he said. Data of 1.9 lakh health care workers have been uploaded on the CoWIN portal. He added the vaccination drive will continue for over a year.

Bihar

Around 4.39 lakh healthcare workers will be vaccinated in Bihar and 14,724 vaccinators have been identified so far, said health minister Mangal Pandey, adding the state is in the process of giving last-minute training to its vaccinators and immunisation officers. The picture will be clear later this week, said a Bihar government officer requesting anonymity. Around 20 million people of the states 120 million are expected to get the vaccine in the first phase.

Jharkhand

Close to 2.5 lakh health workers will be vaccinated in the first phase. State health official said that every district would have a vaccine distribution centre from where the vaccines would be sent in refrigerated vans to block community health centres for vaccination.

Also read: Andhra administration likely to operate from Visakhapatnam from April 13, hints minister

Tamil Nadu

Health secretary J Radhakrishnan said that six lakh health workers will get the vaccine once the Centre informs them about when the vaccination drive would start. The Centre has instructed to hold dry runs in the states, which is being done in five districts, he said. Over 2,000 personnel and 100 people for vaccination are participating in the dry run, he said. The secretary also said that the over 5,000 refrigerated facilities have been created for storing the vaccine.

Andhra Pradesh

Health commissioner Katamaneni Bhaskar said there is no information from the Centre on when the vaccination for Covid-19 should start and how much doses would be made available to the state. Another official of the health department, who refused to be quoted said, the state was likely to get 1.70 lakh vaccine vials in the first phase and efforts were being made for cold-chain management, which was the most crucial part of storage and distribution.

Telangana

Health minister Eatala Rajender said the Centre might supply five lakh doses in the first phase, which would be ramped up in the subsequent phases. An official familiar with the development said the registration process for the vaccine is expected to start in the second week of January. The government is setting up 10,000 vaccination centres all over the state. The vaccination for healthcare and frontline warriors is expected to be completed within three days.

Uttar Pradesh

Additional chief secretary, health, Amit Mohan Prasad said, nine lakh health care workers have been enrolled in the first phase of the Covid-19 vaccination drive. Chief minister Yogi Aditynath on Sunday said the Covid-19 vaccine is likely to be available in Uttar Pradesh around Makar Sankranti - January 14.

Officials said the district magistrates have been asked to constitute district task force, tehsil task force and block task force to review the vaccination drive in the respective areas. The Uttar Pradesh government is creating 2,03,938 litre space for cold chain maintenance at temperatures between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius for the first phase of the Covid-19 vaccines, said a state health department officer.

Kerala

Health minister KK Shailaja said there was no official information from the union government when the vaccine vials will be made available to the state but it said the state was fully geared up to carry out the massive drive. Our strategy was to delay the peak and restrict casualties and we succeeded in both. Since the states density of population is quite high and so is the prevalence of high incidences of lifestyle disease, we need to get more vaccines in the first stage itself. We have informed the Union health ministry about this, said Shailaja.
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Stockholm, 4 January 2021 (SPS) - The Green Party in Sweden on Sunday called on the Swedish government to recognize the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and criticized the European Union's "weak position" on the conflict in Western Sahara, media reported.



"The Green Party wants Sweden to recognize Western Sahara as a state. Swedish recognition will send an important and clear signal to the international community and to the liberation movements who believe in peace and democratic development in the region," underlined the official spokesperson of the Swedish Greens party for foreign policy affairs, Ms. Janine Alm Eriksson, in a joint article with the official youth spokesperson of the Green party Aida Badili, published on December 29 in the newspaper "Goteborg-Posten".



The two officials strongly criticized the obstacles erected by outgoing US President Donald Trump to peace efforts in Western Sahara, through his "irresponsible and illegitimate" recognition of Morocco's alleged sovereignty over the occupied territory.



"The fact that the outgoing US president is now using his last days in power to end an already deadlocked peace process is extremely unacceptable and irresponsible, but it is also a position which shows that it is the duty of the international community to act to resolve the conflict ", wrote the two leaders of the Green Party in their article.



For these two spokespersons, Trump's announcement made on December 10 relating to the Saharawi question, "threatens human lives and constitutes an irresponsible position for the American president, because it can cause serious damage and prolong decades of conflict and of occupation ... ".



The two officials believe, in the same context, that the logical solution to the conflict is "Morocco's withdrawal from Western Sahara and the end of the conflict through international recognition of the SADR".



Referring to recent events in the buffer zone in El Guerguerat, south-western Western Sahara, following the Moroccan aggression on 13 November against Sahrawi civilians, Ms Badili and Eriksson deplored the fact that the 30-year ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario Front that was to lead to the independence of Western Sahara "was violated when the occupier attacked (peaceful) demonstrators" in the region.



She continued: "Morocco's actions constitute a serious violation of the cease-fire agreement", before adding: "by this behavior, the security and stability of the region are in danger and it becomes necessary to shed light on a long-term solution that would restore the right of the Sahrawis to their homeland ".



The two leaders of the Swedish Green party criticized the European Union's "weak position" with regard to the conflict in Western Sahara, occupied since 1975, stressing that "it is time for the international community and the United Nations" to intervene to allow the Saharawi people to exercise their right to self-determination and independence in a referendum ".



"The occupation must end, the people of Western Sahara have the right to freedom and self-determination, and the international community has a duty to intervene - not to hinder the process," they concluded. (SPS)



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Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
Louis Hernandez Jr. is the Founder and CEO of Black Dragon Capital, a high-performing private equity firm making control investments in mid-market technology companies. He is also an award-winning technology executive, corporate board member, author, philanthropist, and the Founder of the Foundation For A Bright Future. He has worked with or served on the board of many charitable or not-for-profit organizations on a range of community issues.

"Healthcare workers have been the silent heroes to our society, committing their lives and careers to keep us safe and healthy. This commitment to a greater cause is a reminder of how important healthcare is to all of us, and especially when it comes to caring for our children. I am honored to support, through my Foundation, For A Bright Future, Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital Foundation's philanthropic efforts," said Hernandez.

For A Bright Future has pledged support to numerous charitable organizations with a particular emphasis on healthcare, education, youth leadership and creative arts for underserved children and their families.

"We are so grateful and so fortunate to receive the support from Mr. Hernandez through his Foundation, For A Bright Future. This generous gift helps us keep our world-class care close to home by funding critical development initiatives. The kind gesture will make a difference to thousands of children right here in South Florida, including your loved ones, friends and neighbors," said Kevin R. Janser, Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer of Memorial Healthcare System.

There are only few places nationwide families can go to receive the highly specialized pediatric care that Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital offers, and it must continue growing to meet South Florida's increasing pediatric healthcare needs, regardless of a child's age, medical complexity, or ability to pay. To continue providing leading- edge healthcare services, critical investments are deployed in expansion projects, research, education, technology, and various support programs.

About Louis Hernandez Jr.'s Foundation For A Bright Future

501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the needs of underrepresented and underprivileged children through education, healthcare, the arts, and youth leadership development. Our initiatives provide equal opportunity for all children to have the tools and opportunities to fulfill their life goals and become constructive members of our global community. If you would like to learn more about the Louis Hernandez Jr.'s Foundation For A Bright Future, please visit www.forabrightfuturefoundation.org.

About Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital

Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital (www.jdch.com) - the largest pediatric hospital serving Broward, Palm Beach, and northern Miami-Dade counties - has 224 licensed beds, seven operating rooms, and an entire floor dedicated to pediatric oncology.

The stand-alone facility, part of the Memorial Healthcare System (www.mhs.net), combines advanced technology, the expertise of some of South Florida's most diverse, board-certified specialists, and a patient and family-centered focus to heal the body, mind, and spirit of those it touches, regardless of their ability to pay.

The non-profit Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital Foundation (www.jdchfoundation.org) provides philanthropic funding to support the children's hospital's mission.

Contact info:

Gina Rogoto

Louis Hernandez Jr.'s Foundation For A Bright Future

[email protected]

SOURCE Louis Hernandez Jr.'s Foundation For A Bright Future

Related Links

https://www.forabrightfuturefoundation.org


Good morning, its Jan. 4, 2021, the first Monday in a year most of us hope will be better and safer than the one we just left behind.

On this date in American political history, Nancy Pelosi became the first female speaker of the House (2007), former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura was sworn in as governor of Minnesota (1999), Congress convened under GOP control for the first time since Dwight Eisenhowers first term (1995), and Lyndon Johnson outlined the Great Society in a speech to Congress (1965).

Pelosi was given the speakers gavel again yesterday, this time to lead the 117th Congress, although the 2020 elections left her with a smaller Democratic Party majority. As we are sworn in today, we accept a responsibility as daunting and demanding as any that previous generations of leadership have faced, Pelosi noted in a sentiment no one would contest. We begin the new Congress during a time of extraordinary difficulty.

As for control of the even more closely divided U.S. Senate, that is still up in the air. Vice President Mike Pence administered the oath of office to 32 newly elected senators, but the identity of two final candidates is what the country is waiting to learn, perhaps as early as tomorrow night. I dont know how long it will take to count the votes in Georgias two Senate races, or if the losing candidates will even accept the results, but today all eyes are on the Peach State.

Id now direct you to our front page, which aggregates, as it does each day, an array of columns and stories spanning the political spectrum. This mornings lineup includes offerings by Tom Nichols (The Atlantic); Zephyr Teachout (Foreign Affairs magazine); Robin Wright (The New Yorker); and Byron York (Washington Examiner), as well as a Sunday video clip of Sen. Ron Johnson on Meet the Press. We also offer a complement of original material from RCPs reporters and contributors, including the following:

* * *

Georgia Tests Theory That Trump Stance on Election Harms the GOP. RCP political writer Susan Crabtree has this scene-setter on Tuesdays runoff.

Danger of Normalizing Electoral College Protests. RCP columnist Bill Scher examines Josh Hawleys claim that Democrats started this.

Our Electoral Crisis: The Call of Conscience on Jan. 6. Frank Miele weighs in on Republican objections to the certification of electors from states where fraud has been alleged.

Inauguration Day Symbolizes Americas Enduring Constitution. Charles Lipson explains why Donald Trumps attendance at Joe Bidens swearing-in on Jan. 20 is so important.

Bullying in the Name of Social Justice: A Sign of the Times. J. Peder Zane considers the case of a high school student punished for a years-old Instagram post, and a major news outlets examination of it.

COVID-19 Showcases the Supplement Scam. RealClearScience editor Ross Pomeroy assails how marketers have taken advantage of consumer eagerness for protection against the coronavirus.

Religious Freedom Drives Catholic Latino Vote. At RealClearReligion, Nora Kenney explores the uptick in Hispanic support for Donald Trump in November.

* * *

Carl M. Cannon

Washington Bureau chief, RealClearPolitics

@CarlCannon (Twitter)

ccannon@realclearpolitics.com

NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Meritus Gas Partners ("Meritus") announced its formation today via a partnership with Willingham Welding Solutions, Inc. (d/b/a Gas Innovations) ("Gas Innovations") and Atlas Welding Supply Co., Inc. ("Atlas"), in conjunction with a growth investment from AEA Investors' ("AEA") Small Business Fund ("AEA SBF"). Meritus is a platform led by a team of accomplished industry executives to partner with best-in-class independent packaged gas distributors across North America. Meritus intends to assemble a national federation of high-quality independent distributors of industrial, medical, and specialty gases and welding and safety supplies, located in diverse geographies and serving growing end-markets.

The Meritus executive team is led by industry executives Scott Kaltrider (Chairman) and Rob D'Alessandro (Vice-Chairman). Mr. Kaltrider has held various senior executive operating roles at Praxair Inc. over a 35+ year career, including serving as President of Praxair Distribution Inc. ("PDI"), its packaged gas business in the U.S., from 2013-2016. Mr. D'Alessandro, former owner of independent distributor Welco Gases Corp. in Newark, NJ, served as PDI's Vice-President of Corporate Development for nearly 15 years, where he was the principal architect of the acquisition and operational integration of approximately 100 independent distributors. Mike Masha, former CFO of Messer MG Industries and mid-Atlantic distributor GTS-Welco, will serve as Meritus' Chief Financial Officer, while Dave Marek will serve as its Director of Business Development following a 40-year career in the industry.

"We are pleased to announce our new partnership with AEA SBF," Mr. Kaltrider said. "AEA is a pioneer in the private equity industry with a sterling reputation and long track record of successfully collaborating with founders and entrepreneurs to scale their businesses. Together, we see an opportunity to provide transformational capital to well-positioned businesses across the packaged gas industry. We will partner with exceptional businesses and management teams, allow them to remain independent and entrepreneurial, and support them to accelerate growth, improve business quality and enhance value. We will offer the owners the opportunity to roll over a meaningful amount of their equity into our holding company to allow them to share in the success of the overall platform. We believe this approach will resonate with owners who are seeking liquidity today but are committed to the industry and want to be part of something larger and more dynamic."

Meritus was formed concurrently through the partnership between Gas Innovations and Atlas. Gas Innovations and Atlas will continue to operate independently under their own local brands. Financial terms of the transactions were not disclosed.

Gas Innovations, strategically located at the mouth of the Houston Ship Channel in La Porte, Texas, produces, purifies, packages, and distributes a wide range of high purity specialty industrial gases through a deployable asset base to customers in the U.S. and internationally. Gas Innovations' principal owners and Co-Founders Ashley Madray and Jason Willingham will maintain significant equity ownership in Meritus and will operate as President and Vice President of Gas Innovations, respectively, while serving on Meritus' Board of Directors. Mr. Madray brings nearly four decades of experience in the industrial gas and hydrocarbons space and Mr. Willingham brings more than 26 years of experience in the industrial gas and welding industry.

Operating in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, Alabama for more than 75 years, Atlas is a leading distributor of industrial, specialty, and medical gases as well as welding and cutting supplies. Atlas is led by owners Bill Visintainer and James Cain who will maintain significant equity ownership in Meritus and continue to operate in their current capacities at Atlas. Mr. Visintainer has served as President of Atlas for more than 12 years, and Mr. Cain has served as Vice President and CFO during the same period. With more than 40 years of industry experience, Mr. Visintainer has not only served as the President of the Gases and Welding Distributers Association (GAWDA) and on the Foundation Board of the American Welding Society (AWS), but also was a founder of the Airco Distributer Association (ADA), now known as Messer Distributer Group (MDG). Mr. Visintainer will join the Meritus Board of Directors. Mr. Cain brings 12 years of industry and leadership experience with the ADA, Linde Distributor Association, MDG and GAWDA.

"We are fortunate to have two exceptional businesses to launch our exciting initiative," Mr. D'Alessandro said. "Over the past 20 years, Gas Innovations has established itself as the industry's primary source for specialty hydrocarbon gases. Its record of superior service, broad range of quality products, technical abilities and deep asset base distinguishes it among other specialty gas companies. It has a unique supply chain position and strong and entrenched collaborative relationships with industrial gas majors, independent distributors, and end users alike, and the owners we are aligning with have stellar reputations throughout our industry. We are proud to have them as our partners as we seek to expand our footprint across North America."

"We are also impressed by Atlas' 'customer-first' culture and demonstrated track record of exceptional customer service and reliability, as well as its commitment to safety," Mr. D'Alessandro added. "We believe Atlas is well-positioned to continue its strong growth trajectory both organically and through additional M&A in both Alabama and the surrounding region. We have great appreciation for the professionalism and dedication of Atlas' talented team and its focus on providing customer solutions backed by best-in-class products and service."

"We chose to partner with Meritus because of its relevant industry expertise, experience in scaling similar types of businesses, and strong cultural fit," Mr. Madray said. "We are confident that together we will grow Gas Innovations while simultaneously building a national federation of great businesses with like-minded entrepreneurs."

"The opportunity to partner with Gas Innovations to form Meritus is very exciting for us," Mr. Visintainer said. "We look forward to partnering with a team that will empower us to grow Atlas to a level we may not have been able to achieve alone. We believe the packaged gas industry remains highly fragmented, which presents a significant consolidation opportunity. We are committed to the industrial gas industry and are now able to diversify our investment into businesses in other geographies and sectors across the U.S., and ultimately, the continent."

About Gas Innovations

Gas Innovations was founded in 2002 with the goal of providing industrial gas producers and distributors a dependable, independent wholesale supply partner. Since its founding, the company has grown to become a world wide supplier of high purity hydrocarbons, refrigerant gases and specialty gases. Gas Innovations is located at the mouth of the Houston Ship Channel, La Porte, TX. Visit us online at www.gasinnovations.com.

About Atlas Welding Supply

Founded in 1944, Atlas Welding Supply is leading distributor of industrial, specialty, and medical gases as well as welding and cutting supplies. With locations in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Atlas is a trusted partner for everything from supplying the appropriate gas and troubleshooting equipment to providing customized solutions that guarantee customers' maximum efficiency and offering seamless customer service. For more information, please visit https://atlaswsco.com/.

About AEA Investors LP

AEA Investors LP was founded in 1968 by the Rockefeller, Mellon and Harriman family interests and S.G. Warburg & Co. as a private investment vehicle for a select group of industrial family offices with substantial assets. AEA has an extraordinary global network built over many years which includes leading industrial families, business executives and leaders; many of whom invest with AEA as active individual investors ("Participants") and/or join its portfolio company boards or act in other advisory roles. Today, AEA's approximately 90 investment professionals operate globally with offices in New York, Connecticut, London, Munich and Shanghai. The firm manages funds that have over $15 billion of invested and committed capital including the leveraged buyouts of middle market companies and small business companies and mezzanine and senior debt investments. AEA Private Equity invests across three sectors: value added industrials, consumer, and services. The AEA Small Business Funds is a strategy within AEA that currently manages $1.8 billion of invested and committed capital. The team seeks to help grow and transform companies at the lower end of the middle market by sponsoring growing companies with proven management teams and superior business models. For more information, please visit www.aeainvestors.com.

Contacts

AEA Investors

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

Jon Keehner, Kate Thompson and Julia Sottosanti

+1 (212) 355-4449

[email protected]

SOURCE Meritus Gas Partners
SACRAMENTO  Gov. Gavin Newsom will propose a quick infusion at least $300 million to bolster Californias coronavirus vaccine distribution efforts in his forthcoming budget plan.

The money would be used to build out the vaccine management system, bulk up transportation and storage supplies and expand a public education campaign, Newsom said during a news conference Monday. The funding is part of a state budget proposal that the governor will announce later this week.

We are working with legislative leaders, who have been magnificent, about an early action strategy, Newsom said. We are working aggressively to accelerate our pace.

Newsom said his budget plan would also include additional money to support small businesses, bars, restaurants and families that have struggled through the lockdown orders that have brought some sectors of the state economy nearly to a halt. He did not offer specifics.

While California has received about 1.3 million vaccine doses and has another 611,000 on the way, Newsom said, only about 454,000 doses, or 35% of those available, have been administered so far. He acknowledged that is not good enough; we recognize that.

California ranks among the bottom 10 states in percentage of available doses used, according to a shot tracker managed by Bloomberg News.

Newsom said complicated logistics have slowed the distribution. The state is assigning vaccine amounts to local health departments, which are subsequently dividing those up among facilities in their communities. The facilities must then order the doses through the state, but they are delivered by the manufacturers.

The vaccines dont arrive magically in some state facility, Newsom said. They are at a myriad of sites, all up and down the state. Now its just about putting the pressure on distribution, making sure people are held accountable.

He said he recently took steps to make more people available to administer vaccines, including by deploying members of the California National Guard and giving pharmacy technicians and dentists permission to give the shots.

Mark Ghaly, Californias secretary of health and human services, said state officials are also discussing how to better align their regulations on who is eligible to receive a vaccine with who wants one, so doses are not sitting in storage unused.

Bringing those things together, he said, making sure that our prioritization allows us to stay focused on the equity and fairness principles that have driven our entire response, but also that facilitate (people) to get vaccinated.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff
The interstellar object that entered the Solar System in 2017 can be a sign of alien life, according to a Harvard professor.

Professor Avi Loeb is talking about the space object named 1I/2017 U1 Oumuamua by NASA. He claims that it is space junk sent to us by aliens.



In his upcoming book Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth, he says just that.



Twitter

According to Business Insider, CEO and co-founder of 23andMe Anne Wojcicki has written on the jacket that it is exciting and that humans may have seen signs of life outside our planet and more research is needed.



Oumuamua is the first interstellar object to enter the Solar System and was discovered on October 19, 2017 by the University of Hawaiis Pan-STARRS1 telescope.



Initially, it was considered a comet but soon studies showed that it did not have properties usually seen in comets.

Twitter

NASA observed that it had been wandering through the Milky Way galaxy.

Describing the object, NASA said that its elongated shape is quite surprising, and unlike objects seen in the solar system and that it may provide new clues into how other solar systems formed. It further said that the interstellar interloper appeared to be a rocky, cigar-shaped object with a slight reddish hue. Oumuamua measures up to 400 meters long and highly-elongated, which NASA estimates is perhaps ten times as long as it is wide.



Loeb feels the best way to look for alien life is to look for their garbage so to speak. He believes this asteroid or comet or whatever the object is, is actually alien trash.


The Daily Beast

Theo WargoCNN boss Jeff Zucker on Tuesday addressed network staffers concerns over the revelations that primetime star host Chris Cuomo advised his brother, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on how to respond to the multiple sexual harassment allegations against him.During a Tuesday afternoon town-hall meeting with staff, Zucker claimed he understood the unease over Cuomos conduct, saying in no uncertain terms that it was a mistake for the primetime star to participate in strategy calls advising his politically powerful brother.He did cross a line, Zucker said.Last week, The Washington Post reported that Cuomo joined strategy calls helping plan his powerful brothers rebuttals to mounting allegations that he harassed multiple women and made some female staffers feel uncomfortable. According to multiple sources who were present on one meeting, the CNN host even mentioned invoking cancel culture as a way to combat the claims.The CNN boss said he personally voiced his displeasure to Cuomo, and that he had considered the options for how to handle the star hosts unfolding scandal. Ultimately, Zucker said that rather than suspending Cuomo, the network decided the host should have to go on-air and personally apologize to his viewers.And so during his 9 p.m. ET broadcast, Cuomo declared that it will never happen again and insisted he knows where the line is.In a statement following the Post bombshell last week, CNN admitted it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governors staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward. The network added that Cuomo would not be disciplined further.But the top anchors decision to secretly participate in the strategy calls assisting his embattled brother has, indeed, irked numerous network staffers. CNN insiders who spoke with The Daily Beast this week expressed frustration with the networks handling of the incident, saying Cuomo should have faced more serious consequences.Im very disappointed in the network, said one current on-air personality. I think some disciplinary action, at a minimum, was required in this situation. The source added, As a woman who works here, I feel a little let down, to be honest.Staff were particularly interested in Tuesdays town hall following one of the more eventful weeks for the network following a high-profile sale and the departure of one noteworthy on-air contributor.During the call, Zucker said that Rick Santorum was given an opportunity to apologize for what the CNN boss referred to as the ex-senators inappropriate and racist comments about Native Americans, but because he refused to do so, the network ultimately fired the conservative pundit.And elsewhere in Tuesdays town hall, Zucker downplayed the impact of AT&Ts decision to merge WarnerMedia, CNNs parent company, with Discovery. Asked about whether CNN could be spun off as part of the deal, the network chief said he did not think that was in the cards.And when pressed on his own future at the network, Zucker said he plans to have conversations with the right people very soon.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
The first trailer for Tandav, a new political drama set to debut on Amazon Prime Video on January 15, has been released online. Set in the murky world of Indian politics, the series will explore the moral ambiguity and the power struggles that unfold in Lutyens Delhi.

The trailer opens with Saif Ali Khans character at the funeral of his father. Expected to take his place at the helm of a powerful political family, Saifs character goes on a journey that could take him to the very top of the pyramid. But with enemies around every corner, he must play his cards smartly.

The drama unfolds at every level of Indian politics. While Saif operates in Delhi, a parallel plot involving Mohd Zeeshan Ayyubs student leader unfolds in a university campus. Sunil Grover, meanwhile, appears as a scheming enforcer.

Created and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, Tandav will take audiences into the power-hungry world of politics, he said in a statement. As you watch the show, youll realize that there is no right or wrong, there is no black or white; world of power is about the world of greys, he added.

Saif, who made his digital debut with Netflixs Sacred Games, had previously described his character as Chanakya-like. Hed told PTI, My character is Chanakya-like, in the guise of a youth leader who comes from a privileged background and aspires to become the Prime Minister.

The show was previously titled Dilli, which both Saif and Ali were unsure about. I hope its not eventually called Dilli. Tandav was the working title which captured more the essence of what the show was about. Dilli is a little thanda (cold) really. I dont think we have either titles, Dilli or Tandav. We have to work hard to come up with something a little sexier like House of Cards. Something with a little more poetry to the title than just a geographical location, Saif had told journalist Rajeev Masand.

Also read: Tandav writer says makers kept him out during shooting of Saif Ali Khans show: Its like giving your baby to someone else

The nine-episode series also features Dimple Kapadia, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Dino Morea, Gauahar Khan, and others.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

ott:10:ht-tv_listing-desktop
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that the Covid-19 vaccine will be free across the country, where nearly 30 crore persons will be vaccinated in the first phase of the immunization drive.



"Not just in Delhi, it will be free across the country," Vardhan said when asked for the government's position on the issue.

As India gears up to launch the world's largest immunisation drive against coronavirus, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that the vaccine will be free across the country.





"The Drug Controller General of India will soon give its recommendation on the applications," Vardhan said. According to top government sources, the vaccination process will begin from January 6.



The central government plans to vaccinate nearly 30 crore persons in the first phase of the immunization drive. The vaccine will be administered to one crore healthcare workers, along with 2 crore frontline and essential workers, and 27 crore elderly, mostly above the age of 50 with comorbidities.



On Saturday, authorities were conducting a mega drill at 259 sites in all states and union territories to help officials practise how to manage vaccine supply, storage and logistics, including cold chain management.







Source: IANS Notably, the coronavirus vaccine is slated to be rolled out soon as the one developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca has been recommended by an expert panel, tasked with vetting Covid-19 vaccine proposals, and forwarded to the Drug Controller General of India for approval."The Drug Controller General of India will soon give its recommendation on the applications," Vardhan said. According to top government sources, the vaccination process will begin from January 6.The central government plans to vaccinate nearly 30 crore persons in the first phase of the immunization drive. The vaccine will be administered to one crore healthcare workers, along with 2 crore frontline and essential workers, and 27 crore elderly, mostly above the age of 50 with comorbidities.On Saturday, authorities were conducting a mega drill at 259 sites in all states and union territories to help officials practise how to manage vaccine supply, storage and logistics, including cold chain management.Source: IANS

The comment is significant, given the fact that India has recorded the second highest numbers of corona infections after the United States.
Kathmandu, January 4

There has been a delay to import fertilisers the Nepal government has purchased from Bangladesh.

It has been 18 days since an agreement between the governments of Nepal and Bangladesh for the purchase 50,000 metric tonnes of fertilisers was signed. Following that, Nepal has already sent a letter of credit (LC) to the government of Bangladesh.

There has been a delay from the side of Bangladesh in supplying fertilisers although Nepal has completed all the process in this regard, says the Agriculture Inputs Company Ltd.

The company has sent a draft of the opening of LC in Siddhartha Bank to Bangladesh, said the companys managing director, Netra Bahadur Bhandari.

We have received information that Bangladeshi officials have been studying the LC sent by us. The process to supply fertilisers will begin once Bangladesh approves the LC and nods, he says, There has been a delay from the side of Bangladesh.

As per the agreement, the supply should begin within 10 days of the issuance of LC and complete within two months.

The government of Nepal is importing 50,000 metric tonnes of fertilisers from Bangladesh. The supply cost is USD 259.195 per metric ton, which is an around USD 18 cheaper per metric ton as compared to the existing supply rate.
The State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPF) plans to put PJSC United Mining and Chemical Company (UMCC) at the first large privatization auctions in 2021 at the end of the first or the beginning of the second quarter with an initial price being from UAH 3 billion to UAH 5 billion, Head of the Fund Dmytro Sennychenko has said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

"It is very important to understand that you should start with a price slightly lower (not low, but slightly lower) than the market price in order to have more participants. The starting price will vary between UAH 3 billion and UAH 5 billion. But it has not yet been finally determined," he said.

Sennychenko said that the SPF is already submitting the terms of the tender to sell UMCC for approval by the Cabinet of Ministers.

He also said that the Fund closely monitors the management of the company and, despite the change of top managers, it managed to achieve an increase in the company's net profit this year, to approximately UAH 700 million from UAH 100 million last year.

Sennychenko previously said that 16-18 companies announced their intention to take part in the privatization of UMCC.

"Among them are two Ukrainian holdings, and the rest are well-known international companies: Japanese, Australian and others, which will compete with each other, having received information about the company, about reserves, about deposits," the head of the SPF said in April last year in an interview with the Interfax-Ukraine.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 4)  Two Chinese drug companies are expected to seek clearance for emergency use of their COVID-19 vaccines in the Philippines this week, the country's envoy said Monday.

Philippine Ambassador to China Chito Sta. Romana said the embassy has been in talks with vaccine developers Sinopharm and Sinovac, and was told that the firms will seek emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug Administration.

"Apparently, their plan right now... in the next few days, sometime this week they will file their EUA application with FDA in the Philippines," Sta. Romana said during the Malacanang media briefing.

Last week, Sinopharm secured general use clearance from Chinese regulators, paving the way for the state-owned pharmaceutical firm to supply doses for the mass vaccination program in the mainland.

RELATED: China's Sinopharm says its coronavirus vaccine is 79% effective

So far, US-based vaccine maker Pfizer has applied for an EUA from the Philippines' FDA. If approved, this will be the first to be approved for use in the country. Sinovac has a pending application to conduct phase 3 clinical trials here, and is the government's priority for procurement by March.

Meanwhile, state-run Sinopharm's vaccine was reportedly used by members of the Presidential Security Group to vaccinate themselves back in September-October 2020.

Sta. Romana added that Sinovac expects a similar approval from China's National Health Commission within January. Prior to this, the two vaccine brands have already been used to inoculate about 1 million Chinese residents.

READ: China's COVID-19 vaccines offer meant to 'improve' global reputation  envoy

He added that the Chinese government is looking to vaccinate at least 50 million nationals in the next month running up to Chinese New Year, set on February 12 this year. This is to protect more people from the coronavirus over the winter  also known as flu season  and the expected surge in travelers as most Chinese return to their hometowns for the holiday.

China's vaccine producers also intend to supply 1 billion doses globally in 2021. However, there is no hard figure yet as to how many vaccine doses will be given to the Philippines, with the diplomat saying this is subject to negotiations.

READ: PH eyes to seal deal for Sinovac's 25 million vaccine doses

Sta. Romana said he has not been administered a vaccine yet as China's current program does not cover foreigners. He added that he has no idea about the supposed vaccines imported from China and smuggled to Manila for the PSG, saying the embassy was not involved regarding the supposed shipment.
Former rugby league WAG Phoebe Burgess is now officially divorced from her ex-husband Sam after five years of marriage.

And on Sunday, the 31-year-old influencer subtly celebrated her single status by showing off her ring-free wedding finger on Instagram.

She shared a photo of her left hand, and was conspicuously not wearing her wedding or engagement rings.

It's over: Phoebe Burgess subtly celebrated her single status by showing off her ring-free wedding finger on Instagram. Pictured with her ex-husband Sam Burgess

The only ring she wore was a fashionable gold band on her little finger.

The Sunday Telegraph reported over the weekend that a divorce order for the Burgesses had been issued 'just before Christmas' - 14 months after their separation.

Phoebe and the South Sydney Rabbitohs star, 32, share custody of two children, Billy, two, and Poppy, three.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Phoebe and Sam Burgess for further comment.

Gone: She shared this photo of her left hand, and was conspicuously not wearing her wedding or engagement rings. The only ring she wore was a fashionable gold band on her little finger

Finalised: The Sunday Telegraph reported over the weekend that a divorce order for the Burgesses had been issued 'just before Christmas ' - 14 months after their separation

The former couple married in 2015 at Phoebe's parents' country estate near Bowral. They separated in September 2019.

Phoebe is said to have walked away with 70 per cent of the pair's marital wealth.

The Burgesses remain embroiled in an ugly legal dispute following their split.

Family: Phoebe and Sam, 32, share custody of their two children, Billy, two, and Poppy, three

Sam is accused of intimidating Phoebe's father, Mitchell Hooke, at his Southern Highlands home on October 19, 2019.

The Rabbitohs player is also charged with common assault in relation to the same alleged incident. Sam has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Police have also taken out an interim AVO to allegedly protect Mr Hooke from Burgess, who has had no contact with his former father-in-law for more than a year.

The hearing will continue in Moss Vale Local Court on January 22.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
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This new year kicks off with new hope for the 37 chimpanzees left languishing in a research facility in Alamogordo. It is morally and fiscally incumbent on each of us to demand the National Institutes of Health, led by Dr. Francis Collins, finally send chimps used in research to sanctuary.

In 2000 Congress decided chimps retired from research should go to sanctuary. In 2015 the institute decided there is no reason to keep the primates for invasive medical testing. And this past Christmas week saw a group of 14 that included Alamogordo Primate Facility chimps move into the $20 million forested addition at Chimp Haven in Louisiana, a public-private partnership funded in part with your tax dollars. That last part is important, because NIHs website says it costs you, the taxpayer, $130 a day to house one chimp in Alamogordo where there are no trees or wide open spaces compared with $35.65 a day at Chimp Haven, a 200-acre forested refuge. Taxpayers are not getting bang for their buck, and sentient beings are suffering for it.

Since October, two additional chimps have been euthanized at Alamogordo, according to Animal Protection of New Mexico, which has been advocating for the primates for years. Whats ironic is NIH has refused to transfer the remaining chimps because it maintains they are too medically fragile to survive the trip (though its own modeling has them living to 2038 and beyond). Instead, it has euthanized at least four this year.

In a world full of difficult challenges, sending chimps to humane sanctuary at around a fourth of the cost should be a no-brainer. New Mexicos congressional delegation has made this clear in the past and should demand in this new year that NIH do right by the Alamogordo chimps and by the public that pays its salaries.

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.

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This year, Ron Lovett got a tour of a pair of apartment blocks in the Spence neighbourhood  at 677 Maryland St. and 626 Ellice Ave.  without setting foot in them, or even in Winnipeg. Seeing the buildings over Zoom, he liked what he saw, and bought them.

This year, Ron Lovett got a tour of a pair of apartment blocks in the Spence neighbourhood  at 677 Maryland St. and 626 Ellice Ave.  without setting foot in them, or even in Winnipeg. Seeing the buildings over Zoom, he liked what he saw, and bought them.

The Halifax-based entrepreneur got his start in the housing world in 2017 after selling Source Security & Investigations, his private security company, to a multinational corporation, using that deal to fund his next venture, Vida Living.

The company started off in Halifax, purchasing rental properties in that citys north end that had been rundown or mismanaged, Lovett said. The company takes stock of the building, upgrading security and lighting and renovating the units as needed: some were crawling with insects and in need of serious repairs.

"You wouldnt want to live there until we came in," he said.

But unlike "renovicters," who buy low-cost buildings only to raise rents to finance those repairs, Lovett insists thats not his companys modus operandi. "We buy a building based on current rents and those are the rents we keep," he said.

In about three years, the company has expanded to managing more than 300 units in Halifax and Dartmouth, with a "unique" approach to renting, including offering incentives to tenants who start a business, paying movers or breaking leases without penalty if renters buy a home, and giving skilled tenants right of refusal for paid work in company-owned buildings. Vida also strikes deals with employers to give workers initial discounts on rents.

Supplied Vida Livings Ron Lovett

The results, he said, have been strong: very little turnover in tenants, aside from those buying condos or houses, better relationships between renters and "building ambassadors" (Lovett-speak for building managers), and during the pandemic, no evictions related to rent payments. "Delinquency" has actually decreased, he said.

Lovetts concept is idealistic, but with such lofty goals, skepticism is only natural, especially in a neighbourhood where prior buyers have vowed to change renter experience, security and cleanliness to little avail.

With the downtown Winnipeg purchases, as well as several in New Brunswick, which closed this winter, Lovett will see whether his companys methods will work here.

"Weve definitely had landlords or prospective landlords looking to purchase property who have those kinds of enthusiastic ideals," said Benjamin Simcoe, the housing co-ordinator for the Spence Neighbourhood Association. "Sometimes its more flash than substance."

Simcoe said affordable housing in the area has been under a squeeze in recent years. One prong of that squeeze is rising rents as the housing stock ages, while at the same time, hundreds of units have been lost through fire or other damage, decreasing available housing stock, thereby raising demand and rent further. He said theres a skepticism as to whether anyone can truly renovate and revitalize effectively without raising rent.

But Lovett says his companys goals are to keep rents the same as they are at the time of purchase (between $800 and $1,000) while securing the buildings and preventing those types of events from happening. Thats partly done through security upgrades, tenant ratings of building managers, and through extensive screening for tenants, constructed along the lines of a job application.

Simcoe said 677 Maryland St., which Lovetts company purchased for $2.2 million, hasnt been a major concern in the neighbourhood in recent years, but the building at 626 Ellice Ave., a 39-unit property that Vida acquired through foreclosure, was suffering from a combination of poor management and recent issues including fires and lack of security.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Vida Living has already begun renovating the block at 677 Maryland St.

To Lovett, the buildings were appealing from the get-go precisely because there was so much room for improvement and added value for tenants. The building on Maryland has already had upgraded security doors and lighting on order, and similar moves and renovations are about to get underway on Ellice, he said.

"If you look at affordable housing in Canada, for many its an asset cost, where people have to live but might not feel proud to live," he said. "We take this very seriously, and in our structure, tenants are at the top of the organization and Im at the bottom."

"People treat these people as tenants, not customers," he added. "We might be in the real estate business, but my view is: what else can we do for the customer?"

Lovett said the two apartment blocks in Winnipeg are just the start: Vida is looking into purchasing other buildings in the city, with eyes on Saskatoon and Edmonton to expand their model further.

But Simcoe, who said hed be happy to discuss housing and the neighbourhood with Lovett, said something thats caused issues for rental companies is growing too quickly, spreading their priorities too thinly and struggling to sustain their ambitious goals.

"Weve seen what can happen when companies take on too much too fast, could not maintain their goals or good relationships with tenants," he said.

Lovett is familiar with that skepticism, and said its understandable, given the reputation of predatory landlords or "renovicters."

Still, hes confident opinions will change once the work gets started in Winnipeg and elsewhere. "Were planning for everything, and we plan on hitting the ground running," he said. "Were up for the challenge."

ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca
In a heartwarming incident, a father-daughter duo serving the Andhra Pradesh Police shared a proud moment that has now grabbed the attention of netizens. Shared on the official Twitter handle of the Andhra Pradesh Police, the post features Circle Inspector Shyam Sundar and his daughter Jessi Prasanti, the District Superintendent of Police of Guntur district. The post may leave you with a smile too.

#APPolice1stDutyMeet brings a family together! reads a part of the caption shared by the department. The photograph included in the post shows Sundar saluting his daughter as she beams proudly at the camera. The duo met at the departments event IGNITE being held at Tirupati and shared this lovely moment.

Take a look at the post:

#APPolice1stDutyMeet brings a family together!



Circle Inspector Shyam Sundar salutes his own daughter Jessi Prasanti who is a Deputy Superintendent of Police with pride and respect at #IGNITE which is being conducted at #Tirupati.



A rare & heartwarming sight indeed!#DutyMeet pic.twitter.com/5r7EUfnbzB  Andhra Pradesh Police (@APPOLICE100) January 3, 2021

Shared on January 3, the post has garnered almost 7,000 likes along with several comments from netizens. While some couldnt stop praising the wholesome post, others lauded the incredible father-daughter moments and showered the comments section with clapping hands and heart emojis.

Kudos, @APPOLICE100 for sharing this! What an amazing moment! The father's pride is evident and is matched only by the delight in his daughter's smile   Avtar Dr Saundarya Rajesh (@SaundaryaR) January 4, 2021

What a proud moment indeed! God bless them - the father for inspiring his daughter and doing whatever he could in his capacity to get her here and the daughter for working hard to realize her dream. Its hard for a child to allow her parents to salute her, but then, call of duty!  The Layman (@sanjay_arp) January 4, 2021

Only a father can feel so proud of his own children especially a daughter progress in life. I remember when I compared my first pay check with that of my father. More than me, he was elated that his son was earning more.



My #Respect2Father increased when I became father myself.  Ash 'G (@ashishgupta001) January 4, 2021

What do you think of this post?
BHEL, Braithwaite to manufacture containers to boost domestic supplies

India will now start manufacturing containers that have so far been imported from China. These will be manufactured at around the same cost of about Rs2.59 lakh per container that Chinese suppliers currently offer. Indian importers, who have been importing anything that comes cheap, will now get containers at competitive price from within the country.

Indian companies such as Braithwaite and BHEL would now manufacture these containers within the country, giving a boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modis Make-in-India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives.

Till now the Container Corporation (Concor), a subsidiary of Indian Railways, was importing about 10,000 containers in a year from China catering to the requirement of the rail sector in the country as there was no Indian player involved in manufacturing it.

India would gradually discontinue the practice of procurement of containers from the neighbouring country.

The decision also comes at a time when exporters in the country, including automakers, are bracing for a parts shortage and possible production losses over the next three to four months due to a global shortage of available shipping containers.

This in turn, has resulted in a surge in shipping freight rates since July and companies are now finding it difficult to sustain normal trade operations.

However, Denmarks AP Moller-Maersk says the shortage has resulted from a decline in Indian imports and a bounce back in exports.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - Two females who ordered food from Victoria's Restaurant allegedly stole the tip jar that contained around $300.

Police said it happened at the 7 1st Ave. SW location on Jan. 2 between 6:50 and 7:15 p.m.

The person taking the order had to go back into the kitchen to ring in the order due to there being so many substitutions.

Just before the females paid for their food, one of them grabbed the tips and took off.

No arrests have been made.
Greece's centre-right government has made history by naming the country's first openly gay minister in a Cabinet reshuffle.

Nicholas Yatromanolakis, 44, was named as the new deputy minister of culture after being promoted from the position of general secretary at the ministry.

The government retained its ministers of health and finance and most other key positions in the reshuffle.

Greece is reeling from the impact of the pandemic that caused a spike in deaths in November and is expected to have caused a 10.5 per cent contraction of its gross domestic product in 2020.

Nicholas Yatromanolakis, 44, was named as the new deputy minister of culture after being promoted from the position of general secretary at the ministry

He studied Political Science and International Relations at Panteion University in Athens before studying a Masters in Public Policy at Harvard University. Pictured: Mr Yatromanolakis with his dog

Mr Yatromanolakis often posts adorable pictures of his rescue dog Vrasidas and his cat Patrick on Instagram

Despite the difficulties, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis left most key Cabinet positions unchanged, retaining Christos Staikouras as finance minister and Vasilis Kilikias as health minister.

Mr Yatromanolakis, who often posts adorable pictures of his rescue dog Vrasidas and his cat Patrick on Instagram, studied Political Science and International Relations at Panteion University in Athens before studying a Masters in Public Policy at Harvard University.

His appointment is seen by critics as a landmark move for the LGBT community as Mr Yatromanolakis has focused on their rights during campaigns.

On his Instagram profile, he describes himself as a 'dad to a cat and dog' and puts his pronouns as 'he/him'

Mr Yatromanolakis also made history in July last year when he was the first openly gay man to be appointed to a senior government position

He has also been active in focusing on the social inclusion of vulnerable populations as well as the mental and physical health of children

Mr Yatromanolakis has been vocal on Instagram about the importance of wearing a face mask to protect each other from coronavirus

On his Instagram profile, he describes himself as a 'dad to a cat and dog' and puts his pronouns as 'he/him'.

Mr Yatromanolakis also made history in July last year when he was the first openly gay man to be appointed to a senior government position. He was appointed as the New General Secretary of Contemporary Culture.

He has also been active in focusing on the social inclusion of vulnerable populations as well as the mental and physical health of children.

The cabinet minister was a founding member of the Potami political party. Before leaving the party in 2016 to join the current New Democracy government, he was Potami's campaign manager for the 2014 EU elections.

Mr Yatromanolakis has been vocal on Instagram about the importance of wearing a face mask to protect each other from coronavirus

The cabinet reshuffle comes as Greece has been reeling from the impact of coronavirus.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he was forced to act after a spike in cases over the past five days, saying that without a second lockdown pressure on the country's healthcare system would be 'unbearable'

The capital's usually bustling streets were quiet in November with residents only being allowed to leave their homes for specific reasons

Pictured: An elderly woman applauds during a vaccination at a nursing house in Athens today

After Greece saw a spike of new COVID-19 infections and deaths in November, authorities imposed a second lockdown which closed schools and retail businesses.

Prime Minister Mitsotakis said he was forced to act after a spike in cases left intensive care units bordering on full capacity.

He said that without a second lockdown pressure on the country's healthcare system would be 'unbearable'.

In November, there were 2,673 confirmed cases coronavirus during the spike in infections. This figure has since decreased during the second lockdown, with 663 new confirmed cases yesterday.

The country also had 100 confirmed deaths a day as a result of coronavirus in early December - but yesterday 50 deaths were recorded.

Vaccinations were expanded from nine to 50 hospitals nationwide on Monday.
When Sen. Josh Hawley announced he would raise an objection during the Electoral College count certification on Wednesday, the Missouri Republican justified it in part by noting Democrats had lodged similar protests. Following both the 2004 and 2016 elections, Democrats in Congress objected during the certification of electoral votes in order to raise concerns about election integrity, he said. They were praised by Democratic leadership and the media when they did. And they were entitled to do so. But now those of us concerned about the integrity of this election are entitled to do the same.

Is Hawley correct in comparing what he is about to do with what Democrats did following previous elections? To answer that question, lets take a closer look at what happened in the past.

Hawley left out two other instances of Democratic objections to the Electoral College count. The first came after the 1968 presidential election. Rep. James OHara of Michigan and Sen. Edmund Muskie of Maine (that years losing vice presidential candidate) formally challenged the count from North Carolina.

A faithless elector in North Carolina voted for third-party candidate George Wallace instead of Richard Nixon, who narrowly carried the state. Faithless electors had been cropping up since the 1948 election (all supporting segregationist politicians) and OHara and Muskie worried eventually one would undemocratically tip the election, so they wanted to stop the practice. Unlike other examples of Electoral College count interruptions, these objectors werent calling into question the outcome or the integrity of the election. (Their objection garnered significant support in both chambers, but was nevertheless defeated 228-170 in the House and 58-33 in the Senate.)

A more relevant example followed the razor-thin, legally disputed 2000 election. Many Democrats were outraged that the U.S. Supreme Court stopped the Florida recount. Claiming that thousands of Florida voters were disenfranchised, a group of House Democrats interrupted the Electoral College certification count 20 times. But since the Electoral Count Act requires a House member and a senator to object before the two congressional chambers can debate and vote on an objection -- and no senator objected -- the complaints were ruled out of order.

Returning to the examples Hawley cited, in 2004 another presidential election was close enough that one state could have changed the outcome. This time, it was Ohio. Frustrated Democrats highlighted media reports about problems with Ohios election system, including long wait times at the polls and 92,000 ballots that didnt register votes. Some also raised questions about the 133,000 voters removed (legally) from the rolls by the Republican secretary of state. The margin of victory wasnt close enough to easily argue that the possible impact of these factors tipped the election, but some corners of the left had been drawn to conspiracy theories. And when the Electoral College count certification occurred, Sen. Barbara Boxer (Calif.) and Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (Ohio) lodged the second formal objection in history.

Then when 2016s election was marred by reports of Russian interference, seven House Democrats tried to object to the Electoral College count. But as with the 2000 count, they could not get a single senator to join them, so the complaints were ruled out of order.

These examples may seem parallel to what is happening among Republicans now. As Hawley notes, the objections from 2000, 2004 and 2016 were intended to raise concerns about election integrity, even though the objectors knew they would not be able to change the election outcome. But the similarities end there.

Hawleys claim that past Democratic objectors were praised by Democratic leadership and the media leaves a lot out. In his statement, he notes now-Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered supportive words to the 2004 objectors, such as, The Members of Congress who have brought this challenge are speaking up for their aggrieved constituents, many of whom may have been disenfranchised in this process. This is their only opportunity to have this debate while the country is listening, and it is appropriate to do so. But he doesnt cite any 2016 examples, nor any examples of media praise in any year.

Hawley also does not mention that when the 2004 challenge was voted on by the House and Senate, it lost by huge margins: 267-31 in the former and 74-1 in the latter (Boxer being the lone vote to accept her own objection). Moreover, Pelosi, along with most Democrats, joined the majority and voted to accept the Electoral College result, showing her praise had its limits.

Another major difference is that in 2000, 2004 and 2016, the losing candidate had already given a concession speech. (Although Hillary Clinton continues to dwell on Russian shenanigans in 2016, calling the election not on the level, she nevertheless conceded shortly after her defeat was clear.) In 2000, the person ruling the complaints from House members as out of order was the Democrat who lost the election, Al Gore, who as vice president of the nation and president of the Senate was presiding over the joint session of Congress. In 2016, it was sitting Vice President Joe Biden enforcing the rules and accepting the outcome.

This year, the incumbent president along with Vice President Mike Pence have refused to concede and have cast baseless doubt on the elections integrity. Trump has been calling the election fraudulent ever since the polls closed, and on Saturday Pences office issued a statement saying he shares the concerns of millions of Americans about voter fraud and irregularities in the last election and welcomes the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections  on January 6th.

Even after Democrats felt wronged by the Supreme Court in 2000, Senate Democrats and House Democratic leadership sought to preserve trust in our democratic institutions. House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt counseled his caucus not to raise objections, and Sen. Pat Leahy (Vt.) said, As much as I disagree with the court's decision, I uphold it as the law of the land and won't object. Though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is reportedly trying to dissuade his colleagues from objecting, several are planning to do so anyway. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy still hasnt acknowledged Biden won, and there are reports that a majority of House Republicans will participate in the Electoral College challenge.

Finally, the attempt by Hawley and others to cast the objection as an honorable protest to raise concerns about election integrity falls flat considering the election has been repeatedly litigated in courts by the Trump campaign. Those efforts have universally been rejected by both Democratic- and Republican-appointed judges, up to and including the U.S. Supreme Court. Democrats, in contrast, had some evidence of irregularities in 2000, 2004 and 2016, evidence that was at least partially validated in the months after the Electoral College certification.

In 2000, two vote-by-vote reviews of Floridas ballots conducted by media consortiums found that, as the Associated Press put it, George W. Bush would have narrowly prevailed in the partial recounts sought by Al Gore, but Gore might have reversed the outcome  by the barest of margins  had he pursued and gained a complete statewide recount. (Gores legal recount strategy focused on undervotes, ballots for which vote machines didnt register a vote for any candidate, but overlooked overvotes, ballots that had markings for Gore and another candidate.) A congressional Democratic review of the 2004 election in Ohio concluded, There is no evidence from our survey that John Kerry won the state of Ohio, but it still documented weaknesses in the system that warranted reforms. The Mueller report found that The Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election in sweeping and systematic fashion. Republicans have nothing of the sort to cite today.

Case in point: Hawley has claimed Pennsylvanias new law allowing for expansive mail voting violated its state constitution, and on Saturday he said legal challenges were thrown out by the state Supreme Court without considering the merits. What Hawley doesnt mention is the case was thrown out because it was filed after the election, since if the plaintiffs really had a problem with the new mail-voting law they would have challenged it before votes were cast, not waited to see who won first.

In other words, while Democrats in the past expressed concerns of voters being disenfranchised, the Republican lawsuits seek to disenfranchise by throwing votes out.

Having said all that, those Democrats who sought to disrupt the Electoral College certification should not be lauded for their extreme tactics. For all the concern of the past four years over normalizing Trumps destructive behavior, these few Democrats have effectively normalized the Electoral College certification protest. Hawley and others can and will say they are just doing what Democrats did, and in the simplest sense, they will be correct.

What will likely transpire on Wednesday will be corrosive for our democracy. Dozens of Republicans, egged on by a lame-duck president, will egregiously fan the flames of doubt among their supporters about the integrity of our institutions, without basis in fact. They may well have done so without Democrats doing it first, but they can more easily play the everybody does it card because Democrats did do it first.

Even though most Democrats did not take part, and even though the Democrats who did had far more legitimate concerns than Republicans do today, the fact remains that past Electoral College protests should not have been normalized. The benefits were nil, and the costs high.
The NYPD has released a photo of the 'hoax device' that prompted the evacuation of a mall in New York City.

The Queens Place Mall was evacuated Monday morning after authorities received a call about the suspicious vehicle around 8.30am.

Video and photos showed a large presence of emergency personnel at 56th Avenue and Queens Blvd.

The NYPD Counterterrorism Bureau's bomb squad investigated the vehicle, a Tesla, and just before 10.30am and gave the 'all clear' after discovering a 'hoax device'.

Officers shared a photo of the device later on Monday, as well as a husky that was rescued from the vehicle.

Scroll down for video

Police shared a picture of the hoax device that was found on a vehicle in Queens

New York City investigators have given the 'all clear' after reports of a 'Tesla containing propane tanks' near a shopping mall prompted the evacuation of the area

The Queens Place Mall was evacuated Monday morning after authorities received a call about the suspicious vehicle parked along Queens Boulevard around 8.30am. Images show a large police presence and several police cars at the scene as authorities continue their investigation

The NYPD Counterterrorism Bureau's bomb squad investigated the vehicle and just before 10.30am gave the 'all clear'

Authorities also shared an image of a husky that was rescued from the vehicle

'The suspicious package in the @NYPD110Pct has been deemed a hoax device,' the NYPD News account tweeted.

The account also shared an image of a husky that was rescued from the vehicle.

'Immediately upon responding to the initial scene, officers from @NYPDCT and @NYPDSpecialops rescued this husky that was trapped inside the vehicle,' the account added, sharing an image of the dog drinking water.

According to NBC, the black Tesla, which had stolen Nevada license plates, prompted bystanders to call 911 after seeing a small can attached to the back of it.

There was also a Black Lives Matter sign attached to the can, the network reported. Authorities are still looking for the driver.

Initial reports indicated the can could have contained explosives and was wired up to a propane tank and battery in the parking garage of the mall. Another report stated that the vehicle entered the garage around 2am.

Officials are still urging New Yorkers to use alternative routes due to road closures and continue to direct foot traffic away from the scene.

A spokesperson for the NYPD confirmed the ongoing investigation at the Queens Place Mall, but said no other information about the incident is immediately available.

Officials are still urging New Yorkers to use alternative routes due to road closures and continue to direct foot traffic away from the scene

Police officers investigate the incident at the Queens Place Mall on Monday

The incident comes just two weeks after an RV exploded in downtown Nashville on Christmas Day, and amid an uptick in crime in New York City.

In Nashville, suspect Anthony Q. Warner, 63, died by suicide in the explosion when he detonated the bomb while inside the RV.

The bombing took place in the early morning when there was little activity in the city, and an automated message emanating from the vehicle warning of a bomb allowed the police to evacuate people.

More than 40 businesses were damaged in the explosion and at least eight people were injured. Warner is the only known death.

Meanwhile, New York City has seen an uptick in crime.

According to statistics released on Friday, New York City saw a 97 per cent jump in shootings and a 45 per cent increase in murders.

That marks the largest increase since 2011. The number of people shot has more than doubled 2019's total, nearing a 14-year high.

The NYPD reported 462 murders across the city for 2020. That's a 143 difference from 2019.

Shootings were also up with 1,531 incidents involving firearms in New York City. That's 754 more than in 2019, officials said.
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 4 : After a gap of nearly nine months, colleges and universities in Kerala reopened for students on Monday with strict Covid safety norms.

However, the classes will be conducted between 8.30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on all days, except Sundays.

Around 1,350 higher educational institutions including arts and science colleges, engineering colleges, law colleges as well as all the state universities and the lone central university in the state located in Kasaragod have commenced their classes.

Only 50 per cent of students will be allowed in each class based on the strength, in compliance with strict Covid-19 norms.

Parvathi Babu, a third year BA political science student of a college in Thiruvananthapuram told IANS: "It's an excitement to be among the classmates and teachers in physical form after such a long gap. We were in virtual world for the past nine months." However, some teachers have expressed their discontent over the education department's decision to extend the timings of the classes.

Thomas Sebastian, a teacher with a government arts college in the state capital, said, "Workload is very high and with classes between 8.30 a.m. and 5 p.m., teachers are overburdened. Besides, conducting classes on Saturdays is also not a good idea." Higher Education Department Principal Secretary Usha Titus said that the new arrangement has been made to compensate for the gap and to ensure that the academic session continues normally.

Titus said: "The working pattern will adhere to the University Grants Commission's (UGC) guidelines which mandate 40 working hours a week, of which 16 hours had to be dedicated to the classes of assistant professors and 14 hours for associate professors and professors".

Transport Minister A.K. Saseendran told media that he has already directed the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to immediately take action regarding the roll-out of travel concession to students.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
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The National Police, with the help of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, has received information of interest in the investigation into the case of the killing of journalist Pavlo Sheremet in Kyiv in 2016, according to a statement posted on the website of the National Police.

"In December 2020, investigators of the National Police, with the assistance of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, received some information, which is of interest in the investigation into the car-bomb killing of journalist Pavlo Sheremet in 2016. The documents and audio recordings, the latest of which date back to 2012, have already been made available to the investigation and are of interest from the point of view of identifying the perpetrators of the crime," the statement reads.

According to the statement, fragments of information obtained by National Police investigators have been published on the Internet, with unidentified persons discussing in an audio recording the murder of Sheremet, in particular, the option of poisoning him with the use of toxic substances or killing him in a bomb blast.

"At the moment, the investigation of the National Police has received permission to conduct investigative actions in a European country. In addition, the person in charge of the transferred information has been invited to carry out the necessary investigative actions," the statement reads.

The National Police recalled that earlier the case against the perpetrators of Sheremet's killing had been sent to court, and a separate criminal case had been opened against those who ordered the crime.

The National Police also called on Ukrainian citizens and foreigners to contact the police if they know anything about the order to kill Sheremet.

Earlier media reports said that back in 2012, the Belarusian special services, on the orders of Alexander Lukashenko, discussed the possibility of killing Sheremet using an explosive, and the murder was committed in 2016.

Sheremet was killed in a car explosion in Kyiv on July 20, 2016.

op
Reliance Group Says Not in the Business of Corporate or Contract Farming

While approaching the Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC) seeking urgent intervention from the government to stop illegal acts of vandalism by miscreants, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on Monday clarified that the company and its subsidiaries are not in the business of corporate or contract farming. "Reliance and its affiliates fully share and support the aspiration of Indian farmers to get a fair and profitable price on a predictable basis for what they produce with exemplary hard work, innovation and dedication," the company says.

In a release RIL says, "Reliance Retail Ltd (RRL), Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (RJIL), or any other affiliate of our parent company, RIL have not done any 'corporate' or 'contract' farming in the past, and have absolutely no plans to enter this business. Neither Reliance nor any of our subsidiaries has purchased any agricultural land, directly or indirectly, in Punjab, Haryana or anywhere else in India, for the purpose of 'corporate' or 'contract' farming. We have absolutely no plans to do so."

2/



In brief pic.twitter.com/BpfKXtXvX9  Flame of Truth (@flameoftruth) January 4, 2021

Reliance Jio Infocomm has approached the HC to bring a complete stop to the illegal acts of vandalism by miscreants which, it claims, have endangered the lives of thousands of its employees and caused damage and disruption to the vital communications infrastructure, sales and service outlets run by its subsidiaries in the two states.

"The miscreants indulging in vandalism have been instigated and aided by vested interests and our business rivals. Taking advantage of the ongoing farmers' agitation near the national capital, these vested interests have launched an incessant, malicious and motivated vilification campaign against Reliance, which has absolutely no basis in truth," the company says.

"The falsehood of the campaign becomes crystal clear from the following irrefutable facts, which we have placed before the High Court," RIL says, adding, "These facts establish that Reliance has nothing whatsoever to do with the three farm laws currently debated in the country, and in no way benefits from them. As such, the sole nefarious purpose of linking the name of Reliance to these laws is to harm our businesses and damage our reputation."

In the statement, the Mukesh Ambani group also clarified its position on buying food grains directly from farmers. It says, "Reliance Retail has never entered into long-term procurement contracts to gain unfair advantage over farmers or sought that its suppliers buy from farmers at less than remunerative prices, nor will it ever do so."

"Indeed, we shall insist on our suppliers to strictly abide by the minimum support price (MSP) mechanism, and/or any other mechanism for remunerative price for farm produce, as may be determined and implemented by the government," it added.
The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut's wife Varsha reached the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office here on Monday afternoon for questioning in connection with an alleged transaction linked to the PMC Bank money laundering case, a police official said. According to the official, Varsha Raut reached the ED office at Ballard Pier in South Mumbai around 3 pm after she was summoned by the central agency.

She was earlier expected to visit the ED office on January 5.

The ED had summoned Varsha Raut in connection with the alleged transfer of funds from the accounts of Pravin Raut, an accused arrested in the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank fraud case.

The central probe agency has alleged that Pravin Raut had "siphoned off" Rs 95 crore worth of funds from the scam- hit bank in the garb of loan, out of which he paid Rs 1.6 crore to his wife, Madhuri, who subsequently transferred Rs 55 lakh in two tranches to Varsha Raut as an "interest-free loan."

Pravin Raut was one of the directors in Guruashish Constructions, a subsidiary of Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL). He was arrested along with HDIL directors for illegally availing loans from PMC Bank.

Also Read: Tamil Nadu allows theatres to open with 100% capacity

Also Read: Jack Ma missing since October? Here's what we know so far
PASADENA, Calif., Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global health and beauty e-commerce leader iHerb announced a new remote work-from-home policy, as well as expense allowances to support their employees.

In response to the changing landscape of the modern workplace, iHerb has announced that U.S.-based team members in designated departments and positions are eligible to work remotely upon their start of employment. The company considers working from home to be a viable and flexible work option when both the team member and the position are suited for the arrangement. Additionally, iHerb announced an allowance program to support team members' remote work expenses.

"So much has changed this past year, including the way we work," says Herb Senior Vice President of Human Resources Lea Baltzinger. "It's important to our company to be able to not only adapt to these changes but to also support our employees as best we can moving forward."

The company will also continue to maintain office spaces, which will allow team members to safely collaborate in person when needed or desired. This year, iHerb is opening a new and improved office space in Irvine, California, to support flexible schedules and provide co-sharing workspaces. iHerb recognizes that working remotely - with the option of safely meeting in person when necessary - can be a great benefit to both the employer and employee and is excited to explore this new way of working.

About iHerb: iHerb is one of the largest U.S.-based e-commerce retailers, offering 30,000 products from 1,200 top brands to millions of customers around the world. iHerb ships directly from GMP certified, state-of-the-art climate controlled warehouses to customers in 188 countries and territories. Since 1996, iHerb has continued to innovate in bringing the highest quality products, at the best possible value, delivered with the most convenient customer experience. https://www.iherb.com

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(Natural News) A Republican poll observer working in Detroits TCF Center during Election Day testified that the election workers did not disqualify any of the mail-in ballots that they received.

During an interview, poll watcher and whistleblower Chris Schornak testified that a lot of the challenges brought up by GOP poll watchers like himself were rejected by election officials. They refused to put challenges in the electronic log. He said he was only able to get two of his many ballot challenges through, and that he had to fight tooth and nail for them to be accepted.

I saw a ballot for Taniqua Haynes, it comes up in the computer as the wrong ballot number, said Schornak. They mailed her ballot number 5,748, but thats not what she sent back.

Schornak said election officials assigned the voter a new ballot. He asserts that the ballot should have been considered spoiled. They didnt disqualify a single ballot, he said. (Related: Who says theres been no vote fraud? Michigan poll worker with sheafs of affidavits begs to differ at bombshell hearing.)

Schornak asserts that poll workers at the TCF Center overrode the election rules to accept as many ballots as possible. This, he said, affected at least several thousand ballots that did not follow Michigans standards but were counted anyway. Some mail-in ballots were even sent by people who could not be authenticated as legitimate voters.

Furthermore, Schornak witnessed a pattern of harassment and intimidation done by the TCF Centers election workers against poll observers like himself. One woman, he notes, followed him around and harassed him for at least five hours.

This echoes claims from other witnesses who testified that election workers enforced their rules on poll observers differently depending on the watchers partisan allegiances. He said he saw Democratic observers speak with poll workers freely, while Republican ones were shunned if they tried to do the same.

When he went to observe the election processes at Royal Oak, a small city directly to the north of Detroit, he saw similar irregularities. He noted that, out of nearly 26,000 ballots, only 10 challenges were accepted and logged. He stated that this is very unusual.

I kept seeing a voter birthdate of 1900. I could tell it wasnt right. I tried to document it, but so many things were going on and I was flustered. I think they were just creating a record for those people in order to process their ballots. They had a systematic way of doing it, they were good at it. It was coordinated and it was organized.

When asked the difference between the elections in Detroit and Royal Oak, Schornak responded by saying that the vote counting at the TCF Center was just awful.

Fewer mail-in ballots tossed out despite record number of absentee voters

Over 100 million people voted early for the 2020 election. This includes 36 million who voted early in-person and more than 65 million who submitted mail-in ballots. Despite this record-breaking turnout and the fact that the mail-in voting system in most states has never been tested on such a massive scale, fewer ballots have been rejected, especially in battleground states.

In 2016, around 33.5 million voters cast their ballots by mail. More than 400,000 of those ballots were rejected. In 2018, 30.2 million voted by mail and nearly 628,000 ballots were rejected.

The main reasons ballots are rejected are because they didnt follow state laws, such as missing the deadline for mailing them in, not signing the ballot or a voters signature being mismatched.

In some places, the mail ballot rejection rate is even lower than the average of around one percent. In Nevada, only 0.58 percent of mail ballots were rejected. In Pennsylvania, a staggeringly low 0.28 percent of ballots were rejected, which accounts for less than 7,500 of the more than 2.6 million votes by mail.

And in Michigan, where 3.3 million people voted by mail, only 0.46 percent of ballots  around 15,000 votes  were rejected. State officials have denied outright that fraud or irregularities occurred in a scale that would overturn the states election results.

Many experts believed that rejection rates would balloon for the 2020 election, especially since the primary elections earlier this year saw more than 550,000 mail ballots being rejected.

This expected surge in rejected ballots did not occur, and no expert has a proper explanation as to why that is the case.

Learn more about instances of voter fraud in battleground states like Michigan, as well as the brave whistleblowers like Schornak shining a light on the corruption by reading the latest articles at VoteFraud.news.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

TheGatewayPundit.com

USAToday.com

LATimes.com

NYTimes.com

PewResearch.org

NVSOS.gov [PDF]

WXYZ.com

ElectProject.github.io
After eight patients were found positive for the new COVID-19 strain in Maharashtra, the Chief Minister (CM) of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray decided to send a request to the Central Government to quarantine passengers coming from the United Kingdom at other international airports in the country.

According to ANI reports, the Maharashtra government also received reports that due to strict quarantine rules for UK returnees in Maharashtra, people returning from the UK are taking flights to airports outside the state.



It has been brought to the notice of govt that due to strict quarantine rules for UK returnees in Maharashtra, people returning from UK are taking flights to airports outside the state. Later they travel to Mumbai to avoid quarantine: Maharashtra CMO https://t.co/SB4Hrz7rS5

 ANI (@ANI) January 4, 2021

These travellers later return to Mumbai to avoid the quarantine rules, it said.

A total of 38 samples collected in India have been found to be positive with the new COVID-19 strain that was first detected in the UK.

With the addition of 11 new cases, there are now 10 patients in NIMHANS, Bengaluru; three in CCMB, Hyderabad; five in NIV, Pune.

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

All the COVID-19 positive persons have been kept in isolation in designated Health Care facilities by the respective state governments. The people they had come in contact with have also been put under quarantine and contact tracing is on for co-travelers.

On January 2, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said that the variant of COVID-19 emerging from the UK has been successfully isolated and cultured at the National Institute of Virology.

However, coronavirus positive samples of UK returnees are being tested for genome sequencing at 10 INSACOG labs.
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On Bigg Boss 14 Weekend Ka Vaar episode, Aly Goni told the reality shows host Salman Khan that Vikas Gupta removed him from a show. Aly and Vikas had been arguing over inequality in the kitchen over last few days.

As the kitchen issue escalated, Aly told Salman that he gets frustrated on seeing Vikas. He revealed that he has spoken ill about his and Jasmin Bhasins relationship to several people. He said that he has also unfollowed him on social media and created a distance from him since then.

Aly also said that Vikas removed him from a show, of which he was the channel head. Vikas cleared that the creative producer took his name and removed Aly. However, he was a part of the show till the end but for a different role. At this, Aly said, "Bahut bade jhoothe hain aap (You are a very big liar)."

Vikas took Bigg Boss 11 winner Shilpa Shindes name and said that she has done this. Shilpa during her season had also accused Vikas of removing her from Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain. Earlier, Arshi Khan and Manu Punjabi had also blamed Vikas for snatching away their work on TV.

Meanwhile, the eviction process will happen in the upcoming episode of Bigg Boss 14.
They met in August 2019 and sparks immediately flew.

And on Sunday, Zooey Deschanel and Jonathan Scott paid sweet tribute to each other as they welcomed the start of the new year on their Instagrams.

'My 2020 MVP was this guy, who always made me feel happy in spite of a weird and uncertain year,' Deschanel, 40, wrote alongside two photos of the couple hugging. 'Hoping 2021 is full of silver linings for everyone.'

In love: Zooey Deschanel paid sweet tribute to boyfriend Jonathan Scott on Sunday, calling him 'My 2020 MVP' in an Instagram post. The couple started dating in August 2019

Scott, 42, posted the same two snaps and shared: 'I'm dedicating this year to love, happiness and the pursuit of helping others. I feel like I've got a good jumpstart on the love part.'

The actress and the Property Brothers reality star met while filming a Carpool Karaoke segment.

Shortly afterwards, Deschanel announced she had split from her husband of four years Jacob Pechenik with whom she shares two young children.

She and Scott confirmed their relationship in September 2019 and Deschanel's divorce was finalized this past June.

Cute: Scott, 42, posted the same snaps and shared:'I'm dedicating this year to love, happiness and the pursuit of helping others. I feel like I've got a good jumpstart on the love part'

After news of their romance broke, Scott told DailyMail.com that there was instant chemistry between himself and the New Girl star.

'It was, not gonna lie, it was simultaneous sparks. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced and it was pretty special,' he explained.

Back in November, the Canadian shot down rumors that he and the actress were engaged.

'I'm pretty confident that I will ask my girlfriend to marry me before I tell a reporter,' he joked during a SiriusXM interview.

Couple: Deschanel, 40, went public with her romance with the Canadian reality star, 44, in September 2019 after filing for divorce from husband Jacob Pechenik
This story was originally published by Mother Jones and has been republished here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

During the contest for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders ran on a message of progressive rural populism. Among other things, they vowed to break up the handful of seed, pesticide, and meat companies that dominate U.S. agriculture. This agenda seemed to resonate with Democrats in the rural state par excellence, Iowa, with its blanket of corn and soybeans and concentration of teeming factory-scale hog facilities. Sanders finished in a virtual tie for first place in Februarys caucus, and Warren ended a strong third.

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Together, they claimed 46 percent of the states delegates, nearly three times the haul of the eventual Democratic nominee and now president-elect. Joe Biden took gentler approach to corporate power in farming, in line with the wisdom of his top rural adviser, Obama-era U.S. Department of Agriculture chief and dairy-industry executive Tom Vilsack (now Bidens official agriculture secretary pick). The former Iowa governor argued that the bust-em-up approach isnt a winning message in rural areas because of the substantial number of people hired and employed by those businesses here in Iowa, as he told a political podcast nearly a year before caucus.

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As Biden forms his Cabinet and prepares to govern, a new paper commissioned by the Family Farm Action Alliance makes a strong case that Big Ag consolidation actually harms working-class and farmer livelihoods in rural areas. The authorsUniversity of Missouri rural sociologist Mary Hendrickson, Michigan State University professor Phil Howard, Family Farm Action Alliances Emily Miller, and Sam Houston State Universitys Douglas Constancedetail how virtually every aspect of our food system, from retail to distribution to meatpacking down to seeds and pesticides, has fallen under control of an ever-smaller number of ever-larger companies, with benefits that accrue mainly to their shareholders.

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For consumers, the paper shows, this hyperconsolidation means that the array of choices we see at the supermarket is largely an illusion. Despite all the creative and varied bottle and box labels on display, four companiesled by Gallo and Constellationare behind nearly half of the wine sold in the United States. Beer is even more concentratedfour conglomerates own almost 80 percent of the market, including many craft brands. Three companiesGeneral Mills, Kellogg, and Postpeddle 83 percent of the cereal in the breakfast aisle. Bagged salad greens? Chiquita and Dole make up more than a quarter of that market.

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Fast-food options proliferate, but three big ones, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell, belong to one company, Yum! Brands. Together with McDonalds, Wendys, and Subway, just four companies grab nearly 40 percent of the booming U.S. fast-food market. And the burgers they sell likely come from JBS, Marfrig, Tyson, and Cargill, which process 3 of every 4 beef cattle grown in the United States. Chicken nuggets and other poultry delicacies by and large emerge from farms under contract with Tyson, JBS, Perdue, and Sanderson, which control more than half the chicken market.

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One reason federal antitrust authorities greenlighted the mergers that led to such concentration, the authors note, is the idea that allowing a few companies to dominate a particular market is more efficient, leading to lower costs and thus lower prices for consumers. But thats not really the case. Consumer prices are sticky, rising when costs for powerful processors and retailers increase, but less likely to fall when prices paid to farmers decrease, they write. And markets dominated by a few huge competitors provide fertile ground for collusion to raise prices. They point to a barrage of recent lawsuit and criminal cases alleging just that among the beef, pork, and chicken giants.

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Why should politicians tread lightly around companies that dont employ many people in rural areas, and whose market power doesnt serve the interests of those they do contact?

Market power translates to political power when conglomerates invest a share of their profits in lobbying and campaign donationswhich then often help them operate in a friendly regulatory environment. Workers suffer the consequences. As the authors note, regulatory authorities have largely been absent as more than 50,000 meatpacking workers have tested positive for COVID-19 and about 262 have died.

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Heres where we get to Vilsacks claim about how taking on Big Ag is not a winning issue for politicians trying to win elections in rural areas because theyre such big job creators. In reality, agribusiness corporations arent major employers in Iowa, and the meatpacking jobs they provide tend to be low-paying and highly dangerous. And consolidation results in job losses, not gains. When German chemical giant Bayer took over U.S. seed and pesticide behemoth Monsanto in 2018, the combined conglomerate shed 12,000 jobs globally.

Farmers arent really benefiting from the consolidation of agribusiness either. It has helped drain people from the landscape in places like Iowa, as farmers either exit the business in droves or scale up dramatically so they can make a living from tight profit margins. These charts from the report tell the tale: Fewer and fewerand ever largerfarms are producing more and more crops and meat.

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The reports findings raise a stark question: Why should politicians tread lightly around companies that dont employ many people in rural areas, and whose market power doesnt serve the interests of those they do contact, like meatpacking workers and farmers?

There are indications that Biden is considering this question. His transition team announced agency review teams that included fierce advocates for taking on corporate power. Andy Green of the think tank the Center for American Progress has a seat on the Treasury team. Green is the co-author of a scathing 2019 paper calling for a temporary moratorium on mergers in the agriculture sector, a statutory cap on concentration in various agriculture markets, and more broadly restoring the powerful tools of antitrust enforcement that have been eroded over the past four decades.

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He is joined on that team by Sarah Miller, executive director of the American Economic Liberties Project, who co-authored her own scathing paper last year, this one denouncing the failure of Republicans and Democrats to enforce antitrust laws over the past 40 years, which has led the largest agribusinesses to consolidate extraordinary amounts of economic and political power over farmers, workers, communities, politicians, and regulators. The paper called for the next administrations antitrust regulators to unwind vertical integration in meatpacking, separating corporations such as Tyson and Smithfield into livestock breeders, feed lots, and processing companies, a move that would help level the playing field for farmers. They also urged the breakup of the dominant seed-pesticide giants like Bayer, Corteva, and Syngenta, which currently profit from pushing seeds engineered to withstand their own pesticides.

Its hard to see what Biden has to lose by heeding such counsel. Taking Vilsacks be-gentle-onBig Ag advice, he flopped in the Iowa caucuses, lost the state by 8 percentage points in the general election, and did even worse in similarly ag-dominated states like North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas. Standing up to the megacompanies that are squeezing farmers and workers in these areas might help him win back some support.
Michelle Carlon, 30, was told she was infertile and could never have children

The policewoman received a shock positive pregnancy test result in 2018

Her joy turned to heartbreak when doctors said the baby had a rare condition

Ms Carlon fought through the horror pregnancy to give her son a chance at life

Mason, now 1, underwent two open heart surgeries after he was born

Ms Carlon now raises awareness for heart conditions and has donated her eggs

A policewoman who gave birth to a miracle baby boy after being told she'd never have children has revealed the heartbreaking moment she was told the child might not survive.

Michelle Carlon, 30, was left in tears when the paediatric cardiologist at Royal Womens Hospital in Sydney delivered the devastating diagnosis in 2018.

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'They gave us three options - to terminate, to choose palliative care and let him naturally die, or they could attempt to save him with absolutely no guarantees,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

DNA testing had found her baby, Mason, had an Aortic Stenosis which was likely to develop into Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), a crippling heart condition.

'I told them Id rather die than terminate my baby,' she said while opening up about her horrific journey to motherhood which included being told multiple times to terminate, a massive hemorrhage and the baby growing into her spine.

Michelle Carlon, 30, was told she was infertile and could never have children before suffering through a 'heart-wrenching' pregnancy to have her son Mason

Ms Carlon previously struggled through multiple rounds of IVF treatments and suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis

Ms Carlon, from Jervis Bay on the South Coast of NSW, married her first husband in 2016 but they struggled to conceive through multiple rounds of IVF treatments.

'Immediately I knew something was wrong and each month I would cry not understanding why I couldnt conceive,' she said.

'I was convinced being a parent was a dream Id never have. I ended up going through a soul destroying divorce, partly due to my inability to conceive.'

Ms Carlon, who had endometriosis and polycystic ovaries, began dating a recently separated father-of-one, now Mason's dad Michael Suesskow, at the end of 2018.

'I told him I was infertile and that was something I wanted to be clear about. Children would never be in my future,' she said.

'He stated that he had one so he didnt need to have more children. As I spent time with his son William I fell in love with him and I felt content that I had my son.'

Children born with HLHS (Mason pictured) often appear to have bluish or ashen skin

Click here to resize this module

Ms Carlon overcame Hyperemesis Gravidarum, a pregnancy illness that made her 'unable to eat anything and vomit constantly', while carrying Mason

Ms Carlon said she gave up hope of having her own baby but then suddenly discovered she was pregnant.

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'One month I felt so sick. I was sure it was my endometriosis. I was cramping and was in pain. I wasnt myself. I took a pregnancy test and instantly two lines came up,' she said.

'We were in complete denial. I went to the doctor thinking I had a hormonal problem causing the false positive. I was in complete shock.'

HYPOPLASTIC LEFT HEART SYNDROME HLHS is a birth defect that affects normal blood flow around the body The left side of the heart does not form correctly as the baby develops The baby's heart cannot properly support blood circulation Babies and people with HLHS are often said to have 'half a heart' Children with HLHS are very sick after they are born and often need urgent surgery to survive Symptoms at birth include problems breathing, a pounding heart, weak pulse and ashen skin Children who survive the surgeries will continue to need special care and attention throughout their life to manage the complex condition

Ms Carlon was also diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum, a pregnancy illness that made her 'unable to eat anything and vomit constantly'.

'I spent so much time in hospital the first three months the doctors recommended I terminate for my own health.

At her 20-week scan, Ms Carlon was told 'something was wrong' with her baby's heart and the couple was forced to attend the Royal Womens Hospital in Sydney.

'The doctor comes in and says "its really, really bad. Would you like to terminate today?". I screamed "no!",' Ms Carlon said.

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'I was 23-weeks, four-days pregnant. My son was moving in my stomach. He was my miracle.

'My partner breaks down in tears and is whispering to me "well try again".'

Ms Carlon told the paediatric cardiologist at Royal Womens Hospital she wanted to do everything possible to save Mason but she 'became sicker and sicker as the pregnancy progressed'.

'At 30 weeks I had a massive haemorrhage and was rushed lights and sirens to Westmead Hospital,' she said.

'I didnt go back to work after that and spent the majority of the next nine weeks in hospital.

'My son had grown into my spine so I could barely walk and crushed my internal organs.

'They told me usually they would never keep someone pregnant in my condition but they had a very fine line to walk, as my son could not survive if born prematurely.

At 39 weeks, Ms Carlon was taken into surgery for a c-section after pleading with doctors to deliver the baby.

'I was wheeled into theatre to meet my little boy... They let me touch him very briefly before they took him and my partner away,' she said.

Ms Carlon had dubbed Mason (pictured together) her 'triple miracle boy' after their journey

The rare condition means the baby's heart cannot sufficiently pump blood around the body

Mason (pictured above) underwent surgery at five-days-old and again at three-months-old

Her egg donations were successful twice but she was forced to stop after complications

Ms Carlon has also donated her eggs to help other families who wish to have a baby

Ms Carlon runs social media pages about Mason, BabyMayo, to raise awareness on HLHS

Ms Carlon lived in the hospital's Ronald McDonald House for the next five months as Mason underwent open heart surgery at both five-days-old and three-months-old.

'He had some complications with his second surgery but bounced back fine and has been amazing so far,' Ms Carlon explained.

'He can still die, that is always a possibility of his condition, and his life will always be unknown but hes the absolute light of my life and reason for breathing.

Ms Carlon met Mr Suesskow (pictured together with Mason) after her first marriage ended in 2018. The mum also considers her step-son William a part of their tight-knit family

Ms Carlon has now donated her eggs to give other women the chance of becoming mothers.

'Thats why I wanted to donate my eggs. I couldnt picture myself having more children. How can I when my son is going to die? How can I parent once he is dead?'

Ms Carlon was able to help two families have a baby with her donated eggs but was forced to stop after 'a very severe reaction'.

She is now focused on running Babymayo, social media pages for Mason, to 'bring awareness to the condition and also the ongoing effects on families'.

'I am now in talks with psychologists to study the psychological effects of the trauma heart families suffer, such as developing PTSD,' Ms Carlon explained.

Ms Carlon conducted a pregnancy photoshoot when she was unsure if Mason would survive

'I have been in contact with the prime minister Scott Morrison who was interested in learning how we can do more to support our families.

'Ive also had contact with Greg Hunt, David Elliott, Ray Hadley and met Peter Overton.

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'Every time someone contacts me it validates the heart-warming and heart- wrenching journey we have been through and I hope theres so much more we can do to help.'
Baby panda Fu Bao, right, sits next to her mother Ai Bao in this undated photo. Courtesy of Samsung Everland





By Park Ji-won







Korea-born baby panda Fubao welcomes visitors from Monday Jan. 4.







Samsung Everland, the operator of Everland  an amusement park, zoo and waterpark  said visitors can see Fu Bao at the zoo between 10:20 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. from Jan. 4 through 17.







The baby panda born on July 20, 2020, to seven-year-old mother Ai Bao and eight-year-old father Le Bao, has been receiving care since its birth due to health concerns. It is the first time Fu Bao has been outside for visitors to see.







Chinese President Xi Jinping gave the parent pandas to Korea in 2016 upon the agreement made during a summit between Korea and China in July 2014. Fu Bao's birth made headlines as she was the first panda to be born in Korea and it is rare for a panda to be born without an accompanying visitation of Chinese officials, who were unable to attend due to the COVID-19 spread.







Everland has been releasing photos and videos of Fu Bao since her birth through its official social media channels  including YouTube  which have had more than 50 million views in total.







The name Fu Bao, meaning "a treasure that brings happiness," was picked among some 50,000 recommendations from the public.







Fu Bao weighed 197 grams at birth but is growing every day and is now 10 kilograms.


A Jalandhar-based farmer has turned a truck container into a make-shift home at the Singhu border, where farmers have been protesting against the three agro-bills for over a month now.

Harpreet Singh Mattu's temporary home here is equipped with almost every necessity, a person might require to stay.

The home-container has all basic amenities including a sofa, bed, TV and a functional toilet along with mobile charging points.

Mattu came at the protest site on December 2 at the behest of his elder brother, who is currently based in the United State. The brother asked him to serve the farmers at the border.

On his command, Mattu left all his work behind and has been serving the farmers since then.

Delhi: Jalandhar based farmer protesting at Sighu border turns a truck container into a residence"I came here on Dec 2 to do langar sewa. I left all my work & served for 7 days at Singhu border. I felt homesick & then decided to turn a truck into a makeshift apartment," he says pic.twitter.com/FIsmkzeJS7 ANI (@ANI) January 2, 2021

Speaking to ANI, he said, "Earlier five of my trucks came here and when I came back to my a hotel, where I was staying at that time, I felt homesick and then I thought why not turn a truck into a makeshift apartment."

With the help of his friends, Mattu was able to build the temporary home in just one-and-a-half day.

Mattu has also brought the Gurdwara Sahib Riverside California Langar Sewa to the border, to ensure that farmers and other passer-by are served tea, snacks, pinni and pakodas round the clock.

In a similar development, a group of farmers from Mohali in Punjab have been serving special green jalebis (sweet), saying it symbolised the colour of their crops and the prosperity associated with it.

"We have been distributing green jalebis from the last few days. Nearly five quintals of the sweet are distributed everyday," Jasvir Chand, a protesting farmer, said.

"The green colour of the sweet symbolises Green Revolution as well as peace and tranquility," Chand's companion Baldev Singh (65) said at the protest site.

"We have been peacefully protesting against the three new farm laws of the central government for over a month. Although the government has not accepted our demand, we are determined to continue the protest peacefully," he said.

Notably, many curious people queued up to taste the 'green jalebi' which is usually available in golden colour.

( with inputs from PTI and ANI )
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The head of the Health Service Executive (HSE) has warned that the daily number of positive Covid-19 tests will reach 7,000.

Paul Reid said the HSE is now currently meeting the demand that is coming at us at an absolutely phenomenal rate.

Mr Reid added: We have seen cases (at) almost 5,000 (yesterday) and would expect to see those cases in the next few days reaching 7,000, certainly over 6,000 this evening.

Some of the backlog is being washed through but the minimal rate is certainly above a base of 5,000 people. Thats what we are dealing with. This is now rampant in terms of transmission levels.

We probably have seen a massive multiplier effect  we have seen rapidly growing cases, rapidly growing positivity at 30% yesterday, multiplied by numerous contacts that people have, and that comes together in a very congested period of time.

In the last week, we have carried out almost 140,000 completed tests. We built the capacity up to 175,000 tests per week.

Around 3,000 healthcare workers are currently unavailable because they either have the virus or are close contacts.

Mr Reid said steps will be taken this week to scale back non-urgent care in our hospitals, as covid will have to be prioritised.

He said: "We'll be taking a range of actions in discussions today with our hospital group's CEOs and during the course of this week we will have to significantly wind back on what we call elective care."

Paul Reid said the HSE is now currently meeting the demand that is coming at us at an absolutely phenomenal rate.

People who are close contacts of a confirmed case arent being offered a test at present because of the huge demands in the system.

Mr Reid said there may come a point where the system is overwhelmed and they will have to prioritise who gets a test even further.

Hospital system near breaking point

Just four days into the new year, the countrys hospital system is near breaking point following an explosion in Covid-19 cases.

Such is the pressure on the system, Cork University Hospital (CUH) confirmed that 100 of its nurses are unable to work due to Covid reasons and one of its wards has been shut as a result.

The hospital's intensive care unit is not currently full, but is extremely busy, according to a spokesman.

The news came as two Government leaders  Tanaiste Leo Varadkar and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan  said the current Level 5 restrictions could be extended beyond January 31.

Mr Ryan also said the current travel limit of 5km from one's home could be reduced to 2km when Cabinet meets on Wednesday.

On foot of the sharp spike in positive Covid cases, the HSE has warned doctors that testing may not soon be available to all patients showing symptoms.

A letter to GPs from Dr Nuala OConnor of the Irish College of General Practitioners, seen by the Irish Examiner, said: It is possible in the coming weeks that we may revert to targeted testing of symptomatic groups rather than testing everyone with symptoms as we did in the first phase of the pandemic.

With a record 4,962 new cases reported yesterday, deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn delivered a stark appeal to the public to act as if they have the virus, and avoid all but essential movements outside the home.

Dr Colm Henry, the HSE's chief clinical officer, said the virus is out of control in the community, and that as many as 400 beds across the hospital system are currently out of action because of infection control measures and a lack of staff. Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

Sticking with the letter of the guidance will not be enough at this point  we need everyone to stick once again to the spirit of the guidance, to stay at home, Dr Glynn said.

"We're asking all employees across the country that don't absolutely have to be in the workplace to work from home tomorrow.

"Equally, we believe it's essential that employers facilitate employees and so far as is possible in working from home. We all need to act as one now. We all need to act as if it's March 2020 and that's a very difficult message, he said.

Yesterday, Dr Colm Henry, the HSE's chief clinical officer, said the virus is out of control in the community, and that as many as 400 beds across the hospital system are currently out of action because of infection control measures and a lack of staff.

In a statement, CUH confirmed that over 100 nurses at the hospital are out due to Covid-19.

The ICU at the hospital is not currently full but is extremely busy," CUH stated. "In order to manage the situation, aside from emergency surgery, only time-critical elective cancer surgery has been scheduled for next week. Outpatient services are also greatly reduced next week.

The news came as two Government leaders  Tanaiste Leo Varadkar and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan  said the current Level 5 restrictions could be extended beyond January 31.

Speaking about the situation in CUH, infectious diseases consultant Professor Mary Horgan said critical care capacity was really important not just for Covid, but for non-Covid care".

Prof Horgan said: The hospital has prepared for this for the last few months.

We werent as busy as we anticipated in October/November, and that afforded us the opportunity in the last few weeks to prepare for increased numbers of admissions.

Speaking on RTE radio, Mr Varadkar said all the main indicators are showing dramatic increases which, he said, is very concerning.

We can see hospitalisations increasing at a rapid rate," the Tanaiste said. "What we're seeing is an explosion of cases beyond any of our modelling or any of our projections from only a few weeks ago.

Mr Varadkar said that, despite the worrying rise in the numbers, it is not inevitable the hospital system will be overwhelmed.

Regarding schools, he said it is the firm intention of the Government to open schools and preschools on January 11 as planned.

We certainly don't have any advice from the public health experts that we should close schools, he said.

Mr Ryan said travel restrictions may be tightened further.

"It's always in our hands the level of contact we have ... whether that's reducing the travel restrictions from 5km down to 2km  which we did last March and April  and there's a range of different measures we could look at," he told Newstalk.
Isla Fisher has shared her excitement that a Covid-19 vaccine is on the horizon, and hopes the respiratory virus will be 'zapped' in 2021.

The actress, 44, who recently moved to Australia with her husband, Sacha Baron Cohen, and their three children, took to Instagram on Monday to share a photo of herself in a futuristic superhero costume.

As she posed with a forehead thermometer in her hand, she wrote in the caption: 'C'mon 2021, it's time to zap Covid!'

Time to zap Covid! Actress Isla Fisher shared this photo to Instagram on Monday of herself in a futuristic superhero costume. 'C'mon 2021, it's time to zap Covid!' she captioned the post, adding the hashtags #ThankF**kForTheVaccine and #HappyNewYear

She added the hashtags #ThankF**kForTheVaccine and #HappyNewYear.

Her post comes after Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended his strategy to roll out the Covid-19 vaccine, saying there will be no 'shortcuts' when it comes to approving a jab.

Mr Morrison said Australia was in a much better place than other countries battling the pandemic and the vaccine therefore wouldn't need to be rolled out any earlier than March.

Making moves: Her post comes after Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison defended his strategy to roll out the Covid-19 vaccine, saying there will be no 'shortcuts' when it comes to approving a jab. Pictured during a press conference in Canberra on December 21

'On the vaccine, you don't rush to failure. That's very dangerous for Australians. Those who suggest that, I think it's a naive suggestion,' he said on Friday.

'For the vaccine to be successful, Australians have to have confidence in it.'

The government has struck up deals with AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Novavax to roll out the jab, which Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt expects should reach all Australians by October.

Meanwhile, Isla and her family are believed to be living in Australia permanently, as the pandemic rages on in the United States.

Fleeing Los Angeles: Isla and her family are believed to be living in Australia permanently, as the pandemic rages on in the United States. Pictured with her husband, Sacha Baron Cohen

In November, the Borat star, 49, and the Wedding Crashers actress took the major step of enrolling their children at a school in Sydney.

Until recently, the notoriously private family were living in Los Angeles.

Isla, who was raised in Perth from the age of six, has always dreamt of bringing up her children in Australia.

She told Marie Claire in 2018: 'I have this secret fantasy of slowing down, moving to Byron Bay, getting off the grid and sitting on the sand with a Vegemite sandwich.'
Every two weeks, Zombie House Flipping star and Hummelstown native Keith Ori writes about the notable differences between growing up in Pennsylvania and living in Florida.

I reconcile 2020 as the year the whole country turned into Florida -- unpredictable on a cosmic scale, with jaw-dropping news presented daily, and make it up as you go along becoming public policy. I mean, seriously, did you try to plan anything in 2020? How did that work out for you?

New Years photos from a year ago look shockingly naive in retrospect (My god, people were actually holding hands!), like the happy family flashbacks from dystopian future movies. No one could have imagined what was forthcoming, or for that matter how useful a degree in faking it till you make it could actually be.

I do think Floridians are better prepared than most of the rest of the country for having ridiculous, calamitous and previously unimaginable things fall out of the sky and ruin their day though. Even before COVID-19, if you were trying to schedule something in Florida there was always a caveat of some kind: three storms in the Atlantic, banana republic politics or some kind of crazy police chase/shootout. And of course theres always (always) a naked guy getting in the way. So were pre-conditioned to a certain amount of crazy. Its as if Force Majeure was invented solely to account for Florida.

Thats not to say that the rest of the country cant handle change, but the speed at which 2020 evolved gave a lot of my friends and family in Pa. a solid case of whiplash. Presumably you guys pay all that state income tax so crazy stuff doesnt happen, and for the most part youve had it civil and orderly until now. Obviously there have been exceptions like Three Mile Island, the Move bombing, 100-year floods every five years, and most Eagles home games, but in general you have responsible, if not super-interesting, leadership keeping a steady hand on the wheel.

One of your leaders however is interesting and perhaps even fascinating to the rest of the country though: Lt. Governor John Fetterman.

Want to have some fun? Call anyone who doesnt live in pa. and ask them to Google PA Lt. Governor.

Heres what happens- the official photo of Fetterman, hulking, bald, mini Fu-Manchu beard, wearing a grey Carhartt shirt appears, and the person on the other end of the phone says:

Oh wait, thats weird, some other guy popped up.

This works approximately 100% of the time. Its actually about the same response youd get if a picture of Chewbacca appeared.

Which is great because were running a little heavy on dour, old white guys in suits at the moment. Now, without delving into actual politics, this is also interesting because the last time a Pa. political figure was inspirational to the rest of the country was pretty much never. Or as Stephen Colbert recently mused, The human body was not made to expend this much energy thinking about Pennsylvania.

So you have that going for you.

Moving on to 2021 there was some anticipation that Dec. 31, 2020, would be, metaphorically at least, the last day of crazy, as if it were all going to stop at midnight with somebody hitting the lights, turning off the dance music and playing Closing time  you dont have to go home, but you cant stay here.

But after waking up in 2021 and picking up some McDonalds Coke to cure the 2020 hangover, reality began to settle in that we still have a long way to go and normal is still a word lacking effective definition at the moment.

We are adjusting though. The initial shock has worn off and, despite everything that happened in 2020, its just stunning to think how much weirder it could have gotten. In July, the New York Times reported that the Pentagon was, more or less, going to acknowledge the existence of aliens and/or alien tech. I remember reading the article and thinking, Well if that doesnt tie a ribbon on the whole freaking year, nothing will.

Im not sure why, even after the coronavirus set in, the Pentagon thought 2020 was optimal timing, but clearly it was reconsidered because that article was the last anyones heard from the alien department. Id have loved to be a fly on the wall for that decision though:

Sir, we miscalculated; we used to believe that if we acknowledged the existence of aliens the country would panic, but in 2020 were confronted by an entirely different problem; the possibility that it wouldnt even make the front page

It is good to know that a few opportunities remain for 2021. As years go, following 2020 seems like taking the stage after Queen at Live Aid, but I have a feeling that 2021 will carve out its own niche, like a determined middle child.

And heck, you guys have Fetterman on your side, so its definitely not going to be boring.

Keith Ori is presently writing a memoir of growing up in Central Pa. He can be reached at his website or on Instagram at @keithori

READ MORE: Spending Christmas in Florida instead of Pa. feels a bit Mickey Mouse | Keith Ori
The British public will have to face the repercussions of the sordid Brexit saga, mostly based on lies, during the pandemic times.

On December 31, 2020, at 11 p.m. UK time and 12 p.m. Brussels time, -- four years, 27 weeks and two days after a referendum that split the UK almost down the middle in 2016 -- the curtains on the Brexit saga, finally came down, as the UK left the embrace of the European Union (EU) in a departure that was notably low key.

Most observers view the Brexit campaign, which claimed the job of two British prime ministers in its wake, as one built on lies and deceit. With public being misled and fed wrong and inflated information, the result was in favour of some politicians who acceded to the chair at No. 10, like Boris Johnson.

In his New Year message, British prime minister Boris Johnson largely ignored Brexit, an issue he arguably shaped more than any other politician. Instead he preferred to focus on the toll of Covid-19 and what he called "the grimness of 2020". It seemed a far cry from his 2019 message, when after his recent election victory, he had promised "a fantastic year and a remarkable decade for our United Kingdom".

He described the moment as 'amazing', citing what he said were boundless possibilities with trade and innovation, and UK was now "free to do trade deals around the world, and free to turbocharge our ambition to be a science superpower". He added: "We have our freedom in our hands and it is up to us to make the most of it." Politicians' reactions

Politicians in Britain and the EU expressed both triumph and bitter regret after the UK's Brexit transition period ended on New Year's Eve. Though most of the Conservative leaders and politicians like Nigel Farage exulted in their messages.

However, across the Channel, the French president Emmanuel Macron in his new year's address, expressed regret. "The United Kingdom remains our neighbour but also our friend and ally," he said. "This choice of leaving Europe, this Brexit, was the child of European malaise and lots of lies and false promises." Nearer home in Scotland, which had voted 'Remain' strongly in the 2016 Brexit referendum, the pro-independence Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, promised to continue the Scottish independence drive, she tweeted: "Scotland will be back soon, Europe. Keep the light on." In a retort Johnson said the Scots could continue to dream, as this one will not be fulfilled during this generation.

Nigel Farage, who played a key role in the 2016 referendum, tweeted: "25 years ago they all laughed at me. Well, they're not laughing now." The UK's chief Brexit negotiator, Lord Frost, said the UK had a "great future before us" with the chance to "build a better country for us all". The Conservative MP Bill Cash, who has campaigned for Brexit for decades, said it was a "victory for democracy and sovereignty." UK media coverage

Britain's Eurosceptic newspapers, after decades of bashing Brussels, celebrated victory in the year's first day editions after the Brexit transition period ended, but pro-EU outlets dwelt on a "day of sadness".

The Guardian's headline focused on Britain finally quitting the EU in the midst of a "crisis, without fanfare", an editorial called Brexit a "tragic national error". The Times splashed Johnson's "upbeat new year's message" celebrating an "amazing" future for the UK. The online Independent ran a satirical cartoon portraying leading Brexiteers as various species of fish. The front page of the Daily Express showed a picture of the White Cliffs of Dover and the headline "Our future. Our Britain. Our destiny". The Sun relegated the Brexit story to a front-page box headlined "PM: Britain Brexpects", reporting Johnson's words that Brexit marked a moment for national renewal in which the country would "turbocharge" scientific innovation. "Welcome to 2021 - and two reasons to hope for a much brighter future," ran the Daily Telegraph headline, where Johnson made his name as a Brussels-bashing Europe correspondent in the 1990s. The Daily Mail preferred to focus entirely on the pandemic-related news, coolly ignoring the Brexit.

View from the Europe Several European commentators weighed in on what Britain's departure from the EU means. Most viewed its reputation for pragmatism and probity shredded by a campaign which they saw as profoundly populist and dangerously dishonest, and predicted an uncertain future for the UK.

The Guardian reported Rem Korteweg, of the Clingendael Institute thinktank in the Netherlands, as saying "For us, the UK has always been seen as like-minded: economically progressive, politically stable, respect for the rule of law - a beacon of western liberal democracy, ... which has been seriously hit by the past four years. Brexit is an exercise in emotion, not rationality; in choosing your own facts. And it's not clear how it will end." Britain's long-polished pragmatic image had been "seriously tarnished", Nicolai von Ondarza, of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs told The Guardian. But trust in the UK, too, had taken a heavy battering on the Brexit rollercoaster, he added.

The "sovereignty" in whose name Brexit was done remained, essentially, a myth, Jean-Dominique Giuliani, of the Robert Schuman Foundation in France, told The Guardian. 'Take back control' is a nationalist, populist slogan that ignores the reality of an interdependent world. Our maritime neighbour will be much weakened," he added.

The German historian Helene von Bismarck doubted whether Brexit would end what she described as a very British brand of populism. "British populism is a political method, not an ideology, and it does not become redundant with Brexit," she said. She identified two key elements in this method: an emotionalisation and over-simplification of highly complex issues, such as Brexit, the Covid pandemic or migration, and a reliance on bogeymen or enemies at home and abroad. "Populists depend on enemies, real or imagined, to legitimise their actions and deflect from their own shortcomings," she said. If the EU has been the "enemy abroad" since 2016, it will steadily be replaced by "enemies within".

Elvire Fabry, of France's Institut Jacques Delors, told The Guardian that the past four years had shown Europeans and Britons "just how little we really knew each other". They had also revealed, she said, the fragility of a parliamentary system seen by many on the continent as a point of reference.

In Der Spiegel, Nikolaus Blome opined that there was "absolutely nothing good about Brexit ... which would never have happened had Conservative politicians not, to a quite unprecedented degree, deceived and lied to their people".

Meanwhile, the UK has now signed trade agreements with 62 countries, the latest one with Turkey, after agreements with Japan, Canada, Switzerland and Norway were secured earlier.

Also the news of the British prime minister's father Stanley confirming that he is applying for a French passport came as a shot in the arm of anti-Brexit lobby. Stanley Johnson described himself as a French not a British, he was one of the first UK civil servants to work in Brussels after Britain joined the European Economic Community in 1973.

The critics are also warning of how the individuals and businesses both in the UK and beyond may face a dizzying new array of red tape, a good deal of it still to be worked out. In addition, the parting of ways could also have major constitutional repercussions for the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland, which shares a border with EU member the Republic of Ireland, remains more closely tied to the bloc's economy under the divorce terms, a status some fear could pull it away from the rest of the UK, just like Scotland, which is clamouring for independence, and if any of them succeed, then the United may fall like a house made of play cards.

(The writer is a political commentator. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at asad.mirza.nd@gmail.com)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Democratic state Sen. Andy Manar, a prominent downstate lawmaker who played a key role in revamping education funding in Illinois, is resigning his office to become a senior adviser to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Manar announced Monday.

Manar, of Bunker Hill, said he will step down Jan. 17, just days after the next Illinois General Assembly is inaugurated.
MBABANE - A warrior almost missed the main annual Incwala Ceremony after his cellphone was allegedly stolen at emalawini.

Emalawini refers to huts where warriors camp for cultural events.

This reporter learnt about incident when he met Lucky Mafu of Nkoyoyo at Mashibhini in Lobamba. Mafu was visibly angry while on his way to the bus station and he was carrying a torn shirt.

Asked why he was leaving as the trumpet was about to be blown, he claimed that he had lost his cellphone while at the Inyatsi regiment camp. He stated that he discovered that his cellphone was missing when he checked it after 2am on New Years Eve.

We left our cellphones charging when we went to watch fireworks. My cellphone was nowhere to be found when I returned to the hut. Surprisingly, only my cellphone went missing from those that were charging, he said.

Knowledge

Mafu further stated that he engaged the warriors but they all denied knowledge of the gadget. He claimed that one of the tindvuna advised him to report the matter to the police as it was beyond their control. I am on my way home to fetch the receipt and box to prove ownership. I have been advised to do so at the Lobamba Police Station. I am not in a mood to dance and I am sad that I will miss the main Incwala, he said.

Asked why someone would steal his cellphone, Mafu claimed that it carried crucial information about the countrys politics. He stated that his cellphone carried his vision for the country. He claimed that his duty was to correct the countrys politics. Everyone knows what is contained in my gadget. I shared the information, which includes YouTube videos with the warriors, he said.

Opportunity

This publication had an opportunity to see the videos prior to the alleged accident. One of the video clips showed Mafu sharing his vision on the COVID-19 pandemic. He said a lot of things which cannot be published as they had not been proven anywhere.

He also responded to members of the proscribed entities, who criticised the Government of Eswatini. Apart from the alleged theft of his cellphone, Mafu stated that his shirt was torn and thrown into a dustbin. He claimed that the shirt was taken from a washing line. I am very disappointed that this happened at emalawini, where everyone was to show the highest degree of honesty.

Losing my gadget was the last thing I can ever think about at emalawini.

This has set a bad precedent because I can no longer trust anyone, he said. However, Mafu was convinced to dance the main Incwala Ceremony before fetching the box and the receipt. He returned to Ludzidzini Royal Residence, where he joined the warriors in song and dance. Mafu is the same man who screamed sabotage and further accused the League of Churches President Bishop Samson Hlatjwako of blocking him from presenting a 510 metres barbed wire to the King.

Farewell

He claimed that this happened at Ngabezweni Royal Residence, where church leaders had gone to bid farewell to the King after participating in the Easter services in April 2019. He claimed that the bishop told him that such gifts were not presented to the King.

The matter was so serious that Melika Jericho Churchs Bishop Khanyakwezwe Vilakati was called concerning Mafu, who is a member of the church.

Mafu also confided that he was suspected to be mentally unstable such that he was even taken to the psychiatric centre for mental evaluation.

The doctors concluded that I was mentally stable at the psychiatric centre. People did not understand why I presented the barbed wire to the King. They thought it was just a gift yet there was a hidden meaning, he said. Chief Police information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed that Mafu had reported a theft of a cellphone at the Lobamba Police Station. She said police were investigating the matter.






Youfit Health Clubs is thrilled to welcome members back to the Youfit  Olney Ave. location in Philadelphia following the locations temporary closure due to COVID-19. The popular health club, which officially reopened today, is located at 101 E Olney Ave #134 in the One & Olney Shopping Center.

Following an order from Gov. Tom Wolf in mid-December, Pennsylvania imposed additional restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19, including the temporary closure of gyms. Youfit halted its operations in Philadelphia during that time in compliance with the governors order. Now that the restrictions have lifted, Youfit  Olney Ave. is excited to reopen its doors and welcome back members.

All Youfit locations across the nation are enforcing strict health and safety protocols to protect members as they work on their fitness goals. Precautions include the following:



Each and every Youfit Health Clubs location undergoes deep cleaning and regular stringent sanitizing that includes the disinfecting and maintenance of all equipment, surfaces, and facilities.

The clubs have implemented social distancing guidelines to keep staff and members safe. This includes creating greater distance between machines and the implementation of no contact check-in and membership enrollment processes.

YouGX Group Fitness classes are operating at select locations. Classes have been redesigned with spacing to encourage social distancing, hand sanitizing is required, attendees must bring their own towels, and classes may be a bit shorter to allow ample time for cleaning and disinfecting between each class. Members can check their local club for when classes will resume, and they can also still work out at home by accessing YouGX classes on Facebook Live.

A new membership code of conduct is in effect.

The Youfit team has been fully trained on these new policies and procedures.

Members will receive further communication on their specific clubs through email and text if they have opted in. Additional information is available on the Youfit website, social media channels and at each club.

About Youfit

Youfit Health Clubs is a gym thats about one thing only: You. Founded in 2008, Youfit offers affordable gym memberships at state-of-the-art facilities to help members get the most out of life.
A British judge on Monday rejected the US' request to extradite Assange

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said he was likely to kill himself if held under harsh US prison conditions; the US has said it will appeal the decision

A DOJ spokesperson said: 'While we are extremely disappointed in the court's ultimate decision, we are gratified the US prevailed on every point of law raised'

Actress Anderson tweeted Monday morning: 'Stay tuned, the fight is not over'

Journalist Greenwald, who worked with Snowden, hailed it 'great news' Monday

But he warned: 'This wasn't a victory for press freedom. Quite the contrary'

Whistleblower Snowden - currently living in Russia after leaking U.S. surveillance secrets - called for an end to the proceedings, tweeting: 'Let this be the end of it'

The Department of Justice on Monday said it is extremely disappointed in the UK courts decision not to extradite Julian Assange.

A British judge on Monday rejected the United States' request to extradite the Wikileaks founder to face espionage charges, saying he was likely to kill himself if held under harsh US prison conditions. The US has said it will appeal the decision.

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In a statement to ABC a spokesperson for the DOJ said: 'While we are extremely disappointed in the court's ultimate decision, we are gratified that the United States prevailed on every point of law raised.

'In particular, the court rejected all of Mr. Assange's arguments regarding political motivation, political offense, fair trial, and freedom of speech.'

Assange's friend Pamela Anderson said Monday the fight is not over, telling her followers to 'stay tuned'. The sensational ruling at the Old Bailey in London raises the prospect that the 48-year-old WikiLeaks founder could be freed this week.

Journalist Glenn Greenwald said the decision was 'not a victory for press freedom' and whistleblower Edward Snowden called for an end to the legal proceedings against the Wikileaks founder.

Actress Anderson tweeted: 'A special sunrise for my dear friend #JulianAssange - (not to be extradited) stay tuned, the fight is not over - but, a hopeful moment to breathe in- I can only imagine Julian (in court, still in that mask), taking that breath.. #humanrights #freespeech #pardonassange.'

Assange's friend Pamela Anderson said Monday the fight is not over. She is pictured taking a vegan lunch to Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in July 2017 in London

Anderson tweeted this Monday morning following the news that a British judge had rejected the United States' request to extradite Assange to face espionage charges

The WikiLeaks founder today (when he is pictured) won his high-profile legal battle against US officials who wanted to put him on trial for helping hack government computers and violating an espionage law by releasing confidential cables

Greenwald on Monday praised the UK's decision to not extradite Julian Assange to America - but warned: 'This wasn't a victory for press freedom.'

The reporter, who worked with Snowden, hailed the decision 'great news', but warned: 'This wasn't a victory for press freedom. Quite the contrary: the judge made clear she believed there are grounds to prosecute Assange in connection with the 2010 publication.

'It was, instead, an indictment of the insanely oppressive US prison system for security 'threats.'

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Snowden - the whistleblower who worked with Wikileaks and is currently living in Russia after leaking U.S. surveillance secrets - called for an end to the proceedings, tweeting: 'Let this be the end of it.'

He had earlier thanked 'everyone who campaigned against one of the most dangerous threats to press freedom in decades'. He also shared a number of retweets about the decision.

Glenn Greenwald, pictured, and Edward Snowden on Monday both reacted to the news that british judge HAD rejected the US' request to extradite Assange to face espionage charge

Edward Snowden

Glenn Greenwald on Monday praised the United Kingdom's decision to not extradite Julian Assange to America - but warned: 'This wasn't a victory for press freedom'

Snowden - the whistleblower who worked with Wikileaks and is currently living in Russia after leaking U.S. surveillance secrets - called for an end to the proceedings

Greenwald, part of a team that won a Pulitzer for reports about government surveillance programs based on leaks by Snowden added: 'Ultimately, though, from a humanitarian *and* a political perspective, what matters most is that Assange be freed as soon as possible.

'The US Govt doesn't care what prison he's in, or why: they just want him silenced and in a cage. He should be freed immediately.'

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected allegations that Assange is being prosecuted for political reasons or would not receive a fair trial in the US.

But she said his precarious mental health would likely deteriorate further under the conditions of 'near total isolation' he would face in U.S. prison.

'I find that the mental condition of Mr. Assange is such that it would be oppressive to extradite him to the United States of America,' the judge said.

Click here to resize this module

Julian Assange arrives at Westminster Magistrates Court in London in September last year

She said Assange was 'a depressed and sometimes despairing man' who had the 'intellect and determination' to circumvent any suicide prevention measures taken by American prison authorities.

Assange's lawyers said they would ask for his release from a London prison where he has been held for more than a year-and-a-half at a bail hearing on Wednesday.

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Assange, who sat in the dock at London's Central Criminal Court for the ruling, wiped his brow as the decision was announced. His partner Stella Moris, with whom he has two young sons, wept.

His American lawyer, Barry Pollack, said the legal team was 'enormously gratified by the U.K. court's decision denying extradition.'

'The effort by the United States to prosecute Julian Assange and seek his extradition was ill-advised from the start,' he said. 'We hope that after consideration of the U.K. court's ruling, the United States will decide not to pursue the case further.'

Assange supporters celebrating outside the Old Bailey today after he was spared from being sent for trial in the United States

The ruling marks a dramatic moment in Assange's years-long legal battles in Britain  though likely not its final chapter.

U.S. prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks' publication of leaked military and diplomatic documents a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.

Lawyers for the 49-year-old Australian argue that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections of freedom of speech for publishing leaked documents that exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The judge, however, said Assange's actions, if proven, would 'amount to offenses in this jurisdiction that would not be protected by his right to freedom of speech.'

The defense also argued during a three-week hearing in the fall that extradition threatens Assange's human rights because he risks 'a grossly disproportionate sentence' and detention in 'draconian and inhumane conditions' that would exacerbate his severe depression and other mental health problems.

The judge agreed that U.S. prison conditions would be oppressive. She accepted evidence from expert witnesses that Assange had a depressive disorder and an autism spectrum disorder.

'I accept that oppression as a bar to extradition requires a high threshold. ... However, I am satisfied that, in these harsh conditions, Mr. Assange's mental health would deteriorate causing him to commit suicide with the 'single minded determination' of his autism spectrum disorder,' the judge said in her ruling.

Lawyers for the U.S. government deny that Assange is being prosecuted merely for publishing the leaked documents, saying the case 'is in large part based upon his unlawful involvement' in the theft of the diplomatic cables and military files by U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.

The prosecution of Assange has been condemned by journalists and human rights groups, who say it undermines free speech around the world.

They welcomed the judge's decision, even though it was not made on free-speech grounds.

'This is a huge relief to anyone who cares about the rights of journalists,' The Freedom of the Press Foundation tweeted:

'The extradition request was not decided on press freedom grounds; rather, the judge essentially ruled the U.S. prison system was too repressive to extradite. However, the result will protect journalists everywhere.'

Assange's legal troubles began in 2010, when he was arrested in London at the request of Sweden, which wanted to question him about allegations of rape and sexual assault made by two women.

In 2012, to avoid being sent to Sweden, Assange sought refuge inside the Ecuadorian Embassy, where he was beyond the reach of U.K. and Swedish authorities  but also effectively a prisoner, unable to leave the tiny diplomatic mission in London's tony Knightsbridge area.

The relationship between Assange and his hosts eventually soured, and he was evicted from the embassy in April 2019. British police immediately arrested him for jumping bail in 2012.

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Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in November 2019 because so much time had elapsed, but Assange remains in London's high-security Belmarsh Prison, brought to court in a prison van throughout his extradition hearing.
Yogyakarta, Indonesia - Ozza Konveksi company is excited to announce the launch of tote bag manufacturing services, The tote bags we produce include spunbond, drill and canvas tote bags. In addition, seeing the many requests for tote bags, we also release screen printing tote bags with custom designs according to the wishes of the customer. Contact : Telephone : +6289615772461 Email : pr@ozzakonveksi.com Adress: Jl. Depokan II, Peleman RT 32/RW 10, Rejowinangun Kotagede, Yogyakarta Ozza Konveksi 
The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu and his 19 other colleague Members of Parliament who were expected to appear before an Accra Circuit Court over their protest march to the Electoral Commission head office on Monday failed to appear in court.



The police prosecutor indicated his readiness to proceed with the case when it was called but the failure of none of the accused persons or their lawyers present forced the presiding judge to adjourn the case without a new set date.



The NDC MPs were charged by the Circuit Court after they walked from Parliament to the EC Head Office on December 22 to present a petition to the EC over the collation of the presidential results.



The statement of offence said the NDC MPs unlawfully assembled and conducted themselves in a manner likely to cause persons in the Neighbourhood reasonable fear where a breach of the peace is likely to be occasioned.



The MPs charged are Haruna Iddrisu, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, Samuel George, John Abdulai Jinapor, Rockson Defiamekpor, Ras Mubarak, Mutawakilu Adam, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, Dr. Kwabena Donkor, A.B. Fuseini, Kwabena Minta Akando, Yusif Issaka Jaja, Isaac Adongo, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, James Klutse Avedzi, James Agalga, Collins Dauda, Abdul Rashi Pelpuo, Richard Quashigah and Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings.



Background



The Minority in Parliament on December 22 marched to the Electoral Commission headquarters to protest the results of the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary polls.



The march came on the back of the continuous street protests by supporters of the party following the declaration of results by the chairperson of the Electoral Commission Jean Mensa.



The NDC and its flagbearer John Mahama described the results which gave President Akufo-Addo 51% of the votes as flawed.



The MPs intended to march to the EC Head office and present a petition to the Chairperson of the Commission over the results of the December elections.







Source: kasapafmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that teachers should be part of the next group of people who should be vaccinated. However, despite this recommendation from the CDC, the final decision will still come from each state.

According to reports, every governor has their approach regarding the COVID-19 Vaccine distribution.

Some public-school teachers and school nurses in some states in the country have been vaccinated already. However, a big number of the population of teachers are still waiting to get vaccinated.

ALSO READ: COVID-19 Vaccine for Children: Mandatory or Simply Encouraged?





States that prioritized teachers in the COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

In the state of Indiana, specifically in Knox Country, several teachers were vaccinated last December 28. According to a report from the Education Week, these teachers were vaccinated because there were extra vials. It was not because they were prioritized.

In Evansville, a news outlet reported that teachers were put in the list for vaccination because of some sort of mistake. Reports say that the vaccines which were removed from the freezer had to be given on the same day, that is why the teachers were placed in the list.

On Friday, school nurses in a school district in Colorado. The teachers are expected to have the COVID-19 vaccine in the middle of January.

ALSO READ: Students Are Failing to Learn in the Online Learning Set-up Due to COVID-19





Disappointment over the COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

Despite the recommendation of CDC to prioritize teachers in COVID-19 Vaccine distribution, there are still states that decided not to do so.

In Florida, teachers are disappointed that their governor, Ron DeSantis, decided not to provide COVID-19 vaccines to teachers.

That is why teachers are upset, especially since schools have been ordered to reopen last fall.

Teachers in El Paso are also disappointed that they were not moved up in the list of priority for the COVID-19 vaccines.

ALSO READ: TikTok Should Be Used by Government to Inform High Schoolers on COVID Safety, Teen Suggests





Reopening schools

President-elect Joe Biden announced that he wants to have most of the schools reopened in the first 100 days of his administration.

A relief package amounting to $54 billion was recently approved by the Congress. This fund will be allotted to cover the needs in preventing the spread of coronavirus in schools.

In a few weeks, Timothy White will be Biden's chief pandemic adviser. The chancellor of California State University System, Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that once he is officially the adviser of Biden, he will put forward the prioritization of teachers COVID-19 Vaccine distribution.

White acknowledged, in a recent interview with The Washington Post, that it is important to bring the children back to schools. That is why he explained, "The idea of vaccinating teachers is very high up in the priority as well as surveillance in the schools so you can get a good feel for the penetration of infection."

ALSO READ: Good News to Pregnant Women: Coronavirus Does Not Pass to Newborn Babies During Pregnancy
The rhythm of life among Southeast Asians was shaken by the sudden, sweeping changes last year. Despite the gloomy outlook, policies across SEA successfully compelled both the public and business sector to shift gears quickly, step up their use of technology and go online for literally everything. Security experts from Kasperskys Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) gives us a lowdown on how cybercriminals took advantage of this years disruptive event and what the cybersecurity threat landscape appears to look like in 2021 in the region.

Just like the rest of the world, people in SEA have been forced to stay indoors, but the pandemic didnt stop them from moving about, albeit digitally. A recent report showed that 40 million Internet users in Southeast Asia came online for the first time this year, many of which were from non-city areas in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Southeast Asians, among the worlds most active Internet users, have always been digital but the adoption wasnt as pervasive as when COVID-19 hit. Now with 400 million netizens that is nearly 70% of the regions population, people and businesses are now practically doing everything online that even those who were previously digitally-averse had to jump in the online world.

This is where it gets critical because apart from old-time Internet users who, until now are still being educated on cyber hygiene, here comes the newbies who count among the most vulnerable to cyber threats.

A quick recap of Kasperskys monitoring throughout 2020 showed that the top cyber attacks in SEA were cryptomining, phishing scams, targeted ransomware, and DDoS (distributed denial of service). Not one of these attacks are new but these have been proven effective techniques as cybercriminals only need to tap into the weakest link --- the human factor.

In 2020, the region was struck with massive cyber attacks resulting to exposure of confidential data:

Over 310,000 credit card details issued by top banks in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, were involved in a data breach in March.

In the same month, personal information of 91 million users of Indonesias largest ecommerce platform were leaked.

In Thailand, 8.3 billion subscribers of the countrys largest mobile network were exposed in May.

A Singapore-based online grocery platform suffered a data breach affecting 1.1 million accounts in October.

Cybercriminals also capitalized on peoples fear of COVID-19 and used healthcare as a bait for different attacks targeting medical equipment in countries where digital transformation has just begun. A government database with personal data of 230,000 COVD-19 test takers in Indonesia was breached in May. Meanwhile in Thailand, a hospital confirmed four years worth of patient records were affected by an attack in September.

2020 however has seen an unparalleled adoption of technology, and an increase in attack surface that is ripe for potentially more successful breaches. Those who have been quick to come on board this transformation must also be just as vigilant to protect themselves. As always, social engineering remains to be one of the most effective attack vectors and just as much as technology, a strong focus on education and awareness is needed more than ever, says Muhammad Umair, Security Researcher for Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) Asia Pacific at Kaspersky.

We do not see anything changing so soon. People in our region will remain social and will always look for ways to be productive using technology. In the business world, we see that remote work will be practiced in most sectors even after the pandemic subsides. Now is the time to reflect on the lessons of 2020 and we recommend companies start creating a security strategy if theres none, or revising the existing one to effectively adapt to the changing environment and protect the workforce, says Yeo Siang Tiong, General Manager for Southeast Asia at Kaspersky.

Kaspersky researchers list down key areas to watch out for in 2021 in SEA. Lets take a look:

Digitalization

Under the new norm, the majority of sectors in the region have been increasingly going through a digital transformation in a race for survival. Schools are switching to remote learning, SMBs that never had online presence have started to build online store fronts, restaurants that never offered home delivery are left with no choice but to change their whole business model.

2020 has witnessed a drastic increase in the use of online payment services and transactions, as well as a growing number of potential victims have come online. We have already witnessed an increased number of phishing attacks on such victims in the first half of 2020 and this trend is expected to continue through 2021.

There were ample lures going around with a COVID-19 theme this year, and as the availability of vaccines draws closer, we might see similar lures incorporating vaccination themes as well.

Similarly, perimeter security is going to be one significant area of concern throughout 2021 as people continue to work from home, connecting to their corporate networks via VPNs.

The increased focus on remote working and reliance on VPNs opens up another potential attack vector: the harvesting of user credentials through real-world social engineering approaches such as voice phishing or vishing to obtain access to corporate VPNs. Another possibility is for attackers to accomplish their espionage goals without deploying malware in the victims environment.

Elections

Malaysia has recently stated that it will conduct re-elections once the pandemic has been overcome. Which if it follows through, should come to fruition some time in 2021. Vietnam is also planning to conduct its general elections in 2021, while the Philippines is scheduled to hold its national elections in 2022.

As highlighted earlier, COVID-19 pushed a large number of users to come online for the first time across the region. Malaysia reportedly has the highest social media penetration rate, followed only by Singapore and Thailand. It also has the second highest penetration rate of smartphones after Singapore.

In short, the whole region is quite ripe for potential disinformation campaigns, and Kaspersky researchers will undoubtedly see such tactics being increasingly employed by the various stakeholders as each country draws near to their elections in 2021 and onwards.

These stakeholders can potentially be both internal and external. More than that, due to an increased user base for social media and mobile devices, such campaigns are likely to see a much larger effect on opinions than was ever seen previously.

Indonesia had its general elections in 2019, and just this year we saw a breach where private information of voters were leaked online by a group of hackers. Just as some of these other countries are gearing up to collect updated information on voters during their upcoming elections, it is certainly not far-fetched that similar intrusion attempts might be made here as well.

5G Rollout

2019 saw the introduction of 5G networks and this year, Kaspersky researchers saw a widespread adoption of 5G technology in mobile devices with hardware vendors like Apple updating their complete lineup to be 5G compatible.

Telecom operators in Southeast Asia have been trying to keep up with this technological evolution as well. Thailand, for one, specifically seems to have ramped up this adoption. This has been in part fueled by a need to support solutions like telemedicine to decrease contact following COVID-19 restrictions. This is only going to speed up in 2021, with other countries in the region following suit.

The way 5G has been designed is such that more of its operational functionality has been switched to software rather than hardware. This opens up various avenues for potential attack surfaces (the number of possible vulnerable points in a computer system where an attacker can get through), as generally software is considered more accessible and arguably easier to discover vulnerabilities for. It may only be a matter of time when researchers start to find potential software based flaws, and threat actors will definitely not be much behind, if not ahead.

Health Sector

The healthcare field as a cyber threat target is a worldwide trend. In previous forecasts, Kaspersky experts have projected an increase in attacks on medical equipment in countries where digital transformation in healthcare is burgeoning. In 2020, interest in medical research surged among cybercriminals specializing in targeted attacks, spurred by the development of the much anticipated COVID-19 vaccine and its potential significance for the global community.

All across the SEA region, there has been an increased push towards remote health monitoring solutions and online health consultations, motivated by the goal of reducing contact. This means an ever increasing number of patient data is coming online as well as the increase in attack surface throughout the health sector. According to Kaspersky researchers, this trend will continue through 2021. The new year may also see more attack attempts targeted towards this sector as new regulatory restrictions, new treatments and an increase in the number of potential victims continue to attract attention.

Ransomware

Kaspersky has been observing a reduction in ransomware attacks across the region recently. However, the cybersecurity company has been noticing ransomware threats becoming more dangerous, sophisticated, and targeted. The amount of money being demanded by ransomware groups has increased significantly.

A ransomware-related death, the first ever recorded, was witnessed in Germany this year where a patient had to be redirected to another hospital because of an ongoing cyber attack but ended up passing away before reaching the medical center.

While the ransom amounts being demanded are likely to continue to increase, we expect to see an increase in ransomware attacks, due to the sheer number of increased potential targets across the region and thus a reversal of the current trend in 2021.

Cloud Security

More and more companies are incorporating clouds in their business models due to the convenience and scalability they offer. However, this is a relatively new attack surface which is increasing as more businesses come onboard. There might be a heightened number of breaches on such infrastructure if companies make rookie mistakes and do not deploy proper security measures and solutions which can often be the case for newer adopters.

Industrial Control Systems (ICS)

In the current year, Southeast Asia has been one of the worst hit regions in terms of ICS attacks as per several ratings. We are however seeing more focus from governments to curb such events.

Malaysia has dedicated RM1.8 Billion for its national cyber security strategy 2020-2024. Indonesias National Cyber Encryption Agency (BSSN) also seems to be actively improving its cyber resilience strategy by partnerships with countries such as Australia since last year.

Similarly, the Philippines has also adopted a strategy where it is partnering with the private sector for a more effective cyber defense. We might see the fruits of such initiatives come into play in 2021, with the aforementioned trend seeing a reversal.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar will travel to Sri Lanka on Tuesday on a visit to cement Indias relationship with the island nation. The external affairs minister is expected to take up the release of Indian fishermen apprehended last month during the visit that is designed to review the developments in bilateral relations between the two neighbours from a strategic and long-term perspective.

Jaishankar had rushed to Colombo within a day of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa taking charge in November 2019, setting the foundation for both countries to reset ties. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had travelled to New Delhi soon after on his maiden foreign visit. The effort to deepen ties continued in September last when Prime Minister Narendra Modi held the first virtual bilateral summit with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, their first after he began a fresh term as prime minister a month earlier after the Sri Lanka Peoples Front party secured a two-thirds majority in parliamentary polls.

Jaishankar is scheduled to hold discussions with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

Officials said Jaishankars visit would look at smoothing the rough edges in the relationship between the two countries that has turned complicated over the last decade, mostly on account of Chinas efforts to expand its influence in the Indian Ocean region including Sri Lanka.

Colombo has, over the past year, signalled on multiple occasions that India is a priority for his government, that Sri Lankas strategic security policy will have an India first approach though it is open to dealing with other key players for economic development.

Jaishankars visit is the second high-profile visit to Colombo in two months. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval had flown to Sri Lanka in November for the trilateral discussion on maritime cooperation and security with Colombo and Male.

The arrest of 36 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu and seizure of their vessels allegedly on charges of poaching was discussed at the December 30 virtual meeting of the joint working group on fisheries but there has been no breakthrough yet.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Jamal Murray scored a season-high 36 points, Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his fourth triple-double of the season and the Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-109 on Sunday night.

Murray kept Denver afloat while Jokic dealt with early foul trouble for the second straight game. Murray scored 26 points in the first half, including 16 in the second quarter. Jokic then helped the Nuggets overcome a Minnesota lead at the start of the fourth to pull away and snap a two-game losing skid.

The teams will complete home-and home set Tuesday night in Denver.

We werent great tonight, but we got a win and we needed a win, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. We play them in a couple days. Well have to be even better than we were tonight.

Malik Beasley, the former Denver draft pick traded to the Timberwolves last season, scored a season-high 25 for Minnesota. It lost its fourth straight game without Karl-Anthony Towns, who is out with a left wrist dislocation.

DAngelo Russell finished with 18 points and seven assists for the Wolves.

Im not happy now because a loss is a loss, Minnesota coach Ryan Saunders said. But Im happy with in those moments where you see that growth and you see things that you work constantly with these guys at, theyre getting better.

Russell keyed a third-quarter comeback for the Wolves, who led 84-83 before the start of the fourth. Russell had 10 points and six assists in the third, while Beasley had 11 and Jarrett Culver added 10 in the quarter as Minnesotas offense finally found some rhythm without Towns.

With Jokic on the court, Denver took control with a 20-2 run in the fourth and didnt look back. The Nuggets outscored the Wolves 41-25 in the quarter, while Jokic had seven points and three assists.

Someone needed to kind of pick it up a little bit, just the energy, Jokic said about starting the fourth with Murray on the bench. I think I had a couple of defensive rebounds and pushing the pace. I didnt think of the score, but we were pushing. We were playing a little bit harder and a little bit faster. That helped us a lot.

Story continues

Minnesota allowed at least 120 points for the fourth straight game, and surrendered at least 40 points in a quarter for the second straight game.

Not thinking that we need any type of home run play or home run defensive stand to stop the bleeding, but us to just focus on winning one possession, Saunders said.

TIP-INS

Nuggets: Michael Porter Jr. missed his second straight game as part of the leagues health and safety protocols for COVID-19.  Murray had his fourth straight game with at least 20 points.  Facundo Campazzo was 5 of 7 from 3 for his season high. Paul Millsap had four 3s and JaMychal Green added three in his second game with the Nuggets.

Timberwolves: With Saunders moving Davis and Juancho Hernangomez into the starting lineup, Minnesota had its fifth different starting group in six games this season.  Josh Okogie missed his third straight game with a left hamstring strain.  Culver finished with a season-high 20 points.

FROM DOWNTOWN

Campazzo, a rookie free agent from Argentina, was a spark off the bench and a hit three of his 3s in the fourth to help Denver pull away.

Facu, you knew he was going to break out, Malone said. The guy has played at a high level in the Olympics, the world championships and the biggest games over in the Euro league. It was great to see that.

___

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
BATAVIA, IL  Two nonprofit organizations based in Batavia are set to split nearly $20,000 in grants from the Geneva Mental Health Board, with the money to support their critical services to local residents.

The board is a group of Geneva residents tasked with caring for the mental well-being of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, mental illness or substance abuse.

131 Coronavirus Deaths In December Set Monthly Record In Kane Co.

Thirteen Kane County nonprofits that serve Geneva residents submitted applications in the fall for funding from the Geneva Mental Health Board. Those organizations are set to share $200,000, about $40,000 short of the total amount requested, according to Suzy Shogren, who chairs the board.

Two Batavia-based organizations will split about 10 percent of that funding, Shogren revealed during the Geneva City Councils Dec. 7 meeting.

Beware Of Coronavirus Vaccine Scams In Batavia

Elderday Center will receive $10,100 to support its therapeutic services and programs for older adults. Elderday purchased Seniors Helping Seniors of Fox Valley in April 2020.

The board is set to grant $9,100 to Suicide Prevention Services on South Batavia Avenue.



The coronavirus pandemic has fueled a surge in demand for mental health services from Kane County providers, along with a slew of unplanned expenses for most of 2020, Geneva Mental Health Board member Christine Kautz said.



Crashes Lead To DUI Charges For 2 Batavia Men

Many nonprofits have also had to cut their budgets, making it harder to provide services at a time when they are most needed, Kautz said.



More than a quarter of adults in the U.S. reported having unmet mental health needs in the past year amid the coronavirus pandemic, Shogren said.

REGIONAL NEWS:

This article originally appeared on the Batavia Patch
Seguin, Texas (78155)

Today

Cloudy skies early with scattered thunderstorms developing late. Low 73F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early with scattered thunderstorms developing late. Low 73F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
We're starting a rather consequential week, from the vote in Georgia to a fight over electoral votes not seen since 1877, when Rutherford B. Hayes beat Samuel Tilden 185-184!

My guess is that 2021 will not end like 1877, but who knows? Wonder what information comes out once members of U.S. Congress actually starting talking about what happened in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin?

This is why I support Senator Ted Cruz on this one. The cynics will say this is Cruz thinking of 2024, and that may be true. At the same time, we need a conversation about 2020, and someone has to get the ball rolling.

I agree with Roger Kimball:

Was the presidential election in those disputed states conducted in accordance with "the Constitution and with federal and state law"? Did "the voters fairly decide" the election? I think there are serious questions about both.

Indeed there are, from states changing their own rules without a vote from the legislatures to an unprecedented number of ballots mailed to voters who did not request them.

What happens now? Let's hear what Senator Cruz and Representative Mo Brooks have to say. My guess is that Senator Cruz will make a persuasive case, and Biden would be wise to take it seriously.

For two months, the Democrats and some in the media have basically told us to shut up and eat our vegetables. Two months later, and a lot of people are still talking and not eating the vegetables.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).

Image: U.S. Senate
PUNE: Pune district will get nine new police stations at Wagholi, Uruli Kanchan, Baner, Kalepadal, Kharadi, Phursungi, Mhalunge, Ravet and Shirgaon. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Ajit Pawar, deputy chief Minister of Maharashtra, at Mantralaya in Mumbai on Monday.

Apart from home minister Anil Deshmukh, the police chiefs of the districts three forces Pune city, Pimpri-Chinchwad city and Pune rural were present.

As per the plan, the nine existing police stations will be divided into the jurisdictions of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad while parts of Pune rural police jurisdiction will be reduced, according to the distribution statement issued by Pune district administration.

Pune city

Pune city police will get three additional police stations, two from Pune rural (Lonikand and part of Loni Kalbhor), and six newly formed police stations, including Wagholi, Nanded City, Baner, Kalepadal, Phursungi, and Kharadi.

A part of Loni Kalbhor will be turned into Uruli Kanchan police station and that part will remain with Pune rural, while a leaner version of Loni Kalbhor will be a part of Pune city. From Haveli police station, Nanded City police station will be formed and added to Pune city police while Haveli will remain with Pune rural, said Amitabh Gupta, commissioner of Pune police.

The city police will also need to increase the number of zones from its present count of five, according to the police.

Pune city currently has approximately 9,000 personnel including staff and officers.

Manpower and increase in zones will happen eventually after the police stations are established which will take some time, said Gupta.

Pimpri-Chinchwad

The Pimpri-Chinchwad police will get three new police stations, including Ravet, Shirgaon and Mhalunge.

A part of Chatuhshrungi and Hinjewadi will be combined to form Baner police station. The separate commissionerate for Pimpri-Chinchwad came into being on August 15, 2018.

Baner police station will absorb Bavdhan police outpost which was earlier in the jurisdiction of Hinjewadi police station of Pimpri-Chinchwad police, said Gupta. Pimpri-Chinchwad police will get Rs 2 crore for purchase of vehicles for police use. The force has a strength of 2,000 personnel which controls over 1.72 million population.

Pune rural

Pune rural police will hand over the responsibility of Lonikand, partial Loni Kalbhor and Haveli police stations to Pune city. Pune rural police will be given Rs 1 crore for vehicle purchase like Pune city police.

Manpower and increase in zones will happen eventually after the police stations are established which will take some time, said Gupta.

For better policing

Pune city police commissioners jurisdiction earlier had 39 police stations till August 2018.

Pimpri-Chinchwad police commissionerate came into existence on August 15, 2018, with 15 police stations, including nine from Pune city and six from Pune rural.

After formation of the Pimpri-Chinchwad police, Pune city police went from having three zones to five zones with 30 police stations.

From 30 police stations, the number will increase to 38, one shy of its strength till 2018.

The additional police stations have been carved out from three police stations from Pune rural, five from existing Pune city police jurisdiction, and one from Pimpri-Chinchwad.
The Maldives was the prime location for Bollywood celebrities to ring in the new year, 2021. Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani are among the popular rumoured couple who spent their holiday at that place. Now as the celebration ends, they were spotted at the airport returning to Mumbai.

Also Read | Kiara Advani & Sidharth Malhotra Arrive In Maldives, Share Pictures From Island

Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra are back from Maldives vacation

Popular paparazzi Viral Bhayani shared the video of Kiara Advani and Sidharth Malhotra returning to Mumbai from their vacation together in the Maldives. The rumoured couple was walking together at the airport wearing black face masks. Kiara donned a long pink shirt with white shorts. Sidharth wore a yellow shirt with green cargo pants. Both of them had similar eyewear. At the end of the video, they bid goodbye to each other from a distance and went in their individual cars.

Also Read | Sidharth Malhotra And Kiara Advani Spotted At Mumbai Airport Ahead Of New Year's

Sidharth is rumoured to be dating Kiara Advani. The actors have not officially confirmed their relationship, even though fans are in awe of them. They reportedly spent quality time together in the Maldives as they celebrated the new year. The two were earlier spotted leaving Mumbai airport on December 30, 2020. They have shared a couple of posts from their vacation in the Maldives. However, the rumoured couple was not seen together at the place.

Sidharth Malhotra shared two videos on his Instagram handle, where he has more than 11 million followers. In the first video, he is diving in the sea and waiting to jump in 2021 as he wished his fans a healthy prosperous year. The second video has him enjoying his ride in the sea.

Also Read | Kiara Advani Shares Her Maldives Vacation Routine, Shares Stunning Pictures

Sidharth Malhotras girlfriend Kiara Advani also posted two pictures from her Maldives trip on her Instagram handle where she has more than 16 million followers. In one picture she is showing her back as she faces the sea wearing a gold shimmer swimsuit. In another photo, the actor is seen embracing the greenery. Take a look at her posts below.

Also Read | Sidharth Malhotra Is 'happy By The Sea'; Shares A Glimpse Of His Vacay In The Maldives

Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani will share the screen for the first time in Shershaah. It is an upcoming biographical war action film directed by Vishnuvardhan and written by Sandeep Srivastava. The project has Sidharth in a double role as army captain Vikram Batra and his twin brother, Vishal. Kiara portrays the role of Dimple Cheema, Vikrams fiance. Shershaah was set to release in July 2020 but was delayed due to coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic.

Get the latest entertainment news from India & around the world. Now follow your favourite television celebs and telly updates. Republic World is your one-stop destination for trending Bollywood news. Tune in today to stay updated with all the latest news and headlines from the world of entertainment.
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Further protests over the fatal shooting of George Nkencho have taken place.

A crowd of around 50 people held a protest outside Blanchardstown garda station.

Mr Nkencho, 27, was shot multiple times by gardai outside his home in Clonee, west Dublin, on Wednesday.

Mr Nkencho was allegedly brandishing a knife and threatened gardai before he was shot by members of Blanchardstown Garda Armed Support Unit.

A group of demonstrators held placards outside the garda station, calling for justice for Mr Nkencho.

Expand Close A protest outside Blanchardstown garda station (Niall Carson/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp A protest outside Blanchardstown garda station (Niall Carson/PA)

It follows a number of other protests outside garda stations and at the Spire in OConnell Street following Mr Nkenchos death.

Among those protesting on Monday was family-friend JK Onwumereh.

He said the protest was organised by the community.

A 27-year-old man suffering from mental health (issues) was shot by the gardai in circumstances the community is still struggling to understand, he told the PA news agency.

People want to understand what really happened.

We understand there is no death sentence here in Ireland, but in a case that has not been judged, a case that has not even been investigated, circumstances that are still unclear to everybody, result in a young man being killed in the manner that he was killed, we feel it was callous.

We feel that 20 minutes is not sufficient unless the life of someone is being threatened.

A mentally ill person really needs help, not bullets JK Onwumereh

In this particular circumstance we just cant make sense of what really happened and that is why the community is protesting.

Its not just the community  all across Ireland people are protesting.

One life that is taken in those circumstances is one life too many. People want to make sense  is this policy? Is that standard procedure for dealing with this sort of issue?

We are really beside ourselves with grief and we are calling for justice.

Mr Onwumereh said he knows Mr Nkencho and his family.

He said he was a peaceful man who was troubled and had mental health challenges.

A mentally ill person really needs help, not bullets, he added.

On Friday, a group of approximately 150 people held a candlelit vigil before marching from the Spire on Dublins OConnell street to Pearse Street garda station.

Protesters chanted no justice, no peace, say his name, George Nkencho and later, five shots killed him and f*** the police.

Protestors have been critical of gardai and also spoke out against Irelands direct provision system.

Gardai were called to a business premises in Hartstown on the Co Meath/Dublin border at 12.15pm on Wednesday.

In a statement, Garda said there was a chase on foot and the man threatened officers with a knife.

Members of the Armed Support Unit arrived at a scene in Manorfields Drive, Dublin 15, the statement said.

The Armed Support Unit were also threatened with a knife and implemented a graduated policing response where the use of less-than-lethal force options was initially administered in an effort to resolve the incident.

The less-than-lethal use of force options were unsuccessful, and a number of shots were discharged from an official Garda firearm at approximately 12.35pm.

It is understood that gardai unsuccessfully used a Taser and pepper spray before the shots were fired.

Mr Nkencho was treated at the scene before being transferred to Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown, where he was pronounced dead.

The GSOC was notified of the incident and attended the scene. Investigations are continuing.

Download the Belfast Telegraph App Get quick and easy access to the latest Northern Ireland news, sport, business and opinion with the Belfast Telegraph App.

PA
Syria experienced its second deadly bus ambush in less than one week on Sunday.

The attack took place on a highway in central Syrias desert, east of the city of Hama. There are conflicting reports on the identities of those killed. The Syrian state-run SANA news outlet said that nine civilians died when terrorist organizations attacked buses and fuel trucks.

Reuters, however, reported that at least nine Syrian army soldiers died in the bus attack. The pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 12 Syrian soldiers were killed along with three civilians when buses, cars and fuel trucks were ambushed.

The incident follows another attack on a bus last week. Tens of Syrian soldiers died Dec. 30 when a bus was attacked in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor. The Islamic State (IS) later claimed credit for the attack.

There was no claim following Sundays attack. IS remains active in the central Syria desert area also known as Badia and has battled with Syrian forces there recently.
Hudson County authorities are searching for the driver of a black SUV after it struck a woman on a Jersey City street and fled early on New Years Day, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.

The woman, 26, was in the northbound lane of Ocean Avenue, near Warner Avenue, approaching a parked vehicle just after 1 a.m. on New Years Day when she was struck by a Cadillac Escalade. The SUV continued north on Ocean Avenue, the prosecutor said.

The woman sustained serious injuries in the hit-and-run and was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center, where she is being treated for multiple injuries and is currently listed in stable condition.

The HCPOs Regional Collision Investigation Unit is actively investigating this incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor at 201-915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip at: http://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/.

All information will be kept confidential.
BYD won an order to deliver another 406 battery-electric buses to the Colombian capital of Bogota, coming shortly after a previous announcement on 17 December of the delivery of the 470 pure electric buses to the city. (Earlier post.) BYD will co-work with Superpolo, a Colombian bus manufacturer, on the body part of the buses for such order.

The buses were tendered by the Bogota City Public Transport Authority (TRANSMILENIO S.A.). A joint venture between Colombian business group Fanalca and international public transport operator Transdev used BYDs integrated E-bus solutions to bid and successfully won the tender.

The buses are expected to be deployed along 15 routes in Bogotas Fontibon district in 2021 and thereafter 150,000 residents along the routes will be able to enjoy pure electric and zero-emission transportation services.





Along with the previously-announced 470 buses, the new batch includes 9m- and 12m-long buses.

There are currently 483 electric buses in TRANSMILENIO S.A, and when all 406 buses are in operation next year, Bogota will have 889 pure electric buses, of which 876 will be from BYD for more than 98.5%. Lara Zhang, Regional Director of BYD Latin America

BYD entered the Colombian market in 2012 and made several milestone achievements: building the first pure electric taxi fleet in South America in 2013, entering the Bogota BRT system in 2017. It has also delivered 64 electric buses to Medellin in 2018, and delivered 470 units for the largest pure electric bus fleet in Colombia in 2020, and won another order for 406 electric buses in Bogota recently.

Throughout Latin America, BYDs new energy vehicle footprint has spread to major markets including Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Barbados, Panama, Costa Rica, Uruguay and Argentina. Globally, BYDs green transport offerings have spread to more than 300 cities, operating in more than 50 countries and regions.
Madrid:

On the second leg of four-nation tour spanning over six-days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Madrid in the Spanish capital on Tuesday. PM Modis tour is aimed at boosting bilateral economic engagement with visiting countries and inviting more investment for Indias transformation.

Landed in Spain, marking the start of a very important visit aimed at improving economic and cultural relations with Spain, Modi tweeted in English and Spanish after landing in Madrid.

Modis visit to Spain will be first visit by an Indian prime minister since 1988.

Hola Espana! Prime Minister Modi arrives in Madrid, first visit by an Indian Prime Minister in nearly three decades, is received by Spanish FM in a special gesture, said Gopal Baglay, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs in a tweet.

Modi will hold discussions with his Spanish counterpart Mariano Rajoy on ways to deepen bilateral engagement, including in the high-tech sector. Modi will also call on King Felipe VI of Spain.

He (Modi) would also have a round-table interaction with leading Spanish business leaders who are keen to invest in India. Prime Ministers visit to Spain will add further strength to the existing warm and friendly India-Spain bilateral ties, the Ministry of External Affairs had said in a statement.

#WATCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaches Madrid in Spain, on the second leg of his six-day, four-nation tour pic.twitter.com/ZSPDLNsep7  ANI (@ANI_news) May 30, 2017

Also read: Prime Minister Narendra Modi backs Chancellor Merkel's EU leadership as US President Trump scolds Germany

From Spain, he will travel to St Petersburg in Russia on June 1 where he will hold the 18th India-Russia annual Summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and attend the St Petersburg International Economic Forum the next day.

The prime minister will be in Paris on June 2 and 3 where he will hold official talks with newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron with a view to further strengthening India-France strategic ties.

Earlier in the day, Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel held the fourth Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) during which the two leaders reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations and the two sides inked 12 agreements/Memorandum of Understandings (MoU).

Also read: Berlin: PM Narendra Modi says 'terrorism is the gravest challenge and Europe must play lead role in combating it'

#WATCH: PM Narendra Modi meets people outside the hotel in Madrid(Spain) pic.twitter.com/JpGpq54AIQ  ANI (@ANI_news) May 30, 2017

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The reality of Brexit and heightened restrictions due to the new variant of the Covid-19 virus, known as the British variant, has caused more chaos and distress for hundreds of Britons legally resident in Spain as they tried to return to the country after Christmas.

Airlines and passport control on both sides were either refusing boarding on flights from UK airports, or people were being deported back to the UK upon arrival in Spain.

Anne Hernandez, president of Brexpats in Spain, and those caught up in the chaos agreed that the message that Spain would allow residents with a green certificate or card, or people with proof that they were in the process of getting residency, hadnt got through to airport and airline officials.

Clarification: green cards accepted

Spanish authorities and the British Embassy in Madrid were quick to respond to the problem and sent a communication to airlines and airports clarifying that anyone with a green residency certificate or card, or proof that they were in the process of applying for residency, would be able to return to Spain.

On Sunday the British embassy-run Brits in Spain Facebook page posted, "Having been in contact with the Spanish authorities over the weekend about the boarding problems faced by some UK [Nationals] wanting to return to their homes in Spain, pleased to share this important clarification from the Spanish Embassy in London. This clarification has also been shared with all the relevant airlines and ferries by the Spanish Embassy."

Malaga resident Stephen Meldrum was refused entry onto a BA flight to the Costa del Sol on Saturday after he was told, incorrectly, by BA check-in staff that his green residency card was no longer valid after 31 December. The BA manager on duty at the time told Meldrum that she understood that only Spanish passport holders were being allowed off a flight that had landed at Barcelona El Prat airport earlier that day and that Britons on board the flight had been sent back to the UK.

Meldrum returned to his UK home where he received a phone call from BA admitting to their mistake and offering him a flight the following day. However, his PCR result would have no longer been valid by Sunday. He is now hoping to fly tomorrow, Tuesday, with a new negative PCR result.

Fuengirola resident Penny Brown-Lee, who was travelling back from Bristol to Malaga on 1 January, was allowed to board her flight with her TIE card, negative PCR test and the Spanish Health Control Form, no questions asked.

New tests needed

However, her partner Jeff Isgrove, who only had a photocopy of his green residency card, was refused boarding and is staying at his sons house and hoping he will be able to get a flight back on Friday. Like Meldrum, he will have to get a new Covid test, within the 72-hour window. Brown-Lee has had to courier all of his documents including his laminated residency card to the UK. Its touch and go, Penny admitted. We still dont know if hell be able to fly on Friday as theyre saying they wont accept laminated cards, she said.

Anne Hernandez said on Monday that although the problem "seems to have been semi sorted", it had been "a nightmare weekend trying to get these poor Brits back home".

The Brits in Spain Facebook page has provided regular updates and on Sunday posted clarification from the Spanish embassy in London, which they said had also been shared with all the relevant airlines and ferries.

The British government's gov.uk website has also been updated with information about which documents are required and accepted as well as advice that the ban on entry into Spain for non-residents announced on 22 December. This was due to run out on 5 January, but has now been extended until 19 January.
GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited and GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo have signed a MoU with Dubai Airports for building an exclusive Vaccine Air Freight Corridor Product called 'HYDXB-VAXCOR( Hyderabad to Dubai global Vaccine Corridor), the infra major said on Monday.

The MoU was signed in the backdrop of the city becoming a hub for COVID-19 vaccine and other antidotes with several vaccine manufacturers having their bases here, a press release from the infra major said. The MoU was signed by Pradeep Panicker, CEO-GMRHIA, Saurabh Kumar, CEO-GMRHAC and Eugene Barry, EVP-Commercial, Dubai Airports Corporation in a virtual ceremony organised last week, it said.

As per the MoU, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here and Dubai Airports will be according priority to the temperature sensitive vaccine shipments moving between both the airports for further connections to various continents as part of the "HYDXB-VAXCOR" and build this service offering as a key differentiator and value proposition for the vaccine customers and logistics stakeholders, it said.

This agreement will lead to the rollout of customised and simplified processes and infrastructural support to streamline the journey of Covid-19 vaccine right from the manufacturing unit to the airport and hub logistics to delivery to end-customers, the release said.

The partnership also entails technology collaboration, under which the entities will explore and work together on an integrated IT solution that will provide end-to-end visibility including shipment temperature and status tracking for the customers while cargo is in transit between Hyderabad and Dubai and during its onwards journey to various global destinations.

Pradeep Panicker said in the current global context, there is a need for meticulous planning and collaborations to ensure safe and efficient air transportation of Covid-19 vaccines and accordingly, "HYDXB-VAXCOR" is being offered for global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

"We are also significantly upgrading our handling capacities for Covid-19 Vaccine shipments requiring Cold to ultra-cold temperature ranges and becoming Indias largest Air Cargo centre both for Export/Imports and Domestic distribution of the Vaccine," Panicker said. Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said a major surge in demand for the efficient, safe and reliable global distribution of high volumes of Covid-19 vaccines is expected in the coming months.

"As the world's preeminent hub of choice, we wanted to be ready to respond to and accommodate that demand. Our partnership with GMR-Hyderabad is timed perfectly just as the global race to develop the vaccines enters the final stage. This corridor is the result of our proactive strategy to be ready with innovative, collaborative and agile shipping solutions for the industry," Griffiths added.

Also read: India to UK flights to resume on Jan 6, clarifies Hardeep Singh Puri

Also read: COVID-19 vaccine: Zydus Cadila gets DCGI nod to start phase-3 trials

Also read: UK set to roll out AstraZeneca-Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine
Photo: (Photo : Facebook/D. L. Hughley)

After catching a family shoplifting, a police officer thought he needed to help them instead of arresting them.



Five days before Christmas, Matt Lima caught two women with two children shoplifting at Stop & Shop in Somerset, Massachusetts. According to the Somerset Police Department news release, the women were slipping items at the self-checkout kiosk without scanning them.

The discovery of the shoplifting incident

An employee found out about some missing items from the store after he printed out a transaction receipt. The grocery stores loss prevention associate called Lima and reported the shoplifting incident. The officer pulled one of the women to listen to her story.

READ: New Year's Baby Delivered by On Duty Police Officer

According to NBC affiliate WJAR, Lima said that the woman told him she was working while the children's mom is not. She had taken the kids out for Christmas dinner because their family had some issues going on.

Because he also has two young daughters at home, Lima knew he had to help the two women instead of pressing criminal charges. He said that it "kind of struck" him a little because his children were the same age to the girls who were with the women he caught.

The motive

Lima learned that the stolen groceries were to restock the shelves at home, so he decided to help the family in need. Using his own money, the police officer bought a $250 gift card so the women could shop at another Stop & Shop store to buy what they need for their pantry.

Lima told the outlet that he could not go to the grocery store to pay for what he could afford because he saw how the family was in need. He said that the family was kind of shocked and were very thankful for his help.

READ: Oklahoma Cop Responds to Call About House on Fire, Ends up Saving His Family

The outcome could be different for other people

He believes that if other people find themselves in the same situation as him, the outcome could have been different. He said that maybe the other person could have arrested the family or let the case proceed to the court.

Lima could not press charges because all the shoplifted items were groceries. The shop banned the women and let them leave the place.

Instead of charging two women with shoplifting when store security said they didn't scan everything they put in their... Posted by CNN on Saturday, January 2, 2021



READ: Pennsylvania Boy Saves Mom's Life, Thanks to Amazon's Alexa

According to Feeding America, by the end of 2020, over 50 million people, where 17 million are children, have likely experienced food insecurity. The pandemic has caused an increased reliance on food banks, which had led people to wait in line for hours to get relief.

George McNeil, Somerset Police chief, is proud of Lima for making the right decision. He personally commended Lima because he protected and served community members with his actions. Lima made sure that the family enjoys a Christmas dinner instead of pressing charges against them.
Proposals are getting more and more creative with each passing day. Remember when a man proposed to his girlfriend by editing her favourite movie? Well, this one might just beat that too, because it involves a rather smart bird.

The incident took place at the Australia Zoo, and they shared the video on Twitter. 'Congratulations to our guests, Jesse and Erin, who popped the big question in the Crocoseum', reads a portion of the caption shared alongside the video.

Twitter

In the video, a zoo trainer tells visitors sitting in the gallery that Euli is the name of the red-tailed black cockatoo. To reveal the couple in question, the camera then pans towards the gallery. The next few moments are what is making this video go viral.

The trainer asks the enthusiastic audience if they would like a visit from the bird. The woman (who is about to be proposed and is unaware) excitedly raises her hand to volunteer. The trainer chooses her and asks her to give a $5 bill to the bird. The smart cockatoo takes the bill from the woman and brings it back to her trainer. It then takes a receipt back to the woman.

Also Read: Instead Of Recording Daughter's Marriage Proposal, Mom Accidentally Takes Selfie

Congratulations to our guests, Jesse and Erin, who popped the big question in the Crocoseum. Planning that special moment this year? From proposals to elopements, visit https://t.co/EHeDxlUBuK & let the Crikey Crew help you say I do!

(Tag anyone who needs a helpful hint) pic.twitter.com/tRry7ujaG2  Australia Zoo (@AustraliaZoo) January 2, 2021

Meanwhile her boyfriend watches every move, waiting for the perfect opportunity. The trainer asks the woman to read her receipt and at that moment her boyfriend bends the knee and proposes to her with a ring. She is very visibly shocked/excited/taken aback, meanwhile the crowd cheers for the happy couple. The girl thought that a bird sitting on her hand would be the highlight of her day, little did she know that the bird was cupid in disguise.

People cannot stop awwing at this video, that has unsurprisingly gone viral. One person wrote, So sweet! A wonderful memory for the both of them! Congratulations Jesse and Erin! Another wrote, OMG!! Her face!!! So so beautiful. Congratulations to you both.

Here are some other reactions:

I'm not crying, you are   Cat (@muscat1) January 2, 2021

Amazing! Congratulations   Raymond (@EverybodyLuvs_) January 3, 2021

Oh so awesome  congratulations to the happy couple   Jane Mitchell (aka Captain Buggernuts)  (@JaneMitch71) January 2, 2021

That was so sweet   Andrea Lawless (@Lawless1228) January 2, 2021

What did you think of this cupid cockatoo aided proposal? It has certainly set the bar high!
Kuwait, which announced the opening on Monday, has also been serving as a mediator. Its foreign minister, Sheikh Ahmad Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah, said in a televised statement that the agreement between Saudi Arabi and Qatar would be a new page in brotherly relations.

Officials from Saudi Arabia did not immediately confirm that there was an agreement between the two countries.

The Gulf countries decision in 2017 to cut ties with Qatar, severing diplomatic relations and suspending land, air and sea travel, forced the tiny monarchy into immediate crisis. Trade and commerce that used to flow smoothly around the Gulf fell apart; some families were abruptly left unable to see relatives who lived on the other side of the divide; thousands of people had to leave their homes practically overnight to return to Qatar or the other countries.

Since then, however, Qatar has leaned on its enormous natural gas wealth to become more self-sufficient and build stronger relationships with both Iran and Turkey, another foe of the blockading countries, the United Arab Emirates in particular.

Combined with the pressure from Washington, the path for negotiations grew clearer in recent months, with officials on both sides signaling that talks were progressing. And analysts said Saudi Arabia may have seen mending the break as a way to begin the kingdoms relationship with the incoming Biden administration, which has threatened to take a tougher line on Saudi Arabia, on a positive note.

But some analysts say there is little to suggest Qatar will change its behavior when it comes to the practices that most frustrate its neighbors  neither fully reining in the megaphone it uses to spread its message and pester its enemies, the Al Jazeera media network, nor pulling away from Iran and Turkey.

Getting Qatar to modify its relationship with Turkey may prove wishful thinking, Hussein Ibish, an analyst at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, wrote in December. Given the number of issues likely to remain unresolved, there is significant potential for future discord and perhaps another crisis over Qatari policies sometime in the foreseeable future.
New Delhi:

A PhD scholar of IIT-Madras campus was thrashed allegedly by right-wing students on Tuesday for participating in the beef fest organised to protest the new cattle trade rules on Sunday.

The student was taken to a hospital and treated for eye injuries.

Reportedly, at the fest, around 80 students discussed the Centres decision of banning cattle trade for purpose of slaughter.

Chennai: Protest outside IIT Madras over attack on a PhD scholar of institute allegedly for organizing 'Beef Fest', protesters consume beef. pic.twitter.com/MpqwOKcULK  ANI (@ANI_news) May 30, 2017

Slaughter of cow and calf is banned in Tamil Nadu, however, there is no bar on the slaughter of buffaloes, ox or bull.

Interestingly, news of the attack on the student, Sooraj R, came around the same time when Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday stayed for four weeks, the Centre's decision on cattle trade ban for slaughter.

ALSO READ: Kerala calf slaughter row: UP CM Yogi Adityanath questions silence of 'secular parties' on beef festivals against Centres decision

ALSO READ: Madurai bench of Madras High Court grants 4-week stay on Centres ban on cattle for slaughter



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Three people, including a junior engineer, have been arrested after at least two dozen people were killed when the roof of a crematorium collapsed in Uttar Pradeshs Muradnagar town, news agency ANI reported on Monday. A two-member probe committee has also been formed to investigate Sundays roof collapse, ANI added.

24 people have died, 17-18 injured in Muradnagar roof collapse incident. Three peeople have been arrested on the basis of initial investigation. A two-member probe committee constituted to invetsigate the matter, ANI quoted SP Rural, Ghaziabad, as saying. Earlier in the day, police personnel were deployed as family members of the victims held a protest.

24 people have died, 17-18 injured in Muradnagar roof collapse incident. Three peeople have been arrested on the basis of initial investigation. A two-member probe committee constituted to invetsigate the matter: SP Rural, Ghaziabad https://t.co/jyYy3Wsqcc pic.twitter.com/v19SqaAcbP  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 4, 2021

A junior engineer is among the three persons arrested by the police.

The incident took place around 11.30am at the Ukhlarsi cremation ground when around 50 to 60 people were attending the cremation rituals of Jai Ram, who had died on Saturday night, the police said. Many of the families and the injured said they were rescued after hectic efforts that lasted till 6pm on Sunday.

The priest at the cremation ground was speaking to us about the rituals to be performed after the cremation when the entire roof came crashing down and all of us got buried. I was standing on the outer edge so half of my body was under the debris, Krishan Pal, the son-in-law of a 65-year-old man whose last rites were being performed when the roof of a Muradnagar cremation ground collapsed, said.

Ghaziabad Police have registered a first information report or FIR under the Indian Penal Codes sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 337 (causing hurt to any person by doing any act rashly or negligently as to endanger human life), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 427 (causing damages) and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant etc).

A host of national leaders, including President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, conveyed their condolences to the families of the victims. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath also instructed officials to provide financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the dependents of the deceased. He has also instructed the divisional commissioner of Meerut and additional director general of police (ADGP) of the zone to submit a report regarding the incident.
Hundreds of thousands of Australians will lose $100 a week under changes to the JobKeeper payment which came into effect on Monday.

The government had been providing payments of $1,200 a fortnight to eligible staff members working at least 20 hours a week but that has now decreased to $1,000.

Workers under the 20 hour threshold who were entitled to $750 a fortnight will now receive $650.

This is the second decrease to the JobKeeper payment as the government looks to rein in the scheme's cost, with the first having come into force on September 28.

Changes to the JobKeeper payment in effect from Monday mean eligible workers will now receive $200 less a fortnight (stock image)

Businesses have to prove their GST turnover declined in the December 2020 quarter to be eligible for the wage subsidies, with payments then passed on to employees.

Data from the Australian Taxation Office shows 520,373 businesses were relying on JobKeeper in December, down from 1.036 million at the end of October.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the businesses were employing about 1.6million workers.

'With 734,000 jobs created over the last six months our economic recovery is well underway with fewer businesses and their employees in need of JobKeeper and other temporary economic supports,' he said.

'That said, JobKeeper continues to be an economic lifeline to more than half a million businesses employing around 1.6 million Australians in the December quarter.'

The scheme is planned to end on March 28, six months later than first planned.

The JobKeeper scheme was introduced by the government to keep people in jobs to avoid unemployment spiralling out out control. Pictured, people are seen in long queues outside the Centrelink office in Southport, Gold Coast in March

JOBKEEPER CHANGES From January 4 to March 28: - $1,000 a fortnight for eligible employees working at least 20 hours a week, down from $1,200 - $650 a fortnight for eligible employees working less than 20 hours a week, down from $750 - The scheme is due to end on March 28 Advertisement

Labor's finance spokeswoman Katy Gallagher said the decrease to JobKeeper will have an impact on vulnerable Australians.

'These cuts will reduce critical support from the economy including from small businesses, regional communities and vulnerable Australians at a time of heightened uncertainty and new COVID-19 outbreaks,' she said.

JobKeeper, which was provided as a lifeline to businesses impacted by coronavirus restrictions, is estimated to be costing the government $90billion.

Changes to JobKeeper could be a factor in Prime Minister Scott Morrison calling an early election.

Former Liberal leader John Hewson said he expects an election this year.

'Morrison is in the box seat but if he leaves the election until 2022 then he could face more blame for the economic downside of coronavirus,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'JobKeeper is going to run out, JobSeeker will decrease and businesses will hit the wall so there could be real electoral pain.'

The Morrison government has been pumping billions into the economy, racking up a budget deficit of an estimated $198billion this year - but most of the spending is on short-term, temporary relief.

Meanwhile, changes to JobSeeker took effect from January 1.

JobSeeker recipients were receiving a $250 coronavirus supplement on top of their welfare payments every two weeks since September 25.

The Federal Government shaved the supplement down to $150 on Friday with the scheme flagged to end on March 31.

JobSeeker recipients used to receive a $550 a fortnight coronavirus supplement from April 27 to September 24 before it was reduced to $250.
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Phukets three COVID cases all clear, ready to return home

PHUKET: The 40-year-old Phuket man who tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a big bike event on Koh Lanta, Krabi, last month, will be discharged from hospital tomorrow (Jan 5), the Phuket health chief has confirmed.

COVID-19Coronavirushealth

By Tanyaluk Sakoot

Monday 4 January 2021, 06:03PM

Today is the final day of the mans 14-day quarantine, Dr Thanit Sermkaew, chief of the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO), confirmed to The Phuket News today (Jan 4).

He is in good health. He will leave Vachira Phuket Hospital and return home tomorrow (Jan 5), he said.

The mans two sons, currently Phukets only other recognised cases of COVID-19 infections, are expected to be also discharged from Vachira Phuket Hospital on Thursday, Dr Thanit added.

The two sons are already healthy. Their quarantine will be completed on Jan 6 [Wednesday], so that they will leave Vachira Phuket Hospital on Jan 7, he added.

All three were taken into medical care at Vachira Phuket Hospital after each one tested positive for COVID-19. The father was confirmed as infected on Dec 21, and his two sons tested positive the next day.

All three started to exhibit flu-like symptoms, Dr Thanit reported at the time.

The mans wife and his daughter both tested negative for the virus.

The three confirmed infections sparked a quick closure and cleansing of schools across the island as a precaution against transmission of the disease among children who had come into contact with the two sons.

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew later issued an order allowing schools to re-open at the discretion of each schools director, on the condition that the school submit to the Phuket Communicable Disease Committee a detailed explanation of what precautions will be taken.

Once the father and his two sons have been discharged from hospital, Phukets current official tally of COVID cases will return to zero, confirmed Vachira Phuket Hospital Director Dr Chalermpong Sukontapol.

All of them are healthy, and not showing any further signs of infection. Their lungs have cleared, and there is also no evidence of damage to any of their organs, Dr Chalermpong said.

Dr Chalermpong noted that the only evidence of their infection remains are dead cells still in their systems. These cells are unable to spread, he said.

However, the father and two sons after leaving the hospital will be required to observe another 14-day quarantine at home, Dr Chalermpong explained.

This is a requirement by the CCSA [Centre for COVID Situation Administration], he said.

After all three have been discharged [from hospital], as long as there are no new cases, then Phukets COVID-19 record will return to zero  and I hope we will keep it at zero like this, he said.

Prince Charles and Princess Dianas marriage wasnt exactly a fairytale. The two tied the knot hardly knowing each other, which set the stage for the marriages inevitable failure. Plus, Charles true feelings for Camilla Parker Bowles were not a secret to his wife.

Diana struggled with her mental health throughout the couples marriage, and Charles response to her depression showed their marriages true colors.

Princess Diana and Prince Charles | Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images

Prince Charles and Princess Diana became engaged after 12 dates

Charles and Diana first met when she was 15; Charles had briefly dated her older sister. He was 12 years older than Diana, but upon returning from military duty and learning Camilla had been married, he was becoming desperate to find a wife. He and Diana got along well enough, and it prompted him to start a relationship with her.

Things were always somewhat awkward for the couple, and it was never clear whether they were ever in love. Still, Charles was 30 and needed to settle down, so he proposed to Diana after 12 dates. In her recordings to Andrew Morton, revealed in her biography, Diana: Her True Story  In Her Own Words, Diana revealed that she laughed when Charles proposed, because they both couldnt figure out why this was happening.

Princess Diana and Prince Charles | Anwar Hussein/WireImage

RELATED: Princess Diana Once Revealed She Tried to Cut My Wrists With Razor Blades After Marrying Charles

Charles response to Dianas sobs says everything about their relationship dynamic

Throughout the couples marriage, Dianas mental health took a turn. She struggled to hide her depression from the public, and at the time, the royals werent open about their personal issues. In the eyes of the public, the family had to be perfect. But the facade created so much stress for Diana that it made it impossible for her to handle behind closed doors.

Diana recalled in her recordings that her depression became bad within a few months of marrying; she even had to leave Balmoral early to seek treatment. Still, she refused to take any medication, despite that her doctors advised it. She felt that patience and adapting were all that she needed to overcome her depression.

Things did not improve for Diana, though, and when she cried to Charles, he wouldnt hear it. I felt so desperate, and I was crying my eyes out and he [Charles] said, Im not going to listen. Youre always doing this to me, Diana recalled in her recordings. Charles refusal to hear Dianas words about her depression paint a clear picture that the two did not have a loving marriage.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana | Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images

Diana threw herself down the stairs to get her husbands attention

When Diana was pregnant with William, she was dealing with depression and felt she had nowhere left to turn. In an effort to get Charles attention, Diana recalled that she threw myself down the stairs while pregnant.

Queen Elizabeth was the one to find her, and the queen was absolutely horrified at what Diana had done. Plus, it wasnt enough to get Charles to pay attention. Charles went out riding, and when he came back, you know, it was just dismissal, total dismissal, Diana said.
Edinburgh Airport is closed to inbound flights after a runway froze over.

Freezing temperatures and 'constant' rain and hail forced the suspension of runway operations for the remainder of Sunday night as airport staff make it safe for the first wave of flights tomorrow, a spokesperson told MailOnline.

Flights on their way to the Scottish city will now be diverting to nearby Glasgow, apart from one from London Heathrow, which will be heading back south, reports say.

It comes after the Met Office issued a yellow weather ice warning for parts of eastern Britain, with temperatures near Edinburgh around just 2C.

It comes after the Met Office issued a yellow weather ice warning for parts of eastern Britain, with temperatures near Edinburgh around just 2C

Flights on their way to the Scottish city will now be diverting to nearby Glasgow, apart from one from London Heathrow, which will be heading back south, reports say (pictured: air traffic around Glasgow)

Edinburgh Airport is closed to inbound flights after a runway froze over (file picture, Edinburgh Airport)

Forecasters warned that icy patches could cause 'tricky travel conditions', with icy patches expected on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.

A RyanAir flight from Sofia, meant to arrive in Edinburgh at 11.05pm, was diverted to Glasgow International Airport, according to FlightRadar24, which monitors air traffic.

The site also reveals that a flight from Copenhagen, due in Edinburgh at 11.30pm, has been cancelled.

A spokesperson for Edinburgh Airport told MailOnline: 'Due to freezing temperatures and constant rain/hail fall our runway has frozen over.

'We've had to suspend our runway operations for the remainder of tonight while we work to make it safe for arriving and departing aircraft in the first wave tomorrow.

'The safety of our teams and passengers is our number one priority.'
Looking up: Cattle feed on silage on a farm in Greenanstown, Stamullen, Co Meath. Photo: Damien Eagers

Very few marts operated last week  the norm at this time of year  and the resurgence in Covid cases will probably persuade many to extend their festive break .

However, with full Covid precautions in place and buying restricted to online, David Quinn of Carnew operated safely and successfully last Saturday.

We had a surprisingly large turnout with 250 animals in total: 100 cows, 50 or so young stock, and 100 heavier animals, David said, reporting the trade as strong across the board.

Lighter cull cows sold from 40/hd under to 40/hd over the /kg, with store types making up to 150/hd over their weight, while heavier fleshed continentals sold from 400-500/hd over the weight.

Demand from feedlot buyers meant that suckler-bred Angus bullocks and heifers were very hot, with prices averaging 2.20-2.30/kg.

Among the heavier 700-800kg bullocks competition was also keen, with 900-1,000/hd over the weight common for better continentals.

At the other end of the weight scale, three- to four- week-old continental and Hereford heifer and bull calves sold up to 400/hd.

Looking back at 2020, its broadly accepted that despite Covid and Brexit, the trade overall performed admirably.

Stephen Hannon of Balla mart told me that his figures show that his prices for both weanling heifers and bulls were 35-45/hd stronger than 2019.

He also said the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) has helped suckler farmers in unexpected ways.

Improving the quality of the calf was always a priority, but when it comes time to cull some of those better cows, those farmers are now getting a serious cheque, he said.

Gerry Finnerty of Ennis agreed but added that he sees an ageing farming population as major problem.

However he notes that those now entering the suckler field are computer literate and have a clear idea of how they intend to operate.

Its all about producing top quality for these lads. Smaller numbers maybe but complete quality, he said.

Gerry believes the biggest threat to the suckler farmer comes from the dairy sector.

When you can buy bucket-reared Hereford and Angus dairy calves for 250/hd and then turn them as weanlings or stores, it can be hard to justify keeping a suckler cow

The big story of 2020 in the mart sector was the emergence of online buying as a solution to Covid restrictions.

With buyer access severely curtailed and online selling in its infancy in April, the drop and goes tendering sales system attempted to fill the void.

While it worked to a point, the general consensus was that for mart managers it was a sure recipe for a mental meltdown, as trying to get both sides to agree on price was often difficult and hugely time-consuming.

Overall mart throughput fell by around 50pc during that first lockdown.

Numbers

Within a few months online sales platforms and farmers ability to adapt to the new technology had developed to a point where sales yards were again handling significant numbers, albeit sales took longer as issues arose in relation to who had bought what, while some sellers continued to look for more money.

Marts continued to be the final arbitrator when it came to price. George Candler of Kilkenny told me of one farmer who having decided to go down the private sales route rang him to ask what mart prices were like!

Factory price as always governed the trade. Having fallen back 3.40/kg in April when the entire hospitality sector across the EU closed, it was June before the first signs of recovery emerged as prices rose to 3.50-3.60/kg.

They stayed at this level for five months before demand from a UK supermarket sector nervous about Brexit and Covid raised prices.

By mid-November we were seeing bases as high as 3.70-3.80/kg.

A big help throughout the autumn was the strong demand from Northern buyers, with many sellers of good beef performing better ringside than if theyd gone the factory road.

On the mart side, by the autumn the trade drove forward strongly.

Part of the reason for this was the relaxed access for buyers was relaxed, and the fear among both buyers and sellers that further restrictions due to Covid were not far away

Many marts across the country reported year-end sale numbers either in line with or stronger than 2019.

Given all the difficulties Thomas Potterton of Delvin was one of many who commended the farming community for their ability to adapt to a constantly changing situation and new technologies.

As to what 2021 may bring, Nelius McAuliffe of Dingle urges farmers not to worry: Everything will settle down. Hold your head, there will be better days to come.

Online Editors
Sex and drugs on the syllabus

NSW high school students will be examined on their knowledge and attitudes to drugs, sexuality, relationships, racism, sexism and AIDS next year under a revolutionary new Higher School Certificate course. Developed by the Board of Studies, the new Personal Development, Health and Physical Education syllabus will be introduced to Year 11 students this year and will be examined for the first time in the 1992 HSC.

1,000 flee floods

More than 1,000 residents of Rockhampton were being evacuated last night as floodwater from the Fitzroy River threatened to engulf 130 homes. The river rose past the 1988 flood height of 8.4 metres last night, more than double its normal height of four metres. It is expected to peak tomorrow at 9.4 metres, making it the worst flood in almost 90 years. Heavy rain continued to flow into the Fitzroy River last night.

Madonna under fire

A prominent American Jewish group has demanded that a compact disc by the pop star Madonna be taken off record store shelves, saying some of the words were dangerous, anti-Semitic and could incite hatred against Jews. Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Los Angeles, described one track on Madonna's Justify My Love CD record as"dangerous and an insult to every Jew".
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency advises agencies to update their software under Solarwinds and not let their guard down on Wednesday. It is due to the incident wherein a cyberattack from private sectors have openly exploited and gained access to its source code.

Security Breach Cyberattack Crumbles United States Government

This massive cyberattack in the United States has put the government in compulsion. They are being bombarded with questions about how these attackers have gained access to US computer networks. The suspected Russian hackers are sought to believe that they have made access to thousands of public sectors and US government officials' security.

Russian Embassy released a statement on its social media saying that they do not conduct offensive operations in their domain. And they even added that malicious activities in the information space contradict the principles of the Russian foreign policy, national interests, and their understanding of the embassy's interstate relations on Monday.

And now the government is having a challenging time learning how this breach possibly happened and in what way. Demands for information and answers about this gigantic cyberattack address the Trump administration to handle the fallout. They are considering that there was a lack of transparency on the discovery of the breach. Congressional democrats and the Biden transition team emphasizes this demand to the administration.

Congressional members are trying to understand the emerging details of this fallout. "This hack has a very huge affected area that even country's cybersecurity lead doesn't have a real study yet in terms of the breadth of the intrusion itself," said Stephen Lynch, head of the House of Representatives in The Guardian News. Lynch is part of the oversight and reform committee after a classified briefing was held because of this incident.

Though the officials do not believe that Russia's hackers intruded on classified systems, those that contained sensitive communications and plans still do not have a clear picture of what might have been stolen.

US officials admittedly responded that they are only aware of the breach recently, allegedly roamed to the government, and reached 500 private companies for nine months already.

To help in the situation was the Tech giant Microsoft identifying more than 40 government agencies, including IT companies and think tanks that have not let pass the breach.

As Thomas Bossart said, who was the former homeland security adviser of Trump, the remedy may take years. "Russians does not have the time to gain complete control over every network they hacked; they most certainly did gain it over hundreds of them. IT will take years for the agency to know for sure which networks the Russians control and which ones they just occupy.," statement was written this week in the New York Times.

READ MORE: Hong Kong Activists Face Up to Three Years Jail Time in China Following Attempt to Flee to Taiwan via Boat

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More than 225 Google engineers and other employees announced the creation of a union on Monday, marking the first to be formed at a major technology company.

The announcement comes after years of escalating tensions between staffers and management at the tech giant based in Mountain View, California.

The Alphabet Workers Union, which refers to Googles parent company, registered itself with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), which represents workers in telecommunications and media sectors in the US and Canada.

This union will focus on employee activism in the wake of staffer walk-outs, protests, petitions and criticism over the company's deals with the government, antitrust lawsuits, and handling of sexual misconduct.

More than 225 Google engineers and other employees announced the creation of the Alphabet Workers Union on Monday, marking the first union to be formed at a major technology company

So far among Alphabet's 120,000 workers, 226 Google employees have signed union cards. The group is open to all Alphabet staffers from coders to food servers, bus driver and cleaners, as well as temps, vendors and contractors.

The union will have an elected leadership and members will pay dues.

'For far too long, thousands of us at Google  and other subsidiaries of Alphabet, Googles parent company  have had our workplace concerns dismissed by executives,' Parul Koul and Chewy Shaw, the executive chair and the vice chair of the Alphabet Workers Union, said in a New York Times piece published Monday.

'Our bosses have collaborated with repressive governments around the world. They have developed artificial intelligence technology for use by the Department of Defense and profited from ads by a hate group. They have failed to make the changes necessary to meaningfully address our retention issues with people of color,' they added.

Google workers have a history of collective action and protests against the companys actions.

In 2018, thousands of workers signed a petition to protest Googles contract with the Department of Defense called Project Maven, that would help track individuals captured in drone video footage. Google later conceded and the contract was terminated.

That same year 20,000 workers staged a walkout to protest the companys handling of sexual misconduct and afterwards Google announced it would end its practice of forced arbitration.

That protest came after Google paid tens of millions of dollars to two executives who had been accused of sexual misconduct towards co-workers and stayed quiet about the alleged abuse.

Most recently, Googles management has been slammed for dismissing Timnit Gebru, a top artificial intelligence researcher who was one of the few women of color in the field. Thousands of Google employees signed a petition to protest her dismissal.

She said she was fired for being critical of large-scale AI models and of the company's existing diversity and inclusion efforts.

A view of a Google employee walk out in San Francisco protesting the male-dominated culture at the company and management's handling of sexual misconduct cases on November 1, 2018. One person held a sign that said 'Don't Be Evil', which was Google's old motto

The Google sexual harassment walk out pictured on November 1, 2018 in New York

A Google employee holds a sign that says 'Not Ok Google, #DontBeEvil' during the November 2018 'women's walkout' to protest the company's handling of sexual harassment cases in Mountain View, California

Google employee Coleen Elliot addresses the crowd at the Boulder Colorado Google Campus denouncing how the company handles sexual harassment cases on November 1, 2018

On top of that Google is facing at least three antitrust lawsuits including one filed in October by the Department of Justice alleging the tech giant unlawfully eliminated competition by reaching deals with phone makers Apple and Samsung to be the default search engine on their devices.

The company is facing antitrust issues regarding their dominance in web search, digital advertising and smartphone software.

In 2019, the CWA filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging workers at Google were fired for taking collective action. In December the agency accused Google of illegally firing, interrogating and surveilling activist employees, but Google denied any wrongdoing.

The development of the union was kept secret for about a year and their leaders were elected last month.

'This is historic  the first union at a major tech company by and for all tech workers,' Dylan Baker, a Google software engineer said in a statement.

'We will elect representatives, we will make decisions democratically, we will pay dues, and we will hire skilled organizers to ensure all workers at Google know they can work with us if they actually want to see their company reflect their values,' he added.

Most recently, Googles management has been slammed for dismissing Timnit Gebru, a top artificial intelligence researcher who was one of the few women of color in the field. Thousands of Google employees signed a petition to protest her dismissal. She said she was fired for being critical of large-scale AI models and of the company's existing diversity and inclusion efforts

Koul and Shaw wrote in the Monday article that at Google 'discrimination and harassment continue.'

'Alphabet continues to crack down on those who dare to speak out, and keep workers from speaking on sensitive and publicly important topics, like antitrust and monopoly power... Each time workers organize to demand change, Alphabets executives make token promises, doing the bare minimum in the hopes of placating workers,' they said.

The union says that it will live by the motto Google used to hold  'Dont be evil.'

'Right now, a few wealthy executives define what the company produces and how its workers are treated. This isnt the company we want to work for. We care deeply about what we build and what its used for. We are responsible for the technology we bring into the world. And we recognize that its implications reach far beyond the walls of Alphabet,' Koul and Shaw said.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Google for comment on the formation of the union.
Scientists are stuck in a fierce discussion about a shocking question: is it best to withhold the second doses that everyone needs or to inoculate as many individuals as possible now and push back the second doses until later?

Debating Coronavirus Vaccine Second Dose Release To People

The new strategy to delay the distribution of the vaccine second dose was released by the UK's medicine regulatory or MHRA head last Wednesday. The said strategy will mean that the dosing interval may take 12 weeks instead of giving it within three weeks as prior stipulated. Hereon triggered other doctors in debating.

The debate heats up upon realizing that the number of infected is rising in the United Kingdom. More importantly that a more infectious variant of the virus has added fuel to their dilemma, keeping the UK being held under the strictest restraint to condemn the virus.

Whereas others are still debating, Britain officials have chosen to delay their second dose. Pfizer and AstraZeneca are the leading pharmaceuticals that have to lead the country in giving first doses to its people. The country's priority now is the first jabs of the vaccine as initially proposed by the former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

While the United States, on the other hand, is uncompromising to the idea. Dr. Anthony Fauci decided not to put his favor on this strategy. Debating on the option and earnestly stated in a CNN interview, they will continue what they are doing. He added that the country's supply is getting tight at this time, and there are a significant number of people dying from the covid-19 virus. Keeping the number of deaths in low figures is their top priority now.

Debating on this strategy has gone pragmatic as many doctors have been discussing and are giving their purest view about this. Dr. Eric Topol, a senior US Physician, even tweeted his insights on this area, stating how to spoil phenomenal results in today's most important clinical studies. Other scientists focus on the doses' details, implying that data that will support the second dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca if given after 12 weeks is still useful. At the same time, the result is not the same as the Pfizer vaccine. British officials also said that AstraZeneca's vaccine in the clinical trial was 73 percent effective to the participants 3 weeks after the first dosage is given to them and before the second dose was administered.

The Americans' frustration is also debating in this controversy as only a few got the first dose. Very far from the high number of people expected by the administration to reach.

Researches are also on the lookout for the possible delay of the second dose. If this happens, it would undoubtedly cause disaster, particularly in the United States. They are having an issue with the doses' distribution and not in its number, as Saad Omer of Yale University said. Emphasizing that doubling the number of doses won't help double the number of allocations. Perhaps debating about its release is not the real issue but the distribution.

While Russia is not debating about this but instead showing a different approach to strategy, they are pushing ahead of its potential covid-19 vaccine at a very high level of speed. Together with its main human trial, their mass public vaccinations are more raising concerns to its observers. It gives the message of prioritizing national prestige over its solid science and safety of its people. They, on the other hand, have different debating to do in their fight with the virus.

Every country worldwide also has different kinds of approaches in-dwelling to this virus that is yet to end. And people are only depending and waiting on the government to save them from this killer virus. Researchers are now urging the governments that delaying the vaccine's release second dose may allow the virus to multiply and cause mutation to a mildly protected person.

READ MORE: Hong Kong Activists Face Up to Three Years Jail Time in China Following Attempt to Flee to Taiwan via Boat

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The BBC has slapped a 'discriminatory language' warning on the 1971 Dad's Army film.

The BBC aired the film with the warning that some viewers may find it 'offensive' prompting outraged fans to call for the corporation to 'stop making issues when there aren't any'.

The broadcaster said the warning has, 'has nothing to do with the general content of #DadsArmy, which is a British TV classic,' but said the film, 'includes a specific racially derogatory phrase.'

The warning refers to the archaic term 'fuzzy-wuzzies', used by British soldiers to describe people from the Sudan.

In the film, Clive Dunns character Lance Corporal Jones Joness uses the term fuzzy-wuzzies, to describe the enemies he fought in the Sudan under General Kitchener.

The BBC issued a warning before it aired saying parts of the classic could cause offense.

The BBC has slapped a 'discriminatory language' warning on the 1971 Dad's Army film (pictured)

The BBC aired the film with the warning that some viewers may find it 'offensive' prompting outraged fans to call for the corporation to 'stop making issues when there aren't any'

Viewers who went to watch the film on the BBC's iPlayer had a message pop up reading: 'Contains discriminatory language which some may find offensive.'

Furious fans took to Twitter to vent their frustration.

Gavin Moffitt said: 'A "discriminatory language" warning into the original Dad's Army film on BBC2? What has the world come to?'

The BBC issued a warning before the film (one scene, pictured) played saying parts of the classic could cause offense

Abigail Cobley added: 'BBC 2 introducing the 1971 Dad's Army film as having "discriminatory language". Woah!

'As a massive Dad's Army fan I'd like to know what lines exactly! Stop making issues when there aren't any!'

Another viewer said: 'Before Dad's Army the BBC gave a warning that we may be offended by some of the language and discriminatory terms used!

'Dad's Army is a national treasure whereas the BBC are a national disgrace.'

John Sands wrote:' The BBC put out a warning before the Dad's Army film that it contained discriminatory language that might offend some viewers. I despair!

Another fan added: 'The BBC continuity announcer introduces Dad's Army the movie in most BBC way ever.

'"May contain discriminatory language which some may find offensive."

'You mean like slagging off the Nazis?'

Lee Hodgson added: 'So Dad's Army is now discriminatory? Is this what we pay our licence fee for?'

A BBC spokesperson told The Sun: 'Attitudes have changed significantly and guidance was given due to a specific discriminatory remark.'

Viewers who went to watch the film on the BBC's iPlayer were hit with a warning (pictured) reading: 'Contains discriminatory language which some may find offensive'

Furious viewers took to Twitter to vent their frustration at the inclusion of a warning before the Dad's Army film

The BBC has placed warnings on a string of classic programmes from yesteryear in the wake of the Black Lives Matters movement  including High Hopes, The League Of Gentlemen and The Mighty Boosh.

Last year, the BBC was accused of 'taking political correctness too far' by removing shows like Little Britain and Fawlty Towers from iPlayer over fears of offending modern viewers.

Media minister John Whittingdale said that while some programmes from the 60s are 'wholly unacceptable', ditching comedy classics that were 'still widely enjoyed' was the wrong decision.

Last year, the BBC was accused of 'taking political correctness too far' by removing shows like Little Britain and Fawlty Towers (pictured) from iPlayer over fears of offending modern viewers

In the wake of the BLM movement, the BBC removed episodes of the comedy Little Britain (pictured) from its servers

In the wake of the BLM movement, the BBC removed episodes of the comedy Little Britain from its servers.

Starring David Walliams and Matt Lucas, Little Britain has long been criticised for its portrayal of black and Asian characters by the white comedians, as well as gay characters and those with disabilities.

A BBC spokesman said it had made the decision to remove the show as 'times have changed' since the comedy first aired in 2003.
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P Chidambaram has warned the government of the farmers' wrath as protests continue against new farm laws.

Chidambaram said in a tweet, "My favourite poet Saint Tiruvalluvar wrote 2000 years ago that 'If farmers fold their hands, even a person who has renounced life cannot survive',"

"How true it is today. No government can face the wrath of farmers who believe they are being deceived", he added.





My favourite poet Saint Tiruvalluvar wrote 2000 years ago that If farmers fold their hands, even a person who has renounced life cannot survive



How true it is today. No government can face the wrath of farmers who believe they are being deceived.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 4, 2021

Meanwhile, seventh round of talks between representatives of protesting farmers and the Central government is underway at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi.

Earlier, Chidambaram tweeted "The government must relent and agree to keep the farm laws in abeyance pending its repeal. Any new law must take into account the needs and desires of the farming community."

The government and the farmers' union have come to "mutual consensus" on a few issues some days back. However, two main issues are still on board: repeal of the three agriculture laws and legal status to the minimum support price guarantee. The farmers have warned of holding a tractor rally on Republic Day if their demands are not met.

Also read: Farmers' protests: Seventh round of talks between Centre, union members starts

Also read: Farmer protests: Narendra Tomar, Rajnath Singh discuss govt strategy to end deadlock
ING economists expect a strong global recovery and a weaker dollar this year and the US currency has dipped to fresh 32-month lows on Monday with US equities trading at record highs.

Nevertheless, the bank is more cautious over the near-term outlook with important political and economic risks given a key Senate run-off on Tuesday and monthly employment report on Friday.

ING notes; Whilst there may be much Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) as investors break from the gates on the first major trading day of the New Year, we think a little caution is warranted ahead of one of the first major event risks of 2021.

If equity markets correct weaker, dollar selling is liable to be more restrained, also limiting the potential for further pound-to-dollar gains.

2021 back with a bang  US Georgia senate run-offs on Tuesday

US politics will again be a key focus for markets in the short term with Senate elections in Georgia.

In the November elections, Republican candidates secured first paces in both elections, but failed to secure more than 50% of the vote. According to state rules, there have to be run-offs with a straight fight between the Republican incumbents and Democrat challengers.

Opinion polls suggest a small lead for Democrats candidates Ossoff and Warnock, although many major polling companies have not polled in the state.

President-elect Biden won the state with a very narrow victory and President Trump is still attempting to over-turn the result.

If the Democrats win both seats, there will be a 50-50 tie with Vice President Harris holding the casting vote.

Important implications for fiscal policy

ING summarises the political significance; Should the Democrats win both seats they will have control of the Senate as well as the House, thereby giving Joe Biden the scope to push ahead with a broad package of policies aimed at boosting jobs, investment and green energy in the US economy. Lose in just one and Biden will have to make compromises with Senate Republicans that could stall and limit his agenda.

Bidens ability to pursue his fiscal agenda will have important implications for the US economic recovery and budget deficit.

ING expects that Biden would be cautious in increasing taxes and regulation while the labour market remains fragile.

A strong recovery coupled with benign tax and regulation policies would underpin confidence, but ING points to near-term risks.

Congress is due to confirm Bidens victory on Wednesday and ING notes that any Senate vote to block Bidens confirmation would only lead to delay given that the House would confirm the result.

Nevertheless, ING points to the risk of political protests in Washington and near-term concerns over the economy; Potentially violent scenes at a time when Covid vaccinations are proceeding at a slower than hoped pace coupled with the prospect of weak data through the week will underline the task that President Elect Biden has on his hands.

Softer US labour-market likely on Friday

The latest labour-market data is due on Friday and consensus expectations are for employment growth to stall.

ING notes; There is the very real prospect of a soft US December labour report on Friday with surveys, such as the Homebase report and initial jobless claims, pointing to a possible fall in employment.

So while our medium term outlook remains very positive  even more so than the consensus -we continue to see downside risks in the very near (2-4 month) term that could be somewhat challenging for financial markets.

If risk conditions are more vulnerable, the scope for equity-market gains and dollar selling is liable to be reduced. Such a development would also tend to curb potential pound-to-dollar buying.
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Dormant volcano in Equador. Credit: Alain Volentik

A geosciences team led by the University of South Florida (USF) has developed a new way to reconstruct the sizes of volcanic eruptions that occurred thousands of years ago, creating a first-of-its kind tool that can aid scientists in understanding past explosive eruptions that shaped the earth and improve the way of estimating hazards of future eruptions.

The advanced numerical model the USF team developed allows scientists to reconstruct eruption rates through time by estimating the dimensions of the umbrella clouds that contribute to the accumulation of vast deposits of volcanic ash. The research is published in the new edition of the Nature journal, Communications, Earth and Environment.

The research, which was used to decipher the 2,500-year-old eruption of a volcano in Ecuador, was led by USF doctoral candidate Robert Constantinescu in collaboration with USF colleagues Research Associate Laura Connor, Professor Chuck Connor, Associate Professor Sylvain Charbonnier, doctoral alum Alain Volentik and other members of an international team. USF's Volcanology Group is one of the world's leading centers of volcano science and hazard assessment.

When large explosive eruptions occur, they form laterally spreading umbrella clouds into the stratosphere, facilitating the transport of fine-grained ash over hundreds of miles that settles and covers large swaths of land.

Current technology allows scientists to observe ash clouds. However, past eruptions are characterized based on the geological interpretation of their tephra depositsthe pieces and fragments of rock ejected into the air by an erupting volcano. By estimating the erupted volume and mass, plume height, umbrella cloud dimensions and other characteristics, the scientists are able to understand and characterize the volcanic eruptions, therefore improving the forecast of future events.

Using a series of field techniques combined with statistical and numerical modeling, volcanologists extract information from the deposits in order to characterize and classify an eruption on one of the most commonly used scales, the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI). Until now, the most sought-after information is the eruption column height and the total erupted mass or volume, Constantinescu said.

Numerical model allows scientists to reconstruct eruption rates through time by estimating the dimensions of the umbrella clouds that contribute to the accumulation of vast deposits of volcanic ash. Credit: University of South Florida

But over time, deposits erode and can provide an uncertain picture of older eruptions. Also, current models have been limited in that they assume all volcanic eruptions created mostly vertical plumes, Constantinescu said, and don't account for large explosive eruptions that form laterally spreading umbrella ash clouds.

The USF team's work shows that it is the dimensions of the umbrella clouds that is the telling factor in reconstructing past large explosive eruptions.

"The better we can reconstruct the nature of past eruptions from deposit data, the better we can anticipate potential hazards associated with future explosive eruptions," the team wrote in the new journal article.

The researchers propose updating the VEI scale with the umbrella cloud dimensions, which can now be easily estimated using the mathematical models they've developed.

The researchers applied their model to the tephra deposit of the eruption of Pululagua, a now dormant volcano about 50 miles north of the capital city of Quito. Ecuador is considered one of the world's most hazardous countries for volcanoes. The volcano last erupted an estimated 2,500 years ago and the area is now a geobotanical reserve renowned for its biodiversity and lush green landscape.

There are about 1,500 potentially active volcanoes worldwide, in addition to those that lurk beneath the world's oceans. In 2020, there were at least 67 confirmed eruptions from 63 different volcanoes, according to the Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program."If in modern times the umbrella clouds of large eruptions are easily observed, we now have the ability to estimate the umbrella clouds of past eruptions," Constantinescu said. "Our numerical model enables us to better characterize past volcanic eruptions and inform models for future hazard assessment."

Explore further Magma crystallization makes volcanoes more explosive

More information: Constantinescu, R., Hopulele-Gligor, A., Connor, C.B. et al. The radius of the umbrella cloud helps characterize large explosive volcanic eruptions. Commun Earth Environ 2, 3 (2021). Journal information: Nature Constantinescu, R., Hopulele-Gligor, A., Connor, C.B. et al. The radius of the umbrella cloud helps characterize large explosive volcanic eruptions.2, 3 (2021). doi.org/10.1038/s43247-020-00078-3
Stefanik, Lamborn, Rogers Join Group Planning to Object to Contested Electors

Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), and Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) on Monday announced they will object to contested electors on Jan. 6.

I am acting to protect our Democratic process. Article II and the Twelfth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution make clear that I have an obligation to act on this matter, if I believe there are serious questions with respect to the presidential election. I believe those questions exist, Stefanik said in a video statement.

Tens of millions of Americans are concerned about voting irregularities, unconstitutional overreach by state officials, and a lack of ballot integrity and security, she said.

Tens of thousands of constituents and others reached out to her in recent weeks.

I am committed to restoring the faith of the American people in our electionsthat they are free, fair, secure, and according to the United States Constitution, Stefanik added.

Lamborn said in a statement that he is objecting due to election irregularities. Rogers said there are far too many instances of alleged voter fraud that have called the legitimacy of the election results into question.

According to an Epoch Times tally, there are now 52 challengers to the electoral votes on Jan. 6, when a joint session of Congress convenes to count the votes.

Nine members announced over they were joining the effort, including Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), and Richard Hudson (R-N.C.).

A dozen senators also plan on objecting, including Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.).

The Electoral College Act of 1877 outlines how objections can be made during joint sessions held to count electoral votes. An objection must be in writing and be signed by at least one member of the House and at least one senator. If the objections meet the requirements, they each trigger a withdrawal from the joint session and a two-hour debate, followed by a vote in each chamber. A majority vote in both chambers would uphold an objection.

Democrats tried objecting in 2017 but failed to garner support from any senators, prompting then-Vice President Joe Biden to reject the attempts.

Democrats successfully launched an objection in 2005.

Former Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), the senator who signed that objection, said last week that she doesnt regret what she did but insisted this time around is different because Trump hasnt conceded, in contrast to then-Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.

All we wanted was to focus on voter suppression that we saw in Ohio, she added. Theres no comparison between 2005 and 2021, she said. And maybe this is a moment for people to really look at different ways we can use the laws that we have, she said.
The SF Bay Area and New York City were among the most prevalent out-migration U.S. markets in 2020, according to U-Haul.

In addition to its annual growth states and growth cities rankings and reports, U-Haul considered the potential influence the virus had on self-movers, and looked at regions where overwhelming demand for one-way U-Haul trucks mirrored consistent out-migration.

"While some people were hesitant to move during shelter-in-place mandates, those who moved were doing so out of necessity," U-Haul President John "J.T." Taylor said. "We have been open and available to help all along as an essential service provider. As 2020 went along, we saw that more and more individuals and families recognized they can move safely."

From the time that President Trump declared the pandemic a National Emergency in March, the 30 most populated U.S. cities (based on 2019 Census estimates) all witnessed more U-Haul trucks departing than arriving over the next three months. This indicated customers who were able to move, on the whole, were looking to escape urban cores for less-crowded destinations.

The Bay Area and New York City were among the most prevalent out-migration markets in U.S. during this three-month period  and throughout 2020.

San Francisco was a slight growth city in 2019, with more U-Haul trucks entering the city than leaving it. But in 2020, San Francisco was the epicenter of the Bay Area's exodus. Departures accounted for 58% of all one-way U-Haul traffic from March through June. Limited fleet inventory prevented the numbers from being more lopsided in favor of departures. The ratios in San Jose and Oakland were similar.

For the entire Bay Area, arrivals from March-December 2020 dropped 31% year-over-year, while departures tapered by just 12% from their 2019 pace to create the disparity of more trucks going out than coming in.

Like San Francisco, New York City welcomed more self-movers than it bid farewell in 2019. That migration trend reversed in 2020. Severe stagnation occurred during the shutdown. From March to June, arrivals to the five boroughs plummeted 58% year-over-year, while departures were curbed only by limited fleet inventory as trucks left the city.

From March-December 2020, U-Haul arrivals to New York City were down 35% year-over-year.

LEAVING NEW YORK CITY

Top destination cities for U-Haul customers leaving New York City during the pandemic include Bridgeport, Poughkeepsie and New Haven. Outside the Northeast, the top destination is Chicago in the Midwest and Atlanta in the South.

The top 10 states DIY movers from New York City are migrating to are: New York (outside NYC); New Jersey; Pennsylvania; Connecticut; Massachusetts; Virginia; Maryland; Florida; Rhode Island; and North Carolina.

LEAVING THE BAY AREA

Top destination cities for U-Haul customers leaving the Bay Area during the pandemic include the Sacramento/Roseville corridor, San Diego and Stockton. Outside of California, the top destinations are Reno, Las Vegas, Portland, Phoenix and Seattle.

The top 10 states DIY movers from the Bay Area customers are migrating to are: California (outside the Bay Area); Nevada; Arizona; Oregon; Washington; Colorado; Texas; Utah; Idaho; and New Mexico.

PEOPLE ARE MOVING AGAIN

Self-moves sputtered in April when shutdowns across the country generated uncertainty. But starting in May, one-way U-Haul truck rentals began to rise with each passing month. May is traditionally the start of the summer moving season, with nearly half of all household moves occurring between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.

2020 REBOUND: SELF-MOVES SURGE AFTER U.S. SHUTDOWN

MONTH One-Way U-Haul Truck Rentals in 2020

Compared to the Previous Month March +5% April -21% May +72% June +13% July +15% August +1%

Taylor noted that contactless business options like U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 with built-in social distancing protocols, and enhanced equipment sanitation, reassure customers about using U-Haul. There is also the added appeal to a self-move during the pandemic, minimizing exposure from others during the process of relocating one's family and belongings.

SIGNIFICANT SAMPLE SIZE

Migration trends data is compiled from more than 2 million one-way U-Haul truck-sharing transactions that occur annually. U-Haul is the authority on migration trends thanks to its expansive network that blankets all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces, offering a comprehensive overview of where people are moving like no one else in the industry.

U-Haul, headquartered in Phoenix and celebrating 75 years in business, releases its growth cities and growth states rankings and reports each January to recap the past year. Find those releases and more at myuhaulstory.com.

About U-Haul

Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of 22,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 176,000 trucks, 127,000 trailers and 41,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 774,000 rentable storage units and 66.7 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry, and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S.

Contact:

Jeff Lockridge

Sebastien Reyes

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: 602-760-4941

Website: uhaul.com

SOURCE U-Haul

Related Links

www.uhaul.com


Speaker Nacy Pelosi has been elected speaker by a narrow margin in a US House of Representatives with a diminished Democratic Party majority. Image Source: IANS News

New York, Jan 4 : Speaker Nacy Pelosi has been elected speaker by a narrow margin in a US House of Representatives with a diminished Democratic Party majority.

While she was elected with 216 votes in a 435-member House on Sunday, the fate of the Senate hung in the balance with its future to be decided on Tuesday when Georgia will elect its two Senators.

The Democratic Party's strength in the House had fallen by 13 seats from 235 seats to 222, despite the party's presidential candidate Joe Biden decisively defeating Republican President Donald Trump.

Although there had been murmurings of dissent against the 80-year-old Pelosi, she managed to contain the defections, but none of the dissenters voted for the Republican candidate Kevin McCarthy, who won the vote of all his party members and will remain the House Minority Leader.

Dramatically in a Covid-19 ravaged nation, several members who are quarantined voted from specially constructed booths with plastic protection and not on the floor of the House chamber.

One newly-elected Representative Luke Letlow, a Republican, has died of Covid-19.

In the 100-member Senate, Republicans have 50 seats, while Democrats have 48. If the Democrats win the two Georgia seats, they will control the Senate as Kamala Harris, who will be the Vice President, will have the deciding vote as the chair.

Pelosi, who was the target of repeated attacks by Trump, has outmanoeuvred him several times, notably in the standoff over the budget for last year when she made him back down after a government shutdown. She effectively worked as a powerful antidote to Trump's politics in several areas.

Given the party's loss of 13 seats in last year's election, she will now have to keep the party together behind the centrist Biden as the party's left and progressive flanks assert themselves ideologically.

This will likely by the last term for Pelosi, who is the first woman to hold the speakership and is the most powerful woman in US politics.

Representatives are elected to only two-year terms and the next round of elections will take place next year.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis)
Zimbabwe's government on Saturday imposed a national lockdown following a surge in Covid-19 cases.



Only essential services, such as hospitals, pharmacies and supermarkets will remain operational for the next 30 days.



The government first imposed a nationwide lockdown in March to contain the spread of Covid-19 but had eased most of those measures amid fears of further economic malaise



Vice President and Health minister Constantino Chiwenga told reporters there had been a huge spike in cases over the festive season which almost doubled the number of infections recorded throughout the year.



Gatherings have been reduced to a maximum of 30 people and a curfew is in place from 6 pm to 6 am.



The government says the number of cases recorded over the festive season almost doubled from infections recorded so far this year.



Covid-19 cases doubled in two months from 8374 at the start of November, to 14084 now.



A total of 369 virus-related deaths have been record in the country since the outbreak of the pandemic

Source: Africanews









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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City, volunteers to line Highway 81 with flowers

The City of Watertown Parks and Recreation Department and volunteers will be planting flowers along Highway 81 starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 26.
Dorsey and the officer are both members of a Black male alliance formed in Evanston over the summer to help combat violence and the social inequities that fuel it. The officer texted Dorsey and several other friends on Dec. 23 to ask if they could donate any money or items to the Jacksons, whose belongings all perished in an early morning fire.
New Delhi: A day before the next round of talks with the farmers unions, Union minister of state for agriculture Kailash Choudhary on Sunday expressed hope that a solution will be found at the talks and their agitation over the three agricultural reform laws may end. He also accused the Congress and other Opposition parties of adding fuel to the fire in the agitation that has been continuing for over a month at different borders of Delhi.



Mr Choudhary said: We are talking to farmers who are protesting. We are hopeful that there will be a positive result out of the talks which will be held tomorrow The Congress, AAP and Communists are adding fuel to the fire. They will not succeed. We hope their issues will be resolved and the protests too may end tomorrow.



Despite the heavy rains and biting cold across North India, thousands of farmers continued their protests on Day 37 on Sunday on the Delhi borders. The protesters reiterated if their demands for a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) and repeal of the new laws were not accepted during the seventh round of talks, they will further intensify the agitation from Wednesday.



Congress president Sonia Gandhi, meanwhile, claimed over 50 farmers have lost their lives due to the governments harsh attitude towards the protests. Some have even committed suicide. Neither has their decision moved the Narendra Modi government or any of its ministers, nor have they uttered a word of consolation, she added.



Congress Rahul Gandhi said every farmer-labourer was a satyagrahi and compared their month-long fight against the laws to the Champaran movement during British rule, saying the farmers will take their rights back. He tweeted in Hindi: The country is going to face a Champaran-like tragedy. The British were Company Bahadur back then and now Modi-friends are Company Bahadur  But every farmer-labourer of the movement is a satyagrahi who will take back their rights. The 1917 Champaran satyagraha was led by Mahatma Gandhi and is considered a historic event in Indias independence movement.



Attacking Mrs Gandhi, Mr Choudhary said: In the Congress manifesto, they said they will bring these laws once they come to power. We did the same. These laws give freedom to farmers.



He added: The Narendra Modi government takes decisions in the interests of farmers and stands with them in their problems. Rahul Gandhi is doing politics (on these laws) and is provoking farmers. Why does he forget that he did not go to meet Anna Hazare in 2011 during his government and the way he forced Baba Ramdev to run from a protest site? These people are talking about justice and injustice. The Narendra Modi government stands with farmers to resolve their issues.



After the sixth round of formal talks last Wednesday, the government and farmers unions reached some common ground to resolve the protesting farmers concerns over the hike in power tariff and penalties for stubble burning, but the two sides were deadlocked over the repeal of three farm laws and legal guarantee for MSP.



At the Singhu border, the farmers said they were living on the streets in harsh weather conditions away from their families as they were hopeful that the government would sooner or later accept their demands. Far from shivering and quivering, some protesters were seen bare-chested, raising slogans like Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan.



Sundays continuous downpour also led to waterlogging at some protest venues. Sankyukt Kisan Morcha member Abhimanyu Kohar said farmers have waterproof tents, but these cant protect them from the biting cold and waterlogging. The situation is very bad at the protest sites due to rain which has caused waterlogging. It is so cold after the rains, but the government is not able to see our misery, he said.



Another farmer said there was waterlogging at some places as civic facilities were not up to the mark. However, he asserted that the weather will not dampen the spirit of farmers who have been protesting for over a month. Despite several problems, we will not move from here until our demands are met, he said.



Veerpal Singh, a protesting farmer, said the blankets, clothes and wood were soaked due to waterlogging. We are also facing difficulties cooking food as the rainwater has also soaked firewood. We have an LPG cylinder but not everyone here has it, he added.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will pay a three-day visit to Sri Lanka beginning Tuesday during which he will hold discussions with the Sri Lankan leadership on the entire gamut of bilateral relations.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Jaishankar is travelling to the island nation from December 5 to 7 following an invitation by his Sri Lankan counterpart Dinesh Gunawardena.

"He will hold discussions with his counterpart and Sri Lanka's leadership on the entire gamut of bilateral relations, the MEA said in a statement.

It said it will be the first foreign visit by the external affairs minister in 2021, and also the first by a foreign dignitary to Sri Lanka in the new year.

"As such, it signifies the priority both countries attach to strengthening their close and cordial relations in all spheres of mutual interest," the MEA said.

Jaishankar is visiting Colombo over three months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa held a virtual summit during which the two sides agreed to further expand ties in a range of areas such as anti-terror cooperation, maritime security and trade and investment.

In the talks, India's development partnership in Sri Lanka was discussed and both sides reached an understanding to extend a pact on High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) for a five-year period beginning 2020.

(IMAGE CREDITS:PTI)

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
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The Covid-19 death toll has crossed 400 with the deaths of 18 more people yesterday.

The death toll now stands at 408, with 96 of those occurring in the last seven days alone.

The Ministry of Health reported the deaths in its daily update yesterday evening.
BEIJING, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- A book documenting poverty relief efforts in impoverished Chinese villages visited by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has been published by the People's Publishing House.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, Xi has made inspection trips to the country's 14 contiguous areas of extreme poverty, visiting 24 impoverished villages, to help advance the fight against poverty in these areas.

Consisting of 17 research reports and QR codes directing readers to three episodes of special television features, the book depicts the remarkable achievements and valuable experience of poverty alleviation in these villages under Xi's guidance.

The book is expected to inspire officials and the general public to study and grasp Xi's important thoughts on poverty alleviation, and to forge ahead in the new era.

[ Editor: WPY ]
A couple obsessed with exotic pets keep around 120 snakes and 70 spiders along with hedgehogs, lizards and geckos inside their unassuming semi-detached house.

Geraint Hopkins, 68, and his wife Yolande live with the crazy collection of animals at their home in Llanelli, south Wales.

Amongst the creatures are Burmese pythons, albino pythons, Macklot's pythons, a Mexican red knee tarantula and a salmon pink bird eater - the third-largest tarantula in the world, which can deliver a painful bite.

Snake and skeleton decorations adorn the rooms of their house, which are filled with noises coming from all types of animals.

Mr Hopkins, known as 'Geraint the Snakeman', is well-known in the town and can usually be found wearing his signature hat and zoo ranger shirt.

A couple obsessed with exotic pets keep around 120 snakes and 70 spiders along with hedgehogs, lizards and geckos inside their unassuming semi-detached house. Pictured is Geraint Hopkins with his Macklot's python

Geraint Hopkins, also known as Geraint the Snakeman, pictured at his home in Llanelli, south Wales, where he keeps hundreds of exotic pets

He keeps around 120 snakes and 70 spiders along with hedgehogs, lizards and geckos inside his unassuming semi-detached house in Wales

Mr Hopkins said: 'I started off in the 1980s when the local ambulance station were trying to raise money for defibrillators.

'My friend had snakes so I borrowed one of his snakes and just started off with one snake in Llanelli.

'We started earning quite a lot of money for charity using snakes in shop windows and people donating.'

People from the town centre came to recognise the unusual man with boas and pythons wrapped around his neck and head and he was dubbed as 'Geraint the Snakeman.'

Snake and skeleton decorations adorn the rooms of their house, which are filled with noises coming from all types of animals. Pictured is their cat alongside two bald rats

The pair estimate that they own around 120 different snakes and 70 spiders. Pictured is one of their tarantulas

Geraint Hopkins, aka Geraint the Snakeman, pictured at his home where he keeps hundreds of exotic pets including these two bald rats

Mr Hopkins said: 'It was the Llanelli Star that first called me Geraint the Snakeman and then everyone started to know me as Geraint the Snakeman.

'I started doing more shows and TV programmes and talking to the press and people recognised me.'

But it wasn't until Mr Hopkins met his wife Yolande in Llanelli that their collection of serpents eventually grew.

Mr Hopkins said: 'I started with borrowing a snake from my mate and then, of course, I met Yolande and now we have hundreds of snakes.'

The pair estimate that they own around 120 different snakes and 70 spiders.

It wasn't until Mr Hopkins met his wife Yolande in Llanelli that their collection of serpents eventually grew

Mr Hopkins has been called out to collect snakes by people in the area and even police forces. Pictured is one of his white's tree frogs

It takes two hours each day to clean up after the snakes and costs thousands each year to feed all the animals in the house. Pictured: his Mexican red knee tarantula

Mr Hopkins has cured dozens of people of their snake and spider phobias. Pictured is a Macklot's python

Amongst the creatures are Burmese pythons, albino pythons and red tarantula. Pictured is a Macklot's python

Mr Hopkins keeps hundreds of exotic pets including this Mexican red knee tarantula

Mr Hopkins has been called out to collect snakes by people in the area and even police forces.

If the animals are well enough he keeps and looks after them but discourages people from buying them as pets.

What animals live in Geraint and Yolande's home? Hedgehogs Lizards Geckos Cats Dogs Snakes: Burmese pythons, albino pythons and Macklot's pythons Spiders: Mexican red knee tarantula and a salmon pink bird eater Rats Advertisement

Mr Hopkins said: 'I do shows and educational talks to encourage people not to buy snakes because at the end of the day they are still wild animals.

'You can never really trust a snake - they can often just have a really bad day.

'Snakes are definitely my favourite - people don't realise how amazing they are. They are so intelligent. I just love being around them.'

The couple are both self-taught herpetologists and learned about the skills necessary to handle and look after snakes through various books and documentaries.

It takes two hours each day to clean up after the snakes and costs thousands each year to feed all the animals in the house.

Mr Hopkins said: 'We have to wake up early and feed them all. What a lot of people don't know is how long it takes to clean up after the snakes.

'When I'm not here we have a security man. We have CCTV and security all over the house - it takes a lot of time and effort to look after them all but we love it.'

However he has suffered a few bumps and scratches along the way.

Mr Hopkins said: 'One snake took the top of my thumb off and I get a few scratches and nips. I have been bitten but never by my own snakes.'

His work over the years has seen him brush shoulders with reality TV star Joey Essex and do a show for actor Sir Anthony Hopkins' birthday.

Mr Hopkins has cured dozens of people of their snake and spider phobias but he ranks marrying Yolande as his greatest achievement.

Mr Hopkins (pictured) has suffered a few bumps and scratches along the way and had the top of his thumb taken off by one snake

He keeps hundreds of exotic pets including this white's tree frog which is eating a maggot

Mr Hopkins said: 'Meeting Yolande and marrying her has been my life highlight. And now we've got this place with hundreds of snakes and spiders and lizards - like you can see it's like a zoo here..

'I just love it all and Yolande loves it too - and who wants a boring life anyway?'
Parents are facing chaos over classroom closures as primaries across the country stay shut today despite Boris Johnson insisting 'schools are safe'.

The Prime Minister told families yesterday that children should return to school in all areas where they were due to open today and tomorrow.

But as Covid-19 rates soar, teaching unions said that a 'snowball effect' was shutting scores of schools despite the official advice to stay open.

Mr Johnson said yesterday that he had 'no doubt' that classrooms were safe

Yesterday council leaders in Cumbria, Brighton, Kent, Birmingham and Wolverhampton all formally requested permission for schools in their area to stay shut.

While it waits to hear back from Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, Brighton and Hove City Council has advised all primary heads to shut their schools, apart from for vulnerable children and those of key workers, and to move learning online.

In Southampton the city council warned that some schools 'do not have enough staff to reopen safely to all children', while Slough Borough Council in Berkshire said some primaries would stay closed amid 'confusion across the board' caused by the Department for Education.

Labour MP says sorry to minister over jab 'queue-jumping' claim A Labour shadow health spokesman has issued a grovelling apology for falsely suggesting the vaccine minister had jumped the queue to get a jab. Rosena Allin-Khan admitted it had been 'inappropriate and wrong' to share unverified claims about Nadhim Zahawi. The Labour frontbencher had posted on Twitter that she had heard 'rumours' the Tory minister and his family had been vaccinated in Wandsworth, south-west London. But after it transpired the rumour was untrue, Dr Allin-Khan was reprimanded by the Labour Party, ordered to remove her claims and told to apologise. She tweeted: 'I have deleted my earlier tweets which were inappropriate and wrong. I regret sharing unsubstantiated claims about the minister and I apologise to him and his family.' Mr Zahawi, who is overseeing the vaccine rollout, then replied: 'Thank you for apologising. The accusation was not true. It is sad you chose to act like this, we all need to work together to beat this awful disease.' Advertisement

Councils in Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne all pledged to support heads who needed to close their schools, while Preston City Council's leader said primaries should remain closed 'until they can reopen safely'.

Norfolk County Council also said it would support heads who needed to keep their schools shut.

The chaos has left thousands of parents facing a scramble to find care for their children.

It has worrying parallels with the first education shutdown in March, which was only announced by the Government after many schools had already closed of their own accord. Secondary school pupils in exam years are already due to return a week later than planned, from January 11, while other years are scheduled to go back from January 18.

And all London primaries were ordered to stay shut for the first two weeks of the January term after a U-turn on Friday.

The Government's list of areas where primaries will stay shut also includes parts of Essex, Kent, East Sussex, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.

Now nearly a third of the country  some 17million people  are living in areas where primaries have been told to close by the Government, or where councils have said they will back heads who decide to close their gates. Despite the unfolding chaos, Mr Johnson said yesterday that he had 'no doubt' that classrooms were safe. He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: 'Schools are safe. It is very, very important to stress that.

'The risk to kids, to young people is really very, very small indeed. The risk to staff is very small.'

He added: 'I understand people's frustrations, I understand people's anxieties but there is no doubt in my mind that schools are safe and that education is a priority.'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his plans were insufficient and it was 'inevitable' many would stay closed today.

The unofficial closures came after Britain's biggest teaching union, the National Education Union, called an online meeting attended by 400,000 teachers and supporters where they were told to 'say no' to reopenings.

Boris Johnson said schools that are due to be open will be safe for pupils and teachers due to the procedures in place

Kevin Courtney, its joint general secretary, told teachers who dialled in that they should protest against returning to school  and that this could lead to a 'snowball effect'. Within hours, the message appeared to be having an effect.

By last night, many schools had made the decision not to open, despite being outside the Government's 'contingency framework', which mandates closures, with some citing union advice. The Daily Mail has learned of many schools being forced into 11th-hour decisions in the face of staff shortages. For example, Lea Community Primary School, in Preston, said that 'due to health and safety, a rising increase in transmission and infection rates and following advice of unions' it was unsafe for it to open.

And St Mary's Catholic Primary School, in Birmingham also said 'insufficient staff' was the reason behind its decision to close. All classes would be taught via 'live' lessons delivered online instead.

Bedford Primary School, in Bootle, Merseyside, said it would be shut to pupils, apart from those of key workers, for at least a week 'due to reduced staffing ratios.'

Advice for pupils heading to school in Islington before it became one of the London boroughs to switch to home learning

Salford mayor Paul Dennett wrote to Mr Williamson last night saying he wanted face-to-face learning to be looked at again. He said he would 'support any Salford school leader who assesses that it is not safe to open their school'.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Mr Williamson gave no indication he was considering widening school closures. 'The safety of teachers and pupils will always be paramount, but we must all move heaven and earth to get children back to the classroom where they best thrive,' he wrote.

I RUN A BUSINESS - AND HELP MY SON

Rachel Allen, 40, is a single mother to Lewis, seven, and runs a social media consultancy from her home in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. Her area is in Tier Four, with latest data showing a new case rate of 739 per 100,000 in the week to December 28.

Rachel Allen, 40, is a single mother to Lewis, seven, (pictured together) and runs a social media consultancy from her Tier 4 home in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. She says: 'As a self-employed single parent trying to maintain a business that was decimated at the start of lockdown, school is a lifeline for me'

She says: 'As a self-employed single parent trying to maintain a business that was decimated at the start of lockdown, school is a lifeline for me. It gives me the space to concentrate on maintaining an income, while Lewis can be in the classroom with friends getting the education he needs.

'I don't qualify for any support and I don't have any savings to fall back on so I have to keep the business running and fit that around providing some kind of education for my son, who is in Year Three.

'As the first lockdown started... my existing business was almost annihilated overnight. Thankfully I was able to hold on, but I must have dropped 10,000 this year and to say that it has been a hard slog would be an understatement  there have been times where I have felt like my head was in a pressure cooker.

'Despite that, we came up with our routine: fitting my work around gaps to help Lewis with his work, and then I picked up an NHS contract which meant I was a key worker and he could go back to school in June. But now it's back to home school.

'I'm very fortunate that Lewis's dad lives nearby and is very helpful and involved. When the schools closed last time, we took it in turns taking Lewis and we will do the same again this time, but both he and his partner work full-time too.

'Luckily, Lewis is very adaptable and takes everything in his stride, but I do worry about how all this will impact him long term. Obviously I don't want my son's education to suffer, but I have to prepare myself for the fact that it probably will.

'As a single parent, and a self-employed one at that, we are resilient  I simply have to knuckle down and get on with it.'

THE KIDS WANT TO RETURN TO LESSONS

Ella Brucher, 35, a self-employed cleaner, has two children, Scarlet, six, and Dominic, ten, with her husband, Nicholas, 40, a company director. They live in Purley, near Croydon in south London, which is in Tier Four and has a case rate of 835.5 per 100,000 residents:

'Having taken time off for the Christmas holidays, I was expecting to go back to work this week. But Wednesday evening's announcement has changed all that.

Ella Brucher, 35, a self-employed cleaner, has two children, Scarlet, six, and Dominic, ten, (pictured together) in Purley which is in Tier 4. Ms Brucher said: 'After not being able to work at all for three months earlier in the year, it's very difficult  and more than that, it's hard for the children, too. They want to be back at school.'

'After not being able to work at all for three months earlier in the year, it's very difficult  and more than that, it's hard for the children, too.

'They want to be back at school, they miss being able to socialise  and with not being able to meet friends outside of school, the classroom was the only place they got that important interaction.

'My son plays computer games and talks with friends over headphones, he has his lessons, he is sensible and can work on his own, but he's missing interaction with the teacher that he can only get at school, and this is his last year of primary school.

'It's very hard for my little girl, she has missed half of Year One and refused to do any home learning  and now here we are again.

'I think the impact of this will be felt for years to come.

'As for me, I would have been working for five days, but now I'm going to have to fit as much as I can into two days so that I can be there to look after the children and support them with their schoolwork.

'I will have to let some of my clients down. I'm just thankful that those who have children and are in the same position will understand.

'My husband has been able to keep working from home, but he has to go into work one to two days a week, so we simply have no choice.

'I just hope that in two weeks they will be able to go back.'

Will exams be scrapped AGAIN this summer?

Boris Johnson has refused to rule out cancelling exams this summer after headteachers called for them to scrapped.

The Prime Minister has come under pressure to axe GCSEs and A-Levels because so many children have missed out on schooling since the pandemic began.

Secondary schools have been ordered to close for the first two weeks of term to suppress Covid  particularly the new, faster-spreading variant  and there are fears the shutdown could last until February.

Headteachers have warned of huge inequality in the system, with some pupils left to face the summer exams less prepared than others. Asked yesterday on The Andrew Marr Show on BBC1 whether exams should be cancelled, the Prime Minister declined to rule the idea out, adding: 'We've got to be realistic about the pace at which this new variant has spread, we've got to be realistic about the impact it's having on our NHS, and we've got to be humble in the face of this virus.'

No exams took place last summer, with GSCE and A-level grades based on teacher assessments.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson insists national exams must go ahead this summer, even though Scotland and Wales have abandoned them.

PM's vow to cut 'absurd' red tape thwarting vaccination volunteers The Prime Minister has ordered the removal of absurd red tape putting off former health workers from signing up as vaccination volunteers. Health chiefs are recruiting an army of helpers to ramp up vaccination levels. But retired doctors and nurses who applied were told to produce 21 documents, including proof they had been on courses to combat racism and terrorism. They also had to prove they had competence in fire safety, conflict resolution, human rights and data security. They branded the system ridiculous and impossible, while doctors leaders demanded a rethink. Boris Johnson said ministers planned to simplify the process, adding: Its absurd. The Health Secretary is taking steps to get rid of that pointless bureaucracy. Advertisement

But former education secretary Lord Baker told The Sunday Times that teachers should be allowed to grade their students instead.

He said teachers should take into account the number of days missed, adding: 'They are better than algorithms and they are the only people who can possibly assess the achievement of their students in this extraordinary time.'

More than 2,000 headteachers from the campaign group WorthLess? insist health should not be put at risk simply to protect exam timetables. They added: 'Wider public health, pupil and staff safety should be prioritised ahead of examinations. Public safety should not be risked or driven by an inflexible pursuit of GCSE and A-Levels.'

One of its leaders, Jules White, head of Tanbridge House School in Horsham, West Sussex, told The Sunday Times there was 'great scepticism that exams can go ahead fairly'.

Recommending teacher assessments for final grades instead, the group said it would be more unfair on pupils in areas hit harder by the pandemic to go ahead with exams.

But Anne Longfield, the Children's Commissioner for England, said: 'Most children I talk to want exams to continue, but clearly they need to be fair.'

An expert panel is due to report to the Education Secretary with recommendation for making exams fair for children across England.

There are concerns about how to take into account the hidden disadvantages for children whose access to remote learning is poor.

Matt Hood, principal of Oak National Academy, which was commissioned by the Government to produce online lessons, said one million children had been forced to use their parents' mobile phones to study because they did not own a phone or laptop.

The Department for Education said there was no plan to cancel exams.


By Moses Ndhaye

The NRM presidential candidate President Yoweri Museveni is set to campaign again in some districts as the polling day nears.

The party secretary General Justine Kasule Lumumba says the president will go back in the districts of Kisoro, Kasanda, Yumbe and Maracha districts where he will be meeting several leaders as he winds-up his campaigns.

Museveni was due to campaign in districts like Mukono, Wakiso and Kampala which were blacklisted by the electoral commission over surging covid19 numbers.

Lumumba says they are currently working the electoral commission to grant them permission to have their candidate go back and carry out the campaigns.

They are also working out a harmonisation plan to avoid clashes.
Chinese oil majors may be next in line for delisting in the US after the New York Stock Exchange said last week it would remove the Asian nation's three biggest telecom companies.

China's largest offshore oil producer CNOOC (China National Offshore Oil Corporation) could be most at risk as it's on the Pentagon's list of companies it says are owned or controlled by Chinese military, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Henik Fung. PetroChina and China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation, also known as Sinopec, may also be under threat as the energy sector is crucial to China's military, he said.

A cyclist passes by oil wells at sunset at Sinopec's Shengli Oil Field in China's Shandong Province June 26, 2003. Oil refiners and traders in Asia may have shipped as much as 500,000 metric tons of gasoil, or diesel, in a month to South America and the U.S., where rising demand for the fuel is helping to sap excess supplies from the Asian region. Photographer: Kevin Lee / Bloomberg News man on bike / bicycle Credit:Kevin Lee

"More Chinese companies could get delisted in the US and the oil majors could come as the next wave," said Steven Leung, executive director at UOB Kay Hian in Hong Kong. At the same time, the impact of removing the telecom firms is probably minimal as they were thinly-traded in the US and they haven't raised much funds there, he said.

The NYSE said it would delist the telecom operators to comply with a US executive order imposing restrictions on companies identified as affiliated with the Chinese military. China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom Hong Kong would all be suspended from trading between January 7 and January 11, and proceedings to delist them have started, the exchange said.
While we've been grounded for most of this year, new travel experiences have launched around the world that we'll be checking out as soon we get the green light to travel. Here are some fabulous, box-fresh destinations to add to your wish list.

1. On your bike in Paris

Cycling has increased in popularity during the pandemic, but a picturesque new bike route from Paris to the sea seems a far more interesting challenge than pedalling around our own 5km. La Seine a Velo is a 420km-long route from Paris to Le Havre and Deauville in Normandy, taking in nature, cathedrals and chateaux en route. A dedicated website provides guides to the different stages and information on accommodation, food and service providers. It also gives a heads-up on delicious gastronomic discoveries and the must-see sites along the route, including Claude Monet's house and garden in Giverny.

www.laseineavelo.fr

2. Rock out at The Albion Rooms

Bored with your own four walls, you might enjoy hanging in a brand-new English hotel owned by rock band, The Libertines. Set in a five-storey Victorian building overlooking the sea, The Albion Rooms is a boutique hotel in the seaside town of Margate. Its boldly elegant and glamorous rooms are named after people like poets Emily Dickinson and William Blake, and it has a coffee shop, two bars and a recording studio. It may appeal to those whose creative muse needs stimulating, as the band's colourful frontman, Pete Doherty, describes it as a "perfect place for prophets new inspired, to recline, write, record - with rejoicing and knees up aplenty".

Rooms from 114 (128) per night, www.thealbionrooms.live

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3. Cruise to the Floating City

If you'd love to take to the high seas but the prospect of going on a cruise with thousands of people unnerves you, a new ship that holds a maximum of 126 passengers may solve that dilemma. The lobby of the SS Venezia has been designed to resemble Venice in the 1930s, and its decor of Murano glass, decadent wallpaper and gilded accents pays homage to the Venetian style of the early 20th century. Among the itineraries on offer in 2021 is the 10-day Milan, Venice and the Gems of Northern Italy cruise, aimed at romantics, connoisseurs of food and wine and lovers of art and architecture.

Rates start at 3,199 pp, www.uniworld.com

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4. Marvel at the monarch's masterpieces

If you've binge-watched the latest season of The Crown, a new royal exhibition might help to ease the withdrawal symptoms from the drama. Those planning a trip to London in 2021 may like to pencil in a visit to The Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace to see an exhibition of 65 paintings from Her Maj's collection. Art lovers can revel in works like Rembrandt's 'The Shipbuilder and his Wife', Rubens' 'Self-Portrait', Vermeer's 'Lady at the Virginals with a Gentleman' and Titian's 'Madonna and Child with Tobias and the Angel'.

Masterpieces from Buckingham Castle runs until January 2022 (check for Covid restrictions) Adults, 16 (17.83), www.rct.uk

5. Chill out at the Arctic Bath

Spa aficionados will love the Arctic Bath in Swedish Lapland, which floats on the Lule River during milder months and sits on the ice in winter when the water freezes. The spa is built in a circular shape and has a giant ice bath in the middle, as well as saunas, treatment rooms and baths. The hotel has individual rooms, some of which are situated on the lake and connected to the shore by a floating walkway. While stays are on the spendy side, guests may spot the Northern Lights while relaxing, and can enjoy the midnight sun during the summer months thanks to the new wellness attraction's position above the Arctic Circle.

www.arcticbath.se

6. Be heard at Project Word

Language-lovers may want to pencil in a trip to Planet Word in Washington, DC, which celebrates the power of words. The museum was founded by former teacher Ann Friedman to explore how signed, spoken, written or sung language connects us and shapes our most significant moments. Housed in the Franklin School, it's the world's first voice-activated museum and contains 11 immersive galleries. The Spoken Word gallery examines the diversity of languages, and visitors can meet speakers and signers from all over the world who introduce them to what's unique about their own language. If the idea of reciting iconic speeches such as Martin Luther King, Jr's "I Have a Dream" appeals to you, head to the Lend Me Your Ears exhibit, where you can deliver it using a teleprompter.

Free, donations welcome, www.planetwordmuseum.org

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7. Suspend belief at Tranendreef

Fancy a Belgian camping adventure with a difference? Guests at Tranendreef stay in teardrop-shaped tents suspended from trees in a forest in Borgloon, Limburg, which are accessed via ladders. The tents have windows and contain a mattress, bench and ledges for storage. Breakfast is also available to guests, if required. The tents were originally built as an art installation by Dutch visual artist Dre Wapenaar, and travellers can stay in them from April 1 until September 30.

From 70, www.visitlimburg.be

8. Could you Bear it?

We've weathered several lockdowns, but if you truly want to test your survival skills, check out the Bear Grylls Explorers Camp in the United Arab Emirates. The camp is located in Jebel Jais, an ideal location for challenging adventurers thanks to its stunning mountainous terrain. The programmes have been designed by Bear himself, and developed from his survival experiences, dynamic methods and techniques. Guests will learn a combination of basic and extreme survival skills, and will receive practical instruction on remote medical trauma treatment, navigation techniques and extreme weather survival. Handy when you come back and want to climb the Sugarloaf!

Prices from AED450 (104) pp for the half-day survival experience, www.beargryllscamp.ae

9. Tackle the track

With outdoor activities being a safer option for the foreseeable, New Zealand's newest Great Walk is expected to attract visitors to the west coast of the country. There are now 10 Great Walks, which pass through native forests, lakes and rivers, rugged mountain peaks, deep gorges and vast valleys. They're all accessible from major towns and accommodation in huts is offered. Designed for both mountain-bikers and walkers, the 55km Paparoa Track runs from Blackball on the east to Punakaiki on the western side of the Paparoa Range, with breathtaking views along the way.

www.newzealand-indepth.co.uk

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10. Be made up in Manhattan

If you revel in Chanel, you may want to head to the world's first museum dedicated to makeup. The Makeup Museum opened in September in New York and celebrates beauty culture. As well as exhibiting legendary makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin's personal journals, it has opened with 'Pink Jungle: 1950s Makeup in America'. This exhibition focuses on beauty products and imagery from the decade considered to herald the birth of the modern cosmetics industry. There are beautiful installations, such as the museum's tribute to Max Factor and never-before-seen skincare artefacts from Marilyn Monroe, Greta Garbo and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

Adults $40, www.makeupmuseum.com

By Jeff Tittel

New Jersey experienced its second-hottest summer on record last year, the hurricane activity in the Atlantic is setting new records nearly every week and the American West suffered a devastating fire season.

Climate change is here and it is an urgent crisis. In the absence of federal leadership, Gov. Phil Murphy and his administration have pledged to make New Jersey more resilient against future storms, floods, and sea-level rise, but a key question remains unaddressed: who will pay for it?

The answer cannot simply be the people of New Jersey, who are already trying to stay afloat in the face of multiple calamities. Instead, the costs of climate change and adaptation should be the responsibility of those who caused the problem: the multibillion-dollar fossil fuel industry. Last year, the City of Hoboken and two neighboring coastal states  Connecticut and Delaware  have taken legal action to hold these companies accountable for their role in the climate crisis. Its time that New Jersey joins them.

Corrupt oil and gas companies like Exxon, Chevron and Shell have known for decades that the very thing that made them rich  burning fossil fuels  would warm the planet and bring disaster. As far back as 1977, Exxons senior scientist told executives that there was general scientific agreement on the issue.

But as journalists, whistleblowers, and a growing number of lawsuits across the country have exposed, the fossil fuel industry refused to change, doubled down on products that caused climate change and spent millions on deceptive propaganda campaigns meant to confuse the public about climate science and to greenwash their corporate malfeasance.

During these critical decades, people in New Jersey suffered through one extreme weather event after another  from Superstorm Sandy to floods, heatwaves, and more  that climate change has made more intense and likely.

In recent weeks, there has been unprecedented momentum in the growing nationwide fight to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for this deception.

On Sept. 2, Hoboken became the first locality in New Jersey to sue major players in the oil and gas industry for what Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla called a decades-long campaign of misinformation related to climate change and its devastating impact on Hoboken. One week later, Charleston, South Carolina, became the first city in the South to file suit against the industry. Instead of warning us, they covered up the truth and turned our flooding problems into their profits, said Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg. The next day, Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced a statewide lawsuit seeking damages from 31 oil and gas companies. On Sept. 14, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong sued ExxonMobil for violating the states consumer protection law.

There are now 23 states and localities bringing cases to hold fossil fuel accountable for defrauding the public about climate change. Governor Murphy and Attorney General Grewal should add New Jersey to the list.

The reason why is straightforward: New Jersey is one of the most vulnerable states in the nation, and Big Oil, not taxpayers, should pay to clean up the mess they made.

New Jersey has always supported the Polluter Pay Principle and is a Public Trust Doctrine state. This means polluters not only have to clean up their mess, they are liable for what they have done and must pay damages for the loss of natural resources. In New Jersey, Big Oil has caused serious damage to our environment and natural resources when it comes to climate change. This state must hold them accountable and responsible.

Governor Murphy has pushed for comprehensive environmental justice legislation to protect Black, brown, and low-income communities that have become a dumping ground for Big Oil and have been hard hit by climate change.

A successful outcome in a lawsuit seeking damages from Big Oil for its climate change deception, while years away, could provide much-needed funds for New Jersey to reinvest in the front lines communities that the Murphy administration has sought to help survive the climate crisis.

These lawsuits are not the solution to climate change. But courts have an important role to play when it comes to ensuring justice, holding bad actors accountable, and deciding who should pay for damages companies knew their products would cause.

We are staring down a crisis at our shores, and taxpayers are once again footing the bill for damage to our roads, our beaches, our environment, and our economy, AG Jennings said when announcing Delawares lawsuit. ExxonMobil made billions of dollars during its decades-long campaign of deception that continues today, said Connecticut AG Tong. Connecticuts citizens should not have to bear the expense of fortifying our infrastructure to adapt to the very real consequences of climate change.

Neither should the people of New Jersey. Big Oil knew and lied about causing climate change. New Jersey should make them pay their fair share of the damages.

Jeff Tittel is the director of the NJ Sierra Club.

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The Sunday Morning host of the longest-running Sunday morning news T.V. show had been under constant attack by viewers for "walking the line" and never quite pointing out the lies, criminality, sedition, and possible treason President Trump has been delivering to the American people after being elected in 2016.

The host of Meet the Press on Sunday finally seemed to have enough. In a ruckus interview on Sunday, he accused Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson of hypocrisy, double standards, and working to undermine faith in our country's most valuable principle, democracy.

Todd attacked Johnson for joining a GOP effort to challenge the certification of Joe Biden's presidential election victory on January 6, 2021, without any evidence. Instead of addressing the President's extensive history of lying, deceiving, violating one law after another, Johnson instead went into full what-about defending his and President Trump's dishonesty.

Sen. Ron Johnson's defense was so off the wall that it frustrated Chuck Todd so much he asked Johnson

"How about the moon landing? Are you going to hold hearings on that?"

Johnson, along with at least 11 other sitting or newly elected senators, including Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri, has said they'll resist President-elect Joe Biden's certification in a joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021. At this point, 140 Republican House Republicans members of the House of Representatives are also planning to overturn the election results.

Todd pointing out that fears that the election result was somehow rigged were nothing more than the feedback being generated by President Trump and his sycophant's baseless and nonstop repetition of alleged fraud without a shred of evidence, became so enraged; accused Johnson

"Youre the arsonist here, President Trump is the arsonist here. You started this fire, and now youre saying, whoa, look at this, oh my god, all these people believe what we told them because you didnt have the guts to tell the truth, that this election was fair.

Sen. Johnson, in response, accused the mainstream media of working to overthrow Trump throughout his administration

This fire was started back in, you know, January of 2017.

Both Todd and Johnson told each other theyve had enough of those arguments but then rapidly circled back to them. Johnson was choosing to ignore President Trump's reckless, illegal behavior and the strong evidence presented by the Mueller investigation that accused Trump of 10 instances of obstruction of justice.

Todd said Sen. Johnson had spent

The last two years are carrying a lot of crazy conspiracy water for President Trump.

Todd asked Johnson if efforts to fight the certification of the Electoral College results were nothing more than a cynical political ploy in hopes of holding on to Trumps base in Wisconsin to win re-election in 2022, knowing full well Trumps accusations amount to a giant continuous lie.

Johnson said, before citing a completely unverified, unproven, and preposterous election-fraud allegation from Nevada

Im trying to be transparent.

Todd responded by pointing out theres absolutely no proof of the Nevada individuals accusation scolded the Senator saying

Just because you have somebody say it didnt make it true.

You got to ask yourself when you tell people a million times that something was stolen or something was a fraud, and then they believe it; I think you need to look in the mirror.

Johnson, who has no evidence to back up any of Trumps fraud conspiracy allegations in the 2020 election, could do nothing but pound the table returning to the sickening repeated and baseless attack on the media

I didnt criticize Democrats when they were talking about potential hacking of voting machines, but now it is quackery and conspiracy theory. Ignoring the fact that Presidents own head of cybersecurity for the 2020 election; called this the most secure election ever held.

Sen. Johnsons then returned the baseless deflection used by Trump and his cronies

Thats the problem, Chuck. There is a double standard, and were not being transparent and dismissing the concerns of tens of millions of Americans. Again, I didnt light this fire. This fire was lit over four years ago, and you have destroyed the credibility of the news media by your bias.

The New York Post, literally described by President Trump as the first newspaper he reads every day bombarded him and his sycophant supporters on December 27, 2020, with the following editorial comments which expose the election fraud argument as a farce

Unfortunately, youre obsessed with the next day, January 6, when Congress will, in a pro forma action, certify the Electoral College vote. You have tweeted that, as long as Republicans have courage, they can overturn the results and give you four more years in office.

In other words, youre cheering for an undemocratic coup.

You had every right to investigate the election. But lets be clear: Those efforts have found nothing. To take just two examples: Your campaign paid $3 million for a recount in two Wisconsin counties, and you lost by 87 more votes. Georgia did two recounts of the state, each time affirming Bidens win. These ballots were counted by hand, which alone debunks the claims of a Venezuelan vote-manipulating Kraken conspiracy.

Sidney Powell is a crazy person. Michael Flynn suggesting martial law is tantamount to treason. It is shameful.

We understand, Mr. President, that youre angry that you lost. But to continue down this road is ruinous. We offer this as a newspaper that endorsed you, that supported you: If you want to cement your influence, even set the stage for a future return, you must channel your fury into something more productive.

Of course, Trump is focused on raising hundreds of millions of dollars for a dark Political Action Committee that he will use for his personal use legally. In truth, he is amidst one of the biggest political scams in U.S. history.

Senator Johnson will face the reality that many lies about the 2020 election and the Trump administration are heading full steam ahead into a megaphone problem in 2021. Many social media platforms will likely drop President Trump and many of his sycophants who have been lying for the last four years with little interruption and policing.

The ability to magnify Trumps lies will not only be kneecapped after January 20, 2021s inauguration of President Trump. Especially if he finds his business and or himself indicted by Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance, who will now have access to all of his business records he has been seeking.

Unless Trump is pardoned by Vice President Pence in a last-ditch maneuver, his title is going to change from President to Defendant.

Trump Moves Toward Defendant Status in N.Y.

Keith Olbermann is being very direct and is telling it like it is. Those who support the challenge to President-elect Biden violate Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

They have given aid to the enemies of the constitution of the United States.
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Boris Johnson today prepared to shut all classrooms until next month after teaching unions and headteachers united en masse in revolt after the PM insisted schools are Covid safe.

All of Britain's teaching unions today called for classroom teaching to be 'paused' until staff are vaccinated. In a joint statement the leaders of the GMB, NAHT, NASUWT, NEU, UNISON and Unite unions have said they want 'an immediate nationwide move to remote education for all pupils in primary, secondary and special schools and colleges'.

On a visit to a London hospital to see the rollout of the new Oxford University/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, Mr Johnson hinted that secondaries may shut for longer when closures are reviewed before January 18 - and insisted the risk to teachers from Covid was no greater than to anyone else working during the pandemic.

'We will have to look very hard at what we do with secondary schools later in the month. Closing primary schools is, for all of us, a last resort. That's why we are looking at everything else we can possibly do to avoid that. I would stress schools are safe and the risk to kids is very, very small', he said.

The Prime Minister added: 'The risk to teachers, and of course we will do everything we can to protect teachers, but the risk to teachers is no greater than it is to anyone else. The reasons for wanting to keep schools open I think are very, very powerful.'

Hours later it emerged that Mr Johnson is set to unveil a brutal new national lockdown tonight in a desperate bid to keep the mutant coronavirus at bay while vaccines are rolled out.

All schools in London are closed today along with the majority of Covid-19 hotspots in Essex, Kent, East Sussex, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire after a Department for Education diktat last week. But headteachers told to remain open in areas such as in Surrey, Gloucestershire, Newcastle, Norfolk, Liverpool, County Durham, West Sussex, Sheffield, Wolverhampton, Leeds and Lancashire have shut down anyway.

There is growing rumours that the Government will soon cave in and close all schools in yet another embarrassing U-turn for Education Secretary Gavin Williamson as the NEU union said that 6,000 primary schools still open today have been told formally by staff that it is 'unsafe' to come into work, leaving parents with an anxious wait to hear if their school will be next to shut.

Closing schools will consign millions of children to 'sub-standard' online learning experts say can 'set back' children years, especially those from working class families while Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman has warned schools not to 'furlough' children by shutting down again.

Parents took to social media this morning describing their anxiety at trying to care for their children at home at the 11th hour while trying to hold down a full time job with many slamming the decision by schools to close unilaterally as 'staggering'.

Northfield St Nicholas Primary Academy in Lowestoft, Suffolk, announced it was closing on Facebook with parent Rebecca Kane venting: 'Nice finding this out via a friend at 8.30pm.... no email or text to let us know. CAN'T say I'm surprised.'

Other parents in all parts of the country said they are fearful for their children because for many homeschooling in the first lockdown last year amounted to 'here do your times tables' and 'no actual teaching'.

The chaos in schools came as:

Boris Johnson is set to unveil a brutal new national lockdown tonight in a desperate bid to keep the mutant coronavirus at bay while vaccines are rolled out - after the UK racked up another record high cases;

82-year-old dialysis patient becomes first Briton to get Oxford's Covid jab as Mr Hancock hails 'pivotal moment' in war on virus;

Coronavirus vaccines could be ineffective against the highly-infectious South African mutation, a scientist who helped develop the Oxford jab has warned;

Britain yesterday recorded a further 54,990 coronavirus cases in 24 hours - marking the sixth day in a row that daily infections exceeded 50,000;

The number of beds occupied by Covid patients increased by the equivalent of '12 full hospitals' in the eight days from Christmas, NHS figures show;

Boris Johnson (pictured today at Chase Farm Hospital in north London) says he had had 'no doubt' that classrooms were safe but many headteachers have ignored him and closed anyway leading to the PM hinting he may now shut secondaries into February

Children enter Manor Park School and Nursery in Knutsford, Cheshire, as schools across England return after the Christmas break - but unions are demanding that all schools are closed immediately

Euan Stanton, a year 7 pupil at a secondary school in Ashford, Kent, studies at home as many schools switch to online learning from today for at least a fortnight

John Murphy CEO of Oasis Community Learning unboxes COVID-19 testing kits and rubber gloves at Oasis Academy Coulsdon, south London today. Every secondary school and college will receive 1,000 testing kits in the post today with students expected to swab themselves under supervision when they return

Schoolchildren make their way to primary school in Leeds (left) and Cheshire (right) - but millions of children are now at home for at least a fortnight

Naomi Carpenter, a 20-year-old sports rehab student at Hull University, takes a swab for a lateral flow Covid-19 test at the campus sports facilities as students return to the university

The area in red is where the Government ordered all schools to shut. The areas in pink are where headteachers have shut down anyway

Schools announced they were shutting at the 11th hour - leaving parents irate and often hearing the news second hand

Official figures show there had been a further 54,990 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, up 80 per cent from last week's case figure of 30,501, while the number of deaths had increased by 43 per cent from last Sunday to 454

Where have schools been shut down in England until January 18? Shut by Government London All 32 boroughs Essex Brentwood Epping Forest Castle Point Basildon Rochford Harlow Chelmsford Braintree Maldon Southend on Sea Thurrock Kent Dartford Gravesham Sevenoaks Medway Ashford Maidstone Tonbridge and Malling Tunbridge Wells Swale East Sussex Hastings Rother Brighton Buckinghamshire Milton Keynes Hertfordshire Watford Broxbourne Hertsmere Three Rivers Shut by headteachers Remainder of Essex Slough Surrey Cheltenham Newcastle Leicester Norfolk Portsmouth Liverpool Buckinghamshire County Durham West Sussex Sheffield Cumbria Bedford Bristol High Wycombe Eastbourne Wolverhampton Leeds Lancashire Advertisement

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: 'The Government's own advice from Sage makes it clear that opening schools to all pupils now risks increasing the infection rate. That's in no-one's interests.

'Instead of creating chaos for parents and exposing workers to risks, the Prime Minister should be talking to trade unions about what steps are needed to make sure all schools are Covid-secure.'

NASUWT general secretary Dr Patrick Roach called for a move to remote learning for all pupils nationwide.

He said: 'The NASUWT is completely committed to ensuring that children can return to school as quickly as possible.

'However, it is now abundantly clear that the pandemic is seriously impacting on the ability of all schools and colleges to continue to operate normally.

'The NASUWT is calling for an immediate nationwide move to remote education for all pupils in primary, secondary and special schools and colleges.'

The Prime Minister told families yesterday that children should return to school in all areas where they were due to open today and tomorrow. But as Covid-19 rates soar, teaching unions said that a 'snowball effect' was shutting scores of schools despite the official advice to stay open.

One mother said she finds it 'staggering' that her child's primary school will not be opening on Tuesday, and said she wants the school listening to scientists rather than unions.

The woman, who does not want to be named, received an email from the headteacher of Anlaby Primary School in East Yorkshire on Sunday afternoon advising that pupils should not come back to school on Tuesday.

She told Hull Live that online home learning is 'not good enough', adding: 'I find it staggering how the school is choosing not to take government advice - I am really not bothered about what their union thinks.

'I take my advice from the government scientists who are saying it's safe for children to return to school and so should the school.

'There was no teaching it was just 'here do your times tables' and there was no actual teaching, which created massive amounts of stress in the household as I not only had to teach my child, but I had to work as well.'

Childminder Juliet Voisey wrote online: 'More notice is required. I am a self-employed childminder. I haven't applied for the grant from the government for this period as I am due to open next week. There's a deadline to apply for the grant.'

One parent, who asked to remain anonymous, said she would not be sending her children to school due to her coronavirus safety concerns.

As she has severe asthma, the woman told the PA news agency she could not risk her children bringing the virus home, so would be teaching them herself.

She said: 'We have all managed to avoid catching Covid so far, but with this new strain, I don't think it's safe at all.

'We should never have been taken out of lockdown over the summer. The economy will recover in time, but people's lives won't. And you can't run an economy with the dead, can you?

'Human life is far more important than shops and restaurants opening.

'How can schools be safe if the Houses of Parliament are not safe?'

Some parents have expressed their concern about sending their children back to school in an area where Covid infection rates are rising fast.

Children in Sunbury on Thames, Surrey, returned as normal while less than three miles away in London borough of Richmond all primary schools remained closed, despite having a lower infection rate.

At the school gates of St Ignatius Catholic Primary School in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne anxious parents dropped their children at the school gates.

'My daughter was excited to go back in year two, but I do have my concerns' said Fernando Jardin.

'All the schools in neighbouring London boroughs are closed but the schools here in Sunbury are open.

The infection rate in our borough of Spelthorne is similar to that in Richmond.

'Not sure how one school can stay open while others are closed'

Francesca Yaite admitted to having mixed feelings about sending her daughter back to school after the Christmas break.

She said: 'If am honest I have been worrying about this day.

'The school has been fantastic, but as a parent you have concerns but I do agree with keeping them open . It is so beneficial for the children'

Sophie Symes, a year 7 pupil at Knutsford Academy in Cheshire, studies at home as many schools switch to online learning

Boris Johnson visits Chase Farm Hospital and greets a pensioner given the Covid-19 vaccine as he faces growing pressure to shut schools and impose a new national lockdown

Three miles away in the Hampton every school was closed. It was the same picture in neighbouring London borough of Hounslow.

PM refuses to rule out cancelling exams Boris Johnson has refused to rule out cancelling GCSE and A-Level exams this year. Asked about the possibility, the PM said: 'We've got to be realistic, we've got to be realistic about the pace of which this new variant has spread 'We've got to be realistic about the impact that it's having on our NHS and we've got to be humble in the face of this virus.' Advertisement

While primary schools were closed on the orders of the Education Secretary Secondary schools are not due back until next week with a staggered start for students.

Latest data shows the borough of Richmond has an infection rate of 550 per 100,000 people while in Spelthorne the rate is at 669 per 1000,000.

A mum waving goodbye to her daughter at St Ignatius said she thought the Government should have closed all schools.

'It doesn't make sense than two adjoining boroughs have different policies' said the mum of two who asked not to be named.

'The virus doesn't stop at boundaries. People are goi g about their daily lives so the virus can easily transmit'

A dad who held his five year old son's hand as he walked him to the school gates said he had agonised over the weekend whether to send his son back to the classroom.

'My son only started in September and he lives it' said the dad.

'He wants to be with his friends. They are kept in a bubble in school but with this new variant there is much more to worry about.

'If the government do a sudden U-turn and the deadline is passed for the grant I'm then out of pocket. I don't want to claim money if I'm able to work.'

Conservative former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has called for the closure of schools and borders and a ban on household mixing 'right away' as he warned that the pressures facing hospitals are 'off-the-scale worse' than previous winter crises.

The chairman of the Commons Health and Social Care Committee wrote on Twitter: 'Time to act: thread on why we need to close schools, borders, and ban all household mixing RIGHT AWAY.

'To those arguing winter is always like this in the NHS: you are wrong. I faced four serious winter crises as Health Sec and the situation now is off-the-scale worse than any of those.

'It's true that we often had to cancel elective care in Jan to protect emergency care but that too is under severe pressure with record trolley waits for the very sickest patients.

'Even more worryingly fewer heart attack patients appear to be presenting in ICUs, perhaps because they are not dialling 999 when they need to.

'Full credit to NHS for keeping cancer services open but in Wave 1 there was still a 2/3 drop in cancer appts: people didn't come forward to GPs or want to go to hospitals, with many potentially avoidable cancer deaths. We hoped to avoid that this time but now looking unlikely.'

Schoolchildren walk to school on the first day of a new term in Tier 4 Manchester today

Rachel Allen, 40, is a single mother to Lewis, seven, (pictured together) and runs a social media consultancy from her Tier 4 home in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. She says: 'As a self-employed single parent trying to maintain a business that was decimated at the start of lockdown, school is a lifeline for me'. Ella Brucher, 35, a self-employed cleaner, has two children, Scarlet, six, and Dominic, ten, (pictured together) in Purley which is in Tier 4. Ms Brucher said: 'After not being able to work at all for three months earlier in the year, it's very difficult  and more than that, it's hard for the children, too. They want to be back at school.'

Parents shared their stories of being told of school closures at the very last minute

Pinehurst Primary School in Anfield, Liverpool this morning, which announced that they will not be opening as planned this week

Defiant primary head: I won't shut my school A primary school head teacher in Tier 4 today told how he had defied calls to keep the doors shut and welcomed back children following the Christmas break. Hethersett Primary School (pictured today) is one of just a handful of primaries in Norfolk to go back, with more than 110 others remaining closed, according to the county council, which has left the decision up to head teachers. Head Matthew Parslow-Williams spoke of the 'horrible' situation parents face with conflicting information from politicians and unions as they struggle to combine work with childcare. 'It wasn't an easy decision to take,' he told MailOnline, 'We had to close the school two weeks early before Christmas because of a covid outbreak which hit seven out of our 10 bubbles. 'The unions are calling for schools to stay closed, but our staff made up their own minds and we took advice and weighed things up and decided we can to provide a safe environment to teach the children and decided to open. 'I'm a parent of two myself and my wife is shielding, so I fully understand people's concerns. It's a horrible dilemma for parents right now as the rates are going up. 'But we are taking stringent precautions to minimise the risk, and it's very important that children get their education.' Asked whether he thought schools would be likely to remain open, he said: 'The Prime Minister sounded as if complete closure might be a possibility, and we will obviously have to switch to home learning if that's the case.' Covid rates in South Norfolk, where Hethersett is, are the worst in the county, with 410 cases per 100,000 people in the latest figures, which is slightly under the national average of 450, but has soared from 244 per thousand the previous week. Parents arriving at the school today were full of praise for the way their children's school have handled things during the pandemic. Mother-of-two Danielle Gilbert, 31 who is a GP, said the school had been 'brilliant' in keeping her informed. 'I have no qualms about letting my son go to school today,' she said. Her son James, four is in reception at the school. 'I think it's been confusing for parents with the mixed messages they are receiving nationally,' she said 'and I think parents, especially those who are working, need more than a day's notice to be told whether schools are going to be open or shut.' Mrs Gilbert, 31, whose husband is also a doctor, arrived at school with her 18-month older daughter Lily on the back of her bicycle and James on his own bike. 'James is loving school and he would have been very disappointed not to come in today,' she said. 'I wouldn't be surprised if all schools are closed soon under a more widespread lockdown, but the school is very good about home educating, so I'm confident they'll handle it well.' Hethersett Primary School parents Pauline and Tim Booth, who both work for Sainsbury's, were happy to see their seven-year-old son Brad go to school this morning. 'He's been looking forward to it and wants to see his mates again, especially after the extra-long Christmas break,' said Tim, 40. 'The school has kept us informed and we got a lot of assistance when we were doing home learning during the first lockdown,' said 42-year-old Pauline. 'But you never know for sure if it's all going in, so in the classroom is definitely preferable. My parents live nearby and although we were able to see them on Christmas Day, we've not seen much of them otherwise.' Mum-of-two Melissa Rollison, a 41-year-old HR manager said she was pleased that her nine-year-old daughter was going back to school. 'I've got a son of 11 who's at high school, so he's still off, and I'm working from home. I'm confident that the school will handle things well, whether it's in-school or home-learning, as we had before. 'They were able to give me a lot of help when we were doing that, but obviously it's better when she's actually in school.' Advertisement

Dianna Nicholas, 35 a stay at home mum from Castle Bromwich, Birmingham with two children at Firs Academy, aged five and six, said: 'Both my children have got learning difficulties so routine and structure is very important for them.

'They have looked forward to going back to school for the whole of the last week.

'For them the interaction with friends and getting up in the morning and coming home, the whole thing, I think they need it.

'There's been so much uncertainty with everything taken away from us over the last year.

'It's unfair on the children and on us as parents. I think they need a bit of normality.

'Their education is very important because both of mine have got autism and global development delay and getting them to where they need to be is very important.'

Jahangir Ahmed, 51, from Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, who has one eight-year-old son in Year 3, said: 'Most parents aren't happy sending their children to school after the new coronavirus strain started.

'It's spreading so fast and I heard in London one of the school children who died was only eight.

'This school has said Year 4 and 6 are not supposed to come in because of Covid.

'I don't understand this - apparently this coronavirus cannot attack Years 4 and 6?

'What about the others, what is going to happen to them?

'I have met so many parents who have said they don't have any choice because if they don't send their child to school they will start being fined.

'I know that parents are not happy. I also think that every single parent you ask will say the same, didn't they have enough dying last time from coronavirus?

'And now it's going to start having a go at the children.

'We are not happy, we want our children to be educated but their life is more important than anything.

'If they are not going to live then what can they do with their education?

'I want them to make their minds up. If they want to send the children in, send them all, not just some. Or just shut the doors.'

Kuntaea You, 37, who is unemployed and from Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, has two sons aged ten and nine. She said: 'Some people are saying it's not safe but the school is open so we have to send our children to school today.

'I'm okay with my children going into school but only one of my sons has gone in today.

'He's ten and in Year 5 but my other son he's nine and hasn't gone into school as he's in Year 4 and they have not gone in.

'I'm a bit unsure on it all but happy for my children to go into school today.'

Mum-of-four Athena Davidson, 35, a care assistant from Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, said: 'If the government doesn't shut the country down and do what they are supposed to do then the schools have got to remain open.

'But I think the government should just do a full lockdown as this makes it more difficult for parents that go to work.

'Because if the kids go in and someone from their class or a teacher has Covid then they have got to isolate for two weeks.

'But then that parent has got to take time off of work so I don't think the government is considering the people.

'I think they are just all in it for themselves.

'I have got four children and one on the way and have two in school. One is aged nine in Year 5, and I have a five-year-old in reception.

'I just think the government needs to just sort it out. They should just lock the country down again if that is what is needed.'

Leader of Kent County Council Roger Gough urged Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to keep all primary schools in the county closed, saying it is 'very hard to justify' letting some schools open while others are closed.

Primary school pupils in Thanet, Canterbury, Dover and Folkestone and Hythe are expected to return on Monday while the other districts in Kent will learn remotely for the first two weeks of term.

Yesterday council leaders in Cumbria, Brighton, Birmingham and Wolverhampton all formally requested permission for schools in their area to stay shut.

While it waits to hear back from Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, Brighton and Hove City Council has advised all primary heads to shut their schools, apart from for vulnerable children and those of key workers, and to move learning online.

In Southampton the city council warned that some schools 'do not have enough staff to reopen safely to all children', while Slough Borough Council said some primaries would stay closed amid 'confusion across the board' caused by the Department for Education.

Boris Johnson says harsher Covid lockdown IS coming despite Tory fury at warnings it will need to last MONTHS to combat 'out of control' mutant strain  with vaccines only hope of escape Boris Johnson gives a thumbs up as he has his temperature checked during a visit to Chase Farm Hospital in north London today, with the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine launching Boris Johnson today confirmed that tougher coronavirus lockdown is coming amid hints the whole of England will be under Tier 4 within days - and enforcement could be hardened. The PM put Britons on notice that stronger restrictions will be needed for months, despite the optimism sparked by the first Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine doses being administered. Speaking during a visit to Chase Farm Hospital in north London, Mr Johnson warned of 'tough tough' weeks to come. He added: 'If you look at the numbers there's no question we will have to take tougher measures and we will be announcing those in due course.' Earlier Mr Hancock responded to demands from Labour and scientists for a national lockdown by saying all options are on the table. But he suggested the first step will be to escalate even more of the country into the harshest restrictions, saying Tier 3 did not seem able to hold back the more infectious version of the deadly disease. Advertisement

A headteacher in Berkshire has told parents not to send their children to school tomorrow amid soaring cases of the more-infectious Covid variant - despite assurances from Boris Johnson that schools are 'safe'.

Slough headteacher Gil Denham said she can't 'guarantee that pupils or staff will not be exposed to the virus' if they return on Monday and parents should only send their children in if they feel the risk is not 'too high'.

Most primaries in England are expected to re-open their doors tomorrow, while secondary schools will reopen on a staggered basis later this month with a weekly-testing scheme.

But in a series of embarrassing blows to Gavin Williamson's plans, councils across the country are defying Government orders and demanding their primaries continue to teach remotely as the new Covid mutation wreaks havoc.

Britain yesterday recorded a further 54,990 coronavirus cases in 24 hours - marking the sixth day in a row that daily infections exceeded 50,000.

Cumbria, Brighton, Kent, Birmingham and Wolverhampton have asked the Department for Education for permission to keep primaries closed tomorrow, demanding learning be delivered remotely.

In the mean time, Brighton and Hove City Council has ordered primary schools in the area to shut, while several schools in Wolverhampton, Derbyshire, Merseyside and Nottinghamshire have also refused to open.

And yesterday afternoon, Essex County Council ordered all schools in the only three districts earmarked by the Government for reopening to move to online learning only.

Leader of Kent County Council Roger Gough urged Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to keep all primary schools in the county closed, saying it is 'very hard to justify' letting some schools open while others are closed.

Primary school pupils in Thanet, Canterbury, Dover and Folkestone and Hythe are expected to return on Monday while the other districts in Kent will learn remotely for the first two weeks of term.

Yesterday council leaders in Cumbria, Brighton, Birmingham and Wolverhampton all formally requested permission for schools in their area to stay shut.

While it waits to hear back from Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, Brighton and Hove City Council has advised all primary heads to shut their schools, apart from for vulnerable children and those of key workers, and to move learning online.

In Southampton the city council warned that some schools 'do not have enough staff to reopen safely to all children', while Slough Borough Council said some primaries would stay closed amid 'confusion across the board' caused by the Department for Education.

Tony Blair: 'Step change' in vaccines is the only way to save schools Tony Blair urged the government to target five million vaccinations a week - saying it was hard to see how schools could stay open otherwise. The former PM told Times Radio: 'If I was the prime minister right now I would be saying to the team in Downing Street, 'I need you to give me a plan to get this up to five million (vaccinations) a week'. 'Provided we've got the vaccine available and we should have them available. I mean AstraZeneca will, not this week or next week but the week after, be able to get up to two million doses a week, that's just AstraZeneca. 'They could probably do more if they knew that the system was capable of absorbing the amount of vaccines that they would produce. 'You should get clearance for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the end of January, that's when they complete their trials and then we should be able to get that on stream as well in February.' Mr Blair said a 'step change' in the vaccination programme was the only real prospect of keeping children in schools. He said: 'On the one hand, it's a disaster for school children, particularly poorest school children if they're not getting educated. 'But it's also completely understandable that teachers and parents say, not because they think their children the risk to children is very, very small, it's the risk to transmission rates and it's the risk to teachers and parents, and therefore to those that their parents mix with. 'So for all of those reasons, it just emphasises yet again why it's so important to get vaccination under way.' Advertisement

Colchester, Tendring and Uttlesford have been told to open classrooms on Monday - but the council has now written to Mr Williamson demanding 'urgent clarity' over whether they should still do so as infections continue to soar.

Ms Denham - headteacher of the Marish Academy Trust which operates two primary schools in Slough - wrote a letter to parents saying they can keep their children at home if they feel it is safer, Berkshire Live reports.

The letter read: 'As a parent and grandparent myself, if I feel that the risk of my child or someone else in my family contracting Covid-19 is too high, if they attend school from Monday, I would keep them at home.

'It may be that this is the decision some of you come to for your own families.'

She stressed that online teaching will be available to parents who refuse to send their children in.

She added: 'Neither I, or any other school leader in Slough can guarantee that pupils or staff will not be exposed to the virus in school or on the way to or from school, when our experience has already shown us that Covid-19 can easily spread through a community.'

Slough Borough Council later said it will allow individual schools to make the call about whether or not to open.

Norfolk, Greater Manchester and Southampton have also allowed schools to make their own decisions about sending pupils back.

Their defiance came as the Prime Minister today told parents that it was 'safe to send their children back but refused to rule out a full shutdown to control the mutant coronavirus strain - as Keir Starmer demanded a new national lockdown within 24 hours.

Now nearly a third of the country  some 17million people  are living in areas where primaries have been told to close by the Government, or where councils have said they will back heads who decide to close their gates. Despite the unfolding chaos, Mr Johnson said yesterday that he had 'no doubt' that classrooms were safe. He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: 'Schools are safe. It is very, very important to stress that.

'The risk to kids, to young people is really very, very small indeed. The risk to staff is very small.'

He added: 'I understand people's frustrations, I understand people's anxieties but there is no doubt in my mind that schools are safe and that education is a priority.'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his plans were insufficient and it was 'inevitable' many would stay closed today.

Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said school closures should be kept to the 'absolute minimum' as Education Secretary Gavin Williamson urges teachers and parents to 'move heaven and earth', adding the young must not 'bear the heaviest cost' of the pandemic

Scotland faces new lockdown: Nicola Sturgeon expected to announce another national shutdown TODAY Nicola Sturgeon is expected to announce tougher coronavirus restrictions for Scotland today in a move which could see schools closed until the middle of February. The SNP leader will meet with senior ministers this morning to agree new curbs before then delivering an urgent statement to a recalled Scottish Parliament this afternoon. All of mainland Scotland is already placed in the highest tier of Covid-19 rules but Ms Sturgeon is due to further strengthen the measures amid a 'rapid increase' in infections. Yesterday Scotland announced 2,464 new cases of the disease, with the latest figures for hospital admissions and deaths not due until Tuesday. It is thought Ms Sturgeon's further crackdown will effectively amount to another national lockdown, potentially lasting until the spring. The planned reopening of Scottish schools on January 18 is widely expected to be pushed back, with reports suggesting they could be told to stay shut until the middle of next month. A tougher stay-at-home message is also thought to be under consideration as well as a tightening of rules around meeting other households. Ms Sturgeon's announcement will be closely watched by Downing Street and is likely to prompt speculation that England could soon be forced to follow a similar path. Advertisement

The unofficial closures came after Britain's biggest teaching union, the National Education Union, called an online meeting attended by 400,000 teachers and supporters where they were told to 'say no' to reopenings.

Kevin Courtney, its joint general secretary, told teachers who dialled in that they should protest against returning to school  and that this could lead to a 'snowball effect'. Within hours, the message appeared to be having an effect.

By last night, many schools had made the decision not to open, despite being outside the Government's 'contingency framework', which mandates closures, with some citing union advice.

The Daily Mail has learned of many schools being forced into 11th-hour decisions in the face of staff shortages. For example, Lea Community Primary School, in Preston, said that 'due to health and safety, a rising increase in transmission and infection rates and following advice of unions' it was unsafe for it to open.

And St Mary's Catholic Primary School, in Birmingham also said 'insufficient staff' was the reason behind its decision to close. All classes would be taught via 'live' lessons delivered online instead.

Bedford Primary School, in Bootle, Merseyside, said it would be shut to pupils, apart from those of key workers, for at least a week 'due to reduced staffing ratios.'

Salford mayor Paul Dennett wrote to Mr Williamson last night saying he wanted face-to-face learning to be looked at again.

He said he would 'support any Salford school leader who assesses that it is not safe to open their school'.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Mr Williamson gave no indication he was considering widening school closures.

'The safety of teachers and pupils will always be paramount, but we must all move heaven and earth to get children back to the classroom where they best thrive,' he wrote.

Dozens of parents arrived at Perry Court E-ACT Academy in Hengrove, Bristol, which was open to reception, Year three and Year six pupils, as well as vulnerable children and those of key workers.

Law firm worker Lisa, 37, took her four-year-old son Brennon in.

She said: 'In terms of primary schools staying open I'm absolutely fine because they've got lower numbers.

University College London tells students NOT to return to campus until as late as the end of MARCH Students at University College London (UCL) have been not to come back onto campus until the end of February at the earliest. Bosses at the central London institution fear the number of cases in the capital is rising rapidly and their partner hospitals are 'at or beyond their capacity'. All teaching and meetings will be moved online except for students taking courses in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and teacher training. In a letter setting out the changes, UCL's provost Professor Michael Arthur said he believed it would be unlikely that case rates would 'reduce sufficiently to allow students to return to campus', hinting the closure could be extended into March. University College London The move goes against government advice for students to return to university at the end of January. Only days ago, Michelle Donelan, the universities minister for England, said the government was planning 'to allow a staggered returnfrom the week commencing 25 January, at the earliest'. But, she added the situation 'continues to evolve', which could potentially mean even more time out of lectures and tutorials, except for those studying priority subjects like medicine. In the statement, UCL said it wanted to be 'honest and transparent' about its decision to remain closed. It said: 'Our current and most realistic assessment is that it is unlikely that case rates will have reduced sufficiently to allow students to return to campus before at least mid-February, and quite possibly the end of March. 'We will therefore be moving all teaching and other face-to-face, in-person activities online from the start of term until the end of reading week. There will be no in-person teaching on campus until Monday 22 February, at the earliest.' It added: 'We are aware that this is later than the government is advising but we believe this is the most responsible course of action in this complex situation.' Advertisement

'Secondary school is different. But in Primary schools - groups have been segregated going back now.

'I would be annoyed if the primary school had to close - whether they should be closed or not I'm not sure.

'I'm working from home so my work has been brilliant with having kids at home.

'It's easier for me but for others it's not, it's really difficult, I can imagine their struggles.'

Victoria, 37, who works in finance and accompanied by her son Oliver, aged four, said: 'I'm very happy with kids going back to school, I agree.

'I believe when teachers stay at home during these situations - they're on furlough, being paid - I'm being paid for my job.

'I'm not paid to be a teacher and I don't have special education to teach my child.

'I don't have knowledge of how to teach my child correctly.

'I'm doing my best, but being in quarantine was a nightmare for me. I had to juggle between being a mum, doing my job and teaching my child - It's hard.

'So I believe the best solution would be that home learning shouldn't just be homework, it's not the same thing.

'If we do have home learning teachers should provide 100% online classes.

'So then my job is to take my child in front of his computer at the right time and make sure he sits there and listens.

'The rest should be their responsibility because i think basic education is for free in this country, I pay my taxes to have this right.

'I shouldn't have to be a mummy, a teacher and carry on with my own job, unless I was being paid extra.'

Unemployed Shirelle, 29, mother to 11-year-old Keira, said: 'I have four kids at home and only one can return today.

'She has to go because she's in year six, she's preparing for her SATs.

'But ideally it's not safe enough for them to go home. I think a full shutdown needs to be done.

'This makes me anxious. We have a vulnerable child at home as well, but education is important and for as long as the schools open I have to send them otherwise I'll get fined.

'I would probably home school them until this was all over. It's not very safe, we don't feel safe.'

Unemployed Hollie, 35, mother to five-year-old Zeus, said: 'I've got seven children so Zeus is the only one out of the seven coming back.

'He was kept home from school before Christmas due to having to isolate.

'My personal opinion is that I'd rather have them all home where I know they're going to be safe.

'But then again I know the school takes the measures to keep the children safe and keeps us up to date with any confirmed cases.

'So as much as I would rather have him home with the others I do feel safe knowing that the school is taking the relevant steps and precautions.

'I think they're education is important but obviously so is our health and their safety. I'd rather have all my children home safe with me until this has all passed.'

I RUN A BUSINESS - AND HELP MY SON

Rachel Allen, 40, is a single mother to Lewis, seven, (pictured together) and runs a social media consultancy from her Tier 4 home in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. She says: 'As a self-employed single parent trying to maintain a business that was decimated at the start of lockdown, school is a lifeline for me'

Rachel Allen, 40, is a single mother to Lewis, seven, and runs a social media consultancy from her home in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. Her area is in Tier Four, with latest data showing a new case rate of 739 per 100,000 in the week to December 28.

She says: 'As a self-employed single parent trying to maintain a business that was decimated at the start of lockdown, school is a lifeline for me. It gives me the space to concentrate on maintaining an income, while Lewis can be in the classroom with friends getting the education he needs.

'I don't qualify for any support and I don't have any savings to fall back on so I have to keep the business running and fit that around providing some kind of education for my son, who is in Year Three.

'As the first lockdown started... my existing business was almost annihilated overnight. Thankfully I was able to hold on, but I must have dropped 10,000 this year and to say that it has been a hard slog would be an understatement  there have been times where I have felt like my head was in a pressure cooker.

'Despite that, we came up with our routine: fitting my work around gaps to help Lewis with his work, and then I picked up an NHS contract which meant I was a key worker and he could go back to school in June. But now it's back to home school.

'I'm very fortunate that Lewis's dad lives nearby and is very helpful and involved. When the schools closed last time, we took it in turns taking Lewis and we will do the same again this time, but both he and his partner work full-time too.

'Luckily, Lewis is very adaptable and takes everything in his stride, but I do worry about how all this will impact him long term. Obviously I don't want my son's education to suffer, but I have to prepare myself for the fact that it probably will.

'As a single parent, and a self-employed one at that, we are resilient  I simply have to knuckle down and get on with it.'

THE KIDS WANT TO RETURN TO LESSONS

Ella Brucher, 35, a self-employed cleaner, has two children, Scarlet, six, and Dominic, ten, (pictured together) in Purley which is in Tier 4. Ms Brucher said: 'After not being able to work at all for three months earlier in the year, it's very difficult  and more than that, it's hard for the children, too. They want to be back at school.'

Ella Brucher, 35, a self-employed cleaner, has two children, Scarlet, six, and Dominic, ten, with her husband, Nicholas, 40, a company director. They live in Purley, near Croydon in south London, which is in Tier Four and has a case rate of 835.5 per 100,000 residents:

'Having taken time off for the Christmas holidays, I was expecting to go back to work this week. But Wednesday evening's announcement has changed all that.

'After not being able to work at all for three months earlier in the year, it's very difficult  and more than that, it's hard for the children, too.

'They want to be back at school, they miss being able to socialise  and with not being able to meet friends outside of school, the classroom was the only place they got that important interaction.

'My son plays computer games and talks with friends over headphones, he has his lessons, he is sensible and can work on his own, but he's missing interaction with the teacher that he can only get at school, and this is his last year of primary school.

'It's very hard for my little girl, she has missed half of Year One and refused to do any home learning  and now here we are again.

'I think the impact of this will be felt for years to come.

'As for me, I would have been working for five days, but now I'm going to have to fit as much as I can into two days so that I can be there to look after the children and support them with their schoolwork.

'I will have to let some of my clients down. I'm just thankful that those who have children and are in the same position will understand.

'My husband has been able to keep working from home, but he has to go into work one to two days a week, so we simply have no choice.

'I just hope that in two weeks they will be able to go back.'

Will exams be scrapped AGAIN this summer?

Boris Johnson has refused to rule out cancelling exams this summer after headteachers called for them to scrapped.

The Prime Minister has come under pressure to axe GCSEs and A-Levels because so many children have missed out on schooling since the pandemic began.

Secondary schools have been ordered to close for the first two weeks of term to suppress Covid  particularly the new, faster-spreading variant  and there are fears the shutdown could last until February.

Headteachers have warned of huge inequality in the system, with some pupils left to face the summer exams less prepared than others. Asked yesterday on The Andrew Marr Show on BBC1 whether exams should be cancelled, the Prime Minister declined to rule the idea out, adding: 'We've got to be realistic about the pace at which this new variant has spread, we've got to be realistic about the impact it's having on our NHS, and we've got to be humble in the face of this virus.'

No exams took place last summer, with GSCE and A-level grades based on teacher assessments.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson insists national exams must go ahead this summer, even though Scotland and Wales have abandoned them.

PM's vow to cut 'absurd' red tape thwarting vaccination volunteers The Prime Minister has ordered the removal of 'absurd' red tape putting off former health workers from signing up as vaccination volunteers. Health chiefs are recruiting an army of helpers to ramp up vaccination levels. But retired doctors and nurses who applied were told to produce 21 documents, including proof they had been on courses to combat racism and terrorism. They also had to prove they had competence in fire safety, conflict resolution, human rights and data security. They branded the system 'ridiculous' and 'impossible', while doctors' leaders demanded a rethink. Boris Johnson said ministers planned to simplify the process, adding: 'It's absurd. The Health Secretary is taking steps to get rid of that pointless bureaucracy.' Advertisement

But former education secretary Lord Baker told The Sunday Times that teachers should be allowed to grade their students instead.

He said teachers should take into account the number of days missed, adding: 'They are better than algorithms and they are the only people who can possibly assess the achievement of their students in this extraordinary time.'

More than 2,000 headteachers from the campaign group WorthLess? insist health should not be put at risk simply to protect exam timetables. They added: 'Wider public health, pupil and staff safety should be prioritised ahead of examinations. Public safety should not be risked or driven by an inflexible pursuit of GCSE and A-Levels.'

One of its leaders, Jules White, head of Tanbridge House School in Horsham, West Sussex, told The Sunday Times there was 'great scepticism that exams can go ahead fairly'.

Recommending teacher assessments for final grades instead, the group said it would be more unfair on pupils in areas hit harder by the pandemic to go ahead with exams.

But Anne Longfield, the Children's Commissioner for England, said: 'Most children I talk to want exams to continue, but clearly they need to be fair.'

An expert panel is due to report to the Education Secretary with recommendation for making exams fair for children across England.

There are concerns about how to take into account the hidden disadvantages for children whose access to remote learning is poor.

Matt Hood, principal of Oak National Academy, which was commissioned by the Government to produce online lessons, said one million children had been forced to use their parents' mobile phones to study because they did not own a phone or laptop.

The Department for Education said there was no plan to cancel exams.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday denounced Republican efforts to overturn President Donald Trumps election loss as an affront to democracy and fiercely urged Congress to focus instead on improving the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.

President-elect Joe Biden won the election fair and square, Baker, a Republican, told reporters in a news conference. I cant for the life of me figure out how people in my party can say all the elections in which their folks won are fine, but the only one they seem to have any concerns about are at the top of the ticket.

Bakers comments come a day after The Washington Post revealed that Trump, in an hourlong phone call Saturday, pressed Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find just enough votes to swing the state his way. The president threatened that Raffensperger and his offices general counsel could face consequences for being complicit in an unspecified criminal offense. A handful of Massachusetts lawmakers on Sunday argued Trumps behavior broke election laws and was akin to the favor he requested of the Ukrainian president last year  which got him impeached.

The governor, whos frequently critiqued the president, noted that dozens of courts at the state and federal level  overseen by Republican and Democratic judges  have ruled against Trump and his allies, whove baselessly alleged that fraud and irregularities stole the election.

I remember standing in front of this group and talking about the election of 1860 and how worried people were about electors doing the right thing, and they did, Baker said. Thats exactly what is happening now. And I think the noise and the accusations, and the commentary about challenging this or that, is an affront to democracy and the voice of the people.

Bakers remarks also come two days before at least a dozen GOP senators and 100 House members plan to object to certifying Bidens decisive 306-232 Electoral College victory even though all 50 states have certified the vote.

At one point, Bakers frustration with his federal colleagues led him to raise his voice as he called on Congress to smooth out the distribution of vaccines across the country. The pandemic has taken the lives of 350,000 Americans, including more than 12,000 in Massachusetts.

My hope is that these (election) initiatives fail, and electors do the right thing to help facilitate the orderly transition that we desperately need as a nation, he said. We just finished 20 minutes of (questions and answers) with you all about the largest and most significant and life-saving vaccine rollout in U.S. history. Most people would say that cant happen fast enough.

Baker, one of several governors of both parties whove called for greater federal support throughout the pandemic, said most people agree there were anticipated bumps associated with the rollout, but that officials believed eventually the wheel would start to spin and things would work the way they should.

That, in my view, is where our colleagues at the federal level should be focusing their time and attention, he added. Doing everything they all together can to make sure every vulnerable American health care worker ... long term care resident and worker ... and everybody else gets access to those two doses as soon as possible.

Related Content:
Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

Hanoi  Vietnamese exporters in the steel and mechanic sectors expect to get easier access to the UK market following the signing of the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) last month.

According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade, the UK is Vietnams third largest trade partner in Europe.Vietnams major exports to the UK include phones and component, garments-textiles, footwear, seafood, wood and timber products, computers and components, cashew nuts, coffee, and pepper.Previously, Vietnamese steel products had been mainly shipped to Southeast Asian nations, the US and China, the Vietnam Steel Association (VSA) said, noting that there is ample room for those products to enter the UK market.However, it is not easy to boost steel exports to the country right in 2021 as the UK is a demanding market in terms of standards and incentives. In addition, steel is not Vietnams strength.Notably, the complex developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK and Europe have hindered the exchange of goods in general and steel products in particular.Given increased protectionism, it is necessary to shift towards other markets apart from such traditional ones as ASEAN, China and the US, and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the UKVFTA are set to facilitate Vietnamese steel exports.The VSA suggested Vietnamese enterprises update technologies and revamp their production process as well as business methods.Dao Phan Long, Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Mechanical Industry, pointed out weaknesses in production technologies, especially machinery and high-tech equipment, facing the domestic mechanical sector.There will be not many opportunities for Vietnamese mechanical product exporters, he said. Therefore, those firms should optimise the agreement to attract British investments in mechanics, electronics, processing and manufacturing, in order to participate in production and supply chains.Nguyen Duc Cuong, General Director of Hikari Vietnam Production and Trading Company Limited, said only companies that have long-term operation plans with good administration methods can exist and grow in 2021.Experts also emphasised the need for Vietnamese goods to meet high-standards set by the UK regarding product quality, environment, hygiene and prices.To that end, domestic firms must further apply technologies, improve product quality and lower prices, while keeping a close watch on changes in product standards, production process and customs procedures, they said.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- The 2,077,777th new vehicle FAW-Volkswagen (FAW-VW) output in 2020 rolled off the production line in Changchun on December 30, making the joint venture the only passenger vehicle (PV) manufacturer in China whose annual outputs exceeded 2 million units this year.



FAW-VW seeing 2020's 2,077,777 new vehicle roll off assembly line



The impressive production performance was buoyed by a solid manufacturing deployment. After 30-year strenuous efforts, FAW-VW has set up five production bases in Changchun, Qingdao, Chengdu, Tianjin and Foshan.

For the sake of the company's long-term sustainable development, FAW-VW is vigorously improving its manufacturing and management capabilities, and boosting its digital transition. By building a digital purchase platform, the company makes multiple links of procurement system fully connected and operational procedures more transparent, and achieves delicacy management and higher working efficiency.

In addition, the joint venture builds a digital production and logistics system to enhance production efficiency and lower manufacturing costs, and make sure the supply chain run accurately.

By digitalizing the delivery channels and upgrading its OTD (on-time delivery) system, FAW-VW forms interconnection between production link and users, so as to perfect users experience.

The automaker plans roll out at least four new Volkswagen-branded models, including the ID.4 CROZZ, the B SMV premium full-sized SUV, the larger version of the ID.4 code-named VW316/7, and the mid-cycle refresh of the T-ROC. New models under Audi brand, namely the refreshed Q5L, the all-new Audi A3 and the all-new e-tron, will be launched next year.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As the 117th Congress formally convened in the nations capital Sunday, Oregons U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement after being sworn in for his third six-year term serving Oregonians in the U.S. Senate:

This is one of our nations darkest winters. More than 300,000 Americans have lost their lives to this pandemic over the last twelve months. Another twenty million have been sickened, and while many have been fortunate enough to recover, tens of thousands are still fighting for their lives. Businesses have shuttered, and millions of hardworking Americans have lost their livelihoods.

But amid this darkness, we have the power to turn this new year and Congress into a harbinger of hopeto turn the page and deliver the resources to help our families weather this storm, frontline health workers do their jobs and stay safe, and Main Street businesses stay afloat. I will keep doing all that I can to keep the pressure on Congress to do so, from pressing for more investment in rapid vaccine distribution and personal protective equipment for our dedicated health care heroes, to fighting for utility shut-off moratoriums, stimulus checks, and loans for our businesses.

While addressing the pandemic must remain our top priority, it would be irresponsible for Congress to simultaneously ignore the other urgent crises that are knocking on our doorattacks on the very heart of our democratic republic, the threat of climate chaos, and the lack of opportunity for working families across the country.

Between the capturing of our courts, massive sums of dark money in politics, the suppression of votes, the gerrymandering of districts, and an electoral college system that erodes the power of hundreds of millions of Americans votes, our government has been hollowed out by powerful special interests dead set on rigging our government to benefit the most powerful and privileged among us. If we really want to deliver for the peoplefrom improving health care, to putting housing and education within reachwe must pass the For the People Act and put the power back in the hands of the American people without delay.

We must also deliver bold and decisive action to address the climate crisis: the global emergency that has already leveled towns in Oregon, cost countless lives across America, and continues to threaten the security, health, and well-being of our families and economy. But the good news is that we can harness the climate challenge as an opportunity to build a green economy made up of reliable, good-paying jobs, and Im going to keep a steady drumbeat on the need to pass bills and take bold executive action to pave the way for that transition.

And we cant sit idly by as the opportunity crisiswhich is rooted in rising costs and stagnating wages, and is keeping countless families from the solid foundations they need to thrivedeepens. No hardworking Oregonian should have to choose between keeping a roof over their head and putting food on the table, be forced to take on crippling debt to get a degree or workforce training, or have to ration their medicines or put off needed health care. Thats why Im going to keep up the fight for innovative policies to put affordable housing, good-paying jobs, quality health care, and a well-rounded education within reach for Oregonians in every corner of our state.

Serving the people of Oregonparticularly during this tumultuous and challenging timeis the honor of my lifetime. I am determined to do all that I can to ensure that our We the People government is restored, and that it delivers the action and support our families need to survive this pandemic and to thrive in the chapters ahead.

In his first two terms as a U.S. Senator, Merkley emerged as a national champion for middle-class jobs, consumer and environmental protection, and reform of the U.S. Senate. He also gained a national profile as a leading proponent of LGBTQ civil rights legislation and as a vocal voice for human rights along Americas southern border, as well as in Burma, Hong Kong and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Zone. Merkley also secured a host of local victories for Oregonians in every corner of the state, including drought relief in the Klamath Basin, increased support for Oregons small ports, and passage of legislation implementing a major water-sharing agreement in Central Oregon.
Crime is up. Prices are up. Border crossings in the southwest are up. Unemployment is still up. Our national debt is up. Gas is hard to find. Civil unrest surrounds us. And the Middle East is in turmoil. Sounds a lot like the 70s to me.
Congress leader and Member of Parliament (MP) Milind Deora has sought an answer from the Central Government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the approval of Bharat Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine 'Covaxin'. He took to Twitter and shared a news report that alleged that the efficacy data of the said vaccine is missing. He also questioned the opposition and his own party for opposing "for the sake of opposing", therefore, losing the credibility for asking genuine questions. In his tweet, The Congress MP urged the Prime Minister to restore the "eroding public faith" in the vaccine.

READ | India Approves SII's Covishield & Bharat Biotech's Covaxin COVID Vaccines: DCGI Statement

He tweets:

When we habitually oppose for the sake of opposing, we risk losing the credibility to ask genuine questions & hold the government accountable.



No less the Prime Minister must come clean & restore eroding public faith in #Covaxin.https://t.co/mjhBOedU3h  Milind Deora |    (@milinddeora) January 4, 2021

READ | India's COVID Vaccines: With Covishield & Covaxin Nods, Cadilla's Phase 3 Also Approved

Bharat Biotech's Covaxin COVID Vaccine was approved on Sunday

Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) VG Somani on Sunday had announced that the vaccines of Bharat Biotech (Covaxin) and Serum Institue of India (Covishield) have been granted permission for restricted use in an emergency situation. The massive development came a day after the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) made recommendations to the Drugs Controller General of India to grant permission for restricted emergency use of the Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech's vaccines. As per an official release, the SEC met on Friday and Saturday and made its recommendations in respect of the accelerated approval process request of the SII, Bharat Biotech International Ltd as well as about phase-III trials of Cadila Healthcare Ltd.

READ | Subramanian Swamy Slams Congress For Questioning DCGI Approval To Bharat Biotech's Covaxin

While making an official statement, the DCGI said, "Bharat Biotech has developed a Whole Virion Inactivated Corona Virus Vaccine (Covaxin) in collaboration with ICMR and NIV (Pune), from where they received the virus seed strains. This vaccine is developed on Vero cell platform, which has well established track record of safety and efficacy in the country & globally."

"The firm has generated safety and immunogenicity data in various animal species such as mice, rats, rabbits, Syrian hamster, and also conducted challenge studies on non-human primates (Rhesus macaques) and hamsters. All these data has been shared by the firm with CDSCO. Phase I and Phase II clinical trials were conducted in approx.800 subjects and the results have demonstrated that the vaccine is safe and provides a robust immune response. The Phase III efficacy trial was initiated in India in 25,800 volunteers and till date, ~22,500 participants have been vaccinated across the country and the vaccine has been found to be safe as per the data available till date," DCGI added.

This came even as various Opposition leaders made questionable statements about the vaccines. While some asked pertinent questions about the approval to Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, others, such as Akhilesh Yadav have blatantly politicised the vaccine, calling it 'BJP's vaccine', while his party leader has alleged that it causes impotence. The remarks have been widely panned.

READ | Bharat Biotech Recruits 23,000 Volunteers For 3rd Phase Trial Of Covaxin
The year 2020 may now be behind us, but we aren't done with the 2020 election just yet. You'll want to keep an eye on two really important political events this week:

Two runoff elections in Georgia Tuesday will determine control of the Senate President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory will be certified by Congress on Wednesday

Will these events be dramatic? I cant imagine 2021 starting any other way. But don't worry, we've got you covered: Sign up and we'll text you with the latest political news to know the moment it goes down.

It's Ashley, excited to kick off the year with your daily dose of news to know. Let's do this.

But first, resolved to get active in 2021? Here are 15 songs to help you get moving and motivated.

Trumps call to Georgia's Raffensperger spurs demand for investigation

House Democrats on Monday passed around the draft of a censure resolution against President Donald Trump after leaked audio from a phone call showed him pressuring Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to reverse his election loss to Biden. The resolution censures and condemns Trump over the explosive audio, a symbolic gesture to rebuke the presidents conduct thats ultimately the equivalent to a slap on the wrist. With two weeks left in Trumps presidency, there is not enough time to launch a new impeachment inquiry, but legal experts and Democratic lawmakers assert that Trumps action was tantamount to criminal conduct that should open him to fresh legal scrutiny.

Fact check: Trumps made-up claims of fake Georgia votes in controversial phone call

President Donald Trump on Dec. 12, 2020, in Washington, D.C.

This count of Electoral College votes is one to watch

Vice President Mike Pence on Monday vocalized his support for some Republicans efforts to keep Trump in the White House by overturning the Electoral College results during a special joint session of Congress that will cement Biden's election win. But Pence stopped short of saying he would do anything other than allow objections to the certified results to be heard. On Wednesday, Pence  in his constitutional role as president of the Senate  will preside over Congress acceptance of the Electoral College results, which have been certified by states. A faction of House Republicans, led by Mo Brooks, R-Ala., intends to object to electoral votes from some states. To succeed, the objections must be supported by a majority of both the House and the Senate, which will not happen.

Story continues

Nation's capital braces for violence as extremist groups converge to protest Trump's election loss

Call to challenge the Electoral College count has split Senate Republicans.

From left, Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, President-elect Joe Biden and Jill Biden celebrate Nov. 7 in Wilmington, Del.

What everyones talking about

British judge rejects US extradition request for WikiLeaks founder founder Assange

A British judge ruled Monday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should not be extradited to the United States on espionage charges because he is a suicide risk. That ruling touches on press freedoms and the international reach of the U.S. justice system. Remember Assange? He was indicted by the Department of Justice on 18 counts of espionage and computer misuse connected to WikiLeaks' publishing of secret U.S. military documents provided to him by ex-U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in 2019. Assange denied the charges and claimed the documents exposed war crimes and abuses by the U.S. military in Iraq. U.S. prosecutors said they would appeal the ruling.

Julian Assange, holds up a copy of today's Guardian newspaper during a press conference in London on July 26, 2010. Assange first rose to prominence after Wikileaks published thousands of leaked military files about the war in Afghanistan In all, some 92,000 documents dating back to 2004 were released by the New York Times, Britain's Guardian newspaper, and Germany's Der Spiegel newsweekly.

Inflatable Christmas tree costume linked to 44 COVID-19 infections and one death

An air-powered, inflatable Christmas tree costume worn by a staffer at a California hospital could be linked to an outbreak that infected more than 40 people, killing one, hospital officials say. Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center said that the staffer wore the costume, which included a fan that could have helped spread infected droplets through the air, in the emergency department on Christmas. An employee working in the department that day died from COVID-19 complications, NBC Bay Area reported. California, which early in the pandemic successfully fended off the worst of the surge, has seen infections race out of control in recent weeks.

December smashed records for COVID-19 deaths : COVID-19 was disastrous in December when one American died from the coronavirus about every 35 seconds. The United States reported 6,360,221 new cases  beating November's record by 1.9 million.

Americans dreaming of 20 million vaccinations in December woke up to less than 5 million by month's end. But Dr. Anthony Fauci says he sees "some glimmer of hope"  with 1.5 million shots were administered in a recent 72-hour period.

An Israeli health care worker vaccinates a man against COVID-19 at Clalit Health Services in Tel Aviv on Jan. 3, 2021.

Real quick

Tanya Roberts, Bond girl in 'A View To a Kill,' dies at 65

Tanya Roberts, who starred alongside Roger Moore in the 1985 Bond film "A View To A Kill," as well as classic TV series "Charlie's Angels" and "That '70s Show," has died. She was 65. Her publicist told USA TODAY that Roberts died Sunday at Los Angeles' Cedar-Sinai Hospital after being hospitalized following a collapse. He did not disclose the cause of death but said Roberts did not die from a COVID-19 related illness.

Tanya Roberts, who starred in "A View to A Kill," is hospitalized. On Sunday, her representative announced she had died.

A break from the news

This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump, Georgia runoffs, Electoral College, Julian Assange: Monday's news
Imperial Valley News Center

The health benefits of yoga

Jacksonville, Florida - DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I have always been fairly flexible, so I have never felt compelled to include yoga in my fitness routine. Typically, I just walk and maybe do some weights for strength training. I was talking to a friend who said her physical therapist recommended yoga as part of a well-rounded workout routine. What is the benefit of yoga? Should I add it to my routine or stick with what I'm doing?

ANSWER: Yoga is a wonderful form of exercise that provides benefits that walking or strength training don't provide. In Eastern cultures, yoga is not seen as exercise, but rather "a moving meditation." In the Western world, many people know power yoga or vinyasa yoga, which are classified as exercise.

Regardless of the type of yoga, when practiced mindfully, there are many advantages for the body, mind and soul. Yoga can provide three primary benefits that a typical gym routine may not provide.

Benefit 1: Yoga improves the function of the nervous system. Since yoga is based on breathing, parts of the nervous system are affected when exhales are lengthened and breath is controlled. This is cued throughout particular yoga sequences. Specifically, yoga can help lower the fight-or-flight response and improve the body's "rest-and-digest" response.

Practicing slow, controlled breathing stimulates the body's vagus nerve, which takes information about the current state of relaxation and relays it to the rest of the body, including the brain. One area affected when the vagal nerve is stimulated is the parasympathic nervous system, which controls the body's rest and digestion functions. The mindful breathing practiced in yoga increases the activity of the parasympathic nervous system. As a result, yoga lowers the heart rate, improves digestion and quality of sleep, and strengthens the immune system. Another benefit is an improved stress level.

Benefit 2: Yoga can improve joint range of motion. The difference between flexibility and active range of motion is important. Think of flexibility as how much a muscle can be passively stretched. In contrast, range of motion is how much muscles can be used to control a joint's movement.

It is not uncommon these days for people to report neck and back pain, and poor range of motion in their thoracic spine due to constant sitting, typing on computers and looking down at cellphones. Yoga is excellent in improving thoracic range of motion because many poses involve extending the body through the rib cage and using strength to hold these postures.

Yoga incorporates all four motions of the spine: flexion, extension, rotation and side-bending. Therefore, yoga can prevent stiffness and disuse that also can occur with age. Being able to control the available range of motion in joints is crucial to good posture and decreasing the risk of injury.

Benefit 3: Yoga improves dynamic balance, decreasing the risk of falling. Think of balance like a muscle. By working hard at different exercises, balance can improve. This is similar to improved strength by lifting weights.

Balance is a complex system, requiring three parts: the sensation of the foot on the ground, or proprioception; vision; and the inner ear, or vestibular system. These three parts tell the brain where the head is in space. These three components work together to control both static and dynamic balance. Yoga trains the proprioception and visual systems to improve balance. Depending on the pose, cues are sent to focus, for instance, on the foot rooted to the ground. By concentrating in an attempt to maintain contact, the big toe, little toe and heel form a tripod of sorts, which in turn helps focus the proprioception portion of balance.

In yoga, you may hear the term "drishti," which refers to obtaining a focused gaze or focus in the mind. The concept comes into play as people aim to hold a pose with their eyes closed. Certain poses become more challenging with eyes closed, which improves the visual part of balance.

Also, moving back and forth between poses without fully touching a limb to the ground can increase the ability to dynamically move and not lose balance. Over time, this will reduce the risk of falling while walking on uneven ground or turning quickly.

While it may be hard to add one more thing to your busy life routine, incorporating yoga into your workout routine can benefit your stress level, mobility and balance in ways that may not be achieved from a regular gym routine.  Lauren Hubbard, D.P.T., Physical Therapy, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida
OAKLAND, Calif.  More than 225 Google engineers and other workers have formed a union, the group revealed Monday, capping years of growing activism at one of the worlds largest companies and presenting a rare beachhead for labor organizers in staunchly anti-union Silicon Valley.

The unions creation is highly unusual for the tech industry, which has long resisted efforts to organize its largely white-collar workforce. It follows increasing demands by employees at Google for policy overhauls on pay, harassment and ethics, and is likely to escalate tensions with top leadership.

The new union, called the Alphabet Workers Union after Googles parent company, Alphabet, was organized in secret for the better part of a year and elected its leadership last month. The group is affiliated with the Communications Workers of America, a union that represents workers in telecommunications and media in the United States and Canada.

But unlike a traditional union, which demands that an employer come to the bargaining table to agree on a contract, the Alphabet Workers Union is a so-called minority union that represents a fraction of the companys more than 260,000 full-time employees and contractors. Workers said it was primarily an effort to give structure and longevity to activism at Google, rather than to negotiate for a contract.

Chewy Shaw, an engineer at Google in the San Francisco Bay Area and the vice chair of the unions leadership council, said the union was a necessary tool to sustain pressure on management so that workers could force changes on workplace issues.

Our goals go beyond the workplace questions of, Are people getting paid enough? Our issues are going much broader, he said. It is a time where a union is an answer to these problems.

In response, Kara Silverstein, Googles director of people operations, said: Weve always worked hard to create a supportive and rewarding workplace for our workforce. Of course, our employees have protected labor rights that we support. But as weve always done, well continue engaging directly with all our employees.

The new union is the clearest sign of how thoroughly employee activism has swept through Silicon Valley over the past few years. While software engineers and other tech workers largely kept quiet in the past on societal and political issues, employees at Amazon, Salesforce, Pinterest and others have become more vocal on matters like diversity, pay discrimination and sexual harassment.

Nowhere have those voices been louder than at Google. In 2018, more than 20,000 employees staged a walkout to protest how the company handled sexual harassment. Others have opposed business decisions that they deemed unethical, such as developing artificial intelligence for the Defense Department and providing technology to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Even so, unions have not previously gained traction in Silicon Valley. Many tech workers shunned them, arguing that labor groups were focused on issues like wages  not a top concern in the high-earning industry  and were not equipped to address their concerns about ethics and the role of technology in society. Labor organizers also found it difficult to corral the tech companies huge workforces, which are scattered around the globe.

Only a few small union drives have succeeded in tech. Workers at the crowdfunding site Kickstarter and at the app development platform Glitch won union campaigns last year, and a small group of contractors at a Google office in Pittsburgh unionized in 2019. Thousands of employees at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama are also set to vote on a union in the coming months.

There are those who would want you to believe that organizing in the tech industry is completely impossible, Sara Steffens, CWAs secretary-treasurer, said of the new Google union. If you dont have unions in the tech industry, what does that mean for our country? Thats one reason, from CWAs point of view, that we see this as a priority.

Veena Dubal, a law professor at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, said the Google union was a powerful experiment because it brought unionization into a major tech company and skirted barriers that have prevented such organizing.

If it grows  which Google will do everything they can to prevent  it could have huge impacts not just for the workers, but for the broader issues that we are all thinking about in terms of tech power in society, she said.

The union is likely to ratchet up tensions between Google engineers, who work on autonomous cars, artificial intelligence and internet search, and the companys management. Sundar Pichai, Googles chief executive, and other executives have tried to come to grips with an increasingly activist workforce  but have made missteps.

Last month, federal officials said Google had wrongly fired two employees who protested its work with immigration authorities in 2019. Timnit Gebru, a Black woman who is a respected artificial intelligence researcher, also said last month that Google fired her after she criticized the companys approach to minority hiring and the biases built into AI systems. Her departure set off a storm of criticism about Googles treatment of minority employees.

These companies find it a bone in their throat to even have a small group of people who say, We work at Google and have another point of view,  said Nelson Lichtenstein, the director of the Center for the Study of Work, Labor and Democracy at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Google might well succeed in decimating any organization that comes to the floor.

The Alphabet Workers Union, which represents employees in Silicon Valley and cities like Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Seattle, gives protection and resources to workers who join. Those who opt to become members will contribute 1% of their total compensation to the union to fund its efforts.

Over the past year, the CWA has pushed to unionize white-collar tech workers. (The NewsGuild, a union that represents New York Times employees, is part of CWA.) The drive focused initially on employees at video game companies, who often work grueling hours and face layoffs.

In late 2019, CWA organizers began meeting with Google employees to discuss a union drive, workers who attended the meetings said. Some employees were receptive and signed cards to officially join the union last summer. In December, the Alphabet Workers Union held elections to select a seven-person executive council.

But several Google employees who had previously organized petitions and protests at the company objected to the CWAs overtures. They said they declined to join because they worried that the effort had sidelined experienced organizers and played down the risks of organizing as it recruited members.

Amr Gaber, a Google software engineer who helped organize the 2018 walkout, said that CWA officials were dismissive of other labor groups that had supported Google workers during a December 2019 phone call with him and others.

They are more concerned about claiming turf than the needs of the workers who were on the phone call, Gaber said. As a long-term labor organizer and brown man, thats not the type of union I want to build.

The CWA said it was selected by Google workers to help organize the union and had not elbowed their way in. Its really the workers who chose, Steffens of CWA said.

Traditional unions typically enroll a majority of a workforce and petition a state or federal labor board like the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election. If they win the vote, they can bargain with their employer on a contract. A minority union allows employees to organize without first winning a formal vote before the NLRB.

The CWA has used this model to organize groups in states where it said labor laws are unfavorable, like the Texas State Employees Union and the United Campus Workers in Tennessee.

The structure also gives the union the latitude to include Google contractors, who outnumber full-time workers and who would be excluded from a traditional union. Some Google employees have considered establishing a minority or solidarity union for several years, and ride-hailing drivers have formed similar groups.

Although they will not be able to negotiate a contract, the Alphabet Workers Union can use other tactics to pressure Google into changing its policies, labor experts said. Minority unions often turn to public pressure campaigns and lobby legislative or regulatory bodies to influence employers.

Were going to use every tool that we can to use our collective action to protect people who we think are being discriminated against or retaliated against, Shaw said.

Members cited the recent NLRB finding on the firing of two employees and the exit of Gebru, the prominent researcher, as reasons to broaden its membership and publicly step up its efforts.

Google is making it all the more clear why we need this now, said Auni Ahsan, a software engineer at Google and an at-large member of the unions executive council. Sometimes the boss is the best organizer.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
What you need to know for this week: Legislature gets to work, vaccine output will be down, and ways for you to give back to your community
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will find out Monday whether he can be extradited from the U.K. to the U.S. to face espionage charges over the publication of secret American military documents. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser is due to deliver her decision at London's Old Bailey courthouse at 10 a.m. Monday. If she grants the request, then Britain's home secretary, Priti Patel, would make the final decision.

Whichever side loses is expected to appeal, which could lead to years more legal wrangling. However, there's a possibility that outside forces may come into play that could instantly end the decade-long saga. Stella Moris, Assanges partner and the mother of his two sons, has appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump via Twitter to grant a pardon to Assange before he leaves office on Jan. 20. And even if Trump doesn't, there's speculation that his successor, Joe Biden, may take a more lenient approach to Assange's extradition process.

U.S. prosecutors indicted the 49-year-old Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse that carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison. Lawyers acting on behalf of the U.S. government said in their closing arguments after the four-week hearing in the fall that Assange's defense team had raised issues that were neither relevant nor admissible. Assanges defense team argued that he is entitled to First Amendment protections for the publication of leaked documents that exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan and that the U.S. extradition request was politically motivated.

His lawyers also said he was suffering from wide-ranging mental health issues, including suicidal tendencies, that could be exacerbated if he is placed in inhospitable prison conditions in the U.S. They said his mental health deteriorated while he took asylum inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for years and that he was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Assange jumped bail in 2012 when he sought asylum at the embassy, where he stayed for seven years before being evicted and arrested. He has been held at Belmarsh prison in London since April 2019.

(Image Credits: AP)

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 21:33:52|Editor: huaxia

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File photo taken on Sept. 8, 2020 shows a vehicle carrying messages of "Don't Extradite Assange" driving past policemen outside Houses of Parliament in central London, Britain. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the United States "because of concerns over his mental health," a court in London ruled Monday. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

LONDON, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Wikileaks founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the United States "because of concerns over his mental health," a court in London ruled Monday.

"The overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man fearful for his future," District judge Vanessa Baraitser said at the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales in London, known as the Old Bailey.

Outlining evidence of Assange's self-harm and suicidal thoughts, she added that she fears the United States will be incapable of preventing him from attempting to take his own life.

Assange, 49, who spent almost seven years holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, faces an 18-count indictment from the U.S. authorities accusing him of recruiting hackers to steal military secrets.

His lawyers said he could face up to 175 years in jail if convicted in the United States.

Assange is currently in London's Belmarsh Prison, where he was jailed for 50 weeks in May 2019 for breaching his bail conditions after going into hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for almost seven years.

At the time he fled to the embassy, he had been facing extradition to Sweden on allegations of sexual assault which he denied. That case was later dropped. Enditem
Google reportedly moved to increase its control over research reports written by its scientists.

In 2020, the company created a new review, or examination, process for research writings, Reuters news agency reports. The process asks researchers to get advice from legal, policy and public relations teams before writing about some issues.

Review Process

The new review process aims to identify subjects that could be considered sensitive for the company. In at least three cases, Google officials asked writers not to show its technology in a bad light, Reuters reported. The news agency said its report was based on Google documents it was able to examine, as well as information from researchers involved in the work.

One company explanation told researchers that technology progress and growing complexities in the outside environment had led to projects that could raise moral, legal or other problems.

Reuters could not confirm the date of the company communication. Three current employees said the policy began in June. Google did not have any comment on the Reuters story.

The new process for sensitive subjects adds more careful study to Googles usual review process for research papers, eight current and past employees said.

One subject considered sensitive was how some of Googles machine learning-powered services might be biased against some groups of people. Other subjects included the oil industry, China, Iran, Israel, COVID-19, home security, location data, religion, self-driving vehicles, telecommunications and systems designed to suggest websites.

For some projects, Google officials intervened later in the research. Earlier this year, a Google official reviewing a study on content suggestion technology told the writers to take great care to strike a positive tone, documents provided to Reuters showed.

Strike a positive tone is an expression that means to avoid negative or critical language.

The official added, This doesnt mean we should hide from the real challenges created by the software.

Additional messages from a researcher to reviewers shows the writers made changes to remove all references to Google products.

Four researchers, including scientist Margaret Mitchell, said they believe Google is starting to interfere with important studies on the possible harms of technology.

If we are researching the appropriate thing given our expertise, and we are not permitted to publish that on grounds that are not in line with high-quality peer review, then were getting into a serious problem of censorship, Mitchell said.

Google states on its public website that its scientists have substantial freedom. Substantial is a term that means a large amount.

Ethics and AI

Disagreements between Google and some of its employees broke into public view this month after research scientist Timnit Gebru said she had been fired by the company. Gebru, along with Mitchell, led a 12-person team that studied ethics, or moral decisions, in artificial intelligence (AI) software.

Gebru says she was fired after questioning an order not to publish research claiming that AI software that copies speech could hurt some groups. Google said it had accepted Gebrus resignation. Reuters could not confirm whether Gebrus paper had gone through a sensitive subjects review.

Google Senior Vice President Jeff Dean said in a statement this month that Gebrus paper discussed possible harms without discussing efforts underway to address them.

Dean added that Google supports AI ethics research and said the company was actively working on improving our paper review processes.

Im John Russell.

Paresh Dave and Jeffrey Dastin reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor.

___________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

sensitive  adj. likely to cause people to become upset

biased  adj. having or showing a bias : having or showing an unfair tendency to believe that some people, ideas, etc., are better than others

location  n. a place or position

challenge  n. a difficult task or problem : something that is hard to do

reference  n. the act of mentioning something in speech or in writing : the act of referring to something or someone

appropriate  adj. right or suited for some purpose or situation

peer  n. a person who belongs to the same age, education or social group as someone else

censorship  n. the system or practice of censoring books, movies, letters, etc

artificial intelligence  n. an area of computer science that deals with giving machines the ability to seem like they have human intelligence
OPEC warned of risks to the oil market from the resurgent pandemic, a day before the group and its allies meet to consider whether to increase production.

The outlook for the first half of 2021 is very mixed, OPEC Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo said at a preparatory meeting on Sunday. There are still many downside risks to juggle.

The alliance of producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia will decide on Monday whether it can continue to restore crude supplies without capsizing the price recovery they spent most of 2020 working to achieve.

At a long and late meeting on Sunday, several countries including Saudi Arabia sounded cautious about increasing production further in February on top of the 500,000 barrels-a-day hike this month, delegates said. Riyadh has publicly kept its views under wraps, while Russia has backed an additional boost.

OIL CRASH: Energy sector leads record wave of bankruptcies in 2020

We think the producer group will opt to forgo any further production increases for February with Covid-19 cases continuing to climb and the slower than expected vaccine rollout, said Helima Croft, chief commodities strategist at RBC Capital Markets LLC.

Brent crude rose for a fourth day on Monday, gaining 2.3% to $52.98 a barrel by 2:20 p.m. in Singapore. West Texas Intermediate surged toward $50, a level it hasnt reached since February.

Whatever it ultimately decides, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners are leaving nothing to chance. With the gathering on Monday, the coalition is switching to meeting every month -- rather than just a few times a year -- in order to fine-tune production levels more precisely.

Currently idling 7.2 million barrels a day, or about 7% of world supplies, the producers plan to return a further 1.5 million barrels a day in careful installments.

The case for another small increase in February is underpinned by a recovery in the oil price, and the emergence of Covid vaccines.

The vaccines have created a healthier outlook for oil consumption, which will soon shift from reverse to forward gear, Barkindo said at the Joint Technical Committee meeting on Sunday. The panel assesses implementation on behalf of the 23-nation alliance.

2021 OUTLOOK: Plenty of ifs in store for the price of oil in the new year

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak has signaled his readiness to proceed, saying last month that prices are in an optimal range of $45 to $55 a barrel. If OPEC+ refrains from bolstering exports, its competitors will simply fill the gap, he said.

Oil prices have stabilized above $50 barrel in London despite OPECs pledge of extra supply, bolstered by vaccine developments and robust fuel use in Asia. Supply and demand should remain broadly balanced in the first half of the year, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency.

The market has underlying support and as such should shrug off a modest increase in OPEC+ supply, said Doug King, chief investment officer of the Merchant Commodity Fund, which manages $170 million.

Its not just Russia that might favor opening the taps.

Last month, OPEC+ talks ran into a five-day stalemate as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- for years stalwart allies in both political and energy spheres -- disagreed over how quickly to revive the idled barrels.

While the kingdom wanted to delay any increases for three months, its neighbor -- eager to monetize investments in capacity and promote a new regional oil benchmark -- pushed for a speedier timetable.

FUEL FIX: Now more than ever, you need our energy news in your inbox

That might also come as a relief to OPEC+ members like Iraq. Baghdad is engulfed in a mounting economic crisis that is only exacerbated by limits on oil sales, and is struggling to get through a backlog of overdue output cuts from 2020.

Yet Barkindo also outlined the need for caution.

Restrictions on movement remain in place in a number of countries amid a new strain of the virus, he said. Its too soon to know how key sectors of the economy will be affected, and for the tourism and leisure industries the return to pre-crisis levels could take a couple of years.

Oil inventories in developed nations remain 163 million barrels above their five-year average level, Barkindo added. Despite the markets rebound, crude prices remain far below the levels most OPEC members need to cover government spending.

While the IEA anticipates no fresh surplus, it warned that the existing inventory overhang will linger to the end of the year if OPEC+ opens the taps.

The decision is a very close call, Bob McNally, president of consultant Rapidan Energy Group and a former White House official, said to Bloomberg Television on Monday. I wouldnt like to bet a lot of money on it.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
On a recent episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick was joined by Judge Edward M. Chen and Don Tamaki to discuss the shameful legacy of Korematsu v. United States, in which the Supreme Court held that the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II was justified. Chen and Tamaki were members of the legal team that succeeded in clearing Fred Korematsus name in 1983, almost 40 years after his conviction. They also discussed what lessons we can draw from the case about reparations and forgiveness today. A small portion of their conversation, which has been edited and condensed for clarity, appears below.

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Dahlia Lithwick: I want to ask you both whether theres a way to think about everything were talking about with Korematsu and this larger conversation were having right now in this country about reconciliation, about the possibility of getting back to truth, about the possibility of making amends and reparations and finding our way back to shared values. What do we learn from what youve learned about Korematsu, reparations, forgiveness, and working our way back?

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Don Tamaki: The lessons of the Japanese American incarceration, of course, focus on people losing their freedom and their property. But ultimately, I think what were talking about is what is this culture, and you mentioned racism being a part of the founding of American history. And were really talking about a culture that normalizes behavior. One of the great contributions of the Black Lives Matter movement is to shine a light on not just police brutality but systemic racism.

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And with one police shooting after another of young black men, it would barely evoke a shrug until the George Floyd killing. Why? Because it was normal. And again, the Korematsu case, when that happened, rounding up of these Americans was completely normal. That was so logical and so expected that by the time the case came up to the U.S. Supreme Court, of course you have to uphold it. That was the pressure of the day.

We cannot let an injustice just go away and be forgotten.  Judge Edward M. Chen

And so, Ed talked about how this culture is accomplished. I think there are three parts to this playbook, and its a playbook that tyrants have used since time immemorial. One, appeals to prejudice, two, fearmonger and scapegoat, and three, trafficking conspiracy theories, falsehoods, and alternative facts. And when you combine all of those three things, where facts dont matter, where the press is the enemy of the people, a culture that says Mexicans are drug dealers and rapists. Muslims are terrorists. Chinese bring disease. Any number of these things, once they become normalized and they grip the culture, then almost anything is possible. And we can look to Germany in the 1930s. We can look to contemporary countries now that are experiencing whats called populism, which is really authoritarianism and the rise of dictatorships. And the dangerous thing is were seeing these elements of this thing infecting our own democracy. And its happened in the past before, but never on this scale.

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Joseph McCarthy in the 50s was an example who understood demagoguery very well, but weve never had it at a presidential level. And what is going on now with not just certain people but large portions of the population, including our representatives, engaging in challenges to the election process where literally no facts exist to do that and not understanding the danger in the long run is very frightening. And I think its on us really to raise that issue.

Judge Chen, I wonder if you have a final, oh, maybe somewhat more optimistic or sanguine take although, Im with Don, I find us in a worrying momentbut just on the possibility of reconciliation correcting the record justice.

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Edward M. Chen: There are two things that come to mind. First, one of the lessons I think weve learned from Korematsu is that where theres an injustice, we cannot afford to forget it. And the fact that people continue to labor to bring about justice for 40 years after what happened in the 40s to Japanese Americans, really, this is an example where its made a difference. That consciousness never died thanks to the work of Don and many others in the movement.

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And the fact that the court in Trump v. Hawaii in 2018 had to deal with Korematsu tells you that that tale was not over, that ghost was still there, that injustice still had to be addressed. And I think weve learned throughout history, both here in this country and elsewhere the value, for instance, of truth and reconciliation commissions and everything else. We cannot let an injustice just go away and be forgotten. We need to be reminded of it so that we can do better.

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Second, and maybe this is coming from a partisan as a judge, but I have a deep and abiding faith in the courts, notwithstanding their imperfections, notwithstanding the many instances of terrible decisions that we can think about, whether its Dred Scott, Plessy, or Korematsu. It is still the institution where at least as an ideal were bound by the rule of law, that law matters more than who the people are before it. Its to be applied with equal justice. And that we put a premium on truth. And even though the court failed, I think, in the Korematsu case, that was not the ideal. The ideal remains that we seek the truth.

And I think thats a model for society generally, where we act on accuracy and truth, where we abide by the notion that were a nation of laws and not people, or that the laws are to be applied with equal application, equal justice. I think they still represent the beacon of hope for our society. I still have faith. I have to have faith because thats my job, but I still have faith in the courts, because what I see day in, day out, what I do, what my colleagues do with an earnest effort to go about to find the truth and to do justice.

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Now, it is true, theres an ongoing debate thats been going on for hundreds of years and will probably continue about the role of the courts, how much they should play in terms of oversight and checking the other branches, what the scope of review should be. Are there times when the courts should defer in certain situations? And those are fair debates. And again, that debate between Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Sonia Sotomayor is a good illustration of that. And I think that discussion needs to go on. We need to be conscious of it, and we need to argue about it. And it is so critical, so critical to our society. But I continue to have faith in our courts as an institution, and that can sort of show us the right path in terms of how we can go about and become a fairer and more just society.

To hear their entire discussion, listen below, or subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Update, Jan. 4, 2021: The introduction to this post has been updated to include more background on the Korematsu case.
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PUEBLO, Colo.  The Pueblo County Sheriffs Office says two deputies were shot and injured during a standoff Friday in Pueblo West. The suspect is now in custody.

Officials say deputies tried to contact the suspect on Friday morning, 9News reported. The suspect had been making threats against the Tennessee State Patrol and the capitol building in Tennessee, officials said.

The sheriffs office said Tennessee authorities asked Pueblo deputies to check on the suspect. After no response during the first attempt, a sergeant and a deputy tried a second time around 3:20 p.m.

When they arrived, deputies say they were immediately under fire and suffered injuries. One of the deputies was shot in the head and the other was shot in the left shoulder. Both deputies are expected to make a full recovery.

Deputies fired one round of a non-lethal weapon and neutralized the suspect, taking him into custody with no injuries.

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The suspect had never been known to act violently toward deputies, a sheriff spokesperson said. The suspect has a history of mental illness and alcohol may have contributed to this violent encounter, according to the sheriffs office.

Deputies say the suspect, Eddie Lovins, is a veteran and believed to be knowledgeable about explosives. The Pueblo Metro Bomb Squad was securing the parameter and obtaining a warrant to search the home.

Nearby residents were told to shelter in place as the bomb squad investigates the suspects claims that his home is wired.
Hazaras are said to be disproportionately targeted by sectarian violence as they are easily identifiable due to their distinctive physical appearance

The deaths of 11 Shia Hazara coal miners in a terrorist attack in Pakistan's Balochistan bring into sharp focus the persecution of the community in the country.

Notwithstanding Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan's public condemnation of the attack, little action seems to have been taken to secure the rights of the minority community.

Authorities in Pakistan as well as international human rights groups have taken note of the plight of Hazaras in Pakistan, but targeted crimes against the community seem to continue unabated.

Attack on coal miners

Eleven coal miners were shot dead from a close range shortly after being abducted by the armed terrorists in the provinces mountainous Machh area, the police said.

The miners were going to work when they were abducted, PTI quoted senior police officials as saying. Six of the miners died on the spot while five succumbed on their way to a nearby hospital, the officials said.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the killings, as noted by a BBC report.

Murtaza Jatoi, an official of the Balochistan Levies, said that the terrorists first carried out an identity parade of the miners before taking them away to execute them. Others were left unharmed.

Balochistan chief minister Jam Kamal Khan has condemned the incident and sought an inquiry report from the authorities concerned.

Who are the Hazaras?

Hazaras are a mainly Shiite community, who were persecuted by the Sunni Taliban during its 1996-2001 rule in Afghanistan. Many of them fled to Iran and Pakistan, where rights groups say they are still persecuted, as noted by Reuters.

Hazaras in particular are said to be disproportionately targeted by sectarian violence as they are easily identifiable due to their distinctive physical appearance.

The Pakistani province of Balochistan has witnessed violence against Hazaras for more than a decade and half by militants who consider them as heretics.

The attack on Sunday is not the first time that the Hazaras have been targeted by extremist outfits in Balochistan. In the last few years, hundreds of Hazaras have been killed in either suicide bomb attacks, planted bomb blasts or target killings.

In April 2019, there was a suicide bomb attack at a marketplace in a Hazara housing society in which at least 21 people including nine Hazaras and two security personnel were killed and scores injured. The Islamic State and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility for the attack.

In September 2017, four members of a minority Shia Hazara family were killed by unidentified gunmen in Balochistan.

In October 2016, gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Hazara men and women in Quetta. Four women were killed in that attack.

A 2018 report by Pakistan's Commission for Human Rights says that as per official figures, 509 Hazaras have been killed and 627 injured in incidents of sectarian violence since January 2012. The commission also took note of reports that said over 2,000 members of the community were killed in the past 14 years.

Historical perspective

While Hazaras face widespread persecution in Pakistan today, the situation was different in earlier decades. Through much of the 20th Century, Hazara migrants were allowed to live Pakistan relatively unaffected, as noted by an article in The Print.

However, this changed once General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq came to power in 1978 and initiated his policy of Islamisation of Pakistan. This policy led to the proliferation of Sunni militant groups and anti-Shia policies.

Subsequently, as a result of systematic persecution, Hazaras were forced to live in two ghettos in Balochistan  the Mari Abad and Hazara Town districts. Meanwhile, about 70,000 members of the community have taken a precarious migration route to countries such as Australia in a bid of better and safer life, as noted by The Diplomat.

Thus, notwithstanding condemnation of violence by political leaders in Pakistan, it appears that little actual effort has been taken to curb prejudice and violence against Hazaras.

With inputs from PTI
Sharma told UK prime minister Boris Johnson that he would rather give up his position as business secretary than leave his role in climate change envoy. Photo: Leon Neal/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Alok Sharma has offered to resign from his role as UK business minister in order to lead the United Nations COP26 climate change summit, it has been revealed.

The Times reported on Saturday that Sharma, who is also president of this years climate summit, told UK prime minister Boris Johnson that he would rather give up his position as business secretary than leave his role in climate change envoy.

If the move goes ahead it will force Downing Street into a mini reshuffle  one suggestion is that Sharma could be replaced by Sajid Javid, the former chancellor who has been tipped for a return to the government, the newspaper said.

The COP26 conference, which is being held in Glasgow between 1 and 12 November, will be hosted by Britain, with dozens of world leaders in attendance.

It was originally scheduled for November 2020 but was delayed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. It will be the largest summit that the UK has ever chaired and has been described as the most significant climate event since the global Paris Agreement was secured in 2015.

Britain has vowed to cut emissions by 68% of its 1990 levels by 2030.

The news comes after Britain's former climate secretary Amber Rudd said the presidency of the climate conference is so critical it must become a full-time role.

"I do know that this requires 100% commitment from somebody who does nothing else, she said last month.

She added: My own view is that whoever is the president of the COP - and Alok absolutely could do a great job at this - should be doing nothing else. This is not a side hustle, it's the most important event taking place next year. We can't afford to make this a part-time job.

READ MORE: Companies with green ambitions unveiled as COP26 climate summit sponsors

In December, Johnsons office denied a report that he wanted his predecessor David Cameron to take over from Sharma as president of the summit.

Downing Street is also understood to have offered the position to William Hague, who declined the role, the Times said, while internal discussions were held on whether to offer the job to Theresa May.

Story continues

Sharma has previously said: We are working with our international partners on an ambitious roadmap for global climate action between now and November 2021.

"The steps we take to rebuild our economies will have a profound impact on our societies' future sustainability, resilience and wellbeing and COP26 can be a moment where the world unites behind a clean resilient recovery.

Yahoo Finance has reached out to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for comment on Sharmas resignation offer.

Watch: COP26: Countries must commit to net zero as soon as possible
The actor who played Laura Ingalls Wilder on Little House on the Prairie, Melissa Gilbert, looked up to Michael Landon as if he was her own father. So when she realized he may be having an affair, she thought she was crazy.

Michael Landon and Cindy Clerico in 1982 | Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Melissa Gilbert was close with Michael Landon, his ex-wife Lynn Noe, and their children

After Gilbert was cast as Laura, she became fast friends with Landons children, Leslie and Michael Jr. (she even dated Mike Jr. for a time).

I slept at their house and they at mine, often enough that they felt like my weekend family, and I thought Mike and Lynn were the most glamorous, loving couple, Gilbert wrote in her memoir, Prairie Tale.

When Gilbert first met Noe, she thought she was one of the most glamorous women Id ever seen.

Marjorie Lynn Noe Landon and Michael Landon | American Broadcasting Companies via Getty Images

RELATED: Little House on the Prairie: How Almanzo Wilder Actor Dean Butler Messed up on His First Day FilmingWhat the F*ck Is Wrong With This Kid?

On location, she wore fur coats and wonderful boots, Gilbert described Noes style, noting that she always looked like a movie star.

In fact, Noe inspired Gilberts love of jewelry at a young age.

Lynn had a collection of jewelry that was unlike anything my little girls eyes had seen, she wrote. At some point each day I would stare at Auntie Lynns fingers, wrists, and ears, hoping to see some new and remarkable piece, and usually I did. Michael showered her with every gemstone imaginable. It wasnt long before one of my favorite things to do when I visited New York City was to walk down Fifth Avenue and gape at the pieces in the windows of Tiffany, Van Cleef & Arpels, and every other major jewelry store there.

When Melissa Gilbert first noticed Michael Landon was interested in Cindy Clerico

At a certain point in Gilberts career, her mother wanted her to start being considered for more dramatic roles. So her part as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker came about. It was on the set of the TV movie that Gilbert realized Landon and Cindy Clerico had some sort of relationship.

Mike had become very friendly with a new stand-in on the show, a pretty young blond named Cindy Clerico, wrote Gilbert. I first noticed her during production of The Miracle Worker when Mike visited the set one day and said hello to her before he did to me.

When Gilbert asked someone who she was, they said, Oh, shes a stand-in. I guess they know each other.

Though it didnt register with me then, Im pretty sure that was the start of their romance, Gilbert continued.

Melissa Gilbert couldnt (and didnt) believe what she was seeing

As time went on, Landon and Clerico spent more and more time together.

It was nothing untoward; they werent ever in a closed-off room, not that I saw, she wrote. But Mike would walk around holding her puppy, and she was a pretty young thing who wore stylish tight jeans, leotards, and high-heel boots.

Cindy Clerico and Michael Landon | Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

RELATED: Little House on the Prairie: Why Lauras First Real Kiss With Almanzo Made [Melissa Gilbert] Sick

While Gilbert didnt know exactly what was going on between Landon and Clerico, she knew that it might be wrong. When she spoke to her mother about it, she said: Oh, youre crazy. And Gilbert believed her.

After all, Mike still bought Auntie Lynn gifts, thanked her when he picked up awards, told everyone how much he loved her, and fawned all over her when we went to Hawaii.

But that was the beginning of the end for Landon and Noe. The Little House director went on to marry Clerico in 1983 and they stayed married until he died in 1991.
New Delhi: In one of the major significant New Year announcements, the Narendra Modi government has decided to extend "Disability Compensation" for all serving employees, if they get disabled in the line of duty while performing their service and are retained in service in spite of such disablement.

The order will particularly provide a huge relief to young Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel like CRPF, BSF, CISF, etc since disability in performance of duties is generally reported in their case due to constraints of job requirement as well as hostile or difficult work - environment.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh has informed of the government.

This new order will remove an anomaly in service rules, considering the hardship faced by the employees, since as per the earlier OM dated 5/5/2009, the provisions of disability benefits under Central Civil Services(CCS) (EOP) Rules did not provide such compensation to those government servants who were appointed on or after 1.1.2004 and covered under National Pension System (NPS).

However, with the new order issued by the Department of Pensions in the Ministry of Personnel, the employees covered under NPS will also get benefits under Rule (9) of Extra Ordinary Pension (EOP).

In other words, if a government servant gets disabled while performing his duties and this disablement is attributed to government service, in that case if he is still retained in the service in spite of disablement, a lump sum compensation will be paid to him by arriving at the capitalized value of the disability element, with reference to the Commutation Table in force from time to time.

Expressing his satisfaction on the order, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, the Modi Government is making all efforts to simplify the rules and to do away with discriminatory clauses. The ultimate objective of all these new initiatives is to provide ease of living for the Government servants even after they have superannuated and become pensioners or family pensioners or elder citizens, he said.

In another employee-friendly decision, the Ministry of Personnel recently did away with minimum qualifying service of 10 years for pension, if a government servant is incapacitated due to bodily or medical infirmity and retired from government service. Accordingly, Rule 38 of CCS (Pension) Rules was amended to provide Invalid Pension at 50% of the last pay, even if the employee had not completed minimum qualifying service of 10 years.

In addition to above, in yet another reform in the Pension Rules, a decision was also taken to amend the rule and provide pension at enhanced rate to the family of an employee who died during service before completing the requisite service of minimum 7 years. As a result, now the family pension of 50% of the last pay is also admissible to the family of employees who die even before completing 7 years of service.
Love Island star Zara Holland has been charged with breaking coronavirus laws after she tried to flee Barbados with her boyfriend when he tested positive for Covid-19.

The former Miss England, 25, could be fined up to 18,000 and face a year in jail after she and her boyfriend Elliott Love, 30, were arrested by officials at Grantley Adams International Airport.

Miss Holland, who will appear in court on the Caribbean island on Wednesday, and her partner breached their quarantine conditions to remain at their Sugar Bay resort hotel when Mr Love tested positive for the virus on Tuesday.

The couple were initially placed in isolation at a specialist Covid-19 quarantine facility in northern Barbados but Miss Holland has since been released after testing negative for a second time for the virus and is now confined to her hotel room.

Zara Holland has been charged with breaking coronavirus laws after she tried to flee Barbados with her boyfriend. Pictured: The model on holiday in Barbados in 2019

The former Miss England and her partner Elliott Love (pictured together), 30, breached their quarantine conditions to remain at their hotel when Mr Love tested positive for the virus on Tuesday

The pair were instructed to remain at their 300-a-night Sugar Bay resort hotel (pictured) after the model's partner tested positive for the virus

It comes as a petition calling for the the Love Island star and her partner to be jailed was reached more than 1,000 people on Change.org today.

The petition read: 'They broke the law, but also broke the trust of the wonderfully open, kind and welcoming people of Barbados. They acted with a level of selfishness and entitlement that beggars belief.

'They undermined the huge amount of work that had been done by the government and people of Barbados to suppress community transmission and the didn't just risk the livelihoods of Bajans, the risked their lives.'

This week the model issued an apology to the government and the people of Barbados after breaking quarantine.

In a statement the model claimed her decision to break Barbados' strict coronavirus rules had been a 'massive mix-up and misunderstanding'.

The statement, which was published by Barbados Today news website, said: 'I firstly want to apologise to the entire country of Barbados for what has been a massive mix up and misunderstanding during my most recent stay.

'I am currently working with the local authorities to rectify any issues on my part and will issue an update and full statement which I think is the only right thing to do to the Government and citizens of Barbados.

'I have been a guest of this lovely island in excess of 20 years and would never do anything to jeopardise an entire nation that I have nothing but love and respect for and which has treated me as a family.'

Mr Love's brother Harvey told MailOnline: 'Zara is out of quarantine. She is in a hotel.'

Miss Holland could be fined up to 18,000 and face a year in jail after she and her boyfriend were arrested by officials at Grantley Adams International Airport

The coupe were initially placed in isolation at a specialist Covid-19 quarantine facility in northern Barbados

In Barbados this week, the Daily Nation reported: 'The couple, who have been dating for four years, arrived here last Sunday aboard a Virgin Atlantic flight and were to be quarantining in a Christ Church hotel. Visitors have to be cleared after two mandatory tests, which usually take about three days.

Covid rules for visitors to Barbados Before arriving in Barbados visitors have to fill out an online form and preferably include an upload of their negative COVID-19 PCR test result. It is then mandatory for travellers from High-Risk and Medium-Risk countries to receive a second test while on island. While waiting for the results visitors then have to restrict their movements to their accommodation and cannot have visitors. If the result is positive, then the person is assessed at a government facility for a minimum of 24 hours. After this there is the option to self-isolate at your own expense or go to a government isolation location, such as the Paragon Military Base. However if a positive test is returned, the visitor cannot return home. They have to isolate until they have recovered. Upon recovery, you can resume your vacation or return home, Visit Barbados explains. The country has had just 383 Covid cases and only seven deaths since the start of the pandemic. Advertisement

'However, after Ministry of Health officials informed them that one of them had tested positive, the couple apparently removed their red wristbands, boarded a taxi to Grantley Adams International Aiport and attempted to book a flight back to the United Kingdom aboard British Airways.

'Sources said while the male is in isolation until he recovers from the virus, the 25-year-old model who won a major beauty contest in the UK, was under quarantine until tests prove that she did not have the virus. However, if she turns out to be positive, she too will be isolated.'

A tourist was jailed for six months earlier this week for breaching Barbados' strict Covid-19 protocols, even though he had only popped out for a drink.

Dean George Scott, 49, from Jamaica, admitted leaving quarantine to 'buy Fanta' and other snacks after arriving on the holiday island at the beginning of December, when he appeared in court.

Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes said the sentence served as a 'clear warning' to others.

He said: 'I got to send a message to you and to all the other people that this cannot be tolerated. We have made too much gain, so you have to do six months. Walking out of quarantine no man, this cannot be allowed.'

Other guests at Sugar Bay are not having to quarantine as a result of the couple's alleged breach, with staff confident no one else came into close contact, but visitors isolate on arrival anyway until a negative test is confirmed.

The couple were thought to be being held on a Covid ward at the St Lucy Hospital in northern Barbados before Miss Holland was allowed to return to a hotel.

A Barbadian police spokesman said: 'Zara Holland has been released from a medical facility to go to her designated hotel. Elliott Love remains a resident at the medical facility.'

Island chief medical officer Dr Kenneth George said: 'There are three tourists who are of special interest. Two are in quarantine and one in police custody.

'Two were apprehended at the airport. This is a police matter and I trust that the appropriate evidence will be submitted.'

While a spokesman for the country's Ministry of Health and Wellness added: 'Police have held for questioning at least three tourists in relation to alleged breaches.

The Paragon Isolation Centre on Barbados where Zara Holland and her boyfriend were taken after being arrested

The duo are said to have been given red wristbands but allegedly cut them off and tried to flee to the airport in a taxi (Miss Holland is pictured in Barbados in 2019)

'We will take firm action against any individuals who breach protocols.'

Meanwhile, local reports in Barbados say that airport staff have been quarantined after coming into contact with two British tourists, believed to be the couple.

The Foreign Office confirmed they were aware of Zara Holland and Elliot Love's antics.

An FCDO spokesperson said: 'We are supporting a British man and woman in quarantine in Barbados, and are in contact with their family.'

MailOnline has contacted Zara's representatives for a comment.

Before arriving in Barbados visitors have to fill out an online form and preferably include an upload of their negative COVID-19 PCR test result.

It is then mandatory for travellers from High-Risk and Medium-Risk countries to receive a second test while on island.

While waiting for the results visitors then have to restrict their movements to their accommodation and cannot have visitors.

If the result is positive, then the person is assessed at a government facility for a minimum of 24 hours. After this there is the option to self-isolate at your own expense or go to a government isolation location, such as the Paragon Military Base.

The model appeared on Love Island in 2016 and has since spoken out about how her 'rollercoaster' experience on the reality show left her battling anxiety and depression

Since Love Island, Zara has turned her attentions to running a business with her mum (pictured on the reality show with Daniel Lukakis)

However if a positive test is returned, the visitor cannot return home. They have to isolate until they have recovered. Upon recovery, you can resume your vacation or return home, Visit Barbados explains.

The country has had just 383 Covid cases and only seven deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Miss Holland struck up a romance with her partner just months after she left Love Island and she later told the Daily Star that he was 'the one'.

She gushed: 'We're very happy together and have such a great time. He is absolutely amazing and he's definitely the one.'
LONDON - Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday a new national lockdown for England until at least mid-February to combat a fast-spreading new variant of the coronavirus, even as Britain ramped up its vaccination program by becoming the first nation to start using the shot developed by Oxford University and drugmaker AstraZeneca.

FILE - In this Wednesday Dec. 30, 2020 file photo, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks at a press conference in 10 Downing Street, London. Johnson has warned that more onerous lockdown restrictions in England are likely as the country reels from a new variant of the coronavirus that has seen infection rates soar to their highest recorded levels. The U.K. is in the midst of an acute outbreak, recording more than 50,000 new coronavirus infections a day over the past five days. (Heathcliff O'Malley/Pool via AP)

LONDON - Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday a new national lockdown for England until at least mid-February to combat a fast-spreading new variant of the coronavirus, even as Britain ramped up its vaccination program by becoming the first nation to start using the shot developed by Oxford University and drugmaker AstraZeneca.

Johnson said people must stay at home again, as they were ordered to do so in the first wave of the pandemic in March, this time because the new virus variant was spreading in a "frustrating and alarming way.

As I speak to you tonight, our hospitals are under more pressure from COVID than at any time since the start of the pandemic, he said in a televised address.

From Tuesday, primary and secondary schools and colleges will be closed for face to face learning except for the children of key workers and vulnerable pupils. University students will not be returning until at least mid-February. People were told to work from home unless it's impossible to do so, and leave home only for essential trips.

All nonessential shops and personal care services like hairdressers will be closed, and restaurants can only operate takeout services.

82-year-old Brian Pinker receives the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from nurse Sam Foster at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, England, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. Pinker, a retired maintenance manager received the first injection of the new vaccine developed by between Oxford University and drug giant AstraZeneca. (Steve Parsons/Pool Photo via AP)

As of Monday, there were 26,626 COVID-19 patients in hospitals in England, an increase of more than 30% from a week ago. That is 40% above the highest level of the first wave in the spring.

Large areas of England were already under tight restrictions as officials try to control an alarming surge in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, blamed on a new variant of COVID-19 that is more contagious than existing variants. Authorities have recorded more than 50,000 new infections daily since passing that milestone for the first time on Dec. 29. On Monday, they reported 407 virus-related deaths to push the confirmed death toll total to 75,431, one of the worst in Europe.

The U.K.'s chief medical officers warned that without further action, there is a material risk of the National Health Service in several areas being overwhelmed over the next 21 days.

82-year-old Brian Pinker receives the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from nurse Sam Foster at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, England, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. Pinker, a retired maintenance manager received the first injection of the new vaccine developed by between Oxford University and drug giant AstraZeneca. (Steve Parsons/Pool Photo via AP)

Hours earlier, Scotland's leader, Nicola Sturgeon, also imposed a lockdown there with broadly similar restrictions from Tuesday until the end of January.

I am more concerned about the situation we face now than I have been at any time since March last year, Sturgeon said in Edinburgh.

The announcements came on the day U.K. health authorities began putting the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine into arms around the country, fueling hopes that life may begin returning to normal by the spring.

82-year-old Brian Pinker receives the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from nurse Sam Foster at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, England, Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. Pinker, a retired maintenance manager received the first injection of the new vaccine developed by between Oxford University and drug giant AstraZeneca. (Steve Parsons/Pool Photo via AP)

The weeks ahead will be the hardest yet but I really do believe that were entering the last phase of the struggle," Johnson said.

Britain has secured the rights to 100 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which is cheaper and easier to use than some of its rivals. In particular, it doesnt require the super-cold storage needed for the Pfizer vaccine.

The new vaccine will be administered at a small number of hospitals for the first few days so authorities can watch out for any adverse reactions. Officials said hundreds of new vaccination sites  including local doctors offices  will open later this week, joining the more than 700 vaccination sites already in operation.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a visit to view the vaccination programme at the Chase Farm Hospital in north London, Monday Jan. 4, 2021, part of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. Johnson warned Sunday that more onerous lockdown restrictions in England are likely in the coming weeks as the country reels from a coronavirus variant that has pushed infection rates to their highest recorded levels. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool Photo via AP)

A massive ramp-up operation is now underway, Johnson said. The goal was that by mid-February, some 13 million people in the top priority groups  care home residents, all those over 70 years old, frontline health and social workers, and those deemed extremely clinically vulnerable  will be vaccinated, he said.

Brian Pinker, an 82-year-old dialysis patient, received the first Oxford-AstraZeneca shot early Monday at Oxford University Hospital.

The nurses, doctors and staff today have all been brilliant, and I can now really look forward to celebrating my 48th wedding anniversary with my wife, Shirley, later this year, Pinker said in a statement released by the National Health Service.

In this image taken from video, Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes a televised address to the nation from 10 Downing Street, London, Monday Jan. 4, 2021, setting out new emergency measures to control the spread of coronavirus in England. (Pool via AP)

But aspects of Britains vaccination plan have spurred controversy.

Both vaccines require two shots, and Pfizer had recommended that the second dose be given within 21 days of the first. But the U.K.s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization said authorities should give the first vaccine dose to as many people as possible, rather than setting aside shots to ensure others receive two doses. It has stretched out the time between the doses from 21 days to within 12 weeks.

While two doses are required to fully protect against COVID-19, both vaccines provide high levels of protection after the first dose, the committee said. Making the first dose the priority will maximize benefits from the vaccination program in the short term, it said.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson rolls up his sleeves, during a visit to Chase Farm Hospital in north London, Monday Jan. 4, 2021. Johnson warned Sunday that more onerous lockdown restrictions in England are likely in the coming weeks as the country reels from a coronavirus variant that has pushed infection rates to their highest recorded levels. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool Photo via AP)

Stephen Evans, a professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said policymakers are being forced to balance the potential risks of this change against the benefits in the middle of a deadly pandemic.

As has become clear to everyone during 2020, delays cost lives, Evans said. When resources of doses and people to vaccinate are limited, then vaccinating more people with potentially less efficacy is demonstrably better than a fuller efficacy in only half.

Monday's urgent announcement was yet another change of course for Johnson, who had stuck with a regional alert system that stipulated varying restrictions for areas depending on the severity of local infections. London and large areas of southeast England were put under the highest level of restrictions in mid-December, and more regions soon joined them.

But it soon became clear that the regional approach wasn't working to tamp down the spread of the virus, and critics have been clamouring for a tougher national lockdown.

And while schools in London were already closed due to high infection rates in the capital, Johnson had said that students in many parts of the country could return to classrooms on Monday after the Christmas holidays, to the dismay of teachers' unions.

We are relieved the government has finally bowed to the inevitable and agreed to move schools and colleges to remote education in response to alarming COVID infection rates," said Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders.

Jill Lawless contributed to this report.

Follow AP coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at:

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
This articles title seems appropriate when looking back at 2020. The numbers will show that 2020 was a record year for Idahos dairy industry, in both milk production and total milk receipts. Had you asked me in April if we expected to set records this year, I would have told you, Absolutely, we will be losing a record amount of money and dairymen this year!

Those of us in the industry know this year was anything but an easy year.

We came into 2020 with a decent tailwind. The House of Representatives had passed their first immigration reform legislation since the President Reagan era, and there was legitimate hope the Senate would take up similar legislation. Financially, 2020 was also shaping up to be a good milk price year. Industry experts were all predicting healthy prices, and the industry was filled with optimism.

Boom . . . the shoe dropped

Then the other shoe dropped, and we all got a crash course in COVID-19 and all the confusion that came along with it. Our healthy milk prices quickly fell to near record lows, and it began to look like 2020 would rival the economic downturn we had experienced in the aftermath of 2009.

The opportunities we saw to have the Senate take up immigration reform were quickly replaced with conversation about COVID relief packages, and there was no room for discussion about reforming our broken immigration system. One does have to appreciate the irony that so many essential workers were here without status and were needed to keep everyday operations of agriculture, health care, and so many other industries afloat. These are still jobs our domestic workforce will not take  pandemic or not.

Congress acted quickly on relief bills, and we saw those benefits within the industry. There was direct assistance for agriculture and other businesses so operations could continue during such uncertain times. Thanks to the efforts of Senator James Risch (R-Idaho) and Idahos other congressional delegation members, those relief packages were rightsized to better reflect the losses of our larger agricultural operations in Idaho. The most impactful benefit came in the form of the Food Box Program administered by USDA. This program was a win-win. Families finding themselves in need of food saw that need filled, and agricultural producers realized an increase in demand with the USDA purchases. For dairy, the cheese purchases were the most impactful, and that greatly benefitted Idaho, where the majority of our milk is converted into cheese.

So, how do we see 2021?

First and foremost, we are trying to anticipate our members needs and position our staff to be as helpful as possible. Starting with immigration reform, we remain optimistic. Representative Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) has already been in talks with Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) about the reintroduction of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act early in the new congress. Both are committed to working across the aisle to find bipartisan solutions to our broken immigration system. Surely there will be twists and turns along this political path, but the commitments from Congressman Simpson and his staff are as strong as ever.

A closer look at workers

Turning to our focus on worker safety, we anticipate OSHA coming out with new Local Emphasis Program (LEP) regulation focused on all of Idaho agriculture this coming year. This was a regulation that was near completion at the end of the Obama administration, and we expect it will be picked up by the Biden administration.

Ellissa Clark and Kady Hurlock from our staff have created new training resources for Idaho dairymen that will address the Dairy Dozen, the 12 key areas of dairy safety OSHA focuses on. They have created 19 Tailgate Talks designed for dairy owners and managers to deliver, surrounding the Dairy Dozen topics. We have also been able to partner with Dairy West to provide a Tailgate Talk kit to every dairyman in Idaho and Utah for free! Those should be arriving at dairies in January and February.

Environment will matter

There never seems to be a shortage of topics on the environmental front. Idaho Dairymens Association (IDA) continues to stay proactive in the arena, and we have two very talented staff members  Megan Satterwhite and Tanya Oldham  who are great resources available for dairymen to utilize. They have worked with dozens of farmers this past year to rewrite nutrient management plans, obtain lagoon construction approvals, and work through other environmentally related challenges.

Megan and Tanya also serve as in-house expertise for IDA. They are invaluable when it comes to helping us navigate environmental policy issues and work very closely with the USDA Ag Research Service and University of Idaho researchers on studies IDA and IDEAL funds. They have been particularly helpful in assisting our understanding of the Net Zero Initiative the industry has committed to. Through the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, we are working to reach Net Zero by 2050.

Net Zero is no small commitment, and western dairies will have some unique challenges in reaching it. IDA is well positioned to be an active part of the decision making processes surrounding this Initiative. We have been funding greenhouse gas emissions research for nearly two decades and have some of the best data sets in the country. That historical work, and the ongoing studies we continue to fund, will be invaluable in helping Idaho dairymen navigate the challenges of achieving Net Zero.

IDAs investment and partnership with the University of Idaho in the Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment research dairy will also play a key role in the sustainability of Idahos dairy industry. Facility design is well underway, and we hope to be moving dirt this summer. This facility will have a key focus on environmental research and serve as a clearinghouse in testing emerging manure management technologies. We are excited to see the progress of the project and look forward to sharing more information as it moves along.

We never seem have any shortages of challenges within our industry. Please know that we work hard at IDA to do our best in supporting the industry as we meet these uphill battles.

To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2020

January 4, 2021
Chaos erupted inside a Los Angeles mall over the weekend when a group of anti-mask protesters held a demonstration against California's strict COVID lockdowns.

The dozen-strong group of protesters were live streaming on social media as they made their way through the Westfield Century Mall on Sunday.

In a number of videos posted to social media, the group are seen embroiled in a series of both verbal and physical altercations, with at least one of the 'organizers' being temporarily detained by police.

Trump-supporter Shiva Bagheri, one of the participating anti-maskers, described her fellow protesters as freedom lovers in a clip posted to Facebook live.

All about control, this has nothing to do with a deadly virus... because a mask does not protect you from a deadly virus, Bagheri is heard saying in the clip, before falsely proclaiming that you cannot spread the virus if you are asymptomatic.

Several of the protesters were heard chanting no more masks inside the two-level mall on Santa Monica Boulevard. At least one was waiving a sign that read: COVID is a Con-Job.

Scroll down for video

The protesters live steamed as they demonstrated in LA's Westfield Century Mall on Sunday. One of the group, Shiva Bagheri, is shown left

Other stunts included a group of male protesters attempting to push through a door of a Steve Madden store

Several of the protesters are also seen chanting no more masks while storming through a Bloomingdale's store

Journalist Samuel Braslow posted a thread of videos to Twitter, documenting the protesters several altercations with shoppers, store workers, and law enforcement officials.

In a Ralphs store next to the mall, a number of the group are seen walking inside the supermarket, ignoring the protests of one customer who repeatedly tells them, you need a mask  youre going to get sick.

When the customer tells a male protester he has a mask for him, the demonstrator, dressed in a red hat, replies: I dont need a mask, I dont wear masks.

The customer is filming the conversation with the demonstrator, who is flanked by a number of others who are also not wearing masks with their cellphones outstretched in front of them.

When the customer, who is wearing a mask, reaffirms to the group youre all gonna get sick, several of the protesters scoff at the comment, with one man heard shouting off camera, were not going to get sick, this is all a f***ing hoax.

Demonstrators filmed themselves walking into a Ralph's supermarket without masks and arguing with shoppers

In a number of videos posted to social media, the group are seen embroiled in a series of both verbal and physical altercations

One man is seen above arguing with a shoe store worker who attempted to lock the group out

In a statement to DailyMail.com police confirmed no protesters were arrested and said officers were deployed to 'keep the peace'

The demonstration took place inside and around the Westfield Century Mall in Santa Monica

A second verbal altercation involving a different male protester was captured by reporter Emily Holshouser, showing the man telling an angered shopper he didnt need a mask because hed tested negative for COVID-19.

He then called the shopper a mask Nazi, to which the shopper replied: Youre harassing us with your f***ing germs.

Elsewhere in the store, a female protester became involved in a physical altercation with a masked male shopper, appearing to attempt to ram him with a shopping cart down a frozen food aisle.

The woman is heard irately screaming really? as she charges toward the man. Several other male protesters then descend, calling out why are you hitting a woman, man? as he attempts to stop the woman from pushing the cart into his legs. It's unclear what spurred the incident.

The female protester is heard repeatedly shouting, He just assaulted me! Call the cops, as she continues walking toward the shopper, while he attempts to flee.

The group then surround the shopper near the check-out counter, berating him for wearing a mask while repeating the claim he assaulted the female protester.

He assaulted me! the female protester is heard screaming. He hit me in the face.

The female protester was then later caught on camera kicking the same shopper as he attempted to check-out.

Some guy take care of him out there, come on patriots, the woman calls out. Someone show him whats up.

Trump-supporter Shiva Bagheri (left), one of the participating anti-maskers, described her fellow protesters as freedom lovers in a clip posted to Facebook live

Bagheri uploaded an image to Facebook showing some of the group enjoying 'indoor dining' at the mall on Sunday

Several of the protesters are also seen chanting no more masks while storming through a Bloomingdale's at the Century City Mall. The LAPD reportedly showed up to the scene eventually but did not attempt to remove the protesters from the premises.

The protesters staged a procession across all three floors of the department store, repeating their chant on no more masks and also yelling out f*** communist China.

One shopper had to be escorted out from the store by a staff member after he became involved in a heated exchange with at least four of the protesters, footage captured by Braslow showed.

Elsewhere in the store, a handful of protesters were also spotting hosting a dance party to the Village Peoples track YMCA, with some changing the chorus to M-A-G-A.

Other stunts included a group of male protesters attempting to push through a door of a Steve Madden store, and shouting at workers of a 85 Degrees cafe chain that masks are illegal.

In what Holshouser called one of the more intense moments, a visibly emotional female shopper attempted to confront the group, telling them: My father is in the hospital with COVID you a**hole.

A male protester, who had earlier called someone a mask Nazi, responded: A lot of people are. Thats life. People die. Your father is not special.

The same male protester was later filmed in an argument with a mall official who had asked the group to leave.

In the 40s, would you ask a group of Black people to leave if they were harassed? Trump supporters are oppressed in America today, the man states.

A visibly emotional female shopper attempted to confront the group, telling them: My father is in the hospital with COVID you a**hole. A male protester responded: A lot of people are. Thats life. People die. Your father is not special

The group are seen embroiled in a number of both verbal and physical altercations is videos posted to social media

At least one of the protesters was detained by police (above) after becoming involved in a fight with a shopper. It's unclear how many were detained in total

Several of the stores inside the mall locked their doors to prevent the group from entering.

In one instance, one protester, who is white, called a store employee a big dumb white c*** for locking them out.

Later Sunday, eyewitness Peter De La Chingada tweeted a clip appearing to show what he described as the main disruptor of the protest being detained after a physical altercation with a mall shopper.

Circumstances surrounding her detainment are unclear, with other alleged eye witness accounts on social media saying she was later released and returned to the protests.

In a statement to DailyMail.com an LAPD spokesperson confirmed that nobody was arrested, though two battery reports were filed.

When asked why officers didn't intervene or remove the protesters, the department said: 'Officers were there to keep the peace and facilitate [the protesters']First Amendment rights.'

In California, people are legally required to wear a mask when outside of their home in the interests of protecting against the spread of the coronavirus.

The state is widely considered to be the new US epicenter of the virus, with positive cases counts, deaths and hospitalizations soaring.

The state Department of Public Health on Sunday reported another 181 deaths and more than 45,350 new confirmed COVID-19 cases across California, bringing the case total to nearly 2.4 million since the pandemic began.

More than 26,530 people have also died from the virus in the state, making it the third to exceed 25,000 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic, behind New York with nearly 38,000 deaths and Texas with more than 27,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Hospitalizations also rose to 20,600 over the weekend, with 4,500 of those patients currently in intensive care.
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FCW Insider: Jan. 4

The U.S. Senate joined the House of Representatives in overturning President Trump's veto of the annual defense policy bill in a rare New Year's Day vote.

After threatening a government shutdown, President Trump signed the fiscal year 2021 funding bill and a COVID-19 relief package into law on Sunday evening.

The IRS inspector general's letter to lawmakers backs up a statement offered by a senior Democratic senator earlier this week.

You now have until Friday, Jan. 15, to get them in.

Quick Hits

*** President Donald Trump affirmed a proposed 1% pay raise for civilian federal employees for 2021. In November, the Trump administration backed away from the increase in pay, and supported a pay freeze contained in a Senate appropriations bill. Military personnel will receive a 3% pay hike in 2021.

*** The scope of the penetration into government and private sector networks is broader than was previously believed according to a Jan. 2 report in the New York Times. The massive hack, which was first flagged by cybersecurity vendor FireEye, targeted vulnerabilities in the technology supply chain, including at IT services firm SolarWinds and Microsoft. The hack may have compromised up to 250 government and commercial networks, according to the report.

*** The new rules package for the House of Representatives in the 117th Congress extends the life of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. The bipartisan committee passed 97 recommendations in the last Congress, including several focused on the technology used in constituent services and streamlining the process by which outside technology vendors are selected.

*** House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the selection of Catherine Szpindor to serve as Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives. Szpindor, who served as House CIO from 2015 to 2020, is the first woman to hold the CAO post. "As a leading expert on innovation and technology, she will be a trusted and effective force as our institution continues to adjust to remote and virtual work during the pandemic and to continue meet the needs of the American people," Pelosi said in a statement.
India logged 16,504 cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and 214 related deaths between Sunday and Monday morning, according to the Union ministry of health and family welfare, which have taken the countrys tally to 10,340,469. There were 16,432 cases of the coronavirus disease on December 29 last year. The number of active cases of Covid-19 remained below the 250,000 mark for the second day on a row at 243,953.

According to the health ministry, 9,946,867 people have recovered so far with 19,557 patients of Covid-19 cured or discharged across the country in the last 24 hours. The national recovery rate has gone up to 96.19%. The daily new recoveries have been more than the daily cases registered since the last 38 days, the health ministrys data shows. The gap between recovered and active cases has widened further and now stands at 9,702,914.

Also read | After Covishield and Covaxin, these are other Covid-19 vaccine candidates

Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) VG Somani on Sunday approved Oxfords Covid-19 vaccine, Covishield, and Bharat Biotech International Limiteds Covaxin for restricted emergency use, clearing way for the governments vaccination drive against the coronavirus disease in about 10 days. However, the emergency use approval to the Serum Institute of India (SII) vaccine against Covid-19 developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, and the restricted use in emergency situation consent to Bharat Biotechs locally developed vaccine has triggered a debate among experts.

Also read | Covid-19: India approves first 2 vaccines, UK to begin another immunisation drive

Meanwhile, SIIs Adar Poonawalla has told Associated Press that the government will not allow the export of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for several months. Poonawall said his company also has been barred from selling the vaccine on the private market. We can only give (the vaccines) to the government of India at the moment, Poonawalla told AP, adding the decision was also made to prevent hoarding.

The Pune-based companys chief executive also said the first 100 million doses of the vaccine were being sold to the government at a special price of Rs 200 per dose, after which prices would be higher. The vaccine will be sold on the private market at Rs 1,000, he said. He said vaccines could be delivered to states where they were needed within seven to 10 days of the company finalising a deal with the Centre.
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Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
The shows must go on, but Westman theatre companies still arent sure when theyll be able to stage performances in front of a live audience again.

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The shows must go on, but Westman theatre companies still arent sure when theyll be able to stage performances in front of a live audience again.

Brandon-based Mecca Productions is the first that comes to mind when considering live theatres relationship with the COVID-19 pandemic in Westman.

Although no theatre company in the area was left unscathed by the pandemic, Mecca is notable for being midway through a four-show run of "Spamalot" when they shut down.

Just before opening night on March 12, the province publicly announced the first case of COVID-19 in Winnipeg and the Brandon Chamber of Commerce cancelled its awards gala within 12 hours of it taking place.

"During show week, youre on the run from morning until you get home at 11 or 12 oclock at night, so we werent really tuned in to what was going on in the news," Mecca Productions proprietor and artistic director Lisa Vasconcelos recalled during a phone conversation with the Sun last week.

This blissful ignorance was shattered the following day when she caught wind of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce cancellation.

"That was the first glimmer we had that this was really going to hit us here, and that was a scary thing," she said.

That night  shortly after the Royal Manitoba Winter Fairs cancellation was announced  they capped their Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium audience at 250 people spread throughout the auditorium and postponed the two shows scheduled to take place the following day.

Now, nearly 10 months later, their sets are waiting for them at the venue, where not much has taken place since  at least, nothing with an audience.

The same can be said for the Strathclair Drama Club, whose members were getting ready for an April performance of "Mary Poppins" at the Strathclair Bend Theatre when the pandemic hit.

"Literally, the music stands and everything else is sitting exactly where we left it in the middle of March," orchestra director Neil Garney said.

Various other productions were forced to postpone, including the Virden Theatre Productions rendition of the musical "Matilda." Although they successfully held auditions over Zoom in the midst of the pandemic and managed to get together outdoors on occasion for rehearsals, the goalpost kept moving back as the pandemic raged on.

KIM POOLE A scene from the Virden Collegiate Institutes 2018 production of The Addams Family. Front row from left is Garett Krieser, Emily Cochrane, Dane Leslie, Laurel Eslinger and John Sorza.

School productions were likewise affected, including Virden Collegiate Institutes production of "Freaky Friday."

Drama teacher Michelle Chyzyk, who also serves as co-director for "Matilda," said theyre still looking at new and creative ways to get rolling on these productions.

Rather than dwell on the heartache of being unable to do what they love to do, theyre taking an "all the worlds a stage" approach to the craft.

"Were optimistic  gosh, something goods going to happen, and well be hopeful because were really missing that in our lives," Chyzyk said.

"Theatre people by nature are resourceful and think on their feet and are optimistic ... These are skills built by the process."

Theyre currently eyeballing an outdoor performance of "Matilda" this summer at Brandons Festival Park, near the Riverbank Discovery Centre.

As for "Freaky Friday," theyre looking at their options.

"Ive assured them well find some way to do it, whether we film them individually, perform outside, perform with masks  there have got to be some creative ways," she said, adding that its a worthwhile effort given the skills such as confidence building that students get out of the process.

The crew behind "Spamalot" is similarly committed to following through on their production, and Vasconcelos said she still receives at least one message per week from someone keen on finishing the four-show run.

"Well have to relearn some of it, but I think people will be ready to go," she said, adding that while theyd initially booked the auditorium for dates in March, this no longer appears realistic through the lens of current COVID-19 numbers and restrictions.

The Mecca Productions youth show "Frozen Jr.," for which initial preparations were well underway when the pandemic hit, has been booked for the auditorium in December 2021.

As the uncertainty surrounding vaccines, restrictions and new strains of the virus linger, Vasconcelos said theyre also looking at productions that have streaming rights so people can watch them online as well.

Whatever happens, she said, the community can expect to see something out of Mecca Productions this year.

KIM POOLE The AUD Theatre stage in Virden is shown with the curtain down and an orchestra in the pit.

"Life is just a little too grey without it."

In Strathclair, Garney said theyre still looking at "Mary Poppins," but that if they cant do it in April, theyre likely to push it into 2022.

This, he said, would make it only the second time in their almost 40-year history that they havent hosted an annual performance  the other being 2020.

"Its a big part of our lives," he said. "Its something that often gives us inspiration and comfort and brings us together, and were missing that."

As big a loss as it has been, he said theyve been careful to put it into perspective, in that their inability to put on a musical is "pretty minor compared to losing a family member."

Even so, he said, its tough.

Bookings for the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium are coming in for both this year and next, though general manager Tom Crook said cancellations remain a reality, particularly in the earlier part of the year.

"Its all up in the air at this point," he said.

They plan on sending out a survey in the new year to gauge public attitudes. Regardless of government health regulations, theres some concern that it will take some time for people to become comfortable with attending events again.

There is some opportunity for audiences to physically distance themselves within the building for smaller shows, and Crook said theyll do whatever they can to safely host events.

Even if theyre able to host a handful of events this year, he said itll have a leg up on 2020, when 102 events were rescheduled or cancelled, of which approximately 16 were multi-day bookings.

"Were not doing great. We probably lost close to a quarter-million dollars this year," he said, adding that theyve been required to lay off all of their staff except for two people to keep things running.

"Its tough, but were surviving and were ready to go whenever its time."

 tclarke@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB

Lucknow:

BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj on Tuesday said no power on earth could stop the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya ahead of proceedings in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case in Lucknow.

The Babri Masjid versus Ram temple debate should be dropped now, he said, claiming that those who had opposed the construction of the temple were now Ram bhakts.The Muslim community too was in favour of a temple being built in Ayodhya, he told mediapersons.



No power on earth will be able to stop the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya, he said.



Meanwhile, senior Hindutva leader Ram Vilas Vedanti, an accused in the case, said that he was among those who had pulled down the structure in Ayodhya.



I was one of those who had pulled down the dome of the disputed structure in Ayodhya, Vedanti, who is here to appear before the special court in the Ayodhya case, told reporters.

Read | Babri Masjid case live: BJP stalwarts LK Advani, MM Joshi, Uma Bharti reach Special CBI Court in Lucknow for hearing

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
A Head-on crash in Central California took away the lives of seven children and two adults on New Year's Day.

Investigators are asking for the public's help to determine what caused the head-on crash that killed the victims, according to an NBC News report.

The California Highway Patrol says everyone who reported the incident that took place on rural State Route 33 arrived at the scene after the crash.

The CHP aims to talk to witnesses who saw what happened before the SUV and the truck collided between Avenal and Coalinga.

Related story: 2 US Marine Corps Officers Dead After Helicopter Crashes in California During Training Exercise





Head-on crash resulting in fire

The children, who died due to the crash, were between six and 15 years old.

They were members of two related families traveling in a Ford F-150 truck that was struck by around 8 p.m. by a Dodge Journey SUV. This was according to the Fresno County Coroner's office and the CHP.

Evidence found from the scene implied that the Dodge was being driven by 28-year-old man and was traveling southbound on the highway when it skidded onto the dirt shoulder for an unknown reason based on police reports, as reported by The Guardian.

The driver then overcorrected and swerve into the oncoming lane where it struck the Ford, which was driven by a woman. Police said that the Ford burst into flames on the shoulder.

Meanwhile, the Dodge came to a stop, which blocked both lanes of the highway. This resulted in to all eight people getting killed inside the Ford.

Highway patrol Captain Kevin Clays said that the pickup only has six seatbelts. Clay added that the officers who responded to the collision had been offered counseling. He said that it is tragic for the community and for the officers that respond to these incidents.

Daniel Luna was reported to the driver of the Dodge. It was unknown if alcohol or drugs were a factor to the incident. Luna's toxicology results are still pending, according to an ABC News report.

Investigators said that they will try to determine how fast both vehicles were going at the time of the crash.

Officials said that weather or other road conditions did not appear to be a factor.

"Highway 33 is fairly straight in this location and not a lot of collisions occur at the same location where this collision occurred. It's well maintained," Clays was quoted on an ABC News report. Clays said that they are working with the Fresno County Coroner's Office to identify the occupants.

Meanwhile, a head-on collision in Rincon on Dec. 29 were reported. They were put out by CAL FIRE San Diego firefighters, according to a Firehouse report. It happened around 6:05 p.m. near the roundabout between SR-76 and Valley Center Road.

Details surrounding the crash were not immediately released to public. CAL FIRE San Diego Capt. Thomas Shoots said that the collision involved a van and a sedan.

Shoots said that one occupant in each vehicle was trapped until CAL FIRE crews could free them. Medics took both to hospitals in ambulances.

Related story: California Plane Crash: Pilot Still Missing After 2 Planes Collide in San Francisco Bay




WASHINGTON  U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, will object to the certification of the 2020 election results, joining a growing list of Republican members of Congress who will mark their protest of various election procedures and demonstrate continuing loyalty to President Donald J. Trump.

The effort, which is not expected to alter Trump's impending exit from the White House this month, will play out during Wednesday's joint session of Congress to count the Electoral College votes certified by each state. Individual lawmakers can object to Congress's approval of the vote, and the decision by some GOP members to do so has divided the Republican party on the eve of two Georgia run-off elections Tuesday that will decide control of the U.S. Senate.

Stefanik, who became one of Trump's most vocal allies in the last year of his presidency, said Monday she would object to the election results "to protect our democratic process."

"Tens of millions of Americans are rightly concerned that the 2020 election featured unprecedented voting irregularities, unconstitutional overreach by unelected state officials and judges ignoring state election laws, and a fundamental lack of ballot integrity and security," Stefanik said. " ... The most precious foundation and covenant of our Republic is the right to vote, and consequently, the faith in the sanctity of our nation's free and fair elections."

Stefanik's decision to object prompted New York Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs to call for her resignation.

"Through her statement today indicating her intention to support the effort to contest the legitimately certified electors in the 2020 Presidential race, Congresswoman Stefanik has thrown in her lot with those colleagues who seek to violate their Constitutional oath to 'protect and defend' the Constitution by seeking to overthrow the legitimately elected incoming President of the United States," Jacobs said in a statement.

Over 140 House Republicans and 13 GOP senators have said they will raise objections Wednesday. In a joint statement, the senators asked that Congress appoint a special commission to conduct an "emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in the disputed states" in order to restore faith in American elections amid allegations of fraud. Vice President Mike Pence, who will preside over the joint session Wednesday, said Saturday he supports the objecting members.

But other Republicans have rebuked their colleagues' efforts as anti-democratic and nakedly partisan. U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., called it "bad for the country and bad for the party."

Rep. John Katko, R-Syracuse, said Congress should not "usurp the will of the people and the electoral college" by voting against certifying the election results. "After every ballot was counted and arguments were presented to our nations courts, there has been no demonstration of widespread fraud that would warrant overturning the election results," he said.

Rep. Tom Reed, R-Corning, was the first to acknowledge Biden as president-elect and is also expected to oppose the GOP challenges to certification.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-Staten Island, declined to comment on Monday. Republican Reps. Lee Zeldin of Shirley, Andrew Garbarino of Sayville and Chris Jacobs of Orchard Park did not respond to requests for comment.

Objections from Republican members of Congress will receive a vote in both chambers Wednesday and will not pass the majority Democratic House.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said Sunday "On January the 20th, Joe Biden will be president and Kamala Harris will be vice president, no matter what they try to do. I think they're hurting themselves and hurting the democracy, all for a  to try to please somebody who has no fidelity to elections or even the truth."

On Sunday, as a new Congress was sworn in, a recording of Trump asking Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes"  one more than Biden's total in the state  emerged. On the call Saturday, Trump continued to allege widespread voter fraud in Georgia and other states, allegations which his campaign has failed to substantiate and which the courts and election officials of both parties have dismissed as untrue.

Some House Democrats are supporting a resolution to censure Trump for the phone call; a censure is Congress's highest rebuke after articles of impeachment.

Stefanik and Zeldin previously joined over 100 GOP lawmakers backing a Texas lawsuit seeking to invalidate the election results in multiple swing states. That lawsuit was dismissed as meritless by a judge.

The congresswoman and her staff have not responded to inquiries regarding the election and other topics from this Times Union reporter since Nov. 3.

Stefanik trounced her Democratic challenger Tedra Cobb in the 2020 election in a district that is now majority Republican. She sent a fundraising email to supporters Monday announcing her decision to challenge the election certification.
On the first weekend since the Brexit transition phase ended, UK residents of Spain seeking to return to their homes have been wrongly turned away by British Airways staff at Heathrow as they prepared to fly home.

With the ending of the transition, British passport holders are no longer granted automatic access to the European Union. In addition, Spain  in common with many other EU countries  is imposing tough rules to try to minimise the spread of coronavirus.

Only Spanish nationals and legal residents of Spain are allowed to board flights from the UK until 19 January.

British people who live in Spain are required to carry one of two documents demonstrating their right to travel: either a green EU residence certificate or a tarjeta de identidad de extranjero (TIE), a new biometric residency card specifically for Spain.

They must also have a PCR test for coronavirus within 72 hours of arrival in Spain.

But passengers booked on several British Airways flights say they were wrongly denied boarding at Heathrows Terminal 5.

One traveller, James Elliot, tweeted: I was booked on BA482 flying to Barcelona, Spain today.

I had all the correct documentation including UK passport, green residents card, negative Covid test and was turned away by the check-in manager. Tried explaining that the green card meant Im a resident of Spain but was told by two BA staff that it wasnt.

Also read out both the UK and Spanish governments websites information with no success. Absolutely shocking, seems like Im not the only one either.

Stephen Meldrum contacted The Independent after he was booked on British Airways flight 454 from Heathrow to Malaga on Saturday.

He said he had all the right documentation but was incorrectly told only Spanish passport holders were allowed on board.

They told me the booking had been cancelled as a no-show and they could not book me onto a new flight.

Eventually BA agreed it had acted incorrectly. Mr Meldrum was told: Looking at whats happened it does look like youve been incorrectly denied boarding today. Im truly sorry for the inconvenience and dont underestimate how annoyed you must be feeling.

Although it doesnt change whats happened, wed like to rebook you free of charge for travel tomorrow.

Mr Meldrum said: I cannot travel tomorrow as my PCR test would be out of date. The earliest I can get a PCR test result is Monday evening, so I am opting for Tuesdays flight.

BAs decision wrongly to deny him boarding made him eligible for 350 in compensation under UK air passengers rights rules. But the airline told him: Hi, Stephen. Im afraid we wont be able to offer you any compensation. Im sorry to disappoint you.

On a joint British Airways-Iberia flight from Heathrow to Madrid, a further nine people were reported to have been denied boarding.

The British embassy in Madrid said on its Facebook page that it was aware of cases of UK residents in Spain not being able to board flights in the UK or enter Spain when travelling using the green residency document.

This should not be happening, the embassy said.

The Spanish government have today re-confirmed that the green residency document will be accepted for travel to return to Spain, as stated in our travel advice.

A spokesperson for BA said: In these difficult and unprecedented times with dynamic travel restrictions, we are doing everything we can to help and support our customers.
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The mother of the late ex-husband of Princess Martha Louise of Norway has shared an emotional tribute to her son one year after his Christmas Day suicide.

Ari Behn, an author who shared three daughters - Maud Angelica, 17, Leah Isadora, 15, and Emma Tallulah, 12 - with his ex-wife Princess Martha Louise, 49, took his own life on Christmas Day last year.

His mother Marianne paid tribute to Ari on Instagram yesterday, marking the date as exactly one year since his funeral.

Sharing a picture of the sun set on a beach, she commented: 'May your journey in the lighter dimensions continue to be blessed until we meet again'.

Marianne Behn, the mother of the late ex-husband of Princess Martha Louise of Norway, has shared an emotional tribute to her son Ari one year after his Christmas Day suicide

The grandmother shared a lengthy caption as she marked the one year date since Ari's funeral last January

Posted the snaps, she wrote: 'A year has gone since your funeral dear beloved Ari.

'Memories from that day has merged with this day, where the sun has been shining after weeks of rain and fog.'

She continued: 'It was good to embrace the beauty of nature remembering all the good times we all have had with you.

'And also think back on the day of the funeral where so much love and support came towards you and us. A time of friendship and togetherness which we all are so thankful for.'

Recalling her son's funeral, Marianne said it had been a day 'where so much love and support came towards us' (pictured, with Princess Martha Louise, Leah Behn and Emma Tallulah at the funeral)

She finished her post by writing: 'It is all about love.'

The post comes days after Princess Martha Louise posted festive snaps of her family celebrating their first Christmas since Ari's suicide.

The mother-of-three shared a festive selfie with her boyfriend Shaman Durek, 49, suggesting the American spent the day with the family, as well as snaps of her three children on the day.

She commented: 'These Holidays have been a bit different from previous years, but we have managed to catch the Holiday Spirit too.

It comes days after Princess Martha also paid tribute to her ex-husband Ari Behn a year after his death (Pictured, Martha Louise and Ari Behn at the wedding of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden in 2015)

'One of the most important things we have discovered being a family in mourning after Ari, the father of my wonderful kids committed suicide a year ago on Christmas Day, has been to welcome love, happiness, fun and games in addition to the sadness which you cant avoid when in mourning.

'If being sad and delving into the sadness and mourning is breathing out, the happiness, love, embracing the Christmas Spirit and so on, is breathing in.

'As we all know, if we only breathe out, we die. If we only breathe in, we die too.'

She continued: 'So we need this balance of the two and to let yourself have a break from the sadness, from the mourning, the tears and the darkness, without shame or bad conscious is really important.

Marianne went on to share a picture of the sun setting across a beach as she said it 'is good to embrace the beauty of nature' and 'remember the good times'

'Allow yourself to feel happiness, have fun, enjoy, laugh, connect and love through hard times.

'Mourning is tiring mentally and physically and we all need breaks without shame or bad conscience to refill our vessel.'

She added: 'So please be kind on yourself and see yourself from the love perspective embracing the whole of you.'

Her message comes days after her fifteen-year-old daughter Leah paid tribute to her father in an emotional online message.

Last week, Princess Martha Louise revealed further details about how her family spent their first Christmas on the anniversary of Ari's suicide (pictured, with her boyfriend Shaman Durek)

Sharing a selfie with her 36,000 Instagram followers, Leah wrote: 'One year ago today, my dad killed himself and its really been one of the hardest years of my life. But if you are alone and/or feeling lonely, I want you to know that youre not alone!'

She went on to urge fans to seek help, posting several links to suicide prevention organisations.

Weeks ago Princess Martha's daughter Maud Angelica, 17, paid tribute to her father in an interview.

Speaking to the Voici, Maud said her father was 'someone who would stop in his tracks to chat with an acquaintance,' and a man who was 'genuinely interested in people'.

Meanwhile the mother-of-three also shared a selfie with teenage daughter Leah, who posted an emotional tribute to her father days ago

After the divorce Mr Behn wrote a book Inferno, which critics described as 'oozing with despair and sadness' and describes his struggles with mental health, headaches, hallucinations and difficulty breathing.

Promoting the literary work last year, he told Norwegian newspaper VG: 'I am yesterday's news, even though the world has not yet been told. I'm a clown, at worst. At best, I am a publicist and a public actor. For many I'm a fool.'

Princess Martha Louise has since started a relationship with her 'twin flame' shaman Durek Verrett, 44, based in Los Angeles, who she began dating after becoming his client.

Mr Durek, who is a close friend of Gwyneth Paltrow, claims to be a 6th generation shaman and be able to communicate between the 'physical and spiritual planes'.
PUNE: A gang of five men, arrested by the Pune rural police for dacoity, were found to have committed an unregistered murder, during their interrogation on Monday.

The five have been identified as Kiran Bhausaheb Thite (21) a resident of Shirur; Gaurav Balu Dhawale (21) a resident of Khope Vasti in Ashtur, Haveli; Santosh Gorakh Brahmane (20), a resident of Ahmednagar; Bhausaheb Gautam Kuduk (22), a resident of Georai in Beed; and Dakshines alias Darshan Anil Dangat (21), a resident of Umbraj in Junnar, according to police.

One December 28, 2020, the five had allegedly assaulted multiple workers at a petrol pump in Loni Kalbhor and robbed them of valuables worth Rs 37,000 and cash worth Rs 2,500, according to police.

A case under Sections 394, 34, and 427 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered at the Loni Kalbhor police station.

The local crime branch of Pune rural police, led by senior police inspector Padmakar Ghanwat, was investigating the case.

The five were arrested and during their interrogation in the dacoity case, they revealed having killed a driver of a cab they had hired to go from Sonesangavi to Malthan road in Pune.

The five tricked him into driving them to a secluded spot where they smashed his head and killed him.

The deceased driver has been identified as Yogesh Machindra Garje (25), a resident of Ranjangaon in Shirur.

Garje was killed on Saturday and reported missing on Sunday by his family to the Ranjangaon MIDC police station.

His body was allegedly stuffed in the trunk of the car, driven to Haveli and thrown into the Mula Mutha river, according to police. The search for the body is on.
Bhavjit Singh, 38, a computer professional, poses on a tractor at the site of a protest against new farm laws at Singhu border near Delhi, India, December 14, 2020. Picture taken December 14, 2020. REUTERS/Devjyot Ghoshal NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES

In a standoff between farmers from India's northern breadbasket and the government that has convulsed the country, the farmers have a 21st-century ally: a handful of supporters scattered around the world running a Twitter handle.

The farmers have paralysed some traffic in and out of New Delhi, protesting recent agriculture laws that they fear could eventually eliminate government-guaranteed minimum prices for their crops.

But the demonstrators, many of them from the Sikh religious minority, say they are also battling a social media campaign by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP brands some of the protesters as separatists from the giant multi-ethnic nation, a charge the demonstrators call disinformation.

Bhavjit Singh became energised for the battle in November from his bedroom in Ludhiana in the agricultural heartland state of Punjab, where he watched with dismay the online attacks on the farmers.

With a few friends, the information technology professional launched the @Tractor2twitr Twitter account in late November. The following month he journeyed to the focal protest site on a main highway connecting Haryana state and Delhi, the territory that includes the capital.

Thousands there have jammed the road for kilometres with tractors, trailers and tents, sleeping in makeshift hovels and cooking in ramshackle kitchens.

Expand Close Ammy Gill, a 25-year-old lyricist from Punjab, helps to prepare "chapatis" (Indian bread) at a "Langar" or a community kitchen, at the site of a protest against new farm laws at Singhu border, near Delhi, India, December 15, 2020. Picture taken December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Ammy Gill, a 25-year-old lyricist from Punjab, helps to prepare "chapatis" (Indian bread) at a "Langar" or a community kitchen, at the site of a protest against new farm laws at Singhu border, near Delhi, India, December 15, 2020. Picture taken December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Singh, 38, joined the protesters with two smartphones.

"We will intensify our campaign because we are getting organised and getting more support now," Singh told Reuters, speaking near the noisy protest site where open kitchens dished out midmorning snacks. "Our war of perception, the war of messaging is going in the right direction."

The account, with more than 23,000 followers, promotes its message by pushing one hashtag a day. One day recently, #FarmersDyingModiEnjoying, pushed by @Tractor2twitr, was among the top hashtags on Indian Twitter - battling #ModiWithFarmers.

Thirteen thousand kilometres (8,000 miles) away in Houston, Texas, Baljinder Singh is part of the core group that helps run the account.

The BJP "were targeting us, so we felt we had to answer them back," the owner of a couple of 7-Eleven stores in the United States told Reuters. "We are all the sons and daughters of farmers."

Baljinder and Bhavjit Singh, who share a common Sikh family name, are not related.

@Tractor2twitr has been joined in recent weeks by a union group called the Farmers Unity Front (Kisan Ekta Morcha), setting up accounts on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp and Snapchat, staffed by 50 volunteers, that have surged to hundreds of thousands of followers.

'MANIPULATED MEDIA'

Expand Close Smoke billows from tear gas shells fired by police to disperse the farmers protesting against newly passed agricultural reforms on a national highway at Dharuhera, in the northern state of Haryana, India, January 3, 2021. REUTERS/Prashant Waydande / Facebook

Twitter

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Whatsapp Smoke billows from tear gas shells fired by police to disperse the farmers protesting against newly passed agricultural reforms on a national highway at Dharuhera, in the northern state of Haryana, India, January 3, 2021. REUTERS/Prashant Waydande

The farmers demand Modi repeal the three farm laws, enacted in September, which they say could make them vulnerable to retail giants like Walmart Inc and India's Reliance Industries.

The government says the laws, which let growers bypass government-regulated wholesale markets and sell directly to buyers, are a reform that gives farmers more options. It has sought to assure the farmers that the guaranteed-pricing system will not be dismantled.

As the farmers were trooping toward Delhi late in 2020, a wave of misinformation began spreading online, said Rajneil Kamath, publisher of fact-checking website Newschecker.

Old, unrelated images and videos - including some from demonstrations outside India calling for an independent Sikh homeland - were passed off as representing the farmers, Kamath said.

In December, Twitter flagged a tweet by the head of the BJP's vast social media team, Amit Malviya, as "manipulated media," saying a video he posted showing an elderly protestor narrowly avoiding a police beating had been misleadingly edited.

BJP spokesman Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga says the party has been legitimately highlighting that people other than farmers, including Sikh separatists, had potentially infiltrated the protests.

"We believe some people are trying to hijack the movement," Bagga said.

At the protest site, Ammy Gill, a 25-year-old lyricist from Punjab, divides his time helping out at community kitchens and chronicling the protests on social media.

"The objective of our social media messages is to counter the trolls and the campaign against farmers," Gill said.

"We are not here for a picnic."

Reuters
Parkside Primary School

From the Sunset Journal, January 28, 1910:

"Through the efforts of the Parkside Improvement Club, the Board of Education was induced to cause a building for that purpose to be erected on T street, near Thirtieth avenue. The school was dedicated on Sunday, September 19, 1909, in the presence of a number of the city officials. The entire population of Parkside turned out, and the program was a complete success. R.M.J. Armstrong presided, and the principal address was delivered by Thomas Hayden, at that time a member of the Board of Education. the flag raised by the children was a beautiful part of the exercises.

"The school opened on Monday, September 20th, with Miss E.A. Kirwin as temporary teacher. She was succeeded in two weeks by the present permanent teacher, Miss J. Ephraim, who is one of the most careful and efficient teachers in the city of San Francisco. Her work has been truly wonderful, and it is not to be wondered at that the children all love her, and it seems no trouble for her, not only to maintain perfect discipline, but to produce such splendid results in the work she has undertaken in this ungraded school. May Parkside School continue to grow and prosper under the leadership of Miss Ephraim."

From the Parkside District Improvement Club Scrapbooks (Vol. I): "When Parkside School was opened in September 1909 it was a primary school with grades first through fourth. A fifth grade was added in Sept. 1910.



"Early teachers were:



Miss Janette Ephraim 1909-1911



Mrs. E.S. Code 1911-1912Miss Josephine Harrigan 1912-1914."

A new building was erected and given the name Parkside School in 1922. According to the archives of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, when the old school building closed in 1917, Mayor Jim Rolph donated it to St. Cecilia's new parish, and it was moved to 15th Avenue and Taraval Street.

Image: 1) Parkside Primary School, Sunset Journal, January 28, 1910. 2) Parkside Primary School, with addition. 1910s. Both courtesy of the Parkside District Improvement Club Scrapbooks (Vol. I).

Contribute your own stories about the Parkside!
Credit: Wikipedia

Inasmuch as therapeutic options against coronavirus have been focused mainly on blocking the interaction between its spike protein and the ACE2 receptor on host cells, SARS-CoV-2 has several additional critical proteins that could potentially be targeted with drugs that have already been approved for use against other viruses. One of these viral proteins is the main protease (Mpro) that is needed to separate newly minted polypeptides into their functional component parts.

Scientists from the Department of Biophysics at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences have recently put several promising inhibitors of Mpro through the paces to see what sticks. Their findings, appearing in the American Chemical Society's journal ACS Omega, suggest that an HIV drug known as cobicistat is looking pretty good. But what exactly constitutes a "good" drug here, and how do researchers even find them in the first place?

A nice starting point is to have some idea of what your target looks like. In this case, the 3-D structure of Mpro had recently become available to serve as the basis for what is known in the business as rational structure-based drug design. To get things going, the researchers virtually screened the approved drugs compound library over at the Drug Bank pharmaceutical knowledge base to find possible inhibitors of Mpro. Typically, this involves performing molecular docking studies to shortlist the best candidates. One of the most common metrics used in this endeavor is to look for molecules with a high glide docking score and glide energy.

A GlideScore is computed using software like Glide from Schrodinger. In a nutshell, it ranks so-called "poses" of different ligands by simulating binding free energy; the more negative the value, the tighter the binding. This empirical scoring function includes terms for force field contributions (electrostatic, van der Waals) and also terms rewarding or penalizing other interactions known to influence ligand binding. Typically, up to 300 atoms and 50 rotatable bonds can be simulated, which is plenty for small molecule drugs or even peptide ligands up to about 11 residues.

The authors also used a more advanced method of calculated binding energy of ligand-protein complexes known as molecular mechanics-Poisson Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA). This method combines energetic calculations based on molecular mechanics with free energy calculations based on implicit solvent models. Stated another way, it estimates the binding free energy of a ligand-protein complex as the difference between the free energy of the complex and the free energies of the unbound components, including both entropic and enthalpic terms.

The next step in the drug discovery process is usually to do more detailed molecular dynamic simulations to further pigeonhole candidate molecules and reduce the number that need to be experimentally tested. MD simulation refines the interactions of docked complexes by provisioning for protein flexibility and detailed solvent effects. The outputs of MD simulations are represented as graphs of RMSD (root-mean-square deviation) of atomic position fluctuations of the protein backbone, or radius of gyration, and also number of hydrogen bonds, as functions of the run length, given in nanoseconds.

When all is said and done, what the authors are really after is the actual true-to-life molecular interaction kinetics of their chosen molecules. Only real measurements can provide this, and as we discussed a few days ago, there are several new kinds of instruments that can pull this off. Perhaps the most handy method to divine molecular interaction kinetics is through SPR (surface plasmon resonance). SPR delivers sensorgrams from which the association rate constants (kon) and dissociation rate constants (koff) for the binding of a potential drug inhibitor to a target like Mpro can be determined. One manufacturer of SPR instruments, Nicoya, has an excellent blog post that describes in more detail how these assays work.

The authors were able to determine the equilibrium dissociation constants, KD (M), for potential inhibitors like cobicistat, since it is easily derived from the kinetic data the relation: KD = koff/kon. The only thing left to do after identifying cobicistat as the winner of the drug candidate primary was to verify that it inhibited Mpro in an enzyme activity assay. For drugs that might potentially block interaction between the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and its ACE2 receptor, the inhibitor might be applied to the SPR assay as a 'disrupter' of the binding of ligand to target. Kinetic data would not be readily obtained in this kind of situation.

As the target of Mpro has not been ported to an SPR-friendly application, the authors measured the inhibition of Mpro activity using a universal protease assay. They were able to derive an IC50 value for cobicistat of 6.7 M, which was more favorable than that obtained for the other potential drugs cangrelor and denufosol (0.9 mM, and 1.3 mM, respectively). The IC50 indicates how much drug is needed to inhibit activity by 50%.

The cleavage site where Mpro acts was also found to be different from the cleavage site where the many extant human proteases act. This is fortunate, because any drug that blocks our own proteases would undoubtedly have significant side effects. The other SARS-CoV-2 protease, PLpro, recognizes an important molecule known as ubiquitin and any attempts to inhibit this protease might be expected to wreak havoc on our own critical deubiquitinase systems.

In the spirit of defeating all things COVID, some further interesting developments have taken place within the larger sphere of vaccine readiness, namely, in decoding how, and therefore whether, these new vaccines might be expected to work. Bert Hubert has led the public charge to try to figure out how Pfizer has optimized their mRNA vaccine for translation in our cells. In particular, he has created a programming challenge to find the supposed algorithm with which the codon optimization of the ~4000 character-long vaccine was performed.

This assumes, of course, that some actual algorithm, rather than just hand-crafted individual codon tinkering was done, in which case, the shortest algorithm wouldn't be very short at all. In fact, it would be pretty much the same algorithm that created the entire universe that evolved into Pfizer. The latest updates, which includes user-submitted algorithms that predict the actual codons with over 90% accuracy from the incipient hacker-turned-biologist community can be found over on Bert's Pfizer vaccine reverse engineering site.

On a final note, it seems that other competing mRNA vaccines like those from Moderna or CureVac are likely to be very similar to the Pfiver vaccine. For example, a fellow named Pavol Rusnak just extracted the CureVac sequence to a text file and posted it here. While these codons encode much the same amino-acids as BNT162b2, 33% of the codons are different. Although it can be tough to keep track of everything going on with the larger SARS-CoV-2 ecosystem, one incredible technical wellspring should escape the attention of no serious observer and this is the social media account of Ersa Flavinkins, AKA @flavinkins. Be sure to tune in for all the latest facts, theories, speculations, and of course, conspiracies.

More information: Akshita Gupta et al. Structure-Based Virtual Screening and Biochemical Validation to Discover a Potential Inhibitor of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease, ACS Omega (2020). Journal information: ACS Omega Akshita Gupta et al. Structure-Based Virtual Screening and Biochemical Validation to Discover a Potential Inhibitor of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease,(2020). DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c04808

 2021 Science X Network
SC asks banks to finalise proposals to finance unfinished Amrapali projects

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the counsel representing various banks, along with officials concerned, to meet the court-appointed receiver to finalise the proposal for financing of the unfinished Amrapali projects.

The receiver, senior advocate R. Venkataramani, informed a bench comprising Justices U.U. Lalit and Ashok Bhushan that he is not getting adequate response from the banks regarding his proposal for financing Amrapali projects. Following the receiver's submission, the top court directed the advocates representing the banks along with their officials to meet the receiver and prepare their final proposal for its consideration on January 18.

Kumar Mihir, advocate representing homebuyers, said the issue of project financing by banks for Amrapali projects is a very important issue which needs to be sorted at the earliest and the top court had repeatedly asked the banks to finalise their proposal for the same. "Once this issue of funding is sorted, we are sure that the Amrapali projects will be completed and delivered smoothly," he added.

On October 13, the Reserve Bank of India had informed the Supreme Court that banks are free to decide on the aspect of financing the Amrapali Projects in accordance with their commercial judgements.

In October, the top court had asked the RBI to depute a high-ranking officer to coordinate with the court-appointed receiver to conduct a meeting with banks to arrange funding of these projects.

In an affidavit, the RBI had informed the top court the banks are free decide on financing these projects and it has also written a letter to the Indian Banks Association to consider financing Amrapali projects. The top court had also allowed the receiver to independently try and arrange funding for construction.

On Monday, the top court also asked the receiver to go through the response filed by Anil Kumar Sharma, former director of Amrapali Group, and give a report regarding diversion of funds by him within three weeks. The court will consider this in the first week of February.

The top court also directed the Enforcement Directorare to file the status report on a co-developer with Amrapali Group within 3 days and listed the matter for further hearing on January 11.

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
EIGHT residents died at a private nursing home over the Christmas period after a Covid-19 outbreak at the facility, management have confirmed.

Pat Kennedy, CEO of Windmill Healthcare, which operates Killeline Care Centre, Newcastle West, Co Limerick, said: Unfortunately, and sadly, we must confirm that we have eight Covid-19 related deaths.

"This has been very upsetting for everyone, especially their loved ones. We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to all their families and extended friends, Mr Kennedy said.

Read More

A spokesperson added that management were scheduling for a vaccine roll-out on January 18, and this cannot come quick enough.

Its vital for it to be sooner if possible, Mr Kennedy said.

The outbreak, declared three weeks ago, escalated over the past fortnight, as management continued to actively manage the situation with support from the HSE.

The nursing home has close to 100 staff members caring for a maximum of 63 residents.

Some staff remain in self-isolation while others have isolated and returned to work.

As of today, there were 12 active Covid cases among residents, however the number of confirmed cases among staff was not disclosed.

Windmill Healthcare can confirm that we are managing a Covid outbreak in Killeline Care Centre, Newcastle West. As part of our fortnightly staff serial testing, we had been advised that a number of staff had tested positive for Covid-19 prior to the Christmas period, Mr Kennedy said.

We are fortunate that our senior management team at Windmill Healthcare are clinicians, with vast experience. Working alongside the management team at Killeline Care Centre, they immediately enacted our contingency plan and put all infection prevention and control measures in place.

Read More

We have been liaising daily with the Covid-19 Outbreak Control Team within the HSE and local GPs. Working together we are ensuring a collective approach and have been monitoring the situation daily to contain and control the outbreak to protect our residents and our staff.

Windmill operates six nursing homes and two retirement villages across Limerick, north Cork, Kerry, Galway and Offaly.

Being a part of a larger group means that we have extra resources behind us, and we have been fortunate to call on our complement of staff from across the country, as well as HSE and agency staff. The support we have received from the Covid-19 Outbreak Control Team, our local GPs and our staff has been a massive help throughout this time, Mr Kennedy said.

He added: With the incidence rate of Covid-19 in Limerick currently so high, particularly in west Limerick, it is a constant battle for all nursing homes to keep Covid-19 at bay. However, when it does penetrate, it shows how cruel it can be to our most vulnerable.

The majority of our staff have now tested positive for Covid-19. As we are now three weeks into this outbreak, a high number of these staff are now recovered and back to work.

The past three weeks has been an escalating scenario daily, but recent Covid-19 swabbing test results have indicated that the outbreak has now stabilised, and we expect that we will endure another difficult week before the cycle is complete.





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OPEC has signaled it is concerned about oil demand despite its production control efforts as Covid-19 cases continue to surge in key markets, and the global total is still on the rise.

It seems vaccine optimism has begun to wear off, too, as it has become clear mass vaccinations will take months rather than weeks, so demand will be subdued for longer than some optimists in the trading community may have hoped.

The outlook for the first half of 2021 is very mixed, OPEC Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo said on Sunday, ahead of an OPEC+ meeting later today. There are still many downside risks to juggle, Bloomberg quoted the official as saying.

In December, the extended cartel agreed to Russias proposal to start adding 500,000 bpd to their daily total from January based on the improved demand outlook and some members unwillingness to continue cutting deep. Yet this may change at todays meeting. Russian Deputy Prime Minister and OPEC coordinator Alexander Novak suggested at the end of last year that the new deal could be tweaked if demand were to recover faster than previously expected.

While this looks unlikely at the moment, prices have improved, which would lend weight to Russias support for another 500,000 bpd increase in production in February. It was in its original proposal, which covered the period from January to April, but OPEC+ also agreed in December to meet every month to keep its hand on the pulse of the oil market, which basically means surprises are always possible whatever the original plans were.

According to the Bloomberg report from the preliminary meeting of OPEC yesterday, oil consumption was about to shift from reverse to forward gear, soon, thanks to vaccines, Barkindo said.



By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Ethos is a nationally recognized, award-winning independent student publication. Our mission is to elevate the voices of marginalized people who are underrepresented in the media landscape, and to write in-depth, human-focused stories about the issues affecting them. We also strive to support our diverse student staff and to help them find future success.



Ethos produces a quarterly free print magazine full of well-reported and powerful feature stories, innovative photography, creative illustrations and eye-catching design. On our website, we also produce compelling written and multimedia stories.



Ethos is part of Emerald Media Group, a non-profit organization thats fully independent of the University of Oregon. Students maintain complete editorial control over Ethos, and work tirelessly to produce the magazine.



Since our inception as Korean Ducks Magazine in 2005, weve worked hard to share a multicultural spirit with our readership. We embrace diversity in our stories, in our student staff and in our readers. We want every part of the magazine to reflect the diversity of our world.
Opinion Article

4 January 2021

The phone rang at 3:30 a.m. An airline pilot at the Costa Mesa Hilton needed a doctor, explained the caller. Could I go?

That Hilton is 46 miles away, but I drive there regularly for an agency that provides medical care to foreign airline crew when they lay over (American crew are on their own). It's an easy drive at this hour. I accepted for several seconds until I woke up and remembered that the 405 freeway closes at the Orange County border during the wee hours for major construction. Despite the hour, closing the freeway produces an immense backup, and the detour through city streets is slow and tedious. Forced to go, I take a different freeway which is ten miles longer and only slightly less tedious.

I was in luck. Wee-hour patients usually suffer intense symptoms such a vomiting; they don't like to wait. This guest had a cold and didn't object to a visit later that morning.

I breathed a sigh of relief and went back to sleep. The delay would cost me $150 because the agency pays less for daytime housecalls, but it was worth it.
When Yellowstone National Park's Steamboat Geyser -- which shoots water higher than any active geyser in the world -- reawakened in 2018 after three and a half years of dormancy, some speculated that it was a harbinger of possible explosive volcanic eruptions within the surrounding geyser basin. These so-called hydrothermal explosions can hurl mud, sand and rocks into the air and release hot steam, endangering lives; such an explosion on White Island in New Zealand in December 2019 killed 22 people.

A new study by geoscientists who study geysers throws cold water on that idea, finding few indications of underground magma movement that would be a prerequisite to an eruption. The geysers sit just outside the nation's largest and most dynamic volcanic caldera, but no major eruptions have occurred in the past 70,000 years.

"Hydrothermal explosions -- basically hot water exploding because it comes into contact with hot rock -- are one of the biggest hazards in Yellowstone," said Michael Manga, professor of earth and planetary sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, and the study's senior author. "The reason that they are problematic is that they are very hard to predict; it is not clear if there are any precursors that would allow you to provide warning."

He and his team found that, while the ground around the geyser rose and seismicity increased somewhat before the geyser reactivated and the area currently is radiating slightly more heat into the atmosphere, no other dormant geysers in the basin have restarted, and the temperature of the groundwater propelling Steamboat's eruptions has not increased. Also, no sequence of Steamboat eruptions other than the one that started in 2018 occurred after periods of high seismic activity.

"We don't find any evidence that there is a big eruption coming. I think that is an important takeaway," he said.

The study will be published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Manga, who has studied geysers around the world and created some in his own laboratory, set out with his colleagues to answer three main questions about Steamboat Geyser: Why did it reawaken? Why is its period so variable, ranging from 3 to 17 days? and Why does it spurt so high?

The team found answers to two of those questions. By comparing the column heights of 11 different geysers in the United States, Russia, Iceland and Chile with the estimated depth of the reservoir of water from which their eruptions come, they found that the deeper the reservoir, the higher the eruption jet. Steamboat Geyser, with a reservoir about 25 meters (82 feet) below ground, has the highest column -- up to 115 meters, or 377 feet -- while two geysers that Manga measured in Chile were among the lowest -- eruptions about a meter (3 feet) high from reservoirs 2 and 5 meters below ground.

"What you are really doing is you are filling a container, it reaches a critical point, you empty it and then you run out of fluid that can erupt until it refills again," he said. "The deeper you go, the higher the pressure. The higher the pressure, the higher the boiling temperature. And the hotter the water is, the more energy it has and the higher the geyser."

To explore the reasons for Steamboat Geyser's variability, the team assembled records related to 109 eruptions going back to its reactivation in 2018. The records included weather and stream flow data, seismometer and ground deformation readings, and observations by geyser enthusiasts. They also looked at previous active and dormant periods of Steamboat and nine other Yellowstone geysers, and ground surface thermal emission data from the Norris Geyser Basin.

They concluded that variations in rainfall and snow melt were probably responsible for part of the variable period, and possibly for the variable period of other geysers as well. In the spring and early summer, with melting snow and rain, the underground water pressure pushes more water into the underground reservoir, providing more hot water to erupt more frequently. During winter, with less water, lower groundwater pressure refills the reservoir more slowly, leading to longer periods between eruptions. Because the water pushed into the reservoir comes from places even deeper than the reservoir, the water is decades or centuries old before it erupts back to the surface, he said.

In October, Manga's team members demonstrated the extreme impact water shortages and drought can have on geysers. They showed that Yellowstone's iconic Old Faithful Geyser stopped erupting entirely for about 100 years in the 13th and 14th centuries, based on radiocarbon dating of mineralized lodgepole pine trees that grew around the geyser during its dormancy. Normally the water is too alkaline and the temperature too high for trees to grow near active geysers. The dormancy period coincided with a lengthy warm, dry spell across the Western U.S. called the Medieval Climate Anomaly, which may have caused the disappearance of several Native American civilizations in the West.

"Climate change is going to affect geysers in the future," Manga said.

Manga and his team were unable to determine why Steamboat Geyser started up again on March 15, 2018, after three years and 193 days of inactivity, though the geyser is known for being far more variable than Old Faithful, which usually goes off about every 90 minutes. They could find no definitive evidence that new magma rising below the geyser caused its reactivation.

The reactivation may have to do with changes in the internal plumbing, he said. Geysers seem to require three ingredients: heat, water and rocks made of silica -- silicon dioxide. Because the hot water in geysers continually dissolves and redeposits silica -- every time Steamboat Geyser erupts, it brings up about 200 kilograms, or 440 pounds of dissolved silica. Some of this silica is deposited underground and may change the plumbing system underneath the geyser. Such changes could temporarily halt or reactivate eruptions if the pipe gets rerouted, he said.

Manga has experimented with geysers in his lab to understand why they erupt periodically, and at least in the lab, it appears to be caused by loops or side chambers in the pipe that trap bubbles of steam that slowly dribble out, heating the water column above until all the water can boil from the top down, explosively erupting in a column of water and steam.

Studies of water eruptions from geysers could give insight into the eruptions of hot rock from volcanoes, he said.

"What we asked are very simple questions and it is a little bit embarrassing that we can't answer them, because it means there are fundamental processes on Earth that we don't quite understand," Manga said. "One of the reasons we argue we need to study geysers is that if we can't understand and explain how a geyser erupts, our hope for doing the same thing for magma is much lower."

###

The research, led by UC Berkeley graduate student and first author Mara Reed, resulted from a collaboration that started in one of the annual summer workshops put on by the Cooperative Institute for Dynamic Earth Research, or CIDER. Other co-authors are Carolina Munoz-Saez of the University of Chile and Rice University in Texas, Sahand Hajimirza of Rice University, Sin-Mei Wu of the University of Utah, Anna Barth of Columbia University in New York, Tarsilo Girona of the University of Alaska, Majid Rasht-Behesht of Brown University in Rhode Island, Erin White of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Marianne Karplus of the University of Texas and Shaul Hurwitz of the U.S. Geological Survey in California.
ROME - The second reshuffle announced in five months by the Greek government of Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis will represent a conservative turn ahead of possible early elections which were originally scheduled to take place in 2023, analysts said on Monday. The new interior minister is Makis Voridis, the founder in the 1990s of an ultra-nationalist party affiliated to the French National Front.



Voridis was forced in the past to deny that he was an anti-Semite after being accused of having an ''obscure past'' by a member of the Greek Jewish community.



The new deputy minister for migration is Sofia Voultepsi, who in 2014 called migrants ''disarmed invaders''.



The new executive will also include the first openly gay minister in Greek government history, the 44-year-old Nicholas Yatromanolakis, deputy minister of culture.



Premier Mitsotakis enjoys great support in surveys and his New Democracy party is ahead by 15 points over rival Syriza in the polls. According to analysts, he is eyeing early elections to win by a large margin.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, in coordination with the World Bank, held a Final Workshop for the Vietnam Partnership for Market Readiness project in Hanoi on December 29.

After 5 years of implementation, up to now, the project has made basic preparations, paving the way for the formulation of carbon market policies.

Chairs of the workshop

The project Vietnam Partnership for Market Readiness (referred to as VN-PMR Project) was started in 2015, funded by the World Bank with the participation of Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Construction. Within the framework of VN-PMR project, there have been many in-depth studies to propose carbon market policies and tools, including crediting mechanism, emission trading scheme (ETS), carbon tax/fee and green certificate. These are carbon pricing instruments that are market-based and follow the polluter pays principle. Accordingly, emission facilities are responsible for the costs of emitting greenhouse gas (GHG) into the atmosphere.

Vietnam's GHG emissions per capita have increased 6 times

Speaking at the Workshop, Dr. Tang The Cuong, Director General of the Department of Climate Change (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment), said that according to international organizations, Vietnam's greenhouse gas emissions per capita have increased 6 times compared to the level of early 1990s. Vietnam currently emits a total of about 285 million tonnes of CO2eq. This figure, according to the business as usual scenario, calculated by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in coordination with ministries, sectors and local agencies, will reach 927.9 tons of CO2eq by 2030.

In the updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) submitted to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change last September, Vietnam will reduce 9% of its total emissions by 2030 with domestic resources and could reduce up to 27% with international support. To achieve this goal, the required financial resources amount to tens of billions of dollars. One of the measures to mobilize public resources in a transparent and flexible manner is carbon pricing, including carbon taxes, crediting mechanisms, and emission trading scheme, in order to implement greenhouse gas emission reduction measures.

The VN-PMR project is set out with the aim of strengthening capacity, developing and disseminating state management policies and tools for nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs), forming market-based instruments, piloting a NAMA to generate carbon credits and developing a roadmap for national and international carbon market. A number of options for applying carbon pricing instruments to sectors are proposed, in parallel with completed preliminary assessment of impacts on Vietnam's socio-economic conditions for the policy makers.

Representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ms. Luu Linh Huong said that within the project component of solid waste management, the Ministry of Construction has calculated the current emission situation and projected emission scenarios to 2030 for 4 types of treatment technologies, including: landfilling, composting, incineration, burning for power generation with the potential to reduce more than 42 million tons CO2eq. The crediting framework has two main approaches. Sector-based approach will be improved with new investment in landfill replacement treatment technology and crediting determined and managed by local agencies. For the advanced approach focusing the investment in technology to avoid CH4 emissions, the investors are permitted to register projects and credits for trading.

Experts, scientists and representatives from ministries and businesses attend the workshop

Pilots for potential credits in Hanoi, Hai Phong, and Binh Duong show that burning for power generation projects are feasible. In Binh Duong, it is proposed to increase compost production. The Ministry of Construction also proposed a two-stage roadmap for the crediting mechanism. Phase 1 (2021-2025) will complete the crediting framework design and facilitate the development of legal, institutional arrangements and capacity building. There will be pilots in 3-5 more cities outside the 3 above mentioned areas. Phase 2 will expand the implementation of the crediting mechanism on a national scale.

Promoting the development of domestic market

According to Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh, Deputy Director General of the Department of Science, Education, Natural Resources and Environment (Ministry of Planning and Investment), the analysis shows that, instead of a single source of investment, a model combining financial mobilization tools are considered to be the most feasible. Ministry of Planning and Investment recommends a carbon pricing instrusment (from 2026) incorporated green bond as the two core mechanisms to mobilize private finance for Vietnam. Both mechanisms show exceptional potential for traction and growth in Vietnam.

Other mechanisms include structured green funds (domestic and international), commercial lending such as syndicated lending, renewable energy targeting, foreign direct investment (FDI) and remittances are also the appropriate channels and tools to strengthen private finance to achieve Vietnam's NDC. The success of each mechanism requires the promotion of both public and private participation, and the development of incentives and transparent governance.

Representatives from ministries represent the project implementation at the workshop

According to Mr. Hoang Van Tam, representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, during the implementation of the VN-PMR project in the steel production sector, many businesses, especially foreign-invested enterprises, are ready to undertake activities to participate in the future carbon market in Vietnam. This is a good sign and a basis to develop the market in the near future.

Article 139 of the Law on Environmental Protection (2020) provides the organization and development of the carbon market in Vietnam. The VN-PMR project has also contributed to the development of contents on national and sectoral emission reduction target regulations, and allocation of GHG reduction targets for sectors; national and sectoral greenhouse gas inventory, regulations on the facilities and industries that will participate in the ETS; identification of sub-sectors to participate in the ETS and total greenhouse gas emissions of ETS participants. The project also raised awareness and enhanced capacity for stakeholders to participate in ETS in the future, including capacity for GHG inventory and MRV.

According to Mr. Luong Quang Huy, Head of the Division of Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction and Ozone Layer Protection (Department of Climate Change), in order to have a basis for concretizing the formation of carbon markets under the Law, from now to 2025, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the related ministries will continue to synchronously conduct a comprehensive assessment of the impacts on the economy - society - environment, as well as on the operation of the business; to learn from experiences of countries around the world, to develop legal documents suitable to socio-economic development conditions of Vietnam, as well as international regulations. These actions help to ensure that Vietnam will have a relatively comprehensive system, starting with pilot activities, moving towards fully operational carbon market and connecting with the international market in the future.

An overview of the workshop

Currently, the draft Decree regulating greenhouse gas emission reduction, ozone layer protection and carbon market to guide the implementation of the Law on Environmental Protection has basically outlined the ministrial responsibilities on inventory; measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) system; and the establishment of a domestic ETS which clearly defines responsibilities and benefits (in the form of some tax incentives, investment ...) of relevant stakeholders.

In addition, it is expected that the Government will issue a Decision on the list of sectors and facilities to conduct GHG inventory in 2021. These are the facilities that will later join the ETS. The project has also proposed a specific roadmap for the implementation of voluntary ETS transactions by 2027 and mandatory transactions from 2029.

At the Workshop, Director General of the Department of Climate Change expressed his appreciation for the active cooperation and participation of relevant agencies, international and national consultants who participated in the implementation of important components of project, contributing to the gradual formation of state management documents on carbon pricing and future development of carbon markets. However, developing and operating a carbon market is a process that requires significant investment in technology, human resources and finance.

Participants watch the project's activity exhibition on the sidelines of the workshop

With the presence of focal agencies participating in the project, representatives of ministries, sectors, experts, scientists, business associations at the Workshop, representative of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment proposed that in the coming time, related agencies should continue to cooperate to implement many relevant activities, specifically:

- Firstly, to apply project results to specify the contents in the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, including a focus on transparency of inventory data and mitigation of greenhouse gas at all levels.

- Secondly, from the lessons, experiences and pilot results of the project, it is necessary to propose prioritized contents to develop management tools to implement carbon pricing in accordance with socio-economic developments of the country and of specific sectors.

- Thirdly, ministries and agencies should continue to strengthen international cooperation, fullfil international commitments on climate change and take advantage of regional and international partnerships to learn and share practical experience in developing, operating and managing carbon markets, connecting with markets around the world.

- Fourthly, from the experience of implementing PMR program on a global scale, the application of carbon pricing instrument to socio-economic development should be studied, in order to propose a method to contribute to the implementation of Vietnam's NDC.

- Fifthly, relevant agencies including agencies that have participated in the VN-PMR project, and the transportation sector should join in to develop and implement the PMI program initiated by the World Bank.

Up to now, there have been 46 countries and 35 territories that have applied carbon pricing with the participation of tens of thousands of large business groups. Revenue in 2019 is up to USD 45 billion and over 12 billion tons of CO2, equivalent to 22.3% of total global emissions are regulated.

Director General Tang The Cuong said that Vietnam will continue to participate in the Partnership Market Implementation (PMI) Program initiated by the World Bank to formulate and develop carbon markets in the future as this is the next phase of VN-PMR project to implement market-based instruments at the participating countries of the Program. VNA

Carbon pricing helps improve Vietnams image internationally: Foreign media After basically containing the spread of COVID-19, Vietnam is becoming the first developing country to adopt carbon pricing in the post-pandemic period to help guide a cleaner recovery, the site eastasiaforum.org reported.
A teaser image of tvN series "Cliffhanger" / Courtesy of A Story





By Kwak Yeon-soo







In 2020, K-dramas soared in popularity as pandemic-driven lockdowns drove viewers to the small screen. They made waves across the globe thanks to streaming platforms like Netflix.







Melodrama "Crash Landing on You" caused a sensation in Japan and historical zombie drama "Kingdom 2" attracted attention after viewers raved about the gripping storyline, sumptuous sets and elaborate costumes.







After such a strong year, some of the freshest new TV series will land on TV this year. They traverse genres including fantasy, thriller and period dramas. Here are our picks of the K-dramas of 2021 to watch.







TvN drama "Cliffhanger," also known as "Jirisan" starring Jun Ji-hyun and Ju Ji-hoon, is a mystery thriller that depicts mountain rescuers and park rangers trying to help lost hikers. Written by Kim Eun-hee ("Kingdom") and helmed by director Lee Eung-bok ("Mr. Sunshine" and "Sweet Home"), it is one of the most anticipated series to look out for.







"Hospital Playlist 2" is a follow-up to the popular tvN series about five doctors who have been friends since they went to medical school together in 1999. Actors Jo Jung-suk, Yoo Yeon-seok, Jung Kyung-ho, Kim Dae-myung and Jeon Mi-do will reprise their roles for the second season.







Legal drama "Vincenzo," fronted by actors Song Joong-ki and Jeon Yeo-bin, revolves around Vincenzo Cassano, a Korean-born but Italian-raised lawyer and Mafia consigliere who returns to his motherland to join a high-profile law firm.







Scenes from JTBC series "Sisyphus: The Myth" / Courtesy of JTBC





JTBC drama "Sisyphus: The Myth" is a sci-fi mystery about a genius engineer embarking on a perilous journey to uncover the hidden identity of mysterious creatures. Park Shin-hye and "Stranger" actor Cho Seung-woo will lead the cast.







Set in 1987, "Snowdrop" is a historical romance drama that features a stellar cast and crew. It's written and directed by the same team that created "SKY Castle" (2019), one of cable network's highest rated K-dramas. Jung Hae-in will star alongside Jisoo of BLACKPINK.







SBS will focus on producing period dramas to attract viewers. "Joseon Exorcist" is a fantasy action historical series that revolves around exorcists defending the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom from demons. Actors Gam Woo-sung, Jang Dong-yoon and Park Sung-hoon will play the lead roles.







Set in the Joseon era, "Red Sky" is a fantasy romance series based on the novel of the same name by Jung Eun-gwol, whose stories "Sungkyunkwan Scandal" and "Moon Embracing the Sun" have also been adapted into hit dramas. Kim Yoo-jung will play the female painter who was born blind but miraculously gains vision. Kim will star opposite rising star Ahn Hyo-seop.







From left, actors Gam Woo-sung, Jang Dong-yoon and Park Sung-hoon have been cast in SBS series "Joseon Exorcist." / Korea Times file





KBS will roll our school romance dramas to target the younger generation. "Dear. M" is about university students searching for "M," a mystery individual who is mentioned in an anonymous post on the university's online discussion forum.







Another coming-of-age series "School 2021," featuring Kim Yo-han of boy band Wei, follows a group of high school students as they go through various struggles.







In the MBC drama "Black Sun," actor Namgoong Min will play the role of an NIS agent who disappears and returns to the organization to track down the person who betrayed him. The TV network and local streaming platform Wavve invested 15 billion won ($13.8 million) into this 12-episode series.







Netflix will roll out several original K-drama series in 2021 including one-off special episode "Kingdom: Ashin of the North," zombie series "All of Us Are Dead" and director Yeon Sang-ho's "Hellbound."


DUBLIN, Jan. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Isolator based Aseptic Filling Systems Market, 2020-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

'Isolator based Aseptic Filling Systems Market, 2020-2030' report features an extensive study of the current landscape of isolator based aseptic filling systems and the future opportunities associated with such systems. It features an in-depth analysis, highlighting the capabilities of various stakeholders engaged in this domain.



Currently, over 130 isolator-based filling and closing systems are available in the market, and equipment developers are still engaged in further improvement efforts. Given that more than 5,000 biopharmaceutical product candidates are currently under development, the opportunity for aseptic fill/finish equipment developers is anticipated to continue to grow at a substantial pace over the next decade.



In addition to other elements, the report features:



A detailed assessment of the overall landscape of the isolator based aseptic filling systems, highlighting the contribution of industry players and providing information on various types of systems (filling, and turnkey solutions), scale of operation (clinical and commercial), system throughput, compatible primary containers (ampoules, bottles, capsules, cartridges, syringes, vials and others), type of formulation and range of fill volume.



An insightful competitiveness analysis of isolator based aseptic filling systems, taking into consideration the scale of operation, system throughput, compatible primary containers, type of formulation and other important product related specifications.

Elaborate profiles of companies offering isolator based aseptic filling systems.



Each profile features a brief overview of the company, its financial information (if available), proprietary product(s), recent developments and an informed future outlook. A discussion on general regulatory guidelines for aseptic processing, and specific recommendations related to isolator and blow/fill/seal technologies used in the aseptic fill/finish process.



One of the key objectives of the report was to understand the primary growth drivers and estimate the future opportunity within the market. Based on several parameters, such as annual fill/finish pharma capacity, number of automatic filling lines installed and growth trends across various geographies, we have provided an informed estimate of the likely evolution of the market, in the mid to long term, for the period 2020-2030.

Key Topics Covered:

1. PREFACE

1.1. Scope of the Report

1.2. Research Methodology

1.3. Key Questions Answered

1.4. Chapter Outlines



2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



3. INTRODUCTION

3.1. Chapter Overview

3.2. Overview of Drug Fill/Finish Processes

3.3. Aseptic Fill/Finish Technique

3.4. Need for Aseptic Fill/Finish

3.5. Traditional Aseptic Fill/Finish Processes

3.6. Advanced Aseptic Fill/Finish Processes: Blow-Fill-Seal Aseptic Technology

3.6.1. Isolator Systems

3.6.2. Restricted Access Barrier Systems (RABS)

3.6.3. Comparison between Isolator Systems and RABS

3.7. Advantages of Advanced Aseptic Fill/Finish Techniques

3.8. Regulatory Guidelines for Aseptic Fill/Finish

3.9. Future Perspectives



4. ISOLATOR BASED ASEPTIC FILLING SYSTEMS: CURRENT MARKET LANDSCAPE

4.1. Chapter Overview

4.2. Isolator based Aseptic Filling Systems: Overall Market Overview

4.2.1. Analysis by Type of System

4.2.2. Analysis by Scale of Operation

4.2.4. Analysis by System Throughput

4.2.5 Analysis by Compatible Primary Container(s)

4.2.6. Analysis by Type of Formulation

4.2.7. Analysis by Fill Volume Range

4.3. Isolator based Aseptic Filling Systems: Developer Landscape

4.3.1. Analysis by Year of Establishment

4.3.2. Analysis by Company Size

4.3.3. Analysis by Location of Headquarters

4.3.4. Leading Players: Analysis by Number of Proprietary Systems



5. ISOLATOR BASED ASEPTIC FILLING AND CLOSING SYSTEMS: PRODUCT COMPETITIVENESS ANALYSIS

5.1. Chapter Overview

5.2. Methodology and Key Parameters

5.3. Product Competitiveness Analysis: Peer Group I

5.4. Product Competitiveness Analysis: Peer Group II

5.5. Product Competitiveness Analysis: Peer Group III



6. COMPANY PROFILES

6.1. AST

6.1.1. Company Overview

6.1.2. Recent Developments and Future Outlook

6.2. Bausch+Strobel

6.3. Dara Pharmaceutical Packaging

6.4. Groninger

6.5. IMA Group

6.6. Marchesini Group

6.7. OPTIMA Packaging Group

6.8. Syntegon

6.9. Tofflon Group

6.10. Vanrx Pharmasystems



7. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

7.1. Chapter Overview

7.2. Partnership Models

7.3. Isolator based Aseptic Filling Systems Market: Partnership Activity

7.3.1. List of Partnerships and Collaborations

7.3.2.1. Analysis by Year of Partnership

7.3.2.2. Analysis by Type of Partnership

7.3.2.3. Analysis by Focus Area

7.3.2.4. Most Active Players: Analysis by Number of Partnerships

7.4. Isolator based Aseptic Filling Systems Market: Recent Conferences

7.4.1. List of Recent Conferences

7.4.1.1. Analysis by Year of Occurrence

7.4.1.2. Analysis by Geography

7.4. Concluding Remarks



8. REGULATORY GUIDELINES: ASEPTIC PROCESSING

8.1. Chapter Overview

8.2. Overview of Cleanroom Grades

8.3. General Guidelines for Aseptic Processing

8.3.1. Requirements for Buildings and Facilities

8.3.2. Requirements for Personnel Training, Qualification and Monitoring

8.3.3. Requirements for Components and Containers/Closures

8.4. Guidelines for Using Isolator Technology

8.5. Guidelines for Using Blow/Fill/Seal Technology



9. MARKET FORECAST

9.1. Chapter Overview

9.2. Forecast Methodology and Key Assumptions

9.3. Overall Isolator based Aseptic Filling Systems Market, 2020-2030

9.4. Overall Isolator based Aseptic Filling Systems Market: Distribution by Scale of Operation, 2020-2030

9.5. Overall Isolator based Aseptic Filling Systems Market: Distribution by Type of Compatible Primary Container, 2020-2030

9.6. Overall Isolator based Aseptic Filling Systems Market: Distribution by System Throughput, 2020-2030

9.7. Overall Isolator based Aseptic Filling Systems Market: Distribution by End-User, 2020-2030



10. CONCLUSION

10.1. Chapter Overview

10.2. Key Takeaways



11. EXECUTIVE INSIGHTS

11.1. Chapter Overview

11.2. Automated Systems of Tacoma (AST)

11.2.1. Interview Transcript: Joe Hoff, Chairman and CEO



12. APPENDIX 1: TABULATED DATA



Companies Mentioned



ACG

ACIC Pharmaceutical Machinery

Advaxis

Aflex Hose

Ambica Pharma Machines

Anchor Mark

Antares Vision

ARaymondlife

Argonaut Manufacturing Services

Aseptic Technologies

Auteco Sistemi

Automated Systems of Tacoma (AST)

AWS Bio-Pharma Technologies

AXOMATIC

BAUSCH Advanced Technology Group

Bausch+Strobel

Bosch Packaging Technology

Carlo Corazza

Catalent

Charles Thompson

CMP PHAR.MA

Comecer

COOLVACUUM Technologies

CPi Technology

Creinox

CVC Capital Partners

Daikyo Seiko

Dara Pharma

Extract Technology

FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies

G-CON Manufacturing

GEA Group

Getinge

gmp-experts Beratungs

groninger

Harro Hofliger

i-Dositecno

IMA Group

Inno4Life

Klenzaids

LG Life Sciences

Libbs Farmaceutica

M&O Perry Industries

Maier Packaging

Marchesini Group

Martin Christ Freeze Dryers

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MEDInstill

Netsteril

NJM Packaging

Nova Laboratories

OPTIMA

PennTech Machinery

Pfizer

Pharmaceutics International (Pii)

Quality Machines

Romaco

ROTA

santis Packaging

Schematic Engineering Industries

Schmucker

SCHOTT KAISHA

SEA Vision

Shanghai Divine Medical Technology

Shanghai Jianzhong Medical Packaging

Shibuya

Shilpa Medicare

Shree Bhagwati Machtech

Singota Solutions

SKAN

Snowbell Machines

SP Scientific

SPIMACO

Steriline

Stevanato Group

Syntegon

TELSTAR

Terra Asia Consulting

Thai Industrial Pharmacist Association (TIPA)

Tofflon

TRUKING TECHNOLOGY

Vanrx Pharmasystems

Vibrotech

VITRONIC Machine Vision

Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group

Wipf

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4ejmyu



Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.



Media Contact:

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Sivakarthikeyan, the actor-producer, and director Nelson Dilip Kumar wrapped up their much-awaited first collaboration, the upcoming comedy thriller Doctor. The exciting update was revealed by the cast and crew members of Doctor through their official social media pages by sharing the inside pictures of the wrap-up party.

Nelson Dilip Kumar, the director of the project shared the pictures on his official Twitter page and thanked his team and leading man Sivakarthikeyan for the fun experience. "Wrapped up #doctor it was a memorable one with lots of fun and love in the sets, spl thanks to my thambi @Siva_Kartikeyan for making this possible, hilarious days", wrote Nelson in his Twitter post.

Priyanka Arul Mohan, the leading lady of the project, took to her official Instagram page and shared the pictures with a special note. "It's a wrap for #doctor , most favourite film , most memorable one , close to my heart , what a journey it has been ", wrote the young actress in her post.

Recently, it was rumoured that Doctor is gearing up for a direct to OTT release, and the streaming rights have been acquired by Netflix. However, the sources close to the Sivakarthikeyan starrer rubbished the rumours, and confirmed that the movie will only get released in the theatres.

Coming to Doctor, the movie features the leading man Sivakarthikeyan in the role of a medical practitioner who gets entangled in a series of hilarious events. Even though the actor shares a great friendship with director Nelson Dilip Kumar for the past 14 years, it took them so long to come together for a film.

Priyanka Arul Mohan who made her acting debut with the Nani starrer Gang Leader, is making her Tamil debut as the leading lady of Doctor. Yogi Babu and Bigg Boss Tamil 4 contestant and host Archana Chandhoke appear in the other key roles. Anirudh Ravichander has composed the music for the project, which is produced by Sivakarthikeyan Productions and KJR Studios.

Also Read:

Dadasaheb Phalke Awards South 2020: Ajith Kumar, Mohanlal, Dhanush, Nagarjuna, Win The Top Honours!

Dhanush And Selvaraghavan Team Up For Aayirathil Oruvan 2: Here Is Everything You Need To Know!
3 1 of 3 Contributed photo Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Contributed photo / Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce Show More Show Less 3 of 3





MIDDLETOWN  The Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce will hold a virtual discussion focused on supporting small businesses with federal, state and local leaders.

The event will take place via Zoom Thursday from 10 to 11 a.m., according to a press release. The following participants are expected to attend: Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, District Director for the U.S. Small Business Administration Connecticut District Office, Catherine Marx; and Department of Economic & Community Development Commissioner David Lehman.
WASHINGTON  A growing number of Republican lawmakers are joining President Donald Trumps extraordinary effort to overturn the election, pledging to reject the results when Congress meets this week to count the Electoral College votes and certify President-elect Joe Bidens win.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas on Saturday announced a coalition of 11 senators who have been enlisted for Trumps effort to subvert the will of American voters.

This follows the declaration from Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, who was the first to buck Senate leadership by saying he would join with House Republicans in objecting to the state tallies during Wednesdays joint session of Congress.

Trumps refusal to accept his defeat is tearing the party apart as Republicans are forced to make consequential choices that will set the contours of the post-Trump era. Hawley and Cruz are both among potential 2024 presidential contenders.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had urged his party not to try to overturn what nonpartisan election officials have concluded was a free and fair vote.

The 11 senators largely acknowledged Saturday they will not succeed in preventing Biden from being inaugurated on Jan. 20 after he won the Electoral College 306-232. But their challenges, and those from House Republicans, represent the most sweeping effort to undo a presidential election outcome since the Civil War.

We do not take this action lightly, Cruz and the other senators said in a joint statement.

They vowed to vote against certain state electors on Wednesday unless Congress appoints an electoral commission to immediately conduct an audit of the election results. They are zeroing in on the states where Trump has raised unfounded claims of voter fraud. Congress is unlikely to agree to their demand.

The group, which presented no new evidence of election problems, includes Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Steve Daines of Montana, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Mike Braun of Indiana, and Sens.-elect Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.

Trump, the first president to lose a re-election bid in almost 30 years, has attributed his defeat to widespread voter fraud, despite the consensus of nonpartisan election officials and even Trumps attorney general that there was none. Of the roughly 50 lawsuits the president and his allies have filed challenging election results, nearly all have been dismissed or dropped. Hes also lost twice at the U.S. Supreme Court.

The days ahead are expected to do little to change the outcome.

Joe Biden will be inaugurated on January 20th, and no publicity stunt will change that, said Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, the top Democrat on the panel overseeing the Electoral College count.

Klobuchar said the Republican effort to create a federal commission to supersede state certifications when the votes have already been counted, recounted, litigated, and state-certified is wrong.

It is undemocratic. It is un-American. And fortunately it will be unsuccessful. In the end, democracy will prevail, she said in a statement.

The convening of the joint session to count the Electoral College votes is usually routine. While objections have surfaced before  in 2017, several House Democrats challenged Trumps win  few have approached this level of intensity.

On the other side of the Republican divide, Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, another possible 2024 contender, has urged his colleagues to reject this dangerous ploy, which he said threatens the nations civic norms.

Caught in the middle is Vice President Mike Pence, who faces growing pressure from Trumps allies over his ceremonial role in presiding over the session Wednesday.

Pence signaled support on Saturday for the bid to challenge the results, the New York Times reported.

Marc Short, his chief of staff, issued a statement saying that Pence shares the concerns of millions of Americans about voter fraud and irregularities in the last election.

The vice president, the statement continued, welcomes the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections and bring forward evidence before the Congress and the American people on Jan. 6th.

Several Republicans have indicated they are under pressure from constituents back home to show they are fighting for Trump in his baseless campaign to stay in office.

Sen. John Thune, the second-ranking Republican, told reporters at the Capitol that leadership was allowing senators to vote their conscience.

Thunes remarks as the GOP whip in charge of rounding up votes show that Republican leadership is not putting its muscle behind Trumps demands but allowing senators to choose their course. He noted the gravity of questioning the election outcome.

This is an issue thats incredibly consequential, incredibly rare historically and very precedent-setting, he said. This is a big vote.

Pence will be carefully watched as he presides over what is typically a routine vote count in Congress but is now heading toward a prolonged showdown that could extend into Wednesday night, depending on how many challenges are mounted.

A judge in Texas dismissed a lawsuit from Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, and a group of Arizona electors trying to force Pence to step outside mere ceremony and shape the outcome of the vote. U.S. District Judge Jeremy Kernodle, a Trump appointee, dismissed the suit late Friday.

To ward off a dramatic unraveling, McConnell convened a conference call with Republican senators Thursday specifically to address the coming joint session and logistics of tallying the vote, according to several Republicans granted anonymity to discuss the private call.

The Republican leader pointedly called on Hawley to answer questions about his challenge to Bidens victory, according to two of the Republicans.

But there was no response because Hawley was a no-show, the Republicans said.

Hawleys office said he sent an email afterward to his colleagues explaining his views. In the email, Hawley said constituents back home are angry and disillusioned with the outcome of the election.

Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., who has acknowledged Bidens victory and defended his states elections systems as valid and accurate, spoke up on the call, objecting to those challenging Pennsylvanias results and making clear he disagrees with plans to contest the result, his office said in a statement.

McConnell had previously warned GOP senators not to participate in raising objections, saying it would be a terrible vote for colleagues. In essence, lawmakers would be forced to choose between the will of the outgoing president and that of the voters.
It was drizzling rain, in near-freezing temperatures, but the birders arrived before the sun rose, as soon as the gates to the park on the Maryland side of Great Falls had opened. With binoculars to their eyes, cameras around their necks, and masks on their faces, they peered into the brush and rocks around the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, desperately searching for the elusive flash of blue, red and green.

"There. There it is," a woman said.

"He's perched. Now he went to the right. And I lost him," said Frank Witebsky, an 82-year-old retired pathologist from Silver Spring, Md., looking into his binoculars.

"Are you kidding me?" said Carla Morris, who lives in Potomac, Md., staring at the hillside in disbelief that this glorious bird was here, of all places.

It was a male painted bunting, a bird known for its kaleidoscope of colors - blue head, red underparts, and green back. It's a bird commonly seen in Florida and other parts of the south but rarely in Maryland.

It's unclear why the bird made its way this far north, but the painted bunting is one of several species included in a recently published study from the National Audubon Society demonstrating that climate change is causing a shift in birds' ranges during winter and breeding seasons.

The unusual sighting of the bird, along the Potomac River, was first documented last week on the popular birding website eBird. As word spread through listservs and Facebook groups, excited birders poured into the park from across the region, hoping to catch a glimpse - or perhaps even a photo.

Standing between the 18th and 19th locks of the C&O Canal, they came with their toddlers and infants, pushing strollers and adjusting masks on children's faces. They were amateurs and professionals, ages 6 months to 82 years old, originally from Hong Kong and Switzerland and Wisconsin and New York.

On Saturday, a warm and sunny day for the start of the new year, more than 1,100 people visited the park - about double the size of the typical crowd seen on a nice winter day. By 3 p.m., a couple of hours before the park's closure at sundown, more than 80 cars were in line to get in.

As the temperatures dropped and rain fell over the region Sunday, devoted birders returned. By midday, more than 100 people had visited the park; the majority said they had come to see the bird, according to one visitor-use assistant for the National Park Service.

One of the first people in the park was Jacques Pitteloud, Switzerland's ambassador to the United States. The 58-year-old has been birdwatching for half a century, ever since his parents gave him a bird guide as a boy growing up in Switzerland. He has photographed birds all over the world and has published his pictures in several books and publications in Kenya and South Africa.

But he had always hoped to see the painted bunting someday, somewhere in the United States. "To see it close to D.C., that was absolutely unrealistic," he said. At about 8:30 a.m. Sunday, a birder next to him pointed it out, and he saw it just long enough to capture it with his camera lens.

It was, he said, "exceptional."

As he walked out of the park after spotting the bird, a woman passed with her two children.

"Did you see it?" the woman asked. He told her he did, and offered to show her the photo on his camera.

"Oh, my gosh," she said. "So cool."

Further down the path, dozens of birders lined up along the canal, looking up at brush and trees on the hillside across from them. The bird, which generally forages in shrubby areas and overgrown fields, stayed low and hidden between rocks and grass.

But Morris was holding out hope that she'd catch a glimpse.

"I live for this," she said. "I wish I'd brought my kids out here today."

She saw her first painted bunting years ago in Florida, on vacation with her family. They had driven an hour and a half to see the bird from afar, but it was a bucket-list item, "a bona fide lifer," as she and many other birders called it.

"They look like a splash of tempera paints splashed all over a canvas," she said.

But that was in its natural habitat. She never could have imagined the chance to see one here, so close to her home. "In the winter, are you kidding?" she said.

It was a moment she needed now more than ever. She had spent the holidays grieving the death of her father, who in Wisconsin died of covid-19, the illness that can be caused by the novel coronavirus. She had wept watching the ball drop on New Year's Eve, listening to a performance of Pentatonix on TV at home with her children.

This brief and unexpected flash of beauty, after a time of so much sorrow, "It's just magical," she said. "It's a magical way to start the new year."

A few feet away, Vickie Kwong and her husband, Benson Kwong, had arrived at the park from their home in Rockville, Md., for the second day in a row. Saturday's crowds were so large that it was nearly impossible to park, Vickie Kwong said. But the couple returned, hoping to see the bird they had heard so much about on social media.

Vickie Kwong has watched birds for years, in Central and South America, Florida and Europe. But it was not until the pandemic that she started searching for birds in her own neighborhood. "This has been what's keeping me sane," she said.

In the past several months, Benson Kwong, 61, has also become invested - describing it to their children as their own version of the "Pokemon Go" video game. The couple looks at eBird every day, and they often drive for hours in hopes of spotting a new bird. They even made a book with their photos.

"We go bird crazy," Vickie Kwong said.

To see the painted bunting, here, just minutes away from her home? Vickie Kwong's eyes lit up at the thought. She clapped her hands together in excitement.

"That would make my year," she said.
MANZINI  Public sector associations (PSAs) have highlighted three critical sectors that government needs to attend to immediately in 2021.

The three issues are public service, health and education.

This is according to the end-of-year and new year statements which they issued.

In terms of public service, the PSAs said the country needed to stop escalating prices of services to the nation during this most difficult period of their lives.

They said government also needed to provide all necessary equipment for the workers to deliver.

They said there was a general lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), which was a must for workers to deliver and be safe from contracting COVID-19.

Testing

Again, they said government needed to roll out compulsory testing in the workplace.

They argued that the number of ministries and by extension, the number of senior officials, needed to be reduced.

Their argument was that a lot of money was wasted while paying senior officials unjustified salaries and allowances.

On the other hand, they said in terms of health, government should renovate clinics and hospitals.

On top of that, they said it should provide necessary equipment for the fight against COVID-19.

Government needs to provide proper housing for nurses. We also want the availability of drugs in hospitals, they said.

Moreover, regarding education, they said government should make sure that all schools were provided with clean running water and proper sanitary facilities. They said the administration should also prioritise the building of houses for teachers.

All schools should have electricity, they added.

On another note, they said civil servants need to be protected from contracting COVID-19. Currently, they argued that civil servants were being exposed on a daily basis to the dreadful COVID-19 pandemic. They added that it should not be seen as normal to queue for loans by civil servants in savings and credit co-operatives to cater for their survival.

They said government should adhere to all the conventions it was signatory to.

They said it could not be proper that government continued to sign conventions just for the fun of it and as window-dressing for the international community.

Therefore, they called for an end to the usage of resources for projects that had no economic value because they were a waste of the taxpayers money. They said they would continue to call for those in authority to do things the right way.

We will continue to fight for the protection of workers and demand better working conditions and better living conditions, they emphasised.

In that regard, they said they encouraged their members to continue demanding that resources be spent on national priorities not just on a selected few.

As contributors to the building of the economy, they said they could not continue to be silent. They said they were going to be part of those demanding accountability for the national resources.

A better society is possible if we all work together to build it, they said.

They added that their membership should be counted among those who fought for change for the benefit of the countrys future generations.
: GMR Hyderabad International



Airport Limited and GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo have signed a MoU with Dubai Airportsfor building an exclusive Vaccine Air Freight Corridor Product called'HYDXB-VAXCOR(Hyderabad to Dubai global Vaccine Corridor), the infra major said on Monday.

The MoU was signed in the backdrop of the city becoming a hub for COVID-19 vaccine and other antidotes with several vaccine manufacturers having their bases here, a press release from the infra major said.

The MoU was signed byPradeep Panicker, CEO-GMRHIA, Saurabh Kumar, CEO-GMRHAC and Eugene Barry, EVP-Commercial, Dubai Airports Corporation in a virtual ceremony organised last week, it said.

As per the MoU, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here and Dubai Airports will be according priority to the temperature sensitive vaccine shipments moving between both the airports for further connections to various continents as part of the "HYDXB-VAXCOR" and build this service offering as a key differentiator and value proposition for the vaccine customers and logistics stakeholders, it said.

This agreement will lead to the rollout of customised and simplified processes and infrastructural support to streamline the journey of Covid-19 vaccine right from the manufacturing unit to the airport and hub logistics to delivery to end-customers, the release said.

The partnership also entails technology collaboration, under which the entities will explore and work together on an integrated IT solution that will provide end-to-end visibility including shipment temperature and status tracking for the customers while cargo is in transit between Hyderabad and Dubai and during its onwards journey to various global destinations.

Pradeep Panicker said in the current global context, there is a need for meticulous planning and collaborations to ensure safe and efficient air transportation of Covid-19 vaccines and accordingly, "HYDXB-VAXCOR" is being offered for global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

"We are also significantly upgrading our handling capacities for Covid-19 Vaccine shipments requiring Cold to ultra-cold temperature ranges and becoming Indias largest Air Cargo centre both for Export/Imports and Domestic distribution of the Vaccine," Panicker said.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said a major surge in demand for the efficient, safe and reliable global distribution of high volumes of Covid-19 vaccines is expected in the coming months.

"As the world's preeminent hub of choice, we wanted to be ready to respond to and accommodate that demand. Our partnership with GMR-Hyderabad is timed perfectly just as the global race to develop the vaccines enters the final stage. This corridor is the result of our proactive strategy to be ready with innovative, collaborative and agile shipping solutions for the industry," Griffiths added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Investigations editor

Larry Parnass, investigations editor, joined The Eagle in 2016 from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, where he was editor in chief. His freelance work has appeared in the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Hartford Courant and CommonWealth Magazine.
Manav Kaul says he has been patient for good roles

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Mumbai, Jan 04: Actor Manav Kaul says he always takes a year-long break before starting a new project as he believes right opportunities come to those who are "extremely patient".

The 44-year-old actor first rose to fame with his turn as a right-wing politician in the 2013 drama "Kai Po Che!" and got further acclaim for his performances in films like "Jolly LLB 2" and "Tumhari Sulu".

In an interview with PTI, Kaul said the key to consistently doing good work is not about going on a signing spree.

Telugu actor Ram Charan tests positive for COVID-19, fans trend 'get well soon' on Twitter

"When you do a good film or give a performance which people really like, the repercussions is that all the writers and directors want to cast you in the same role. That you've be patient enough to nicely refuse and wait for the right opportunity.

"I always take that gap... of a year to do my next. You have to be extremely patient. You can't just be on a signing spree. I have to put my heart and soul into it and be passionately invested in a project."

For Kaul, even the love and appreciation that came his way for "Tumhari Sulu" -- in which he played Ashok, the supportive husband to Vidya Balan's Sulu, an aspiring radio jockey -- didn't entice him to be part of more films.

"I again went on a break, but then suddenly interesting scripts started coming. You'll see a lot of good stuff coming out in 2021 across OTT and films," the actor, who made his digital debut with 2018's Netflix horror series "Ghoul", said.

"I am lucky I have been patient for good roles. Today I feel more fortunate that people have started considering me in a lead role and think I can pull off a film or a series," he added.

The actor's latest release is "Nail Polish", a courtroom mystery drama, in which he stars as Veer Singh, a man embroiled in the allegation of murder of children.

Kaul said when director Bugs Bhargava Krishna narrated the script to him over a Zoom call during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, he thought he wouldn't be able to pull off such a "layered" character.

Film, science and technology have ability to fire people's imagination: Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur

"The script was stunning. But I felt it was incredibly tough and thought I won't be able to do it. I just didn't know how to perform it. (But) Bugs had complete faith in me. So when we started the rehearsals, I kept reading the script which was so well researched.

Farmer Protest: What did Agricultural minister say on the 7th round of talks|Oneindia News

"I asked a lot of questions about my character and kept talking about him with my director to truly understand him. In the end, it worked. This (project) was something that I was craving for," he added.

The ZEE5 Original film also stars Arjun Rampal, Rajit Kapur, and Anand Tiwari.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, January 4, 2021, 9:39 [IST]
Ramallah, Jan 4 : The Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA), the Ramallah-based emerging central bank, confirmed that President Mahmoud Abbas has accepted the resignation of its chief Azzam al-Shawwa, who stepped down after assuming the post more than five years ago.

"Azzam Al-Shawa submitted his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas from his position as Governor of the Monetary Authority for personal reasons, and the President accepted it.

"Al-Shawa thanked the President for his generous patronage and wise guidance during his presidency of the Monetary Authority over the past five years," the PMA said in a Twitter post on Sunday.

However, a Palestinian source said that al-Shawwa had protested a few days ago against a presidential decree that appoints Mohammad Manasra as his deputy without consulting him.

"As a result of this presidential decree, al-Shawwa prefers to leave his position in the PMA and return to his own business," the source said.

Al-Shawwa, the former President of the Bank of Palestine, the largest local bank, was appointed by President Abbas as the PMA chief on November 20, 2015.

Abbas has assigned al-Shawwa's duties to Firas Melhem, a member of the PMA's Board of Directors.
Tollywood actor Shwetha Kumari, who was allegedly detained by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) from a hotel in Mira-Bhayander, on Sunday, in connection with the alleged drug case, was arrested on Monday. Kumari was intercepted with an alleged drug supplier, Sayeed Shaikh. However, Shaikh managed to flee before the NCB officers could nab him. NCB officers have launched a manhunt for him.

NCB had seized a small quantity of mephedrone (MD) from the hotel room, where she was staying. She has been booked under the relevant sections of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. NCB has found digital evidence as she was connected with Shaikh as well as arrested drug peddler Chand Shaikh, said an officer on conditions of anonymity.

Zonal director Sameer Wankhede confirmed that she has been arrested and will be produced in the court today (Tuesday). We have seized small contraband from the hotel room where she was staying, said Wankhede.

On January 2, the NCB officer laid a trap at Gurunanak Marg, near Bandra (West) railway station and had arrested Chand Shaikh and had recovered 400g mephedrone (MD), stored in a compartment of his two-wheeler. Chand lives in Bandra and has been supplying MD for a long time.

After questioning Chand, NCB got another lead, and the team raided the Crown Business Hotel, near Golden Nest Circle in Bhayander (East), where they nabbed the actress. The drugs recovered from the hotel were allegedly sourced by Shaikh. After inquiry, it was learnt that he is the main supplier of MD in Mumbai and Thane areas, said the officer. NCB has registered an offence against Shaikh and Chand under NDPS Act.
Alexander Ludwig, known for his role as Bjorn Ironside in the hit series Vikings, just shared some major life news with his followers. The actor, who is also a singer, is now officially married to Lauren Dear after eloping, and fans are overjoyed for the happy couple.

Alexander Ludwig just eloped with Lauren Dear

Alexander Ludwig | Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Tom Ford

Alexander Ludwig is now officially married to his fiance, Lauren Dear. Their dog, Yam, acted as a witness, according to Ludwig, and he thanked him in his recent post. The couple was married at The Lodge at Blue Sky in Park City, Utah. Ludwig shared a romantic picture of the happy couple dressed for the occasion  Dear wearing a white wedding dress and Ludwig dressed in a tailored suit. Behind them is a pristine background of the mountains. Dear holds a white wedding bouquet and the two are looking into each others eyes.

My wife, my best friend, the future mother of my children, my everything, Ludwig said in the Instagram post he tagged his new wife in on January 3. Over 600,000 people have like the sweet post so far.



We decided to elope, Ludwig continued. It has been such a crazy year but it certainly put things into perspective. Life is too short And I didnt want to spend another day without calling this beautiful woman my wife. Of course when things settle down we will have a proper celebration with our friends and family but for now- the love of my life, our dog yam, a yurt on a mountain top in the middle of nowhere sounded like the perfect beginning.

Lauren Dear shared the special news with her followers as well

Dear shared a version of the same photo with her followers, and she also included a meaningful post to go along with it. She thanks their dog for being their witness, as well.

This last year was filled with a lot of uncertainty and doubt but this was the easiest decision of my life, Dear captioned the post on Instagram of that same moment. I think we all learned in some way or another to look inside ourselves and find what truly makes us happy. Thank you to 2020 for bringing this guy into my life. I will love you forever @alexanderludwig. You continue to show me what life is truly about every day and how to be strong, resilient and courageous. I am a better person by your side. .

RELATED: Vikings Season 6B: Alexander Ludwig Posts a Tribute To the Series  It Has Been the Greatest Honor of My Life Working on This Show

Both Ludwig and Dear included more intimate shots of their wedding day in separate posts. Ludwig shared photos on Instagram of their wedding photos, reception table, and cute images of the couple with their dog. Theres even one of the two of them holding hands in front of the officiant.

Ludwig was dating fellow actor and Vikings co-star Kristy Dawn Dinsmore since 2017. According to E News, Ludwig and Dear made things public in September 2020. In November they announced their engagement to the world that also put Dears engagement ring on full display in a number of selfies. The large rock was shared in a social media post.

Goldilocks and Bambi live happily ever after  !!!, Ludwig captioned the post on Instagram. Dear shared the same update with her followers as well.

Alexander Ludwig is now officially a married man. Fans are understandably happy for the newly married couple.
I think the vaccine is a game-changer because it gives light at the end of the tunnel, and workers can talk about returning to the office as if its a real thing, said Bridget Gainer, vice president of global affairs at Aon, which is leading a coalition of large employers in Chicago and other cities throughout the world to plan for the future of offices.
A bushfire burns outside the Perth Cricket Satdium in Perth on December 13, 2019. (Peter Parks AFP via Getty Images)

Bushfires in Western Australia Threaten Lives, Homes

Firefighters spent the night battling blazes in Western Australia, including two outside of Perth.

The fires were burning in the south and south-east of the city in the early hours of Monday.

But another blaze in Geraldton 420km north of Perth has now been brought under control.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said the two fires were out of control and threatening homes.

One of the fires has burned through a rubbish tip, causing hazardous fumes.

DFES issued an emergency warning for areas south of Perth including parts of The Spectacles, Orelia, Medina, Naval Base, Postans, Kwinana Beach, and Hope Valley.

Another emergency warning was issued for people in an area in Rockingham south-east of Perth bounded by Point Peron Road, Memorial Drive, Lease Road, Arcadia Drive, Liverpool Street, and Safety Bay Road.

People in these areas must act immediately to survive, DFES says.

If the way is clear, leave now for a safer place, it said.

Its too late to leave home for those in an area bounded by Beard Road, Rockingham Road, Thomas Road and the coast, as hazardous fumes are in the air.

Those residents should remain inside with doors and windows closed and air conditioners switched off.

For those who cant leave, they should be ready to shelter at home.

Anyone self-isolating or quarantining because of COVID-19 should leave and shelter with family or friends away from the area.

If they cant return to their quarantine location within one hour, they should call police.

An earlier emergency warning for Karloo in greater Geraldton has now been downgraded to watch and act.

While the fire has been contained, there are still concerns changing weather conditions expected on Monday could revive the threat.

An emergency warning was also issued for an area in Gosnells but it was later downgraded to a watch and act as the fire became stationary.

By Rick Goodman
Wilkes-Barre, PA (18701)

Today

Partly cloudy skies during the morning hours. Thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 91F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms during the evening, then mainly cloudy overnight. Low 61F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Thank you for reading!

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South Africa: Three caught with gold bars at OR Tambo International

Three suspects are expected to appear before the Kempton Park Magistrates Court after they were caught smuggling 73.5 kg of gold at OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA).

In a statement, police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe, said the precious metal was found in the suspects hand luggage in contravention of the Customs Act.

Acting on information provided by security officials at the airport after a security scanner identified irregular images, a multi-disciplinary team consisting of the South African Police Service (SAPS), the South African Revenue Service (SARS) customs officials, the Department of Health (Port Health officials) and officials from the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) pounced on the trio at the international arrival terminals.

Mathe said the three had just flown into South Africa from Madagascar and were en-route to Dubai via Ethiopia last week when they were apprehended.

Upon questioning of the suspects and further inspection of their hand luggage, officials discovered the gold bars and some foreign currency, she said.

Both the gold bars and foreign currency have been seized for further investigation under the Customs and Excise Act and the Exchange Control Regulation.

The suspects have been detained and the matter has been taken over by the SAPS Organised Crime unit for criminal investigations.

Mathe said investigations are also underway by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) with the assistance of Interpol with authorities from various countries to determine the legitimacy of the certification papers as provided by the men and also to determine the country of origin where the gold was mined.

Investigations will also focus on which country the gold bars were destined for.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-01-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Saudi Arabia said that entry to the kingdom by sea land and air will be resumed starting Sunday after a ban that lasted two weeks amid fears of a new coronavirus variant, the state news agency reported on Sunday.

A ministry official said that some restrictions including asking people coming from countries where the new variant spread such as the UK, South Africa and any others, to stay at least 14 days out of these countries before entering the kingdom.
A British court has rejected the U.S. government's request to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the country on charges pertaining to illegally obtaining and sharing classified material related to national security.

In a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court today, Judge Vanessa Baraitser denied the extradition on the grounds that Assange is a suicide risk and extradition to the U.S. prison system would be oppressive.

"I find that the mental condition of Mr. Assange is such that it would be oppressive to extradite him to the United States of America," judge Baraitser said in a 132-page ruling.

The U.S. government is expected to appeal the decision.

The case against Assange centers on WikiLeaks' publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, as well as diplomatic cables, in 2010 and 2011.

The documents include "approximately 90,000 Afghanistan war-related significant activity reports, 400,000 Iraq war-related significant activities reports, 800 Guantanamo Bay detainee assessment briefs, and 250,000 U.S. Department of State cables," per the U.S. Department of Justice, which accused Assange of conspiring with Chelsea Manning, a former intelligence analyst in the U.S. Army, to disclose sensitive information related to the national defense.

A federal grand jury last May indicted Assange on 18 counts related to unlawfully obtaining, receiving, and disclosing classified information, and conspiracy to commit computer intrusion to crack a password hash stored on U.S. Department of Defense computers connected to the Secret Internet Protocol Network (SIPRNet), a U.S. government network used to transmit classified documents and communications.

Assange, who sought refuge in the Embassy of Ecuador in London between June 2012 and April 2019 to avoid a warrant against him, was arrested last year after Ecuador withdrew his diplomatic asylum. In May 2019, he was found guilty in a U.K. court of breaching bail conditions and sentenced to 50 weeks, following which the aforementioned indictment was returned in the U.S.

If convicted, Assange faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each count with the exception of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, for which he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

The U.S. non-profit Freedom of the Press Foundation tweeted, "The case against Julian Assange is the most dangerous threat to U.S. press freedom in decades. This is a huge relief to anyone who cares about the rights of journalists."

Democrat opens Congress with prayer ending in 'amen and awoman;' House rules use gender-neutral terms

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As the U.S. House of Representatives is set to implement gender-neutral terms in its official operating rules for the new Congress, a Democratic congressman who is a pastor concluded an opening prayer Sunday by saying the words "amen and awoman."

During a short invocation to mark the swearing-in of the 117th Congress, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., finished his prayer that was filled with scriptural and Christian-themed phrases by invoking other gods and concluding with the phrase "amen and awoman" instead of the traditional term "Amen."

We ask it in the name of the monotheistic God, Brahma, and god known by many names by many different faiths. Amen and awoman, Cleaver, the former mayor of Kansas City, offered.

The word "Amen," means "so be it" and is not a gendered term.

Cleaver, who has served in the House since 2005, is an ordained United Methodist minister who holds a masters degree from St. Paul's School of Theology of Kansas City, Missouri.

From 1972 to 2009, he was the pastor of Kansas Citys St. James United Methodist Church.

The 76-year-old's ending to his prayer elicited considerable mockery on social media, mostly from conservatives who were incredulous at the use of the term "awoman."

"Amen and Awoman?!?! Dont they know that gender isnt binary??? What about the other 42 genders??" joked Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Sunday.

Many commenters have pointed out that Amen is not a gendered word.

"I guess the virtue signaling Democrats didnt check the Hebrew etymology of the word Amen to realize it has NOTHING to do with gender, tweeted incoming Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo. But dont let facts get in the way of a good virtue signal. Also, didnt those words just get banned?"

Conservative commentator Bethany Mandel quipped: "Same folks who say 'awoman' call us 'pregnant people??"

"Its all an act and its all lip service. Theyve erased the existence of women but hey theyll say 'awoman' on the House floor and were supposed to lap it up, Mandel tweeted. How progressive! How inclusive! They think were idiots."

The ban Boebert referenced is the introduction of new rules in the lower legislative chamber from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who called to eliminate sex-specific terms like mother and father, son and daughter, aunt and uncle to "honor all gender identities."

In place of the sex-specific words that are no longer to be used are gender-neutral terms and phrases such as "child," "parent," "sibling" and "parent's sibling."

Supporters of the revision see it as an overture to individuals who identify as transgender or non-binary.

Like Cleaver's conclusion to his prayer, the new rules were mocked on Twitter.

Pelosi has called the new rules "future-focused" and "the most inclusive in history."

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is among those criticizing the rules package.

Democrats are banning gendered pronouns from House rules, he wrote, adding that words like father, mother, son, daughter, brother, mother-in-law, daughter-in-law would be banned.

This is out of control. Can we get an amen? Jordan tweeted Monday.
Washington: Georgia's Republican top election official says the White House had pushed him against his better judgment to take a call from President Donald Trump in which he pressured the state to overturn his November presidential election defeat there.

In the call on Saturday, Trump told Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to overturn his election loss in the southern state, according to a recording published by US media.

Donald Trump, pictured last month, has been claiming contrary to evidence that he defeated Joe Biden. Credit:Getty Images

"I never believed it was appropriate to speak to the President but he pushed out, I guess he had his staff push us. They wanted a call," Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told ABC's Good Morning America.

A state Democrat has called for a probe into whether Trump had violated Georgia election law on the call. Raffensperger and his office's general counsel rejected Trump's assertions of electoral fraud in the hour-long conversation.
And what about that cant come back anymore clause? Im not the first person to take exception to it. As a Christian, Id love to tell Will that well see Alex in heaven someday, but will introducing spirituality into the equation confuse him as to the physical finality of death?

He went back to the earth, a wise friend of mine told his grandson when the family dog died. Thats a good line  should I borrow it?

I remember my own first encounter with death at the age of 4 or 5, when my mom was walking me around our neighborhood and mentioned that one of our elderly neighbors had died.

Thats good, I told her. He deserved to die.

My mom was mortified, but I meant it in a positive way, even if my vocabulary wasnt up to the task. I meant hed been a good man, hed done his time in a difficult world, and now he was finished, like a soldier whod been honorably discharged after an arduous tour of duty.

Will my son see death the same way? At his age Im not expecting a profound conversation, but will he even begin to grasp the concept at all? If he does understand, will he start worrying about Mommy and Daddy dying? If he doesnt understand, will he keep asking Wheres Alex? at the beginning of every episode?
She returned for round two.

Maritza Beniquez sat in a pale green chair inside University Hospital on Monday morning, her right arm poised to receive the second and final dose of Pfizers newly developed COVID-19 vaccine.

The 56-year-old emergency room nurse at the Newark hospital seemed excited. This was the final shot she needed after receiving the first a few weeks earlier.

I now have body armor, Beniquez said, laughing before the small crowd of medical staff and reporters gathered in a room inside the facility. The room was lined with dividers for other front line workers to receive vaccinations.

University Hospital employees were the first in the state to receive the second round of the two-shot vaccine and complete the program, developed to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before the vaccine was administered, Beniquez laughed and joked with Gov. Phil Murphy and state Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli, who were in attendance along with officials from University Hospital and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

When Beniquez got her shot, the room clapped. Beniquez, wearing blue scrubs, raised her left arm and gave Murphy an elbow bump.

After Beniquez was administered the dose, Dr. Robert Johnson, dean of Rutgers Medical School, received his second shot of the vaccine.

Beniquez said shell soon be 95% protected from COVID-19, which has claimed more than 19,000 lives in New Jersey and more than 350,000 in the nation.

Walking away now, I know that by the end of this month, I am 95% immune, Beniquez said, answering a few questions from reporters.

More than 100,000 people have received a vaccine for the coronavirus in New Jersey since the first doses were administered nearly three weeks ago, Murphy said later Monday.

Beniquez said she expects to feel a little soreness at the injection site, and that after her first shot, she had a slight headache, but nothing more. She doesnt expect anything different with the second dose.

But again, if thats the worst that I can expect, Ill take that over an intubation any day of the week, she said.

Beniquez said now she can be 95% sure that I can kiss my grandchildren and not get sick. 95% sure that I can go and turn a patient, suction a patient, treat a patient. I am 95% sure that when I go to the restaurant, I wont get sick. So this is  its a game-changer. And its my body armor.

Beniquez, who is Hispanic, acknowledged the fears of taking vaccines, particularly in communities of color.

I do not fault them, she said. I, too, am a Latina, and I, too, am a woman of color. And I understand and I feel that pain. Because these are my people that have suffered a lot of the injustices. So I understand their skepticism when it comes to medicine. But I want them to know that this is not that. And that the greatest injustice that we can do to ourselves as a Black and Latino or any sort of minority is to fall back on fears that are from the past and bring that to the future when theres hope for tomorrow.

Johnson, 74, said he also understands the skepticism surrounding vaccines. But he pointed to the large number of COVID-19 deaths in the Black community, especially in Essex County, where University Hospital is located.

This is the thing we can do to protect ourselves, he said.

University Hospital is conducting about 400 vaccinations a day, though Dr. Shereef Elnahal, the facilitys CEO and a former state health commissioner, said the facility has the capacity to do up to 600 a day.

So far, University has conducted about 3,000 vaccinations.

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Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com.
SPRINGFIELD  New interpretive signs and lamppost banners along the Connecticut River Walk and Bikeway, as well as a weed eradication program, should attract new users to the recreational trail, advocates said.

The improvements were completed in recent months with grants from the Springfield Community Preservation Committee.

Betsy Johnson, of the group WalkBike Springfield, said she is excited Springfield is joining other area communities in placing signs along their bike trails to provide historical information about surrounding landmarks.

It has been very well received, Johnson said. One of the things that is a concern of ours is that so many people dont even know about the river walk.

WalkBike Springfield joined with the citys parks department in pursuing the sign funds. The Preservation Committee and City Council approved $24,000 in 2018.

The light pole banners at the entrances to the 3.7-mile path, and the signs scattered along the trail, provide information about the trail, the role of the Connecticut River and other riverbank assets, Johnson said.

There is information about the North End and Memorial bridges that abut the trail, the river flow and levee system, the 1936 flood, the former Hampden Park, shad migration, boating and other topics.

I mean, I didnt know that half a million shad come up the river every April, May, Johnson said.

The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission plans to add signs regarding Bondis Island and the sewage system, Johnson said.

12/23/2020 -Springfield- The Springfield Community Preservation Committee's riverfront signage project has been completed with the installation of 8 lamppost panels and 12 interpretive signs along the 4-mile Riverwalk. This sign is near the North End Bridge. (Don Treeger / The Republican) -

Johnson and Preservation Committee Chairman Robert McCarroll said they are pleased that the sign program is among the first projects completed under Springfields Community Preservation Act program.

I hope it adds to the enjoyment of people using that recreational facility, McCarroll said.

The project was slowed by factors including the coronavirus pandemic, and sign fabricator DesignWorks of Indian Orchard facing pandemic restrictions, Johnson and McCarroll said.

Separately, the Preservation Committee approved $40,000 in 2018 to help in the removal of invasive Japanese knotweed along the riverfront and other park sites in Springfield, as sought by ReGreen Springfield and the parks department. The knotweed is tall and aggressive, and was beginning to lean over the path, McCarroll said.

Use of the River Walk and Bikeway has been hampered over the years by access issues and riverbank work. It had been closed for months at a time due to sewer system repairs.

Another river bikeway advocate, Sheila McElwaine, joined in praising the signage and the weed control. There is a need for more signs, particularly at the access points, to help the public use and enjoy the bikeway, she said.

The informational panels are just great, McElwaine said. Those are a dream come true. Theyre wonderful. The information is just so good.

McElwaine said it is her hope that, within the next few years, we have some kind of focused management for the river walk to improve its maintenance and use.

There are ongoing efforts to expand the river walk to link with other communities.

Community Preservation Act funds can be used to support parks, recreation and open space along with historic preservation and housing. To raise money for program, the city levies a 1.5% tax surcharge on Springfield residential and business properties each year. The first $100,000 in property valuation is exempt. The surtax was approved by city voters in 2016.
Health care workers are exhausted according to SIPTU which has called on the Health Service Executive (HSE) to speed up the recruitment of thousands of additional staff as a matter of urgency in the fight against Covid-19.

Ireland's biggest trade union believes there is not enough staff to continue the fight. Kevin Figgis is SIPTU's Health Divisional Organiser.

The health service is under incredible pressure right now and health care workers are extremely fearful that they will not have the numbers to meet the challenges from the next wave of this virus.

"The health service cannot close, health care workers have worked around the clock fighting Covid-19 every day since early 2020 and face the new year with possibly their gravest challenge yet. They are exhausted and must have the necessary resources to ensure we win this battle while we await the rollout of the vaccine in the weeks and months ahead. The Department of Health and HSE must now do all in their power to ensure health care workers have the necessary resources needed to provide life-saving care on the frontline.



SIPTU says the Government pledged an additional 4 billion for the health service in Budget 2021. It says the funding was earmarked to prioritise the development of health services in the community, deliver 2,600 additional beds and recruit up to 16,000 additional healthcare staff. SIPTU is demanding these initiatives are fast-tracked so that the health care workforce is fully supported in the challenging weeks and months ahead.



Since the budget announcement in October, our members have seen little evidence of additional recruitment to assist the front line workforce within the health service.

"It is essential that roadblocks are removed for vitally needed healthcare workforce supports. Our members within the Acute, Community, Primary, Mental Health and National Ambulance Service settings urgently need additional resources. National approval for local recruitment must be issued to ensure additional staffing levels can be secured in the shortest timeframe possible," said Mr Figgis.

Nurses warned that hospitals are under extreme pressure due to the third wave.


West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday that her government will soon convene a session of the state assembly to pass a resolution against the three farm laws passed by Parliament in September last year.

We will make arrangements to convene assembly session soon to pass resolution against three new farm laws, Banerjee said at a press conference, according to news agency PTI.

Im in favour of farmers and want withdrawal of these three bills for the sake of the country and farmers. Before the bills came in, they had godowns made. Their political intention is clear and thats why they are not taking it back, she further said while attacking the Centre.

Five state assemblies have so far passed resolution against Centres farm laws, Kerala being the latest one.

The Kerala assembly passed the resolution on Thursday which was supported by all 140 members of the House, including the lone Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member.

O Rajagopal, 91, who was minister of state for railways in the Atal Bihari Vajapyee government, opposed the resolution initially, but when it was put to voice vote, he did not walk out and supported it, much to the surprise of both the treasury and opposition benches.

Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are other states which have passed similar resolutions. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had recently triggered a controversy by tearing copies of the farm laws in the Assembly.

DMK president and Tamil Nadu leader MK Stalin has also asked chief minister E Palaniswami to convene a special session of the state Assembly to pass a resolution against farm laws.

The laws essentially change the way Indias farmers do business by creating free markets as opposed to a network of decades-old, government marketplaces, allowing traders to stockpile essential commodities for future sales and laying down a national framework for contract farming. Farmers say the reforms will make them vulnerable to exploitation by big corporations, erode their bargaining power and weaken the governments procurement system. They have been protesting near Delhi demanding the repeal of these laws.

The farmers and government have held seven rounds of talks so far, but no solution has been found. In the latest round of talks on Monday, the government made it clear that the laws wont be repealed and the farmers reiterated that they will not end their protest till that happens.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-04 06:33:33|Editor: huaxia

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U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks on the opening day of the 117th U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the United States, Jan. 3, 2021. Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi of California was reelected on Sunday as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, where her party has a narrow majority. (Bill O'Leary/Pool via Xinhua)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi of California was reelected on Sunday as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, where her party has a narrow majority.

Pelosi received support from 216 Democrats, with two of her colleagues voting for someone else and three others voting present.

Kevin McCarthy, also from California, received all votes from the 209 Republicans present, allowing him to continue serving as minority leader.

A veteran legislator who has served in the U.S. Congress since 1987, Pelosi was elected the first woman to serve as House speaker in 2007. She returned to the role in 2019 after her party regained control of the chamber.

The speaker is the political and parliamentary leader of the U.S. House.

During the past two years, the White House and the Pelosi-led House had a strained relationship.

The chamber impeached U.S. President Donald Trump in late 2019 after an inquiry triggered by a whistleblower complaint that raised concerns about the White House's interactions with Ukraine. The Republican-led Senate later acquitted the president.

Pelosi's election as House speaker came as the 117th U.S. Congress was sworn in on Sunday.

In a letter to her colleagues in the morning, Pelosi said the new Congress convenes "during a time of extraordinary difficulty."

"Each of our communities has been drastically affected by the pandemic and economic crisis: 350,000 tragic deaths, over 20 million infections, millions without jobs -- a toll almost beyond comprehension," she said.

The balance of power in the 100-seat Senate will not be clear until after next week's Senate runoffs in the southeastern state of Georgia.

The new Congress will convene in a joint session on Wednesday to formally count the votes cast by the Electoral College in the 2020 presidential race - 306 for Democrat Joe Biden and 232 for Trump, the Republican incumbent.

A group of Republicans have announced they will contest the Electoral College results but their planned moves will unlike overturn Biden's victory over Trump, who hasn't conceded and is still pushing for claims of massive election fraud.
Police in Trung My Tay Ward of District 12, Ho Chi Minh City are handling a case where a Gojek motorbike partner was attacked by a conventional motorbike taxi driver while picking up a passenger near An Suong Intersection on Saturday.

The attack occurred while Do Viet Tai, 30, from the citys Hoc Mon District was waiting for a female passenger, who had booked a trip via the ride-hailing app, at 2398 National Highway 1 at 5:20 pm on Saturday, according to Tais motorcycle camera footage.

A middle-aged man standing nearby chased Tai away, not allowing him to pick up the customer.

Although Tai tried to explain it was not the case that he was stealing the mans customer as the passenger had ordered him to give her a ride through the Gojek mobile app in advance, as well as urging the woman to quickly get on his motorbike, the middle-aged man still insisted on preventing Tai from catching the passenger.

I said no picking up, you should get it! said the middle-aged man.

When the passenger was yet to climb on Tais motorbike, another man on a motorbike rushed toward the Gojek driver, yelling at him I said you go away!

That man then suddenly ran to a nearby motorcycle repair shop and took a long iron wrench to chase Tai.

Tai rode his motorbike away for a short distance to avoid that man.

But when Tai stopped, the man threw a large log directly at Tais head.

Fortunately, I wore a helmet so I did not get hit, but due to panic over the thug behavior of those two men, I ran straight to the Trung My Tay Ward police to report the incident, Tai recounted.

I affirm that I have never had any conflicts or friction in competing for customers with these people."

The female passenger in the incident also elaborated that the first man had offered to give her a ride before Tai came.

When the woman replied that she already booked a Gojek trip, the man emphasized she would not be able to get on the Gojek motorbike.

According to several ride-hailing apps partners in the An Suong Intersection area, it is not uncommon that they are attacked by conventional motorbike taxi drivers there.

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Service to remember RNLI founder



Credit: RNLI/Michael Howland

A commerative service to honour the founder of the RNLI will be held on the Island this weekend.

The service to remember Sir William Hillary will take place at St George's Church in Douglas at 3pm on Sunday.

The Archdeacon of Man, the Venerable Andrew Brown will conduct the service.

The Deputy Governor, His Honour the First Deemster Andrew Corlett, who will lay a wreath on the tomb of Sir William & Lady Hillary in St Georges Churchyard after the Service.

Light refreshments will be served afterwards in the South Douglas Old Friends Association premises in Finch Road.
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Emmanuel Macron is said to be incandescent about the growing scandal

EU lagged weeks behind UK and US in approving the Pfizer jab on December 21

It also only managed to secure 300 million doses for a population of 446 million

But Germany has managed 200,000 doses since then, Italy 80,000 and Poland 50,000, while France scrambles to avoid a national scandal

Only 352 people have been vaccinated against covid in France - compared to more than a million in Britain - after the EU botched its ordering system.

Emmanuel Macron is coming under fire for the slow roll-out which he is reported to have been incandescent about behind closed doors, calling the delays 'unworthy' of the French people.

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The EU lagged weeks behind Britain and the US, only giving approval to the Pfizer jab on December 21, and since then the bloc has secured just 300 million doses for a population of 446 million.

But the slow French start can't all be blamed on the Brussels bureaucracy. Germany has managed 200,000 doses, Italy 80,000 and Poland 50,000, while Mr Macron scrambles to avoid a national scandal.

Emmanuel Macron (pictured at a climate summit earlier this month) is coming under fire for the slow roll-out which he is reported to have been incandescent about behind closed doors, calling the delays 'unworthy' of the French people

Chief nurse nurse Sam Foster holds a vial of the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, southwest England on January 4, 2021. Britain is leading its European rivals in rolling out vaccines for covid

As of today France has managed to give out 352 vaccines, it lags behind Germany which has managed 200,000 and Britain which has immunised more than a million already (this graph shows figures for France as of Jan. 1)

Mr Macron in his New Year address to the nation had already pledged there would be no 'unjustifiable delays' in the rollout of the vaccination, but the Journal du Dimanche newspaper reported Sunday that he has been scathing in private about the speed of progress.

EUROPEAN COUNTRIES REPORTING THE MOST CASES AND DEATHS CASES PER DAY UNITED KINGDOM: 52,348 RUSSIA: 26,648 GERMANY: 18,424 ITALY: 15,393 FRANCE: 13,720 DEATHS PER DAY GERMANY: 669 UNITED KINGDOM: 610 RUSSIA: 533 ITALY: 487 FRANCE: 327 *Latest 7-day average reported

A pace at the level of 'a family stroll' was not 'worthy of the moment nor of the French,' the newspaper, seen as close to the Elysee Palace, quoted Mr Macron as saying.

'I am at war in the morning, noon, evening and night,' the president, who recently himself recovered from Covid-19 infection, said according to the report. 'I expect the same commitment from all. This won't do. It must change quickly and firmly.'

The deputy president of the far-right National Rally (RN), Jordan Bardella, said that France had become the 'laughing stock of the world.'

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'We vaccinated in a week the same number that the Germans vaccinated in 30 minutes. It's shameful,' he told RTL television.

Jean Rottner, the head of France's Grand Est region and member of the right-wing Republicans (LR) party said: 'The French need clarity and firm messages from a government that knows where it is going. It is not giving this impression.'

Mr Rottner called it 'a government scandal.'

According to the French health ministry just 352 have received the jab.

The government had begun the vaccination drive by targeting residents of care homes, a laborious process given that consent is required from each patient.

However in an apparent change of tack in the face of the pressure, Health Minister Olivier Veran announced that health workers aged over 50 could be vaccinated starting Monday.

Elisabeth Bouvet, head of the technical committee on vaccines for the French health authority, said the strategy would remain the same but 'probably must accelerate.'

'We must not exaggerate: we started vaccinating just a week ago, we cannot call this a disaster,' she told France Inter radio.

The EU so far has approved only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, while a vaccine developed by France's Sanofi and Britain's GSK is only going to be ready later in the year due to delays.

French President Emmanuel Macron on December 17 attending a video conference a round table for the National Humanitarian Conference (NHC) at the Foreign Ministry in Paris after he tested positive for the virus

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But the government has vehemently denied it is holding out for a homegrown French vaccine to become available.

'I think that the Moderna vaccine ought to arrive this week,' Dominique Le Guludec, head of the Haute Autorite de Sante (HAS), told BFM TV, adding that France wanted more information on the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab.

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The United States authorised Moderna's vaccine on December 19, Canada did so on December 23 and the EU's watchdog is expected to approve it this week.

Britain is also expected to give its approval to the Moderna jab imminently.

France has the seventh-highest COVID-19 casualty toll in the world, with more than 65,000 deaths.

The European Commission is in discussions with Pfizer and BioNTech about the possibility of ordering more doses of their COVID-19 vaccine, in addition to the 300 million shots already covered under an existing contract, a spokesman said on Monday.

'The Commission is checking whether there is a way to add additional doses to those for which we already have a deal,' the spokesman said.
Prison warders discovered Leigh Anthony Gardiner lying lifeless on his bed

The 51-year-old was put on suicide watch after his June 2019 arrest

He was being held at Alhaurin de la Torre prison near Malaga ahead of his trial

A British chef facing trial for the savage Costa del Sol murder of a 'gentle giant' Irish holidaymaker has been found dead in his jail cell.

Prison warders discovered Leigh Anthony Gardiner lying lifeless on his bed with shoelaces he is thought to have used to strangle himself with round his neck.

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The 51-year-old was put on suicide watch after his June 2019 arrest for the murder of John Pender at an Irish pub in the popular resort of Fuengirola.

Prison warders discovered Leigh Anthony Gardiner lying lifeless on his bed with shoelaces he is thought to have used to strangle himself with round his neck. Above, Gardiner pictured in 2019

The 51-year-old was put on suicide watch after his June 2019 arrest for the murder of John Pender at an Irish pub in the popular resort of Fuengirola. File image of arrest above

Acupuncturist dad-of-two John, from Shankill in south Co Dublin, was attacked with two broken bottles after asking his alleged killer to stop pestering his charity boss wife Caroline McGuigan and the partner of a pal he was with.

Gardiner, a chef at a well-known Costa del Sol hotel resort, was being held at Alhaurin de la Torre prison near Malaga ahead of his trial.

Two investigations are now underway, an internal prison probe and a second led by police in conjunction with a local court.

Well-placed sources said the death was being treated as suicide and there was nothing at this stage pointing to foul play.

The dead Brit was discovered inside his cell at Alhaurin de la Torre's Module Five last Wednesday morning.

The insider said: 'He was found lifeless on his bed after failing to respond to morning roll-call.

'He had been dead for several hours and nothing could be done to save him.'

Another added: 'The death is still being investigated but everything is pointing towards suicide.

'He had shoelaces knotted round his neck and he had left a note saying he was sorry to his family.'

Other sources confirmed Gardiner had been taken off suicide watch after being placed under an intensive monitoring programme when he initially arrived at the maximum-security prison.

Expat dad-of-two Gardiner was arrested in the early hours of June 21 2019 after allegedly attacking Mr Pender with two broken bottles while he was using the loo at the Pogs Old Irish Rock Pub

Prison workers' association TAMPM said in a statement, identifying the dead man only by his initials: 'We regret to have to confirm the death of an inmate in Module Five of Alhaurin de la Torre Prison.

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'The 51-year-old foreigner L.A.G was discovered dead in his cell during morning roll call on December 30.

'Prison workers found him lying lifeless on his bed when they opened the cell.

'He appeared to have died several hours earlier and nothing could be done to save him.

'Evidence found at the scene, such as shoelaces tied around his neck, appeared to indicate it wasn't a natural death but investigations by the relevant professionals are underway.

A Spanish Prison Service source added: 'The separate judicial and internal Prison Service investigations are ongoing and there won't be any official comment on the possible cause of death at this stage.'

Expat dad-of-two Gardiner was arrested in the early hours of June 21 2019 after allegedly attacking Mr Pender with two broken bottles while he was using the loo at the Pogs Old Irish Rock Pub.

Police said at the time the Irishman was targeted after politely asking the suspect to stop bothering his wife and the partner of a friend he was with.

Witnesses told detectives the dead man was attacked with two broken beer bottles as he was relieving himself and had no chance to defend himself as he was stabbed several times in the neck and body.

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One of the blows is believed to have severed his jugular vein.

Police who happened to be passing by the pub where the crime occurred tried to save the tourist's life but he bled to death in front of them.

He was on holiday with his wife Caroline McGuigan, founder of charity Suicide or Survive, and their two children Conor, then 21, and 18-year-old Amy who were not in the pub at the time.

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Mr Pender, a qualified acupuncturist who trained in China, was on the board of his wife's charity.

A source close to the probe revealed hours after the murder the suspect had no criminal record in Spain and was a chef at a well-known Costa del Sol hotel resort and was on his own for a few days because his wife and kids had gone on a foreign holiday.

Police said at the time the Irishman was targeted after politely asking the suspect to stop bothering his wife and the partner of a friend he was with

A neighbour of the dead man in Shankill described Mr Pender as a 'fantastic, friendly man and a gentle giant.'

The neighbour said: 'He'd do anything for you. If the weather was bad, he would often knock in here to see if I needed anything in the shop.'

Mr Pender's wife described Gardiner as 'a coward' at the celebration of his life nearly 18 months ago at Fitzpatrick Hotel in Killiney.

Caroline McGuigan added: 'John never feared death because he said life is for living.

'If you said 'Why John? He would say, 'why not?'

'He would say every morning, 'I got to wake up' and in the evening he would say, 'I got a day.*

Family friend Rob Carley, host of the two-hour celebration, said: 'John didn't have an angry bone in his body.

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'He was a pacifist, he'd walk away from trouble.'
Air Indias pilot unions Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) and Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) on Monday urged the airline to replace its Director (Commercial) Meenakshi Mallik alleging that her continuation on the post amounts to conflict of interest as she has submitted bid for the company as head of the employee consortium.

Replying to the allegation, Mallik told PTI she has already recused from the board meet on disinvestment, and is involved only in the day-to-day functioning of the airline.

On November 30, I wrote to the chairman and the board that I am participating in the bids, I will recuse myself from the board whenever any discussion pertaining to the disinvestment comes up, Mallik said.

Stating that she is involved only in the day-to-day functioning of the airline, Mallik said, I have no idea about the letter. As far as putting bids is concerned, the Government of India has given me the rights to bid and I am only following that.

Mallik said that in the preliminary information memorandum (PIM) issued on January 20 last year, the government allows participation of the full-time directors at the airline in the bidding process.

On December 14, which was the deadline for submitting bids, the government said it had received multiple expressions of interest for the strategic disinvestment of Air India. But, it did not disclose the participant names. However, sources had said that Tata Sons, a group of Air India employees headed by Mallik and a US-based firm Interups Inc had put in bids.

In a joint letter to Air India Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Rajiv Bansal on Monday, the two pilot unions said: This is with reference to the office order... dated December 16 through which it has been acknowledged that a consortium of management employees has submitted a bid for strategic disinvestment of Air India.

They added that the office order, issued with the CMDs approval, directs all participating employees to inform the headquarters and expressly forbids them from handling any policy or strategic matter with a direct or indirect bearing to the disinvestment of Air India.

Stating that the management consortium is being headed by Mallik, the unions said, In her position as the head of the commercial department, it is clear that she has access to insider information about our entire network and business plan both current as well as the future.

The letter mentioned that her decisions as head of the commercial department directly affect the health of the airline and consequently, its market worth to potential bidders. There is a gaping conflict of interest here, it added.

As a commercial director I am trying to get the maximum revenue for the airline as its commercial director. I am being targeted because I am helping the government get best sale for the company, Mallik said.

The unions also said if she does justice to her current role, the airline does well and generates more market interest as well as direct competition for her bid for the disinvestment. Alternatively, the potential misuse of insider information to actively sabotage the functioning of the airline and stave off market interest cannot be overlooked.

We therefore strongly urge you to follow through this office order in letter and spirit and immediately replace her as well as any other key management employee bidders holding such a sensitive position, IPG and ICPA stated in the letter to the CMD.
The tangled tale of President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election took a new turn this weekend.

A group of 11 Republican senators led by Texas Senator Ted Cruz announced plans Saturday to object to the certification of the Electoral College on Jan. 6. It's a Trump loyalty-litmus test like none other, and approximately 140 of House Republicans are expected to join their Senate colleagues in objecting to the Electoral College votes, according to Forbes' Andrew Solender.

While these moves were being telegraphed, a recording of a potentially incriminating phone call between President Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was released by several major American news outlets Sunday. Trump's demands on the call have been characterized as "impeachable" by leading Democrats, according to The Hill's Cristina Marcos.

The president is overheard urging Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes" that would put him in the lead over President-elect Joe Biden in Georgia, according to the Washington Post's Amy Gardner.

In an interview with Chron, University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus discussed the likelihood of Trump's most recent efforts affecting the election's outcome.

Chron: Did Trump actually break the law in his call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger?

Rottinghaus: It has the potential to violate both state and federal laws when it comes to pressuring officials on election-related matters. It's hard to know definitively how the state or federal officials might treat thiscollecting evidence of indicting a public official. The statutes require a very clear statement from the person that they are pressuring that there has to be some consequence. It's hard to know how the officials might treat an ex-president given the nature of the office and given the nature of the president.

Do you think this scandal over Trump's call will derail his effort to overturn the election?

I've been looking at scandals and how they affect presidential popularity and survival in office. Scandals in recent years have had a very little effect on politicians. A decade ago, it might have been a debilitating scandal. We also know executive officials typically survive in office. It's hard to get an incumbent president out of office through scandal. The president has shown himself to be a survivor politically. Trump is like political Teflon.

Prominent lawmakers like Illinois Senator Dick Durbin and New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are calling Trump's call an "impeachable offense." Is it too late to impeach President Trump now?

Generally speaking, it's never too late to impeach a president, but obviously there are firm deadlines approaching that the chambers would have to meet to schedule such an endeavor. Usually an impeachment takes a while because it requires a formal investigation, hearings and the actual process of impeaching the president. There's time technically, but it might be a challenge to squeeze all that in before the president leaves office.

Do you ultimately think that Trump's bid to overturn the election on January 6 stands any chance of succeeding?

I think it will be a lot of show, fireworks, but ultimately it will not have any effect on the bottom line. These politicians are for political reasons pursuing this line of attack. Even though it won't change the outcome, it has political legs. They are going to hope to ride it to the next election.

Do you think Vice President Mike Pence will support Trump's bid to overturn the election?

I don't believe at this point that the Vice President sees himself as a centerpiece to overturning the election. He seemed to be reluctant to join in efforts to engage in activity to manipulate the Electoral College vote. But it's unknown at this point, since the political pressure is pretty strong. The likelihood is that they will certify the votes. You'll see that happen a couple of hours after the discussion begins. It will ultimately go to Biden again. I can't imagine that any debate at this point would lead to any conclusion other than the one that would lead to certifying the electors of each state.
As 10,500 doses of Modernas COVID-19 vaccine trickled to pharmacies in Louisiana for the first time Monday, pharmacists reported being overwhelmed with inquiries from the elderly and others newly eligible for the immunization and the response briefly crashed the states website shortly after it unveiled the pharmacies participating.

In many places, far more patients were put on a waitlist than actually scheduled appointments to get vaccinated. While the governor made 640,000 new people eligible for vaccinations immediately, the 107 pharmacies getting vaccines this week will only receive about 100 doses each. The pharmacies set to receive vaccines this week were unveiled Monday morning.

Its probably been over 1,000 people calling, said Alex Nguyen, a pharmacist at Westbank Pharmacy in Harvey. We cant pick up the phones in time.

The flood of calls and inquiries from people aged 70 and older and a list of health workers who are also now eligible for vaccinations comes after a slow start to Louisianas vaccine effort. The state as of last week had only reported 45,289 doses administered. By comparison, the state received 79,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine alone in the first two weeks, not to mention thousands more of Modernas vaccine.

Until Monday, only certain hospital workers and people who live or work at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities were eligible for vaccinations. But Gov. John Bel Edwards announced last week the next priority group, which includes people 70 and older, end stage renal disease facility personnel and patients, ambulatory and outpatient health care workers, home agency patients and workers and schools of allied health students, residents and staff. A small number of people with end-stage renal disease had already started receiving vaccinations before the announcement.

Officials warned the newly eligible group that there would be far more demand than supply at first.

With this first very limited allotment of vaccine, were not going to be able to vaccinate everyone this week, said Aly Neel, a spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Health.

The pharmacies now included in the states mass vaccination effort span 51 parishes and include five in Baton Rouge, six in New Orleans and one in Lafayette. Forty-five chain stores, like Walgreens and Albertsons, along with 62 independent pharmacies and pharmacies tied to major health systems, such as Ochsner, are included.

The state also urged people to call their local pharmacy to schedule an appointment, and not to show up to the facility expecting to be vaccinated.

How will Louisiana convince people to get the coronavirus vaccine? Here's the $475K plan Now that Louisiana is receiving COVID-19 vaccines each week, the state Health Department is turning its focus to a crucial part of reaching he

See a map of the pharmacies here.

Almost immediately after the locations were announced Monday morning, many pharmacies filled up their 100 or so appointments and started putting people on a waitlist. Dozens of pharmacies  including at one point every New Orleans pharmacy on the list  had busy signals when phoned around midday Monday.

Westbank Pharmacy received its doses Monday and was slated to begin vaccinating in the late afternoon, Nguyen said. But the state couldnt say how soon more doses would be arriving, so the pharmacy stopped adding people to the waitlist as it neared 500 people to avoid promising vaccines it couldnt be sure it would have.

Pharmacists said the rush of calls came at an already busy time, as their normal business picks up at the beginning of a New Year.

State Sen. Fred Mills, a pharmacist in Parks, said his phone was ringing all day Monday even though his pharmacy isnt one of the 107 pharmacies receiving doses in the first batch this week. People were even calling from outside his legislative district inquiring about how to get immunized. The waitlist at his pharmacy for the vaccine was going up like a geyser, he said.

He also spoke to pharmacists who said the biggest issue was the meager number of doses in the first batch. Officials said most pharmacies would receive 100 doses this week.

Vaccine news in your inbox Once a week we'll update you on the progress of COVID-19 vaccinations. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

When you go statewide, its just not much, he said.

Edwards said last week he was not ecstatic about the number of people vaccinated in the state so far, but he hoped the numbers would soon improve. Beyond the Tier 1 of the Phase 1B group eligible starting this week for the vaccine, he also made a host of others  including judges, corrections officers, K-12 school and daycare workers, postal workers, public transit workers and grocery store workers  part of the next in line in Phase 1B of the vaccination effort. Those people are expected to be able to start accessing vaccines soon.

Pharmacists were also figuring out how to make sure they dont waste doses if people cancel their appointments, with many of them planning to go down the waitlist to call patients willing to come into the pharmacy before the doses expire.

Neel said hospitals and other providers in the state have reported wasting 13 doses of the vaccine so far, and the agency sent guidance to pharmacies and other facilities on how to avoid wasting doses by finding patients to inoculate. For instance, the document said if the vaccine is set to expire within six hours, providers should find someone within phase 1A, and if thats not possible, go down the list of outpatient health workers, people aged 70 and older or other persons not identified above.

The agency also told pharmacies they take full responsibility for making sure they can secure, store and not waste doses in a guidance document sent to participating locations. Pharmacies should make patients show proof of age with an ID or an ID badge showing theyre employed at a health center that qualifies them for the vaccine. It also said the agency wants all Louisianans to have access to the vaccine, regardless of immigration status.

Pharmacies wont need to ration doses to save vaccines for the second injection, which takes place weeks later, according to the guidance document. But they will need to make sure people get the second dose at the proper time, and are expected to report each vaccination to the state within 24 hours.

CareSouth Medical and Dental in Baton Rouge, one of the 107 pharmacies set to receive doses this week, is putting patients who call on a list that will be continuously used as the facility receives more doses, said spokesperson Michelle McCalope.

We were inundated with so many calls our lines got jammed up, she said. Once the word got out in the media we were one of the distribution sites the phones started ringing.

By 9:30 in the morning on Monday, Randy Carr, a pharmacist at Carr Drugs in Algiers, said he already had 100 people signed up for vaccinations.

Our biggest problem today is its the first Monday of the first month of the new year, and everybodys insurance changed, he said. Its normally a difficult day to start. But we did call in extra staff just to take care of the vaccine, answer the phones.

In Zachary, Drys Pharmacy had an overwhelming response, said pharmacist Jennifer Guillory Venable. More than 500 people were already on the waitlist as of Monday morning, she said. The pharmacy will start administering them Tuesday, and plans to do 10 to 20 a day so it can continue operating its normal business at the same time.

We have five phone lines and all five have been lit up all morning, she said.

Mills said the state made it easier for pharmacists to vaccinate people after the H1N1 flu pandemic in 2009. After bringing pharmacists into the fold en masse to immunize residents during that outbreak, Mills said the Legislature passed laws making it easier for pharmacists to administer vaccines. Since then, pharmacies have gotten efficient at delivering various vaccines.

Its not like its a brand new program, he said. Its a brand new vaccine.

Staff writer Matt Sledge contributed to this story.
MANCHESTER, NJ  With the holidays behind us, Monday brings a return to school for students and teachers and for many people, a return to work. The kickoff of 2021 brings with it a number of issues from 2020, however.

The coronavirus pandemic continues to affect so many areas of life, and likely will for much of the year. Its impact will be felt locally on businesses, on schools and on the township as a whole.

Here's an update on the coronavirus numbers for Manchester and a look ahead at what municipal and school district officials will be dealing with in 2021.

Coronavirus update

The number of cases and number of deaths from the coronavirus have continued to rise in Manchester, as they have across New Jersey.

Ocean County remains in the orange "high risk" category due to the rates of transmission of the coronavirus. As of Sunday, Ocean County had 33,551 cases, up 2,659 from 30,892 on Dec. 27. Manchester had 158 new cases in that time, with 2,195, up from 2,037 on Dec. 27, according to the Ocean County Health Department.

As of Sunday, there have been more than 492,000 cases of the coronavirus in New Jersey since March, including 3,676 new ones reported Sunday, according to the state Department of Health COVID-19 website. As of Saturday, 3,521 people were hospitalized due to the coronavirus, with 669 in intensive care and 462 patients on ventilators, according to the state COVID-19 website.

Deaths in Ocean County have risen from 1,057 as of Nov. 29 to 1,298, and Manchester has seen an increase from 176 to 222.

Schools, funding and COVID-19

The Manchester Township School District resumes the school year with hybrid instruction, but the district has been keeping a close eye on the number of cases. Superintendent David Trethaway urged parents and staff to be careful about holiday gatherings to avoid the need for the district to move to remote instruction.

Manchester had plans to increase its in-person instruction, but the rising case numbers prompted the district to delay those plans. The goal, however, has been clear: to move back to in-person instruction sooner rather than later.

Story continues

The school budget discussions will move to the forefront, and Manchester is faced with the potential for cuts under S2, the law that has dictated cuts to school districts deemed to be receiving more than their fair share of school funding.

Manchester has not experienced the depth of cuts other districts have, but the cuts are no less frustrating for the administration.

When the school board holds its reorganization meeting, James "Ken" Pate, Melanie Biscardi and Laura Wingler will be sworn in to full terms on the board, and George Cervenak III will be sworn to finish out an uncompleted term.

Township update

The Manchester Township Council is scheduled to hold its reorganization meeting at 6 p.m. Monday. The meeting will be held via Zoom because of pandemic gathering restrictions.

Click here to watch the Zoom meeting.

Manchester will be faced with tax issues because of the stresses of the coronavirus pandemic.

The township council also will continue to be seeking solutions for protecting open space and preventing overwhelming growth in the town.

Click here to get Patch email notifications, or download our app to have breaking news alerts sent right to your phone. Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com Follow Manchester Patch on Facebook.



This article originally appeared on the Manchester Patch
No decision has been made on school closures yet (stock image)

Schools may remain closed until the end of the month under plans being considered by government to stop the rapid spread of Covid-19.

Primary and secondary schools were due to reopen next Monday but the Cabinet is set to consider keeping them closed for another two or three weeks.

The moves comes as 6,110 new Covid-19 cases were recorded along with six deaths. Meanwhile, 776 patients remained in hospital last night after testing positive for Covid-19 while 70 people were in intensive care units.

Read More

A Cabinet Committee on Covid-19 will meet to discuss the escalating public health crisis and a key focus of the meeting will be on schools.

Party leaders and ministers will consider asking schools to remain closed to stop the spread of the virus among students, teachers and their parents.

Plans are also being discussed to keep some schools open for the children of frontline workers and those with disabilities or from disadvantaged areas.

A Government source said schools would be closed not because they are unsafe but to stop the movement of around a million people.

A decision on schools in Ireland is not expected until Wednesday when Cabinet meets to discuss recommendations from Nphet.

However, a Fine Gael minister told Independent.ie: schools will not fully reopen next week. A Fianna Fail minister said they would be very surprised if the Government did not to keep schools closed for longer after delaying their reopening until January 11.

A government spokesperson said: Schools will be discussed at cabinet committee and then Cabinet.

The Taoiseach had discussions with the opposition leaders today to update them on the situation, he added.

Education Minister Norma Foley will update the cabinet sub committee on the school situation tomorrow morning.

Today she met the education partners and also listened to concerns expressed by members of the Opposition

Ms Foley said tonight that she was acutely aware of the challenges facing the reopening of schools due to the rapid spread of Covid-19 through society and shares the concerns raised in this regard.

The minister noted the huge efforts made by school communities in the last term and the successful and safe operation of schools to date and gave a reassurance that funding was in place to ensure that all schools would be able to meet their PPE costs during these challenging times.

Meanwhile, Green Party deputy leader Catherine Martin is understood to be cautious about the reopening of schools.

Ms Martin, a former school teacher, believes that even if Nphet recommend opening schools it will have to be done very differently to ensure teachers, pupils and their parents are kept safe.

However, Minister of State in the Department of Education Josepha Madigan insisted today that there is no advice against reopening schools next week.

If schools do reopen the primary teachers union INTO wants them to have the flexibility to shut and switch to remote learning if Covid makes it too difficult for them to stay open.

That was part of a back-up plan presented by the INTO to Education Minister Norma Foley today.

The union is concerned that some principals may find themselves facing high levels of Covid-related staff absence and will not be able to secure a substitute to allow them to open the school safely.

Amid mounting concerns about the rapid increase in cases, Ms Foley is attending a series of meetings with education partners, such as teacher unions and school management bodies, and Opposition politicians today.

Up to now, schools had no authority to close to deal with the fall-out from a Covid outbreaks unless Public Health officials made such a recommendation.

In the first term, some schools took a unilateral decision to shut but were forced into a U-turn by the Department of Education.

But if the Government decides that school are to re-open in the current rapidly deteriorating circumstances INTO says principals must have more autonomy .

We flagged a potential problem where large numbers of school staff may be absent when schools do reopen, and we want flexibility to move to remote learning where necessary.

We are expecting staffing to become an issue because we are expecting more people to have to self-isolate. We already know there is tremendous pressure on a lot of schools in relation to accessing subs and we know it will become harder for some schools, an INTO spokesperson said.

While accepting that the opening or closure of schools generally depends on public health advice, the INTO says up-to-date information must inform the decision.

Among the issues about which the INTO is seeking a better understanding is around the transmissibility of the new UK variant  which some scientists believe spreads more easily among children - and whether existing social distancing rules still work.

The union is also asking that education staff be moved up the vaccination priority lists and want Public Health to conduct a review of the wearing of face masks by primary pupils and staff.

Under the existing rules, pupils are not required to wear face coverings and staff have certain discretion about when the wear them.

Groups advocating for students with special needs want Education Minister Norma Foley and Junior Minister for special education Josepha Madigan to ensure that provision is in place for children with special needs should schools not return on schedule

The autism charity, AsIAm, Down Syndrome Ireland and Inclusion Ireland have previously expressed concerns that the system failed children with the greatest needs during last years education lockdown.

They have written to the two ministers on the matter this evening and want the authorities to explore a range of options to allow for continuity of learning for vulnerable pupils in the event of a second closure.

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said Ms Foley will report to Cabinet on Wednesday.

Nphet will also provide advice on that. But before any of that we have a Covid Cabinet subcommittee meeting tomorrow so we will look at it there before going into Cabinet, he said.

That balancing equation is between the public health benefit, which is real, of having or not having our children in school, versus whatever's happening in the wider pandemic, Mr Ryan said. But our schools have shown they can operate safely in difficult circumstances. So, we'll wait for that advice.

Asked if Ireland had to follow Britain automatically if the UK decides to extend school holidays, Mr Ryan said Ireland was taking independent advice from Nphet and from the Department of Education.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said public health officials had not made a recommendation to keep schools closed, but that discussion on the issue are ongoing.

He told RTEs News at One: We have to allow the experts time they need to examine the latest evidence.

We have to wait until Wednesday or Thursday before theres a decision in relation to this.

There are ongoing conversations obviously across government, and with the public health team.

However, I think it is reasonable to assume that government on Wednesday morning will make a decision on this.

Mr Donnelly acknowledged that parents, teachers and students need clarity on the issue as soon as possible.

He said: Now I understand, Im a dad myself, Ive got three young children. Im in the same position as a lot of people listening right now.

I understand people need clarity. Parents want clarity, students want clarity, teachers and principals, obviously, they want clarity and they want as much notice as possible. That is right and proper that they would seek those things, he added.

Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan will make a presentation to the Cabinet Sub Committee on Covid-19 tomorrow on the escalating situation which has seen new cases skyrocket since Christmas.

The meeting will be attended by the leaders of the three Government parties along with several senior ministers and their officials.

After the meeting, ministers will discuss the best course of action for dealing with the third wave of Covid-19.

Once a decision is made, a memo will be drafted and brought before Cabinet on Wednesday.

Read More

Irish Independent
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Morgan County's coronavirus test positive rate has climbed to near 58 percent, Right now, Morgan County is ranked 5th in the state for positivity rate.

This comes as the county reached almost 9,500 confirmed coronavirus cases.

Decatur-Morgan Hospital has 80 confirmed coronavirus inpatients. Hospital President Kelli Powers explained in a news conference this morning that those numbers are down from last week, because patients have died.

Right now 12 patients are in the Intensive Care Unit and Powers says she's worried about what could be just around the corner.

"It does alarm us that a week or two from now we'll see a surge from the holidays," explained Powers.

Right now around 90 of the hospital's employees are out because of coronavirus. Alabama Department of Health Assistant Director for the Northern District Michael Glenn explained that after each holiday cases spike.

Around Halloween, coronavirus hospital inpatients hit almost 960 statewide. On Thanksgiving hospitalized inpatients statewide hit 1,450.

On Sunday, statewide hospitalizations rose to almost 2,900.

"Thankful the holidays are over....For lack of a better word we got our teeth kicked in over the holiday season," explained Glenn.
Arts & Culture

By Ls Cohen Published: January 04 2021

We dug into the archives this year and found these historical gems.

Long Island has a rich and storied past. Some of that was documented in photographs. We drew from many sources to post some of the best historical pictures from Long Island that we could find this year. Below are our ten most popular historical photo posts from 2020.

Old Time Pictures of Potato Farming on Long Island

Photo: Courtesy of Ed Wesnofske.

Escaping the political upheaval in their homeland, Martin and Anna Wesnofske travelled from Poland to the United States in the 1870s. The German-speaking Wesnofskes settled in what is now the Queens/Nassau border on the Hempstead Plains and bought their first farm in 1892 where they raised seven children. Their kids migrated eastward, bringing their farming traditions with them. On Long Island if you were a farmer, chances are you were growing potatoes. (By the 1940s up to 80% of all farming on Long Island was dedicated to potatoes.) Click here to see all the pics.

Photos of Levittown Homes Then & Now

Aerial view of Levittown housing development on Long Island, New York. 1954. Photo: Shutterstock.

After World War II, demand from returning soldiers to settle down and start their families in the suburbs created a boom in development. The Levitts famously (and sometimes infamously) capitalized on this and broke ground on the planned community of Levittown in 1947. In the late 1950s these photographers captured the development when it was still relatively fresh. We compared the three Levitt homes below with some Google street view images of what they look like now. Click here to see all the photos.

Photos of Historic Long Island Homes & Buildings in Suffolk County

Most of the photos come from the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), a program of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consist of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written reports. Click here to see them all.

Old Pics of Bayshore

South Side Hospital, Bay Shore, Long Island. Exterior III. 1956 July 11. Photo: No known restrictions on publication. No renewal found in Copyright. [LC-USZ62-25401 (b&w film copy neg.) LC-USZ62-29455 (b&w film copy neg. of another copy)]

We dug into the archives to find some great old pics taken in Bay Shore. See them all here.

A 1906 View of Port Jefferson Village

Photo: 1906 May 9. Port Jefferson / A.S. Greene. No known restrictions on publication.

Photos of Historic Long Island Homes & Buildings in Nassau County

Photo: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government. Historic American Buildings Survey.

When you think of the suburbs, naturally you think of rows and rows of single family homes. Less densely populated - and with many fewer 7Elevens - Long Islands colonial settlers built their homes here never knowing the explosion in construction that would happen centuries later making traffic on the Long Island Expressway move at the pace of a horse and buggy ride. Click here to see all the photos.

1915 Ad Shows Bungalow For Rent on the South Shore

Obviously, the Long Island Rail Road would have a vested interest in touting the many splendors of Long Island. Around the turn of the 20th Century The Long Island Rail Road did just that with a series of periodicals that promoted rail travel east from New York City to the rural beauty of the region it served. In one such book titled, Long Island and real life, Long Island railroad published in 1915, the author called Long Island a region that holds nearly everything reasonable people can want in this earthly life. Click here to read the full post.

1909 Photo of LIRR Wreck in Bay Shore

Photo: Contributor, Anderson, M. J., photographer. Library of Congress. No known restrictions on publication. No renewal found in copyright.

The photo above captures a wreck of a Long Island Railroad train near Fifth Avenue in Bay Shore taken on July 10, 1909. A caption from the archival photo says that the picture shows the wreckage of a railroad train after it collided into the rear of another railroad car. Bystanders nearby watch as two men, probably railroad employees, look over the damage.

Old Pics of President Teddy Roosevelt on Long Island

Photo: This media file is in the public domain in the United States.

Bully! Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay was known as the Summer White House for all the time that Theodore Roosevelt spent there. The 26th President of the United States spent time there from 1885 until his death in 1919.According to the National Park Service website, during Roosevelt's time in office, his "Summer White House" was the focus of international attention. You can still go there to explore the natural surroundings and become inspired by the legacy of one of America's most popular presidents.

Click here to see find some great old pictures of Teddy Roosevelt at various times when he was in residence at Sagamore Hill.

Old Pics of LILCO

Photo: Public domain. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Gottscho-Schleisner Collection [LC-G613-T-64242 DLC]

For those who remember, the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO), served the residents of Long Island with electrical power and natural gas from the year it was formed in 1911 until it was taken over by the Long Island Power Authority in 1998. Click here to see the pics.
He is charged with making "inappropriate" statements and damaging the image of the legal sector. Relatives of prisoners who arrived in Guangdong: they ask to meet their relatives and want to appeal. The inaction of the Hong Kong authorities.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Chinese authorities have revoked the license of the lawyer who assisted the families of the 12 Hong Kong citizens arrested four months ago by the Guangdong Coast Guard.

The Minister of Justice of the south-western province claims that lawywer Lu Siwei, originally from Sichuan; is responsible for making "inappropriate" statements on the web, seriously damaging the image of the legal sector and having a "negative impact on society". He now has three days to contest the revocation of his license to practice.

On December 30, judges at the Yantian District Court in Shenzhen sentenced 10 of the 12 democratic activists jailed in China since August with sentences ranging from a minimum of seven months to a maximum of three years. The charge against them is that they illegally crossed Chinese territorial waters while attempting to flee to Taiwan. The last two suspects, who are minors, have been repatriated to Hong Kong and will be tried by a local court for having "absconded".

The fugitives had already been indicted in Hong Kong for participating in democracy demonstrations in 2019 or for violating the new security law. The Chinese government prevented the 12 from seeing their family members and being assisted by lawyers chosen by the families: Lu Siwei is one of them.

Meanwhile, three family members of the detainees have arrived in Shenzhen. According to Chu Hoi-dick, a former pro-democracy parliamentarian, they completed the 14-day quarantine for the coronavirus yesterday and are asking to meet with their relatives, or at least to have information on their detention status.

So far the Chinese authorities have not spoken. Hong Kong Democratic Front officials urged the City Security Bureau to provide assistance to the families of the 10, especially with regard to the possibility of filing an appeal for sentencing.

The authorities of the former British colony - supported by the pro-Beijing establishment - have replied that they do not want to assist the condemned directly: at the most they say they are ready to find and transmit information on the procedures to be respected in the mainland judicial and penitentiary system.

(Photo Rthk)
Lone Aircraft Carrier to Remain in Middle East Following Iran Threats: Pentagon

The Pentagon announced Sunday that the single U.S. Navy aircraft carrier in the Middle East, the USS Nimitz, will remain on duty in the region amid heightened tensions with Iran.

It marks an abrupt reversal after acting defense secretary Christopher Milller said last week that he was sending the vessel home, a move that had been met with intense opposition by senior military officers.

In changing his mind, Miller cited in his statement that recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President Trump and other U.S. government officials, without elaborating.

I have ordered the USS Nimitz to halt its routine redeployment, Miller said. The USS Nimitz will now remain on station in the U.S. Central Command area of operations. No one should doubt the resolve of the United States of America.

The update comes amid heightened tensions with Iran. Nearly a year after a U.S. airstrike killed Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, who was in charge of the shadowy Quds Force within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Irans president Hassan Rouhani suggested during a press briefing that the region will avenge the top Iranian generals killing.

Trump will be ousted, not only from power, but also from life; he will be a disgraced person in history for his crimes, Rouhani told reporters on Dec. 31.

Irans state media has also alleged that other countries, including Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Germany, and Britain, had played a role in Soleimanis killing.

Soleimanis death prompted Iran to fire a barrage of missiles at American bases in the region. Soleimani was blamed by U.S. officials for killing hundreds of American soldiers and civilians in the region over the years, and was accused of plotting more attacks.

In recent days, U.S. officials have said that they are on heightened alert for a potential Iranian attack on U.S. forces or interests in the Middle East.

General Esmail Qaani, Qassem Soleimanis successor as leader of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force, is making death threats on Twitter against U.S. officials. When will @Twitter apply its terms of use to counter such brazen threats of terrorism? pic.twitter.com/mEtgfbCHIz  Cale Brown (@StateDeputySPOX) December 31, 2020

Iran is believed to have been behind an attack earlier this month on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, killing at least one Iraqi civilian, according to officials.

Trump then issued a warning to Iran on Twitter.

Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over, he wrote on Dec. 23.

Our embassy in Baghdad got hit Sunday by several rockets. Three rockets failed to launch. Guess where they were from: IRAN. Now we hear chatter of additional attacks against Americans in Iraq pic.twitter.com/0OCL6IFp5M  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2020

The United States has maintained a near-continuous aircraft carrier presence in the Persian Gulf region since the USS Abraham Lincoln was sent in May 2019 amid concerns that Iran was considering attacking U.S. interests in the region. The United States also sent additional land-based attack planes and reestablished a troop presence in Saudi Arabia.

The Nimitz deployed from the United States in April and was due to return before the end of 2020. In early December, its planned return was postponed, in part out of concerns about potential Iranian threats. More recently, it was ordered to provide support off the coast of Somalia for the movement of American forces out of the country.

Jack Phillips and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Backdropped by the Gibraltar rock, people wearing face masks walk along the stalls of a weekly market at the Spanish city of La Linea (Emilio Morenatti/AP)

Fears of disruptions following Britains departure from the European Union were replaced by coronavirus-related restrictions on border traffic between Spain and Gibraltar on Monday, the first working day at the United Kingdoms only land border with the European mainland.

Only a share of essential workers from an average of 15,000 who cross the fence between Spains La Linea de la Concepcion and the British territory on a normal day were venturing into Gibraltar, which went into lockdown late on Saturday amid a surge in virus cases that is putting under pressure its limited health infrastructure.

Under the new stay-at-home order, the 30,000 residents on the British speck of land on Spains southern tip are only permitted to venture out for work, exercise, medical appointments or to buy essential items.

Gibraltar authorities have reported more than 1,300 new cases during the last month, more than double from the levels in early December, and are investigating if the surge is linked to the new virus variant that has rapidly spread in Britain.

First working day after the New Year's Eve Agreement. The Bay of Opportunity is clear today, but there is much rain to come before we achieve  the Treaty on Mobility& Prosperity. pic.twitter.com/UBMmRwOkjX  Fabian Picardo (@FabianPicardo) January 4, 2021

In remarks over the weekend, Gibraltars chief minister, Fabian Picardo, said that the first batch of 5,000 vaccines would arrive in Gibraltar on January 9.

At least 200,000 people across the border in Spain, in the so-called Campo de Gibraltar subregion, are also under similar levels of restrictions.

The area has seen a surge of the 14-day infection rate per 100,000 inhabitants to 300 cases, twice the average in the broader Andalusia region of southern Spain.

Despite having overwhelmingly voted against the UKs EU departure, Gibraltar entered the new year with tighter new controls on what for decades has been an open border with the 27-nation bloc through Spain.

Expand Close Spanish police officers stand at the border as people enter Gibraltar from the neighbouring Spanish city of La Linea (Emilio Morenatti/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Spanish police officers stand at the border as people enter Gibraltar from the neighbouring Spanish city of La Linea (Emilio Morenatti/AP)

The most immediate effect is on customs controls for some consumer goods intended for personal use, such as meat, milk, pet food, and fish produce in most forms.

Some of the longer-term concerns were dispelled last week after Spain and the UK clinched a preliminary agreement for making Gibraltar part of the Schengen area group of European nations sharing borders.

Madrid and London had been engaging for months in diplomatic negotiations over the post-Brexit future of Gibraltar, whose British sovereignty since the 18th century has been often disputed by Spain.

The agreement in principle should essentially lead to move border checks from the current fence with Spain to the international airport and the Gibraltar port, but a new treaty to be negotiated directly between the EU and the UK needs to be signed after jurisdiction issues and import duties are ironed out, according to authorities on both sides.

A major hurdle in the negotiations is whether the EUs police force, Frontex, could be stationed in the British territory.

PA Media
The Pentagon ordered the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier to remain in the Middle East on Sunday, citing threats by Iranian leaders against President Donald Trump and other US officials.

Acting US Defense Secretary Christopher Millers decision reverses an order he issued just three days prior, overruling top Central Command officials to bring the ship home in a de-escalatory gesture toward Iran. While in the region, the Nimitz also lent support to the ongoing US troop drawdown from Somalia that began last month.

Washington has put its overwhelming military power in the region on display in recent weeks, dispatching B-52 bombers as well as a guided-missile submarine and cruisers into the Persian Gulf while extending the Nimitz now 10-month-long deployment at sea.

The show of force was intended as a warning to officials in Tehran ahead of yesterdays anniversary of the US assassination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, an act for which Iranian leaders have continued to promise revenge.

Due to the recent threats issued by Iranian leaders against President Trump and other U.S. government officials, I have ordered the USS Nimitz to halt its routine redeployment, Miller said in a statement issued Sunday night.

Hard-line Iranian officials have made public threats against US officials in recent weeks as the Islamic Republic commemorates the killing of Soleimani, who commanded the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps elite Quds Force.

Thousands of pro-Iran demonstrators rallied in Iraqs capital yesterday to commemorate the deaths of the Iranian spymaster, his Iraqi protege Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and eight other people killed in a US drone strike outside Baghdad International Airport on Jan. 3, 2020.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani compared Trump to the Islamic Republics old enemy, Saddam Hussein, the former dictator of Iraq who waged a brutal eight-year war against Iran. In a statement last week to Irans cabinet, Rouhani said that Trumps legacy would soon end and be left to the dustbin of history.

An English translation on the Iranian presidencys website seemed to suggest Rouhani was threatening Trumps life.

It is a mistranslation, Juan Cole, a professor of Middle Eastern history at the University of Michigan and commentator on regional affairs, told Al-Monitor via email. Rouhani says the life of Trumpism and of this administration will come to an end. It isn't a threat. At all.

US officials have cited intelligence assessments that Iran moved short-range ballistic missile technology into Iraq in recent weeks and that Quds Force figures have met with Iraqi militia officials as a sign that Tehrans proxies may be preparing to strike US personnel, though other officials have disputed the evidence.

Irans Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif accused the Trump administration last week of fabricating a pretext for war and alleged Israeli agent provocateurs were plotting attacks against in Iraq to spark a war with Iran, a charge Israels energy minister publicly dismissed as nonsense.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah suggested last week that revenge for Soleimanis killing would be carried out through Irans proxies in the region, but said the remaining days of Trumps presidency should be approached carefully.

Iran and the Trump administration have been locked in a heated strategic game in the Middle East. US officials accuse Tehran of exploiting the limited 2015 nuclear deal to expand its ballistic missile program and to pass military technology to proxy militias in Iraq, Yemen and Syria  moves that the United States says threaten its partners in the region, including Saudi Arabia and Israel.

The Trump administration walked out of the international agreement in 2018 and launched a campaign of economic sanctions against Tehran, aiming to drain the Islamic Republics financial ability to project military influence in the region.

President-elect Joe Biden wrote in September that his incoming administration will seek to rejoin the nuclear deal as a starting point for additional negotiations if Iran returns to strict compliance. Rouhani has said his government is willing to rejoin the deal but that Tehrans regional influence efforts and ballistic missile program will remain separate from talks over rejoining the nuclear agreement.

Our view is that Irans ballistic missile program has to be on the table as part of that follow-on negotiation, Jake Sullivan, Bidens pick for National Security Advisor, said on CNN yesterday.

Tehran has publicly and incrementally violated the nuclear deals prohibitions in response to the Trump administrations withdrawal from the agreement and sanctions.

An Iranian government spokesman said Monday that Tehran had begun to enrich uranium at its Fordow nuclear facility to 20%  more than five times higher than levels it committed to in 2015, but still far from the purity levels required to produce a nuclear weapon.
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